Kimkim Trip Reviews

This was our first time going to Africa so we felt the need to work with a travel agency to ensure we had a good trip. Booking through kimkim was very easy and our local specialist, Maryem, was highly communicative from the beginning. From the moment we arrived in Morocco, everything was highly organized. Our local guide, Khalid, was extremely professional and knowledgeable about Morocco. He ensured we stayed on schedule and and kept us updated every step of the way. Our local guides were all great, especially Hakim in Fes. The hotels were all beautiful and every experience was interesting and unique. We had a wonderful trip and couldn't be happier we selected this option. 12/10 experience.

Hotel Reviews

Elegancia Riad Boutique & SPA

Marrakech

This riad was really beautiful. The wood carvings and decor were stunning. It was extremely quiet and very restful. The breakfast was insane.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Dar Rihana Dades

Douar Aït Ouffi

This is a local hotel owned by a trio of brothers. The food at this hotel is NEXT LEVEL. This was by far the best food experience we had in all of Morocco.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Tiziri Luxury Camp

Merzouga

This is a luxury camp in the middle of the Sahara. We took camel rides to the camp. The service was wonderful and the experience was fantastic.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Riad Le Calife

Fez Medina El Makhfia

This is a small boutique hotel that recently expanded to add extra rooms and a spa. The owners were so interesting and the service was fantastic. We really enjoyed our stay.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Walking tour of Marrakech

Marrakesh

We had a lovely tour of Marrakech with a local guide. It was very informative and we learned a ton.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Camel trek to your luxury camp

Merzouga

This was probably the coolest experience of the trip. You take camels through the Sahara to your luxury tent camp. This was well organized and very beautiful.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Fes walking guided tour : No drive

Fes

Hakim was our local guide in Fes and he was extremely knowledgeable about the city. He navigated us though the medina and took us to all the interesting spots for crafts. We thoroughly enjoyed this experience.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

My sister did most of the planning with Sara but it seemed to go very well.

Kimkim made our girls’ trip to Paris absolutely seamless! The team was incredibly responsive, attentive, and always quick to help. Their exceptional service made our trip truly special. We highly recommend Kimkim and would absolutely use them again!

From the planning segment with Sharon to the drop off to the airport Kim Kim was fabulous! They provided personalized attention to our small group tour of 3 and were able to accommodate all of our requests. Our tour manager Abdelhadi was available at all times to book restaurants, drive to specialized tours and was so friendly and personable he became like family at the end. We were only there 4 full days but packed a lot in thanks to Kim Kim Travel. Couldn’t recommend the and higher. 10 Stars from us!!

Hotel Reviews

The Original Camp

Traditional tent cabins were spacious and accommodating. They had a lovely pool, bar and night time show that was amazing!! Breakfast was the best we had in Marrakech! The camel ride to watch the sunset is a Must do!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Proximity to city but felt like you were out in the desert!

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Riad Nesma Suites & SPA

Medina, Marrakech

Traditional Riad in the heart of the old city (Jewish quarter) with beautiful gardens and tastefully appointed. . Great location and personable staff. Lovely breakfast provided daily.

Authenticity & Character

Everything

Location

Very accessible to souks and restaurants

Staff

They were ALL so pleasant and helpful

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Afternoon Guided Tour of Marrakech

Marrakesh

Our guide was very knowledgeable about the history of Marrakech and made the tour entertaining!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Camel Trek to Desert Camp

Agafay

The sunset Camel ride was amazing and the dinner with the show was very entertaining. The man that did the fire show was incredible!!

Quality of Experience

Food

Breakfast!

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Day Excursion to Ourika Valley

Morocco

The tour of Berber village and home was very special to get a glimpse of their culture. Lunch on the river was a treat!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Sara is the best! She was very patient with us and put together an unforgettable trip for us. We loved the food tours in each city and how seamless all the travel and lodging was.

Hotel Reviews

Hotel Cortiina

München

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Lulu Guldsmeden

Berlin

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

MAISON MARSIL Boutique Hotel

Cologne

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Bavarian Beer & Bites: An Authentic Evening Tour Through Munich’s Brewing Traditions

Munich

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Private Street Art Photo Tour & Workshop

Berlin

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Taste Berlin: Evening Food Tour in the Capital

Berlin

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Bavarian Fairy Tale: Full‑Day Neuschwanstein Castle Adventure from Munich

Munich

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

All of our guides were great. Gary Shane Ben Don and the captain on the boat were wonderful. Joel was good but he got a bit political but we ignored it. Our favorite was the flight around Denali and the boat trip to the glacier, but all tours were eye-opening. The hotels were all good. We saw a ton of wildlife (even a moose walked right outside our deck in Denali!) The landscapes are amazing, beauty everywhere. Beware if you go mid to late September. Some resturants and tours closen for the season around Sept. 20th.

Activity Reviews

Ultimate Anchorage and Turnagain Arm Private Full Day Tour

Anchorage, AK

Shane our guide tailored the trip to our liking. We were outside Anchorage and saw many beautiful things, mountains, etc. He was knowledgable. Only thing was the animal park. Although it was interesting and the animals were innlarge enclosures, it still is essentially a zoo and we saw most of the animals in nature later onnour trip.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Anchorage city tour

Anchorage, AK

Very interesting, really learning about the city and immediate outskirts. Learned also the history of Anchorage.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Naturalist Walking Tour in Denali National Park

Denali National Park, AK

Very beautiful. Easy walk, learned alot about the plants and some animal information.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

See Denali's peak via plane

Denali National Park, AK

If you are in Denali, you must do.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Kenai Fjords National Park Cruise

Seward, AK

Cold but so beautiful. Saw so much wildlife. Glacier was amazing.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Tours were very good. Very satisfied.

Dear Kate.

Sorry for not finishing this sooner. It turned out I had jet lag longer than I thought, and of course arriving back didn’t just mean I could stop and take account right away. As John Lennon said, Life happens when your busy making other plans.

In any case. Here is my over summation of my trip you helped plan for Scotland.
I will not comment upon the flights to or from there since that is really a completely separate and overall headache inducing tangent. So will merely say to anyone who might listen. Don’t book a flight with Iceland air. Moving on…

Transportation both gong and coming to and from most locations were reliable and covenant. With very friendly drivers all around.

The first leg of the journey in Edinburgh, which lasted from Saturday through Monday was very inviting and convenient with regards to both the hotel, Apex, as well as its proximity to all that we had scheduled to accomplish. Highlights especially were the Royal Mile and Edinburgh Castle and The Johnny walker experience (though it was slightly disappointing we couldn’t purchase anything we sampled). Along with the pool in the hotel.

Our journey to the highlands on Tuesday was long but beautiful. And our tour of Dalwhinnie Distillery as well as their bar and staff were well stocked, informed and friendly. The only downside was that because the tour was essentially in the early afternoon, by the time we arrived at our hotel in Pitlochry, I was pretty well sauced and had to struggle the rest of the day to make sure I didn’t pass out before sunset. Overall the accommodations and the breakfast the next day however were the nicest we had thus far.

The Next day our Train was delayed, and we had to maneuver ourselves to The Redcliffe In inverness with a little more effort than was expected. However, once we were settled in, the accommodations were actually the most spacious, comfortable, as well as enjoyable concerning its location, beer garden, and food. Along with the next day, which took us down Loch Ness, and to the castle by the sea. Up until then I would say it was the most fulfilling day in terms of expectations. And of all the places I would personally return to I would say Inverness was the place.

The next day, Friday started off wonderfully. In fact, I would say for me and maybe even my dad the highlight of the trip up to that point was the morning trip and personal tour of the Highlands near Craigmore. Both our drivers were extremely friendly and informative. And we even got relatively good weather considering the time of year. Truly a magnificent time spent out in the Scottish wilderness. With hardly a soul seen.

Which is probably why the rest of the day, and sadly by extension the trip was such a come down. But then you knew this was coming. But I have to speak honestly. Perhaps it was the expectations, or maybe just the contrast from where we had just come from. Yet when we arrived at St Andrews, and tried to check in to what I assumed was a hotel, we instead found our selves locked out of the place without a single person to answer the doorbell, nor an explanation of how to check in. We had to wait for someone’s wife who was already staying there to come down and let us in. and even then not a single brochure, pamphlet, or even map of the city was waiting for us. I had to try and get the owners on the phone, and was spoken to quite rudely for not knowing what either our room # was or how to enter or exit the flat. On top of that, our room was three floors up with no elevator (A perk I would have declined had I known from the get-go considering my several heavy bags and my fathers age.) As well as staying in what was up till then by far the smallest room we had been in so far. Completely false advertising to all the photos broadcasting the place. So from the complete headache of trying to “check in” the cramped and falsely sold space we had, and the indifferent rudeness of the owners, my dad and I were more than miffed. We were at the time outright angry. But of course, you knew that by my immediate messaging of you. Which had a cascading effect on the rest of the trip.

Admittingly we probably overreacted at the time. Feeling the need to find more spacious and overall welcoming accommodations, I was ready to split the coop after a single night, and pulled the trigger on a flat in Clydebank Glasgow. Which meant we only got half a day at St Andrews golf course. And having to forego our city tour, only to find ourselves basically in a cultural dead zone for an extra two days. Disappointing to be sure, especially considering my dads love for golf, and our expectation of relaxing for the last leg of the trip. But I will take most of the blame for the overreaction. However, I must admit it wouldn’t have had to happen anyway if there was at least a better sense of transparency concerning what we where we were headed. It is what it is. Just let future travelers know what to expect if they get room 1 there.

That’s about all I have to say, as the last two days at the Jubilee hotel were honestly refreshing and completely low key, and really just a necessary
preparation for the hell day we had to get back home. But like I said, that’s outside the realm of your teams input. Ultimately it was a very fun memorable trip. And like all trips had it ups and downs. But at least we made it home in one piece, and I would personally return certainly to the highlands and inverness especially. Maybe we will plan one again in the future.

Sincerely and gratefully
Nicholas DuShane-

Activity Review

Cairngorms National Park Wildlife Tour

Scotland

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

I became very frustrated with the KimKim process to not provide cost exposure throughout the planning process. I do not have any idea what costs were except for the total overall cost at the end. I still have no clue what costs for hotels and activities, or anything you guys booked were. This made the planning process very frustrating and I will most likely not use you again for this reason.

I suggest you share cost as part of the decision making process when working with your customer on planning a trip.

I do ask if you can send me an itemization of my cost items for learning purposes.

Our trip to the Azores - Sao Miguel was wonderful. João was amazing with his suggestions and the jeep tours we did were so special because the tour guides were unbelievable. They were friendly, patient, knew what they were doing and just love their country. Our highlights were Vila Franca do Campo Islet, we took the ferry and spent the afternoon there - this was really beautiful and the ferry on the way back loops around the island which was unexpected. We loved the unexpected fabulous views at Castelo Branco and the adorable tower that sits there waiting for you to explore. The abandoned hotel at Sete Cidades is eery cold with fabulous views. Our hotels were great but the best thing at the Pedras do Mar Resort was the walking/hiking trail along the coast - views were unbelievable.

Hotel Review

Pedras do Mar Resort & SpaOpens

Fenais da Luz, Ponta Delgada

Location

The access to the walking/hiking trail along the coast

Activity Review

From Tea to Thermal Baths - Small Group Jeep Tour in Furnas

the Azores

Eduardo was excellent. We enjoyed his island knowledge and expertise. The Cozido das Furnas was a great filling meal - we really enjoyed it.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

The trip was fantastic; a few hiccups along the way, but overall it was great. We now know how much we can handle in a given day and need a day off in the middle of travel. The Delighted Tour Company was especially good, although the guide was 10 min late which required us to miss the shuttle and had to practically run up the hill to the Pena Palace. We made the tour, albeit a little late. Rui, the guide for Belen walking tour of Lisbon, was the best tour guide. He spoke slowly and was so knowledgeable. The Sagres Off-Road tour was a disappointment with the guide dropping us at places while he ran errands! His name was Tiago. The group tour also that was supposed to be a private tour in Porto was a little disappointing, too. The guide just left us behind —- us older & slower folks. Thank you for refunding difference of tour private to tour group. The winery tour in Douro Valley was long, but fun. Very chatty guide for that. He told us his life story! The info given on a lot of tours is overwhelming. We would have liked more of an overview, not the encyclopedia version. Maybe that’s too hard to change. The Alma Luis Hotel in Lisbon was the best experience, so utterly kind and inviting atmosphere. They gave us little gifts everyday! They truly appreciated our patronage. The Timbre Virtudes Hotel in Porto was very out of the way, it required us to get Uber each day just to get to places; also they lacked adequate coffee service in the a.m. As we said, we do like the private car pick-ups, very nice. Finally, we do like KimKim and plan to use you again! ❤️

We spent an amazing 10 days in China, always accompanied by knowledgeable guides. Bonnie, our guide in Shanghai, was so happy and proud to show us around her city! She was very knowledgeable, kind and patient, always willing to make changes or pivot to other interests of the group and was so capable in dealing with a few glitches we had at the train station. Alvin, our guide for Huangshan and the spectacular Yellow Mountain was a pleasure to be with as we hiked up the mountain on our way to the amazing Up Cloud Villa where we stayed for one night. I cannot recommend this small, luxury hotel enough! The rooms were gorgeous and comfortable, the food was delicious and the staff went above and beyond at all times. They not only provided exemplary service but also led us through various crafting experiences, even setting up Mah Jong for us and offering to play with us to complete the foursome. Truly an experience worth having to wake up on the mountain before the crowds for a sunrise hike! Alvin then took us to a gem of a protected town for our stay at the SU House Hotel where we were surprised by an amazing show for the mid autumn festival that was being celebrated that day. The fire works, dragons, lanterns overlooking the lake was mesmerizing! Florence, our guide in Hangzhou, showed us around her beautiful city with grace and precision. She was so knowledgeable and informative of the history and growth of such a lush and progressive city. She was also very open to a change of plans for a whole day as we got to know the city better.
Not our first trip to China but always leave the country wanting more. Cannot recommend it enough and Heidi from Kim Kim was a pleasure to work with and understood so well what we envisioned.

Hotel Reviews

The Silk Lakehouse, Shangri-La Hangzhou

A truly beautiful luxury hotel next to the stunning lake. The rooms are well appointed and very comfortable. Spectacular buffet breakfast and staff were all kind and mindful. Would definitely recommend for an enjoyable stay in Hangzhou!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Huanghsan SU House

A beautiful hotel nestled in a protected town with gorgeous rooms and spectacular views over the lake and town. Had a wonderful stay at this little treasure.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

UPCLOUD SHUGUANGLI VILLA

Can't not say enough wonderful things about the UPCLoud! What a gem on the mountain! The rooms are beautiful and so comfortable with every detail thought about. The staff are the true stars! They were so attentive and kind providing a warm and engaging experience. If you have the opportunity to stay her absolutely do it!!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

The St. Regis on the Bund, Shanghai

Beautiful Art Deco inspired hotel right on the Bund. Walking distance from so many hotspots in Shanghai with spectacular river views over Pudong.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Experience Tea Culture in Hangzhou: Meijiawu Tea Village

Hangzhou

A fun time spent with NaNa, a local tea producer in Hangzhou. Spending time with her in her home teaching us about the local teas, flavors, and history, was a great way to spend an afternoon.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

ERA Intersection of Time Acrobatic Show 2

Shanghai

The show was entertaining with some great stunts. Not sure the price is worth the duration of the show and the time spent in transportation. Would not say it is a must do in a city so full of activities and nightlife.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Visit the Magnificent Huangshan Mountain

Huangshan City

A visit to the Yellow Mountain is an absolute must! The beautiful views, spectacular rock formations and manicured hiking trails are very worth the climb.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Full day in Hangzhou: West Lake and Lingyinsi, Feilai Peak & Six Harmonies Pagoda

Hangzhou

Hangzhou is a truly vibrant and interesting city. The West Lake tour in a boat was a really enjoyable experience. The visit to Lingyinsi, a spectacular temple and grotto sculptures was the highlight. Only thing that would suggest is to be willing to do the tour as early in the morning as possible to avoid the heat and crowds. The area opens at 7 am and is definitely worth the early wake up.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

The van was the oldest of the vans throughout our stay.

Highlights of Shanghai with Yu Garden and the Bund

Shanghai

Shanghai is an impressive, clean and safe city absolutely worth a visit!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Enjoy the Historic Villages in Huangshan

Huangshan City

Really enjoyed a visit to the UNESCO World Heritage site of Honcun. A beautifully preserved town with nice shops and wonderful views. Definitely worth a stop.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

As a frame of reference, I am lifetime Premier Gold on United (over 1MM miles) and at my level of British Air I was able to get upgraded to The CONCORDE when it was still flying. I have travelled extensively for both business and leisure in my life and am very aware of service quality. Following are my observations/reviews of my trip to Dublin and Scotland from 9/17 through 9/30 2026.

During trip planning, I advised KimKim that I had mobility limitations with regard to walking and this had significant impact on my ability to fully or even partially take part in most walking tours. I accept that my limitations are my own concern and that they had no understanding of the extent of my limitations, but I feel that they may have not factored it in. I say that because KimKim booked a trip for us in Sep 2025 with the same limitations and we had far less walking tours. I probably should have questioned the tours for this trip but I trusted them after last year.

DUBLIN

Trinity Townhouse Hotel: A
A boutique hotel with nice spacious rooms. Limited on-site amenities and dining options. Very good location. Note: there are no lifts.

Private walking tour: D
I was unable to finish the 2.5 hour tour and had to end it within the first hour and taxi back to the hotel. My wife did continue the tour and reported that she rated it a B+. I was concerned that they scheduled such a long walking tour for me and that it was in the morning of our arrival from the US.

St Patricks: F
I was unable to go to the cathedral after the aborted walking tour.

Wicklow Mtns, Glendalough, Kilkenny tour: C (rained most of the day)
The bus was reasonably comfortable and the guide and driver were pleasant. The scenery on the tour was very nice.
I was unable to walk the trails at Glendalough (the primary purpose of that part of the trip) but I did go into the visitors center (an additional 4 euro fee) while the others were walking. There was a very informative 15 min video of the history of the area that was well done. We toured the Kilkenny castle which was okay as castles go. We were limited by time and rain and were not able to see the Kilkenny town. Overall, the tour tried to do too much within the available time.

Guiness and Jameson tours: Jameson - B / Guiness - F
The Jameson tour was very well done. The man who did the presentation was excellent - informative, cordial, and humorous. The tasting was informative - it was interesting to actually see how the tastes differed based on how the products were prepared.

I can honestly say that the Guiness tour was a complete and colossal waste of my time. Unfortunate because i had been looking forward to it. Where do I start? We were told by a cabby that it is the most populated tour in Europe and based on our experience it may well be. The line to get in from outside was measured in blocks - we got in upon arrival as part of a tour group (the single and only advantage of being in the group). Once inside it was so crowded one could hardly move around. The major attraction of the tour was the Gravity Bar at the top of the facility where you could redeem your tour coupons for a glass of Guiness. We were never given the coupons by our tour guide so we never got our Guiness. Also, there were so many people we could not sit or really take advantage of the view. Our guide rushed our group so much through the facility that we never really got a chance to appreciate the tour itself. I couldn’t tell you one significant thing about Guiness except that they treat their employees well (which we learned from a taxi driver on our way there). As an aside, that driver showed us around some interesting things to see in Dublin which helped to somewhat save the day for me. (Also note that we took the taxi from Jameson to Guiness because I could not make the walk). We did see the old hospital/museum and he took some pictures of us.

I have to say that the guide for the Guiness tour was a major disappointment. While trying to be entertaining, he failed to be informative. The way he rushed us through the Guiness tour was appalling. I would advise some additional training or a new profession.

GLASGOW

Kimpton Blythswood Hotel: A+
A five star hotel with everything that one would expect from same. Comfortable room and nice restaurant. Excellent location.

Glasgow Essentials Tour: F
Once again unable to take the tour. My wife did take the tour and rated it a B.

Wee Food Tour: F
Again not taken. My wife did take the tour and really enjoyed it, rating it an A.

Train travel to Inverness - very nice comfortable ride with lovely scenery and WiFi for most of the trip.

INVERNESS

Ambassador Hotel: B+
A comfortable hotel in a good location. Lots of stairs but there is an elevator. A bit quirky layout with rooms laid out in a highly irregular fashion. Restaurant on-site with an acceptable menu. Our room was very nice though the bathroom was a little tight. But, for 500GBP per night I think we could have done better.

Inverness Walking tour: F
Again not taken. My wife did take the tour and rated it an A.

Loch Ness Cruise: A+
We took a bus tour to get to and from the cruise. The driver was very informative and made the trip enjoyable. The river cruise itself was very nice. Comfortable boat, excellent narration, toilets and food/drink on board. We had rare clear sunny weather and the views were spectacular.

Urquhart castle: F wife rating it an A-

Isle of Skye tour: F and A
A wonderful tour with an excellent driver (Roy Martin). The weather was an F. The isle of Skye was an A.

This day we both started to feel sick with cold symptoms probably contracted from the bus tour.

Candor Castle: F Wife rated it an A.

Culledon Battlefield: F Wife rated it a B

Train to Edinburgh: Not as nice as the earlier trip, but perfectly fine until we got to Edinburgh station. We looked for a taxi and were told to take an escalator or a lift. When we got to the escalator, the up side was not working. When we got to the elevator it was not working. We were then told to walk up a long steep ramp. So two elderly people with luggage trekked up this 150 yard ramp to get to the taxis. At least the taxi driver was very helpful. I am the one with mobility limitations but my wife was hammered by the walk up the ramp to the taxis.

EDINBURGH

Courtyard by Marriott: F
Check-in was uneventful except that whoever booked the room (KimKim) did so under the wrong name. The hotel tells me they cannot correct the error or they won’t get paid - really? So now i have to explain to everyone at the hotel that my booking name is wrong.

Our room overlooks a major trash/recyling area for the hotel and we get to listen to them dumping glass and cans into the bins. Keep in mind, this goes on all day while we are stuck in our room because we are sick. And continued into the night. Last heard after 9 PM.

After breakfast the first morning we returned to the room to find that our key cards would not unlock the door. I took the cards to reception which was crowded with incoming people. They asked for ID (my ID was inside my locked room). They then remembered that my name was wrong so they remembered me and reprogrammed the key. Tried to unlock the door then and it still did not unlock. Went back to reception and tried again. Key still did not work but they had sent someone to check it. He had to replace batteries in the lock. This event alone would have made us late for the tour if we were taking it. After breakfast the second day the same thing happened. Needed to get maintenance again to reset the lock mechanism. I’m getting afraid to leave the room.

Showered this morning. Water pressure was very low. Shower is not enclosed and was drafty. Towels were okay for me but not my wife and compared to our other three hotels were not very quality. Very disappointing but consistent with our experience at this hotel. Toilet seems to keep running frequently.

Day before check-out I stopped at reception (waited in line) to ask what if anything I needed to do to check-out the next day. The room was pre-paid and I left a credit card on file for other charges. The person who helped me said all I had to do was drop off my keys in the express check-out box. Upon leaving the next day that is what I did. As I left the hotel to get into my taxi a hotel employee chased me out of the hotel to tell me I hadn’t paid my incidental charges. He was quite accusatory and argumentative and I told him about my conversation the day before with his colleague. I was not happy. He made some vague comment about what would happen if I did not come back and pay it. My taxi was waiting. I went back and once again told them (loudly) what I had been told the day before. I paid it on my card, the same one they had on file. I advised them that this was the worst hotel experience I had had in a long time. Maybe forever and I left. Thank goodness. This was a terrible hotel experience that ranks as bad or worse than the Guiness tour.

Dining at the Witchery: F-
We were unable to do this dinner because we were both so sick. So we may be charged a 150GBP no-show fee.

Edinburgh walking tour: F
We were unable to take this tour, but did cancel it before pick up.

Edinburgh castle tour: F
Also unable to take this tour.

Had dinner at Mamma Roma. Nice dinner. Extensive (maybe too much so) menu. Excellent service.

Hollyrood Palace: me - B wife - B+
Managed to make this tour. There was walking and stairs but within what I could handle. It was self-guided with free audio headsets. Interesting stories and reflections on what life may have been like when the castle was in everyday use.

Had lunch at a place called Cafe Vivo near the Palace - the worst fish/chips I have ever had. Room service for dinner.

Roslyn Chapel: A
Excellent driver and guide (Christof). Interesting place with many stories. Filming location for the ending of The Davinci Code.

Glenkinchie Distillery: A+
An excellent tour with a great guide (Willie). Very informative and fun. The tasting was excellent. Lots of stairs, but I managed okay with proper motivation.

David Connor
1 352-804-3910

Hotel Reviews

Courtyard By Marriott Edinburgh

EDINBURGH, SCOTLAND

Courtyard by Marriott: F Check-in was uneventful except that whoever booked the room (KimKim) did so under the wrong name. The hotel tells me they cannot correct the error or they won’t get paid - really? So now i have to explain to everyone at the hotel that my booking name is wrong. Our room overlooks a major trash/recyling area for the hotel and we get to listen to them dumping glass and cans into the bins. Keep in mind, this goes on all day while we are stuck in our room because we are sick. And continued into the night. Last heard after 9 PM. After breakfast the first morning we returned to the room to find that our key cards would not unlock the door. I took the cards to reception which was crowded with incoming people. They asked for ID (my ID was inside my locked room). They then remembered that my name was wrong so they remembered me and reprogrammed the key. Tried to unlock the door then and it still did not unlock. Went back to reception and tried again. Key still did not work but they had sent someone to check it. He had to replace batteries in the lock. This event alone would have made us late for the tour if we were taking it. After breakfast the second day the same thing happened. Needed to get maintenance again to reset the lock mechanism. I’m getting afraid to leave the room. Showered this morning. Water pressure was very low. Shower is not enclosed and was drafty. Towels were okay for me but not my wife and compared to our other three hotels were not very quality. Very disappointing but consistent with our experience at this hotel. Toilet seems to keep running frequently. Day before check-out I stopped at reception (waited in line) to ask what if anything I needed to do to check-out the next day. The room was pre-paid and I left a credit card on file for other charges. The person who helped me said all I had to do was drop off my keys in the express check-out box. Upon leaving the next day that is what I did. As I left the hotel to get into my taxi a hotel employee chased me out of the hotel to tell me I hadn’t paid my incidental charges. He was quite accusatory and argumentative and I told him about my conversation the day before with his colleague. I was not happy. He made some vague comment about what would happen if I did not come back and pay it. My taxi was waiting. I went back and once again told them (loudly) what I had been told the day before. I paid it on my card, the same one they had on file. I advised them that this was the worst hotel experience I had had in a long time. Maybe forever and I left. Thank goodness. This was a terrible hotel experience that ranks as bad or worse than the Guiness tour.

Authenticity & Character

it is like a poorly run US hotel in a historic and character-filled city

Location

Staff

training and customer service and attitude

Cleanliness & Comfort

Everything about this hotel needs improvement generally clean. Had to request servicing. Exposure to exterior recycling noise at all hours was terrible.

The Ambassador Hotel

Ambassador Hotel: B+ A comfortable hotel in a good location. Lots of stairs but there is an elevator. A bit quirky layout with rooms laid out in a highly irregular fashion. Restaurant on-site with an acceptable menu. Our room was very nice though the bathroom was a little tight. But, for 500GBP per night I think we could have done better.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Kimpton - Blythswood Square Hotel, an IHG Hotel

Glasgow

Kimpton Blythswood Hotel: A+ A five star hotel with everything that one would expect from same. Comfortable room and nice restaurant. Excellent location.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Trinity Townhouse

Dublin

Trinity Townhouse Hotel: A A boutique hotel with nice spacious rooms. Limited on-site amenities and dining options. Very good location. Note: there are no lifts.

Authenticity & Character

See over all review

Location

See overall review

Staff

See over all review

Cleanliness & Comfort

See over all review

Activity Reviews

Private Glasgow Essentials Tour

Scotland

Glasgow Essentials Tour: F Once again unable to take the tour. My wife did take the tour and rated it a B.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Private Transfer from Glasgow Airport to Glasgow

Glasgow

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Private Transfer from Dublin to Dublin Airport

Dublin

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Dublin Private Walking Tour

Dublin

Private walking tour: D I was unable to finish the 2.5 hour tour and had to end it within the first hour and taxi back to the hotel. My wife did continue the tour and reported that she rated it a B+. I was concerned that they scheduled such a long walking tour for me and that it was in the morning of our arrival from the US. St Patricks: F I was unable to go to the cathedral after the aborted walking tour.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Loch Ness Cruise and Urquhart Castle

Scotland

Loch Ness Cruise: A+ We took a bus tour to get to and from the cruise. The driver was very informative and made the trip enjoyable. The river cruise itself was very nice. Comfortable boat, excellent narration, toilets and food/drink on board. We had rare clear sunny weather and the views were spectacular. Urquhart castle: F wife rating it an A-

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

The Ultimate Isle of Skye Tour from Inverness

Inverness

Isle of Skye tour: F and A A wonderful tour with an excellent driver (Roy Martin). The weather was an F. The isle of Skye was an A.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Clava Cairns, Culloden and Cawdor Castle Private Tour

Inverness

andor Castle: F Wife rated it an A. Culledon Battlefield: F Wife rated it a B Train to Edinburgh: Not as nice as the earlier trip, but perfectly fine until we got to Edinburgh station. We looked for a taxi and were told to take an escalator or a lift. When we got to the escalator, the up side was not working. When we got to the elevator it was not working. We were then told to walk up a long steep ramp. So two elderly people with luggage trekked up this 150 yard ramp to get to the taxis. At least the taxi driver was very helpful. I am the one with mobility limitations but my wife was hammered by the walk up the ramp to the taxis.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Private Inverness Walking Tour

Scotland

Could not attend

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

The Wee Food Tour of Glasgow

Glasgow

Could not attend

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Rosslyn Chapel & Glenkinchie Distillery Private Tour

Edinburgh

Roslyn Chapel: A Excellent driver and guide (Christof). Interesting place with many stories. Filming location for the ending of The Davinci Code. Glenkinchie Distillery: A+ An excellent tour with a great guide (Willie). Very informative and fun. The tasting was excellent. Lots of stairs, but I managed okay with proper motivation.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Edinburgh Old Town Tour

Edinburgh

Could not attend

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Wicklow Mountains, Glendalough & Kilkenny Tour

Dublin

Wicklow Mtns, Glendalough, Kilkenny tour: C (rained most of the day) The bus was reasonably comfortable and the guide and driver were pleasant. The scenery on the tour was very nice. I was unable to walk the trails at Glendalough (the primary purpose of that part of the trip) but I did go into the visitors center (an additional 4 euro fee) while the others were walking. There was a very informative 15 min video of the history of the area that was well done. We toured the Kilkenny castle which was okay as castles go. We were limited by time and rain and were not able to see the Kilkenny town. Overall, the tour tried to do too much within the available time.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Guinness and Jameson Irish Whiskey Experience Tour

Dublin

Guiness and Jameson tours: Jameson - B / Guiness - F The Jameson tour was very well done. The man who did the presentation was excellent - informative, cordial, and humorous. The tasting was informative - it was interesting to actually see how the tastes differed based on how the products were prepared. I can honestly say that the Guiness tour was a complete and colossal waste of my time. Unfortunate because i had been looking forward to it. Where do I start? We were told by a cabby that it is the most populated tour in Europe and based on our experience it may well be. The line to get in from outside was measured in blocks - we got in upon arrival as part of a tour group (the single and only advantage of being in the group). Once inside it was so crowded one could hardly move around. The major attraction of the tour was the Gravity Bar at the top of the facility where you could redeem your tour coupons for a glass of Guiness. We were never given the coupons by our tour guide so we never got our Guiness. Also, there were so many people we could not sit or really take advantage of the view. Our guide rushed our group so much through the facility that we never really got a chance to appreciate the tour itself. I couldn’t tell you one significant thing about Guiness except that they treat their employees well (which we learned from a taxi driver on our way there). As an aside, that driver showed us around some interesting things to see in Dublin which helped to somewhat save the day for me. (Also note that we took the taxi from Jameson to Guiness because I could not make the walk). We did see the old hospital/museum and he took some pictures of us. I have to say that the guide for the Guiness tour was a major disappointment. While trying to be entertaining, he failed to be informative. The way he rushed us through the Guiness tour was appalling. I would advise some additional training or a new profession.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

See review

Transport

We just got back from a 12 day trip to Croatia. We worked with the KimKim specialist Nikola and the itinerary was perfect. We started in Zagreb and got a rental car delivered directly to our hotel. We made our way down through Zadar and the Plitvice National Park. We had the freedom to stop at little towns like Rastoke, Sibenik, and Trogir. Nikola even helped coordinate with the rental car company to get it picked up in Split. We then stayed in Split and ferried over to Havar and then Korcula and ended in Dubrovnik. We had city tours in each city and an amazing boat excursion in Dubrovnik. Our guides were wonderful. We also had plenty of leisure time to do our own things. The biggest luxury this trip provided was every place had "luggage assistance" or someone there to greet us and help get us to the next lodging location or excusion. My Mother-in-law said she felt like royalty. We booked this trip with the help of KimKim because my in laws are in the late 70s and I needed to know they could physically do this trip. Navigating transportation and luggage with them has started to become a challenge. With this trip, they were taken care of all along the way. Every evening we received a text from Nikola letting us know the exact schedule the next day. Nikola was always available and responded immediately when we messaged him on the trip with any questions or needs we had. The accommodations were wonderful and the app was extremely user friendly and easy to get the documents/tickets we needed. This was a trip of a lifetime and I would recommend and use KimKim again in the future.

Hotel Reviews

Villa Malo More

Dubrovnik

This villa was amazing. If we would have known how nice this stay would be, we would have added anither day to the trip! The private pool, the restaurants, the views...gorgeou!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Wish it was closer to old town but the views and luxury made up for that!

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Korcula Hill

Korčula

This was a beautiful apartment located in the hills of Korcula. We had access to a lovely beach near a fun restaurant. We loved the apartment set up with multiple bathrooms, gorgeous deck, and a washer/dryer!!! Only complaint would be how far away it is from Old Town and the cost to get back and forth. Initial was easy to arrange rides with the shuttle and taxis but was expensive to go back and forth.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Forkira Luxury Villa

Hvar

One of our favorite places we stayed at our entire 12 day trip to Croatia. These apartments were amazing. The location and decor was luxurious. We loved it!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Marmont Heritage - Adults Only

Split

This hotel is right at the heart of Split. Only complaint is the parking but that is an issue for all of Split and not the hotels fault. Our room was cute with a great view of the Split narrow streets below.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

When we arrived at the hotel, we were trying to navigate working with our travel agent, the car rental company, and the hotel regarding out rental car pick up. We were told by our agent to park the car and let the hotel know where it is at and the rental car company will come and get it. When we arrived, the hotel check in women was not happy that we parked the car (since its paid parking) and wish we would have called the hotel first and not parked. The hotel has a couple of spots reserved we could have used. We understand why she was frustrated but several times she criticized our travel agent for not giving us the hotel number and telling us to call before parking. I understand there was a miscommunication and it meant she needed to coordinate with the rental car company and figure out where we parked the car but she was very unprofessional to criticize our travel agent for this miscommunication. Our agent was wonderful our entire trip and did not need to be criticized because of this. She could have handled it all very differently. She could have had us move the car to the new spot, like we offered, or be annoyed without making that very clear to us. This was just a very negative beginning to our stay all for us to have the luxury of getting our rental car picked up for us. We were thrilled that it was getting picked up and we did not need to return it ourselves.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Bastion Heritage Hotel—Relais & Châteaux

Zadar

This was a beautiful hotel in the best location! From the moment we arrived and they handled our luggage and car, we felt very taken care of. The breakfast was wonderful with buffet and items to order. We loved being able to leave the car and walk everywhere we needed to easily. It was a wonderful stay in Zadar.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Perfect location!!!

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Manda Heritage Hotel

Zagreb

This was a nice hotel in a great location. We were able to walk easily to all things we wanted to see. They bring delicious breakfast to your room, which was a nice treat. They also have an ice maker in their breakfast area which we loved having access to. The bathroom was large with a lot of counter space and the room was spacious.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Easy to walk and do all the highlights of the city

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Driving in Croatia

Croatia

This was such a great way to see so many small towns along the way from Zagreb to Split. The car was delivered to the hotel and picked up from the next hotel. It was wonderful.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Private Walking Tour of Dubrovnik

Dubrovnik

This was a wonderful tour and loved the guide and seeing all we saw.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Guided Walking Tour of Korčula

Korčula

Great little old town and we enjoyed learning about the history.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Half-Day Private Island of Hvar Tour (Afternoon)

Croatia

This was a fun treat to see other towns around rhe island of Hvar. We loved this day.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Private Walking Tour of Plitvice Lakes National Park

Croatia

Loved our guide and loved this park!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Elafiti Islands - Private Half Day Speedboat Tour

Dubrovnik

This was one of the highlights of the trip. Weather and itinerary was perfect. Guide was the perfect balance of information but left us alone to enjoy each other and the views.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Private Walking Tour of Split

Croatia

This was a great tour and it includes the cellars of the Palace which was awesome. We felt like we got to see and learn about all we needed to in Split.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Private Walking Tour of Zagreb

Zagreb

Jo Jo was amazing. She was fun and positive and we really enjoyed all she took us to see.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Our trip to Japan was fantastic. Shona did a wonderful job catering to our requests for a balance of historical places and modern experiences. We especially liked Nijo Castle and Shinjuku.

Our individual guides, Miwa Aoki and Katsumi Ishikawa, were amazing. I would highly recommend both for Tokyo and Kyoto, respectively.

The drivers, tours, and hotels that Aleksandra chose were all professional and outstanding, with a shout out to Paul Clarke. Would strongly suggest including Northern Ireland in the trip.

This is my 3rd time using Kim Kim and Violaine did not disappoint. We had a great trip and she put a great plan for us in place and she was great about answering our many questions:)
Our local trip "assistant," Amarda with Breathe in Travel was fabulous. She met us in person with a few fun momentos and she even rebooked a boat trip for us (thankfully it was possible) due to weather. Thanks Amarda!

Hotel Reviews

Aphrodite Garden's

Himare

Great spot and loved the view. Good staff and accommodations.

Authenticity & Character

View and great restaurant!

Location

Loved the view and glad to have parking (very tight but most is in Albania:)

Staff

Super friendly and accommodating.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Cumaku Boutique Hotel & Spa

Gjirokastra

FABULOUS! Highly recommended and we loved our stay here. The hotel was super cute, clean and an easy walk to everything. The breakfast was exceptional and we LOVED the indoor pool and sauna. The outdoor pool looked great, but we got there too late to enjoy it. Our room was wonderful and we loved being up at the very top.

Authenticity & Character

Very stylish and well done!

Location

Easy walk to the Old Bazzar and castle. Loved the street scene there.

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Spotless

Koroni Hotel

Great spot in Berat. Located in an old and authentic house but nicely styled. Everything was clean and comfortable. Our host was great and food was good. Easy walking distance to all of old Berat and we loved the town.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Easy walking to all of old Berat.

Staff

Our host was great and he set us up with a taxi ride to our wine tasting experience.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Panorama Kruje

Krujë

Great spot and loved the view and proximity to the old Bazzar. The restaurant was good and the room was great- stylish, clean and comfortable.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Great view out the window and easy walking.

Staff

Our host at check-in was great and even walked out and across the street to show us where to park.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Guesthouse Kol Gjoni

Amazing! Fantastic accommodation and couldn't recommend it enough. The rooms were lovely, stylish, comfortable and clean. The staff was excellent and the food amazing. We loved the patio and enjoying wine while enjoying the awesome mountains/view.

Authenticity & Character

Just wow.

Location

Steller! Loved the remoteness and views.

Staff

warm and welcoming

Cleanliness & Comfort

Bujtina Polia

Theth

Beautifully located in Theth. Clean but very basic rooms. Our host was great but not clear about how meals worked or the time frame. Food was good and service OK for how busy and hectic it was with tourists. Glad we brought our headlamps as the power went out a few times each evening/morning.

Authenticity & Character

Clean and basic.

Location

Easy walking to all trails in Theth. Surrounding mountains are stunning.

Staff

Good host but better communication would have been helpful. Meal arrangements and times weren't mentioned so we had to figure it out.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Grandpa's House

Shkodra

Great spot up on the hill and the overall accommodation was good. Beds were comfortable and we loved the pool and sauna. Only complaints was a slight sewage smell in the room and the waiter at dinner was rather rude.

Authenticity & Character

Good restaurant and loved the pool and sauna

Location

Great location over looking the town. Only downside was it wasn't within walking distance to local sites.

Staff

Most staff were great but our waiter for dinner was very rude and not patient at all with us.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Overall the room was good and clean but had a slight sewage smell.

Faces & Places Boutique hotel

Tirana

Super cute Boutique hotel! Clean, comfortable, stylish and quiet for being in the heart of Tirana. Loved the proximity of the hotel to main attractions and historical hot spots. Highly recommended.

Authenticity & Character

modern and stylish

Location

walking distance to skandabeg square and historical sites

Staff

friendly and helpful

Cleanliness & Comfort

squeaky clean and modern

Activity Reviews

Wine tasting in Alpeta Winery

Berat

Super fun and we loved our host! Great crowd and experience.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Welcome in Tirana

Tirana

Amarda was lovely. We appreciated her meeting us and loved our "goody" bag. She even made a few more of our fabulous guide books per our request so we all had one to take home as momento. We had to reach out to her once for clarification, and she was quick to respond. She also rescheduled our boat experience due to weather. We loved all the extra suggestions given and our guide book was fabulous and throuough. We used it several times on the trip.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Boat tour in Himare

Albania

Petro was awesome! Such a great excursion and we loved hearing about the area and it's transitioning. There was about 15 people on the boat with plenty of room so it was very comfortable and clean. He had water to offer and we loved all the stops we took. The 2 cave swimming spots were super cool and the highlight. This is the way to see the beaches of Himare and to not deal with driving and navigating sketchy trails. The water and the beaches were gorgeous.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Petro was exceptional

Transport

We didn’t get to know Liam as he was on vacation. Jane was easy to work with by email, French speaker was very accessible but her accent was hard for me to understand on the phone.

Driver Darren in Glastonbury was very professional, fun and interesting.

Verdant Seafood bar and our lodging in Falmouth were wonderful.

We didn’t love Glastonbury.

Once we got to London we started using the tube. Drivers not necessary and I missed our pick up time with the driver back to the airport as I hadn’t stopped to realize you had lined him up.

Nice hotel in London and Kew was delightful!

Thanks very much!

Hotel Reviews

The Crown Hotel

Glastonbury

This hotel is right on the main intersection in Glastonbury.. one night there was a wedding in the hotel, so a lot of loud music. A good place if you are really into being part of the action in Glastonbury.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Fine for what it is, But not quiet and a lot os stairs

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Star & Garter

Falmouth

This place was so charming, with an amazing view of Falmouth Harbor. We didn’t get a chance to eat in the little pub, but it looked very nice. Check in required us to find a key in a lock box and let ourselves in.

Authenticity & Character

You walk through the tiny restaurant to get to the room. An old building that is part of the fabric of the town.

Location

Amazing view

Staff

No staff. Maybe directions to hotel from train…

Cleanliness & Comfort

The Chamberlain

London

Nice hotel and great breakfast!

Authenticity & Character

Used by business travelers as well as tourists. Seemed to be part of the neighborhood

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Review

Entry tickets to historic Kew Gardens

London

Easy subway to a lovely station and short walk to Victoria Gate. There are tours and a tram, but we found it easy to wander through on a September weekday, starting with the great broad walk.

Quality of Experience

Transport

The experiences you booked for us were all well handled and enjoyable. The guide we had for Notre Dame was very good. My personal best was the visit to the Gaume cave. It was a small group and we climbed rock steps up to the entrance. The man who guided us took lots of time to show us things and to really explain all the images we were seeing. It was meaningful to me to know we were seeing the real drawings and to reflect on how old they were!

Hotel Reviews

Hôtel & Spa Les Glycines

Les Eyzies

The staff was friendly and helpful. The hotel was lovely and the history of the building was interesting. Bistro was good. Our gourmet dinner was good too. Location was walkable to more of the town and the river. Did not use the spa.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Walkable to town and across the road from the river.

Le Square Louvois 4*

Paris

Staff was wonderful especially the woman who ran the breakfast room. The entire staff was helpful and friendly.

Authenticity & Character

Location

I wish the hotel was in a more centrally located area to where we wanted to tour. Had to uber a lot. Nothing right around the hotel to visit.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Les Hauts de Loire

Onzain

We were unaware when we arrived that there were no openings at the on site bistro for dinner. We had to go and plead with the staff at the bistro to find us a time to eat. The bistro is apparently not owned by the hotel. You should have your clients make a reservation ahead of time for their arrival evening. Also the hotel did not at first gave us reserved for their arrival evening even g gourmet dinner we had vouchers for and tried to tell us we did not have a reservation! Once we showed them the vouchers they seated us and the wait staff and meal were excellent. I believe it was confusing for them to have both room reservations just under Mr Blood’s name as when we checked out they did not have the Samuelson name anywhere which made it confusing. I would suggest if you are booking two rooms for separate couples that you do not put them both under one Jane.

Authenticity & Character

Older well maintained beautiful grounds

Location

Staff

One of the front desk staff who we believe was a manager was rude

Cleanliness & Comfort

Room furnishings could be modernized

Activity Reviews

Dinner at Les Hauts de Loire Gastronomic Restaurant

Blois

The sommelier and our waiter were delightful! Helped make the evening a success. Food was good as were wine pairings. Hit off to a bad start when the hotel did not have us on their reservation list and then there was a question about whether we needed to pay! We were able to straighten out but I do not think the management if the hotel was very good.

Visit of Milandes Castle (Entrance Tickets Included)

France

Interesting to learn more about Josephine Baker’s life

Visit Font-de-Gaume cave (Entrance Tickets Included)

France

Already described this in earlier part of this review. Liked it better than the other two cave experiences

My wife and I have just returned from our 13 day trip to Norway. It was wonderful! All of the kimkim-organized activities, hotels, and transportation went off without a hitch. Of particular note were:
1. Norway is a spectacularly beautiful country. Our boat rides and train voyages (particularly the ride from Bergen to Oslo), allowed us to appreciate the jaw dropping beauty of cities, fjords, waterfalls, and farmland.
2. Each city we visited was beautiful, with impressive old and new architecture. We had great walking tours of Tromso (led by Jurgen), Oslo (led by Björn, a retired architect) and Bergen. The guides were knowledgeable and open with personal observations about their lives in Norway.
3. The hotels were all very nice, located in the center of each city. Breakfasts were ample and delicious. Rooms were small, but comfortable.
4. We loved having a car for a couple of days to tour the Lofoten Islands. Gorgeous!
5. We took multiple flights from airports large and small. A beautiful way to get around the country, with no delays or connection problems.
6. Norway has a multitude of fascinating museums: historical, cultural and artistic. The few we visited in Tromso and Bergen were great, as was a brand new one outside of Svolvaer dealing with the cod fishery!
Thanks, kimkim, for designing a great vacation customized to our interests, and paced just right for us.

Hotel Reviews

Thon Hotel Rosenkrantz

Bergen

Clean, comfortable, small rooms. Excellent breakfast.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Quality Hotel Ålesund

Ålesund

Clean, comfortable. Excellent breakfast.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Scandic Svolvær

Svolvær

Clean, comfortable, small rooms. Paid parking several blocks away. Excellent breakfast

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Scandic Ishavshotel

Tromsø

Clean, comfortable, small rooms. Excellent breakfast. No

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Karl Johan Hotel

Oslo

Lovely hotel, great location, delicious breakfast.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Right in the middle of town, walking distance to all activities.

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Explore Ålesund

Norway

Yet another lovely waterfront city, with great Art Nouveau architecture. Home of the Geirangerfjord cruise up the fjord which was spectacular.

Quality of Experience

Self-Guided Svolvær Exploration

Svolvær

Nice waterfront town. Worked as a base for our time driving around the Lofoten Islands. We enjoyed the nearby SKREI museum — an art gallery, explanation of the cod fishery, and an aquarium.

Quality of Experience

Northern Lights Dinner Cruise

Tromsø

Nice outing on the water, good meal. We did not see the Northern Lights on our cloudy night.

Quality of Experience

Self-Guided Oslo Exploration

Oslo

Bustling, attractive city with compact walkable downtown and waterfront. Beautiful old and new architecture.

Quality of Experience

Self-Guided Bergen Exploration

Bergen

Beautiful historic city, UNESCO heritage site. Downtown easily walkable.

Quality of Experience

Welcome to Tromsø

Tromsø

Lovely Arctic town, easily walkable. Interesting museums.

Quality of Experience

Visit Henningsvær

Svolvær

Very pretty town.

Quality of Experience

Depart Norway

Norway

Our limo driver to the airport was prompt, helpful, friendly and informative.

Quality of Experience

Norway in a Nutshell Day Trip

Bergen

Beautiful scenery throughout. Only downside: this is obviously a very popular experience and even in September, it was quite crowded. At one point, we had to wait at the bus stop in the rain to make our last connection.

Quality of Experience

Oslofjord Evening Cruise with Prawn Buffet

Oslo

This is the one activity which we found disappointing. It was a nice boat ride around the harbor and islands adjacent to Oslo, but there was no commentary or information about what we were seeing. (one could get some information on an app). The dinner consisted of a buffet of peel – yourself shrimp, bread, and lettuce. Drinks were available for purchase.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

No commentary

Transport

Pretty sailboat, but of course we did not sail.

Fløibanen Funicular Ride (Tickets not included)

Bergen

Gorgeous view from the top. There are restaurants, kids playground, and hiking trails at the top as well.

Quality of Experience

Spectacular view.

Food & Culture Walk

Bergen

Four of us and a guide walked through the center of Bergen, trying some typical snacks and also having a light soup lunch. The highlight of the walk was exploring the UNESCO historic area, the site of.the Hanseatic League trading activities.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Geirangerfjord Cruise & Day Trip

Norway

This cruise through Geirangefjord was very comfortable and the scenery. Unbelievable. The crew provided helpful commentary throughout the trip. Town of Geiranger is basically a tourist locale, which didn’t interest us too much, except for a very cool walk up along the waterfall at the edge of town. There are longer hikes available in the area.

Quality of Experience

Driving the Lofoten Islands: Nature Stops Along the Way

Norway

Wow! As was promised, the Lofoten Islands are spectacularly beautiful. And although the roads are narrow, we did not find driving difficult.

Quality of Experience

Beautiful!

City & Polar History Walk

Tromsø

Jürgen, our guide and lifelong Tromso resident, was totally open, sharing his thoughts about his life and his city. He took us through the Arctic Explorer and the Sami museums. This tour was a highlight of our visit.

Quality of Experience

Interesting town, excellent guide.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Excellent guide

Private City Walk

Oslo

Our guide Bjorn, a retired architect, was knowledgeable, friendly, and open to a wide ranging discussion about the city. This tour was a high point of our trip.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Our guide was delightful.