Kimkim Trip Reviews

We worked with Flor for our trip and she was amazing to say the least. Our plans changed multiple times and our final itinerary was very different from our first draft but she was extremely patient throughout the process and crafted an itinerary that was super fun and accommodated all our requests.

Activity Review

HD City Tour in Sao Paulo - with time for Lunch

São Paulo

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Thanks to Angel, my family had the most wonderful trip to Japan. It was a 10 day whirlwind tour from the US to Tokyo to Okinawa to Osaka to Kyoto to Hiroshima and back to Tokyo and a final return to the US. Angel arranged every step (hotels, tours, trains & drivers), listening to my concerns and fixing every detail. She offered tours for our consideration. When we were on the trip, she was very responsive & helpful which we truly appreciated as we had not been to Japan before. I highly recommend her for your travel plans!

Dean and the team were amazing. They were super helpful in planning and during our trip with local recommendations. The itinerary suggestions help guide our stops along the way in combination with our own research. The hotel accommodations were fantastic. Looking forward to coming back soon.

My daughter and I took a 10-day trip to Morocco during the winter holidays 2024. We had the most amazing experience of lifetime with Reda, who was our driver and a guide all through our stay. Reda was very reliable, trustworthy, friendly, flexible, patient and hard-working. He took care of every small details for us from the time we landed in Casablanca and all the way through our entire trip which included Marrakesh, Ait Binhoddouch, Marguza desert, Fes, Chefchaouen, Tangier, Rabat and then back to Casablanca.

He was very punctual, flexible and went out of his way to take care of us - show us the best places around for shopping, eating and sight seeing. He stopped at every panoramic view points along the way. He escorted us all through the 10-days to a point where I did not even have to open the door of the car myself to get on and off. He even got me an extra bag to pack all my extra shopping items and even helped with packing.

He is very knowlMy daughter and I took a 10-day trip to Morocco during the winter holidays 2024. We had the most amazing experience of lifetime with Reda, who was our driver and a guide all through our stay. Reda was very reliable, trustworthy, friendly, flexible, patient and hard-working. He took care of every small details for us from the time we landed in Casablanca and all the way through our entire trip which included Marrakesh, Ait Binhoddouch, Marguza desert, Fes, Chefchaouen, Tangier, Rabat and then back to Casablanca.

He was very punctual, flexible and went out of his way to take care of us - show us the best places around for shopping, eating and sight seeing. He stopped at every panoramic view points along the way. He escorted us all through the 10-days to a point where I did not even have to open the door of the car myself to get on and off. He even got me an extra bag to pack all my extra shopping items and even helped with packing.

He is very knowledgeable about the history, culture and is an expert in showing around. I enjoyed him sharing valuable information aboout the country and places even while on the road. He is a very kind, honest and friendly driver and a guide who became our good friend over the course of the tour. I highly recommend him as your guide, driver. Kimkim booked the tour for me. Hamza was very helpful and I thank him for assigning Reda to my tour. He is very knowledgeable about the history, culture and is an expert in showing around. I enjoyed him sharing valuable information about the country and places even while on the road. He is a very kind, honest and friendly driver and a guide who became our good friend over the course of the tour. I highly recommend him as your guide, driver. Kimkim booked the tour for me. Hamza was very helpful and I thank him for assigning Reda to my tour.

Overall we had a fair/good time. But let me break it down.

Great: all the guides and drivers were awesome. We always felt safe. The guides were incredibly knowledgeable. There was always good updates from serendipity.
The best excursions were the night hike in Monteverde the day hike in Manuel Antonio, horseback riding on the beach, and the ATV that we insisted on for the last day, and the zip lines.
Good: each hotel had something good but honestly they were all subpar at best. There were much nicer hotels via Travelocity etc that would have had better value.
Fair: a lot of the guided trips were redundant. Example the hanging bridge tour in monteverde was terrible. We were also lead to believe that the La Fortuna hotel would have access to the hot springs; it did not.
We also expected more help in restaurants; we got little help here.
Bad: we still have not received our refund. And that refund should be more. Every time we got picked up we were asked if we were 5 people. Obviously, someone did not update the drivers and we paid for more than 4 people.
Also the hotel rooms were big enough for 4 people yet you never changed them. I said I would keep the 2 rooms if we had to, or I would apply that credit to upgrade the hotels. This never happened.

Before we booked there was so much communication back and forth. But after the communication was much less. Including us still waiting for the refund.
I’m expecting a bigger refund than what was promised. If not then I will likely consider another travel agency for future vacations.

Hotel Reviews

Sunset Del Mar Resort

Esterillos Este

This place is a “tail of two cities.” Let’s start with the good: the actual hotel rooms are beautiful. They must have been recently updated. The manager Roberto is fabulous and you can tell he really cares. The rest of the staff tries really hard but it’s obvious they are very understaffed. The bad: with the exception of the rooms, the place is a bit of a “sh… hole””. The owner is absent and it shows. This place has so much potential and I hope It reaches that potential. It needs paint and landscaping, and better amenities. The pool furniture is a tetanus shot away from dangerous. The beach is public but the hotel doesn’t really have any chairs or umbrellas etc. It’s so close to being a hidden gem; but unless the owner shows up or someone with deep pockets comes and invests in the property; it will eventually fail.

Authenticity & Character

See my written review

Location

It’s near nothing. But if you love isolation then it will be ok.

Staff

So nice and they work hard.

Cleanliness & Comfort

5 for the rooms; 1 for the grounds.

Hotel Villabosque

Manuel Antonio, Quepos

This hotel is a 2 minute walk to Manuel Antonio National park. The hotel also feels very authentic. Almost like a bed and breakfast. Unfortunately, the bedrooms are small and old. And the breakfast is meh. It’s a small walk to the beach, but because it’s so close to the national park entrance, the beach here is very crowded. The staff is fabulous. I also Loved the monkeys running all over the premises. The pool is not good. You will need a car or taxi for most restaurants.

Authenticity & Character

There is a certain charm here. I wish the rooms were nicer.

Location

4 star for proximity to national park; 2 stars for not near most restaurants.

Staff

Nicest staff we met along our journey.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Clean yea, comfort no.

El Establo Mountain Hotel

Monteverde

The rooms are pretty good. They have a minimalist feel with very large windows to look into the cloud forest. The hotel is close enough to the center of town but the hotel and town have very large hills. So if you can’t manage the hills you will need help or a car. The rest of the hotel is dated. There is no air conditioning at all. We were there in December so it was manageable but if it was warmer; it would have been awful. The breakfast buffet was good.

Authenticity & Character

It’s old and dated

Location

Near town

Staff

Staff is nice

Cleanliness & Comfort

AC or fans would be helpful

Lomas del Volcán

Fortuna

Grounds are very nice and you feel like you are in the jungle. The rooms are very old and filled with bugs. If your expectations are that of an old camp lodge then you will be ok. The pool area was nice and the restaurant was decent. The staff was very nice.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Activity Reviews

Horseback Riding on Esterillos Este Beach

Costa Rica

The horses don’t run or maybe it would have been a 5. Make sure to go near sunset. Pacific sunsets while horseback riding thru the water is a slice of heaven.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Introduction to Esterillos

Esterillos Este

There is no introduction. Honestly, you are better off going up about another 30 minutes toward Jaco.

Catamaran Adventure with Barbecue

Manuel Antonio

This was pretty good. Lots of fun. Drinking and BBQ.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Private Manuel Antonio National Park Guided Hike

Costa Rica

These guides just know where to look. This is an easy hike to as most of the trails are paved. Know that no food is allowed in the park and the one snack bar has a line of almost 45 minutes. This was our best view of the sloths.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

TreeTram & Hanging Bridges Adventure

Monteverde

The hanging bridges would have been great but we honestly did the one in La Fortuna 2 days before. This was a waste of time and old and needs updating.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

The guide was knowledge but there was very little animals to see.

Transport

Private Cloud Forest Night Walk

Monteverde

Wow! Incredible. Our guide was amazing. Your hair will stand up on your neck as you walk with flashlights past venomous snakes and spiders.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Andy was knowledgeable and fun.

Transport

Private Arenal Volcano & La Fortuna Waterfall Hike with Lunch

Arenal/La Fortuna

We didn’t see as much animals but our guide was so knowledgeable about the plants. The waterfall is literally 500 stairs down and then up. Be ready to make that hike!

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Mariano was awesome. The lunch was great too.

Transport

Coffee & Chocolate Tour

Costa Rica

Who doesn’t like chocolate and coffee. We made our own chocolate and drank as much coffee and hot chocolate as we liked.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Sky Tram, Ziplines & Sky Walk Adventure

Arenal/La Fortuna

Amazing and so much fun. The zip lines and the guided walk were fabulous.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Guide knew were the snakes were and the monkeys too.

Transport

Had a really great time on my trip to Patagonia! In particular, I enjoyed my time in Puerto Natales, Torres del Paine National Park, El Chalten, and Tierra del Fuego National Park. It was also a lot of fun to see some huge glaciers and beautiful wildlife (especially penguins in Beagle Channel). My hike to Cuernos del Paine with Daniel and Sebastian as guides was amazing, as was my kayaking experience with Jorge in Eberhard Fjord. Weskar Lodge in Puerto Natales and Los Acebos Hotel in Ushuaia were amazing places to stay, in particular. Overall I think the trip was quite expensive, and would have been a lot cheaper if I had taken care of the arrangements on my own - I would've appreciated more transparency into what items in particular were driving the price of the experiences and had more of this in my past Kimkim trips. That being said, I really appreciated very much having the help from Marcela and Kimkim overall in arranging things so I didn't have to think about logistics. Would highly recommend Patagonia to anyone who enjoys outdoor trekking and adventures, one of my favorite trips.

Activity Reviews

Outdoor Adventures in El Chalten

El Chaltén

El Chalten was perhaps my favorite location on the entire trip - doing the hikes solo of Laguna Torre and Laguna de los Tres was amazing.

Quality of Experience

Perito Moreno Glacier Mini-trekking

El Calafate

Hiking on the glaciers was surreal - really wonderful.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Trekking Torres del Paine Active

Patagonia

Had a really fantastic experience with Daniel and Sebastian, being taken around Torres del Paine national park, with the Cuernos del Paine hike in particular

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Base Torres Hike

Patagonia

Amazing hike. Very intense, over a period of 10 hours with lots of ups and downs and temperature changes, but really lovely.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Kayaking in Eberhard Fjord

Puerto Natales

Fantastic experience with Jorge. He's a great guide, and the private kayaking tour and hike were amazing.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Finland was a lifetime dream of mine. I dreamed of seeing the aurora perform and for my 2 kids to experience the “real” Santa Claus and where he lives and everything that are associated with Christmas the Arctic way. This company fulfilled all our dreams and more. Everything was well organized, the drivers for our transport and transfers were ALWAYS on time, and the accomodations were cute and perfect which gave us a real intimate family time for 10 days. We went to different cities and had an excursion every single day where each ran 3-4 hours which was just enough to not exhaust everyone for we love to ski and go out and explore the cities by ourselves as well. The companies who facilitated the excutions were very nice, polite and professional. I cried so many times just being overjoyed of the experience and seeing my kids having a great great great time without their devices and we did not even watch TV for everytime we got home we fondly talk about how our excursions went. I LOVED every bit of the experience. Because of this company Finland did not disappoint us! Everything was well thought.. I realized that on our last day where we had our accomodation in the glass igloo at Levi where it had the coldest weather where we had frost on our eyebrows, lashes and hair everytime we made that walk from our igloo to the Elves village— coming from Florida this was even so much fun and funny for us!!’. We had the aurora dancing around us all night from 9:30 pm to 4:30 am on our last night!!!!…

Monika personally greeted us at the hotel on our very first night and this was a huge relief, just having a face to the voice and the goody bag was really thoughtful. She gave us a gnome which is now sitting on our souvenir console at home.

If we had to change something, it would have been combining the reindeer and husky sledding in one day. Then we could have had one more day to ski that had good amount of light. By the time we got home from our excurions about 1:30-2pm the sun has already set and the resorts close by 6pm (not enough time) and skiing can be a challenge especially during those days that the sun does not even show up and worse the temps go down and the winds are get strong later the day to a point that lifts are closed down. Though we had a couple of night excursions and this really gave us a good amount of time to skiunder some natural light and great conditions!

Overall, we genuinelt had an EPIC experience. It was worth every penny; gave my hubby and I convenience; travelling with family of small kid and young adult can be a challenge. Having a company organize everything takes away so much stress.

Thank you for this unforgettable experience!

Hotel Reviews

Hotel Ylläsrinne

Ylläsjärvi

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Lapland Hotels Riekonlinna

Saariselkä

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Pyhä Igloos

Pyhä

Cute and did not disappoint our aurora experience

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

super friendly

Cleanliness & Comfort

Lapland Hotels Ounasvaara Chalets

Rovaniemi

accommodation was great… Breakfast was really good… The room was spacious enough for a family of 4 but there was no way to control the heating system… We understand that the weather outside was really cold, but the room was super heated to a point where we had to open a window because it got really hot and sweaty for us and unfortunately, no window can be opened on the first floor…I literally was on my undies and mu hubby shirtless the entire time we were in the chalet.. There was no help in carrying our luggage from reception to our chalets on very thick snow. Thiugh the sign sats 200 meters, I know its not just 200 meters… having a sauna was a good feature.. wall was sound proof

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Ice Fishing Experience

Finland

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Aurora Snowshoeing Adventure

Finland

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Reindeer Experience with Lunch

Saariselkä

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Authentic Siberian Husky Experience

Saariselkä

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Aurora Hunt by Car

Finland

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

SnowHotel & Ice Dinner Experience

Rovaniemi

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

We had a wonderful 8-day family trip to Colombia in December 2024- Jan 2025. Highlights for us and the kids (aged 6 and 10) were hiking and wildlife sighting in Tayrona National Park with Joi, submersion in Totumo Mud Volcano, and enjoying the beach at Islabela, one of the Islas del Rosario. We also enjoyed visiting the coffee reserve, Comuna 13 in Medellin with Andres and La Boquilla Mangrove tour outside Cartagena with Gabo. Our transfers were punctual, our guides informative and professional, and the kids never wanted to return home!

Hotel Review

Villa Maria Tayrona, a Kali Hotels

Los Naranjos

Kids enjoyed all the wildlife and hotel pool. Outstanding service and food!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Close access to Tayrona NP.

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

We had a small issues with water going out but it was fixed promptly.

Activity Reviews

Rosario Islands Day Trip

Cartagena

A beautiful way to spend our last day in Colombia. We were taken care of by our Guide, Gabo, until we got on the boat, and had a lovely day in the sand and sun.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Walking tour in Cartagena's Historic Center

Cartagena

We enjoyed the walking tour of the city center. It was a bit shorter (2h) than advertised, but hit the high points. There was a 4-hour break in the middle of this day which we were a bit surprised about-- in hindsight, we may have wanted to include another activity in our last full day in the city. We loved seeing the sloths in Parque del Centenario.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Boquilla Mangrove Tour

Cartagena

A unique way to view birds and fish via canoe.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Salt Pans of Galerazamba

Cartagena

We didn't know that tourism to the salinas was restricted. We enjoyed Cristina's hospitality and tour, even a visit to her backyard, in this experience.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Tour to Totumo Volcano

Cartagena

Our son (10) really enjoyed it! It was a bit confusing and we felt a bit pressured by the locals for paying extra for services, but our guide (Gabo) handled it for us.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Hike Tayrona National Park

Colombia

This park was a highlight of our trip to Colombia! We loved hiking through the forest with Joi, spotting wildlife, enjoying the beach and views.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

The fishing village of Taganga

Colombia

We didn't have a much of a "tour"-- we were picked up from the airport by a driver and guide (Eduardo), were taken to a lunch spot (to pay on our own), and then taken to Tayrona NP hotel. This day was mostly a travel day but seemed advertised as a bit more interesting with some sightseeting.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Day Trip: Comuna 13, Botanical Garden & Coffee Tour

Medellín

We enjoyed the Coffee Tour and Comuna 13 with escalator ride.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Peñol Boulder & Guatapé Boat Trip

Medellín

The kids really enjoyed the Piedra hike and scenic tour of El Peñol.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

We had a great trip & visited York, Bath, Castle Comb & Oxford. Our travel specialist did a great job with a very short notice on putting the trip together! We had done some planning, but were not able to give the go ahead until a week or so before departure. Katerina worked very hard getting it all put together for us. All of the tours & drivers worked out well. We had some private drivers to see Stonehenge, Wells, Blenheim Palace, Warwick Castle, Windsor Castle & Stratford Upon Avon. Our favorite place was The Manor hotel in Castle Comb! What a great property! We also really enjoyed the Gainsborough Bath Spa hotel in Bath. All of the places we stayed were unique & enjoyable. We would definitely use KimKim again & highly recommend Kateryna!

We had an excellent experience in Mexico. All the drivers and guides were excellent, very knowledgeable and friendly: Daniela, Montserrat, Suzy, Pablo.

We missed Rene because he disappeared and Mariana was the one coordinating our trip while in Mexico.

Hotel Review

Casa Decu

Mexico City

Great hotel, very well located, all the staff very friendly and helpful

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Review

Be amazed by the pre-hispanic beauty of the chinampas in Xochimilco

Mexico City

This is an unforgettable experience, really unexpected. Very interesting to see how they work the Chinampas and all the work it takes, and above all keeping it as a family tradition

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

The overall trip was great. We really enjoyed allan our guide in tokyo. He was very instructive, and gave us great information as well as being so fun and helpful.
Our guide slash in kyoto and osaka was very helpful with coordinating our trip and helping us get around and making dinner reservations for us.
Alisa did fine. It would have helped if she had put the correct people together in hotel rooms to save us about an hour on the first check-in when they had completely random rooms assigned. She obviously doesn't know anything about hokkaido. We didn't need to spend one night in sapporo. We easily could have gotten up early and gone straight to the airport. It was a waste of a whole day since we didn't actually have time to see sapporo. The hilton niseko is not very good and I think another part of the mountain like hirafu would have been better to stay. It would be better to ask for help from other guides who are familiar with the ski culture.

Our experience in Morocco was exceptional. Hakim did an amazing job finding us the right hotels and sites to visit. His driver/guide was so flexible and helpful throughout the trip, finding the right stops along the long drive. Everything was perfect - one more time kuddos to Kimkim and the local travel agency!

We loved our tour of our Buenos Aires and igazu falls. Johanna was a wondrous specialist resolved all the issues that came up as with travel they always do. Loved the casa Joseph in Buenos Aires bike tour, the city was really a lot of good information and fun. Would highly recommend taking in the tango show. And to do empanadas later in the day after the tango show was really good timing. Anyway it would gladly do this again

Hotel Reviews

Hotel Saint George

Puerto Iguazú

Physically a nice enough Hotel. Very well set up has pool. It's clean. It's big. The beds are comfy. The staff's attitude is crummy and for that reason I would not stay there again

Authenticity & Character

New hotels have very little character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Casa Joseph

Buenos Aires

Very comfortable hotel Small and in a great area of Buenos Aires. Easy to walk to all restaurants and the staff at the hotel was super

Authenticity & Character

Small on an active Street, just like real life

Location

Staff

Attitude, attitude, attitude

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Biking through Buenos Aires

Buenos Aires

Really enjoyed our tour with Pablo our guide. We were the only two we had plenty of time with him. We learned a significant amount of the history of the city and of course the river, the peoples that settled there. I always appreciate getting that kind of information it gives you a feeling for what the city was and has become. Lot of architecture and of course tours of the parks which are really overwhelmingly frequent in Buenos Aires

La Ventana - Tango Show | VIP seating

Buenos Aires

I was super impressed by the dancers and the way that this show was put together covering the 1920s through the indigenous people and the sounds of the Andes from the pipes they played

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

We had a wonderful trip from start to finish and everywhere in between. Angela took care of everything! The accommodations, the tours, the transfers, the reservations were all made to our specifications and if something changed, Angela took care of it immediately. We had piece of mind every step of the way that we were and would be taken care of and that is priceless. Would recommend to anyone traveling abroad! Thank you again!

Hotel Reviews

Zoe Garden Home

Spata Athens

We were only here for a short time but it felt like home from the moment we got there. The host is so inviting and friendly. Providing many different touches to make us feel welcome!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Olive Green Hotel

Heraklion

Great spot. About a block away from all the shopping and food you could ever want. Breakfast was fantastic for a hotel!

Authenticity & Character

Very modern. Not traditional

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Azure Villa Santorini

Santorini

It is the off season and the villa was closed. The couple who met us. Had not opened it up prior and made sure everything was working. It seemed as they had actually never been there. They couldn’t even find the breaker to the lights. Once everything was in working order, we really enjoyed our stay. The views from the villa are amazing!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Four Streets Athens

Athens

Great apartment! Great location! Safe! Would definitely recommend

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Private round transfer anywhere in Santorini

Santorini

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Cave of Zeus & Knossos Palace with Lassithi Plateau from East

Greece

The mountains of Crete are a completely different world. We would have never known about. Beautiful views! Beautiful history! Beautiful people!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Knowledgeable, friendly, accommodating! Great guides all together!

Transport

Crete Sightseeing: Rethymno - Argiroupolis - Kournas Lake - Chania from West & Her

Greece

Great guide and great information. We learned so much and saw so much.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

These guys were phenomenal! Watch out for the “evil” table at the end. 😂

Transport

Tailored Private tour

Santorini

Our travel advisor planned most of this but then we changed a couple of things along the way. We added the lighthouse and red sand beach. It was great to be able to have the basic tour and then add more things that we liked.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Babas and Yanis are great!

Transport

Winter Panoramic Tour 24 - 25

Santorini

Great to see all the different sights of the island and hear some history.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Babas and Yanis are great!

Transport

Athens Highlights Mythology Tour

Greece

Great tour. Wonderful explanation of the history and mythology.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Walking tour

The Delicious Athens Food Tour

Greece

Elizabeth is amazing! Showed us and fed us so many many things!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Walking tour

From beginning to end TRUE excellence.

My family’s experience with Dubai left us with some good memories but not a place we would revisit. It started off with me telling our Kim Kim agent, Habiba, the wrong arrival date. This lead to her scrambling to rebook everything which is credit to her and my fault.
The booked events left something to be desired with a combination of tourist traps that were often backed by cold service.
Mr Zain gave us the city tour our first day and it felt very canned with short stops to pop out and snap a picture, then move on to the next spot. It didn't factor our personal interests and showed poor use of time. We got swindled by a vendor he personally took us to which was a head scratcher.
The safari experience epitomized tourist traps with a super lame quad ride on the dunes which we upgraded to side by sides at a significant expense. We had to follow a guide around who drove a quad on a path through the dunes making us feel like….tourists. The SUV trip our driver/guide took us on the reach the dinner spot was the highlight showing some very skilled and daring driving giving us a thrill. At the dinner location was a camel ride that amounted to one circle about 50’ in diameter. Every step along the way this evening provided opportunities to pay for pictures that were constantly being snapped throughout the desert safari embodying the tourist trap vibe.
We got to see the Burj Khalifa on another event which was worthy.
Durgesh (worked directly for Navita tours like Mr Zain) drove us to several events displaying a great personality and genuine interest in us having a quality experience. He personalized some unscheduled detours once he knew our interests.
My summary: Dubai has some pretty amazing food, especially Indian, a super conservative culture (good luck getting alcohol at a store on New Years Eve), and lots of mind boggling wealth. It felt like a combo of Vegas, Scottsdale, and Salt Lake City with a super conservative and mostly cold Middle East-Arabian/Muslim twist.

Activity Reviews

Desert Safari

Dubai

Tourist trap.

Dubai full day tour with Entry ticket to Burj Khalifa at the Top

Dubai

We separated the Burj experience on a different day than the city tour. Burj great, city tour not so much.

Quality of Experience

Our driver on the city tour (Mr Zain) was cold and condescending.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Great driver to Burj, lousy city tour guide.

Transport

Two different drivers leaving contrasting experiences.

Dubai Marina Yacht Guided Tour with Breakfast or BBQ & Sunset

Dubai

Nice Indian guys who drove us around the protected inside water offering a great unique very of the city. The captain shared his personal beer when they saw my disappointment there was no alcohol served.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

I came across Kimkim while searching for ways to travel to Morocco. As soon as I reached out I was connected to .maryem from Morocco Immersion.
Maryem worked with me to help identify various itineraries and modify to suit our needs. She was knowledgeable and quick to respond
On arrival at Casablanca, we (family of adults ) were met by Eicham Idrisi who was our driver cum tour guide for the 9 days we were in Morocco. Eicham was very friendly, fun and drive very safe. He gave us a wonderful tour in each of the 5 locations - Casablanca, Chefchouan, Fes, Rabat and Marrakech we visited.
We will definitely use Moroccon Immersion and request Eicham for our next visit to Morocco

Our guides in Melbourne were excellent - Walter with Around and About, Josh with Oceania Tours Melbourne & especially Shelley Cohney, who did the Jewish Melbourne tour. Let me also add that Vicky didn't have an existing vendor for a Jewish Melbourne tour, but she happened to stumble upon the most knowledgable tour guide about Jewish life and history in Australia. On two occasions we asked Vicky to swap out or cancel scheduled tours on just over 24 hour notice and she managed to get us full refunds, which we really appreciated. The only negative thing I can say is that I wish Vicky had given us more of a heads up about what the Edge experience at the Melbourne Skydeck was, as had we known, we would have told her NOT to book that for us. Without Vicky, our trip would't have been anywhere near as amazing as it ended up being, and I would HIGHLY recommend her to anyone booking a trip to Australia!

Hotel Reviews

Rydges Melbourne Hotel

Melbourne

Hotel was great. Having the living room area was a nice plus. My only complaint was that there was no way to attach a Fire TV stick to the TV in the bedroom as there was no way to access the back of the TV given the way the TV was mounted to the wall. The kids really liked the pool and pickleball court.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

I saw a mouse in the lobby (and discretely pointed it out the to the staff).

Novotel Sydney on Darling Harbour

Pyrmont

Lobby was great - kids loved the foosball table. Pool was also great.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Pullman Cairns International

Cairns

The kids really liked the pool. We loved that breakfast was included, and it was excellent (the kids really liked the juicer). Balconies in the rooms were a plus.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Very close to all of our activities.

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Sydney Bridge Climb Summit

Sydney

This was the kids favorite activity of the entire trip and it was one of the main reasons for the timing of the trip - I did the Bridgeclimb in 2004 and so I wanted to wait until my son was old enough and tall enough to go back and do it with my kids.

Quality of Experience

It is an amzaing unique activity that you can't do anywhere else in the world!

Guides, Drivers and Staff

All of the staff was great!

Cairns Lagoon

Cairns

It was fun to see this great public space, and a good thing to do on Christmas, since so many things were closed.

Quality of Experience

Kuranda Scenic Railway and Skyrail Rainforest Cableway with Down Under tours

Australia

We definitely preferred the skyrail to the train.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

I didn't love the railroad but the rest of the transportation was great.

Sunlover Reef Cruises Cairns Great Barrier Reef Experience (departs Cairns)

Australia

Great experience, although similar to what I was expecting given that I had visited the great barrier reef 20 years ago.

Quality of Experience

All the reef stuff was great, but the food could have been better.

Food

Food could have been better, would like to see a few more options, although I realize they have limited space and it is hard to get thing out there.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

The third floor of the boat was very hot.

Daintree, Mossman Gorge & Wildlife Tour

Australia

The kids loved the Port Douglas Wildlife Habitat.

Quality of Experience

The kids loved getting to interact with the Australian animals!

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Our guide/driver was very knowledgeable and passionate about the rainforest and its conservation.

Transport

Vehicle was clean and comfortable.

Jewish Melbourne

Melbourne

I have to give very high marks both to Vicky for not only arranging this tour in the first place (she told me she hadn't previously booked a Jewish Melbourne tour and didn't have a go to vendor, and she managed to find the most knowledgeable possible guide with respect to Jewish Melbourne and Australian Jewish history in general) and to our tour guide Shelley Cohney, who was absolutely fantastic.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Shelley seemingly knows everyone in the Melbourne Jewish Community and tailored the experience to our needs and preferences. She even kept the tour going for an extra hour to ensure we had time for everything she thought we should see.

Transport

Her car was great - no complaints.

Phillip Island & Moonlit Sanctuary

Australia

The kids loved Moonlit Sanctuary - especially the opportunity to feed the kangaroos and wallabies. I note that our tour guide was nice enough to give a cup of kangaroo/wallaby food to the two families on the trip that had kids (including ours), which was a nice touch (it seems as though whatever membership his tour company has for the sanctuary includes 2 cups of food per visit). Our tour guide Josh, was great.

Quality of Experience

Everything was great!

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Josh did a great job.

Transport

Great Ocean Road and 12 Apostles Bus Tour, Plus Otway Zipline Experience

Melbourne

We were lucky to be the only ones on the tour that day. I know it wasn't set up as a private tour, but that was an added bonus.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Walter was great!

Transport

He had wifi on his vehicle, which was awesome.

GOOD MACRO-PLANNING, BUT NOT A HIGH-TOUCH PREMIUM EXPERIENCE. DO NOT RECOMMEND.

Our recent experience with Kimkim for a 12-day trip to New Zealand was a mixed bag. The macro-level planning was well done, but the on-the-ground support and communication left a lot to be desired. While some aspects of the trip were commendable, the lack of communication, flexibility, and local expertise lead us to not recommend Kimkim - the value addition just does not justify the mark-up and the positioning as a true full-service travel experience provider.

The Positives: Macro Planning and Wine Tastings

Kimkim delivered on several key aspects of the trip, including:

- Accommodation Choices: The hotels were well-selected, and room arrangements were thoughtfully organized to accommodate our group of seven. This is a complex task, and they executed it well. Same for the car rentals.

- Wine Tasting Experiences: The wine-tasting tours were excellent, particularly the private tasting at Cloudy Bay in Marlborough and the private wine trip to Hawkes Bay with Edward.

- Big Picture Planning: The overall itinerary covered many major highlights of New Zealand. We covered a lot of ground in the South as well as the North Island.

Unfortunately, these successes were overshadowed by significant failures in execution.

The Negatives: Communication, Support, and Flexibility

Complete Lack of Communication During the Trip
Not once during the 12-day trip did we receive a single email, call, or message from Kimkim to check on how things were going. Even after the trip, the first communication we got was to ask us for this review! This lack of communication and periodic check-ins was deeply disappointing. Paula, our agent, simply disappeared once the trip began. This is not what we would expect from a full-service travel provider.
There was no day-to-day advice or recommendations for activities like restaurant bookings, particularly for problematic dates such as Christmas and New Year’s Eve, when reservations for a group of seven are challenging. We had to scramble to arrange dining options ourselves, which added unnecessary stress.

Limited Pre-Trip Communication
Important pre-trip details were missing, such as a comprehensive summary of the itinerary, flight and visa information, and other essentials. We almost got stranded at the airport because Paula did not remind us to get the New Zealand E-visa. I know this was buried in the communication before the trip, but with US passports, we are not used to getting visas for friendly countries like NZ. We had to apply for the visas at the airport, and the airline refused to let us board until we got the visas. We had to plead and grovel to get on the plane!!

Emails lacked clear subject lines, making it difficult to locate important information. A more professional and organized communication approach would have been much more helpful.

Poor Flexibility and Rigid Alternatives
When we canceled a day-long cruise because we didn’t want to spend two full days on boats (which should not have been organized in the first place, given we had told Paula that two kids had motion sickness issues), we were offered another rigid, unsuitable alternative: an 8-hour tour to an Alpaca farm. This suggestion failed to account for the fact that we had rental cars and could have used that day for a more flexible, self-guided itinerary. We felt that there was a lack of creative, personalized alternatives when changes were requested.

No Local Expertise or On-the-Ground Support
Our trip planner was based in the U.S., not in New Zealand, leading to a significant disconnect. There was no local contact who could provide timely advice or support. When we had the airport fiasco, Paula was in bed as it was midnight in the US. This is unacceptable. We were told to deal with the "local person" Sherry Li, who does not work for kimkim. It seems that Kimkim relies on outsourcing to third-party operators, which added confusion as we never knew who to call for specific issues, and left us feeling stranded when problems arose.

Excessive Markup Without Justifiable Value
Kimkim acts more like a middleman, outsourcing tasks rather than providing direct, hands-on service.
For the premium price we paid (including what appears to be a 50% markup), we expected seamless service and personalized support. Instead, we received vague guidance, poor communication, and a frustrating lack of accountability.

Summary
While Kimkim excelled in planning the macro-level logistics of our trip—such as hotels and wine tastings—their lack of communication, inflexibility, and absence of local expertise made the experience less enjoyable than it could have been. The complete absence of follow-up during the trip, no day-to-day advice or support, and reliance on third-party operators detracted from what should have been a smooth and enjoyable experience. For the price we paid, Kimkim should have provided comprehensive support, timely communication, and a personalized touch. Instead, they acted as a middleman, adding complexity rather than simplifying our journey. Given these issues, we cannot recommend Kimkim and will not use their services again.

Hotel Review

Adina Apartment Hotel Auckland Britomart

Auckland

Excellent penthouse 3-bedroom apartment. Great amenities and good location. Ultra modern design. The breakfast can be avoided - lots of local places near the hotel.

Authenticity & Character

Very modern and clean.

Location

Close to harbor and local restaurants.

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Nice kitchen, appliances, bathrooms

Activity Reviews

Half Day Private Luxury Wine Tour

Blenheim

Cloudy Bay is a must-visit for wine lovers. And our private tasting at the "Shack" was outstanding!!!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Our host was amazing! Ask for Swafka

Transport

We drove ourselves!!

Doubtful Sound Wilderness Cruise (ex Queenstown)

Queenstown (NZ)

Beautiful views. Excellent natural beauty. A bit long (4 steps - bus, boat, bus, boat!) and the actual cruise is only 3 hours out of a 12 hour trip!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Too long!

Skyline Gondola Ride

Queenstown (NZ)

Excellent views! Must do in Queenstown to see the whole town from the top of the hill.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

No guide used.

Transport

Could not get Uber to work!

Our recent trip to Morocco, planned by Original Travel, was nothing short of extraordinary. From the meticulously crafted itinerary to the exceptional team, every detail was thoughtfully arranged to ensure a memorable experience.

A special thanks to Said and the entire Original Travel team for designing such a comprehensive itinerary that allowed us to immerse ourselves in Morocco's rich culture and history.

Our driver, Abdeljalil Saadan, was outstanding. Not only did he ensure our safety and comfort throughout the journey, but he also enriched our travels with fun stories and insights about the regions we explored. He also taught us some Arabic.

We were fortunate to have knowledgeable guides in each city:

- Omar in Chefchaouen - thanks for amazing views around the town
- Sharif in Fez - we would have never discovered all these secret passages in the market
- Younes in Tangier - thank you for the awesome tour and cookies

Each guide enhanced our understanding of these cities' unique histories and cultures, making our visits truly enlightening.

The accommodations at the ryads arranged by Original Travel were exceptional, offering comfort and a genuine Moroccan ambiance. The highlight was a special New Year's Eve celebration, which was a delightful and memorable experience.

We wholeheartedly recommend Original Travel to anyone seeking an authentic and well-organized Moroccan adventure. Their attention to detail and commitment to client satisfaction are truly amazing.

Thank you!