Kimkim Trip Reviews

This was a lifetime experience for me. I have been to other countries and used several travel agencies and Kimkim was really the best. Well-organized transportation to and from airports and hotels, very nice accommodations, and excellent service provided by the Kimkim staff. I wanted a short trip to Athens and Santorini with my daughter in law and we had the best trip of our lives. Thank you to the entire Kimkim staff with special regards to Leah and Gustavo...Cindy

Mathilde was great to work with! She made great suggestions catered to our needs. All of the accommodations were really nice and the traveling from country was pretty seamless. We would definitely use KimKim again and recommend as well.

Had a wonderful time and all the trips were wonderful that were set up!

Hotel Review

Adamant Suites

Santorini

Service was excellent and room/ view amazing

Authenticity & Character

Very nice and friendly staff, helpful also.

Location

Close to everything and beautiful view!

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Self-Guided Beach Time

Santorini

Loved our beach day to Kamari. Took the public bus and rented lounge chairs and shopped.

Quality of Experience

Sunset Caldera Catamaran Cruise

Santorini

Boat trip was fun and food was delicious. Enjoyed swimming and boating.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

South Coast E-Bike Adventure

Santorini

Guide was great and experience was fun!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Highlights Day Trip from Fira to Oia with Winery Visit

Santorini

Loved our guide, very knowledgeable

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Cooking Class & Wine Tasting Experience

Santorini

Loved our chef Chris! Food was great and venue was beautiful! Wine was delicious

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Diana and her team made this trip a truly magical experience for me and my husband. This was our first trip to Portugal, and we will definitely be back! From the walking food tour in Lisbon to the bicycle tour in Lagos, everything was fantastic. The transitions and logistics were also seamless, even when we had some travel snafus on our end! We would highly recommend Diana and her team and will use them again on our next trip to Portugal.

The trip was Wonderful and everything went very smoothly. I credit Paraskevas for all he did to make sure our train and boat tickets and drivers were set up. Loved having the WhatsApp to communicate with during the trip. We had some good guides. Everyone was a pleasure. Luka for the Pompeii was probably the best w his knowledge and his English. But Nikola in Cilento gave us extra attention and Lorenzo needs to be mentioned as well. Drivers were great and hotels were perfect for us. Thank you! Karen and Bill

Hotel Reviews

Hotel Modigliani

Roma

Rooms Tiny but we were only there one night and we were very comfortable

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

AC worked well. Shower was small but was hot and water pressure wonderful.

Palazzo Belmonte

Beautiful setting and grounds. Awesome staff.

Authenticity & Character

The setting and grounds -Charming!

Location

Staff

Bar and Breakfast staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

AC never felt cool. Maybe filter needed to be changed. But this was an amazing place. Highly recommend.

Thymus Residence nei Sassi

Matera

Staff was fantastic. Rooms unique and well equipped. AC never got cooled the way we like it but wouldn't change the stars. Breakfast was very nice

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Villa di Sorrento

Sorrento

Good location. We had everything we needed.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Amalfi Coast Boat Tour From Sorrento

Italy

Nice day

Private Sunset Rome Walking Tour & Orientation

Rome

We were tired at the end of trip but it was a good experience. Hard to understand accent but was a pleasure

Alberobello: Enchanting Trulli Walking Tour

Italy

Interesting place

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Anthony was a pleasure but talked very fast and harder to understand at times

Transport

N/A. we drove

Car Rental Drop-off

Italy

Hard to find the drop off.

Car Rental Pick-up

Italy

Easy pick up.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Ancient Cilento Heritage Discovery

Cilento

We felt like the long trip to Ansel Key museum was too far and too hard to reach with the curving roads in our small car. Fig factory was interesting but the food, while very nice was not for us. The food presentation was beautiful and the setting was suberb

Quality of Experience

Food

The quality of the food was good but we were not seafood lovers and it just wasn't for us

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Nikola was great. Cared about our comfort.

Transport

We had a hard time w the curvy roads-got car sick

Cilento Food & Wine Discovery

Cilento

Loved the whole day and experience.

Quality of Experience

Food

The food at the Buffalo farm and the winery were delicious

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Nikola is wonderful. Very enthusiastic about his home of Cilento

Transport

Nikola picked us up in his van the second day. We were much more comfortable. You could tell he cared about our comfort and enjoyment

Matera: Complete Sassi and Historic Center Walking Tour

Matera

Lorenzo was a great guide. Fascinating place

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Easy to understand and knowledgeable

Transport

We couldn’t have asked for a better trip to Morocco!! From planning the epic trip to final execution, the process was flawless.
Our guide, Mohamed, made certain every aspect of our vacation was exactly what we had been dreaming about. He made every effort so that we had everything we needed even down to finding a store open during siesta for the extra luggage we needed for our purchases! This includes stops for sodas, incidentals, two trips to find my perfect minerals and rearranging our camel ride to the next day so we would experience a cloudless sunset ride!! We could not have had a better guide, he is a true gem!! Of course, he was extremely knowledgeable and able to answer any and all questions about the local culture and cities we visited.
The hotels chosen by KimKim were equally amazing!!
Dar Rihana Dades was one of the most beautiful places I have ever stayed. Every aspect to this beautiful Riad was thoughtfully planned from the floors to the ceilings. It was magnificent. The food there was the amazing, probably the best of the entire trip. I would have loved to have been able to stay an additional night. Mohamed at Dar Rihana was amazing and he even took the time to show us the new pool and additional rooms the riad was in the process of building. I’m definitely looking forward to a future visit here, hopefully soon.
The Desert Camp was beyond all expectations!! The staff, excursions, food, entertainment and Berber hospitality were top notch. We could not have wanted for a better experience and would not change a thing about our vacation. I honestly feel we have friends in Morocco now and look forward to seeing everyone again.
Thank you guys so much for planning and executing the perfect trip. I am relatively well traveled and nothing has ever came close to the magic of Morocco!! Inshallah!!!

Judy and her team did an amazing job! Our hotels were ideally located near train stations and the fish markets. During the Hakone portion of our trip we got a full view of Mt. Fuji and ate the famous Owakudani black eggs! The onsen experience at the Tokinoyu Setsugetsuka Hotel was relaxing! We were also able to eat traditional Japanese dinner and breakfast!
In Kyoto, my brother and I enjoyed the Fushimi Inari walk in the morning, we decided to walk up to the peak that evening! It was worth seeing the site during the morning and the evening. I also appreciate the recommendation to visit the Kyoto Nintendo Store.

Overall, it was a memorable experience!

Hotel Reviews

The Royal Park Hotel Kyoto Sanjo

Kyoto

Great breakfast buffet! Hotel is walking distance from Gion District and Pontoco Alley.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Tokinoyu Setsugetsuka

Hakone-machi

My brother and I ate authentic Japanese dinner and breakfast. We appreciate the option to dress in a traditional yukata. The onsens were relaxing. I also enjoyed the private open air bath located in our hotel balcony. The hotel also offered free snack bar, complimentary ramen, popsicle and yogurt drink. I bought some Hakone souvenirs from the hotel gift shop.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Keihan Tsukiji Ginza Grande

Tokyo

Good hotel. Close to metro train station and the local fish market. The breakfast buffet had a good variety of food and drinks.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Full Day Mt. Fuji and Lake Ashi Tour

Hakone

The weather was clear enough for us to see Mt Fuji! We learned the floating Tori Gate at Lake Ashi is meant to provide good luck for couples. Our guide also said Hakone used to be a crucial checkpoint between Tokyo and Kyoto.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Our guide made a pit stop at owakudani and let us eat the famous black eggs!

Transport

Half Day Bamboo Grove and Monkey Park Tour

Kyoto

The monkey trail offered pit stops for us to pause and learn more about them before feeding them. To avoid overfeeding the monkeys, each group is limited to feeding the monkeys a pack of apples or peanuts. The Bamboo forest is beautiful and well maintained.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Our guide was informative and patient. She ensured I didn't feel worn out during the hike up the monkey mountain trail. I also enjoyed a nice lunch and bought souvenirs at Main Street.

Transport

Smooth ride. Complimentary water bottles.

This was a very active trip. We saw a good deal of Korea from north to south and learned about Korean history beginning with the Silla dynasty to the Korean war which divided the peninsula.
Our guides were very knowledgable and especially liked our guide on Jeju Island, Eric.

Amazing trip, well planned and put together by Aleksandra.

Our tour guides Chris in Edinburgh, Rhona MacKenzie in Inverness, David in Oban, and Leire (food tour in Glasgow) were all amazing. We can not recommend them enough.

This was our first trip in 23 years and, as an introduction to Scotland, well it was just incredible.

Thank you Aleksandra and KimKim.

Hotel Reviews

The Social Hub Glasgow

Glasgow

Fun hotel. So much to do within the hotel itself. Food was good, staff was so nice. Location was great!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

The Ranald

OBAN

Room was clean but so very tiny. Staff was very nice and the location was good. The shower was also so tiny.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Creag Mhor Lodge

Onich

This was our favorite. The view of the loch, breathtaking. Room was comfortable. Shower amazing. Great whisky bar. Staff was extremely nice. Location was a bit far from any walkable city but the view...wow.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Avalon

Inverness

Room was beautiful. Host amazing, food incredible. Homemade jams just WOW.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

N°11 Boutique Restaurant and Rooms Hotel

Edinburgh

Great room, location was wonderful, staff very helpful, food was amazing. Would stay again.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Walking distance to just about everything

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Oban Distillery Visit

Oban

Well I love Oban whisky so is it fair to review this...YES! If you are in Oban for a couple day, just do it!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Private Inverness Walking Tour

Scotland

Rhona was very knowledgable and fun. Great walking tour.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

The Wee Food Tour of Glasgow

Glasgow

Leire was just wonderful. Go do this!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Oban Guided Town Walking Tour

Oban

David was great, very knowledgable. Wonderful day in Oban.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

The Real Mary King’s Close

Edinburgh

This was our fault, we missed our time window due to getting caught up at a cathedral. So can't honestly review this.

Private Glasgow Essentials Tour

Scotland

Our tour guide was just ok on this tour. We had a better tour guide on the food and drink tour.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Edinburgh Castle & Old Town Private Tour

Edinburgh

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Three Isles Tour – Mull, Iona & Staffa

Oban

Unfortunately due to weather this was cancelled. So it is not fair to review.

Skye and Eilean Donan Castle Small-Group Day Tour

Inverness

Again, tour guide was amazing and funny. Driving those roads, I don't know how anyone could do it. WOW. Just a beautiful place and amazing to see.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Outlander Castle Tour

Edinburgh

Tour guide was very funny. Castles were grand and lovely. Just a wonderful experience.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Kimkim was absolutely amazing to work with for our family trip to Australia. They took all of our specific interests and "must-see" destinations and developed a flawless itinerary that allowed us to do and see almost everything we wanted within our timeframe.

The trip was packed with bucket-list experiences. Our personal tour of the zoo was incredible, and snorkeling the Great Barrier Reef was unforgettable. The art adventure was a fantastic addition, and Uluru was absolutely amazing—especially the sunrise tour and the sunset camel ride.

What really set Kimkim apart was their responsiveness when things didn't go perfectly. When we encountered unexpected, weather-related travel issues, their team was incredibly quick to step in, help us adjust, and get us right back on track. I highly recommend Kimkim for anyone looking for a perfectly tailored and reliable travel experience!

This was our first trip to Japan, in preparation for a major visit all around the country next year. We selected KimKim after reviewing several companies for the "golden route" that we wanted to see first....Tokyo, Hakone, Kyoto and Osaka, with day trips to Nara, Fuji, Kobe, etc. Winnie was very responsive and that along with the reasonable cost for the 11 day trip caused us to go with KimKim. Overall the trip was great, we were 4 star hotels and most met our preferences quite well. Day trips were solid and enjoyable...guides who picked us at the hotel made the day trips easy....though I would suggest on the meeting locations for day trips where we had to go somewhere to meet our guide that they send photos of the locations we need to start from, ie Train station or things like the JR line info office. KimKim did provide great photos of the meeting locations which were very helpful, but where to go to get there were a bit of a challenge, We verified the day before we had to meet a tour how to get their from our hotel location and it worked for us...a few other people made mistakes that could have been avoided if beginning train location photos were provided like the ending locations were. But our taking some time the day before to see what trains etc we needed to go to solved the issue for us. A high spot for us was our guide YUKI...she did our tour in Koyto Bamboo Forest and was simply amazing....she even followed up the next day to be sure we knew how to go to our day trip with another guide! All the guides sent photos of our day with them, both for KimKim and us as clients which made the picture taking of us as a couple at each site easy. Overall a great experience with KimKim.

Hotel Reviews

Osaka Excel Hotel Tokyu

Osaka

Room was poorly laid out and the smallest of all our cities we went to, including Tokyo and Kyoto, and Osaka is not that expensive. They had a very sharp light fixture right over my head on one side of the bed, almost seriously hurt myself, and I spoke to the manager....which by the way was about the only staff member who spoke English....since no hotel has good instructions for running the HVAC, they are all in Japanese, I had to use my translation app to try and get the right room temp...and when I asked the front desk to help...two people even with the translator took 10 minutes to understand that I needed them to fix the temp. The location is ok...very high-end part of town....and not really very many restaurants for dinner. The hotel restaurant was very expensive and only had about 5 main courses to choose from. So we had to walk a bit to find some decent places to eat.

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Mitsui Garden Hotel Kyoto Station

Kyoto

Great Kyoto location very close to the main train and subway station...very nice staff. Helpful and efficient. Room was a good size and well stocked. And their English skills made communicating easy, whiteout our translation app!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hakone Yumoto Onsen Tsuki no Yado Sara

Hakone

Great dinner in our room at the hotel! It was amazing and since we don't drink alcohol they gave us a great juice alternative. The location was good and room comfortable...

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Nara Half Day Trip Walking Tour

Japan

You have to like deer...they have 3000 that wander the city....but seeing the area was interesting...though the oldest pagoda in Japan is not to be seen since it is under renovation until 2032....but the area was interesting....for a first visit to Japan.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Full Day Kyoto City Tour with Nijo Castle, Kiyomizu-dera Temple and Fushimi Inari-Taisha

Kyoto

Really enjoyed the Torii Gates at the Shinto shrine and the hike up through thousands of gates....even though we only went up half way....and our guide was careful to be sure we were safe on a slightly rainy day....private tour met our expectations in a crowd.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

World Heritage Himeji Castle & Kobe Tour

Osaka

The castle is amazing!!! And we were their for the fist "fire" in its history! A child accidently hit the fire alarm when we were in the very top of the wood castle! So it cleared out fast and gave us a fright for a few minutes until they figured out what happened...then we got a few fun photos of the fire brigade! And it was very quiet for a while....since everyone else was evacuated...but the castle in amazing.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Make Your Own Bonsai with a Professional Bonsai Artist in Tokyo

Tokyo

This was fun for us becasue we have a particular interest in Bonsai...and we got to meet Master Kunio Kobayashi himself! He signed a book for us and we got to see his famous prize winning tree and watch him do some pruning on a new tree he was working on....

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Did it on our own from the National Museum in a taxi...so it was easy to get to, but a bit expensive to use a taxi...

1-Day Mt. Fuji & Hakone Tour [Return by Bus] With Lunch (From Tokyo Sta. Area, Tour Ends at Odawara Sta.)

Tokyo

Guide was great...group was good size with 10 people...weather was marginal, since we were having a typhoon, but that is NOT the guides fault and the weather opened up for about 2 minutes so we could see Mt. Fuji....then we saw it from the train the next day in Blue sky!

Quality of Experience

You can't control the weather

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Tokyo City Tour: Imperial Palace East Gardens, Senso-ji Tour & Meiji Shrine

Tokyo

Enjoyed the day and the guide was knowledgeable...about what I expected from an overview of Tokyo highlights. He had prepaid subway cards for us which we gave back at the end of the day....so we never had to stop and wait for him to purchase tickets we all just went right trough the gates. And we enjoyed having a private tour!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Kyoto Arashiyama Bamboo forest & Hidden Garden Half-Day Walking Tour with Michelin Lunch

Kyoto

YUKI as a guide was amazing....explained everything....and the highlight for us was some "Quite time" in a small temple garden, beautiful and wonderful. The special temple lunch was fine....not as "private" as I expected, since they had several rooms for about 20 people each, but the food was fun and the overall meal and removal from the major crowds were nice. The tour and YUKI made what could have been a crowded tourist day very enjoyable.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

YUKI did great tour and follow up

Transport

Our group of 26 (mostly) older adults from Laguna Presbyterian Church in California brought our own church history guide to Scotland to learn about our Presbyterian roots. Kateryna (Kate) was a wonderful, gracious specialist, always willing to find answers and solve problems. In Edinburgh, we loved our hotel location in Grass Market and the first-day walking tour by Chris. Another favorite was having tea in the Edinburgh Castle which we could not have arranged without Kate.
Although it rained one of our days on the island of Iona, most of the group would say Iona was the high point of the trip. Kate worked wonders to make this possible. She secured the hard-to-find accommodations on the island and arranged seamless private coach transportation via 2 ferries and a drive across the island of Mull.
All the other trips I have led were set itineraries with full- time guides and drivers. I found this custom trip much harder to plan and to lead. Choosing the right Edinburgh hotel, for example, took many weeks and several changes. As delightful as Kate was to work with, I will probably go with packaged trips in the future for the ease of planning and the luxury of a guide who leads us each day. If I ever want another custom trip, however, KimKim is the company I will call. You are wonderful! Kathy Sizer, retired Associate Pastor

Hotel Review

Apex City of Edinburgh Hotel

Edinburgh

Perfect location in Grass Market. A short walk up Victoria got us to the Royal Mile while an even shorter walk got us to Greyfirars and the National Museum of Scotland. Rooms were comfortable and staff was helpful. The only thing lacking was a restaurant and bar in the hotel.

Authenticity & Character

Contemporary

Location

near the Royal Mile and Greyfriars

Staff

always helpful

Cleanliness & Comfort

Great shower

Activity Review

Edinburgh Old Town Tour

Edinburgh

Chris was a great guide with entertaining stories.

The KimKim team of Leslie, who did the planning, Valentina who took care of logistics and Chiara, our ambassador provided a trip that reflected the things asked for when planning began. Each member of the team was very responsive and pleasant. We were very happy with each of the lodging selections. The excursions: e-biking in Tuscany and our guide Gabriel, truffle hunting (two guides were fantastic but I can’t recall their names) Florence in a Day with Castansa were excellent. Best of all was our private tour in Siena with Marta. She was just amazing.

We encountered two bits of confusion one at the beginning of our visit and one at the end. Both had to do with insufficient information. When we first arrived in Pisa the driver took us to the wrong address. There were two lodgings with very similar names. It was quickly sorted out by Chiara. The address of the hotel was close enough for us to walk. We recommend including the street address of destinations to avoid future mishaps. The second incident had to do with transit to the Venice airport. Our instructions were to meet the driver in front of our accommodation. The instructions were very similar to those for arrival at the Venice train station. There, however, we were met by an assistant who led us to the proper boat. We were expecting the same for departure as the instructions did not specify anything more than to wait in front of the hotel. Chiara put us in touch with someone who told us what boat to look for. The driver was unhappy about being kept waiting.

The other issue had to do with the Chianti e-bike excursion. We had to forfeit going on the outing because the cost to transportation to and from the meeting location was close to 400 Euros. In this instance the full cost of the excursion should have been shared before hand. I realize that it would have been wise to ask for the cost of each excursion to be itemized so better informed decisions could have been made.

Raj (the boss), Bipin (right hand man) and Bishnu (driver) all showed me an excellent time in Nepal and kept me safe.
I will definitely recommend them to my friends who want to visit this area in the future.

Rabin was my guide during my trek to the South Everest Base Camp. I honestly do not think I could have completed the trek without his guidance, help and encouragement. Rabin is an excellent guide.

Bijay (guide) and Vishnu (driver) were both excellent and highly recommend by me.

All of the drivers and tour guides were personable, informative and knowledgeable. I enjoyed each and every one, with a special fondness for Giannis, our guide for our Santorini food tour.
Also, special mention to Angeliki for keeping us informed when we experienced a couple of weather and travel issues. She answered all our questions promptly no matter what time we reached out, paticularly when our ferry from Santorini to Heraklion was delayed. All in all, I was more than satisfied with all steps of the process.

Hotel Reviews

Creta Blue Boutique Hotel

Hersonissos

Generally excellent. We wished there was more storage available for unpacking clothing, for example a dresser or cabinet.

Location

Fantastic location in a beautiful spot overlooking the city. Easy access to amazing restaurants, shops, etc.

Staff

Our staff interactions were mainly with restaurant personnel. They were all great, particularly the young woman serving our breakfast.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Sole d'oro Luxury Suites

Santorini

Location

Would have preferred a location a little closer to the promenade.

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Urban Stripes Athens

Athens

Frustrating not to have a representative available for late arrival and early departure.

Location

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Crete Sightseeing: Rethymno - Argiroupolis - Kournas Lake - Chania from West & Her

Greece

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Ritsa and George were fantastic

Transport

Gastronomy Gems 2026

Santorini

Great food, great tour guide.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Thank you Aleksandra for planning a wonderful trip to SE Ireland. You did exactly what we asked, which was planning a flexible itinerary. This allowed us to add a few adventures and skip a few things depending on our timing. You were very responsive to changes during the planning as well as accessible when needed during our trip. You were excellent! 10/10!!

Following, is a review/feedback of each location;

Dublin:
Leinster Taxi from airport to the Schoolhouse Gastropoda Hotel - driver “Tony” was excellent, on time, even though our flight arrived 1 1/2 hours late. Tony gave us an informative ride and was a great introduction to Ireland.

We thoroughly enjoyed our stay at Th Schoolhouse Gastropub. The front desk staff was friendly (Tina!!), welcoming and very helpful. The room was clean and had a great housekeeping staff. We appreciate having the restaurant on site for the included breakfast and also tried it for dinner, which was excellent. The wait for our dinner was very slow, however the water comped our drinks.

On our return to Dublin, Tina at the front desk allowed us an early midday checking to drop off our luggage, which allowed us to turn in our rental car more easily.

Dublin Private Walk Tour:
The tour guide, Mydie was sick and we were not able to do the walking tour. However, she comped us by getting tickets for the Hop On Hop Off bus tour, the EPIC Irish Emigration Museum (very well done and recommended for other visitors, and St Patrick’s Cathedral. She also gave us a monetary voucher for Bewley’s - a wonderful cafe which we highly recommend for visitors.

Merry Ploughboy Gastro Pub:
This was a great introduction to Irish food, music and dancing. The food was 3 of 5 stars.

While walking around Dublin, we also recommend the following sites:
- St. Stephen’s Green
- Sheridan’s Cheesemongers ( cheese shop -where we sampled cheese)
- John Kehoe’s Pub for a pint!

Rental car: We used Alamo Rental Car and picked it up at St. Stephen’s Green Shopping Center on the top floor. Staff was great but it was a challenge driving in and out of the tight parking garage.

Drive Dublin to Wicklow:
We drove through Sally Gap Drive to Powerscourt Waterfall and Powerscourt Gardens. We enjoyed the scenic drive and found it very worthwhile.

The Coachhouse stay in Roundwood was very nice and cozy with a lot of sitting areas, with lovely plants, some retail and a nice pub. We especially liked the option to have the included sit down full breakfast or eat in the attached bakery/cafe. However, we were not greeted when we arrived and searched for staff in order to check in. It was not made clear the options for breakfast. Wi-Fi only works on the first floor and not in guest rooms, which was inconvenient. We do recommend it as a lovely place to stay, however the manager was not friendly or customer service oriented. She was always rushing around and made us feel like we were inconveniencing her.

Monastic Glendalough was a very nice stop with amazing architecture. We also visited the Upper and Lower Lake. We recommend parking at the Visitor’s Center and entering the monastery from the parking lot. There are restrooms there as well as a place to purchase food/drinks. Having lunch at The Wicklow Heather in Brockagh County, Wicklow was a highlight. (5/5 stars!!) The bar area was very nice and there was a dining area called The Writer’s Room, filled with original editions of various Irish writers. Excellent service. Beautiful floral patio area for dining when weather allows. We took a side trip to Glenmacnass Waterfall from the parking area there is a wonderful view of the valley and Guinness colored waterfall.

Wicklow to Wexford:
We found out that the same company (Aramark) that owns The Coach House also owns Avoca Mills in Avoca. We took a tour of Avoca Mill with “Art” who was excellent and informative. We recommend visiting the shop and cafe at Avoca Mills. There were lovely wool garments made at the mill, blankets and scarves and gift items. The bakery had delicious coffee and wonderful baked pastries.

Visited Enniscorthy which included Vinegar Hill with a scenic view of the countryside. Visited the 1798 Rebellion Center (3/5) . Had lunch at The Cotton Tree Cafe (3/5) and a pint of Guinness at Stamps Pub (3/5). Stayed at the Riverside Park Hotel. Mediocre Hotel at best, musty, smokey and damp smell and rooms outdated. Breakfast was not as good as previous places on the trip. The pool facility was decent. Note: guests must wear a bathing cap or rent one to use pool area. This hotel did not match the description online.

Waterford:
Excellent walking tour with “Liam” was brilliant. The Waterford Factory tour was worthwhile and interesting.
Fabulous stop at Hook Lighthouse on the way to Waterford. Taking the tour of the lighthouse was VERY worthwhile. We bought tickets on site. Note: There were restrooms and a sandwich/soup restaurant on site in the old light keepers house. The Avoca Mill Gift-shop gives a 10% discount on a sales receipt for tickets to Hook Lighthouse.

Driving Note: We recommend rather that driving to New Ross to get to Waterford, take the East Passage Ferry which departs every 15 minutes. This was convenient because our lodging at Marsh Mere Lodge was in Arthurstown, very close to the ferry.

Marsh Mere Lodge was an absolute STAND OUT place to stay!! 5/5 stars!! Host Claire was fabulous. The home was filled with generations of antiques and was like a museum. Very clean and well decorated. Very personal touches with bottled water and cookies, coffee and tea. Breakfast was 10/10 - homemade full Irish breakfast including homemade breads and scones. Amazing view overlooking the sea wall of Waterford harbor. NOTE: The host does not accept payment from the travel agent, though the travel agent can make a reservation. The guest must pay host directly upon arrival.

Waterford to Kilkenny:
Beautiful drive to Rock of Cashel. One of the highlights of our trip. We had lunch at The Cellar Bar at Bailey’s Hotel in Cashel. Excellent service and excellent food. For visit at Rock of Cashel, park at Car Park just below the site.
Stayed at Kilkenny House Hotel (3/5 stars - nice lobby area and recently updated hotel, however no personal touches in rooms, no water bottles, etc.) Breakfast was included however there were breakfast items that had run out, pitchers empty, and not homemade items - more like a modest hotel continental breakfast.

Kilkenny Walking Tour (John Crommerford was “The Craic”!!! Ask for him! He was very knowledgeable and gave us nearly a three hour tour! Offered his contact information if we needed any help or advice while in Kilkenny. Loved visit to Rick Steve’s recommended bookstore “The Book Centre Kilkenny. Visited The Field Bar and Restaurant w/ live music. Our favorite spot was Tholsel Bar. Great live music and more modern pub vibe, with big open window in front . Had dinner at Kytelers Inn (4/5) Cozy ambiance and good food/service. NOTE: when parking in garages in Kilkenny, take note of closing hours. We had to call security after hours which cost us 25 Euro. Overall - Kilkenny was our favorite city we visited. For great shopping - we enjoyed The Kilkenny Design Center Kilkenny Castle yard across from the Kilkenny Castle. Great artisans, and met a soap maker Denise O’Conner at MySkin and 85 year old silversmith Des Byrne!

Return to Dublin:
Received VERY warm welcome back at The Schoolhouse Gastro Pub with note and chocolates on our bed. Enjoyed touring Trinity College and seeing The Book of Kells. We shopped on Dawson Street and the pedestrian mall in the city center. Highly recommend the Celtic Whiskey Shop. Staff was very knowledgeable and wrapped our bottles for airplane travel. Great ways to finish trip was a visit to Peruke and Periwig cocktail bar. Incredibly eclectic decor and drink menu currently based on Alice and Wonderland theme, but signature drinks change periodically an are created by the staff. The drink menu alone is a piece of art. we topped off our trip with a delicious dinner at The Schoolhouse Gastro Pub.

Due to a health issue, I was unable to travel through the French Riviera, which was a disappointment, to say the least. There was the added factor that I chose not to purchase trip insurance, so my two sons had the good fortune to enjoy the south of France in my place.

While planning with Liz, I was clear that I did want to visit the tourist spots, and she was so helpful in accommodating my wishes. My questions or concerns always received an immediate response. My two sons raved about the hotel, which was centrally located in Nice. Apparently, the pre-arranged tours that Liz had recommended were fabulous, but there was also time for self-exploration; the tour guides were warm and knowledgeable; transportation (including to/from the airport) was comfortable and easy (as it had been arranged for me--a woman of certain years with a very difficult knee), and the overall experience was magical.

I am sorry that I was unable to travel through the French Riviera, but there was a joy in seeing it through the eyes of my two sons. Kimkim did a fantastic job, and I would highly recommend Liz and Diliana.

I cannot recommend Nokathula and Kimkim highly enough. I tried to plan a 6 week trip to South Africa to pick my son up after the conclusion of a two year mission for our church, and tour the country. It was impossible. It was a complicated itinerary to start with, and it only got worse as my son weighed in with what he wanted to see and do. After much fine tuning, and confirmation I realized that I had misread the trip plan and I had an extra week that was unscheduled. This was 100% on me. Reservations had to be moved, tours and flights rebooked, the whole trip reworked, very close to my departure date. Somehow the itinerary I was very happy with, was significantly improved. The feedback and communication during the planning was exceptional. I gained a much better understanding of precisely how good it was when I was in country navigating the time difference at home.
Once my trip began, Nokuthula was in constant contact. The wonderful itinerary she planned , needed some adjustments because we fell in love with the Hyde Hotel in Johannesburg and wanted to finish our trip there. Seamlessly managed. When we missed a connecting flight to Durban, because I cannot navigate a 24 hour clock, vs a 12 hour clock, she had us rebooked on a later flight, our rental car switched and our guest house notified of our late arrival. Being able to have a wonderful hot meal after a terrible day was much appreciated.
Every place we were booked was special and interesting. Our two safaris were more than we had hoped for. Unembeza Lodge in Hoedspruit was such a surprise. Beautiful rooms in a community that has all sorts of animals roaming around. I prefer smaller, unique properties, and everywhere we stayed was charming, with exceptional service. Wilderness Manor Guest House was my sons favorite. Our room was beautiful, in a wonderful interesting house. Our hosts were so knowledgeable, and helpful. We would have missed out on an unforgettable hike without their encouragement. Breakfast was next level with extra homemade croissants for my son.
While in Hermanus, my son had a minor accident with the rental car. He misjudged the parking garage entrance and banged up the bumper. Nokuthula managed the whole thing, quickly and stress free. Something that could have been a considerable hassle, affecting the rest of our trip, was handled so we could continue on worry free.
Thanks to Nokuthula’s thoughtful planning, exceptional service while we were in country, my son and I had the trip of a lifetime. It was perfectly paced, with options and flexibility built in so we had the ability to move at our own pace within a structured itinerary. My goal when planning this trip was to show my son as much of South Africa’s wonderful and unique places as I could in the time we had. That goal was accomplished and a great deal more. We have been home a week, and with time to reflect on all we saw and experienced, this once in a lifetime trip continues to get better. Family and friends are amazed by all we saw and did. There is no way I could have planned a trip close to the one Nokuthula planned. Costs are an individual thing, but all I can say is, this trip was far and beyond what I expected. It was worth every penny. I would not hesitate to book another trip through Kimkim.

Just want to send a HUGE thank you out to our kimkim travel specialist for Iceland, Gudmundur Oli Palmason, aka “Gummi”, for the work he put into our 10 day trip to Iceland! Six of us circumnavigated the country and Gummi from kimkim made all of our arrangements according to our requests and interests, including booking us into WONDERFUL accommodations in remote areas so we would have the best chance of spotting the northern lights. We went whale-watching, spent time at 2 different geothermal lagoons, took a boat ride on the Iceberg Lagoon, saw seals and whales and reindeer and an arctic fox, along with so many amazing variations in topography and stunning views! We met and talked with people from around the world, and the Icelandic people are so warm and welcoming! This plan was truly the best of both worlds because we were traveling independently, but we were never alone because Gummi was always available to re-arrange activities when we experienced flight delays or rough weather or sea conditions. Our rental car, hotels, and purchased activities were all booked by kimkim, and Gummi provided detailed daily maps, a driving schedule, sightseeing opportunities, and a range of eating options for everywhere we stayed. The booking process was seamless and very efficient, and I would absolutely recommend traveling with kimkim for both experienced and novice travelers. And anyone lucky enough to work with Gummi in Iceland is in the hands of the very BEST! This experience was unforgettable!

Sharie & Kevin Bahr

A review our trip to S Korea: Thank you for flawless arrangements, transportation and interesting activities. The hotels were excellent with each having special advantages. The Hotel BOTANIK was close to markets and we loved the roof top garden. The La Valse had great views and was close to the downtown. Whistle Lark had a pool that was good for lap swimming, but too cool for lounging. The Nine Tree had the Insadong market right out the door. The hotels were so nice I am glad we did not opt for 5 star hotels. We enjoyed the K Cooking class and market tours in Seoul, Busan and Jeju. We missed the Gyeongbokgung Palace because it was closed on Tuesday. Climbing the Seongsan Ilchulbong crater in Jeju was great. The restaurant in Busan on the second floor of the fish market was over hyped. We enjoyed seeing the Gamcheon village in Busan and hearing its history. Great photos there. The Manjanggul lava tunnel was better than expected. But the DMZ third tunnel was arduous for Linda..
Our guides each presented unique Korean perspectives. Kory sincerely sought to impart a good impression to the visitor. Jade gave an honest and complete view of life as a young Korean. Sarah told us when we return next time we will be friends and not tourists - so sweet!