Old Town Outfitters

Matt was helpful and knowledgable. We followed his recommendations and were glad we did! There was one misalignment with what the itinerary said we were getting and what was actually provided - the snorkling day said the following:

"Today we will eat breakfast and then we will go ahead to the Ragamuffin office (Tour operator for snorkeling). They will be in charge to lead you for the rest of the day. The tour will start at the dock, where you will be able to see sharks on the shore that get fed by fish, in the meantime, you will be waiting for your boat to start the adventure on the beach. We will go for 1 hour deep into the beach to try at first our gear for snorkeling and then we will deeper into the coral reef to see the wonders Belize has to offer in tourism. The guides on board will take care of you and will make you pass a great time on the beach with snacks, lunch, and some alcoholic drinks or without. This will be a full-day tour."

However, the tour was a half day group tour with a total of 11 participants and lunch and drinks were not included.

Hotel Reviews

Mayan Mountain Lodge

San Ignacio

The hotel was clean and the property was gorgeous. We enjoyed having our own bungalow. However, the bed was small and the interior was a bit underwhelming.

Authenticity & Character

Property is gorgeous.

Location

A short walk to town, but not in town. Perfect.

Staff

Friendly and very helpful.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Small bed, but loved having our own bungalow.

Tikal Inn

The room was large, with two double beds. The restaurant had a well developed menu and the location - in the national park - was awesome.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Inside the park - wonderful.

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

La Isla Resort

Cayo District, Belize

The room was large, with 2 beds. Clean and comfortable.

Authenticity & Character

Location

In the heart of Caye Caulker.

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Actun Tunichil Muknal (ATM) caves day tour

Belize

We love this activity. It was physically demanding and really worth the work!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Transfer from San Ignacio to Tikal National Park

Belize

The transfer included a tour if Yaxhá Maya Ruins, which worked really well. The day was well designed.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Sunrise Tour of Tikal National Park

Belize

We really appreciated visiting Tikal at 4:00 am. There was almost no one in the park. The sunrise on the day we were there didn't amount to much, but it didn't matter. We were at the site for 5.5 h - all of this was fascinating.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Tour Yaxhá Maya Ruins

Belize

The boat and tour of Yaxhá Maya Ruins was interesting, providing a enriching undersyanding of Mayan civilization.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Cave tubing tour

Belize

The tubing was relaxing. Passing through the cave system in an inner tube was enjoyable. The cave portion of the tour was surreal.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Snorkelling day tour at Caye Caulker

Caye Caulker

We enjoyed the snorkelling. The trip include coral reefs, nurse sharks, sting rays and tarpons. We thought the half day was an appropriate amount of time to spend doing the activity. However, our itinerary said the tour would be a private full day event, including snacks, lunch, and some alcoholic drinks or without. This. was not the case. There were 11 participants, which was crowded and congested at times.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

We worked with Alex to plan our trip which included tours out of San Ignacio and time in Caye Caulker. When our trip was delayed by a day, Alex was able to move our reservations to accommodate so that we didn't miss out on any of our planned tours. The drivers and tour guides that we had were all great. They arrived on time and were very knowledgeable on the information related to the tours.

We had been planning a vacation in the region for months. Once we met Alex at Old Town Outfitters, our planning became so much easier. He took the time to get to know us and what we were interested in. He patiently altered our itinerary to accommodate septuagenarians who enjoy culture and nature but are not as fit and able as we once were.

Alex worked well with an agency in Belize to plan the first part of our adventure and then connected us to able, trusted guides and drivers in Guatemala who were knowledgeable and kind. He also helped us stay within budget. I could go on and on, but I must say we are exceedingly happy with our experience and the people who made it possible.

Food, jungles, beaches, volcanoes, colonial towns, and rich cultural and archeological sites, this trip was once in a lifetime , though I’d love to do it again. The people of Guatemala are kind and friendly. And speaking of kind and friendly, capable and well versed, our guide and friend, Jerry Rodas was so good to us, and we now think of him as a treasured family member.

Alex did a near perfect job designing our trip. He took the time to understand our needs and expectations and tailored the trip to provide the range of experiences and lodgings that fit our travel preferences. he also provided excellent guidance on what to do and expect at each of our 5 locations, e.g., the decision to add an excursion to Mountain Pine Ridge. The lodgings varied from spectacular (Las Lagunas) to very nice (Ramon's and Casa del Mundo) to pretty basic (Meson de Maria and Falling Leaves, which did have great service however). These choices were very consistent with the guidance we provided to Alex.

Some of our guides were outstanding, in particular, Dary in Antigua, the woman and grower at the coffee farm, Pablo for birding in Finca Santa Victoria, Oscar at Chichicastenanga, Oliver at Tikal, and our cave tubing guide. The rest, however, were mediocre at best. The guide for the Pacaya Volcano hike didn't add much value on a straightforward route, and discouraged us from climbing to the top, which I would have liked to try. The guide for our hike along Lake Atitlan was also pretty unnecessary and didn't add much, as was our guide for the Lake Atitlan boat trip to visit villages. Part of that problem might have been our overall Guatemala guide, Pablo, who was very nice and mostly helpful, BUT his English was nowhere near the level we expected. Therefore, there was alot of miscommunication, and very limited translation for our guides in Lake Atitlan. We really felt like we missed alot of useful information during the village visits and on our hike back to the lodge. AND, there was a major screw-up on our kayak/hike trip, with our bags in limbo for an hour and a wasted hour waiting for the bags after our kayak trip. We also felt like he was trying to scare us away from the full kayaking and hiking experience by overestimating the difficulty. Yes, it was challenging, but exactly what we wanted.

Finally, there was a bit of confusion on our flight from Belize City to San Pedro, but it did NOT turn out to be much of an issue and we all learned from our mistakes.

Again, Alex was a joy to work with and designed a 5 star itinerary for us, and most of the experiences lived up to that standard.. However, the execution by a few of the guides was not quite up to this high standard.

Hotel Reviews

Hotel Meson de Maria

Antigua Guatemala

Great location, decent breakfast, beautiful courtyard, charming hotel, BUT, our room was very tired and not that comfortable.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Cramped room

Casa del Mundo

Lake Atitlán

Beautiful setting, a bit challenging to navigate the property, and our room was small, cramped, and outdated

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Las Lagunas hotel

Flores

Great setting, great facilities, fantastic suite, great food, unreal service. Didn't want to leave the property

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Falling Leaves Lodge

San Ignacio

A little out of town, facilities need updating, but the birding and service were excellent, and the food was good.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Ramon's Village Resort

San Pedro

Very convenient location, nicest beach on the island, easy access to town and services, mediocre restaurant

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Boat Tour of Lake Atitlán Villages

Guatemala

Local guide was nice but not very informative, and language was a problem. The visit to the bee collective and the mayan ritual visit were very interesting, but the rest of the trip didn't feel all that authentic.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Kayaking & Hiking Lake Atitlán

Guatemala

Loved the kayaking and hike and Pablo took some good photos of us on the water. However, the local guide did not provide much info on a straightforward hike through villages, and the logistics from kayak to hike were a disaster. Our backpacks (with wallets) were left at the dock by our hotel, and we had to anxiously wait an hour for the bags to arrive.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Tour the famous Chichicastenango Market

Guatemala

Local guide was fantastic.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Explore Tikal National Park

Guatemala

Oliver was a spectacular guide, with great information, flexible plans, a special extension to see a falcon, and a great lunch choice.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Transfer from San Ignacio to Belize City with Cave Tubing Tour en Route

Belize

transfer went very smoothly over the border, and our guide was excellent on the cave tubing, which was alot of fun and interesting

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Antigua Coffee Tour by Bus with De La Gente

Guatemala

De la gente was outstanding...both farmer and local guide and the farmer's wife

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Antigua Walking Tour

Guatemala

Fantastic guide, Dary...authentic, charming, and shared her enthusiasm and love for the city

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Traditional Guatemalan Cooking Class

Antigua

Great dinner, fun company, and accommodating for dietary restrictions.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

car broke down on what to get us

Day Hike to Pacaya Volcano

Guatemala

Great experience, but not much help from local guide or our chaperone. Also, would have liked to try to go to the top, but not offered, and English was not good enough to make request.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

AC didn't work and van was a little dirty

Driving Tour of Almolonga Valley

Antigua

Nice villages to visit, but our guide, Pablo, had limited excitement, energy, or information to share.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Finca Santa Victoria Half Day Birding Tour

Guatemala

Pablo was a real character, but a little too full of himself. The birding was ok, but not all that productive

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Thank you so much to Alex for planning such a great trip for me. He was able to plan a trip for me in a short period of time to Belize and Guatemala. The guides and the accommodations were amazing and I am so happy that I was able to participate in this trip. I would recommend Alex to plan your next trip to Guatemala.

Our trip went like clockwork. Everything was ready when it was supposed to be. All drivers, guides, & boats were on time. Matt did a great job in planning the trip & selected knowledgeable guides. Takal was the highlight of the trip.
We would recommend Kimkim to anyone who needs help in ensuring the best places to visit & stay.Everything is taken care of. There is plenty of free time to explore on your own

What an amazing trip!
Trying to arrange a memorable family trip to include my teen and college kid over the New Year's holiday, I reached out to Kimkim. They took the reins and did us a solid!
First, travel over the holiday is busy; second, it is expensive; third, schedules are tight. Chris at Old Town Adventures was our local arranger and helped manage all of the challenges with grace.

Hotel Reviews

Porta Hotel Antigua

Antigua Guatemala

Beautiful hotel, near -- but not too near -- the mix of things. Allowed us to have a walkable experience in Antigua. Rooms were comfortable, filtered water prevented us from needing to but bottled water. Breakfast was divine! Every day there was live music and great atmosphere. The lobby is nice and the public spaces are generally quite nice. All the staff are first rate. Warning -- they have a LOUD New Year's eve party with live and DJ music until 1:30 am and the rooms couldn't insulate against this kind of noise. Don't expect early check in to be an option.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Ramon's Village Resort

San Pedro

This was a lovely space and despite the terrible weather of our first day (pouring an inch of rain) it was a dream! We arrived in the middle of said rainstorm and waited for the boat (SPBE) to unload our bags. We got a lift from Ramon's team and needed to stop at a pharmacy -- no problem. Took us to the check in and then to our rooms. sigh.... Needed dinner that night -- Pineapples on the Beach had an amazing menu! We went back 2 nights later because it was so good! Only concern was the final morning had to get the 0600 boat to get to Belize city for our international flight. We checked out night before and porters said they'd meet us at our rooms at 0540. But they didn't show up... got the night watch to wake up the driver and left at 0555. We made it, no problem. But we're no good at "island time."

Authenticity & Character

Well, I don't know if it was authentic (authentic Polynesian maybe?) but loads of character!!

Location

Walking to town and everywhere else!

Staff

Front desk staff, coffee bar and restaurant wait staff were all excellent. But by far our favorite was Leroy at the front desk!!

Cleanliness & Comfort

Beds were perhaps in need of an update and our shower had low pressure (they came and repaired the second day and it improved). The only real challenge was proximity to the airport meaning that without ear plugs, you had planes landing and taking off most of the day (early start)

Acatenango Campsite

Guatemala

Old Town Outfitters campsite on the side of Acatenango -- camping/glamping on the side of a mountain with unobstructed views of Fuego blowing its top. Meals provided by our guide, Rudy were excellent -- they were substantially better than what we saw the other families being served by their guides. Sleeping bags could have been a bit warmer.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

RUDY!!

Cleanliness & Comfort

Jungle Lodge Tikal

Peten

We had a really short stay -- arrived around 9 pm and departed for our morning tour at 0400. We came back for breakfast and were on the road by 10:30 am. Breakfast was quite tasty but they were out of a few things. We note there was a hostel there but didn't explore that area. Visited the pool for pictures, but didn't get in because it was rainy that day. Property is dark at night, and with the rain, the sidewalks were quite slippery. Our daughter slipped by the plantings at the main entrance and ended up with a significant number of thorns in her arm and back.

Authenticity & Character

Location

walking distance to the park entrance

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Our group had two different rooms, one had great water pressure, the other did not. Hard to shower in that setting. See note about dark grounds.

Activity Reviews

Zipline Tour at Santo Domingo del Cerro

Antigua

Just do it. We had arranged for the full "superman" experience for the kids and we were planning to just enjoy ourselves at the cafe. But then Rudy and the kids encouraged us, and we said "why not?" Don't look down during the ladder climb. Do look down during the superman flight. Just amazing.

Quality of Experience

Beautiful grounds -- unexpected how enjoyable the sculpture garden and museum would be

Hike Acatenango Volcano & Camp Overnight

Guatemala

Rudy, our guide was absolutely the reason for our enjoyable trip. He engaged with our kids and took care of our needs. He's a budding chef and made remarkably tasting and filling meals for us on the mountain. Even when we had one member have to turn back for altitude sickness, he made sure the rest of us had a stellar time.

Quality of Experience

Altogether an first rate experience -- stunning area of natural beauty. Unfortunately there were loads of people (holiday week) and loads of trash on the mountain. Another draw back -- no coffee on the morning of the summit.

Food

We had a great meal of build your own burritos when we arrived at base camp. Dinner was again outstanding. Breakfast was fruit and yogurt and granola! Only complaint was the lack of caffeine on the summit day. Caffeine is good for energy, headaches, and even to fight altitude sickness.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Again, Rudy was our guide and he was first rate. We had a nice crew up at the camp and our young porter was also good.

Transport

Different drivers on the way out and back from Antigua; minivans. Preferred the driver on the way out as we were fresh and feeling fine. The return ride was harder (we were tired and feeling less well) and the drive was slow, and hot, and uncomfortable. Not sure we could improve that other than driving faster ;-) Maybe A/C

Sunrise on Acatenango & Descent

Guatemala

Again, our guide made this so amazing. Despite having to escort one of our party back to base camp, Rudy got the rest of us to the summit in plenty of time for sunrise. Unfortunately it was crowded, but there was plenty of space to see and get some pictures of the sunrise and the volcano. We met others on our way that were turning back and some didn't get to summit because of their party splitting up. Rudy was able to safely manage our group.

Sunrise Tour of Tikal National Park

Guatemala

No question, it is a magical experience. You walk through the park in the dark, surrounded by nothing but darkness (and some jumping spiders). You climb to the top of temple IV and sit in the dark (others arrive, but it's pitch). Then around 5:38 am, the howler monkey's start up, and it's surreal. Unfortunately, no sunrise for us, just the lifting of the fog. Pictures at the top and then a descent and tour of the grounds.

Quality of Experience

Tikal is the star of the show.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Our sunrise guide didn't discuss much of the ruins with us. He shared knowledge of the Mayan religion and rituals and the current experience of being Maya as well as some history. But he often pointed us to areas for us to go and waited for us to return. Other guides I saw walked with their group and explained the ruins in more detail.

Transport

Mini van to and from TIkal. Drivers were safe, however, Guatemalan roads (or maybe just in Peten) were terrible!!!

Our trip to Guatemala was fantastic!
Chris Gwinner our planner, did an outstanding job with connecting us to beautiful accommodations, Incredible personal tour guides Edgar,Vinny,Caesar !!& Well planned out logistics.
Tikal, Lake Atitlan,Antigua were amazing places to tour and learn about Mayan history.
Chris was always available for questions that we had and gave his recommendations from the planning
stages & throughout our vacation.
He even took the time to meet with us in Antigua ,face to face and ask about how our vacation was going.
I highly recommend Kim Kim travel agency, and Chris Gwinner as a trip planner .
Thank you, Olga & Jeff

Hotel Reviews

Hotel Utz Jay

Panajachel, Sololá

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Casa Rustica

Antigua

Nice hotel ,but the bed was very hard. But Chris got us into another nice hotel with a lot more comfortable bed

Hotel Casona del Lago

Santa Elena

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Antigua Coffee Tour by Bus with De La Gente

Guatemala

Boat Tour of Lake Atitlán Villages

Guatemala

Explore Tikal National Park

Guatemala

Day Hike to Pacaya Volcano

Guatemala

Our driver Cameron with Bass Transportation was fantastic & has become a good friend to us. We plan on keeping in touch with him. Umaya Resorts in Placenia: the room was great. The main restaurant’s food wasn’t that good. Service there wasn’t the best. However the pizza restaurant was fantastic. There is a Bistro about a ten minutes walk away that had excellent food. Our fishing tour with Pinky was a lot of fun. Pinky & the boat driver were professional, friendly & brought humor & entertainment to the day. Nim Li Punit Mayan Ruins & Spice Farm Tour With Ian was a great tour. We enjoyed all of it. Ian is very knowledgeable. In San Ignacio the Falling Trees Lodge was quaint but very clean. Their restaurant had fantastic food & service. Lamanai tour & boat ride with Brenda our guide was the best tour we had. Brenda had grown up in Lamanai so was very knowledgable. She served the best tour lunch with fresh corn empanadas made by a group of ladies from the Lamanai town. Our next tour at Xunantunich Maya Ruins Tour with Daryl was also fantastic. Cave Tubing was our next adventure. Cameron drove us there & waited while we did the cave. It is a very easy tour with very little rapids, but we still enjoyed it. We then took the ferry to San Pedro. Ramon’s Village was our best room overlooking the ocean. We spent a lot of time sitting on the balcony watching the ocean. The Hol Chan/Shark Alley with our guide Guimerro from Ramon’s was excellent. This was the best tour. Unfortunately on the Manatee Swim/Coral Garden we didn’t find any manatees & the Coral Garden didn’t have many fish at it to see. Returning back to BelizeCity & seeing the zoo. The zoo was okay but I could of skipped it. The Best Western Bitlmore: our room was okay but it was located near the pool & open court yard. From 9 to about 10:30 there was children screaming & adults talking very loudly. I was about to call the front desk to complain when someone opened up their door & told them to be quiet. A room away from all this would be better. The food we had at their Bistro was terrible & the service was not good at all. We went to the Cafe in the morning & it was much better there. Overall we had a fantastic trip full of good memories.

Hotel Reviews

Umaya Resort & Adventures

Placencia

Food wasn’t that great.

Authenticity & Character

Location

On the ocean & lagoon.

Staff

Restaurant service was slow. Servers mixed up orders.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Cleaning staff kept room clean & tidy

Falling Leaves Lodge

San Ignacio

Very quaint but clean rooms. Love the garden area.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Close to ruins

Staff

Friendly, helpful & gave great service

Cleanliness & Comfort

Ramon's Village Resort

San Pedro

Loved the location & grounds of the resort.

Authenticity & Character

Rooms were like huts on the outside.

Location

Right on the ocean

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Best Western Bitlmore Plaza

Belize City

Noisy in evening. Our room was near the pool & open courtyard. I would ask for a room away from this.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Close to airport.

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Transfer from San Ignacio to Belize City with Cave Tubing Tour en Route

Belize

Cave tubing is very easy with not a lot of rapids. Good for any age.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Hol Chan/Shark Ray Alley - from Ramon's Village

Belize

Best snorkelling trip on San Pedro from Ramon’s Village.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Ramon’s dive staff are fantastic.

Transport

Lamanai Tour

Belize

Favorite of all our Mayan Ruins tours. The boat ride there adds to the adventure. Best lunch we had on all our tours.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Brenda was amazing.

Transport

Xunantunich Maya Ruins Tour (no horses)

Belize

Tour is not very long but still interesting.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Local Area Boat Tour with Optional Activities

Placencia

Tour guides were fantastic.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Nim Li Punit Mayan Ruins & Spice Farm Tour

Placencia

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Zoo in Belize

Belize

It more like an animal rescue then a zoo as it is in a natural setting of the forest. Animals are hard to find in the enclosures.

Quality of Experience

Transport

Bass Transport took us there.

Caye Caulker Manatee Experience from Ramon's Village

San Pedro

We didn’t see any manatees, which they can’t guarantee for you to see. Coral garden wasn’t that great to snorkel at. Hardly any fish there.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport