Kimkim Trip Reviews

So we just returned from an eight day trip to South Africa which included 3 nights at Elephant Plains Lodge with safari and ending with four nights in Cape town. I am happy to share that everything on our trip went off without any problems. The hotels and activities picked were great and we enjoyed a trip of a lifetime! Bianca did a great job of arranging and scheduling our lodging, activities and guides. We would recommend your agency and Bianca without hesitation.

Hotel Reviews

The Commodore Hotel

Cape Town

Our experience at the Commodore was very good. The breakfast was fabulous and the rooms were very nice. A little small but very adequate. Our only critique would be the door on the bathroom. It was very heavy and hard to pull open. When it would close it would bang, which was a little annoying when our neighbors had an early wake up and we heard their door bang several times in the early morning. The staff was great and very helpful.

Authenticity & Character

Location

It was very nice to be able to walk to the waterfront with all of its stores and restaurants.

Staff

The evening front desk registrar was very helpful and friendly!

Cleanliness & Comfort

Very adequate

Elephant Plains Game Lodge

Bushbuckridge

We had an amazing stay at Elephant Plains Game Lodge. The accommodations were great, food was good and the staff were exceptionally helpful and kind.

Authenticity & Character

The cottages are clean, cosy and very comfortable

Location

Staff

The staff were always willing to help with anything. They went out of their way to help with any issues. I was not feeling well a few days and they provided me with special food and meds to help with my issue.

Cleanliness & Comfort

There were plenty of places to relax and just enjoy that safari environment. Everything was well kept and clean

Activity Reviews

Departure from South Africa

South Africa

No probems or issues.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Half Day Private Table Mountain and City Tour

Cape Town

We moved some things around so that we could go to table mountain when the crowds were less and visibility was better! This was all orchestrated by our guide. He was also great at showing us all the best places in the city to see and things to do.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Full Day Winelands Tour (excluding lunch)

South Africa

The day was a bit rainy, and we are not big drinkers so this wasn't an overwhelmingly amazing tour. We did enjoy it, especially the scenery.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Very knowledgable and helpful.

Transport

Full Day Cape Peninsula Tour (excluding lunch)

South Africa

Scenery was amazing and the guide was very informative.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Everything went well and the guide was very flexible and able to rearrange things to accommodate us better.

Afternoon Game Drive

Sabi Sands Game Reserve

I have already addressed this. These were very good.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Departure from Zambia

Zambia

Everything went as expected

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Morning and Afternoon Game Drives

Sabi Sands Game Reserve

The guides were great and went out of their way to make sure that we saw everything we wanted to see. They were very knowledgeable about everything they did.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Days on Safari

South Africa

A little early, but understandable. The guides were great and helped us see everything we wanted to!

Quality of Experience

The guides expertise and tracking of the animals

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Attitudes and helpfulness. Went out of their way to help.

Transport

Overall, the service provided by kimkim was very professional & very complete. Krista was very responsive to our inquiries & comments. When we needed assistance, Krista, Fenne, or a member of her team were right there for us.

The route that kimkim suggested for us was very nice and we enjoyed the variety of small towns & larger cities. We were able to follow the route with little or no problems. Our group had rented a van separately from kimkim, and drove ourselves around mostly Norway, although we started & ended in Copenhagen, Denmark.

The hotels kimkim arranged for us were for the most part very satisfactory. They were clean, comfortable and provided a nice breakfast. The Scandic byparken in Bergen didn't quite measure up & I have communicated directly about that with kimkim.

Next, I'll address the RIB tours. The first one we did at Geiranger with Fjord Guiding, which is a fairly large, smooth operation & the boat ride & tour were fantastic. Our guide & driver, Mario was, informative, clever and quite enjoyable. I couldn't have wanted anything more than what Mario provided.
The 2nd RIB tour was with Balestrand Adventure in Balestrand. While this Company is much smaller, they did an adequate job & provided a nice experience. Ole, our guide was informative, and provided a nice history of the area while showing us the beauty of the fjord.
The 3rd RIB tour was in Flom, with FjordSafari, also a fairly large operation. Our guide and driver Lucas was very easy to listen to, and he delivered his story with humor as he easily shared his knowledge of the region. This one was my personal favorite of the RIB tours, and included a stop at a village known for goat cheese.

We took two Gondola rides, and while the views at Andalsnes were obscured by fog at the top half of the mountain, the views at Loen were great. In general the gondola rides were a great experience.

We also took a ride on a Funicular in Bergen, which was a very nice experience. The views of Bergen, a large city, from the top of the mountain was beautiful.

While at Bergen, we took a partial-day trip on a ferry to Rosendal, just under a 2 hour ride each way. While the area near the dock at Rosendal is a nice area, I do think it would be more enjoyable during the summer, in that many shops and restaurants were closed for the season when we were there SEP 14. Apparently there is a larger business area a bit of a hike from the dock which we did not visit. The boat/ferry is very comfortable, but the whole experience does not warrant most of a day, at least not in the off-season.

We also participated in a sauna which was situated on a boat tied up to the dock in Flom. While the activity was fun & certainly different, the experience was somewhat marred by the attitude & actions of the person serving as an attendant. We received little instruction or cautions and he seemed more interested in seeing that we were done by a certain time so he could clean. Not a very welcoming attitude.

In summary, it was a great trip & I would use kimkim again if we were to travel in an area they serve.

Hotel Reviews

Fretheim Hotel

Flåm

The stay at Fretheim Hotel in Flåm was a wonderful experience. The beauty of the territory surrounding the hotel was stunning, and having a balcony added to the overall charm. The dining options both within the hotel and in the surrounding area were very pleasing.

Oset Fjellhotell

Gol

This is a very nice family-run hotel in the mountains above Gol. Great experience, although its a long way from anything else. That's ok, they have everything you need.

Authenticity & Character

family run, you deal with the family.

Location

middle of nowhere.

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Explore Rosendal

Rosendal

Exploring Rosendal during the off-season was a bit underwhelming. The journey took about two hours each way, and the views, though fjord-like, didn't have the same impact as other locations. Many shops and restaurants were closed, affecting our overall experience.

Private Floating Sauna Experience

Norway

The RIB Fjord Safari in Flåm was particularly enjoyable, especially the guide, who was very easy to listen to and made the experience enriching. The stunning scenery and the overall excitement of the RIB ride made it a highlight of the trip.

The guide in the villa Borghese was great.
All the guides were good.
The guide in Pompei spent far too much time on the streets and the generalities of the city .
I had to force him to end all the preambles and proceed with the villa di Misterii which was the main reason for my visit in Pompei. We ended up having to rush and we spent very little time viewing the frescoes. He was already leaving when I just managed to make a quick video, and I had to run after him
because he was gone.
The guide to the Colosseum was only adequate, He spent unnecessary time on Capitoline Hill where there is nothing left to see, and he made us imagine what was there before. He described the orchards that were there to dissipate the smells of latrines and lack of hygiene after the imperial era.
So the result is that there was not enough time go to the Foro Romano which was my main reason to come back to Rome. We walked far too quickly and he did not name the remains of the various temples.
The accommodation in The Amalfi coast was OK, the staff very helpful. But the bathroom was poorly designed from the point of view of comfort and practicality.
In The hotel Mediterraneo , we were very lucky because they upgraded us to a Superior Room. It was a really beautiful and luxurious hotel.
It was a beautifully arranged trip.
We appreciated the quick responses to our questions by Storytelling Girl. And especially when we were in Italy, the problems we encountered on the spot were immediately answered and solved, like with texting. That was so important because we were on our own and helpless when some unforeseen situation arose.
Thank you very much, it was a great trip thanks to you.
Jacqueline von Rumel

Hotel Reviews

Bettoja Hotel Mediterraneo

Rome

Superb rooms with beautiful antique furniture, great breakfasts, very clean everywhere.

Casa Amorino B&B

Minori

Casa Amorino B&B had lovely staff with a beautiful property and garden, which was a pleasure to experience. However, the bathroom was disappointing. The lack of surface space around the sink to place toiletries was frustrating. While the rooms were spacious, they weren't designed well for practical use, lacking sufficient space for putting away clothes and belongings. Despite these issues, the overall experience was decent, due to the kindness of the staff and the beauty of the location.

Activity Reviews

Capitoline Museums - Tickets

Rome

Fabulous

Borghese Gallery tour

Rome

Fabulous

Quality of Experience

Self-Guided Visit of Museo Nazionale Romano - Tickets Only

Rome

Colosseum & Ancient Rome Tour with Roman Forum

Rome

The guide had a remarkably vast knowledge; he was open to any question and could could answer them all with great details. The only criticism was the unnecessary length of time devoted to visit the Capitoline Hill and not enough time for the Forum Romano, resulting in a more superficial experience for this extraordinary site. Many events occurred there, and giving this site the same time as the Capitoline Hill did not make sense.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Some guides did t too much time on unnecessary aspects. In Tome it was geared to young teenagers, instead of guiding mod historical background.

Transport

Private Transfer from Naples to Amalfi Coast with Pompeii en route

Italy

Hi. We got back a week ago from Croatia and had a fabulous time. The logistics, hotels, tours and Nikola's personal help were all wonderful. In particular, the tour guides Nikola had arranged were knowledgeable, locals, and enthusiastic. Grgo on Hvar Island must have known every person we drove by and we ended in their family wine cellar eaten a lunch cooked by his mother. Thank you to KimKim and Nikola and we hope to do another trip with you soon. Cheers, Aleta Sherman

Another great trip organized with KimKim. Eleanor and her guides/drivers were amazing. We loved every minute.

Hotel Reviews

THE HOTEL HIGASHIYAMA by Kyoto Tokyu Hotel

Kyoto

Great location, friendly staff.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Asakusa View Hotel Annex Rokku

Tokyo

Great and convenient.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Review

Full Day Tokyo City Tour with Tsukiji Outer Fish Market

Tokyo

Really informative and complete.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Melanie was a huge help planning our trip to Italy. All her suggestions and tips were super helpful.
The transfers were all on time and comfortable and the excursions and guides were amazing, especially our Wine Tour in Tuscany.
Planning our trip with KimKim took a lot of pressure and worries out of the process and made our trip that much more enjoyable. During the trip, if we had any questions, Melanie was always just a text away and she always responded immediately.
I would definitely use KimKim again or recommend them to anyone planning a first time trip to Italy.

Activity Reviews

Colosseo and Roman forums adventure

Rome

This was a great tour and our guide was amazing. She had a lot of knowledge and made the tour very interesting. It was so cool to learn of all the history behind the Colosseum and the Forum.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Boat tour along the Amalfi Coast

Sorrento

We had a private cruise along the Amalfi coast. Our driver spoke little English so he was a little difficult to communicate with but we managed. The itinerary was a little different than what was listed. I wish we got to actually get off the boat in Positano but we just cruised by. We only got 20 mins in Amalfi but we had an amazing lunch in Priano at this restaurant called Il Pirata which the company booked for us in advance. We ended up asking to stay there for an extra hour to swim on a Little Rock beach that was so cute otherwise we weren’t sure if we were going to get to swim at all.

Quality of Experience

I wish the tour had more stops and the boating time was at a quicker pace.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Olive and Wine Tasting in Tuscany Countryside

Italy

This was one of my favourite experiences of our trip. We had such a great group of people on our tour and the 3 wineries we visited were beautiful. We had a great driver and the whole day was amazing. Highly recommend!

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

The Accademia Gallery and Uffizi Masterclass Experience

Florence

The Accademia and Uffizi gallery tours were excellent. I wasn’t sure if I was going to enjoy them but I’m so glad we added it to our trip. We had the best guide for the Uffizi tour and I couldn’t imagine going through that gallery without one. There is so much to see but our tour guide gave us all the history behind the museum and showed us all the most important paintings and exhibits. Seeing David in person was surprisingly emotional and he is amazing!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Ferrari Museum Tour

Italy

The Ferrari museum tour is a fun experience for any car lover. You can take as much time as you like and there are options to do the simulator for an extra cost. I didn’t do it but it looked super fun.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Great experience, great staff, everyone from Michael to the drivers were excellent.

Activity Reviews

Cartagena City-Tour by Bike

Cartagena

not too safe, very chaotic city to ride bicycles. more stress than fun.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Local Market Experience: Bazurto Market

Cartagena

We suggest you delete this tour from your options. Awful, dirty, smelly. not one good thing about it.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

all great. very professional and knowledgeable

Transport

everything, the people, the punctuality.

From the start, our specialist, Aggeliki, was excellent to work with. First she advised me what time of year would be best for travel to Crete (a very important thing to start off with). She modified the "pre-packaged" Crete tour to accommodate our specific interests (which were less hiking, more beaches, and food!). She answered questions about the tours offered so we could select what we liked, and also managed to fit in one final desired excursion on the day of our return flight to Athens. The excursions were fantastic: 3 were private --via Land Rover or sailboat-- and two were as part of a group of 10-12. All of the trips included beautiful countryside en route to their destinations. The sailboat to Gramvousa and Balos was the MOST amazing experience: cobalt blue waters turning into crystal clear turquoise blue as we approached the islands.
The best thing about working with Aggeliki was her immediate availability. We ran into a couple of minor snags (missed communication with one of our drivers; incomplete pass code information provided by one hotel to gain entrance to our suite) and she was there, literally in seconds (via text) facilitating their solution. It was so reassuring to know we had the kimkim team, and specifically Aggeliki there to manage any concerns we had (which as I will reiterate, were very few for an 8-day/7 night trip to Chania, Crete, from Athens)
I cannot overstate how pleased we were with the whole experience. I had always been the personal planner for my family and friends' excursions, but after a disappointing Jamaican holiday last December I decided to try a travel agency. I am so glad I did. My friend, my sister-in-law, and I agree this was the trip of a lifetime, perfect, and well worth the price!!!

Hotel Reviews

Monsieur Didot

Athens

Very nice suite, we arrived late, so were only in it to sleep on our way to the airport the next AM

Location

Mirabile Luxury Suites Chania

Chania, Crete

The suites are ideally located in the town, one can walk across a street and be in the bustling Venetian Harbor section of shops and restaurants. The suites are modern, clean, comfortable and the soundproofing provided by the balcony doors was amazing. As noted, the Suites are in the center of a bustling area of town, but shutting the balcony doors brought quiet to the rooms. The breakfasts were huge: 5 or 6 choices of prepackaged meals were delivered in a picnic basket to our door every morning.

Authenticity & Character

I'm not sure what authenticity and character means, so I will say these were nice, modern, well maintained accommodations. We were a reserved party of three in a two floor suite set up for only 2 people, so we needed to secure more room keys, another chair for the balcony, more coffee mugs and wine and water glasses and bathrobes, etc.

Location

Right in the heart of the town

Staff

The first desk receptionist would not give us (3 adult women) more than one room key. The second one was much more accommodating.

Cleanliness & Comfort

The housekeeper was wonderful, she tried very hard to make and keep us comfortable

Athens Woo Suites

Athens

Friendly staff, lovely suite, excellent location in Plaka district.

Location

walkable to shops and eateries, views of the Acropolis

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

The Miracle of Wine & Olive Oil

Chania

visits to two winereis, one of which is also an oil oil production facility, and a visit to the olive tree that has been the source of Olymic Games olive wreathes since, well, forever.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Perhaps because this was our last tour, and we had such excellent guides, we were a bit underwhelmed by our driver who didn't really warm up until we got to our first destination, so the initial bus trip, and the return, were all silent.

Transport

Same smallish, comfy bus as for the cooking tour

The Real Cretan Cooking Experience

Chania

Our tour guide, Alex, really made this experience something special. He shared so much cultural, historical, and anecodotal information driving to the villa? estate? where we had the cooking class that the travel time flew by. The site for the class was a gorgeous complex with the fanciest "portapotty" I've ever seen. We fed mulberry leaves to some sheep, we made stuff vegetables and hand pies, and then we ate a luscious meal of meat, potatoes, sald and our stuffed vegetables and pies. I'm sure there was some delicious dessert but after all the wine and raki....I'm not sure. It was a late night returning about 11PM.

Quality of Experience

Food

The things we made, and everything else we were served.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Comfy bus with A/C

Luxury Jeep Tour to Manousakis Vineyard & Winery

Greece

Our driver, Christos, was very knowledgeable. He took us through the vineyards and showed us some beautiful views of the mountains and the sea in the process. The winery was pleasant, the meal was also fine. I didn't much care for the wines they made, which is the only reason I didn't give 5 stars. The excursion was very enjoyable.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Christos really knew a lot about Crete, and about the flora and fauna.

Transport

Super comfy Land Rover

The “Make Them Jealous” Trip: Elafonisi Island & Falasarna Beach

Greece

We liked Elafonisi so well we declined to go to Falasarna, and spent the whole day at the first stop.

Quality of Experience

beautiful water and beach

Guides, Drivers and Staff

very informative

Transport

very comfortable car

Full Day PRIVATE Sunset Cruise to BALOS beach and GRAMVOUSA island

Chania

Omigod!!! Take this trip! We modified our stops to exchange Balos for a small, uninhabited island called (phonetically) Eye-You-Sostisee. Skipper Andreas and first mate Kelly were fantastic.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

We were very pleased with our trip designed by Kim Kim .Megan was our specialist and she was so easy to communicate with even with the time zone difference.
Winnie with Wanderlust voyages was also available for questions during our trip and responded promptly.
Our accommodations were varied and lovely.
Our driver Khalid Khouati was wonderful.
The tour guides arranged for us at various places were personable and knowledgeable and we never felt rushed.
Thank you everyone.

We don't like organized tours but do enjoy someone doing the planning for us -- and kimkim was the perfect choice. The process of putting together a travel itinerary via emails was easy, and the kimkim people did a great job incorporating our own desires and aims with ideas of their own, which we listened to because, of course, they had matched us up with guides who actually live in Japan and know the country well. It was odd never speaking to a human -- and for awhile we wondered if we were dealing with chatbots -- but, magically, every single driver showed up, every single guide showed up when they were supposed to. There was one glitch in a train station (and Japanese train stations are CRAZY-CHAOTIC), but they worked with us in real time to get things fixed and even summoned a taxi for us, telling us the plate number so we'd recognize it. They were responsive and helpful at every turn and twist of the journey.....and they were willing to tweak our itinerary on the fly, which was very helpful. We loved having independence but didn't feel alone at any time. We definitely will use them again!

Hotel Review

Rengejo-in

koya

Our stay at Rengejo-in monastery in Mount Koya was a highlight of the trip. We were given an incredibly spacious and luxurious room dubbed the 'Silent Forest,' with fantastic amenities like a private garden view. The experience was spiritual and beautiful, including a morning chant with monks. It was unlike anything we expected and absolutely memorable.

Activity Reviews

Tea Ceremony in Kyoto FLOWER TEAHOUSE

Kyoto

The tea ceremony at the Flower Teahouse in Kyoto was a fascinating and unique experience. We were unexpectedly upgraded to a private ceremony, which added a special touch. The hosts dressed me in a traditional outfit and my wife loved the entire experience. It was educational, and the location in the Geisha district enriched the cultural immersion.

Half day Experience Traditional Japanese Gardens With Japanese garden designer

Kyoto

The half-day experience with a traditional Japanese garden designer in Kyoto was absolutely amazing. Our guide, an expat landscape architect, shared incredible insights about Zen gardening, its aesthetics, and cultural nuances. It was a truly enriching experience, learning the history and philosophy behind Japanese gardens. I highly recommend this tour!

Great option for first time travelers to France for sure! Amandine and team were extremely responsive before and during our trip. Having all hotel and train bookings in advance were super helpful and put us at ease. Also having a detailed itinerary with Google map links was incredible and felt like over and above service. We specifically appreciated having a life line to call for help when we were put in an uncomfortable situation with one of our hotels.

Trip was amazing and we had a great time.

Our trip to Italy through Kimkim was flawless. Andrea did an amazing job with suggestions, drivers hotel, and tour reservations! Every detail was handled for us. He worked with us to make it just what we wanted. Having someone to reach out to while you’re there is so reassuring and he always got back to us quickly with any questions we had. I would highly recommend kimkim when planning any trip.

Hotel Reviews

47 Boutique Hotel

Rome

Great hotel with nice rooftop bar/restaurant in a good location We had a nice room with a private terrace with lots of greenery. We were shocked at how quiet the room was considering being in the middle of a city with traffic and sirens. They had a small gym and a steam room and shower.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Close enough to walk to the colosseum and Trevi Fountain. Vatican was 2 miles but walked along the Tiber river which was beautiful and quicker than Uber. (Lots of traffic)

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Athena Siena

Siena

Hotel Athena is a fine hotel. Just kind of basic. There aren’t a lot of options if you want to be within walking distance to town, which is amazing! The shower was awful! No room to move where the shower head is located and there’s only half a door that doesn’t go up very high so water literally gets all over the entire bathroom! The breakfast was included but was at most average. The staff was nice

Authenticity & Character

Location

Could walk everywhere

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Eden Roc Positano

Positano

Great hotel with beautiful rooftop restaurants and pool. Amazing view. Very easy to walk to town

Authenticity & Character

Location

Could easily walk to restaurants and shops

Staff

Almost everyone was amazing. The rooftop bar service was slow. Lunch (salads) took an hour and not worth the wait

Cleanliness & Comfort

We had a suite with a great balcony. Hot tub, plus room for bistro table plus 2 lounge chairs

Activity Review

Half-day private boat exploration of the Amalfi Coast

Italy

The boat tour was great! Beautiful views and Franco was awesome. Brought us snacks and drinks and made the trip fun and special. We stopped and swam and also went to Amalfi for quick stop(very crowded and touristy). We stayed in Positano which is beautiful. Would highly recommend the private tour. The boat was amazing too!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Franco had a great personality and was interesting and fun

Transport

Our visit to Croatia was amazing. Our organiser, Tina, created the perfect itinerary for our week travelling from Zagreb to Dubrovnik. The entire week was seemless, from our first transfer to Split via Plitvice Lakes. The private tour guides in Plitvice Lakes and Dubrovnik were amazing. Every transfer from multiple ferry trips, car transfers and cable cars happened without any hiccups. Our hotel accommodation in every port was perfect, especially the beautiful Hilton in Dubrovnik. To be located only 100 metres from the Old Town made our visit so easy and enjoyable. We had an amazing day on a jet boat tour in Hvar which was one of our favourite activities on our month long holiday. in Europe. This perfect week was made possible by Tina’s creation of the perfect itinerary. I would definitely recommend KimKim and especially Tina. Mary-Ellen and Adrian

Hello;

Would like to mention the 2 drivers we had on this past trip, who were excellent. Unfortunately both names escape me. Secondly, the guide that took us through Pompeii was also excellent. The trip was made special by the KimKim team and their guides, drivers etc. All well planned out and were there for us every step of the way.

Highly recommend KimKim to anyone travelling to Europe.

Thanks for making this trip so special.

Mary-Ann Labrie

I’m a solo traveler from the USA and I daydreamed of Vietnam. I found my travel agent, Hien from Realistic Asia (through KimKim), to make the dream a reality. Hien is attentive, has great attention to detail, and was dedicated to making sure that my experience would be exactly as I imagined - and so much MORE!

After multiple iterations and fine-tuning via emails, she arranged the perfect customized 2-week trip for me. From transportation to activities and all the logistics in between. She made great recommendations and provided advice on customs, tipping, and even rush-hour traffic times. As a local resident of Hanoi, I felt like I had a family friend as I was traveling through each town, ready for any emergency. Fortunately, I did not need the added service of 24 hour support, though it was huge peace of mind knowing I had a local emergency contact. Hien even came to say hello at my hotel lobby when our timing aligned. It was wonderful to meet her in person! First class, white glove service all the way.

If you are looking for a truly authentic, customized travel experience, skip the crowds and huge group gatherings and create your own itinerary. I found that it was not a huge price difference, and I was able to immerse myself in Vietnam my way… Definitely with the help of Hien at Realistic Asia!

Emanuella planned an amazing trip. Everything was perfect. So organized and professional. It’s amazing how she got our preferences down perfect. We were busy but not too busy. Her food recommendations were incredible. We saw every sight there was to see. I will never go anywhere else to plan a trip. The best trip I’ve ever been on. Thanks to Emanuella it was completely stress free.

Activity Reviews

Explore Jökulsárlón Glacier Lagoon by Zodiac Boat

Iceland

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Explore Reykjavik and Sky Lagoon

Reykjavík

Relaxing and pure bliss. The seven rituals were amazing.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

We would like to say thank you to Aleksandra and Kim Kim for fine work done to give us a great trip to England! In the
past we have planned our own trips but given our lack of knowledge of Cornwall, we asked Aleksandra to provide us
help in picking each day of our trip, with her help we sketched out a way to see a bit of London, see some historical
and architectural sites of significance, and pursue our interest in filming locations for Doc Martin and Poldark.
Aleksandra worked on our itinerary with us, counseling on what was possible to reasonably cover each day. She picked
great guides for us to see Oxford University (Jacob) and Salisbury Cathedral & area (Allison), got us booked for all of
the events we picked, even getting us good seats for Hamilton which was sold out at the performance we attended.

We were very pleased with Aleksandra's picks for places to stay. In all we stayed 12 nights spread over 9 locations. The White Hart Hotel was a very relaxing, enjoyable place to start our trip and get over our jet lag on arrival in London. Boscundle Manor was so comfortable I wished we were there more than 2 nights. The Three Tuns was another favorite as we were welcomed like family by other guests in the pub when we went down for dinner. After driving almost 6 hours
on Oct 1 we were very impressed with the Stan Hill Court Hotel. All of the places we stayed were well run, clean, and
had friendly staff and good food. Aleksandra provided a very comprehensive trip plan I could reference on my phone
with all the tickets, confirmation numbers etc

Things change given different events. In our case the weather was not totally cooperative to our plans and some of
the events needed to be rescheduled or dropped from our list. We managed to fill the gaps with trips to Gunwaloe
Beach and to Geevor Tin Mine. Aleksandra helped us with changes and even arranged some ticket refunds for the
events we could not attend. We are now back in Canada, very content with what we accomplished in the last two weeks.
We now contemplate doing this again. Aleksandra will be our first contact for another trip.
John & Sally Bell,
London, Ontario, Canada.

Hotel Reviews

Avonlea Guest House

Banbury

small room but very clean. Good food at breakfast

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Stanhill Court Hotel, a member of Radisson Individuals

Charlwood

Really interesting old estate that was turned into a hotel. Very relaxing for last location of our trip.

Authenticity & Character

Beautiful property

Location

15 min from Gatwick Airport

Staff

Very amenable to moving us to a ground floor room at our request

Cleanliness & Comfort

Tintagel Arms Bed and Breakfast

Tintagel

Authenticity & Character

Location

good access to Tintagel Castle and Port Isaac.

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

No 12 Furze Croft

St Ives

This was not a hotel. It was a couple rooms in someone's house. The owner was very friendly and helpful with advice on the area. Good parking and access to building.

Authenticity & Character

Very comfortable stay but was a new house location, not a traditional old hotel

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

The Three Tuns

Helston

very nice old place with friendly staff. Really fun atmosphere at dinner in pub

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Boscundle Manor

St Austell

very nice location, owner was quite helpful in ideas for doing things in area

Authenticity & Character

beautiful location

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

provided muffins to start the day in the room..nice idea

The St George and Dragon by Innkeeper's Collection

Topsham

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Sturdys Castle

Kidlington

good clean room suitable for a night stay. good food

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

The White Hart Hotel

Kingston upon Thames

very good food, very customer friendly

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Secrets of Salisbury Private Walking Expedition

England

Allison was very informative

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Iconic Oxford Private Walking Tour

Oxford

Jacob was great...knew his material and made the walk fun and interesting

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

We were a group of 21 people from US and South America, and enjoyed the tour to the fullest. It was a difficult tour (Nakasendo Trail) especially with such a large group, and the planning & operation was quite challenging. However, our first contact with Fei during the initial planning and operation was superb. Fei listened to requests patiently and skillfully understood our requirement to curate a perfectly suited tour itinerary. She worked real hard to get the suitable accommodation for the group's stay matching our expectations. As we moved closer to finalising the tour, Fei handed over the responsibility of looking after our travel arrangements to Angel. She too did a great job in delivering the tour services as planned and proposed initially by Fei. The tour went flawless, with only a few minor hiccups. Everything else was great. The selected guides, hotels, restaurants, vehicles and drivers were all nice and ensured the comfort level of the group during the tour.

Overall, the group had an amazing and fulfilling experience of the unique temple trail. We highly recommend traveling with Fei and Angel for travel to Japan to ensure peace of mind especially as language can be a great challenge. In fact, we are already planning to return back to this wonderful country with them for another experience next year.

Activity Reviews

Half Day Nara Tour

Nara

Quality of Experience

Half Day Fushimi Inari Taisha to Tofuku-ji Temple Hiking Experience

Kyoto

The guide was excellent, and we all had a great time.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

This was a memorable trip of a lifetime. Berat took care of the minute details while planning the trip for us and took into account all the places we wanted to visit
The hotels were amazing and all restaurant suggestions simply sumptuous.
We have to give our guide Volkan 5 shining stars. Not only was he well read and learned about the history of Turkey but took the pains to answer all our questions and went the extra step in making sure we were comfortable and had excellent food suggestions .
The drivers were safe on the roads and immaculate condition of the luxury cars were provided
Would use kim kim in a heart beat and would highly recommend Berat, Murat Volkan and their team to our friends and family
Gulle Gulle and Tesekkurler