Kimkim Trip Reviews

Overall the experience to Vietnam was fantastic. Dat & the Realistic Asia team made many things seamless and easy with little stress for our group.

One personal note for me - many of the tours felt typical, when initially I think I went through KimKim to look for some "off the beaten path" tours or trips. As an architect I mentioned initially that I was really interested in seeing spaces and buildings and I feel like I missed some of that, especially in Ho Chi Minh City. It partly may have been an expectation management which sometimes the tour descriptions aren't super clear about.

Also the larger group tours of 17+ were too much for me. I definitely preferred the smaller group (10 people or so) as it felt like we were waiting on other people less. The one tour we did with just our group was awesome and personalized. We also loved the Calista Cruise team and experience.

I usually plan my own trips so this was a first time for me using an agency. I'm glad we did, and now I have a better sense of how to plan for future trips! Dat was very reliable, quick to respond and very helpful in all areas. I highly recommend him and his team!

Activity Reviews

Daily tour sightseeing Halong Bay ( La Casta Daily cruise)

Hanoi

Duc and the team there were awesome. The food was good and the views are just stunning. The speed boat & kayak were fun!

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Hanoi Half Day City Tour

Hanoi

The personalized schedule, places selected and the guide were great.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Hanoi - Ninh Binh (Dinh Le Temple, Tam Coc, Mua Cave) Day Trip by Group Tour (B/L)

Hanoi

The place was wonderful, however the guide didn't give clear instructions, the group was too big and the food was terrible.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Let's Cook Vietnam - Join in Rose Kitchen Cooking Class

Hanoi

Aroma was awesome. The size of class, organization and experience was wonderfully led by Aroma.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

We had an amazing time in Spain. Alfonso planned a memorable vacation in Southern Spain, knowing that we will be going to Morocco afterwards. He ordered the locations in a way that built beautifully upon one another. The guides were top notch and all had degrees in history or art history. The pacing was great with fun activities in between seeing the historical sites like visiting an olive farm in Mantilla, hiking the Caminito del Rey and going to a flamenco show. The accommodations were well planned, centrally located and with historical charm. His team stayed in touch with us throughout the trip and helped us communicate with guides when things came up. They also reminded us of important deals so our trip went smoothly! We highly recommend working with Alfonso!

Our day with Gummi was without question the highlight of our trip to Iceland. He is very knowledgeable about his country, historically and culturally.

Olivia was very attentive with my planning needs. Both guides were knowledgeable and helpful .
Beautiful tour!

Activity Review

Full Day Tokyo City Tour

Tokyo

This was a lot to do in one day. We learned so much about the history and areas. The mobility issues for one of our members did not seemed to be considered in planning and made it difficult to keep up.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

This is our third trip with KimKim. I am very disappointed with some of the issues around how this trip was planned. It was very expensive and when I asked to about option for cost reduction such as staying in mid range hotels (as requested on our booking form) some changes were made but we still ended up staying in top end accommodation. Despite voicing concerns about cost we were not told it was 50% less to see the gorillas in Uganada (what most other groups staying at our lodge in Volcanos National Park had decided to do. We also had many issues with the way our itinerary was planned, zigzagging across the country which would mean far more time in the car than necessary. We discovered this mistake the day before we drove 11.5 hours when we expected to travel for 3.5 hours based on our itinerary (we could not do the planed stop or boat ride when we arrived at the location because it was dark, delays not do to road construction but just how long it takes to travel in this hilly country side. Another day was scheduled as 2 hours travel time, but this was actually 6. We were unable to do our night safari as we were not actually staying in Akagera National Park. Peter is based in Uganada and I feel it would be better to use someone based in Rwanada as the local Kimkim specialist. Driving around Rwanada is beautiful, but long road trips when you are not expecting them is hard, particularly when you are travelling with teenagers.

Our driver Khalif was excellent, with his other boss Agnes he managed to reorganize a part of our trip that meant we did not actually have to spend an extra 10 hours in the car travelling. He had not seen our itinerary until the day before he picked us up but was very aware it did not make sense. As we had booked our trip early October to travel in early June, paying our deposit in October it does not make sense why availability dates for gorilla trekking would be the barrier to having a sensible travel itinerary (instead of trying to Zig Zag across the coutry. Peter was unavailable to help as he was in the US, he never sent a follow up message to answer our specific questions seeking explanation or to apologize, despite know about our frustrations.

Hotel Reviews

Rutete Eco Lodge

This was a wonderful place to stay for three nights. Fantastic tour around the organic farm, wonderful food shared around a communal table with great conversations. Friendly and helpful staff. Juilianne is fantastic host and very knowledgeable about the local area and the country. Local female traditional drumming group visited one evening while we were there.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Outside the park therefor cannot to night safari. Instead consider behind the scenes tour as this was excellent.

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Mantis Kivu Marina Bay Hotel

rusizi

Expensive, resort like hotel, on hill. Lack character but very clean and comfortable.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Da Vinci Gorilla Lodge

Musanze

Great lodge, heated with fireplaces and hot water bottles in the beds. Very comfortable. Beautiful scenery.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Nyungwe Top View Hill Hotel

Did not stay here as this part of our trip had to be removed due to difficulties with our itinerary.

Activity Reviews

Morning Game drive akagera National park

Akagera

Khalif is a knowledgeable guide. We saw so much wildlife and learned so much!

Cultural Village Visit

Volcanoes National Park

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Boat Ride in Akagera-Lake Ihema

Akagera

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Behind the scenes tour in Akagera National Park

Akagera

Great tour guide, fascinating to learn so much about the park and the relationship to Rwanada's history and the community development that is currently happening.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Kigali City Tour and shopping

Kigali

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Volcanoes National Park Gorilla Trek

Volcanoes National Park

Wonderful experience! The hike was challenging but we really enjoyed it.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Buhanga Eco Park – Nature walk

Volcanoes National Park

Beautiful forest, easy walk, interesting history.

Nyungwe Forest Canopy Walk

Nyungwe

Fantastic views, great short hike.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Chimpanzee tracking in Nyungwe national park

Nyungwe

Disappointing. Based on adjustments made to our schedule so we didn't have to zig zag across the country it took us 3.5 hours to get to trekking starting point (not the main park centre), this meant we arrived to the start of our hike very late and did not really get to see chimpanzee - one dark blob in a tree across a very wide valley. The long drive also meant we spent three hours getting back to the park centre the canopy walk later in the day.

We had an effortless 2 weeks in Ireland and did the whole Isle with the help of Kim Kim and local agent (Ireland Walk, Hike, Bike) Joe. Joe listened to our needs of having a mix of 3-4 star places with some unique nice properties blended in. The things to do they suggest in each location were wonderful. Literally, the only thing we did not find very good was ‘EPIC’ tour in Dublin.
We made so many wonderful memories with the suggested routes they provided, everywhere we stayed was nice and included breakfast. They provide dinner, cafes, and places to see.
For someone who usually plans every vacation, this was complicated since we only stayed a few places 2 nights and most were 1 night. So I appreciated turning over the planning. I was apprehensive, but once we were a few days in and the recommendations and tickets to things were seamless - I realized the great value of using Kim Kim. I highly recommend!!

We had a wonderful 2 weeks in Japan. Shona was excellent! We could call her at any time and she was always very helpful. Local guides and drivers were all very helpful and considerate as well.

We had a wonderful visit to Norway and Denmark, made easy, fluid, enjoyable and more personal working with Kadri via kimkim. Our hotel in Bergen, Oslo XVI, was perfect for location, comfort and quality. The food and culture tour we took was just what we wanted to start out with, to get to know the city more intimately and Diane was a great guide around the city to food stops we may not have found on our own, and she treated us to stories and tastes that made us feel so good and grounded in the city. The Fjordrive tour we booked on our own was also wonderful with such a warm welcome from our driver/guide Bjarte. His lux van, warm nature and expertise in all things Norwegian coupled with the exquisite beauty of Norway itself made the all-day tour to fjord and viewpoints wonderful. Kadri gave us all the information we needed to make the city of Bergen our own -- we loved it! Bergen is an incredible place to visit -- so much to do. so walkable, so beautiful, so friendly, and with Kadri and Kimkim team's help we were able to be in city for the first time as if we knew what we were doing. The transfers to airport and hotel were also lovely and stress-relieving for us. The only trouble we had was due to my lack of preparedness. Our phone service isn't perfect when traveling abroad and when we encountered a flight delay, I struggled to know how to reach the driver picking us up in Copenhagen. The best I could do was alert the kimkim team by email -- it was all I could think of to do. While the team (Kadri) responded quickly, they were not able to alert the driver in time to save us an unexpected fee. If I had a do-over, I would make certain I had all contact numbers and means of contacting support more at my fingertips. Everything had gone so smoothly the whole trip that we weren't ready for the flight delay when it happened. Overall, what I appreciated most from Kadri and kimkim was the access to local knowledge and expert choices/information so kindly shared with us, that made this first visit to Norway, 2nd visit to Denmark, really special from beginning to end.

Hotel Reviews

Opus XVI

Bergen

This hotel is perfectly situated in a beautiful, bustling part of Bergen making walking or access to trains, tours, and funicular easy. Though there can be a lot going on around there, our room overlooking the square was quiet and comfortable. Breakfasts in the morning are lovely as well, and the staff are welcoming and helpful.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Close to Bryggen and starting point for many tours, close to everything actually.

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Copenhagen Admiral Hotel

Copenhagen

This beautiful hotel may still be finishing up its renovation. It is ideally situated close to the water for easy, beautiful walks, but our access to our room was strangely blocked by large covered carts containing supplies (?) maybe? So our first encounter with the floor we were on and getting to our room felt strange -- as if we were on a storage floor rather than a floor occupied by hotel customers. Otherwise, all else was nice -- nice aesthetic, clean room, comfortable bed. Just not outstanding, yet.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Review

Food & Culture Walk

Bergen

I felt as though this was the best thing we could have done to start out our wonderful time in Bergen. Our guide, Diane, was friendly and kind and knowledgeable, and she helped us feel at home in the city, taking us to places we wouldn't have found on our own and introducing us to foods we may not have tried. She took us through the big, wonderful fish market (incredible) and we tried a warm fish cake unlike anything we'd ever had before that was so much fun to eat. She gave us bites of dried cod to try. She walked us up and down and around the old parts of the city and told us interesting stories as she popped us into a cool coffee shop and a wonderful old bathhouse now local hangout and a cool pub. This tour was great from beginning to end and gave us a welcoming, wonderful introduction to the city.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Wow, just wow!! I looked around for the best self-guided driving tours. I compared Kimkim to others. I ended up picking Kimkim because I liked the way they were able to customize the tour for us. I picked a 10 day driving tour driving around the Ring Road and also the Golden Circle. My guide stayed in touch with me via WhatsApp. I freaked out a lot in the beginning because I wasn't sure I was doing things correctly. Emanuella was very responsive and helpful. Because of the snow storm, we ended up staying an extra day in Akureyri instead of two days in Myvatn. We were still able to catch up on some of the sites we didn't get to see because of the missed day in Myvatn once we headed there. Some excursions we couldn't do because of the weather - we were warned to go straight from Reyjavik to Arureyri. There was an excursion over gravel roads that we had to skip. Just wasn't safe because of the bad weather. But, there were so many sights suggested along the drive that we were always busy and didn't feel we were missing out. We went the first week of June. Such a great time because we have so much daylight. With driving, we got to see all the landscapes. From sunny and clear while we were in Reykjavik, to windy and snowy in Akureyri and other parts in the North, to sunny along the south. We lucked out on our days on boats with sunny weather. It was an amazing trip. We used the suggestions Kimkim provided for finding places to eat, where to visit, geothermal pools, boat tours, and even a horseback riding experience in Vik! I highly recommend using Kimkim. The driving tour came with driving instructions that included all the stops. All the excursion tickets didn't need to be printed - I just needed to give my name and they had our info. The food was so delicious. Highly recommend Icelandic lamb soup. Moe's Food truck in Akureyri was a hit with Gf fish and chips. Thank you, Kimkim and Emanuella!!

Activity Reviews

Explore Reykjavik and Sky Lagoon

Reykjavík

This was our first stop after arriving. It was such a wonderful intro to Iceland. We loved going through the ritual. I was nervous about all the lagoons on our trip before arriving but I'm glad these were added.

Quality of Experience

People are friendly. They speak English everywhere.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

I was using a rental car.

Glacier Walking

Skaftafell

I was a bit confused where to meet but eventually made my way over after parking. It was a warm day and I was surprised that it was just as warm up the glacier. Our guide prepped us with ice pick and crampons for our shoes (some people didn't have the correct shoes and they had extra hiking shoes for those people). We took a 20 min 4x4 bus ride to the glacier. The off road part is really bumpy! Then, we hiked up to a base area where we put in our crampons. Our instructor was a glacier hiker from Finland. He gave us lessons on how to walk up and down with crampons on the ice. I went from nervous to confident in a very short time. We even got to look down a steep hole in the glacier. I highly recommend this tour. Definitely a highlight. We got lucky with the weather, too!

Quality of Experience

The young guide was very knowledgeable and a great teacher.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Even the young driver who brought us to the glacier and then picked us up at the end was amazing. She really handled the rocky terrain so well.

Transport

Reykjavík Puffin Watching

Reykjavík

My daughter loved this and we lucked out with sunny weather. They provide binoculars as you can't get too close. Nice tour guide. We saw lots of puffins!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

The captain and guide worked well together

Amphibian boat tour

Jökulsárlón

We arrived over an hour early and they were able to move us to an earlier boat. The guide was really nice. I liked that the guide talked the colors of the ice and what they were. We even got to touch a piece of ice as well as taste it! I felt this tour was a good length of time. We were able to walk around the park afterwards.

Quality of Experience

It was fun!

Guides, Drivers and Staff

The guide was informative and fun.

Horseback riding on the black sand beaches

Iceland

Definitely one of the highlights of the tour for my daughter. I had to back out after an injury and was refunded for that. They meet at the barn. The guides explain the difference between the way Icelandic horses walk and American horses. Icelandic horses tölt and American horses trot. Then, all got on horses and they walked along the black sand beach in Vik. I drove over to the beach and watched them. Everyone was smiling and giddy at the end.

Quality of Experience

The staff was excellent and organized.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

We had an amazing 17 day trip to Australia that allowed us to provide so many adventure for our 13 and 10 year old daughters. Everything was so smooth and on time- our guides were superb (shoutout Bluey from Go West in Melbourne, Max and Andres from SEIT in Uluru) and our Surf teachers rocked in Byron Bay. We had an incredible day diving and snorkeling the reef and accommodations were well located and comfy. KimKim made a 5 city trip easy and so fun.

Hotel Reviews

PARKROYAL Darling Harbour

Sydney

Breakfast here was incredible and location can’t be beat. A nice workout facility and comfy rooms. Very well located near sites and public transit hub and very walkable.

Authenticity & Character

A nice hotel- a bit corporate but nice.

Location

So easy to get to transit and sites.

Staff

Restaurant staff were very nice.

Cleanliness & Comfort

East on Byron

Byron Bay

What a spot! Right across the street from the beach but also close to town. So good to have our own space and laundry! Lovely pool and hot tub on site.

Authenticity & Character

Such a great beach house

Location

Great beach access and moderate walk to central town.

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Lancemore Crossley St Melbourne

Melbourne

A nice hotel very well located in the theatre district. Great to have a “family suite” for kids to have own bedroom. The decor is very artistic but a bit dark. Also no hotel gym and limited room service.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Desert Gardens Hotel

Yulara

The resort is well located and the restaurants were amazing. Rooms are a bit basic but free laundry facilities were very appreciated. Running trails nearby and easy to arrange and pickup tours. Pools are available but unheated so we couldn’t use given time of year.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Loved the resort concept at Uluru.

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Crystalbrook Flynn

Cairns

A lovely hotel. Great food onsite, very cool swimming pools and so well located right on the esplanade in Cairns. Loved the family suite setup and nice small gym with Pilates machine. Overall a great stay

Authenticity & Character

Very cool design and furnishings.

Location

So much is walkable.

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Ultimate Sydney Harbour Bridge Climb

Sydney

Loved this activity and great way to kickoff Sydney. Fun guide, just enough info on the tour and amazing pics.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Private Byron Bay Surf Lesson

Byron Bay

Just a great day. Likes it so much kids went back for a 2nd day lesson. Both instructors were excellent- kids were up within 10min in the water (Dad was a bit slower but still got up first lesson). Equipment was great

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Blue Mountains Day Trip with Hike

Sydney

Lovely day visiting the farm to see Aussie animals and then to hike in the mountains. Hike was a lovely 1 hr hike that wasn’t too strenuous but had lovely sites including waterfalls.

Quality of Experience

Food

Boxed lunch with fine-

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Welcome to Cairns

Cairns

We ended up going to the Aquarium for the behind the scenes turtle hospital visit. Highly recommend. Really a treat to learn about turtles and rehabilitation

Quality of Experience

Mossman Gorge Day Trip with River Drift Experience

Port Douglas

A real highlight. The hike plus river drift was so fun and enjoyable for kids and adults alike. Our guide was very knowledgeable so we talked a lot about flora and fauna of the region

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Kata Tjuta Sunrise & Valley of the Winds Walk

Uluru

Highlight of Uluru visit. This 4 hour hike has some amazing vistas and was just challenging enough to work a sweat but still accessible for most folks.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Max was particularly good and knowledgable.

Transport

Phillip Island Wildlife Day Trip via Brighton Beach with Penguin Plus Viewing

Melbourne

Big highlight- do not miss if you visit Melbourne. We enjoyed our day getting to Philip Island but the Penguin sunset was amazing- truly unlike anything we have seen. It was cold and windy and no one complained. Once in a lifetime stuff to see these small animals leave the ocean to return home.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Bluey was super!

Transport

Sunset Camel Ride

Uluru

Great fun to do this and we lucked out with an amazing sunset. We were very fortunate to be near the front so we could chat with the guide which was a bonus.

Quality of Experience

Very well run

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Great Barrier Reef Snorkeling Trip with 2 Certified Dives

Cairns

Top notch company. Kids and one parent really enjoyed snorkeling- equipment was great and they were easily self guided. Diving was outstanding. Great guide- very safe but laid back. We had a small group (guide plus 5 divers) which made for super dives. Very knowledgeable and equipment was excellent.

Quality of Experience

Food

Lunch and snacks were good and huge portions!

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Self-Guided Tour of Sydney's Neighborhoods & Beaches

Sydney

Vivid light festival was on and highly recommend! We went to see it all 3 nights we weee in Sydney. Would recommend folks in this time frame plan around this event and really engage it.

Quality of Experience

Belongil Beach Horseback Ride

Byron Bay

Great outfit. Lovely horses. Beach was eroded due to a Cyclone so we rode through the tea forest. Was different and fun.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Uluru Sunset Dinner & Light Show

Uluru

Overall good. A bit long between apps and dinner and drone show was very good but also just a bit long. Food was good.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Uluru Sunrise with Breakfast

Uluru

Our post sunrise walk was excellent- Andres was very knowledgeable and the sites were very interesting. Breakfast was just ok quality.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

All of the tour guides we had were friendly and knowledgeable. They made the excursions interesting and fun. Our favorites were the trip to Carmargue, especially the bird sanctuary, the trip to Annecy, and the cooking class. It was a fantastic trip!

From start to finish, our 12 day honeymoon (organized by Giulia) was absolute perfection. We went to Rome, Pompeii, Sorrento, Florence, and Venice. From the get-go, I felt I could trust Giulia to curate the best experience for us in our budget. A few standout things for us: First of all, the accomodations were incredible. Great locations and very high-quality. Second, we were very appreciative of the level of communication and service both ahead of the trip and during the trip. You know exactly where you need to be and when and all transfers were exactly as expected. No matter where we ended up, we could be rest assured that someone with a sign with our name on it would be waiting for us. Even during the trip, when one of our tours had to be adjusted (not Kimkim's fault), the team was super quick to come up with an alternative. Third, all the tours and experiences were just awesome. Special highlights were our private tour of the Uffizi Gallery, our private walking tour of Venice, and our day trip being driven around Amalfi.

A small anecdote to just highlight the level of service: a few weeks before our trip, Giulia had to contact us that because of last minute Jubilee changes, we needed to move our Vatican tour time to ensure we could see everything. While in Rome, we overheard another couple at dinner find out in real time that they wouldn't be able to go to the Vatican because they were scheduled to go at our original time. We told them that our travel agent had been so on top of it and sorted out this issue weeks ago!

We would definitely use kimkim again for a future trip!

Coraima and Lea were great with communication. We enjoyed the unique accommodations and varied and interesting tours.

Wow, what an amazing trip to Italy. Luca was awesome with planning our stays in Venice, Bologna, Maranello, Cinque Terra and Rome. Everything worked like clockwork from arranging hotels, train rides, taxies, boat taxies and personal tour guides. While the trip was packed with destinations my two daughters and I never felt like we weren't taken care of. The tour guides were extremely knowledgeable and thoroughly answered every question we had. MANY THANKS to Luca and the kimkim team that we worked with. Italy is an amazing country from the history to the beauty and of course the food! I would not hesitate to utilize Luca and the kimkim team in the future. Thank you for making a lifelong dream come true!

Activity Reviews

GUIDED VISIT TO DOGE'S PALACE AND SAINT MARK'S BASILICA

Venice

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Semi-Private Full Day Excursion To Discover Ferrari Museum In Maranello

Bologna

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Rome Walking tour: piazzas and fountains

Rome

The walking tours were incredible. We walked a ton but learned so much from the tour guides. Highly recommend!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Private Gondola Ride

Venice

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Colosseum, Roman Forums and Palatine Hill

Rome

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

My family had a wonderful 10 day trip to Ireland, thanks to kimkim and our travel specialist, Claire. We were a group of 7 adults. We told her our interests/what we would for sure like to see and do. Claire came up with a detailed itinerary for us that made perfect sense. She was extremely prompt in the planning process and met with us via video chat to discuss details of our trip.

Our first stop was Galway. We landed in Dublin and took a bus to Galway upon arrival. We stayed at the Connacht Hotel. The hotel was very nice. The only thing was it was a little far from the city centre so we did end up paying for many ubers (about 15 euro each time) to get to the main area. Otherwise it was about a 30 minute walk. This wasn't ideal for our group but our accommodations at the hotel were very nice and we made it work. When we arrived in Galway we explored the city and went to dinner and pubs of course.

Our second day in Galway we had a private tour to Connemara. Our tour guide, Colleen was excellent. She picked us up first thing in the morning. We stopped in the city of Cong, where The Quiet Man was filmed. We then went to a sheep show in the beautiful mountains. We had so much fun at the Killary Sheep Farm! It was a trip favorite. We also toured a castle along with stopping at many other sites/landmarks. We loved Colleen as she told us interesting information throughout the day and was very knowledgable.

The next day we took a bus to board a ferry to travel to the island of Inishmore (Aran Island). Some of us got a little quesy on the ferry ride! It is about 45 minutes to the island. The island was absolutely beautiful! We opted out of renting bikes. However, if we were to do it again we would definitely rent the bikes. If you want to see the island, bikes are totally the way to go! We bought Aran Islands famous wool sweaters and had delicious fish & chips. We took a very long hike and were able to see beautiful views!

The next day we had a private driver transport us to Killarney and on the way we stopped at the Cliffs of Moher. We did the Cliffs of Moher cruise, which was so much fun! A couple of us were a little nervous for the cruise after the tumultuous ferry ride previously. However, the cruise was all open air which really helped. We had a blast! After the cruise, we walked around the Cliffs of Moher. We ate lunch in Doolin and went to a couple shops!

Next, we arrived in Killarney at the Scott's Hotel. We all loved the Scott's Hotel. The rooms were very spacious and the location was ideal. We were right in the middle of pubs and shops! The hotel had a fabulous pub in the lower level with live music every night. The next day was a free day in Killarney. We all sort of did our own thing- a couple of us went golfing and some went shopping. In the afternoon, we did an "Afternoon Tea" at a nearby hotel which really looked like a castle. We loved this. The food and drink was delicious. It was the perfect way to spend the afternoon. We had a delicious dinner at Hilliard's. We had made a reservation prior. Would highly recommend dining here.

The next day, we had a private guided tour of the Ring of Kerry. This was through The Killarney Touring Co. Our tour guide was Aodan Griffin. We could not recommend him more- he was amazing! This day was the group's favorite day of our entire trip. Aodan brought us to many stops along the Ring of Kerry including wonderful spots for Irish coffee, an old Irish village, a museum about Skellig Islands, and Skellig's Chocolate Factory. He brought us to Valentia island where he spent summers growing up and where his grandfather lived and worked as a principal of the school. We also stopped at a golf course with breathtaking views for lunch. We ended the tour at the Torc Waterfall (Killarney National Park). Aodan truly made this experience wonderful due to his vast knowledge of the Ring of Kerry and hospitality.

The next day we had a private driver transport us to Dublin. We stayed at the Ashling Hotel. The hotel was very nice however we may have liked to be a little closer to the city center. Claire arranged for us to get bus passes, which made is very easy to get around the city. We explored the city and that night we went to a Celtic dinner and show. We enjoyed seeing the Irish dancers and listening to the music.

The next day we did a private walking tour. We loved our tour guide, Pascuale. He provided us with information about the history of Dublin and also provided us with wonderful dining recommendations. We ate lunch at his favorite Italian restaurant, it was delicious. Later that day we did the Guinness Storehouse tour and the Jameson Distillery. The group really enjoyed both of these tours. Later that night we went to Temple Bar, Bambino Pizza, The Hairy Lemon, and many other pubs we found along the way!

Overall, we are very pleased with Kimkim and the structure of our trip. We had a wonderful time, and all plans went smoothly! Thank you for everything !!!

I took 13 students to Italy this spring and we had a phenomenal experience working with Chris and the KimKim team! We spent 10 days in Rome, Sorrento, and Florence studying the Roman Empire and the Renaissance. Our guides, particularly Stefania and Carmine, were absolutely incredible and my students and I learned so much. KimKim handled everything and it was such a smooth process. My school was so impressed they want me to lead a similar trip in the future. I cannot recommend KimKim enough!

We originally thought about a trip to Normandy and the WWII beaches. While working with Justine it was clear the timing was not right and the accommodations we would like were booked. Another time….

She came up with an interesting plan instead to add on to our Rhône River cruise that finished in Lyon. We enjoyed a 4-5 hour wine tour of the northern Beaujolais region; a large vineyard operation and a smaller one….vineyards are quite an operation whether big or small. We walked all over Lyon, the food capital of France, and enjoyed our boutique hotel along the Soane River. The following morning a driver picked us up for our next adventure to the medieval village of Annecy, in the heart of the French Alps. Annecy, with cobbled streets, winding canals and softly colored shops is located on the pristine and clear waters of Lake Annecy. This city was the medieval home for the Counts of Geneva, Geneva being only 20 miles to the north and historically significant to the Dukes of Savoy. We spent 4 nights in Annecy, enjoying our boutique hotel which included a tasty breakfast…all within walking distance to the train station. We walked the bustling village, sampling restaurants and cafes and a myriad of shops. No doubt this village is hopping in the summer given the offering of water activities, however, our time in May after the bank holidays was ideal.

Other activities Justine scheduled for us all worked out well. We used our rented bikes and circumnavigated the 24 miles of Lake Annecy, a beautiful day and a great workout. She also arranged a personal boat cruise on the lake and the Captain prepared fondue and served us a lovely crisp white wine ….a very nice evening. He was a local man and we enjoyed hearing his stories of the region. On another day we set off for a paragliding adventure at the southern end of the lake, each with our own pilots. It was spectacular, launching at 3400’ and riding the thermals to 8000’….the sensations and vistas were memorable, Lake Geneva in the distance and Annecy below. On the last full day we went on a driving tour out to the Bauges mountain region stopping at the city of Chambery for a tour with a local guide….she was fun, knew everyone in town and regaled us with the local history. After a delicious lunch at a wonderful alpine restaurant overlooking the valley of farm fields, we experienced the workings of a small family dairy/cheese farm….so nice to learn their process and meet them. The owner of the farm did not speak English so our driver translated. It was his first visit to the farm and it was a special day for him as well. This farm is very well known in the region and has won many awards for their cheeses, for which we sampled.

Our trip soon to end, we hopped on the train for a leisurely trip back to bustling Paris, but soon exited for our final afternoon in Chantilly. The huge biannual garden and flower market was going on and Chantilly was bustling with people, mostly regional locals it seemed. It was time to begin to decompress from our 16 day French adventure with a lovely dinner before heading to the airport the next morning.

The weather was perfect for our stay. All the arrangements by Justine worked very well and we enjoyed immersing ourselves in a different culture. It was especially nice to have drivers take care of the logistics. Thank you Justine.

Jim and Joanne Matthews

We had the most amazing trip to Greece. Planning with Gustavo was easy and he listened to our requests. Transportation from place to place was smooth and punctual. One of our excursions got cancelled (due to weather ) and Lea from KimKim immediately contacted me to get us booked for an alternative. We felt safe and well taken care of, our hotels were amazing and top notch. I will use KimKim again and will recommend them to everyone !

We used Melanie for our family with 2 teenagers. When planning for Italy, we tried to plan on our own at first but it was quite overwhelming especially coming from the US and for 13days. It was worth using Melanie's planning services especially with our limited time to travel as a family and to make the best use of our time! Our two teens kept saying the following " the way she planned this makes complete sense! and the tour guides were so nice and tailored the tours and conversations to their interests! that they loved the tours and felt it was well paced " Things that would have stressed us out, like navigating pickups, arranging tours to, how to navigate the train systems, Melanie planned every detail out. We were so relaxed with very little to worry about, and she had people everyday make sure that we were good with our day schedule. She planned it so that the kids and parents got to do the "right amount" of tours, down time, exploring on our own. It's so funny , it's hard to imagine these things can be stressful on a trip, but when you are working with Melanie, and once you are in the trip, we all started saying, that makes sense to arrange this on this date, and this place first... at one point the trains needed to be switched and she took care of it seamlessly. All the stuff I would read online on Italy travel planning before caused a bit of anxiety when they were planning their own trips, but with Melanie, we didn't have to worry about it, because her itinerary and services just worked. Additionally, when my girl and I got sick, she followed up with us on how to best get care. It felt very comfortable, like you had family helping navigate you through Italy. We will for sure use her again when we come back to explore other parts of Italy. Communication was very prompt, and drivers were kind and courteous, and Melanie and Agoda were fabulous in taking care of each step. Highly recommended !

Hotel Reviews

VENICE TIME HOTEL

Venice

perfect place, beautiful, great breakfast, people were so kind and welcoming Beautiful courtyard. Close to everything yet quiet and feels like a secret getaway from all the bustle to relax at night. Even had gluten free breakfast!

Authenticity & Character

Location

little alley , safe but literally close to the main areas

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

So' Lifestyle Hotel Sorrento

Sorrento

The best hotel for Sorrento, when the beachclubs can only offer so much, like more tanning than anything, this hotel had a wonderful beautiful pool to refresh. Highly recommended! even had gluten free breakfast! Kind staff and very clean and modern

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Della Conciliazione

Rome

perfect spot! close to vatican and yet only 20min walk to main shopping and sites. Didn't realize this hotel was right in front of the most charming brick laden street , quiet little souvenir shops, 3 gelatos all within the same street, outside restaurants patio dining, but yet quiet and right amount of bustle to make you feel part of something. Lovely beautiful hotel. Great breakfast. Lovely staff. Highly recommend. clean !

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Venice Gondola Ride

Venice

Amazing gondola ride, our tour guide we didn't realize was so famous! He even sang for us! Our teen girls loved this.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Private boat tour on the Amalfi Coast

Italy

Must do! Our teens loved the private boat, had a bathroom, very clean, sunbathed on the desk, and skipper was so kind and flexible. Spent the whole day stopping and shopping and swimming in the sea. Clean nice boat

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Day trip from Sorrento to Pompeii and Mt Vesuvius

Italy

OUR TEENS LOVED THIS! They way that Melanie our Kim Kim Agent timed the tour was perfect so that it wasn't too terribly hot. They really had a good experience with the tour guide, he was fantastic, he was so enthusiastic and our family could really get a first hand look at how they lived. He was a great storyteller,and could not have been with a better tour guide for Pompeii! Mt Vesuvius was fantastic also! Both timed just perfectly.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Colosseo and Roman forums adventure

Rome

Our family loved this, great tour and guide, highly recommend private tour, get a lot more information!!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Appian Way by E-bike: Tour with Catacombs, Aqueducts, and Food

Rome

family loved this experience! Tour guide that Melanie picked was great, tailored the tour to the kids interests, so kind, and the. biking and catacombs was truly an experience for them. HIGHLY recommended!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Vatican & Sistine Chapel Tour

Rome

The tour guide Melanie chose was fantastic! He was so knowledgeable and knew how to weave through the crowd! There were crowds of people, but Melanie's arrangement allowed use to bypass all the lines and just get in, the guide showed us all the key pieces and you could see all the correlation with the other. Fantastic and quite amazing tour!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Kamilla and her team’s planning was invaluable to make our trip to Germany unforgettable. There were very few snafu‘s and I was able to reach out and have Kamilla help immediately. We toured from Berlin down to Munich. We had an individual personal tour as well as a small group and larger bus tour. All the chosen tours were exactly on point for what we were looking for. As a family, the grey line Neuschwanstein tour with our bus tour guide, Hanae, was everyone’s favorite. Our least favorite day was the hop on hop off tour in Stuttgart. The bus driver missed stopping at one of the locations where we wanted to get off. We had a wonderful tour of Munich on the free walking tour. Our tour guide’s name was Patrick and he was just phenomenal. Overall, I would highly recommend Kamilla and her team for planning a well tailored vacation to Germany!

Hotel Reviews

Leonardo Hotel Munich City Olympiapark

Munich

The front deck staff were helpful. Check-in and check out were easy. The only downside for this hotel was the breakfast was overpriced but this was everyone’s favorite hotel and we were very happy that we stayed here the longest.

Authenticity & Character

Location

it was right near the tram stations that took us into the main part of town.

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

The rooms were very large and the cleaning staff cleaned and replaced towels, coffee, pods, and water every day.

Hotel Gat Point Charlie

Berlin

Although this hotel looked just like the picture, the size was very very tiny. Even with two of us in one room, we felt cramped. Although overall, the hotel was very clean, there was a small bug on the bed and then in the morning, another stink bug on my suitcase. This hotel was fine. My son thought it was very cute, but it was not a hotel I would want to return to.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Turm Hotel Frankfurt

Frankfurt am Main

This hotel was very authentic and nice. The only comments that could make it a little better would be improving the lighting in the hotel room. Once the sun went down, it was very dark. Also, the elevator was a bit of an adventure, but I think it gave the hotel character. The front desk staff at this hotel was excellent.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hampton by Hilton Stuttgart City Centre

Stuttgart

This was a very standard hotel. My only comment is that we did use the sofa bed and it was very crowded with the chair in the room still.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

From Munich: Neuschwanstein Castle Full-Day Trip

Munich

This was a premium bus tour complete with a phenomenal guide and snacks all day on the bus. It made for an excellent ride throughout the countryside and to our locations, and each of the stops was well connected and enjoyable.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Hop on Hop off - city tour with audioguide

Stuttgart

The bus driver missed stopping at the location that we wanted to walk. Overall, this tour was hard to find the bus stations and only affair experience overall.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Private Full-Day Trip: Schloß Lichtenstein, Tübingen, Bad Urach & Waterfall Hike

Germany

The castle was lovely. Our guide’s name was Lothar and he was an elderly gentleman. He was very nice. His English was adequate. The hike to the waterfall was a bit disorganized as although he had a map, he had not really been there and was uncertain of several aspects. He was very knowledgeable about the mineral content of the rocks and was a pleasant companion overall.

Quality of Experience

Tübingen was really fantastic

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

He had a nice large clean vehicle.

Day Trip from Munich to Rothenburg ob der Tauber

Munich

This tour might have been better if we had tried to do this from Stuttgart. It was a long way from Munich and the driving felt like as much of the day as the touring if not more. It was about an hour and a half drive to the first stop at Harburg Castle and then another hour and a half drive to Rothenburg ob der Tauber. Then finally a 3 Hour Dr. back to Munich.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Free Walking Tour of Munich

Munich

This was so easy to book online and reserve our spots. Our tour guide, Patrick, was excellent. The tour hit almost all of the highlights of Munich and he also pointed out some options for us to return to later if we wanted to. This was just a beautiful, beautiful tour.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff