Kimkim Trip Reviews

We had the most amazing time exploring Morocco with our guide (now someone we consider our friend and brother) Faysal! Not only is he so incredibly knowledgeable, but he is one of the warmest, kindest people we have ever met. He connected with every member of our family, and even arranged a special birthday dinner for one of the members of our group—with the band singing happy birthday and waitstaff bringing a cake with sparklers.☺️ We cannot say enough good things about Faysal, truly.

Our city guides, Hafid, Hanan, and Navid (sorry if I spelled his name wrong) were also very knowledgeable and a pleasure to tour with.

Thank you, Original Travel, from the bottom of our hearts, in helping organize a trip of a lifetime in beautiful, magical Morocco. So appreciate how flexible you all were with some of the changes we requested before and during the tour. We will always have a special place in our hearts for Morocco and its people.

We cannot describe how happy we were with the level of professionalism and attentiveness we had working with kimkim. Andrea and Giustino took excellent care of us virtually. If ever we had a question they were right there to answer us. They made sure we had everything we needed, hotels, train tickets, restaurant recommendations, excursions, etc. Perfection. Truly.

The experience they booked us was better than we could have hoped. Our guides were excellent, especially Isadora in Bologna. She was very knowledgeable and a blast to spend the day with. Peter at the Hotel Gardena was very helpful and a hoot. Everyone at the family owned and operated Hotel Reginella in Positano were lovely. We would definitely stay with them again. And we cannot forget the boys on the boat to Capri. They made the day super fun. We really did have a trip of a lifetime. Turning 50 in Italy was a dream come true.

My sister was so impressed with kimkim she is booking her Argentina trip with them.

Thank you so very much Andrea for being so wonderful. We hope to work with you again someday.

Jennifer, Jeralyn, and Melissa

Everyone involved was very helpful and patient. Any problems I had during the trek were easily corrected, communication was very good Eve while on the hike.

Thanks for an amazing journey to Iceland 🇮🇸

Jason Karahalis

We had an amazing trip in Iceland! Thanks to the kimkim team (Preeti and Halldor) for planning an amazing trip. Our tour guide, Bjarni Gaukur was a real highlight of our trip. He is kind, knowledgeable and made our trip unforgettable. I would highly recommend him !

Wendy did an amazing job coordinating everything on our trip to Colombia. There were lots of moving pieces and we visited multiple cities. Great trip thanks to Wendy and her team! We will definitely use Kim Kim again. Thanks for everything!

Hotel Reviews

El Cielo Hotel

Medellin

Wonderful hotel. Very personal service and great location. Restaurant and service were excellent.

Authenticity & Character

Very nice boutique hotel.

Location

Very centrally located.

Staff

Service was impeccable.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Casa Origen

Santa Marta

Loved this hotel. Was a bit of a transition given what we are used too. But really enjoyed the stay. The ladies in the kitchen were wonderful. Very nice quiet place that has great access to the park and just a quick walk to the beach.

Authenticity & Character

Very nice setting.

Location

Isolated - but that is what made it charming.

Staff

Excellent service.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Remember fit is an Eco Lodge (not a 4 seasons). So, when visiting, keep that in mind. We had a blast.

Nacar Hotel Cartagena, Curio Collection by Hilton

Cartagena

Excellent hotel. We stayed in the 2nd building (which I would recommend - quieter and nicer rooms). Food was very good and the hotel is close to everything. Service was impeccable.

Authenticity & Character

Excellent.

Location

Great location - central to everything.

Staff

Staff is very attentive.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Very good.

Activity Reviews

Discover Santa Marta

Colombia

Jovan did a wonderful job.

Quality of Experience

Excellent.

Food

Very good.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Jovan and our driver were excellent.

Transport

Very good.

Taironaka & River Tubing at Don Diego River

Colombia

Nice relaxing float trip. Gave us a break after a lot of walking tours. Guides were great.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Free availability of transportation service

Colombia

Jimmy and our guide did a great job.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Discover the iconic Comuna 13 & Medellín

Medellín

Mario and Jimmy (driver) did an excellent job. Lunch could have been a bit better - but overall wonderful time.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Mario and Jimmy did a stellar job!

Transport

Jimmy was excellent!

Colorful Colombia: Hike to Guatapé Rock, Guatapé & Peñol-Guatape Reservoir

Colombia

Nice trip

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Wander Cartagena’s Storied Streets & Discover the Art of Getsemaní

Cartagena

Driver was excellent - guide was a bit average. This was the only part of a trip that was “average.”.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Driver was excellent - guide was average.

Transport

Driver did an excellent job.

Brilliant! Do not hesitate!! This is our second time using Kim Kim as a travel service. Their team was incredible, there for us at every stop, and moment of need. Even when things didn’t go as planned (which can happen) their members were diligent & present by phone, text, email immediately. Cannot recommend them strongly enough. Their suggestions for things to do as a family, excursions, hotel recommendations were perfect!

Hotel Reviews

Borgo di Pietrafitta Relais

Castellina in Chianti

stunning

Authenticity & Character

Location

Vistas

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Casa Howard Firenze

Florence

Fun & well located. Great staff recommendations

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Modigliani

Roma

Good location & helpful staff

Authenticity & Character

Location

G

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Review

Vatican Guided Tour

Rome

Wonderful ! Was not enough time - even at 3.5 hours

Quality of Experience

Seeing everything

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Answered all my questions

Transport

Great guide & experience

Everything was amazing and the guides, Andrea, Louis, and Lorena were just perfect! This was an incredible experience that we could not have done if not for this travel agency.
Thank you very much.

We had exactly the vacation we wanted - a great mix of new experiences and natural beauty. We were always just far enough outside our comfort zone to keep us fully present and engaged. Chris did a fantastic job of understanding what we were after. Starting with a stay at the Camino Real was perfect: international luxury, poolside dining and opulence. Then, a hotel that doubles as a working horseracing track and some time in Chiquimula, a town that feels like one huge, endlessly bustling market. Next, a boutique garden hotel in the heart of Antigua, so we could soak up the architecture and history of the old capital. Finally, a couple of days in a cliffside hotel dangling over Lake Atitlan, maybe the most beautiful location in Central America. Our drivers and guides were warm, helpful and fun, and great with our kids. We are so, so happy that we booked this trip through KimKim.

Antonia planned an absolutely wonderful trip to Croatia for us. We went to Dubrovnik, Korcula, and Split. At each place she planned activities for us while leaving us enough time to recharge and relax. The accommodations she chose for us were impeccable. If we had a question or a change all we needed was to ask. We had just the correct mix of cultural, natural and gastronomical activities.

She was always available for us to take care of the smallest issues. We forgot a few items and she went out of her way to call stores to find if they were in stock. My son got sick for a day and she arranged for a doctor to see us. We never felt unsupported with her just a phone call away.

You will never regret having Antonia as your planner. She is absolutely wonderful.

We had an amazing trip in Namibia. Everything was set up and scheduled perfectly. They went above and beyond in so many ways. A good example is scheduling dinner to be placed in our rooms when we were running too late to catch dinner at the restaurant.
We highly recommend them and Carlos was thorough, personable and incredibly responsive. I wish we had scheduled our trip longer, a week is not long enough to enjoy this gorgeous diverse country.

Vale was a dream to work with as we planned our trip only weeks before. She seamlessly moved us from Rome to Sicily and back to Rome and took my husband's medical restrictions into consideration for daily activities. All of the drivers and guides were top-notch.

Activity Reviews

Etna Wine tasting

Italy

Our guide, Dennis, was one of a kind. Not only did he have personality for days, but he was also so very caring. My husband has a few medical issues and could not quite make it up to the top of our tour. Dennis ensured he was comfortable and safe as we continued our trek, always keeping my husband in sight. The winery...gorgeous! Everyone was so friendly, and the food and wine were superb.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Dennis!

Transport

Private Colosseum, Forum Tour & Palatine hill

Rome

Our guide was a scholar and kept us engaged for the entire 3 hours. She was so wonderful that we were spoiled, and no other guide after could quite compare.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Small group tour of Vatican City , Sistine Chapel & saint Peter's Basilica

Rome

The place is just dripping in art. It is very obvious that the guide had a script that she had to stick to, so asking questions was sometimes futile.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Rome Underground & Catacombs Tour

Rome

Super interesting tour.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Private golf cart tour

Rome

This was a perfect way to the city. Our guide took us to locations we would never have seen if we had tried to walk or take individual tours. The cart was pleasant and quiet, which allowed us to ask questions quite easily.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Marina with KimKim was amazing travel agent! KimKim asked great questions to get a sense of the type of trip you are wanting. Marina created an incredible itinerary using small tour guides who were passionate and well spoken. They provide a user friendly app with all day to day details / phone numbers that are accessible and event a chat feature with direct contact to Marina. They were able to accommodate a few small changes to the trip.
We will be using Marina for our next trip to Greece! We cannot wait for our next adventure.

Hotel Review

The One Palácio da Anunciada

Lisbon

Beautiful and cozy hotel in a great location. They have a rooftop pool that is great to use for the afternoon nap time needed after exploring the city in the morning.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Private Golden Coast Catamaran Cruise

Portugal

What a treat! Take a private catamaran for the day! We saw dolphins, paddle boarded to a private beach, swam and ate lunch. The captain and mate were top notch. Highly recommend! Full service with wine and lunch served to us. We just enjoyed the experience.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Private Day Excursion: Sintra, Cascais & Estoril

Portugal

Our guide was so full of knowledge and passion. He told us he curates each tour after meeting his guests. He picked up that we like a more unique experience upon meeting us. He gave us lots of tips and restaurants to try.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

I agree with Deepti. I would give 2 STAR to Bakia travel company in Santorini, for the reason, they came late to pick up from the ferry arrival, the came late to pick up for the tour. The tour was supposed to start at 3:30 pm, but the driver showed up at 4:15 pm. The driver seemed disinterested to show us places and tried to skip the red sand beach and sunset rather he recommended us to take a long break at a restaurant on the black sand beach, the tour car was run down and was extremely noisy. the kind of money we paid, we expected a better tour guide. The hotel "Akilo suites" had a dungy smell. Athens and Naxos were great. Naxos was awesome. Cynao suites was awesome. the tour guide was awesome!

- Some very basic and explicit briefing notes provided by me at inception were ignored in the initial trip plan. That set the tone for what felt as an off-the-shelf standardized pre-packaged trip planning experience.
- In general the quality of the guest houses was below par. I do not require luxury, just professionalism. As an example in the Edinburgh hotel No32 I was "welcomed" by a lady that had a hard time finding my reservation, which was one of the 2 paper slips she held in her hand. During check-in there was a young lad that just stood up close to us watching the process unfold while avoiding eye contact. Clearly, it was someone ostensively providing some sort of personal protection to the lady. It was the first time I was treated as a potential threat in the hospitality industry. The lady was not able to answer some basic questions as "the manager was not there". She asked me to ask someone else the following day.
- My concerns around being able to complete the hikes were brushed off with a picture of general guidance material spread over a table and a photo of stephen and a colleague smiling in the hike.
- I was only provided with the actual hiking guidance material in paper format (?) once I arrived in the hotel. After examining the material my concerns about my ability to do the hike increased materially. These concerns coupled with very bad weather motivated me to forego the hike in the first day. I tried to do the hike on the second day but gave up on the first 10% of the itinerary as I did not feel I was fit or skilled enough to complete a 7-hour hike.
- No one asked me how many pieces of luggage I was carying and I was provided with only one luggage tag for the baggage transfer that was supposed to happen during the hike. I was not given a timely solution for the problem and decided to take one of my carry-ons with me along the hike, which certainly also contributed to cut it short;
- Last but not least, I was provided with incomplete transportation information and vouchers for the loch ness cruise. I raised the issue with High point Holidays but they do not work or answer messages during weekends, which left me to my own devices to re-work the transportation plan for the activity. When finally I received a message from them on Monday, they completed ignored the issue and wished me a good time in edinburgh as if nothing had happened.

This trip was beyond expectations. Every detail was considered and the places visited were amazing. In Venice, Bologna, and Rome we began our first day with a walking tour. This was a great way to orient ourselves to the cities and sights. The highlight for us was a tour with Isadora in Bologna where we visited a parmesan factory, learned about Balsamic Vinegar, made our own pasta, and visited a Proscuitto factory. She was spectacular and the tour owner was a hoot! With all there is to see and do in Italy we would not go back to Bologna again. Positano was one of the most magical places visited. The Amalfi coastline is just as beautiful in person as it is in pictures. You will need to spend some time on a boat to fully appreciate the beauty!

If planning a trip to Rome, give yourself at least four full days in this magical city. There is so much to see and absorb. It's incredibly hot in the summer so plan to get out VERY early before all the tourists swarm the popular spots and take a break in the afternoon. You will do A LOT of walking so bring comfortable shoes.

Our trip was arranged with plenty of time for exploring on our own and private planned excursions. Andrea was our point of contact at KimKim and was ALWAYS available to answer questions. I can not recommend KimKim enough and if you are planning a trip to Italy then Andrea and Giustino are the people to pull this together for you. Amazing experience and I will 100% use them again to plan our trip back!!!

Hotel Reviews

Hotel Gardena Venezia

Venice

The people here were amazing and the location was perfect. However, hotel is very outdated with stained furniture and carpets, barely functioning A/C, hair dryer from 1970, and uncomfortable beds. This is a 2-3 star hotel.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Reginella Positano

Positano

A family-owned and operated hotel that was so lovely!!! It was in a perfect spot with a 15 minute walk to the beach.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Continental

Sorrento

Beautiful hotel in a central part of Sorrento! Loved the roof top pool and bar!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Parlamento Boutique Hotel

Rome

Hotel was in the heart of Rome! However, it is VERY small and located in a building with 2 other hotels. There are virtually no amenities so don't expect anything beyond a room and a 1 person elevator. The staff was okay but overall not very friendly. This is a 3 star hotel.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Art Hotel Orologio

Bologna

This was not our hotel

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Hidden Venice and cicchetti experience

Italy

Bologna guided visit

Bologna

Food day including Balsamic Vinegar, Parma ham and Parmigiano Reggiano - from Bologna

Italy

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Winery visit and wine tasting in the Amalfi Coast

Italy

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Day trip to Capri Island from Sorrento - small group

Italy

Rome Private Guided Walk

Rome

Rome food walk - private group

Rome

This was underwhelming and did provide anything new. Waste of time that could have been spent doing other things.

The highlight of the trip was no question 1) our stay and visit in Auckland and 2) the private tours provided both in Oslo and Bergen!!!....both Stig and Vilda were amazing!....and of course Linda was the best travel planner ever. Thank you all so so much!

Thank you to Harris and the kimkim team for helping us plan an amazing trip to Greece! We really wanted to see some of the less touristy areas, but weren't sure where to even start. With kimkim we settled on Syros and had an amazing time on a very underrated island! We did some more popular destinations too (Athens and Naxos), and each location was so incredible in it's own unique way. The food was some of the best we ever had and all of our excursions were so fun.

Where I felt a bit let down was with the communication aspect. Certain information wasn't appropriately communicated to hotels ahead of time and when we went on a food tour, they hadn't been informed about allergies so my boyfriend missed out on trying multiple dishes, even though we were told that kimkim would notify them about our allergies. For the price, it was very unfortunate to not be able to participate in every part of the food tour. Other than that, it was a great experience!

Hotel Review

Adriani Hotel

Naxos Town

The loveliest staff and an amazing homemade breakfast selection!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Review

Acropolis & Athens Mythology Tour

Athens

It was really cool to get to see all of the sites! However we were expecting more mythology, and instead got taught a lot about politics which was still interesting but it got a bit boring.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Abdel, Said with Original Travels we’re so on point with all our bookings and excursions. They assigned us Samir our driver and all around caretaker. He was the best part. Our family of 5 felt perfectly safe and comfortable in his care. We are fast paced travelers and wanted first class care and accommodations. We are also highly focused on activities on our trip. They delivered exceptionally. The company and Samir went above and beyond to make sure all details were taken care of. Everyone we dealt with from hotels to excursions were A++. We especially loved The Oberoi for our stay in Marrakech. Would highly recommend this company. Thank you Original Travel for making Morocco so memorable for our family and we will be recommending our friends who will be coming in the near future.
Tracy Nguyen DDS

Hotel Reviews

Desert Luxury Camp Erg Chebbi

Merzouga

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Lina Ryad & Spa

Chefchaouen

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

The Oberoi Marrakech

Morocco

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Le Berbere Palace

Ouarzazate

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Sahrai

Fès

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Four Seasons Hotel Casablanca

Casablanca

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

High Tea at the Royal Mansour Marrakech

Marrakesh

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Half-Day Guided Tour of Marrakech

Marrakesh

Our tour guide was nice and extremely knowledgeable.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Dinner at the Royal Mansour Marrakech

Marrakesh

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Guided Tour of Majorelle Garden

Marrakesh

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Sunrise hot air balloon ride in Marrakech

Marrakesh

The venue and our pilot were the best! We enjoyed this so much.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Ouarzazate to Merzouga via Todra Gorge, Erfoud & Rissani

Morocco

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Sand-Boarding in Erg Chebbi

Merzouga

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Private Transfer From Merzouga to Fez

Morocco

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Fes to Chefchaouen via Meknes & Volubilis

Morocco

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Chefchaouen to Casablanca via Tangier & Hercules Cave

Morocco

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

ATV Ride in the Dunes of Merzouga

Merzouga

We skipped this.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Dine at Dar Yacout

Marrakesh

They were closed and we didn’t go here.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Overall, well organized and very flexible in terms of booking options. Antonia provided excellent recommendations and was able to make last minute changes if they came up. Very happy with this service.

Hotel Reviews

Hotel Soča

Bovec

Loved this hotel. Rooms are are very spacious, uptodate and comfy beds. Pool is awesome. Location is great. Walkable to shops/restaurants. Lots of outdoors activities in the area.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

House Klasika

Bled

I would rate this hotel a 3.5/5. Everything is clean, and tidy. Beds not the best. Washroom had a weird smell. But overall nice hotel. Highlight was the breakfast.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Kempinski Palace Portoroz

Piran

Excellent hotel in a great location. Breakfast is amazing. Directly across from beach. Lots to do. Highly recommend.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Cubo

Ljubljana

Not bad, but not amazing. Rooms are nice, but AC was not working the best when there. Beds were a bit soft for my liking. Breakfast was a 4/5.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Ljubljana City Tour with E-bikes

Ljubljana

A bit underwhelming. I think it was due to a bad guide. Nothing personal but he just didn't seem to know the details/history of this city, wasn't what you would normally expect.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Hike to Debela Peč Mountain

Slovenia

Nice hike. Not all that challenging, but great views. Our guide was great. My personal opinion is that this hike is totally doable even without guide. Location not hard to find. Hike well marked.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Hot Air Balloon Flight Over the Bled Lake

Slovenia

Great experience. Gregor and his team are very detailed and true professionals. Excellent views.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Explore Škocjan Caves

Slovenia

Amazing once in a lifetime experience.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Food & Culture Tour of Piran

Slovenia

Interesting city with lots of history. It's worth doing the tour.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Thanks Rinolda, for a trip of a lifetime! We appreciated all your expertise and recommendations..Helping us change our itinerary to make whale watching possible on a day with good weather and meeting you during our trip were such thoughtful additions! Every activity was well suited to our interests and the variety was perfect!
The only improvements might have been larger showers in the rooms and a bit larger car for the second half of the trip...the car you reserved for us was very tight for 4 adults plus luggage...also, in several of the hotels, it was not cool enough in our rooms at night with one tiny window being the only ventilation in the rooms...(maybe a fan could be suggested).
Overall, we all came home very thrilled with our trip with a lifetime of amazing memories from Iceland!

Thank you again SO much Rinolda!

Warmly, Elizabeth Koster