Kimkim Trip Reviews

My family and I had a wonderful time in Turkey thanks to the kimkim team and our local specialist, Murat.

This was our second time using kimkim to book a vacation and we had a terrific experience. Our Turkey specialist, Murat, was very knowledgeable, helpful and accommodating in planning our trip. He would reply promptly to messages, which communicating back and forth very easy. He was also available via message throughout our trip for any last minute changes or questions.

Our local guides in Istanbul, Cappadocia, and Konya were also excellent. All were enthusiastic about their work, very accommodating and friendly, and made our experience much more memorable.

For anyone looking to book a trip to Turkey, I would highly recommend kimkim and Murat and his team.

Hotel Review

Raffles Istanbul

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Whirling Dervish Ceremony at Saruhan Caravansarai

Turkey

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Discover Byzantine + Ottoman Istanbul

İstanbul

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

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

İstanbul

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Private Boat Tour on the Bosphorus

İstanbul

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Explore the historical + modern hub: Pera, Karaköy and Beyond

İstanbul

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Visiting Göreme Open Air Museum (UNESCO World Heritage)

Cappadocia

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Kaymaklı Underground City

Cappadocia

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Sightseeing Around Uçhisar and Discovering the Cappadocian Valleys

Cappadocia

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

We have been on many trips with Kim Kim but this was t disappointing. Asia highlights provided a very poor guide In Tokyo who both had no knowledge and a poor attitude. The other guides had good attitudes but also not knowledgeable except Mei at the end, who was both knowledgeable and hard working. Kate droppe the ball many times and never had good suggestions for activities, I would not recommend her or Asia highlights.

Activity Reviews

Full Day Tokyo Tour by Private Vehicle and Guide

Tokyo

It could have been a lot better with a warm knowledgeable guide who did more than just take us to places. She knew nothing, had no explanations and seemed generally unhappy.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Harajuku

Tokyo

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

This is a review of our trip to Turkey, May 24, 2024 to June 5 2024.

First we would like to say that our guide for 8 days, Ms. Sebnem Altin was truly exceptional (5 stars!!). She was friendly, knowledgable, and fun to be with. We would definitely want any future travel by us to this region to involve her friendly services and expertise.

There were too many high points of our trip to review them all here. We would like to focus on a couple of things:

1. Hotels: Our favorite was Nisanyan Hotel in Sirinje. It was pretty much perfect in atmosphere, location, and charm. It had excellent service, and good food.
Bank Hotel in Istanbul was good, it was very well located the City, and had good things to do within walking distance. It was a little bit on the "high end" for us, in terms of luxury, but still OK. One note about this Hotel (if you communicate with them) regards the in room electrical set-up (e.g., lights). They were very difficult to use.
The Hotel in Pammukale was billed as a "Spa resort". It was just a Ramada franchise, and was our least favorite. All of the "Spa" water facilities there were closed. It was full of bus loads of tourists, and had cafeteria-style food in a large common room. We would have been much better off to skip this and drive on to the Hotel Anatolia (Sebnem knew this place and took us there for lunch), and stay there (the restaurant Anatolia there was excellent).
Swissotel Bodrum : This was comfortable and nice, and the location on the sea was good. However the atmosphere was veery high end and exclusive. The restaurant in this hotel had a limited menu, and there was nothing else within walking distance. We did discover on our own a town near Bodrum, called Yalikavak. In Yalikavak there is a region called the "old city", this had a very nice atmosphere with small shops and cafes in a charming pedestrian zone. This would probably have been a better location for us.
2. As for the daily tours with Ms. Sebnem, everything was great. She was very knowledgable, helpful, friendly, and we saw and learned a great deal. If we were to change anything, (knowing what we know now), would probably leave Pamukkale out altogether. It was crowded and touristy, and the hotel was a letdown. In retrospect we would consider replacing it with Cappadocia, or possibly just visiting Hieropolis, and then going on to hotel Anatolia.

Thanks for helping us make this trip so memorable!
Best regards,
Walt and Marilyn Madsen

Hotel Reviews

The Bank Hotel

Istanbul

Great location in the city. Walking distance from many good shops and cafes.

Authenticity & Character

Quiet and comfortable.

Location

Close to interesting things to see on foot.

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Signature Hotel & Spa

Authenticity & Character

All "spa" facilities were closed. Loud bar music we could hear from the room. Very crowded with bus tourist groups. Cafeteria style dining.

Location

Isolated. No neighborhood.

Staff

Everyone was courteous and helpful

Cleanliness & Comfort

Nisanyan Houses

Selçuk

Very charming location with multiple quiet, beautiful terraces. on the side of a mountain overlooking the town. The room was very nice.

Authenticity & Character

The interiors were all charming and comfortable. The food was great, and there were many quiet, leafy terraces with nice views. It had the feel of a nice older house.

Location

Lovely views over the town and valley

Staff

Great service, everyone was very considerate and friendly.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Swissôtel Resort Bodrum Beach

The atmosphere is high end and very exclusive.

Authenticity & Character

Very quiet, with great ocean views.

Location

The beach setting was great, however there is nothing accessible on foot nearby.

Staff

Very courteous and helpful

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Urban Hiking Tour: Strolling around Old City Walls, Fener + Balat

İstanbul

The neighborhoods Fener and Balat were well worth visiting. This brought home many of the more interesting aspects of life in Istanbul, seeing interesting small shops and everyday houses and buildings.

Quality of Experience

Again, our guide Ms. Senem Altin was really good, with helping get a feel for what we were seeing.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Trip to beautiful Aphrodisias

Turkey

The quality of the restorations are remarkable, giving this site a remarkable feel of somehow being there when it was thriving.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Explore the Ancient City of Ephesus

Turkey

This site is truly impressive, just magnificent.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Discover Byzantine + Ottoman Istanbul

İstanbul

Very informative walking tour with a great guide (Sebnem Altin).

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Private Boat Tour on the Bosphorus

İstanbul

The views of the city from the water are spectacular and worth seeing.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

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

İstanbul

Another good day with our guide. Seeing and learning so much. We are not sure if this was the day we took a side trip to the restaurant Ciya Sofrasi on the Asian side for lunch, but that was one of the more special things we did in all of Istanbul.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Şirince: A Guided Stroll in a beautiful Aegean Village

Şirince

The town is nice. The shops are pretty geared for tourists.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Discover Priene: A beautiful ancient Ionian town

Turkey

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Pamukkale and Hierapolis

Pamukkale

Hierapolis was really good. It is worth strolling the ruins, and particularly the necropolis (largest in the ancient world). Pamukkale was very crowded and touristy.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Discover the ancient city of Laodikeia

Pamukkale

The site is large and very interesting. The ongoing restorations are amazing. We were lucky to be there when it was not at all crowded, so it was relaxing and felt very special.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Sebnem Altin was great on this site, its history and character.

Transport

Guided Tour + Lunch in Kusadasi

Turkey

Kusadasi is a busy metropolis with high end euro boutique shops. The restaurant was excellent. The best fish of the whole trip.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Discover the ancient sites of Miletus and Didyma

Turkey

Miletus has a fantastic Roman colosseum. Didyma has spectacular huge columns.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Visit to Ephesus Archaeological Museum

Turkey

Really good to see so much up so close.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Our driver (Etam, sp?) was great.

This is my second trip with kimkim in 2 years. I just recommended them to my sister who booked her first trip. That should give insight into how I feel about their services.

Irene was my advisor. She planned a 14 day trip for destinations surrounding Milan that included Genoa, Camogli, Bologna, Verona and Lake Como. The only place I specifically requested was Lake Como; the others she selected for me. ALL were worthwhile & some I never would have thought of on my own. So glad I got the chance to experience them.

The time was compressed to get the itinerary in order. Irene worked quickly and efficiently and proactively communicated when it was imperative that I make a decision in order not to foreclose an opportunity. Much appreciated.

She was a good listener to my reactions to suggestions and happily modified plans based on such input. She went out of her way to ensure I had help with my overpacked luggage.

The accommodations were clean, safe & well-located with helpful staff. Standouts were Hotel Palazzo Grillo in Genoa, Sublimis Boutique Hotel in Camogli and Palace Hotel Lake Como in Como. These 3 were just gorgeous and authentic to the location.

Excursions were all to my liking: either private or small group, led by engaging and knowledgeable guides, entertaining and educational. I could not have selected better.

And the during trip travel team - always available by WhatsApp - deserve special recognition. They were always responsive, resourceful and patient.

Hotel Reviews

Hotel Palazzo Grillo

Genova

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Porta San Mamolo

Bologna

Location a bit out of the way. Staff at front desk upon arrival not particularly welcoming or informative. Room was dusty - particularly AC when turned on & vent opened.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Escalus Luxury Suites Verona

Verona

Fabulous location. Amazing space in room. Just a bit sterile and lacking in charm or character.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Palace Hotel Lake Como

Como

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Sublimis Boutique Hotel Camogli - Adults Only

Camogli

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Genoa Highlights Private Tour

Italy

Loved my guide and content of tour.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Private Tasting Tour in Santa Margherita & Camogli

Italy

My favorite guide of the trip. Would book any tour she was leading.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Classic Bologna Food Tour

Bologna

Thoughtful and highly knowledgeable guide.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Sirmione & Lake Garda Tour from Verona

Verona

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Valpolicella Wine tour

Italy

Wonderful activity. 2 wineries were great selections and very interesting juxtaposition. Onsite guides outstanding.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Verona Walking Tour

Italy

So much more to see than I realized.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Local transfer in Milan

Italy

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Slow Travel In Como, Brunate & Torno

Lake Como

I signed up for this without properly reading what it was! Nonetheless, it turned out great. Fabia was excellent. At this point, I am in moderate fitness shape, and I found several points of relatively flat hike a bit strenuous. Had lunch at hike-in only restaurant that was charming.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Overall, the trip was very good. there were a few missteps that could have been avoided.
I suspect that Cat or Phil will share some of them with you already. Instead of reiterating what i believe they have already shared with you, i will add another concern. I take some of the blame. I should have figured out that we had STANDING tickets for the ABBA Experience. You listed the tickets with a seat number, but it did say "Standing." I just could not believe that they were in fact tickets for us to STAND throughout the video. I expected to be seated. I thought we would be seated. I was surprised we did not have seated tickets. I would have preferred a ticket to a show in which we could be seated to enjoy the performance.
Besides that, it was the little things that should not have been an issue but did disrupt the trip. There was a mix-up with the location of our Tea in London. We were seated in coach instead of first class on the train through the Chunnel. The ground transportation from the Airport in Amsterdam was a problem. Little things like these, made the drop from 5 stars to 4.

Pedro did an amazing job with our trip to Portugal. He listened very carefully to our preferences and tailored the trip to accommodate our likes. His daily check in was incredibly reassuring. Our driver, Nelson, was very kind and a great resource during our travels. He was beyond professional and incredibly accommodating. I can't recommend Pedro enough! When we return to Portugal, we plan our travel with Pedro.

Portugal is a beautiful country, with friendly and kind people. The food is delicious and the wine is amazing. We enjoyed our visit very much.

Hotel Review

Maison Albar - Le Monumental Palace

Porto

Great location, clean rooms and friendly staff. The dining at the hotel was delicious.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Review

Lisbon's Historic Odyssey on a Private Walking Tour & Tastings

Lisbon

Our guide Pedro was super knowledgable and took us on a great walking tour of Lisbon. He showed up some less crowded ways to navigate the city. The tour concluded with a wine and cheese tasting. Great guide, great city.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Vaseem created an amazing itinerary for our 14-day trip to France, from Paris to Bordeaux. He was always quick to respond to questions before and during our trip. I can't imagine the hours we've saved not having to plan the trip ourselves, nor would we have had the extensive knowledge of someone local to the country. Our trip started with a 2-hour vintage car tour through Paris which my husband and I thoroughly enjoyed and the trip only got better with dinner cruises, shows, museums, castles, wine and food tours and of course lots of bread, cheese, pastries and wine. The accommodations in all 5 cities / villages were lovely, the people were so friendly, the countryside spectacular. Thank you so much for making our 40th anniversary celebration an unforgettable experience!

Hotel Reviews

Les Manoirs de Tourgéville

Deauville

Beautiful accommodations. Excellent restaurant. Great atmosphere.

Au Charme Rabelaisien

Amboise

The owners were fantastic, super friendly and helpful. Room was large with great views. Centrally located for easy walking to shopping and restaurants.

Activity Review

Discovery tour of Paris by vintage 2CV car

Paris

Vivienne was friendly, knowledgeable, gave great tips for navigating the city, places to visit, etc.

I want thank Jessica, Janice, Wayan, Oki and Asink enough for making it such a great trip!
Firstly, Jessica for organising my itinerary, took onboard everything I wanted and was patient with me as I decided on what I wanted to do and experience on my trip to Bali, my first time in there!! She was absolutely briliant, as we say in East London the Dog's Bollocks! ( meaning GREAT!!)

Janice my on the ground contact, always checking in on me every so often, making sure I was enjoying my time in Bali and having a great time and experience!!

NOW, Oki and Wayan, my guide and driver. Think I've made mates for life!! same goes for Jessica and Janice! I spent most of the time with these two geezas! Diamond Geezas! Great chats while driving to places and joking me around constantly, with my dark British humor! HA!!

Every place I went was great, time in Ubud, tours of the Hindu temples, waterfalls, experience Sebatu Soul
purification ritual. The best and toughest was Hike to Mount Agung to see the sunrise! Absolutely breathtaking!! Learning about Bamboo construction and visiting the Green Village, as a part-time woodworker, this was especially great to see!!
Cycling tour in Kintamani was great as I got to visit local villages, this felt a little awkward as I felt like the western tourist, gawping... but being of Indian decent I was aware enough to take too many photos.

Lombok was very chill compared to Bali, slower pace which was nice, mount Rinjani was beautiful even though I had to cancel the hike as my legs and knees were a bit messed up from the Agung hike. The Gili Island, were beautiful, did some
snorkeling, my first time!

Coming back to Bali and spending a night in Menjangan, in hotel in the forest was well deserved rest!! Watching the sunset from the Bali Tower from the hotel lobby! Brilliant!! No matter where I was the sunset were just unreal! No building impending the view, just nature, tree, mountains and hills.

My last few days were in Seminyak and a day visit to Nusa Penida Island, again breathtaking views! Waves crashing into cliffs, out of this world but not!! Seminyak is a lot more busier than Ubud, great shops and restaurants. Like any other small city which is also a tourist attractions.

Overall, I had a better time than I ever expected!!! And this alldue to Jessica, Janice, Oki and Wayan! AND all the hotel staff along the way, 5 hotels in all! I'll chat to anyone, more of those peeps! HA!

Hotel Reviews

Adiwana Svarga Loka

Ubud

Great location and staff!! Friendly staff!

Authenticity & Character

overall feel, very welcoming!

Location

Close to main streets on Ubud.

Staff

Friendly, able to answer any questions I had.

Cleanliness & Comfort

The Menjangan - CHSE Certified

Pejarakan

Secluded! Away from all the hustle and bustle, tucked away in the forest!! Great for a peaceful, chill getaway

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

IZE Seminyak by LifestyleRetreats

Bali

Amazing staff! Clean, had a gym and pool.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Sheraton Senggigi Beach Resort

Lombok

What a location, very close the beach!

Authenticity & Character

Location

What a location, very close the beach! Nightly walks along the beach and having drinks at the hotel bar. Watching the sun set while enjoying it. What I liked the most was there were local and tourist on the beach!

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Review

Hike to Mount Agung

Indonesia

It was a tough hike and ultimately worth it to watch the sunrise!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Not sure how to rate this but we lost a whole day practically because one Of our guides in Ecudor Was very insufficient. She didn't have the right change for the pain.When she picked us up and then when she took us to Cuenca she kept getting lost. Before we left, we had to stop so she could have breakfast cause she didn't have anything to eat.At her mother's house before she left that morning. Also she did not know anything about the national park that we stopped at. She could not answer our questions. When we finally got to our destination, she had promised us.We could go to a spot there to get rid of this sress from the day and that did not work out either. I would not consider her a safe driver either. That was one of the reasons for the stress and then being jerked around all over the place From her driving. We were supposed to have a different guide to begin with. And actually he turned out fine. Except he dished us at the airport when he drove his back to Guayaquil Ecuador. Our plane didn't leave till 1130 that night and he dropped us off at the airport.About 330 in the afternoor it might have been earlier. Kim did get back with this about an hour or so later and line up another guide Who was a very good person but we ended up giving two people tips that day or the day instead of just one so that was an extra Twenty dollars from each of us for the guides. We found out later that the guide that was good and dropped us off at the airport.Check another client.So I had to get back to quinca instead of staying with us like he was supposed to. The whole thing made it's very uneasy. The rest of the trip especially the calypso boat was wonderful.

Sarah, from the Kimkim Team, was very thorough with the itinerary she provided us. She also chose a great tour company for us to travel with. Everything went smoothly, and we had a memorable trip. I wouldn't hesitate to use them again.

Speed boat tour was excellent. If we had more time I’d do the overnight boat trip. We also visited a local village and waterfalls. Inexpensive. Friendly. Amazing reefs and snorkeling.

Our family had a fantastic time in Greece! We highly recommend visiting this beautiful country and using KimKim to help plan, organize, and guide you through the experience! Here are some of the aspects that stood out to us from the planning perspective:
1. In the beginning, we worked with Evelyn, who helped us identify what type of trip we were searching for. She did a wonderful job listening, asking questions, and creating and modifying our itinerary.
2. Once everything was confirmed, we worked with the amazing team at Be a Greek (Atonis, Dimitrios, Maria, Artemisk, and Alexandra)! We cannot speak highly enough about this group! Each day, we received detailed information about where, who, and what was on the schedule. Their response time to any question or comment was exceptional! Not sure we've ever experienced customer service at this level ever before! Thank you, Be a Greek, for making us feel welcomed, organized, and relaxed for a perfect family vacation!

Experiences that we recommend:
1. While in Athens: private tour of the Acropolis. Had a fantastic guide who was very knowledgeable (maybe a little too detailed for our teenage kids :-))
2. Bike tour in Athens - recommend Dimitris - wrote Google review for this company and him
3. Highlight of the Trip: NAXOS!!! We will go back at some point.
5. Loved Mythology tour with Labrina and Naxos Trekking with Yiota
6. Private motorboat tour was fabulous!
7. On our own we found a place called Pantry on Naxos - Highly recommend adding this location for a cooking class.
8. Santorini - Favorite experiences: Catamaran tour and Wine Tasting and Cooking Class

Hotel Review

El Mar Naxos

Naxos

The rooms were very large with many amenities and we found the beds and coaches very comfortable. The staff were super friendly and attentive. They offered many great food suggestions as well as local experiences. They easily accommodated our family when we requested an earlier breakfast option. Also, it was my birthday while I was there and they went out of their way to make it special for me. Our family loved the location! However, it is about a 1/2 mile walk from the downtown area and it is in a more rural setting. We loved walking and enjoyed being out of the busyness of the little town. It's also very close a super market and laundry facility (pay to get your laundry done). We loved this!! Finally, there are some unique elements of the property. There are strict rules around the use of the pool and fitness room. Guests must rinse off any sunscreen before entering the pool and must book the fitness room 12 hours in advance with a trainer. This was not a common experience for us. However, we didn't spend much time on the property during the day and there is an outdoor shower for rinsing off right near the pool. The gym was a little different and if you're someone who needs a workout room for running or weight training, this may not be the ideal place.

Authenticity & Character

Location

We loved the location because it was outside of the downtown area of Naxos. Guests have to walk about 1/5 mile to the area. We love to walk, so not a problem. But some may find this too remote. We also loved that it was close to a super market and laundry facility.

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Santorinian Cooking Class & Tasting Small Group Experience

Santorini

This was one of our favorite experiences. The guide was lovely and the cooking class was exceptional! We learned how to prepare 4 different dishes and received recipes to take home with us. The food was delicious!

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

The Acropolis & Acropolis Museum Private Guided Tour

Athens

When in Athens, you have to visit the Acropolis. Our family enjoyed having a private tour guide and would recommend this experience. The guide was very knowledgeable. However, the tour was a little too long for our teenagers, especially in the museum area.

Quality of Experience

Little too long in the museum.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Athens City Bike Small Group Tour

Athens

We loved our bike tour with Dimitris!! It was a great way to experience Athens and very safe. Our guide Dimitris was extremely knowledgable and charismatic. Highly recommend this tour and definitely request Dimistris.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Private Naxos Mythology Tour

Naxos

Labrina was one of our favorite tour guides! First, we loved the island of Naxos, so that made it a great start. It was enjoyable driving through the hills to see mythological sites. Loved ending at the olive oil tasting!

Quality of Experience

Olive oil tasting and the guide

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Naxos Rural Life Private Guided Hike

Naxos

Our family had a wonderful tour with Yiota! She was incredibly knowledgable. It was an easy walk (about 2 miles) through 3 small connected villages in the hills of Naxos. We ended by enjoying a delicious lunch in one of the villages. Thanks so much Yiota and Naxos Trekking for creating a memorable experience for our family. Highly recommend Naxos Trekking and Yiota!

Quality of Experience

Walking through the villages and eating at the end. Food was delicious!

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Yiota was awesome!

Transport

Private Motor Boat Cruise of South Naxos & Koufonisia

Naxos

Great day on the water and visiting the beautiful island of Koufonisia!

Quality of Experience

Visiting Koufonisia and the landscape that surround us. It was gorgeous!

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Santorini Caldera Small-group Sunset Cruise with BBQ on board and Open Bar

Santorini

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

This is the third time I have used Kimkim to plan a vacation, and again, we were very impressed by how easy it was and the quality of the arrangements that were made for us. We worked with Zehra on part of our trip in Bucharest and then through to Istanbul. Zehra is a KimKim agent specializing in Turkey. Zehra helped us to plan an itinerary that met all our needs. She worked with local guides and drivers to ensure our trip went smoothly. Zehra even met us at the airport and joined us on our first afternoon for a private yacht tour of the Bosphorus Straits. After working with her virtually, it was delightful to meet her in person. She stayed in touch with us throughout the trip. We formed a WhatsApp group for communicating, which we realized was very important after a couple of days in Istanbul. Istanbul traffic is notorious and Zehra's coordination between the local drivers and us ensured that we always knew when our drivers would arrive and the best place to meet them. Zehra also coordinated a local guide, Eda, who was fun to be with. On our last day, Eda took us out for Turkish coffee and then read our fortunes in the coffee sludge. With KimKim you can get the trip that you want, designed by you with input from a local expert. It is wonderful to have someone to contact if something goes awry in a big way. We have appreciate having someone in-country to contact if needed. There were six of us in our group and we all thought that Kimkim, Zehra, the guides and drivers were fantastic.

First time using an online travel agent and we were pleasantly surprised at the ease of booking the activities and accommodations. We were also very impressed by the attentiveness of our agent, Sarah. She went above and beyond communicating with us during our trip to ensure that our needs were met. The activities and tours were exceptional. We especially loved the private boat tour to the islands of Hvar, and the surrounding islands. Our guide went above and beyond for us. The private biking tour with Mislav was a blast! He ensured we had fun taking in the sights while learning about Dubrovnik's rich culture and history.

Hotel Reviews

Aparthotel Bellevue Trogir

Trogir

The staff was incredible. They were attentive to our needs. We loved the breakfast. The rooms were simple and clean. However the construction on the main road to the entrance to the hotel was a challenge. The travel agency should have been notified of this and relocated us.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Rooms are smaller than what we are used to.

Hotel Neptun Dubrovnik

Dubrovnik

Hotel Neptune exceeded our expectations. The suite was spacious for our family of 3. The view was spectacular. It made our visit complete!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Unbelievable view and just a walk to the ocean!

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Krka National Park + lunch in the countryside

Croatia

Our private driver ensured that we got the best experience at KRKA. I was expecting more of a rigorous hike, but overall it was lovely. The traditional Croatian lunch was excellent.

Quality of Experience

Food

loved having a traditional lunch

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Our driver was amazing.

Transport

Private boating excursion to Brac & Hvar Island by motor boat

Trogir

Our skipper gave us a 5 star experience exploring the stunning islands on the clean and elegant speed boat. He even helped us with an incredible lunch experience. This exceeded my expectations!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Tour Dubrovnik's Old Town

Croatia

We loved ANNA! She was a local who grew up in the old city. What a treat to hear her personal experience. She went above and beyond with teaching us about the rich culture and history of this city. She even gave us some secret local spots to visit for wine and cheese.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

E-bike tour in Dubrovnik with wine tasting and snacks (small group)

Dubrovnik

Our guide Mislav ensured that we enjoyed a safe ride while experiencing the beauty of Dubrovnik. He was fun and entertaining and tailored the tour to fit our needs. We loved learning about the beloved city while enjoying lunch overlooking the beautiful scenery.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Our trip to Croatia completely exceeded our expectations! Everything was so well-planned out by Robi, with lots of unexpected surprises!
Robi was extremely thoughtful and definitely listened to all of our requests for our dream vacation - including amazing bike rides, kayaking, national parks and an incredible hike!
We loved all of the history combined with fun outdoor recreation, incredible beaches, spectacular scenery, wineries, lovely accommodations and amazing food!
We totally enjoyed our tour of the Wall in Dubrovnik with Marco on the first day - he did a wonderful job of combining the history of the city with personal stories.
I can't say enough about our main guide, Goran - he was the best! He took such great care of us and was extremely patient with us. He made sure we never got lost while biking and was always there at every intersection making sure we headed in the right direction!
We totally enjoyed spending time with him and absolutely loved the day he took us hiking on Mljet! That was really special. The scenery was spectacular, and we thoroughly loved our fresh fish lunch on the island!
We loved everywhere we stayed from an apartment in Dubrovnik very close to the Walled City to a family run "palace" in Ston!
Our last night, Robi surprised us with an incredible stay at a fantastic hotel with beautiful views, a spectacular beach, and amazing service,
I could go on and on...every day of our vacation we said was "another top 10 day!" Every day in Croatia was our favorite day!
Thank you so much for an incredible experience and so many fun memories!

Adam helped me put together this trip at late notice. He did a stellar job! Barcelona was great and Tossa de Mar at the Costa Brava was even better, with the Kayaking & snorkeling experience as the highlight. Can't wait for the next trip.

Hotel Reviews

Room Mate Anna

Barcelona

Stylish hotel staffed by friendly people. Location is perfect, walking distance from many sights and next to the Passieg de Gracia metro stop. Nice vibes in the lobby and rooftop restaurant with somewhat loud music, which i liked but may or not be for everyone. Room was well appointed, and overall nice, but cleanliness could use some attention. Nothing too bad, but bathroom could use a deep clean.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Next to Passeig de Gracia metro stop and walking distance from many restaurants and sights

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Bathrooms not spotless, could use a deep clean.

Hotel Diana

Tossa de Mar

Hotel Diana is a true gem with character. The location is perfect, a couple of steps from the beach (just across the street which has mostly pedestrians) with a view of the Mediterranean. Staff is super friendly and happily shared recommedations for tapas bars, which were very in point (esp bar La Lluna!). My room was big with a partial ocean view. The building structure is European, ie not very sound proof and the furniture isn't the newest, but it didn't bother me since the character and style more than compensated for this. I would highly recommend this hotel to travelers who value comfort and authenticity.

Authenticity & Character

Hotel feels small and intimate

Location

Steps from the beach and 5 minute stroll the old town

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Review

Kayaking & Snorkeling in Costa Brava

Costa Brava

Really cool kayaking experience from Tossa de Mar. The coastline is rugged, with lots of rocks sticking out out of the Mediterranean, caves and bays. Mattias, the guide and instructor, was a true professional, guiding us through choppy waters on the way back as the wind has picked up. He was very communicative and pointed out different rock features and led us to nice snorkeling bay with a cool cliff jump (about 15 meters high, fun and slightly scary!).

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

It was really great to have kimkim's and Coraima's help planning our trip. It took so much of the work off of us to find guides, secure tickets, etc. We really enjoyed the local guides we had, many who were from the local region or experts in their specific area.

Activity Reviews

Costa Brava Hiking, Kayaking & Swimming Day Trip

Barcelona

Great day trip. Short hike, kayaking and swimming. The guide was knowledgeable and truly enjoyed his job.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Secrets of Bilbao Bike Ride

Bilbao

This tour shared the history of Bilbao through a wonderful bike ride through the city. The ride was easy and accessible to those who have limited biking experience. Our guide was truly amazing! His knowledge was extensive and he provided great recommendations for other activities and places to eat in Bilbao.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Local knowledge, provided local recommendations

Transport

Hike, Boat & Lunch on the Bay of Pasaia

San Sebastián

This was a fun experience but would share with folks up front the extensive hiking involved. The boat trip is also very short .

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Andrea and Guiliana arranged an amazing 9 day trip of Italy.

We have two Adult sons (19 & 23) and we wanted to take them to Europe as a family before out oldest started full time work. After deciding on Italy we were happily assigned to Andrea & Guiliana (they work as a team, it's really quite seamless between the two of them)

It seems like Guiliana did most of the specific planning for us (and she was the one we did the video chat with) so I'll refer to her mostly for the rest of this review (even though I know Andrea was working on it also)

After an initial back and forth she put together a initial itinerary - it's tough because we have two parents who would be happy sipping wine in a terrace, or who don't mind strolling through a church or museum and learning the history and two boys who want to 'do things'.

Anyway after we were sort of back and forth on the initial itinerary she set up a video conference -- this worked REALLY well, I think she was better able to understand our situation and she did a great job explaining what she was thinking. After another few weeks of back and forth we had settled on a plan.

You put a lot of faith in a travel agent like this -- You can read the descriptions of where you are staying and what you are doing but it's really hard to know how special it will be. Suffice to say it was incredibly special. The guides they arranged were extremely knowledgeable and super accommodating, the hotels were much nicer than we were expecting and the arrangements were perfect (the timing of trains, pickups, etc)

we mostly did private tours (a few small groups) and the folks they arranged for us were a delight (I get the sense that they have some good deep connections with really good guides who take on smaller groups)

The only little hiccup was weather related (which obviously no one can control) and our trip to Capris was cancelled due Andrea was in contact with me throughout the morning (we weren't certain until the last moment if it would happen or not) and he promptly issued a refund for that activity.

One little tip -- make sure you have whatsapp installed and linked to your number -- it's the best way to get ahold of them while traveling.

Hotel Reviews

Ca' Pozzo Inn

Venice

cool little hidden hotel that is pretty central and easy walking to everything in Venice

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Navona Essence Hotel

Roma

Very nice small hotel that is centrally located with a nice breakfast and staff

Antica Residenza Amalfitana - Rooms

Amalfi

Fun place in almafi Almafi is a small city and this little hotel is for old school. It's impossible to find so the manager meets you in the town square and walks you up to the room, the rooms are cute and quiet.

Activity Reviews

Vatican Museum and Sistine Chapel skip the line ticket

Rome

Our guide (Mariapaola) has an archeology background (but probably also an art history!?1) -- she is incredibly knowledgeable and has amazing energy. The Vatican is huge, what I really appreciated was her ability to point out a few small things to focus on (either a small collection or some small part of a statue or picture) and how she can put it in a greater context.

Sunset E-bike tour of Florence and Piazzale Michelangelo with gelato in a small group

Florence

This is a must do -- you get out of the city and ride bikes in the hills around Florence. The day we went the weather was amazing.

Hidden Venice and cicchetti experience

Italy

Super fun local guide shows you around Venice and let's you sample food... what's not to like?

This trip was almost like a dream vacation! We were extremely pleased with the care and attention to details from Wendy and Julieth at The Colombian Trip- both in the planning process and during our trip.

Colombia is one of the most beautiful countries I've visited. We loved the country, the people, the natural beauty and the architecture, the fashion, the gastronomy and above all the tour guides were all amazing!

We felt safe every step of the way. Having the tour company suggest and plan the day trips and the sightseeing was very helpful. This was the most spontaneous trip I've ever been on and it's because we felt confident of the Kimkim and The Colombia Trip team to keep us not only safe, but in 4 and 5 star accommodations and they sure delivered!

The tour guides were all college educated, knowledgeable and proud to share their history and culture. They were kind and patient and easy going to make last minute changes to accommodate our needs. Even when one of us had a fall and felt it was wise to be seen at a medical clinic, Wendy sent a translator to the clinic to accompany us. That was not part of the plan of course! But knowing they were on top of everything at all times was golden!

We had private drivers accompanied by the tour guides or translators at all pick ups and transfers once we landed into Bogota. We had 3 domestic flights and many transfers in between the cities and regions we visited. The Amazon River was incredible too. Sergio Leon was with us for the entire 3 days of the Amazonas. He stayed in the same hotels as us and accompanied us on the ferry and the private boat ride into the Amazon River and provided rain boots for our walk into the rainforest and full of wisdom about the region as he guided us (alongside indigenous guides).

Luis Mi Barreto was our guide in Bogota. Clau Rodriguez was our guide in Medellin. Keyla Merino was our guide in Cartagena. They were all absolutely incredible!

I would highly recommend working with KimKim and The Colombina Trips for a seamless travel experience. All you need is to open your wallet (haha), pack your bags and get on the plane. The rest is all taken care of.

Hotel Reviews

Sofitel Bogota Victoria Regia

Bogotá

Sofitel definitely delivered a 5 star experience. I just wish we had more time to enjoy the fabulous breakfast buffets.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Waira Suites

Leticia

This was the best hotel option in Leticia. The owner/ manager, Ismael, was the only person who spoke English. We left our documents and valuables with him along with our luggage in safe keeping so we could travel light to Puerto Narino. He also made sure we enjoyed our on site restaurant experience.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

It was basic accommodations and in line with our expectations of the Amazonas region.

Waira Selva Hotel

Puerto Narino

They upgraded us to a different room with the view of the Amazon River! What more could we ask for! It was just what we expected. Basic, clean, rustic accommodations. Friendly staff, who did our laundry every day @ no charge. Of course we tipped everyone generously along the way.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Casa Don Luis by Faranda Boutique

CARTAGENA

This was absolutely THE BEST boutique hotel I've ever stayed in!!! It's like stepping back in time... and right out of a movie scene! Incredibly charming, old world Colonial, arches, pools, friendly staff who greet you with welcome drinks as soon as we walked into the lobby. Highly recommend a stay here.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Patio del Mundo

Medellín

In a desirable El Poblado neighborhood. Walking distance to chi chi restaurants and clubs. Beautifully decorated and charming landscape design. The phone in the room didn't work. So if we needed to reach the front desk staff, we had to use WhatsApp to reach them. But that meant we were texting at odd hours and not knowing if that individual was on duty or not. Breakfast was lovely in the back patio. Friendly staff.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

The phone in the room didn't work.

Activity Reviews

Cacao Island Natural Connection

Colombia

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Discover La Candelaria & The Monserrate Hill

Colombia

Luis Mi Barreto was our tour guide. He was very knowledgeable, friendly and flexible to meet our needs.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Discover and learn about Leticia

Colombia

Segio Leon was our tour guide here. He accompanied us for the 3 days we spent in the Amazonas and Leticia was one of those days. He stayed at the same hotels as us and literally spent full days showing us around.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Mocagua Island & Puerto Nariño

Colombia

An unforgettable experience! A must see at least once in a lifetime!

Quality of Experience

Food

Farm to table food, very simple ingredients and fish. Absolutely one of the best meals on the whole trip!

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

We had to take a boat ride to the island. It was wonderful.

Social Transformation In Medellín

Medellín

Clau Rodriguez was our guide here. She was absolutely wonderful!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Friendly, flexible and sensitive to our needs

Transport

Walking Tour

Cartagena

Keyla Merino was our tour guide here. This was absolutely a highlight tour of our trip to Cartagena. She was so proud to tell us about the troubled past in Colombian history and the positive changes to make the country safer but also the economic impact of tourism and international investors on the locals and their resistance on gentrification.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

This was our first trip planned with Kimkim. I was a bit hesitant at first, but I am so glad we had them help us! Christina was very knowledgeable and listened to what we were looking for and made recommendations based on this - it felt personalized. We customized our week and ended up spending more time in Balestrand (highly recommend if it's not raining) rather than Bergen in order to enjoy more hiking. All of the hotels were exactly or better than expected. The detailed itinerary included tickets, and when we weren't able to open them during our trip, Christina very quickly sent us the PDF attachments. 10/10 recommend and will use Kimkim for future travel.

Activity Review

Explore Oslo's Hidden Gems with a Local Expert

Oslo

Stig was so fun! We found that we had a lot of interests in common, so it was really great to hear his insights on food, music and architecture, along with all the historical aspects of Oslo that we wouldn't have known just from reading and walking by ourselves.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff