Kimkim Trip Reviews

I just completed a private tour of South Korea organized by Christine of Kimkim. The trip fulfilled all my expectations and was an excellent introduction for a first visit to a country I've always wanted to visit. As usual with Kimkim the arrangements were first rate, from airport transfers, hotel pick ups, and private and group tours.

Seoul was a great beginning, and I had a private tour of the city highlights with Hera, who was informative, lively and flexible. She rearranged our schedule on the fly to accommodate both crowded venues as our tour fell on a major holiday, the Korean Thanksgiving, as well as rain in the afternoon. Hera knows the city well and easily found parking at Namsan Park and Gyeongbokgung Palace, which was my favorite place as I enjoy history. We also visited Bukchon Hanok Village and later Kwangiang Food Market where Hera described the various dishes available. She also recommended a resturant for lunch were I had an excellent local dish, Samgyetang, a ginger soup with a small whole chicken stuffed with rice.

The next day I visited the DMZ on an all group tour with Julie. It was fascinating. Julie was knowledge and she made the historical reality of a divided Korea relatable. We crept thru a tunnel leading from the DMC into South Korea, viewed North Korea across the DMZ, and meet a North Korean defector and heard her story.

From Seoul I took the train to the city of Gyeongju. A driver picked me up at my hotel and drove me to Seoul Station and walked me inside and ensured I knew which platform my train departed from.

At Gyeonjgu my driver/guide, Luke was waiting for me, and we spend the afternoon visiting various Silla Dynasty locations, from Tumuli Park with their curious royal tombs, to the Gyeongju National Museum with a first-rate collection of Silla artifacts and an excellent narrative of Silla history. We visited the beautiful Woljeonggyo Bride and the interesting Cheomseongdae Observatory. Luke provided detailed explanations with historical background on each place.

The next day Luke took me to Bulguksa Temple, and Seokguram Grotto. Both Buddhist sites dating back to the 8th Century CE. Both were located in beautiful settings and the buildings lovely. We drove to Busan that afternoon and on the way to my hotel Luke took me to a spa where I enjoyed a bathhouse experience that is part of Korean culture. We also took a walk around parts of the city.

**A Swiss Trip Handled Perfectly**

We traveled through Switzerland with Kimkim and were completely satisfied. Hotels, train tickets, car and van transfers, and tours all went exactly as planned, and every leg connected smoothly. We'd recommend Kimkim without hesitation and would gladly use them again.

— Mark Schuering

For the most part, it was great as far as planning and coordination with tour operators. They did a good job really matching excursions with what I wanted and really nice (conveniently located) lodging. However, while in Australia, the communication was poor with the local tour contact company, Southern World Tours, which created issues.

We had just gotten married and wanted to have our honeymoon in Japan. We said it would be a trip of a lifetime-and it sure was! With the help of Rob, two tour guides, several drivers, and just the exceptional hospitality and kindness of the service staff at each hotel we stayed at, we had an unforgettable honeymoon. Shout out especially to Rob! His prompt communication and guidance made us feel totally prioritized and at ease. We didn’t have to worry about all the logistics of a long international trip and just got to enjoy our time in Japan.

Thank you for all who put in the work for us to have that trip of a lifetime! Only question now is when do we get to go back?

Hotel Reviews

Royal Park Hotel Kurashiki

Kurashiki

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Asakusa View Hotel Annex Rokku

Tokyo

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hakone Kowakien Mikawaya Ryokan

Hakone

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Hakone’s serene lake, mountain panoramas, and a leisurely evening(Private Guide&Private Vehicle)

Japan

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Private transfer from Tokyo to Hakone via Mt. Fuji（Arakurayama Sengen Park）

Japan

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Naoshima day tour：Art Islands, Seaside Ferries, and Contemporary Creativity（Self guided Tour）

Kurashiki

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Canals, Art, and Timeless Streets of Kurashiki（Guided Tour；Public Transport）

Kurashiki

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Tsukiji Outer Market, Meiji Shrine, Sushi Making Class and Harajuku（Guided Tour；Public Transportation）

Tokyo

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Selfguided Tokyo City Highlights, Sumo Lunch & TeamLab Planets（Selfguided Tour）

Tokyo

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

We had a great 5 days of wine tasting and hiking, first in Vaison la Romaine and the last two days in Chateau Neuf du Pape. Almandine did a great job of picking our two hotels, Le Beffroi in Vaison, and La Mere Germanine in Chatauneuf du Pape. Both were excellent hotels and situated within walking distance to wineries. In Vaison, we had an "in the Dark" wine tasting at the Chene Bleu Estate, as arranged by Almandine. This was a high point of our trip-- a very sensual experience which allowed us to appreciate all the sensory qualities of wine-- more than just taste! We then had two days on our own to explore the ancient village of Vaison and then Almandine arranged our transport to Chateauneuf du Pape. While there we visited a winery suggested by Alandine, the Nerthe Estate. On the second day, she suggested a hike along the Rhone River, which included a tasting at Chateau de la Gardine. This was also a great tasting. Following this Almandine arranged our transport to the airport. All in all a great trip and highly recommended.

Hotel Reviews

La Mère Germaine

CHÂTEAUNEUF-DU-PAPE

Good location

Authenticity & Character

Location

Close to everthing

Cleanliness & Comfort

Le Beffroi

Vaison la Romaine

Good location in the ancient city of Vaison

Authenticity & Character

Location

Walking to wineries

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Review

Visit of Chateauneuf du Pape - Nerthe Estate Tasting

France

Good wines and the winery tour was excellent

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

They were on time and took us where we needed to go.

We had a terrific time on our trip - Giorgia was extremely helpful, and we did contact our assistant once on the trip for parking and dining recommendations in Sienna which turned out very well.

Paola was a terrific guide in Florence; we would recommend her to anyone.

The rental cars were easy to get as Giorgia had taken care of everything for us. Simple. The only issue here was that picking up in Florence the directions took us to the entrance to the train station, and we had to walk through the station and a couple of blocks away to the rental car place. It would have been nice to just have our uber drop us off right at the rental car agency.

The hotels and drivers were all wonderful.

We loved our day 5 excursion, visiting three different wineries in Tuscany. The driver/tour guide Niccolo is a great guy and extremely knowledgeable about the areas wines - we thoroughly enjoyed our day with him. The wineries we visited, especially the second winery and its owner, Misha, were all terrific.

The organic Tuscan Cooking Experience was very nice. We loved the farm, owners and employees, had a great time cooking and eating, although after seeing the place we would have really enjoyed eating at the restaurant there and enjoying their food. Not your fault at all, but it looked like a great restaurant; our food we cooked couldn't have compared to what they were setting out for the guests. We did buy a lot of their products after for our use at home and for gifts. Definitely keep sending people there.

Elisa also was an excellent guide in Todi, and we would have loved to have a little more time with her as there was so much information she was providing. Todi is a beautiful town.

Visiting the oldest winery in Montefalco was the only experience we didn't enjoy. They were very nice, but it was a pretty basic and bland tour, without much character, and we did no olive oil tasting like we thought we were going to do. I'd think twice about keeping that one on the list for future guests.

Our visit to Orvieto and the restaurant there was great. The caves underneath were spectacular, although the owner had a very large tour group come in for lunch the same time we were down in the caves eating our snacks, and she was distracted from taking much time for us. We loved it there, and even came back a couple hours later to eat a full meal, but were disappointed that they didn't have much time for us.

The home we stayed at in Cassino was a beautiful location and facility - loved the owners, had probably our best meal of the trip there that night (home cooking from the owner), and loved the setting. The rooms weren't the nicest, but we expected that as Giorgia was open about what was available in the area.

Our driver for Vesuvius was a great guy, telling us a lot about the area and history while we went up the mountain, and we very much enjoyed the climb.

Our tour guide for Pompeii, Mena, was spectacular also. Excellent knowledge on the city and history of the area, and she was full of energy. She kept us going for the full four hours which we loved.

Overall we loved our trip and experience with Giorgia and KimKim. This is the second time using you (we did Scotland with you a couple years ago) and we won't hesitate to use you again.

Tom Hall

The trip was wonderful! All of the logistics were so well planned! The travel from the airport to Wales, the Farm to Cardiff, the train from Cardiff to London, and the London Marriott to Heathrow went seamlessly. The only improvement that I have is that the PBC Transfer vehicle from Heathrow to Wales was VERY small. We had to sit sideways in the back seat to not have our knees up by our chins (literally). It would have been optimal to have a larger vehicle for that 3 hour drive. The bicycle arrangements with Drover's Cyclery went very smoothly and the equipment (and support) was great! The Trans Wales horse trekking excursion was perfect! The group was made up of similarly skilled riders the horses were awesome! Hello Ladies! The trip was wonderful! All of the logistics were so well planned! The travel from the airport to Wales, the Farm to Cardiff, the train from Cardiff to London, and the London Marriott to Heathrow went seamlessly. The only improvement that I have is that the PBC Transfer vehicle from Heathrow to Wales was VERY small. Gary and I had to sit sideways in the back seat to not have our knees up by our chins (literally). It would have been optimal to have a larger vehicle for that 3 hour drive. Gary's bicycle arrangements went very smoothly and the equipment (and support) was great! The Trans Wales horse trekking excursion was perfect! The group was made up of similarly skilled riders the horses were awesome! I may have been the "short straw" on the first day, but I quickly I figured out that "is everyone o.k.?" meant we were taking off at a gallop straight away and then, after my first long rein gallop across unknown territory, I adjusted and fit in just fine! LOL The Marriott Park Lane in London was comfortable and convenient and the staff was pleasant. I would recommend the Hyde Park ride for your horsey clients (Corey was my guide) as well as one of the river cruises (with live narration). We did the City Boat Cruise. The hop-on hop off Big Bus was fine for a "windshield tour" of the landmarks, but it wasn't a convenient mode of transport. We found that we could get to most of the sites we wanted to explore faster by walking than by Big Busing. Finally, we just Googled what we wanted to eat and were pleased with the resulting options. We stuck mainly to pubs and ate pub fare but, honestly, enjoyed the food (and the quirks) of each pub we frequented. Our trip was a 10/10!!!

Hotel Reviews

London Marriott Hotel Park Lane

London

Clean and comfortable. Convenient to our planned activities.

Authenticity & Character

A classic Marriott hotel. Well appointed but nothing out of the ordinary.

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Lanelay Hall Hotel & Spa

Hensol

We were at the hotel for a very short time and could not take advantage of the amenities. Since we arrived just after 7 p.m. and were not ready to dine until after 8, our in house dining options were limited to one restaurant However, the serving staff treated us (later arrivals) very well and the food was excellent. The room was well appointed and the oversized bath tub a welcome feature1

Authenticity & Character

Location

A good location but a bit of a drive to get to our scheduled activities.

Staff

Front desk staffer had limited information; wait staff in the restaurant and in the breakfast area was terrific.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Pen-Y-Dre Farm Holidays

Abergavenny

The farm was a fun stop! The room was clean and comfortable and the house had SO MUCH character! The breakfast was delicious too!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Location was very convenient for the activities that we had planned.

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

The Old Black Lion

Hay-On-Wye

Our room was in the Annex. It was clean and comfortable and included an en suite bathroom. The food at the pub was delicious and restaurant hours were convenient.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Lovely town and convenient base for our planned activities.

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Review

Private Transfer from Hay-on-Wye to Blaenau Farmhouse

Hay-on-Wye

A lovely clean vehicle and Kato was an excellent driver

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Overall, we thoroughly enjoyed our trip through Croatia. Tina put together an excellent itinerary that gave us the opportunity to experience Croatia from Split north through Zadar, Plitvice Lakes, Istria and finally Zagreb. We enjoyed every town we visited, and the overall routing and pace worked very well for us.

Our two private guides were among the highlights of the trip. In Split, Dino was outstanding. As a college professor of history, he did an excellent job introducing us not only to Split and Diocletian's Palace, but also to Croatian history. He was knowledgeable, engaging and brought the history of the city to life.

Our private tour of Zagreb with Josipa was equally excellent. She was one of the best guides we had on the trip and every bit on the same level as Dino. Both guides added tremendously to our understanding and enjoyment of the cities they showed us.

We used VoiceMap to explore Zadar on our own, which worked very well.

Plitvice Lakes National Park was another highlight and is an absolute must-see. It is beautiful and extremely well organized. We could easily see returning someday and spending more time exploring the park.

The accommodations were generally very good. Our room in Split was large but fairly basic. The hotel was a short walk from where we were dropped off, as we had been told, and breakfast was good.

Zrinka House near Plitvice was outstanding. The rooms were excellent, and Zrinka and her daughter Barbara provided exceptional personal service. We would highly recommend staying there.

Hotel Mauro in Poreč was another excellent choice. The location in the Old Town was perfect, the staff provided superb service, and breakfast was excellent. Because the hotel is in the pedestrian area, parking is located elsewhere, but the hotel's shuttle service between the parking lot and hotel worked very well. Parking was €20 per day, which Tina had made us aware of in advance.

The Best Western in Zagreb was very conveniently located in the heart of the city and within easy walking distance of the city center. Breakfast was excellent. Our only negative was the size of the room. It was extremely small. There was not enough room for both of us to access our luggage at the same time, so we had to take turns.

We ultimately decided to skip Hum on our drive to Zagreb and headed directly to Zagreb instead. Throughout the trip, the self-driving portion worked well, and the final transfer from our Zagreb hotel to the airport was seamless.

The primary area where our experience with KimKim and Tina could have been better was communication during the planning process. There were several occasions when questions went unanswered for days, and on one occasion I followed up by asking whether we were still working together. This became particularly concerning after we had made final payment.

To Tina's credit, when I raised the issue directly, she acknowledged my concern, apologized and addressed it. Communication improved considerably as our departure approached, we had her WhatsApp number if we needed assistance while traveling, and she checked in with us as the trip approached. Once we were in Croatia, we felt comfortable that we had a way to reach her if we needed help.

There was one unfortunate oversight involving the truffle hunting and tasting experience that was included in our package but inadvertently left out of the final itinerary. We did not discover the error until after the day it was originally supposed to occur. Tina immediately took responsibility, apologized and offered to arrange the experience for the following morning at no additional cost. We decided to continue to Zagreb instead, and Tina promptly requested a refund for the missed activity. Mistakes can happen, and we appreciated the way she handled it once it was discovered.

Overall, this was a wonderful trip, and we are very pleased with the experience Tina put together for us. The itinerary was well designed, the accommodations were well located, the driving portion worked well, and Dino and Josipa were exceptional guides. Most importantly, we came away feeling that we had experienced several very different parts of Croatia rather than simply visiting one or two major tourist destinations.

Tina deserves a great deal of credit for putting all those pieces together. More consistent and timely communication during the planning process and closer attention to the final itinerary details would have made an already excellent trip even better.

Our trip booked and organized by Amandine was wonderful. We suggested a general itinerary and Amandine took it from there. We reviewed her suggestions for hotels -- both excellent mid-priced venues, and she suggested a few winery visits and other tour opportunities. Best of all she arranged transport from the train to the hotels, then from hotels to airport at the end of the trip. She was easy to work with and responsive to ideas for walking tours and open days.

Eduardo was amazing!

We are a family of five and so we had a lot of opinions and needs...which kept changing. Eduardo responded kindly and quickly to each of our last minute requests. Everything Eduardo planned for us was seam-less. I really appreciate that he was available by WhatApp throughout our trip...that really helped.

Thank you for a wonderful trip Eduardo!

Activity Review

Machu Picchu Excursion: Aguas Calientes - Only Guidance + Consetur Bus

Peru

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

All the drivers were fine, only one was less than amazing.

Transport

If I could do 4.9 I would . I had an excellent experience with KimKim and Liz. Let me preface that I’ve never used a Travel Advisor so I didn’t know what to expect or how to go about it. I’ve also never been to Europe so was going in totally blind by what to do / where to stay, etc. we nailed down our stay and tours. After changing my mind about the hotel, I was informed that it was non refundable so we couldn’t switch it . So this would be my only complaint is knowing it was non refundable before booking . Like I said, my first time doing this, so maybe it’s known that the hotels there are non refundable, I just didn’t know. Regardless it ended up being a wonderful trip! The location was wonderful, the hotel itself not as clean or updated as we would have liked but the kimkim staff reached out to hotel and they cleaned extra and left a nice note in our room with a bar of Parisian chocolate. Very kind.
The tours Liz booked were amazing! They were all just me and my husband so we felt like we really got the experience of the landmarks, we did the Louvre, Normandy, Versailles, a local food tour with small tastings of pastries , chocolates and local cuisine ( maybe my favorite tour 😋) we also were able to go right in the places with a guide, even though lines were long! That was a nice touch! When we wanted to cancel a tour, because we Just wanted a free afternoon to stroll the streets, kimkim was able to cancel for us. Overall , a wonderful trip for my first time in Paris! I hope to go back again!

Hotel Review

Citadines Saint-Germain-des-Prés

Paris

Authenticity & Character

Location

Close to places we wanted to see and very friendly area and easy to navigate!

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Update and fix broken things . Clean things a little more

Activity Reviews

Montmartre Local Food Walk

Paris

Coming from someone who isnt really a foodie, this was probably one of my favorite tours! Learning about the French food, how it is sourced and grown was so eye opening! Especially coming from America, where it is all processed for it to be shipped out quickly and made with all kinds of ingredients that really are not for the good of our population. Not only is the food good it is about enjoying the food and each other as you sit down for a meal. Nothing is quick and at your fingertips, hence the reason for the freshness of it all! Our Guide, was so knowledgable, friendly and made everything seamless. we tried chocolates, croissants, and es cargot at the end.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Marais Pastry & Chocolate Tasting Experience

Paris

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Private Louvre Museum Visit

Paris

This was our last big tour. We knew it could be overwhelming to see but having Felix walk us around to some of the major exhibits made it all the more memorable. We didn’t get overwhelmed and each exhibit he gave us the whole story and background and very knowledgeable about them! He led us to places that weren’t as crowded , which we really appreciated and once again able to walk right in without waiting in line, expect to check bags, which was very quick. I am not even a museum person but having a private guide and being engaged with us was fantastic!! Highly recommend the way to see the Louvre! Also should watch the DaVinci Code before going !

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Uncovered Paris’ Treasures on a Private Tuk-Tuk Experience

Paris

Even though it rained our driver was able to cover the sides so we didn’t get wet. Our guide Adriana was so sweet. She led us around so many places that we probably would never see in foot. She would stop at locations to let us take photos. She was very knowledgeable and helpful with any local questions we had. We had a really fun morning and a great way to start our trip!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Paris to Normandy: Remembering D-Day

Paris

Wonderful full day of learning all about the Beaches of Normandy. This has been on my list for a long time! My Grandfather was there and learning more of his experience was very moving . Our Guide Carlyle was wonderful and very knowledgeable . We were able to go inside bunkers , the museum was so enlightening!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Fabio went above and beyond to make this trip smooth and so special. Our drivers were always right where we expected and our guides were lovely. Nadir of Scarlett Services in Venice really took great pride in providing excellent service to us and taught a few things even though not an official tour guide per se. Private gondola ride, small group tours in Rome were exceptional. I will turn to KimKim in the future for my travel needs!

Activity Reviews

Vatican Museums & Sistine Chapel Tour

Rome

Knowledgeable and experienced guide! I struggled with the over ear version for communication but just held it in place

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Venice Gondola Ride

Venice

Lovely sunset views, private ride with great operator.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Guided Tour of the Colosseum & Roman Forum

Rome

Guide was so interesting and informative. Walking pace was just right! Plenty of photo opportunities and a bathroom break midway through was greatly appreciated!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Plaka Athens was very charming.. our guide for the acropolis was amazing and really knew her stuff and was a gem to listen to!! I want to thank everyone at Kim Kim for all they did during our trip. We had a few hiccups that could not be helped but the team at Kim Kim never let me go feeling unheard. The issues were not even their fault and yet they were with me every step of the way. An unfortunate disaster happened to a building next to our hotel which meant we could no longer stay at ours and the team kept in touch with me all throughout the day and week to make sure I was ok and we were doing well. I can't explain enough how comforting that was. Nafplio was AMAZING!!! the hotel we stayed in was fabulous!! I think this was my favorite stop on our trip. Kalamata was fun but venturing out to the beaches was the BEST!! Voidokilia Beach is STUNNING!! Sienne , Lea & Grant.. thank you for all you do and you have a fan for life!!!

Khawla was informative and funny. We learned a lot. I highly recommend her.

Hotel Review

Riad Farouzi Fes

Fes

Authenticity & Character

Ibrihim was generous and kind, and with a good sense of humor

Location

Close to the sea. We had a very enjoyable walk on our own in the morning before the tour.

Staff

Ibrihim

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Review

Guided Tour of Fes

Fes

I feel we saw some of the highlights of fes and a remarkable walking tour of the medina.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Ahmed and the local guide were excellent.

Transport

Always there. Ahmed is a very good driver, and was always very thoughtful

Our original travel planner was not great, but once it was switched, we had a much better experience. We loved everything about Chile and each and every guide, driver and accommodation exceeded our expectations. We can't wait to return!

Hotel Review

Hotel Director Vitacura

Santiago, Vitacura, Región Metropolitana

Great location, nice rooms

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Hike to Mirador Base Torres del Paine - Full Day Tour

Chile

This was our favorite day of the entire trip. Our driver, Jorge, and our amazing guide Daniel made the experience for us. The hike was breathtaking, we loved everything about it. The provided lunch was delicious- lunch with a view!! Daniel was very knowledgeable and pointed out many facts and animals for us. It felt like we were hiking alongside a friend. His happiness and love for his work was effervescent. We had so much fun on the drive back to Puerto Natales with Jorge and Daniel stopping for animal sitings. They even brought a hat we left in the car back to the hotel for us. This was a top notch tour and honestly, it made our trip!! I would highly recommend this to anyone of reasonable fitness and ability. I am so happy to have seen the base of Torres del Paine!

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Welcome to Puerto Natales.

Puerto Natales

We had a nice driver arranged by Kim Kim. We had arranged our own accommodations- Hotel Vinnhaus was fabulous! We did not like the original hotel suggested by Thaiss. You should add this hotel to your list of options. It was boutique and special and we loved it there.

Transport

Full Day Valparaiso & Viña del Mar - Group Tour

Santiago

Maria was an incredibly knowledgeable guide and she made the experience special for us

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Concha & Toro Wine Tasting Tour

Chile

This was arranged by us, but our driver was fabulous. We also did a wine tour of Santa Rita. Jo was amazing!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

All the tours planned by Winnie were very good. Our guides were on time, knowledgeable and helpful. We especially enjoyed Taku and our Kyoto city tour.

Activity Reviews

Osaka Local Foodie Tour in Dotonbori and Shinsekai

Japan

What a fun tour with delicious food. We had a great time making our own okonomiyaki. The only thing we didn't get that was mentioned in the tour description was the box of Takoyaki.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Discover Daruma Magic and the Beauty of Minoh Falls

Osaka

This area was very beautiful and we loved the falls. The description of the tour made it seem like we would hike from the Temple to Minoh Falls but we took a taxi. The guide said if we hiked it would be along the road however, the tour write up made us think the hike would be in the woods. Despite wishing we had more hiking time, we loved the experience.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Hiking Kurama-Kibune through Sacred Peaks and Ancient Paths

Kyoto

This was a great hike and the area was very cool. Beautiful forest and Tribune seemed like a neat little village. It was lightly raining so we didn't get to eat at one of the restaurants over the river but that looked like it would be a great experience.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

All transport was through public transportation including a bus which took a little longer due to all the stops. Transportation was fine.

Arashiyama Bamboo Forest E-Biking Tour

Kyoto

We had a nice ride through neighborhoods to Arashiyama and a little bit of country side. Once at the forest, you really have to walk your bikes because of the crowds. The bamboo forest was cool but not sure the bike riding part was anything special.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Transport to/from the bike shop was not included in the package. I think it should be.

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

Kyoto

Taku was an amazing guide and gave us a lot of history that helped put our tour into perspective.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

We rode the metro and all went smoothly.

We had an amazing time. Tiago was very helpful and responsive. The accommodations and excursions he planned for us were perfect. We will highly recommend him to friends and family that may want to visit Portugal and the Azores!

We spent almost 2 weeks in Vietnam, Cambodia and Indonesia. First I want to say thank you to Hien at Realistic Asia for a great planning experience. Kim Kim works with local travel agents all over the world. As a traveler, we get first class planning support and experience - all with local input.

Vietnam - At Hien's suggestion, we got the expedited immigration experience at the airport. It was so fast! Highly recommend!

We started in the north, explored Hanoi. We then went to Pu Luong Nature Reserve for some adventure beyond the big city. It took a long time to get there due to the roads and rain. It rained for a few days straight. It was an incredible amount of rain. Even with that, our fearless guide took us on hikes, bike rides and around the area. The landscapes are beautiful, the waterwheels were an example of art meets science & engineering. At one point, we were exploring local villages in the valley and we had to cross a river that had overflown. Our guide took care of us (and our shoes!) by negotiating with a local to bring us across the river on his motorcycle. We were very appreciative! We stayed at the Pu Luong Eco Lodge. A wonderful place to relax.

After that, we went to Ninh Binh. It was another long drive for a great experience to be in a boat heading to grotto/caves. We rode bikes around the side of the water and through the town (still raining!). It was only about 5km. It was beautiful. Overall, we wonder if we should have substituted this experience with something else.

From Ninh Binh, we drove for a few hours to Ha Long Bay for a 1 night cruise. The room was nice and had a balcony. The Nostalgia Cruises ship's staff were helpful and kind. We enjoyed the short cruise. Before leaving the ship, we took a tender to walk through caves on Cat Ba Island. A great experience! Additionally, the rain finally let up and we could see the colour of the water shift from grey-blue (rain) to green (sun)!

During planning, we decided to reduce travel time and fly from Hanoi to Siem Reap instead of travelling to Ho Chi Minh City and then flying to Siem Reap. We thoroughly enjoyed our brief time there. We stayed at Lynnaya Urban River Resort. It's a fantastic place to stay (although some rooms can get noise from live music). We went to Angkor Wat to see sunrise, back to the hotel for breakfast and then started a 30 km bike ride to see the temples. Our guide (Pheng) was knowledgeable and showed us around. He was also incredibly friendly and willing to share his own experiences. We left the temples in amazement. As we were getting tired of cycling, he also arranged for the driver to meet us and transport the bikes and people back to the hotel at the end of the day. The following morning, we explored Chong Kneas floating river villages by boat and flew back to Vietnam (Ho Chi Minh City).

Back in Vietnam, we saw the Cu Chi tunnels. They take awhile to drive there, but it was informative to be there. At night, we took a Vespa Food Tour with a our food tour guide, Lam. It was a fantastic experience! We each had our own drivers as we weaved in and out of traffic like locals. It started pouring. Thankfully, they had ponchos for us! We explored the city on scooter, experienced street food, seafood dishes at a nicer restaurant and finished the night with a drink at a cozy bar. This might have been our favourite experience in Vietnam!

After all the adventure, we flew to Bali. Instead of staying at the beach, we drove (3 hours) to Munduk Moding Plantation Nature Resort. While they have hikes and other experiences at the resort, we spent our time there relaxing. It is an amazing place. It offered privacy, relaxation, fantastic service in a beautiful setting overlooking a valley. We didn't want to leave.

Hotel Reviews

Munduk Moding Plantation Nature Resort

Just WOW! This is the first place that my spouse and I agreed we didn't want to leave. We had a villa and private butler (Gargita). It was so relaxing!

Authenticity & Character

Location

It took more than 3 hours to driver there.

Staff

Gargita our butler made sure that our stay was perfect!

Cleanliness & Comfort

Lynnaya Urban River Resort

Siem Reap

Beautiful and well-located. The staff were really nice. Ultra-clean. If you're staying when they have live music, ask for a quieter room. Food (breakfast and dinner) had great options in the restaurant, pool or bar.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Pu Luong Eco Garden

A great place to relax in Pu Luong. They had everything we needed!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Evening Street Food Tour With Vespa Wanderers

Ho Chi Minh City

This was the best experience that we had while in Vietnam! We explored the city like locals. The guide was personable and the tour on Vespas amazing!

Quality of Experience

Food

Started with street food and then went upscale!

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

VIP Fast Track Service (VIP B)

Vietnam

Totally worthwhile!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Visit Angkor Wat by Cycling with sunrise ( 25Km)

Siem Reap

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Pheng was personable, knowledgeable and experienced.

Transport

The driver brought us back at the end of our tour (instead of having to cycle back to the hotel)

Lan Ha Bay - Halong Bay - Disembark the cruise (Nostalgia cruise)

Ha Long Bay

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Trekking In Pu Luong Nature Reserve

Pu Luong Nature Reserve

Very enjoyable - even in the rain!

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Gummi did an outstanding job for us. All hotels and excursions were booked and confirmed by Gummi and were without issues when we arrived at each venue.

I would use his services again.

Hotel Review

Hótel Búðir

Búðir

Amazing views and comfortable rooms!

Location

The views were terrific.

Activity Reviews

Faxaflói Bay Whale Watching Excursion

Reykjavík

A terrific trip to see whales, which we had never done before. Take your dramamine before you board, although they have it onboard if you need it.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Glacier Ice Cave Experience

Iceland

This was an interesting experience but should have been marketed as a "walk on a glacier" rather than as an "ice cave". The cave was very shallow (maybe 20 feet). The hike in crampons up the side of the glacier was ok although the weather was uncooperative.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Víðgelmir Lava Cave Experience

Iceland

An interesting cave and the guide was personable and informative.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

This was our first trip to Costa Rica so having support from our KimKim travel planner was critical to choosing our adventure and not overstuffing out itinerary. The hotels recommendations were great. We really enjoyed Jardin del Eden in Taramindo. The location was great, rooms comfy and the dinner menu was top notch. The transportation providers were all on time or early and got us to our destinations safely.
The activities were good given the limitations of what we wanted to do.

I dont think the price point was great. If I was planning this it would have certainly been cheaper but having a planner made the trip less stressful.

Hotel Review

Jardín del Edén Boutique Hotel - Adults Only

Tamarindo

Rooms were older but comfortable and clean. The grounds were lovely and location great. Lodging includes breakfast and dinner. We were surprised by the quality of dinner. Every meal was delicious and high quality. The crispy salmon was amazing. Service was great. The beach area was also a nice respite to relax. We would definitely stay there again. The only challenge was if you have mobility issues this resort has a lot of stairs so be prepared for a lot of up and down.

Authenticity & Character

Beautiful lush grounds

Location

Short walk to town center

Staff

Attentive staff and great service

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

TreeTram & Guided Hanging Bridges Adventure

Monteverde

If you dont like heights you may want to skip this one. My partner could not do the hanging bridges and I flaked on taking the tram to the top.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve Guided Hike

Monteverde

The guides were very knowledgeable and took time to point out a lot of plants, insects we would have not seen on our own. The humming bird feeders was amazing. There were not many animals on the walk but that was not the fault of the guides.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport