Kimkim Trip Reviews

Thank you the KIMKIM company for connecting us with local Egypt from Egypt Promotion. entire team was fabulous including guides, driver and other team members. our trip was planned and executed with precision by local team, congratulations. from our arrival at the airport on day one till we left on day ten we were superbly attended. we want to show our sincere gratitude to: 1. Mr Hasham (our guide: First of all, he is wonderful person, very caring, extremely organized. Our 3 daughters loved him. He is very knowledgeable about everything Egypt. One of the best things we loved about him was his punctuality, gentle mannerisms, and sense of humor. He made our trip memorable. 2. Mr Mahmoud: he was our go to all person from airports to hotels, and in between. In short, superb team. We highly recommend them without reservations.
One of the best parts of the trip was The Nile Cruise with Dahabiya, amazing. Thank you all from bottoms of our hearts for an unforgettable experience.

Hi Kim Kim,
Chris and Diana Knauer just returned home from Thailand. The following was our experience.

Tina was super helpful at the inception. She suggested things to do, hotels to stay and the flow out the trip.
All transfers were effortless and in time in clean and roomy vehicles.
The hotels selected were great.

I will recommend Tina and Kim Kim to my friends for future travel.

Thanks

Chris Knauer

Hotel Reviews

The Xcape River Kwai

Kanchanaburi

Nice hotel on the river but i would not say this is a five star hotel. Staff great, Nice hotel, clean but far removed . If i was to stay in Kanachanburi again i would stay closer to the waterfalls as this is the only thing to do, which was great.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

The Salil Hotel Riverside Bangkok

good location but bathrooms /bedroom a little small. Good breakfast, great staff and on the river for convenience.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Anantara Bo Phut Koh Samui

Surat Thani

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Raya Heritage Hotel

CHIANG MAI

great ambiance and staff

Authenticity & Character

people, staff and accommodations

Location

central which was great

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Erawan National Park visit

Thailand

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Transfer from Bangkok to Kanchanaburi

Thailand

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Enjoy Food Tasting in Chinatown!

Bangkok

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Bangkok by local transfers and Temple Visit

Bangkok

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Welcome to Bangkok!

Bangkok

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

A private boat day trip to Koh Tao & Koh Nang Yuan

Thailand

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Angthong Marine Park - Private Speedboat Tour

Thailand

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Adventure with Quad Motor or ATV ride in Samui

Thailand

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Chiang Mai Cooking Class Experience

Chiang Mai

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Chiang Mai Temple Tour with Market Visit!

Chiang Mai

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Elephant Jungle Sanctuary in Chiang Mai-Half Day

Chiang Mai

Quality of Experience

i

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Half-Day Doi Suthep Temple Tour

Chiang Mai

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Margoth and team designed a trip that was perfect for us. All internal flights, accommodations, transfers and tours were well organized. Our guides and drivers were friendly and knowledgeable and everything worked seamlessly. I would highly recommend the Kimkim team.

Monika helped to curate this amazing trip to New Zealand. We had an amazing time and really saw much of the South Island. Every experience was unique and wonderful. Our guides were great especially the heli hike on Mt Cook with Charlie. The fly cruise fly is the way to go to see the fjords. The flight was breathtaking. The star gazing was incredible and the hot springs after was a plus. Our wine lunch in Otaga was incredible. I can’t say enough and loved the recommendations given on way from one place to next. Just amazing !!!

This was a great way for us to get a feel for Costa Rica and an understanding of the available options for further travel. All of our tour guides were knowledgeable and enthusiastic and their experience and sighting skills made a huge difference to how much we were able to see.

Hotel Reviews

Bahia del Sol Hotel

Guanacaste

This hotel had a stunning location right on the beach, and beautifully landscaped grounds-- I found it odd that we didn't see any pollinators on the many tropical blossoms. The reception staff was very helpful. Our standard room was a let down from our first 2 hotels--primarily because it had no windows. The room itself was comfortable and stylish. We liked being able to walk around the town of Potrero Beach and had a couple of nice meals at the Shack and La Forketta.

Cloud Forest Lodge

Monteverde

Very attractive hotel with comfortable and stylish room. The grounds right around the hotel were beautifully landscaped but we saw only an occasional hummingbird on the grounds. The trails were not very inviting--poorly marked, and the loop we followed wound along the service side of some of the buildings. The food was excellent, albeit expensive. Staff was helpful and efficient, but felt quite corporate compared to Tenorio Lodge where it felt like a family operation.

Tenorio Lodge

Bijagua de Upala

Tenorio Lodge was my favorite of our 3 hotels. Small, owner operated and lovingly maintained it had an astonishing array of birds, from Toucans to Baltimore Orioles, coming in to enjoy daily feedings of bananas. Also sported a pair of resident sloths, and a tapir trail through the grounds. We stayed in Cabin #6 which was airy, comfortable and very private. Breakfast was excellent, if we went back we would probably go into Bijagua for dinner--we had a very tasty lunch at El Barrigon.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Palo Verde National Park Safari Cruise

Costa Rica

This is remote--we enjoyed seeing the countryside, but it was a long time in the car. The boat tour itself was excellent, and the captain was very skilled at spotting wildlife and maneuvering the boat in close for a good look. It was in our favor that it was low tide and there was a breeze. The lunch and stops at a community center with a craft stand run by single moms as well as a stop to see traditional pottery were both quite interesting and a nice change from many of the souvenir shops with made in China goods.

Day at Selvatura including Hanging Bridges and Fauna Exhibitions

Costa Rica

The hanging bridges walk was a chance to experience the grandeur of the canopy. I enjoyed simply breathing in the surroundings, but we would have understood what we were seeing much better with a guide. I would skip the sloth and reptile displays. The butterfly garden was worth a visit--we had a particularly good guide for the Fauna exhibits who had a special interest in insects. The next day we booked a last minute tour at the Monteverde Biological reserve, which I highly recommend. It was a nice complement to the canopy walk at Selvatura.

Private Rio Celeste & Tenorio Volcano Hike

Bijagua / Rio Celeste

It was raining, and the only trail open in the park was the waterfall walk, but our guide gave us a great tour. He spotted several snakes, I tasted a termite, we made it to the waterfall and back. Our driver was extremely attentive to wildlife along the road to the park and stopped so we could get a good look at howler monkeys and a king vulture. The fruit snack at the end of the hike was delicious, and we were delighted when the driver and guide accepted our invitation to lunch on the way back to the lodge.

This was a great trip to Vietnam and Cambodia. 2 weeks was exactly the right amount of time to see everything we wanted to see. It struck the proper balance between activities every day, a variety of excursions, with the right amount of rest time in between. Transportation around town was excellent. Pickups and drop-offs at the airport were smooth, enough of the people in Indo-China spoke English to get by. The education about history was very informing. Bike rides, although challenging at my age of 73, was good exercise and allowed us to see the local people and how they lived. We saw some cultural events, some flavor of the local food. There were 3 cooking classes. We saw a variety of places in Vietnam and understand the role that Vietnam and Cambodia play in the modern world. The only negative is that we probably did not ask questions of Ashley often enough. She eventually answered them. Ashley did a great job of planning our trip. We would do it again, except Vietnam is on the other side of the world and the plane rides were exceedingly long.
Ron Goings

Our 26 day trip to Thailand and Vietnam was absolutely amazing from the moment we landed and our final departure . Sunny was the best and we loved every minute of our very moment of our adventure.

I highly recommend Sunny she was very easy to communicate with while on trip.

The hotels were great and all the guides were very knowledgeable and friendly.

We will definitely use her again

Overall we had a great time. A few bumps along the way. Three of us got sick on different days on Isla Baru so that slowed us down a bit. But we still managed to have a good time
Time in Cartagena was well planned and and tours were well appreciated. Tour guide Anna did a very good job. We enjoyed our time very much.

My son and I had an amazing trip to New Zealand in December 2024. I could not have pulled it all together without Michelle from Once upon a trip New Zealand. She was absolutely wonderful to work with. I gave her our wish list and she put together the ultimate itinerary to fit our interests. I would highly recommend Michelle!

We had a wonderful trip with so many various experiences. Jesse did a fabulous job setting up all the tours, transportation , hotels. All of our local guides were amazing and made our trip so special.

Lorena did an outstanding job all the way around. Our accommodations were excellent. Transfers (with one exception) excellent and timely. Lorena always responsive and helpful. This was an epic trip for us and we owe great thanks to Lorena for that!

Activity Reviews

Fly-Fishing Program Magic Waters Patagonia

Puerto Bertrand

Skorpios II - 6 days/5 nights Cruise

Chile

Definitely a trip to do., Small ships. Greater food. Incredible experiences.,

Quality of Experience

Montes Winery - Tour Premium

Chile

Great restaurant, and great wine.

Quality of Experience

Valparaíso & Wine Tour - Private

Santiago

Old town Valparaiso was excellent! Highly recommended. Sole took us on an awesome tour.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Private Dinner Experience

Santiago

Gloria and Leonids were suggest gracious hosts and it was an honor to have a meal in their home. Highly recommend this to anyone who has the chance. Just an amazing experience. I will never forget the “third flavor”.

Quality of Experience

Food

Gloria prepared an amazing dinner, paired with Leonides excellent wines. What a gift it was to be with them!

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Santiago City Tour - Private

Chile

Sole was fantastic! Great tours. Deep and thoughtful knowledge. A pleasure to be with Sole!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

My wife and I had the pleasure of visiting and exploring Morocco with the help of kimkim from January 21 - January 29, 2025 (9 days). We put 1,318 km (819 miles) on the Mercedes! The following was our itinerary: Arrive in Casablanca; Rabat (1 night); Fes (2 nights); Midelt (1 night); Merzouga (1 night); Boumalne Dades (1 night); and Marrakesh (2 nights). Majid was the local specialist who, from the moment we booked our trip, was instrumental in guiding us along our amazing journey from city to city and across the Moroccan countryside. He was the perfect quarterback who drew up winning plays and called for last-minute changes to ensure all of our needs were met. There were also several tour guides who helped us become intimately familiar with the religiously and historically significant aspects of each city and site we visited, and we appreciated each and every one of them. So, now, for the best part of the trip: Mouad. Mouad was our driver/guide/friend with whom we spent several hours each day, as we traversed the Moroccan shorelines, the High Atlas Mountains and the Sahara Desert (we will, by the way, never forget the sight of the stary night in the desert!). From the moment Mouad greeted us with his big, bright and contagious smile, we knew that we were in for a treat! He greeted my wife with a bouquet of flowers, which was so very thoughtful of him. He was, quite literally, happy, talkative and engaging the entire time. He went above and beyond each and every single day to make sure that every single one of our needs were met, no questions asked--zero hesitation. He then surprised us with a heart-shaped cake to celebrate our 13th anniversary, in the middle of the Sahara Desert no less! We cannot say enough wonderful things about Mouad, and Majid was not kidding when he told us (initially) that Mouad was one of his star players. We left Morocco having made a special friend! I encourage kimkim and Majid to continue to recognize the professionalism and love with which Mouad performs his work (although we're sure he does not even consider it work!) by giving him a call (+212-658-774107) to say Thank You! We sure are grateful to Mouad, Majid and the entire kimkim Team for making our Morocco trip one for the ages!

I loved the choices Valentine made for us, Especially her recommendations while in the Black Forest.

Paula & kimkim! What a stellar team! Mahalo so much to Paula for her patience in coordinating our remarkable trip to New Zealand (Auckland & Queenstown) and Australia (Sydney & Cairns).
Paula's knowledge of both of these amazing destinations truly helped us enjoy our trip to its fullest!
Why choose kimkim:
1. The personal attention that we got from Paula not only allowed us to embark on a trip of a lifetime, but we gained a new friend - Paula!
2. From confirming hotels, booking flights, to arranging airport transfers, tours and so much more - this was by far, the best way to travel - peace of mind and worry free! Our hotel, M Social was very modern and perfectly located to all activities. The daily breakfast buffet started our days with delicious and healthy options!
3. Our guide Jono for the Auckland Food/Drink City tour was so engaging and very informative as we walked through downtown Auckland and stopped at several eating and drinking establishments! We made new friends along the way and Jono kept us informed and full of joy! The tour and food/drinks and desserts is a must do!
4. Our next stop was Queenstown! My new fave place to visit in the future! Our hotel here was the Millenium - another awesome choice - walking distance to the hub of the town and other activities.
5. Paula arranged for us to take a tour to Milford Sound via coach (Mercedes glass top) and this did not disappoint at all. Our driver was very informative and shared so much about the area and culture along the way, He stopped at some points of interest and the views were absolutely spectacular! We even stood in the field where they filmed the Orcs running through in the movie Lord of the Rings! Arriving at the Sound and journeying on the ferry was surreal. The sound is stunning and we saw dolphins, seals and sea birds. We opted to fly our of Milford Sound at the last minute and THAT was AWESOME! I highly recommend that you do this! The pilot flew us close to the mountain range seeing the glacier tops and lakes too! It was thrilling beyond belief!
6. Our next adventure that Paula booked was the Jet Boat Ride! OK, as a 70 year old, I was a bit weary of this one. However, it was SO MUCH fun and exhilarating - I am ready to go again! Our guide, Dane was Maori and gifted us with his knowledge of the area and its cultural significance. This is another must do....not matter how old you are!
7. We allowed for some free time at our destinations in order to do some spontaneous things and discover things on our own. We rode the Gondola in Queenstown and hung out downtown. The food did not let us down. EVERYTHING was delicious!
8. Next we were off to Sydney where Paula booked us into the Intercontinental. My fave hotel now in Sydney! Breakfast buffet included - clearly the best we have had - ever. Here we did our own things - visiting the Opera House, taking in La Traviata at the Opera House one nite, walking through the Royal Botanical Garden and simply going on adventures in Sydney on our own.
9. Our next stop was Cairns! Flights were all arranged by Paula! We go there, and it was storming. Our snorkel cruise was cancelled due to the weather. As this was pre-paid, the vendor provided a letter for us to receive a refund from our booking agent - kimkim. Upon our return, Paula quickly worked on this and we will receive refunds within a week!
Although our cruise was cancelled, we still found fun things to do while in Cairns. Our hotel, Flynn Crystalbrook booked by Paula, was another winner - centrally located with morning buffet breakfast included.
Paula worked her magic to allow us to have a stress-free, beyond comfortable vacation. Balancing "must see & do" experiences along with free time was perfect. We had SO much fun and learned a lot about the area, the culture and the people.
For all of this Paula, mahalo palena 'ole - with deepest gratitude. Marcie

I had a great trip. Everything went as planned, and there were only good surprises. I worked with Jimena and she suggested some excursions that I would not have known about that turned out to be amazing. All of the logistics were great and made traveling from place to place easy.

Activity Reviews

Walk with Penguins on Isla Martillo

Ushuaia

This was so much fun. Highly recommended.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Ice Hike on Glacier Grey

Patagonia

It was like being on another planet. Amazing.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

We used KimKim to manage one week of a longer trip during which we wanted to visit four cities in eight days and take in a number of popular monuments using local tour guides. While anyone can take care of their own bookings online, we considered it worth the extra cost to turn over the arrangements for four destinations in Spain while we focused on booking the rest of our trip. KimKim steered us to unique hotels (that we might not have stumbled across) within walking distance of attractions and informative tour guides. The communication before and during our trip was superlative.

Overall Comments.
We had a fabulous three weeks holiday due very much to the quality of Kim Kim’s itinerary planning, logistics organization, the quality of the operators and tour guides employed and the on-going communication and support to us throughout the trip by Kim Kim.
Trail damage and mud due to heavy rains prior to our trip or on several days during our trip, forced some limited rescheduling of tours but in all cases tour operators (and we) adapted without problems.

Kim Kim Organization
Kim Kim organization of our itinerary and communication with us was first class. Gustavo was very responsive to our concerns and suggestions in crafting our itinerary. Greg did a fabulous job of attending to the details and building this into our on-line itinerary. The scheduling of a Skype type call with us just shortly before our trip was very helpful in our preparations.

Kim Kim Support.
Greg’s availability throughout the trip to clarify issues was reassuring.

Locations Visited.
We were very happy with all locations visited and, with one exception, the amount of time spent in each. With advanced information on the closure of the Tortuguero Hill trail which evidently had been closed for around two months because of a fallen tree, a day less in Tortuguero would have been appropriate.

Tours.
All the tours organized by Kim Kim and the guides they employed were first class. Of the self guided days that we had built into our itinerary as efforts to cut down on costs or take a break, the Day 1 Cahuita Park trek and the three days in San Jose worked out well. Because of the mud situation with the jungle hike in Gandoca Manzanillo Refuge the Exploradores guide, Rodriguo made an excellent substitute by taking us kayaking. We loved that experience. The Tortuguero Hill trail was closed so we organized our own water taxi to San Francisco and that was perfectly fine. Making a self guided trek to the Arenal Volcano proved impractical because of the isolated location of the Lost Iguana Resort so we took a tour of the Arenal Volcano through the hotel. The English language skills of the guide were nowhere near as good as the other guides we had. In Santa Elena we decided taking a tour for the Curi Cancha Reserve was a good investment both for the guiding services and transport to get there. We booked this through Ocotea, the same company as Kim Kim engaged for the Cloud Forest Reserve, and it was a good tour. The San Pedrillo tour in Corcovado was much better for us than the Sirena tour but this was largely because of the fantastic wildlife sightings we made at the first compared with the second (a tapir and a puma up close) and also because of the shorter trip and easier sand beach access of the first. Our sightings on the second day in Sirena were slim and disappointing by comparison but from what we heard about prevalence of wildlife at each location our sighting experiences could easily have been the other way around. The beach embarkation at Sirena at low tide on large rocks as well as long rock slippery shelves had its difficulties for us and the wet shoes we had didn’t help our experience. Flip flops are not an option particularly at Sirena. Unfortunately for Susan one of her Keens’ water shoes had separated at the sole so weren’t usable so she was making do with flip flops which were not advised.

The zip line experience in Santa Elena turned out to be quite a highlight for us. We were nearly going to pull out but after our two test runs and encouragement from the staff, we went ahead with all five more.

Transfers.
The transfers operated and coordinated by Ride CR (almost all) all went off very smoothly. So did our Sansa flights.
The boat trip from Puerto Sierpe to Drake Bay was an hour and a half later than expected (the boat departs at 4pm as opposed to 3pm) and possibly not with the boat and skipper we were expecting. We are not even sure we even met Captain Licho 😊 But it all worked well in the end and we enjoyed the experience. We certainly were happy to have taken this method of getting to Drake Bay rather than an extra two and a half hours by road.

Accommodation.

Hotel Santo Thomas - San Jose.
This proved a great choice for us. The location relative to downtown, to a number of excellent restaurants and a bank was superb. The room was spacious and comfortable with all the amenities we needed. The breakfast was perfectly adequate. The staff were all cheerful and helpful. The price was also excellent.

Umami Hotel - Puerto Viejo.
This hotel was also excellent. A well appointed and nicely decorated room although the mattress on the main bed was not as firm as I would have liked. The staff were friendly and helpful. The location was great. We really enjoyed Puerto Viejo.

Mawamba Lodge - Tortuguero.
This lodge is well located in reasonable proximity to the village and ocean beach. It is well laid out and the pool is great. The ability to walk into the village of Tortuguero was very good. However the hot water in our room was intermittent. Some of the staff could have been more friendly and enthusiastic.

Lost Iguana- Arenal.
This hotel was excellent and staff were universally helpful, friendly and enthusiastic. The food at the property was good and our room excellent. However it was very isolated from La Fortuna and because we didn’t have our own car it cost us US$40 each way to go to La Fortuna and didn’t allow us to eat dinner anywhere else other than the hotel’s restaurant.

Mar Inn - Santa Elena.
This motel, though modest in services and appointments met our needs very well. It was located close to the centre of Santa Elena village.

Rancho Corcovado- Drake Bay.
This motel was a real mixture. We were in a beautiful and huge room that seemed only partially furnished. It had no chairs or tables (other than recliner chairs on the balcony) and no hangers of any description either for clothes or towels

Possible areas for Improvement might be two or three page printed spreadsheet itinerary that was more easily referenced in off-line locations (we created our own). Also, better information on things like the trail closure on Tortuguero Hill would have been good.

Hotel Reviews

Lost Iguana Resort & Spa

Fortuna

The Lost Iguana Resort & Spa was a fabulous experience with beautiful surroundings and great amenities. However, its location half an hour outside of La Fortuna with no public transport made things a bit difficult. Getting to town required a cab ride, which was quite costly at $40 USD each way, making it less convenient to explore local dining options. It's a great place to stay if you're not planning on heading into town frequently.

Hotel Santo Tomas

San Jose

This proved a great choice for us. The location relative to downtown, a number of excellent restaurants and a bank was superb. The room was spacious and comfortable with all the amenities we needed. The breakfast was perfectly adequate. The staff were all cheerful and helpful. The price was also excellent.

Authenticity & Character

Old tile floors, spacious rooms, high ceilings.

Location

Easily walkable distance to downtown attractions such as the Teatro Nationale and the Museo Nationale, a bank, on the edge of the Barrio Anon district with a number of great restaurants of different cuisine styles and price levels and a number of good souvenir shops.

Staff

Thomas, the owner provided a lot of good advice and all the staff were helpful and friendly.

Cleanliness & Comfort

The bed was firm and very comfortable.

Activity Review

Corcovado National Park Hike from San Pedrillo Ranger Station

Drake Bay

The Corcovado National Park Hike from San Pedrillo Ranger Station was an incredible experience. Being in a small group was a significant advantage, allowing for a more personal and quiet exploration of the park. We were extremely lucky with our wildlife sightings, getting up close to a tapir and a puma, which was unforgettable. Despite some wet access on the boats and rocky terrains, this activity was a highlight of the trip due to the amazing wildlife and scenery.

My trip was based in Mexico City and Puebla. Accommodations, transport and guided tours were arranged according to my interests, and all of the tours chosen were perfect. There were wonderful food tours in both Mexico City and Puebla, visits to the Pueblos Mágicos Zácatlan and Chignahuapan, a visit to Teotihuacan, and tours of Talavera factories in Puebla (in one of which I painted my own piece). All of the tour guides (Luis, Yimnah, Lupita, Pablo and Ayleyn) and drivers were wonderful - friendly, knowledgeable, informative and fun to be with. I spent the most time with Lupita (3 separate tours) in Puebla. She is truly a precious resource to have.

Hotel Reviews

Casa González

Mexico City

My room was large and comfortable. The hotel is very conveniently located. The reception staff were extremely friendly and helpful.

Authenticity & Character

Lovely outside patio.

Location

Very conveniently located near restaurants and many places of interest. Safe neighborhood; I felt comfortable walking around as a solo female.

Staff

Reception personnel in particular were helpful.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Casa Azulai Puebla Hotel Boutique

Puebla

This hotel seems fairly recently renovated, and has lovely decor. It is convenient and modern in comfort, yet retains historic charm. The staff are friendly and accommodating. I had several breakfasts there, which were delicious. The hotel is conveniently located in the historic center, close to places of interest, shopping and restaurants.

Authenticity & Character

Lovely decor which seamlessly blends historic charm with modern convenience.

Location

It is in the historic center.

Staff

Friendly and helpful

Cleanliness & Comfort

The bed was very comfortable, and the shower was great.

Activity Reviews

Free day in Puebla

Mexico

I visited the forts commemorating the battle of Cinco de Mayo, and the Ex-Convento de Santa Rosa. I wanted to visit the house of the Serdán family but was unable; it was closed for some sort of maintenance.

Quality of Experience

I enjoyed the day, but can’t compare it to the previous stellar guided experiences!

Guides, Drivers and Staff

N/A

Transport

N/A

Discover Zacatlan de las Manzanas & Chignahuapan

Mexico

To my delight, Lupita was my guide for this day’s experiences. It was a day full of unique experiences; we visited 2 of Mexico’s Pueblos Mágicos, Zácatlan and Chignahuapan, and hiked to a waterfall Cascadas San Joaquin Tomatlán. Zácatlan is a town bejeweled with beautiful and intricate mosaic murals which depict the history of the town, early Mexican history/mythology, and things of cultural interest such as typical clothing from each state of Mexico. To add to the value and interest of this excursion, the actual artists were working as we toured and spoke with us about their work! The hike to the waterfall took place through a cool refreshing mountainous area, and the local guide discussed the indigenous plants of medicinal value. During this tour I sampled some local delicacies such as bread stuffed with an entire apple, elote and a maguey worm (actually very tasty and a good source of protein, no kidding).

Quality of Experience

I loved the opportunity to visit Pueblos Mágicos, places which are not necessarily on the tourist route for folks from the US. Also, it was truly priceless to be able to see the dedication of the mural artists at work, and to meet those amazing women. My memories from this tour will always be cherished.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

As noted before, Lupita is a fantastic guide and I was happy to have her in charge again. I cannot say enough good things about her. She is indefatigable, kind, personable, and a gifted teacher. She was always careful of my welfare, and asked if I was tired or if anything was too much for me. Our driver Miguel is also a very kind man and an excellent, safe driver.

Transport

Miguel was the driver; very comfortable car which was fanatically clean at the beginning of our trip but, unfortunately for Miguel, dusty and/or rain-soaked at the end of the adventure!

Mole Poblano: Market Tour & Cooking Class

Mexico City

This class was very well-organized and incredibly fun. I was the only tourist in this activity, which added to the experience since I felt like I was really able to participate in the cooking. However I think that a larger group would be great as well.

Quality of Experience

In contrast to previous cooking classes that I have taken in other places, I feel that I will really be able to possibly make mole myself after I return home. We also visited a local market where I had the experience of shopping for some of the ingredients we used later. We sampled a sweet breakfast tamale at the very beginning of the experience, just enough to keep me from getting ravenous before the mole was ready!

Food

Aleyn shared her recipe for mole, which was less extensive (in terms of number of ingredients) than I had expected. She encouraged me to taste the sauce at each crucial step to make sure it was going in the right direction. It turned out delicious!

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Aleyn, the guide, teacher and chief cook, is an excellent instructor. She was both encouraging with my efforts and also patient with my lack of expertise! She is incredibly fun to be with!

Transport

The little bit of driving that this tour required was done by the tour guide herself.

Visit Cholula and a talavera factory

Cholula

We visited a famous Talavera factory, Talavera de la Reyna, on the way to Cholula. The tour was fascinating, and included a thorough explanation of the process of producing the ceramics. We then proceeded to Cholula, where the guide discussed the largest pyramid in the world, located there. We visited the museum and walked around the pyramid, viewing the excavations of previous pyramids. We then climbed to the top to see the famous church of Nuestra Señora de los Remedios. Additionally we visited Templo de Santa María Tonantzintla and La Purisima in San Andres Cholula.

Quality of Experience

It was very well planned to include the visit to the Talavera factory (a special interest of mine), as well as the historic and spiritual sites. The sites are must-see for anyone in the Puebla area.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Pablo was very informative, explaining the significance of the pyramid as well as the cultural significance of the different styles of decor in the churches. His commentary on the exhibits in the museum was invaluable.

Transport

The car was comfortable; the driver arrived for pickup promptly and dropped us at convenient spots for each activity.

Gastronomic tour in Puebla

Puebla

My guide Lupita chose typical dishes of Puebla for us to sample - tacos de canasta, tlayoyos, quesadillas (not like those in the US), and sweets. Although there were other dishes, like cemitas, that we were unable to try (because too much food) Lupita provided background information about those foods. While we were in the street of dulces, she pointed out the former home of the Serdán family, which continues to display bullet holes from the start of the Mexican Revolution on its facade.

Quality of Experience

This tour was as advertised; a true food tour which includes dishes which most people from the US would not know as Mexican. A truly marvelous cultural experience.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

This was my second day with Lupita. I was thrilled to learn that she would be my guide again!

Transport

N/A. Walking tour.

Puebla City Tour & Talavera Workshop

Puebla

The visit to the Talavera workshop was great. I was a fan of Talavera ceramics before my arrival, and was thrilled to tour the Uriarte factory, one of the most historic and iconic Talavera factories of Puebla. It was informative and after the tour, for better or for worse, I was able to paint my own piece. We later had a fantastic walking tour of the city of Puebla.

Quality of Experience

The experience of trying to paint my own ceramic piece, which is being shipped to me after it has been fired and finished!

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Lupita was the guide for this experience. She is truly a treasure - friendly, humorous, knowledgeable, kind and a great teacher. She shared her knowledge of Puebla history in general as well as the history of each individual building we visited. She was always concerned about my welfare, asking if I needed to rest and making sure I didn’t walk into the street when there was traffic. She chose a number of iconic churches for us to visit, as well as the Biblioteca Palafoxiana.

Transport

Kind of N/A; it was a walking tour.

Teotihuacán Walking Tour - DO Puebla/Cholula - 8h

Mexico City

With my guide Luis, I believe that I was able to visit the areas of greatest significance of Teotihuacán.

Quality of Experience

I learned a great deal about the area, the former residents of Teotihuacán and their lives, and the process of archeological discovery and preservation.

Food

I had a typical lunch (chicken with mole, rice, beans, tortillas) in a local restaurant with a view of one of the pyramids.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Luis was highly informative; he made every detail interesting. He was also very solicitous about how I was doing e.g. if I needed to rest, etc. The driver took me from Teotihuacán to my hotel in Puebla; he was very kind and helpful.

Transport

As above

Discover the flavors and colors of the exotic San Juan Market

Mexico City

My guide Yimnah was wonderful - friendly, knowledgeable and helpful. She chose excellent food samples so that I could experience many flavors of Mexico, and some foods specific to Mexico City itself. We walked to a local market in an area of the historic center that I would never have thought to explore on my own (not because it was dangerous, just because I didn’t know it was there). Yimnah also shared interesting facts about that specific area of Mexico City.

Quality of Experience

The explanations about the historical significance of some of the dishes and restaurants.

Food

Everything; the torta, the cheese sampler, the mole, the fruit.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Yimnah was so friendly and knowledgeable, and always asked me about my preferences and how I was doing.

Transport

My hotel called a taxi for me.

Vicky did a superb job of booking accomodations and activities that fit us perfectly. Her attention to detail was spot on. Every transfer, flight, check
In and excursion were perfectly executed. I would 100% recommend Vicky and Kim Kim for any travel needs. Well done!

The entire trip was fantastic! Our tour guide, Anna, and her 2 drivers were knowledgeable and friendly!

Activity Reviews

Driving to Tai Mo Shan and Tai Po Waterfront Park Visit

Hong Kong

This is a hidden gem and amazing views for those who hike.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Cultural and Nature Explore of the Kowloon Peninsula and Lai Chi Kok Park

Hong Kong

The gardens and pagodas were beautiful! A must see for any nature lovers

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Sightseeing in Hong Kong

Hong Kong

The viewpoints were lovely

Quality of Experience

P

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport