Kimkim Trip Reviews

Cory was a delight to plan our trip with! We had a diverse group and she helped us to find something for everyone. Cory also helped us to feel prepared with how to use the transit systems and feel confident we could get where we needed to go, on time. We really enjoyed Kyoto, with our guide Pam. We got to see so much and appreciated having a local point of view. We also enjoyed the fast pace of Tokyo with Karin who adjusted our itinerary to maximize lower traffic times at high traffic sites. We so enjoyed our adventures in Japan.

This was our first experience working with Kimkim’ and everything went excellently! Maria Grazia did an amazing job with our arrangements from our initial consultation to arranging the final details of our trip.
She provided us with options at each stage of the planning and put together an itinerary that was perfect for us. I loved the sweet hotel she booked for us (great location within walking distance of many sites/sights) and our private tour guides (Stephani, Martta, Elena) were exceptional!! We appreciated the self-guided options and restaurants she recommended. We will definitely reach out to Kimkim again. Thank you!

Hotel Review

La Maison du Sage

Florence

Sweet little hotel, wonderful breakfast service, helpful staff

Authenticity & Character

Small, nice furnished

Location

Easy to walk to many places

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Private Uffizi and Vasari Corridor Guided Tour: a Journey Through Florence Artistic Masterpieces

Florence

Stephani was amazing! Congenial, engaging, and incredibly knowledgeable with a wealth of experience

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Tour guides breadth and depth of knowledge

Transport

Private Siena Guided Walking Tour with Duomo

Italy

Love leaning abt seina…the distinct districts, the horse races

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

A Guided Hiking Adventure in the Heart of Chianti

Italy

Was interesting but was a hot day and walking is gravel roads got a bit tedious.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Private Walking Tour of Florence with Accademia Gallery & Duomo Visits

Italy

Very long lines a duomo so did not get in..enjoyed the babtistry

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

A Guided Tour and Tasting at a Tuscan Olive Oil Mill

Italy

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

This was our first experience with Kimkim and we were very pleased. All of our coordinated transport in Portugal was executed flawlessly. It would be nice if all of our drivers would make contact in advance, especially when connecting to trains and airlines. Our first guide for Peña palace, Juo, (can’t remember the spelling) was a wealth of knowledge, not only of the palace but of Portugal and the region. Our first hotel in Lisbon, AlmaLusa Baixa could be improved upon. The room was very small and missing paint on the walls. There was construction on the next building and in front of the hotel that obstructed the view of the plaza from the patio. Location was good though.
We had a nice high speed train ride up to Porto. It would be nice to know where your assigned train car will be on the arriving train. We were assigned the number 1 car but didn’t know which end of the platform our car would be on. We and others guessed wrong and had to run to the opposite end. The train stops are brief and luggage racks fill quickly.
We very much enjoyed our stay in Porto. Great hotel and location. Nice private river cruise with Douro Captain. Would have been nice to go further upstream but our tall mast would not clear the first bridge.
Our favorite destination was our b&b in Peso da Regua. A beautiful property overlooking the town and Douro river. We had an excellent hike in wine country with Naturimont and learned much about the region. Our wine tasting tour the following day at Quinta Barqueiros D’Ouro was outstanding. I apologize for not remembering names but our host was the son of the vineyard owner and he was very good. The time at Vinhos Verdes was anticlimactic and we could have passed on.
Our arrival and first whole day in Lagos was very enjoyable. Beautiful resort and location on the coast with trails close by and enjoyed old town Lagos inside the fort walls.
Sadly we missed our sea kayak trip when we became ill for the last three days.
Good and informative ride back to Lisbon for our last night . Probably didn’t need the planned transport as the hotel is on the airport property and has a 24 hour shuttle.
All in all we’re very happy with Kimkim’s planning and execution of our trip to Portugal.

If I could give Bella 10 stars I would! When my husband was alive we travelled all over the world and NEVER have I experienced the quality of care, professionalism, attention to details and kindness that Bella extended to my girls and myself. My desire, booking this trip was to have a "once in a lifetime experience" celebrating two big birthdays - my daughter's 60th and my 90th and I couldn't have made a wiser choice. The two local guides Peter and Hiroshi were delightful and what a treat and surprise it was at the end of our trip to be presented with a video of the many photos they took along the way. . This was my first time traveling to Japan and I was impressed with how welcoming and polite the Japanese people are, and how immaculate the country is - their toilets are remarkable compared to every country I have visited, including the United States. Thank you Bella

Our trip to Spain and Portugal was our second time using KimKim and we were as pleased with this trip as our first trip. They worked with us to put together our travel plans and come up with our itinerary. They coordinated our travel from city to city and were available if we needed their assistance. Our hotels were exactly as we requested, historic and easily within walking distance to the old city centers. Our guides were knowledgeable and proud to talk about their cities' history. In particular, our Gaudi guide Ruth was very helpful and knowledgeable about Gaudi and made our tour very enjoyable. Our drivers /guides were also very knowledgeable and helpful, in particular Rubin and Cesar. On our travel days KimKim was in touch with us to ensure that there were no issues.

Our local France specialist Audrey was wonderful. She did a great job helping us plan the trip tailored to our specific interests. She replied to our questions promptly and was available for a zoom call.
Our 2 week trip which included Paris and Provence went smoothly. Audrey was easily available when we needed to verify a few of the planned activities. Our personal tour guide at the Louvre was great. We took a guided group day trip to Normandy which was very informative and personally quite a “moving” experience.
We rented a car in Provence and toured many of the local hilltop villages which were lovely. We liked staying in Villeneuve-les-Avignon, much quieter than Avignon. The restaurants there were great as was the hotel. The Roman history in Nimes, Uzes and the Pont du Gard were worth the visit.
The Carrieres de Lumiere show and Les Baux de Provence were wonderful.
We enjoyed hiking the Sainte Baume Mountains and the Calanques National Park near Cassis. The views were stunning.
We flew out of Nice, were surprised by it’s beautiful architecture and lovely seaside promenade.

Caterina & Anna, We had the most amazing trip. Every step was seamless! Hotels and tours were perfect. Thank you for making our trip to Italy & Sicily memorable.

Mathilda provided incredible service! The detailed itinerary was perfect. So easy to travel with this as our written guide. When we had a question, she was responsive.

Hotel Reviews

Grand Hotel Cravat

Luxembourg

Great location. Wide variety of breakfast items. Front desk staff very helpful.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

NH Heidelberg

Heidelberg

Nice bar. Amazing breakfast. Walking distance to restaurants and local activities.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Adina Apartment Hotel Nuremberg

Nürnberg

Washer dryer combo in the room. 5 minute walk from the train station.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Schiller5 Hotel

München

Perfect location. 1/2 block to se the Oktoberfest parade. Nice restaurants within very easy walking distance. Safe walk to the Oktoberfest grounds.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Sonne Füssen

Fussen

Quaint and intriguing decor. Close to restaurants. Great restaurant/bar.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel NH Collection Salzburg City

Salzburg

Candy in the lobby! Outdoor patio seating. Close to a great local pizza place and an Asian restaurant.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Adina Serviced Apartments Vienna

Wien

On-site laundry was not convenient nor easy to use, which is why we stayed here. Breakfast was a 5 minute walk across busy streets. Staff was not helpful nor very friendly. Our bed was up against a wall. Close to great restaurants and the train station.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Archibald At the Charles Bridge

Prague

Close to everything we wanted to see-Charles Bridge, the Prague Castle, the river and good restaurants.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Luxembourg 1-day Private Guided country tour

Luxembourg City

Paulo was great. Even though he wasn’t technically a tour guide, he performed like one! Took us to several wonderful places. Very cordial and accommodating.

A wonderful day out to the German wine road, set in the lovely Pfalz countryside

Heidelberg

We loved this tour! Man Fred was amazing. Knowledgeable, friendly and funny! Excellent wine and lunch.

Oktoberfest Tour – Experience The World-Famous Party

Munich

Werner gave a great tour and history. Fun guy. We enjoyed Oktoberfest-the beer, the vibe, the music, the wait staff.

Private Tour to Neuschwanstein and Hohenschwangau Castle

Füssen

Salzburg Introduction

Salzburg

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Claudia was wonderful!

Transport

Bike tour Sound Of Music Musical

Salzburg

A bit scary bike ride through town-lots of traffic, no helmets, but loved our guide.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Grand Tour - Schönbrunn Palace (entrance ticket and audioguide)

Vienna

Very much appreciated a 9:30 entrance as the crowds later were too much!

Quality of Experience

Prague Introduction Walking Tour

Prague

We loved Miriam! She was amazing. Learned so much history, etc.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

So lovely! Knowledgeable, provided tips for a great experience in Prague (where to eat, where to shop).

Prague Castle (Entrance tickets)

Prague

Go early! A bit confusing on what our ticket covered, cost of audio. Recommend a local tour guide to get more of the local history perspective.

Beer & Baroque Tour of Prague

Prague

We got Miriam again for this activity, which made the entire experience amazing! Great beer and onion soup. She customized our time with her. Skipped the 2nd brewery and walked the momentary neighborhood. She then took us back to the Prague Castle for a tour of the cathedral (our ticket was good on the 2nd day since we had not been able to tour then cathedral the day prior).

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Apple Strudel & Prezel cooking class incl. dinner & music

Salzburg

Great hosts. Such a fun activity!

Vienna Folklore Dinner show

Vienna

Amazing event. Orchestra, ballet and opera all in one evening. Amazing evening!

Quality of Experience

Food

Heidelberg Castle (entrance tickets to buy on-site for 11€ incl. funicular)

Heidelberg

No access to the inside of the castle so we did not rate this event as memorable.

Quality of Experience

Nuremberg Full City Walking Tour: Old town & Rallygrounds

Nuremberg

Wow. The history here was so impactful. Our guide, Nick, was incredible passionate and knowledgeable.

Quality of Experience

Nazi history. Tragic. Not to be missed.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Everything was well planned no issues with transportation. We were a group of 4 and enjoyed our visit in Italy. We visited Venice, Florence, Rome and Sorrento and all of our arrangements went smoothly thanks to Kimkim.

My son and I just returned from a fantastic trip to Japan. Sandy was wonderful to work with. She patiently answered all of my questions and offered insightful suggestions for the itinerary and daily activities. The hotels were exceptional and perfectly located for our needs. We especially loved The Ace Hotel in Kyoto. The drivers and guides were reliable and checked in via WhatsApp with meeting locations. Our time with Yoshie in Tokyo was particularly special. Sandy coordinated all of the trains and transfers and checked in several times during the trip to make sure that things were going according to plan. Highly recommend Sandy and the KimKim team.

The trip was great. Last day in Santa Cruz was almost a waste but we worked with Deigo to give us some free time to walk around rather than just sit at the airport. The Break and Breakfast in GYE was good but the location was not good. We had one night there and left to go walk but there was nothing we could get to, including bars.

All guides were outstanding. They went above and beyond. Loved the SINTRA Tuk Tuk and the Douro valley tour. Sofia in Lagos was exceptional in her knowledge of history and culture. The grotto boat tour was also great. Each city had its own charm and ambience.

My wife and I had an absolutely spectacular trip to South African and Zimbabwe! Lize Enderstein, who was our travel agent, did a great job of mixing South Africa's cities -- Capetown and Johannesburg -- which allowed us to get a good understanding of South Africa past and present with amazing safari experiences, two in South Africa and one in Zimbabwe. And of course, Victoria Falls was as spectacular as promised.
Our guides, particularly Zane in Capetown and Natasha in Johannesburg, were outstanding and highly recommended. They were knowledgeable, flexible, and caring.
Our accommodations, both in the cities and on safari were terrific. We had great safari experiences, terrific food, and very hospitable and attentive staffs. We saw the Big Five several times over as well as a panoply of other animals. For the record, our favorites were the leopards and elephants.
Overall, it was a spectacular and memorable trip that made the long travel to get to South Africa from the US worthwhile. We highly recommend working with Lize for anyone who is considering a similar trip.

We used Kimkim to plan our trip to Costa Rica to celebrate our 40th wedding anniversary. Adam was our expert in organizing our itinerary and WOW, did he do a great job. In ten days, we visited three very distinct areas of Costa Rica. We didn’t have a favorite destination because each offered such unique experiences.

In Puerto Viejo, we enjoyed great accommodations at Banana Azul and the beautiful black sand beach. The restaurant on the grounds was lovely and offered great food. Adam arranged a snorkeling and a nature walk around the coast. Pablo, our guide was fabulous and felt like a longtime friend! He even gave us a wonderful recommendation for a Jamaican restaurant, the Dutch Pot!

Adam arranged a day trip to the Jaguar Rescue Center, Bribri Chocolate Tour and Waterfall day trip. The visit to a cocoa plantation operated by an indigenous family was amazing. We learned so much about their lives and traditions. Enrique was our guide and also translator on the plantation. He was very friendly and fun to be with. We enjoyed roasted bananas filled with freshly ground cocoa, that we were invited to help in the preparation. This was a very delicious treat! There were wonderful crafts on site to purchase. This visit was followed by a hike and refreshing swim under a waterfall! This was a highlight for me!

Our next destination was La Fortuna. We stayed at Tabacon Thermal Resort and Spa! We highly recommend room 504! Thank you Adam, for getting us, perhaps the best suite on the property!! We had a clear and dramatic view of the Arenal Volcano from our patio, while utilizing our own hot springs soaking pool. We spent so much time on the patio observing the beautiful surroundings. Also, the staff at Tabacon treated us like family! We enjoyed some great meals. We were given special attention on our anniversary evening with a special dessert and a champagne toast! I highly recommend partaking in a massage and exploring the hot springs! Adam also arranged a coffee, chocolate and sugarcane farm experience at Northfields. Valerie was our guide through this tour and she was a pure delight!

Our final destination was Koora Hotel Monteverde! The accommodations were gorgeous! We were in the midst of the Cloud Forest! This hotel had the most comfortable bed that we had ever slept in. Adam arranged a tour of the Cloud Forest. Our guide was very knowledgeable and we left with so much information about the cloud forest.

The high point of our time in Monteverde and perhaps Costa Rica was dinner at San Lucas Treetop Dining. We were picked up at our hotel by our server, and new friend, Lucas! Yes, we laughed that his name is the same as the restaurant! Lucas guided us through a culinary journey with paired wine tasting, through Costa Rica! I was brought to tears when we first arrived because of the beauty and tranquility of the site. This was a mind blowing culinary experience!

In closing, Adam arranged our transportation throughout Costa Rica through RideCR. RideCR was always on time! Our favorite driver was Alfonso. Our favorite drive was from La Fortuna - Monteverde, where we took a van to a boat, to cross Lake Arenal, to another van! All three drivers on this journey were very professional. We especially loved our boat ride by Kevin. He pointed out highlights of the lake! It was a gorgeous day and a pure delight! Roy took us the rest of the way. The final drive on this journey had some bumpy roads, twists and turns, but we felt completely safe with Roy!

Adam!!! We send you endless gratitude and appreciation for this life changing experience!

What an amazing trip! We spent 19 days visiting Prague, Vienna, Budapest, Slovenia and Croatia. We did it all! Hot air balloon ride (owner Grega was very entertaining and made us feel safe) , biking around Prague, dinner cruise on the Danube, truffle hunting and oyster farms were some of our favorites.

Nikola was very attentive and easy to work with. He explained every option in the planning stage even taking multiple phone calls to answer all our questions The nightly check ins to ask about our day and give details for following day were so helpful!
Highly recommend this trip and especially Nikola!!!!

Hotel Review

Splendida Palace

Split

All the staff were extremely friendly and helpful.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Half-Day E-Bike Tour of Prague

Prague

Gary went the extra step to continuously check the radar to make sure we wouldn’t get caught in the rain. It was nice to see Prague from high above the city.

Quality of Experience

P

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Private Guided Walking Tour of Bratislava

Vienna

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Hot Air Balloon Flight Over the Bled Lake

Croatia

Definitely a highlight! The owner, Grega puts on quite the show.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Budapest Food Tour

Budapest

Our guide, George, was very knowledgeable of the city and its food. Was fun to taste some of the local food with someone who could explain its history. I even got a goulash recipe to try at home!!! Highly recommend!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

BUDAPEST – Restaurant Suggestions

Budapest

Pierrot in Buda part.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

From the time we got off the flight and were met by Anaiah ( I hope I spelt her name right), everyone was extremely kind. Flora kept in touch at all times, sent daily reminders of the next day, as well as the boarding passes for the next destination. The hike and lunch in Tiero Del Fuego was an incredible experience, the guide was informative and patient with our group. Vanessa Haines and Sol spent the day informing us about Patagonia region as well as Argentina on the long drive to El Chalten. Beatrice in Iguazu was wonderful and informative, taught me a thing or two. Victoria and driver Charlie on our way to San Antonio De Areco were informative about the ranchers life. Our driver Herman from and to the Bueno’s Aires Airport gave us a lot of information about the city, city spots of interest. We experienced wonderful hospitality at every hotel. The views from Hotel Madera of the skyline, Acebos in Ushuaia of the city below and the Beagle Channel, Xelena in El Calafate with a view of Lake Argentina, Mercure in Iguazu surrounded by the rain forest, and finally Paladino in Buenos Aires overlooking the park.
Mayra took her time on that first phone call to understand the experience I was seeking in Argentina. The trip and the way it was planned, was exactly how I wanted it. I left Argentina with love, love for its cultures, love for its cuisine, its landscapes, beauty of the land, and most of all its people. Thank you for making this a wonderful and memorable trip.

Hotel Reviews

Hotel Madero

Buenos Aires

Authenticity & Character

Warm welcoming clean, staff very helpful, breakfast was very good.

Location

Nice walk to the Puerto Madera region, great restaurants, shops, Ecological reserve

Staff

Kind and generous

Cleanliness & Comfort

The room had a great view of the skyline, felt comfortable like home.

Los Acebos Ushuaia Hotel

Ushuaia

What a view !!!! Food at the restaurant was very good.

Authenticity & Character

Cozy, great views

Location

The view and the proximity to the glacier

Staff

Kind and helpful

Cleanliness & Comfort

Room was extremely clean and comfortable view from the room of the bay below was amazing. A must to watch sunrise and sunset.

Xelena Hotel & Suites

El Calafate, Santa Cruz

On the shores of Lake Argentina. Experienced beautiful sunset and sunrise. We were upgraded which was kind. The swimming pool area is so beautiful. Breakfast was really really good.

Authenticity & Character

Location, cleanliness, the view … a must to experience sunrise and sunset

Location

On the shores of Lake Argentina … this is the view

Staff

Very kind attentive and helpful

Cleanliness & Comfort

Very clean and comfortable

Mercure Iguazu Hotel Iru

Puerto Iguazu

We were upgraded as a courtesy thank you. The suite in the middle of a rainforest was absolutely beautiful.

Authenticity & Character

Spider shape … how the room blended into the trees beyond was beautiful

Location

View of the subtropical rainforest

Staff

Very very kind, including the gentleman at the gift store. Very courteous.

Cleanliness & Comfort

This suite felt like home … thank you

Palladio Hotel Buenos Aires—MGallery

Buenos Aires

What a view of the park and the skyline. It’s at the heart of the city. We were upgraded to a suite, thank you with a wonderful view of the park. The suite was luxurious, very comfortable. Our room was cleaned and spotless every day of our stay. The front desk was extremely helpful.

Authenticity & Character

Luxurious

Location

Great view of the park, close proximity, city center

Staff

Very kind, helpful and hospitable

Cleanliness & Comfort

Very very clean and spotless

Activity Reviews

Small Group City Tour

Buenos Aires

A lot covered from history to culture to neighborhoods

Quality of Experience

Bus was very comfortable

Guides, Drivers and Staff

A lot of information given which was really helpful

Transport

Safe and comfortable

Explore Ushuaia National Park

Ushuaia

Words are beyond me at the beauty around. Our guide was immensely patient and informative. The lunch at the end of the hike was very delicious with a great view of the river

Quality of Experience

Beautiful Landscape all around

Food

One of the best lunches I had

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Hospitable, kind and generous. Made us feel at home.

Transport

Safe, comfortable ride

The Blue Safari

El Calafate

Diana our guide was wonderful. This is a definite must see in Patagonia

Quality of Experience

Beauty of the land

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Diana thank you for being so very kind, you were just wonderful

Transport

Safe and smooth.

We have experienced the most wonderful introduction to Portugal. Pedro and the Across Portugal Team planned the perfect week for us. Our drivers Ivo and Ricardo took such great care of us all along the way from suggesting the best restaurants to helping us join a grape stomping tour at the last minute during our stay in the Douro Valley. Our tour guides in Porto and Lisbon were both so knowledgeable and such a great treat to spend the day with. We couldn’t have asked for better planning. Thank you Pedro for such a memorable week in your beautiful country!

Hotel Reviews

PortoBay Flores

Porto

Lovely and convenient location.

Authenticity & Character

Lovely courtyard

Location

Easy to walk to everything.

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

The Vintage House

Pinhão

Beautiful location on the River.

Authenticity & Character

Lovely lovely view of the river from our terrace.

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

PortoBay Liberdade

Lisbon

Great location and friendly staff.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Review

Porto's Historic Odyssey on a Private Walking Tour

Porto

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Active Japan trip. Cannon was extremely helpful throughout the planning of our Japan trip as well as during the trip when he was very accessible by email and the kimkim app. The transportation arrangements showed off Japan’s great transportation infrastructure and provided us with a nice variety of ways to experience it. Also a nice variety of places to stay and things to do.

The Rubens Hotel was beautiful. The staff was wonderful and very attentive. We did a day tour to Stonehenge, Bath and Windsor . That was great and our tour guide, Carlos , was so knowledgeable. I think the Churchill War Room was one of our favorite tours .
Alekasandra who put together our trip was wonderful. Very responsive to our questions

Service and help provided was always very reliable, all arrangements made were absolutely on time . The guides were always knowledgeable and helpful; especially Ahmed in Luxor who travelled with us along most of our program was great to have around - good english, very friendly, funny and very knowledgeable about the sights we visited.
In terms of planning we would definitely change the program : too little time for Cairo, the EGM and probably add a visit to Sakkara. Sheer mass of cruise ships make the visits to the temples extremely congested. Ships sometimes dock in 5 rows. Maybe own mistake , should have planned more carefully and better avoid a cruise next time. Dahab is a huge contrast and not sure if we would choose this destination again. Overall great service from KimKim team, can highly recommend.
Last little petty point: pickup for the flight ex Cairo could be shortened; was thru security, check-in and immigration one hour after leaving the hotel so waited three hours until scheduled departure - could be shortened.