Kimkim Trip Reviews for China

We didn't get to cycle but the rafting was very fun!

This was extemely fun! Well worth it

This was an enjoyable experience. The family opened their home and we had a lovely time.

We had a great day to visit the wall.

It’s a typical cruise with pandemonium because of the large crowds and a la carte service and upselling of services throughout the trip. The executive lounge dining included in the executive suite price was excellent as the second floor dining room was overcrowded. The included excursions were not remarkable but Ghost City and Feng Du Show that night were good values. The food was just okay even with the upgrade to the 6th floor dining area.

The main problem was that the hotel had disengaged the cooling system in all the rooms. They offered an upgrade but it also had no cooling. The provision of a self serve laundry was exquisite. The location was excellent

The hotel is out of date and was a 3.9 star rating at best. The Guilin Shangri La was reviewed highly by some fellow travelers

To fill out the charm of the experience, our guide took us into several homes, which had been converted to museums before getting us onto the wonderful boat ride experience. She gave us a lot of history about the customs of the region. It was a quieter, more laid-back rural experience than we had had in other places.

We had a wonderful cultural experience in a restaurant on the road. At the end of this three week tour, it was a little bit redundant unavoidably because there are so many roads and hutongs and Muslim quarter places that are very similar packed with food vendors and hawkers.

The guide expertly picked a friend of hers that she has used for years to provide a unique China culture experience riding through the alleys of the town.

It was very crowded and our guide was not lingering for pictures.

It was a unique lifetime experience.

It was a delightful experience with an excellent guide.

Honestly, it was a little boring and felt like it was something that the government wanted to make sure that we saw so that we noted how wonderful they were. It is outstanding that they provided mass transportation with escalators to the top of the hill. Without that, the whole trip would not have been worth it.

We were glad that we chose the option to visit ghost city, and hear the stories from our guide. I noticed that you did not give the option for reviewing the show that night, which was a mistake on your part. That show in the evening about the three kings was probably the most outstanding theatrical performance I have seen in my many years of life. It was very exciting and was not to be missed by other future visitors.

Our guide went above and beyond her assigned duty to help us be comfortable, experiencing the brief time we had there and getting some dinner before helping negotiate the arrival onto the cruise ship. She was helpful with communicating with the cruise ship people who were adamant about things which they were wrong about.

The crowds were overwhelming, and everyone was pushing to get a good photograph of the charming pandas. Our guide was adequate, but not outstanding. I don’t believe that there is anything that he could have done to help us get closer to the pandas for good photographs. I think that arriving early as we did probably helped us to see the pandas during their most active feeding time of the day.

Our guide bravely accompanied two ancient and decrepit seniors on scooters which probably added years to her life, but subtracted years from ours. It was a delightful, fun and unique experience.

Our guide enthusiastically and patiently pointed out each point of interest that she felt that we would not want to miss including the view of the hills on the 20 Yuan Bill and interjected stories about each of those points of interest.

Our guide was patient and wonderful and lovingly presented this visual gift of the people and lifestyle of the area that is not usually seen by China tourists. The stories that the guide inserted were charming.

The colors, architectural design, and the historical stories were intriguing.

This was a delightful and unexpected highlight of our experiences in Xi’an. The guide knew the woman who lived in the place where we made the dumplings and noodles and the whole cultural experience was joyful and wholesome.

Because of our age, we both have mobility restrictions so we chose to not do the bicycle tour. We did climb the steps successfully and were able to experience enough of the wall to be understanding the history and the architecture.

Despite the presence of the crowd and our early arrival, our guide was able to successfully direct us to a visual access of the warriors that we had not anticipated. We had hoped to get closer to them on the ground level, but that access was restricted many years ago.

The access to the upper area was closed because it was a Monday, but this did not detract from the overall enjoyment of the palace grounds.

The offer of the cable car was a game changer! Thank you very much. The distance away from the city also helped to mitigate the crowd.

We had gone to the most popular hutong Street the day before our tour so our guide took us to a different hutong area with a lake that was much nicer than the most popular street which was so packed with shops and food vendors. I would recommend that you take that Area as your first choice in the future.

The crowd was overwhelming on the day that we went, but our friend who went the next day found it almost empty.

The crowd was overwhelming on the day we traveled, but the pictures from a friend who traveled the next day showed a much lower number of people.

Very nice hotel with good location. Staff helpful when needed.

Beautiful view from the breakfast area and great location to walk around. Staff was friendly enough but bed was very hard. Internet never worked. Room was nice with free soft drinks and juice in the refrigerator.

Cleaning staff were very friendly and helpful. The front desk was alright. Bed was very hard and the internet never worked. The carpet in the room was stained and the bathroom sink was all cracked up, but everything looked clean.

Welcoming Staff and Cleaning Staff very friendly and Front desk staff alright. They had tea in the afternoon and goodnight soup in the evening. Gave us lots of water and had cold water. They let us in early for breakfast. Beds very hard and internet never worked.

Staff didn't even acknowledge me, only talked to the guide when we checked in. I assume they couldn't speak English. Elevators were very slow and always very crowded. Internet never worked while we were there.

Desk staff not very friendly or helpful. Paid for breakfast but then ended up with an early flight. We had to leave 30 minutes before breakfast started and asked for a couple of croissants to take with us but were told no. Had a kettle in the room but no tea or coffee.

Desk staff was alright. Had to wait 10 minutes in line to get into breakfast. Clean and nice hotel.

The desk staff were friendly enough. The rooms were small but very clean. The restaurant staff were very friendly. The location was good.

We didn't really see much this day because the guide was trying to help us get an earlier flight out after our flight was 52 hours delayed.

Interesting town.

Nice city.

Nice views.

Nice walk.

Beautiful boat ride. Not to be missed.

Nice view.

Beautiful views.

Enjoyed seeing the Pandas.

Long drive from Chengdu but Giant Buddha was amazing.

Nice.

Beautiful place but it was raining so really couldn't enjoy very well.

Always wanted to see but it was very crowded so couldn't get pictures with us in them.

Interesting but you can't take pictures inside.

Another for the bucket list.

Always wanted to see the Forbidden City but we had to wait over and hour to get through security.

Always wanted to see the Great Wall and walk on it. One for the bucket list.

Really enjoyed seeing the deer and being able to touch and feed them.

Enjoyed the Bamboo Grove.

Enjoyed the Golden Pavilion and Fushimi-Inari Taisha.

Nice garden.

Enjoyed but there was lots of walking involved.

Nice day trip from Tokyo. Enjoyed the boat ride on Lake Ashi.

The Yangtze Boutique Shanghai didn't quite meet our expectations. While the staff was pleasant, there was a noticeable lack of attentiveness, especially during breakfast, where the staff seemed a bit disengaged. The location wasn't ideal for our plans, which was somewhat inconvenient, especially towards the end of our trip.

Wyndham Grand Xian South did not live up to our expectations. The language barrier was a significant issue as most staff did not speak English, making communication very difficult. Additionally, there was an unpleasant smoky smell in the room, which was quite off-putting.

The Yangshuo Jora Luxury Hotel was amazing. It had excellent amenities, and the view from our room was breathtaking. The pool was great, and the staff was attentive. However, for breakfast, there could have been more European options; it mostly featured local Chinese breakfast, which was good but limited in variety.

Four Seasons Hotel Beijing was our favorite. The service was outstanding, the facilities were top-notch, and the staff was incredibly kind. Overall, everything about the hotel stood out, and it was a fantastic start to our trip.

Loved this hotel. Great location for being able to walk down and along the Bund and the hotel itself was beautiful. Room was lovely with nice toiletries in the bathroom and a nice easy chair in the bedroom. We ate dinner in the restaurant on the ground floor and very much enjoyed what we had. The staff were pleasant and friendly. The spa was also very nice - had a massage which was most enjoyable and a nice swim in the pool. Would stay here again.

Hotel was lovely, spotlessly clean, nice room, not the biggest room ever but more than adequate for our needs. Little or no English spoken by staff which did make things a little challenging sometimes but nothing that couldn't be overcome. We were not in the hotel for very long but we did like it. Breakfast was good.

The hotel was in a nice area and conveniently located to walk to eating places and shops. The reception area/foyer and bar/lounge area were very nice. The room we were in was clean and spacious but more than a little "tired" looking, particularly the bathroom/shower area which was very rusted and as a result didn't look especially clean. Staff were nice, limited English but able to communicate. Good range of options at breakfast. Beware of the bar closing earlier than stated hours, it notes being open until 11pm but when we asked for a drink one evening at 10.30pm were told the till was already closed so we couldn't get one. Overall a good experience.

A fabulous day spent in Shanghai - view from Shanghai Tower was amazing, the Yu Garden was spectacular to see and the delicious dumpling lunch was also a highlight.

Loved seeing the Terracotta Army - the sheer scale was breathtaking. Would highly recommend.

Our stand out highlight of the holiday - it was amazing to be standing on/walking on the Great Wall. I am glad we were there early in the day, as it gets very busy, very quickly.

Extremely charming lodge owned and operated by very welcoming local family. Wonderful location and absolutely stunning views from the bedrooms and common areas. Felt right at home instantly and would love to return.

Beautiful sites in the city. Perfect for one day in Shanghai.

After a few peaceful days in the countryside, we were a bit skeptical of returning to a big city such as Shanghai, but it was great to find a smaller place outside the city that wasn't too overwhelming. Zhujiajiao certainly lives up to the title of the "Venice of China".

Perhaps our favorite activity of our entire trip. The rice terraces and surrounding villages are a gem to be discovered in the mountains. We walked several trails through the fields and villages, each one more beautiful than the last.

We learned a great deal about tea and tea production. It was truly special to make our own tea from picking the leaves to drying and toasting them. The tea plantation is very nice and also serves great food at its restaurant. We were treated to several local teas and bought plenty to bring home.

We really loved the bike trails through the village, surrounded by mountains, rivers, farms, and gardens. The ride is easy and beautiful. We would have been happy to bike around the area for a couple of hours more.

Stunning scenery and a pleasant journey. The boat is spacious and comfortable, and serves good tea, coffee, and food.

The trains across the country are always comfortable and on time. The journey was very picturesque and we found some time to relax.

The bridge is certainly a sight to see, but the real beauty lies in the canyon below along the river. Unlike the bridge, which was very crowded, the walking path in the canyon was hardly touched. We discovered true beauty and peacefulness here.

One of the most beautiful places we have ever seen in our lives. Truly captivating and breathtaking.

We love to experience new local foods when traveling and this was certainly a highlight. We found it much better than the Beijing-style hotpot. Extremely rich in flavor. Shirlene taught us how to hotpot properly!

We were very impressed by Chengdu's laid-back vibe and lively charm. Local people playing music, dancing, and drinking tea in People's park, and the Wenshu monastery was both peaceful and beautiful. Great food in both areas.

The well-preserved ancient city wall was our favorite part of Xi'an. At night the lanterns and houses light up to create a magical atmosphere. We cycled all the way around the city wall in 1 hour at a leisurely pace and would highly recommend the activity. I would have preferred solo bicycles but was able to fulfill my wife's dream of riding a tandem bike...

Excellent dining experience. Delicious dumplings in a beautiful theater. The show does a great job of replicating Tang dynasty music, fashion, and stories while using lights, screens, and modern technology.

The museum and archaeological site are located in the serene countryside outside of Xi'an. It was fascinating to learn, in such detail, about the first emperor of China and what remains to be discovered around his burial site.

A logical first stop of any tour in Xi'an. Conveniently located in the center of the old city. Plenty of options for delicious street food.

The Great Wall and Changling Tomb are a great stop for a tour in Beijing, not only to see the impressive sites, but also to escape the big city and enjoy more serene landscapes and tranquility.

A truly authentic experience in one of the best local restaurants in Beijing. It was difficult to secure a table and we had to wait for a few hours, but it was absolutely worth it.

Tiananmen square is incredibly impressive and contrasts modern Chinese power with historical/imperial power on the other side of the gates to the Forbidden City. It's fascinating to see the past and the present connect in such a beautiful way.

A must-do for Beijing. We were unfortunate to visit at one of the busiest days in the year but still had a great experience at the temple and surrounding park.

It is truly luxury hotel where you enjoy your stay. Breakfast was awesome with everything what you even can't imagine

Everything worked there and breakfast had multiple selection with good quality food

Comfortable rooms with good breakfast

Hotel's rooms had multiple problems like temperature thermostat were broken ( I had 28-30C in my room 4 nights and reception was not cooperative to fix it ). Breakfast had limited number choices , no juices and terrible coffee.

This hotel has everything what you need. Their breakfast exceeded all my expectations. 10-20 dishes, juices, tea, coffee, pastries , all was super.

Terracotta Warriors and Horses is absolutely unique archeology museum only it was too crowded. Ancient City Wall was very interesting addition

It was primary drive with visiting Shigatse Monastery.

It was long day with exploring nature jewels : Yamdrok Lake and Karuola Glacier. Yarlung Tsangpo Canyon is far away from our route, not sure why it was included.

Gelek's tour of Potala Palace was fantastic. Instead of Stroll Through Old Barkhor Street we attend Jokhang Temple

It was absolutely unique tour with very knowledgeable guide Gelek.

It was challenging hike with multiple muddy sections . Surrounding views are fantastic

Unique place, great hike

Great Hike. No luck with weather, it was drizzling 90% of hike time

Wolong Gengda Panda Research Center is amazing. We saw multiple Pandas and place was not very crowded. Dengsheng Gorge Hiking was not prepared. Stairs were destroyed by recent flooding and we had to turn around . It was muddy with crossing couple of local creeks. It is not a problem for our group if we knew in advance and put proper hiking shoes and proper hiking clothes. But we expect easy hike and were not prepared to actual trail conditions

a bit older hotel already, but great location

New, large rooms, comfortable.

The Wall is great and a must see. We went to Juyongguan area of the wall as the traffic to Mutianye was very heavy due to public holiday; this was a bit closer and less busy. The guide and the agency were very flexible to move the trip for a day due to some health issues on our side, which we appreciated.

The Forbidden city and the Tiananmen square are fascinating. Thanks to our guide Alice for getting us into the square really fast. Visit to hutong with small rishaw tour and a local food in one of the hutong dumpling places was great.

Really nice to walk the Muslim quarter with all the food stalls and to see the puppet show. Having bit more time for trying food would be great.

Really impressive city wall and a nice bike ride around it. Fascinating to see girls and ladies taking photos in the old traditional costumes. As we went for a Tang dinasty show, we did not have time for a Shanxi museum.

We really liked going to a home of a local person to see how people live. We liked the class and the lady preparing the good but have not really had time to work the whole preparation adn cooking process. ideally a longer cooking course is organized so some other meals could be prepared too.

Really fascinating exhibition - both the warriors as well as chariots - both halls as well as the area around.

The Grand Canyon was better than the Great Forest Park - less crowded though busy. Walk in the Great canyon gorge was feeling more natural, and also the glass bridge, zip line and slide were fun for family, though very arranged. We missed the timing to catch the cable car to Tianmen mountain - here better time management through the day by the guide would be expected. If the crowds on Tianmen mountaing were as they were the day before in National forest park, then we would not like the experience. We suggest kimkim clarifies the guest preferences when planning for visiting nature parks so expectations are clear.

The nature at Zhangjiajie National Forest Park is fascinating, but the issue is the crowds and the noise they produce. One can't really feel the nature, a lot of tourist groups with guides with loud loudspeakers.

It was very interesting to go for dim sum to a place where locals go.

It was a nice day, we loved the Victoria Peak, the tram ride, the Star ferry and the Mid level Escalator area; ideally we had bit more time in Central market and at Victoria Peak, We loved the dumpling and cream cake shops.

Good location, good breakfast and nice toilet.

Nice countryside location, but no so convenient to the town. The room itself was nice w/ the balcony and large bathroom, but is dangerous, especially for older people who get up during the night. The bed on the floor doesn't help and the stairs down to the toilet are a fall hazard. Breakfast was the worst of all the properties. It was very small and boring.

I guess the location was good, but the elevators were so bad they are the most memorable part of the stay, and not in a good way. Breakfast was so-so; very crowded and avg. food.

Good location and nice property. Breakfast was adequate.

Great location. Room and facilities were fine.

Loved it

Didn't do this. Went to Jewish quarter instead. That was great.

Jenny at Cloud Nine was great. She made it fun and the food was tasty.

So beautiful

The topography and scenery were amazing.

Just like making the warriors, didn't sound exciting, but enjoyed it a lot and the food was great. I really like that Jacob had so many good relationships w/ the people we met.

Wanted to ride bikes, but didn't have one small enough for my friend. We tried the tandem and then they couldn't raise the seat to accommodate me (and I'm only 5'5"). The bike rental people couldn't have cared less. We ended up walking and went to an adjacent park that was lovely. Jacob did a great pivot here.

This originally didn't sound so exciting, but I loved it. Our warriors are on our bookshelf and are a fond memory of the experience.

Great being there.

Didn't take the train.