Kimkim Trip Reviews

We had the most marvelous, wonderful trip to Croatia and Slovenia. Spent 14 days there and every one of them was great. I thank Sara so much for her help in planning and making the necessary arrangements for this trip. I thought I could do this on my own but realized I needed help. Sara provided great suggestions and was with us every step of the way. From hotel arrangements to restaurant recommendations we were so impressed. Sara provided local guides in every city we visited and they were bright, enthusiastic and added so much to our experiences. Our drivers were always on time and we felt safe and glad to have each of them. I can't say enough of how great this trip was for us and give Sara 5 stars for everything she did to make this possible. If anyone is considering these destinations, you will not be disappointed. Croatia and Slovenia exceeded my expectations for beauty, cleanliness, friendly people and great food!
Thanks again Sara.

Hotel Reviews

Beach Bay Hvar

Hvar

This hotel was located in a great location. Clean and spacious room. Helpful staff. One of the bests meals EVER at the Mediterraneo Restaurant in Hvar. Not connected to the hotel but in walking distance. Fun place to be.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Degenija

Rakovica

Not a lot of choices by Plitvice National Park but this hotel was more than adequate. Clean and convenient to the park. Hotel had a restaurant across the path which was good.

Villa Tuttorotto

Rovinj

We loved Rovinj and this hotel was in a great location. Spacious room and clean. Fantastic bathroom - I like a good bathroom which is a requirement for me. One of our best meals was in Rovinj. Don't miss this city of going to Croatia.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Could walk everywhere from this hotel. Harbor and downtown area.

Staff

very helpful and polite staff - always remembered us when we came and went. Felt like family

Cleanliness & Comfort

One of the best bathrooms ever! Entering this charming hotel and then entering this room with an enormous bathroom was truly unexpected. Wish we could have stayed longer.

Activity Reviews

Private Walking Tour of Dubrovnik

Dubrovnik

We had two different guides in Dubrovnik and both were wonderful. They were able to explain the history of the city as well as general history of the country before, during and present. We learned so much about the homeland war of 1991 and breakup of Yugoslavia. Fascinating. They both went above and beyond insofar as the time they spent with us and their overall knowledge of the city and country.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Hvar Half-Day Private Island Tour (Afternoon)

Hvar

We had a great guide in Hvar who drove us all over the island explaining so much about life there. This was a half day tour and we enjoyed every minute. Learned a lot and felt safe and comfortable the entire time. He took us to a konoba which was so much fun. He made the day really special.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

To say that Nikola and Kim Kim was great is an understatement. Everything went exactly as planned. Every evening he confirmed the next day’s activity and made sure everything was going well. If we had a question it was answered immediately. All hotel choices were in the best locations and all tour guides were excellent. Ferry tickets showed up when they were supposed to and descriptions of who was to pick us up were right on.

Violaine was very communicative in setting up our itinerary based on phone conversations and chat exchanges. She modified some aspects as we moved forward with planning in accordance with our requests. She also was in touch with Migen our guide throughout the trip to assist in changes as weather dictated. We appreciated her responsiveness and follow through.
Migen was outstanding in his knowledge, energy, and driving skills. His ability to share history, culture, and personal experiences greatly enhanced all aspects of the trip. When weather changed our plans, he quickly adapted the itinerary, spent hours rearranging our ferry, and expanded what we were able to see and experience despite the rain.
Migen's talent as a guide on the ground exceeded our expectations, and we are grateful we were traveling with him!
The cities and experiences we enjoyed:
Tirana, Berat, Alpeta Winery, Gjirokaster (including Ardenica Monastery and Apollonia), Langarica Canyon, Ksamil and Butrint, side trip to Corfu (with an excellent guide) , Himare, Llogara Pass, and Kruje.
Migen was with us every step of the way, highlighting history, landscapes, and culture. His contributions were priceless.

Hotel Reviews

Faces & Places Boutique hotel

Tirana

Lovely, restful, conveniently located, but a bit difficult to find. Great spot for walking around Tirana. Welcoming staff!

Authenticity & Character

Restful, comfortable, good breakfast

Location

Great for walking - a bit challenging to find

Staff

Welcoming, helpful

Cleanliness & Comfort

Rose garden Hotel

Gjirokastra

Quiet; lovely; beautiful views

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Friendly, attentive, great breakfast

Cleanliness & Comfort

Arameras Beach Resort

ksamil

Relaxing; beautiful views, attentive staff, great restaurant

Authenticity & Character

Views

Location

Staff

All the staff were responsive, helpful, and friendly

Cleanliness & Comfort

Bella Venezia Historic Boutique Hotel

Corfu

Beautiful hotel; great location; exceptional staff.

Wait n sea

Himare

Comfortable rooms; great breakfast; attentive staff; lovely setting.

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Panorama Kruje

Krujë

Stunning views; superb location; exceptional breakfast.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Mangalemi

Berat

Steps away from attractions; attentive staff; great food.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Sightseeing tour of Tirana

Tirana

Migen, our guide made this a memorable day.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Migen is extremely knowledgeable

Transport

Comfortable transport for four of us.

Wine tasting in Alpeta Winery

Berat

Our host was witty, welcoming, and entertaining. Wine and nibbles were excellent

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Discovering Corfu – guided exploration of the island

Corfu

Our guide assigned to Corfu was excellent. She provided a very enjoyable walking tour and food sampling. She was attentive, very approachable and entertaining.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

we had an amazing trip. There were a few glitches (car rental agency requiring passport to rent that we didn't have on us) but a call to Mathilde helped straighten everything out. The other problem is the date we wanted to go to the Ann Frank house they were doing some maintenance, so we rescheduled for the day we got back to Amsterdam. Unfortunately that day we were exhausted from traveling by train and didn't go and we were told the tickets we unrefundable, so that was upsetting. The tours we had were amazing with wonderful guides. I cannot remember the name in Haarlem, but we had Charles in Brussels, Flak in Cologne, Jeremy for Neuschwanstein, Agatha in Salzbourg and Mamon in Strasbourg. We had a guide for Dachau whose name started with an A too. All were outstanding!!!! I do need to contact Mathilde as we are supposed to get a partial refund for car rental that has not yet appeared.
Mathilde was extrememely easy to work with and very responsive to all my questions and needs. I would not hesitate to recommend KimKim to everyone I know, and I would certainly use again!

Activity Reviews

Dachau Concentration Camp Memorial

Munich

Our guide, I think his name was Achim was great. There was a lot to cover and sometimes he moved a little fast but all in all I would not hesitate to recommend him. He gave us so much information, I thought I knew a bit on the subject of concentration camps but there was much I didn't know. The day was very warm and we were in the sun a lot so that was a bit uncomfortable, but you can't control the weather. I felt that Achim was passionate about the subject and wanted us to learn as much as we could. I highly recommend!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Oktoberfest Tour – Experience The World-Famous Party

Munich

Our guide (I forgot her name) was really good and passionate about Oktoberfest, We learned the history behind it and how the festival has evolved over the years. We also learned how they get ready for the fest and about the buildings they put up and take down every year. The tent experience itself was less than perfect. It was 84 degrees when we were there and we were packed in like sardines. I saw other areas in the tent that people were not that crowded in that looked much more comfortable. This is not the guides fault, it is the tour company that has an area they are putting us in. It was so hot and crowded at our table it was hard to enjoy yourself. After our chicken (which was delicious) we left and went to another tent by ourselves that was much more comfortable and the tables not as crowded.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Neuschwanstein Castle Full-day tour

Munich

It was a pleasant bus ride out there and our guide Jeremy was very informative and fun. We had some time before and after the castle tour to get something to eat and shop. Upon Jeremy's advise we took the tram instead of walking the whole way and were glad we did. Even taking the tram you are doing a lot of uphill and downhill walking. And in the castle you are going up and down circular staircases.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

I am so appreciative of all of the helpful advice, support and arrangements made by Olivia! This was our first trip to Japan, and she patiently provided options and advice to build an itinerary around our interests and budget. With Olivia, we were able to build a good mix of planned activities and unplanned free time, and set a relaxed pace that best suited us. Once we were in Japan, she was also extremely helpful in making some last minute changes when an excursions and or hotel accommodation did not go as planned. We had a wonderful trip. Thank you, KimKim!

We really enjoyed our trip to Croatia. Has been on our list for a long time and KimKim helped make sure it did not disappoint. The trip was well planned and the logistics made it easy. virtually all the local guides were fantastic and had lots of knowledge to share. Great driver and transport throughout. Ivan was the key to making it all happen. Would recommend him and KimKim and we believe we got great value for our spend.

Niko was may guide driver. He did incredible job!!! He is an expert historian! The ancient history is incredible. I really enjoyed old town Kotor, Old town Budva, Berat, Butrint and all the castles!!! Of course the Raki was excellent!!!

We were very happy with all arrangements except a slight snafu in Paris when the guide didn't have Notre Dame on his schedule, but it was quickly resolved

My wife and I completed an awesome trip to Amsterdam, Florence, Tuscany and Venice. Marianna at KimKim was outstanding, helping me plan the trip, setting it up and being available before and during the trip to deal with any questions I had (and I had plenty). Marianna among other things helped me incorporate some aspects that I used airline miles to book outside KimKim, saving me significant money. Some highlights on the trip included: an informative and romantic private Amsterdam canal cruise on a wonderful boat hosted by a delightful captain Sebi of Sebi Tours; an informative Florence Golf Cart Tour through Florence hosted by Echo Florence Tour; incredible hotels, including Castel Monastero in Tuscany; and a wonderful private tour of St Mark's Basilica in Venice.

I highly recommend KimKim. This was our second trip using KimKim (the other to Portugal 1.5 years ago). I will use KimKi again for our next trip

This was not our first experience utilizing kimkim, but was different from previous trips in that Alfonso and his team were in communication with us frequently and were immediately responsive to any question or concern. That level of attention was new and very much appreciated.

The trip met our expectations for what we hoped to experience in Spain with attention to details. Thanks, Alfonso, for a great job!

Activity Reviews

Private City Walk & Royal Palace Experience

Madrid

Our guide was fabulous and the experience very educational.

Quality of Experience

Our guide was superb!

Flamenco Experience

Spain

The show was beautiful and much more entertaining than I was expecting!

Cooking Class in Seville

Seville

We have taken cooking classes on several trips. This one was excellent! Our paella and cold tomato soup were delicious!

Prado Museum Private Visit with an Art Historian

Madrid

Our guide made this experience more than enjoyable. Background info on the artists and paintings/sculptures made the tour rather fascinating!

Private Electric Tuk-Tuk Adventure

Madrid

We had a lot of fun zooming around city highlights and enjoying a beautiful evening on our tuk tuk tour. Not easy to get good pictures while on board the vehicle so the stops were much appreciated.

We had a great experience in Korea! Our local guides, Sebastian, felt like a host! He was so kind and knowledgeable, both about Korea and about the logistics we needed to get where we were going with great views. The food was so fun, our cooking class with Hello K was amazing upstanding and street food was so fun we did it for dinner several nights! Jessica was helpful and easy to work with. We went to 2 countries on our trip and Jessica helped make sure we had what we needed when, to make things easy! The logistics all went very smooth which is a real benifit for big trips!

Hotel Reviews

L7 Myeongdong by LOTTE

A lot to love about location, getting there was a journey but once there you are in the heart of it all! Not 5 star because it’s a very busy hotel with only 3 elevators, it was quite common to have an elevator arrive already over full and having to wait for 2 or 3 rounds. There are not accessible stairs so there were times we needed to factor 10min into transit time just to get though the elevators!

Authenticity & Character

Fun place, nice beds! The roof top access was fun!

Location

Staff

Overall staff was helpful and kind. Needed help with laundry and one staff members was unkind and unhelpful. Not a language barrier just unhelpful and ultimately we went to 7-11 to get change as the machine was broken.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Not every room has carpet but we stayed in 2 that did and it was visibly gross and stained. Slippers were provided and used!

Cassia Sokcho

Sokcho

What a unique place! The views were so unique! The hotel was huge and expensive. Pool access was an extra charge, as were most of the unique features. The finishes to the hotel were interesting, there was a leak in our bath tub and one of the other rooms the tub didn’t fully drain and was wet upon check in, like it wasn’t level so water pooled on one side. Our stay was safe and we had a lot of fun, but there was a premium cost for anything beyond just the room and the resort style location was not ideal to explore beyond the property, even to eat.

Authenticity & Character

The views were unique, the food was good. It was a resort and felt like one!

Location

Not near anything, a pro and a con. Nice if you want the feeling of exclusivity and being on a reesort, con if you want to explore or see a new area.

Staff

Staff was helpful, we needed to have the early breakfast even though it was already full and they worked to get us settled, even bringing the tickets to our room after check in.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Everything was clean and comfortable.

Activity Reviews

Korean Full-Course Meal Cooking Class at Local Home with Local Market Experience

Seoul

This was son outstanding experience! The host was so kind, the tour through the market was fun, we got a few snacks to try! The cooking itself was an introduction in language and culture as we got to connect with authentic cooking with the idea that we could do this in our own homes later!

Quality of Experience

Outstanding! It was fun and accessible, even if you don’t normally cook

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Host was outstanding! Kind, fun and upbeat! Her passion was clear!

Transport

Transport was self arranged and harder to navigate than expected. We had planned an hour to get there, all predictions said 30min and we got there 3min late! No one’s fault and it was not ideal.

Visit the Picturesque Seoraksan National Park with Shinheungsa Temple

Sokcho

This was outstanding! Beautiful park, we loved the views and the cultural experience at the temple.

Quality of Experience

We. Pyle the used another 1/2 a day here! We only hit the highlights of the park with little extra time to explore.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Sebastián knew when we needed to be where so we we had a great time!

Transport

All the logistics went very smoothly!

Explore Nature on the Way to Sokcho: Garden of Morning Calm, Nami Island, Gangchon Rail Park

South Korea

These should all be separate reviews! We had a great day! Garden of Morning Calm: This garden was a delight! We could have used more time here to explore and enjoy the garden! Lots of great spots to appreciate the garden with benches and lovely paths to walk down! Nami Island: What a fun and unique place! We didn’t know much before going, just there for the nature and it was so nice! We needed more time to explore. The ferry ride over was nice but for logistics we were only able to spend about 90min actually looking either. Lots of lovely nature spots, statues, art and of course little shops and restaurants. Rail park: this was our least favorite of the 3 activities. We had fun, lots of laughter and smiles. It was a little hokey and we would have preferred more time in our other spots but it was fun and I would recommend the experience! Overall a great day!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Korean Folk Village, Suwon Hwaseong Fortress, Icheon Ceramic Experience Tour

South Korea

We had a great time and this day was not what we thought it would be. Fortress . The fortress was a nice piece of haired and gave context to Seoul. Glad to have seen it and enjoyed the tour but was more of an extension of the previous tour where we had gone to the palace. Village: The village was nice, it was during October so there were ghost decorations and lots of kids and families there enjoying the day. Lines were long and crowds were high. Our guide did a great job of finding less busy spots to share about the history and show unique things.I had not realized this was more of a historial theme park, part entertainment part history. Reminded me of a renaissance festival. Nice but not what I had in mind, probably should have done more research. Ceramics: this was great fun and it felt like we were a last minute addition. We enjoyed making our clay pieces and we’re disappointed to learn they were going to be broken down, you don’t get to take it home (or ship it home) so it was just the experience of creating, fun, worth doing and not what we had expected. We also did not learn much about pottery or ceramics or the significance of pottery to the region. Just made clay art! We had a great time, would recommend it and you don’t get to keep the piece you make and the experiment is all about making the piece.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Sebastián was great! Took us to a great BBQ place! The pottery people were kind and accommodating! We had some laugh out loud lunate barrier moments that everyone managed with grace!

Transport

Soleil really took the time to hear what our heart’s desire were for our trip to Japan. Thank you Soleil, for your sensitivity, charm, attention to detail and professionalism. Soleil and her colleagues prompt d us every step of the way so we knew what was next in our itinerary, which was comforting.

In northern Okinawa Aoka created an oasis of calm. I have been reflecting on our time together particularly the discussion with the Shaman and our profound discussion of being in the moment, praying to our ancestors and reflections in the window of the villa. Fascinating how we are in the moment and at the same time our moments because our memories. Will always have fond memories of Aoka and the restorative, peaceful, nurturing time we spent together. Thank You, Thank You, Thank You🙏🏾 For the peace….

Thank you Ayumi for you patience and understanding with our late start. We really lucked out with having you as our guide; the sensitivity, creativity, and flexibility made our day with you serene. As a Mother you can understand how profound it is that Victoria wanted to hold hands with you. ❤️

I recommend and endorse KimKim wholeheartedly for your travel sojourns and expeditions.

Warm regards,
Dr and Mrs Bayley

We had a wonderful time with our Yogyakarta guide and driver, Dilla &Parlan. Seeing Borobudur and Prambanan was a highlight of our trip and they made getting to both fun and easy to see.

The travel from Yogyakarta to Bromo and Ijen could have been overwhelming given the distance but our guide/driver Aldo was the best. His excellent English, sense of humor and being an all around fun person made the time go quickly. The hotels and regions we stayed at for the hikes were beautiful. Our Bromo guide Teguh was the best guide we had during the trip. We’d heard about the possible crowds at Bromo but with his guidance felt like we had the mountain to ourselves. And he always knew how to get the best photo to capture the beauty. The region around Ijen is stunning filled with terraced rice fields and coffee plantations.

Snorkeling in northern Bali at Menjangan Island was spectacular- incredible corals, endless fish and sea turtles. The drive from north Bali to south was fascinating and possibly some of the steepest roads I’ve ever seen. Pecatu (Uluwatu) is beautiful being high up on the cliffs with amazing views. Really enjoyed relaxing and recharging here.

Hotel Reviews

Teras Hotel Ijen Banyuwangi

Banyuwangi

Beautifully designed building in a lovely setting.

Authenticity & Character

Location

The terraced rice fields surrounding the hotel are beautiful.

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

The Phoenix Hotel Yogyakarta - MGallery Collection

YOGYAKARTA

Great location, well appointed with a lovely pool and helpful friendly staff. Breakfast was great and one of the most extensive we’ve very seen. Our room overlooking the pool was perfect.

Authenticity & Character

Historic character

Location

Near Malioboro Street and great coffee options in walking distance.

Staff

Very nice and friendly

Cleanliness & Comfort

Jiwa Jawa Bromo

Beautiful location and grounds. The gallery was also lovely.

Authenticity & Character

The grounds are very well maintained and nice to wander in.

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Menjangan Dynasty Resort

Lovely beach setting with great snorkeling access. Buildings are beautiful and the layout of the space is great.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Front desk staff were lovely and helpful. The food service staff were a bit forgetful.

Cleanliness & Comfort

VANARA Resort & Spa

Pecatu

Incredible buildings with beautiful designed rooms/ villas and the view is spectacular. The restaurant and breakfasts were some of the best food we had in Indonesia- I’m still thinking of the lovely breakfasts. Staff were incredibly kind and thoughtful- always helpful and anticipating your needs. We had an early checkout and they offered breakfast to go which was so perfect.

Authenticity & Character

Villas are designed to capture the views and with great attention to detail. The afternoon snacks in the room are also lovely.

Location

The view over the cliff to the ocean was incredible during the day but even better at sunset. Don’t be surprised by the drive in- it is a bit out of the way but completely worth it.

Staff

The staff were always kind, attentive and helpful. The resort uses texting rather than landline phones - which I didn’t know how I’d feel about but it works great and isn’t at all obtrusive. Also, because the restaurant is so highly regarded and the location so amazing people come to have drinks and dinner but the staff quietly gives preference to those staying at the hotel- which is lovely.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Review

Visit Taman Sari Water Palace

Yogyakarta

Interesting to see but small and not much information. Did also enjoy the shadow puppet makers stall outside the exit- truly incredible to see the process.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Dilla explained the space well but there isn’t much left to the building.

Transport

Best tour was the ice cave tour with local guides.is. Micheal our guide was excellent and gave us a lot of great info.
All places we stayed at were very nice.
Kimkim app and info provided by Emanuel were awesome and very useful.

Our trip guided by Florin and driven by Bogdan exceeded my expectations by far. It couldn't have been better.

Activity Reviews

Transfer from Bucharest to Brasov with Peles Castle

Romania

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Zarnesti Cliffs and Bear Watching

Romania

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Viscri and Sighisoara

Romania

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Sighisoara to Bucovina with the Red Lake and the Bicaz Gorge

Romania

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Discover Bucovina

Gura Humorului

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Visit Suceava

Romania

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Free time in Bucharest

Bucharest

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Visit Mihoveni

Suceava

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Bucharest city tour

Bucharest

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

My wife and I had a spectacular Italy trip and much thanks is due to Caterina and her team at YCJ. She was super helpful in planning a trip that met the dream we had and gave great advice along the way. The trip itself went off without a hitch, the drivers and guides were all first class and it really let us focus on just enjoying our time in Italy. There was one particular winery I very much wanted to visit and she was able to contact them and arrange it for us and the experience there was incredible. Overall, I can’t say enough good things. I highly recommend them and will use them again.

Kate was amazing yet again!!! We had the most wonderful time on our adventure that she planned for us. She is attentive and always plans the best vacations. We hope to use her again in the future.

A beautifully planned trip with amazing activities that showed us a different side of Costa Rica’s Caribbean coast. Puerto Viejo and its surroundings are such a stunning region with so much to explore. It was a wonderful and memorable experience!

We can’t say enough good things about Ravi and the whole team from Active India. From the minute we landed until we flew out, we were looked after extremely well. Our driver Satnam was excellent along with each and every guide we had. Being greeted at the airport & also escorted to the airport at the end was a nice touch. Highly recommend!

Hotel Reviews

Samode Haveli

Jaipur

We absolutely loved this hotel. Everything about the hotel was first class. We wished we could’ve stayed longer.

Authenticity & Character

Beautifully and peacefully decorated

Location

Staff

Extremely pleasant and approachable staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Extremely hard-working staff kept hotel spotless

RAAS JODHPUR

Jodhpur

Gorgeous setting for hotel. Jodphur was our favourite place to visit and the hotel accommodations made it even better.

Authenticity & Character

Beautifully decorated

Location

Located at the base of the fort

Staff

Extremely friendly and approach

Cleanliness & Comfort

Spotless

Activity Review

Taj Mahal Sunrise Visit

Agra

Highly recommend completing the early morning tour of the Taj Mahal. Well, worth it to wake up early.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

We really enjoyed the itinerary that Eleanor created for our visit to Japan. She was friendly, responsive to our preferences and full of ideas. Our transfers, drivers and guides were all professional and friendly.