Kimkim Trip Reviews

My husband and I had a wonderful days in France. Thanks to our coordinator Lise for everything.

We employed Kimkim's services because of its use of local talent to provide the best experience when touring a foreign city and country. We had an incredible trip with Kimkim to Athens. We expected the same level of concern to planning and detail on our just completed trip to Austria and Poland. That was NOT the case. When we arrived in Vienna, our private trasport driver was nowhere to be found. We circled the arrival hall multiple times. We utilized one of our Verizon cell phone travel passes to call the driver's cell (provided in itinerary). We finally located him and headed to our hotel, K+K Maria Theresia to freshen up after a long flight. The toilet in the room malfunctioned and the bathroom had no soap. We called the front desk and were told that the toilet had just been repaired with the wrong part so would not stop flushing and that soap would be provided. We checked out the following morning and boarded our OBB train from Vienna to Krakow- all according to our Kimkim itinerary. The Austrian conductor scanned our tickets and gave NO indication that there were any issues with the journey. Our tickets were scanned again by a Czech Republic conductor once the train crossed the border. Again nothing was said regarding the journey. When the train reached Hranice, the conductor announced that our journey has ENDED. He told us that due track damage, the OBB train would terminate at Hranice. Using very limited English he told us to try to find a local train or bus to either Bohumin or Ostrava but BEWARE because "bad people will try to cheat or steal from you." We were horrified. We had no roaming cell service so the "emergency kim kim number " was useless. We made our way into the train station and found the Regiojet desk. NO ONE spoke a word of English or German and they responded to all of our questions with "NO." We consulted the posted time tables and found a Regiojet train to Ostrava and purchased two tickets ($8.74). We also found a Regiojet bus from Ostrava to Krakow ($78). We had to take a taxi from the Ostrava train station to the bus station ( $10.90). We bribed a bus station guard to allow us to use the pay toilet (We had NO Czech coins) with a 5 Euro note. We managed to get to Krakow by bus with absolutely NO ONE from Kimkim or Grand Cuvee tours aware of the situation. We realize that the local arrangement staff is not responsible for weather related issues HOWEVER, the damage to the tracks was known in Vienna and in the Czech Republic. The only ones in the dark were the unsuspecting passengers who boarded the train. Our time in Krakow was not arranged by Kimkim and went flawlessly BUT OUR TRAVEL BACK to Vienna and onto Salzburg WAS. I contacted Grand Cuvee repeatedly because we were told by our Polish contacts that the OBB train to Vienna would not run. It was NOT until the evening before our scheduled 9/27 departure from Krakow to Vienna that Grand Cuvee confirmed that we would not be able to take the train from Krakow to Vienna. At this point, a private transfer by car was the best option. I paid Kimkim an additional $1000.00 for the private car and driver. The driver (Maciek) was excellent. He deposited us safely at the Vienna central train station for our train trip to Salzburg. We waited in the OBB lounge where we learned that multiple trains from Vienna to Salzburg were either delayed or cancelled. The OBB desk attendant suggested that we take the next available train. Since our tickets were booked as first class we were able to board an earlier train to Salzburg. The Imlauer Hotel Pitter was lovely. I believe Grand Cuvee upgraded the room which was appreciated. Our walking tour guide, Ms Klinger was very good. The Mozard Dinner Concert as arranged by Grand Cuvee was fantastic. We took the train the next day to Vienna with no issues. We returned to the Maria Theresia, stored our luggage and embarked on a walking tour of Vienna with Mojca. I would give the guide a B-. The most effective guides are those who have an itinerary and are able to weave YOUR interests into their plan. Mojca did not explore our interests but moved somewhat haphazardly from one spot to the next. When we passed the Maria Theresia library and my husband discovered that the library was open free to the public because it was Sunday, Mojca relented and went in. It was one of the highlights of the tour no thanks to the guide. The Mozart and Straus concert at the Kursalon and the Schonbrunn palace tour scheduled by Grand Cuvee were excellent. The Danube Tower tour was so so. The Sisi Museum and Imperial Palace tours were excellent. The concert at St Anne's church as arranged was lovely. Our stay at the Maria Theresia went well. The amenities in the room were functional. The hotel staff was incredibly friendly and helpful. Our transfer to the airport with Herr Wolfgang was on time and pleasant.
After our trip to Athens with Kimkim, we not only recommended your services but could not wait to use them again. After this trip- we will have second thoughts about a repeat. Your strength is in the intel that your local agents provide. The local agents did not stay informed. The trip to Krakow was incredibly stressful. The uncertainty of the transfer from Krakow to Salzburg created constant anxiety. Why were we telling Grand Cuvee that the trains were in question?
We feel that we spent a significant amount of money and then had to spend MORE. We also feel that we did not get good value for our money. We asked Grand Cuvee to petition OBB for refunds for our train fares. They have but why did we need to ask. I feel that Kimkim should cover the additional train, bus, taxi and private car fares. The Grand Cuvee team did try to turn this trip around for us but it was too little too late.

Marianna was responsive and adaptable, she helped us plan a wonderful trip and revised it a few times based on our requests. The trip was well thought out an well planned. We enjoyed the culture, food, tours and accommodations Marianna recommended. There were a couple of requests that we made which were not addressed, but overall it was a wonderful experience.

Hotel Reviews

Hôtel Lorette—Astotel

Paris

Great hotel for a family, it a good location, close to the metro. Nice breakfast in the morning. The coffee and snacks in the afternoon were also handy!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Belle Normandy

Bayeux

We could not have loved this hotel more, the room was very comfortable and spacious. The hotel staff were so accommodating and friendly. The homemade breakfast, pastries, jams and quiche were such a treat!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Oceania Saint Malo 4*

Saint Malo

This hotel is beautiful, newly renovated and clean. The beds were comfortable, the bathrooms were crowded, but nice. The breakfast was a challenge, it was set up as a continental breakfast buffet, but they were always out of plates, cups and coffee mugs. The eggs were also undercooked.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hôtel Bastille Speria 3*

Paris

We only had one night here, but the hotel is beautiful, the rooms are a little tight, but well appointed and comfortable. The breakfast was so good though! The staff was really friendly and helpful.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Trebovir Hotel

Kensington, London

This hotel is in a convenient location to the underground and had very helpful staff. The breakfast was very crowded and did not have many options. Hard boiled eggs, yogurt, toast and cereal. The hotel is older so the rooms are smaller, but suited our needs while we were there.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Hop-on, Hop-off Bus through Paris

Paris

We bought tickets for this, but the busses didn't come to any of the stops after we had waiting for 20+ minutes at a couple of stops. We found it faster to just walk between the sites we wanted to see. We were never able to use our tickets and 2 weeks later are still waiting to hear back regarding a refund. I wouldn't recommend this tour option

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

French market and cooking class

Paris

We had such a great day with Dury, we learnt a lot and made some delicious food!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Louvre Treasure Hunt - Kids & Family Tour

Paris

We were unfortunately late to start this tour as we had a cooking class prior that ran a little long. Despite us being late, our guide took the time to provide us with a fun, action packed and informative tour that our 12 + 9 year old daughters really enjoyed and were very engaged in!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Cruise on the Seine

Paris

It was a beautiful way to see parts of the city and learn more about Paris. The tour guide was not super engaging and there were long periods of just sitting and taking in the scenery. It would have been nice to hear more about Paris.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Welcome to Bayeux

Bayeux

Adorable little town with very friendly people! We loved Bayeux and the shops, restaurants and history.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Discover the Mont-Saint-Michel & Cancale with a local

France

Love this day! We didn't even have Mont-Saint Michel on our list of experiences we were seeking, our agent suggested and booked this for us and we were sure happy she did!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Kid-Friendly Tour of the Tower of London and Tower Bridge with Tickets included

London

Our guide Lucy was incredible, she is a talented and animated storyteller who can really take you back in time through the history of the Tower. If you go, ask for Lucy!!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Discovering American D-Day Sites in Normandy

Bayeux

Our guide was very knowledgeable and we enjoyed our tour with her. We had hoped to see a few other beaches so a more detailed description of what each tour offers would have been helpful as we would have selected a different tour. We had specifically requested to see Juno beach through KimKim, but were advised that we could just tell this to our guide and they would adjust the tour. This is a group tour so the guide was unable to accommodate and changes to the tour itinerary (understandable)

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Tickets to the evening show of Hamilton (or another Westend show)

London

Our whole family enjoyed this, our 9+12 year old daughters are still singing the songs around the house! Great performance

Quality of Experience

Harry Potter Studio Tour from London (with transport)

London

The tour itself was really cool, although we wish we would have had more time. The busses ran a tight schedule, so we couldn't enjoy the entire tour at our own pace.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

The busses were not comfortable and the screens were not working.

Changing of the Guard Guided Tour

London

Our guide was knowledgeable and adaptable. She had prepared the group that the tour experience would change depending on the crowds and she was able to navigate us around some very busy streets to see some unique aspects of the Changing of the Guard.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Charlie & the Chocolate Factory Afternoon Tea

London

Cool idea and very friendly staff but very expensive for what you get. The food was ok, but nothing really unique. The tea is located in a basement so you can't enjoy any of London's scenery... We found an afternoon tea beside Tower Bridge that was better quality and price with a wonderful view!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

London Borough Market Doughnut Tour

London

Our guide, Oscar, was excellent! he really taught us a lot about borough market and some cool history of London. He was excellent with our kids and kept them laughing and entertained for a couple of hours as we strolled through the market and tasted some rather delicious doughnuts!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Our guide Ismail made our trip. He was very knowledgeable, and gave us in-depth insight to urban and rural living, culture , religion, and Moroccan history. It was information that we would otherwise never have experienced. He was kind and had a great sense of humor . His concern for our safety was paramount and he was willing to assist us with anything that we needed. We would highly recommend KimKim for the tour aspect of a trip to Morocco and overwhelmingly recommend that you ask for Ismail.

Hotel Reviews

Riad Dar Dar

Rabat

This hotel out of all of the booked hotels, is in definite need of a renovation or updating of the rooms and bathrooms. The dipping pool was not used as it had a color to the water. The service and breakfast, however, was very good.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Needs bathroom redo, and room updates.

Staff

A young man at reception who also worked at another Riad.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Bathrooms need to be redone.

Hotel Ziryab

Chefchaouen

A lovely hotel with excellent service and great food

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Great service by a young man who worked all day and lived with his mom nearby. He was excellent in terms of service.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Dar Lys - Luxury Riad & Spa

Fes

Beautiful hotel. Lovely breakfast with good service.

Authenticity & Character

It would have been nice to have had a pool.

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Tiziri Luxury Camp

Merzouga

The Manager helped us evacuate when the storm hit the desert and he was excellent. The camp was beautiful and the food in the restaurant was delicious.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

They handled everything when the torrential rains came, and we needed to be evacuated, with professionalism and concern for safety of all the guests. Would highly recommend this camp.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Villa Pomme d'Or

Midelt

Beautiful hotel and restaurant

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Dar Rihana Dades

Douar Aït Ouffi

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

La Maison Arabe Hotel

Marrakech

Beautiful Riad. Only problem is that they had a beautiful pool and it was hot but there was nowhere to lounge by the pool as all the tables around were for the restaurant. The lounges were up on a small deck which only fit 4 lounges and it was hot with no air flow because of the walls around it. Part of the restaurant should have been made into the pool lounges.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Transfer to Chefchaouen from Rabat via Ouazzane 4 Hours Drive

Morocco

Quality of Experience

Ismail was an excellent driver and had a wealth of information.

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Nice Mercedes van

Transfer to Fes: Volubilis, Moulay Idriss & Meknes

Morocco

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Dinner with a local Family in Fes

Fes

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

U

Rabat Guided Tour : Hassan Tower, Salé, & the Oudaya

Rabat

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Explore Chefchaouen with your local guide

Chefchaouen

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Guide was very nice but not much information etc. we just walked around the town.

Transport

Casablanca Accommodation – Rabat ( 1 Hour Drive).*Driving Times Don’t Include The Various Stops Along The Way

Morocco

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Explore the Blue City

Chefchaouen

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Fes: Exploring the Imperial City

Fes

Quality of Experience

Visit the mint Tea guy in the Medina upstairs.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Guide in Fes was very good.

Transport

Guided Tour of Volubilis

Volubilis

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

The Guide was very knowledgeable and also had a good sense of humor

Transport

Fes Food Tour

Fes

It was good to try different food but the order of the food could be changed so that you do t have the donuts before your meal. Rather have them after the main meal for dessert. The dinner place should have nicer seating out on a deck .

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Camel trek to your luxury camp

Merzouga

Quality of Experience

Food

The meal at the camp was one of our best in Morocco.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Fes to Midelt via High Atlas Mountains

Morocco

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Dades Valley, Ouarzazate, Ait Benhaddou & Marrakech

Morocco

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Hot Air Balloon Ride

Marrakesh

Quality of Experience

Yourself was amazing and made this experience. Will never ever forget it.!

Food

Such a nice surprise to come back to breakfast

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Yourself knew what he was doing

Transport

Cooking Class La Maison Arabe Marrakech 10 AM session.

Marrakesh

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

The Chefs and Assistants were excellent and lots of fun!

Hammam Spa & Massage in La Masion Arabe at 3 pm

Marrakesh

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Marrakech Food Tour

Marrakesh

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Walking tour of Marrakech

Marrakesh

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Merzouga to Boumalne Dades via Tinghir & Todra Gorge

Morocco

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Transfer to Merzouga via Erfoud, Saharan Camel Ride

Morocco

The Manager of of the Tiziri camp went over and above to evacuate us and look after our safety with the major storm in the Desert.

Quality of Experience

Look

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Jessica was phenomenal in planning our trip. She took into account the regions we wanted to visit and recommended the best locations to stay which made access convenient.

She is very flexible about how involved you need her to be and is willing to work with your budget. Based on our budget, we paid her for the itinerary and did all the booking ourselves. If you don’t have months planning using the lonely planet and feel overwhelmed based on too many options, Jessica is your best bet! She is extremely responsive and even found the address of the trailhead for us middle of our trip when we changed one of the days and the information on the website for the trails was in Korean. I would highly recommend her if you are planning a trip to South Korea!!!

Andrea was an absolute pleasure to work with, from start to finish. He is incredibly knowledgable, professional and flexible, offering different ideas of places to visit and tours to book. Andrea is also very kind and patient, which greatly enhanced our experience.

We thoroughly enjoyed our days in Rome, Siena and Florence and the side trips to Orvieto, Montepulciano, San Gimignano, Lucca and Pisa. We spent a full day traveling to Cinque Terre and found the coast and the trip there to be beautiful. The guides were very knowledgeable and interesting and shared much information we would not have otherwise known. The drivers were all professional and incredibly punctual.

The staff and accommodations at Palazzo Ripetta in Rome were spectacular. We received an upgrade to a lovely suite for our first four nights in Rome. Our suite at the Hotel Santa Maria Novella in Florence was lovely with an incredible view. Those hotels, as well as Relais degli Angeli in Siena, were in great locations.

One thing that stood out is how well regarded Andrea is by all of the people that work with him. It's quite a compliment when both your clients and the providers you book speak highly of you! Bravo Andrea!

It was a true pleasure to have such a stress free trip with all the transportation, accommodations and tours arranged and prepaid by Andrea so our only job was to show up. Everything was truly seamless. I'm afraid we are now spoiled and will not be able to travel any other way!

Hotel Reviews

Palazzo Ripetta

Rome

Beautiful hotel with professional and accommodating staff. Lovely breakfast and great location.

Authenticity & Character

Location

It was in a great location, with many things within walking distance.

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Santa Maria Novella

Florence

We had a beautiful suite with a view of Piazza Santa Maria Novella.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Walking distance to most things.

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Guided walk at Piazza dei Miracoli and Leaning Tower in Pisa (2 hours)

Italy

Iurica Piccioli was a terrific guide, both knowledgable and entertaining!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Florence private guided walk including Accademia Gallery

Florence

Adored Elvira Politi! She was very knowledgeable, funny, professional and lovely!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Our guide Roy at Macchu Picchu was extremely professional and knowledgeable. Our guide David was very good about adapting to our flight delay to Cusco and made the most of the time we did have in the Sacred Valley.

We had a wonderful trip to Peru! Kimkim helped us plan the trip and took care of all the details which was so incredibly helpful. Our highlight was the visit to Machu Picchu. What a wonderful and beautiful place. I now understand why the Incas built a city there.

Carolina was very helpful and was available to meet with us online when we requested. She was a pleasure to work with!

Hotel Review

Hotel Samanapaq

Ollantaytambo

This was a lovely property. The room was spacious, clean and lovely. The owners were a delight to interact with and had great suggestions regarding how to spend our time in the town and places for great food.

Authenticity & Character

Beautiful property and lovely room with view of gardens.

Location

We could walk anywhere in town from the location of the hotel.

Staff

Friendly and helpful

Cleanliness & Comfort

Very clean and the bed was comfortable.

Activity Reviews

Lake Titicaca: Navigation thought Uros Floating Islands & Taquile Island ✨🏝️

Puno

Our guide was very attentive. We enjoyed the day and learned a lot about the culture.

Excursion to Machu Picchu - return to Cusco

Peru

We had a wonderful day exploring the ruins. Our guide was very knowledgeable and friendly which is appreciated.

Guide the Sonya did a absolutely fantastic job

All of our tours were great and we met a lot of very nice people! All of our accommodations and recommendation for places to go see and to go eat were great as well. This was our first time on a trip this big and did not have a lot of knowledge on planning a trip so we did not ask a lot of question! I would recommend ask more questions on the places and how to get there and what class you want to travel. I would also recommend the specialist to give more options of travel and ask more questions on how you want to travel. An example of this is: We were in Chania Crete and had a driver pick us up, drove us to Heraklion for one overnight then catch a ferry to Santorini. This was the only option we got from our specialist. We were booked business class on the ferry which gives you no perks and I am sure cost more and travel days are a lost day. We wondered if there was another way and found out we could have taken a flight from Chania for 60 euro's and saved one travel day. We all agreed the specialist should give you option for how to get there and show the difference in price and the perks for business or economy. The only other issue we had was when we went to the train station we new we were going on the bus because there was maintains on the rails but were given no instruction on where exactly we caught the bus so it was a bit stressful until we found it. So if he would have put in our itinerary that we get dropped at the train station and we had to cross the road and go down a bit then we would have know. Overall I was happy with our trip and would recommend using Kimkim.

Hotel Reviews

Kriti Hotel Chania

Chania, Crete

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Ippokampos Beachfront Hotel

Naxos

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Achilleas Hotel Athens

Athens

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Monastiri Guesthouse

Kalampaka - Meteora

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Olive Green

Heraklion

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Nissia Beach Apartments & Suites Santorini

Santorini

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Philippos Hotel Athens

Athens

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Meteora Half-Day Sightseeing Tour

Greece

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

All Time Classic Santorini

Santorini

Wish they would have made sure we would have our last stop for drinks on the hill and bin there for sunset. They had us there an hour before.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Morning Catamaran Cruise

Naxos

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

The 7 Villages of Apokoronas Tour

Greece

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

We had a great experience with Kim Kim travels for our 9 day trip to Egypt and Jordan. As mentioned by Amr that we don't have to worry about anything regarding our trip, it was a true statement. Our stay and trip to each location was taken care off and we enjoyed it very well.
We were received by Mr. Mohammed (Samara) on the day of the arrival and till we left Egypt he took care of us. Hospitality was good and didn't feel that we are in a different country. The driver Mr. Mohammed took us to all the places in Egypt. Our tour guide in Cairo Dr. Karam Sharaf took us to the Cairo Museum and to the Pyramids and gave an excellent narration about the History of Egyptian Civilization and the process of mummification.
The Nile cruise was good and enjoyed the visit to Abu Simbel and Kom Ombo Temple. Our guide Mohamed Kamal an Egyptologist explained about the Egyptian Civilization and gave an excellent narration of the importance of all the places he took us. One could feel the depth of knowledge he had about history of all the places he took us. Great person and I will without hesitate recommend him for those who want s to know about the history of the temples in Egypt.
Samara send us off from Cairo to Amman and we had a great experience in staying at Wadi Rum and visiting Petra. Our Driver Mr. Mohamad stayed with us for our entire stay at Amman. He was a great person. Our tour guide at Petra Mr. Mahmood Alfageer took us to the Petra treasury and explained the significance of the treasury on 2 mile trial from the visitor gate. Both Egyptian and Jordan people are very hospitable.
I will strongly recommend Kim Kim travels if you are planning a trip to Egypt and Amman. Enclosed few pictures of our visit.

Amanda and Raj from Himilayan Trails, who provided or coordinated guides and transfers with Amanda were outstanding! They kept us safe and changed some hikes etc due to landslides, were there for us every step of the way. I highly recommend both Kimkim and Amanda, who organised all from the heart and provided a no worries, unforgettable,trip.

Enjoyed Lorena’s knowledge of the history and current affairs in Chile. Driver William was a great help too.

Overall the trip was great. Booking through Kimkim, with Bea's advice and suggestions, made it possible for us to experience an amazing trip to Naples. The private transfers worked well. Having seen the Naples traffic, there is no way we could have driven ourselves on this holiday. Our pick up at Naples airport worked well, taking us up to Cellole for the wedding. Our return trip to Naples via the Reggia de Caserta was great. We enjoyed exploring both the palace and its gardens.
The Hotel Caruso Place was lovely, and our suite was great. We had a small balcony, allowing us to watch the lively Via Toledo below. The location was really good, close to lots of shops, pizzerias and the Toledo metro. Our only challenge was getting to and from the hotel with all of our luggage (we had more than usual due to the wedding). It's a 2 minute walk from the taxi drop off to the hotel, and once you arrive you have to carry your bags up some steep stairs to the 1st floor reception. There's a side entrance with only a couple of steps that worked well for us during our stay, but you have to be checked in to use it. The staff were friendly and helpful. It's a small hotel, with a small team. They were happy to bring us coffee, a bottle of wine etc on request and spoke English.
Our food tour was a great introduction to Naples and our guide was very good. I think he was Giovianni. We were with 2 other British couples and had a great 3 hours together, experiencing fantastic food.
Our trip to Pompeii was really good. Our guide was Carmine. Having a guide for just the 2 of us worked really well. I don't hear well, so I often miss out during larger group tours. With Carmine's knowledge we were able to cut through Pompeii, avoiding the other tour groups, and could chat to him, asking questions as we went. His love of Pompeii and knowledge were clear and made the visit really good.
We then went on to Mt Vesuvius, with Umberto as a guide. Again, the private guide worked well for us. Umberto explained the different types of volcanos and then took us up to the crater at the top. Our visit took longer than expected as Umberto knew everyone who works on Vesuvius, in all of the stalls and refreshment places, and he stopped to talk to them. He took time to show us different rocks and minerals, which was fine but we were concerned for our driver, as we knew we were due back and running late. Umberto also talked a lot (not always about the volcano) and in truth we found the tour a little tiring. He was a nice guide, but lacked focus at times.
We enjoyed the visit to the olive, lemon and mozzarella farm close to Sorrento. The experience was very nice, although it was further away from Naples than we'd expected and we spent a lot of time in the car for a relatively short visit. Elsa and Benedetto were great hosts, and the food was lovely. As were the views back to Naples.
Positives: private tours were very good. The food and people, including our drivers and tour guides were friendly and welcoming. When we requested an earlier airport pick up for departure, this was easy to do and our My Trip was updated straight away.
Negatives: the description of the activities did not always deliver what we expected: the tours of Pompeii and Vesuvius were described as 'with an archeaologist and vulcanologist' but in reality they were tour guides, knowledgeable in the site we were visiting, but not actually archeaologists or vulcanologists. At the Sorrento farm we thought we would make limoncello, but the description of the tour changed in My Trip after the event to remove this and just referred to the live mozzarella-making demonstration (which we saw). Also initially we thought we had a lunch between Pompeii and Vesuvius, but that disappeared at some point.
So overall a really good experience, and we're glad we booked via Kimkim. We couldn't have done all of these experiences without you pulling together the trip. We really appreciated the prosecco and fruit on arrival at the Caruso Place hotel too! Thanks.

Maria/Barbara of Kim Kim/Storywalking did an outstanding job of organizing our trip to Sicily. Accommodations were lovely and extremely well located.

Local guides, drivers and events were all punctual, very interesting and knowledgeable.

Storywalking was very attentive to any minor issues and questions that arose during the trip.

In summary, I highly recommend Kim Kim/Storywalking and would absolutely work with them in the future. We worked with Kim Kim last year for a trip to Portugal and were also very pleased, hence the booking for Sicily.

Planing our trip to Taiwan: Ms. Shirely Fang was very efficient, fast-responsive, knowledgeable and adaptive to our wishes, request and queries, us a 75 years old couple. While touring Taiwan, the Super-Typhoon Krathon threatened the island, and changes were required to both itinerary and accomodations. Ms. Fang, together with our guide, Mr. Clint Liang, provided the required changes, such that eventually, most of the originally planned attractions were visited.
Performing the tour: Our guide, Mr. Liang, was very much responsive, informative, and esoecially helpful with our specific physical limitations.
The bottom line: our trip to the beautiful island of Taiwan was an exciting experience, thanks to Shirely and Clint.

Activity Review

Highlights in Sun Moon Lake

Yuchi, Nantou

I decided to use Kimkim in searching for itineraries to visit Turkey, after our plan for Greece was completed. From the very start, Berat scheduled every single aspect of our journey with care and detail, starting with Istambul, then Capadocia, Sirince, Pamukkale and finally Izmir. The itinerary was perfect, highlighting the very best that great country has to offer, amazing hotels, transfers and activities of the most gorgeous places on earth. Thank you Berat and your team of guides: Volkan, Harun and Fatma, so knowledgeable and kind sharing the best information and companionship throughout all our travels. We also had the fortune to meet Berat personally when passing through Capadocia, that was so incredible! Talking to her personally and sharing our experiences with her was so nice. This whole trip was an unforgettable experience, that otherwise would not have been possible, so for sure we will plan any other journey with Kimkim in the future!! Thanks to all! We loved Turkiye🇹🇷 ♥️ and we hope we come back and visit some more of this gorgeous country!

Hotel Reviews

Armada Hotel

Istanbul

Very nice traditional hotel in The old city near the best attractions -Hagia Sohia, Blue Mosqud and Topkaki Palace. Breakfast was absolutely delicious

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Kale Konak Hotel

This is an absolutely beautiful cave hotel right in front of the Uchisar Castle, staff is so friendly and the hotel outside areas are beautiful

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Nisanyan Houses

Selçuk

There are not enough words to say how amazing is this place, the views, the room, the food and staff are absolutely wonderful!!!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Doğa Thermal Hotel & Spa

Denizli

This hotel was great, specially for its thermal waters; the food is also very good!!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Kordon Hotel Çankaya

Çankaya, Konak, Izmir

Well located, nice and clean rooms

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Discover Byzantine + Ottoman Istanbul

İstanbul

During our (4) days in Istanbul, we were lucky to have Volkan as our guide, he gave us all historic background of every attraction in the city, while enjoying his company and conversations throughout our journeys. It was a pleasure spending all these days in his company, and made our experience unforgettable!!!,

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Explore the historical + modern hub: Pera, Karaköy and Beyond

İstanbul

During our (4) days in Istanbul, we were lucky to have Volkan as our guide, he gave us all historic background of every attraction in the city, while enjoying his company and conversations throughout our journeys. It was a pleasure spending all these days in his company, and made our experience unforgettable!!!,

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Public Boat Tour on the Bosphorus

İstanbul

This Bosphorus boat trip was beautiful watching the Palaces over the waterfront. The Asian coast of Istanbul is vibrant.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

H

Transport

Urban Hiking Tour: Strolling around Old City Walls, Fener + Balat

İstanbul

During our (4) days in Istanbul, we were lucky to have Volkan as our guide, he gave us all historic background of every attraction in the city, while enjoying his company and conversations throughout our journeys. It was a pleasure spending all these days in his company, and made our experience unforgettable!!!,

Quality of Experience

H

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

I was really lucky to have found Kimkim, randomly searching for itineraries to visit Greece. I was finding it very hard to plan the perfect itinerary with so many options to choose from. So when I first contacted them, Effie was very helpful in sorting out our best options for our trip. Our 8 day visit started in Athens, then the Islands of Paros, Santorini and Mykonos. All transfers and activities were carefully planned and coordinated, making our trip so enjoyable. The hotels selected were spectacular!!! The daily communications with the team via Whatsapp was so helpful. The last day back in Athens, Effie wanted to meet with us and it was the perfect ending to our beautiful time in Greece! Thank you also for our welcome gift!!! Hope to see you again, Effie! We loved Greece 🇬🇷♥️ and want to return some day!

Hotel Reviews

Athenian Foss

Athens

Perfectly located in the heart of Athens

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Adonis Hotel & Apartments

Naoussa

Gorgeous hotel in Naoussa, Ana, from the very first moment was so cine and helpful!!!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Above Blue Suites Santorini

Santorini

Gorgeous hotel with caldera view, very friendly and helpful staff

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

The George Hotel

Mykonos

Excellent hotel and staff, gorgeous views

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Athens City & Acropolis Small-group Guided Tour

Athens

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

U

Transport

Santorini Caldera Small-group Sunset Cruise with BBQ on board and Open Bar

Santorini

This experience was by far the highlight of Greece, what an incredible trip around the Island, with the most amazing staff! Views, food and bathing in the ocean were fantastic and unforgettable!!! Thanks to all!!!

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Salty Travel did a fantastic job of making an itinerary for our family of 4. Lots of great suggestions of activities and we had fabulous accommodation too. We would happily organise another trip with them.

We were very impressed with all of the tour guides on our trip. We had tour guides in Athens at the Acropolis, in Chania (on Crete) for a food tour (Maria), one while hiking the Imbros Gorge (Nikos), another at the Knossos Palace (Carin), and another for a half day trip around Paros (Nicole). All were very knowledgeable and added a lot to our understanding about Greek culture. They were really delightful to spend time with. We also appreciated their professionalism . They all seemed to be very interested in giving us a better understanding of Greece.

We were also very impressed with the transportation on our trip. All of the drivers were there on time and transported us to our next destination in comfort.

Hotel Reviews

Elia Bettolo Hotel

Chania

The room was very comfortable. The location was very central which made for a fun stay.

Authenticity & Character

The front desk/ lobby is very small. It does not make for a very inviting entry.

Location

It is close to everything in Chania

Staff

For the most part staff was friendly and engaging

Cleanliness & Comfort

Bed was very comfortable

Sweet Home Hotel

Athens

It was an adequate facility with a good location and breakfast. Staff was helpful and friendly. We were hoping for a more unique hotel for our first few nights in Greece, however.

Authenticity & Character

There was nothing special about the facility

Location

The property seemed a little run down

Staff

Very Freindly

Cleanliness & Comfort

Mr & Mrs White Paros

Paros

This is a very unique property with a good design theme. It felt like an oasis at the end of our three week trip. The grounds were well landscaped and the pools were very inviting.

Authenticity & Character

The hotel design is a good example of modern greek architecture. It is very well maintained.

Location

It was about a 1 km walk to town on a very busy road with no sidewalks. We didn’t mind having to walk into town, but the road was a bit of a nuisance

Staff

Very attentive and friendly staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Everything was immpeccable

Activity Reviews

Acropolis & Acropolis Museum Guided Tour

Athens

Our tour guide (I wish I could remember her name) was extremely knowledgeable and a very delightful person to spend time with. She held an advanced degree in Greek history which gave her good credentials to conduct the tour.

Quality of Experience

See above

Guides, Drivers and Staff

See above

An ultimate food experience in the villages around Chania

Chania

Nikos was a very courteous and helpful guide. It was fun to spend time with him and the hike through the gorge was very memorable.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Half Day Paros Highlights tour

Paros

Nicole was a great guide. Once again, she was a fun person to spend time with and she was a wealth of knowledge. The insights she gave about the history of Paros (and Greek mythology in general) were really fascinating.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

The private tour of Knossos Minoan palace

Greece

Carin was an excellent tour guide. She was lot’s of funk and very knowledgeable

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport