Charlotte Törnqvist

We had an amazing time in Costa Rica! Charlotte was the perfect agent to work with and provided us with an individualized schedule for an adventurous family with active teens. We traveled to Jaco Beach, Monteverde, Arenal/La Fortuna, and Sarapiqui - a place I never heard of before but a haven for white water rafting and chocolate tours. As a mom, I loved that she combined educational hiking tours (lead by experienced guides) with family bonding time (outrigger canoeing, zip lining, white... read more

We had an amazing time in Costa Rica! Charlotte was the perfect agent to work with and provided us with an individualized schedule for an adventurous family with active teens. We traveled to Jaco Beach, Monteverde, Arenal/La Fortuna, and Sarapiqui - a place I never heard of before but a haven for white water rafting and chocolate tours. As a mom, I loved that she combined educational hiking tours (lead by experienced guides) with family bonding time (outrigger canoeing, zip lining, white water rafting). All of our transportation ran like clockwork which allowed us to experience all the “Costa Rica Essentials” in four different towns. My husband enjoyed the surprise private room to celebrate his birthday too. I highly recommend Charlotte and her team at Serendipity. Pura Vida!

Hotel Reviews

Hotel Club del Mar Oceanfront

Jacó

Authenticity & Character

Location

I loved the property, but not much to walk to

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

El Establo Mountain Hotel

Monteverde

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Tilajari Hotel Resort

Fortuna

I realize that we were traveling during the peak season, so finding a place to stay was challenging. One of our rooms was a little smelly but that may have had to do with the septic tank. The staff were not as happy as the other hotels, but again, I appreciate that we had a clean safe place to stay.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Location to La Fortuna was a $40 cab ride each way.

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

La Quinta Inn Sarapiqui

Sarapiqui

Very cute, family run lodge. Loved that they were so friendly and cared about everyone who stayed here. The staff made sure that we had a large enough table for every meal of our stay (8 ppl) We really enjoyed taking the cooking class - made empanadas. Bring a magnet from your home town so that she can display it on her wall. (I will be sending her one)

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Ocean Outrigger Adventure

Costa Rica

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Rafting Sarapiquí River, Class II-III

Costa Rica

Walter and Kiki were excellent guides

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Festive Dinner for all hotel guests!

Costa Rica

Cloudforest Reserve Privately Guided Hike

Monteverde

Andy was amazing! He knew so much about the history of Costa Rica and the different regions.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

100% Aventura Zip Line and Hanging Bridges Monteverde

Monteverde

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Chocolate Tour

Costa Rica

Geiner was an excellent host and knew so much about the history of chocolate and fermentation process. We really enjoyed our tour/demonstration.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Privately Guided Naturalist Hike at La Selva Biological Station

Sarapiquí

I'm so glad that Charlotte scheduled us to visit this Institute. It seemed like our guide was used to more scientific groups than a family with four teens. But we did learn a lot about the region and original rain forest

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Arenal Volcano Hike & La Fortuna Waterfall

Arenal/La Fortuna

Chris was very knowledgeable and engaging!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Charlotte helped create an amazing experience for our family over the Christmas holiday. She honed in on the perfect balance of adventure, luxury, and leisure, accommodating the desires of our 7 person party. Not to miss are La Paz, canyoning near Arenal, the organic farm experience, and our gracious guide Juan Carlos. Pura Vida! read more

Charlotte helped create an amazing experience for our family over the Christmas holiday. She honed in on the perfect balance of adventure, luxury, and leisure, accommodating the desires of our 7 person party. Not to miss are La Paz, canyoning near Arenal, the organic farm experience, and our gracious guide Juan Carlos. Pura Vida!

Hotel Reviews

Peace Lodge

Vara Blanca

Many wonderful surprises await. The kids loved the waterfalls, trout fishing, and of course the amazingly designed guest rooms.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Pristine. In the middle of the jungle. Wow.

Hotel Los Lagos Spa & Resort

Fortuna

It is a very expansive resort and a shuttle was needed to get around if in a hurry or torrential rain. If only the lobby had a fresher look and welcome amenities, the rooms had more comfortable bedding, and the restaurant have a more quality breakfast, you could almost call this a luxury resort.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Cala Luna Boutique Hotel & Villas

Guanacaste

Lovely boutique hotel with an amazing staff. Transportation was very easy and accommodating to our many activities and dinners. Food was great, although lunch service was a bit slow. Cleanliness and amenities were top notch. Beach is not very swimmable due to lava rock, but better beach is only a few hundred yards away.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Arenal Rafting + Canyoning

Arenal/La Fortuna

Do not miss the canyoning and rafting. Incredible. Osvaldo was an amazing river guide. The best! The men of our canyoning adventure led us into some of the most amazing corners of this beautiful land, ensuring we were (safely) having a fantastic time. Roy, Jiro, and Steven were stand outs. Thank you for an unforgettable experience!

Quality of Experience

Food

Relaxing on a riverside beach with fresh cut local fruits… just lovely!

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Cooking Class with Organic Farm Fresh Ingredients

Arenal/La Fortuna

Uber and family are amazing hosts. What an education and beautiful dinner experience!

Quality of Experience

Food

Hand made tortillas, fresh garden juice, chocolate making, and a gorgeous dinner.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Private Surfing Lesson

Costa Rica

Our instructors were so patient and knowledgeable! Everyone in our party were surfing within minutes. Not to miss!!!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Enjoy La Paz Waterfall Gardens

Costa Rica

Absolutely gorgeous! Animals, waterfalls, lunch, and a pretty vigorous walk. A brilliant day.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Private Hanging Bridges Walk

Arenal/La Fortuna

The kids loved seeing the wildlife, but we were hoping for more animal sightings. Juan Carlos’ knowledge and tour were exceptional. The pace and depth of his instruction was perfectly attuned to the interests of our group. The bridges are intimidating at first, but by the last ones the fear has dissipated and you are fully the element. Such a great way to see the jungle!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Alfredo was our tour guide for 1968 Arenal Park. He was amazingly knowledgeable and great to hike with. I wish we could have taken more tours with him.

Andy (Andres) was our guide for the night hike and guided hike in Monteverde through ForestAlive. He was a super interesting character and I loved our experiences with him. Very knowledgeable, cool gadgets, and a very interesting discussion around life, spirituality, and nature.

Nayara resort was the best hotel I've ever stayed at. It... read more

Alfredo was our tour guide for 1968 Arenal Park. He was amazingly knowledgeable and great to hike with. I wish we could have taken more tours with him.

Andy (Andres) was our guide for the night hike and guided hike in Monteverde through ForestAlive. He was a super interesting character and I loved our experiences with him. Very knowledgeable, cool gadgets, and a very interesting discussion around life, spirituality, and nature.

Nayara resort was the best hotel I've ever stayed at. It was an amazing experience and the quality of service, food, environment, etc was top notch. I wish I could have stayed for longer.

Hotel Reviews

Senda Monteverde Boutique Hotel

Monteverde

Authenticity & Character

Location

Very walkable.

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Nayara Hotel Spa and Gardens

Fortuna

Hands down the best resort/hotel I've stayed at. In a word, impeccable.

Authenticity & Character

Location

A little out of the way, but most everything you'd need is on site anyway.

Staff

Everyone was so friendly.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Casitas Tenorio B&B

Upala, Alajuela

Authenticity & Character

Staff was great, breakfast was great. Cabin was super cool design wise. They fed the animals at breakfast which was a neat little show.

Location

It was pretty close to "downtown" but required driving up a unpaved road. Was not walkable.

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Rio Celeste & Tenorio Volcano Guided Rainforest Hike

Costa Rica

The overall hike was nice, but our specific experience was not amazing. Our guide was a no-show due to some sort of misunderstanding (presumably). We had to pay for parking at the main lot since our guide wasn't there to tell us to park in their private lot. It was rainy, so the river was not blue like in the pictures (but that's just luck of the draw). The guide who did jump in to help us was pretty good, but the ending of the hike was a bit awkward while we waited around to figure out payment (basically fact checking that we had pre-paid).

Quality of Experience

The river, in the sunlight, would have been very pretty.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Oscar, our impromptu guide was pretty okay, but the fact that our real guide didn't show up was awful.

Tabacón Hot Springs & Dinner

Arenal/La Fortuna

We stayed at a resort that did have hotsprings, so although Tabacon had a gimmick of the river hotspring, it was not worth it for us. It was crowded, the pools were very shallow, the natural rock was painful, and the man-made pools even more painful. They charge a deposit for towels, so you have to worry about people walking off with your towel and owing money at the end.

Quality of Experience

Food

Options were somewhat limited (set menu). Food was good, but the reservation timing was awkward.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Night Hike in the forest

Costa Rica

Our guide Andy was great. We saw some interesting things, got to play with cool gadgets like infrared cameras, night vision goggles and UV lights.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Cloudforest Reserve Privately Guided Hike

Monteverde

Andy was great. Super interesting to talk to and very knowledgeable about the forest and animals, cameras and photo techniques, and just life in general. Very attentive to our questions and desires.

Quality of Experience

Everything was great.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Andy was an amazing guide.

Transport

Coffee & Chocolate Tour

Costa Rica

It was good, but very touristy. The handmaking of the various products was an interesting experience, but overall it wasn't the kind of thing we typically do.

Quality of Experience

Smaller groups, more authenticity.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Staff and guides were all very nice. No complaints here.

Canopy Zipline Tour

Costa Rica

Roy and Ebi were great guides. It was a fun experience, never felt like we were in any danger. Great views and very exciting.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Hike in Arenal Volcano Park 1968

Arenal/La Fortuna

Alfredo was a really great guide. He was very knowledgeable and very fun to talk to. I would have taken more tours with him if I could have. We ended up going over on time because Alfredo would give such detailed and interesting answers to the questions we asked. The park itself was very cool and pretty. A lot of interesting history here that isn't just generic "this is a jungle hike."

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Canyoning in the Lost Canyon

Arenal/La Fortuna

It was really fun but a little bit dangerous. The rocks were slippery and if you don't have good balance you can easily trip. The rappelling was not inherently dangerous, but I did tweak my arm coming down one of the waterfalls. Our guide Roy was fun to work with. I didn't realize how wet we would be getting and should have worn different clothes.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

It was delayed by 20 minutes or so. Couldn't leave stuff on the bus either.

Our family (including 16- and 13-year-olds) traveled to Costa Rica for 15 days. The trip was amazing!! Charlotte and Serendipity Tours did a wonderful job arranging all the details and we could not have asked for more. Charlotte was very collaborative in planning the trip and made sure that all details were covered; this made our trip completely seamless We really enjoyed all of the hotels and tours she arranged for us, especially those in Turrialba, Puerto Viejo de Talamanca, and Manuel... read more

Our family (including 16- and 13-year-olds) traveled to Costa Rica for 15 days. The trip was amazing!! Charlotte and Serendipity Tours did a wonderful job arranging all the details and we could not have asked for more. Charlotte was very collaborative in planning the trip and made sure that all details were covered; this made our trip completely seamless We really enjoyed all of the hotels and tours she arranged for us, especially those in Turrialba, Puerto Viejo de Talamanca, and Manuel Antonio.

We really appreciated that many of the hotels and tours were smaller companies--they provided amazing service and we were grateful for the careful attention and thoughtfulness that the personnel infused into our experience. Aguas Claras in Puerto Viejo and Arenas Del Mar in Manuel Antonio might be the best hotels we have ever stayed in!

Highlights of the trip included: 1) canyoning in Turrialba with Cesar and Sergio from Natural Paradise
2) whitewater rafting on the Pacuare River (courtesy of Exploradores Outdoor and our amazing guide Roberto "Taltu")
3) zip lining at the Vista Arenal Adventure Park in Arenal/La Fortuna
4) horseback riding around the Arenal volcano region with Go Adventures)
5) a guided tour of Manuel Antonio National Park with an incredibly knowledgeable guide from Edgar New Concept

I have already recommended Kim Kim, Serendipidity Tours, and Charlotte to two friends who are interested in visiting Costa Rica and will definitely use Kim Kim for visits to other countries in the future.

Thank you again,

Aude

Words cannot describe the amazing experience we had on our trip to Costa Rica through KimKim. Charlotte made it so easy to help us plan an itinerary that was perfect for our family needs, interests, and desires. They provided such great advice, flexibility, and kindness both before the trip and during. We also had Sergio Amador as our professional guide while we were there and I must say we would not have had the same experience without him. His knowledge, expertise, and friendship helped... read more

Words cannot describe the amazing experience we had on our trip to Costa Rica through KimKim. Charlotte made it so easy to help us plan an itinerary that was perfect for our family needs, interests, and desires. They provided such great advice, flexibility, and kindness both before the trip and during. We also had Sergio Amador as our professional guide while we were there and I must say we would not have had the same experience without him. His knowledge, expertise, and friendship helped make it a trip we will never forget. We already want to come back because of them! I would highly recommend you use Charlotte, Sergio, and their team for your trip to Costa Rica.

Hotel Reviews

Hotel Arenal Springs Resort & Spa

Fortuna

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Cala Luna Boutique Hotel & Villas

Guanacaste

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Private Canopy Zip line tour

Costa Rica

This was amazing. We felt like we had the whole rainforest to ourselves, and the guides made us feel so welcomed, safe, and comfortable.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Guided Nature Walk in Danaus Eco-Center

Arenal/La Fortuna

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Private Hanging Bridges Walk

Arenal/La Fortuna

Breathtaking views and hike.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Sloth Observation Night Tour

Arenal/La Fortuna

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Palo Verde National Park Boat Exploration

Costa Rica

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Morning Catamaran Sailing Tour

Costa Rica

Breathtaking views and amazing service from the staff on the catamaran.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

We had a wonderful 3-generation trip. The Rainforest Chocolate Tour in La Fortuna was really well done - engaging, informative, and not too slow or too fast. They were terrific with our kids (3 and 8), giving opportunities to participate, and everybody had a great time. We went ziplining with Vista Arenal and they were also really fantastic with the kids, who had to ride with guides due to their size. We all could have kept going all day (even the 3yo) and really enjoyed spotting toucans,... read more

We had a wonderful 3-generation trip. The Rainforest Chocolate Tour in La Fortuna was really well done - engaging, informative, and not too slow or too fast. They were terrific with our kids (3 and 8), giving opportunities to participate, and everybody had a great time. We went ziplining with Vista Arenal and they were also really fantastic with the kids, who had to ride with guides due to their size. We all could have kept going all day (even the 3yo) and really enjoyed spotting toucans, sloths, and all kinds of ants. We visited Kalambu Hot Springs on our own and it was a lovely spot. It wasn't nearly as chaotic as some water parks we've seen elsewhere - the small kids' area was manageable, not overwhelming - and it was actually quite enjoyable to be in the hot springs during a rainy season downpour. We hiked the Arenal 1968 trail and it was beautiful, although we were aware we were missing many rainforest critters due to being unaccustomed to spotting them. During this time we stayed at the Red Frog. They had truly excellent food and coffee (probably the best of our whole trip) and the hosts were lovely warm people with adorable puppies. The rooms were great and the open-air living/dining/kitchen was an unexpectedly useful and comfortable home base. I would especially recommend Red Frog to families traveling together. In Monteverde we very much enjoyed the Cloud Forest (hanging bridges hike) and had an amazing 6:30 AM visit to the Cafe Colibri hummingbird feeders where we were 6 inches away from dozens and dozens of amazing birds. We stayed in Los Pinos which was a perfect way to keep all the generations rested and comfortable. On the way to Manuel Antonio, we went kayaking at Kayak Jaco, and again, they did a terrific job with our young kids. We had a great paddle to a tiny private beach where everybody went swimming and ate the fruit they'd brought along. We spotted monkeys along the way and they cut open green coconuts for the curious kids at the end. In Manuel Antonio, we had a wonderful guide, Luis, who did an incredible job spotting tiny creatures I could never, ever have seen on my own - like a mother bat carrying her baby about 30 meters up a huge tree, blending right in with the bark. We saw plenty of monkeys, lizards, bats, sloths, crabs, birds, and lots of insects. We spent the last few days hanging around the beach and enjoying the Costa Verde hotel - it was absolutely gorgeous, nestled into the jungle with ocean views. The howler monkeys did wake us up quite early but it was more than worth it to get outside at 5:30 AM and see the whole troop passing just a few feet by our porch. We also spotted lots of white-faced capuchins, two agoutis, dozens of bats, many kinds of birds, several large iguanas, geckos, and more.

Generally we ate breakfast at our hotels (Red Frog's was incredibly good), handled lunch ourselves via supers and went to local sodas for dinner. The food was tasty (still not tired of rice and beans). We did one "fancy" meal at a resort restaurant and while it was delicious, we found the resort vibe uncomfortable and preferred the smaller spots.

Hotel Reviews

Red Frog Hostel

La Fortuna

Red Frog was amazing. The owners are lovely people, the rooms were spacious and comfortable, and the open-air living/dining/kitchen areas was an unexpected bonus. Their food was the best of our trip. They were nice to our kids (3 and 8) let us pet their cute dogs. What more could you want? The air conditioner didn't really work but we found we didn't need it; the fans were enough.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Los Pinos - Cabañas & Jardines

Monteverde Costa Rica

Beautiful cabins. They have everything you could want inside and porches too. The pines are lovely. We visited the herb garden and saw lots of animals. No complaints whatsoever, and it was a lot easier to manage young kids in a place like this where you knew they wouldn't bother anyone if they were noisy.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Costa Verde

Manuel Antonio

By far the fanciest place we've ever stayed. It's absolutely stunning with meticulously maintained and lighted pathways through the jungle - we saw staff working on them multiple times a day. The rooms are large and have everything you would need and our large porch overlooking the jungle & ocean with a hammock and lounge chairs was as good as it gets. I can't think of a single problem; it was a joy just to hang out here and watch all the monkeys and birds. The food maybe wasn't the best, but it was tasty and good enough for sure. It veered closer to resort territory than I'm used to and I definitely felt "catered to" - I do speak Spanish but folks here tended to reply in English, and there were a lot of menu items clearly for tourists. That's not necessarily a bad thing but it's not my comfort zone and I felt it was a little harder to connect with people.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Private Canopy Tour

Arenal/La Fortuna

These guys were absolutely fantastic. They were super sweet with our 3yo and 8yo (who had to ride with a guide each), showed us some great birds and animals, and were generally just great folks to chat with and learn from. We could have kept going all day. Everybody LOVED ziplining.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Chocolate Tour

Costa Rica

This tour was even better than I had hoped. It was perfectly paced which was really helpful with young kids. We got to look at the cacao trees and learn about them a bit, taste some cacao fruit pulp, and then follow the cacao beans through the fermentation, drying, roasting, threshing, and grinding process. We (well, the kids especially) were able to participate in several of these steps and we all got to eat plenty of fresh chocolate with various toppings at the end. The perfect mix of education, participation and enjoyment.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Sloth Observation Night Tour

Arenal/La Fortuna

It was a beautiful nighttime walk. The guide found us sloths, lizards, frogs, birds, and many insects, and there was some tasty fruit at the end. We got the sense that maybe he was a little tired of this night-time job, or maybe just tired of tourists, and I don't blame him for either, but the mood was a bit muted.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Bat Tour in Monteverde

Monteverde

Nobody has ever been more passionate about bats and it was contagious. Great tour, tons of info. It was too slow paced for our kids (and maybe even too slow paced for the adults, to be perfectly honest) but I can't fault him for enthusiasm and I certainly learned a lot. Seeing the bats was pretty fun, although I was really hoping to use the advertised device that lets you listen to bat ultrasonic communication in an audible frequency and it wasn't available.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Sea Kayak or Outrigger Tour in Playa Agujas

Costa Rica

We had a great paddle (about half an hour or so each way) to a beautiful empty beach with a little waterfall. The guides were warm, friendly guys who brought fruit to snack on and were kind to the kids. Great experience.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

What an amazing experience. Charlotte did a fantastic job of taking our wish list and making it come true. Everything was smooth from car rental and hotels to suggested detours and excursions. Thank you for making our dream vacation a reality. We will definitely turn to KimKim for our next vacation. read more

What an amazing experience. Charlotte did a fantastic job of taking our wish list and making it come true. Everything was smooth from car rental and hotels to suggested detours and excursions. Thank you for making our dream vacation a reality. We will definitely turn to KimKim for our next vacation.

Hotel Reviews

Cristal Ballena Boutique Hotel & Spa

Playa Ballena

Paradise. The grounds, room, spa, restaurant, view and staff were amazing. And the Mix Massage was the best I've ever experienced. Thank you for turning our dream vacation into a reality.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Casa Luna Hotel & Spa

La Fortuna

What a beautiful hotel! The grounds were amazing and the view of the volcano was perfect. The staff was incredibly kind and helpful. We loved our stay and will definitely suggest Case Luna Hotel & Spa to our friends!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

The detail to the grounds. The plants were amazing and the morning birds were a sight (and sound) to experience.

Activity Reviews

Canopy Zip Lining Tour

Costa Rica

We had a great time. We ended up being the only two people on the tour and enjoyed getting to know our guides and learning more about the area.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Canyoning in the Arenal Area

Arenal/La Fortuna

I've never experienced anything like this and it was amazing. Fun, beautiful and exhilarating.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Night Hike in the forest

Costa Rica

Our guide's knowledge was amazing. Loved listening to the sounds of the jungle and seeing some amazing animals.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Ecotermales Hotsprings

Arenal/La Fortuna

Most relaxing evening ever! And in a beautiful environment.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Sea Kayak or Outrigger Tour in Playa Agujas

Costa Rica

Would have been 5 stars if the weather was better. It was a little too rainy and choppy for me and the water was dark from all the rain.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Scuba Diving at Isla del Caño Biological Reserve

Uvita

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Stand-Up Paddle Boarding on Lake Arenal

Arenal/La Fortuna

Marcos was our favorite tour guide on our trip. His knowledge of the area was amazing and his passion for birds fun to hear about. I wasn't a bird lover at the start of this excursion, but listening to Marcos and seeing his passion for the birds made me realize beauty I have been missing. He even suggested some additional excursions to fill our trip AND on the return home stopped at the location to make sure we got signed up. He also took a few detours on our return trip to the hotel to point out restaurant and a few other locations we had inquired about.Thank you, Marcos!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Private drivers and our guide Andy were fantastic. The hotel for the first night was very nice and great customer service. Unfortunately, the second hotel, los Lagos, I believe that was the name, had extremely low customer service. Especially the front desk and bar. They treated you like a bother. The lodge and grounds was beautiful. The room was very clean. The bar area was dirty. The other two resorts were very nice and friendly. The snorkel trip was the only activity that was a... read more

Private drivers and our guide Andy were fantastic. The hotel for the first night was very nice and great customer service. Unfortunately, the second hotel, los Lagos, I believe that was the name, had extremely low customer service. Especially the front desk and bar. They treated you like a bother. The lodge and grounds was beautiful. The room was very clean. The bar area was dirty. The other two resorts were very nice and friendly. The snorkel trip was the only activity that was a disappointment. They mixed divers with snorkeling which resulted in a focus on the divers ( which should be it is dangerous if everything isn't checked and rechecked) the area was not really a good area to snorkeling. Also, we were picked up at 630, missed breakfast to go and wait at the dive office for over an hour. They were waiting on a diver to be certified in a pool, so the entire group had to wait. By the time we left the dive office for the boat three hours had passed, it was almost 930. The staff was very nice. I would look for another snorkeling company. All other activities were very good.

Hotel Reviews

Hotel Presidente San Jose City Center

San José

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Los Lagos Spa & Resort

Fortuna

Tips for future travelers

Yes, they do not provide coffee in the room except the first day unless you request and pay for it. Some of the bar staff do not speak any English.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Front desk staff bar staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel & Spa Poco a Poco

Monteverde Costa Rica

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Capitán Suizo Beachfront Boutique Hotel

Tamarindo

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hampton Inn & Suites San Jose Airport

Alajuela

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Cloudforest Reserve Privately Guided Hike

Monteverde

Andy was great

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Safari Float on the Peñas Blancas River

Arenal/La Fortuna

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

ATV Tour

Arenal/La Fortuna

It representated lunch no lunch.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Cooking Class with Organic Farm Fresh Ingredients

Arenal/La Fortuna

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Tabacon Hot Springs Full-Day Visit & Meals

Arenal/La Fortuna

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Coffee & Chocolate Tour

Costa Rica

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Canopy Zip line tour or fauna exihibitions at Selvatura

Monteverde

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Tamarindo Mangrove & Estuary Boat Tour

Tamarindo

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Snorkeling at the Catalina Islands

Costa Rica

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

The driver never spoke to anyone and played his music the entire time

Transport

Engage, less waiting

Our entire experience from start to finish with Charolette and kimkim was fantastic. She made herself available throughout our whole trip, replied quickly and checked in often. No complaints. Will definitely use this service again.

We had Pablo from Arenal Star pick us up from the airport, show us around, and take us on tours the first few days of our trip. He was friendly, knowledgeable and accommodating. He was wonderful! He brought us delicious fruit he grew himself, including a pineapple that took two years to grow! He also knew the best sodas to take us to eat. He had his friend, Victor take us on a hanging bridge tour that was amazing. We had a private tour, so could go slow , be quiet, and actually see animals... read more

We had Pablo from Arenal Star pick us up from the airport, show us around, and take us on tours the first few days of our trip. He was friendly, knowledgeable and accommodating. He was wonderful! He brought us delicious fruit he grew himself, including a pineapple that took two years to grow! He also knew the best sodas to take us to eat. He had his friend, Victor take us on a hanging bridge tour that was amazing. We had a private tour, so could go slow , be quiet, and actually see animals instead of scaring them away or missing them. The other tour guides actually stopped to see what Victor was showing us. Victor had amazing spotting abilities. He actually saw a glass frog somehow on a leaf far away. The frog was transparent other than the eyes so he looked like an outline of a frog on a leaf. He showed us a red blue-jean dart frog, which was tiny, and a viper on a tree, which blended into the tree. We also saw bats and monkeys. Both Victor and Pablo helped us take pictures using their zoom scopes. Pablo showed us the only sloth we saw on our trip and got me a great photo of it. We wished we had Pablo for our whole trip. We also went on a safari raft trip. We saw bats, monkeys, owls, and of course lizards. Charlotte booked Los Lagos at Arenal for our first two nights and it was so nice. So many hot springs that we had our choice of many private. Breakfast was included and delicious. We were so lucky and got many pictures of the whole Arenal volcano! We even saw the top with steam clearly. Pablo also took us to a coffee tour that was great! He is a really good driver and a warm and caring person. We messed up on our ATV tour because we forgot we had locked our drivers licenses in the safe. It turned out ok though because they let us switch to an off road vehicle driven by a guide. It was fun and we saw some great mountain views but not much else. Our next transport driver and tour guide were Jose and Alejandro. We took a boat ride and saw Capuchin monkeys, bats, and many baby crocodiles. We ate at a hacienda on a sugar plantation which had a wonderful breeze, good views and great food. We asked for sangria and the server made it fresh for us. My only complaint is that I really wanted to stop at at least one local craft or artisan shop, but Alejandro said I could get that stuff at our resort on the beach. I explained that I wanted to buy from the artists and not a gift shop or mass produced, maybe not even Costa Rican made, type vendor. I said I wanted to buy wood crafts and maybe jewelry from a local place. There are those places, including a traditional pottery shop close to where we were. He insisted I would find it all on the beach. I had asked at the very beginning when they picked us up to make sure we had time, but I could tell he just didn't want to bother. I already know about pushy vendors on beaches and their string bracelets and trinkets and knew that's not what I wanted. The beach people were mostly pressuring us to get massages from them or to book a tour. The couple of vendors sold touristy beach scarves and cheap bracelets, just like I thought. I ended up buying a wood bowl at the gift shop for about $100 USD. I am disappointed because I was specifically looking for a jewelry box similar to a marked-up $540 USD one I saw in the hotel gift shop. Alejandro had binoculars he looked through to see things on the boat tour but used them for his own nature watching as if he were just another person on the tour. He pointed some things out but we really couldn't see them. The reason we saw anything up close was due to our boat driver pulling over and stopping. Maybe it was that Pablo and Victor set the bar high, but I wouldn't recommend Three Monkeys Tours (where Alejandro was from). I just felt like we were inconveniencing him. Our aereal tour was the worst of our tours, but not because of the tram, that was cool. It was just very strange. The guide would scare off frogs and then tell us what he had seen. We got a few glimpses. He stopped the tram to talk about the plants and trees even though he kept talking about the same ones. Then he took us through the medicinal and edible plants and did the same thing. He was nice, but he seemed like he didn't plan or know what was there. He would see a plant and say "oh another surprise" here is the such and such plant and then look around and randomly walk to and fro. Even at the top of the observation platform he said well you can see all the trees here, are you ready to go back down? At the end the gift shopped was closed, we weren't offered the option to grab snacks or drinks at their restaurant and we were not offered access to purchase the pictures they took of us. They obviously took the pictures to sell as they showed them on a screen and had a place you could buy them, but just shuffled us back onto the van. It was early in the day and there were only a handful of Zipliners there, so I am not sure why they wouldn't want to sell us souvenirs, pictures, snacks or beverages. The whole experience was strange, which everyone was saying on the van. The other two places we stayed were places we had booked. I would recommend KimKim to everyone because they listened to what we wanted and our limitations before our trip and helped us plan well, all our transportation was on time and reliable, Charlotte often checked on us throughout our trip, and we didn't have to worry about anything. The reviews I gave above really don't reflect on KimKim as they made sure we had the tours we asked for and made sure everything went smoothly.

Charlotte was awesome, she created an itinerary which met our needs with a 7 yr old kid and we were yet able to cover a lot of activities including a dinner with a local Costa Rican family, which was the highlight of the trip!
Charlotte was easily reachable on text whenever we had any questions during the trip and even prior.
We wouldn’t have been able to explore and enjoy CR the way we did , if it wasn’t for Charlotte.
A true professional and an expert at what she does! Would highly recommend her to anyone!!

We had a trip with Jose and he was amazing! He always went above and beyond to make sure everything was perfect for our vacation. He always went the extra mile beyond just the tours from helping with dinner reservations, to booking covid tests, helping book hotels after flight cancellations, everything! We are so happy to have had such an amazing tour guide and would highly recommend him to all our friends and family.

Charlotte was amazing and always responsive on Kim Kim and we will definitely be utilizing Kim Kim for future vacations!

KimKim , via Charlotte Tornquist and Nancy, planned and carried out a very special and smooth operating vacation plan for the 3 of us in Costa Rica in 2022. We visited Sarapiqui, Siquirres / Pacuare, La Fortuna / Arenal, San Jose and the OSA peninsula over 21 days. Absolutely no travel hiccups or problems as all of the connections, transfers and pick ups worked flawlessly throughout. Pricewise KimKim bested other agents, as well as my attempts at a self directed trip - and assured a local... read more

KimKim , via Charlotte Tornquist and Nancy, planned and carried out a very special and smooth operating vacation plan for the 3 of us in Costa Rica in 2022. We visited Sarapiqui, Siquirres / Pacuare, La Fortuna / Arenal, San Jose and the OSA peninsula over 21 days. Absolutely no travel hiccups or problems as all of the connections, transfers and pick ups worked flawlessly throughout. Pricewise KimKim bested other agents, as well as my attempts at a self directed trip - and assured a local connection of all of the involved entities. That was reassuring and made the trip problem free. I've traveled most of the world and have used many different agencies in doing so. I can say that KimKim rates right at the top for service, pricing, diversity, communication, congeniality and skill. You'll enjoy booking your special vacation with KimKim and leave your worries behind.

Hotel Review

Pacuare Lodge

Pacuare

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Review

Adventures and enjoy the surroundings at Pacuare Lodge

Río Pacuare

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Loved it! The whole experience was so seamless from the planning and booking stage to actually being there. All the tour guides were wonderful too.

Originally we booked a trip to Peru to visit Machu Picchu and do some other excursions while there that he would enjoy. Joanna put together an amazing trip plan for us! Unfortunately about 5 days prior to departure Johanna notified us that the town below Machu Picchu suffered a horrible mud slide which closed it down. We shopped other travel coordinators and no one could beat the prices. Johanna was great but unfortunately we had to pivot quickly. Costa Rica here we come...got in... read more

Originally we booked a trip to Peru to visit Machu Picchu and do some other excursions while there that he would enjoy. Joanna put together an amazing trip plan for us! Unfortunately about 5 days prior to departure Johanna notified us that the town below Machu Picchu suffered a horrible mud slide which closed it down. We shopped other travel coordinators and no one could beat the prices. Johanna was great but unfortunately we had to pivot quickly. Costa Rica here we come...got in contact with Charlotte who helped us outline an amazing trip to Costa Rica. Charlotte was so attentive to our needs and timing. She put together a great trip and found a fabulous local private driver. La Fortuna is such an beautiful place to visit and Charlotte booked some great adventures for us including Private ATV trip, Zip Line, Spa visit with a hot spring right off of the active volcano Arenal and a hike along the base of Arenal with a very knowledgeable guide. Great service and follow up. We will use them again and again especially when visiting new destinations! Costa Rica is now one of our new favorite places to visit.

We have made a rather last minute decision to visit Costa Rica for our very first trip together with Anna. Having had difficulties with arranging a car rental we decided to look for some support with our arrangements. At this point Anna popped into Kimkim and ask for assistance. Charlotte did not only came up with a positive offer for the rental but gave us advise for our entire trip plan inclusive of hotels, activities, insurance, etc. We found the Kimkim platform very user friendly and... read more

We have made a rather last minute decision to visit Costa Rica for our very first trip together with Anna. Having had difficulties with arranging a car rental we decided to look for some support with our arrangements. At this point Anna popped into Kimkim and ask for assistance. Charlotte did not only came up with a positive offer for the rental but gave us advise for our entire trip plan inclusive of hotels, activities, insurance, etc. We found the Kimkim platform very user friendly and easy to understand. Frankly we did not really hesitate for a moment weather to accepts Charlotte's offer as it gave us a the structure and the security for 16 days we just needed to feel comfortable. Not going into details we just really liked all our destinations, hotels so we were convinced enough to reach out to our suggested hidden spots in between the cities. Credit goes to Kimkim and Charlotte who by the way was all our way long available for questions or just a kind follow up. Traveling to different exotic destinations we would definitely be looking for a Kimkim representative to guide us with good recommendations !

PS : If you get the chance to visit the Pacific Coast, dont miss Playa Ventanas next to Uvita !

Hotel Review

Azania Bungalows

Puerto Viejo de Talamanca

our favorite

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Review

Arrive and Transfer to Hotel

Costa Rica

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Charlotte did an amazing job working with our group to plan a wonderful trip to Costa Rica. We were able to do all the adventures we planned without missing a beat. She took the guess work out of everything and having a personal driver was the best. Andres was an excellent driver and companion on our trip.

Will definitely be using KimKim in the future for other vacations. read more

Charlotte did an amazing job working with our group to plan a wonderful trip to Costa Rica. We were able to do all the adventures we planned without missing a beat. She took the guess work out of everything and having a personal driver was the best. Andres was an excellent driver and companion on our trip.

Will definitely be using KimKim in the future for other vacations.

Hotel Review

Studio Hotel

San José

The hotel was nice and about 20 mins from the airport. The breakfast was good and the hotel is very close to many places to eat that are within walking distance.

Tips for future travelers

Clean and quite hotel. I enjoyed the local artwork that was displayed throughout the hotel.

Authenticity & Character

The local artwork.

Location

20 mins from the airport.

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Review

ATV Tour

Arenal/La Fortuna

Really enjoyed the trail and the guides.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Definitely made the atv trail fun.

Transport

This is our first trip with KimKim and Charlotte. We could not have asked for anything better. Charlotte collaborated with us to customize the entire trip per our requirements and budget and took care of all planning, bookings, events, guides including vaccine testing during a peak travel season. Charlotte is very knowledgeable about Costa Rica and helped us explore, enjoy Costa Rica at our pace and liking, and managed to organize, fulfill some unique requirements for our family. she is super... read more

This is our first trip with KimKim and Charlotte. We could not have asked for anything better. Charlotte collaborated with us to customize the entire trip per our requirements and budget and took care of all planning, bookings, events, guides including vaccine testing during a peak travel season. Charlotte is very knowledgeable about Costa Rica and helped us explore, enjoy Costa Rica at our pace and liking, and managed to organize, fulfill some unique requirements for our family. she is super nice and easy to work with was an only text away and was super flexible to add something along the way if needed.

We are very pleased with KimKim as a platform, Charlotte, and the team as local experts. They took all the stress/guesswork out of the way and saved us time and risk. Could not have asked for anything better. I think a KimKim APP would be even better but not a big deal.

All our future travel/vacation will be with Kimkim and their team of local experts!