Kimkim Trip Reviews

We had a great experience with KimKim and our recent trip to Iceland. Planning with Noga could not have been easier. She and her colleagues were responsive and helpful, before the trip and when we were in Iceland. Nothing was overlooked. We felt the cost of this trip was very reasonable and Noga and team really listened to the type of accommodations we wanted, the adventures we wanted, the foods we liked, etc. We traveled the last week of May - it was cold and we had 2 solid days of strong wind, low temps, and sideways rain. It didn't ruin the trip by any means, but go prepared with lots of layers and - especially - waterproof outer layers. From what we heard when we were there, you're likely to need it. Highlights of our trip were the glacier hike and a private full day jeep tour that brought us into remote parts of the mountains not accessible by regular vehicles. If you can swing a private tour, do it. They can tailor the day around you and your likes/dislikes/athletic abilities. The island itself is hard to describe - otherworldly. Visit!

Gumi met all of our wishes for an active, energizing travel around Iceland. His recommendations for activities, restaurants, and lodging were all spot on. Everything was timed out so there was no anxiety around where and when we needed to be somewhere. The cadence was perfect, mixing strenuous days with relaxing spa days. Gumi had us well prepared for what to bring and what to expect (don’t forget your rain suits!). He took care of unusual occurrences (a spa was closed due to an unexpected issue and we were quickly rebooked to another one). We could not have asked for a better planned and executed vacation.

Othman was a wonderful help when planning our trip. He customized it to fit our needs and worked hard to fix things when our flight was delayed a day (storms in the US - no fault of anyone). We were still able to fit everything in and it was wonderful. Truly an experience of a lifetime and will use this service again!

My trip was amazing from start to finish. Hamza and Said were incredibly responsive and organized, ensuring everything ran smoothly throughout the entire experience even with different flight and transport schedules within one group.

A special thank you to Jamal, our driver, who was truly exceptional! He was knowledgeable, punctual, responsive, and always accommodating, making every part of the journey enjoyable and stress-free. His professionalism and warm personality added so much to the experience. I could easily see him excelling in a tour guide role someday, as he has a natural talent for sharing insights and helping visitors feel welcome. He was absolutely wonderful!

I would absolutely recommend Jamal and the entire Original Travels team to anyone traveling to Morocco. They exceeded all expectations. 10/10 experience!

Bianca was absolutely exceptional from start to finish. She organized our entire trip across South Africa with incredible attention to detail, making everything feel seamless and stress-free. From perfectly timed pick-ups to thoughtfully selected hotels and unforgettable extra tours, every element was handled with professionalism and care.
What really stood out was her ability to tailor the experience to us—nothing felt generic. She was always responsive, proactive, and clearly passionate about creating memorable journeys. Thanks to Bianca, we were able to fully relax and enjoy the beauty of South Africa without worrying about logistics.
I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend her to anyone planning a trip—she truly goes above and beyond.

Activity Reviews

Table Mountain Hike and Cable Car

Cape Town

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Cape Town Hop on and Hop off bus - own arrangements

South Africa

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Final Morning Game Drive

South Africa

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Klaserie Game Drive

Klaserie Private Nature Reserve

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Morning Game Drive

South Africa

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Afternoon Game Drive

South Africa

Fantastic experience

Quality of Experience

Everything

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Via Ferrata Drakensberg

Drakensberg

Great fun

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Safe and fun

Transport

Everything

Our trip/adventure in Morocco was amazing thanks to Hassan! We saw beautiful sites and learned things about the history of the places we were seeing on our drive to the Sahara. Thank you so much for everything it would have been the same without you!

Hotel Reviews

Riad Ksar Ighnda

Asfalou

This hotel is gorgeous all the plants and the grotto just absolutely stunning. You could have a photoshoot here. Staff was very helpful. Our room was huge and had an awesome view of the sunrise over the mountain the next morning.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Tiziri Luxury Camp

Merzouga

What an experience to stay in the desert. The camel trek to the camp is all part of it and just beautiful. Meals were wonderful and evening entertainment. Oh and the stars!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Dar Rihana Dades

Douar Aït Ouffi

This felt like the most authentic Moroccan stay we had - owned and operated by three brothers it certainly had the feeling of home. Our room was amazing tuck in a quiet area of the hotel. Dinner at their restaurant was the best meal we had on our trip! The homemade goat cheese was to die for!!

Authenticity & Character

I loved our room here the decor was awesome

Location

An excellent stopping point on your journey to the Sahara and to see the snaky road

Staff

Mohammed made you feel very welcomed and want for nothing

Cleanliness & Comfort

Very clean and comfortable had a great nights sleep!

Activity Reviews

Erg Chebbi – Erfoud – Alnif – Nkob – Ourzazate( 5 Hour Drive)

Morocco

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Explore Ouarzazate

Morocco

We kind of opted not to do this because we wanted to get to the hotel sooner. So I can’t really rate this

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Skoura/ Dades – Tinerir – Todra Gorge – Rissani – Merzouga – Erg Chebbi ( 5/ 4 Hour Drive)

Morocco

Marrakech – Telouet – Ait Benhaddou – Skoura/ Dades Gorge ( 5/6 Hour Drive)

Morocco

Guided Tour of Aït Benhaddou

Morocco

Camel trek to your luxury camp

Merzouga

Best part of our trip! It’s just breathtaking being surrounding by the dunes and the silence of the desert

Quality of Experience

Food

There is no food. It would be cool to have a set up while watching the sunset just little snacks and maybe wine just the option

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

You stop halfway and have the option for a four wheel drive car to get you if the camel ride is too much. But keep going

Had a phenomenal trip to Florence and Rome. We did all of the classics such as the colosseum and the Roman forum but also did many unique experiences such as our Roman food tour and our bike through Tuscany. All of our transfers were perfect and timed correctly. I never felt like we were rushed . All of our drivers were prompt and helpful. Service during the trip itself was also highly exceptional . Could not recommend more highly. Will be using again for sure.

Hotel Reviews

Eitch Borromini Palazzo Pamphilj

Rome

Luxury hotel in the heart of Rome. Staff was very friendly and helpful. Had some personal issues that we needed assistance with and the staff jumped right in, going above and beyond beyond to provide service.

Authenticity & Character

Balcony and rooftop were amazing

Location

Close to many of the premium areas

Staff

Responsive to all issues that arose.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Very nice beds and room Temperature was great with nice AC!

Hotel Orto de' Medici

Florence

Luxurious hotel in the close to the action in Florence.

Authenticity & Character

Historic building itself

Location

Central to activities

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Private Tour of San Gimignano & Monteriggioni

Italy

Great private tour of these Tuscan villages. it was nice to get away from the busyness of Florence itself. It felt like stepping back into history. She provided in depth information that could not be found in a guidebook, Only from a local.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Downhill To Florence Bike Tour

Italy

Nice activity with only some physical work needed at times to go up hills. Beautiful views of Tuscan countryside. There is some steep downhills and people need to feel very comfortable on a bike and handing it safely .

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

We traveled to Florence and Lake Como to celebrate our 20th wedding anniversary, and working with Fabio made every moment of it truly epic.

From the very beginning, Fabio was responsive, attentive, and genuinely invested in making our trip special. Every provider he arranged — drivers, guides, and tour operators — was professional, friendly, and flexible throughout. The wine tastings were wonderful, and the private boat tour on Lake Como was the absolute highlight of the entire trip.

What truly set Fabio apart was how effortlessly he handled everything. We came in not quite knowing what to expect, and his expertise turned that uncertainty into complete confidence. When we needed a last-minute change to our itinerary, he accommodated our request without hesitation and without question. That kind of flexibility and grace under pressure is rare.

Fabio also went above and beyond with a truly special and thoughtful anniversary gift — a gesture that meant more than words can say and made our celebration even more memorable.

I would absolutely recommend Fabio and KimKim to anyone looking for an expert who will handle it all and make it amazing. If you want to hand everything over to someone you can trust completely and have it turn out epic — Fabio is your person.

Hotel Reviews

Palace Hotel

Como

Authenticity & Character

Location

Lake Como view from the room

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Kraft

Florence

Authenticity & Character

Location

Great location, walking distance from Arno river.

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

From Lake Como to the Borromean Islands: A Day of Elegance and Discovery

Italy

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

4-Hour Boat Experience - Explore Lake Como

Italy

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Tuscany Day Trip to Siena & San Gimignano | Lunch & Wine Tasting Included

Florence

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Val D’Orcia & Brunello Wine Tour with Lunch and Two Wine Tastings

Italy

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Renaissance Walking Tour of Florence with David

Florence

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

This has to be one of the best organized trips I've ever been on. KimKim organized everything from beginning to the end and it was seamless! The itinerary matched exactly what I wanted within my budget and Ellen's suggestions for some other experiences were perfect! From letting us know the times and locations of where to meet our guides to the exact platform to be on for the trains, we never found ourselves lost, confused or stressed. The drivers picking us up were bilingual and very helpful and our guides were off the charts! Lily, Jun, Meri, Satoko and Kiko showed us so many wonderful places in Tokyo, Osaka and Kyoto and incorporated my desire to visit Ueno and Kappabashi (so I could get some Japanese Knives!) and to visit some smaller neighborhoods as well. We also asked for visits to the Inari gates and the bamboo forest but without the crowds and our guide came up with solutions. Overall our whole trip was 100% perfections and I have absolutely no complaints about anything. I plan on using KimKim again for future trips to other countries!

Activity Reviews

*Private Guided Tour in Kyoto: Heritage and Timeless Paths

Kyoto

Kyoto is beautiful and special in its own way. Staying at a Ryokan and having Kaiseki dinners were such a great experience

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

*Private Guided tour in Osaka: Castle, Street Eats and Local Energy

Osaka

Osaka is for food lovers and it did not disappoint! As well as the shrines, Tori gates and the Bamboo forest, all were beautiful!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

*Private Guided Tour in Tokyo: Highlights and Hidden Gems

Tokyo

I loved that we were able to also include exploring Ueno and Kappabashi as I requested. There’s sooo much to see in Tokyo but I love these two areas!

Quality of Experience

Small streets of great food and experiences!

Quality of Experience

Small streets of great food and experiences!

Guides, Drivers and Staff

My guide found my favorite gyoza restaurant from an old photo I had!

Guides, Drivers and Staff

My guide found my favorite gyoza restaurant from an old photo I had!

Transport

Clean, professional and bilingual drivers were extra special!

Transport

Clean, professional and bilingual drivers were extra special!

Gummy is the absolute best. The itinerary he planned was terrific and he followed my wishes exactly. I appreciated his detailed instructions and suggestions as to daily dining and travel unique to Iceland. Gummy put together a tour that matched our interests and adventures. Because of our arrival and the timing of the last tour of the day, we were unable to join our puffin tour. Somewhat disappointing but not anyone’s fault. All hotels were clean, safe and in great locations. Jazz was somewhat disappointing in that it was only fair but we did appreciate being able to have breakfast at 5:30 am.I will certainly consider booking any future travel with Gummy and KimKim in the future.

Robert was an incredible helpful guide. He was always available to answer any questions.

Ivan and Sarah set up a wonderful itinerary for us. They were very responsive to any changes we requested. The local guides were all friendly and informative and spoke perfect english. If a driver was more than five minutes late we got in touch with Ivan and it was immediately addressed.
I can’t recommend this agency enough!

Exceeded our Expectations!

Our initial interactions with Joao were easy -- his responsiveness to our wishes was prompt and thorough. Each guide on the various islands Pico, São Jorge, Terceira, and Faial knew their territory and shared so much expertise with us. They flexed when asked and went out of their way to accommodate us, adding side trips as time allowed. Even our driver Jorge surprised us with hand-wrapped souvenirs! Would use Kim-kim again in a heartbeat. Thank you so much.

Hotel Reviews

Hotel Do Colégio

Ponta Delgada

Nice to see a different side of the island. Like all our stays, this was clean and comfortable.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Great locale. Fun place to walk around and great restaurants.

Staff

Informative, respectful, and, of course, kind.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Clean and comfortable.

Azores Book Hotel

Angra do Heroísmo

This was the winner hotel of our trip! It was very interesting and just an enjoyable place to stay!

Authenticity & Character

Great character with the book theme.

Location

Ok, down the hill from the town -- in walking distance though.

Staff

Staff was very accommodating. A young waitress in the kitchen, having been asked for non-dairy options for coffee, proactively brought out some when we got to breakfast! Lots of people, but she remembered. Impressive. The breakfast buffet was great!

Cleanliness & Comfort

Clean and very comfy.

Pico Studios

Madalena

Well-located, relatively quiet, and clean.

Authenticity & Character

It was fine. There is a problem with the name of one of the rooms, which could be offensive to some people.

Location

Liked the proximity to the ferry, the square, restaurants, and coffee shop.

Staff

Not much interaction with staff.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Clean and comfortable overall. We had lots of extra space. The fan in the bathroom was very annoying, and it was attached to the light switch.

As Casas da Riberia Grande

Ribeira Grande

Definitely liked this locale. It was a bit challenging to get responses since the main hotel was in another spot and the corner apartment was noisy. It was clean and spacious enough for a couple.

Authenticity & Character

The nearby square was charming, and it was near places where we could eat and walk.

Location

Noisy corner

Staff

Didn't really have much interaction since the main hotel was in another place.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Comfortable and clean. Some of the kitchen amenities were not there, although there were instructions that they were. Notheing major.

Activity Reviews

Half-Day Hiking Activity in Terceira

Portugal

This was by far the most physical day of the trip. Our guide was so responsive and good overall that we gladly hired him on for the rest of the day.

Quality of Experience

What a treat, he really knew what he was doing, appreciated the varied flora and paid good attention to our comfort/safety while hiking.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Great guide!!

Transport

Safe and took us to varied terrain.

Between the Lava and the Sea - A Half-Day Guided Wine Experience on Pico

Pico Island

Weather-wise, Pico was a bit more welcoming on this half-day tour. We had the same guide as on our first half-day and we had a good sense of his style. The tour was not private, however, and it seemed a bit awkward for the man who did not know us or the guide. Our guide handled things really well in any case.

Quality of Experience

Some of this was repetitive, but we enjoyed the wine tasting.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

He was very adept at creating cohesion in the group.

Transport

Good driving.

São Jorge Flexible Explorer - Full-Day Guided Tour

Portugal

Once again, as with the previous tours, we had a guide who was passionate and knowledgeable about the environment and the history. He kept us engaged the entire trip.

Quality of Experience

It was a diverse tour, we again were invited into our guide's home to sample liqueurs made by his wife. A sense of being truly welcomed.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Knowledgeable, with a great sense of humor and clear pride in his work.

Transport

Safe and easy.

Faial from Coast to Crater: A Full-Day Guided Discovery

Portugal

Our guide Pedro was exceptional! He was a great fit for our group since we shared many perspectives on ecology and the environment. He gave us a bonus experience to meet his mother and see her garden and the project he was working on. It totally enriched our trip!

Quality of Experience

Pedro's passion for the environment and for his work.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Safe driver and seeing his home project and meeting his mother was such a bonus.

Transport

We saw a lot and it definitely felt like a perspective that was real. . .not a canned tour.

In the Shadow of the Giant: A Half-Day Guided Tour of Pico

the Azores

This one was difficult. In hindsight, going from the airport to a tour was not the best call. It was windy and cold, and I personally wasn't dressed warmly enough, so I spent more time in the van than outside looking at things. Our guide was very good and tried to be as accommodating as possible.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

He was kind, respectful and very knowledgable.

Transport

Roomy van and our guide was a safe driver.

Ada was very prompt in answering our emails. She also provided excellent pre-tour information that helped us a great deal with our planning. The information we requested always came quickly. She understood very well what we were interested in and planned our entire tour accordingly. We were very satisfied with her arrangements. The hotel in Tokyo was great. It offered a great breakfast buffet and it was near shopping and restaurants. In Kyoto, the hotel was also very nice and near shopping and restaurants, but unfortunately the breakfast buffet was mediocre and none of the staff spoke English, so it was very difficult to ask for things. We think the staff did not even speak much Japanese. It is a restaurant run by Vietnamese staff, so communication was very hard. The hotel in Osaka was a nice hotel as well with a great breakfast buffet, very friendly staff, but not close to restaurants or shopping. We had to take a taxi to do some shopping on our last day. Fortunately, taxis in Japan are not terribly expensive. The one suggestion we would like to make is that when purchasing tickets in the bullet train from Tokyo to Kyoto, the seats need to be on the right side of the isle (ideally seats D and E) so that the tourists can have a view of Mount Fuji. Also suggesting that a snack be brought on the train would be great.
Bea was our guide in Tokyo and she was totally amazing. She was kind, patient, knowledgeable, likable, and very helpful. Even after our tour/day with her was finished, she said we could contact her at any time if we had questions. She even helped us purchase our bus tickets to DisneySea. By the way, we were super lost when leaving DisneySea at the end of the day because turns out that there are two different exits to leave the park and they both look extremely similar, especially at night in the dark. It would be very helpful to tell the tourists going to DisneySea to pay very close attention to how they get into the park and to get out the same gate in order to catch the bus back to Tokyo.
When we went to Nara, we could not find the temple to see the Buddha. We contacted our guide in Kyoto, but when we did not get a response right away, we contacted Bea because we were very hot and wanted to get help as quickly as possible. We were lucky and Bea was able to do a video chat with us and even sent us a link so that we could locate the temple where we could see the Buddha. By the way, Jason did get back to us, but by then we had already spoken with Bea. Even after we returned home to the USA she contacted us to make sure we were okay. What a great tour guide! Plus, it was very nice to have someone who spoke such good English.
Our guide in Kyoto and Osaka, Jason, was also very good, funny and very knowledgeable as well. He tried to be patient, but my husband was having trouble with his back and was walking very slowly, so it was difficult for him to keep up with Jason even though Jason tried to allow for it. Jason also helped us buy our train tickets to Nara. This was very helpful because not many people speak English. One suggestion would be that, if the weather is not good and it is rainy in Osaka, it is not worth it to make the long walk to the Umeda Sky Building to get a view of the cityscape. Overall, we were very happy with Ada, the hotel accommodations, the places we visited and both tour guides. We loved Japan! It was a fun and exciting trip!

Hotel Reviews

Osaka Excel Hotel Tokyu

Osaka

It was a nice hotel, but you do have to switch elevators to get to the restaurant. Their breakfast buffet is excellent and the restaurant staff is very nice.

Authenticity & Character

Thins you do not see in US hotels like heaters in the elevator, trash cans that open up when you walk up to them :0 etc.

Location

It is not close to restaurants or shopping, but a taxi can take you there for about $10 dollars

Staff

Very friendly staff, especially the restaurant staff. Someone even brought me a blanket because I felt it was a little cold.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Very clean room, everything in Japan seems to be clean :) even the subway :)

Daiwa Roynet Hotel Kyoto ekimae PREMIER

Kyoto

This was a nice hotel, very clean and with very friendly staff. The hotel is very close to the train station, but not knowing the layout of the "basement" coming out of the train station we decided to take a taxi. The hotel is close to shopping and restaurants, but their breakfast buffet is not the best. The staff in the restaurant does not speak English.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Close to even a Baskin Robins :)

Staff

Very friendly staff.

Cleanliness & Comfort

The room and bathroom were very clean.

Hotel Gracery Shinjuku

Tokyo

This hotel is in a great location. Close to shopping and restaurants. The reception is on the 8th floor, the rest of the rooms are above floor 8th. The restaurant, Sizzler, is on the first floor and it offers and amazing breakfast buffet. The entrance to floors 2-7 is around the corner of the building. There are shops and even a movie theater inside the building. And if you are interested in Godzilla, this is the perfect hotel for you. They have props from some of the Godzilla movies.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Near restaurants and shopping. Super lively day and night.

Staff

Very helpful. My travel agent asked that I be placed in the lowest possible floor and I was placed in the 8th floor which was perfect for me.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Everything was very clean and comfortable. You will love the toilet :)

Activity Reviews

Full Day City Tour with Osaka Castle

Japan

We discovered that upon getting out of the subway station, you can walk up to a little train that takes you to the castle. Taking the train is totally worth it because otherwise the walk up to the castle will completely wipe you out, especially on a warm day. I do not remember the cost of the little train ticket, but it is not too expensive.

Quality of Experience

Honestly, everything stood out. These visits are so different from what you see in Europe or Latin America that everything catches your attention.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Without the tour guide one would be lost all the time. There are very few signs in English and most people do not speak English, so it is very difficult to go places on your own. With our guide, Jason, we took mostly the subway, and without him we would not be able to do it because there are many many subway lines and it is unbelievable busy in the stations, so you cannot see where you are going. Once, during our free day, we returned from Nara to Kyoto and it took us almost 45 minutes to be able to get out of the station. Luckily, when we finally came up to the street, we were just about three blocks from our hotel, but it was not the place where we intended to come out. It is like another city down in the subway station, seriously.

Transport

Transportation is Japan is great. You can go from Kyoto to Osaka in the bullet train in just 13 minutes! They have a great transportation system, if you know where you are going, otherwise, just take a taxi. We asked the people at the hotel to write down in Japanese the name of the place where we wanted to go and we just showed that writing to the taxi driver. We never had any issues.

Kyoto's Cultural Treasures: Fushimi Inari-Taisha, Nijo Castle and Kinkaku-ji

Japan

Kyoto is a beautiful place to visit with so many temples, Torii gates, history, culture, etc. Kyoto is what we expected to see in Japan: many beautiful places such as temples, pagodas, gardens, etc. The visit to Kinkaku-ji Temple with the famous Golden Pavilion with its two floors covered in gold leaf is beautiful and impressive. The Nijo Castle is impressive and as with everything else surrounded by beautiful gardens. Finally, the visit to Fushimi-Inari Taisha with its endless torii gates. beautiful. Finding out that they all have been donated by individuals and businesses was mind boggling. Everyone going to Japan must visit Kyoto. Everything there is beautiful, you cannot take a bad picture :)

Quality of Experience

Honestly, I cannot pick out one thing. I look at my pictures and everything was amazing: the Golden Pavilion, the Nijo Castle, the Fushimi-Inari Taisha with all the torii gates, everything has its own special quality and beauty.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

We had a very knowledgeable guide, Jason. We used the subway several times and were impressed by how clean it is and how well organized and on time the trains run. People inside the cars of the subway are clean, well dressed, and quiet. Everyone is either looking at their cellphone or reading. There is no loud chatter and everyone behaves in a polite manner.

Transport

Cannot say enough about the transportation in Japan. Whether you are taking a taxi, the subway, a train, or a bullet train everything is clean and quiet. The seats in the subway are padded and comfortable! The windows are clean, no trash on the floor, and the seats in the trains are like in an airplane but comfortable, clean, and spacious. Truly an amazing transportation system. I do have to admit that our tour guides always purchased our tickets because there is no way to understand what you need to buy or how if you try to do it yourself. The instructions in the machines are all in Japanese and the ticket machines look like a station at NASA :)

Full Day Tokyo City Tour with Tsukiji Outer Fish Market

Tokyo

The visits to the gardens were very nice. Very enjoyable to see those beautifully manicured gardens and walk through them. The visit to the market was also interesting. Bea also took us to a department store called Isetan which we found super interesting, particularly the bottom floor with endless food booths. We had never seen anything like that. It was great, so different.

Quality of Experience

Everything we saw was very different from things we have seen in Europe, so it was interesting and beautiful. Everything so clean and organized. I loved it!

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Our tour guide, Bea, was absolutely the best. She was very nice, spoke great English, super friendly and patient. She helped us so much. We just loved her!

Transport

I think that on this day we took mostly taxis, which was a great way to see how this works. For example, taxi doors open on their own, you only pay what the meter indicates (the fare starts at 500 yen), you can stop a taxi just about anywhere in the street, and you do not need to tip the driver.

Our trip to Spain and Portugal was amazing. Kimkim did a fantastic job planning everything. Making sure that we had drivers to take us and pick us up at the key transportation hubs, and provided wonderful guides for the various tours that we took. We had a wonderful guide in Barcelona for the tour of Park Guell and the Sagria de Familia Basilica. Those are not to be missed if you visit Barcelona. We also did a Tapas food tour with Joseph who was funny, knowledgeable and took us to 3 excellent places for traditional Spanish Tapas. We stayed at Hotel Villa Emila which was a nice hotel in a nice part of Barcelona where we could walk to a number of places. After 2 days in Barcelona we took a train to Madrid on a nice coach and stayed at Hotel Regina. The next day we took a tour of the Prada Art Museum which was amazing. Later that afternoon we had a private tour of the Royal Palace with Carlos who was super knowledgeable and just a fun guide to have. The next day we attended a Flamenco show which was amazing. There as a slight mixup with the location, but Summer from Kimkim got back to me quickly to confirm the new location. After 2.5 days in Madrid, we flew to Lisbon which turned out to be our favorite place. Our first 1/2 day there we did some shopping and sight-seeing on our own. The second day we went on a walking tour with Rui who was super cool and very knowledgeable about the history of Lisbon and Portugal in general. He took us to the oldest operating bookstore in the world as well as other highlights of the city. Later that afternoon we went on a Portuguese food tour with Dani who had very close ties to the areas we went to as she grew up in Lisbon and was so passionate about the place and her heritage. The next day we had a private tour with Luis to Pena Place and Sintra. Luis was an excellent guide and the skip the line tickets was the only way to go as the lines for this tour were incredibly long and it was a hot day. I could go on and on, but Kimkim did an excellent job in planning excellent tours with great guides and virtually no issues. I highly recommend them.

My input was included with Rae's. Overall a very memorable and fun experience. Kimkim reduced the stress and found nice places to stay.

Hotel Review

Tulloch Castle Hotel ‘A Bespoke Hotel’

Dingwall

A very friendly and fun place to stay! We did not get to see the green lady ghost, but we had a great room...

Authenticity & Character

Location

Our of town

Staff

very friendly

Cleanliness & Comfort

good food and bar

Activity Reviews

Tickets to British Museum

London

I was glad we went, however a few hours is not nearly enough time. It would take days to see the place. I did not especially like the "layout" of the exhibits, however it was impressive.

Quality of Experience

Glen Afric, Culloden & Clava Cairns From Inverness

Inverness

Much better than I anticipated. Well worth the time. Culloden was an emotional experience.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

We had a truly memorable trip. Roshan was a fantastic guide. His knowledge of everything was outstanding. He was kind and attentive. He even added in extra stops that he thought would be interesting. We really appreciated him and I can't recommend him highly enough. The initial help from kimkim was very good. All in all we had a great holiday.

Our custom trip to Croatia focused on history and local food experiences. The itinerary was well organized, and the pacing allowed us to really enjoy the destinations.
Our tour coordinator, Sara, was fantastic to work with. She handled all the planning and logistics seamlessly, ensuring everything ran smoothly from start to finish.
The local guides provided by kimkim were also a definite highlight of the trip. In particular, Petra was fun and entertaining during our wonderful tour of Plitvice Lakes National Park, and Grgo was excellent during our time in Hvar. Both were incredibly knowledgeable and added a lot of value to our experience.
I'd definitely recommend kimkim if you want a tailored trip with reliable local expertise and great support.

Our Greece trip was absolutely amazing and would not have been if Eirini wasn't helping us every step of the way. Her expertise about Greece and everything she put together for us was over the top perfect and effortless for all involved. I will be singing her praises and recommending her and Kim Kim for any travels to Greece. We could not have been happier with everything that she did and the places we stayed. Beyond expectations and loved it all.

Hotel Reviews

Althea Apartments

Pyrgos

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Limeni Village Mani

Lakonia

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Ennea Muses Rooms & Suites

Nafplio

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Urban Stripes Athens

Athens

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Acropolis & Museum tour

Athens

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

The wines of Nemea tour

Nafplio

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

The trip was great! The chosen activities were all good and I was very glad to have used Kimkim for the most part. I don’t like giving up control so much (control freak, obviously), but I only truly regretted it twice and kind of rolled my eyes once. They were not quick enough on getting us train tickets and we lost the opportunity for the original timing altogether (which I ended up being really glad for) and still weren’t able to get us seats together on the later time (which was not pleasant- not only was it annoying to not be next to my family, but also none of us had windows). The second thing I regretted was the first hotel- but it’s hard to say if I could have done significantly better - I did do way better on the last hotel 😮‍💨. That said- without them I would have likely not done three things that were the true highlight of the trip: one was a cruising sauna (in the end I booked this outside the Kim Kim portion of my trip myself, because due to the train timing issue they had to cancel the floating sauna they had intended for us- but I wouldn’t have booked at all probably without them putting it in my itinerary originally! The second was the Flåm train ride- what a treat! And thanks to the awful seats on the first leg of the train journey, we ended up having probably the best seats in this ‘free seating’ portion- so that worked out and was a true treat. The third was the fjord safari- super highly recommend!! It was wonderful, and we ended up having a private tour which was great. The one activity that was eye roll worthy and I regret on so many levels was the ‘dinner cruise’ in Bergen. For one, I’m sure it was unnecessarily expensive, two: at this point we had seen the fjord several times and it is definitely way prettier by Flåm and Balestrand, and three: the meal was waaaaaaaaaaaaaaay too long. My 16yo was jumping out of his skin and frankly so was I- it’s just that as an adult I could hide it better. Even my husband, who does like relaxing in beautiful scenery way longer than us, was not pleased with the overly drawn out meal. I wish I had asked more about this, I would have likely taken it out. To me, dinner cruise means you’re on a boat that has food- so it was also a case of wrong interpretation by me. Overall- the trip was amazing and I’m glad I used Kimkim, but I will ask more questions next time.

Hotel Reviews

Flåmsbrygga Apartments

Flåm

Super spacious! Very clean, lots of doors to open (important because I could not turn off the heat). However- the birds are LOUD, so theres a downside to open doors. Despite the great amount of space there aren’t enough surfaces for luggage. They have maybe one that is supposedly for luggage, but it’s so narrow we couldn’t even successfully use it for backpacks, let alone carry-on size luggage. So then we used the chairs to open up our backpacks, because the couch needed to be opened for our third person (our son), so then we had nowhere to sit. Thus, despite the huge size of this place, it was not comfortable to hang out in. This extended to the ginormous ballroom size bathroom which contained one of those ridiculously tiny round door showers. Good luck washing your feet without fancy acrobatics or opening the round doors thus creating an even bigger mess of water. They could have simply strung a curtain in a larger area and it would have likely been cheaper (presumably why they used the round doors instead of actual glass that created a bigger footprint). They have shelves, but are the cheap, plastic, wobbly kind, so you can’t use them for anything other than their towels. At least the sink counter is spacious though. All in all- I was very pleased with how clean and well kept it was, but wow what a waste of space that ultimately made it exactly as comfortable as a cramped hotel room.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Theres no staff- but check in and out were easy

Cleanliness & Comfort

Clean yes! Comfort- half yes half no per review

Hotell Bondeheimen

Oslo

It was ok- pretty cramped (we were three, so our chair bed was opened), very hot (zero control over temperature- can’t even ‘turn it off’). However, very well located and the staff were very friendly- they got us two fans to help with the heat. The shower is open- the glass that is there doesn’t even reach the floor, so water goes everywhere, very literally everywhere. Important to note that most European hotels have zero A/C (although I can usually at least turn off the heat!), are usually tiny, and the showers tend to be tiny and uncomfortable- so the downsides here weren’t exactly abnormal, but with careful researching I’ve successfully avoided all of these in the past, and did so in Bergen. Last thing- the breakfast was amazing! And again: the staff is outstanding and delivered good service despite an ongoing strike that affected their staff.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Clean yes! Comfort so-so

Activity Reviews

Fjord Safari by RIB

Flåm

It was an amazing way to experience the fjords up close and personal! Our driver/tour guide , Anton I believe, was great- caring, entertaining and friendly. I would highly recommend this!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Fjord Cruise & Seafood Dining Experience

Bergen

Ok- it wasn’t- it just wasn’t worth it for us. We had come to Bergen by ferry from Balestrand- so a nice four hour tour of the fjords. Zero upside to the boat ride required to get to the restaurant. The dinner itself was three long hours long- waaaaaaaaaay too long. It was solidly good, but nothing out of this world and because it’s strictly seafood, people who don’t love seafood won’t have as great a time. Also- I’m sure it was ridiculously expensive in a city area where you can get great fresh seafood without even trying. The location is very nice with a great view of the water, and the service is excellent. So again: not bad, just not worth it IMO. For us it was a waste of five hours for something we could have accomplished in one anf slept earlier 😂 but it may very well be something you love if you love spending hours on dinner and want to feel extra fancy.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Past & Present City Walk

Bergen

Excellent tour- Erik was a great guide and quite entertaining. We learned a lot and had a lovely walk around the city, surely we wouod have missed some things if it hadn’t been for this tour!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff