Rutopía

Driver Ray and guide Francisco were superb, could not ask for better.

This trip to Mexico was amazing! The ruins were fascinating and the beaches and lagoons were spectacular! The staff at Rancho Encantado in Bacalar were particularly friendly and helpful. They were great at helping us get transportation when we needed it and helped us plan our day to make our son’s birthday a wonderful day!

Our favorite parts of the trip were floating in the Sian Ka’an and going to see the ruins in Calakmul. Being so far out in the rainforest. Seeing monkeys swing from the trees, and climbing up the ruins to see the amazing views from above is something we will never forget! My one critique is that a couple of the activities that we had planned on the itinerary were not what was described for us. We were put in a large group tour to Chichén itza when we were told it would just be a small group tour and it felt very rushed that whole day. Other than a couple discrepancies like that between the itinerary and what really happened, the trip went smoothly and kimkim did a great job helping us plan it. Thank you kimkim!

We had a great time. The trip gave us a true flavor of the city, the neighborhoods, history and the food. Oh the food! Hugo put together a great itinerary including some things we would definitely not have considered if we had just planned it ourselves, like the Lucha Libre experience and the "tortilla crawl."

Hotel Review

Andaz Mexico City Condesa

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Discovering Teotihuacán by bike, a unique archaeological experience

Mexico City

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

La Lucha Libre! An authentic México City Experience.

Mexico City

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Everything was perfect. Everything was well planned. Everything was punctual. The hotels were beautiful. The guides were great. Could not have asked for a better vacation.

Jorge and Alejandro made our trip unforgettable. Ana Sofia and Luz Maria were very helpful and attentive. Great experience!

Kimkim Travel Planning Service arranged our personalized trip with a local travel group called Rutopia. This well curated trip of Puebla and Mexico City for 7 days is titled "Flavors, Art & Heritage: A Mother-Daughter Journey Through Mexico." And we did just that! It was seamless with well communicated daily agenda that had fun, educational experiences and extraordinarily delicious tastings included. Just let them know what you want to see, do and experience and they deliver them very nicely! We highly recommend them!

Ana Sofia faced-time with us to get a sense of what type of experience we wanted, give us a chance to convey our goals. Of course, throughout the time of planning, we came up with more requests and ideas, and so did Ana, who made the necessary adjustments. Ana was very responsive to our needs. And so were Luz and Maria who were the local agents. The drivers and tour guides made us feel very safe and cared for. We sensed their pride for their culture which made it more enjoyable for us.

Highlights: A. Museum of Anthropology, Museo Soumaya, Frida Kahlo's Red House, Anahuacalli Museum, Frida Kahlo & Diego Rivera's Houses and Work studios. Puebla City/Cholula is a must for its charm and slow pace. The beautiful cathedrals, hearing the histories, their differences in beauty.
B. Street Food Tour in Puebla - It's the only way to taste and experience what the locals do, so fun and delicious!
C. The Milli Restaurant, Corn Kitchen in Cholula - excellent food, demonstration with audience participation in this nationally award-winning cooperative of farmers promoting ancient, original corn.
D. Wonderful Tastings menu and experience of a Milpa Dinner at Tezontle restaurant in the Casa de la Luz Hotel.
E. The hotels that were centrally located, catering to our needs of having a pool for relaxation between the activity-filled days.
F. Sonora Grill Reforma - One of the recommendations when we were on our own. Just the type of break we needed . It had a lively atmosphere and very delicious steaks!!
G. The door to door private ride service and tours: Worry free car rides and tours that started from our hotel.

You may skip the boat ride of the canals of Xochimilco. A one-time experience is more than enough. We happen to have asked for it and didn't know aside from the write-ups. Although, it was nice to drive through the very long garden/flower market. Unless you want to have an hour-long party drinking, eating, singing with a Mariachi band while riding the vey colorful boats, it's not our groove. We found it too commercialized and the river jam packed with boats and cacophony of different Mariachi bands singing side by side. One boat even had music playing loudly amongst the other live bands. I could imagine how it must have been a long time ago when the boats were decorated with fresh flowers and steered along the shallow river by the boatman using his long pole.

Suggested improvement: Having the drivers (and their cars) and tour guides refrain from wearing strong scents. I happen to be very sensitive to it and Luz listened to my needs and responded quite well by making the necessary adjustments, after a couple of tries. The driver replacement did not wear perfume but his car, although it was very clean, was heavily scented. The issue was eventually resolved.

All our guides were excellent. They were knowledgeable and really brought Mexican culture alive - walking Tours in CDMX, SAN Miguel de Allende and tours to vineyards, tequila distillery and Whale watching - all were top notch!

Hotel Reviews

Zócalo Central

Mexico City

Clean, wonderful location and the extra amenities were exceptional.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Half a block from the zocala

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

La Morada Hotel

San Miguel de Allende, Guanajuato

The room was large and the bathroom huge and Liberia’s but there were no windows that could open. Additionally, the listing said there was a pool and a roof deck with a hot tub. There was none of this

Authenticity & Character

Location

Right next to the cathedral

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

No windows. The existing windows were frosted and did not open.

San Trópico Boutique Hotel & Peaceful Escape

Puerto Vallarta

We loved this space!!! The room was large, 2 sides opened up to enjoy all the amazing weather of Puerto Vallarta. The bathroom was outside and incredibly spacious.

Authenticity & Character

Location

In the marina district

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Walking tour through the historical center

San Miguel de Allende

We enjoyed our walking tour in St-Miguel. The guide, (whose name I do not remember), was thoughtful, interesting and attentive.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

The guides’ effort to educate us.

Transport

The tours

Welcome to Mexico City

Mexico City

The guide was remarkably knowledgeable and approachable

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Mexico City: Xochimilco, Casa Azul Museum & Museo Casa de León Trotsky

Mexico City

The variety of the 3 activities and the timing were exceptional.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Free time in Mexico City and Ballet in Bellas Artes

Mexico City

Bellas rates and ballet florique was magical and really provided a rich exploration of Mexico culture

Quality of Experience

Tour of historic Mexico City with street food tasting

Mexico City

The variet of the food was exceptional and our guide Mar’ knowledge of all things related to CDMX was extraordinary.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Wine tasting at San Lucas Vineyard

San Miguel de Allende

We learned so much from the vineyard host, including Mexican wine and all wine in general. The wine pairing was exceptional.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

City tour & Tequila Tasting

Puerto Vallarta

The tequila tasting and tour were great. We are the the on site restaurant which was really excellent,

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Humpback whales’ season in Bahía de Banderas, Puerto Vallarta

Puerto Vallarta

The activity began with an educational overview of humpback Whales which we thought set a nice Tone For The 3 h boat tour of the bay. Awesome!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Thank you!

Puerto Vallarta

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Our trip to Mexico City and Puebla planned through Kimkim was absolutely fantastic. Every detail was thoughtfully arranged, from the smooth private transfers to the knowledgeable guides and unique cultural experiences. The itinerary struck the perfect balance between structured tours and free time to explore, and we especially loved the food tour in Puebla and the visits to the museums in Mexico City. The accommodations were well-located, making it easy to enjoy each destination. Communication with the Kimkim team was seamless throughout the process, Luz with Rutopia was especially helpful. It was a memorable, stress-free trip, and we would happily use Kimkim again for future travels.

We had an absolutely fantastic experience working with Kimkim travel. I had never heard of this company, which made me rather hesitant. I was immediately put at ease by their direct communication and responsiveness from start to finish. Hugo Romero, our incredible travel agent, listened very carefully to our interests and responded quickly as our plans evolved. His accessibility via email and video call made the process tangible, reassuring and exciting. Ibis, our “travel companion”, was truly amazing. Before our trip we had a wonderful phone call to iron out details of the itinerary. She made it clear that she was available to us for any questions or concerns. She was in contact with us every day, making sure that each transition was seamless and that our every concern was addressed. Our drivers and guides were all very professional, knowledgeable and reliable.

Hugo created an amazing experience that allowed us to appreciate the stunning beauty and rich culture of the Yucatan Peninsula. The specific experiences were all beyond our expectations. Our amazing tour of Rio Lagartos Biosphere Reserve was filled with incredible wildlife encounters and was followed by a delicious meal in the home of our captain. His wonderful family welcomed us with such kindness that it felt like an all-to-short home stay. Our guide at Chichén Itza was a lovely elderly Mayan gentleman who shared his deep passion and knowledge. Our time in the Mayan community of Yaxunah was phenomenal. It was a privilege to be in this beautiful setting, learning of the history and traditions surrounding the preparation of delicious Cochinita Pib. Meters away was the Lol Ha cenote, where we were the only ones swimming in this peaceful, magical place.

Our trip coincided with an unfortunate moment of unrest following the death of a cartel leader. While we never felt any personal risk, we decided to end our trip early as there were shelter-in-place orders along the Mayan Riviera, which was to be our next destination. Ibis and Hugo were both reassuring of our safety and understanding of our decision. They supported us completely as we revised our travel plans. Due to their great effort and the generosity of the tour operators, we were reimbursed for all our missed activities. While we were saddened to miss out on the experiences, it was beyond reassuring to feel that this travel company was looking out for our best interests and responsive to our every need. I can say with great confidence that we look forward to working with them in the future as we are eager to return to Mexico.