Kimkim Trip Reviews

Feedback Australia-Trip Annette and Michael Sereny

Breaking the long journey from Germany to Australia in Singapore (3 days/2 nights) to get used to the time difference was very helpful and extremely interesting.
Sydney offers the arriving traveller a wide range of sights and attractions to explore daily for more than a week if necessary.
After our one-week stay in Sydney (congress and on our own) our organised trip took us first by plane to Cairns, where we were already expected upon arrival. The arrival instructions in our travel description were helpful and accurate. The driver was extremely friendly and communicative and the drive to Port Douglas (1 hour) flew by, with the driver also making a short stop for some photos at our request. The car was spacious and clean and the driving style very pleasant.
We found the accommodation Villa San Michele very pleasant, the flat was clean and spacious and also very quiet at night. On arrival we were given very friendly and competent information. Due to the weather conditions, the receptionist also tried to reschedule our excursion to the Reef (a lot of wind, stormy sea) for another day, but this was not possible due to the travel time (holiday season Australia). There are many good restaurants and shops within walking distance.
The trip to the Reef was great and gave a lasting impression of the diversity and benefits of the Reef. However, with the stormy seas and lots of wind, the crossing was relatively long and sensitive people would probably be more comfortable with a shorter crossing from a port closer to the Reef (bus transfer).
The subsequent day of rest could easily be filled with sightseeing in and around the town on foot.
The small group excursion with "river drift snorkelling" and the guided tour through Mosman Gorge was also great and the guide was able to competently answer our every question and also give us an insight into the diversity and importance of the rainforest.
After another day of rest, we were again transferred on time and in an equally pleasant drive to the airport in Cairns for our onward flight to Brisbane. The pick-up at Brisbane airport also worked out very well and the driver took us to our hotel, the Crystalbrook Vincent. We were delighted with both the location and the design and facilities of the hotel room and could not imagine a more suitable one in Brisbane. We spent the day with rental bikes from the hotel on a tour along the river, which gave us a first, very good impression of this lively and interesting city. On the second day, we took public transport to the Koala Sanctuary, a slightly further but wonderful excursion, as well as more walking and sightseeing within the city.
Picking up the rental car at the Avis station in town was quite easy, the staff friendly and competent. However, the planned schedule: car pick-up, drive to Byron Bay and afternoon kayak tour, would not have been manageable, if only because of the time difference and the distance.
However, the communication with the organiser regarding the kayak tour turned out to be less than happy. The kayak tour was cancelled two days before it was due to take place due to the bad weather (waves/storm), which is completely okay, but we then received further emails with details about the tour, which were probably generated automatically and gave us the impression that the event was taking place after all. The organiser would have to improve his communication.
The accommodation in Byron Bay was well located and had the advantage of free parking in the underground car park. After the good accommodation in Port Douglas and the outstanding one in Brisbane, the flat in Byron Bay was much easier. It was clean and quiet, but there are other rooms there clearly affected by the kitchen smell of the pub below. The town of Byron Bay is very (too?) touristy; if we were to do another tour, we would personally prefer much smaller and more pleasant places on the coast. The Byron Bay Hinterland Tour was unfortunately cancelled at short notice due to cancellations of other participants, but our rental car gave us the opportunity to drive into the national park ourselves and do the hike to Minyon Falls on our own.
The accommodation in Coffs Harbour at the Pacific Bay Resort was okay, but clearly outside the town. If you are not playing golf, a smaller accommodation closer to the town would be more pleasant. Again, for a future trip or for other travellers with less need for tourist attractions, we would prefer smaller places in the area by the beach.
The Afternoon Giingan Cultural Walking Tour took place even though we were the only two participants, but this gave us an exclusive tour with a lot of information that was new to us and our excellent guide was able to answer all our questions competently. This also resulted in very interesting and further discussions.
The drive to the Hunter Valley, as we preferred roads close to the coast, was much longer than expected, but with beautiful views and wonderful stretches of road.
The accommodation at the Chateau Elan was fantastically located overlooking the golf course, clean, spacious, well-furnished and quiet. Unfortunately, however, the hotel's restaurant was closed for kitchen renovations and we had to settle for a rather mediocre bistro nearby. Breakfast, however, could be had on a very good scale.
The group tour to visit various wineries was very pleasant, entertaining, informative and also culinary. Our tour guide was able to accommodate our wine preferences for the tour at short notice in the morning, as we were the only guests with a full-day programme, the lunch package for midday was plentiful and delicious, and the afternoon part of the tour with other guests on board was also very worthwhile. We spent the second day cycling in the Hunter Valley. Unfortunately, the number of rental bikes at the hotel was limited, so we had to drive a short distance to the nearest bike rental. On the second evening, we were able to enjoy an excellent dinner in the restaurant of another, nearby hotel, but the final enjoyment of a local red wine we made in our hotel room due to the strict and reasonable alcohol restrictions when driving.
For the final drive back to Sydney and especially for the drop-off of the rental car, we would have wished for more detailed information from the car rental company (by email?). On the one hand, we did not realise that the car could only be dropped off until 4:30 p.m. (we had 5:00 p.m. on the schedule) and that the catastrophic traffic conditions in the one-way maze of Sydney, combined with the extremely poor signage of the Avis parking spaces to and in the car park, cost us so much time that we only found the Avis employee locking up the offices, but were able to hand in the keys and parking ticket at an adjacent hotel on his advice. Furthermore, it would have been very pleasant to be informed that there is no petrol station in the immediate vicinity of the drop-off point and that one should therefore fill up the tank in good time. We were therefore unable to return the car with a full tank. It was very positive that the car, a VW Tiguan, was almost new and that the road traffic in Australia is generally very pleasant and considerate. However, we have not yet received any feedback from the car rental company with the final invoice.
Overall, however, we did not regret spending the money for the trip. We saw and experienced a lot, which has a lasting and very positive impact on our image of Australia. It was clear to us that we could only travel part of Australia in the time available to us, and our progress so far has encouraged us to make further plans for Australia. The people are mostly friendly and sociable. However, we could not get used to the loudness in many pubs.
All we need now, as mentioned above, is the rental car bill, the refunds for the two cancelled activities (kayak tour and backcountry tour) have been advised in the meantime.

Our trip to Turkey was the first time we used KimKim and we were not disappointed by this experience.
Our contact was Berat and she was very helpful both during planning stage of our trip, as well as during the time we were traveling in Turkey, when she was always on top of communicating details of all our transfers and changes in itinerary. All logistics was taken care of and everything went very smoothly.
In Istanbul our guide Erdem was very friendly and knowledgeable, he was very attentive to our interests and was able to navigate through crowded places in the most efficient way. Despite the crowds in some most touristy sites he made it possible for us to visit all of them. He gave us many good suggestions for our last "free" day in Istanbul and recommended some wonderful restaurants to eat which we will never found on our own.
Irfan, our guide in Cappadocia, was also knowledgeable and gave us a lot of information. We realized that our planned itinerary included less hikes than we hoped to have in Cappadocia, so we asked to add visit and hike in Ihlara valley to our itinerary. This was done after coordination with Berat and that experience was one of the best in our trip.

Hotel Reviews

Recital Hotel

Istanbul

Recital hotel is conveniently located in the center of the historical part of Istanbul. Room was somewhat dated, but had very nice view from the balcony. There is also a rooftop terrace with nice view but no service there. There were big groups staying in the hotel and it was rather noisy in the evening. Good breakfast. Friendly staff.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Kale Konak Hotel

We really liked this small hotel. It has the best location in Uchishar and a lot of character. Wonderful breakfast and very friendly and helpful staff. Room was rather small, but there are many nice seating areas available in the hotel.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Eminönü Heritage Tour: Explore the Historical Bazaars and Ottoman Architectural Sites of Istanbul

İstanbul

It was interesting to see this busy place.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Discover Byzantine + Ottoman Istanbul

İstanbul

It was great to explore these amazing sites with our guide Erdem. He made it possible to see all the major places despite the crowds, he gave us a lot of historical facts and stories.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Explore the historical + modern hub: Pera, Karaköy and Beyond

İstanbul

Unfortunately several places we were supposed to visit were closed for different reasons. The views from Galata tour were worth standing in line.

Quality of Experience

as several places were closed for some unknown reason it would be nice to have some other activities planed for this day

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

it was interesting to experience tram and funicular rides

Crossing between Continents: Explore Kadıköy and Moda

İstanbul

It was beautiful day and crossing on a ferry boat was enjoyable.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Our guide Erdem showed us small neighborhood streets where locals live and told us a lot about every day life in Turkey. He brought us to a nice open air cafe overlooking Bosphorus for turkish coffee.

Transport

Hot Air Balloon Tour at Sunrise

Cappadocia

This is an amazing experience. It was one of the reasons we wanted to go to Cappadoccia and it did not disappointed.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Visiting Göreme Open Air Museum (UNESCO World Heritage)

Cappadocia

It is very crowded but our guide Irfun was able to navigate us around crowds, gave us a lot of hiostorical information but also time to explore.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Sightseeing Around Uçhisar and Discovering the Cappadocian Valleys

Cappadocia

Kaymaklı Underground City

Cappadocia

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Soğanlı Valley

Turkey

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

we. had wonderful driver for 3 days.

We only arranged our 18 day trip to Chile four weeks beforehand and with Ana's help we steadily built an itinerary which we constantly tweaked and updated until we were completely comfortable with our final choice
Our trip included 3 internal flights, one of which we changed 14 hours prior to departure, 5 excellent hotels, a hire car and several drivers and guides. The whole trip worked like clockwork and the punctuality of our drivers and guides was exemplary.
Special thanks to Diego, Barbara in Santiago & our guides Orlando, Vitor and Maite

I have travelled independently and with tours, and I highly recommend Kimkim as the perfect marriage of the two styles.

Kefi was a dream to work with on planning our trip to Greece - very patient as we worked through different travel and sightseeing options. Then, upon realizing that our flight times were going to cut things close, she reversed the order of our entire trip without batting an eye (at least to us!). When I asked about a hotel that was recommended by a friend of the owner, she offered to arrange a stay there while also diplomatically suggesting a different option. She was careful to work within our budget and was able to help us take the best advantage of increasing it as we added a couple of options. The hotels and excursions she booked for us were unfailingly terrific.

Once we were in Greece, Dimitrios with Be A Greek was also fantastic. We were met at every change point by a professional driver in a nice vehicle. We had a small kerfuffle with one of our excursions due to weather, and Dimitrios stayed in touch constantly via WhatsApp to make sure we had a wonderful backup plan, which he had preemtively booked pending our approval. He was available and responsive whenever we reached out.

I love this way of traveling because much of the stress is taken out of the planning, we had great suggestions from people on the ground, we did not have to move in a group with people we may or may not like, and the price was more than fair. I would highly recommend Kimkim and Be A Greek for your dream vacation to Greece. I plan to use Kimkim next time I plan a vacation and have recommended it to several friends.

From start to finish, booking and traveling with Kimkim was the best choice we could have made for our 14 day trip to Italy. Our plan was to have 3 locations to visit/stay at a leisurely pace with few activities to allow us to explore and experience Italy on our own. We had 3 “phases” dreamed up for our trip that including a countryside stay in Tuscany, Rome visit for a wedding, and Amalfi coast trip for beach and relaxing on the water.We initially decided to try using a travel company to assist with planning the Tuscany portion of our trip, mainly because we were having trouble figuring out where to stay in the countryside and how to get around without renting a car. It was also the first time we’ve planned an international trip and we were quite overwhelmed with all of the logistics and places to visit. Kimkim came highly recommended from a friend, so we decided to ask for recommendations for our entire trip.

All of our accommodations, transfers, planned activities and tours were just what we wanted. We had local guide (cannot remember her name) give us a private tour of Pompeii and she was fantastic! Special thanks to her, our driver for the day, and Alberto because we woke up late on the morning of the tour, and they were all in constant communication and so accommodating despite being an hour behind on activities. Alberto was in constant communication with us, checking in and making sure that everything was going smoothly. Cannot recommend Alberto and KimKim enough!

Our trip:
- 2 nights Siena
- 3 nights Tuscan wine resort/countryside B&B
- 3 nights in Rome
- 4 nights in Amalfi town on Amalfi coast
- 1 night Rome for flight home the next day

Go to Mexico City and book your trip through kimkim and Rutopia! Only positive feedback for our experience booking a 10 day trip in Mexico City and Puebla/Cholula. Our drivers were prompt (early, usually!), our guides were knowledgeable and friendly, and our accommodations were wonderful. I really appreciated that in the planning stages, Sofie was willing to make any change I requested - we went through 8 different itineraries until it was the perfect trip for my husband and me. Mexico City is a beautiful, cosmpolitan city with so much to see, learn, do and eat!

Special recognition to our fantastic guides: Emiliano, Mary and Pablo in Mexico City, Eloy in Teotihuacan and Guadalupe (Lupita!) and Maria in Cholula and Puebla. Guadalupe especially went above and beyond by going way over our allotted time by taking us personally to two can't-miss churches in Cholula. The tours were mostly private and the guides were flexible, personable and generous with their time. The "souvenir stops" on some of these tours (which I generally tolerate as part of the deal but mostly dislike) were much less of a hard sell than on other trips I have taken in the past, and some were even pleasant. The vendors were informative but not at all aggressive and there were several tours that didn't include them at all, like our excursion to Xochimilco and our mural walk with Emiliano. We also appreciated the clear and attentive communication from Lizbeth as we were on our trip. She checked in daily to see how we were faring and reminded us of any logistics for the next day.

We had friends over last night and I highly recommended this service to them for planning their next vacation abroad and intend to be repeat customers.

Hotel Reviews

Casa Mali by Dominion

Mexico City

Spotless, friendly and perfectly located, Casa Mali is a great option for staying in Mexico City.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Directly across of Parque Mexico in Condesa, there are lots of restaurants right in the vicinity and feels very safe and lively.

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Casa Eva

Colonia San Pedro Cholula, Puebla

A great location in Cholula with a lovely, helpful staff and a delicious breakfast. The only feedback I would mention is that the room itself lacked amenties that are standard in other hotels - no coffee maker in the room (although you can ask the staff to bring you coffee anytime), no hairdryer in the room (again, ask the staff), no filtered water dispenser in the public areas, no mini-fridge, etc. With that said, this is a charming, spotless hotel with staff dedicated to providing excellent service. Thanks especially to Tomas who was attentive and kind and responsive to any request.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

A Walk among Murals: Exploring the History and Legacy of Mexican Muralists

Mexico City

Emiliano is a knowledgeable and personable guide with a deep understanding of the significance of each mural and the symbols and references in each one. Our entire trip was enriched by this tour, as we were able to connect what we learned on the tour with other things we saw in Mexico City.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Our driver was attentive and communicative. Thank you Alan!

Be amazed by the pre-hispanic beauty of the chinampas in Xochimilco

Mexico City

We did an ecological tour of the chinampas of Xochimilco and the tranquil setting was a perfect reset towards the end of our trip to CDMX, as our legs, bodies and brains were tired from all the stimulation and walking. We relaxed on the boat and observed birds and the environment unfold around us. Mary and Rosalva were informative and personable, but allowed time for silent reflection and simple enjoyment, which I really appreciated. When we visited the farm, it was wonderful to see all the products that were growing and to pick fresh peppers, tomatoes, flowers and herbs and enjoy them all right there.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

See Teotihuacan by Hot Air Balloon

Mexico

If you are wondering if it is worth it, YES! It is worth waking up at 4am! It is worth the price! It is worth the feeling of doubt and the little bit of anxiousness. We felt completely safe and totally at peace floating above the pyramids of Teotihuacan at sunrise and the operation that ran it - Volar en Balon - was completely professional and capable. Be aware that the instructions on the balloon are issued in Spanish. A fellow passenger translated for us and made sure we knew how to absorb the landing safely, but I would recommend the operator make sure that all passengers are informed of the safety instructions.

Quality of Experience

One thing

Food

The food was fine but the service at Volar en Balon could be improved. We were kind of ignored for the duration of our breakfast, coffee not refilled, requests not fulfilled, etc, even when we tried to politely flag down our server.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Private walking tour of Teotihuacan "The City of the Gods"

Mexico City

Truly worthwhile to take a knowledgeable guide on this outing to learn about the architecture and history of this archeological site. Less walking than I anticipated.

Quality of Experience

Food

Nice meal with great friendly service.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Eloy and Omar are wonderful guides. Eloy is personable and very knowledgeable. I appreciated how he brought his own life experiences into our tour.

Transport

The roads in Teotihuacan are quite bumpy but Omar was a gentle and careful driver. Thank you Omar!

Between markets and corn in the magical town of Cholula

Mexico

So highly recommended to stroll around the market and the quaint town of Cholula with a lovely guide like Guadalupe. She offered all kinds of things for us to sample and was an excellent, friendly and warm translator. There is a lot of walking on this tour, including a lot of uphill and steps, but totally worth it. Guadalupe let us take our time and made frequent stops to catch our breath and take cute photos along the way. I learned more in the 6 hours I spent with Guadalupe than I ever expected. She is a gem! We also loved the experience of visiting the maiz restaurant. The owners (I forget their names - sorry!) were so friendly and I loved how they warmly and patiently giggled at a couple of Americans clumsily preparing corn tortillas the traditional way. The food they served was fantastic as well. It is a really fun way to spend a little time in Cholula.

Quality of Experience

Food

We loved trying lots of things in the market and the lunch at the maiz restaurant was simple but exquisite.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Guadalupe went well beyond her brief by taking us to two stunning churches that were not on the itinerary. We asked for her to maybe translate with an Uber driver so we could do independently, and instead, she chose to take us herself. We are so grateful because we got so much more out of our visit than we could ever have without her.

Transport

Gastronomic tour in Puebla

Puebla

Come hungry because you will try all the amazing street food to be had in Puebla. Molotes, tacos arabes, pan de muerto, coffee with Mexican chocolate and more are all on the menu. There is more deliciousness in four blocks of Puebla than you can imagine, and it is well worth it to have a knowledgeable guide to take you to all the best places and make suggestions.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

I cannot say enough about Maria. She is so knowledgeable and friendly and was an absolute delight to spend the day wandering about and eating. Gracias, amiga!

Transport

Used kimkim to customize a 12 day trip to Peru with time in Lima, Paracas, Sacred Valley, Aguas Calientes/ Machu Picchu, Cusco, and Puno and loved every minute of it. Anne organized every transfer, guide, ticket, hotel, etc… and everything went perfectly. As a well seasoned traveler who usually does all the organizing and bookings myself, kimkim saved us hours (if not weeks) of work on this trip. All our guides were fantastic - kind, professional, intelligent - and made sure we were taken care of at all times. Most notably, we spent a good amount of time with Gabrielle and Sondro in Cusco (they were exceptional!). Eddie at Machu Picchu and Willy in Puno also took great care of us. Kimkim made great hotel choices - excellent locations, services, and amenities and their suggestions on activities in Peru were spot on! Would definitely use kimkim again! Love love love!! Thank you for the wonderful holiday!❤️

Our driver/ guide Yassine Taibine was excellent: friendly, calm, informative without being intrusive. He drove with skill and great attention to safety and comfort. We enjoyed his company very much.

Hotel Reviews

Ksar Sultan Dades

El Hart

Nicely decorated and clean rooms but poor noise insulation. Could clearly hear neighboring showers in use, and other guests’ children running around. Fortunately things quieted down at bedtime. Hotel is set on a hilltop, reached by a gravel road. Wonderful views. Walking to restaurants in town would have been tough, but dinner (set menu) and breakfast were served onsite.

Staff

Luxury Camp Chebbi

Merzouga

Riad Mazar Fes

Fes

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Dar Meziana

Chefchaouene

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Odyssee Center

Casablanca

Modern hotel, but past its prime. Built with nice finishes, but not well maintained.

Activity Reviews

Overnight in the Sahara Desert

Morocco

Seating pavilion next to the camp was not in use, yet brightly lit, detracting from the night sky. Suggest changing this to allow for easier Milky Way viewing.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Exploring the Imperial City and Medieval Medina of Fez

Fes

Quality of Experience

Food

We were steered into a restaurant recommended by our local guide. Food was good, but would have appreciated a few options.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

We had an incredible trip that left us in love with the country and people. Hakim, our trip agent from Orión Trek, was very easy to work with and organized exactly the trip we wanted. His customer service is unparalleled. Othmane, our driver, was the star of the trip. He was always on time, happy to share details about the country while we were on the road, friendly and helpful. We enjoyed all of the tour guides as well. We look forward to visiting Morocco again.

Planning and arrangements were very easy and flexible. Giulia our specialist was fantastic and very helpful. We could not have done this trip as well without her.

Our trip was a great success for the most part. Rainy weather is never great but we have enjoyed ourselves none the less.
We experienced significant travel delays on the high speed train from Florence to Naples (3 hour delay which nearly caused us to miss Pompei entirely). Thanks to Kimkim, this did not happen. In fact, we never felt alone or abandoned. They were always just a What'sAp message away and they responded quickly to whatever we had going on. Really top notch.

We had a nearly two hour delay traveling from Naples to Florence, which caused us to make our prescheduled Vatican tour within about ten minutes of the start time. Kudos to our drive and Kimkim for working with us as the delays mounted and for providing great assistance. We did not miss anything because of their attention to detail and staying in touch. Remember to download What'sAp--this was critical during challenging events.

I was, however, deeply disappointed with our tour guide on the day trip to San Gimignano and Volterra . Her driving was very fast and uneven, At least two or three of us were "car sick" from the style and type of driving--one of the more unpleasant car trips I have had in a long time. She was very efficient and we arrived and ended on time, but she was also very impatient, handled questions badly and was much too bossy. Not rude exactly, but not the temperament I would expect from someone running a tour.

Our hotel in Sorrento, Grand Hotel Aminata, was also a bit musty and probably the worst of the places we stayed. It had an excellent view of the harbor though which we loved. We are not fussy people, but our room had a slight, but distinct, smell that we did not like. Otherwise, the accommodations were excellent and well placed. The La Maison du Sage in Florence was particularly excellent and deserves special mention. Our stay at The Regency in Rome was also excellent (though we booked this directly).

Antonio, our driver (and guide) for the Sorrento and Amalfi Coast portion of our trip was excellent. He could not have been more courteous and friendly. He helped us deal with the delayed train and abbreviated Pompeii tour, and he drove us around the Amalfi Coast in style and comfort. P.S. Our guide Rafael at Pompeii was also excellent and we enjoyed his tour very much-if only it could have been longer but that was unavoidable.

We also highly recommend the EBIKE tour we took in Rome. Our guide Irina was excellent. Do this early in your stay if you can as it was a great way to survey the city and find points of interest.

Hotel Reviews

La Maison du Sage

Florence

This place was absolutely fantastic. The ambiance was so enchanting that we even bought a diffuser that smelled like the hotel. They brought us breakfast in our room, and everything was just perfect.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Grand Hotel Aminta

Sorrento

This hotel was a bit of a letdown. The room had a musty odor, and it was lackluster. However, the food was fantastic, and the shuttle service was convenient.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Explore Pompeii Walking Tour

Italy

This tour was fantastic! Our guide was great and managed to get us through as much as possible despite our delayed train.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Rome: E-Bike Evening Tour with Italian Dinner

Rome

The bike tour was one of the best things we did. Although we wished we had done it sooner in Rome to get a good feel for the city and then backfill the rest.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Florence Food Tour with Traditional Steak & Local Wine Tasting

Florence

This trip was a bit of a letdown. Our tour guide was a bit rude and drove crazy. It was so bad that we had to stop to let people out because they were feeling sick. The guide wasn't very pleasant, and it felt like she didn't let the whole experience breathe.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Eleni and Mariliza were wonderful and patient in shaping an itinerary that suited my daughter and myself. We visited Athens, Naxos and Santorini, 3 days at each place. We were looked after each step of the way. The location and standard of hotels were good and we never had to worry about transportation as that we taken care for us. Mariliza checked in on us regularly to see how we were doing. Overall a memorable and enjoyable holiday!

The entire process of planning and booking of the entire trip was effortless and stress-free thanks to Ali and Said! They are quick to respond to our queries before and during the trip. Said was also quick to help us secure tickets to an attraction in Marrakech when we had issues paying for the tickets online using our credit card during the trip.

We would like to thank the local guides - Cherif (for Fez) and Hanaan (for Marrakech) - as they showed us around the local markets and shared much with us about local culture and experiences. This was one of the highlights of the trip for us!

Lastly, not forgetting our driver for the whole trip - Rachid! He drove us through the whole of Morocco tirelessly for 10 days. Although he was not familiar with our itinerary at times (and we had to remind him), he was able to adjust the itinerary to accommodate our requests during the trip. For that, we are thankful for his help!

Hotel Reviews

Mövenpick Hotel Casablanca

Casablanca

Service is great but the hotel and room decorations are fairly old. Would be good if towels can be changed as they seemed overused.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Staffs are approachable and very helpful

Cleanliness & Comfort

bath towels could be changed

Dar Jasmine

Chefchaouen

Nice and quiet hotel with great view of Chefchaouen.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Has a great hilltop view of whole of chefchaouen. Was a little hard for the driver to find.

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Riad Salam Fes

Fes

Gorgeous hotel decorations and spacious hotel rooms. Staffs are very friendly and approachable as well. Would highly recommend this place to anyone who wants to experience staying in a Riad!

Authenticity & Character

Love the hotel main hall, poolside and room decorations. Would suggest to give the rooftop a miss though.

Location

Located inside the medina which meant that cars are not allowed to park there. Will need to drag your luggage to the riad for a short distance.

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Tiziri Luxury Camp

Merzouga

Tiziri camp is a luxury camp because it provides a toilet and a shower facility within each room, which is certainly a luxury in the middle of a desert. The comfort of staying at this campsite is not to be compared to comfort of staying at a hotel in a city. Nonetheless, this campsite is comfortable to stay at for 3D2N and it has several activities that allow you to understand more about the desert and the nomads living there. Thanks to the enthusiastic and approachable staffs at this campsite, we really enjoyed our stay in the desert and learnt so much about the Berber culture. Would recommend this campsite to all first timers to the desert!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Will need to take 4x4 or camel to the campsite! Highly recommends the 2 hour camel ride.

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Kasbah Titrit

Ait Ben Haddou

This hotel appeared run-down which we wondered if it was due to the recent earthquake in September 2023. The lights in the room were flickering throughout the night and the rooftop jacuzzi was closed for renovation.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Our driver had difficulty finding this place. Perhaps clear signages along main road will be helpful.

Staff

very accommodating

Cleanliness & Comfort

Walls were cracked at many places, lights were flickering and dim in the room.

Riad Le Pèlerin

Marrakech

Clean and comfortable place to stay. Located near the secret garden and medina, which made it easier for us to explore the medina ourselves at our own time.

Authenticity & Character

Location

near the medina.

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Quick Tour of Casablanca with your Driver-guide

Morocco

This was cut short as we had to visit the mosque and to rush to Chefchaouen by sunset after that.

Quality of Experience

Transport

Guided tour of Hassan II Mosque

Morocco

The local guide certainly helped us to better appreciate the mosque and its interior designs.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Shared guide with other tour groups

Transport

Chefchaoeun to Fez via Volubilis, Moulay Idriss & Meknes

Morocco

The visit was Volubilis was enjoyable with the help of a local guide to explain the sites to us. Otherwise, we would have been totally lost as there weren't much signages around to explain what we were looking at. We did not visit Moulay Idriss (at the advice of the driver) and only drove through Meknes (as it was under construction).

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Half-Day Guided Sightseeing in Fes

Fes

Great experience in the medina with local guide Cherif! Learnt a lot about moroccan history and culture. Shopping can be quite pricey though as you will be brought to the cooperative shops (where you will be paying for the guaranteed quality).

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Cherif was very patient in introducing the different segments of the market and also shared a lot about the Moroccan history and culture.

Transport

Dine with a local family

Morocco

Enjoyed this activity as we got to learn more about the education system and food culture in Morocco from a local family.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

our guide did not know about this activity and we had to remind him about it. We really appreciated the hospitality shown by the host and her family members.

Transport

Private Transfer from Fez to Merzouga Desert

Morocco

The entire journey took around 8 hours (even without much stops in between). It was not possible to stop for the stops recommended in the itinerary as we had to reach Merzouga Desert before sunset. We ended up exploring Erfoud (fossil factory) after returning from the desert.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

This journey must have been tough for the driver and we appreciated his efforts.

Transport

Desert Adventures around Merzouga

Merzouga

Definitely a highlight of this trip! First was the 2 hour camel ride to the camp site at sunset/under night sky. We had campfire at night under the gorgeous night sky while listening to Berber music performance by the staffs. On the following day, we visited a nomad tent to learn about the nomadic way of life, visited Gnawa House, tried Berber pizza for lunch and ended the day with sandboarding at sunset. The staffs at the camp site were very hospitable and approachable, which made the whole experience very enjoyable. Would recommend this to all first timers to the desert!

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

From Merzouga Desert to Aït Benhaddou

Morocco

This was a fairly long drive with multiple stops in between - ie fossil factory, desert rose shop, Todra Gorge and silverware shop. Our driver became our guide for this segment as this was his hometown.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Ait Benhaddou to Marrakech via Tizi N'Tichka pass

Morocco

We are thankful for our driver being our guide at Ait Ben Haddou. We did not visit Telouet (that was listed in the itinerary) as it was closed for repair after the recent earthquake in September.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Half-Day Guided Tour of Marrakech

Marrakesh

Enjoyed the medina tour with local guide Hanaan who shared with us about the history of the palace and also helped us with our souvenir shopping.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Sand-Boarding in Erg Chebbi

Merzouga

Quality of Experience

Casablanca to Chefchaouen via Rabat

Morocco

Quality of Experience

Margarita put together a 12-day trip that concentrated on the interior and by my choice, no coastal areas. Two full days was enough for the highlights of Bogota and surroundings. Two and one-half days covered the main features of La Macarena, an amazing place well worth the struggle with heat and humidity. Don't sell yourself short on Medellin. I used all of my five days and was taken to something new each day. Make Comuna 3 your priority, and not Comuna 13. Too crowded and no longer genuine. Margarita and her agency provided what was probably the most detailed and personalized service I have received from any tour agency. Two thumbs up!!

Hakim was wonderful to work with planning our trip. His communication was always clear and prompt. He has a can-do attitude and was willing to accommodate any/all changes we wanted both before and during the trip. We had the good fortune of having Hakim along for the ride for our 10 day adventure across the country.

Our national guide, Hanyn, was amazing knowledgable and very "plugged in" across the country. He always seemed to know the folks around us and was secretly providing gifts to folks that helped us along the way. He was also very focused on our safety as our trip was shortly post the Hamas attach of Israel. We always felt safe and he exercised solid judgment.

All was organized well we enjoyed everything and everywhere we stayed!

Our trip was wonderful. Said planned a great trip - made it seamless and handoff on our end.

Ayub was amazing. By the end of our trip we had become friends. He would get us cold water bottles when he knew we were about to go on a long walk. He showed us fun paths, he explained what he could. His background of living in the mountains and the live of Berbers was interesting and brought a depth of experienced knowledge to our trip. We enjoyed his company. Hid driving was great and he knew where to stop for what.

Hotel Reviews

Riad Le Pèlerin

Marrakech

We loved this place. The staff was nice and the breakfast was good. After the first breakfast they kept track of what we liked or requested and these items were available for them the next day. We learned, although breakfast was amazing, it was a slow breakfast. Knowing this BEFORE our first morning would have been great : "Rian Le Pelerin has a beautifully set slow breakfast that comes to you fresh - so make sure you come down earlier if you plan to enjoy all they offer"

Authenticity & Character

Modern yet had lots of character

Location

pop out to shop and back in to rest

Staff

Kind and thoughtful

Cleanliness & Comfort

the main living spaces in the entry foyer were amazing. contatly cleaned between guests.

Kasbah Titrit

Ait Ben Haddou

We did not enjoy this stay. The rugs were gross, the bath/shower/sink faucets did not work. There was hardly any light to light the room. It felt very dirty. I would have rather stayed at the Hotel we could see from the top of the old palace where we climed to to the top (just past the game of thrones entry). There was a hotel there - we could see the pool. We would have loved to have stayed in this part of town beause we could leave our hotel and wander the area. The location we went to had nothing to wander - we just stayed in our hotel room before and after dinner and watched a movie - but we would have loved to have shopped and walked around and bought tea and cookies.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Just so dirty feeling - our floors were not cleaned when we arrived. But then they came and told us they wanted to clean the balcony, but they must have noticed it was not cleaned, so they quickly mopped up the place.

Tiziri Luxury Camp

Merzouga

What a fun little place. They staff took pride in this camp. We had a wonderful time. Never camped or glamped before - we were happy!

Authenticity & Character

Location

nothing but stars for miles!

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Dar Rihana Dades

Douar Aït Ouffi

WOW!!! Everything about this place - the welcome tea and cookies, the outdoor patio, the decor, the locations in this sweet town, the dinner and breakfast - oh my, ALL PERFECTION!!!!!

Authenticity & Character

Perfection!!!!

Location

Perfection!!!!

Staff

Perfection!!!!

Cleanliness & Comfort

Perfection!!!!

Activity Reviews

Exploring Marrakech's Wonders: A Family-Friendly Guided Tour & a Special Visit to the Tomb of Imam Al Jazuli´

Marrakesh

This was the slow but informative pace we needed after a long travel in. Our guide was kind and spoke to the history and architecture and kept our kids engaged.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

She was the kindest and sweeted soul - we enjoyed her company and welt a warm welcome!

Transport

Ayub for the win!

Family Cooking Class at Amal Non-Profit Center

Marrakesh

This place was special. We took off a star because i think Said signed us up for 5 veggie tajins. We probably should have had 2 cous cous and 3 veggie tajins. By the end of all of that cooking, had nothing but veggies to eat over an over again. I think you mau have signed up up for 2 cous cous and 3 veggie tajine - but we didnt know, so when we told them we were veggie they put us in the 5 veggie tajin spots. I think the other large party must have had one veggie tajin and they took our cous cous. the kids and i were hungry and sad after this experience. eveyry other gorup had 2 or 3 different items to dine on and we had just veggies.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Quad/ATV adventure in Marrakech palmeraie

Marrakesh

So much fun! Kids enjoyed this activity a lot!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Private Transfer from Marrakech to Ait Benhaddou

Morocco

Surprisingly the kids loved this walk/hike!

Quality of Experience

Food

Was there food?

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Ayub is the best!!!

Transport

Private Transfer from Ait Benhaddou to Merzouga Desert

Morocco

The camel ride was great. This was our first time doing this.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Sand-Boarding in Erg Chebbi

Merzouga

There was only 1 board. For a family of five, this meant a lot of waiting. T

Quality of Experience

Too slow with only 1 board

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

we walked up the hill. Having an ATV giving us rides bakc up would have ben nice and FUN!

Hiking and local family lunch in Dades valley

Morocco

A intimate look at the lives of those who live in the green pastures we kept seeing from our view points and long drives. It brought a deeper understanding of how these areas look up close and the people who work and walk them.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Such a sweet and kind old man with lots of energy and the sweetest smile.

Transport

Minh is was knowledgeable of the area and provided great recommendations.
The food tour he hosted was fun!
He was always friendly, accommodating and punctual

Hotel Reviews

Anatole Hotel Hanoi

Location was perfect, just a few steps away from the bustling Old Quarters in Hanoi. Service and service staff were very friendly, attentive, prompt and bilingual. Room were very clean and comfortable. Breakfast was delightful with an array of fresh fruits and vietnamese and western style breakfast available. Amenities were phenomenal with the rooftop pool/bar along with the steam, sauna and whirlpool.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Not far from the Old Quarters and Hoan Kiem Lake Park.

Staff

Friendly

Cleanliness & Comfort

Extremely clean and presentable

Sapa Charm Hotel

Spacious rooms with a lovely view of the mountain and valleys of SaPa. Only thing I found a bit of a nuisance was the wooden bathtub in the shower took up a lot of room.

Location

More quiet and not too far from the city center of SaPa.

Staff

Very accommodating and friendly.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Silkotel Hoi An

Hoi An

Location was excellent. Staff were very friendly and helpful. Rooms were very clean and spacious. Breakfast was excellent when many food options. Umbrella rental service was great especially due to the torrential rain.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Close to the main center of Hoian

Staff

Friendly and helpful

Cleanliness & Comfort

Swan Cruise

Great experience. Rooms were lovely and spacious. Upper deck was very spacious, clean and had great 360° views of Ha Long Bay. Service was superb. The food was okay, didn't seem as authentically Vietnamese. Drinks are expensive as all pricing is in USD.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Hanoi and walking street food tour

Hanoi

Great overall experience with our guide. Some of the food places were okay, we did find a few places that were much better on our own.

Quality of Experience

Food

The particular place with the chicken feet was not as enjoyable as l thought.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Very friendly, informative and patient

Transport

Hanoi - Ninh Binh: Tam Coc - Mua Cave

Hanoi

Great experience. The views are spectacular however just wear comfortable hiking shoes. The Eco Park was phenomenal followed by the bost tour along the water and into the caves. The food we had (lunch) in between activities was okay, quality was not the best.

Quality of Experience

Something different to experience.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Overall kind, courteous and accommodating

Transport

Clean and accommodating

Lao Cai - Sapa - Y Linh Ho - Lao Chai - Ta Van - Sapa

Sapa

A great way to experience the local cuisine and life of habitats in the region. Do note, comfortable hiking shoes and rain gear is always recommended as you'll be doing a lot for walking down uncharted terrain where you can really experience the beauty of the countryside. Our guide was friendly, knowledgeable and accommodating.

Quality of Experience

Please see review.

Food

Food at our lunch-stop was so delicious. Lovely view of the rice fields while indulging in local cuisine

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Accommodating

Fansipan Peak - Cat Cat Village - Limousine bus back to Hanoi

Vietnam

Day 2 in SaPa with our lovely tour guide. Great experience walking from our hotel to the next village. Experiencing the local people, culture, folk music and day to days was lovely. Fansipan park later in the day was another great way to top off our experience. Seeing the world's highest situated Buddah statue in the world was phenomenal.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Hoi An Fishing Village - Ancient Town Walking with Street Food Tasting

Hoi An

A nice way to immerse yourself in the day to days of a local fisherman. Having the opportunity to cast the fishing nets and learning how to repair it was cool. But most of all having the opportunity to sit down and ask them questions about how Hoian has changed and how global warming and tourism has impacted the community both from a positive and negative aspect. Food tour in HoiAn was phenomenal, lots of great and tasty street food options. Our local guide was awesome and knew all the cool places to eat both touristy and off-the-beaten-path

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Hoi An Free Day

Hoi An

Great place to visit and indulge in the local culture, cuisine and shops. Easy to get around town once you get familiarized with the area.

Quality of Experience

Food

Kimkim Feedback 10/10-10/21/23
Reggio, Calabria and Sicily
Paul and Esther Mackarey

We have used kimkim twice and recommend you to many friends, two of whom use you for Portugal recently. We like your service but thought you might want to know how to make it better.

Overall it is as a great trip. Our visit to my mother’s and grandparents home town of Martirano, Catanzaro, Calabria was special. Our driver, Fabri, went out of his way to ensure that we found the town and met some of the locals who knew my family. The overall itinerary, drivers, and walking tour guides were very good.
Special thanks for an exceptional job by:
Fabri. Driver in Reggio, Catanzaro and Messina
Francisco. Driver Mt Etna
All walking tour guides were very good… especially Marilu in Palermo

However, I do need to provide some feedback regarding accommodations. This information may prove to be valuable for your future travelers. While my wife and I are relatively fit, we are 65. And, while we don’t need to be pampered, a few conveniences are needed that White Rooms could not provide.

White Rooms in Reggio
I understand that Reggio is not a big tourist attraction but …
The B&B was under construction and all on the second floor to a landing, through a common staircase that serves another unrelated apartment, then into a small bedroom. It was good location but it was very noisy at night and at 6 am with garbage and street cleaning. It offered no breakfast onsite. A voucher for coffee and a biscuit was issued for a bar across the street. I think it is more appropriate for backpackers and short stays for those under 50/55

Khalisah in Palermo was very good and the location was easily accessible to the historical area.
It was clean, interesting decor and friendly staff. However, it is important to consider the age and physical conditions of the travelers carrying luggage up three floors … it was difficult. And, with self check in, no one was available to assist.

Additional information would be helpful For those renting cars and driving in Sicily:

Forewarn drivers about the difficulty parking. Especially when visiting Taormina (need to park just outside city in designated parking areas before entering). Google maps takes you through the old town and you will get a ticket. Similar in Cefalu, google takes you directly in the old town but parking just outside the old town, parking can be found but google will direct you into town. In Catania the streets are open to traffic but parking difficult. Parking guidelines (white, blue, yellow) would be helpful.

Hotel Reviews

White Rooms

Reggio Calabria

Under construction/renovation. Very noisy in am. 2-3 floors and difficult with luggage. Good access to town and water.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Palace Catania | UNA Esperienze

Catania

Beautiful. Clean. Great service and amenities. Great location.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

B&B A tonnara

Cefalu

Beautiful view of the sea. Good location but must be able to walk distances.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

B&B Khalisah

Palermo

Interesting theme and decor. Good staff and location but… we were in the 3rd floor and checked in after 5 (so had a self check in). It was difficult to get our luggage up 3 steep and narrow flights of steps and no staff on site. It is not a good place for older travelers unless they get a first or second floor.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

It was clean but not comfortable because of the 3 flights of stairs to our very very small room.

Best Western Hotel Rome Airport

Fiumicino

Perfect for the night before a flight home

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Taormina Highlights Walking Tour

Italy

The walking tour guide was excellent.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

We rented a car and drove… our mistake. Parking was difficult.

Private Transfer from Reggio Calabria to Catanzaro

Italy

Fabri was excellent. He helped us locate the village were my mother and grandparents were born in Martirano, Catanzaro, Calabria, Italy

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Full day with Driver at disposal - Private group

Italy

Fabri. Same As on Oct 11

Catania Tour - City Highlights Walk

Italy

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Private Mount Etna Guided Jeep Tour

Italy

Francisco was outstanding

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Ortigia Walking Tour: The Heart of Syracuse

Syracuse

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Palermo Private Walking Tour

Palermo

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Marilou was excellent.

Transport

Hamid, our driver was excellent! He was very enthusiastic, prompt and full of great information. All of our guides were terrific…with a special shout out to our guide in Volubilis. And, of course, Majid did a great job…especially when we wanted to change plans on the fly.

We enjoyed all if Morocco. Especially Chefchaouen, our beautiful hotel in the Atlas Mountains (The Widiane) and our day in Essaouira,

We do have a few suggestions:
- We spent an awful lot of time in the car. Perhaps we could have been presented with other options for some of the travel - flying or train. Or, at least have had a bigger car.
- We would have liked a little time in the modern parts of Morocco. We saw a lot of the history, but also would have liked to see how the country has developed.
- Lastly, we would have liked some different food options - at least a couple of lunches/dinners more upscale.

All and all - it was a great trip!

Hotel Reviews

Palais Sebban

Marrakech

A great insight into Riads.

Authenticity & Character

Location

It was very accessableu

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Widiane Suite And Spa

Bine El Ouidane

This was a great break from the Riads. Would have liked a full day here!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Riad Salam Fes

Fes

Authenticity & Character

Location

Did not feel it was as accessible as we would have liked.

Staff

The staff was amazing…the most hospitable of our whole trip!

Cleanliness & Comfort

Opera Plaza Hotel Marrakech

Marrakech

The only reason it is not 5 stars is because only one restaurant was open.

Authenticity & Character

Location

We actually enjoyed staying outside the Medina and would have liked this for more than one night.

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Fes: Exploring the Imperial City

Fes

Very much enjoyed seeing things outside the Medina

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Half day Walking tour of Marrakech

Marrakesh

The Medina was very interesting, but we didn’t need that much time there…it became a little overwhelming.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Needed a larger car for all the driving we did

Marrakech Food Tour

Marrakesh

Didn’t do it - we were exhausted and overwhelmed

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

A day Trip to Essaouira from Marrakech

Marrakesh

Loved it! A very different side of Morocco!

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Explore Ouzoud Waterfalls hike for 2 hours

Marrakesh

Lovely hike - perfect break from dtiving! Too many beggers and shops along the way.

Quality of Experience

Would have liked a choice of where to eat lunch.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Explore the Roman Ruins of Volubilis

Fes

Guide was fantastic - ruins are amazing!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Dinner with a local Family in Fes

Fes

This was a wonderful addition to the trip. The family who hosted us was lovely. It was especially interesting to see the family dynamics.

Quality of Experience

Food

Authentic food made special for us!

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Day trip from Fes To Chefchaouen

Morocco

This was our favorite city. We liked that we had the afternoon on our own (no guide) so we could get away from the souk and explore some streets off the beaten path.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Long trip!

Our guide, Bire, was the very best--experienced, supportive, and great company. The itinerary was challenging (as we expected) but worth the effort. Himalayan Trails isn't a discount organization--it's a SERVICE business and their service is exemplary. Top marks. We can't wait to come back.