Kimkim Trip Reviews

Not Sure of our guides names. We had a food tour guide in Rome was great very good. He gave us lots of information about the area and the food. Our guide in Florence was excellent. We spent 2 days in Tuscany with him. Our food tour in Venice guide made the tour all about us. We asked a few questions and she gave us the food that answers in food. `

Hotel Reviews

Ca' Nigra Lagoon Resort

Venice

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Cellini

Rome

The location to the subway was great. Felt the building was a little run down.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Very informative

Cleanliness & Comfort

Palazzo Marziale Boutique Hotel Sorrento

Sorrento

Great room, great staff, great breakfast.

Authenticity & Character

Location

We loved the location could see out to the water

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

The room was very comfortable

Hotel Alba Palace Florence

Florence

Would not recommend this hotel to anyone. The room was extremely small with an even smaller bathroom. Our room faced the street and we were woken up every night to shouting in the street. The only friendly staff member was the girl in the breakfast room.

Authenticity & Character

Location

It was close to the train that was great. The noise on the street was very loud

Staff

Could be friendlier

Cleanliness & Comfort

Larger rooms

Activity Reviews

Venice Gondola Ride

Venice

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

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Venice Food Tour

Venice

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Our guide was fantastic!

Val D’Orcia & Brunello Wine Tour with Lunch and Two Wine Tastings

Italy

We had our same driver from 2 days before. His knowledge of the area and history was great.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Best of Florence and David by Michelangelo | Small Group

Florence

We enjoyed our guide and tour. A couple of people on the tour kept walking off. Made it hard on our guide and everyone else on the tour.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Tuscany Day Trip to Siena & San Gimignano | Lunch & Wine Tasting Included

Florence

We loved our driver. He had so much knowledge of the area.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

The Secrets of Neapolitan Pizza with Olive Oil & Mozzarella Tasting

Sorrento

We had so much fun!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Full-Day Private Tour of Pompeii and Mt. Vesuvius, with Lunch at a Winery at the Foot of the Volcano

Italy

We truly enjoyed our day.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Flavors of Rome | Food Tour with a Local Foodie

Rome

We really liked our guide. He gave us lots of information.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Self Guided Visit to the Colosseum & Roman Forum | Skip-the-Line Tickets

Rome

We had a little trouble finding where to meet for tour

Quality of Experience

We recently undertook the trip of a lifetime to the Golden Triangle of India and the team from Active India were amazing from pre-planing through to our send off in Delhi - we could not have asked for a better partner. Our driver got us from city to city safely (a miracle in itself!) and all of the local guides were full of local insights and very knowledgeable. We have no hesitation in recommending Active India to you.

We had an excellent experience with Active India. The overall tour was well priced and we had plenty of input into how things were organised when we were in the planning stages.

We enjoyed our itinerary every day and the hotels selected were all pretty good. The restaurants selected for our lunches while travelling were all very enjoyable too.

We had a lovely comfortable minibus for the four of us. It was spacious and comfortable and the air conditioning was very effective. The driver (Vinod) kept the minibus spotless inside and out and he was an absolute gentleman. We honestly felt sad saying goodbye to him at the end of our two weeks.

In fact, the drivers and guides were all friendly and helpful throughout and the whole tour went seamlessly from beginning to end.

We were especially grateful to Aman who met us at the beginning and end of our tour. He was so kind to our friends when they got separated from us at Delhi Airport and he struck us as someone who goes over and above what is expected of him.

We will definitely be recommending this company to others.

Our guide for the Sintra hike was spectacular! He went above and beyond to educate us on the history, to customize the day to what we wanted, and took pictures for us.
Anytime we needed to contact our support team, we revived timely responses that solved the issue. Having the app with the itinerary was also very handy. We had the best week :)

Activity Review

Sintra Heritage Hike: Hidden Secrets

Portugal

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Our guide went above and beyond to ensure we enjoyed the day!

Transport

My family and I had an incredible 9-day trip introducing us to Peru -- what an amazing time. We spent several nights in Lima with a focus on food -- we did a street food tour, a cooking class and an evening dinner at the Larco museum. Then we moved onto the Sacred Valley and Cuzco, where we toured the magnificent sites [including Ollantaytambo, Machu Picchu and Moray] and went to a small village where we were hosted by the villagers. We had several guides in Lima [David, Andy and Aura] and one guide [Miguel] during the second part of the trip -- all were very personable and very good -- incredibly knowledgable about Peruvian history and culture and it was a pleasure being with them. We spent 4 days with Miguel and he led us seamlessly. He was a complete wealth of knowledge about the area and was fantastic to deal with. After the trip ended, we all realized that we had a special experience.

Hotel Reviews

Terra Andina Mansion Colonial

Cusco

In a good location -- the facility is nice enough although we had to switch both rooms when the first ones were unacceptable. The staff however was very accommodating with our requests and the replacement rooms were nice. Check out time is 10 am which I find to be fairly early [they did extend us to 11 am but no longer]

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

La Casona de Yucay

Cusco

Beautiful charming facility -- wish we had spent more time there.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Aloft Lima Miraflores, a Marriott Hotel

Lima

Modern good-sized rooms and very well located.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Sacsayhuaman & Cusco Guided

Cusco

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Full Day Machu Picchu Exploration

Peru

A full day experience that was managed by our guide seamlessly -- the Vistadome train was so beautiful and there was a special bus I think for guided tours that simplified the process getting to the site. The site itself of course is spectacular.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Misminay Community, lunch and hike to Moray

Sacred Valley

We were shown local customs and crafts and were served lunch. A very informative look into local life.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Morning Visit to Ollantaytambo

Peru

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Pisac Archaeological Site

Peru

A very special place -- beautiful.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Hands on Cooking Class at a Chef's house

Lima

We made three traditional Peruvian dishes -- ceviche, causa and a Pisco sour and really enjoyed the experience. The staff in the restaurant and the guide were really great.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Archaeological Complexes and Larco Museum by night with dinner

Lima

We loved this experience -- our guide was very good and the museum and dinner were lovely. My only suggestion was we needed more time to fully enjoy the dinner and wound up extending the time.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Urban food tour at Lima Historical Center

Lima

A very comprehensive walk around the central district. The desserts sampled were the highlight of the tour. Our guide was great.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Good trip. Could have been better if the guide was able to share info about what we were seeing, customers and culture. But he was likable and between him and the driver was able to get us to most of the places we were to go to.

Matt was helpful and knowledgable. We followed his recommendations and were glad we did! There was one misalignment with what the itinerary said we were getting and what was actually provided - the snorkling day said the following:

"Today we will eat breakfast and then we will go ahead to the Ragamuffin office (Tour operator for snorkeling). They will be in charge to lead you for the rest of the day. The tour will start at the dock, where you will be able to see sharks on the shore that get fed by fish, in the meantime, you will be waiting for your boat to start the adventure on the beach. We will go for 1 hour deep into the beach to try at first our gear for snorkeling and then we will deeper into the coral reef to see the wonders Belize has to offer in tourism. The guides on board will take care of you and will make you pass a great time on the beach with snacks, lunch, and some alcoholic drinks or without. This will be a full-day tour."

However, the tour was a half day group tour with a total of 11 participants and lunch and drinks were not included.

Hotel Reviews

La Isla Resort

Cayo District, Belize

The room was large, with 2 beds. Clean and comfortable.

Authenticity & Character

Location

In the heart of Caye Caulker.

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Tikal Inn

The room was large, with two double beds. The restaurant had a well developed menu and the location - in the national park - was awesome.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Inside the park - wonderful.

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Mayan Mountain Lodge

San Ignacio

The hotel was clean and the property was gorgeous. We enjoyed having our own bungalow. However, the bed was small and the interior was a bit underwhelming.

Authenticity & Character

Property is gorgeous.

Location

A short walk to town, but not in town. Perfect.

Staff

Friendly and very helpful.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Small bed, but loved having our own bungalow.

Activity Reviews

Snorkelling day tour at Caye Caulker

Caye Caulker

We enjoyed the snorkelling. The trip include coral reefs, nurse sharks, sting rays and tarpons. We thought the half day was an appropriate amount of time to spend doing the activity. However, our itinerary said the tour would be a private full day event, including snacks, lunch, and some alcoholic drinks or without. This. was not the case. There were 11 participants, which was crowded and congested at times.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Cave tubing tour

Belize

The tubing was relaxing. Passing through the cave system in an inner tube was enjoyable. The cave portion of the tour was surreal.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Sunrise Tour of Tikal National Park

Guatemala

We really appreciated visiting Tikal at 4:00 am. There was almost no one in the park. The sunrise on the day we were there didn't amount to much, but it didn't matter. We were at the site for 5.5 h - all of this was fascinating.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Tour Yaxhá Maya Ruins

Guatemala

The boat and tour of Yaxhá Maya Ruins was interesting, providing a enriching undersyanding of Mayan civilization.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Transfer from San Ignacio to Tikal National Park

Belize

The transfer included a tour if Yaxhá Maya Ruins, which worked really well. The day was well designed.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Actun Tunichil Muknal (ATM) caves day tour

Belize

We love this activity. It was physically demanding and really worth the work!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

I have nothing but praise for Kim-Kim and the arrangements that they made for our trip. So many fantastic tours and delightful places to stay! I particularly enjoyed the in-person encounters with the wildlife like petting koalas, kangaroos and wallabies and feeding tropical birds. It was the trip of a lifetime.

Hotel Reviews

Vibe Hotel Sydney

Sydney

Our stay at the Vibe Hotel in Sydney had some drawbacks. The hotel's computer system went down, so we couldn't get a key and had to be escorted to our room every time. Although the room I got was a bit bigger and fine, my sister and brother-in-law were cramped in their regular-sized room. Additionally, the street the hotel was on seemed a bit rundown compared to most of Australia and New Zealand, which surprised me. Nevertheless, the location was convenient for visiting Chinatown.

Peppers Beacon Queenstown

Queenstown

I particularly liked the place we stayed in Queenstown. It was a nice apartment with lots of room and very convenient with a washer and dryer. It felt very spacious and contributed to a pleasant experience in Queenstown.

Activity Review

Oceania Tours and Safaris - Phillip Island and Moonlit Sanctuary Tour + Penguins Plus Viewing

Melbourne

The Phillip Island and Moonlit Sanctuary Tour, including the Penguins Plus Viewing, was a standout experience for me. The penguins were so cute and it was a truly memorable experience. Despite not being able to take pictures, it left a lasting impression on me.

Our trip to Thailand was amazing!! It was so nice to have a trip customized to our wants & needs with everything taken care of! The itinerary, hotels, transfers, guides, tours, etc were better than expected! We highly recommend Tina & KimKim Travel !!

We very much enjoyed our Jordan trip. Firas, our driver and guide was a pleasure to talk to and he knew the country very well.

Hotel Review

Hasan Zawaideh Camp

Wadi Rum

Hotel was okay. Martian tents were basic but acceptable. The bedding was old. It rained the night we were there and the water ran down the inside of the doors and tent. The food prepared was not the best. It seemed some of the food was left over from the day before.

Authenticity & Character

It was just okay. Could have been in Arizona and you wouldn’t know the difference.

Location

It was not remote enough. It was among many other camps.

Staff

Not really interacted.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Old bedding. Shower was working but not draining.

Activity Reviews

Dead Sea Entrance and Swimming

Jordan

Access to the Dead Sea is from the hotel “O” and it was terrible. Steps were rusty and dangerous. The hotel felt abandoned right out of a zombie movie scene. The showers were barely working and you had to “rent” towels.

Quality of Experience

Terrible hotel

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Wadi Rum (2-3 Hrs Jeep ride)

Jordan

The drive in the desert was a lot of fun. My family enjoyed this the most.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Full Day Petra (With Site local Guide or private guide)

Petra

Local guide (forgot name) was knowledgeable and friendly. We really enjoyed this

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Meet & Assist - Queen Alia Airport

Jordan

Very easy. Waited in the immigration official but the guide made it smoth

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

I can't mention specific guides by names because they were only listed on the Trip Plans app which apparently deletes the trip after our return. That's unfortunate--I really found this app so helpful while we were traveling--very easy and clear organization, easy to locate tickets, maps to hotels, suggestions, etc.

Marta did an amazing job of planning the trip taking into account our preferences! She was quick to respond, answered all of our questions, and provided good advice. The hotels were all terrific and had wonderful locations. When one of our trains was cancelled, we were promptly notified and rebooked seamlessly--much appreciated!

The private guides that were arranged were all wonderful--prompt, knowledgeable, engaging, and passionate about their cities. The only one that was disappointing was the Seville tour which was supposed to be a small tour of 8 and was a tour group of 25. It also just covered the Cathedral and the Alcazar, not allowing for seeing much else of Seville.

One suggestion--it might be helpful in arranging tours to consider if participants are 65+. While we were waiting in a very long line at the Reina Sofia Museum with our tickets in hand, we learned that for people 65+, you could skip the line and get admitted for free!

Overall, the services provided by KimKim were terrific! Thank you so much!

Our car rental experience in Auckland was not memorable. The car reserved for us was a Subaru Outback, not an SUV, and it was not clear that the hotel parking charges were not included. The itinerary was long and winding, repetitive, and confusing. A simple daily summary with details about other attractions in the appendix would have served better. The font size was too small. Most accommodations were reasonable except Rotarua. Overall, it was a good trip.

Hotel Reviews

The Mayfair

Christchurch

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Distinction Dunedin Hotel

Dunedin

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Kamana Lakehouse

Queenstown

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

front desk needs training in politeness

Cleanliness & Comfort

Peppers Bluewater Resort

Lake Tekapo

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Sudima

Christchurch

small rooms. Parking is additional. Good breakfast

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Sudima Lake Rotorua

Rotorua

avoid

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Yellow-eyed penguins

Dunedin

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Larnach Castle Tour - unguided

Dunedin

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Fly Cruise Fly – Queenstown to Milford Sound by scenic flight

Queenstown (NZ)

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Historic Steamship Cruise to Walter Peak Farm + BBQ Dinner

Queenstown (NZ)

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Scenic Flight - Mt Cook Franz and Fox Magic - by heli from Tekapo

New Zealand

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Christchurch Tramway Tour

Christchurch

advance tram map would have been helpful

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Te Pā Tū - Maori Cultural Experience

Rotorua

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

My family and I had an AMAZING trip largely thanks to Mohammed, Mustafa Abd Elhameed, and Ahmed Mohsen. Mohammed and Aya helped plan and book our dream itinerary while Mustafa and Ahmed were the welcome team who helped guide us through out the week in Cairo. Then when transferring to Luxor Adel El Shafey was the perfect guide and very knowledgeable. When a few of us fell sick towards the end of the trip everyone made sure we had medicine and checked in on our. Egypt truly felt like home thanks to these amazing group of people. My family and I will definitely be booking more trips through KimKim!

From San José, we went to Tortuguero, Pachira Lodge and Fernando as our guide, it was not a small groupe (49 pax) but it was well organised.
We had rented a mini van and it was great, even if the roads are not so good. We had fun. We drove to Arenal at the Lavas Tacotel with an amazing view of the volcano, We watch the birds early in the morning with Ronald, it was spectacular.
We drove to Monteverde and discovered the coffee, cacao and cane sugar. We spent a wonderfull day in Salvatura parc with ziplines, bridges and annimals. We drove to Manuel Antonio, and enjoyed the beach and the national park, which was fantastic.
People were kind, activities were great, accomodations were good.
We enjoyed our trip a lot.

We cant say enough about our trip!
JFK to Vietnam through Tokyo
Spent time in Ho Chi Minh, Da Nang, Hanoi, and of course Ha Long Bay
I could knit pick a few things if i insisted but thats true of anywhere in the world
Vietnam may have been the best trip ive ever done, the place is seriously wonderful

We had a lot of diverse activities and got to explore beautiful locations in Finland. We made lots of memories and were lucky to see a bit of the northern lights even though weather conditions were not ideal.

Hotel Reviews

Levin Iglut Glass Igloos

Kitilä

The Northern Lights House was not to our liking. The pictures sent were of the igloos so it seemed a little misleading. The decor on the house in one suite is gold and very out there. The showers for the second room are not very private. We were not satisfied with this option.

Authenticity & Character

Very out there decoration, lights on the ceiling, gold chandeleirs, hand painted ceiling. Just very tacky.

Location

Staff

Particularly one staff that was there for the afternoons was very moody and unpleasant.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Found hair in the bathroom when I first came into the shower.

Glass resort

Rovaniemi

Absolutely wonderful. Great location and amazing amenities in the lodge.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Private Northern Lights Hunting

Rovaniemi

Poor light show because of weather conditions.

Private Levi Fell Snowmobile Adventure

Levi

Such an amazing ride over 35km on flat grounds. Super fun.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Private Northern Lights Photography Tour

Finland

Riisitunturi Private Photography Expedition

Rovaniemi

SUCH A BEAUTIFUL LOCATION. Hard to describe in words. The 2h drive is a bit tiring. Would have been good to have had more information regarding the long drive, but it was worth it.

Quality of Experience

Food

Very nice to have a sausage and cook it in a campfire in the middle of the tour.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Reindeer Herder Day Experience

Rovaniemi

Informative tour, but a bit of a long drive. Wonder if there wer herding experiences that were a bit closer.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Private Husky Farm Visit and Safari

Rovaniemi

Absolutely AMAZING! Just very memorable, beautiful backdrop nad super coool to self-drive.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Hello Alavaro

First of all, many thanks for the recommendations on the itinerary to Quito/Galapagos.
I would like to share my feedback with you.

What went well
1. Good planning prior to the event with Alvaro via chat online and WhatsApp,
2. Good choices of hotel throughout my stay. The room in Isabela has defective AC and the hotel changed my room immediately,
3. Mr Julio on Isla Bella provided his contact details share some local recommendations on my free time,

Not so well
1. The hiking to Sierra Negra supposed to be a small group but it has more than 20pax on the hiking group,
2. A lot of the activities was marked as small group, but it seems the local guides in Galapagos tends to consolidate their trips into larger groups to share resources,
3. I paid for my own lunch on the Quito Local Street Food Adventure. The guide is helpful, but I don’t think he has the experience for a food tour. He does not have a fixed itinerary and seems to be planning “on the go”. My last foodie tour in Peru was great, where the guide has a fixed itinerary of the various food for us to try.

Even better if
1. I took a later flight to GPS and missed the tree planting activity. It would be better to remind the next traveler, so they book an earlier flight to GPS,

All in all, it was a good trip but it was not as exclusive as my previous Peru trip with KimKim.

Hotel Reviews

Hotel La Laguna Galapagos

Puerto Villamil

I did not stay in this hotel. It was changed from my original itinerary

Mainao

Puerto Ayora

good location and nice room

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Las Plazas

Quito

Good location but the room is small with no window

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Local Street Food Adventure in Quito

Quito

I paid for my own lunch on the Quito Local Street Food Adventure. The guide is helpful, but I don’t think he has the experience for a food tour. He does not have a fixed itinerary and seems to be planning “on the go”.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Welcome Back to Quito

Galapagos Islands

Experience the Pristine Beauty of Galápagos Islands: Discovering an Uninhabited Island

Puerto Ayora

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Good to see Candy again

Transport

The boat was clean and spacious for a large group

Discover the Wonders of Tintoreras Islet: A Journey into Breathtaking Biodiversity

Puerto Villamil

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Hiking the Sierra Negra Volcano

Galapagos Islands

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

I assumed small group means less than 5 pax, but it was a large hiking group

Transport

Wildlife Encounter at Los Tuneles (Cabo Rosa)

Galapagos Islands

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Exploring the Underwater World: Diving Day in Santa Cruz

Galapagos Islands

Seems there were some miscommunication between Kim2 and the local dive company but Alvaro and Veronica sorted it out. It would be better to provide a local contact number for me so I can sort things out locally.

Quality of Experience

Poor water visibilty and did not see much

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Dive Master should pay more attention on the dive group and make sure everyone is around him. Rather than swimming ahead and leaving everyone behind

Transport

Welcome to Santa Cruz Island: Highlands (Plant a Tree) & Charles Darwin Research Station

Puerto Ayora

I took a later flight to GPS and missed the tree planting activity. It would be better to remind the next traveler, so they book an earlier flight to GPS,

Quality of Experience

Food

good introduction to the local Galapagos food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Candy was great guide

Transport

I had spent a few years researching New Zealand and had gathered a lot of information. Early last year I began gleaning through it all in an effort to create an itinerary that included hikes/fishing/golf, sites we'd enjoy, and cultural experiences that would fit into about 3 weeks. Suffice it to say I got over-whelmed and it all got into a log-jam. I'd gone to Kimkim for help with an Iceland and Faroe Islands trip, so I reached out to them again. This was exactly what I needed to fix the jam-up! Our primary rep was Paula. She reviewed all I'd come up with, and then worked along side me to pull together what worked best to accomplish our trip. When all was finalized, we were sent a complete trip folder, and were advised of our New Zealand in-country contact. Everything we needed was there - very reassuring. The trip went well, and when we had a specific question about one of the rental cars, our in-country person was very helpful. Very pleased with the service Kimkim provided, once again. Greatly appreciated Paula!

Activity Review

Half Day Kahukiwi Experience

Rotorua

Spent half a day with the son of one of the Maori tribes chief. He shared many aspects of his culture, including historical information as well as current information. This included taking us to one of his tribe's Wharenui and then teaching us what this for. We had many questions, and he took time to answer each. Near the end of our time together, he made a "tea time" for us at a small tea house he had built on his family's land - it was on top of a hill, and the view was beautiful. When I explained to Paula what type of cultural experience we wanted, she suggested this, and it was perfect.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Kimkim planned a wonderful vacation for us and worked through a local company Serendipity that was great. They were friendly and responsive throughout the planning process. During our vacation I felt they went above and beyond multiple times to make sure we had a great vacation. For example, we got the time for one of our tours wrong and missed our pickup. Serendipity contacted us to let us know and communicated with the tour company to make sure we could still make it to our sunset sailing tour (which we did). They made traveling to a country we had never been to before feel easy with minimal effort on our part. The selection of tours and accommodations was really great. Overall we had a really good vacation that enabled us to relax and not worry about things going wrong or choosing less good experiences.

Hotel Reviews

Karahé Beach Hotel

Manuel Antonio

Hotel room smelled very musty the entire time, was missing basics like a coffee machine/tea and phone, and no outlets by the bed. The breakfast was good quality though minimal compared to some other stays. The overall best feature was location beach side, and the private beach seating with shade cover - this part was 5/5 in addition to very nice and accommodating staff.

Monteverde Country Lodge

Monteverde

Good breakfast and nice touch to have welcome beverages. Cleaning staff were a little pushy. Clean and comfortable. Missing outlets near the bed. Portable air conditioner required regular emptying (roughly every 8hr) to be used.

Authenticity & Character

Very beautiful landscaping

Location

Very close by to town and there is a sidewalk if wanted to walk though distance to main centre a bit far for that.

Staff

Cleaning staff attempted to come in to clean while we were about ti shower and were rather pushy about it. They didn't return later in day though that might have been a misunderstanding due to language barrier.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Cleanliness was great, but we were missing outlets near the bed, had to frequently empty the portable air conditioner, and also had a table right outside our shower where people could be listening/watching (there was a bit of a cover for the window but can see someone's outline of their head if it is dark out with lights on inside and they are tall.

Lomas del Volcán

Fortuna

Great breakfast. Fun having individual bungalows. Amazing heated pool!! Helpful staff. Great to have outlets near the bed on both sides.

Authenticity & Character

Location

A bit far away for walking into town but meant it was great view. And with a car not a big deal.

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hampton by Hilton San José Airport

Alajuela

Excellent option to be nearby the airport. The 24/7 shuttle was super convenient as was the option to pick up and drop off the car rental.

Authenticity & Character

Pretty standard hotel

Location

Good for early/late airport transfers

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Useful to have snack/fast grocery in hotel and outlets near bed

Activity Reviews

Manuel Antonio National Park Guided Nature Hike

Manuel Antonio

Ended up with private tour! Our guide was truly excellent in terms of knowledge, having a great monocular, and taking super pictures on our phones through it. Also by far the experience with most wildlife seen which was very cool.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Sunset Sailing Cruise on the Brisa Elegante

Costa Rica

Fun experience, cool ship, really awesome to get to swim in the amazing water, sunset views were amazing, food was excellent, crew was very nice. On the whole it was great! Only downside was not enough seating in shade.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve Guided Hike

Monteverde

We ended up having a private guided tour which was awesome. Our guide Chris was super knowledgeable especially about birds and plants which was great! We got to see some neat wildlife and plants. It was an odd time because there were no clouds but that couldn't be helped!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

When we arrived we needed to pay extra for parking and it took a while for the staff to find our reservation.

Coffee, Chocolate and Sugar Cane Farm Tour

Arenal/La Fortuna

Our experience and guide was excellent! Cesar was funny and very knowledgeable. We had a great time learning about the coffee, sugar and chocolate production process and tasting along the way. Clever set up with stations throughout the property.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

EcoTermales Hot Springs & Meal

Costa Rica

Overall very nice and relaxing pools with excellent food. Had a good experience on the whole. There was a different expectation issue where we were told we could enter at any time after 5pm by the tour company but when we arrived at 530 we were told we had to wait until 6, at which point we had to first eat dinner then could go to the pools.

Quality of Experience

Food

Arenal Volcano & 1968 Reserve Guided Hike

Arenal/La Fortuna

This was a nice walk where we got to see great views of the Volcano and learn a bit about its history inclduing past eruption. Took a lot less time than allotted and appreciated the bit of fresh fruit at the end.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

The guides English could have been better but overall learned the important points.

Transport

Night Excursion in Rainforest and Wild Frog Sanctuary

Arenal/La Fortuna

This was so great, one of the highlights of our trip. Our guide was super knowledgeable of the local floral and fauna. He also asked if there was anything we wanted to see explicitly and he found them for us! Namely a sloth (saw two!). He also took pictures for us and shared them afterwards. The guides were very collaborative so found more things for us to see throughout the walk.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Big Arenal Mundo Aventura Zipline

Arenal/La Fortuna

Very fun! Felt very safe as well, which was a concern for one of our party :)

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Our family of 4 had a wonderful first trip to Japan with Shona's planning and guidance. We didn't have a lot of notice on the trip, but she was still able to put together a really nice itinerary. We had great communication with our drivers, who were all on time and sent photos to explain how to find them when getting off the rails and at the airport.
We had very good experiences with all three of our tour guides, but Zumi in Kyoto went above and beyond to teach about the area and connect with our family. I highly recommend using Shona and the KimKim platform to plan your trip to Japan.