Kimkim Trip Reviews

Rebecca helped make our vacation stress free. She was accommodating and very responsive. We had an amazing time in Greece! Loved our guides Theo and Nico in Athens! All of our drivers and tours were right on time too which we really appreciated. I will be using Kim Kim again very soon!

My husband and I chose the 17 day self guided Best of Croatia Tour, and it was a fabulous itinerary customized by Robi. We have really appreciated all of the patience that Robi has shown us throughout this process (since it initially was scheduled for Fall of 2020. Throughout the pandemic lockdown Robi and I kept in touch, and he never pressured us at all to book, but was kind and understanding of our desire to come when we felt it was the right time.
Our trip was outstanding and we felt that we really did experience "the Best of Croatia". Robi's suggestions for our itinerary were excellent. We liked starting in Zagreb, the capital, and appreciated our tour of the highlights of the capital city with Bruno, who was so passionate about his country! Part of the excitement of traveling for us is learning about the history and getting a glimpse into the culture, and Bruno did that! We were happy that Robi suggested to drive to the north of Croatia to visit the Trakoscan Castle - I loved how the furniture is still set up in their place and you can almost imagine how it was back in the 14th century! Also we were happily surprised at the beautiful highways that Croatia has, they are all so pristine and it was a pleasure to travel on them. We also appreciated the GPS that Robi made sure was in our rental.
We adored Istria and indeed it did remind us of Tuscany, so lovely. The little towns of Groznjan was super cute, as was Motovun. Porec was gorgeous and we will always remember the delicious seafood meal we had at Konoba Aba!
Plitvice was a highlight - I am so happy that Robi booked our accommodation near the park entrance the night before, as we were almost the first to enter the park, and seeing those stunning waterfalls almost by ourselves was just the best. We can understand how busy the park gets later on in the day or in the summer months, and it would have been a lesser experience, had we gone when it was crowded-it was perfect.
Each day was planned perfectly by Robi, with so much thought and consideration. He would send us pins each night for the following day, and so we were able to navigate the driving part all so well, and did not have to use data (which Robi taught us)!
There were so many highlights along the way - we loved the city of Zadar - it is full of character, and it is so beautiful, with the sea organ providing a wonderful ambience-just loved it!
Robi also placed us in accommodation right at the gates of Krka - he suggested we catch the first boat and we did-Krka is simply breathtaking!! The power of those waterfalls in incredible. We enjoyed the best Sea Bass of our lived in Skradin at Konoba Dalmatino.
We left our rental car in Split. Robi arranged for a walking tour of Split and it was a fantastic tour of the Diocletian's Palace.
Next we took the ferry to Hvar. This was our favorite island. It had a good "vibe", and we did not even party there (they call it the party island). It is just a gorgeous Medieval town, with quaint alleys full of little shops and restaurants. Robi booked "The DeVecchi Rooms" - our favorite-absolutely adorable, and again, the perfect location for walking everywhere. We took a beach day on Hvar at Ponkoji Dol Beach - you can walk from Old town-stay on the sea wall, don't follow Google maps-the walk on the sea wall is so pretty and the beach is lovely!
Then off to Korcula, another island with lots of vineyards, and a few beaches. We did a bike and wine tour here, and loved every minute of it.
Robi arranged for the driver, Goran, to pick us up in Korcula, take us on the car ferry to the Peljasic Peninsula, where we embarked on the BEST, most BREATHTAKING bike ride of our lives, along the coastline of the peninsula. Goran also took us to an amazing Vineyard where we sampled a few delicious red wines. This day was a definite highlight for us! And from there Goran drove us to Ston, where we walked the walls and had yet another seafood feast at Konoba Bakus-delicious!
Goran picked us up from Ston the next morning and onto our last stop-Dubrovinik. This walled city does not disappoint - it is jaw dropping!! We were not big fans of Split, but we LOVED Dubrovinik. The wall is incredible, and the stories from Antea, our walking guide in Dubrovnik were fascinating. Antea is a true local and she shares her very personal understanding of the history of Dubronik-one of the most interesting and cool cities you will ever see. We walked to another amazing beach, and the accommodations Robi arranged for us in Dubrovnik were perfect.
Frankly, this trip was faultless, because of Robi's attention to every detail. He is very hands on, and will communicate with you daily, in case there is anything you need. If you want to have someone plan and organize the best trip to get to know Croatia, you must book Robi-he is kind and considerate and so generous with his time - he went above and beyond and always says that his happiness comes from making his customers happy - how can you beat this? Thank you a million times Robi!

Robbi was amazing and went above and beyond anything we expected.

Hotel Reviews

Grand Bells Bead and Breakfat

Zagreb

Not quite as good as expected. Breakfast was very good but room was not up to par.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Room needs to bevupdated

Hotel Dua Residance

Poreč

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Teatro Verdi Boutique Hotel

Zadar

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Skradinski buk

Skradin

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Pasike

Trogir

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Marul

Split

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Devecchi rooms

Hvar

Authenticity & Character

Location

No

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

M&J central suits

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Sorgo Palace

Ston

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Apartment Zicara

Dubrovnik

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

16 Lakes Hotel

Rakovica

Room was nice and staff great but no heat and hot water or internet working

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Goobye Dubrovnik- flight to Zagreb and Zagreb free day

Zagreb

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Pelješac penisula and Ston- triple atraction - from Korčula

Korčula

Gorman was amazing and really enjoyed our bike ride and wine tour with him. Very knowledgeable and great guy who shared a lot of insight to area and expertise on the wine and life in this area.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Zagreb - Arrival Day & Sightseeing

Zagreb

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Foodie Tour Zagreb

Zagreb

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Zagorje region and castles visit and Zagreb overnight

Zagreb

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Inland of Istria - towns on hills and truffle country

Croatia

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Rovinj and Pula

Poreč

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Exploring Plitvice Lakes National Park and visit to Zadar

Plitvice Lakes

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Zadar - Šibenik - Skradin

Zadar

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Krka National Park -Trogir

Skradin

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Explore Split & Diocletian's palace

Split

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Hvar island and town

Hvar

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Explore Hvar and neighbouring islands VIS( tour) and Biševo

Hvar

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Korčula

Hvar

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Explore Korčula island

Korčula

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Dubrovnik Old Town and the City Walls

Croatia

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Leisure day in Dubrovnik

Dubrovnik

Great tour of city and later a good beach day.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Zagreb - Departure

Zagreb

Great driver and hotel was amazing. Thanks so much for a great trip and would highly recommend using your services. Cheers!!!!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

We had an absolutely fantastic vacation and really enjoyed experiencing Iceland. There are a few questions that I should have asked in retrospect, but nothing that detracted from our experience.

Probably the most wonderful and relaxing vacation we’ve taken in 30 years!!! Our trip to Delphi was both beautiful and educational, and our guide Zaida was an absolute treasure! Our stay on Milos was highlighted by a sailing cruise to amazing coves and beach sights. Folegandros followed with time spent in the quaint Charo and its wonderful Church of Panagia and the beach of Paralia Agkali. Naxos with the Temple of Apollo and it’s historic areas and waterfront dining cannot be forgotten!! The Knossos Palace in Crete was breathtaking!
I’ve not forgotten about the food or the kindness of the Greek people, that needs a chapter to its self. I don’t think that there was anything which we dined on which was not amazing and incredibly fresh! We are already looking forward to visiting again but spending more time there.
We cannot thank Antonis enough for helping us plan this vacation, every detail was perfect and all his recommendations were SPOT ON!! We will definitely use him again on the next trip!!
Thank you Antonis for helping us with a vacation 30 years in the making!!!

Namibian Adventure

To Lize Enderstein and Cindy Botha, a huge THANK YOU !!

We have just returned from a 33 day, Namibia self drive, which was initially scheduled for 2020. Cindy and Lize you have had to contend with postponing our trip by, first one, then two years. You have always been informative, accomodating, courteous and prompt with all our correspondence. Your Kimkim appointed travel consultant Pepe, who met us at the airport to send us off, was also very helpful and informative.

Although we provided the skeleton of the trip from Windhoek via, Sossusvlei, Swakopmund, Twyfelfontein, Etosha, Caprivi, Waterberg, Erindi and finally Witvlei, your choices of accomodation and the comprehensive itinerary booklet, with suggested activities were excellent. You left nothing to chance, so there were no unpleasant surprises. On the contrary, our accomodation was, without fail perfectly matched to our budget and in all cases exceeded our expectation.

Our trip has so many highlights, however, two need special mention, our first night at Namibgrens Guest Farm with their quirky accomodation and friendliness and Fishermans Guesthouse for their kind hospitality and a truly delicious meal. We come away from Namibia with such a positive impression of the place and its people. All our hosts, staff and the public have been helpful and fun to deal with. It is difficult to imagine an improvement to what has been a wonderful Namibian adventure.

To Lize, Cindy and Kimkim, thank you again,
Peter, Wendy, Jon and Jan Lorentz.

Excellent vacation and Carl was very helpful in trip planning in advance as well as help during the trip. Will definitely continue to use KimKim for our next vacation.

This was a great trip. We were able to do everything we wanted to do. Our guides lead great hikes. Our hotels were lovely. Nearly all of our plans went seamlessly and we only had to reach out to our local contact once. I highly recommend KimKim and will definitely book again for the next country.

Activity Reviews

Guided Kjerag Hike

Stavanger

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Guided Hike to Pulpit Rock

Stavanger

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Amazing guide! We loved her!

Transport

Blue Ice Hike

Norway

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Standard Extra Fjord Tour from Bergen

Bergen

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Ended up being a really big list of activities for our last day.

We had a fantastic trip to Peru. KimKim was wonderful; all our trips were organized in a professional way, the drivers were always on time, the cars were clean, the guides were great. I would especially like to thank Sofia, our guide in Lima, who shared her knowledge of the country's history as well as her personal experience of living in Lima7 All the tours were very interesting and we would recommend the tour and the company to our friends.

Hotel Reviews

Del Pilar Miraflores Hotel

Lima

It's a very nice hotel, very conveniently located to everything we want to see while in Lima. The personnel is outstanding. Thank you!

Authenticity & Character

Location

It's close to everything

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Rumi Wasi

Cusco

It's a very cozy beautiful hotel that is located close top the downtown area. It's beautifully decorated. The included breakfast was good. Our windows faced the street and it was pretty loud at night. neighbors were talking for a couple of hours and that was disturbing.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Susanna Inn

Aguas Calientes, Machu Picchu

A beautiful place close to the train station and the main market. If you're reading this, you should know that their check out time is 9AM which in understandable; nobody goes to Machu Picchu for an hour or so. I am grateful that our guide told us of a storage room where we left all our luggage while on a tour. You have to pay! Have local money with you!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Tierra Viva Puno

Puno

A very nice place in a great location: close to the downtown area. We enjoyed our stay.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Review

Private Lima City Tour & San Francisco Catacombs

Lima

Lima is a beautiful city, we had an amazing guide that showed different areas of the city and told us a lot about the capital's history

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Ina and her team worked with us to set up a trip that combined history, museums, biking, hiking and some free time as our son was in the region to which we were traveling. We were able to easily see what we wanted and travel (with all the details pre-arranged) between Venice, Florence, Levanto and Rome, Italy. The planning was a great collaborative experience, the attention to detail was excellent, and the guides that they set up for us were all among the best we have had (for tours and for bike tours). This is my second time using Kimkim and I will be back for the next big trip.

Hotel Reviews

Hotel Antiche Figure

Venice

They actually upgraded us to a junior suite at the sister hotel which was a 5 minute walk from this place. Both looked great but we stayed at the Canal Grande and loved it and the staff.

Authenticity & Character

It “fit” what we expected for Venice.

Location

Easy to get anywhere.

Staff

The staff were friendly, recommended places for dinner and made the reservations. Excellent service!

Cleanliness & Comfort

Milu Hotel

Florence

This was our favorite of all the hotels because it was full of cool art and again, the staff were fantastic.

Authenticity & Character

It was in the fashion district and had a totally cool vibe about it.

Location

It was right in the midst of everything we wanted to do and so everything was a 10 minute walk.

Staff

They were also great at finding us places for dinner and we were comfortable enough to just let them pick and make the reservation.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Palazzo Vannoni

Levanto

This was such a friendly hotel!

Authenticity & Character

Location

It was just a bit off the beach in Levanto and easy to navigate to and from. Also close to the train station.

Staff

Super helpful with directions, hiking suggestions, other activities and food!

Aenea Superior Inn

Rome

It was a convenient location and provided good access to what we needed.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Market & Cicchetti Food Tour

Venice

Tour guide was knowledgeable, the food was amazing, and it was just us and another couple which was fun.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Bike Tour on Lido Island

Venice

Valerio took good care of us, adjusted the trip length and speed to our desired activity level, and had a ton of good info.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Afternoon Gelato Making Class

Florence

He was hysterical, and excellent teacher, and so much fun!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Chianti Wine & Olive Oil Tour from Florence

Florence

Our guide for this was so personable and the small group was easy to get to know. Loved seeing and learning about all the places we went.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Sunset e-Bike Wine Tour

Italy

Sara and Matteo took us on an fun trip, were good at explaining the history, use of the bikes, and took lots of pictures and drone shots for us to enjoy.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Vatican Guided Tour

Rome

Really knowledgeable tour guide that made this more interesting than I expected it to be. But you can’t go to Rome and not see the Vatican. She made me glad I went.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Bike The Appian Way

Rome

I can’t believe Valentina actually got us to bike on some of those roads, but what a trip! It was a great way to see things a typical tour would not get to, she was wicked smart, and took good care of us as we went through some really busy places. We learned a lot and appreciated Rome so much more. The description mentioned a breakfast or lunch but that wasn’t actually included in the tour.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

My husband and I had an amazing trip to the Czech Republic. The itinerary was perfect. We can not single out one place that was memorable. It was all so interesting , beautiful and welcoming. Each accommodation was unique and very special. We especially enjoyed our stay at the Aria Hotel in Prague. The staff was welcoming and very professional and the location was ideal. Henry the concierge, was particularly helpful and gracious. Lenka, our driver and guild (for our entire stay), was super knowledgeable and went beyond our expectations in insuring our stay to be full of happy memories. She took a genuine interest in customizing our trip specifically for us. We highly recommend her. Next trip we will definitely reach out to Kim Kim .

We had a great time. The hotels were great,wonderful breakfasts, super tours with warm and informative guides, the drivers were on time and added so much to our knowledge of the different areas we toured. Andy, Margaret Palko

Hotel Review

The Basile Hotel

Paris

Wonderful staff and management that made us feel like a part of their family. The breakfast was delicious, the rooms were great, and their advice so helpful.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Full Day Tour of Omaha and Utah Beaches & Normandy Landings Sites

Bayeux

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Versailles Palace and Gardens private tour

France

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Montmartre Local Gastronomy Tour

Paris

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Welcome to Saint Rémy de Provence

Saint-Rémy-de-Provence

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Villages and Markets of the Luberon

France

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Monaco, Eze and La Turbie Tour small group tour

France

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Mont-Saint-Michel day Tour

France

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Guided walking tour in the Old Bayeux

Bayeux

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Eiffel Tower Summit Ticket

Paris

Quality of Experience

Le Louvre Private Tour

Paris

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Monica from the KimKim affiliate Your Custom Journey began working with us at first. She was amazing. Love that we could say where we wanted to go and the kinds of things we wanted to do but at the same time have suggestions from Monica on other activities.
Booking was easy.
Near the start of our trip we had to switch consultants for a understandable reason and began working with Fabio who is Monica's boss. I think he is extremely busy with the number of travelers he is handling and he was harder to communicate with. Also Gloria was thrown in the mix so it was a little confusing.
The end result of our activities and accommodations and drivers was excellent. But it was a little nerve wracking trying to reach anyone including the concierge when we had questions. Again it all worked out in the end but I would have preferred a quicker response from most everyone.
It was a wonderful vacation.

Hotel Review

Grand Hotel Cavour

Florence

Great location with an amazing rooftop bar. Clean and a great breakfast!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Walking distance to so many historical must sees.

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Private truffle hunting, and lunch in the tuscan countryside - Explore Arezzo

Italy

I would suggest doing this in the morning. Afternoon experience runs a little late and could have a daunting drive in the dark back to accommodations.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Private transfer to Avignonesi. Small group cooking class, winery tour & Grand Lunch with wine tasting (6h)

Cortona

Maybe favorite part of the trip. The setting is beautiful. Very educational on vinyards. Cooking class so much fun. Lunch with wine tastings amazing.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Cheese making demonstration& Row meal pecorino production - Self-explore Pienza-Turn in rental car

Cortona

Again a beautiful setting. Proprietor has an interesting life story and is obviously very passionate about his property and farming. Cheese and other food was delicious.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Very positive experience. Glad we stayed in Honfleur. Accommodations were overall very good. One quirky place in St. Malo. The hosts in each place were welcoming.
Several places had very narrow spiral stairs so it wouldn’t fit for those less agile as you needed to carry your own suitcase. Sedric was our guide for Normandy. He was full of knowledge, patient and kind. He kept us on schedule to hear taps at the American cemetery. Visit to the vineyard and wine tasting was delightful. Jean Pierre was very knowledgeable and outgoing. The Sixt car rental went smoothly and nice driving Peugeot.

Hotel Reviews

Maison Angelus

Saint-Malo

This was the most difficult place we stayed. The husband of Christina’s, Julio, greeted us in his very cluttered entryway with many do nots. With their items on the narrow stairs, managing the suitcases was difficult. Julio would complain we shut the doors too loudly and with his room next to our friends, their “white noise” to sleep led him to lecture us the next t morning that she had used her hairdryer all night. Christina was very friendly. Breakfast was the most modest of any place we stayed. I will say the location was fantastic.

Authenticity & Character

Claustrophobic

Location

Near good restaurants and the beach walk to old town.

Staff

See above

Cleanliness & Comfort

See above

Le Domaine de Bayeux

Bayeux

This was a beautiful place near town but not right in the tourist traffic. The old hotel made for a cozy place for breakfast. We stayed in the newer very modern rooms with porch. Loved it.

Authenticity & Character

See above

Location

Near but not in town.

Staff

All very friendly.

Cleanliness & Comfort

See above

La Villa Garenne

Vannes

Very best breakfast that we had anywhere

Authenticity & Character

Beautiful rooms decorated with themes.

Location

Right on the edge of the old town.

Staff

Very willing to chat with you

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Full-day Tour of D-Day Sites

Bayeux

See my notes at the beginning of this survey

Quality of Experience

See my notes at the beginning of this

Food

Cheeses! Wine and pastries. Prices were very reasonable. !

Transport

Safe driver

Private Transfer from Paris hotel to Paris Charles de Gaulle (CDG)

France

Because our plane to Montreal left was rescheduled to a later time we wanted a later transport to the airport. It took four days, two texts and one phone call to get an answer.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

The Silfra snorkeling tour was incredible! Our tour guide, Johnna was excellent. She took us through every step giving us confidence that we would have a wonderful experience. Even her underwater photography skills were amazing!.
Our trek on the glacier was exhilarating! Wei, our tour guide, was quite competent and offered both technical knowledge as well as a great deal of information about how the glaciers are reacting to the environmental impact of global warming.

Our experiences are too many to list, however, the weather was perfect and our hikes along the coast as well as to various waterfalls were exceptional. A bonus was our opportunity to see the northern lights! We had that opportunity on two occasions! Our only disappointment was it was too late in the season to see the puffins. I guess that will be a good excuse to return earlier in the summer.

We enjoyed clean, modern accommodations and the breakfasts were typical of European hotels with a plethora of options to meet anyone’s dietary desires. I cannot recommend enough this wonderful opportunity to see this beautiful country. The Kim Kim staff was exceptional in providing us with great accommodations, wonderful tour guides, and they even found beautiful weather for us to experience this amazing country!

Hotel Review

Árnanes Country Hotel

Höfn

This was a quaint accommodation with a warm feeling provided by wood paneling and a modern bathroom facility. This group of small cabins were placed just off of the main road and easy to find. The continental breakfast was exceptional with a full array of breakfast foods.

Authenticity & Character

This was a quaint accommodation with a warm feeling provided by wood paneling and a modern bathroom facility. This group of small cabins were placed just off of the main road and easy to find. The continental breakfast was exceptional with a full array of breakfast foods.

Location

Very convenient as it was roadside

Staff

Very convenient as it was roadside

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Silfra Snorkeling Adventure

Reykjavík

The dry suits for first class and kept us nice and warm. Our guide was excellent and prepared as well for the experience. The sunny day allowed lots of light in to chasm and made our experience that much more memorable!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

With plenty of time to get to this venue as the GPS was not as accurate as we would’ve liked it to have been.

Jokulsarlon Glacier Kayaking Adventure

Iceland

Although somewhat overcast skies, the weather provided great opportunity for photographs amongst the icebergs and seals. Our tandem kayaks were stable and easy to operate. Our tour around the lagoon was relaxed and we enjoyed our tour guide thoroughly!

Vatnshellir Lava Cave Tour

Snæfellsnes Peninsula

Our tour guide was informative and provide us with a safe and pleasurable experience. He was great at answering our questions and was very knowledgeable about the geology of the area. He did not rushes through and we had plenty of time to take photographs.

Duncan was an amazingly responsive and intuitive specialist, understanding the types of adventures & experiences, places of both common and unusual interest, and level of difficulty (hiking) that we sought for our first trip to Iceland. Given that we were traveling in fall, we had to make a few "audibles" given the weather, and he was able to redirect our itinerary without missing a beat. He checked in on us during our trip (which was a positively wonderful touch), and made some additional recommendations during our trip to compensate for poor weather. The accommodations and restaurant recommendations were spot on, and honestly, we could not have had a better trip! Most memorable places were the Blue Lagoon, the challenge (given conditions) of the Glymer waterfall hike, the Reykajadalur Valley (and corresponding hike), the fantastic Skaftafell Glacier Hike (spectacular!), and the Jokusarlon Glacier. Every day was full of new adventures, beautiful landscapes and amazing experiences. The digital platform worked out beautifully and made navigating the country as easy as could be!

Hotel Review

Hotel Geysir

Bláskógabyggd

This is a beautiful hotel in the middle of a geothermal wonder. The staff and amenities are amazing, and the food is wonderful. It is a perfect choice!

Authenticity & Character

Loved the "sustainability" emphasis, and natural beauty respected by the hotel

Location

convenience for traveling to/from other locations

Staff

Genuinely wonderful, polite and helpful staff.

Cleanliness & Comfort

everything was perfectly clean and comfortable.

Activity Review

Skaftafell Glacier Hike

Iceland

Beyond the pure beauty, adventure and unique experience that this hike offers, we were impressed with the level of expertise and knowledge of the guides, as well as the attention to "safety". This was one of the best experiences we had..purely awe inspiring and breathtaking!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

We had used Kim Kim in the past for a trip to Costa Rica. Everything from the activities to the accommodations, guides and support were exemplary. Unfortunately, our experience with our recent trip to Italy was not as great and I do not think I will be using Kim Kim or recommending Kim Kim in the future, which is sad given our first experience was so positive.

For starters the price was absurd. We paid $20,000 for a 2-week trip for 5 (3 children and my husband and I)-over $1,400 per day. This did not include food or flights and did not include most of our entertainment/activities. We stayed in 4-star hotels and had several activities and several train rides as well as multiple private transfers included. I understand this is expensive and I had thought the price may be reasonable at the time until I started asking our guides, transfers, and hotels for the amount they had been paid and compiling a spreadsheet of this. I understand there will be a premium going through a travel agency, but this was borderline fraudulent and not at all congruent with our prior Kim Kim experience. My family is from Sardinia and so we began planning our own activities using them as well as a family friend who is a local travel specialist in Italy who reviewed our prices and itinerary and basically concluded we were conned.

Second the planning was extremely sloppy. We did not receive the actual schedule with times in PDF format as we had before with costa Rica. Everything was through the app. Multiple links did not work so I had to frantically call Jessica from the train station in Venice when the train tickets Kim KIm had uploaded to the app had the wrong link and were not there (we almost missed our train). Jessica had EXCELLENT communication as was available 24/7, however I feel if that if the trip was planned better, I would not have to had to be contacting her so frequently. It was annoying and stressful to constantly be on What’s Ap instead of enjoying our vacation. Our schedule told us that in Venice our transfer back to the train station would meet us at the hotel this was not the case and we waited in the hotel until the driver called the hotel and told us to walk the quarter mile to the canal for the transfer. I would have been happy to do this if it had been communicated. Our driver in Florence was late to pick us up to the train station for the transfer. Our driver in Sorrento could not find our hotel, and again for our transfers given the hotel location it was not possible to be picked up at the hotel as the itinerary said, but we had to walk to a street corner, Jessica communicated this the day before, (again not a big deal, but helpful to know all of this ahead of time and put in the itinerary before we left so we knew what to expect and were not constantly having to check whats app, bother Jessica and clarify all the transfers) Our driver to drive us to the airport on departure to Rome was also 30 min late bc he had a 6:30 pick up despite the 6am pick up listed on our itinerary.

The planning was also not well thought out. We had 2 full days in Florence, one free day to visit Uffizi and dell’Academia etc and one day of a private bike tour. Kim Kim planned Monday for our free day to visit the major attractions including the Uffizi (listed in our itinerary) however did not take into consideration that these major museums and galleries are CLOSED on Mondays!!!! This made no sense and despite traveling all the way to Italy/Florence, we were unable to see the Uffizi. Seemed like a major oversight and not something I would expect using an Italian travel agency for a $20,000 trip. Sardinia was similar. A free day on Pelosa beach, however there was no mention that we needed to buy tickets to go to the beach, so again on our planned beach day we were unable to go bc there were no tickets!!!! It seems like this would have been important info to put in the itinerary, let us know about.

I have nothing but positive things to say about Jessica. She went above and beyond and was readily available and an excellent communicator. However, as wonderful as she was, I would’ve preferred to just enjoy our trip and not have to be in constant communication with her about details that were not well spelled out/thought out in the itinerary. Jessica was not assigned to us until after the trip was built, so I’m guessing most of this was all out of her control.

We enjoyed the chosen hotels/accommodations except for Florence (location of this one was too close to large amount of vagrants/beggars, and the kids were scared walking back to the hotel, the staff were also not friendly, and the room was stuffy and hot and did not have enough beds so 2 of our children had to share a twin bed). We enjoyed the planned activities (mask painting, scavenger hunt in Dodge’s palace were both excellent, gelato making excellent, bike tour in Florence excellent).

At the end of the day our trip was still amazing, and these were minor inconveniences, however the whole point of using a travel agency is to not have to worry about the minor details/logistics. And again, after a perfectly executed trip in Costa Rica (a much less developed country than Italy too!), the planning on this trip was extremely disappointing, between this and the price gauging, this will be our last Kim Kim trip. I hope a large portion of the $20,000 we paid goes to Jessica, because she is worth her weight in gold!

Hotel Reviews

Hotel Giorgione Venice

Venice

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Albani Firenze

Florence

not good for families

Authenticity & Character

Location

near area where vagrants hang out, kids were scared walking back to hotel, would NOT stay here again

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Alghero Resort Country Hotel

Alghero

loved it

Authenticity & Character

Location

not walking distance to anything, worked well for us bc we had a car

Staff

staff make this place. they go above and beyond. cannot say enough great things about the staff here

Cleanliness & Comfort

Cuore di Sorrento Suites

Sorrento

Authenticity & Character

Location

hard to find, otherwise great location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Monti Palace Hotel Rome

Rome

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Venetian Mask Painting & Family Scavenger Hunt in the Doge’s Palace

Venice

Rosana did excellent job engaging the kids and also teaching them about the history of Doge's palace. LOVED the mask painting.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Private Gelato Making Florence Class

Florence

not what we were expecting but still a good experience, we were in small room in back of gelato shop, very authentic experience and Tulio was great with the children. wasn't quite as hands on as we were expecting though.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Downhill to San Gimignano: Family Biking tour

Italy

Piero was excellent, we really enjoyed our time with him. I had done bike tours in Tuscany in the past and only critique of this trip/route was there were some roads with cars and some street crossings which weren't ideal with the kids. Piero was extremely conscious of this and safety centered, the prior tours I'd done were all in the countryside. the lunch was the best meal we had in florence/tuscany. SO GOOD!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Guide 10/10

Transport

van was very comfortable and roomy.

Snorkelling in the coves of the Bosa coastline

Italy

rained out/cold, didn't go

Full Day Tour: Positano, Amalfi & Ravello

Italy

Really liked our driver Rosario, however would probably not do this tour again. Was SOOOO crowded and most of our day was spent sitting in the van in traffic (likely the same of any of these tours).

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Dear Eleni! Our trip to Greece was a "trip of a lifetime." For Brett and I, this was our first trip to Europe and everything was perfect! We loved the accommodations: the Dome Resort in Santorini was quiet and provided a lot of personal services; the Kanales Resort in Paros was charming with a fantastic breakfast buffet and we loved the opportunity to walk into town in a few minutes to visit the shops and delicious restaurants; the pool and rooftop restaurant at the Electra Palace in Athens were wonderful; and finally the Elia Ermou hotel in Athens was in the heart of the city and allowed us to visit so many different neighborhoods, shops, taverns, and restaurants. Our transportation and guides were always prompt and so knowledgeable. They answered all our questions and connected the dots for us as they helped us learn some of the vast history and sights of the country; in particular, Anastasia was fantastic for the Acropolis tour, Costas was amazing for the tour of Santorini and the wine tour; and,Yannis was so informative as a transportation guide - both he and Costas showed us a places we wouldn't have seen without their guidance; finally Nickolas our driver to Delphi and Meteora was so entertaining and enjoyable - he had a ton of energy and ensured we enjoyed our trip through the mountains. The catamaran trip was breathtaking and one that I would recommend to anyone visiting Santorini - what a beautiful way to see the island. Thank you again for your incredible planning of our trip - it was just the right amount of travel, education, entertainment, and relaxation. I'm sure we'll be back to Greece - there is so much more to explore!

Good day Berat and the Kimkim team,
We are still trying to get to grips with normal life after our magical tour through your beautiful country. We enjoyed every minute of a very well organised and amazingly comprehensive visit to all the historical and cultural places in such a short time.
Mr Ibrahim was a very patient and informative guide in Istanbul and unlocked the wonders of the beautiful mosques, palaces and especially the cistern for us .
The tour through Cappadocia, Konya, Parmukkale and Sirence was unforgettable and we could not wish for a better guide as Hatija (? Hati for us). She was wow, fun, informative and altogether a wonderful person. She had a problem with a cold in her face, but she still soldered on to give us her best. The hot air balloons, the underground dwellings, the unbelievable landscape, the dervishes show, the visit to Ephesus, the Goreme open air museum, the ancient ruins, the karavanserai, the wooden mosque, the thermal waterfalls were all awesome and Hati made it really come to life for us. And hats off to the safe, friendly and patient driver of the very comfortable bus we travelled in.
Our hotels were lovely, very well appointed and comfortable. At the Dóga Thermal Hotel in Parmukkale we had an awesome dinner and enjoyed the thermal spa.We would have loved to stay longer in Sirence, maybe in one of the inns in the village - but next time! We also would love to add Kuśadasi and the Valley of the butterflies!
We brought back lots of memories, leather jackets, silk scarves, pottery, a carpet, jewellery, trinkets, lots of photos that will forever remind us of your magic country.
Back in Istanbul we had another excellent guide that took us to the artisans at the rooftops over the Grand Bazaar and also to the Asian side. I can still hear the sound of the muezzins calling all to pray!
At the Sirkeci Mansion hotel we really befriended the very helpful staff who went out of their way to accommodate us on our last day.
The country transported us to ages past, with a mixture of faith, art and history prevalent in all the historic sites.

Thank you all for making our trip unforgettable.
From Hermien, Kriek, Suzette and Marietjie.

Every part of this trip was flawless and Harris did a fabulous job planning all the details. We especially enjoyed the town of Nafplio and the private tours with the guides from Nicki tours. Nicki in Olympia was engaging and brought history to life and Theodore at Corinth had a deep knowledge and Katarina was enthusiastic and even shared her favorite restaurants for the remainder of our tour. The people at the Herodian in Athens took especially good care of us and all the drivers were prompt and professional (love the rooftop bar and hot tub). We will use Kimkim again! And Harris was patient and flexible since we first booked 3 years ago and had to postpone due to the pandemic. We felt very well cared for and appreciated all the detailed information provided for us for the journey, including Harris’ dining tips and what to do with any free time. A perfect way to travel.

Hotel Reviews

Herodion Hotel

Acropolis, Athens

Great overall for ideal location, helpful staff. Rooftop bar is stunning and the weights and hot tub on deck super. Some rooms are larger than others so I suggest booking the larger rooms with acropolis view.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Close to acropolis

Staff

Always eager to help

Cleanliness & Comfort

Wish rooms were larger

Adiandi and Amymone Hotel

Nafplio

Great location and lovely breakfast

Authenticity & Character

Location

Easily walkable to all sites and dining

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Leonidaion Guesthouse Olympia

Archaia Olympia

Owner very friendly and helpful

Authenticity & Character

Location

Next door to great seafood spot and short walk to the Olympia site

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Rooms lack charm, restroom very basic and breakfast could be upgraded

Activity Reviews

Acropolis of Mycenae Guided Tour 

Greece

Key to the rest of the tours! Don’t miss this. Guide was excited about this material and location.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Private Guided Tour in Ancient Olympia

Olympia

Our favorite tour of the whole trip! Our guide Nicki was warm, engaging, helpful and really brought the history to life.

Quality of Experience

Personalized for us

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Great at answering questions

Private St Paul's Corinth Tour

Greece

Great guide! Knowledgeable and friendly

Quality of Experience

Knew the context and loved the history

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Engaging

Acropolis Afternoon Tour

Athens

Excellent tour but I say if some folks are late then leave without them and don’t make those who were on time deal with the late start and tour guide interruptions. This was not the guides fault but the companies fault.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

She seemed a bit rote and was highly distracted by phone calls from the company about latecomers.

Private Epidaurus Guided Tour

Greece

Though it was raining, we still really felt like we learned a lot about how this location was key to the cultural development of European civilization.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff