Olman Romero

The seven of us - three generations - drove our van from San Jose to Arenal to Monteverde to Manuel Antonio over nine days without a problem. Our accommodations in each location were lovely and well-situated near attractions and activities (for example, within walking distance of Manuel Antonio National Park entrance). Every guide was personable, knowledgeable, bilingual, very compatible and on time. All meals in the restaurants were excellent. Highlights of the trip included: Cano Negro Wildlife Refuge Boat Safari, Eco Termales Hot Springs, Doka Coffee Farm tour, ziplining at Selvatura, and beach time at Manuel Antonio. Although we never needed it, we knew we had kimkim support via phone or email. We wanted our grandsons to have a fun, positive travel experience for their first time in a foreign country, and they did!

Hotel Reviews

Park Inn San José by Radisson

San José

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Ficus Sunset Suites

Monteverde

Authenticity & Character

Rooms large, airy feel, spacious bathrooms.

Location

Set up in hills with beautiful view to the west towards Gulf of Nicoya and Nicoya peninsula. A short drive to Selvatura Park.

Staff

From desk to restaurant, staff was very friendly, warm and helpful.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Rooms wonderfully quiet. Beds very comfortable.

Montaña de Fuego Mountain Resort & Spa

La Fortuna

What really appealed to the younger members of the group was the nearby river warm enough for swimming.

Authenticity & Character

Excellent dinners and breakfast buffet.

Location

Very close to Arenal volcano hike. A quiet location not in the heart of town, which we preferred.

Staff

Brandon was very helpful with suggestions. Jorge took time to show us two hummingbird nests and a sloth in the forest nearby. All staff friendly and helpful.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Creative towel sculptures on beds each morning. :-)

Hotel Playa Espadilla

Manuel Antonio

Authenticity & Character

Two lovely, warm pools and very good breakfast buffet included.

Location

A block from the beach. A block from the entrance to Manuel Antonio National Park. Many restaurants nearby. Perfect!

Staff

Friendly and helpful.

Cleanliness & Comfort

We appreciated the beach towels provided!

Activity Reviews

Caño Negro Wildlife Refuge Boat Safari

Arenal/La Fortuna

This was fun! We saw more wildlife here than anywhere else on our trip. Our guide and boat driver were patient and skilled observers. The buffet lunch on sight was delicious, and there were not hoards of tourists.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Drive to Arenal - Doka Coffee Tour

Costa Rica

El Silencio Volcano Hike

Arenal/La Fortuna

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Selvatura Park Self-Guided Hanging Bridges & Zip Lining

Monteverde

Of course, this was a must-do for our grandsons, and was really a great experience. The young men manning the zip lines took their jobs seriously and treated each traveler with respect and humor.

Quality of Experience

A very well-run operation.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Everyone very friendly.

Transport

We drove ourselves to the attraction. Road a bit rough in places.

Manuel Antonio National Park Guided Hike

Costa Rica

Quality of Experience

Swam in a beautiful, warm bay in the park.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Diego was excellent. Very observant, helped us take pictures through his binocular lens and showed us insects that we otherwise would have missed. Several sloth sightings and hummingbirds.

Transport

Easy walk from our hotel.

Planning and booking our trip to Costa Rica was very easy, as planning always is on kimkim. Olman was fantastic but upon traveling, we were passed to someone else who wasn't as responsive. We had a few questions/issues and needed a quick response and waited a bit for those.

Our trip was really great except we were quite disappointed in one of our hotels. (In Monteverde.) The hotel overall was old and outdated, it overall felt outdated and we weren't even comfortable showering there. The staff was quite unwelcoming and parking was horrible at that hotel. It made our time in Monteverde frustrating.

We had a few kinks in our trip that we just didn't catch until we were already traveling (we had a 4 hour national park tour on the day we were also set to drive 4 hours to San Jose and late checkout wasn't set up) but overall it was an amazing trip and we will continue to use kimkim for future trips.

Hotel Reviews

Parque del Lago Boutique Hotel

San José

Staff was friendly, beds were comfortable. Room felt very small and was quite noisy.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Seemed to be in the middle of the city with a lot around it.

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Dreams Lodge Monteverde

Santa Elena

We really didn't enjoy this hotel. The room was very small, as was the bathroom. It also felt very old and like it needed a good deep clean and maintenance. The bathroom was very, very small and didn't feel clean. It was a "don't walk barefoot on the floor" kind of a hotel. The staff wasn't friendly or welcoming at all and parking was terrible. We disliked this hotel so much that within 2 hours of arriving, we were looking for other accommodations to pay for outside of our package. We ended up staying because the other hotels were sold out.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Lomas del Volcán

Fortuna

This hotel was INCREDIBLE! The staff was so friendly and welcoming and made us all feel like we were VIP guests. The location is just amazing and the view from our room was stunning. The grounds of the property are lush and beautiful and the pool was also lovely. Breakfast with a view every morning was a huge plus and it was quite delicious. Our room and bathroom were really spacious and we could spread out and were quite comfortable. The patio was spacious and we never, ever felt cramped or crowded. We had an absolutely wonderful time at this hotel and actually wished our whole trip was focused here because of this hotel. We would recommend this hotel to anyone staying near La Fortuna.

Authenticity & Character

We loved everything about this hotel. It's very well maintained while being true to the natural setting.

Location

If you love nature, animals, tropical vegetation and a volcano view...then this is the location for you! Going into town was 5-10 min and an easy, easy drive.

Staff

Every member of the staff we encountered was so friendly and accommodating.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Room/bathroom was very spacious. The room was clean and beds were comfortable. AC worked wonderfully and the whole cabin was very clean. There were many spots for bugs/spiders to be if the cabin wasn't maintained and we saw none.

Karahé Beach Hotel

Manuel Antonio

Nice hotel in a good location. The only issue we had is that we were given a beachfront room but it's not at all beachfront. It's a walk to beach and no view of the beach, which was a bit disappointing. Breakfast was also a bit disappointing with exactly the same thing served daily. The room was very spacious and comfortable enough and was cleaned daily. Staff was friendly and helpful.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Sloth Trail Watching Tour

Arenal/La Fortuna

Fantastic tour! We were able to see/observe several sloths. I believe we encounter 8 on this tour. Our guide was very, very patient with us and made sure that our 9 year old had a chance to observe everything as well. This meant he had to constantly lower the telescope for her and he was so patient and accommodating. He spent time explaining details about all of the animals we saw, answering questions we had and pointing out all sorts of other animals to us. This was a wonderful tour and one we will not soon forget.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Rainforest Chocolate Tour

Arenal/La Fortuna

Nice tour, very informative. Was able to taste chocolate and guides were very friendly and helpful. We saw several animals on the tour and had a great time!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Manuel Antonio National Park Guided Hike

Costa Rica

We loved this tour! We saw plenty of animals and enjoyed our time immensely. There are some things we wish we would have known prior to going.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Our guide Lisandro was AMAZING!!!!!!!!!!!1

Transport

El Silencio Hike & Visit to Ecotermales Hot Springs

Arenal/La Fortuna

This was good experience but it was different than we expected. It was listed as a 0.6 mile hike but it absolutely felt longer and was solid uphill. When we looked the trail up online, it said it was an easy hike but it felt a little harder than easy. If we did this trip again, we would skip the hike and do just the hot springs. We didn't like the food on the buffet, at all.

Quality of Experience

Food

The food just wasn't good. It was poor quality, not hot and wasn't a good selection.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Our pickup transport was great and so friendly. We weren't aware we would have a different driver after the springs and that driver wasn't friendly at all. His car was tiny and we actually weren't sure he was really our driver at first.

Proyecto Asis Wildlife Rehabilitation Center - Volunteer Experience

Arenal/La Fortuna

We loved this experience and had a great time! Our guide was very informative and patient.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Visit El Choyin Thermal River Hot Springs

Arenal/La Fortuna

We chose to skip this experience and simply rest.

Night Excursion at the Wildlife Refuge in Monteverde

Monteverde

Wonderful experience and saw a lot of really fun animals and plants. The walk was easy enough and we had no issues. The guide was really wonderful and very patient with our group. (We were paired with a couple that had a 3 and 5 year old.)

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

This was the most wonderful trip! I can't rave about it enough! The hotels were fabulous and transport was always on time. We enjoyed the excursions too! The views from our hotel rooms were breathtaking! Olman did a fabulous job putting our trip together! I just could not believe how seamless everything was.

Activity Reviews

EcoTermales Hot Springs Experience with Buffet Meal

Arenal/La Fortuna

This was nice. Just a lot of people there

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Sloth Trail Watching Tour

Arenal/La Fortuna

Absolutely amazing! Totally recommend it.

Quality of Experience

Sloths!!! And our guide

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Quick and on time

Caño Negro Wildlife Refuge Boat Safari

Arenal/La Fortuna

This was a great experience. We saw lots of cool wildlife!

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

TreeTram, Hanging Bridges & Zipline Adventure

Monteverde

Exhilarating and.fun!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Catamaran Adventure with Snorkeling

Manuel Antonio

The snorkeling was lacking. We swam to basically some rocks that were underwater and Sawa few types of fish. It was really murky. I could have really enjoyed it but they rushed us. It was maybe 15 minutes. Very disappointed. The drinks were terrible.

Quality of Experience

More time snorkeling

Food

The drinks were terrible. Watery. The food was good.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

El Silencio Volcano Hike

Arenal/La Fortuna

Great hike!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Logistics were seamless. Very good suggestions on alternatives when the price was too high for my budget. Quick responses on questions and no hiccups along the way with arrangements - everything was clear.

Hotel Reviews

Auténtico Hotel

San José

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Karahé Beach Hotel

Manuel Antonio

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Drake Bay Wilderness Resort

Drake

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Manuel Antonio National Park Guided Hike

Costa Rica

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Hike to San Pedrillo Station

Costa Rica

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Isla del Caño Snorkeling Tour

Costa Rica

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Enjoy the entire trip, the La Fortuna guide in the jungle & volcano tour was excellent! Same for the coffee, sugar cane & coffee tour. The Curu Wildlife Reserve was a highlight of our trip to Parquera with all types of wildlife and an amazing Plam forest. Tamarindo was was nice- a bit touristy but great beach. I would have prefer a hotel near the airport rather than staying downtown San Jose. Great trip, I'll book again with KimKIm.

We fell in love with Costa Rica after joining a G Adventures tour in 2024. We wanted to return, but wanted to visit different areas, with the focus on wildlife, birds and experiencing the forests/jungles/wetlands/national parks. We did not want 5*, all inclusive or private travel where shared travel options were available.
Olman understood our requirements and crafted a wonderful 2 week itinerary for us, and we enjoyed every second of every day - wishing we had arranged a longer visit as our time to depart arrived all too soon.
Our pick up at the airport was perfect, and our overnight accommodation at the Park Inn Hotel was comfortable. Shared transport to Tortuguero was fine, and we thoroughly enjoyed our 2 nights at Pachira Lodge, including the wonderful early morning boat tour. (We would not have wanted to stay in Anhinga lodge, the sister to Pachira). The buffet breakfasts, lunch and dinner were all very tasty with plenty of choices. Lunches at El Ceibo were fine.
The transfer to Sarapiqui Rainforest Lodge was very comfortable, in shared transport (often we were the only 2 passengers when using shared transport). The Lodge was particularly beautiful with a very picturesque 'wild' pool. The location was perfect for our trip to La Selva Biological Station and, of all our drivers and transport, the lady who collected and drove us was absolutely wonderful. She was full of knowledge, information and very charming and so kind and helpful, she was the best, I am just sorry that I don't recall her name. La Selva is a fascinating place - we barely scratched the surface of all there is is to see and do there. Whilst staying at The Sarapiquis Rainforest Lodge we were able to walk to 'Dave and Dave's' to watch birdlife very close up in a perfect natural setting. Highlights included the hundreds of hummingbirds feeding on Heliconia flowers, within feet of us. Dave Jnr, the host is a fountain of knowledge and no more than 6 people can visit at a time (pre-booking essential) so a very individual experience. We would definitely revisit this place. We were also able to walk to the Tirimbina Biological reserve and enjoy a night frog hike which was another amazing experience, seeing night birds and so many frogs with our knowledgeable guide. We loved how accessible Sarapiquis Rainforest Lodge was to all these experiences - perfect for us.
Our transport to Hotel Lavas Tacotal in La Fortuna was excellent and we were blessed with good views of Arenal. Our stay here was fine - as we were out most of the time. Our day trip to Rio Celeste and Tenorio Volcano National Park was fabulous. En route we stopped to rescue a sloth that was trying to cross the busy highway - our guide picked it up and carried it to safety, placing it on a tree on the other side of the road. We ended up with a bonus visit to a chocolate/coffee farm and a sloth farm where we came across a tapir. We also came across 3 eyelash pit vipers - our guide was able to share the importance of safe distance.
The drive to Natural Canon Negro Lodge was private transport, and very comfortable. The lodge itself is in a lovely location and we ended up doing a second boat trip in the afternoon to a different section of the wetlands - what a treat. We would love to return to explore more of the wetlands at Cano Negro, as the map indicates the wetlands cover a very large area.
Our trip to Rincon, again private, took longer as the more direct road was impassable and we were advised to go via La Fortuna, making it a long drive. Buena Vista Lodge was excellent, and again the location of our room with unspoilt views over the valley was perfect. There were many trails we could walk ourselves and we thoroughly enjoyed with hot springs. Again birds, wildlife, sunrises and sunsets could not be beaten. The buffet breakfasts were excellent.
Our drive to Tamarindo was on time, and comfortable, as was the hotel. The Wyndham Hotel had wonderful sunrise and sunset views with a regular shuttle bus to and from town, though we discovered a dusty track through the dry forest down to town where we could enjoy the amazing bird life, monkeys and even a Grey Fox. We enjoyed a roof top meal in Tamorindo as the sun went down and another on the beach where we were treated to a fire show. The Sunset catamaran tour was great, though snorkelling was curtailed by our guide due to an excess of jelly fish in the sea at that time - however we enjoyed spectacular views of a jumping hump back whale and calf, on both the sail out and return. Quite unbelievable.
We were glad to have had an extra day in Tamarindo, and could have had 3 nights in all our locations (except La Fortuna)!
Our hotels were excellent and all transport was comfortable and reliable (one of our unfounded worries!).
The flight down from Tamarindo to San Jose was perfect, and an interesting experience.

Thank you Olman, we are already planning a return visit in March 2026!!