Kimkim Trip Reviews

This is the first time we’ve used a travel agency and it was a great experience! The hotels were excellent, with the exception of the location of one hotel in Crete, close to an outdoor party area, it was noisy and bright in the room. The tours they booked for us were excellent, every guide was so knowledgeable and very engaging. Christos personally came to our hotel in Athens to hand deliver a SIM card for our phone. We had only one incident of a driver not actually waiting for us getting off the ferry in Mykonos. We called KimKim and someone was there to get us within 20 minutes. We would not hesitate to use KimKim again, a very good experience.

We had an amazing time exploring different areas of the country. Even though our stay was short, we thought we experienced a lot of variety and interesting parts of the countries. Thank you for showing us your amazing country!!

We just got back from our 8-day imperial city tour from Morocco last weekend. I have to say that it was the best planned trip I've ever had, and my husband and I have traveled A LOT! We wanted to plan a special trip for our ten year anniversary but with our work schedules, three weeks before our trip the only thing we had booked were our plane tickets! So in a panic, I started researching online for hotels and sights and felt totally overwhelmed, in the past we've planned our own trips no problem but this time we just didn't have the time. I stumbled upon kimkim and it was like magic. Within a couple of days our Morocco travel specialist Sharon, had sent us a complete itinerary with hotels, transportation and tours, it was AMAZING! We felt such a weight off our shoulders and all we had to do was pack our bags and get on the plane. When we arrived, just like Sharon assured us, we had a driver waiting for us at the airport to begin our Moroccan adventure. Our driver Salam was with us for half of the trip and then we had another driver for the second half of the trip. We could not have asked for a better introduction to all things Morocco, we absolutely loved Salam and were very sad to part ways with him half way through our trip but we wanted to be flexible as Morocco Immersion had been very flexible with us, accommodating our last minute requests. Our second driver Abdulah was also great, so we felt very lucky to have two great guides during our time there. We would highly recommend Morocco Immersion, the local travel company we used through kimkim, and would highly recommend booking your trip through kimkim. It was so easy and secured. We were so pleasantly surprised, as this was our first time using this service and now we are spoiled, I don't think we'll ever go back to planning trips on our own. We got so much more from this vacation than any other trip before and the best part it was completely customized to meet our needs. The level of accommodations and the transportation provided by Morocco Immersion were top notch, we were very pleased. We can't say enough good things about this experience!

We had a great trip and are sending a big shout out and thanks to our local specialist - Karin Eckhard w/Espiritu Travels - and her team. We were in expert, caring hands w/Karin: she was very responsive and capable in orchestrating our 16-day trip to Spain and Portugal with "lots of moving parts". We were pretty specific in where we wanted to go and what we were interested in (architecture, history, nature, hiking/biking, food/wine, culture) and she accommodated it all! Everything went like clockwork - all the drivers and guides were on-time and prepared, all the hotels and activities were ready and waiting for us. The drivers and guides were wonderful company and very well informed - we loved spending time with them and learned a lot.

Karin was just great. She planned the best trip ever and help us get the most of Portugal in just 1 week. All the hotels, tours and transfers were perfect. She was always available and proactive while we were there.
The Kim Kim Team is also great. They have this great company that is always willing to satisfy and help their clients!

Everything went very well with our trip. Everything was well coordinated and our driver Yassin was really good at coordinating all the guides and site visits and really helping us get the most of our trip. Thank you to Radia and her team!

We had a fantastic time in Greece and thought it was a great trip. The welcome dinner at ManiMani was superb, each dish better than the one before. The tour of Santorini's farm produce and wines with Anna was terrific; our trip to Delphi with Effie was also fabulous. Another highlight of the trip was the hotel in Ornus -- it was so delightful just to be there. I thoroughly enjoyed everything about it and the staff was great. We also had lovely people running the hotel in Kamari -- Mary was really delightful. We had some really great guides -- Kostas was wonderful at the Acropolis and very understanding when Marvin was having his spell. I also really enjoyed the tour of Akrotiri and the Palace at Knossos, and found the guides knowledgeable and capable of handling questions. I would suggest that perhaps more time be allotted to both of those sites, however, since it was very rushed and we didn't really get to savor things. I do understand that there are so many visitors and our guides were trying to stay ahead of the crowds -- this may not be something that could be fixed during a tour in May, but I offer it just in case. The museum in Knossos was fantastic, as was the National Archaeological museum (we visited it on our own). I had been told how great the Parthenon museum was and it did not disappoint. We took the suggestion of a friend and had lunch there, overlooking the Acropolis. That was really delightful and I recommend it to others.
One complaint i have, however, was our tour in Delos. I found the guide, Athena, was not particularly responsive to the group. Her accent was such that we had a great deal of difficulty understanding her, and hearing was also a problem. I would suggest that for a group of anything over 10, Assisted Listening Devices be used. I work in an art museum and that is our policy and it really makes it a much better experience. Everyone can hear; guides don't need to raise their voices to be heard. I would suggest that a Delos visit be longer, or at least people should be told that they could take the later ferry if they wanted. Since we had someone meeting us after the tour, I didn't realize that was an option.
I don't want my review to end on an extended complaint, however, since for the most part it was a wonderful trip and we enjoyed it immensely. We found the KimKim staff, as well as some of the local agencies, very responsive and for the most part, things went smoothly and we had a terrific vacation.

Our family wanted to tour Bulgaria to visit our adopted daughter's birth place, We worked with Simeon Dimitrov to set up a two-week tour that included a visit to the Rila Monastery, hiking in the Rila and Pirin Mountains, and kayaking in the Rhodopes. We visited Plovdiv, the Valley of Roses and the Black Sea. One of our final stops was at the Orphanage in Targovishte that our daughter lived in until we brought her home. Simeon arranged for our daughter to meet staff in the Orphanage. Simeon put together a wonderful, balanced, well-paced itinerary for us. He patiently answered our questions and made sure we saw the best of each place we visited. We enjoyed dining on Bulgaria's wonderful Mediterranean cuisine at the restaurants he chose for us. A highlight of our trip was our stay at a Bulgarian Guest House, where we ate traditional dishes and drank rakkia. By the end of our two week tour, we had fallen in love with Bulgaria! We can highly recommend Kimkim for your tour of Bulgaria- the Crocker Family

Rachid our driver was great. His English was excellent and he helped coordinate our daily activities.

This is the third time I’ve used kimkim to help with my travel planning. Clearly they work with the best travel specialists in the world. For my South African adventure kimkim connected me with Elgin Africa, I couldn’t have asked for a better match!

Deborah contacted me first, she got back to me right away with answers for my questions about budget and best time to visit South Africa. After couple of emails I knew I was in good hands.

Tara contacted me second, she was wonderful from the start, always available to quickly and patiently answer any questions, worked around my budget and tailored the itinerary based on the list of places and experiences I wanted.

This trip was amazing largely to Tara’s impeccable planning, I never had to worry about a transfer, guide (the guides that Elgin Africa works with are wonderful), or accommodation, everything was perfect!

While traveling, Deborah and Tara checked up on me often making sure everything was running smoothly and that I was enjoying my trip.

Anybody planning to visit South Africa should contact Elgin Africa, they are the best!

We started the trip with a free day in Mykonos and spent it at the Kahlua beach club, dinner at Busulas and out at Semeli that night. The next day was a trip to Delos Island. We had the most fabulous, authentic, amazing guide named Toula. We wanted to take her home and have her be our very own Greek grandmother. Took the speed ferry to Santorini and had a hidden Gem and Wine tour hosted by Manos, another great local guide and a tour we very much loved. Our favorite activity the following day was our Catamaran cruise hosted by Spiros & Spiros (yes two men on the same boat with the same name!). Spent the rest of the night with the locals after hours at Vineyart and enjoyed a local flight of wines. In Athens, we enjoyed a very tasty food tour and found our new love of Greek coffee + Freddos. Had a nice meal at Feedel and had our most authentic meal of the trip at "The Traditional". Stopped by Clumsies, Baba Au Rum and Noel for some cocktails along with Oinoscent wine bar to round out the trip. Had an amazing views in Meteora and could not get over the tranquility of the perfectly preserved monasteries. Overall we had zero hiccups, all of our drivers were on time, hotels reserved, tour guides punctual, and a great experience. It was a nice touch to get a welcome call once Travel 12 new we arrived. Will use this service again!

Ginger, David, and Judy will be providing their own reviews; their memory of the specifics (guides' names, in particular) is much better than mine.

I'd just like to express my thanks to KimKim and Christos for putting together such a wonderful and memorable trip. There were really no downsides. One suggestion for improvement, though, concerns the occasional lack of detail, on the schedule/ itinerary, regarding ferry transfers. It wasn't always clear where we needed to be and what to expect. Again, the others will likely be providing more specifics in this regard. Also, it might have been more sensible to have us in a hotel near the airport upon our late return from Heraklion on the final night. Presumably, availability and cost dictated the decision to have us in downtown Athens, at the Pi Hotel. This, by the way, was the least impressive of our hotels, although it was certainly acceptable.

I can assure you that we'll be recommending KimKim to friends and acquaintances. Thanks again for everything!

The trip to Cusco, Sacred Valley, and Machu Picchu was planned meticulously. Paul, our coordinator was on top of things and whenever I reached out to him, he was extremely responsive and supportive. All in all, the trip was fantastic and we thoroughly enjoyed it. So many beautiful memories. The planning and follow-through were top notch. Restaurant reservations and recommendations were spot on. Hotel Sumaq, Aranwa, and Casa Andina were awesome!! Guide in Cusco - David was fantastic. Guide to Machu Picchu, Marco saved me from me, by carrying my backpack for a quarter of the hike!

Here are some things to consider for refinement:

Novotel in Cusco - nice location but the room size, layout and sofa bed were not very good.
Dazzler - nice hotel but the front desk was not very well informed, consistent or helpful.
Lunch for Hike - we ended up carrying a lot of unnecessary load. If they are providing protein bars, chocolates, and juice, it might be best to ask people to bring their own favorite brands. Should send bananas. Luckily, my guide shared their's with me.
Allergy information - even though we shared our daughter's allergy information, this wasn't passed down or communicated very well downstream.

Bolivia was an amazing country. Lots to see and the people were friendly. Our drivers were great, very accommodating and friendly and handled the rough roads very well. Our guide Carla was good as well, but I do believe there are limitations to this trip based on your preferences. She tried her best to make the trip as comfortable as possible but the itinerary I believe was not planned properly. As a group, we wanted to stay in hotels (not hostels) however, it was not made clear that this preference would require a lot of time spent in a Jeep on very rough roads. It's unfortunate that the flights to Uyuni do not align very well with flights in and out of La Paz. We had to stay overnight in La Paz twice because of flight schedules but the hotel, due to traffic, was almost an hour away from the airport. Once the trip really started we had a great time on the Salt Flats, visiting the giant Cacti and learned a lot about the area from Carla. Day 2 however, we were in the car for almost 13 hours because the only hotel was not close to the sights. Part of this I believe could have been resolved with better planning, and also if the vehicles (we had 3 in our group) were able to communicate. I would highly recommend if you have a large group to request radios or bring your own. If you want to see all the sights and limit driving time, my understanding is the only way to do this is to stay in a hostel along the way or camping which I believe would have been a good but pricey option. I do wish the amount of travel time had been made clear to us originally as we may have made alternate plans. Other than that the trip was good, but I would warn others that if they are not comfortable sitting in an SUV on bumpy roads for extended periods of time this may not be the trip for them, although the sites and views were incredible.

We had an Amazing Trip. Dimitris did a great job with our itinerary and when we made some last minute changes he had great advice and helped us switch around our reservations. The Boat Charter was Amazing. The only negative would be the Hotel room for the first few nights in Athens. the room had 3 very small single beds. but at the end of the trip we stayed at the same hotel and got a better room with a real bed. The Rest of the Hotels were amazing and Greece is beautiful.
thank you
Shawn

The trip to Iquitos and in the Amazon for 6 days was excellent. There were a few small glitches but Anne was so responsive & was able to get everything fixed for us quickly & efficiently. The river trip was fun and the guide we had for the six days in the Amazon basin was outstanding. Juan, our guide, of Amazonia Expeditions, was exceptionally knowledgeable about all living things in the rain forest, as well as the people and cultures of the area. Juan was available to us at all times and kept us organized & comfortable throughout the trip. He was also a very kind and ethical person who cares very much about the rain forest environment & shared that passion with us. This made our trip very special.

The Lodge and Research Center were very clean, comfortable and the staff at each location were exceptionally friendly and helpful. The food was also excellent. The staff at these locations on he Tahuaya River work well as a team to make sure their guest have a wonderful experience in the Amazon Basin & they succeed!

One final comment about Anne. Anne really went above & beyond in her assistance to my friend and I before the trip, and throughout the entire trip. Anne is a top rate local specialist in Peru. She did everything necessary to make our trip perfect. Thank you Anne!

We had an amazing time in Peru, largely due to our guides. Alex was fantastic, a fountain of knowledge and very friendly and accommodating. Anjela was very helpful, patient and loved sharing her love of Peru with us. The food, drinks and entire experience was enjoyable. We hiked the Inca Trail with Alex and he let us move at our own pace and had no trouble answering our questions. I would highly recommend this trip to anyone who asked.

This was our first overseas trip ever and it turned out amazing! Dimitris planned our trip out within our budget and the lodging was fantastic. Our favorite hotel was the Corfos Bay Hotel in Mykonos for its genuine beauty and true Island architecture. All of our ferry transportation was booked for us and spot on. The private transfer on our second day via Mr. Stavros was perfect, he even took the time to show us around Athens as we had extra time before the ferry departed. Dimitris hooked us up with an amazing local friend and guide in Santorini. Thanos. He provided us a cultural experience we will never forget and a lasting friendship from afar. We would not hesitate to book another trip through Dimitris! Thanks for a wonderful 10th anniversary honey moon!

Great trip! It was all very memorable ,but if I have to say, the places that were most memorable: Acropolis, Delos Island, and the food/wine tasting on the farm in Santorini. On Mykonos: the Hotel Dorion was fabulous! We also loved the dinner the first night at Manimani --a splendid meal! Of our many guides, I think Effie at Delphi was the most knowledgeable. We also very much enjoyed our male guide in Santorini but I forget his name, unfortunately. Our driver in Santorini was also terrific--very friendly and eager to talk about the terrain, the architecture, the history of the island.

Our driver Mohamed was great. Really enjoyed our Riad in Chefchouen and our hotel in Fez (Sahrai) as well as the cities themselves. The Dar in Ouazazarte was below expectations (people were really nice though). Our luxury tent in the desert didn't have water in the morning which wasnt so nice. Overall though a great trip with many experiences