Kimkim Trip Reviews

We loved this trip. The planning was excellent. We got to stay in places and do things we never could have done on our own. Our guides Julian , Gilles, Sophie and Claire were fun and very knowledgeable about the places and food. We only experienced one problem on our trip. The driver to take us from Lyon to the train didn’t show and we weren’t able to contact Valentine for assistance. We did appreciate the refund we received We would recommend kimkim to everyone.

We have used kimkim in the past and like that it advertises specialists in the country in which you want to travel. The service provided for this trip was disappointing. Granted, we were a large group (initially 12 people), but there were many significant details that were missed creating complications and producing unneeded anxiety. The kimkim platform seemed to overly complicate communication and our travel specialist frequently did not check in on the platform for days at a time - so it was difficult to communicate and to remind him of all of the details about our trip (which we should not have had to do in the first place); we finally had to connect on WhatsApp. I will not go into the details that were missed, but suffice it to say that there were complications before the trip and at every stop that required reaching out to the travel coordinator to intervene. I was the primary contact for our group and kept much of this detail from all so that they could experience a restful and anxiety-free vacation. Ultimately, we paid quite a bit for this trip and the kimkim fees were significant, but I do not believe of value in this instance since this was a stressful experience for at least this traveler.

I have so many great adjectives that I could use to describe this phenomenal trip. But smooth is probably the best one. Everything went smoothly; like clockwork. Every driver was prompt and on time to take us to our activities and to airports and train stations. Every guide that we had for our tours was amazing. Our bike tour with Marie was our favorite. It was a Marseille. The Full day tour of Nice with Hedgewig was also interesting and beautiful. . It was just so reassuring to know that all of the details had been taken care of before our arrival in a foreign country. It was just a mother-daughter trip to a part of Europe that neither were familiar with. We felt safe knowing that all of our lodging, tours, transportation, and travel was taken care of in advance. Kim Kim is the only way to go when booking trips!

Hotel Reviews

Hotel Les Bords de Mer

Marseille

This hotel is iconic and absolutely breathtaking. The view was pristine. We were right on the water! You can’t get a better location for a beach vacation. The hotel staff went way above and beyond to communicate with us in English and to accommodate our every need. The Buffet breakfast each morning was superior and such a nice way to start each day. We would definitely stay in this hotel again.

Authenticity & Character

Very cool and historic iconic hotel. Lots of history there.

Location

This hotel was right on the ocean! I mean right on the ocean. Plus, it was far enough away from the busy port hub to be removed and quiet. But easily within walking distance of many great Marseilles locations.

Staff

The staff went way above and beyond to make us comfortable. They were so kind and patient with us and our poor French language skills.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Housekeeping kept the rooms absolutely immaculate. They were prompt and discreet. The air conditioning worked amazingly well! We were so comfortable. The beds were comfortable.

Hotel West End

Nice

This is an old hotel. Therefore, air-conditioning and Wi-Fi will be an issue. If you don’t care about that, this historic hotel is super cool and in a great location.

Authenticity & Character

Historic and iconic.

Location

Right on the promenade. Right on the water.

Staff

The staff went above and beyond to make us comfortable. We had to make a room switch in the middle of our stay. They made that happen in a smooth manner.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Air conditioning was a bust. That was kind of hard. Wi-Fi was also a bust. That was kind of hard. And the blow dryers were very unexpected. Like old 60s style with a hose hook to the wall and everything. Kind of a good history lesson I guess.

Activity Review

EBike Food Tour in Marseille

France

We loved this ebike tour. Our guide, Marie, was so authentic and informative. I loved her pride and enthusiasm about her beloved Marseille. She gave us so many great tips. She was patient with us in the beginning, as we were uncertain and inexperienced on E bikes. She was such a kind person and really connected with us on a personal level. She’s highly recommended!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

We had a fantastic trip through Napa Valley, Monterey and San Francisco. Leo helped us plan outings such as a day long ebike tour through the wineries, horseback riding on the beach and a hike through the redwood trees. He was so responsive to our questions and great to work with! Thank you, Leo!

Activity Reviews

Sonoma e-bike wine tour

the United States

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Beach horseback riding in Monterey

Monterey

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

We had a pre arranged trip in Botswana for the first part of our holiday and worked with kimkim and Lize to provide an itinerary for an additional 5 days.

We had a great trip and the Lodge/Salt Pan overnight trip in Makgadikgadi and House boat in Chobe were all excellent.

All local guides were excellent. Julio Quispe was outstanding!

Hotel Reviews

The Lot Boutique Hotel

Lima

Communication was a hard

Authenticity & Character

Location

Very convenient location

Staff

Trying hard but Poor English

Cleanliness & Comfort

Heating system was very poor

Tierra Viva Arequipa Plaza

Arequipa

Room was clean & location was excellent

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

La Casa de Mamayachi

Arequipa

Authenticity & Character

Location

Good view

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Clean but bathroom (shower don’t work)

Tierra Viva Puno

Puno

No problem

Authenticity & Character

Location

Very convenient

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Casa Andina Standard Machu Picchu

Machu Picchu, Cusco

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Casa San Blas Boutique

Cusco

Clean but tired

Authenticity & Character

Location

Convenient but could be problem as it’s narrow one way up

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Inkaterra Hacienda Concepcion

Puerto Maldonado

Just superb location & enjoyed every seconds

Authenticity & Character

Location

So peaceful

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

From {{start_location}} to {{end_location}} via Salinas and Aguada Blanca National Reserve

Peru

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Must sees in Lima

Lima

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

I have always planned on going on my first trip to Europe since 2020. But with the pandemic, it was very difficult with planning. It wasn’t until this year, I made the final decision to go on a solo trip to Europe for the very first time. Not knowing how I would go about planning my trip, I went on the kimkim website and reached out to Chris. He has been helpful from the very beginning, and put together an amazing itinerary! I expressed that I wanted to go to Greece and Italy, and the types of excursions I was looking for in each country. Chris was able to quickly customize and put together the perfect itinerary for me. It was easy to follow and included dates and times for each destination, as well as transportation, hotel stays, description of each excursions, and restaurant suggestions. While reading the customized itinerary, I thought it was too good to be true! Days prior to my trip, Chris always reached out to me with any updates on my trip and asked if I had any questions prior. He was very helpful with answering questions on what to expect for each destination.

My 10-day trip included 5 days in Greece and 5 days in Italy! Nadia, who also works with Chris, followed through with me during my Greece destination. My first arrival to Greece was Athens. Traveling solo internationally for the first time was nerve-racking and I was anxious in the beginning not know what to expect. But just as stated in the customized itinerary, everything went smoothly with transportation from the airport to checking into my hotel! Nadia reached out to make sure I arrived safely. On the first day of my arrival, my first excursion was the Acropolis Guided Tour where I met my guide and enjoyed the wonderful walking tour. My guide was a wealth of information teaching me the history of the Acropolis and Parthenon as well as the greek civilization. I enjoyed the beautiful archaeological sites, temples and Parthenon. It was a great way to start my first excursion in Greece. The following trip in Greece included 2 nights in Mykonos and 2 nights in Santorini. I enjoy the beach very much, and experiencing the beautiful beaches of Mykonos and Santorini was like being in paradise! The beautiful island of Santorini has breathtaking views, where I admired the beautiful architecture and islands of the volcano! I ended my last day in Santorini with a gorgeous sunset view on the cliff during my wine tasting tour!

My destination in Italy included 2 nights in Rome, 2 nights in Florence and 1 night in Venice.
Upon my arrival to Rome, Chris followed up with me through video chat and discussed my itinerary and excursions of what to expect while in Italy! Of course, I had to explore one of Italy’s most attractions of the Vatican and world famous Sistine Chapel! Then I went on a walking tour viewing the stunning ruins of the Colosseum and Roman Forum! After my planned excursions, I explored more of the beautiful city of Rome such as the Piazza Di Spagna and tried authentic italian cuisine, pizza and gelato! From Rome, I took a trip to Florence known for its beautiful architecture and Renaissance art. This included a bus tour to Siena, San gimignano, Monteriggioni and Chianti tour where I got to view beautiful Gothic architecture, chapels, breathtaking landscapes, and ended the tour with wine tasting with our tour guide! I couldn’t end my Italy trip without viewing the beautiful city of Venice! It was so surreal being able to get a rooftop panoramic view of the enchanting city with the marvelous canals and renaissance palaces. I took in every moment of the glorious city. The next morning, I ended my last day in Venice taking a water taxi where I got to go through the canals of the lagoon and Adriatic coast seeing the last views of the bridges and enchanting city making my last day memorable!!

I had the time of my life and enjoyed my vacation very much! Being able to visit two beautiful countries and experience a trip of a lifetime was like a dream come true! In Greece, I enjoyed being under the sun and enjoyed swimming in the beautiful beaches and seas of Mykonos and Santorini! And in Italy, I enjoyed the guided tours while experiencing the cultural and countryside of each city! I am truly grateful for Chris for making all of this possible and putting together a beautiful itinerary for my first European trip! I highly recommend him and would definitely go back to him again when I visit Italy and Greece in the future!

Hotel Reviews

Mykonos View

Mykonos

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Acropolis Hill Hotel

Athens

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Blue Dolphins Apartments & Suites

Firostefani, Santorini

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Diana Roof Garden

Roma

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Executive

Florence

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Antiche Figure

Venice

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Acropolis Guided Tour

Athens

Restaurants in Athens

Athens

Welcome to Mykonos

Mykonos

Mykonos South Coast Sailing Trip

Mykonos

The cruise to each beach was beautiful and so much fun!

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Welcome to Santorini

Santorini

Restaurant Suggestions in Mykonos

Mykonos

Sunset Cheers & Dine

Santorini

Restaurant Suggestions in Santorini

Santorini

Welcome to Rome

Rome

Restaurant Suggestions in Rome

Rome

Early Morning Vatican Museum & Sistine Chapel guided tour

Italy

Colosseum and Roman Forum guided tour with Arena entrance

Rome

Best Of Florence Walking Tour

Florence

Restaurant Suggestions in Florence

Florence

Siena, San Gimignano, Monteriggioni & Chianti With Wine Tasting

Italy

Welcome to Venice

Venice

Essential Venice

Venice

Restaurant Suggestions in Venice

Venice

Departure day

Italy

This was a last minute decision made for us to go to the UK for the first time. Rachel put together an amazing 9 day trip for us. Especially on such short notice. Then HM the Queen died and Rachel was on vacation. Emily had to reschedule so many of our activities. While we were on our trip Rachel was able to fix a couple of snafus we had. We did not have to stress about anything. They treated us like royalty. We loved every place we went. We cannot thank Rachel and Emily enough for the wonderful 30th anniversary. Absolutely will use again.

Hotel Reviews

Linthwaite House

Windermere

The hotel was clean and nice. The staff was not friendly or welcoming. It was hard to find. Just not a good experience.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Georgian House Hotel

Pimlico

This hotel was spectacular from the food, staff and room!! Location was fantastic. Room was spacious and luxurious. The staff was so helpful and nice. We arrive at the hotel about 10 AM after flying all night. The staff was amazing and got us to a room after we had breakfast. They will never know how much that meant to us. They were helpful with activities and reservations. So friendly and welcoming.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Location was perfect to walk to almost everywhere you needed to go.

Staff

See above they were amazing!

Cleanliness & Comfort

Room was so perfect. I hated to leave.

Hotel du Vin & Bistro Edinburgh

Edinburgh

Great location. Room was amazing and comfortable. Staff was really nice

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Staff was friendly but not really above and beyond.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Cameron House

Alexandria

Cannot say enough wonderful things about this place

Authenticity & Character

Location

Perfect in every way.

Staff

Very welcoming, friendly and helpful

Cleanliness & Comfort

Room was so comfortable and beautiful

Lygon Arms

Broadway

What a unique experience to stay here. Such a historic place. I would absolutely come and stay here again for a length of time next time.

Authenticity & Character

So much history and well preserved place.

Location

Such a great location to so many different sites and hikes.

Staff

Very helpful

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel du Vin Henley-Upon-Thames

Henley-on-Thames

This is a unique place. It was built as a brewery 300 years ago. Staff was not very knowledgeable or organized. They seemed new and not well trained.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Not really close to anything. Everything closes down on Sunday evening early.

Staff

Everyone was nice, just new and unorganized. Amanda was really amazing and the gentleman working the restaurant was very personable.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Glengoyne Distillery

United Kingdom

We learned a lot and it was a really great experience.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Exploring London on a Hop On Hop Off Bus

London

It was ok. We really did not learn a lot. So many of the stops were closed due to the Queens death.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Shard Viewing Platform

London

I was not sure how I would like this, but it turned out to be really fun. The drinks are amazing.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Westminster Abbey

London

Unable to view because closed. It was beautiful from the outside.

London Eye Fast Track Tickets

London

This was fun. I thought it might be scary but it was air conditioned, thank goodness!! We could see all over London.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Private tour of The Trossachs National Park

Edinburgh

He was darling.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Lake Windermere Scenic Cruise

Lake District National Park

I would have like to have more time to explore the docking points. The boat ride was great. Sit inside.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Private Walking Tour of Oxford

Oxford

George was knowledgeable and engaging. He had so much to tell us about Oxford. We could have probably had a longer tour and not have noticed how fast the time went.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Our entire experience with KimKim Travel was excellent from start to finish. Our local specialist Andrea was amazing. He was responsive to all our questions, proactive with his communication and patient with all our changes. He also went out of his way to help us with one of our group members who had some issues walking. His instructions and suggestions made each day an adventure.

We had a minor hiccup upon arrival that Andrea immediately fixed. We started our trip in Venice at the hotel Gardena. Peter, the concierge was so friendly and helpful. Our first guide was Giovanni who took us on a cicchetti tour of the city. We got to learn some local history, like the Jewish Ghetto, and to taste some local foods and wine. He brought us to a local restaurant for a dinner of pasta and seafood.

The next day we visited Murano and Burano on our own and then met Enrique at the Doge Palace and St. Mark Basilica. His passion for the history of the area and understanding of Venice made the day incredibly enjoyable. Enrique helped us find a good spot for a gondola ride and another local restaurant for dinner.

After a train ride to Rome, we checked into the Hotel Raffaello which is centrally located and convenient to everything. We met our guide Maria Paula who took us on a tour of the city highlights including the Imperial Forum, Pantheon, Trevi Fountain and Spanish Steps. She share granitas with us and helped us find a great spot for wine and appetizers.

The next day Colosseum and Roman Forum. Maria Paula is so well educated in the local history and made the day a so enjoyable and fascinating for us. She was responsive to all our requests and questions. We ended our day visiting the Jewish Ghetto and enjoying wine and food.

Our last day in Rome with Maria Paula was a visit to the Vatican and Sistine Chapel. She met us at the Vatican Cafe where we had an unbelievable lunch before starting our tour. Maria Paula was so helpful to our companion who could not walk well and took her through some guide only paths to easily visit what she was able. Words cannot describe the majesty of the Vatican and Chapel. Maria Paula made it an experience we will never forget.

The next day our driver Enzo took us to Pompeii. Enzo was so gracious to our injured friend who could not tour with us. Our guide Antonio is from a family of guides and was so excited to give us a 3 hour tour of Pompeii and show us the off the main path areas and explain the unbelievable history of this historic location. Enzo then took us for the best pizza we had ever eaten before dropping us at the Amalfi coast and Hotel Amalfi. The hotel was located in the center of town.

Amalfi is a truly colorful and unique area of Italy and we highly recommend a visit. Unfortunately the weather did not cooperate and we had to cancel our trip to Capri. Andrea called us about the cancellation and helped us fill our day with other highlights of the area.

Ginaro then drove us to the Naples train station and then Valerio met us in Rome to take us to our yoga retreat in Tuscany. Both drivers shared information on local sites with us and were very helpful.

The next 6 days were a yoga retreat we planned on our own in Tuscany. I will say the area is worth the visit.

Our driver Luca picked us up in Tuscany to take us to Florence. Luca was such an positive, friendly personality. He pointed out all the highlights on our drive, stopped in the town where he went to school for a bathroom break and gave us a quick tour before handing us off to our guide Simona in Florence.

We only had a few hours in Florence and Simona filled them with history, art and fun. She took us to see the David, the Ponte Vecchio and recommended restaurants and her favorite gelato place.

Everyone we interacted with exceeded our expectations. They were all helpful, well educated, informative, respectful and fun. We would happily visit with any of them again and would recommend KimKim to plan your travel. We will use them again for our next trip.

Hotel Reviews

Raffaello Hotel Rome

Roma

Centrally located, safe. clean neighborhood. Helpful staff. Clean rooms.

Authenticity & Character

Nice rooms

Location

Near the sites and good restaurants.

Staff

Very friendly and helpful

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Amalfi

Amalfi

Very nice hotel in the center of town. Back way in is easier to access than off the main road. Clean and comfortable rooms, centrally located, helpful staff, great breakfast room.

Authenticity & Character

Nice design with beautiful balconies

Location

Close to everything

Staff

Helpful

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Hidden Venice and cicchetti experience

Italy

A unique introduction to the city locations and the food. So much history to learn. All the cichetti locations were friendly and welcoming.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Giovanni was so friendly and fun, really helping us enjoy the experience

Transport

Walking through Venice is easy and the best way to see the city.

St. Peter's, Vatican Museums, Sistine Chapel and St. Peter Basilica - private guide

Rome

Words cannot describe the beauty of the Vatican and Sistine Chapel.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Maria Paula is so well informed and a fun guide to spend time with.

My husband and I went to the Golden Circle, Snaefelsness Peninsula and the Westfjords on a self-driving trip arranged by Terry Stanley. Terry was amazing from start to finish and our trip was wonderful and went very smoothly. I strongly recommend a self-driving trip with access to Wifi in your car as you can balance between having an itinerary with some flexibility. We went from 9/6-9/13 and were lucky to have had excellent weather. We loved the scenery, especially in the Westfjords and highlights included stopping at various 'hot pots', snorkeling in Silfra and the Inside the Volcano Tour. I would recommend purchasing a gas card as we had trouble using a credit card, even with a PIN.

Activity Reviews

Silfra Snorkeling

Iceland

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

NA

Transport

We did not use but it is forcing me to rate it

Inside the Volcano (Meet On Location)

Iceland

Quality of Experience

Lamb stew was excellent!

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

The experience with KimKim was outstanding. We loved the easy planning via emails, the convenience of trip organization, the experienced guides, availability of Antonia throughout the journey. All but one of our guides was outstanding. This was one of the best trips I have ever taken.

Hotel Reviews

Villa Nora Hvar

Hvar

Loved the owners and the care with which they welcome their guests. The location was perfect for us. It was out of the fray but close to the things we enjoyed.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Quiet and easy to get to and from many sights

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

The Fabris Inn

Korčula

I loved the location, comfort, and staff.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Lero

Dubrovnik

Fantastic hotel with a lovely room and breakfast as well has helpful staff.

Authenticity & Character

Location

It was a little further from Old Town than we would have liked but we did enjoy the walk

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Some air conditioning issues in our room that were not resolved but staff was quick and attentive about it.

Activity Reviews

Day Trip to Plitvice National Park from Split (group tour)

Split

The national park is gorgeous and we are glad we got to see it. Unfortunately, it was extremely crowded which we did not anticipate. Crowds detracted from the experience.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Small Group Island of Hvar Cycling Tour

Croatia

A very personalized experience ending with a delightful gathering with wine and cheese. Loved it!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Private Hiking Tour on the Island of Hvar

Hvar

Beautiful hike through the countryside. Gregor was about to provide a personalized experience from a true local.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Korčula Bike & Food Tour

Korčula

One of our very favorite experiences. Mislav was a great guide with a nice local perspective. It was great to see the out of the way places he took us. He was also very safety conscience.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Speedboat/Ferry Transfer and Guided Day Trip of the Mljet National Park

Croatia

The island was beautiful. The day there would have been more productive as a combination hike/bike. Our guide was interesting but unfortunately did not plan the day nor was she knowledgeable about the island vegetation. Also, she could have greeted us at the Ferry to make it easier for us to find her. Meeting spot was vague.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Private Walking Tour of Dubrovnik

Dubrovnik

Guide was fantastic. She was incredible with the details of the city and history. It was a first rate experience.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Day Trip to Mostar & Kravica Waterfalls

Dubrovnik

Waterfalls are lovely but unfortunately not well kept. There was debris and litter all around the unkept walkways. Would have rather had more time in Mostar and skipped this. Our wonderful driver was encouraging this as well.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Disco was our driver and he was full of great stories and information. He made well planned stops and was courteous to all the passengers.

Transport

vehicle was very comfortable

Konavle Region Culinary Experience (small group)

Croatia

Another experience not to be missed. We loved this day, the family, and the other guests. It was quite a learning experience. We enjoyed getting out into the countryside for the day and away from Dubrovnik.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Lucia did a great job of meticulous planning and it was a great trip though for senior citizens like us it was tiring
Lucia was very patient and kind and despite our cranky requests she went out of the way to help
Suggestions for Indian tourists
Ecuador Visa is not easy to get for Indians
Process is long with police clearance and personal interview in Delhi
Vegetarian food most places are ok but in one Hotel Deja Vu they gave ham sandwich as vegetarian to us in the Box breakfast and it will not be acceptable by many Indians
Indians need English guides and mixing with Spanish group despite so called dual language guide not very encouraging
Indians need to go with English group predominantly as guides are more comfortable in Spanish and talk more in Spanish
Senior citizens should get a more relaxed tour especially if they ask for it
These are only suggestions to help not complaints
Outstanding tours Machu Pichu
Guide Javier excellent
Very sad We couldn't do rainbow mountain and lost the money
Napo Cultural centre awesome
Chef Eric excellent for vegetarian food
Guide Valencia very good
In Quito Alejandro and his son Sebastian were outstanding and good and kind
Galapagos Volcano Hotel Paola is a sweetheart and very very nice she even gifted us few souvenirs from her own money
Volcano tour by walking was very very exhausting so this needs to be highlighted for senior citizens
The north Seymour tour Last day was climax of good ending
Thanks Lucia and Kim Kim travels for making us fulfill our bucket list 🙏🙏

Our trip experience in Colombia was amazing. Michael created literally the perfect itinerary. Alex our tour guide in bogota was so knowledgeable, caring, and very helpful. Our tour in Cartagena Aumerio was so passion on teaching ys all about the history in cartagena, we were able to learn so much from the city thanks to him. Rosario island was beautiful, the staff were so attending to our needs, food was delicious, we met so many great people. Our drivers were also on time. My family had an incredible time in Colombia. I definitely recommend chaska team.

Hotel Reviews

Hotel Casa de La Vega

La Candelaria, Bogotá

I love the uniqueness of this place and the great service.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Close to everything

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Casa Mara

Cartagena

We love the location, we were close to everything.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Islabela

We love hotel isabela. We stood in the cabin called pachera and it was absolutely perfect.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Staff is amazing and caring

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Grand Park

Bogotá

Authenticity & Character

Location

I

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Rosario Islands Snorkeling & Bioluminescence

Rosario Islands

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Boquilla Mangrove Tour

Cartagena

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Bogota's Essentials (City Tour & Monserrate)

Bogotá

We love this tour, we learned do much about bogota. Our highlight in this tour was going to monserrat and seeing beautiful bogota from very high

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

I definitely recommend Alex as a tour guide

Transport

Visit the Guatavita Lagoon

Bogotá

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Cartagena Bike Tour

Cartagena

The bike tour in Cartagena was perfect to learn about the city.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Beatriz found us some great places to stay. A stone house in a small farming village near Portugal's national park; and in Morocco, Riad Fes was one of the nicest hotels I've been in. The drivers and guides in Morocco were all friendly and well informed.

Hotel Reviews

Riad Fès - Relais & Châteaux

Fès

Incredible architectural details, small, personal scale, and probably the best food we had in Morocco.

Authenticity & Character

Fancy because the craftsmanship is so beautiful, not just because things are expensive

Location

Staff

Really polished service

Cleanliness & Comfort

Pousada Porto - Rua das Flores

Porto

Fine -- clean, nice bathrooms, small balcony onto courtyard. But cramped, and on an overwhelmingly touristy crowded street.

Authenticity & Character

It's pretty generic.

Location

It's really not fun to be on the single most crowded touristy street in all of Porto.

Staff

They were somewhat understaffed, and had signs everywhere trying to push breakfast attendance earlier.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Riad Zyo

Rabat

It was fine, and in a convenient location. Not extensive service and no food. Certainly nowhere near as nice as Riad Fes, though I imagine it is a lot cheaper.

Casa das Afonsas

Barral, Portugal

Very basic in some ways -- the stone house has almost no windows and bad flurescent lights -- but this was a surprise hit on the itinerary. It's in a super-cute town that's mostly stone houses and farming, sheep everywhere. The town cafe is a sister of the Casa das Afonsas family, super friendly, with all just locals hanging out. Pretty short drive to a part of the park where nothing is touristy at all -- the hikes are just from one tiny stone village to another, with few people around.

Authenticity & Character

Don't send people here who want luxury every night, but escaping tourisim into a beutiful landscape is its own luxury.

Location

Close to a gorgeous but totally untouristed part of the national park.

Staff

Friendly family hosting.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Oak Nature

Vieira do Minho, Portugal

Extremely half-baked. Amazing sunset views from the pool, which is also really nice. Terrible sewer gas smells in bathrooms. Cheesy construction quality. Inexplicable mistakes like ugly sponsored ice cream brand umbrellas screwed to the deck smack in the middle of the best view. No real dinner, but a major hassle to drive up and down the mountain to get to restaurants.

Authenticity & Character

Cheesy modernism, poorly constructed.

Location

Amazing view from the pool. Really hard to get to and far from food. Rooms are mostly overgrown by trees and do not really have views, though the trees are pleasant. The town is on a pretty lake in a beatiful valley and near some of the park's best hikes like Poco Azul (really bonkers) but the town itself is kind of a junky crowded tourism hub.

Staff

What staff there were were really nice. There's not supposed to be dinner, but they made us snacks off hours anyway.

Cleanliness & Comfort

The place is visually clean, but they never really figured out the sewer gas stench in the bathroom, and other rooms they offered us were musty plus they try to hide the must and sewer smell with aggressive electric air fresheners.

Activity Review

Half-Day Guided Tour of Fes Medina

Fes

Hakim was great -- informative, happy to tailor the walk to what we cared about, knew the medina incredibly well.

Ina planned our 10 day trip of Greece that included so many attractions starting with Athens, Meteora, Delphi and island hopping of Mykonos and Santorini. Her idea of setting us up with a rental car to drive from Athens to visit Meteora and Delphi was a wonderful choice. She also offered plenty of sight seeing and dining options along the way. All the ground transfers and tours at every point was smooth. I want to give a big shout out to the ground staff who was available almost 24x7 to answer any questions we might have had. One hiccup we had was the ferry from Athens to Mykanos was canceled due to bad weather and the ground staff responded promptly to make alternate arrangements. All the hotels were neat and located close to central streets. Kimkim took the headache of detailed planning from us and we will recommend them to our friends and ourselves use them on our next Europe adventure.

Joanna, guide with our Silfra Snorkeling, Dive.IS was fun, informative and lead us through an underwater adventure. Our glacier trek with Mei was well done, he assessed the group and geared his walk accordingly. Lots of great information about our changing environment. Our kayak guide on the lagoon was really comfortable with his skills and knowledge of this area; horseback leadership, was skillful and knowledgeable of horses, the guide in the lava cave was also an expert with people and geology!

Incredible and seamless experience, we are so grateful. Rebecca provided wonderful suggestions, support, and coordination - and is so lovely. We have already recommended her to several friends and family.

Hotel Review

Elia Ermou Athens Hotel

Athens

Perfect location. Wonderful staff. Amazing breakfast. Comfortable and spacious rooms and bed. Luxurious shower. Super clean. Would recommend!!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Athens - Twilight Tour of Athens with Food & Drinks

Athens

Theo was an absolute delight! We thoroughly enjoyed his tour and his recommendations.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Santorini - Walk, Drink, Eat Sunset Small Group Tour

Santorini

Kostis was a wonderful guide, we appreciated the added personal touches he included that made the evening so memorable. We really felt we learned so much about the island, the culture, food, history, and more. We really enjoyed this tour!

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Chania - Street Stories of Chania Tour

Greece

Manos was a wonderful guide who made our intro to Chania so welcoming. He was so accommodating, patient, took the best photos, and made great recommendations.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

I substitute the word "Excellent" for your term "Amazing".
All things considered and relatively, our trip to Norway went extremely well. The logistics worked according to plan. The weather was very good. It was great fun. Julia was a big help with the hotels and area attractions. The few glitches we had were attended to and resolved quickly. I appreciate Julia's attentive and prompt responses to our requests. Good job!
As kimkim's role here was to find us hotels along the itinerary we designed, I am providing our comments on your recommendations which might help with other clients
Excellent (5 Stars!!): (1) The Rosvang Gaard. Otto and Albert provided a memorable experience. The lodging, the food, the hospitality and the conversation were the best of the trip. (2) Juvet Landscape Hotel: unique, rustic, great views, excellent food and accommodations.
Very Good (4 stars and in this order): (3) Hotel Christiania Oslo: Central location, large ,quiet, cool room, good breakfast and an excellent pizza restaurant on property, (4) Det Hanseatiske Hotel: Older historic building with character helped with a very accommodating staff. Our room was recently renovated being very well done and was quiet and cool. Central location was a big plus. (5) Scandic Ishavshotel is the best combination of location and facilities in Tromso. The service staff went out of their way to help us with logistics and accommodate us with our room preference. Breakfast was very good. The hotel is big and busy. Lot's of dogs (and big ones) were guests too! (6) Hamn i Senja: Location, facilities, dinner and breakfast were very good. I recommend a second floor room as other guests are constantly walking by and near to one's first floor room window. (7) DragsvikFjordhotel is 200 meters up from the ferry crossing but was very good for out in the country. We had a 2 room suite and a very good dinners on site. (8) Grand Hotel in Oslo was just that: Grand! Unfortunately, the day & night we were there the weather was hot and with little air conditioning , our street side room limited a good night's sleep. (I should have changed rooms...) Very good breakfast and location.
Not Recommended: (9) Hardanger Fjordtun. The owner/operator is a nice guy but his cabin facility was not up to our expectations. (Maybe if we were in our 30's or 40's). This is a much diminished version of the Juvet Landscape Hotel. The cabin was too small all around. For a shower, one stood in was a dish pan! The 'view' was of trees directly to the cabin's front. There is no place to eat in the area so a picnic dinner is required. He and his partner went out of their way to make us a very good breakfast.
Question: What more information could we have provided to you regarding our preferences understanding that you must balance the product with the price?....For example, what description could we have given you to have put us in the old section of the Kviknes Hotel in Balestrand?
Thanks for the help. The trip was great
Regards,
Bayard and Susan Tracy

Activity Reviews

Fjellheisen Cable Car Experience

Tromsø

This was a good idea. It's close to the city and gives very good views of the fjord and surrounding mountains. You can watch the paragliders takeoff beside you!

Finnafjord Safari by RIB

Balestrand

This was great fun even on a rainy day. It's just amazing to see the clouds off the mountains and the farms along the shoreline.

Drive to Kristiansund over Molde (Atlantic Ocean Road)

Åndalsnes

It was a beautiful day. I think this road is better seen in a storm with the surf coming over the road. But no one is complaining about a beautiful day at the ocean.

First time KimKim user and will now be an evangelist. I highly recommend KimKim if you lack time to plan a trip yourself. Bryan was our local specialist, and he helped arrange an excellent introduction of Costa Rica for us, with a detailed itinerary that made our trip entirely stress free. We had a quiet trip that focused on short, guided hikes introducing us to the forests. We loved our two cities (La Fortuna and Quepos/Manuel Antonio Park), though in the future we might look for a more remote beach (we were right outside of the park, which was nice, but that part of Quepos wasn't so interesting). One of our favorite parts of the trip was getting to meet all of the different guides, who each had their own way of showing off their country. We look forward to using KimKim in the future.

Hotel Reviews

Hotel San Bada Resort & Spa

Manuel Antonio

Right outside the Manuel Antonio Park entrance, and thus to the park beaches which are incredible. Couldn't be closer, or have better location. We also went to the hotel sushi restaurant and booked a couples massage at the hotel. We enjoyed both experiences.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Arenal Manoa & Hot Springs

Fortuna

Incredible.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Canopy Zip Lining Adventure

Arenal/La Fortuna

Good experience, a nice view of the canopies, a bit of adrenaline for those with acrophobia

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Coffee & Chocolate Tour

Costa Rica

Very interesting

Quality of Experience

The guide was great

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Manuel Antonio National Park Guided Hike

Manuel Antonio

loved this park!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

The guide was one of the most knowledgeable guides we had our entire trip; he was also weirdly an anti-Darwin evangelist for Intelligent Design, but that just added some character to the trip.

Transport

we were right next door to the park! Couldn't have better transportation.

Hanging Bridges and La Fortuna Waterfall Guided Hike

Arenal/La Fortuna

Guide Kenneth was fantastic.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Morning Bird-Watching Hike with Breakfast

Arenal/La Fortuna

Amazing diversity of birds

Quality of Experience

Food

I think in future might have been nice to have coffee snack *before* starting (it's 530am!) and then get back for hotel breakfast after birding.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

We were very pleased with the service we received from Tomasz and others. You arranged for hotels and guides that fit our requests, and we had a wonderful trip. One minor matter was that on our rental car return to Sixt in Munich, we were given the address of the office for Sizt and it should have been their rental return in a nearby (but hard to get to) location. The local manager made the problem go away for us.

Hotel Review

Hotel Mercure Munich City Centre

Munich

Great location and outstanding breakfast. We received very helpful information from the front desk staff, especially Loretta. Small but cozy room.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Very helpful front desk staff.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Guided tour of Bremen

Bremen

Our guide was super and very knowledgeable. We had a fine tour. She was a native English speaker, which helps.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Old town tour

Heidelberg

Our guide, a young man who was a student was knowledgeable and friendly. He gave us a great "inside information" restaurant recommendation and set us up for a wonderful visit to Heidelberg.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

We had fun with our youngish guide

Tour to Wissembourg, Alsace, France

Heidelberg

We had a wonderful and memorable day in Alsace. The guide tailored the tour to our interests and adapted well when we encountered a charity run that caused plans to be changed.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Guide with excellent communication skills.

Private Nuremberg nazi party rally grounds and old town tour

Nuremberg

Natsha is a marvel. She is knowledgeable, charming and fun to be with. She cared for us well along the way and was great at both providing information and answering questions. It felt like having a good friend guide you around their city.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Natasha