Kimkim Trip Reviews

The trip was seem less as it pertains to the travel arrangements and punctuality of all of the transportation vans that were provided to us. All of the drivers were courteous and Proffesional.
We had many memorable moments. The hike to the volcano was beautiful and our guide Mariano was excellent. He was funny and engaging. He gave us many tips as to what to do and what to be careful of.
The River excursion was also memorable. Stopping and taking a break was fun while Mariano provided us with cut Pineapple and other fruit.
The beach at Manuel Antonio state park was amazing. The water was warm and had many places to take wonderful photo opportunities.
All in all it was a memorable trip. We will come back again and use Kim Kim as our service provider.

Activity Review

Canopy Zip Lining Tour, bridges, and Fauna Exihibitions at Selvatura

Monteverde

Super fun activity for all ages. The views are amazing. The ride was thrilling.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

All guides were great! John and I really enjoyed our first guide for the Madrid tour. She was very helpful, spent more than was scheduled, to guide us in not only Madrid, but with tips on places to see in Toledo as well. We wish we tipped her more than we did, but we were unaware of what was acceptable at the time.
Helena was there when we needed assistance.
Our daughter Amber initiated the trip planning and booking with our input as well since we were taking the trip together. She would be to the best person to describe the planning and booking experience.

Hotel Reviews

El Museo Living & Experience Club Apartments

Málaga

Very nice hotel. Location was great, but it was a bit crowded when the pull-out couch is in use, otherwise the rooms worked well.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Suites Gran Via 44

Granada

Very nice hotel. It was a bit small for families. It had only the barest amenities such as coffee, etc. It was very nice, and the facilities were fantastic. It was just a bit small if the pull-out bed is in use.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Slow Suites Bellas Artes

Madrid

This hotel room was large, and we appreciated the individual thermostat controls in the bedrooms. The little touches like ice in the freezer and water bottle in the refrigerator as well as coffees, etc. was very nice and helpful. This hotel provided us with a map of Madrid to help us with our adventuring and exploring of the city. The beds were comfortable as well as the dining and living room furniture. The hotel was centrally located and very convenient for touring the city.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Easy to access the primary tourist attractions.

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Sunset Sailing on the Mediterranean

Málaga

This was a really fun cruise!

Quality of Experience

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

We provided our own transportation, but I would recommend KimKim provide transportation for at least back to the hotel.

Transport

Hiking Excursion in the Andalusia Countryside

Spain

We highly recommend taking this tour!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Our guide provided the transportation. Very good guide and transportation was comfortable.

Flamenco Show

Granada

Great experience

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Guided Visit: Alhambra & Generalife Gardens

Granada

Great tour. Our tour guide was knowledgeable and able to supply the history of the areas we were visiting.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

We provided our own transportation to and from this tour. I recommend providing transportation to all guided tour locations.

Kids’ Journey Through Madrid with Activities & Snacks

Madrid

This was one of the most informative tours we had during our visit. Our tour guide was fantastic!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

We walked the whole way, but it was a nice walk, not too rushed or slow.

Tapas & Tradition: A Madrileño Evening

Madrid

The was a great tour, not recommended for families with small children, but our grandchildren were not able to make the tour so for the two remaining adults it was fantastic!

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

We did not get transportation to or from this tour and we got lost and had trouble finding out way back to our room. Transport back to the room would have been helpful. We later learned how to catch taxis/Ubers, but we could not get our phones to work to contact anyone and we had difficulty finding a taxi to flag one down in that neighborhood. This was a bit stressful.

Our trip to Norway was amazing!
I personally was happy with every detail and the ease with which we could contact everyone, ask questions and make adjustments or get advice.

I would like to say that Fenne also gets a 5-star rating for accommodating every request by our group - some were prone to expressing issues that required attention.
Juliana also has a 5-star rating, she was immediately there when I needed her.

It was an all around fantastic experience to travel with KimKim.

Cornelia Drees

Hotel Reviews

Radisson Blu Airport Hotel, Oslo Gardemoen

Gardemoen

Authenticity & Character

Location

Cleanliness & Comfort

Reine Rorbuer

Reine

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Svinøya Rorbuer

Svolvær

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Grand Hotel Terminus

Bergen

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Scandic Park Hotel

Stavanger

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Radisson Blu Plaza Hotel

Oslo

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

2-Hour Morning Or Evening Guided Kayak Tour (Reine Rorbuer)

Reine

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Arctic Horseriding Trip

Norway

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Trollfjord and The White-Tailed Sea Eagles

Svolvær

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Fjord Cruise to Rosendal

Bergen

we didn't do it because there were to many road trips and cruises while in Bergen - we wanted to see and do more in the city

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Day trip to Nærøyfjord, Flåm and Stegastein

Bergen

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Kayaking in Lysefjord

Norway

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

it would be nice to learn more about the geology and formation of the landscape as well as the flora and fauna

Transport

Lysefjord cruise and Pulpit Rock Hike

Stavanger

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

The entire trip from start to finish was adventurous, exciting, and breath taking. The guides selected for the various tours were knowledgeable and kind. Thank you Lorena for preparing a great itinerary and Valee who helped coordinate while in Chile.

Olman was very informative and always available to answer our questions. Each part of the trip took place without any issues and the itinerary was great. Our guide for the Arenal Volcano Park hike, Mauricio, through Amazilia was AMAZING! He knows so much and the children learned many things about the plants, wild life, and history of the area. Fun was had by all!

Hotel Review

Hampton by Hilton San José Airport

Alajuela

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Arenal Volcano Extreme Zipline

Arenal/La Fortuna

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Guided Hike in Arenal Volcano Park 1968

Arenal/La Fortuna

Our guide for the Arenal volcano hike, Mauricio, through Amazonia, was AMAZING! He knows so much and the children learned many things about the plants, wild life, and history of the area. He was patient and took the time to show all of us the different plants and how they can be used in everyday life. He was really great and we highly recommend getting him for the guided tour.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Mauricio was Amazing and the driver was great!

Transport

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

Costa Rica

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

I won’t travel any other way. Lise spoiled us for future trips! Everything was perfect. Our guides were exceptional: Alex (food tour), Marten (Montemarte) and Raphaelle (Louvre and Versailles) were memorable and personable. I had been to Paris before and didn’t love it. THIS trip made all the difference. Now I see how people fall in love with this city! Take all my money! Book your trip with Lise. She is outstanding.

Had a great time in 100-115 deg. F heat. Our driver, Younes, was always available to help us, make great reservations, and ensure that we did not over-extend ourselves.

He was low-key and very professional, which was a welcome reprieve from the always-on bargaining of the Medinas.

Salah, our guide in Marakesh, was knowledgeable and able to discuss historical and societal differences, culture, and many other topics from a mix of experiential and studied aspects of Moroccan life.

This was the best holiday we have ever been on. We'd like to thank Emanuela and the team that worked with her to arrange this. Before the trip the service and responsiveness from Emanuela was excellent - she was quick to clarify options and to come up with suggestions and ideas based on our queries.
The itinerary was excellent and allowed us to see so much of this beautiful country. The accommodation was also top class - we loved virtually all of the places we stayed in. I have provided more detailed reviews below of the individual places where we stayed.
The car was perfect and WiFi device provided with the car was just superb. We were amazed by the Internet coverage even in remote areas of Iceland!
The activities proposed by Emanuela were also excellent and loved every one of them. Here are some details about our accommodation and experiences:
1. Foss Hotel Baron was excellent - our suite was large and comfortable and had a great view facing the sea. The bathroom was great, breakfast was good and the view facing the sea was also excellent. Location was not perfect as it was away from the centre of town… but that was OK and did not affect us much.

2. We enjoyed the amazing Sky Lagoon in Reykjavik - did not want to come out and spent several blissful hours there.... very unique experience! All our friends have seen the amazing pics on Facebook and now want to do the same!

We also did the Fly Over Iceland in Reykjavik - what an amazing experience! It was exciting and we really felt we were flying over Iceland... We all loved it - very well done and memorable. We visited the Whales of Iceland museum and again really enjoyed it with my 17-year old very interested in the guided tour where we learned so much. The huge life sized models of the whales were amazing and we spent a lovely couple of hours here. We also went to Perlan and again thought it was excellent.

3. We had two very enjoyable meals at Hlemmur Matholl. Very cool place that was walking distance from our hotel... and we also could not believe it was just a bus station in the past! The meal from Krost was excellent with some good wine and beer as well. Thanks for suggesting this!

4. Snorkeling in Silfra was the most unique experience of all. Very enjoyable and exciting. Our guide - Gabriel was our guide - he was top class and really made us feel comfortable. Some feedback for your information: The dive.is team at Silfra was very busy ... probably too busy - if you ask me they have too many people and our 11am dive eventually happened at 1pm - they were quite backlogged and I feel that they need to cut down on the number of people. But we were in no hurry and really enjoyed the unique experience. I will be writing to dive.is with some detailed feedback as I feel they are not equipped to handle the large volume of people that are being booked in summer.

5. The Kerid crater and the walk around it was wonderful and also a new experience for us to walk around a dormant volcano. It was beautiful and we got some beautiful pictures.
We missed out on Geysir and Gulfoss waterfall as the road was closed... and we did not have enough time to go around the other way.

6. Hotel Arnarstapi was a very special experience. We really liked the stand alone 2-bedroom suite - it was well designed and very comfortable for the three of us. The location was just spectacular as it was not far from the cliff walk. We did long walks along the cliffs and enjoying the sights of all the sea-birds roosting on the cliffs. The place had a wild beauty that we fell in love with... could not stop snapping pics!
The Snjofell restaurant on site was top class - a beautiful setting with excellent food and service. We had a memorable dinner there.

7. The VATNSHELLIR lava cave was also an interesting experience and our guide Irina was wonderful.

8. We were a little apprehensive about the Acco Apartment when we were standing outside in the street. But once we went in we were super happy with the beautiful and spacious apartment. It is beautifully located and has amazing views. It is comfortable with all of the amenities and really enjoyed the evening there. In fact my wife wanted to stay another night in the apartment - she liked it so much.
The breakfast in the Cafe Berlin was excellent - the best breakfast on the trip. The staff were super nice and very competent and professional. We'll be giving Cafe Berlin 5 stars on tripadvisor.

9. The Whale and Puffin tour was amazing - we ended up seeing 3 different humpback whales and all three of us were thrilled. We also saw dolphins and of course the puffins were wonderful. The guide - Victoria was wonderful and funny and did a great job. A very memorable experience and a first for us as we had not seen Whales before!
We had lunch in Húsavík at the Salka Restaurant - again an excellent meal that we all thoroughly enjoyed.
Later the Godafoss waterfall was lovely and we enjoyed the walk to and from it.

10. The Sel Hotel at Myvatn was just wonderful. I think it was my wife's favorite place. The rooms had beautiful views and we loved the surrounding area. The staff were very helpful and we enjoyed a good meal at the restuarant of the hotel. The Pseudocraters of Skutustadir were wonderful and we enjoyed walking among them and the lake area. In the evening we went to the Myvatn Nature Baths and very much enjoyed the experience and the views. We explored e DimmuBorgir rock formations and the Grjotagja cave with the hot water inside.
We had lunch at Vogafjos farm - another superb sugestion - the food was excellent and we enjoyed it very much.

11. The horseriding at Safarihestar, Safari Horse rental was a major highlight for me. They were truly wonderful and patient as my wife was very nervous and they handled her perfectly. The horses were beautifully trained and very obedient. I loved the landscape and the setting and took so many photos from horseback. Thanks for suggesting this wonderful experience.

We very much enjoyed the Hverir Bubbling Mud Pots... a truly unique experience that none of us had had before.

Móðir Jörð restaurant with its wonderful vegetarian food was probably our favourite restaurant in Iceland! We loved the food and setting and had our coffee in the greenhouse and loved wandering around the lovely area.

12. Hotel Egilsstadir was lovely as well. We loved the setting and the warm bar area was so nice - my wife and I stayed up until late having a couple of drinks. The staff were superb and very helpful and friendly.
We later visited Seydisfjordur - the drive to that village was beautiful and very memorable.

13. Hofn Inn guesthouse: The accommodation was spacious and it was clean and functional. It was comfortable for the few hours we spent there - but it was not our favorite. They had an unusual rubber floor instead of carpet which felt odd. But everything was comfortable and we are just being a bit picky as all the other accommodation was superb.

The amphibian boat tour was excellent and quite a unique experience. We saw some seals in the lagoon which was wonderful.

14. The snowmobile tour on Vatnajokull glacier was just out of this world. Sven our guide made it very enjoyable and put my wife at ease as she was quite nervous. Very special experience that we will not forget.

14. The Kria hotel in Vik was just superb. We loved our corner room - 101 - and the views of the mountain opposite. What a special location! We had dinner at the hotel restaurant which was excellent and the next day had lunch in Restaurant Suður-Vík - I had the best softest lamb dish here.

15. Finally the Ice Cave tour with our guide Maria was amazing - my wife bonded with her as she really lokked after my wife and held her hand through some areas where my wife was a bit apprehensive.

16. The last night at the Hotel Keflavik was also very nice. We expected a functional airport type hotel - but were very pleased with the quality of the hotel and the view toward the sea.

If we could give 6 or 7 stars to Emanuela we would! Thanks for a memorable experience which we will remember for the rest of our lives.

Activity Reviews

Vatnshellir Lava Cave Experience

Snæfellsnes Peninsula

The experience of going into the lava cave and learning all about it from our guide Irina was excellent. My 17-year old daughter was very interested in the details and kept talking about it afterwards. We really enjoyed the experience and found Irina to be excellent - she had great knowledge, was uncompromising about safety - but had a good sense of humor and made it fun.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Whale and Puffin Watching Tour

Husavík

It was a phenomenal experience. Our guide Victoria was excellent - funny and informative and also very non-nonsense when it comes to safety etc. We were given thick waterproof overall to wear on top of our clothes - which was excellent - as it was quite windy and cold - but the overalls kept us warm throughout. The boat was not large and was a speedboat which is essential to be able to maneuver and quickly get to where the whales are. They also had a good system of keeping in touch through the radio with other boats / spotters so that they know in real time where to go to see the Whales. Before we saw the whales we really enjoyed the puffins! They are beautiful birds and we learned a great deal about them.... we saw hundreds of them which was amazing. We saw 3 different humpback whales on our tour - with one of them getting very close to the boat - on one occasion - only about 15 or 20 feet away. We saw the whales come up on multiple occasions and then dive down. It was an almost spiritual experience for me to see these huge but gentle animals so close. The experience was awesome and I would not miss it for anything.

Quality of Experience

The sight of a beautiful huge whale coming up right next to us and blowing and then diving down!

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Victoria was awesome and funny and very informative

Horseback on the Lake

Lake Mývatn

Is it possible to give an experience 6 or 7 stars? We just loved the horse riding in the unspeakably beautiful environs of Lake Myvatn - a big thank-you to Emanuela for recommending this! The people at Safarihestar, Safari Horse rental - were just awesome. My wife was very nervous and they handled her perfectly calmed her down and handled everything very professionally. The horses were superbly trained and just followed the lead horse. Although none of us were very experienced horse riders, we were comfortable all the time. We rode along the margin of the lake and then into the wild area. It was unspeakably beautiful and I could not stop taking photos whenever I had the opportunity. A superb experience - 7 stars - highly recommended!

Quality of Experience

The personal care, the well trained, gentle horses and the astounding scenery!

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Great care and patience. We always felt we were in good hands.

Silfra Snorkeling Adventure with Transport

Reykjavík

The most unique experience - very special to be snorkeling between two tectonic plates! Our guide Gabriel was excellent, caring, funny and very friendly. He did a great job and gave us an experience that we will never forget. When you are in the water and snorkeling between the tectonic plates, it feels very special and you feel like pinching yourself! I have not given 5 stars for this activity because I found that dive.is has taken on too many people and is not able to process this volume of tourists effectively. The expected 30-minute prep took 2 hours. Our 11am snorkel in fact started at 1pm. Our group of 6 people also had two issues with the equipment/dry-suits as two of them were leaking. There seems to be too much pressure on the guides to keep things moving and weight of numbers of tourists is too high. My strong recommendation is that dive.is review what is a realistic number of tourists and cut down a little bit. They should charge higher prices if need be but it is important to reduce the volume of people to keep it fun and enjoyable and safe.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Gabriel our guide was just awesome. His sense of humour helped one of our party which was nervous to relax. He was professional and made it a special experience for us

Relax in Reykjavik and Sky Lagoon

Reykjavík

Nothing short of top class. The Sky Lagoon is magical and an amazing experience. The design of the lagoon is beautiful and the water temperature is wonderful. There is a beautiful pool bar and the changing facilities are first class. The seven step experience is amazing and must be done. The view from the dry Sauna is outstanding.

Quality of Experience

The beautiful design of the lagoon itself

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Staff are super helpful and friendly

Deborah and her team were amazing!

I have not used a travel agent for about 20 years. When I last did it was someone local to me who had been to the location 2-3 times at best, so was basically giving limited anectdotal experience or assempling reviews from the same sources available to me. But, having never been anywhere in Africa, I knew I needed some additional help with this trip - to Cape Town, the wine region, and a safari in Kruger. Even still, I approached the whole thing skeptically at first. But Deborah, Anna Marie, and the whole team were fantastic.

They asked a lot of questions about what I cared about in terms of accomodations, the experience in each of the locations, and the schedule I wanted to keep. The itinerary they put together, restaurants they recommended, and specific guides they made sure led the various tours were all top notch - including setting up a private 7 course lunch in the home of a famous South African chef to taste local flavors and cuisine and tour her gardens and listen to her stories cooking for rock stars around the world. Cape Town exceeded every one of my expectations. And then they found us the best cottage in Fraschoek, under the radar restaurants, and an awesome guide for our bike tour of the wine region. These are all things that you NEED a LOCAL to find you. They had been to all of the places they recomended - knew the people who worked there, and hadn't just visited Cape Town and the wine region, but LIVED there.

For the last, and most important stop, the safari lodge they found us was amazing. They offered a number of choices and we worked to arrive at one that was exactly what we were looking for (I told them I was willing to spend, but cared a lot more about the quality of the game drives than the quality of the sheets, and they found us a lodge where the owner is the main guide, and the tracker has been tracking and working in Kruger for more than 25 years). We saw everything - including three separate leopards; and learned so much from the two of them who had lived their entire lives in that portion of the reserve.

Finally, Deb and Anna Marie connected on WhatsApp in advance of the trip and checked in with us throughout to make sure everything was exceeding expectations. When we had United-related travel delays at the start of the trip, they made all necessary adjustments. And when we had a change of mind about a dinner - or spending longer somewhere - they were basically on call (in the same time zone!) to address and adjust everything as needed.

We could not recommend them any more highly! Absolutely amazing vacation!

I am very glad that I found kimkim when deciding to visit Norway. On my own, I believe it would have proven a daunting task to plan and organize the trip. Both Eline and Fenne were great to work with. They were able to craft a trip that focused on getting a little off the beaten path and experiencing Norway up close and personal. Some of the highlights for me were ziplining in Bergen, a fjord sauna experience in Flam and a rib boat cruise in Flam into some of the most beautiful fjords in all of Norway. We went in early July, and because the snow was still melting, we were able to see tons of waterfalls. Our guide was very knowledgeable and eager to share about how the fjords were formed, the culture and ways of living in some of the very small towns along the edge of the fjords, as well as little anecdotes about Norway in general. Another highlight was visiting a small town called Undredal, where they make the delicious brown cheese (as well as others) that is served all over Norway. It was also great that during the trip, Julia was available to answer any questions that we had. I would highly recommend kimkim.

Beautiful green Iceland brings you face to face with the power energy and beauty of nature at every step
Rinolda did an amazing job catering our itinerary to our hiking goals
The driving tips / plan for the day ,, restaurant Recommendations were on the dot
Hotels provided were great
Driving was easy
We had a flat once but got Immediate assistance from our rental car insurance
We had to postpone ferry tickets due to that and contact the emergency on call at Kim Kim —- great help and assistance provided

Glymur falls hike , Gulfoss,, thorsmok orange loop hike and day at Lanmanalaugar were our highlights
Looking for puffins in the rain and cold at westman island followed by dinner at Gotts and a hike up eldfell volcano with 360 view of ocean on all sides —- superb ethereal experience

Thank you !

Our trip was great, and working with KimKim made it easier. Chris was very helpful in suggesting an itinerary based on our preferences (mainland trip focused on archaeological sites but with a few beaches). His hotel choices were all great - centrally located to what we wanted to see. He also managed the rental car pickup/dropoff to make it superconvenient (pick up at our Athens hotel; drop off at our last night hotel). Beyond that, Chris was extremely responsive. He replied to emails and other messages promptly on what seemed 7 days a week, and managed to make the 11 hour time difference not a problem. Our guide for Acropolis tour (Elena) was also great. Very pleasant and extremely knowledgeable.

Hotel Reviews

NLH Monastiraki

Athens

We had the grand loft balcony suite which has two levels with a bed/bath on each, which worked for our family. Hotel is in a great location, with a short walk to all the main attractions. Room was quiet considering the hotel is on a main Athens street.

Location

Avra Hotel

Rafina, Attica

Pleasant, comfortable hotel walking distance to all the restaurants in Rafina. Nice breakfast. Best feature was KimKim arranged for our rental car to be picked up here allowing us to just take the hotel shuttle to the airport in the morning for our flight.

Leto Nuevo Hotel

Nafplio

Charming small hotel in a great location above the town. We had a nice view of the harbor in a comfortable room for 3. Very nice breakfast.

Europa Hotel Olympia

Olympia

A nice hotel very convenient to Olympia. The best part was our dinner, served outdoors with a beautiful view of the valley.

Hotel Miramare

Galaxidi

We stayed in the Sea View Apartment which is about a 5 minute walk from the main hotel and convenient to the city and restaurants. It was more space than our group of 3 needed, with an outdoor deck with a fantastic view of the harbor. Very charming and comfortable. The breakfast at the main hotel was fantastic!

Authenticity & Character

Set apart from the hotel, it felt as if we were living in our own place in Galaxidi.

Activity Review

Acropolis Guided Tour

Athens

We really enjoyed this tour. We were initially concerned that our evening tour was too late, but it was very pleasant and we're told it is less crowded. Our guide, Eleni, was very pleasant and extremely knowledgeable. She was able to give us helpful context, answered questions, never rushed us, and even acted as our photographer.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

We had the most amazing vacation trip to Costa Rica in June 2023. Our trip coordinators, Jessica and Brittany did an amazing job. Our family trip was originally planned for 2022. However, something came up and we were not able travel. Brittany helped to coordinate with the hotels, activity exclusions, & our transportation to postpone for 2023. Jessica came onboard & took over from Brittany. We stayed in Arenal/La Fortuna in the mountains at a very cool resort called Lavas Tacotal. Their villas were absolutely beautiful, tucked away in LA Fortuna mountains. It felt like we had paid a million bucks for our stay. This place was so amazing my kids loved it so much. We toured the La Fortuna waterfall, visited Baldi hot spring & spa resort; was so amazing. Transferred to Monteverde, we toured the sugar, cocoa & coffee farm. My kids did zip lining, we did trim cars, walking on the hanging bridge; which we were told is the longest hanging bridge. We went hiking, visited Montrverde orchid garden which houses about 460 majority of Costa Rica's native species. Then we transferred to Antonio Manuel were we took a yacht & went snorkeling. I would highly recommend anyone to book a Costa Rican vacation, it's such a beautiful country. Our iternary was packed with super fun activities which we planned then kimkim coordinated so well. We had private air conditioned transportation: various pickups & drop-off for our activities, including airport. The whole trip was well planned by kimkim. I will definitely use them from now moving forward for any international vacations. We loved everything about Costa Rica! Anybody trying to figure out their next vacation, I would recommend to consider Costa Rica and please use kimkim, you won't regret it. One advice if you consider Costa Rica, plan your exclusions through an agency like kimkim before you go. Because if you deceive on what to do when you are there; it will cost you alot more. Goodluck on your vacation. Onto our next vacation!

Aggeliki planned a 10-day trip to Greece for me, my husband, and three of our best friends to celebrate my 40th birthday. We asked for a mix of both sight-seeing and excursions and time to relax and truly got it all! The mythology tour in Athens was the perfect way to see all the main sights in a half day. In Santorini, we loved the cooking class and wine tasting at Anhydrous Winery (we even shipped some wine home!) and the sunset catamaran cruise was nothing short of spectacular. We were so glad to wrap up our trip on Naxos—what a special island! Gorgeous views, crystal clear water at the beach, and overall a slower pace with fewer people (which was a nice break after Santorini!). Our very favorite tour was with our guide George. We visited an olive oil factory and then visited Mrs. Maria and Mr. Yannis at their farm to cook and eat together. Such a special experience! Aggeliki checked in with us regularly while we were there and helped us coordinate transportation when we wanted to add on another museum when we were on Santorini. Amazing customer service! Truly the trip of a lifetime and we are so grateful to Aggeliki for her skills in making it come to life!

Irene was phenomenal. From the start she helped us through planning the best week trip to Greece and was always available for us when we needed it. She planned a great itinerary for us with great hotels, guided and self-guided tours, restaurants and more. Irene is very friendly, sweet and knowledgable about the area. Very much recommend Irene for your next travel to Greece!

Our trip was wonderful! Nine jammed packed days seeing the highlights from Venice to Pompeii from 3 different locations. Sonia listened to our requests as first time Italy visitors and filled our days with great experiences. Everything was incredibly smooth with all of the transportation at and between locations, and knowledgable and engaging guides/tours. My husband and two children (daughter-23 and son-19) agree that it was a great vacation. We were busy and came home exhausted - but that's what we wanted. Sonia listened and put together the perfect itinerary for us.

Hotel Reviews

Hotel Palazzo Leopoldo

Radda in Chianti

Castle in quaint town. Lots of nooks and crannies with rooms. Great breakfast and coffee, and restaurant for dinner. We loved everything about it, but the WIFI. As to be expected, with 2 foot castle walls, the wifi was iffy at best.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Carnival Palace

Venice

Great location., nice amenities and service. Good breakfast with great coffee and large selection of food. Quiet neighborhood on small canal, but close to tourist areas, food and shopping. Would definitely recommend.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Review

Private Chianti wine tour with cooking class and lunch

Italy

This was one of our favorite activities. It was a very special experience for all of us (myself, husband, daughter-23, and son-19. The organic vineyard and oil farm was beautiful. We enjoyed learning the history of the farm and about today's offerings. Making of local foods - tiaramasu, bruschetta, and pasta - with our instructor was fun experience. All followed by eating what we prepared with a variety of sauces for the pasta and tasting of wines, limoncello, and grappa. We left happy and satisfied!

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

The girls went to Spain and we loved our trip from start to finish. We enjoyed and highly recommend our tapas crawl and tour of the gothic quarter in Barcelona. Albert was great! Our favorite place was exploring the beaches of ibiza in our rental car! Valencia paella cooking was our top favorite experience!! We thank Marta for all of her efforts to plan our trip, answer questions, and help is in times of need so quickly and affectively! I will defiantly use Kim Kim to travel the world again!

Activity Reviews

Cook Paella like a Valenciano

Valencia

Our favorite experience throughout our trip to Spain!

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Explore Barcelona’s Gothic Quarter with a Local Guide

Barcelona

Albert was fantastic!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Taste Barcelona: Authentic Tapas & Neighborhood Walk

Barcelona

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

We had the most spectacular Italy trip, all due to the excellent and detailed planning by Irene Lappa, and then aided by the Travel 12 Team.
Everything was perfect, from the transportation to the hotels to the tours and activities.
We were so impressed with the quick responses to our questions, right from the planning of the trip to the final day, when some changes had to be made, with no problem at all.
The specific tours set up by Irene were very educational and fun - truly enjoyable. We now have wonderful memories of Rome, Florence, Siena, Venice and Milan. We have learned about Italy as the locals live and work, which is exactly what we wanted. We also now know how to make authentic Italian pizza and gelato!
We would absolutely recommend Kimkim, and particularly Irene Lappa, to anyone wanting to travel to Italy.

Hotel Reviews

Residenza delle Città

Milan

This is a self-catering hotel, meaning that it is an efficiency hotel. It has a fully equipped kitchen, a separate bedroom and a very spacious bathroom and living area.

Authenticity & Character

The spaciousness of the rooms was a very pleasant surprise. We didn’t use the kitchen at all, as we wanted to sample authentic Italian food in the local restaurants. There is an on site laundry, which came in very handy.

Location

This was exactly as we wanted - not in the main tourist areas with a regular type of hotel. We could walk to the train station and metro.

Staff

Very helpful front desk- explained how the entry system worked (if we came in after regular hours), helped us in figuring out the Metro system to get to the city centre - just very friendly and welcoming.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Beds were very comfortable. Everything was perfectly clean. We really liked the spaciousness.

Hotel Antigo Trovatore Venice

Venice

The location was terrific - easy walk to numerous restaurants and cafes, water taxis and water bus, and of course St.Mark’s Square.

Authenticity & Character

Being in a neighborhood setting made us feel like we were local! Our room had a balcony overlooking regular Venitian homes. The one drawback was the size of the room, as it was rather small and compact, but the wooden ceiling beams and decorative walls gave a lot of ambiance.

Location

Easy walking distance to many places.

Staff

Very helpful front desk - professional and friendly.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Only reason for 4 stars is the small size of the bedroom and bathroom.

Ottantotto Hotel Florence

Florence

One of our favourite! The history of the “hotel” was amazing- being a bakery and the a nobleman’s home -made us feel like we were living in the past with them. The breakfasts were delicious!

Authenticity & Character

As stated, the incredible history of the building was truly appealing. It was delightful having breakfast in the garden, or to just sit there.

Location

Easy walking to many places.

Staff

They were very helpful -explaining the entry system, getting us taxis and serving the breakfast.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Beds were very comfortable and the room was really clean.

Hotel Alexandra Rome

Rome

This hotel is in a perfect location for walking around the neighborhood, with many cafes and restaurants. The beds were very comfortable and the buffet breakfast was excellent. We would definitely stay here again.

Authenticity & Character

It was not a standard hotel room, had lots of character.

Location

Walking to many restaurants, ambience of neighborhood

Staff

Very helpful in suggesting places to eat and how to get around

Cleanliness & Comfort

Very comfortable beds, very clean

Activity Reviews

Milan Highlights With Duomo

Milan

The Duomo and Castle were obviously spectacular, but the first hour of the walking tour was exactly the same area we had covered in the wine and food tour the evening before.

Quality of Experience

Not repeating the same walking tour part as the wine and food tour.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Evening Aperitivo in Navigli

Milan

A very interesting walking, wine tasting and aperitif tour. The area was where the locals “hang out”, so perfect for what we wanted to do.

Quality of Experience

Our tour guide knew all the local places to take us and have a history of everywhere we went. The food and drinks were delicious. Our group also got along famously! We were from 3 different continents.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Our tour guide gave us a very welcoming - we were late because the directions were a bit confusing, as 2 areas were pretty much the same. We were in the wrong area! The group had to wait for us, but our guide was awesome about keeping us all relaxed & happy!

Transport

Useful Information

Italy

It was very useful to have the suggestions, as we followed all of them.

Half-Day Murano & Burano Islands

Venice

Travelling to the islands by water taxi was a real treat! And refreshing! Watching how glass is made in 2 different ways was very interesting. It is a true art, with very specialized artists.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

It was always interesting talking to our guides and drivers, to learn about their everyday lives.

Transport

Water taxis through the canals - best way to go! The gondolas were interesting to watch - the skill of the rowers - but they were rather packed in along the canals, so we were glad that we had our own private transport already arranged.

Tuscany Day Trip from Florence with Chianti, Siena & San Gimignano

Florence

An awesome tour that touched on so many different aspects of life in Florence and the Tuscany area.

Quality of Experience

Siena was especially impressive, as we were there the day before their annual horse race. Parades start up at any place - we got behind one & had to follow it to be able to leave the town. The history of the 17 different groups in one small town - incredible! San Gimignano was an interesting place - a walled village with lots of history. The weather was very hot, and that’s the only reason we felt drained at the end and were happy to get back into our air conditioned van.

Food

The food served on the wine tour was delicious. We learned about how different wines are served with different courses and definitely did not need to have dinner on our return to Florence. Learning how this organic winery operates and how different wines are made was extremely interesting.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Our group was split into 2 vans, with the tour guide being in the other van. So our driver answered all our questions - he was very proud of his country and gave us much background on everyday life. Plus he had a terrific voice - I asked him to sing & he played his recorded CD - such a talent in many areas!

Transport

Again, perfect.

Florence Highlights Walking Tour (Semi-private)

Florence

Very informative and interesting walking tour. The highlight was definitely the Statue of David - something not to miss. Really enjoyed learning about the history of Florence.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

As with the other tours, the service, knowledge & friendliness of the people who we were assigned to were all excellent.

Pizza and Gelato Making Class in Florence

Florence

Definitely something not to miss! Learning how to make authentic pizza and gelato was super fun. Eating our finished products was a great way to end this tour, especially as everything turned out well.

Food

Well, after learning to make our pizza step by step, it turned out perfectly & we were happy to eat our creations.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

The head of the cooking class taught us so much, not only how to make the pizza and gelato, step by step, but all the history that went along with it. She was very passionate about teaching us, and her humorous comments just added to the fun. We are now experts at pizza making & knowing the difference in how to choose authentic gelato!

Transport

Very professional! Very friendly & again, very comfortable car.

Trastevere Afternoon Food Tour & Wine Experience

Rome

This tour explained about the eating and wine pairing traditions of Italy. Absolutely delicious, informative and fun, throughout all the stops.

Quality of Experience

The tour guide was very knowledgeable, and made us truly enjoy the 4 hours. The owners of the different restaurants greeted us vey warmly and were delighted that we asked questions and enjoyed everything.

Food

Every stop had a different appetizer along with the Prosecco or specific wine. All delicious!

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Very friendly, knowledgeable and made everything fun!

Transport

Our driver was very friendly, answered all our questions. The car was very luxurious!

Colosseum & Roman Forum Tour

Rome

Highly recommend this tour - we didn’t have to line up for hours to get in, and we went to the underground part where the gladiators and anime were kept. The history behind the Colosseum was absolutely fascinating and the tour guide’s explanation was exceptional. Our second tour guide was amazing as well, explaining so much of Roman history during the walking tour around the Forum.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

We loved everything about our Iceland trip. EVA WAS THE BEST!
we had some bad weather one day and an outing was cancelled/postponed. i panicked, thought we wouldn't get it all done or be on time, and Eva rearranged things so easily and reassured me .
Going someplace that i knew little about, Eva and KimKim made the trip easy and smooth
and i will definitely use it again and have already recommended her and KimKim to others!
thanks , Felicia and John Lacksen

A mere two decades after my wife told me on our first date that she always wanted to go to Spain, we decided to make it happen for her birthday - with our daughters in tow. For the first time, we sought help arranging an itinerary and found Kimkim online. We saw that Beatriz, a travel consultant in Spain, had off-the-charts customer reviews.

They didn't do her justice.

We contacted Bea initially just to explore options. We told her our interests, intent, and party make up. Bea continuously offered us modified options until we locked in a plan. Nothing she offered was cookie cutter and we developed a truly specialized itinerary. From Madrid, to Granada, to Cordoba, Sevilla and Barcelona, we had an incredible trip. Bea looked into every detail and found us gems at every stop. We enjoyed multiple private walking tours (including in most cities, at the Alhambra, and a chocolate walking tour in Barcelona - crazy good), flamenco, a cooking class, an Andalusian equestrian show, fantastic hikes and a kayak trip, hotels that fit our needs perfectly, and easy, organized trips by truly professional drivers to and from every train station where Bea booked our passages. She even contacted us before the trip when she saw how hot it was going to be in Sevilla and asked if we might prefer an private river tour to our planned walking tour. We took her up on it, which was a Good Thing as it was pushing 100 degrees and our littles were about to revolt. Bea and her colleagues were available throughout the trip, which added additional support and comfort.

This was a truly memorable trip and Bea/Kimkim are owed considerable thanks for it. Next time we head out on such an adventure, we will certainly contact them again. Thank you, Bea!