Kimkim Trip Reviews for Belgium

How wonderful to have each day set out for us with tickets to activities purchased, transportation managed, directions provided, and food/beverages/extra site options recommended. Lisa was easy to work with, responsive, and understood the unique architectural sites we were looking to see. An occasional hiccup was managed quickly with 24/7 availability to get things rearranged to managed. This was our first interaction with KimKim and we would definitely use them again!

Hotel Review

The Dominican

Bruxelles

Staff was responsive and helpful. Room and bath were comfortable if a bit small. Location near historic Grand Place was very convenient and special. Breakfast offered a broad range of options.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Antwerp - The Underpass

Belgium

Glad we did it as it give you a feel for Antwerp.

Quality of Experience

Ghent - Scenic boat tour (join-in)

Belgium

Fun. Guide was very funny. Nice way to get a flavor for Ghent.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Brussels - Cinquantenaire Park

Belgium

Interesting park. Sorry to see the main pavilions are not open generally. Understand it would be a significant expense to keep it up and renovated, but hope Brussels has the opportunity to do that in the future...it would be wonderful.

Quality of Experience

Transport

Antwerp - Museum Aan de Stroom (MAS)

Belgium

Nice museum that had views of the city from different directions at every level. That was cool. Top floor offered panoramic views! Exhihibits were fine but not stellar. Still, we enjoyed it.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Brussels - Museum of Musical Instruments (MIM)

Belgium

Beautiful location. Interesting exhibit and nice audio tour where at a press of a button you could listen to most of the instruments. I was thankful I wasn't with my musician brother has he would have spent 8 hours there!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Ghent - Adoration of the Mystic Lamb

Belgium

Significantly better than anticipated...truly wonderful. The virtual reality tour before viewing the painting was informative and fun. Well done!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Brussels - Sint-Gillis art nouveau and Horta Museum

Brussels

A must see and very enjoyable. However, would be elevated with the availability of an audio tour rather than just a brief description of each space in a booklet. Still, an amazing place.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Antwerp - Private guided walking tour of Zurenborg and the Green Quarter

Belgium

Guide was wonderful. It was drizzling or lightly raining the whole time, but with umbrellas in hand, we all made the best of it and the guide was as enthusiastic as one could hope. Very knowledgeable and engaging.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Ghent - Gravensteen Castle of the Counts

Belgium

Interesting. We did the comedy and history audio tour which was entertaining, although a bit long.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Brussels - Center for Fine Arts (BOZAR)

Belgium

No available exhibits.

Quality of Experience

Brussels - Hôtel Solvay

Brussels

Gorgeous! Worth seeing for sure. Tour aspect was not particularly good. Staff were a bit late openning so we all entered together with everyone needing to get booties and check packpacks. We were told we were told we had 40 minutes to view the house, which for us, since we didn't push to the front meant closer to 30. There was no audio tour and guides seemed to be stationed not to provide information but to be sure we all moved along, didn't take pictures until the prescribed time, and didn't touch anything. Staff were not welcoming. It felt like we were gifted with the opportunity and should be thankful we had any entrance at all. Thankfully, we know quite a bit about Art Nouveau and had seen the outside a couple days before with our Art Nouveau guide so she had given us a great deal of history and information.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Brussels - Explore Brussels' Museums with the Brussels Card (including public transport)

Belgium

Having the Brussels card worked out well. We started at the Comic Museum which was in a cool Victor Horta building, and we enjoyed it more than we expected. We went to the BOZAR next but there were no current exhibits. Thankfully, the Magritte Museum is very close by so we headed there. It was very enjoyable. We enjoyed the Museum of Instruments as well. The trek to the Park Cinquantenaire was a bit long but worth it. And we figured out the metro back to the hotel since it was included on the card. Quite convenient.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Brussels - Day trip to Antwerp by public transport

Brussels

Train was easy to manage especially with train tickets purchased ahead and a click away. Starting at the central station...wow. We walked and walked and saw a great deal. A wonderful day trip from Brussels.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Brussels - Private guided walking tour

Belgium

Mix-up on reservation and time meant it started 40 minutes late, but having the actual phone number of the guide meant we were able to reach him directly and he came immediately. Guide was local and generally knowledgeable. Like to have a bit more knowledge of the history of city and perspective this brings.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Brussels - Art Nouveau at Maison Hannon

Brussels

Just fabulous! A bit of a hiccup meant that the guide was not highly comfortable with English, so we ended up with 2 guides! Both were not completely fluent in English but together we understood each other perfectly. Both were charming and highly knowledgeable. A great experience.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Brussels - Day trip to Ghent by public transport

Brussels

Having the Ghent card made seeing sites easy. Ghent is lovely and would highly recommend. Enjoyed the castle and the boat trip. We were not sure the special tout to see the Mystic Lamb would be worth it and it definitely was!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Brussels - Private guided walking tour: Art Nouveau architecture

Brussels

Our guide was charming, enthusiastic and knowledgeable. A great experience.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

We had an absolutely wonderful experience with KimKim, and so much of that was thanks to our travel advisor, Lisa.

Lisa was incredibly helpful throughout our trip. She expertly organized our hotels, museum tickets, train travel, and private guides—including a fantastic guide who took us through the WWI battlefields. She was patient, responsive, knowledgeable, and always willing to help whenever we had a question or needed something adjusted.

Everything was handled so smoothly, which made traveling through several cities and countries much less stressful and allowed us to simply enjoy our trip.

And the local guides she arranged were exceptional. Our guides in Brussels, Antwerp, Ypres, and Brugge were all top-notch—knowledgeable, engaging, and extremely informative. They added so much to our experience and gave us a much deeper appreciation for the history and culture of each place we visited.

We had a fantastic experience with Lisa and KimKim. Lisa went above and beyond, and she was such a pleasure to work with. She was so good that we can confidently say we will use KimKim again for our next adventure. Highly recommend!

Hotel Reviews

Hotel O Kathedral

Antwerp

Hard to find but in a great location. The decor on the walls and ceiling were kind of odd as there were half naked 'ruben-esk" women with chubby cherbs on the walls and ceiling. The sink and shower are open to the room but luckily the toilet was in it's own room.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Bourgoensch Hof

Bruges

Had major issues with this hotel. We were placed on the 3rd floor where there was major construction happening. The construction made it uncomfortable as saw's, drills, hammers and workers were always on the floor making noise. The finally ended their day about 6:30 and started at 8am again. The AC was turned off when we arrived, and took all night to finally cool down. We did not have a good experience with the front desk staff either. Very rude and non-apologic about the situation. Cannot recommend.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Be nice and accommodating to your guests who are paying you well to stay there!

Cleanliness & Comfort

I have to give it one star because there was a lot of drywall dust on our floor, plus noise and workers...

9Hotel Central

Brussels

Good location off the beaten path of all the tourists. Quite and an old heritage hotel. We did have issues with the elevator not working a lot of the time. We did enjoy our stay.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Cleanliness & Comfort

The bed was very comfortable, and the staff was very flexible.

Hotel des Arts

Amsterdam-Centrum

Friendly and great location.

Authenticity & Character

Location

close to all of the museums for walking around. Easy to catch the metro.

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Ghent - Adoration of the Mystic Lamb

Belgium

We were thrilled to have tickets to see this incredible piece of history and art. The tour before the viewing included virtual reality (VR) glasses that provided background information on the painting, the artist, and the fascinating history behind the artwork. The VR tour was well executed. When we finally saw the painting, it was unbelievable. The vibrant colors, incredible details, and beautifully arranged panels were breathtaking. I had not expected it to be so clear, bright, and filled with extraordinary details. This is definitely a must-see in Ghent. It was very well displayed.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Antwerp - Private guided walking tour Diamond District

Belgium

I had a wonderful walking tour of Antwerp's old district as well as the diamond district with Luc. He was excellent and met me at our hotel, which was located in the old district rather than near the train station. Luc thought it would be better to walk around and show me some historic sites, such as City Hall, the Cathedral, and Saint Carolus Borromeuskerk Church. Of course, we also made our way to the diamond district. It was fascinating to hear him explain how the diamond wholesale process works, and I learned that the diamond district is highly secure. Barricades with gates line both ends of the street, and a police station is nearby, with active military surveillance in the area. Luc was fantastic, and I am so grateful for the time he took to explain everything. It was very well done!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Ghent - Scenic boat tour (join-in)

Belgium

Another fun experience in Ghent. I recommend that everyone take one of these boat tours. We had a fun driver and good boatmates on our tour. It is a lovely way to see the city.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Ghent - Gravensteen Castle of the Counts

Belgium

This place is super interesting and a lot of fun to visit. You have complete access to the entire castle. The audio tour is excellent, as it includes humor in the storytelling about the castle and the royals who lived there. I definitely recommend visiting! We had a very fun visit.

Quality of Experience

Bruges - Groeningemuseum

Belgium

The museum was lovely, situated away from the crowded main streets, which made it a peaceful place to visit. The Flemish art was beautiful, and I enjoyed admiring the works of the old masters. Their ability to capture landscapes, family life, and religious history is truly spectacular.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Brussels - Center for Fine Arts (BOZAR)

Belgium

The museum was quite interesting, although it was perhaps a bit outside my usual taste in art. The first exhibit featured a large mud hut that visitors could enter after removing their shoes. The second exhibit was created by artists who were denouncing the concept of 'beauty.' While I understand the message they were trying to convey, it felt as if the artists had a strong disdain for anything related to beauty. This exhibit might resonate with some people, but it wasn’t one of my favorites.

Quality of Experience

Antwerp - Red Star Line Museum

Belgium

It was very interesting to learn about the history and the process that immigrants had to go through. I appreciated the ancestry information provided at the end, as I am currently trying to find out if my family passed through Antwerp during their immigration.

Ghent card 48h

Belgium

It was simple and so easy to use everywhere!

Quality of Experience

Amsterdam - Anne Frank House

The Netherlands

It was incredibly moving and sobering—one of those places that makes you stop and reflect on both the best and worst of humanity. The museum and annex were very well organized, and I appreciated the effective crowd control inside. In the annex, they showed great respect by pausing the audio guide, allowing visitors to reflect on the space and consider how the people lived during their captivity there.

Quality of Experience

Amsterdam - Van Gogh Museum

The Netherlands

The Van Gogh museum was quite crowded during my visit. While it was a bit overwhelming, one pleasant surprise was seeing the Almond Blossom painting, which was on temporary display. Years ago, my brother-in-law created a replica of the painting using a Virginia Dogwood flower, which I now own and display in my home.

Quality of Experience

Bruges - Lace Centre

Belgium

I had a wonderful hands-on experience at the museum. While the museum itself was enjoyable, the highlight was watching the women who were making lace. They were patient, informative, and a joy to watch and learn from. I really appreciated their willingness to teach us how to lace weave and share stories about when and how they learned their craft. I hope they can keep this museum and their trade alive for the future. It showcases a beautiful and historic talent. Unfortunately, my phone battery died, so I don't have photos.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Brussels - Magritte Museum

Belgium

Enjoyed the retrospective of Rene's work. I especially enjoyed his later work. The museum is very informative of how he matured his art and philosophy of art.

Quality of Experience

Brussels card 24h

Belgium

Brussels - Private guided walking tour

Belgium

Veronique was an excellent guide. She spent more time with us than necessary and was truly wonderful. Engaging, funny, easy to walk with, and very informative, she shared captivating stories about her time in the city and explained how Belgium is organized both politically and historically. Her insights provided a perfect foundation for the rest of our trip in Belgium. We found her to be incredibly helpful and enjoyable to have as our guide—a real gem!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Veronique was perfect, and we really enjoyed our time with her.

Amsterdam - Rijksmuseum

The Netherlands

I am at a loss for words to describe how wonderful this museum was. It was spectacular, filled with countless exhibits, old masters, and endless beautiful art. A true treasure! I loved it immensely!

Quality of Experience

Highly recommend even for a non-art lover. So much to see.

Antwerp - KMSKA Museum of Fine Arts

The Netherlands

As expected, the old master's artwork is stunning. I loved seeing all of these Flemish painters: Rubens and Van Dyck. Huge paintings with lots of religious and historical subjects. Magnificent. A real delight was the special exhibit of Gormley sculptures, which was very fun to see and experience. One of his pieces filled an entire 2-3 story room, and you could walk inside the sculpture to see a beautiful lighting of soft gray, white, and black. Very well done.

Quality of Experience

Bruges - Day trip to Ypres by private transfer

Bruges

Our driver and tour guide, Lucas, was fantastic. He guided us through Flanders on a moving and educational tour. It was an exceptional experience, and we were very grateful for his personal stories and insights about the locations we visited. This turned out to be another highlight of our trip.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Bruges - Hans Memling Collection at Sint-Janshospitaal

Belgium

This was very interesting, especially the building itself, as they have maintained the interior architecture from the original period. The paintings are displayed beautifully, and the colors are brilliant.

Quality of Experience

Bruges - Private guided walking tour

Belgium

Enjoyed the private tour and guide. He was able to bring the medieval world around Brugge to life.

We had the most amazing trip to Belgium and could not have done it without the planning and organization done by Lisa. We traveled with my mother-in-law (74) and daughter (8) and each activity was tailored to the group perfectly. The transportation set up to and from the Spa Grand Prix was exceptional, considering the amount of people. Highly recomend using them for any trip!

Activity Reviews

Bruges - Private guided walking tour

Belgium

Full of information and pictures to explain the history of Bruges. Was the perfect length for the group and kept the attention of all

Brussels - Private guided walking tour: food

Belgium

Tour guide was fun and full of information. Hit all the big food spots in 2.5 hours

Brussels - Belgian Chocolate Village

Brussels

We would probably skip this next time and just head to the chocolate shops :)

Brussels - Atomium

Belgium

Brussels - Waffle-making workshop

Belgium

Brussels - Day Trip to Bruges by public transport

Belgium

This trip was everything I wanted.
As a first time solo traveller to Europe, I had so many doubts and fears.
But Lisa and Kimkim team really helped out with this plan.
It was tailored to my interests and needs, and even my local friends commented on how good of an itinery I had.
Thank you so much to team KimKim and especially Lisa for all the prompt communcations, help and the plan :)

Hotel Review

The Dominican

Bruxelles

The Dominican was really good stay, Located at very centre and prime spot. The room was spacious and well occupied with all the facilities. Staff were really helpful and friendly. I felt really comfortable and safe staying here. On top of it, the interior and history of the hotel was also very interesting and as an Art nerd, I found it really fascinating. I never had breakfast or any food from the hotel though, so no comment on that.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Leuven - Botanical Gardens (Kruidtuin)

Belgium

A nice and beautiful place to relax, very well and beautifully maintained, a photo spot for sure

Ghent - Gravensteen - Castle of the Counts

Belgium

Visiting the castle was intersting and the audio tour was fun. It is quite a short item and not a must have in my opinion

Quality of Experience

Transport

Brussels - Day trip to Leuven

Brussels

This is another day trip that was absolutely tailored to my interests of architecture, history and art. The St.Peter's Church visit was everything I wanted as an art and history enthusiat. University visit as well was really good. The botanical garden was a really beautiful and nice place to relax after

Quality of Experience

Transport

Brussels - Day trip to Ghent by train

Brussels

Ghent travel was very scenic and absolutely beautiful. Liked it

Quality of Experience

Transport

Brussels - Private guided walking tour: food

Belgium

This is one of the best experience of the trip. My guide was really friendly, knowledgable and really really interesting to spent time with. By the time of this event, I have been in Brussels for almost 4 days and have been to majority of the tourist places and experiences. But he quickly adapted to that, enquired about my intersts and personality, and took me to places , which are not the common tourist places, that fit my interests. Both for food and sights. And as somenone who is interested in history and general politics, he was able to answer many of my queries regarding Belgium and many things related to it, which made a really interesting evening. Really thankful for this experience.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Trip was great but the hotels left a little to be desired. The first hotel in Amsterdam (Mai(), gave us a room where we could not even stand up straight without hitting the rafters of the roof. We changed the room but the replacement was tiny with nowhere for us to put our luggage. When i asked for a luggage rack I was told there were none in the hotel. I later spoke to their maintenance man who was able to get us two racks, but the room was so small that there was little room for their use. There was no closet and no bureau for us to use. As for the James hotel, it was quite nice but there was no breakfast service. In its stead, we were give coupons for 120 Euro to use in their self service area which had hard boiled eggs, bread, boxed cereal, coffee etc. This was certainly not a breakfast. We only used about 45 euro; the remaining money went to waste. We did however use the area's tables for our dinner which we brought in from local restaurants. In addition, this was the hotel where we were supposed to drop off the transportation cards to be mailed back to you. Unfortunately, the hotel policy would not allow us to do this. We had to find alternative postal resources to return the cards. As for the Maek hotel. Upon registering, we noticed a filthy mattress with either chocolate or blood stains. This was brought to the attention of the front desk and we were given another room (which did not have enough pillows). We asked for more pillows but never received them. Also, one day we did not have enough towels and when we notified the front desk, we were told we had to go back down to the lobby to get them ourselves. This happened after we had already gone down to the front desk because our electronic keys did not work (a recurring experience). In addition, there was insufficient personnel at the front desk. When we arrived, there was nobody manning the front desk and we were forced to wait an inordinate amount of time before we could check in. This was a common occurrence. Indeed, when we tried to check out at the end of our stay, there was nobody at the front desk; we just left our room keys with a handwritten note that we were checking out.

Hotel Reviews

Maek Hotel Antwerpen Centraal - Handwritten Collection

Antwerp

See previous comments

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

More staff needed. More attention to detail needed by staff members.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Housekeeping needs improvement

The James Hotel Rotterdam

Rotterdam

See previous comments

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Friendly and helpful

Cleanliness & Comfort

BREAKFAST

Hotel Mai Amsterdam

Amsterdam

See previous comments

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Activity Reviews

Explore Ghent with city card

Belgium

We did not go to Ghent. Enjoyed a quiet day in Antwerp watching the local people interact with eachother. Spent time stad park which was very enjoyable.

Bruges - Hans Memling Collection at Sint-Janshospitaal

Belgium

Expected more relating to health care when hospital was active

Quality of Experience

Bruges - Private guided walking tour

Belgium

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Antwerp - Day trip to Bruges

Antwerp

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Antwerp - Private guided Food Tour (on foot)

Belgium

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Antwerp - MAS (Museum Aan de Stroom)

Belgium

Quality of Experience

Antwerp - Red Star Line Museum

Belgium

Quality of Experience

Brussels - Comics Art Museum

Belgium

Quality of Experience

Brussels - Waffle-making workshop

Belgium

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Brussels - Private guided walking tour

Belgium

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Antwerp - Day trip to Brussels by train

Belgium

Quality of Experience

Transport

Antwerp - Chocolate Nation

Belgium

Good for kids. Not very informative for adults.

Quality of Experience

Antwerp - Private guided walking tour

Belgium

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Delft - Delft Blue High Tea

Belgium

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Staff not attentive

Delft - Delft blue pottery

The Netherlands

Quality of Experience

Delft - Vermeer Center

The Netherlands

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Rotterdam - Stroll in the park & local food

Belgium

Quality of Experience

Rotterdam - Boijmans van Beuningen (Depot)

Belgium

Quality of Experience

Rotterdam - Kinderdijk windmills by public boat (waterbus)

Belgium

Quality of Experience

Transport

Leiden - Hortus Botanicus

The Netherlands

Quality of Experience

Leiden - Lakenhal Museum

The Netherlands

Quality of Experience

Leiden - Private Guided city walk

Belgium

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Rotterdam - Day trip to Leiden

Rotterdam

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Rotterdam - harbor boat tour

Belgium

Boring.

Quality of Experience

Amsterdam - Grand Dutch Food & History Tour in a small group

The Netherlands

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Amsterdam - Anne Frank House

The Netherlands

Quality of Experience

Haarlem - Windmill de Adriaan

The Netherlands

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Haarlem - Self-guided cycling route to the Keukenhof & through the tulip fields

The Netherlands

Quality of Experience

Transport

Didn't need electric bikes.

Amsterdam - Day trip to Haarlem by train

Amsterdam

Quality of Experience

Transport

Amsterdam - Rijksmuseum

The Netherlands

Quality of Experience

Amsterdam - Canal cruise (join in)

The Netherlands

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Amsterdam - Van Gogh Museum

The Netherlands

Amsterdam - Private guided historic city walk

Belgium

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Public transport pass Netherlands (OV chip card)

The Netherlands

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Private guides were great

Transport

easy to use

Our driver Peter did an outstanding job in ferrying the group around!!!

Our best to Bas and Peter for arranging and facilitating our trip!!!

Hotel Reviews

ibis Dinant Centre

Dinant

Authenticity & Character

Location

Excellent location near the river and walking distance to nearby restaurants and clubs!!!

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Golden Lakes Hotel

Froidchapelle

Wonderful place to bring the entire family for a weekend or for a full week!!!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Ibis Antwerpen Centrum

Antwerp

Authenticity & Character

0p

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Marriott Grand Place

Brussels

Great service and superb people with wonderful personalities!!!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Brussels - Gueuze Museum

Brussels

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

The staff did a great job!!!

Transport

Visit the Trappist breweries of Orval and Rochefort

Dinant

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Chimay - Visit the Scourmont Trappist Abbey (Chimay Brewery)

Belgium

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Antwerp - Day trip to Westvleteren: Trappist Brewery of the Sint-Sixtus Abbey - Chimay

Belgium

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Brussels to Antwerp - Visit the Trappist breweries of Westmalle and Achel

Belgium

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

My husband , 29 year old daughter and I just returned from a wonderful 9 day trip to The Netherlands & Belgium. Mieke did a fantastic job tailoring the trip to our needs. She picked perfect hotels that provided room for 3 adults. Once she understood our family dynamics she was able to tailor our daily itineraries . Highlights for us were: Visiting the Kuekenhof Gardens, Touring Kinderdijk windmills & exploring The Adoration of the Mystic Lamb using the 3 D tour! Mieke also gave us restaurant recommendations and tips for navigating each city. When we arrived she had a well organized package for us with all of our travel documents. And prior to the trip, Mieke was accessible for phone conversations to discuss our trip. This aspect of the service was invaluable and helped solidify our plans. This is our 2nd time traveling with KimKim and I could not be more pleased.

Hotel Reviews

Ghent River Hotel

Ghent

Room was comfortable and provided a very good amount of space for 3 adults. Shower room was a nice size.

Authenticity & Character

Room was a very nice size. Breakfast room was on the rooftop and light and airy with a patio.

Location

Walking distance to everything.

Staff

We were not greeted well by the hotel. When we checked in there was no welcoming manner. The man seemed put out.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Comfortable. There is a bathrobe. Loved the exposed brick wall and the high ceilings. Bedspreads and towels were not special. No color or uniqueness to decor.

Hotel des Arts

Amsterdam-Centrum

We had a room for 3 adults. Loved the decor and the view of the canal. The room & bathroom were on the small side but, doable. The breakfast was very nice. Great location. Perfect for our trip.

Authenticity & Character

Decor was pretty

Location

View of the canal. Across from the metro. Walking distance to everything.

Staff

Very nice. Helpful.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Room was clean. Just a little small. Hard to find a place for 3 bags.

Activity Reviews

Ghent - Day trip to Bruges

Ghent

Pretty city. Think it would have been better if we had a tour guide when we arrived. We did do the bus tour on our own. It was expensive and just okay. But, it did give us a chance to see all around the city. Climbed the Belfry and that was wonderful.

Ghent - Gravensteen - Castle of the Counts

Belgium

The outside of the castle is way more interesting than the inside.

Ghent - Adoration of the Mystic Lamb

Belgium

AMAZING!!! Did the 3 D tour and it was such a fun and informative experience!!

Explore Ghent with a CityCard

Belgium

Easy to show card and take buses and canal tour.

8Ghent - Private guided walking tour

Ghent

Wonderful tour guide!!!

Rotterdam - Kinderdijk windmills by water shuttle

The Netherlands

Loved this experience. Very interesting!!

Amsterdam - Rijksmuseum

The Netherlands

Beautiful museum!

Amsterdam - Van Gogh Museum

The Netherlands

Wonderful!

Amsterdam - Anne Frank House

The Netherlands

Very well organized and informative. Powerful experience.

Amsterdam - Jewish Museum & Portuguese Synagogue

Amsterdam

Synagogue is so beautiful. History of the area very interesting. Did not see the museum.

Amsterdam - Private guided walking tour on Jewish History

The Netherlands

Inbal , our guide, was very knowledgeable.

Haarlem - Self-guided cycling route to the Keukenhof & through the tulip fields

The Netherlands

Unfortunately the tulip fields were no longer in bloom when we got there. Apparently we missed it by 1 day. Also, we needed better biking directions. We had trouble following the path. That said, people were very happy to help. Also, enjoyed having E- bikes!!! LOVED the Keukenhof Gardens!!! So beautiful!

Day trip to Haarlem

The Netherlands

We didn't spend very much time in Haarlem. We were there just to head out to the gardens. Biking to Kuekenhof gardens was fun but, the directions from the bikeshop were a little challenging. People are very happy to help you out.

Amsterdam - Canal cruise (join in)

The Netherlands

Public transport pass Netherlands (OV chip card)

The Netherlands

Loved having our card and being able to navigate the trains and trolleys when we needed them.

Nadine was very helpful and really kind, but things didn't go as smoothly when she was gone during part of our trip. The most unhelpful incident was when I asked about tipping our Amsterdam driver: the response came after our last interaction. I have asked Nadine to please give Albert an additional sum (40 or 50 euros) before finalizing our account. I have not heard if that has happened.

I did not like the KimKim computer system. I used it at home on my MAC book, but took only our iPad and iPhone with us. Accessing tickets and a whole lot of past messages was not easily done on the iPad, and not at all on the iPhone during our times away from the hotel. Plus, I had to print each ticket for everything before leaving home since I could not put tickets on my iPhone. That took much time and organization on my part. Sometime please use the system as if you were a tourist. You'll see accessing the notes for individual day events requires you to scroll thru the entire system to find the note. I also had to create a separate Excel spreadsheet, as the summary report provided did not have enough information on it.

What was very helpful was Nadine getting the hotel reservations, two drivers/guide, and making museum (mostly) and train reservations. She also was helpful with canceling the safari event. She was not very helpful with our day trip to Waterloo, but once we got to the town via the train, my husband figured out the bus route and times. It was a worthwhile and interesting trip. Our day trip to Flanders Field arranged by Nadine was excellent and our guide, Lucas, was top-notch. Nadine also suggested if time to see the Mesgad Panorama, and that truly was good to do.

Hotel Reviews

Hotel le Dixseptième

Brussels

This is like an old-fashioned elegant hotel, but it lacks enough business to reach that mark. The breakfasts were individually packaged (ie, yogurt in small containers, not in bowls for self service) and the last day only three customers were there. The woman server told us they do not have a kitchen where they make things.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Great for train, great for walking to restaurants.

Staff

One gentleman at the desk (and filling in for morning breakfast if needed) could use better manners. Others were very good.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Ghent Urbanist Hotel (previously Comic Art Hotel)

Ghent

Lovely hotel and very nice staff. Poor location as it's getting run down around them. Too bad.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

The Collector Hotel

The Hague

I truly underestimated the effort to pull our trolley carts from the train to the hotel. While it was only a mile, the stone surfaces of the road made the effort really challenging. We should have been forewarned. One day staff member was extremely rude, but her colleagues made up for it.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Getting there from the train with luggage.

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Accommodation booked by traveler

We stayed at the Renaissance (Marriott) Hotel in Amsterdam and it was very good. My husband booked it with points and I want Nadine to know she can depend on the services of the hotel desk. They were all very helpful with whatever was needed. The hotel too was well placed for all events we did.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Close to much but still gave us walking opportunities! We clocked 8-10 miles daily.

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Day trip to cheese farm, Edam, and Zaanse Schans

The Netherlands

Too touristy.

Quality of Experience

Amsterdam - Private canal cruise

The Netherlands

I should have been told the price...I would not have agreed on that level. We ended up taking a public trip, which was fine. The boat was VERY hard to find. I think Nadine has not been there, as the directions were poor. It said we should pick it up near the mueums, but that wasn't correct. It was walking distance from our hotel.

Quality of Experience

Amsterdam - Van Gogh Museum

The Netherlands

I guess I had expected more of his original works.

Quality of Experience

Amsterdam - Rijksmuseum

The Netherlands

Fantastic. We needed 8 hours at least.

Quality of Experience

Amsterdam - Anne Frank House

The Netherlands

Even better than I had expected. A must.

Quality of Experience

Muiderslot Castle

The Netherlands

This was really good to see. Glad we added it although I got the impression from Nadine that wasn't usually visisted.

Quality of Experience

Transport

Amsterdam - Resistance Museum

The Netherlands

Quality of Experience

Amsterdam - Rembrandt House

The Netherlands

Excellent special exhibit also

Quality of Experience

Public transport pass Netherlands (OV chip card)

The Netherlands

Really easy to use. We missed it when we left for Belgium!!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Emma did an absolutely amazing job planning and organizing our trip to explore the magic of the holiday season in Cologne, Brussels, Ghent, and Bruges! She was extremely helpful and attentive, from our first messages trying to figure out what we wanted to do and where we wanted to go, right up until the days before our trip when she provided suggestions for helpful phone apps and other details, big and small. Emma answered every question we had promptly and thoroughly, and she patiently made numerous changes and "tweaks" so we could shape a trip together that met our particular needs and wishes. Upon arriving at our first hotel, we had a welcome packet waiting for us with our train tickets, city cards, and other helpful information, well-organized and labeled. When we had a question during the first day of the trip, we received a response immediately, and were very impressed. We would use kimkim again for our vacation planning in a heartbeat. Emma truly went above and beyond to create a magical Christmastime adventure for us, and we are so grateful for her! Anyone who works with Emma to plan their trip is in excellent hands.

Great guides esp in Ypres
Great hotels esp in Antwerp and Bruges
Would include the alter of Ghent in tour and the Madonna sculpture in tour
Thanks

I took a trip to Belgium to visit military history sites with my teenage son. Having not been to the country, I needed help choosing accommodations and activities. Nadine took all the stress out of planning the trip and suggested hotels and activities I never would have found without her. The whole process was seamless. The private tour guides were excellent, and even gave us special gifts. Nadine and her colleagues were available to help with questions/problems I had while traveling. I highly recommend using her expertise to and experience to make sure each day of your trip is memorable and as stress free as possible.

Hotel Reviews

Hotel des Galeries

Brussels

Excellent location near the best restaurants, and short walk to the train station. Despite its central location, it is quiet and peaceful.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel FranQ

Antwerp

This hotel was very clean, luxurious, well appointed and quiet. The breakfast was excellent!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Ghent Urbanist Hotel (previously Comic Art Hotel)

Ghent

I loved everything about this hotel. Spotlessly clean, charming art, good view, well located, and the best breakfast of the trip. They serve omelettes and have a great selection of breakfast items,

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

La Merveilleuse

Dinant

I would recommend staying in a deluxe room in the newer addition of the hotel (gray stone building behind the abbey). My first night I stayed in a room in the older building, which was not what I was expecting. However the hotel upgraded me to the deluxe room which overlooked a beautiful garden. The breakfast was very good.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Only the deluxe room met the standard I wanted. I would not stay here unless it was a deluxe room.

Activity Reviews

Ghent - Day trip to Waterloo, Namur, and Dinant by private transfer

Belgium

The visit to the battlefield was definitely the highlight of our whole trip. The guide was so knowledgable, and it was so informative!

Dinant - Kayaking on the Lesse

Dinant

The kayaking on the Lesse River from Dinant was an incredibly physical but rewarding experience. It was hot, but the adventure was worth it. We had initially planned to do some climbing afterward, but due to scheduling issues, the climbing wasn't available in the morning. We ended up kayaking first and were too tired to go back for climbing. For future travelers, I would recommend planning only one of these activities per day, especially if it's hot, to avoid fatigue. Overall, kayaking was enough to fill the day with excitement.

We interacted directly with mieke during the later half of planning and during the time we were there. Everything was good. When we needed help finding our way we were messaged with help right away. We love all the places, but our favorite was Bruges, Gent, the Hague, Amsterdam, Rotterdam and then Antwerp.

Everything was well planned and very enjoyable. The driver was very accommodating and all the locations and services were top notch.

We had a wonderful 5 days in Belgium . BAs arranged excellent accommodation in Antwerp and Brussels that had perfect locations for walking to attractions and food and drinks.
Our guide in Antwerp, Dave, was knowledgeable, friendly and really loves his city. Even though it poured with rain during most of our tour he persevered and we didn’t feel that we had been short changed at all. He was also our guide the next morning when the sun was out and showed us some more of his beautiful town.
Janne was our lovely guide in Ghent for the morning and we thoroughly enjoyed her view of her city. Very knowledgeable and funny and such a good guide, we learnt a lot about Ghent and its place in the old world.
We had a couple of easy tours on our own one to a chocolate factory and museum and another to a beer brewery.
The whole experience dealing with kimkim agents has been only positive and we’ve already booked our 3rd one for next year.

Hotel Reviews

Hotel des Galeries

Brussels

The location is great for wandering around the older parts of the city and through the Galleries passages. The rooms are clean and surprisingly large by European standards.

Authenticity & Character

In some ways it’s a very simple hotel with a few quirks. All good quirks though

Location

Perfect for wandering around, very safe and lots of beautiful Belgian chocolate shops close by.

Staff

The staff really make this place special, really helpful with tips on where to eat and drink away from the tourist traps. Always friendly and willing to help sort any problems out

Cleanliness & Comfort

Very clean and comfortable but I found it odd that the room didn’t contain a small fridge of any kind. Coffee and tea were provided but no milk or creamer, and no way of keeping milk cold. There was also no electric jug in the room making tea. Staff were always willing to bring a teapot of hot water or a jug of milk to the room but it was a bit odd.

Hotel FranQ

Antwerp

Fabulous staff, great location, clean and very welcoming

Authenticity & Character

It’s a little bit quirky in its interior design and very comfortable. Some of the original features are still in place

Location

Really close to lots of historical sites and excellent bars and eateries

Staff

Would have to be one of the best assets of this hotel. Very welcoming and helpful always

Cleanliness & Comfort

The best bed!

Activity Reviews

Antwerp - De Koninck Beer Brewery Tour

Belgium

Well worth a visit but the entry process is a bit of a shambles. One person selling tickets, pouring beers and checking those ticket holders who purchased on line. The whole place felt a little understaffed

Quality of Experience

Antwerp - Private guided walking tour

Belgium

Dave also took us on this tour and I can’t recommend him enough.

Quality of Experience

Antwerp - Private guided Evening walking tour

Antwerp

Dave is a passionate and lovely guide, we immediately felt comfortable with him. And we felt really sorry for him because it rained quite heavily on our tour but he was such a trooper that we kept going! The next day was a lot better and we had a really good tour of old town. We tried amazing chocolate s and a really smooth liqueur. He showed us covered canals and all sorts of things that we would never have found on our own or maybe missed by being part of a larger group

Quality of Experience

We had a wonderful 2-week trip to Belgium and The Netherlands. We worked with Bas and Mieke. They were thorough and provided us with a wealth of knowledge. During the planning process and throughout our trip, Mieke was amazingly responsive, day and night!

We enjoyed the flexbility in travel style we had with them. Our trip was a mix of self- led and private guided travel. We used public transportation extensively. The detailed instructions on all forms of public transportation was much appreciated.

Our Kim Kim trip was excellent. It saved us a ton of time in planning and research. Our organizer Mieke was super helpful and we enjoyed all her recommendations. Having all the trains tickets and passes made traveling easy and saved alot of time. We spent 10 days travelling through the Netherlands and Belgium . Both were wonderful countries with much to see and do. The tours we took were all well organized and informative. Its always great to spend some time with local people and get there perspective on their cities and country.

I arranged a side trip to Belgium from Amsterdam through KimKim. We went to Amsterdam to attend my son’s wedding. There were three separate ceremonies and a number of additional activities. After all the festivities, our goal was to enjoy some carefree traveling without any pressure and with all the plans made in advance. The travel plans through KimKim started in Amsterdam where we were picked up by an excellent driver with a nice van. The previous night, the driver and I texted and confirmed the pickup location and time. Our first stop was Brussels. The driver was friendly and very accommodating. We stopped along the way for coffee and a snack. We were safely delivered to our hotel, Hotel Dixseptieme, about midday. Our hotel and room were excellent. The daily breakfast was also top notch. In Brussels, we met up with my cousin who gave us a tour of the countryside and the city over the next two days. Nothing like having a local take care of our every need. Our next stop was Ghent on our way to Bruge. A driver was supposed to pick us up 9:30 but no one showed. I had texted the number the night before but did not get a response. I didn’t know I was texting a landline. When the driver didn’t show, I called the taxi company and they were unaware of the booking. I immediately called the emergency line and Meike went to work. Unfortunately a driver didn’t arrive until after 11:00 reducing our time in Ghent and making that day somewhat of a disappointment and hectic. The driver showed up in a little taxi and he was not familiar with Brussels. We were going around in circles trying to get out of town. Just about every road was under construction and we were rerouted at every turn. The driver was trying hard but the trip and miserable. Once we arrived in Ghent, we were met by a most pleasant guide,Christien Batsle, who walked us through the town and gave us history lessons and tales to embellish the beautiful surroundings. Our tour was cut short to make time for our scheduled boat tour. The tour included a chocolatier and a nice box of delicious chocolates. There was no time for lunch. We proceeded to the boat tour and got a different perspective of the charming little town. From there we scrambled back to the taxi where our driver took us on to Bruge in the same small taxi. The same driver and car was scheduled to drive us the final day to Antwerp and Amsterdam on the final day of our excursion. The driver was not happy with the plan and asked if we could find another driver from Antwerp to Amsterdam. I got back in touch with Meike requesting that she sort out the situation. When we arrived in Bruge we were exhausted and glad to have a nice room to relax in and a beautiful little historical hotel, Boutiquehotel ‘t Fraeyhuis, with beautiful grounds and restaurant. I asked the owner and front desk lady to help me find a driver for the final day drive. She and her brother called a couple companies, got prices and gave me the info that I passed along to Meike. Fortunately, the change was made and we had an excellent driver and car for the final day of our excursion. We spent two nights in Bruge. While the hotel was nice and everyone was very accommodating, it was problematic. There was no lift and we were up two and a half flights of narrow stairs which is fine for young able bodied people. My husband is 80 and has two replaced knees. He managed to get up and down, but there was no way for him to manage our luggage. For check in, there was a nice young man that happily helped us out. For our check out there were no men on duty. Two young ladies had to carry our bag down the stairs. We were so thankful for all of their help! The hotel and the staff were excellent and very professional. In Bruge we were met at the hotel for an extensive walking tour of the town. Our tour guide, Roland Schils, was very knowledgeable and happy to show us all over Bruge. Of all of the places we visited, I think Bruge was our favorite. We walked almost 12,000 steps on that tour. The following day we were picked up at the hotel and driven to Antwerp where we visited the Red Star Line Museum. My great grandparents immigrated to the US on one of their ships @ 1900. The museum is very interesting. The driver waited while we toured and then drove us back to our hotel in Amsterdam. Belgium is a delightful country to visit. I’m so glad that we were able to take this trip. With the exception of the transportation issues from Brussels to Bruge, we had an excellent trip. Meike got the problem resolved to our satisfaction. And I have to put a good word in for the poor taxi driver who had to drive from Ghent to pick us up in Brussels and then drive us back to Ghent, wait for us and then drive us on to Bruge. He was a very nice man who tried to do his best under the circumstances. Unfortunately his little hot, older, small taxi car was not his doing. Our knees were up against the front seats. This is maybe ok for a short taxi drive, but not for a long distance drive. His objection to the second drive to Amsterdam was a blessing.
I’m thankful that I asked for the phone numbers of the drivers and tour guides ahead of the trip and added them to my contacts. As Americans we make assumptions that hotels have elevators and cars have air conditioning. If we take another trip to Europe, we’ll be better prepared.

I found the planning to be very accurate to our preferences, We enjoyed the trip and used our time in a very efficient manner. We did not meet Mieke but had very fast response when we needed.
There were a couple of small details: upon arrival our at midnight our taxi was not the one or the type of car that was informed. Anyways we did not have a problem with that. The hotel in Rotterdam did not have a paid reservation. We had to pay but were reimbursed 2 days later.
I think the cost was bit high, that’s why I am not giving 5 stars, but still think that it was valuable because we made the most of our time.
Thanks!

Hotel Reviews

Mister Highland Hotel Amsterdam

Amsterdam

Hotel was under reformation, I think we should have gone somewhere else, considering what we were paying. The room was already refurbished and the breakfast area also. Breakfast was excellent

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Undergoing construction.

Premier Suites Plus Rotterdam

Rotterdam

Great option for people who are travelling for several days, because its a small apartment, with kitchen and fridge. It has a free laundry that we really appreciated, and the location is the best

Authenticity & Character

Location

Meters from central station

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Ghent Urbanist Hotel (previously Comic Art Hotel)

Ghent

Beautiful , modern and clean!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Warwick Brussels - Grand Place

Brussels

Old, outdated. Very good location. Would not repeat

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Amsterdam - Grand Dutch Food & History Tour in a small group

Belgium

Really enjoyed the combination of walking and snacks

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Amsterdam - Private canal cruise

Belgium

Excellent

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Ghent - Private guided cycle tour

Belgium

Guide was very pleasant.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Ghent - Scenic boat tour (join-in)

Belgium

Excellent

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

The holiday was very enjoyable as we visited all the major art galleries that we wanted to. It was a pleasure to be picked up by car and not have to worry about finding taxis. A special mention should be made of Blacklane Chauffer as the vehicles were top quality and the driver Antonio very obliging. We enjoyed the small family Loretta hotel in Bruges as the hostess and staff were very friendly. On the other hand the small hotel in Brussels, the Café Pacific, was not very welcoming, the facilities in the room were a little lacking, and the small bar area, although advertised as a champagne and cocktail bar, was not open in the evening. Some people returning from the evening meal and wanting a nightcap would be quite disappointed.
The highlight for us was visiting the Rubenshuis and the Rocox museum in Antwerp, although the Musee des Beaux Artes in Brussels came a close second.

Working with Sophie from L'Objectif France was great. She took the time to phone me to ask important questions. She was quick to reply to my questions and requests. Thanks to Sophie, we were able to fit in a lot of neat things in such a short tip. The Road Book Sophie put together with the itinerary and directions - including maps - was fantastic. I have never seen a comparable book from another agent.

The car transfers arranged in Brussels with Blacklane were superb. Clean, comfortable vehicles and professional drivers. Drivers were on time/early.

Waffle tour (can't remember company or name of guide) was really neat and provided a memorable experience. The waffles we made themselves were so-so, but the history and knowledge of Belgian waffles in general was really neat.

Day trip to Ghent and Bruges with Brussels City Tours was good. Weather was pretty miserable, but the guide was great and knowledgeable. Spoke/walked at a good pace. Made for a long day, but I felt like I got a good sense of both places without being rushed or with too much time doddling.

City tour of Brussels was ok, also with Brussels City Tours. This was originally scheduled for our first day, which is ideal for me as a traveller in order to get a sense of the city at the beginning of the stay. This tour was rescheduled due to low booking. Sophie was great about getting in touch to communicate the change and allowed us time to decide if we wanted to keep our booking. They ended up having a last minute cancellation, so it was just the two of us on the tour with a big coach bus. Was nice to see more of Brussels other than the city centre, but there was too much time on the coach and I would not have enjoyed the tour if the bus was full. Definitely prefer tours with more walking.

The chocolate tour of Brussels with Groovy Brussels was amazing! Highly recommend.

Private tour of Liège was good. Interesting city history. Guide focused a lot on architecture and churches a little too much. Felt like we could have seen more if we didn't spend so much time on individual buildings talking about windows and lines.

Kimkim overall was a useful tool. As a Canadian, I would have liked to pay in the local currency rather than USD so I didn't essentially pay the exchange rate twice. There seemed to be a technical glitch when a second traveller was added, which made payment more complicated than it would have been otherwise. If it worked properly, would have worked great to split the costs between two travellers. It also would have been nice to have a breakdown of costs for each itinerary item as well as more info upfront about how the agent's costs work. I noticed each time I asked for a change, her fees went up. This made me hesitant to ask for changes. However, the amount of time I saved by not looking up tours and hotels myself was well worthwhile.