Kimkim Trip Reviews

Our trip to South Africa, Zimbabwe and Botswana was phenomenal! Anna-marie did a great job assisting us every step of the way, answering our myriad questions throughout the planning process and while on the ground. Everything worked seamlessly. All the drivers and guides showed up when and where they were supposed to. We enjoyed each location we stayed in from the perfectly located Victoria and Alfred hotel in Cape Town to the Moremi Crossing camp in the middle of the Ocavango Delta. We couldn't be more pleased!

We had an amazing experience with the whole entire trip/tour. The experience from the driver, the places and things we have done. The elephant sanctuary was something I truly enjoyed, feeding & bathing this huge gently giants. We truly were amazed on how huge the Buddhist temples and their status. The one in Bangkok (WOW!!!)
The foods were all so delicious. My daughter got hooked with the Mango sticky rice while my Son enjoyed all of the food. I loved my Iced Tai Tea - refreshing
Bella was amazing to work with she heard all of our questions & feedback.
Thank you very much!!!

Excellent service throughout the entire process. From the planning stages to the final day of the trip, the team was attentive and helpful. When I missed the pickup time for a scheduled tour, my advisor was quick to help me catch up with it. Every driver was polite and took the extra time to not only get me to my destination but also guide me through an unfamiliar country. I could not have hoped for better help.

Hotel Review

Lemong Hotel

Very helpful staff and I placed perfectly in Seoul. You are only ever a few minutes walk from any convenience you could need, and a great market Street only a few blocks to the north.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Close to anything you might need.

Staff

Very helpful

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Seoul Highlights: Gyeongbok Palace, Insadong & N Seoul Tower

Seoul

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Half Day Gyeongju National Museum and Tumuli Park Tour with Night View

Gyeongju

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Private Gyeongju UNESCO Highlights Tour with Local Ryan

Gyeongju

Very helpful guide with an intimate knowledge of gyeongju and its history.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Taylor was awesome. When we’re planning the trip at one point we lost a hotel room for a night she sent us from Flåm to Balestrand and it was one of the best nights we had on the whole trip. Short stay but one of the most beautiful places I have ever been. In addition, she was so attentive to our needs and the hotels were in the perfect location that adventures and tours were set up perfectly. I will definitely definitely use this group again because they know what they’re doing.

My visit to Argentina went very smoothly thanks to excellent guides Emilia, Eugenia, and driver Sergio, I was taken all over Buenos Aires and El Tigre and to a barbecue and horse training exhibition at a ranch in the pampas.

The boat ride through the delta in El Tigre was very interesting and Eugenia found me the small gifts i was looking for at a chocolate shop and a small curio shop there. She seemed to know everybody. Also visited a silversmith studio where they treated her like family.

In Uruguay my guide and driver Fabian and Javier showed me around Colonia where I had arrived by ferry from BA, then drove me to Montevideo where guide Carolina showed me the city and a cafe where the waiter demonstrated how to drink mate and how to drink it from a mate bowl.

Carolina realized at one point that July 31st is the traditional graduation day for medical students in Uruguay. Montevideo throws a huge party for them in a park downtown. So we headed off there, just to see the happy students and their families arriving. It was an unplanned experience and a lot of fun.

Guides were always willing to change things around depending on what i wanted to see at a given moment. Since my interest is photographing people, they made a point of finding places with a lot of activity.

It all went like clockwork. And it only rained for a half hour right at the end of my trip.

Hotel Reviews

Hotel Montevideo

Montevideo

Huge suite with balconies on three sides. Great staff, very clean. Nice location.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Mio Buenos Aires

Buenos Aires

Great room and staff but hard to find someplace close to eat.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Colonia del Sacramento Tour & Transfer to Montevideo

Argentina

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Tour of Buenos Aires city

Buenos Aires

A Day in the Countryside in San Antonio de Areco

Argentina

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Tour of Montevideo city

Montevideo

Tour of Tigre

Buenos Aires

Natalie was a wonderful trip coordinator! Had a wonderful time in Switzerland!

Our trip to Zurich, Interlaken and Lucerne was amazing!! Our specialist, Caroline, was outstanding from the first time we made contact with her, to staying in touch with us during the planning of the trip, to being there for us during the trip and folllowing up with us after we returned home. Her suggestions helped us tremendously while planning and while we were traveling. Caroline was there for us any time we needed her.

We especially loved our time in Interlaken. The views, beautiful little towns and awesome hikes we our favorites!!

Thank you Caroline and thank you KimKim! We will definitely be using your agency again!

Marc and Nicki Brustman

Overall, the trip was truly amazing, and we really appreciated all the thoughtful details and extra touches along the way. The fast-track airport service was fantastic, and we were very impressed with the quality of the hotels throughout the trip. It was clear that a lot of care went into the planning, and our family came home with so many wonderful memories.

A few suggestions for future trips: the Bangkok food tour was a little challenging with such a large group. We would have enjoyed smaller, more local venues rather than Chinatown, which was difficult to navigate with a group of our size.

The Shangri-La Chiang Mai was a wonderful choice for families, and the kids really enjoyed the hotel. However, I would probably recommend dining outside the hotel, as some of the best food we had on the entire trip was at the local restaurants in Chiang Mai. Exploring the local dining scene was definitely one of our highlights. We loved the Melia Koh Samui and the highlight was the speed boat tour and lunch on the beach.

Since we booked so far in advance, we had also hoped our rooms could have been located closer together. With a large family group, having rooms near one another would have made things a little easier.

These are relatively small suggestions in the context of what was truly a fantastic trip. We are so grateful for all the planning, attention to detail, and special touches that went into it. It was an incredibly memorable experience for our entire family, and we really appreciate everything you did to make it so special.

Hotel Reviews

Meliá Koh Samui

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Shangri-La Chiang Mai

Chiang Mai

Stay was nice, great location, pool and spa. Buffet dinner was not good.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Riva Vista Riverfront Chiang Rai

Chiang Rai

Design was outstanding. Pre-fix meal was a bit challenging and would have preferred the a la carte service.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Chatrium Hotel Riverside Bangkok

Bangkok

Great rooms and breakfast included. Safe location near walkable stores and eateries.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Chiang Rai Iconic Temples

Chiang Rai

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Explore Chiang Mai by tuk tuk

Chiang Mai

Bam was an amazing guide.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Night Street Food Tour After Dark by Tuk Tuk

Bangkok

Pad thai location was amazing, the crowds and china town were not ideal.

Quality of Experience

Food

better food quality at local places

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Half Day Elephant Eco Valley: Elephant Trail & Bamboo Rafting in Mae Tang (Private)

Chiang Mai

Bam was amazing as were the guides at the Eco Valley.

Quality of Experience

Food

plated lunch was beautiful

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Bangkok Symbolic Temples

Bangkok

Was a bit too long.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Unique Railway market & Damnoen Saduak Floating Market with Local Food Tasting

Bangkok

Floating market was not great, never actually purchased food as we floated. Lunch place was not ideal.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Full day Kayaking & Snorkeling at Angthong by Premium Speedboat (Private Tour)

Ko Samui

Best overall and guide was crew were great.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Kimkim allowed us to design a trip that fit our personalities and needs - guidance on what to see as well as reservations for key museums and bike rentals. It felt like a trip that we designed rather than a large group tour, but was much better than I could have done on my own without some knowledge of the country. During the planning phase, Bas was great at responding to our requested changes and questions.

We had a few glitches as we arrived, but the team (either Bas or Meike) responded very promptly and helped us to get back on track.

Marisa did a great job tailoring the trip to want my partner and I wanted. The tour guides were all very friendly and knowledgeable. As well as I all our drivers. All the transportation planning was smooth and the group communicated with us throughout the trip to make sure everything was going accordingly to plan. The hotel stay in Lisbon was perfect for walking to restaurants, shops, train stations, and to learn about the city. Algarve was beautiful and we really enjoyed the bike tour and our guide Fefe. The food was excellent and endless wine selection. The only part of the trip that was a little unexpected was the many children at the resort in Algarve (summer= lots of families) so at times it was a little hectic and no place that didn’t allow kids (bar or spa) but having the beach and towns nearby to escape made it enjoyable nonetheless. I would likely use kimkim again to book future travels.

Julia planned an amazing two days in Madrid for us. Everything was great starting on day one with our airport pick up, followed by a self- guided and self-paced walking tour of La Latina , and ending the day with the super fun Tapas and Tavernas history food tour with Daniel from Devour Tours. On day two we were so fortunate to have the amazing Maria guide us at both The Prado Museum and the Royal Palace . She really made the art come alive for us. It was an amazing experience. We learned so much and really were able to make the most of our visit. We also had plenty of time for needed siestas and a long visit with friends. We loved staying at the Pestana Collection Plaza Mayor — a cool hotel with a perfect central location. We will definitely return to Madrid!

Hotel Review

Pestana Collection Plaza Mayor

Madrid

Great central location. We were a 20-minute walk or less from everywhere we wanted to go. The staff was wonderful. The room was cool. Delicious breakfast. A lovely calm oasis in the city.

Authenticity & Character

Near rooms, lovely decor, great staff, nice breakfast

Location

Central to everywhere we wanted to visit. Very walkable

Staff

Couldn’t be nicer or more helpful

Cleanliness & Comfort

Daily run cleaning and turn down service with a chocolate treat included!

Activity Review

Short Prado Museum Visit with Skip-the-Line Ticket

Madrid

The guided tour was amazing. Maria knew so much and we experienced the art in ways I never have. I would do this again!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Micaela from KimKim and Joaquina from Say Hueque were very helpful, supporting me with itinerary revisions even just a few days before the trip started.

​During the trip, the local operations provided outstanding service, especially during Torres del Paine. It was a wonderful, unique experience with a high-quality bus and knowledgeable guides. The locations we visited were distinct and offered a fresh perspective compared to standard itineraries from our country (Thailand).

​Additionally, the Mayo Spirit Trek was amazing and stood out as one of the true highlights of our journey in El Calafate.

​The duration was just right to cover everything on our wishlist, while still allowing us enough flexibility to take in each location without feeling rushed. Highly recommended.

Activity Reviews

Full-day Trekking Laguna de los Tres

El Chaltén

Our guide was really professional and really took care of us even during the extreme weather!

Quality of Experience

Flexible and we had a really good care.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Excellent!

Transport

Full Day MAYO SPIRIT TREK

El Calafate

Cruise was amazinggggggggg, we all loved it! The places we visited also nice and specular!

Quality of Experience

Great time arrangement, lots of thing to see especially the floating ice burge and large glacia!

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Our guide was friendly and informative.

Transport

Cruise and bus were all excellent!

Full-Day Hiking Base Las Torres

Puerto Natales

Best hike and most beautiful hike in Patagonia. A long the way was scenic! The local guide was also amazing and well-prepared. The provided lunch was just enough.

Quality of Experience

Good time arrangement

Food

lunch pack qas just right!

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Well prepared guide

Transport

Good bus qaulity

Full-Day Torres Del Paine Tour

Puerto Natales

Fabulous tour plan, seeing new perspective

Quality of Experience

It would be better to visit the broadwalk and skip the cave (last destination).

Guides, Drivers and Staff

The tour guide was really friendly and knowledgable.

Transport

Bus was comfortable, but can be better as the size of the seat was not fit for westen people.

Samantha and the KimKim team did a great job helping us schedule and organize our 3-week trip to Australia. We like to explore on our own but appreciate guided tours in special places - especially with small groups. Samantha worked closely with us to come up with a flexible schedule to accomodate our style. She came up with a plan but then worked closely with us to adjust to match our interests. We really appreciated that special help.

The biggest highlights were the tours at Uluru (guided by Ali) and Kata-Tjuta Domes (Jose) with Seit Outback Australia and the Sydney Opera House by SOH staff. We also appreciated the arrangements for lodging and transportation (flights, airport pick-ups, rental cars) that made the trip very easy.

The Daintree Heritage Lodge was a fantastic natural location with a great creek and swimming holes going through the property, outdoor eating area, and great birds and flora. It also was close to another highlight, the Madja Boardwalk trail which goes through both rainforest and mangrove habitats and gave access to tours of the Atherton Tablelands and the Daintree River to see crocodiles and other river wildlife. The lodging and amenities at Yulara were amazing. I wondered what we'd do there in between tours to Uluru and Kata-Tjuta but the whole city/resort provides many opportunities to walk around, see great aboriginal art galleries, and have short tours about flora and the local culture. The rental car from Melbourne let us get out to the 12 Apostles and a great hike at Triplett Falls. We also enjoyed the New Hotel in Sydney for our short stay there - great location and unique design.

We will definitely be using KimKim again for trips in the future. Thanks to Samantha and the whole team.
Rick and Laura

We had a great time in Buenos Aires and Bariloche. The experience was seamless, and all our local guides were great. Highly recommend working with KimKim and Paulo.

Gorgeous country, very nice people. Keti organized our round trip very well. Our guide and our driver were fabulous. I can only recommend

Activity Reviews

Day Trip around Kutaisi

Kutaisi

Quality of Experience

Not so much to do in Kutaisi, we found the day a bit long. We should have explored the canyons

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Transfer from Stepantsminda to Kutaisi via Uplistsikhe

Georgia

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Transfer to Stepantsminda

Georgia

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Drive from Tbilisi to Telavi with visits on the way

Georgia

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Amazing Safari to the Oktavango Delta, Kalahari and Victoria Falls

Anna planned an amazing trip for us! She listened to what we wanted even though we didn't really know what we wanted and planned the perfect trip. Norway was even better than expected and the trip was amazing. Anna planned a few activities and gave us recommendations on things we could do on other days but left us lots of time to go off and explore on our own. We ended up adding a few hikes to our trip which we had not planned on doing when originally booking. We had a great time kayaking in Hamn i Senja with our guide Richard. He was very knowledgeable and had great stories to share. Our favorite places were the Lofoten Islands and Senja. We loved traveling with kimkim. Having everything organized in the app so we knew exactly what we were doing each day and had our tickets saved on there made traveling stress free. We would highly recommend traveling with kimkim!

Hotel Reviews

Svinøya Rorbuer

Svolvær

We loved our room and being able to spread out. The whole property was beautiful and we loved being able to walk into town for dinner and to explore.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hamn i Senja

Skaland

Beautiful location. We loved sitting in the chairs looking over the water at sunset and walking around the property. Richard, the kayak guide was great!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Review

Midnight Sun Kayak Tour in Bergsfjorden

Senja

The views on this tour were amazing! Our guide, Richard was very knowledgeable and had lots of stories to share about his experiences guiding in many different countries.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

I worked with Penny initially to coordinate the trip and she was absolutely wonderful. The week before we were to leave, I wrote to Penny to set up a call only to learn she had left the company. This was quite unsettling to me. Penny told me she personally would pick us up at Athens airport when we arrived and help get us settled at our hotel. I am an older woman and was with my 12 year old granddaughter (who is very tall and appears to look 17-18 years old). I suffer from a serious medical condition causes me to lose consciousness under certain circumstances.

First day we were picked up a hotel for a “walking tour” in Athens, The driver dropped us off on a corner, told us to go under the street and meet somewhere for group. Very unclear where to go. The What’s App only worked with WiFi connection that we did not have. It took us several minutes to connect with anyone, and finally met up with the group. The tour guide walked extremely fast and combined with extended periods of just standing was more than I could do. I had to stop and sit down. We gave back the devices and went on our own after that point. It was not a pleasant experience at all and very confusing as to where to be and when.

The day continued with several issues including the curtain holder in our hotel room falling off the window on my head. Jet lag did not help us at all either.

Aleksandra was wonderful! She arranged a great trip for us - paying careful attention to our desires. She quickly made adjustments when we requested. She was also available and helpful when our flight was delayed and the first day of our trip was effectively cancelled.

Hotel Reviews

Lincoln House Private Hotel

Cardiff

Lincoln House was a suitable hotel for the last evening of our long vacation. We arrived late and left early. All was good.

The Castle Hotel

Conwy

Authenticity & Character

The room was spacious. We loved the four-poster bed which according to a plaque was built in 1574. The furnishings (chairs, window treatments, wardrobe) were beautiful.

Location

The location in the center of the city was very convenient. It was a short walk to the castle.

Staff

Hotel reception was very friendly and helpful about parking and a short-cut to the castle. The bartender was also friendly and attentive.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Castle Cottage Inn

Harlech

This was our favorite hotel of the trip! Great location and absolutely beautiful room! Dinner was superb! We wish we could have stayed longer!

Authenticity & Character

The hotel is beautiful with great attention to comfort and detail.

Location

The hotel was adjacent the castle and had great views of the castle and the coast. It was just a little challenging to get to on the narrow streets.

Staff

Pattra (the owner) was wonderful. Very helpful and very friendly.

Cleanliness & Comfort

The room was large, the bed comfortable, the shower and bath luxurious.

The Glengower

Aberystwyth

The great location of this hotel makes up for the minor complaints. With a little more attention to the room's furnishings, we would have given the hotel a 5-star rating.

Authenticity & Character

The location, restaurant, bar and friendliness of the staff was wonderful. The room was small which is understandable - however there was a clothes rack for hanging clothes and a full-size ironing board that seemed unncessary and definitely detracted from the room. (I couldn't find the iron). The bed was small (also understandable) but uncomfortable.

Location

The location of this hotel is its biggest advantage. It is adjacent the promonade - so walking and viewing the ocean was great. Parking was a little challenging - we parked 2 short blocks away in the lot for a medical facility. That was definitely better than on the street.

Staff

The staff was very friendly and helped us navigate the parking.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Penrhiw Farm B & B

Fishguard

Authenticity & Character

There was information in the room that detailed the history of the farm. The B&B was appropriately furnished for a working farm. The gardens/yard were beautiful. We especially appreciated the 3 dogs and the neighboring pigs.

Location

This B&B is a little challenging to get to - on a narrow road up a steep hill.

Staff

Very friendly - especially for breakfast the next morning.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Very comfortable. Nice bathroom - great shower and BIG tub. We slept better than we had in months!

Penally Abbey Country House Hotel and Restaurant Penally

Tenby

Penally Abbey Country House was wonderful. The room was large, comfortable and well appointed. The bathroom was modern with a great walk-in shower.

Authenticity & Character

The hotel was beautifully appointed. I was especially captivated by the dining rooms.

Location

Short distance to Tenby and also a nice hike to the ocean.

Staff

The staff was wonderful - we met the owners when we checked in. The bar/restaurant staff was especially friendly.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Parador 44

Cardiff

Wonderful hotel - centrally located in Cardiff. We weren't able to enjoy it - because our flight was delayed and we arrived in Cardiff in the evening as opposed to noon.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Cardiff Bay Boat Tour

Cardiff

Due to the flight delay, we were unable to make this trip.

Seal Safari Boat Tour

Wales

Our expectations were somewhat low. Because we "lost" the first day of our trip, we were just happy to get on a boat and out on the water. The views of Tenby from the water were great. We did see two seals in the water. The boat was a nice size - maybe 30 of us. The 'captain/guide' was knowledgable. low-key and conversational.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Private Transfer from Cardiff to Cardiff Airport

Cardiff

Similar to our arrival - not being about departure is well worth it. It is great not to worry about returning the rental car and finding our way to the airport.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

We really appreciated our driver. She arrived 10 minutes early, was a pleasant and friendly conversationalist and got us to the airport on time.

Transport

Private Transfer from Cardiff Airport to Cardiff

Cardiff

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

It was nice to have everything already planned. Having breakfast included with the hotel was very convenient. The three lagoon experiences were all unique and refreshing. The directions for driving and time allotted were adequate. It was helpful to know ahead of time what the highlights were and how long we should stay at each stop. It took the stress out of trip planning and having to arrange for hotel stays as well as excursions.