Kimkim Trip Reviews

Our trip was very well organized. All of our concerns regarding acclimating to high altitude were addressed. When we decided we preferred to stay at a lower altitude than Cusco, Liz took care of rearranging our accommodations & tour to fit our desires. All of our transfers between airports, cities and tours were well planned and we felt very well taken care of. Jorge, our guide in the low jungle at our resort, Muyuna, kept us on our toes exploring the plants and animals of the rainforest. The sounds of the rainforest, the night hikes, swimming in the Amazon River, watching for pink dolphins, and fishing for piranhas are some of the highlights of the low jungle/rainforest experience. We enjoyed the continuity of spending time with our Cusco to Sacred Valley driver Michael, as we toured Sacred Valley the following day. Our 1 day Inca trail hike to Machu Picchu was an amazing experience with our guides Jamie and Nester. They took care of our meals and our health as we completed the challenging trek arriving at the Sun gate to enjoy the awesome experience entering into Machu Picchu from above. We completed our tour of Peru with an amazing journey to Palcoyo Rainbow Mountain with Edwin. A delicious breakfast & lunch were prepared special to accommodate our vegetarian requests at the private restaurant, Tullpu. Paul, was always available to answer questions through WhatsApp regarding flight delays & reminders for tour briefings. I highly recommend KimKim for Peru travel. We will look to them for our next international vacation.

I don't know what else to say other then everything was INCREDIBLE. Silvia was so helpful with everything we needed. She planned the perfect trip for us, down to every detail. Our biggest concerns before going to Iceland were; where are we driving every day, and the food. But Silvia made the driving effortless with daily google map itineraries, and in addition to daily local food recommendations, was able to get us hard to get reservations at amazing restaurants. My wife and I have already started talking about our plans to visit Sweden or Switzerland and would love to have Silvia as our agent again!

Activity Review

The Retreat Spa - Blue Lagoon

Iceland

So glad we ended our 8 day trip at the Retreat Spa. The best possible way to wind down a very busy and exciting week.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Angela did an amazing job. Our trip was highlighted by the wonderful guides there. Helaine was so thorough with a delightful voice and beautiful stories. We started our adventure with the Acropolis and many stories of the mythology surrounding it. We ventured toward Delphi and so much that surrounded. Started one day at a small mountainside farm in Meteora for coffee and sweet spoons, lunched with locals for lamb cooked over coals of an open fire, ended at a family winery. In between there were Monasteries on top of bluffs, a wonder and marvel to see. Churches being restored, icon art being created and some of the history of the Greek people! Athens was wonderful as well, walking the streets and markets, tasting the flavors. Christina was also a delight reading the Greek coffee grounds, and showing us the sights old and new. The street art there was a special walk scattered with updated housing, shops and markets.
Santorini was a magical place, the Mystique was enchanting! Don't miss Mia's Tia next door, its a special drink! The sunsets at Oia and shops were wonderful. We loved cooking and tasting at the winery. An uncovered ancient city and red sand beaches were a highlight as well as, a seaside lunch at the black sand beach. We ended our time at an outdoor show of Greek family Wedding!
Crete was a magical, lovely area and we managed to visit the eastern and western areas with Alexander. Eastern was a special river area with pomegranate and Bay leaf trees. We visited a family olive farm and saw the working of it and tasted the delicious harvest. We enjoyed old monasteries and nunneries with lovely hand made jewelry and beautiful scenery. We saw 13th century monasteries preserved, and ended our day with the most tasteful meal cooked outside over hearth and stone oven! The western area we visited a lovely town being restored
and the valley of the 5 virgins. We hiked and saw ancient Sycamore trees, beautiful gorges and abandoned monasteries, still visited by local people. We ended our day in a local tavern with spring fed waterfalls and fresh trout. Delicious!

Excellent planning by Jenny and the KimKim Team. Just one small clitch at the start re whether we'd prepaid for the hotel in Reykjavik but quickly sorted out and thereafter no problems. Useful to note also that when using the bus transfer from Keflavik airport you are taken to a terminal and then change onto minibuses to take you to the drop off point for your hotel. Otherwise everything worked as per the Travel Plan with maps, suggestions for places to visit and possible detours.
Our trip involved an internal flight to Egilsstadir where we picked up the hire car and then working our way back to Reykjavik via Lake Myvatn, Husavik, Laugarbakki, Heydalur, Isafjordur and the Snaesfellsnes Peninsula. Highlights were the Whale Trip at Husavik, seeing the Northern Lights and whales in the fjord at Hvammstangi and the stunning West Fjords but throughout the trip the scenery was fascinating and surprisingly varied.
We found Icelanders very helpful and friendly and most of the people we met spoke English. Not sure what it's like on the more touristy routes but it's work noting that there are very few public toilets when out in the country areas.

Our trip to Morocco was fantastic! Our whole experience with KimKim was great - Hakim was very responsive and accommodating throughout the whole planning process (which was delayed due to covid). The trip itself ran incredibly smoothly - thanks to Hakim in the background and our outstanding driver, Mohamed, who was very knowledgeable, friendly and efficient. We had a clear guide on what to expect at every point and had resources if we had any questions (Mohamed or Hakim via WhatsApp). Our riads were all very nice, with excellent service, and our local tour guides were very informative. We’d highly recommend this to our friends & family.
Our trip included: Rabat - Chefchaouen blue city) - Volubilis (Roman ruins) - Fes - Merzouga (desert) - Ait Ben Haddou - Marrakesh - Casablanca. A trip of a lifetime :)

We had a great time in Portugal! The tour was well planned, so we were able to see a lot in a short period of time. Our guide, Diogo, was also fantastic! He was humorous and smart- we learned a lot and felt comfortable with our guide!

Samir was amazing planning the trip. Resourceful & extremely responsive. Samir managed to get all hotels that we wanted to stay. We had a great time staying in Jordan. The only thing that could be better was the car. Spent hours on the roads so the car could be more comfortable.

Our guides in Athens and Michael and Chris in Mykonos and Santorini were wonderful. The tours were exactly what we wanted and the whole experience including accommodation was perfect.
Thank you Antonis for our special Greek experience.

Nadia did a great job helping us figure out what we were going to do for our vacation to Greece.
We had booked a cruise and booked the air travel from the USA. But then the cruise company canceled the cruise. The airfare was already purchased. Nadia worked with our already established air travel and then filled in all the details. I don’t think we could be any more pleased.

Hotel Reviews

Grand Hyatt Athens

Athens

Authenticity & Character

Location

Roof top pool overlooking the Acropolis!

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Costa Grand Resort & Spa

Kamari, Santorini

It was next to a beach front village with restaurants and shops that was all in walking distance.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Only negative is the planes that fly over. But we live near a naval air station so it did not really bother us much.

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Holiday Inn Athens - Airport

Athens

We only stayed here one night waiting to return to the USA. It is very close to the airport.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Saint John Hotel Villas & Spa

Mykonos

This is a beautiful property in a good location. They have a shuttle to town, but it only runs from 6:00 pm to 10:00 pm. FYI, a taxi ride to town is 25 Euros each way.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Acropolis & Flavors Combo Tour

Athens

KimKim arranged a private tour. Our tour guide was Joanna. She was wonderful.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

We had to get to the place to meet the tour guide on our own. Which we did using the Uber app and a yellow cab showed up. It worked fine, but it would be good to have a private transfer.

Welcome to Santorini

Santorini

We loved Santorini. We stayed 7 days. We rented a car for 4 of the days. We recommend having a rent car.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Santorini Wine Roads

Santorini

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Platinum Morning Caldera Cruise

Santorini

I think this was the high light of our 14 day Greece vacation.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Car Rental in Santorini for Jeff Havens

Santorini

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Welcome to Mykonos

Mykonos

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Outstanding trip. Local guides were amazing and the trip was full of adventures and wildlife.

The overall experience from planning to our actual first day in Spain was wonderful. I have tell all my friends about Kim Kim and how easy was to organize and set everything. Our special thanks to Luis , who helped us making this trip memorable . We wouldn't hesitate for one second to organize our next trip through the platform.
Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!!
Aguilar-Gonzalez fam
Beauchamp- Ruiz fam
Puerto Rico

Hotel Reviews

Slow Suites Setas

Seville

This were our favorite. Easy access, no need for key Beautiful decorations

Authenticity & Character

Just beautiful

Location

Easy access

Staff

Attentive and available

Cleanliness & Comfort

Extremely clean

Happy Apartments

Barcelona

Comfortable, spacious, excellent localization Beautiful apartment

Authenticity & Character

Beautiful apartment

Location

Closeness to major attractions

Staff

Always attentive and available

Cleanliness & Comfort

Super clean!

Slow Suites Bellas Artes

Madrid

This were the biggest, we were surprised since been in the city regularly apartments are small. Very comfortable and spacious

Authenticity & Character

Beautiful

Location

Walking distance to major attractions

Staff

Very attentive and available.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Extremely clean

Activity Reviews

Off-the-beaten-path City Tour

Seville

Wonderful tour and both guides excellent

Quality of Experience

Beautiful city

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Knowledgeable and attentive

Full Day City Tour & Gaudi (incl skip the line Tickets for Sagrada Familia & Parc Güell)

Barcelona

Overall experience was great and our guide Giovanni was excellent

Day tour to Córdoba

Seville

Beautiful city, but if by train available it would have been less tiresome

Quality of Experience

Transport

Kayaking & Snorkeling

Spain

Due to season and weather a little bit cold but the ones who participated were happy, the only thing that could improve was the lunch served

Day tour to Granada & the Alhambra

Seville

Essential Madrid bike tour

Madrid

A little worrisome since bikes and traffic are a litty bit scary. In fact one of the bikers fell, but overall a different experience

Private City Tour

Toledo

Also one of our favorites. Beautiful and our guide was excellent

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Tapas in Malasaña

Madrid

Also one of our favorites Our guide Irene clearly dominates this tour. A wonderful experience with the culinary traditions from Spain. We had a lot of fun and time flew.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Irene was the best!

Airport transfer (return)

Spain

Drivers were extremely courteous. They were on time and drove us safely to the airport

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Tapas & Flamenco night

Seville

This was one of our favorite. All the senses explored. Beautiful performances

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

It was a one of the best organized trips I had been on.. from the hotels, car pick ups, tour plans to sight seeing it was a very well organized and very thoughtfully done. It was a customized tour plan and since I was a single traveler Murat and team made sure I was always taken care and never felt unsafe.

From Volkan, hatice to Murat himself were very good hosts and excellent travel buddies.

Istanbul - hotel, food everything was good. It’s a vibrant city and should be seen only on foot like I did! Do not miss the baklava, grand bazaar or the blue mosque!

Cappadocia- by far my most favorite destination. Gul Konnaklari!! Is a beautiful medieval castle.. and I MYST recommend their small restaurant for a dinner. Absolutely gorgeous! Both food and people
And my best guide was Hatice- she is fun and knowledgeable and practical. And the highlight of Turkey is the Hot Air Balloon that nobody should miss!

sirince - it’s a beautiful location but the crown jewel is the hotel NISANYAN! I landed late at night and was not so impressed but in the morning I instantly regretted not staying longer.. the food was fantastic.. service is amazing and the room they gave me had the best views. Not only do I recommend I will definitely return to enjoy more time there..

All in all it was a very well organized tour. Highly recommend Murat and his team if you are planning to go.. Turkey is a beautiful country with a lot of heart and soul! must Visit

Hotel Reviews

Pera Palace

Istanbul

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Gül Konaklari Sinasos (Rose Mansions Sinasos)

Nevsehir

Beautiful in every way!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Nisanyan Houses

Selçuk

Highly recommend

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Doğa Thermal Hotel & Spa

Denizli

Authenticity & Character

Location

Hi

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Explore the Sultanahmet Square, Blue Mosque + Hagia Sophia

İstanbul

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

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

İstanbul

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Visiting Göreme Open Air Museum (UNESCO World Heritage)

Cappadocia

Quality of Experience

T

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Whirling Dervish Ceremony at Saruhan Caravansarai

Turkey

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Discovering the Ihlara Valley and Light Hiking Along the Melendiz River

Cappadocia

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Explore the Ancient City of Ephesus

Turkey

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Our trip was exactly what we wanted. Tricia was very helpful in providing information and making adjustments where needed. She also went out of her way to keep in touch while we were on our trip to try to ensure we saw the northern lights (which we did!). The staff at Mefjord Brygge were helpful. Sebastian was knowledgeable and kind and made several suggestions regarding the best way to experience this beautiful country. We thoroughly enjoyed our time!

We had great guides and drivers, especially Valter, Francisco, Sophia, Ricardo and Daniel.

The trip was just the right combination of structure and spontaneity, and we didn’t get exhausted from doing too much.

The local company, Original tours, was quick to reply with any questions, requests or issues along the way. Our driver drove us safely but we would suggest that the vans have working seat belts for passengers. Accommodations were good except for the Kasbah in Bonaire Dades. It was a little lower in standard of both rooms and food. Overall a good experience. It was our choice to cover a lot of territory so the days were long but we got to see and do a lot!!

Thank you Ashley, Bobby and Tony for your help during our vietnam trip. Ashley was quick in making alternate plans when our Danang / Hoi An plan was foiled due to bad weather. Our son got sick and both Tony and Ashley showed they really care by helping us out both in tending to him as well as in making alternate plans and food arrangements. Not our ideal vacation but this team ensured it was not a bad one despite adversities. Thank you Bobby for the warm greeting at Hanoi and being so friendly with our kids.

What would have helped is transparency on the pricing. Since our plans changed so much and we did not cover Hoi An, Ba Na Hills etc, there would have been cost savings which uou could have passed on. I do agree there were changes made to the plan and there is a cost to that but transparency always helps. We understand the value you offer and are ready to pay for it but breakdown would help. Hope you can take this feedback.

We had an incredible trip to Greece! Harris did an incredible job working us to plan the right amount of activities and staying within our budget. He recommended we visit Naxos instead of Mykonos and it was the highlight of trip! Once we arrived to Greece we were impressed by the quality of the tours & lodging, and all of the logistics worked perfectly! We appreciate all Harris and the Travel12 team did to make our trip special!

I was hesitant using a travel agency & I had not heard of KimKim before. From the beginning Chris was communicative & extremely helpful. He allowed me to be the driver in what type of vacation I was looking for. I have to say everything from planning to execution, our trip had no hiccups & was everything we hoped for. Transfers, travel in between islands, hotels & excursions were all super seamless. Basically all we had to do is just show up. Took so much stress off the travel experience. A bonus & a super personal touch was meeting Chris in person once we arrived. We really enjoyed the software they use to outline the details of the trip. We used it as a reference the entire time, plus it was fun to read over in anticipation to our trip. Chris gave great suggestions for our free days, several suggested restaurants and detailed info with pics to each destination.
We visited Delphi which I highly recommend. So full of amazing history and in such a beautiful mountainous area. Our driver & guide that day were so informative, it was like hanging out with friends for the day. From Athens we flew to Crete. Such a lush island. We really enjoyed the port towns and visiting the smaller villages in the countryside, tasting grapes from the vine & eating fresh cheese from the farm. From Crete we took a ferry to Santorini. That island is a dream, tall cliffs, blue waters & white buildings. Our hotel was nestled in the cliff side and the views spectacular. We enjoyed watching the famous sunsets from the pool or our balcony. We did a wine tasting & cooking class while in Santorini. Such a fun & wonderful experience of delicious wines & local foods. The chef & guides were so fun.
From Santorini we ferried to Naxos. One of my favorites because it had beautiful sandy beaches, clear water & mountains. We hiked mount Zas & checked out the cave as well. One of our favorite experiences. The rest of our time on Naxos consisted of lazy sunning at the beach which was such a perfect close to our vacation. Greece was a highly anticipated trip that had been on my bucket list for many years. Chris put together an amazing experience we will not forget.

My cousin and I did the Pikey Peak trek in 5 days, this was the perfect trek to do if you have only a few days of vacation to take in Nepal. You will see just about everything in a short amount of time including Everest if you are lucky and get a clear day up on Pikey Peak. Kunchock was fantastic in setting up our itinerary and really made sure we were safe the whole time. We even had some flight issues getting to Nepal but Kunchock made sure everything was adjusted to fit our schedule. Dolma was our tour guide for the trek and I could not have asked for a better one, she let us customize and do just about anything we wanted to during the trek and was extremely friendly and knowledgeable on the Pikey Peak area. Definitely going back the only thing I would say about my trip was I wish I personally had more time!

Hotel Reviews

Pema Boutique Hotel

Kathmandu

The hotel was great, the area it is in really makes you realize you are in Nepal the culture is very different and the restaurant downstairs has great authentic food.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Ambassador

Kathmandu

Very nice hotel I felt like I was in a hotel back home in the United States, the food was great at the restaurant upstairs and the staff was very friendly and helpful. Location is great as well since it is not to far from the market in case you wanted to buy any souvenirs.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Drive from Kathmandu to Dhap, Trek to Japre (2920 m)

Nepal

I must say although of course the trek and the peak was the highlight of the trip, my favorite part was just driving to the trek start location. It was about a 6 hour drive and I got to see so many different villages and farms that you pass through along the way. This was something I enjoyed since I could see many different parts of the country and lifestyles other then the city and the mountains.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Trek from Jhapre to Pikey Base Camp

Nepal

The first part of the trek was not to difficult and a perfect length for just getting done with a 6 hour car drive. You will see prayer flags, stupas and some animals on the way up to base camp

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Trek from Pikey Peak Base Camp to Chaulakharka (1460 m) via Pikey Peak

Nepal

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Trek from Chaulakharka to Shivalaya (1770 m)

Nepal

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Drive from Shivalaya to Kathmandu

Nepal

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Depart Kathmandu Nepal

Nepal

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Tasos did a fabulous job from our very first interaction. All of our guides were knowledgeable and personable and the response times from Travel 12 were immediate and helpful in all situations.

Hotel Reviews

The Zillers Boutique Hotel

Athens

The rooms were tiny but the building itself was a lovely and in a fabulous location. The upstairs restaurant had a wonderful breakfast with beautiful views. Service was exceptional in all cases.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Heart of Plaka district

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Katikies Mykonos

Cyclades Islands, Greece

The hotel itself was beautiful and the rooms were lovely and comfortable. The shower however was a bit slippery. The restaurant served delicious food and the staff across the board were friendly and helpful.

Authenticity & Character

Location

A bit isolated, requiring transportation wherever we went.

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Poseidon Hotel & Spa Paros

Paros Island

Authenticity & Character

Location

Very far from everything, and taxis were very expensive no matter where we wanted to go, requiring us to rent a car during our stay.

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Ambassador Aegean Luxury

Santorini

Beautiful and comfortable

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Dinner in Athens

Athens

Dinner at Nolan was a highlight of our trip

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Private Acropolis Hill & Museum Tour

Athens

Lize was incredibly knowledgeable and very personable. We learned a lot and enjoyed her company.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Local Transfer in Mykonos

Mykonos

Most of the drivers were friendly and helpful, however one was annoyed because he had been given a particular time to pick us up and we had been given a later time and he was annoyed that we were late even though we were following our instructions. Another one was on his cell phone the entire time so we were unable to ask him any questions or get any information from him. The rest were just lovely

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Farm to Table and Wine Tasting

Mykonos

Although the meal was tasty, the tour itself at the little farm was not all that interesting and we would probably not recommend this tour.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Day-Trip to Delos Island

Mykonos

Fascinating and educational

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Private Sunset Boat Trip

Paros

Although the family whose boat it was were lovely and friendly, we were fairly disappointed in the experience. We expected to move around a bit more and there was some confusion between the driver and the captain as to what time we needed to be back in port so as a result our dinner was almost not served at all and when it was it was sort of rushed.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Private Naxos Food & Culture Tour

Naxos

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Local Transfer in Paros

Paros

We really enjoyed our driver whose name we couldn’t quite understand no matter how many times we asked. It started with a PAN and he was an absolute delight

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Local Transfer in Santorini

Greece

Our tour guide and also our driver on most occasions was Vasili who was absolutely delightful and knowledgeable and a joy to spend time with.

Santorini Highlights with Wine

Greece

Vasili was fabulous

Quality of Experience

Morning Catamaran Caldera Cruise

Santorini

A must

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport