Kimkim Trip Reviews

Amazing guides, and activities

This lodge was truly impressive. Their service excellent, and I love that they took every opportunity to surprise and exceed our expectations

Rooms were good, breakfast was amazing

We loved our room and being able to spread out. The whole property was beautiful and we loved being able to walk into town for dinner and to explore.

Beautiful location. We loved sitting in the chairs looking over the water at sunset and walking around the property. Richard, the kayak guide was great!

The views on this tour were amazing! Our guide, Richard was very knowledgeable and had lots of stories to share about his experiences guiding in many different countries.

Lincoln House was a suitable hotel for the last evening of our long vacation. We arrived late and left early. All was good.

This was our favorite hotel of the trip! Great location and absolutely beautiful room! Dinner was superb! We wish we could have stayed longer!

The great location of this hotel makes up for the minor complaints. With a little more attention to the room's furnishings, we would have given the hotel a 5-star rating.

Penally Abbey Country House was wonderful. The room was large, comfortable and well appointed. The bathroom was modern with a great walk-in shower.

Wonderful hotel - centrally located in Cardiff. We weren't able to enjoy it - because our flight was delayed and we arrived in Cardiff in the evening as opposed to noon.

Due to the flight delay, we were unable to make this trip.

Our expectations were somewhat low. Because we "lost" the first day of our trip, we were just happy to get on a boat and out on the water. The views of Tenby from the water were great. We did see two seals in the water. The boat was a nice size - maybe 30 of us. The 'captain/guide' was knowledgable. low-key and conversational.

Similar to our arrival - not being about departure is well worth it. It is great not to worry about returning the rental car and finding our way to the airport.

Nice Central Location. Has elevators, but still difficult to maneuver your luggage up some steps to get to the elevator.

The room with the bathrooms include included, was located in the basement and smelled of mold and horse manure. Window could not be open as there is no screen and flies will get in.. bathroom was tiny the size of a bathroom on a cruise ship. The Plz look more like a trailer home than a hotel but I guess given the location there are not many options. It was nice to see the horses right outside the window because it is a farm.

Beautiful location request a Lakeview room if you can

Very clean and modern room the amenities were top notch

Centrally located, but our room was across from the tavern and so it was noisy until late into the night. Breakfast was good with many options.

Dar Rihana was one of our favorite stays in Morocco. This beautiful boutique hotel in the Dades Valley strikes the perfect balance between comfort, thoughtful design, and warm hospitality. Our room was beautifully decorated, incredibly comfortable, and had some of the nicest amenities we experienced during our trip. As someone who sleeps with a body pillow at home, I was amazed to find one waiting in the room. It's the only hotel I've ever stayed in that had one, and it was such a thoughtful touch that made me feel right at home. The bathroom was also excellent, with a spacious shower and modern amenities. The pool area is peaceful, beautiful, and the perfect place to relax after a day of exploring the valley. What truly makes Dar Rihana special is the people. Mohammed, who manages the property, made us feel like family from the moment we arrived. He was incredibly kind, attentive, and always happy to help with anything we needed - even swimming lessons! We also enjoyed both dinner and breakfast at the hotel, and they were excellent. After a week of traditional Moroccan cuisine, the French-inspired dinner was a delicious change of pace. If you're visiting the Dades Valley, I can't recommend Dar Rihana enough. It feels personal, relaxing, and genuinely welcoming. We would happily stay here again.

Overall, we enjoyed our stay at Luxury Oasis Camp, though it ended up being one of our less memorable accommodations during our trip through Morocco. The camp itself is beautiful, and the tents are comfortable and well-appointed. Our favorite part of the experience was, without question, the camel trek into the Sahara. Mohammed, who led our camel ride, was incredibly friendly and made the experience so much fun. Riding camels through the dunes at sunset was one of the absolute highlights of our trip and is something we'll never forget. The hospitality at the camp itself felt a bit less personal than what we experienced elsewhere in Morocco. It's possible this was because we visited during the peak summer season, but the service didn't have the same warm, attentive feel that we had become accustomed to throughout the rest of our travels. One thing that surprised us was how close the camp is to several other desert camps. We had imagined being more isolated among the dunes, though that may simply be the reality of many desert camp experiences rather than something unique to this property. Despite those points, we're very glad we included a Sahara camp in our itinerary. If you're considering the experience, we'd absolutely recommend it for the camel ride alone, it was unforgettable.

We really enjoyed our stay here! The host was incredibly kind and welcoming, making us feel right at home from the moment we arrived. He also prepared us an amazing lunch that ended up being one of the best meals we had during our entire trip to Morocco. The room itself was quirky, charming, and full of character. It felt like the kind of place that makes traveling memorable—unique, authentic, and unlike any standard hotel experience. If you're looking for somewhere with personality rather than a luxury resort, this is exactly that. The only minor drawback was that the shower was a bit rustic and could use some updating. It wasn't a problem for our one-night stay, but if you're planning to stay several nights and prioritize modern amenities, it's something to keep in mind. Overall, we'd absolutely recommend this place to travelers looking for an authentic, one-of-a-kind experience in Chefchaouen. The warm hospitality, delicious food, and unique atmosphere made it one of the most memorable stops on our trip.

We had a great experience on our walking tour of Fes. It was definitely a full day with a lot of walking, but our guide was knowledgeable, engaging, and happy to tailor the tour to what we were most interested in seeing. One thing we really wanted to do was shop at the famous tanneries, and he made sure we had plenty of time there. He was flexible throughout the day and adjusted the itinerary based on our interests rather than rushing us from stop to stop. One of our favorite moments wasn't actually a planned stop. We took a break in the shade at the Nejjarine Museum of Wooden Arts & Crafts, and ended up sitting and talking with our guide for quite a while. He shared his story of growing up in Morocco, getting an education, moving to Fes, meeting his wife, and what dating and courtship are like in Moroccan culture. It was such an interesting conversation and gave us a glimpse into modern life in Morocco that we wouldn't have gotten otherwise. Like many tours in Fes, there were several stops at artisan workshops where we could watch skilled craftspeople making leather goods, pottery, weaving, and other traditional products before having the opportunity to shop. As someone who enjoys making things by hand, I genuinely appreciated seeing the craftsmanship that goes into these products. By the end of the day we were definitely ready for a break, but that's more a reflection of how much we packed into one day than anything else. Overall, it was an excellent introduction to Fes, and we left with a much deeper appreciation for the city's history, artisans, and culture.

The camel trek through the Sahara was one of the absolute highlights of our trip to Morocco. We weren't sure what to expect beforehand, but it ended up being an experience we'll remember for the rest of our lives. Our guide, Mohammed, was incredibly friendly and made the ride fun from start to finish. He clearly cared about the camels and took his time making sure everyone was comfortable. He was also happy to help us take photos along the way, which meant we came home with some amazing memories. Watching the landscape change as we rode through the dunes was unforgettable. It felt peaceful, surreal, and unlike anything we've ever experienced. If you're visiting Merzouga, I highly recommend adding a camel trek to your itinerary. It's such a unique way to experience the Sahara, and it ended up being one of our favorite memories from Morocco.

I absolutely loved my experience at this hammam. It felt luxurious from start to finish, and the space itself is beautiful. The decor and design really add to the whole experience. This was my first hammam, and the staff did a great job explaining everything and making me feel comfortable. As an American, being fully nude for this type of experience was definitely new to me, but everyone was very professional and made the whole process feel completely natural and relaxing. The massage was also excellent. I am a total baby when it comes to deep pressure, and the massage here was perfect for me. It was relaxing and effective without ever feeling too aggressive. This was definitely one of the highlights of my time in Morocco and an experience I would highly recommend!

Beautiful location!

Love Fosshotels!

Fosshotels are consistently wonderful!

Beautiful setting. Very consistent quality with all Fosshotels!

Loved the location

Our favorite hotel from the entire trip! Everything was OUTSTANDING!

Wonderful accommodations to stay out adventure. The only drawback was real difficulty finding parking in the city.

Amazing adventure in that super Jeep! The real deal with the crampons on the glacier!

Amazing experience. The staff was PHENOMENAL, knowledgeable, friendly, reassuring and fun!

Way too far from the beach and a really tough walk up to it, especially for a couple carrying a baby in the hot sun before check-in. They were unable to do early check-in either and given how far it was, we were stuck hanging out there for a few hours as it was too much trouble to walk back to the water front. Not the greatest breakfast and the room was ridiculously small given we were a couple with a baby. No cot provided and shower was so small, there was no way I could get away with safely bathing the baby.

Brilliant room and decent breakfast. Wish we could have stayed for longer! Staff were incredibly helpful, providing us with warm milk for baby and the lobby was beautiful. Brilliant grand piano!

Brilliant room and amazing breakfast. Very helpful staff who were responsive and supportive to our specific needs with a 1 year old baby as well.

Outstanding experience, was so nice to have the personal touches from the guide meeting his dad and having a drink. The restaurant was the highlight!

Favourite tour of the entire trip! Huge kudos to the guide. She was funny, guided our group well (although we had become smaller than Dubrovnik because some people dropped out as the morning at Plitvic Lakes was exhausting) and dropped us off at the restaurant.

Not the highlight of the trip. We landed in the heat of the sun along with bus load of tourists. The cobble stone streets made it impossible to navigate with a pram and it was hot and uncomfortable to carry our baby. Depending on the shoes one is wearing, the bridge can be slippery and it was crowded so felt really dangerous with a baby in arms. Overall, this one I could easily have missed as I don't think we really got a good experience of a lovely old town.

Dubrovnik is lovely and the guide was lovely. One thing that didn't work too well was the audio connection. It was a bit difficult to fully hear her above the noise in the town. Might have preferred this being in the evening under cooler and quieter conditions for the group to experience it fully.

OMG! This needed a full day. Probably would be slightly better if done outside of the tourist season but still an amazing experience. And it's a cooler place so the heat wasn't too bad even though we were walking around at the hottest time of the day.

The time taken to get there, via 2 border control crossings and having to navigate cobblestone steps in the heat of the mid-day sun with a 1 year old made this an experience I don't full remember cause we were just trying to find our way from one side of Mostar to the other.

Absolutely outstanding experience. Great to go to the islands and have fresh food cooked for us on the boat. Lovely amount of time to relax on a beach and get into the water. Good fun getting back with a thunderstorm chasing us. Made for a bit of an adventure although I would have hated it if the thunderstorm had caught up with us!

Amazing old place, very crooked, but in the heat very warm, no fans and no airconditioning.

Old flair and great breakfast room. Personal rooms were very warm and the ones we received were quite small (per reception staff, "the cheapest we have" - which was disappointing since we thought we paid for higher level - but that is on kimkim or its staffing

The hotel is great, its modern and efficient, thus somewhat lacking in charm. Its proximity to Heathrow is its main advantage. We had no problems here, but no standout experiences either - it met all our expectations, it just didn't excel at anything.

This hotel was very much in character with its surroundings in Moreton-in-Marsh. The staff were great and the room was quite nice. We took advantage of its proximity to the high-end restaurant Henne to enjoy a wonderful dinner one evening.

This was probably the best hotel of our trip. The room was well appointed and overlooked the street (pedestrian and automobile traffic was no issue). There was a nice park right outside the rear entrance that was nice to relax in. The staff were helpful and the food excellent. Walking to and from central Bath was easy from its location.

The location was great and both the staff and the breakfasts were excellent. The hotel does not have AC, so the heat wave this summer in London created some stuffy conditions in the room, but not uncomfortable.

I think this would be a great addition to anyone's itinerary to experience these gardens at the height of their greenery. Unfortunately for us, the drought and heat in England at this time lessened the experience somewhat. Not a fault of anyone, just mother nature intervening.

Taxi transfer from Hidcote Gardens back to the hotel. The driver was on time and efficient both coming and going to the gardens.

Taxi trip between the hotel and Hidcote Gardens

Short trip between the station and our hotel. The same drive brought us to the Hidcote gardens tour.

This tour allows you to experience the reconstructed Globe theater and the learn the history of the original and the revival of the current theater.

Ian was our tour guide and he provided a fantastic tour for us, visiting several villages and other sights and unique areas of the Cotswolds. He was not quite the same outgoing personality as our guide for Bath and Stonehenge, but he was very good at getting around and helping us learn about the unique history and culture of the area. We thoroughly enjoyed this tour.

A must see and must do tour. It's self-guided, but informative and engaging tour of an unique aspect of English and Roman history.

Wonderful and enthralling experience. We had the same tour guide - Dan - for this as for the walking tour of Bath. Dan is fantastic and really gave us a detailed experience within the stone circle of Stonehenge.

Quick and efficient taxi service between the hotel and station.

The driver was on-time at the station, were a little confused about where he was waiting for us and it took a while for us to find him.

We thoroughly enjoyed both the tour guide that preceded our entry into the Tower area and the Beefeater (Tower Guard) that provided the tour within the Tower castle area. Both were engaging and knowledgeable and very responsive to questions.

The self-guided tour of the castle and grounds was great. There is almost always a queue for the Doll House, so come expecting that. We made some decisions about the order in which we proceeded through the grounds based on where larger groups were heading.

A experience in and of itself. The tea was great and the accompanying selection of small sandwiches and desserts were wonderful. We were just a bit sluggish since we had just arrived in London with little if any sleep on the plane.

Our guide, Dan, was absolutely fantastic. He was very engaging, and was able to link his and our experiences to the elements of the tour. We thoroughly enjoyed our day with him. There were many highlights, but his choice of pub for dinner on the drive between Bath and Stonehenge was inspired - hard to beat a pub with about 700 years of service history.

This was, by far, our favorite hotel. Everything was exceptionally clean, the rooms were lovely, the AC was perfect, & the staff was friendly & helpful. We loved that we could take our breakfast outdoors. The patio & area by the pool & bar was lovely, & Denzel, the bartender, was the best. It was clear how much pride he took in his work & he made our evenings a lot of fun.

Although we were pleased to have AC, this was probably our least favorite hotel, although I can't entirely say why we felt that way. The location was great -- very convenient to shops & restaurants & the pier -- & the rooms were spacious. My room had an amazing view. The manager was surprisingly gruff when guests were asking for towels for the day. Although I was able to get some for the day, the manager refused to give them to other guests, saying that the tour boats were obligated to provide them -- but they did not. The to-go breakfast was also inedible & a lot of the baked items & breads were stale at the regular breakfast. I also ended up with ants in my toothpaste....

A great team & great service. Nice bar, too. We were definitely glad that we stayed here & not the lodge that was another two hours upstream. Although we had been encouraged to stay for 3 nights, I'm glad we only stayed two because I'm not convinced we would have seen much that was new with another day (& it was HOT & buggy). The food was decent.

Nice hotel, but nothing special. Not in a particularly interesting area, but it felt safe. The hotel does not have AC, which was fine in my room since my window didn't face the main street, but it was a problem for my daughter, whose room faced a busy street. Breakfast was good, though, & the service was great.

Not one of our best dinners. Decent, but not impressive. In retrospect, we should have planned more of our own meals, especially since I was traveling with people who were good at doing that.

I've already covered how we didn't do the experience that had been planned for us on this day & went to Papallacta instead of returning to Quito. I'm giving this portion of the day just 2 stars because the hotel arrangements for this evening frustrated me. One place in my detailed travel plan stated that we were going to be staying at a hotel at the airport on the evening between Yasuní & San Cristóbal. I didn't notice, however, that the actual hotel planned for this evening was in Quito. With an early morning flight, we saw no reason to be in Quito for the night, so I ended up paying an extra $300 to stay out at the airport. The travel document shouldn't have contradicted itself. That still bugs me. And even if we had gone into Quito for the afternoon (& dinner), staying near the airport made much more sense for this evening between the two major portions of our trip.

We did not need this activity. By the end, we were too tired to do a 90-minute round trip for a meal. Plus, the restaurants that had been picked for us were not up to the standards the foodies in my group had in mind. Fortunately, Sebastian was able to allow us to eat wherever we chose & applied the money I had already paid to the meal we chose to have in the hotel at the airport. I very much appreciated Sebastian's willingness to modify activities and, when possible, to apply funds for one activity to another activity. That was definitely concierge-level service.

Charles Darwin Station gets 5 stars, but the speedboat gets 1 star. I'm not sure there was any other way to get from San Cristóbal to Santa Cruz, however. It's a really long & grueling boat ride -- choppy, lots of fumes, cramped -- especially if you have someone with you who's prone to seasickness. The drive into the highlands was lovely, though, & it was fun seeing the Giant Tortoises. The food at the farm was also very good. Aside from the boat ride, my only complaints about the day were that breakfast wasn't really figured into a day that started very early (because the to-go breakfast was a thin slice of cheese between two small pieces of toast) & the day ended too soon. It seemed like there could have been recommendations for what to do in the afternoon (although we loved Santa Cruz a lot & found lots of interesting art shops to visit).

I'm not sure we did all these things this day & I don't know if we went to Tijeretas Hill at all. All I'm sure we did was snorkel & that was probably at La Lobería. The Interpretation Center was a definite waste of time, but the snorkeling was excellent. Our guide in San Cristóbal was Esteban & I would definitely say that he was the one guide that did not impress us. I understand that he had recently returned to work from a serious motorcycle accident, & he has my deepest sympathy for his injury, but it's odd to pair a guide who walks with a cane with a traveler who has emphasized how active & busy a trip she wants. We definitely had to slow our walking pace down for Esteban. In addition, Esteban was the only one of our guides throughout the trip who really struggled with English. We would ask him a question, & he would answer a completely different question. He did not seem to know as much about flora, fauna, and Ecuadorian history as, say, Francisco or Marcelo (our favorite guides).

All the drivers were great & right on time. They were also patient about waiting for us when they needed to do so. They were extremely helpful. Sometimes, though, we didn't really need car transportation in the Galápagos. We were happy to do a 5- or 10-minute walk on our own. We had traveled light so we could also easily do a half-mile walk with our luggage. If you're going to hike for 2.5 miles, you don't need a car for the .5-mile walk to where the hike starts.

The kayak trip was great. The walk out to the kayaks was lovely, too, although we should have been informed that we'd be walking probably 5-6 miles in total because, once again, some of us did not have the right shoes on for the distance. We saw a lot of birds, fish, & sea turtles & Tortuga Beach was a lovely place to kayak. I would give that activity 5 stars. We were less satisfied with the afternoon snorkel trip. The visibility & what we were able to see during the snorkeling was great, but the trip itself was not entirely great. First, there were too many people in the group (15) so the boat felt crowded, & too many of them had never snorkeled & weren't even capable swimmers. There was only one guide in the water & it was impossible for him to manage 15 people with varying abilities in choppy water. I've never been kicked while snorkeling so many times in my life. Plus, the guide didn't provide enough information as to where we would go once we were in the water, so everyone was a bit confused. There was also a weird occurrence when we got off the boat. Someone from the agency came to pick up our gear, but we didn't have any gear from a dive shop. All we had was what was on the boat & those snorkel masks were annoyingly cheap (no valves, poor fit) & we didn't even have flippers, which definitely would have been nice to have. Also, the hike to the lava formation was nice & the formations themselves were beautiful, but that spot was way too crowded for any swimming or snorkeling. We ended up at the bar along the way.

This day was definitely one of the highlights of the trip. We loved that there was a place where the divers in our party could dive but where those of us who could only snorkel could snorkel. The divers loved that they got two dives, thought they had a great dive master, & enjoyed what they could see (including sharks!). We all saw sea turtles, lots of colorful fish, &, of course, the ubiquitous sea lions. It was also great that we got outfitted the day before so we were prepared with well-fitting gear for the dive & snorkel trip. The young people also loved the chance to swim to the beach & have a little beach time. My daughter is an avid sheller & loved the shells she could find (but accepted that she couldn't keep them).

I'm going to use this space to address internal flights & our replacement activity for July 29th. First off, I was grateful that Alvaro took care of making the internal reservations, but I wish I had given him information about our seating preferences on airplanes. Also, it became clear that our afternoon activity was really something we'd already done -- i.e., a visit to Old Town with a food tour. Fortunately, Francisco recommended a replacement activity -- a trip out to Papallacta & the young people loved that. I know they love hot springs & massages, but I didn't know there was an option for that near Quito. Along the way, Francisco also gave the young foodies a chance to try some type of cane sugar cocktail & they enjoyed that a lot. My favorite part of the outing was the absolutely lovely 2.5-mile hike behind the Papallacta hot springs. I've already recommended Papallacta to my sister, who travels to Ecuador a lot, because her husband loves hot springs & massages. The kids loved the price on the massages.

The whole Yasuní experience was fantastic. We had two wonderful guides, Marcelo & Lucas (sp?), who worked hard to make sure we saw as much wildlife as possible. One highlight of the Yasuní trip was the sunrise bird-watching & the skill the guides had at finding birds, knowing what they were, & making sure we saw them. The canoe ride where we saw caimans & several species of monkeys was the other highlight, but we also enjoyed our visit to the women's cultural center. It was interesting to learn about the work the women are doing & aspects of Quechua culture, & the small shop was a terrific place to get small souvenirs. We all tried cooked palm larva (not as bad as beetles). I strongly recommend bringing along someone who is willing to eat raw palm larva, as that will entertain everyone. We had thought we were going to do something in the village at 4:30 am on our last day, but the guides didn't seem enthused & we were tired because the sunrise bird watch had been really early, so we skipped that. The lodge & the food were basically what we expected -- not luxurious, but fine. And the staff was incredible.

This day was a little confusing. The day turned out great, but it was another day when I wasn't sure what the options were or how to choose between them. The butterfly garden & bird sanctuary were amazing & fun. The drive out to Mindo was lovely. I thought we were going to go tubing, but we ended up zip lining at the recommendation of our guide & I guess that was okay. At first, I thought we would have time for both, but that didn't work out. We should not have tried to squeeze in the chocolate factory, as we didn't really have time for the tour. Instead, the guide suggested that we use the $40 allotted to purchase chocolate & souvenirs. Since I didn't know what else to do, we did that, but I wasn't really happy spending $40 that way. And since we did the upgraded zip line, I had to spend $40 there. I would have preferred the $40 to be applied to the zip lining (which was great, even though it was not, as billed, a way to see birds or wildlife). I also want to mention that Francisco was a fabulous guide. The young people in my group especially loved him. He was fun, funny, knowledgeable, made great suggestions, & recommended little add-ons (especially opportunities for my young foodies to try local foods) that were great. His English was outstanding, too. Since we had basically done the post-Yasuni afternoon on our first day, he also gave us a great recommendation for that afternoon -- Papallacta.

We enjoyed the view of the city & the ride up in the cable car. This is one activity, though, where we would have benefited from having more information. Alvaro made it sound as if it was an easy hike. It was, but only because we barely hiked, as we weren't prepared for the altitude or the distance. I would have liked to have hiked farther, but since Alvaro made it sound as if it was a short hike (which it definitely didn't need to be), I didn't have my walking sticks with me, & the kids didn't have the right shoes. In addition, had I thought about the altitude, I would have asked for this activity to be scheduled for day 2 to give us a chance to adjust to the altitude. Once we finished the hike, it didn't make sense for us to go to the park (which didn't look terribly interesting when I finally googled it) because we needed to eat. So we ended up going to Old Town, which was great -- a nice lunch, a tour of the churches (the Basilica was stunning), and then an artisan market. I needed to have looked at activities in more detail before I left for the trip, but that was hard to do. Overall, I would say that I asked Alvaro various times how long activities would take & when we would start & finish the day, & I didn't get enough information from him to be helpful. Also, on this day, I had asked Alvaro to make reservations at a specific restaurant & discovered that he hadn't done it -- & that he hadn't done so for subsequent evenings, either. That turned out not to matter much, but it did bother me that he said he would do that & didn't.

This hotel was described as a kimkim gem ! It truly was a gem ! Great location, beautiful room , fantastic restaurant in the hotel , and great staff . We loved it

It was an amazing experience

Location is too far from the center of town if no car is available. ADA not up to standards. View into backyard not particularly special.

Great location across from walking park and water. Walking distance to the center of town. Nice to have your own space with a kitchen included.

Wow, great view. Funky hotel unlike anything I've ever seen. VERY tough drive up to the spot, but worth it. Provided room service since restaurant was not ADA. Food excellent.

Great location over the lake. A hilly walk to town, but great view.

OMG. Great service, great staff, great room, and most importantly, homemade ice creams and sherbets! Generous breakfast buffet. ADA wonderful.

Room not large enough, ADA facilities not great. Restaurant could have been cleaner.

Always great to be on the water and to see beauty.

The tour guides for this were fun and well informed.

Nice trip with great views of dolphins, penguins, and seals. Kind staff who helped my wheelchair bound husband.

Sadly, it was not available.

I am a sailor and loved being in the City of Sails and actually sailing.