Kimkim Trip Reviews

Key goal - see the Northern Lights, unfortunately we didn't see them as we had hoped with swirling shapes of color and only saw a weak light through our camera lens on 21 Oct 2024. Seems that we missed a great light show on the day we arrived in Tromso, 19 Oct but we didn't have anything scheduled that night. The rest of the trip had cloudy nights with poor sightings. Even though our goal had been the Northern Lights, Norway and it's people definitely made up for it with the country's beauty and the people's hospitality

The following are snapshot reviews by category to help future travelers, especially seniors like us

City Tours -
Private tours are very helpful to adjust endurance as needed. Our guide Lena in Oslo did that because the weather wasn't good for walking and we bought tram tickets to a location where she was able to show us non-touristy areas which is what we requested. There was some confusion with our guide in Bergen, itinerary listed Synnove and when I texted her to confirm, she said she wasn't scheduled but she did get back with us and told us Thomas would be our guide. He met us at our apt but was puzzled as to why we would start our 2 hr walking tour in the outskirts of town when he usually started them in city center. We ended up having to buy tram tickets to get to the city center where Thomas started the tour which of course was less than the two hours but Thomas was very good and actually stayed a little longer. If outskirt accommodations are scheduled, notify travelers and guide to have a plan for transportation and sights prior to starting the tour. Private city tour in Tromso was ample time

Scheduled Tours -
Nutshell Tour - our favorite. Due to the length of time to do it in one day, staying overnight in Flam was a great idea and we think you should recommend it to all travelers. As for the luggage transfer to the hotel in Bergen, the luggage transfer did work but the problem was it not being delivered on time at the Bergen Apt due to logistics issues.

Fjordsafari - 2 hr 15 min was too long for us, very cold and windy, would have preferred a one hour tour
Aegir Viking dinner - too bad we didn't catch it in time but neither of us drink beer, so the 5-course beer tasting with the sampler dinner could have been switched to just a traditional dinner but the atmoshpere made up for it

We had requested a longer stay at Voss but once we arrived we were too tired and found out that an earlier train could be taken by requesting it to the conductor on the earlier train. This would be a good note to advise travelers, that based on availability, they could move up their scheduled time

Hardangerford Express in Bergen - enjoyable relaxing cruise, limited eating and shopping locations during off season
Coastal Scenery Safari in Tromso - conflicting notes on where to meet, Radisson or "from Oct @ Bus Terminal Prostneset but this was resolved by checking with KimKim
Northern Lights Expedition in Tromso - 21 Oct, due to rain sat in mini van for over an hour before getting out to go to down to the fire and wait for the lights that didn't happen. The walk down the wet, slippery embankment was a challenge for these seniors but thanks to two wonderful helpful passengers, we were able to go down and back up to the mini van.

Aurora Husky Visit - still no Northern Lights, excellent staff and our favorite meal on the trip. Tour was listed as "Small Group" but it was actually a full bus with about 40 passengers

Private Transfers - all excellent and very helpful to these seniors

Hotels -
Oslo - Hotel Bondeheimen, good location for walking to key sites and public transportation
Flam - Flamsbrygga Hotel - good location
Bergen - Bjorvika Apartments - good accommodations but logistics to receive keys and not in city center was an issue
Tromso - Specialty Stay-Standard Apts - comfortable accommodations but hike up the hill from the reception area was another challenge to these seniors but we made it. Very friendly staff that helped us at check in with out luggage and offered great waffles between 5-7 pm
Alta - Glod Aurora Domes - interesting change to a typical hotel but not in city center and had to order dinner to be delivered from a restaurant because we arrived too late for their dinner. Our disappointment again was no Northern Lights but we felt this area had too many lights from the office area, to the adjoining buildings making it not very dark
to see the lights even without lights in our dome. We found out later that they offered off site Northern Light Expeditions, so maybe notify passengers of this option

Our disappointment of no Northern Lights continued after we left Norway and stopped off in Iceland for 7 days.....hard to believe, but again no Aurora Borealis..... maybe next time. Thanks to all the staff at KimKim for making this a wonderful trip and we'll certainly contact KimKim again once we decide where we want to go on our next adventure

Alicia & Gloria

Ana proposed right away a plan on this platform, which is a big plus that for most of the country tour guides don’t do. We had already the chance to review a practical proposal and we could change things very fast. The vacation overall was the best of our lives. Beside Bali being a paradise by itself, we squeezed in our two weeks trip everything we could, from workshops to treks, to beaches and cultural visits. Ana was always available and helped us with a last minute change of plan due to our sickness. At the next Asia trip I will definitely hope to have her agency (if not her directly) organise our trip.

Hotel Reviews

De Moksha Eco Friendly Boutique Resort

Tabanan

This place is a paradise, we hoped to spend more time there

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Artini 2 cottage

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Puri Pandawa Resort

Uluwatu, Bali

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Private cruise trip in Komodo National Park

Labuan Bajo, Indonesia

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Komodo Cruise Day 1

Indonesia

Quality of Experience

Food

The cook on the boat, even though very young, was incredible

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Both the guide and the crew on the boat were EXCELLENT

Transport

Experience Balinese Cooking Class

Ubud, Bali

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Our trip to morocco was amazing. It was very well planned from start to finish. Everything was well organized from pick up at the airport accommodations guides and driver. We had access to a contact person 24/7 to answer questions and provide direction when needed. Our driver Tayeb was what made our trip! He was the first driver we have ever had on a trip. He was professional knowledgeable and super friendly. By the end of the trip we felt like we had made a great friend. Would highly recommend Kimkim.

Hotel Review

Dar Rihana Dades

Douar Aït Ouffi

The best hotel experience we had in morocco. The hotel was beautiful and quaint. Exceptionally clean and well appointed. The had both breakfast and dinner at the hotel and this was hands down the best meal we had on our trip !

Authenticity & Character

Location

Located in a beautiful setting

Staff

Owner was attentive and accommodating

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Review

Nature's Masterpieces: Discovering Todra Gorges and Erfoud on the Road to Merzouga

Morocco

Our trip to the Sahara was one of the most memorable travel trips we have had.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Our driver Tayeb was the best part of outcrop. Friendly professional knowledgeable and made out trip from excellent to outstanding.

The primary reason for visiting Finland was to attend the 2024 NHL Global Series games in Tampere. Naturally, we wanted to make the most out of traveling such a long distance from Miami and pack as much fun into the trip as possible. It was such a relief to know that the hassle of setting up transportation and convenient lodging would be taken care of, as it was one of our biggest concerns when considering a trip in an unknown region. Our vacation would’ve been drastically different and wouldn’t have gone so smoothly if it weren’t for the expertise provided by Moonika and the kimkim team.

Moonika was extremely accommodating to our travel needs and was able to provide frequent and timely communication with us both before and throughout our trip. She also exceeded our expectations by keeping an eye out for a better-suited hotel in Tampere months after we had booked our trip.

Our itinerary was not only well-thought out, leaving a perfect balance of leisure time without seeming like time was being wasted, but the amount of detail provided to us left us very little room for questions and concerns. All of our drivers were on time, personable, and professional.

In Helsinki, Nadia from Green Cap Tours was a fantastic guide and provided us with so much information about both the city and Finland in general. It was the perfect way to officially begin our trip and left us feeling more confident when we were left to explore the city on our own once the tour had concluded.

Visiting Tallinn in Estonia wasn’t something we wouldn’t have considered without Moonika’s suggestion and we were so grateful that she had! The massive size of the ferry was a pleasant surprise to us as we were expecting a significantly smaller boat. Tallinn was such a beautiful city and we enjoyed our walking tour with Jorge. We appreciated that he didn’t let the rainfall that occurred throughout the afternoon and evening put a damper on our travels to many key destinations within Old Town Tallinn.

Immediately after our return to Helsinki the next morning we were driven to Tampere. Now, we’d been warned that snow was an unlikely possibility at that time of year, but we held out hope regardless…To our complete surprise we were welcomed with the first snow of the winter! Prior to both hockey games we spent most of the day exploring the city in awe of how gorgeous everything looked covered in fresh sheets of snow. Thanks to a suggestion by another traveler we made the trek to the Pyynikki Observation Tower and it was absolutely worth the walk! We could’ve spent so much more time exploring all that Tampere had to offer, but next on our itinerary was our overnight train to Rovaniemi. That too was an exciting experience as we had never traveled in a sleeper cabin like that before.

Upon our early arrival to Rovaniemi we met Joona. He happened to be both our driver and our guide for the Northern Lights Hunting excursion. He was extremely friendly and so passionate about his craft. The pictures he was able to capture of us on that phenomenal night are almost unbelievable!

We also had an exhilarating time on our Quad Bike tour with Pure Lapland. Our time was filled with laughter from start to finish and we even had a bonus drive-by look at many of the huskies they had on site! However, getting to make a face-first snow angel in the middle of nowhere was my personal favorite part of that adventure.

One of our final destinations of our trip was the Korouoma Canyon. It was one of the most scenic and breathtaking experiences we’d had! The hike was a bit more strenuous than anticipated given the icy surface, but we managed to make it through and got to enjoy a nice snack around the fire.

Without getting into any more detail than I already have I also wanted to mention just how fantastic each of the accommodations were! We really wish we had more time in the Glass Resort to fully appreciate all the amenities and gorgeous views, but we made sure to make the most of it by using the outdoor hot tub before rushing to the indoor sauna!

This trip wouldn’t have been nearly as incredible and unforgettable without all of Moonika’s hard work! We were genuinely surprised by just how smoothly everything had gone and we could not have asked for a better experience. Our expectations were very much exceeded and look forward to planning our next trip in the near future.

This was the first time trying Kim Kim. Throughout they were so approachable, accessible and flexible to our needs in the tour to Argentina.
The trip itinerary was modified so many times, but they have been as patient and detailed every single time. Aappreciate Jimena and Hugh for their flexibility and professionalism.

The guidance provided by Nacho on how to navigate the Iguazu National park was spot on.
The boat/ship tour in El Calafate took us so close to the glacier and kept us there for sufficient duration for everyone to take some amazing pictures from every direction.
Andres, the cheerful tour guide in Usuaia, pampered us with chocolates. Something I was not expecting at all, and it showed how much they cared about the tourists.

Hugh also came to meet us on the last day, a very kind gesture, and guided us more on exploring Buenos Aires shopping areas and I finally got the one souvenir at the right price that I had been looking for, one fifth the price of what I was getting in some other shops.

I had a wonderful safari with Kaka and Jambo! I saw many, many animals including the big 5. The following beach trip to zanzibar was also lovely! It was a great vacation!

A Feast for all the Senses
Our Morocco Immersion and Adventure Tour was indeed a feast for all the senses.
Thanks to Abdourachman Idrissi, Sharon and Maryem and Hisham and Mustafa,our driver.
A feast of Touch - from the hammam in Fez, the camel ride and the feel of the rugs in Toudhra.
A feast of sights - from the vistas on top of the Atlas Mountains, from the Ksar at Ait Benhaddou, the sea of Date Palms, the olive groves and most specially the amazing sunset at the Saharan Desert.
A feast of smell - from the spices at the souk, to the roses at Valley of the Roses, and the seafood at the market in Essaouira.
A feast of tastes - the home cooked meal at the Idrissi home and the food we helped cook at Khadija’s Kuzina were the best.
A feast of sounds - from the drums and Rababs in the restaurant in Fez and the night music at the camp in the desert, the ululation of the women at the Hamamatsu and at the Argan cooperative and the muezzins’ call to prayer.
We are left with an abundance of wonderful memories to last our lifetime. Again Shukran to Morocco Immersion and Adventure

Everything was perfect. Your choice of hotels were perfectly located in the center of the activities that we wanted to see and do. Your choice of restaurants were great.
Thank you for all your support.

Jessica was amazing. She managed to understand and follow up with all my requests. This was my first solo trip and I felt safe. I had wonderful guides. Mr Taylor Woo and William were amazing. Had a great vacation.

Hotel Reviews

Lotte City Hotel Jeju

Jeju

I wanted to share some feedback about my hotel experience, as it was unfortunately the only downside of my time in Korea. The hotel lacked room service and didn’t have an onsite restaurant, so I was left with only the convenience store onsite for meals—which wasn’t ideal, especially with the heavy rain preventing me from going out. The TV was outdated (not a smart TV, NO netflix or other apps), with only CNN available for English-speaking guests, and the staff’s limited English fluency made it difficult to get assistance. Additionally, there was a strong, overpowering smell of wood in both the hallways and the rooms, making the environment uncomfortable. I seriously considered changing hotels due to these issues.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

They took my shower cap and didn't replace it. NO hand soap. Only 2 large and medium towels. NO small, face towel.

Grand Josun Busan

Loved the location, the staff, the room and the food!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Soi Hanock Stay

Gyeongju

Very nice host and very clean! So relaxing!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

There is no on-site staff. The owner of the house is pretty accessible.

Cleanliness & Comfort

The Westin Josun Seoul

This hotel is great and has an amazing location. I had 2 situations. 1) there was construction and they had to relocate me to another room. 2) In The second room the A/C was not properly working so they had to move me again. Although I had to change rooms three times, the staff was very helpful and acted quickly. They tried to make me feel comfortable and well cared for.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Sightsee in Seoul: Gyeongbokgung Palace&Bukchon Hanok Village&N Seoul Tower

Seoul

Mr. Woo was a great guide

Hwadam Botanic Garden&Gwangmyeong Cave tour

Seoul

This was a group tour. They just drop you there and you walk and practically self-guide. If you want to do the Monorail you have to purchase ahead of time since it gets sold out quickly.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Full Day Petite France and Nami Island Tour (join in )

Seoul

Self guided. They just provide transportation.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Support in-country, and especially with language barriers, was really helpful and important. Itineraries include pretty touristy stuff, but also things you don't want to miss! Kate was very kind and responsive - added a special touch when I had my birthday in Japan! Second time using KimKim and it is very useful.

We booked the Andante hotel, Paella Cooking Class, and the Tapas Tour. The hotel was alright, it's not the cleanest, but it serves its purpose and a bonus to convenient location. The Tapas Tour and the Paella Cooking Class were one of the highlights, wine was definitely not scarce with either of these. We also got the Welcome Pick Up where a taxi cab immediately pick you up from the airport and to your hotel and vice versa, this was an absolute game changer for us.

Hotel Review

Andante Hotel

Barcelona

Great view and location. The infinity pool is picture worthy.... Could be cleaner though.

Authenticity & Character

It's pretty and modern and of course the infinity pool

Location

Near a convenient store and a few restaurants

Staff

They can be stingy with the cups of ice and housekeeping is a hit or miss

Cleanliness & Comfort

Stains in bedding sheets and towels can be seen even after being changed. The tiles of the pool looks neglected. We also might have had bed bugs.

Activity Reviews

Multi-Course Cooking Class with Wine Pairing

Barcelona

Very friendly staff with a hipster atmosphere to the place. We paired up and made a unique paella dish per group that we then got to sample each dish made.

Quality of Experience

We learned so much history about Spain as we cook up our Paellas.

Food

The Paella of course! The bread they give you during the cooking session was good too.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

They are nice and engaging. You won't feel like a complete stranger.

Tapas Walk in The Gothic Quarter

Barcelona

We happen to be in a small group so we were able to get to know the other guests more. We walked to multiple restaurants and tried a variety of dishes - think of it like bar hopping if you will. As we walked to each place, we gain insight of the city and the origin of each tapas dish.

Quality of Experience

Super casual and you'll be well fed.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Marta from KimKim put together a perfect itinerary for our first trip to Spain and Portugal with two other couples. The itinerary was thoughtfully crafted, covering a blend of cultural, historical, and gastronomical experiences that brought out the true essence of each city. From the grand architecture of the Alhambra to the seaside charm of Lagos and Porto, every moment was enriched by the friendliness, knowledge and local expertise of our exceptional guides and the comfort provided by our dedicated drivers.

Hotels were perfectly selected for their comfort, location, and hospitality, making each stay a delight. I particularly liked that each boutique hotel had its own charm and reflected the local architecture - plus, every one was centrally located so we could easily walk to restaurants or catch a short Uber ride to an activity. And I can't say enough about the delicious food in both countries. The recommendations provided by Marta/KimKim were great and we especially appreciated the quick response when we didn't have any plans and I texted in the app "can you recommend 1-2 local seafood restaurants near our hotel" and got an instant response - even after normal business hours!

The activities, from the (super fun) cooking class at The Cooking Clubhouse and a Fado dinner to the scenic wine-tasting experience and lunch in the Douro Valley, were well-organized and immersive. Highlights like the Flamenco show in Seville and a visit to a hammam in Seville brought unique local color to our journey, making the trip unforgettable. The only disappointment was that our boat excursion to Benagil Caves was canceled due to weather (but that was unavoidable as we were in Spain the days there were terrible flash floods in Spain causing tragic fatalities in the north).

Overall, this itinerary was flawless in its execution. The attention to detail and seamless coordination ensured that we could simply enjoy each day without a worry. This is our second trip with KimKim and they've done a spectacular job each time customizing each tour to our interests, preferences and budget.

We had a wonderful time on our trip to Italy. Melanie did a great job planning a “Comfortable Trip” for my mom. My mom can walk but not long distances so we needed an electric wheelchair for this trip. Melanie was able to find one for us to rent and had it waiting for us at the hotel. After talking w/ friends from the USA and reading reviews online, I was led to believe that Italy was not a wheelchair friendly place and we were going to have difficulty using it. Fortunately that was not the case. Yes, there were some narrow streets and steep hills but we were able to work around the obstacles and my mom did not have to miss out on any of our Italy experiences. Very happy that Melanie listened to our requests and planned the trip accordingly. She was also very accessible on what’s app during the trip and checked in with us regularly. Highly recommend her company. The only negative was that I had to postpone the trip a year and the price ended up increasing by about $1k a person. Not sure if that was because of inflation or because there was originally going to be 5 of us and it only ended up being 4.

Activity Reviews

Chianti Wine & Olive Oil Tour and Village of Siena

Italy

Food and wine were great - the gnocchi was AMAZING! Family was very friendly. The only negative is that if u place an order it takes about 30 days to receive it which is fine because they tell you that upfront. However, I live in Atlanta and was having the wine shipped to San Diego for a party that I am attending Nov 9. The some said that he would ship the Monday after our tour. Unfortunately, totally dropped the ball on this and as of Nov 4th the order still hasn’t shipped. Had I know. That they weren’t going to follow through, then I would have just had it sent to Atlanta. I spent a lot of money on wine, olive oil, and vinegar that I won’t be able to enjoy.

Quality of Experience

Wish a tour of the vineyard was part of the experience. Maybe it wasn’t because the grapes had already been picked for the season??

Food

Gnocchi and tomato’s were so yummy!

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Rey friendly but son didn’t follow through on shipping my order in a timely manner

Transport

The driver was very friendly

Pizza Cooking Class in Sorrento

Sorrento

So much fun. The chef was so funny. We really had a great time and the pizza was yummy. We met another group from the US on this experience. When we left, someone from the group forgot something at the restaurant and the chef chased us down on his motorcycle to return it to him.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Capri and the Amalfi coast boat tour with the Blu Grotto

Italy

Really fun day. The driver was very friendly.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Explore Pompeii Walking Tour

Italy

Loved Pompeii. Our guide was very knowledgeable and it was very interesting hearing the history of the city.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Andrew was very knowledgeable and nice. He made the tour interesting. Only thing is that he often walked far ahead of us and was on his phone a lot. There was one time when he took my mom by elevator and we took the stairs and met him. He said do t worry, I will stay with her. When we met up with them he was walking far ahead of her.

Transport

Driver was nice but not a very good driver. His van was a lot older than the other vans we had taken. He drove fast and passed other cars in traffic. This was the only day that my niece got car sick during any of our tours.

We wanted to visit Japan, but not as part of a large group. We chose Kimkim to help us plan our trip and provide support if we needed it. The whole experience from planning, through to the trip itself, was excellent. We chose our own schedule based on the existing Kimkim packages. Our contact, Angel, arranged travel and hotels for us and advised on how sensible our chosen schedule was, suggesting changes where necessary. The hotels chosen were all lovely and the travel arrangements ran very smoothly.
Angel was always very responsive and quick to answer our questions and offer help during our trip. Nothing was too much trouble. Our four guides Kumi, Yumi, Junko and Yoshi were all great – informative, friendly and really good company.
We had hopes of what the holiday would be like before we went and it was every bit as good as we dreamt it would be. Thank you, Angel, for a memorable trip and for all your help!

Kristy planned an excellent itinerary which was beautifully executed with seamless airport transfers, professional and enthusiastic guides especially Valerio, beautiful accommodations, fascinating tours and adventures and delicious food. Our expectations were exceeded and are very delighted with the KimKim experience and service.

Kristy and the Peru team are amazing and we look forward to our next trip.

Cheryl and Dave

Mar and Fenne did a superb job on planning our Norway trip and included an itinerary that was perfect for a shorter getaway! They worked with us closely on multiple trip versions due to a last minute switch by us having to move our trip from summer time to the fall, and we were very pleased we went in the season we did. Aside from a couple of weather glitches and the time change affecting some of our planned activities, it was an overall great trip! Thanks Mar and Fenne! We really appreciate your planning efforts and allowing us to have an unforgettable experience in Norway!

Activity Reviews

Waterfall Walk & Stegastein Experience (Spring/Fall)

Flåm

Ervin (aka Wreckless haha) was honestly one of the best tour guides I've ever had, and I do a lot of traveling. He was very down to earth, very in tune with what we wanted to do and talk about, and we both felt very confidant in his abilities and comfortable around him. Me and my friend Christy had an awesome day seeing some amazing views, hiking with him and eating some local treats ("Don't call it a KitKat") lol. Would highly recommend this local tour company, and obviously if they give you Ervin to lead you, definitely a bonus.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Northern Lights Hunt by Minibus

Tromsø

They took us all the way to Finland to see the lights because the weather was bad, and in my opinion that was above and beyond what I was expecting!

Quality of Experience

Me and my friend both lost our dad's a few years ago so we asked my dad to come through as a red color and her dad to come through as yellow based on some of their favorite things before they passed. It was kinda a joke at dinner time before we left to see the lights, and we didn't really think they would come through as those colors...but they did, and I'm still shocked about it because apparently seeing what we did was pretty rare especially with how awful the weather had been all night.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Again, they took us all the way to Finland! Haha I visited two countries for the price of one!

The whole trip was very enjoyable. One of the issues we had was communicating with you from, and in, Portugal. Before we left London we gave you a new phone number to use to reach Jeffrey but I don't think that was noted. We provided my phone number which was confusing. Both flights to and from Portugal were on time. We did not find our transport on arrival in Porto because of the mix-up with phone numbers. But Jeffrey called your head office and we were able to sort it out.
When it came to our hotels they were fine, but we would have preferred rooms that were not almost underground at both. The room at Pestana Pousado Porto was very small but it was directly on the street so we needed to have the shutters closed at all times. We had a similar experience in Lisbon, at Hotel H10 Duque de Loule. Our room looked out on an air shaft. We were disappointed at both because we were paying premium rates.
All of our guides were excellent. The Food Tour on our first night was very good. We got an education about food and drink in Portugal. Very enjoyable, and the guide was lively and knowledgeable. Silvia in Porto showed us as much as was possible of Jewish history because there's nothing to see. But, she taught us a lot about Porto and the treatment of Jews. Jose Antunes of Lisbon Walker in Lisbon gave us a wonderful tour and education about Jewish life in Portugal. Teresa in Lisbon was a lively and interesting guide to Sintra and a local vineyard. We felt like all of our guides became a friend.
Fado & Food was enormous fun - great music, club and restaurant. They got a taxi for us at the end of the evening.
The Tile Museum, which we did by ourselves, was spectacular. It was a revelation to see so much amazing tilework.
The day we left the clocks were set back an hour. The hotel gave us good warning and our transfer to the airport was there at the correct time, 5:00am. The flight into Heathrow was fine.
One thing that would have made our trip much better was more information about getting tickets for every site we wanted to see. We were not able to see anything at the University in Coimbra, particularly the library, because we did not have tickets and could not purchase them there. In Lisbon we stood in line for well over an hour at The Monastery only to find when we got to the entrance we found out we needed tickets. The only way you could get them was online. All of this information would have been invaluable, and made our trip that much more enjoyable.

Overall, the trip was pretty fantastic though there were definitely some glitches. Meeting our driver on day 1 was a bit sketchy since we weren't informed we had to take a bus to the terminal from the ferry, and once we made contact we found out this was not our driver for the whole trip. The first night was a bit scary, due partially from Brenda wanting to find individual Riads rather than your chosen ones. Accommodations were not as we had anticipated and it was well off the beaten path. Fortunately all turned out ok, and the next morning we met Karim who was our security blanket for the rest of the trip. Karim was a great guide and driver. He was so knowledgeable about his country, geography, fauna and of course customs of the Moroccan people. His love of his country was quite evident in how he spoke. In riding with him he was very conscientious in maintaining safe speeds and did not take risks. We felt very fortunate to have been gifted him as our driver. I can't be as complementary regarding the vehicle we road in though. Though it was comfortable it had a bad exhaust system and we could continually smell exhaust for 7 days and many kilometers. It was a breathtaking tour watching the countryside with the ever changing landscape of the country. Some of the travel days were spent far too long on the road in the vehicle though.
All the guides we had were knowledge and friendly. Our favorite, another Karim, lead on us a 4 1/2 hr hike in Azrou who shared so much about trees, plants and wildlife, as well as his lunch! A very remarkable man and hiking guide!! The 2 guides in the cities, Kamal in Fez and Mohammad in Marrakech were good. Kamal had a superior knowledge of Fez Medina and we surely would have been lost without him. He led us to areas that many tourists rarely experience as in the a market that was below street level packed shoulder to shoulder with people and the 3 of us had to hold hands so as not to be separated. He also presented a restaurant for us that was superb for spread of Moroccan food. It became quite clear he was also the ambassador for the shop keepers and tourists. We felt greatly under pressure to buy many items even though I know the custom was to repay the craftsman by purchases. Mohammad in Marrakech was a friendly jolly man who we enjoyed though also acted as a go between the shopkeepers and tourists. He did an overly good job in introducing us to the foods available in Marrakech market. I appreciated his openness to sharing Muslim practices and was very accommodating in finding restaurants in line with our dietary preferences.
Overall the trip was fantastic, but there were many challenges throughout with the language barrier, getting accustomed to layout of Riads, design of Medinas and constant calculating money exchanges. The warmth and friendliness of the Moroccan people we came in contact with was very welcoming.

Activity Review

Camel Trek into a Luxury Sahara Camp

Morocco

this was an experience of a lifetime! Really enjoyed the camel ride and the seeing the beauty of the dunes and desert which was breathtaking.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

We are a group of 6 friends who have just concluded an 8-day trip to celebrate our 50th birthdays! Hakim Alibouche prepared a wonderful trip for us and we are so happy with how smooth the whole trip went. All the accommodations set up for us were superb and felt luxurious, especially Dar Jasmine, Riad, Norma, and Riad La Cle D’or.

The highlight of our trip was our overnight stay at Madu Luxury Desert Camp where we were able to see the sunset and sunrise. The camp was well-equipped and the staff took care of us very well.

We were also very lucky to have Hakim Hamzawi as our driver and guide for the whole week! Hakim took care of us, made sure we are comfortable and safe, and is very knowledgeable about the area. He communicated with our local guides and accommodations so that porters are present when we arrive to help us navigate the alleyways and to make sure we find our way to the riad. His friendliness and fun personality added to the fun of our whole trip and we appreciate him so much. We will very much request his service again if we come back with our families.

Overall the service was great and we made so many precious memories from this adventure. I would highly recommend Kimkim to friends and family who would prefer a hassle-free planning and customized trip. It made a difference to have this platform do all the research, planning, booking, coordinating and organizing with local specialists especially with a group like ours.

Hotel Reviews

Riad Madu Desert Camps

Merzouga

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Riad la Clé d'Or

Marrakech

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

GuestHouse Bagdad Café

Ait Ben Haddou

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Traditional Hammam & Massage

Morocco

We were disappointed with our experience in Les Bains de L’alhambra. It seemed like there was too much booking for the size of the place to have an intimate and relaxing experience. From the moment we arrived through the whole process, the staff was disorganized and rushing back and forth between rooms. It was like a factory assembly line with clients seated and waiting for their turn for the next step of the process. We received wet towels and complained about it. They gave us new ones after much buzzing around by the staff trying to figure out what the deal was. Our massage room had 3 tables but the room is small so moving around between them with 3 clients and 3 massage therapists is very tight. As a result, I had a cut on my thigh from a sharp metal edge sticking out one of the massage tables as I was trying to move to my assigned table. Overall it was not relaxing and quite disappointing to be a first hammam experience. We thought it would feel luxurious but it’s the complete opposite.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Our driver Hakim Hamzawi is the best!

Transport

Nice comfortable van provided for us.

Food Tour & Local Gastronomy

Morocco

This walking food tour was our last activity of the whole trip and felt anti-climatic because at that point, we have already tasted many of the food through our week of traveling around Morocco. Our local guide is very knowledgeable and the tour is informative, however, this tour would be great at the start of the trip as an introduction to Morocco and not at the end. We didn’t finish the whole tour because it dragged on and we were too full from trying different street food and physically tired (it’s past 8:30 pm) that we declined the dinner part which would have been a good ending of the day.

Quality of Experience

Exploring the madness and chaos of Jemaa el fna with a guide is exciting and made it more manageable!

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Guide and driver made us feel safe and taken cared of all the time.

Transport

Our tour director, Ha, was excellent at creating a tour that met our interests perfectly. The Vespa food tour at night in Hanoi was unforgettable! The trips outside Hanoi included hiking, cycling and kayaking making this an active vacation, which was very important for us. And our guide, Huy was superb in every way: knowledgable, informative, punctual and super friendly and upbeat. We recommend this team without any reservations!

Activity Reviews

Hanoi Vespa by night food tour (N)

Hanoi

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Day Trip to Ba Vi Countryside & Cooking Class

Hanoi

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Hanoi to Mai Chau & Activities

Mai Chau

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Ninh Binh - Biking trip to Tho Ha village, Nho Quan

Ninh Binh

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Cuc Phuong National Park

Ninh Binh

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Boarding cruise in Ha Long Bay

Ha Long Bay

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport