Ethical Travel Portal

Katie was excellent in recommending where to go - we enjoyed the locations and the hotel picks and would recommend working with her.

Hotel Reviews

Hotel Aurlandsfjord

Aurland

Excellent room and food and the staff were so attentive with our baby. Would love to return.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Grand Hotel Terminus

Bergen

Activity Review

Nærøyfjord Cruise & Viking Valley Tour

Norway

Quality of Experience

Transport

Overall great trip to Norway! Tom was really great to work with, responsive and helpful with all of my questions and changes regarding the planning process. Our trip went smoothly and we really enjoyed our time. There were a few things that were slightly underwhelming that I would maybe change or want others to be aware of.

1. The Wangen Apartments in Aurland had a LOT of construction. They were paving some areas and it smelt of hot asphalt when we pulled up to the hotel so it was very off putting right from the start. I was not made aware that there was any construction going on. There was no lobby since everything was under construction. The view from the room was phenomenal, but the rooms were tiny! It would be ok for 2 people but for a family of 4 you absolutely need more space. The bedroom was extremely small no room to even walk around the bed. The mattress pads (not even a normal mattress) would slip off the bed and you could not open/close the bedroom door it was so small. The black out shades in the bedroom had huge spaces around the edges and light shown right into your eyes. There was no air or AC and it felt very hot and stuffy at times. Living rooms had no blackout shades so children sleeping on the pull out couch had a very hard time falling asleep at night. No closet or room for any luggage. Bedding felt cheap and scratchy. Overall this hotel was a disappointment and felt more budget level. I might stay here again because the view was so good, but I would wait until construction is done and I would get a much bigger room!

2. While the lunch at Mt. Ulriken was nice, I didn’t think it was a very good child friendly space, and should not be recommended for small children. It’s a very slow 3course meal and they were very slow between courses. I would only recommend this for adults. We also went to Floyen which was not recommended by Tom, but should have been as it was much better for kids since there are fantastic parks and lots to do!

Kimkim enabled a memorable and family vacation to Oslo, Balestrand, and Bergen!

Hotel Reviews

Thon Hotel Cecil

Oslo

Excellent breakfast, very well located, expansive room.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Balestrand Hotel

Balestrand

Absolutely charming and authentic hotel, just a short walk from the 'center' of the town. Beautiful views from the fjord side of the hotel. Quirky and helpful staff who were warm and friendly, made us feel at home.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Well positioned near the center of the town and also to hiking trail heads.

Staff

We loved the staff! They were so warm and friendly, very thoughtful and kind.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Grand Hotel Terminus

Bergen

Older hotel which was comfortable and well positioned near the train station.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Some staff was wonderful (front desk especially), others were quite rushed/hurried in their service approach (restaurant/bar, morning meal, etc.) - a bit impersonal.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Clean and expansive rooms, just might need to be updated.

Thon Hotel Opera

Oslo

Lovely hotel with nice and expansive rooms. Some street noise with proximity to train station and busy streets.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Front desk staff were excellent - very helpful. Bar staff could learn a lot regarding customer service, especially for a hotel of this caliber. The bar staff appeared busy, didn't bring what was ordered, and made excuses.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Guided kayak tour

Bergen

Highly recommended! Excellent guides, and it was the appropriate amount of time for being on the water.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Fjord Cruise & Seafood Dining Experience

Bergen

Incredible experience, would highly recommend for lovers of fine dining!

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

We really enjoyed our Norway in a Nutshell tour. Beautiful scenery and great planning. We were blessed by no rain and the warm sun made an early May trip perfect. The schedule was about right, just enough down time or time to explore ourselves. The local guides were personable and unique.

Would recommend the tour to anyone.

Activity Review

Bergen Walking Tour With a Local Guide

Bergen

Very interesting and personable guide. Unique view on Bergen and surrounds.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

We have traveled all over the world using various travel companies, and this was by far one of the best! Katie was wonderful in helping us plan a trip that fit our needs and continued to “be at our side” during the trip as well., She was professional, accessible and passionate about getting everything perfect- from the itinerary, to the hotels and even fabulous restaurant suggestions. All our connections from air to sea to rail went off without a glitch. I would not hesitate to use Kim Kim again to book our next trip!

I was daunted by the idea of planning my first international trip to Norway with our 4 year old and 5-month old sons, so we reached out to KimKim for help. I am SO glad I did! Katie planned the perfect trip that balanced the needs of our kids with our wishlist of things to see. Everything was seamless on the trip and I'm so glad I didn't have to spend my energy managing logistics and could enjoy our time as a family instead. When our hotel forgot to deliver a crib, Katie had it resolved right away while we unpacked. I would absolutely work with KimKim again!

Thank you to Katie and KimKim for a great unstressful trip to Norway. The private transfer vehicles were always on time. All the drivers/guides were very pleasant and knowledgeable. I think the fjord cruise and the farm tour were my favorite experiences. I loved the apartment in Aurland! I could have stayed longer. I wish I had booked a sauna experience. Next trip!

Visiting Norway in April/May is a wonderful time. It was warm enough to be comfortable (6 to 20 C) with light sweaters but cool enough to avoid the summer crowds. Some days were rainy, but it rains a lot in Norway in late spring or summer too. Popular sites were nearly empty, so we had them all to ourselves. The views were spectacular! And the local people and guides well very kind and friendly. We are very likely to be repeat visitors.

Activity Reviews

Embark Hurtigruten

Norway

The room was quite clean and new. We wish we had been on the boat for more hours... from 1:20 AM to 8:10 AM is not long enough for even a good sleep. A 12 to 16 h trip would be more reasonable.

Ferry from {{start_location}} to {{end_location}} via Florø

Norway

Extremely beautiful trip lasting only 4 hrs... wish it were longer. But unfortunately we took only 2 photos!

Quality of Experience

Some very narrow passages with steep walls or with nice rocks and forest.

Transport

High quality clean fast boat.

Sauna Knutholmen

Kalvåg

We never had a Sauna before. Liked it much more than we thought we would. I would like to do it more often!!

Full Day Geiranger Fjord Cruise

Ålesund

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Everyone strived to give us personalized experience.

Waterfall Hike & Stegastein Viewpoint

Norway

Our most rainy day, but still well worth the time outside. But even on this day some sunshine.

A 5 star scale is not sufficient to rate my experience planning a trip to Norway with Mathia! I sought an off-the-beaten path, stunning, relaxing, reinvigorating adventure with my teenage son. After being told by Norwegians and American friends who had traveled to the quieter Northern regions that our desire to explore up there in a relatively short trip was ambitious and that the weather would be risky, But Mathia inspired me to trust his love for the region and orchestrated an itinerary that captured exactly what we were seeking...and more! Of course it's impossible to see everything that this otherworldly country has to offer, but I know we used every day well, without having to skim through a landscape that must not be rushed. When I made a mistake in booking a flight, Mathia heroically and selflessly adjusted the plan at the 11.9th hour and we didn't miss a beat. I have ZERO regrets about how we spent our time. We felt well taken care of by innkeepers and adventure guides known to Mathia. We tasted the local flavors. We fell into the rhythms of the midnight sun. I will forever be grateful for Mathia for making this dream trip possible and would trust him again in a heartbeat!

Thanks to Katie, we had such an amazing trip that we will remember forever. My mom always wanted to see Norway, her father’s home, and Katie made it possible. She created a plan that accommodated our different ages, needs and desires for the trip. We had a busy season prior to the trip and I would not have had the time or knowledge to plan this myself. Communication was great and the process was collaborative, in that we were asked about our preference every step of the way. We received a detailed plan, including ready-to-print/save tickets, itineraries, and essential information. Everything went smoothly and we really enjoyed all of the activities planned as well as the selected accommodations. It was also nice knowing that there was a local contact person in case something went wrong. We are grateful to Katie and KimKim for such an unforgettable experience.