Kimkim Trip Reviews

This is the first time I have had a travel company book a trip for me. It was so worth it! Liam from Highpoint Travel put together an amazing itinerary for us. He was always available for hiccups. Every hotel and tour booking was spot on! He booked us in a variety of hotels at great locations. There were some tours I would like to especially highlight. The Hebridean Farm Hike with Karen Elwis was especially memorable. Karen was absolutely charming, informative and fun. She even pulled my leg out of a mud sink hole and cleaned my shoe:) She has to be a definite booking for anyone travelling to the Isle of Mull. Additionally, Steve with Highland Wildlife & Birdwatch Safaris in Aviemore was amazing. We covered so much in our four-hour safari. Steve, too, was informative and fun. Booking with Steve is a must for the Cairngorms National Forest. Our Edinburg tour guide Garreth was wonderful. He took us off the beaten path and it was so fascinating. Also, our Stirling Castle tour guide Bruce gets two thumbs up. Really enjoyed our tour with both of them. And our Glencoe tour guide Hannah was very sweet and patient with my level of hiking. And loved her dog Inka.

Hotel Reviews

Douglas Hotel

Brodick

Loved this hotel.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

The Isle of Mull Hotel and Spa

Isle of Mull

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Courtyard by Marriott SEC

Glasgow

The hotel was in a great location. Very clean.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Absolutely loved David Rose. He checked us in and was incredibly helpful. I can't say enough about Aeden Doig in the bar/restaurant. He was such a joy. Fun and engaging. Took good care of us. As did Anja. She was an absolutely charming and a wonderful server!!!

Cleanliness & Comfort

Oban Bay Hotel

Oban

Great hotel. We were there for such a brief time.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

The reception staff and the bar staff were wonderful. Loved them.

Cleanliness & Comfort

RiverBeds - Luxury Wee Lodges with Hot Tubs

Ballachulish

Loved this hotel. The experience was so much fun!!!!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Loved the staff. So friendly and helpful.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Bracken Hide Hotel

Portree

Fun hotel.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Cairngorms Guest House

Aviemore

Bed was small for us, but other than that it was a lovely hotel.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Our dinner server was great. I didn't get her name though:(

Cleanliness & Comfort

Tigerlily

Edinburgh

Fun hotel. Location was great. Loved the girl who checked us in and the breakfast servers. So cheerful and friendly.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

The Grand, York

North Yorkshire

Loved, loved, loved The Grand York. It truly was grand. We loved our server at dinner, Jack. He was so personal and took great care of us.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Jack in the restaurant was wonderful.

Cleanliness & Comfort

The Belgrave Hotel

London

Loved the location. The bed was a bit small, but other than that, it was great.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Free time in Camden Town!

London

Didn't know what to expect. My husband wanted to go to Camden Town because of it's history with the Swinging '60s. It was a wonderfully crazy experience!

Guided Hebridean Farm Hike

Scotland

The whole experience was wonderful. Karen Elwis was so charming and informative. We had such a good time. What she and her husband are doing to preserve their Hebridean Farm is stellar. This experience is a must for any future travelers. Hard for me to put into words how special this was!

Quality of Experience

The whole experience was special. I can't even find the words that would describe it. Magical.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Wish I could give Karen a ten!!!!

My husband and I enjoyed our trip. Valentina was easy to work with and was always quick to respond to questions. The hotel in Maranola was great. Excellent location, comfortable room with a great view, good breakfast and excellent staff. Our guide the first day was excellent. She walked us around some of the villages and was so helpful teaching us how to use the train and get to the trail near our hotel. It was a great introduction to Cinque Terre. Perfect way to start. We loved the pesto making class with Micky and her father in law. What a fun experience and a beautiful setting. Our local contact always checked in and always kept us updated with our itinerary. The transportation from Florence and to Bolzano was great and both were on time. The hotel in Bolzano was amazing. Thanks to all involved for a great experience.

Kimkim needs to do a better job vetting local specialists. We dealt with 3 different specialists at Shanti Travel since first planning our trip. The high turnover should have been a red flag. We spoke about our concerns to someone from Kimkim before our final payment was due. All of the specialists were pleasant to deal with and were responsive, but only had months to a few years of experience.
The most egregious error had to do with an internal flight that Shanti (Kimkim) booked for us at the very start of our trip. The 6 am flight had been cancelled months before and was never rebooked by the agent. If we weren’t staying at the airport hotel and checked the flight status at the airport counter the night before, we would have shown up in the morning and had no flight ( and would have missed the early morning flight on a different airline which we wound up taking). They did not apologize or take ownership of the mistake.
The best part of our trip we arranged on our own, a 12 day snorkel liveaboard cruise in Raja Ampat on Wisesa.
That said, we enjoyed our itinerary to Borneo, Yogyakarta, East Java (Bromo, Tumpak Sewu), Bali and Gili Air. On previous trips with Kimkim to India and Cambodia, we had guides and drivers. On this trip to Indonesia, we had drivers, some of whom spoke limited English, and then guides which we would meet at some of the stops hired on the spot.
We were very pleased with Kimkim in the past and have recommended them to several friends. Now, I’m not sure that we would use them again.

Hotel Reviews

Slow Private Pool Villa

Gili Air

Having a villa with our pool was great. We would be delivered breakfast each morning to enjoy at a table next to our pool. The location was good, a short walk to the west facing beaches. There were many restaurants and bars along the beach to watch the sunset and have dinner.

Authenticity & Character

Location

If there is a hotel as nice as this, but closer to the beach, it might be preferable

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Arkamara Dijiwa Ubud

Bali

The hotel is in a beautiful peaceful location, a short drive away from the center of Ubud. The room was very nicely decorated. The pool was beautiful. Breakfasts and dinner at the hotel were excellent, with a Balinese dancer at dinner. We enjoyed the spa very much.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Peaceful location near rice fields away from the traffic in central Ubud

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Tugu Malang

Malang

This was one of my favorite hotels and I had to request it myself. The agent had originally recommended a place closer to Tumpak Sewu which was more rustic. Since we were staying at Lava View Lodge (very rustic) the night before, we opted for more luxury, but a longer drive. Tugu Malang was beautiful, like a museum. There was a tea house with excellent complimentary afternoon tea. À la carte breakfasts were amazing. The staff couldn’t be better.

Authenticity & Character

Location

A quieter area in Malang to walk around a bit. Close drive to Colorful Village. 2 hour drive to Tumpak Sewu, but definitely worth the drive. Much closer to Surabaya airport

Staff

Some of the best service I’ve ever had at a hotel

Cleanliness & Comfort

Lava View Lodge Hotel

The only plus to this hotel is the proximity to Bromo. For sunrise, we needed to leave at 2 am instead of 12:30 am. We had the best room (suite) and the bathroom was like what you would picture at a train station. The bed was comfortable enough but I couldn’t sleep at all because of people talking all night in a seating area outside our room, as well as the lights outside our room.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

The Phoenix Hotel Yogyakarta - MGallery Collection

YOGYAKARTA

Beautiful hotel, excellent breakfast. Staying in the section near the pool may have been nicer.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Service was excellent and instantaneous

Cleanliness & Comfort

Rimba Lodge

We spent almost all of our time, including meals, on the houseboat, the service and food which was very good. The boat wasn’t the most comfortable though. Instead of staying at Rimba Lodge, which was very rustic, I would recommend staying on a luxury deluxe houseboat and sleeping on the boat.

Authenticity & Character

I

Location

On the river, in the National Park, but sleeping on a luxury boat with AC would be more comfortable.

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Jakarta Airport Hotel

Jakarta

Our flight arrived early and Kimkim should have booked the room for the night before so that we could check in early morning. Instead, we had to pay at the front desk. The room rate was very inexpensive.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Gili Islands Snorkeling

Indonesia

We had arranged on our own snorkeling in Raja Ampat immediately preceding this trip with Kimkim. Nothing can compare to that. For this snorkel trip, we had a private boat and got to see the underwater statue near Gili T and some pretty coral and fish at Gili Meno. There were too many other people at these sites for it to be very enjoyable.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Canoe & Trekking at Bratan Lake

Indonesia

This was a great day, heading north from Ubud to a much quieter region. Probably what Bali was like 25 years ago. With a guide, we paddled an outrigger canoe (he did most of the work) on Beraton Lake. We got very close to the Ulun Danu Temple, built on the lake. On the other side of the lake, the guide led us on a hike through the jungle, pointing out various edible, medicinal plants and spices. We then had a picnic near a waterfall. We didn’t have as much time as I would have liked to spend walking around the rice terraces which were nearby.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Experience Taman Beji Griya - Purification Ritual

Indonesia

This is a unique experience and fun. With a guide, we visit a temple under a waterfall and make offerings along the way. We were barefoot, wearing only a sarong with a swimsuit under. Also this day, we visited Sangeh monkey forest and went to a dance performance at Ubud Palace.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Visit Tumpak Sewu

Indonesia

Very beautiful waterfall. The panoramic viewpoint was great and there were many people with drones. I went with the guide down the more than 400 steps to the bottom. Some were a little slippery, but there was a railing the whole way. The guide took photos and videos on his phone and then sent it to me via Airdrop at the end.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Sunrise Trek to Mount Bromo

Mount Bromo, East Java

We were lucky that most of the clouds cleared as we got close to sunrise. About 5 cones are visible with Bromo constantly sending up smoke. The largest peak, Meru, has small eruptions about every 15 minutes. There are 3 viewpoints and the traffic to get there for sunrise is horrendous. We stayed at the closest hotel (which I wouldn’t recommend) and left the hotel at 2 am. Many jeeps were already there, parked on both sides of this narrow road near the viewpoints. We parked a bit further down the road to be able to make a quicker exit after sunrise. This meant we hiked up the road to the highest viewpoint, breathing all the exhaust from jeeps blocking the road. Once there, we waited in the cold for 2 hours until sunrise. Bring a down jacket, hat and gloves. After sunrise, it took more than an hour waiting in traffic. Some jeeps are just parked in the center of the road, preventing passage. From here, we drove through the sea of sand and climbed the steps to the rim of Bromo.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Visit Madakaripura Waterfalls

Indonesia

The waterfall is beautiful and one of the highest in Indonesia. It doesn’t get the same crowds as Tumpak Sewu yet. The problem was that the road leading up to it was washed out and we had to take a motorbike taxi through the forest, crossing a stream over a rickety bamboo bridge. The river was brown which occurs from run off after the rainy season. The guide was very helpful in assisting us to the waterfall navigating rocks while crossing the river 3-4 times. They provide a helmet to wear and a poncho and sturdy waterproof sandals are needed. I’m not sure I would do this again (mainly because of the motorbike ride).

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Guide was concerned about our safety and took good pictures for us.

Visit Borobudur Temple, Pawon Temple, Mendut Temple, and Yogyakarta Market

Yogyakarta

Another place on our bucket list. It’s the largest Buddhist temple in the world. Photos don’t do it justice. It’s not allowed to have private guides We were placed in a group of about 10 people with an English speaking guide who was very informative.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Cooking class in Yogyakarta

Yogyakarta

We did this in the late afternoon so did not go to the market with the guide to get the ingredients. Instead, this served as our dinner. We cooked some typical Indonesian dishes, including Gado-gado (tempeh and vegetables), shrimp with spices cooked in banana leaf and rice. Our guide, Yasmin, was great and we enjoyed conversation with her about life in Indonesia.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Visit Prambanan Temple and see Ramayana Show

Yogyakarta

A Hindu temple from the 8th century almost as impressive as Angkor Wat. Our guide was excellent, explaining the exquisite carvings in the stone. One section depicted the Ramayana story, which helped us to understand the dance performance that evening. The performance is typically done in an outdoor venue with the illuminated temple as a backdrop if the weather cooperates. Our driver took us to a nearby restaurant for dinner before the performance.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Experience Silver Class in Kota Gede

Yogyakarta

This was fun. The jewelry is filigree, using silver wire to make earrings and a pendant. It was a private session and we had a lot of help. You need good eyes. We didn’t have the time to complete the pieces, but they finished them for us and delivered the pieces to our hotel.

Borneo: Rimba Lodge – Pondok Tanggui – Camp Leakey – Rimba Lodge

Pangkalan Bun

We had more than 2 days going up and down the Sekonyer river, which was very peaceful with many birds. We stopped at the 3 orangutan feeding stations where rangers put out food at specified times during the day. We had to cross over about 3-4 boats to get to the docks. There were quite a lot of people at each of the stations, but we were fortunate to see the alpha male, females and juveniles at each stop. At several times, we were able to see orangutans in the wild as we were cruising the river, as well as many Proboscis monkeys. Our guide, Saiful, was one of the best on our entire trip, explaining and spotting wildlife. The food was very good and Saiful gave us information about each of the dishes and snacks we were served.

Quality of Experience

Food

The quantity, variety and tastiness of the food served for breakfast, lunch and dinner, as well as snacks was excellent. The cook did not speak English, but our guide explained all of the dishes.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Saiful was an excellent guide.

Transport

We just returned from an incredible 7-day journey through Japan, and we are still floating! From the neon-lit streets of Tokyo to the tranquil hot springs of Hakone and the historic charm of Kyoto, every detail of this trip was flawlessly executed thanks to Bella.

A massive shoutout to our incredible team who made the logistics effortless. Right from the start, we were picked up at the airport by a very capable driver named Song, who also safely and smoothly drove us out to Hakone later in the week. Navigating the country was a breeze thanks to our spectacular guide, Roy. We cannot say enough good things about him! He helped us master the Tokyo rail system and expertly guided us through our stay in Hakone. We affectionately referred to him as our Japanese Dad. If given the opportunity, request Roy to be your guide.

In Tokyo, we stayed at the Keio Plaza Hotel, which was incredibly comfortable and so convenient for exploring the city. Tokyo was a whirlwind of amazing sights, perfectly balancing futuristic fun with deep history. Some of our highlights included, flying through the streets doing Akihabara Go-Karting, immersing ourselves in the stunning digital art at teamLab Borderless, and experiencing the organized chaos of Shibuya Crossing.
We slowed things down with beautiful tours of the Imperial Gardens and Meiji Shrine, and ate our way through the spectacular Tsukiji Food Market.

We then traveled to the countryside (Hakone) with our guide, Roy and driver, Song. Hakone was arguably the highlight of the entire trip, largely because we stayed at the stunning Ten-Yu hotel. It featured amazing hot spring onsens, which quickly became our absolute favorite part of the trip. We cycled along Lake Yamanaka with a breathtaking view of Mt. Fuji framing the background—a picture-postcard moment we will never forget. We traveled by cable car and gondola up to the Owakudani valley to see the steaming volcanic vents. While there, we tried the famous black eggs boiled in the hot springs, which are said to add seven years to your life!

We then traveled to Kyoto by bullet train. We wrapped up our week staying at the Celestial Hotel Gion in Kyoto. It was in a fantastic location right in the heart of the historic Geisha district, and it even featured its own onsen for us to enjoy. We got dressed up in traditional Kimonos and attended a beautiful, serene traditional tea ceremony. On our last day, our wonderful guide Ursula took us to the Arashiyama Bamboo Forest and the monkey park, wrapping it all up with a food tour through Nishiki Market. Ursula was fantastic—incredibly flexible and more than willing to adjust our schedule on the fly to make sure we got the most out of our day.

This trip was the perfect blend of fast-paced city life, deep relaxation, and rich cultural immersion. The warmth of the people, the expertise of our drivers and guides, and the sheer beauty of Japan made this a vacation we will cherish forever. Thank you to Bella for all her help in planning it.

Hotel Reviews

The Celestine Hotel Gion

Kyoto

Location, location, location. This hotel was in the Geisha district and surrounded by shrines and temples. You could also walk to the more modern areas of Kyoto within 5 minutes. The rooms are very well designed with probably the best water pressure in the showers that I have ever experienced. The onsen is also very nice.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hakone Kowakien Ten-yu

Hakone

Loved this hotel. The Onsens were spectacular! The views from the 6th floor onsen were breathtaking. The breakfast buffet had a wide variety of food.

Authenticity & Character

Probably the most authentic hotel of our stay. Each room had "bath clothes" or Yukatas for you to wear around while during your stay. We were even encouraged to wear them to dinner (which we did).

Location

Not really a hotel in which you can walk to many places. But the hotel had all the amenities you could ask for. They had 3 restaurants on site.

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Keio Plaza Hotel Tokyo

Tokyo

Convenient to the rail system and had a 7 Eleven in the lobby. The breakfast buffet had an amazing variety of Western and Japanese food. The rooms were large and quiet. I would stay there again.

Authenticity & Character

More modern. Not much Japanese character.

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Kyoto Cultural & Active Full-Day Tour (with Guide, by Public Transport)

Kyoto

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Hakone Adventure: Exploring Mt. Owakudani and Majestic Landscapes in Public Transportation

Hakone

Traveling by cable car and gondola up a volcano was so cool! We even added 7 years to our life by eating the black eggs cooked in the natural hot springs.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Tokyo to Mt. Fuji (Lake Yamanaka Biking) & Hakone Relaxing Day Trip

Japan

Had amazing views of Mt Fuji while cycling around Lake Yamanake. Roy led us around the lake.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Tokyo Highlights Full-Day Tour (with Guide, by Public Transportation)

Tokyo

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Afternoon Cultural Experience at Kinkaku-ji & Kimono Tea Ceremony, and Gion（Private Guide &Public Transportation）

Kyoto

A must do.

🚗Tokyo Cultural & Culinary Adventure: Markets, Shrines, Sky-Views （Guide, Public Transportation）

Tokyo

I would skip the Imperial Gardens and just do the Meiji Shrine. Our guide, Roy, knew all the best spots in the Tsukiji food market. We got some of the most delicious fatty tuna thanks to Roy's knowledge.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Roy was the best!

Transport

The trip was amazing, we saw all the things we wanted to and everything was so well planned out for us. We loved the Ring of Kerry drive most, do not miss Valentina Island and the Kerry Cliffs.. wow! The one thing we might have changed was staying in Killarney for 3 nights instead of 2, you can spend a whole day just in the national park, so much to see!

Coraima planned an amazing honeymoon trip for us in Portugal. Our guides Frederico and Alex gave us all the beauty of Sintra and ended each day with great local authentic restaurant recommendations. Sintra Marmòis Camelia is beautiful hotel that also gave us access to free live music and wine tastings at their sister hotel within walking distance.
Our time at Casa de São Domingos in Regua was wonderful. This is a beautiful place with breathtaking views everywhere you look. Vasco gave us a great tour of his family winery Quinta Barqueiros. It felt more like we were hanging out with a friend in their home who was explaining their passion and career to us than paying an overtired guide just trying to get through the day.
Lagos is beautiful and we will hopefully be able to spend more time in Algarve in the future. MN56 has it all and is right in the heart of all the action. We questioned whether we should do both the kayak and boat tour on back to back days. Do them both! Our walking food tour with Sophia was potentially the highlight of the trip. She was friendly, funny, and showed us some of the best food we have ever had.
Our cooking class with Chef Angela at Cooking Lisbon which included a trip to the market together was an unforgettable experience. I only wish we had more time to spend in Lisbon. If you’re visiting Portugal you MUST go see Fado. We had a delicious dinner accompanied by live Fado at a rustic family run restaurant called Senhora do Fado.
My wife and I are very busy and planning a trip like this isn’t something that falls in our wheelhouse. Coraima and KimKim made it so easy to take this trip. Our hotels, transfers, and daily activities were all planned and everything happened seamlessly every step of the way. The KimKim app gave us our itinerary at our fingertips and made contacting any guides, drivers, hotels, etc. foolproof.

I absolutely 10/10 recommend Coraima and KimKim for planning any travel/vacations and can guarantee we will be repeat customers.

Philip was an amazing tour guide. He took us to Sintra and Cascais and was fabulous in imparting his knowledge on history and culture. He made the trip richer with his insights. We looooooved the wine tour in the Algarve. Our hotels were great and the entire trip went off absolutely seamlessly. Our trip planners and guides communicated impeccably. Everything ran like clockwork. We loved Lisbon and Lagos. The food was fantastic and we were able to work some of it off climbing many hills!

Hotel Reviews

Hotel Britania Art Deco

Lisbon

Hotel was well located near the Avenida da Liberdade and the Principe Real neighborhoods. The hotel is beautiful and historic. We had to leave too early for the breakfast but they have an afternoon happy hour and the staff is lovely. We were upgraded to a spacious junior suite.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

The MN56 Hotel

Lagos

Hotel is located right in the middle of the historic part of town. It was a great location for exploring the city, accessing the marina on foot and accessing the Ponta da Piedade with a short walk. The pool was nice to have and there is a nice area to sit outside of your room. Room had ample space.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

AlmaLusa Baixa & Chiado

Lisbon

We loved the location of this hotel. The staff were extremely accommodating and left us a lovely gift every day. The only downside is that there is no common space to sit outside of your room. The breakfast was perfect and the room was small but comfortable.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Benagil Cave Visit by RIB

Lagos (Algarve)

The cave was slightly disappointing. It's small and crowded with other boats inside. It was also a 30 minute speedboat ride down the coast each way and it was chilly on the ride. We enjoyed seeing other towns on the return trip as the boat went a little closer to the shore. Pretty coastal views.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Ponta da Piedade by Boat Excursion

Lagos (Algarve)

This was a nice morning boat trip. The guides were great and it's a lovely cruise at a relaxed pace and the views are gorgeous. Learned a lot about the area.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Where the Sea Meets the Vines - Winery Hopping

Lagos (Algarve)

This was our favorite day. We went to a small winery in an old convent. The guide was extremely knowledgeable and drove us around the property and amongst the vines to see the grapes and learn about the topography. We went to the production facility and learned about how the wine is made. The tasting room was beautiful and they had great wines and a lovely cheese plate for us. We then went to a second and larger winery with a gorgeous patio where we did the tasting outside. We tasted a number of wines and had tapas with it. The scenery is beautiful and we loved learning about wines we were unfamiliar with.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

🥾 Self-Guided Coastal Hike: Lagos Old Town to Ponta da Piedade

Lagos (Algarve)

Cannot say enough good things about this hike. We LOVED it. We had a lovely lunch at O Camilo - make a reservation as it was crowded and there was a long wait! The path has gorgeous views. It's also great for running and we went another night for a spectacular sunset, which was a very popular time there. The stairs to Praia de Camilo were unfortunately closed, and we read that's the best place to walk down to a beach. There is another set of stairs further down the path but they do not lead to a beach. Highly recommend.

Quality of Experience

Traditional Portuguese Food Walk

Lisbon

This was a great food tour. It was less walking than I had expected and didn't include any hills! The tour description said we would have 16 tastes, but we had 12. The tour also lasted 30 minutes longer than noted, but this wasn't a problem for us. Our guide was great and we saw some new areas of the city on the walk. They also accommodated non meat-eaters and non-alcohol drinkers.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

From Palaces to the Edge of Europe – Sintra & Cabo da Roca

Lisbon

This was a great day. Unfortunately, we were not aware of how windy and chilly Sintra can be in May. We were freezing cold at Pena Palace, all of which is either outdoors or in the open. It was very different weather in Sintra than Lisbon. The town of Sintra is adorable and our tour guide, Philip, treated us to amazing pastries. We really enjoyed Quinta da Regaleira. It was warmer there and a beautiful day to walk around. We stopped at Cabo da Roca to take a quick picture, but didn't stay long as it was extremely windy. We had a nice afternoon in Cascais.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Booking with Active India Holidays was the best decision I could have made for this trip to India. Everything was so well handled from the airport pick-up and drop-offs to the hotel check-ins. We stayed in 5 different cities, and in each we had beautiful and comfortable hotels, amazing tour guides, and excellent drivers. Our favorite driver throughout the whole trip was Mr. Brijesh- he was with us for 3 of the 5 cities, and he made the journey smoother. He drove very safely, was always punctual, and always polite. He also had everything we needed in his trunk, such as cold water and umbrellas for the hot days. Mr. Ganesh, our airport representative, was amazing. He took his time to explain everything to us, made us feel welcome in India, and was very helpful during our first city transfer. We really liked all of our tour guides: They were all very punctual, helpful, informative, and polite. All of our guides were so kind to take many of our photos. Mr. Dharmender in Delhi was so patient with us- keeping up with our pace, answering all of our questions, and even thought of giving us quick history lessons in the shaded areas. He took us to a place where we got gorgeous and reasonably priced indian wear. Mr. Mohan in Varanasi was very amenable - we had to rearrange our tours due to a medical issue, and Mr. Mohan was very nice to work with us, but also made sure we still could visit everywhere we had planned to. In Agra, Mr. Ronit was very thoughtful when it came to visiting the Taj Mahal and making sure we were aware of the tourist traps. He took lovely pictures and had all the perfect angles. He also made sure that nobody was directly in our photos. Mr. Surya from Jaipur was ultimately one of our favorites. He made my mother's birthday so special by thinking of the perfect location for her to be surprised with her birthday cakes and allowed her to have beautiful pics. While we are on the topic of my mother's birthday, we want to give Active India Holiday a very special thank you for making her day so exceptional and memorable. Mr. Suyra was a great conversationalist and made our time in Jaipur very pleasant. Additionally, he made us aware of tourist traps and took us to affordable places to buy anything we needed. Mr. Suraj in Mumbai was very helpful and flexible with us. He allowed us to do as much as we could before leaving for the airport. Furthermore, he took some amazing videos( with our permission, of course) and made some wonderful videos for us.
Overall, this trip was unforgettable, and it was all thanks to this company.

Activity Review

Taj Mahal Sunrise Visit

Agra

A Must! Not only is the weather cool at sunrise, but there aren't so many people there. It allows for great pictures and lets you take your time to marvel at this phenomenal, gorgeous building.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Angel was absolutely wonderful to work with while planning my trip to Japan. Traveling through several cities can be overwhelming, but she made the entire process seamless from start to finish.

Having every detail organized and a clear plan in place allowed me to relax and truly enjoy the experience. With accommodations, transportation, and tours were carefully coordinated, and everything went smoothly throughout the trip.

What I appreciated most was that Angel checked in along the way and reminders of the next days activities. She was always available if I had any questions.

I highly recommend Kim Kim to anyone planning a trip, especially a more complex itinerary. Kim kim took the stress out of travel planning and helped make my Japan adventure an unforgettable experience

Hotel Reviews

Hilton Tokyo Hotel

Tokyo

Great location and shuttle service to Shinjuku. Rooms were spacious and clean

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hakone Kowakien Ten-yu

Hakone

property is beautiful, peaceful and surrounded by stunning mountain scenery. The onsen facilities were a highlight of my stay. The staff was AMAZING !!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hilton Garden Inn Kyoto Shijo Karasuma

Kyoto

Clean and comfortable hotel. Rooms were great size and laundry on site and location was great

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Mercure Tokyo Haneda Airport

Tokyo

clean and quite and close to Hotel

Authenticity & Character

clean

Location

Haneda airport location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Kamakura Historical Walking Tour with the Great Buddha

Tokyo

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Onsen, Ryokan, and Mt. Fuji Experience in Hakone

Hakone

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Nara Half Day Trip Walking Tour

Japan

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Osaka Local Foodie Tour in Dotonbori and Shinsekai

Japan

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Kyoto Arashiyama Rickshaw Tour

Kyoto

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Kyoto Zen Meditation & Garden Tour at a Zen Temple with traditional Sho-jin lunch

Kyoto

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Geisha (Maiko) Tea Ceremony & Show

Kyoto

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

A Glimpse into Shinto Religion: Fushimi Inari Taisha Visit

Kyoto

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

We worked with Lucie for a custom vacation in France. During the planning process, we split the trip adding additional days in England. Lucie was very patient, figuring out how to incorporate our varied requests. Our 9 day, 8 night trip was split between Paris and London with custom add-ons at each location. Lucie added transfers to/from each hotel and also coordinated train tickets between Paris and London. In Paris, we started off with an authentic sidecar tour with Retro Tour Paris. Though the weather didn't fully cooperate, the experience was amazing and something we would have never thought of. They asked us what we've seen and what we wanted to see and crafted a custom tour route based on our feedback--fantastic. We ended the day with an awesome dinner Seine River cruise with Bateau-Pariseans. My family agrees that the river cruise was a major highlight. Day 2 we had a long trip out to Mont Saint-Michel with Blue Fox Tours. Was well worth the long ride there and back (~3.5 hour) if you haven't been before. Day 3 we had a gourmet food tour in Saint Germain des Pres which was pretty cool. It was in the same neighborhood as our really cool hotel (Hotel Baume) so we really enjoyed the sights (and tastes). Speaking of the Hotel Baume=winner! Boutique hotel in great location. Day 4 we had another long day taking a tour of the D-Day beaches in Normandy. Again, with Blue Fox Tours. Both day tours with Blue Fox were great and would highly recommend them. Day 5 we travelled the Eurostar (premium) from Paris to London and hit the ground running with a visit to the Bukingham Palace Kings Gallery exhibit of Elizabeth II's wardrobe-was really interesting though geared toward those with a love of fashion. On day 6 we had a 1/2 day trip out to Windsor Castle with Anderson's Tours--was really well done and worth doing. We had free time in the afternoon so we added on a visit to the Tower of London. We scheduled that on our own and Anderson Tours dropped us off there right after returning from Windsor. Day 7 started off with a visit to Churchill War Rooms and Westminster Abbey. Since we had an evening free, we added a Soho viewing of The Devil Wears Prada. Again, we coordinated that on our own but a great addition to our trip. On day 8 we wanted to take a day trip out to see Clarkson's Farm but turn out there were not specific tours to get there and would have to get there on our own, not necessarily easy from London. So, we turned to Viator and booked a Cotswold Day tour going to three separate quintessential English villages conducted by Evans & Evans Tours---well worth it and would recommend it. Regarding out hotel in London, it was at the Park Plaza Victoria--a great hotel at great location. Both hotels were excellent and both in convenient locations with transportation, food, and shopping nearby. What I am not reviewing in any detail are the gaps in our schedule--filled with visits to shops and cafes which was as much of a highlight as any of the formal tours. Taking the metro in Paris and Tube in London is part of the experience. Lucie was available anytime we needed her to answer any questions and was great from start to finish.

Hotel Reviews

Park Plaza Victoria London

London

Mid-sized hotel with large hotel amenities but small hotel intimacy. Rooms are spacious and quiet and the breakfast buffet is really good. Convenient to Victoria Station for ease of catching the tube around London. Lots of stores and restaurants nearby.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hôtel Baume

Paris

Boutique Hotel in heart of Saint Germain. Stylish, quiet, and intimate. No gym, laundry facilities or fridge/microwave in room but you have an awesome hotel in a super convenient location. The onsite breakfast is excellent and the service is top-notch.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Excursion to Windsor Castle

London

A must see for anyone interested in the British royals. Was great to learn that Windsor Castle is surrounded by an actual town with lots of shops and restaurants to explore. The castle itself was good but expect crowds and bottlenecks as you navigate through. The tour was conducted by Anderson's Tour and the guide was amazing (Megan). She provided a lot of information on the bus ride out but was not allowed to walk through Windsor with us. She was great and even dropped us off and walked us to the Tower of London after for a separate tour (not through Anderson Tour).

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Full-day excursion from Paris of D-day beaches - U.S. sector

Paris

A must see for any WWII history buffs or for anyone interested in seeing where history was changed. Tour was conducted by Blue Fox Tours and they did a great job from start to finish. Our guide did a great job providing context at each stop and allowed sufficient time to explore on our own. Lunch was at an amazing restaurant near Omaha Beach. The stop at the American cemetery was really special and helps provide a visual of the costs of D-Day.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Unveiling Masterpieces at the Louvre Museum

Paris

We were provided tickets with a report time of 3:30pm to the Louvre. Because we know it's a busy museum, we thought about using the Carousel entrance to avoid the rain and really large crowds outside--good choice. As the largest museum in the world, spending just a few hours there will not scratch the surface so we focused on areas we didn't see on our last trip more than a decade ago. We saw what we could in the few hours we walked around but needed to leave when the group got hungry. I think we would have rather visited in the morning when they first open to enjoy the sights with "maybe" smaller crowds initially but also when we weren't tired already from a busy day of sightseeing. The tickets came with admission only, no guide or help inside unless we paid for something more.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

We took the metro there, no issues

Gourmet food tour in Saint-Germain-des-Prés

Paris

One of our favorite tours on the whole trip. We had 2 guides, 1 in training and a senior guide. Both were really good as they walked us through the streets of Saint Germain. The stops were coordinated and samples were made ready when we arrived. At one of their stops, they provided a small plate style lunch at L'Avant Comptoir du Marché which was really good. History, food, and views--a really cool experience.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Transport provided by our own two feet so wear comfortable shoes

Day excursion to Mont Saint-Michel

Paris

Tour was through Blue Fox and they did a great job. It's a long drive out to Mont Saint-Michel but they have a stop around 2 hours down the road. Expect crowds at the sight but still worth the visit.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Vans were cozy and good for average sized adults but tall or large people may struggle to find comfort in the van.

Seine river dinner cruise

Paris

Great food, wine, and view--there is no better way to see Paris from the Seine.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Adventure aboard an authentic sidecar to uncover Paris

Paris

This might be the coolest way to tour Paris.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

We enjoyed our visit to Corsica and were particularly pleased with the route and hotels that Simon suggested.

The outline itinerary was very good, but we did feel there was a lack of detail which would have made our journey easier. First of all, we could have done with directions from Bastia airport to our first hotel, Hotel Pietracap, which was the other side of Bastia. The rental car was supposed to have GPS, but if it did, we never managed to find it. We thought we could use Google maps to navigate, but for some reason there was no internet when we set off from the airport at 9 pm at night in darkness. It was a stressful start to our trip, involving getting lost several times and eventually having to find help in a local bar.

The suggestions for our drive around Cap Corse were fine, but the real difficulties came with the drive through the Castagniccia region, with only the names of villages to go by. The description for that day sounded as though it had come from AI and we really needed detailed directions to find the places that were listed. Neither the maps nor the signposts were adequate for strangers trying to drive to quite remote villages.

Fortunately the rest of the trip went more smoothly and we particularly enjoyed our stay in Bonifaccio in a very nice room at a good hotel.

Hotel Reviews

Santateresa

Bonifacio

We were delighted with our hotel here. It's right at the end of the promontory, perched on the cliff top with a misty view of Sardinia in the distance and superb views of the sea and cliffs. The restaurant was very good and the staff were extremely helpful when we needed to find a local clinic. We would happily stay here again and again!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel E Caselle

Venaco

This hotel is luxurious and expensive-looking but wasn't entirely to our taste. Our room was in a stone cluster a long walk from the reception and restaurant, which was ok, but we were surprised that the room itself was so small and cramped considering all the space around the property. The restaurant was good and the staff were very friendly and helpful.

Hotel Pietracap

San-Martino-di-Lota

We would have been happy to stay here longer. Beautiful setting with delightful grounds and views and our room was veyr comfortable.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Review

Discovery tour of Bonifacio and its islands (Lavezzi/Cavallo)

Bonifacio

N/a. We didn't do this tour.

Quality of Experience

Hotels and route were very good, more details needed about the places to visit.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

N/a. We had no guides or drivers.

Transport

The rental car was OK. Took some getting used to a strange car in a strange country.

All our tours and guides (Joris, Cecilia, Ferit, Roxane, and Dimitri) were wonderful. Extremely pleasant, knowledgeable, and easy to understand. They made us feel welcomed and provided many useful tips and recommendations. Our driver to/from the Loire Valley, Nicholas, was wonderful.

Hotels were in great locations and all clean and comfortable. In addition, the staff at each one was helpful and accommodating. The rooms at Chateau Artigny, Grand Hotel du Luxembourg, and Le Relais Saint Michel could use some minor upgrades.

We enjoyed several outstanding meals in all the cities we visited especially Paris. Chateau de Belle Fountaine in Bayeux, the house restaurant in Le Relais Saint Michel and Colere in Paris were especially memorable. The dinner cruise on the Seine was also excellent. Also want to give an extra shout out to La Guingette de Montbazon for a great casual meal and complimentary ride back to Chateau Artigny.

Hotel Reviews

Hotel Pulitzer Paris

Paris

Excellent hotel conveniently located in Opera district with access to many sites, restaurants, and shopping. A very friendly and helpful staff. New, comfortable rooms. Highly recommended.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Château d'Artigny

Montbazon

Lovely hotel with warm, courteous, and accommodating staff. Lovely and excellent restaurant at the Chateau. The Chateau is isolated from downtown Montbazon and transportation via taxi or ride share is quite expensive. The room was comfortable but a bit dated and needs some upgrades to toilet facilities and lighting in bathroom.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Le Relais Saint-Michel

Le Mont Saint-Michel

Beautiful location offering views of Mont Saint-Michel. Staff, while friendly, was not very accomodating. However their house restaurant was excellent.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Small twin beds

Grand Hotel du Luxembourg

Bayeux

Conveniently located in heart in town of Bayeux with access to many cafes, restaurants, and shops. Staff was very friendly and accommodating. Complimentary continental breakfast was excellent.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Rooms are a little small and dated.

Hotel La Bourdonnais - Tour Eiffel

Paris

The Hotel La Bourdonnais is conveniently located with easy access to Metro, museums, and several cafes and restaurants. Its staff is extremely courteous and accommodating. Rooms were clean and comfortable and stocked daily with bottled water.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Convenient to museums, metro, shopping, etc.

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Private Exploration of the Opera Garnier

Paris

A beautiful site and perfect way to spend our last day. Opera Garnier is conveniently located near Hotel Pulitzer and many fine restaurants and shops including Galeries de Lafayette. Agathe was another excellent and informative guide.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Agathe was terrific and our driver from Loire Valley, Nicholas, is a lovely man and also a guide.

Transport

Castles & Home-Cooked Lunch: Chenonceau, Villesavin & Chambord

Amboise

Another spectacular day with excellent tours of Chateau Chenonceau and Chateau Chambord. Our lunch at Chateau Villlesavin was excellent. Dimitri was a fantastic guide and fun to be around. Travel from Chateau Artigny in Montbazon to Amboise, where we had to meet Dimitri, was long and expensive. We learned from others staying at Chateau Artigny that we could have met Dimitri in Tours which is much closer to Montbazon.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

See above.

Private Châteaux Day Trip with Vouvray Wine Tasting

France

Our guide, Roxane, was excellent and made the tours so enjoyable. We really loved both chateaus especially Chateau de Villandry. The wine tasting at Chateau Gaudrelle was fun and the wine was quite good but it was at the end of a long day.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Mont-Saint-Michel Your Way : Abbey tickets included

France

While visually breathtaking there is not much to see at the Abbey and it can be very crowded. Long way to travel for one day.

Quality of Experience

Omaha & Utah Beach War History Day Trip

Bayeux

Very informative and moving tour. Our guide, Jack, was excellent, and provided a comprehensive summary of what took place on DDay.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Seine River Gourmet Dinner Cruise with Wine Pairing

Paris

Excellent evening. A very relaxing and enjoyable way to see Paris at night. Great service with excellent food and wine.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Montmartre Local Food Walk

Paris

Luz is an excellent guide. Also very friendly and knowledgeable. The food tour was fun and we were able to enjoy some excellent pastries.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

🔸 Eiffel Tower : Reserved Access to the Summit + Audio guide

Paris

Iconic site and fun to see Paris from this vantage point.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Private Louvre Museum Visit

Paris

Kotryna was another outstanding guide … super friendly, incredibly knowledgeable, and easy to understand. She guided through the best the Louvre has to offer.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Louvre is easy to get to.

Private Notre-Dame & Sainte-Chapelle Visit with Priority Access

Paris

Ferit was an exceptional guide … friendly, knowledgeable, and easy to understand.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Easy to get to Notre Dame.

Caves du Louvre Wine & Cheese Tasting Experience

Paris

Lots of fun and excellent wine and cheese. Our host was excellent and guided us through all the wines and cheeses.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Private Versailles All-Day Bike Tour

Paris

Our guides, Joris and Cecilia, made the outing incredibly enjoyable and informative in spite of the wet weather. Both were incredibly knowledgeable and friendly. Versailles in spectacular!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Joris and Cecilia were magnifique!

Transport

Just got back from an amazing trip to Morocco. Hakim did great job with the itinerary and picked hotels that were amazing. We really enjoyed our driver, Adil, who was with us for the 10 days. The guides were also fantastic. Especially Abdul in Rabat and the food tour with Hynan in Marrakech. For the food tour, go hungry. As Hynan said, it’s not a tasting tour, it’s an eating tour.

It was all such a great experience. I will definitely be using KimKim again.

Activity Review

Food Tour & Local Gastronomy

Morocco

Go hungry. It’s not a tasting tour, it’s an eating tour. We couldn’t even make it to all of the stops we were so full. Hynan was great and a lot of fun.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Our trip that we booked through KimKim with our agent Erika was better than we even dreamed it could be! From the very beginning we were amazed at how perfectly Erika had matched the tours to our distinct likes and wants. The food tour in Athens with Alternative Athens was so fascinating to be able to understand the story behind why this food and the way it is prepared is important and what to look for when buying these items. Sitting around the tables with others as conversations erupted and enjoying the food was a highlight. Naxos was our favorite island and one we know we would choose to return to. The Adriana hotel was so convenient and beautiful with the ability to walk to everything within 10 minutes, and we loved eating our lovely breakfast outside every morning. The countryside walk with Naxos Cultural Tours was absolutely amazing and our guide Elizabeth was fantastic. Her knowledge and just overall kindness and joy about everything and everyone we encountered was intoxicating. The Gerofinikas Hotel on Sifnos though was the ultimate highlight of our trip. It was like walking into a dream world of luxury that we didn't know existed! Everything is geared around being outside and all your needs were met with such quiet kindness. The staff truly made you believe they existed only to make your trip magnificent. From delicious food eaten outside with the most stunning landscape, to handcrafted drinks from the bar to the on demand coffee shop we felt so pampered. We truly did not want to leave that magical place. The experience we will never forget though was the cooking class at Narlis Farms. Cooking with George in his farmhouse, walking his farm as he educated us on farming without water, and then eating the dishes we made around his large kitchen table will be what we will continue to daydream about for many years. Milos was full of beautiful beaches that continued to take your breath away, and the catamaran adventure would've been much more enjoyable if it hadn't been 65 and cloudy, but no one can control the weather! We loved our food and wine tour though with Micheal from Travel Me to Milos! We felt like we were hanging out with an old friend who truly wanted us to love his home and we could've stayed with him all day. All in all, the trip was way more than we had hoped to experience, and we truly didn't have one low point or regret. I've never been able to say that about an international trip, so we are extremely grateful to KimKim and have told all our friends about the great value of your travel agency. Thank you!

Hotel Reviews

Adriani Hotel

Naxos Town

We loved the ability to walk to anything we desired in town. Everything was within a 10 minute walk. The morning breakfast were such a highlight as well as the food was a wide range of delicious authentic Greek food and we always chose the option of eating outside on the covered patio amongst the beautiful flowers and weather. The owners were so helpful and we even rented a car through them that gave us the ability to travel all across the island. Our room was spacious and very comfortable with a large shared sundeck and view of the city. A great experience!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Gerofinikas Boutique Hotel

Sifnos

The Gerofinikas Hotel was like stepping into a magical land of luxury from the first moment we walked through the entrance in the hedge. We both seriously gasped! The extraordinary view that you receive from anywhere that you're outside in the resort is worth the stay alone, but the experience doesn't end there. They pamper you with a private small scale restaurant only available to guests that serves breakfast, lunch and dinner, where you can either eat inside or on the covered patio with that incredible view. A full service coffee bar and bar open all day where they will serve you by the pool or lounging area. Each room has a secluded patio with that once again incredible view where you can lounge away. The staff was so calming and kind and truly made you feel that they existed to make your stay the best it could possibly be. It is only a 10-15 min walk from two nearby towns with many restaurant offerings as well if you choose to go out. Our stay at the Gerofinikas Boutique Hotel will forever be the highlight or our trip to Greece, and I will go so far to say that you should go to Sifnos, if only to experience this hotel. We will never forget it.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Their kindness and desire to make your stay as wonderful as possible.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Private Food & Wine Discovery Drive

Milos

Taking this tour with Michael was like hanging out with an old friend from the moment we got in the car. He was so fun, knowledgeable and real about growing up on this island, the good and the bad. We had so many great conversations and his love and passion for Milos is so evident. We would've hung out with him all day!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

The car was a brand new Mercedes SUV, so it was definitely luxurious.

Traditional Cooking Class at Country Farm

Sifnos

This experience was hands down the highlight of our trip. Getting to spend this time with George around his table, in his kitchen and as he walked us through his fields explaining how to grow produce without water will be an experience we will never forget. His knowledge and love for preserving these ancient ways enchanted us and helped us realize what life on this island was truly like and what is being lost. Plus when do you get to sit around a table with a celebrity chef getting to eat food that he lovingly prepared? It was like being invited over for a family dinner but with a loving education provided as well. This is definitely a not to be missed experience for foodies and nature lovers alike!

Quality of Experience

Food

FANTASTICALLY DELICIOUS!

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

We were able to walk there in under 10 minutes from our hotel the Gerofinikas.

Private Countryside Walk: Naxian Villages & Local Food

Naxos

We had the most amazing time with our wonderful guide Elizabeth who was so kind and truly joyful with everyone and animal we encountered. Her love and knowledge of Naxos completely shown through, and she led us on the most charming walking tour through several villages. When she learned of my love for Greek mythology, she immediately begin weaving her great knowledge of the local area with so many of the stories. This is something I will not forget! To be able to connect so many of this iconic stories with actual real places was amazing. The food, wine, liquor and people we became acquainted with through her were definitely a highlight of our trip to Greece. You don't want to miss this tour!

Quality of Experience

Food

It was all so fresh and absolutely delicious. Plus there was so much of it, that we couldn't finish half of what we were given!

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Elizabeth and our driver were wonderful hostsQ!

Transport

The car was very luxurious and seemed brand new.

This trip was a 'bucket list' adventure for my mother-in-law, who is in her late 70s and very active and engaged with the world. Adam worked with us to see and experience as much as we could in 9 days, 4 different areas, and a variety of activities. I can say without hesitation that the trip exceeded our expectations, not only because Portugal is a welcoming country with a rich and long history, but because all of our drivers, guides and accommodations were exceptional. There were 2 instances when plans needed to shift or an activity was cancelled due to weather or operator reasons. The KimKim team helped us to pivot easily and refunds for cancelled activities were processed quickly and without hassle. We landed in Lisbon and trained to Porto the first day, which really helped manage jetlag and made a lot of sense for flow of travel. In Porto we had a fabulous driver (Miguel) who arranged for us to go to a fado dinner in Gaia, a little more off the beaten track. It was incredibly memorable and evocative. Our accommodation at Quinta do Vallado in the Duoro Valley was exceptional and the private wine tour with Vasco from Quinta Barquieros D'Ouro felt like the perfect way to see and learn about the wine making in this region. My favourite activity was the 2-hour cycling through vineyards. It was beautiful with stops to pick cherries from the trees. My mother-in-law was in awe of the Joanina Library in Coimbra and that experience was 100% her favourite memory. Also, it was nearing the annual party for the students of the University of Coimbra so we got to experience a small taste of their academic and social traditions. Finally, the bustle of Lisbon was a great finish, as was the day trip to Sintra and Cascais. Thanks to all the folks at KimKim and their excellent choices of guides and drivers, we had the best trip to Portugal we could imagine!

Hotel Review

Quinta do Vallado

Peso da Regua

Stunning hotel. I was expecting something traditional from the outside but it was modern and elegant on the inside. The fountains and the birdsong added to the ambiance on the balcony. The breakfasts were lovely and relaxed. A true escape in a beautiful setting.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Review

Gaia Port Tasting Walk

Portugal

I didn't think I would really like Port wine, but after learning about it, I came home with 3 bottles. Our guide was enthusiastic and I appreciated the structure of a large, small and micro approach to port making. Definitely a must-do!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Our trip to Normandy was wonderful. The car rental upon arrival was difficult but finally was resolved, with attentive help from Emilie. Thank you. We were just very tired from an overnight flight so the difficulty was worse. Anyway once on our way we had a good trip. Accommodations were beautiful, comfortable and friendly. Michael and Gil were great! Bayeux was a nice town. Wish we had stayed one more day. Both guides we had for our tours were great. So informative and interesting. We had two really nice dinners and some good wine. Overall, really glad we added this short trip to our cruise.

Hotel Review

Hotel particulier le clos de la croix

Bayeux

Michael and Gil are great hosts! Room comfortable and beautiful. Beautiful garden as well!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Giverny House & Gardens of Claude Monet (Entrance Tickets)

France

Beautiful gardens! House was interesting. Very crowded. Need better instructions as to parking and entrance

Quality of Experience

Omaha & Utah Beach War History Day Trip

Bayeux

Nice overview. If want to delve in more and visit museums need to take a second day

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Private Mont-Saint-Michel Day Trip with Entrance Tickets (Rental Car)

France

Beautiful

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

24/7 assistance in case of emergency

France

Very helpful when car reservation had been cancelled

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

My husband and I had always wanted to travel to Turkey, but we were unsure how to navigate the country and fit so much into a 10-day trip. We booked through KimKim, and Berat, Murat, and Hulya took care of all the details for us. We spent four days in Istanbul, three days in Cappadocia, one day in Ephesus, and two days in Bodrum. It was wonderful not to worry about the logistics; everything from domestic flights and private transfers to hotel accommodations was arranged for us.

All three of our guides were amazing. Zekiye showed us around Istanbul for two days, providing interesting historical and local context along the way while being incredibly personable. From historic sites like the Blue Mosque and Topkapi Palace to a trip across the Bosphorus to Kadikoy, we were able to experience many different sides of Istanbul. Efe spent two days with us in Cappadocia and took great care of us, facilitating fun and engaging visits to Kaymakli Underground City, Goreme Open Air Museum, and a local pottery shop in Avanos. Finally, Ozan took us to Ephesus for the day and even showed us around a bit of Izmir near our hotel. He brought great energy to the Ephesus tour and was very knowledgeable about the site's history.

We would definitely recommend the KimKim team to anyone traveling to Turkey! Turkey is a beautiful county, and we are already discussing when we can return for another visit.

Our trip to Ireland and Scotland was absolutely amazing.
We began in Dublin and stayed at the Kilronan House, a quaint place with a bed and breakfast feel. The rooms were extremely comfortable. The musical pub crawl was fun, also. A perfect introduction to Ireland! Then, we picked up our rental car (super easy process) and drove to Cashel to see the Rock of Cashel. We had pre-purchased vouchers for all of our planned stops, which I highly recommend b/c we were able to bypass several lines for ticket purchasing. We even took a random exit advertising Cahir Castle, which happened to have free admission on Wednesdays! In Killarney, we stayed at the Killaran House for 2 nights. Breda and her staff were exceptional! Our private guided tour of the Ring of Kerry was one of our trip highlights. Martin O'Riordan with M.O.R. Executive Travel IS THE BEST TOUR GUIDE. We all loved him. We took a horse & carriage tour of Killarney National Park & Castle (which was within walking distance of the Killaran House). Then, we drove to Doolin and toured the Cliffs of Moher, which were breath-taking. Our last top of the day was Galway (Hyde Hotel). The next day we drove to Belfast and dropped off the rental car. (I'm so glad we had a rental car - it gave us much more freedom.) A private transfer driver was waiting on us. (Cathy did a great job arranging all of our transportation needs!) We checked in to the Leonardo Hotel and then visited the Titanic experience. We had another private tour of the Antrim Coast and the Giant's Causeway. (We all agreed that we liked the private tours much better than the guided bus tour.) Cathy booked our flight to Inverness, Scotland from Belfast and arranged our transportation to/from the airports. She also booked our Loch Ness boat tour, our day trip to the Isle of Skye, and our train tickets from Inverness to Stirling to Edinburgh. Traveling by train was very easy and our lodging at the Redcliffe Hotel in Inverness included a wonderful view of Inverness Castle. Our lodging in Edinburgh (Apex Grassmarket Hotel) also included an incredible view of Edinburgh Castle. We felt really spoiled by Cathy. My family was very grateful for Cathy's expertise and knowledge in planning our trip to Ireland and Scotland. She made our vacation easy to navigate, and we thoroughly enjoyed our time in Ireland and Scotland.

Hotel Reviews

Apex Grassmarket Hotel

Edinburgh

Our view of Edinburgh Castle was amazing. Location was super convenient.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Redcliffe Hotel

Inverness

The view from our window of the Inverness Castle was great. Within walking distance of downtown. They did a load of laundry for us and when we told them we were leaving too early to enjoy breakfast after our first night there, they prepared a lunch packet for each of us, including a sandwich, chips, fruit, a cereal bar, and a juice box. (We didn't ask for that.)

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Leonardo Hotel Belfast

Belfast

Loved the breakfast buffet

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

The Hyde Hotel

Galway

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Killaran House

killarney

We all loved Killaran House. Breda and her staff were excellent. The room was comfortable and we loved the coffee/hot chocolate bar right outside of our room. Breakfast was excellent, as well.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Breda is very accommodating and so very nice.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Kilronan House

Dublin 2

Our rooms were very clean and comfortable. The Kilronan House was very charming and my family would recommend.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Private Walking Tour of Edinburgh with a Top Local Guide

Edinburgh

Chris was a very knowledgeable tour guide. He was very accommodating as one of our members had knee issues and he was able to help us avoid many of the stairs on our route.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Edinburgh Castle Tickets

Edinburgh

Edinburgh Castle is awesome. We saw the Scottish Crown Jewels here.

Quality of Experience

National Wallace Monument visit

Ireland

We climbed all 246 stairs to get to the top! This was an interesting place to visit.

Quality of Experience

Stirling Castle Tickets

Ireland

This castle was fun to tour.

Quality of Experience

Isle of Skye Daytrip from Inverness

Inverness

This tour was a guided bus tour and lasted all day. I would have enjoyed this better as a private tour. The scenery was beautiful and we got to experience 4 seasons in one day (it was sunny, it rained, sleeted, hailed and snowed.)

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Two hour cruise on the Canal and Loch - Loch Ness

Inverness

We didn't see Nessie but enjoyed this tour nonetheless.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Private Tour Giant's Causeway and Antrim Coast

Belfast

James was our driver. He was great. He added a specific stop that we asked about (a filming location in Game of Thrones).

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Titanic experience

Belfast

Self-Guided

Quality of Experience

Cliffs of Moher Visitor Center tickets

Ireland

Breath-taking. You just have to see this. Pictures can't quite capture the awesomeness.

Quality of Experience

Killarney National Park Jaunt - From Park to Castle

Ireland

Picturesque. Loved the horse-drawn carriage.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Private Guided Tour of The Ring of Kerry

Ireland

This was perhaps our favorite excursion. Our tour guide, Martin, was fabulous. We wanted to take him with us everywhere. Martin O'Riordan of M.O.R. Executive Travel.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Rock of Cashel

Ireland

We enjoyed this tour. The setting was unique and we visited some shops in the town below.

Quality of Experience

Musical Pub Crawl in Dublin

Dublin

We enjoyed this very much! Nice introduction to Ireland.

Quality of Experience

This trip was more amazing than I could ever imagine! Every facet of this trip was well thought out and carried out in a highly professional manner. Every interaction with staff, drivers, security was pleasurable and in some way rewarding. Our contact at Kim Kim, Anna-marie', was able to give us information on the fly whenever we reached out to her. SO MUCH behind the scenes work was done in order to make this trip a smooth vacation of a lifetime!

Everything from the planning stages until flying home at the end of our trip was seamless and well executed by kimkim. I started working with Hoa during the planning and booking but then Phuong stepped in before the trip and they were both wonderful. We had a great time with our guide Ron and driver Cow in Bangkok and Kanchanaburi. The excursions to the Elephant sanctuary and pig island/snorkeling was also great. Thank you so much!