Kimkim Trip Reviews

Eleonora and Lorenzo were the absolute best! Our trip to Italy was organized quickly and easily until my travel partner fell and broke the top of her foot two weeks before we left. Much of the trip had to be reorganized and again, the concern, double checking of handicap accessibility and arranging extra assistance through out the trip was above and beyond our expectations. Thank you for a job well done!!

Our trip was super well planned and organized. We packed a ton in just 6 days and got to see so many of Portugal’s best spots. The planning was spot on and the timing was perfect so we could do everything we wanted to. We had amazing guides, including our drivers Henrique and Ricardo, who took us on a safe and efficient journey through Portugal. They also gave us great tips, knowledge of the region, and history. We had great city tours with Margarita and Sara who really took us deep into the history, sites, and culture of Lisbon and Porto. It was an incredible trip. We wish we had more time to spend and explore even more of this amazing country!

Hotel Reviews

PortoBay Liberdade

Lisbon

Amazing hotel. Super posh and great location. Does require a short Uber ride to get to the cultural areas, but otherwise, great location for shopping and simply walking around. Would stay here again

Authenticity & Character

Location

Near the Avenue de Liberadade

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Cénica Porto Hotel, Curio Collection by Hilton

Porto

received a suite for our family. Amazing size! A little bit on the outskirts of the main city area, but certainly walkable to downtown Porto.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Cascais Miragem

Cascais

Amazing resort with fantastic views. Great pool, both indoor and outdoor. Easy to access the promenade to walk to downtown Cascais. Great service. Very luxurious.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Unveil the Fairytale Villa of Sintra with a Private Driver Service

Portugal

Our driver Henrique was an absolute gem! We had an incredible tour of the area, and Henrique took us on a stroll through the charming downtown Sintra. He shared his insider knowledge, telling us what was worth seeing and doing, and what wasn’t. We truly immersed ourselves in Sintra’s rich history and stunning sites, and Henrique made it an unforgettable experience. Thanks a bunch for making our trip so amazing!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Lisbon's Historic Odyssey on a Private Walking Tour & Tastings

Lisbon

Our tour guide, Margarita, was incredible! She totally customized the tour for our 6 and 10-year-olds, keeping them super engaged. The adults had a blast too, learning all about the sights, culture, and history of Lisbon. We even tried Ginjinha and Santini’s ice cream - it was delicious! This tour truly gave us an in-depth look into Lisbon’s rich history.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Porto's Historic Odyssey on a Private Walking Tour

Porto

Great tour with Sara. Really learned about the history of Porto and saw the city. Was a great experience!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Seamless Discovery - The Ultimate Douro Valley Experience with Private Driver Service

Portugal

The landscapes here are absolutely breathtaking! The drive into the Duoro valley was excellent. Our driver, Ricardo, was an absolute gem and navigated the difficult roads beautifully. Not only did we learn a ton about the area’s history and culture, but the drive was also super entertaining and insightful. The boat tour was incredible! It was so calm and peaceful, and we got to see the wineries from a whole new perspective. The lunch at the winery was also amazing - it was an experience like no other. We left super full and satisfied, and I can’t wait to come back!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Douro Valley Vineyard Delightful Lunch Experience

Portugal

Amazing gourmet lunch. Delicious food. Excellent vegetarian options. Huge portion sizes. Left super full!

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Scenic Voyage along the Douro River aboard an Exclusive Boat

Portugal

Very scenic and relaxing. The cool breezes with beautiful landscapes made it magical!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

The whole team was exceptional! We are seasoned travelers and had a wonderful experience! Dolores was instrumental and ensured our trip was memorable. Thanks to the Jeep tour- simply a must! Dolores, thank you again for a wonderful trip!

Hotel Reviews

Hanoi Pearl Hotel

Hanoi

Staff was professional and very accommodating!

Authenticity & Character

Good and accommodating to the area!

Location

Central and easy to walk or taxi.

Staff

Professional and kind!

Cleanliness & Comfort

All was good!

Indochine Lan Ha Cruise

Hai Phong

Awesome boat and trip package! Staff were very accommodating, fun and professional!

Authenticity & Character

Boat decor was wonderful and set the mood!

Location

Central to walks, cave and kayaking areas!

Staff

Again, professional and accommodating!

Cleanliness & Comfort

Awesome room!

Allegro Hoi An

Hoi An

Staff were professional and very accommodating!

Authenticity & Character

Wonderful hotel and staff!

Location

Hotel was central to events and sightseeing activities!

Staff

They were kind and helpful with directions and events/sights to visit!

Cleanliness & Comfort

A wonderful experience!

Activity Review

Hoi An Cooking Class (join-in small group) - Visit Hoi An Ancient Town

Hoi An

Chef was fun and interactive! We are food enthusiasts. She enjoyed our questions and gave us tips to further enjoy preparing their local cuisine at home.

Quality of Experience

Too many to mention.

Food

We are food enthusiasts and trip was centered around cuisine and culture.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

All were hospitable, professional and kind!

Transport

Drivers were on time and drove safely!

Elena was very helpful throughout the whole planing process and during the trip. Communication was great and she was always quick to reply to a question on the whats app chat. Thanks so much.

Sebastian did a wonderful job of planning a trip to France for my husband and I! We had a tall order: travel across the country in less than 2 weeks, without breaking the bank or exhausting ourselves. We didn’t know where to start, or what to see. Sebastian expertly curated an incredible itinerary: we explored stunning chateaus, had insightful city tours with locals, wandered through charming towns, learned to bake classic french pastries, and so much more. The kimkim process made arranging this easy: we had a live chat, and could drop questions into it and have answers within hours. In fact, Kimkim had provided the second revision of our proposed itinerary before the other travel company we had contacted even answered our first email. The speed and clarity was unmatched! Unfortunately we had some last-minute disruptions to our vacation plans due to work conflicts, requiring a complete shift in our vacation dates. The kimkim team handled it easily, and was able to rebook our vacation on the new dates with minimal changes. They’re real pros: everything was conveniently arranged for us, we just had to show up. However, we were not “on our own” once we got there: Sebastian and his colleagues were easily within reach on whatsapp, there to help us navigate our trip and answer any questions we had. Some would call this a trip of a lifetime, but it was so good I hope we can do something like it again!

The guides and people we interacted with where awesome. We stayed at 5 different locations with many different transportations. It worked out great and we didn’t have to figure out anything, just what we wanted to do.

We were very happy with Camila and kimkim for our Argentina trip. This was our first experience using kimkim and our expectations were exceeded during every step: itinerary planning, detailed information on the Vamoos app, and Camila's prompt follow-up on questions during the trip, for example, flight updates. We were particularly impressed with the five guides in each of the cities we visited. Of course each person was welcoming and knowledgeable, but beyond that, they were also very open, funny, thoughtful, and so proud of Argentina. Our guide in Salta, Juan R., went above and beyond by giving us a lovely highlight video of our drive from Salta to Cafayte.

The overall trip was amazing and we will recommend kimkim to our friends and family.

We had the most amazing trip to New Zealand. Our travel specialist, Ruth, planned an amazing trip for our family of 5 (3 teenagers). Everyday we had a new adventure and each one was more fun than the last. All 3 of our kids were able to do something that they liked. If I had planned the trip without Ruth’s help the kids would have complained constantly. The horse trekking with Hannah from Real Kiwi Horse trekking was a blast (although the mountain climbs were scary & beautiful). We all had a great time snow tubing & soaking in the hot pools at Lake Tekapo Springs. I recommend that just for the hot pools. And in Queenstown the biking with Around the Basin was amazing, even with snow on the ground. We all went bungy jumping with AJ Hackett company. While I probably wouldn’t jump again the gorge was beautiful and everyone working there was so friendly & professional. I would definitely use KimKim Travel again to plan a trip!

Hotel Reviews

Distinction Christchurch Hotel & Conference Centre

Christchurch

Nice hotel. Rooms were clean and modern looking. We were able to fit a family of 5 in 2 rooms with beds for everyone. It was in a convenient location.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Convenient to activities, cafes, & our rental pickup.

Staff

Super helpful

Cleanliness & Comfort

Peppers Bluewater Resort

Lake Tekapo

In a great location that’s convenient to activities and food. Very comfortable for a family of 5. The kitchen and living room made the unit very spacious. Our room had a washer/dryer combo that was nice except the dryer didn’t really work. The hotel did offer 2 washers & dryers on the grounds for free which was helpful.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Close to everything we wanted to do in the Lake Tekapo region.

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Blue Peaks Lodge

Queenstown

We stayed in their newer apartments. It offered plenty of room for a family of 5. The kitchen made it easy to have breakfast in the unit before heading out for activities. It was close to a lot of restaurants and a short 10min walk to the waterfront. My only complaint is their tiny garage under the apartments. It was VERY difficult to maneuver a minivan into the parking spot especially when more cars were there.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Close to restaurants and shops. Just a small hill to walk up and down to the shops.

Staff

We didn’t really interact with anyone after we checked in.

Cleanliness & Comfort

The unit was very clean when we checked in. Not sure how often the rooms are cleaned because we stayed for 3 days and the rooms weren’t cleaned. It wasn’t a big deal for us because the unit was very clean and there were cleaning supplies for the dishes & washing machine.

Activity Reviews

Kawarau Bungy Jump

Queenstown (NZ)

Absolutely scary but absolutely breathtaking at the same time. The staff were all friendly and supportive.

Quality of Experience

Everyone seemed to be having a blast and supportive.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Staff were very supportive and friendly.

Christchurch Private Transfer Airport to Hotel

New Zealand

Our ride was clean and just what we needed. Our original flight had been cancelled but when I called and let the travel company know we were assured our driver would still meet us. James was there with a sign and was very helpful with history of Christchurch and things we should see.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Tramway Restaurant

Christchurch

The food was really good and was a unique activity. It was dark when we did the tour so it might be something better to do in the spring and summer so you can get a better feel for Christchurch. Our kids were a little bored and not a huge fan of the food but my husband and I enjoyed it.

Food

Transport

Was a unique way to eat dinner and see a little bit of the city.

Real Kiwi Horse Trekking

Christchurch

We did the 3 hour trek. Hannah was a great guide and the horses were very well trained. The scenery was amazing. For someone who has never been on a horse the 1 hour river trek would have been more than enough. We also went up into the mountains and while the views were amazing I was petrified! One of my kids panicked and Hannah was very patient and helped lead her horse until her husband could pick my daughter up. One of my daughters, who is a horse lover, was in heaven with the trek.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Hannah was very friendly and super patient.

Super Winter Combo - Ice Skating & Hot Pools + 1 Hour Tubing

Lake Tekapo

My kids loved this place. The tubing was a lot of fun. A school trip was there on the day we visited but the staff changed our tubing time to avoid the big group. The staff on the ice rink were very helpful. The staff at the tubing hill gave us different suggestions for tubing to make it more fun. And the hot pools were so nice after skating and tubing.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Crater Experience (Cowan's Observatory)

New Zealand

Amazing. We saw the Milky Way and numerous constellations. Our younger teens were bored but my husband and I loved it. It’s something I would do again. It was a cold night when we did it and the staff at the observatory had extra jackets for everyone to wear.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Walter Peak Farm and Gourmet Barbecue Dinner

Queenstown (NZ)

The boat ride was nice across the lake. The dinner was delicious and there was plenty of food. Even the kids found food to enjoy and eat. The show was very entertaining. It was a nice break from high energy activities.

Quality of Experience

Food

A large variety of food and it was all delicious.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

It was hard to understand the captain when he was talking.

Half Day Supported Arrow River Trail Tour (Bike the Bridges)

Queenstown (NZ)

We did the Arrowtown trail. We weren’t sure what to expect but the trail was very easy to follow. The path was a little muddy but that’s to be expected with the weather. We used E-bikes but the trail we did would have been easily done with a regular trail bike. I would love to return and do more rides. It was great that there was a dedicated bike trail and we were only on (quiet) local roads for a short time.

Quality of Experience

The trails were better than expected and the bikes were in great condition.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

What a fantastic adventure in Iceland! My Tour planner, Gummi, was so incredibly helpful with planning out my schedule so I could see as much as Iceland as possible in the time I had available. He even told me exactly how long I should spend at each landmark if I wanted to get to my scheduled activity later in the day. It was a very “active“ vacation, but I couldn’t recommend enough. Thanks so much, Kimkim and Gummi!

My guide for Iguacu, Flavio, was absolutely AMAZING. I can't stress how kind, generous, and authentic he was. I was running behind schedule because of travel delays and he made it all happen. My main tour guide for North Pantanal, Pedro Paulo, was also just as amazing! Talking to both of them was so easy and I felt right at home.

I had many flight delays that were beyond Sara's control, but they were quick to pivot and ensure that I still had a wonderful experience. I was nervous traveling by myself, but I will 100% go back again having had this trip.

Overall, I'd definitely recommend Sara and everything/everyone that was suggested or scheduled for me. I can't wait to go back to Brazil!

Activity Reviews

Half-Day Tour – Brazilian Side of the Iguaçu Falls + Bird Park (Parque das Aves)

Foz do Iguaçu

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Full-Day Argentinian Side of the Falls

Foz do Iguaçu

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

We visited Barcelona, Sevilla, Porto and Lisbon over 2 weeks. We asked for a multi-city trip loosely based on a food and wine itinerary designed by Adam, a kimkim specialist. Adam worked with us to customise the trip and was very helpful in balancing experiences and "vacation time" - he planned local experiences and private tours so that we learned a lot, experienced wonderful things and met amazing people, without feeling overwhelmed by hurry up and get somewhere. We still had plenty of time to slow down, explore on our own and enjoy being in beautiful places together.

Highlights - apart from wandering and ogling beautiful architecture and views interspersed with excellent food and wine - were the market visit and cooking class in Barcelona with Barcelona Cooking (making those recipes at home regularly!!) the private tour of Real Alcázar with Cristina from Yannat in Seville where we could take our time and ask all the questions we wanted, the Douro Valley wine tour with Philip (be sure to check the weather for Douro as it is often much hotter than the coast!) and the day trip to Sintra with the incomparable Luis as our guide.

Things we learned or might do differently - we would double check our transfer times between cities and adjust with days or method of transportation so that we are making the most out of the time and not spending 1/2 day or so waiting to get somewhere. We would call ahead to the hotels and double check our rooms are not next to elevators, over the lobby etc. We would spend longer in the Southern areas - we connected more with the people and the pace of things in the Southern areas of both countries (despite the heat) so we plan on exploring more next time we visit.

All said - a wonderful two weeks and we are so appreciative of all of the help Adam and the kimkim team provided!! We will be booking through kimkim again!

Hotel Reviews

H10 Madison Hotel

Barcelona

Central but not directly on a busy street so quieter - breakfast buffet is super yummy and the rooftop pool and bar is a wonderful perk!! Staff are very accommodating and helpful!

Authenticity & Character

Location

central and easy to get places without being too busy -

Staff

Sara was so helpful any time we had questions -

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Gravina 51

Sevilla

We love this hotel!! We would recommend it to anyone wanting something charming, beautiful and well staffed.

Authenticity & Character

such a gorgeous property!! we joked we would live there if we could :)

Location

quiet street, but walkable to every tour and event as well as easy to get to public transport if needed -

Staff

everyone was helpful, friendly and went above and beyond -

Cleanliness & Comfort

cleaning all day long - every leaf of every plant is dusted on the daily - and the wooden shutters in the rooms make for a good night, or siesta, sleep -

Torel 1884 Suites & Apartments

Porto

stayed in the apartments - nice to have a little kitchen to ourselves :)

Authenticity & Character

Location

the apartments are on a famous walkable street - a little noisy, but easy access to lots and lots -

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel AlmaLusa Baixa/Chiado

Lisbon

Beautiful hotel, friendly and helpful staff and well situated within the downtown area -

Authenticity & Character

Location

walkable to museums, shops and restaurants

Staff

very helpful and always available

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Local Market Visit & Cooking Class

Barcelona

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Self-Guided Beach Day in Barcelona

Barcelona

Park Güell & La Sagrada Família Experience

Barcelona

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Historic Landmarks Walk

Seville

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Private Visit to Seville’s Cathedral & Alcázar

Seville

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Douro Valley Day Trip with Wine Tastings & River Cruise

Porto

Beautiful scenery, yummy wines, and the opportunity to meet fun people - If you get at all carsick, be ready to bring whatever you need to feel better - fast driving and windy mountain roads....

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Self-Guided Local Markets

Porto

Private Pena Palace & Sintra Village Half Day Trip

Lisbon

So nice that this was a private tour - we could ask all the questions and have time to make the experience our own -

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Luis was the perfect guide!!

Transport

Absolutely stellar collaboration of accommodations, activities, resources. Jimena did an outstanding job organizing a trip that needed to be adjusted to a solo trip after my brother suffered an injury last minute that did not enable him to go.

Edwar was exceptional as a guide. He was interesting, funny, knowledgeable, authentic. I would highly recommend him and Peruvian soul to anyone going to Peru!

Family adventure Norway!! From Oslo to 20+miles above the Arctic circle in Lofoten islands . Katie at Kim Kim took our research and worked out a fantastic game plan. We needed help - never been to Norway. It was amazing !! Katie had great recommendations for hotels and sightseeing. We were rarely in one spot for more than 1 night and she booked trains , overnight boat etc. From oslo to Flåm/ Bergen/alesund to fijords, pristine Arctic beaches & jaw dropping waterfalls . And the food!!! Norways amazing! Explord with KimKim help !

Hotel Reviews

Thon Hotel Opera

Oslo

Great central location, sorry we didn’t have a second night there to take full advantage.

Authenticity & Character

Cool decor, quiet

Location

Easy to get to food within walking distance. Close to train cool decor

Staff

Very nice front desk when jet lagged Easy check-in/out

Cleanliness & Comfort

Comfortable bed

Hotel Aurlandsfjord

Aurland

Loved the older charm of the place, great spot away from crowds. Authentic food . Only negative is 2 floors and no elevator if have mobility issues

Authenticity & Character

Small intimate and comfortable

Location

Gorgeous tiny town and real character with wood building.

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Grand Hotel Terminus

Bergen

Loved being so central to trains but without downtown noises if window open .

Location

Cleanliness & Comfort

Comfy bed zero noise at night

MS Havila Polaris

Fosnavåg

Had inside cabins with bunk beds .. rooms were well thought out even though very small . Dinner was excellent We only stayed on overnight so didn’t get full experience. Hot tub was nice but only 1 of 2 working when onboard.

Authenticity & Character

Nice seating areas

Location

Donate when arrive by cab could be better

Staff

Helpful for minor in room issues

Cleanliness & Comfort

Quality Hotel Ålesund

Ålesund

One of top 2 hotel/accommodation of the 2 week trip !! Go stay here!!!!!! Gorgeous hotel, loved it . Right beside water. Central to shops and via ferrata

Authenticity & Character

Loved the style and location on water and easy for shops

Location

Easy walk from where overnight ferry dropped us beautiful outdoor deck and tables/seats

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Bed so nice. I room Fridge in 2 rooms not working

Reine Rorbuer

Reine

It was a dream come true ! Had the 3 bedroom cabin right on the water. Incredible views of midnight sun lighting over harbour and jagged cliffs . Didn’t want to leave. Bring your own shampoo/soap etc it’s like glamping with the best view on the planet! People speak enough English to get by.. easy if self driving

Authenticity & Character

Just like in photo but better!!

Location

Incredible views. Comfy beds, cafe onsite

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Very comfortable beds good black out curtains

Hotell Bondeheimen

Oslo

Most comfortable bed, great central location, no air conditioning if there in July it was Hot(30). If open windows loud motor cycles zooming past . Apart from that outstanding

Authenticity & Character

Historic hotel.

Location

Very short walk to paradox museum and other shops cafe etc

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Visit Stegastein Viewpoint

Norway

So easy to get to and simply stunning views. Our 18-20 yr old kids loved it too.

Quality of Experience

We had a clear day and views of fijords breathtaking. I have a bad knee and was able to manage easily

Guides, Drivers and Staff

On time good safe driver

Transport

Pu from 5 min walk from our little hotel

Full Day Geiranger Fjord Cruise

Ålesund

Do Not miss this. Well worth every penny. Incredible day out on the water so many waterfalls. Great views all Ali g not just 7 sisters falls.

Quality of Experience

Just stunning huge cliffs coming right into water. Mountains in distance .

Guides, Drivers and Staff

M

Transport

Lots of seating windows if inside

Flåm Railway: Flåm - Myrdal

Norway

Gorgeous train route . Valleys/waterfalls rushing streams

Quality of Experience

So pretty

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Train leaves on time! Great relaxed way to travel

Flåm Zipline

Norway

My Husband, 18 and 20 yr old did it and loved it. Zipline is fast but you are in a seated harness - fun going over the valley. Did bike down after

Quality of Experience

Unique beautiful bike down approx 2 hrs biking

Our one week (6 nights, 7 days) had so many things that needed to be planned correctly or it wouldn't have happened. Everything went so smooth. Liz Karen got us to the Amazon Jungle (Puerto Maldonado), Cusco, and Machu Picchu in one week. The guides she used and the drivers were all friendly, knowledgeable, and professional. Very wonderful experience.

Hotel Reviews

Holiday Inn Lima Airport

Lima

Authenticity & Character

Location

It seems to be close to the airport on the map, but with traffic it's a hassle.

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Very safe hotel in a not so safe area.

Inkaterra Hacienda Concepcion

Puerto Maldonado

Authenticity & Character

Location

20 minute boat ride to a fantastic jungle experience

Staff

Super friendly and helpful at all times.

Cleanliness & Comfort

The cabana rooms were fantastic. Wow! Clean, comfortable

Hotel Arqueologo Cusco

Cusco

Authenticity & Character

Location

About a 8 minute walk to the main plaza. Safe little walk.

Staff

Very friendly and helpful

Cleanliness & Comfort

Jaya Suite Machu Picchu

Aguas Calientes, Machu Picchu

The staff is very friendly and helpful. Clean rooms but my room and others in the hotel have no window opening to the outside only to the hallway, which is very uncomfortable and I feel unsafe. But other than that everything is good.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Private tour to the Sacred Valley: Ancestral clay art & Hacienda

Peru

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Salvador, the driver, and Nataly were excellent

Transport

the vans that were used were very clean, comfortable and safe

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

Peru

Javier our guide was excellent. Met us the night before and gave us the rundown of what would be happening on the day of the visit.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

For the train trip up I would have chose a different level of train other than the basic

Private Walking tour to Sacsayhuaman, Cusco city & San Pedro Market

Cusco

Nataly was an excellent guide. Felt very safe in the city.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Flight to {{end_location}}: Inkaterra Hacienda Concepcion 1/3 (HIH)

Peru

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

the pick up at the airport was wonderful

Transport

Inkaterra Hacienda Concepcion 2/3

Puerto Maldonado

Quality of Experience

Food

A little too fancy for me and sort of small portions but it was good and the service was excellent

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Inkaterra Hacienda Concepcion 3/3: Flight to {{end_location}}

Peru

Our trip was fantastic and amazing!!
Holden, Wilman and Nancy from Serendipity Tours helped plan a fun action filled trip from Arenal to the beaches of Tamarindo!
Alex, our driver (Alex) from the airport, was exceptional! He stopped along the way to Arenal to show us sloths and toucans and brought us to wonderful lake view restaurant for lunch!
The hotels were excellent, wonderful private rooms--the staff at Manoa Arenal were fantastic (Thanks Hilda and Edwin!!).
Our favorite excursions were the ziplining, canyoning and Sunset cruise as well as the coffee/chocolate plantation tour!! Although, all the activities were exceptional. and well planned!!
We would love to return soon!!

Tiago was wonderful. Thorough, patient, and hooked us up with guides through Lisbon and Cascai. Arranged the whole thing. Steered us to the Azores instead of the Canaries. Nice hotels. Evora was terrific and interesting. The Duaro Valley was very beautiful. Cost-effective. Stuff we couldn't have seen without Tiago's guidance. Really, the only way to take a self-driving tour. Highly recommended.

Hotel Reviews

NH Collection Porto Batalha

Porto

Decent hotel in the middle of the city. But incredibly inconvenient. Hard to find. Parking is inconvenient and makes check-in a horror show. Hotel is nice once you get parked.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Good - being in the middle of Porto. Bad - NOT MADE FOR CARS. Much better if brought there by Uber or taxi.

Staff

They helped us Park! Which was not easy. Desk staff also friendly and helpful.

Hotel Lisboa Plaza

Lisbon

Very good. Good value for the money

Hotel Albergaria do Calvário

Évora

Nice, small hotel. Parking was difficult.

Casa dos Ofícios Hotel

Tomar

Nice boutique hotel. Parking was inconvenient and difficult. Other than that, the hotel was nice.

Location

Right in the city. Parking was inconvenient and difficult.

Quinta do Tedo

Douro Valley

The Duaro valley is spectacular. Beautiful.

Authenticity & Character

Location

The views! Memorable and wonderful.

Sao Miguel Park Hotel

Ponta Delgada

Good value for money. Nice, American-style hotel. Good location.

Location

Walking distance to the ocean and to the mall. The mall, although at first glance a tacky American mall,Turned out to be very convenient with good shops, a food court, and a cinema (!!) We saw a movie!

Activity Review

Rabelo Boat Tour

Portugal

A boat tour was a nice change. Pretty river, nice people on the boat. Overall though, a little boring.

Rachel was a delight to work with in planning our trip. She listened to what we wanted to do and made it happen along with offering suggestions that were some of the highlights of our travels. We had a wonderful time in Ireland because of the careful planning that took the stress out of any details. Our trip plan not only included some great places to stay and wonderful experiences, it also included directions with time of travel.

Hotel Reviews

Wilder Townhouse

Dublin

Great boutique hotel out of the hustle and bustle of Dublin but also within walking distance of all the attractions. Lovely staff.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Monks Ballyvaughan

County Clare

Oh my, what a beautiful setting. Hotel was a great place to stay. Recommend the restaurant too.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Lough Eske Castle Hotel

Loved our stay in the castle. The staff were attentive and unpretentious. Our room was well appointed and comfortable. The grounds were very beautiful.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Titanic Hotel

A great stay at this historic hotel. It is even included as part of a tour from the Titanic museum across the street. Hallways were rather dark giving off the vibe of a dark ship. Room was beautiful.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Dublin Food and Drink tour

Dublin

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Trinity Trails & Book of Kells Guided Tour

Dublin

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Kylemore Abbey

Ireland

Quality of Experience

Cliffs of Moher Cruise from Doolin ( 50 min)

Doolin

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Connemara Sheepdog Demonstration

Ireland

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Really liked the kimkim platform and ease of connecting with the travel specialists. Even when the original travel specialist assigned went on vacation, they transitioned me smoothing to another specialist, Paula! Paula was very knowledgeable about our Australia destination and provided interesting experience recommendations that we would not have found on our own! She also provided great advice on what we should see (and what we could skip) based on vacation profile. We traveled with a family of 4 with 2 young adults and she found a good balance of activity for all of us.
When there were the inevitable travel scheduling problems, Paula and the kimkim associated booking agents immediately refunded us for the excursions were not able to attend.

I think overall we had a very good trip, my family loved Greece. The tour guides we had in Athens, in Naxos and in Santorini were great!
My only call out was our hotel in Naxos which was not really up to our expectations and usual standards. I would have liked to book the hotels myself.

This was our first trip with KimKim — who was recommended to us by friends who recently had a great experience — and we’d have to say it was a pretty flawless ride. Completely easy and enjoyable start to finish, and ultimately unforgettable.

We are a family of four (including two college-age sons) and none of us had ever been to Japan. KimKim connected us with a regional specialist (Jasmine Z) who took time to get to know us a bit online and figure out what we liked / didn’t like, what specific anchor places/events would need to be worked in, and what our budget would be. After that we were working with a Tokyo-based travel company, Hiroshi T., and his colleague Emi M., (Oshinobi Travel) who could not have been more pleasant, efficient, and accommodating. We did essentially 5 cities/hotels in 14 days, including Tokyo on the entry and exit, plus about three day-long excursions. All main island (Honshu) this time. Our itinerary was documented day by day on a shared Google doc, and tweaked a bit through Q&A up to about a month ahead of departure. Pre-trip, KimKim hosted a phone call with Hiroshi at a mutually convenient time to walk through the whole itinerary and answer questions. Result: Amazing trip.

Hiroshi’s hotel choices were all Japanese-owned hotels, superbly located, and nicely varied, all very high quality and all with epic breakfasts, which made getting out of bed an event to look forward to. Hiroshi made a point of meeting us in person and spending essentially half of his day making sure we were able to find and attend a particular site that was difficult for non-Japanese visitors to negotiate. In every city, transfers/drivers as needed were available and on-time. They lined up superb guides in (Ms. Kyoko in Tokyo, and Mr. Shohei in Kyoto, and Ms. Miyuki in Kawaguchiko); we felt that the guides not only provided key history and cultural insights, but gave us a leg up on a hundred different travel basics & hacks, which gave us the confidence to make our way around on the days (most of them) when we didn’t have a guide. Our time was dramatically more efficient given the foundation they gave us. Hiroshi provided train tickets and explicit use instructions in a nicely organized portfolio, so it was easy to track chronologically through our itinerary, and saved us tons of time figuring out the amazing but rather complex transportation systems. As English (and non-Japanese) speakers, we appreciated their command of both languages. We’ll also note that communication was super easy — they were seemingly available all the time (including weekends) when needed, via WhatsApp, and copious itinerary, contact, and basic travel information was shared through Google docs. That info, coupled with our own use of Apple Maps (for transit and walking navigation) and Google Translate (totally useful in the clutch more than a few times) made for a surprisingly smooth journey through even the largest city on the planet.

Kudos and thanks to the KimKim team and Oshinobi (Hiroshi and Emi) for getting it right at every turn and for helping our family make some great memories.