Kimkim Trip Reviews

Catherina, Esteban and their team did an almost superhuman job of organizing an incredible day trip from San Pedro on Ambergris Caye, Belize, to Guatemala's ancient Maya centers of Uaxactun and Tikal. Knowing that we were staying so far away and that we had only a day, they put together an itinerary that maximized the time we had on the ground by deploying planes, (almost trains), and automobiles...and a helicopter!!! Our chartered plane took us to the Belizean border, we were driven to customs, crossed over on foot, picked up by car and flown by helo to Tikal. Our plane pilot team--Trevor, Constantine, and Duane--were amazing. But best of all was our incredibly knowledgeable and personable guide, David Reyes. Able to speak to Maya history, archaeology, birding, ecotourism, and everything in between, it was a true pleasure to spend an afternoon with him at one of the most extraordinary places on earth. To stand on top of one of Tikal's pyramids and see temples piercing the jungle canopy, accompanied by forest sounds was something I'll never forget. Thank you!!!! It was a dream come true.

the recently completed a trip to South Africa including Capetown, Klaserie reserve in Kruger national Park, Victoria Falls and Chobe national Park.

right from the start Annamarie at Kim Kim was extremely attentive and knowledgeable. She even scheduled a Facetime call to make sure that she understood what we were wanting. Her recommendations were excellent and exactly what we were looking for. (in terms of accommodations). The only small part of the trip we regretted was Victoria Falls - it was a surprise to us that we had to pay $75US each for an entry VISA (we had been told $10) and the area was too touristy for us.

I would say the highlight was our safari in Kruger -we stayed at Ivory Wilderness Lodge and their accommodations and food were excellent. Most importantly our guide Wienand made the trip spectacular. He was extremely knowledgeable and put a lot of effort into making sure we got the most out of our Safari experience.

Hotel Reviews

Ivory Wilderness River Rock Lodge

Hoedspruit

top-notch lodge. Set in a very quiet area almost 2 hours from the airport. He will barely see another person. the accommodations are extremely comfortable and food was excellent. Most importantly their guide Wienand made the safari drives amazing - his knowledge and attention to detail were superb

Authenticity & Character

A very true African Lodge experience. We will definitely go there again when we are lucky enough to go on Safari in the future

Location

set far from any other lodges-you are in the middle of the bush

Staff

Great personal attention

Cleanliness & Comfort

rooms are just lovely

Tree House Boutique Hotel

Cape Town

Great location and very quiet. Easy walk to harbourfront and no issue getting an Uber to go out at night.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Shongwe Lookout

Victoria Falls

We just didn't love Victoria Falls - too touristy

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

A Day in the Kruger Bush with Two Game Drives

South Africa

Absolutely amazing - we saw huge variety of wildlife

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Wienand is amzing

Transport

Boat life on the Chobe River

Chobe River - Namibia Side

We didn't love the river safari as much as the driving one - saw less wildlife

Quality of Experience

lodge amazing - awesome lodge staff

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

guide was not great - pointed out animals but had very little knowledge about the wildlife

Transport

We had an issue with our transfers both ways - had to wait over an hour to get picked up in Botswana and then again 90 minutes when boat driver from lodge took us back (there was no airport shuttle to take us to airport)

Kayak with Penguins

South Africa

Didn't get to do this due to rain

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Dinner at GOLD Restaurant

Cape Town

Touristy and loud but good food and enjoyed the dances

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

we arranged our own Uber

Victoria Premium River Safari Sunset Cruise

Victoria Falls

we didn't end up getting to do this-we had a very long wait at the airport and the timing was just tooo tight. Sadly this was nonrefundable

Dusty Road Township Dinner Experience **highly recommended by our team

Victoria Falls

Dinner was fairly good and Sarah is trying to do a good thing. It just lacks entertainment I think. There was a short dance done by some local kids which was very sweet. Otherwise there was too much time to just eat dinner - everything went fairly slowly.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Our transport was arranged for 3 hours after drop off - this is really a 60-90 min experience. And we couldn't get ahold of Transport to pick us up early. Sarah was very kind and arranged for one of her workers to take us back early to our hotel

Our friend did all the planning throu Kim Kim so we're not certain what criteria he selected (standard /premium, etc....) but everything was very well done.....no hicups and the overall quality of each and every accomodation was excellent. A good mix of experiences as well. Overall we're impressed with the level of expertise and planning that Kim Kim provided and are considering using the services again.

Hotel Reviews

DFDS overnight cruise

Great cabin with ample space. Food was Ok, not exceptional. Access to the prvate lounge was nice but there were no views from the lounge....a little unfortunate. Overall a great experience.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Karl Johan Hotel

Oslo

Great staff and the quality of the facitiy was excellent. Location does not get any better.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Clarion Hotel Admiral

Bergen

Great location and excellent food both breakfast and dinner. The rooms and hallways were a little tired / worn looking. Our room was quite small (no room for 2 bags) as oposed to our traveling partners who has sufficient room for the four of us to sit together.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Flåm Marina

Flåm

For one, you can't beat the location. Having the extra sitting area in the room was very well appreciated. Breakfast selection was OK but the dinner was excellent. Walking through the houskeeping service area to get to the room as a litle awkward. The staff was cordial ovreall but not as welcoming as other placed we visited in Norway.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Overnight Cruise

Bergen

Small cabin but had a nice view. Food was great. As was the common area seating. Felt like a commuter ship as things were being cleaned while we were boarding / sailing / disembarking.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Norsk Folkemuseum - The Open Air Museum (museum tickets included)

Oslo

Quality of Experience

Transport

Viking Day in Gudvangen

Gudvangen

Learned a lot of details about viking life and culture. Good hands on demostarations but all were not staffed at the time of our visit.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Nærøyfjord Cruise by Electric Boat (one way)

Gudvangen

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Past & Present City Walk

Bergen

Eirik did an excellent job....being a lifetime resident with a great understanding of the history and culture.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Fløibanen Funicular Experience (tickets included)

Bergen

Tons of hiking opportunities at the top. Food in the cafe is limited and not very satisfying, We did not try the restaraunt but it looked amazing, as did the bar.

Quality of Experience

Micaela's help was wonderful!!! We are so greatful for her guidance in our decision making and thoughts on each question we had.

Activity Reviews

Half-Day Buenos Aires City Tour

Buenos Aires

Our guide, Ramania (unsure of spelling) was amazing! Each place she took us helped give us a better understanding of the depths of BA history. Such a beautiful city.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Oscar was the best chauffeur ever!!!

Half Day Milonga with private tango lesson in studio

Buenos Aires

So fun! Hubby was hesitant, and it turned out great! Wish it were two hours so we could have felt a little more ready for the dance floor later.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Martin is a true professional and amazing at what he does.

Transport

Full-Day Perito Moreno Glacier

El Calafate

Wow. Just wow. We traveled all over Argentina in our two weeks visiting, and this was one of our favorite site seeing experiences. Talk about amazing! We also were here in April, so there was not a lot of tourists. Great time to go!!! We visited the town as well. It was a great time. Go to Mi Vijeo for dinner!!!

Quality of Experience

The picutres don't do it justice!

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Pablo and Franco were great tour guides and chauffeurs. Fun and good humor!

Transport

Pristine Iguazú Luxury Camp | Full Pristine Program Day 3

Puerto Iguazú

Wow! So amazing to see this force of nature.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Pamela is a GREAT tour guide. She is so knowledgeable and friendly.

Transport

Nautical Safari tour

El Calafate

Stunning to see the glaciers from both views of above and below. Worth the time.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Welcome to Iguazu's Pristine Luxury Camp! | Full Pristine Program Day 1

Puerto Iguazú

How do you say perfect and have it give justice to the experience? Everything here was amazing. Staff, food, location, activities. Wow!!!

Quality of Experience

Food

All of it! They even made a special birthday dessert and sang to my husband. So sweet!

Guides, Drivers and Staff

So kind, so wonderful, so full of willingness to help us at any time.

Transport

Carlos is the best!

Pristine Iguazú Luxury Camp | Full Pristine Program Day 2

Puerto Iguazú

David's share of the cultural way and why of the Mate' was great. It was so fun to hear and expereince.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Goodbye Pristine Camps! | Full Pristine Program Last Day

Puerto Iguazú

Sad to leave, but an amazing time. Thank you so everyone here for making it so special.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Wine & Cheese Tasting at Palacio Duhau

Buenos Aires

This place was BEAUTIFUL! Wow. The staff was amazing, the wine and cheese were a great pairing, and the seating was great outside with the beauty of the location.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Kimkim arranged a ten-day tour of Portugal for our family of six. They did an excellent job of selecting, and organizing, site visits and activities, as well as providing transportation, lodging and dining recommendations. During the trip we were in frequent communications with our in- country agent, João, to make sure everything met our needs. We also worked with a team of exceptional guides and drivers who make every moment pleasurable. Our drivers, Renaldo and Carlos, were always on time, in good spirits, and filled every day with stories about the history, culture, and people of Portugal as well as many other topics. They made every day interesting and enjoyable and often went beyond expectations. A good example of this was when Carlos took us to the Lisbon airport to return home. We expected to be dropped off outside in front of the airport, but instead he took us to underground parking, then up an unused elevator directly to check-in where he worked with airline representatives to efficiently move through the check in processes leaving us only when we reached Security where he could go no farther.

South America Journey 2025

We are back in California after our two month journey in South America. Kimkim and Marcela assisted us during our first segment of the trip, Patagonia, and during our last segment of the trip, Peru. In between Patagonia and Peru, my wife and I completed a 30-day self drive trip from Puerto Natales to Santiago ..... 5,000 km. The entire experience was stunning, our weather was fantastic and we have returned with a lifetime of memories.

Marcella organized great adventures and accommodations for us during the 14-day Patagonia segment. We collaborated with her easily prior to this trip so that our plan was suited to our travel standards. She was most patient, knowledgeable and available during the planning process. There were no glitzes in this self-drive Patagonia excursion which included Torres de Paine, the El Calafate area and the El Chalten region. The glaciers, trekking, boat excursions and accommodations were wonderful. Marcela made it happen!

Our 30-day driving trip through Argentina and Chile was exciting. Though we planned and executed this part of our journey independently, Marcela was available to provide ideas for our "Carratera Austral" road trip. Additionally, we had the pleasure of having a rendezvous with Marcela in Puerto Varas and enjoyed a coffee together before we continued our journey to Constitucion and Santiago. She was very nice to meet after soooooo many planning communications.

Janice and I added Peru to our South American trip rather late during the planning stages. Marcela stepped up and did an awesome job at organizing our trip. The Cusco experience was epic and our guide, Mega, during those days was most wonderful. Her knowledge, organization, patience and grasp of Inca / Quechua history was so very impressive. We also just fell in love with her care for us as we traveled around Cusco, Machu Picchu and Sacred Valley. Our guide at Machu Picchu was Darcy and he really took care of us on that trip and had a wealth of knowledge regarding the site.

Iquitos and our stay at Pacaya Samiria Lodge was a once-in-a-lifetime experience for us. Again the weather was beautiful ... we were very fortunate for our 2-months of good weather! We were picked up in Iquitos by Josiah and he was our guide for three memorable days at the lodge and on the water. We felt very fortunate to have such a scholar of wildlife as our guide. Josiah knows the birds and and environment ... and we felt very comfortable with him. The lodge was beautiful.

Our last segment in Peru was in Lima and again we had a very complete city tour with Lily (sp). Our free day in Lima was filled with many sights and again .... food.

The entire Peru experience assisted with great communications from Manuel, Ximena and Jennifer. Manuel Gordillo was particularly helpful with communicating our daily activities, planning for the next day and confirming our transportation.

Another big thank you to Marcela for helping us while we explored Argentina, Chile and Peru!

THANK YOU KIMKIM!

Bill and Janice Rolfing
South America 2025 Trip

Hotel Reviews

Sueños del Inka Hotel

Cusco

Hatun Inti Classic Machupicchu

Machu Picchu

Ava Spot Sacred Valley

Urubamba

Ikonik Miraflores

Lima

Casa Morey

Pacaya Samiria Lodge

Activity Reviews

Cultural City Tour in Lima

Lima

City Tour

Cusco

Iquitos Adventure Day 2

Iquitos

Sacred Valley Tour: Cusco - Chinchero - Ollantaytambo

Peru

Machu Picchu Excursion: Aguas Calientes - Machu Picchu

Peru

Iquitos Adventure Day 3

Peru

Pisac Market & Surrounding Ruins

Peru

Iquitos Adventure Day 4

Peru

Iquitos Adventure Day 1

Iquitos

I have used KimKim for two different European trips, and I love them. They make planning so easy. Our recent girls’ trip to Barcelona went smoothly and KimKim had everything to do with that. They arranged everything and we loved it all. I would without reservation recommend them to anyone.

Svetlana did a wonderful job of working with me to make this trip memorable. My adult children and I were delighted with the overall trip - the trajectory and locals of our adventures were perfect. We had plenty of time to drive to the sites of interest and to ultimately get to our hotels which were excellent. Special thanks to the proprietor of Dunaree B&B who made us feel very welcome.

Overall an excellent vacation to Norway. Eliise and Fenne did a great job coordinating the travel plans with the hotels and other travel partners. Everything was exactly as presented with no issues checking into the hotels or activities. We really enjoyed the Havila cruise although we where on the ship only from Bergen to Trondheim. Response times from Kim Kim were good both during the planning and actual trip stages. I would highly recommend KIm Kim to anyone looking for a Norway experience.

Victor Alfirevic
USA

Hotel Reviews

Hotel Britannia

Trondheim

Staff

Bergen Børs Hotel

Bergen

Great location close to main attractions. Also a 2 minute walk to Clean Kokos a self service laundry.

Location

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Oslo Opera House Backstage Experience

Oslo

Excellent facility and worth a tour.

Quality of Experience

Transport

Transit to Airport at 3:30 AM was punctual.

Trondheim City Walking Tour

Trondheim

Very worthwhile. A visit to the Cathedral is a must, We were fortunate to experience the pipe organ playing which was superb.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Guide was enthusiastic about explaining Trondheim's history.

Private Floating Sauna Experience

Norway

Fun experience, recommended.

Food & Culture Walk

Bergen

Quality of Experience

Plenty of food unique to Norway. Last stop was the oldest bar in Bergen.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Guide was a bit inexperienced and not as knowledgeable as a couple other of our guides.

Norway in a Nutshell Tour

Norway

Signage could be improved,

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Local knowledge including flora.

Oslofjord Dinner Cruise

Oslo

Nice start to a trip to Oslo.

Waterfall Hike & Stegastein Viewpoint Experience

Flåm

Guide was fantastic. Local knowledge including flora.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Fjord Cruise & Seafood Dining Experience

Bergen

Definitely a unique experience. Highly recommended for foodies. Could cut the overall time down by 30 minutes as we got back to hotel quite late.

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Mostraumen Fjord Cruise

Bergen

Nice trip to see more fjords.

Quality of Experience

Transport

Ship is clean and very comfortable.

We were very comfortable with all the guides and people helping us during the trip; our first guide, Mateo, was excellent and personable; our “food trip” guide (forgive me, lost her name) very knowledgeable; finally our Vatican guide, Danielle, was superb, making those few hours just breeze; liked choice of hotel, would definitely go back there; all the drivers professional and helpful.

Hotel Review

Kolbe Hotel Rome

Rome

Nice hotel walking distance close to all attractions , nice, friendly stuff

Authenticity & Character

Location

Close to all attractions

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Basic Rome Tour by Electric Golf Cart

Rome

Excellent

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Vatican Museum, Sistine Chapel & St. Peter's Basilica

Rome

Excellent; hope we come again, this time to actually see Sistine Chapel

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Planning this trip was a bit difficult at first as we wanted a few things different than the Kimkim standard itinerary of a Yogyakarta to Bali trip in the defined amount of time that we had. It was frustrating at first as I assume that is not the way this company usually works. Finally, things got worked out and we had an easy trip with lovely drivers, Tata and Agung. They would stop when we asked them to and both made sure we were comfortable and their driving was safe. Yugga was very sweet and checked in on us frequently, she found us lovely places to stay when they were available, only one place seemed really basic but we also booked late. The beach hotel of our excursion was like staying in a small slice of heaven. Tours were organized well and we would have private guides.
Overall, the service was good. You just have to be firm on asking for what you want. Expense wise, you do pay quite a bit more than planning it yourself but for some, that adds ease to a trip.

Hotel Reviews

The Phoenix Hotel Yogyakarta - MGallery Collection

Yogyakarta

A lovely hotel, great and friendly staff, beautiful surroundings. They upgraded our rooms and they were adjoining. The food was excellent, both breakfast and dinners.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Close to the train station

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Beds were comfortable and the rooms were very clean.

Artha Cottages Tumpak Sewu

Lumajang

A basic room. Small hotel restaurant for dinner was our only option and the food though limited was good.

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Aston Jember Hotel & Conference Center

Jember

Great hotel, clean, comfortable. The only downside was that the poolside restaurant was out of many of the food selections.

Location

Cleanliness & Comfort

Taman Sari Bali Resort & Spa

Pemuteran

This place was amazing. We had our own villa with private gardens and swimming pool. King size beds. Breakfast and dinner with our toes in the sand. So happy we pushed for a second night here.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Nadira Bali Resort & Villa

Wonderful staff, rooms were great, clean and comfortable, pretty gardens, a private pool. Great breakfast. A jungle view.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Lava View Lodge Hotel

Not fancy but what we expected with our location. It's rustic look fit the surroundings Staff kept breakfast going for us due to our tour delay.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Ketapang Indah Hotel

Banyuwangi

Great huge hotel. Clean and comfortable, big shared pool. Really good food for dinner and breakfast. Staff was helpful and kind. Can I just say, as it's a shared pool in a Muslim country, that bikinis seemed really inappropriate. Something to think about.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Sunrise Trek to Mount Bromo

Mount Bromo, East Java

It was Idul Fitri so very busy. We missed our Mt. Bromo climb due to a 4 hour jeep delay. Drivers let out customers in the middle of the road and won't move until their customers return. It was crazy. On the good side, the delay allowed us to see the view as the clouds cleared. They really need a better system. Jeeps get incredibly uncomfortable after 2 hours.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Free Day - Pemuteran with driver

Pemuteran, Bali

We arranged an all day birding tour with Made Surya Bird Tours. Made was wonderful, instantly knew birds in flight and by calls. He took us to multiple places where we would see birds we most wanted to see. He even found owls for us. In one day, we saw over 40 new species of birds. It was a fantastic day. https://birdinginbali.blogspot.com/?m=1

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Visit Prambanan Temple

Yogyakarta

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Visit Borobudur Temple

Yogyakarta

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Visit Tumpak Sewu

Indonesia

Beautiful waterfall. Lots of steps and climbing but very doable if you can do that. All the talk about really slippery can be true but our guide told us where to walk and it wasn't an issue at all.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Hector planned an amazing trip for us to Spain and Portugal. Our highlights of the trip included the tapas tour in Madrid, the private winery tour in the Douro valley, the private cooking class in Lisbon, and the sunset cruise in Lisbon. The itinerary flowed very well and it was so easy to be at the right place at the right time. The instructions were great. The accommodations were great, especially Hotel Urso in Madrid and the Quinta de Pacheca wine barrels in Douro Valley. Breakfast being included every morning was an extremely nice perk. Never had to think about that meal. Overall, shoutout to KimKim, Espiritu, and Hector. I would absolutely recommend to a friend.

Hotel Reviews

URSO Hotel & Spa

Madrid

10/10. This place is amazing. The level of service was the nicest I’ve ever experienced.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Room service was excellent

PortoBay Teatro

Porto

Nice hotel in a great location. What it lacked in aesthetics, it made up for with location and the quality of the food.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

PortoBay Marquês

Lisbon

Hotel was fine- nothing spectacular. The bar was very small and it felt very tight. The location was good, but a bit far from the water. I liked how it was close to the park, however.

Authenticity & Character

Not memorable decorations or interior. Very bland room.

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

The Wine House Hotel - Quinta da Pacheca

Lamego

AMAZING. The trip wouldn’t have been the same without this. The room service breakfast was incredible.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Explore Porto's Culinary Scene and Bolhao Market

Porto

Great activity.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Tapas Culinary Experience

Madrid

This was great. A must add for every trip.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Sandeman Cellar Wine Tasting

Porto

I was expecting this to be better. It was a very short tour, you didn’t get to see much, and it just wasn’t that interesting. They showed you barrel, but didn’t show you any part of the winemaking process and just tried to sell you on sandman port.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Wine Experience in the Douro Valley & River Cruise

Douro Valley

10/10. Miguel was amazing. This was incredible.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Get to know Porto by E-bike

Porto

I wish I had done a walking tour. The ebikes were cool, but it was hard to navigate the mass crowds.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Portuguese Cooking Class at a Chef's Home

Lisbon

This was amazing. Artur was such a great instructor.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Sunset Sailing Cruise

Lisbon

I thought this was really fun. The boat was much more crowded than I expected, but it was beautiful.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

This was our first time to Switzerland. Margaux was the first specialist we communicated with and then came Mathilde. Both are wonderful and knowledgeable specialists. We covered 8 places in 17 days. The itinerary was very easy to understand. The hotels were all close to train stations and easy to locate. When we were on the trip, we communicated with Mathilde and she was always prompt in responding. She lives in France but she seemed to know Switzerland very well. We had difficulty getting from Interlaken to Zermatt because there was an avalanche on the train route. Mathilde found a different route for us to get to Zermatt. She even contacted the hotel about our late arrival. We appreciate all the help that Mathilde had given us to make our trip an amazing adventure.

Hotel Reviews

Boutique Hotel Wellenberg

Zurich

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Boutique Hotel KARL

Luzern

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Best Western Plus Hotel Bern

Bern

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Jnterlaken

3800

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Le Petit Manoir

Morges

Location

This hotel is very close to the Tulip Festival. The tulips were beautiful!

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Jade

Geneva

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Walliserhof Zermatt

Zermatt

This hotel is in a great location. From this hotel we were able to walk 10 minutes to see the Matterhorn.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Mona Montreux Hotel

Montreux

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Swiss Travel Pass

Switzerland

It is worth having a Swiss Travel Pass. It saves a lot of time not having to buy tickets at the train station. This pass is also good for local buses.

Quality of Experience

Transport

Zurich and Surroundings Tour (Group tour/4,5 hours)

Zürich

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

It was a big group but the guide handled it very well.

Lucerne: 1-Hour Cruise on Panoramic Yacht

Lucerne

Quality of Experience

Transport

Gruyères Medieval Town, Cheese Factory and Maison Cailler Tour from Bern (Small group/6 hours)

Bern

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Schilthorn - Piz Gloria

Switzerland

Quality of Experience

Welcome to Mürren

Switzerland

From the cable car we were able to walk around on our own.

Quality of Experience

Peak Walk - Glacier 3000

Switzerland

We enjoyed this area. They have ski trails and trails for walkers.

Quality of Experience

Transport

One of the best trip of my life. Everything was perfectly planned. In 10 days we were able to explore the amazon, climb the andes, and even sandsurf in the desert. Lima is such a vibrant city. Peruvians are extremely nice, and their culture is very fascinating. A special mention for the food, which was simply amazing.
Highly recommended!

Hi Jessica, 4.29.2025

I’ve wanted to send you a note to say what an amazing experience we had in using Kim-Kim for our recent trip to Italy. What we were most impressed with was how easy it was to work with Kim-Kim and you especially. From day one we knew you were only an email away to any questions or changes we wanted to make to our trip to Italy.
Our amazing trip started when we landed in Rome around 10am and our driver was already there to greet us and retrieve our bags. Tired from our long flight the private driver greeted us with chilled bottles of water and some sweet treats, a very nice touch to begin our adventure. After a 40-minute drive from the airport we arrived at the Monti Palace Hotel in Rome. After checking in we were led to our room and saw that it was smaller than expected but very clean and the hotel was beyond our expectations. The bathroom was extremely large with an oversized shower and plenty of space to lay out our travel gear. We were so excited after arriving, we dropped our bags and headed out to explore Rome, we wandered the streets and didn’t return till 8pm. The next morning, we had our first breakfast at the roof top café. The Cafe included everything one could want and more, the view of Rome from the terrace dining room was breathtaking. Day two was our first tour that you had suggested of the trip, the Colosseum and Roman Forum. We met our tour guide easily at a nearby park and waited for the others to arrive. All the guides from the entire trip were professional, friendly and spoke English well. Later that evening we had our walking food tour guided by Enzo who was born and raised in Campo and took us to many places that highlighted the food in Rome. Enzo was also an archologist, so he was able to give us a tremendous amount of background to the areas we were visiting throughout the tour. Day three was Highlights of the Vatican and Sistine Chapel we met our tour guide outside who gives tours the Vatican and Chapel daily, he was just as excited as we were to show us everything just as if it was his first tour ever given. His passion for history and arts really showed during the whole tour. Day three was one of the highlights from the trip, we made our short train ride to the Contadina Breakfast Farm Tour. I did not know what to expect to see on this tour but the views on the train ride were well worth the venture outside the city of Rome to Frascati. We were greeted by our host Oreste who was gracious and much of a Renaissance man, A baker, wine maker, guitar player and best of all an amazing storyteller. From the moment we entered his home we became part of his family, on the table they had an amazing breakfast of homemade cakes, cheeses, meats, wine and pastries. Oreste began to tell us about his family’s vineyard and his love of his country. He was soft-spoken and lived a simple life on his own terms. He told stories of harvesting grapes with his children during the day and sitting by the fire at night playing guitar and singing with family. After breakfast we hopped in his car and took a short drive to a nearby winery to tour the underground wine caves and take in the views from the hills overlooking the city of Rome, just an amazing experience for our last day in Rome! Now off to Sorrento and the Amalfi Coast….
The next morning, we met our private driver who took us to the train station and again he arrived prompt, friendly and English speaking. We boarded our train, and we were off to Sorrento. We arrived at the Hotel Florida around 2 in the afternoon and had a free afternoon to explore. We asked the hotel front desk for some of the local’s favorite spots to eat nearby. We found ourselves at a small family run pizza shop and had a beautiful margarita pizza and soaked in the culture. Downtown Sorrento was close by, so we walked and explored the shops, ate gelato and walked the waterfront, the views were breathtaking and lots of pictures were taken. Waking up the next day we had our Capri boat ride and Blue Grotto tour. Our Captain greeted us, and we were off to Capri. It was breezy but the sun warmed us while we sailed across the water. We were dropped off and had the mid-morning to venture through the winding narrow streets of Capri. It was like stepping back in time and living in a different world. We headed back and boarded our boat for our trip around the island of Capri. Our captain had packed mozzarella and tomato sandwiches for lunch and refreshments to enjoy. Unfortunately, because of the high winds and rough water we could not enter the Blue Gratto, but we were able to look inside. We headed back and disembarked with another great day of memories.
The next day was a huge highlight of our trip when we met Enzo who would give us a private tour of the “Path of Lemons” in Ravello. We met Enzo at the top of the Ravello mountain and he would lead us 5000 steps down through the town to the ocean. Along the way he told stories of his childhood and gave us the history of living in the hills. He also pointed out plants and vegetables growing along the way. When we arrived at the small town below, we enjoyed Italian pastries and sipped expresso looking up at the mountain top where the day had started just a short time ago.
Mount Vesuvius and Pompeii were on day 8, we were joined by a group of 25-30 people then boarded a bus to head to Mount Vesuvius. We took in the view from the top of the mountain and looked down at the volcano from above. Lunch was at a nearby restaurant we were served a great lunch of pizza and then it was off to Pompeii.
Day 9 was a private tour with Ciro La Motta @taximistercabdriver, we explained that we had toured much of the area already and asked if we could stop at some other areas, which he thought would be interesting and beautiful. Ciro stopped at many churches, cliffs, waterways and beaches along the way that we had not seen before. But the highlight of the trip was when we were asked what kind of music we liked, I mentioned the Bee Gees and just like that Ciro cued up the Saturday Night Fever soundtrack, he would have made all the Bee Gees happy with his cover. Ciro finished our tour with his rendition of Elvis’s Suspicious Minds. Another amazing Day!!!
The next morning, we headed back to Rome for our last night before heading back to the States. Jessica, I would just like to thank you and your whole team for everything you did. The hotels, transfers, tours and amazing people were all perfect, this is a trip that we will never forget. Please express to everyone how thrilled we were with their hospitality, kindness and the love they showed us.
We will be using Kim-Kim in the future for sure!!!!!
Thank You,
Carolle and Rich
Arrivederci!!!!

The hotel in Haarlem was very nice, but the proximity to the church and the frequent ringing of the church bells was difficult to get used to, especially in the evening when the bells ring non-stop from 9-9:30pm. The flower auction and the Keukenhof were highlights! We found both experiences to be enjoyable. It was important that we got to the Keukenhof early because it got very crowded by lunchtime time and the crowds became overwhelming. We loved Albert, our driver; he is very kind and personable. We enjoyed our time with him and learned a lot from him. If we had to do it over, we would skip the ferry ride from Marken to Volendam.

We really enjoyed both Delft and Leiden. We enjoyed the smaller size/feel of these towns and the local culture. We enjoyed wandering around and getting lost, window shopping in local boutiques, and having a drink or meal outside in the sun. Both our guides, Andre and Jeroen, are wonderful! They were both very engaging and made our time together fly by, and we learned and saw many interesting things.

Bruges was probably our least favorite place. It is a very beautiful town, but it felt very commercialized and overrun by tourism. The horse and carriage rides, huge tour groups, and the numerous cheap souvenir shops were a little off-putting. The hotel was very lovely and serene, but some staff were more welcoming than others. Our tour guide, Roland, was a very kind man, but his tour was a little boring. We felt like we saw and learned very little in the two hours we were with him. The chocolate workshop was fun, but it felt like the woman leading the workshop would have rather been anywhere else but there. Also, we recommend people arrive at least an hour before the workshop and walk through the museum first. There is no information, stories, or history given in the workshop itself.

Ghent was nice, but the size of the city was a bit overwhelming to my mom. Similar to Roland, our guide, Christien, was a very warm, kind woman. But her tour was also a bit boring, and we walked away feeling like we didn't learn/see much.

Leuven and Mechelen were our favorite places in Belgium. Like Delft and Leiden, they felt smaller, less touristy, and we enjoyed the slower pace and local culture. We enjoyed roaming the botanical garden in Leuven and strolling down the canal path in Mechelen. The hotel in Leuven was very unique and nice; it was a bit far from the train station, but the location on the canal and the garden made it very relaxing and enjoyable. The hotel breakfast was the best of all the hotels on the trip. One weird thing about the hotel room, the toilet was behind a privacy door, but the shower was open to the room with very little privacy. But despite that, this hotel was still one of our favorites.

Finally, our driver, who took us to the Brussels airport, said he didn't speak English, but he still seemed to understand us, so it wasn't a big deal. However, he was a smoker, so his car smelled very bad. That made the trip to the airport unpleasant, and our clothes smelled like cigarette smoke for a while after we got out of the car.

Overall, we enjoyed the trip! We will definitely return to the Netherlands someday, and we will definitely use KimKim again soon.

Hotel Reviews

Begijnhof Hotel

Leuven

We loved this hotel. The staff were kind, the breakfast was amazing, the rooms were very clean, the gardens and canal made it very relaxing. I'm giving 4 stars instead of 5 because the lack of privacy for the shower is awkward. A curtain needs to be placed at the entrance of the shower.

Authenticity & Character

The history of the building makes for a unique hotel.

Location

It is a bit far from the train station, but the canal and the gardens are lovely.

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Very clean and comfortable. However, there is a lack of privacy in the shower. It is too exposed, and a curtain needs to be placed at the entrance of the shower itself.

Hotel ML

Haarlem

We enjoyed this hotel. The proximity to the church caused the church bells to be very loud.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

BoutiqueHotel 't Fraeyhuis

BRUGGE

This hotel is very lovely, the setting is beautiful, and the rooms are clean and comfortable. Some staff seemed a bit haughty, and we felt a little unwelcome sometimes.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Royal Bridges

Delft

Nice hotel, the staff were very kind and welcoming.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Daytrip to Marken, Volendam, Edam and Zaanse Schans

The Netherlands

The windmills were interesting, and Edam was beautiful. But Marken, Volendam, and the ferry ride were not all that interesting or exciting for us.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Albert, again, is the best! He made the day much more fun.

Transport

Riding with Albert was great. Would skip the ferry.

Leuven - Botanical Gardens (Kruidtuin)

The Netherlands

Quality of Experience

Flower auction, bulb fields & Keukenhof excursion

The Netherlands

The flower auction is very informative and interesting. The Kenkenhof is, of course, amazingly beautiful.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Albert is the best!

Transport

Ghent - Scenic Boat Tour

The Netherlands

We skipped this.

Delft - Private guided walking Tour

The Netherlands

Andre was wonderful, very engaging. We saw many interesting things, learned a lot, and he provided many recommendations and tips for the rest of our stay in Delft.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Andre was wonderful!

Transport

We walked?

Leiden - Private Guided city walk

The Netherlands

Jeroen was very engaging and kind. We saw many interesting things and learned a lot from him. We loved the city as a whole.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Bruges - Private guided walking tour

The Netherlands

Roland was a very nice man, but the tour was a bit boring.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Bruges - Choco Story chocolate workshop (join in)

The Netherlands

Making the chocolate was fun, but the instructor was just okay. She didn't seem to want to be there or enjoy her job.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

This is a missed opportunity for the instructors. They should have stories and share some history of chocolate to make the experience more engaging. We arrived early but not early enough to go through the museum prior to the workshop.

Bruges - Day trip to Damme

The Netherlands

We skipped this.

Explore Ghent with a CityCard

The Netherlands

Ghent is a very busy city and felt overwhelming.

Quality of Experience

Transport

The city card can be a bit overwhelming to figure out where to go and how to get there properly.

Public Transport Pass Amsterdam

The Netherlands

Ghent - Private guided walking tour

The Netherlands

Christien was very warm and friendly. The tour was a bit slow and boring.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Leuven - Day trip to Mechelen

The Netherlands

We loved Mechelen. Smaller, quieter, lovely local culture.

Quality of Experience

Transport

Delft - Delft blue pottery

The Netherlands

Ghent - Waffles 'n Beer Workshop

The Netherlands

We skipped this because I wasn't feeling good.

The guides were punctual, friendly and informative.

We enjoyed our trip very much. Thanks for coordinating and planning our trip

Rachel did an amazing job planning our trip to Scotland and London. We had the best time and it was great not to have to worry about booking our accommodations or must haves. She went above and beyond to make sure we had a wonderful time and got to see everything we wanted. Our accommodations were in excellent locations and days were thoughtfully scheduled.

Hotel Reviews

Westlands of Pitlochry Bed & Breakfast

Pitlpochry

This B&B was outstanding. The rooms were new builds and thoughtfully done. They staff was incredibly nice. The breakfast spread was huge and had tons of options. We wish we could have stayed more nights.

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Leonardo Royal Hotel London City - Tower of London

London

Great hotel in an excellent location. It was so easy to walk out to the sights and Underground from here. We loved being on Tower Hill so close to the Tower of London and Tower Bridge. Everything was very clean. The staff was nice and helpful.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Right on Tower Hill. 2 minutes walk to the Underground, 5-7 minutes to Tower of London and Tower Bridge. Wonderful views of landmarks and the Thames.

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

The hotel was super clean and maintained. We adored staying here. Our only exception was the main hotel spaces were over heated, the hallways and elevator caused a sweat.

Activity Reviews

Day out on the Jacobite Train (of Harry Potter fame)

England

This was fantastic. We had the most wonderful time riding the train, seeing the Harry Potter sights and visiting the town of Mallaig.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Harry Potter Studio Tour from London (with transport)

London

This is a MUST SEE for any Harry Potter fan. We had a blast checking out all the studio insights and exhibits. We loved that you could walk thru a bunch of the actual sets and props.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Tower of London Timed Entry Tickets

London

We had such a good time at the Tower or London. The Yeoman Warder tour was very informative and interesting for the whole family. We enjoyed learning the history, seeing the Crown Jewels and the Ravens.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

We never would have been able to organize and enjoy as many sites on our Paris trip had it not been for Nathalie's expert organization and knowledge of where we needed to stay and how long certain site visits would take. Nathalie set up 4 tour guides for us and also pre arranged tickets for other events we did on our own. The tours that required we go outside the city were arranged so that the guide met us at our hotel and stayed with us through the metro, through the tour and got us back to the metro. All of the guides, Stephanie for Versailles, Athina for the Louvre, Diane for La Sainte Chapelle and Notre Dame and Diane (a different Diane) for Pere Lachaise Cemetery were excellent. We were able to walk straight into all these sites without waiting (well, we had a snafu with Notre Dame but that is because we chose to visit during Easter break - not Diane's fault at all) and had what had to be some of the most knowledgeable guides possible. No question went unanswered.

Hotel Review

Le Derby Alma

Paris

Excellent location. Quiet, easy to walk to shops and especially restaurants. Metro station is only a block or so away and every Uber/Taxi we took knew exactly where to go. The rooms themselves were very comfortable and the staff was kind and accommodating. We had limited French language abilities and they were well versed in English. Room was replenished and cleaned each day allowing us to come back from busy days and "crash" in luxury!

Authenticity & Character

It was very comfortable for an American. Not much on the "French" style, but that wasn't what we were looking for in our hotel room. We had plenty of that when we went out.

Location

Easy walk to restaurants, shops, the Eiffel Tower and the metro

Staff

Greeted us each time we came and went. Housekeeping was on top of everything.

Cleanliness & Comfort

The rooms were quiet and dark and kept very clean. My only complaint was the open concept shower. I shivered the entire time I showered - I began to dread taking a shower. The amenities are lovely, staff is wonderful, bed was comfortable and the treats in the room were most welcomed. I just don't understand not having a closed shower - they do this often in the US as well thinking it's an impressive design. It's not. We don't have to reinvent the wheel for a shower.

Activity Reviews

Sainte Chapelle and Notre Dame walking tour

Paris

We booked a tour of these two locations, Sainte Chapelle and Notre Dame, so that we could get some history and architecture lessons on the buildings. The tour wound up being an hour long walk around the island, a brief stop in Sainte Chapelle and no tour of Notre Dame. This was our only disappointing experience. The photos of Sainte Chapelle are so breathtaking that visiting this chapel became almost more important to us that Notre Dame. I envisioned a quiet little jewel that we could sit and contemplate the marvels of architecture and artistic talent that contributed to these stunning windows. There is no doubt the windows were stunning, but we did not know that the chapel is not a current functioning religious church. It had no chairs or pews, and was packed with tourists talking loud and doing selfies. It's is also a small chapel so you basically walk in, do a circle and are right back out. When we finished here was when the guide told us that they would not be taking us to Notre Dame because the wait in line was 2 hours. This was somewhat our fault because we assumed we had timed reservations, but we booked for the week after Easter AND the Pope passed away while we were there so timed reservations were cancelled. We would have much rather waited in line to see Notre Dame than spent an hour walking the island. We did get up early the next morning and walked right into Notre Dame on our own.

Quality of Experience

Perhaps a better explanation of expectations. We did not expect to walk for an hour touring the island before attempting to enter either church.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Diane was a sweetheart and extremely professional and informative, we just did not understand the plan and did not get to see the main thing we came to Paris to see - inside Notre Dame.

Dinner show at the Moulin Rouge

Paris

This was a blast. Campy, crowded, fun. The food was better than we expected. We should have arrived about 45 minutes before our seating, but we still got a lovely table even arriving 15 minutes before our seating (in fact, we had easy access to the restrooms by being seated further back).

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Your private visit of Père Lachaise cemetery

Paris

Pere Lachaise is just an unbelievable spot on this earth. It is arranged like it's own city. There are sunny spots and lots of dark, damp and cozy spots. There is every kind of architecture you can imagine in the family crypts and so many stories that you could spend years here and not know them all. Every little path has something fascinating and historical. It is huge so we recommend a map and a plan. We were fortunate enough to have Diane for a guide. She is passionate about this cemetery and knew where to go, the stories to tell and the nuances to point out.

Quality of Experience

It was a cool, dark day and utterly peaceful. We could have stayed hours and hours.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Diane is an expert on Pere Lachaise. She made this efficient and interesting.

Transport

Diane met us at our hotel and walked us through the whole metro process. We would have stayed later in the cemetery on our own but we were nervous about getting the right Metro train back so we left with Diane so she could make sure we were getting the correct train.

Versailles Palace & Gardens Private Tour

Paris

Stephanie was our tour guide and she was simply amazing. She met us at our hotel and taught us how to use the train out to Versailles (different than the metro). She was full of information and tricks to get us straight into the palace. Every room she had a story and would take us right to the front so we could get a great view of the room. She set it up so we could stay later, after she left, and still we were comfortable on the train back to the city. We could not have asked for a better guide.

Quality of Experience

We wish we had done the Palace first, then rented the cart for the gardens

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Stephanie, our private tour guide, made this more fun and interesting than we could have imagined.

Transport

Stephanie, our tour guide, handled it all. The train was perfect!

Orsay Museum with audioguide (tickets only)

Paris

The museum is not intuitively organized and we wasted a lot of time following the crowd to the "popular" pieces of art that they were all determined to take photos of. That crowd was miserable. Once we figured out the layout we were able to enjoy the museum more. Just be warned, everyone is jammed into the Impressionist area and there are lots of other areas on the first and second floors that hold breathtaking pieces of art that are not jammed packed. We did not get to see all we wanted (we had a lunch reservation) because we wasted time trying to figure out where everything was.

Quality of Experience

Le Louvre Private Tour

Paris

So many reviews complain about the crowds at the Louvre, but because we were not interested in the Mona Lisa, our guide, Athina, was able to take us to works of art and artifacts of history that had, maybe, 3 other people in the room. Athina is an expert on the Louvre and could tell us everything about anything. She was enthusiastic and just as excited to see things the 200th time as we were to see them the first time. She knew the "secret" rooms and paths through the museum and made our experience a lifetime memory.

Quality of Experience

Athina (our guide) made this an amazing, crowd free experience.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Athina (our guide) could not have made this any better. The experience was WAY over our expectation. Perfect.

Iceland Trip: April 2025: April 12 - April 19
Transportation: Rented a 4WD Landcruiser
Distance Covered: approximately 1800 kilometers.

Jenny from KimKim helped organize this amazing trip for my family of 5. We chose midrange for accommodation and we covered west, south west, and most of south Iceland up to Jokulsarlon - Glacier Lagoon. We followed all of what Jenny had planned for us and also did a few things on our own.

Jenny really understood my family needs and planned accordingly. Her selection of mid and high range hotels, which is what I requested was great. Each hotel and/or the hotel location offered something very unique, such a a geothermal pool, a beautiful hiking landscape, short driving distance to interesting places etc. With 3 active boys with ages ranging from 18 to 5 - I knew breakfast was important and I requested that all accommodations include breakfast, so we can eat quickly and hop on to our daily site seeing adventure. This helped because I was aware of time change challenges and to not waste time looking for a breakfast place in the morning.

Jenny help to match the site seeing locations and provide Google map links and times was very helpful for us to plan our day. This helped the boys pick some extra places to see that was of their interest and also in the area. Without Jenny's help, I don't think I would have been able to plan our trip so well.

Definitely recommend Jenny for Iceland and KimKim for their expert advice. The way things were planned and provided was the best travel advisory services I have encountered to date! Thank you Jenny and KimKim!

Activity Review

The Secret Lagoon

Iceland

While we didn't get to enjoy this place as we arrived 2 hours late for our appointment, the front reception was very understanding and recommended we come back the next day morning. Our appointment was at 4pm but we arrived onsite closer to 6pm. My family was tired from our long hike at Thingvellier National Park and we lost track of time. The following morning due to our trip being in the opposite direction to where Secret Lagoon is located, we had no choice but to skip visiting this place. When we went to Secret Lagoon around 5:45pm, the place was still crowded but lot of people were seen leaving.

Guides, Drivers and Staff