Kimkim Trip Reviews for Turkey

We really had a great time in Istanbul and Cappadocia. Overall the Kim Kim Did a good job in helping us capture the authenticity that we wanted in this trip. The people were amazing, the sites were wonderful, and the food was great.

There were some small glitches. Firstly, after a long flight from the US, we didn’t have anyone waiting for us at the airport. Only after several texts and calls did someone finally come, but it did delay us significantly.

The facility in Cappadoccia, although cute and charming, had no air conditioning. In the dead of August, this made our time in the hotel quite uncomfortable And nearly intolerable. It was brought to our attention that the organizer of our trip was a partial owner of this facility, Which raises some conflict of interest concerns and why we didn’t receive better accommodations.

Our trip to Turkey was excellent and had a great balance between history, culture, and relaxation. Trail Travel did a great job of making sure our transfers were seamless and ensuring we had the best experience at our hotels and sites. Berat was extremely helpful in going through multiple itinerary iterations after receiving feedback on the type of trip we wanted. What is great about this platform is that you really are able to personalize your trip rather than needing to fit into a rigid, fixed pre-existing itinerary. Berat was also prompt with her responses while we were in Turkey to troubleshoot any issues we experienced with our hotels and logistics.

We spent 2 weeks in Turkey, going from Istanbul to Cappadocia to Antalya to Izmir before returning to Istanbul. During this time we developed a great camaraderie with our guide, Onder, who was very receptive in tailoring our activities and content to our interests and styles. He was extremely professional, always making us feel like we were welcome, and introducing us to many locals in each of the spots we visited. I also want to thank all of the van drivers (Mustafa, Ramazan, Erdogan to name a few), who presented us with clean, spacious vans and supplied us with water. Each spot that we visited had a wonderful charm of its own. If we had more time, I would have loved to add one extra day in Kas and a couple more days in Istanbul to fully experience the city. For our packed trip, it was helpful to have some later starts to balance out our very early ones in the beginning of the trip.

Our trip was wonderful, and we would definitely book again if we had the chance. Some suggestions for improvement for an even better experience via Trail Travel/KimKim:
- When booking domestic flights, ask about estimated luggage quantities/explain airline policies on luggage beforehand
- Ask about preferred flight timings when possible
- Develop some form of guide matching based on travel style and interests
- As much as possible, provide pricing breakdowns (esp. for hotel rates to compare)

Hotel Reviews

Otto Palace

Kumluca, Antalya Region

Otto Palace is a cute, no frills attached b&b that makes you feel like you are staying with family friends. This means that the hosts have good vibes and senses of humor, but service is very "chill" and relaxed, even when you require a little more assistance as guests. This serves as a decent base if you are planning a night in Adrasan as a launching point for a boat tour, but it might also be worthwhile to check out AirBnBs in the area.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

The hosts are friendly, kind, and relaxed with good sense of humor.

Cleanliness & Comfort

The beds were very comfortable and the rooms large. However, the rooms did smell like cigarette smoke and the AC was not working in either of our 2 rooms. We did mention the AC problem to our host and they were able to fix it. It seemed that the filters in both rooms were old and not properly maintained. When in Turkey it is expected that cats are going to be your new neighbors wherever you are. However, the cats on this property were much more aggressive than we were accustomed to. As we were eating our meal, they were consistently propping themselves on the table, scratching at us, and eventually jumped onto the table on the food we had ordered. For hygiene reasons, we didn't feel comfortable finishing our food that the cat had touched and had to leave an incomplete dinner. This caught us off guard especially since the cats seemed to be pets of the owners. However, when we asked if the owners could keep the cats away from the food (through broken Google Translate communication), there wasn't anything done.

Hagia Sofia Mansions Istanbul, Curio Collection by Hilton

Fatih Istanbul

We were greeted with warmth and friendliness at our first hotel in Turkey. I would like to specifically mention that Betul was particularly helpful. She escorted us to a restaurant for lunch just after we arrived and showed us around the property. Definitely venture out for food rather than sticking to the hotel's restaurants, as you can certainly find all sorts of food for a variety of prices in Istanbul. This hotel is tastefully decorated in an Ottoman style and is in a prime location near the most famous sites in Istanbul!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Do note that due to the strategic location, it can get noisy during the day and at night. This is a great base to see the important sites in Sultanahmet, but if you have more than a couple days in Istanbul, perhaps it may make sense to move to another neighborhood for the remainder of your time.

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

The bathroom was spacious and modern with consistent hot water. It was a pleasant surprise to find a hammam sink in our shower. One note - as a family of 4 sharing a small suite, we had one king bed and 2 makeshift twin beds. There was not a proper sofa bed - the staff just added sheets on top of the existing sofa and gave us a rollaway bed. For the purposes of our short stay, this worked out just fine, but these makeshift beds were probably not as comfortable as proper mattresses for a longer stay.

Kayakapi Premium Caves

Urgup / Cappadocia

Staying in a cave hotel was one of the highlights of our trip. Kayakapi is a beautifully kept, guest-centric hotel, with large, clean, and luxurious cave suites. We enjoyed using the pool and spa facilities, as well as exploring the hotel as a whole. We are frequent travelers and our stay at Kayakapi was definitely one of our best hotel experiences.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Staff are very open to input as they are continuously trying to make the hotel better. When we provided some feedback on how the already excellent rooms might be improved further (small things like adding more privacy to bathroom doors, adding fans, ensuring showerheads do not make bathroom floors wet, including more storage space in the bathroom), they noted every suggestion down in detail.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Beds were very comfortable for a 4 person family (1 king and 2 twins).

Ruin Adalia

Antalya

This hotel was included last minute to our itinerary due to an issue with our original hotel. It was a surprise treat, a gem in the middle of the Old City. The quaint property in the middle of bustling Kaleici is built over an archaeological museum open only to guests. We not only experienced comfortable rooms with a semi private terrace overseeing the beautiful grounds and mountains, but also were given a mini tour through the underground museum by Marcus, one of the archaeologists staffed at the hotel. We saw the layers of Antalya - Hellenistic, Byzantine, and Ottoman - wonderfully preserved.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Keep in mind that as it is in the middle of the most busy part of town, it can get noisy. This would probably apply to any hotel in Kaleici.

Staff

We did get stopped from entering the hotel a couple times due to their strict security, but didn't really see any of the other guests face this issue. However, they apologized immediately once the misunderstandings were cleared up.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Nisanyan Houses

Selçuk

A very cute hotel in the cute town of Sirince. We received a friendly welcome, loved exploring the town from this hotel, and spending the evening on our little private porch.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

This was another hotel where we had 1 king bed and 2 somewhat makeshift twin beds. The twin beds worked well for our one night stay, but may have been a little uncomfortable for a stay longer than that.

La Kumsal Hotel

Kaş / Antalya

Sadly our stay at La Kumsal was the only hotel experience that was not overwhelmingly positive. We were excited about our 2 night stay at Kas to be close to the ocean and were told that the rooms that we had paid for were sea view rooms. When we reached the hotel, the staff member at the front desk was a little confused about our room types. Despite not knowing English, however, she was trying her best to communicate with us and let us know that the issues with our room would be resolved the next day. Unfortunately, our rooms smelled of smoke, the tables/desks were quite old with stains and markings. One of our rooms was looking right out in the main bar area with no privacy or view of the sea and the other was looking out at a small pathway with a sliver of a view from the balcony. The doors were a bit hard to open/close. The shower water was cold to lukewarm. However, the rooms as a whole, though very simple with some need for maintenance, were clean. We immediately notified Berat about our experience, just as feedback, and she promptly contacted the hotel's manager. The manager called us up afterwards. He seemed a little upset over our complaints but assured us that the problems would be resolved the next day and sent us a fruit basket. The next day we met the manager. He was a little cold and passive aggressive while explaining that the hotel was completely booked and that they could move us to a villa for extra money. Berat helped us navigate this conversation, and eventually we were able to move to their villa for our second day in Kas, without paying extra. The villa had a beautiful view with a private pool, beach area, and 3 bed/3 bath. This was definitely more than we were expecting for our room change at the hotel. While we had some unfortunate experiences with some of the staff and our expectations of the rooms, the outdoor areas such as the pool and dining areas are quite pretty. The villa was also great, and we enjoyed using the private pool. If you decide to stay at La Kumsal, be clear on what type of room you are getting - "seaside" or "sea front" or "sea view"!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

We felt that the manager was a little cold and passive aggressive. He was placing most of the blame on us and our travel agency, without trying to understand our situation fully. While we appreciate him moving us to the villa, he seemed a bit disdainful and disingenuous of our concerns, employing false sympathy, rather than just being authentic with his thoughts. Most of the waiters at breakfast and dinner were not paying us much attention. We would like to thank the staff member at the front desk who greeted us and one of the waiters, as they were very kind and helpful.

Cleanliness & Comfort

There is more effort placed on maintaining the outdoor spaces than on the indoor ones. This is fine for a simple beach town stay, but it did feel there was a disconnect between online images and what you see in person. Even the villa, which had beautiful outdoor spaces, was a little old in the interior. The showers were cold and the bathrooms were a little rough around the edges.

GAIA Alacati

Çeşme/İzmir

Wonderful boutique hotel in a great location. Breakfast was great and the attention to detail for decor was noticeable. Feel free to do your own research on restaurants and other services in the area, as some of the recommendations given by the staff were helpful, but possibly overpriced. We were also recommended a salon that overcharged us and actually hurt my mother's fingers during a manicure.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

One thing to note - the showers were cold after sundown

AJWA Sultanahmet

Sultanahmet, Istanbul

Another hotel we loved. Wonderful staff, well designed rooms, and some of the comfiest beds we've slept in! The breakfast was also delicious, and we enjoyed getting to know the restaurant staff.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Eminönü Heritage Tour: Explore the Historical Bazaars and Ottoman Architectural Sites of Istanbul

İstanbul

Onder did a great job of introducing us to Istanbul!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Public Boat Tour on the Bosphorus

İstanbul

Great way to get a different perspective of Istanbul

Sightseeing Around Uçhisar and Discovering the Cappadocian Valleys

Cappadocia

We thoroughly enjoyed our three days in Cappadocia, and all the activities - hot air balloons, hiking, pottery making, etc.

Explore the Ancient City of Ephesus

Turkey

The ancient sites of Aspendos, Perge, and Ephesus were marvelous, but in the middle of July it was extremely hot, which limited our ability to explore as much as we may have wanted.

Quality of Experience

Nothing - it was just hot!

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Turkish Bath and Spa at Hürrem Sultan Hammam

İstanbul

Loved it! The Ab-ı Hayat treatment was one of our favorite activities of our trip.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Discover Byzantine + Ottoman Istanbul

İstanbul

In retrospect, I would have moved our itinerary around to give us 2 full days in Istanbul before heading off to Cappadocia. This would have been a great activity for the 2nd day of our trip. Unfortunately keeping this for the last day of our trip meant that we were a little too tired to fully appreciate the magnificent sites. With a little more energy, we definitely could have spent much more time at Topkapi Palace.

All my local tour guides and drivers are very nice. The hotels are clean, cozy, and beautiful.

Hotel Reviews

Helike Hotel

Nevsehir

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Nisanyan Houses

Selçuk

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Doğa Thermal Hotel & Spa

Denizli

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Alacati Zeytin Konak Hotel

Cesme

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Recital Hotel

Istanbul

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Pamukkale and Hierapolis

Pamukkale

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Discover Byzantine + Ottoman Istanbul

İstanbul

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Public Boat Tour on the Bosphorus

İstanbul

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Hot Air Balloon Tour at Sunrise

Cappadocia

As a foreigner, I was arrange into a ride full of local Turkish people so the pilot only spoke in Turkish throughout the whole ride.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Visiting Göreme Open Air Museum (UNESCO World Heritage)

Cappadocia

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Sightseeing Around Uçhisar and Discovering the Cappadocian Valleys

Cappadocia

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Kaymaklı Underground City + Light Hiking at Ihlara Valley + Selime Monastery

Cappadocia

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Explore the Ancient City of Ephesus

Turkey

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

A trip that was 2 year in the making due to Covid we had an absolutely amazing time in Turkey. Murat was very patient and considerate of all our questions and requests. The accomodation was special, namely Gil Konaklari in Cappadocia and Nisyanan house in Sirence. The Pan Thermal hotel in Pammakule was a bit disappointing.

Yunnus our guide in Cappadocia was excellent. He has so much knowledge to share and we enjoyed his stories of places and people. He is a good driver and made every effort to also take us to places that were not on the program. Thanks to him we were able to get a booking for the hot air balloon on our last morning after two cancellations on the first two days.

Our guide Ozan in Izmir was also great. He quickly understood what we were interested in and planned the day accordingly. He came across as a very genuine person. Both guides took us to some local places for meals and the food there was delicious.

Overall the trip was well organised and went without a hitch. We got to see everything we wanted. The only recommendation I would make of Kimkim is if they could also arrange car hire for tourists as we had a lot of trouble while picking up the car with Enterprise car hire.

The tour organized by Mr. Murat was enjoyable, interesting, and generally "smooth sailing". It was my first time in Turkey, but I now have good impressions of the country and its people. There are some other places I wanted to see and things that I wanted to do which did not fit my itinerary, but it will be a good reason for me to return.

The tour guides and drivers that were assigned to me - Mr. Aydin in Istanbul, Mr. Irfan in Cappadocia, and Mr. Onder in Izmir were very knowledgeable, patient, and kind. They introduced to me Turkey through its history, food, and people that we have met during the trip.

As regards the hotels, I especially liked the Nisanyan House in Izmir. It felt like "home" and was a serene and quiet place. The food that they served were also authentic and very good. The other hotels were also conveniently located and had good amenities.

Thank you, Trail Travel and Mr. Murat for the memorable and hassle-free vacation. I did not have much time planning it but it all went well, even better than what I expected.

I hope to be back soon.

Though an avid travelled, this was my first trip post the pandemic and I was a little nervous at first. However Murat was so helpful and cooperative, I ended up having a wonderful trip. There were 1-2 glitches that could have been avoided but Murat did his best to remedy the situation. The 2 guides I had in Istanbul and Cappadocia were wonderful - Ibrahim and Ramazan - very flexible and cooperative. Murat’s property in Cappadocia is a piece of heaven I would highly recommend. The logistics including PCR testing were very well taken care of. I always felt safe because Murat kept track personally.

I am glad I used him and Kimkim 👍🏽

I will probably use both again.

I have only very high and excellent praises for Murat and KimKim.

Murat has organized a well-tailored trip with must-do highlights of Turkey. He even helped arrange scuba diving at a couple of our destinations. His attention to the details are impeccable, and his communication is always timely.

I can't rave enough about how much of a gift to travelers KimKim is, especially with Murat's role in our much-needed vacation. He has been easily accessible for last-minute changes, and would go above and beyond to check in with us throughout our trip.

Our local guide, Önder, is also highly recommended. He is passionate, informative, adaptive and an overall fun human being.

Argus hotel in Cappadocia is a must! The hot air balloon!

The staff at Alley Prime Hotel in Kas are amazing. This was one of our highlights for sure, thanks to Berg (hote manager) and Salman (maitre d). The masseuse, Pelin. The dive group, Dragoman.

All in all... The superb accommodations, the well-thought-out activities, the many white-glove service additions all speak highly to the priceless value of his KimKim and Murat's work. Thank you, Murat and KimKim!

Considering traveling during a pandemic, my trip organizer, Murat Ornek and guides Rdivan Uyanik and Alp Sancar were amazing. They knew how to deal with new covid restrictions while I was there to make the trip as seamless as possible. I highly recommend working with Murat in organizing your Turkish experience. Very accommodating person and I had the privilege in meeting his lovely, warm family. I have to as much as I loved Istanbul with its astounding mosques, beautiful landscape, and wonderful food, I need to return to see the city in its full vibrancy after the pandemic is over. The highlights of the trip was being in Cappadocia. Seeing the incredible rock formations high above in a hot air balloon was wonderful. Additionally, I highly recommend visiting the Kaymakli Underground City near Cappadocia. Nearly a hundred tunnels built over a thousand years ago when it was used for protection from Muslim Arab raids. It literally is an underground cave city (something out of the 1960's Flintstones TV cartoon show). The most memorable moments was spending time with Murat and his family having wonderful conversation, being in their beautiful historic hotel and enjoying meals with them. Will revisit!

Communication was great. Trip was well organized and everything went perfect. Thank you to Fez Travel and Mr Mehmet.

Great Trip. KimKim and Fez Travel (local Turkey Travel Operator) were both very helpful and responsive to all questions. Guides were well informed and very helpful.

The Quad Biking in Cappadocia was one of the highlights of my trip. Also, the Day Tour in the city was very interesting and enjoyable.