Kimkim Trip Reviews

Our family traveled to Barcelona, Madrid and Toledo and enjoyed all of our sites. Our tour guide, Juan, in Madrid was excellent and really sensed what our family wanted to do and explore. He was kind and sincere. Our tour guide in Barcelona, Jordi, was knowledgeable and brought us around the city on a nice bike tour to see a lot of different sites. Both of the hotels we stayed at were excellent. The pool and bar on the roof top of Hotel Avenida was great to see the city at the end of the day. Both hotels were clean, comfortable and located in the center of the cities which allowed for great access to see the different sites. The travel arrangements by car and train were planned out very well. We felt well supported along our trip by Alfonso and he quickly responded to any of our questions or needs-he is an excellent resource.

Activity Reviews

Evening Tapas Walk in Barcelona

Barcelona

It was a great over view of the city. It gave us a sense of where different parts of the city were located. Jordi was knowledgeable. We unfortunately were delayed on a flight and traffic so were over tired and very hungry when we started this walking tour so it was a bit hard to focus.

Quality of Experience

Food

If we could have picked the food with Jordi or seen a menu.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Private Barcelona Bike Tour

Barcelona

A great way to see a large part of the city and riding bikes allowed a sense of freedom from the busy traffic and packed side walks.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Sunset Sailing in Barcelona

Barcelona

We had a private sailboat for this evening activity and Fiona was friendly and personable. She did a great job managing the boat and talking with our family.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Private Toledo Day Trip

Madrid

Toledo tour was all encompassing and Juan once again had extensive knowledge of the city and the history of all of the sights we toured. Our tapas lunch was excellent. He has a great ability to sense from us what we were up for seeing and touring throughout this day.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Private City Tour - Discover Madrid's Royal Legacy

Madrid

Viewing the palace and taking the tour with Juan was information because of Juan’s extensive knowledge of Madrid and the royal family. Juan gave us factual and anecdotal information.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Private Evening Tapas Walk with a Local

Madrid

Juan was a great tour guide and showed us over half of the city in this walking tour. His knowledge of art, history and architecture was outstanding and added to our tour greatly. He is personable and friendly.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Park Güell & La Sagrada Família

Barcelona

We all loved the tour of La Sagrada Familia and climbing the tour for the city view. Unfortunately we missed our tour to Park Guell as we made an error on the timing.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Mar and Fenne were very responsive in the planning process and our trip went pretty well. Some details that we discussed in the planning process were missed and not provided during the trip. We were supposed to have a private bus during one excursion for our group of 10 travelers and that was not arranged. We asked for a sauna cruise and were booked for a standing sauna. We were told that we will be refunded the difference but I have not received any refund as of yet. We did not have assigned seats on one leg of our train travel which caused a great deal of last minute stress and need to contact the emergency Kim Kim number. When we received our seat assignments, some were double booked with other passengers on the train. KimKim emergency help told me to contact Fjordtours, the company that orchestrates Norway in a Nutshell, which KimKim booked for us. This was surprising as I thought KimKim would contact them with any issues that arose. I would recommend flying from Oslo to Bergen and taking the train back to Oslo from Flam rather than taking the train both ways. It would have been helpful for our travel planners to suggest different options and the pros and cons of each. Overall, Norway is an amazingly picturesque country and we enjoyed the trip despite the hiccups.

We had the most amazing first annual international trip with our children planned by Thanos. We went to Greece and even though we had some hiccups getting there (due to airline issues) Thanos was so communicative through the whole thing, ensuring that everything would go as smoothly as possible, even offering suggestions on different times for our rescheduled flight. All the activities that he recommended were so much fun for all of us. The hotels picked were lovely and worked well. This is definitely a trip that we will reminisce about!

We had a great trip to Madrid and Barcelona, and were very happy with Paula and Luis’ trip planning services and prompt replies to our questions while traveling. They worked within our budget and planned activities that suited our interests. They were spot on regarding hotel selections. All of the private and small group activities they set up for us were exactly as described. All of the tour guides and locations were great. Very happy! Would definitely recommend them to others!

Nikola was easy to work with and very understanding of our questions and last minute changes. He also knew the guides well and only recommended folks who he knew would be terrific.

This review is a little complicated because our original planner left of after the majority of the planning was completed. Jenny finished up and then we worked with another person (Michele?) who helped with some issues during actual travel.

I would say this:
1. Do your own homework. Most things worked out but some went frustratingly poorly. For one of our overnight stays, we were provided the wrong address of the apartment. It was only by luck that the owner of the "wrong place" was able to help us find the correct place. Otherwise, we would have been stuck without boarding for the night.

2. On another occasion, an excursion was canceled. No problem - it happens - but the KimKim team repeatedly told us it was a different outing that was canceled. It took longer than it should have to sort that out.

3. At the beginning of the planning, we asked for the most high-end stay in Reykjavik. We were booked into a hotel and, to be fair, did not check it out on our own. After we arrived in the city, it was very clear there were more upscale options available.

4. At one hotel, we stayed in a room - the ONLY ROOM! - that did not have a private bath. It was located in a common hallway. We specifically asked about this ahead of time (based on reviews) and was told it was "all good." It was not. We wrote to the KimKim team and the responder, Michele (Iceland Off Beat, maybe?), could not have been more rude in their reply. To be frank - even if theythought we were to blame (ridiculous), its just not ok to take such a hostile position.

Those issues aside - great trip and good planning. But folks need to do their homework to confirm every detail.

Activity Reviews

Wildlife and Arctic Foxes tour in Hornstrandir

Iceland

This was undoubtedly the lowlight of the trip. To be clear – we did not see any foxes but that is not the reason for the poor review. It’s nature, and you get what you get. The main reason is that we were given extremely little time to see them. What was billed as a day looking for them turned out to be a very different experience. We were actively looking for them for perhaps 90 minutes or so, after a hike to old whale processing plant, lunch and then an early break for dinner. We had two guides. One, to be fair, tried to be engaging and helpful. The other, named Frosti, was completely disengaged, unhelpful and even expressed agitation towards the group when we asked questions about looking in different places, etc. He did not want to look for the foxes before low tide (even though he wasn’t sure when that was, saying just “sometime in the afternoon.”). He did not want to leave the beach area because “they come here to eat.” Yes, we suggested, but they are coming from SOMEWHERE, so can we walk about to different places? He just sat down and literally started picking flowers. All in all, I’d say two things: (1) be up front about the experience. It’s not a day looking for foxes. It’s not even half a day. It’s a small part of the day; and (2) the company needs to better train its guides. Again, the woman (Lara, I think) at least provided some information and engaged with the group, and led us on a hike before lunch. And even though we all would have preferred spending that time looking for foxes, Frosti could not have cared less about us or our experience. He just sat on the bench and said, in essence, do what you want but be back for lunch. I’m curious to see what other kinds of reviews show up elsewhere, because our group (about 10 of us overall) were all clearly annoyed by it all. Some specifically came to Iceland for this experience and were very disappointed.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Jokulsarlon glacier lagoon Zodiac boat tour

Iceland

Actually, we skipped this. We visited the lagoon and walked around but decided - mainly based on time - to not do the zodiac tour. The glacier is really cool and worth seeing. I don't know how much more the zodiac tour would have added.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Fjord Kayaking Experience

Iceland

Skipped it, due to terrible experience with the same company the day prior.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Inside the Volcano Tour

Iceland

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Puffin watching boat tour from Grundarfjörður

Iceland

Trip was cancelled.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Skaftafell Glacier Hike

Iceland

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Katla Ice Cave Superjeep tour

Iceland

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Silfra Snorkeling

Iceland

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Puffin watching tour at the Ingolfshofdi cape

Iceland

As advertised. It was a great experience and our driver/guide was awesome.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

East Glacial River Whitewater Rafting

Iceland

A real highlight. So much fun!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Arctic Fox Center

Iceland

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

During our trip, my wife got sick and we contacted our specialist about what we should do. Within 30 minutes of initial request we had a Nurse in our Hotel room and my wife was on the way to the local clinic for fluids and tests to find the root cause. in another incident one of the Hotels charged our credit card instead of the prepaid through KimKim and our specialist was able to clarify with the Hotel and we got a refund back to our card within a week.

Overall we had an amazing time and having someone we could reach out to to help with issues that came up was great.

We had a great trip to Ireland -- and a great collaboration with our specialist Justine. We did not want to go on a tour and we wanted to tailor the travel to our preferences. Justine helped us explore scenarios, and then bring the plan to life with excellent suggestions for both places to stay and memorable activities. Having support with accommodations and travel took the stress out of planning and also let us spend our planning and research time on the fun activities we wanted to do. Justine suggested two of our favorite actives on the trip -- a tour of Slea Head with Mossie and a walk through the Gap of Dunloe. It was also nice to know we had KimKim's help if our plans were thrown off by any disruptions - especially since the airline we were flying was on strike. It was our first time working with KimKim, but I would definitely do it again -- the perfect level of support for how we like to travel. Thank you Justine for all your wonderful help and responsiveness!

Hotel Reviews

The Fairview Boutique Hotel

Killarney

The Fairview has a great location and the rooms were nice. The service was not at the super high level we experienced elsewhere -- but we enjoyed our stay.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Wilder Townhouse

Dublin

Excellent location and service! We loved it.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Nice quiet location -- and the prettiest neighbor we encountered in Dublin

Staff

Great service from people who were kind and fun to interact with.

Cleanliness & Comfort

George Hotel Limerick City

Limerick

Pax Guest House

Dingle

It would be hard to improve on anything at Pax House - the location is beautiful, the service is excellent and the breakfast was a highlight of our trip. We loved it!

Authenticity & Character

Location

The beautiful view of the harbor is so lovely and peaceful!

Staff

We particularly enjoyed meeting Michelle -- she was so kind and helpful and made our experience very special.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

A Private Half-Day Tour of the Dingle Peninsula

Ireland

We had a wonderful morning with Mossie. He is a very experienced guide -- funny, knowledgeable, great conversationalist and kept a relaxed pace with lots of time for us to enjoy each stop. He showed us lots of beautiful places that we enjoyed all the more for not having to worry about driving the narrow roads. We loved touring with Mossie and very highly recommend!!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Gap of Dunloe & Lakes of Killlarney Boat Tour

Ireland

This was one of our highlights of the trip. We got very lucky with a cool, sunny morning - perfect for enjoying the incredibly beautiful surroundings. While we did see other people and, of course, the jaunting carts, we were mostly on our own and to enjoy the peace and beauty around us. The board ride back to Killarney was another highlight -- a perfect way to appreciate the National Park from the water.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Our boat driver did a nice job of highlighting some of the nature, history and beautiful views on the way back through the lakes.

Transport

Guided Killarney National Park Walking Tour

Killarney

Richard is a knowledgeable and relaxed host - like having a friend in Killarney. We enjoyed two hours of exploring the park, learning about some of the history and the natural environment and Richard also gave us great recommendations on pubs and other places to check out in Killarney.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Dingle Distillery Tour

Ireland

We enjoyed the tour - but our guide talked so much it went from 60 minutes to 90 minutes which felt a bit dragged out.

I want to to express our heartfelt gratitude for the incredible job Elena did in planning our last-minute trip. From the moment we reached out, she was attentive, responsive, and dedicated to making our vacation as smooth and enjoyable as possible.

The hotel accommodations were perfect – exactly what we needed for a relaxing getaway. The rooms were comfortable, the amenities top-notch, and the locations couldn't have been better.

The activities she recommended were fantastic and everyone enjoyed the variety of events. We especially loved the La Sagrada Familia in Barcelona and Private Yacht Trip in Mallorca! Each suggestion was well thought out and tailored to our interests, making our experience truly unforgettable.

We are so thankful for her hard work and dedication. Elena's expertise and kindness made all the difference, and we couldn't have asked for a better travel agent!

The entire trip was very well organized. Moonika created the ideal itinerary based on our specific requests. We stayed in nice hotels and had wonderful guides who really personalized our experience throughout.

Hotel Reviews

Home Hotel Jugend

Helsinki

Interesting layout as the hotel is spread across two buildings. Based in the Design district with lots of Art galleries within walking distance. Great breakfast buffet. Walking distance from the waterfront and tourist spots.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Haven

Helsinki

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Solo Sokos Hotel Turun Seurahuone

Turku

Lovely hotel in Turku. Walking distance from most tourist hot spots.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Porvoo Private Day Tour

Helsinki

Small town - probably could discover on your own.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Helsinki and Suomenlinna Private Tour

Helsinki

Lots of walking but a lovely full day with lots of immersive experiences.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Turku Gourmet Tour

Turku

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Helsinki Sauna Tour

Helsinki

Was hesitant about trying the sauna experience but it turned out to be a high point of the trip.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Turku Walking and Boating Tour

Turku

Wonderful boat ride - best way to see the city!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Claire and her team were wonderful! We had a delightful time in Ireland and they were there every step of the way. Highly recommend.

What an incredible trip! Eric helped us with everything and it was great to have someone who knew the routes, local places, and out-of-the-way spots. Because we love hiking, Eric suggested a trip add-on to Thorsmork which ended up being the absolute highlight of the whole vacation.

It was amazing to work with Huyen to get our Sapa and Ha long Bay trip.
From very 1st day till the last leg of our journey at the Hanoi Airport she was following us to make sure everything is well and flowing smoothly. The drivers for pick ups at each location were amazing, helpful.
Ha Long bay paradise cruise was great.
We thankful to Kim Kim team and Huyen.
We will highly recommend her and Kim Kim for any travel needs in Vietnam and around Asia

Robi planned a spectacular trip for us that exceeded expectations. Every day was different and highlighted the best experiences in all different regions of Croatia. He contacted us every evening with the details of the next days plans and checked in every day to confirm that we were enjoying or answer any questions. He was incredibly helpful and responsive. The krka and Plitvice national parks were incredible. We loved the rafting trip down the Cetina. Traveling by ferry to the islands really broke up the trip and slowed it down to have time to relax on Hvar and korcula.

Hotel Reviews

La Fleur Boutique Hotel

Tivat

Charming hotel walking distance to the port. The staff was so kind and attentive. Beautiful spa with great masseuse and indoor sauna steam and pool

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Radisson Blu Split

Split

Gorgeous hotel with first class spa. The treatments were excellent. Enjoyed the beautiful pool but especially the beach club

Authenticity & Character

Location

It is outside the old city and requires a cab but worth it to be away from the tourists

Staff

Staff was very helpful with dinner reservations and followed up!

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Degenija

Rakovica

Adorable hotel with a gorgeous restaurant with beautiful views. Very relaxing setting with outdoor gym and shower

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Palazzo

Poreč

We loved the location of this hotel in the corner of the town right in the water. The breakfast on the patio was stunning watching the yachts restock! If u have a car rental u have to park outside the city and the shuttle will pick u up with 10 minutes notice. Not a problem at all!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Cleanliness & Comfort

Aminess Liburna Hotel

Korčula

Beautiful duplex room! Very charming hotel

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Amfora Hvar Grand Beach Resort

Hvar

Great setting and service. It was beyond expectations

Authenticity & Character

Location

Walking distance to town along the sea

Staff

Very friendly and helpful -great restaurant suggestions

Cleanliness & Comfort

Esplanade Zagreb Hotel

Zagreb

Authenticity & Character

Location

It is centrally located and can walk to everywhere

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Villa Bonaca

Skradin

This hotel is a gem. Family owned and in a wonderful setting it was such a wonderful surprise. The warmth of the family and the location were fantastic. I wish we had spent more time there. Also recommend you try their restaurant nearby!

Authenticity & Character

The pool is so pretty and the setting

Location

It has a water view and walking distance to town

Staff

It is family owned and they are incredibly warm and helpful

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Pelješac penisula and Ston- triple atraction - from Korčula

Korčula

Bike riding through the vineyards was fantastic. Then visiting and hiking Ston was spectacular.

Departure day or extension

Croatia

Every day was different and fantastic. I can’t not say this enough. Go biking hiking rafting boating. There is just so much to see and do.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

I was very happy with the services we received with planning our trip to Greece. Our specialist, Aggeliki was in constant contact with us from start, and immediately responded to our concerns while we were on the trip. The guides were superb, especially Eddie in Mykonos! He was so friendly and attentive and was so knowledgeable about Mykonos.

Mariano, Socio and everyone were incredibly knowledgeable, kind and enthusiastic! Kimkim and especially Serendipitious Adventures were excellent. Master logisticians. Our trip was seamless and ran like clockwork. Thanks very much! Book with confidence.

Jenny did a superb job of personalizing our trip — the logistics, the points of interest, the accommodations.

This trip was done entirely by email and communication through Kimkim. Overall, our experience was excellent both on setting the trip up and the actual trip. I got in communication with Kimkim in January 2024 for a June trip. Mathilde was assigned as my travel agent. I provided some timelines including destinations and some activities desired by us. As this was a continuation of a wine tasting trip that we had already booked, I also provided Mathilde with the itinerary for that trip to give her a sense of what our trip had already been planned as well as the level of service we expected.
Over several weeks of back and forth communications with Mathilde, we came up with a tour that met our needs, finalizing details by February and a downpayment made. In addition to some of the normal tour, hotels, transportation, we made a specific request for a hard-to-book tour in London called the "Ceremony of the Keys" at the Tower of London. While Mathilde had not previously heard of this tour, she did her research and was able to book this for us. In summary, the planning stage of this trip went very smoothly and Mathilde was flexible, cooperative and an overall pleasure to work with. She was also forthcoming with recommendations that we had not though of.
With regard to the actual trip, we received our itinerary and vouchers in a timely manner. The hotel choices were very good hotels with reasonable value for the money. While there were some minor glitches with transportation, we were provided with contact numbers that enabled us to sort things out with a minimum of stress. Overall, everything went off with us having a great time with a minimum of stress.
Highlights of the trip were the aforementioned "Ceremony of the Keys", the Seine dinner cruise, Montmartre, Versailles and the Louvre, both food tours as well as all of our guides and drivers.
In summary, a great trip with great service from Kimkim

Eric created the most amazing trip for us!!! The attention to details helped make our Icelandic adventure unforgettable. I think we did every additional suggestion beyond the ones you planned for us plus a few others. The hotel accommodations were just what we could have wanted.
Every person we can in contact with, whether adventure guide or on the ground KimKim personnel were super, knowledgeable, helpful, communicative.
One suggestion for your staff; when a plane is 5 hours late please communicate that to car rental end. Poor Nora was literally left “standing” at the airport for those 5 hours waiting for us with no word about the situation. Probably if I had used the link instead of communicating with Eric might have helped…???
Thank you for giving me the gift of sharing memories with my grandson.

Activity Reviews

The Secret Lagoon

Iceland

Best part was having a traditional Icelandic experience.

Lava Tunnel Tour

Iceland

Great introduction to Iceland

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Tricia created an exceptional trip for us that we enjoyed immensely. It was a remarkable trip for the following reasons:

1). We saw a variety of the ways in which contemporary Norwegian society functions - from the sunbathers (a lot of them!) and commuters on the Aker Brygge to the shoppers in central Oslo to the residents of Hamar, Lillehammer, Bergen and Alesund as they went about their daily lives. This immersion into Norwegian life helped us go beyond stereotypes and experience a social climate quite different from what we have in the States, (especially right now).

2). We had numerous opportunities to learn about Norwegian history. The outdoor museums - from the Norse Folk Museum in Oslo to the Maihaugen in Lillehammer and the Sunnmore in Alesund - were all very impressive and well done.

3). Our guides were fantastic! Stig, Ole, John and Randi - each one very enjoyable and knowledgeable. They added so much to our experience of place.

4). We had surprises at each location. The ethereal singing of the guide in the Domkirkeodden in Hamar might have been the most magical moment in the trip for me. We also enjoyed Ole taking us to the wooden hotel, the “Norwegian Stonehenge”, and the ski jump from the Olympics. Randi’s walk about Alesund, pointing out the Art Nouveau buildings was very informative. After seeing the Schotstuene (Hanseatic League building) and the Bergenhus Fortress in Bergen, John walked us to the University where we saw the beautiful botanical gardens and the Maritime Museum. Our trip to the Fram and KonTiki Museums and to the Norse Folkermuseum with Stig far surpassed our expectations.

5). The seamless transition from place to place with taxis arriving/waiting as necessary made us feel well cared for. It was also instructive to travel by both train and bus - another aspect of the immersion experience. We very much also enjoyed our night onboard the Havila Capella from Bergen to Alesund. It’s too bad the weather was rainy because I can only imagine how fantastic the view would have been under other conditions.

Food wise:
- The Venti Venti in Oslo was a lot of fun and we enjoyed the great people watching.
- The breakfast buffets at all of the hotels were excellent except at the Raddison Blu Airport Hotel where it was terrible.
- Eating at the Bro in Alesund was another fun experience. We had gone to the Fishery Museum earlier that day so I tried the dried cod dish because I thought the pairing (of the historical information and cuisine) would be interesting. The dessert - 3 kinds of ice cream - was among the best food we had on the entire trip.

So - in summary - we went from south (85’ heat) to north (55’); from urban to small city to rural; from plane to bus, train, taxi and ship - with 4 wonderfully informed and friendly guides enjoying lovely breakfast buffets that lasted us through the day and seeing many interesting sights. I can’t imagine a better time then than!