Where to start on our Mother & Daughter trip to Japan...
My daughter Rose and I were fortunate enough to spend just over 3 weeks travelling to Tokyo, Kanazawa, Kyoto, Osaka, Mount Koya, Okayama, Naoshima and Hiroshima.
I came across KimKim when looking for Japan travel itineraries while trying to plan this excursion myself. Apart from the fact I had left it very last minute in an extremely busy Cherry Blossom season we also had specific experiences and attractions we wished to incorporate; I decided to give Kimkim a ring!!
The best decision I made as was put in touch with Sandy who put together an itinerary which included accomodation, travel and daily schedules, amazing.
Sandy took into account and included all our travel requests and more linking it all up in a comfortable travel package. I also liked the fact that even though this was a planned itinerary we also had a lot of free self-guided time, this made it more relaxing and gave us extra time where needed.
I cant thank or recommend Sandy enough as we would not have seen or had the experiences we did if we had of planned ourselves.
Hotel Reviews
Very handy, nice atmosphere, comfortable.
Loved seeing the little dogs as was a dog hotel as well!!
Authenticity & Character
Loved the fact it was also a dog hotel, very cute.
Location
I was a 3 minute walk to the Asakusabashi train station which was the local line, handy.
Staff
Any queries were no problem.
Cleanliness & Comfort
Good beds, nice and clean.
Hotel Forza Kanazawa
Ishikawa
Good location, sunny area for brreakfast.
Comfortable and reasonable size room.
Authenticity & Character
Nice modern hotel.
Location
Easy walk from train station and nice walk to attraction. Close to local market which was interesting.
Cleanliness & Comfort
Comfortable beds, reasonable size room, and very clean.
Very basic accomodation. We were only the one night and out most of the time so it didn't matter so much.
Authenticity & Character
Relaxed place, very basic accomodation.
Location
Good location for walking around.
Staff
Only saw owner at the start when instruction was given, pretty relaxed.
Cleanliness & Comfort
Personally not a fan of the futon bed.
Nice front desk staff, polite.
Very comfortable, nice size room and bathroom a little larger which was nice.
Good breakfast.
Authenticity & Character
Quite grand looking, marble etc. just nice atmosphere and staff.
Location
2 minute walk from train station, good mall next to hotel. We had lovely weather so walking to and from was pleasant.
Staff
Very helpful Staff, gave good information on travelling to Naoshima.
Cleanliness & Comfort
Room was very clean and comfortable, nice beds.
This hotel was pleasant, staff were really nice and restaurant good.
Room was a little small and felt a bit strange as was in the basement level.
I booked this one so no reflection on Kimkim!!
Authenticity & Character
Hotel was ok however felt a little closed in as rooms were located in a basement.
Location
Good location, we walked enjoyed walking most of the time and had no trouble find our way to and from.
Staff
Helpful, obliging staff.
Cleanliness & Comfort
Small room, felt cramped
Osaka Tokyu REI Hotel
Osaka
Hotel in need of a refurbish, especially carpet.
Room smaller than usual and quite stuffy, beds and pillows not very comfortable.
Breakfast was good and staff very helpful.
Luggage service to Okayama was brilliant and much appreciated.
Authenticity & Character
Hotel just looked older, needed a refurbish.
Staff
Front desk were very attentive and helpful.
Cleanliness & Comfort
Hotel was clean however comfortable beds and pillows would have been a game changer
福智院（Koyasan Onsen Fukuchi-in）
Wakayama
The temple stay was as we expected; still, found the sleeping arrangement i.e.: futons pretty hard going and the food was interesting...
However, this was part of the authentic experience!!
Authenticity & Character
This was a temple stay so yes a pretty authentic experience.
Did think it was strange they had vending machines, especially ones selling alcohol.
Location
In the middle of town, Koyasan is very small so couldn't have been better. Nice and quiet even so.
Staff
Staff were all very helpful ensuring we were in for our dinner (which was always explained to us) and advising us on sleeping arrangements etc.
Cleanliness & Comfort
Definitely clean but not a great comfort level. This is not a complaint as it is what is expected!!
Hiroshima Tokyu REI Hotel
Hiroshima
Hotel is nothing special but all that is required.
Rooms were comfortable and good size, breakfast a bit of a strange mixture of food types!
Authenticity & Character
Good size rooms, again a little bit tired.
Location
Was a little too far out from main train station and excursions.
Staff
No complaints, just didn't have much interaction.
Cleanliness & Comfort
Room was clean, just a bit stuffy.
Local specialist: Sandy Ren
