Kimkim Trip Reviews

We had an amazing trip to Costa Rica and fabulous experience from start to finish with Elena Mora, our local specialist, as well as with the Serendipity team, Nancy and Wilman. Elena customized the perfect trip for our family of 5 (including 3 tweens/teens). She answered all messages in a super timely fashion and was very receptive to adjusting our trip dates early on. We went to La Fortuna/Arenal, Monteverde and Manuel Antonio. The Cloud Forest Lodge in Monteverde and La Mariposo hotel in Manuel Antonio exceeded expectations. All of our transfers and guides were on time and fantastic. We were able to communicate easily via the KimKIm portal and via What's App with the Serendipity team in real time. They were very proactive and receptive in making dining recommendations, answering any questions and offering additional suggestions for activities and assisting with bookings and reservations on the fly. It truly was an unforgettable family vacation. I highly recommend KimKim and Serendipity. We hope to use their services again soon.

Hotel Reviews

Cloud Forest Lodge

Monteverde

Beautiful piece of property and lodge. The view, trails and wildlife are amazing. My favorite part was sitting on the deck eating a delicous, healthy breakfast watching the hummingbirds, other birds and coatis. We hope to return.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

The staff in the restaurant were particularly friendly and upbeaet.

Cleanliness & Comfort

La Mariposa Hotel

Manuel Antonio

The views are unbeatable. The food is delicious, especially the tres leche dessert. The corner rooms provide a view you won't ever forget. Sunsets in the infinity pool are to die for.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Hanging Bridges, La Fortuna Waterfall, and Arenal Volcano

Arenal/La Fortuna

I really enjoyed all of these activities but the rest of my family felt a little bit too rushed. It is 3 separate activities and you drive with your guide from one to the next. Lunch was at the end of it all. The hanging bridges were probably my favorite part and the waterfall.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Night Walk in the Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve

Monteverde

This experience was very good, but it is not actually in the Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve but rather the Children's Eternal Forest. Our guide was very knowledgeable. We saw some beautiful birds - Lesson's MotMot, as well as tarantulas, leafcutter ants, frogs and a variety of other flora and fauna.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

All Day Adventure at Selvatura, including Zipline, Hanging Bridges, and Fauna Exhibitions

Costa Rica

We loved our day at Selvatura. We had tickets to all of the activities and did them all, although we were a little pressed for time. It takes about 6-8 hours to do everything (zipline, hanging bridges, sit down lunch, exhibits (must go with a tour guide) - sloth, butterflies, amphibians/reptiles. Don't skip the Sloth Sanctuary. We got to see 13 sloths up close, many were eating and moving around.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Manuel Antonio National Park Guided Nature Hike

Manuel Antonio

Our guide was fantastic. The park is crowded but definitely worth going to. Plan to wear your bathing suit and swim while there. We saw 5 sloths, white faced monkeys, lizards, lots of birds and much more.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Catamaran Tour with Meal

Costa Rica

The staff was friendly, upbeat and attentive. The catamaran was very nice. There were about 30-40 people and it did not feel crowded. The scenery was gorgeous. We saw lots of dolphins. The food was really quite delicious. The only negative was the snorkeling - pretty murky, one small rock with some more few that you could see, but it was still fun to get in the water and swim around. The slides and jump deck were fun. Spectacular sunset.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Monika was so helpful in planning our NZ honeymoon! She really paid attention to what activities would be more/less important to us while keeping our budget in mind. Everything we did was absolutely wonderful - we couldn't have planned a better trip. We're so grateful for such an amazing trip!

Megan absolutely nailed it!Every experience, every accomodation was spot on perfect for us. Mohammed our driver and both our guides were terrific. We have recommended this trip and KimKim to multiple friends already. We will definitely travel with KimKim again, and are already planning the next trip.

Activity Reviews

Tour Fes with a Private Guide

Fes

Our guide was amazing! He was friendly, knowledgeable, knew every nook and cranny of Fez. He was very helpful in negotiating large and small purchases.

Quality of Experience

Our guide Khamel and driver Mohammed

Food

They recommended and made reservations for us at terrific local places

Guides, Drivers and Staff

They knew everyone wherever we went. You could tell they were well respected

Transport

Clean and comfortable

Camel Trek into a Luxury Sahara Camp

Morocco

The camel ride is long, but so worth it! Just beautiful and peaceful riding into the Sahara at sunset and then by moonlight. Accommodations, service and food at the camp were great. And the Saharan sunrise was beautiful. A top lifetime travel experience!

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Where do I begin?! Our trip to Morocco started off amazing with our driver, Samir, waiting for us outside the airport. He immediately started telling us all about Morocco and the cities we would be visiting - it was so nice to see how excited he was for us to discover his country.

We didn’t have a lot of time in the country, so we drove a lot to try to fit as many places as possible into our itinerary. Abdel and Said were so accommodating to help us plan our trip. I’ve traveled a lot in my life, and this was one of the easiest vacations I’ve ever planned — and one of the most enjoyable. We never had to fret about any details, and the itinerary was customized exactly for us.

We had an amazing guide in Fez, Shamir, who took us to all the good spots in the Medina and taught us about life in the old city. He knew the neighborhood baker, the man who kept the fires burning for the hammam, and all kinds of shopkeepers. We truly would have been lost without him.

Next, we went to the desert and took a camel ride over sunset to get to our camp. This was a very unique experience as we don’t have dunes like this in America. The stargazing was epic, and the Amazigh men working at the camp put on a nighttime drumming show for us. Youssef, Hamid, and Hassan were delightful!

In the mountains, our guide Said took us on a very cool hike where we wound up climbing trees and he showed us all of the plants (thyme, oleander, olives, figs, rosemary) in the region. After the hike, we had the most incredible dinner at the hotel, Dar Rihana Dades.

We then made it to Marrakech where we had a fantastic female guide, Hanan. She was the best, telling us about how she came to be a guide and showing us all parts of the city and palaces. Hanan told us about what its like to be a women in Morocco, which was an interesting perspective that we hadn’t heard yet - and as two female travelers, that was important to us.

My only regret on this whole trip was that we didn’t have enough time. We desperately want to come back, and when we do, we want Samir! I have to praise him one last time because he was such a big part of our trip and we loved having him with us.

Hotel Reviews

Palais Sebban

Marrakech

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

The Riad was very clean, but both nights there was a lot of yelling in the street outside our window which woke us up.

Tiziri Luxury Camp

Merzouga

We spent one night here and loved the service, food, and the stargazing! The trip to the camp via camel was a very fun experience that I’d like to do again.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Dar Rihana Dades

Douar Aït Ouffi

We are the best dinner at this hotel!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Riad Salam Fes

Fes

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Half-Day Guided Tour of Marrakech

Marrakesh

Hanan was incredible. I only wish we had more time with her!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Sunrise hot air balloon ride in Marrakech

Marrakesh

The actual balloon experience was fun, but it seemed like the company was not well-equipped with the wind. It was already quite windy when we arrived and the team had not started to inflate the balloon. After an hour of waiting and getting into the balloon basket, the team decided it was too windy to go up. We then moved to another spot and went up fine, but it seemed like they should have made the call to move spots earlier in the process. This made us late to our next activity.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

The driver was uncommunicative and didn’t get us back in time for our next activity despite us telling him when we needed to be back.

Transport

The driver spent a lot of time talking to his friends while we stood around waiting for him. He also never gave us any updates with the wind situation.

Hike with a Local Guide in Dades Valley

Morocco

We really liked the hike that we did in the Dades Valley. It was a great experience walking with a local guide in a beautiful part of Morocco.

Transfer from Fes to Merzouga via Erfoud & Camel Ride

Morocco

The camel ride was amazing! Being in the desert was incredible, and I only wish we had more time there.

We had a great trip to Morocco with KimKim via local company Original Travels. They helped us figure out our itinerary based on what activities we were looking for and took care of all the coordination, but remained flexible if we wanted to do additional activities on the trip. We were able to add on last minute tours and hammam experiences just the day before and all the logistics were seamless. We were running late from one activity on our last day, contacted the company and everything was immediately shifted around to fit everything in on an updated schedule. Their help saved us so much time and stress in terms of trip-planning, and the stops along the drives were more helpful in understanding local culture and life and we would have missed them if not for the agency.

Further, as two single female travelers, our driver Samir was wonderful and made us feel extremely safe and also helped teach us about Moroccan culture as we drove. He was wonderful in terms of both information and tips about where to eat and best practices for shopping and exploring. Our guides were so knowledgeable and friendly at every stop, tailoring information and recommendations to our interest while ensuring we got a full experience despite a condensed time schedule. We loved our tour with Hanan in Marrakech because it was informative but also was so wonderful having a female tour guide for an all-female group! We last minute asked for a guide (just the night before) for Fez and were lucky enough to tour with Sharif, who he was funny, informative, a cat-lover much like ourselves. We also hiked in Boumalne Dades with Said, who taught us about use of plants/herbs growing along the trail. The hike was quite unique, somewhat Arches-meets-the-Narrows and was a nice change of pace after a few long drives.

We loved all of our stops, highlights of the trip included bargaining for a rug in the Fez medina, seeing the local pottery collective in Fez, sunset over the Merzouga dunes and then stargazing, hiking in Boumalne Dades, and our tour with Hanan in Marrakech. I did not fully know what to expect going to Morocco and exploring beyond the major cities, but was truly so impressed by the welcoming people we met and look forward to coming back. Kimkim/original travels made our trip so seamless, stress free, and safe. I definitely look forward to coming back in the future for a deeper exploration of north Morocco and the mountains.

Special thanks to the people who made our trip amazing- Abdullah, Said, Samir, Sharif, Said, and Hanan.

Activity Reviews

Transfer from Fes to Merzouga via Erfoud & Camel Ride

Morocco

Long drive but so glad we went! The dunes were so beautiful, camels were amazing and glad to be able to talk to the guide a bit about nomad culture. Wish we could have stayed longer to get a bit more time in the dunes and a longer visit with the nomads, but our trip was on a tight schedule.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

I have nothing but amazing things to say about Samir, our driver! He was so helpful and informative, and I like that the drives were always broken up with a few interesting stops.

Hike with a Local Guide in Dades Valley

Morocco

This hike was beautiful and so nice after a long day of driving! Our local guide Said taught us about local herbs along the way and talked to us about life in smaller towns.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Sunrise hot air balloon ride in Marrakech

Marrakesh

The actual ride was very beautiful, but the logistics of the company that morning were a bit off, taking two hours to get the balloon up and then delaying in the return to Marrakech. Luckily our guide in Marrakech was flexible and we got a full day of touring and hammam in even with the delay.

Quality of Experience

Experience took 5 hours from pick up to drop off due to delays with the balloon and transport from the balloon company

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

We missed Samir who had always been punctual and cognizant of the next activity.

Half-Day Guided Tour of Marrakech

Marrakesh

Hanan was amazing! Loved having a female guide as our other guides had been men, and she was so informative and fun to hang out with!

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Transfer to Marrakech via Roses Valley, Ouarzazate, Aït Benhaddou & Atlas Mountains.

Morocco

I like that the drive was broken up a bit. Loved that the rose co-op was all female run. The movie tour was a little long but overall cool to see. Loved Ait Benhaddou and great place to grab lunch before the drive to Marrakech. I also am so glad we stopped at the argon oil co-op as the products were reliable!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Monika worked with us to tailor our trip exactly how we wanted! She was very patient and went through several iterations with us. We especially appreciated her help finding lodging - all the places we stayed were really cute and we never would have found them ourselves.

I must say Maria and her team made this vacation a dream vacation for me. As a solo traveler, it went above and beyond my expectations with making me feel valued and safe in my travels!

I have been looking into going to the Galapagos for a few years now for the last couple being serious. I kept reading up reviews on travel companies or looking on sites where they have group tours and reading up information and just became so paralyzed and being able to make a decision because I looked at too much information and overwhelmed myself.

I happen to see an ad for Kim Kim on the internet and email about the possibility of a vacation in the Galapagos. And it was so easy from there. The team of Maria and everyone who helped her asked me lots of questions what I like to do, what time of year I wanted to go ,what my budget look like, the length of time for vacation and took that all into consideration and gave me a different couple of plans to look at to see which one would best fit my needs.

And so after thinking about it for another couple days I pulled the trigger as nervous as I was and I do not regret a second of it.

Once I selected a plan Maria and her team spent time with me on the phone going detail by detail of the plans even letting me know I never had to worry about setting up my own transportation to and from the airport or with any of my planned excursions which was fantastic because I really needed a vacation where I didn't have to think I just wanted to enjoy it. And removing the barrier of me not having to worry about finding cabs or how do I find cabs how do I get from here to there all that worry and stress was taken away.

The casas and hotels I stayed at were super cute staff was friendly I love that they were nice and small facilities I love the nice breakfast, and especially love that lava house had a house dog ❤️

Oh and my driver in Quito and the hotel in Quito were wonderful as well!!

The area of the casas and hotels were so safe I loved being able to walk around the entire Island and not be worried about anything and I was a standard at how clean the Galapagos was there was not a single speck of trash anywhere on the streets.

The first excursion at lobos island was memorable! The guide was so nice and the other people on the tour as well, it was nice and small! I finally got to see, in real life, blue footed boobies!! The snorkeling in the clear blue water was spectacular!! Some of the guests and I even explored around San Cristobal together and visited the Discovery Center and had a mojito together! The restaurants also had amazing food! The fresh shrimp ceviche was mouthwatering!

I must say kicker rock was my favorite excursion! The people on my excursion were all college students and their professor, the guides kept us all entertained and engaged w us all! We saw and swam w hammerhead sharks, manta rays, seals and sea turtles!

To have my last day on San Cristobal involve that was perfect! I must say how ecologically and forward thinking the Galapagos islands were was quite impressive!

Then I left for Santa Cruz on my second leg of the journey ❤️ another fabulous journey that was seamless!

Lava House was an adorable place to stay! Even had a resident house dog that I got to play with. I also loved the hammock on my balcony!

The first day there was a free day and I wandered to the beautiful Tortuga Beach. Breathtaking in scenery! The swimming iguanas were so cool!

My first adventure there involved visiting the Darwin Station and listening to the guides walk us through the history of Galapagos and how the center came to be, with lots of tortoises to see! There was also a lovely beach not far from their either! thet afternoon a trip into the Highlands to visit another facility with land tortoises and lava caves was great! Ran into more nice people there as well

Floreana Island was the perfect adventure to end my stay at Galapagos 🤩 our guide spent so much time talking w us about his island's history, and took us snorkeling in this wonderful lava rock beach. I had at least ten wild sea turtles just swim right with me and literally looked me in the eye! Tons of gorgeous fish like parrot fish, puffer fish, clown fish, and even saw a shark! It was breathtaking!

Next we went to another part of the island and got to swim at the black sand beaches. A wonderful lunch followed with delicious fresh caught tuna, vegetables and lentils followed. The group was small and we all enjoyed talking to each other and learning about everyone

Then we went to the Highlands of Floreana and learned about their efforts to save the tortoise species endemic to their island, explored lava caverns and enjoyed seeing the gorgeous views!

I really enjoyed walking the town when we got back and went back to my favorite restaurant to indulge in tuna ceviche and mojitos.

I sat back and thought that I'd never had such a phenomenal experience - I literally forgot what day it was! All of the memories I will have and pictures I've shown my friends!

My last day was seamless as well with my guide taking me from my hotel to the water taxi and then the airport. Absolutely nothing went wrong or was uncomfortable this whole trip! Any questions I had throughout my trip was quickly answered by my local guide or Maris!

I cannot state enough how much work this team put in to give me the ultimate dream vacation. 2024 was a very rough year. Kimkim and their wonderful team gave me the most memorable birthday day over ever had along with the most breathtaking of memories.

I will not hesitate to use them again. I cannot wait to go back and explore more of our wonderful world with them !!

Thank you so much for all that you and your team did for me! I wish I could write all of my guides to let them know how much their time truly mattered to me ❤️

Hotel Reviews

Ikala Quito Hotel

Quito

I arrived late at night, and was still welcomed with open arms by the staff. My room was so nice and comfortable. I especially loved the reminders the hotel wrote in regards to conservation and waste. I really loved the gift bag w chocolates too! My breakfast was perfect for the early morning trip!

Authenticity & Character

It stayed true to being uniqu

Location

It was not far from airport, was well lit, felt secure and so clean!

Staff

Very friendly and reminded me about my breakfast and asked about any allergies

Cleanliness & Comfort

I packed way too much as the hotel supplied everything I needed

Casa Pimampiro

Puerto Baquerizo Moreno

This was such a a cute casa with an easy walk down to the town area. It stayed locked and secure, the rooms were super comfortable. I loved that the staff asked each day what time I wanted breakfast as well. The conservation reminders were perfect

Authenticity & Character

Very unique

Location

Easy walking distance, safe

Staff

Everyone was super friendly

Cleanliness & Comfort

Lava House Galapagos

Puerto Ayora

Loved this hotel! From the feeling of safety, the proximity to everything, walking was super easy to get anywhere. The room was extremely comfortable and loved that they had a water refill station! But I must say the house dog, lava, was truly adorable and I love throwing the ball for her

Authenticity & Character

Beautiful plants and maintenance around the facility I really love the hammock on my balcony

Location

Super easy location to walk anywhere you wanted to and walk back, a feeling of safety whenever you were outside the gates and they locked it to stay secure

Staff

Always very friendly , the lady serving breakfast were very nice

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Welcome to the Capital of the Andes; Quito!

Galapagos Islands

I absolutely love my guy who picked me up. We spent a lot of time talking about Ecuador and keto and other places and he was very friendly and engaging got me to and from the hotel super easy I never had any stress about making it on time to the airport the next morning

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

My guide was very nice and friendly and made it so easy to get through customs the next morning to get to my plane it would have been confusing had he not been there

Transport

Wildlife Encountering at Lobos Island

Galapagos Islands

I truly love my guides on this trip. It was a nice small group so they made sure we were all safe and had walking sticks to go over the lava rocks which were not very stable. We got to see all the animals and he gave a great explanation for why this habitat why this animal needs to protected what this environment is all about and really made you feel in awe of nature

Quality of Experience

The planning and expectations set by the guide were perfect.

Food

I loved having the nice lunch of fish rice lentils and veggies they also had a chicken option and a vegetarian option too

Guides, Drivers and Staff

My guide on the islands David did a great job making sure that I had all my supplies for this trip it was perfect

Transport

Very easy and smooth and you're on a boat so you may get wet

Kicker Rock: A Snorkeling Adventure

Isla San Cristóbal

This by far was my favorite adventure! I really love the whole team that helped get us prepared for this from taking us to the initial Beach and explaining to us how this plays a vital role in the galapagosis ecology and then taking us to see the estuary where we got to see baby white tip reef sharks baby manta rays puffer fish all these unique fish and creatures in the mangroves And then our guy spent a lot of time talking to us about safety and expectations when we get to kicker Rock and that rock is even more intense when you see it in person it's like five stories taller if not bigger and just all the time that we spent snorkeling and our guide took wonderful videos and pictures with his camera so that those of us who didn't have them could experience the beauty and the memories of that excursion

Quality of Experience

The guides did a fantastic job just explaining and showing everything they could of their world in that experience I cannot thank them enough

Food

They have a chicken vegetarian and tuna option but if you're in the Galapagos always choose the tuna it was so fresh with the lentils and the vegetables in the rice loved it

Guides, Drivers and Staff

They were so warm and caring and made sure we all had a great experience and they just feel like a team too

Transport

From the moment I was picked up at the hotel to the water taxi to the boat to the excursion was flawless

Welcome to Santa Cruz Island & Afternoon at Leisure

Puerto Ayora

I really enjoyed getting to explore the island by myself for a bit on my own and visit a beach and some restaurants on my first night

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Santa Cruz Island: Charles Darwin Station, Highlands & Planting a Tree

Puerto Ayora

The Darwin station is amazing. From the little area you can walk without your guide, to the entire tour from the beginning to the end you just fall in love with Galapagos and it's love for its environment whether it be animals or plants or the water.

Quality of Experience

Food

Transport

History and Nature: Full Day to Floreana Island

Puerto Ayora

This day was utterly amazing. The sheer beauty of floriana just really hits you only 150 people live on this island. Yet there conservation efforts out due our large cities. The cleanliness and respects this place has for nature and its land is just awesome inspiring. The beaches are Christine the waters are clear the people are friendly the food is amazing every experience they'll let you see something different of our world

Quality of Experience

The guide was on point. Very passionate about his island and the shear beauty of nature

Food

That restaurant had the most amazing fried tuna, veggies, rice and lentils 🤤

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Transfer to Airport on Baltra Island - Flight back to Mainland

Galapagos Islands

I am so grateful for my guide that picked me up from the hotel and then took me to the water taxi then rode with me and the water taxi then rode with me on the shuttle to the airport as it's the most unique airport I've ever been to and how to get there. It made it stress-free. In the States you have to get to the airport at least 3 hours ahead of time at that airport I was there an hour and 20 minutes ahead of time and there was no problem. Plenty of time to make the plane and he made sure that I had plenty of time I was never worried

Quality of Experience

My driver was more than I could ask for making that sad day of leaving the Galapagos to go home run smooth

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Paula did a great job getting our trip planned, hotel, flights and excursions booked, pick ups to and from the various airports and cities we visited and put together a great itinerary for my son and I to enjoy and get a real feel for what Australia has to offer. Oh yeah - planned and booked our trip in less than 3 weeks. Surfing in Bondi, white water rafting excursion and snorkeling at the Great Barrier Reef in Cairns, the shark cage dive in Port Lincoln and Ayer’s Rock were absolutely fabulous!! - It truly was an amazing trip for us. Thank you so much for helping us schedule this very memorable vacation in the land down under!! Good day!!

We are in complete awe of this Sahara wonder. Morocco is a feast for the senses. From the labyrinth of Marrakesh to the marvel of the Sahara and the High Atlas Mountains to the beauty of the coastline of Casablanca. we covered it all. We even enjoyed a break-fast for Ramadan with the most lovely family in Fez. Majid was a pleasure to work with and we really enjoyed our guide Mouad, who is kind, knowledgeable and always eager to help. Thank you for an epic adventure!

Our trip was wonderful. All the locations was eyes pleasing to see, especially Ha Long Bay and Trang An boat ride. All the tour guides were very informative and engaging, especially the tour guide (john) when we went to Mekong delta. All the hotels were very professional and cleanliness, especially Queen Ann hotel in Nha Trang, they gave us a really nice view of the beach on the 25th floor. I aslo appreciated my tour agent, Dat, for check in on us after every tour to see if everything was ok, that was nice of him. We will definitely plan to work with these tour agents again on our next big trip like this in the future, highly recommended.

Hotel Reviews

Calista Sai Gon Hotel

Professional and cleanliness

Authenticity & Character

Breakfast was good with vietnamese food

Location

I like the street view

Staff

Everyone

Cleanliness & Comfort

The bed was comfortable

San Premium Hotel

Professional and cleanliness, unfortunately no bath tub in my room since my wife do enjoy taking a bath

Authenticity & Character

Very close to a lot of tourists attractions and have good amount of local street foods

Location

Staff

Friendly and informative, they even let me know that I can leave my bags at the hotel when I checkout to go to Ha Long Bay for 1 night and then come back for it

Cleanliness & Comfort

Doria Cruise

Staffs were professional, friendly, informative and cleanliness

Authenticity & Character

Location

The cruise urrounded Ha Long Bay

Staff

Friendly

Cleanliness & Comfort

Queen Ann Nha Trang Hotel

Professional, friendly and cleanliness. Great view of the beach

Authenticity & Character

Near the beach and I was on 25th floor

Location

Beach view with walking distance to the beach and local street food

Staff

All staff were great

Cleanliness & Comfort

Comfy bed

Activity Reviews

Exploring Ho Chi Minh city Half Day Tour

Ho Chi Minh City

The tour guide was informative and friendly

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

The tour guide was great and informative, but he checked his phone several times while taking is sightseeing, we had to stop and look around while he finish up what he was doing on his phone a few times

Transport

Mekong Delta Group Tour (My Tho - Ben Tre) (updated)

Ho Chi Minh City

The tour guide was informative, funny, interactive, engaging, and he sang for us

Quality of Experience

Sightseeing and my tour guide

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

They are friendly, funny, informative

Transport

Hanoi Half Day City Tour & Train Street

Hanoi

The tour guide was informative and nteractive

Quality of Experience

Train coffee

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Day trip to Ninh Binh (Hoa Lu & Trang An & Mua cave)

Vietnam

The tour guide was informative, funny, interactive, engaging. The sightseeing were breathtaking

Quality of Experience

Boat ride and climbing the steps in Ninh Binh

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Ha Long Bay – Lan Ha Bay – Ba Trai Dao/ Tra Bau - Onboarding Doria Cruise

Vietnam

The tour guide was informative and friendly

Quality of Experience

I love that the staffs knew it was our honeymoon, so they place us near the window with the neon honeymoon sign on top, unfortunately it was dinnertime so outside was dark and couldn't see the beautiful view of Ha Long Bay

Food

The dinner was great for the most part

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Friendly

Transport

Islands And Snorkeling Tour

Nha Trang

The tour guide was informative, friendly, interactive

Quality of Experience

Food

I like that they place our table facing the beach, the food were ok for the most part

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

We enjoy the boat ride to different islands

Private Jeep Tour Saigon by Night: Foodie & City tour

Ho Chi Minh City

The tour guide was funny any interactive with us

Quality of Experience

Food

A lot

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Friendly

Transport

Jeep tour and sightseeing the city

Lan Ha Bay – Dark & Bright Cave – Disembarking Doria Cruise

Vietnam

The tour guide was informative and friendly

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

The outline of the trip was excellent. We were able to see and do a lot of fun and unique things. I am giving 4 stars due to a lack of attention to detail in certain aspects of the trip plan (e.g. transportation arrangements) and slow response to issues during the trip.

Activity Reviews

Self-Ride Husky Adventure

Harads

Really enjoyed meeting Kim and his dogs. This was a highlight of the trip!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Abisko Northern Lights Adventure & Dinner Experience

Kiruna

Stunning location to view the northern lights!

New Zealand 2025

Liz did an amazing job of planning our trip to New Zealand.

She worked through all our wants and budgets quickly and was patient with us regarding changes (including some at the very last moment).

Our trip included three cities: Auckland, Tutukaka, and Rotarua. We had drivers for a group of 10 as well. Everything went smoothly and at no time were we in the dark of what to expect or had to wait on anything.

The hotels we stayed in were perfectly suited for our needs and were within walking distance of sights, activities, and restaurants.

Kelly was our driver for our rainforest hike and for our trip to Hobbiton and Rotorua. He was an amazing source of information about the places we were going to and answered all our questions.

Our other driver (to and from Tutukaka) was just as amazing. He chatted and joked with us on the long drive and made it a pleasant experience by stopping for a few breaks Ave suggesting the best place to grab a few pies for a snack.

We went on a snorkel trip while in Tutukaka; the weather was too rough so it was moved to another day. Rescheduling was easy and the travel company reached out and took care of everything for us. The trip was awesome once we were able to go.

We also kayaked at night to see the glow worms. The guide, Sam, was fantastic. One of us had never kayaked before and he was super patient and helpful.

Our last activity was a hike on Mount Tarawera. This was much more than expected from a physical sense. The 3 mile hike took a few hours and had us up a d down and even into the crater. While we would all recommend this, it is not an easy climb. Children and those not used to physical activity should choose something else. Our guides were fantastic and helpful throughout the entire experience.

We also visited Hobbiton, a few beaches, the aquarium, and explored local places off the beaten path. Liz made sure to build in some downtime for us to relax and find our own adventures.

We will be using KimKim again to plan our next vacation!

Joe and the rest of the Ireland Walk Hike Bike team were great and ready to help rejigger things where needed.

Activity Review

Belfast & Giants Causeway Day tour from Dublin

Dublin

Really enjoyed the tour guide’s stories and personal experiences related to the history of N. Ireland. The Black Taxi Tour of Belfast was throughly enjoyable and worth the day trip!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Surprisingly comfortable bus ride. Black Taxis were unique and fun.

Overall we had a good trip but a number of glitches from Kim Kim’s side made it more difficult. For instance, our rental car was in Auckland city center rather than the airport. When we called Monika to complain instead of owning it, she blamed others. We also worked hard to get SIM cards for our phones. Ultimately we were unable to get them. Not sure why. Also Monika seemed unsure of basic questions like are hiking poles available for rent at the Tongriro Crossing. In Monika’s defense she found the answer to those questions quickly and got back to us. Ultimately, we were expecting more.

Hotel Reviews

The Prince's Gate Hotel

Rotorua

Lovely, quaint good location.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

The Park Hotel Ruapehu

National Park Village

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Lunch was not ready when it should have been.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Naumi Hotel Wellington

6141

One room you could not fully open the bathroom door.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Nocturnal Adventure Glow-worm Tour

Rotorua

The guide was great and the home amazing.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Tongariro Alpine Crossing - self guided - parking & shuttle to the start point

New Zealand

Challenging hike.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Our shuttle driver was great.

Transport

Hell's Gate

Rotorua

Guide was over the top. We paid for a pass for mud baths which we said we did not want.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Te Pā Tū - Maori Cultural Experience

Rotorua

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

My husband and I had an amazing honeymoon! Emerson had everything planned perfectly, and we never ran into any issues. Emerson was also very responsive throughout the trip and more than willing to help out when needed. Our tour guides were very kind, knowledgeable, and fun to be around. Thanks to Kimkim we had the honeymoon of our dreams! We’re already looking forward to our next trip coordinated by them. We highly recommend kimkim!!!

I had a great time in Canary Islands. It was my first time using Trip Plan app. I liked it. It allows to plan without surprise. I visited Tenerife first. The accommodation was strategic between the south where are the beaches and the north where is the capital and the natural park. I liked the day at Anaga park with spectacular views and the visit of Santa Cruz. The guide Irma was nice and knowledgeable. There was a small bump with Barranco Del Inferno. I appreciated that you offer a reimbursement right away. Very professional. I liked also the day at Teide volcano.
I really liked the choice of Lanzarote as the second island. I didn't know what to expect. A very pleasant surprise with a different feel from Tenerife. All small white houses. I liked the scenery and the Timanfaya national park especially.
Everything was well planned to the details.
Thank you again

Alain Giguere

Hotel Reviews

La Casona del Patio

Santiago de Teide

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Finca Isolina Hotel Boutique - Adults Recommended

Macher, Lanzarote

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Marco is a superstar

Cleanliness & Comfort

Barceló Tenerife

San Miguel de Abona

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Guided Visit through the Historic Streets of Santa Cruz

Spain

Irma was a great guide, dynamic and knowledgeable

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Hiking Route to Adeje and Barranco del Infierno

Spain

Good hike. Unfortunately i was supposed to meet a guide which i never saw. I could still do the trek on my own and it was well appreciated I was reimbursed right away and i thought it was really professional

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

never saw him

Lanzarote Cruise Day Trip to la Graciosa

Lanzarote

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Outstanding experience working with Erin and Nara to plan an extended several week trip to Patagonia - Chile and Argentina.
The Kim Kim team offered exceptional communication and responsiveness in addition to detailed local knowledge regarding travel destinations and experience excursions.
They offered several suggestions that aligned with the interests that we expressed.
All details regarding numerous location transfers, local guide service and transportation were very well planned by Erin and Nara.
Great recommendations for local things to do at each stop along with great restaurant suggestions.
Very responsive support for questions that we had while in Patagonia on travel.
Overall, a great travel experience thanks to the efforts of the Kim Kim team we worked with.

Great trip! Well organized by KimKim, especially the guides who were all knowledgeable, friendly and spoke English, which was very helpful. The Perido Merino glacier was especially memorable.

Hotel Review

Hosteria Senderos

El Chalten

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Review

Perito Moreno Boat & Walking Tour

El Calafate

Loved NZ - we had three targets for our trip; scenery, Māori culture and wine. Liz did a wonderful job balancing a lot of different options for us. We started thinking of a long Aus-NZ trip and she worked with us to trim it to a realistic timeframe. We only had a couple of true guided tours - in Rotorua the Kahukiwi afternoon with Patrick was eye-opening about current Māori life, visiting his tribe’s marae and taking time to understand the great significance of the marae to the culture. And then Paul with Appellation Wine Tours gave a great tour of Central Otago wineries. Lastly, Liz suggested Doubtful Sound for our Fiordland tour, instead of the much more heavily touristed Milford Sound. We did the overnight tour with kayaking and swimming in the Sound. We also managed to see albatross and fur seals. So, overall, great time!

Hotel Reviews

M Social

Auckland

Very convenient, friendly staff, great food.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Close to ferries and CBD

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Sudima Lake Rotorua

Rotorua

Close to the lake (with the accompanying sulfur smell), a little bit of a long walk to town.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

The Park Hotel Ruapehu

National Park Village

Not much choice for this location. Room was small, bathroom was smaller! Dinner was wonderful

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Rydges Wellington

Wellington

Comfortable hotel. Was a bit swamped with tour groups. No on-site parking, valet only (@NZ$45/ night). Short walk to the waterfront and cable car.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Distinction Te Anau Hotel And Villas

Te Anau

Great location on Lake Te Anau. Comfortable large room (we were in the villas), good amenities. Very close to the Main Street (restaurants and shopping), wonderful view out onto the lake.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

The Rees Hotel

Queenstown

Can I give this six stars? Location is just OK, needed shuttle or car to get to town, but the view over Lake Wakatipu was gorgeous. Restaurant is extremely small, breakfast was hit-and-miss to get a table. Staff were wonderful, room was incredibly comfortable.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Sudima Auckland Airport

Auckland

Convenient, clean and comfortable.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

TE Puia: Te Ra Guided Experience 90 minutes) + Cultural Performance

New Zealand

Good mix of Māori culture and history.

Quality of Experience

Half Day Kahukiwi Experience

Rotorua

An in-depth look at current Māori life and culture. Patrick was our guide to his family/tribe, including a visit to his marae. Sometimes was a bit tough to hear about the darker side of Māori history.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Introducing Te Papa Tour and Museum visit

Wellington

Good overview of the Museum, allowed for long follow-up once the tour was over.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Te Anau Glowworm Caves - ex Te Anau

New Zealand

Unique glow worm life

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Navigator Overnight Cruise Return ex Manapouri -2Day/1Night - Private Cabin

New Zealand

We were extremely lucky with the weather, calm waters even out into the Tasman Sea. Opportunity for kayaking and swimming. Managed to see the fur seals, wrong time of year for penguins, and no sign of dolphins.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Boutique Wine Tour - Half Day

Queenstown (NZ)

Good small group. Paul (guide) was a wealth of knowledge about the wine business in NZ. Good selection of wineries. Would have liked to see more of the wine making process.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

While planning our trip, Katsu was wonderful. Very thorough and responsive. It seemed a bit expensive but with all his planning and ideas, we assumed it was going to be well worth it.
The ryokan he arranged for us in Hakone was run down but in a great location. He said it was one of he best in the all of Japan. Not true! Katsu did not tell us we would not have a private shower. The food at the ryokan was almost inedible. Katsu had said that he arranged for the hotel manager to take very good care of us. The man he named we never met.
The most disappointing part of the trip, however, was the private guided tour in Hiroshima. While Sanae was kind, she was also quite shy, had limited English and unfortunately, not very effective in her role. On the way to the garden, she did not explain anything about what we were seeing from the cab window. Once we arrived at the garden, she had no clear plan and simply followed us without being able to answer our questions. This could have been due to a language barrier, but it raises the question of why we were assigned a guide who wasn't fluent in English.
Our experience was similar on the bus ride to the museum. She remained silent and again did not know the answers to questions we asked as to what we were seeing from the window. When we arrived, she told us that talking was not allowed inside the museum, so she would wait for us at the exit. This left us wondering why she was with us in the first place if she wasn't able to guide us.
Afterward, we decided to continue exploring the park on our own and let her go home. We didn’t need her to accompany us further. She was supposed to accompany us to Miyajima the next day which we paid handsomely for but after the frustrating experience in Hiroshima we chose to do this on our own. We knew she would be unprepared for each site, nor be able to provide explanations. Our other guides we personally hired in Japan, didn’t just cover what we were seeing—they also connected it to Japanese culture, enriching our experience along the way. This is what we had come to expect and assumed, from what Katsu had said, would continue in Hiroshima.
Upon our return to the states, we explained all of this to Katsu and asked for a refund of the private tour of Hiroshima. His solution was to offer us another private tour when we return to Japan. It is very unlikely that I will return to Japan and if I did I would never use his services. Additionally, I will not recommend him or his company Next Japan Travel.