Kimkim Trip Reviews

We had a fantastic trip to South Korea. Jessica organised everything to perfection, all to our personal needs. Nothing was too much trouble and all our requests were met.
The hotels were good, guides were good and very informative and also happy to change the itinerary on a day if needed.

We would highly recommend Jessica and kimkim.

Shona was exceptional in her communications and responsiveness to our feedback, when planning the trip. She provided great suggestions for activities and answered any questions I had, promptly and thoughtfully. Once travelling, Shona kept in close contact, checking in and advising us of activity details. She was always available with any questions we had and was very accommodating of some last minute changes we made. The trip components that she arranged were fantastic and the activities were always top-notch, fun and interesting. The drivers were great: great communication, reliable and very competent. The Private tour guides we had (Slash, Andy and Tan) all had different styles, which was fun, but they were all great. They were reliable, personable, knowledgable, great communicators and very flexible. They accommodated our interests really well. The small tour group guides, through Magical Trips (Max and, sorry, I did not get the name of the Sumo guide), were very good and those tours were really fun. We were so happy with the trip itinerary and everyone supporting the itinerary. Thank you!

Sebastian did a wonderful job planning out trip and customizing it to meet exactly what we were looking for. We particularly enjoyed the boat tour of Calanques National Park, and the incredible views in Chamonix!

Alvaro put together a wonderful trip for us! He and Josselyn took amazing care of us and made sure we were escorted every step of our trip which we greatly appreciated. Every single guide was very knowledgeable and passionate about the Galápagos Islands and all of the wildlife. We loved all of our guides but especially, Darwin, on Isabela Island! All of our accommodations were lovely and the staff at Hotel Acacia was particularly friendly and helpful. It was a trip of a lifetime! I will highly recommend KimKim! Thank you for helping us create such beautiful memories!

I really appreciated the flexibility and responsiveness of Marta our travel agent. We made a number of adjustments in the planning stage and ended up with an itinerary that allowed for some structure and lots of time for spontaneous activities. Our driver, Nelson to the wine country was excellent! The wineries we visited were independent and we felt like we had a very personal experience with both the Quinta da Costa and Maos wineries. The wine was excellent too! Our second driver, Pedro took us from Porto to Lagos and was professional and accommodating. Great time on our private deep-sea fishing excursion. Finally, our Sintra Heritage hike with professional guides was challenging but a real chance to experience that area and see the Pena Palace. I admit we cut it a little short when they offered to drive us to the furthest western point, Cabo da Roca, then made us a reservation at a fabulous restaurant. Everyone was fabulous and listened to our interests. Marta was willing to do as much or as little of the planning that we wanted. I highly recommend KimKim and Portugal!

Activity Reviews

Day Excursion to Douro Valley: Wine Tasting & River Cruise

Porto

Loved the wineries we visited but ended up going to a second winery and skipping the boat.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Lisbon Roots, Food & Cultural Walk

Portugal

Guide was entertaining and knowledgeable. Our group was 60+.

Big Game Fishing

Portugal

Didn't catch the Big one but caught a bunch of smaller tuna. There was a little confusion about the arrival time, but they quickly accommodated with the confirmation information from Kimkim.

Private Transfer {{start_location}} to {{end_location}} via Óbidos

Portugal

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Sintra Heritage Hike: Hidden Secrets

Portugal

Great guide. Adjusted pace to all of our levels. This was challenging and not for a beginner but not too advanced. Would have liked a little more information about what to bring, picnic, etc. Guides very personable, knowledgeable on history but not overwhelming. Made some suggestions to see some not so touristy sights. Wonderful.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Vintage Car Tour of Porto

Porto

I little different than described. It was primarily a walking tour with the Vintage Car Tour at the end. That was a bit of a surprise. The tour guide was knowledgeable and if you're interested in lots of the country's history, this was a great start.

I was planning our first trip to Japan and while researching I stumbled upon KimKim. What a fantastic find!!!! It is hard to find a travel agency with on location experience. KimKim has a terrific platform that helps to identify your needs and wants in a trip and then they connect you with a travel agent who is an expert in that location. We were connected with Leny in Tokyo. She was AMAZING!!! After filling out the questionnaire she came up with a couple of suggested itineraries. We then scheduled a phone call to discuss in further detail our thoughts about the itinerary. That really put my mind at ease, to talk to a real person and get instant feedback! We made modifications to make the trip exactly what we wanted. Leny was helpful every step of the way. She made a VERY detailed schedule for us. Organized wonderful tours and experiences. The hotels were terrific. Then she took customer service to the top level. When we were in Japan she was available for support throughout our trip! One time I could not find my train tickets and she mailed them again to me as I was at the station!!! Now that is support!! While being fairly well travelled, I was very nervous having never been to Asia. Leny put my mind to rest. She was absolutely incredible throughout this entire process. This was a very special trip to celebrate my birthday. It was a trip of a lifetime and I owe a huge part of that success to Leny at KimKim. THANK YOU LENY!!!

Hotel Reviews

THE THOUSAND KYOTO

Kyoto

Absolutely beautiful hotel. Gorgeous rooms. Delicious breakfast. Great location!

Authenticity & Character

Elegant Japanese style.

Location

Right near the train station which is plus in Kyoto.

Staff

Attentive. At the ready to help in any way they can.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Everywhere was spotless. The room was absolutely beautiful. Loved the Pjs.

THE HOTEL SANRAKU KANAZAWA

Kanazawa

Beautiful hotel and lovely room! Great bath products.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Mitsui Garden Hotel Ginza Premier

Tokyo

The lobby is beautiful. The breakfast is very good. The room was very small.

Authenticity & Character

The lobby is beautiful but the room was very small. And the carpeting in the hallways needs to be replaced.

Location

Beautiful view from the lobby of the Tokyo Tower!

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

VERY small room. Comfortable but small.

Gora Kadan

Hakone

Loved the Ryokan experience! Beautiful hotel. The onsen was amazing.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Beautiful location!!! Near the outdoor museum which was fabulous!

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Everything! The gorgeous room. The onsen. Massage chairs.

The Blossom Hibiya

Minato

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Choi, a front desk trainee, who helped us sort out our plane tickets home. She was a lifesaver!

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Hidden Gem Food Tour (adults only)

Tokyo

Great mix of restaurants to try. Learned lots of interesting facts about the Japanese culture. Ray was a good guide.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Half-Day Tokyo Tour with English-Speaking Guide

Tokyo

Good way to get a crash course in Japanese history and the Shinto and Buddhist religions. Very nice to have a guide show you around and take you from sight to sight.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Best of Tokyo's Shopping & Food: Japanese Cultural Experience

Tokyo

This was a wonderful tour. Chees (our guide) took us to a mix of food stops and shops. She explained the history and the culture. It was a great way to see traditional or old Tokyo. There is so much tied into the art of Japanese craft. We also got to appreciate the architecture of the area. It was really informative and interesting.

Quality of Experience

The mix of food, shopping , architecture and history

Guides, Drivers and Staff

The guide was great!

The Old Quarter of Tokyo - Yanaka Walking Tour

Tokyo

This was a group tour and the group was a little too large. The guide Meyu was very good. Informative.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Kanazawa Half Day Tour (Private)

Kanazawa

Really enjoyed walking around the Geisha and Samurai areas. The architecture was so beautiful.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Our guide was very nice but not very interesting.

Treasures of Kyoto: Geishas & Traditions Private Tour

Kyoto

Our guide really made the Geisha quarter come to life. So interesting!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

It was interesting to have a guide who was not Japanese, but had lived in Japan for over 25 years. Her English was excellent.

Full Day Kyoto Tour with English Speaking Guide and Public Transportation (Private)

Kyoto

Great way to see a lot of Kyoto's highlights.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Kyoto Arashiyama Best Spots 4h Private Tour with Licensed Guide

Kyoto

BEAUTIFUL part of Kyoto! Enjoyed seeing the shrines and the nature of the area.

Quality of Experience

The variety of areas we were able to walk around.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Our guide was wonderful! His English was excellent since he had grown up in the US for 18 years.

Private tea ceremony 〜Feel Zen experience〜 (45min)

Kyoto

This was our least favorite experience. The "tea master" was very formal in her explanations. And it is not her fault, but we do not like the taste of Macha. This was a waste of our time.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Our trip to Norway was organized with care and quality. We had to make a number of changes and KImKim was always incredibly helpful, efficient and understood exactly what we were looking for. thank you to KimKim for an unforgettable experience!

Activity Reviews

Private Floating Sauna Experience

Norway

Quality of Experience

Boat Trip and Dinner at Cornelius Seafood Restaurant

Bergen

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

At the Cornelius the staff was fabulous

Transport

12 days in Crete. Time well spent from the mountain tops from hiking to the relaxing beach days and a bit of the city life. I left the planning to Sienna and Lea from KimKim! I let them know my interests and must dos. They did not disappoint! From the pickups to excursions that were planned for me, I have no words for the people and their knowledge, hospitality and love for their country and profession was remarkable. Hand chosen hotels were in great locations. My favourite was in Chania, Mirabile luxury suites, the host and staff always willing to give suggestions on where to eat and best places for site seeing.
So many memories but if I had to choose, my favourite was hiking to Preveli beach with my tour guide George. Highly recommend having him guide you on any hike.

So many excellent experiences we were unlikely to have found on our own without Michelle’s insights and help. The Road to Mesopotamia tour in the lovely town of Geraldine is a prime example. Our tour guide for the day, Wayne, was charming and knowledgeable and our interactions with the farmer, Malcom, made for memories we’ll have for a lifetime.

Hotel Review

Fiordland Lodge

Te Anau

Stunning, quiet, very personalized experience.

Authenticity & Character

Location

It’s outside of te anu a ways, but beautiful view, excellent food, and a beautiful tranquil setting.

Staff

Staff were lovely. This is a thoughtful, family run lodge.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Review

Te Pā Tū Māori Feast & Performance

Rotorua

Fantastic opportunity for an evening of immersion in Māori culture. The experience is largely delivered by the younger members of a Māori family. Their pride and delight at sharing their culture is on display here. Supper is shared at the table with one of the family members followed by a delightful, full throated performance by these impressive young people.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

A short trip from the welcome centre to the site by bus includes narration from one of the elders. Hilarious and informative, complete with singalong on the return.

Transport

We travelled to Australia for 3 weeks in October, 2024. I had been attempting to plan the trip myself before I found Kimkim. As soon as I got connected to Kimkim, the planning was amazing. Our specialist, Vicky, was incredibly helpful. We communicated multiple times to insure that we chose the best itinerary to fit our needs. She arranged everything: domestic flights, all airport pickups and drop offs at our hotel, hotel reservations, tours both private and small group with hotel pick ups, private tour guides, and even recommended additional activities and restaurants. Every connection was seamless and we had no stress. She was also in touch with us throughout the tour to be sure all was going well.
I enjoy planning travel, but I could not have put together this 3 week, 5 city adventure on my own and had it run so perfectly without Kimkim and Vicky. Thank you so much!
Judy McKenzie

Francesco did an amazing job! Although I had one little hiccup, no fault of KimKim or Francesco, it was me - he worked to get it resolved and it was even on a Sunday afternoon when he was not working!!!! He is the best!

I have used KimKim twice now in Morocco and Italy & both times they exceeded my expectations. I will use them again when the need comes up.

Thank you Francesco and your whole team - amazing trip!!!!

Hotel Reviews

Relais 147

Taormina (ME)

Beautiful!!! great location and beautiful property - Rohid was extremely friendly, helpful, and nice. I loved my stay here. It's right in the middle of everywhere you want to be in Taormina - you just need to walk out the front doo.

Authenticity & Character

Location

so easy to get wherever you wanted to be, or stay local and explore the many restaurants and shops

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel brunaccini

Palermo

This not my type of hotel. I am long past the age of "slumming it". And as a solo traveler did not feel safe. The hotel, while very nice on the inside is right in the middle of the slums. Right below my balcony, that was on an alley, was homeless people. I did not feel safe here at all. As soon as I walked in the front door, while I was waiting to check in, I knew I had to leave. I just had a feeling that it was not a good place for me to be. First the front door to the hotel is always locked - you have to be buzzed in. This should tell you something about the area. The hotel staff is rude and arrogant. They are not helpful and definitely NOT pleasant to interact with. I had a 3-night stay and left after the first night. I paid for 2 nights somewhere else and lost money just to get out of there. The only reason I stayed the first night was because I got there later in the day and did not want to leave in the dark. The noise level is ridiculous, and in the evening there was a band that played in the courtyard alley until midnight - loudly. The room was large, but lighting was terrible, the bathroom lighting was the worst. The only thing that comes to mind is a saying we use at work - The hotel is like putting lipstick on a pig. I don't care how "nice" you make it - the location and rudeness of the staff will never make it nice......

Authenticity & Character

Location

everything! awful area - not safe

Staff

Rude and arrogant - and I don't even know why - it's not a Four Seasons....

Cleanliness & Comfort

Bed & pillows extremely uncomfortable. Poorly stocked mini bar, bad lighting

Activity Review

Palermo Street Food Tour

Palermo

did not take this, skipped the tour to leave the area, cannot comment

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

This was a great, short Portugal break that i took as an extension of a European business trip. Marina was helpful and quick to guide me through my decisions. Cacais was especially amazing, with a relaxed coastal atmosphere and great weather. The guided walk in Lisbon led by Jose was fun and insightful.

Hotel Reviews

1908 Lisboa Hotel

Lisbon

The 1908 has a lot of character and style. The almost 180 degrees view from my corner room was amazing (the building has a sharp angle separating intersecting streets, like the flatiron building in NYC). The room was comfortable and had everything i needed including a coffee maker. The onsite restaurant is great, and serves a great breakfast buffet

Authenticity & Character

Located in traditional building, tastefully converted into boutique hotel

Location

Walkable, and a couple of nice restaurants. Vibe on the square at night didn't feel super welcoming to me.

Staff

Super friendly front desk staff, who were flexible with late check out

Cleanliness & Comfort

ARTSY Cascais

Cascais

The Artsy has an understated luxury vibe. There are only 17 rooms, which makes it feel like a small guest house rather than a hotel. I got to know the staff in the 2 days that i stayed here and they were friendly and professional. The onsite restaurant is quite special with a small menu with great very high quality local food. The rooftop pool is amazing. Quite small (5 meters long?) but it's a super nice place to spend an hour relaxing.

Authenticity & Character

Traditional building that seems to have been part of the harbor for centuries.

Location

On the quiet side of the harbor but only a 5 min walk to all the restaurants and shops.

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Review

Get to Know Lisbon with a Local

Lisbon

Great morning walking through the city and learning a lot about the history of Lisbon and Portugal. Jose was great.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Lisbet planned us an awesome trip!
My family and I had an amazing memorable experience - Iceland Ring Road Trip!
Amazing !
Thank you!

Our guide in Bangkok (Julie) was great. She gave a 100% and was well prepared and attentive. Also, our driver in Bangkok (Ont) was great! Very helpful and well mannered. My thanks to both of them and I wish them the best.
As for Phuket, we never saw or heard from our guide (Jeffory). Some young lady with a private car picked us up from the airport and had no idea about our hotel booking, etc. Jeffory needs to get his act together! I would have at least sent a welcome message and an appology if I were in his place.

Sharon was an excellent organizer of our trip and was very responsive to our interests and time frame. Jennifer was a wonderful companion and guide as we cycled around Lake Kawaguchiko and had Hoto noodles for lunch. We visited Kyoto and Nara with Kuro and learned a lot about the history of the temples and shrines, as well as the country overall. Or last stop was Hiroshima and Slash was a marvelous guide as we visited the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park, the Hiroshima Castle and the island of Miyajima. We highly recommended Sharon and all of our guides!

Lisbet planned us an AMAZING Iceland trip!! My family and I made incredible memories driving around Iceland and exploring such a beautiful country. I have absolutely no words for how perfect our trip went. Lisbet went above and beyond in planning our itinerary to specifically cater it to my family and I. She also added such amazing food and activity recommendations for our trip. All of our check ins for hotels and activities were seamless. I couldn’t have asked for a better itinerary than the one Lisbet created for us, especially for our first time visiting Iceland. My family and I definitely have plans to return to Iceland soon and will be using KimKim again to plan our next adventure! Thank you to Lisbet and KimKim team for helping us create lasting memories!!

It was a wonderful (first) experience with KimKim! Once Beatriz took over our tour, communication was superb and everything went smoothly. The guides and tours KimKim provided were all exceptional. Our guide in Madrid has her Masters in Art History and it made our visit to the Prado Museum most memorable. Our guide in Toledo (highly recommend the day tour), also a History Major, from Toledo, and very knowledgeable. All transfers went very smoothly and our driver, Jesus, who we had two auto transfers with was always early to arrive and a delight to share information with on our transfers! I would highly recommend KimKim to anyone and hope to have the opportunity to use them again in the future!

Activity Reviews

Train Madrid to Toledo, Guided Visit of Toledo, Train Toledo to Madrid

Madrid

The guided visit to Toledo was absolutely lovely. Our guide was a local with a master's in history, sharing detailed cultural narratives that were fascinating. She gave us insights on local traditions, which came to life when we witnessed a procession in Malaga just as she described. Her depth of knowledge made the experience truly memorable.

Flamenco Show in a Sacromonte Cave

Granada

The Flamenco Show in the Sacromonte Cave in Granada was beyond incredible. Being in the cave made the experience so authentic, and sitting close enough to nearly be part of the dance added such thrill. It felt like a genuine showcase of flamenco's roots, and I'm glad we chose to see it there as suggested.

Guided Visit: Alhambra & Generalife Gardens

Granada

Visiting the Alhambra was a great experience. Although it was a bit crowded when we went, our guide was knowledgeable and responsive to our questions, making the visit engaging. The sheer detail and beauty of the Alhambra are breathtaking.

Madrid of the Bourbons & Prado Museum Private Tour

Madrid

Our private tour of Madrid, including the Prado Museum, was fantastic. Our guide had a master's in art history, which made the museum visit deeply insightful and enriching. Her expertise on the Prado and the art pieces within was incredible, offering us perspectives and details we would never have caught on our own. It was a wonderful experience.

The experience with Andrea and the KimKim Team was absolutely wonderful. Our vacation was a trip of a lifetime because Andrea was truly effective and had all the big details and logistics taken care of. Thank you KimKim Team!!

I will start by saying our time in and around Westport with our guide Jim Henry was one of the best parts of our trip. He’s friendly, knowledgeable, extremely accommodating, empathetic and an overall pleasure to spend time with. We learned a great deal from him.
We really enjoyed having multiple choices of places to stop along our routes. Most routes we accomplished 1-3 stops. On the causeway coast we did 6 of 7. We were exhausted after but it was worth every step. If we get the opportunity we will be in touch for another trip in the south of the island.
Thank you to all who were involved!!

The three of us couldn't have been more pleased with the experience of working with kimkim! From the beginning, our agent, Irene, crafted a trip that encompassed our wildest dreams. Her quick, knowledgeable answers to our questions, and her expertise in kimkim's services, as well as travel in general, were endlessly helpful and reassuring. The plan she created was excellent in every respect–from transports, ticketing and trains, to hotel locations and staff, tours and guides, restaurants and suggested activities. Our trip would have been far more limited and less successful on our own. We will definitely be using kimkim again in the future!