Excellent trip with great guides
Costa Rica | Apr 3 - Apr 17, 2024

K
Ken H.
United Kingdom | Reviewed on Apr 21, 2024

Excellent trip with great guides and efficient comfortable transfers. All local tour operators did a great job. Highlights were Manuel Antonio and La Fortuna.

Hotel Reviews
Hotel Heliconia
Monteverde Costa Rica

On steep hill out of town, so taxis needed for transfers. Family room was large but had a huge bath in the bedroom itself and nowhere to sit indoors. Wildlife in the gardens a big compensation. Coatis and many birds.

Authenticity & Character
Characterless restaurant
Location
Isolated but great views
Staff
Friendly and helpful
Cleanliness & Comfort
Hotel Kokoro Mineral Hot Springs
La Fortuna

Extensive gardens and birdlife made up for pretty basic accommodation. Restaurant was not Japanese fusion as described. Hot springs uninviting.

Gran Hotel Costa Rica
San José

Good quality Hilton hotel in great central location. Comfortable rooms with all facilities.

Villas Lirio
Manuel Antonio

Good pool surrounded by palms. Our accommodation was a huge apartment on upper floor but we didn't use the dining area or kitchen. Hotel a bit dated with lots of mismatched decor/ornaments. Quirky. Lots of steps everywhere. Staff a bit unapproachable and unhelpful. Restaurant/bar a bit messy and staff appeared particularly unprofessional. Prefer staff who don't sit around on the bar counter area singing along to the piped music, or who clear tables with a lollipop stuck in their mouths. 😯

Authenticity & Character
Dated
Location
Lots of restaurants within 5 minutes walk.
Staff
Unhelpful
Cleanliness & Comfort
Lots of space but also lots of steps and lots of engine noise from the road.
Hotel Presidente San Jose City Center
San José

Great location and helpful cheerful staff. Super open air terrace restaurant/bar on 4th floor. Great food and drinks. Industrial feel of entrance and front desk area, and bare tiled floors in room a bit unwelcoming on late evening arrival, but the whole hotel grew on us. Striking bold murals as decor for our room. No mirror. Quirky.

Authenticity & Character
Location
Close to all downtown landmarks
Staff
Great
Cleanliness & Comfort
Super comfortable bed
Activity Reviews
Arenal Hanging Bridges Guided Walk
Arenal Hanging Bridges Guided Walk
Arenal/La Fortuna

The rain took the gloss of this tour a little. Great views over the rain forest canopy all the same. With guides help spotted poison dart frogs and an eyelash pit viper. Also spider monkeys very high in the canopy. Animals and birds a bit thin on the ground though despite guides efforts to help us find them.

Night Walk in the Children's Eternal Forest
Night Walk in the Children's Eternal Forest
Monteverde

Great visit. Guides were terrific and took good care of us in the dark. Saw loads of tarantulas and other creatures including sleeping birds and butterflies.

Quality of Experience
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Transport
Treetopia Hanging Bridges
Treetopia Hanging Bridges
Monteverde

Best ow the two hanging bridge tours we took. Maybe the weather helped. Saw plenty of birds but no sloths. Had chance to walk parts of the trail in our own time without group company. More relaxing experience on narrow bouncy bridges.

Quality of Experience
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Transport
Visit Kids Saving the Rainforest Wildlife Sanctuary
Visit Kids Saving the Rainforest Wildlife Sanctuary
Manuel Antonio

Great visit. Lovely to talk to people who are so enthusiastic about rescuing and rehabilitating injured wildlife.

Quality of Experience
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Transport
Manuel Antonio National Park Guided Nature Hike
Manuel Antonio National Park Guided Nature Hike
Manuel Antonio

Excellent guides. Showed us birds and wildlife we could never have spotted alone. Opportunity to relax on the beaches in your own time. Smallish park but with loads to see.

Quality of Experience
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Transport
Full Day Waterfall Adventure
Full Day Waterfall Adventure
Costa Rica

Something for everyone but mainly for 15-35 age group and those keen on jumping/diving into pools. Spectacular waterfalls and spacious sandy beach to end with. Lunch included.

Quality of Experience
Spectacular waterfalls
Food
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Very attentive. Made sure no-one slipped on way to/from waterfalls and pools. Informative commentary on bus but a bit like a group outing with obligatory audience participation.
Transport
Doka Coffee Tour & Poas Volcano National Park
Doka Coffee Tour & Poas Volcano National Park
Costa Rica

Cancelled due volcanic activity - sulphurous fumes.

La Fortuna Waterfall Guided Hike
La Fortuna Waterfall Guided Hike
Arenal/La Fortuna

Mix up between tour operator and KimKim over pick-up time led to rushed start. Good visit though. Helpful guide. Steps down were were more difficult than up. Not much chance to observe wildlife.

Quality of Experience
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Transport
Day Trip to Doka Coffee Plantations & La Paz Waterfall Gardens
Day Trip to Doka Coffee Plantations & La Paz Waterfall Gardens
San José

Enjoyed Doka Plantation tour. Gardens not so much. Felt had to move at guide's speed and shere guides personal interest in animals and plants.

Quality of Experience
Food
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Transport
Visit to Maleku Indigenous Reserve
Visit to Maleku Indigenous Reserve
Arenal/La Fortuna

Really enjoyable visit, made all the better by welcoming hosts and really enthusiastic helpful guide. Amazing insight into language, culture and way of life of indigenous people from 300 years ago. Great chance to try skills needed to live to survive by subsistence hunting, fishing and farming.

Quality of Experience
Food
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Transport
Local specialist: Gustavo Camperos
Gustavo
Gustavo Camperos
Local specialist in Costa Rica | Replied on Apr 24, 2024

Hi Ken!

Thank you so much for your review and for traveling with kimkim.

We hope to join you wherever your next adventure takes you!