Kimkim Trip Reviews for Indonesia

It was a great trip!
Very friendly and helpful drivers
Nice hotels - we especially liked Jogja Village Inn!
We liked having private guides at both Borobodhur and Prambanan in order to learn more about the history
We definitely couldn't have explored Indonesia without kimkim!
Thanks kimkim for another great trip! Hopefully we will be able to use kimkim for our future travels!

Hotel Reviews

Dusun Jogja Village Inn

Yogyakarta

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Bromo Cottages

Pasuruan

Staff was friendly and helpful Were willing to provide breakfast after hours when we got back to hotel after Bromo Housekeeping did not clean our room The shower water did not get very hot

Activity Reviews

Visit Borobudur Temple, Pawon Temple, Mendut Temple, and Yogyakarta Market

Yogyakarta

Loved having a private guide to teach us more about the history!

Kota Gede District, Plaosan and Sewon Temples, Prambanan Temple and Ramayana Show

Yogyakarta

Loved having a private guide to teach us more about the history! We got to explore the Sewon temples without many tourists because not many people walk past Prambanan. Definitely worth it! The Ramayana show included a 3 course dinner with a beautiful view of Prambanan Temple lit up at night.

Overall it was a very interesting trip with a lot of beautiful things to see and new memories being created. All the drivers and guides were friendly and always helpful. The standard of the accommodations booked were up to my expectations.

I’m so happy with the Bali service of kimkim it’s beyond words! My guide Yohanes & driver showed me Bali the way I always wanted to see it. They were amazing!

Bali is beautiful and I really enjoyed the different places visited. The choice of the location was great because the sceneries was very different at each places.
I greatly enjoyed the accommodations at each of the location. They were very comfortable and well located. Having a guide and a driver was very convenient and time effective for our vacations.
The Gili's beaches and the sunrise hike at Mt Batur was probably some of the highlights of the trip.
I also highly enjoyed swimming in Gili's water, seeing the Monkey's in Ubud and the fresh food in Bali.

Here are some constructive suggestion for improvement:
- We had on several locations difficulties to find the driver. It might be effective if he/she wears a recognisable T-shirt and/or banner.
- The sunrise hike schedule was too buffered: we hiked up in less than 2 hours and then had to wait for 2 hours for the sunrise
- While the description of the trip itinerary is great to book the trip, it would be convenient to have a calendar-based summary of the trip once booked with the critical information needed every day: departure/arrival time and location, accommodation address, contact number, activities proposed ...

Nadia, our specialist, was very helpful in booking our trip to Bali. After a couple of messages, we had a fantastic trip plan ready to book. She also helped us during our trip with recommendations and booking transportations for an extra person who joined last minute.

Our guide John and driver Benny were fabulous. They took us everywhere on the itinerary and even included extra stops. It was a lot of fun visiting Bali. They were very knowledgeable and flexible. Skipping an activity, leaving earlier and other last-minute changes were not an issue.

Highlights of the trip were Mt Batur hike at sunrise and Gili Trawangan, great car-free island, where we enjoyed snorkeling with turtles, swimming in crystal clear water and glorious sunsets every night.

Couple things could have been better:
- I couldn't find my driver at the airport, I had to take a taxi. Luckily Nadia made up for it and comped us the value.
- We didn't really enjoy Candidasa. The hotel was very average compared to the others. Walking on the beach, we've counted 10 unsightly oil tankers and an oil terminal. Not very appealing.

We had an amazing time in Bali. We planned the trip with Ayu from KimKim and later communicated with Thomas who seamlessly continued where Ayu left off. Our driver Agun was most helpful throughout the trip, friendly and always showing us the best. And if we had any questions during the trip Thomas was available on Whatsapp, which made the experience easier as it was our first time in Indonesia. We can't wait to go back to Bali again!

Ayu was responsive and had put together a nice itinerary. She was quick to help us upgrade at our last hotel.

Some of the places that stood out were the monkey forest and sideman, and the last resort, samabe, was stunning and good value. The local day was also very nice. The best experience we had was planned from the hotel, samabe, which was paragliding. Biggest highlight of the trip.

Though it was great to see some of the main attractions like the temples, I think we would have liked to include some more off the beaten track locations if we were to do it again.

Our driver, Gustu, was kind and punctual. We’d definitely recommend him.

Ayu did a perfect job planning our 3 weeks Indonesia trip (Bali, Java, and Nusa Penida).
She was very responsive to our needs and requests, and her choices of drivers and guides were excellent. About half of the trip was in various parts of Bali, and we only had a driver in that part. Our driver's name was Agus, and in our view he did a very exceptional job with our trip. The only reason he was a driver and not a guide was, his English is a bit limited, but it was more than enough for us. (Agus knows Japanese and is often a guide for Japanese groups). Agus was very informative and friendly, and at the end of the trip he was a dear friend to all of us. The remaining guide/driver choices of Ayu were also excellent; we had no difficulties during the entire 3 weeks(from landing to Bali to taking off). I highly recommend both Ayu as a travel specialist, and Agus as a guide/driver.

I booked a trip to Bali for my honeymoon. We found the trip was overall very enjoyable. Ayu was very responsive before and during our trip. We began our stay in Ubud at the Kayon Jungle Resort and it was most memorable. They upgraded us to a Premium Suite as a surprise. It was one of the nicest places we've ever stayed in, and the staff were so considerate to our needs. Highly recommended if you are looking for the real Bali honeymoon experience.
We decided to go more casual for the rest of the trip, and all the hotels were clean and comfortable. The only complaint we had a few times was in regards to privacy. Any couple, especially a honeymooning one, values sound insulation. Unfortunately our stay in Gili Air at the Villa Karang and in Canggu at Frii Echo Hotel did not provide that. In both hotels, you could hear your neighbors as if they are next to you, which was not ideal for us.
However the Puri Lumbung Cottages in Munduk were a dream (we loved our stay in Munduk, we recommend booking a coffee roasting tour with the hotel), and my husband surprised me with a room upgrade at the Jimbaran Bay Beach hotel so the room was very nice and overlooked the water.
Our driver Gung Man was excellent and very considerate. The car was comfortable and had working A/C, perfect for napping between locations.
Our guide in our trek up Kawah Ijen, Mamu, was great. He was very patient, especially at the beginning when we were still very tired (we did the sunrise hike, so we got up at 1am). Unfortunately there was a downpour of rain that blocked our sunrise and it was freezing cold when we got to the summit, but that's just bad luck.
Overall it was a lovely and memorable honeymoon, we had a great time exploring Bali and recommend Ayu, Shanti Travel, and Kimkim to anyone who wants to go.

Awesome experience!! Ayu took care of everything.

Like previous trips, everything was great and handled expertly by our KimKim team (Nadia). Everything went according to plan and all recommendations were spot on and excellent. Nadia event went the extra mile for us in helping get a stranded bag to us at the airport during a tight connection. I would recommend KimKim to anyone who wants the help of a travel expert and all details taken care of. Great product!!

Blair

My Bali trip has been a dream. Beautiful island, warm and friendly local people, rich culture. Our local specialist Ayu had been so wonderful throughout the consultation and booking process. She advised and helped us book everything we needed/asked for to make sure we have a wonderful vacation. Our driver Krisna Arimbawa had been above and beyond our expectation. He was so friendly, resourceful, helpful and always with a big smile. Nusa Penida is so worth the trip to visit. Highly recommend the Authentic Balinese Day - you will get to meet and experience the humble and wonderful lives of a local Balinese family (they were absolutely wonderful, warm and loving).

Our guide Tony and driver Daniel were fabulous. They took care of everything we needed and wanted. For example we had never had the opportunity to taste durian. Daniel knew a particular fruit stand that sold the best. He drove us through heavy traffic to find it. Tony made sure the fruit vendor sold us a tree ripened fruit. It was a very interesting taste. They recommended restaurants for us to try and took us there to compare menus. One evening we went to see the classical dance. It was pouring rain. Daniel sat in our hotel lobby while we changed and drove us there so we would not have to order a taxi.

The activities were well suited to our interests. We enjoyed the archeological sites, markets, palaces and batik. The birdwatching and cycling through the small village were highlights. Whenever we wanted to stop and take photographs Daniel accommodated us.

The trip was AMAZING! So great to see and explore so much of east Java in such a short amount of time; Plateau Ijen, Mt. Bromo, Yojakarta, Borobudur and more :) The landscape is breathtaking (especially the sunrise over Mt Bromo) and I found myself time and time again in awe of the lush green surroundings.

A few things to call out - 1) underestimated the amount of time you spend traveling from one spot to another due to bad traffic, a lot of time spent in a car, and 2) the travel agency was a primarily french agency, so challenges finding an english speaking guide for our group - should have more explicitly called that out from the start.

Ayu was so helpful and professional in booking our trip to Bali. With all the information available online, it is overwhelming to know where to go or what to do. She gave us invaluable information on which beach city was the least touristy and helped us come up with an itinerary that minimized travel time. Our Guide Leni and Driver Mady were so warm, personable and helpful throughout our trip. It was an amazing experience.

Our trip was amazing! From start to finish we were taken care of. Sharif and his crew were very friendly and their hospitality was great. Sharif was very knowledgable about the area, spotting Mantas, Dolphins and baby sharks! We had some enforced changes to our itinerary, as we were unable to see Padar island which was a disappointment, but we always had interesting places to go, snorkel and view the wildlife. The crew cooked us a banquet for every meal, so we never went hungry! The facilities were basic, but we had everything we needed.

The highlights of the trip were definitely the animals we saw. The Komodo dragons on Komodo island, swimming with Manta Rays at manta point and watching the flying foxes exodus in their millions against the backdrop of the sun setting were really special.

The 3 days on the boat were an amazing experience and we would both highly recommend it to anyone.

We had a wonderful visit to the Botanical Gardens on Bali with Susan the bird guide who accompanied us was impressive with her knowledge of the bird song enabling us to have some really wonderful views of the birds.
The arrangements worked very well, we were collected promptly from our hotel by the taxi, had a lovely lunch in a local restuarant and enjoyed our visit to the local fruit amd vegetable market.
Overall it was a very enjoyable day.

Keith Gooday

Was an excellent trip, the guides on the ground were great, the communication in advance was very good. There were a few issues but aren't there always.

We have Yudi for a day I Yogyakarta , then Ovan for the rest of Java with Obbie driving and lastly Merta in Bali. Jessica was the initial contact and office based organizer.

The local guides had a deeper understanding of the best order to do things, when something should be busy or quieter - so whilst the things in a day were the same, the sequence in the day was shuffled by the local guides.

Highlights were the Ijen trek, the Kalibaru plantations and Jatiluwih rice terraces

I only had a few days to plan my trip. Despite my time constraints and our travel plans being in high season, our trip went very smoothly. They ensured there was ample time to travel between places. There were a few pleasant surprises put in for us. We had our honeymoon planned with Wise Steps Travel and all of our accomodations are arranged with cute and small romantic touches.

We had honeymoon pictures taken in Bali, the photographers recommended to us were professional and very friendly people.

As Leni said before we left. We left our hearts here in Bali.

Had a terrific experience with Ayu and also with Leni our tour guide and driver. I have some feedback which is given with the intent to help you in the future with travellers visiting Bali and how to better serve them!!
(1) Travel Truama is a real thing in Bali - it takes a very long time - on average 60 - 120 minutes to get from one temple or sight to Ubud or to another temple or sight.
(2) On Day One - we saw two temples: Tirta Empul and Gunung Kawi and were meant to go to Tegalalang and Fire Dance and dinner. We probably spent 4 hours in the car getting to and from these locations. We had to drop the Fire Dance and were never going to get to Tagalalang as it was late and we were road weary
(3) On the second day we drove 2 hours to get out of Ubud and to Kintamani volcano,
temple Ulun Danu Batur, Les Village (for snorkeling). Again - on that day we spent at least 5 hours in the car to get to and from these places which limited our time when we actually got to them.
(4) Day three: Batu Karu Temple and Jatiluwih and we also got to the Tegalalang. We easily spent another 5 hours in the car. We spent more time in the car these three days combined than at the locations we were driving too.
(5) We ended up not doing the Nyambu Village - as once we got to Bali Eco Stay - we realized that the next day would have taken us 5-6 hours in the car. Not what we wanted.