Kimkim Trip Reviews

Veronika planned the perfect trip for me and my partner. It was the perfect pace, the activities from the Blue Lagoon to Glacier tour were stunning experiences. The locations she found for us to stay were breathtaking. I honestly couldn't have done it without her help and expertise. My partner and I are dying to return and would use Veronika and KimKim again in a heartbeat.

Hotel Reviews

Signature by Vík Apartments

Vik

It was stunning. The bath, the views of the ocean, the dinner at the connected hotel. It was romantic and relaxing and so comfortable.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Muli

Reykjavik

The staff was incredibly helpful and friendly. The location was a short trip to the city center and the stay was great for the smaller hotel stay of our trip.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Review

Katla Ice Cave

Iceland

This was such an amazing experience, the tour guide was fantastic and knowledgable. The trip out was a bit long but once you get there being able to walk on a glacier is breath taking. They were very careful about safety.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

My trip to Finland was truly unforgettable. I am extremely satisfied with the entire experience, and I could not be happier with how everything turned out especially the extraordinary moment of witnessing the Northern Lights. Seeing the aurora dance across the sky was a breathtaking, almost surreal experience that exceeded every expectation I had. It was the absolute highlight of my journey.

The organization of the trip was also excellent from start to finish. Every detail from transportation to excursions was handled smoothly and professionally. The itinerary was well planned, efficient, and thoughtfully paced, allowing me to enjoy each moment without feeling rushed. I felt supported and well-guided throughout the entire experience.

Overall, this trip to Finland was exceptionally memorable, and I am grateful for the remarkable service and seamless coordination that made it so special. I highly recommend this destination and this level of organization to anyone looking for a truly magical travel experience.

Everything was perfect. Beautiful country and great accommodations. Private sailing on last day was beyond special.

Hotel Reviews

Hotel Bosque del Mar

Playa Hermosa

Location Location Location. Steps from the beach. Restaurant was superb. Best fish sandwich !

Authenticity & Character

Location

Beach and islands.

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Staff was helpful and attentitive.

Hotel Los Lagos Spa & Resort

La Fortuna

Best hotel springs and pools. Food was great and breakfast was the best.

Authenticity & Character

Beautiful gardens and flora.

Location

Base of volcano

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Mawamba Lodge

Tortuguero

Felt like we were deep in the rain forest.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Presidente

San José

Thank you Nicole for special service and Manu for great private tour of San Jose.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Morning Sailing and Snorkeling Adventure

Costa Rica

Great way to spend last day in CR on a private sail boat, snorkeling and enjoying the beautiful scenery.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Palo Verde National Park Boat Trip

Costa Rica

Saw alot of wildlife.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Visit to Maleku Indigenous Reserve

Arenal/La Fortuna

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Guided Boat Excursion Through the Tortuguero Canals

Tortuguero

Guide was very knowledgeable.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Tortuguero Village Visit

Tortuguero

Very remote and rainy. Best nights sleep listening to rain falling on our cabin.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Private San José City Tour

San José

Our guide Manu was the best.

Quality of Experience

Very informative of history of San Jose.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

My friends and I had an amazing trip to Southeast Asia. AE was our guide in Bangkok. She was so kind, helpful, and knowledgeable. With AE we visited beautiful temples, lively markets, and ate some delicious street food. In Chiang Mai, our guide Pong took us to a monk blessing ceremony and an elephant sanctuary. She was wonderful. Again we ate delicious food and visited museums and temples. Cambodia and Vietnam were equally fun, beautiful, and fascinating. Our guide in Siem Reap was Set. He did a great job of explaining the history of Angkor Wat and the surrounding Temples. The hotels we stayed at were all comfortable and gorgeous with excellent food options. Thanks to Hoa who arranged this trip for us. It truly was a trip of a life time.

Where do I start to describe this phenomenal adventure Gummi planned for us?? It was so well organized and unbelievably planned with such care and accuracy that we completely wore ourselves out with great new experiences and adventures words will never be able to describe. The pictures will speak for themselves. We started at Blue Lagoon and ended at Sky Lagoon with a visit to Laugarás Lagoon in the middle and we NEEDED all 3!! Our favorite was Laugarás Lagoon!!
Our hotels were all amazing (CenterHotel Plaza(Reykjavík) / Dís Cottages (Snæfellsnes Peninsula) / Hotel Bifrost (Reykholt) / Hótel Grímsborgir by Keahotels (Golden Circle) / Black Beach Suites (Vík) / CenterHotel Klopp (Reykjavík) and ALL of the staff were a joy to meet and took very good care of us the entire trip. Our favorite was Hótel Grímsborgir!!
Our adventures included but was not limited to: 3 Lagoons / Víðgelmir Lava Cave Experience / Langjökull Glacier Snowmobiling Adventure / Sólheimajökull Glacier Walk and we cant pick just one favorite....recommend all of them, hands down!! The guides were impressive as well, we tipped them for their amazing service!!

Our itinerary:
1 - Reykjavík- Blue Lagoon: ate at the tapas at Tapas Barinn (AMAZING) around the corner from the hotel and had the seafood soup at Sæta Svínið Gastropub (OUT OF THIS WORLD). The town center was already filling up with beautiful Christmas decorations and it was just magical!
2 - Reykjavík to Snæfellsnes Peninsula: stopped at Hvalfjörður - Whale Fjord (didnt see one but we knew they were there! / stopped at Hraunfossar for the “Lava Falls” (breathtaking and COLD) / Víðgelmir Lava Cave Experience (A MUST DO) / sun set too quickly for us to see Gerðuberg Basalt Cliffs (next time) / checked into Dis Cottages and made our wwn dinner and stayed up to watch the northern lights!
3 - Snæfellsnes Peninsula - missed Kirkjufellsfoss falls but saw the mountain / Lóndrangar basalt sea stacks / Explored Arnarstapi and had THE BEST Lamb Soup in Iceland at Samkomuhúsið Arnarstapa / pictures at Búðir Church / ended at Ytri Tunga Seal Beach (the seals put on a show for us too)
4 - Snæfellsnes Peninsula to Reykholt - Kolugljúfur Canyon (worth the drive) / missed Hvitserkur and got sidetracked on our way to Bifrost with the MOST DELICIOUS Lamb Chops at the local gas station!!
5 - Reykholt to Golden Circle - we had snow so driving was slower than normal - Þingvellir National Park (the p's sound like t's and had us soooo confused) but the drive was beautiful / ate at Efstidalur II Farm Bistro and the burgers were of course AMAZING / couldnt get to Brúarfoss with the weather and had an appointment at Laugarás Lagoon - Lerki (MUST MUST MUST EXPERIENCE) / checked into Hótel Grímsborgir and this place was our favorite!!
6 - Golden Circle - slept in due to the Northern lights last night / passed on Kerið Crater / walked the Geysir Geothermal Area - bitter cold (the welcome center was delightful) / Gullfoss Waterfall was spectacular / on to Langjökull Glacier Snowmobiling Adventure / with a piece of glacier ice and a short JD, we headed back to Hótel Grímsborgir for dinner
7 - Golden Circle to Vík - Seljalandsfoss & Gljúfrabúi Waterfalls (too crowded, going back tomorrow / Skogafoss Waterfall (BEAUTIFUL) / Kvernufoss Waterfall (we passed ont his one to get to Sólheimajökull Glacier Walk (AN ABSOLUTE MUST MUST MUST DO!! OUR GUIDE SAM WAS INCREDIBLE) ON TO Black Beach Suites (Vík) (BOUGIE and VERY COMFORTABLE - 30ft wall of windows to boot)!
8 - Vík - tried to get to Fjaðrárgljúfur Canyon but the drive and snow was a bit too much. We turned around and decided to shake things up and explore on our own. We found the Black pizza place and it didnt dissappoint!
9 - Vík to Reykjavík - Reynisfjara Beach & Reynisdrangar Columns was just beautiful / Dyrhólaey Arch and Cliffs (DO NOT MISS THIS! THE VIEW IS SPECTATUCULAR. OUR FAVORITE OF THE ENTIRE TRIP. YOU CAN SEE THE GLACIER IN THE DISTANCE AND THE BLACK BEACHES BELOW....JUST SPECTACULAR ALL AROUND) /Urridafoss (SO HAPPY WE SQUEEZED THIS ONE IN!!) / Sky Lagoon Experience - Sér (another AMAZING experience (7steps ritual!!) / back to CenterHotel Klopp and had dinner at MAR (Fish pans) COMPLIMENTS WERE GIVEN TO THE CHEF ON OUR WAY OUT....DELICIOUS!!
10 - Explore Reykjavík - Hallgrímskirkja / Sun Voyager Sculpture / Laugavegur Street (I think) for the Famous hot dog / back to America but we are looking forward to returning and experiencing more of Iceland with Gummi's help! We sooooo lucked out when we managed to meet him...what an AMAZING job he did at packing so much into 10 days! We are exhausted but FOREVER GRATEFUL!

We feel so fortunate to have had Hoa as our agent/specialist for our Thailand trip! First of all, Hoa contacted us several times before our trip to determine the activities we would be interested in and our overall preferences for accommodations and locations. She also tried to understand the levels of activity we would prefer to make sure the plans met our expectations. Because of her interest in getting it right for us, we went through several iterations of our planned trip and we also made some unusual requests that were not typical. The end result: we were blown away by the final trip that she put together for us. In addition, during our trip, we were very impressed with all of the local guides that were assigned to us in the four cities/areas that we visited. Each guide was so dedicated to making sure that we learned about Thai culture and the overall history of each area - they went out of their way to ensure we were happy and got the experience that we hoped for. They also were very patient and thorough in answering all of our questions about each area (and we had a lot of questions), and spent as much time as necessary depending on our interests. A guide has a difficult job as they have to deal with all kinds of people with varying interests, and all of our guides were so professional yet so personal and friendly. We also felt very safe with all of the drivers and tour boat operators that we had - they were all very polite and engaging. Hoa also booked us at hotels and resorts that were 1st class. We are not party people, so we were very happy to stay at quiet, yet very comfortable and classy locations. The workers and staff at each of these locations were so friendly and accommodating that we felt so comfortable and taken care of. The food served at each of these locations was fantastic and also went beyond our expectations. There were so many personalized details provided, such as making sure our meals accommodated our dietary needs (we are vegetarian), ensuring that our plane seats were near the front of the plane when available to get on and off easily, having our guides assist us through the airports (we had three in-country flights and they even helped us through check-in), having our guides walk us through the local markets and show us the lay of the land so that we felt comfortable buying food and gifts when we had free time, etc. Hoa also kept in contact with us during the trip to remind us of pickup and meeting times as well as to ensure that were were happy throughout.

We were so happy during our trip and we would not hesitate to recommend Kim Kim to anyone considering a trip to Thailand or southeast Asia.

We have to echo what all the other reviews are saying…our trip to Guatemala far exceeded our expectations. Truly, in every way imaginable. From the very beginning, Catherina at Columbus Guatemala Travel was incredibly responsive, thoughtful, and intentional with every detail. She asked all the right questions to make sure our itinerary was perfect for us, and she absolutely delivered. The entire planning process felt effortless.
 
On the ground, everything was seamless. Every driver and guide was phenomenal — on time, easy to find, friendly, and deeply knowledgeable.
 
We had a full seven-day itinerary — flying to the rainforest one day for Tikal, then exploring the volcanic beauty of Lake Atitlán the next, and finishing in the colonial magic of Antigua. It was full, rich, and truly unforgettable… yet never rushed. Everything flowed so smoothly that we could just relax and enjoy every moment.
 
Benedicto at Tikal was amazing! We spent most of our time with our guide, JJ, who instantly felt like an old friend from the moment we met him. He is knowledgeable, fun, attentive, and always one step ahead with great recommendations. It was clear he genuinely cared about our comfort and whether we were having a great time. He constantly checked in behind the scenes to make sure everything flowed smoothly. We could feel how much heart and intention went into every moment. And let me say, after experiencing Guatemala’s adventurous driving style, I have never been more grateful to have JJ behind the wheel! I felt safe the entire time and appreciated his calm confidence navigating every twist, turn, and surprise the roads offered.
 
The whole team is amazing. We were genuinely touched by the small surprises, thoughtful gifts, romantic dinner, and all the extra care we never expected. They made us feel celebrated and cared for.
 
One thing that truly stood out is how deeply this company lives its mission and values. Their promise to be “your local compañero - your trusted companion” isn’t just a slogan — it’s something you feel every single day. It’s obvious they created their mission with intention, and they live it with heart. Nothing about it feels like publicity or marketing; it feels real, authentic, and woven into every interaction. We appreciated that more than anything.
 
We absolutely love these people and cannot wait to return with our son. We recommend Columbus Guatemala Travel 1000%.
 
We originally connected through the KimKim platform, which was smooth and easy. For future trips to Guatemala, we will definitely book directly with Columbus Guatemala Travel, because they were outstanding, but we’ll absolutely use KimKim again for other countries (including our upcoming Vietnam trip) in hopes of finding another team as incredible as this one.
 
Hands down, one of the best travel experiences we’ve ever had.

Activity Reviews

Romantic Dinner For Two

Antigua

Food was delicious. View was amazing. The surprise music, flowers, and photos blew our minds ❤️❤️❤️

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Walk Antigua Like a Local

Antigua

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Pacaya Volcano Hike

Guatemala

Loved our local guide up the volcano!! He was so friendly! Appreciated that JJ was also there to help interpret when needed.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Kayaking in Lake Atitlán

Guatemala

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Villages Around Lake Atitlán by Boat

Guatemala

JJ was fantastic!! He knew just where to take us to learn and experience the best of the villages.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Tikal Mayan Civilization

Guatemala

Benedicto was amazing!! He was always checking in to make sure we were okay and had great suggestions for food. We appreciated not just his incredible knowledge of Maya history, but also his knowledge of the plants and animals in the region as well.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Denise provided excellent guidance in developing an itinerary. We enjoyed every day of the trip. Denise and Uma were readily available to assist when we had questions along the way. I would highly recommend Denise to anyone planning a trip to New Zealand.

Hotel Reviews

The Langlands Hotel

Invercargill

Excellent lounges and breakfast

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Heritage Queenstown

We were upgraded to lake view and were blown away by the setting. Access to town was great.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Review

Te Pā Tū Māori Feast & Performance

Rotorua

This was a fun evening and a feast

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

My trip to New Zealand fantastic. The planning process with Denise went smoothly. Denise kept our group up to date about suggestions and changes to our itinerary during the planning peocess and also worked with us as we traveled. We had a wonderful time in New Zealand.

Hotel Reviews

Heritage Queenstown

Queenstown

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Distinction Te Anau Hotel And Villas

Te Anau

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

The Langlands Hotel

Invercargill

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Scenic Hotel Dunedin City

Dunedin

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Peppers Bluewater Resort

Lake Tekapo

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Carnmore Hotel Christchurch

Christchurch

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Millennium Hotel Rotorua

Rotorua

Authenticity & Character

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Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Rydges Auckland

Auckland

Authenticity & Character

Location

⁹

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Review

Enjoy the panoramic view of Auckland from Sky Tower

Auckland

Trip was a blast! Was the perfect time of year to visit Tromsø and will be visiting Bergen again in the late spring/summertime! Planning could have been better. Almost missed an excursion due to the meeting point listed being in a completely different location than the actual meeting point. Luckily, the excursion company waited before departing and called me to gave me directions on where I was supposed to go. Another hiccup happened when my private transfer from the airport to my last hotel was booked 5 minutes after the planes arrival, which was not enough time to allow for delays. Sure enough, my flight was delayed and luggage pickup was also delayed, so the driver for the private transfer was mad and tried to charge me for him waiting an hour when it was outside my control, despite me messaging him he didn’t have to wait. as I said above, it was the perfect time of year to visit Tromsø, lots of snow but not too cold, and 3 days was enough time to do everything I wanted to do there. Bergen on the other hand, rained the entire time I was there and hiking was a struggle due to slushy snow, which is typical this time of year. There were lots of things to do around Bergen, but sadly only had a day and a half, which is why I plan to visit in the late spring/summer. Other than planning errors, all reservations were legit and I had fun!

Bastien really went above and beyond and we had an amazing trip to Japan. This was our first time and we didn't want to have too many activities or too little and felt this trip met the perfect balance! All of our tours and guides were the top tier and we had so much fun with them. Traveling with KimKim is always the best because it is customized and also structured to provide the perfect balance for a vacation!

Hotel Reviews

Cross Hotel Osaka

Osaka

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Shisui, A Luxury Collection Hotel, Nara

Nara

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

GOOD NATURE HOTEL KYOTO

Kyoto

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

RIHGA Royal Hotel Hiroshima

Hiroshima

Authenticity & Character

A little old school type hotel!

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hyatt Regency Hakone Resort and Spa

Hakone

Authenticity & Character

This hotel is so perfect, warm, cozy and inviting!

Location

Staff

10/10 staff! So on top of everything!

Cleanliness & Comfort

The Royal Park Hotel Iconic Tokyo Shiodome

Tokyo

Authenticity & Character

Location

So close to so many train lines! Great spot!

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Flower Arrangement "IKEBANA" in YANAKA/Taito-ku /TOKYO

Tokyo

Full Day Tokyo City Tour with Senso-ji Temple

Tokyo

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Our Morocco trip? Absolutely chef’s kiss perfection.

We were welcomed at the airport by Ousamma—a big man with an even bigger heart. He basically knew everything about everything, and he kept an eye on us the whole trip… not because Morocco wasn’t safe, but because he treated us like VIPs who occasionally forget where they left their sunglasses.

The itinerary was so smooth, we still can’t believe we covered nearly 2,000 km by road without once questioning our life choices. The hotels and riads were charming, comfortable, and perfectly located—like someone had planned the trip using insider secrets.

And the funniest part? Everywhere we went, people were amazed to meet Nepalis for the first time. We felt like rare Pokémon wandering through Morocco.

Hotel Review

Lina Ryad & Spa

Chefchaouen

Authenticity & Character

Location

Right in the heart of city

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Review

A Relaxing Hammam Experience: The Art of Moroccan Wellness

Morocco

Morocco trip will not be compkwte without Hammam exoerience

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Pramith, our main driver and guide, was abs terrific! Friendly and always smiling

Activity Reviews

Free Day at the Beach

Sri Lanka

Liked the beach. Didn't liove the hotel

Galle Dutch Fort Visit

Sri Lanka

Pretty Fort, albeit a little touristy

Visit Lipton's Seat & Tea Estate

Sri Lanka

Beautiful spot. Also enjoyed the Tea factory

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Hike to Diyaluma Waterfall

Sri Lanka

Really fun experience

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Discover Ella

Sri Lanka

Beautiful town in the mountains. Really enjoyed the Ella Rock hike. One of my few criticisms of Dhanushka was he didn't fully brief us on the hike. Called it a walk.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Local guide was terrific

Transport

Visit to Elephant transit home in Udawalawa

Sri Lanka

Really interesting place

Quality of Experience

Safari in Udawalawa National Park

Sri Lanka

Fantastic. Being so close to the animals was amazing

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Guide was very good at spotting animals

Transport

It was a pleasure working with Greg, Japan specialist with KimKim. He was flexible and accommodating. Based on our discussions, he put together a full itinerary packed with great activities and excellent hotels. Except for a couple of minor snafus and delays which prevented us from doing everything, the choices Greg made were generally excellent. At our request, Greg arranged for private tours in Tokyo, Kanazawa, Kyoto, and Hiroshima. The hotels selected were generally excellent. He prearranged all train tickets between cities and provided good guidance in explaining how to navigate local transportation. The best guided tours were the Shinjuku food tour (absolutely top notch sushi (I think the guide's name is Takeshi)) and in Kyoto ( our guide Pam was one of the best guides we've ever had - highly engaged, great sense of humor and extremely accommodating). The private tea ceremony and small group session with a geisha (who conversed with us, played a game and performed a traditional dance) in Kyoto were very special and particularly memorable. We found crowds somewhat overwhelming in popular spots in Kyoto and the Hiroshima peace museum (absolutely packed and could not really see the exhibits well). But all-in-all the planned activities were well worth it, and the package was very well organized. One piece of advice - do as much research on your own in advance so that you can make sure any particular items of places of interest will be included in the agenda which can be custom tailored to your interests, and leave some free time in order to relax, explore on your own, etc.

Activity Reviews

Private Tokyo Night Food Tour in Shinjuku

Tokyo

Guide took us to a relatively obscure sushi restaurant featuring a private session with a sushi chef who explained and prepared everything before us. Sushi was fresh. Probably the best I've ever had!

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Sumo Show with special, sumo nabe lunch included

Tokyo

Entertaining and educational. But not a true sumo match. Still worth it.

Quality of Experience

Our experience with KimKim and the local company we worked with was very high quality and met our expectations. We would like to particularly highlight our tour manager/driver Ali for his unfailing politeness, his exceptional driving skills, his problem solving approach, his flexibility and the pride he had in his home country. Sharon’s company provided us with high quality guides in the places we visited. Our guides were fluent in English and had in depth knowledge/expertise to share. We did learn that one must be flexible in Morocco and understand that the culture offered us opportunities to be less driven by strict timelines and more by the opportunities in the moment.

Hotel Reviews

ONOMO Hotel Casablanca Airport

Nouaceur

Perfect location for overnight before flight.

Authenticity & Character

a hotel near an airport. Did what it needed to do.

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

AC needed improvement. Did not work well.

Hôtel & Ryads Barrière Le Naoura

Marrakech

Another treat. Very upscale and lovely hotel. Buffet was exceptional.

Authenticity & Character

Felt more European than Moroccan but what a lovely stay.

Location

Could walk anywhere.

Staff

Concierge went extra mile.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Tin Joseph

Ouarzazate

Comfortable and big rooms. Quiet.

Authenticity & Character

Nicely decorated with the movie theme.

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Kasbah Tiziri

Kelaat Mgouna

This was a lovely property; well run with lovely spaces to hang out. Spotty wireless which was the only drawback.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Far from town but provided a wonderful

Staff

Enjoyed Michelle very much and the history of the hotel.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Rooms were nicely decorated and very clean.

Riad Madu Premium Camp

Merzouga

Such a lovely desert camp for our overnight.

Authenticity & Character

Drumming at night was great. Rooms were comfortable.

Location

Staff

Very attentive and helpful for everything.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Palais Faraj Suites & Spa

Fès

Our fav. Lovely, classy, great location.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Able to access Medina quickly.

Staff

Attentive, kind, helpful.

Cleanliness & Comfort

This hotel was a treat for all of us.

Riad El Palacio

Chefchaouen

Great location. Rooms were a bit noisy. Seemed a bit weary.

Authenticity & Character

Riad was a bit noisy; darker curtains perhaps?

Location

Could get to everywhere easily.

Staff

the young man at the front desk was EXCEPTIONAL.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Riad Kalaa

Rabat

Lovely place to stay. Fun to get to through the Medina.

Authenticity & Character

Lovely rooms on the roof. Nice place to relax after a long day.

Location

Fun to be in Medina.

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Club Val d'Anfa Casablanca

Casablanca

Good hotel for our night in Casablanca; nice view of the ocean; adequate breakfast buffet; rooms were adequate for an overnight.

Authenticity & Character

A bit old and dated

Location

Staff

helpful; good service.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Private Cooking Class w/ Souk Tour

Morocco

This was a super day as well. Noel and her daughter were such wonderful hosts…and the food was superb.

Quality of Experience

Food

Best meal we had in Morocco. Very interesting to go to market first. Not sure we ‘cooked’ that much but learned a lot and really enjoyed talking with Noel’s daughter.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Guided Tour of Marrakech

Marrakesh

Excellent guide; lovely tour; really great day.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Ouarzazate to Marrakech via Ait Ben Haddou

Morocco

Long day but so interesting. Saw the gorge on this day and then Ait Ben Haddou as well. Ali worked with our needs and let us doing some shopping. Rose cooperative was not a particularly interesting stop. Great guide at Ait Ben Haddou. Found the experience at the movie location very disappointing. I would highly recommend skipping this part of the tour or find a better guide. I don’t think you can take private guides in there; we were in a huge group with a guide that was very lackluster.

Quality of Experience

The Stars are for the time after Ourzazate.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Day with the Locals in the Valley of Roses

Morocco

Really enjoyed this day. Went to the market; went to the village. Had a very interesting tour with Sharon’s husband and a wonderful, wonderful young woman learning to be a guide. There had been a funeral in the village so we didn’t cook, but participated in a lovely tea ceremony and had a great meal. Really interesting day.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Really enjoyed the young woman guide and hope you continue to use her more.

Transport

Merzouga to Dades Valley Via Todgha Gorge

Morocco

The stop to see the Khattara was remarkable. The gorge was also lovely.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Fes to Merzouga via Azrou and Midelt

Morocco

Beautiful drive.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Guided Tour of Fes

Fes

Superb. Guide was outstanding. Tour of Jewish quarter was remarkable; tour of outside of palace; Medina, lunch all wonderful.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Syed was amazing.

Transport

{{start_location}} to {{end_location}} via Volubilis and Meknes

Morocco

Drive was long. Tour at Volubilis was adequate; guide was adequate. Very quick drive through Meknes. Beautiful vistas and views. Good stops for rest and snacks.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Driver is always good. Guide was adequate.

Transport

Orientation Walk & Free Afternoon in Chefchaouen

Chefchaouen

Loved Chefchaouen. Loved our guide. This should be a must see for anyone traveling to Morocco.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Our guide was amazing!

Rabat to Chefchaouen

Morocco

Ali provided good information about the drive. We stopped for breaks. We also stopped at an olive processing plant which was so interesting. Loved the stop when we entered the city for the view and photos.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Afternoon Guided Tour of Rabat

Rabat

Superb quide. I really appreciated the attention the team paid to having diverse quides—including women guides.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

See comments about our van.

Driving Tour of Casablanca

Casablanca

The mosque was really special and enjoyed seeing it. See comments below. Our time in Casablanca was more of a drive through than a tour.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Our van for the whole time was comfortable. AC worked very well.

Elena was amazing throughout the whole planning process. She was able to incorporate everything we wanted out of the trip into well planned itinerary and made sure we got the most out of our stay in each city. Provided insight guides and made sure everything was smooth for us along the way. Will definitely book through them again when the opportunity arises. A big thanks to Elena and her team for an amazing vacation!

A lot of the events on our itinerary felt like tourist traps or promotional items that KimKim is paid to advertise. For example, on one occasion, we grabbed lunch at a random hotel, and did a food tour where one of the restaurants was staffed by people who barely spoke Japanese. Our tour guides were great; locals who were much more skilled at Japanese than English, for better and for worse, and offered us amazing recommendations for places to go and restaurants to eat at... only to take us to the restaurant booked by KimKim, which they had very little to say about. However, on one occasion, KimKim let us pick the restaurant we ate at, which was pretty amazing. That same tour hit a bunch of authentic temples, which while deeply over-commercialized, were great to see. I'm biased toward that tour because we saw more nature than shops. If there's a tree on Mount Fuji, we didn't drive anywhere near it... but Kiyomizu was breathtaking.

The reason for the stars off is primarily the amount of tour that felt like a cookie-cutter, copy-and-paste operation. We adjusted our itinerary to be close to family and friends, but the parts that we moved made me question our guide's experience. Because we were further away from the usual events, our typical day began a little after 7AM with an hour or more of transit. Sure, we incurred that when we asked to be further from some of them... but as an example, we were closer to Mt Fuji than her normal tour. She had us leave our hotel at 6AM sharp to be to Tokyo station in time to catch the shuttle... right back to where we started. Literally we drove past our city on the way back to Mount Fuji. This is the sort of thing I paid a planner *specifically* to prevent, and it wasn't an isolated incident: We had to leave the very next day at 7:25 AM to catch a bullet train between our two hotels... which allowed us to arrive *over two hours* before we were able to check in. After we were back in the city from the copy/paste itinerary, things smoothed out. But basically, just look up someone else's itinerary! KimKim won't do a good job on customizations.

My group had a lot of fun on this trip. The rating is because I genuinely believe we'd have had *more fun* if we just planned it all ourselves.

Hotel Reviews

Kyoto Tokyu Hotel

Kyoto

This hotel was pretty amazing, but it was more of a roller coaster. The breakfast bar was great; I'd have been blown away had I not just been at a Keio Plaza that set my expectations sky-high. This hotel's breakfast had most of the same stuff, though our other hotel literally had a soft serve ice cream machine... how do you compete with that? Additionally, this hotel's restaurants had very weird hours. Some were only open alternating Tuesdays/Thursdays, for example. The dinner restaurant required reservations... at a hotel. Otherwise, the amenities were on point, and I particularly appreciate the hotel shuttle to Kyoto Station. The rooms had a good deal of floor space but were short on furniture, meaning there weren't many places to set things, so luggage just had to sit on the floor. At least doing so left plenty of walkway. The fixtures (showers and toilets) were all great, there were no problems with water temperature or pressure, and the hotel had blackout curtains and other lighting control. The hotel paid a lot of attention to aesthetics; the lobby was stunningly beautiful. However, there was only one set of elevators in the whole hotel, so we managed to stop on every floor on our descent from level 6, just to watch people elect to wait for the next elevator.

Authenticity & Character

Stunning lobby, good Japanese breakfasts

Location

Very close to a cool temple, and within a comfortable commute of Kiyomizu and many others.

Staff

Helpful and friendly staff, very accommodating for English speakers

Cleanliness & Comfort

Beds were comfy and the whole hotel was very clean, neat, and pretty. More room to set stuff would have helped.

Keio Plaza Hotel Hachioji

Tokyo

This hotel's breakfast bar is carrying it. It was that wonderful. The hotel had water pressure problems and the shower flailed wildly between unpleasantly cool and painfully hot. But I worked around that by drawing a bath, and I'd do that every day for the breakfast bar, which blew the other hotel from our trip out of the water. The beds were comfortable, though on the firm side, which I believe many will appreciate. Beyond that, our experience was perfect. The rooms were small but there was space to put our stuff under tables and on a shelf above the beds' headboards, so we did better here than at our other hotel which had more floor space but no furniture to put things on.

Authenticity & Character

Features fancy Japanese toilets and modern lighting fixtures. Blackout curtains, good lighting control with multiple color temperatures. American hotels could learn a thing or two.

Location

We wanted to be in Hachioji specifically, so this was convenient for us. If you're vacationing mostly in Tokyo, this will not be convenient for you.

Staff

Very friendly and accommodating to English speakers.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Everything was neat and tidy. Housekeeping did great.

Activity Reviews

Full Day Kyoto City Tour with Fushimi Inari-Taisha

Kyoto

This experience really made the trip for me. Kiyumizu was breathtaking; a real must-see among the temples. We actually hit multiple on this tour, and our guide was so friendly and accommodating; she made plenty of time for all the stuff we wanted to do. Dinner selection was on us, which was also stunning. If I ever book through KimKim again, I'd just tell them I want more of this. It was night and day in so many respects. We met the guide at our hotel, at an hour we set; she provided us bus passes so that we didn't have to worry about transit for these events (or anything else that day), we did everything we wanted at the temples, had a great meal, and left ecstatic.

Quality of Experience

Everything about it. The places, the guide, the pacing, the meetup.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

She was fantastically accommodating; beyond what I'd ever expect, especially given our other tours.

Transport

Transport was provided; everything was included.

Kimono Tea Ceremony at Kyoto Maikoya

Kyoto

Experience oozed authenticity; any deviation from that was carefully noted by our hostess. Good for tourists as there was time for photo shoots in our kimono, which was strongly encouraged. The place featured a small "zen garden" kind of structure for it, and while said garden was pretty much in the heart of the city where I'm not sure grass can actually grow, they made it work. Sitting on my knees is hard, but the hostess was very accommodating in that respect.

Quality of Experience

The authenticity of the experience, along with how sharable a moment it is (from a tourist point of view).

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Friendly and informative, with good English skills.

Transport

We brought ourselves, so N/A

Mt. Fuji & Arakurayama Sengen Park Standard Lunch Course (Round Trip from Shinjuku or Tokyo Station)

Japan

The tour guide was friendly, spoke great English, and took us through some basic Japanese language and culture lessons, which was cute. These stops were over-commercialized tourist traps that managed to be all about Mount Fuji while exhibiting surprisingly little nature (our final stop was better, as it was a shopping center located next to a very scenic lake). The stops on Fuji itself were just tourist traps that charge you (separately and individually) to so much as use the restroom (there *is* a free one on site, as well). I was told to avoid Mount Fuji because it's a tourist trap, and I accepted the risk because hey, I'm a tourist. What I didn't expect is some extremely poor planning on the part of KimKim that made the whole day a huge pain. We had to leave our hotel before breakfast opened (which would have been at 7AM) to make it to the meetup point on time (a bit after 8 AM). To add insult to injury, the bus we boarded in Tokyo passed within a few hundred meters of said hotel an hour later. I was livid. My party constituted three of the five individuals on this tour, and the other two were from a separate stop; KimKim should have arranged a stop for us. Breakfast was not provided on the tour, nor did we have time to catch any before departure. Lunch was some sad prepackaged meal offered at a random hotel along the way. I enjoyed our time by the lake, though.

Quality of Experience

Better scheduling with our existing itinerary.

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Guide was wonderful; friendly, informative, helpful, patient.

Transport

We were on a bus most of the time. How much walking we did was up to us, and we didn't need to worry about rail.

Master Tokyo's Must-Sees: 5-hour Tsukiji, Akihabara & Asakusa Highlights Tour

Tokyo

A lot of good sights, especially the thunder temple, and a good guide to tell us about them. Japan has largely over-commercialized these temples, but it doesn't feel so bad because it's all cheap, all done on the honor system (within the temples; stands around them are pretty touristy), and all deeply rooted in their culture (even most of the local shops and food stands). Some of the pacing could be improved; I'd rather walk and talk when possible, but this tour still left some wiggle room so we could do what we wanted in the area, and the guide made time for photos and helped us out with them. The tour also left us plenty of time to structure the rest of our day around it.

Quality of Experience

Flexible schedule, friendly guide, and good food at a quality restaurant.

Food

Food quality was good, quantity was acceptable, and timing was such that we could do what we liked in town afterward.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Guide was very friendly and helpful, spoke English pretty well, and did his best to make the experience great for us.

Transport

Guide told us where to go, we just had to provide bus fare

Tokyo Night Foodie Tour in Shinjuku

Tokyo

Our guide was great. The choice of eateries was questionable. The food selection was predetermined, rather than just setting a budget, so some members of our group left after eating very little (of the 8 pieces of sushi and 3 tempura that were offered at the first joint). The second joint seemed to be higher quality and was far more impressive. We actually bailed on the third place because it was just some type of ice cream and our group was falling asleep, nearly out of phone battery, by that point in the day.

Quality of Experience

Restaurant selection, food variety

Food

Variety, selection... these were two of the three worst restaurants we ate at on our whole trip. They weren't *bad,* there were just *better,* all around.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Our guide was very friendly and informative. We learned a lot from him.

Transport

Most of this experience was just walking somewhere to eat two fistfuls of food, the pacing of meals and stops was terrible, and we had no time to adjust for things the group was actually enjoying.

Our guides Phil, Ricky, Victor, and Duong did a great job. All the drivers did good too. Lucy helped a lot with my Visa application error. We would be happy to use Kimkim to help plan our return trip to Vietnam.

Overall, had a good experience with Kimkim. I had good experience with our guide Mustapha. He had good understanding about what we wanted and that made a difference. Accommodations were overall good, except in one place where we had to walk a lot as vehicles were not allowed. Hopefully, they can get a place closer to where vehicles are allowed. Food was also good except in one place, Boumalne Dades at Rihana Dades which appeared to be expensive for the dinner and choice was not good; breakfast was also average here. We were able to see everything we wanted and happy to recommend to our friends. The only glitch we had was during the final plan, when we were told that Marrakech was not inour tour itinerary. this is the most important place. During planning, on Sep 26th there was a half day tour of Marrakesh. When they updated the trip plan to include Rabat instead of Chefchaouen, I thought other sections were not changed. Anyway, after landing , we decided to leave later in the afternoon the next day allowing for us to see Marrakech and in the end it worked out. Glad that we went to several cities within a week and Mustapha helped to achieve that.

Hotel Reviews

Barceló Casablanca

Casablanca

Usual city hotel.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Riad Kalaa 2

Rabat

Nice Riad.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Dar Rihana Dades

Douar Aït Ouffi

Could be better. there was water dripping from the sink. dinner choice was not there and cost was higher than expected. Breakfast was average. It was away from the main route and we have to drive further to reach this place.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Riad Braya

FesfE

Nice place to Stay. Beautiful living area.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Bathroom needs a curtain as others can see when a person is having bath, and the rest have to be outside the room.

Tiziri Luxury Camp

Merzouga

Great experience in the camp

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Riad Diamond of Marrakech

Marrakech

Amazing Riad.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Guided Tour of Fez Medina

Fes

Guided tour was good. the guide explained well.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Private Transfer From Merzouga to Fez

Morocco

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Transfer from Dades to Merzouga via Todra Gorges & Erfoud

Morocco

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

This is was a trip of a lifetime. Every city was different and memorable. All of our guides were knowledgeable and timely. We are not big shoppers so they were able to accommodate our extra time with additional sights. Shona, our local specialist, was able to help us adjust a train ticket within an hour and helped us navigate minor bumps during our trip.