Mar Quiñones

We had a wonderful time on our trip to Norway. The hotels were excellent (although in some cases a bit noisy) and the various transfers all worked out well. We particularly enjoyed the walking tour guide in Oslo (Marja), the train to Flam, the activities from Aurland, the fjord excursion from Alesund, and the Grieg concert in Bergen. However, there were a few things that, in retrospect, could have been changed:

1. We were under the impression that the Oslo dinner cruise would include views of the fjords, but it did not go very far away from the port, so we would not have taken that cruise.

2. The food and culture tour in Bergen did not offer enough of either category, so we would not have taken that tour.

3. Although we did enjoy the cable car ride, we wound up spending too much down time in Andalsnes, waiting for the bus to Dombas.

4. Had we known that almost all retail establishments and museums in Trondheim are closed on Sunday, we would have tried to alter our itinerary so that we would have spent an extra day in that city.

Overall we had a nice trip,

We were only disappointed by the room grades in some of the stays, they seemed secondary to what was available.
A few times when I asked to upgrade to better room the hotel staff told me this was not doable because of the booking grade that was made by Kimkim?

Mar was pretty much non communicative once the payment for the trip was made, and she never responded to my last message while on the trip?
Jacob on the other hand did an outstanding job at customer service and always responsive and available!

The first hotel drive from Oslo was extremely long (8 hours, 10 with rest stops and fueling ) I feel should be shortened since it was just driving not very scenic at all, or maybe train to Bergen from Oslo to begin the road trip would be a lot more relaxing ? ( electric vehicle charging proved to extremely difficult to get to work with American credit cards until finally the car rental company explained the situation) might want to alert your staff?

The silent cruise trip in Oslo was boring and the food quality was not great, I would eliminate this unless you are looking for a senior night out?

On the positive side overall hotel choices and locations were outstanding!

The itinerary itself was very nice and made for a wonderful trip

Thank you for the trip and we will give Kimkim another try for a upcoming trip I’ll just be more specific about the room locations.

Hotel Reviews

Radisson Blu Airport Hotel, Oslo Gardemoen

Gardemoen

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Grand Hotel

ÅNDALSNES

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotell Utsikten

Geiranger

The best hotel of the stay- charm, Amazing views, great restaurant, and friendly staff!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Loenfjord hotel

Loen

Authenticity & Character

Pretty vanilla

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Nice river view

Hofslund Fjorhotel

Sogndal

Terrible hot upper attic room that felt dated and weird!! Top attic floor rooms were extremely hot as well! Couldn’t wait to leave

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Not very flexible about room change, I feel they very pretty much rude , I also noticed other guests complained about some conditions

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Aurlandsfjord

Aurland

Great food, we had an attic room that was very hot and with a view of the backyard with a house overlooking you, nice hotel but only if you have the lake view!!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Det Hanseatiske Hotel

Bergen

Wonderful and outstanding location

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Victoria

Stavanger

Horrible room condition initially with views of a construction site that started working very early

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Christiania Teater

Oslo

Loved it!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Romsdalsgondolen - Romsdalen Cable Car (round-trip)

Åndalsnes

Short and sweet! Nice hike ontop

Quality of Experience

Transport

Geiranger Skywalk Visit

Geiranger

Quality of Experience

Geraingerfjord Safari by RIB

Geiranger

Fun !

Quality of Experience

Faster!!

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Cider Tasting with Food Pairing

Balestrand

Quality of Experience

Food

Amazing

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Summer Kayaking Excursion

Norway

Did not provide supports for seating so whole time your back is being dug into by rim of kayak, at least three people were complaining and guide never took breaks. Very uncomfortable experience

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Equipment

Transport

Na

Flåm Railway Round-Trip Experience

Flåm

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Private Floating Sauna Experience

Norway

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Food & Culture Walk

Bergen

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Preikestolen cruise & hike - Summer

Stavanger

Outstanding

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Oslofjord Dinner Cruise

Oslo

Boring and couldn’t wait to get off!

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Mar listened to all my thoughts and desires. She gave suggestions and feedback which was very much appreciated. Starting in Copenhagen: we had a terrific guide, So drs, who really explained to us the Hygge life. The ferry to Oslo was really terrific and a great way to relax and enjoy the next destination. The food on the ferry in the “ special” restaurant was quite good. We adored our hotel in Oslo. Great location … great rooms. Have to admit…. We were shocked at prices of food, alcohol and Ubers in Norway. Our guide was quite good but as many Norwegians… a bit stoic. Loved the Munch Museum and enjoyed the Norse Folksmuseum body’s 1 $ 2.
The train ride of 7 hours to Bergen was truly a highlight. Absolutely great, fun hotel in Bergen: Charmaine. Away from maddening crowds. A bit if a mixup with tour guide… but all handled beautifully and added Furnicularvtude was included. Would suggest shorter boat ride seeing the fjords and skip visiting Rosendal. The Kode Museums somewhat meaningless but enjoyed the town overall.
Mars planning was spot on. Would highly recommend her and Kim Kim..

Hotel Reviews

Hôtel Charmante

Bergen

We adored this hotel… a cross between Maxims in Oaris and a French bordelli… it was kitschy, cozy… lots of lively private spaces to enjoy. Staff were si terrific and mindful. Had a terrific” private” room for cocktails. Restaurant was also quite good. Well-served breakfast. Quiet… chic rooms.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Karl Johan Hotel

Oslo

Could not have been better. Great location. Staff professional, kind and extremely helpful. Loved the spacious lively room. Breakfast was terrific

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

DFDS overnight cruise

We had fun. Paid for a terrific meal in steakhouse as opposed to the buffet. Quite goid. Sang at cocktail lounge for hours. Room was small but comfortable enough. Loved seeing Znirwegian coastline in morning.

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Axel Guldsmeden

Copenhagen

Relaxed. Comfortable. Good size room and clean. Right near both train station and two blocks from Tivoli Gardens.

Authenticity & Character

Just a bit informal and relaxed . Young staff

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Cultural Walk with a Local

Bergen

I felt it was important to take this tour but our guide was a bit odd. He spoke of the many languages he knew… and pointed out artisans etc.just a bit if an @ odd@ msn.but nice!

Quality of Experience

Maybe a more personable guide who emoted a bit more humor and history

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Private City Walk

Oslo

Bjorn was a lovely older gentleman who knew his history. He was a bit dry and stoic… very few funny stories and a bit lacking in humor. He didn’t try to I get to know us nor did we really get to know more about him.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Hygge Tour Copenhagen

Copenhagen

Sondra was fabulous. It absolutely pored in us the whole time and we didn’t care. She made it such fun. We stopped along the way for Danishvtreats and conversation was great. Learned soooo much.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

While "amazing" is a very high bar, kimkim and our local specialist Mar definitely deserve a solid "very good" rating. Mar was highly responsive and provided useful insights into Norway. We appreciate that she was open to our suggestions to book Oslo and Bergen hotels that met our high standards. I love that kimkim's technology allowed us to see all communications and provided pictures and commentary about where we were going and a detailed itinerary.

What worked perfectly were all hotel, train, funicular and cruise bookings and drivers meeting us at the Oslo airport and our Kirkenes hotel. Bjorn, our excellent Oslo tour guide, was engaging and knowledgeable. We really liked our Bergen Food & Culture Walk and the King Crab Safari in Kirkenes.

As 2 members of our group of 4 have mobility issues, it was challenging to change in Myrdal to the Flam train and to negotiate the ferries between Flam and Balestrand and Balestrand to Bergen. Perhaps because our group has taken luxury cruises in the past, we were somewhat disappointed in the Havila cruise. That said, we recognize that Havila and Hurtigruten are the primary operators for coastal voyages, and I don't believe either are noted for fine dining and highly personalized service.

While not at the level of the "bespoke" trips we've taken in the past, we enjoyed working with Mar and appreciated her insights and suggestions and willingness to accept feedback. I have a feeling that kimkim's ideal client is a younger, more active traveler than our group of 74 to 80 year olds, but I would definitely consider kimkim for future travel.

Hotel Reviews

Hotel Continental

Oslo

The Hotel Continental in Oslo was quite lovely and met our expectations for comfort and service.

Kviknes Hotel

Balestrand

The Kviknes Hotel in Balestrand was quite underwhelming. It felt like we were in the middle of nowhere, and the hotel itself wasn't impressive. The cappuccino I ordered was overpriced, and there seemed to be unnecessary charges for things that are usually complimentary in other hotels.

Amerikalinjen

Oslo

On every level, this is a standout hotel! To start, it's located a short walk from the Central Train Station, making it convenient for travel to/from the airport and other Norwegian cities. The staff is exceptional - helpful, knowledgeable and fluent in English. When I told the front desk person that we had to leave early to catch the 5:40 am train to the airport, she said the hotel would prepare a takeout breakfast for us. That breakfast included juice, fruit, cookies, a veggie bagel for me and a smoked salmon bagel for my husband, utensils and napkins. Our room had a comfortable king size bed and beautiful bathroom with large towels and bathrobes. As someone who has to go to the bathroom during the night, I so appreciated the light that goes on automatically under the sink. Breakfast is exceptional, with considerable variety and high quality choices. Lastly, we enjoyed drinks at the bar expertly prepared by a bartender who is actually a Greek doctor. If you want a superbly staffed and located hotel in Oslo, look no further than the Amerikalinjen.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Review

King Crab Safari

Kirkenes

The King Crab Safari in Kirkenes was a lot of fun. It was one of the highlights of our trip, offering a unique experience that we truly enjoyed.

Mar was great until we were unfortunately changed specialist. The issue we had was we relied on the specialist to plan things based on timing and organization. However, there were multiple times where I had to review the itinerary and make them aware that it was physically impossible to do all the excursions because of time.

For example - We were told we'd be leaving camp and would have time to do an activity before our dinner. Once looking at the full detailed itinerary, I noticed that we'd be getting back to town only 30 minutes before our dinner and would not have time for the activity. They took note of this and adjusted but it was still an inconvenience for me to have to look at all the details and correct the mistake. This included also KimKim attaching the wrong tickets for certain excursions.

The communication while on our trip was GREAT. At one point our coinlocker would not open and the team was very helpful in communicating with the driver that it was causing us to be a few minutes late. The tours and excursions recommended by KimKim were all fantastic and we had a wonderful time. It would just have been nice to have a specialist who took into consideration timing a little better.

What an adventure! From start to finish, everything was seamless and easy to understand. We started in Oslo and explored on our own; the train to Flam lived up to the hype; having reserved seats by the Kimkim team was so helpful. We had some memorable tours in Flam, but the water trip/ cheese tasting (Nathan was our fabulous guide) and the hike up the waterfall with Bjorn (the best guide we had all rip) were huge highlights. We really enjoyed the private floating sauna and can't imagine making the trip without that experience. The ferry to Bergen was great too. Just an easy, exciting, memorable trip that was so carefully constructed to our specific interests and limited time.

Hotel Reviews

Clarion Hotel Admiral

Bergen

Excellent location, beautiful hotel with great views. The buffet breakfast was superb.

Authenticity & Character

Beautiful rooms with great views

Location

Right on the water and easy to reach

Staff

The front desk was only ok- when we checked in, the woman gave us to single rooms and one double room for the 5 of us. I know we had reserved two superior doubles and a single. She also gave us misinformation about our taxi pickup for our departure day. HOWEVER, the staff at breakfast was excellent- a special shout out to the man who was clearing tables and was quite attentive

Cleanliness & Comfort

Beds were very comfy, bathroom showers had great water pressure

Flåmsbrygga Hotel

Flåm

The Flamsbrygga hotel is the obvious choice of places to stay in Flam, as it is in the center of town and the restaurants and pub and all connected to it. You will see a lot of traffic from the cruise ships but when they come, the whole town is overrun anyway and it's unavoidable.

Authenticity & Character

Very charming camp-like vibe

Location

In the heart of the town

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Oslo Guldsmeden

Oslo

Very cute vibe but maybe a little out of town for some. We enjoy walking so it wasn't an issue for us, and there is great public transportation.

Authenticity & Character

This hotel has a spa vibe with beautiful decorating and comfy rooms

Location

Close to public transportation but a bit far from most things

Staff

Very friendly and helpful staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

The beds are very comfortable

Activity Reviews

Food & Culture Walk

Bergen

This was a little longer than necessary- we could have seen and tasted everything in 2 1/2 hrs instead of 3 1/2 (it ran long)

Quality of Experience

Good food and the guide was sure to provide alternatives to those who had dietary restrictions

Guides, Drivers and Staff

The pacing was a little slow and we would have preferred to spend less time on the tour overall

Transport

we walked!

Waterfall Hike & Stegastein Viewpoint Experience

Flåm

One of our favorite activities during our trip. The guide was so knowledgeable and helpful, especially when it came to more tricky footing along the trail.

Quality of Experience

Beautiful views, great to be out in nature and experience the magic of the area

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Bjorn was our favorite tour guide. He was really knowledgeable and friendly, and had some great stories and information to share.

Transport

Very comfortable and we were given lots of time to take pictures and enjoy the views

Private Floating Sauna Experience

Norway

One of the highlights of our trip! A perfect experience.

Quality of Experience

Beautiful view, and really gave us a chance to experience the fjord

Guides, Drivers and Staff

There was not much guidance required. They were fine.

Culture & Nature Excursion by Electric Minibus

Flåm

The best part was touring the old village. We didn't really need the stop at the shoe factory, but I understand why that would appeal to some.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Our driver was very patient with us, as we took a long time with pictures

Transport

Very comfortable

Fjord RIB Safari & Undredal Cheese Tasting (One Way)

Flåm

Our guide, Nathan, was very informative and provided a lot of details about the area. The cheese tasting was fun. We never felt pressured to buy anything. The suits are really warm and help protect against the wind. We were given lots of opportunities to take some amazing photos.

Quality of Experience

Well timed and lots of beautiful vistas

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Nathan was excellent. I liked that he reviewed safety protocols (especially what to do if he was somehow incapacitated)

Transport