Gustavo Camperos

Booking our family's trip to Costa Rica with kimkim was easy and streamlined. We simply told Gustavo what we were interested in doing & seeing, and what level accommodations we wanted, and he came up with a fantastic itinerary, including transfers between airports, hotels and activities, as well as great activities that we only needed to tweak a little on our initial call with him. In Monteverde, we particularly loved the zip lining at Treetopia Park Monteverde, our birding guide, Oscar with Ocotea Tours & Transfers (who was very flexible and indulging based on our birding priorities), and our coffee & chocolate tour with Katherine at Don Juan Monteverde. The treetop dining experience at San Lucas Treetop Dining Experience was fun too, and the food was delicious. In Sámara, we enjoyed our fishing and snorkeling adventure with Sámara Adventures, even though we didn't catch fish--but we saw lots of dolphins right up close to our boat! Our hike at the Werner Sauter Biological Reserve was good too--lots of wildlife. I would say that the Scarlet Macaw Refuge and Breeding Center Experience was a little disappointing; it was scheduled for 3 hours but only lasted about 1.5 hours including transportation; we had hoped to see the actual breeding facilities but only saw the macaws being fed by staff. This was great, but since we were staying at nearby Punta Islita, we had seen several of them flying around and eating in the trees on the resort property by the time we attended the experience. I will say that Punta Islita is a good 30 minutes away from Sámara, and 2 of our 3 experiences were in Sámara, so there was a lot of driving. The Hotel Punta Islita offers many of the same tours and adventures that we had with Sámara Adventures--so maybe we could have had fishing/snorkeling and hiking without as much driving if we'd used the hotel's options instead?

We loved our accommodations at the Cloud Forest Lodge in Monteverde and the Hotel Punta Islita, Autograph Collection near Sámara--especially the views and wildlife (mostly birds) at Cloud Forest, and the pool, beach access and wildlife (including howler monkeys & scarlet macaws) at Punta Islita. While both these accommodations are beautiful and fairly luxurious, they are both removed from local culture, making it more difficult to explore the nearby (far in the case of Sámara--about 30 minutes away) towns, restaurants and cultural life on foot without having to call a taxi or other ride service. They did have all the amenities we needed on site, but we found ourselves eating at the same hotel restaurant (which were still excellent) for most meals in each hotel. I wanted to have some local gallo pinto, but the hotel restaurant versions were not the same as the gallo pinto I got at sodas when I was in Costa Rica many years ago--and we never found the time to find a soda or smaller restaurant at which we could get authentic gallo pinto (though if we'd made more effort to call a taxi for a ride into town in Monteverde for lunch or dinner one day, I'm sure we could have found some!). In addition, neither of these accommodations seemed to have good suite options for a family of 3--2 adults and a teen son--that would allow for much privacy (Cloud Forest Lodge was better in this sense--at least there was a large bathroom). They would be better suited for a couple, or you'd have to book more than one room/suite.

Overall, we LOVED our trip to Costa Rica, and particularly loved the fact that booking with kimkim made it easy, with an easy-to-follow itinerary, so that we didn't have to worry about ground transportation (especially between airports & hotels) or scheduling of tours while in-country. It was great to have a schedule to follow, but also enough downtime to relax and enjoy the beauty of Monteverde and Punta Islita!

Hotel Reviews

Cloud Forest Lodge

Monteverde

Beautiful surroundings and views. Endémica restaurant is fantastic with so many delicious options and a beautiful fireplace and balcony. Very friendly and accommodating staff. Removed enough from Monteverde that you must call a cab to go into town. A little more difficult for families--we had the largest suite, the Tityra Junior Suite for our family of three (parents & 1 teen son), and it's still only one large room (with king bed & a daybed) with a large bathroom. In the future, I might book 2 different rooms. The nature trails around the property were great for hiking and some wildlife, and the bird viewing as well as cloud forest views from the balconies were excellent.

Authenticity & Character

in the middle of the cloud forest

Location

beautiful natural surroundings and wildlife

Staff

very friendly; we loved our waiter at Endémica Restaurant (who I think was the manager but can't remember his name!)

Cleanliness & Comfort

everything squeaky clean

Hotel Punta Islita, Autograph Collection

Bejuco

Beautiful surroundings, excellent pool, excellent beach access with great restaurant at the beach and beach-side service. Great amenities and options for activities--surfing lessions, bird watching, monkey sighting, etc. Excellent restaurant at the hotel itself. The mountain view room was excellent for wildlife sighting--we saw howler monkeys in the valley below and scarlet macaws in the tree above our little "yard".

Authenticity & Character

Great wildlife opportunities, beautiful beach, staff was wonderful. There is a cultural museum (which we didn't visit) but removed from opportunities to actually meet and mingle with local people.

Location

Absolutely beautiful with lots of wildlife and great beach, but removed from "nearby" town so no real opportunity to experience local culture.

Staff

Very accommodating

Cleanliness & Comfort

Very clean.

Activity Reviews

TreeTram, Hanging Bridges & Zipline Adventure

Monteverde

LOVED the ziplining! The hanging bridges were great too--saw lots of wildlife including many birds and a snake!

Quality of Experience

Ziplining was awesome! Hanging bridges were fun but more like checking a box.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Ziplining staff was amazing. Our hanging bridge guide seemed to play favorites with some in our group a bit which could be a little off-putting.

Transport

Private: Half-day Bird-watching in Curi-Cancha Reserve

Monteverde

Oscar, our birding guide, was fantastic! Knowledgeable, and very accommodating to our birding priorities!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Werner Sauter Biological Reserve Hike (Seasonal)

Sámara

Saw lots of wildlife including many "lifer" birds as well as howler monkeys! Learned lots about the local flora as well--very interesting. Great view of Sámara beach during the hike.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Private Coffee, Chocolate & Sugar Cane Experience

Monteverde

Katherine, our guide, was fabulous! We loved chatting with her and learning from her. I would highly recommend this experience!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Treetop Dining Experience with Wine Pairing

Monteverde

The food was excellent and the service fantastic. The view was amazing!

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Private Adventure Fishing and Snorkel

Sámara

We loved this adventure! Unfortunately, we were there during a season when the fishing wasn't great so we didn't catch anything--but our son (a seasoned fisherman) was OK with that ("that's why they call it fishing and not catching"). The boat ride was beautiful and we saw lots of dolphins right alongside the boat. The snorkeling was great too--our son spotted a ray as well as a turtle for us all! The boat driver & fishing guide were fantastic as well--and the fruit at the end of the ride was incredibly delicious!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Scarlet Macaw Refuge and Breeding Center Experience

Sámara

It was fun to learn about the breeding project that has been so successful at reinvigorating the scarlet macaw population in Costa Rica--what a great accomplishment! In terms of seeing the macaws, we were led to the area where food is put out for them, which our guide did, and tons of them came to eat the food provided (these were birds that had been bred & hatched at the center then released into the wild after 2-3 years--the center provides less than 50% of their daily nutritional requirements--can't remember exactly how much--20-40%??--so that the released birds can learn to forage and survive on their own but have a backup just in case). So we learned a lot about the project and are happy that we were able to support the project. But we were hoping to see the actual breeding center itself--where the eggs are laid/chicks are hatched, and that wasn't part of the tour. Also it was billed as a 3-hour experience, and only lasted about 45 minutes (plus transportation there & back--about 10 min each way).

Quality of Experience

seeing the breeding area itself

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

I will start this review by saying this was one of the best trips overall that we have experienced. We had never worked with Kim Kim before so let's just say we were a little nervous. Everything was well planned and organized starting with Gustavo all the way through the planning process but you never know how things will go until that very first interaction at the airport. Well let's just say our flights were delayed on both ends and that's certainly no fault of Kim Kim. We obviously let the driver service in San Jose know that we would be late and once we landed in San Jose we were already in communication with each other so very comforting. From the moment of that first transport at the airport to all of the other transport throughout our 8 days, we were very pleased with the promptness, cleanliness, professionalism and bilingual abilities of all of our drivers. Our hotels(Hotel Presidente in San Jose, Arenal Kioro and Parador in Manuel Antonio were all great with the latter two having exceptional views. Hotel Presidente is in an urban area in close proximity to a lot of nearby activities so of course we didn't care about the views. All hotels were very clean and had great breakfast buffets. We only ate two other meals at the hotels during our trip. One dinner at Arenal Kioro was a seafood medley for two that probably could have satisfied a family of four. Our other meal was a quick grab at Parador which was just fine before our next tour time. All hotel staffs were courteous and bilingual so easy to communicate with during our stays. The three hotels were all very different with Hotel Presidente being in an urban setting close to major attractions which is what we wanted there. Arenal Kioro was on beautiful grounds more in a rain forest setting with sweeping views of the volcano. Parador took advantage of beautiful ocean views and definitely had more of a resort feel. There were many families there and maybe someday we'll come back with our own extended family as it seemed like a great place for both adults and children. All hotels were safe with appropriate security at all gates.
Before I review our activities, I just want to make a comment about Greg and others that we worked with in planning this trip. They were all excellent about keeping us informed as we did have a couple of cancellation issues. Greg either found us a beyond expectations alternative or promptly refunded us money, One of our concerns going into this trip was that we would largely be on our own once we got to Costa Rica. Let's just say that to the contrary, we felt Kim Kim was there every step of our trip.
Starting with the two activities we did not get to experience through no fault of Kim Kim. The second day of our trip we were supposed to go on a Costa Rican Culture and Cuisine Walk in San Jose. Greg let us know well ahead that the operator cancelled but in doing so refunded our our money and also arranged for a phenomenal alternative beyond our expectations. The only other activity that cancelled on our trip was on our very last day. Regarding Kids Saving the Rainforest Wildlife Sanctuary-Our transport never showed and we called the organization several times that morning. Our hotel staff even tried on our behalf and they never answered the telephone. Being that this was our last day, there was nothing we could do about an alternative but our money was promptly refunded . We still don't know what happened but it is what it is or Pura Vida.
Review of Activities-
Self-guided activities(Kim Kim did not schedule for us)-Nature walk in Ecological Park and Butterfly Park Danaus-This park was a pleasant enough walk but would not recommend it without a guide. Fortunately, the park staff realized after we returned from a fairly short walk that we probably did not take full advantage of the activity. A staff member was kind enough to take us back out to see sloths, caimans, and toucans although not a formal tour so our trip there would be more memorable. The second self guided trip we did was to the La Fortuna Waterfall. Doing this self-guided was just fine as it was basically a walk down 500 steps to the falls and then a swim. There are lockers near the entry, to store dry clothes so assuming someone can make the 500 step walk, it was fairly easy to do on our own and worth the trip. The third self-guided piece of our tour was to visit Manuel Antonio Beaches after the guided Manuel Antonio Nature walk. We basically stayed a couple of hours in the National Park to enjoy the beautiful beach. We found a quieter side of the beach after our tour and it was well worth spending that time there.

Wildlife Rescue Center Tour-San Jose-We found this to be a very relaxing introduction to the wildlife we would see throughout the rest of our trip. We would recommend this as it was not only enjoyable with our guide but also gave us an opportunity to see a caring organization rehab and take care of wildlife that will never be able to be reintroduced into the wild. Well worth it to see and a wonderful cause.
Nocturnal Frog Excursion and Traditional Costa Rican Dinner-La Fortuna. The night walk was easy to navigate and the guide was enthusiastic but we did not see much in the way of wildlife. We do realize that this is not a zoo so every night-wildlife observation will be different. The Costa Rican Dinner was excellent and the family was very hard-working and hospitable. Even though if the walk itself was not that great, the dinner more than made up for it and made the trip out here well worth it.
Arenal Volcano and 1968 Reserve Guided Hike-La Fortuna This was a great hike with a wonderful guide that stopped and spoke with us a number of times. Half the trail was easy to walk and navigate. The other half as we ascended through more of lava flow-rocky areas was a little more challenging. We certainly enjoyed but those with younger children or seniors with mobility challenges may find the second half of this walk difficult. I will also say that our guide took the extra step not only to provide us with fruit in the end but lay it out on a table and table cloth that was above and beyond our expectations.

Rio Penas Blancas Safari Float-La Fortuna
This was a very relaxing float down the river in a six person raft perfect after our hike in the am. The guide was great and there was really not any work to do other than the occasional paddle. The current really did the work. Although the wildlife that day wasn't particularly abundant, we did see sloths, monkeys, and a number of birds. Enjoyed the scenery and nature and would recommend this for a relaxing afternoon.

Sky Tram, Ziplines, and Skywalk Adventure-La Fortuna
We had a great trip with a lot of enjoyable activities but this was our favorite excursion. My wife was a little hesitant about the zipline. We have done them a few times in the past but it had been several years since our last one. Let's just say we both loved this activity as it was extremely safe and well organized. The staff also was sensitive to taking care of the younger ones in our group and would either assist them across or have them go together. The guided walk through the rainforest and over hanging bridges was extraordinary as well. It was an easy enough walk and a great way to get us out of the rainforest.
Coffee, Chocolate, and Sugar Cane Tour-La Fortuna
This was exactly we we expected and what we wanted on this afternoon. An educational and easy walk through sugar cane, cacao and coffee fields along with tastings along the way. The coffee and chocolate tastings were well done as they showed those important products to Costa Rica in their various processing stages.
Manuel Antonio Jungle Night Walk-This was probably the one activity during the whole trip that I'm not sure we could recommend. We realize that every night could be different in terms of wildlife you could see. The setting was a little strange as it was literally outside of a busy restaurant parking lot. With that said, certainly every portion of rainforest could be fascinating. As we walked through the forest, we mostly saw insects and spiders and although we all had flashlights to help spot, I'm not sure that our guide was all that excited to be on our tour. The walk was simple enough to navigate but we left the forest without seeing much at all. I guess we had higher expectations after our volcano walk of the fruit served at end but even that seemed like a less organized and not well-thought out presentation.
Manuel Antonio Nature Walk-We didn't realize how busy this park was but we had a guide that really made this tour special. He was enthusiastic, willing to take the time with us to take excellent pictures and he was an excellent spotter. He also was extremely personable not only with us but with other guides who clearly were keeping each other informed about wildlife sitings. This was also an A+ experience and highly recommended.
Catamaran Adventure with Barbecue-This was the largest group activity that we did the whole trip and as such could have been really chaotic. It was everything but chaotic and very well organized from start to finish. It was the only time that rain interfered at all with our trip but was not that big of a deal since there was more than adequate covered space on the boat. The only downside was that the boat parked a fairly long way from the snorkeling opportunity. We have snorkeled in the past so were looking forward to it but once we got there, it didn't quite seem worth the swim on a rainy choppy sea day. With that said, we know this wasn't a snorkeling trip and certainly enjoyed everything else about it. There was no skimping on drinks and food was great and served in a very organized way and we were truly amazed at how quickly that all the people on the boat got served. Add to that we saw a whale and dolphins and you have a very enjoyable trip and highly recommended.
The last activity review is not one that was recommended by Kim Kim and I appreciated your staff professionally telling me they did not have a recommendation for this activity. We were originally wanting to do a Las Dumas Mangrove boat tour but because of the tides and our schedule it could not be accommodated. I booked a Night Mangrove Safari Tour through trip advisor/Costa Rica Jade Tours not knowing what to expect. They picked us up promptly and took us to a boat dock where we had a private tour. There were other boats on the mangrove (Las Dumas) river that night with more passengers but we were by ourselves. Let's just say this trip was truly fascinating and an adventure at the same time. The driver and guide were able to spot some incredible snakes, birds, insects and small mammals. While we thoroughly enjoyed this excursion, it was a little on the rougher side and none-the-less could potentially be seen as less professional than everything else Kim Kim recommended to us. We also had dinner as part of this excursion and had a quick stop at a cute little restaurant with our guide in Quepos. Personally, I would highly recommend this tour but leave that up to your expert trip planners.
Thanks for the opportunity to provide you with our tour insights. We truly enjoyed working with you.

Our other day two activity in San Jose was the Wildlife Rescue Center.This was a truly relaxing and enjoyable experience and a great introduction into the wildlife we would be experiencing throughout the remainder of our trip. This is also a caring organization that is focused on the wonderful cause of rehabbing animals and taking care of those animals that could not be released in the wild. Definitely worth a visit.

Day 3-We did two self-guided trips in the morning and afternoon so Kim Kim did not arrange. The first was a self-guided walk through Ecological Park and Butterfly Garden Danaus. This was a pleasant and easy trail walk but I would definitely do a guided tour here because otherwise you will miss much of it. We finished after a short time on the trail and I think the staff realized that we missed much of the experience. A staff member kindly took us back out to see caimans, sloths and toucans that we would have otherwise missed. We really appreciated their kindness towards us. We also did a self-guided tour of the La Fortuna Waterfall. Assuming that you can do the 500 steps, this was certainly worth it. They have lockers to store dry clothes if you want to swim at the base of the falls. This is something you can do self-guided.
Nocturnal Frog Excursion and Traditional Costa Rican Dinner-The frog excursion itself was little disappointing since we only saw two frogs on the hike. However, we know that this is not a zoo so some nights, I'm sure you would see more wildlife than others. The dinner afterward however was fantastic and the hosts were great so that in itself made this a worthwhile time investment.

Gustavo and Greg did a great job meeting our primary request for amazing eco-resorts where we could kick back in a jungle environment. The first property was so relaxing that we blew off a nearby hike that we'd scheduled just to sit around by the hot springs all day. At the second property we did get to do the fun excursions they recommended, but the hotel itself was also so nice that we would have been happy just to hang out and explore the grounds.

My family just returned from 8 days of fun filled trip from Costa Rica. Thanks for Gustavo and Greg, the trip was a success. Gustavo planned an itinerary to accommodate all of our wants and wishes. Greg was there to attend to all of the travel logistics. Both Gustavo and Greg were attentive, responsive and met all of our needs through out the trip.

Our trip started out on a bad note with one of our traveler pulling out at the last second, and a missed connection flight due to American Airline mechanical issues. We ended up missing our first full day of white water rafting due to the flight delay. Greg responded to my email immediately, assured us that everything was going to be OK, and took care of all the changes necessary to continue our trip in Costa Rica. Fortunately, the rest of our trip continued without a glitch. The Arenal Volcano hike, La Fortuna waterfall, the night hike, Cloud forest, Tree top dining experience, and Manuel Antonio National Park were all as amazing as we imagined.

Needless to say, we can't thank Gustavo and Greg enough for a job well done. We will not hesitate to use them again for our trips.

Hotel Reviews

Lost Iguana Resort & Spa

Fortuna

Beautiful surrounding and friendly staff. The rooms were perfect for family vacations. The room backed up to the Arenal Volcano, giving us an awesome view every morning. The restaurant on site was good and we really enjoyed our meal there. The more remote location of the resort allowed us to feel disconnected from the daily hustle and bustle of the world. But it was difficult to go out to eat without taking a taxi.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Cala Lodge

Monteverde

This was a nice older resort than some of the other ones we stayed at. However, it was full of character and charm. The staff were friendly and helpful. Our rooms were clean and comfortable. There was a nice short hike on site. We saw a variety of birds just from the outdoor deck. The lodge was located close enough to town that we were able to walk to restaurants in the evening. However, it was also far enough from town that we always woke up to the sound of the forest.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Best Western Hotel & Casino Kamuk

Quepos

pretty standard Best Western Hotel. It was clean and overall comfortable. It was located in the center al Quepos, as we wanted to experience the local life. While it was extremely easy to walk around, see the various shops, marina and the ocean, the noise from the constant traffic was quite an adjustment.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Presidente

San José

nicely located in San Jose. We were able to walk around and do a self guided tour of San Jose. The room was quite small,, just enough to fit 2 queen size beds. But really that was all we needed for the one night stay prior to our departure.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Waterfall & Volcano Hiking Adventure with Lunch

Arenal/La Fortuna

nice experience with our guide Bernardo. He was very knowledgeable and always willing to answer questions.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Private: Nocturnal Frog Excursion & Traditional Costa Rican Dinner

Arenal/La Fortuna

Our guide Diego was a wonderful guide with excellent knowledge relevant to the excursion. He was very friendly, and always willing to answer any questions. He was able to locate 6-7 differently species of frogs and toads. We even saw a Costa Rican tree porcupine. the evening traditional Costa Rican dinner was delicious. The entire experience was wonderful.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Treetop Dining Experience with Wine Pairing

Monteverde

This was definitely the highlight of our trip. This was not just dinner in a stunning setting of glass tree top room. It was an entire experience that our family would not forget for a time. From the moment we arrived the restaurant, we were greeted by professional and knowledgeable staff. The restaurant must having ordered up the most incredible sunset for the evening. every course of the meal represented a region in Costa Rica, and this was explained in detail by out waiter. The wine pairing just added to the incredible flavor of each course. Overall, this was a once in a lifetime experience not to be missed if your budget allows for this excursion.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

All in all a good trip. Well organized without a hitch on all the connections. Costa Rica itself is amazing, if not a little over sold. A couple of the tours were a bit disappointing, especially the Manual Antonio tour thru the park. Way to many people, to commercial and very little wildlife. Hotels were all good except Monte Verde which had a small room and the Wyndham in San Jose which is very dated with bad (very) beds. An upgrade helped, but this one is questionable. Greg and Gustavo, thanks for all of your work, we would not hesitate to use you again now that we have a better idea of what we might like...
Rick and Simone