Kimkim Trip Reviews

We felt KimKim was very responsive A+++
All of our excursions and transfers were on time, clean, courtesy and the upmost professional.
I felt Chris really understood our personalities and needs of our trip.
The house in Santorini has become our all time favorite stay.

Hotel Reviews

Home and Poetry

Athens

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Lithies Boutique Hotel

Korithi

One of our best stays of all time. Maria and her team were magnificent.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Glaronissi Beach Naxos

Naxos

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Eco Beach and Magic Garden Rhodes

Rhodes

Lack of hot water WIFI was not great in our room

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Cooking Class in Naxos Villages

Naxos

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Sailing Tour around Naxos

Naxos

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Santorini Farm Tour: Food & Wine

Santorini

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Morning Catamaran Caldera Cruise

Santorini

Too much volume of people

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

crowded, very loud music

Private Acropolis Hill & Museum Tour

Athens

Guide was amazing, top notch

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Hotel arrangements and hotel staff were great. Most tour drivers and vehicles were great. Original vehicle in costa brava was sub par. Vehicle for diner in El Far broke down. Arrangement of Taxi substitute was great. Their taxis and drivers were great. Tour guides were great and very informative. We enjoyed the Prado museum and the archeological museum in Madrid. A tour of Toledo was a highlight of our tour. We enjoyed the beaches of Sanander, San Sabastain, and Costa Brava. We wish you would have provided more information about how train service to Sanander works. We did not know that there would be a rush to check luggage after platform was announced. We did not know luggage would be checked.

We are a family of five - children aged 19,17,15. Domen did an excellent job planning the trip for us and taking into consideration our preferences. Communication was very smooth. First a telephone conversation, followed by a few iterations by mail. He was quite flexible and happy to adjust according to our feedback. Trip turned out to be well thought out, with the right mix of activities and places to stay. Having the entire trip and the hike maps available in apps is great and very convenient. Although there were some complicated logistics involved (transfer of luggage, mixed trips hiking + biking etc.), everything worked out 100% (e.g., pick up at 8:40 to drive to rafting = pick up at 8:40 on the mark). We have done several trips like this across the world. The service provided by Domen I would rate among the highest if not the highest. Many thanks to Domen and Slotrips.

All our local tour guides have made our trip so interesting and unforgettable. Their knowledge and speaking skills have given us a profound memory of Span’s history, culture, and arts! They are excellent tour guides! We really appreciate your arrangements and hotel staff.

The trip was fabulous. The accommodations were terrific. Steve provided excellent GPS directions.

We had a wonderful and dream trip to Italy. This was our first time using kimkim and Jessica from Storywalking. Jessica could not have have been more helpful with her suggestions. She was spot on with our itinerary. We visited Venice, Florence, Rome and Amalfi. We also did day trips to Cinque Terre, Sienna, Pisa, Lucca and San Gimignano. We thoroughly enjoyed all the activities that Jessica had booked for us. We would rate Jessica 10/10 for last minute flexibility, given we had an 11 and a 14 year old with us. Not only was Jessica understanding and accommodating, she provided on the spot alternatives based on the changing weather and moods 😀Thank you so much Jessica!!! We can't wait to come back to Italy!!

Activity Reviews

Cinque Terre Private Day Tour from Florence with Lunch

Italy

Beautiful place. Loved it.

Quality of Experience

Everything

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Awakening the Duomo: exclusive early entrance to cathedral, baptistery and Brunelleschi's Dome

Florence

Such an wonderful experience

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Private Pisa and Lucca Tour from Florence

Italy

Loved Lucca. Awesome place and food.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Private sunset Boat tour

Italy

Vatican Tour & Sistine Chapel

Rome

Loved the tour and the guide

The itinerary planned was met in full - Great service!
Even though the planning was based on a baseline itinerary found in KimKim, the local specialist helped us adjusting it to our timeframe and interests, with not many fillings that could take us away from our main sites of interest.
In addition, the guides were knowledgeable on the history to explain in detail, some times we got lost in the many names of gods or the different timelines, but is just a lot of information to capture in 2 weeks of ancient history.
We started our trip in Cairo, where we were welcomed by Mahmoud just after deplaning, who helped us to smoothly clear immigration and customs. We travel extensively for work and leisure and we believe we can move around airports and cities with minimal directions, but don't take lightly the help the tour operators and local guides provide in Egypt, is not an easy country no navigate unless you are local.
We had two guides in Cairo, Mostafa and Khalet, very funny guys, they did a thorough explanation of all Egypt history, but also adding context of the findings, the impact in the region and world development. They were also very polite to introduce the fillings to every tour, like the papyrus museum, to make it fully optional, not mandatory as other tour operators do...
After Cairo and Alexandria, the latter is not fully recommended unless you have extra time, we travel south to Aswan, where we met our guide Ahmed, very knowledgeable person, but tour guides in this highly touristic area seem to be more pushy on the filling tours, and are more expectant on adding extra activities to the itinerary, which we didn't like so much as it was very obvious and constant.
The tipping culture was not new to us, coming from the US, but the freedom of tipping for good service is universal, sometimes it felt compulsory even for not so good service....
After visiting Aswan, Abu Simbel, Luxor and in between, we returned to Cairo, and once again, were welcomed by Mahmoud, who was attentive of keeping us in line with our tour schedule until he left us at the airport checked in for our flight to Amman.
In Amman we were welcomed by the tour operator at the airport, even though it was way easier to navigate compared to Cairo's, and then met Ahmad, our driver for all the tours in Jordan.
Even though Ahmad is not a tour guide, he knows all the places to visit, and helped us meet our itinerary including the guides for the sites that required further explanation like Jerash and Petra. He helped us coordinate everything in the itinerary in Jordan, and this was a very good surprise as we didn't have high expectations about Jordan, only for Petra, but Amman, the surroundings, the desert and the dead sea were great additions to our trip. Including that Jordan is more organized and less chaotic than Egypt, so it was a good comparison of cultures within the Middle East.
In summary, we had a great time, we didn't have issues, we never felt unease or that we didn't meet the expectation of our summer vacation. We fully recommend KimKim, I personally don't like tours, I rather do my own sightseeing, but I have also learned that some places are better leveraged with local help, and that is what we found valuable of the connections KimKim provide, beyond the platform that was super easy to connect, communicate and fulfill our travel plans.

Activity Reviews

Aswan

Aswan

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Visit Abu Simbel temple and Kom Ombo temple

Aswan

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Visit to Petra

Petra

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Kimkim schedule in Lisbon became confused when we tried to confirm food tour. Resulted in hurry- up-and-wait in blazing sun; finally made connection with delightful guide two hours off schedule.
Enjoyed provided dining and fell in love with fado music. On our own we walked (always uphill) to the Botannical Gardens--impressive green oasis in the middle of the city.
Bullet train to Porto great experience. 203 km/hr and smooth as silk.
The cabbie in Porto (not Kimkim) could not find hotel--tried to drop us in the middle of a street. But we stuck with him until a passer-by pointed out where the hotel was (name and number hidden). Our excellent assigned guide walked us all up and down over the old city and market areas. We were able to talk ourselves into a reservation at the highest restaurant in town, where we enjoyed the sunset and an excellent meal.
Kimkim-provided transport to and from train station and airport excellent, on time, and friendly.
We would have liked to visit the sea shore--maybe next time.

Hotel Reviews

Hotel Lisboa

Lisboa

Simple accomodations, friendly and informative staff, excellent breakfast. Elevator very welcome. Centrally located between uptown and downtown, on main avenue. Be ready to walk.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Porto Charming Hotel

Porto

Tiny accommodations, but not uncomfortable. No lobby. Very friendly staff. Two/three rooms per floor, steep steps, no elevator. Simple but ample breakfast. Location 15-minute walk to tourist markets, 30 minutes (down- and then up-hill) to large cathedral plaza overlooking harbor and shore. Good guide, knows everybody in town.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Review

Day Excursion to Douro Valley: Wine Tasting & River Cruise

Porto

Wonderful up and down countryside laced with vineyards . Narrow, lightly traveled roads. River Douro at bottom of valley carries port-wine freighters, sightseeing ships and large cruise ships. We stopped at a small vineyard along the road and were treated to a tour of growing grapes, curious pigs, gaggling geese, alert dogs, and a traditional farm kitchen probably a hundred years old. Just the two of us, and I don't drink wine. So my sister got to taste four different vintages, and I ate all the cheeses and meats and olives on the bountiful charcuterie plate!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Our family is usually hesitant to use travel agents, we prefer to do everything ourselves. This year though, we decided to take a chance with kimkim, and we couldn't have been more happy with the results! We had 7 perfect days in Italy and Greece, with just the right mixture of seeing as much as possible while taking days off to relax. Our tour guides were all very knowledgeable, friendly, and more than happy to customize our experience. The travel team is also very responsive and flexible, able to make changes with short notice. One morning we had missed our timeslot for a Colosseum tour, but our tour guide and travel agents worked together to get us there and squeeze us in, despite the usually strict time slots. Ina, our travel agent who coordinated the trip, offered to give us a tour of Athens. She was really friendly and fun to be around, and we greatly appreciated her time and knowledge of the area. Overall, we couldn't be more impressed with this company and are looking forward to future trips with them!

I can't say enough about the services that we received through KimKim, and more importantly, our trip specialist Ina. My son initially found KimKim as a potential resource for a trip that we were planning to Italy and Greece. I started some dialogue with them about 4 months ahead of our travels, and we were connected with Ina as our local specialist. We gave her some general thoughts as to where and what we wanted to see and do, and she did an outstanding job in making suggestions and helping to customize our trip. Given that the Greece part of our trip was going to be our two adult kids traveling out of the country on their own for the first time, we were probably a bit high maintenance with our constant questions and pestering, but Ina was extremely responsive and helpful. The icing on the cake was having our kids get to meet Ina and spend part of a day with her as their local resource and guide...they absolutely loved it! Our kids reached out to KimKim and the Travel12 team for assistance a number of times during their travels in Greece, and they were always helpful and responsive. This was our first experience with a travel service, and it was outstanding in every respect. Thank you Ina and the KimKim/Travel12 team for providing us with a great travel experience and great memories. All our best, Steve, Deb, Hannah, and Ethan.

We loved Sue in Hue the most. She made all of history come alive for our family. The lunch at the family home and making incense in Hue were probably the most unique experiences of the trip.

Do from Realistic Asia was a fantastic support! The itinerary and service was flawless. Thank you for the experience!!

Hotel Reviews

Eldora Hue

Hue

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Le Pavillon Hoi An Paradise Hotel & Spa

Hoi An

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Harmony Saigon Hotel & Spa

Ho Chi Minh

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Thank

Cleanliness & Comfort

Tirant Hotel

Hoan Kiem, Hanoi

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Aspira Cruises

Ha Long, Quang Ninh

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Day Trip to Hoa Lu & Tam Coc - Joint in tour

Hanoi

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Boarding cruise in Ha Long Bay

Ha Long Bay

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Hue Sightseeing Full Day - Join in tour

Hue

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Scuba Diving in Hoi An - Joint in tour

Hoi An

Quality of Experience

Hoi An City And Food Tour - Joint in tour

Hoi An

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Cu Chi Tunnels Half Day Tour - Joint in tour

Ho Chi Minh City

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Mekong Delta Group Tour (My Tho - Ben Tre) (updated)

Ho Chi Minh City

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

We had so much fun visiting Barcelona, Valencia and Madrid. The guides on the walking tours were excellent and very knowledgeable. We especially liked Josep who took us through the old quarter of Valencia. He made it not only interesting but held our attention. The private cooking class in Valencia was wonderful also. We had an enjoyable evening making authentic paella, a Spanish omelet and a delicious sponge cake. In Madrid, my favorite thing to do was to see the flamenco show. It was performed with such passion.
Really the whole trip was great and we really appreciated both James and Rocio for all their assistance in making our trip a reality.

Hotel Review

Gallery Hotel

Barcelona

The hotel was very centrally located which made it easy to get around the city. The rooms and public spaces were very nice and very clean. The breakfast had a nice variety and the food was very good. Everyone was very friendly and helpful there.

Authenticity & Character

Nicely decorated

Location

Central location

Staff

Very friendly

Cleanliness & Comfort

Very clean

Activity Reviews

Paella Cooking Class

Valencia

The cooking class was excellent and very enjoyable. I would definitely recommend taking the lessons with this chef. His personality was very engaging and he was fun and organized in his presentation.

Quality of Experience

Food

Evening Flamenco Show & Dinner Reservation

Madrid

The flamenco dancing was very moving and you could feel the performers passion.

Quality of Experience

Beautiful to watch

Private Tour of Park Güell & Sagrada Família

Barcelona

We learned a lot. The guide was very interesting and explained things very well.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Private Tour of Valencia's Old Town - Afternoon to Explore the 'City of Arts & Sciences'

Valencia

It was an excellent tour with a great guide who managed to engage all of us.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Private Walking Tour of Madrid & the Prado Museum

Madrid

The tour and the guide were very good. Unfortunately by this time in the trip, I think we were all exhausted and the heat had gotten to us. Any other time it would have been very enjoyable.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Private Tour of the Gothic Quarter - Light Tapas before Dinner

Barcelona

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

We traveled to Peru over Spring break 2022. Kimkim set us up with Anne at Peruvian Soul. From start to finish, Anne was super thoughtful and thorough. She knew we have a 12 year old and planned the trip so that it was fun for him too. During the trip, the train to Machu Picchu couldn't run for 2 or 3 days, and Anne quickly rebooked the hotels and activities. That's something that we could not have done, had we been on our own. We were fortunate to be set up with Peruvian Soul, and to be set up with Julio, who was with us about half the trip. Two thumbs up to kimkim and Peruvian Soul for an unforgettable experience. We wish them the best success in their business.

Othman was EXCELLENT! Very responsive and helpful. He was super knowledgeable about Iceland and had great recommendations specific to our family's interests. The accommodations were unique and really great. Othman found unique outings for us and handled all bookings, confirmations and any small issue that arose. We will definitely book with KimKim again!

Hotel Reviews

Dís Cottages

Grundarfjordur

WOW! This cottage and the VIEW blew us away!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Fosshótel Rauðará

Reykjavík

The hotel was definitely very dated - not sure the interiors have been updated in 15+ years. But, it was clean. A bit far from interesting spots in and the center of the city. The breakfast was really excellent.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

The Holiday House

Kirkjubaejarklaustur

WOW this cottage and view were SO GREAT! It was perfect for our 4-person family. The kitchen was well apportioned. The view and the front porch are uncompromised. Loved it!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Vatnsholt Hotel & Guesthouse

Selfoss

We had a family room in a larger guest house. It was very clean and well-appointed. It was quiet and the beds were very comfortable. The restaurant had a good breakfast and dinner. Very nice and helpful staff.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Saxholar Crater

Snæfellsnes Peninsula

Quality of Experience

Blue Lagoon

Iceland

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Gerðuberg Basalt Cliffs

Snæfellsnes Peninsula

Quality of Experience

Whale Watching Ólafsvík

Snæfellsnes Peninsula

Folklore Walking Tour

Reykjavík

Quality of Experience

Solheimasandur beach & Plane wreck

Iceland

We didn't go to this sight.

Horses and Hot Springs

Iceland

SO AMAZING!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Þingvellir National Park

Iceland

Quality of Experience

Kerið Crater

Iceland

Quality of Experience

Jokulsarlon glacier lagoon amphibian boat tour

Iceland

Secret Ice Cave

Iceland

WHOA was this SUPER COOL!

Quality of Experience

Trip of a lifetime! My husband and I decided to go to Colombia for our 15 yr anniversary. We didn’t know much about the country and decided to try KimKim. This was a huge game changer!! Margoth was absolutely amazing in the planning. She knew we wanted to see the coffee region and suggested we try Hacienda Bambusa. With only 8 rooms it can fill quickly. From there the rest of the trip was planned.
We started in Bogotá and had the most knowledgeable tour guide Byron. Being a history major he knew the city well. Even showed me the best spots for picture taking. If you are into hiking I highly recommend taking one of the hikes in Chingaza. The local guide was able to give us such a deep understanding of the indigenous Colombian people.
In Armenia we had the best hospitality. Cocoa tour, horseback riding. So many surprises along the way. Our guide and driver here were top notch talking us to some amazing coffee shops and restaurants off the main tourist streets.
One of the best parts about Kim Kim was having amazing guides and drivers in each city. We were able to cover so much ground and have a deeper cultural experience. It completely changed my outlook of foreign travel. Thank you Margoth!!!

Hotel Reviews

Hotel Casa Medina Four Seasons

Bogotá, Cundinamarca

So comfortable and charming. This hotel was absolutely stunning. We loved the breakfast each morning in the lovely atrium style restaurant. At night we chatted it up with the bartender who taught us more about the local area and drinks. His English was great and we were able to practice our Spanish. Spa services were great too!! Liked that it was in a safe neighborhood.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hacienda Bambusa

El Caimo

This place makes you feel like royalty. They greet you by name from the moment you arrive. Even staff members I had not met were able to greet me by my first name, so impressive. The rooms were beautiful with hammocks and hummingbirds. The flora and bird watching made me want to stay forever.

Authenticity & Character

Loved everything!

Location

Close to airport but they need to work on the roads.

Staff

Greeting us by name. Waiting with fresh cool towels when we arrived back from excursions. Surprise picnic table and drinks in the bamboo forest.

Cleanliness & Comfort

El Cielo Hotel

Medellin

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Loved the turn down service with the yummy treats.

Activity Reviews

Coffee Shops Usaquen recommendations (no transportation and activity not included)

Bogotá

This was one of my husbands favorite meals in Colombia and he is a foodie. Cute patio. Seafood soup and Sangria are recommended.

Chingaza Natural National Park Tour

Bogotá

Hands down the most informative hike I have ever done. Our local guide Gabrielle was from Muisca descent. His love for the culture and environment was inspiring. We hiked to the infamous lagoons, touched the sacred rocks. Loved it despite the rain and mud. We stopped for lunch in Guasca. Felt good to discover the smaller cities with so much culture.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Cocora Valley,  Salento, & Coffee Farm Visit

Colombia

This was a bit of a drive from our hotel but well worth it. We were lucky to see the Colombian condor close up. The walk was easy and breathtaking. Fun picture spots. Salento was colorful and had great shopping.

Cacao Tour (Hacienda Bambusa)

Armenia

Loved this tour and learned a lot about cacao farming. My only wish is that the tour was a bit longer so it could include the end stages of cacao production and to actually taste some of it. Cacao tour without actually tasting any chocolate was a little disappointing. Best part was hands down the guide. Sebastian was informative and easy to talk too.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Hotel in Fjaerland was amazing, great food, beautiful decor. Julia, the local specialist was very responsive and helpful

Chris was absolutely phenomenal. I have used many agents over the years to book trips and Chris was thorough, planned a perfect trip and kept in contact before and during the trip. He was extremely helpful and I left for the trip in full confidence of a successful adventure. I would very very highly recommend him and wish he books trips all over the world. The service was a 11/10!

Hotel Reviews

Athens Cypria Hotel

Athens

Love the location and the room was spacious. The hotel had nice amenities. The roof top bar is AMAZING at night. What views!

Authenticity & Character

spacious and well appointed

Location

By shopping and restaurants

Staff

nice and accommodating

Cleanliness & Comfort

Very clean

Elena Hotel Mykonos

Mykonos

We really liked the location of the hotel. The room was well appointed and had lots of seating. We had a great view and adored the balcony. There is a lot of action around the hotel with people coming down the road to go into the city. You can hear the music from the city at night but never bothered us.

Authenticity & Character

it was very comfortable and inviting. loved there was food and a bar

Location

Loved how easy it was to get from hotel to around the town

Staff

Super friendly

Cleanliness & Comfort

Very clean and updated.

Manos Small World Santorini

Santorini island

This gorgeous hotel was right in the middle of a beautiful view and amazing sunsets. It was nice to walk up and find a selection of restaurants. The room was spacious and loved the patio area to sit morning and night. The location was perfect.

Authenticity & Character

felt like we were in the middle of the picture you see of santorini - so beautiful

Authenticity & Character

felt like we were in the middle of the picture you see of santorini - so beautiful

Authenticity & Character

felt like we were in the middle of the picture you see of santorini - so beautiful

Location

It was very close to restaurants and some shopping - amazing view!!

Location

It was very close to restaurants and some shopping - amazing view!!

Location

It was very close to restaurants and some shopping - amazing view!!

Staff

the staff was great with breakfast and other questions.

Staff

the staff was great with breakfast and other questions.

Staff

the staff was great with breakfast and other questions.

Cleanliness & Comfort

very clean hotel

Cleanliness & Comfort

very clean hotel

Cleanliness & Comfort

very clean hotel

Activity Reviews

Acropolis Guided Tour

Athens

It was nice to get up early and beat the crowd and the heat. The tour guide was phenomenal and we felt like the time flew by. We learned so much. What a great tour starting from our hotel to Acropolis and back.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Sunset Volcano Cruise on a wooden boat

Santorini

you have to go on a boat in Santorini and loved this ship and variety of activities. my family loved the swim and how could you not enjoy the bar and music. it is a wonderful way to see the sunset in a different perspective. it was so relaxing and peaceful. Great dinner and crew.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

All Time Classic Santorini

Santorini

This was a super informative tour and really liked the variety of sites we visited throughout the island. It was great to hear the history and see lots of different areas of the island.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

guides were amazing!

Transport

air conditioning!

Restaurants in Athens

Athens

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Welcome to Santorini

Santorini

we appreciated that we had free time the day of travel. it can be tiring and nice to get to see the place on our own first....or rest to get acclimated.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Free time in Santorini

Santorini

It was great to not be overscheduled and allow time for exploration. It was nice to be in the sun and relax.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

This was my children’s first time leaving the country. Dean put together a perfect plan for our family of 5 and I will definitely be using kimkim for all of our future summer trips. Thank you!

This trip was fantastic. Exceeded expectations. We swam with so many sharks (totally safe). My wife and I went for our honeymoon. Alvaro tailored the trip to our budget and special requests even last minute requests were accommodated.

The discovery dive is great for beginner divers and was definitely worth it. All the fish and shellfish based specialties were the best foods and we had fun hiking and sampling the local beer.

Who knew sharks at Galapagos would be friendly!

We had a wonderful week in Costa Rica. This was our first time using kimkim and Yuliana of Amazilia Travel could not have have been more helpful with her suggestions and spot on with her itinerary. We visited three different parts of the country (Arenal/La Fortuna, Monteverde, Manuel Antonio) and thoroughly enjoyed all of the hotels and various activities that she had booked. 10/10 for Yuliana! Thank you so much!

Hotel Reviews

El Establo Mountain Hotel

Monteverde

Unique and comfortable hotel. The views from the 800’s building were gorgeous and the shuttle busses made traveling the mile (up and downhill) between the rooms and reception/restaurants very do-able. Our only issue was that the wifi, including the premium option, did not work in our rooms. Delicious breakfast and very friendly staff.

Authenticity & Character

Unique layout

Location

Not really close enough to walk to restaurants in Monteverde but the views from the rooms are everything!

Staff

Very friendly staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

The rooms do not have heat or ac so we layered our clothing indoors.

Hotel Lomas del Volcán

Fortuna

Fantastic hotel in beautiful surroundings. The bungalows felt very luxurious and the view of the volcano could not be beat. We enjoyed the swimming pool and hot tub and the breakfast was delicious.

Authenticity & Character

Beautifully appointed bungalows amid very carefully tended landscape.

Location

Overlooking the volcano and close enough to La Fortuna to not have to drive too far to restaurants and activities (too far to walk).

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel San Bada Resort & Spa

Manuel Antonio

Fantastic location right next to the National park. The hotel was comfortable, easy to navigate and only a few minutes walk to the beach and other restaurants. The hot tub did not appear to be working but the pool was lots of fun for the kids. The best part of the hotel was watching the monkeys and toucans in the trees next to the pool!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Aerial Tram, Zip Lining & Hanging Bridges

Monteverde

AWESOME experience! We were a little hesitant about zip lining in the pouring rain but it was such a great experience. There’s nothing quite like zip lining into the clouds. The guides at Sky Adventures took safety very seriously and their course and hanging bridges are well worth it.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Night Excursion at the Wildlife Refuge in Monteverde

Monteverde

Quite a unique experience to walk through the Costa Rican forest at night at Refugio de Vida Silvestre. We spotted a bunch of different animals during the two hour tour.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Safari Float & Hike to La Fortuna Waterfall

Arenal/La Fortuna

Great time rafting on the Peñas Blancas river with a snow Aventira. Our guides, Martin and Brian, were knowledgeable and enthusiastic. Didn’t see any sloths but saw many other animals. The trip down to the waterfall was fun but, in hindsight, this was something we could have done on our own. Lunch at Cava Pizza was the only downer of the day - the guide called our order in ahead of time, sensing that the kids were hungry after a long day, but we still had to wait almost 1.5 hours for our food.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Coffee & Chocolate Tour

Arenal/La Fortuna

Rafael at Don Juan was a kind and knowledgeable guide who taught us so much about cacao and coffee. The kids loved making their own chocolate bars and we thoroughly enjoyed tasting the coffee. Definitely one of the highlights of our trip!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Manuel Antonio National Park Guided Hike

Costa Rica

Danny of Toucanes Tours was a wonderfully kind and knowledgeable guide. His English is phenomenal and he clearly enjoys what he does. We saw many animals during our two-hour walk and enjoyed a brief break at the park’s beach. 10/10!!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Nature Walk at Ecological Park & Butterfly Garden Danaus

Arenal/La Fortuna

Very enjoyable, basically private tour at the Ecological park. Karina of Ecoterra Tours was very knowledgeable of the local fauna and flora. The butterfly enclosure had been damaged and all of the butterflies had to be released but we saw many other animals on the tour. The Maleku presentation was interesting.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport