Kimkim Trip Reviews

All of the arrangements worked very well and reservations; No problems. The hotels were in great locations and once we learned to use the train system we went to different locations easily. We found the hotel staff very friendly and very helpful. It was a great trip and we enjoyed each unique location. Our trip advisor was extrememly helpful and willing to answer all of our questions. The advise given was right on target and we were very pleased with Jane's knowledge of all venues. Thanks for your help and support.

Hotel Review

Riu Plaza London Victoria

London

This hotel is very well located in a safe walking neighborhood. It is close to the theaters, transportation is readily available and there are good local restaurants. The staff are very supportive and offer good advice.

Authenticity & Character

Location

A little less construction around the hotel

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Downton Villages, Cotswolds and Blenheim Palace Tour from London

London

Interesting.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

It was a hard day as there was flooding in the area. The bus driver did fine. We were left off at a different location, so transport back to our hotel was more complex.

Tickets to Westminster Abbey

London

This was so crowded that trying to walk through was very difficult. It is filled with museum artifacts and honestly feels more like a museum than an Abbey.

Churchill War Rooms Small-Group Walking (plus discovery of the area around Westminster) Tour

London

This was very interesting. It is very detailed and fills in a lot of history that one might not know.

Bodleian Library Tour

Oxford

This was very interesting. The guide was very informative and the library was beautiful. It is an amazing collection.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

I spoke to this.

Christchurch College and Cathedral Tour

Oxford

Very interesting. Both the college and the church were beautiful. The guide was very informative. She was a grad student in the college, so she shared a lot about the college as a community and the how the students relate to the greater community.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Very good guide.

Entry into the Roman Baths

Bath

The history of the Baths was intriguing. It was very crowded, hot and difficult to hear at times . We were glad we went. My friend had been there previously and said that they have improved and expanded the exhibits tremendously.

Simply Windsor Castle - Afternoon Tour with transport

London

Going to Windsor is always a treat. It is so beautiful, both the setting and the castle itself. Unfortunated St. George's Chapel was closed for repairs, but otherwise it was a wonderful trip. There were lots of people on a Sunday afternoon, but things moved along quite easily. I wish we could have stayed longer.

Quality of Experience

Tickets to British Museum

London

Very crowded but lovely Jade Exhibit and Grecian and Roman artifacts. We were disappointed that we couldn't see the Elgin Marbles.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Taxi drivers were very helpful as were the staff members in the hotel. The Courtyard Marriott in Oxford couldn't deal with cash. Twice we went to pay them for a dinner and they took our money but struggled to find cash to return to us.

Transport

Bus tours were fine

Canterbury Cathedral Entrance ticket

Canterbury

This was a very meaningful experience, both the cathedral and the abbey. Very worthwhile. I really loved it. I could have stayed longer.

Both the guides - Ken in Tokyo and Junko in Kyoto were very good. Full marks to them. We enjoyed Tokyo and Kyoto, but Kanazawa was, for us, the really outstanding city. Takayama was interesting, but overrun by tourists. Hotels - Asakusa View Hotel Annex Rokku was adequate, as was Nohga in Kyoto - though the latter was overpriced. Zoushi in Kanazawa , though small, was truly outstanding in every way. In contrast, Oyado Koto no Yume in Takayama was both overpriced and pretentious and was the place we least enjoyed. The day trip to Hakone was a disaster - mainly owing to the crowds - and we didn’t even make it to the final boat ride. Overall we enjoyed Japan and are thankful to Claudia for making all the arrangements in a patient and efficient manner. Thank you.

Activity Reviews

Explore Asakusa and Hamarikyu Gardens

Tokyo

Asakusa was a fun area and very interesting. Hamarikyu Garden - it was unfortunately raining

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Helpful and courteous

Transport

Taxis were efficient and the drivers were always polite and helpful

Beautiful Hakone!

Japan

Complete disaster due to over tourism.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Ken, the guide was outstanding

Transport

Contro the nymbers

Tranquil Walks and Cultural Treasures: Kyoto's Outdoor Wonders

Kyoto

Junko the guide was extremely helpful and understanding and made an enjoyable day for us.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Antonia was very responsive and helped answer all my questions quickly. I was very impressed with the tour she put together and arranged to have us picked up in Budapest to start. We saw a lot of the country and had a great time. Highly recommend.

Hotel Review

AS BOUTIQUE HOTEL

Ljubljana

Really nice hotel in a good location and friendly helpful staff

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Review

Discover Bled Town and Enjoy Pletna Boat Ride

Bled

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

We had a fantastic time in Japan and we want to thank KimKim for making it so. From the first interaction with Kate to begin planning our trip back in April to being dropped off at Haneda Airport for our flight home, KimKim made sure that every detail and logistical need was covered and that we were well-informed about what to expect. Kate was our primary contact and she was superb! Every question we had was answered in a timely way before the trip and in real time during our visit to Japan. The hotels and daily itineraries she recommended were excellent. We had two guides, Fiona in Kyoto and Jennifer in Yokohama and Tokyo. Both were top notch! We learned about history, culture, local customs and saw remarkable temples, shrines, landmarks and scenery. The guides made excellent refinements to the daily itineraries to reflect weather, transit and our interests. Drivers and vehicles were also excellent. All-in-all, I would recommend KimKim to anyone considering a trip abroad in a place where one does not wish to be entirely independent. The custom-made itinerary, the exceptional level of communication and the quality of the guides, drivers and service were all reasons that we will likely return to KimKim in the future!!

Thanks again Kate, Fiona and Jennifer!!!

We had the most wonderful time visiting Greece this September! Working with our agent Eirini was a pleasure. She was very attentive to our needs and responded within hours, sometimes minutes, and it's something to consider because of the time difference! All of our drivers and tour guides were always on time and very knowledgeable about topics they were discussing or introducing. We really enjoyed spending time with our first guide Helena on the first day of arrival in Athens. She answered all the questions and impressed us with the vast knowledge of the ancient history of Greece. We got to know some of the drivers and enjoyed all the information they provided on the way to our destinations. Especially we enjoyed the company of Afanasios(not sure of the spelling of the name) on the way to Meteora.
Overall, we are very happy with the company and our agent Eirini and would not think twice recommending their services to our friends.

Hotel Reviews

Belle Epoque Suites

Athens

The location was great - not far from all the important places. We were not very impressed with the breakfast, but service was very good, and the room was clean. Access to the elevator was a bit challenging - if you have a heavy suitcase - make sure you have someone to help you if you can't carry the suitcase by yourself...

Authenticity & Character

Location

not far from downtown

Staff

Very helpful with directions and always eager to help.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Meroviglia Boutique Hotel

Santorini

The breakfast menu was excellent! The food was delicious! They even had live music!

Authenticity & Character

Location

The view was excellent - overlooking the sea!

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Tsikeli Hotel Meteora

Meteora

The room was a little small, but breakfast was awesome - buffet with great selection of food including honeycomb!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Very helpful!

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Acropolis & Museum tour

Athens

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Helena was terrific! A real professional who knows her job!

Transport

Unexpected Athens orientation tour

Athens

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Day trip to Corinth - Mycenae - Nafplio

Athens

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Caldera sunset cruise

Santorini

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Day trip to Delphi & Arachova

Athens

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Sunset Meteora Tour

Meteora

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Santorini highlights tour

Santorini

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Junna somsir was there for us at every step he was always on time and always very clear on our instructions for the day. We struggled with his English and that would be the only criticism. It took time to get to know him, and I felt he served as a wonderful ambassador to all of Indonesia not just north Sumatra.

overall - everything was great. the few issues we encountered were minor in the overall picture but i wanted you to be aware of them as you plan more great trips for other travelers.
Athens
Sweet Home and tours were good.
Bike excursion with the kids worked out well - they did not have a bike small enough to fit the mom and attach kiddie bike to the back so the guide (Maria) took the 5 year old and all went well
Pick up van - it was an 8 person van which only allows for 7 passengers plus the driver so we were always short a seat - that is illegal in Canada but not sure of the details of the Greek laws

Naxos
Panos Studios were great - location near the beach, lovely proprietress. lots of inconsistency with the room cleaning but the proprietress was happy to correct.
Tours were good. I think we probably erred on the tipping re the farmhouse dinner when we gave it all to the "driver" and probably should have given most of it directly to the "cook". My apologies if that reflects on you.
We went to the same olive oil tasting on both the Once Upon a Time in Naxos and on the farmhouse dinner which was disappointing
2 nights of cooking with the private cook were excellent - they were so very good with the little girls
Catamaran cruise was a perfect length for us, nice snacks and staff

Tinos
Accommodation at Coocono Villas was amazing
Village tour was excellent and guide was very enjoyable and informative

Athens
Dolce accommodation was very disappointing - noone at reception when we arrived for ~5 minutes, the rooms are quite run down, one family member has issues with mold and their room had significant mold build on the floors around the bathroom, broken shelves and towel racks, the only option for dining was the noisy buffet as the restaurant was being used by a private party
You are aware of the challenges with the van driver on arrival however he was prompt on our trip to the airport although he did not know how to get to the airport from Dolce and was continually looking at his cell phone on his lap (he did not use the dash mounted hardware in the van)
We had a fabulous family vacation and appreciate all that you did it to make it what it was
Donna

Andrea did a wonderful job tailoring our perfect trip. He was readily available during our trip when we had some delays with our flight and always connected us with our drivers for the following days. Our most favorite part was exploring Pompeii with our fabulous guide and having a slower paced day exploring the beautiful city of Taormina. Each stop on the trip was better than the last. We did a pizza making class in which we will be making that recipe for many years to come, got to enjoy the beautiful Amalfi coastline by boat, hiked around Mt Vesuvius and Mt Etna, and meandered around Sicily. We were surprised at how crowded and congested Naples and Capri were and probably the part of the trip we enjoyed the least. Overall, it was an amazing 12 days packed full of everything we hoped to see, eat, and do. Thanks Andrea!

Hotel Reviews

Napoli Tree - Lungomare

Naples

Super cute B&B both a wonderful host.

Location

It was a short walk to everywhere we wanted to be

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Residence

Amalfi

Beautiful location and wonderful staff

Authenticity & Character

Location

Right on the coast

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Casa Adele

Taormina

Nice, comfortable room and excellent staff

Authenticity & Character

Location

Right near the Catania Port

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Palazzo Artemide

We wish we had more than one night in the gorgeous hotel!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Villa Elisio Hotel & Spa

Napoli

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Pizza Making class in Naples with lunch or dinner

Naples

Our interpreter did such a great job and our host was very patient in teaching us his craft. This was forever our most favorite pizza on our trip.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Naples guided tour on a bike

Italy

While we are decent bikers, we felt incredibly uncomfortable on this trip. Trying to balance on the wet cobblestones, on narrow roads full of people/vendors/scooters, and jumping in and out of cars, eventually just made us not feel safe. While our guide was knowledgeable and patient, and we saw a few neat things, it wasn’t worth it for us.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Vesuvius entrance ticket

Naples

We were dropped off right at the entrance and got to take our time hiking up and exploring. We enjoyed the self-paced atmosphere while getting to stop at all of the beautiful overlooks.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Group Pompeii ruin visit

Italy

This was the highlight of our trip! Our guide was amazing and SO knowledgeable. She made the trip! There is so much that has been uncovered that gives great insight into what life was like back then. We were given ample opportunity to enjoy and learn about everything we saw.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Day trip to Capri Island from The Amalfi Coast - small group

Italy

We thoroughly enjoyed the boat ride and our guide. He was knowledgeable and took us on a fun exploration along the coastline and around Capri. However, we had our vision of what Capri was going to be and it was too crowded for us (cruise ships kept dumping people by the hour) to enjoy. We felt we weren’t as informed about how to spend the best of our few hours on the island and wasted half of that time figuring it out.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Ancient Theater of Taormina entrance ticket

Italy

Our guide was passionate and super knowledgeable about the history. The views were amazing and we were introduced to the best granita afterwards.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Mount Etna and Alcantara Gorge expedition - Small group

Italy

We thoroughly enjoyed this trip learning what makes Mt Etna special. The walk through the lava tube was fun and the hiking on Etna was a smooth, moderate walk. We were pretty disappointed with the gorge trek. Our thought going into it was that we would be suited up to walk through the gorge. Instead, we were taken to the water, told we had 45 minutes to explore, and meet back at the cars. We weren’t given any appropriate gear to walk in the water, nor a heads up to pack ahead of time.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Syracuse Neapolis Archaeological Park - private guide

Italy

After seeing Pompeii, these ruins weren’t as impressive but we loved our guide. He took time to explain the history, we discussed OUR cultural similarities/differences, and it was just a good time. He knew a lot of little nuances that we likely wouldn’t have known about just doing the tour on our own.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Kim Kim Travel Guide Service Review:
Beginning in February we started planning our September tour of Europe by contacting The Kim Kim Travel Team.
We were assigned a specialist, Bastien, who we found to be very knowledgeable, helpful, and flexible in designing a series of meetups with professional local tour guides in places we designated. Our agenda covered parts of five Northern European principal countries and points of interest during our three and a half weeks of travel by rental car.

We had plenty of time to explore on our own, plus our meetings with guides gave us targeted points of emphasis that enhanced our understanding of current local and historical culture.
Our mantra was: “We know where we wish to go, but we don’t know what to do once we get there.”

That’s where Bastien and his team shined. The coordination of these moments is not an easy task, but with excellent communication and follow up we together achieved our goal of achieving a most satisfying experience. The care and professionalism we received was well worth the expense because we set the pace, the places, and the timing while Bastien and the Kim Kim Team delivered the color, richness, and vibrancy of the places we visited. Bravo!
John and Judith Owens
Boulder, Colorado

Activity Reviews

Treasures of Salzburg: Sound of Music Tour (Private/2.5Hours)

Salzburg

Quality of Experience

Superior communication

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Trained professionals

Transport

Continuous communication

Amsterdam 100% Personalized City Tour (Private/3Hours)

Amsterdam

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Our group of four had interactions with our knowledgable guide are impossible for large groups who follow a walking tour guide carrying a flag and marching around following the leader.

Transport

The flexibility of visiting places along the way is what makes Kim Kim guides superior.

City Discovery: Volendam & Marken Day Trip (Private/5Hours)

Amsterdam

To see working windmills of various types and to speak with operators of these magnificent mechanical machines was an unexpected delight. The Dutch advanced ahead of other pre-industrial cultures due to ingenuity and cohesion as a society. This was quite an unexpected educational insight.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Salzburg: Palace Concert at the Marble Hall of Mirabell Palace (2Hours)

Salzburg

To experience an evening ensemble Mozart classical music performance in the town hall Palace is the way to get started in Salzburg. There is no other way to begin, especially when upon arrival there is taking place a wine tasting event that welcomes you to join in.

Quality of Experience

EAGLE´S NEST Half Day Tour (Private/6Hours)

Salzburg

Quality of Experience

Lunch at the far end of the lake at the restaurant overlooking the lake is an unforgettable experience.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Lunching with our guides added exceptional insights that otherwise would have been unavailable to us.

Transport

Our guides often picked us up at our residences.

This was our second trip using KimKim. Tomaz and Zala helped us plan our amazing trip to Switzerland. Each day was an adventure! We went to the ‘Top of Europe’, explored ice caves, hiked down grassy mountainsides, rode e-bikes through the Lauderbrunnen Valley, watched the sunrise on the Matterhorn and the moonrise on Lake Lucerne. Our accommodations were really nice, with only 2 disappointing room selections (one was changed). The breakfasts provided were delicious with local meats, cheeses, eggs and fresh fruits and breads that kept us going all day (the champagne offering was over the top). We had never traveled exclusively by train and we were so appreciative that each train/funicular/tram journey was planned for us in great detail. Within a day we were completely comfortable with not using a car. We do not prefer group trips so our 13 day adventure was designed by Tomaz carefully to allow us to explore all the places and activities we enjoy. The was a trip one that we will always treasure. We have so, so many pictures!!

We put our specialist to task with this trip to Greece - wanted to see as much as we could in our 16 days. We did 5 different locations (Corfu, Naxos, Santorini, Athens, then at the end threw in Istanbul so we could visit our son) so there were flights, ferries, drivers, excursions, etc to coordinate and ALL of it went perfectly!! I am truly impressed with not only Thanos who was in constant contact with us, on top of our every move to be sure things were done properly, but the company as well for using such professional, timely, courteous drivers for all of our shuffling around! This was our first time using a service as we’ve traveled quite alot and always did it on our own, but this year we were ready to hand over the reigns, cross our fingers and go with the suggested itineraries. I find the transportation issues to be some of the hardest part and Thanos handled this so well! He had alot to coordinate and I am so spoiled now, can’t imagine doing a trip without KIMKIM. I highly recommend you give them a chance!

Hotel Reviews

Arcadion Hotel

Kerkira

Great location- we were there 3 nights and that was enough because it’s in the middle of all the action, fun!!

Authenticity & Character

It has a history that’s cool, nice modern

Location

Perfect

Staff

I discovered on my own they have an amazing roof top restaurant - why would they not tell us this on arrival??? It was a highlight of our stay in Corfu. They basically handed us a key. I thought they would have offered suggestions, something? Nothing. We asked if there were beach towels available (we rented a car) and yes there were but nothing was ever mentioned on check in. I think that’s bad policy. I knew we had complimentary breakfast and nothing mentioned about that, until my husband asked about it. (I felt like they were tired of tourists!! And let it show a bit)

Cleanliness & Comfort

Room was nice, smallish - did have balcony with iron chair but no chair inside which would have been nice.

Sundunes Hotel Naxos

Naxos, Plaka

Loved everything about this place!! Chill, relaxing, cool vibe! Fabulous pool area, and maybe the best food I had in Greece at a hotel - especially that goat cheese pizza - you must get it!!

Authenticity & Character

New modern, LOVED the architecture and landscape - kind of dry, desert-ish like Arizona

Location

Somewhat secluded with the beach right across the street set up with chaises, walking distance to several restaurants, 10 min. To airport, 15 min. To main town. Perfect

Staff

Very sweet friendly accommodating

Cleanliness & Comfort

Really loved the room - space, comfort, nice outside patio

Agali Houses

Firostefani 00

This would be an easy 5star but just too many steps. It is so beautiful and the view from our room maybe the best I have ever seen. From the main street where the restaurants are down to the entrance - is 80 steps. Once you enter the hotel, it’s all on a slope (stunning architecture) so it was another 80 steps to our actual room. It was close to pool which was lovely!! I am in good shape but with my asthma, I didn’t look forward to going back out at night for dinner. The hotel does not serve food after 4pm. But the food, service, personnel here are top notch!!

Authenticity & Character

Architecture is beautiful, combination of old details with modern. The room had plenty of space, modern, good bed, it had a private covered patio with table chairs, loungers, and extended patio.

Location

Plenty of restaurants close by at the top of the hill, small 7-11 type place if you need, good location on the island

Staff

So accommodating! Available to help, answer any questions, gave us pertinent information upon check in!

Cleanliness & Comfort

Mest Hotel

This hotel has an amazing view from the upper breakfast area of the river, the city, cruise ships,. Front desk personnel were very friendly and helpful! Offering to make reservations etc. The breakfast buffet was huge and beautifully displayed, very very nice and in that comfortable dining area to enjoy the view. The building itself is very old, restored beautifully, loved it! The room was very comfortable and looked out over the spice market. It was a new experience, to hear the calling to prayer, it’s loud, but a lovely sound too.

Authenticity & Character

Location

I really liked the location because we wanted to tour all the main historical places and walk to them. Be warned, it’s extremely busy with pedestrians and scooters, cars, the tram, the cable cars, etc. The amount of people rivals 5th Ave NYC at Christmas time ~! My son was here so we easily walked the bridge to the other side where he was staying - it’s lively busy, fun more modern over there and where the Turks live I was told. On a personal note, if I can came back to Istanbul I probably wouldn’t stay in this area again, but so glad I did for a first visit.

Staff

Friendly and helpful when we asked for anything

Cleanliness & Comfort

18 Micon Street Athens

Athens

Beautifully remodeled old building, small boutique style. As an interior designer I was not impressed with the layout of the room, felt like they were going for a cool vibe but not a practical one for travelers. The room was big enough for a much better design - disappointing. There was only one place with shelves to put clothes, so my husband used that, and my suitcase was on the floor. For 3 days not a big deal, but more than that I would not have liked it. When we arrived, it was another guest that opened the door to let us in and they had been waiting a half hour to get some help. (They were a party of 6) Seemed alittle disjointed and the reception girl a bit frazzled, not friendly. The party of 6 were not impressed either. Overall, it was fine, loved the location, but I would not stay here if I came back.

Authenticity & Character

Missed the mark for me - authentic but room design not practical,

Location

Within a basically pedestrian area of lots of restaurants, shops, and walking distance to Acropolis and that lovely area

Staff

Upon reception, please be as friendly as you are capable - your guests have maybe just flown in from a 10 hour flight and don’t want to feel like an annoyance. NOt helpful and not that friendly.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Cleanliness excellent - the housekeeper ladies were sweet and very helpful even though they didn’t speak english. Comfort of the room needs improvement as stated above.

Activity Reviews

Corfu Old Town Tour

Corfu

Local guide was very knowledgeable. We had already walked the areas she planned to take us so I think she was alittle baffled what to do with us. I knew it was walking but did not know we were going to hike to the top of the Fortress, so I went back inside to change from sandals to sneakers. It would have been nice to know more details of the tour. Iloved hearing all the history of the area, fascinating and she was quite good!

Quality of Experience

Learning the history of the Fortress, old town area

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Timely and personable

Transport

Walking

Corfu Free Day: Beaches

Corfu

We rented a car and drove around the island but it was a rainy day unfortunately. Most places were packed with tourists and it was alittle intimidating on the small roads.

Quality of Experience

Rooftop restaurant at our hotel and the sailing club restaurant at the Fortress - super nice!!

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Villages of Naxos & Beyond

Naxos

Really enjoyed our guide and the tour and the driver was fantastic too! Loved hearing the history of Naxos and being up the mountains was a nice change from where we had come from Corfu. Our guide was extremely knowledgeable and answered all our questions.

Quality of Experience

I thought we might go to ‘off the beaten’ track places but we went where all the tourists do go, but it still was good. Had a delicious lunch too!!

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Guide knew her history and was friendly pleasant and enjoyed her very much!

Transport

Driver was so good on those narrow winding roads up the mountains!

Food & Wine bike tour

Santorini

This was my favorite tour - the young man who was our guide was friendly, sweet informative and we did this tour on wooden e bikes, that were made from wood leftover from a big fire in 2020 apparently. They worked great! Didn’t need helmets but he took us all over starting at the Black beach and through some small towns, stopped at the Castle in Emporio and walked all through that (medieval ) with remarkable history! then more biking, some steep hills and others dodging the traffic but so much fun! We had a nice lunch when we were close to being back. We biked through a wine area, but we never did a wine tasting or anything and I thought we were supposed to. It was a beautiful day, and if you have the legs for it, please do this one!! For me, I loved the town Megalochori and would have been fun to shop for 45 min. There, but shopping wasn’t really on the agenda (and where would I put my goods?)

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Excellent!

Transport

Our drivers were professional friendly on time, excellent, both ways getting us to /from the Black Beach

Welcome to Istanbul!

İstanbul

This guide was fantastic!! Nelly was extremely versed in all things Turkish! She kept the pace at a good clip and we did so much! OMGosh if you get a chance to use her please do. We went through the Sultans Palace, what an eye opener, fascinating, the HagiaSophia church and the Cistern - all not to be missed!! I would love to spend another day in that area as there are so many more things to see. It’s phenomenal. She took us to a little outdoor local place for traditional lunch which was reasonable and delicious and was very accommodating as we were also meeting my son who had just arrived in Istanbul. It was along day and she didn’t waste any of it. So appreciative to her for her thoughtfulness and help as we asked alot of questions!! I didn’t know much about Turkey or the history etc and learned so much.

Quality of Experience

It was also a beautiful sunny day which always makes for a better experience!

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Walking and lots of it!!

Acropolis & Flavors Combo Tour

Athens

We actually did not do the tour - my husband and I had to cancel as we were both not feeling well in the morning. (We think food poisoning night before but?) HOwever, we rallied and later in the afternoon, decided we couldn’t leave Athens without going to the top of the Acropolis! We bought mobile tickets, skip the line, and inched our way to the top and it was so worth it! Another beautiful day and breathtaking scenery. Not to mention the history of all this.

Landmark's of Istanbul

İstanbul

I reviewed this on the Welcome to Istanbul!

Nikola was amazing! He planned the absolute perfect trip for us. Every detail was taken care of. We never had to think about transports to get anywhere, which was so great. The excursions he picked were top notch along with all the tour guides that he had for us. They gave us the true Crotia experience. We loved everything about Crotia and will definitely recommend KimKim to anyone who is traveling to Crotia.

Hotel Reviews

Balatura Split Luxury Rooms

Split

Perfect location. The staff was so great to work with. Breakfasts were wonderful.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Beach Bay Hvar

Hvar

Beautiful hotel right on the sea. Views were amazing. Steps to swimming in the sea. Had a great breakfast and staff was so good.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Villa Malo More

Dubrovnik

Large big room in a separate building. Had a great view of the sea along with a nice big pool. The breakfast was amazing! This hotel was not located anywhere they we could walk to, but the views made up for that.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Review

Private Walking Tour of Split

Croatia

Ivana was amazing. She was so knowledgeable of the area and we learned a lot about Old City and the history of Split. It was a great first experience for us.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Our trip was amazing. Michael was incredibly responsive and helpful, I was travelling alone with my daughter AND trying to coordinate with a first leg of the trip already planned with friends, and he made it all go smoothly and answered all of my many questions. Our guides were fantastic, Freu and Cielo, and the scheduled activities were wonderful. The hotels were also lovely. I think the highlight for me was visiting the village outside Cartagena, where we made jewelry with an amazing group of women (Damartes) who have created a business making items from coconut shells and hosting workshops with tourists; took a boat tour through mangroves and learned a lot about the people who live there; got to drum with a group of local musicians. We also did a chocolate making workshop in Cartagena that kept my 11 year old engaged most of the day. In Medellìn the food tour through the market and to a few small food shops was amazing, there is no way I could ever have known to go to those places on my own. I really was blown away by the quality of the activities, and I really liked the businesses and initiatives connected with those activities, and felt good about having the opportunity to learn about them and support them. Colombia is by far one of the most amazing (if not THE most amazing) places I've travelled to, and while I do speak Spanish it was reassuring being accompanied by local guides and it was amazing not having to coordinate and organize all the finer details of the trip. I was able to actually enjoy myself; Cielo in particular kept my daughter engaged, so I didn't have to translate for her and could participate in the activities myself; Freu was delightful to talk to and I learned so much about Medellìn and its history from him. Not having to worry about arranging all the transportation etc meant I could focus on the trip and be present instead of constantly staying on top of logistical details. And as a very obvious tourist alone with a child, I felt safe, both because of the guides' confidence and connection with the people around us and because I knew that someone was checking in with our accommodations and with me to make sure everything was going well. I absolutely recommend Kimkim, and Michael, for planning a trip to Colombia. There's so much more of the country we haven't visited, I hope to be able to book another trip very soon.

The staff at blue car rental were extremely rude and we kinda felt stranded in the first day in iceland work no support or help. Would recommend not using them as they created a really bad first impression.

We had a great time in Italy and would not have been able to navigate the transportation without the help of KimKim. Our trip consisted of Naples, Sorrento, the Amalfi Coast, Positano, and Capri. KimKim took care of booking taxis, accommodations, and ferries. This was a much lower-stress way to travel and we were able to see and do more thanks to their help! Late September was the perfect time to go to Southern Italy and we had beautiful weather! The hotels were even better than expected. Unfortunately, our travel specialist was not available during our trip and we ran into a couple hiccups with the ferry tickets, but we we able to sort it out. We will definitely be using Kimkim for future travel planning and appreciate their assistance with a wonderful vacation, thank you!

Great guides esp in Ypres
Great hotels esp in Antwerp and Bruges
Would include the alter of Ghent in tour and the Madonna sculpture in tour
Thanks

We are so glad that we took the leap to use our very first travel agent! Duncan was so knowledgeable and answered all of our questions even when we were in the midst of our trip. He took our initial itinerary and made it something that was both fun AND intentional. I had done months of research and was met with a busy season of life where I knew I needed someone with experience in Iceland to really nail things down for us. We truly felt like we got the best of both worlds: seeing as many amazing sights as possible with out wearing our selves out or spending too much time in the car. The peace of mind knowing that all of our lodging was to our standard and already fully booked added another layer of ease to our travels. If you are on the fence about weather or not this will be worth it I can almost guarantee it will be.

Activity Reviews

Krauma

Iceland

At first I was on the fence about a 6 pm booking but it lined up perfectly with that days drive & check in. We were the most relaxed we had ever been. Getting to watch the sun set while soaking in a geothermal pool was the cherry on top. We spent two hours there and left with dinner to go!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Skaftafell Glacier Hike

Iceland

A once in a life time truly breath taking experience! Amazing to be so close to such a unique force of nature. We had a very knowledgeable guide and beautiful weather the day of our hike.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Whale Watching Tour

Reykjavík

It was incredible to be so close to such wild and beautiful animals. Even if we hadnt gotten to see any whales- being out on the open water and getting to see the city from a different point of view would have been worth it. The crew were very knowledgeable and had a lot of resources on board. I really appreciated the variety of seating options and look out points both indoor and outdoor.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

We wanted to do the Kumano Kodo trail and visit Kyoto and Tokyo and a couple of other spots and Sandy was really helpful. Her assistance was pivotal with planning the Kumano Kodo lodgings because we assumed that a couple months in advance were enough and had difficulty finding hotels, but Sandy made it all happen and came up with great options. Her assistance was crucial, that is perhaps the best part of Kim Kim the fact that they set you up with someone local who can really come through and provide insider suggestions and options that no foreigner would come up with

So we just returned from an eight day trip to South Africa which included 3 nights at Elephant Plains Lodge with safari and ending with four nights in Cape town. I am happy to share that everything on our trip went off without any problems. The hotels and activities picked were great and we enjoyed a trip of a lifetime! Bianca did a great job of arranging and scheduling our lodging, activities and guides. We would recommend your agency and Bianca without hesitation.

Hotel Reviews

Elephant Plains Game Lodge

Bushbuckridge

We had an amazing stay at Elephant Plains Game Lodge. The accommodations were great, food was good and the staff were exceptionally helpful and kind.

Authenticity & Character

The cottages are clean, cosy and very comfortable

Location

Staff

The staff were always willing to help with anything. They went out of their way to help with any issues. I was not feeling well a few days and they provided me with special food and meds to help with my issue.

Cleanliness & Comfort

There were plenty of places to relax and just enjoy that safari environment. Everything was well kept and clean

The Commodore Hotel

Cape Town

Our experience at the Commodore was very good. The breakfast was fabulous and the rooms were very nice. A little small but very adequate. Our only critique would be the door on the bathroom. It was very heavy and hard to pull open. When it would close it would bang, which was a little annoying when our neighbors had an early wake up and we heard their door bang several times in the early morning. The staff was great and very helpful.

Authenticity & Character

Location

It was very nice to be able to walk to the waterfront with all of its stores and restaurants.

Staff

The evening front desk registrar was very helpful and friendly!

Cleanliness & Comfort

Very adequate

Activity Reviews

Days on Safari

South Africa

A little early, but understandable. The guides were great and helped us see everything we wanted to!

Quality of Experience

The guides expertise and tracking of the animals

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Attitudes and helpfulness. Went out of their way to help.

Transport

Morning and Afternoon Game Drives

Sabi Sands Game Reserve

The guides were great and went out of their way to make sure that we saw everything we wanted to see. They were very knowledgeable about everything they did.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Full Day Cape Peninsula Tour (excluding lunch)

South Africa

Scenery was amazing and the guide was very informative.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Everything went well and the guide was very flexible and able to rearrange things to accommodate us better.

Full Day Winelands Tour (excluding lunch)

South Africa

The day was a bit rainy, and we are not big drinkers so this wasn't an overwhelmingly amazing tour. We did enjoy it, especially the scenery.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Very knowledgable and helpful.

Transport

Half Day Private Table Mountain and City Tour

Cape Town

We moved some things around so that we could go to table mountain when the crowds were less and visibility was better! This was all orchestrated by our guide. He was also great at showing us all the best places in the city to see and things to do.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Departure from South Africa

South Africa

No probems or issues.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Departure from Zambia

South Africa

Everything went as expected

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Afternoon Game Drive

Sabi Sands Game Reserve

I have already addressed this. These were very good.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Overall, the service provided by kimkim was very professional & very complete. Krista was very responsive to our inquiries & comments. When we needed assistance, Krista, Fenne, or a member of her team were right there for us.

The route that kimkim suggested for us was very nice and we enjoyed the variety of small towns & larger cities. We were able to follow the route with little or no problems. Our group had rented a van separately from kimkim, and drove ourselves around mostly Norway, although we started & ended in Copenhagen, Denmark.

The hotels kimkim arranged for us were for the most part very satisfactory. They were clean, comfortable and provided a nice breakfast. The Scandic byparken in Bergen didn't quite measure up & I have communicated directly about that with kimkim.

Next, I'll address the RIB tours. The first one we did at Geiranger with Fjord Guiding, which is a fairly large, smooth operation & the boat ride & tour were fantastic. Our guide & driver, Mario was, informative, clever and quite enjoyable. I couldn't have wanted anything more than what Mario provided.
The 2nd RIB tour was with Balestrand Adventure in Balestrand. While this Company is much smaller, they did an adequate job & provided a nice experience. Ole, our guide was informative, and provided a nice history of the area while showing us the beauty of the fjord.
The 3rd RIB tour was in Flom, with FjordSafari, also a fairly large operation. Our guide and driver Lucas was very easy to listen to, and he delivered his story with humor as he easily shared his knowledge of the region. This one was my personal favorite of the RIB tours, and included a stop at a village known for goat cheese.

We took two Gondola rides, and while the views at Andalsnes were obscured by fog at the top half of the mountain, the views at Loen were great. In general the gondola rides were a great experience.

We also took a ride on a Funicular in Bergen, which was a very nice experience. The views of Bergen, a large city, from the top of the mountain was beautiful.

While at Bergen, we took a partial-day trip on a ferry to Rosendal, just under a 2 hour ride each way. While the area near the dock at Rosendal is a nice area, I do think it would be more enjoyable during the summer, in that many shops and restaurants were closed for the season when we were there SEP 14. Apparently there is a larger business area a bit of a hike from the dock which we did not visit. The boat/ferry is very comfortable, but the whole experience does not warrant most of a day, at least not in the off-season.

We also participated in a sauna which was situated on a boat tied up to the dock in Flom. While the activity was fun & certainly different, the experience was somewhat marred by the attitude & actions of the person serving as an attendant. We received little instruction or cautions and he seemed more interested in seeing that we were done by a certain time so he could clean. Not a very welcoming attitude.

In summary, it was a great trip & I would use kimkim again if we were to travel in an area they serve.

Hotel Reviews

Oset Fjellhotell

Gol

This is a very nice family-run hotel in the mountains above Gol. Great experience, although its a long way from anything else. That's ok, they have everything you need.

Authenticity & Character

family run, you deal with the family.

Location

middle of nowhere.

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Fretheim Hotel

Flåm

The stay at Fretheim Hotel in Flåm was a wonderful experience. The beauty of the territory surrounding the hotel was stunning, and having a balcony added to the overall charm. The dining options both within the hotel and in the surrounding area were very pleasing.

Activity Reviews

Private Floating Sauna Experience

Norway

The RIB Fjord Safari in Flåm was particularly enjoyable, especially the guide, who was very easy to listen to and made the experience enriching. The stunning scenery and the overall excitement of the RIB ride made it a highlight of the trip.

Explore Rosendal

Rosendal

Exploring Rosendal during the off-season was a bit underwhelming. The journey took about two hours each way, and the views, though fjord-like, didn't have the same impact as other locations. Many shops and restaurants were closed, affecting our overall experience.