Realistic Asia

All local guides and drivers did a wonderful job. They work out of their way to help us. Especial Mr. Vibol in Siem Reap and Mr. Cuong in Hanoi were very accommodating.

Hotel Reviews

Shinta Mani Angkor

Siem Reap

I would give it a 5 star if it has an elevator. The floor was not very smooth and easily tripped if not paying attention. The shower door is not enclosed and it’s easily get the whole bathroom wet. We had issues with the air condition, but the problem was fixed pretty fast.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Given that it does not have an elevator and the bathroom door needs to be replaced.

Almanity Hoi An Wellness Resort

Hoi An

This is the worse hotel of the whole trip. The rooms we got were at the very end of the building. They were a bit outdated and with the construction next door, and the dust around, we are happy.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

The room was clean but I would not say super comfy.

Sofitel Legend Metropole Hanoi

Hanoi

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Tam Coc Garden Resort

Ninh Binh

This place has a lot of characters. It’s a retreat and we love to spend more time here. The only thing missing is outlets by the coffee/tea makers. It’s a little inconvenience, but we worked with it.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Caravelle Saigon

This is not a five star hotel. We have seen better hotels around.

Authenticity & Character

Not a lot of character that the hotel offers.

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Authentic Mekong Delta Tour By Luxury Speedboat

Ho Chi Minh City

It was good that we can see the Mekong river and the delta area, good experience visiting someone’s home and eat a home cooked meal. Visiting to the orphanage was wonderful and the small temple and the wet market we all enjoyed.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Ho Chi Minh City Half-Day Tour

Ho Chi Minh City

Time is never enough. Wish we could have more time to see the museums.

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Dining at Michelin-star restaurant - Gia Restaurant

Hanoi

Dinner takes way too long, food was not what we expected. We wanted upscale Vietnamese food, that are simple and healthy. We didn’t choose this restaurant, we went because KimKim recommended this and we thought was included in our tour. The schedule says on the last day, breakfast and dinner were included, but we had to pay for this dinner, which was too expensive and the kind of food we did not enjoy. The table next to us were loud, the music the played was not songs from the 90’s. No class!

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Poor driver had to come after 3 plus hours to pick us up.

Transport

Traditional Apsara show with dinner

Siem Reap

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

VIP Fast Track Service

Vietnam

I do not understand why we had this. It was good that we didn’t have to stand in line and got out of the airport in no time.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Explore the Complex of Angkor

Siem Reap

This is what we came to see, beautiful, serene. Wished we could spend more time here.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Vibol is very knowledgeable about the history and culture of Cambodia.

Transport

Driver was very attentive. Besides cold water and cold wet towels, he cleans the van every time we were sight seeing.

Phare Ponleu Selpak Circus Show

Siem Reap

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Ashley did an outstanding job in putting this trip together. She was very accommodating and attentive when we were doing the initial planning for this trip and was always quick to respond back. I would definitely recommend Ashley as well as utilize her again in the future. All of the tour guides were fantastic. One of the tour guides that stuck out the most was Johnny. His knowledge and personality really made our trip that much more memorable.
Excellent trip overall!

Ashley did an outstanding job creating an itinerary that met our desires for our first trip to Vietnam. We appreciated that there was a lot of back and forth during the planning with questions which were answered promptly and effectively. From the time we arrived in Hanoi until our farewell in Da Nang, everything that was planned was carried out efficiently. Every transfer from airport to hotel, or hotel to boat or airport, happened exactly on schedule. The greatest source of stress in a trip is transfers, especially when in a country that is not familiar. KimKim (Realistic Asia) arranged everything for us, selecting local tour companies, and all went smoothly. The greatest joy of travel is to be immersed in the culture of the destination. The guides that KimKim selected for our trip were excellent and exceeded our high expectations. We were met in Hanoi Airport by Haley , who met our delayed flight with a smile and delivered us by private vehicle to Hanoi Pearl Hotel. Along the way, she helped introduce us the ways of Hanoi. Our first morning in Hanoi, we had a free day, and found a cooking class on our own. The next day, we were met by Sunny, a guide with Realistic Asia, who conducted a private tour of the Hanoi country side and farms by a 1970 Russian jeep. Ashley suggested the Water Puppet show, which was excellent. The following day, we were met by Dat, a guide of Realistic Asia, and his driver, for our trip to Ha Long Bay, first for the scenic seaplane flight (recommended by Ashley), then we boarded the Orchid Trendy cruise ship for an overnight trip to the bay and the caves at Cat Ba Island. Dat met us upon our return for a drive back to Hanoi Airport. Since we had time before our flight, Dat offered to show us an interest of our choice. We chose the Museum of Ethnology, an amazing place to learn of the 53 ethnic groups of Vietnam. Dat provided in-depth information, better than a museum tour guide. He then delivered us to Hanoi airport for our flight to Hue, where we were met by Trinh, of Realistic Asia, and her driver, who delivered us to the Pilgrimage Village resort, outside of the city. The next morning, Trinh guided us around the Citadel, the Imperial Palace the back streets of Hue, and a river tour on a Dragon Boat. That evening, we were dinner guests at Ngoc Son Residency, a special place that is not available outside of KimKim/Realistic Asia. The next day, we were met by Laura (Phuc) of Realistic Asia for our drive to Hoi An, where we spent the afternoon touring the city on foot. The next day, we enjoyed a private Vespa tour of the country side with Vespa Adventures, suggested by Ashley. In the evening, we attended the Teh Dar show in the Bamboo Theater, suggested by Ashley. It was an amazing acrobatic and musical depiction of tribal highland Vietnam birth, life and death. On our last day, the driver delivered us to Da Nang airport, where our KimKim tour was finished. In summary, KimKim/Ashley did an excellent job planning our trip, and procured the guide services that provided guides that were outstanding in every way. They adapted their tours around our requests wherever possible. They spoke excellent English, and we thoroughly enjoyed their company, in addition to their knowledge of the culture, food, and history of Vietnam overall, and specifically the locale that we experienced. The suggested extra experiences (water puppets, scenic plane, Ngoc Son dinner, Teh Dar show) added to our unique experience. We would not have been immersed in Vietnam as thoroughly as we were, if not for Ashley and KimKim. Thank you.

Lucy was fabulous. Very attentive and helpful and created a wonderful bespoke trip for us! Would thoroughly recommend

We had another wonderful vacation with the help of Kim Kim. We were greeted by Neng for our first tour in Bangkok, and spent the next couple of days with him exploring temples, the floating market, the train market, China Town, and more. Neng shared so much information with us and was so hospitable. He made sure that we were well taken care of!
In Chiang Mai we visited the elephant sanctuary, which was such a fun day! The sanctuary was well organized, clean, and did a great job educating us on the elephants. They also took a to.n of fun pictures for us. We got to make medicine balls for them, feed them, play in the water with them, and give them a mid bath. We then finished the day with a buffet style lunch that was very good. I would highly recommend this elephant sanctuary.
Last we were off to Krabi. Our travel specialist was able to make a last minute change to our itinerary and add in a cooking class. We had so much fun and ate so much food!
Our Thailand vacation was amazing, and I am so grateful for the help of Ashley from Kim Kim for her work on all of the logistics to make sure that everything went seamlessly. She was quick to respond if issues arose, and made sure that the team handled things quickly.

Hotel Reviews

Silom Serene Hotel

Bangkok

Staff were extremely friendly. The hotel was very clean and was located in a very safe area close to a lot of shopping and food. The breakfast was good.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Rimping Village Chiang Mai

Chiang Mai

Staff were extremely friendly. They had a very nice pool area, and it was nice that they provided welcome drinks and daily afternoon snacks. The location was a bit off the beaten path so it was quiet, but a short 10 minute walk across the bridge to a more touristy area with tons of shops and restaurants. We got to enjoy local street food which was delicious. The beds were quite firm, but not horrible.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Panan Krabi Resort

Krabi

This hotel was amazing! It was extremely clean, we had a beautiful view of the ocean from our balcony, a great pool area (multiple pools), a delicious and very large breakfast buffet, and was in the perfect location. The staff were also extremely kind and welcoming. I would highly recommend this hotel!

Authenticity & Character

Not a lot of character, but it’s a resort and beautiful.

Location

Close to the beach and all the shops/restaurants, but tucked back down a short alley so it was quiet.

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Half day combined Grand Palace Temples city tour

Bangkok

We learned so much. Was a great way to start our trip in Thailand.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

On time, safe, water available.

Bangkok evening street food tour

Bangkok

Neng took us to a variety of places and was able to suggest things that we had never heard of. Was such a fun evening, and loved that we ended it with a tuk tuk ride back to the hotel.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

One-hour Aromatherapy Hot Oil Massage at Oasis Spa Chiang Mai

Chiang Mai

The spa was very nice and the massage was relaxing.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Maeklong Railway Market and Damnoen Saduak floating market - Half-day

Bangkok

Such a unique and fun experience to do both of the markets. Many made sure we got time to fully experience both markets and we had time to shop and snack on delicious food/smoothies.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Evening Wat Umong Temple and Chiang Mai City by night

Chiang Mai

This was our least favorite tour. Our guide didn’t do a great job explaining things to us. It was beautiful, but wouldn’t do it again.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Half day Chiang Mai Elephant Jungle Sanctuary - Join tour

Chiang Mai

One of my favorite days in Thailand! The sanctuary was well organized, clean, and the guides were engaging, funny, and knowledgeable. We were able to interact with the elephants so much, creating amazing memories. Would highly recommend this activity!

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

We had an incredible adventure in Cambodia and Vietnam! KimKim paired us with Hien at Realistic Asia, who organized a fantastic six day, five night customized adventure for us. In each country, we were paired with fantastic guides and drivers who took care of us from arrival to departure, and everything in between.

In Cambodia, our amazing guide, Mr. Lon Vong, walked us through Angkor Wat, Ta Phrom, Angkor Thom and the floating village on Tonle Sap Lake. His knowledge about the ruins, the Cambodian people and history of this country was incredible. He was friendly, flexible, wonderful to be with and always had a smile on his face. Highly recommend him and these stops to anyone coming to this wonderful country.

In Vietnam, we were paired with Jimmy, another fantastic guide. Jimmy taught us so much about Vietnam, as we toured sites in Hanoi, Ninh Banh and Ha Long Bay. He taught us so much about the history of Vietnam and how the Vietnamese people have adapted to the present day. He was friendly, personable and a joy to be with. He even took us to one of his favorite street food restaurants in Hanoi. We are proud to now be part of the“Jimmy Family!”

Looking back, Hien at Realistic Asia put together the incredible trip for us. Hotels, Cruise, Sites and Guides were wonderful. They spent a lot of time working with us to put together the perfect itinerary. They communicated to us frequently before the trip to make sure we were prepared and all of our paperwork was in order. They even stepped in to expedite a visa as the Vietnamese government was shutting down for the Lunar New Year and we might have had issues getting into Vietnam. They also checked in with us frequently during our tour to make sure everything was going well. If you are traveling anywhere in SE Asia, I’d recommend this group to anyone. Thank you KimKim for pairing us with Realiatic Asia!

Activity Reviews

Explore the Complex of Angkor

Siem Reap

The ruins at Angkor are incredible. Recommend getting up early to see sunrise over Angkor Wat. Ta Phrom and Angkor Thom are also must visits! A fantastic tour!

Quality of Experience

Aww

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Our Guide, Mr. Lon Vong was amazing. Friendly, knowledgeable and taught us so much about Cambodian history. He was fantastic!

Transport

Exploring Hoa Lu - Tam Coc Boat riding - Mua Cave Full Day

Vietnam

Quality of Experience

Food

Great meal, food was fantastic.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Jimmy was a fantastic guide. Fun to be with and he taught us so much about Vietnamese history.

Transport

Comfortable vehicle, great driver

Discover Lan Ha Bay - Viet Hai Village - Onboarding Ambassador Signature cruise

Ha Long Bay

Fantastic cruise. Great room, food and views!!!!!

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Visit Iconic of Hanoi- Temple of Literature

Hanoi

Explore Dark & Bright Cave - Disembarking Ambassador Cruise

Ha Long Bay

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport