Ina Gaydarova

Ina helped me plan a 3 week Greece trip Oct 2023. While I was in Crete (one week into my trip) the Israel war broke out. I was headed there with friends after my Greece trip. In the end my friends never left California and I texted Ina and she extended my Greece trip for another 3 weeks. It was fabulous. Greece was clean, it was gorgeous, my hiking and sunset cruise captains and chefs were top notch and knowledgeable and friendly. I felt as I’d made true friends. Those guides I would never have found without Ina and it made the day trips very special. Greece is safe and I was impressed with the safety as I am a solo traveler. I chose an excursion every 3 days or so, most of them I was picked up and they were half day hikes or all day cruises. I rented cars on 4 islands and Ina had the rental agency deliver the car to my hotel and 3-4 days later they arrived for me to return it. I had 4 flights and ?? FastJets maybe 5? And each time there was the driver waiting to take me to the hotel and take me to the port or airport. I have never used a travel agency before but I wanted to move around Greece for 6 weeks and a lot of flights or boats I read about in the Lonely Planet were no longer available or had changed. Plus I traveled in the shoulder season and early winter season some tours stop due to change of currents or winds. Ina knew this and everything went so very smooth for me. Yes, now that I’ve been there for 6 weeks I learned how things work but for my first trip and moving around as I did (to 8-9 islands and mainland) I would have been frustrated and lost a lot of time. Plus as we all know there is nothing worse than showing up somewhere and being disappointed. My weather was outstanding. High 70s to high 80s in Oct!! I would not have been happy with hotter summer weather and more cruise boats and crowds. It was simply wonderful. My favorite islands were Tinos for the village hike, Naxos for the beaches and Naplios 2 hours south of Athens for the high climbs and 5-10 mile ocean walkways. Next time I would skip Mykonos. I could have stayed another month easy as there is so much to see. I recommend using Kim Kim without hesitation especially if you want to see more than one or two places. Thanks also for their 24/7 text line as my very first plane from Seattle to Athens changed the day I left and I was going to arrive 3 hours earlier. I texted that line from the airplane on WhatsApp and The driver was right there waiting for me. I was thrilled as it was a 20 .5 hour flight and the ease of it all was non stressful. Thanks KimKim for a wonderful peek into Greece.

Activity Reviews

Saronic Islands Day Cruise

Athens

Kim Kim put me in VIP and as this was a 12 hour 3 island trip it was much more comfortable than the chairs up front with the crowds. I probably wouldn’t have known this signing up on my own.

Quality of Experience

VIP and having several hours to see these gorgeous islands.

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Balos & Falassarna Beach Tour with Lunch

Chania

This is an all day trip from Chiana. My guide/driver Antonio was on time and very easy to talk to. We had 5 in our car plus the driver. We were all fast friends within an hour. Balos beach was a bumpy pot hole drive. We got out, fed the goats and took pics of the beach. It’s a very long steep climb down there which we did not do. We drove on to Falassarna where we had (included) comfortable lounge chairs and the swimming was divine. Shallow with sand bars and gorgeous clean ocean. Our guide ordered us a ridiculous large Greek lunch with varieties of Greek specialties which we all shared at a table under umbrella. We were from 3 different countries and we had a roaring chat which I adored as I was the only single. Then we all got dropped off at our hotels and I was last. Within minutes I realized I left my cell phone in the car and I was desperate but I knew Antonio knew it was mine. I couldn’t call anyone because all the information was in my phone. Within 30 min he made the extra trip back and delivered my phone to the hotel desk. That’s Greek hospitality!!

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Santorini Sunset Group Catamaran Cruise

Santorini

Ok. I went on this Santorini Sunset cruise mid October 2023. My boat was a catamaran with 6 passengers and captain and one crew. The captain was also a certified chef. The boat he had was HORIZON. HE SAID WE HAD 50 sunset cruises on our night. In the summer there are 150 boats. KimKim set this trip up for me and I loved it so much. I saw other boats that reminded me of Mexican booze cruises. Some had 100 drunks and barking dogs. Anyway we went swimming in 2 areas even though it was cold water. The boat was clean and we all became friends easily. The food he prepared fresh was one of my best meals in Greece. Of course Santorini was in the back ground and it was a gorgeous day. As we were returning to port I realized we were in one of the best boats. If you want alcohol and chips take a cheap boat. We had plenty of alcohol with a fabulous fresh prepared meal with bbq meat goat and chicken kabobs , mussels, 3 salads, shrimps, Greek goat cheeses, rice and I can’t remember the rest. We all felt fortunate we got our boat and our captain. I would not have known the difference if I was booking on my own. Thank you KimKim.

Quality of Experience

Food

See above

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

This is our third Kimkim trip and second to Italy. We highly recommend their service. Everything runs smoothly when booking through Kimkim and they provide recommendations for the best tour guides and experiences.

Hotel Review

Four Seasons Hotel Milano

Milan

Great service and the restaurant was fantastic. This was the best hotel on our trip.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Review

Market Visit & Cooking Class in Venice

Venice

This was absolutely the best experience of the trip. We really enjoyed getting to know Michael and the food we prepared was some of the best we have ever had.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

My wife and I decided to book our honeymoon to Italy with KimKim and could not have been happier about the decision! Ina and Harrys were so helpful from the initial planning stage, to the end and took all the pressure off of us for deciding on where to go, what to do, booking and execution of all the details. Our trip included several different desitnations packed into a short amount of time. It was not simple to plan and we were very impressed with the seamlessness of all of the travel logistics, airport pickups, hotel bookings, etc. Absolutely would reccomend to anyone considering using KimKim for a trip to Italy or elsewhere! We will certainly be doing so again in the future!

Where to start describing our wonderful Italy vacation. Ina with KimKim did a great job in the planning process and was very helpful in making our dream trip come true. Total of 11 days with stays in Rome, a Tuscany Villa and Amalfi. Every detail was laid out with precision and went off without a hitch. I can't tell you how much stress was relieved by the seamless execution. I think we only had to contact the CareTeam twice and they were quick to reply and address any question or small change. All the drivers that picked us up and took us from point A to B were always on time and professional. Our train tickets were all provided and the timing worked well every time. Car rental was arranged and met every expectation. We had private tours of Pompeii, Capri and the Colussim as well as a cooking class. Pompeii was definitely my favorite, our guide had a passion and extensive knowledge that she shared and made the tour amazing. All the recommendations for sites, walking tours and restaurants during our self guided time were spot on. It saved a lot of time so we were not doing all the research.
Most of the people in Italy were awesome and engaging. A few not as much. Food in the 3 different regions was different - most very good, some ok. The boat trip from Patisano to Capri was a little long. Started at 9am and we got back about 6:30 pm. It was absolutely beautiful!! Our stop on Capri for lunch could have been a little earlier, maybe around 12 or 1 instead of 2 or 3. Bring snacks with you.
Overall fantastic memories and Thank you for working with us to make it happen

The drivers to and from the airport, train station and hotels were fantastic. The boat ride on Lake Garda with Fabio was great. He was a wealth of information, He made it a lot of fun.

The boat ride on Lake Como was nice. The boat captain did not offer much information. We had to ask him to even take our photo.
The hike around Lake Como was great, but it was a little long. We were hiking for 8 hours with a 1.5 hour break for lunch.

This was our very first international trip we were planning and we had zero feedback as none of our friends have ever been to Greece. I did research and stumbled upon KimKim. I had previously been in contact with other travel agencies, but none compared in the communication department as well as KimKim. Communication is huge for us as we had tons of questions. Once we received all our information back as far as price and the excursions we wanted to par-take in we decided to secure our dates with KimKim. Our travel guide was, Ina and she was AMAZING!!! She would always be in constant communication with us and answered emails (which I sent a lot) in a timely manner. If she was going to be out of the office/vacation she would let us know in case we sent emails and didn't receive a timely response, we would know why. Once we were on our trip we had a 24 hour text/call center we could contact incase we needed help along the way of our trip. We would highly recommend KimKim to anyone and are currently trying to figure out where our next vacation will be. Thank You Ina

As a former travel agent, I normally do my own trip planning. This time I didn't have time to do in depth research for a short 5 day trip to Italy decided to find a travel agent. After some on line searching, I came across KimKim and saw they were highly rated by both clients and some well known business organizations so I thought I would give them a try. They did not disappoint.

Ina was the travel expert assigned to my trip and she did an excellent job. The hotels she recommended were very nice and centrally located. Restaurant recommendations were very good, too. Our guides were knowledgeable and fun. Transfers to/from the train stations/airports and hotels were easy. We did have one travel glitch due to a train schedule change which meant contacting the Traveler Care Team who was able to reschedule a hotel transfer for a later arrival. The only downside was that it resulted in an additional cost.

All in all, I was satisfied with all of the arrangements.

Hotel Reviews

Hotel Palazzo Grillo

Genova

Very good hotel with friendly and knowledgeable staff. Guests must walk about 100 meters to the hotel which is important to know for people who may have mobility problems.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Central location. Can only be accessed by walking. Quiet.

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Barchetta Excelsior Como

Como

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Afternoon Como Food & Wine Tour

Lake Como

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Local transfer in Genoa

Genoa

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Genoa Cooking Class in a Noble Palace

Italy

This was a very fun experience. Would do it again.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Private Guided Tour by Ferry

Lake Como

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

The trip was organized well. I like how Ina arranged for the drivers to pick us up from the Train stations, airports and hotels. She arranged great private tours. She was also available by phone for questions . We had an excellent experience. Thanks Ina

Hotel Reviews

Hotel Spadari Al Duomo

Milan

Very clean and a very friendly staff

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Capo d'Africa—Colosseo

Rome

Very clean and a helpful and Friendly staff. The location was great because it was near the colosseum and several great restaurants.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Villa di Sorrento

Sorrento

Love the location near the town center square. Very clean hotel

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

CHC Continental, BW Premier Collection by Best Western

Venice

Liked the location. Breakfast was very good. Room was nice and clean

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Express Colosseum Tour

Rome

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Private Vatican Guided Tour

Rome

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Local transfer in Rome

Rome

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Ina did a fantastic job planning our trip. Everything was scheduled and we were really able to relax and enjoy every moment. There was always someone waiting for us to take us to from every flight, ferry, and adventure she had planned for us. We will definitely use kimkim for our next overseas vacation. Thank you for an amazing vacation.

Hotel Review

Adriani Hotel

Naxos Town

We spent most of our trip at this hotel. The owners were very friendly and accommodating. The breakfast was homemade and didn’t disappoint. Naxos was by far our favorite city.

Authenticity & Character

Family owned

Location

Staff

Very friendly

Cleanliness & Comfort

Always came back to a clean and cozy room

Activity Reviews

Acropolis Guided Tour

Athens

Vicky was very knowledgeable and a great tour guided of the Acropolis.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Sailing Tour around Naxos

Naxos

Great food on the boat and a great crew

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport