Kimkim Trip Reviews

Tom planned an amazing trip for our family. We enjoyed a combination of guided walking tours as well as boat and train rides both solo and with a guide at times. We had time to explore on our own as well. Tom was very responsive and attentive to any questions or concerns. Thank you!

Martina did an excellent job listening to my needs (I have trouble walking) and guiding me on what cities would work/be difficult. She made sure I had transfers and rooms without stairs as best she could before she went on maternity leave. When/if she is back, I highly recommend her! Just be careful once you are on the trip as different people help you and are not as understanding/accommodating as Martina

Hotel Review

Salvadonica - Borgo del Chianti

San Casciano in Val di pesa

The best meal we ate in all of Italy was the cooking class meal we had here! Such a fun experience as well as delicious. Unfortunately, I’m not sure what to say about the restaurant though as our first night’s dinner was so salty neither of us could finish our meals. It made me want to cancel the second night’s meal , but I’m glad we didn’t as the second night’s dinner was delicious. Comfortable rooms and a lovely swimming pool was very relaxing. Gravel walkways to some of the rooms, so if you have trouble walking, select a room carefully

Authenticity & Character

Location

Relaxing and scenic location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Meeting Venice: boat cruise along the canals

Venice

It was nice to have a private boat tour, but we were in one of the taxi boats which are partially enclosed. It’s tricky for those with physical problems to get to the opened back or it’s a little crowded to stay up front with driver. But we did get a very knowledgeable tour guide who went out of the way to make sure we went by something that is special to me.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Driver went out of his way to accommodate me, but the boats aren’t really built for sightseeing

Paper marbling workshop with a local artisan

Florence

It was so nice to do something a little different, yet also very authentic

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Rooftop bar Opera show

Rome

Such a nice unique experience!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Florence Golf Cart Tour

Florence

They no longer allow golf carts in the heart of Florence, so we did Fiesole. There were nice views, but the main museum was closed. Went to alternate museum that was very small and not well air conditioned. I’d skip this golf cart tour. There were nice views on way up to Fiesole, but not really worth it

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Small group golf cart tour of Rome's highlights

Rome

Great experience, particularly if you can’t walk well or are in Rome during a heat wave.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

The openness of the golf carts make it easy to see, but only on the side you are sitting on. Try to get the seat behind the driver

Tuscan Traditional Cooking Class

Italy

Best meal we had in all of Italy!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Flavors of Emilia: Food Valley Tour

Italy

We loved this tour! Only suggestion is to cut down on the a,punt of food or spread it out over a longer period of time

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Bologna Market & Food Tour

Bologna

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Tom was amazing, we had a family trip with 14 members from age 14 to 90. Tom helped us through all the challenges in planning the trip; Was there any time day or night to solve our various requests. Did an outstanding job planning the trip agenda including time in Oslo, Stavanger, Bergen and the Hurtigruten. I highly recommend Tom for trip to Norway.

We ended up having an amazing trip. Thank you to KimKim for all of the efforts on our behalf.

Judy and the team at Kim Kim made planning my trip extremely easy. She was extremely well engaged in what my goals were for my trip and had plenty of suggestions for different activities to do. Overall the process was really simple.

This trip was everything I wanted.
As a first time solo traveller to Europe, I had so many doubts and fears.
But Lisa and Kimkim team really helped out with this plan.
It was tailored to my interests and needs, and even my local friends commented on how good of an itinery I had.
Thank you so much to team KimKim and especially Lisa for all the prompt communcations, help and the plan :)

Hotel Review

The Dominican

Bruxelles

The Dominican was really good stay, Located at very centre and prime spot. The room was spacious and well occupied with all the facilities. Staff were really helpful and friendly. I felt really comfortable and safe staying here. On top of it, the interior and history of the hotel was also very interesting and as an Art nerd, I found it really fascinating. I never had breakfast or any food from the hotel though, so no comment on that.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Leuven - Botanical Gardens (Kruidtuin)

Belgium

A nice and beautiful place to relax, very well and beautifully maintained, a photo spot for sure

Ghent - Gravensteen - Castle of the Counts

Belgium

Visiting the castle was intersting and the audio tour was fun. It is quite a short item and not a must have in my opinion

Quality of Experience

Transport

Brussels - Day trip to Leuven

Brussels

This is another day trip that was absolutely tailored to my interests of architecture, history and art. The St.Peter's Church visit was everything I wanted as an art and history enthusiat. University visit as well was really good. The botanical garden was a really beautiful and nice place to relax after

Quality of Experience

Transport

Brussels - Day trip to Ghent by train

Brussels

Ghent travel was very scenic and absolutely beautiful. Liked it

Quality of Experience

Transport

Brussels - Private guided walking tour: food

Belgium

This is one of the best experience of the trip. My guide was really friendly, knowledgable and really really interesting to spent time with. By the time of this event, I have been in Brussels for almost 4 days and have been to majority of the tourist places and experiences. But he quickly adapted to that, enquired about my intersts and personality, and took me to places , which are not the common tourist places, that fit my interests. Both for food and sights. And as somenone who is interested in history and general politics, he was able to answer many of my queries regarding Belgium and many things related to it, which made a really interesting evening. Really thankful for this experience.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

We had an epic trip. Really enjoyed the local guides.

Hotel Reviews

Scandic Kirkenes

Kirkenes

Authenticity & Character

Location

Close to center of town

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Radisson Blu Airport Hotel, Oslo Gardemoen

Gardemoen

Convenient location adjacent to airport

Authenticity & Character

We watched the Norway 🇳🇴 World Cup in their lounge watch party

Location

Easy walk to airport

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Breakfast was good

MS Richard With

Tromsø

The Hurtigruten was really nice. The food was excellent

Authenticity & Character

The hurtigruten has a storied history

Location

We saw almost the entire coast of Norway

Staff

Expedition Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Bedding was really nice

Heimen Hotel

Bergen

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Scandic Stavanger City

Stavanger

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Thon Hotel Opera

Oslo

Authenticity & Character

Location

Fantastic Location across the street from the library voted best in the world

Staff

Everyone was helpful

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Bergen Walking Tour With a Local Guide

Bergen

All our guides were excellent and helpful

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Nina helped us book dinner for 17 at To Kuchs.

Transport

Norway in a Nutshell and the Flamm railroad

Flor & Fjære Garden Cruise

Stavanger

Unbelievable achievement. Inspiring.

Quality of Experience

Food

Unexpectedly brilliant

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Boat ride was scenic

Oslofjord Sightseeing Cruise by Traditional Boat

Oslo

Would definitely recommend this cruise to get a fuller picture of Oslo

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Private City Walk

Oslo

Our guide was excellent.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Train went straight from airport to our hotel

The trip was amazing. The hotels were very nice and conveniently located. The activities in Flam and Aurland were awesome! Mathia was always incredibly responsive and helpful. Highly recommend!

Having Kimkim's assistance in planning our 17 day self-drive tour of Norway was very helpful. We started with a long list of places we wished to visit and Katie helped us reduce our list to the most important destinations that were within a few hours drive of each other. Most of the lodges we stayed at were fine but one was terrible (Batsfjord Rorbuer). We ended up leaving after our first night and getting a much nicer Airbnb place for the second night. In Alesund we could not fit our luggage into the standard room at Quality Hotel Waterfront so we paid for an upgrade to a larger room with a nice view. Otherwise things went well.

Our journey started with researching New Zealand and how to best travel the country. What to see, where to stay? We made an inquiry with KimKim. We were contacted right away and teamed up with Michelle. What we loved about Michelle is that she lives in New Zealand. We got on a call with her, she asked questions concerning what we wanted to do on the trip. Places that were important for us to visit, things we wanted to do and things we weren’t interested in doing as much. She built a 3 week itinerary for us. The itinerary included transportation, stay and excursions/tours. It was perfect! She was easy to contact and the app that we downloaded allowed us to have our itinerary at hand. Tickets and vouchers were on there as well. We just got back from the trip and it was wonderful!!!

Everything was just as promised.. Of course no one could predict the heat wave that happened, but I was very pleased that there were no problems with any of the reservations or tickets that Kimkim arranged. Everything went as smoothly as one would expect. The instructions given were very thorough and clear. I felt that the money was very well spent and we got exactly what we asked for. I really appreciate that they listened to every need and desire we had, and they stayed within our budget.I will definitely use Kimkim again and I have recommended them to many people.

Hotel Reviews

Moxy Milan Malpensa Airport

Somma lombardo VA

It got the job done and we needed the location. It was fine for a night. It was trying to be very minimalist, but unfortunately it tipped over the line of actually being lacking. Usually hotels have some information in the room about how to change the temp, how to reach the front desk by phone (there was no phone), and available food and services. This had nothing. Not a QR code, no paper info, nothing. The gentleman who checked us in was abrupt and was being overtly rude to his co-worker. The food at the restaurant was OK, but certainly overpriced for what it was and the cafeteria style of service.

Hotel Villa Adriana

Monterosso al Mare

Wonderful space with a perfect location. My only issue was that we were on the very top floor, I think because we needed a larger room, and the windows in this space are tiny and high up. For such a stunning location, I really would have preferred to be able to see the view from this hotel as it was raised up over the street level. Unfortunately we could barely see glimpses of the faraway hillsides and it felt dark.

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Salvadonica - Borgo del Chianti

San Casciano in Val di pesa

Beautiful and clean. A/C was so good! The pool is gorgeous and they are very friendly. I loved their breakfast. The only negative is that the restaurant was a bit disappointing. For the cost, I expected better. The food was either bland or over-salted. The breakfast was great, but the disappointing aspect was lunch and dinner. We sought those meals elsewhere.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Orto de' Medici

Florence

Comfortable, spotless, and beautiful. Great location, and service is wonderful.

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Dei Mellini

Rome

Lovely service, lovely room, A/C was great, everything was clean.

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Pasta Cooking Class with gelato

Florence

I am so glad we did this! Our whole family had so much fun nd we learned some very helpful skills. We have already used them at home.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Florence Walking Food Tour

Florence

This was great, although it was much longer than we had expected. We weren't done until about 9:45pm. We were exhausted and feeling quite done with the whole thing by the end.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Golf Cart -- SHORT TOUR OF ROME

Rome

This was one of my favorite things from the whole trip. Our guide was fun, and it was so much fun to zip around and see things this way. we all (kids included) loved this so much!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Guided Visit to the Colosseum & Roman Forum

Rome

Our personal guide was so knowledgeable and kind. There was a heat wave going on and she was so considerate in trying to help us stay comfortable. She was wonderful.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Vatican & Sistine Chapel Guided Tour

Rome

We booked this ourselves through Viator. This was not a Kimkim service and they had nothing to do with this reservation. That being said, this was supposed to be breakfast tour and promised less crowded viewing and it was anything but that. Full crowds and chaos. I would not book this again.

On the plus side: the planning of the trip and it's itinerary was easy with good back and forth with Julia. The itinerary itself was perfect with the right amount of time allotted to planned activities vs. personal time. The hotels were good with convenient locations. The private food walking tour in Porto was a lot of fun and the guide Andre was excellent. In a close second was Joao with the Sintra and Pena Palace half day trip.
The guide David with the Braga and Guimares trip was not as good. In addition to being almost and hour late, he wasn't very interactive with our family. There was another couple from Greece that he was much more comfortable with saying that Greek and Portuguese cultures are very similar. My suggestion would have been to keep the tour private with the 6 of us rather than incorporate a very different group.
The no show of the guide for the Medieval tour was disappointing but we were able to tour ourselves and have an enjoyable day.
The incorrect address for the cooking school was just sloppy. It was also inconvenient for us to get the school. We divided up so we could get a fast Uber for four of us and two of us walked as fast as we good to get to the school. I felt badly for inconveniencing the others who were waiting on us.

Janneke was amazing to work with. She paid attention to our wishes for the trip. Not only did she meet every one of them, but she exceeded them. She was always available for planning, and once we were in-country, she was available for last-minute questions.

I would definitely recommend Janneke, and the Kimkim team.

Here’s a version that recognizes everyone who helped make your trip special:

Our Portugal trip exceeded every expectation, and we have Kimkim—especially our incredible local agent, Pedro—to thank for making it such a memorable experience.

Pedro was exceptional from beginning to end. He was responsive, knowledgeable, professional, and genuinely invested in making our trip perfect. Every detail was thoughtfully planned, from our beautiful hotels and seamless transfers to outstanding restaurant recommendations and unforgettable experiences throughout Lisbon, Porto, and the Algarve. His communication before and during the trip gave us complete confidence that everything was taken care of.

We would also like to recognize our outstanding drivers and guides, Hugo and Ricardo, who truly elevated our experience.

Hugo welcomed us upon our arrival in Lisbon and handled our airport transfer with warmth and professionalism. He also guided us on an incredible day exploring Sintra and the breathtaking westernmost point of mainland Europe. Later in our journey, he drove us from the Algarve back to Lisbon, and every moment spent with him was enjoyable. His knowledge of Portugal, friendly personality, and willingness to share local insights made each drive feel like part of the vacation rather than simply transportation.

Ricardo was equally exceptional. He gave us a fantastic tour of Porto and took us through the stunning Douro Valley, where we enjoyed an unforgettable boat cruise and winery visit. He also drove us from Porto to the Algarve, making the long journey comfortable, informative, and enjoyable. His passion for Portugal and attention to detail made every experience even more meaningful.

What impressed us most was how effortless the entire vacation felt. Every transfer was punctual, every recommendation was excellent, and even our special requests for my partner’s birthday were handled beautifully. We never had to worry about logistics—we were simply able to relax and enjoy everything Portugal has to offer.

I cannot recommend Kimkim highly enough. Pedro assembled an outstanding team, and together with Hugo and Ricardo, they delivered one of the best travel experiences we’ve ever had. We returned home with unforgettable memories and would not hesitate to use Kimkim again for future adventures.

Thank you, Pedro, Hugo, and Ricardo, for making our dream trip to Portugal a reality.

This was our 10th world tour for our Taekwondo group, and it was the best! We have had several good agents in the past, but dealing with KimKim has been, by far, the best! Jane Davey and Celina were so helpful and on top of everything, that with my wife's skills, made this the most hassle-free trip we have ever been on.

Even during our trip to Scotland, the incredible agents were there for us, ready to answer any questions, or take care of any little problems that came up (which was minimal).

Jane's suggestions and guidance, and Celina's excellence in coordinating the hotels and activities was amazing! If there was some kind of special award in the travel field, they should be the winners hands down!

Thanks so much KimKim for being at the right place at the right time when we were searching for experts to help us on our complicated journey of our group 49 martial artists travelling so far from Colorado!

When we plan our next trip, there is no question of where we will start!

Hotel Review

Boat Country Inn and Restaurant

Aviemore

The friendliest, helpful staff in Scotland! We will be back! They made our time so memorable!

Authenticity & Character

Beautiful!

Location

Staff

The kindergarten teacher who did our breakfast time was incredible! Thanks!

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Stirling Castle Tickets

Scotland

Quality of Experience

Dolphin Watching Expedition

Inverness

It was obvious there were going to be no dolphins to see, but the boat ride was fine.

Quality of Experience

Three Isles Tour – Mull, Iona & Staffa

Oban

Quality of Experience

Private Driver Guide - Heritage Tour - Fully Bespoke

Scotland

Can't beat James Gray! He took care of and energized us during our time in Oban! Knowledgeable and fun! I'd love to play music with him anytime!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Gummy did a great job organizing our nine day trip around Iceland. As older couples, we didn’t want to spend a long time on the road and he definitely met that. We saw all the amazing highlights and had time to add a few extras on our own. The hotels were first right! The food recommendations were very good! Again, we did find a few amazing ones on our own. Gummy took the lion share of the planning and making of the reservations, which made our trip that much more enjoyable

Claire did an amazing job planning our vacation to Ireland. Due to unforseen family circumstances, we did not give Claire much advance notice on the trip but she planned an amazing vacation for us in a short period of time. All of the reservations were done to the highest level of detail. I would highly recommend Claire to anyone looking to visit Ireland. Thx so much for everything Claire

Salome at High Point Holidays helped me plan an incredible trip to Scotland. We visited cities and villages we had not visited before and had wonderful excursions and experiences. On our arrival day in Edinburgh, tour guide Chris Walker met us at our hotel and took us on a walking tour of the Royal Mile. Chris was full of great stories and information about the Royal Mile and was an absolute delight. He even called a local restaurant and arranged a dinner reservation for us. We elected not to rent a car so Salome tailored our itinerary so we could take advantage of the excellent rail services. All of our tickets were purchased for us and all the details were included in our Road Book. It was much easier than we expected to travel by rail. St. Andrews was our first stop. We stayed at the lovely Albany Hotel steps away from the cathedral ruins and the castle. The shopping and dining options abounded even for someone like me who eats gluten-free. In Pitlochry, we enjoyed the Black Spout trail and waterfall. Next, we had a 5 star falconry experience at the Bird of Prey Center in Loch Lomond. We had a whole hour with a falconer and three different gorgeous birds. The center is an absolute treasure for educating the public and conserving the world's birds of prey. Our final city was Sterling. We enjoyed visiting the Wallace Monument and climbed all the way to the crown! Our visit to Sterling Castle was grand. The history of this majestic palace and military stronghold is so impressive. Edinburgh Executive Travel handled our incoming and outgoing airport transfers in plush comfort.

Hotel Reviews

The Stirling Highland Hotel

Stirling

This hotel is advertised as a 4 star property. Our bedroom at this hotel was dark, rundown and not well maintained. The draperies were hanging askew, the linens and towels were not as nice as all the other places we stayed, and the carpet was stained. The bathroom was particularly disappointing. The wooden panel fronting the tub was chipped and unsightly. On the positive side, the buffet full English breakfast was very good.

Authenticity & Character

As a former high school, the building has tons of character.

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Our bedroom at this hotel was dark, rundown and not well maintained. The draperies were hanging askew, the linens and towels were not as nice as all the other places we stayed, and the carpet was stained. The bathroom was particularly disappointing. The wooden panel fronting the tub was chipped and unsightly.

The Frederick House Hotel

Edinburgh

Comfortable and classic. Clean and well maintained.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Close to the old city

Cleanliness & Comfort

Modern bathroom, beautiful linens, clean

Activity Reviews

Private transfer in town

Scotland

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Comfort and professionalism. It was such a welcome luxury to begin and end our trip with this service.

National Wallace Monument visit

Scotland

Quality of Experience

The monument is awe-inspiring. Just do it--climb the spiral staircase and visit the history on each level. The crown is incredible!

Sea Safary around the Isle of May

Scotland

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Pedro was an amazing source of knowledge about the birds and seals.

Transport

The boat trip was just super fun.

Private Walking Tour of Edinburgh with a Top Local Guide - Two hours

Edinburgh

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Chris Walker is personable and so knowledgeable. He went above and beyond by suggesting a restaurant and calling to make a reservation for us.

Loch Lomond Bird of Prey Centre Flying Experience

Scotland

We had an incredible hour with our guide. It was just the two of us, our falconer and three gorgeous birds. We learned so much about the birds and had plenty of time to admire each one up close.

Quality of Experience

The staff is amazing and dedicated to educating the public. The center is so clean and well-maintained. It is so obvious the birds are receiving the best care.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

The staff at the center are taking excellent care of the birds and the facility

Most everything was real good. My only recommendation would be to ask more about the ages of the travelers and any restrictions they may have.

Tsung/Song/Neo and James were absolutely great guides.
Personally, I would have preferred three days each in Beijing and Shanghai. Given how wonderful the Zhangjiajie National Park experience was, I wouldn't need the Li boat ride.

My worst day was in Zhangjiajie. I was supposed to explore the "downtown" but I don't think I ever found it. The Tower was OK but it was Sunday and stores were closed and I still don't know that it was in the "downtown." Something said to get to the airport three hours before departure; I got there four hours before but only needed 15 minutes to get to the gate. The plane was two hours late, so I spent an unneccessary 6 hours at a boring airport. In general for me, 1-1/2 days in Zhangjiajie would have been enough. In general, I was misled about that part of the trip.
In general, China is awesome and the trip was a wonderful introduction.