Kimkim Trip Reviews

WONDERFUL 10 day trip to Rwanda!!! Agnes at Kim Kim did a great job in putting together an exciting itinerary. Throughout our 10 days , we had an incredible driver/guide, Peter. There were four of us in a very comfortable van.

My wife and I have visited 72 countries. Peter was the best driver/guide that we’ve ever had. We spent time touring Kigali. Drove to Akagera National Park for a boat ride observing crocodiles and tropical birds. We had a full day safari…seeing the “Great 5”, including a “behind the scenes” tour of animal tracking and poaching prevention efforts.

The absolute highlight was the trek in Volcanoes National Park to see the gorillas! A moderately challenging 90 minute climb (I’m 76 yrs old) before we arrived at a family of gorillas! Beyond our expectations!!! We spent an hour observing adolescent and adult gorillas, sometimes getting as close as 10-12 feet. Very helpful trackers and porters to carry your backpack, if you would like ($10 a porter)

On another day, we visited Nyungwe to see the chimpanzees. Another unforgettable experience. The canopy walk, about 20 stories above the rainforest, was a nice added experience.

Peter was professional, fun to be with, and very flexible. He gladly fit in all of our shopping and side trips. He made our Rwanda adventure very, very special.

This is the second time I’ve used KimKim. I highly recommend them.

Hotel Review

Akagera Game lodge

Very comfortable. Wonderful and accommodating staff!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Very hrlpful

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Review

Volcanoes National Park Gorilla Trek

Volcanoes National Park

Moderately challenging climb (90 minutes) to see this particular family of gorillas. The length of the trek depends on the location of the gorillas. Absolutely exceeded my expectations. Close viewing of adolescents, adults, and a silverback, outstanding guides and trackers. For $10 you can get a helpful porter to carry your backpack and to hold your and help you trek, if you would like this assistance.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Four of us in a very comfortable van. Water and some snacks included.

I have to be SUPER honest, I was very skeptical about using a travel agent as I have always researched and booked our trips myself. But this was the first time I was traveling internationally on a mother/daughter trip and wanted everything to go a smooth as possible. I chose kimkim because of all the excellent reviews. From start to finish I have been exceptionally pleased with my entire experience with them.
Kimkim connected me with Chris Leontopoulos who was fantastic! He was very responsive to any and all questions. He helped set up all the excursions we wanted. I loved where all the hotels were located - very central to everything we were wanting to see and easy to walk everywhere. The private transfers from the airport was a nice touch I wouldn’t have originally set up on my own - but arriving at a foreign airport/train station with a driver ready to take us to our next destination without all the hassle? Priceless! And made us feel extra safe traveling on our own.
I also liked the use of the WhatsApp to communicate if any snafus occur during your trip. We had one driver waiting at the wrong location and were able to remedy that within 10 minutes by texting and dropping our location. Very cool!
I will absolutely be using Kimkim in the future! Thank you!

Hotel Reviews

Al Teatro Palace Venice

Venezia VE, Italy

Lovely hotel. Very nice breakfast in the mornings.

Authenticity & Character

Location

5-10 minute walk from the water taxi drop off. We went to the wrong place 1st - was a little confusing without having the address in our itinerary.

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Maison il Conservatorio

Sorrento

Nice breakfast area

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Air conditioner worked AMAZING

Boutique B&B Torre de' Conti

Florence

We loved the character of the place and having umbrellas for guests was a much needed touch due to a couple rain storms while there. The hosts were great. We couldn’t tell that there was air conditioning - would have been nice to have stronger working air conditioner.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Air conditioner was the only negative for us.

Mynavona Hotel Rome

Rome

Nice location for an easy walk to Pantheon, Trevi Fountain, Spanish Steps. Couple minutes away is a Taxi Station which was convenient.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Central to everything we wanted to see

Staff

Very friendly

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Vatican Guided Tour

Rome

Very happy to skip the long lines on a hot day

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Doge's Palace & St. Mark's Basilica Tour

Venice

I was bored on the tour. Would have preferred to wander on our own. Things I would have looked at longer (like the armory and dungeon) we went through quickly.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Chianti Wine & Olive Oil Tour from Florence

Florence

Loved our tour guide and the wineries were great!

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Morning Florence Highlights Walking Tour

Florence

Of all the excursions I was least excited about it was this one. But we ended up LOVING it due to our fantastic tour guide. Saw things we wouldn’t have found on our own and learned FUN facts about all the different areas of Florence. Highly recommend.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Colosseum & Roman Forum Tour

Rome

Very helpful having a tour guide to give facts/history about the Colosseum. I did specifically as for a tour that went below but apparently this was not it so that was a little disappointing.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Explore Pompeii Walking Tour

Italy

Interesting. Glad to have a guide walk us through fairly quickly with great facts.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Amalfi Coast Boat Tour From Sorrento

Sorrento

Guide didn’t know anything about the promised itinerary. Enjoyed swimming to escape the heat. We enjoyed the trip to Capri by boat more than going along the Amalfi Coast.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

We had an amazing experience. The drivers were all great, shuttle service was reliable, Priscila did an awesome job putting together our itinerary and was super responsive if we had questions. She checked on us every day and made sure we had a stress free and enjoyable trip. HIGHLY recommend KimKim - we will use this service again.

Hotel Reviews

Montaña de Fuego Resort & Spa

La Fortuna

Friendly staff, good food. Room could use a little repair, but would stay again.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Monteverde Country Lodge

Monteverde

Great staff, clean, quiet and comfortable. Great location. Everything was walkable.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Playa Espadilla

Manuel Antonio

Clean, cozy, quiet, great location, pool was super nice.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Canyoneering Tour by the Volcano

Arenal/La Fortuna

So much fun - not hard, little scary at first (if you’ve never done this), but very safe and an 8 year old did it with us. You will get wet!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Private: Coffee, Chocolate and Sugar Cane Experience

Monteverde

Roll was very knowledgeable and personable. Very informative and bonus night hike if you do a later tour. Learned a lot and saw all sorts of wildlife - Boa, sloth, tarantula etc.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Rollo was great

Transport

100% Aventura Zip Line Monteverde

Monteverde

So much fun - safe for anyone. 5 year old was doing it with us - in tandem with a guide.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Walking tour on the slopes of the Arenal Volcano

Arenal/La Fortuna

Great insight on the geological history of the area.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Welcome to Monteverde

Monteverde

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Ok

Transport

Arenal Hanging Bridges & La Fortuna Waterfall Guided Hikes

Arenal/La Fortuna

Awesome - saw wildlife, beautiful, great intro to the area.

Quality of Experience

Daniella was a great guide - very knowledgeable.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Snorkeling at Isla del Caño Biological Reserve

Manuel Antonio

Absolutely amazing - highly recommend it. Great business, Kim was awesome, saw a ton just snorkeling - including a humpback whale, turtles, all sorts of different species of fish. The lunch on the boat was great.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Professional and knowledgeable - fast boat. Captain and crew knew what they were doing.

Transport

Good bye Costa Rica!

Costa Rica

Fast and easy check in. Plenty of food options at the airport. Buy your souvenirs before you get to the airport - WAY expensive.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Christian was awesome. Gave us a little bonus sightseeing tour around San Jose and took us to a local spot for lunch.

We just got home from an incredible trip around Taiwan with Clint, and I can't speak more highly of him and the whole kimkim experience. We used kimkim to help us plan a week-long trip for our family of 6 around the island of Taiwan after spending a month in Taipei for my work. Our kimkim local specialist, Shirley, planned a fantastic trip for our family. The experiences and hotels were absolutely lovely. And Clint our guide was great! He was funny, kind, responsive to our needs, and made the whole trip relaxing and fun. I used to plan all our family trips by myself; it would take so much time to find places to stay, transportation to get us between places, and booking activities. I may never plan another trip again now that I have used kimkim!

This won’t be easy to keep short!!!! I’ve always planned our families overseas vacations but I didn’t know much about traveling in Iceland, so I took a leap and signed up with KimKim as a first timer. We worked with Gummi who emailed and FaceTimed with us to really understand what our family of four wanted from our first vacation in this spectacular country. He NAILED it! My husband and I were traveling with twin 12 year old boys who couldn’t be more different. Gummi was able to squeeze in adventures that appealed to all of us, suggested whatever to see, where to eat and how much time to spend at each location of our itinerary. He was available during our vacation if a question popped up and was a pleasure to work with every step of the way. We have so many favorite spots but I’d say our top few were: our first stop after our flight at Sky Lagoon (we preferred Sky Lagoon over Blue Lagoon), our cliffside walk at Arnarstapi (we never would’ve known to do this without Gummi), our Katla Glacier Ice Cave Hike, and of course driving from spot to spot looking at the gorgeous scenery and hiking to waterfalls. I suspect we’ll use Kim Kim on another vacation and would absolutely request to work with Gummi again!

Hotel Reviews

Luxury Apartment Central Reykjavík

Reykjavík

This apartment was clean, had everything we needed, and was in a great location to explore Reykjavik. We all loved it and would stay here again happily.

Authenticity & Character

Location

We walked to restaurants, coffee shops, sites and the sky voyager. We loved the location. Just to set expectations… It was a bit noisy but that’s what you get in a city! If you want to be close to everything, it’s not going to be silent like a campervan in the forest. Having said that, staying near everything far outweighed any noise. We were always too tired to notice it and slept fine in the comfy beds!

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Old Charm Reykjavík Apartments

Reykjavík

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

I put 5 stars but we didn’t meet any staff. :)

Cleanliness & Comfort

Black Beach Suites

Vik I Myrdal

Staying at this hotel was a highlight of our trip! When it came to accommodations- it was clean, modern, was in a great location to explore Vik and the surrounding areas, had amazing espresso drinks and pastries in the morning, and a bar at night and the view????? OMG- spectacular.

Activity Reviews

Katla Ice Cave

Iceland

Wei was our guide and he was the best! Both of our kids commented on how nice, funny and knowledgeable Wei was. He helped make the experience one of the highlights of our trip.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Wei was AWESOME!!! A great guide.

Transport

Sky Lagoon - Experience the seven-step Sky Ritual

Iceland

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Hernámssetrið - War & Peace Museum

Iceland

I have a 12 year old history buff. Everyplace we go we have to visit something that pertains to WWII. This museum is quirky and unique, filled with more artifacts than a museum of history but my son loved it and thanked us for taking him there as we left.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Lunar Landscapes & Healing Waters – Blue Lagoon Immersion

Iceland

The Blue Lagoon is iconic and was super cool but if you can only visit one hot springs, I’d visit Sky Lagoon as it seems more natural and less touristy. (my preference) Having said that, I’m glad we did both. If you’re planning to visit both, do Blue Lagoon first then Sky Lagoon and maybe work in a visit to a hot springs off the beaten path. I’d say visiting the hot springs was a highlight and though the waterfalls of Iceland are spectacular, thee hot springs are sublime!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Mathias was incredibly responsive. So grateful for that. Norway is gorgeous. Some truly unique small hotels. Food exceeded expectations! .

Out Oslo guide was listless, unengaged, and minimally informative. We were a group and each person felt this was one of our worst guide experiences.

Activity Reviews

Explore Oslo's Hidden Gems with a Local Expert

Oslo

Maybe our guide was having a bad day. There were some slivers of humor and some information. But, generally he seemed uninterested and just walked us past stuff with minimal information. We even asked him questions and told him what we would like from him. But, no luck. Such a shame

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Guided Kayak Tour

Sandane

Loved Ingrid and Stine! They went above and beyond

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

My recent experience with Kimkim for my trip to Spain was great, thanks to Adam's meticulous planning and attentive communication.

When I expressed interest at -quite last minute- in attending the PhocusWright conference in Barcelona, Adam ensured that everything was going to be fine.

I had quite a few boxes to tick when it came to choosing a hotel, but Adam made sure he booked the best possible option for me. Adam selected the Gran Hotel Havana for my stay, which seemed perfect! The hotel's close proximity to Room Mate Anna, being close to a metro station for traveling to the conference, the room, and facilities all looked great. I appreciated Adam's quick action in securing a room at Sonder Casa Luz when availability at Gran Hotel Havana changed. That hotel was overall quite nice, very central location, beautiful building, friendly staff, modern decorated (and nice and clean) rooms, nice breakfast, and beautiful rooftop.

I also liked Adam's flexibility in accommodating my request to use Uber instead of private transfers. His attention to detail and adaptability to changes ensured a seamless experience.

Adam's enthusiastic recommendations and Lea's seamless booking process gave me peace of mind, allowing me to focus on enjoying the conference and exploring Barcelona.

Thank you, Adam, and the Kimkim team! I look forward to planning my next adventure with you!

We had a wonderful trip to Iceland! Èric's help was invaluable in helping us navigate the many sights around the country, giving us directions, daily recommendations, as well as additional options so we could tailor our experience to what worked best for us each day. So many great memories, but we would particularly recommend the Katla Ice Cave tour, the Puffins at Hafnarholmi hill, and the Inside the Volcano tour. Highly recommend Èric and his team.

Activity Reviews

Horse riding tour

Iceland

Beautiful ride, but guide gave no instruction or information once we left the barn. She didn't check to see how we were doing, or give any information about the tölt or when we would be changing gaits. The guide was German, and did speak more to 2 German participants, but I have no idea what they talked about. I don't think there is a problem with this activity, just with the particular guide we had.

Katla Ice Cave Superjeep tour

Iceland

Inside the Volcano Tour

Iceland

Kim Kim and Gustavo really listened to us and planned the perfect trip to Greece for our family. We were blown away that after telling them we wanted a Mamma Mia style experience we had two surprises waiting at different destinations with the Mamma Mia theme in mind. Great job Kim Kim!!

Hotel Reviews

Narges Hotel

Paros

Wonderful little boutique hotel in Paros with the best staff! Loved it!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Walking distance of the sea and many shops.

Staff

Staff was incredible - very sweet and helpful

Cleanliness & Comfort

Adriani Hotel

Naxos Town

Incredibly small room for a family and only bedding was a sheet. However the staff was nice and breakfast was good

Authenticity & Character

Has character and very clean

Location

Staff

Staff was nice and accomodating

Cleanliness & Comfort

Sofitel Athens Airport

Athens

Beautiful hotel next to the airport but you would never know it - quiet and very comfortable!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Traditional Greek Cooking Class

Paros

This was one of our favorite activities! Maria and her team were gracious cooking hosts and we learned how we can bring Greek cooking back home!

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Private Exploration of Naxos's Old Town and Castle

Naxos

Wow- this was incredible! Katiana (?sp) was so knowledgeable and had so much passion for her city and her country. She went above and beyond by arranging for special music from Mamma Mia for our daughter during this visit.

Quality of Experience

Chalk full of history and information about the country the island and the city

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Katiana was awesome!

Mar planned a wonderful itinerary, allowing us to see and experience many wonderful things in northern Norway. The information she provided was very helpful and well laid out, and she was always very responsive to our questions and needs. Thanks to her and also to Fenne, who was very helpful with the bookings and all related questions.

Every detail was attended to on our trip. I mentioned to my trip planner Gustavo that I’m visiting Greece due to my love of Mamma Mia, and sure enough our hotel had the soundtrack playing for me when I arrived. Not only that but our tour guide in Naxos, Katia, hired a musician to play ABBA songs for me in the beginning of our tour. All of this was a surprise to us and we are so grateful for the attention to detail that our trip planner provided us. So glad we planned our trip with KimKim!

We recently had the pleasure of working with Holden and his team to plan a trip to Costa Rica, and we cannot speak highly enough of the experience. From start to finish, Holden provided exceptional service, attention to detail, and a deep knowledge of the destination that made our trip truly unforgettable.

First and foremost, Holden took the time to understand our interests and preferences, ensuring that every aspect of our itinerary was tailored to our needs. We had a good idea of where we wanted to visit and what we wanted to do. However it was Holden’s recommendations of lodging accommodations and activities we had not even thought of that made the trip extra amazing.

Holden and his team’s expertise was evident in the seamless coordination of all our trip arrangements, from accommodations and excursions, to even arranging the rental car to be dropped off and picked up from our hotel. Throughout the planning process, Holden was always available to answer our questions, provide valuable insights, and make adjustments to our itinerary as needed. We had several changes in our itinerary over the few months prior to finalizing our trip, and each time the charges were made without hesitation.

Whether it was recommending the best lodge for hot springs near the volcano, arranging thrilling adventure activities like zip-lining and ocean kayaking, or suggesting serene beaches for relaxation, Holden had us covered. Our group of five included two almost-adult kids and Holden found the perfect accommodations that provided us just the right amount of privacy and togetherness.

We were particularly impressed with the local guides and tour operators they connected us with, who were not only knowledgeable but also passionate about sharing the beauty and culture of Costa Rica.

One highlight of our trip was the personalized wildlife Safari Float tour in La Fortuna, where we had the chance to see an incredible array of animals, including sloths, monkeys, crocodiles, a porcupine and tropical birds. Thanks to Holden’s recommendation, we also enjoyed a top notch hike through the Monteverde Cloudforest and were lucky enough to see not one but two of the elusive Quetzal birds.

While we were in Costa Rica, Holden checked in with us a few times to make sure everything was going well and his colleague, Wellman, reached out multiple times to prepare us for the next day’s adventure.

I wholeheartedly recommend Holden to anyone looking to plan a trip to Costa Rica or any other destination. His personalized service, extensive knowledge, and genuine passion for travel made our adventure extraordinary.

We had the most wonderful experiences in Spain and credit Marina with making it flawless and easy. This was our first European vacation ever for our family (2 children ages 16 and 13, me and my husband). Our 16-year-old loves art and architecture while our 13-year-old couldn't care less about those things. We wanted to add culture and fun plus a little adventure.

At first, I was apprehensive about using a travel agency thinking I could book activities myself for less money plus there are just so many unknowns with scams it's hard to trust an online agency. After going through many different iterations while planning the trip and pricing out the activities ourselves we finally decided that we wanted to have the best, seamless family vacation possible and we trusted Marina to help us make that happen after many emails, trip iterations and numerous phone calls. She was so patient and professional which also helped us to feel comfortable. We saved for years for this vacation so we needed to have faith that Kimkim and Marina are real and would take care of us.

I am so thankful that we finally stopped doubting the process and moved forward with Marina. We shared what activities were important to us then Marina drafted an itinerary. We discussed and modified it several times then once confirmed and paid, Marina was able to get to work booking venues, drivers, trains etc. They use an app that shows each days activities including the description, tickets, guide name and contact, if any. There is also a chat function so we knew we could ask questions or get suggestions during business hours and there was a phone number that we could call with any emergency. There were no emergencies but it was awesome to know there was someone local that would have our back it we needed them. I did use the chat quite often and responses were always quick and often well after business hours. Every activity we booked was flawless and the guides were all local to each area. Nearly all of the guides reached out directly 24-48 hours before our meeting using the WhatsApp. This additional level of communication was great. I would rate every single activity that Marina booked a 5 out of 5 or 10 out of 10. We booked our own airline tickets and airbnbs. We needed the local expertise on the activities.

We landed in and left from Madrid as that was much cheaper than other airports or leaving from a different location. Marina arranged for a car to pick us up - it was a large Mercedes luxury van. The driver was waiting for us inside the airport with a sign with our name plus he had messaged me thru WhatsApp in advance. He already had our accommodation address thanks to Marina. He was kind and helpful and was a wonderful first impression after the long flight. That first night we did a Tapas Tour with a small group. The guide, restaurants, food & drink plus the people in the group were all so amazing. This was one of my favorite activities. Worth every penny - wish we could have done this in every city! We also had a private walking tour of Madrid the morning of our second day. We saw and learned so many interesting facts and helped us to navigate the city much faster than trying to explore on our own. Marina also booked our tickets for a self-guided tour of the Royal palace as well as a private 2 hour tour at the Prado. Every guide lived in Madrid and had in-depth knowledge that they shared openly. We did a day trip to Toledo taking the train so it was only 30 minutes. Marina booked the train plus our private guide of the city. It was seamless and so beautiful. The only crazy thin that happened- this has nothing to do with Marina - is after the tour we went shopping for a knife that our son wanted. Toledo is known for their swords and blades so not better place to get one. Wish we had gone back to the store our guide took us to but instead my son walked into a random shop and purchased the knife. It was wrapped in tissue
paper and put in a bag. When we got back to the train stain to return to Madrid, they didn't want to let us on with the knife. It's supposed to be in a box and wrapped twice in addition to having the receipt. Thankfully they took mercy and allowed us on board with the knife then we hit El Cortes Ingles for tape, gift wrap and a box. -- One of the last scheduled activities in Madrid was a Flamenco dance. The venue was small, and it was a powerful, engaging show. The best Flamenco show we'd seen and different in that they were improvision. We didn't know this until after the show and they share that they don't rehearse before the show or even know exactly who will perform until that evening. Every show is different and can't be replicated. It was extremely enjoyable.

The next morning, we took the bullet train to Valencia which is about 2.5 hours. Marina booked the tickets for us which included a traditional Spanish meal. We didn't expect it and boy were we grateful for it. The train was comfortable, and the scenery was amazing. We did a bike tour in Valencia which was awesome. Really the only city I would have wanted to do it. There was so green space, parks, and biking around the City of Arts & Sciences was really stunning. Biking on roadways was very limited and I felt comfortable. We saw so much of the city, stopped and discussed, left the bikes at many locations to check things out. Again, I just can't say enough about our guide. Then we took a Paella cooking class which was so much fun! Sangria was waiting for us. We also made Tortilla de Patata which is a Spanish staple and now one of my favorite dishes. When the class ended, we received diplomas and recipes. It was really a fun experience.

Marina arranged for us to rent a car - this was what my husband worried about the most. Thinking it may be difficult to communicate with the car rental company if there was a problem. Marina handled every little detail so everything was paid for in advance, no outstanding questions or issues at all. We did obtain our International Driver's Licenses thru AAA before leaving. We never needed them but would have if there was an accident. We traveled to Benicarlo and Penicola for 2 days. These coast towns were amazing. Wish we could have added a few more days to our trip to stay here longer! We swam in the Mediteranean Sea, walked on the rocky beaches, explored the 12th century Castle, fell into a Paella Day at Castellona. It was an amazing unscripted time which was an awesome break. We drove to Barcelona, turned the car in to begin the final leg of our trip. I should mention that Marina still provided loads of restaurant recommendations and tickets to Papa Luna Castle.

In Barcelona we did an awesome walking/driving tour, so we were able to cover a lot of ground, learn much, and this tour included tickets plus an hour inside La Sagrada de Familia. Loved the tour! We took another day trip to Costa Brava for hiking and kayaking. This was another small group tour that was life altering. Seriously. Stefan was our guide. There were 8 total in our group. We had a comfortable drive about 90 minutes outside Barcelona. We met at 8:30am so we arrived around 10am. We hiked along cliff trails with some of the most picturesque coastline. It was gorgeous with many steep steps up and down the cliffs giving amazing views. We made our way to the beach where we left our stuff at Stefan's shop along with our phones for safe keeping. We paddled for 2.5 hours in total with a break in the mid-point for swimming in the lagoon and cliff jumping for anyone who was up for it. I've kayaked on lakes and rivers, but the Mediterranean Sea was altogether different. It was exhilarating, exhausting, and an experience that we'll never forget. The final tour that Marina booked for us was the Chocolate Experience. This was another small group tour lead by Carla, a local pastry chef. She was funny, informative, and passionate about chocolate. We visited 9 different shops. Seriously, 9 shops!!! Each place had a different specialty. Most have been owned by the same family for hundreds of years. We even walked by bar that is one of the oldest in Barcelona that both Gaudi & Picasso frequented. Unfortunately, they weren't open :( Marina booked our final bullet train from Barcelona back to Madrid.

It was an amazing, vacation with wonderful experiences that our entire family enjoyed together and bonded over. I wouldn't change a thing (unless time & money weren't limiting factors then I'd want to stay for another 2- 4 weeks). I really cannot recommend Marina and team enough. She made our trip so easy and worry free, exactly what vacation should be.

Everything was truly perfect! Giulia put together a great 15 day trip for us and we truly did not have 1 issue the entire trip. From private transfers on all arrivals, tickets, hotels, etc, etc.....this was a trip of a lifetime for our family. Highly recommend Giulia and the kimkim team for your next or first trip to Italy. I can't believe it is over though! Time to plan a return trip?

From the first suggested itinerary all the way through to the final trip, Vicky and KimKim were wonderful to work with. In general, I love to plan and coordinate all of our family vacations; however, Australia was a daunting project given the size and logistics of what we hoped to see. I spoke with a number of agencies but felt that Vicky's vision best matched our travel style, and she happily incorporated any of the new ideas I threw into the mix. Communication was always prompt, friendly, and helpful.

Right before our travel, I asked if it would be possible to incorporate a surprise birthday cake after our full day excursion & Vicky and the hotel came through with the most beautiful cake, decorations, and a bottle of wine! It was the perfect icing to the day. Thanks Vicky for making our family trip a huge success!

Our family traveled to Barcelona, Madrid and Toledo and enjoyed all of our sites. Our tour guide, Juan, in Madrid was excellent and really sensed what our family wanted to do and explore. He was kind and sincere. Our tour guide in Barcelona, Jordi, was knowledgeable and brought us around the city on a nice bike tour to see a lot of different sites. Both of the hotels we stayed at were excellent. The pool and bar on the roof top of Hotel Avenida was great to see the city at the end of the day. Both hotels were clean, comfortable and located in the center of the cities which allowed for great access to see the different sites. The travel arrangements by car and train were planned out very well. We felt well supported along our trip by Alfonso and he quickly responded to any of our questions or needs-he is an excellent resource.

Activity Reviews

Park Güell & La Sagrada Família

Barcelona

We all loved the tour of La Sagrada Familia and climbing the tour for the city view. Unfortunately we missed our tour to Park Guell as we made an error on the timing.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Private Evening Tapas Stroll with a Local

Madrid

Juan was a great tour guide and showed us over half of the city in this walking tour. His knowledge of art, history and architecture was outstanding and added to our tour greatly. He is personable and friendly.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Private City Tour - Discover Madrid's Royal Legacy

Madrid

Viewing the palace and taking the tour with Juan was information because of Juan’s extensive knowledge of Madrid and the royal family. Juan gave us factual and anecdotal information.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Private Toledo Day Trip

Madrid

Toledo tour was all encompassing and Juan once again had extensive knowledge of the city and the history of all of the sights we toured. Our tapas lunch was excellent. He has a great ability to sense from us what we were up for seeing and touring throughout this day.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Sunset Sailing in Barcelona

Barcelona

We had a private sailboat for this evening activity and Fiona was friendly and personable. She did a great job managing the boat and talking with our family.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Private Barcelona Bike Tour

Barcelona

A great way to see a large part of the city and riding bikes allowed a sense of freedom from the busy traffic and packed side walks.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Evening Tapas Walk in Barcelona

Barcelona

It was a great over view of the city. It gave us a sense of where different parts of the city were located. Jordi was knowledgeable. We unfortunately were delayed on a flight and traffic so were over tired and very hungry when we started this walking tour so it was a bit hard to focus.

Quality of Experience

Food

If we could have picked the food with Jordi or seen a menu.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Mar and Fenne were very responsive in the planning process and our trip went pretty well. Some details that we discussed in the planning process were missed and not provided during the trip. We were supposed to have a private bus during one excursion for our group of 10 travelers and that was not arranged. We asked for a sauna cruise and were booked for a standing sauna. We were told that we will be refunded the difference but I have not received any refund as of yet. We did not have assigned seats on one leg of our train travel which caused a great deal of last minute stress and need to contact the emergency Kim Kim number. When we received our seat assignments, some were double booked with other passengers on the train. KimKim emergency help told me to contact Fjordtours, the company that orchestrates Norway in a Nutshell, which KimKim booked for us. This was surprising as I thought KimKim would contact them with any issues that arose. I would recommend flying from Oslo to Bergen and taking the train back to Oslo from Flam rather than taking the train both ways. It would have been helpful for our travel planners to suggest different options and the pros and cons of each. Overall, Norway is an amazingly picturesque country and we enjoyed the trip despite the hiccups.

We had the most amazing first annual international trip with our children planned by Thanos. We went to Greece and even though we had some hiccups getting there (due to airline issues) Thanos was so communicative through the whole thing, ensuring that everything would go as smoothly as possible, even offering suggestions on different times for our rescheduled flight. All the activities that he recommended were so much fun for all of us. The hotels picked were lovely and worked well. This is definitely a trip that we will reminisce about!

We had a great trip to Madrid and Barcelona, and were very happy with Paula and Luis’ trip planning services and prompt replies to our questions while traveling. They worked within our budget and planned activities that suited our interests. They were spot on regarding hotel selections. All of the private and small group activities they set up for us were exactly as described. All of the tour guides and locations were great. Very happy! Would definitely recommend them to others!

Nikola was easy to work with and very understanding of our questions and last minute changes. He also knew the guides well and only recommended folks who he knew would be terrific.