Kimkim Trip Reviews

Ioannis was an excellent resource throughout this trip. We found plenty of fun activities and places to visit in Chania and Heraklion with their help.
Every minor hiccup with quickly resolved by Ioannis for us which made everything stress free!
Thank you, Ioannis for an amazing experience and I am sure I will be using you as a resource again the next time I visit Crete and Greece! read more

Ioannis was an excellent resource throughout this trip. We found plenty of fun activities and places to visit in Chania and Heraklion with their help.
Every minor hiccup with quickly resolved by Ioannis for us which made everything stress free!
Thank you, Ioannis for an amazing experience and I am sure I will be using you as a resource again the next time I visit Crete and Greece!

Hotel Reviews

Elma's Dream Apartments

Chania

Very nice hotel, a longer walk from the central city but very close to nice clean beaches and very helpful staff!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Capsis Astoria Heraklion

Heraklion – Crete

Perfect hotel for a visit to Heraklion, very walkable to all the food sites and food in the city.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Hike to Samaria Gorge

Chania

This is the second time I have hiked the gorge and It is always an amazing and breathtaking experience. Having the help of getting out there and back through this trip was a huge help.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Vineyard Visit with Wine, Olive Oil, Honey Tastings

Chania

The Chania wine tour was a must! We had a lot of fun with our guide and the small group tasting local olive oil and wine!

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

The Palace of King Minos and the House of Minotaur

Heraklion

Our guide was amazing and was a wealth of information about Crete during the Bronze age! Knossos and the museum are a must-see in Heraklion.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Morning Catamaran Cruise

Heraklion

Perfect way to end your trip to Heraklion with an amazing day cruise to Dia! The water was incredible and the staff was friendly and amazing. Overall very fun and relaxing trip.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

The professionalism and hospitality of all the staff from Active India Holidays, including tour guides, driver and itinerary designers are top notch and exceeded my expectations. I felt treated like royalty everyday with the utter most consideration and care. Ravi and Priya planned an unforgettable two weeks Golden Triangle - Rajasthan tour for me that allowed me to gain a deep appreciation and admiration for India's rich history and cultural contribution to our humanity! They were were also... read more

The professionalism and hospitality of all the staff from Active India Holidays, including tour guides, driver and itinerary designers are top notch and exceeded my expectations. I felt treated like royalty everyday with the utter most consideration and care. Ravi and Priya planned an unforgettable two weeks Golden Triangle - Rajasthan tour for me that allowed me to gain a deep appreciation and admiration for India's rich history and cultural contribution to our humanity! They were were also very flexible and accommodating with providing me professional photographers at major sight seeing spots and left me with great memories both in the mind and in print! The tour guides were all very knowledgeable and did their best to ensure I had an amazing time.
Finally I had the best driver Venud who took such good care of me every day and enjoyed our conversations from long drives from city to city.
I highly recommend Active India Holiday to anyone planning a trip to India, whether for their first time or return visits. I myself will be planning more trips with them!

Our trip to Italy was booked on Kimkim through Ina, who ensured that my requests were taken care of as they arised during the planning process. For the actual trip, everything was seamless - the drivers, tours, and hotel accommodations. I especially recommend checking out the Amalfi coast and Pompeii! You won’t regret the nurturing assistance of Kimkim’s booking agents. read more

Our trip to Italy was booked on Kimkim through Ina, who ensured that my requests were taken care of as they arised during the planning process. For the actual trip, everything was seamless - the drivers, tours, and hotel accommodations. I especially recommend checking out the Amalfi coast and Pompeii! You won’t regret the nurturing assistance of Kimkim’s booking agents.

Hotel Review

Hotel Arcadia

Venice

A charming hotel in Venuce with ultra-polite staff and the most amazing breakfast served in an elegant room!

Authenticity & Character

The dining room is superb!

Location

Easy walking distance to restaurants

Staff

Very courteous staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Everything you want in a hotel room in historic Venice!

Activity Review

Amalfi Coast Driving & Ferry Boat Tour From Sorrento

Sorrento

Very knowledgeable driver to usher us to our ferry to see the breathtaking Amalfi coast.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Entire trip met our expectations regarding hotel quality, logistics and service by Marina and The Espiritu team.

Our issues were all with booked events.
The coordinator, Carlos, for the Alhambra tour directed us to stand alone at the wrong meeting point without asking a question. Then he failed to look for us while we stood only 15 meters away. Luckily, we found Edo in the Alhambra and had a great experience.
The flamenco show started 30 minutes before our scheduled time.
The tapas tour started 30 minutes after our scheduled time.

This was an absolutely incredible trip. Soukina, our driver, was among the best I've ever had. She was affable, resourceful, funny, flexible, and always punctual. The trip organizer, Saïd, went above and beyond to make this a memorable trip. For example, while in Merzouga, he responded to my last-minute request to stay with a Berber nomad family that night, and somehow he was able to make it happen! He also arranged for us to stay with a lovely host family in Dades for a couple of nights. The... read more

This was an absolutely incredible trip. Soukina, our driver, was among the best I've ever had. She was affable, resourceful, funny, flexible, and always punctual. The trip organizer, Saïd, went above and beyond to make this a memorable trip. For example, while in Merzouga, he responded to my last-minute request to stay with a Berber nomad family that night, and somehow he was able to make it happen! He also arranged for us to stay with a lovely host family in Dades for a couple of nights. The local guides, particularly in Marrakech, were knowledgeable, flexible, and worth spending time with. Our local food tour in Marrakech was special. Thank you so much, Saïd and Soukina, for your professionalism, skill, and efforts, which made this terrific every day we were there!

Rome: 1. Our private walking tour guide was extremely knowledgeable, attentive and very flexible to our wishes. She spent extra time with us and guided us back to our hotel so we wouldn't get lost. 2. Our Colosseum and Forum Liv Tours guide was also knowledgeable, attentive and funny! The most memorable point of interest was St. Peter's Basilica. The Navona Colors hotel has a great location, wonderful staff and well appointed rooms.

Bologna: Our food tour guide was sweet and, as a... read more

Rome: 1. Our private walking tour guide was extremely knowledgeable, attentive and very flexible to our wishes. She spent extra time with us and guided us back to our hotel so we wouldn't get lost. 2. Our Colosseum and Forum Liv Tours guide was also knowledgeable, attentive and funny! The most memorable point of interest was St. Peter's Basilica. The Navona Colors hotel has a great location, wonderful staff and well appointed rooms.

Bologna: Our food tour guide was sweet and, as a native, was very knowledgeable about all things Bologna. She provided us with local specialties in a uniquely local setting. She also guided us back to our hotel. Our local travel specialist, Andrea, went out of his way to procure a last minute dinner reservation on a busy Sunday night at a local's restaurant which proved to be delicious! Our hotel, The Hotel Touring, has a great location, wonderful staff, nice bar and spacious rooms.

Venice: 1. Our hidden Venice walking tour and cicchetti experience was disappointing. The guide seemed rushed and distracted and our food was unappetizing and not very special. Also, she left us quite a ways away from our hotel with vague directions on how to find our way back. 2. Our Doge's Palace and St. Mark's Basilica tour guide was very enjoyable and knowledgeable, although we would have preferred a smaller group or private tour. The Hotel Flora was quaint and offers a beautiful courtyard and dining room. All staff was friendly, helpful and very attentive. Andrea again was immediately available to reschedule our airport transportation when our flight time was changed. Walking around the more quiet areas, getting ourselves lost and found again, marveling at the architecture and enjoying the local wines was our favorite thing to do in Venice.

Malissa did a wonderful job working with us to put together a fantastic itinerary for our ten-day trip through Japan (Tokyo > Hakone > Kyoto > Osaka). During the planning phase, she provided numerous options based on interests and budget and was quick to respond to questions. The itinerary documentation was detailed and allowed us to focus on enjoying our experiences. We had friendly and knowledgeable guides: Jared was welcoming when we arrived rather jet lagged and helped get us situated,... read more

Malissa did a wonderful job working with us to put together a fantastic itinerary for our ten-day trip through Japan (Tokyo > Hakone > Kyoto > Osaka). During the planning phase, she provided numerous options based on interests and budget and was quick to respond to questions. The itinerary documentation was detailed and allowed us to focus on enjoying our experiences. We had friendly and knowledgeable guides: Jared was welcoming when we arrived rather jet lagged and helped get us situated, Harold took us on unique activities and Seiho gave us lots of ideas for our free time. We loved soaking in the onsen baths at Hakone Kowakien Ten-y and making sushi at Cooking Sun Osaka.

Activity Reviews

Tour of Hakone

Hakone

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Tea Ceremony in Kyoto

Kyoto

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Sushi-making Experience

Osaka

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Guided Tour of Kyoto

Kyoto

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Rickshaw Ride in Arashiyama

Kyoto

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

I booked our trip to Croatia through KImKim, a Company that we had never used. We were assigned to Anna-Maria to arrange our trip. She worked diligently and put together a terrific itinerary (Hotels, Cars, Guides etc). We booked our trip through her. I was under the impression that we would take the trip and that was it. I was wrong. Anna-Maria was in contact with us the entire trip. Any question, problems, changes, etc. were handled efficiently with personal contact via email or text... read more

I booked our trip to Croatia through KImKim, a Company that we had never used. We were assigned to Anna-Maria to arrange our trip. She worked diligently and put together a terrific itinerary (Hotels, Cars, Guides etc). We booked our trip through her. I was under the impression that we would take the trip and that was it. I was wrong. Anna-Maria was in contact with us the entire trip. Any question, problems, changes, etc. were handled efficiently with personal contact via email or text or by phone. If you want to tour Croatia, Bosnia, etc. she arranges everything with efficiency and terrific local knowledge. I highly recommend Anna-Maria, without reservation !

Activity Review

Fairytale castles & delicious wine

Zagreb

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Highlights:
- Our driver
- Sigiriya guided tour
- Traditional meal in Dumballa
- Tea factory tour and tasting in route to Sri Padya
- Guided sunrise hike up Sri Padya
- Free time in Galle
- Hotel Welligama

Recommendations:
- Better communication regarding travel duration (too much time in car)
- More transparency regarding how trip fee is being used (hotels, guides, activities, food, etc.)
- Ensure drivers know best route between destinations (fewer kilometers does not always mean fastest route)

Liz did and amazing job providing us some amazing and memorable experiences! The heli cruise heli trip to Milford Sound was incredible, as was the PurePod stay, the Akarao nature cruise (where we saw both the world's smallest penguin and the world's smallest dolpin), and the glacier boat experience at Mount Cook! read more

Liz did and amazing job providing us some amazing and memorable experiences! The heli cruise heli trip to Milford Sound was incredible, as was the PurePod stay, the Akarao nature cruise (where we saw both the world's smallest penguin and the world's smallest dolpin), and the glacier boat experience at Mount Cook!

Hotel Reviews

Pohue Pure Pod

Extraordinary experience with amazing views and excellent food! Must be in good shape for the uphill hike to the accomodation.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Very secluded hilltop near Banks Peninsula with amazing views!

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

The Rees Hotel and Luxury Apartments

Queenstown

Our fave hotel of our 14 day trip. Beautiful hotel, unbeatable views and excellent, friendly, helpful staff!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Waitomo Glowworm Caves Guided Tour

New Zealand

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Welcome to Rotorua

Rotorua

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Mitai Cultural Experience & Dinner

Rotorua

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Full Day Whirinaki Forest Walk with Lunch

Rotorua

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Te Ra Guided Experience (90 minutes)

Rotorua

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Full Day Arthurs Pass with Train

Christchurch

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Two Hour Akaroa Harbour Nature Cruise

Akaroa

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Glacier Boat Trip - 2.5 Hours

Mount Cook Village

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Mt Cook & The Glaciers

New Zealand

wow, just wow! Flying over the snow capped mountain was unbelievably beautiful! Ben was a great heli pilot. Very calming for our first ever heli trip!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Milford Heli Cruise Heli

Queenstown (NZ)

One of the best experiences of our lives. The heli views were incredible and the boat ride through Milford Sound was beautiful with lots of waterfalls and amazing views. Ben was an incredible heli pilot for first time heli passengers.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Onsen Hot Pools - 1 hour Indoor Soak.

Queenstown (NZ)

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Half-Day Macetown 4WD Tour

New Zealand

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Full Day Funyak Safari Trip with Jetboat & Lunch (Shared Tour)

Queenstown (NZ)

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Rita Chaves was so knowledgeable and professional. I learned so much. I felt she was a great friend after our wonderful time with her. All the drivers were great. Special shout to Leonardo. We had an eight layover and a lot of luggage -heavy also. At one am he helped is take the bags up the street and give flights of narrow streets.
The Fada was so special and memorable.
Sofia was so flexible and accommodating. Loved her fun personality.
Mario was a great driver and fabulous... read more

Rita Chaves was so knowledgeable and professional. I learned so much. I felt she was a great friend after our wonderful time with her. All the drivers were great. Special shout to Leonardo. We had an eight layover and a lot of luggage -heavy also. At one am he helped is take the bags up the street and give flights of narrow streets.
The Fada was so special and memorable.
Sofia was so flexible and accommodating. Loved her fun personality.
Mario was a great driver and fabulous guide.
Catarina was so helpful so and thorough. And very very patient!!
There’s no way our fabulous time in Portugal could’ve been done without all of the wonderful people. Please forgive me for the names I can’t remember,
I am looking forward to my next trip!

Kim Kim easily connected us with a local agent in Greece. With our input, Amalia planned an amazing 8 days for us in Athens, Paros and Santorini. While we would have liked to have hadthe final itinerary a little bit sooner so we could possibly make some scheduling changes, I understand they need to protect their resources so people don't cut them out and go directly to the source. Having said that, all of the excursions we did were amazing. All of our drivers showed up on time and were very... read more

Kim Kim easily connected us with a local agent in Greece. With our input, Amalia planned an amazing 8 days for us in Athens, Paros and Santorini. While we would have liked to have hadthe final itinerary a little bit sooner so we could possibly make some scheduling changes, I understand they need to protect their resources so people don't cut them out and go directly to the source. Having said that, all of the excursions we did were amazing. All of our drivers showed up on time and were very nice. And when there was one issue, Julia, our on-call emergency person, resolved it quickly and fairly. And with all of the info in one convenient place on an app, it was easy to track where to go and what do do next.

Activity Reviews

Cruise around Antiparos and Despotiko

Paros

Fantastic from start to finish! Demetrius and staff were fun, courteous, and cooked an amazing meal!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Santorini Wine & Food Tasting

Santorini

Thoroughly enjoyed our tour! Our guide Elsa was fun, knowledgeable, and did a great job. The wines were delicious. We particularly enjoyed the second winery, in an art museum, and LOVED our guide there. The food at the restaurant was fantastic (though a sunset view would have been better, in this case it didnt matter because it was overcast!) We had a blast.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Athens Highlight Tour

Athens

We enjoyed this tour very much and our guide, Vickie, was extremely knowledgeable. This is a very specific type of tour- it's a mythology tour, limited to the acropolis, Olympian Zeus temple and the Agora. For us we would have preferred perhaps 2.5 hours of the mythology behind these sites and then a walking tour of some Athens neighborhoods as we didn't know the city at all.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Vickie was extremely knowledgeable and kind

Feel like a local

Paros

I don't know what "feel like a local" is but I assume this is our Organic Farm tour? IF so, this was fantastic!! The farm is absolutely stunning and impressive. Alkis, the farmer, was so much fun to talk to and unbelievably knowledgeable and impressive in what he does. The porch on which we had lunch was stunning, the views spectacular, the and food to die for! Could not have been better!!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Pedro made our first trip to Portugal beyond memorable. Working with him was very easy. He was responsive and his excellent communication continued through the entire trip. His choice of experiences were perfect for our group. Tours were well rounded in variety and all guides were fantastic. Our fado dinner at Mesa do Frades felt intimate, unique, and local. It was a stand out! As was a beautifully scenic tour to the Duoro Valley. Lunch and tasting at Quinta do Pacheco was another highlight.... read more

Pedro made our first trip to Portugal beyond memorable. Working with him was very easy. He was responsive and his excellent communication continued through the entire trip. His choice of experiences were perfect for our group. Tours were well rounded in variety and all guides were fantastic. Our fado dinner at Mesa do Frades felt intimate, unique, and local. It was a stand out! As was a beautifully scenic tour to the Duoro Valley. Lunch and tasting at Quinta do Pacheco was another highlight. This was a well curated wonderful vacation! Thank you Pedro!

Pedro did an amazing job in planning and executing our vacation details. Everything was planned and carried out as expected. We did not have to worry about anything. The choice of hotels were wonderful. The guides for the walking tours in Lisbon, Porto and Evora were so well versed and full of information. We will recommend this company to all our friends read more

Pedro did an amazing job in planning and executing our vacation details. Everything was planned and carried out as expected. We did not have to worry about anything. The choice of hotels were wonderful. The guides for the walking tours in Lisbon, Porto and Evora were so well versed and full of information. We will recommend this company to all our friends

Hotel Review

Hotel Britania

Lisboa

The location of this hotel is fantastic. Close enough to walk to all you want to see and yet off the main street for privacy and quiet. The most amazing aspect of this hotel is the staff. they are so friendly and make you feel as if you were family. the rooms were so nicely decorated and kept.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Review

Guided Cultural Walking Tour in Lisbon

Lisbon

Ricardo was so friendly and so well informed about this city . He answered any and all questions we had about Lisbon and Portugal. This is a must for all who want to really understand what they are experiencing in Lisbon

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Great team - very responsive to all my questions and even called when there was a last minute change required. Would definitely work with them again on another trip! read more

Great team - very responsive to all my questions and even called when there was a last minute change required. Would definitely work with them again on another trip!

Hotel Reviews

Crowne Plaza Berlin - Potsdamer Platz

Berlin

Great location - easy access to public transit and walking to all the museums. Rooms were clean, comfortable and well maintained.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Mercure Munich City Centre

Munich

easy access to the old town and the train station. Rooms were clean, well maintained and comfortable.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Guided tour of Berlin

Berlin

Very well informed tour guide - learned so much while walking around town! Got great ideas of what to go see after the tour - really appreciate the time and effort put in!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

bring water - lots of walking!

Reichstag Rooftop tour

Berlin

Didn't appreciate how easy it would be to see all of downtown from the rooftop - great idea. Audio tour while walking around was very informative and worth the time to listen.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Neuschwanstein Castle

Germany

fun drive on the autobahn to get out to the castle. Castle views were breathtaking. Wish I had more time to see the other castles in the area, but this was a great stop!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

I’m most happy to have chosen KimKim and Francesca for my first trip to Iceland. All of the accommodations were really great. It would be hard to choose one above the others. The weather was an issue and forced cancellation of a few activities but it was no problem getting a new plan and refunds for cancelled ones. The Silfra Snorkeling was amazing and such great staff, I felt totally safe the whole time (and I’m 72yrs old.) All of the food I ate while in Iceland was amazing!!!! read more

I’m most happy to have chosen KimKim and Francesca for my first trip to Iceland. All of the accommodations were really great. It would be hard to choose one above the others. The weather was an issue and forced cancellation of a few activities but it was no problem getting a new plan and refunds for cancelled ones. The Silfra Snorkeling was amazing and such great staff, I felt totally safe the whole time (and I’m 72yrs old.) All of the food I ate while in Iceland was amazing!!!!

Just back from a 9 day walk through the history of Rome, Athens and Naxos, organized by Harris and his team. We learned so much, saw so much and did it effortlessly, thanks to the organization of Harris. It was amazing to just show up to places, have our transportation ready with friendly drivers and lovely accommodations, knowledgeable and fun private guides. Our highlight was definitely Pompeii, with a fantastic and passionate local guide. In Rome, our private guide lead us through the... read more

Just back from a 9 day walk through the history of Rome, Athens and Naxos, organized by Harris and his team. We learned so much, saw so much and did it effortlessly, thanks to the organization of Harris. It was amazing to just show up to places, have our transportation ready with friendly drivers and lovely accommodations, knowledgeable and fun private guides. Our highlight was definitely Pompeii, with a fantastic and passionate local guide. In Rome, our private guide lead us through the deeper recesses of the Colosseum. While the schedule was busy, it was not overpacked. Naxos was a revelation, the island just smells good when hiking! Our food tour on the last day was the perfect end. It was all we could have hoped for.

The guides, horsemen and camp assistants were all very professional. They always had our safety and comfort in mind. I would not hesitate to recommend the Kimkim team to any travelers in Bhutan. read more

The guides, horsemen and camp assistants were all very professional. They always had our safety and comfort in mind. I would not hesitate to recommend the Kimkim team to any travelers in Bhutan.

Hanna did an amazing job planning our Icelandic trip. She asked what type of family adventure we wanted and zoned in our family activity style with insight and great suggestions, which made our trip so memorable. When we had an issue with one hotel she was responsive and quickly resolved the problem. I cannot recommend Hanna enough. Thank you Hanna.

The careful planning and on-the-ground attention were seamless. We didn't have to think about a thing! Our driver Samir was the best :) He was kind, calm, and attentive, and he didn't ask a million questions / play music / talk the whole time, which is the fear in these long drives. We could relax knowing he was taking us from A to B and doing so in a friendly, professional manner. We never had to worry about anything knowing he was with us. I think we wish we would have flown into Tangier,... read more

The careful planning and on-the-ground attention were seamless. We didn't have to think about a thing! Our driver Samir was the best :) He was kind, calm, and attentive, and he didn't ask a million questions / play music / talk the whole time, which is the fear in these long drives. We could relax knowing he was taking us from A to B and doing so in a friendly, professional manner. We never had to worry about anything knowing he was with us. I think we wish we would have flown into Tangier, or had that option made clearer as it was a long drive to Chefchaoen on the first day, but that was a minor detail. Also, for Maison Arabe, maybe to make it clear that its not a PRIVATE cooking class, it's with a group of others.
We loved the trip and all the destinations :) So thank you! It will be a long-lasting memory.