Savor & Soak Travel Co.

Adeline was the absolute best travel agent for our family! She was so easy to work with and always very responsive. Our trip was the perfect mix of having things planned while leaving time and space to explore and discover things on our own. Everything that Adeline planned for us went smoothly. All of our hotels, transfers, museum tickets were perfectly executed. We love all our hotels (we stayed in four separate locations over 2 weeks) and especially enjoyed the Japanese onsen culture. Having the KimKim app on our phones with our itinerary loaded for each day was so helpful. We could click through links to google maps or to our museum tickets for that day. We had a smooth experience from start to finish and loved Adeline and loved our trip!

Hotel Reviews

Hotel Koo OotsuHyakucho

Otsu

This hotel was above and beyond! We had our own two story condo that was a converted tea house on a market street in Otsu. We were just a 15 min train ride away from Kyoto making it a great home base for exploring in and around Kyoto. The amenities at this hotel were incredible: we had locally made toiletries, pajamas, sweets every night, and a fridge stocked with drinks. There was a delicious breakfast included as well as a lounge for snacks, coffees and happy hour just down the street. We loved this town and this unit!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Forêt de Repos

This was a peaceful and quirky place in the forest. We had a room with our own private soaking bath and I recommend you get that as well. There is also a public bath that is immersed in the forest. The dinner and breakfast included were delicious! Lovely place to recharge and a good home base to explore the countryside and some seaside villages.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hoshino Resorts KAI Kaga

Kaga

What a treat! The room was peaceful and spacious. The onsen was gorgeous and relaxing. The food was out of this world! Our family of 4 felt pampered and relaxed. The little village is delightful to walk through as well.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

&Here TOKYO UENO

Tokyo

Best hotel for families! We had a super fun bunk style room with kitchenette. We were near various train stations. We could go for runs and walks in the nearby park. There were plenty of food options nearby. And, a gorgeous onsen on the top floor!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Ninja Experience in Kyoto (Family & Kid Friendly)

Japan

Our kids loved this! We learned alot about ninja and samarai culture and had fun! Definitely touristy, but so is most of this part of Kyoto.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Rental Car

Kaga

Easy! Small car made it easy to navigate the narrow roads. Pick and and drop off were simple.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Adeline created a comprehensive itinerary for our recent Japan trip that included everything we wanted to see and do, including the famous Guitar Street in Tokyo, temples/shrines in Kyoto and beautiful cherry blossoms in Kanazawa. Adeline's insight and guidance has been invaluable to us. She prepped us on how to navigate the complexities of the metro system in Tokyo, organized our bullet train tickets for Kanazawa and Kyoto and even booked us a seat on the side of the train for one of our train trips that allowed us to luckily see Mount Fuji! Our guides Carol (in Tokyo) and Nao (in Kyoto) were wonderful - so incredibly knowledgeable and kind! Our private tour with Nao was particularly memorable as he took us the outskirts of Kyoto to the lesser known temples and shrines where there were no crowds and we were able to enjoy the peace and tranquility of being in those religious spaces. He also expounded on the philosophical and religious traditions (namely Shintoism, Taoism and Zen Buddhism) that impact Japanese culture and practices. It was a very eye-opening and informative tour! We are already excited to book another trip to Japan in the future!

We had an amazing adventure in Japan, a lot of it due to Adeline's time and attention to detail. She always responded quickly and went above and beyond with all the excursions that were booked. We probably would not have done the tea at teamLab or gone up the extra floors at Tokyo Tower had it not been for Adeline. Also, our guide in Toyko, Sakai Mari was amazing! She helped guide us through our first day of riding the subway, gave us a Tokyo guidebook with the subway and train lines that was very helpful, and most of all spoke perfect English with little trace of an accent which made it very easy for us to understand her. I would highly recommend KimKim and especially Adeline when booking any trip!

Hotel Reviews

JR Kyushu Hotel Blossom Shinjuku

Tokyo

Great staff and they allowed us to check in early and stay an extra hour which was most helpful.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

HOTEL THE FLAG Shinsaibashi

Osaka

Great location, great staff, very modern looking.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hilton Garden Inn Kyoto Shijo Karasuma

Kyoto

Located on a busy street but the staff was very friendly and helpful especially when speaking to taxi drivers and always waited until we left until retreating inside.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Keio Plaza Hotel Tokyo

Tokyo

The staff was amazing and very helpful. Not to mention this is a beautiful hotel and very well located with easy access to trains and other landmarks.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Hakone Day Trip

Tokyo

The Hakone Day Trip was nice, but we should have considered staying overnight. I heard from a friend about hotels with private hot springs in rooms, which would have been a great experience. Although we were cautious due to our travel group, staying in Hakone could have added more to our trip.

Ramen and Gyoza Cooking Class

Osaka

We made ramen noodles and gyoza from scratch. It was delicious and a great way to experience Japanese food in a different way.

Quality of Experience

Food

Reservation at Tokyo Pokemon Cafe

Tokyo

If you are a Pokeman fan it is worth it, if not skip. Food is not that great; there is no place to sit and the lines in the store are very long.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Half Day Tokyo City Tour - Asakusa & Skytree

Tokyo

Our guide, Sakai Mari was amazing! She helped us navigate the subways so we could later do it on our own, taught us all about the difference of shrines and temples, took us to unique shops and had barely a trace of an accent which made her very easy to understand.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

I cannot say enough about how much I appreciate everything Adeline did for us to plan our dream vacation to Japan. Not only was she able to keep us in budget but helped us schedule all our wish list items, kept us organized, on scheduled and gave great tips, suggestions and directions. She was also great about answering all of our questions in a timely manner before the trip and while we were there. I would definitely recommend her to all my friends and family, I know I could not have planned a more perfect trip without her.

Hotel Review

Keio Plaza Hotel Tokyo

Tokyo

Of all our hotels we stayed at in Japan, this was by far the best. Amazing customer service, rooms with great views and the best breakfast buffet.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Right by the train station but not right in the middle of all the crowds and noise.

Staff

Everyone offered great amazing customer service from check in, concierge and wait staff.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Ramen and Gyoza Cooking Class

Osaka

Such a great cooking class. They kept us on schedule and were really hands on in training and the food we made was delicious!

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Traditional Tea Ceremony

Kyoto

So much fun getting dressed up, learning about the tea ceremony and performing it on our own. Definite must!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Half Day Tokyo City Tour - Asakusa & Skytree

Tokyo

Our favorite guided tour. The guide took us to all the best spots for shopping as well as the sites and helped us navigate the trains on our first day in Tokyo.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Adeline worked with me to plan me and my husband's first trip to Japan. The accommodations were fabulous and varied from traditional ryokan to modern hotel. We were able to experience more rural areas of Japan as well as the major city hubs and the tickets/instructions for transportation were ready for us at the first location. She was an amazing resource throughout and thought of everything.

Adeline was the absolute best. She really listened and found the best excursions and activities to accommodate our multi-generation trip. My kids had a blast with their grandparents. From the beautiful bike ride in Kyoto to the capybara cafe to amazing restaurant recommendations, we were so lucky to have her in our corner. She even proactively helped us with a couple of last minute changes once we were on the ground in Japan (while she was on her own vacation!)

Overall, the trip was fantastic. The itinerary worked verywell for us, and the guidance was almost always right on the mark. We had two small quibbles:
1. While the hotels were great, the location of the Kimpton Shinjuku in Tokyo was less than optimal from our perspective, primarily because it was not that close to a train/subway stop. And it was hard to figure out to walk to get to and from the hotel to the Shinjuku Station, which is one of those huge, sprawling stations with several different entrances and exits. The hotel also bungled our luggage transfer, although they were very apologetic about it and did refund the fee.
2. The guides we had, while very nice and very helpful, were not the greatest. Their English was limited, and they often tell us much that we couldn't have figured out for ourselves. We did want to single out one guide, Alex, who took us our food tour in Tokyo. He was exceptional in every way.

Hotel Reviews

Kimpton Shinjuku Tokyo, an IHG Hotel

The Kimpton Shinjuku Tokyo Hotel was nice in itself, but its location posed some challenges. It wasn't really close to any major attractions or convenient train stations. The hotel itself was great, just the location left something to be desired.

The Tokyo Station Hotel

Tokyo

What a gem

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Review

Private Evening Food Tour in Tokyo

Tokyo

The Private Evening Food Tour in Tokyo with Alex was fantastic. He was very conversational and took us to amazing places with great food that we wouldn't have found on our own. His guidance throughout the tour was top-notch, and he even helped us get a taxi at the end. The timing of the tour was perfect for visiting various spots easily. Overall, it was an excellent experience.