Kimkim Trip Reviews

I am so glad we used kimkim to plan the Vietnam portion of our vacation. Every place we stayed at was wonderful, each tour guide was helpful, informative and attentive. Lucy, our trip planner did such a great job making adjustments for us as we went along and keeping us informed of our daily activities. I highly recommend kimkim to anyone wanting help in planning their vacation. I will certainly use them again.

Cannon provided exceptional service before and during our vacation in Japan. As first-time visitors we were a little anxious, but we worked with Cannon to build an itinerary that was perfect for us. His tips and ongoing support were invaluable, and he always responded to our questions quickly and thoroughly. Thanks to Cannon, our first visit to Asia was wonderful with minimal stress. Our experience with kimkim, and Cannon particularly, exceeded our expectations, and we would definitely use kimkim again and recommend our friends do so as well!

On behalf of our travel group, I would like to share the following review and feedback.

We have participated in many tour groups and have traveled to numerous countries and famous destinations around the world. However, our trip to Patagonia still left an especially deep impression on us. We hiked to the famous Mount Fitz Roy and were able to photograph the magnificent three dramatic granite towers of Torres del Paine. We also had the opportunity to experience the world-famous Perito Moreno Glacier up close, and on Easter Island we took photos with the 15 iconic giant stone statues, the Moai — almost as if we had become the “16th Moai” ourselves.

This is truly a journey that we will often look back on and proudly share with our friends in the years to come.

While we sincerely appreciate KimKim for organizing such a memorable trip for us, we would also like to offer several constructive suggestions that may help further improve the quality of service.

1. Communication and professionalism between the agent and travelers could be strengthened.
Before the trip, one of our group members became ill and could not participate, so we requested to replace that person with another traveler. However, because the KimKim agent was not sufficiently familia r with the relevant policies and the communication was not fully clear or transparent, the process was repeatedly delayed. This ultimately resulted in an unpleasant experience and left us with a rather negative impression. Handling such matters more promptly and professionally would greatly improve the customer experience.

2. Accommodation arrangements should better reflect the travelers’ clearly stated preferences.
During our planning discussions, we repeatedly emphasized that we hoped to stay in good-quality hotels. However, on Easter Island we were assigned accommodation in a very remote location, which made transportation inconvenient. Furthermore, on the first evening there was no hot water available for showers, which caused considerable dissatisfaction among several members of our group. For such an important destination, the quality of accommodation has a significant impact on the overall travel experience.

3. Greater transparency regarding trip costs would be helpful.
Our itinerary included two days of touring on Easter Island. However, upon arrival we were asked to stand in line and pay an additional $100 per person for the national park entry tickets. In our view, this fee should either be included in the overall travel package or at least clearly communicated in advance in the itinerary. Otherwise, it can easily lead to confusion and dissatisfaction among travelers.

4. Closely follow and communicate entrance requirements and policy changes.
When boarding our flight to Easter Island, we were stopped at the checkpoint and asked to show the hotel reservations for each traveler on the island. This situation nearly disrupted our trip. We repeatedly tried to explain the situation to the boarding agents and were eventually allowed to proceed. However, the experience was very stressful and disturbing at that moment. Ensuring that travelers are clearly informed in advance about such requirements would help prevent unnecessary confusion and anxiety.

Once again, we would like to thank KimKim for providing us with such a memorable, once-in-a-lifetime travel experience. We sincerely hope that KimKim will continue to improve communication efficiency, service details, and information transparency in order to provide even higher-quality travel experiences for future clients

There is so much to say about how amazing this trip was. We have never used a travel agency, but planning a 2-week trip to Vietnam felt a bit daunting, so after reading many reviews, we decided to go with KimKim. Our travel specialist, Alex, was beyond helpful, and together we planned a wonderful trip. I MUST mention our driver in Hanoi, Bo, who was the BEST out of the many drivers we had on our journey. Our Hanoi guide, Quyet, literally held my hand as we made our way up and down hundreds of steps to visit some of the sites. The staff at the Q Boutique Hotel in Hanoi made us feel like Royalty (shout out to Bob). Our next guide, Vy, made us feel like part of her family as she shared the Tet holiday and her beautiful city of Hoi An. We had such a peaceful time cycling through the rice fields to Tra Que village, which we followed up with a great cooking class and lunch. In Ho Chi Minh City, our guide Loan was incredible—he had so much insight into the history of the Vietnam War. We even worked up the nerve to crawl through the Cu Chi Tunnels; definitely a ‘once-in-a-lifetime’ experience! ;) All that said, we are currently planning our next trip with KimKim to South Africa; can't wait to see what's in store!

Hotel Reviews

Mekong Lodge

Beautiful hotel along the river. The pool was amazing after a long hot day! Would stay here again.

Authenticity & Character

It is not trying to be something fancy. It is exactly as it should be but comfortable with little touches to the grounds that make it feel more special that the room itself feels.

Location

Peaceful view of the river and the ground were beautiful

Staff

Had a little trouble with the AC (user error on my part) and staff was prompt to assist.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Eden Star Hotel & Spa

Ho Chi Minh City

The size of the room was adequate for two people, but the bed was pushed against the wall, and there was no nightstand. For two guests, I would expect both would have easy access to the bed and a nightstand. Our agent Alex attempted to get us another room, but the hotel was full.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Lots of restaurants to walk to. Not too noisy.

Staff

No standouts either way.

Cleanliness & Comfort

When we moved our bed away from the wall, it was pushed BACK against the wall by the cleaning staff. I would have assumed that the guest preferred it where it was and left it. Again, two people should have access to both sides of the bed and have use of a nightstand.

Renaissance Hoi An Resort & Spa

Beautiful western-style hotel on the beach with a lively kids program. While our stay was comfortable and luxurious, we would likely not return due to the family atmosphere and distance from the center of Hoi An.

Authenticity & Character

Lanterns, Tet decor and drumming.

Location

Beautiful beach but far from the tourist district. The shuttle bus times were very limited.

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Peony Cruise

This was a bucket list item that generally did not disappoint. The scenery was fantastic, and overall, we were pleased with this part of our trip. The balcony in our room was not very inviting. The tender for the morning activities pulled right up to our window/balcony, belching exhaust into the room and invading our privacy, as our curtains were open to take advantage of the view.

Authenticity & Character

The ship overall had an Orient Express type of feel.

Location

The views are beautiful.

Staff

The staff on the tender seemed enthusiastic about his job but he was really the only person. No other stand outs.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hidden Charm Ninh Binh

Ninh Thang, Hoa Lu, Ninh Binh

The pictures of the hotel room make it look a bit more glamorous than I remember, but overall, it was a nice stay. We slept well, and the buffet was substantial. The outdoor garden is beautiful. I think if we were to return to the area, I would choose a hotel that was closer to more restaurants.

Authenticity & Character

There wasn't anything that stood out, and as mentioned, the pictures don't quite match what I remember.

Location

Staff

Again, no one really stood out one way or the other.

Cleanliness & Comfort

The Q Boutique Hotel

Hanoi

The staff at this hotel is so friendly and attentive that you won't care that the room is a bit small. The breakfast buffet was wonderful and kept us full until dinner. Would absolutely stay again, no question.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Close to the French Quarter, ATM right next door. It may be a bit noisy for some, but we were fine.

Staff

They just seemed genuinely happy that we were guests and were honored to attend to our needs.

Cleanliness & Comfort

The bed and pillows were comfy, and we slept quite well. The room is small, but that is part of the charm of this hotel.

Activity Reviews

Ninh Binh - Halong Bay, Overnight on Cruise

Vietnam

The food on Peony was not very good overall. I would definitely do the the Halong Bay trip, but on a different ship, perhaps something a bit more modern.

Food

Hanoi - Ninh Binh - Hoa Lu, Ancient Capital - Tam Coc Boat Trip

Vietnam

The best part of this was that it occurred on the family day of Tet and our guide knew so many people in town that she was able to enjoy her holiday but in a very different way that she seemed to enjoy! There was a LOT of incense burning throughout the village though which was a little much for me. The boat ride in Tam Coc was another highlight.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Hoi An - Cycling in Tra Que Vegetable Village - Cooking class

Hoi An

The bike ride was easy and tranquil with stops to ensure we did not get tired. The village and cooking class were a highlight of our trip!

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Hanoi Sightseeing & Street Food Tour

Hanoi

Hoa at Exotic Voyages did an excellent job planning our trip. I’m usually an over-involved, Google-every-detail travel planner, but Hoa took all the pressure off and made perfect choices for hotels, guides, and excursions. I loved having someone with local expertise, something a travel agent in my city couldn't provide.

Communication was super easy, accurate, and always immediate; I was the slow part of the process.

I also appreciated the package options presented. Hoa was very detailed with each option's level of luxury, and she was quick to pick up on what I was looking for, say it be an authentic experience with elephants or a day outside a busy city, or a down day on the beach with the highest level of luxury and comfort. She fit it all in and timed the busy vs. slow perfectly. We did not feel nearly as rushed as expected, since my itinerary was super packed.

As for the guides, Nana in Bangkok became part of the family and made us feel so comfortable and gladly joined us for a great impromptu day to visit my family outside Bangkok, Sunny in Chiang Mai was so sweet and made the most memorable videos for us at the waterfalls and elephants, and our wonderful van with massage seats! Rith in Siem Reap was so knowledgeable and patient, he made the visit to Angkor Wat and the floating village so memorable. Bach in Hanoi was super fun and energetic; he kept us going at this stage of a 3-week trip and really helped us understand Hanoi and the Vietnamese people. The boat trip to Ha Long Bay was also a highlight, so incredibly beautiful, photos barely do it justice, and the boat experience was so different and unique.
Lastly, our visit with a Vietnamese family is now the highlight of the whole trip; the food they made for us was so delicious, and this visit will not be forgotten.
Thank you for the most memorable and luxurious tour of Southeast Asia ever. I would say it was an incredible once-in-a-lifetime trip, but I won’t, since I hope to do it again!

Until next time, Gina Waco

Hotel Reviews

Amanpuri Phuket

One of the most beautiful and luxurious properties I have ever seen, just picturesque and perfect.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Raffles Grand Hotel d'Angkor

Siem Reap

Beautiful property, so loved the pool and wonderful feel throughout, the details and luxurious finishing touches made our stay special.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Staff outdid themselves to make us feel comfortable.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Capella Hanoi

Unique hotel with so much character, love the staff and complimentary food and drink service made our stay special.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

137 Pillars House Chiang Mai

Chiang Mai

Absolutely beautiful resort and grounds, so perfectly laid out with such luxurious finishing touches.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Very prompt and helpful.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Cycad Cruise

Culturally authentic and unique cruise in an incredibly beautiful place.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

The staff were so engaging and sweet.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Cong Do - Vung Vieng Village (Cycad Cruise 3D2N)

Ha Long Bay

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Cong Do - Cap La Area (Cycad Cruise 3D2N)

Ha Long Bay

Highland of the cruise, very beautiful, serene, and relaxing, not another boat or person in sight, well worth the extra day on the cruise.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Thien Canh Son Cave - Cong Do (Cycad Cruise 3D2N)

Ha Long Bay

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Angkor Complex Discovery

Siem Reap

Incredible experience, must do, I would love to see more of Siem Reap, very neat town.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Unfold The Secret of Hanoi Street Food

Hanoi

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Backstreet Alleys: A Nostalgic Tour of Hanoi with lunch

Hanoi

The backstreet alleys were so incredible, the life that takes place behind the main streets is amazing. Our visit with a Vietnamese family is now the highlight of the whole trip; the food they made for us was so delicious, and this visit will not be forgotten.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Siem Reap - Visit the floating villages of Tonlé Sap - Kompong Phluk

Siem Reap

Great experience, very memorable and interesting.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Private Elephant Rendezvouse & Bamboo Rafting in Mae Tang

Chiang Mai

One of the most memorable experiences, the interaction with the elephants is nicely planned and very engaging, not too much and not too little. The facility is so impressive and lunch was wonderful. The property is very well designed and maintained, loved it!

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Apsara Dinner Show

Siem Reap

Beautiful show, would recommend for sure.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Phi Phi Islands With Sunset By Luxury Longtail Boat

Phuket

The islands were so beautiful and the Phi Phi island town was very cute.

Quality of Experience

Food

Really loved the packed lunch, it was very good.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

We did have some boat problems, but they were quick to find a solution and made us feel comfortable.

Doi Inthanon National Park - A Nature Walk and Culture

Chiang Mai

Perfect comfortable hike, waterfalls were incredible, so unexpected, better than Hawaii, and the lunch spot was the best, loved that we hiked to lunch!

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Still talking about the massage chairs in our van.

Charming Night And Night Street Food Tasting

Chiang Mai

Very nice evening, great food, loved the Chiang Mai red truck and the temple visit.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Full-day (8hrs) Van & Guide at Disposal

Bangkok

Thank you to our guide Nana for joining us and adding to the our experience with family.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Manohra Dinner Cruise

Bangkok

Beautiful boat and great food, loved the experience and the welcome before the cruise was nice too.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Half-day (4hrs) Van & Guide at Disposal

Bangkok

Thank you for making this impromptu day so fun for everyone, even with some of us just arriving from the US, you had the perfect day planned.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Night Street Food Tour After Dark by Tuk Tuk

Bangkok

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

The Arenal Manoa hotel near at Arenal/ LaFortuna was a delightful hidden gem. The grounds and facilities were immaculate and we felt like we were in a tropical paradise. Nice breakfast selection with a variety of foods. The staff was very friendly and professional. We had a sloth in a tree behind our room, enjoyed toucans while soaking in the hot springs, enjoyed pizza at the pool, and our hike to Arenal in El Silencio was rewarding with numerous birds and a couple trees with white faced monkeys. Spotted 4 red Macaws as we were checking out of our room.

We also enjoyed the Sibu Boutique hotel in Monteverde. Great staff, conveniently located. Had access to the facilities at a sister hotel, Poco a Poco. Nice menu selection at the onsite restaurant. Cloud forest tour with Treetopia was great!

Favorite activity while in Tamarindo was the Panache Catamaran sunset cruise. Very friendly, personable and professional crew (especially Gabriel). Snacks and open bar drinks were an added bonus with a nice selection of foods.

Was pleased with all transfers and pickups at each location. Timely and professional!!

Hotel Reviews

Hilton Garden Inn Guanacaste Airport

Liberia

We liked the convenience to the airport and nice selection on the restaurant menu.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Convenient to airport

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Wyndham

Tamarindo

Enjoyed the location, staff very accommodating but the rooms could stand some upgrades. Transfers to downtown were good.

Authenticity & Character

Rooms need to be updated

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Sibū Boutique Hotel

Puntarenas

Delightful room, conveniently located, super staff, nice setting with immaculately maintained grounds, and a very nice restaurant.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Access to everything in the area plus access to facilities at sister hotel Poco a Poco.

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Arenal Manoa & Hot Springs

Fortuna

A true tropical paradise with immaculate grounds, hot springs, pool and restaurants. Super staff, great ambiance at La Saca Restaurant. Pizza by the pool was excellent. Will stay there again if we return to Arenal/LaFortuna!

Authenticity & Character

The tropical plants, trees, flowers, entire grounds

Location

Quiet with a great view of the volcano. Tropical paradise!

Staff

Friendly, professional and accommodating!

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Catamaran Sailing Excursion

Costa Rica

First rate! Great captain (Gabriel) and crew!

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

TreeTram & Hanging Bridges Adventure

Monteverde

Great guide! Excellent English! Very knowledgeable!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Sloth Trail Watching Tour

Arenal/La Fortuna

Felt a big suburban and too commercial

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

El Silencio Hike & Visit to Ecotermales Hot Springs

Arenal/La Fortuna

Guide very knowledgeable and used his scope to zoom in on birds and monkeys. He took pictures through his scope with our cell phones. Hike to the volcano was a little bit taxing in stretches but the guide and fellow hikers let us catch our breath and take our time

Quality of Experience

The guide was very good!

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Francisco’s team created a wonderful itinerary based on my requirements. The entire team including Pam, Dayana, Angel were hyper responsive at all times of the and available to answer my questions. My daughter (24) and I enjoyed all the cities but especially the trip to Valparaiso, Casablanca valley and all of Easter Island. We landed late around midnight many times and it was nice to have private transfers all arranged for us. We had a flight that cancelled last minute and the team made great suggestions to fly that same night and booked a hotel and arranged private transfers quickly. It was a most memorable trip and we returned home with a head and camera full of memories. This was our second trip with Kim Kim, the first being to Brazil and I would engage them again.

Great trip, very well organised.
All the guides and drivers were superb.
Excellent communication and support from the team throughout and any issues/questions we had were addressed very quickly.

Hotel Review

The Tigress

Fantastic hotel. Delicious food.

Activity Reviews

Sunrise Boat Ride on Ganges and local Varanasi Sightseeing

Varanasi

Brilliant tour with Ravi.

Visiting Ghats and attend Ganga Aarti

Varanasi

Great ceremony - amazing that it happens every single day.

Transfer to Varanasi Airport

Varanasi

Arrival in Varanasi Airport and Transfer to Hotel

Varanasi

A very warm welcome from Ankit and driver Rakesh.

Experience Kolkata Street Food Tour

Kolkata

Another tasty food tour, with Rabishankar.

Departure transfer from hotel to Paro Airport

Paro

Paro - Hike to Tigernest Monastery aka Taktshang Goemba

Paro

Unbelievable scenery - well worth the climb to get there.

Paro - Chele La pass (3988 m) & hike to Kila nunnery

India

A snowy hike to the nunnery at 12,000 altitude! Spectacular views and a great picnic (below the s online!) on the way back.

Paro - Rinpung Dzong & Ta Dzong

Paro

Unfortunately the museum was closed because of the King’s birthday, but the fort was very interesting and we had a nice gently hike to help get used to the altitude.

Arrival in Paro and transfer to Hotel

Paro

A warm welcome and smooth pick up from Pema and driver Bumdey, who looked after us brilliantly for our whole stay.

Excursion to Wagah Border Ceremony

Amritsar

A fascinating experience.

Visit to Golden Temple (Daytime Visit)

Amritsar

Brilliant tour with Inderjit.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Evening Experience Mumbai Street Food Tour

Mumbai

Great tour with Peter and driver Ajay

Morning and Afternoon Jeep Safari in Ranthambore National Park

Ranthambore

Stunning scenery and lots of wildlife. We were also lucky enough to see a tiger.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Old Delhi Evening Street Food Tour

Delhi

Awesome experience - visited so many places with Hemant. Such a variety of delicious food.

We had such a wonderful trip! The details were perfect, and our tour guides from Paris & Beyond were excellent. Thank you for all of the recommendations and suggestions for our Mother/Daughter trip!

Hotel Review

Hotel Brighton

Paris

The hotel is in a wonderful location, and the staff is so accommodating! Our only complaint was the quality of the mattress and pillows which were not comfortable at all.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

As mentioned above, the mattress and pillows were uncomfortable

Activity Reviews

Moulin Rouge Evening Performance with Dinner

Paris

It was fun but not sure I would recommend or go again. It's very factory like and you're herded in like cattle. An interesting evening.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Private Louvre Museum Visit

Paris

Lilly was the best tour guide! We loved listening to her passionate stories!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Montmartre

Paris

Seine River Gourmet Dinner Cruise with Wine Pairing

Paris

A must-do for any visitors! We had a wonderful evening. The food and sights were fabulous. Quality of the boat and staff were first class.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

The taxi couldn't get us close to the boat, so we got a little confused finding the location.

Private Notre-Dame & Sainte-Chapelle Visit with Priority Access

Paris

Agatha was a great tour guide who was very knowledgeable and full of interesting stories.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Macaron Cooking Class

Paris

We had a very good time, but were surprised it was in the apartment of the chef. We were with a father and his son, who were very nice, and we had a great time.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Arc de Triomphe - Self-guided Tour (tickets only)

Paris

Private Exploration of Fleat Market

Paris

Very interesting wandering through the streets and visiting hundreds of flea market booths. Fabulous opportunity to see antiques and beautiful jewelry.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

I joined only for a portion of a trip that a friend had planned. The 2 activities that I joined were a bit mixed. The Northern Lights safari entailed very long drives to see very little of the Northern Lights. We had a slow start because some fellow travellers were late, and this entailed missing the lights. Sigh... The dog sled outing was much more successful, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I lost my water bottle during this outing, and Emerson went out of his way to retrieve it for me. So thank you for that. Overall, Emerson was very attentive and helpful.

The food tour of Ha Noi with Mr. Chu was excellent, as were the city tour with Mr. Chris, and our birding and wildlife tours with Mr. Bay. When we had concerns, Kien was responsive and addressed them, even refunding a couple tour fees that didn’t meet our expectations for a toddler. We were a bit disappointed that our itinerary wasn’t updated when we went to the hotel in Ha Noi, which was not the hotel on our itinerary. We had expected a different hotel in both Ha Noi and Ninh Binh. Even though the upgrades we got were fine, it wasn’t what we had been led to expect.

Hotel Review

Apricot Hotel

Hanoi

The Apricot Hotel in Hanoi had a really good location, but it wasn't exactly our style. It was fine overall, but didn't particularly stand out to us.

Activity Review

Similan Islands Discovery with Snorkeling by Speedboat Join-in Activity

Khao Lak

The snorkeling trip to the Similan Islands was not a great experience. There were hundreds of people all taking speedboats and snorkeling in the same area. Safety precautions were not followed, and the food was really not good. Overall, it was quite disappointing.

We had a memorable, enjoyable, stress-free trip through Vietnam planned from start to finish with Long from Realistic Asia. Our initial contact was only 6 weeks prior to the trip which did not leave much time for planning, however the trip was fully planned and booked within a short two-week time period. After giving Long ideas about what we’d like to do and how much time we had, he planned an initial itinerary that we tweaked a few times before settling on our 11 days in Vietnam that was perfectly paced according to our request for a “somewhat busy” itinerary, leaving some time for relaxing. We requested private tours and transportation throughout the trip including airport transfers, tours, car travel between two locations and two domestic flights which required a lot of coordination and was executed without issue. We visited Hanoi, Hue, Hoi An and Ho Chi Minh with daily tours in each location. From start to finish everything went off without a problem, drivers and tour guides were always on time. The drivers were excellent in the busy cities, driving between cities and outside of cities to tours in more far-reaching areas. We enjoyed each of the tours that were chosen based on our preference for experiencing the culture and food of Vietnam and ranged from street food tours to historical tours to dinner with a local family. All of the guides were fluent in English, knowledgeable and personable. Mr. Sea and Mr. Koi who work with Realistic Asia were excellent guides in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh. Each of the hotels was located in a great area and was very comfortable with excellent breakfasts. Notably, in addition to all the planning/coordination of logistics, what stands out with working with Realistic Asia is the experience while on the trip where I felt taken care of throughout with Long keeping in contact to ensure we were being picked up on time, the guides were on time, confirming times for pick up, and that accommodations were to our liking. I felt that if there were any issues, that I had someone I could rely on. I highly recommend Realistic Asia.

Guides in Iguazu were informative and supportive, I would leave my greatest praise for Selena who guided us through most of the Mendoza visit.. an excellent job done by her.

Activity Reviews

Full-Day Wineries in Uco Valley

Chacras de Coria

Visited a large vineyard complex, and enjoyed good wine with a good description of the process and varieties. Had a great dining experience in Uco Valley at the second of our winery visits.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Half Day City Tour in Mendoza

Chacras de Coria

Drove and walked around the city centre. Great descriptions of the parks , monuments, history and current lifestyle by Selena our guide.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Hiking in Uco Valley

Chacras de Coria

Climbed our way to 2000 metres on a short guided walk. The pre Andes still provides some majestic scenery, and we were fortunate to see wildlife with foxes and buzzards up fairly close.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Full-Day Wineries

Chacras de Coria

Tasted some beautiful wines and talked with local staff to get a better understanding of what the region offers. Only down side is the extremely high cost to freight goods to US or Euro destinations.. freight often costing more than the produce itself.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Half-Day Iguazú Falls Brazilian side

Puerto Iguazú

See the falls from below on a 90 minute casual walk on the Argentine side.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Full-Day Iguazú Falls Argentine side

Puerto Iguazú

Simple and smooth entry to the park, program ran to time, guide managed ticketing for those that hadn’t already purchased entry tickets. (Do buy ahead if you can, it makes things simpler). The sites are amazing, mostly from the top of the falls, but take the boat ride that takes you under the falls, it’s brilliant, but prepared to be wet.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

We had a great experience! Highly recommend Kimkim. Working with Alex for the planning was smooth and all changes were handled with our best interests in mind. Mr. Nguyen Thahn Binh thoroughly enjoys his job and always greeted us with his smile. With specific dietary concerns, he made sure each cafe/restaurant was aware. He was enthusiastic, answered our many questions, was delightful, knowledgeable, and was excellent in getting us exactly where we needed to be to capture the perfect photo. Our driver, Bo, was always there to collect us after each adventure. He was courteous, polite and respectful.

The service provided by Sophie was fantastic. Every logistical detail of the trip was taken care of and every excursion was an absolute blast.

José was an exceptional tour guide. Knowledgeable is an understanding! And personable beyond expectations! I highly recommend if you want historical background and palace I intrigue, which I did!
Maria’s tour of Musé Sophia Reina was eye opening for this American! She is an awesome host and guide with detailed knowledge and passion for the modern art within the museum!
I highly recommend!

Trang set up a perfect adventure for us, it included biking, lots of sightseeing, historical and socially interesting activities we thoroughly enjoyed. Trang was available to us 24/7, she smoothed out any issues we encountered with great solutions and had our best interests in mind always. What a professional and personable specialist! Thank you Trang!!!

Over all our trip was amazing. Morocco is an exceptionally beautiful country both in natural beauty and artistically. We found the Moroccan people to be extremely welcoming. Majid always responded to me very quickly both in planning and during the trip. Highlights were our hike with Mohammad in Dades followed by lunch in his house, the trip to the Sahara desert, the Todra gorge the Hammam. If I had realized how much time I would spend in the car I probably wouldn’t have booked this trip but almost all of the trip is done driving in stunning Mountain Views so totally worth it! Having a driver made everything so much easier although we wish he were more communicative. He changed the route without telling us so we didn't understand why we weren’t stopping at the places on our itinerary. He also would stop and we’d get out of the car and have no idea why we were stopping there. Once we thought we were a hurry so we spent less time on the stops only to get to our destination 2 1/2 hours early , having to wait for our camel ride Another disappointment was the e-bike ride we booked in the Todra gorge. Our hotel was a short ride to the gorge, we could have biked from the hotel but instead we were taken a half hour away There were no e-bikes and after about an hour into the ride in a very uninteresting garden of wheat fields I asked for the second time what about the gorge and he said it would be a 3 hour RT bike ride from there and way too hard without e-bikes. It was a wasted day. There’s a great hike in the gorge we would have preferred to do but it was too late in the day at that point. Another disappointment was that we after booking the tour we decided to change to the higher tier luxury tour and I asked what the difference was from what we had originally booked. Majid said mostly accommodations and added a Hammam spa. We were in all the same hotels that we were originally booked in, but still in probably the least expensive, smaller rooms without fireplaces or terraces. It did not seem like we were upgraded even though we paid a higher price. After I asked Majid about it, we did get a bigger room with a terrace our last night.

Hotel Reviews

Riad Ksar Ighnda

Asfalou

Beautiful outdoor area. The view from our window was striking. There is an old mosque and Kasbah on the hotel property that you must see. The buffets were incredibly delicious with so many choice. Another really great hoyel

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Very helpful and friendly

Cleanliness & Comfort

Tiziri Luxury Camp

Merzouga

A highlight of the trip. I expected to eat in time plates around a fire but we had a very cozy and warm inside restaurant. The outdoor area also had so many places to sit even a tree house. I had wished we booked 2 days. I absolutely loved every minute

Authenticity & Character

Location

Amazing to be in the middle of the Sahara desert

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Very comfortable. Can’t really be considered camping

Auberge Le Festival Todra Gorge

Aït Baha

We loved this hotel. The outside area had so many places to take in the gorgeous view. We also loved the fireplace in our room. We had a very spacious suite with a large living room. Be on the lookout for a very friendly black and white cat!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Very close to the gorge

Staff

The only place in Morocco where the staff seemed unfriendly. Even our driver noticed

Cleanliness & Comfort

Dar Rihana Dades

Douar Aït Ouffi

This was probably the least appealing hotel in our tour but was made up for by Mohammad who seemed to do everything there, from concierge to waiter to launderer. He was incredibly hospitable and made up for what the hotel lacked. We were so grateful he told our driver who was about to take a different route , that there was a much more scenic route which was so worth a few extra minutes. The whole ride had stunning views. Dinner at the hotel was exceptional!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Very hard bed

La Maison Arabe Hotel

Marrakech

Wonderful staff and a really memorable Hamman. My skin has never felt better. Georgeous decor and outstanding food. A complementary bottle of wine. We loved this hotel

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Hammam Spa & Massage in La Masion Arabe at 3 pm

Marrakesh

It's been 5 days since the Hammam and my skin still feels so soft! We loved the Hammam! I've never had so much dead skin removed it feels amazing to be free of it. We loved being pampered! My husband and I thought we'd be separated but we did the whole experience together. We loved it so much we looked to see if we could get one in NYC, but my guess is that it won't be as good as the one we had in Morocco.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Guided Tour of Aït Benhaddou

Morocco

Totally worth seeing, fascinating site. Our guide went a little fast for me and I would have liked more info about the site. He did get us into the house of someone who lived in Ait Benhaddou and that was very interesting to me!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Ait Benhaddou, Tizi-n-Tichka Pass over the High Atlas, Marrakech

Morocco

I don't think I really understood where the Tizi-n-Tichka Pass was. would have liked more communication from the driver

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Merzouga to Ouarzazate via Draa Valley

Morocco

Spectacular views! Our hotel was an hour further than Ouarzazate (worth it because it was a wonderful hotel), but the itinerary said it was a 4 hour trip but it was actually a 6 hour trip. If we had known that we probably have timed things differently.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Wish the driver had told us the route he was taking before we started (he changed the route from the map we were given by Majid) and wish he had told us the night before it was a 6 hour trip. Needed more communication from the driver in general

Transport

Camel trek to your luxury camp

Merzouga

A once in a lifetime experience. I wish we could have stayed 2 days. It's so amazing to be in the middle of the Sahara desert. The camp site was amazing!! I thought we'd be eating out of tin plates by an outside fire - but we had a very comfortable inside restaurant (it was cold outside!) The camp was beautifully decorated with lots of outside places to sit including a tree house. We loved every minute

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Todra Gorges to Merzouga Sunset Camel Ride via Rissani

Morocco

Beautiful trip.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Todra Gorge E-Biking Experience – 2 Hours

Morocco

There are no e-bikes There is no view of the gorge unless you want to do a 5 ride that should really be done on an e-bike. Our itinerary said e-bike ride starting in the village and soon after arriving at the gorge. After an hour through some wheat plots I asked about the gorge and was told it would be very difficult to do without e-bikes. Our hotel was probably a 5 minutes bike ride to the gorge but this place was a half hour car ride from the gorge. A total waste of a day. Very disappointing

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Hiking & Cultural Immersion in the Atlas Mountains

Boumalne Dades

A Highlight of the trip was our hike with Mohammad. We loved seeing his house, meeting his family and hearing how he lived. He talked a bit about Islam and this was fascinating to me. Mohammed is a very spiritual person. He made a huge impression on me and my husband.

Quality of Experience

Food

We loved eating the olives from his trees and the bread from his wheat gardens

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Mohammed is an outstanding guide

Transport

Marrakech to Boumalne Dades via Ouarzazate

Morocco

Spectacular views. A longer trip than I anticipated - It was very cloudly that day but we returned the same way and the views are amazing for the whole trip.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Very comfortable car!

Marrakesh Medina & City Tour

Marrakesh

We spent way too much on things we bought. It would have been helpful to get more insight on how to negotiate prices. Later in our trip on the way to the Sahara we stopped at a market that had rugs for a fraction of the price we paid in Marrakesh. We wish we had been to told to wait.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Our guide Hammid is still helping us with some items we bought and are having shipped. He has been incredibly helpful and kind!! He went above and beyond We are very appreciative!!!

Transport

Marrakech Food Tour

Marrakesh

Very interesting but for me the food was a bit bland compared to the food we had later in the trip

Quality of Experience

Food

The olives!

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Each step of our trip was flawless! While traveling in a foreign country, KimKim made sure that everything was in place for us, from transit to/from the airport, to the delivery and pickup of our auto rental, to the hotels and activities! I would recommend KimKim to friends and family.

Hotel Reviews

Crowne Plaza San Jose La Sabana by IHG

San José

Very helpful staff and good location for restaurants, park, and museums. Good ending for our trip.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Nammbú Beachfront Bungalows

Sámara

Authenticity & Character

Location

Just a quick 5-minute walk down to the beach. Glorious view of the ocean from the pool/bar area.

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Eco Arenal

Fortuna

Great location and wonderful staff! One way to improve the room would be to provide indirect and/or lamp lighting. There was only overhead lighting.

Authenticity & Character

Location

The balcony opened up to a view of Arenal Volcano---very cool!

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Sleep Inn Hotel Paseo Las Damas

San José

Good place for us to start our trip. The restaurant made a good sandwich.

Activity Review

Caño Negro Wildlife Refuge Boat Safari

Arenal/La Fortuna

Lots of fun and very educational! Our guide, Jorge, was outstanding.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Jorge was wonderful!

Transport

We loved our time in Italy overall! Our small group tours were some of our favorites!