Kimkim Trip Reviews

Here’s a version that recognizes everyone who helped make your trip special:

Our Portugal trip exceeded every expectation, and we have Kimkim—especially our incredible local agent, Pedro—to thank for making it such a memorable experience.

Pedro was exceptional from beginning to end. He was responsive, knowledgeable, professional, and genuinely invested in making our trip perfect. Every detail was thoughtfully planned, from our beautiful hotels and seamless transfers to outstanding restaurant recommendations and unforgettable experiences throughout Lisbon, Porto, and the Algarve. His communication before and during the trip gave us complete confidence that everything was taken care of.

We would also like to recognize our outstanding drivers and guides, Hugo and Ricardo, who truly elevated our experience.

Hugo welcomed us upon our arrival in Lisbon and handled our airport transfer with warmth and professionalism. He also guided us on an incredible day exploring Sintra and the breathtaking westernmost point of mainland Europe. Later in our journey, he drove us from the Algarve back to Lisbon, and every moment spent with him was enjoyable. His knowledge of Portugal, friendly personality, and willingness to share local insights made each drive feel like part of the vacation rather than simply transportation.

Ricardo was equally exceptional. He gave us a fantastic tour of Porto and took us through the stunning Douro Valley, where we enjoyed an unforgettable boat cruise and winery visit. He also drove us from Porto to the Algarve, making the long journey comfortable, informative, and enjoyable. His passion for Portugal and attention to detail made every experience even more meaningful.

What impressed us most was how effortless the entire vacation felt. Every transfer was punctual, every recommendation was excellent, and even our special requests for my partner’s birthday were handled beautifully. We never had to worry about logistics—we were simply able to relax and enjoy everything Portugal has to offer.

I cannot recommend Kimkim highly enough. Pedro assembled an outstanding team, and together with Hugo and Ricardo, they delivered one of the best travel experiences we’ve ever had. We returned home with unforgettable memories and would not hesitate to use Kimkim again for future adventures.

Thank you, Pedro, Hugo, and Ricardo, for making our dream trip to Portugal a reality.

This was our 10th world tour for our Taekwondo group, and it was the best! We have had several good agents in the past, but dealing with KimKim has been, by far, the best! Jane Davey and Celina were so helpful and on top of everything, that with my wife's skills, made this the most hassle-free trip we have ever been on.

Even during our trip to Scotland, the incredible agents were there for us, ready to answer any questions, or take care of any little problems that came up (which was minimal).

Jane's suggestions and guidance, and Celina's excellence in coordinating the hotels and activities was amazing! If there was some kind of special award in the travel field, they should be the winners hands down!

Thanks so much KimKim for being at the right place at the right time when we were searching for experts to help us on our complicated journey of our group 49 martial artists travelling so far from Colorado!

When we plan our next trip, there is no question of where we will start!

Hotel Review

Boat Country Inn and Restaurant

Aviemore

The friendliest, helpful staff in Scotland! We will be back! They made our time so memorable!

Authenticity & Character

Beautiful!

Location

Staff

The kindergarten teacher who did our breakfast time was incredible! Thanks!

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Review

Private Driver Guide - Heritage Tour - Fully Bespoke

Scotland

Can't beat James Gray! He took care of and energized us during our time in Oban! Knowledgeable and fun! I'd love to play music with him anytime!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Gummy did a great job organizing our nine day trip around Iceland. As older couples, we didn’t want to spend a long time on the road and he definitely met that. We saw all the amazing highlights and had time to add a few extras on our own. The hotels were first right! The food recommendations were very good! Again, we did find a few amazing ones on our own. Gummy took the lion share of the planning and making of the reservations, which made our trip that much more enjoyable

Claire did an amazing job planning our vacation to Ireland. Due to unforseen family circumstances, we did not give Claire much advance notice on the trip but she planned an amazing vacation for us in a short period of time. All of the reservations were done to the highest level of detail. I would highly recommend Claire to anyone looking to visit Ireland. Thx so much for everything Claire

Salome at High Point Holidays helped me plan an incredible trip to Scotland. We visited cities and villages we had not visited before and had wonderful excursions and experiences. On our arrival day in Edinburgh, tour guide Chris Walker met us at our hotel and took us on a walking tour of the Royal Mile. Chris was full of great stories and information about the Royal Mile and was an absolute delight. He even called a local restaurant and arranged a dinner reservation for us. We elected not to rent a car so Salome tailored our itinerary so we could take advantage of the excellent rail services. All of our tickets were purchased for us and all the details were included in our Road Book. It was much easier than we expected to travel by rail. St. Andrews was our first stop. We stayed at the lovely Albany Hotel steps away from the cathedral ruins and the castle. The shopping and dining options abounded even for someone like me who eats gluten-free. In Pitlochry, we enjoyed the Black Spout trail and waterfall. Next, we had a 5 star falconry experience at the Bird of Prey Center in Loch Lomond. We had a whole hour with a falconer and three different gorgeous birds. The center is an absolute treasure for educating the public and conserving the world's birds of prey. Our final city was Sterling. We enjoyed visiting the Wallace Monument and climbed all the way to the crown! Our visit to Sterling Castle was grand. The history of this majestic palace and military stronghold is so impressive. Edinburgh Executive Travel handled our incoming and outgoing airport transfers in plush comfort.

Hotel Reviews

The Stirling Highland Hotel

Stirling

This hotel is advertised as a 4 star property. Our bedroom at this hotel was dark, rundown and not well maintained. The draperies were hanging askew, the linens and towels were not as nice as all the other places we stayed, and the carpet was stained. The bathroom was particularly disappointing. The wooden panel fronting the tub was chipped and unsightly. On the positive side, the buffet full English breakfast was very good.

Authenticity & Character

As a former high school, the building has tons of character.

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Our bedroom at this hotel was dark, rundown and not well maintained. The draperies were hanging askew, the linens and towels were not as nice as all the other places we stayed, and the carpet was stained. The bathroom was particularly disappointing. The wooden panel fronting the tub was chipped and unsightly.

The Frederick House Hotel

Edinburgh

Comfortable and classic. Clean and well maintained.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Close to the old city

Cleanliness & Comfort

Modern bathroom, beautiful linens, clean

Activity Reviews

National Wallace Monument visit

Scotland

Quality of Experience

The monument is awe-inspiring. Just do it--climb the spiral staircase and visit the history on each level. The crown is incredible!

Sea Safary around the Isle of May

Scotland

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Pedro was an amazing source of knowledge about the birds and seals.

Transport

The boat trip was just super fun.

Private Walking Tour of Edinburgh with a Top Local Guide - Two hours

Edinburgh

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Chris Walker is personable and so knowledgeable. He went above and beyond by suggesting a restaurant and calling to make a reservation for us.

Loch Lomond Bird of Prey Centre Flying Experience

Scotland

We had an incredible hour with our guide. It was just the two of us, our falconer and three gorgeous birds. We learned so much about the birds and had plenty of time to admire each one up close.

Quality of Experience

The staff is amazing and dedicated to educating the public. The center is so clean and well-maintained. It is so obvious the birds are receiving the best care.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

The staff at the center are taking excellent care of the birds and the facility

Most everything was real good. My only recommendation would be to ask more about the ages of the travelers and any restrictions they may have.

sandy from Kim Kim was terrific! Everything from start to finish was handled with care and great execution. I would use them again and would highly recommend. They were also flexible when we changed our plans on them and were very accommodating. Thank you!

Activity Review

Tokyo Night Foodie Tour in Shinjuku

Tokyo

Quality of Experience

Personal handling was great

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Very personable

Transport

I had a great experience planning a two week trip to Vietnam with Kimkim and my travel advisor Long. My family and I travel frequently and have worked with many travel agencies. Working with KimKim and Long was easy and very pleasant. The proposed itinerary was interesting, well thought out and accounted for all of our preferences and interests. Long quickly accommodated a couple additional requests for specific activities and providers as well as a very last minute (evening before 8am departure) request for fast track assistance on the outbound flight from HCM. I really appreciated Long's responsiveness and thoroughness. His recommendations matched our asks well and he frequently provided multiple alternative options for us to choose from before we finalized everything. Communicating using the Kimkim platform was very easy, especially the ability to provide feedback and ask questions about specific parts of the itinerary. We had a great time on the trip and everything went really smoothly. I'd be happy to work with both Kimkim and Long on another trip in the future. Thank you for all the help!

Hotel Review

Capella Cruise

Halong

Very nice ship, beautiful cabins and nice pool deck. Food was average. Activities were ok - somewhat limited but I think that's pretty standard for the 2 day/1 night cruise.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

VIP Fast Track Service

Vietnam

Quick and efficient.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Dinner at Ngoc Son Residency

Hue

Very interesting home and host in a beautiful garden. Great conversation. Food was good but not particularly memorable with the exception of the shrimp dish.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

VIP Fast Track Service

Vietnam

Very useful. The passport and security lines at the airport were incredibly long - very glad we paid for this service.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Coconut Fragrance Cooking Class

Hoi An

Favorite activity on the trip. It is an authentic local family business run at a small scale and focused on providing a great experience for their customers. The market tour was a lot of fun and very informative. The cooking lesson was very well organized and the food recommendations were great. The seasoning and the dishes were really well chosen.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Our specialist was knowledgeable and recommended some great activities that we did not think of.
All of our guides were amazing. Everything went flawlessly. Great trip!

This trip was amazing and everything we asked for. Lots of historical sites and especially a lot of activity! Adam and Summer did a great job organizing our trip and making sure all the logistics were taken care of. All we had to do is show up and enjoy. We loved each location and all the activities that were arranged. They definitely listened to us and our needs. So grateful for such a wonderful experience.

Hotel Reviews

Hotel Britania Art Deco

Lisbon

Great location. Not near the noise but close and walkable to the sites. Very uniquely decorated and very tastful.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Cascade Wellness Resort

Lagos

Really enjoyed our stay here. Really close to hiking the Algarve cliffs which we took full advantage of. Also, fairly close to the old town which we did walk over for dinner one night. The property is clean and the water views are excellent. The pool was expansive and the breakfast was superb.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Mercure Porto Centro Aliados

Porto

Loved this hotel. It was right in the heart of town. We actually were close to the Portugal football viewing center for the World Cup just steps from our hotel. The beds were comfortable and the breakfast offered many healthy options.

Authenticity & Character

Loved the back patio and garden area. You normally wouldn't see this in the heart of town

Location

Completely walkable to key areas of town

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Ponta da Piedade Kayaking Adventure

Lagos (Algarve)

The best way to see the Algarve is right from the water. We had terrific guides and we kayaked in all the nooks are crannies.

Quality of Experience

The best!

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

🥾 Self-Guided Coastal Hike: Lagos Old Town to Ponta da Piedade

Lagos (Algarve)

Stunning views along the algarve coast. Took lots of photos of the sunset along the hike. Easy path to view

Quality of Experience

Dolphin Watching & Benagil cave

Lagos (Algarve)

Enjoyed the boat ride and going in and out of the caves and watching the dolphins swim along the boat. Took lots of videos

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Private Tuk-Tuk Experience Along the 28 Tram Route

Lisbon

A guide Rodrigo was great. He knows Lisbon really well. What a great way to see the sites too!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Private Sintra & Cascais Day Trip with Pena Palace & Quinta da Regaleira Visit

Lisbon

A must see. Really enjoyed the Palace and Sintra. Enjoyed the personal guide and all the history that was shared.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Douro Valley Day Trip with Wine Tastings & River Cruise

Porto

Excellent day driving through the Duoro valley tasting local wines and viewing the site. Our guide Andrea was fantastic and really clicked with the group.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Our trip was amazing! It was wonderful working with our local specialist, Fleur! She asked about our family and the types of things we like to do. She worked with our input to finalize the itinerary, and then took care of all of the arrangements.
It's very difficult to narrow down to a favorite part of the trip, but some highlights were the wetlands canoe trip with Majel outside of Amsterdam, our full day castle sightseeing tour around Dinant with Joris, and our day trip to Delft. All of our city and/or food tours were amazing as well.
This trip created so many special memories for our family. Thank you to Fleur and KimKim for this amazing experience!

I had the most amazing 19 days traveling in Vietnam and Thailand.
This is my third time booking through KimKim, and my first with Realistic Asia and I am very pleased with the whole experience.
Lucy did a great job with the planning, and Long was amazing at finalizing, executing the plan and following through. Everything was tailored to my needs, the logistics were 10/10, and I was always taken care of.
The hotels they chose were in good locations, their drivers were always on time and polite, the activities were the type of things I love doing while traveling.
This time I traveled by myself and felt safe the entire time, plus I never felt the need to worry about anything, as everything was already taken care of.
I'm very thankful to everyone on the team, Long especially, for making this an amazing journey.
I'm sure I'll be in touch again soon.

Hotel Reviews

Chanalai Romantica Resort

Phuket

Super friendly staff. The location was ok, where most hotels are. Very near the beach.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

De Chai The Colonial Hotel & Spa

Chiang Mai

Loved staying here. It was a good location, very nice spa.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Silom Serene Hotel

Bangkok

Beautiful hotel, confortable and clean.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Acnos Hotel

This hotel is ok, a bit old and outdated, but clean and well located.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

The Saga Hotel Hoi An

Hoi An

My favourite hotel of this trip. Loved it here.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Doris Cruise

This was my least favorite place to stay. I only stayed for one night, and while I was getting ready to check out I was looking through the room to make sure I wasn't leaving anything behind only to find trash under the bed... not only was it dusty there was a plastic bottle, a tissue and a Qtip. I felt very disgusted knowing the room I slept in hadn't been clean before. The walls were also dirty and the soap dispensers empty. I left this feedback while checking out and the staff approached me, apologised and didn't charge me for one drink I had. They took notes and photos and assured me they would work on improving, which I do appreciate.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hong Ngoc Dynastie Hotel & Spa

Hanoi

Super friendly staff. I really liked this location.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Half day Chiang Mai City Tour with Tuktuk (N)

Chiang Mai

Cool tour. Got to see the city, learn about it, make a ring. My guide was very sweet and super knowledgeable.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Lan Ha Bay – Dark & Bright Cave – Disembark Cruise (Doris Cruise)

Ha Long Bay

Nice views

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

VIP Fast Track Service

Vietnam

Useful

SkyWalk - Full Day at Elephant Nature Park

Chiang Mai

Beautiful experience. So important to know it's an ethical park and everything is done with the elephants' wellbeing in mind.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Maeklong Railway Market and Damnoen Saduak floating market - Half-day

Bangkok

Lots of fun. The guide knew a lot of locals so that made the experience better.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Colors of Bangkok - Joint in group

Bangkok

Very fun day! Got to see a market, had great food, biked, learned about the culture. I really liked this day.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Cham Island Full day Snorkeling tour

Hoi An

It was ok, but too crowded and too far for me. You spend a lot of time getting there, so if you don't love it, it doesn't feel like it's worth it. The snorkeling spot wasn't that good... there wasn't too much to see.

Private Jeep Tour Saigon by Night: Foodie & City tour ( Updated )

Ho Chi Minh City

Favourite night! Everything was incredible, our jeep, the tour, the food, the guide. Loved this experience.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Mekong Delta Group Tour (My Tho - Ben Tre) (updated)

Ho Chi Minh City

Sadly, one of my least favourite experiences. I say sadly, because my guide was great, he was friendly and engaging. He tried to make this a great day. However, the island had some things I disliked: horse pulling carriages, crocodiles being bred for leather, snakes for photo ops. It didn't feel right. The river canoes were very nice and visiting the temple was good too.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Tra Nhieu Village - Kim Bong Eco Tour

Hoi An

One of the funnest experiences on this trip. My guide was great, took me to some very local spots.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Onboarding - Lan Ha Bay – Ba Trai Dao/ Tra Bau (Doris Cruise)

Ha Long Bay

Really beautiful views, the Cruise itself wasn't great.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Join Cooking Class and Market Tour in Hanoi

Hanoi

Lots of fun, made some delicious food!

Quality of Experience

Food

Made by us!

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Hanoi - Ninh Binh (Dinh Le Temple, Tam Coc, Mua Cave) Day Trip by Group Tour (B/L)

Hanoi

Really stunning place.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Fleur planned an excellent trip for us. Sure went through several iterations before we had the perfect trip planned and she was very responsive to us. We particularly enjoyed the multiple private tours she arranged (both walking and biking) in each city we visited. The canal canoe tour was a great break from the busy city. Our castle sightseeing day trip out of Dinant with Joris was a highlight for the whole family. Our accommodations were mostly perfect. The heat wave (outside of everyone's control) made the nights in Dinant without air conditioning a bit miserable. But the location was perfect to walk into town. Fleur was very helpful when we ran into challenges (like cancelled trains or unresponsive taxi services). Overall, I would not hesitate to use Kimkim for our next vacation.

Hotel Reviews

s'Ameuse très Bien

Dinant

Great location to walk into the town center or along the river. Quiet street. Very clean. There was not hand soap for the kitchen or bathroom. And there was no soap for the shower. The lack of soap in the shower is understandable, but no hand soap in the bathroom was not great. I understand that A/C is uncommon in a house like this. But it would have been lovely if they had a couple fans for the bedrooms.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Eric Vökel Amsterdam Suites

Amsterdam

Beautiful and clean. The blackout curtains were magical. Great location for getting to the central station or anywhere in Amsterdam. The in-room laundry was very convenient (but quite slow ~5 hours per small load, so plan accordingly if you are needing to do laundry). Very friendly staff at the front desk.

Authenticity & Character

No real problems. Just kind of vanilla.

Location

Easy walking distance to the central station and to the heart of the old city.

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Outdoor Adventure

Dinant

Castle sightseeing day trip from Dinant

Dinant

Joris thought of everything and was very personable. 10/10!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Amsterdam - Resistance Museum

The Netherlands

Best museum in Amsterdam. Underrated to be sure.

Aleksandra was amazing. We had such a great time and she was so helpful. As with any travel, adjustments need to be made. Aleksandra was incredibly responsive. Our trip was what we had hoped it would be. My wife and I would definitely use her again.

From our initial contact to the end of the trip, this was a wonderful experience. The accommodations were on point to our desires for this experience, the activities were enjoyable and all transfers were timely! I believe Noga and the rest of the team heard our wishes and implemented them very well.

Our family was thrilled with our recent trip to Spain planned by Marina. We had the perfect amount of busy days and relaxing days. Some of our most memorable moments were-
kayaking and snorkeling in Costa Brava followed by relaxing on the beach. We loved our guide Stepan and he was so wonderful with the kids in the water and showing them about the plants and animals in the area.
the tapas tour in Barcelona - food and people were all wonderful! Boris had a great outgoing personality and really made everything so personalized and fun.
The Sagrada Familia was so beautiful.
The caves in Nerja were amazing, as was the town of Frigiliana. This was a great way to slow down a bit and enjoy the pace of a smaller town.
We loved Valencia and the Science museum campus.
In Madrid, we went to Euphoria - Art is in the Air, which is an inflatable art exhibition. It was so cool to see and interactive for the kids. We really want to see it again in Chicago.

Overall, we loved the people, food, sights, and lifestyle in Spain. We thank Marina so much, and all our guides, for a wonderful trip!

Hotel Reviews

Dear Hotel Madrid

Madrid

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Just a lot of issues at check in with AC not working and tvs not streaming. The rooms are not as great as other Spain hotels.

Boutique Hotel Luna Granada Centro

Granada

Simple but thoughtful design. The pool is a little small, but the location is very good and staff were helpful

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Molina Lario Hotel

Málaga

We loved the location of this hotel and had the BEST corner front room

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

SAMAN HOTEL BOUTIQUE

Valencia

The staff here were VERY helpful on transportation guidance and recommendations

Authenticity & Character

The pool and courtyard are a surprising treat for a long day

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Andante Hotel

Barcelona

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Traditional Tile Painting Experience

Granada

A fun way to learn about the tile and get to sit down and relax with art

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Taste Barcelona: Authentic Tapas & Neighborhood Walk

Barcelona

Perfect first night activity in Barcelona

Quality of Experience

Food and each location were wonderful!

Food

EVERYTHING! The fried tomatoes, spinach croquetas, and morcilla. All the wine of course! And vermouth

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Boris was funny, knowledgeable and just genuinely great to be on tour with

Transport

Kids’ Journey Through Madrid with Activities & Snacks

Madrid

This was the best way to see some of Madrid's sights while also keeping the kids engaged and interested. We loved this tour and it was the perfect length for time and distance.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

She did an amazing job with the games and scavenger hunt style work for the kids. They loved looking for the answers each place we went.

Transport

Guided Visit of Alhambra for Families

Spain

The Alhambra is such a beautiful place to see and walk around in. And I loved learning about the history and culture that shaped it. I would not visit here with young children, unless they are very much into walking around and looking at buildings. It's hard for children that need more movement and action.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Discover Nerja & Frigiliana: Andalusian White Villages

Spain

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Explore Costa Brava: Kayaking, Snorkeling & Scenic Coastal Walks

Spain

We loved this chance to see and swim in the coast. Stepan was great with our kids. The landscape was beautiful and we had such a nice day on Costa Brava. It was not crowded and we had a great meal after on the beach.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Our guide was so great with the kids - answering their questions, helping them with the kayak, pulling them around in the kayak, talking to them about the marine and plant life. Terrific!

Transport

Barcelona for Kids: Gaudí’s Sagrada Familia & Park Güell

Barcelona

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Really appreciated the variety of the 3 different hot springs. Hotels were all great and again, quite different. We’re very glad to have driven north to see that part of the country (less touristy) and then fly back south. Thank you for a wonderful trip! We will definitely consider KimKim for future travel.

This was a bucket-list trip for me, and I am so thankful to Paula for arranging such a diverse menu of experiences for my friends and me! I came for Hobbiton and LOTR nostalgia, but I fell in love with so many other sides of New Zealand—the misty mountains, the clear rivers (with such pure, sweet water), the delicious pies, the kindness of people. I faced challenges I would not have tackled on my own, such as the adventurous hike on Mt. Tarawera in Rotorua, where the encouraging enthusiasm of our guides kept us going! We loved getting to learn more about Maori stories and history, and we still talk about meeting that cheeky kea during the Kapiti Coast tour in Wellington. My friend particularly adored her spa experience at Wai Ariki. I would also like to mention that we appreciated how exceptional our tour guides were. They all had such personality and warmth, and we were so grateful for the intimacy of the tours. We were also pleasantly surprised by having spots reserved for us during the ride to the Walter Peaks farm dinner! Thank you so much for arranging all the details of our trip; this made our time here so relaxing, and we felt that we were in good hands. Overall, we made so many memories during our time here in New Zealand!

Charlotte with kimkim did a wonderful job helping plan my family’s vacation. On very short notice, she put together a wonderful plan going from Adelaide to Melbourne along the great Ocean Road. She was always very responsive to all of the many questions that I had. I would not hesitate to use them again.

We cannot recommend Sandy highly enough! She planned an absolutely extraordinary, once-in-a-lifetime trip for our first visit to Japan.

From the very beginning, Sandy took the time to understand exactly what we were looking for. We told her we weren’t interested in sitting around—we wanted to experience as much of Japan as possible—and she delivered an incredible itinerary that was perfectly tailored to us. Every day was thoughtfully planned with the right balance of sights, hidden gems, cultural experiences, incredible food, and unique activities.

We traveled through Tokyo, Kanazawa, Osaka, Kyoto, and Hakone, and somehow managed to fit more into 13 days than we thought possible. In fact, several locals commented that they couldn’t believe how much we experienced in such a short amount of time! Despite the packed schedule, the trip never felt chaotic because every detail was so well organized.

What truly set Sandy apart was her knowledge, flexibility, and responsiveness. She patiently worked through countless revisions as we refined our plans, always offering thoughtful suggestions and creative ideas that made the itinerary even better. Throughout the planning process, she was incredibly easy to work with and consistently responded quickly to every question we had.

It’s clear that Sandy genuinely cares about creating unforgettable experiences for her clients. If you’re planning a trip to Japan, do yourself a favor and work with Sandy - you won’t regret it!