Kimkim Trip Reviews

Eleanor was very helpful in planning our trip. She provided activity and planning suggestions and was receptive to our feedback in order to build a two-week itinerary to Japan.
The trip itself went off without a hitch, which is a testament to the planning and organizing that Eleanor and the Kim Kim team did. Japan was amazing and we enjoyed all of the activities that were either planned or recommended on our free days. We also appreciated the contact that we had from Eleanor throughout the trip in her efforts to ensure the trip went smoothly.
Thank you for a wonderful and relaxing trip. We both truly felt spoiled by this experience.

Hotel Reviews

Hakone Kowakien TEN-YU

Hakone

Very relaxing vibe at this hotel. The rooms were very spacious. It was nice to have a sitting area in the room and we also enjoyed the balcony space and private onsen. The shared onsen space was lovely - I definitely preferred the garden view with the waterfall. The only feedback that I would have is that the restaurant buffet menu tries too hard to cater to different tastes and the food might be better if they focused on just several dishes rather than a vast array.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

VIA INN Prime Kyotoeki Hachijoguchi JR-West Group

Kyoto

Very well located near the Kyoto train station. Despite this, the neighbourhood is very quiet with several good restaurants nearby. Room was comfortable and well sized as well.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Kanazawa & Shirakawa-go Tour with Local Experiences

Kanazawa

This was a great tour. We weren't fully sure about the full day tour, but the time flew by so quickly. We learned alot and appreciated having time both with our guide and for free exploration. We also enjoyed the craft activities. Our guide Yasushi was very talented in his ability to share his knowledge and passion for his home city.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Osaka Local Foodie Tour in Dotonbori and Shinsekai

Osaka

The food was delicious and our guide was very informative not only about the food, but the Kansai region. It was lovely to be able to meet other people who also enjoy food.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Grand Sumo Tournament Viewing Tour (Group Tour)

Tokyo

We feel so lucky to have been able to experience sumo. The tour was helpful in understanding the history and the sport. Our tour guide obviously really loved sumo and she shared her enthusiasm with us. I will definitely recommend this to anyone going to Japan in the future during tournament time.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Adam did a great job planning our trip for us, meeting all our requests and making us happy. His communication was amazing.

We started in Porto with a very nice walking tour showing us the highlights of the city and learning some of the history of Porto and Portugal.

Our Duro Valley wine tour was amazing. Philip was an very engaging and well informed tour guide who explained wine making and the regions during our drive. We got to experience some great wineries. like the Quinta de Roncao, which is a small family winery with a touching story and good wines. From there we took the boat tour and saw some of the big names in wine and pictouresque vineyards. We then visited Quinta dos Castelares where we had a truly exceptional guided tour and tasted some very good wines.

Our visit to Lisbon was exciting and full of fun and energy. Our Tuk Tuk tour gave us the highlights and some history of the city which was much more rounded out by our walking tour and visit to Sao George Castly. Andre was so well informed and made sure we saw everything we wanted and got the most of our day. The evenings Fado dinner was a true taste of the real Portugal. From our driver to the food to the singers it was a once in a life time experience that any visiting Portugal should have.

We ended our visit to Lisbon and the truly beautiful Sintra and Cascais. The Pena Palace and Regaleira are both unique, colorful and stunning beautiful regions of Portugal. Nuno gave us so much information and history of both locations and we were so happy. He even made sure we were able to visit the Chalet, which was not on the original tour but something we wanted to see.

We wish we had made more time to visit Portual and may return to experience all of this amazing country.

Lily, from KimKim, did an outstanding job planning our Scotland Adventure. There were 4 of us. The guys wanted to golf, and we wanted our own excursions.

Hotel Reviews

Cameron House

Alexandria

Wow! This hotel is amazing! It sits on a beautiful property that overlooks Loch Lomond! It’s also a castle! The staff were exceptional, and very friendly. The restaurants on the property were great! We rented bikes there and rode 26 miles through the countryside. Also had a boat ride on Loch Lomond.

Authenticity & Character

Part of a castle. Wonderful indoor pool and hot tub.

Location

Overlooks Loch Lomond. Nice walk through the property.

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Beds were very comfortable. Room service exceptional

Rufflets St Andrews

St. Andrews

Very charming and elegant. On the outskirts of St Andrews. Had an English Tudor feel. The gardens were amazing. I could have stayed a lot longer here!

Authenticity & Character

The gardens in the back says it all!

Location

Was easy to get into St Andrews

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

The Scotsman Hotel

Edinburgh

Perfect location. Easy to walk to many areas in Edinburgh, including the Royal Mile and the Edinburgh Castle and the Palace. Hotel room was very comfortable. Excellent room service.

Authenticity & Character

The building itself was very elegant with a lot of charm.

Location

Easy to walk to many areas of interest.

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Edinburgh Food Tour - With Locals - Private

Edinburgh

Had many authentic Scottish tastes, including Haggis and local Whiskey

Quality of Experience

Authentic food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Edinburgh Castle Tickets

Edinburgh

The Edinburgh Castle was very interesting to explore.

Private Walking Tour of Edinburgh with a Top Local Guide

Edinburgh

Private tour of Edinburgh with our guide. He had so much knowledge about the area, and history of Edinburgh and Scotland.

Quality of Experience

All hotels were the perfect match for us.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Our trip to Denmark and Switzerland was great! Some of the memorable parts of our stay in Copenhagen were taking a boat trip to some out of the beaten path places, checking out the oldest bakery in that city, visiting Rosenborg Castle and having dinner in Nyhavn. The next town we visited was Lucern in Switzerland and there we had the opportunity to take a ferry over gorgeous lake Lucern to a cog-rail train station and from there to Mount Rigi which had amazing views of the lakes below! We also had the best gelato on the promenade by the river and listened to some awesome jazz at the World Band Festival that was taking place there at the time. Not to be missed is the Lucern Museum of Transport. In our next city, Bern, we visited the beautiful Bern Cathedral where the organ was being played by one of several world class musicians who come to Bern just to play on this organ, magical! We also loved the collections being shown at the Bern Art Museum! The Paul Klee museum was also amazing if you’re into art! So all in all this was again a fantastic trip thanks to the Kim Kim team and especially Valentine, who was our trip coordinator.

Hotel Reviews

Hotel Anker Luzern

Luzern

This hotel was very trendy. The decor was super different and we enjoyed that.

Authenticity & Character

Like I said above the decorations were very creative in this hotel, different from any hotel I’ve been to.

Location

Location couldn’t have been better! Right near the promenade by the river and all the restaurants!

Staff

The staff was super helpful and accommodating. They were always ready to help!

Cleanliness & Comfort

The whole place was super clean! The reason for the 4 stars is that the beds were not very comfortable. They sagged a bit in the middle.

Hotel Savoy

Bern

This was our favorite hotel on this trip! Super new, great location, very helpful staff and super comfortable beds!!!

Authenticity & Character

It was great that the hotel must have been totally refurbished not too long ago and everything was brand new!

Location

This place was near the train station, right in the middle of town, near many activities and restaurants! Bathroom was super clean and shower was great!

Staff

Everyone who worked there was very helpful and polite! Awesome staff!

Cleanliness & Comfort

It was simply a great stay!

Hotel Kong Arthur

Copenhagen

The hotel itself was great, location was perfect, breakfast was delicious, very nice staff but the two beds in our room were terrible because they sagged really bad in the middle. This hotel needs to upgrade their beds.

Authenticity & Character

The decor of the lobby and breakfast area was trendy and of good taste!

Location

The location was perfect near places to eat and activities!

Staff

Everyone was very friendly and helpful!

Cleanliness & Comfort

The dining room where we had breakfast was very clean and comfortable! The premises were all very clean!

Activity Reviews

Copenhagen Introduction Walking Tour

Copenhagen

I’m sure this must have been a great tour but we got totally lost on our way to the meeting point and were too late to catch up with the group.

Zentrum Paul Klee (Entrance tickets)

Bern

This museum is a must see! We loved it!!!

Quality of Experience

Quality art and very nice staff.

UNESCO Stroll through Bern Old City

Bern

Great tour!!! The guide was very knowledgeable, funny and personable!

Quality of Experience

So much wonderful history in this town!

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Our guide was the best!!!

Guided tour of a monastery & Alpsbrinz cheese tasting

Lucerne

I’m sure this would have been a great activity but we missed it because it was raining pretty hard on this day and we had to travel there by train so we went to the Transport museum instead. But I did text the place saying we couldn’t make it.

Self-guided day to Mount Rigi, the Queen of Mountains

Switzerland

Incredible activity don’t miss it!!! The ferry boat ride to the cog train to Mount Rigi is beautiful and is a must!!!

Quality of Experience

The views from the very top of the mountain are insane!!!

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Thanks to Valentine, our trip coordinator, who warned us to go to Mount Rigi on the second day in Lucern, we had a beautiful clear sunny day there because on the day we were supposed to go it rained rained.

Swiss Museum of Transports - Entrance Ticket incl. Media World

Lucerne

Awesome museum!!! Loved every minute of it! Worth going there!

Quality of Experience

Museum is very well put together showing everything from cars to trains to boats and planes! Amazing!!!

Swiss Travel Pass

Switzerland

Everyone should get this Swiss travel pass it pays for any transportation like trains, ferries, busses, etc and even museum tickets!

Quality of Experience

All transportation in Switzerland is fantastic, on time, clean, comfortable, and fast!

Transport

Great bang for your buck!

Canal Cruise Hidden Gems of Copenhagen

Copenhagen

Loved this activity!!! The young girl who took us on the boat was very knowledgeable and personable and showed us some interesting sights!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

The guide was very nice and interesting!

SMK National Gallery of Denmark (Entrance Tickets)

Copenhagen

The museum itself was good but one exhibit was closed and we didn’t like the exhibit we saw that much it just wasn’t our taste.

Quality of Experience

Rosenborg Castle (Entrance Tickets)

Copenhagen

This castle was amazing we loved to tour it by ourselves. One can really get the feeling of how it must have been to live there back in the day!!!

Quality of Experience

Brought us back in time.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

No guides on this activity

Welcome to Copenhagen!

Copenhagen

We loved Copenhagen from day 1! Awesome city!!!

Quality of Experience

Otherwise we enjoyed all the activities in this city!!!

Guides, Drivers and Staff

The drivers were all great and very proffetional! The guide that took us on the boat ride was also great, she took us to off the beaten path places and we loved that!

Transport

Everyone was on time and very knowledgeable!

An Exceptional Journey with KimKim!
Our trip was truly exceptional, thanks to the outstanding service provided by KimKim. From start to finish, everything was thoughtfully planned and flawlessly executed.
A special thank you to our driver, Soufiane, who was incredibly professional, attentive, and knowledgeable. He made us feel safe throughout the journey and enriched our experience with fascinating insights into Morocco’s history. He was always punctual, impeccably dressed, and kept everything organized.
The internal tours were equally impressive, and we particularly enjoyed our time with Mohammad, who added a lot of depth to our understanding of the culture and local traditions.
The Riads we stayed in met—and even exceeded—our expectations in comfort and charm.
This was our first time using KimKim, but it certainly won’t be our last. We will happily use them again and again for future adventures. Thank you to the entire team for making our trip so memorable!

Hotel Review

Riad Nila

Chefchaouen

Beautifully designed, the food was exceptional!

Authenticity & Character

Rooms are spacious with attention to design details.

Location

The interiors were well done.

Staff

Helpful especially when I needed some laundry done.

Cleanliness & Comfort

The rooms were immaculate!

Activity Review

Day Trip to Ourika Valley: Hike to a Waterfall

Morocco

I loved hiking the Atlas mountain and enjoyed lunch on the river.

Quality of Experience

Exceeded our expectations

Food

I loved the sliced oranges with cinnamon.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Our driver and tour guide were top notch

Transport

Our driver was exceptional and drove very safe.

Cambodia was amazing and Savi our tour guide was just as amazing. Really enjoyed this part. Elephant sanctuary in chaing Mai was a unique experience and also the jungle hike was so much fun. Our tour guide was very helpful. Pukhet was self tour for relaxation. Bangkok was fun to wrap up the trip and tour guide was very helpful and fun. We had an amazing trip. Only thing I would say that hotel at chieng mai was run down, location was excellent though. Thanks to all that helped make this trip memorable.

Hotel Reviews

Maitria Hotel Rama 9 Bangkok - A Chatrium Collection (SHA Extra Plus)

Good updated hotel

Authenticity & Character

Contemporary feel

Location

Ok far from restaurants that we would like to eat at

Staff

Friendly

Cleanliness & Comfort

Best Western Premier Bangtao Beach Resort & Spa

Phuket

Nice resort

Authenticity & Character

Resort feel massages were excellent

Location

Good location walking distance from restaurants

Staff

Friendly

Cleanliness & Comfort

Well maintained

U Chiang Mai Hotel

Chiang Mai

Run down needs upgrade. Photo doesn't show true place

Authenticity & Character

Location

Good location in center of market and walking distance from restaurants

Staff

Friendly

Cleanliness & Comfort

Improvement needed pool not appealing

Tara Angkor Hotel

17254

Super friendly and great hotel to stay at in good location

Authenticity & Character

Very friendly

Location

Not far from prime locations for tourists

Staff

Hospitality

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Full day Bangkok City Tour with Canal tour

Bangkok

Great day seeing the temples and tour guide was very good

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Half Day Morning/Afternoon Visit to Elephant Jungle Sanctuary (Join-in Basis, No Riding)

Chiang Mai

Unique experience with elephants

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Full Day Doi Suthep & Doi Pui National Park Tour with Trekking

Chiang Mai

Fun hike in the jungle

Quality of Experience

Waterfall

Food

Amazing food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Full Day Tour to Banteay Srei and Ta Prohm

Siem Reap

Super fun again with alot of knowledge from savy made it interesting

Quality of Experience

The ancient ruins

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Half Day Khmer Village and Tonle Sap Lake Tour

Siem Reap

First day so were tired. Sad to see poverty

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Full Day Tour to Angkor Thom and Angkor Wat

Siem Reap

Guide savi was awesome, passionate and very knowledgeable. He made the visit very inspiring and enjoyable

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Nice we got cooling clothes!

Overall, Morocco was fantastic. So much history, beautiful sights, wonderful people and great food.
We loved Chefchaouen. The staff at the Hotel Dar Monir were quite welcoming and the rooms were cute and clean as well as the location being convenient. Our tour guide, Amine, for Akchour Falls as well as for a city tour was a gem. He was informative, kind, helpful and all that combined with a great sense of humor. We had an amazing memorable lunch with the falls as our backdrop per his suggestion. At the end of the city tour, he stayed with us and brought us to a great vantage point looking over Chefchaouen for the sunset.
We also very much enjoyed Volubilis. Our guide (possibly Hassan), was funny, full of history and knew all the great spots for pictures. It was incredibly hot that day and I wasn't feeling well; Hassan made sure that I was okay and helped me get back to the parking area. We made our way to Fez and stayed at the beautiful Riad Semlalia; the rooms were great, the interior was beautiful and rooftop pool was refreshing after a hot day. Abdul, who seemed to complete multiple jobs (doorman, desk attendant, server for the bar and dining area, etc, etc) was absolutely kind, helpful and overall amazing. Our tour guide for the city tour of Fez was also great, but I don't recall his name. We had dinner with a local family which was an amazing experience with excellent food and company. I think the first name of the family members were Runia, Hassan and Hatim, but I could be off on that.
We had a long drive to the Merzouga area the next day and were rewarded with seeing some of the macaque monkeys on the roadside. We loved our camel ride to the Sahara Sky Luxury Camp even with getting caught in a sandstorm on the way. Just part of the overall experience. The food was great at the camp and Mohammed was such a kind and helpful member of the staff; we absolutely appreciated everything that he helped us with. We had Hassan for a full day tour of the area and he was also a great person. Our highlight of the day was the Gnawa music and very high on the list of the entire trip was the ATV ride through the dunes.
On to Skoura the next day. The Todra Gorge stop was beautiful. We atyed at the Ksar El Kabbaba which was a gem with beautiful rooms and grounds as well as great food. We were greeted by Badr who was also our very very informative guide for our tour the next day. The kasbah we visited was so interesting, mainly due to Badr's complete knowledge of the history and we also loved our visit to see "the happy potter!" We had lunch with Berber family which was another memorable experience complete with a tea ceremony.
We made our way to Marrakesh with an amazing stop at Ait Benhaddou. Certainly a must see for everyone coming to Morocco. We stayed at the Riad Le Pelerin which was in a labyrinth of alleyways which made a fun adventure in finding our way. The staff here was also excellent and accommodating and the rooms were very nice. We loved the food tour that we did with a guide who's name sounded like "Swell" although I know that is incorrect. He was also a local gem. The next day, we did a hike in the beautiful Atlas Mountains with Imlil as our start point. Amazing views during the hike as well as at lunch.
The final day we were back in Casablanca and were so glad to get into the Hassan II Mosque as we missed it the first day due to a flight delay. Overall, the four of us had a great experience and would recommend Morocco to our friends.

Our driver for the entire trip was Rachid. He was very young and new as a driver but did get us everywhere we needed to be safely. He was flexible with timing and was willing to leave earlier on some days at our request. I don't think he was familiar with a lot of the roads and locations, but again he had not been driving for long. It seemed at times that Rachid did not have the same itinerary as we had in regards to the stops that we would make in transit from one city to another. That would be in the hands of the Original Travel tour company, not Rachid. My husband unfortunately did not get his luggage until day 11 and Rachid was very helpful in getting us to places where my husband could buy some clothes. Rachid also very kindly made a trip to a pharmacy at my request one morning before picking us up for the day as my husband and one of our friends were both dealing with bad colds. He was very informative about the Atlas Mountain areas and we learned a lot about the local culture. He also played a lot of local music for us which was a fun part of the experience. We all thought he should spend a little less time on his cell phone while driving but honestly I think a lot of that time was conferring with the tour company. Rachid will do well as he continues to get more experience, my only complaint is that after our mosque tour in Casablanca on the last day, we asked to be dropped off at our hotel and he said we needed to wait for him to wat lunch first. Our hotel was only a 5 minute drive away, not sure what that was about.

A few concerns and suggestions. Ali helped us to set up our trip but a few weeks prior to our trip it was handed off to Said who I believe is the brother of the owner. We did not get an explanation for this. Our hotel in Chefchaouen was changed last minute, Said was quite apologetic, but we did not get an explanation for this either. Although our Dar in Chefchaouen was great, we had someone tell us that our original hotel is the only place the queen is willing to stay when she visits. Made us wonder what we were missing. Said made compensations for the price difference by adding a guided tour in Rabbat as well as "adding" the ATV tour in Merzouga and the food tour in Marrakesh. The problem being that the ATV tour and the food tour were already listed as included in our itinerary. The tour in Rabbat is the only tour of the trip that seemed odd. Hassan was our guide; he was impatient to the point of being rude, in a hurry and seemed most concerned with my husband's hat asking if he could buy it or where could he get a similar hat. He completely skipped taking us to Chellah which is the highlight of Rabbat; he told our drive that we said we didn't want to go there which was a complete lie. Rachid did take us there but we paid for our own entry which should have been part of the tour and we did not have a guide.
When we arrived in Casablanca, we only had one room for the two couples booked. Said did remedy this quickly but oddly enough, it happened again on our last night at the same hotel. Again, it was quickly fixed but it seems that would have been checked on after the first time.
On our way from Merzouga to Skoura, we had an unscheduled stop at a rug shop. We didn't ask for this and would say it just wasted precious trip time.
Our stay at the Sahara Sky Luxury Camp was great but it would have been nice to know ahead of time that there were no outlets in the tents (there was electric lights) as well as the only thing they had for charging devices were 2 USB ports in the rooms. As USB-C is now more common, we weren't prepared. Again, the camp was great, but that information would have been helpful.
And here's my biggest concern. We purchased quite a few things from local crafts people. We are seasoned travelers and are well aware of the fact that in some countries, the tour guides that are with you get a cut of your purchase. That being said, we ran into another group of travelers from the US at the end of our trip in Casablanca. They bought similar items from similar places and paid far less than we did. Made us wonder if Original Travel is also getting a large cut. Which then also made us wonder about the other two hotels that were changed last minute without our knowledge (Merzouga and Marrakesh). Again, although the places were great, should we have received some sort of refund? We have no way of knowing if the cost was equal to the original sites. No one likes to feel like they've been taken for a ride financially.
I don't want to minimize the experience that we had and I will say that Said was quite helpful with an hour long phone call a week before our trip. He also helped with things during the trip. I probably wouldn't have mentioned the hotel thing in Casablanca but after finding out the cost differences on purchased items, we wondered about many other things.

Hotel Reviews

Sahara Sky Luxury Camp

Merzouga

The camp was clean and the food was great. Staff was very attentive and helpful. We very much appreciated Mohammed. The music in the evening was also a great touch. Would have nice to be aware ahead of time that there were no electrical outlets in the tents as well as knowing there were only 2 USB ports per tent as most people now have USB-c. We would have been more prepared if we had been aware of this ahead of time.

Staff

Mohammed was available for any needs/requests throughout our entire stay

Riad Semlalia

Fès

Beautiful riad with large, clean rooms. The inner courtyard as well as the roof top areas were a great place to relax. The rooftop pool was fantastic after a hot day of touring. Appreciated being able to relax with a bottle of wine after a long travel day

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Abdul was so helpful with absolutely everything that we needed

Cleanliness & Comfort

Ksar El Kabbaba

Skoura

Beautiful grounds and rooms with a great staff. Badr was so helpful at the hotel as well as a great tour guide. Wonderful setting for relaxing after a hot day touring.

Authenticity & Character

Loved staying in a local kasbah

Staff

Bdar was a great host at the hotel as well as a fantastic and knowledgeable tour guide

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Guided Hike to Akchour Waterfall

Chefchaouen

Absolutely worth the hike to the falls and to God's Bridge. We had a wonderful lunch right next to the falls. The drive to the area was also beautiful

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Our guide, Amine, is absolutely a local gem. Kind, funny, informative. We couldn't have asked for a better experience

Guided Exploration of the "Blue City" Chefchaouen

Chefchaouen

Great experience in a beautiful city. Made for amazing photos. Our guide brought us to a fantastic spot for the sunset.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Amine, our guide, was an absolute gem in every way

Drive from Casablanca to Chefchaouen via Rabat

Morocco

We had a guided tour of Rabbat with a tour guide named Hassan. He was the first guide of our trip and the only one who we didn't appreciate. Thus the 3 star review. He was in a rush, a bit rude and completely skipped Chellah (Roman and Islamic ruins). He lied to our driver and told him that we didn't want to go there. Fortunately, our driver got us to Chellah and we had time to at least walk through the grounds. Rabbat itself was fantastic and worth the trip

Guided Tour of Hassan II Mosque

Morocco

We were glad to be able to get this in on our last day as we missed it on the scheduled day due to a flight delay. The mosque is beautiful and should be seen by all visitors especially since it is one of only 2 mosques in Morocco which non Muslims can enter. It was a bit hard to hear the tour guide as it was a very very large group of people (you stand under the sign of your preferred language and a tour guide shows up so absolutely no way to limit the number of people in your group)

Quick Tour of Casablanca with your Driver-Guide

Morocco

This really didn't happen for us due to a flight delay

Our Italian Adventure was one to remember!

The overall planning was great from venice and florence. Only downside of Venice was not allowing us to explore Murano and felt very weird for us to be boated their on the excursion and then be in a stored followed by sales people wanting our money for a 5k chandelier or what not. It was not enjoyable one bit. Didnt like the jewelry section and wish we could have explored muranos town a little bit. Loved florence, wish we got to see the Duomo inside. Great tour of ufizzi she was lovely.

Hotel Reviews

Hotel Ca' d'Oro

Venice

Loved the staff. The breakfast was not good at all.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

La Maison du Sage

Florence

Stunning. Great staff. Great amount of room. Love everything

Authenticity & Character

Location

Close to everything.

Staff

Loved everyone!

Cleanliness & Comfort

Very clean.

Activity Reviews

Half Day-Trip to Pisa from Florence

Florence

Not enough time for 3 hours. It was fine. Dont recommend unless you do something else over there or in another town.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Masterpieces of the Renaissance: Uffizi Gallery Tour

Florence

Lovely tour. Great amount of time. Very intelligent.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Best of Florence Walking Tour with David & the Duomo

Florence

Great tour.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Murano Excursion with boat

Venice

Not happy at all. Felt rushed to but something. Followed around my sales people. Poor jewelry section. Viewing the work was quick. Didnt get to explore the town. Very upsetting since we heard murano was gorgeous

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Visit to a Peggy Guggenheim Museum and Palace

Venice

It was fine. I thought it was a museum, not a collection. My aunt and mom appreciated it but i could have skipped.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Welcome Walking Tour to Venice: The comprehensive view of the Floating City

Venice

Great tour.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Kimkim helped us plan an amazing trip three week trip to Iceland. Noga is smart, experienced and knew just how to set up our trip to meet our expectations. She listened to what we told her about our desires for the trip and her planning made the trip a major success. Our jeep tour to see northern lights in Isafjordur with Gudmundur Valdimarsson of Iceland BackCountry Travel was a definite highlight as were our glacier hike with Kari Timsson of Icelandic Mountain Guides and jeep experience of the west fjords with Gisli Margislason of Wild Westfjords. All of the activities she set up for us were outstanding - whale watching in Husavik and the food tour in Reyjkavik with Dagur Lárusson of Reykjavik Food Walk were also excellent.

The kimkim app made the travel easy as well. She included links to Google maps for specific locations as well as AllTrails maps for hikes were wanted to take. All the guides we showed the app to were blown away by it.

We found Kimkim through friends who used them and I can't recommend them enough.

A special thanks to Beatriz and the kimkim travel service. Bea was wonderful to work with in planning our trip and made some wonderful recommendations for us to tailor our trip to our needs. Our trip to Southern Italy was perfectly planned and executed. Our extended stay in Naples as our base worked well and allowed us to take our day trips to the city center of Naples, Casserta, Pompeii and our ancestral town. Even though kimkim did not arrange our flight travel, the local staff (Nadia and Natalia) were most responsive to us when our direct flight from Chicago to Naples was diverted to Rome and we were bussed back to Naples later that day. They contacted our driver who was to pick us up from the airport in Naples and alerted the hotel to our late arrival. The Grand Hotel Oriente was a lovely, conveniently located hotel with wonderful staff. We were upgraded to a suite because of our extended stay-which was a pleasant surprise. Our daily drivers were professional and always polite and punctual-most of the time driving Mercedes cars. Only one day did a driver not show up-and once again the travel team got us a driver in no time, with only a slight delay.
My husband and I enjoyed the trip and would not hesitate to select kimkim again to arrange our travel plans.

Grazie !!

Hotel Review

Grand Hotel Oriente

Naples

I shared a review on Tripadvisor The Grand Hotel Oriente was wonderful!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Centrally located

Staff

Friendly, professional, very helpful

Cleanliness & Comfort

Entire hotel, rooms, restaurant

Activity Reviews

The Flavors of Naples: Private Traditional Cooking Class

Naples

Also did not do this activity. Had to reschedule our visit to Amalfi coast on this day. The day of the original tour to Amalfi was raining and my husband was not feeling well, so we rested that day. The local travel support staff helped us reschedule Amalfi for this day and cancelled our cooking class.

Day Excursion to Capri Island and Anacapri

Italy

Did not do this trip.

Guided Visit to Pompeii with Archeaologist

Italy

Our archaeological guide was amazing. She had a degree in archaeology. It greatly enhanced our visit to Pompeii. We learned so much more than just seeing Pompeii by ourselves. She also tailored the pace of the tour to us which was most appreciated.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Private Full Day Amalfi Experience

Italy

Beautiful experience. Glad the driver did the driving-not us!!!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Private Visit of Naples & Veiled Chryst with a Local

Naples

Loved seeing the streets of Italy with our private guide-very professional and knowledgeable. She tailored the walking tour to my husband who needed to stop and rest occasionally, -much appreciated!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Professional, friendly, punctual-with one exception on the day trip to Trivigno. Driver did not show up -but travel support got us another driver quickly with a minimal delay.

Transport

This kimkim trip was not quite as good as othrs we have taken. A little tricky getting a hold of kimkim for help on a couple of things. The trip was still great and we truly enjoyed Switzerland, just communication was not like other trips.

Hotel Reviews

Opera hotel Zurich

Zurich

Good location, quiet

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Metropole Hotel Interlaken

Interlaken

Great location, staff VERY nice and helpful. Good breakfast.

Authenticity & Character

Location

We were able to walk where we needed to go and the hotel had amazing views.

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Rhine Falls & Stein am Rhein medieval village!

Switzerland

Guide was very informative and could easly understand her. Lots of knowledge.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

E-Bike Adventure: Exploring Lauterbrunnen and the Enchanting Valley of 72 Waterfalls

Switzerland

This is a must do. The ride is not hard and the scenery is breathtaking. Lunch is amazing and the tour guide was caring, infromative and a lot of fun.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

KimKim did a great job planning the trip. The best things were included.The hotels were wonderful. The difficulty came with my inability to use the KimKim apt and stay connected.Meeting the rides was hard but did not cause problems with the flow of the trip. The planning was hard going thru my daughter Molly.
My wife and I enjoyed the trip.

Hotel Reviews

IntercityHotel Berlin Airport BER Terminal 1 & 2

Schönefeld

The hotel was what a traveler needs on an overnight before our flight home. Not fancy but adequate.

Authenticity & Character

Cleanliness & Comfort

Townhouse Leipzig

Leipzig

The location was almost connected to the Bach museum and was about 10 meters from the Thomaskirke. The hotel was very comfortable and the people in the hotel were very helpful

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Star G Hotel Premium Dresden Altmarkt

Dresden

Ideal location,very comfortable. There was some confusion about when we were supposed to arrive. Our reservations were cancelled.On leaving I got my 450 euros back.The hotel accomodations could not have been better.

Authenticity & Character

Staff

Activity Reviews

24/7 assistance in case of emergency

Germany

We never had any need or use of 24/7 assistance

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Better communication with the rides

Transport

Cruising the Elbe River: A Scenic Boat Trip Experience

Dresden

This was very pleasant. It was the high point of our visit to Dresden for my wife.

Quality of Experience

Transport

We had problems meeting with our rides. This may have been caused by my inability to use the apt.

Historic Walking Tour of Dresden

Dresden

The guide grew up in Dresden and was very informed and helpful.r

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Berat, the local specialist for my tour masterfully customized an itinerary to fit my requests. He arranged and coordinated the guides, drivers, hotels and domestic flights for what turned out to be a flawless tour. I appreciated the reminders I received almost daily to inform me of the schedule and any action needed on my part.
In Istanbul, Mr. Volkan Akoluk was my terrific guide for two days. He quickly brought me up to speed on the history of the region and prepared me for the sights we were to visit. The two days never felt rushed yet we covered a lot of the historic sites.
In Ankara, Hattusa, and Cappadocia , Mr. Irfan did a wonderful job as we visited so many sites in four days. I especially enjoyed the fact that he had grown up in the area of Uchisar and with that he had personal stories of what life was like these last couple generations. My favorite experience was driving in at night my jaw dropping at the site of Cappodocia and my Kale Konak hotel bathed in a rosy glow.
In Izmir, with just one day left, I had the pleasure to enjoy Ephesus and Priene with Mr. Ozan Tokcan. As with the previous two guides, Mr. Ozan had incredible knowledge of the sites we visited as well as the history of the area.
And because I had just a taste of the beautiful area around Izmir, I will need to return.
Thank you for an amazing experience!

Hotel Reviews

Park Inn by Radisson Izmir

Izmir

Wonderful location with views of the harbor. Close proximity to the old section of the city and the piers.

Eyuboglu Hotel

Ankara

Very comfortable with a good location

Sirkeci Mansion Hotel

Istanbul

Located in the old town. Very nice hotel with a lovely breakfast.

Kale Konak Hotel

Simply magical

Authenticity & Character

Renovated to reflect a “cave” character

Location

Adjacent to the Castle

Staff

Professional

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Discover Priene: A beautiful ancient Ionian town

Turkey

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Explore the Ancient City of Ephesus

Turkey

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Discover the Volcanic Valleys of Cappadocia: Zelve, Pasabag, and Avcılar

Cappadocia

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Kaymaklı Underground City

Cappadocia

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Visiting Göreme Open Air Museum (UNESCO World Heritage)

Cappadocia

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Visit the Ancient city of Hattusa (Hattuşaş)

Turkey

Quality of Experience

I

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Visit the Anatolian Civilizations Museum and Panoramic City Tour

Ankara

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Public Boat Tour on the Bosphorus

İstanbul

Quality of Experience

Eminönü Heritage Tour: Explore the Historical Bazaars and Ottoman Architectural Sites of Istanbul

İstanbul

Quality of Experience

I

Discover Byzantine + Ottoman Istanbul

İstanbul

Quality of Experience

I

We had a wonderful trip to Ireland. We had two guides during our stay., For the first two days we had Vincent and then for the remainder of the trip we had Des. They both were very knowledgeable, friendly and caring. An unexpected highlight for us was the trip to the Barren smokehouse. We had a very interesting conversation with one of the owners. All of the accommodations were great, the food recommendations were spot on.

Hotel Reviews

Cliff at Lyons

Co. Kildare

A wonderful way to end our vacation was to stay at the Cliff at Lyons. while we were only at the property for a short time, it is conveniently located close to Dublin airport. The property is beautiful and the staff was very friendly. They have a lovely bakery/Café on site with delicious treats.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

The Lodge at Ashford Castle

Cong

While not actually in the castle, the accommodation was terrific. I’m sure the handicap accessibility of the castle rooms didn’t fit my needs. Anyway, the accommodation was very nice the on site restaurants were great. well, the property is very large. They are more than willing to mow you around the property.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Monks Ballyvaughan

County Clare

Well, definitely a less refined accommodation than the others we experienced, the room was clean, comfortable, and had all the modern accessories. The on site restaurant had a great seafood chowder.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Sheen Falls Lodge

Kenmare

Friendly and knowledgeable staff. Definitely worth going to the Falls restaurant, it was a highlight of our dining experiences in Ireland

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Davenport Hotel

Dublin

Wonderful hotel, friendly staff, close to the center of town.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Review

The Burren Smokehouse - Meet the Makers

Ireland

This was probably the most unexpected experience we had in Ireland. We had no preconceived notion about what this experience would be like. Peter just comes up to you and starts having a conversation, taking us to various parts of the facility and ending with a lite lunch at the pub. While we probably wouldn’t have booked this experience on our own. We are surely appreciative that Eleanor pick this experience for us.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

This trip was excellent! Anita did a fantastic job accommodating all of our needs for our journey through Spain.

Accommodations:
The hotels were excellent overall, with just one exception on our final night in Madrid. That issue was related to the hotel staff, not the trip planning itself.

Transportation & Guides:
The drivers were outstanding—each transfer was perfectly on time, and the Mercedes vans made travel very comfortable. I especially appreciated that all drivers and guides contacted us on WhatsApp ahead of time to confirm arrivals, which gave us peace of mind. The tour guides were excellent, and I loved the small-group format of the tours.

Overall Experience:
Our 8-day itinerary was full and exciting, with visits to different cities almost every day. It was a wonderful way to see so much of Spain in a short time. My only recommendation would be to allow a bit more downtime to relax and soak in each destination.

Final Thoughts:
I would 100% recommend KimKim and will absolutely use them again for future trips!

Hotel Reviews

One Shot Recoletos 04

Madrid

Staff not so friendly or forthcoming with help or recommendations. I felt like I was putting the reception staff out when asking for restaurant recommendations. The room was cozy, clean and comfortable. Since our checkout was prior to breakfast service, the kitchen staff was nice enough to box take a way breakfast for us. Overall and "ok" experience.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

H10 Corregidor Boutique Hotel

Sevilla

Great location, staff and breakfast! We really enjoyed our stay. The lobby area was warm. The hotel bar was fantastic and the bartender was very friendly and accomodating. Highly recommend.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

H10 Palacio Colomera

Córdoba

Great location, excellent breakfast. Room was comfortable and we were abe to check in a little bit early which was very nice. Friendly staff. Highly recommend.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

U-Sense Granada Catedral Apartments

Granada

This apartment was excellent. Great location. Clean, and easy to find. Keep in mind, if you get here prior to check in, you can store your bags at their office 5 minute walk away, and they charge $5 per bag. Also, if you can check in early, there is a $30 ealy check in charge. (one or the other cost will be incurred). The office staff was amazing, friendly and incredibly helpful desite how busy they were. One note, if you use the washer/. dry and DRY your cloths, the dry will completely wrinkle your clothing..so much that an iron or steamer will not remove wrinkles. It may not be worth using it. My jeans were like a crumpled ball of aluminum foil at the cycle end. despite this, Overall - 5 star.. Loved it and would recommmend!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

7 Islas Hotel

Madrid

Excellent hotel. Wonderful staff. Breakfast was plentiful! Great location. Rooms were very spacious and clean.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Near the Grand Via. Great, fun location.

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Review

Toledo Highlights Day Excursion

Madrid

Daniel was awesome. He provided a attention capturing tour and recommended a fabulous lunch spot after.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Our KimKim guide Nikola was terrific in all aspects of our trip to Slovenia and Croatia. Every detail within his scope of control occurred as planned and on schedule. Over 17 days there were occasions when we reached out to him for information, guidance and assistance in resolving issues and he always delivered promptly and effectively. We have been recommending KimKim both while traveling to people we have met and at home during the planning phase. We will definitely be using KimKim again.

Hotel Reviews

Amadria Park Hotel Capital

Zagreb

A beautiful older European hotel with great staff

Authenticity & Character

Location

Very short walk to the sites of Zagreb

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Armerun Heritage Hotel

Šibenik

Great location, great service and very nice onsite dining. Beautiful water view from a terrific room.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Heritage Hotel Dea

Hvar

A very nice hotel and a great breakfast.

Boutique Villa Pearl of Plitvice

Spirito Santo Palazzo Storico

Rovinj

Great location, beautiful room and very helpful staff. Breakfast was excellent. We had a terrace room and loved the view and sunsets.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

The staff were always available and very knowledgeable and jelpful

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Gredič

Dobrovo v Brdih

Great room and hotel in a former castle in stunning Slovenian wine country equal in every way to Tuscany. The onsite restaurant is top notch, a really wonderful dining experience.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Well located in beautiful wine country

Staff

A highly automated checkin / checkout with minimal human intervention but everything was organized and efficient

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Dobra Vila

Bovec

Dobra Vila is an elegant hotel with a 1930’ish vibe. The public spaces are all beautifully appointed and terraced mountain view is unobstructed. Our room had access to a large patio with lounge chairs looking out to the mountains and sunset. The breakfast room is gorgeous and the breakfast is top notch.; we wish they also had dinner service. The bathroom was true to the hotel period decor but showering was a bit of challenge as it meant having to be in a beautiful bathtub.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Penzion Berc

Bled

We feel we absolutely picked a great place to stay in Bled. Many of the other hotels looked dirty and tired while Penzion Berc was small, quaint, clean, and well located. The breakfast and dinner on the property were excellent. Other meals in Bled were disappointing making our choice of Penzion Berc even more pleasing. We will be recommending it to others

Authenticity & Character

An authentic alpine vibe.

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

AS Boutique Hotel

Ljubljana

We stayed 2 nights and loved the hotel. Our checkin, the location, our room and breakfast were all fabulous. It was a great start to our trip

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Truffle Hunting Experience

Slovenia

A great outing that exceeded my expectations. It was interesting, hands on and the lunch provided was outstanding

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

O

Transport

You use your own vehicle

Guided Bike Tour in Goriska Brda Wine Region

Goriška Brda

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

We were self guided

Transport

Bikes were excellent

Bohinj Lake Cycling Tour

Slovenia

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Traditional Slovenian Culinary Class in Bled

Slovenia

A fun and different thing to do in Bled.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Very friendly mother daughter team

Transport

KimKim travel takes great care of your travel plans and needs. From pick up to airport, to guided tours and drop off to airport. Thank you so much for being part of our Thailand trip.

Neelam and Manny

Ron was a very helpful guide, helped us on our first day in Bangkok. The experiences we booked were well organized from the pick ups to the drop offs. Amazing. Didn't have to worry a least bit.

I presented a challenge to Chris: design a trip for a group of 10, aged 8 to 80, who have never been to Greece. He did the most amazing job. Everything happened like clockwork, even when our group didn't. The locations, the hotels, the transportation, and the guides were on point. I wholeheartedly recommend Chris and Kimkim. We bought our flights but that was not an issue even when significantly delayed; our drivers were waiting for us. Chris managed to fit in all that we wanted to see and do on our trip - visit archaeological sites, stay in relaxing hotels, and go on food and history tours. All 10 of us agree it was a trip we will never forget. My only suggestion - there was a bit too much honey and cheese in the tours (but I did ask for food tours). Thanks, Chris!

When we began to look for a safari, and there are many companies, we were fortunate to communicate with Joseph at Kim Kim. I had never heard of them but boy did they please us with a terrific safari. First they customized the trip based on what we wanted not a set plan. Second we had George Ke (ask for him) as our diver and host. That's right. We paid less than we did for a 4 day shorter trip 2 years ago and had a private driver. He is wonderful. Beauty of Kim Kim is that no matter what or how many questions I had Joseph always responded positively and helped us get the most. If you see something you like give Kim Kim a chance to bid and design a plan and you will pay less and get so much more. Our tirp was 14 days long ( short), we visited 7 Game parks ( no fences just reserved lands that animals could wander in) and saw 54 different species of animals of course including the big 5 plus so many more. George our guide has amazing et=yes to see then when we never would. By having a private driver you could stay longer at the filed where we found 30 (thirty) giraffes or move quicker if we didn't find what we wanted. We saw dozens of lions and Rhino. A few Cheetahs and Leopards; Hundreds of Zebra, Wildebeest, elephants ... the list keeps on going. We were 10 to 50' from all of the animals. They will provide an experience you will talk about to your friends for the rest of your life. Check them all out but if you give Kim Kim a try you will be so happy. One of our must do's is to go on safari in September/ October in the dry season. The animals must find water daily so they move around. Be sure and do a night drive to see animals that don't come out until after dark. What ever you do GO. We have been to 102 countries and the safari beats them all hands down. We can't wait to use Kim Kim for our other trips now. If you want to talk more tell joseph to give you my email address and I will

Hotel Reviews

Kilaguni Serena Safari Lodge

When you go on safari this is what you hope your accommodations will be like. We saw 12 different species of animals and all of them, in large quantities, visited the two water ponds right outside the lodge. Every animal species we saw cam to drink during the day. While it sits in the second largest game reserve in the country somehow the animals know it and love to come. 50 elephants, zebras, Cape buffalo and so many other animals came each night to drink and bathe. Food was great and as in every place we went in Kenya the people were incredible

Naivasha Sopa Lodge

Nairobi

This was quite a surprise and an elegant place to stay. Waking the grounds next to you are Zebras, Water Bucks, giraffes and Hippos come into a protected area at night but fenced off. Food spectacular. The nearest park is Hells Gate reserve and t had limited animals but take the boat for an 45 minute cruise to the island and walk beside a number of animals. Worth the experience. The hotel was special

Olive Bush Camp

Your tent cabin is on the Mara River and you feel like you should being on safari. Never met more friendly and accommodating staff and they made the stay special. The Mara is huge so a lot of driving to do but you are rewarded with an incredible number and kinds of animals. Don't miss the Olive

Sarova Lion Hill Hotel

Nairobi

This was a huge surprise as when we arrived we thought it a very small park. Food and entertainment excellent. We found a mile square filed with 30 giraffe. Lions and cubs, and miles and miles to drive. You will love thsi area

Sweetwaters Serena Camp

Nanyuki

An amazing facility with tent camps ( just a name as they are very nice with all the facilities you need in your room)that face the animals. Don't come out at night as you may meet one but very safe and tons of animals. Food is fabulous and staff will meet your every need

Fair Acres Boutique Hotel

Karen, Nairobi. P. O Box 1121 – 00208 Nairobi.

One a piece of Paradise in the middle of a huge city. It's like having your own oasis. You will love the setting and the people and it's near the Nairobi game preserve.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Amboseli National Park

Amboseli National Park

Holy smoke it was like driving into the Sahara desert the roads were so dry and deep with sand. Certainly not worth the 5 mile entrance to find a few animals. Our least favorite stop

Maasai Mara National Reserve

Masai Mara

It is sooooooo big you have to drive a lot, over very rough roads to see animals but this is where you will find Cheetahs and leopards

Maasai Mara Game Drives & Hot Air Balloon Ride

Masai Mara

Balloon was a great experience. Short trip but over hundreds of animals and the breakfast was to die for

Lake Nakuru Full Day Game Drives

Nakuru

Nice park, a lot of animals and worth 2 days

David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust

Kenya

Nice concept to save some abandoned elephants but you will be as close on your game drives so not a must for us

Ol Pejeta Conservancy Game Drives

Ol Pejeta Conservancy

worth a couple of days at most but quality place to visit and stay

Lake Naivasha Hells Gate National Park

Kenya

after all we had seen this was a bust. Very few animals and very small. Not worth the time and distance compared what we had seen on our safaris

Nairobi National Park

Kenya

It is right beside the city but no fences and animals stay at will. Our first stop and we saw 18 different species of animlas including many Rhino. Amazing start to a terrific safari time

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport