Kimkim Trip Reviews for the Dominican Republic

Francis was absolutely amazing to work with. He was super responsive the entire trip. Basically everything went according to plan, and when minor hiccups came up, Francis was always available to quickly resolve them via phone call.

It was also great that we were able to make s adjustments to the itinerary to accommodate how our children (3 and 7) were doing. We had a phone call with Harry at the beginning of planning and it was so helpful to be able to share the concerns we had about traveling with small kids, while also trying to do a trip in the DR that was outside of the typical all inclusives and beaten pathy. There is no way we could have managed this trip on our own. We had a rich experience, seeing the beautiful mountains and waterfalls of the interiors, visiting a cocoa farm where our kids got to learn the whole process from tree to bar & we bought the most delicious chocolate ever, and then we headed to the beach --- but to a small quieter beach town and a very thoughtful small hotel that had what we needed & was so lovely. All the drivers hired were helpful and Francis was just a text away in case of any issues.

Overall, we had an amazing time, and got to have a bunch of super memorable experiences over the course of the trip. We would definitely look into booking with kimkim again and will certainly reach out to Harry and Francis when we are ready to head back to the DR.

Hotel Reviews

Hoteles Nicolas de Ovando

Santo Domingo

Really nice hotel with great staff and everyone was super nice to our kids - even more so than the other hotels we stayed in Great pool Breakfast was just ok Super close to everything in the colonial district

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Villa Serena

Las Galeras

Super peaceful location with an absolutely amazing view. Pool is a bit tiny is that's a concern. It doesn't really have a "beach" if you have kids that like to play in the sand, but you can easily access the water for swimming or paddling via kayak or SUP. Only a 10 min walk to la playita if you want a sandy beach. Food was solid, but nothing special. Staff was really nice.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Gran Jimenoa

Jarabacoa

Solid hotel for Jarabacoa but with some minor issues. Showers weren't the best, but are acceptable (hot water takes a bit of time). Really beautiful grounds. Staff was nice. Good playground and pool on site if traveling with kids. Music was a playing into the evening, but it was never really an issue (maybe bc we had the apartment, which was facing the parking lot). Food was pretty good - breakfast got repetitive, but overall it was good.

Authenticity & Character

Really beautiful grounds

Location

Easy to get to anything in Jarabacoa

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Samana's Coastal Paradise: 7 Beaches to Explore -group tour

the Dominican Republic

We basically just wanted to visit Playa Rincon and hang there with the kids, so we adjusted accordingly (visited 2 beaches)

Quality of Experience

Food

Lunch was notably excellent

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Whale Watching in Samana Bay

the Dominican Republic

Great trip - we saw a ton of whales!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Jarabacoa to La Galeras with Stop in San Francisco de Macoris for Cacao Experience

the Dominican Republic

Cacao experience was probably the best farm tour we've done anywhere - highly recommend.

Quality of Experience

Food

Lunch at the cacao farm was just ok

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Day Trip Constanza

the Dominican Republic

The falls here are absolutely stunning and landscape is so beautiful - definitely worth it! Kids loved the strawberry farm.

Quality of Experience

Food

Service at lunch was painfully slow, but the food was some of the best of the trip

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Horseback riding in Jarabacoa

Jarabacoa

Kids had a great time riding the horses - they were very gentle. Some of the areas the horses walk through aren't exactly "nature trails" but it's not really a big deal. Fun to cross the streams and pass by all the farms.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Baiguate Waterfall

Jarabacoa

Pretty waterfall, but it's a pretty short walk. It worked for us because our kids love playing with rocks, sand, dirt and there was plenty to do at the base of the waterfall, but without kids this feels like an hour activity at most and should probably be combined with something else.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

The service that KimKim provided for us in the DR was great. They even helped us with a midnight airport pick-up even though we had not planned that ahead of time. Their drivers and guides are top-notch -if you get Jackson, you'll be really lucky!

Activity Reviews

Baiguate Waterfall

Jarabacoa

On this da we visited the coffee farm and really enjoyed the experience.

Discover Manabao

Jarabacoa

Fabulous hike through the forest.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

The guide spoke no English but he was great none the less.

Day Trip Constanza

the Dominican Republic

Learned a lot about the area - Francis is a good guide.

Food

The original restaurant selected was too crowded, so we ended up at another one that had limited selection.

Transport

Tila was a very safe driver.

Day Trip to Bayahibe from Santo Domingo

Santo Domingo

It was a nice visit to a beach area - unfortunately, the coral is not that pretty.

Quality of Experience

Food

Great choice of restaurant on the water.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Three eyes National Park

Santo Domingo

Great visit with Jackson to Tres Ojos. It's a lovely park.

Quality of Experience

The area was very pretty

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Jackson is a great guide.

Transport

It was safe.

Guided Tour of Zona Colonial

the Dominican Republic

Our KimKim guide connected us with a City Tour guide named Tony and it was not a great experience. We mentioned that we were not too interested in visiting the main cathedral, but we went anyway. We went to a tourist trap of a store and lunch was where all the other tourists ate. Overall it was a disappointing expereince.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Tony from the city tour agency was very low energy and didn't listen to us.

Transport

It was safe.

Marina was the best planner ever. Our local guides in Samana; Victor, Johnny and Roberto and Carlos were amazing.

It is going to be difficult to name all the people involve in this trip who made the experience unforgettable. This is the third time I've booked my trip through kimkim. I typically book via kimkim when I am running short on time to plan my trip or to book accommodations and activities. This time, I had my 5 days in Dominican Republic filled with activities all throughout and then some. All the people involve in the trip were some of the nicest people I've met, but I'm only going to limit my review to 2 people that made the trip even better.

I had the most amazing driver in Mr. Cochi. There were many times he would stop along the way and had me sample some of the country's best snacks and if the ride was going to take hours he'd ask me if I want a cup of coffee for the trip.

And the other person who I'd like to give a proper thanks is the awesome trip specialist who planned my entire trip, Marina. Although I didn't have time to create an itinerary for myself, I still had very specific preferences for the trip to the Dominican Republic. Marina was patient with me throughout the weeks of trip planning. She made sure that the activities I wanted to do were tailored with the distance and time to my accommodation and the limited days I had. Each day was perfectly executed, but it wouldn't be possible without Marina's recommendation and detailed trip planning. Kudos to her and kudos to everyone else who made the trip unforgettable.

Our trip to the Dominican Republic was amazing thanks to Kimkim and our local travel specialist Marina. The trip was well-planned and customized appropriately to our needs and wishes. This service allowed us a stress-free trip preparation experience and enabled us to enjoy traveling to a country where we we not fluent in the language. All of our accommodations, drivers and excursions were awesome! We got the authentic travel experience we wanted, and learned so much about Dominican history and culture during our stay. We much appreciated the included meals, which featured nutritious, locally grown products, and enabled us to sample Dominican cuisine.

An important note to mention however is, if you are like us, and want to support small local businesses, it is good to come prepared with a mindset on what you want to purchase or how much you can spend prior to entering shopping spaces, and being prepared to negotiate on price (or even politely say no). Although the majority of the vendors we encountered were easy-going and helpful, several of the vendors at Tres Ojos National Park were overly aggressive and tried to overcharge for their products. Being prepared for this and having basic level Spanish helps the traveler immensely in these situations. This was a minor issue however, and did not detract from what was an overall great trip to the stunning Tres Ojos limestone caves.

Our most memorable excursion was the hike adventure to El Limon Waterfall, where the views were breath-taking. We were fortunate to have a wonderful guide Andres, who took great care of us on this challenging trek through the forest and rocky landscapes.

Our day trip to Playa Rincon and Caño Frio was also memorable for the natural beauty of the Samana region and our knowledgeable guide Frank, who gave us a wealth of information on Dominican life. This was a relaxing way to spend the last day of our trip.

On the last morning of our trip, we encountered a problem when our driver had car trouble and was not able to pick us up for transport to the airport. It was a simple process for us to contact our travel specialist Marina, who came through for us and arranged for an alternate driver (Cabayeron), who was diligent about getting us to the airport safely and on time. Kudos to Marina for exceptional local travel specialist support during this trip. We love the Kimkim business philosophy and would definitely use Kimkim again for future trips. We whole-heartedly recommend Kimkim to other travelers.

Hotel Reviews

Mosquito Boutique Hotel

Las Terrenas

Mosquito Boutique was delightful place to stay. Located right on the beach, the views were exquisite, especially at sunrise and sunset. The onsite restaurant was very convenient for dinners, and also provided an awesome daily breakfast for hotel guests. The overall vibe of the place was very relaxed and friendly, and hotel staff were very accommodating. Our room was clean and comfortable.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hodelpa Caribe Colonial

Santo Domingo

Great hotel for a stay in Santo Domingo. It is conveniently located in the Colonial Zone area with many restaurants and historic places to visit within walking distance. Our room was clean and comfortable. Hotel front desk staff were professional and very responsive to our needs. Complimentary breakfasts were delightful and featured many local dishes.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Full day excursion to Playa Rincón

Samaná

Quality of Experience

Food

The local lunch provided onsite at the beach was wonderful.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Hike Adventure to El Limón Waterfall

Samaná

Quality of Experience

Food

The Dominican lunch provided by Restaurante Santi after our hike was awesome!

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Los Tres Ojos National Park Excursion

Santo Domingo

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

I cannot say enough good things about the Dominican Republic! KimKim always gets me in touch with the best travel specialists for unique, culturally-centered experiences. Marina and her team made me feel very well taken care of and safe while visiting the DR solo! From my drivers to my tour guides, everyone was an absolute pleasure to be around. They embraced me and made sure I had an amazing experience with every activity.
Mosquito Boutique hotel staff was unforgettable and I will definitely be back to Las Terrenas very soon!
If you haven’t used KimKim for your vacations, you’re missing out! Can’t wait for my next one!

Marta was an absolute pleasure to work with. She planned everything from the stays, to excursions, to any last minute changes we needed and was always easily accessible and available to help. She was very adaptable to our requests and worked her hardest to make sure we had everything we needed! We had an absolutely wonderful time in the Dominican and would love to go again!

We can’t say enough good things about Marta. She helped plan an unforgettable trip to the Dominican Republic in March/April 2021. We had a mix of adventure and beach relaxation! Marta set us up with Johnny who was our driver for the whole trip and Johnny was incredible as well! Marta made the trip easy and stress free. All rides and tours were
coordinated through Marta and we had zero issues. Marta’s communication and accessibility is awesome! She was constantly checking in with us and Johnny to make sure we were doing well! We stayed at some incredible hotels including the Dominican Treehouse Village in Samana and the Bahia Principe in Punta Cana. Tours included horseback riding to El Limon waterfall, Scuba Doo in Punta Cana, hiking and jumping off the 27 waterfalls, a day trip to Playa Rincon and a bike tour in the Zona Colonial in Santo Domingo! I can’t wait to use Marta again for when I go to Portugal!