Kimkim Trip Reviews

We had an absolutely amazing trip!!! Every detail was meticulously planned by Ben. From our great drivers and guides to having the last seat of the bullet train reserved for our extra luggage. I never would have thought of doing that but it was a huge help since we bought a lot of souvenirs! Peter was our guide in Tokyo and Mt Fuji and he took the most beautiful photos of my daughter and I. It was so nice to be in the pictures instead of behind the camera and I am so thankful for those memories.
We ate at several local restaurants that were fantastic and we were the only tourists there. I would never have found these places without my guides Peter and Takizawa.
Peter and Takizawa went above and beyond my expectations as guides and Ben was so accommodating to my teenage daughters many requests and planned everything out so perfectly. The drivers were always on time and let me know their plate numbers and names on WhatsApp. They always offered to carry our luggage and were very polite. The cars were always clean and they drove safely. I was so happy that I didn't have to drive in that insane traffic!
I could never have planned this on my own and I am so happy that I chose KimKim!

I am so incredibly grateful for the expert planning and support of the kimkim team and the local partners they worked with in Peru. Our family of 6 had an incredible trip over Spring Break. We loved the family friendly food tour in the Barranca neighborhood of Lima, where we also learned about the local culture and art scene.

After Lima we spent a few days in the Amazon jungle where our guide, John, led us on very memorable excursions - fishing for piranhas, searching for anacondas, finding tarantulas at night, hiking the jungle, climbing the viewing tower, enjoying the boat rides and most of all sight-seeing. We saw several types of monkeys, macaws, parrots, capybaras, caymens, and much more. His expertise not only made it educational - he made it very fun! The Finca lodge was perfect with sweet staff and enjoyable community meals.

After the jungle we flew to Cusco and enjoyed the Sacred Valley for a few days before spending a day at Machu Picchu. Out guide Willy was phenomenal! He took us to various stops - salt quarries, llama farms, forts, trains and more - and excellent restaurants. He was following our tour schedule, but when he learned of my affinity for Catholic Churches, he adjusted the schedule so we could see the Cathedral in Cusco, which was a highlight for me! I was so grateful for his in-depth knowledge and proactiveness to suggest this schedule change. And his positive attitude kept all my kids engaged. Our family was definitely feeling the altitude, and we were all struggling with some stomach issues. Willy helped us find electrolyte drinks and other remedies to help quell our issues and get back to enjoying the trip. He was truly excellent!

Hotel Reviews

Sonesta Posadas del Inca Yucay

Urubamba

The hotel was so wonderful. I was genuinely surprised by all of its offerings. The rooms were large, clean, very modern and well decorated with great character. The kids love the lofted bed section. The building and grounds were stunning with old, well-maintained walkways, architecture, beautiful plants, eye-catching lighting , unique chapel, and more. The different restaurants and food spots offered a variety of options for our family. We enjoyed a high-end gourmet dinner one night, Pisco Sours at the bar, and homemade Italian pizza the next. My family also loved the breakfast buffet with the made-to-order omelets and fresh juices. I would highly recommend this hotel to anyone. It has a traditional local Peruvian flare mixed with modern amenities and a stellar staff.

Authenticity & Character

Location

There is nothing really around this hotel. So if you like to take off walking, this isn't really the place for you. We found so many things to do in this former monastery that we didn't need to leave it!

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Finca Sachabacayoc

After a 2 hour boat ride we pulled up to a steep set of stairs that led in to the heart of this beautiful oasis in the middle of the amazon jungle. It features several cabins and a main lodge. The lodge includes a bar, hammock area, sitting area and the main dining hall where we enjoyed community meals. Our cabins were large with screened in walls, beautiful wooden furniture, poster beds with mosquito nets and private bathrooms. The staff was incredibly friendly and quickly came to remove a large frog that made its way into my children's cabin. I would highly recommend this place for people who are ready to have a jungle adventure.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Finca Sachavacavoc - D2 - Chuncho Claylick and Condenado Lake

Tambopata

We woke up very early to see the sunrise while we were boating to the clay licks. Our guide John set up his scope so we could see the different types of macaws and parrots flying around the clay lick. The crew prepared a lovely breakfast for us before we headed back to the Finca by boat. In the afternoon we hiked to Condenado Lake where we saw a family of feisty river otters and then enjoyed time fishing for piranhas. My kids just loved catching them! Luckily the rain opened up on us to cool us down a bit. Fantastic day in the jungle!

Quality of Experience

The mix of the boat ride and clay lick experience in the morning with the afternoon dedicated to hiking and fishing was great!

Food

The large breakfast spread was such a delightful surprise.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

We all just loved the boat rides!

Full Day Machu Picchu Exploration

Peru

Definitely a highlight of our trip. We woke up early and took the van to the train station. Our train stopped halfway through, and the last three cars joined together for live music, drinks and dancing! Felt like we were in a movie - it was so magical. We arrived at the train stop and took a bus up a very steep switchback road until we reached the top. Our prebooked tickets put us on the second circuit, and we saw some of the most incredible views. Our tour guide Willy was very knowledgeable and helped bring the Inca empire to life for our family. We were amazed by their planning, building and craftsmanship. Highly recommend this adventure!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

The train ride with live music, free hats, Pisco Sour tastings, dancing and more was totally unexpected and so fun!

Exploring the Sacred Valley: Maras, Moray, Ollantaytambo

Peru

Really enjoyed learning about the Inca empire - from the salt quarries and agricultural testing to the fort and Inca trail, this was an educational day.

Pass by Pisac Market & an Andean camelid Farms

Peru

The kids just absolutely adored feeding the llamas and learning about them. The tour guide was a young local man who was learning English and seemed to really enjoy engaging with us. Great way to open up our trip to the Andean region.

Walking food tour at Barranco for families!

Lima

Nancy led our family on a fabulous walking tour of Barranca. We love the ceviche at awhich, the fish sandwiches at Horneando and of course, making our own chocolate!! Her knowledge of the history and culture of the area was great and helped us better understand the neighborhood. We also enjoyed checking out the street art from Jade and other local artists.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Maria José with Kim Kim deserves an 11 out of 10. Logistics for our trip where we went to four islands in four days were extensive and it went off without a hitch. Any question we had she was on what’s app replying immediately. Our flights, boats, tours and transfers were always great and always on time.

Also in the planning part of the trip we told her what we wanted and in two emails had the perfect trip where she really helped us cover all of the activities, all of the islands and all of the animals we wanted to see — and because of her we were able to fit it into four nights without sleeping on a cruise ship.

We’d never used Kim Kim before and didn’t know what to expect, but as extensive world travelers MaJo’s work was so impressive and it was at a very reasonable price. Don’t risk your once in a lifetime Galapagos trip - use MaJo!!!!

Hotel Reviews

Albemarle

Puerto Villamil

The hotel we stayed at on Isabela Island was awesome, mainly due to its location right on the water. Although it's a bit weathered from being so exposed to the elements, it offers an amazing view which we really appreciated.

Plaza Luna Suites

Puerto Ayora

Clean, great service, and so well kept…best of the three hotels we stayed in during our trip.

Authenticity & Character

Owner lived on the grounds her entire life and treats it like she cares about the property and guests!

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Spotless and up to date!

Activity Reviews

Welcome to Santa Cruz – Highlands & Bay Tour Experience

Galapagos Islands

The Santa Cruz Highlands & Bay Tour Experience was not our favorite. It was a bilingual group, and we were the only English speakers, so we didn't get as much engagement. It paled compared to the other tours, especially being our fourth day there.

Welcome to Isabela Island – Wildlife Encounter at Los Túneles (Cabo Rosa)

Galapagos Islands

Awesome. Got a selfie with a penguin, saw multiple rays, swam within a foot of 10 different giant turtles, and up close and personal with blue footed boobies! Great ceviche too!

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Welcome to San Cristóbal – Kayak at the Port & Darwin Bay Snorkeling

Isla San Cristóbal

Amazing. Greatest sea lion experience ever! They are so fun and playful. Snorkeling was great too. The private guide with the kayaking and snorkeling was the best way to start the trip so we could get the focus and attention we needed given we were doing group snorkels the next three days. The pictures say it all

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Kicker Rock: A Snorkeling Adventure

Isla San Cristóbal

Amazing snorkeling and great lunch on the boat. The guide was great. Hammerheads, turtles, blue footed boobies, Red Frigate birds (inflated!), rays and seals that came and played with us!

Quality of Experience

Food

Food was fine but that wasn’t what I was focused on

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Absolutely brilliant trip organised by Erin and the team at Dittmar Adventures. All the details were arranged to perfection and the tour was really fantastic. Big thanks to Erin and Rebecca and the team for sorting this.

Hotel Reviews

Vain Boutique Hotel

Buenos Aires

Good hotel close to variety of food places.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Lennox Hotel Ushuaia

Ushuaia

Good location and close to everything. Staff were super helpful and everything is walkable.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Aww

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Lunajuim

El Chalten

Great location and brilliant staff close to all the main amenities.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hostería Schilling

El Calafate

Great stay with super helpful staff and good location close to centre of El Calafate.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Vendaval

Puerto Natales

Central location and friendly staff.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Camping Frances

Good camp and well organised site with great food.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Pristine Patagonia Hotel

Puerto Natales

Great hotel in a great location with good facilities and great staff.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Half Day Trek to Laguna Esmeralda

Ushuaia

Great hike with unreal views. And great guides who let well and supported the whole group.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Guided Hike to Laguna Torre

El Chaltén

Again mikayla was fantastic and led the hike well.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Guided Hike to Laguna de los Tres

El Chaltén

Mikayla was brilliant for 2 days and very supportive and informative on the hikes.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Raft the Rio de las Vueltas

El Chaltén

Cold experience but brilliant fun and great guides.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Full Day Perito Moreno Glacier

El Calafate

Great day with unreal scenery despite the weather.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Great informative guides and drives.

Transport

Guided Hike to "Mirador Base Las Torres"

Puerto Natales

Fantastic day with brilliant guides. Milliemay and Joaquin were both brilliant and very supportive during the hike.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Despite the driver being late due to changing of the clocks it was a great day and we didn’t lose any time.

Transport

Trip Briefing at Dittmar Adventures

Puerto Natales

Rebecca was brilliant at explaining our whole itinerary. Very detailed and informative

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Our guides were wonderful...Very friendly, knowledgeable, punctual, and informative - Everything one would look for in a guide ! The tip to use TaxiGo for some travel was also a Great Tip - they were amazingly quick and affordable !!

Hotel Review

Hotel Forza Osaka Namba Dotonbori

3 beds to a room made this a bit crowded, but only for the very short time we were actually in ;-) ! Extremely well situated, clean, very friendly and fast service, good breakfast options!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Review

Kyoto's Cultural Treasures: Fushimi Inari-Taisha, Nijo Castle and Kinkaku-ji

Japan

The Nijo Castle was really cool. The grounds were amazing and very interesting. The tour of all (33) rooms inside was neat but could have been shorter. The temple and the shrine were also really interesting and good to visit; just not really my area of interest to spend much time there.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Whenever working with a company for the first time, there's always a bit of nervousness. Siena and the team soon made those jitters fade away. We told her what we wanted to do, and after asking a few more questions to paint the full picture, she planned an amazing trip for us. All guides were excellent. The accommodations were excellent. Always picked up at the time promised (I can't tell you how many times we've waited at the airport for our prearranged ride, only to have noone show up). Anyway, Siena and her team were in constant contact with us and also had a final zoom meeting prior to our adventure, just to go over everything on last time. Our experience in Meteora was lovely, as was our first (and not last) experience with Kimkim. We are well traveled and I can wholeheartedly recommend this company and the wonderful experience they put together for us.

Our trip was labeled “Unforgettable Honeymoon” on KimKim and the trip definitely lived up to its name. We had an amazing time exploring Argentina in 12 days. We were able to go to Buenos Aires, Puerto Iguazu, Mendoza, and El Calafate, but didn’t feel rushed. Our airport transfers were seamless and always on time and the hotels were perfect for each location. Joaquina was available by email when we requested a last minute change, and she even emailed halfway through the trip checking in.
We loved every place we visited. Our most memorable hotel was in Mendoza and it was perfectly scheduled as a time to relax 3/4 into our trip. Even activities we didn’t expect, like The Argentine Experience, were amazing.

We had a great experience working with Bella through KimKim for our trip to Thailand. This was our first time using a service like this, and honestly, it exceeded our expectations.

Bella was extremely responsive from the start and did a great job collaborating with us to build an itinerary that actually fit our family—not some cookie-cutter plan. She was flexible, attentive, and made adjustments along the way so everything felt dialed in.

One of the biggest highlights for us was having local guides. That completely changed the experience. Instead of feeling like tourists trying to figure things out, we always felt taken care of and confident in where we were going and what we were doing. It took a lot of the stress out of traveling and allowed us to actually be present and enjoy the experience.

Overall, it made the trip smoother, more meaningful, and honestly more fun. We’re already talking about going back to Thailand—and we’d absolutely work with Bella again.

Hotel Reviews

Silom Serene Hotel

Bangkok

Hotel was nice but felt a little dated. A guest on our floor was smoking and it got in the vents. No big deal but not ideal.

Buri Sriping Riverside Resort & Spa

Chiang Mai

Very classy hotel.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Holiday Aonang Beach Resort

Krabi

Perfect location, excellent food and resort.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Hong Island trip by Speed Boat!

Thailand

Fucking awesome.

Welcome and Temple Treasures of Chiang Mai

Chiang Mai

Hot spring & Emerald Lagoon tour & Tiger Temple with lunch

Thailand

A visit Damnoen Saduak Floating Market and Mae Klong Railway market

Bangkok

I thought it was going to be different. It was okay but nothing amazing.

Half-Day Cycling in Chiang Mai!

Chiang Mai

Chiang Mai Cooking Class Experience-Small Group

Chiang Mai

Amazing experience and so much fun.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

5 Islands Sunset Cruise with Kayaking and Swimming in Bio-luminescence!

Thailand

One of the best experiences.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Madrid/Seville/Lagos/Lisbon trip was well planned and well executed, nice whether helped as well.
Madrid transfers and guides were on time and professional, hotel was good, a bit noisy. Tuk-Tuk tour has room for improvement like better vehicles suspension and adding display with city map and interactive vehicle location.
Train ride was a pleasant experience.
Seville transfer to the hotel was OK, driver could use some training. Seville hotel should not be allowed to operate until underground comprehensively marked. Seville guide was on time, extremely knowledgeable and likable.
For transfer to Lagos was planned Tesla Y, instead was used Toyota Prius, substitution luxury car with economy car is not an acceptable practice, money back should be considered.
Lagos food tour guide was excellent. Lagos hotel was great, unconventional shower/toilet design would benefit by addition to toilet bidet and waste bucket. Lagos water tour was 30 minutes late, boat driver could be more respectful.
Transfer to Lisbon was good. Lisbon hotel was great, Lisbon tour guide was amazing. Tuk-Tuk tour had the same issues as Madrid one. Transfer to the Airport was seamless.

Hotel Reviews

Heritage Avenida Liberdade

Lisboa

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Lagos Avenida Hotel

Lagos

Unconventional shower/toilet design would greatly benefit by adding to toilet bidet and waste bucket.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Las Casas de la Judería

Seville

Hotel should not allowed to operate until underground comprehensively marked, for example; every part has its own color code, similarly to marking trails in a forest.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Room Mate Alba

Madrid

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Private Tuk-Tuk Experience Along the 28 Tram Route

Lisbon

Similar to Madrid, vehicle suspension is not adequate. Display with city map and interactive vehicle location should be added.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Private Pena Palace & Sintra Village Half-Day Trip

Lisbon

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Ponta da Piedade by Boat Excursion

Lagos (Algarve)

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Lagos Evening Food Walk

Lagos (Algarve)

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Private Visit to Seville's Cathedral & Alcázar

Seville

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Flamenco Show & Museum Visit

Seville

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Short Prado Museum Visit with Skip-the-Line Ticket

Madrid

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Private Electric Tuk-Tuk Adventure

Madrid

Vehicle suspension is not adequate. Display with city map and interactive vehicle location should be added.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Private City Walk & Royal Palace Experience

Madrid

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Gummi put together a fantastic trip for us. The stops were well thought out. The hotels were wonderful and the restaurant recommendations were varied and delicious.

He was available to quicky answer any questions we had. I would recommend this trip and Gummi to any of my friends.

Hotel Reviews

Alda Hotel Reykjavík

Reykjavík

Great location, nice staff, very nice breakfast included. Room is a bit noisy.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Easy to hear doors slamming g

Black Beach Suites

Vik I Myrdal

Scenic location by a black sand beach. Close enough to town to go to restaurants. Large comfy room.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hótel Grímsborgir by Keahotels

Ásborgir

Large, comfortable rooms. Hot tub, restaurant on sight with a very nice breakfast included.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hótel Búðir

Búðir

Boutique like hotel in a gorgeous but remote location. Staff was excellent.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Quiet, peaceful, beautiful

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Faxaflói Bay Whale Watching Excursion

Reykjavík

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Horse Riding on Black Sand Beach

Iceland

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Glacier Ice Cave Experience

Iceland

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Silfra Snorkeling Adventure

Golden Circle

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Víðgelmir Lava Cave Experience

Iceland

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

We drove ourselves

Mieke did an amazing job planning and writing up detailed instructions on how to get to my various hotels via public transportation. She included the apps I needed for said transportation, the approximate distances to walk. She worked around the bike and boat tour that I had requested and filled in the gaps with many things I would enjoy. I did have a few hiccups along the way such as one of the hotels had absolutely no heat with temps hovering around 40 degrees F at night. Also, the boat dock had moved at the beginning on the boat tour. One last mention, she sent me to Haarlem for my last day for the Monday market, but the market was replaced with a carnival that day. She had no control over these changes or mishaps. My only complaint was the trip cost a bit more than I originally planned.

Hotel Reviews

Ambassador City Centre Hotel

Haarlem

I cannot give this hotel and staff enough praise. They took care of me from the moment I walked in, quite early I might add, until I left the city. They got me into my room right away so I did not have to store my luggage. They made sure I had an appropriate vegetarian breakfast on my checkout. I had problems with my Uber and they helped me get another one do I could get to the airport safely.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Boat accommodation for cycling tours: Princesse Royal

I had a solo cabin with a twin bed. It was perfect for a solo traveler. It was a bit crowded with my suitcase needing to be on the floor. Some nights it was hard to make the room warm enough for me. The food was AWESOME. The boat had a chef and dinners were curated for us.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Singel hotel

Amsterdam

This had to be one of the cutest boutique hotels I’ve ever been to. The room was small, but big enough for me. I had a beautiful view of the canal and it was very close to Amsterdam Central train/bus station. The breakfast was good, they even offered a couple of selections “on demand.”

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

De Keyser Hotel

Antwerp

How this is rated as a 4 star hotel is beyond me. I arrived a bit early and they allowed me to check in but the room was FREEZING. They told me the heat would be turned on at the desk at 3 pm (official check-in time). I came back after 5 pm and still no heat. I have NEVER stayed in a hotel where the temp is controlled by the desk. I also discovered the glass door would not close completely and the wind howled through it making it even colder. After several trips to the desk, they finally moved me. The second room was also cold and I was advised the heat was out in the whole building and because it was late in a holiday weekend they couldn’t get anyone to fix it. They had a space heater in the room(s) upon arrival and I found that odd. After reading Google reviews, the HVAC issues had been going on for over a year and NUMEROUS complaints were listed. THAT explained why the space heaters were already in the rooms.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

De Wever Lodge

Otterlo

This was an adorable lodge located just outside the national forest. The breakfast was delicious. However, it was a bit tough walking from the bus stop to the lodge. Much of the path was packed dirt and kind of muddy.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Bike & Boat: Amsterdam - Spaarndam - Haarlem

The Netherlands

The whole reason I went to the Netherlands was for the bike and boat tour. On our first day we “sailed” to Haarlem and biked into the town. Saw Grote Markt and the church.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Ghent - Gravensteen - Castle of the Counts

The Netherlands

This was a self guided audio tour. I chose the comfy tour and was not disappointed.

Quality of Experience

Ghent - Self-Guided Culinary Walking Route

The Netherlands

I actually did not do a “self-guided” walking route, but found a guided tasting tour.

Quality of Experience

Antwerp - Chocolate Nation

The Netherlands

You can’t go to Belgium without learning about chocolate. I have been to cocao plantations in the Caribbean and I have come full circle to the finished fine Belgian chocolate. The tasting at the end was awesome.

Quality of Experience

Hoge Veluwe National Park by bicycle

The Netherlands

I got caught in the rain, so it wasn’t very enjoyable on the bike. I did enjoy the nature center/museum including the section underground

Quality of Experience

Hoge Veluwe National Park by bicycle + Kröller Müller Museum

The Netherlands

I walked/hiked over to museum from the lodge. It was a good activity for my arrival day. However, the tickets were date specific and it would have been better for the rainy following day.

Quality of Experience

Great service before AND (especially) during our trip. Helpful, proactive and on top of everything. Sylvia and the team were outstanding and a pleasure to work with.

Hotel Reviews

Island Magic Beach Resort Ltd

Caye Caulker

We upgraded to Island Magic Villas. MUCH better

Hidden Valley Wilderness Lodge

Mountain Pine Ridge

The food and chef Sean are fantastic - real Maya flavors

Authenticity & Character

Beautiful villas and cottages and the main house cozy and high end

Location

Trails and waterfalls and wildlife all in the park

Staff

The best. All of them attentive and knowledgeable

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Caracol Mayan Site

Belize

Can’t miss city that really shows the early Maya culture and architecture. Thanks to Bau, our extremely knowledgeable guide

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Brilliant guide (‘Bao) who has as much knowledge of local wildlife as he does ancient Maya history!

Transport

ATM Cave | Actun Tunichil Muknal

Belize

A must see. The guide, Raphael, was excellent

Quality of Experience

Food

Authentic chicken and rice and beans

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Archeology

Transport

We had the most incredible time in Morocco! Firstly, Maryem, our trip coordinator did a wonderful job tailoring the itinerary to our liking and was quick to respond to any questions we had during our travels. The guides, hotels, excursions, and travel arrangements were fabulous. The highlights of our trip were, our time walking around the blue streets of Chefchaouen, the food tour in Fez, the ruins of Volubilis, and our stay in Agafay. The best part of our trip was Hamid, our amazing travel expert. He was just the best! He was punctual, kind, funny, warm, inviting, a great driver, and embodied all the best aspects of Moroccan hospitality. I cannot recommend him enough. Under the Moroccan Sun will ensure you will have the trip of a lifetime and we are already thinking of our next tailored adventure with them.
Thank you!

Hotel Reviews

Alkamar Camp

Marrakech

By far our favorite stay of the trip. Special shoutout to Mohammed who looked out for us during our stay. The food was incredible, the room was insanely beautiful (private pool and fireplace). Wish we could have stayed here longer!

Authenticity & Character

The best. Live performances and music. Authentic food. Down to the blankets, everything was perfect.

Location

In the desert. Great views and camels walking walking by.

Staff

Mohammed. The best ever!! Went above and beyond, can't say enough good things about him.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Great shower. Very private feeling room.

Hôtel & Ryads Barrière Le Naoura

Marrakech

The best breakfast of the trip! Fresh Msemmen made in front of you!! Room was clean and comfortable.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Central and easy to walk everywhere from the hotel.

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Lina Ryad & Spa

Chefchaouen

Gorgeous!!! Loved our stay here. Room was beautiful, beds large and comfortable, the best shower. Breakfast was amazing, and so were the amenities (pool, rooftop, spa treatments).

Authenticity & Character

Beautiful and charming.

Location

Central location.

Staff

Very kind and helpful.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Very clean and comfortable.

Riad Dar Dar

Rabat

Wouldn't stay here again... It was our first night though so we didn't spend much time here. Staff was nice.

Authenticity & Character

Location

In the Medina.

Staff

One guy who seemed to be running the whole operation, and did very well! Very helpful with our bags, serving breakfast, and with finding the Riyad.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Beds uncomfortable, poor lighting, not the best bathroom. Just don't expect luxury.

Activity Reviews

Walking tour of Marrakech

Marrakesh

Our guide Mohammed was one of the best! He was very knowledgeable and laid back (especially on plants in the Jardin Majorelle). Marrakech is just beautiful. Don't skip the YSL museum, it is a wonderful collection.

Quality of Experience

Food

We recommend. Comptoir Darna.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Yay Hamid!

Fes Food Tour

Fes

Feta was our very favorite guide. Major shoutout to him, the king of the Moroccan guides. My daughter has a severe nut allergy, and as you will learn nuts are a prominent feature in Moroccan desserts. He was extremely understanding of this and cautious. He triple checked with vendors every time. We just walked around the Souk and tried all the things that peaked our interest. The best way to really get to know Morocco. You must try the potato croquettes and fresh cheeses!

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Yay Hamid!

Fes walking guided tour : No drive

Fes

Mohammed!! Loved this guide! So funny and informative. Again, he seemed to know everyone in town and watching him interact with everyone was a highlight. He helped us get a great price on our bags at the tannery too. We loved Fez, it felt the most authentic out of all the bigger cities we visited.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Yay Hamid!

Transfer to Fes: Volubilis, Moulay Idriss & Meknes

Morocco

Volubilis were the most incredible Roman ruins I've seen so far (and I've seen many). You must go before they put the mosaic floors into the museum they are in the process of building. It was incredible to just see them in the grass among the ruins. Donkeys braying in the distance really add to the vibe.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Yay Hamid!

Explore the Blue City

Chefchaouen

Chefchaouen is a must see! Just gorgeous everywhere you look. The whole town smells like orange blossoms, and as a result has the best orange juice. The guide seemed to know everyone in town and watching him interact with his friends and loved ones was the highlight of the tour.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Yay Hamid!

Transfer to Chefchaouen from Rabat via Ouazzane 4 Hours Drive

Morocco

Beautiful drive through the Moroccan countryside. So much to see looking out the window.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Yay Hamid!

Half-Day Private Sightseeing Tour in Rabat

Rabat

One of our favorite guides. His english was great and he was so knowledgable. We learned so much! He even added a stop to see the most beautiful mural as my daughter is an art historian. Rabat overall, is beautiful and clean. Amazing architecture. I just wish we had more time to visit some of the museums.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Yay Hamid!

Our trip specialist Majid was wonderful, very accommodating, and incredibly responsive. We really enjoyed our 10 day trip though it was very fast paced. Our guide Red was very kind, enthusiastic, and knowledgeable about the areas we were in. I would highly recommend both Majid and Red.

What a great trip! Eleanor was great to work with and help us figure out where we wanted to go and what we wanted to see. The transfers to and from the airports went well. Our Tokyo city highlight walking tour with Ken was very informative and enjoyable. The Kyoto cultural treasures tour with Satomi was also very good. She was flexible as to what we wanted to see and answered so many of our questions. We also enjoyed the Foodie Tour in Osaka. Our hotels in Tokyo, Osaka & Kyoto were all great. Good breakfasts and great locations. The Go taxi app worked well. Getting around by subway was sometimes challenging but good. Japanese people were very helpful when we got totally lost!

We had a most memorable trip thanks to Chhewang and Rikjin. The trip was well organised and left us feeling highly confident that each day would deliver us something exciting with no stress at all.

Nepal is a beautiful, safe country, and the Nepalese people are charming.

Above all, Chhewang and Rikjin are easy-going and great people to spend time with.

Working with Majid to plan our Morocco trip was so effortless and easy. He made sure to accommodate all our interests and preferences, Because of his time and attention to detail, our trip was so smooth and enjoyable. Majid was also always available and responsive. Whenever we wanted to make some modifications to our itinerary, he was readily available to listen to our feedback and make changes as needed.

We also loved our driver Ismail. He was incredibly knowledge and we learned so much from talking with him throughout our trip. Ismail was also so kind and welcoming, we felt right at home in Morocco thanks to him. We will highly recommend him to all our friends and family who plan to visit Morocco in the future.

I was a little hesitant to use Kimkim because I hadn't heard of it and couldn't quite tell even what it was. First, I want to assure anyone reading this that it is a totally legit site/service! I think people from different agencies can sign up on the platform, and they receive the benefit of Kimkim marketing and receive inquiries from the Kimkim site. Meaning, our agent was not "from" Kimkim but rather used their platform. This is not a bad thing! We got a local agent but with a really good communication platform and app.

For the actual trip planning, we first thought we would use Kimkim for our entire trip, but I ended up wanting more direct say over our flights and hotels. So I planned those myself. But even after I did that, Bella asked if she could still help to plan our trip. She was mostly responsive (delays over the weekend and of course due to time zone), and we had our final plans a number of days in advance (maybe a bit late for anxious planners, but I am not so that was fine for us).

As for the actual activities:

Pickups/dropoffs: They were hit or miss. It was a little tough finding people at the airports, and there was some waiting involved. (Find them, wait around, be walked to a door, wait for the van.) In my other trips, a person met us coming out of security and walked us straight to the vehicle. BKK is a much larger airport, but there were even some delays in Phuket (where the transportation service went to the international terminal instead of the domestic terminal, even though we had arrived from Bangkok). The vehicles were also hit or miss -- some nice and new, other older ones and one even with some cobwebs around the curtains. I liked that we generally had the same drivers each day so we could spot them and vice versa. I'd give a 3/5 for transportation.

Longtail Boat Canal Tour: This was fun, a nice way to see different parts of the city. We stopped at a cute market and got to see some sights from the water. Our boat was fine, and we enjoyed that we had a private boat so we could come and go as we liked. 5/5

Midnight Tuk-Tuk Food Tour (Bangkok): We loved this! Ice the guide was amazing - funny and informative. We covered a lot of ground, ate some delicious food, and got to see Bangkok in a different way than we had before. Highly recommend! 5/5

Half-Day Temple Tour: It was very hot this day, and we with our kids wanted to kind of speed it along. Our tour guide did not read the room very well. We kept asking him to go faster or leave certain sites earlier, but he kept on talking. SO much. Even in the van. This made the tour a little frustrating, as we wanted a more abbreviated version given the heat and our personal travel preferences. But we did see some nice sites, so we were glad for that. 3/5

Island hopper boat tour: We have done similar trips where we have a private boat and visit different locations in a number of different countries. We visited the Khai islands because we didn't want to travel too far from Phuket. I'm honestly not sure I would recommend this for travelers. We only got out of the boat at one of the islands. It was pretty but very commercial. The crew led us to their favorite vendors, and we did end up having a nice relaxing time. But I wouldn't call these islands "must see." The snorkeling is terrible, not even worth trying because there is nothing to see at all. I might have seen 1-2 fish. Also, in our prior trips, the boat itself was part of the fun. You could tan on a ledge, hang out on a swimming mat or tubes attached to the boat, dive, from its side. This boat was for "transportation", not fun. Its only purpose was to drive us around, very industrial and no amenities at all on or with the boat. (Life jackets and snorkels/masks.) We were disappointed. We did love the lunch on a floating dock, and the crew was quite good. Funny and engaging. But there was no food and no place to even lay outside on the boat. 3/5.

General: It was easy to work with Kimkim. I did really like their app and the convenience of having everything in one place. Bella communicated well with us and reminded us for things like travel documents. We had local contacts everyplace we went, so we felt well connect and knew whom to contact if we needed anything. I would probably use them again, but I would be more specific about what we wanted, to ensure that the services met our expectations in real life.

Rikzin and Sonam provided excellent service in our brilliant holiday. From the views of Annapurna to the Jungle safari, we were well looked after. Communications were quick and efficient and I would certainly recommend this tour and management team. thanks again for a brilliant holiday.

All of the guides were knowledgeable and articulate about the wonderful biodiversity we were seeing. All of the transport drivers were punctual to the minute according to our itinerary. The entire trip went exactly as planned. Great work by the entire Serendipity/KimKim team.

Hotel Reviews

El Establo Mountain Hotel

Monteverde

Nice view from our room. Good food at the restaurant. The shuttle service to the rooms from the reception was dependable AND NECESSARY because of the steepness of the slope the hotel was built on.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Arenal Springs Resort

La Fortuna

The view of Arenal volcano from our room was like a picture on a postcard.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Tortuga Lodge & Gardens

Tortuguero

We loved this hotel. Great staff, excellent food, knowledgeable friendly guides and excursions.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Private: Santa Elena Cloud Forest Reserve Guided Hike

Monteverde

Great personalized guide for just our private group. Forest Alive. Very informative and in depth walk through the cloud forest.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Super knowledgeable guide.

Transport

All Day Adventure at Selvatura, including Zipline, Hanging Bridges, and Fauna Exhibitions

Costa Rica

Selvatura was very well organized and well worth the day we spent there.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Private Coffee & Chocolate Tour

Costa Rica

Great tour. Very worthwhile with lots of details and hands on experiences throughout the tour. Fascinating to see the processes of coffee, sugar cane, and chocolate cultivation.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Safari Float on the Peñas Blancas River

Arenal/La Fortuna

Friendly knowledgeable guide who really took time to show us the plants and animals along the river.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Private Guided Hike in Arenal Volcano Park 1968

Arenal/La Fortuna

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Look

Transport

Guided Boat Excursion Through the Tortuguero Canals

Tortuguero

Great boat trip with lots of animal and plant sightings. Great guide — he really took time to point out details of the environment.

Guides, Drivers and Staff