Kimkim Trip Reviews for The Netherlands

Had a lovely 2-week vacation in The Netherlands, primarily in Haarlem and The Hague. This was my second trip to the Netherlands and my husband's first. Every time I go, I fall more in love with the Dutch way of living! Our travel specialists, Nadine and Bas, were amazing and always helpful when we needed them. I would definitely recommend them whether you want a very organized, fully packed trip or a more laid back, open ended one. They really take good care of you!

Hotel Reviews

Boutiquehotel Staats

Haarlem

My favorite hotel in all of The Netherlands! Each room is unique and fanciful. The breakfast is delicious and the staff could not be more friendly and welcoming.

Authenticity & Character

Creative and unique

Location

Just 2 blocks from the train station and 3 blocks to the historic district

Staff

Kind and welcoming

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel des Arts

Amsterdam-Centrum

Building dates back to the 1700s. Charming and quaint, it is in a great location. About one block from the (spotless) metro. Convenient to seeing many sites in Amsterdam. Friendly staff.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Mai Amsterdam

Amsterdam

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Beijers

Utrecht

Authenticity & Character

Beautiful! Each room is unique in it's own way.

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Due to the historic nature of the hotel, there is no AC. Probably not an issue for some, but just know this when you are making your plans.

Activity Reviews

Public Transport Pass Amsterdam

The Netherlands

Can't live without this! Makes travel within the country so easy!

Haarlem - cycling to the beach

The Netherlands

The bike culture in the The Netherlands is the envy of the world and for a good reason!

Quality of Experience

What a fantastic week in the Netherlands! We spent a few days in Amsterdam, then Otterlo/De Hoge Veluwe National Park, and then finished up in Rotterdam. Nadine was wonderful to deal with and her recommendations were spot on! Our driver, Maarten, was also spectacular. Some highlights includ: a canal ride through Amsterdamataying at The Pulitzer (Amsterdam) a bike trip from Leiden to the beach, the Sculpture Garden at the Kroller-Muller museum in the National Park, and staying in a house boat in Rotterdam. We can't wait to come back and explore more of the Netherlands, and will definitely reach out to Nadine and team to do so.

Hotel Reviews

Hotel Pulitzer Amsterdam

Amsterdam

Delightful! This is a really a lovely place to stay, right on a canal in Amsterdam. The food was all very gfood as well.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

De Wever Lodge

Otterlo

Lovely lodge within walking distance to the park. Would definitely stay again!

Authenticity & Character

beautiful and relaxing. So comfortable.

Location

Staff

So pleasant and helpful!

Cleanliness & Comfort

really loved it here. Some other guests complained about the noise level in the rooms on the first floor, but it did not bother us.

Wikkelboats Rijnhaven

Rotterdam

This was a highlight of the trip! While we did have some guests that were there to party in the boat next to us, we still enjoyed the stay here immensely. The house boat was clean and comfortable. And althought tiny, it had everything we needed! We cooked breakfast each morning we were there, and cooked dinner there one night as well. Would definitely stay again.

Authenticity & Character

Location

in a fun part of the city.

Staff

not much staff actually, but they were responsiveness when we needed them.

Cleanliness & Comfort

super clean and surprisingly comfortable.

Activity Reviews

Amsterdam - A'DAM lookout

The Netherlands

This was the only part of the trip we didn't love. It was ok , and if you needed to be in that part of town then it could be interesting. But we could have passed.

Public Transport Pass Amsterdam

The Netherlands

This was super easy to navigate (but don't forget to check out!)

Amsterdam - Private guided historic city walk

The Netherlands

Rob was great - very pleasant and informative.

Amsterdam - Private canal cruise to Rijksmuseum

The Netherlands

Do this!!!

Amsterdam - Rijksmuseum

The Netherlands

Not to be missed.

Amsterdam - Day trip to Leiden

Amsterdam

A highlight of the trip! Leiden is beautiful. Adn the bike trip we did from there to the beach was spectacular.

Hoge Veluwe National Park by bicycle + Kröller Müller Museum

The Netherlands

Beautiful park, sculpture garden and museum.

Rotterdam - Excursion to Kinderdijk & Dordrecht by private boat

Rotterdam

fun and so interesting!

Rotterdam - Deltaworks & Neeltje Jans day trip

Rotterdam

We are so glad we did this. It is a bit out of the way, but if you are interested in learning more about how the Netherlands keeps from flooding (the country is below sea level) then it is a must see. It is an engineering wonder. We learned a lot.

Our entire KimKim experience was wonderful! We were able to tell Bas, our KimKim organizer and liaison in the Netherlands, what activities we enjoy and what type of places and hotels we like best. BAs matched us with terrific hotels that were perfect and tickets to everything, making things easy. Our tour guides, all 3 of them, were superb, and each added so many of their personal insights and stories that were fun and informative. Bas was in touch every day and we felt very supported, it was so reassuring to have a contact in the country. We would definitely use KimKim again.

Hotel Reviews

Hotel des Arts

Amsterdam-Centrum

The Collector Hotel

The Hague

Huys van Leiden

Leiden

Hotel ML

Haarlem

Activity Reviews

Amsterdam - Private guided historic city walk

The Netherlands

Public Transport Pass Amsterdam

The Netherlands

Quality of Experience

We felt confident and reassured that Bas would fix any problems!

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Especially the cruise driver in Amsterdam and Caroline there. Gave us so much information informed by their own experiences. And Andre in Leiden was great too.

Transport

Tickets to public transit

Haarlem - cycling to the beach

The Netherlands

So great to bike in this area!

Amsterdam - Canal cruise (join in)

The Netherlands

The driver was funny and smart, and very familiar with life in Amsterdam.

Amsterdam - Rijksmuseum

The Netherlands

The Hague

The Netherlands

Loved the city and museum.

The Hague - Mauritshuis Museum

The Netherlands

Leiden - Private Guided city walk

The Netherlands

Excellent guide

Leiden

The Netherlands

Wonderful city

Scheveningen free time

The Netherlands

Leiden - Hortus Botanicus

The Netherlands

Fantastic

Quality of Experience

History of science and plants—wow. Nothing like this in the U.S.

Outstanding scenic ride. Bas was a great problem solver for us

The guides were terrific. Itinerary was well planned. The only disappointment was the hotel in Amsterdam. Hotel 717 was beautiful with excellent staff and lovely breakfast. However, it was a 4th floor walk up with no lift and we were on the 4th floor with very steep stairs. They were unable to change our room. We managed.

Hotel Reviews

Hotel 717

Amsterdam

Beautiful historic hotel but no lift!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Walked to everything

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel de Tuilerieën

Bruges

Unable to stand in the shower because of slippery marble floor. Wore flip-flops to shower! Great breakfast. Staff was often not helpful. Refused to give us a second luggage rack.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Walked to everything

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Public Transport Pass Amsterdam

The Netherlands

Didn’t use it. Walked to everything

Amsterdam - Private guided walking tour on Jewish History

Amsterdam

Guide was very knowledgeable and pleasant.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Amsterdam - Jewish Museum & Portuguese Synagogue

Amsterdam

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Amsterdam - Private canal cruise to Rijksmuseum

The Netherlands

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Amsterdam - Anne Frank House

The Netherlands

Special

Quality of Experience

Amsterdam - Rijksmuseum

The Netherlands

Quality of Experience

Amsterdam - Van Gogh Museum

The Netherlands

Not to be missed!

Quality of Experience

Amsterdam - Daytrip to Marken, Volendam, Edam and Zaanse Schans

Amsterdam

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Bruges - Private guided walking tour

The Netherlands

Very, very informative and made us really appreciate Bruges. Roland’s was exceptional.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

All of the individual guides were wonderful...warm, personal, knowledgeable, informative, courteous.

Hotel Reviews

Hotel Mai Amsterdam

Amsterdam

We loved it. Conveniently located near the train station and our room overlooked a quiet, beautiful canal.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Very friendly and helpful staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

The James Hotel Rotterdam

Rotterdam

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

9Hotel Central

Brussels

We had a balcony with a beautiful view of the boulevard.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Public Transport Pass Amsterdam

The Netherlands

Very easy to navigate

Quality of Experience

Transport

Amsterdam - Canal cruise (join in)

The Netherlands

Our captain was terrific...funny, informative. The trip was beautiful.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Amsterdam - Van Gogh Museum

The Netherlands

Quality of Experience

Amsterdam - Grand Dutch Food Tour in small group

The Netherlands

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Amsterdam - Day trip to Haarlem

Amsterdam

Quality of Experience

Amsterdam - Anne Frank House

The Netherlands

Quality of Experience

Haarlem - self-guided cycling route to Keukenhof & through tulip fields

The Netherlands

This was an exceptional experience. We used E-bikes and highly recommend them.

Quality of Experience

Rotterdam

The Netherlands

We loved it here. We wish we had booked a short, guided tour of the city/architecture/market.

Quality of Experience

Rotterdam - Kinderdijk windmills by public boat (waterbus)

The Netherlands

Transport

Delft - Delft blue pottery

The Netherlands

Quality of Experience

Delft - Vermeer Center

The Netherlands

It was interesting. We were expecting an original Vermeer or two but we liked the experience.

Quality of Experience

Brussels - Private guided walking tour: food

The Netherlands

We loved our private guide, Florence I believe was her name. She was friendly, fun, interesting.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Brussels - Day trip to Ghent and Bruges

Brussels

Quality of Experience

Transport

Ghent - Gravensteen - Castle of the Counts

The Netherlands

We loved this place and especially the audio tour that led us around the castle. Hilarious and informative.

Quality of Experience

Transport

Brussels - Bus tour to Dinant & Luxembourg City

Brussels

This was a lovely day. A large group on the bus but the tour guide was fantastic and kept it all very organized and orderly. We're so glad we included Luxembourg and Dinant in our itinerary.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Amsterdam was amazing . And the itinerary Kim Kim put together was perfect . Enables us to go and show up with minimal to no prior research . Hotel was prime location , central and close to all transport , walking distance to millions restaurants . The canal ride is a must , and we would not have known to do the evening sunset one , which was a real treat . The city food tour was a wonderful way to spend the day . We learned a lot , and saw the best of Amsterdam . Well laid out and paced . Just delightful . We had incredible weather , which made the days and flowers perfection . Ann Frank house is not to be missed . And very grateful Kim Kim facilitated as well as got us to get our act together , to be able to get the tickets . Museums , walking , shopping , markets . All great . The public transportation is amazing , and makes it so easy to get around ..

This was my third trip with Kim Kim , so I’m a big fan .
The only thing I would say , although the price of the trip seemed reasonable , as we were there and knew what things cost , it did seem like Kim Kim overcharged. All for them making money , but the distribution didn’t feel good . Which was a little disappointing .

I enjoyed exploring Amsterdam and Haarlem. The art, tulips, the atmosphere and the people were all quite enjoyable.

The entire trip was truly spectacular. There was one major, glitch, but Mieke responded very quickly. And they even refunded us for the mistake. I thought that was the right thing to do and they responded immediately. That to me is very important My tip is always check the train schedule, apparently they change it without any notice. We missed our first Eurostar train, but the conductor of the second time slot was nice enough to let us on and even gave us free drinks because we were so frazzled.
Other than that , everything went well. We love staying in Haarlem. Such a wonderful little town and everyone is so friendly and accommodating.. The Canal tour was great and the Anne Frank house was extremely interesting, very somber, but something you had to see.
We loved loved loved our grand Dutch Food Tour with Mark, he was amazing. It was so nice that it was private, just the three of us. Actually, all the tours were private, which made it really a lot better than being in a group.We tasted foods I would’ve never tried, and they were quite good,. What we love the most is he took us to places that tourists do not frequent. It was such a treat. I thought four hours would be so long, but he made it go by so quickly. That was truly a highlight of the trip.
Going to Keukenhof was also a highlight, it was so beautiful, you couldn’t help but smile.. love love love those gardens. Even though they were closing in two days, it didn’t matter we saw some absolutely stunning tulips as well as other flowers in bloom.
When we got to Bruges we had a 2 PM walking tour, but we were late because of all the mishaps along the way and the tour guide. Roland was very accommodating and pushed it back an hour for us. For us, the tour guide was a little boring as was the tour. The content was nothing we were interested in. He spoke a lot about the construction of the old buildings and the bricks and stones that they used. It just wasn’t for us. Perhaps someone else would’ve found it interesting. After we were done with that tour, we roamed around the city and had such a good time. We took a horse and buggy ride, we had a canal tour, we loved the Canal tours. We did a beer tasting and got very silly.
Sunday we went to the Choco factory museum, we found that very boring. I wouldn’t suggest going there. We skipped our day trip to Damme so that we could walk around Bruges but little did we know most of the stores are closed on Sunday, but we made the best of it.
Monday we went to Ghent, our tour guide Veerle was wonderful, she was so informative and had a lovely personality. We really liked her.
After that, we went to the Galvesteen Castle.
Part of it was interesting, but we went through it quickly, it was a little boring for us.
We really really loved the Canal boat tours, we actually took four of them during the entire trip.
I’m sure I left some things out but all in all we had an excellent time and beat the Dutch travel and Mieke we’re great. I would definitely use them again.

Activity Reviews

Amsterdam - Private Grand Dutch Food Tour

The Netherlands

This is a definite must do, a private tour is the way to go. Mark, our tour guide was amazing.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Bruges - Private guided walking tour

Belgium

The Private guided walking tour in Bruges was quite boring. The guide, Roland DeShill, focused too much on the construction of the buildings and bricks, which made us lose interest quickly. It could have been much more engaging.

Ghent - Gravensteen - Castle of the Counts

Belgium

The visit to Gravensteen - Castle of the Counts in Ghent was not very interesting to me or my travel companion. We left relatively early as it couldn't hold our interest, especially given the beautiful weather outside.

Bruges - Choco-Story

Belgium

The Choco-Story in Bruges was not worth the visit. It was mostly dull, with the only interesting part being the chocolate demonstration at the end. I would not recommend it, as it wasn't enjoyable until then.

Our trip was fantastic. Our driver Robert was very helpful and informative and Lisa at the Hotel des Arts was welcoming. As well we loved the Collector Hotel

Hotel Reviews

Hotel des Arts

Amsterdam-Centrum

This hotel was very well located and charming. Drawback is that we had to drag our suitcases to the hotel as the car service from the airport could not access the hotel. Big drawback is all the stairs to get to our room with suitcases Breakfast was great. The staff here were very helpful and friendly. If you have small luggage, stay here!

Authenticity & Character

Charm

Location

Staff

Friendly and heloful

Cleanliness & Comfort

Room and hotel in general

The Collector Hotel

The Hague

Our cab driver from the train station yelled at us because we were a small fare abd he had waited 2 hours for one. He dropped us off 5 blocks away and we had to trudge in using our phones to find the hotel. But arriving at the hotel we were charmed by its look, location and greeting. Turns out it is inaccessible by car but he could have used another access point and brought us in 1 block away.

Authenticity & Character

Super clean and makes you want to go back. Breakfast fantastic

Location

Set in a courtyard with tram a block away. Many restaurants and stores all around.

Staff

Friendliness and helpfulness

Cleanliness & Comfort

Bed comfortable

Activity Reviews

Amsterdam - Private guided historic city walk

The Netherlands

Caroline was gracious and welcoming. Adapted her tour to our age and fact that we came in on an overnight flight. Gave us a great run through of history, the area and helpful tips for the rest of our stay

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

It was our feet 😉. Nice to stretch after being in a plane all night

Public Transport Pass Amsterdam

The Netherlands

This was so fun! We walked everywhere at first then decided to challenge ourselves. The one issue is that signage all in Dutch. Sometimes hard to figure out where we wanted to go. We made a few mistakes but solved them and are still married

Quality of Experience

The punctuality and ease of use

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

We even did tram with suitcases

Amsterdam - Canal cruise (join in)

The Netherlands

Thus was a fun trip. We learned so much about life in Amsterdam and we loved being on the canals. Our « captain «  was entertaining and after having walked 12000 steps that day, it was lovely to sit on a boat for a bit and enjoy the cruise

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Amsterdam - Rijksmuseum

The Netherlands

This is a beautiful museum. There are amazing items and paintings on display.

Quality of Experience

Amsterdam - Anne Frank House

The Netherlands

Unfortunately we made a mistake and missed our time slot. I always thought Anne Franck and the family who hid her family were super heroes and I was sad to miss

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Your survey needs a Non Applicable answer for people like us who miss their tour. Could not continue survey unless I rated so just did the middle star

Keukenhof & tulips fields by private transport

The Netherlands

We enjoyed going out of the city and into the countryside. Then we arrived at a truly magical garden. The way the park is set up with little paths beautiful flower beds and lovely fountains Maybe go a little earlier in May than our visit which was the last few days of the tulip festival. Really enjoyed spending a good part of the day here!

Quality of Experience

The beauty of the gardens

Guides, Drivers and Staff

We had the same driver for our stay and he was pleasant and helpful

Transport

Car was very clean

Delft - Delft blue pottery

The Netherlands

We travelled from The Hague to get here. It was a great museum to visit and seeing the way the artists paint the porcelain pieces. The most impressive item was the life size reproduction of Rembrandt The Night Watch in porcelain tiles. This was the only museum gift shop we visited and could not resist bringing souvenirs home

Quality of Experience

Daytrip to Cheese Farm, Edam and Zaanse Schans

The Netherlands

Although there was an issue with the fact that the cheese place we were supposed to visit was closed on the day our visit was planned🤔 our driver was proactive and found another spot to visit. The cheese visit was interesting and we purchased cheese to take home to Canada We then made our way to the windmills. This was an eye opening experience which we really enjoyed. So interesting to see how windmills we’re important to life in Holland

Quality of Experience

Windmills

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Our driver saved our cheese visit

Transport

Amsterdam - Van Gogh Museum

The Netherlands

Beautiful museum. Always have enjoyed Van Gogh paintings so amazing to visit a museum devoted to him

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

We walked and did audio tour I just pushed the middle star because otherwise the comment section does not appear

The Hague - Private guided walking tour

The Netherlands

Our guide Tom was punctual but he mostly read his tour from papers he was carrying. He also scurried ahead of us not taking into account our age. He did not seem to be invested in spending part of his Sunday touring us around

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

The Hague - Mauritshuis Museum

The Netherlands

We were delivered here at the end of our walking tour. It was all right and the main goal was to see the famous painting Girl with Pearl Earring It was interesting to see how this huge house was transformed into a museum

Quality of Experience

Delft - Vermeer Center

The Netherlands

We took a miss on this part of our tour as my husband was not feeling well so just made our way back to The Hague by train On your survey you should include a N/A option so we can refrain from giving a rating that is not right

Overall, the trip was good. We found Mieke very responsive during the planning stage and when on the trip there was 1 hotel issue on a Sunday Kim Kim's 24 hour hotline worked well. I think the error was more on the hotel's side and was resolved reasonable quickly. We found Amsterdam extremely crowded due to its overall destination desirability, Tulip season and travel right before Easter. In hindsight would have spent 1 less day in Amsterdam and another in Belgium.

Hotel Reviews

Hotel des Arts

Amsterdam-Centrum

Overall good. Location is nice being on a canal, however that comes with a lot more noise. Staff at the hotel were very accommodating, breakfast was good.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel FranQ

Antwerp

Had an issue checking in which I believe was the hotel's system issue as reservations were booked around 9 months prior. Along with responsive communication with Kim Kim's team we were able to resolve the issue without wasting too much time. Nice location, lovely hotel.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

The Pand Hotel

Bruges

Excellent location, friendly staff, nice breakfast,

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel des Galeries

Brussels

Only stayed for 1 night but was very nice. Excellent location but very poor signage meant it was difficult to find the hotel.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Right next to the Galeries, hence the name and just a couple blocks from the main square.

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Ghent - Gravensteen - Castle of the Counts

The Netherlands

Bruges - Hans Memling Collection at Sint-Janshospitaal

The Netherlands

Quality of Experience

Public Transport Pass Amsterdam

The Netherlands

Very convenient, worked as expected.

Quality of Experience

Transport

Amsterdam - Canal cruise (join in)

The Netherlands

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

About a 25 minute walk from the hotel.

Amsterdam - Van Gogh Museum

The Netherlands

Ghent - Adoration of the Mystic Lamb

The Netherlands

This was perhaps the best experience of our trip. We had the high tech experience which was simply mind blowing, it was like having a personal art expert with you.

Quality of Experience

Amsterdam - Day trip to Haarlem

Amsterdam

Enjoyed the city much less crowded than Amsterdam. The flower garden was massively crowded, made Disneyland feel empty by comparison. Go early!

Quality of Experience

Transport

Better signage for the bike route.

Bruges - Halve Maan brewery visit

The Netherlands

Excellent quality beer.

Quality of Experience

Haarlem - self-guided cycling route to Keukenhof & through tulip fields

The Netherlands

Signage was poor.

Quality of Experience

Transport

Better signage.

Amsterdam - Rijksmuseum

The Netherlands

Quality of Experience

Transport

Close to the tram line.

Amsterdam - Walking Dinner private guided tour

The Netherlands

Excellent experience.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Guide was great we enjoyed this experience a lot.

Amsterdam - Daytrip to Marken, Volendam, Edam and Zaanse Schans

Amsterdam

Enjoyed the drive and ferry crossing. Zaanse Schans was extremely crowded and felt like a tourist trap. Did enjoy the museum however.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Bruges - Private guided walking tour

The Netherlands

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Guide was overly focused on architecture, did not show us some of the churches.

Antwerp - Chocolate Nation

The Netherlands

Pretty much as expected, nice chocolate samples. Good experience.

Quality of Experience

Antwerp - Private guided walking tour

The Netherlands

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Guide was 15 minutes late.

Brussels card 48h

The Netherlands

Did not fully utilize. Actually converting the voucher to a card was somewhat difficult.

Quality of Experience

Brussels - Private guided walking tour: food

Belgium

Expected to hit more places for beer.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

The hotel in Haarlem was very nice, but the proximity to the church and the frequent ringing of the church bells was difficult to get used to, especially in the evening when the bells ring non-stop from 9-9:30pm. The flower auction and the Keukenhof were highlights! We found both experiences to be enjoyable. It was important that we got to the Keukenhof early because it got very crowded by lunchtime time and the crowds became overwhelming. We loved Albert, our driver; he is very kind and personable. We enjoyed our time with him and learned a lot from him. If we had to do it over, we would skip the ferry ride from Marken to Volendam.

We really enjoyed both Delft and Leiden. We enjoyed the smaller size/feel of these towns and the local culture. We enjoyed wandering around and getting lost, window shopping in local boutiques, and having a drink or meal outside in the sun. Both our guides, Andre and Jeroen, are wonderful! They were both very engaging and made our time together fly by, and we learned and saw many interesting things.

Bruges was probably our least favorite place. It is a very beautiful town, but it felt very commercialized and overrun by tourism. The horse and carriage rides, huge tour groups, and the numerous cheap souvenir shops were a little off-putting. The hotel was very lovely and serene, but some staff were more welcoming than others. Our tour guide, Roland, was a very kind man, but his tour was a little boring. We felt like we saw and learned very little in the two hours we were with him. The chocolate workshop was fun, but it felt like the woman leading the workshop would have rather been anywhere else but there. Also, we recommend people arrive at least an hour before the workshop and walk through the museum first. There is no information, stories, or history given in the workshop itself.

Ghent was nice, but the size of the city was a bit overwhelming to my mom. Similar to Roland, our guide, Christien, was a very warm, kind woman. But her tour was also a bit boring, and we walked away feeling like we didn't learn/see much.

Leuven and Mechelen were our favorite places in Belgium. Like Delft and Leiden, they felt smaller, less touristy, and we enjoyed the slower pace and local culture. We enjoyed roaming the botanical garden in Leuven and strolling down the canal path in Mechelen. The hotel in Leuven was very unique and nice; it was a bit far from the train station, but the location on the canal and the garden made it very relaxing and enjoyable. The hotel breakfast was the best of all the hotels on the trip. One weird thing about the hotel room, the toilet was behind a privacy door, but the shower was open to the room with very little privacy. But despite that, this hotel was still one of our favorites.

Finally, our driver, who took us to the Brussels airport, said he didn't speak English, but he still seemed to understand us, so it wasn't a big deal. However, he was a smoker, so his car smelled very bad. That made the trip to the airport unpleasant, and our clothes smelled like cigarette smoke for a while after we got out of the car.

Overall, we enjoyed the trip! We will definitely return to the Netherlands someday, and we will definitely use KimKim again soon.

Hotel Reviews

Begijnhof Hotel

Leuven

We loved this hotel. The staff were kind, the breakfast was amazing, the rooms were very clean, the gardens and canal made it very relaxing. I'm giving 4 stars instead of 5 because the lack of privacy for the shower is awkward. A curtain needs to be placed at the entrance of the shower.

Authenticity & Character

The history of the building makes for a unique hotel.

Location

It is a bit far from the train station, but the canal and the gardens are lovely.

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Very clean and comfortable. However, there is a lack of privacy in the shower. It is too exposed, and a curtain needs to be placed at the entrance of the shower itself.

Hotel ML

Haarlem

We enjoyed this hotel. The proximity to the church caused the church bells to be very loud.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

BoutiqueHotel 't Fraeyhuis

BRUGGE

This hotel is very lovely, the setting is beautiful, and the rooms are clean and comfortable. Some staff seemed a bit haughty, and we felt a little unwelcome sometimes.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Royal Bridges

Delft

Nice hotel, the staff were very kind and welcoming.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Daytrip to Marken, Volendam, Edam and Zaanse Schans

The Netherlands

The windmills were interesting, and Edam was beautiful. But Marken, Volendam, and the ferry ride were not all that interesting or exciting for us.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Albert, again, is the best! He made the day much more fun.

Transport

Riding with Albert was great. Would skip the ferry.

Leuven - Botanical Gardens (Kruidtuin)

The Netherlands

Quality of Experience

Flower auction, bulb fields & Keukenhof excursion

The Netherlands

The flower auction is very informative and interesting. The Kenkenhof is, of course, amazingly beautiful.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Albert is the best!

Transport

Ghent - Scenic Boat Tour

The Netherlands

We skipped this.

Delft - Private guided walking Tour

The Netherlands

Andre was wonderful, very engaging. We saw many interesting things, learned a lot, and he provided many recommendations and tips for the rest of our stay in Delft.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Andre was wonderful!

Transport

We walked?

Leiden - Private Guided city walk

The Netherlands

Jeroen was very engaging and kind. We saw many interesting things and learned a lot from him. We loved the city as a whole.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Bruges - Private guided walking tour

The Netherlands

Roland was a very nice man, but the tour was a bit boring.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Bruges - Choco Story chocolate workshop (join in)

The Netherlands

Making the chocolate was fun, but the instructor was just okay. She didn't seem to want to be there or enjoy her job.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

This is a missed opportunity for the instructors. They should have stories and share some history of chocolate to make the experience more engaging. We arrived early but not early enough to go through the museum prior to the workshop.

Bruges - Day trip to Damme

The Netherlands

We skipped this.

Explore Ghent with a CityCard

The Netherlands

Ghent is a very busy city and felt overwhelming.

Quality of Experience

Transport

The city card can be a bit overwhelming to figure out where to go and how to get there properly.

Public Transport Pass Amsterdam

The Netherlands

Ghent - Private guided walking tour

The Netherlands

Christien was very warm and friendly. The tour was a bit slow and boring.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Leuven - Day trip to Mechelen

The Netherlands

We loved Mechelen. Smaller, quieter, lovely local culture.

Quality of Experience

Transport

Delft - Delft blue pottery

The Netherlands

Ghent - Waffles 'n Beer Workshop

The Netherlands

We skipped this because I wasn't feeling good.

Thank you for the opportunity to safely travel, with your guidance and expertise leading our way! Overall we had a very positive experience. With that said, we would like to provide some step by step feedback, which may benefit other travelers.
Day 1:Our arrival at Schiphol Airport was well timed, and our driver was very kind, patient and helpful. Our stop for groceries was important and very much appreciated. The Bollenschuur Hillegom was everything we hoped for and more; in a beautiful location and perfectly equipped. Our bikes arrived as planned at our accommodations and Jamil went out of his way to ensure our comfort and fit. The rides past fields of lovely blooms was the fulfillment of our dream. That said, the app for bike routes proved very frustrating as it did not accurately advise us; frequently did not keep up to where we were and then told us to reroute. We had to find our own way. We enjoyed the tulip barn. The Twizy we would probably not recommend. The bikes were more enjoyable and the "Twizy" (actually called a Renzy) was very difficult to get in and out of, especially as a back seat passenger.

Day 2: It was totally unrealistic for us to ride 30+ miles to the flower auction. We called an Uber. It was an amazing experience that we would not want to have missed. It is ,however, no longer an auction and there is nothing to arrive at 7AM to see. The auction no longer happens there.
The Tulperji flower Farm and Noordwijkerhout experiences were wonderful.
We would advise you to tell people staying in this area to plan ahead more for meals. There is very little near where we stayed. We liked being in the countryside but, in retrospect, we would probable have brought in more groceries for dinner.

Day 3 : Keukenhof- Great plan to have 9AM tickets purchased in advance. Gardens were amazing!
We were happy to have purchased grand stand tickets to enjoy the parade.

Day 4:Private transport to Haarlem was great and definitely needed.
Boutiquehotel Staats was a perfect pick for us- unique, clean, beautifully decorated, wonderful coffee/food, staff. It was close to everything we needed, especially the bus/train station.
We enjoyed our free time in Haarlem. The Jopenkerk Brewery had good food and beer, but was honestly not a "don't miss" destination.

Day 5: Your transportation advice and passes were a great help. We enjoyed the Van Gogh Museum. The Anne Frank House was an emotion evoking experience that is life changing and unforgettable. The Walking dinner was fun, informative and delicious!

Day 6: The Corrie ten Boom House, like the Anne Frank experience, was very moving and well done. We would not have wanted to miss it. Cycling to the beach was a great idea. The bike shop was great and the owners very helpful. Again the bike GPS app directions were less than adequate, but we managed with staff directions, signs and honestly guessing. The ride through the national park and the beach were lovely and we were very glad for this experience. The Rijstaffel dinner was a very different experience for us and we enjoyed it very much.

Day7: Our last day was good timing for the Zaanse Schans trip. By then, we were tired, and happy to let the bus take us to the 3 destinations. And, we enjoyed each one.

Day 8: We returned to Schiphol airport by bus instead of train so that we could be nonstop.

Through the entire planning and trip we had good communication with your team.
Miecke was very helpful and responsive to our questions and requests.
We enjoyed a trip of a lifetime and thank you very much!
Connie Glunz and fellow travelers

The communication with Bas was very easy and efficient. I really had no difficulties with my itinerary.
Its hard to pick which activity was the best as all were pretty spectacular.
Starting with my tour of Amsterdam, Inbal was very informative and was easily able to weave the highlights of the city and the food stops.
The boat tour was great as it gave me a different, very interesting perspective of the city.
In fact I could have spent more time on the water and skipped the Rijksmuseum!
(I know that sounds crazy but the crowds were a bit much!)
The tour of Haarlem was also great. Thessa was quite informative and the amount of time spent was perfect.
Finally, the shining star of my trip was the bike ride. Alex was a fantastic guide as he was able to provide me a safe but spectacular route from Haarlem , through the surrounding tulip fields to Kuekenhof, then as an added bonus, a tour of the sand dunes. We actually ended up spending an extra 1 - 1/2 hours on this tour but Alex graciously didn't mind.
All in all, as with the other two KimKim trips, my experiences in the Netherlands was spectacular!

Activity Reviews

Amsterdam - Rijksmuseum

The Netherlands

The museum was a pretty crowded place, which at this time of year is very common. So that was the only thing I didn't appreciate. Probably, if I had to do it all over again, I wouldn't have gone. I only spent at most thirty minutes there just because it was so difficult to move around. But that's kinda part of the deal.

Amsterdam - Private guided historic city walk

The Netherlands

The actual tour of Amsterdam was wonderful. The guide was great, and tasting all kinds of mixed food samples was really good.

Amsterdam - Private canal cruise to Rijksmuseum

The Netherlands

I really enjoyed the canal ride now with the little boat, and that really gave me a different perspective of the city. Highly recommended!

cycling Keukenhof, tulips fields, sand dunes and North Sea Coast with private guide

The Netherlands

The highlight of the trip for me was the the bike ride through the tulips and onto the sand dunes. It was an arduous kinda experience for me, I'm almost seventy now, probably twenty years ago, it would've been easy. Alex, who was my guide, was fantastic. And I was able to really experience that whole area quite well.

Mieke did a great job. She was thorough and responsive to our questions and needs and very easy to work with. The package she provided was excellent. We had a couple of issues (train schedules) that came up over the 2 weeks and they were quickly resolved. The work she did enabled us to enjoy our trip without a hitch. Hotels, guides, and activities were very well planned

Hotel Reviews

Hotel Mai Amsterdam

Amsterdam

Exceptional Hotel with a very good-sized room and location

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Boat accommodation for cycling tours: Fluvius

Amsterdam

The bike and boat Tulip tour was a lot of fun. The boat was very clean, the crew very accommodating, the food good, and the room while small (as expected) was nice and worked out very well.

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

The room was small as expected but big enough to be comfortable.

The Dominican

Bruxelles

Really nice hotel in a good location with a very helpful staff and a well appointed room

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Bike & Boat: Zaandam and Haarlem

The Netherlands

Our stop on the bike route at Zaanse Schans, was a very busy tourist location but was very interesing and worth the visit

Quality of Experience

Public Transport Pass Amsterdam

The Netherlands

The card was helpful and easy to use

Amsterdam - Anne Frank House

The Netherlands

To see the actual place where Ann Frank hid was very moving.

Quality of Experience

Bike & Boat: practical information

The Netherlands

Going into the bike and boat trip we were a little leery, but the boat wound up exceeding our expectations. The room was small as expected but worked out very well. The crew was really nice.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Keukenhof Gardens

The Netherlands

Amazingly beautiful gardens.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Bike & Boat: from Oude Wetering back to Amsterdam

The Netherlands

Quality of Experience

Amsterdam - Canal cruise (join in)

The Netherlands

Fun time very informative guide

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Bike & Boat: Amsterdam

Amsterdam

The bikes were very functional, and the guides made for a safe and enjoyable experience The activities along the routes were excellent.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Brussels - Waffle making workshop

The Netherlands

This was a lot of fun. It was a little difficult finding the location but once we arrived it was all good from there. The instructor was fun, and the instructions clear, thus the end result was a delicious batch of waffles made with our own hands.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Brussels - Day trip to Ghent by train

Brussels

We really enjoyed Ghent. A nice city with many interesting shops and sights

Quality of Experience

Transport

We had a wonderful time on our trip. The Netherlands were everything we had hoped for and more.
The hotels and staff were very nice and accommodating and we appreciated having breakfast available each morning. The OV chip kaart made getting around fairly easy. I am sorry we couldn’t mail it back as you asked. Hotel CitizenM wouldn’t accept it.
We loved the museums, especially the Resistance and Van Gough. I do wish we would have had tickets to the introduction program at the Anne Frank House. We enjoyed the tours, especially the food tour.
On our last day we decided not to visit Kinderdijk. We decided instead to travel to The Hague and visit Mauritshuis. It was a wonderful day. In hindsight we should have agreed to a day trip to Brussels, Delft, or The Hague as BeattheDutchtravel had recommended.
Our trip was great, however there were several issues that caused confusion, anxiety, wasted time, and money loss.
1. The day before our trip we did not yet have all tickets.
2. Day 2: We were told our food tour was from 3-7pm. At 2:00 the guide called to say the tour had started and we would need to reschedule. This was not possible. We were in route but it would take us 45 minutes to get there. Thankfully, the rest of the group agreed to wait on us but sadly, we did miss the first stop of apple pie.
3. Day 3: We arrived at Keukenhof at 9:00 as scheduled. We toured until 11:15 (researching showed this is average time to spend). We were scheduled to explore the bulb area by Twizy from 3:30-5:30pm. I am not sure what we should/could have done for over four hours waiting. Sadly, this was something I was especially looking forward to doing but could not justify waiting in the cold for four hours.
4. Day 5: our itinerary was extremely confusing. It stated that our 4-town day trip would be from 9:15am-3:45pm. It also said the starting time was 12:00. We showed up at 9:00 to be told the tour is from 12:00-6:30. We were also told that we were given the wrong place for the tour to start. We waited around for three hours but thoroughly enjoyed the day. I only wish we would have known for sure of the later start time so that we could have spent our morning better.
I understand that mistakes happen, and scheduling can be troublesome. We have used travel groups in the past but have not had issues like this before. We have enjoyed using KimKim (Rome, Florence, Berlin, Munich, Austria) in the past and have referred several others. Even though we feel that this trip was not planned or scheduled as well as the others will use KimKim again.

Amsterdam: hôtel excellent, tour to Kokunhof was disappointing because we were too early, tulips were not in bloom. Tour to Edam with Tickets and Travel was very interesting and our guide Pieter was very informative.
The Hague: super hotel interesting city. Trip to Rotterdam was OK with Spido
Antwerp: excellent hotel. Tour to Brussels with Florence very informative.
Ghent: nice and cosy hôtel. Tour of Bruges with Roland was excellent
All tickets for transportation for the whole trip was well planed.
Overhaul it was a well planed trip with very good accommodations and good sight seeing.
Thank you Bas
Amy and Marcel

Emma’s recommendations and trip-planning made this the trip of a lifetime for our family, ages 22 to 77. She thought of every detail, from train tickets and schedules to finding great restaurants and making reservations, to researching specific things we were hoping to see and experience in Holland. She is friendly, thoughtful, and was readily available and quick to respond to questions through the entire process. The KimKim team gave us the ability to ask for help or with questions while we were traveling. We also very much appreciated the transport drivers Maarten, Reuben, and Ibo who were prompt and made airport and Christmas Day transport so easy. Many THANKS from our whole family!

Hotel Review

Accommodation booked by traveler

Activity Reviews

Explore Rotterdam and Kinderdijk windmills

The Netherlands

Quality of Experience

Amsterdam - Rijksmuseum

The Netherlands

Was an extremely packed place on 12/23, likely lots of families visiting because of the holiday week-

Quality of Experience

Transport

Train transport to/from Gouda was pretty easy all week

Amsterdam - Private canal cruise

The Netherlands

Our tiny boat’s propeller quit working and we were close to having to abandon ship during the cruise. The driver June was hanging over the side repairing it in the dark. Would probably suggest another boat company or bigger boat for future groups. The lights in the canal were pretty. June packed hot water bottles to keep our laps warm which was nice.

Utrecht - De Haar Castle

The Netherlands

Booked this on our own without KimKim. Was a fun event to soon Christmas Day since most things are closed. Emma arranged transport and we were so thankful we had drivers Reuben and Ibo!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

No English- speaking tour guides or audio tours available on Christmas Day.

Transport

Haarlem canal cruise

The Netherlands

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Gouda - Cheese Experience

The Netherlands

Place is great! 22 year old son said the cheese-tasting was his favorite thing of the week. Liked the cafe for lunch afterwards, and we bought cheese and souvenirs to take home before we left.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Gouda - Day trip to Haarlem

Gouda

We liked the city of Haarlem very much! We purchased tickets for the Corrie ten Boom museum on our own after reading her book The Hiding Place and really enjoyed the 50 min. tour. We liked the canal cruise very much. Shopping was fun by all, and we sampled and enjoyed the street food vendors. Emma planned an Escape Tour and made dinner reservations for us also, but we had one person in our group who wasn’t feeling well, so we went back early for the day.

Quality of Experience

Transport

Haarlem - Corrie ten Boom museum

The Netherlands

Be on time! The reservations tell you this, but you must be waiting in the alley at your ticket time or they will give your place away to others waiting. We had a late train because of a prior train accident, which forced us to run to the museum to make it just in time!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Gouda - Day trip to Rotterdam

Gouda

Kinderdijk windmills, water taxi to the windmills, Cube Houses, and Markthal for dinner were terrific! Markthal closed at 6:00 pm, which ended up being just enough time to get and eat dinner for us.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Haarlem - City escape tour

The Netherlands

We ran out of time to play this tour escape game. However, I know we would’ve liked to play it as it’s a great multi-age group game and a fun way to discover new places in Haarlem! We will do this next time for sure.

Quality of Experience

I wish I had more than 5 stars to give! I cannot thank Emma and the team enough for the exceptional job they did planning our trip to the Netherlands and Belgium. Emma listened to our preferences and crazy requests and planned experiences that were so perfect and thoughtful. Everything was taken care of and all the instructions were very detailed and clear, it could not have gone more smoothly. Such a pleasure to have spent time with Maartin, who is absolutely wonderful, knowledgeable and incredibly helpful. Having the train/tram access cards was terrific, and so easy to use. Somehow (luck or I suspect good planning) all our tickets to attractions had been booked with entry times that were less crowded; imagine having the Rijksmuseum nearly to ourselves! Food tours were exceptional, delicious stops and excellent guides. I will also give Emma credit for the beautiful sunny day (a rarity in November) that appeared the day we rode bicycles to the beach from Haarlem to Zandvoort. Everyone we met during all our experiences was so welcoming and wonderful, we thank you all so much!

Emma planned a great trip for us and was very flexible to our asks and changes. We loved the hotels and all the perks of the notes, tee shirts, and special touches made it extra special. The differentiator with Kim Kim is the personalized service thru the trip and someone to reach out to. We recommend Kim Kim all the time. Love the ability to pull up entire trip online as well any time.

Hotel Reviews

Singel hotel

Amsterdam

Great location on a quiet street but close to train and city center. Lovely amenities of the hotel and the room itself. Very friendly staff.

Authenticity & Character

We loved siting downstairs in common areas and outside

Location

Quiet street but a short walk to town

Staff

All

Cleanliness & Comfort

Super clean and spacious

Hotel Fidder

Zwolle

Loved the location and amenities. Cool to be next to a whiskey bar. Loved the breakfast and just a pretty location. Felt like a local.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Close to city center

Staff

All

Cleanliness & Comfort

Loved the robe and slippers!

Activity Reviews

Amsterdam - Resistance Museum

The Netherlands

Super interesting and love the audio guide

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Amsterdam - Anne Frank House

The Netherlands

Can’t come to Amsterdam without visiting. Very moving exhibit

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Amsterdam - Private Grand Dutch Food Tour

The Netherlands

Loved walking the city and hearing the history while getting to sample different local foods and drinks. Great guide.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Public Transport Pass Amsterdam

The Netherlands

Loved having this instead of buying individual tickets for each trip.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport