Kimkim Trip Reviews

Our trip to Japan was a positively life altering experience and the team at kimkim really executed a beautiful itinerary and took care of all of the arrangements for us.
Our specialist Jessica was very responsive and was available to answer any questions or concerns. Her itinerary for us flowed and that was the overall feeling for our time in Japan.
Our guides Chinami ( Hakone) , Fumiko ( Tokyo), Yoko (Kyoto) and Takehiko ( Kobe) did an outstanding job explaining the highlights of our sightseeing and handling the transportation details in a timely and expert manner. They were warm and informative and we had a lot of fun learning about Japan from them.
The kimkim app was invaluable in keeping us on track and not overwhelmed as we covered a lot of places in 10 days. It was nice to have a record of everything we did on a daily basis because the app did all the work! In short we loved our experience with kimkim and would use them again to plan a memorable trip.

We had a wonderful experience working with Kim Kim to help plan part of our Indonesian adventure in Bali, Lubuan Bajo and Komodo. Caroline and Welton were excellent planners and concierges. They were both professional, friendly and so responsive to our requests and questions. They really helped make traveling in a part of the world that we had never visited before so easy and stress free. Our driver Ketut was the best! Thank you Kim Kim for an amazing vacation. We will definitely call you again! 🥰

Kamilla, we want to thank you for this fabulous trip. While this trip was on my husband’s bucket list, I knew it would be wonderful but had no idea how magically Austria would be. Your diligent and thoughtful planning provided an unforgetable journey. It was very well balanced between city and rural. It was simply brilliant for us to spend the last day and a half relaxing at a mountainous/ lake resort spa. The views from the train ride and hotel will not be forgotten. I wanted to let you know how much Jay and I appreciated your effort to create this fabulous trip and the wonderful memories you have helped create to celebrate our 40th wedding anniversary. This is our fourth trip planned through Kimkim and it will not be the last!

Hotel Review

Hotel Schloss Seefels

Techelsberg am Worther See

We were treated like royalty. The staff and service were outstanding.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Great views

Staff

So kind and accommodating!

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Lakeside relaxation day

Austria

Half day - Private Salzburg City Tour w. focus on Mozart

Salzburg

Our guide Michaela was amazing. We loved her great knowledge of Mozart.

Quality of Experience

Full Day trip to the Wachau valley incl. bike tour, ends in Gmunden

Austria

Masterpieces & Mysteries: A Tour Through Vienna's Kunsthistorisches Museum

Vienna

Viennese Culinary Experience at its best: Schnitzel & Strudel Workshop

Vienna

Exploring Schönbrunn Palace

Vienna

E-Bike through Vienna - Highlight Tour - private

Vienna

The coordination of everything was so efficient. I really appreciated the booking of my in country flights.
RIO
The city highlights tour was very good. Sugarloaf Mountain was absolutely beautiful!
Buzios boat and beach trip. - This was the one big disappointment. The description leads you believe you will go onto several beaches when in reality you just boat to a view of the different beaches and swim. Also, the 3 hour bus ride after the full hour of picking people up all around town, was just too much. Lastly the lunch was the poorest meal I had on the trip. I would not recommend this trip. If one wants to see Buzios, I would recommend staying there for a few days to enjoy the beautiful beaches. It is just too much time on a bus.
The cooking class with Chef Simone Almeida was the highlight of my time in Rio. She is such a firecracker! I thoroughly enjoyed her stories and loved all the cooking tips I gained from her. I cannot recommend this highly enough! Obrigada, Simone!
My Rio guide Christiano Gentil was organized and very helpful.
The Martinique Copacabana was nice. The staff was very kind.
SALVADOR
Both tours on this trip - the town history, and the trip outside the city, were great! I loved the market in Santa Amaro! I would recommend having some Brazilian money so that you can buy some fruit to try. As a foodie, the market blew my mind! The lunch at the farm was very good and it was beautiful to be in such a peaceful place. The only I can say is that the description of this day says that we would meet locals from the Quilomblas community, which did not happen. I thoroughly enjoyed all that we did, but was a bit disappointed not to meet anyone from the Quilombolas community and hear of their stories.
My local guide, I’m sorry that I have forgotten his name and can’t find him in my contacts, was wonderful! He had so much knowledge of the area. I really enjoyed him. He also recommended a meal at Casa Teresa, which was by far the best meal I had in Brazil. Highly recommend the Moquecas!
The Mercure Hotel Rio Velmeho was very nice.
IGUAÇU
Met every expectation! I have been wanting to see the falls for at least 30 years. Was not disappointed.
The Hotel Via Cataratas was ok. Food was only buffet style. Bar food was pretty much just fried. Pool was beautiful. The Internet was awful. Didn’t work in the restaurant.
My local guide, Francisco, was beyond the pale!! We bonded over Italian ancestry, he was kind, gracious, and very knowledgeable. I was so spoiled by his tours. He even added a last day tour of the dam for me. And at the very end, walked me from the check in desk at the airport to the boarding area.
I learned some things on this trip and really enjoyed the kimkim specialist’s help. I have booked another trip with kimkim in August.
Thank you!

Hotel Reviews

Viale Cataratas

Foz do Iguaçu

Hotel was nice enough. It is far out of town so that one cannot walk to any other restaurants and the hotel only served buffet style food. The bar food was mostly fried. Staff was very friendly. Rooms were noisy. Internet was spotty at best. Couldn’t get reception in the restaurant.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

I appreciated that they were training young people.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Mercure Salvador Rio Vermelho Hotel

Salvador

Staff were kind and helpful. Pool was wonderful!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Windsor Martinique Copacabana

Copacabana, Rio de Janeiro

Staff was exceptional. Location was great. A bit noisy

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Cooking and Tasting Rio 🌴🍴✨

Rio de Janeiro

The evening with Chef Simone was the highlight of my trip! She is so energetic and delightful!! Highly recommend this experience. I would do it again!

Quality of Experience

Food

Everything about the experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Foz do Iguaçu: FD Argentinean Falls Excursion

Foz do Iguaçu

Met all expectations. Guide was amazing

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Parque Das Aves 🐦

Foz do Iguaçu

Lovely experience

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

I

A visit to Foz de Iguacu Falls - Brazilian Side

Foz do Iguaçu

Met all of my expectations! Iguaçu has been on my bucket list for over 30 years! I enjoyed this visit!!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Guide Francisco was stellar!!!

Transport

Guide Francisco was absolutely stellar!!

FD Flavors of the Recôncavo with lunch🥣

Salvador

I enjoyed my journey! The market in Santa Amaro was fabulous!! The lunch at the ranch was very good and so peaceful. I was disappointed that we did not meet anyone of the Quilombolas community. I loved the market and the Cachoeira town, but I would change the tour description, or include a Quilombolas visit

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Salvador de Bahía: HD Historical Tour

Salvador

Loved this! The guide was so knowledgeable. I learned so much++++

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Full day Buzios Tour & Lunch

Rio de Janeiro

Pick up in town and bus ride to and fro is simply too long. Would not recommend this tour at all. Either go to Buzios for several days, or do something else in Rio.

Quality of Experience

Better info in the description of the adventure

Food

Buffet was sub par

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Was told that English was spoken by the driver, but his English was about as prolific as my Portuguese. While it is my bad to not know Portuguese, it should not be advertised as English available when it is not

Transport

Rio de Janeiro: FD Corcovado and Sugar Loaf Excursion

Rio de Janeiro

Great tour. Beautiful views. Guide was very knowledgeable. I was the only English speaker but have a fair knowledge of Spanish and he always made sure that I understood what he was saying. Appreciated him

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Roxy dinner show ✨

Rio de Janeiro

I thoroughly enjoyed the show! The dancing was spectacular! People told me that the food was ‘meh’ but I had the fish and it was great! Service was good

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

We had a great trip. The pace was perfect as were the activities. We very much enjoyed both the guides we had (Irene in Bilbao and Jaime in San Sebastian). They were knowledgeable and flexible (we asked Jaimie to move around our schedule on the day we drove to San Sebastian and he easily pivoted to meet our needs). I think it was particularly useful to have the same guide for each city so as to minimize repetition.

My only constructive criticism is that our hotels in Bilbao and San Sebastian were booked in the name of one of the members of one of the couples (David Knowles). We got into Bilbao before they did so when we tried to check into our room, it was a bit confusing as they did not have our names. It worked out fine, but it would be much easier if the rooms could be booked individually.

Hotel Reviews

Zenit Convento San Martin

San Sebastián

Authenticity & Character

the lobby was lovely but the rooms were small and felt very institutional

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Worst pillows ever (but I appreciate that's a very particular thing)

Hotel Ercilla de Bilbao

Bilbao, Bizkaia

Great location, clean and spacious

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

A Day in Basque Country: Hondarribia, Pasai Donibane & Txakoli Wine

San Sebastián

We ended up changing the itinerary at the last minute and it was seamless. It was a great day.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

A Guided Walk though San Sebastian

San Sebastián

This was a good trip, but we got side-tracked by some things (our fault) so I don't know that we saw everything. Nonetheless, Jaime pivoted so gracefully

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

From Market to Table: A Basque Cooking Experience

San Sebastián

Guide was great and very knowledgeable. Particularly appreciated the trip to the market. The amount of hands-on work was just right.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Hiking Excursion  St.James way, famous «Camino de Santiago»

San Sebastián

This did not happen. It was not on our itinerary like this -- there were just a few hikes we could pick (all of which said "High difficulty" and no options for transport to the remote starting places. We were all pretty tired and appreciated a break, but it was a disappointment

Discover Bilbao with a Local

Bilbao

Bilbao Pintxos Experience: Tapas of the Basque Country

Bilbao

Terrific food and wine - great suggestions and great knowledge. Very good that it was only 4 people. This would not have been much fun if we were any more people

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Fabulous trip! Our tour manager/driver Ahmed was very professional and personable. Local guides in all locations spoke very good English and were very knowledgeable. Accommodations varied but were all comfortable and safe. Highlights included camel ride to desert camp, tour of Volubilis, and lunch with locals in the Valley of the Roses.

Hotel Review

Hôtel & Ryads Barrière Le Naoura

Marrakech

Great place to end our trip! Suite gave us room to spread out and organize our stuff, amenities included in room coffee and tea, minibar and large closet with iron. Huge bathroom suite provided bathrobes and slippers, plus there was a half bath. Beds were very comfortable and we enjoyed spending time on the double balcony overlooking the pool. Included breakfast buffet had wide variety of sweet and savory items, lunch and dinner menus were also extensive and all items were delicious. There is also a bar which also provides service to the pool.

Authenticity & Character

Decor is chrome, black, white, red and tan. Not especially Moroccon but very nice.

Location

Right next to Craft complex which had a great variety of items that were also found in the souk. Ten minute walk to medina entrance and short drive or longer walk to Majorelle Garden.

Staff

Restaurant staff were great, also concierge staff.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Beds were great, daily housekeeping, nice towels.

Activity Reviews

Dades Valley to Marrakech via Ait Ben Haddou

Morocco

Very interesting place, local guide Hatima (sp?) was born there and took me to her former home! She knew a lot of the ancient and more recent history, and took me to great photo opportunity sites, even took some photos of me.

Guided Tour of Fes

Fes

Guide was good but felt I didn't get a sense of the Medina other than the 2 shops (clothing & leather/tannery - which was interesting) where we went. Granted it was raining and maybe there weren't open air stalls there but would have liked to have seen more. The clothing shop, Maison du Kaftan, was wildly overpriced - a shirt I was originally quoted for at MAD 1600 and for which I paid 800 MAD I later saw in Marrakech for 200 MAD. I understand I didn't have to buy it but want to put out a buyer beware warning as this was early in our trip, we were tired, not familiar with currency conversion nor what things cost. Good think I like the shirt!

Our experience with KimKim and specifically the local specialist team, Serendipity Adventures, was great. Elena and the rest of the Serendipity Adventures team, Nancy, and Adrian, and others, helped plan, organize, and manage my trip. They also worked diligently during our trip to make sure everything ran smoothly for my family.

Based on my responses to the KimKim survey, Elena planned a great vacation including all the activities we wanted to see/do while in Costa Rica. What I really appreciated was that Elena used her expertise/experience to not let me plan too busy of a trip :) I wanted to go to 3 locations but Elena very nicely suggested that, based on the length of our trip, we only do 2 locations so that we were not rushed and could really experience each location more fully. That was the right call!

The hotels Elena/team picked were amazing. The guided tours they set up had the best guides! The guide we had for our private tour of Manuel Antonio National Park was AMAZING. 23 years of experience.

What I want to note is that I feel the true test of a team's customer service and support is when things don't go quite right. I am happy to say that the Serendipity Adventures local team was very available to help when there were occasional small problems or I had a question. An example was the pick up time for our tour of Manuel Antonio park changed from 7:10 am to 11am. However, the driver still arrived at 7am. So, I messaged Adrian via WhatsApp at 7:20 in the morning when I got the call from the front desk of the hotel letting me know the driver was there and Adrian immediately responded to my message and sorted it all.

My husband and I visited Costa Rica 14 years ago and loved it. I had told Elena that we wanted to show the beautifulness of Costa Rica to our almost 13 year old daughter. Elena understood and delivered a trip we will always remember. Thank you!

Hotel Reviews

Baldi Hot Springs Resort, Hotel & Spa

Fortuna

Such a cool hotel. Very neat to get to stay right there with the hot springs. Couple of notes: - There are 4 water slides - 2 of them are really pretty aggressive. - You are going to laugh but, bring ear plugs for sleeping! There was either frogs or crickets that cricked all night! I mean, so much fun but also pretty loud at night. ha ha.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

One of the servers we had in the main restaurant was just not very good with regard to customer service. Forgot to bring us things we ordered, didn't check in. That was a bit frustrating..but other than that, the staff was great and very friendly and helpful.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel La Mariposa

Manuel Antonio

In general, the hotel is beautiful and really showcased the beauty that is Costa Rica. One time when we were in the beautiful pool, a whole troop of Spider Monkeys moved through the trees right next to the pool! Probably 40 or so. We saw up close all the mommy's with their babies jumping from branch to branch! it was so cool. A few little things - one of the front desk team members really wasn't very friendly. I was surprised. And, the other thing that sticks out was on our last day, we had not checked out yet, a maintenance man just sorta came into our room - no knock or anything. It was really odd. But, other than that, really wonderful hotel with amazing views.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Most of the staff were great. One of the front desk helpers was not very welcoming/engaging. Also, on our last day, a maintenance man just opened our door to our room before we had checked out. It was odd.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hampton by Hilton San José Airport

Alajuela

We stayed here for 1 night at the beginning of the trip. It was a nice hotel. I will have to say though there was a bit of a problem the morning of our check out. Our driver asked the front desk if we had checked in the night before and was told we hadn't! So, that caused a bit of confusion...but it got sorted.

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Sky Tram, Sky Trek & Sky Walk

Arenal/La Fortuna

It was all very nice. The zip line part was very legit. The tour was nice - the bridges were cool and our tour guide was very knowledgeable and nice. The guest area was nice also - you can get lunch and see the amazing view.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Arenal Volcano Hike & La Fortuna Waterfall

Arenal/La Fortuna

Well, the weather did not cooperate for us on this. It was very cloud/overcast and VERY rainy. But, we made the best of it. It was a bit interesting, the tour guide picked us up in a van from our hotel. Turns out the battery on the van decided to stop working that morning and he didn't have time to fix it. So, the two times we had to start the van to go to the next stop, we had to push it so it rolled and then could jump it bc it was a manual. lol. So, that added some unexpected excitement to our day.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Catamaran Tour with Meal

Costa Rica

A lot of fun. We met/talked to a ton of the other guests which was a lot of fun. The dinner was soo good. Swimming was very nice and the sunset was amazing.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Private Manuel Antonio National Park Guided Hike

Costa Rica

So amazing! Our guide was fantastic. 23 years of experience. He saw SO many animals...and he knew how to use our iPhone cameras expertly so we got amazing pictures that he took with our phone :)

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

We had a magical and effortless trip to Portugal thanks to the fine work of Joao and his team. Every need and transfer requirement was anticipated and provided for making every day so relaxed. All of the accommodations were exceptional - especially the Albatroz Hotel in Cascais and the Savoy in Madeira - in terms of proximity and quality. Our guide and driver in Lisbon and Cascais - Ruy - went the extra mile at every turn making our planned excursions even more special. He was such an exceptional person to meet. And Ricardo's wonderful gastronomic tour of Lisbon exceeded our expectations as he brilliantly brought to life Lisbon's history through its food. Our time at Lisbon Winery was particularly fun and informative! Madeira was a wonderful way to end our trip. We were so glad that Joao booked two days with Madeira Safari - with our guide Gabriel - so that we got to see so much of the beautiful island and drive off road into amazing areas otherwise not accessible. The views and flowers and walks and waterfalls and lunches both days were simply astounding. I highly recommend working with Joao for a trip that caters to your interests and needs. It was fantastic!

Activity Review

Flavors of Lisbon in a Premium & Gastronomic Private Walking Tour

Lisbon

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

We just finished a flawless 10-day trip to Nepal arranged by Sangita. Everything was perfectly organized, and she was incredibly flexible with our last-minute changes. Highly recommend her for a stress-free adventure!

The trip was amazing and Cannon was very helpful with the planning and extremely responsive. He tailored the trip to our requirements and was available for any questions we had. Everything was planned perfectly and he followed up with us along the way to ensure that things were running smoothly. He even arranged to have a birthday cake delivered to our hotel! Would definitely go back to Japan and would definitely use Cannon and kimkim again!
Our tour guides were also excellent - Ken, Ayumi, Yuki, and Naoko.

George helped me plan an amazing trip to Borneo with my daughter. He was very responsive to my feedback and created a WhatsAppp group linking himself with my guide and drivers whilst I was travelling. I always felt that I could reach out to him if I had any questions.

We were always picked up on time from our hotel and airports by someone holding up a sign with my name on it. Our local guide in Borneo, Mr. Krishna, was very knowledgeable and willing to answer my many questions.

Hotel Reviews

Anara Airport Hotel

Jakarta

Very western rooms with not much character but the breakfast buffet was amazing. Very convenient for an overnight stay. I would stay there again.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Cleanliness & Comfort

Rimba Orangutan Eco Lodge

the rooms are basic but are clean and have A/C! The staff was incredibly friendly. We saw different types of monkeys on the hotel grounds.

Location

Cleanliness & Comfort

The Patra Bali Resort & Villas

kuta

Basic rooms but great if you need a place to crash 6 min away from the airport.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Day 3: A Morning with Orangutans and Afternoon of Cultural Discovery

Borneo

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Day 2: Journey into the Heart of Orangutan Research at Camp Leakey.

Borneo

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Arrival: The Bornean Orangutan and Wildlife Tour

Borneo

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Welcome to Tanjung Puting National Park

Borneo

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

We are only moderately experienced travelers and weren't sure about how to go about planning a trip to Turkey. No local travel agents had any expertise. We found Berat and Murat through KimKim and in hindsight feel so lucky to have connected with them. Communications were clear and timely throughout the whole process. Costs were upfront and they were willing to adjust to our desires/budget. It was such a joy to leave all the details in their hands! Every communication, every driver, every guide and all reservations were perfectly on time and professional. Ground transportation was clean and high quality. Each of our guides were terrific - Volkan in Istanbul, Burcu in Ephesus/Laodicea/Pamukkale, Yakup in Antalya, and Sumer (Efe) in Cappadocia. Hotels were all unique from each other and consistently nice. In-country flights were super easy and on time. Food in Turkey is terrific, though somewhat limited for vegetarians. Our guides went out of their way to help us find places that had good vege options. We really felt that we were given the best tour of Turkey that 13 days could allow. This was definitely not an inexpensive trip, but the quality of everything and the professionalism of this team made it feel like we absolutely got our money's worth! We really loved Turkey! Now if they'd all just quit smoking, lol! If you love history, you need to do this trip.

I was very impressed with the web design of the Kimkim platform and found it extremely helpful in planning our trip to Peru. I’m so glad we chose Kimkim—they did an excellent job suggesting activities that perfectly matched what we were looking for. We wanted a trip centered around my 13-year-old nephew and his love of animals, and the experience exceeded our expectations.

Our time in the Amazon was especially memorable, thanks to our wonderful local guide, Jahir. We saw an incredible amount of wildlife and thoroughly enjoyed our stay at the Tambopata Research Center. All of our hotels were top quality, and we were consistently pleased with the level of service. Most of our guides throughout the trip were highly engaged and genuinely invested in making sure we had a great experience. Our private transfers and drivers were also excellent—despite some language barriers, they were always friendly, accommodating, and helpful.

The only issue we encountered involved an afternoon we believed was scheduled for a visit to a pisco winery (Tambo de Tacama), which had been mentioned by our planning agent, Io. However, our local agent, Lisbeth, informed us that this was only a suggestion and not actually part of the itinerary. As a result, we arrived at our hotel hours before check-in after a long four-hour drive from Lima to Paracas, leaving us with an unexpected and frustrating gap in our day.

What was most disappointing was how this situation was handled. The misunderstanding was attributed entirely to my error, and I felt that Lisbeth placed the responsibility squarely on me. At no point did the agency acknowledge any possibility of miscommunication or take shared responsibility, which made the experience feel dismissive and frustrating—especially since this was something I had been looking forward to.

While I appreciated my interactions with Io during the planning phase, I was less satisfied with the communication from Lisbeth during the trip. Her communication style felt very direct and lacked warmth or a sense of customer care, which added some unnecessary stress to the experience.

Overall, we had a wonderful trip and created lasting memories, but clearer communication and a greater sense of accountability on the ground would have made the experience even better.

Hotel Reviews

Palacio del Inka Cusco

Cusco

Very fancy hotel. We enjoyed the high-quality accommodations. They were not timely with our check-in however and we had to wait past the advertised check-in time. No additional service was offered to make up for the added wait time.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Very walkable to local shops and restaurants.

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

The facility was kept very clean. We appreciated the turn-down service. Also, the bathrooms in the lobby were attended frequently and kept spotless.

Inkaterra Machu Picchu Pueblo Hotel

Machu Picchu

Cool property. Beautiful aesthetic. Very close to the train tracks.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Tambo del Inka Luxury Collection Resort & Spa

Urubamba

This was one of the most luxurious hotels I have ever stayed at. The spa facilities were great, although small. The restaurant was very fancy. Everything was clean and comfortable.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Tambopata Research Center

Tambopata

Very remote, nestled in the rainforest. Great staff and service. Loved our guide. Great menu of excursions.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Very remote. Took a while to get there, but that was expected.

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

My only complaint was finding several cockroaches in our hotel room.

Hotel Paracas, a Luxury Collection Resort

Paracas

Very beautiful property.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

nhow Lima

Lima

This hotel had an amazing vibe and aesthetic. I was very impressed with the decor. My complaint would be that while the room was very clean and well-appointed, the room smelled strongly of mildew. We actually stayed at this hotel two separate times, and therefore had two different rooms, and both rooms smelled bad, the second one actually smelled worse than the first. Also, since they don't have rooms with two queen beds, we had to have a pull-out bed set up for our nephew, and the bed supplied (both times) was hard as a rock. The restaurant at this hotel had a great menu, however, the times we ate there for lunch or dinner, we were the only ones in the entire place and still had to wait a while for service. Our orders were not taken promptly, and we often had to flag down a server to take our order.

Authenticity & Character

Cool aesthetic.

Location

Very walkable to restaurants and Kennedy Park.

Staff

Very kind and accommodating. Slow service at the restaurant.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Clean but smelled bad.

Activity Reviews

Shared Palcoyo Trek: Small group

Cusco

We are so glad our travel agent suggested Palccoyo Rainbow Mountain vs. the more popular Rainbow Mountain. This experience was full of stunning views for the entire hike and had the optional additional hike to the Rock Garden overlooking the beautiful valley.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Our guide was so excited about the tour and gave us so much great information.

Transport

Private Full Immersion Cooking class

Cusco

What a fun experience! We had such a good time in this private cooking class. Our teacher was hilarious and did a great job of keeping us engaged.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Private Half-Day Cusco Walking Tour: Sacsayhuamán, Qoricancha & San Pedro Market

Cusco

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Shared Quad bikes tour in Moray & Maras & Transfer to Cusco

Peru

Very cool experience to ATV through the sacred valley. Absolutely stunning views all around. Our guide was a lot of fun and did a good job training us on how to drive the semi-automatic ATVs. My 13-year-old nephew loved it!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Explore Machu Picchu & Return to The Sacred Valley (Private guided tour in Machu Picchu)

Peru

We loved seeing Machu Picchu. It was as stunning as they say. I wish our guide was friendlier. She was very knowledgeable. though.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Ollantaytambo Self-Guided Exploration with Pachamanca Farm Lunch & Scenic Observatory Train to Machu Picchu

Peru

We enjoyed exploring Ollantaytambo, but didn't have time to also explore the ruins there. We LOVED the Pachamanca Farm Lunch. It was very cool and so delicious. Definitely a highlight of the trip. We also enjoyed the observatory train to Machu Picchu.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Flight to Puerto Maldonado & Tambopata Research Center 1/4

Peru

We loved our time in the rainforest. It was the highlight of our trip. Our guide Jahir made it very special and was so great with our 13-year-old nephew. We saw a lot of wildlife.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Private Transfer to {{end_location}}: Shared Ballestas Islands tour

Peru

This tour would have been great if not for the large tour group taking up most of the boat who shamelessly invaded everyone's space in order to get photos of everything. The tour-guide was working with a dual language barrier with this tour group, so it was difficult to direct them to do otherwise, but not a lot of effort was put forth to enforce the rule of staying in your seat and waiting for the driver to turn the boat so everyone would get a decent view of the wildlife.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Private transfer to {{end_location}}: Huacachina Adventure

Peru

The dunes were beautiful. It was fun to ride around and also to sand-board... Although I would more accurately describe it as sand-sledding because you were not allowed to stand up on the boards, which I thought was the whole point. I thought this would be like snowboarding, but it was just a board you lay down on or sit on, and the guide pushes you down the dune. It was still fun, just not what I expected. Also, our guide was not very engaged with us. He didn't even introduce himself until we were already making our first stop in the dunes and I asked what his name was. He didn't interact with us more than required or provide any information about our surroundings unless I asked him. He did offer to take some pictures of us, which was nice. Also, the vehicle we were riding around in was an old toyota SUV, while other companies out in the dunes had some really cool looking dune buggies.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

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Shared Palomino Islands - Sealions tour

Lima

We had a great time during this experience. I do wish the tour group were smaller so that we could have had more interaction with the guide and learned more about the environment. The wetsuits provided were also quite shabby and a bit smelly.

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Shared Interactive City & Gourmet Lima Food Tour (AM)

Lima

This tour was a great way to see some of the city while learning about local culture through Peruvian food and drink. We loved our tour guide and driver who made the experience very enjoyable. They also kept everyone engaged throughout the experience, including my 13-year-old nephew.

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Kimkim makes everything easy, seamless, and enjoyable so you don't need to worry about snafus while on your trip. Peru has something for everyone and I appreciate Kimkim for working with me to plan an unforgettable journey suited to my taste. Highly recommend!!!

Hotel Reviews

Sol Natura Hotel

Ollantaytambo

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Lacking a star for ants in bathroom and internet was down during our stay.

Hotel El Tambo

Lima

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Rumi Punku

Cusco

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Shared Rainbow Mountain Tour: Small Group

Cusco

Edwin was a patient guide who takes the best photos!!!

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Private Half-Day Cusco Walking Tour: Sacsayhuamán, Qoricancha & San Pedro Market

Cusco

Nataly is the best and I wish I could take her home with me!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Explore Machu Picchu (Private Guided tour in Machu Picchu) SV Htl

Peru

Javier was an awesome tour guide. Thanks for taking us on a spiritual, cultural, and historical journey!

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Private tour to The Sacred Valley via Pisac

Peru

We love Nataly!!!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Shared Interactive City & Gourmet Lima Food Tour (PM)

Lima

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

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Private half-day Lima City Tour & San Francisco Catacombs

Lima

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Io was an amazing travel planner. She was so responsive and helpful, and we loved the trip she helped us put together. It was a complicated itinerary, but everything worked smoothly! Very impressed with all of the local guides and on-the-ground assistance!

Overall we were happy with the experiences we had on our trip. During the planning process, Nihad was receptive to my ideas and answered my questions. Our driver/tour manager Mo was very professional, punctual (other than when first picking us up from the airport, but that was because he was not provided the most up to date arrival time), and knowledgeable.

1. The hotel stays that Nihad booked us in were below our expectations. I suspect though, that there are not a lot of options for stays outside of Marrakesch. Each hotel was clean and staff were very hospitable and friendly, and so we very much appreciated those positive attributes. Many of the stays did not have basics such as shampoo or shower soap, including the "luxury desert camp" that we stayed in. Since we pack light, we don't travel with our own shampoo or soap, so not having it available in the hotel is a disappointment.

2. We did not find out until the end of the trip how extraordinarily expensive the taxi ride from the airport to our first hotel was. Nihad arranged a taxi ride (it ended up being our trip driver/trip manager) that would cost $50 USD. Well, at the end of the trip from the same area in the medina, we booked our ride through our hotel to the airport and it was only $20 USD. I eventually saw on social media afterwards that a reasonable price is 100 Dirhams (equivalent to $10 USD). Therefore, the $50 USD we were charged was exceptionally more expensive. If Nihad does not know this, please let her know so that future guests are not charged that much.

3. Our city tour/food tour with Hussein was a nice overview of the city, visiting a lot of the highlights of the city. The food part of the tour was not enjoyable, but understandably authentic. The last restaurant served us dirty utensils to eat with so that left us with a bad taste with regards to the food part of the trip. Hussein though was very friendly and knowledgeable. I would just suggest perhaps cleaner restaurant options if possible.

4. For tours driving to different cities, drive time estimates ahead of time would be nice (could just include that on the itinerary shared with the guest ahead of time) so we can be prepared.

5. Slightly disappointed we could not do the camel ride on the way back from our desert camp. According to the camp, we were supposed to have "reserved " it when we started the camel ride to the desert camp but we were never told that when we took that camel ride- it would have been nice to have known that up front.

Again, overall, it was a wonderful cultural experience. In retrospect knowing what I know now, I would probably book my own hotels and ask more questions before the trip. It's hard to know though when one has never been to a country to know what questions to ask.

We had an amazing trip to Patagonia!! HIGHLY recommend this trip! Incredible nature, mountains, rivers, lakes, hiking, kayaking, wonderful accommodations, food and wine, and lovely people!

Andrea did an outstanding job crafting a personalized tour of Sicily for us. He met with us via Zoom before the trip and answered all our questions in detail. He assisted us in getting our seat selections for our connecting ITA flights between Roma and Palermo. He was readily available and responsive during the trip when we had questions. We would definitely work with Andrea on any future trips to Italy.

All hotels were unique and wonderful - Palazzo Balsamo (Palermo), Villa Fiorita (Taormina), Asmundo di Gisira (Catania), Palazzo Artemide (Syracusa - Ortigia), Villa Athena Resort (Agrigento) and Palazzo Natoli (Palermo). The staff at all the hotels were very friendly and helpful.

All the guides - Chiara (Palermo), Giuseppe "Pepe" (Taormina), Aureliano (Catania, Syracusa - Ortigia), Francesco (Mt. Etna), Ivana (Ragusa) and Marco (Valle dei Templi Agrigento) were professional, deeply knowledgeable, passionate, and fluent in English. We highly recommend all of them to anyone seeking a personalized tour with a subject matter expert.

The owner of the chocolate laboratory in Modica (I believe her name is Sara) was also very knowledgeable and patient with us!

Our two dedicated drivers, Giovanni and Salvatore were critical to the success of our visit. Both these young men are excellent, safe drivers. They were always punctual and professional in their dealings with us. They coordinated all our trips with our guides and hotels. They represented their companies and their country flawlessly. We highly recommend them and would gladly ride with them again!

Hotel Reviews

Palazzo Natoli Boutique Hotel

Palermo

Neoclassical palazzo located right off Via Vittorio Emmanuelle, near the Duomo di Palermo, Palazzo Reale and Quattro Canti.

Authenticity & Character

Renovated neoclassic palazzo.

Location

Neoclassical palazzo located right off Via Vittorio Emmanuelle, near the Duomo di Palermo, Palazzo Reale and Quattro Canti.

Staff

Very friendly and accommodating

Cleanliness & Comfort

Large clean room. Large, clean, modern bathroom

Hotel Villa Athena

Agrigento

The hotel is located inside the archaeological park and has stunning views of the Greek temples. It has an elegant 1950 vibe. I expected to see Gina Lollobrigida and Sophia Loren in the lobby! Restaurant staff wear white tuxedos and bow ties for breakfast and lunch. They change into dark suits for dinner. Grounds are immaculate. Ready access to the park.

Authenticity & Character

It has an elegant 1950 vibe. I expected to see Gina Lollobrigida and Sophia Loren in the lobby! Restaurant staff wear white tuxedos and bow ties for breakfast and lunch. They change into dark suits for dinner. Grounds are immaculate.

Location

The hotel is located inside the archaeological park and has stunning views of the Greek temples.

Staff

The staff all were very friendly and helpful

Cleanliness & Comfort

Clean with well-maintained grounds. The bed was very comfortable. The bathroom was modern, and the room had air-conditioning.

Palazzo Artemide

Pristine hotel located right next to piazza and the Duomo San Lucia. Excellent restaurant.

Authenticity & Character

Neoclassical building surrounded by other neoclassical and baroque buildings

Location

Located right next to piazza and the Duomo San Lucia

Staff

The front desk staff was very helpful. Restaurant staff Stefano, Chiara, and Lorenzo were excellent.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Air-conditioned, clean, modern bathroom

Asmundo di Gisira

Catania

This was the most unique hotel we stayed in. The hotel is also an art gallery!

Authenticity & Character

Neoclassic palazzo with artwork in rooms and all common areas! Weirdly wonderful, over-the-top Italian!

Location

Centrally located with easy access to the piazza and Duomo di San Agarta.

Staff

The breakfast room staff are very professional and accommodating. The manager was actively engaged andcharming.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Clean and well maintained

Boutique Hotel Villa Fiorita

Taormina

Pristine, chic, with stunning views of the sea and cliffs. Breakfast/lunch room staff Marija and Ettore were excellent. Front desk staff Annalisa and Francesco were very helpful in setting up dinner reservations.

Authenticity & Character

This place was pristine and offered excellent views.

Location

Stunning views of the sea and cliffs. Easy access to Taormina center

Staff

Marija and Ettore

Cleanliness & Comfort

Bed mattress was excellent. The room, bathroom, and terrace were immaculate

Palazzo Balsamo

Palermo

All the front desk, restaurant, and housekeeping staff were very helpful. The hotel is well-positioned in the historic center of Palermo. The hotel is elegant and clean. We would definitely stay there again.

Authenticity & Character

Retained its neoclassic style with modern ammenities

Location

Right off Via Maqueda in the historic center of Palermo

Staff

Fluent in English, friendly, and very accommodating

Cleanliness & Comfort

Pristine, with a modern bathroom and air conditioning. The mattress was excellent, too!

Activity Reviews

Palermo time at your leisure

Italy

Quality of Experience

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Ragusa guided visit

Italy

Quality of Experience

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Entrance ticket to Temple Valley

Italy

Guides, Drivers and Staff

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Modica chocolate laboratory

Italy

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

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Syracuse Guided Walk - Private Guide

Italy

Quality of Experience

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Syracuse Neapolis Archaeological Park - private guide

Italy

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Mount Etna expedition - Private

Italy

Quality of Experience

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Food walk in Catania (private guide)

Italy

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Ancient Theater of Taormina entrance ticket

Italy

Quality of Experience

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Guided visit to the Ancient Theatre of Taormina (private guide)

Italy

Quality of Experience

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Temple valley guided visit

Italy

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Monreale Cathedral tickets

Italy

Quality of Experience

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Monreale Cathedral Guided visit

Italy

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Palermo guided walk insight on the anti-mafia movement and street food tour (private guide)

Italy

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Kimkim was recommended to me by my brother and I’m so glad I used this service.
Everything was planned perfectly in country from the moment we were picked at the Istanbul airport to the drop off at the end.
We had 3 different engaging, knowledgeable guides over the course of 9 days. They all spoke excellent English and accommodated our every need. Hotels were well-located and at our comfort level.
Zehra planned and executed this trip exactly as we wanted it. Much appreciated and well-done!

The trip took us to good locations and we saw what we came to see. However, much of the best parts of the trip were without the guides provided. Only two guides out of the many we had were memorable. The others were so-so or poor. In some cases, proficiency with English was insufficient to have meaningful conversation. On the trips, the food was commonly not great. In some cases, no choice about the specific meal was provided. In other cases, the meals were up to us to find with no particular guidance. The foodie night in Osaka led us to mediocre quality street food. The plan had problems. The plan had us go to a restaurant in Kyoto that was closed on that day. The plan scheduled us to go to the same temple on both of the first two days. We asked for a change ahead of time but that change was not communicated to the guide before we got there (or at least, she was unaware of the change). In one case, the plan sent us to a destination that intended us to climb many stairs but no notice of that was communicated in the plan. Given our age, that was a potential problem. Fortunately, we were with one of the good guides who noticed this and was able to take us to an alternative destination. The hotels were largely fine, although the ryokan in Hakone felt more like a commercial hotel than an inn. There was no indication in the guide that the train trip from Osaka to Kanazawa started with a local train and then transferred to a bullet train. Given the expense, I would not use kim kim again, but would pick local guides via Get your guide or equivalent.