Kimkim Trip Reviews

We worked with Angel for 12 months. She knocked it out of the park. It was the perfect trip from start to finish. She answered all our questions that came up through out the entire process. She was so thorough and very prompt to respond. All tour experiences were 10/10. They were exactly what my husband and I asked to experience. We only wished we had spent one less day in Kyoto and one more day exploring Miyajima Island. Other than that we have zero complaints. Angel took the time to hear our wish list, find the perfect accommodations, and make traveling between cities and tours seamless!! Thank you Angel and team. It was the trip of a lifetime for us!

Our guides in each of the locations were friendly, knowledgeable and communicated well. The van drivers were all very good at navigating the tricky traffic. We have traveled in East Asia, Europe, North, Central and South America and this is the first time we have used a travel service like Kim Kim. Kim Kim handled all of the logistics of hotels, traveling from sight to sight and city to city, very well. It was low stress compared to handling all of it by ourselves.
We had one person in our group with mobility issues and all of our guides did a good helping this individual and keeping us on point with our tour.

Bangkok - Hotel - Very nice with a great location close to the river and sights.
Guide and driver - Mr Oakky was pleasant, spoke good English and unassuming.
Methavalia Sorndaeng restaurant was a very nice surprise.
Best stop - Wat Arun or Grand Royal Palace.

Siem Reap - Hotel - Metta- Nice Hotel with a quick TukTuk ride into the city.
Guide -Peuro, Driver-Tom Both did great.
Favorite stop. Loved them all. Ta Prohm Temple was amazing and Angkor Wat did not disappoint.

Ho Chi Minh
Hotel- Eden Star -
Guide - Happiness - Took extra steps and friendliest guide. He took pictures and short video clips and sent us video of the highlights with music. Added extras of the engraved straw on the Lan Thanh Cruise and engraved chop sticks at Xom Nho were appreciated.

Dong Hoi to Hoi An
Various Hotels
Guide - An, Driver Mr E
An did a great job for us going through the paradise cave and the DMZ.

Hanoi
Hotel -Delicacy - Least impressive but a good location.
Hotel - Paradise Grand Cruise - Best accommodations.

Guide - Huy(Wee) Did. Great job the first allowing us to see the Hanoi Hilton and the railroad market which were not included in our tour. Very friendly and spoke great English. He had a family emergency which he had to attend to. Our Driver Hung did above what was expected taking us to our cruise and back without a guide.

Hotel Reviews

Peony Cruise

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Thanh Lich Royal Boutique Hotel

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hoi An Delicacy Hotel & Spa

Hoi An

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

MK Premier Boutique hotel

Hanoi

In two rooms in this hotel. Room 803 smelled musty and had some water damage on the outside wall. Good Air conditioner. The second room 502 the safe was not working. Friendly staff

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Water damage and musty smell in room 803 and safe did not work in 502.

Sun Spa Resort

dong hoi

Authenticity & Character

Location

Enjoy the beach. Only place with a beach

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Eden Star Hotel & Spa

Ho Chi Minh City

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Metta Residence & Spa

Krung Siem Reap Siem Reap

Authenticity & Character

Location

Outside of the city but an easy TukTuk ride into the city

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Centre Point Hotel Silom

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Hanoi city sightseeing

Hanoi

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Hoi An - Da Nang Airport - Fly to Hanoi

Vietnam

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Wee and Hung were great this day

Transport

Hoi An Free Day

Hoi An

Quality of Experience

Hoi An - Cam Thanh Coconut Village - Hoian Ancient Town

Hoi An

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Hue, Visit Tomb of Emperor Tu Duc - Hoi An

Vietnam

Quality of Experience

Ok

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Hue: Thuy Bieu Ecovillage, Cooking Class & Imperial Citadel

Hue

Dong Hoi - Hien Luong Bridge - Quang Tri Citadel - Hue

Vietnam

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Ho Chi Minh - Fly to Dong Hoi - Phong Nha Cave - Paradise Cave

Vietnam

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Ho Chi Minh City - Mekong Delta, Explore Ben Tre - Ho Chi Minh City

Vietnam

Hanoi - Halong Bay, Overnight on Cruise

Vietnam

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Siem Reap - Fly to Ho Chi Minh - Ho Chi Minh half-day city tour

Ho Chi Minh City

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Happiness was great

Transport

Siem Reap: Angkor Thom - Ta Prohm - Angkor Wat

Siem Reap

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Siem Reap: Banteay Srei - Pre Rup - Tonle Sap Lake

Siem Reap

Banteay Srei - Pre Rup was amazing. Since it was not the raining season, Tonle Sap Lake was low and we couldn't appreciate the area as much as expected. The stilted houses were interesting but didn't see wildlife or the floating village.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Bangkok - Fly to Siem Reap, Cambodia

Siem Reap

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Bangkok - Railway market - Floating market

Bangkok

Quality of Experience

Food

The pancakes and spring rolls were good.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Bangkok City tour (B)

Bangkok

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Halong Bay - Hanoi

Vietnam

We would like 2 nights here

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Enjoyed the trip overall. Hind sight I think we would have liked to plan more physical activity and walking around. We spent entirely too much time driving from place to place. Mustapha was an amazing driver and we thoroughly enjoyed his company. We learned more about Morocco from him than all the other tour guides combined. I didn't really like the walking tour of Merrekach I don't think you really need a guide there. Ossama was a good dude and we enjoyed hanging out with him but I don't think you really need a guide there. Fez you certainly do and that was really worth while but not there.

Hotel Reviews

Palais Sebban

Marrakech

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Dar Rihana Dades

Douar Aït Ouffi

best food we had the entire trip we enjoyed staying here.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Half-Day Guided Tour of Marrakech

Marrakesh

didn't really find it that useful. the city is easily navigated without a guide.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Transfer from Fes to Merzouga via Erfoud & Camel Ride

Morocco

I didn't particularly care much for the whole camel ride experience. it wasn't very pleasant for me personally. the guide was a nice kid and the camp site was cool but I didn't think it was some life changing experience.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Guided Tour of Fez Medina

Fes

honestly don't know how you could explore Fez without a guide kinda mandatory

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Architectural Elegance: A Journey through the Hassan II Mosque

Morocco

beautiful mosque was cool to see

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

We had an amazing time traveling through Romania. Florin was always very responsive while planning the trip. He created a wonderful itinerary and then was also our guide. He was incredibly knowledgeable and very accommodating. Everything went as expected and I feel like we made a new friend.

Our specialist was Ruth Grau. She did a very good job in suggesting locations and activities for our trip. Ruth was very communicative in the beginning until she became ill. At some point about two weeks before the trip she did not respond to our inquiries for several days. We then received an email, saying that she was very ill and it will take a few days until she’ll get back with us. We were a little stressed that we won’t be able to be booked in hotels because of the high demand during the high season. Why were our inquiries not delegated to someone else at this point?
We also asked several time for the breakdown of the costs of hotels and activities. We were told by Ruth that Kimkim does not provide this information. Why doesn’t Kimkim provide this information? It would be very useful in making decisions.
During the process of making changes to our itinerary one night lodging was left out at Te Anau. We contacted Tayla and she made other arrangements at a much reduced quality for what we paid at the Distinction Luxmore Hotel. We greatly appreciated Tayla’s prompt response and her covering the cost of that night’s lodging.

We enjoyed all the planned activities very much. Most of the accommodations were good.

Hotel Reviews

Sudima Auckland City

Auckland

Heritage Dunedin Leisure Lodge

Dunedin

Distinction Luxmore Hotel

Te Anau

Mercure Queenstown Resort

Queenstown

Heart Hotel Fox Glacier

Fox Glacier

BreakFree on Cashel

Christchurch

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Access to bed on both sides. Bed was against one wall and could only accessed from one side.

Ibis Budget Auckland Airport

Auckland Airport

Activity Reviews

Auckland Shuttle Transfer Hotel to International Airport

New Zealand

Auckland Shuttle Transfer Domestic Airport to Hotel

New Zealand

Full Day Hike (self guided) and Guided Kayak

New Zealand

Wildlife Cruise

Dunedin

Doubtful Sound Wilderness Cruises

New Zealand

Full Day Milford Track Giant Gate Guided Walk

New Zealand

Te Anau Glowworm Caves - ex Te Anau

New Zealand

Welcome to Te Anau

Te Anau

Half Day Wilderness Safari - Jetboat

Queenstown (NZ)

Boutique Wine Tour - Half Day

Queenstown (NZ)

Franz Joseph 4 hour Kayak and Walk

New Zealand

I wish that I could give more than 5 stars for Giulia and her team. I received more than I paid for due to Giulia's constant messages on ideas that she had and places to go. She always had an insight to where we were and was very involved before and during the trip. When I was lost on a custom or courtesy, she gently and easily readdressed it all without me having to wait a long time.
I highly recommend anyone use this team and I will be referring friends and family to Giulia as it comes up. Thank you for helping make my wife's birthday trip an unforgettable experience.

Jay and Lys

Activity Reviews

Winery visit with wine tasting and cooking class

Italy

Our day started and ended with a great driver, Stefano, who was knowledgable about the area and had a clean and beautiful van to take us around. Seriously, great driver. He was technically supposed to have dropped us off but just HAD to take us to a very romantic must see spot before we left, Piazzale Michelangelo. This was NOT on the itinerary and he made it happen. The winery was incredible and the staff were amazing. We ended up ordering a bunch of stuff, since we liked it so much!

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Rome Private Guided Walk

Rome

Our guide was kind and cared about what we wanted to see, skipping things that she knew we didn't want to do, which gave us more time to see and do the things we really wanted to. As a lover of history, she was able to give us the down and dirty of everything Rome, since she is a born and raised Roman. She was amazing. I highly recommend Maria, our guide as the go to professional for anyone visiting Rome.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Olman at KimKim did an excellent job in planning our family spring break to Costa Rica. When we were landing extra early and due to preferences, he reversed the itinerary happily and with no issues. Selvatura Park with hanging bridges, zip line and the tarzan swing was a blast. Such a great choice for us! Two day white water rafting with an overnight on the river side was amazing! We did so much to mention but had a wonderful trip and it was so well planned by Olman at KimKim. I have tried to plan my own vacation and uncertainty and procrastination led me to not
completing. Will use KimKim for all our future trips! Already thinking about Portugal for Spring Break 2027. Definitely leaving to the experts to plan all my future travel!

Hotel Reviews

Hilton Garden Inn, La Sabana

San José

Nice hotel but only gave us two bath towels when booked for three people. Could not get anyone to answer the phone for an extra towel. Gym was really good.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Pacuare River Lodge

Bajo Tigre

Loved the complete disconnection. This is camping … no electricity, no wifi and no hot water which was all good but wish we knew this in advance to set our expectations. Best sleep listening to the river.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Arenal Paraíso Resort, Spa & Hot Springs

La Fortuna

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

El Establo Mountain Hotel

Monteverde

Excellent gym - comfortable beds / room and the breakfast was amazing. Very large hotel campus on steep mountain so you cannot get around unless you order a shuttle. It is open air - open windows as it’s very cool in Monteverde. Due to that you do hear other guests as they walk in the hall … Really enjoyed but it was a bit too big of a hotel campus for me.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Rooms were really nice and spacious bathrooms.

Activity Reviews

Day 1 Rafting Trip on Rio Pacuare - Pacuare River Lodge

Costa Rica

Amazing experience and our guides were amazing cooks…. best food we ate during our vacation

Quality of Experience

Food

Best food we had during our week trip

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

EcoTermales Hot Springs Experience with Meal

Arenal/La Fortuna

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Selvatura Park Self-Guided Hanging Bridges & Zip Lining

Monteverde

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Mathilde planned a wonderful trip for our family. The variety of tours was perfect. We especially liked our food tour in Munich as it wasn’t just focused on Bavarian food, but also other international flavors which have been adopted into the culture.

The hotels were in perfect locations for walking to all the important sites.

There really isn’t anything she could have done to improve our experience. Thank you.

I do have one suggestion for KimKim though. I would wait a few days after our trip to ask for a review, as sending the email while still on vacation spoils the last day. We are not done yet. Thank you.

Best,
Christina

Activity Reviews

More Than Viktualienmarkt Food Tour

Munich

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Neuschwanstein and Linderhof Premium Tour

Munich

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Myths & Legends Munich walking tour

Munich

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Apple Strudel & Cookies cooking class incl. Lunch

Salzburg

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Salzburg Introduction

Salzburg

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Nuremberg Medieval Old Town Walking Tour

Nuremberg

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Our driver Mohammed was excellent. Also our guide Kamal in Fes, Ibrahim in our ATV tour and shahid in Marrakesh were very good also. Most memorable event was spending night in desert.

Hotel Reviews

2Ciels Boutique Hotel

Marrakech

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

La Perle du Dadès

Boumalne

Location

No

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Riad Madu Luxury Camp

Merzouga

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Riad Madu

Merzouga

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Riad Maison Bleue And Spa

Fes

The hotel is excellent. Specially the bed and the furniture take you back to old times.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Tour Marrakech with a private guide

Marrakesh

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Boumalne Dades to Marrakech, via Ouarzazate and Ait BenHaddou

Morocco

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Erg Chebbi Dunes to Boumalne Dades

Morocco

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

SUV excursion in the Sahara

Morocco

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

ATV / Dune Buggy Adventure in the Sahara Desert

Morocco

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Merzouga Oasis and Family Lunch

Morocco

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

From Fes to Merzouga via the Atlas Mountains (Ifrane, Azrou and Zaida)

Morocco

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Tour Fes with a Private Guide

Fes

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

En Route stop at Volubilis

Morocco

Quality of Experience

Transport

Our trip was fantastic with exceptional hotels and terror guides. Lucy was always available to answer our questions and solve any issues we had although to be fair everything was fairly seemless. I would recommend KimKim without reservation. Thank you Lucy.

Everything was very smooth, including transfers. Two suggestions. First, rather than travelling two consecutive days to the National Park from Puerto Natales, we would have enjoyed staying in the Park one night to eliminate the travel back to town and then back to the Park. The road was very rough and tiring. I would suggest at least offering the option although I realize places to stay are limited and more costly.

Second, one of the days, the trip to Cape Froward was canceled due to weather conditions. Alex rebooked us on two substitute excursions very quickly, which we appreciated. I was concerned about the hike on the Cape Froward booking and expressed my concerns to Alex on two occasions. He assured me it was an easy walk. I spoke to several folks who did the hike and it involved fording streams and at some points using ropes to pull oneself up the mountain. I am 71 years old and I am not sure that I would have described what was a 4 hour round trip to be an easy walk. So I just recommend know your clientele because what might be an easy walk for some folks may not be for others.

Thanks.

Hotel Reviews

Hotel Costanera

Puerto Natales

Very clean and well appointed hotel. Great views and good location. Good breakfast and staff very accomodating.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Ilaia

Punta Arenas

Very welcoming and accommodating staff, a good location, and although the bedrooms were small, there were several cozy places to sit including a third floor room with great views. Also, good breakfast.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

very friendly and helpful

Cleanliness & Comfort

very clean, toilet located very close to shower, which made taking a shower interesting.

Activity Reviews

Trekking to Cape Froward

Punta Arenas

N/A Cancelled ... instead we were booked on a dophin viewing trip and a hike. Both were cut short due to weather. The guide on the hike was not English speaking but Nico did his best to translate. The Guide (I think Caesar) was very enthusiastic and knowledgeable.

Quality of Experience

Food

a surprise treat at end of hike

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Guides were very nice and enthusiastic

Transport

Boat Trip to Glacier Grey

Chile

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

great info on boat

Transport

Full-Day Tour of Torres del Paine National Park

Chile

Quality of Experience

Food

Our itinerary indicated lunch was include, but the guide said KimKim did not pay for????

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

road was incredibly rough

Explore Punta Arenas

Punta Arenas

Was not as informative as I expected

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Penguin Colony on Magdalena Island

Chile

Quality of Experience

Transport

Our guides (Sebastian & Edwin) were absolute ROCKSTARS! We are so grateful for the time that they spent with us. Tamer, once again, helped to create and organize another spectacular experience in Ecuador & The Galápagos Islands. Thank you!

This was a great trip which we had planned for ages as a bucket list item. We wanted to concentrate on birds and the trip that KimKim planned (Yuliana) met all our wishlist items. We were happy to let Yuliana plan the route and do all the heavy lifting on the hotel bookings, car rental and many guided walks. We added a couple of our own once we knew a bit more about where we were and had familiarised ourselves with the various areas we travelled to.
We covered a lot of ground in 17 days and experienced a variety of climates, scenery and birdlife. It was great - Costa Rica is an easy country to get around, the people are friendly and the birds of course are amazing.
One thing to note is that hotel rooms do not have kettles (some had a coffee machine, others had nothing at all) so a travelling kettle is a good idea. Best guides: Christian at La Selva; Kendall at Curi Cancha and Dylan at Manual Antonio. Their knowledge is amazing. We loved it all.

Hotel Reviews

Dreams Lodge Monteverde

Santa Elena

It's a basic B&B

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

We had cold water shower

The Falls at Manuel Antonio

Manuel Antonio

We enjoyed staying here the room was lovely

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Very nice staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Heliconias Nature Inn

Peñas Blancas

Sorry but this was not our favourite. Room was dark, few powerpoints, no bedside lights, WC horrible. There were nicer rooms but ours was not one. Restaurant overpriced and bad food. Also it's too far from La Fortuna

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Auténtico Hotel

San José

Good for first night

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Natural Caño Negro Lodge

we really enjoyed this hotel, lovely surroundings, friendly staff, good restaurant and bar, nice big room and shower in a natural and exotic setting.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Have to drive along a bumpy dirt road to get here

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve Guided Hike

Monteverde

This was not a 'birdwatching' tour but was OK. Our fellow guests were a strange lot and not very friendly. But we did see a quetzal so that was cool. It was quite crowded.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Early Birdwatching Tour at Curi-Cancha Reserve

Monteverde

One of the best trips - Kendall was amazing. Took us outside the reserve to see toucanets - brilliant. Lots of people but we saw lots of things thanks to him. He would have liked to start earlier and I think it would be good if he could have contacted us directly.

Quality of Experience

Kendall

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Guided Nature Walk at Danaus Ecological Park

Arenal/La Fortuna

This was OK , butterfly enclosure a highlight. Not many birds

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Carlos friendly and helpful

Birdwatching at Arenal Mundo Aventura Natural Park

Arenal/La Fortuna

This was good after a rather scary drive to the park in the dark. Ronald very knowledgeable and pleasant. Nice selection of birds and good breakfast afterwards - appreciated after missing breakfast at the hotel

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Caño Negro Wildlife Refuge Bird Watching Tour

Caño Negro

This was good and we saw loads. Minor problem was others on the boat had no binoculars so it slowed everything down. 2 good guides and nice lunch afterwards.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Birdwatching Tour at Boca Tapada

Boca Tapada

Good guide for early morning walk after downpour Christian 2. Best part about BT was the feeders which brought loads of birds

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Birdwatching Tour at La Selva Biological Station

Sarapiquí

Our first bird tour, very good. Loads of birds. Christian very knowledgeable

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Night Walk at Tirimbina Rainforest Center

Sarapiquí

The link sent us to the wrong place; we eventually got there but it was pouring with rain. The bridge was very scary

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

She knew her stuff

We had a great time. The highlight had to be the overnight boat trip on Doubtful Sound. The crew and other guests (only 8 others) were great but the waterfalls and mountains were outstanding. Our first day was rainy with low clouds - a very moody effect. The second day was clear with great views and still water.

The landscape on the South island of New Zealand is amazing. We traveled from the west side to the east side and enjoyed it all. KimKim and Monica, did a great job of providing a well paced itinerary with a ton of variety. All the details were taken care of and we still had flexibility to go at our own speed.

Driving on the left was easier that we anticipated. Traffic was light and other drivers were relaxed. We put on approx 1700 km/1000 miles and it worked out great. Don't let the "wrong" side stop you from driving.

We really like the process of fine tuning the itinerary with a local travel agent before the trip even started. Monica was wonderful. We did not need it but, it was nice to feel supported if we had any issues while on the trip. This is our third KimKim trip (Norway and Nepal) and it has worked out well each time.

Hotel Reviews

Doubtful Sound Overnight Cruise - Southern Secret

The best experience of our trip.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

both were outstanding

Cleanliness & Comfort

The Mayfair

Christchurch

Great room, very modern and comfortable. Good location. Walking distance from the Botanical Gardens.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Skyline Gondola transport

Queenstown (NZ)

ok, not much room to walk around at the top.

Quality of Experience

Doubtful Sound Overnight Cruise - small group onboard Southern Secret (Fiordland Cruises)

New Zealand

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Christchurch to {{end_location}} (Scenic Train) TranzAlpine , standard class fare

New Zealand

I have a lot to say. First of all, I am "generally" happy with my KimKim booking. Lucy was very responsive in creating a trip for us, and made changes according to our requests. However, once we paid in full for the trip, two of the hotels were changes, to what I would consider a lower level of hotel.
HCMC
Hotel. We liked the Bach Suites hotel, even though it was not the hotel we were promised when we booked the trip. The staff was lovely, and the breakfast was good. The room was comfortable and I liked the gym. Some areas were in a bit of disrepair with general maintenance needed. I just felt "duped" by the switch. Also, the noise from the nearby disco was very annoying. I understand this is not the hotel's fault, but it is a nuisance.
Tours. By far, the tours provided in HCMC were our least favorite. Our tour guide, Anna was partially to blame. She made us feel like touring for us was such a burden to her. The walking tour left a lot to be desired. The temple, meh, the lacquer museum was merely a gift shop disguised as a learning experience, and at the war museum instead of guiding us around she said "see you in an hour". The tour the following day to the Mekong Delta was not much better. She complained about the gas prices, and how they were not making any money one the tour. She took us to a bee factory - another shop disguised as an event. When I was stung by a bee on my face, she refused ice and said a cream she had was adequate. She basically blamed me for getting stung - I should not have tried to swat it away. BTW, my face was swollen for a week. It's a good thing I traveled with an antibiotic. The candy factory was another gift shop disguised as a tour, and the boat ride gave me Disneyland jungle cruise vibe. I sincerely feel like this was a completely wasted day.

HUE
Hotel. Silk Path was excellent. Breakfast excellent, staff excellent. Room comfortable. highly recommend this hotel.
Tours. Vu Dang was an excellent tour guide. The cyclo food tour was very fun, not too long, and the restaurants he took us to were great. The next day we toured the former capital and had lunch at a local home, visited the pagoda and took a dragon boat tour. We enjoyed the day thoroughly. The next day, we were supposed to go on the Tam Giang Lagoon Survival tour, but the weather was terribly rainy. Not a problem, Vu was able to pivot and take us to two local farms where we were able to learn about the local farming . It was all interesting, and the lunch at Mr. Nam's house was so fun! A great way to spend the day before flying of to Hanoi.

HANOI
Hotel. Hanoi Imperial Hotel & Spa. Another Hotel that was switched after payment. Hotel was fair at best. I am still wondering where the "spa" is. They staff was accommodating and made us feel welcome. Our room had a shower that flooded the entire bathroom, and the breakfast was mediocre.
Tour. Our full day city tour was great. Tony was an exceptional guide, and guided us around like a pro. We especially enjoyed the Museum of Ethnology, and Tony was great at pointing out interesting displays and exhibits that were housed there. We enjoyed his company and knowledge. My one comment is that it was a very FULL day, and maybe too long for older guests.

SAPA
Hotel. Aliana Boutique Hotel was nice. Staff very welcoming and our room was good. Breakfast just ok.
Tours. Out tour guide, Lo May, was another excellent guide. She really helped us to understand the region, and introduced us to a lot of the lifestyle and economy of the region. I highly recommend her for tours. She was funny, and smart as well. One highlight was visiting her family home, and meeting her parents.

HA LONG BAY CRUISE
The boat was ok. This was another Switcheroo! We were promised one boat, then after we paid, we were switched to another. Our room was in the back, so the anchoring was very noisy and woke us each morning early. The staff was friendly, especially Wendy. Food was so-so, but the bay was very picturesque. We were happy to relax for a few days as we had been so busy touring all of the other days.

SUMMARY
-upset about hotel changes, and boat change after we paid in full - VERY unprofessional i can understand one change, maybe, but THREE??
-terrible tours in HCMC
-great drivers all around. Always on time with a smile.
-lucy very responsive
-no "glitches" in the schedule

One last thing. KimKim markets a whole "sustainability" thing, and we even paid a sustainability fee. NO WHERE on this trip did we see and sustainability efforts! Kind of feel like we paid for an idea.... Trash everywhere. Even in Ha Long Bay, a Unesco site, we lay in bed seeing streams of trash float by our room. Feels like the fee is a bit of a scam

That said, I would recommend KimKim if asked. I could not have attempted to do all of that planning myself.

Hotel Reviews

Aliana Boutique Sapa Hotel & Spa (Ex: Aira Boutique Sapa Hotel)

Sapa

clean room, great staff, ok breakfast

Silk Path Grand Hue

great staff, comfortable room, good breakfast

Activity Reviews

Visit Black Hmong Villages of Sa Xeng & Sau Chua

Sapa

loved being on this tour with Lo May

Trekking To The Ethnic Villages Lao Chai Ta Van - Experience Indigo Dyeing And Weaving With The H'mong Family

Sapa

excellent guide. very eye opening experience

Hanoi Fullday City Tour with Train Track Coffee Enjoying

Hanoi

excellent guide. full, interesting day

Touch the History of Former Imperial Capital - Hue Full Day Sightseeing (BYT)

Hue

Interesting day, excellent guide

Evening Foodie & Cyclo - The Real Taste of Hue

Hue

fun night, good food, great guide

Day Trip To The Mekong Delta - Deo Islet (NBT)

Ho Chi Minh City

terrible guide, waste of time

Saigon Sightseeing Half Day Tour

Ho Chi Minh City

boring, terrible guide

Wow, where do I begin!

Reached out to KimKim a few months before our planned trip to Iceland planned for early February.

Adam was assigned as our personal concierge during the planning process and we couldn't have asked for a better, more informative guide to things to do in Iceland! All of the accommodations, excursions, etc mentioned below were set up by Adam and they were perfect.

Basically the process is you give your concierge an idea of rough dates you will be in Iceland, things you want to do or see, and a rough budget and they start the process of giving you choices so you can fine tune your itinerary to fit your needs. I am usually the travel planner but was really nice having someone take the reigns.

We only had 6 days so stayed in the South. We stayed in 3 primary locations -- Blue Lagoon, Vik, and Reykjavik.

Blue Lagoon -- Blue Lagoon is only about 20 minutes from the airport so a great place to go after the long flight from the US. We splurged and stayed 2 nights at the Retreat at the Blue Lagoon and it was worth it! Felt like being in a spa environment 24 hours a day. Literally walk around all day in your fluffy robe, take dips in a private area of the lagoon an much as you like, get spa treatments included in the stay (do The Ritual!), got an in-water massage, and ate at the onsite restaurants including Michelin Star restaurant Moss where I proposed to my girlfriend our last night there (luckily she said yes :-)) Wonderful place to relax and get used to the new time zone while enjoying one of Iceland's iconic thermal pools. True luxury experience.

Vik -- We had rented a nice little 4 wheel drive SUV set up through Adam and so set out to Vik on the most southern tip of Iceland as a jumping off point for some excursions in the area. Adam had sent along driving directions in google maps that included stops along the way to see waterfalls, museums, and other sites along the route which was very convenient -- so nice to be able to come and go and not be just one a 30 or 40 getting on and off the tour bus which we saw plenty of. Weather was actually really nice so road conditions were superb luckily. Stayed at Black Beach Suites just outside of Vik and it was really great, onsite bar and restaurant so we could wind down each day with a drink or two. We actually included Vik on our itinerary to get away from light pollution to see the Northern Lights but unfortunately it was cloudy the whole time we were there (apparently Vik is the rainiest spot in Iceland!) so saw none there. We went on 2 excursions while in Vik -- Ice Cave Tour and Snowmobile on the glacier. Both were freaking awesome, would recommend them to anyone wanting to get out and about in the Vik area.

Reykjavik -- After Vik we drove back to Reykjavik, this time on a little bit different course which included more places to stop and see the sites. Stayed at Hotel Borg which was centrally located to everything. Walked around and saw the sites including the famous church and road leading to it, finally saw the Northern Lights right from the harbor in Reykjavik so get to check that off the bucket list. Drove over to the Sky Lagoon on our last day to get one last thermal pool fix which was nice. Great way to calm down before flying back home.

Overall I cannot recommend Iceland and KimKim enough, especially our concierge Adam! He was in contact beforehand, helping us set up our packed itinerary so we got to see the maximum amount in our short time there and was available while we were there for the few things that came up (also, if your concierge is not available due to days off or hours they will put you in touch with others if needed). Just a great experience, will use KimKim on my next trip to Iceland or other places they can help and recommend them to anyone interested!

The trip was greAT. THANK YOU AGAIN FOR HELPING US PLAN IT AND FOR BEING ACCOMODATING WITH OUR CHANGE REQUESTS.
May I make a few suggestions for your next clients visiting Costa Rica, all concerning the activities.
1) The kayaking in Mangroves was great, however I did not bring my kayaking gloves as it was stated that we would have a fun pedal/paddle kayak. This was not the case- no pedaling.
2) On the waterfall hike you should specify closed toe water shoes. I could not swim close to the waterfall bc of the many rocks. I was barely able to swim in the water downstream due to the rocks.
3) We were a 5 minute walk to the Manuel Antonio National Park for the last 4 days, but we did not know that you had to reserve a ticket for the park days prior to our desired entrance day. We were unable to secure entrance.
Thanks again,
Linda
P.S. Sorry for the typos and all caps where present

Our trip was amazing. We loved all the hotels selected by the team, I doubt we could’ve discovered them on our own. The transfers were all so smooth and took away all the stress we would normally experience traveling with kids. Having all our activities and tickets purchased beforehand also left us free to just enjoy ourselves. We can’t wait to plan another KimKim trip!

We loved our time in Bangkok with Leena. She was fast paced and energized while showing us all the ins and outs of Bangkok.

The elephant sanctuary was a beautiful experience and we loved seeing these beautiful animals up closed in an ethical manner

Finally island hoping the Phi Phi islands was amazing end to a busy week and swimming around them topped it off.

Hotel Review

Sunset Beach Resort

Phuket

We experienced issues when trying to get downtown to the beach. We had issues and ended up having to pay local transport multiple times even when at the shuttle stop.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Better shuttle services

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Felt that the cleaning of rooms and shared spaces wasn’t done thoroughly. We had had in our bath tub. And garbage sat outside a room in the hallways all day and an animal had gotten into it.

Activity Review

Welcome to Bangkok!

Bangkok

I loved that this was a quick little trip after a long travel in. Leena was very insightful and also mindful that we had just traveled in.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

We couldn't have asked for more from the service we received from Mooinka. She created a perfect trip for us which included fabulous events and wonderful places to stay. We were particularly impressed with our hosts in Inari who own the Lapin Tintti Eco-Cabin. Terri and Arto were fabulous hosts providing us with a wonderful place to stay and a terrific ice fishing experience. They treated us like family. We would love to go back and spend more time with them. Moonika was with us all the way, checking with us daily and making minor adjustments when needed. We never felt we were on our own without support. This was our second trip planned by Kim Kim. Other travel agencies could learn from Kim Kim,. Moonika is a treasure. Thank you so much for a wonderful trip.

Hotel Reviews

LapinTintti Eco-Cabin

Inari

We were particularly impressed with our hosts in Inari who own the Lapin Tintti Eco-Cabin. Terri and Arto were fabulous hosts providing us with a wonderful place to stay and a terrific ice fishing experience. They treated us like family. We would love to go back and spend more time with them. This i a beautiful cabin in the woods. We cooked our meals, and sat on the deck being part of nature. This is one of the best places I have ever stay in. We had privacy in the solitude of Lan Land, viewing Northern Lights and enjoying nature.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Fabian

Helsinki

A comfortable hotel with good service. The location was perfect for our short visit to Helsinki.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Private Glass-Roof Sleigh Ride and Traditional Winter Net Fishing

Inari

This is a must do event provided by our cabin hosts. Arto showed us traditional fishing which we participate in. We cooked what we caught on an open fire. What a joy this experience was.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Northern Lights Tour with Professional Photos

Finland

Some what disappointing only because it was cloudy and the lights were had to find. Our driver did a good job in finding a spot where we were able to have a brief view.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Reindeer Herders Wife Day

Inari

The event was hosted by a wonderful woman. We fed the rain deer, leaning about the Sami tradition of rain deer herding. We were invited into her home, met her family and participated in cooking a rain deer dinner. This was a great day with very nice people.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Sustainable Wilderness Husky Safari

Inari

We have dog sledded in other counties. This was the best. The owners were impressive with their loving care of their dogs. They spent a lot of time with us showing us their home and their dogs and sharing their live style and culture,

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport