Kimkim Trip Reviews

A wonderful experience to the magical Angkor wat complex of sites thanks to Steve whose airport arrival to departure planning and execution greatly added value to the experience ! The local guide he arranged,Mr.Som Sorn was both articulate and knowledgeable.

Hotel Review

The Aviary Hotel

Siem Reap

Authenticity & Character

Well maintained and excellent service

Location

City centre, everything in walking distance

Staff

All of them

Cleanliness & Comfort

Very good housekeeping

Activity Review

Full day temple exploration by remork (with lunch) - Angkor Thom/Grand Circuit

Siem Reap

A magical holiday whose value was greatly enhanced by the excellent management by Steve Lidgey

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

We followed up a weeklong hiking trip on Sao Miguel through Portugal Nature Trails with a week in Terceira, Pico and Faial. Tiago managed the details for this week of travel and it was wonderful. The plans were perfect and went flawlessly from the car rentals to the accommodations to a full day ferry trip to Faial with a great nature guide. We especially loved the Lava Homes but found the personnel everywhere we stayed to be helpful and courteous.
As for Tiago, he was the best! He listened as we planned, was always immediately responsive to our questions and checked in with us to see how things were going. He is an amazing person and did a stellar job, before and during the trip.
Thank you, Tiago and KimKim.

Hotel Reviews

Lava Homes

Pico

Beautiful setting, fabulous restaurant and wonderful staff. Highly recommend.

Authenticity & Character

Location, wonderful homes and restaurant

Location

Somewhat remote but restaurant provides excellent food and drink. Homes are lovely.

Staff

Everyone was extremely helpful

Cleanliness & Comfort

Zenite Boutique Hotel & SPA

Very comfortable accommodations and good location. Only recommendation would be an in-house restaurant.

Authenticity & Character

Beautiful views from window, quiet street

Location

Easy to walk places

Staff

Front desk folks were helpful and The bartender was great.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Review

Faial Island guided tour

Faial Island

Our guide Luis was extremely knowledgeable and we learned a lot on our day tour. I would recommend his company.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Covered a lot of sites throughout the day.

Love, Love, Love Gustavo and his support staff. This company is great and exceeded my expectations. Gustavo worked with me and my budget to make a dream come true. My husband and I were truly pleased with every aspect. Even when one tour was cancelled (no part of Kimkim - weather-related reasons, we quickly received a refund). My Kimkim team stayed in constant contact and quickly responded before the trip and throughout the trip when I needed them. Everything about the trip flowed smoothly and was perfect. Definitely recommend this company and Gustavo for Greece travel. Can't wait to use them again for other trips.

Hotel Review

Senia Hotel

Paros

Beautiful hotel, clean, relaxing and 5-star comfortable. Views are amazing; as is the staff, room, infinity pools, restaurant/bar (delicious breakfast!). Close to the beach, port, town-center, fresh restaurants and shopping. Can't wait to come back. Highly recommend for the perfect stay!

Authenticity & Character

Totally island Greek

Location

Walkable close to everything you want

Staff

Attentive and always available.

Cleanliness & Comfort

5-star classy and comfortable

Activity Reviews

Self-Guided Foodie Walk

Athens

Unfortunately, we were not able to try out all the places listed because we started late and many were closed. Missed the market and would have liked more local restaurants with local specialities. The ones that we tried though, were spot-on!

Quality of Experience

We were rushed (our fault) and should have allowed more time. The recommended tastings were great but we were not able to learn about the food and its culture (busy or unknowledgeable staff). Would have liked to learn and try more locally-produced foods (olives, ouzo, wine/beer, meze, cheeses, etc.).

Sail the Aegean & Explore Hidden Beaches in Small Cyclades

Paros

Canceled due to weather. Kimkim quickly refunded.

Quality of Experience

Cancellation notice, transportation options, backup activity

Transport

Arranged transport to/from the port options would have been helpful (or bus availability).

Self-Guided Day Trip to Local Villages

Paros

We reviewed the itinerary and it looked amazing. However, we were so comfortable in Naoussa and the Senia Hotel we never took the tour, and just enjoyed the relaxation and getting to know the town.

Explore Acropolis & Acropolis Museum

Athens

Excellent guide! Kept up with the time, but allowed for ample breaks (much needed climbing the Acropolis, which was amazing and a must-do). Awesome knowledge and historical architecture. Pleased Greece keeps up the restoration after 3,000+ years. A full day could be spent in the Acropolis Museum. Very inspiring.

Quality of Experience

Life-bending

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Knowledge and compassion. Guide was passionate about her work

Stargazing at the Temple of Sounio

Athens

Absolutely AWESOME! Even cold, windy weather couldn't keep us away. George Kokkos as tour guide/driver was AMAZING! He was so friendly, intelligent and knowledgeable about all of Greece, a pleasure to be with. He could explain history and facts about Greek mythology, philosophy, history - more than we could take in. The astrologer and his guide were also very friendly and knowledgeable. He made constellations look easy, and I can even point some out now that I did not know about. This was truly a tour of a lifetime!

Quality of Experience

The Temple of Poseidon and stargazing with an astrologer was totally outstanding. Far exceeded our expectations.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

George was kind, giving and super smart. And a good driver. We have a new friend

Transport

Safe driver

Self-Guided Highlights Walk

Athens

Everything was right in place and perfect.

Quality of Experience

Everything

Overall, our trip to Italy was wonderful! The information Marina gave us was for the most part very clear and timely and correct. We did experience a few glitches in communication which I will detail in a moment. But, again, overall, the drivers, guides, accommodations, and tours were really very good. The drivers were friendly and spoke English well enough for us to be able to communicate, and in many instances very well! The guides for the tours were well informed and passionate about what they were telling us. I am not good with names and was going to get back on the Trip Plans App to retrieve some of those names, but it won't let me. The Trip Plans App was also very helpful in keeping directions, train tickets, guide names etc all at our fingertips! I liked that very much!
Back to our drivers & guides: Coliseum tour: wonderful guide!! Very engaging! We saw her the next day at the Vatican and she came up to us and spoke for a while. Lovely woman! AnnaMarie may have been her name?
The food tour: Delightful young woman, who conveyed the different vibes of the different areas well!
The cooking class: This was a blast! The chef was a lot of fun even though he didn't speak English! He made himself known, and our translator was fun and engaging with the whole group! I may get a pasta maker because of this class!
Pompeii tour: She was so knowledgeable and interesting to talk with! She really knew the history, and conveyed it well to us. Again I'm so sorry I don't have any names!
Trip to Capri Island: She was wonderful as well! Knowledgeable and fun to chat with about life style and cultural things. I enjoyed her very much!
Florence tour with David: Very good as well. She was personable and informative. There was quite a bit of standing while she spoke and that was a little hard. She knew her stuff about Michelangelo and David though and that showed in the way she spoke about the statue!
Our driver and guide for the 3 Tuscan towns were good too. Friendly and informative! The driver was very accommodating. His name was Johnny! We were ready earlier and he was there and we just started out before the time and changed the order of the towns to be seen. It was a lovely day!
Wine tasting day! Fabulous! I think Matthew was our driver/guides name. Funny, informative, (a little opinionated, but that was ok! We understood where he was coming from even tho we may not have agreed on all his points!) He was a lot of fun and we learned A LOT from him!
Jacob was our driver/guide for what should have been our day to Cinque Terre. The rain kept us away from there which was a great disappointment for me as that was the place I was most looking forward to. We went instead to Lucca and Pisa. The day was sunny but I was sad about not being able to spend the day by the sea. Jacob was excellent as well. He was very knowledgeable about all kinds of things and funny too. Seeing the Marble mountains driving by Carrara was a treat we didn't expect. Very cool!
I think our guide in Venice was "Henry" or the Italian equivalent of Henry! He was delightful as well! Really knew the subject of St Marks Basilica and the Doges palace well. There again, we stood quite a bit and that made us tired. That wasn't his fault tho!
Accommodations were very nice! Capo d/Africa hotel: Lovely, friendly staff. Positano Art hotel: very nice! Concierge there was very helpful and personable! Olympia Hotel in Venice: Super friendly staff!! Very helpful! Mamo apartment was very nice as well. I did call for them to come and fix something in our closet, but they couldn't make that happen. We called for additional toilet paper & trash bags and someone decided that it would be good to deliver them at 22:30! We were all in bed! At first I thought it would be far from the Florence sites but the location grew on me! There were several good restaurants we enjoyed very close to the apartment! Good job! :)
Now the down side of the trip were the following: Communication while in Italy. For the most part it was fine but there were several times that the drivers or guides had my sister-in-law, Julie's number. Julie began the process of planning the trip but had to back out in April, so I took over planning. I don't think Marina communicated with Julie anytime past June, so her number should not have been part of the itinerary. When we booked and had to give all our final information I took Julie's name off the list so it wouldn't be confusing, but it was still in Marina's files. Julie ended up getting several calls from Italy (mainly in the middle of the night!). That was annoying for Julie and frustrating for me as I couldn't get to our guides in a timely fashion. This happened most notably on the Vatican tour. Our guide was late, I believe, to begin with, and didn't use a sign with our name on it. She looked up Julie on facebook to see what she looked like to be able to find us. That obviously didn't work. I don't look like my SIL! :)
The Vatican tour was disappointing too as I had requested going to the Rafael Rooms specifically, and that got overlooked.
The other disappointment was the final day in Rome. We didn't get to go on the Appian Way bike tour because of traffic to the airport hotel. And we didn't get any type of refund for this either.
I think this stemmed from the fact that I had no idea about drive times to and from places. I wish that Marina would have explained drive times to me better. It didn't affect too much of the trip, but this last day we may have changed things around had we know about how long it took to get from the train station to the airport and back to town to take the tour. All we did that day was travel, but it wore us out! Plus day light savings time had just ended so it was getting dark sooner than it had up until that point. That threw us off as well. If Marina had explained to us that, since we wanted to stay at the A/P hotel, that we may be taking on too much, we could have cancelled that activity and saved a little bit of money. We did have a nice relaxing evening together at the hotel on that last night!
Oh! One other suggestion! It would have been helpful to have the name of the tour companies for the tours we were on. We would have then been able to be proactive in finding our guides a little quicker. As it was we were completely dependent on them finding us. Just a thought!
So as you can see we had a "Fantastico" trip to Italy! There were some rough spots, but nothing that would dampen my memories of this trip! I have already recommended KimKim to others planning trips to Europe and Italy in particular! Thank you for listening to me!

Hotel Reviews

Hotel Capo d'Africa—Colosseo

Rome

Good location, friendly staff and the breakfasts included in the stay were very tasty!

Authenticity & Character

rooftop breakfast and bar in the evenings!

Location

walkable to historic attractions

Staff

Very friendly and helpful

Cleanliness & Comfort

No problems!

Art Hotel Pasitea

Positano

Lovely hotel! Concierge was super helpful in restaurant selection! He really seemed to enjoy seeing us when we'd come by the front desk!

Authenticity & Character

Fun artwork all over the place here!

Location

Beautiful views! Gorgeous

Staff

Very friendly staff and helpful. Spoke English well for us, which we appreciated!

Cleanliness & Comfort

Lovely rooms. Could have had a few more hooks, shelves & storage cabinets. A mini frig would have been nice too!

Mamo Florence Apartment

Firenze

Not as far from the Florence attractions as I initially thought but we did have to do a good bit of walking, which isn't bad! The staff was mostly accommodating to some of our needs. They couldn't come fix a closet issue, and brought us extra toilet paper and trash bags at 22:30! That was late for us Americans! We were in bed already! I would suggest having instructions for things like the coffee maker, washer/dryer & dishwasher. Letting us know what the checkout process was, and what to do with the trash would have been helpful too. Maybe having an information sheet with restaurants, markets, pharmacies etc would have been nice too. The lock for the door was something none of us had ever seen so that was a challenge initially but we got used to it! Overall a nice place to stay!

Authenticity & Character

City feel

Location

Good . Maybe could have been a little closer to town.

Staff

22:30 for delivery? not the best.

Cleanliness & Comfort

It was fine and clean and comfortable!

Activity Reviews

Colosseum & Roman Forum Visit: Arena Access, Gladiators Gate & Ancient City

Rome

Learned a lot! Lovely guide

Quality of Experience

learned a lot

Guides, Drivers and Staff

she was very engaging

Transport

we walked there!

La Dolce Vita: Private Golf Cart in Rome

Rome

Loads of fun! Guide was great and drove us all over the place! He was very knowledgeable and explained a lot of history & culture to us! He was losing his voice and we felt bad about that. a microphone would have help us and him out a bunch!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

so fun and a little scary on the streets of Rome! We had a lot of fun!

Day Excursion to Capri Island and Anacapri

Italy

Started out rainy but turned into a lovely sunny day! Really enjoyed the Funicular and the chair lift to the top of Anacapri!

Quality of Experience

Our guide was very personable and helpful

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Enjoyed our guide very much

Transport

I thought we would get to ride a hover craft out but we didn't get to That was the only downside. Funicular, Chairlift,ride over the MamaMia bridge! Very memorable

Day Excursion to Pompeii & Hercolanum

Italy

Fascinating to learn all the details of these ancient cities!

Quality of Experience

very informative.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Excellent! She knew her stuff and could convey it well to us!

Transport

Our driver to and from Pompeii/Positano was very conversational!

Guided Visit: Vatican Museums & Sistine Chapel

Rome

Interesting place. Lots of people. Didn't find our guide for about half an hour. It was beautiful but felt herded like cattle through the Sistine Chapel. Didn't get to see the Rafael Room which was on my list.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

She was passionate about the artwork she was telling us about

Transport

The driver to the Vatican was fine.

Italian Cooking Class with a Local

Rome

So fun! Loved this event! Made pasta and an appetizer and were served plenty of wine in the process! Friendly Chef, translator and staff too!

Quality of Experience

Engaging staff! Wine! Yummy food! Fun Chef!

Food

Great food! So fun!

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Enthusiasm, outgoing personality!

Transport

the driver got us there! It was fine!

Guided Visit of Florence Including David and Duomo

Florence

Good tour. Lots of information. Lots of standing which is hard sometimes! We did walk a lot though too!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

We walked and met her at the designated point.

Chianti Wine Half-Day Experience

Florence

So fun! Really enjoyed the wine, luncheon an both wineries! The guide was very friendly and talkative as well (I talked about him in my overall review

Quality of Experience

Food

Delicious! Italian lunch and olive oil and wine! Who could ask for anything more!

Guides, Drivers and Staff

friendly funny knowledgeable

Transport

driver was our guide! Good!

Day Trip to Siena, San Gimignano & Monteriggioni

Florence

Fun day driving through the Tuscan countryside!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Our driver was super friendly and helpful! He told all sorts of things about the area. Our guide in Sienna was good too! She enjoyed her town and liked telling people about it!

Transport

Driver was great!

Day Excursion to Cinque Terre

Florence

Did not go to Cinque Terre because of rain. Very disappointing to me! We did go to Lucca and Pisa. It was sunny but didn't make up for not being able to see the sea!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Our driver Jacob made the best of a bad situation. He was super friendly and explained a lot of things to us driving down the highways to our destinations!

Transport

Driver was excellent!

The trip to Turkey was such an amazing trip and exceeded all my expectation. My initial planning was with Murat. He was very patient and responsive to all my questions. My dates had not finalized yet and he was very patient throughout the process. I then got a chance to work with Berat who was amazing with all her recommendations and planning. She was very responsive to all my questions and was very accommodating. There was an issue with travel plans but she was very patient and made all the necessary changes needed which was greatly appreciated. While in Turkey, all the suggested tours, guides and drivers were amazing. The hotels were great and I feel like the itinerary showed the best of Turkey. Special shout out to both Hatice and Oguzhan who were both great guides and very informative as well as very attentive. The trip was so amazing because of this. Thank you so much. I would highly recommend Berat and her team to anyone.

The trip to Norway is wonderful and unforgettable. We are four to go on 23 October 2024. We enjoy Bergen but I think too long to stay there. Bergen is a lovely city. We also love Flam , Bodo but Bodo stay 1 night is not enough. Most of all we love more Lofoten. The view there is beautiful. All the trip and activity were all managed well. Your local specialist Krista and Fenne and the 24 customer care is very helpfull. The respond is quick when we need help. Hotel all good and very near to ferry, train station, Unluckily our Aurora hunting was cancelled twice due to bad weather in Lofoten.
But luckily the last day in Bodo we got a very good local guide Mr. Ivar. He is very good, patient, very experience, high responsibility. Actually we already hopeless because the weather is very bad in Bodo. Is raining and snowing. But Mr. Ivar
convince us that we can still see the Northern Lights if we are willing to drive about 6 hours in return to the east. Then we told him we willing. He is very experience tour guide and also driver. AS he said finally we can see the very beautiful Northern Lights. He also help us to take many nice photos. Thanks very much to Kimkim and Mr.Ivar. The car also very nice car include drink and snack. Will introduce Kimkim to my friends

Activity Review

Northern Lights Safari from Bodø, Northern Norway

Bodø

Excellent. Your tour guide Is very good and experience. Without him we were impossible to se the Northern Lights. We thanks Mr. Ivar

Quality of Experience

private transfer, hotel, activity,

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Amazing trek. Our guide Gyaljan and our porter Khawa were superb. They looked after us exceptionally well, from our arrival in Kathmandu to our return to Pokhara. They made sure we had the best rooms in the tea houses and even woke us up some mornings when we nearly overslept..! We had lots of laughs along the way 😁. The trek itself was superb. The Thorang La was tricky and requires a reasonable level of fitness, but the sense of achievement was incredible. Would recommend this trek and our guide/porter/friends Gyaljan and Khawa to anyone who wants to experience this area.

Some portions of the trip were absolutely fabulous and a few things left something to be desired. I'll start with the positive. The hotel in Panama City was fantastic. Our trip to Broquete was almost seamless and our Gapa travel guide, Plinio, was beyond fantastic, especially when one tour had to be canceled due to weather and he came up with a fabulous backup solution. 5 stars for Plinio. Our trip to the San Blas Islands was fantastic, though we felt very underprepared. I wish someone had told us to bring a towel, extra water, and even a snorkel mask. Most other tourists seemed to know this information but we did not. And our accommodations did not remotely match the pictures provided in our itinerary. Maybe we were on a different island? We thought we were getting it huts above the water and that was not the reality. But the island was still great. Our guide via Gapa travel in Panama City was extremely friendly and sociable, but did not have the depth of knowledge I would have expected of a guide and spent a lot of time videoing and posting on his personal social media account. A bit disappointing. There was a bit of a snafu with our driver on the final day to return to the airport but Jesse was very available to help correct the situation. I'm not sure where the breakdown in communication occurred. But we made it in time to make our flight.

Hotel Reviews

Private Cabins at San Blas Islands

San Blas

I don't know where you got this picture but these are not the cabins we stayed in. So I have to rate them as a one because this is what we expected and not what we got. Now if I were rating the actual huts we were in on Iguana Island I would give them 4 stars.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Waldorf Astoria Panama

Panama City

Hotel was absolutely fantastic. The staff was impeccable, their concierge set us up with a number of fabulous tours, 100% would stay there again.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Panameña Night

Panama City

The restaurant chosen for this night was fantastic. We started at the Mercado de Pescado for a beer and some ceviche and continued on to a fabulous restaurant whose name I unfortunately don't remember. The staff and food at both locations were great. The only downfall of our tour again, was our guide. While very friendly, he didn't provide any information on Panamanian food culture.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Boquete - Hanging bridges

Boquete

This is a fabulous activity and a great way to see the cloud forest of Panama! Highly recommend. We had a great guide through Tree Trek.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Soberania National Park

Panama City

This had the potential to be a fantastic tour but our guide unfortunately, was not very knowledgeable. He knew a lot about birds but not a lot about any other flora or fauna. The walk he chose was strange compared to where other cars were parked. We did see a lot of animals so that was neat. But at times I felt I knew more information having been to Costa Rica six months ago, than our guide. Still a fabulous national Park that everyone should visit. Just go with a good guide.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Coffee Experience

Boquete

We did the coffee experience also through Tree Trek. Highly recommend, especially if you're headed up to Tree Trek for any of their other activities. We had an extremely knowledgeable guide who gave a fantastic tour that included an up close experience with hummingbirds. The coffee tasting was superb.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

The boat trip to Higgins National Park, and the bus tour through Torres Del Paine National Parks were amazing. We were blessed with great weather and a very good local guide, Daniella (on the TDP trip.) The pristine natural beauty of these parks is a sight to behold!

Hotel Review

Altiplanico Sur Hotel

Puerto Natales

Great Service! Excellent food options in the restaurant. Amazing view of the bay from our ocean facing room.

Authenticity & Character

The postcard picture window with unobstructed view of the bay. Comfortable common areas gor sitting around with friends sipping hot tea!

Location

Serenity, away from the crowds.

Staff

Helpful, and easy to communicate with.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Room fixtures are dated, but bed was comfortable. Good bathroom with shower stall and towel warmer.

Activity Reviews

Boat Tour to Bernardo O Higgins National Park, Serrano & Balmaceda Glaciers

Puerto Natales

Comfortable boat ride. Great views of waterfalls and glacier. Hearty lunch of barbecued chicken and lamb. An overall great experience!

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Torres del Paine National Park (Full-Day Group Tour)

Argentina

Wonderful day-long trip. Very scenic, populated with llama-like deers. Took plenty of pictures with many stops along the way. Good lunch with soup, entree, and dessert. Good local guide, Daniella who made the trip enjoyable and comfortable.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

We had a great time in Morocco. The hotels, the food and the people were great. The country is beautiful, it has a great variety of ecosystems. The country's history came to life during the trip. Younes Bouabid our driver/guide who was with us throughout the trip, was wonderful. He was very courteous, helpful and available at any time of the day or night to answer questions or take us to additional locations that were not on the itinerary. He took us to local restaurants, off the beaten path, where we could experience local food at the places where locals eat. He got very good guides in the cities that we didn't have. He was always happy to answer any questions and advice on how to improve our experiences in Morocco. His advice, warnings and recommendations were priceless.
We felt very safe traveling with him even in the most remote areas of the country. It was a great experience.
I highly recommend Younes. If we return to Morocco we will definitely look for him to be our driver/guide again.

Erin was responsive and helped plan our trip given the limited amount of time we planned to spend in Puerto Natales. We were a group of four (2 couples).
Erin and Nara responded promptly to our questions and requests that we raised during the trip planning stage.
The Hotel Altiplanico Sur was a great choice as the views from our room were amazing. We were there for three (3) nights. Hotel was a short driving distance away from downtown as well as the airport. The included breakfast was good. Each night we dined at the Hotel and the food was well prepared and delicious. The Hotel staff including the front desk was friendly and courteous.
The full day catamaran boat tour to Bernardo Higgins NP, Serrano & Balmaceda Glaciers was amazing. It included a delicious BBQ lunch which exceeded our expectation.
The full day group tour to Torres del Paine NP was great with amazing views. The tour guide was friendly, helpful and courteous. The stop at Milodon Cave was quite interesting! The included buffet lunch at the park restaurant was good. The Airport/ Hotel/Airport transfers were on time with courteous drivers.
In summary, we had a great time and recommend Erin and her team for planning a trip to the Patagonia!

Hotel Review

Altiplanico Sur Hotel

Puerto Natales

Excellent location and views from the room. Friendly Hotel staff

Authenticity & Character

Location

Short (10 min) drive to downtown as well as the Airport

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Overall, a great place to stay !

Activity Reviews

Boat Tour to Bernardo O Higgins National Park, Serrano & Balmaceda Glaciers

Puerto Natales

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Torres del Paine National Park (Full-Day Group Tour)

Argentina

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

My trip to Japan was awesome. Eleanor, my representative from KimKim, worked hard to make sure that all of my wishes were included on my itinerary. I had a blast at the Sumo Wrestler stable, the hedgehog cafe, lacquer store where I was able to finish painting a design on a small tray, seeing the city of Sapporo from the top of the Olympic ski jump, and using my skills to find a particular restaurant in Sagamihara where I used to eat the most delicious gyoza many years ago. (And yes it is still open after 40+ years!). All of this would not have been possible without the help of Eleanor and the private guides that I had in each city for a day. I would definitely use their services again on another trip. I do like being able to discover places on my own but having a one day guide in each city increased my confidence and gave me information that I wouldn't have known on my own.

Hotel Reviews

Royal Park Hotel Tokyo Nihonbashi

Tokyo

Super convenient location with the subway station being under the hotel. Great included breakfast buffet. Wonderful registation and concierge staff that were able to help me transfer my luggage by courier to my next location so that I could travel luggage free on public transportation. Only down side to this hotel is that they do not have self-serve guest laundry machines, but I was able to find a public pay laundromat just about one or two blocks away. Very easy to use just needed Google translate to work the machines!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Cleanliness & Comfort

Residence Hotel Takayama Station

Very interesting small hotel in Takayama. I can see how this hotel could be used as a long-stay place. The room was comfortable, nice batieGood location to food, and convenience stores. I would choose this hotel again if I ever found myself in the area. Also, the registration staff was extremely helpful with luggage service to my next location, making calls to help with the language barrier, and overall answers to my questions,

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Daiwa Roynet Hotel Kanazawa-Eki Nishiguchi

Kanazawa

Have you ever heard the saying location, location, location? Well, the saying fits this hotel. Adjacent to the bus station, and a short 5 minute walk from the train station makes it very convenient. Again, the front desk staff was very helpful and friendly. Would stay here again if in the area.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Marunouchi Hotel

This hotel was also in a very good location in relation to public transportation. Helpful and friendly staff, and a clean and inviting atmosphere. I would stay here again if in the area.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Mitsui Garden Hotel Sapporo West

Sapporo

This hotel was also in a very good location in relation to public transportation. Helpful and friendly staff, and a clean and inviting atmosphere. I would stay here again if in the area.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Full Day Tokyo City Tour with Tsukiji Outer Fish Market

Tokyo

Super fun but soooo crowded. I would prefer to see it at a less crowded time.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Authentic Sumo Experience in Tokyo: Enter the Sanctuary

Tokyo

Oh boy! I Ioved this experience! I would definitely suggest this experience if you are even just a little bit interested in sumo. I had the opportunity to watch some wrestlers show us some of their exercises and even let the participants get in the ring to try to do them with guidance. At the end of the demonstration each group participant had the oppertunity to get in the ring once again and try to out-do the pros by pushing them out of the ring. We were able to put on an informal kimono and have our pictures taken in the ring with both wrestlers. After the demonstration was done, we were invited to have a hotpot lunch made by the wrestlers in a very informal setting were we could ask questions and get the answers from the sumos. I really liked this experience. It is suitable for families with children of about 8+ years old.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Full Day Takayama City Tour

Takayama

I had a wonderful day here with my private guide. It was during a festival that I visited and was able to try many different foods from the street venders as well as see the parade of Japanese shrines. Learned quite a bit about the history with my guide. I would definately go to visit here again if in the area. It is a breath of fresh air after spending time in the busy city of Tokyo.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Full Day Kenrokuen, Kanazawa Castle & Tea Culture Tour

Kanazawa

Wow! What a beautiful area to visit. I had a great day with my private guide and learned quite a bit of new information regarding the area. I would visit this area again if in Japan.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Sapporo City Discovery with Genghis Khan BBQ and Sapporo Beer Tasting

Sapporo

The Sapporo Brewery is a sight to behold. It is a beautiful brick building the has been well maintained and houses a museum of the beer industry in Sapporo. My guide was great at pointing out details that I would have missed in being there on my own. I didn't take advantage of the BBQ or the beer tasting, as those things don't appeal to me. Instead we ate at a smaller local restaruant and had great ramen and gyoza! If in the area I would suggest visiting the Olympic stadium, Clock Tower, and the Sapporo TV tower.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Thank you for the incredible team you’ve assembled to represent your tour company and Morocco. From the moment we booked with KimKim, the communication was clear, concise, and helpful. Maryem was wonderfully responsive—quick, kind, and always available. Does she ever sleep?

Every arrangement at our Riyadh was both comfortable and elegant, offering the traditional Moroccan experience we were hoping for. Our days were packed with sights and activities, and we truly got an exceptional guide in Sallam. His knowledge of Moroccan history was impressive, and he had a wonderful ability to engage each of us, ensuring everyone felt heard, involved and comfortable exploring. Our expectations were high, but we came away with far more enjoyment, understanding, and appreciation for your culture and country than we ever anticipated.

When a medical emergency unexpectedly interrupted our travel plans, your team went above and beyond to arrange excellent care for me and smoothly adjusted our itinerary to meet our specific needs. Every response from your organization was outstanding, showcasing remarkable professionalism and genuine care.

The attention to detail you provided ensures the ongoing success of your company. For anyone considering a trip to Morocco, this team is second to none. I wouldn’t change a thing.

Overall, we had an amazing time seeing highlights of Thailand and Vietnam over two weeks. Our tour guides really made the trip special and cannot thank Mem, Annie, Long and Peter enough for going above and beyond for us.

Hotels were ok, which was fine as we weren't spending a lot of time in the room (out sightseeing much of the time). Some had peculiarities such as not providing an iron but charging for ironing services, and ok breakfast selection. However, the hotel in Hanoi was the best one by far, especially the staff - really helpful and personable, would recommend if you want to be right in the centre of the Old Quarter area. In hindsight, we could have looked more into specific hotels to help inform our local specialist and take into account differing standards.

It was really helpful to have Trang available during our trip for any issues (only had a minor delay with a driver, otherwise it all went pretty smoothly).

Activity Reviews

Bangkok Explore Tour with River Boat & Tuk Tuk

Bangkok

Hanoi City Tour

Hanoi

Hanoi - Halong Bay Cruise - Overnight on boat

Ha Long Bay

Halong Bay - Hanoi

Ha Long Bay

Half-Day Ho Chi Minh City Tour

Ho Chi Minh City

Half-day Cu Chi Tunnels tour

Ho Chi Minh City

Chiang Mai – City tour & Doi Suthep

Chiang Mai

Koh Samui Free Day

Koh Samui

Hanoi - Ninh Binh

Ninh Binh

Ben Tre Tour

Ho Chi Minh City

This was my second booking with KIMKIM and it didn't disappoint. Both times I have used this service I have been blown away. Our guide was amazing (I must start there). Hatice traveled with us for the entire 11 days and she was absolutely fabulous. She was knowledgeable, friendly and wonderful. She was like part of the family before we left. We shared meals, met her family and had just an incredible time. She made reservations at restaurants, knew the best times to visit each attraction and treated us like she knew us forever. It was an incredible experience. Of course, Berat and her team did an amazing job with all the arrangements. The hotels, food and locations were exactly what we wanted and needed for our vacation. Turkey is a magical safe place that everyone should enjoy at least once in their life. You will see amazing historical places, eat too much (watch the ice cream) and love living life there.

Ngima was my first and only contact with KimKim and provided first rate service, keeping me informed during every step of the planning process. Communications were both timely and thorough. Ngima was the consummate host and guide, catering to our every need during our travels. We enjoyed his company, knowledge, camaraderie and sense of humor. Food and accommodations were greater than anticipated. We can easily recommend planning and traveling with Ngima and with KimKim.

Highlights included the cultural tour of Kathmandu and the natural safari tours at Chitwan National Park. We were fortunate to be traveling during the Diwali holidays, as this added to the whole Nepal experience.

Activity Reviews

Kathmandu Sightseeing tour to Boudhanath, Swyambhunath, Bhaktapur Durbar Square and Patan Durbar Square

Kathmandu

Excellent interpretive guide and great introduction to Nepal. The Stupa and artist’s school at Boudhanath were highlights of this first day of touring.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Traffic is an experience of its own.

Full-day Chitwan activities

Chitwan National Park

Safaris included jungle tours by jeep, canoe, and by foot, each offering different experiences and opportunities for wildlife viewing. These were spaced out over three days, and afforded rest and relaxation along the way. We stayed at Green Park and highly recommend for its wonderful accommodations, gardens, meals, swimming pool, and overall service.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Early drive to Sarangkot for Sunrise and Pokhara Sightseeing Tour

Pokhara

We looked forward with great anticipation to our first views of the Annapurna range, but were disappointed that the weather did not cooperate. We enjoyed the experience none the less.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Drive from Pokhara to Nayapul then Trek to Trek to Ghandruk and return back to Pokhara

Pokhara

We hiked from Kimchie to Ghandruk and were impressed by the gardens, forests, and villages. Ghandruk was a welcome destination on our itinerary.

Huyen was great to work with. She listened carefully to my requests and was flexible in her recommendations so that the trip was tailored to our needs. I joined my husband on a trip for work so we did not need help with hotel reservations. Huyen was great at suggesting options for things for us to do when he was not working. She arranged for tours of Ninh Binh and Ha Long Bay in Vietnam, including an overnight boat cruise on Ha Long Bay. In Thailand we had a half day elephant sanctuary tour that was great as well as a trip to the highest mountain in Thailand and a hike through the mountains by several waterfalls and through terraced rice paddies. Once the trip was underway, Huyen remained in contact and was incredibly helpful when we had problems. When I left my passport on the boat in Ha Long Bay she contacted the cruise company for me and arranged to have the passport delivered to my hotel the next day! The only glitch was when she gave me the wrong time to meet the tour for the Elephant Sanctuary. However, she called the tour and arranged for a private car to pick us up within 10 minutes to bring us to meet the others on the tour. She never missed a beat!

Hotel Review

Athena Cruise

Ha Long Bay

We loved our overnight cruise on Ha Long Bay. The staff was friendly and the food was excellent. Our cabin was comfortable and roomy. We enjoyed sitting on our private balcony as well as making spring rolls with the crew staff.

Authenticity & Character

The cruise ship is clean and comfortable.

Location

this is a cruise on Ha Long Bay!

Staff

very friendly and helpful.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Everything was clean and comfortable

Activity Reviews

Hanoi - Ninh Binh: Hoa Lu, Ancient Capital & Tam Coc Boat Trip - Hanoi

Vietnam

We enjoyed our day in Ninh Binh. Our guide was very informative in the ancient capital and the boat trip was great.

Quality of Experience

OVerall great day

Food

Lunch was good.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

We loved our guide, Brian. His English was great and he was very informative and easy to talk to

Transport

we were very comfortable in our private car.

Hanoi - Halong Bay Cruise - Overnight on boat

Ha Long Bay

We loved this trip to Ha Long Bay. We had a comfortable room with a private balcony. The food was very good and the staff was friendly. I loved waking up to do Tai Chi on the deck at dawn.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Bangkok - Damnoen Saduak Floating Market - half-day free

Bangkok

We were picked up and driven 1.5 hours south to a floating market. We had a boat ride through the canals but it ended at the floating market. There we walked around but would have had to hire a different boat to actually take us through the market. Our guide left us alone in the market and went to have coffee. That was fine for us as we enjoyed the time to browse, but I think some people would have enjoyed having more guidance and an interpreter in the market.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Our driver was excellent. He drove quickly but safely in heavy traffic.

Transport

Bangkok No guide – Morning flight to Chiang Mai – Doi Suthep Hill (B)

Vietnam

We enjoyed going to the the top of Doi Suthep Hill. However, it rained and was cold. Our guide made the best of it and was very informative.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Chiang Mai – Half day Elephant Sanctuary (Join -in tour) - Evening Foodie tour by Tuktuk (B,L,D)

Chiang Mai

We had a great trip to the Jungle Elephant Sanctuary. We got a late start due to a miscommunication about the start time, but Huyen arranged or a separate car to pick us up and we joined the bus part way. The day itself was great. We enjoyed feeding the elephants, bathing with them and having a mud bath with them! The food was so so but that is not why you take this trip. The elephants are amazing! our evening foodie tour was fun but it was rainy and a bit cold. Our guide was great at finding all different foods for us to try and even at finding a dry spot to sit in despite the rain. I would never have known to try these foods without our guide!

Quality of Experience

Food

lunch was served but was not great.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Ms Wandee was great at leading us through our foodie tour.

Transport

Chiang Mai - Doi Inthanon National Park - Chiang Mai (B)

Chiang Mai

This was a great day despite it being somewhat rainy. Since the top of the mountain is a temperate rain forest, the rain did not matter. We drove up into a cloud and wandered through moss covered trees and temples. Beautiful and eerie! Then we hiked further down the mountain for a about 1.5 hours near several waterfalls and through terraced fields with a local guide. The rain stopped and we were really able to enjoy this!

Quality of Experience

Food

We stopped for lunch at a restaurant in the park which was not included in the fee, but the food was delicious.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Ms Wandee was informative, friendly and a great guide

Transport

Great driver!

Yassine our local specialist, along with the booked driver aka local tour guide in disguise, Said Misser, for our 15 day trip in Morocco , really made our trip an unforgettable experience!

Yassine is so communicative, helpful, proactive, flexible and anticipates our needs - he made the planning part of it seem so effortless! It just relied on my two friends and I to make decisions, which was the only hard part of it. In fact - I previously worked with Yassine on an attempt to travel to Morocco. It fell through on my end, but because Yassine was so great to work with then, I immediately thought and requested to work with him again on this trip!

Said, our local driver from Casablanca, was with us the entire 15 days of the trip. We got along really well and he was someone we didnt even know we needed. It was the 3 of us women and he made us feel safe in a place where we all have heard mix things about traveling as a woman in this part of the country. He was also helpful in making more local less touristy recommendations for activities - he knew us well. His English is on point and it helped us conversate really well. He is also hospitable, personable and just so knowledgeable about his home town/country that has allowed us to learn so much of the Moroccan and Muslim culture. If it wasnt for him to allow us to connect with him and people there, the trip honestly would not have been the same and probably a bit more touristy. This is what truly made the trip above any other trips I've gone to and I travel frequently! (side note: we grew attached to Said by the end of the trip and we were sad to have had to say goodbye!)

A quick note - through Yassine, he booked several local tour guides for certain cities and events like Fatima for a food tour in Fes - she was amazing and so supportive of us women, and honestly can't remember the other local tours in other cities but we had a few more. Said helped us with smaller tours that made it more meaninful. We stayed in 9 cities and saw probably about 11-12 cities total.

also this is my second trip using KimKim and can't say enough good things about their services. You do pay extra but it is worth every penny! Use Kimkim when you dont have time to plan with people to take ensure you have an amazing trip - and reach out to Yassine for a Morocco trip and request for Said Misser for your driver!!!

thank you so much Said, Yassine, Kimkim for an unforgettable trip!!!

My hopes for an epic trip to China and Japan were realized thanks to
蒋海丽 (Heidi). She gave me alot of her time and energy to help me plan the trip, and she was with me every step of the way during the trip.

I was a little anxious about traveling to China on my own but Heidi was a reassuring influence as I planned the trip with her through convos on KK Platform and phone calls. Typically, I would send her a lot of questions and she always answered promptly with great options and solutions.

The several tours arranged by Heidi were excellent, especially the tour guides. She selected great hotels for me and booked the train rides I needed to see both countries.

Halfway through trip planning, I needed to switch from another Asian country to Japan. Heidi sent me an itinerary and plan for Japan the very next day!

It is always good to balance a review like this with some positive criticism, but I have none. I am so pleased with how smoothly the trip played out, which allowed me to experience both countries to the max. Thanks again Heidi!

Activity Reviews

A Glimpse into China's Imperial Past: the Fobidden City

Beijing

Angela tour guide in Beijing Wu Qiong (Angela) really took care of me in my visit to Beijing. She is an outstanding tour guide, reassuring, and very fun to be with. If you like to grow and learn about the history and culture of China, Angela is like an encyclopedia. Angela led me on two unforgettable days in Beijing, which covered the Forbidden City, the Summer Palace and the Great Wall. Angela made sure to ride the gondola with me at the Great Wall, which was a scary ride for me. When not touring with her, she recommended and arranged reservations in interesting local restaurants when I was not on the tour. The time with Angela in Beijing went by way too fast. I could have spent many more days exploring the city with her and learning from her.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Highlights of Shanghai with Yu Garden and the Bund

Shanghai

JJ, Shanghai tour guide During my tour of Shanghai, JJ (ChenJie陈杰) shared her incredible insight into China and its relationship to the rest of the world. I will remember those experiences as much as the Shanghai that she introduced me to. Although it was a whirlwind couple of days in the busy city of 25 million people, JJ made it all enormously fun and stimulating. JJ always let me set the comfortable pace for me. I appreciate so much how she was so flexible and creative when I asked for changes in the itinerary. There was so much to see and talk about and think about, and JJ made it all very easy. Go see Shanghai for yourself, and try to get JJ for a guide.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

We spent a wonderful 10 days in Colombia looked after by Michael and his team at Chaska Travels.
A special mention about our guide Marylin in Bogota who went that extra mile to look after us personally especially when my wife and daughter were a bit under the weather. All the tours and travel arrangements went without a hitch and frankly there was no part of our trip that we had any negative experience. We loved Colombia as a country, its people and of course its amazing Geography.
The highlight of our trip was our stay at the Sofitel Santa Clara where we could not have asked for more. The service and facilities were wonderful.