Mimpi Nusantara Asia

We had an amazing 2-week trip in Bali and Lombok! First, everyone loooooved Tejaprana Resort and Spa in Ubud. It was amazing in all ways -- the property, our rooms with pools overlooking the jungle, the spa, the food, the service, the passionfruit drinks! We stayed for 5 nights and could've stayed longer.
Mt Batur hike - It was exactly what we anticipated. Glad we had a beautiful sunrise as we knew that's not guaranteed. The hike was tough in parts but totally worth the 2am wake up call.
Bike ride from Kintamari -- This was in the top 3 activities for the group. Amazing day! The two guys from Infinity were wonderful. It was an exhilarating day cycling through the villages and countryside.
Cooking class -- Excellent. However, it lacked some "intimacy" because of its scale. There were 3 other classes happening at the same time. Good food in a beautiful home, though. [I'd skip the market tour next time.]
Overall food in Ubud -- We ate really well...from Compound Warung to Mozaic. Breakfast and snacks at Tejaprana were delicious!
The traffic in Ubud was NO JOKE. We were glad we hired Edi to get us around a couple of those nights. We did use Grab a few times and that worked out for us, as well.
Budi (tour guide)-- What a great guy! So full of life and an amazing sense of humor. We enjoyed our time with him which was only the one day (as we did Pasir Putih the following day instead of Lempuyang). We got to Besakih early before the crowds which was really nice. We had the place to ourselves. And Tirtagangga brought a smile to our faces. Who doesn't love feeding koi and eating ice cream? :)
Amed -- Stayed at the Griya which had pros and cons. I think we would have given it 5 stars had we not just stayed at Tejaprana. The coastal view from the pool made up for it, though. And good food in their restaurant.
We opted for a day at Pasir Putih beach instead of visiting Lempuyang due to the crowds. Edi (driver) took us. He seemed pleased that we wanted to go there. Wow what a beautiful beach. Quiet. Cheap, great warung food and beers. Perfect weather. Super relaxing. A memorable day for us.
Sunset boat ride and BBQ -- The boat ride was lovely and HOLY COW the BBQ was amazing. We didn't know what to expect but it exceeded our expectations! Quite a spread.
Our guide in Lombok-- Maliki! Too much to type but we will probably keep in touch with him. Really great guy. :)
Snorkeling was a good day. So many turtles which made it memorable...a really nice day on the Gilis and in the water.
The Mahagiri Villas in Sanur were great. We arrived and checked in and congregated at one villa, ordered a bunch of snacks and beer, sat in the pool. We were happy.
Then we pulled ourselves together and walked the backstreets of Sanur and wished we had had one more night there, fyi. Lovely town. Walkable. Hit the night market. Ate dinner on the promenade. It was an ideal final day.
And Edi (our driver).
EDI!
Loved him. He's great. We established so much trust with him. What a good guy.
Last but certainly not least -- Marc. Our travel specialist. We were so glad we took his advice on so many things...staying at Tejaprana (it wasn't our first choice), the bike ride he picked, hiring Edi for additional driving services. I could go on and on. Marc is a great communicator and we were tough customers. We highly recommend using Marc. We'd take this trip all over again.

We had an amazing 3 week trip to Indonesia, visiting 4 islands (Java, Kalimantan, Bali, Flores/Komodo). Myriam did an excellent job planning the trip, she was very responsive both during the planning and while traveling. Everything worked out as planned and on schedule. All the guides were knowledgeable, spoke good English, though sometimes they had some difficulty understanding it. The hotels were all good. The best experiences were the Komodo and Kalimantan boat trips and Prambanan and Borobudur temples near Yogyakarta.

Myriam, Budi, Putu, and all of the other guides and drivers were amazing. The trip was perfectly planned, and everything was smooth as could be. I would give this team my highest recommendation!

Our driver, Odik, was just a delight. He was always early, which meant we were never running behind schedule. He answered our questions, and provided commentary from time to time, especially when the Guide wasn't with us. He was very alert to my desire to take a photo from inside the car and would stop or slow down as traffic permitted. And speaking of traffic, it's a little crazy navigating the roads. There were a few times when I closed my eyes because I thought something bad was about to happen, but it never did.

Our guide, Badi, was likewise very engaging and informative. He provided lots of great historical and background information on the places we visited. He dealt with our on-the-fly requests to find an ATM we could use, and to buy some liquor to take home with us.

All of our outings were much better than the descriptions. We were particularly happy with the cooking classes at Rumah Desa and Paon Bali were excellent! Well-organized, efficiently delivered, and informative. The Monkey Forest was a delight as well, getting to be up close and personal with the animals.

One tiny downside...it would have been helpful to have a level-of-effort rating on some of the walks. I was able to do pretty much everything, but my traveling companion had to forgo some of the walks, or sections of walks, because they were just a little too strenuous.

In the end, though, I will be happy to recommend Kimkim and our consultant, Marc Urban to anyone who asks!

Hotel Review

Tejaprana Resort & Spa

Bali

We felt like we sat down in the lap of luxury when we arrived at Tejaprana. Once you turn off the very busy street, you descend (literally) into an island paradise of quiet and green and luxury. Frankly, we were happy to spend all of our free time at the resort, partly because we'd been traveling for a long time, and partly because it's just so damn nice. Similarly, Aruna Restaurant is excellent! We ate our way through most of the Balinese offerings they had on the menu, sometimes more than once. Staff is very friendly and welcoming, from the top management to the people cleaning the resort.

Authenticity & Character

I can't speak to the authenticity of the establishment, since I've had little exposure to the culture. But the character was very much in line with what I expected.

Location

It was relatively central to all that we wanted to see. It took us a while to understand that you can't move very fast in Bali, particularly in congested areas. But all was great.

Staff

From top to bottom the staff was excellent! Pandi, the restaurant manager, was particularly helpful and welcoming.

Cleanliness & Comfort

When your hotel is in the middle of nature, as is Tejaprana, you can't expect it to look 100% pristine at all times. So there were times that there were leaves and other natural debris scattered about. But it wasn't in the least offensive. Cleanliness was top-notch.

Activity Reviews

Cultural Immersion and traditions at Rumah Desa

Indonesia

It was absolutely fascinating to step into the world of a Balinese family, if only for part of a day. Our guide (I wish I could remember his name, but he was 6'5" tall, so very distinctive among Balinese men) did a great job introducing us to religious traditions and other aspects of daily life. I enjoyed learning about their 18-character alphabet, and getting a memento of my name written in Balinese. It was also interesting to see the amount of labor that goes in to producing coconut oil, coconut milk, and grated coconut.

Quality of Experience

Nope. Start to finish, it was excellent.

Food

The meal we helped to prepare was excellent!

Guides, Drivers and Staff

I've talked about our driver elsewhere. The staff was uniformly warm and welcoming.

Transport

Discussed elsewhere.

Visit a local market & enjoy a cooking class

Indonesia

The market walk was interesting, because it gave us such a good glimpse into daily life. The cooking class was exceptional, start to finish!.

Quality of Experience

well-run and delightful from start to finish!

Food

OMIGOD! SO GOOD!

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Staff was really great! It seemed like they very much enjoy what they do!

Transport

We had an absolutely amazing experience planning our holidays. From the very first steps of the planning process to the final days of the trip, everything was seamless and incredibly well organized.

Myriam and the team truly understood what we were looking for. They didn’t just plan a trip, they created an experience. We didn’t just visit different places in Indonesia, we really got to understand the country, its culture, and its people in a meaningful way.

And the cherry on top was our incredible driver, Edi. He made every single journey enjoyable, shared so much about the local food culture, and always showed up with the best attitude and a smile. He honestly made the experience even more special.

We couldn’t have asked for more and we can’t wait to be back! 🌏

Hotel Reviews

Sri Ratih Cottages

Delicious breakfast, well located. Amazing views and clean Staff extremely helpful

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Alamdhari Resort & Spa

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Undisan Cultural Activity Day: Dive into Bali’s Heartbeat

Indonesia

The highlight of the trip :) Immersive activity getting to know the locals

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Rafting or Tubing on Telaga Waja River

Indonesia

An extreme fun adventure

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

We used Kimkim to plan our honeymoon to Bali and Lombok, and it was an incredible experience. Our specialist, Marc, was thoughtful, responsive, and truly understood what we wanted—romantic, relaxing, and stress-free. All three of our drivers/guides were fantastic.

When I asked about making changes to the itinerary, Marc took the time to explain why it was originally planned the way it was, and I’m so glad we trusted his expertise and left everything as he designed it. The trip flowed perfectly, the accommodations were amazing, and we never had to worry about a single detail. We also got pretty lucky with the weather since it was rainy season in Indonesia, but much less crowds and I couldn’t imagine going when it’s crowded everywhere and humid!

We’re so grateful to Marc and Kimkim for creating a honeymoon we’ll never forget. We would absolutely use them again and highly recommend them to anyone planning a special trip.

Hotel Reviews

Tejaprana Resort & Spa

Bali

Our favorite place we stayed. The cutest little villa with our own private plunge pool. The welcome drink and massages were great.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Close to ubud but far enough away from the hustle and bustle

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Qunci Villas Hotel

Senggigi

It was a great hotel overall, but the rooms could use some updates. The cleanliness was OK. A few issues with cleaning that they promptly fixed when asked. It should be noted the shower is outdoors, which is so fun but can be a bit of an issue sometimes with rainy season. There is also only a shower, no tub. The restaurants were fantastic!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Merusaka Nusa Dua

Bali

Very nice hotel and room. We had some issues with the TV and AC in our first room, which required some elevation to management and finally requesting a new room to get fixed. The hotel itself is the nicest we stayed at. It’s also a very touristy area, so it’s very catered to western standards and safety. Also loved how close to was to the airport for the end of our trip.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Boat trip and snorkeling around the Gilis island (Meno, Air)

Indonesia

Our favorite activity- highly recommend this. We even went back to the gili islands another day because we loved it so much. So so many sea turtles!! The viewing glass upgrade to the boat was nice, but overall a speed boat would have been amazing for faster travel. Also, a nicer boat with a better area on the front to lounge would have made it perfect.

Quality of Experience

Food

Sitting on the beach to eat was awesome!

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

A fast boat or nicer boat would have been ideal

Waterfall Exploration and Traditional Sasak Village Visit

Indonesia

The waterfall was so beautiful! It was a really cool little hike through a river and forest there. Our guide was so fun and took great photos.

Quality of Experience

Sooo worth it. Beautiful.

Food

The fried chicken was awesome, meal was authentic and fresh

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Balinese massage

Indonesia

Quality of Experience

Best Beaches of Lombok

Indonesia

I’m sure the beaches are really great, unfortunately it was raining the day we had this scheduled so we got stuck in some rain storms. It’s also a little far from the resort we stayed in.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Kecak Dance Performance

Indonesia

We loved this! So unique and it was great to do the temple tour prior to the performance. Our guide was very experienced and spoke English so well. I am so glad this was a part of our itinerary.

Quality of Experience

The show was spectacular, especially at the earlier time because sunset happened during the show.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

The guide spoke really good English compared to most people in this country and he had been doing this almost 30 years!

Transport

We had the best time exploring Bali and Lombok! There is no way I could have planned all of this on my own; Marc did an incredible job making sure everything was tailored to what we wanted to do. The order of locations/activities was perfect as was the timing of how much we could fit in a day without feeling exhausted. Edi, our driver for most of the trip, was so welcoming and had the best energy. We looked forward to seeing his smiling face each morning when he picked us up. We only spent a few days in Lombok, but Fathur and his team (special shout out to J!) were very responsive and made us feel well taken care of. All of our hotels exceeded expectations especially in going above and beyond to make us feel extra special on our honeymoon. Budi was the perfect guide for our temple day in Ubud, he did a great job explaining things and even adjusted our original plans a bit to better fit the theme for the day (we ended up changing the Ubud Monkey Forest to a smaller less touristy one the next day instead which was VERY smart). We never once had to worry about figuring out what time to leave or how to figure out the details of getting tickets for different activities, one way or another it was taken care of for us. I cannot say enough things about Marc, the people of Bali/Lombok, and all of the wonderful guides and drivers along the way. I would 100% plan another trip with them if we wanted to create a custom itinerary.

Hotel Reviews

Tejaprana Resort & Spa

Ubud

We loved the view of our valley villa! The staff was super friendly and accommodating, I also cannot say enough wonderful things about how good the food/drink were at the restaurant! It was a little distance from Ubud center, but it was nice and quiet which was definitely our preference. We would definitely stay there again.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Qunci Villas Hotel

Senggigi

The location was very close to the port and the area is very nice. We loved the views of the ocean and all of the pool options. The room was very nice, however we wished that there was more than just one mirror which happened to be outside. We also wished that at least the toilet was indoors (it was outside along with the shower, sink, and tub). We LOVED the private pool in the villa though, it was really nice being able to have that to ourselves. The spa on-site was also extremely nice. We got multiple treatments done and all were lovely. There was one night where there was a local wedding going on where the music was super loud until late at night and again at 5am, that wasn't the hotel's fault but we wished there was some noise ordinances in the area especially since that's where tourists are staying to relax.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Munduk Moding Plantation

Gobleg

This hotel is STUNNING. We loved the views, large rooms, private balcony, the infinitely pools up in the clouds are nothing short of magical. We loved all of the activities they have on the grounds including a tour of the coffee plantation, yoga, trying on authentic attire the locals wear to temples, and eating food which is mostly grown in their gardens. Everything was geared towards sustainability and supporting the local community. The cherry on top was the 4 grinds of coffee with the equipment to make it how you like in the room (French press, V60, espresso, Bali-style), the free afternoon tea which included local sweets, and the nightly treat with a scroll that had a story about the local culture. It became our favorite nightly routine to read our "bedtime story". The complimentary massage was also a huge bonus!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Mahagiri Villas Sanur

We really loved ending our trip at this hotel. The staff was very attentive and friendly, we felt extremely welcomed. We actually liked that it was a few blocks from the beach so that it was quieter at night, they have their own beach chairs with an attendant if you decide to go over there which was a nice touch. We loved the food/drink, they even gave us an entire cake for our honeymoon! The wifi was the fastest of any hotel we stayed at and we liked all of the small touches like the frangipani oil scenting our room and the bathtub filled with flowers when we arrived. They even have a shuttle that will take you anywhere in Sanur for free. We would highly recommend staying here.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Cultural Immersion and traditions at Rumah Desa

Indonesia

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Sunrise Trek to Mount Batur Summit

Indonesia

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Boat trip and snorkeling around the Gilis island (Meno, Air)

Indonesia

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Munduk & Tamblingan Lake Exploration

Indonesia

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Waterfall Exploration and Traditional Sasak Village Visit

Indonesia

The 2 waterfalls we saw were absolutely stunning. However, there were some parts of the tour we wished had gone smoother. First off, we didn't realize how unsafe the hike to the 2nd waterfall was going to be (slippery rocks, rocky pathways held together by rusty wire fencing with pieces of metal sticking upward, stairs with rusted away handrails, etc). I had on hiking sandals that worked for hiking down stairways to other waterfalls, but the metal wiring was poking into them as well as my husband's hiking water shoes that have holes in the bottom. We would have picked different shoes had we known. We had a guide in our car, however we had to use a local guide once we got to the waterfalls who didn't speak English. He walked away ahead of us and didn't show us where to step on the trail so we didn't know what rocks were sturdy/safe to walk on. We got the feeling that he didn't care much about making sure we were safe or having a good experience, and more like he just wanted to get the hike over with. After the waterfalls, we were excited to see the Sasak village especially since the village tour in Bali was so great. However, our guide from the car was the one who did the "tour" and it only lasted less than 10 minutes. He didn't tell us very much about it, and it felt more like we were intruding in someone's private life rather than having someone from there tell us about their village. Also, there was an aggressive dog that approached us and was barking/snarling. Our guide didn't do anything to direct us away from it. Again, it felt like he didn't really want to be there and just wanted to get it over with. It was a shame because the area was beautiful. Our driver was great though (and he ended up being our guide the next day for snorkeling, we wish he had been our guide on this day too)!

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Driver was great, the guide that came in our car and the guide for the hike didn't seem like they really wanted to be there though.

Transport