Heidi Jiang

What an absolutely amazing trip ! The whole thing was pulled together within two weeks of departure date by Heidi who was phenomenal. We mapped out to Heidi what we were looking to achieve for our first trip to China and she absolutely nailed the brief perfectly. Each of our four guides are absolutely worthy of mention, Li, Coco, Ellen and Vivian, - thank you so much for your attention to detail and being the perfect hosts in each of the cities that we visited and going beyond. You really did make the trip so memorable for us all and so totally seamless. We wouldn’t have found time to do half the things that we achieved if it wasn’t for your local knowledge and familiarity with the landscapes, etc.
I have absolutely no hesitation or reservation in recommending Kimkim to anyone who is thinking of using them as a travel organiser and we will absolutely be using them again in the future for any further travel plans.

We spent an amazing 10 days in China, always accompanied by knowledgeable guides. Bonnie, our guide in Shanghai, was so happy and proud to show us around her city! She was very knowledgeable, kind and patient, always willing to make changes or pivot to other interests of the group and was so capable in dealing with a few glitches we had at the train station. Alvin, our guide for Huangshan and the spectacular Yellow Mountain was a pleasure to be with as we hiked up the mountain on our way to the amazing Up Cloud Villa where we stayed for one night. I cannot recommend this small, luxury hotel enough! The rooms were gorgeous and comfortable, the food was delicious and the staff went above and beyond at all times. They not only provided exemplary service but also led us through various crafting experiences, even setting up Mah Jong for us and offering to play with us to complete the foursome. Truly an experience worth having to wake up on the mountain before the crowds for a sunrise hike! Alvin then took us to a gem of a protected town for our stay at the SU House Hotel where we were surprised by an amazing show for the mid autumn festival that was being celebrated that day. The fire works, dragons, lanterns overlooking the lake was mesmerizing! Florence, our guide in Hangzhou, showed us around her beautiful city with grace and precision. She was so knowledgeable and informative of the history and growth of such a lush and progressive city. She was also very open to a change of plans for a whole day as we got to know the city better.
Not our first trip to China but always leave the country wanting more. Cannot recommend it enough and Heidi from Kim Kim was a pleasure to work with and understood so well what we envisioned.

Hotel Reviews

The Silk Lakehouse, Shangri-La Hangzhou

A truly beautiful luxury hotel next to the stunning lake. The rooms are well appointed and very comfortable. Spectacular buffet breakfast and staff were all kind and mindful. Would definitely recommend for an enjoyable stay in Hangzhou!

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Huanghsan SU House

A beautiful hotel nestled in a protected town with gorgeous rooms and spectacular views over the lake and town. Had a wonderful stay at this little treasure.

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Cleanliness & Comfort

UPCLOUD SHUGUANGLI VILLA

Can't not say enough wonderful things about the UPCLoud! What a gem on the mountain! The rooms are beautiful and so comfortable with every detail thought about. The staff are the true stars! They were so attentive and kind providing a warm and engaging experience. If you have the opportunity to stay her absolutely do it!!

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The St. Regis on the Bund, Shanghai

Beautiful Art Deco inspired hotel right on the Bund. Walking distance from so many hotspots in Shanghai with spectacular river views over Pudong.

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Activity Reviews

Experience Tea Culture in Hangzhou: Meijiawu Tea Village

Hangzhou

A fun time spent with NaNa, a local tea producer in Hangzhou. Spending time with her in her home teaching us about the local teas, flavors, and history, was a great way to spend an afternoon.

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Transport

ERA Intersection of Time Acrobatic Show 2

Shanghai

The show was entertaining with some great stunts. Not sure the price is worth the duration of the show and the time spent in transportation. Would not say it is a must do in a city so full of activities and nightlife.

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Visit the Magnificent Huangshan Mountain

Huangshan City

A visit to the Yellow Mountain is an absolute must! The beautiful views, spectacular rock formations and manicured hiking trails are very worth the climb.

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Full day in Hangzhou: West Lake and Lingyinsi, Feilai Peak & Six Harmonies Pagoda

Hangzhou

Hangzhou is a truly vibrant and interesting city. The West Lake tour in a boat was a really enjoyable experience. The visit to Lingyinsi, a spectacular temple and grotto sculptures was the highlight. Only thing that would suggest is to be willing to do the tour as early in the morning as possible to avoid the heat and crowds. The area opens at 7 am and is definitely worth the early wake up.

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Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

The van was the oldest of the vans throughout our stay.

Highlights of Shanghai with Yu Garden and the Bund

Shanghai

Shanghai is an impressive, clean and safe city absolutely worth a visit!

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Enjoy the Historic Villages in Huangshan

Huangshan City

Really enjoyed a visit to the UNESCO World Heritage site of Honcun. A beautifully preserved town with nice shops and wonderful views. Definitely worth a stop.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

We had a wonderful trip to China.

China is home to all kinds of natural beauty and temples/monuments. However visiting the Great Wall and Zhangjiajie were by far our highlights.

We really enjoyed our guides Linda, Kevin, and Arthur. They were incredibly knowledgeable about the area we were visiting and more than willing to help us with anything we needed. I want to specifically give a shout out to Arthur who helped me find some cold medicine at a pharmacy.

Hotel Reviews

Sunrise On The Bund

Great location. Comfortable rooms (although we did have to ask for a mattress topper due to VERY firm mattress). I would recommend this hotel to future guests.

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Hampton by Hilton Zhangjiajie National Forest Park

Great location. Comfortable rooms. One of the better hotels we stayed at on our trip.

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Cleanliness & Comfort

Chengyun Yuexi Resort

This hotel was in a good location near restaurants and access the riverside. However upon our arrival to our room we noticed the floors were very dirty and the bathroom area smelled of sewage. Very nice sized rooms, but the cleanliness of the room was very disappointing.

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Green Lotus Hotel

Very nice hotel and in a great location to restaurants and bars. There is an amazing view out the back of the hotel at the river and surrounding hills. The hotel is very modern and elegant. However our friend did have unclear sheets upon our arrive. Very disappointing for such a nice hotel.

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Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Need to make sure rooms and sheets are clean before guest arrivals.

Guilin Bravo Hotel Grand Wing

This hotel has a great location near the lakes in Guilin. Very convenient walk to restaurants and bars near the hotel. The hotel itself was nice, but the rooms were a little musty. This was likely due to the humidity the local areas see.

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Tibet Hotel Chengdu

Chengdu

Very pretty hotel with a nice lobby and bar area. Rooms were very nice but we had an issue with our room smelling BADLY of cigarette smoke even though it was a "non smoking " room. It seemed to pick up when the fan was turned on. We asked the front desk for another room, which they kindly helped us with - but once we turned on the fan in that room....same cigarette smell. This was very disappointing given how nice the hotel looked.

Authenticity & Character

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Cleanliness & Comfort

Non smoking rooms need to be rid of cigarette smoke smell.

Xi'an Eastern House Boutique Hotel

This hotel is a great location - close walking distance to several bars and restaurants. Very elegant and modern. We particularly enjoyed the complimentary supply of water bottles. One of the better hotels we stayed at on our trip.

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Park Plaza Beijing Wangfujing

Beijing

This hotel is in a great location. Close walking distance to restaurants and shopping. The lobby is very nice and we enjoyed the hotel bar on several nights. Staff were very friendly and washing machines were free to use. However we were not thrilled about our room. There was hair on the floor in our bathroom and finger smudges on the mirror. You could also tell that someone had smoked in the room at some point even though it was a "non smoking" room. Bed was firm (which I don't mind as much), but it seems most are in China are (at least at the hotels we stayed at).

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Room needs to be cleaned better before guests arrive. Old cigarette smoke needs to be removed.

Activity Reviews

Countryside Tour in Yangshuo by bike

Yangshuo

We chose to rent scooters and had a lovely time riding down the trail parallel to the river.

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Enjoy a Spicy Sichuan Hotpot Meal

Chengdu

Very good. One of our better meals on the trip.

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Chinese dumpling dinner

Xi'an

The show was very nice, but the food was expensive and not that great. They bring out several plates of dumplings with all sorts of fillings, but most of the time they were not hot. We had better dumplings elsewhere.

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Half Day Exploring the Reed Flute Cave and Elephant Trunk Hill

Guilin

Thought this would be something else. Pretty cave system, but very cheesy and relatively small. The elephant trunk hill area was very underwhelming.

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Peking Duck Experience

Beijing

Very good! One of the best meals on the trip. Highly recommend.

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Half day Golf course at Shanghai Silport Golf Club

Shanghai

Very nice golf course. We met the general manager upon walking in (Jack) who was incredibly helpful getting us set up and going. Our guide was not very familiar with golf or the check in process so this was a helpful coincidence.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

There is really no need for a guide to be included on this. Just a driver is enough. Especially if the guide is not familiar with golf.

Transport

Travel from Fenghuang (Phoenix) Ancient Town Town to Furong

Fenghuang

We really enjoyed our time in Fenghuang. Particularly the river boat ride and grabbing some drinks in the evening along the riverside. Furong is much smaller and would not recommend staying there for too long. Waterfalls are beautiful. Get in, get your photos and head out.

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See the Terracotta Army

Xi'an

Very cool to see and learn about the warriors, but got very repetitive after the first couple chambers. Still would highly recommend going, but have appropriate expectations.

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Highlights of Shanghai with Yu Garden and the Bund

Shanghai

We would honestly skip this. Mostly seeing old bank buildings and a overcrowded garden area.

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Revel in the Splendor of Zhangjiajie - Grand Canyon and Tianmen Mountain

Zhangjiajie

Grand Canyon was a little cheesy. It was cool to walk across the glass bridge, but the zipline and slide were just okay. The zipline limited your speed and the slide got backed up due to too many people being allowed at once. The boat ride at the bottom of the canyon could be skipped. Tianmen mountain was one of the coolest things we did on our trip. Beautiful area. Highly recommend. You MUST walk up the 999 steps.

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Marvel at the Picturesque Landscape in Zhangjiajie National Forest Park

Zhangjiajie

Highlight of the trip. Beautiful national park.

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Marvel at the Li River: China's Most Picturesque River

Guilin

We enjoyed our cruise down the Li River. Seats on the boat were very comfy - although we spent most of our time on the top deck outside site seeing as we cruised down the river.

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Encounter Adorable Giant Panda in Chengdu

Chengdu

We loved seeing the pandas.

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Explore Local Food Market and the Temple of Heaven in Beijing

Beijing

Seeing the local food markets was fine and the Temple of Heaven was nice. We were in the market for maybe 5 minutes. We did enjoy seeing the morning workout area where the locals meet. However we would not recommend going out of your way to see the food market.

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Hiking along the Majestic Great Wall, Summer Palace

Beijing

Seeing the Great Wall was perhaps the highlight of our entire trip. Definitely recommend.

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Explore Fobidden City and Hutong in Beijing

Beijing

We had a great time visiting both the Forbidden City and Hutong areas. Both sites are worth visiting. We ended up going back to the Hutong area in the evening for some drinks and shopping.

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Heidi did a great job organizing our trip and planning everything out for a stress free trip. All the guides were friendly and flexible to work with what we wanted to do. We will definitely be using Kimkim in the future!

Tsung/Song/Neo and James were absolutely great guides.
Personally, I would have preferred three days each in Beijing and Shanghai. Given how wonderful the Zhangjiajie National Park experience was, I wouldn't need the Li boat ride.

My worst day was in Zhangjiajie. I was supposed to explore the "downtown" but I don't think I ever found it. The Tower was OK but it was Sunday and stores were closed and I still don't know that it was in the "downtown." Something said to get to the airport three hours before departure; I got there four hours before but only needed 15 minutes to get to the gate. The plane was two hours late, so I spent an unneccessary 6 hours at a boring airport. In general for me, 1-1/2 days in Zhangjiajie would have been enough. In general, I was misled about that part of the trip.
In general, China is awesome and the trip was a wonderful introduction.

The trip was well conceived and coordinated. The level of reliability was very high for on time meetings, timely information, and delivery as promised (sometimes more than promised).
Heidi did a great job of creating the itinerary and coordinating every single detail including help with the visa process.
Amongst the guides, the standout guides were Justin (zhangjiajie) and Rose (Shanghai). They went beyond their brief, were very flexible and quick in adapting to our requirements, and went out of their way to make us feel comfortable.
The quality of the hotels that we stayed in was excellent. The cars provided in all locations (except Beijing) were comfortable and the drivers very good. The car in Beijing could have been bigger - it was too cramped especially for my daughters who were sitting in the third row.

What could have been better? We would have liked to receive more proactive suggestions from our local guides on what places to visit after our day with them was over. Only when we questioned the guides intensely, did they come up with suggestions. I am surprised that places like Datang Everbright in Xian were not on our itinerary or even suggested. There are so many places in each city that are worth visiting and should have been a part of the suggested list.

Activity Review

Dujiangyan Panda Base Volunteering Day Trip

Chengdu

I did not like this activity. The volunteering work isn't much really and feels very inconsequential. Much ado about nothing.

Quality of Experience

Food

Quality of food here was very average. We did not like the lunch served at the Panda base.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

When I think about this trip, the first thing that comes to mind is the incredible level of planning required for a 12-day trip in China for my wife and I. Planning our trip through KimKim was an incredibly smooth and stress-free experience. The initial setup was simple, and we were quickly connected with our local China specialist, Heidi, who was an absolute pleasure to work with. She was responsive, accommodating, and consistently offered thoughtful solutions that made our itinerary even better. Heidi made me feel like I was her only client, while also going above and beyond to create an unforgettable experience for my wife and I. I was unfamiliar with how accessibility works in China, but Heidi handled every single detail flawlessly. From coordinating transportation between hotels in different cities, to selecting ideal locations to visit, arranging private tours, and ensuring smooth drop-off/pickup at airports and train stations -- nothing was overlooked. We literally felt like royalty the second we got off that plane as Heidi thought of everything. One of the standout aspects of the trip was the thoughtfully designed itinerary. Each day included planned activities, but there was also flexibility built in for leisure time.

What made this trip so special wasn’t just the destination, but was how personal and thoughtfully curated every moment felt. Traveling in a new country can sometimes feel overwhelming, but with KimKim everything was handled so professionally that we could simply relax and enjoy the experience. That level of organization made traveling around the country very easy.

At every step we felt safe, comfortable, and well looked after by the excellent bi-lingual tour guides. The tour guides made this journey extraordinary, especially Emma (Beijing), Kathy (Xi’an), Ethan (Zhangjiajie), and Autumn (Shanghai). Thanks to them, we enjoyed our China adventure and now have very fond memories that will last a lifetime. The tour guides would come and get us from our hotels and bring us back to our hotels. They would check in with us daily to make sure we knew where we were going and had any questions. They were all knowledgeable, warm, and clearly excited to share her culture and stories with us as well as learning about our culture (especially learning about our county’s slang). Their enthusiasm made the experience feel much more personal and engaging. Their warmth and good humor even outshined their obvious depth of knowledge and skill of communication. Every guide made us feel like we traveling with a family member. They selected fantastic restaurants throughout each city where we could enjoy authentic local food without worrying about our dietary needs. Every recommendation was spot-on. They were so much fun to spend time with!

And I would be remiss not to mention the hotels KimKim selected, which elevated the trip even further. Everywhere we stayed, we felt less like guests at a hotel and more like we were being welcomed into someone’s home. Also, all of our drivers were excellent as well—professional, safe, and reliable.

As this was our 2nd trip with KimKim, all the arrangements made by them have always been 100 reliable, including accommodation, transportation and activities. Overall, this trip exceeded every expectation. The itinerary was the perfect blend of city action, historical insight, and natural wonder. Overall, KimKim, especially Heidi, made our China trip feel personalized, well-supported, and wonderfully memorable. Highly recommended them for anyone seeking a well-organized, locally informed travel experience.

Activity Reviews

Half Day City Tour with the Yu Garden

Shanghai

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Zhangjiajie Park Tour - Grand Canyon with glass bridge

Zhangjiajie

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Full day Tour with Golden Whip Creek&Ten Mile Gallery & Baofeng Lake

Zhangjiajie

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Day Trip to Suzhou and Tongli Water Town City Tour

Shanghai

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Day Trip to Zhujiajiao Water Town with Boat Ride

Shanghai

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Marvel at the Picturesque Landscape in Zhangjiajie National Forest Park

Zhangjiajie

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Explore Xi'an City: Ancient City Wall and Drum Tower

Xi'an

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Chinese dumpling dinner

Xi'an

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The Tang Dynasty Show (1hour)

Xi'an

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See the Terracotta Army

Xi'an

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Explore the Temple of Heaven

Beijing

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Full day with Great Wall and Changling Tomb in Beijing

Beijing

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Visit the Picturesque Summer Palace

Beijing

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Peking Duck Experience

Beijing

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A Glimpse into China's Imperial Past: the Fobidden City

Beijing

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The trip was seamless from planning through departure. We had a great time and would highly recommend using KimKim for a China trip. Our guide, Alan, met us at the airport, even after our flight was delayed 5 hours. We needed to take a sick child to get medicine at the hospital, and he helped navigate and translate the whole time. Alan and our KimKim Planner, Heidi, mentioned they always support the human needs of their clients first. Because of this, help at the beginning of the rest of our trip was a breeze. We were able to change the date of our rest day to make up for the late arrival. We thoroughly enjoyed the rest of our activity, including the Great Wall, Forbidden City, Summer Palace, Hutongs, and the Vegetable market. Because of our schedule change, we had a second guide, Jim, who was helpful for our last day of exploring. We had full service the entire time, from lunches curated to our needs, to pickup and dropoff at the airport. This experience was a truly all-inclusive easy way to relax into China!