Beat the Dutch Travel

Fleur and her team put together and amazing trip for us! We are a couple that is looking to relocate to the Netherlands and we had asked for a specific trip that would showcase more than just the typical tourist sites. They delivered. We were taken on a couple walking tours that highlighted some interesting areas and local hotspots. We were able to taste some local cuisine that was very unexpected but fantastic! The step-by-step instructions were so helpful that we definitely would have been lost without. The self-guided bike trip from Haarlem to the beach was eye opening to someone that was nervous about that aspect of Dutch culture and daily life. All of the guided tours we took were given by local experts that answered all of our questions with enthusiasm and professionalism. We will definitely use this service again and recommend it to anyone looking for an amazing experience in the Netherlands. Thanks again, Fleur!

The trip was wonderful and Fleur was amazing listening to the new ideas and making adjustments to the trip.
Her recommendations were perfect because the food tour, boat tour and windmill tour truly helped explain the history of the city and its growth.
I would book with Fleur again!
It was a so much fun visiting the lowlands.

Hotel Review

Singel hotel

Amsterdam

This hotel and staff were knowledgeable, the room was clean and nicely done. Very close to Amsterdam Central which is perfect when you want to explore beyond Amsterdam. The full breakfast was delicious each morning.

Authenticity & Character

The building is beautiful and the rooms are very clean.

Location

The closeness to Amsterdam Central was perfect only a few minutes walking.

Staff

The staff were knowledgeable with the area, helpful and friendly.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Room was spotless and very comfortable.

Activity Reviews

Public transport pass Amsterdam

The Netherlands

This is a perfect card to help you get around on the public transport which is clean and enjoyable to ride.

Quality of Experience

All these run steady if you miss one the next is only a few minutes away.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

The drivers are very helpful in telling you where your stop is.

Transport

All public transport is clean and enjoyable to ride.

Amsterdam - Rembrandt House

The Netherlands

The items there some are authentic and to be able walk in history. There are interactive sections for adults and children alike.

Amsterdam - Rijksmuseum

The Netherlands

In this museum there is so much you could do an entire day and if you are not into paintings there is still so much more you can see.

Quality of Experience

The museum has such beautiful history learning the history of the building and see the history inside.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Polite and will help you locate the items you are interested in and map it with you when you are there.

Transport

Tram bring you right to museum square.

Amsterdam - Canal cruise (join in)

The Netherlands

Those Dam Boat Guys boat tour was fun! We laughed, learned history and really saw the various parts of the city. I loved the story of the bicycle with flowers 🌺

Quality of Experience

It was wonderful to laugh with talk with other passengers.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Jan was terrific and had pictures and stories to share with us.

Transport

Boat was smaller and more intimate.

Amsterdam - Day trip to Haarlem

Amsterdam

The day trip to Haarlem was a step back in time. Sections of the city give the feeling of medieval times with the streets, shops and museums . You get a true sense of the period, but walk a few streets over and it a century later.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

People at the sites are helpful.

Transport

You can go from central station to central station. Bus is cheaper.

Haarlem -- Frans Hals Museum

The Netherlands

The paintings and other art on display were captivating.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Amsterdam - Van Gogh Museum

The Netherlands

This experience walks you through Van Gogh and the other artists that were his friends. It truly lets you see him and his art differently.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Tram takes you directly to museum square.

Haarlem - Windmill de Adriaan

The Netherlands

Peter our guide through the windmill explained how the netherlands increased the land with the use if windmills and moving water. It was also explained how the windmills in the time served many purposes, it really helped to understand the importance of windmills in the culture.

Quality of Experience

The view from the windmill and the history.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Our guide gave is the tour in English and it was fun to learn and chat.

Amsterdam - Highlights of Dutch Food & History Tour (private)

The Netherlands

This food tour was amazing!! Our guide took us through a completely different area in Amsterdam and showed us the beauty and history of Jordaan. The real Dutch apple pie is made in the Brown Bar you start at. This is a must do when there!

Quality of Experience

This brings you to the real netherlands not a tourist attraction.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

The guide was amazing knowledge and you could see loved sharing the stories.

Transport

It walking at a very comfortable pace.

Amsterdam - Anne Frank House

The Netherlands

This is a true memorial to the people that lived in the annex. There are stairs so be prepared to climb, but it is 100% worth walking through.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Amsterdam - Muiderslot Castle by public transport

Amsterdam

This was a great castle to visit with a mote. The gardens are amazing and this is a great place for kids. They have lots of adult and children activities that you can do and learn at the castle.

Quality of Experience

This was a lot of fun and the gardens are wonderful for adults and children.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Very helpful

Transport

We took a train and a bus but it was easy to do

Kim Kim did an awesome job planning my trip to The Netherlands! The drivers are all polite and are always on time to pick us up. The hotels recommended by Mieke were all beautiful and unique, even though small since thay are usually boutique hotels. The only glitch in the trip was that the canal cruise in Amsterdam almost didn’t happen as the company claimed they did not get the date change from Mieke and we were told we weren’t able to take it since the time slot was full. I was unable to contact Mieke at all too, and it was highly frustrating. Luckily someone didn’t turn up and hence they allow us to get on to the cruise. In the trip plan, it was stated that there would be Christmas markets in Belgium and Netherlands during my trip but there weren’t any. Other than that, everything went smoothly as planned.

Hotel Reviews

The Dominican

Bruxelles

The hotel is small and charming but unfortunately the staff are not so. They don’t greet or even acknowledge you when you come into the hotel and housekeeping is practically useless since after tipping them, they don’t even replace the ameities that you used (not like they provide much to begin with). The gym is practically useless with no weights. The only saving grace is its location and the only nice and friendly gentlemen uncle serving in breakfast.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Very central and accessible

Staff

All look miserable and border on rude. Cannot be bothered to help at all

Cleanliness & Comfort

Housekeeping is bare minimal and don’t even replace amenities

Suitehotel Pincoffs

Rotterdam

Fantastic family run hotel that is almost like staying in an intimate B&B or welcomed into someone’s home. Although no gym and the breakfast is pretty limited, the warm service and deco more than make up for it.

Authenticity & Character

The is an authentic fireplace in the hotel and its rooms are unique with super cool layouts.

Location

Staff

They will go the extra mile for you and always with a genuine smile.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Book the loft junior suite. You will not regret it

Pillows Grand Boutique Hotel Reylof

Ghent

The breakfast was phenomenal and hotel was a modern mox of modernity and old school charm. No view in the room but it was spacious and beautiful. It is located very close to the main tourist stretch without it being too intrusive.

Authenticity & Character

A very beautiful hotel with unique sitting area on the 2nd floor

Location

Near but not right smack in city center so you don’t feel too overwhelmed by the noise and crowd

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Indigo The Hague

The Hague

A small boutique hotel with good breakfast and limited service

Authenticity & Character

Its beautiful and small but the staff are coldly professional and didn’t make you feel warm.

Location

Amazing location right on the Royal shopping street

Staff

It feels like the staff is there to check you in and out, but don’t expect much else. The room does not have amenities so you have to ask them for them which is quite inconvenient.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Room is clean but you have to ask for the basic amenities from the front desk

Hotel Estheréa

Amsterdam

Absolutely charming and beautiful, although it was perpectually crawling with tourists and the lifts and hallways are too cramped and small for ita own good. The staff may be overwhelmed and don’t appear very warm or friendly at all, much like the weather in Amsterdam right now. Breakfast is great although you have to book in advance and you are only given a 45mins time frame to finish.

Authenticity & Character

The charm of the hotel is through the roof with no two rooms the same deco, although they are really tiny.

Location

Right on the nine streets; the historic city center

Staff

Coldly professional, much like the january weather in Amsterdam and unfortunately marred the charm of the hotel

Cleanliness & Comfort

Rooms and hallways are cramped and tiny

Activity Review

Amsterdam - Canal cruise (join in)

The Netherlands

They claimed they did not get our reservation at all and did not seem to care otherwise. Only because others did not turn up did they give us the slot. The boat was small and it was freezing, hece there was limited view. Not very comfortable although the boat guy was funny and nice.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Our 10-day trip to The Netherlands was outstanding. We stayed in Amsterdam, The Hague and Rotterdam and took day trips to Haarlem, Delft and Kinderdijk (UNESCO site). The trip was perfectly balanced between busy places and quiet, museums and walking tours, structured time and free time, and old and new. We achieved our primary goal of savoring the Dutch painting masters, but also learned so much about the absolutely amazing history of the country and its people. We took a private car from the Amsterdam airport to our hotel on the day we arrived, and that was the last time we used a private car or taxi. Of course, these are available if this is your preferred mode of travel, but we loved the convenience of the broad array of public transportation—trains, trams, buses, water shuttles, and subways. Each of these options was easy to figure out, easy to find and access, and offered a very pleasant way to get around.

Bas Naus and the KimKim team were definitely the key to our whole trip. The itinerary Bas developed was fully responsive to our interests, the hotels he booked for us were great (The Pulitzer in Amsterdam is especially noteworthy), the tours and guides were exceptional, and all of the supplementary dining and site suggestions were helpful. Everything was so well organized and explained that we only needed to contact Bas once during the trip—to let a guide know we might be a few minutes late for a scheduled walking tour—and his response was almost immediate, which we took as comforting confirmation of readily available help in the event of any serious travel issue.

We strongly recommend making a trip to The Netherlands and we fully endorse using KimKim for help in planning that trip, or any other adventure you might consider. This was our second time using KimKim (first was for a family trip to Norway) and the product we have received has been consistently outstanding, from assessing options and building the itinerary to booking the right hotels and activities to all sorts of other little things that allowed us to have a great trip.

Nadine asked great questions to figure out what my version of an ideal vacation is. She worked to meet my budget needs and had great suggestions.

Hotel Review

Boutiquehotel Staats

Haarlem

The rooms are a nice size, clean, and well-appointed. The lounge/eating area was comfortable and available at all hours. There’s a secluded patio out back. The staff were uniformly friendly and helpful.

Authenticity & Character

Location

O

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Review

Amsterdam - Private guided historic city walk

The Netherlands

My guide was extremely knowledgeable and friendly. She also gave lots of suggestions on local places to shop and dine.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport