Rutopía

We had an incredible experience in Mexico City. The trip was completely customized to our needs and we thoroughly enjoyed our time. In particular, the market tour, the cooking class and the tour of the Chinampas were excellent.

Activity Review

Discover the flavors and colors of the exotic San Juan Market

Mexico City

Clara was an amazing tour guide. She was incredibly attentive to the needs of the entire family and adjusted the trip to accommodate our interests. She was very kind and very knowledgeable. Really terrific trip.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

My local specialist was Sofia. I enjoyed the planning process with her. The local support person, Mariana was an excellent communicator and always responsive. The tours were excellent. Most were private tours. We would have enjoyed more group tours to have the chance to interact with others. The guides were very knowledgeable and fun to be with.

Hotel Reviews

Hotel Casa Eva

Colonia San Pedro Cholula, Puebla

The Hotel Casa Eva was a very comfortable hotel, with easy access to the city centre. Hotel staff were friendly and responsive. The room was spacious with a great bed and linens.

Authenticity & Character

Beautiful courtyard, delicious breakfasts

Location

Easy access to city centre

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Oaxaca Real Hotel

Oaxaca

The hotel was beautiful and well maintained. We especially enjoyed the gift of a water bottle. The pool was excellent and we really enjoyed it after a day of touring.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Parador Margarita

San Cristobal de las Casas

The hotel has a lot of charm and character. Very spacious room with a good courtyard view. Breakfast was good and staff were helpful and friendly.

Authenticity & Character

The decor of this hotel is unique and beautiful.

Location

The walk to the center of town was okay

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel La Aldea del Halach Huinic

Palenque

The hotel is peaceful and serene. The pool was beautiful and surrounded by plants and trees. The rooms were a bit dated, but clean and comfortable.

Authenticity & Character

Location

The jungle location of this hotel was unique. However, it was far from town and without a car, few dining options

Staff

No help with bags to room which was located down 2 flights of stairs.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Comfortable bed, pleasant patio outside the room, good restaurant

Hotel Boutique Casa Piedad

Campeche

This hotel did not meet our needs. The room was advertised as 20 sq meters, but was only 13 sq meters. There was no room for luggage and the bathroom was tiny. We did not stay a second night.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Not close to the centre of town

Staff

No greeting, not friendly. There was no breakfast and we were not given any suggestions for breakfast restaurants.

Cleanliness & Comfort

The room was clean but not comfortable

Kuka y Naranjo

Mérida

This is a unique hotel, with a beautiful patio sitting area. The room was comfortable with minimalist decor.

Authenticity & Character

A vegan restaurant on site had an interesting menu

Location

Not far from the city centre but not the best part of town

Staff

Friendly, helpful and attentive

Cleanliness & Comfort

The concrete floor had crack that should be filled for hygienic reasons.

Casa Quetzal Hotel Boutique

Valladolid, Yucatán

The hotel is lovely with a beautiful courtyard and pool. Very close to amazing restaurants, this hotel was the perfect place to stay.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

No help with the luggage to our room on the second floor.

Cleanliness & Comfort

The Fives Oceanfront

Quintana Roo

Authenticity & Character

The lobby is amazing with a view of the ocean and pool. Check in was organized. We were encouraged to use the pool and beach until our room was ready.

Location

A very quiet and peaceful resort

Staff

Every staff member we met was friendly, helpful and attentive. Enjoyed yoga and bike riding with Will. The gym was well equipped and clean

Cleanliness & Comfort

The room was spacious, clean and modern. Exceptionally comfortable bed and linens. Large balcony, unfortunately on the street side of the hotel.

Activity Reviews

Free Afternoon in Puebla

Mexico

We actually stayed in Cholula and did not get to see Puebla. It was disappointing as I was interested in seeing Talavera pottery.

Between markets and corn in the magical town of Cholula

Mexico

We had a fantastic time at the market in Cholula. The food tasting was diverse and delicious. Our guide was very attentive to our interests. The experience at Mili was very interesting. We enjoyed tasting all of the food products made from corn.

Quality of Experience

We enjoyed the variety of food on the tour

Food

The foaming chocolate drink was delicious

Guides, Drivers and Staff

The pace of the tour was very good.

Get to know the history of Mole Poblano through the streets of Puebla

San Andrés Cholula

We had a great cooking experience making and eating mole. The class took place in the home of the guide, making it a very comfortable experience. The mole was excellent.

Quality of Experience

The instructor was very good.

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

The entire trip was fantastic. Most all scheduled events took place on time and as advertised. Any questions were answered promptly and satisfactorily. It was nice to have Kimkim check in with us daily.

Of particular note, were the informative, helpful, knowledgeable and enthusiastic guides.

1. Montse greeted us in Mexico City on our first full day and shared her love of the city, its culture and food.
2. Pablo was a wonderfully informative guide through museums and Teotihuacan. Both days with him were great. We had spectacular meals in Mexico City and enjoyed walking through a few of its charming neighborhoods.
3. In Oaxaca, we were expertly led by and taught by Alex through the old city, to the awesome ruins in Mount Alban, and wonders of Teotitlan del Valle (including the hike!). We were fortunate to have had multiple days with Alex.
4. We rounded out Oaxaca with an expert led mezcal tour and tasting with Daisy. That was great fun.
5. To end with relaxing days in Salchi was perfect! The boat trip guided by Captain Isidro Cruz (including seeing whales) was a great way to see the coastline and snorkel.
6. Our drivers (if not included above) were also great.
7. We hope we didn’t leave anyone off—all were great!

The hotel Casa Mauna at Salchi was very good (and peaceful). We had room 3, which seemed likely to be the very best at the small hotel. The vegan food was also very good—the drinks excellent. The pool delightful. We highly recommend it.

We will now share comments about the hotel choices in Mexico City and Oaxaca. Both hotels were beautiful and well-staffed. We were always made to feel welcome. The restaurant at the Zocalo Central was very good.

However, both hotels were situated in the center of vibrant, busy, and very loud areas:
• It was about impossible to sleep soundly in our room, 515, in Zocalo Central. The noise from the square continued most of the night (drumming and crowd noises), and then the sound of heavy chairs dragging noisily on the dining room floor just above our heads started about 6:15AM. One additional, seemingly minor but noteworthy item, was that we found out on Saturday afternoon that there would be no laundry service on Sunday—which we knew about-- but also on Monday (due to the national holiday on Monday. It would have been useful if we had received this advisory on Thursday or even Friday night, as then we would have had our laundry done on Friday or Saturday. As a result, our carefully planned light packing was confounded—we spent time doing our own wash in the room. When traveling, little things like this matter.
• For the first two nights in Parador de Alcala, we slept well. Then things changed. It was Thursday, and Friday, and Saturday and Sunday when the noise became a real issue again. The local bars blared music until 3AM (or later), and then the party goers continue the festivities in the streets until dawn, at which time the street traffic noise becomes quite high. I know the hotels do not have control over the bar noise or the traffic—but for Kimkim, we think charming hotels chosen away from the noisy parts of the city centers would be better.

Finally, as it goes for Kimkim:
• Mariana did a fantastic job of providing on-the-ground assistance for the inevitable adjustments which were needed. She was prompt with response and follow-ups. She provided a very reassuring and effective backup to situations that came up.
• Our first point of contact was Isabelle, who also did a great job of helping us design our perfect holiday. She was very responsive and helpful in discussing with us our preferences, and making adjustments to, our itinerary.
• The Kimkim service and platform worked well and we would recommend Kimkim to others. We plan to do so ourselves. We were able to focus more on enjoying the trip then on logistics. There were two minor changes to the itinerary that came to light during the trip—it’s possible a Live Itinerary would help alleviate these inevitable discrepancies – but no problems arose from this either.

We were pleased with adjustments and we happy with Kimkim and their entire team.

It was our first experience with this company and we were pleasantly surprised, the trip was planned very well and the local assistant was fantastic. Highly recommended!!

Activity Reviews

Tour of historic Mexico City with street food tasting

Mexico City

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Be amazed by the pre-hispanic beauty of the chinampas in Xochimilco

Mexico City

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Visit to the National Museum of Anthropology

Mexico City

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Private Authentic Mexican Cooking Class

Mexico City

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Shared biking experience through Teotihuacan "The City of the Gods"

Mexico City

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Our trip to the Yucatan was very special . All service providers were pleasant and friendly. The interactions with Mayan families in their community and learning to make tortillas , plant corn, make handicrafts and spot monkeys in the jungle was especially memorable. Of course, exploring the ancient Mayan cities and learning about their culture and scientific achievements was inspiring. Our guides were amazing in their knowledge and interest in our understanding of Mayan culture both in ancient and modern times. Hotels were excellent and transportation services efficient. A particular shout out to the taxi service drivers , Carlos, and others. Mariana from Rutopia was always a text or call away which helped smooth out any logistical wrinkles. Of course, thanks to Rene who helped plan the trip!! Finally, a round of applause to the zip line team in Punta Laguna who threw some thrilling adventure into the day.

We had a wonderful vacation in Oaxaca experiencing the culture, art, and food. Rene did an excellent job planning the trip to balance cooking days with more active tours and free time to explore the city. We loved visiting families in their homes to cook with them, and learn about their way of life. The pottery and art experiences were very special and perfect for us and our 12 and 14 year old boys. The simple and wholesome way of life made an impression on us all. My 14 year old already made tortillas from scratch since we returned home a few days ago.

Hotel and restaurants were all fantastic, too. Rene had stayed in the hotel, and eaten at the restaurants he recommended. We are very grateful to have been matched with him.

Hotel Review

Hotel Tabáa Oaxaca

Oaxaca

This hotel is in a great location, walkable to all parts of Oaxaca City but also on a quieter street. The employees who work here are wonderful and keep the hotel running well and looking beautiful. There was always pure water available in glass, reusable bottles for us, and a place to refill our water bottles for the day. The rooms were clean and the linens soft. Thank you for a wonderful stay.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Quiet street yet in a lovely neighborhood and close to everything.

Staff

Benito and others were so incredibly kind to us and our boys. They also went out of their way to help us get our clothes cleaned when laundromats were backed up by 4+ days due to holiday closures.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Shower, bathroom, and bedroom all extremely clean

Activity Reviews

Rural cooking workshop in Oaxaca

Oaxaca

We loved going to this market and the cook's home to make lunch together. She was generous, talented and very sweet and we learned a lot and had a great day. My son was so inspired that he's made tortillas from scratch since we arrived back home to California. There was no problem accommodating our vegetarian diet.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Gastronomic Indigenous Roots

Oaxaca

This was a great dinner for our first night in Oaxaca. We experienced so many different types of food, and it was helpful to have it all prepaid since we hadn't exchanged money yet.

Quality of Experience

Food

Biking tour and street art

Oaxaca

Diego took us through 3 neighborhoods on bikes and taught us so much about the city through murals and art. It was a very memorable experience, and we only wished we had even more tours with him.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Diego was one of the best guides we had on our whole trip.

Transport

Our family is tall so some of the bikes were a little small.

Oaxacan Markets: A Culinary Journey through Colors and Flavors

Oaxaca

Ana took us through markets and all around the city to try different local foods. It was a great choice to have this tour on our first full day in Oaxaca. Everything was delicious. Ana made sure we could eat vegetarian - this was not difficult since the traditional Oaxacan foods are plant-based anyway. We are an active family and our only change would have been to make this a walking tour rather than going to each place by van.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Ana was a fantastic guide, and also gave us other suggestions for places to visit during our week in Oaxaca. She told us about polideportivo - a nearby public track and exercise area - where my 12 yr old son happily played soccer 5 of the afternoons of our week in Oaxaca.

Transport

We stayed within the main city and could have walked everywhere rather than driven. Our driver was great though. It's just our preference to walk more, especially for a food tour!

Traditional amaranth meal with "Alegría de la vida"

Mexico

Loved the cooking experience, especially making fresh tortillas in the outdoor kitchen of one of our hosts.

Quality of Experience

Women were in charge of the experience and such talented cooks. It was wonderful to experience their culture and eat the traditional grains.

Food

Fresh blue corn tortillas were delicious straight from the comal, and the host also made amazing salsa to go with it.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Our driver Manuel was awesome and his English was great so he could fill in some information for us on the ride back to the hotel and during the lunch.

Transport

Experience the culture of Oaxaca: discover textile art, ceramics and mezcal

Oaxaca

One of our most favorite days in Oaxaca - we especially loved the pottery and the experience meeting the artist who perfected this craft to sell to her community and eventually worldwide. The weavers were also fantastic and involved my son in finishing a rug that this particular man had been working on for months. A very memorable day.

Quality of Experience

Getting to go to the artists' homes to see them make their craft was a fantastic experience.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Madai was our knowledgable English speaking guide. Her education was in archeology and she knew a lot about the area.

Transport

Manuel was a great and safe driver.

Monte Albán and the alebrijes workshop: an unforgettable experience

Oaxaca

5+ stars for the alebrijes workshop and 3 stars for Monte Alban. Alebrijes- It was wonderful meeting the Jimenez family and learning about the carving and painting of the spirit animals. The 4 of us, including our sons ages 12 and 14, spent hours painting our own alebrijes after we had lunch and a tour of the beautiful little museum which was part of their home. Monte Alban- We appreciated getting there early before the bigger crowds, but this visit felt very touristy and it was hard to follow the stories of our English speaking guide.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Edgar was a very nice and knowledgeable man, but his stories about Monte Alban were hard for us to follow. We wished we would have read more about it ahead of time.

Transport