Kimkim Trip Reviews

Olman planned a fantastic trip for our family of 7 adults and an 11 month old. 10 out of 10 is the score for this trip, as suggested by our adult children. I was apprehensive about the 3.5 star hotels we requested in order to keep the cost down and have more $ to spend on meals and more. The 3.5 star Los Lagos had several thermal springs which was a highlight of our trip as well as a well appointed breakfast buffet. It was perfect for our family as we did not spend much time in our hotel room. If you are staying at the Park Inn by Radison in San Jose, take a 5 minute walk to the nearby outdoor farmers market. I loved the butterfly garden, seeing the caged animals from he region
, the hike to La Paz waterfall and the hearty lunch. Wouldn’t have missed it! The zip line has an automatic stopping system making it safe and not too scary for this 65 year old grandma. The light rain jacket is good to have. I wish I had brought a sweater to take on the plane and for going out to dinner in the evening. I wore my raincoat, a sweater would have been nice. I packed more socks than underpants. Bad idea as we were going swimming and in the thermal pools multiple times a day and taking showers. Bring extra underpants and extra swim suits. Swimsuits, and clothing for that matter, don’t dry overnight in the rain forest. Son went on early morning run and spotted 5 toucans in a tree. Sons pointed out that horseback riding at our hotel Los Lagos was a waste as horses were on complete auto pilot . A favorite for the 30 year olds was white water rafting after it had rained for 2 days. It was perilous and exhilarating. The night walk and coffee& chocolate tours were excellent. Wyndham Tamarindo 3.5 star hotel had terrific showers, an amazing view for all hotel rooms, and a beautiful infinity pool. We all enjoyed our stay there. This was a memory maker family reunion. It was better than we had expected. So glad we went with kimkim.

Hotel Reviews

Wyndham

Tamarindo

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Park Inn San José by Radisson

San José

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Los Lagos Spa & Resort

La Fortuna

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Review

San José - Arenal - Visit to La Paz Waterfall & Gardens

Costa Rica

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Thank you for an incredible trip! Our tour guide was phenomenal and so knowledgable and thoughtful. The itinerary was perfect and the hotels were great. We really enjoyed this family vacation.

I had used Kim Kim previously for a trip to Greece in 2018 and was very pleased with their services so I contacted them again and Chris Gravas was assigned as my travel specialist. He is fantastic! From the very beginning he was on top of things. First he wanted a phone call to get a feel for what I was looking for, after that we corresponded via text and email to make sure my trip was tailored exactly the way I wanted it. He responds to emails and texts within minutes (of course during work hours). All through out our trip he was in contact with me making sure everything was going according to plan. I always had a way to communicate with him during the trip so I was always confident that IF something came up I could contact him. However he is so organized and so on top of things that nothing "comes up". Chris is so fantastic that I also had him plan my son's honey moon in Greece and he has also planned trips in Italy for 2 of my sisters in law. Chris has planned the most amazing tours, activities, etc for our trips! The great thing about Kim Kim is that you can personally request a travel specialist and Chris is my ONLY choice! As mentioned above he has planned 4 excellent trips for our family!!

Overall I thought KimKim and Antonis were excellent. They helped us put together a last minute trip to Greece that felt truly amazing. There was one thing I did not like however. You do not receive a breakdown of costs for individual hotels, events, transfers or transportation tickets. I have been told by KimKim that this is a function of Greek law, but I still am not a fan of one bill with a total at the end. For that reason I would not use KimKim again unless they were willing to give me a price breakdown. Otherwise, the lodging choices were excellent; all transfers went smoothly; we loved the sunset cruise set up by Antonis (best we have ever been on) and we enjoyed our trip tremendously. Thanks KimKim!

This trip couldn’t have been possible without Angela at KIMKIM! Her expertise, knowledge, attention to detail and communication was top notch. Our family vacation was the perfect mix of activity and relaxation…in Crete, Santorini, and Athens. The accommodations were all different and lovely for our family of five. Transportation between locations and for excursions were perfectly planned with no missteps. Alexander did a great job with our all day private tour of Crete. Highly recommend! He’s fun, funny, full of expression and knows Crete intimately. The catamaran swim day/sunset cruise in Santorini was a must and amazingly beautiful. Our accommodations here were a favorite…we could see the sunrise, sunset and the sea from our balcony!!! The Athens ancient history ruins and mythology tour was super informative and something we will never forget. We can’t wait to go back to explore more of the Greek Islands. We would recommend KIMKIM to help plan your next bucket list getaway and Angela specifically if you are going to Greece!

We had such an incredible trip to Iceland. Even though it was short we managed to squeeze in so many fun activities. We ended up going to the sky Lagoon instead of the blue lagoon because There was no availability as our trip was planned so last minute. It was so beautiful and peaceful it was a great way to start our trip after a exhausting overnight flight. The hotel we stayed in were all clean and well located. We loved the glacier hike and the ATV towards the best and we also appreciated the thorough itineraries that Emanuela created for us so that after each Excursion she gave us a path back to our hotel that involved beautiful stops and hikes on the way. It was a perfect five days.

Activity Reviews

South Coast and Icelandic Lava Show

Vík

This was only an hour shower but it was super informative and really interesting. They talk about the history of one of the major recent volcanic eruption‘s and then they actually do a demonstration on how the magma comes out of the earth and flows. Even my kids loved it

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Snowmobile tour on Langjokull Glacier

Iceland

It was a great trip and everyone had a lot of fun but it definitely felt a teeny bit dangerous. One of our snowmobiles did fall over at some point when we hit a sharp slope and I did hurt my shoulder a little bit but everyone had a ton of fun. A few other people also fell over but nobody got hurt.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

ATV tour

Vík

This was definitely one of the coolest things we did on the trip. The ATVs felt very safe and we were able to go fast through the black lava sand and through rivers and we also got to go to one of the plane crash sites in Iceland. It was very beautiful and surreal. We really enjoyed it

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Food Walking Tour

Reykjavík

This was a very interesting tour. The food was unique and interesting to learn about. Our tour guide was very nice no didn’t have a huge personality. Everybody did enjoy the tour and we like to try and all the different kinds of foods

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

It was a great tour and a wonderful experience. Reyna was great in accommodating our requests to go to San Blas and spend a night there. The trip to the tropical forest and Canal was great as well

Hotel Review

Tryp Panama Centro by Wyndham

Panama City

good but somehow run down hotel. Good value for money, excellent breakfast

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

two lifts in the entire hotel - easier to use the stairs...

Activity Reviews

Rainforest boat tour OR Soberania national park

Panama City

wonderful - very informative guide. The tour was a success

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

One day to San Blas

Panama City

We changed this into two days - one night. This was by far the best part of the holiday. A wonderful, highly recommendable experience.

Quality of Experience

the islands were amazing; the accommodations basic but lovely. A real experience.

Food

wonderful lobsters, red pargo and other fish. Authentic food, delicious.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

sorry - I have to be critical here. First time ever i did not leave a tip. If it is a private tour, you cannot say "I will be there between 5 am and 5.30 am". We were ready at 4.59 am and the driver arrived at 5.35. We could have taken it more easily.

Transport

The driver spent way too much time on the phone while driving (he was excellent driving with one hand on the terrible road, but still....I would prefer someone looking at the road rather than at the messages on the phone.

Casco Antiguo walking tour

Panama City

We did it by our own, as we changed the program to have an extra day at San Blas. Casco Antiguo was really beautiful

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Honestly can't say enough about using your services for this family trip! The tour guides were all amazing and so knowledgeable - Fabio in Paris, Ange for Versaille and Giverny, Francis for D-day trip, Auralee for Mont St. Michel, and Marion for Chambord and Chenonceau. Each one added an extra stop which was above and beyond. My husband had a knee injury prior to us going and all helped us get him around and made the trip possible with him needing a cane and knee brace.
Having the limos and taxis all on the spot to get us from trains and planes made the whole trip with 5 people so easy. We had a small glitch when returning to Paris meeting our limo but we communicated by phone and with the help of someone who spoke English and french. Right away someone from kim kim contacted me to make sure we had connected with our driver. Perhaps more specific meeting location at the train station could help.
The hotels selected were all wonderful, historic and comfortable. And the sweets left for us upon our return to Paris was a nice touch. The hotel staff was so excited to let us know we had something special waiting in our room.
I have been recommending your services to anyone I tell about the trip. When we plan another trip, I will definitely look to see if our destination is one that your services are available.

We only had 4 nights in the Netherlands, but Mieke put together a great itinerary that made the most of our limited time. From the bustling pace of Amsterdam to the charming canal towns of Leiden, Haarlem, and Delft, we enjoyed every minute of each location. It was magical - a trip we will remember forever.

We are an adventurous family. My wife and I have been hiking over 50 years and we still work together so time away still requires packed vacations within a 2 week time frame. We had been to Iceland 10 years ago and were desirous to return. We hit the “Golden Circle and nearby iconic activities and in 5 days we packed in spelunking, white-water rafting, the Blue Lagoon, kayaking and hiking up Glymur falls, snowmobiles on glaciers and the essential Thingvellir, Gullfoss, Geysir and Reykavik. This time around, we wanted to be off-the-beaten path”. Google photos hit the right buttons; challenging day-hiking, glamping and experiencing Kjolur, Landmannalauger, Thorsmork, the Skogafoss canyon, glacier hiking, crossing glacial rivers, zodiacs among the icebergs, venturing on our own and a private understanding of the “out-back’s”: volcanos, vents, glaciers, canyons, culture (the poets of Hali) and the hard scrabble life of the Icelander (sheep, wool, geothermal, green houses, simple / efficient structures, helping each other). We had used other travel services which provide the “90%” tourist agenda but Kimkim, recognized our needs and hand-selected us with a most incredible self-adventurer herself, Rinolda Juodvirsyte. We wished to explore deeper into the volcanic-glacier physically changing land of a remarkable people who’s days change with weather, lava flows (Vestmannaeyjar islands , glacier melts, light/dark and personal isolation when their towns and dwellings are separated in floods and landslides). Rinolda puzzeled together a wonderful and exciting day-by-day roadtrip; even spending time with us exploring different Icelandic iconic locations at site and over dinner. Each day a challenging hike many times with a personal guide (chains and ladders), interpreting the culture, geology, directions and further recommending out-of the way treks, food surprises and explorations. We experienced how this constantly challenging island-nation is surviving climate change (carry your essentials and layered clothing with you, you never know what comes next), surprising volcano eruptions and lava flows, humongous glacier melts destroying roads and bridges (berms of volcanic rubble and single lane bridges, quickly and simply rebuilt), isolation between far-away towns, light-dark mood changes and always extending a happy, smiling, “can-do” attitude of “thetta reddast” (it will be okay, what will be, will be). I cannot recommend KimKim enough to pair you with the right expert to create the individualized experience for you.

Chris did an amazing job orchestrating every event and excursion and tour for our trip to Italy! From the smallest detail, his directions were clear and precise!

We were greeted at the airport by a water taxi in Venice and taken to the sweetest hotel!! We felt like guests in someone’s home and the service there was amazing. We enjoyed watching the gondolas drivers out front with our breakfast. This hotel set the tone for our entire trip to Italy!

Andres, our tour guide in Venice, was TOP NOTCH!!! His background was in architecture, he was born and raised in Venice, and was extremely personable. His accent was beautiful but he was able to communicate easily in English!!

The quick train ride to Florence was a nice way to see the surrounding area. We enjoyed our tour but our guide wasn’t as seasoned but communicated well. Unfortunately, we were only there for 24 hours and that just wasn’t long enough to get a feel of the area. Next time, we will plan to spend some time at a Vineyard outside of the city.

We loved Rome and all of its history! The Colosseum was unbelievable and our guide was extremely knowledgeable. He poured tons of information into 3 hours. However, his broken English made it very difficult to understand much of what he said.

Later that evening, we took a FABULOUS cooking class. Davida and Aaron taught us how to make two types of pasta, two kinds of sauces, and homemade tiramisu. It was a small group of eight and so enjoyable. It will be one of our favorite memories of Italy.

The next day, we went on a food tour and also saw the marketplace. Luca was our tour guide and made sure our experience was very enjoyable. We also had an evening food tour that we canceled so our last night in Rome could be at an enjoyable restaurant. It was an exhausting but AMAZING adventure for our family! We plan to go back so we can also see the coast line areas. I imagine that trip to be more relaxing. I will definitely be calling Chris with the Kimkim team to make those arrangements.

Hotel Reviews

Hotel Antiche Figure

Venice

This was our favorite hotel by far!! ❤️🇮🇹 It was quaint and sweet and comfortable. The owners went out of their way to make us feel completely at home. They had an enormous breakfast spread and little tables out front where we could watch the gondola drivers prepare for the day. I highly recommend Hotel Antiche Figure in Venice!!

Authenticity & Character

The decor was very authentic to Venice and it was charming!

Location

Gondolas out front and just over the bridge was the train station and lots of shops and restaurants.

Staff

The staff went out of their way to be helpful and accommodating in every way. They kept saying to us, “Please, you are as if at home!”

Cleanliness & Comfort

Everything was immaculate and very comfortable too!

Grand Hotel Baglioni Firenze

Florence

Our hotel room was very comfortable and nice. We were able to get checked in a little earlier than normal and the staff was very accommodating.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Grand Hotel Palace

Rome

This hotel was very beautiful. Because of our early tours we never got to eat breakfast but the bar and dining area seemed nice. I wanted so badly to give this hotel a higher rating but we weren’t able to get much sleep because the bed was extremely uncomfortable. The hotel sheets were very scratchy and the pillow was as hard as a rock which was disappointing for such a nice hotel. My husband and I could feel every spring in the mattress and we tossed and turned literally for hours both nights and woke up feeling exhausted and sore. I don’t understand how a Hotel of this caliber can miss the mark in such a big way on the bed. I feel it’s so unfortunate to give what “appeared” to be a five star hotel only three stars. Sadly, we would not recommend this hotel.

Authenticity & Character

Nothing very memorable except that it was nice.

Location

This was a 10 minute drive to anywhere we were going so we did need a taxi for most anything we did.

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Needs new mattresses, hotel quality pillows and sheets!

Activity Reviews

Day at Leisure in Venice

Venice

Our tour guide was fabulous!! He had a beautiful accent but his English was easy to understand. The pace of the tour was leisurely and enjoyable and so informative. Our guide with native to Venice and an architect major so he shared many things that most guides may not know. Left this tour and highly recommend!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Our amazing guide!!

Transport

Easy access to train station!

Essential Venice

Venice

Excellent experience with our tour. Our guide was an architect major and was able to share details that I don’t think many guides would know. He was exceptional and easy to communicate with. We thoroughly enjoyed this tour.

Quality of Experience

Planning a trip is fun but complicated. Communicating taste and expectations with someone that you’ve never met is tricky. Not with Luis. He asked all the right questions to ensure the trip was one of a lifetime. Luis helped me navigate all the wonderful places to visit in Spain. He was also able to help when life happened to plans, switching flights and locations when unexpected things came up. It was a pleasure working with Luis.

the trip was amazing however we were not happy with the tour van and hotel in Santorini.

The tour guide who was supposed to help with the trip was late (excuse given that he wanted us to see the sunset) however he kept driving us around and we almost missed the sunset. He dropped us at a hotel next to black sand beach and wanted us to eat snacks there. If we had done that we would have missed the sunset (glad didn't listen to him ) I had to remind him to take us to the red beach. He conveniently forgot that. His tour van was no noisy and run down. With the amount of money paid I had expected better service.

Also the cave hotel in Santorini has not that great. Room had an odd smell. The service was excellent and view was great.

Naxos was an amazing recommendation. Thanks Amalia was booking that. Over all Amalia was awesome and very responsive but tour company that was partnered with in Santorini wasn't something I'd engage with again.

Activity Reviews

Welcome to Naxos

Naxos

its a beautiful city and Amalia planned wonderful tours for us.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Athens Highlight Tour

Athens

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Exploring the island of Santorini

Santorini

hotel wasn't great and tour van was super old and noisy. We couldn't hear what the guide was saying. When asked to fix the noise he said nothing can be done. Was late for pick up and rushed things. Didn't follow the itinerary and tried to skip major destination. Unlike other tour guides (Naxos was exceptional guide) the guide in Santorini didn't bother to accompany us and give us info on what we were seeing. I saw other guides were with their parties and explaining the things

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Our first excursion was to ride the train into the alps. We loved it. It was so beautiful. Recommend highly. Great experience.
Our visit to Lake Como was great. Very beautiful lake. We rode around it on a ferry. Then went to a fabulous restaurant for lunch. We were celebrating our anniversary (50th) and my son and Daughter-in-law’s 20th anniversary. Our grandkids went swimming in the lake after lunch. Very nice day. Roberta did a great job.
We stayed in the Santa Rosa Grand Hotel in Milan. Very nice hotel.
Florence: I can’t remember the name of the hotel in Florence but it was nice. This hotel had the best breakfast.
Half our group went into the Tuscany wine region next. We visited several wineries and also went to the Italian/US WW2 memorial for US soldiers killed in this region. Very moving! Extremely well done. Thank you Claudio for taking us there.
The other half had a rather harrowing experience riding bikes on a bike tour in the old city. The guide was not good. She actually rode off and left them. The gelato making was a success though. Everyone loved that.
The Cinque Terra was kind of a disaster due to the fact that our driver spoke NO English and had never been to the area before. We were expecting an English speaking guide but that didn’t happen. Our driver just dumped us out and indicated we should meet him back there at 4. Because we had expected to have a guide we didn’t really look into the possibilities. We ended up riding the train to Monterosso where the kids went swimming and we did some shopping. The tour company offered to pick us up there to try to make up for the completely non-English speaking driver. Since the driver had never been there before, we had a hard time finding each other. Definite an experience.
We had great helpers with our train transfers. They all did a good job.
Venice: Nice Hotel, my son had a private terrace. Large private terrace. We went on a city tour through Basilica San Marco-and the Doge palace. Nice tour with Allyssa. She was very knowledgeable but a bit overly so. We were pretty exhausted and struggled a bit…maybe if it hadn’t been so hot! Our visit to the Academy was, of course, one of the highlights. We also did a food tour. The adults enjoyed it. The kids, not so much. The gondola ride was great. Everyone really enjoyed it.
Train transfer back to Milan was great and uneventful. Flew out the next day.

Spent 6 days in Norway (August 2022).
Our guide Stig in Oslo was fabulous, and our walking tour through Oslo was exactly what my daughter thought was great. Oslo was easy to traverse, and we both obsessed over the art at the Munch museum (don't miss)
Train ride from Oslo to Myrdal and the Flam Railway were breathtaking. The highlight of the trip was the Fjordsafari out of Flam. Easily the most beautiful scenery in the world.
Wished we could have had more time in Bergen. Morning was rainy when we toured with our guide, but the afternoon was sunny and I wished we could have slept in and had the tour later in the day.

Hotel Reviews

Vangsgaarden Gjestgiveri

Aurland

Very small property in a very small town (800 people) The view of the fjord from our room was amazing. Very gracious staff and we ate both nights at the hotel gasthous, which was quite reasonable in price but delicious food and and extensive bar list. Breakfast was included in our rate, and was a buffet typical for Norway. If you like hiking/biking this is the place for you. If not into hiking/biking the town does not have much else to offer.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Very quiet with beautiful views

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Grand Hotel Terminus

Bergen

This recently renovated hotel is exactly what a quiet European hotel should be like. Excellent bar with good bar menu, with food service to 10PM (a rarity in Norway where the kitchens tend to close by 9 with last seating at 8:30). Excellent breakfast buffet (was included with our room). Clean room with juliet balcony with doors that opened, and a fabulous heated floor in the bathroom. Is exactly 1km from the ferry port. We walked with our bags(small carry on & backpack) If you have a larger bag, take a taxi. Is across the street from the train station. So if arriving by train you are right there. Is 1 block the fountain and main museums, is a less than 10 min walk to Bryggen and port area.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Thon Hotel Terminus

Oslo

Is 1 block from main train station, if you intend to take the train on arrival at the airport or if arriving via train from elsewhere in Norway. Rooms are small, but clean. Breakfast buffet was included in our room rate. Excellent choices with typical Norwegian fare.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Front desk staff not knowledgable about local/adjacent stores, restaurants etc. Do not expect concierge type service.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Oslo City Walk with a Local

Oslo

My daughter loves vintage clothes. Stig took us through the central shopping area where these stores were located so we knew exactly where to go. Took us on the walking path by the river to the Mathallen, and had a great rapport with this guide. Had the best coffee of my life with him at Tim Wendelboe. (If you like coffee, this is a must not miss destination)

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Fjord Safari Taste

Norway

This should be 10 stars not 5. Absolute highlight of the entire week.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Transfer from Flåm to Aurland

Norway

Taxi driver arrived on time. Drove us to our hotel in Aurland. Please be aware that there is limited taxi service in the area. If staying in Aurland, definitely have Kimkim arrange the taxi transfer in advance.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Transfer from Aurland to Flåm

Norway

Landslide closed the road (only 1) between Aurland and Flam. Our driver picked us up and drove on the bike path to get us to our Fjordsafari on time. We were incredibly grateful to not miss our experience

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Bergen Walking Tour With a Local Guide

Bergen

Walked approximately 5 miles on this tour of Bergen. I enjoyed the guide, but my daughter (age 26) was less enamored. If this would have been our first day in Norway I think we would have enjoyed it better, but we had already spent 5 days in Norway and seen typical 19th and early 20th century architecture. The fortress was not open, and the Bryggen was a disappointment with the Hanseatic museum closed for renovations.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

This was a trip of a life time. Morocco is a beautiful country and the people are friendly.

We could have not planned a better trip on our own, and we’re grateful for Original Travel and KimKim for an excellent itinerary. Over 12 days we visited many cities with nights in Casablanca, Chefchaouen via Rabat, Fes, Merzouga, Boumalne Dades, Marrakech, and Essaouira.

Our driver, Tarik took care of us the entire trip, and we never felt unsafe. And our booking manager, Said was very responsive to our needs and made immediate adjustments to ensure our comfort. Original travels exceeded my expectations.

The highlight of our trip was all our stays at Riads inside the old medinas, our overnight camping in the desert at Erg Chebbi, dune racing on ATVs, and the sunrise camel ride.

Our drive over the Atlas Mountains into Marrakech was memorable.

Pros
- Moroccan hospitality is top notch.
- Rich culture, architecture, and history.
- UNESCO world heritage sites
- Varying geography
- The King. Everyone loves the him.

Things to look out for
- The breakfasts in the Riads are all the same, carb heavy—breads, crepes, pastries, only eggs for protein, no meats, no variety. Hotels offer better breakfast variety.

- Request for vans with functioning seat belts in advance, if important to you. Be specific about the temperature you want at all points during the trip. Depending on when you visit Morocco during the summer, it’s very hot and heat can lead to exhaustion very quickly.

Hotel Reviews

Desert Luxury Camp Erg Chebbi

Merzouga

Camel ride at sunrise was a magic experience.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Odyssee Center

Casablanca

Authenticity & Character

Location

Location is the not the best.

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Lina Ryad & Spa

Chefchaouen

Lovely riad, and the only one with a pool that was usable.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Xaluca Dades

Boumalne

Beautiful hotel with unique decor. Great buffet style dining and a pleasant break from the same, boring Riad breakfasts we experienced. The hotel pool is great.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Riad Salam Fes

Fes

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Riad Pachavana

Marrakech

Our worst stay in Morocco overall. It was only staffed by a single person. The accommodation was not to standard compared to other Riads. We had to get our room switched. There was a cockroach floating in the pool at the courtyard and the attendant could care less. Bees harassed us at breakfast everyday.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Riad Perle D'Eau

Essaouira

Overlooks the ocean. Get an ocean view room and sleep with the windows open at night. Breakfast on roof deck.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Transfer from Fes to Merzouga via Erfoud & Camel Ride

Morocco

Enjoyed the ATV sand dune and camel ride at sunrise.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

The SUV ride into the desert camp was very aggressive and I almost hurt myself in the back.

Hammam & Spa Experience Marrakech

Morocco

The women working at the Hammam weren’t very friendly and it was not a relaxing experience from that perspective.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Guided Tour of Majorelle Garden

Marrakesh

OMG. This is one of the most beautiful gardens I’ve visited anywhere. The variety of cactus and the setting of the YSL home is picturesque.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Transfer to Dades Valley via Todra Gorges

Morocco

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Transfer to Marrakech via Roses Valley, Ouarzazate & Aït Benhaddou

Morocco

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Half-Day Guided Tour of Marrakech

Marrakesh

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Guided Tour of Chefchaoeun

Chefchaouen

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Casablanca to Chefchaouen via Rabat

Morocco

Beautiful views of the Hassan V mosque. Casablanca was our least favorite city.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Guided Tour of Fez Medina

Fes

We enjoyed this visit overall. It just felt like we were being herded from one shop to the next, so we could get fleeced. To be clear, we were never forced into a purchase, but there are too many planned stops to buy things.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Essaouira to Casablanca via Eljadida & Safi Coastal Route

Morocco

Quality of Experience

Y

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Transfer to Fes, Volubilis & Meknes

Morocco

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Private Transfer from Marrakech to Enchanting Essaouira

Morocco

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Tiago did an excellent job both planning our trip and helping us to navigate. He provided a comprehensive and well organized document, complete with links, that described our itinerary, recommended points of interest and gave useful information on accommodations. He also included other useful resources, such as advice on driving in Portugal.

Tiago was most responsive during our trip when we had questions. Prior to and during our trip, Tiago would promptly respond when we contacted him. He contacted us immediately I’ll arrival and greeted us at the airport. Prior to picking up our car rental, Tiago drove us to our hotel, showed us some sights along the way, and showed us where to lock up our rental car. He also picked us up the following evening to bring us to two of our planned events. When one of our events had to be rescheduled, he most effectively integrated it into our next day’s itinerary.

The trip that Tiago planned was excellent. Every accommodation he selected exceeded our expectations. Also, he recommended that we go off the beaten path and visit Évora. This city was a highlight of the trip.

We really enjoyed working with Tiago and would most defiant key recommend him to anyone visiting Portugal.

Having never been to the French Alps before, our KimKim specialist helped put together an itinerary that matched our interests and desire to be more active. The mountains of Chamonix are absolutely stunning and we very much enjoyed this mountain town that is easy to walk around for food, shopping, and staging our adventures without a rental car.

The two-day pass for the gondolas allowed us to quickly on day one enjoy the striking beauty of the mountains and how awe-inspiring the views are from high above. We loved seeing para-gliders dot the sky and appreciated the countless views we felt deserved a picture to capture the moment.

We were positively surprised by all the things to do and see at the top of Aiguille du Midi. And getting out to walk around the mid-station was a fantastic complement to being at the top. For my 13 and 15 year old children this part of the trip was one they loved the most.

We mountain biked with e-bikes as a family with four others (brothers) and our guide was very nice and good. It was a bit too long (mileage) for my wife and kids but we enjoyed everything we did and saw. The logistics weren't ideal: our meetup time moved up which we didn't see until it was right upon us (but we acted fast and made it) and the bus ride back from Houches was hot, very crowded and felt like over 30 minutes.

The hike with Yannik was amazing and he was fantastic. He took us a less-traveled way up to the glacial lake and offered a lot of information about the mountains, region and Chamonix. He helped us get extra water, let us borrow his hiking poles, and offered us his picnic food -- I would absolutely recommend him to anyone as a guide and hiking companion. Before the hike we were concerned it might be too ambitious since we aren't frequent hikers. Yannik coordinated with us to make it a little shorter by taking a lift up for the first part. From there it was a beautiful, long hike up to the lake and it was amazing. We hiked down and it ended up taking us to our limit physically getting to the bottom. He was always positive and was terrific. I didn't realize it would be as long of a day and I'd recommend for future hikers surveying them for expected timing, mileage and some way to figure out how to assess where their limits might be. This is an experience to absolutely recommend to others.

Things that went well and above our expectation:
- Meeting our transfer in Geneva: this was very easy and convenient and it was a nice, large vehicle to take us up to Chamonix.
- The hotel breakfast was very nice and a great way to start each day. Great food and service!
- Isabelle had recommended a couple restaurants those were very good.
- The train from Geneva to Paris was great, and Isabelle had set us up in first class so we could sit together. It had a table and was perfect...we played cards and chatted facing each other. So great!
- Overall, we loved everything about Chamonix and would recommend it to anyone!

Things that didn't go as planned:
- The hotel surprisingly didn't have record of our requested early check-in when we arrived. I believe KimKim had made that request on our behalf so I am unsure where the communication within the hotel had broken down. We knew traveling overnight from the U.S. to Geneva and landing at 7:30am had us expecting to be tired and nervous about when our room would be ready. With the early check-in request we felt we could wait until 12:00pm when we thought we'd most likely get into our room (and not need to pay for an entire night prior). As the trip came closer we even asked if we should just purchase the additional night...but there was not availability at the hotel to do so. We knew it wouldn't be exact timing, so when we arrived at the hotel to drop off our bags and check when we could get into our room they said they didn't have any information or request for an early check in and that we should expect a 3:00pm check-in at the very earliest. It was a very distressing moment for my wife at 9:00am who was tired and wasn't sure how she'd make it the additional 3 hours to 3:00pm (or even later). They stored our bags and alerted the cleaning crew to prioritize, but it was a difficult moment to be tired and uncertain of when it would actually be ready. I asked them to call me when it was ready and hoped for the best but was concerning to know this was something we communicated being anxious about, and for the hotel to tell us they didn't have the request. We ended up getting the call that our room was ready at 12:30pm so it worked out to get in a bit early but it was not a great way to start our time in Chamonix.
- Our transfer from Chamonix to Geneva. We were about 10-15 minutes late for getting out of the hotel and downstairs to our transfer on check-out. It was our fault and I felt badly for our driver who was stressed and unhappy we were so late. He said he was trying to call us and that we almost got left. Turns out he had mistakenly thought our pick up was the day prior, so for him it was his second time coming up to Chamonix to get us. He also had another pickup tightly after ours so he was stressed about making it to that next pickup. It was a fast but quiet/tense ride to the train station, of which we arrived WELL ahead of when our train departed (about 45 minutes). It was our fault to be a bit late but it was his next appointment that seemed to trigger his stress. Maybe consider not having the transfer company book trips so tightly together.

All in all, our trip to the French Alps was really spectacular. We loved it. We also appreciated all Isabelle had done to set us up for a great time and for Joel just before we arrived. Thank you!

Hotel Review

Chalet Hotel le Prieuré

CHAMONIX MONT BLANC

Great location, great breakfast! Very helpful front desk staff for the most part. Rooms don't have air conditioning so for those in the U.S. it is something to consider.

Authenticity & Character

Location

We could walk to everything

Staff

Helpful, but not having our early check-in request was very stressful and disappointing

Cleanliness & Comfort

Family room was good for our family of four with younger kids

Activity Reviews

Chamonix : to the Aiguille du Midi

France

I put these in my other comments.

Quality of Experience

Electric Mountain Bike in Chamonix

France

I put these in my other comments.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Hiking in the French Alps

France

I put these in my other comments.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

We loved Morocco… and KimKim made it the best it could be.

Ilyace was our guide: Extremely professional and truly catered to all of our needs. Whenever we needed something, he would punctually help us. (E.g. going to the pharmacy right away when one of us got slightly ill). Truly cared about us and felt like a good friend.

Our daily guides were amazing! Especially these individuals: Muhammad in Fes, Osama in Marrakech, and Amed in Merzouga Also Mohammed in The Dades Valley was the best. Very funny and really welcomed us into his house for an unforgettable lunch and time with his family.

The visits with the Berbers in two different locations was amazing. Really got to understand the culture and their seemingly difficult life.

Riads: All were extremely beautiful and in great locations with excellent services! The best way we could have experienced Morocco.

Cecilia was amazing and very helpful. Me and my wife had an amazing time. We needed to make multiple adjustments due to the heat and other things and Cecilia made it all happen. Thank you so much!!!

Activity Review

Morning Colosseum, Roman Forums and Palatine Hill

Rome

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport