Kimkim Trip Reviews

This was such a beautiful and memorable trip. Eirini included some wonderful ideas like the winery dinner, the cooking class, a food tour in Bologna with Darren etc. Our guide Marta was wonderful in Monterregioni and San G, we loved her! We had a driver that same day Paulo that was so wonderful, we adored him. Torciano Winery took great care of us!
Overrall lovely trip! The only thing we would consider is that the accommodation in Chianti was so beautiful but unfortunately not anything to do at the hotel itself. The staff was very kind but they weren't well versed in things to do, how to get around or anything to recommend in the nearby area or town (Colle). We had some extra days to ourselves but due to limited food options at hotel we would walk to the nearby town as it was too difficult to get a car at that time.
Also, we arranged through Barbara a last minute driver for Modena (lamborghini & ferrari factories). This was so fun! Thankfully the last minute request was fulfilled and that is the best part of KimKim -- you guys are available to help like this when we need!
Thank you again! Perhaps next time we will try another part of Italy! And I am sure we will continue to book through you!

Hotel Reviews

Relais Della Rovere

Colle di Val d'Elsa

Extremely enchanting hotel in Chianti. Large, spacious rooms. The staff was quite nice -- the kitchen/bar/restaurant staff Chef Luca and the other two gentlemen - the Italian person and the Moroccan man were wonderful too (sorry forgot their names). The ladies at breakfast were also great. Their heating/AC is on one system so unfortunately they turned the AC on to accommodate guests that were cold and wanted heat. This was a little uncomfortable for me but they provided a fan when I asked them why heat was on. The place was always clean and pleasant. A little activity would be nice -- perhaps a happy hour special with treats for guests or something else to give it a little oomph as it was very quiet with not a lot of activity so if you did not have things arranged with a car there was not much to do at this hotel (it was too cold for swimming). Amazing place!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Orto de' Medici

Florence

Great staff, beautiful rooms!! Wonderful location too Just wish their bar was open beyond 830pm (That's early for a hotel bar!)

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Brun

Bologna

Beautiful hotel, perfect location & great staff!! LOVED the rooms!!! Also loved that minibar was free. THANK YOU!!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Bologna Market & Food Tour

Bologna

Great tour with Chef Darren. He accommodated the vegetarians which was nice. He was informative. He did walk very fast. He was great though. Hope to see him again there!

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Secret Side of Florence Walking Tour

Florence

This was a great tour. The city was still quite full so it was hard to maneuver through everything but our guide did a good job,

Quality of Experience

Cooking Class in Chianti

Chianti

This was a fun experience. We loved Chef Luca! The one thing we would change is that after the class, the food was taken away, later cooked and then served to us at the restaurant. It would be nice to eat right after and have a special place to sit after to enjoy. Or perhaps maybe eat the antipasti first while the sauce and pasta are being cooked for us. We waited quite a bit to eat after as the restaurant was busy. I would probably take away the panzanella recipe for next time. We all used our hands and then when the food was taken away, we got it back later and it was served to us...it felt a little odd.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Private Winery Cave Dinner & Tasting

Italy

Torciano Winery is so fun & amazing! I would recommend and also go there again. Letizia was very engaging through our cave dinner and so kind! Michela on the staff was also such a sweetheart and accommodating. We LOVED it!! The food was also delicious --- the truffle pasta and the LASAGNA!! WOW

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Private Tour of San Gimignano & Monteriggioni

Italy

We love Marta! She was smart, charismatic, patient and felt like a natural part of our group in fact! We recommend her again and again. She knew so much about wine too and we appreciated her!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Driver at disposal in Tuscany

Italy

This was Paulo! He was wonderful! So sweet and patient!! We tried to book him another day but his company then cancelled on us after we booked it. Too bad.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Amazing tours and tour guides! My close friend and I really had a wonderful time in Peru due to the great planning of Liz Karen, the tour operator Lisabeth, and the tour guides. The food tour in Lima with Sue was full of great food and lots of laughs. The tour from Cusco to Ollantaytambo and the Cusco city tours with Manuel was full of interesting information, great food, and he was such a friendly guy with a lot of knowledge. The highlight was Macchu Picchu with Javier - a kind, caring, and friendly tour guide who answered all our questions and made sure we had a great experience. All around just a great time. Thank you!!

Hotel Reviews

Holiday Inn Lima Airport

Lima

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Antigua Casona San Blas

Cusco

Authenticity & Character

Location

I

Staff

Very friendly staff - very helpful

Cleanliness & Comfort

El Mapi by Inkaterra

Cusco

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

El Albergue Ollantaytambo Boutique Hotel

Cusco

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Pullman Lima Miraflores

Miraflores, Lima

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Private Walking tour to The Pre-Columbian Art Museum & Qoricancha

Cusco

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Explore Machu Picchu & Return to Cusco (Private Guided tour in Machu Picchu) SV

Peru

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Explore Ollantaytambo, Pachamanca Farm Tour & Observatory train to Machu Picchu town

Peru

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

NVFlight & transfer to The {{end_location}}: Private tour & Lunch with views

Peru

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Shared Lima Dining Experience: Culture, Flavor & Style (PM)

Lima

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

In a word, this trip for four friends was "wow." First thanks need to go to Maryem, who graciously revised reservations both when we changed the number of folks traveling and also when our airline cancelled our original flight, and all riads and tours had to be rebooked. Maryem was also great at answering questions and helping us prepare for the trip.

General observations. Our timing (late September-early October) was perfect. Weather was sunny and hot, but not unbearable. We packed rather modest clothing (legs and shoulders covered) but saw that for many tourists, anything goes. Nevertheless, we felt we were being respectful of our host country. We were vigilant about keeping bottled water with us. Most, but not all, accommodations provided it. There was a lot of time spent in the car whenever we were between cities. But there was also much to see. The architecture and landscapes were fascinating to watch, and we had many short stops. You want to have coins and toilet paper handy at those stops!

Best of the Best. Our local guide in Rabat (and I'm sorry I can't remember his name) was so personable and knowledgeable
and got us off to a great start with not just the local but also the country's history and political setting. The riad in Fès (Riad El Amine Fès) was so gorgeous and had such wonderful service that we were tempted to spend the rest of our tour, if not our lives, there. Learning about the ancient irrigation system in Toudgha El Oulia was one of just many great geographic experiences. We really did get into the geography of Morocco in general.

And the top award goes to our "tour manager", Omar, who was superb at navigating our car through all kinds of traffic, including donkey carts and the gendarmerie. Omar was responsible, caring, personable, funny, and always on the lookout to take advantage of serendipity. For instance, we stopped at a "fantasia" at the Ouezzane Airport, getting to experience a local festival that probably few tourists see. His sharing of Berber culture, Moroccan history, and his family's story all helped to make those car trips speed along. It was hard to say goodbye!

Hotel Reviews

Riad La Croix Berbère Luxe

Marrakech

Great rooms! Wonderful location.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

The person welcoming us decided to focus on me and make a fuss over me. I think he was trying to be teasing, but I was tired and not in the mood to engage, and he wouldn't quit. That was the only unpleasant experience. In general, the staff was were helpful, particularly in making sure we knew how to get to and from the riad.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Riad El Palacio

Chefchaouen

This hotel was in a good location but not in really good shape. Our closet had no pole for hanging clothing. Water was not provided. (The host told us the drinking water was safe; our tour guide went out and got water for us.) There were no towels in our room, nor in the room of one of our companions. When we returned from dinner, we were given terry cloth spa robes that had just been laundered and were still a bit damp to take to our rooms. I probably would rather not stay there again.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Riad El Amine Fès

Fes

This place was just fantastic! The public areas were sumptuous, the rooms were lovely, the service was superb. We gladly ate dinner there both nights we stayed.

Authenticity & Character

The central garden/public area is full of daylight and charm. And all around are smaller rooms for dining or relaxing.

Location

Staff

The wait staff was attentive and personable. The hotel host (a woman) was attentive to us and our desires. We really felt like we were important company.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Morning Guided Tour of Rabat

Rabat

The morning guided tour of Rabat was excellent. Our guide was extremely knowledgeable, particularly about history, and it really enhanced our understanding and enjoyment of Rabat and Morocco in general. This was the best local tour we had during our trip, and I highly recommend it.

Hike to Cascade d'Akchour

Chefchaouen

The hike to Cascade d'Akchour turned out to be a wonderful experience, far better than its description suggested. We were hesitant at first due to concerns about the distance (10 miles round trip), but the actual walk was full of beautiful sights, local interactions, and peaceful places to rest and enjoy freshly squeezed orange juice. The drive to the hiking start point was equally fascinating, with insights into local bread ovens.

Yassine and Said (Driver) were amazing!

Yassine provided great information with short turnaround times before and during our trip.

Said, our driver in Morocco, exceeded my expectations! Said is one of the most kind and thoughtful people I have ever met in my life. I felt very safe and comfortable during my two week trip, and it was really because of Said and his exceptional service and personality. His English is also great - his pronunciation and grammar were exceptional! It was very easy to understand him. I felt like I was talking to an American. Said is also really more than just a driver; he is now a lifelong friend, and he should really be a tour guide because he provided us with great information about his country and shared many personal stories to share about Moroccan culture and history. My friends and I cried when we had to part ways with Said because we enjoyed his company so much. The only complaint I have is that Said's boss assigned him to another job for our last day. Therefore, we got assigned a different driver our last day, and Said was not able to drop us off at the airport. I wish we just had Said the entire trip. Anyone would be lucky to work with Said! I am also hoping you can forward this review to Said and Said's boss. Said deserves all the great recognition in the world because he really went above and beyond to make sure we were taken care of during our trip! If not, please let me know who I can contact to make sure this information gets passed along to Said and his boss. Thank you!

All the guides in Croatia were great, to include Dubrovnik, Hvar, Split, Montenegro, Mostar, and Rovinj.
There was one lady guide for city tour in (Kotor), who was very distracted and on her phone quite a bit
Overall, our 6 people group had a great time.
I do suggest preparing folks regarding lot and lot of walking on cobblestone pathways, that are very tiring. We were walking at least 15-20,000 steps a day, every single day we were in Croatia, and this included climbing high stone steps and uphill walks.
I highly recommend this tour as it is gorgeous, but with days of rest in between

Hotel Reviews

Grand Hotel Union

Ljubljana

Great Hotel in downtown. Lovely hotel with easy access to all sites and food

Authenticity & Character

Old hotel, but very well maintained

Location

Downtown

Staff

Everyone were amazing

Cleanliness & Comfort

Good comfortable beds but not the best breakfast

Hotel Angelo d'Oro

Rovinj

Not a great curb appeal with no elevator

Authenticity & Character

It is an old style nice place with good decor but with no elevators

Location

Cobblestone path to downtown is hard to walk on and carry luggage

Staff

Staff was reasonable, but did not accommodate my request for a larger room, when our rooms were booked way ahead in advance

Cleanliness & Comfort

Rooms were clean and tidy, but bathroom was also very small

Cornaro Hotel

Split

Beautiful Hotel. Great in and out

Authenticity & Character

Great appeal

Location

Close to downtown and very approachable to various sites

Staff

Very helpful and caring staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Comfortable bed with clean sheets and good breakfast

Amfora Hvar Grand Beach Resort

Hvar

Good Hotel, but very tiny rooms for a 4****.

Authenticity & Character

Good location and outside appeal

Location

Close to downtown with walking distance to eating places

Staff

Very nice and dedicated team

Cleanliness & Comfort

Everything was good except too small rooms

Hotel Neptun Dubrovnik

Dubrovnik

Good comfortable rooms and great staff

Authenticity & Character

Clean rooms. Good breakfast

Location

Close to downtown that helps reach various sites easier

Staff

Respectful and caring

Cleanliness & Comfort

Beds were comfortable with clean sheets. Bathroom could be better as water spills out a lot

Activity Reviews

Day Trip to the Caves & Beaches of Vis Island by boat

Croatia

Green cave was awesome, but due to high tide could not visit blue caves

Quality of Experience

Lovely experience as the boat guide was awesome

Guides, Drivers and Staff

All of them were great

Transport

Very comfortable Mercedes 6 seater

Day Trip to Montenegro

Dubrovnik

Quality of Experience

Beautiful little island, worth visiting if visiting Croatia

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Driver was one of the best and very accommodating

Transport

Comfortable Mercedes Van

Tour Dubrovnik's Old Town

Croatia

Quality of Experience

Beautiful sarroundings

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Easy to deal with and caring

Transport

Good Mercedes Van

It was my first solo trip, and I chose Korea (Seoul, Busan, and Jeju Island) as my destination. The trip lasted two weeks. It was my first time working with the KimKim agency, and Jessica was my travel agent. She did an amazing job planning and suggesting activities that I would not have thought of doing if I had planned it on my own. She was quick to respond to my needs, especially within the three months’ notice before my departure. Jessica was very accommodating and made changes to the schedule as needed. I liked how the itinerary included a little bit of everything. She organized a variety of activities, from popular tourist attractions like Bukchon Hanok Village, Haeundae Sky Capsule, and Nami Island, to outdoor adventures such as paragliding near Busan, hiking at Bukhansan National Park (highly recommend), and fishing on Jeju Island. All the drivers and guides were punctual and accommodating, ensuring that I was taken to and from the airport, hotel, and my planned activities. Before leaving for my trip, Jessica provided a thorough outline not only of my itinerary but also a mini cheat sheet with what to expect in Korea and useful phrases to learn. Learning these phrases was very helpful, and I used them daily at restaurants and cafes.

Our family recently returned from an unforgettable trip to Japan. We were fortunate to have Angel, our host from Kim Kim, who was nothing short of exceptional. Her attention to detail, thoughtful planning, and excellent communication ensured that every part of our trip was seamless. Angels’ involvement played a huge role in making our family trip, a group of 10 people, very smooth.

Our local tour guides, Yumi and Hiroko, were friendly, knowledgeable, flexible and they cared about our experience. They were always ready to adjust the itinerary to suit our preferences, which made the experience even more enjoyable for everyone.

The sites we visited in Japan far exceeded our expectations. Mt Fuji, Tokyo at night, Shrines, Temples, traditional Kyoto and modern Osaka; each destination was a perfect blend of modern and traditional Japan.

Overall, we couldn’t recommend Kim Kim and our host Angel enough for anyone considering a trip to Japan. The combination of personalized service, insightful guides and expert planning made our family vacation a truly exceptional experience.

Our trip went very smoothly; all accommodations were excellent. Abdellah, our local specialist was very responsive, answering our questions very promptly. Illyach, our driver was amazing.! He always was on time and was friendly and engaging. He also was very patient with all of our questions. All and all we had a great time. Thanks again!

Clothide helped us put together a memorable two week Fall trip to Switzerland. We were a party of 8 - ranging from mid-thirties to early 70’s. She was incredibly patient and helpful, as it took us some time to decide what we wanted to do/see.
The final itinerary worked out perfectly. The guides for the tours she arranged were all fabulous (LaVaux Vineyards, Thun Castle, Lauterbrunnen walking tour, Lucerne evening city tour). The advance purchase of the tickets for Gornergrat, Matterhorn, Jungfraujoch and Mount Pilatus made these excursions seamless.
She also arranged for the use of AlpTransfer for most of our transfers from hotel to train to airport and also for longer travels (e.g. getting from Zermatt to Montreux). Our experiences with AlpTransfer were excellent – the drivers were on time/early, courteous, helpful and the vehicles comfortable.
She notified us promptly of any changes in the itinerary and provided options for resolution, including a refund for the difference when there was a change in the type of hotel room. We had some reservations issues with a couple of hotels, but these were resolved in a timely fashion. She or a colleague was always available to help resolve any issues.
We enjoyed working with Clothilde and she helped us put together an incredible family trip.

I have to say i was skeptical about using a travel agency since i have not had good experiences in the past. But Kimkim/Travel 12 has changed my mind forever. We booked our honeymoon through KimKim and everything was taken care of which was such a relief of stress during wedding planning. I loved all of the hotels that were picked out for us. The locations were perfect as well as the staff and breakfasts. All of our private drivers were so friendly and even gave us facts about the places we were driving past. Every tour guide (which was all very small or private tours) was exceptional. We learned a lot and had so much fun while doing it. The food/restaurant recommendations were amazing. I loved that they booked all of our train tickets, tours, excursions, sent us PDF's of anything we needed. It seriously was the most stress free trip i have ever taken. I loved that there was 24/7 service line if we needed anything.

Irene, she is AMAZING. She picked out the best spots, the best hotels. Listened to what we wanted to do with our trip, and RAN WITH IT. She even was sweet enough to leave us a small surprise in our hotel in Athens. I would love to work with her again.

Hotel Reviews

The Zillers Boutique Hotel

Athens

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Modigliani

Roma

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

The Vasilicos

Santorini

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Olimpia

Venice

The staff are so friendly and the breakfast is amazing. We also have to say that the beds are so comfortable. If we ever go back to Venice we would love to stay here again.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Acropolis Afternoon Tour

Athens

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Venice Highlights Walking Tour

Venice

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Pompeii & Mount Vesuvius Day Trip from Rome

Rome

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Express Colosseum Tour

Rome

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Santorini Farm Tour: Food & Wine

Santorini

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Moonika and the KimKim team made our trip an incredible experience. Moonika was fast and responsive creating a trip itinerary to Finland that was amazing and allowed us to see some incredible sights in such a condensed amount of time. We especially enjoyed the Northern Lights Ranch and the Northern Lights Tour that we were able to attend!

I would not hesitate to recommend Moonika and rebook with her in the future!

We have recently returned from a 16 day adventure in Madagascar, booked through KimKim and planned, booked and organised through Esther in South Africa.

We had an amazing time. Everything pretty much went to plan, apart from Air France losing our luggage on both our inward and outward journey and my needing a doctor after a bad reaction to malaria tablets. Esther remained in contact throughout and did an amazing job planning an unforgettable holiday for us. Everything about it was spot on and special occasions were made very special.
Our in-country driver and guide, Dolly, was an amazingly calm, kind, friendly and knowledgeable individual who taught us so much about the country as we travelled round. We really did enjoy his company, and his mastery of the extremely difficult roads. He always planned and timed our stops carefully (for banks, western toilets and ‘safe’ food) and discussed each day with us the evening before.
All our accommodation was fantastic. We had our favourites of course! If anything, I think some of the activities and locations were undersold, which made them all the more exciting. Camp Catta , Isalo Rock ( amazing food), and Nosy Be Hotel were our favourite places to stay.
Our main requirement was to see ring tailed lemurs, and other lemurs along the way. The different reserves (national and community) provided amazing opportunities to see different lemurs, frogs, birds, chameleons, lizards and more in different environments. All the while we seemed to secure the services of the most knowledgeable, friendly and enthusiastic local guides.
We found the Malagasy people warm and welcoming. Even those in great hardship seem to smile. However, it is a country of extreme poverty, awful roads, and chaotic traffic-filled cities so people must be prepared that everything might not go to plan.
Our trip was an unforgettable combination of impressive scenery, abundant wildlife, lovely people, great food and accommodation combined with scenes of everyday life. It was well planned and organised throughout. We would encourage everyone to take some time to chill on the coast before leaving and to enjoy the marine wildlife too
This is our second time booking through KimKim and we will certainly use them again.

Special thanks to Esther and Dolly.

Hotel Reviews

Nosy Be Hotel

Great hotel. Beautiful room, location, facilities, grounds, staff, pool, beach and bar. Only thing that stops this being a 5 is the food which we found disappointing. Breakfast was fabulous and breakfast staff lovely we found the evening menu largely disappointing and there were obvious tensions amongst the staff . We would still recommend this hotel for everything else.

Authenticity & Character

Really well laid out, comfortable and relaxed

Location

Right on the beach

Staff

Most were special, one we found to be rude to us and the staff she managed

Cleanliness & Comfort

The comfy bar sofas really made a difference!

Bakuba Lodge

We only stayed here one night and arrived mid afternoon so the sun had gone of the pool and we didn’t get to enjoy our whacky outdoor space. Accommodating staff who were very kind when I wasn’t well. Cash only for settling up for food and drinks. Amazing huge room and bathroom which was lovely, but poor sound proofing! Sadly I didn’t try the menu

Authenticity & Character

Probably deserved a 5 but we weren’t there long enough

Location

Close to airport and beach resorts

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Relais des Plateaux & Spa

Standard rooms but comfortable. Good food with availability through the day and evening - obviously popular with locals who leave their kids in the pool while they eat. Also used by airline crews. Great pool, good service - we were impressed as it had everything we needed to relax before travelling home.

Authenticity & Character

Everything goes on around the pool . Be plenty of bar and restaurant space.

Location

Close to airport

Staff

Very friendly and helpful on reception

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Thermal Ranomafana

Ranomafana

Lovely hotel in. spectacular and extensive grounds adjacent to the river . Modern comfortable room and en-suite. Good and well used outdoor bar area. Natural thermal spa pools are worth booking. This is a really interesting and beautiful town to wander around with an outdoor swimming pool, riverside walks etc . A great base for the national park. We also visited Setam Lodge for lunch - amazing zebu steak.

Authenticity & Character

Provide an indoor bar area

Location

Staff

My French and their smiles . Also asked not to be disturbed until 10am as I wasn’t well, but we were constantly harassed by cleaners.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Nice bed, good shower

Eco Lodge Les Chambres Du Voyageur

Antsirabe

We only stayed here one night and they weren’t doing food that evening. We found the room cramped and dark, with lots of mosquitoes. I did swim in the murky pool but half expected a creature to emerge from the deep! clean and adequate gor a night in the road.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Clean but cramped and dark accommodation. Lovely floral touches, nice balcony and tea and coffee facilities.

Isalo Rock Lodge

Ranohira

Wow. Amazing view, amazing room , amazing staff and amazing food. The best food we ate anywhere- delicious and stylish presentation . Congratulations to the chefs.

Authenticity & Character

Modern luxury

Location

What views. We’d have happily stayed longer.

Staff

Always smiling

Cleanliness & Comfort

Camp Catta

We loved this place and really weren’t expecting to from the photos! Views are fantastic. The pool is amazing. The food is good, despite the hotel being in the middle of nowhere. The room is fairly basic but has everything you need including a mosquito net. The camp is home to ring tail lemurs who happily roam around and jump up and down on your roof at 6am. I loved being able to fit and watch them for hours.

Authenticity & Character

Location, lemurs, light

Location

Tricky journey to get here in that the road to the hotel is essentially a track - takes at least an hour from the nearest awful road . Views of the chameleon mountain are superb. Great for climbers

Staff

My French!

Cleanliness & Comfort

AU BOIS VERT

Antananarivo

Very close to the airport, good food and friendly staff. Lovely, secure grounds and comfortable rustic room. No mosquito net but we didn’t see any. Sun goes of the pool fairly early in the afternoon as the trees shade it .

Authenticity & Character

Interesting rustic room

Location

Close to the airport, quiet. Lovely wooded area with lots of birds

Staff

Staff were all very smiley and English wasn’t a problem

Cleanliness & Comfort

Bed was very comfy

Activity Reviews

Stargazing

Ranohira

We didn’t do this activity . We live in a dark sky area of the UK!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Day excursion to Nosy Komba - Island of Lemurs - and Tanikely

Nosy Be

Great day seeing the islands. Our boat driver and guides were fantastic. Lunch was cooked for us and was one of the best meals we had all holiday. We hadn’t appreciated how much shopping was part of the experience at Nosy Komba so would probably have taken more cash with us . The shopping and stalls leading up to the nature park were colourful and interesting - but be prepared for pressure to buy. (although please do buy to support the community)The reserve was busy but our guide was knowledgeable and had a great sense of humour and the plants and creatures we saw made it really worthwhile. The black lemurs are attracted and fed with bananas to encourage them on to visitors shoulders for photos . And yes, you can expect poos! An interesting island, this contrasted well with Tanikely which we loved. Beautiful beach , snorkelling over coral, tropical fish and turtles. This is a protected island - we saw bee eaters too.

Quality of Experience

A really well planned day offering a range of experiences

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Guides were so knowledgeable and keen to talk and share that knowledge

Transport

Antsirabe City Tour

Antsirabe

We chose not to do this . Spent time chilling after late night and shopping to find essentials until our luggage arrived

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Arrival in Antananarivo & Transfer to your accommodation

Antananarivo

Air France left our luggage in Paris, and that of a number of other travellers who had originally boarded a connection in London. The flight arrived late in Madagascar so the extra hassle after a long flight was particularly unwelcome. Luckily we weren’t leaving the capital straight away but I’m sure it caused real issues for people departing early next day. We were met and transferred perfectly and our driver was very patient whist we tried to sort things out. The airport staff were also very helpful. Note: luggage not arriving on this route is not unusual . There is no Friday flight, so if you travel on a Thursday and your bags don’t arrive then they will come out on Saturday night - and if you’re not there at the airport to pick them up they are unlikely to follow you until Sunday or Monday. Transfer itself was perfect.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Patient and helpful despite very late hour

Transport

We have never worked with someone to plan a trip in Europe before. This was a special trip as we were celebrating my 70th birthday, so when I saw KimKim and read their reviews, I contacted them. I first worked with someone else, then Fabio. Some excellent suggestions were made and they always promptly answered any questions that I had. They helped me to make choices and made changes when I read something new and I changed my mind. We liked how they took care of the accommodations (with my approval of the hotels), rental car, train ticket, and all the drivers. They never pushed anything...just worked hand and hand with me to come up with an itinerary. Always gracious, and I felt "safe" knowing that Fabio was there to help when/if needed. We had no serious problems, and the hotels were wonderful (especially the one in Tuscany). The cooking class in Sorrento was lovely and so was the food and wine tour in Florence. Unfortunately, at my own mistake....we missed the food tour in Trastevere when I got the night wrong and failed to double check the itinerary.
All the drivers were great, especially the one from Sorrento to Rome. And, Fabio made sure to let our Amalfi Coast driver know that I might be a little nervous with all that I had heard about the drive along the Amalfi Coast. However, I actually had zero problems with that drive, even with the back and forth tight traffic. Believe me, that says a lot about our driver who did an excellent job.
All and all, we had a wonderful time in Italy. It is my favorite country to visit and we hope to go back again to explore other areas of Italy. Appreciated the care of consideration that Fabio showed throughout our trip.

Hotel Reviews

Grand Hotel De La Ville

Sorrento

The hotel was immaculately clean and bright. My favorite area was the outdoor seating area for breakfast. Only went to the rooftop bar once to take in the view, but it was nice. The service thought out the hotel was exceptional and we had a nice view of the sea. Well appointed rooms and an easy walk to places of interest in Sorrento.

Authenticity & Character

Very pretty and nice. But, not sure what the decorating theme was....didn't seem coastal Italian. Kept meaning to ask, but forgot.

Location

Staff

Could not have been friendlier or more helpful.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Salvadonica - Borgo del Chianti

San Casciano in Val di pesa

Oh my goodness....loved, loved, loved this place. It was so charming and the grounds were lovely and peaceful. We had a Junior Suite, which meant small bedroom with a separate sitting room. Everything was well appointed, clean and just lovely. We had a spectacular view from all three of our windows on the second floor.. Breakfast and late lunch food was excellent and the service was unbelievable. We never had dinner there. Would definitely go back to this location again, and have already recommended it to friends.

Authenticity & Character

Simply perfect with Tuscany charm and a touch of modern.

Location

It was easily accessible from Florence, and to the towns in the countryside.

Staff

Particularly liked how friendly the staff was, and the warm welcomes to morning breakfast.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Very clean, and functional. However, I would suggest a full length mirror on one wall.

Activity Reviews

Trastevere Local Food Tour

Rome

Sad to say that we missed this because I got my nights mixed up. My mistake! Sure that it would have need wonderful as it was something that we were looking forward to.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Pizza & Pasta Masterclass in Sorrento

Sorrento

Delightful. The chef instructor was wonderful, the group was fun, and the view from the cooking school was beautiful.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Amalfi Coast Road Trip - Visit Amalfi & Positano | Private Tour

Sorrento

Very happy that we saw a bit of the Amalfi Coast. Our favorite town was Ravello as it was beautiful and not as crowded. We missed seeing the town of Amalfi due to slow traffic and a slow lunch service in Ravello. It was a beautiful view of Ravello, but they completely forgot our order, until we finally asked. So that took away from our tour time.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Florence Food Tour

Florence

Delightful guide as she was knowledgable and so sweet. Bless her heart...too much wine for me so she worried a bit about me on the uneven stone walkways.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Sienna and Lea made our trip to Greece so much more memorable and enjoyable without all of the hassles of figuring out all the plans and picks ups in a foreign country. We would definitely use KimMim again!

This is our second trip with kimkim and it did not disappoint! We worked with Jane and Marine-Heloise, and they were a dream team! They put together a two-week trip with the highlights of London and Scotland based off the things we enjoy. Every day was an adventure filled with new discoveries with ample free time to add things along as we went.

I LOVE to travel and have FOMO - but I also don't have the time to do a ton of research for the best places to see and visit.

The roadbook guide is extremely detailed with times and places we needed to be with notes about how long it took to get to each place via walking or public transport. All of the arranged private drivers were on time, and very kind. There was no confusion about where we were supposed to be, or when we supposed to be there. These ladies nailed it.

We had such an amazing trip and love the flexibility that kimkim offers. We had a mix of private tours, group tours, and self-guided tours. Each was unique, fun, and educational.

My only regret is that we didn't have more time in the UK. It is such a beautiful country with so many more things to discover. The people, the food, the history, the landscape - it was all so wonderful!

Hotel Reviews

Citadines Trafalgar square

London

We were only here one night, and we came in late and left really early. We didn't really have a chance to spend time in the area. The lobby was clean - the staff was great. The room was nice because it was the only place we all 4 got to be together in one room. The room was clean but definitely needed a few touch ups in the bathrooms. Nothing crazy - we just noticed peeling paint, other handyman stuff.

ibis Edinburgh Centre South Bridge - Royal Mile

Edinburgh

Great location!!! Walking distance to royal mile. 4 stars only because the bathrooms were a little odd.

Moxy York

York

This was our favorite hotel of the places we stayed. The lobby is so cute and fun. Great breakfast and the staff were kind. Perfect location - close to the Shambles. We were only here for one night - we'd definitely stay here again and if we're back would like to spend 2 days in York.

The Resident Liverpool

Liverpool

We were only here one evening but this hotel has a great location - close to the downtown area. The rooms were neat ahc clean! We had a bit more room in these units that was much appreciate!

ibis Styles London Southwark – near Borough Market

London

Cute hotel - clean rooms - great staff! Perfect location next to Borough Market and so much great food!!!

Authenticity & Character

Cute lobby - lots of style

Location

5 minutes walking distance to the market and tube.

Staff

Everyone was kind.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Clean hotel

Activity Reviews

Deer & Owl Encounter

England

The drive from Edinburgh to Aberfeldy was beautiful. The guides at Highland Safari Park are knowledgeable and you can tell they really and care about what they are doing. We had a great time here. The deer experience on the grounds was neat and we got to feed them. The Safari was fun off roading and we got to view stags through telescope lens in their natural habitat. It was mating season so you could hear them everywhere!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Our Private transfer driver was amazing - he was happy to share knowledge about the area.

Afternoon Tea at the Edinburgh Castle

Edinburgh

Afternoon tea was a treat! And a great break in the day at the castle. The castle is impressive - we came through the front entrance at the Royal Mile. To truly see how expansive this castle is, walk around the outside of the grounds and view from the back side. It is enormous, and terrifying, and beautiful!

Magical Mystery Tour

Liverpool

We stopped in Liverpool for this tour - my daughter and husband love the Beatles. They enjoyed this tour.

Oxford and Cambridge Tour

London

Another long day trip but worth it. The campuses are beautiful! I just wish had a bit more time in each location. They allotted about 1.5 hours at each stop. Once we finished walking through, we didn't have a ton of time to walk through the town squares.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Harry Potter Studio Tour from London (with transport)

London

I love Harry Potter - probably more than our kids! We had a great time at the studios.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Watch a Football Match!

London

One of our favorite days! None of really watch sports but we fell in love with Ted Lasso and wanted to see a match in person. What an experience! I would highly recommend this to anyone visiting.

Quality of Experience

Windsor, Stonehenge & Bath from London

London

This was one of our longer days but totally worth the time. The guide was humorous and knowledgeable. The coach was comfortable. My favorite was Stonehenge - my family loved Bath the most.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Hidden Gems Food Tour - Tower Bridge to Borough Market

London

This was a great tour especially given the location - we went through the Borough Market which was right around the corner from where we stayed. The guide was very knowledgeable about food in the market but also the history of London. Two of us are vegetarian and he accommodated our dietary lifestyle with ease.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Very knowledgeable!

Tower of London Timed Entry Tickets

London

The beefeaters are great guides - lots of humor. We chose to do the 45-minute guided tour with them as opposed to the self-guided audio tour.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Hop-on, Hop-off Bus

London

I love these tours - we didn't get to complete the whole route as we hopped on late...but what we did get to see was fantastic!

Mr. Ngima Sherpa had to change our original itinerary due to horrendous rainfall which destroyed road and bridges to alternate itinerary with uttermost conditions of safety of us. New itinerary was totally satisfied one with serious concern of our safety. Our trekking guide, Ang Geld Sherpa took care of us from beginning to an end. He was not only excellent guide and also very kind and caring person. We felt like as we were trekking with our son who care of his parents. Our porter, Purna was also excellent member of our trekking.

Our experiences in Nepal was most fascinating travel experience. We thanks to Kimkim to connect us with best ones in Nepal.

I feel so incredibly lucky to have found Ivan and his wife!! They helped me plan the best trip ever on super short notice very quickly!
I absolutely would not have been able to organize a trip this well without their help. They know all of the locals guides for booking tours and making arrangements that we would never have been aware of otherwise. These tour guides were fantastic and all locals. I was also able to change the times of some of the tours last minute due to flight changes which was very helpful.
I could not recommend them more highly and want to go back!

Everything went so smoothly and as planned. Lorena L. listened to what we wanted out of the trip and the trip delivered. Our driver and guide for the Atacama, William and Lorena, were kind, patient, and knowledgeable and funny. Our drivers and guide for the Uyuni portion of the trip, Iván, Carlos, and Jhonny, were also kind, patient, knowledgeable, and funny. We had two cars in Uyuni since there were four of us. My husband and I only had the driver, Iván, who was great, so sweet and caring. He knows the area so well that he could be a guide except that he doesn’t speak English. (I speak Spanish so not a problem for us.) in Uyuni we went on miles and miles of dirt, sand, and salt. Some might find that grueling, but we loved it all. The three men I traveled with are all avid photographers and they were thrilled with the photos they got. We’re so glad we did this trip and used KimKim for the second time.

Melanie was so knowledgeable and helpful during all phases of our trip. The tours she selected all turned out wonderful, all our tour guides were welcoming, friendly, and highly knowledgeable in the local history. Highlights included Klaas for the e-bike tour of the aqueducts and our guide Elissabetta for our colosseum tour. Our hike for the path of the gods included a great stop at a shepherds farm for a cliff top meal which was an amazing experience!

The whole trip was memorable, in such small space of time we managed to cram in so much largely down to the planning by our local specialist Camille.
All transfers were a breeze and visiting local attractions with the guide meant we skipped queues and maximised out time and overall enjoyment.
I would definitely recommend kim kim and will be using them again for our next trip.

Hotel Reviews

Amazon Premium Lodge

Manaus

Considering this was in the Amazon the lodge was amazing. Staff were amazing and super helpful and had fun with google translate to communicate some of the conversations. We were really well looked after, the food was tailor made for my wife as she was a vegetarian. Rooms were clean and comfortable and given the location you have to expect some bugs, we had fun with 2 tree frogs in the room, but they were harmless. AC unit in the room was a god send as even thought there was no wifi or tv in the room it was fine as all the activities planned throughout the day meant we were on the go most the time.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Intercity Manaus

Manaus

It was adequate for a nights stay but felt the hotel lacked character.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Arena Copacabana Hotel

Rio de Janeiro

Great location on Copacabana beach and the staff were very friendly and looked after guests coming in and out. Rooms were clean and spacious and ideal to lounge in during the evening, shame they did not have smart TVs but there was a large section of free channels. Had a lot of choice for breakfast and the rooftop bar had great views of the surrounding area.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Transfer from the Amazon Jungle to Manaus

Brazil

It was sad to leave the Amazon and the transfer back seemed to quicker and after a drop off to downtown Manaus we were safely dropped off if good time at the airport.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Adventures in the Jungle Lodge (AP- Days 2 & 3)

The Amazon

All the activities were amazing and very varied and insightful, our guide was excellent and looked after us extremely well

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Transfer & immersion in the rainforest (AP - Day 1)

Brazil

The boat trip our of Manaus was lovely but then the speedboat trip to our lodge was spectacular. Bus transfer was a bit squashed as we have lots of out tourists so the only negative would be to have a slightly larger mode of transfer or not over book passengers

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Hiking to Pedra Bonita

Rio de Janeiro

Lovely hike, just the right pace and not too challenging. Our guide was very knowledgeable and very friendly. Spectacular views at the top.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Carioca lifestyle with lunch

Rio de Janeiro

Really insightful walking tour and nice and lovely local authentic lunch

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Corcovado & Christ the Redeemer Tour

Rio de Janeiro

Once again our guide knew all the tricks to get us through quickly and best places to sit on the tram and for pictures at the top.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Pão de Açúcar (Sugar Loaf) at sunset

Rio de Janeiro

Had an excelled guide and she knew all the tricks to skip the queues which meant we maximised our time at Sugar Loaf. Having a drink and some nibbles on the terrace bar was amazing as the views were spectacular ...shame it was misty as we did not get to see the sunset but you can imagine it would be spectacular. There was even a DJ performing at the top and there was a very safe and friendly vibe with all the locals and visitors.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport