Kimkim Trip Reviews

Lots of interesting cities in Holland. Had so much fun using public transportation and visiting the sites and museums. Good thing we are fit-lots of narrow spiral staircases in hotels with no elevator (lift). People were all very friendly. Learned alot.

Hotel Reviews

Huys van Leiden

Leiden

had a spiral staircase to get to the bathroom!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Boutique Hotel Museumkwartier

Utrecht

Quaint.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

The James Hotel Rotterdam

Rotterdam

modern hotel. Loved it.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel des Arts

Amsterdam-Centrum

no air conditioning or elevator!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Delft - Delft blue pottery

The Netherlands

Probably could have skipped.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Rotterdam - harbor boat tour

The Netherlands

Amazing

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

The Hague - Mauritshuis Museum

The Netherlands

Wished we had a longer stay

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Rotterdam - Kinderdijk windmills by public boat (waterbus)

The Netherlands

interesting

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Rotterdam

The Netherlands

Big city. Good food. Enjoyed the boat cruise.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Leiden

The Netherlands

Probably may favorite city. Rented bikes.

Quality of Experience

Amsterdam - Canal cruise (join in)

The Netherlands

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Amsterdam - Grand Dutch Food & History Tour in a small group

The Netherlands

Great guide met so nice people

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Amsterdam - Rijksmuseum

The Netherlands

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Public transport pass Amsterdam

The Netherlands

A great addition! Made travel so easy.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

The experience started off great with our KimKim guide Joe. Things changed after that and we felt that the information Joe had provided had not been effectively shared with Dean. Joe was incredibly personable and had great recommendations and personal stories that brought us comfort and peace of mind. Dean was trying to pick up where Joe left off and it was not smooth.
The highs of our trip were the accommodations and the breakfasts (but even those were a bit much near the end). We really liked our Dublin and Mout Juliet hotels. I appreciated the communication once we arrived in Ireland, especially with Morris (see later note).
I'll list some opportunities for improvement here:
1. There are too many choices in the daily schedule. We came to KimKim because we wanted someone else to help choose our activities and in the end, we still had to do that work.
2. It was not made clear to us how busy Ireland would be in August and that we should have been pre-booking things like activities at Mount Juliet or restaurants for dinner in small towns (like Lahinch).
3. Even though we discussed with KimKim that both my husband and I would be driving, Hertz charged us an extra 10 Euro per day for a second driver.
4. Three nights is too many in Killarney. It is a very busy town in August and we would have preferred exploring Dingle and spending another night in Mount Juliet.
5. There was unnecessary stress on our day at the Gap of Dunloe. From the very beginning we understood with Joe that we would be taking a boat trip and a jarvey ride back. When everything was booked, there was no jarvey ride. Now we understand that the jarveys need to be connected with in person. This was not made clear to us in advance. We also didn't understand how much money it was be. It was a lovely day, but Morris was challenged with securing us a booking (of sorts) the day before because we couldn't be stranded at Lord B's cottage without a ride for our 9 year old. Morris did a fabulous job, but it was very stressful for him and it should never have gotten this far.
6. I understand you have policies of not sharing your fees. In this day and age, this seems unnecessary. Companies seem to be respected more for transparency. I would be so excited to know what great deals you were getting on hotels. I know I'm paying someone to design our trip for us, I just want to know what I'm paying them.
7. Finally, something less important since we are resourceful, it would help for the days when we don't have a rental car (in our case this was in Dublin) for guidance on public transit or taxis. We ran into an issue with requesting a taxi at our hotel where the taxi driver was called from the airport and given an incorrect destination for us (hertz airport vs. city) even though we gave the destination address to the hotel host. AND the tram was right outside our hotel, so a link to that would have been super helpful.

If you've made it this far, thank you for taking the time to read.

Omar was very polite and helped keep my nervous wife calm on our hike in the mountain trails, and let her ride the mule which was fun. We had a memorable lunch that he served us on the patio on his mountain home.
Ismail drove us to our destinations each day, and he spoke such good English, while always able to explain the culture and history of the country and sights we could see, and always using good humor to make us laugh.
The young men at the Agafay domes were very nice to us, and gave us music, meals, and shows that we will remember for a lifetime.
I am not making this up!

We planned a 10-day (9 days + 1 flight day) self-drive tour in Scotland and Northern England with our two boys, 13 and 9. The planning experience with Stephen was great; the interactions were easy and he heard and adjusted with our feedback, though the changes were minimal given that the initial itinerary was close to spot on from our initial input. We really appreciated walking through the entire trip the week before departure and getting a few tips. We had a variety of accommodations, and especially enjoyed the setting of the Bracken Hide Hotel in the highlands and the historic Ballaculich House apartment near Fort William. Having many breakfasts included along the way was much appreciated, as were the combination of self guided days, private tours, Castle tickets and free time. The brief guides of each area were truly helpful and our Edinburgh tour guide Gareth (EdinburghExpert) and Steve (Highland Wildlife & Birdwatch Safaris) in Aviemore were both standouts.

Hanna came to rescue when needed.
Overall it’s was awesome trip. Well arranged.
Thank you

Ten Days in Norway - what a dream.

The hotels chosen for us were spot-on to our needs and tastes. Each new hotel (we had 4 total) continued to level up our expectations. Unique locations, beautiful accommodations, and comfort all really reigned supreme. Our favorite hotel room was in Ålesund - The Brosundet Hotel. Our favorite hotel view was unmatched in Balestrand at the Kviknes Hotel.

The activities we opted into were so much fun. Our favorite (and wettest) was kayaking in Øygarden - we were hosted by a wonderful company who gave us a warm spot to hang out at after and offered homemade waffles with brown cheese and incredible apple juice. It felt like the most genuine Norway experience imaginable.

We were supposed to visit a glacier in addition to the glacier museum in Fjærland but there was an accident in the tunnel and they kept us from the glacier. The museum was an unexpected delight, however and we didn't feel like we missed out on anything. The small town (omg all the small towns!!) of Fjærland had a lovely cafe where we grabbed lunch and coffee - highly recommend stopping at every cafe option in the small towns.

Our favorite hike was in Rosendal - the end of this hike takes you by a cafe with homemade snacks, lunch, a huge garden, and views for days. I wish we could have spent a little longer here but ferries were pre-scheduled. Still dreaming of the Rhubarb cake and Melkekaker we had here (+more apple juice!!!).

KimKim made this trip unforgettable. We really felt immersed in the country, the majority of our experience wasn't too touristy (preferred), and we left wishing we could extend the trip even longer. Thanks to a lot of self-paced days, we felt refreshed after the trip, despite how much we were moving around. Truly, can't wait to book the next trip to Norway or another trip with KimKim. Thanks to Alex & Nick for the great bookings and incredibly laid out itinerary. We were able to relax when we needed to, and go as needed.

Hotel Reviews

Hotel Brosundet

Ålesund

Biggest, most updated room of our trip. Stairs were challenging for large suitcases but we made it work. Great dinner here and super flexible on the late checkout we asked for here.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Det Hanseatiske Hotel

Bergen

Great location - really cool room layout and space. Only downside is the liveliness of the area at night (for two jetlagged people)- and no ac on hotter days.

Authenticity & Character

Location

sooo close to Bryggen

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Kviknes Hotel

Balestrand

Dated room - definitely bring shampoo and conditioner because they don't offer that in-room amenity. Views here really crazy beautiful and the room size was awesome!

Authenticity & Character

Location

not a lot in this town so it's perfectly placed

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Karl Johan Hotel

Oslo

Small room - and since we were here for a couple days but with a lot of luggage, it was just hard to move around. Historic building (gorgeous) + BEST breakfast, and wonderful location.

Authenticity & Character

Beautiful!

Location

close to most desired spots!

Staff

Such kind staff who recommended specific spot for coffee!

Cleanliness & Comfort

perfectly clean!

Activity Reviews

Geirangerfjord Cruise & Day Trip

Norway

Beautiful - definitely more touristy than past days but still a cool and beautiful spot. Fun little shops and really cool views.

Quality of Experience

Explore Ålesund

Norway

Cool vintage shopping and unique mall - very walkable.

Quality of Experience

Walk up to Aksla Viewpoint

Ålesund

418 stairs at the end of a 10 day trip is not easy, but we did it!! Worth it for the views, and a lot of moments to pause and take in the view.

Quality of Experience

Fjord Cruise to Rosendal

Bergen

Summer + Nice weather = Bees. Mostly just around the dock and port/cafe nearby but there were a ton of bees. We had the best hike and wandering here - the end of our hike brought us to a cafe that had delicious local treats. I saw them harvesting rhubard outside and then they had a rhubarb cake inside that I will never forget.

Quality of Experience

Øygarden Kayaking Excursion with Island Lunch

Bergen

Our favorite experience, despite how cold and soaking wet we were when it was over. The guide provides a lot of additional rain and weather gear and we highly recommend taking them up on every single option they give you. YOU WILL BE WET. That being said, had so much fun spotting unique wildlife and the lunch (we had after, not during because of rain) was so delicious and felt like a genuine Norwegian experience.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Self-Guided Bergen Exploration

Bergen

This city felt a lot busier than Oslo but it was really, really neat. We took the Floibannen up to Fløyen and walked down - definitely wouldn't recommend hiking to the top unless you're looking for a really serious challenge. Lots of little views and fun houses on the way down.

Quality of Experience

Fjærlandsfjord Cruise & Bøyabreen Glacier Visit

Balestrand

While we didn't get to the glacier, the museum was really fun and the trip to and from Fjærland was so cool. We stayed on the outside of the boat the entire time. This was also a smaller boat than previous ferries and we loved this experience a lot more.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Self Guided Exploration Balestrand

Balestrand

While gorgeous, there is not a lot going on in this town, and the apple ciderhus was closed while we were there, which I think is one of the main attractions. If you're lucky, the hotel bar will have a bottle of cider available and we highly recommend getting the bottle!!

Quality of Experience

Mathallen Food Court Visit

Oslo

10/10 recommend the cheese shop with champagne!

Quality of Experience

Private City Walk

Oslo

Christina was incredible. We loved getting to spend time with her and her knowledge of the city was wonderful - she even tailored some things to our interests (music)!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Self-Guided Oslo Exploration

Oslo

Love getting lost in a city wandering. We loved this city most!

Quality of Experience

We had a great trip to Paris for adults and kids. The vintage car ride around Paris was great for the adults, the kids didn't find that as exciting. The Lourve and Eiffel tower were great and tickets were easy to use. Versailles tickets were great as well. We had to Uber there as the train was shut down that day so be sure to have a backup plan. My kids especially loved the Evolution museum and zoo. Overall, great trip and planning.

What a great first time trip to Italy! Arianna and storywalking made things very easy for my sister and I. Our driver to and from the airport, Roberto was great! Along with Vincenzo who drove us from Naples to Pompeii ans Sorrento! Both very friendly and their love for their city was palpable. Thank you to Mario, our guide in pompeii. His passion and knowledge allowed my sister and I to experience a ruin 2,000 years old come to life. Andre, our boat tour guide was also a delight. And Tamara our walking food tour buddy new exactly how to fill up my sister and i with endless treats, aperitivos, and digestivos! Hahaha. Pizza making at Francesco's family farm was also a great time where I felt the warmth of an Italian family away from home. Lastly, our hotel accommodations were clean and the staff there were so professional and curteous. Thank you all for all the great, everylasting memories!

Hotel Review

Grand Hotel De La Ville

Sorrento

What an amazing hotel! My sister and i felt comfortable and welcomed the moment we came here. The staff is amazing. Very curteous, professional, and fun. My sister and I were sad to leave, but when we return, we would definitely consider staying here again!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Michele's drinks were the best!! There were so many people there who we enjoyed greeting every morning before starting our daily adventures!

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Sorrento Food Tour & Limoncello Tasting

Italy

Although it was a small gtoup setting, Tamara did a great job in making the experience personalized. She was also such a delightful guide, and we learned so much about the italian culture in the best way possible-- food and drinks!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Pizza School at Agriturismo

Italy

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Amalfi coast boat tour from Sorrento (Amalfi & Positano)

Italy

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

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Pompeii & Vesuvius Wine Experience

Italy

Our tour guide Mario made this whole experience for us. So knowledgeable and passionate about his work. When my parents visit, i would love for him to be their guide as well. The russo family tour was also so much fun! Loved that we didnt feel rushed and was given ample amount of timeto enjoy the view, wine, and food

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Thank you Vincenzo for your time and driving my sister and i around so safely!

Transport

Clemens' group did a great job! They planned the perfect vacation for my family. The hotel selections, private tour guide selections, events, and most importantly, the customer support provided while touring Europe were all outstanding. We were a little nervous about this vacation because it was the first time booking a trip through Kim Kim. The business model of giving a budget upfront with no price itemization made us more than a little uneasy. However, Clemens and his team did such a great job, we were more than satisfied with the trip and appreciated the value they delivered. We always felt they had a genuine interest in providing us with a great experience. I would use them again and again.

Hotel Reviews

Aparthotel Familie Hugenschmidt

Zürich

We loved this place and would easily recommend it to anyone staying in Zurich! The multi-generational family that owns and manages this hotel take such pride in their property and providing an exceptional experience. Truly nice people! The rooms were very nice, modern and clean. The hotel is located on the "gold coast" of lake Zurich, in a family-friendly, upscale neighborhood of Zurich, just a block or two from a great park next to Lake Zurich, where you can swim and just relax and picnic on the grass. It is actually an idyllic setting with families enjoying the park with little need to be concerned about crime, or misbehaving people. It was a very cool experience! The hotel is also located across the street from several great restaurants (Italian, Greek, and Americana) that we loved! An award-winning local cafe is located next to the hotel that was absolutely terrific.

Authenticity & Character

Family that owns hotel are wonderful people.

Location

Perfect location that you can easily jump on the train and quickly get anywhere is Zurich.

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Staudacherhof History & Lifestyle

Garmisch-Partenkirchen

We absolutely love this hotel and can't wait to stay here again, maybe during a ski trip. The hotel was the highlight of our hotel experiences in Europe. Everything about the hotel is great! A bit warm without air conditioning, but the location in town makes opening the windows at night for cool air a great added experience. The spa was great. The service was great. The rooms are all excellent. The staff was very friendly and helpful and made great recommendations for local restaurants. One employee, a previous ski instructor from the U.S., was very helpful with local restaurants, attractions and traffic. We truly can't wait to stay here again! I would give this place 5 stars, but I just never give 5 stars.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Sailer

Innsbruck

Perfect location! The hotel staff was great, helpful and friendly. The restaurant was exceptional, and the breakfast was very good. The rooms were very clean and comfortable. All around, a very nice experience during our stay at this hotel! I would recommend this hotel to everyone.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel am Mirabellplatz Salzburg

Salzburg

Perfect location for our tour plans. The breakfast was very good. The hotel was very clean and provide the unique hotel experience we were looking with a local feel. The staff was very friendly. I already recommended this place to several friends. A great experience and close to all the shops and restaurants.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel NH Collection Wien Zentrum

Wien

Great location for our trip. Very clean and friendly staff. The rooftop breakfast patio has a spectacular view of the city. Breakfast buffet was very good.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Experience Zürich’s Highlights: City Bus Tour & Old Town Walk

Zürich

Our Guide was nice because she helped us add the Chocolate experience to the walking tour. But, she did not seem to know much.

Private Van

Austria

Eagle’s Nest & Original Sound of Music Experience

Salzburg

This was an amazing experience. Andreas was our Guide, and he was exceptional. Very knowledgeable and friendly and dedicated to providing us with a great experience. He was so much fun and provided us with so much history. A great experience!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Day trip - Transfer to Salzburg with private driver guide & tour in Hallstatt

Austria

We feel truly lucky to have had Bern as our Guide. He was awesome! A very knowledgeable and caring Guide, he really worked hard at providing us with a great and customized experience! He connected with everyone in our party. He made the day very fun and exceptional. He went well above and beyond to provide a great day, especially since it was a long day. I wish Bern could have been our Guide for the entire trip.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Viennese Culinary Experience at its best: Schnitzel & Strudel Workshop

Vienna

We have told so many people about Nabiel! He is simply the nicest and most genuine person. My entire family loved him! His cooking class was awesome! The experience was just so unique and was the highlight of our time in Vienna, if not the entire trip! I highly, highly recommend this experience for everyone visiting Vienna!

Quality of Experience

Exploring Schönbrunn Palace

Vienna

Our guide was very good. The palace grounds were in a bit of disrepair, which was a bit of a letdown, but still a good experience.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Highlights of Vienna: Walking Tour

Vienna

Our personal guide was awesome! Very knowledgeable, he provided in-depth history lessons in addition to identify historic building. He was worth every penny.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

We just completed a week Island hop in Croatia and Anna -Maria was our trip specialist. Must admit that her planning and execution when we were not executing was flawless. We made every transfer on time which put us in position to enjoy the activities that she had put together for. us. Misplacing our vouchers for transfer and such Anna Maria was able to send them electronically to us so we could share with either the boat or transfer driver. All of our activities were spot on for what we had hoped for and again give Anna Maria total credit for making our trip one for the lifetime.

Jane planned a fantastic and thorough trip of the highlights of London, Edinburgh, and Ireland. Each city received the perfect amount of time with appropriate rest and active days. Fantastic experience overall!

Activity Review

A Literary Pub Tour of Dublin

Ireland

Fantastic tour! Guides were extremely knowledgeable and talented, so engaging!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Everyone at Sun Pyramids Tour worked to make my trip amazing! My guides Karam, Eslam and Abdu were so knowledgeable and became good friends. Every driver went out of his way to make sure I had everything I needed. Armia and Mohamed accommodated any change and add on while I was in country. The entire experience was fantastic!

We had a wonderful time in Italy. Beginning with our Personal Concierge (Ms. Beatrice Carrafelli), and drivers that made the transportation easy. All of our guides were terrific. We enjoyed Ms. Martina especially with her dedication in explaining Florence. Both the Aleph Rome Hotel and Grand Hotel Villa Cora were great. We love to return someday.
Special thanks to Caterina who prepared our itinerary. Thanks for all your planning.
The Angelastro’s

It was amazing and wonderful. The people were nice and couldn’t do enough for you.

We had such an easy and amazing time exploring a big chunk of Japan! Yas was our guide once we arrived and was very helpful in explaining how to travel while in Japan and Mina was a wonderful local specialist! She always answered all my questions and helped us whenever we needed anything! Would highly recommend this site, especially when traveling to Japan!

Hotel Reviews

Sotetsu Fresa Inn Hiroshima

Hiroshima

Very nice and spacious rooms! Breakfast was amazing as always in Japan. Very clean as well! Very comfortable nights rest!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

THE KANZASHI TOKYO ASAKUSA

Breakfast is amazing! Very nice and helpful staff, and very close to a lot of fun little shops, a temple, and more! Rooms are nice and clean. Very comfortable stay

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

The Royal Park Canvas Kyoto Nijo

Kyoto

Breakfast is buffet style! The rooms are very spacious and clean! Really nice after a long day of being on your feet! Very close to a train station and a 7-11 !

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Ryokan Fukuzumiro

Very nice and amazing staff!! The rooms are very comfortable, and our helper was very attentive to our schedule and needs! The onsen are to DIE for and soooo relaxing! Very nice koi pond inside and an amazing view from the rooms!

Authenticity & Character

Very traditional japanese inn!

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Yaenomidori Tokyo

Chuo City

Staff are very helpful and friendly. Highly recommend the foot bath spa they offer! Very nice rooms, very comfortable! Delicious breakfast too!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Close to the Haneda airport and really close to major shopping districts!

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Airport assistant premium Tokyo HND [8:00 - 20:00]

Tokyo

Very helpful in teaching us how to operate in Japan with our IC cards and explaining a bunch of our itinerary to us!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Pocket wifi 1 day to 1 month

Japan

Very very useful to keep us online for google maps and in case I needed my local assistant! Very easy to use and return as well

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Transportation card IC

Japan

Very convenient and easy to use / recharge.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Welcome to Japan!

Japan

Very fun arrival, learning how everything works! Relaxed arrival to prepare for the busy days ahead!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Hakone Jinja Shrine

Hakone

Very beautiful. Peaceful shrine with a lot of fun things to do right before the shrine as well!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Experience Ryokan

Japan

Amazing experience and very friendly staff. The onsen is very peaceful and relaxing after a long day of exploring. The food is delicious as well and having the view of the river as you sleep is unbeatable.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Kimono Rental + Outdoor photo shooting

Kyoto

Had so much fun taking the pretties photos with a kimono! The photographer is super nice and so is the staff at the kimono rental facility.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Goodbye Japan!

Japan

I was really sad to leave. Make sure you know what terminal your flight is on, to help prevent getting lost (like me) Transport was really simple otherwise.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Visit Tokyo Skytree

Tokyo

Very fun activity! Dinner inside is a bit expensive but a very nice experience. Many souvenir shops, and very amazing views!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

The trip was amazing. The people we encountered as tour guides and drivers and hotel personnel were knowledgeable and friendly and just wonderful. We were very pleased with the entire experience from planning to booking and experiencing the whole trip. A big Thank you to ALL who participated.

Michael organised an incredible itinerary for our first visit to Colombia, with a great mix of history, culture, food and outdoor activities. The planning and organisation from Michael and the Chaska team was seamless and we appreciated how responsive they were from booking/planning to the actual trip. We would highly recommend Michael and Chaska for a visit to Columbia. Thank you for an unforgettable holiday!

Hotel Reviews

Aura Hotel Barú By Sport Barú

Cartagena, Bolivar

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Casa Moraira

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Senda Koguiwa

Santa Marta

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Manila Hotel Boutique

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Viajero Hostel Salento

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Masaya Bogotá

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Boquilla Mangrove Tour

Cartagena

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Local Market Experience: Bazurto Market

Cartagena

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Walking Tour & Street Food

Cartagena

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Hike Tayrona National Park

Colombia

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Tour Peñol & Guatapé

Medellín

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Medellín Transformation Tour (Public Transportation)

Medellín

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Visit Cocora Valley, Coffee Farm & Salento

Salento

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Bogotá Walking Tour

Bogotá

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Leo was very useful, giving us a lot of options throughout the trip

When preparing, he was always receptive to our needs, and during the trip, when we needed his help, he was reactive

This was not our first KimKim trip and would use again

Our mountain guide, Camilo, was exceptional. He made us feel very safe and helped 2 of us summit Cotopaxi. You should use him whenever you get a chance. I can't say enough about how fun, knowledgeable and capable he is. He managed our acclimitization hikes perfectly helped us in so many ways.

I would spend some time refining the "gear list" you recommend. There were things we had at home that didn't show up on the gear list that were required. This resulted in us spending a few hundred dollars rebuying gear we already own.

The surest way to ruin (a) paradise is to advertise it. I’m tempted to keep the secret and hope that nothing changes. However, I will let the cat out of the bag because that is what the residents of San Gerardo de Dota, Costa Rica want. They made a conscious decision to forgo land clearing agriculture and to earn their living by providing high quality eco-tourism experiences.

This family trip was literally thrown together in two weeks and we lucked into a Costa Rica travel agency (Serendipity Adventures) that took care of everything except our flights.

What is paradise? Different people have different preferences but the my family believes in escaping Texas heat in August. But, doesn’t it get hotter further South? Probably but not if you are in the mountains of Central America.

I was looking at the better-known Monteverde cloud forest region NW of San Jose but Serendipity encouraged San Gerardo de Dota which is about the same distance but SE of the capitol.

My only issue was traffic in and around San Jose. We arrived on a Saturday and a 2 ½ hr drive turned into over 4 hours because San Jose was a parking lot and we have to go cross town from the airport. Our driver explained that people can drive on alternating days based on license plate numbers but no restrictions on Saturday when everyone gets in their car and becomes part or a city-wide parking lot. One we cleared the twin cities of San Jose and Cartago we found smooth sailing on the Pan American Hwy. The Pan Am had very fresh smooth asphalt (if I were driving I would want my Porsche). What the two-lane Pan Am lacks is consistent striping, shoulder, guard rails or passing lanes. If you leave the road there are three possibilities: 1) hit a ditch and roll over, 2) hit something hard like a very big tree; or 3) drop 2,000 feet and maybe the forest canopy below might slow your descent. No worries, we were in the care of a local driver. Getting back on a weekday was one hour faster but there were still massive traffic jams in San Jose. Tip, don’t fly on Saturday in or out of San Jose.

The road to San Gerardo de Dota and the Savegre Hotel and Narutal Reserve & Spa departs the Pam Am at 9.800 ft elevation and follows the narrow Savegre river. The resort is 6 miles below at about 7.200 ft, and about a mile above Savegre Falls. The road is about 50% paved and full of hairpin turns,,,but I wasn’t driving. There are about ½ dozen resorts and some Air B&B’s in the valley. Savegre Hotel is the oldest but also very modern, completely equipped i.e. great Wi Fi, Thursday night football in the bar, a spa, guided or self-guided tours through a private reserve, excellent staff, comfortable accommodations and so forth. Very good menu.

Tip. Don’t rent a car. Let a local drive.

You can read the Hotel Savegre backstory several places on the Internet. A condensed version is that the valley was undiscovered until the mid-1950’s. No evidence of prior human occupation. The first settlers cleared land for cattle, then a professor came along and said, why don’t you throw trout into the (fish free) river and Canadians will fly down here to pay to catch them. Later on the locals were encouraged to give up on cattle and take up hospitality. Within 30 years the cleared land regenerated back to forest.

So what is there to do: eat, relax, drink, hike, hike, hike, night hikes and go birding. I have never been a dedicated birder but, I knew where I was going so I bought a new super tele camera for the occasion. That was a good decision.

We spent two days hiking and birding, include a night hike with Raul Chacon who is the best nature guide that I have met and that is saying a lot. Excellent English, extremely well educated and knowledgeable and passionate without being overbearing in the least. He finally admitted that his grandfather and great uncle discovered the valley and established the community and resort. Raul has been finding Quetzals, Motted Owls and 49 varieties of Hummers for his whole life except when he was away at school.

So what to do in 4 ½ days? A couple of hikes above 10,000’ (epiphany, no acclimation issues because there is more oxygen at altitude compared to the Rocky Mountains further north), a hell of a lot of pretty birds to photograph, hikes to waterfalls, a trip to a coffee plantation, the most challenging horseback ride that I have been on, learning all about cloud forests, the local economy and people, and making plans for a return visit to Costa Rica at some point.

Hotel Review

Savegre Hotel Natural Reserve & Spa

Páramo

Given the remote location it exceeded expectations

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Coopedota Coffee Tour

San Gerardo de Dota

Coffee tour was fine but too much travel to and from Hotel Savegre.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Full Day Guided Hike at Hotel Savegre

San Gerardo de Dota

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Night Tour at Hotel Savegre

San Gerardo de Dota

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Highland Bird and Paramo Tour at Hotel Savegre

San Gerardo de Dota

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Private Birdwatching and Natural History at Hotel Savegre

San Gerardo de Dota

Raul Chacon is excellent guide

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport