Kimkim Trip Reviews for Iceland

Our family of three returned last week from a truly phenomenal experience in Iceland, planned by Emanuela Grieco for KimKim. The process of planning the trip with Emanuela was entirely smooth - we worked through some adjustments after her itinerary was developed, and she incorporated our input at every step. Once we got on our way, we found the GoogleMap links to be particularly helpful on our driving days. While we did have a few very busy and long driving days, overall she planned just the right amount of activity in each day and the distances were manageable. Working with Emanuela saved our busy family a ton of time, resulted in an itinerary that we never would have produced ourselves, and and was worth every penny!!

Our itinerary that gave us sufficient time to explore Reykjavik at the beginning of our tripo, returning 3 mornings in a row to Braud & Co. for incredible pastries right near the Hallgrimskirkja. We had a really lovely dinner at Snaps, befriended a friendly Icelandic cat, and visited the Settlement Exhibition at the Reykjavik City Museum. She booked a helicopter ride over the volcano fields that left our 9 year old son's jaw on the floor, and a whale watch that enabled us to see 5 species of marine mammals. On our third day we left the city and toured the Snaefellsnes peninsula, having a very nice traditional Icelandic lunch at Langaholt Guesthouse & Restaurant on the south coast right after the Ytri Tunga Beaches. Further along, we joined a tour of a series of subterranean lava tubes left behind 8,000 years ago during a volcanic eruption. All around the peninsula, we kept trying to count waterfalls but there was so many it was impossible! By far our favorite hotel was FossHotel in Reykolt with lovely hot tubs and a quiet setting after a long day of travel. The Golden Circle is a "must do" but the sites along the way were (not unexpectedly) crowded and touristy - parking was a challenge at most stops. An unexpected find was the small, easily accessible Fitjarfoss waterfall off the 52 Road on the way to the Thingvellir Visitor Center from Reykolt. [Careful - there is more than 1 Reykolt in Iceland!]. After staying outside Selfoss, we traveled to Vik and along the way stopped at incredible waterfalls, fed bread to the friendly Icelandic horses and stumbled upon a film being shot on location at the Kvernufoss waterfall - a lesser known and much less crowded site than the incredible Seljalandsfoss waterfall. The Seljalandsfoss was awesome - our son loved the "pouring rain" and walking behind the falls. We had 2 perfect kid-friendly dinners in Vik at the Black Sand Pizza Company and Smidjan Brugghus and stayed at Hotel Kria, which had a great breakfast. Emanuela booked us a horseback ride along the black sand beaches the evening we arrived in Vik, and the next day she sent us out on a whirlwind day including a glacier hike on the near the Skaftafell Visitor Center with Troll Expeditions (Tina was a highlight for our son) and an amphibian boat tour of the Jokullsarlon Glacier Lagoon. The late afternoon sun light shining through drifting glaciers was gorgeous, and harbor seals were everywhere. On our last day we drove from Vik to Grindavik for an ATV tour over the lava fields and a final night at the gorgeous Silica Hotel, where we sampled the Blue Lagoon and had sandwiches at the hotel for dinner. The Blue Lagoon is absolutely worth, even if only for a strange, other-worldly experience and people watching!! Relaxation was more easily achieved in the smaller private lagoon of the Silica Hotel.

Good planning overall. Was helpful in taking out a lot of the work for us to plan and book and organize.

What’s missing:
1) The order shown for site visits and hotel check ins shown on a given day in the summary and detail plan needs to match the order shown on the driving maps. On most days, they didn’t.
2) Every tour and site visit on the plan needs to show (without having to look at vouchers or tour company websites):
- Total time at site (with ranges or estimate for self-guided sites)
- Total time round trip from hotel
- More logistical info - for example distance/walking time from site parking lot to site (frequently walks were much longer than we knew and messed up our timing - we ran behind). Every night, it took us half an hour or more to plan the following day step by step in order to make tour times, dinner reservations, factor in time and logistics for eating lunch, etc. And we had to look up missing information
3) For a couple of the self guided tours, way too little time was factored in when planning the day - in one case a visit was suggested that we figured would take 30-40 minutes but including a critical scenic cliff walk tour that was was a highlight of the day but took 1.5-2 hours. We didn’t know, missed most of it and saw later from people posting on a Facebook page that it was amazing. We would have planned the day differently had we known.
4) Driving times and distances between individual stops on a day’s driving map
5) Too many separate links are provided for the plan, driving directions, geo locations, vouchers, special driving tips and instructions, etc. Should all be included in the plan. 1 single link. 1 single document. Creates too much self-organizing, printing, arranging and cross-referencing when preparing for trip.
6) Every agent needs to have their cell number on the site.

I had a very pleasant for experience with Kim Kim. This was my first experience with the company and also my first trip after COVID and so I was a little hesitant to try it out. However, I was very pleased with Emanuela and her recommendations and she was also very patient and answering my questions. Overall, I will be recommending the service to my friends and would absolutely use it again.

Activity Review

Katla Ice Cave

Vík

Are tour guide. Maria was exceptional. She kept us all laughing and made us feel very comfortable. She also took special care of my 13-year-old which made me much more comfortable with my child going on the tour and into the ice cave via the ladder. The tour itself is beautiful and not to be missed.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Everything was spot on. Considering we were a last minute booking, six in the group and traveling with a wheelchair, Terry did an awesome job in getting us accommodations in all the right places on the Ring Road in Iceland. Siglufjordur was a must and the hotel there was the best!

Duncan did a great job planning out our trip and accommodated for our flight days by mixing in high energy and low energy days. He even had restaurant suggestions for our specific dietary needs!

We had a great trip to Iceland that was planned out by our guide Duncan. He was very responsive to questions and helped coordinate based on our requests. The trip was based on the Golden Circle.

The trip started easily with the car rental. Driving around Iceland was quite easy. Duncan had given us a route and itinerary based on location so we can maximize our time. The weather was amazing so that made the site seeing easier. The waterfalls were amazing and each was different from the others. We did the touristy Blue Lagoon which was fun but we liked the more natural Secret Lagoon. We did the glacier hike as well and that was a great experience too. We were able to see many sites and had time for other hikes and excursions.

We were surprised by the day trip to the wonderful Westman Island and were able to see the many puffins at the lookout point.

Each town we stayed at had a different feel from each other too. The accommodations were quite comfortable and very clean, with breakfast each morning. They were all in great locations. We stayed at the city center, Reykjavik, Vik, Westman Island. The restaurant recommendations were great as well.

Overall Iceland was a fantastic experience and one of the best trips I ever had. The incredible scenery, glaciers, waterfalls, seeing the horses and puffins. We were independent but had a great plan set up through Duncan and Kimkim and actually felt like we were exploring and discovering the beauty of Iceland rather than a flock of a big tourist group.

Hotel Reviews

Hótel Vestmannaeyjar

Vestmannaeyjar

Wonderful hotel and had view of island next to our island. Attached restaurant was good albeit slower service. The hotel staff were very polite and friendly. Clean and comfortable.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Blue Hotel Fagrilundur

Bláskógabyggd

Feels remote but very peaceful. Clean rooms, comfortable. Loved having a passcode and self check in. Restaurant right across street.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Peaceful

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hótel Kría

Vík

Incredible view from Restaurant that was part of hotel. Vik felt like a beautiful resort town. Rooms were very comfortable and clean.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Right in walking area of different hikes and paths.

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Room With A View Apartment Hotel

Reykjavík

Our room had view of parking lot but we only slept in room. It was very clean and comfortable with great shower. Located in city with great restaurant choices and walking distance to different areas but we didn’t have time to enjoy as our flight was the next day.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

The Secret Lagoon

Iceland

Very different experience with the warmth and feel of thermal spring heated pool. Should bring own towel as they charge higher for renting one . Food and drinks available but we didn’t use. Felt cozy and natural rather than touristy.

Quality of Experience

Solheimajokull Glacier Hike

Iceland

It was worth to actually go onto the glacier to get a feel of what it really is and walk on it, especially knowing it is quickly receding.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Blue Lagoon

Iceland

It was necessary to at least experience the iconic Blue Lagoon and most reviews will all say it probably isn’t worth the cost. The water and steam rising were pretty but it felt like it could have been man made like a Vegas resort.

Quality of Experience

The trip planning experience was relatively smooth, and we really enjoyed our family vacation to Iceland. Our advisor, Janel, quickly answered questions during the planning stages, and listened to our comments. The itinerary she put together included all of our areas of interest, and all of our bookings went well.
That said, I feel like the level of service was relatively generic and did not appear to leverage any specific insight or knowledge from someone based in country. I would have liked to have more options to choose from when deciding on places to stay, and the ability to customize a bit more. I would have prioritized lodging better suited to having 2 young kids, for instance. Also, knowing that we would be arriving to the airport after the rental car shuttle closed, would have been helpful to start off. Or knowing that during our time in Reykjavik, there would be a major event (marathon) occurring that would impact driving and parking at our hotel.
Overall, KimKim and Janel provided a useful service for making a wonderful country accessible. Next time, I would do additional diligence to make sure all the details fit our needs.

Hotel Reviews

Room With A View Apartment Hotel

Reykjavík

Do not book this hotel on the weekend - our room was next to a nightclub that was open til 3am with extremely loud music.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Fosshotel Hellnar

Hellnar

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Héradsskólinn Historic Guesthouse

Laugarvatn

Decent and roomy. lacks a few amenities like hand soap. towels like sandpaper. restaurant at hostel across the street was very good.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Cleanliness & Comfort

Farmhouse Lodge

Vík

Nice place, but a little cramped for a family with 2 young kids.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Vík Apartments

Vik I Myrdal

Modern, roomy, and functional. great for families. grocery store across the street a bonus.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

The Secret Lagoon

Iceland

better than I expected, nice relaxing environment. however, my son's sneakers were stolen from the locker room.

Quality of Experience

Jokulsarlon glacier lagoon amphibian boat tour

Iceland

pretty typical tourist attraction, wish they had gone closer to the glacier. was raining during our trip, which was not ideal, but still a beautiful sight.

Blue Lagoon

Iceland

relaxing, as advertised. the water did leave my skin feeling weird though.

Two weeks in Iceland and it was an incredible journey! Our agent, Rinolda created a fantastic trip plan for us. We had one phone call with her and she understood everything we wanted for our travel. All the arrangements were great! The driving routes were well planned with numerous site seeing suggestions. We had no problems with hotel reservations and they were all very nice!

There is so much to explore in this beautiful country! The waterfalls were all gorgeous! Dynjandi is the most beautiful falls I have ever seen! Latrabjarg Cliffs was magnificant with puffins and seabirds! Blue Lagoon was therapeutic with its spa! We took a two day South Coast tour and our tour guide Luba was wonderful! We love our trip so much that we are already planning to go back.
KikKim will definitely be our agent again!

Thoughtful and cool plan considering I made the decision to travel to Iceland only 2 months before

Hotel Review

Arnarstapi Hotel

Snæfellsbær

Cool place. Ask for room w sea view

Location

View

Activity Reviews

Langjokull Glacier Snowmobiling

Iceland

Great to do. Ideally group not too large as then you will go as slow as the slowest in the group

Silfra Snorkeling

Iceland

Must do. Make time

Snæfellsjökull Glacier Summit Hike

Iceland

Loved it. Cool especially as I had a sunny day

This trip, with my adult son, would not have happened without Emanuela and KimKim. Even as a seasoned indie (including a full year of independent travel) + business traveler, I did not have it in me to plan another trip that might get cancelled and unwound due to the ups and downs post-pandemic. So, for the first time ever I decided to seek out a travel agent and thank goodness I found KimKim.
The process is straight forward. Emanuela asked for our dream trip, and then proposed an agenda and set expectations given our very late decision (less than 2 weeks). We focused on our work and then an agenda arrived with cars, hotels, excursions (many off the beaten path) and restaurant recommendations. We were particularly amazed by the fact that Emanuela checked in daily and helped make requested changes along the way. Her restaurant recommendations were so amazing, particularly given my son is a vegetarian trying to eat in Iceland, that we became dedicated to her recommendations exclusively. We would have never found “one of the best chief in Iceland”@ Otto Matur og Dryldkur on our own.
In closing, I look forward to using KimKim for my next, less rushed trip.

Activity Reviews

Drive to Grundarfjordur via Snaefellsnes Peninsula

Iceland

I will return to the Peninsula -- it is the whole of Iceland compressed into a smaller space. Don't miss the Cave experience!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

I bought the auto insurance for the first time (for window shields and tires) and we used it on Day 2 when we had a flat tire. Enterprise sent a repair man who fixed the tire while we had dinner in a nearby restaurant. Totally worth it! we saw many people with flats in Iceland.

West Iceland

Borgarnes

Forest Lagoon

Akureyri

We had a week long trip along the southern part of Iceland and the golden circle. The process with KimKim was very efficient and the trip really was catered to our needs. Francesca was very helpful and knowledgeable. David from our ice cave tour was fabulous.

Iceland in 11 days was magnificent!

Too bad we couldn't stay longer. Rinolda helped us well with planning our entire trip. We were pretty last minute (booked 1 month before departure) and she managed to book everything we needed. I started doing it on my own, because that's what I usually do, but this time I didn't have the time to do that. We loved the country! The only minor part was that we absolutely wanted to see and do everything, but that's just not possible in 11 days. So we did less hikes than we would have liked. So one day, we'll have to go back!

Activity Reviews

Fimmvorduhals Hike

Iceland

Too bad we were in a cloud for this hike. We got a glimpse of the magnificent views we should have had. It's a long trip, but when the weather is not that bad, it's completely worth it. And doable might I say for someone with vertigo!

Quality of Experience

The weather, nothing to improve by people

Transport

Everything was taken care off. We would have liked to have the possibility to take the bus earlier in the morning, because we lost a morning of waiting on the bus. With a tight travel schedule like ours, we felt like we lost a lot of precious time.

Glacier hike on the Vatnajokull glacier

Iceland

It was nice, the staff was nice and experienced. But it was a group of all people: good hikers, amateur hikers... All together. Because of that, it's a simple walk to the first part of the glacier, you don't get very far. For me it felt like I could 've done it without a guide, and would have wanted to go further in with a guide.

Quality of Experience

I wanted to go higher up on the glacier

Guides, Drivers and Staff

My family and I returned from an 8 day Iceland vacation a little over a week ago. This was our “big” vacation that was long overdue. With so much information available on Iceland, as well as talking to friends that had previously visited, the task of planning seemed a bit daunting. How was I going to plan an engaging, memorable experience for 2 teenage boys and my husband? When I finally decided to use KimKim, my specialist Emanuel communicated with me and we began a lovely rapport immediately. I know it’s hard to get to know someone via email and I don’t know how Emanuela did it, but she figured out our travel preferences and created an itinerary that delivered. We began our trip with Wake Up Reykjavik walking food tour (we’re foodies) and it was a great introduction to Iceland, the culture, history and meet other travelers (highly suggest this as an introduction to Iceland) Alma, our food/tour guide was knowledgeable, engaging and funny. By the end of the tour she had a bunch of strangers talking as though we were all friends traveling together. What a way to start our vacation! Our itinerary was full as we wanted to see and do so much in 8 days and Emanuela made sure we weren’t overwhelmed from the get go as she started us off with the most beautiful areas of Iceland, the Snaefellness Peninsula which was a hit for my boys. Our trip culminated with a breathtaking (figuratively speaking) Glacier Hike with Arctic Adventure with Barbara, our guide. This tour was the family favorite, the hike was not difficult and it took a few minutes to adjust to walking with crampons, however once you start the hike, see the beauty of the glaciers and the clear flowing water you’ll be glad you did it. There were many wonderful highlights we enjoyed and I could write an essay about each. The only thing we wish we would have done was spend more time at Thingvellir National Park, we could have been here all day walking appreciating its beauty. Our last day in Iceland ended at the Sky Lagoon…the view from that cliff is spectacular especially if you get lucky on a clear day as we did. It was the perfect ending of our time in Iceland.

Emanuela definitely got it right when it came to accommodations with The Black Pearl Apartments and Hotel Husafell as our favorites, if you wish to splurge on accommodations, which is something we wanted. Hotel Husafell provides you with breathtaking views of mountains and a vibe that is relaxing and grounding with exceptional service. The Black Pearl Apartments are in the heart of Reykjavik, spacious, clean, modern apartment with excellent service.
Although we never met Emanuela, she took the time to communicate with us in Iceland and it felt like we were traveling with a friend who wanted us to feel at home and enjoy our time. Thank you Emanuela for creating a memorable experience that my family and I will remember for years to come.

Activity Reviews

Blue Lagoon and departure

Reykjavík

Alma our guide was not only knowledgeable and funny but she managed to get a bunch of strangers together talking like friends by the end of the tour.

Quality of Experience

The quality and diversity of the food choices

Food

Mouthwatering, savory and excellent presentation of each plate served.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Alma was engaging, friendly and funny.

Transport

The ease of walking to each place

Sky Lagoon

Reykjavík

The spectacular view from the cliff is breathtaking and humbling especially on a clear day (how lucky were we to have excellent weather). It’s definitely a pampering moment to be appreciated.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Staff is very professional and helpful

Inside a volcano and back to Reykjavik

Vík

With an actual mini volcanic eruption occurring in another part of the country, as we were about to made the inside the volcano tour all the more special and you appreciate the wonders of nature. It is mind blowing to know how deep inside you are and words will not be enough to describe the colors you see inside this volcano.

Quality of Experience

I

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Vatnshellir Lava Cave Tour

Snæfellsnes Peninsula

When the guides share the history of how this cave was found and you see the untouched rocks that have fallen it blows your mind that you are inside a lava cave.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Extremely knowledgeable and engaging which made the tour all the more interesting

Transport

Nice hike to the lava cave

My son and I just returned from Iceland. It was beautiful. The waterfalls, the animals, the landscapes, and the people were all wonderful. I have never seen so many different landscapes especially in a single country. I would love to go back and visit places we didn’t have to see and others we didn’t have enough time to fully explore.

I want to mention that Preeti helped me so very much and was understanding of all my problems and questions. She walked me through two postponements with so much patience. I thank her and the other team members for making our trip one of a lifetime.

Terry spent almost 9 months helping us plan a 7-day and a 6-day trip, before and after 18 days in Norway and Svalbard. We were involved as much as we wanted, providing feedback on the numerous options available. We made our way through the various COVID restrictions put in place by Iceland last year and earlier this year and all of them were thankfully lifted a month or two before departure.

We’ve travelled a lot, having spent almost 30 years living overseas, but this trip has us totally convinced that Iceland is the most beautiful country in the world. Around every bend in the road and from the top of hills and peaks, there were spectacular views. Terry planned a diverse set of stops and activities for us, from incredible waterfalls, to a glacier hike, snorkeling the Silfra Fissure, hiking in Porsmork, a boat trip and tour to a bird sanctuary on Vigur Island, and a five-hour spa retreat at Blue Lagoon.

The rental car process was easy and with the daily link to Google map directions Terry sent that easily connected to the car’s nav system, we never missed a turn and the the timing between places was amazingly accurate. The hotels were comfortable and varied, but always to a good standard.

I have always planned our elaborate trips myself, but took a chance on KimKim, because I didn’t know Iceland at all. I hate to admit it but Terry surpassed my extremely high bar and we had a an incredible trip. All that’s left is going through the thousand photographs!

Sigurður put together a great itinerary for our 2 week road trip through Iceland. I am a professional photographer, so he recommended many great locations for epic photos and some that were off the beaten path like the Westfjords. He also recommended several great tours like snorkeling the Silfra Fissure and the Katla cave hike. Sigurður was also great about communication before, during and after our trip. We were very pleased with the entire experience!

Francesca put together the exact Itinerary that we had envisioned. We saw and experienced Icelands wonderful sights and experiences so easily with the guidance given by Francesca’s daily itinerary. The Lodging selected was in the perfect locations to complete the exciting days travels.

Duncan was a fantastic guide. He listened to our preferences and clearly tailored a trip to our desires. He spaced the hotels well to keep the driving very manageable each day, but at the same time we covered a lot of ground and felt like each day we still saw a lot! His food and hike recommendations were great. He was responsive and helped give us options to adjust our trip if we needed based off how the day was going.

Our favorite moments of the trip were:

Glymur waterfall hike
Blue Lagoon
Driving around the perimeter of the Snaefllsnes Peninsula checking out the recommended stops and coast hike along the way
Reynisfjara black sand beach
Fjadrargljufur canyon
Hjorliefshofdi Cape and Cave hike
Staftafefell Glacier Hike
Diamond Beach
Reykjavik walking culinary tour

It was a truly amazing and memorable trip that my wife and I will cherish!

Hotel Reviews

Hotel Geysir

Bláskógabyggd

Location is excellent. Hotel is new and modern. The dinner at the restaurant was an excellent meal as well!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Fosshotel Stykkishólmur

Stykkishólmur

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hótel Geirland

Kirkjubaejarklaustur

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel was kind of dingy compared to other hotels we stayed in

Hótel Klaustur

Kirkjubæjarklaustur

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Apótek Hotel by Keahotels

Reykjavík

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Blue Lagoon

Iceland

Quality of Experience

Vatnshellir Lava Cave Tour

Snæfellsnes Peninsula

Was interesting and an hour is definitely enough. Not a must do stop, but was nice

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

The Secret Lagoon

Iceland

I would skip if you have the chance to do Blue Lagoon. It was crowded when we went and was just less relaxing than the Blue Lagoon

Quality of Experience

Skaftafell Glacier Hike

Iceland

Truly special experience, was fascinating to learn about the glacier structures and changes over time. I would opt for the 5 hour tour to get to explore further on the glacier

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Reykjavik Food Walk

Reykjavík

Our guide was knowledgeable about the Icelandic culinary scene and culture. Learned a lot, got to see more of Reykjavik and the food was excellent!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Everyone involved was very helpful and patient. Any problems I had during the trek were easily corrected, communication was very good Eve while on the hike.

Thanks for an amazing journey to Iceland 🇮🇸

Jason Karahalis

We had an amazing trip in Iceland! Thanks to the kimkim team (Preeti and Halldor) for planning an amazing trip. Our tour guide, Bjarni Gaukur was a real highlight of our trip. He is kind, knowledgeable and made our trip unforgettable. I would highly recommend him !