Kimkim Trip Reviews for Iceland

Iceland was amazing! Tons of waterfalls, glaciers and volcanoes! Its heaven for the outdoorsy type! Hanna was the agent we worked with to plan the trip and we really enjoyed everything we had planned. The lodging she booked us in throughout the week was perfect for our family of 5! Really enjoyed the waterfall Seljalandfoss, the glacier lagoon zodiac boat tour, swimming at the Blue Lagoon and Sky lagoon and had 2 days at the end of the trip to enjoy the charming town of Reykavik! This was a high school graduation gift for my son. it was his choice and he loved it!

Our family trip to Iceland was the best family vacation we have ever experienced and I give kimkim all of the credit for making it happen smoothly. I can't thank Noga (our local specialist), enough for her skillful, end-to-end planning that allowed us connect all of the dots on a 10-day itinerary that included six hotels, pre-reserved daily activities (i.e., Kayaking, Rafting, Horseback Riding, Whale Watching, etc.) and included self-guided experiences aligned with our family interests.

Logistics couldn't have been better. We circled Iceland on the "Ring Road" with extended stays in locations that allowed us to see what we wanted to see (and do). We knew we wanted to be outside as much as possible to see the incredible, natural wonders Iceland serves up around each turn. The hotels and outfitters kimkim chose to facilitate our accommodations and adventures were superb. Everyone was friendly, insightful and you could see they enjoyed being in the business they were in, whether it was hospitality or adventure guides. Usually, I am the master planner on our family trips, but Noga was excellent in conducting high-level planning to capture wishes and expectations, price range, allocation of time, and then detailed planning took place. This part of the process was extremely informative, completely collaborative, and left me in the driver's seat to make final decisions. Kimkim did all of the planning legwork that is essential in planning a successful vacation experience, particularly in a country I knew nothin about. The ROI (return on investment) with kimkim was extremely high for me. You can measure that in the satisfaction of of everyone participating in the trip, which for me was my family. My reputation as being awesome Dad is still intact.

Because of Noga and the kimkim team (Carina for sure), I intend to use kimkim again on a future international trip we are considering.

Hotel Reviews

The Greenhouse Hotel

Hveragerdi

Wonderful in-town setting that was clean, cozy and comfortable. We arrived to late too sample dinner but the breakfast buffet the next day was excellent, and the staff were very friendly and accommodating. We only stayed one night. We felt this was one of the better hotels on our 10-day trip, and would stay here again.

Authenticity & Character

Open atmosphere in the main common areas. Not commercial or gaudy. Exuded one-of-a kind identity versus being institutional.

Location

We arrived relatively late in the day given all of the activities and sights we experienced earlier. Location kept us on our primary route and was a great first stay. We were given a warm, friendly greeting by the reception,

Staff

They seemed really glad to see us and everyone was able to converse in English which was greatly appreciated.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hótel Jökulsárlón - Glacier Lagoon Hotel

Hofn

A great, secluded location near the coast and right off the Ring Road that provided contemporary charm and elegance. While we were unable to take advantage of internal services such as hot tub, pool, and sauna due to our time constraints, it was clear guests were enjoying all of them. Dinners were elegantly prepared and catered to a broad set of tastes and preferences. We were able to save time by having a breakfast to go option that allowed us to select various food items and take in the car. Views of the glacier outside our hotel room were fantastic. Hotel exuded more upscale in terms of services and furnishings. Would definitely revisit again.

Authenticity & Character

Seclusion and elegance.

Location

Isolated yet easy to reach. Setting retained a sense of wilderness versus town-like. If you plan to spend several days in an Iceland Hotel this is the one to choose. Well positioned to see sights and do things.

Staff

There was a waiter we had for dinner who was from Spain and I believe his name was Antonio. He was quite friendly, humorous and helpful.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Berjaya Hotel Mývatn

Mývatn

Arrived late, missed dinner and nothing was available in town. That situation was on us, but points out there are, at times, few options to eat when travelling the Ring Road. We intentionally prioritized seeing the country and taking advantage of extended daylight. Seemed a little harder to move our luggage in and out of the hotel. Room was warm, but it did have a mobile fan. Windows could open but there were no screens and some flies were beginning to hatch outside so we just used the fan. Not crazy about the overall location, however we did find a wonderful homemade, farm fresh, ice-cream parlor in the area and "Daddy's Pizza" was great for a lunch.

Authenticity & Character

Staff

Staff were professional and adequate, but not necessarily engaging and friendly.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Fosshotel Husavik

Husavik

We loved the town of Husavik and the Fosshotel Husavik was well situated to enable exploration of the harbor, surrounding restaurants and shopping. Staff were helpful and accommodating.

Authenticity & Character

Roomy, Spacious, Pleasant

Location

Exactly where we wanted to be. Our priority was proximity to the harbor and Geo Sea Hot Springs. Nestled right behind a beautiful church.

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Búdir

Búðir

Stayed two nights, incredible location with views of the surrounding mountains and ocean lagoon. Staff were very friendly and helpful. Service was excellent.

Authenticity & Character

Hotel has a one-of-a-kind charm that makes you feel welcome and at home. Loved the common areas and views out back. Rooms were well apportioned.

Location

Remote location nestled within Icelandic splendor. Only building nearby was the historic "Black Church", which also featured hikes to the coast.

Staff

One of the key attributes of the staff, and this was true in a few of the hotels we visited, is they (like us) are from another country and are here because they want to be. I found that to be super important in the delivery of the service. They are excited about Iceland as we are. That isn't to say native Icelanders aren't excited about their country because they are as well.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Eyja Guldsmeden Hotel

Reykjavik

Our last night in Iceland we stayed at this hotel and didn't have a lot of exposure to internal services. First impressions ... the reception area is cramped (right next to dining), the access to elevators was somewhat impeded with construction / barrier. We did not eat dinner or breakfast here.

Authenticity & Character

Nothing really stood out or differentiated the hotel itself. Was a bit more institutional given it is in Iceland's largest city versus the smaller rural location that we mostly visited on out trip.

Location

While we walked to the Hallgrimskirkja church, the Loki Cafe, and the Rainbow Street (about 15-20 minutes away) the immediate location was not necessarily scenic or historic. We were fine with just having a good hotel to sleep in.

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Horse Riding on Black Sand Beach

Iceland

We loved the team of guides at the Black Sand Beach. The horse ride was a good way to see the beach and surrounding area. Everything was executed well. Icelandic horses have a charm all their own.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Glacier Ice Cave Experience

Iceland

Overall an entertaining and informative tour into an ice cave contained in the 2nd largest glacier in Iceland, something we had never done before. The previous year we visited glaciers in Canada, but this was a more hands-on exposure through both lava fields and glacial structures. Had hoped for more individual cave rooms than what we saw, but that is a function of mother nature versus the outfitter.

Quality of Experience

The trek revealed a great deal about Iceland's volcanic origins and dynamic glacial interaction ... glacial melt, cave formation, etc.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Boris was outstanding. His expertise, familiarity with the area, knowledge transfer, and sense of humor kept everyone engaged.

Transport

Learned a great deal during the ride to the glacier about how they made the initial roads and the surrounding geology.

Goðafoss Waterfall

Iceland

There are so many waterfalls in Iceland that you lose count. You will see high volume, forceful displays of hydraulics that will amaze anyone, as well as small, poetic wisps of water cascading down a huge cliff. That being said, Godafoss was our favorite as a beautiful, quintessential waterfall that could easily be our trip icon.

Quality of Experience

Godafoss is nestled within a picturesque landscape that looks like pure Icelandic countryside. Aesthetically beautiful. Great picture taking.

Jökulsárlón Glacier Lagoon Kayaking Excursion

Iceland

Great kayaking is all about what you are doing and where you are doing it. It doesn't get any better than kayaking a glacial, iceberg-laded lagoon. Equipment was superb.

Quality of Experience

Never did this before. Location is right next to the Diamond Beach. You can spend a fair amount of time just touring on foot.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Everything and everyone was top notch.

Stuðlagil Canyon

Iceland

Just amazing!

Whale Watching RIB Boat

Iceland

Another one of those "we've never done this before" experiences that Iceland seems to deliver all over the island. Can't say enough about how much we anticipated this particular activity. My daughter just graduated in zoology and wishes to become a marine biologist. This was partly her idea and I have to say it exceeded everyone's expectations. You can't make whales magically appear, but we saw plenty of humpbacks.

Quality of Experience

Rib Boats are smaller, faster, and hold fewer people. I think this is the way to go versus larger, slower whale watching boats,

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Completely professional, friendly, highly skilled and entertaining.

Transport

Maximizes ability to quickly seize an opportunity and get you closer to the action.

GeoSea Geothermal Sea Baths Experience

Iceland

I'm personally not a big fan of spas or bathing with strangers but my wife and daughter enjoyed it. As far as Icelandic spas go I think this one is a little more scenic (oceanic views) and private (fewer people) versus the gigantic Blue Lagoon.

Quality of Experience

Seemed a bit more upscale and I could see how people who enjoy this type of activity for relaxation and/or socialization would really enjoy it.

Explore Reykjavík

Reykjavík

We opted for more time touring of the country versus seeing Reykyavik. I personaly would have like to have taken more time to see the city. The day we were visiting Reykavik was quite cold and windy as a gale had swept into the area. We walked to the old town section from our hotel and it was a lot of fun. There is really no crime to speak of so we felt completely safe. We walked to Hallgrimskirkja and enjoyed the Loki Cafe (lamb soup was fantastic), which was right next door. The girls wanted to see the Rainbow street and did some shopping. This is a nice, historic section of town. Had dinner in a ramen restaurant and were not overjoyed.

Quality of Experience

West Glacial River Family Rafting

Iceland

I can't say enough about this activity as well. It was the perfect length of time (~ 3 hours) and the rivers cuts through wonderful canyon-like landscape. Mostly class 2 and class 3 rapids. Plan on getting wet, but not getting dunked. Gear was fantastic and the guides are great ... very safety conscious.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

A top notch team that takes care of everyone and everything.

Transport

Cliff Walk from Arnarstapi to Hellnar

Snæfellsnes Peninsula

Not bad but the hike was a little more demanding than what you would expect in a shoreline hike.

Quality of Experience

Kirkjufellsfoss

Snæfellsnes Peninsula

This was a must see and the photo you see in brochures is the real deal.

Quality of Experience

My daughter wanted to check this out because it was featured on Game of Thrones. Glad we did.

My daughter (10) and I did an 11 day Ring Road trip. We started having not much of an idea of what we wanted to do, and Hanna worked with us to understand our interests and propose the best itinerary. At Hanna's advice, we started planning early, and were able to book the exact type of hotels and guesthouses that we wanted, and the tours that we were most interested in. During the trip we had a small issue with our car and Hanna and the team helped liaise with the rental company and got it all fixed in no time. We saw zero interruptions to our schedule.

The whole trip was amazing, but some special thoughts/highlights:
- Horseback riding in Egilsstaðir was very special. Helga, the owner of the farm, was very generous with her time and advice, and she seemed to bond with my little girl, which was very special.
- Puffins are the cutest creatures and you can spend hours observing their behaviors! We saw lots in Borgarfjörður Eystri and I just wish we had stayed in town for one night.
- Visiting the Blue Lagoon at opening time (8am) was a great experience and the best way to recover from jet lag. Very few people at that time . We also visited Vok Baths and Myvatn Baths. My daughter made a friend at the Blue Lagoon and we met them again at Vok. We live in the same city, a few minutes drive from each other. What are the odds?!

I now see why people keep going back. So much to see, and so much to learn! We may be reaching out to Kimkim for a next round of Iceland adventures!

We just returned from a seven day trip to Iceland with our adult children. Adam was great to work with and helped plan an amazing trip that our whole family enjoyed. Adam helped make the most of our time in Iceland so we didn't have to waste a minute wondering where to go next or how to get there. There were a variety of activities which were all well planned out and included driving instructions and tips for the day such as "take something waterproof today" or "recommend a 3:00 pm reservation at a particular restaurant" . All details were planned and it made for a stress free trip knowing Adam had thought of all the details. I would definitely use Kim Kim again for another vacation.

We had a spectacular trip to Iceland. Adam planned a very doable itinerary for four people ages 64-71. Everyday we saw unique and stunning sites. The excursions put the trip over the top! We loved the Sky Lagoon, the amphibian boat tour of the icebergs, and of course Westman Islands and the dozens of puffins. The hotel accommodations were wonderful, and the breakfasts were surprisingly excellent. I was pleasantly surprised that everywhere we went they had gluten free options and delicious bread.

This was my first time using kimkim and I was very pleased from the start how easy it was! Emanuela was amazing from start to finish customizing our trip to Iceland. She was in touch with us during the trip and we felt very much taken care of. Having accommodations, excursion vouchers, car rental, restaurant recommendations, side trips, optional stop etc. made the trip easy to navigate. I love that Emanuela is living in Iceland and knew so many of the little details like the old ice cream. Thank you and I'm already looking to have kimkim plan our trip next year.

Guðmundur "Gummi" Óli Pálmason was so helpful in planning our last minute visit. He readjusted the itinerary a few times to meet our needs and wants, and gave us some very valuable insider tips for each activity, location and lodging. We thoroughly enjoyed our first trip to Iceland and can’t wait to return. We can’t thank Gummi and the Kim Kim team enough for helping make this trip unforgettable and fun for the whole family!

We had a fantastic trip to Iceland with KimKim's help. They were able to take our love of outdoors and different fitness levels into account so we both had a great time. As people who like traveling alone with a car, but wanted a break from all the trip planning they were a godsend with recommendations that matched our interests. Clear planning made for a smooth trip. The scenery was beautiful. We were outside all day almost everyday and then had very comfortable hotels to recover in. We look forward to having them help us with our next trip.

Hotel Reviews

Hótel Kría

Vík

Great centrally located hotel in a small town. Wonderful views and our favorite breakfasts of the trip!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Geysir

Bláskógabyggd

Beautiful hotel 5 minutes walk away from the geysirs. Had a delicious dinner.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Dís Cottages

Grundarfjordur

We would give the view 10 stars if we could. It felt like we were the only people in the world. 10 minutes into closest town where the grocery store has an excellent auto coffee machine if you want something more than drip coffee.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Skuggi Hotel by Keahotels

Reykjavík

Central location made the city very walkable.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Silfra Snorkeling Adventure

Iceland

The water was very clear. There was a padded insulating layer to put on under the drysuit which was very helpful. A double layer of long underwear also helped. The staff were very knowledgeable and highly skilled.

Quality of Experience

The wet suit was not the most comfortable thing in the world, Wonderful views and had good time in the water.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Vatnshellir Lava Cave Tour

Snæfellsnes Peninsula

Very interesting tour of caves. Very informative. No bathrooms on site, which is clearly marked by sign. Free bathrooms less than 5 minutes away at lighthouse museum. It wasn't a problem, but it was unexpected.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Glacier Walk and Kayak Experience

Iceland

Both the kayak and glacier hike were very informative and had beautiful scenery.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Thórsmörk Super Jeep Experience

Iceland

Great small tour. The valley is beautiful and our guide was very knowledgeable.

Quality of Experience

Food

Packed lunch we purchased was nice. Not a fan of vegan brownies, but this is a personal preference.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Emanuela helped spectacularly plan the itinerary for my honeymoon trip to Iceland. My wife and I found it very easy to communicate to Emanuela what we wanted to do and found that everything that she recommended to us was just simply amazing. Even with flight delays causing us to get to Iceland a day later, Emanuela helped us with modifying our itinerary and making sure we didn't lose anything we had already booked. We were completely thrilled with our food tour group as Stefan from Your Friend In Reykjavik was incredibly funny and also very informative regarding Icelandic cuisine, history, and culture. My wife and I enjoyed learning from our tour guide on our lava tube cave tour and also our lovely chats with the wonderful people who work at the horseback riding stable in Vik! My personal favorites, outside of all the food we had, were certainly Seljalandsfoss and Gljúfrabúi because I could walk around and under Seljalandsfoss and I had to walk through the canyon to get to Gljúfrabúi. We would recommend Emanuela to anyone looking to make their way to Iceland! Thank you again for all your help and we both hope to be back in Iceland very soon!

Thanks to this planning and booking, we had a wonderful time in Iceland. It gave us a great launching point, with plenty of time to experience things and make slight modifications. Starting off with the Reykjavik food tour was excellent. One suggestion was a glacial tour, which was incredibly fun. Another of our amazing experiences was horse riding in the Westman Islands.

We had a spectacular trip in Iceland thanks to the KimKim team, specifically Adam!!! Our itinerary, hotels, special tours, etc. were terrific and we can't wait to go back and/or to recommend our trip to our friends and family --working with KimKim! In particular, we loved The Cave tour and our guide, Gareth, the Spa Lagoon, and the Amphibian Glacier Boat tour. Each hike or walk from each and every waterfall to the geysers, etc was more breathtaking than the next. Also, each of our accommodations such as the Saga Hotel, the Selfoss Hotel, etc. were perfect for the four of us, including the breakfast buffets. We found terrific restaurants along the way -- really loved the arctic char, lamb, etc. We highly recommend The Viking restaurant that we found on our own, near Selfoss!! In the end, we cannot thank Adam enough and will use the KimKim team again.

Our 2 week self drive tour of Iceland was terrific.
Duncan put together a great trip with excellent tours as well as suggestions for each day.
The planning included driving maps for each day as well as downloads for each ticketed tour.
Hard to say what is best as we had so many great experiences. The glacier hike, the zodiac ride on the iceberg lake were probably the highlights. Of course hiking out to see the puffin breeding rock gave lots of good photos.
There are so many waterfalls that we enjoyed it would be hard to single one out, but Gullfoss is extraordinary.
All in all it was a great drive and thanks to Duncan it was very stress free.

Just returned from the most wonderful trip to Iceland. Eric, our specialist, really understood the sort of vacation we wanted to have and put together an excellent itinerary for us to follow as we drove the Ring Road. It was so nice to have a handful of experiences all booked and paid for with self guided tours in-between. Everyday was an adventure, and just when we thought we had seen or experienced everything, the next day proved us wrong!
Thank you Eric and Kimkim for a very memorable experience.

Hanna created an amazing adventure for my son and I in Iceland. The Katla Ice Caves were a next level experience on the glaciers! Trip provided clear directions with so many options of the best things to do and see from hikes, waterfalls, Diamond Beach, and food options. We slept well every night! Hanna’s choices of hotels all included comfortable beds, great breakfasts and dinner options. Food was expensive so appreciated having a solid breakfast then picking up lunches at local grocery shops while out exploring. Thank you Hanna!!

We had a wonderful time on our 9-day visit to Snaefellsnes Peninsula and the Golden Circle. The scenery is all amazing and so dramatic! The most spectacular waterfalls and canyons were only a short hike from each parking lot, and every parking lot had clean restrooms. Visiting in late April turned out perfect; we had the best weather - no rain until the day we left, and even the most popular sights were not too crowded. We really enjoyed the lava cave tour, the Zipline Iceland tour in Vik, and the Settlement Center at Borgarnes, and the Reykjavik food tour was a real highlight. We visited Hvammsvik Hot Springs and the Sky Lagoon, which were each very neat. Our accommodations were all comfortable and the breakfasts were very good. I wish we had planned more historic locations, but with all the driving needed to see everything, I think we fit in as much as we could with the time we had. The only thing that would have improved the trip is seeing puffins and the aurora borealis, but we'll have to return for that!

Iceland Trip: April 2025: April 12 - April 19
Transportation: Rented a 4WD Landcruiser
Distance Covered: approximately 1800 kilometers.

Jenny from KimKim helped organize this amazing trip for my family of 5. We chose midrange for accommodation and we covered west, south west, and most of south Iceland up to Jokulsarlon - Glacier Lagoon. We followed all of what Jenny had planned for us and also did a few things on our own.

Jenny really understood my family needs and planned accordingly. Her selection of mid and high range hotels, which is what I requested was great. Each hotel and/or the hotel location offered something very unique, such a a geothermal pool, a beautiful hiking landscape, short driving distance to interesting places etc. With 3 active boys with ages ranging from 18 to 5 - I knew breakfast was important and I requested that all accommodations include breakfast, so we can eat quickly and hop on to our daily site seeing adventure. This helped because I was aware of time change challenges and to not waste time looking for a breakfast place in the morning.

Jenny help to match the site seeing locations and provide Google map links and times was very helpful for us to plan our day. This helped the boys pick some extra places to see that was of their interest and also in the area. Without Jenny's help, I don't think I would have been able to plan our trip so well.

Definitely recommend Jenny for Iceland and KimKim for their expert advice. The way things were planned and provided was the best travel advisory services I have encountered to date! Thank you Jenny and KimKim!

Activity Reviews

The Secret Lagoon

Iceland

While we didn't get to enjoy this place as we arrived 2 hours late for our appointment, the front reception was very understanding and recommended we come back the next day morning. Our appointment was at 4pm but we arrived onsite closer to 6pm. My family was tired from our long hike at Thingvellier National Park and we lost track of time. The following morning due to our trip being in the opposite direction to where Secret Lagoon is located, we had no choice but to skip visiting this place. When we went to Secret Lagoon around 5:45pm, the place was still crowded but lot of people were seen leaving.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Blue Lagoon

Iceland

Blue Lagoon appointment time: 6:00pm on a Friday April 2025 was my family's first trip to Iceland and visit to Blue Lagoon. Jenny from KimKim conveniently booked the Blue Lagoon trip towards the end of my family's Iceland trip - it was a great way to enjoy a relaxed itinerary before heading home. This was also convenient because the next day morning, the drive to KEF airport was only 22km and this made it easy as I was traveling with kids - youngest 5 year old. Blue Lagoon Experience: When we arrived at Blue Lagoon - the line up from check-in was long. We waited in line for about 35mins. Some were able to skip line by going through express check-in but I did not receive this feature. However, express check-in did not do much since I noticed, reception was holding back people due to lack of locker availability. To me - Blue Lagoon felt more like a theme park - very crowded and long line. Blue Lagoon water temperature is pretty high. My 5 year old started complaining after about 15mins in the pool that he wanted to leave. I helped him move around to a slightly cooler area. Children are recommended to not stay longer than 45mins.

Excellent trip with a ton a wonderful sights and experiences. The staff was very responsive throughout the process and always accessible. Our group had an ambitious itinerary which was modified necessary, on the fly, with ease. All the planning was great and thus it allowed us to efficiently navigate this amazing island. Adam and his team did a great job and if we do Iceland again, I will be emailing him first!
Thanks!

We'd like to thank KimKim and Jenny for organizing a fantastic trip! We got to see things that we had previously only dreamed of. Jenny was very prompt and would help us fix any problems that arose. Because of her and KimKim, we had a blast! I highly recommend KimKim for future travelers. It's a hassle-free experience and we truly enjoyed every minute of our trip.

We had Adam plan a road trip for my family and me across Iceland, and it was a fantastic experience from start to finish. The trip was thoughtfully planned and captured all the key highlights of the country — from dramatic waterfalls and black sand beaches to geothermal hot springs and charming small towns. Every detail was taken care of, making the journey smooth and stress-free. Adam clearly knows Iceland well and tailored the itinerary to suit our interests perfectly. Highly recommend!

Eric planned an unforgettable trip for our family! It was the exact pace we needed plus hitting all the must see spots and more! His trip details and notes and quick links for daily driving plans and food options made planning our days exploring and driving the countryside seamless. He and his team helped during the trip to reschedule a whale watching tour due to weather and were so responsive. We had a trip of a lifetime. Thank you Eric !