Kimkim Trip Reviews

Our local specialist, Chris, was great with communication while planning our trip as well as during it. He was able to change our itinerary while we were in Guatemala on short notice due to an illness in our group, so that we could still do an excursion that was important to us on a different day. Our in-country tour guide and driver was also great - very welcoming and knowledgeable.

This trip beat our expectations by a mile. Hassan was very good with listening to the experiences we asked for before the trip and delivered. We were also able to add things to our itinerary during the trip seamlessly. Our driver and car organized by Hassan was clean, always on time and comfortable. Our guided walks/tours in both Fez and Marrakech were so informative and fun. We saw so much in a week, without feeling like it was rushed. I would recommend Hassan again 100%.

Our local guide was really good - kept us organized, helped with restaurant planning, and good overview of places, e.g. shrines and traditional places.

I found KimKim to plan my honeymoon to Portugal. I didn't have the bandwidth to plan a trip in addition to my wedding and I also had never been to Europe (and, frankly, didn't know where to begin). We had an unbelievable time. Tiago was so flexible and understanding of our budget, where American travel agents were uniformly pressuring me to double (!!!) the amount I wanted to spend. All of the excursions Tiago booked for us were divine and luxurious. The roadbook was so thorough and detailed. We enjoyed every single recommendation---from restaurants to historical landmarks. I can't believe the amount of money we spent for what we got in return. It was a dream, romantic, adventurous and high-end honeymoon for a reasonable price. Can not recommend the sunset sailboat cruise around Lisbon enough. Absolutely stunning.

Tiago is an incredibly hardworking person and a very nice guy. He did a phenomenal job. He was very active and present throughout the duration of the trip to ensure we had everything we needed. Thank you so much, Tiago, for giving us the honeymoon of our dreams!

10000/10

We had a fantastic time on our trip to the Andalusia region of Spain! KimKim made all arrangements extremely convenient. The guides were impeccable and open to suggestions with our itinerary. Each of the four hotels we stayed at were incredibly nice in a great area of town. I would highly suggest KimKim to anyone traveling for pleasure in the future.

Helena was a huge help planning our first trip to Spain. All her suggestions and tips were super helpful. She was VERY patient with us and our multiple (7!) revisions over a period of almost 6 months.
Our 10 days in Spain were incredible - our most memorable vacation in 9 years (and their have been many!)
The transfers were all on time and comfortable, the hotels were fabulous, the excursions and guides were incredible... each tour got better and better as the trip went on!
Planning our trip with KimKim took a lot of pressure and worries out of the process and made our trip that much more enjoyable. During the trip, if we had any questions, Helena or her assistants were just a message away in the "Trip Plans" app and they always responded immediately. (LOVED the app! So Organized and detailed!)
We ended up getting engaged on the beach of Tossa de Mar on our 8th day and Helena was so helpful in recommending the professional photographer to my now fiancé! She even went above and beyond to upgrade our final hotel room in barcelona to a higher floor with a congratulations basket of Prosecco and chocolate dipped strawberries! It was the perfect way to celebrate!
We are already using KimKim again to plan our trip to Rome and the Amalfi Coast. We have been recommending them to anyone planning trip... and we highly suggest working with Helena if you are going to Spain!
Thanks again Helena (and team), for everything!!!!

Hotel Reviews

Ohla Barcelona

Barcelona

Amazing location. Fantastic rooftop pool, bar and views Incredible breakfast! They will make fresh eggs to your liking AND cappuccinos at your request as well! Very friendly staff, always so kind, attentive and helpful. Be prepared for firm beds everywhere in Spain. but the pillows were nice and we slept well. Would definitely stay here again

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Be prepared for firm beds everywhere in Spain. but the pillows were nice and we slept well.

W Barcelona

Barcelona

FABULOUS! WOW!!!! We stayed here before our flight out... and the SPA was sooooo nice after a busy 10 days of exploring and adventure. The outdoor pool was cold but I still went in. The dinner at NOXE on the top floor was so delicious with an amazing view, great vibes and very friendly staff. Incredible breakfast! Huge Spread! and so nice to eat out on the patio with the view of the beach. Would definitely stay here again

Authenticity & Character

Super cool design and vibe! Felt like a rockstar!

Location

Incredible view of the marina/cruise port, Montjuïc and the beach and

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Full Day Barcelona Old Town & Sagrada Família

Barcelona

Our guide was soooo knowledgeable and fun. We saw so much on this full day, customized private tour and learned a lot! The Sagrada Familia and The houses on the Block of Discord were incredible!!!!!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Private Hike in Montserrat Mountain & Explore Penedès Wineries

Barcelona

OMG it was so beautiful up on Montserrat! The views were amazing, the funicular was so much fun, our hike was worth it for the views, and the tour of the monastery & other buildings was impressive. Our private guide was so funny and made the hike/walk enjoyable (wear good sneakers/hiking shoes and bring water!) The winery was very nice and the tasting was delicious. We learned a lot.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Private Cooking Class in Costa Brava

Spain

Mariona and Pere are AMAZING! They are full of knowledge, are so kind & funny, and have so many wonderful stories to share. The tour of the Market in Palafrugell was a great way to start the day shopping for our ingredients (seeing all the fresh seafood was the best part), and then we were welcomed into their own home and kitchen... which was such an honour. I could go on and on about the delicious food we learned to make and the incredible experience of working alongside this lovely couple in their beautiful home to create this masterpiece seafood Fideua (Paella made with Pasta instead of rice) and Creme Brûlée. (oh and I can't forget the suprisingly delicious Catalan Tomato Garlic Bread with Spanish Anchovies as an appetizer - SO good!). Our conversation over the meal was so special and I felt like we were old friends by the end of the day. Thank you for the most amazing experience Mariona & Pere. You are incredible!

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Coastal Hike, Kayaking & Lagoon Dipping in Costa Brava

Spain

This was an incredible experience... the views along the coastal hike were unreal, and then when we got to paddle our kayak down along the coast, it was so neat to see everything we'd hiked along from a different vantage point. We had perfect weather and fun waves... we were brave and paddled through caves and near cliffs - it was a fun team-building experience for my fiancé and I haha! and the lagoon dipping and snorkelling was made extra special when we got to jump off of various heights of cliffs! Bucket list item checked! Our guide was so informative and funny, and he even took photos for us while we were on the kayak and cliff jumping using his own phone which he sent to us that night.... that allowed us to fully enjoy the experience but still have the captured memories. This was one of the best excursions of my life!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

I have only positive things to say about our trip to Viet Nam. From the time we landed in Saigon until when we were dropped off at the airport in Dan Ang, we had a fantastic time.

Our "travel consultant", Huyen was SO patient taking our input and making changes to our itinerary until we we satisfied we had what we want. Of all the fun things we did, I have to say the Saigon Food Tour, and the two food classes were the highlights. And maybe the thing that most impressed me was that everything was right on schedule. The only exception was when the typhoon forced us to reschedule one of the food classes, and even that was taken care of with amazing efficiency.

No question, we will use Kimkim to help us arrange our next trip to SE Asia.

On a scale of 1-5, they get a 10!

Hotel Reviews

Riverside Hotel Saigon

(+84) 28 3822 4038

Great location, clean, comfortable rooms, wonderful breakfast!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Easy walk to things in District 1

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

New Livitrans Train

Authenticity & Character

Cleanliness & Comfort

Betel Garden Villas

This hotel was over the top. The rooms were fine, the grounds were amazingly beautiful, and maybe most importantly, the staff were SOOO accomodating and helpful.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Hoi An Cooking Class (Join a small group)

Hoi An

Our chef/instructor was lots of fun, every entertaining and SO much energy!

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Saigon Cooking Class (Hoa Tuc) - With Going to The Market (Join -in a Group Tour)

Ho Chi Minh City

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

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

Ho Chi Minh City

Sooooo much fun!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Ravi and Active India Holidays provided exactly what I had asked for. There was never any issues or problems once my trip began. Ravi and staff were always in constant communication with me. Responses to any questions immediate in India, within 12 hours because of time difference US/ India. All hotels, guides and especially my driver were top quality. Highly recommend.

Our trip to Australia was a once in a lifetime experience. Vicky, from KimKim, did a spectacular job in every aspect. The hotels were both conveniently located and well above average. The guide in Sydney, Andrew, was a former teacher and singer at the Opera House and was a font of information and a pleasure to be with. The guide in Melbourne, John, took us on a walking tour and it was also very well orchestrated. He also was flexible as we had to change the date. Vicky was extremely helpful in resolving some rental car issues. She got back to me on a daily basis assuring me that it would get sorted. I would highly recommend both KimKim and Vicky for travel plans

This was our second trip planned through KimKim in 2024. As with the first, it was tailored to our interests and seamless! Working with Eric was again a pleasure, he offered various ideas and options for the itinerary and was responsive to questions and concerns.

Activity Reviews

Forest Lagoon

Iceland

The best of all seven great geothermal baths we visited on this trip! Such a beautiful setting and varied options for soaking and sauna.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Krauma

Iceland

Runner up for the best stop. Beautiful setting, multiple pools for soaking, infrared sauna and a steam room.

Quality of Experience

The view, the variety of soaking pool (temperatures), the saunas

Guides, Drivers and Staff

We were able to enter several hours earlier than reservation time, friendly staff

The Geothermal Vok Baths

Iceland

The beauty of the baths are best appreciated with a little daylight - we arrived after dark, and were unable to visual the setting very well. This is not a criticism of the facility - we understand the concept of keeping artificial lighting to a minimum!

Quality of Experience

The natural setting, several pools and the quiet - other than a few loud guests, but they were just enjoying themselves.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Staff were friendly and knowledgeable. Explained the process upon arrival.

Our Kimkim agent selected 2 hotels, one of which we were very pleased with. The activities he chose were very enjoyable and informative. However, the final itinerary still contained frustrating errors - despite requests to correct it. Plus, I had to remind the agent to send it to me - despite earlier communications about our eagerness to see final details. In addition, the process of planning the trip was not transparent (especially the costs).

Our guides, Ana (El Escorial), Mercedes (Avila),
Luis (Salamanca), and Mariano (La Granja and Segovia) were wonderful, very knowledgeable and easy to understand. The hotels were all very good and centrally located. It was very enjoyable and relaxing vacation.

Trip to Morocco was unforgettable. Megan provided excellent service and answered our every question in a timely manner. Thank you Megan! Our first exerience with a local guide was not as pleasant. Our ferry was delayed and the first words out of our guides mouth was, "I've been waiting for 3 hours". We were tired, hungry and traumatized by trying to navigate our way to the ferry and then find him and didn't appreciate his negativity. However our guide for the week more than made up for it. Kamir was EXCELLENT! He tended to our every need and made us feel safe and comfortable in a very unfamiliar place. He shared his vast knowledge with us and tried his best to teach us Berber and Arabic words. He was very patient and kind, I can't say enough good about him. He really helped us navigate the unknown and was very reassuring the whole time. Thank you Kamir!!! Our Fez city guide was also very good. I think his name was Kamir. My only complaint is that I would have preferred the city tour be more about the history and the sites rather than the heavy emphasis on shopping. Karim Boutellaka was our guide for the Atlas mountain hike and he was also EXELLENT! We learned so much from him about the forest and he even insisted on sharing his lunch with him. He is an amazing guide and very kind and patient man. Sara at Wanderlust was also very helpful. She jumped in when we were considering a moumtain bike trip but unfortunately illness prevented us from taking advantage of her planning. The dessert was incredible and quite an experience. I can't get over the night sky and the quiet of the dessert. The camel ride was fun and the camels were very sweet and mellow. There is so much beauty in Morocco and the people are so kind! It was a great experience.

Hotel Reviews

Meteorites Boulaajoul

Zaida

Nice accomodations. The staff a little too friendly for my personality.

Riad Madu Luxury Camp

Merzouga

Not up to my expectations. Air conditioning didn't work and water pressure was not good.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Dar Alfourssane

Ouarzazate

Very nice and roomy riad. Staff friendly and accomodating. Rooms were clean.

Hotel & Ryad Art Place Marrakech

Marrakech

Very nice hotel with a good restaurant. Breakfast was included and wonderful! Staff especially in the breakfast restaurant were incredible, very helpful and kind. Room was spacious and clean. Water pressure was great! I finally was able to wash my long, thick hair!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Akchour Falls from Chefchaouen

Chefchaouen

I'm glad Kamir decided to hike with us because our guide spoke little to no English. It would have been much less pleasant if Kamir wasn't with us. Also, we were told the hike to God's Bridge was under water. We spoke to other tourists the next day and find out that was not the case. I would have liked to hike there too.

Tour Fes with a Private Guide

Fes

I would have preferred hearing more about the history and culture and less shopping.

Atlas Mountains Hike

Morocco

Hike in the forest with Kamir was wonderful! He was so kind and knowledgeble!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Camel Trek into a Luxury Sahara Camp

Morocco

I did not like the way the driver drove from the drop off point to where we started our camel ride. He drove like a madman over the sand dunes, very bumpy and unpleasant. The camel ride was great. Not the most comfortable mode of transportation by hey, it's a camel ride in the dessert! Our guide was very kind and helpful. My favorite part was the night sky after all the lights in the camp were turned off. Incredible! We say the milky way, shooting stars and a planet. In addition watching the sunrise and sunset was amazing!

Sahara to Ouarzazate via Todra Gorge

Morocco

Todra Gorge is beautiful. Fun watching the rock climbers. I felt like I was back in Utah where I had just been on vacation.

Ouarzazate to Marrakech via Aït Benhaddou

Morocco

Scenery was spectular during the drip through the Tizi ,nTicka Pass and through the high Atlas Mountains. Enjoyed our stop at Ait Benhaddou.

Food Tour

Marrakesh

We never could have navigated our way through the many food tents so we more than happy to have Mohammed pave te way. Still have no idea why we started the tour with a donut but hey when in Morocco...

Tour Marrakech with a private guide

Marrakesh

Chefchaouen to Fes via Volubilis

Morocco

Very interest ruins. So glad we visited.

A great trip to Paris and area

All of our drivers were excellent! Beautiful, clean vehicles, water provided, etc. Thomas in particular provided some interesting information about Paris upon our arrival. Christian when above and beyond by stopping in our hotel in Paris when we realized we left our passports and wallet. The assistance with making sure we got in the correct trains was very much appreciated.

All of the accommodations were in good locations and provided nice breakfasts. When we got stuck in the elevator in Hotel Monsiuer They were very attentive to be sure we were okay. In Hotel Belle Normandy they opened their kitchen early so we could have some breakfast before our departure.

Our food tour in Paris was excellent! Christina, was knowledgeable, intelligent, entertaining and provided such a great variety of experiences and accommodated our preferences! Ending at the little wine spot with our charcuterie was such a lively way to end our tour. She also recommended a place to go to for great views of the city upon the end of our tour.

Our tour of Versailles was very well done. Tobias was also very interesting and informative. We loved the clear explanations of the history and his perspective of the environment etc We had great conversations!

Montmartre & Sacré Coeur Walking Tour -Was a huge disappointment! Florencia, was anything but entertaining or enthusiastic. We left the tour after 20 minutes.

The Juno Beach tour was very good. Guide was knowledgeable of the Winnipeg participation in the war and so much more. He took the group to a great spot for lunch which provided a nice opportunity to chat with fellow guests as well as enjoy some great food. Between the guide and the fellow travellers we went to a couple of great restaurants before leaving the area of Normandy.

Our food tour in Boudreaux was very underwhelming. Astrid was not familiar with the tour for this company, so it felt like we were just wandering. The amount of food was almost non existent. Paying $50 euros extra for the tiny bit our kids had was ridiculous.

So in closing , Natalie was great to work with she tried hard to figure out what we would enjoy. The drivers and travel was super seamless and excellent drivers. The hotels met our expectations of clean, good location, and good breakfasts. The tours really ranged in quality. The combination of both private and group tours was a perfect mix.

Deanna

Activity Reviews

Eiffel Tower Summit Ticket

Paris

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Seine Cruise with Commentary

Paris

The description of which boat was not made clear. The number of people on the boat was overwhelming, but it was nice to see the city from the water. We were glad we waited for a nicer day. So the flexibility of the tickets was helpful.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Day 1: arrival into Hanoi
Pick up at airport was good, stand in guide Mr Thrung was knowledgeable and enthusiastic, and gave a great restaurant recommendation for dinner: we went twice!
Hotel DeSyloia was very good quality; staff attentive; room clean, and everything worked. very satisfied.

Day 2/ 3: Touring Hanoi. Guide Mr Que very effective . All the itinerary was enjoyable, with possible exception of the Lacquerware factory visit, where heavy selling approach was excessive.
Most favourite tour was boat trip at Trang An caves. Outstanding experience, the highlight of Hanoi visit for us, and would highly recommend to incldue in any Hanoi itinerary.

Day 3: transfer by VietAirJet to Hue. Good flight; all went well.

Day4/5: enjoyed Hue markets and cultural stops. Our Guide Mr Hoa was again knowledgeable and enthusiastic, particularly taking us to authentic Vietnamese eateries for lunch, and to local food markets.

Indochine Palace a good hotel. Staff kindly switched rooms to one with a bath tub, promptly and without fuss.

Day6/8: transfer to Hoi Ann. We enjoyed drive from Hue to Hoi Ann, including stop at Bana Hills.
Cultural tour was good, lantern making “ok”, and we enjoyed having time to tour Hoi Ann ourselves.
The biking visit to organic farm was rained off, but, in all honesty, we appreciated a day just to relax after the preceding schedule!

Silk Senses Hotel was excellent, if a bit removed from Hoi Ann centre.

Day 9: Transfer to Siem Reap. Instead of a direct flight, KimKim booked us on a two leg flight from Danang to Siem Reap, with a 3 hour layover in Bangkok. Was worst part of itinerary planning, and basically wasted a whole day. Rest of itinerary planning and communication was excellent.

Hotel Saem Siem Reap was fine, except location of our room (#101) faced reception and pool, which meant a parade of guests walking past our ground floor window all day- so no sense of privacy. It was also next to the bar, which was noisy.

The whole Siem Reap tour was very special, and we enjoyed all of it, including Dawn at Angkor Wat. Our Guide Mr Phal was outstanding, and we felt privileged to have the benefit of his expertise and attention to detail.

Would not hesitate to recommend KimKim as guide and itinerary planners.

I don’t wish the gripes above to detract from a truly memorable experience, that we would strongly recommend to others.

Our African trip was amazing. We had Eric as a guide in Kenya and Rama as a guide in Tanzania. Both were wonderful young man who were so knowledgable about everything. Our accommodations were terrific, and the food was very good as Well. We had wonderful weather. I told Kim Kim to arrange that and he did. This is the second time I have used this company and both trips were wonderful. The first was Egypt and Jordan. I would highly recommend them. They are very efficient and very happy to make any changes at any time, Dorothy McConville

All Greek English Speaking Private Guides made our 01-03 Nov Athens Experiences, 03-05 Nov 2024 Meteora, 05-07 Nov 2024 Thessaloniki unforgetable, incredible, amazing and unique experiences for my wife and I. Same true with our 11-Nov 2024 Aegina with Andreas.

Coco-Mat was a fantastic 5 star hotel for food, location and room to Athens City Center but Wifi was less than stellar for work and reception. Divani Palace for 03-05 Nov 2024 at Kalambaka and Makedonia Palace were both outstanding for food , location, and room to the city centers to both Kalambaka and Thessaloniki.

Hotel Review

Herodion Hotel

Acropolis, Athens

Herodion had outstanding food, location, and service to Acropolis and Athens City Center, but wifi was sub standard.

Authenticity & Character

Incredible authenticity and character.

Location

Next to Acropolis location, restaurants, shops and museum.

Staff

Gave personal attention to our needs.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Clean

Activity Review

The Ultimate Day Trip to Hydra Island

Athens

Andreas made our family trip of seven unforgetable. Tour all over Aegina was amazing. All 7 adults of various ages had an incredible memorable time.

Quality of Experience

Incredible experience.. Andreas and the three drivers.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Guides personalized the needs for the tour. We are able to see the entire island including Saint Nectarios Church and Monastery.

Transport

Professional and safe with traffic challenges.

Our guide Ana was amazing - great insight into the region’s history, culture. And the sites, food, recommendations were spot on! Fantastic visit to a country I’ll be coming back to!

What a fantastic Kenyan safari trip we have just finished. It was organised by Joseph, we had quick reply’s and great suggestions just cannot fault their service. Then there was our accommodation, The Cliff Lake Nakuru and Entim Camp Maasai Mara, what absolute luxury, these places are unbelievable. The service from the staff and the food is next level, just loved every minute. Then there was our guide/driver Andrew what a bloody superstar! 5 days of adventure with this man. So knowledgeable and the best sense of humour. We saw everything possible with Andrew, the big 5 within a few hours and so much more! We did find the driving on the highways between the camps a little scary but felt so much at ease with Andrew and his driving. We loved the way all the Safari drivers in the parks communicated and if there was something to be seen the radio went crazy and it was all on. We just cannot recommend enough the KimKim team and our absolute legend of a guide Andrew, thank you so much for the holiday of a lifetime!

We took a 7 day tour including Fes, Rabat, Marrakesh and Agafay with a dedicated car and driver. All accommodations were of very high quality. The Riad El Yacout in Fes, a restored 13th century residence, was exceptional in both architectural details and service. Touring the old city and souks of Fes was one of the highlights of our trip.
Rabat was a very clean more modern city on the Atlantic coast, but basically felt like a filler destination. I wouldn't go there again.
In Marrakesh, we enjoyed the very comfortable and beautiful Riad Chergui with the french influences of its owners, and had a fantastic small group food tour around the central square and in the souks and many more hours wandering through the markets the next day. Overall, we preferred Fes to the much larger, noisier, congested, and polluted Marrakesh.
Our final destination was a luxe tent "camp" in the Agafay Valley desert some 40 kilometers south of Marrakesh, with photo-op camel ride. All guests were well-heeled international tourists, if that's the kind of company you travel to Morocco to be with. The dinner meal was exceptional; I probably wouldn't do this again, ever.

The area that Kimkim should most consider upgrading is their advice on tipping. Tipping is basically expected everywhere. Kimkim's brief guide was not that helpful and in many cases was outdated. I fretted most about tipping our driver and guides. Apparently a 10% tip is standard and acceptable, but what we actually paid our driver and the various guides was buried in the overall fee paid to Kimkim. That information would have made our trip much more pleasant for me.