A great trip to Indonesia
Indonesia
|
May 14 - May 21, 2024
This was my first time using Kim Kim, I have used similar services in the past. The trip included my best friend and myself. Overall, the experience was smooth in terms of selecting what we wanted to do and finalizing the booking. Ana was very patient with my delayed responses as well the many changes we had to our itinerary. The trip was memorable and I will definitely want to visit again. I would recommend that you ask as many questions as you need to gain clarity on your activities. I had made some assumptions based on previous experiences with agencies but of course they are not all the same and some tours may have additional costs associated that may not be listed in the description.
Our driver (Eka) went above and beyond for us and would definitely love to have him as our driver again. The cooking class was my favorite activity. The other tours were mostly other drivers taking us from place to place which was nice but would have preferred some additional commentary or explanation of things. The nature of tours can always vary but regardless we had a great time. Would likely use Kim Kim again or recommend to a friend.
Hotel Reviews
Service was great, loved the staff, they were so kind, helpful and wonderful to talk to. The rooms were clean and met our needs. The food was great - I loved the breakfasts but also the dinner items were great. We did the Indonesian breakfasts. The entire place is quite serene and tranquil and the best part is it's central and close to everything. Would likely stay again.
Resort is a nice size and looks beautiful but the food and service at the restaurant was not the greatest. Food is pricey for the flavor - it was either cold or bland but want to note we did not eat any Indonesian food. The rooms are also awkwardly shaped and not well thought out in terms of where one would put their items. Location like most resorts is not super convenient.
Activity Reviews
![Experience Ubud VW Safari Car Tour](https://cdn.kimkim.com/files/a/trip_plan/days/photos/609cbdcedc4c6b26142341dd7dfbaf8ea106e0f8/medium-03150bb9088a7ef54b7187c3ae32d273.jpg)
Overall really enjoyed this tour - saw lots of things in our first day in Bali and weather was great too. The only thing I was caught off guard with is the fact that none of the waterfall or temple entrance fees are included in the total cost. I didn't see mention of this caveat in the activity details and did not bring as much cash so this was not ideal for me personally. The driver/guide also does not come with you into some of the temples so at times we did not know what we were looking at or what was special about it. It is a car tour after all but I had made the assumption since he was our guide. He did go out of his way to make sure we got all the photos and let us take as much time as we need at places and so that was truly appreciated as we did not feel rushed. Overall, he (Wayan) helped make the tour and our first day at Bali a great experience.
![Experience Balinese Cooking Class- Shared](https://cdn.kimkim.com/files/a/images/8a9a881d61eefd7663f05e45600bbfc2f80bd920/medium-31a8642e21555133c960ab24ba3dc4fd.jpg)
This was my favorite part of our trip. I loved the experience beginning to end - from visiting the market to meeting other travelers and of course, the chef, who helped us make all the delicious dishes. She was funny, engaging, patient and made everything seem super easy to make. I would 1000% percent recommend people take this class. She also told us so much about her life and Balinese culture. Definitely would come back just for the conversation!
![East & West tour of Nusa Penida](https://cdn.kimkim.com/files/a/trip_plan/days/photos/4b869f0f533a16e4901ddc3f4bbd42f578b0093f/medium-6559b1ead910ce8966df4d218a4c5a97.jpg)
The boat ride there was fun but the time spent at each place is too short. We had about 15-20 mins per place and that's also due to the fact that the island is massive and it takes a while to get around. Perhaps a shorter itinerary might work best - for example, we didn't need to go all the way to the tree house as there were a lot of steps and this took a lot of time. Plus the tree house is actually additional money to go into. Our driver was great when on the road maneuvering next to cars in a tight space, however, he was on his phone on a couple occasions watching videos, and this was concerning while driving. He also did not speak to us the entire time outside of telling us the time we had at places so this made for an awkward and transactional experience compared to our other drivers and guides. The island was beautiful and we were glad to have the opportunity to see it and take wonderful pics even though rushed to do so.
![Visit Bali's Most Beautiful Beaches & Explore Uluwatu Temple](https://cdn.kimkim.com/files/a/images/58d365d1a1010ae0911912b8fda6c91e333486bf/medium-92484bb1079857c13b111a12cb37c7a8.jpg)
We picked two beaches and spent most of our time at one and a little at the other. Again entrance was not covered for this activity. The beaches were beautiful and Eka was our driver (who was our driver the whole trip) so of course that experience was great. We also got to see the kechak dance at the temple (this cost is covered) which was really fun and interesting. We didn't get a chance to explore the temple but caught the sunset.
![Ana](https://cdn.kimkim.com/files/a/users/profile_photos/ed071374a9762e28950bb943b8e4792e28358df1/original-31c3893d518690cf05d3e15c618f9bd5.jpg)
Hello dear Michelle,
Thank you so much for your review! I am very happy to hear that you've had good time in Indonesia! I will pass the praise to our driver Eka as well!
I hope to welcome you again in this part of the world!
All the best!