Kimkim Trip Reviews

We just got back from a trip to SE Asia that Doris planned for us, and honestly, everything was amazing. If you’re looking for a travel planner, I can’t recommend her enough!

She was so easy to work with and was always available whenever we had a question. What I loved most was how she actually listened to what we wanted. She put together a trip that was the perfect mix of fun and educational, without it ever feeling like a 'cookie-cutter' tour.

We absolutely loved the energy in Chiang Mai and Luang Prabang, but the real highlight for us was Ninh Binh. We had an incredible day hiking through the countryside and meeting the White Thai people—it was such a cool, interesting experience. Plus, getting to do the elephant experience was a dream come true.

She made the whole process stress-free and handled all the details so we could just enjoy the trip. If you want someone who is thoughtful, responsive, and creates a truly personal itinerary, definitely reach out to her!"

Hotel Review

Raffles Hotel Le Royal

Phnom Penh

We loved our stay at the Raffles in Phnom Penh. The whole place is so elegant and full of history—the valets in traditional dress were such a wonderful touch. The Elephant Bar was a highlight, and the pool area was stunning. I especially loved that every lounge chair had its own fan and a local flower. It was a lovely, thoughtful, and classic experience.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Sai Gon Sightseeing - XO Saigon by Night - Experience Vietnam on Two Wheels (Group tour)

Ho Chi Minh City

This was super fun! The gals that drove us around couldn't be nicer and concerned with our safety. They were competent drivers who made the outing fun. We loved that they took us to visit Uncle T to experience a real local's apartment. The foods we ate were great too!

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Hanoi - Mai Chau, Explore Valley of White Thai People

Vietnam

We loved hiking through the villages and seeing the authentic, native way of the friendly White Thai people.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

My husband and I visited Patagonia in late November, early December for about a week. Erin, our trip specialist, did a wonderful job in helping us organize this trip. She provided great recommendations, was very communicative and responsive, and had really good advice and insights which gave us a lot of comfort and peace of mind. She organized a wonderful itinerary, interspersed with all the kinds of activities we were most interested in doing. We especially enjoyed the day trip at the estancia (La Peninsula) and the stay and activities at EcoCamp Patagonia. Overall, I highly recommend Erin and Kimkim!

Hotel Reviews

Hotel Albatros

Punta Arenas

Conveniently located and very helpful staff!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

EcoCamp Patagonia

Torres del Paine

Very unique experience! The place truly helps you disconnect and instead connect with so many interesting people from around the world. Everything from the trips/activities to the camp itself is very well organized. The activity guides are fun and very knowledgeable and we had a great time!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Pristine Patagonia Hotel

Puerto Natales

We enjoyed our stay at this hotel very much. The location of the hotel was really nice...close to the water and lots of restaurants. The staff, Vanessa and Dani, were so incredibly helpful! We shared a list of local dishes and drinks that we were keen on trying out and they went out of their way to help us find restaurants that would serve these. They also gave us great tips during our stay and helped arrange taxis when we needed them. One of the best stay experiences for sure!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Vanessa and Dani were amazing!

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Eco Camp Wildlife Safari Program

Torres del Paine

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Day Trip to a Patagonian Estancia

Patagonia

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Grey Glacier Boat Tour (round-trip)

Patagonia

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Visit the Isla Magdalena Penguin Colony

Punta Arenas

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Torres del Paine Private Wildlife Tour

Patagonia

This was a nice activity, and we enjoyed seeing the national park from different viewpoints. However, the tour felt less focused on wildlife and more on covering a wide expanse of the national park. So, you could get lucky with regard to the wildlife while driving around the park, but you won't necessarily go searching for wildlife.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Absolutely 5 star experience, starting with Noemie. She was so great to work with, carefully taking into account various details to plan a wonderful trip across North and South islands of New Zealand- not only what we wanted to see and do, but also logistical needs noting we were traveling with our 2 year old, wanted accommodations that offered laundry, did not want to rent a car/bring our car seat, etc. She also noted it was my wife's birthday and added a few special surprises for it. Noemie was so patient, revising different details during the planning process to accommodate budget and even taking the time to jump on a Zoom call with us to say hello and make sure we did not have any questions before our trip. All arrangements worked out perfectly- transports, accommodations, experiences. Even when weather forced a couple of changes, Noemie and her team, as well as the provider, quickly communicated and processed refunds. A few of our favorites: (1l Queenstown gondola for spectacular views, (2) steamboat cruise to a working sheep farm and fantastic lunch, (3) dolphin cruise from Akaroa where we saw dolphins, penguins and seals, (4) geothermal park in Rotorua, (5) Lord of the Rings movie set in Hobbiton. Overall incredible scenery throughout the trip, especially considering it was the start of summer. The colors- greens and turquoise blues were amazing. We definitely want to go back and will plan in working with Noemie and team again. Highly recommend!!

Hotel Reviews

Sudima Lake Rotorua

Rotorua

Comfortable hotel. Good lakefront location walkable to town. We were prepared for a bit of the sulfur smell from the proximity to the lake, but it wasn't bad at all and we couldn't really smell it from town anyway.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Sudima

Christchurch

Walkable to various areas. Wonderful staff that gave our daughter a stuffed animal at check in!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Woolshed Suites Tekapo

Tekapo

Spacious with alot of natural light. Walkable to shops/restaurants within small village. Nice view of church and Lake.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Ramada Suites Queenstown

Queenstown

Walkable to town and child friendly park. Great little cafe for breakfast and other meals. Very family friendly and wondeful staff.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Adina City Life Auckland

Auckland

Great location, spacious apartment with laundry. Good gym and pool. Exactly what we needed.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Wai-O-Tapu

New Zealand

Also a must see if you are in the area! The geyser experience is underwhelming because the eruption is manufactured, but the geothermal park afterward exceeded our expectations. A very pleasant walk around the park at your own pace. Amazing colors and fascinating formations. We were there for about 90 minutes and were able to do the walk with our 2 year old in a stroller.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Our transport company from our hotel to the park and back was ReadytoRoll Shuttles- the owner was our driver and he was awesome- funny, friendly, knowledgeable.

Akaroa Dolphins Cruise

New Zealand

We enjoyed the bus ride to Akaroa and stopping in a village on the way. As for Akaroa, what a beautiful, quaint harbortown. The cruise was great- we saw dolphins, seals, and penguins. Fun staff too. Highly recommend!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Historic Steamship Cruise to Walter Peak Farm + Lunch BBQ

Queenstown (NZ)

We loved this experience as did our 2 year old! Riding a coal powered steamboat was a unique experience! Beautiful scenery- the water, mountains, but most of all the farm. We really enjoyed getting to see the demonstration of a sheepdog rounding up sheep. Wonderful buffet lunch too. Highly recommend.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Hien was the best travel specialist I've ever worked with, and I travel a lot. To start, out of many local operators I reached out to at different companies, Hien was the only one who truly listened to what I and my family wanted out of our Vietnam trip -- we didn't want a standard itinterary that everyone goes to, and she got that from the very beginning (which is why we ended up working with her!). I only had to give limited feedback up front from her first itinerary to where our itinerary ended up, and she answered all my questions along the way as well with incredible speed, honesty, and clear understanding of what we were hoping to get from the experience/trip.
Once we had our custom itinerary all set, she was communicative and clear about when we'd hear from her again closer to our trip, and she even reached out to double-check our visas for us to ensure we wouldn't have any problems entering Vietnam and getting our trip started.
Then, once we were actually on the trip, it was extremely easy to communicate with Hien whenever needed -- she reached out regularly to ensure everything was going smoothly, let us know who would be picking us up and when each day, and when things (only once!) were a little confusing or off track, it was simple and clear on how to connect with her through WhatsApp and she got things resolved quickly (for reference, it was just that we couldn't find our driver at one of our airport connections, and she immediately called the company and got the driver to meet us in the place she'd told us he'd be initially). Additionally, it was my mother's birthday during the trip, and she was amazingly great at providing a lovely surprise for my mother - just more proof of how fantastic Hien was at her job and also the level of service she provided across every single element of the trip.
If/when I take another trip to Vietnam or Southeast Asia, I will most certainly hope to work with Hien again, as our trip and service were seamless and exactly what we were hoping for from all our activities, lodgings, and opportunities along the way. Thank you so much, Hien!!

It is a genuine pleasure to review our Kim Kim experience in Morocco. We worked directly with Sharon of Immersion Travel whose choice of our guide, Omar, could not have been a more fortuitous choice.

From the moment we saw Omar’s smiling face to the moment we were dropped off for our return flight, Omar’s professional attitude and friendly vibes were a delight to behold. What a gem!

Our first day there was also very successfully managed by our capable city guide, Hameed, who was kind enough to navigate a rainy day throughout the winding Medina alleyways. He was patient with all our interests and allowed for an impromptu lamb barbecue lunch to beat the band. We were satiated and satisfied at day’s end for sure.

Once acclimated, on Wednesday, we toured Marrakesh’s Majorelle and Anima Gardens with Omar ably driving us. On Thursday, we enjoyed a real treat as we grocery shopped and cooked in a traditional Moroccan home. Narwal was a welcoming hostess/chef as she knowingly picked out produce and showed us how to prepare our delicious lunch. Even her daughters participated with the youngest delightfully suggesting we wear the traditional Kaftan. “Dressing up” truly enhanced our delicious tagine chicken lunch accompanied by vegetables, homemade bread and mandarin oranges for dessert. The spicy cooking lessons we learnt will certainly enhance our meals back home.

Omar’s guidance throughout our final days lead us to experience a majestic camel ride that included a wonderful evening meal along with musical performances. The sunset could not have been more beautiful as golden light bounced off the dunes. Remarkable pictures taken by our happy guide will be forever memories.

The final day of our stay was an outdoor adventure as we drove into the Orika Valley. We were stunned by the beauty there as a recent snowfall had dusted the mountains and water gushed through the main river. Omar was kind enough to arrange for our hiking guide, Mohammed, to take us up a mountainside to see a stunningly raging waterfall. Although the terrain got step and slippery, Mohammed’s steady hand was like an angel. His expertise was certainly what kept me balanced as some of the rocky paths appeared too dangerous to pass. An achievement to have accomplished and worthy of our delicious riverbank lunch afterwards.

If Morocco’s Berber culture could be reflected in one person it would be in our guide, Omar. Friendly and available for any question or concern (even brought an extra jacket for hiking) we could not have been luckier to have his extensive guidance on this first time experience. Shout out to Hameed as well.

Kudos to everyone at Kim Kim and Immersion travel. Morocco was an adventure we will not soon forget!

Kimkim was very easy to work with. Yuliana put together a. Very memorable trip meeting our requirements - budget and adventure and cultural experiences. Thank you!

Our trip to Thailand was amazing! Kien did a great job of planning really interesting tours and fantastic hotels. He responded very quickly and took care of all our questions and concerns. I will absolutely use Kimkim again for our next trips. I could not have planned a better trip- perfect blend of activities and relaxation.

We had the greatest time in Italy, It started way before arriving. Anita and Rita both help us pick the right places based on what we like (food, culture, cooking classes & local experience) We had several conversation that made our trip unforgettable, down to helping my wife with travel accommodations for her disability and managing a balance between her health issues and allowing us time time to enjoy Italy. They help us with the bringing our daughter from LA and getting her home since she was only able to stay for 2/3 of our trip. All of the tors they set up through LivTours were OUTSTANDING. The tour guides were all scholars of the history of Rome from the tours we took at the Coliseum to the tour of the Vatican. Our Tours were in small groups of no more than 8 people and we moved through security and the long lines with ease. It was worth the money to have these private tour and able to enjoy the sights and not be caught up in lines of tourist, I highly recommend it. We visited Rome, Florence, Levanto, Alba, Milan & Venice. In Alba we had the best personal driver from the area to take us to two well know wine vineyards for wine sampling. There was no worries about driving but just to enjoy the whole day. We also had a tour of the chestnut family who 1st invented what is now know as Nuttelle, which was such a fascinating day. All hotels we stayed at were outstanding. The schedule was even flexible for us to cancel one tour in Milano so we could meet up with my wife's cousin for the day. The train rides were all prepaid for and tickets already validated so there was no panic for us when going from place to place.
I can't thank the experts at KimKim enough for a great trip that we will never forget.

Our trip to Lisbon, Portugal, as arranged by Anita of Kim Kim travels, was excellent and we enjoyed ourselves immensely due to all the advanced planning and guidance we received.

Some highlights included:

On our first day in Lisbon, we had a lovely stroll with our guide Zee who was personable and walked us around the winding streets of the Alfama neighborhood. He was eager to answer any questions and whet our appetites with the number one place for Pastéis de Belém. Yum.

The rest of our trip was as equally successful. Our next day’s outing to Sintra was on a rainy day. Still, our thoughtful and, again, personable guide Nuno drove without hesitation to our various planned itinerary spots. He guided us effortlessly as we navigated the sites we visited — including a modest and tasty lunch place. During our first morning stop in Belem he wisely recommended we eat our pastry warm. Nuno was a pleasure to meet and we appreciated his insights into Portugal’s history and culture.

We also enjoyed two days with Luis who wowed us with his perspective and nimble mind. Quick to anticipate our needs, and answer any questions, he accompanied us on two days travel that included a marvelous winery called Mainova. We really enjoyed the hospitality there. Our charcuterie and wine snack truly satisfied after a morning of site seeing the property and learning about the process of wine making. Luis took our tired but satiated minds back to Lisbon. We couldn’t have been more thankful for his assistance in introducing us to the world surrounding this marvelous city, which included everything from the wind swept peninsula of Arrábida Park to the beauty of Évora’s cathedral, as well as, the spectral Chapel of Bones.

Thank you Kim Kim for this wonderful adventure!

This was the second trip I used KimKim for and I was thrilled again! Monika was super responsive and even called to check in when we arrived. She planned an amazing trip, bringing us to places we probably would have missed if we planned on our own but loved. I will definitely be using KimKim again!!

Hotel Reviews

M Social

Auckland

A great big city hotel with good amenities

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hana Lodge

Rotorua

This renovated mansion is beautiful! The grounds are awesome with some amazing art and even a bamboo forest.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Tongariro Lodge

Turangi

This classic fishing lodge is awesome! The staff was super nice and responsive and the food and drinks were amazing. You can’t beat the location for fly fishing or golf.

Authenticity & Character

The fireplaces and decor made for a lovely homey feel

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

QT Wellington

Wellington

This hotel is awesome. Eccentric and quirky art, amazing service and food.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Ahi Restaurant - 4 snacks and 4 courses

Auckland

I don’t think I’ve ever had a better meal. It was a culinary trip through New Zealand. We did the blind tasting and tried so many new things.

Quality of Experience

Our waiter was amazing

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Wai Ariki Spa "Chiefly Waters" restorative experience

New Zealand

I wasn’t sure what to expect but this experience was incredible. Relaxing and self paced.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Te Pā Tū - Maori Cultural Experience

Rotorua

What an amazing was to authentically learn about Māori culture.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Super knowledgeable and friendly

Transport

Electric Bays guided E-bike tour of Wellington (includes cycle hire and guide)

Wellington

So much fun! Lots of great info and incredible views. Our guide (Tara?) was super! I was nervous about being able to do the ride as I’m not in the greatest shape but the e-bike solved that problem.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Monika was excellent in helping us to plan our trip! She had great suggestions and was very responsive and proactive in the few cases where things had to change last minute.

We really liked using Kim Kim for the expertise and the ease of planning the perfect trip. I built off one of the preplanned itineraries and customized it a fair amount for our desires, which included animals, surfing, beach time, and finding the right balance with a five-year-old in tow. The hotel choices were all very nice and I felt like the quality of the tours that Kim Kim and Amazalia selected were unique and beyond what I could’ve done on my own. (There are so many operators in Costa Rica! On one hand, this would seem to make it easy to do it all yourself. However, there is a difference in quality at least in the number of people on other tours where we had smaller groups). I wish I could’ve understood the pricing of Kim Kim a bit more. That was my only slight irritation. But, I did feel like the overall experience was well worth it, and I would like to book a trip through them elsewhere in the future. The itineraries, tour options, ease, and helping us do everything without a hitch was well worth it to me!

Hotel Reviews

Tamarindo Diria Beach Resort

Tamarindo

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Los Lagos Spa & Resort

La Fortuna

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Heliconia

Monteverde

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Olas Verdes Hotel

Nosara

Loved this hotel!!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Activity Reviews

Tamarindo Kayak Estuary Tour

Tamarindo

It was neat to paddle up the estuary. It wasn’t very easy to see much wildlife, so I wouldn’t choose this activity if that’s your main goal. However, it was nice to get on the water and experience it at that level. Much better than going on a boat, in my opinion. There had been some miscommunication and they didn’t have a PFD the right size for our daughter.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Catamaran Sailing Excursion

Costa Rica

Well run and fun experience. We weren’t sure if this was a good fit for doing with our 5 yo, but she had a great time. The food, drinks, dancing, views, swimming, and staff were all wonderful.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

El Silencio Volcano Hike & Visit to La Fortuna Waterfall

Arenal/La Fortuna

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Peñas Blancas River Floating Safari Adventure by Raft

Arenal/La Fortuna

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve Guided Hike

Monteverde

Quality of Experience

I

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Night Excursion at the Wildlife Refuge in Monteverde

Monteverde

We saw so many animals! Well run tour.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

We decided to use Kimkim to organise our holiday for us. Having just completed our tour of Norway, we are delighted with the smooth planning of our trip. Our specialist Kimkim guide Mar had been in contact to check everything was going to plan which certainly gave us a lot of confidence. The local knowledge provided by Kimkim has been great, we really would not have been able to have done all this planning ourselves.
We especially loved the chosen accommodation which was always central to where we needed to be. Suggestions for activities while exploring Oslo, Flam and Bergen has been outstanding.
We will always recommend Kimkim to our friends and will be using Kimkim again ourselves.
We love to get around and explore different countries on our own. But Kimkim took away the stress of finding the right accommodation, train schedules, which enabled us to concentrate on simply planning our sightseeing.

Hotel Review

Thon Hotel Rosenkrantz

Bergen

Great location and top breakfast. Staff were very helpful. We had a very enjoyable stay.

Authenticity & Character

Modern hotel

Location

Short walk to the waterfront and the Bergen houses.

Staff

Staff assisted us to find a great restaurant for dinner close by.

Cleanliness & Comfort

We were very pleased with our room

Activity Review

Round Trip Fjord Cruise & Bus Transfer via Gudvangen

Norway

This was our top pick of our activities while exploring Norway. The scenery was stunning. It was great to be able to step inside to warm up, then to go up to the top deck for those once in a lifetime photograph's. The return bus was waiting and we found the activity ran smoothly. We were pleased everything ran to time, as we had a train to catch later in the day.

Quality of Experience

The gorgeous scenery was simply breathtaking

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Staff were always helpful and answered any questions

Transport

Kimkim had expert experience in providing information regarding our transport needs

We had only 5 days in Costa Rica and the trip planned by kimkim was excellent. We arrived in San Jose late and were picked up for a van ride to La Fortuna. The hotel was very nice and had an excellent restaurant, great masseuses, and several thermal pools. We visited the Arenal Volcano and walked up the 1968 Lava Tube trail. This trail was rocky, slippery and difficult, especially for older people or people not in good shape. This was not mentioned or discussed in planning or by the guides. That being said, the guides were helpful and knowledgeable. The noctural frog excursion with traditional dinner was our favorite part of the trip. The hosts were gracious, the food excellent, and the guides found lots of creatures to point out. We then went by van to Manuel Antonio National Park. The hotel was beautiful with stunning views. Our guide through the park was excellent. We were in a van for many hours getting to La Fortuna and then to Quepos then to San Jose. We often shared with others and 1-2 times were picked up first and drove around picking up others for 1.5. hours instead of moving on to our destination. The trip went on schedule and everything was on time until the last day of our trip. We were supposed to visit a spice farm outside Quepos but the tour never showed up. The number provided to contact the spice farm tour never connected. Our van to San Jose wasn't to pick us up for many hours and we had already checked out of the hotel. We did not want to sit in the heat for many hours so we asked kimkim to get us transport back to San Jose as soon as possible. We did this via their app (we did not have a phone number for direct contact). Kimkim could get transport but not for hours and the hotel told us they could arrange transport earlier which they did. We asked kimkim to reimburse the cost of the transport and refund the spice tour, which they did within 3-5 days after our trip. Our flight was very early in the am and our transport was late. There were celebrations in the city and traffic was horrible at 10 pm at night. Still, the transport van should have accounted for these delays. Overall, the trip was well planned, but we did not enjoy the long van rides or the gaffs with transport. An option would be to rent a car and drive yourself between sights.

Hotel Reviews

Hotel La Mariposa

Manuel Antonio

Incredible views and service. This hotel limits towels which I have never experienced before. If your towel was wet and you wanted a clean one, you had to turn in the wet one to get the clean towel. The views were stunning from the room which was spacious and clean.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Paradise Hot Springs Thermal Water Resort

La Fortuna

This was a very nice hotel and all the staff were helpful and courteous. The thermal pools were either warm or really hot (so hot none of us could get in).

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Presidente

San José

Lovely hotel with good restaurants. We never spent time off the property except in a van because we were only in San Jose at night or early morning and were told not to walk around at night.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Manuel Antonio National Park Nature Hike

Manuel Antonio

Guide was very good and we saw lots of things in the park.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Arenal Volcano & La Fortuna Waterfall Hike with Lunch

Arenal/La Fortuna

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Nocturnal Frog Excursion & Traditional Costa Rican Dinner

Arenal/La Fortuna

Terrific experience all round.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

We cannot say enough amazing things about our travel agent, Adeline, for coordinating what was truly the vacation of a lifetime. We have traveled to many places around the world, but this was by far the best vacation we have ever taken. From start to finish, we took full advantage of every single moment of this trip.

The itinerary was perfectly designed, starting in Fukuoka and ending in Tokyo, with every destination, hotel, and experience thoughtfully planned. Everything was meticulously mapped out—from what to see, to how to get there, and even where and what to eat. The balance between culture, food, sightseeing, and free time was absolutely spot-on. We experienced Japan in a way we never could have planned on our own.

While we could have selected the places we wanted to visit, thanks to Adeline, the logistics were flawless. We never wasted time figuring things out, moving inefficiently, or missing opportunities. Her planning ensured we were always in the right place at the right time, giving us more time to see, do, and truly enjoy Japan.

We provided a list of key things we wanted to see and took advice from Adeline (who has lived in Japan) to ensure the entire trip was perfectly customized to our interests and travel style.

We also had full support throughout the trip. For example, when unforeseen circumstances required us to change the following day’s plans, Adeline adjusted the entire itinerary within hours and sent us a complete, updated plan without any disruption to our experience.

Every detail was handled with care—transportation, accommodations, timing, and recommendations were completely seamless. We felt supported the entire time while still having the freedom to enjoy the adventure stress-free.

This was hands-down the best vacation of our lives, and it’s 100% thanks to the expertise, planning, and passion Adeline put into making this dream trip a reality. If you’re considering traveling to Japan, or anywhere… do yourself a favor and book with her. You will not be disappointed.

Highly recommended!

Hotel Reviews

Hakone Kowakien Ten-yu

Hakone

A little disappointed couldn't use the onsen due to tattoos so couldn't give full review as we couldn't experience the main point of this hotel. Besides that the room and location is very authentic and gives nice experience

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Park Hotel Tokyo

Tokyo

Great experience at this hotel from the location to the staff. They made the experience special

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Self-Guided Sightseeing in Arashiyama

Kyoto

Very nice nature spot but be prepared for allot of people. Recommend getting the guys that run you around on a carriage tour for more vip experience. The monkey park was cool but you need to climb to the top of the mountain to get there. The area in general is beautiful and su much to do

Quality of Experience

Transport

Onsen, Ryokan, and Mt. Fuji Experience in Hakone

Hakone

Couldn't use the onsen because of tattoos and is main selling point of the hotel. Was able to use private onsen in the room which was ok. The room is meant to be traditional which was nice experience. Cable cars were shut down most the day due to wind. Pirate ship was nice. Pay the vip to get more private experience

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Difficult to move around this area. Used taxi allot not to waste time

Sumo Morning Practice

Tokyo

The Google address to the location is wrong so when you get there they have a sign to go to the right address which made us arrive late to the event which was disappointing since being 30 min late to an event that was only 1 hour we lost allot of time. Besides that was great

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Google address provided was incorrect causing delay

Half Day Samurai Ninja Museum and Kimono Tea Ceremony at Kyoto Maikoya

Kyoto

The tea ceremony was very nice to dress up and be explained how the tea ceremony works. The samurai Ninja experience was a bit anticlimactic and more tailored to children. We could have skipped the samurai part and only don't the tea ceremony

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Tea ceremony staff was great. Samurai guide not so much

Transport

Easy to find

What a wonderful experience! We traveled to Germany in December 2025 and started planning around March. Lucie, our advisor, was incredible from the start. She listened to what we wanted the trip to be like, suggested itineraries and adjustments to help us make the trip our own. She guided us through logistics including how much we wanted to spend, type of transport (trains, bus, etc), type of hotel, group vs private tours, etc.

Lucie took care of all the logistics and made sure we had all information needed. It was truly a concierge experience where we showed up without worrying about any of the details and made the trip much more enjoyable.

The selections for hotel, guides, etc were perfect based on the information we provided. Every tour experience was educational and enjoyable and Lucie made sure to leave us free time in the evenings, which we requested. I have family members using KimKim for their upcoming trips based on our experience and we will definitely use KimKim again.

Hotel Reviews

Haus im Tal

München

This is a club pretending to be a hotel. Rooms are more to make a statement than be functional. Comfortable beds but minimal storage. Noisy. Great location for access to old town, but not restorative. No lobby, check in is in the bar.

Authenticity & Character

It had character, just not one we enjoyed

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Showers smelled, carpets were old

Scandic Nürnberg Central

Nürnberg

Amazing hotel. Truly 5 stars.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Dorint Hotel Dresden

Dresden

A little out of date

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

25hours Hotel HafenCity

Hamburg

Amazing character!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Solid, nothing extraordinary

Cleanliness & Comfort

Garner Berlin - Mitte, an IHG Hotel

Berlin

A very simple hotel; one where the difference between American and European ratings was more prominent. The bathroom was basically in the bedroom.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Right near checkpoint charlie

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Munich WWII Combo: Third Reich & Dachau Tour

Munich

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Nuremberg Combo Tour WW2 + Old Town

Nuremberg

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Dresden Old Town Walking Tour

Dresden

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Sachsenhausen Concentration Camp Tour With Licensed Guide

Berlin

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Explore Berlin Highlights & History Tour

Berlin

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

UNESCO Warehouse District Tour

Hamburg

Incredible tour with local knowledgeable guide

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

In general, the platform is very good for information, reserving and paying.
There was however, the issue that the information always referred to 6 persons, so it was unclear even after opening the link that indeed there were 7 of us taking for example, the group walking tour in Nürnberg. There was also a delay in your responses before and during the trip.

I only joined the group from Munich to Nürnberg. Normally, I would have never paid 1000,00 Euro + for a weekend in Nürnberg - since the price only included train from Munich to Nürnberg (price is about 30 Euro), the hotel which included breakfast for 2 nights and a short walking tour. I went thru your platform so that I could be with the group, but the price performance was poor.

The group was disappointed that there was no transfer service from the Nürnberg train station to the hotel. It was not a long distance, but with luggage, and walking thru cobble streets and a crowd one day after the majority landed from the USA was to tiring for them.

Your proposal for the 1 Michelin star restaurant was not appropriate. Apparently the group was not familiar with Michelin restaurants. We ended up eating at a restaurant very close to the hotel where we made the reservation, and we were all very happy with the service, and the food.

Hope my constructive criticism is helpful.

Wishing you all a Happy Holidays,
Susan

The Local guide, Natasha(?), in Nuremberg was excellent.
The local guide, (?), in Lucerne was excellent.

Hotels were all nice and staff were friendly.

Tickets issues with train from Basel to Lucerne, boat ride in Lucerne, and maybe others. Kathleen has details. KimKim staff helped to address issues.

The cities we visited were wonderful and the Christmas markets were beautiful.

Hola
Este viaje fue increible , muchas experiencia juntas y toda la familia las disfruto mucho, especialmente nuestra nieta Olivia, para ella fue especial , no esperabamos estan ta cerca de la fauna de galapagos, y Quito muy bonito y muy limpio , Los guias fueron muy atentos a nosotros y nos llevaron a nuestro paso. Gracias por compartir su bello pais con nosotros , se los agradezco , esperamos volver.

Gracias

Hotel Reviews

Ilatoa Lodge

Quito

Unas cabañas bien Lindas, y comodas , una vista preciosa

Authenticity & Character

Lo sencilla y bonita que esta presentada

Location

La belleza y originalidad

Staff

Son super amables con nosotros

Cleanliness & Comfort

No, todo con un detalle especial , y muy tranquilo

Casa Opuntia Galapagos Hotel

Puerto Baquerizo Moreno

Un lugar muy bonito y cerca de todo

Authenticity & Character

un lugar muy especial y original

Location

cerca de todo, caminando llegas a todos lados

Staff

muy amables

Cleanliness & Comfort

lo recomendaria a otras personas , exelente hotel

El Barranco

Santa Cruz

Cercano, comodo, justo al lado de la Iglesia, muelle, y de todo nos encanto

Authenticity & Character

muy comodo, y centrio

Location

en el centro de todo

Staff

muy amables

Cleanliness & Comfort

todo muy limpio y ordenado

Mercure Alameda Quito

Quito

exelente Hotel

Authenticity & Character

Location

super centrico

Staff

super

Cleanliness & Comfort

perfect

Activity Reviews

Explore Tortuga Bay & Charles Darwin Station

Puerto Ayora

Fue un lugar hermoso y lleno de vida, mucha vida marina , increible

Quality of Experience

Lo Hermoso que es esa Isla

Food

todo

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Muy atentos a nosotros

Transport

El personal muy amables y atentos

Embracing Nature's Giants: Exploring Santa Cruz Island's Highlands

Galapagos Islands

Fue algo muy especial para nosotros

Quality of Experience

nunca habiamos visto algo asi

Guides, Drivers and Staff

el trato, muy especial

Transport

muy atentos

Welcome to Santa Cruz Island: Private Transfer to Puerto Ayora

Puerto Ayora

Todo exelente

Quality of Experience

lo diferente que es el lugr

Guides, Drivers and Staff

exelente y pacientes

Transport

muy amables

Family Colonial Quito City Tour & Mitad del Mundo - Middle of the World

Quito

fue increible y facinante

Quality of Experience

Es un lugar bien organizado y hermoso

Food

De las mejores comidas de sur America

Guides, Drivers and Staff

exelentes

Transport

fue exelente

Welcome to Ecuador: Let Your Adventure Begin! (Transportation Service)

Galapagos Islands

Grandiosa , No me imaginaba que seria así.

Quality of Experience

Quito y Galapos son hermosos y la gente muy amable

Guides, Drivers and Staff

nuestro guia , Fue muy amable y gentil

Transport

muy comodo y complaciente

This was our first trip to Japan and my wife and I were looking for an active and immersive cultural experience in addition to exploring the traditional tourist destinations such as Tokyo and Kyoto. I had read about the Kumano Kodo pilgrimage trail network in the Kii Peninsula and thought that would be the perfect choice combination of a challenging activity within a more rural area of Japan. It was quickly apparent that I would need a travel specialist to help me understand the options, logistics and booking of accommodations while on the Kumano Kodo. I heard about Kimkim through a Condé Naste article no thought to give them a try. What a great decision to contact Kimkim! I was connected to Stefaan in their Kyoto office and it was an easy and enjoyable experience to plan and book the trip from that point on. We were on the trail for six nights and Stefaan booked a selection of small hotels/onsen ryokans and guesthouses which were each an amazing experience in Japanese hospitality and cuisine. Kimkim partnered with Oku Japan to book and organize the hiking trail maps, transportation logistics and accommodations and everything was exactly as promised and exceeded our expectations. We hiked a total of 72 km and 3,600 m of vertical elevation gain over five days on the Nakahechi route of the Kumano Kodo and it was a fantastic experience. I unreservedly recommend Kimkim and Oku Japan to as travel specialists to explore this unique and special part of the world!