Kimkim Trip Reviews

Mariano, Socio and everyone were incredibly knowledgeable, kind and enthusiastic! Kimkim and especially Serendipitious Adventures were excellent. Master logisticians. Our trip was seamless and ran like clockwork. Thanks very much! Book with confidence.

Jenny did a superb job of personalizing our trip — the logistics, the points of interest, the accommodations.

This trip was done entirely by email and communication through Kimkim. Overall, our experience was excellent both on setting the trip up and the actual trip. I got in communication with Kimkim in January 2024 for a June trip. Mathilde was assigned as my travel agent. I provided some timelines including destinations and some activities desired by us. As this was a continuation of a wine tasting trip that we had already booked, I also provided Mathilde with the itinerary for that trip to give her a sense of what our trip had already been planned as well as the level of service we expected.
Over several weeks of back and forth communications with Mathilde, we came up with a tour that met our needs, finalizing details by February and a downpayment made. In addition to some of the normal tour, hotels, transportation, we made a specific request for a hard-to-book tour in London called the "Ceremony of the Keys" at the Tower of London. While Mathilde had not previously heard of this tour, she did her research and was able to book this for us. In summary, the planning stage of this trip went very smoothly and Mathilde was flexible, cooperative and an overall pleasure to work with. She was also forthcoming with recommendations that we had not though of.
With regard to the actual trip, we received our itinerary and vouchers in a timely manner. The hotel choices were very good hotels with reasonable value for the money. While there were some minor glitches with transportation, we were provided with contact numbers that enabled us to sort things out with a minimum of stress. Overall, everything went off with us having a great time with a minimum of stress.
Highlights of the trip were the aforementioned "Ceremony of the Keys", the Seine dinner cruise, Montmartre, Versailles and the Louvre, both food tours as well as all of our guides and drivers.
In summary, a great trip with great service from Kimkim

Eric created the most amazing trip for us!!! The attention to details helped make our Icelandic adventure unforgettable. I think we did every additional suggestion beyond the ones you planned for us plus a few others. The hotel accommodations were just what we could have wanted.
Every person we can in contact with, whether adventure guide or on the ground KimKim personnel were super, knowledgeable, helpful, communicative.
One suggestion for your staff; when a plane is 5 hours late please communicate that to car rental end. Poor Nora was literally left “standing” at the airport for those 5 hours waiting for us with no word about the situation. Probably if I had used the link instead of communicating with Eric might have helped…???
Thank you for giving me the gift of sharing memories with my grandson.

Activity Reviews

Lava Tunnel Tour

Iceland

Great introduction to Iceland

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

The Secret Lagoon

Iceland

Best part was having a traditional Icelandic experience.

Tricia created an exceptional trip for us that we enjoyed immensely. It was a remarkable trip for the following reasons:

1). We saw a variety of the ways in which contemporary Norwegian society functions - from the sunbathers (a lot of them!) and commuters on the Aker Brygge to the shoppers in central Oslo to the residents of Hamar, Lillehammer, Bergen and Alesund as they went about their daily lives. This immersion into Norwegian life helped us go beyond stereotypes and experience a social climate quite different from what we have in the States, (especially right now).

2). We had numerous opportunities to learn about Norwegian history. The outdoor museums - from the Norse Folk Museum in Oslo to the Maihaugen in Lillehammer and the Sunnmore in Alesund - were all very impressive and well done.

3). Our guides were fantastic! Stig, Ole, John and Randi - each one very enjoyable and knowledgeable. They added so much to our experience of place.

4). We had surprises at each location. The ethereal singing of the guide in the Domkirkeodden in Hamar might have been the most magical moment in the trip for me. We also enjoyed Ole taking us to the wooden hotel, the “Norwegian Stonehenge”, and the ski jump from the Olympics. Randi’s walk about Alesund, pointing out the Art Nouveau buildings was very informative. After seeing the Schotstuene (Hanseatic League building) and the Bergenhus Fortress in Bergen, John walked us to the University where we saw the beautiful botanical gardens and the Maritime Museum. Our trip to the Fram and KonTiki Museums and to the Norse Folkermuseum with Stig far surpassed our expectations.

5). The seamless transition from place to place with taxis arriving/waiting as necessary made us feel well cared for. It was also instructive to travel by both train and bus - another aspect of the immersion experience. We very much also enjoyed our night onboard the Havila Capella from Bergen to Alesund. It’s too bad the weather was rainy because I can only imagine how fantastic the view would have been under other conditions.

Food wise:
- The Venti Venti in Oslo was a lot of fun and we enjoyed the great people watching.
- The breakfast buffets at all of the hotels were excellent except at the Raddison Blu Airport Hotel where it was terrible.
- Eating at the Bro in Alesund was another fun experience. We had gone to the Fishery Museum earlier that day so I tried the dried cod dish because I thought the pairing (of the historical information and cuisine) would be interesting. The dessert - 3 kinds of ice cream - was among the best food we had on the entire trip.

So - in summary - we went from south (85’ heat) to north (55’); from urban to small city to rural; from plane to bus, train, taxi and ship - with 4 wonderfully informed and friendly guides enjoying lovely breakfast buffets that lasted us through the day and seeing many interesting sights. I can’t imagine a better time then than!

We had an amazing trip - 14 people with different needs , like rooms accommodations or dietary restrictions- and mathia was patient, always courteous, and ready to fix things when needed. We all loved him - and i bet he loved us back 😊
Great trip and great memories.

Activity Reviews

Explore Oslo's Hidden Gems with a Local Expert

Oslo

Our guide was the worst. Please do not hire him again. 1- did not introduce himself 2- did not ask about our name 3- did not show us any map 4- we did not know where we were going 5- did not build a stop in a 4 hours walk 6- we got exhausted and did not learn a thing 7- he had a monotone voice when he spoke

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

RIB Fjord Safari

Norway

Lots of fun

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Flåm Railway and Cycling Adventure

Norway

It was fun and would redo it, yet the first 2 km were steep and we came off the bike at each switchback

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Guided Kayak Tour

Sandane

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

The trip to Bali was amazing! Saw some beautiful sights and experienced wonderful adventures! Our accommodations were fabulous (though some had problems with the air conditioning which was frustrating). Marc provided amazing service and professionalism. He organized some great outings, along with drivers and upgraded at several of the hotels. He was responsive at all hours and made sure everything ran smoothly!

Hotel Reviews

Ecozy Dijiwa Canggu

Canggu

Comfortable and clean hotel Situated walking distance to shop and restaurants. It was my boyfriend’s birthday and the travel agent and staff arranged an incredible arrival with Blake and flowers on the bed! So nice after a long travel day!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Sang happy birthday upon our arrival and presented a cake! So nice!

Cleanliness & Comfort

Wapa di Ume Ubud

Ubud, Gianyar, Bali

Incredible room. Marc was able to upgrade us to a 1 bedroom pool suite at no extra charge which was so awesome! Although the hotel was located a bit far from anything, we enjoyed our time here immensely.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Pearl of Trawangan

After a smooth boat transfer, we arrived at Pearl and it was beautiful! Our room was great though was surprised that the entire washroom was outside. Although private, of course, it was odd to use the facilities in the open air. With the hot temperatures, was a bit uncomfortable. But had an incredible time and loved that there were no cars o the island! We biked all around and enjoyed every moment on Gili T! !!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Mahagiri Villas Sanur

Although we were upgraded to a beautiful pool suite, the air conditioner worked on and off for our entire three nights was very annoying. It was fixed and then broke again in the middle of the night several times. The staff was very responsive and came immediately to fix it which was appreciated because the temperatures were very high when we were visiting. One night we had to sleep on the couch in the kitchen area because it was too hot in the bedroom.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Not having a properly functioning air conditioner really put a damper on out visit.

Activity Reviews

Free Time in Gili Trawangan

Gili Trawangan

We LOVED Gili T!!

Explore Nusa Penida Island - Full day trip

Indonesia

Had a ton of fun visiting Nusa Penida and snorkeling!! Great way to spend a day!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

We seemed to email with various Kimkim staff while we were on our trip. There were a couple of small hitches which were resolved very quickly. Great service! Overall we enjoyed ourselves and the accommodations, excursions and transfers went well.

Hotel Reviews

Asha Suites

Fira

A fabulous hotel with beautiful view of the Aegean. Nice balcony overlooking the sea where we watched the sunsets. In a central location for restaurants and shopping. The best of our hotels on the trip. Very helpful staff. Lots of steps to and from room (which allowed for a great view). Very quiet despite being in a noisy location. Lovely breakfast served on our balcony.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

very helpful.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Sofitel Athens Airport

Athens

This is an international hotel chain very top of the line. You can literally walk across the street to the departure gates for the airport. Very top of the line fabulous breakfast. A long way from the city. Good only for arrival and departure from airport. Expensive.

Authenticity & Character

Location

far from city and sites but near airport.

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Adriani Hotel

Naxos Town

Near shopping and attractions. Lovely breakfast spread each morning. Pleasant staff.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Garifalakis Comfort Rooms

Milos

A lovely small hotel run by a very friendly woman who couldn't have been more helpful and pleasant. It is far from the Port and in a smallish village "Polonia". About a 15 min. walk to restaurants. Small beach nearby. Cab ride (20 euros each way) for nicer beaches. ). No shopping to speak of and other sites accessed by car. The only hotel that did not include breakfast.

Authenticity & Character

Location

One should just know it is quite a long way from the larger city.

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Attalos Hotel

Athens

Adequate small room. Clean. Helpful staff. Central location with view of acropolis from rooftop bar.

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Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

South Coast E-Bike Adventure

Santorini

This tour was the highlight of our whole trip. VERY knowledgeable, friendly and skilled guide - the owner, Katarina. We saw places and small villagers and even inside homes that we would never have seen otherwise. Tour included the guide taking photos of you and then giving you a video of your route along with the photos. Pretty much did the half of the island you dont' normally see by bike. Very doable. We were a group including a 14 year old, a 42 year old and a 77 year old. Katarina made it work for all of us. The bikes made the hills very manageable. Terrain was rough but she coached us how to approach it. Highly rec. this tour!!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Morning Caldera Catamaran Cruise

Santorini

Unfortunately, we happened to do this tour on a very windy day with v very rough seas. People were getting seasick and you should know that it is not a sail. It is motoring on a catamaran - with not too many places to sit where you have back support. Boat anchored three different times for swimming - but most people did not swim as the water was so rough. Nice lunch prepared on the boat but so windy that food was literally flying off our plates. It is probably a good tour on a calm sea day.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Self-Guided Beach Day by Boat

Naxos

We did not do this as it was very expensive and not included on our package. Roughly $359 to rent a boat plus $100 for fuel. Plus more of course if you hired a driver.

Private Day of Highlights

Milos

This was an amazing tour and very worthwhile. Our guide Ian's drove us around a good portion of the island explaining history and answering our questions. We saw the place where the Venus de Milo statue was disco verde, went into some catacombs, had a chance to jump/dive off small cliffs into the ocean at an amazing beach, with fabulous white stone landscape. We had time to swim and time to lunch on our own and shop. A highlight of our trip.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Thank you Giulia for all you've done to make this a trip of a lifetime. Florence was magical, and we enjoyed the Sorrento area, especially the nature aspects.

The excursions were great, and the fact that you arranged all the travel logistics throughout the trip removed the stress of traveling! Also, it was very helpful to have a contact in Italy.

I've already told a number of friends about Kimkim, and will continue to!

Nikola was fantastic to work with in planning my trip. He considered my preferences, made appropriate suggestions to maximize our family's time in Croatia and adjusted the final travel plan as needed to meet my budget. He was an absolute pleasure! As was our personable, helpful, and always on time driver, Peter. Thank you both!!

My boyfriend and I went on a 13 day trip to Vietnam which was incredibly planned by Minh. My mom helped in the planning stages which was made easy by KimKim with easy access to the trip planner through a chat and online itinerary. Communicating and adjusting the itinerary was amazing and done in a timely manner. Minh was helpful in every way adjusting as requested and making wonderful suggestions. Once on the trip, everything was seamless and high quality from the airport transfer to the tours and guides. Other than some small issues with air conditioning in some of the hotels not functioning, we enjoyed our hotels, food, outings and guides. Some of the highlights included the overnight cruise on Capella Cruises on HaLong Bay. As well as our night Vespa tour in Ho Chi Min. We had custom clothing made in Hoi Ann and saw spectacular rice terraces and scenery. We ended the trip relaxing on the beach in Nha Trang which was beautiful! We were given a great overall taste of Vietnam and look forward to returning one day! Thanks to Minh for truly making this a trip to remember!! So happy to have found KimKim Travel!!

Hotel Reviews

Hanoi Pearl Hotel

Hanoi

Nice and clean hotel with great room service. Well located to many sites in Hanoi.

Authenticity & Character

Nice decor and clean with good air conditioning!

Location

Walking distance to many sites and train street

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Clean, comfortable and good air conditioning

Hidden Charm Ninh Binh

Ninh Thang, Hoa Lu, Ninh Binh

Nice hotel with good room however the air conditioning didn’t work which was not great since it was VEEY hot out! Room service was good and appreciated after a long hiking day in the heat!!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Air conditioner didn’t work which made it very uncomfortable. A fan was provided which didn’t do much to cool things off given the over 40 degree temperatures!

Pu Luong Eco Garden

Very rustic and our air conditioning didn’t work for the night we were there which was not great since we had spent a long day hiking in 40 plus degrees. Not much to do but was fine for a night in between other locations.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Nothing much around but it is in the middle of the country so undertandable

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Air conditioning wasn’t working

Capella Cruise

Halong

This overnight cruise was a highlight of our trip to Vietnam. Beautiful boat and was not too busy at all when we went. Views of surrounding are spectacular. Went kayaking and enjoyed the top deck and delicious food!!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Allegro Hoian

Great hotel close to centre of Hoi An so easy walking. The hotel has discounts to good tailor shops so we had some wonderful clothing made which was so much fun!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Odys Boutique Hotel

Ho Chi Minh City

Well located to be able to walk around easily!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Amiana Resort Nha Trang

Beautiful hotel located right near the private beach. Huge pool! Enjoyed our stay here. It is very quiet as it is away from the main part which was appreciated after a long stay in Vietnam. Enjoyed delicious food, great beach where we rented floats and snorkeling equipment! We had a great time and was a perfect end to our 2 week trip in Vietnam!!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Away from the busier part which made it feel like an oasis

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Pu Luong - Ninh Binh: Trang An - Hang Mua

Ninh Binh

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Hanoi - Pu Luong Natural Reserve

Vietnam

Was beautiful but VERY hot which made it tough!

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Welcome to Ha Long Bay - Lan Ha Bay (Capella Cruise)

Vietnam

Beautiful boat and great time seeing Halong Bay!

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Cam Thanh Coconut Village - Basket Boat

Hoi An

Lots of fun! Our boat guide was so cute!! Fun activity!!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Vespa Adventure: Street food after dark

Ho Chi Minh City

We had a wonderful time on our Vespa tour! Our guide was incredible and so generous! My birthday had been a few days earlier and he surprised us with a small birthday cake which was so thoughtful!! Loved our Vespa experience!!

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Planning and booking a trip on Kimkim gave us the personalized trip experience we were looking for, tailored to our exact needs. Our local specialist Eleni was amazing to work with, and we would recommend her to anyone looking to book a memorable vacation in Greece. Eleni was amazing to work with. She answered all our questions, provided excellent suggestions based on our likes/dislikes and all communications with her were prompt and professional.

We were supposed to do this trip in 2020 so over the years I have dealt with a number of Kimkim people. All have been excellent and Tom was no exception. I found Kimkim online and had never heard of them. I normally plan our trips but Norway just seemed like a bridge too far. The 14 night trip was a perfect match for our kind of travel. Be warned though Norway is a big country!! Lofoten is crowded but a must see. Highly recommend utilizing Kimkim for your next holiday

Overall other arrangements were good. But, I would like to point out delights & things that need improvement.
Delights:
Malaysia team of guide (Lawrence) & driver (Jason) was outstanding. They did a great job and were very patient. They were nice to all 10 family members. Everyone liked them. I will recommend them very very highly.
Airport pick up & Airport Drop Off drivers were very good - Friendly, helpful & safe drivers.
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Traveller – The company who was responsible for Singapore transportation & sightseeing arrangement. We had mixed experience:
Their first day’s driver, Raymond was good – flexible, friendly. He handed me tickets for all sightseeing. They did a good job on tickets.
Now the disappointments (These are not meant to get anyone fired & are not meant for complaining):
The other 2 drivers were not flexible, not friendly (Could be because of their limited vocabulary). Finally, they showed some flexibility. We follow time, rules very seriously. But, we had kids, elderly people with some limitations. That’s why we wanted private tour. Anyway, we managed. One example – the 3:00 pm return time (to be changed to 4:00 pm) from Sentosa was never conveyed to the driver. He wanted me to talk to the office, if I wanted it changed. When you are on sightseeing, we did not have the luxury to waste time for that. We kept it at 3:00 pm. The next day’s driver insisted that we return from the bird park at 12:55, even 5 minutes before the agreed time of 1:00 pm. We managed, but had to run. He later on was flexible to change the pick up point for afternoon sightseeing.
SGMY Taxi – They transported to & from Malaysia
The drivers were good hearted, skilled. But, they drive at real high speeds and their distance from the front car is way less than required for safety. (They were keeping 10 to 20 feet between cars while driving at 70+ mph) I am mainly concerned for their & future traveler’s safety.
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We had an amazing visit to Iceland! Lisbet was so easy to work with and did an exceptional job planning on our behalf. We enjoyed the tours/activities she suggested for our family. Accommodations were top notch. All in all, a great family vacation!

We planned a 6 day trip covering some of the coastal and temple towns in South India.
Right from planning, answering questions and arranging for logistics- hotels, guides, car etc, Ravi and team were on top of everything.
We had a wonderful experience with our 2 guides, Sam Benjamin and Marimuthu who were extremely knowledgeable about the area and provided us a lot of insights and also recommendations on places to eat, shop etc.
Ajith, our driver for the trip was always on time and kept us on schedule
Overall, a memorable experience!! Looking forward to planning our next India trip with this team!!

We had a great trip along the coast of Croatia! Nikola was amazing at communicating and understanding our needs. The hotels we stayed at were fantastic and all recommendations for optional activates and restaurants were much appreciated. The timing of our days were also great. We truly enjoyed our time!

We are 3 couples from the USA visiting Spain for 12 days. From the beginning Alba was incredibly helpful in arranging this trip. First, we shared with Alba what we were interested in seeing and doing (And what our budget was!), and she gave us her ideas on what the most popular things to see and do are . This was followed by several ZOOM calls and written communication back and forth until we had an itinerary that Alba thought we would enjoy and also appealed to us. We shared with Alba some suggestions that we had received from friends who were from Spain, and she was willing to incorporate some of them but wasn't afraid to tell us what wouldn't work for us. Ultimately, Alba devised an amazing CUSTOMIZED Spain vacation.

We spent 4 nights in Madrid, 3 nights in Bilbao (Basque Country) and 5 nights in Barcelona. Alba arranged everything for us including airport transfers, hotels, dinner reservations and a tour virtually every day. The tours included visiting The Royal Palace, The Prado, Botin Restaurant, Guggenheim and Dali Museums, a Flamenco Show, A Wine Tasting, La Sagrada Familia, Barcelona's Gothic Quarter and day trips to Toledo, Avila, Segovia, San Sebastian, Costa Brava, Girona and Montserrat. And of course we ate lots of Tapas and Pinxtos with our Guides taking us to some awesome places in each city. The Guides (Beatriz, Rosita, Mati, Julen, Anna, Stepan and Julia were all excellent. They were friendly, informative and very well organized. They all shared the history and culture of Spain which we found very interesting. In the Prado and Dali Museums Rosita and Julia taught us about the artists and showed us specific pieces or art, giving us an understanding of the meaning of each one. That really gave us a better understanding of what we were looking at and made it way more interesting. And we saw some fantastic natural landscape, incredible cathedrals and interesting architecture. We also had enough free time to wonder on our own. Throughout the trip, Alba kept us up to date on What's App to confirm what we were doing each day and who our Guides were which was very reassuring.

It's hard to say what our favorites were. We really enjoyed everything (Except maybe The Guggenheim Museum and Nerua Restaurant which we all thought were a little weird but certainly an unforgettable experience). But that is a matter of taste. The H10 Villa de la Reina, Hotel Miro and H10 Art Gallery hotels were nice in good locations with good staffs. And we had some really enjoyable meals. If anyone is planning a trip to Spain, we would recommend starting with our itinerary, and let Alba customize it based on your interests. We highly recommend KimKim and Alba!!!!!

Thrilled with our journey to Bhutan 🇧🇹 which was expertly organized by Mieke. We had a very helpful dialogue before finalizing the booking regarding lodging and trade offs at various price points which I appreciated. The guide Sonam and driver Dawa were outstanding. And traveling to Bhutan in the low season (July) turned out great as the hotels and attractions were pretty empty. I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend Mieke to others.

Aline and Bastien planned an amazing trip - they spent time understanding our needs, budgets and things we (my wife and me) wanted to do in Paris. Every small detail from hotel type and location to customized tours were well thought of. We enjoyed the entire week in Paris, thanks to the attention to details and planning done by the Aline/Bastien. They were also very reachable, always quick to respond and proactive. Thank you for a very memorable trip!