Fabulous, hassle-free, adventure-packed trip around Mexico with little to no research on our part. 100% recommended Kim-Kim for those with a busy work-life schedule..
Mexico | Mar 22 - Apr 13, 2024

Marcus
Marcus K.
Australia | Reviewed on Apr 29, 2024

My partner and I left our trip planning for 3 weeks in Mexico very late! We were inundated with a hectic work schedule, the X-mas/NY holiday period having just been and a wedding to negotiate. The thought of sitting down and coming up with an itinerary, researching each town and finding accomodation was daunting. We didn't have a great first impression using a travel agent in Sydney who was suggesting all the wrong activities for us as a gay couple to see and do in Mexico and the hotels he suggested were dated and drab. He also gave us "homework" to research what we liked and feed back to him which sort of defeated the purpose of using a travel agent.

We went home that day and discovered some pre-made examples of itineraries on the Kim-kim website with Maps and pictures. We loved the idea of customising/combining two of the suggested itineraries presented to suit our plans with a wedding smack bang in the middle of the holiday.

The process was easy - fill in some information about yourselves, what you like, what you dont like, what you're open to trying, your aversion to noise kids/tourist hot-spots, how many rest days you prefer and how often you want to travel plus any other comments.

Within 3 days we had a draft itinerary which included funky boutique hotel suggestions, and a list of optional activities. Charlotte our trip planner was from France but travelled Mexico extensively and loved it so much she moved to the Yucatan province to live. She knew personally all the good things a young couple would enjoy along our travels with flexibility to change. An easy tick box/comment box below each activity let Charlotte know our thoughts on each activity/destination. 2-3 iterations later (about 2 weeks) and our trip was pretty much planned and paid for.

The only thing left to book was flights which was not included (smart of KimKim as dealing with airlines is a nightmare for traditional travel agents so this makes their business model more sustainable).

Our favourite large city was Oaxaca which was an eclectic mixing pot of fabulous art, colourful architecture, friendly people, punchy delicious food and great cocktails. Cooking class here is highly recommended! We felt most zen along the beaches of Zipolite and Mazunte which attracts a young, textile-free bohemian crowd. We saw turtles and dolphins on the beaches here and had superb food. Chichen Itza site in the Yucatan was absolutely mind-boggling and the area was surrounded by hundreds of natural crystal clear cenotes to take a dip in during the heat of our days driving around. Once back on the east coast our boat tour of Sian Ka'an to see dugongs, flamingo's, pelicans, and swim in a warm crystal clear pirate channel was our best of many boat experiences of the trip. Finally after 3 weeks of driving around the country by ourselves it was nice to be back in the vibrant beach-side town of Playa Del Carmen (a less confronting town than Cancun but still with enough stimulation to bring us back to reality).

As with all trips there are times things don't quite go to plan. Kim-Kim sets up a WhatsApp group with the trip planner and a local booking guide (Monica in our case). They are available 24/7 to assist you in your own language with any misunderstandings with bookings, interpretation, rescheduling etc. Such an easy and personable experience and always super friendly encounters. They also send daily reminders of activities with hints on best parking places and how to ignore scammers/false signs etc.

Looking forward to using Kim-Kim again next year for our upcoming trip to Spain.

Hotel Reviews
Zoa

Loved this place and the staff here. Super picturesque, LGBTQI+ Friendly, outstanding service with all tips included, spectacular food.

Authenticity & Character
Location
Situated right on a cliff looking out to the ocean with a very natural jungle hut vibe but high end. Very close to Mazunte main town (2 min drive)
Staff
Cleanliness & Comfort
Circulo Mexicano
Mexico City

Stunning architecture and rooftop terrace bar. Grand spacious rooms with high ceilings and crisp luxurious linen. Location was so central and easy to get everywhere in the historic centre. The Wifi did not work in our room but the whole building is made out of thick architectural concrete slabs so I suspect this may be a challenge to deal with.

Authenticity & Character
Location
Staff
Breakfast staff were a bit surly/disinterested. Frequently had to get up to get stuff ourselves. Bar staff and front desk staff are wonderful however.
Cleanliness & Comfort
Escondido Oaxaca
Oaxaca

Absolutely stunning what they've done with this place. As the name suggests it is a true hidden gem.

Authenticity & Character
Location
Close to some large food and craft markets. Ideally should have a car here as its not that close to the historic centre. The location however is a little less impressive right next to a main road so if in the pool area or bar it is reasonable noisy with trucks going past. The location however is a little less impressive right next to a main road so if in the pool area or bar it is reasonable noisy with trucks going past.
Staff
Cleanliness & Comfort
Villas Caracol
Holbox

This is such a cool Island and a very lovely hotel. Absolutely MASSIVE rooms with open plan bathroom/shower and expansive balcony. Great food and cocktails Great pool area and general ambiance. Be aware this is a family hotel and you will see children running around

Authenticity & Character
Location
Staff
Cleanliness & Comfort
Hotel Boutique Olbil Valladolid
Valladolid, Yuc.

What a romantic and well executed build this is. This hotel is hidden inconspicuously along a busy and slightly shabby street. once the front door is open you get a view right down the middle of the hotel across a serene pool surrounded by flowers on vines and tropical trees. Thick wooden furniture in the bar/restaurant area gives a funky safari vibe. Very pleasant staff and gorgeous rooms (high ceilings, massive bed with crisp linen, a macrame hammock stretches across the room and the bathroom has a mayan/Incan temple vibe - truly executed wonderfully.

Authenticity & Character
Location
This hotel was a little far from some of the funkier streets of this city/anywhere to get good food. We recommend having a car to explore from here. Also the street felt a little unsafe at night.
Staff
The bar tender was overbearing - constantly hustling guests to buy more drinks/food/give a tip for service. He was super enthusiastic and invested in his job which is obvious but for most people wanting to relax on holiday it was unwelcome.
Cleanliness & Comfort
Piedra de Agua Hotel Boutique

We didnt love Piedra de Agua Hotel in Merida. Despite it being situated in an incredibly historic old building with a grand central foyer and elaborately ornate doors the rooms themselves were horrendously small with NO WINDOWS! The room was pitch black until you could find a light switch and the balcony did have two sets of opaque wooden shutters that could be opened with some difficulty. Breakfast was 4 slices of fruit and 2 tablespoons of yoghurt. I wouldn't recommend anyone stay in this hotel at all unless they get a presidental suite which apparently has a different setup. You can see similar reviews on google maps for this place. The best thing about this hotel was the central location.

Authenticity & Character
Great building, poorly executed rooms and underused central lobby. Could install an elevator to make rooms accessible to elderly and disabled people.
Location
Staff
Cleanliness & Comfort
Hotel Rancho Encantado
Bacalar

Hotel Rancho Encantado - we probably would have preferred to stay in Bacalar town itself as the town was quite vibrant and had lots of places to eat and drink. This hotel was quite isolated out of town and down a VERY bumpy dirt road. The hotel itself was beautifully situated on the lake with a lovely picturesque wharf on the water but besides that the food and drinks were average, the people working there were quite surly and menu prices quite high. Rooms were big and bright but a bit dated (think the Flintstones). Grounds were so big it was hard for them to keep things clean with rotting fruits all over the pathways (we can look over this as it was a "jungle get away" although some people may not appreciate this. We did see monkeys here which was a highlight).

Authenticity & Character
Location
Great if you want to be secluded and hang around the resort all day but not in town so need a car to do anything else.
Staff
Cleanliness & Comfort
Mereva
Tulum

Mereva - this was a gorgeous little hotel 20 min drive out of Talum. It had good facilities and THE BEST breakfast i had at a hotel the whole trip. It is also right on the water with its old private little stretch of beach. The reason it lost some starts from us is it was 20 minutes away from the cute little town of Talum (Again we probaby would have prefered to be in Talum and wander around rather than be stuck in a resort 20 minutes away with kids splashing in the swimming pool around us). Some people however just want a private get away to lounge in without having to visit local towns. The cocktails were also insane expensive here ($370mx for a cocktail!!! which is double what we pay at a nice bar in Sydney, Australia and triple what everywhere else in Mexico was charging).

Authenticity & Character
Location
Staff
Cleanliness & Comfort
Activity Reviews
Tequila and Mezcal tasting
Tequila and Mezcal tasting
Mexico

This was a really cute, personalised tasting experience paired with snacks at intervals. Located in a gorgeous hotel bar in a really quaint neighbourhood i would stick around for dinner afterwards if we had our time again.

Quality of Experience
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Private car with Spanish speaking driver
Mexico

The driver seemed sweet but was soooo slow, couldn't understand us, and didn't want to use the air conditioner.

Quality of Experience
Transport
Lucha libre in Mexico city
Lucha libre in Mexico city
Mexico City

So much fun. Really colourful and energetic play-fighting. Great costumes and entrances. Love the improvisations and the level the crowd got worked up.

Quality of Experience
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Transport
Lovely driver.
Xochimilco Tour Trajinera
Xochimilco Tour Trajinera
Mexico City

Cool to do and see but not the highlight of my day.

Safari Magico - Between Sea and Mangrove
Safari Magico - Between Sea and Mangrove
Mexico

1. The snorkelling boat trip through Dive Center Puerto Angel was so incredible. The day was sooooo windy but this didn't put a damper on the journey. The boat punched through waves as we spotted dolphins and schools of morbula rays. We had 3 snorkel spots - each one more vibrant and impressive than the last. The guides/driver were also super lovely. 2. The second part of this trip (the afternoon Mangrove Safari with Ventanilla Ecoturismo) was average. We were 15 minutes late travelling between the two destinations but when we arrived they sent us to another tour operator as they had no English speaking guides. Eventually our lovely Kim-Kim representative Monica spoke to the company on the phone and 45 minutes later we had an English speaking guide drive in from home and take us out. The boat itself did not have any shade and it was a baking 37 degree celsius (so bring an umbrella). The guide also seemed disinterested and lacked genuine friendliness except where it was time to give him the tip at the end. We saw some crocodiles and birds and some deer in captivity but probably could have given this afternoon activity a miss.

Quality of Experience
Food
The lunch/breakfast at the end is included (excluding alcohol) so be sure the waiter doesn't charge you like he did with us (we paid twice)
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Transport
Cooking Class - Oaxaca
Cooking Class - Oaxaca
Oaxaca

This was one of the highlights of our trip. Super friendly and informative guide/chef who takes you through the market to buy produce and then back to his house which has a colourful kitchen within the courtyard to prepare and cook 3 different delicious meals.

Quality of Experience
Food
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Transport
Boat tour 3 islands
Boat tour 3 islands
Holbox

Very tranquil and pretty half day experience.

Quality of Experience
Hierve el Agua – Mitla – Teotitlán del Valle - Tule Tree - Mezcal Testing
Hierve el Agua – Mitla – Teotitlán del Valle - Tule Tree - Mezcal Testing
Oaxaca

A really great introduction to the area surrounding Oaxaca. A mix of history, culture, architecture, natural beauty, local art/trade skills and of course mezcal production and tasting at its finest. The buffet lunch was also one of the highlights, showcasing an incredible variety of delights exclusive to Oaxaca and Mexico - you can see why it got its UNESCO world heritage listing for cuisine.

Boat tour Rio Lagartos & Las Coloradas
Boat tour Rio Lagartos & Las Coloradas
Mexico

Very chilled and pretty experience.

Chichen-Itza site with an English speaking guide
Chichen-Itza site with an English speaking guide
Mexico

This is a must see. Incredible site on so many levels. Wonderful, knowledgeable and friendly private tour guide.

Quality of Experience
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Transport
Boat tour on the lagoon
Boat tour on the lagoon
Mexico

It was an insanely windy day when we went out but this didn't put a damper on my very first experience in a crystal clear, bath-warm, fresh water lagoon. We couldn't believe such a huge expanse of fresh water would be so clear and devoid of polution/algae. This lagoon is pristine in so many ways. It was also a delight to swim in. Our trip was unfortunately cut short as our boat broke down and we needed to be rescued. The driver couldnt speak English and unfortunately we missed out on the second hour of our experience.

Quality of Experience
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Transport
Boat tour in the Natural Reserve of Sian Ka'an
Boat tour in the Natural Reserve of Sian Ka'an
Mexico

Best boat activity we did in Mexico. The early start to the day was acknowledged and breakfast was provided (most hotels dont open breakfast until 7.30/8). The breakfast was homely and welcome. The boat was tiny but super fast and we sped across crystal clear fresh water lagoon towards a channel cut through the mangroves by The Mayans for trade hundreds of years ago. We could see fish and all sorts of water birds along the mangroves here. Another ultra fast blast across a second fresh water lagoon brough us to a natural "pirate channel" where we floated effortlessly in 29 Celsius fresh water through a mangrove river. This was unimaginably peaceful and unique experience. Finally we blasted out into brackish water at the mouth of the river to spot crocodiles, manatees, flamingo's, dolphins and make it back in time to wash off in a rain storm. Lunch was provided before we departed and we can both highly recommend the banana leaf chicken - so succulent and tasty. I wish i could eat this again.

Quality of Experience
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Transport
Snorkel in Akumal
Snorkel in Akumal
Mexico

You will see turtles which is cool and there are some lovely clumps of fan coral at the furthest most point where you are dropped in the water. I was not a fan at all of the huge tourist machine that was made of this Akumal bay. Hundreds - if not thousands - of tourists coming and going by the bus load to jump in the water and harass a handful of turtles in this spectacular bag. Stirring up sediment with their fins and pushing on the barriers to get closer look at the turtles. It's great that we can see these majestic animals in their habitat but some thought needs to be put into sustainable tourism at this location. All surrounding parts of the beach have been privatised by the hotels that occupy the forshore so you cannot enjoy a drink or slice of beach along this bay unless you are a hotel member or happy to sit down among the throng of life-jacketed tourists coming and going from the water.

Quality of Experience
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Local specialist: Charlotte Melun