Kimkim Trip Reviews

This trip was Amazing! Diana Mota is a superb travel expert for her country of Portugal. From our first contact, I knew Diana would be a great person to work with. As a travel agent myself and having never traveled to Portugal, I relied on her expertise throughout the process. She carefully listened to our desires, likes and dislikes, to create a tailor-made vacation for us. This was my first time using kimkim and I will definitely utilize their services for other clients. The timings of all activities from the drivers to adventures were all on time and well described. Diana's travel agenda was well planned and well timed for all that we wanted to see and do.

The drivers from Carlos whom first picked us up from Lisbon to Porto, Ivo for a beautiful experience in the Douro Valley, Riccardo on our journey from Porto through Coimbra and Tomar back to Lisbon, and the two drivers in the Algarve to/from the Albufeira station to Lagos were all professional, courteous, on-time, and so knowledgable. Many thanks to them. Our guides were also outstanding, Sara in Porto, Margredia in Lisbon, and Fia on our Ponta da Piedade boat trip
were all so pleasant and extremely knowledgable. We greatly enjoyed all the time they spent with us to make our trip even more enjoyable. We left Portugal with a much better understanding of the people, places, culture and food. A truly outstanding trip. Thank you Diana and all for the constant communication and updates.

Dennis Sindel

Hotel Reviews

NH Hotel Porto Jardim

Porto

Great location in Porto, staff was always so friendly and helpful. Room was well maintained and very quiet. The breakfast facility and quantity and quality of the food was great. Would definitely recommend this hotel and stay there again.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Very near everything in the old town of Porto

Staff

All truly wonderful

Cleanliness & Comfort

Everything was clean

Hotel Lisboa Plaza

Lisbon

Hotel, though older, was excellent in character and quality. We were fortunate to have been upgraded to a mini-suite. The suite was great, plenty of room. Hotel is well maintained. Staff courteous and very friendly. Breakfast was excellent. Would definitely recommend it and stay there again.

Authenticity & Character

Deliteful hotel

Location

Need to be able to walk in Lisbon or take locale transportation. Lisbon's attractions are very spread out.

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Marina Rio

Lagos

Wonderful location a short distance from the old town but still a short walk. We were fortunate to have a marina view room with a small balcony. It was great just to sit on the balcony and enjoy the view. Breakfasts were great. Even has a rooftop pool and a rooftop terrace .

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

They all were so friendly, kind, and helpful. Many have been there a long time which tells you a lot.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Meliá Lisboa Aeroporto

Lisbon

We were only there for about 12 hours as our train was late coming in and we needed to be at the airport in the early AM so it is hard to give a full rating. The room was nice, small, but very clean. The overhead shower did not work as the knob controlling it came out. Not a big problem as there was still a hand held shower head. I mentioned it on check-out and they would get it fixed.

Authenticity & Character

Location

We could walk to the airport, no transportation needed.

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

The Flavors of Port Wine - Sip & Discover

Porto

A great learning and tasting experience. Our guide, Pedro, was very informative and we learned a lot about Port wine. A neat experience on the Gaia side of Porto.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Porto's Historic Odyssey on a Private Walking Tour

Porto

Sara was an outstanding guide. She really knows and loves her city and that was very apparent. We felt that we had a much better understanding of Porto beyond what the guidebooks/reviews give.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Sara was great

Scenic Voyage along the Douro River aboard an Exclusive Boat

Portugal

Ivo, our driver, gave us a wonderful experience on a day trip to the Douro valley. He asked us exactly what we would like to see and do. Our focus was to see the area, take the 1 hour boat trip, and get and overall perspective of what happens in the valley. We did not visit any wineries as that was not our focus. I am sure the Quintas would be lovely to visit but that was not our goal. He took us to some quaint areas, gorgeouse views of the valley area, and even stopped at one of the 5 locks so we could see how that functioned. A great day out of the city. The restaurant in Pinhao he recommended, the Veladouro, was great.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Seamless Discovery - The Ultimate Douro Valley Experience with Private Driver Service

Portugal

see review of the boat trip

Lisbon's Historic Odyssey on a Private Walking Tour

Lisbon

Great walk of the Alfama and Biaxia areas of Lisbon. Margareda was an excellent guide give great perspectives on the city, the culture, and the people. She gave a great history of Lisbon of the pre and post 1755 earthquake happenings in the city.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Our trip to Italy was absolutely perfect! A special shout-out to our tour guides: Giovanni in Rome and Martina in Florence. They were extremely knowledgeable and provided excellent tours. Our contacts at kimkim were also extremely helpful in planning. Anita provided us with some great experiences and made the trip as smooth as could be. And Nadia, our point of contact during our travels, was very responsive and accommodating to any questions or additional requests we had. I'd recommend kimkim to anyone looking to plan a long trip. Kimkim made it a thousand times easier!

Hotel Reviews

Hotel Monte Cenci

Rome

Great hospitality and great location

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Horto Convento Florence

Firenze

Quiet and comfortable. And Ginger the Convent cat is adorable.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Relais Santa Chiara Hotel - Tuscany Charme

San Gimignano

Great location and the view is incredible.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Claudia took excellent care of us each morning at breakfast, providing gluten free options.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Palace Catania | UNA Esperienze

Catania

Beautiful hotel and good location

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Palazzo Ventimiglia

Palermo

Beautiful palazzo and comfortable. Only drawback was that it was a bit noisy outside at night.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Too noisy to sleep. Only complaint.

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Discover the Vatican: From the Museums to the Sistine Chapel

Italy

We had a great guide!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Get Inside the Colosseum with Arena Access

Italy

Giovanni was a lot of fun and gave us a great experience. Worth every penny to avoid the crowds and lines too. We were confused about where to meet up, but they called us and waited for us.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Florence on Foot: Michelangelo’s David & Duomo

Italy

Great tour! Didn't realize we weren't going inside the duomo though. But overall a lovely experience.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Just finished an incredible week in Vietnam that was perfectly planned by Long Dao. He got the style and pace of the vacation my wife and I wanted and was very open and patient to my requests when I wanted something different from the original plan. From the moment we landed to the moment we got dropped off at the airport to leave, Long and his team had everything set up. I had tried to price out the same itinerary on my own, and was not even able to get the entire schedule in before the cost was more than the package quoted and that did NOT include any transfers or pickups. I would whole heartedly recommend booking with Long Dao, and with KimKim. I will definitely use them both again!

All the guides were wonderful and so knowledgeable about the topics they covered. Maria Paola was amazing. The Private tour of the Capri midland off positano was my most memorable event. I would recommend KimKim to anyone looking to book a trip. The app and Andrea (my contact) were so seamless and always there when I needed them just a text away!

We (2 couples) began planning our Japan adventure about 10 months before travel began. There is so much information on the internet about cities to visit, hotels to stay in and sites to see that it can become overwhelming. Ben answered my many, many questions in a timely and concise manner. He helped us to choose which places to see and which might not be our priority. Once we arrived in Japan Ben remained in contact with us, offering help when we needed it and flexibility when we wanted to make some changes to our well planned itinerary. Ben worked with local agents when we had to replace a guide and to make tweaks when the weather did not cooperate for a tower visit.
We spent 15 days in Japan, travelled by trains, tramways, cars and buses to 5+ cities and had the most amazing experience. We would highly recommend Ben and KimKim when booking a trip to Japan!

Activity Reviews

Tokyo's Culinary Heritage: Tsukiji Market, Aritsugu Knives & Sushi Making (by Public Transportation)

Tokyo

Be prepared for a street food market like you’ve never seen before. The knife store is one of the oldest in Japan and is still used by chefs to make their knives. This is not a tourist attraction like some other knife shops.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Ryuji is an amazing guide.

Miyajima’s World Heritage & Serene Temples: Guided Full-Day Tour with Public Transfer & Ferry

Hiroshima

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Site seeing boat there. Fast boat back

Tokyo Highlights: teamLab Planets & Ginza Shopping (by Public Transportation)

Tokyo

Team Lab Planets is such an amazing experience. It can’t really be categorized as a museum but it has interactive museum like qualities.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Ryuji is incredible at getting you through and around all of Tokyo on public transportation

Transport

Our guide, Astina was very good and very knowledgeable of the local customs and culture. Our driver, Merta, was incredible at navigating the crowded local roads.
By all means take in the Telaga Waka white water rafting…great wet fun and plenty of action.
While we really like the grounds, location and ambience of the Bliss Spa in Ubud, the facilities and hot water could use some attention. Overall great trip

Hotel Review

Bliss Ubud Spa and Resort

Read overall review

Authenticity & Character

Location

Built right on a rice paddy

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hot water!! Room fixtures

Activity Reviews

Farm to Table Cooking Class

Indonesia

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Visit Gunung Kawi

Ubud, Bali

Guests should be made fully aware of the many steep steps that must be navigated.

Telaga Waja Rafting

Indonesia

Experience Rural Farming and Balinese Life

Indonesia

Visit Tirta Empul

Indonesia

The overall trip was amazing. I enjoyed the fact that it allowed flexibility in seeing the sights of the city or town with the recommendations and the planned events. There was a little bit of difficulty using the Ghent card on the local transportation which was a little inconvenient however most of the conductors were fairly understanding. The train tickets to the different destinations were very helpful. We truly appreciated the location of the hotels in proximity to the stations to avoid long hauls with luggage.

Hotel Reviews

Hotel des Arts

Amsterdam-Centrum

Enjoyed this hotel very much. The location was central to a lot of sights and tram and bus stops.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Very helpful. Provided great tips for seeing the sights and travel to the train station. Appreciated the early check in since we just aren’t into Amsterdam from a long flight and were a bit tired.

Cleanliness & Comfort

The Collector Hotel

The Hague

Quirky decor and aesthetic.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Close to a lot of great shopping places

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel FranQ

Antwerp

Loved the vibe of the hotel and historic origins to be repurposed from an old bank into a hotel. You can go down to the vault and see the wine cellar.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Ghent River Hotel

Ghent

Loved the location of this hotel to the center of town. There was a bit of an issue with noise from the heater/cooling unit in the middle of the night and the room was a bit dim. The TV had issues were it kept freezing and the satellite signal would be delayed. It was hard to find an outlet for charging phones.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Super friendly and helpful

Cleanliness & Comfort

Loud noise issues from heater and the bathroom had a weird order so the needed to be shut at all times.

La Merveilleuse

Dinant

Step back into the past and sleep in a previous abbey.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Parc Beaux Arts

Luxembourg

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Stayed in the executive suite and enjoyed the amount of space however it was a bit dark. I appreciate that there were heater/air conditioning units but the room was a bit cold still. The couch and tv area was very cozy and comfortable. Would like to suggest a throw blanket for that area to help stay warm when watching TV

The Dominican

Bruxelles

Awesome amenity: spa and gym were superb. Loved that there was a water station so that we could refill water bottles and not have to purchase. They also provided sparkling water free of service from the dispenser as well. Customer service was excellent from check in to check out. This was last hotel for our trip and it truly was the best experience.

Authenticity & Character

Used to be a Dominican abbey

Location

Close to metro and lots of shops and dining options.

Staff

Arron’s desk service. They allowed use late check out which prevented us from having to sit in the train station for over 5 hours.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Brussels - Atomium

Belgium

Too many people and wasn’t what I expected.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

The Hague - Panorama Mesdag

Belgium

Amazing seeing the panoramic painting. Enjoyed the background information on the lower level before reaching the top level to see the panoramic painting. Appreciate how they made it seem like it was a light house view

Quality of Experience

Antwerp - The Underpass

Belgium

Bit obscure at night finding the entrance but it was an interesting experience to get to the other bank. Appreciate that you can also take the ferry for free as well back and forth.

Quality of Experience

Ghent - Explore Ghent with a CityCard

Belgium

Appreciate that you can see so many things with this card and also have access to public transportation so that you don’t have to walk around everywhere.

Quality of Experience

Amsterdam - Anne Frank House

The Netherlands

Very somber and eye opening experience. Would highly recommend.

Quality of Experience

Ghent - Day trip to Bruges by public transport

Ghent

Quality of Experience

Antwerp - Red Star Line Museum

Belgium

Quality of Experience

Luxembourg City - Luxembourg in 1 day by private transport

Luxembourg City

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Brussels - Day trip to Leuven by public transport

Brussels

Transport

Amsterdam - Private Grand Dutch Food & History Tour

The Netherlands

Quality of Experience

Appreciate that modifications were made based upon dietary considerations

Guides, Drivers and Staff

The Hague - Mauritshuis Museum

The Netherlands

Quality of Experience

Antwerp - Private guided food tour on foot

Belgium

Quality of Experience

Food

Antwerp - Beguinage

Antwerp

Quality of Experience

Leuven University Library

Belgium

Quality of Experience

Ghent - Private guided walking tour

Belgium

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Bruges - Private guided walking tour

The Netherlands

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Brussels - Explore Brussels' Museums with the Brussels Card

The Netherlands

Quality of Experience

Scheveningen - Free time

Belgium

Quality of Experience

Antwerp - Private guided walking tour

Belgium

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Ghent - Gravensteen Castle of the Counts

Belgium

Quality of Experience

To celebrate our 25th wedding anniversary, we wanted our trip to Germany, Austria and northern Italy to be completely seamless and memorable. A friend recommended KimKim, and working with Lucie turned out to be the best decision we made.
Lucie listened closely to our goals and brought genuine local insight that automated travel tools simply cannot replicate. She eliminated the stress of coordinating logistics—handling all hotel bookings, private transfers, and tours with precision. Our itinerary was logically organized, with direct links to every confirmation and travel document we needed in one place.
Every accommodation and excursion exceeded expectations, especially arranging bike rentals to visit local wineries and a lake which was not available by train. Lucie’s restaurant recommendations were spot-on as well. When a minor question arose regarding one of our train tickets, Lucie and the KimKim team responded immediately to sort it out.
Thanks to Lucie, we were able to fully immerse ourselves in celebrating our milestone without any travel anxiety. We cannot recommend Lucie and KimKim highly enough and will definitely work with them on our next journey abroad.

Hotel Reviews

BioHotel Garmischer Hof

Garmisch-Partenkirchen

Staff were incredibly helpful!!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Goldener Adler, BW Signature Collection

Innsbruck

Excellent location.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Greif, a Member of Design Hotels

Bolzano

Excellent location and we loved the bar at the sister hotel Hotel Laurin!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Leon D'Oro

Mori

Excellent hotel and superb service by the staff!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Casanova Venice

Venezia

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel location was excellent but the room was quite small. The closet was located at the foot of the bed and you could not get to the bathroom if the closet was open. Most other hotels had at least 2 seating options like chairs or a bench and chair. This room only had 1 chair. Granted we were not in the room much so in the grand scheme of things, it is not a huge deal.

Activity Reviews

Zugspitze round-trip tickets

Garmisch-Partenkirchen

Experience was great but unfortunately, it was extremely cloudy/foggy so we were unable to see anything. Was a cool experience though!

Quality of Experience

Transport

St. Mark’s Basilica with Terrace Access & Doge’s Palace | Semi-Private Tour

Venice

Excellent tour guide.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Murano & Burano Islands Fully Guided with Private Boat (group/5h)

Venice

Seemed the trip was coordinated with the Glassblower's shop, Lace maker's shop & Pastry shop to promote purchasing from these vendors. Other than coordinating the travel and directing us to these shops and providing recommendations for restaurants for lunch, the guide did not add much to the excursion, although she was very pleasant.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Private Evening Gondola Ride Venice & City Stroll

Venice

Really enjoyed our city walking tour and evening gondola ride. Our guide Pamela was excellent and pivoted quickly when we advised we had toured the Doges Palace and St. Mark's Basillica earlier that day. She also recommended a restaurant for dinner and we ate there our last night and it was the best meal of our trip!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Nordkette - Top of Innsbruck

Innsbruck

Thankfully, we had a beautiful day and had beautiful views!

Quality of Experience

I had 3 guides:
1) Sophia Kim: An absolutely incredible guide. Helpful, knowledgeable, supportive, funny. Her only weak spot was a lack of knowledge of wildlife, which was the entire focus for this portion of the trip. She did the absolute best she could, calling experts, checking the internet for good spots, so she made the best of it. But do try and pick a wildlife expert next time a client requests a wildlife tour.

2) Danny Kim: He put up with the chaos of our group very well. He was patient, and thoughtful and helpful and accommodating. When people didn't want to do a particular event, he made sure we were safe and entertained while the rest of the group went off with him. Other than 4 of us catching the flu, we had a very fun time with Danny.

3) Mickey Park: We only had 1 day with him, and with the typhoon weather we had to drastically change the itinerary, but he handled it like a pro, and made sure we did cool indoor stuff the whole day, even as several of us were succumbing to the flu exhaustion.

Favorite parts:
* Walking amongst the farm fields with Sophia Kim spotting spoon bills and geese and storks and praying mantises.
* Solo walking through Seoul Forest Park and spotting all the birds and bugs
* Being introduced to Tteokbokki by Sophia Kim and wanting to eat it every day now
* Experiencing the underground market on Jeju and eating black pork.
* Having the best burger of my life at Welcome Burger on Jeju Island.

Least Favorite Parts:
* Not focusing on wildlife at the DMZ the first day.
* Discovering that the giant park west of the hotel was entirely walled off by the US government.
* Being told that the hike for Ancient Seunggasa Temple was "Easy". NOTHING about that was easy. That is an advanced, all uphill hike. OMG exhausting!
* Getting rained out of all the outdoor activities on Jeju

All in all it was a fantastic experience and I am very thankful to Christine for organizing it all and making run as smoothly as she could.

Next time, I need to return to Jeju when it's sunny, and experience Busan as well!

My husband and I wanted to take a trip to Greece to celebrate our anniversary but we weren't sure exactly where we wanted to go. We worked with Sydney and from the beginning she was professional, knowledgeable and informative. We had a few ideas about what things we wanted to see and do and she planned an amazing trip with multiple private excursions that exceeded our expectations. The hotels were all wonderful, all the transports were on time and the tours were wonderful. We had to switch a few things due to weather and KimKim was available and helped us change some itinerary details at the last minute. Overall the trip and the planning were 5 stars. Thank you!!

The itinerary that was proposed for our three weeks in Vietnam and Thailand was ingeniously crafted for inclusion of a great variety of meaningful experiences and interactions with people. Hien was delightful to work with and very responsive to our questions as they came up during our travels.

All of our guides, Dung Jun in Hanoi, Quoc in Ninh Binh, Finn in Ho Chi Minh City and the Mekong, delta and Kat in Bangkok we’re very personable, knowledgeable, responsible, and willing to adapt our itinerary to maximize our learning and needs. A special mention of Finn, who was very thoughtful in providing a birthday cake for Marty and taking my wife on a motor scooter when her knees would not allow for her to ride bicycle.

Would highly recommend Coco Riverside Lodge, and their concept of community tourism. This place is off the beaten path but very worthwhile making the effort to get there. Such a beautiful relaxing setting with a very engaging owner and excellent staff. The community programming that they offer to visitors is amazing and comprehensive.

Our four days at Rocky’s resort in Koh Samui was such a fitting place to end our three week trip. The general manager talked with us numerous times, the staff were so attentive . The grounds were beautiful and well maintained. The programming with traditional, live Thai music and dancing, as well as the fire dance show provided excellent entertainment and education.

Everywhere we went the food was of exceptional quality, and quantity. The street food tour in Hanoi our first night was a wonderful way to start the trip. Two cooking classes were also memorable.

All of our van drivers were punctual and safe. They helped us to feel relaxed in the midst of very chaotic traffic.

At the end of our travels, we commented that there was nothing that we would change about this trip. It was obvious that Realistic Asia and Hien had understood our priorities for travel: people, culture, nature, and education.

Would highly recommend Realistic Asia and their talented team to craft a Southeast Asia trip.

The itinerary and our travel experiences were outstanding in every way. From the drivers who met us with punctuality, to our local guides, and all the people we interacted with at our places of lodging, we were treated with utmost kindness, respect, and friendliness. Everyone was very professional, and seemed to have our best interest at heart.
Our guides were skilled, knowledgeable, efficient, interactive, friendly, and very supportive. Jun in Hanoi. Quoc in Ninh Binh. Fin in Hochi Minh City and the Mekong Delta. Kat in Bang Kok. Every one of them, stellar guides.
In every instance, our lodging was comfortable, and offered an excellent accommodation for overnight stays.
I especially enjoyed Coco Riverside Lodge. What a beautiful place along the river in a lovely tropical setting!
I also loved Rocky’s in Koh Samui. The staff were excellent. At Coco Riverside and Rocky’s we had the priviledge of interacting with the owner (Coco Riverside) and the General Manager (Rocky’s). Many personal touches made our visit at these places memorable.
I’ll mention again that the itinerary was very well planned and included many places of interest. Spending the final four days of our trip on Koh Samui was an excellent plan!! Being able to get out into the villages and interact with people and their culture was a highlight for me.
All the 26 modes of transportation made the experience enjoyable and quite varied!!
The food was amazing!!! Always ample. In fact, at times there was too much food and it made me sad to think it might be wasted.
The vans offered very comfortable travel and always had cold water available and often cold wipes. (It was very hot and humid!!) The drivers were always on time or early and safe.
Honestly, I wouldn’t change anything about our itinerary. I enjoyed every thing we did! The pacing was good for me. The time spend at each place seemed just about right!!
I would highly recommend this trip to anyone!! I’m not sure what would have made it better. We learned a lot. Ate the best food. Had the best accommodations, Had knowledgeable and experienced guides. I’ll be thinking about this experience for a long time. Our group of four made many wonderful memories.
Kimkim and Realistic Asia are top notch travel experts and planners. I felt well supported and was glad to know that we had someone to contact if necessary. Would highly recommend!!
Thank you. Thank you, for this unforgettable travel experience.

Hotel Reviews

Hong Ngoc Dynastie Hotel & Spa

Hanoi

Comfortable. Great buffet breakfast.

Authenticity & Character

Location

In the middle of old town Hanoi.

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Gateway Inn Pu Luong

Great views from the hotel balcony and our room.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Amour Cruise

A fun way to see more of VietNam.

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Acnos Grand Hotel

Ho Chi Minh

Great location.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Coco Riverside Lodge

Don’t miss staying at this place!!! What a beautiful, delightful location and fantastic staff. Enjoyed ALL the experiences we had starting our from this hotel. The grounds are so lovely. Peaceful. Quiet. Great staff.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Located along the river in a well cared for tropical environment.

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Silom Serene Hotel

Bangkok

Great location. Large comfortable rooms. Professional, accommodating staff.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Rocky's Boutique Resort

Amphur Koh Samui, Suratthani

The food was fabulous. The pools were great. A fantastic location right at the waters of the Gulf of Thailand. The staff were outstanding and very professional. Had several lovely conversations with the hotel General Manager. So happy to have four nights here!!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Hanoi Evening Walking Street Food Tour

Hanoi

We dove right into the food scene. What a great way to begin the trip with this excellent introduction to the food. A highlight.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Hanoi Fullday City Tour with Train Track Coffee Enjoying

Hanoi

Informative. Exciting.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Boat Trip Exploring The Natural Beauty of Trang An & Visit Hoa Lu Ancient Capital

Vietnam

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Pu Luong Full Day Easy Rider - Caving | Riding | Swimming

Pu Luong Nature Reserve

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Explore Pu Luong Iconic Rice Terrace & Local Brocade (Excursions)

Vietnam

It was wonderful to see the countryside up close. Learned a lot about local culture.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Explore the Cu Chi Tunnels

Ho Chi Minh City

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Samui Elephant Home

Vietnam

This was a highlight and so worth the time!! Inspiring to see the way the elephants were cared for! The lunch they served was unexpected and was wonderful!!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Explore The Lush Countryside Of The Mekong Delta (3D2N)

Vietnam

A highlight. Biking….Such a great way to experience the countryside.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Our trip was smooth in every way. Antonia did a great job of helping us plan the trip. Prior to leaving for our trip Antonia had her colleague Nikola work with us to finalize all the details and make sure we understood each day on the trip. He answered all our questions, and we felt comfortable knowing what to expect.

While on the trip, Nikola send us a What'sApp message every evening with all the details for the following day. Towards the end of the trip we decided we wanted to cancel one of our tours. We contact Nikola and he took care of it immediately. Due to weather, we also thought it might be best to change plans for a walking tour. Nikola agreed and made it all happen. Many of our guides and drivers commented on how great Nikola and Antonia are to work with.

All of our drivers and guides were outstanding. There are several that really stood out. Zenko who drove us to and around Rovinj. Rosanna who was our tour guide at Brijuni National Park. Ivanka who guided us at Plitvice National Park.
Salvador who toured us around Split. Pietra who guided us around Montengro. Maria who toured us in old town Dubrovnik.

This was our second trip with KimKim and bravo for another seemless and wonderful journey. Once we decide when and where to go next we will not hesitate to contact KimKim.

Blessings,
Elizabeth and Robert Sawyer

Hotel Reviews

Manda Heritage Hotel

Zagreb

Authenticity & Character

Location

near downtown

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Adriatic

Rovinj

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

16 Lakes Hotel

Rakovica

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Cornaro Hotel

Split

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel More

Dubrovnik

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Private Walking Tour of Rovinj

Croatia

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Day Trip to Brijuni National Park

Croatia

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Private Walking Tour of Plitvice Lakes National Park

Croatia

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Private Walking Tour of Split

Croatia

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Hvar Day Trip from Split

Croatia

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Guides, Drivers and Staff

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Private Walking Tour of Dubrovnik

Dubrovnik

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Guides, Drivers and Staff

Private Day Trip to Montenegro - Perast & Kotor

Dubrovnik

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Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Truffle Lunch with Presentation at Local Family Estate

Croatia

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Guides, Drivers and Staff

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Gourmet Experience at Local Winery

Croatia

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Wine Tasting at Local Winery on Pelješac Peninsula

Croatia

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Transport

We appreciated Kimkim's hotel choices- always in great locations. We especially liked staying in Monterosso at Hotel Marina, where the staff was amazingly friendly and helpful. The 2 Liv tours were excellent ( Florence city tour and accademia) and Venice ( basilica and Doge's palace)-

Hotel Reviews

Hotel Gran Duca di York

Milan

Good location- we could walk to all the major tourist sites.

Authenticity & Character

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Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Marina

Monterosso al Mare

Low key, very friendly staff, great location

Authenticity & Character

Location

walk to train, walk to hiking paths

Staff

front desk staff, especially the guy who also works at Da Eraldo, who even let us use the shower many flights of stairs up in the Lemon Garden after we had hiked but already checked out.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Il Guelfo Bianco

Florence

Location close to train station and all major sites

Authenticity & Character

Location

nice, old fashioned feel in character with Florence

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Ca' Pozzo Inn

Venice

Although the location was pretty good ( a bit hard to find, as many hotels in Venice are), I didn't like the modern, sparse feel. The hotel is at the end of a narrow alley and was gated at night, which made me feel a bit claustophobic ( but my husband was fine with all of that) Staff was great, including the wonderful woman who helped with breakfast and the front desk. We had to leave early the last day and staff out-did themselves packing us a breakfast to go.

Authenticity & Character

this is a matter of taste- too modern for me, but clean

Location

walkable to train and other sites

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Florence on Foot: Michelangelo’s David & Duomo

Italy

excellent guide from Liv Tours. Even though we didn't sign up for the tour of the Brunelleschi dome, I wish we had in advance. There was a good amount of time at the Accademia Gallery

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

The Liv tour guide was friendly and had lots of good info

Discover Venice: From St. Mark's Basilica to the Doge’s Palace with Terrace Access

Italy

Our Liv tours guide was very knowledgeable. I wish there was more time at the Palace than at the Basilica- we skipped a lot and the Basilica was not as interesting

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Italy -Important Trip Information: Please Review Before Departure

Italy

the most helpful information was on tipping

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Discover the City by Gondola

Venice

We would have been fine in a shared gondola to save the money and the gondolier was not particularly interested or interactive. It was too hard to hear what little information he offered.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

My husband and I, along with two close friends, spent 2 weeks traveling around Argentina. The trip was curated through KimKim, and directly curated by MacDermott’s, based in Buenos Aires. We were in Buenos Aires, Patagonia (Bariloche and Villa Angustora in the Lake District) and Mendoza. Everything was perfectly planned and coordinated, and based on what we had requested and the kind of traveling we wanted.

We spent 3 days in BA with a guide named Emilia who took us on a wonderful city tour where she showed us all of the major historical and cultural sights and was flexible about taking us to places we requested that weren’t on the itinerary. Emilia answered all of our many questions about BA and Argentina in general and was very warm, friendly and knowledgeable. She also took us on a culinary tour which was a lot of fun and also introduced us to several of BA’s colorful and interesting neighborhoods.

From BA we flew to Bariloche in Patagonia where our guide was Facundo (“Facu””). We spent 3 days with him exploring the town and surrounding area around the Lake District and did some hiking and sightseeing. A particular highlight was spending a day with Facu on a private boat ride from Bariloche to the other end of the lake up to Villa Angustora. Our captain was a young man named Luca who was terrific. The scenery was spectacular- with the Andes all around us and beautiful islands in the lake. We stopped a few times to get off the boat and so some hiking. Facu had prepared a wonderful lunch for us which we had while riding up the lake to our destination. We stayed 2 nights in Angustora.

We can’t say enough about Facu. He was an amazing guide. So personable, knowledgeable, warm and flexible with our activities. We loved our time with him.

We flew from Bariloche to Mendoza (via BA) and spent 4 days in the wine country. Again, the scenery was splendid. Our guide for this portion of the trip was Marcos, who was very good - knowledgeable and flexible about our activities. We went to several wineries and had terrific experiences learning about wine making in Argentina. On one day we were driven to an estancia in the foothills of the Andes - about 90 minutes west of where we weee staying- and spent a day with Juan.- a gaucho who owns the ranch which has been in his family since his great grandmother. He has a wonderful restaurant in the ranch where we had a private cooking class with his chef Maxie. We learned how to make empanadas. Juan took us on a hike up into the hills on his ranch where he talked about his life as a gaucho and raising horses and growing crops. He was terrific and we learned so much from him. He was so friendly and funny and made us feel we were at home. We then had a delicious lunch at his restaurant, including the empanadas we had made earlier.

From Mendoza we flew back to BA where we had 2 days on our own to go back to the neighborhoods Emilia had shown us. A particular highlight of the whole trip was being hosted by Paolo and Hugh (who own and run MacDermott’s) on our final night in their lovely home for an evening that included a tango demonstration and a delicious dinner. They couldn’t have been more gracious, friendly and warm hosts. We had great conversations about life in Argentina.

The accommodations in every place we stayed were beautiful and totally top notch. Staff, food and amenities were terrific. All of the details of our itinerary worked out perfectly including pick ups and transfers.

All in all, our trip to Argentina, thanks largely to KimKim and MacDermott’s, was one of the very best travel experiences we’ve ever had in over 40 years of world traveling. We hope to work with them again on another South American adventure.

We were very happy everything that Kimkim organized for us. The group tours, hotels and transfers went perfectly. The Kimkim app listed all daily activities in detail. We never felt rushed or over scheduled. All drivers arrived early, and communicated with us through whats app. The guided walking tours were a great way to see the cities we visited.

My impression of the kimkim website and the way they handle private information such as passport numbers, and other identifying pieces of information is poor. Secondly, I did not find Nick to be reachable through much of the planning process, and he did not follow through with promised links for payment, corrections to information for reservations etc. in the timeframe he indicated he would do so, leaving us wondering if he were going to take care of it at all. This lack of communication led us to hold off on making flight reservations until we could be certain we were actually properly registered for the trip. At one point, we heard nothing from Nick for nearly three weeks. So the initial impression of kimkim 's and Nick's services were not highly favorable. However, the trip itself, the guides and drivers we encountered along the way, and the planned experiences were amazing. We agreed it was one of the best travel experiences we've had. The Malaysian people, the varied locations and planned experiences through islands, mountains, rainforests and cities had a lot to do with it! We are grateful for our travel pal, Aur, who visited Malaysia twice before to scope out the areas in order to plan a perfect experience for us. We will definitely be back, but we would not use kimkim's services again due to poor communication and inadequate measures for ensuring the privacy of personal identifying information.

Hotel Reviews

The Rock Resort

Aur Island

Offered all the best of island living. A wonderful retreat!

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Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Waterfront Hotel

Kuching

AMAZING! Good location, beautiful accommodations, helpful staff and a robust breakfast bar that is beyond description!

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Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Casa Del Rio Hotel Melaka

Lovely location and accommodations.

Authenticity & Character

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Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Verdant Hill Hotel

Clean, comfortable, good location.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Grandis Kota Kinabalu

Kota Kinabalu

Authenticity & Character

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Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Kuala Lumpur Walking City Tour

Kuala Lumpur

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Vincent was knowledgeable, interesting, and fun!

Transport

Van's are older, in disrepair. Air conditioning not great.

Kuala Selangor Fireflies Cruise & Dinner

Kuala Lumpur

Food was not very good. Cruise itself was not spectacular, the water was very dirty, and the area was very sketchy.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Kuching City Tour

Kuching

Amen was a terrific guide, very knowledgable and humorous. We enjoyed spending the day with him.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Semenggoh Orangutan, Lunch & Sarawak Cultural Village

Kuching

It was a very short experiences, and felt more like a visit to the zoo.

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Guides, Drivers and Staff

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Coral Island & Snorkeling Excursion

Kota Kinabalu

Very dirty water. Couldn't snorkel in coral areas due to this being planned at low tide.

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Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Kinabalu Park & Poring Hot Springs

Malaysia

A climbing event had been planned for the same day, so we diverted to the hot springs first. The botanical gardens were nice, but the hot springs were more like sitting in a hot tub at a cheap hotel. By the time we were able to go back to the mountain, we could barely see it, as significant fog settled in, and we had very little time to enjoy the experience. This was one of the primary activities I had really been looking forward to, so it was a bit of a let down. Zee, our guide, was fabulous however.

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What a memorable trip all around Japan! We honestly couldn’t have done it without Cannon. He went above and beyond from start to finish, helping us plan our trip, answering any questions we had while we were there, and making sure we had great recommendations for places to visit, eat, and explore.

Tokyo was an absolute highlight, especially getting to experience Akihabara and all the amazing things to see and do in Asakusa. Having Cannon’s guidance made the entire trip so much easier and allowed us to enjoy our time without worrying about all the little details.

We had an incredible experience exploring Japan and made memories we’ll never forget. We’re already talking about going back, and we would absolutely recommend Cannon to anyone planning a trip to Japan. His help and dedication truly made a difference in our experience!

Hotel Reviews

the b asakusa

Tokyo

Authenticity & Character

Location

So close to a train station and being a easy place to get into festivities

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Park Hotel Kyoto

Kyoto

Authenticity & Character

Location

A great little coffee shop beside it and also close to a train station

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Review

Osaka & Nara Day Trip with Osaka Castle and Minoh Park

Japan

The highlight of this trip was definitely getting to check out Osaka Castle. You really need a full day to see everything there but it was still a great time. Nara was great too just have to be careful with the deer because they will check every pocket to see if you have snacks.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

We had a wonderful trip to Japan and enjoyed all the hotels and restaurants that were selected by our kimkim travel agent, Ben. All the train arrangements, which were many, were seamless. Communication both during the planning process and during the trip was excellent. We felt well supported. We particularly enjoyed our guide in Kanazawa "Guchi". We originally planned for full day guides because we felt intimidated by the language barrier. In retrospect, we would go with a less arduous 1/2 day guides for a better and more relaxed pacing. The two places in Japan we enjoyed the most were off the beaten track of most Japan tours. Also, exploring "less" touristy areas is where the kimkim services are the most useful. We loved Kanazawa as a mellow and smaller introduction to Japan and we very much enjoyed Naoshima (stay at "the Lodge") and we managed very well without a guide. We were very happy that we decided to travel solo rather than going with a group and feel that kim kim generally, and Ben specifically, made this possible for us.

Hotel Reviews

Mitsui Garden Hotel Kanazawa

Kanazawa

The hotel is centrally located . You can walk from the train station and it is on a main street that has good bus service. The breakfast was five stars.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

You can't walk through the lobby without someone asking you if they can help!

Cleanliness & Comfort

Shiraume

If you are going to Kyoto, you must stay at this Ryokan located in a former Geisha house in the Gion district of Kyoto. The accomodations, meals, and level of service was like anything you would experience in a top tier hotel. The experience is unforgettable, worth the cost. and gives great insights into the Japanese culture. Okuda-san, proprietor and host, was very gracious and spoke excellent english. Oh, and there is a couples hot tub to die for.

Authenticity & Character

This is a great way to get introducted to why Japan is so special.

Location

Right in the Geisha district.

Staff

Everyone spoke excellent english, were very attentive, and were able to provide good context about the Japanese culture

Cleanliness & Comfort

Japan is super focused on cleanliness. You will not be disappointed with any place in Japan when it comes to cleanliness. Shiraume provided chairs etc so we didn't have to sit on the floor.

Dhawa Yura Kyoto

Kyoto

This hotel caters to western tastes. They were very accomodating but you are not getting the full Japanese experience. Very good location- right on the river and a five minute walk to Gion.

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Staff

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Onyado Nono Namba Natural Hot Spring

Osaka

Very traditional Japanese experience with a Japanese Onsen in an urban setting. For Osaka, this is a good pick as it right near the main shopping areas. If you are not familiar with the Japanese Onsen bath experience, this is a good place to be initiated. It will be worth it. The breakfast was 5 star.

Authenticity & Character

For a westerner, you first few moments might be a little shocking. Hang in there and enjoy the Japanese experience.

Location

Close to food markets and covered shopping promenade.

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

MY LODGE Naoshima

This place is a gem. Get to breakfast and dinner plan because there are few easily accessible locations for dinner. Its a short walk to town but not ideal at night time. Super service, food and nice outdoor areas. Rooms are simple but most have if not all have a small seating area. Naoshima is a pretty island with great vistas. We saw the Benessee house, which is where most people like to stay, but we think this is a bette option.

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Mandarin Oriental

Tokyo

This is a five star bucket list hotel. You pay the prices but you get an astounding level of service in a hotel that caters to westerners. Tokyo is a big place but this hotel was well located for our purposes and near some main subway lines. Good wind down for us at the end of our trip to Japan.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Quiet neighborhood close to two Japanese department stores and a handful of neighborhood restaurants.

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

One-Day Classic Tokyo Public Transport Itinerary: Sensoji · Kappabashi · Harajuku Meiji Shrine · Japanese Tasting Dinner

Tokyo

Dinner at Otari was a highlight of our trip.

Tokyo Culinary Journey with Private transportation– Sake Brewery Experience

Tokyo

The Sake tour was not in English and they discouraged translating by our guide. The tasting seemed brief and seemed like an after thought. The day did include a lunch at a Tofu focused Japanese restaurant which was one of the highlights of our trip and located on the side of a beautiful rural setting. Consider this if you can do it by public transportation.

Full Day Guided Kanazawa Cultural Tour by Public Transport – Gardens, Historic Districts & Local Market

Kanazawa

It is possible to see the major historical sites in Kanazawa in one long day. Our excellent guide, "Guchi" was well versed in in the history and culture of the area. In addition, she took us to some unique artisan shops. Definately ask for her.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

We had a great 8 days in Iceland. The app was perfect. The room selection was excellent. We were a family of 13 including 4 kids under the age of 6. I think I made the right choice picking your service. Luka did a great job putting it all together for us Thank you again for the help

John