Kimkim Trip Reviews

Where to start on our Mother & Daughter trip to Japan...

My daughter Rose and I were fortunate enough to spend just over 3 weeks travelling to Tokyo, Kanazawa, Kyoto, Osaka, Mount Koya, Okayama, Naoshima and Hiroshima.
I came across KimKim when looking for Japan travel itineraries while trying to plan this excursion myself. Apart from the fact I had left it very last minute in an extremely busy Cherry Blossom season we also had specific experiences and attractions we wished to incorporate; I decided to give Kimkim a ring!!
The best decision I made as was put in touch with Sandy who put together an itinerary which included accomodation, travel and daily schedules, amazing.
Sandy took into account and included all our travel requests and more linking it all up in a comfortable travel package. I also liked the fact that even though this was a planned itinerary we also had a lot of free self-guided time, this made it more relaxing and gave us extra time where needed.
I cant thank or recommend Sandy enough as we would not have seen or had the experiences we did if we had of planned ourselves.

No single word can adequately describe our recent Portugal trip unless that word is "Perfect"! Raquel planned informative, historic, scenic, and entertaining tours using outstanding guides. She attended to every detail so that we could relax and enjoy our vacation. The Kim Kim team gets my vote!

Had a fantastic trip to New Zealand, with nice accommodations and great itinerary. Paula did listen well, worked with our budget, and came up with a really enjoyable trip. We were well taken care of and would certainly love to work with her again on our next trip.

Entire trip was planned to the last detail. Would recommend and use again. They made everything easy to understand and very stress free. Thank you

Hotel Reviews

Hotel Heureka

Venice

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Tenuta CorteDomina

Radda in Chianti

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Orto De' Medici

Florence

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Martis Palace Hotel Rome

Rome

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Classic Chianti with Lunch

Italy

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Driver at disposal in Tuscany

Italy

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

The Tuscan Cooking Class

Italy

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Our trip started in Bangkok where we met our guide Yee. She was fantastic. Her English was excellent, and was so accommodating. The catered to our interest and went at a perfect pace. The temples were amazing, but Yee was the highlight because she offered such great information on history, background and culture of Thailand. I can’t think of a better way to start our holiday. All of our domestic transfers on Bangkok airways were great. We learned how to register an extra bag online after first flight. Tina was great throughout the trip and responsive to any last minute questions we had. We love Koh Samui and diving in Koh Tao. Another unexpected highlight of the trip was John Gray canoe tour in Phang Nga Bay. There are so many excellent things to say about this tour. The environment, the crew, the vessel, our guide Josef, the food and Krathong flowers. It is had to describe the experience in words, but this is a must for anyone in the region. We enjoyed our time in Phuket, we made it to Similians and Phi Phi. We had a late flight on departure day and Tina helped with extending our driver. We had not made it to BigBuddha and he took us there and to Old Phuket town on our way to the airport. A great way to wrap the trip.

Hotel Reviews

Millennium Hilton Bangkok

Bangkok

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Bodhi Serene Chiang Mai Hotel (SHA Extra Plus)

Chiang Mai

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Paradise Beach resort

Authenticity & Character

Location

My

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

DoubleTree by Hilton Phuket

Phuket

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Exploring Bangkok by local transfers and walking tour

Bangkok

Yes was fantastic!!!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Elephant Nature Park Visit

Chiang Mai

This is not a tour where you can touch elephant, but the staff at the sanctuary are so passionate about caring for the animals.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

John Gray's Sea Canoe - Hong by Starlight

Phuket

Wish I could give this 10 stars, the experience is hard to put into words. I great way to see and experience Phang Nga Bay

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Jordan is an amazing country. So much history and interesting facts in every place you visit. From Amman citadel, Aljun castle, Jarash (a Roman city) Madaba, to Petra, the Dead Sea and so much more, people are very welcoming, friendly, and hospitable.

Valeria was extremely helpful and flexible. When planning, you don't know what you don't know so we had to make several changes to our initial itinerary. Val was great working with us, our schedule, and budget. I have already recommended her to several friends.

We had a great trip. Tarik was our guide for the week. He was very friendly and helpful. He met us every morning at the appointed place and time. He was always kind and upbeat. There was never a worry about anything. We also enjoyed a gastronomic tour in Marrakech with Hanan. She and Tarik both seemed to be proud of their country and all it has to offer. We will always have happy memories of Morocco and of the time we spent with these two knowledgeable guides.

Lorena and Vanessa were very helpful from the beginning till the end of the trip. They were very responsive when we were on our trip. In general Lorena customise the trip with exactly all our needs and preferences!!! Totally recommend it using their services for a totally personalised and unforgettable trip!

Ashley was a great support, she was always on top of everything always checking on us and very quick in return to our requests. Amazing! Totally recommend

Aleksandra was extremely helpful and communicative. We had an incredible time on our trip to Scotland! I'm looking forward to using KimKim again for future travel. The process was very straightforward, and went super smoothly. Even when our hotel had an issue that made them unable to follow through on our reservation, we were set up with another very nice hotel in a great location, and didn't have to worry about it one bit. Thank you for all of your help!

Activity Review

Loch Ness and Caledonian Canal Cruise

Inverness

We had so much fun on this Loch Ness cruise! The host was very personable, the hot chocolate was immaculate and the views were incredible. I would definitely recommend.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Everything was amazing, the tour guides and drivers were very good, kind and very thorough.
The only feedback that we have, is to improve on the hotels, the location and quality could be better for some of the locations .
Also the street food tour, got us sick, the bike ride was great, but the street food is too much for foreigners.

Thanks so much

Hotel Reviews

Victory Cruise - Bai Tho Group

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

New Livitrans Train

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

There were cockroaches and the toilets were terrible, and they don't change the bedding . Very bad experience .

Hoi An Rose Garden Hotel

Hoi An

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

The staff made this place very good, the hotel is average, however the customer service by the staff makes the the experience a lot better

Elios Saigon Hotel

Location

Terrible

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

La Sante Hotel

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Thanh Lich Hotel

Hue

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

La Niche d'Angkor Boutique

Siem Reap

Excellent hotel, location and hotel and great staff

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Halong Bay - Train to Hue

Ha Long Bay

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Saigon By Night Food Tour - Experience Vietnam on Two Wheels (Group tour)

Ho Chi Minh City

Quality of Experience

Lo

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Hanoi - City tour full day

Hanoi

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Hanoi - Ninh Binh - Hanoi

Vietnam

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Hanoi - Halong Bay Cruise - Overnight on boat

Ha Long Bay

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Hue City tour

Hue

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Saigon - Cu Chi tunnel and city tour full day

Ho Chi Minh City

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Hue - Marble Mountains - Hoi An

Vietnam

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Buffet Dinner with Apsara dance show

Siem Reap

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Hoi An - Cam Thanh Coconut Village - Tra Que Village

Hoi An

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Fly to Ho Chi Minh City

Vietnam

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Siem Reap - Angkor tour

Siem Reap

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Half day city tour to visit Hoi An Ancient Town

Hoi An

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

PORTO
Hotel Pur Oporto.
I rate this hotel 3 stars.
•When we walked into the hotel and to the reception, the staff did not smile or say hello. I had to smile & say hello first.
•The room looked fabulous when we first walked in.
•Thank you for the red rose & the champagne.
•The veranda was great.
•The room needs more hooks.
•The bathroom was awkward and it was dangerous stepping out of the bathtub because the bidet was in the way.
•The cold breakfast was excellent, the hot breakfast looked & tasted like it had been there for a long time, it was not pleasant to eat.
•Staff warmed up but would only say hello and smile if I said hello first.
•Position of the hotel was excellent for us because we like to walk everywhere.
Local Guides & Tours
•Porto Food Tour- can't remember the guides name, just that he was a magician.
This tour was lots of fun & excellent. 5 stars.
•Miguel - Day on the Doura. Excellent guide & excellent tour. 5 stars.
EVORA
Hotel: Albergaria Do Calvārio - 3 stars.
•Our room was very big, it was downstairs, the bathroom was okay but had lots of ants in it. Bed was comfortable.
•Breakfast: Was very simple and the 'freshly' cooked breakfast tasted like it had been sitting in the pan for a long time.
•Staff: All staff were excellent
Tours
Convento de Christi
Excellent - 5 stars
Tour of Evora
•Guide: Telma - walking tour of the old town was excellent, Telma was so good, funny and lovely to be will. 5 stars.
ALGARVE
•Lunch at Morgado do Quintāo
The lunch was delicious.
The short tour of the vines was excellent due to our Guide Candy. She was passionate about the area and her knowledge was excellent. Her voice is soft and gentle. She is the reason we are giving this tour 5 stars.
The 4,000 year old olive tree is amazing.
LAGOS
Hotel: Lagos Avenida
•As soon as you walk in the doors you are greeted by a smile and amazing decor. This hotel is 5 stars plus!!!
•All the areas of the hotel are immaculate.
The staff are really friendly and they smile and chat to you.
•Local Guides and Tours
Kayaking trip to Benagil Caves
Guide: Zac
•This tour was excellent - tho you do need to fit and be able to kayak as the ocean was very bumpy with natural waves but also waves from all the other tourist boats.
•The caves are magnificent.
5 stars for the tour and for Zac, he was excellent.
Bike Tour to Ria Formosa
Guide: Goncalo
•Excellent day riding the boardwalks through the wetlands and then out to the beach. Loved every second of this ride. Coffee and pastel de natas on the beach was wonderful.
5 stars for our wonderful guide Concalo and the bike ride.
LISBON
Hotel: PortoBay Liberdade
•Walked in to the hotel and received a wonderful welcome of smiles and hellos.
• Staff were friendly and said hello.
• The in house restaurant is excellent, we had an amazing dinner on our first night!
• Restaurant staff were excellent, special mention to Ciro, Cleo & Beatrice.
•The stand out staff member was Sophie Mello- great personality, beautiful smile, great sense of humour, we could not fault her!!!
Local Tours & Guides
• Tuk Tuk of Old City
•Guide: Arthur
• A great tour of the old town. Arthur eas great, good sense of humour and knowledgeable.
5 stars for the tour & Arthur.
FADO
•The good was average and the staff not that pleasant..but the Fado singers and accompanying guitar players were amazing.
•Very emotional and so amazing to listen to, the projection of their voices was truly magnificent.
5 stars for the performance
3 stars for the dinner.
•Sintra Heritage Hike
•Guida: Susana
•An amazing day in the mountains. Loved the Moorish Castle, and the surrounding gardens, so beautifully designed.
•The Penna Palace was incredible with it's architecture and bright colours of red & yellow.
•The tour to go into the palace was not that good, due to too many people. It was interesting but took too long because of the amount of people.
•We ended the day with a great cup of coffee in the Sintra Village.
10 stars for the tour
10 stars for Susana
•Day Tour to Setubal & Arrābida
•Tour Guide: Raul
•The XV11 Century Fortress is really boring. The view is nice. The only thing that made this worthwhile was the church.
• We did not go Cabo Espichel to see the giant waves crash against the rocks. This was the main reason we booked this tour. Very disappointed.
• The visit to the vineyard, saved the day.
Phillipa was excellent, Her knowledge about the vineyards, the area and the wines was excellent, she also had a great personality and was funny.
•The wines were delicious and so easy the tasting plate.
•The lunch we had with our guide was excellent, Raul warmed up and was excellent company.
•I am only giving this tour 2 stars because of the boring Fortress and not going into the natural park of Arrābida
• The wine tasting tour with Phillipa - 5 stars .
Hi Rita,
I know this is really long but I hope you read this and take note.
We have thoroughly enjoyed working with you and your company.
Kind regards
Anna & Bob Tait

Hotel Reviews

Pur Oporto Boutique Hotel by Actahotels

Porto

I rated this hotel 3 stars. •When we walked into the hotel and to the reception, the staff did not smile or say hello. I had to smile & say hello first. •The room looked fabulous when we first walked in. •Thank you for the red rose & the champagne. •The veranda was great. •The room needs more hooks. •The bathroom was awkward and it was dangerous stepping out of the bathtub because the bidet was in the way. •The cold breakfast was excellent, the hot breakfast looked & tasted like it had been there for a long time, it was not pleasant to eat. •Staff warmed up but would only say hello and smile if I said hello first. •Position of the hotel was excellent for us because we like to walk everywhere

Authenticity & Character

The hotel has a great ambience when you first walk in. Funky furniture and good styling. Very neat and tidy.

Location

Good walking distance from to most areas

Staff

They need to learn how to smile and say hello to their guests.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Room was excellent when you first walk in, but needed more hooks. Bathroom was too crowded with the bidet too close to the shower in the bath. Slippery and dangerous when stepping down to the floor.

Hotel Albergaria do Calvário

Évora

This was a perfectly placed hotel at the beginning of the old village. The hotel also had parking which is a huge bonus as there is almost no parking in the old village. The staff are excellent and are happy to speak with you. The decor is wonderful, a warm and inviting feel in the lounge, bar area and the outside courtyard. Breakfast is very mediocre, unfortunately the cooked breakfast didn't seem to be freshly cooked. Overall, we thoroughly enjoyed staying here.

Authenticity & Character

Beautiful decor.

Location

Close to the old town

Staff

Always said hello and smiled.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Lagos Avenida Hotel

Lagos

This hotel is fabulous. As soon as you walk in you are greeted with a lovely smile from the girls on reception. The hotel is beautifully designed & styled in every way. Excellent pieces of wooden art are a real feature in the hotel. Our room was fabulous. We had a balcony overlooking looking the marina. The room service staff were lovely too. Breakfast was incredible!!!!! Wait staff were very friendly and professional. The restaurant is a Michelin Star Restaurant!!!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

PortoBay Liberdade

Lisbon

Excellent welcome as soon as you walk in the door from reception and floor staff. Great location and if you enjoy walking is not too far to the beginning of the old town. Restaurant for breakfast was excellent. Excellent service from Sophia, she is very professional, and has a great sense of humour, we really enjoyed her at breakfast time! Restaurant for dinner is exceptional!!! Excellent service from Ciro, Cleo & Beatrice. Rooms are clean & tidy but need to be refurbished. The house keepers were very friendly and well and made up the rooms beautifully. We had an excellent stay at this hotel.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Sophia was the stand out of all the staff!!!

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Review

Foodie Experience in Porto

Porto

This was a great and fun night out. I can't remember our guides name, but he is a magician as well as being an excellent guide. We went to about 4 different and excellent venues, trying the local beers, wines and tasting plates. A must do when in Porto!

Quality of Experience

Our guide!

Food

Everything

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Nothing, it was a walking tour.

So our time in Cortina d’ Empezzo was magical! This was the best part of my experience! It snowed for 3 days in the Dolomites, and we had an absolute blast winter hiking in a stunningly beautiful mountain environment. Our guide Anna was so delightful and experienced. We hiked to Tre Cime with her, which was amazing! It was full on winter, and we needed crampons for this hike, which Anna provided. She was a terrific guide!
The Hotel de Len in Cortina was fabulous! My room was beautiful and comfortable, and I loved the hot tea and cookies delivered to the room in the late afternoon. Chef Andrea was fantastic! He is highly creative and very personable. We loved our private ravioli cooking class with him. It was great fun. The staff at Hotel de Len were so personable and accommodating. (the 2 Francisco’s, Vita, Beatrice, Andrea, Gigi,)and the whole gang made our stay very special indeed. Great food and comfortable surroundings. Felt like family there. Also loved Fabio our guide on the second day of hiking. Fabio was kind enough to sit in for Anna whose father died the night of our hike to Tre Cime. So sad for Anna and her family, and for all of us who grew so fond of her. Fabio was really great too! He is an experienced and knowledgeable mountain guide. He is kind and respectful, and he took us to a beautiful mountain waterfall and then to a great local spot for lunch. Loved our time with Fabio too. He is a very fun guide who knows the Dolomites and the area around Cortina.
Santa Margarita Liguria was wonderful! We enjoyed our hotel and this beautiful small city by the sea. Excellent dining.
We did a wonderful hike to Portofino on a completely quiet trail with our guide Marta. Marta was very knowledgeable and personable, and super fun to spend the day with! We learned so much about the history of the area, lifestyle, plants, food etc…. We all loved Marta!
Life in Cinqua Terra was truly amazing. We hiked every day, one day with our guide Maura who we also enjoyed SO much! She taught us everything about foraging for edible plants as we hiked the trail from Manorolo to Corniglia, and then to Vernazza. Amazing day of photography and great food. The Pesto Experience at Nussin Dorma in Manorolo was wonderful! Highly recommend! Learning to make pesto the old Italian Ligurian way was great fun! The lunch and wine was out of this world.
Our time in Monterosso was amazing as well. I loved our little bed and breakfast high up and away from the hustle and bustle of city. Il Parco. It was clean and the breakfasts were terrific. The owner Marta was very accommodating. It is important to spend time on the sea when in this beautiful place. Just seeing the 5 villages of Cinqua Terra from the sea was an amazing experience. This should not be missed when in the area.
Last day was in Milano. Beautiful city. Need to go back and spend more time shopping!
Thanks for providing truly amazing people as guides , who will take you off the beaten path to places you would never see on your own. Loved the trip and love Italy.🇮🇹
Lauren

Dionysus was amazing and his tour of the Acropolis was perfection.
Christus at Meteora was an excellent guide.
Erai in Corfu and the food tour was delightful and went out of his way to show us so many different things. He went over and above all expectations.
Anastasia and the Durrell tour was delightful. We so enjoyed that tour even though the weather was not cooperating that day.
The Olive tour snd tasting was top notch. Learned so much. MerDesOlivers was a wonderful find and we spent hours there.
In Corfu we saw the Olympic torch arrive.
Mykonos and the Delos Island were great archeological sites.
On Santorini our San Hilite Tours were fantastic and Yoda and her husband driver the best.
The wine tour beautiful.
So enjoyed the catamaran tour was top notch, vista yachting!! The crew was delightful and the buffet lunch terrific.
We did take the metro to Akrotiri and what an amazing experience.

All the hotels were perfect. We did change rooms at the Elena in Corfu because the loft was just too many steps and the bed to low . Everyone was so accommodating. Got a first floor room for the second night.

I can not say enough positive things about our experience. Travel 12 in Greece and Erini were accommodating and always available. All the transfers and taxis and cars and vans great and everyone was on time and so kind.
Our trip was magical .thank you so very much.

Hotel Reviews

Plaka Hotel Athens

Athens

Luxury accommodation with a roof top Acropolis view. Elevator and very knowledgeable staff. In the heart of everything.

Authenticity & Character

Very comfortable and quiet in the heart of the city.

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Loved the amenities and roof top dining

Ganimede Hotel

Galaxidi

Lovely accommodations and the yummiest breakfast

Authenticity & Character

Location

Small and personal

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Lithia Boutique Hotel Ioannina

Ioannina

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Theatro hotel Odysseon Meteora

Kalabaka

Fun themed rooms . Enjoyed the atmosphere very much.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Thera Luxury Villas Santorini

Beautiful, Be prepared for steps. Challenging for hip and knee replacements. Delicious breakfast Gorgeous rooftop eternity jacuzzi.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Gorgeous views

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Elena Hotel Mykonos

Mykonos

A delightful choice

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Perianth Hotel

Athens

Authenticity & Character

Every detail was perfect. Great amenities

Location

Gorgeous Acropolis views

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Bella Venezia Hotel Corfu

Corfu

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Car Rental Pick-up

Greece

Private Panoramic Meteora Tour

Meteora

An amazing and “other worldly “ experience

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Christus was a great guide.

Transport

Private Acropolis Hill & Museum Tour

Athens

Dionysus was an exceptional guide.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Lunch with Olive Grove View

Greece

Quality of Experience

Food

Local transfer in Corfu

Greece

Quality of Experience

The Durrells Tour of Corfu

Corfu

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Anastasia was a helpful and knowledgeable guide.

Transport

Food Tour in Corfu Old Town

Corfu

Erai was our guide and he was so personable and loved sharing his city. It was a joy.

Santorini Highlights with Wine

Greece

Yoda was a wonderful guide.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Morning Catamaran Caldera Cruise

Santorini

Vista Yachting. Such fun.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Car Rental Drop-off

Greece

Great to experience the Greek mainland at our own pace. So fun.

Quality of Experience

Day-Trip to Delos Island

Mykonos

Worth every minute. So interesting. Very windy.

Quality of Experience

Transport

I cannot say enough good things about Megan and her team. They were super responsive, planned a wonderful trip, and made things completely effortless for us. I not only highly recommend them, but plan on using them again on my next trip!

Said is a master communicator and answered many many questions I presented before the trip. Our guide Reda was an absolute professional with excellent attention to detail with our needs. Unfortunately I had a knee injury about a month before the trip. Reda went out of his way and by his own initiative to accommodate us including stopping to find me an ice bag. At our hotel stops he initiated getting us moved to a ground level room to help me avoid stairs. Aside from the incredible communication and attention to detail. Our trip was a flawless plan with a flawless execution. I was able achieve a bucket list item of visiting the desert and riding a camel! Yep would recommend KimKim in a heartbeat and we are already planning our next adventure!

Our trip was just as we had been told. All of the big details had been taken care of, and things worked as they should. Every hotel was ready for us when we arrived, even though we arrived early. Each of the small tours which had been booked was ready for us. All details (loc ations, times, etc.) turned out to be on target. We went a couple of places on the recommendation of our kimkim staff, and were very pleased. We experienced a smooth, entertaining, and enjoyable trip, due to the work done by Jane and Cecilia.

We had a small scheduling issue during the planning stage which was resolved to our satisfaction. Once on the trip, things were just as we had been lead to expect.

Hotel Reviews

Hampton by Hilton Bath City

Bath

Pretty standard Hampton Inn hotel. Pleasant staff, details handled properly. Location well suited for wandering about the old city of Bath. Breakfast was the exact same menu every day, which got a bit old (we were there 5 days), but that was the only complaint we had.

Authenticity & Character

New building, no real character to it -- standard Hampton property.

Location

Easy walking around Bath sites

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Malmaison Oxford

Oxford

Neat rooms (in an old prison). Restaurant was quite good. Great breakfast options.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Galtres Lodge Hotel

York

Older hotel, so no lift. Very nice staff, very accomodating. Excellent breakfast. Great location, right in the middle of old city York. Easy walk to Yorkminster, Shambles, city wall, etc. You may have difficulty getting dropped off at hotel -- no cars allowed 10 am - 5:30 pm (city ordinance). You get dropped off and half to walk a few blocks with your suitcases if you arrive during those hours.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

No.32 Hotel

Edinburgh

HUGE room! Quiet, comfortable hotel. Not really close to old town Edinburgh, but only 5 minutes from the tram stop which takes you right there. Older building, no lift. Manager went out of his way to be accomodating during our stay.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Herriot and Yorkshire Dales Day Trip from York

York

Really enjoyed riding through the Dales. Our guide stopped several times just to let us get out and view the scenery (not just stopping at tourist traps).

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Day tour to the Cotswolds from Bath

United Kingdom

We had read about the Cotswalds in various books, so it was great to actually get to see them. Very beautiful stonework. Got a real sense of what a small English village can be.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Tickets to Cardiff Castle

Cardiff

Cardiff Castle is pretty amazing. From old Roman fort to Norman construction to 19th century rebuilding in what they thought was medieval fashion, there was plenty to see. The site is quite large, with plenty to see and enjoy. We did the audio tour only, which was quite interesting.

Quality of Experience

Yorktour Evening Express: Small Group Early Evening Walking Tour

York

This was a great little walking tour! Our guide was very knowledgeable and quite pleasant. We enjoyed getting to know some of the history of York and its buildings. She also gave us several ideas for where to go over the next days.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Half Day Guided Tour to Glastonbury

Bath

Dan was an excellent guide. he took time to learn what type of things interested us, and then shaped our tour accordingly Glastonbury attracts folk interested in history -- or in New Age spirituallity -- or in architecture -- or in whatever. I appreciated we did nto have to hear all about things which did not interst us, but could focus on what we liked. Climbing the Tor provided amazing views! The Chalice Well Garden was very pretty, and the Glastonbury Abbey ruins were something to see.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Dan was informative and easy to be with.

We had a wonderful time in Sicily. Our driver was great always making sure we got where we needed to be. The guides where excellent. The guide for Valley of the Temples was a forensic archeologist who had actually worked on the site at one time. He was truley informative. The chef for our cooking lesson was wonderful learning about shopping the market and techniques for preparing the seafood selected. We just had a fantastic vacation.

Activity Reviews

Palermo and its street food walking tour

Palermo

The guide who grew up in Palermo shared a lot of information about the history around the markets. He really helped us to understand the value to the neighborhood, the family run stalls and feel the vibrant street food experience.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Driver always got us exactly where we needed to be including coordination with our guides. He helped to make our experience seamless when we were traveling.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Driver always got us exactly where we needed to be including coordination with our guides. He helped to make our experience seamless when we were traveling.

Transport

Transport

Private transfer from Palermo to Syracuse with stop at Valle dei Templi

Italy

Our driver was great.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Day Trip to the Valle dei Templi

Italy

Very informative. The guide was excellent.

Quality of Experience

Cooking Class and Ortygia Market

Italy

We loved the chef. She was very informative about the market, local products and buying techniques. Our lesson was a lot of fun and delicious.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Guided Tour of Syracuse

Syracuse

The guide was good and very knowledgeable regarding Syracusa.

Boat Tour around Ortigia

Syracuse

We loved our boat tour going through the caves and around Ortigia Island. IT was great getting to see the island from the water.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Wine Tasting in Mount Etna

Italy

Wonderful. We had a fantastic experience at the vineyard. The wines were grest and the sommelier was very knowledgeable about the vineyard and wines. The food served was fresh, delicious and complemented the wines.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Sallam was great and so helpful and fun. He shared his love and passion of the Berbers and Morocco. He was punctual and alw Amy’s willing tp please. We learned so much about Islam,the Berbers,Moroccan history and we had many discussions on many topics. He became like a good friend and made our trip to Morocco one of a lifetime.
The desert camp and journey there and back gave us a fabulous taste of the desert. All of our Riads and hotels were clean and the staff friendly and helpful. There were two special stays. The first Maison dHotes La Vallee des Figues in the Dades valley was a unique and comfortable place made especially so by Bob. He always had a smile and treated us like old friends. The second exceptional spot was the Tim Joseph hotel in Ouarzazate. The owner greeted us so warmly and showed us all around the hotel which was funky and eclectic. He was very interesting to talk to and showed such pride in the operation and decor of his hotel.
The hike to the Monkey Fingers was great and we were very happy to meet a nomad and see how he lived. Bob arranged this. The vehicle was clean and reliable. Sallam introduced us to great Moroccan music. We would highly recommend Sallam and the Kim Kim team.

Hotel Reviews

Riad Al Riad

Marrakech

Clean and very helpful ..Delicious cooking by two ladies and two young men were very helpful with directions on our first two days getting oriented.

Authenticity & Character

The staff

Location

Nothing

Staff

Helpful,kind

Cleanliness & Comfort

Breakfast and Tajine made by the staff were great

Maison d'Hôtes La Vallée des Figues

Boumalne

Bob was so welcoming and treated us with such love.

Authenticity & Character

Bob

Location

Hiking and the decor was fabulous, very good food and organization. Loved not having locks on the door.

Staff

Bob

Cleanliness & Comfort

Lots of fun and great hiking

Kasbah Sirocco

Zagora

Clean but pool cold staff very pleasant.

Authenticity & Character

Staff very friendly

Location

Staff

Very helpful

Cleanliness & Comfort

Atta Desert Camp

Erg Chegaga

Loved this experience so much. Tents were wonderful and tea and cookies were nice touch. All staff humble and very helpful

Authenticity & Character

Tents staff

Location

Right in the dune and very quiet, stars,dromedaries

Staff

Friendly and happy

Cleanliness & Comfort

I was not expecting showers

Tin Joseph

Ouarzazate

Kind owner and very proud of his facilities. Amazing decor and his invention of an elevator was amazing

Authenticity & Character

Decorations and pictures and history

Location

Walking distance to Medina

Staff

Very kind

Cleanliness & Comfort

Very clean. Lots of hot water

Riad Challa Hotel & Spa

Marrakech

Authenticity & Character

Very young and helpful staff

Location

Close walking to medina

Staff

Young fun honest

Cleanliness & Comfort

Small very basic room

Activity Reviews

Taste your way through Marrakech ( Guided tour)

Marrakesh

Sallam explained all the history and sites. Maybe more tastes and explanation of the food

Quality of Experience

Guide was exceptional

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Passion,honesty willingness to share culture

Transport

Four wheel driving in desert was great

Marrakech to Dades Valley via Ouarzazate

Morocco

Amazing drive chose kasbah over movie studio

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Hiking the Road of 1000 Kasbahs

Morocco

Loved the Monkey Fingers hike and visit to Nomad

Quality of Experience

Sharing tea with nomad

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Great to talk with nomad and share pictures of our home

Transport

Zagora to Erg Chegaga - Camel Trek to Desert Camp

Morocco

More time riding the dromedary

Quality of Experience

Lunch at oasis was fun

Food

Tea on arrival

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Erg Chegaga to Ouarzazate

Morocco

Drove long route on rough road which was a step back in time and very authentic. Seeing nomads and camels

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Ouarzazate to Marrakech via Ait Ben Haddou

Morocco

Interesting history and handy crafts

Quality of Experience

People and guide

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Explanation about painting

Transport