Kimkim Trip Reviews for The Netherlands

Nadine was a dream to work with - responsive, helpful, and kind. She designed an amazing trip for us to experience as much as we could during our first (but definitely not last) trip to the Netherlands. Due to severe weather in the States, we were unable to make our flight to Amsterdam. I emailed Nadine and before waking the next day, she had rearranged our schedule so we could salvage as much of our original plans as possible, including reissuing train tickets. The planned activities hit all the highlights so we got a great introduction to Dutch lifestyle, culture and history. The hotels she selected were exceptional and all conveniently located for rail travel between the cities and towns. For us, our favorite experiences included the restored village of Zaanse Schans. The windmill museum there was exceptionally done. Haarlem was delightful in every way and riding e-bikes through the National Park to the North Sea was a fun adventure. The gardens of Keukenhof should not be missed. I could have stayed there all day because it was so beautiful! Gouda was another place that we loved and could have spent more time there too. Of course, the cheese is legendary and well worth every bite! Riding bikes through the polder landscape was beautiful and fascinating. Thank you Nadine for helping us put together a fantastic trip!

Hotel Reviews

Boutiquehotel Staats

Haarlem

Exceptionally cool vibe. Delicious breakfast. Conveniently located. Helpful, friendly staff. Exceeded our expectations!

Authenticity & Character

Lots of character. Exceptionally designed and appointed.

Location

Close to the train station and to the central market area.

Staff

Very helpful.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Relais & Chateaux Weeshuis Gouda

Gouda

Unique hotel conveniently located to the market square. Lovely room!

Authenticity & Character

Old building with a ton of history. Totally modernized.

Location

Very convenient to the market square. Easy 16 minute walk to the train station.

Staff

Very helpful and friendly.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel des Arts

Amsterdam-Centrum

Centrally located hotel. Friendly staff. No elevator in building from 1733. Smaller but nicely decorated room.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Royal Bridges

Delft

Conveniently located to train station and market square in Delft.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Flower bulb, auction & Keukenhof excursion

The Netherlands

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Gouda - cycle tour in polder landscape

The Netherlands

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Public Transport Pass Amsterdam

The Netherlands

This card became my security blanket! I knew I could get anywhere. The public transportation in the Netherlands is AMAZING to begin with and this system is so easy and convenient.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Amsterdam - Canal cruise (join in)

The Netherlands

Excellent tour, just in the hard rain. Of course, no one can control that. Canal boat guide was very funny and very knowledgeable and gave us an informative overview of the city as seen from the water. He even provided blankets and hot water bottles to keep us warm during the tour.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Really phenomenal experience with BTD travel… Nadine was amazing at setting up an itinerary based on our interests. It was highly customized and flexible, and her communication throughout our trip was invaluable. Would absolutely use this company!!!

Thank you so much for organising everything, we had a fantastic time and everything was made to done so easily.
Albert was an absolute star⭐️!! He had loads of inside knowledge and was an absolute joy to be with. Thank him again for the sweet treats.

This is our second time using kimkim and I would not travel abroad without it in the future. This particular time we traveled to the Netherlands and the last trip was to France. We knew very little about each destination other than a few specific places we wanted to visit. Emma made our Netherlands experience flawless. She laid out a perfect schedule for us with time built in just to explore on our own but still being able to see the places we wanted. I did add a couple things at the last minute and she performed some magic to make it happen. She was very quick to respond to any questions that we had, both before and during our vacation. I would highly recommend Emma to plan your trip to this area. And because of the ease of planning, the layout of the travel plans, and the overall experience, I highly recommend kimkim for any travel. I will not travel abroad without it in the future.

We had a wonderful time in Amsterdam. Emma communicated well and set everything up so we didn’t have to worry at all. Our food tour was excellent and Dirk was a wonderful guide. Our boat tour was very informative and relaxing. Overall we were very pleased with our trip and the service provided by Kim Kim and Emma.

Hotel Review

Tivoli Doelen Amsterdam Hotel

Amsterdam

Excellent location, comfortable beds, very helpful and attentive staff. We had breakfast and dinner at the restaurant and their food is delicious. We were only mildly disappointed in the limited room service offerings, however the staff recommended and delivered to our room Uber Eats. Check in was easy and we were happy the room was ready when we arrived in the early afternoon. We would definitely stay here again.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Public Transport Pass Amsterdam

The Netherlands

Emma set us up with an unlimited travel pass. It worked great and we were able to go anywhere we needed to go.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Private canal cruise to Van Gogh Museum

The Netherlands

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Daytrip to Marken, Volendam, Edam and Zaanse Schans

The Netherlands

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Amsterdam - Jordaan Dutch Food Tour

The Netherlands

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Nadine was simply amazing! Throughout the planning process she was so dedicated to making sure our honeymoon was exactly what we wanted! She was so knowledgeable on the area and offered amazing recommendations for things to do and see outside of our itinerary. Traveling to another country can be intimidating but with the wealth of knowledge and resources provide by Nadine, we traveled with such confidence which made our trip SO enjoyable! When we had a personal matter come up that delayed the start of our trip, she was so caring and helped to make necessary adjustments. We cannot thank Nadine enough for making our trip one that we will remember for a lifetime!

Our trip to Amsterdam and Belgium was phenomenal! Beautiful sights and excellent hotel/apartment properties were at each of our stops.

Our car pick ups were on time and pleasant.

Hotel Reviews

Kimpton DeWitt

Amsterdam

Great hotel with good service, amenities and a nice location.

Authenticity & Character

Excellent service. Nice happy hour. Good restaurants and attentive service on property.

Location

Centrally located and easily walkable to the train station for day trips.

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Pleasant smell throughout and outstanding staff.

Premier Suites Plus Rotterdam

Rotterdam

This property is nicely located across from the train station. Staff was attentive, but not overly helpful to temporary residents since this is an apartment property. We had some confusion with advance planning and capacity requirements and did not need 2 rooms for 3 people. The property promptly addressed our concerns.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Nicely located near the train and bus stops.

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel le Dixseptième

Brussels

Beautiful property and nicely appointed. The room and hotel were outstanding with nice space and a beautiful bathroom. Location is excellent. We went the wrong direction out of the train station which added lots of extra walking. Study your exits and access to this property and the walk is easy even with luggage.

Authenticity & Character

Lots of character at this property.

Location

Great location with easy access to the train, Galleria and Grand Place.

Staff

Overall, staff was friendly. The genetlman at the front desk in the afternoon is helpful, but unfriendly. He didn’t say hello. He just took our bags and card for fees and walked off with our bags to the room. He needs work. Other staff in the breakfast area and the morning staff at the desk were outstanding.

Cleanliness & Comfort

The property is lovely.

Activity Reviews

Public Transport Pass Amsterdam

The Netherlands

This was easy to use and handy. We did not understand why we had to return it to the driver when the instructions later said to use it again in Rotterdam. This trip could have used a better explanation of how to get from the hotel to the windmills and beyond. We ended up having to use Bolt a lot for transportation. It would be helpful to communicate Bolt as an option for transportation…especially for those that can’t walk long distances.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Amsterdam - Private canal cruise

The Netherlands

This was a nice tour with lots of historical and anecdotal information.

Quality of Experience

The private tour was nice.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Haarlem - guided cycle tour: Keukenhof and tulips fields

The Netherlands

This was a highlight of the trip. Our guide, Alex, was outstanding. He was attentive and patient while giving us great detail and fun facts. We can’t say enough about how outstanding Alex and this experience.

Quality of Experience

Outstanding!

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Alex was fantastic!

Transport

The best trip planning and execution experience I’ve ever had! Things went very well during the trip and any hiccups were taken care of right away by Mieke and her team. Will definitely use KimKim again.

Mieke put together an amazing trip! It made it stress free, having our tickets and transportation taken care of in advance. We had a wonderful time and wish we could've stayed longer! I highly recommend Mieke and her team when planning a trip!

Activity Reviews

Amsterdam - Private canal cruise to Rijksmuseum

The Netherlands

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Ghent - Private guided walking tour

Ghent

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Mieke was the best!! From the start of planning our trip almost a year ago to when we were there , she was nothing but attentive, personal, knowledgeable organized and everything you need in a travel agent. We told her what we were looking for and placed we wanted to visit and she organized it all. It was so easy to travel from one city to the next in the Netherlands and Belgium. I loved the private tours she set us up with for our canal tour in Amsterdam, waking tour in Ghent. The personal driver to get us to the Kukenhoff gardens was great too.

Hotel Reviews

Boutiquehotel Staats

Haarlem

Authenticity & Character

Very unique

Location

Quick walk to the train station

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Villa Augustus

Dordrecht

Authenticity & Character

Old water tower

Location

Longer ride to the train station , required the bus and about a 20 min walk to the nearest water taxi

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Ghent River Hotel

Ghent

Authenticity & Character

Location

About a 15 min walk or 10 min bus ride

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel le Dixseptième

Brussels

Authenticity & Character

Location

Super close to central station

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Public Transport Pass Amsterdam

The Netherlands

So nice to be able to use this anywhere

Quality of Experience

Flower bulb, auction & Keukenhof excursion

The Netherlands

The flowers are so beautiful ! The auction was fun to see processes but there is no live auction anymore but still cool to see. Great to get to Keukenhof early !!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

The private driver was so worth it

Ghent - Private guided walking tour

Ghent

Our tour guide , V, was super knowledgeable , it was so fun to hear the history of Ghent and all the architectural facts.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Amsterdam - Private canal cruise to Rijksmuseum

The Netherlands

Our driver, Michael was super knowledgeable and gave us a great tour

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Mieke did a wonderful job creating an itinerary for our family! She was very responsive before and then during our trip, especially when rain interfered with our bike trip to Keukenhof. We loved staying in Haarlem and the Hotel Malts was wonderful. All in all, a fabulous vacation!

Hotel Review

Hotel Malts

Haarlem

Hotel Malts is a lovely hotel in the center of Haarlem, which is a charming bike and pedestrian friendly city. Henk and Annemarie are wonderful hosts. The highlight of our stay was the delicious daily breakfast: croissants, cheeses, hard and soft boiled eggs, yogurt, cappuccino, and fresh squeezed orange juice.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Review

Amsterdam - Jordaan Dutch Food Tour

The Netherlands

We started with apple pie in a traditional brown cafe and went on to have Indonesian food, stroopwafels, etc. Spending time with a local (Ferry!) was the best.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Dear Emma,

I wanted to take a moment to express our deepest gratitude for the incredible experience we had during our recent trip to the Netherlands. It was truly a journey filled with unforgettable memories, and we owe it all to you.

Your meticulous planning, attention to detail, and kind gestures throughout the entire preparation process made our trip seamless and enjoyable from start to finish. From the moment we began discussing our travel plans, it was evident that you were committed to ensuring that every aspect of our trip was tailored to our preferences.

Your insightful comments and thoughtful recommendations enriched our itinerary and allowed us to discover hidden gems and experience the true essence of the Netherlands. Whether it was exploring the charming streets of Amsterdam, indulging in delicious Dutch cuisine (French Fries were amazing...already missing them; also the mini pancakes), or admiring the picturesque landscapes, every moment was magical.

Your dedication to ensuring that our trip was stress-free and enjoyable did not go unnoticed, and we are truly grateful for all that you did to make our vacation a success. Your passion for travel and commitment to excellence are truly commendable, and we feel fortunate to have had the opportunity to work with you.

Once again, thank you, Emma, for your exceptional service and for going above and beyond to ensure that our time in the Netherlands was nothing short of extraordinary. We look forward to planning our next adventure with you.

Warmest regards,

Hotel Reviews

Park Plaza Victoria Amsterdam

Amsterdam

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Royal Bridges

Delft

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Amsterdam - Keukenhof & tulip experience by bus tour

The Netherlands

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Public Transport Pass Amsterdam

The Netherlands

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Mieke did a great job planning our trip and answering all of our many questions quickly. We had a wonderful time in The Netherlands despite the rain! Our hotels were perfectly located and we walked everywhere. Alex our walking guide and Maarten our driver were pleasant and very knowledgeable. Unfortunately we cut them both a little short because of the pouring rain. Thanks so much for your great work.

Hotel Reviews

Singel hotel

Amsterdam

Small and quaint. Good location

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel van Walsum

Rotterdam

Comfortable hotel. Very pleasant staff.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Amsterdam - Private guided historic city walk

The Netherlands

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Public Transport Pass Amsterdam

The Netherlands

Quality of Experience

Amsterdam - daytrip to Volendam, Edam and Alkmaar

Amsterdam

Maarten was great. We loved the cheese factory tour and the cows! We did cut the trip short because or the downpour of rain.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

We were thrilled with the trip that was planned and supported by our Kim Kim guide, Bas. Based on our very specific interests, and the way we like to travel, Bas planned a perfect itinerary. The plan included a nice balance of self-led activities and guide-led activities. It included guided walking tours, boat tours, and cycling tours as well as a self-led cycling activity. We had some input on the Bas' initial plan, and he was happy to make accommodations to fit our requests. Bas was also available to make some changes during the trip. For example, when a cancelled flight at the outset of the trip forced us to change some of our planned activities, he moved things around to make it work. We were able to get hard-to-secure tickets to the Anne Frank museum, and we had the pleasure of having tremendous, friendly, and fun guides for four of the activities. We weren't sure what to expect as this was our first full Kim Kim itinerary, but we couldn't have been happier with the trip.

What a pleasure it was working with Mieke and KimKim on our family trip to the Netherlands and Belgium! I have to say that planning and coordinating the trip with Mieke was actually a real pleasure. She is very knowledgeable and extremely responsive. I never had to wait for responses of excellent, creative suggestions from Mieke, at any hour.

Our trip went quite well. Mieke developed an itinerary for my three kids (22/20/17 - GGB ) that everyone enjoyed. We were in Amsterdam for 3 nights and Belgium for 4 nights. We are active and did bike rides in the countryside in Holland. We also did a bike ride around the ancient city of Bruges. To top it off, we kayaked in the countryside out of Ghent in Belgium.

United Airlines cancelled our return flight from Europe (just as they did last year - Oh, how I'd like to write a crushing review of UAL!). Anyway, we had 2 extra days in Amsterdam at the end of the trip. Mieke worked closely with me on this portion of the trip in real time while I was in Europe, despite the fact that I booked the hotel and activities myself, so she made no money from these efforts whatsoever.

Our transportation was spectacular. Our driver, Fred, was more than a driver, he became our guide and a friend. The mini-bus was a beautiful Mercedes Benz, and Fred always had cold water bottles for us. We stopped and charged the bus and got food at some cool roadside areas along the way. He always texted ahead of time with exact ETA's.

Our hotels were very nice, especially the Pillows Hotel in Ghent - OMG, it was a five-star experience. We felt like royalty. Our guides for Amsterdam and Ghent were both great and very knowledgable. We did a canal cruise in Amsterdam, which was fun, but I'd recommend a dinner or drink cruise in the evening. Also, be sure to have a rice table (reis taffel) dinner in Amsterdam, it was the best meal of the trip.

My only complaint is that it is not that easy to access KimKim on your phone remotely. I had to find an old email from Mieke in my Gmail box, and then connect to the website, and then select the trip itinerary, then finally, access a PDF of tickets etc. It was a bit of a hassle and could be better designed and more functional. But the good news, is that all your activities and tickets can be accessed from your phone with a little bit of work. So, I didn't even carry a backpack around for most of the trip, just my phone and wallet -- and that was super cool!

Three cheers for Mieke - she is truly a star and is great at what she does. You will love planning the trip with Mieke and KimKim almost as much as the trip itself.

Please add a sixth star, so that we can truly identify Mieke as one of the best travel professionals you will ever work with!

Scott D.
San Francisco, USA

This is my second time traveling with kimkim and my first time flying overseas. We couldn’t have asked for a better planner. Mieke was so knowledgeable and helpful, although we never met it seemed she was there every step of the way. Hotels were carefully chosen with wonderful locations to meet our needs. Christien was our guide for a bike tour. She was so kind and shared great tips for getting around Ghent. Martin was another guide whom we can’t say enough good things about either. We came across a hiccup where I lost my luggage and kimkim was kind enough to gift us a wonderful experience at the end of our trip to help soften the loss. I now can’t see myself traveling without kimkim.

The activities Mieke planned for my family were exceptional. The trip to Den Bosch on a very hot day was for adults and included a wonderful museum exhibition on Van Gogh in Brabant and a quirky Bosch museum. The next day for family was a trip to Moduradom which enchanted the entire family.Equally fun and informative were trips on a steam train, a day trip to the Kinderdijk, and and another to cheese market day Gouda. The children and adults loved making Stroopwaffels at the Berg bakery in Gouda. Our driver Martin was exceptional. All in all our grandchildren had a very special introduction to the Netherlands thanks to .Mieke. The Ambassador Hotel was comfortable, clean, and has an incredible central location. Haarlem was a wonderful base for our train travels.

Hotel Review

Ambassador City Centre Hotel

Haarlem

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Review

Gouda - Stroopwafel workshop

The Netherlands

A hit with everyone!

Quality of Experience

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Guides, Drivers and Staff

We loved everything about the trip!

Great trip plan by Mieke - especially getting us into Anne Frank and Vermeer when I know tix were very tight! Maarten was a great driver and Jelte gave us a fantastic Jordaan food tour.

Hotel Review

Hotel Pulitzer Amsterdam

Amsterdam

Not your standard lux hotel - much more character in a great location (even if the room was a little small). Best French toast I ever had for breakfast!

Authenticity & Character

Made of 25 canal houses. Doesn’t look like a hotel at all from the outside. Beautiful courtyard!

Location

Near Anne Frank and shopping and loads of restaurants

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Room was pretty small for the price

Activity Review

Amsterdam - Private canal cruise to Rijksmuseum

The Netherlands

Joe (Damn Boat Guys) did a fantastic job of showing us around in the early morning when it was very peaceful — and keeping us warm in a cool and blustery day.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

My daughter and I did an art tour of the Netherlands. Bas from Beat The Dutch did such a great job matching expectations to our budget. I didn't know what to expect, having never used KimKim before, but overall, it was really great - we were comfortable, safe, and were able to move between cities and sites with ease on public transport, thanks to pre-loaded OV chip cards Beat The Dutch provided. Everybody involved did a wonderful job.