Kimkim Trip Reviews

We had such a great experience with KimKim. We started planning with Moonika and met Lilla. a little later on and they were both fantastic. Lilla took the time to greet us at the airport which was very thoughtful. We had a few bumps in the road because of weather and Lilla was very communicative, even on the weekend outside of business hours, and helped us adjust as needed. The companies they booked our tours with were also great with kind and knowledgeable staff and both accommodations were wonderful as well. We were warned ahead of time about this time of year being a shoulder season which we definitely experienced but it did not take away from our trip at all. The trip was everything we had hoped for and we can’t wait to go back

Hotel Reviews

Arctic Light Hotel

Rovaniemi

Staff were extremely friendly and accommodating. We had some noisy upstairs neighbors and when we called at 130 in the morning the problem was handled right away. Great sized rooms and amenities

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Very friendly and professional

Cleanliness & Comfort

Apukka Resort

Rovaniemi

Great activities and amenities. Food on property is overpriced but other than that it’s a great property

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Review

Snowmobile Safari Into the Wilderness

Apukka

Even though a lot of the snow had melted this was a very fun activity

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Olman was truly exceptional — not only was he a great person to spend time with, but his knowledge about so many aspects of the trip made a huge difference. He quickly understood exactly what we were looking for and arranged everything perfectly to match our preferences. His professionalism, flexibility, and insight made our experience even more memorable.
Overall, we are very happy with the service and the entire experience. Thank you once again for taking such good care of us.

Hotel Reviews

Hampton by Hilton San José Airport

Alajuela

One of the very comforting hotels. Great choice

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Playa Espadilla

Manuel Antonio

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Great staff and very friendly

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Cipreses

Monteverde

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Arenal Montechiari

La Fortuna

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

WiFi at the room wasn’t available and it was bit inconvenient to go to reception or buffet area to browse the internet.

Rincón del Valle Hotel & Suites

San José

Location-wise, the hotel was convenient, and the breakfast was excellent. However, the amenities could have been better to enhance the overall stay.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Few restaurants around to check!

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Rooms were quite dusty and the bathrooms weren’t that clean.

Activity Reviews

Selvatura Park Self-Guided Hanging Bridges & Zip Lining

Monteverde

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Night Excursion at the Wildlife Refuge in Monteverde

Monteverde

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Whitewater Rafting on the Balsa River Class II & III

Arenal/La Fortuna

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

El Silencio Hike & Visit to Ecotermales Hot Springs

Arenal/La Fortuna

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Knowing that all of the major things were taken care of was a huge relief. I wanted someone to coordinate transportation and accommodations for me, as those are generally what are the most stressful for me to figure out. I talked to Moonika and told her what I was looking for plus some of my concerns for traveling. She coordinated all of the overnight stays and transportation necessary and made sure I had the information I needed to get there. Accommodations were exactly what I was looking for, and drivers were professional.

We were a party of 3 friends who booked our trip to Turkey with KimKim and we 100% recommend them and would return to Turkey to travel again with this agency! Our tour arrangers were exceptionally responsive - Murat and Hulya helped coordinate for us when we were in Turkey and were incredible - our messages were meticulously detailed with our itinerary, driver information and flight info. They went above and beyond to take care of us- when I left my Kindle at a hotel - they coordinated with our driver and guide in the next city to retrieve that item for me so I could have it in hand before I left Turkey. Similarly, when the weather was not looking good for our hot air balloon flight in Capadoccia, they rearranged our itinerary so that we could go on our flight the day before - and it was SO memorable! Our tour guides - Emre, Ozan and Efe - were all so knowledgeable, hospitable, and professional - Ozan especially enriched our experience and helped us fall in love with Turkey. All of the drivers and tour vans were exceptional - my friends and I had never ridden in such comfortable tour vehicles (they had refrigerators in the car for water). All of the hotel accommodations were comfortable - Berat made sure we each had our own beds in each hotel. Amongst all of them - we LOVED the Kale Kona Hotel - we hope to return there one day, it was an amazing place. We hope to return to Turkey with KimKim one day to go to other places we have not seen yet.

We came in at the last minute with a week before our flights to Thailand looking for trip options (was a last minute vacation!) and Bella promptly went back and forth with us several times at odd hours of her day on the other side of the world, quickly helping us land on a great trip for us, including having to very very carefully play tetris with shifting availability days/times as we booked so close to the days of the events.

Everything was meticulously organized -- drivers and guides for every segment, with her WhatsApping us contact info beforehand and quickly changing drivers when we had a delay during one event to make sure we were continually cared for. The guides she picked for us were very interested in going out of their way to customize the experience to our trip desires, flipping up destinations midday if they had more interesting sounding ideas after they got to know us, adding side trips, etc.

We couldn't have asked for a better experience, and especially with such wildly limited notice our expectations were very exceeded.

Hotel Reviews

Buri Sriping Riverside Resort & Spa

Chiang Mai

Staff were super friendly. 24 self laundry was awesome. The grounds were beautiful. The pool was lovely. The breakfast was so-so. We wished we had been closer/more walkable to old town - there wasn't much in walking distance from the hotel.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Radisson Suites Bangkok

Bangkok

Great location. All the staff were really friendly. Room was great. Breakfast was outstanding.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Ayutthaya’s Ancient Wonders & Local Flavors

Thailand

The scale of the ruins was grandiose, but the lack of our (humanity's, not us the tourists) knowledge about the history of the site means that it's mostly just a bunch of ruins with very limited context to walk around. We tend to be looking to combine historical context with tours, so this one was a bit disappointing compared to our other activities on this vacation. The food stop itself was good for river prawn fans, but outside of the local river prawns, nothing special.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Dinner at Blackitch Artisan Kitchen

Chiang Mai

Our dinner at Blackitch was truly excellent.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Traditional Thai Massage at Fah Lanna Spa

Chiang Mai

Our time at Fah Lanna Spa was wonderful. The staff were very friendly and all our services were excellent.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Chiang Mai Cooking Class Experience

Chiang Mai

This was absolutely a highlight of our trip. Our chef instructor was incredible and gave us way more than just recipes, but instead a set of guidelines for how to be creative with Thai cooking. She also helped provide tips about how to get ingredients back home. It was really fun to go around the market with her before we headed to the cookery. Everything we cooked was delicious, but I am also going home looking forward to being able to re-create what we made.

Quality of Experience

Loved having the private experience - we were really able to ask questions specific to how I cook at home and I really feel that I'm going home with practical knowledge.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

True Taste of Chiang Mai with Evening Foodie Tour

Chiang Mai

Once again, we trusted all the choices with our guide and that was not a mistake. Everything we ate (and we ate a lot!) was delicious. It was super fun hopping around in the tuktuk.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Half-Day Doi Suthep Temple Tour

Chiang Mai

Once again, this was a perfect activity to do on a travel day. Our guide was extremely informative and we learned a lot of new things despite already having been to several temples. The views from the temple were really stunning and the overall ambiance was really lovely.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Day trip to Erawan National Park visit

Thailand

This was a really fun day - we enjoyed getting out of the city and seeing some stunning waterfalls. The hike up to the last waterfall wasn't too strenuous.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Food Tour by Tuk-tuk in Bangkok!

Bangkok

We followed our Guide's recommendations all evening and tried things that we would never have otherwise known to order. The food was delicious and we particularly loved the latter stops on the tour that were more market/street food like.

Quality of Experience

The one thing we would change would be the first stop that we did - it was inside a food court. We'd recommend sticking to the more open street market locations!

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Half-Day Bangkok City Tour

Bangkok

The Grand Palace and all the temples were really beautiful. We learned a lot about Thai history and Buddhist practices. Our guide was great and the pacing of the tour was perfect. We saw so many things!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Welcome to Bangkok! A short visit to Wat Saket Temple

Bangkok

This was a perfect arrival activity for when we were a a bit jet lagged. The temple was pretty and had a good view. Our guide taught us some basics about Bhuddism.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

First of all, this our 2nd time to use KimKim for a trip. They certainly have made traveling more enjoyable, and in actuality, cost efficient!
We were working with Liz Karen for quite a while. She is knowledgeable about the various options for a Cusco trip which helped us make our decisions.
Since we started many months prior to traveling, we really appreciated Liz Karen’s patience and creativity. We end up with 9 iterations of our trip, and she helped with all the information we needed to have a good trip.
When we finally arrived, our in country help was Oscar! That guy is really patient, but I also think he knows how to build in the perfect amount of time for each of the outings. He kept us on pace, especially with our reserved luncheon at Ollytantambo and with the rather complicated 2 day trip for Machupicchu with buses and trains and other hotels, he made it easy. He really allowed us to enjoy ourselves and masterfully moved us around. To where we needed to go at what time we needed to be there.
We had a 6 day trip from USA, all in Cusco/Aguas Calientes area. With 11 people including 2 grandparents and 1 grandchild, the private tours and travel were of necessity, and here is where KimKim does so well. That’s the really service we appreciate because we get to enjoy the trip and the sights!
We stayed at Tika Wasi in the San Blas area of Cusco, which was a perfect funky hotel with nice courtyard area and the surrounding area is comfortable and plenty of food alternatives.
Definitely want to make sure you are acclimated to the altitude as not sure we could’ve done machupichu in the 1st couple days, pretty rough already.

Hotel Reviews

Pucara Machu Picchu Hotel

Can’t beat a hotel right downtown, such convenience.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Tika Wasi Casa Boutique

Cusco

Very nice comfortable boutique in San Blas. Breakfast was good, along with the courtyard area. No televisions in rooms, which is nice to have, but then again we were so tired that probably didn’t matter. The staff was friendly, knowledgeable about the area, and even helped me fix one of our luggage zippers!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Right at the edge of the area. Far enough away from noise and hustle, yet close enough that we could walk everywhere

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Explore Machu Picchu & Return to Cusco (Private Guided tour in Machu Picchu)

Peru

We simply travel to go find out about places, so we certainly got out fill of being in the area long enough, but then to add this really awe inspiring mountain top city basically in the middle of nowhere was simply breathtaking. Not to mention the climb up to go down to the part of the circuit 2A we went on. Oscar was helpful getting us around as he did all week.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Private tour to The Sacred Valley: Maras, Moray & Pachamanca

Peru

Basically it was all about the Pachamama, as we are a family that loves to eat. Learning a bit more about the indigenous culture, in that setting at El Albergue was fantastic. The distillery and the coffee roasting facilities were a nice surprise.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Private tour to Pisac: Andean Animals

Cusco

This was pretty neat, and really helped us understand where we were geographically: very high up in the Andes! So awesome! Was cool to see the local animals and birds, and see the countryside.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Private Half-Day Walking Tour: Sacsayhuaman, Cusco City & San Pedro Market

Cusco

This was basically filler and a get to know the area excursion. I think our group was too big to make it special, as no one paid much attention and went off on their own anyway.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

This was our second trip to the Galápagos, and Ariel made it absolutely amazing. The MC Treasure was perfect, and the crew was exceptional—warm, professional, and always a step ahead. They made us feel so well cared for, and every detail on board was flawless. Hector, our guide, was fantastic and brought every island to life with his knowledge and enthusiasm.

Ariel’s planning, communication, and thoughtful touches made the whole experience smooth and unforgettable. We can’t wait to plan our next adventure with Kim Kim!

Asko was detailed in answering questions and was immediately available to assist when there was confusion at hotel check-in. This was the first time utilizing this service and I was very impressed with the level of detail in determining the final itinerary.

Hotel Review

The Porter House Sydney

Sydney

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Review

Sydney Opera House tour

Sydney

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Our family of four used KimKim/Original Travels to create a 9-day custom tour of Morocco that exceeded our expectations. Communication with Abdellah and Said at Original Travels was outstanding from beginning to end, the selected local guides were all excellent, and adjustments to our itinerary were made seamlessly when requested.

Our enjoyment of the trip was influenced by Karim, our exceptional driver/guide, who truly made our experience in Morocco unforgettable. He was always punctual, incredibly flexible with our schedule, and consistently went above and beyond to make sure our needs were met, including a side quest to find a specific piece of pottery.

What truly sets Karim apart is his cheerful personality and genuine willingness to share personal stories and deep cultural insights. His stories brought Morocco to life in a way no guidebook ever could, and we always felt enriched by everything he shared.

The vehicle was always clean, comfortable, and well-maintained, making even long drives relaxing. Most importantly, we always felt completely safe and in excellent hands with Karim behind the wheel.

If you are looking for a reliable, knowledgeable, warm, and professional driver/guide in Morocco, we cannot recommend Karim highly enough. KimKim, Original Travels, and Karim, truly made our journey special.

Everything was first class except the very last night. I know John Mattarella was a little kind in his words, but I won’t mix the words that was way beneath what you guys should’ve gave us. Everything was excellent until that moment it was like going to a hostile quite honestly is bullshit but everything else was great except exceptionally great except that last moment, which then the last moment is what you remember I hope for your future guests you get rid of that location cause that was a joke again thank you for everything with a great time John my wife, Yvonne, and Heather did all the coordinating with you. I was a silent partner and like said it was great fantastic over the top until last night. Quite honest I think we should get a refund for that night, but that’s beside the point please do better for your next guest on that port otherwise spot on thank you Ron Zielinski

My family (husband, oldest daughter, son-in-law and 2 grandsons) completed a trip to Costa Rica organized by Serendipity Adventures. I had extensive conversations with Holden, who then crafted an amazing itinerary for us which included a variety of activities. This was important to us as my husband is not able to do much walking. I found Serendipity to be easy to work with and extremely responsive to any questions we had. Prior to departure we got a detailed itinerary, instructions for our arrival and a helpful packing list.
Upon arrival we were met by Mariano who took us to our first destination. Mariano spoke great English, had tremendous passion for his country and was so informative. He was a joy to spend time with. He worked with us if we needed to tweak start times on our excursions.
This was a trip that left us with fantastic memories. From the amazing accommodations in the rainforest or by Manuel Antonio to our adventures (hanging bridges, zipline, cocoa & coffee class,, river float, ocean sail, hikes) everything was superb. Serendipty selected guides and companies (Endemic Bird and Brisa Elegante get a shout out) that were top notch. I can’t think of enough superlatives.
During our trip the Serendipity team stayed in touch. I was impressed with the promptness of their responses – even in the evening.
I would most definitely rely on Serendipity again!!

Hotel Reviews

Hotel La Mariposa

Manuel Antonio

Beautiful rooms with great views of the ocean. Breathtaking sunsets from the pool and dining room terrace

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

All staff was friendly, courteous and eager to please. Diego at the pool bar is great!

Cleanliness & Comfort

Chachagua Rainforest Hotel & Hot Springs

Peñas Blancas

Beautiful setting in the rainforest

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

a few too many bugs but not the hotel's fault - you are in the rainforest

Activity Reviews

Sunset Sailing Cruise on the Brisa Elegante

Costa Rica

A fun crew. We were lucky to encounter dolphins and a mama whale and her baby.

Quality of Experience

boat ride was great - beautiful coastline

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Private Manuel Antonio National Park Guided Hike

Costa Rica

I'm amazed at how much Andres can spot. All the guides, although from different companies, help each other out when they find interesting things.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Andres is the best!

Big Arenal Mundo Aventura Zipline

Arenal/La Fortuna

This was an exhilarating adventure. The guides here are well prepared and clearly love what they do.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Private Arenal Hanging Bridges Walk

Arenal/La Fortuna

Saw so many things

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Private River Float on the Peñas Blancas River

Costa Rica

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Mariano!!

Cacao & Coffee Class at Chachagua Rainforest Lodge

Arenal/La Fortuna

Very informative and fun experience. Our guide Roberto pointed out many things, especially on our hike to the finca. Got everybody involved in the process

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transfer for Passenger Arriving at a Different Time

Costa Rica

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Aloha,

Bella and the entire team was so amazing and wonderful to work with and experience Thailand for the first time was truly a dream.

Bella was quite professional, very customer oriented and truly awesome to work with.

Bella was able to work with our needs and budget and made several thoughtful plans for us to choose and whatever questions we asked, she answered it quickly. Bella was very informative and made sure that we were taken care of each part of the trip from beginning to end.

The Bangkok Team: Our guide and driver, Anita and Shin, both were super awesome as well. Both were friendly, smiling all the time and just happy. That set the tone everyday. Anita shared the cultural, historical and personality everywhere we went. We loved the temples, sights, and food experiences. The temples were truly magical and wondrous. Chinatown, Floating Market, the Railroad market and all of the other sites we’ve seen was remarkable and “you have to be there to see and experience it.”

The Chiang Mai Team: Our guide, Cookie and driver were wonderful too. Cookie shared special stories with each place we visited and as we visited different temples and attractions, people knew of her and respected her. We felt very special to be in her presence.

If you ever want to go on a trip, please contact KimKim and you won’t regret it. We’ve bumped into several people who used other services and they did not get the services that we experienced.

We loved the fact that we were taken care of from arrival to departure, from hotel to attractions, food and sights made our Thailand trip filled with cherished memories, new found friends and a lifetime of experiences.

Bella and team, we loved it and we will be back.

Me ke aloha,
Jessica & Scott

We needed help to plan a trip to Australia and New Zealand in October through November 2025. We didn’t want a multi-city tour that would lock us into a fixed daily schedule, spending our entire vacation with the same dozen people. We had specific interests (animals, culture, museums) and were not interested in the outdoor sports and water activities that are so popular in both countries. KimKim was recommend to us by family members who had taken two successful trips with the help of their agents. Once we’d outlined what we had in mind, KimKim hooked us up with Vicky, their Australia-based agent, to help us work out the details.

Working with Vicky was easy, efficient, and even fun. We said where we wanted to go and what we wanted to see and when we needed free days to meet up with friends and family. She helped us shape the schedule, arranged all in-country flights and transportation, and tours she knew would be good fits for us. After about a month we had a plan that produced the trip of a lifetime! Once, when we had a problem (of our doing), Vicky jumped in immediately and resolved it for us in less than two hours. Hotel choices were excellent. Full- and half-day tours were led by experienced guides in clean, comfortable vehicles.

Our experience with KimKim was great. The KimKim website is easy to use and served as a great reference as we traveled. Vicky was a terrific agent who kept the ball rolling as we planned the trip together, patiently guiding us through all the details needed for an stress-free international trip.

Perfectly planned and executed! Judy was an amazing to work with. She customized our 9 day trip to Japan with our family of four. The trip was comprehensive and all inclusive of hotel, transportation and activities, less airfare. All the hotels were of excellent quality and all centrally located. All tour guides and transportation specialists communicated at least one day in advance to confirm all our bookings throughout the trip. They were all very knowledgeable and provided superb, quality service. Judy had recommendations and answered all our questions. She was available and communicated throughout the whole trip. I would highly recommend KimKim and would definitely use them again for our next trip to Japan or Asia. Our trip went as perfectly as can be!

Hotel Reviews

The Royal Park Hotel Iconic Osaka Midosuji

Osaka

Great hotel. Our hotel got two people and had do split up our family of 4 into two connecting rooms which worked out okay too. Rooms were smaller than other hotels but clean, classy. Located in a business district. Hotel is more for professionals and business. One subway stop away from Umeda which is the big central station with shops. Overall very nice hotel.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

GOOD NATURE HOTEL KYOTO

Kyoto

Very nice hotel. Nice, clean, green, modern. Great breakfast. Spacious room to fit our family of 4. Located in the center of action, shops and restaurants.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

&Here TOKYO UENO

Perfect for families. Love that Ueno Park is across the street for a stroll. Safe. Clean. Spacious. Centrally located. Kids loved the bunk beds.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Across the street from Ueno Park, near zoo and central to transportation

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

One Day Miyajima Island and Hiroshima Tour

Japan

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Guide was the most knowledgeable guide we have evee experienced.

Transport

Bonsai Garden at Hoshun-in Temple (Daitokuji Temple)

Kyoto

Very beautiful trees and meticulously maintained garden.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Kimono Tea Ceremony at Kyoto Maikoya

Kyoto

Nice experience of Japanese customs and tradition. We did this with our 8 and 11 year old. The event is very formal and very respectful.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Full Day Kids-Friendly Tokyo City Tour with Akihabara

Tokyo

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

The Galapagos was truly an amazing adventure! Paul planned and implemented a wonderful trip! All the travel and tours were handled very professionally and the accommodations were excellent. Alex and Robert made sure we were all on the bus, boat, or airplane, as planned. Our excellent guides Javier and Karem led us on adventures every day. Snorkeling with sea lions, manta rays, turtles, sharks and schools of fish was incredible! We've never been surrounded by such an abundance of sea life. We also saw wildlife and different landscapes while exploring various islands. Daniela's tour with the giant land tortoises was another fascinating day! The Galapagos is truly a unique place that locals are working hard to preserve for all. We're thrilled we got a chance to visit!

Doris was such a pleasure to work with! She created a private tour for our family of six with ages ranging from 65 to age 5! Her attention to detail was spot on. We love the beautiful hotels she booked. The itinerary was just right, the guides and drivers were exceptional! The roomy passenger van was top notch! She booked our flights within the country and even helped us with our visas. We had a friendly driver waiting for our delayed flight and guide at the airport after a 20 plus hour flight so we were so exhausted so that was a lifesaver to be taken to our hotel and even helped with our check in.
We loved Ho Chi Minh City and learned so much on our delightful tour. It was very meaningful and special . We love the people of Vietnam and were treated with so much kindness. Our next stop was Hanoi. Another exciting city and a new guide and driver who treated us exceptionally well. Both were always on time and delightful to be with. We had an amazing day of touring Hanoi and before we knew it we were off to an amazing cruise on HaLong Bay! The ship exceeded our expectations and all of the tours from the ship were very fun. The accommodations were perfect and we enjoyed the elevated dining experience with great food. Our lovely tour guide was there to pick us up on time and back to Hanoi for our flight to Phi Quoc. Again the resort was absolutely amazing! Truly paradise ! We had the best time there and were sad when it was time to leave ! We had a seamless experience being transported to the airport back to Ho Chi Minh then picked up by a driver Doris arranged for us that also was outstanding for over overnight before our international flight home.
We were so happy to meet Doris in Hanoi. She is the most kind, hard working , professional that you could ever hope for. I don’t know how she did it, but every arrangement she made for us and every person we had the pleasure of spending time with were so kind, organized and truly went out of their way to make this the best trip we have ever been on. We are so thankful and feel so blessed to have Doris and her staff create a trip of a lifetime. We love Vietnam and hope to visit again someday. We have already recommended to our friends to contact Doris if they would like to travel to the destinations that she does travel planning for. Thank you Doris!! May we meet again!!
Laura Scott

Hotel Reviews

Ibis Saigon Airport

This hotel was our choice to be close to the airport. It was OK clean with very small rooms, but I do have to say they’re elevator. Doors slam shot very hard and unfortunately, I slammed my elbow in it and it was very bruised. Of course I will recover from that, but I wonder about a small child getting crushed by the elevator doors. However, their room service is very good and prompt and also the shuttle was on time and the front desk was very helpful. The rooms were clean but very much just for overnight airport stays.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Green Bay Resort Phu Quoc

What a surprise this was! This resort is right on the ocean and Arvilla, which had three wonderful bedrooms in it and four bathrooms and two outdoor showers and our own private pool was more than we could’ve ever dreamed of! Thank you Doris for getting this for us, this was pure heaven!

Authenticity & Character

Location

I could’ve stayed at that resort for two weeks. I do love the beach and a quiet and peaceful surroundings.

Staff

Top notch staff were so kind and accommodating

Cleanliness & Comfort

The pool is clean daily as well as the villa we had fresh towels and a restocked refreshments. It was really nice. Also room service was very prompt

Indochine Lan Ha Cruise

Hai Phong

What a fabulous and upscale experience. The staff were perfection. The activities were really fun, and we especially loved the tour of the cave and also riding in the bamboo boat and coming across a lot of monkeys.

Authenticity & Character

This was probably one of our favorite experiences, just being out on a cruise ship and getting to spend the night in the beautiful bay. It was one of the most magnificent sunsets we’ve ever seen.

Location

It was a little drive to get there, but we had such a great tour guide and driver. The time went by so quickly.

Staff

They were all very kind and professional

Cleanliness & Comfort

Everything was clean and comfortable, and the bedding was magnificent

Peridot Grand Luxury Boutique Hotel

Hanoi

In the heart of Hanoi yeah quiet and private, and absolutely meticulously maintained and clean.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

They were all very kind and also wanted to add that the breakfast was amazing with the chocolate fountain that my granddaughter was so excited about

Cleanliness & Comfort

Park Hyatt Saigon

Ho Chi Minh City

Excellent in every way. Breakfast was 5 star!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Right across from the opera. Michelin star restaurant right across the street.

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Stunning, clean, comfortable

Activity Reviews

Phu Quoc - Fly to Ho Chi Minh City

Vietnam

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Phu Quoc island free day

Phu Quoc

We loved everything about this resort and we loved our accommodations! We had a private pool and ocean view right outside of our door

Quality of Experience

Food

Breakfast was great for luncheon dinner not so good

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Hanoi - Fly to Phu Quoc

Vietnam

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Halong Bay - Hanoi

Vietnam

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Hanoi - Halong Bay, Overnight on Cruise

Vietnam

What if a beautiful ship and a beautiful place we feel so lucky to be able to experience that. The weather was also perfect.!

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Hanoi Sightseeing & Street Food Tour

Hanoi

We loved the Phu and ba migh ! Very good!

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Ho Chi Minh City - Fly to Hanoi

Vietnam

Dora had our flights planned and we were very fortunate to have our guide and driver take us directly to the airport which was a seamless experience

Quality of Experience

Food

We had breakfast at the hotel, which was very good

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Sai Gon city sightseeing

Ho Chi Minh City

Singh was our tour guide and I don’t remember our driver’s name, but they were exceptional and very knowledgeable about all of the city and all of the temples and the government buildings and just the way the city works. It was really fun hanging out with our tour guide. He did a great job. He also understand English, so well, even slang and that it was so helpful for our conversations.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Eleanor was always available for help and was able to sort things out when needed. She checked on us during our trip to ensure everything was going well. All of the local guides and were very nice. It was great to experience both the urban and rural parts of Japan.

I had the most wonderful first visit to Iceland, with my guide, Gummi. The airport pickup was seamless and we immediately headed out west. I had asked that we take our time and really get to spend as much time needed everywhere, and that’s exactly how it went. The first hotel he had chosen turned out to be a great destination - great food in an area where there weren’t many options, and locals enjoying music in the lobby on a Saturday night. Also - the skies managed to clear up for a viewing of the Northern lights. After spending two days out west, we headed to the North for two - seeing the geological sites of interest, but also visiting the towns of Husavik and Akureyri. On the way back to Reykjavik, seeing more of the natural wonders, stopped at a wonderfully situated geothermal spa. Gummi not only created a wonderful itinerary for me, but personally shared with me background on the history, language, and natural history of Iceland. He was a great conversationalist and we also enjoyed some music along the way. I hope to come back some day and have him show me other parts of Iceland I couldn’t fit into this trip.

Overall, we did not find the local agency support as helpful and friendly as Yuliana from KimKim. They were not as responsive. Other specific comments: the Volcano Lodge rooms were not updated and somewhat shabby. The front desk staff not welcoming. The resort lay-out was nice, central location, breakfast was good but would not recommend accommodations. All of the tour operators were very friendly and helpful esp. Monica from Bridges Tour. I would recommend the Sloth Trail that we booked on our own. Additionally, we did not feel the Eco Thermal Experience on our last night was worth time or money. Our lodge accommodations already had thermal pools so enjoyed experience from that perspective at our own lodge. The buffet dinner was not tasty. Honestly, the location was very noisy, crowded and the opposite of relaxing. Not recommended.

Hotel Review

Volcano Lodge, Hotel & Thermal Experience

San Carlos, Alajuela

Rooms not updated, staffing less than welcoming. Breakfast was nice as well as location and layout of resort. Too many other choices in the area that may be better selection. Lots of walking from front desk to rooms.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

EcoTermales Hot Springs Experience with Meal

Arenal/La Fortuna

Did not enjoy as overcrowded, noisy and opposite of relaxing. Buffet was not good. Not recommended, time or money.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Arenal Volcano to El Castillo Mountain Bike Tour

Arenal/La Fortuna

Enjoyed the 20-mile ride towards volcano. Some pavement roads but many uneven surfaces. Bikes could have been in better shape. Guide was knowledgeable and friendly.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Nocturnal Rainforest Walk

Arenal/La Fortuna

Better than expected. Guide was so patient for taking photos and informative. Had the opportunity to see an amazing sunset with volcano view. Definitely recommend for nature trail and wildlife viewing.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Kayak Adventure in the Arenal Lake

Arenal/La Fortuna

We were on the only ones so turned into private tour. Saw birds, monkey and beautiful view of volcano. Perfect day. We highly recommend

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Arenal Hanging Bridges & La Fortuna Waterfall Hike with Lunch

Arenal/La Fortuna

Unfortunately, the day was heavy downpour of rain so not as much fun. Good experience. Could get crowded.

Quality of Experience

Food

n/a

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Monica was amazing!

Transport

Traditional Cooking Class - Dinner

Arenal/La Fortuna

Very hands on, good meal and friendly staff. Fun night out!

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Coffee, Chocolate & Sugar Cane Farm Experience

Arenal/La Fortuna

Very informative and friendly staff.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Andriel was an amazing guide through the sacred valley.
I appreciate the KimKim team for organizing everything, booking all transportation, checking into our flights for us, etc. it made travel worry-free.
The itinerary was spot on.