Kimkim Trip Reviews

My Montenegro vacation was just perfect! I did miss out on the initial hotels I had liked but the substitute ones were good too and I enjoyed all the 3 base towns and the stays and of course the driver and car at disposal was a blessing without having to worrying about anything. Even for supermarkets or dinners I was able to easily commute without having to worry about local transport. Perfect balance of mountains , old towns and the beaches of course. Thank you to all who helped me plan this and live this vacation. Violaine and Ivan and everyone.

We just finished our amazing trip to Switzerland! Caroline was so helpful ! She listened to our ideas and planned our trip so well according to our needs. She put our itinerary, travel documents and tickets all in one place on the kimkim app to make them easy to find. Since we had never used trains and buses before she suggested that we use the SBB app to help us navigate our itinerary. We also met many helpful travelers along the way that showed us how to make the train transfers. Caroline was very professional and answered our questions in a timely manner. We are very grateful for her assistance and are happy to recommend her as your tour guide.

Mohamed, our driver/guide became like a family member to us. He was thoughtful, caring and very detailed. Our memories would not be the same without him.

Leny played a key role in shaping our Japan itinerary. I shared the cities we wanted to visit and a general sense of our interests, and she handled everything from there. She was incredibly flexible as we fine‑tuned the plans and always quick to respond, both before and during the trip. The local guides and transportation she arranged were outstanding. I’d wholeheartedly recommend her to anyone looking for an exceptional vacation.

Hotel Review

MIMARU SUITES KYOTO SHIJO

Tokyo

Hands down, one of the best hotels I've stayed at. The location was great and was close to a ton of restaurants and local interests. Having a washer/dryer in the suite was perfect. Free coffee, water, beer, sake - what more could you ask for to both start and end your day! This hotel is 5-stars!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Hiroshima Peace (Heiwa) Walking Tour at World Heritage Sites

Japan

A very moving experience, definitely recommend spending the day in Hiroshima. We saw a lot during this tour and our guide was super knowledgeable and was very fluent in English. Be sure to give yourself time to get from the bullet train to the meeting location of the tour.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Tokyo to Hakone Private Transfer: Mt. Fuji and Hakone Full-Day Tour with English-Speaking Driver

Japan

Our driver was wonderful! The various stops to catch great views of Mt. Fuji were perfect.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Had a great time with everyone that I met, from the following :
Juli - our guide
Don Manuel - our driver
El Mono (Erwin) - Pacaya guide
Fernando and Oliverio!!!!
Karen worked with me and my sister about what we wanted to do and was very accommodating. I like change my trip itinerary like probably 5 to 6 different times but she was very patient and I told her what my budget was and she worked with me. She provided pretty much everything for me and spoke with me on WhatsApp to make sure that I had what I needed. From making sure that I made it safely to the next destination and to make sure that my driver was around.
I would highly recommend Karen and her team at Old Town. I am going to definitely book another mini trip with her for the volcano hike the big one Fuego.

Hotel Review

Hotel Casa Palopo

Panajachel

This place is like magical and majestic. You come here and you just feel like you're in some type of movie or dream. If everyone here is very nice and very hospitable.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Review

Explore Tikal National Park

Guatemala

Oliver!!!!!!! What can I not say about this guy? He was very funny and he knows everything about the of history of TIKAL and the whole entire region. Very knowledgeable.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

From start to finish, the experience was incredible. Hamza helped me put together a tour that included outdoor exploration, desert adventures, cityscapes, waterfalls, gorges and great food. Mustapha was our driver and he was prompt, prepared for our questions and knew exactly what routes and times for the next stops. We had amazing city guides who took us through the main sites and trusted shopping areas.

My only complaint is that the vacation had to end! If you are considering a vacation to Morocco, the services here planned for seamless travel. I highly recommend!

We worked with kimkim to plan a trip to Greece for our 30th anniversary. The planning was easy and the trip went as smooth as could be. We’re already planning our next trip with kimkim. Highly recommend.

The KimKim team did a flawless job for our recent trip to Italy. Every transfer, hotel, tour, ticketing and communication went exactly as it should have. Our private tour guide were all amazing and gave us the best experiences. It was a relief to have the support because Italy is so very busy and KimKim made it possible for us to enjoy our trip and not stress. I HIGHLY recommend Giorgia, Beatrice and Anita and all who helped us have an amazing vacation!

Emanuela was absolutely fantastic. She listed to our wants and was able to create a great trip. Even while in Iceland she checked in to make sure everything was going well.

Activity Reviews

Inside the Volcano (Meet On Location)

Iceland

Fantastic experience, very unique opportunity to go 450 feet below the surface. And they finished the trip off with a great bowl of lamb stew. The guides were very entertaining and knowledgeable.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Whale Watching RIB Boat

Iceland

We got really lucky and saw three humpback whale. They were up close only 30 feet away at most

Hvamsvik Lagoon

Iceland

This was simply amazing, 100% recommended it to anyone looking for something just perfect

We really loved our trip to Spain and using kimkim to plan it. My sister and I took my daughter and her boyfriend to Spain for their college graduation present. We went to Barcelona, Sevilla, Granada, Ibiza, and Madrid. We had definite ideas about where we wanted to go, what we wanted to do, and what hotels to stay at and I considered just planning the trip myself. I'm very glad we used kimkim instead. It took a lot of stress off us since they booked all the hotels, trains, and inter-country plane trips. Coraima listened to my ideas and let me book some things they did not have on their recommendation list, such as the hotel in Ibiza (my daughter really wanted to stay at a hotel on bossa beach with a night club). The kimkim app we got on our phones was very helpful, with our daily itineraries and links to all of our tickets. Our favorite parts of our trip were the food tours! We especially loved the food tour of the gothic quarter in Barcelona and the Tapas and Flamenco tour in Sevilla. When we did have hiccups in our trip (a driver who never showed up, and a flight delay that caused us to almost miss a connecting flight and missing luggage for one night), Chinh, our local specialist helped us through that and even gave us some refunds. We would definitely use kimkim again.

I honestly cannot say enough positive things about the service I received from Caterina and Anna at KimKim. I am disabled and they were incredibly thoughtful and forward-thinking about how to make my trip, and especially all of the transitions, remarkably stress-free. They truly went the extra mile for me and their kindness and professionalism made a positive impact on my experience! They partnered with Venice tour services provider, Your Custom Journey, which was truly the best and most knowledgeable tour support services I have every had. This trip was extremely important to me as I am becoming progressively disabled and so needed to take this trip at this time of my life and make the very best of it. They succeeded on ALL levels! I highly recommend them!

Thanks for the amazing trip plan by kimkim and our local travel specialist Cannon. We had truly unique experiences including a grand sumo tournament in Tokyo and a private dinner with a Geiko in Kyoto with a translator. The trip details were very well thought out and the train tickets and transfers were seamless. Cannon was always available to help with questions and trip adjustments that we requested. I will definitely use kimkim again in the future.

Hotel Reviews

Kanbayashi Hotel Senjukaku

Nagano

Excellent hotel, meals very well done, hot baths amazing.

Authenticity & Character

Beautiful authentic Japanese garden and onsen.

Location

Location within easy walking distance to the Snow Monkey Park.

Staff

Good service and very friendly

Cleanliness & Comfort

Very authentic, sleeping mattresses are prepared on the floor each night

FAV LUX HIDATAKAYAMA

Hotel location was excellent, hotel was heavily used and room was not very clean.

Authenticity & Character

Just OK

Location

Easy walking access to train station and old town

Staff

Check in was difficult and confusing with breakfast inclusion issues

Cleanliness & Comfort

Room was not well kept and showed details of not being cleaned well

Activity Reviews

Private Kimono Tea Ceremony at Kyoto Maikoya

Kyoto

Very fun experience learning about the tea ceremony and dressing in kimonos.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Full Day Tour of Arashiyama Bamboo Grove & Sagano Scenic Railway

Kyoto

Was raining the day we went and overrun with tourists. Also the guide was disappointing and didn't provide much detail or commentary.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Full Day Shirakawa-go Tour

Japan

Very unique place and worth the trip, especially the house showing how they replace the original thatch roof. The guide helped make this a good experience.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Yasaka Shrine & Gion Walk with Nishiki Market

Kyoto

As noted below, all of our Kyoto experiences with the guide were below average. He didn't have much personality or seem to be an expert on anything. He asked us each day what the plan was and what we wanted to do. He didn't take a leadership role or seem to be excited about showing off his city.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Our guide for Kyoto was nice but not super knowledgeable or much personality. He essentially asked us each day what we wanted to do. We aren't the experts, we don't live here. I don't recommend this guide.

Transport

Tokyo Day Tour with Tsukiji Outer Market & Senso-ji - East & Central

Tokyo

We didn't realize how touristy this market is. Would have preferred to go to the inner fish market where they auction the tuna.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Guide was good. No complaints.

Transport

Private Sushi Making Experience with a Master Sushi Chef Trained at an Eminent Sushi Restaurant

Tokyo

We loved the private sushi making experience. The chef was excellent.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Discover Timeless Takayama: Market, Tradition & Sukiyaki Delight

Takayama

Excellent day and our guide was really good. What a beautiful small town away from the hustle and bustle of Tokyo.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Our guide Yuko was excellent. We highly recommend her. She was excellent and being flexible with helping us stop and shop for a few specialty items.

Transport

Private Dinner with a Geisha - Maiko Ozashiki Experience

Kyoto

Top activity of the trip. Didn't realize how unique this experience would be. Having the translator made this an amazing expereince.

Quality of Experience

The Geiko was so graceful and welcoming. Truly a unique experience learning about the Geiko and Mayko culture.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

we had trouble finding this place but it was our fault as we went on our own versus having the driver wait and drop us off.

Flawless doesn't begin to describe our first experience working with Valentine and the Kim Kim team! Absolutely EVERYTHING was perfect! Every hotel, guide, transport, hotel, included meal was a 10/10! We have been on several trips organized by a professional and this one will forever stand out. Our trip was by no means "cookie cutter". We found something similar (we visited the Swiss Alps and Italian Lake district) but through perfect and extremely timely communication with Valentine, she was able to customize our adventure to put continuous smiles on our faces (there were four of us) for the entire 2 weeks.

From E-bike tours to our personalized / private cooking class in Bellagio to our lake tour(s) and grotto lunch, Kim Kim and Valentine have given us brilliant memories that will last a lifetime! Thank you Kim Kim! We WILL be back!

Our guides for the colliseum, borghese, tivoli al very good but our guide for Pompeii was truly outstanding.

We have now used KimKim for multiple trips and Malaysia was no different — absolutely seamless from start to finish. Every detail was taken care of before we even had to think about it. Accommodation, transfers, tours — all perfectly arranged, all exactly as promised.
What KimKim does better than anyone is remove the stress from travel entirely. There is no scrambling, no uncertainty, no moment where you wonder if something will go wrong. Everything just works. You arrive, you enjoy, you trust the process — because they have never once given us a reason not to.
Our Malaysia trip was everything we hoped for, and a big part of that is because the foundation was so well laid. When your logistics are this reliable, you are free to be fully present and actually experience the place you are in.
We will not use anyone else. KimKim has our complete loyalty — and our highest recommendation to anyone looking for a travel partner they can truly count on.

We worked with Emanuela Grieco to design an 8-day trip all over southern Iceland. She did a great job. We went back and forth for several weeks planning all the details. We took out what we did not want and chose what we did want. Her team made all the reservations (4 hotels; multiple events most days) and bought all the tickets. We literally had only to show up to all the places we planned. It saved us so much time from finding all the places to go and things to do. She tailored it just for us. Then gave us a detailed itinerary (38 pages) with plans and dining options for each day. She even gave us Google map links to easily get from point A to point B. Very happy we used Kimkim and Emanuela to handle all the details.

Hotel Reviews

Aurora Hotel at Reykjavik-Keflavik Airport Terminal KEF

Keflavík

Conveniently close to the airport terminal. About a 5-minute walk. Very good breakfast buffet. Room was very nice.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hótel Kría

Vík

Great location. Likely the nicest hotel we stayed at. Bathroom door is a bit wonky. Clear glass sliding door, with blacked out section only in the middle.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

The Greenhouse Hotel

Hveragerdi

Another great location.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

We did self checkin. No real interaction with staff.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Reykjavík Marina - Berjaya Iceland Hotels

Reykjavík

A bit older, with beds in the not-so-comfortable range. But the location was perfect.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Basically close to everything in the downtown area.

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

ATV to Black Sand Beach and Plane Wreck

Iceland

Another must do. The black sand beach is amazing.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Zodiac boat tour among the icebergs

Iceland

Great fun. Lot's of titanic moments, when the boat hits the tiny icebergs and one hears the scraping. But we did not sink and nobody fell out. The face of the glacier is huge. And the seal we came upon hardly gave us a second thought before going back to sleep on his own private floating island.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Ice cave tour under Katla glacier

Vík

Fascinating to see natural caves formed by water melting in the glacier.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Snorkeling at Silfra fissure

Iceland

This was really the highlight of the trip. The water is 35 degrees Fahrenheit/1.7 celsius. Crystal clear. Because it is coming straight from glaciers higher up, after filtering through miles of underground lava layers, it is also very clean and pure. We all took long soothing drinks straight from the spot where we put in.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Víðgelmir Lava Cave Experience

Iceland

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Food Walking Tour

Reykjavík

A nice sampling of some of the local places and foods.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Inside the Volcano (Meet On Location)

Iceland

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Reykjavík Puffin Watching

Reykjavík

The puffins are cute, but the visit is very passive. We sat in the boat and watched them float, dive for food, or fly. Would not do this again.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

We had an amazing 13-day trip to Morocco, starting in Rabat, then to Chefchaouen, Fes, Merzouga, Ait Benhaddou, Imlil, Marrakesh, Essaouira, and ending in Casablanca. From the beginning we were greeted by our driver/guide Khalid who was with us throughout the trip. Khalid was one of the best people we could've spent our 2 weeks with -- as he was very informative, patient, and kind on our trip. He was not only very professional, but also knowledgeable about Morocco and Amazigh culture, and took us to local artisans and museums. We really enjoyed the historical information and cultural background given by our guides at each of the cities we stayed at. Abdelatif in Rabat was our first guide and explained so much to us about Rabat's history across the various Moroccan dynasties and the meaning behind many Darija words. Omar was our guide when we hiked Akchor Falls -- another memorable guide who made us feel comfortable and welcomed. Omar welcomed us into his home for lunch, and the food was so delicious -- it was a pleasure meeting his family. Our guides Khalid (Volubilis) and Abdul (Meknes) were exceptional as well, since we learned about the Roman history of Morocco. Our guide, Reda, in Fes was very good too -- the combination of a walking-and-driving tour was very well-paced and informative as we got to visit pottery, carpet, argan, and tannery artisan workshops. Our Imlil biking guide, Abdul, was friendly and vivacious, and made us feel comfortable as we rode through the High Atlas Mountains and ate lunch at a local family home. Our guide in Essaouira, Jamal, was very friendly as well. Over the course of the trip we bonded with Khalid and many guides over our love of music and languages, and learned some Amazigh and Darija along the way. Our one issue: Unlike all the riads in which we stayed at, the hotel in Casablanca had very bad food, no Kleenex tissues, and unpleasant hospitality. Despite being on the trip in the middle of Eid-al-Adha, we are grateful to have received the utmost hospitality and kindness from our guides, Khalid, and locals.

Hotel Reviews

Kenzi Basma Hotel

Casablanca

Authenticity & Character

Food was not enjoyable at all.

Location

Far from most things

Staff

Staff were not the most hospitable..

Cleanliness & Comfort

No Kleenex tissues were available

Riad Chbanate

Essaouira

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Palais Lamrani

Marrakesh

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Staff were SO kind in helping us twice -- we had a Wifi problem, and secondly the whole room short-circuited at 11pm but they helped us very swiftly!!

Cleanliness & Comfort

As mentioned above, wifi was out and room did short circuit late at night. Also the AC did not work in our 101F/45C stay in Marrakesh.

Kasbah du Toubkal

lmlil

Lovely Kasbah -- we especially loved learning about the Kasbah's history and Education for All Initiative.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Riad Ksar Ighnda

Ait Benhaddou

We really liked this riad!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Tiziri Luxury Camp

Merzouga

Authenticity & Character

Food was okay -- quite bland. Also the music/dance started quite late and everyone sleepy (nearby we could hear other camps already playing music and celebrating early on).

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Riad El Yacout

Fès

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Shower was inconvenient - might need to be renovated

Taj Chefchoaune Luxury Hotel and Spa

Chefchaoun

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

The staff were very earnest and hardworking, but the riad did not have the triple room that we had prior requested in our booking. They did not have an extra room either, so they fit three beds into a very tight room. We adjusted, but it was not ideal.

Euphoriad

Rabat

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Afternoon Guided Tour in Casablanca

Morocco

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Afternoon Guided Tour in Essaouira

Essaouira

Jamal was great

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Shopping Tour in Marrakech

Marrakesh

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Guided Tour in Marrakech

Marrakesh

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Food Tour & Local Gastronomy

Morocco

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Bike Tour in the High Atlas Mountain

Morocco

Abdul the biker is awesome :)

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Fes to Merzouga Sunset Camel Ride and Overnight in the Desert via Ifrane, Azrou, Midelt & Erfoud

Morocco

The camel ride with Abdul was amazing!! He was so friendly and funny. The drive was enjoyable as well.

Quality of Experience

Food

The food was not great at Tiziri Camp - cold and relatively bland

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Guided Tour in Fes

Fes

Guide Reda was patient and informative :)

Quality of Experience

Pottery, Argan, Carpets, and Tannery were great artisan workshops

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Guided tour of Meknes

Meknes

Abdul our guide was great :)

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Guided Tour of Volubilis

Morocco

Khalid tour guide was great!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Transfer to Fes, Volubilis & Meknes

Morocco

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Khalid made this 7 hour drive fly by -- we were not bored once. It was good day!

Afternoon Guided Tour in Chefchaouen

Morocco

Abdul our Guide was great :)

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Hike to Akchour Waterfall

Chefchaouen

Omar was amazing and super kind!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Morning Guided Tour in Rabat

Morocco

Abdelatif was great :)

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Khalid was great as usual :)

Adeline listened to a bunch of my wild ideas for a once in a lifetime adventure in Japan and delivered an exceptional itinerary matching my desires and traveling style. Her choice suggestions on where to stay and how to explore Mt Fuji, Matsumoto, Kamikochi and Nagano again matched my local culture immersive vision for this trip. Every detail felt personally attended to by Adeline leaving me with this “co-pilot support” for a traveler who was concerned about a “lost in translation” situation traveling alone - in Japan - for the first time. Thank you 🙏 for sharing your insights and knowledge of Japan creating a memorable journey that truly fulfilled my vision.

Activity Review

Hiking in Matsumoto

Matsumoto

A week back home, I can still feel the magic of Barcelona. It was a short but magnificent trip, thanks largely to the arrangements by the Kimkim team. The Hotel Villa Emilia was comfortable and conveniently-located. The 3 guided tours were very good, with special mention going to the ‘Gaudi experience’ with the wonderful guide Amanda Sanchez. We were able to book activities to fill all the free afternoons and evenings. An idea for future consideration: it may be helpful if your team can provide ideas for activities outside of the guided tours.

Where do I begin? Thanks to all of our amazing guides and hosts of every boutique hotel in which we stayed! Our trip organizer Joāo used the suggestion we provided to create the perfect itinerary allowing us to experience the culture, history, food and wine at every turn. We started in Madeira with a half day walking tour. The young lady was very friendly and knowledgeable providing an informative tour through the rich history of the island, food and gardens. We finished our remaining day 4x4 tours around the island visiting and dining with the locals. Our guides were amazing. Next we flew to Porto staying at another great boutique hotel. We participated in a food and wine tour bouncing around the city like we were doing a bar crawl and had the best time with people we just met. The next few days were spent with walking tours and fine dining. I would have to write a novel to capture all the fun we had but I won’t. With excursions in Tomar, Aveiro and Evora, we visited castles, toured cities and visited wineries to our hearts content. Our final leg was Lisbon where Joāo sealed the deal taking us to all the best places to take photos experience local restaurants like Pastẽis de Belěm where we ate traditional tarts in the local park where he visited growing up. We ended our trip visiting Cascais, Cabo Da Roca and Ericeira. Thanks again for such a memorable experience. We enjoyed it so much that we plan to visit again soon.