Kimkim Trip Reviews for South Korea

This was my second time planning a trip with KimKim, and it easily matched the stellar experience I had the first time. Christine truly did listen to my individual preferences in planning a trip to South Korea and Beijing that felt very bespoke in the end.

I personally find 5-star hotels very isolating but adore private tours, which is probably an odd combination. Nevertheless, Christine listened and accommodated my wishes. She was also the first to suggest China as a secondary destination. It was a segment that turned out to be the highlight of the trip - although everything was pretty much perfect from beginning to end.

What I failed to fully appreciate my first time with KimKim was how comforting and luxurious it is to have someone checking in on a routine basis as the tour progresses. As a solo traveler, it’s nice to know someone is there looking over my shoulder in case I run into trouble.

During this trip, I did encounter a couple of minor hiccups involving daily tours. I was able to reach out to Christine both times, and she quickly resolved the situations, leaving me free to enjoy myself. If I’d planned everything myself, I would have had to set aside a portion of my vacation to make alternate arrangements on the fly while in unfamiliar lands.

I’m sure this is only the start of a long relationship with KimKim, and I can’t wait to begin scoping out other destinations.

Jessica was amazing. She managed to understand and follow up with all my requests. This was my first solo trip and I felt safe. I had wonderful guides. Mr Taylor Woo and William were amazing. Had a great vacation.

Hotel Reviews

Lotte City Hotel Jeju

Jeju

I wanted to share some feedback about my hotel experience, as it was unfortunately the only downside of my time in Korea. The hotel lacked room service and didn’t have an onsite restaurant, so I was left with only the convenience store onsite for meals—which wasn’t ideal, especially with the heavy rain preventing me from going out. The TV was outdated (not a smart TV, NO netflix or other apps), with only CNN available for English-speaking guests, and the staff’s limited English fluency made it difficult to get assistance. Additionally, there was a strong, overpowering smell of wood in both the hallways and the rooms, making the environment uncomfortable. I seriously considered changing hotels due to these issues.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

They took my shower cap and didn't replace it. NO hand soap. Only 2 large and medium towels. NO small, face towel.

Grand Josun Busan

Loved the location, the staff, the room and the food!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Soi Hanock Stay

Gyeongju

Very nice host and very clean! So relaxing!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

There is no on-site staff. The owner of the house is pretty accessible.

Cleanliness & Comfort

The Westin Josun Seoul

This hotel is great and has an amazing location. I had 2 situations. 1) there was construction and they had to relocate me to another room. 2) In The second room the A/C was not properly working so they had to move me again. Although I had to change rooms three times, the staff was very helpful and acted quickly. They tried to make me feel comfortable and well cared for.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Sightsee in Seoul: Gyeongbokgung Palace&Bukchon Hanok Village&N Seoul Tower

Seoul

Mr. Woo was a great guide

Hwadam Botanic Garden&Gwangmyeong Cave tour

Seoul

This was a group tour. They just drop you there and you walk and practically self-guide. If you want to do the Monorail you have to purchase ahead of time since it gets sold out quickly.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Full Day Petite France and Nami Island Tour (join in )

Seoul

Self guided. They just provide transportation.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

As usual, Kimkim never disappointed me. Christine, my travel counselor, was amazing, professional, proactive and gave me recommendations on what to do and see.
Christine was continuously in contact with me during my month long trip in South Korea.
She organized 21 days of my stay, other days were my own planning, even so she continued to advise me.
In some places I joined group tours, which were very well organized. My private tours were in Gyeongju and Busan.
In Gyeongju, Jino was an amazing guide so knowledgeable and helpful, he was my private guide for my whole stay in Gyeongju and he drove me to Busan, where he was my guide the first day in Busan.
Another private guide was Lily in Busan was also wonderful.
All other visits were with group tours.

Activity Reviews

Korean Full-Course Meal Cooking Class at Local Home with Local Market Experience

Seoul

An amazing experience, we learned to cook few local dishes. The cooking teacher was wonderful, perfect English, funny, and very efficient. We enjoyed what we cooked and the dishes were delicious

Quality of Experience

The cooking teacher

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Full Day Excursion to Korean DMZ + Suspension Bridge Tour (Join-in)

Seoul

Fascinating visit to the DMZ. I went with a group, the guide Paul was a fantastic guide, passionate and knowledgeable. Thanks to him I learned a lot about the DMZ and the N and S Korea conflict and hopes for unification. A memorable visit in spite of the rainy weather

Quality of Experience

The guide was very knowledgeable

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Seoul Traditional Korean Folk Painting

Seoul

I missed the class because I mixed up the station name

Quality of Experience

Did not join

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Did not join

Transport

Did not join

Korean Folk Village / Suwon Hwaseong Day Tour from Seoul

Seoul

Very enjoyable experience learned a lot about the way of living in traditional villages

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Full Day Petite France and Nami Island Tour (join in )

Seoul

I enjoyed both visits tremendously. Nam island is very special and not to be missed

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Taylor Woo was an exceptional private tour guide! We had so much fun exploring the city and learning from him.

trip was great
well organised
drivers and guides were all very good
especially in busan Jade he was wonderful
accomodation in seoul for first two days was awful room when we returned there we were given a much better rooom but it was dissapointing to get that first room

The tour guides and drivers were fantastic. They accommodated our requests and were flexible to our needs.
Some issues I had was with the tour company. During the trip I wasn't sure who or which company I was dealing with. It was Christine, who had put our trip together but it seemed like the actual person/company coordinating our day to day was not Christine but someone else who was actually located in Korea. We do not mind this but it seemed like there were way too many cooks in the kitchen.

One of our issue was with our KTX ticket from Seoul to Busan. No one delivered or sent the tickets manually or electronically to us, even with me asking the agent for them. It got resolved quickly enough but it was during our car ride to the train station. I was not happy. Also, some of the recommended activities were not something I wanted to do nor requested, such as going to Spa land in Busan. Luckily the guide was able to accommodate and find something else for us to do. Also in Jeju Island, the company had put seaweed museum on our itinerary but when we asked the locals, they indicated it was not that interesting and it would be waste of our time since it was located on the opposite end of the island.

We had a fantastic trip to South Korea. Jessica organised everything to perfection, all to our personal needs. Nothing was too much trouble and all our requests were met.
The hotels were good, guides were good and very informative and also happy to change the itinerary on a day if needed.

We would highly recommend Jessica and kimkim.

Jessica was phenomenal in planning our trip. She took into account the regions we wanted to visit and recommended the best locations to stay which made access convenient.

She is very flexible about how involved you need her to be and is willing to work with your budget. Based on our budget, we paid her for the itinerary and did all the booking ourselves. If you don’t have months planning using the lonely planet and feel overwhelmed based on too many options, Jessica is your best bet! She is extremely responsive and even found the address of the trailhead for us middle of our trip when we changed one of the days and the information on the website for the trails was in Korean. I would highly recommend her if you are planning a trip to South Korea!!!

It was my first solo trip, and I chose Korea (Seoul, Busan, and Jeju Island) as my destination. The trip lasted two weeks. It was my first time working with the KimKim agency, and Jessica was my travel agent. She did an amazing job planning and suggesting activities that I would not have thought of doing if I had planned it on my own. She was quick to respond to my needs, especially within the three months’ notice before my departure. Jessica was very accommodating and made changes to the schedule as needed. I liked how the itinerary included a little bit of everything. She organized a variety of activities, from popular tourist attractions like Bukchon Hanok Village, Haeundae Sky Capsule, and Nami Island, to outdoor adventures such as paragliding near Busan, hiking at Bukhansan National Park (highly recommend), and fishing on Jeju Island. All the drivers and guides were punctual and accommodating, ensuring that I was taken to and from the airport, hotel, and my planned activities. Before leaving for my trip, Jessica provided a thorough outline not only of my itinerary but also a mini cheat sheet with what to expect in Korea and useful phrases to learn. Learning these phrases was very helpful, and I used them daily at restaurants and cafes.

1) drivers: very helpful always in time. special mention for Mr Nam.
2) guides: good level of english, helpful and professional, special mention for Jones: veru helpful , nice may be a little too shy
3) hotels: for us OK as center city
gyeongju: price range for budget.
busan: oK for budget visitors. stanford hotel in front is better. foret hotel not indicated for western people. no continental breakfast, only local breakfast machine coffee only no sugar
seoul: stanford location fantastic, suitable for western people. for us most convenient hotels/ stanford and ibis myeongdong.
4) Trip intinerary and informations:
Informations regarding meeting point/time: for older people like us who are not used to handphone better to state in the initial itinerary in order to avoid questions or worries.
- meeting point: usually hotel lobby driver/guide will confirm by sms or whatapps 1 or 2 days before
5) Sky capsule or cable car: not much interest for us as most of us go to ski resort 1/2 a year in the mountains.
6) a little more assistance may be required for shopping fans in Seoul as most of the markets are so huge that we need time to understand the mapping.
We would like to thank Jessica Wang, Alicia Lee and the Ordynovo team for their assistance.

Hotel Reviews

GG Hotel

Gyeongju

Authenticity & Character

nothing special

Location

only interest center city

Staff

Ok for this category

Cleanliness & Comfort

normal

Hotel Foret Premier Nampo (Korea Quality)

Busan

only interest next to BIFF and Jagalchi Market

Authenticity & Character

nothing to remeber of

Location

only interest of this hotel

Staff

normal for this category

Cleanliness & Comfort

budget hotel

Stanford Hotel Myeongdong

room a little small but fanstastic location for shopping. bdget wise good.

Authenticity & Character

normal for tourist people

Location

for shopping

Staff

ok nothing special

Cleanliness & Comfort

ok for this category

Activity Reviews

Half Day Bulguksa and Seokguram Grotto Tour with night view of Donggung Palace and Wolji Pond

Gyeongju

must in Gyeongju

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

OK

Transport

OK

Full Day Seoraksan Tour From Seoul

Seoul

this comment is only for our case: not worth 6 hour car trip for scenery reason.

Quality of Experience

for us: no interest

Guides, Drivers and Staff

nothing special

Transport

6 hour trip

Full Day Haedong Yonggungsa, Sky Capsule, and Traditional Market Tour

Busan

sky capsule or blue line: no interest for us

Quality of Experience

no comments

Guides, Drivers and Staff

no comments

Transport

OK

Full Day Gamcheon Cultural Village, Songdo Sky Walk and Jagalchi Fishery Market Tour

Busan

for us: only jagalchi market and gamcheon of interest

Quality of Experience

ok

Guides, Drivers and Staff

ok

Transport

ok

Full Day Seoul City Tour with Gyeongbokgung Palace and Bukchon Hanok Village

Seoul

OK must in Seoul

Quality of Experience

ok

Guides, Drivers and Staff

ok

Transport

OK

Jessica has provided an outstanding service from planning, booking and following up with us throughout the trip. She provided accurate, on time and detailed information for each day. When we had question, Jessica replied very quick. She always made sure that we received the responses that we needed.

Hotel Reviews

Hotel 28 Myeongdong

Seoul

Beautiful small hotel. Staff are all friendly very attentive and give excellent services. Very comfortable bed. Very clean room and bathroom . The hotel always smelled very nice. Excellent location. One bad comment is the breakfast which has very limited choices for a small luxury hotel, same food was served, not much choices of fruits . Overall I had an enjoyable stay.

Authenticity & Character

Charming

Location

Convenient to walk to shops and restaurants

Staff

Excellent customer services

Cleanliness & Comfort

Bed is super comfy. Room smells very nice. One bad comment is the AC very noisy . We had to turned it off but the it was hot During the night

Lotte City Hotel Jeju

Jeju

Very disappointed for a 4 stars hotel. The check in staff was not friendly and slow. The hotel is old. The restaurant for breakfast is old and need a lot of renovations. The food is not quality and has poor choices . The coffee is awful even Korea is known for good coffee. I don t recommend this hotel to my family and friends.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Lahan Select Gyeongju

Gyeongju

Nice hotel with excellent buffet and beautiful scenery on the lake

Authenticity & Character

It’s a typical big chain hotel. The hotel needs some touch up’s

Location

Great location for a getaway from busy Seoul

Staff

Average service like big hotel chains

Cleanliness & Comfort

It s clean nothing special

SIGNIEL BUSAN

busan

We were lucky to have a corner room on the upper floor with amazing ocean and mountain / city view. The beds are comfy. Room was clean . The breakfast buffet is outstanding I enjoyed very much. I also enjoyed very the lounge for tea, cocktails … The hotel has beautiful infinity swimming pool. Good location for evening walk but it s a bit far away from the shops and center of Busan. Overall I had a good stay I would come back to Signiel. The concierge services staff is outstanding . The check in services need to be more efficiency especially at the 3 o clock check in time when many guests checking in at the same time.

Authenticity & Character

Beautiful hotel

Location

Good location with beach walk

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Full Day Seoul City Tour with Gyeongbokgung Palace and Bukchon Hanok Village

Seoul

The visit to the palace and the village was interesting.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Mr. Micky seems knowledgeable. Have a little accent that sometime it was difficult to understand. Overall he gave a very good service

Transport

Full Day Suwon and Yongin Tour From Seoul

Seoul

In my opinion there was not much to see. I did not like the lunch fried chicken . The restaurant is not clean . I did not enjoy the walk to the local market after the lunch, there was nothing to see and it s quite filthy. I do not recommend to spend have these places in the itinerary.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Half Day Gyeongju National Museum and Tumuli Park Tour with Night View

Gyeongju

Beautiful scenery , museum , Very interesting . I enjoyed the explanations provided by Mr. Jade Kim.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Excellent tour guide, fluent in English, Mr. Jade Kim is native from Busan that why he is very knowledgeable of the history and the area . He made sure we enjoyed the visits and learned about Korea history. He was open to accommodate our interests and not sticking to the itinerary.

Transport

Half Day Bulguksa and Seokguram Grotto Tour

Gyeongju

Love love the visit. Highly recommended. The best is the lunch at a local tiny restaurant who makes their own tofu . Thanks Mr. Jade Kim for introducing to us home made cuisine. Most memorable meal.

Quality of Experience

I

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Half Day Gamcheon Village, BIFF Square and Jagalchi Market

Busan

Interesting visits beautiful view of Busan from different spots on the mountain . Excellent lunch with fresh seafood at the fish market. Best fresh abalones, clams that I have never had. Not mentioning the marinated crabs , typical Busan . Another unforgettable meal. Thanks Mr. Jade Kim.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Half Day Busan City Tour with Haedong Yonggungsa Temple

Busan

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Half Day Hyeopjae Beach, Spirited Garden and Green Tea Plantation Tour and Arte Museum

Jeju Island

Another excellent visits in Jeju island. Beautiful beaches. It was interesting and different to discover a beautiful bonsai garden. Mrs Susie gave excellent services and very attentive to make sure we had a good time in Jeju

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Christine, we really liked the accommodations, especially La Meridian Myeongdong, AC Marriot (Gangnam) and La Valse in Busan. I must admit, I was surprised to learn that our hotel on the beautiful natural island of Jeju was in a highly urban area; it wasn't what I expected. But the hotel itself was fine. We appreciated the balance of planned activities (six days) and unplanned activities (5 days). That really worked for us. The guides were tremendous. Jiyoung, Jake and Kevin were all so different, but they were fun, friendly, enthusiastic and informative. We couldn't have been happier with them. In fact, we've enjoyed guides in several other countries and we think Korea's might have been the best we've ever had. One of the special aspects of having a great guide is that you learn more about the culture than simply learning about the sites. We learned about how elders are treated, about the different perspectives of the different generations, the ways the ancestors are honored (and so much more). Also, Alicia Lee was extremely helpful in many regards, especially in supporting us in real time. Thanks to you and Kim Kim for another great experience!

Our agent Jessica has been so efficient and professional during our trip. She keeps in touch with us daily and has made our trip flawless and worried free. Thank you Jessica
Our guide in Seoul is very knowledgeable and professional.
Our best guide is Mr Jade Kim , he is very knowledgeable, professional but same time very friendly, he makes our trip so enjoyable, especially when he introduces us to his favorite lunch spots . We love so much tofu restaurant that we still talking about it on our way home , not counting the fish market . Thank you so much Mr Kim .
Ms Suzie in jeju island is so nice that we have adopted her as our younger sister!
Thank you so much for choices of guides.

Hotel Reviews

Hotel 28 Myeongdong

Seoul

Best for location , service , room cleanliness and confort Breakfast is a bit poor in choices.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Best staff , friendly, caring , professional

Cleanliness & Comfort

Modern nice room , mattress so comfortable

Lahan Select Gyeongju

Gyeongju

Great hotel ,amazing choices for breakfast Comfortable room , huge hotel

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

SIGNIEL BUSAN

busan

Best hotel of whole trip

Authenticity & Character

Huge modern hotel , but still manage to make us feel comfortable and homey . We have access lounge, as extra which is absolutely amazing after a long day . We have tried also infinite pool , amazing .

Location

Amazing location , right on beach

Staff

Very professional and helpful

Cleanliness & Comfort

Room is very clean and well situated , we have corner room with view on beach and city . The best !!!

Lotte City Hotel Jeju

Jeju

Not very update hotel

Authenticity & Character

Room is old looking, some furniture is falling apart

Location

Very good location , walking distance to shops and restaurants

Staff

Professional but old staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Full Day Seoul City Tour with Gyeongbokgung Palace and Bukchon Hanok Village

Seoul

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Full Day Suwon and Yongin Tour From Seoul

Seoul

We can skip Suwon

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Half Day Gyeongju National Museum and Tumuli Park Tour with Night View

Gyeongju

Good experience, museum interesting, tumuli tour surprising

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Half Day Bulguksa and Seokguram Grotto Tour

Gyeongju

Great visit

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Half Day Gamcheon Village, BIFF Square and Jagalchi Market

Busan

Good visit , interesting visit of old busan , jagalchi market for lunch is a must

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Half Day Busan City Tour with Haedong Yonggungsa Temple

Busan

Busan is general great to visit , so many things to do and see

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Half Day Hyeopjae Beach, Spirited Garden and Green Tea Plantation Tour and Arte Museum

Jeju Island

Visit of beach , spirited garden , Arte museum is great Can skip green tea plantation tour for us,

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

From the planning stage, the service was very good. The attention of our specialist, Jessica, was excellent; very good guidance, suggestions. The location of the hotels they chose was very good.

The drivers and transfers from airport to hotel to airport were good, punctual and without any problems.

We had 3 guides, each one in their own style was very good, attentive, helpful and sharing their country and culture. But I want to highlight our guide in Busan: Jade Kim, her service, her accent, her knowledge, her energy, her suggestions, her guidance, everything was excellent!

Also our master chef in Busan with the cooking class: hee-young Jang, excellent, fun, her space very nice.

And at the end the locals (agency) give us a very nice present from Korea, big thanks!

It is the first time I use Kimkim's service and I will definitely make future plans with them.

Activity Reviews

Full Day Changdeokgung Palace & Bukchon Hanok Village & N Seoul Tower

Seoul

These visits are basic in Seoul, we really enjoyed

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Half Day Golgulsa Temple Stay

Gyeongju

My experince was very nice and funny, but does not feel like a real temple, only for tourists.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Half Day Gyeongju City Tour

Gyeongju

Historic and very nice city., our guide excelent.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Our guide Jade is excelent, I learn a lot from him

Transport

Full Day Haedong Yonggungsa, Sky Capsule, and Traditional Market Tour

Busan

A perfect day and with our guide suggestions about food and drone show, creat a perfect day

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Half Day Cooking Experience

Busan

A great experience to learn about food, culture and locals. I really recommend the chef and school were great!

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Jeju Western and Southern Routes Sightseeing Day Tour

Jeju Island

We really enjoyed Jeju and the visits and different areas. A very beautiful views and very pleasant place.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Our guide give many suggestions about change itinerary, like trying to skip a visit. I do not feel that like that

Transport

Full Day Korean DMZ and The Hybe Building Tour

Seoul

We like to visit DMZ and have the experience. The HYBE building it seems is close since the end of 2023, permanently.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Our guide give us a nice option because Hybe building was close. and during the visit to DMZ he was always very attentive to us

Transport

Half Day Gamcheon Village, BIFF Square and Jagalchi Market

Busan

We really enjoyed the visit to this area of Busan. We do not have too much time, but our guide give us a great experience and search for great photo locations.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Amazing guide and his english accent is very good.

Transport

We are just back from our wonderful trip to South Korea. We were really happy to have you as our trip organizer. From the very first contact till the end of the trip everything was smooth and easy. Our local specialist was amazing, supervising taking care of us during all our trip. All the drivers and guides, all our tours were according the plan. High level of service! Thank you and we are going to be back for having our next adventure together with you :)

From the moment I decided to use kimkim for a trip to South Korea for myself and a son who graduated, it was the best decision made!

Jessica Wang worked with me over the many months before our travel date. She provided recommendations and insights on hotels and cultural experiences, while kindly changing the itinerary based on additional requests we had.

It was a seamless experience from the planning stages to our time in Korea. There was even a room issue with our hotel on Jeju Island and she reached out to hotel staff and got us upgraded to a better room.

What I loved about Jessica while we were in Korea, were her daily check-ins and reminders. She worked hard and professionally to make sure our experience was exceptional—and it truly was! I'll actually miss our communications.

I'd like to mention our private tour guide Mr. Micky Park when we were in Seoul. He was funny, informative, patient, on time, and surprised us with our lunch menu both days we were with him. He also got us to our destinations safely and he takes the best pictures ever! I highly recommend visiting the Demilitarized Zone in South Korea.

A shout out to Kayla Kim for our large group tour to Gyeongiu Palaces during our time in Busan. She had high energy and wonderful suggestions for lunch and souvenir shopping. She took photos of our entire group and individually. I was amazed at how well she managed a group of 39 people.

Lastly, our small group tour guide Henry, in Jeju. This was a special moment of our trip because we were his only clients on the 2nd day with him. He tailored the trip per my request to see some sites from a Kdrama that was filmed on Jeju Island. He discovered new areas he hadn't been to on the Island and loved it. They weren't huge touristy areas, so it was more peaceful and seemingly breathtaking. We also met a local Jeju native, who mentioned eating at a local village restaurant that ended up being fabulous. Henry said the cooking was authentic and reminded him of his mother's cooking. We got to share a special bond with Henry we will never forget.

All three guides checked in with us a day or two before our tour took place, to include pickup location and drop-off, along with the itinerary.

South Korea is a wonderful country to visit, from tasty cuisine and hospitality to advanced technology and cultural experiences. We knew basic phrases in Korean and got around just fine, since there are Korean-English signs in most of the big cities. Many Koreans speak English (although, they don't want to admit it). Both my son and I loved it there so much we could live there.

I will definitely use kimkim for another trip to Japan. Hopefully, Jessica Wang will still be there!

Hotel Reviews

Lotte City Hotel Jeju

Jeju

The hotel could benefit from updating their rooms. The first night we were there, we were placed on the 8th floor. There was a stong mildew smell and the insulation isn't the best, so you can easily hear your neighbors. We reached out to Jessica and she contacted the hotel staff. They kindly upgraded us to a 17th floor room that was slightly larger, cleaner and odor free. We were extremely grateful! If you stay at this hotel, it appears the higher floors are cleaner and better maintained. We also had a window we could crank open for ventilation.

Authenticity & Character

Location

It's centrally located in Jeju city, but not accessible to sites outside the city, so you will need to plan in advance for taking a bus, taxi, or tour.

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

The pillows are uncomfortable and mushy. You might want to consider bringing your own or buying one when your there. The hotel has a beautiful rooftop garden and seating area. The pool is not included in the reservation. You will need to purchase a daily pass if you want to use it, which is 12,000 KRW per day.

NINE TREE PREMIER HOTEL MYEONGDONG II

Seoul

This was a budget friendly, 4-star hotel, yet surprisingly nice! The location was central and close to subway stations. The staff were warm, inviting and professional. From the time we checked in, the front desk staff, house cleaning and restaurant staff maintained a welcoming and friendly attitude. The breakfast was good. I highly recommend this hotel.

Authenticity & Character

Modern amenities

Location

Quiet (good insulation) close to subways, shopping, and centrally located in Seoul.

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

They have 6 different types of pillows to chose from at check-in.

Paradise Hotel Busan

Busan

Location, location, location! I really feel this was the best located hotel in Busan. It is right on the beach in Haeundae. It's a little pricy, but worth every penny spent! The staff are so kind, and they really want to make sure you have a wonderful stay. We especially loved the bell boys. I left my phone in a lobby bathroom and realized it 40 mins later, so I ran back to the hotel and there was a staff member in the lobby waiting with my phone! I thank the guest who kindly turned it into the front desk.

Authenticity & Character

A bit dated but the location and comfort made up for that.

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

The beds were comfortable and we had a private balcony.

Activity Reviews

Korean DMZ Tour

Seoul

Everyone should add this to their itinerary when visiting Seoul. It is unforgettable.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Jeju Island UNESCO Day Tour (East Course)

Jeju Island

This was our favorite day on Jeju Island. We were the only tourists booked this day for the small group tour, so our guide, Henry, was able to tailor the experience (per my request) to visit sites from a Kdrama that was filmed in Jeju. Seongsan Ilchulbong Peak was a nice hike and vantage point of Jeju. If your lucky, you might see Hayneos (women see divers), which we did this day. Loved the foot bath at the end of our day. Henry made this day a truly unforgettable experience. Even he, loved it because it wasn't his usual itinerary.

Quality of Experience

Food

We got to experience authentic Jeju cuisine at a local village. So amazing!

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Henry is the best! He is authentic, so cool and chill.

Transport

Gyeongju The Old Capital of Korea One Day Tour

Busan

Although it was a large group tour, the tour guides managed it well. It starts and ends later, but there is a surprise that is worth the later hours!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Large tour bus.

Jeju Island UNESCO Day Tour (South Course)

Jeju Island

Small group tour. We loved climbing the stairs up Eoseungsaengak Trail, visiting a Buddhist temple, waterfalls, then ending the day at a green tea farm. We packed a lot, but it was worth it.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Henry is very warm, kind and patient.

Transport

Full Day Seoul City Tour with Gyeongbokgung Palace and Bukchon Hanok Village

Seoul

The palace is majestic. We learned there are centuries of drama surrounding it. Our tour guide also told us some funny stories. Side note: If you get there at the right time, there is a changing of the guard ceremony.

Quality of Experience

Would recommend moving through the palace quickly and heading to the gardens if your short on time or have an itinerary.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Mr. Park is the best! He also has funny stories and takes wonderful pictures.

Transport

My husband and I had a terrific vacation in South Korea the first two weeks of April 2024.

Throughout 2023, we worked with our Kimkim agent Jessica Wang to plan our tour. From our initial email conversations to the final execution, Jessica made sure all our requests and concerns were addressed. This was our first trip to Korea, so we were eager to take it all in. Our plan included several days in Seoul, a tour of Taekwondowon, a visit to Andong with a stay in a traditional hanok and a visit to the Hahoe Folk Museum and Folk Village. We went on from there to Golgulsa Temple for a taste of Buddist life and seongmudo martial art. Gyeongju was next with more history of the Silla Kingdom, then on down to Busan. From Seoul to Busan we traveled with "Mr. Jones," our very attentive, friendly and knowledgable driver and guide. The last stop on the trip was Jeju Isalnd. We had some bad luck with some delicious food our first night there, and unfortunately ended up too ill to go out the next day. Jessica was terrific, checking in on us several times.
After flying back to Busan, we boarded the KTX train back to Seoul, an easy 2.5 hour trip.

If you have any interest in martial arts, go to Taekwondowon! It is a beautiful campus, with indoor and outdoor training areas. The theatrical TKD demonstration was really fun, and I think we got VIP'd because after the show, we were invited on stage for a little training! Andong and Gyeongju are great small cities with tons of history going back to the Silla Kingdom. We enjoyed an impromptu tour of the Hangeul Museum in Seoul. Mr. Kim, a docent, took us under his wing and guided us through the invention and development of the Korean alphabet and language. We learned more about 20th century Korea in Busan, especially the development of Gamcheon Culture Village and also Haedong Yonggungsa Temple.

We very much appreciated all the planning and attention Jessica and her team put into our vacation. It made everything flow smoothly with no worries.

We had a great trip to South Korea planned by Jessica. She provided a lot of options for activities in each city and made helpful suggestions for things to do and places to go during our free time. She also checked in with us during the trip to see how our day went, and how each of the local guides did.
The local guides were, for the most part, very accommodating to our needs. Jessica provided us with some of their names and phone numbers in advance. But two of them were substituted at the last minute - "Jake" became "James" in Seoul and "Kevin" became "Jake" in Busan. The KimKim website says that their local guides all have years of experience, but Jake told us that he had just started guiding and we were his second tour ever. James' English wasn't that great, so he didn't understand some of the questions that I asked. Clover, our guide in Jeju, was terrific. She modified the tour to our interests and was very easy to chat with. I'm not sure we would have purchased a private day tour of the DMZ had we known that there was a mandatory bus within the DMZ area that all tour groups had to use. Jones, our guide, was very nice, but he probably should have warned us that the walk down (and back) from the Infiltration Tunnel was VERY long and steep. (We probably would have skipped it, had we known.)
Some of the communication between KimKim and the local guides could have been improved. In one case, the guide didn't realize that the admission to the observation deck of the tower was included, so we paid for our (and his) admission fees, since we wanted to go up to see the view. Later, when I was recapping the day's events to Jessica, I told her that we paid for the admission fees. She told me that the admissions were included in the price that I paid KimKim, so KimKim promptly refunded that amount to me.
Overall, I'd say that KimKim is a useful service for people who are traveling to another country for the first time and don't want to do all the research on their own to figure out where to visit and what to see (or even how to find a private tour).

I had the most amazing wk tour. Originally opted for 5 days but Odynova tours and KimKim suggested 7 for a more comprehensive tour and it worked out really well. The tour guide, Ms Jang, was friendly, courteous and very informative. She was always on time and met me at my hotel each morning. I had a few reschedulings for my departure transfer but Jessica from KimKim/Odynova tours, was able to respond immediately and made the changes for me. I was very impressed by how efficient they were on resolving curveballs in my end and all with a friendly manner and followed up after as well. I will not hesitate to book through them again and recommend them to anyone looking for a tour in Seoul. South Korea. Thank you. Jessica, KimKim, Odynovs and Ms Jang. I am bringing back memories that will last a lifetime!

Hotel Review

NINE TREE PREMIER HOTEL MYEONGDONG II

Seoul

Bed was a little too firm. Only complaint but that’s my individual preference . The rooms were clean on arrival and always kept clean. Cleaning staff were on top of it and I was very happy. Front desk was helpful, the gym was adequate and the rooftop lounge had a great view and my fav drink - toddy. Very satisfied with the hotel.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Heart of Seoul. Within walking distance to anything.

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Discover K-drama Locations in European Villages & Nami Island

Seoul

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Seoul Highlights & K-drama Tour

Seoul

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Seoul Food Tour: Street Eats and Korean BBQ

Seoul

Quality of Experience

K

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Full Day Suwon and Yongin Tour From Seoul

Seoul

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Jessica planned a great experience for us and was very attentive to all the details.

Activity Review

Full Day Hiking in Seoraksan National Park - Biryong Falls Course

Sokcho

The hiking and national park were stunning. The hike was not to hard but provided great scenery.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport