Expensive & generic, but good customer serivce.
New Zealand
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Nov 20 - Nov 28, 2024
Our trip was wonderful and I would promote nearly all of those experiences to future travels. As someone with a moderate travel history(3 prior trips aborad), I did feel the service of KimKim was overpriced and didn't really create something special. All of the experiences were textbook. My biggest gripe is the company lacked transparency with expenses - I had to communciate multiple times that the proposed costs were too high for our budget and still feel we overpaid. Numerous times throughout the trip, I lamented to my partner "I don't see the value in what we paid for," It was only the convenience, certainly did not have any special, off the chart, or "bumped up" experiences. I wouldn't use it again and would go back to solo-planning, since every single thing I could have booked online or literally day of, likely for a cheaper price overall. Additionally, the amount of back-and-forth with the planning agents equated to the work I'd put it in researching and booking things myself. Nonetheless, the local specialists and platform were easy to use and provided good customer service. The biggest benefit was having a simple document to print with the itinerary for everything.
The experience ranks highly. But I would put the "value" as quite low, though that wasn't the rubric for the questions.
Hotel Reviews
Good location in Auckland and to get out of Auckland. Parking was congested, but street parking was limited.
Best staff we encountered in NZ, which was a high standard. Location is a little removed, but its a small enough place that it was central to all our experiences. You can smell the sulfur throughout the hotel. Across the street from grocery story to pick up on travel essentials.
Great staff. The room was clean and comfortable, though the bed felt small. Guest services were adamant it was a king, we disagree - it felt queen.
Activity Reviews
Loved that it was owned/operated by Maori. We had an excellent tour guide through the cave. The actual "experience" observing the glow worms was actually much shroter than anticipated (5-10 minutes in the boat). The majority of the time is walking through, explaining the formations, etc. The greatest value cost wise was knowing its in good hands of its caretakers.
Missed out due to weather, which is out of their control. Their full refund was an excellent recourse.
This was sold to us as "spa" like experience by a travel agent, which was inaccurate. I'd describe it more as geothermal landscape with a short immersive experience. We liked the mud bath for the memes and hilarity, but it is essnetially timed and monitored. The baths were fun, but not something to spend 40-minutes doing, which is how it was sold to us.
Outstanding! Highlight of our time in NZ. The ultimate experience was very worthwhile. Felt very safe and well accommodated. Guides were outstanding and supportive. They shared about their conservation efforts in an impactful and meaningful way that didn't every feel pushy either.
This felt like a very well produced experience. Fantastic. Drink at the end was a special treat - and they had a non-alcoholic version perfect for us sober visitors.
OUSTANDING. Team made you feel very safe. The transportation was elite. The even accommodated day-of reservation changes. If you do the bungy, the swing feels a little secondary.
Hi Timothy,
Thank you for giving me the opportunity to organize your New Zealand trip with Corey. Thank you for your valuable feedback on the Kimkim platform and also to Ashley later on the phone. I am glad that your trip went smoothly.
I am sorry that you didn't enjoy Waitomo Glowworm Caves and Hells Gate much. Most international visitors consider both of them a must-do. However, I appreciate that they do not necessarily need to be to your liking.
Despite all that, I sincerely hope you and Corey have great memories from New Zealand.
Warm Regards,
Uma