Kimkim Trip Reviews for Costa Rica

Good hotel..lovely views. Spacious and clean rooms, walking distance from several great restaurants. Courteous friendly staff. Breakfast service and checkout could be faster. Just FYI - For travelers with mobility concerns - the walking distance from restaurants is steep incline walks but that's Costa Rica for you

Lovely hotel. Beautiful landscaping... The hotel itself offers so much - hiking areas, zip lining, hot springs pools spa restaurants . I could just go stay at the hotel and have a 5 day vacation easily. Going from the main entrance to the rooms those is also a hike (use the shuttle). We are a very fitness oriented family and yet ended up getting tired/bored/overwhelmed by the long hikes from the room to the amenities and used the shuttle.

Stunning.

This is a very basic hotel. Good for the location (beachfront) but that's about it. Clean but As basic as it gets. No frills. Even the safe inside the room was broken. We wanted to ask someone to come fix it and guess what - no phone in the room to contact front desk - have to walk all the way to the other side of the road to get someone.

One of our favorite places so far in Costa Rica. The house was beautiful, with art relating to the area and with a beautiful garden with many fruits, herbs, and local plants. The staff were friendly and cooked amazing meals for us! We thoroughly enjoyed our stay and would highly recommend spending as long as you can here!

We had a large room overlooking the Pacific. Unfortunately it was located right next to one of the bars that played music all day, but luckily went quiet by 6:00 pm. Since we were on the west side of the hotel, mornings were enjoyable sitting on our private patio, but by later in the day, it was way too hot to be outside. Breakfast buffet was good, nothing outstanding. The staff was friendly and helpful.

We only spent one night here on our way from the airport out of town. It was fine, nothing outstanding.

Nice bungalow in a resort 8 km or so from the main town. We had a premium room which included a jacuzzi tub (which was awkward to use when taking a shower) and a large patio with rocking chairs and hammock! It was quiet and private even though we shared a wall with one other unit.

We had a very informative tour of the coffee plantation and the process from planting to roasting the beans! Manuel was our guide and he did a great job explaining why their coffee is so good!!

I'm not sure if we were expecting too much from this tour or it just wasn't the right one for us. I think it didn't help that they were late picking us up, the 12 passenger van was full and it took 45 minutes to get to the actual tour location. The "traditional dinner" consisted of rice, beans and meat so overcooked it was impossible to eat. Our guide was knowledgeable, but really into frogs... we saw a lot of frogs.

Our guide was informative, but unfortunately it poured the entire time we were there which made it difficult to see the site fully.

We had a fantastic guide, Bernardo, who could spot a monkey high up in the treetops! He was great at answering our many questions about the area and wildlife. We were fortunate to see not only Capuchin but also howler and spider monkeys.

Floating down a river in Costa Rica is a not to be missed experience! We had an excellent guide, Chris, and another couple in our raft who were fun to talk with. While we did float downriver a bit, there was also quite a bit of paddling to be done. Th raft was ok the first hour, but by the end of the second, we were all sore and anxious to get off the raft.

This is a fantastic tour IF you have a guide! It makes the whole experience so worthwhile if you have someone who can not only find the wildlife you've come so far to see, but also the history of the park. Our guide was another gem who could spot wildlife and zero in on them with his telescope! We got some fantastic pictures of sloths and one Toucan!

There were several large hot spring pools cascading down a hillside with smaller, warmer pools scattered around. The dinner buffet was pretty good.

Fun experience on the tour owners farm. There were only 4 of us on this tour so everyone got the chance to dice the veggies and stir the pots! Delicious food and we were given the recipes at the end!! It was fun to get out of town and see some of the countryside.

The staff was friendly and helpful. We did a bird-watching tour with Victor who is very knowledgeable and saw many birds and even sloths on the property! We stayed in one of the glass bungalows. They have AC and are very quiet and comfortable but a little dark since they are in the jungle, The walk to the restaurant is a little tiring after a long day, bring comfy shoes!

We had a junior suite, it was immaculate, the shower was roomy, very comfortable beds, and a dehumidifier in the room which is a plus in the rain forest! They provide robe and you can make a reservation to use the private jacuzzi at the spa at no extra charge. They also have hot tubs and a large pool. This hotel is in the clouds, you have a wonderful view from the dining room and the bedrooms. The staff is friendly and helpful and the food is good.

The room itself is average but it is what you expect from this type of hotel. The pool is really nice and the fact that we could return our rental car at the hotel (enterprise) was a definite plus, along with the free shuttle to the airport which made our return stress free. The breakfast as included and was surprisingly good, including buffet and an omelette station!

This was a hard to beat first spot to stay on our travel through Costa Rica. It was relatively easy to locate, and a good location to get to Manuel Antonio, or drive down to Quepos. Had a beautiful room overlooking Manuel Antonio and the bay, and the sunset views from the restaurant were amazing. Staff are super friendly and accommodating. Are willing to work with my basic Spanish, and also English.

We had an incredible few days at the Cloud Forest Lodge, and the surrounding areas. Everyone was engaging and quite helpful. They even fixed my flat tire for me while I was off on an excursion!! The grounds are beautiful and it is convenient a few small walking paths are onsite, to enjoy at your leisure. The rooms are expansive, and they provide heaters which I do recommend using at night. We had wildlife coming almost up to our deck… and plenty of it around. The onsite restaurant has amazing cuisine as well, and you won’t be disappointed staying and eating there... Endemica provided us one of our most memorable meals from our trip.

We had a beautiful room overlooking the gardens and a direct view towards Arenal. It was a joy to look for the resident Great Currasow each day, and the many other birds. We were extremely comfortable and felt quite pampered in the space, and the staff were quite friendly. Particularly the gentlemen working the front gate were always quite friendly and happy to greet us. Easy access to their sister site with hot springs, and quick drive in to La Fortuna as well... really easy to access, but keep your eyes out for the signage coming back from La Fortuna, because you can miss it. ;)

This is an absolute gem of a location and a must-stay recommendation. We had our own spacious casita, with a deck overlooking the nearby valley and we were just surrounded by trees. The site has access to walking paths, which can get you right on down to the Rio Celeste if you're bold enough to take a dip. (just be careful of the current). We felt like we had our own private space with this location, and it was comfortable and relaxing. Woke up one morning to Howler monkeys nearby, and came back from a tour one evening to see a sloth in one of the trees. Of course, plenty of birds and other beings to entertain nature watchers as well... the dining area even has koi pond with an island in which birds will pop down and take up a branch or two. A great addition to the dining experience.

For being so close to the business of Tamarindo, being on-site was relaxed and we didn't feel the bustle. Our room was tucked away and private, though the walls were a bit thin for us to hear the family next door. The resident cats were entertaining and we had to stop to offer pets a number of times. Access to the beach was quite nice, and easy to stroll down from there towards Tamarindo Beach, and into town.

We had Andres as a guide and he was amazing... he found us two toed and three toed sloths, insects, frogs, iguanas, howler monkeys, and more. He had a wealth of information about everything we saw and shared a lot of great details. The park is a must-see for Costa Rica, and the guided experience is a must-do.

This was nice to get out on the water and see Manuel Antonio from a different view point. We had sunshine the whole time, but the waves were quite choppy. And our previous experiences had always been single kayaks on the ocean while this one we were put into a double kayak. Snorkeling was lower visibility due to the choppiness... and while I could confidently go at it, my wife was new to the activity and did not get much in the way of instruction as to how to use the mask and snorkel. Also, my history of snorkeling in various out places, I've always had fins.

Our second guide named Andres, and another one who had a wealth of information to share. He was kind to pick us up from our hotel (as we had a flat tire), and we headed over to the Cloud Forest reserve. Started things out with the hummingbird area, and also saw a motmot up close. From there, we hiked around and enjoyed the beauty of the forest. We were introduced to stingless bees and the value of their honey, and were introduced to a lot of the plant species in the forest.

It's an experience that is definitely about the food more than anything. The concept of the treetop dining seemed great, but in practice by the time we got there, it was dark and we were just looking out on the lights of the town. While it was a novelty to have our own private dining room up high... the highlight was definitely the food. We did have a bit of a communication issue and had to engage with Wilman and Serendipity to straighten out that our drinks had been paid for, with the food. And on that... definitely a great tasting sampling of regional-inspired dishes. It felt to me a lot like what deconstruction and reconstruction of food concepts might be with fancy restaurants. The wine pairings were good. Not to say the food was not delicious... it absolutely was! My own personal dining preferences, though, would have wanted more of it, and maybe less focused on reinventing foods that are already great.

This was a great trip out on the lake, and it gave us the best view we had across all our four days, of Arenal. Abel was a fantastic guide and helped us find cranes, kingfishers, and more. We had single kayaks (big plus!), and while it was windy, were really comfortable out on the water.

A great experience, for folks wanting to learn a bit more about how coffee is made... its history, and the basics of beans, roasting, brewing, etc.

A definite must for the animal lovers out there. Seeing a mother come up out of the ocean, across the beach, digging her nest, and laying her eggs... it is just absolutely next level.

This was a great opportunity to witness quite a unique animal up close.

This was our favorite hotel on our trip. I was blown away by the ocean views when we arrived and were taken up to the lobby. The property is stunning and cozy. The entire staff is amazing and by the time we left we were sad to go. They had great amenities, the food was excellent, the views were incredible, and they have their own private beach access. It was a perfect mix of luxury but also felt intimate and familiar. We saw so many wild animals on the property and the staff went out of their way to make sure we got a chance to witness the wild life. We did yoga which was amazing, and when we called for a ride, the response was almost immediate. We cannot recommend this property enough.

This was our favorite activity on our trip. Potentially because it was our first, however it's still stands out as one of the best experiences. Our tour guides were super friendly and knowledgeable and I felt with them the entire time. They made the experience personal and special and guided us to jump off the cliffs in a once in a lifetime experience. Cannot recommend enough.

We loved staying here. The staff were attentive and the thermal hot springs were beautiful. Breakfast had some gluten-free options.

The hotel was not close to the beach but was conveniently located near many restaurants and shops. The hotel grounds attracted birds and monkeys, making for some very entertaining wildlife watching. Manuel Antonio and the beach were just a short drive away. Breakfast was made-to-order, which often took 20-30 minutes after ordering our food, so we had to plan accordingly.

The views from the room was amazing and we enjoyed the trails on the hotel grounds. However, the overall amenities of the hotel (like breakfast) was just average (when compared to other places that we have stayed).

Very friendly and wonderful service. Pristine property that has a lot of nice walking and animal viewing right from the property. Delicious food and amazing Hot Springs

The design is very modern and clean and it is a huge and beautiful property. It is so steep and large that moving from place to place requires a shuttle even for people who love physical activity. We had to pay $20 each, just to take a walk on the trails above the property And this seems odd to me The breakfast was also chaotic and stressful with tons of people from tour buses. We did not find it, relaxing at all

We were extremely surprised by how nice of a stay it was here. They had a beautiful hotel with lush environment. The rooms were very basic, but nice with comfortable bed and great shower and very clean. There is a Denny’s adjacent to the property and we were extremely close to the airport with a free shuttle. I would absolutely stay here again for proximity to the airport.

I wish I could give it six stars. The hotel is in the most beautiful setting with incredible views There are lots of good restaurants that someone can walk to from the hotel. They make amazing food and drinks, and the breakfast was spectacular I loved that they had a resident cat! The air conditioners worked great, and the rooms were spacious and well designed. There were macaws flying around in the trees on the property! This was my favorite hotel

This was an enjoyable day, but I wish we had only done two of the three activities. The hanging bridge tour took far far longer than was expected and went on too long. We did like our guide though. The waterfall was beautiful and I’m glad we saw it. I would pass on the hike because the visibility is often so poor and the hike was really just a steep short walk.

I really enjoyed this experience and the guide was very knowledgeable. It was fun to see a tarantula and scorpion and many other critters and learn about the background of the forest

The zip line guides were incredible! They made us feel so safe and they were very attentive. I loved spending the time with them. The guy who took us around the butterfly reptile area was wonderful as well.

We were pleasantly surprised by how nice of an experience this was. There weren’t a ton of the people on the boat and the people joining us were so fun to talk to. The team manning the ship played great music And yummy food. We saw a gorgeous sunset and snorkeling was a blast!

Our guide was amazing and taught us so many things. We saw an incredible variety of plants, animals, and reptiles. Including a Ferdinand’s (sp?) snake! The activity was tailored to suit our time commitment, which was perfect.

We had such a good time. This was my dad’s favorite activity.. The river was so beautiful and our boat guide was super knowledgeable about the environment and birds. He handled the river with strong mastery of the currents and made us feel extremely safe. The other guys on the team were hilarious and so fun to be around. We saw the sunset from the river and it was gorgeous!

This was better than I expected. The waterfall walk and walk around the animal habitats was really fun. We loved the hummingbirds so much. It’s very lush and beautiful. It can be really chilly with the strong mist so bring a good jacket and definitely a raincoat.

very noisy. But clean, close to the airport. Close to americain standards.

ok, not more, we stayed there only few hours. Basic offering.

It is always interresting to sleep in the jungle, but when it is raining 24 hours per day, it would have been noce to be able to close the windows, to allow to dry and to sleep. There are no hooks to let our clothes dry or to hang our luggages.

the best of our trip.

AC not too noisy. Clean, close to ocean. Staff nice, restaurants nearby. Miss some hooks to hang our clothes, jackets, etc. We have to put our stuff ont the floor.

This hotel requires serious renovation. Mold in the shower. Windows and doors broken. Again, we have to put our stuff on the floor since there are no place to habg or put it.

very disapointed with this hotel.

noce hoel near beach,

Snorkeling at the Catalina Islands was enjoyable, but it felt like the local customer service in Tamarindo was lacking. It seemed like the staff took tourists for granted, which affected the overall experience.

Very helpful staff and nice rooms. Good breakfast. Easy to get transportation from the hotel to explore.

Saw sloths in the trees. Expect the early morning Howler monkey wake up call but that made us feel closer to nature. Easy walk to the beach and good restaurants-especially Beach Break. Good breakfast. Nice to have filtered water dispensers all around for easy access. Pleasant bar staff.

Rooms were beyond tired. Our first room lacked hot water and the shower and tub faucets didn't work. Very odd layout in both rooms. Second room had tepid water but the shower was above the jacuzzi tub which had a crack in the bottom and was hard to stand in but since there is no partition next to the tub the tile floor got wet and was perilous. The second room was nest to a busy highway and there were people near the highway cheering late at night. There was no WIFI in that portion of the property so we had to walk back to the office to access. The thermal pools were cool but that was probably due to the persistent rain. Nice walking trails although challenging in the mud. Found monkeys in the trees and lots of birds-saw Toucan at the pool, turkeys in the trees, hummingbirds

Loved the proximity to St Elena and walkability. Lots of steps up and down on property-could be a problem for some but not for us. Pleasant and helpful staff

Good location and beautiful grounds. Room was small and AC unit made a ticking noise which was distracting. Cramped bathroom/shower

Great guide and we learned a lot about medicinal plants. Unfortunately if was raining so not much wildlife but that can't be controlled-hike was shortened because of rain.

We were expecting the possibility of snorkeling per our itinerary but were told we were only registered for the hike-as it turns out the weather did not allow anyone to snorkel. The guide was amazing and we saw lots of white faced monkeys, Jesus Christe lizard, howler monkeys, learned about local plants and had a lovely time cooling off in the water on the beach

Enthusiastic guide who was quick to find things for us to see with her spotting scope. Loved the waterfall

Private garden tour was amazing with more information about native medicinal plants. The cookiong class was very hands on and we loved the food we made-can't wait to make gallo pinto at home! The chef did not speak much English but fortunately I speak a fair amount of Spanish so it worked out.

Our guide did not drink coffee so emphasized the chocolate and sugar cane more but informative. Enjoyed tasting all the coffee roasts in the visitor center. Loved seeing the coffee beans on the trees. Very interesting to see the steps in cocoa bean processing and chocolate

Learned about bromelias and tree ferns. Heard more birds than we saw but did get to see a Quetzal and went to the hummingbird cafe at end and saw 4 species of hummingbirds. Saw enormous tree ferns and learned about the filming of Jurassic Park in Costa Rica

Awesome hotel! The staff was so nice, friendly, and accommodating. The rooms were excellent, comfortable, clean. The views and the grounds were beautiful. Restaurant was also excellent, friendly staff. We are vegan, and the vegan options available here were great! One of the highlights for us was seeing all of the animals on the grounds--different colors and types of hummingbirds, coati/pizote, agouti. We would highly recommend!

The rooms were excellent, comfortable, clean. The grounds are beautiful, and the views were breathtaking. The staff were so nice, friendly, and accommodating. Restaurant also had some vegan options, which is always appreciated as we are vegan. We would highly recommend!

Where does one even start when reviewing this gem? Their reputation is well earned as one of the leading resorts/hotels in the world. First, the staff. Every person we met had one goal--to make our stay unforgettable. The Welcome Center staff, assistants, golf cart drivers, staff at the bars and restaurants, and housekeeping were all positive and approachable. Next, the grounds. Nayara is nestled in the heart of the rainforest, with lush vegetation and wildlife. It is beautifully kept, with stone paths, bridges and muted lighting that is breathtaking. Finally, the accommodations. We stayed in both a villa and a tent, and each space was beyond all expectation. Each had defined areas: A luxurious bath, with indoor and outdoor dual showers. A well appointed sleeping/living area with canopy netting over the bed. Each villa/tent had its own private hot springs plunge pool with jets for extra relaxation. The complimentary well-appointed mini-bar. In addition to all of this, there are numerous restaurants, hot springs, infinity pools with swim up bars, spas, exercise options, and gift shops. Our stay was a dream and we are so happy we made the investment to stay there. We were sad to leave, and will be back.

A boutique hotel that redeemed itself after our first impression. As we exited the car the first time to check in, there was a stench of garbage(sewage), and the pool/spa was in need of cleaning. We were concerned. The next morning (and for the rest of our stay), no smell, and the pool/spa area was cleaned daily. Because of reviews we had read, we requested a room on the second level for more privacy. We arrived right around sunset, and were given the last room on the grounds--main floor, on the main walkway with no privacy unless the blinds were drawn. We decided that we would talk to someone about it in the morning. The broken toilet seat was fixed immediately. Dinner in the ocean front restaurant was very good, with the menu having a varied selection of entrees. The next morning, Maite', the general manager, greeted us personally and moved us to a second floor room, as we had requested. She was fantastic, and checked in throughout our stay to make sure everything was OK. The wait staff in the restaurant were very personable, willing to chat and laugh with us. There is service from the restaurant on the beach, which was very nice. We used paddleboards and a jet ski that were available for rent at the front desk, and our Kuna Vela sailing excursion (highly recommend) picked us up on the beach in front of the hotel. Not a touristy area, which was a positive for us. Family friendly, nice beachfront for swimming and playing. Grounds were quiet at night. Parking was lit and secure. Many dining options in the vicinity.

We were so lucky to be the only 2 people with Grady, our guide. He was knowledgeable about everything on the farm, and made it a very personal experience. So much more than a coffee farm. There was cacao, fruits, flowers and many medicinal plants as well. Grady told us about them all. We crushed sugar cane, and sampled the juice (and fermented juice as well--yum). The brewed coffee and treats were the perfect way to end the tour.

A very beautiful and well managed experience. As someone who had never ziplined before, the staff were so professional and helpful that I didn't worry for a moment.

A wonderful place to view the nature of Costa Rica. As advertised.

A personalized ocean experience. Small group, drinks, and snacks. They were open to the group's wants (whale watching vs. snorkeling). We were able to go ashore on a beach to explore caves during our sail as well.

Excellent hotel with great staff, food and lovely rooms.

Nice room with a great view. Because of multiple unit levels getting around was time consuming as you had to wait for van transport. Dining room good and food tasty. Staff very polite.

Raining too heavily and difficult walk for someone my age.(75)

Great guide.. extremely interesting tour.

Very enjoyable with much to see.