Kimkim Trip Reviews

Christina arranged a wonderful trip for us in Norway. Right from the beginning, she listened to our needs and designed a unique trip. We had various ages in our group form 9 months to 72 years ! Some in our group wanted to hike, play golf and each at Michelen restaurants. Christina managed to keep us all happy
Kimkim also helped us in Visa applications and were extremely helpful and supportive all around

Our recent trip to Italy was absolutely amazing! Began in Rome- started with Pantheon, Colloseum, and Forum, Trevi fountain. Our day at the Vatican was so interesting. Our guide studied archeology and art history so loads of information! One very interesting addition was the Villa Borghese with its beautiful gardens and land in addition to hundreds of sculptures- numerous Bernini, masterpiece paintings- Rafael , Rubens, etc. Definitely include it in your itinerary.
Next Florence. Amazing artwork, food, and 2 Da Vinci museums with interactive models of inventions. Our guide for the Uffizi gallery , the Acadamia and Duomo had a masters in art history. We learned so much more with her than if we had done a self guided tour. Do not miss ordering Florentine steak!
Venice was next- greeted at the train and taken to our water taxi to the Hotel Moresco which was classic and charming. The staff was so attentive and quickly taught us how to to get around using water buses which made the trip so easy. Spent a lot of time in San Marco area with the highlight of attending a concert with a string orchestra performing Vivaldi’s Four Seasons at the Chiesa della Pietà. Took the water bus to the island of Burano (known for silk) and Murano ( known for Venetian glass).
Another fast train to Milan. They are so comfortable and easy to use. First class tickets are very reasonable. It was designed week in Milan so it was very, very crowded. Very walkable city. Wanted my husband to see The Last Supper by Leonardo da Vinci-a 15th-century mural painted on the dining hall wall of the Convent of Santa Maria delle Grazie. Sforza Castle and the Duomo were also full of art work and amazing architecture.
Our final stop was the most breathtaking landscape of Lake Cómo. A boat tour is a must to see all the amazing villas and small,charming towns. We stayed in Varenna which was so nice. 2 beautiful Villas with amazing gardens you can tour. Our most fun was taking a cooking class in a home in Varenna. A charming couple taught us to make fresh pasta- tagliatelle and tortellini filled with spinach and ricotta, an appetizer and Tiramisu! Such a wonderful evening seeing how they raise so much of their food even when they have full time work outside of the home. They practiced their English and we got to practice our Italian!
A train ride back to Rome and an amazing afternoon and evening at the QC Grand Hotel Roma. A full Roman Bath with saunas, steam rooms, and thermal baths. Unfortunately close to the airport which made it easy to leave even though we did not want to go.
In all we had 18 amazing days with the best guides and hotels. Kimkim makes it all work so smoothly! My husband walks with a cane and we can still travel easily thanks to all of their planning.

Sonia, it was a fantastic trip. I was ill after we got home, so I'm just getting around to do the 5 -star review. Veronica in Sardinia did a great job. Valeria in Sicily was an excellent communicator, always checking in on us. I was sad to have the miscommunication on the Cerafu boat trip. I followed the app with the 5-8 time and did not realize the time change Valeria sent with the address, missing the boat trip .
Other than this confusion, all went on schedule and she was invested checking up on us daily.
Grazie,
Christina

Hotel Reviews

Hotel Plaza Opéra

Palermo

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel baglio della Luna

Valle dei Templi, Agrigento

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Relais Chateaux Locanda Don Serafino

Ragusa

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Eurostars Monte Tauro

Taormina

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Regina Margherita

Cagliari

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel dei Pini

Alghero SS

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Resort Cala di Falco

Cannigione

Authenticity & Character

Location

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Guided tour of Valley of the Temples

Italy

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Private walking guided tour of Alghero historical city center

Alghero

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Private sunset e-bike tour

Italy

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Self-excursion to Cefalù with group boat tour along the coast

Italy

Did not get to do

Palermo highlights and street food tour

Palermo

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Etna Wine tasting

Italy

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Sunset boat trip along the Taormina Coast

Taormina

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Private walking guided tour of Cagliari highlights

Cagliari

Everything went very smooth. The accommodations were fantastic and the tours were great. The breakfast buffets at both locations offered something to eat for everyone with all the fresh fruits, pastries and cheeses. I would absolutely recommend KimKim for traveling to Spain. Anna and Yasmine delivered on every front.

Hotel Reviews

Cosmopolita Hotel Boutique & Spa

Platja d'Aro, Girona

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Sallés Hotel Mas Tapiolas

Santa Cristina de Aro

Great breakfast buffet. Staff very friendly and accommodating.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Review

Wonders of Girona Guided Walk

Girona

Carol was fantastic and very easy to tour with. Her knowledge made the tour very interesting and educational.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Sydney planned the most beautiful trip to Greece to celebrate my daughters graduation from college. Everything was perfect. Pir accomodations were incredible. The tours were amazing and our guides were fun and professional. Crete specifically Chania turned oit to possibly be our favorite destination but the place we stayed in Paros was the most incredible. We loved the beaches, thr small town villages and the food. Thank you for an incredible and memorable trip we will never forget! This is our 3rd trip using Kimkim and we are aboit to book our 4th to Japan! Thank yoi for helping us plan unforgettable vacation experiences!

Katherine and Delaney

Everything was very good, our tour guids were nice and transportation to the hotels and to the airport. One thing was a problem we might nedeed more assistance is rental car. It was advised to contact car company that did not work . The car was a little mess . No cameras or GPS were working. Anyway, i is not fault of Sara. She was amazing. Hotels choices and recommendations were excellent.

Very pleased with the trip. The tours were all interesting & informative. . The guides were very knowledgeable & communicated with ease. There was only 1 hiccup when a tour was changed & we were not given the place to be at.
KimKim handled everything very professionally,
and was available throughout our trip. We felt the tapas tour in Granada should have been covered in the beginning instead of the end of our stay so we could have a better understanding. Mallorca was beautiful & we wished we could have spent at least another day. Our last day included a Catamaran Sail that was supposed to have been a small group. We ended up with 11 people on a 40 ft boat which was very tight and we actually motored the entire time instead of sailing. Not the best experience.
We truly enjoyed our free time & ability to see Spain the way we wished to. All in all, a great trip.
Helene & Ned Cohen

Leslie and the Kimkim team made our trip to Italy a family vacation of a lifetime. We will def use Kimkim again and highly recommend their service. We had immediate attention when we needed to change the driver on the rental car contract in Florence. We got a phone call when the meeting spot changed for our tour, and were greeted with a person to make sure we found the new location. Every detail was taken care of. We had someone meet us at the airport and train stations to travel us to our location. Everything was well planned. The hotels were all wonderful and comfortable as well as centrally located.

We had a great time with all of our guides. They were each very knowledgable and friendly and fun. The day trip to Udo Island, though, was quite strenuous with many cardiovascular activities and a warning of that would have been helpful. The DMZ tour was a disappointing, since the JSA is no longer open to the public. Knowing this would have also been helpful because that was probably what I looked forward to most. The other stops on the tour were less than thrilling and had I known what the tour would entail I would have opted instead for a free day. Maire, the tour guide for DMZ was also very difficult to understand because of her unique accent.

We started planning very early & Jimena was amazing from the very start. She asked about our preferences and curated 2 starting off points. From there we were able to customize the exact activities we wanted. Jimena was incredibly supportive through it all, moving activities around & determining how much was possible each day. Once we got closer to our travel dates Jimena got on a call with us to answer any of our outstanding questions. During this call we asked about adding another activity & although it's a super uncommon option, she made it happen for us! We ended up with issues commuting to our destination & were delayed a full day. Jesus & Jimena were able to rework our itinerary so we didn't miss any of our planned activities even though we arrived a full 24 hours late!

While in Peru, we hit the ground running with Edwar (guide) & Wilmer (driver). Edwar was the PERFECT guide for us. He was honest and straight forward. He kept us on track without us ever feeling rushed, if things were running early or late we never noticed because he was taking care of everything in the shadows. He knew exactly when to call our driver back so the whole time in Cusco was effortless. Edwar even stayed with us all the way to the security check point for our domestic flight, to make sure we had no airport hiccups. I recommend KimKim 11/10 & plan to come back for any future travel like this.

Aleksandra,
Sorry it has taken me so long to post, really busy..

Our trip was amazing. We love the places we went. On Isles of the Sky we got re-routed because 2 vans got stuck on a one car road, they were going opposite directions.. It was the best we then decided to go to Dunvegan Castle & Gardens (stunning) and Neist Point Cliff Lighthouse... It was great... Our favorite was Ireland, we are outdoor people and it was beautiful... We did like CLiffs of Moher, but loved Clifs of Kilkee more. You had less people and got closer to the cliffs...

It is quite interesting how the people of Northern Ireland speak alot of the history. It is still very fresh in their minds, even though the rest of the world it seems to have happened a long time ago..

Loved the people in Scotland and Ireland very kind people...

Thank you so much for making the trip special, you did a great job...

Activity Reviews

The Johnnie Walker Signature Experience

Edinburgh

Causeway Coast & Antrim Adventure Private Tour

Scotland

Belfast Private Walking Tour

Belfast

Private Glasgow Essentials Tour

Scotland

Loch Ness Cruise and Urquhart Castle

Scotland

Big ‘Thank you’ to the kimkim team and especially to our trip organizer/guide Gummy! Our vacation was very well planned and everyone really enjoyed it.

Everything went so smoothly, and if there was any deviation from the original plan, the team was so quick and efficient to handle the issue. I saw everything that I wished to see, and could not imagine a better Grandmother/Granddaughter experience.

Hotel Reviews

Hotel ai Mori d'Oriente

Venice

Hotel Hermitage

Florence

Hotel Villa di Sorrento

Sorrento

Location

Hotel Dei Mellini

Rome

Activity Reviews

Evening Pizza & Gelato Cooking Experience

Rome

Evening Vatican & Sistine Chapel Visit

Rome

Private Family Colosseum & Roman Forum Visit

Rome

Tagliatelle, Ravioli & Tiramisu Cooking Experience

Florence

Traditional Boat Ride to Visit Murano & Burano

Venice

Local Secrets City Walk with Rooftop View

Venice

City Discovery Walk with Michelangelo's David

Florence

Day Trip to Cinque Terre & Pisa

Florence

Private Day Trip to Pompeii

Sorrento

Day Trip to Capri Island by Boat

Sorrento

We usually do all of the planning, booking, and driving on our trips so we felt this was like traveling in luxury. Nikola did an amazing job of figuring us out and provided the perfect balance of experiences and independent time. We loved how our accommodations were all in quiet areas but also walkable to the towns and beaches. The help with luggage was such a bonus and it seemed to us we always had the best room. Loved the outdoor seating area at Hotel Dea in Hvar. Our favorite stay was Villa Giardino. Igor (Nic) was an exceptional host. Our 2 days on Bol ended up being our favorite of the trip, for its quietness and beauty. All of our excursions were great but probably enjoyed the boat trip on Hvar and kayak trip on Korcula the most. We were not expecting the homemade treats and wine from Boris (Ithink) on the kayak trip! For guides it was great to have locals, especially Ivana in Dubrovnik and Hana in Montenegro who actually lived or went to school in the walled cities. We were impressed with the punctuality of all of our guides and drivers and the instant communications if things went awry. Perica in Dubrovnik and driver to Montenegro was the most conscientious. In closing, it was clear to us that most every place and every person knew Nicola and his colleagues and wanted to do their best to impress us and him.

Hotel Reviews

Hotel More

Dubrovnik

Great location away from crowds and loved the beach bar area and views.

Authenticity & Character

The view and access to the water and our balcony was amazing!

Location

Maybe nice to have had a view of Dubrovnik old town but would agree that location being away from crowds was worth it.

Staff

Mostly totally on top of service

Cleanliness & Comfort

Very clean but feel the room decor was a little tired and needed updating.

Villa Giardino

Bol

Such a beautiful setting and such personal service! We loved the care put in to the breakfast and the research Igor put in for what to do.

Authenticity & Character

The landscaping and grounds were beautiful. The interior of the room struck us as mismatched for the setting. It felt Hollywood Regency instead of Adriatic coast.

Location

Quiet but ocean view and close to everything. Loved the garden in the back and the breakfast area.

Staff

See above review

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Sea Kayak Tour on Korčula

Korčula

Such a beautiful place to take a kayak tour! Loved the homemade food and beverages as well as information about the area. We would add that we would have liked a little less guided tour on the islands and more time in the kayak and a chance to swim on each of the islands.

Quality of Experience

As mentioned above, would have liked to have had a little less talk and more swimming on all 3 islands.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Our guide made it very personal and we learned a lot about the area. Loved how his family contributed to the food and wine!

Transport

Nice to have a personal pick up from our hotel!

Full Day Boat Tour to Blue Cave & Pakleni Islands

Croatia

Sadly couldn't go to blue caves due to winds but loved our other spots, especially our lunch stop in Komiza. The restaurant recommended was our best meal of the trip!

My husband and I had a perfect trip in Italy, with special thanks to our local specialist, Maria G. It was so comforting knowing all of the details were figured out for us, all transports were lined up, hotels were clean and met our needs, and excursions were so thoughtfully planned out. We had the perfect blend of relaxing, exploring, historical sites, museums, and food. We definitely give the highest of recommendations to both KimKim and Maria!

Activity Reviews

Cooking Class in the Heart of Rome

Rome

This was SO MUCH FUN. We loved it so much, we bought a tool to make pasta on amazon once we got home :)

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Capri Boat Tour from Sorrento

Italy

Wow - this was the perfect way to start our vacation while we were getting over jet lag. It was relaxing, the sites were spectacular, and our guides made sure our experience was nothing but the best. Light snacks and drinks were a fun bonus. Swimming in the ocean was rejuvinating. We enjoyed our time walking around the island and taking the Tram to the top as well.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Private Guided Tour of the Pompeii Ruins

Italy

This was a definite highlight of our trip! Our private guide was so knowledgeable and we learned so much from her!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

This entire trip went as smoothly and brilliantly as we could have hoped. Our driver Zane was magnificent. Always early, always friendly and informative.

Lize planned this to perfection. And she was incredibly patient when we had to make an adjustment to the dates due to an unforeseen issue.

Hotel Reviews

La Fontaine Boutique Hotel

Franschhoek

Such a charming hotel! The hotel manager Kim met us on arrival and was attentive to our every need, such as dinner reservations. The rooms are beautiful in the old Dutch style.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Right in downtown Franschhoek

Staff

So pleasant and helpful

Cleanliness & Comfort

Thabamati Luxury Tented Camp

Kruger National Park

This is the ultimate safari experience if you want to be in a very small group and get a lot of attention. The camp managers Courtney and Brett (also the guide) were unbelievably kind, informative, and flexible. The game rides were the best I have done. The lodgings are first class and each meal was amazing. It was so quiet and peaceful in the camp. We felt blessed in the first few days, so much that the rest of South Africa had a lot to live up to!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Timbavati Private Game Reserve is a much better option than Kruger National Park.

Staff

Everyone was amazing. The cooks, the staff, the tracker and of course the camp managers.

Cleanliness & Comfort

The Victoria & Alfred Hotel

Cape Town

The V&A is exquisite. Every luxury one could imagine.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Afternoon Game Drive

South Africa

Soon after we arrived, we went on the first game drive and went all of about 200 meters and saw elephants up close. The raw beauty was incredible.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Full Day Cape Peninsula Tour (including lunch)

South Africa

We left early at our driver's suggestion—7:30. This was good, as we preceded some crowded bus tours at each stop. Standing at the Cape of Good Hope was incredible. Seeing African Penguins was great (but not as great as the wildlife in Timbavati).

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Full Day City, Table Mountain & Robben Island Tour

South Africa

We luckily had pretty good weather for both Robben Island and Table Mountain. Robben Island guides are actual former political prisoners.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Full Day Winelands Tour (including lunch)

South Africa

This is a pretty long day, unless you are used to wine tours. The lunch is huge and probably makes dinner unnecessary, or just a lite one required. The vineyards are beautiful and the history fascinating.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Final Morning Game Drive

South Africa

We got a rare sighting off. pack of African wild dogs. The guide mentioned that he sometimes would go months without seeing them. The guides in the reserve do a good job communicating with each other so when something rare is seen, others can find it.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Timbavati Private Game Reserve Safari Day

Timbavati Game Reserve

Just incredible how close to the animals we got. The guide and tracker really knew their way.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

The guides selected for us were phenomenal! They shared their culture and experience with us and made the trip memorable! The drivers were amazing and communicated with us for rack pick up. The itinerary was customized and exceeded all of our expectations. There was only one glitch with the travel system (wrong airport listed) but we recovered and made it to the destination on time!

Hotel Reviews

Hotel Forza Osaka Kitahama

Osaka

Overall a fine hotel with fine rooms that met our needs, even breakfast was fine. It is located near shopping and restaurants.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Richmond Hotel premier KYOTO SHIJO

Very nice hotel with a stylish lobby! It is located in the middle of downtown and near shopping and restaurants. The hotel is also next to a grocery store. The room was comfortable and we had plenty of room to move around (the largest room of the 5 hotels we stayed at during a 2-week trip to Japan). The breakfast had many traditional Japanese dishes, with plenty of options for travelers. There are laundry machines and a smart tv in the room so you can see availability in the laundry room without leaving your room.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Mitsui Garden Hotel Shiodome Italia-gai Tokyo

We loved staying here! My family of 3 stayed here twice during a trip to Tokyo for a total of 6 nights - by far our favorite hotel during our trip to Japan. The most comfortable beds and enough room to move around. Great breakfast. Great location - Within walking distance to the metro, convenience stores, and a coffee shop. Plenty of laundry machines and an onsen on the top floor.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

HOTEL THE BOTANIK SEWOON MYEONGDONG

Seoul

Great location! Great breakfast! Great room! A favorite from a recent trip to Seoul! Highly recommend!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Osaka Local Foodie Tour in Dotonbori and Shinsekai

Japan

Arrive with an appetite! The guide took us to 3 locations using the metro and we tried a variety of Osaka food! Our favorite was the end of the evening when we tried Osaka style savory pancakes (pancake is slightly misleading since it made me think of US style pancakes- these are made with shredded cabbage)

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Full Day Nara City Tour, Overnight in Osaka

Kyoto

The deer park is impressive- there are 1000 deer roaming the area. While the deer are aggressive and easily overwhelming, if you move further into the park you can feed single deer without fear of being nipped at or bitten. The stone lanterns and shrines scattered among the park are impressive.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Half Day Bamboo Grove and Monkey Park Tour

Kyoto

The monkey park is a bit of a hike up the side of a mountain (stairs and step walk). Once you reach the top, the monkeys are close to you! Our guide knew the best time to arrive, so we beat the crowd, but it got rather crowded before too long. The bamboo grove is near the monkey park. What a sight to see! Perhaps one of my favorites because once you move beyond the tourists the grove is very serene and peaceful.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Full Day Kyoto City Tour (Kinkaku-ji Temple, Kyoto Imperial Palace, Nijo Castle and Fushimi-Inari Taisha)

Kyoto

A great way to experience Kyoto! Our guide, Zumi, was phenomenal! He took us throughout Kyoto, using the metro, the bus, and even a taxi to get us to each location. He took us further into the locations so we could see more than most tourists.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Master Tokyo's Must-Sees: 5-hour Tsukiji, Akihabara & Asakusa Highlights Tour

Tokyo

We had 2 guides for the day - which was a lifesaver when moving through the crowds of people and traveling to multiple locations. They certainly took us to the most amazing spots in Tokyo!

Quality of Experience

Quality of Experience

Food

The guide had us sample a few items unique to the area and suggested a great spot for lunch. Lunch was close to 1:30pm.

Food

The guide had us sample a few items unique to the area and suggested a great spot for lunch. Lunch was close to 1:30pm.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Transport

Half Day Seoul City Tour with Gyeongbokgung Palace and Bukchon Hanok Village

Seoul

A fantastic way to see Seoul! We started with an option to rent traditional clothes for part of the day (watching the changing of the guards and wandering through the museum). Our guide, Jake, was amazing!! He shared a lot of knowledge about the customs of Korea - which made the experience richer. He suggested a great location for Korean Bulgogi and then took us to a few shopping areas. Jake to our interests into account and customized the rest of our itinerary.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Hozugawa River Cruise

Kyoto

A highlight for our family trip to Japan! Only a few parts of the river had fast flowing water (just a few splashes). The guides shared information about the area and made the trip even more memorable.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Street Go-Cart Tour

Tokyo

What a cool way to experience Tokyo!! The route we followed was fun and the guide took photos which really added to the experience.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

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

Kyoto

3 separate activities: tea ceremony with kimonos was a family favorite! The experience of getting dressed in kimonos was a rush! Learning about the tea ceremony was a treat! Samarai Ninja experience started at one location in town - where we practiced throwing stars and blowing darts. Probably an activity more for smaller children. The museum is located across town - a 10 to 15 minute walk. We accidentally started at the museum and walked to the Ninja Experience, so we did not return to the museum afterwards.

Quality of Experience

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Liz’s was so helpful with all the details, scheduling and planning as well as through the trip itself! Great first time experience with KimKim and it was fantastic. We shall travel with KimKim again

Everything was perfect.. The transportation, guides, and tours were great. Learned lots of history and sampled local food. Everything ran exactly on schedule. It was great not having to worry about getting to places or worrying that we would miss something. We still had time to explore things on our own too. Thank you Moonika!!!

This was an amazing tour of Jordan. Every aspect from accommodations to logistics was well executed. The sights and landmarks we visited were each incredible experiences. Our tour guide Angel delivered an excellent mix of personal service. historical knowledge and culture and local recommendations. Samir was very helpful when I was arranging the tour but Angel helped to make this tour full of memories. I highly, recommend this tour company and they overdelivered at every turn.