Kimkim Trip Reviews

Local specialist: Paula was excellent. She researched and provided us with all our requests for the perfect Australian vacation. I was especially impressed with all the transfers that were organized. Not one driver was late and they were very professional. The assistance she provided with reserving our flights while in Australia was also awesome. Paula even answered some of our questions during our trip which was super helpful.

Trip highlights:
The Great Ocean Road tour was fantastic. Our guide was Bronson and he was well versed on the local history, culture, wildlife, etc.

The LimoCentral driver that took us to Yarra Valley was great. He was very flexible as we asked him to make an extra stop at a winery.

Uluru A Night at Field of Light was fantastic!!!! So amazing to wander through the outback amongst the art display.
I wished I had more time to hike around Ayers Rock.

Cairns- The Reef Magic was really neat and one/two dives was excellent. The currents were really strong for the second dive and almost every person in our party got sick during the trip. Should recommend to use a scopolamine patch or meclizine for motion sickness prevention.

The Daintree River Cruise was so interesting. Learning about crocodiles in the wild was so unreal.

The Blue Mountain Tour was great and led my Matt. He was so well informed and all his knowledge really added to the experience. Sadly, it was foggy that day, but Matt made the time enjoyable.

The best experience we had was the Sydney Harbor Cruise. What an amazing way to close out two weeks (despite it raining all the days we were in Sydney).

Considerations for others using Kimkim:
Make sure you give specifics to the trip planner. They cannot read your mind and ask questions once tours get scheduled. One example of something that would have been nice would have been to have more private tours just with our group. We did not think to ask for that and planner would not have known.

Laundry- would have been nice to know that we would have laundry facilities at most of our accommodations. I would have packed less clothes. We had laundry facilities at 3 or 4 accommodations. I am not complaining because it was a pleasant surprise to see the laundry facilities.

Overall, the Kimkim experience was excellent and I look forward to using Kimkim on future trips.

Hotel Reviews

Clarion Suites Gateway

Melbourne

Was centrally located and we had a fantastic view from our room of the river. They have an amazing fire show every night that was cool to watch from our balcony. Our room had a washer/dryer. We had 3 people, and the laundry was not available in the rooms for 2 guests. We arrived very early and the front desk was helpful in keeping our bags and taking them to our rooms when we arrived once the room was ready.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Near good restaurants and a good view

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Desert Garden Hotel

Uluru

They have free laundry facilities which was helpful. walking distance to a grocery store and easy to get around the are from the hotel.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

We had ants in our bed and the staff quickly changed us to another room.

Mantra Esplanade

Cairns

Location was perfect and walking distance to anything we needed. The staff was nice and let us know to become a member of the hotel chain and we would receive a complementary breakfast. The day we left our flight our ride was at noon and checkout was at 10AM. We were not able to have a late checkout because it was Labor Day,

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Amora Hotel Jamison Sydney

Sydney

This was a very nice hotel. The rooms were impeccable. They had showers and a separate bathe which was nice. The wifi was did not reach our room which was one complaint we had. We also had a bad experience at the Brooksy. The manager on site ran after us because he thought we walked our bill. This was not the case. He realized his error but it was very off putting. The bar tender at the Silo made up for him.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Full-Day Great Ocean Road Trip

Melbourne

Bronson was a great tour guide. The lunch at Apollo Bay was great.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Would have been nice if they could have picked us up at our hotel

Private VIP Healsville Sanctuary Tour

Melbourne

Steph was a fantastic guide.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

A Night at Field of Light

Uluru

A must do experience in Uluru

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Full Day Outer Reef + 2 Certified Dives (all equipment included)

Australia

The Reef Magic was super neat. Had many different activities at one area. The marine biologists also gave talks which was super interesting. Also enjoyed the didgeridoo performance and experience.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Full Day Blue Mountains Deluxe Day

Sydney

Matt was great. Enjoyed driving around to all the sights. The lunch was good.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

We loved our trip to Switzerland and Valentine did a fantastic job planning the trip and supporting us.

Our favorite was a six hour e-bike trip from Interlaken to the Lauterbrunnen Valley known as the valley of 72 waterfalls. Effortless pedaling and non stop beautiful scenery.

Also Grindelwald was amazingly beautiful. The country is so clean and the engineering is incredible. Swiss buildings actually enhance not detract from the natural beauty of the country.

Activity Review

E-bike tour Lauterbrunnen & Valley of 72 Waterfalls (small group/6 hours)

Switzerland

Do this for sure!!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

It was very easy to follow the itinerary and choose sites and options that were of interest to us. Great directions. A wonderful adventure.

Hotel Reviews

Hotel Hallormsstadur

Egilsstadir

Litli Geysir Hotel

Haukadalur

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Katla by Keahotels

Vík

Árnanes Country Hotel

Höfn

Vogafjós Farm Resort

Myvatn

Hotel Laugarbakki

Hvammstangi

Fosshotel Hellnar

Hellnar

Fosshótel Reykholt

Reykholt

22 Hill Hotel

Reykjavík

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

All self check-in, no staff but available by phone

Cleanliness & Comfort

Under renovation so lobby all torn up

Activity Reviews

Katla Ice Cave

Iceland

Absolutely gorgeous scenery. The walk was slippery, but crampons helped.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Guide was very knowledgeable and experienced with this environment. Good summary and explanation of what we were seeing and driving through.

Transport

Rye Bread tour (Geothermal bakery)

Iceland

Very interesting to see the process, but a very short tour.

The Geothermal Vok Baths

Iceland

Water is fresh and the highlight is being able to move from the hot bath into the cold lake and back with ease.

Vidgelmir cave guided tour

Iceland

Fascinating environment; excellent tour guide. Early in the spring so path was very icy in parts.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Pedro was awesome! He contacted us daily while we were in Portugal to make sure everything was OK and to give us our schedule for the next day. He was very accommodating when we decided to change things halfway through.
Our driver, Pepe, also was very accommodating. His recommendations for dinner and lunch were excellent!
I highly recommend Kim Kim and Pedro if you’re planning a trip to Portugal!!!🇵🇹 .

We were very pleased with the planning KimKim did for our trip through Norway. During the initial planning, Maria was extremely helpful and responsive. She put together an itinerary that covered many of the things that we sought to accomplish. Once the trip was established, Fenne became our more frequent client service contact. She was professional and helpful throughout.

Communications with Maria and Fenne were generally quickly answered, although there were one or two instances where we needed to follow-up to get a question answered. The documentation in the trip details was generally quite complete and helpful - although I think that an app would be a much better way for clients to organize and implement their travels and store all of the documents/tickets required.

A couple of suggestions for KimKim:
1) Build an app instead of relying on website itinerary - would be much more user friendly.
2) While all of the adventure companies we used during the trip were terrific, they often did not have our email addresses and therefore only could communicate with KimKim. This almost caused us to miss a briefing before the Trolltunga hike - as the company didn't inform/remind us about it and the details.
3) While KimKim didn't arrange a rental car for us, there were aspects of our trip that a local agent's perspective would have been beneficial (the itinerary told us to rent a car for the entire trip). As an example, we rented the car for the almost entire 12 days of our trip. However, we really didn't need the car for the first two days in Bergen (and it was a hassle) and, more importantly, we probably should have returned our car once we reached Stavanger where we stayed for three days and not only didn't need the car there because of all of the planned activities - but parking was expensive while the car sat there and the drive to Oslo from there was long and we would have done much better with the train.

Hope that these are helpful - we would definitely consider using KimKim again for a trip in the future.

Activity Reviews

Guided Kayaktour Bergen

Bergen

Really appreciated the kayak trip. The scenery was great and the trip leaders were terrific!

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Trolltunga Winter

Odda

Loved this hike and the guides/company were terrific! It was challenging and long, but so rewarding!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Preikestolen Hidden Trail and Canoeing

Stavanger

Preikestolen is a gorgeous outlook -- awesome. But, I can't imagine hiking there on the main trail because of the crowds of people (witness the large number of tour buses parked in the lot). This 'Hidden Trail' is spectacular and we didn't see anyone until just before arriving at Preikestolen - nor on the way down. It is a challenging hike (much harder than the main trail) and significantly longer (~9 miles vs 5). But truly worth it and our guides (Allen with Terry as an apprentice) were terrific.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Boat Trip and Dinner at Cornelius Seafood Restaurant

Bergen

Surprisingly wonderful. We thought that this would be very touristy (and it is) but the boat ride to the restaurant is lovely and the food was delicious. It's quite expensive though.

Quality of Experience

Transport

Oslo private tour

Oslo

A great introduction to Oslo! Christine was terrific and extremely knowledgable about history, art, geography and politics. She was also quite flexible when we asked to make a quick visit to the Munch Museum part of the tour. Loved this.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Christine was awesome!

Excellent experience with Kim Kim. Our planner, Berat, was very helpful and responsive. All the transfers and bookings were planned without glitches. Our guides, Volkan and Hatice were most knowledgeable and accommodating. Unfortunately, the weather did not cooperate with us while in Kapadokya and could not fly the balloons but nevertheless the visit to Türkiye was most interesting and enjoyable! Kudos to everyone!! Jose ( Tito)

Hotel Reviews

The Bank Hotel

Istanbul

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Nisanyan Houses

Selçuk

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Millstone Cave Suites

Authenticity & Character

Very unique hotel. Really captures the character if Kapadokya.

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

There was a little bit of mal odor coming from what I believe was the sanitary sewer vent. Also, for some reason, the last night there was a string smell of burning wood coming into the room. This was room 106.

Activity Reviews

Food Tour in Istanbul

İstanbul

Thought we would go on a “tour” but Volkan took us to just one place to try different dishes.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

lo

Transport

Discover Byzantine + Ottoman Istanbul

İstanbul

Do not schedule this activity on International Workers Day.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Private Boat Tour on the Bosphorus

İstanbul

Very nice boat! Excellent Service.

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

İstanbul

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Explore the Ancient City of Ephesus

Turkey

Amazing historical place!

Wine Pairing Menu at Yedi Bilgeler Vineyard

Turkey

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Şirince: A Guided Stroll in a beautiful Aegean Village

Şirince

Lovely little village.

Discover Priene: A beautiful ancient Ionian town

Turkey

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Visiting Göreme Open Air Museum (UNESCO World Heritage)

Cappadocia

Amazing place!!!!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Cooking Workshop at Nisanyan Houses

Şirince

Lots of fun!!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

We have never been into joining tours. There is absolutely nothing wrong with them & they are especially good for those pressed for time & who want to see as much as possible. We have always enjoyed discovering places on our own & in our own time so there was an element of apprehension when I booked our 1 week in Hanoi.
Well it was nothing short of wonderful. From the moment we arrived till the minute we were dropped off at the airport, we were in the best hands possible. Our guide Binh & our driver also called Binh made sure we wanted for nothing. They were always punctual & cheerful. The car was always freshly stocked with bottles of water & Bihn the driver was always making sure the air conditioning was the way we wanted it. Hotels were luxury grade, the meals planned were delicious (my only complaint being there was always too much good food😁)& Bihn our guide made sure we saw as much as we could & was chock full of information regarding the places we visited. The highlight for us was Ha Long bay on the Indochine which was highly recommended by the travel agency.
The local travel agency through Nguyen messaged us 3 times during the week to ask how we were doing & called us today as we were driving to the airport to say goodbye.
I have to give credit to Trang & Kimkim travels through whom I booked. I would use them again without hesitation. They asked me what I wanted, listened carefully & they delivered.
Loved Hanoi, the people, the places, the food, the warmth & the hospitality. 🙏❤️
https://www.kimkim.com

From the initial planning to the actual holiday I cannot fault the effort put into our trip. Alec was a pleasure to deal with and organized our trip extremely well offering recommendations and advise throughout. Everything went to plan without one hitch. Hotel chosen were excellent, transportation great and excursions fantastic.

This trip was fantastic! We had 4 days and wanted to maximize our time. Amandine was fantastic in planning realistic itineraries that allowed us to see as much as possible. The museums were gorgeous, food fantastic, and all of our tours were so fun. I could not have asked for a better trip. Would 100% recommend KimKim and Amandine to anyone traveling to France.

Our trip planning was extremely smooth and easy. We wanted to balance city exploration with experiences in country side, exploring local villages and exploring outdoors through activities such as walks, hikes, bikes rides, kayaking with lots of downtime as well. Our travel agent arranged a private tour with our own guide and driver. Every detail was arranged and handled. The trip went extremely smoothly. During our trip there was a historic heatwave that made parts of the program challenging but they handled these challenges smoothly and modified time or small details to ensure our comfort but without compromising the value. We appreciated the warm, hospitality, friendliness, and knowledge that our team shared with us.

Hotel Reviews

Sunline Hotel

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Mai Chau Villas

Authenticity & Character

Has all the amenities of a resort with the charm and village location of a home stay. Location was perfect for biking/walking around villages, visiting farm stand, or relaxing. Meals are home cooked and delicious. The cabins are beautiful and spacious.

Location

Staff

Still has the feel of a family owned establishment. They were friendly, kind, and attentive

Cleanliness & Comfort

Pu Luông Natura Bungalows

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Tam Coc Retreat

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Victory Star Cruise

Hanoi

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Hanoi - Mai Chau

Mai Chau

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Ninh Binh - Halong Bay Cruise - Overnight on boat

Ha Long Bay

Pu Luong - Ninh Binh: Visit Hoa Lu & Tam Coc Boat Trip

Vietnam

Halong Bay - Hanoi

Ha Long Bay

We could not be happier with the service we received. From the start, Nicholas was attentive and communicative, providing valuable feedback as we built our itinerary. We had lots of ideas of what we wanted to do, and he helped us organize them in such a way that maximized both our experiences and our time, while offering suggestions that complimented our goals. Where we had pre-booked travel and experiences, Nicholas seamlessly integrated them into our itinerary. And for the bookings we made with him, where possible, upgrades were offered that significantly enhanced our trip. Our itinerary was clearly presented, with the names and phone numbers of our guides to facilitate our communication. Moreover, the support we received from Nicholas while in Peru was immediate and effective.

Our guides, Nancy, Cesar, and Antonio, were always timely, always engaging, and they were all empowered to help us refine our itinerary further, based upon their own knowledge and experience, and our requests. That level of care and commitment was a true showing of their interest in us, and of their personal pride, both in their roles as guides, and as representatives of their respective cities. Our drivers were personable and safe, as well.

In sum, KimKim was a phenomenal resource to help us put together a memorable Peru experience!

Hotel Reviews

Palacio Manco Capac by Ananay

Cusco

A historic hotel situated twenty minutes (by foot) from the historic center of Cusco. Our room was very nice and comfortable, however, wifi was extremely poor in the room. It was stronger elsewhere in the hotel. We did not have enough time to make use of the restaurant for any meals, yet, the hotel did put together breakfast boxes for our early morning departure, and they were amply sufficient.

Authenticity & Character

The hotel is in a historic building, and care has been given to maintain that authenticity.

Location

Situated at the top of the hill, views from the hotel are amazing! The walk (downhill) to the historic center of Cusco is easy. The walk back (uphill) to the hotel is a bit tougher!

Staff

All the staff we interacted with were friendly and helpful.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Our room was clean and cozy. The only complaint was the wifi - which hardly worked in our room. The signal was better elsewhere in the hotel.

Colca Lodge

Cercado, Yanque

This is a popular hotel in the Colca Canyon. We booked it particularly for the hot springs and the spa, both of which were nice, the hot springs more so than the spa. The restaurant is very good, serving a full breakfast and offering local dishes for dinner. The staff were welcoming and helpful.

Authenticity & Character

The location of the hotel is its chief selling point. While comfortable, the rooms are not particularly memorable.

Location

Situated right next to the river, the hotel is scenic. The hot springs are also situated close to the river, which makes a dramatic backdrop for your time there. You are far away from any other property or facility, though.

Staff

Everyone we interacted with was friendly and helpful.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Clean and cozy!

Activity Reviews

Welcome to Peru and Lima

Peru

We were able to find our guide easily, and he helped us with our transfer to our hotel. Along the way, he shared some thoughts about Lima, and its surrounding neighborhoods, all of which were useful. He pointed out various places of interest, and restaurant types that we could consider. He also gave us tips on how our process would go when we returned to Lima airport, to transfer from our domestic flight to our international flight, as we would be doing that on our own.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Our guide and driver were both great. They were on time, easy to find, and helpful.

Transport

Lima traffic can be pretty intense, Our driver handled it with ease!

Must sees in Lima

Lima

Our guide, Nancy, was awesome! She was punctual, friendly and engaging. More to the point, she figured out very quickly what we wanted to see and experience, and how we wanted to go about doing it. As such, she made on-the-fly adjustments that had us walking through the neighborhoods instead of driving through them, while also showing us to more off-the-path sites and sights, that were better aligned with our interests.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Nancy did a great job of guiding us, and of hosting us. She was adaptive to our requests and to our general method of exploration, ditching our transport for more of a walking tour, with the points of interest and experiences more in line with our personal preferences, as opposed to a set menu of sights.

Transport

We didn't spend much time in the car, but our ride and our driver were both nice!

Sacsayhuaman & Cusco Guided Hike

Cusco

Our guide, Cesar, was also amazing! He was enthusiastic and eager to share his knowledge and affinity for Cusco with us. Cusco and its surroundings are historic, beautiful, and widespread. Cesar helped us maximize our time and our experiences by adjusting our itinerary ever so slightly, enabling us to see and do more than what we had planed. His recommendations for restaurants were on point.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Again, Cesar was awesome. We appreciated the time he dedicated to us, and his suggestions that had us see and do more than what we had planned. He was super willing to take photos of and for us, which was great.

Transport

Wilmer did a super job of driving us around. He was polite and friendly, and a competent and safe driver.

Viacha Community Experience & Pisaq Archaeological Site

Peru

We wanted to get our hands dirty with the local community, and this experience got us to do just that. From working with textiles to digging up crops, to dancing and sharing a lunch, this was an immersive, personal experience that was really impactful. Pisac is a large archeological site, and it would take more than a day to explore it all. However, our specific hike was tailed to our wants, and we spent a few hours on a 4km trail that got us to incredible vistas and historic sites that were well explained by our guide.

Quality of Experience

This was an impactful experience. Our guide was an able translator for us, but there wasn't much that needed to be spoken, rather, the engagement was in action. We worked with textiles. We worked with farming equipment. We shared a lunch. We danced together. If that's your thing, this is a great experience. Pisac is more of a hike, which is what we wanted, and our guide did a great job of explaining the historic significance of the site.

Food

Our lunch was very good! Sourced locally it was a tasty showcase of the community.

Ollantaytambo Village and Inca Site Exploration. Pinkulluna Hike

Peru

Olly (for short) is a small town that offers up a lot of sights and experiences. Situated about halfway between Cusco and Machu Picchu, and a stop on the railway between the two, it is easily accessible. There are serval Inca sights to see, and I appreciated getting to ones that were on and off the main tourist circuit. The town itself is very scenic, with a lively marketplace and historic center.

Quality of Experience

Pachamanca: Traditional Andean Underground Cooking

Sacred Valley

The cooking method, and explanation, are good experiences. And the lunch that follows is very good! This is a more commercial enterprise and less personal than I would have preferred. There was a missed opportunity for this to be more inclusive with a tour of the farm (not just the distillery and beanery that were targeted for sales) and to have more interactions with the staff.

Quality of Experience

More commercial than interpersonal. Some missed opportunities for this to be a more engaging and fulfilling experience.

Food

Lunch is really good!

Maras Salt Ponds

Sacred Valley

The salt ponds are a wondrous sight. The scale of the development is impressive, and the photography opportunities here are vast, with different colors and elevations to point your camera at. However, that's all this is - a view of some salt ponds.

Quality of Experience

The scale of this place is impressive, and you have an opportunity to point your camera at a stunning backdrop of colors and elevations and textures.

Moray Terraces

Peru

Like the salt ponds, this is a limited experience. The history of the place is fascinating, and the photography opportunities are good (albeit less so here than at the salt ponds). If you are already in the Sacred Valley, this is a worthwhile stop. But if you are only in Cusco, I wouldn't make the trek to visit these exclusively.

Quality of Experience

A historic Inca ruin with some interesting history, and a cool photo stop. But not much more.

From {{start_location}} to {{end_location}} via Salinas and Aguada Blanca National Reserve

Peru

The National Reserve is vast, and unspeakably beautiful. I would say the same of the Sacred Valley as well, but the landscapes here are totally distinct, with different wildlife and vegetation. You can take photos and videos endlessly here, and still fail to capture the magnitude of the area. If you're driving from Arequipa to the Colca Canyon this is a super worthwhile route to take.

Quality of Experience

Truly a wondrous landscape to drive through and make photo stops in. You can't venture far off the road as it is a protected area, but being able to make frequent stops and just "take it all in" is very cool.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Our guide, Antonio, clearly loves this place, and he was eager to point out various wildlife and vegetation unique to the park. Also, he knew the best photo stops, yet was more than willing to accommodate our own requests to make stops to take in the sights.

Transport

Our driver, Gonzalo, was awesome. The road through the park is a two-lane highway, chock full of cars and buses and trucks. He navigated both the road and the traffic supremely well, and didn't get frustrated when we made stops, or asked for them.

Hike to Chimpa Fortress

Colca Canyon

Getting to the starting point for the hike is an adventure in and of itself. It is in the middle of nowhere, in what's already the middle of nowhere! The hike itself is relatively short, but it is steep. If going in the midday sun, bring a lot of water - and trekking poles, though not strictly necessary, are helpful. The fortress itself isn't much, but the viewpoints from it, are spectacular and worth the effort to get to, both in the drive there, and the hike.

Quality of Experience

A great hike to a great viewpoint. The fortress itself is a bit "meh" but that is a small component of a much larger experience.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

As usual, Antonio and Gonzalo did an amazing job of navigating the roads, and sharing the history and significance of the fortress, while also enduring the hike with us!

Classic Gastronomy Tour - Arequipa

Arequipa

We had spent several days with our guide, Antonio, already, so he was familiar with our travel style, and our preferences for food and drink. As such, he was able to curate a food tour that was particularly aligned with our tastes (quite literally). We had a great time eating our way around Arequipa, combined with a nice walking tour of the city, and Antonio's lecture points.

Quality of Experience

Our guide made great choices on which places to visit and when. All of our eats were tasty local favorites, representative of the city and region.

Food

We are really well; local dishes in neighborhood cafes and restaurants that were not part of the main tourist circuit.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Antonio was great, setting up a walking and food tour that was on point.

I contacted KimKim in February 2024 for help in planning an 8 day trip to Iceland in late May for me, my wife, and our adult son who lives in another city. The three of us were hoping to spend some quality and adventure time together and decided to try Iceland. We were assigned to Èric and he took our suggestions/likes/hopes for the trip and created a very full itinerary with plenty of primary and secondary suggestions. The suggestions were mapped out perfectly for a driving tour and allowed us quite a bit of flexibility from day to day. He and his team took care of the vehicle reservation, all accommodations (including breakfast) for every night, and pre-purchasing tickets to all of the activities we had requested. Nearly everything about the trip was easy and seamless. I say nearly everything because one tour was cancelled due to weather and we thought we would miss it because we were flying home the next day and the only possible option for us was the earliest tour of the day, which the company's website said had no more availability. The KimKim representative spoke to them and was able to get us on the early tour. We were very grateful as this was something we had really hoped to experience.
This was my first time using KimKim but it will not be my last. Leaving the planning to an expert took a lot of the pressure off of me and led to a really enjoyable vacation. I'm old enough to remember going to a travel agent (in person) to help book a vacation. This experience was very similar. Thank you KimKim and Èric!

This was my first trip to Croatia and I loved it. Robi was instrumental in helping us organize our self guided trip and with his help we experienced Croatia in a way I suspect most people do not. One of our major goals was to see the country in a local way that many visitors don’t. From the onset, being met at Zagreb airport, we were in good hands. We travelled for two weeks visiting Istria, Hun, Plicvik Lakes, Zadar, Split, Ston and finally Dubrovnik. Each area was unique and Robi was in touch each day to answer questions and provide useful suggestions as to what to do. I would recommend Robi to anyone wanting to visit this beautiful Dalmatian coast.

We planned our trip with relatively little notice (just under four weeks). Planning would have been very time consuming and completely chaotic without our liaison, Nihad, who calmly and quickly got everything arranged. All we had to do was book our flights!

Once we arrived in the country we were greeted by our tour manager Jamal, who was AMAZING. He drove us around, helped us navigate the language(s) and the culture, and made sure we didn’t have to worry about anything. The additional guides and hosts we encountered at each activity were all so kind and knowledgeable, and seemed genuinely happy to spend time with us. We were hosted in three different family’s homes, and had multiple private tours with just our group (2 people) and our guide. Morocco is a beautiful country and the people there are truly so nice and kind.

This is the second trip I’ve booked through KimKim, and I have a third coming up later this year. I just love how stress-free it makes the planning and appreciate that we’re directed towards activities and lodging that offer more authentic and intimate interaction with the local culture(s). I loved this trip and can’t wait for the next!

We had a great trip to France!

The kimkim team organized everything from start to finish aside from our international travel. Our drivers were always punctual, waiting for us with signs in hand, as were our tour guides. The hotels selected for us were perfect and lovely. One of our tours was cancelled and we were notified and refunded promptly. If you want a perfect vacation but are not interested in spending a ton of time planning - this service is for you!

Activity Reviews

Nighttime Seine River Cruise with Dining Experience

Paris

Quality of Experience

Sunset Private Cruise on the Mediterranean Coast

France

Our favorite activity of the trip! Such a lovely way to see the french riviera

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Saint Germain des Près Food Tour

Paris

This was a fun way to spend the morning in the area we were staying. Spent some time walking around and grabbing local bites from cheese, meats, wines, bread, desserts - and then had a picnic in a nearby park!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Versailles Palace & Gardens Private Tour

Paris

The only reason this got 4 instead of 5 stars is the weather. we spent the day in the gardin in the pouring rain which was not super enjoyable.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Our guide was superb and so sweet.

Transport

Monaco, Eze and La Turbie Tour small group tour

France

Casual way to see Eze and Monaco. Dropped by driver and mostly free time, which we enjoyed alot.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

We had never heard of KimKim Travel Agency and were not sure what to expect, and boy were we surprised! They are outstanding! We were assigned Antonia as our travel agent, who worked with us to build an extensive itinerary for our private tour of Croatia. Every single tour guide and driver that Antonia assigned to us were exceptional – Ivana in Dubrovnik gave us our first Croatian history lesson; Mladen drove us to Perast & Kotor, Montenegro and taught us so much along the way, and Vasilija gave us wonderful tours there. We had Ivana in Split, who was charming and lovely and spent a lot of time with us at Diocletian’s Palace. Grgo was our tour guide on the island of Hvar and that was a great tour – his Mom cooked us lunch! From Split to Zagreb our driver was Duje and he was awesome – you can tell he loves his country! Duje took us to Krka National Park and Plitvice Lakes as well, and gave us a commentary on everything we passed. At Plitvice Lakes our guide was Petra and she was excellent – she clearly has so much love for her Lakes. Finally, in Zagreb, our guide was Kristina – she took us on a food and culture tour and it was so good! We had some good treats and a lovely walking tour of Upper and Lower Zagreb. We could tell that each guide and driver were so happy to be showing us their country – they were personable and amiable, and just a delight to be around! Antonia was so easy to work with and was extremely responsive to all our questions. She checked on us throughout our trip, and gave us real-time updates and information as our itinerary changed. We would highly highly recommend both KimKim and Antonia for all your Croatia travel needs! 10/10

Mar and Fenne were fantastic in planning our trip to Bergen Norway. I found Kimkim online and reviewed their credentials. Once I was satisfied with the basics of who they were I started planning with them. It was a great experience all around. All my questions were answered so fast, most within a couple of hours ! The sample itineraries are very helpful and can be adjusted to suit your needs. we wanted a moderately paced trip. Mar suggested a boat ride dinner at the Cornelius seafood restaurant. It was a wonderful culinary treat. We added 2 days to ours with some free time to relax and enjoy the fantastic view of the harbor and mountains from our hotel. We also had Julia's # to contact in case of any urgent issues while we were there. Happily we had none. I asked where we could rent a rolling walker for my husband who has mobility issues, on long walks. Fenne looked into it and 2 were delivered to the hotel ! No charge !! It was provided free from the municipality of Bergen. One was smaller for indoor use & the outdoor one with larger wheels. AMAZING! I would use Kimkim again in a heartbeat. Thanks again to Mar, Fenne & Julia my dream team!

Hotel Review

Clarion Hotel Admiral

Bergen

Very nice hotel. We had a superior double room that provided a 5 star view. Sitting on the deck was beautiful. Staff was so nice. The breakfast buffet is great, lots to choose from and very good. There is a small bistro menu for dinner. Overpriced as most hotel food is but very tasty.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Food and Culture walk in Bergen

Bergen

This was the best time. Freida was our guide and she was outgoing and very knowledgeable. The tastings along the way are perfectly timed throughout the 3 hours. It is leisurely and not rushed. It was so much fun to walk through neighborhoods and all the tucked away spots.

Boat Trip and Dinner at Cornelius Seafood Restaurant

Bergen

So fun and great dining experience !

Mostraumen Cruise

Bergen

An absolute must ! Spectacular beauty .

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Perfect honeymoon planned by Kimkim. The planning process was smooth and they took all of our wants and needs into consideration. We had an unplanned trip to Florence due to a rental car problem and they were able to give us a plan and restaurant recommendations for this new city within 30 minutes. Can’t wait for our next trip with kimkim.

Hotel Reviews

Abruzzi Hotel Rome

Rome

Good location in the heart of Rome. It felt like we could get anywhere within 10-15 minutes walking.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Palazzo delle Grazie

Sorrento

The staff was so helpful and friendly! Rooms had a coast feel with beautiful tiles. The locations is great but, because it’s on a busier alley, there are always street lights on and noise from pedestrians. Still would highly recommend.

Authenticity & Character

Location

15 minute walk to the water or any restaurant.

Staff

Most accommodating staff of our trip. We had a 5:15 am check out and they made us a to go box for breakfast with assorted pastries.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Villa Sabolini Tuscany

Colle di Val d'Elsa

Beautiful villa in Tuscany. Such a relaxing ambiance with rolling hills surrounding. The pool was a nice amenity. Breakfast was amazing! Would definitely recommend having your own vehicle.

Authenticity & Character

Beautiful rooms with amazing views.

Location

Within an hour of anything you want to do in Tuscany.

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Local transfer in Rome

Rome

Colosseum & Roman Forum Tour

Rome

Educational and fun tour! Our guide was able to get us through long lines which would have eaten up some of the tour.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

We walked from the hotel but it was an easy walk.

Car Rental Pick-up

Italy

First car had a mechanical issue but was able to contact the company next day and arrange for vehicle exchange in Florence.

Tuscany E-Bike Tour

Italy

Very fun and gratifying trip around the small villages of Tuscany outside of Chianti. Very educational and scenic with a little bit of exercise. The e-bikes made this 3 hour 16 mile tour easy!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Chianti Winery Tour & Tasting with Lunch

Italy

Cool winery that was established in the 1400s. I felt like the wine tasting was very informative and I left feeling like I knew much more about wine than before. The associated restaurant was also great.

Quality of Experience

lol

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Car Rental Drop-off

Italy

The car drop off was in the middle of Florence. It was a little unclear that there are two different locations within the city. One was the office and one was the drop off point.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Useful Information

Italy

Quality of Experience

Private Pompeii Tour & Mount Vesuvius visit with lunch and wine tasting

Pompeii

Amazing day filled with education, great wine, and great food. Pompeii was so fascinating with so much history within the soil. The winery had the most breathtaking view of our whole trip. The wine was organic and the food was great. Climbing Mount Vesuvius was a little tough but worth it.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Amalfi Coast Boat Tour From Sorrento

Sorrento

We loved that this wasn’t a large group tour on a boat. We were with only six other people. Unfortunately, the weather was not great for this boat day, but we had breaks in the rain and we’re still able to see all the sites and even swim.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Capri Island & Grottos Boat Tour from Sorrento

Sorrento

Beautiful and relaxing trip around the island of Capri with four hours to explore the island. We had fun on the chairlift up to the top of the island. Highly recommend walking down the hill to the port from the city center rather than taking the bus as the walk was short and peaceful and took us through some picturesque villas. The boat tour took us around and in all the caves and sights of the coast. The blue grotto was expensive ($18 per person plus a suggested $10/ person tip) but in our opinion something that you should experience once.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Faida was very helpful and flexible during the planning period and also available and helpful during the trip.

Malaysia is an amazing country full of adventure and beautiful nature. Flights and transfers really worked well.
Also the tour guide in Penang, Lester, was excellent - his overall knowledge of culture, country and people made my stay really pleasant.

The driver in Langkawi, Shiny, was excellent - very professional and friendly.

In a short time I really got a good impression of the variety of Malaysia.

Activity Reviews

Penang: City D1

Penang

Lester was a perfect guide - very professional and a perfect company.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Langkawi: Island Hopping (Half-Day)

Malaysia

Driver was professional and friendly. Boat driver was unfriendly and not motivated to inform about anything. He only informed us about times when to be back. Islands are beautiful.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Langkawi: Skybridge & Mangrove

Langkawi Island

The Mangrove Tour was amazing - animals and really great nature. Boat driver was excellent - very friendly and gave us a lot of information. Weather in the afternoon was not good - because of the fog there was no view from the top of the cable car.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Flight en-route via Kuala Terengganu: Redang Island - Kuala Lumpur {{start_location}} and {{end_location}}

Malaysia

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Overall we had an amazing experience in Morocco Hassan was always available, responsive, patient and kind. We appreciated the care and time he took to help us develop itineraries which provided a sweeping view of Morocco. Our hotels were stellar as were the guides chosen for each city. We learned so much about each region of Morocco, from the beauty and drama of the Sahara Desert to the sea blue city of Chefchaouen . Our visit was not to be forgotten. Kimkim helped us to create memories that will last forever!