Guðmundur Óli Pálmason

Iceland has so much to see and experience so it is important to have a good itinerary. Gummi worked with us to maximize our first visit to his country and see the very best. Every attraction had something unique to experience. I'll never forget the crystal blue color of the Bruarfoss waterfall - even on a cloudy day. Restaurant recommendations were outstanding and the KimKim app made it easy to follow our trip plan and have confirmation information right at our fingertips.
As an extra bonus on our visit, we did get to see the Northern Lights from our hotel in Arnarstapi - a bit rare in September.
The people of Iceland were friendly and helpful and even smiled when I tried to pronounce the name of the volcano: Eyjafjallajökull. We enjoyed the local foods including lamb dishes, arctic char, reindeer and of course the famous hot dog from Bæjarins Beztu Pylsur in Reykjavik on a food walk. Having the advantage of a local guide's knowledge on a self-guided vacation helped us get the best value for our money.

We used this service,Kim Kim, as we were planning because due to other life circumstances, we did not have time to sit and plan and look up things to do where we wanted to travel. We were skeptical at first, but after working with our specialist, we were way more at ease.

This turned out to be a great trip with great locations and itinerary picked for us by our specialist, Mr. Oli. We saw some beautiful locations and sights as we traveled through Iceland. The amount of driving was about right each day and allowed for flexibility to see the sights as we traveled. The motels and guesthouses we stayed at were great, with one exception of not having a private bath for that stay.

Iceland is a great country to travel to and through. The thermal baths were outstanding. We found that we should have traveled about a month earlier as the weather was cooling off for the year, but that really did not put a damper on much.

Probably one of the best things we saw was the Lava Show. This was a great demonstration of the the volcanic activity that present throughout the country. Highly recommend.

Overall, we were satisfied with this service provided by Kim Kim. At this point this was a one off experience. But if we are to have the opportunity to travel like this again, we will definitely look to this site to provide a good experience.

Hotel Reviews

The Hill Hotel at Fludir

Fludir

Great room and hot tub in the courtyard. Very aesthetically pleasing to look at in the courtyard.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hótel Fransiskus Stykkishólmi

Stykkishólmur

This was a fun hotel with a great history. Good breakfast selection and great location for a walk to the docks.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Holt Inn

Holt

The service and Hotel were great. This was a beautiful place to stay. The only downside was the child across the hall that screamed for 3 hours.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Review

Explore Jökulsárlón Glacier Lagoon by Zodiac Boat

Iceland

This was a very fun excursion. Highly recommend.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

We had an incredible experience in Iceland from start to finish. Everything was so well organized by Gummi, who was incredibly responsive, thoughtful, and attentive to our interests and needs. His suggestions were excellent, and every location and experience felt perfectly chosen for us.

Our guide, Bessi, was truly phenomenal. He was personable, knowledgeable, and went above and beyond to make our trip special. He really took the time to get to know us and tailored the experience to our interests. He was also incredibly flexible, able to pivot and adjust our plans based on the weather and conditions while still making every day feel seamless and unforgettable.

It truly felt like a personalized trip rather than a standard tour. We saw incredible waterfalls, glaciers, lagoons, craters, hikes, and so much more — but it was the little details, the flexibility, and the genuine care that made this a trip of a lifetime. We couldn’t have asked for a better experience!

It was great having Gummi plan our Iceland trip from the car to the hotels to sights to see. Having the driving directions everyday was really great and knowing I could call him anytime if we had an issue was a great peace of mind. We had an unforgettable trip!

Hotel Reviews

Center Hotel Arnarhvoll

Reykjavík

Stayed here our last night and enjoyed the view from the SkyBar

Hotel Eldhestar

Ölfus, Hveragerði

Great location, got to see the horses up close

Location

Cleanliness & Comfort

Center Hotels Skjaldbreið

Reykjavík

Liked where this hotel was located for our first day in Iceland

Location

Cleanliness & Comfort

Black Beach Suites

Vik I Myrdal

Beautiful view!

Location

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Review

Glacier Ice Cave Experience

Iceland

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

We had a great trip to Iceland in early September. Our specialist Gummi was wonderful; we could not have planned this trip so fast and so well without him. Overall, we liked every hotel and activity that he suggested. Every reservation was booked correctly and it was so easy to follow his directions and plans for the day.

After we booked, he helped us tweak our plans a bit more ... mostly to help us reduce the amount of driving. We did not do the whole Ring Road, but saw multiple areas from the peninsula to the east.

While we were on the trip, he alerted us to the Northern Lights on a certain day and gave us a last minute recommendation of another (!) waterfall to visit.

I would definitely recommend him!

Our trip was perfect, from beginning to end. Goumundar reached out to us by phone so we could communicate our interests and questions. We experienced Iceland with our amazing guide Bessi, who gave us an adventure of a lifetime!! Iceland is like no other place on earth! It’s spectacularly beautiful in all weather. We will no doubt return - maybe a winter visit!

Guðmundur Óli did a fantastic job planning our route and booking our excursions for our trip to Iceland. He was an incredible source of information throughout our stay, even responding quickly in the middle of the night when we lost our mapping route to help get us back on track.

The locations and excursions he booked were absolutely fabulous, and the accommodations chosen for our overnight stays were incredible. If Guðmundur is a representation of KimKim's travel planners, I highly recommend using your services for any travel destination.

Thank you for a wonderful family vacation that was enjoyed by all!

We arrived home early this morning. We just had the most terrific time in Iceland. You were great in setting up just the best things for us. It was a truly magnificent trip. Iceland and its people are very special, kind, helpful, cheerful. We were so impressed with all the sights to see and each day we thought the next would not be as wonderful- we were proved wrong every time. It just got better and better.
Thank you for always getting back with us quickly and helping us navigate the changes in our itineraries. I have already told others of our experience with you and your company.I hope that brings you business:) We thank you from the bottom of our hearts.

Hotel Reviews

Center Hotels Skjaldbreið

Reykjavík

we did not get to stay at Skjaldbreid as they had a fire but the staff directed us to Center Hotel Plaza. It was very nice. Breakfast was delicious. Thought I had died and gone to heaven after eating the lovely granola bar. :)

Authenticity & Character

nice lobby for drinks

Location

perfect location to sites, shops and restaurants

Staff

very efficient

Cleanliness & Comfort

very clean

Black Beach Suites

Vik I Myrdal

This hotel was amazing. Gorgeous views, comfortable studio apartment. Great bed, well appointed.

Authenticity & Character

modern austerity.

Location

Beautiful views

Staff

kind and informative

Cleanliness & Comfort

pristine

Skálatjörn

Selfoss

The room was as we expected, cozy and sufficient

Authenticity & Character

Location

Proximity to the goat barn!!! Fun!

Staff

Helena was so informative about the goats!

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hótel Búðir

Búðir

Beautiful location and the staff was excellent. Breakfast and dinner are highly recommended.

Authenticity & Character

quaint and cozy

Location

surrounded by loveliness

Staff

all were wonderful

Cleanliness & Comfort

great linens

Activity Reviews

Laugarás Lagoon - Lerki

Iceland

So relaxing. The facility was top notch.

Quality of Experience

Very relaxing and beautiful

Guides, Drivers and Staff

friendly and accomodating

Glacier Ice Cave Experience

Iceland

Loved this tour.

Quality of Experience

All we wanted and mor4e

Guides, Drivers and Staff

So funny and gave us many interesting facts.

Transport

Loved driving through the glacial beaches.

Víðgelmir Lava Cave Experience

Iceland

A great way to start our trip. Very interesting

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Our guide was so smart and knew the answers we needed.

Transport

we drove

Explore Jökulsárlón Glacier Lagoon by Amphibian Boat

Iceland

Once in a lifetime experience

Quality of Experience

Stunning views

Guides, Drivers and Staff

So funny and informative

Transport

The boat was sturdy and safe

Gummi contacted me right away after we filled in our interests. I was really impressed with Gummi's depth of knowledge and efficiency in planning our 10 day trip despite the short notice. He was able to understand the way we like to do our trips and was able to accommodate our ambitious itinerary. He got us the best possible private guide and driver, David, who was with us for our whole trip. Not only were we able to enjoy all the activities we had planned, David was able to incorporate a few more hidden gems as we traveled. Gummi and David made our Iceland vacation very effortless and relaxing . There were no hidden costs or issues we faced during our trip. I would wholeheartedly recommend Gummi and David and kimkim for facilitating the whole process.

Our guide, Gummi, was so helpful with his suggestions and when we had to pivot one day he quickly responded with an alternate plan. All of the hotels were great and his suggestions for lunches en route were amazing! The travel directions he provided each day were critical to us getting where we needed comfortably (although the road to Landmannalugar was not comfortable but worth it!). We spent 2 days in Reykjavik, 2 days in the Snaefellsness Peninsula, 4 days in the Hella region, including a Super Jeep tour in Porsmork, a day in Vik for a glacier and ice cave tour, and a day in the Jokusarlon area, where we kayaked in the Jokusarlon Glacier Lagoon, which was thrilling. Wish we had time for the Westfjords, but we know we’ll be back!

Hotel Reviews

Tower Suites Reykjavík

Reykjavík

Wow, what a room, what a view! Very clean and largest of all the rooms we stayed in, truly luxurious but that is what I wanted for our last night in Iceland. Our room was warm and they said it had air conditioning, which is rare in Iceland, but it wasn’t working, so they set up a Dyson fan and opened an unreachable window to cool it off for us and it was fine. You can see over the whole city and the ocean. They bring breakfast to your room at the time you select. You do need a key card to get to their floor at the top of an office building, so they need to know when you arrive. We walked to a local place for dinner, Potturinn og Pannan, which was great and an 8 minute walk. A special experience.

Authenticity & Character

Location

On the outskirts of town, but not a too far walk to the main drag, about 17 minutes.

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hótel Jökulsárlón - Glacier Lagoon Hotel

Hofn

Beautiful hotel, only 2 years old, just 10 minutes past the Lagoon. Nice clean and spacious room, although quite warm since it was sunny, but they had Vornado fans in our room and we used them! They said breakfast did not come with the room since it was booked through a third party, but the coffee and tea you could still get from the dining room at no charge. We had a great dinner there. There are 3 big hot tubs overlooking the glacier, which we used, and that was nice.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Black Beach Suites

Vik I Myrdal

We arrived very early, but were able to get checked in so that we could drop our bags and rest before that day’s activities. The room was spacious, clean and comfortable and had a back deck so that after dark we could monitor the Aurora situation, and they came out so that we could see them with our naked eyes, which for me was a highlight! They do not offer free breakfast and their restaurant is basic, so we went into Vik and got Black Crust Pizza, which was very good, and brought it back to the room, which had plates, utensils, and everything you’d need to do that or even make your own dinner. We also purchased breakfast fixings for the next morning, which we stowed in the small refrigerator in the room.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Nice view of the ocean in the distance.

Staff

There seemed to be one woman manning the restaurant and the check in and she was a bit overwhelmed.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Rangá

Hella

Loved this hotel! The room was very comfortable and Montana-esque, so we felt immediately at home. The staff could not do enough for you, they were wonderful! The breakfast had so many options and we ate here for dinner all 4 nights because it was so good. Don’t miss their signature mushroom soup!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Very, very kind and thoughtful staff!

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hótel Varmaland

Borgarnes

In the middle of nowhere, but very quiet and comfortable room with nice breakfast and fantastic restaurant for dinner.

Authenticity & Character

Outside looks a bit sterile but inside is modern and beautiful.

Location

Good midpoint for Snaefellsness Peninsula and other activities.

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Eyja

Reykjavik

On the outskirts of town, but they have parking and the walk to town and good restaurants was easy. Room was clean and nicely appointed.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Glacier Ice Cave Experience

Iceland

Great ride in high clearance vehicle to glacier, fitted with crampons, then followed guide through a trail up the glacier to the ice cave, which was beautiful. The ice changes every day due to melt and refreeze, so the cave was pretty small at the beginning of September, but I would still do it again.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Víðgelmir Lava Cave Experience

Iceland

The guide was very nice and informative, but this was the least favorite of our excursions. If you go to the Perlan Museum in Reykjavik, or the Harpa exhibit in Reykjavik, you see the same thing.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Laugarás Lagoon - Lerki

Iceland

Great lagoon, very relaxing experience. Can’t be shy about showering or getting naked in front of others of the same sex. Nobody cares, though. Do it!

Quality of Experience

Jökulsárlón Glacier Lagoon Kayaking Excursion

Iceland

They suited us up and gave us boots and then gave a lesson on how to kayak and how to get back on the kayak if you fall in. It was exhilarating! Getting up so close to the glaciers in the lagoon was a special feeling! A bit physically challenging, but oh, so worth it!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Thórsmörk Super Jeep Experience

Iceland

Great guide who has spent many years in Iceland and knew some hidden gems.

Quality of Experience

Food

Decent lunch provided. Nothing fancy.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport