Kimkim Trip Reviews

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

Transport

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

Transport

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

Transport

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

This was an incredibly executed trip by KimKim through Thanos from Athens Insiders Greece. Through the entire planning process and the trip Thanos was very helpful and communicative. Everything he selected for us from the hotels to the Acropolis & Flavours Combo Tour, day trip to Delphi and the classic Santorini tour were perfect. We appreciated the time he took to video call us before the trip to explain the itinerary and answer any of our questions and he met us for coffee in Athens and the conversation was so easy and enjoyable. He was genuinely interested in making sure we had a wonderful experience keeping in touch by WhatsApp, for example in Mykonos he realized the day of the scheduled Delos tour was forecasted to rain and suggested to reschedule to the next day. The day of the tour the weather was perfection and we dubbed it ‘Thanos approved Day’ 😁 We have to specially mention the tour guides Anastasia, Georgiana and Tanya who were so knowledgeable and genuinely happy to share their culture with us. For ease of planning a trip to Greece, we highly recommend KimKim and the team from Athens Insiders they are professional, timely, knowledgeable and so friendly!

Hotel Reviews

NLH Monastiraki

Athens

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Atlantis Hotel Santorini

Firá

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Ilio Maris Hotel

Mikonos

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Acropolis & Flavors Combo Tour

Athens

Anastasia was so friendly and knowledgeable, genuinely excited to share information on the culture and the food! She bought us so many things from the market as well!

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Divine Delphi and Arachova Day Trip

Greece

Our driver (can’t remember his name) was so friendly and wonderful to converse with. Our tour guide Georgina was fantastic! With the use of pictures she made it easy for us to understand ancient Delphi the history and culture!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

All Time Classic Santorini

Santorini

Tanya and Stelios were wonderful, very friendly and you can tell they genuinely enjoyed sharing their knowledge. The weather wasn’t perfect, a bit cloudy and windy but we still enjoyed learning about ancient Santorini. The wine museum is one of the best museums I’ve experienced so informative with wonderful artifacts.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Ancient Delos Excursion

Mykonos

Unfortunately our guide did not seem to be having the best day, she had some difficulty in articulating her information and indicated as she wasn’t licensed couldn’t walk us up the hill. Based on the tours we previously experienced in Athens and Santorini, the tour guide having pictures in hand to help visualize the ancient times would be an asset. Despite this, we still enjoyed a beautiful sunny day on the island.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Austin made great suggestions for hotels, places to eat and sights to see! He was attentive to details and responded in a timely matter to our comments and questions. He made our trip most enjoyable and memorable. Great job Austin and thank you!
Valerie and Patrick

Lorena and her KimKim team planned and executed a wonderful itinerary for us. We greatly appreciated that drivers taking us to/from airports were reliable and punctual. The guides in Santiago (Soledad) and Easter Island (from Mahina Tour but can't remember her name) were excellent. We loved Patagonia but not the hotel Lago Grey. Every other place we stayed was charming and memorable. All in all, a great trip.

Hotel Reviews

Holiday Inn Santiago - Airport Terminal

Santiago

Convenient but understaffed.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Hare Uta

Rapa Nui

Greatly enjoyed our stay here. The hotel was located on beautiful grounds with an authentic French Polynesian feel. Delicious dinner and wonderful staff.

Authenticity & Character

Location

30 minute walk to center of town, 5 minutes to airport

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Boutique La Yegua Loca

Punta Arenas

Very eclectic, very charming. The room was bright and spacious. The restaurant / dinner was outstanding. They introduced us to the Calafate Sour and we loved our stay here.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Close to stunning overlook view of the city

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Simple Patagonia

Puerto Natales

The hotel is, as the name suggests, very simple. But our favorite dinners of the Chilean trip were at their dining room. Quite the culinary treat!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Not close to town

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Lago Grey

Torres del Paine

The setting is majestic but probably our least favorite stay.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

The entire hotel needs major update. Feels like a 3 star place when it has so much better potential. Mediocre dining.

Hotel Boutique Le Reve

Santiago

Charming and lovely boutique hotel. Great breakfasts, wonderful staff.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Lodge Terrantai

San Pedro de Atacama

Loved our stay here. Even when the afternoon tour was canceled due to weather, we enjoyed staying at the hotel. GREAT staff, very helpful.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Christian and Carola were friendly and helpful.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Easter Island Highlights Tour

Easter Island

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Private Dinner

Santiago

The private dinner was a highlight of our trip. Not only was the dinner delicious; the hosts were extraordinarily kind. Loved it!

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Tour of Tatio Geysers

San Pedro de Atacama

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Morning Tour to Orongo

Easter Island

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Valparaíso & Wine Tour

Santiago

What a pleasant surprise. The wine tour was ok, but we loved Valparaiso.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Explore the Atacama Salt Flats & Lagoons

San Pedro de Atacama

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Santiago City Tour

Santiago

We saw so much in our introduction to the city.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Soledad was awesome. The driver Alejandro was great too.

Transport

Afternoon Tour to Ahu Akivi

Easter Island

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Loved our guide (wish we could remember her name!)

Transport

Boat Trip to Glacier Grey

Chile

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Guided Tour of Punta Arenas

Punta Arenas

Not a highlight of our touring experience.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Penguin Colony on Magdalena Island

Chile

Didn't see the thousands of penguins that were described by KimKim, but still enjoyed the experience

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Hike from Sarmiento Lake to Amarga Lagoon

Chile

Loved our hike. The driver and guide were great. THIS felt like what we wanted to experience in Patagonia!

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Tour to Torres del Paine National Park with Overnight

Chile

We wish that the experience was more intimate. Loved seeing the National Park, but it was the only big group tour of our trip, which was disappointing.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

We had a transition from Daniel to Lucia around November. So will start off to say that Daniel was AMAZING. Lucia was really good as well - very friendly and responsive. Also we had a fantastic trip, so that’s the most important part. Ecuador is beautiful and we enjoyed each day immensely!

What could have bumped both ratings to five stars:
- we could have benefited from more attention to detail. For example our Sierra Negra hike was 10 miles, which we didn’t know about until the morning of from the guide.
- some of the transport seemed like overkill. I’m some instances we had a taxi drive us for what could have been a 5 min walk.
- would have liked to have an itemized list of cost breakdown. At times I wondered, “what’s the mark-up for going with KimKim?”

Best guides:
- Israel for the Quito city tour. So knowledgeable and personal! Felt like we were getting a great locals perspective.
- Carmen on the first snorkeling trip. Really knowledgeable and friendly.
- Javier on the second snorkeling trip. Really well prepared and adjusted took videos of our snorkeling excursion which was an awesome bonus.

Guides that could have been better:
- both guides for the Cotopaxi and Sierra Negra hikes had poor communication and didn’t set many expectations. We also didn’t learn much from them during those hikes. Finally, the bikes on the Cotopaxi tour were broken down and unsafe.

Hotel Reviews

Hotel La Jungla

Puerto Villamil

Felt more like a hostel and really dated room. But friendly staff and great view from our treehouse room.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Great view of the beach from our room!

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Really dated and sheets here felt really old.

Kitu Hotel

Quito

FANTASTIC hotel. Really friendly staff, the BEST and breakfasts and the room was perfect and even had a deck.

Authenticity & Character

The wood floors and tile work was amazing.

Location

Close to a nice part of town.

Staff

Very helpful and friendly! One even let me practice Spanish with him.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Very clean.

Hotel Deja Vu Galapagos

Pto. Ayora

Close to town and generally clean. Can be noisy at times though and lots of loud children. Rooms were dated. Breakfast wasn’t as good as Kitu.

Authenticity & Character

Good beach side place. A bit run down.

Location

Right on the edge of town. Perfect

Staff

Staff helpfulness varied. Had an issue with loud kids at 10am one night that the staff wasn’t addressing so I had to intervene directly which was awkward and frustrating.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Had to chase out a cockroach the first night. Overall the rooms were clean, but the sheets felt really old. Plumbing was dated.

Activity Reviews

Welcome to Santa Cruz Island: Highlands & Charles Darwin Research Station

Puerto Ayora

Quality of Experience

Everything.

Food

The restaurant at the tortoise center was top notch!! Best meal of the trip.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Enrique was awesome! You could tell he was passionate about wildlife.

Transport

Colonial City Tour, Cooking Class & the Middle of the World Monument

Quito

Our guide (Israel) made this a great excursion. Learned a lot!

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Biking day Cotopaxi National Park

Ecuador

Loved the experience of Cotopaxi. The guides and tour itself were terrible.

Quality of Experience

See rest of comments.

Food

The lunch portions were laughably tiny. The whole tour was pretty annoyed.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Guide wasn’t very informative and didn’t really set expectations for what we were in for. During meals and downtime they just went into a corner.

Transport

Wildlife Tour on Isabela Island

Ecuador

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Carmen was awesome!! Really fun and knowledgeable

Transport

Fun boat ride!

Sierra Negra volcano - Speedboat to Santa Cruz

Ecuador

Quality of Experience

See below.

Food

Had to share half my lunch with someone else. Really paltry portions given the hike length.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Driver was late. Terrible communication from the guide. Ended up just hiking on our own.

Transport

Late driver.

Experience the Pristine Beauty of Galápagos Islands: Discovering an Uninhabited Island

Puerto Ayora

Quality of Experience

Food

Fantastic food and drink service!

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Boat staff was top notch!

Transport

Excursion to Los Túneles

Ecuador

Quality of Experience

Great time seeing and learning about the blue footed boobies. Such a cool bird!!

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Javier was amazing!

Transport

Daniel and Lucia at KimKim helped to plan our trip to Ecuador - listening to our needs and wants then catering the trip to our wishlist. The initial trip was planned for March 2020 and was delayed due to Covid. Finally, when we were ready- Kimkim helped to make this trip a reality. We visited Quito, Cotopaxi, and the Galápagos Islands. Their efforts allowed us to relax and enjoy all of the beauty of Ecuador- including fantastic active excursions (hiking Sierra Negra, Volcán Cotopaxi; snorkeling with penguins, sea lions, and sharks; and learning the rich history of Ecuador) without being concerned with logistics. Each of our excursions was special and unique- our favorite being visiting Tintoreas with Carmen, full day Quito tour with a cooking class with Israel, snorkeling at Bartholem, and snorkeling at Los Tuneles with Javier. Thank you Daniel and Lucia for being our main points of contact, answering our questions, and planning an unforgettable adventure!

Hotel Reviews

Hotel Deja Vu Galapagos

Pto. Ayora

Authenticity & Character

Location

Easy walk into town

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Some challenges with bugs

Kitu Hotel

Quito

We had a room with a balcony overlooking Quito. The room was clean and comfortable. The staff were helpful and supportive.

Authenticity & Character

Enjoyed the breakfast

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel La Jungla

Puerto Villamil

Nice hotel at the edge of town. A little outdated and no room lockbox. Could use some upgrades but staff were pleasant and helpful

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Colonial City Tour, Cooking Class & the Middle of the World Monument

Quito

Full day of history in Quito. The cooking class was special. We could have walked more throughout downtown Quito. Felt a bit rushed in the afternoon trying to get everything in

Quality of Experience

Food

Chef was fantastic. We learned so much about Ecuadorian food and ate well doing so!

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Israel was knowledgeable and provided tons of information on the history of Ecuador

Transport

Nice and easy to get around. Nice to have the car. Could have also walked more.

Biking day Cotopaxi National Park

Ecuador

Cotopaxi is beautiful. We enjoyed seeing wild horses and a fox. We hiked and bikes on Volcán Cotopaxi. Expectations were not clear so didn’t realize the hike was going to happen, so didn’t pack all of the right gear. Our guide didn’t share too much on Cotopaxi itself - so might consider a different tour group

Quality of Experience

Food

Lunch was fine, just the whole group could have eaten more :)

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Experience the Pristine Beauty of Galápagos Islands: Discovering an Uninhabited Island

Puerto Ayora

Great last day activity! The boat staff were amazing. Had the best snorkeling experience of our life! Saw penguins, shark, starfish, sea lions and more! Learned a lot about the geological history of the Galapagos!

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Welcome to Santa Cruz Island: Highlands & Charles Darwin Research Station

Puerto Ayora

Arriving on the Galapagos, this is a great way to get introduced to the islands!

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Wildlife Tour on Isabela Island

Galapagos Islands

Carmen was a great guide - showing us wildlife and taking us snorkeling! We even had seals come join us on our snorkeling adventure!

Quality of Experience

Food

N/a

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Excursion to Los Túneles

Galapagos Islands

Opportunity to see blue footed boobies, Tortugas, and sea horses! Javier was a great guide even took pictures on his go pro he shared with us after!

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Sierra Negra volcano - Speedboat to Santa Cruz

Galapagos Islands

Seeing the Sierra Negra was worth the experience. It was a 12 mile hike which took all morning. Group was very large and the guide struggled to help everyone

Quality of Experience

Food

Fine, a box lunch

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Our guide struggled with the large group and bringing 20+ people on a 12 mile hike. As avid hikers we were fine, but worried about others during the experience

Transport

Incredible trip
Excellent guides
Everyone welcoming and very helpful and friendly
Meteora day trip unforgettable
Athens a city of such history
Angela always there and so helpful and made our trip memorable! Cant wait to be back

Our trip was a father/son adventure entitled Passion Pursuit. It was conceived to explore the natural and environmental interests of my 14-year-old son, Theo. Given the incredible breadth of what's on offer in Costa Rica, we quickly became overwhelmed with how to put this trip together. Then we discovered kimkim and were introduced to Charlotte. With her tenured experience in the area and her responsiveness to our preferences, she built out a dream trip for us spanning from the Osa Penninsula and Corcovado, up the coast through Manuel Antonio and on to Monteverde, and ultimately concluding in the Arenal volcano region. Over 16 days we enjoyed a perfect balance of scheduled activities and time to explore and chill out on our own. I could write a novel to describe the details, but here are some of our trip highlights:
- Flying in over the beach at Drake Bay between the palm trees and watching the horses run alongside the old runway as we touched down. Following this our driver told us to hang on as we crossed the bridge. Of course there was no bridge and we drove the 4-wheel-drive through the river to the other side. This was exactly the kind of adventure we were after.
- The stunning hotel Copa del Arbol (water access only)became our base as we explored the region with guided experiences for the next four days — all beginning with being scooped up off the beach each morning around 6am for jungle hikes and snorkelling adventures. Two days straight we found ourselves surrounded by pods of False Killer Whales, an incredibly uncommon experience. One amazing highlight was to watch flying fish skimming the surface alongside our boat, only to see them being chased by a Sailfish — the beautiful translucent purple fin flying at full speed alongside us. We finished each day body surfing along one of the many pristine beaches reached by short trails from the hotel.
- We then picked up our car in Sierpe and started our self-guided drive up the coast. More wonderful wildlife sightings and amazing kayak adventures in the mangrove forest outside Manuel Antonio. Stunning clean beaches and beautiful views. All of the locals we encountered were very friendly and helpful. It became clear to us that Pura Vida was not simply a marketing tagline but an authentic descriptor woven into their way of life.
- About midway through the trip I started to experience a loss of hearing. I texted Charlotte before 8am on a Sunday morning and within the hour I had an appointment at a modern full-service clinic in Uvita where the staff were waiting for me. A quick procedure and all was well — apparently this is quite common with the heat and humidity (and the surf play) to cause the ears to plug. I was so impressed with Charlotte's attention and responsiveness. This was unexpected and really appreciated.
- Leaving the coast behind, the drive through the foothills up to Monteverde was stunningly beautiful. Our base for the following days was the lovely Hotel Belmar and it felt as though we had entered a completely different world in the mountains. Cool, breezy and with sunset views for hundreds of miles. We really enjoyed this portion of the trip. We had super informative guided experiences and many significant bird sightings.
- On our tour of the hanging bridges through the tree canopies, we spotted the amazing Resplendent Quetzal. Over two days we were so fortunate to spot both a male and female! An addition, our guide Andreas brought us on a tour of the jungle after dark and, as a bonus, gave us a lesson on nighttime photography which made our images remarkable.
In conclusion, we found Costa Rica to be safe, friendly and easy to navigate. We loved how each area was unique and unspoiled from tourism development. Charlotte put together an amazing and diverse itinerary with truly lovely hotels (we often found that we had the best rooms on offer) and terrific culinary experiences. It was a trip to remember and I would highly recommend kimkim to anyone.

Our planner, Tamer, was incredible. He made sure we had everything we needed every single day of our trip. He assembled an amazing itinerary for us in The Galápagos Islands and it was exactly the right length and level for us. When unexpected things came up, Tamer was on top of it right away and helped us get from A to B with no trouble at all. I highly recommend this travel agency, ask for Tamer by name if you're going to Ecuador.

This was an amazing trip, and I am so grateful with the help in planning. That said, the booking process was a little rocky. It was hard not clear along the way what was booked, and one hotel we were booked into ended up being closed for the season. When problems did arise during the trip, Julia was on point to fix things right away. So I would give 5 stars to Julia for help during the trip and Marie for her help planning, but ultimately I could have done better booking the hotels and excursions on my own.

Hotel Reviews

Radisson Blu Airport Hotel, Oslo Gardemoen

Gardemoen

Great for an airport hotel!

Authenticity & Character

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Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Grand Hotel Oslo

Oslo

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Fretheim Hotel

Flåm

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Scandic Bergen city

Bergen

Closed for the season.

Activity Reviews

Ægir Viking Meal Experience

Flåm

Cool building, good beer. Food was ok.

Summer Fjord RIB Safari & Undredal Cheese Tasting

Flåm

Gorgeous!!!

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Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Private Floating Sauna Experience

Norway

This is a must-do activity for Norway. So much fun.

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Food & Culture Walk

Bergen

The guide was super knowledgeable, but the tour could have been paced a little better. Food was delicious!

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Guides, Drivers and Staff

Ulriken Cable Car

Bergen

Amazing view of the entire area!

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Transport

Sergio and KimKim did a fantastic job personalizing a trip for us. They listened to what we preferred and tweaked our itinerary to match our preferences. They found great local tour guides for a couple of our hikes (Kenneth and Oscar), which made the hikes more interesting and see more creatures. The hotels they picked our were very nice -- especially the Rio Celeste Hideaway.

It was an amazing time!

Hotel Reviews

Rio Celeste Hideaway Resort

Bijagua

BEAUTIFUL ground and rooms (bungalows.) Everything was beautiful, staff was very friendly and accommodating. The restaurant is really good. Favorite place we stayed in Costa Rica. The no toilet paper in the toilet (instead a garbage can) was a bit weird, but understand. They should install exhaust fans.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Our back patio was literally in the rainforest.

Staff

Very friendly and accomodating.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Arenal Kioro Suites & Spa

Fortuna

Great view of Arenal! Staff were friendly and accommodating. The hot springs weren't that "hot," unfortunately.

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Staff

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Hotel Presidente

San José

Great location and very comfortable. The rooftop restaurant had great views.

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Staff

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W Costa Rica - Reserva Conchal

Guanacaste

Typical resort. The bar area and views of the beach were great. The beach was not that large and was grown over a bit. Everything is pricey (as expected at a W resort).

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Staff

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Activity Reviews

Sky Adventures Zip Lines

Arenal/La Fortuna

I believe seven zip lines in total. Great views. Staff friendly.

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Hanging Bridges and La Fortuna Waterfall Guided Hike

Arenal/La Fortuna

We had a tour guide go with us -- highly recommend that. He was able to find creatures we would have never seen and gave great background.

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Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

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Sunset Catamaran Sailing Tour

Costa Rica

The beverages and food were great -- staff very accommodating. We didn't expect the cruise to have 25-30 people. The views were amazing -- got great pics of the sunset.

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Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

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Night Hike in the Forest

Arenal/La Fortuna

Got to see many creatures -- spiders, snakes, and frogs. It was not an intense "hike" -- more of a walk around the hotel grounds.

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Guides, Drivers and Staff

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Rio Celeste & Tenorio Volcano Guided Rainforest Hike

Costa Rica

A really great hike in the rainforest. We had a guide, which helped a lot. This is an intense hike—lots of steps. But the views are worth it!

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Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

We had a great family trip to Costa Rica at the end of March 2023. KimKim made the planning process a LOT easier. We were a bit overwhelmed when we started to plan it because there are so many different options, and the good hotels (if you can identify them) also fill up fast. KimKim helped us narrow down options, book hotels and activities, and made the process significantly less stressful overall.

We – myself, my wife, and our two kids who are 7 and 5 – spent four nights at an all-inclusive resort at Playa Conchal (the Westin, which we booked before contacting KimKim) and then two nights in a hotel near Rincon de la Vieja (Hacienda Guachipelin Volcano Ranch Hotel, which KimKim recommended). We did activities almost every day (and one at night) which KimKim recommended and helped arrange. Here are our impressions of each one.

• PALO VERDE NATIONAL PARK BOAT TOUR. This activity was highly recommended, but we were underwhelmed, mostly because the trip to the launch point was 2.5 hours and we had to take two buses each way (and we also stopped at a ceramic workshop on the way back, which was fine but lengthened the trip). That was a lot of travel for my five-year-old, especially on bumpy roads. The boat tour itself was fine but you are rarely out of view of the dock and it would have been nice to go deeper into the park, or perhaps get out of the boat at some point. But we did see lots of wildlife.

• NIGHTTIME PACIFIC GREEN TURTLE NESTING. This was great and a truly memorable experience (and a short trip from our hotel). First, it is rare to hike on any beach at night with no man-made light around, and it was great to see so many stars. But most importantly, we saw both adult sea turtles coming ashore to try and lay eggs as well as some newly hatched turtles heading to the ocean. That is a once-in-a-life time wildlife sighting. The guides (appropriately) took their jobs of making sure the turtles are comfortable (e.g., no flash photos, do not get close) very seriously, as they should.

• KAYAY AND SNORKEL TOUR IN TAMARINDO BAY . This was a pretty standard tour – a 20-minute canoe ride from a beachside resort to a small island and then snorkeling around it – but it was perfect for a 5- and 7-year-olds first snorkeling experience. The guides were also great. So a good recommendation for our family.

• VANDARA HOT SPRINGS ADVENTURE. This was the highlight for my kids. The park was not very crowded at all, which was great, and they have also recently redone many of the attractions so everything was modern and professional. We did the ziplines (8 in total), horseback riding, long water slide (440 meters), and hot springs. Again, a bit of a trek to get there on back road (which was rough for my 5-year-old) but my kids called it “the best day ever”. Their only disappointment was not being able to do the water slide twice.

The logistics that KimKim organized were also pretty perfect - on-time, reliable, and professional. My only mild frustration with KimKim is their technology platform -- it not super-intuitive and seemed to have errors at times, which frankly made me question the service overall. But once you are in touch with a travel planners that problem is manageable.

I would definitely use KimKim again. In my view, they fill a gap between offering cookie cutter tours and DIY travel, and my experience they were knowledgeable, friendly, and helpful.

Hotel Reviews

Hotel Hacienda Guachipelín

Liberia

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

The Westin Golf Resort and Spa, Playa Conchal

Playa Conchal

Great location, pool, and rooms, and the all-inclusive approach made it very easy for us to relax and get around. But very much like other all-inclusive resorts.

Authenticity & Character

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Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Palo Verde National Park Safari Cruise with Lunch

Costa Rica

This was highly recommended, but we were underwhelmed, mostly because the trip there was 2.5 hours and we had to take two buses (and we also stopped at a ceramic workshop on the way back, which was fine but lengthened the trip back). That was a lot of travel for my five-year-old. The boat tour itself was fine but you are rarely out of view of the dock and it would have been nice to go deeper into the park, or perhaps get out of the boat at some point. But we did see lots of wildlife. I would give the guides a five though, and my three stars is largely a function of the distance and the age of my kids.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Nighttime Pacific Green Turtle Nesting Experience (Seasonal)

Costa Rica

This was great and a memorable experience (and a short trip from our hotel). First, it is rare to hire on any beach at night with no man-made light around and it was great to see so many stars. But most importantly, we saw both adult sea turtles coming ashore to try and lay eggs as well as some newly hatched turtles heading to the ocean. That is a once-in-a-life time wildlife sighting.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Kayak & Snorkel Tour in Tamarindo Bay

Costa Rica

This was a pretty standard tour – a 20-minute canoe ride from a beachside resort to small island and then snorkeling around it – but it was perfect for a 5- and 7-year-olds first snorkeling experience. And great guides.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Full Day at Vandará Hot Springs & Adventures

Rincón de la Vieja

This was the highlight for my kids. The park was not very crowded at all, which was great, and they have recently redone many of the attractions so everything was modern and professional. We did the ziplines, horseback riding, long water slide (440 meters), and hot springs. Again, a bit of a trek to get there on back road (which was rough for my 5-year-old) but my kids called it “the best day ever”.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

We had a great time in your country, but had issues with some of the accommodations. We loved Congo Bongo, but had only one night stay in the 1 story dream deluxe cabin., which we liked. The other 3 days was in the bigger 2 story river dream cabin. Had to climb stairs to the kitchen. As we requested we got a bungalow at Selva Verde. The view from the Bungalow was of the roof of the path leading to the bungalows and was about a mile from the main lodge. Upon our request they moved us to the main lodge room, which we enjoyed. The Luna Superior room at the Casa Luna Hotel was nice you could hear our neighbors next door thru the wall between the two rooms. The hotel knew about the problem and moved us to a standard room and enjoyed it very much. We had no problems with the Los Pinos Cabanas and Jardines. We enjoyed the tours and drives throughout our trip.