Kimkim Trip Reviews

Our Driver Karim was amazing. He is experienced, kind, and friendly. His eagerness to please and his intuition to read our every need was truly mind blowing. His mission was to give us the very best Moroccan experience….and he succeeded. We had the best vacation ever. The Moroccan people are kind and greet you with open arms. I have never felt so welcomed. All the sites we visited and experiences we had made for an unforgettable vacation of a lifetime.

Our family of three generations (grandmother, 74, daughter & husband, and grandchildren, 18 & 14) all absolutely loved our first ever visit to Japan. Our first overall impressions were of the politeness and respect, the cleanliness (of streets/stations/trains/shops/hotels) and the efficiency and punctuality of the trains. Our guide, Suzuki san, on our first day in Tokyo, was so informative, interesting and friendly. He realised that on our first day a quiet walk along the river with beautiful cherry blossoms was a good introduction - then we ventured to the shops, which the grandchildren especially loved. We all thought the Meiji Shrine was wonderful, and the Togo Shrine, where they were celebrating an anniversary, so there were monks chanting, and stalls outside. The next day another guide, Yoshiko, took us to Sensoji temple, which although impressive, with all the stalls, was extremely crowded. Earlier we visited the fish market at Tsukiji, which was fascinating. Moving on to Kyoto, which we loved, and June, our guide was really good and explained everything so clearly. The Golden Temple was one of the highlights, and we loved the Nishiki street market. We had a tea ceremony, which was impressive, and went through the bamboo forest in Arashiyama, which we all liked very much. We changed our planned itinerary the next day, as it involved many hours travelling to see cherry blossoms in Yoshino, and we all thought that would be too tiring, and we saw many, many beautiful cherry blossoms in and around Kyoto. We gave June the day off, and looked after ourselves in Kyoto.
On our way to Osaka we had a tour of the Suntory Whisky Distillery, which the adults enjoyed, particularly my son-in-law - the children weren't allowed on it, so had to wait outside. On to Osaka with June, who showed us the beautiful Castle Gardens. Thence to Hiroshima, and the wonderful Japanese garden, followed by the memorable and thought-provoking Peace Memorial Park. Our guide, Fumiko, was very interesting and sympathetic. Finally, our fabulous Onsen hotel in Hakone. It was wonderful to be in the countryside, out of the cities, and we all enjoyed our Onsen baths immensely. The six course Japanese dinner was delicious, and beautifully served. Then back to busy Tokyo! Our hotel was by the Shibuya Scramble - so we were in the thick of it! We found a karaoke bar, which for me was a novel experience and fun.

Hotel Review

The Gate Hotel Kyoto Takasegawa by Hulic

Kyoto

The hotel is so comfortable, and very well located. The staff are friendly, and polite. The breakfasts were so good! We really loved the lounge/bar/restaurant up on the top floor, with stunning views.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Arrival to Japan

Japan

We had very long queues, due to Covid checks and immigration, which was quite tiring, after a long flight, even though we had done all the QR codes on the Visit Japan Web. Our greeter met us successfully, but didn't seem to know about our driver, who was also waiting for us. Eventually, we rang him and met up. Our greeter sorted our our Suica cards. Our driver gave us a comfortable journey to our Pullman hotel.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Modern Tokyo Tour and cherry blossoms

Tokyo

I've already reviewed this earlier

Quality of Experience

Toyosu Fish/Tsukiji Market Food Tour

Tokyo

I've already reviewed this earlier

Quality of Experience

Explore Asakusa

Tokyo

Impressive, but very crowded

Golden Pavilion (Kinkakuji) and Ryoanji

Kyoto

A beautiful, peaceful place

Nishiki Market

Kyoto

Really fun and interesting, with all the different foods on display, and eating/tasting available

Visit Kyoto's most famous temple- Fushimi Inari - Taisha

Kyoto

Very impressive, and a special place

One-day trip to Arashiyama, a true cherry blossom paradise!

Kyoto

A beautiful place, with lovely traditional houses, shops and restaurants

Traditional Tea Ceremony

Kyoto

We all enjoyed this very much, learning about the traditional rituals, and tasting the matcha tea.

Suntory Yamazaki Whiskey Distillery

Japan

A very interesting tour, and even if one didn't like whisky, the tasting was worth doing!

Sightseeing & Food Tour of Osaka

Osaka

The Castle Garden was beautiful, but very crowded. We didn't do the food tour.

Hiroshima & Miyajima Day!

Japan

The Shukkeien Garden was beautiful and peaceful and not too crowded, despite the cherry blossom season. We then visited the Castle briefly, which was quite a warrior-like building, reminiscent of the samurai. Then we went to the Peace Memorial Park, which was very special and thought-provoking. We didn't go to Miyajima as it was so crowded, with long queues, and it would have been very tiring. We were very happy with what we did see. Our guide, Fumiko, recommended a very good Okonomi-yaki restaurant for our supper.

Discover Hakone

Hakone

This was heavenly, being right in the countryside, in the hills, and experiencing the wonderful, relaxing Onsen baths. The hotel was amazing - the rooms were large. Our 6 course Japanese dinner was truly memorable. We didn't want to explore Hakone the next morning - as it was our last proper day, so it was relaxing to enjoy the hotel and garden, and then make our way back to Odawara to catch the train to Tokyo in our own time. It would have been tiring to check out/go to Odawara/do the tours/come back to the hotel to pick up our bags, then back to Odawara station, then to Tokyo.

Trip of a lifetime! Our driver and contacts were amazing and not a detail was dropped. Will definitely book with them again! Make sure to add the Sahara Desert to your itinerary.

All the hotels, transportation , tour activities and car rental were as described by Nichole. Overall I was very pleased by the whole experience.

Our guide Youssef was amazing!!! He was extremely informative about our trip route, coordinated various cultural experiences, gave us tremendous insight about Moroccan culture, history, and its people. He engaged us during the entire trip, including many long drives as we did the clockwise route. He also went above and beyond expectations in bringing us to late dinners and picking us up afterwards. He ensured our safety throughout the entire trip and we felt very comfortable with him. I would highly recommend him to anyone exploring Morocco!

Activity Reviews

Explore the Blue City

Chefchaouen

Highly recommend that everyone explore this city. It's well worth the drive. We originally reserved a hotel outside the Medina and Youssef brought us to a much better hotel in the heart of the city, which contributed to an amazing experience.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Guided Tour of Volubilis

Volubilis

We enjoyed the tour guide and learning about the place.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Fes: Exploring the Imperial City

Fes

Our local tour guide didn't give us as much insight as we thought we would get from the Medina and seemed more interested in taking us to shops, where we felt pressured to buy something. I would have enjoyed more cultural and historical information.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Fez – Ifrane – Azrou – Mildelt – Errachidia – Merzouga ( 7 Hours Drive).

Morocco

Long drive but Youssef kept us engaged.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Camel trek to your camp

Merzouga

We didn't have a camel trek to our camp. However, we booked Kam Kam dunes and our hotel accommodation included a sunset camel trek.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Erg Chebbi – Tinejdad – Todra Gorges – Tinerir – Dades Gorge( 4 Hours)

Morocco

Drive was fine.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Dades Gorge – Ouarzazate – Ait Benhaddou – Telouet – Marrakech ( 5 Hour Drive)

Morocco

Very very pretty drive. Loved the views.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Marrakech – Visit Of The City ( No Drive).

Morocco

Our tour guide Chama was amazing! She was extremely informative and provided us with tremendous insight about Marrakech. She was very passionate and engaging. Highly recommend her.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Marrakech Food Tour

Marrakesh

We already rated this on Abdul's trip advisor site. Highly recommend him!!

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

My family (2 adults, 2 kids ages 9 and 11) spent 9 days in Costa Rica. We started in Arenal/La Fortuna. Our hotel, Tifakara Lodge, was amazing. The room was very private and comfortable, the included breakfast was wonderful, and the pool/hot tub area was very relaxing. While we were there, we went to Sky Adventures for zip lining. It was very fun, but we all felt like we had missed out on some of the amazing views because it was raining and pelting our faces as we made our way down. I would definitely do it again though. We also did a hanging bridge hike there that was great, and then had lunch at their cafe. The second day we went on a tour of the Arenal volcano and the lake. Again, it was raining, so our view of the volcano was limited but the guide was interesting and we all enjoyed it. The third day we traveled to Monteverde, but before we left we walked up to the La Fortuna waterfall from the hotel. The trip to Monteverde took about 3 hours, and included crossing Lake Arenal by boat. We stayed at El Establo Mountain resort. Our room was a family suite, and had a good amount of space. However, the hotel is on a hillside and requires either very steep walks to the room or other buildings, or waiting for a shuttle. I would not recommend this hotel for anyone with any kind of mobility issues. Otherwise, it was very large compared to our first hotel and felt less special and more like a large (somewhat rundown) resort. The next day we toured the cloud forest with a guided group, and then went to Don Juan’s chocolate tour in the evening. It was so much fun, and my kids loved all of the chocolate and coffee samples. We also did a little night hike there and saw some different wildlife. The following morning we toured the Children’s Eternal Rainforest in the morning with a guide. He showed us some very unusual birds, snakes, and plants and helped us get pictures of everything. In the afternoon we were driven to Manuel Antonio. There we stayed at La Mariposa hotel, which was lovely. We had a two bedroom “apartment”, which included a kitchen area that we didn’t really need, two bedrooms, and a large balcony overlooking the pool/ocean. The view was amazing. This was the only hotel that did not include breakfast in the price, but they did offer a large buffet breakfast where we ate both mornings. The first day there we spent the morning in the national park. This tour was a little disappointing because our guide was asked by someone to add several people to our group while we were getting started, so our group went from 8 people to 15 in about 5 minutes. That’s a lot of people to look through a scope anytime he spotted something interesting- most of the time the animal had moved before everyone got to see whatever it was. Also, it was very hot and crowded in the park. For what ended up being a fairly short tour, I felt really drained afterward. The tour rather abruptly ended at the beach, and we were left on our own there. We stayed and swam for about two hours, then took a taxi back to the hotel. Be aware that this was by far the most chaotic city that we visited - but it was Holy Week before Easter and we were told that everyone was on vacation. On our last full day we toured the Kids Saving the Rainforest facility. If you have young children, possibly 8 and younger, this is a great tour for them to see some wildlife in a more zoo-like setting. Most of the tours we went on involved looking through a scope at wildlife, but this is a rehabilitation center where the animals are in large cages. It’s not a long tour either, but I found their program interesting and was impressed by what they are accomplishing. From their we had one last drive to San Jose, and flew home the following morning.

Hotel Review

Tifakara Boutique Hotel

La Fortuna

This hotel is beautiful, the employees are so friendly and accommodating, and the rooms are private. The breakfast is amazing - not the standard buffet. You choose off of a menu, plus there is a buffet of breads, juice, etc. There is a fancy coffee machine available all the time. We all took advantage of grabbing a coffee and sitting by the pool in the afternoon. They also include a night walk every evening, where you can see amazing frogs and insects. My only negatives- the rooms have metal roofs, and it gets really loud when it rains (often). Bring ear plugs. Also, the bathroom includes an outdoor shower, which we loved, but it essentially means that the bathroom is always damp and humid, so nothing dries. Neither of these things would keep me from going back - this was my favorite hotel that we stayed in.

Authenticity & Character

The landscaping is beautiful, the wildlife is right there, and it felt very relaxing.

Location

The hotel is not “in town”. It costs us $10 per taxi ride to go to La Fortuna for dinner. That was a fair trade for getting to be in a serene location.

Staff

The staff were accommodating and friendly. Everyone spoke to us as we walked around. I used the WhatsApp number to ask several questions, and always got a prompt response. They arranged taxis, etc. whenever we asked.

Cleanliness & Comfort

The room was very clean, and housekeeping did a good job every day. The furnishings, etc. are pretty basic, but comfortable. The outdoor shower was open to the bathroom, which kept it quite humid and nothing ever got dry in there (bathing suits, towels, etc.).

Activity Reviews

Chocolate & Night Hike Experience

Monteverde

This was so fun - probably my kid’s favorite tour of the trip! Our guide was great. In addition to learning all about making chocolate and coffee, there were lots of samples. We also did a little night walk and saw sloths, kinkajous, a snake, etc. There is also a store for stocking up on chocolate and coffee.

Quality of Experience

Fun, guide had great energy, included my kids

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Manuel Antonio National Park Guided Nature Hike

Manuel Antonio

This was my least favorite tour of our trip. There were too many people in our group - most tours we had between 4-8 people, this was 15. Every time the guide stopped to show us something, it took forever for everyone to take a turn looking through the scope - many times the animal had moved before everyone saw it.

Quality of Experience

Limit group size to 10 max

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

It seemed like we were left at the beach. Fortunately it was easy to get a taxi, but tge tour ends pretty abruptly.

Don’t look any further for a travel advisor. Kim Kim and their Moroccan partner, Moroccan Immersion Tours with Shannon was fantastic. We saw so much and had an amazing driver Sallam who took such good care of us. Hassan in Marrakech provided us with a 1/2 day. He was fantastic and so great with our high functioning spectrum child. Sied in Fes has an encyclopedic sized knowledge. Our accommodate were wonderful.Shannon and Kim Kim listened to what we wanted and they delivered. We felt so safe, this is an amazing country— would it hesitate to return.

Hotel Reviews

Riad Dar Justo

Marrakech

Would return I. A heartbeat. This is a quiet and comfortable Riad with an amazing breakfast in the Medina. Loved our stay.

Authenticity & Character

Stunning and tranquil

Location

I’m the Medina. Easy to navigate to and quiet too.

Staff

Efficient

Cleanliness & Comfort

Everything was perfect

Merzouga Dunes Camps

Merzouga

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Chez Ichou

Dades Gorge

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Riad Al Makan

Fès

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hilton Garden Inn Casablanca Sud

Casablanca

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Guided Tour of Marrakech

Marrakesh

Hassan was fantastic and helped us understand life in the Medina. Learned so much

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Guided Tour of Fes

Fes

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

We had a wonderful trip to Vietnam and Cambodia with Asia Aventura: the culture in both countries was so rich and diverse, with immersive rural visits, shows, and truly incredible historical sites. The food of course was fantastic, thanks to recommendations from our guides, from street food to our own cooking course. All in all the trip was well-paced, comfortable, and full of memories we will treasure forever. Our guides Nhan, My, Sang, Lee and Sen were so friendly, knowledgeable, and fun. And thank you Trang for putting it all together and making our honeymoon so special! We would highly recommend Asia Aventura to anyone who wants to discover the beauty and charm of Vietnam and Cambodia.

The transportation team was great, they gave us enough time to gather together; mostly on time.
Tacotel receptionist was most helpful; I believe she is the assistant manager. She made sure everyone was taken cared off; she helped us book extra tours; the kids love the Baldy Hotspring side trip; overall they enjoyed every moment.
Maria one of the tour guides on the rainforest hike in Fortuna, left in the middle of the hike and just directed us to go to the waterfalls.
Be that it may we made it back

Hotel Reviews

Hotel Heliconia

Monteverde

Stunning views, sunset was amazing seen from balcony;, saw some exotic birds, from the balcony and from the dinning room ; food was excellent

Authenticity & Character

Love the architecture,

Location

Quite, away from main business areas

Staff

Friendly and courteous

Cleanliness & Comfort

Cleaning ladies came in everyday, spa was excellent

Hotel Lavas Tacotal

Fortuna, San Carlos

We had a hard time with the door locks, need to turn 4x clockwise or counterclockwise to open the room; otherwise everything was great

Authenticity & Character

Away from the main city, nice quiet

Location

Beautiful scenery, away from crowds, best sushi and ramen place next door

Staff

Friendly

Cleanliness & Comfort

Garden maintenance was superb, laundry room not for guest -needs organization; pools were fun

Hampton by Hilton San José Airport

Alajuela

Spacious rooms, front desk smells like chlorox

Authenticity & Character

Spacious rooms and bathrooms

Location

Close to airport 10-15 minutes, walking distance to Dennys

Staff

Friendly

Cleanliness & Comfort

Bathroom is clean

Holiday Inn Express San Jose Airport

San Jose

Clean and spacious

Authenticity & Character

Easy access to elevator

Location

Close to airport 10-15 minutes

Staff

Friendly and accomodating

Cleanliness & Comfort

Clean bathroom

Activity Reviews

Venado Cave Spelunking & Exploring

Arenal/La Fortuna

Mainly the kids enjoyed it; I’m basically claustrophobic; I did not finish the entire route; but the guide was nice enough to come back for me and Protima Beautiful cave though

Quality of Experience

Natural rock formations inside

Guides, Drivers and Staff

He was fun and entertaining

Transport

On time

Arenal Volcano Horseback Adventure

Arenal/La Fortuna

Kids loved it, it was one of his favorite things to do

Quality of Experience

Perfect shape of the volcano

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Friendly and knows the types of fruits that grow around

Transport

On time and clean

Sky Adventures Hanging Bridges

Arenal/La Fortuna

Fun and beautiful, hanging bridges were a treatsa

Quality of Experience

A chance to connect with nature and reset perspective of life

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Friendly

Transport

On time,friendly

Río Peñas Blancas Safari Float

Arenal/La Fortuna

The local term for jip-bo-Jip - means land to water to land; Fortuna to the lake to Monteverdi; delightful ride, with the sailor stopping at interesting points to show us more birds and fauna

Quality of Experience

Fun, refreshing and great sight seeing

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Friendliness and points out interesting sighting along the way, birds

Transport

On time , clean and friendly have extra water for passengers

Children's Eternal Rainforest Night Walk

Monteverde

Fireflies, frogs, dense forest exciting night walk

Quality of Experience

Worth the walk and experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Friendly and enthusiastic

Transport

On time

Sloth Observation - Day or Night Walk

Arenal/La Fortuna

Did not see much sloth

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Cloud Forest Reserve Hike

Monteverde

Guides were good at pointing out interesting birds, tarantulas and fauna

Coffee, Chocolate & Sugar Cane Experience (English Tour)

Monteverde

3 in one tour is the best coffee, chocolate and sugar cane; we even get to meet Don Juan the owner of the ranch; educational, fun and tasted sugar cane; freshly made chocolate from the seeds

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

It was my first time using KimKim and I would definitely do it again! My travel advisor, Tricia, was fantastic! She was super responsive and made planning our first trip to Norway so easy and enjoyable! With a little information from me, Tricia put together a fantastic tour that took us from Oslo to Flam to Bergen. Our hotels were fantastic! Even with a little blip in the plan in Oslo, she easily changed our hotel to The Thief which was wonderful. Our tour guide in Oslo, Stig, made Oslo come to life (and the city was closed due to the Easter holiday!). The train to Flam was stunning! Tricia took care of our tickets for everything - it was 5 star from beginning to end!

Thank you Tricia!

We had one of the most amazing trip to Portugal , all arranged through KimKim, with absolutely no hassles and totally satisfying. Our agent Rita Pagano of Espirito travel put together an itinerary taking into account our interests. All the discussions were easily done through email and chats. Rita was very prompt to answer our questions and concerns and was amazing in putting together the itinerary in an app which was extremely useful. The app was superb and contained links to all the places we visited, directions to the tour meeting points with one click and contact numbers. WE DID NOT NEED any paper copies. There was also a chat option in case we faced any difficulties, which we did not use at all. Everything went smoothly as planned with absolutely no glitches, even minor.
Hotel Portugal in Lisbon was extremely nice, five star quality and service.
Food tour in Lisbon with Danni was truly amazing. Danni was extremely good and she wasso passionate about her job and we felt we never had a better food tour anywhere else in Europe( we have travelled widely)
Trip to Cintra with Martha was another highlight. She was very knowledgeable and extremely articulate and gave us a delightful tour with precise history of the place and country and took us to a local restaurant for lunch which we all enjoyed. The cuisine was delicious. Would love to travel with Martha again.
Journey from Lisbon to Porto was very nice. Paulo who took us was a star. He again was very nice, articulate and knowledgeable. He went out of his way and took us to small towns to show us the local culture and cuisine. Will never forget the piglet lunch in a local restaurant. Paulo was very caring and did an excellent job.
Stay in a Hotel in Porto , although branded as belonging to Hilton, was a bit disappointing. The staff was very nice but overall lacking in facilities with very small rooms. Lost water supply in the middle of a shower and had to wait 2 hours before the water supply was restored.
Trip to Duro valley with river cruise and wine tasting withNelson was superb. Nelson was so good and treated us very well to the extend that by the end of the trip he was part of our family and the highlight was a dinner in a local restaurant near Nelson’s home. We will miss Nelson.
Walking tour of Porto with Celia was also good and enlightening. She showed us the old and new parts of the city and even treated us with coffee and snacks.
The trip back to Lisbon from Porto was with Gustavo, who again was very good and he took us to a restaurant for lunch and we will never forget the Fish Cataplana which we all had and the fish was so fresh.
Finally the icing on the cake was dinner at a local home in Lisbon with Margarida. She was a very welcoming, warm and charming host who prepared an excellent cod fish dish which her mother used to make. Overall it was a five star experience.
The eight days we spend in Portugal and put together by Rita was amazing and something unforgettable.
Would recommend KimKim and espirito travel without any hesitation.

Overall it was a wonderful journey of beauty and discovery. Our driver/guide Faysel was knowledgeable and friendly. His English was clear and easily understandable. He was also a great driver and we always felt safe with him behind the wheel. His understanding of his country and his culture was broad and passionate. He was always on time to pick us up and happy to see us. We loved the Atlas Mountains and the Tiziri Luxury Camp in the Sahara which was a true highlight for us. Learning about the Berber people was enlightening. the food was great, the tents much more comfortable than expected, and the music made at night by a campfire by camp staff was moving and rousing. Fez and Marrakesh are a must-see but prepare yourself for a cadre of aggressive salespeople in the streets. I think the city we enjoyed the most was the seaside town of Essaouira. It runs on a much mellower vibe. The merchants are much less aggressive and the prices of goods are much lower than in Fez and Marrakesh. Overall it was a wonderful adventure and we are the better for it.

We really enjoyed our Santiago city tour with Felipe, as well as the volcano hike with Ermine and Ricardo. Renting the car was perfect as we then had so much flexibility fitting everything in on the itinerary and more. The lodging in Santiago and Pucon were adequate, however the 3 other hotels were exceptional. A more itemized summary of our trip itinerary costs would have been helpful I regards to tipping and knowing what all was included, e.g. admission to Termas Geometricas. We did so appreciate Jesse getting back to us for clarifications and reimbursements throughout the trip even when it happened to be on the weekend!
I would not hesitate to use Kimkim again for future travels.
Sincerely,
Marian

Our guide, William Berry, from Black Cab Heritage Tours, was fantastic!!! His knowledge of London and beyond is unbelievable! He went above and beyond to make us happy. He worked many long days educating us about your beautiful country! He was funny, kind, caring and considerate. So worried about our well being at all times. Whatever you pay this gentleman, you should pay him twice that amount! :)

Hotel Reviews

ibis Styles London Gloucester Road

London

Very nice hotel. Staff was warm and welcoming. The Continental breakfast was top notch. My only complaint was the room was so very small. Hard to move around in.

Authenticity & Character

An old historic place

Location

Right downtown London

Staff

They were very warm and welcoming and willing to help us in any way.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Cleanliness was perfect but the rooms were very cramped.

Duke of Cornwall Hotel

Plymouth

This hotel is lovely!! It was built in 1863 and it retains the charm of that time period. Really clean and friendly staff. The restaurant was good, too.

Authenticity & Character

Authentic Victorian in every way!

Location

Right downtown so easy to walk the city

Staff

So friendly and helpful :)

Cleanliness & Comfort

No complaints!

Arches B&B

St Austell

It's a very quaint house. The rooms are up a steep flight of stairs so this will not suit everyone. The rooms are decorated beautifully, very cozy and clean.

Authenticity & Character

The rooms, and the owner was very personable.

Location

It's set back off of a busy road with no where to walk to for food or sightseeing.

Staff

The owner was very accommodating and kind.

Cleanliness & Comfort

The rooms were great. Just he steep stairs were difficult to navigate with luggage.

Activity Reviews

Private transfer to your accommodation. Then check-in or bag-drop

London

Both trips were fast and the service was great

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Hop-on, Hop-off Bus

London

We got there too late the first day to really use this service. The second day we used it some. Not sure I'd bother with it ever again. The town shuts down at 6 pm so it can't be used at night.

Quality of Experience

Historical Pub Walking Tour of London

London

This was so informative and fun!

Quality of Experience

The guide was knowledgeable and fun

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Everything

Private day trip to Windsor Castle

England

An amazing historical day! To actually experience what we learn in history books was fabulous!

Quality of Experience

Awe inspiring

Guides, Drivers and Staff

William Berry is fantastic!

Transport

William Berry got us there safely and back home safely :)

Black Taxi Beatles Private Tour - Explore Abbey Road

London

So fun to actually see where the Beatles recorded their music and the places in the city where they lived or performed

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

William Berry was great

Transport

William pointing out Beatles sites as we drove around

Full-Day Tudor Tour to Hampton Court Palace and Hever Castle

London

There are not enough superlatives to describe this place!

Quality of Experience

Everything was presented so very well

Guides, Drivers and Staff

William Berry is the best, and the staff guides were so helpful

Transport

William Berry and Black Cab Heritage Tours are the best!

Downton Abbey, Cotswolds and Highclere Castle Private Tour from London

London

It was ok. A very long drive to get there and it was a bit disappointing, actually.

Quality of Experience

Nothing. Just a long drive for not much to see

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Our driver, William was fantastic. So patient with us! :)

Transport

Everything! Bill is the best!

We had a fantastic trip to Costa Rica! Our guide, Bryan, was fantastic. He was super responsive before and during the trip, and he was very patient in answering all of our questions. The KimKim service was well worth the fee and led to a more relaxing, enjoyable vacation for our family. We would not hesitate to use KimKim again for our next trip!

We fully enjoyed our family trip to Greece. Every single one of our transports and tour guides were top notch. The hotels recommended were fantastic and in safe and accessible locations. I feel that we were able to maximize our experience of Greece with the short amount of time we were there. Athens had a lot to offer. Naxos was gorgeous, just wish the weather held out for us. Santorini was absolutely amazing and full of adventure; one of the most scenic places I have ever been. The experience would definitely not have been as pleasant without your coordination.

The only thing I would suggest for improvement would be the advertisement of the hot tub at the Illoperato in Santorini. Should be advertised as a slightly heated pool. Never did get warm enough for me to get in, but the kids enjoyed it! :)

Having Raquel plan our trip for our family of five took the stress out of it and made the trip so much more enjoyable. She gave us several itineraries to choose from and balanced self guided and guided tours very well. We especially enjoyed our guide, Danny, in Barcelona. Barcelona was the highlight of our trip. The tapas welcome was also perfect for our arrival and welcome to Spain. I would definitely book another trip through Kim Kim and recommend it to others.

This was our wedding anniversary trip!
Claudia did a fabulous and amazing trip plan for us. She truly knows the entire region very well.
Here communications skill are excellent and her response timely. The locations we visited were incredible and the tours and staff were very good and knowledgeable made it easy to follow.
Argentina is an amazing country with so many different regions ,climate and the people are so friendly like where we are from , Iran!
The sites visited in both Argentina and Rio were. Amazing, thanks once more to the planning and hard work by Claudia. We will recommend your company and team to our friends and colleagues!!

Many thanks, sadik and Nasrin

Activity Reviews

Half-Day Buenos Aires City Tour

Buenos Aires

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Dinner & Tango Show

Buenos Aires

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Full-Day Perito Moreno Glacier

El Calafate

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Nautical Safari tour

El Calafate

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Full-Day Iguazú Falls Argentine side

Puerto Iguazú

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Half Day Brazilian Falls tour

Argentina

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

The tour guide was very knowledgeable

Half-Day Tijuca Forest by Jeep

Rio de Janeiro

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

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Full-Day Corcovado & Sugar Loaf

Rio de Janeiro

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

We just had the most amazing trip to Italy! My sister and I were with our 80 year old mother, and we visited Venice, Florence and Rome, and couldn't be happier with how it went and all that we experienced. Irine Lappa was a perfect vacation planner and her team missed no detail. The timing of the itinerary was perfect - the the right amount of time for transitions, it was not harried, just the perfect pace. All of our connections were just as planned, and all of the tour guides were so knowledgeable, warm and so welcoming. We loved our tour of Venice with Marie with Liv Tours, she was fun and passionate about Venice. And Monica (Be local with Monica) gave us an amazing tour of Murano - such a fun day! In Florence, our guide Antonella gave us an expert's highlights tour - she was truly one of our highlights of the whole trip. We loved our excursion throughout Tuscany - Marco with Florencetown tours was so great. It was really enriching being with a couple from Brazil and a couple from the UK to experience this beautiful countryside and hear each other's stories. Lastly, in Rome after an amazing visit to the Colosseum and a wonderful tour with Barbara with Liv Tours at the Vatican (we skipped the line everywhere - I can't tell you how helpful this was!), we enjoyed a super fun Roman food tour of the Trastevere with Aly. Irene and her team were in contact with us throughout the trip, and super responsive. They even communicated with one of our hotels about our mother's birthday, and the hotel surprised us with a cake! All of our hotels were just stunning, centrally located, welcoming and helpful. I highly recommend Irene and her team at KimKim - our trip was just the best!

Hotel Reviews

Hotel Splendid Venice - Starhotel

Venice

This charming hotel in Venice had two adjoining rooms and two bathrooms, which was perfect for our group of three. The staff was attentive, and the location was beautiful.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Santa Maria Novella

Florence

This hotel was our favorite, thanks to its amazing location and beautiful rooms. The breakfast was great, and the staff was attentive. The only downside was that our triple room had just one bathroom for the three of us.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Martis Palace Hotel Rome

Rome

This modern hotel was smaller than the other two, but the staff was still very attentive. The breakfast room was a bit smaller, but the food was good.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Murano Glass Demonstration & Walking Tour

Venice

We enjoyed a private group walking tour in Murano and visited a glass workshop. The glassmaking demonstration was fascinating, although was slightly touristy.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Private Florence Highlights Tour With Uffizi Galleries

Florence

Our knowledgeable guide, Antonella, showed us the highlights of Florence, including the Uffizi Galleries. You would have thought she has a degree in art with her extensive knowledge. It was perfect for us, as we got to see the most important pieces. We recommend having a guide for this tour unless you already know a lot about art.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Chianti Wine & Olive Oil Tour from Florence

Florence

This small group tour took us through the Tuscan countryside, where we tasted wine and olive oil at various locations. It was a delightful experience. We even got to bring home some wine and olive oil.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

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Vatican Guided Tour

Rome

We had an amazing small group tour of the Vatican, learning about its history and art.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

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Trastevere Afternoon Aperitivo & Food Tour

Rome

We joined a small group for an afternoon food tour in Trastevere, which featured a mix of international travelers. The food was great, and it was a fun experience overall.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

I decided to try kimkim because there many different elements of travelling to Argentina that I wanted to combine, including a focus on seeing Orcas in the Valdes Peninsula, which has long been a dream of mine. Without the specialized and in-depth advice from Francesca and her team I would never have been able to plan this trip myself- or at the very least not without investing weeks of research! She was always super responsive (even going beyond the call of duty in answering smaller questions and offering tips) and her suggestions were completely spot on regarding tours and activities. During the trip, everything was organised seemlessly, with all trips/drivers/reservations having been planned perfectly. I have already recommended kimkim to friends and family, and can only do the same here!

Hotel Reviews

Hilton Buenos Aires

Buenos Aires

Facilities a little aged but the service friendly and the food good- particularly breakfast

Authenticity & Character

Location

Very central

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

It was fine because we were in an executive room with access to the lounge, otherwise the room facilities (coffee/tea etc) would not be acceptable

Lagos Del Calafate

El Calafate

The staff is friendly and helpful, apart from the night receptionist who kept disappearing and was not available when we had to find someone to help us to quieten the groups hanging around the reception at 1am (we had to be up at 6am). The standard of the facilities is more 3 star and I do not recommend eating dinner there. Also, ensure you do not have a room near the dining hall because it is so loud you cant get a good nights sleep.

Alto Andino Hotel

Ushuaia

Excellent room and hotel! Staff goes above and beyond the call of duty and the breakfast is good too.

Staff

Fantastic- helpful & friendly!

Cleanliness & Comfort

Oceano Patagonia Wild Coast Residence

Puerto Piramides

It is drfinitely the best ootion in the area. The homemade breakfast brought to the room is a lovely touch. But it really needs a coat of paint as well as the heating and water pressure/temp fixed- we were cold most of our stay.

Staff

Once again, very friendly staff

Activity Reviews

Café de los Angelitos: Dinner and Tango Show (VIP Menu)

Buenos Aires

Absolute delight! The food and wine was surprisingly good too for it being all inclusive!

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Half day Trek to Laguna Esmeralda - Afternoon

Ushuaia

Our driver and guide were fantastic! Noelia was suler knowledgeable, even as the weather turned she guided us expertly on the trail.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Transfer from Puerto Piramide to visit San Lorenzo's Magellanic Penguin Colony

Puerto Madryn

We were suprised at the price for what was effectively a 10minute walk amongst penguins. We were only told any information when we asked questions. The food was also a little disappointing. Also, there seems to have been a mix-up with the payment, which we havr the suspicion was in purpose to get us to pay for everything twice.

Quality of Experience

Food

Suprised that the meat was so tough

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Distantly friendly, but not really helpful informative

Fly to Trelew and transfer to Puerto Piramide in the Valdez Peninsula

Puerto Madryn

Andi was a star during our whole time in Puerto Piramide- super helpful and flexible. We immensely enjoyed our conversations with him and were grateful for all the tips too.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport