Easy, fun, adventured filled and with no worries.
Costa Rica | Feb 28 - Mar 9, 2023

S
Shannon S.
Canada | Reviewed on Mar 13, 2023

Planning our trip with KimKim was easy from start to finish. I just let them know dates, desires of the family and a budget, and they did the rest!

Everything happened when and as planned. When there were little issues (the rental car was booked to be returned to the wrong location ) - they were immediately corrected with follow up emails to ensure that everything went well. I never had to wait longer than a day to reach anyone for non-urgent matters while on vacation, and we didn't have to contact them for any emergencies because there weren't any!

We started at Playa Hermosa, following a simple private transfer from the airport. Our stay at the Bosque Del Mar was great. We had a large ocean view room with a separate bedroom and large balcony. The food on site (additional) was relatively expensive but delicious, but the service was good and it was very quiet at night (except for the occasional howler monkey!). The kids loved the pool, the beach, and the full-size pool table in the lounge, where we enjoyed the 2-for-1 daily happy hour and great views from the second floor.

We went SCUBA diving for 3 days, leaving from Playas del Coco (15-minute drive from the hotel). We found the service at Deep Blue Diving to be quite good for a PADI-certified site. The equipment was maintained (few minor air leaks in the rental BCD's) and the dive masters and the boat captains were attentive and safe, including extra safety equipment and plenty of food and water on-board. Everything was on time with no delays. The dive sites had about 20-30 feet visibility with very calm surface conditions (minimal wind each day) and a great variety of underwater life.

While we were diving, our children stayed with their own local Serendipity guide, Juan Carlos. They loved hanging out with him especially because his family was in the area and he offered to bring his kids with him to play! He took them to the pools at the hotels and mini golfing! They also explored the local tide polls and raced hermit crabs on the beach. He kept them feed, sun-screened and very happy. He also chauffeured us around to diving and dinners as needed.

We were then delivered a rental car to our hotel (a new Toyota Rav4), which was a great car to have for the rest of our trip. The agent delivering the car noted that the drop-off location was for a different airport than our itinerary but this was quickly corrected. We drove to the Hacienda El Viejo, where we had a good lunch of local cuisine and then went on a private river boat excursion in the Palo Verde National Park. Our guide seemed a bit more interested in talking with the boat captain than with us during the exploration but we did see alligators, a Jesus Christ lizard, a variety of monkeys and many birds. When we got back to the hacienda our guide asked us to give him a ride home. While that was a bit unexpected it's understandable given the distance from the remote park to his home and that it was in-line with our next destination. We were happy to help, too, since the rural roads were not paved and some routes shown on Google Maps were closed or weren't the standard local way to navigate. As we drove him to a drop-off point to catch a bus he pointed out additional wildlife from the car that we wouldn't have otherwise known to look for.

Our final destination was the Arenal Manoa Hotel and Hot Springs. The switch from a relatively dry and sunny oceanside into a humid rainforest, and the many twisting mountain roads, made for an interesting 3-hour drive. Our room at the Manoa was beautifully appointed and situated at the back of the resort, surrounded by dense trees, flowers, and many, many birds. The room was large and was kept very clean throughout our stay; the maid even left little treats and towel sculptures for the kids each day. Our room was close to the restaurant and the regular pool, though a bit of a walk to the on-site hot springs at the front of the resort. Again, the food was quite expensive at the hotel, so we dined nearby in La Fortuna frequently. All the food, both at the hotel and in town, was genuinely excellent. There were always options for the kids, too.

Our first private excursion in Arenal was zip-lining at the Vista Arenal Adventure Park and this was a family favourite. The equipment was great with good fitting harnesses and each of our kids had their own guide, Daniel and Tiago, who did each zip line with them to control the speed and breaking. There were fourteen platforms high in the forest near the base of the volcano. We zoomed through the canopy and over a river with incredible views. The kids were never scared and loved the thrill of the ride. Our main guide, Isaac, was very informative and discussed the wildlife and vegetation that we saw.

After a break at the hotel we went to the Hanging Bridges, which is very beautiful, but unfortunately it rained very heavily and we couldn't enjoy this to its fullest. It was neat to experience a rainforest in its full, rainy state, but it was also rather cold and limited views. What we did see was very impressive with beautiful pathways through the jungle and lots of different birds. We even saw a pack of peccary (feral pigs) wandering about.

The next day we went spelunking at the Venado Caves; this was the kids' favourite activity! They were a bit nervous starting the walk though the river in the caves, but after passing through some tight crawl-throughs, they explored with enthusiasm. One of our headlamps ran out of batteries midway through the spelunking, which is a bit disconcerting, but with the larger group (there were 7 of us) it was OK. This excursion included a transfer from our hotel, but this wasn't really needed and we would have preferred to drive ourselves as we would have stopped for food on our way home.

Our next day, we lounged at the hotel to rest in the morning and hang out at the pools while enjoying oven roasted pizzas that were popular at the resort. Then, we were picked up by Callidryas Tours for a sloth viewing expedition. For this tour, you do need the guides driving because they search for sloths in the wild while driving the local streets! They have amazing eyes to pick them out of the trees and we stopped multiple times to view the sloths in their natural environment through telescopes. We were able to see both two toed and three toed sloths and also found moms and their babies!

On our final day, we chose to stop at the Centro de Rescate Las Pumas, a wildlife sanctuary and rehabilitation center between Arenal and the airport in Liberia. This was additional to our KimKim itinerary but we note it here because it was nice to see a few of the rarer local animals that we hadn't already encountered and to break up the drive for the kids. Plus, they're doing great work for the local animal populations. The car return was super easy, over in about 3 minutes followed by a 5-minute shuttle to the airport terminal, where we enjoyed a final meal before our flight.

Altogether this was a great trip, well-organized, well executed, and worry free. Thanks to everyone for helping us!

Hotel Reviews
Hotel Bosque del Mar
Playa Hermosa

Our stay at the Bosque Del Mar was great. We had a large ocean view room with a separate bedroom and large balcony. The food on site (additional) was relatively expensive but delicious, but the service was good and it was very quiet at night (except for the occasional howler monkey!). The kids loved the pool, the beach, and the full-size pool table in the lounge, where we enjoyed the 2-for-1 daily happy hour and great views from the second floor.

Authenticity & Character
Location
Fantastic beach
Staff
Cleanliness & Comfort
Arenal Manoa & Hot Springs
Fortuna

Our room at the Manoa was beautifully appointed and situated at the back of the resort, surrounded by dense trees, flowers, and many, many birds. The room was large and was kept very clean throughout our stay; the maid even left little treats and towel sculptures for the kids each day. Our room was close to the restaurant and the regular pool, though a bit of a walk to the on-site hot springs at the front of the resort. Again, the food was quite expensive at the hotel, so we dined nearby in La Fortuna frequently. All the food at the hotel was genuinely excellent. There were good options for the kids, too.

Authenticity & Character
Location
Great views of the volcano and close to La Fortuna
Staff
Cleanliness & Comfort
Activity Reviews
Coastal SCUBA Diving in Northern Guanacaste
Coastal SCUBA Diving in Northern Guanacaste
Costa Rica

We went SCUBA diving for 3 days, leaving from Playas del Coco (15-minute drive from the hotel). We found the service at Deep Blue Diving to be quite good for a PADI-certified site. The equipment was maintained (few minor air leaks in the rental BCD's) and the dive masters and the boat captains were attentive and safe, including extra safety equipment and plenty of food and water on-board. Everything was on time with no delays. The dive sites had about 20-30 feet visibility with very calm surface conditions (minimal wind each day) and a great variety of underwater life

Quality of Experience
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Very attentive to safety
Transport
2 Tank Scuba Diving at the Catalina Islands
2 Tank Scuba Diving at the Catalina Islands
Costa Rica

Better visibility at this site as it is further from the beach areas and less sandy debris in the water. The wreck at Tortuga was small but amusing to see and had an eel living in it.

Quality of Experience
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Very helpful with the gear organization and distributing water and pineapple during the breaks.
Transport
Palo Verde National Park Boat Exploration
Palo Verde National Park Boat Exploration
Costa Rica

We drove to the Hacienda El Viejo, where we had a good lunch of local cuisine and then went on a private river boat excursion in the Palo Verde National Park. Our guide seemed a bit more interested in talking with the boat captain than with us during the exploration but we did see alligators, a Jesus Christ lizard, a variety of monkeys and many birds. When we got back to the hacienda our guide asked us to give him a ride home. While that was a bit unexpected it's understandable given the distance from the remote park to his home and that it was in-line with our next destination. We were happy to help, too, since the rural roads were not paved and some routes shown on Google Maps were closed or weren't the standard local way to navigate. As we drove him to a drop-off point to catch a bus he pointed out additional wildlife from the car that we wouldn't have otherwise known to look for.

Quality of Experience
Food
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Given that this was a private tour, I was expecting a bit more about the history of the Hacienda and the family or some more info about the surrounding vegetation and wildlife.
Transport
Private Canopy Tour
Private Canopy Tour
Arenal/La Fortuna

We had a private excursion at the Vista Arenal Adventure Park and this was a family favourite. The equipment was great with good fitting harnesses and each of our kids had their own guide, Daniel and Tiago, who did each zip line with them to control the speed and breaking. There were fourteen platforms high in the forest near the base of the volcano. We zoomed through the canopy and over a river with incredible views. The kids were never scared and loved the thrill of the ride. Our main guide, Isaac, was very informative and discussed the wildlife and vegetation that we saw.

Quality of Experience
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Isaac was very conscientious of checking the harnesses and equipment of our kids (and us) at each platform to ensure safety. I was never concerned.
Transport
Venado Cave Spelunking & Exploring
Venado Cave Spelunking & Exploring
Arenal/La Fortuna

This was the kids' favourite activity! They were a bit nervous starting the walk though the river in the caves, but after passing through some tight crawl-throughs, they explored with enthusiasm. One of our headlamps ran out of batteries midway through the spelunking, which is a bit disconcerting, but with the larger group (there were 7 of us) it was OK. This excursion included a transfer from our hotel, but this wasn't really needed and we would have preferred to drive ourselves as we would have stopped for food on our way home.

Quality of Experience
Guides, Drivers and Staff
The guide was very informative about the limestones formations and fossils found in the cave
Transport
We could have driving ourselves and likely would have preferred this.
Sloth Observation - Day or Night Walk
Sloth Observation - Day or Night Walk
Arenal/La Fortuna

We were picked up by Callidryas Tours for a sloth viewing expedition. For this tour, you do need the guides driving because they search for sloths in the wild while driving the local streets! They have amazing eyes to pick them out of the trees and we stopped multiple times to view the sloths in their natural environment through telescopes. We were able to see both two toed and three toed sloths and also found moms and their babies!

Quality of Experience
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Amazing driving while also picking our sloths!!!
Transport
Local specialist: Charlotte Törnqvist
Charlotte
Charlotte Törnqvist
Local specialist in Turrialba, Costa Rica | Replied on Mar 14, 2023

Hi Shannon,
Thank you so much for your detailed review! It is obvious you had a great time, so we hope to receive you soon again!
For us at Serendipity Adventures it was fun to work with you, and I am especially happy that the kids and you enjoyed the time spent with our guide Juan Carlos and his family.

Pura vida!
Charlotte