Kimkim Trip Reviews

The trip to Quebec City was amazing! Starting with the on-time pick up at the airport, by a wonderful gentleman in a very clean SUV and wearing a suit! The hotel was perfect, all the tours staffed by interesting knowledgeable guides, all the transfers were on time. It would have been nice to have 1 or 2 more days! KimKim and Ryan did a wonderful job. Very happy with the service!

Hotel Review

Hôtel Le Germain Québec

Québec City

Great location. Clean, old school and classic.

Authenticity & Character

Location

In the middle of it!

Staff

Didn't interact much with staff - but when we did, they were great.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Review

Historical walking tour of Quebec City

Québec City

Very knowledgeable guide!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

My best friend and I planned a 'boys trip' to Japan with our teenage sons to celebrate both of our 50th birthdays. We have traveled together in the past are accustomed to 'do it yourself' itineraries, however we understood that planning a successful Japan adventure would require professional expertise along with a substantial measure of self-guided research.

We reached out to KimKim and began working with Olivia approximately nine months prior to our travel date, which was needed as we continuously revised and refined the itinerary to ensure that scheduled activities and excursions would not conflict with our own self-guided and planned events. The KimKim text-chat portal was an ideal asynchronous platform for us to communicate as it allowed us to do our research in order to provide Olivia with helpful responses to her questions and recommendations. The messaging system delivers by both text message-notification and email so we never missed Olivia's updates.

Olivia understood our requirement to pack an aggressive itinerary into a relatively short timeline and the results were flawless, and to say we made the most special of lifelong memories would be a gross understatement. One of many highlights of our trip was the excursion to Mt Hiei and Lake Biwa; for which we were surprised when our guide Taku told us that for his many years as a guide he had only done that tour three times in the past. The tour required of participants to capable and enthusiastic of a moderately-exerting day and I think Olivia understood that it was a good fit for our adventure-hungry group. Thank you to Taku for guiding us on that memorable day, and to Moto for memorable and educational days touring the Senso-Ji temple, the Imperial Gardens, Mt Fuji, and the Fujiyoshida Sengen Shrine. Also to all our drivers who were exemplary in their communications; special mention to Mi who took us out from Kyoto to Awaji Island for a self-guided day at the Godzilla museum and Yumebutai gardens and green house - note that the trip to Yumebutai was an add-on by Olivia to ensure that we made the most out of our day since it was a long drive to Awaji Island.

Every single day of our trip was packed with singular highlights and we have Olivia to thank for putting it all together. We relied on her expertise and we were well rewarded for that trust. There was not one communication or logistical issue and Olivia was messaging us daily on our trip with relevant scheduling notes and updates. We can't thank nor recommend her enough to others, and hope to work with her again in the future.

Hotel Reviews

Hotel Vischio Kyoto by GRANVIA

Kyoto

Great centralized location next to Kyoto station. Amazing highly recommended breakfast buffet.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Central Kyoto next to Kyoto station

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Highly recommended breakfast buffet.

the b asakusa

Tokyo

Great location with access to mass transportation and two 7-11s across the street. A Don Quixote is less than a five minute walk away. Nice to start the day in more quiet area of Tokyo. Rooms were small (as expected) but completely functional. Highly recommended hotel breakfast before starting the day.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Access to two 7-11s, a Don Quixote and mass transit. Lots of great nearby dining options.

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Samurai Sword Experience in Kyoto (Family & Kid Friendly)

Kyoto

We got sword training from a 5th generation Samurai. I don't think you can do better than that with anything.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Daikoku Car Meet & JDM Culture Experience

Tokyo

A fun and unique glimpse into car culture in Japan, however we thought the experience would be actually riding in "Fast and the Furious" type cars, but instead we were in a van visiting multiple car meet-up sites -- which actually was still very fun and interesting.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Day Tour to Hiei Mountain & Lake Biwa

Kyoto

A great day visiting a UNESCO World Heritage site followed up by paddle boarding in magical Lake Biwa. The only day we didn't arrive home at the hotel not covered and exhausted by sweat from touring all day.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Thank you Taku for an incredible day!

Transport

Full Day Mt. Fuji with Lake Kawaguchi with Oishi Park

Japan

A full picturesque view of Mt Fuji is only available consistent during winter months. For most of the rest of the year views of the mountain and peak are obscured by cloud cover. We were extremely lucky to see the peak for only a few moments during a brief clearing - and this wasn't even on the 20 minute boat-cruise part of the day. Our guide Moto saved the day with a tour of the spectacular Fujiyoshida Sengen Shrine

Quality of Experience

It's a lot of travel from Tokyo for a 20 minute boat ride on a lake to not see Mt Fuji

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Asakusa Sumo Club: Sumo Show Admission with Chankonabe in Tokyo

Tokyo

Fantastic show. We learned as much as we laughed.

Quality of Experience

Transport

A very short walk from our hotel.

Half Day Imperial Palace East Gardens and Senso-ji Tour

Tokyo

A great introduction to Shintoism and Buddhism in Japan

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Thank you to Moto for an educational experience.

Transport

Emanuela created an excellent itinerary for our 6 days in Iceland. We had an amazing private guide who drove us to all of the sights in Iceland. We felt that we had a great deal of flexibility with our schedule. I would highly recommend Emanuela!

Our Italy trip was an amazing experience from start to finish! Everything was well organized, and the itinerary made traveling between the different cities easy and enjoyable. We were able to experience so much without feeling overwhelmed.

Anita was very helpful throughout the planning process and made sure everything was arranged for us. The accommodations, transportation, tours, and activities all came together smoothly. We especially loved getting to experience the history, culture, beautiful scenery, and the Amalfi Coast.

Overall, there really isn’t much I would change or complain about. It was a wonderful and memorable trip, and I would definitely recommend Kimkim to anyone planning a trip to Italy.

Hotel Reviews

Hotel Tirrenia

Sorrento

Rivoli Boutique Hotel

Florence

Hilton Rome Airport Hotel

Fiumicino

Hotel Monte Cenci

Rome

Activity Reviews

Get Inside the Colosseum with Arena Access

Italy

A Food Lover’s Rome: Campo de’ Fiori, Jewish Ghetto & Trastevere

Rome

Italy -Important Trip Information: Please Review Before Departure

Italy

The Pearl of the Mediterranean: A Day on Capri Island & Anacapri

Italy

Discover the Vatican: From the Museums to the Sistine Chapel

Italy

The Ligurian Excursion: A Full-Day Escape to Cinque Terre

Florence

Sailing the Amalfi Coast: From Sorrento to Amalfi & Positano

Italy

Noga set up the perfect trip for our family. She listened to what we wanted to do and designed a custom experience.

We had often talked about taking a trip to the France’s wine country but never acted on it. The whole idea of planning a self guided 10-day excursion was overwhelming. That’s when we looked into KimKim. It was an excellent choice for us. From the day we first interacted with Caroline and Diliana to dropping off our rental car, both were very attentive to our needs and our interests. Our 6 night stay at Grand Hotel Francais in Bordeaux and 4 nights in Bayeux gave us the opportunity to learn, taste and experience the Bordeaux region as well as the Normandie region.

Myriam was always prompt and pleasant. Stephen/Hans (guide) and Ichung (driver) were also always prompt and pleasant. Unfortunately there seemed to be a real disconnect between the itinerary and guiding arranged with Myrium compared with what actually happened on the trip. Certain activities never happened (e.g. cooking class, becak ride, silk weaving demonstration/discussion, others) even after bringing them to Myriam's attention (e.g Fort museum tour). It's understandable that the itinerary would fluctuate for when things would organically happen (e.g funeral) but communication was really poor from the guide, even after I asked for more details each day so I would know what to prepare, what to wear, etc.

I would have rather had no meals included and paid for myself as the guide left me at the hotel each night and I would have preferred not to eat there for the 4 nights. I understand lunch stops need to be timed and placed strategically but that flexibility would have been nice. As it was, I didn't have three dinners because of some issues and timing.

I have never arranged a private tour previously and expected basics of 1)driving/navigating logistics, 2) hotel arrangements, and 3) proficient English and interactive dialogue about the sites visited. Only the first happened (no driving or navigation issues). There were consistent confusions at one of the hotels, which thankfully were eventually sorted. The biggest disappointment was my guide, who was a very nice man, but spoke limited English and rarely interacted with me. At one point we were lost in a forested area and he had us walk in circles three different times, trying to find a trail. Randomly walking through rice fields is one thing, and through villages, so we can interact with local people, but this seems to be walking just use time? And there was limited to no talking or explanation from the guide so it wasn't really informative or held interest to walk up a busy road with motorbikes flying by.

When we went to the first restaurant, I was handed an Indonesian menu and thought the guide would help me understand what the options were. He did not so I had to use Google translate for the rest of the trip and figure it out myself. I pretty much Googled each point we stopped at so I would know what I was looking at or what to look for at the site when it became quickly clear Steven/Hans would not be giving detail.. Long car rides were spent in silence or with driver & guide chatting. It's not that I expected to be entertained as a solo raveler, but I expected some interaction beyond 'Stop now. Lunch'.

I gave this experience 3 stars because, in the end, I did see the main highlights I wanted to see; however, I'm saddened this trip I entrusted to kimkim was so poorly fulfilled.

First trip with kimkim and we were very impressed. Our trip to Indonesia was very well planned and our Specialist Myriam took great care to make sure that we all of our needs were considered. All of the drivers and local guides kept a consistent level of quality throughout the whole trip, and we able to connect with Myriam and get messages back at all times. Looking forward to the next one.

Bella created a wonderful travel itinerary for us for our August 2026 visit to Tokyo and Kyoto. Before the trip, we provided a list to Bella of our interests and she designed a perfect agenda for us.
Also, the two tour guides Mr. Ryuji Kanie (Toyko) and Mr. Hiroshi Hanada (Kyoto) were terrific guides and made our trip run smoothly for us.
Additionally, the drivers who picked us up at various times at the airport, hotel, and train stations were always on time and very polite.
Overall, Bella and her team made this trip to Japan one full of wonderful memories.
Lastly, Bella created a video for us using photos that our guides took. Almost made me cry seeing the wonderful adventures that we had.
John & Laura Killmer

Hotel Reviews

Mitsui Garden Hotel Kyoto Shijo

Decor of lobby was very colorful and felt like an art gallery. Room was very clean and comfortable. Breakfast buffet was fabulous.

Authenticity & Character

Decor of hotel was very colorful and felt like an Asian art gallery. Hotel also had a public bath that we hadn't experienced before and added to charm of the hotel.

Location

Close to train station and restaurants.

Staff

Staff was very friendly and helpful.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Breakfast buffet in the morning was layed out very well and started the day on a good note.

Shibuya Excel Hotel Tokyu

Tokyo

Modern hotel located in the heart of Tokyo. Great location, nice room and good breakfast buffet.

Authenticity & Character

Clientele was a mixture of various nationalities which made the stay very interesting.

Location

Close to train station and restaurants

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel and restaurant were very clean.

Activity Reviews

Welcome to Kyoto!

Kyoto

We loved the city of Kyoto.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Driver was waiting for us at appointed time and transported us comfortably.

Transport

Arashiyama Hidden Paths & Tea Traditions Experience (Private Guide & Public Transportation)

Kyoto

The Arashiyama Hidden Paths and Tea Experiences also exceeded our expectations. In addition, we toured the private gardens of one of Japan's famous silent film era actor. Walk through the gardens was a special treat.

Quality of Experience

Walk through the silent film star gardens was an unexpected treat. Also, tea ceremony was an enjoyable experience.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Our guide Mr. Hiroshi Hanada made everything run smoothly.

Transport

Kyoto Culinary & Cultural Discovery: Fushimi Inari Walk, Sake Tasting, Nishiki Market & Ramen Making

Kyoto

We found Kyoto to be a city that exceeded our expectations. The activities that we had for this day made for a delightful day in Kyoto.

Quality of Experience

The variety of experiences highlighted the beauty and diversity of Kyoto,

Food

We really enjoyed our hands on Ramen Making Experience and our dinner afterwards.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Our guide Mr. Hiroshi Hanada did a terrific job of leading us to all of our activities.

Transport

Guided Scenic Journey from Tokyo to Mt. Fuji & Lake Yamanaka Cycling Experience, Ending at Mishima Station

Japan

Lake Yamanaka cycling experience was one of our favorite activities., It was so much fun bike riding around Lake Yamanaka and seeing Mt.Fuji.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Our guide, Mr. Ryuji Kanie did a great job of leading us on the bike ride. Additionally, our guide found a small family owned restaurant where we had lunch. We were able to meet the owners and enjoyed an authenic Japanese meal.

Transport

Driver did an outstanding job of transporting us to our various designations.

Tokyo Flavors & Traditions: Sushi Crafting, Old Tokyo & Culinary Treasures（Private Guide & Public Transportation）

Tokyo

Sushi making experience was a highlight.We also enjoyed touring the Asakusa District, particularly entering through the vibrant Kaminarimon Gate.

Quality of Experience

Food

We really enjoyed eated the sushi that we prepared during our sushi making class. Great instructors.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Our tour guide Mr. Ryuji Kanie did an excellent job of describing the sights and allowed us to enjoy the attractions at our pace.

Transport

All points of transporation were on time.

We had a great experience on our trip to Italy organized by KimKim. Alex create an awesome itinerary, allowing our family with two kids to find a bit of a balance that allowed the kids to have fun on a scavenger hunt, and making (and of course, eating) gelato, while allowing the parents an opportunity to soak in the history and culture (museum/churches/etc.). Giovanni, our guide for the Colosseum and Roman Forum, was a stand out - he was personable and highly engaging, with lots of funny and exciting stories, providing lots of historical, cultural and personal snippets that were delightful, making the tour continuously interesting. I thought the choice of the time of the tours were mostly right (early morning), although we had to make a request to shift one tour to an earlier time to avoid the hot afternoon. We had a great transfer to the airport in Florence, but wished that the one from the airport in Rome was a bit more personable (and on-time).

Everything went smoothly - all organized accommodation, transfers, and activities happened on time without a hitch. Overall, a wonderful adventure that hit the right spot for the family.

Aleksandra plotted out a wonderful collection of experiences for me. I finally got to the castle in Edinburgh and saw the Kelpis in Falkirk. I took delightful tours of the Scottish countryside and even got up to the Isle of Skye. I now also have a totally different and positive view of Glasgow, thanks to my informative and friendly guide. The main purpose of the trip was to see my "pen-pal" Ray, since she has not been in the best of health, but I am glad to say that she and her husband were able to spend the day with me. It is hard to believe that we have been in contact for over 60 years!

We had a very good trip! Thanks, Julia and team for putting it together and making sure it all ran smoothly. When we needed to change rooms to ensure we had two beds, the team was very responsive. Appreciate it!

Maryem was amazing!
We booked with only 10 days lead time and her responsiveness to us to get the perfect itinerary in 2 days was exceptional!

Hotel Reviews

Casablanca Marriott Hotel

Casablanca

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Dar Lys - Luxury Riad & Spa

Fes

Great location Wish it was more unique of a stay not so like a hotel

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Luxury Oasis Camp Merzouga

Taouz

Food was not good Staff were nice but accommodations were just okay not really luxury at all

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Eden Boutique Hotel

Boumalne Dades

Too pick!!!!! Would travel back just to stay here!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

La Maison Arabe Hotel

Marrakech

Amazing accommodations! Great food and fantastic staff.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Fes walking guided tour : No drive

Fes

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Marrakech – Telouet – Ait Benhaddou – Skoura/ Dades Gorge ( 5/6 Hour Drive)

Morocco

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Walking tour of Marrakech

Marrakesh

Fantastic!

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

We loved our Icelandic tour that Adam from KimKim designed. Everything worked well and Adam worked hard to create a schedule to our tastes. We liked that he included several routes off the Route One Ring Road. Each day there were many suggested stops that we would pick from. All the hotels worked perfectly and were very nice.

Adam was always available to answer our questions throughout the planning process and a bit through the beginning of the tour as we had a delay with our travel plans. We thought KimKim delivered high end service and was perfect for us.

In numerous ways, the logistics and planning for this trip were poor. From considering travel times for our family with young children, to fiascos with booking almost causing us to miss our flight, it did not feel like a smooth trip.

The day trips planned for us were excellent though. The hotels were great too.

The trip planned with KimKim was exactly as I had hoped. The events and tours you recommended were great. the food was very good. The hotels were very good with one exception. The Hyde Hotel in Galway presented a challenge. It was rectified by the hotel staff. I want to explain it to you for future reference.

The 1xTwin Bed Room was less than adequate. There were no windows in the room. There was only a skylight. There was no escape route from this room if a fire occurred near or outside our door. The hotel management explained that fire laws were not the same as they are in the US. After a bit of a discussion, they did change our room to one with windows. If KimKim uses this hotel in the future I would make certain that your clients are not assigned this room.

Overall, I will certainly give KimKim 5 stars and recommend you to others.

Hotel Reviews

The Central House Hotel

Clifden

Self-check-in was easy. The owner's daughter was there to greet us.

Authenticity & Character

Only complaint was no air conditioning. Fans were provided but our room did not have one. I went to the local hardware store and bought one. The room size for two was pretty small.

Location

Right in the center of Clifton.

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

The Hyde Hotel

Galway

Authenticity & Character

See notes at bringing of survey.

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Randles Hotel Killarney

Co. Kerry

Authenticity & Character

Food was great

Location

Within walking distance to downtown

Staff

Very accommodating

Cleanliness & Comfort

The Old Bank Townhouse (Blue Haven Hotel Kinsale)

Kinsale

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Ashling Hotel Dublin

Dublin

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Rock of Cashel

Ireland

Had to miss this event.

Cliffs of Moher Visitor Center tickets

Ireland

WOW! This place is amazing. It was more beautiful than expected.

Quality of Experience

Weather was perfect. The hike can be a challenge for some but rides were offered.

Transport

Easy parking. Not too far from the Cliffs. Only concern would be for people who need assistance or may not be able to walk disctances.

Kylemore Abbey

Ireland

Beautiful grounds and castle.

Quality of Experience

Connemara Sheepdog Demonstration

Ireland

Loved it.

Quality of Experience

We caught this tour about a week before the end of the tour season. Very lucky for us.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Walked to the field where the dog herded the sheep. Great time

Kinsale Private Walking Food Tour

Ireland

This was a highlight of the trip. Our tour guide Adrian was great.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Vetry knowledgeable and fun.

Transport

Walking tour through streets of Kinsale.

Entry into the Emigration Museum EPIC

Dublin

We had to miss it.

Hilda did a wonderful job with planning our trip to Peru. Our experience was seamless and safe, we had a guide and a driver with us along with us to every attraction. I would highly recommend

Our trip was amazing. Switzerland was beautiful. I'm so happy that all of the travel connections went so smoothly. The bike trip around Lake Constance was perfect. It was hot but we got to cooldown with dips in the Lake. Joel was always very responsive with answering questions. He gets 5 stars.
Nathalie was inconsiderate of our needs and was condescending. There were a couple of glitches in scheduling. I realize that we started with another specialist and then Nathalie took over but apparently she didn't read the previous emails. We had requested a massage after the bike ride. A spa package was booked but it didn't include a massage. They didn't have anyone available to even add it on. This was a specific request that was ignored. It was disappointing to get to this beautiful spa expecting a service that we didn't get. Next was the issue with the farm tour in Interlaken. A cheese tour was included. Nathalie came back and said it was unavailable after the trip was booked. She said she would substitute the farm tour at no additional charge. I had told her to go ahead with it. She was on vacation and Joel or someone else, not sure, responded and said they could book it for additional charge. I went ahead and paid because I forgot that Nathalie said it would be upgraded at no additional charge. I asked Nathalie about the refund but got no where with her. In addition, the farm tour wasn't what was advertised. There was no woodscraftman or chocolate sampling.

Hotel Reviews

Hotel Adler Zürich

Zürich

Easy walk from train station

Alpenblick hotel

Zermatt

Hotel Beausite

Interlaken

Too far from train station with luggage

Hotel Ambassador - De la Paix

Luzern

Easy wak from train station and good location

Ibis Konstanz

Konstanz

It was too far from the train station to walk with luggage but neighbors was good and close to a nice restaurant .

Sorell Hotel Rütli

Zürich

Convenient to train station

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Review

Chocolate workshop in Interlaken!

Switzerland

Fun experience

The only reason I'm giving this two stars is because our pickup and transfers were without issue and the hotel properties were fine. The trip was amazing, but no thanks to Kim Kim or the local provider. It was amazing because we spent every evening researching and figuring out what we were going to do the next day. The provider knew we had a rental car but made no provisions to check with every one of our hotels to make sure that they had parking. When we asked them to do that, they checked the hotel for the following evening, and we never heard about that again. We had one day in Zaragoza, which was actually the day most of the locations we wanted to visit were closed, so it would have been nice to have a heads up on that. We landed in Bilbao during a national holiday. Also would have been nice to know about that. We also arrived in San Sebastian during the City Festival. Didn't know about that either.
On one of our wine tasting trips, we were supposed to get transfers to and from. Two days before, the wine trip the company informed us that we were too far away and they couldn't pick us up.
We eventually reached out to Kimkim itself to report some of the issues. We didn't get back anything that was helpful at all and never heard from them again.
Kim Kim has booked a number of trips for us that have all been essentially flawless. This was not one of those trips.

Activity Review

A Basque Country Excursion: Jaizkibel Hike, Txakoli Winery & Hondarribia

San Sebastián

Jaime was amazing sharing with us the local culture and the amazing Basque region.

Quality of Experience

Jaime

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Jaime

Transport

Jaime

My overall experience with Kimkim was very good. My specialist was Emilie and she made all my wishes to happen within my budget. All the services that she booked for my family and I worked out smoothly, and the communication was good. The only problem was one of the hotels that she booked, it was a bad one called Kaliope in Lavandou. It was clear to me that she didn’t have any better understanding of that place than I had looking at their website. They should have a better way to get someone local to visit the places before booking it to their clients. Luckily it was just a brief part of a much bigger trip.