Kimkim Trip Reviews

Laurent was fantastic! If I could give him more than 5 stars, I would. The entire experience of working with him was wonderful, and the trip he planned for us far exceeded our expectations. He planned our 9-day driving trip (two couples) to Slovenia (Bled, Ljubljana, Postojna) and Croatia (Plitvice, Sibenik, and Split). He made sure our entire itinerary was easily accessible in the Kimkim app, with all transfers and vouchers for our excursions loaded in one place. Every detail was listed, including recommendations outside of our planned activities (restaurants, sites to see, scenic stops while driving from place to place).

Laurent worked within our budget and found some truly spectacular locations for us to stay. The hotels were perfect in every way, with beautiful accommodations and friendly, helpful staff. During our trip, Laurent reached out multiple times to make sure everything was going well. This was truly one of the best all-around experiences we've had. Many thanks to Laurent!

Sara and all the KimKim staff were very helpful. We received quick responses and stellar customer service. I really enjoyed the 1st driver we had from Zagreb to Split. I did not enjoy the second driver as much and there seemed to be a mis communication when going to Ston. I thought we were going to be left alone to explore the are a for a bit and grab a quick lunch. He gave us a tour which was nice but not expected. We were then led toba wall and informed to cross it that it would cost 10.00 euros. I wish all that was comminicated ahead of time. We were tired and hungry and not prepared for that. We just wanted to grab a quick bite and leave but was driven to a fine dining establishment where they took about 2 hours. We all wanted to walk out. However overall, places were nice and people quite helpful.

Hannie was outstanding to work with. She identified my tour requirements by carefully listening to what I wanted. I was exceptionally pleased with her plans, and the guides were exceptional. Please know that I am a travel agent and wanted to experience how Kimkim works before using them for my clients. Their communication with me was flawless while I traveled. That level of support would be important to my clients. Thank you, Hannie!

Hotel Reviews

Moxy Seoul Insadong

Seoul

Loved this hotel. It was like an adult dorm room.

Authenticity & Character

Marriott does a good job in creating a cute character.

Location

Excellent location.

Staff

Outstanding service!

Cleanliness & Comfort

Very clean.

Belmont Hotel Manila

Pasay City

For a day room or a room before an early flight while I was traveling, this hotel was just fine.

Authenticity & Character

Nothing special

Location

Excellent location to the airport.

Staff

Very accommodating.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Clean and acceptable.

Activity Reviews

Bite Into Seoul: A Market Journey (Private)

Seoul

Outstanding curated tour by the guide.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Transfer from Incheon Airport to Seoul City Center

Seoul

Very pleasant driver.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Welcome to Seoul!

Seoul

Excellent guide and curated itinerary.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Explore Manila: Heritage and Gastronomy Walk Tour (Private)

Manila

Exceptional licensed guide and curated itinerary.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Welcome to the Philippines – Mabuhay!

Manila

Outstanding curated tour by the guide. Exceptional licensed guide.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Skin and K-Beauty Consultation with a Beauty Expert

Seoul

Exceptional consultation from the skin consultant. They provided wise advice and worked with us to choose affordable, quality products. Outstanding communication.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Seoraksan Peaks & Sokcho Shores: An Adventure Through Korea's Scenic Wonders

Seoul

Exceptional tour crafted by the guide. This is an experience many tourists wouldn't consider, but it's well worth the effort—a memory for a lifetime.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Hanbok Experience & Old Seoul Charm (Private)

Seoul

Outstanding guide and driver. The tour delivered exactly what I was looking for. The hidden secrets of Seoul.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Busan City Tour from Seoul by KTX Train

Seoul

Outstanding tour created by the guide. The tour guide was exceptional and her driver was the same.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Transfer from Manila City Center to NAIA

Manila

On time and communicated well.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Tetiana was very helpful and user friendly. There are a couple things I would have liked to do differently, but it was a wonderful trip overall. The lodging was all perfect, the trains went pretty smoothly and were very nice.

Hotel Reviews

The Ambassador Hotel

Wonderful hotel and staff. Great food. Highly recommend this hotel.

Authenticity & Character

Beautiful and luxurious.

Location

Staff

The staff were so helpful and professional, especially the concierge when we checked in. We were late and tired, and we had an issue. He dealt with it calmly and professionally. Also, some of the wait staff in the dining room were wonderful and charming.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Beautiful room - stayed in “Silk” #12.

Virgin Hotels Edinburgh

Edinburgh

Great location, wonderful staff.

Authenticity & Character

It’s a modern hotel, so not that much “character”, but I highly recommend this hotel.

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Roomy, clean and modern.

Cedar Manor

Windermere

I can’t say enough good things about this hotel. It was beautiful, the proprietors were wonderful, it was an easy walk to town and it was on the bus route. Check out Tilly’s restaurant - fabulous, with several gluten free options. Also, the 10 lake tour with Steve from Mountain Goat Tours was one of the highlights of our entire trip.

Authenticity & Character

Classic manor hotel.

Location

On the bus route, and a short walk to town and to the lake.

Staff

Very helpful and gracious.

Cleanliness & Comfort

We spent time in the comfortable lounge playing cards with our traveling companions.

The Yard in Bath

Bath

Nice location and great staff. The breakfast was brought to our room in a basket and hung on our door - very cute. The only reason I didn’t give it five stars was because the room smelled a bit.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

The Academy London

London

Some people might want a bit more central location, but it was a lovely hotel, and the staff were terrific.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Edinburgh Castle & Old Town Private Tour

Edinburgh

We did the castle on our own the next day, so I’m not counting it as part of this activity. The Old Town private tour was interesting. Unfortunately, it was very cold, so the length of the tour got to us eventually.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Our guide told us some interesting stories and gave us a good overview of the Old Town and some of the New. It helped us for being on our own the next day.

Cotswolds Experience from Bath, private tour

Bath

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Our driver, Kevin, was very nice. However, it wasn’t really like having a tour, it was more like just having a driver. When I asked where we’d be stopping for lunch, he acted surprised that we’d want lunch. He did accommodate us and make a few stops in the Cotswolds so we could shop and get something to eat, but I’m not sure if that was on his agenda when we started.

Transport

A black cab for such a long tour/travel day was not the best. One or two of us always had to ride in the jump seats, so we were looking backward at those times. The jump seats are much stiffer than the regular seats, and three of the four of us have bad backs. Also, some of our luggage had to be stored on the floor or under the jump seats. Not the best.

Discover London in a Private Black Cab

London

Good way to start out seeing London.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Our guide, JP, was fantastic. He was flexible when one of our party didn’t feel well. He postponed our start time a bit, and still took us to all the expected places. JP was a good bloke.

Transport

The black cab was comfy, however, someone always had to ride “backward” in the jump seats. All the black cabs in London are like this, though.

Ultimate Full Day Scenic Tour visiting 10 Lakes

England

Loved this tour.

Quality of Experience

This tour was more than we expected. Loved seeing the stone circle and the slate mine, as well as all the lakes.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Our guide, Steve, was wonderful. He grew up in the area, so he interspersed personal stories with local legends/stories. He took us to some special spots we didn’t know would be on the tour.

Transport

The small bus was very comfortable and clean.

Churchill War Rooms & WW2 Westminster Small Group Tour

London

Very interesting. A lot more walking around pre-war rooms than I realized, but we saw some interesting sights.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Thank you Lucy for helping us have such a great vacation. It was way more relaxing because we didn’t have to take care of the details. The days were perfectly balanced with planned activities and time for us to explore Bavaria.

Day-1: After meeting up with our driver Luca Borrini at the airport, the drive to the hotel was smooth. Mr Borrini was polite and a good driver. Hotel Kraft-the reception desk personnel were warm and welcoming. The rooms were spacious and nicely appointed. The hotel has a gym, a heated pool on the top floor & a roof top Restaurant Tarrazza Rossini with a beautiful view. The morning restaurant Manager's name is Roberto was warm, welcoming, and fun for our stay. We took pictures with him on the last day with our yellow cups to post on NBC Sunday Today Show. The evening restaurant Manager is Serafino. Serafino is a sommelier, and assisted us with pairing the foods with the special wines (Florentine & Super Tuscans). We received a lesson on the wines in the region. Serafino and his staff made it nice place to finish our evenings with a desert or night cap. For the evening we had dinner at Trattoriail Brindellone. The food was amazing, staff friendly and they advised us on the portions with the meal courses. Walking back to our hotel it was so nice to see the city lights and people out enjoying themselves.
Day-2 Shopping-We visited & purchased from Vintage Shop Momo's, and Mmega. Both store owners were friendly. On the central side close to the train station, we shopped at Barone Firenze Leather Shop. The 2 gentlemen were nice, and took the time to make sure all of the clothes fit. We shopped at Sephora at the train station and had our 1st run in with paying to use the restroom. We experienced our 1st pizza in Italy at TAV 65 and it was good. We went to dinner at Restaurant Santo Bevitore. The food was excellent and the staff was friendly.
Day-3: Morning culinary discovery walk: The tour was great with Diliana. The small groups were nice. The 97 year old female baker was nice to meet and try her food, the family business with the balsamic vinegar, the gentlemen conducting the wine tasting, the pastry shop, and the gelato were all great. The 2nd part of the day, we missed the scheduled cooking class because we had the old schedule. However, we did recover with a nice evening at our hotel restaurant.
Day 4: Day trip to Cinque Terre & Pisa: Another great tour with Gabriele from Towns of Italy. Gabriele is well informed on the history and the locations visited. We started in Manarola. There is a nice coffee shop next to the church. if you make a purchase you can use the restroom. The coffee and food were good. We went on a elevated path looking down on the village and water with beautiful views. On the path I would recommend not leaning on the wood railing because at some spots it has aged. There is a restroom near the building holding the cooking class that requires 1 euro to use. We did not have small bills or coins so we purchase a bottle of wine (white) to use the restroom before getting on the ferry to Vernazza. We ate launch at Ristorante Pizzeria Vulnetia sas, had gelato, did some shopping and sat on the stone seating next to the water. Vernazza is beautiful. Just before leaving we did not have any coins for the restroom. This time it was a bottle of red wine for use of the rest room. We traveled to Pisa and enjoyed the sights. There were a lot of people. The bathrooms are located behind the church and you can pay with card. We finished the day with a nice dinner at our hotel restaurant.
Day 5: Private San Gimignano & Siena Day Trip-another great tour with Mattea from Liv Tours. Mattea is well informed and was a lot of fun. The trip to Siena & the mid evil village visit was good with the sights, history and shopping. However, the prize of the day was the winery with the breathtaking views, the wine, the food and gentlemen conducting the tasting named Matteo. We did purchase wine & olive oil to be shipped home. it was a very enjoyable outing. After returning to the city, we went to Cafe Concerto Paszkowski which was recommended the restaurant manager. There is covered outdoor seating and well appointed wood work on the inside of the restaurant. There is live music and a really nice and comfortable way to enjoy the evening. We finished off the night with a night cap at our hotel restaurant.
Day 6: Nice breakfast, said our good byes to the staff and made our way to the airport. The transfer was smooth. The airport was crowded down stairs, but were able to secure a spot to eat & relax before boarding. We loved this trip, and already thinking when we can return. Thank you for working with me to make this happen for my family. Until the next time.

My and my husband got back from Scotland and Ireland for our honeymoon just over a week ago. It was everything we wanted, and had us immediately wanting to go back as there was so much we didn’t get to see. I was glad we had gotten to have a mixture of planned busy, 8-12 hour tour days, as well as calm days in which we could walk around and just see what we wanted to, and had the option of doing nothing. Salomé and I discussed this prior and she planned our trip accordingly. She answered any and all questions in a timely manner and had everything arranged including directions to places, recommendations for our days with nothing officially planned, etc. On our mid trip travel day from Inverness to Dublin we ran into multiple issues as the radar system was down, leaving us on a plane on the tarmac for hours, delaying our flight, our layover flight in London was cancelled, and therefore we would miss our train from Dublin to Galway. As Salomé was on a well deserved break, Adrian was our point of contact. He was absolutely amazing, immediately jumped in when informed and tried to see what our options were, gave us realistic expectations and possible money losses, called around to ensure our bookings were okay, changing our transportation to our new arrival time, and keeping in consistent contact with us throughout the process. He was very helpful and helped make the day less stressful. Ended up with a secondary flight arriving 2.5 hours later than initially planned, meaning we still got to our destination same day, just later at night. We barely had any loss (none of which were anyone’s fault, and Adrian helped make it less of a loss overall as well by rearranging our ride from airport to train station). Overall the helped make our most stressful day significantly less stressful and we were both extreme grateful. Salomé also checked in periodically after arrival back to work and answered questions I had quickly. Fantastic experience, would definitely use KimKim again, and have already recommended it to a friend of ours traveling to Italy in a year. He said he would be using kimkim for sure after telling him about our experience. Thank you all for your help in making my and my husbands honeymoon a breeze. It was an amazing adventure.

Overall, the experience exceeded our expectations. Emily put together a near perfect itinerary after a short conversation where I just brain dumped a bunch of ideas and was easy to work with to make adjustments at our request.

One thing to note is making the lemon grove experience would not have been possible with the original itinerary. The time to get a ferry from the hotel in Positano and make it to the lemon grove in Amalfi (or even a taxi) would not have been possible. I appreciate the flexibility and trying to fit everything we asked for but sometimes being told "no, this is too much" is better.

Highlights - cooking class in Tuscany, food tour in Florence, private boat tour in Positano, Vatican and Colosseum tours in Rome. All of the guides we had were remarkable - they were knowledgable, took time to answer any questions, and really helped us appreciate what we were looking at. We also really appreciated your support in Naples with the hotel situation.

The cooking class was our favorite experience of the entire trip with the private boat ride a close second. The chef was personable and made sure we had a lot of fun while we were there. The boat tour was the perfect way to end the trip - we got really lucky with the weather, the captain was great, and it was nice to sit and relax after 13 days of walking.

Misses - the self drive was a bit boring (we saw a lot of the scenery on the winery/olive oil tour) and if I were to plan this again I would have replaced this with another wine tour; going to the same vineyard for the wine tasting and the next day for the cooking class; Naples train station pickup and hotel; lemon grove experience.

For the transfer from the train station to the hotel in Naples, the driver was waiting for us across the street from the station instead of inside. It took 30 mins for me to get a hold of the company and driver to figure out where he was. When he saw us, he made no effort to come meet us to help with the bags. As we were crossing the street, my 70 year old aunt's bag got hung up on a manhole cover and she almost fell. And things went downhill from here.

The lemon grove experience was a bit boring. It was a lot of effort to get up to the orchard to only walk around for an hour and then leave. The staff was nice but the experience fell flat.

Overall, we really enjoyed the whole experience. Looking back, there will always be a few things we would have done differently or in a different order, or even cut a couple things out to go at a slower pace as we were all exhausted by the end. We will always look back fondly at this experience. Thank you for making this happen!

Details on each item:
Hotel Calimala Florence - great location, friendly staff. Only issue was street noise but hard to avoid this in a central location.
Accademia Gallery Visit with First Viewing of David - We really loved this. Getting into the museum before the crowds is the way to go and the guide was really good.
Uffizi Gallery Visit - the guide was very knowledgable about all the art and we learned a lot. Also good to do this in the afternoon as it's less crowded.
Morning Culinary Discovery Walk - This was the highlight of the Florence activities. The guide was great and all the food we got to try was really good.

Villa Lecchi - beautiful views, friendly staff. Our rooms were in the second building above the restaurant so it was noisy in the mornings and at night when there was activity in the kitchen. Overall, not a big deal but being in the main building would be quieter.
Self-Drive Through the Val d'Orcia: Vitaleta Chapel, Pienza & Tuscan Landscapes - If I were to cut one day from the trip it would be this day. The driving was enjoyable but and chapel was really cute (and a great spot for lunch) but doing a wine tour would have been a better option for us.
Private Tuscany Day Trip with Olive Oil Experience & Winery Lunch - Both were great and the driver, again, was really good.
Private Tuscan Countryside Cooking Experience - this was the highlight of our trip. Only downside was going back to the same winery we were at the day before. It would have been better to experience a different winery the day before for some variety.

Hotel Viminale - Good location, no complaints.
Wednesday Morning Sistine Chapel Visit - definitely the way to go for the chapel visit. The guide was really good and we beat the crowds. Would recommend.
Private Colosseum & Roman Forum Visit with Rooftop Aperitif - the guide was great, enjoyed this as well.
Private City Highlights Storytelling Walk - This was the least favorite activity in Rome but it wasn't bad. The guide usually does tours of the Vatican and felt a bit lost roaming the streets. She was much more comfortable inside the Pantheon and talked a lot about the art inside and the history of the building. We were also exhausted from the day before which didn't help.

Decumani Hotel de Charme - not anything like the photos. Thanks again for getting us out of here.
Private Day Trip to Pompeii - guide was an archaeologist who had been working at Pompeii for 15 years and knew everything. We really enjoyed this.

Hotel Conca D'oro - good views, really good breakfast, and friendly staff.
Lemon Grove Experience & Limoncello Tasting - least favorite of Amalfi coast.
Private Coastal Highlights by Boat with Snorkeling - perfect end to the trip

Hotel Reviews

Hotel Conca D'oro

Positano

Great location and views, staff is very friendly, good breakfast.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Decumani Hotel de Charme

Naples

Hotel is very dated and photos are misleading. The rooms are in desperate need of a renovation.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Viminale

Rome

Good location. Had a small issue with mosquitos in the lobby and room as they keep the main doors open during the day.

Villa Lecchi

Tuscany

The views from the rooms are amazing and the breakfast was one of the best we had on the trip. Only downside was water pressure and sometimes lack of hot water when too many people were using the shower at the same time on the property.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Calimala Florence

Florence

Great location, friendly staff. Only issue was street noise (hard to avoid with a central location)

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Private Colosseum & Roman Forum Visit with Rooftop Aperitif

Rome

A good way to see the Colosseum and Forum. Relaxed pace and the tour guide knew a lot about the history of both. He adjust the pace nicely as we were tired from a long day of touring but we didn't feel like we missed anything as he pointed out and explained a lot of the ruins in the Forum.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Uffizi Gallery Visit

Florence

Going in the afternoon to avoid a lot of the crowds was a plus. We did run out of time and had to rush though the last few rooms as the museum was closing.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

The guide knew a lot about art history and gave good explanations on how religious art evolved through the centuries but we ran short on time towards the end

Private Coastal Highlights by Boat with Snorkeling

Italy

Stunning views and a relaxing afternoon.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Wednesday Morning Sistine Chapel Visit

Rome

Great experience. Go early to avoid the crowds.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Lemon Grove Experience & Limoncello Tasting

Italy

You see some lemon trees and have a taste of Limoncello. It was interesting but nothing too special.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

The staff was knowledgeable and friendly.

Private Day Trip to Pompeii

Naples

The guide you have will make or break this experience. Our guide had been studying and working at Pompeii for over a decade and was able to give us a lot of insights on what life was like there and what happened when the volcano erupted.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Private City Highlights Storytelling Walk

Rome

Overall, this was good. The guide (Anna) felt a bit lost during the walking part but excelled inside the Pantheon and another church she took us to.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Private Tuscany Day Trip with Olive Oil Experience & Winery Lunch

Italy

Olive oil tasting was unique and we learned how to properly taste oil and got to experience how different the oils can taste depending on how they are blended together. The winery lunch and tasting were also good.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Self-Drive Through the Val d'Orcia: Vitaleta Chapel, Pienza & Tuscan Landscapes

Italy

The drive was enjoyable and the views were stunning but we saw a lot of the same going to wineries in the area. The highlight was the chapel and if there is an event planned on the day of your drive, you are out of luck. We were fortunate and it was open when we made the drive.

Quality of Experience

Private Tuscan Countryside Cooking Experience

Italy

The chef was great and the food we had us make was simple and delicious. Come hungry because there will be plenty to eat.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Morning Culinary Discovery Walk

Florence

Highlight of our time in Florence. highly recommend this tour.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Accademia Gallery Visit with First Viewing of David

Florence

First visit to avoid the crowds is the way to go. Make sure you are there on time because if you are late, you'll miss the window and get stuck with the crowds. Sara (our guide) was knowledgeable and hustled us around crowds to get good photos.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Most memorable was day 4-- Mt. Fuji & Ryokan experience in Hakone. The pristine landscape and relaxing ambience was a welcome change after Tokyo. The guide/driver Datong san was excellent. The Ryokan provided us with a vegetarian dinner and breakfast that exceeded expectations.
Not to denigrate Tokyo, which had it's own attractions. We appreciated the efforts of guide Tomoe Koyano on day 2. The afternoon of day 3 could have been better utilized. It was aggravating to navigate ourselves from our hotel to the meeting point at Nezu station in pouring rain. I wonder why the guide couldn't meet at our hotel ? The walk through the old town was uninteresting. The guide didn't have much to contribute as we meandered through the streets!
Day 5-- Kyoto. The tea ceremony was disappointingly contrived and lacking authenticity.We were not impressed by the attitude of the host of the show.
Day 6-- We appreciated our guide Sanae Uchida on this excellent excursion.
Day 7-- A good day's trip with driver Tan san to Himeji castle. The Mt Nunobiki visit was curtailed due to rain and we just rode the cable car up and down.
Day 8--An interesting visit to Nara with the competent guide Yuki.
Day 9--Very interesting visit to Tsumago and Magome with Vincent. Disappointed having to drop hiking plan due to heavy rain.
Day 10-- Was wasteful. Not enough time for the self guided morning tour and to catch a 11.48am train. We should have been booked on a later train. Reaching Kanazawa around 3pm was a wasted afternoon there as well.
Day 11--Appreciated the Shirakawa go tour with the well informed K san.
Day 12-- Drive to the Kurobe gorge. It was disappointing not to have visited the Shomyo Falls. The guide Mike said there wasn't enough time. However, this would have been possible by spending less time at the final trolley station and the Unazuki Onsen city (where there was nothing much to do). This was the first day that the trolley resumed going to the final station. Due to ongoing construction we couldn't go anywhere outside that station. It looked like the tour guide didn't have the authority or flexibility to make these small changes that would have enhanced the experience. Your itinerary promised a "stroll through nature"--- but it was sadly lacking!

Thank you so much Athaya and kimkim for being with us every step of the way for our trip. It definitely was a stress free trip you were amazing with communication and getting this done. I really appreciate you. The overall experience was a 10.!!

Hotel Review

Villa Andrea by Balisuperhost

Very nice and luxury.

Authenticity & Character

Location

The road to get to the villa was scary. Very small roads.

Staff

Very nice and polite

Cleanliness & Comfort

The rooms were nice and clean. There was lots of tiny ants especially in the restrooms and kitchen. And after turning off the air a while I noticed something coming through on the walls not sure what it was. Put you in the mind of mold maybe.

Activity Reviews

Visit Tegallalang Rice Terrace

Indonesia

It was HOT wish we would have remembered our fans and umbrellas. Other than that so beautiful out there.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Our driver and tour guide was amazing

Transport

Farm to Table Cooking Class

Indonesia

Nice learned a few different things.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

I just completed a private tour of South Korea organized by Christine of Kimkim. The trip fulfilled all my expectations and was an excellent introduction for a first visit to a country I've always wanted to visit. As usual with Kimkim the arrangements were first rate, from airport transfers, hotel pick ups, and private and group tours.

Seoul was a great beginning, and I had a private tour of the city highlights with Hera, who was informative, lively and flexible. She rearranged our schedule on the fly to accommodate both crowded venues as our tour fell on a major holiday, the Korean Thanksgiving, as well as rain in the afternoon. Hera knows the city well and easily found parking at Namsan Park and Gyeongbokgung Palace, which was my favorite place as I enjoy history. We also visited Bukchon Hanok Village and later Kwangiang Food Market where Hera described the various dishes available. She also recommended a resturant for lunch were I had an excellent local dish, Samgyetang, a ginger soup with a small whole chicken stuffed with rice.

The next day I visited the DMZ on an all group tour with Julie. It was fascinating. Julie was knowledge and she made the historical reality of a divided Korea relatable. We crept thru a tunnel leading from the DMC into South Korea, viewed North Korea across the DMZ, and meet a North Korean defector and heard her story.

From Seoul I took the train to the city of Gyeongju. A driver picked me up at my hotel and drove me to Seoul Station and walked me inside and ensured I knew which platform my train departed from.

At Gyeonjgu my driver/guide, Luke was waiting for me, and we spend the afternoon visiting various Silla Dynasty locations, from Tumuli Park with their curious royal tombs, to the Gyeongju National Museum with a first-rate collection of Silla artifacts and an excellent narrative of Silla history. We visited the beautiful Woljeonggyo Bride and the interesting Cheomseongdae Observatory. Luke provided detailed explanations with historical background on each place.

The next day Luke took me to Bulguksa Temple, and Seokguram Grotto. Both Buddhist sites dating back to the 8th Century CE. Both were located in beautiful settings and the buildings lovely. We drove to Busan that afternoon and on the way to my hotel Luke took me to a spa where I enjoyed a bathhouse experience that is part of Korean culture. We also took a walk around parts of the city.

**A Swiss Trip Handled Perfectly**

We traveled through Switzerland with Kimkim and were completely satisfied. Hotels, train tickets, car and van transfers, and tours all went exactly as planned, and every leg connected smoothly. We'd recommend Kimkim without hesitation and would gladly use them again.

— Mark Schuering

For the most part, it was great as far as planning and coordination with tour operators. They did a good job really matching excursions with what I wanted and really nice (conveniently located) lodging. However, while in Australia, the communication was poor with the local tour contact company, Southern World Tours, which created issues.

We had just gotten married and wanted to have our honeymoon in Japan. We said it would be a trip of a lifetime-and it sure was! With the help of Rob, two tour guides, several drivers, and just the exceptional hospitality and kindness of the service staff at each hotel we stayed at, we had an unforgettable honeymoon. Shout out especially to Rob! His prompt communication and guidance made us feel totally prioritized and at ease. We didn’t have to worry about all the logistics of a long international trip and just got to enjoy our time in Japan.

Thank you for all who put in the work for us to have that trip of a lifetime! Only question now is when do we get to go back?

Hotel Reviews

Royal Park Hotel Kurashiki

Kurashiki

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Asakusa View Hotel Annex Rokku

Tokyo

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hakone Kowakien Mikawaya Ryokan

Hakone

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Hakone’s serene lake, mountain panoramas, and a leisurely evening(Private Guide&Private Vehicle)

Japan

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Private transfer from Tokyo to Hakone via Mt. Fuji（Arakurayama Sengen Park）

Japan

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Naoshima day tour：Art Islands, Seaside Ferries, and Contemporary Creativity（Self guided Tour）

Kurashiki

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Canals, Art, and Timeless Streets of Kurashiki（Guided Tour；Public Transport）

Kurashiki

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Tsukiji Outer Market, Meiji Shrine, Sushi Making Class and Harajuku（Guided Tour；Public Transportation）

Tokyo

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Selfguided Tokyo City Highlights, Sumo Lunch & TeamLab Planets（Selfguided Tour）

Tokyo

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

We had a great 5 days of wine tasting and hiking, first in Vaison la Romaine and the last two days in Chateau Neuf du Pape. Almandine did a great job of picking our two hotels, Le Beffroi in Vaison, and La Mere Germanine in Chatauneuf du Pape. Both were excellent hotels and situated within walking distance to wineries. In Vaison, we had an "in the Dark" wine tasting at the Chene Bleu Estate, as arranged by Almandine. This was a high point of our trip-- a very sensual experience which allowed us to appreciate all the sensory qualities of wine-- more than just taste! We then had two days on our own to explore the ancient village of Vaison and then Almandine arranged our transport to Chateauneuf du Pape. While there we visited a winery suggested by Alandine, the Nerthe Estate. On the second day, she suggested a hike along the Rhone River, which included a tasting at Chateau de la Gardine. This was also a great tasting. Following this Almandine arranged our transport to the airport. All in all a great trip and highly recommended.

Hotel Reviews

La Mère Germaine

CHÂTEAUNEUF-DU-PAPE

Good location

Authenticity & Character

Location

Close to everthing

Cleanliness & Comfort

Le Beffroi

Vaison la Romaine

Good location in the ancient city of Vaison

Authenticity & Character

Location

Walking to wineries

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Review

Visit of Chateauneuf du Pape - Nerthe Estate Tasting

France

Good wines and the winery tour was excellent

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

They were on time and took us where we needed to go.

We had a terrific time on our trip - Giorgia was extremely helpful, and we did contact our assistant once on the trip for parking and dining recommendations in Sienna which turned out very well.

Paola was a terrific guide in Florence; we would recommend her to anyone.

The rental cars were easy to get as Giorgia had taken care of everything for us. Simple. The only issue here was that picking up in Florence the directions took us to the entrance to the train station, and we had to walk through the station and a couple of blocks away to the rental car place. It would have been nice to just have our uber drop us off right at the rental car agency.

The hotels and drivers were all wonderful.

We loved our day 5 excursion, visiting three different wineries in Tuscany. The driver/tour guide Niccolo is a great guy and extremely knowledgeable about the areas wines - we thoroughly enjoyed our day with him. The wineries we visited, especially the second winery and its owner, Misha, were all terrific.

The organic Tuscan Cooking Experience was very nice. We loved the farm, owners and employees, had a great time cooking and eating, although after seeing the place we would have really enjoyed eating at the restaurant there and enjoying their food. Not your fault at all, but it looked like a great restaurant; our food we cooked couldn't have compared to what they were setting out for the guests. We did buy a lot of their products after for our use at home and for gifts. Definitely keep sending people there.

Elisa also was an excellent guide in Todi, and we would have loved to have a little more time with her as there was so much information she was providing. Todi is a beautiful town.

Visiting the oldest winery in Montefalco was the only experience we didn't enjoy. They were very nice, but it was a pretty basic and bland tour, without much character, and we did no olive oil tasting like we thought we were going to do. I'd think twice about keeping that one on the list for future guests.

Our visit to Orvieto and the restaurant there was great. The caves underneath were spectacular, although the owner had a very large tour group come in for lunch the same time we were down in the caves eating our snacks, and she was distracted from taking much time for us. We loved it there, and even came back a couple hours later to eat a full meal, but were disappointed that they didn't have much time for us.

The home we stayed at in Cassino was a beautiful location and facility - loved the owners, had probably our best meal of the trip there that night (home cooking from the owner), and loved the setting. The rooms weren't the nicest, but we expected that as Giorgia was open about what was available in the area.

Our driver for Vesuvius was a great guy, telling us a lot about the area and history while we went up the mountain, and we very much enjoyed the climb.

Our tour guide for Pompeii, Mena, was spectacular also. Excellent knowledge on the city and history of the area, and she was full of energy. She kept us going for the full four hours which we loved.

Overall we loved our trip and experience with Giorgia and KimKim. This is the second time using you (we did Scotland with you a couple years ago) and we won't hesitate to use you again.

Tom Hall

The trip was wonderful! All of the logistics were so well planned! The travel from the airport to Wales, the Farm to Cardiff, the train from Cardiff to London, and the London Marriott to Heathrow went seamlessly. The only improvement that I have is that the PBC Transfer vehicle from Heathrow to Wales was VERY small. We had to sit sideways in the back seat to not have our knees up by our chins (literally). It would have been optimal to have a larger vehicle for that 3 hour drive. The bicycle arrangements with Drover's Cyclery went very smoothly and the equipment (and support) was great! The Trans Wales horse trekking excursion was perfect! The group was made up of similarly skilled riders the horses were awesome! Hello Ladies! The trip was wonderful! All of the logistics were so well planned! The travel from the airport to Wales, the Farm to Cardiff, the train from Cardiff to London, and the London Marriott to Heathrow went seamlessly. The only improvement that I have is that the PBC Transfer vehicle from Heathrow to Wales was VERY small. Gary and I had to sit sideways in the back seat to not have our knees up by our chins (literally). It would have been optimal to have a larger vehicle for that 3 hour drive. Gary's bicycle arrangements went very smoothly and the equipment (and support) was great! The Trans Wales horse trekking excursion was perfect! The group was made up of similarly skilled riders the horses were awesome! I may have been the "short straw" on the first day, but I quickly I figured out that "is everyone o.k.?" meant we were taking off at a gallop straight away and then, after my first long rein gallop across unknown territory, I adjusted and fit in just fine! LOL The Marriott Park Lane in London was comfortable and convenient and the staff was pleasant. I would recommend the Hyde Park ride for your horsey clients (Corey was my guide) as well as one of the river cruises (with live narration). We did the City Boat Cruise. The hop-on hop off Big Bus was fine for a "windshield tour" of the landmarks, but it wasn't a convenient mode of transport. We found that we could get to most of the sites we wanted to explore faster by walking than by Big Busing. Finally, we just Googled what we wanted to eat and were pleased with the resulting options. We stuck mainly to pubs and ate pub fare but, honestly, enjoyed the food (and the quirks) of each pub we frequented. Our trip was a 10/10!!!

Hotel Reviews

London Marriott Hotel Park Lane

London

Clean and comfortable. Convenient to our planned activities.

Authenticity & Character

A classic Marriott hotel. Well appointed but nothing out of the ordinary.

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Lanelay Hall Hotel & Spa

Hensol

We were at the hotel for a very short time and could not take advantage of the amenities. Since we arrived just after 7 p.m. and were not ready to dine until after 8, our in house dining options were limited to one restaurant However, the serving staff treated us (later arrivals) very well and the food was excellent. The room was well appointed and the oversized bath tub a welcome feature1

Authenticity & Character

Location

A good location but a bit of a drive to get to our scheduled activities.

Staff

Front desk staffer had limited information; wait staff in the restaurant and in the breakfast area was terrific.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Pen-Y-Dre Farm Holidays

Abergavenny

The farm was a fun stop! The room was clean and comfortable and the house had SO MUCH character! The breakfast was delicious too!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Location was very convenient for the activities that we had planned.

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

The Old Black Lion

Hay-On-Wye

Our room was in the Annex. It was clean and comfortable and included an en suite bathroom. The food at the pub was delicious and restaurant hours were convenient.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Lovely town and convenient base for our planned activities.

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Review

Private Transfer from Hay-on-Wye to Blaenau Farmhouse

Hay-on-Wye

A lovely clean vehicle and Kato was an excellent driver

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Overall, we thoroughly enjoyed our trip through Croatia. Tina put together an excellent itinerary that gave us the opportunity to experience Croatia from Split north through Zadar, Plitvice Lakes, Istria and finally Zagreb. We enjoyed every town we visited, and the overall routing and pace worked very well for us.

Our two private guides were among the highlights of the trip. In Split, Dino was outstanding. As a college professor of history, he did an excellent job introducing us not only to Split and Diocletian's Palace, but also to Croatian history. He was knowledgeable, engaging and brought the history of the city to life.

Our private tour of Zagreb with Josipa was equally excellent. She was one of the best guides we had on the trip and every bit on the same level as Dino. Both guides added tremendously to our understanding and enjoyment of the cities they showed us.

We used VoiceMap to explore Zadar on our own, which worked very well.

Plitvice Lakes National Park was another highlight and is an absolute must-see. It is beautiful and extremely well organized. We could easily see returning someday and spending more time exploring the park.

The accommodations were generally very good. Our room in Split was large but fairly basic. The hotel was a short walk from where we were dropped off, as we had been told, and breakfast was good.

Zrinka House near Plitvice was outstanding. The rooms were excellent, and Zrinka and her daughter Barbara provided exceptional personal service. We would highly recommend staying there.

Hotel Mauro in Poreč was another excellent choice. The location in the Old Town was perfect, the staff provided superb service, and breakfast was excellent. Because the hotel is in the pedestrian area, parking is located elsewhere, but the hotel's shuttle service between the parking lot and hotel worked very well. Parking was €20 per day, which Tina had made us aware of in advance.

The Best Western in Zagreb was very conveniently located in the heart of the city and within easy walking distance of the city center. Breakfast was excellent. Our only negative was the size of the room. It was extremely small. There was not enough room for both of us to access our luggage at the same time, so we had to take turns.

We ultimately decided to skip Hum on our drive to Zagreb and headed directly to Zagreb instead. Throughout the trip, the self-driving portion worked well, and the final transfer from our Zagreb hotel to the airport was seamless.

The primary area where our experience with KimKim and Tina could have been better was communication during the planning process. There were several occasions when questions went unanswered for days, and on one occasion I followed up by asking whether we were still working together. This became particularly concerning after we had made final payment.

To Tina's credit, when I raised the issue directly, she acknowledged my concern, apologized and addressed it. Communication improved considerably as our departure approached, we had her WhatsApp number if we needed assistance while traveling, and she checked in with us as the trip approached. Once we were in Croatia, we felt comfortable that we had a way to reach her if we needed help.

There was one unfortunate oversight involving the truffle hunting and tasting experience that was included in our package but inadvertently left out of the final itinerary. We did not discover the error until after the day it was originally supposed to occur. Tina immediately took responsibility, apologized and offered to arrange the experience for the following morning at no additional cost. We decided to continue to Zagreb instead, and Tina promptly requested a refund for the missed activity. Mistakes can happen, and we appreciated the way she handled it once it was discovered.

Overall, this was a wonderful trip, and we are very pleased with the experience Tina put together for us. The itinerary was well designed, the accommodations were well located, the driving portion worked well, and Dino and Josipa were exceptional guides. Most importantly, we came away feeling that we had experienced several very different parts of Croatia rather than simply visiting one or two major tourist destinations.

Tina deserves a great deal of credit for putting all those pieces together. More consistent and timely communication during the planning process and closer attention to the final itinerary details would have made an already excellent trip even better.

Our trip booked and organized by Amandine was wonderful. We suggested a general itinerary and Amandine took it from there. We reviewed her suggestions for hotels -- both excellent mid-priced venues, and she suggested a few winery visits and other tour opportunities. Best of all she arranged transport from the train to the hotels, then from hotels to airport at the end of the trip. She was easy to work with and responsive to ideas for walking tours and open days.

Eduardo was amazing!

We are a family of five and so we had a lot of opinions and needs...which kept changing. Eduardo responded kindly and quickly to each of our last minute requests. Everything Eduardo planned for us was seam-less. I really appreciate that he was available by WhatApp throughout our trip...that really helped.

Thank you for a wonderful trip Eduardo!

Activity Review

Machu Picchu Excursion: Aguas Calientes - Only Guidance + Consetur Bus

Peru

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

All the drivers were fine, only one was less than amazing.

Transport