Kimkim Trip Reviews

Nicholas was the perfect local specialist, planner, driver, game spotter, and friend! My daughter (16) and I had a wonderful trip!
After telling Nicholas a little bit about what we wanted, he put together a draft of a trip that we then went through, asked questions, and made some changes. I’d been to Kenya 43 years ago and wanted to stay at one of the same hotels I’d stayed at all those years ago, and Nicholas had no problem accommodating my request. I had also been to Zanzibar before so wanted to revisit that island, which again Nicholas had no problem arranging.
Once the trip started, Nicholas continued to be able to accommodate us as needed. Our arrival was delayed by a day, but we were still met at the airport at the new arrival time and given options on how to try to make up for the lost time. Additionally there were times when my older body needed a little extra rest, so we could decide on the fly to start a game drive later or finish early. When I struggled with getting in and out of the truck, Nicholas got a milk crate step to help me and always was near by in case I needed an extra hand. A truly personalized experience that I appreciate so much!
The hotels that were picked out for us were wonderful. We particularly enjoyed the Ashnil camps (Masai Mara and Samburu). On top of that, Nicholas made sure our rooms/tents were located perfectly. At Ashnil Samburu, we looked out on the river where elephants gathered - what a way to wake up! At Ashnil Masai Mara, he got us a table that looked out at the river where the hippos would climb in and out.
Nicholas also has a great sense of humor and is easy to talk to. My normally shy teenager was joking with him and asking questions right away. He even let her use his personal camera to take photos and she now wants to take photography classes thanks to Nicholas.
Across our game drives, we saw not only the big 5, but a plethora of birds and animals. Cerval cats playing, a cheetah, black rhino, and baby leopard were some of the more special sites . What I enjoyed the most was finding a quiet corner of the park with no other trucks around, turning off the truck and watching a herd of elephant pass right in front of us. I can’t even imagine going on one of those big group trips now!
I plan to use a local specialist for any future trips from now on, and to anyone going to Kenya, highly recommend Nicholas of Animal Kingdom Safaris.

We had a fantastic time in South Africa!

Lucy, our local specialist, was fantastic with planning - despite us having postponed the trip last year (very last minute), she was always helpful and managed to negotiate the best possible trip for us. She kept in touch with us during the trip too, promptly answering our questions on flight bookings even at 8pm, which was lovely of her.

In Cape Town, our guide was Henrich at Capey Tours. He was a fabulous guide - knowledgable, candid, open and with a great sense of humour. He showed us so many lovely local joints, from coffee to Cape Malay cuisine, and was always flexible to accommodate our convenience. He went above and beyond to make sure we saw some of the gems Cape Town has to offer, from the Cape of Good Hope, to Table Mountain / Lion's Head, and the surrounding wine regions.

We then spent some time in Kruger National Park, where we stayed at Hoyo Hoyo Safari Lodge. I highly highly recommend - I do not think I have ever encountered such warm, genuine hospitality! The staff were ever-present to help us out, always smiling and made evenings in the Bush a true delight. Our safari guide, Pharence, was a delight - witty, knowledgeable about the animals, receptive to what we wanted to see and fun to chat with.

We highly highly recommend a similar trip to South Africa - our only advice is, stay longer!!!

Miglé was available any time we needed her. Most of the time we already had the information sent initially by her!
Her response time was almost immediate, how could you expect more.

When planning our trip, Miglé listened to our requests, this was evident as we traveled from place to place.

We would rate our experience with KimKim, especially Migle with an A plus!

Hotel Reviews

Zander K Hotel

Bergen

Well staffed, upscale and terrific breakfast! The staff were knowledgeable, courteous and friendly.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Close to train station and taxi availability

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Att I Kvadraturen

Oslo

It was challenging to navigate the check in/out technology. It was also difficult for taxi drivers to find the hotel. We would not recommend this hotel for older travelers, unless tech savvy and in good physical shape. It was difficult not having a person on site to help with questions. The space was excellent, especially for an extended stay.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Cleanliness & Comfort

Cabin in Dingle

Dingle

The cabin was rural and rustic. Clean, excellent location for our needs

Authenticity & Character

Location

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Royal

Gothenburg

Great service

Authenticity & Character

Old and stately

Location

Close to restaurants

Staff

Helped us with walking directions and suggestions of places to eat

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Norwegian Nature Unveiled — Bergen to Nærøyfjorden, Flåm & Stegastein Day Adventure

Bergen

A very long day, but everything we saw was amazing

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

City Sea Sauna in Bergen

Bergen

We did not participate in this experience, we canceled 24 hours before hand because one of our travelers became ill. KimKim is working to get us a refund

Oslo Grand Tour with Fjord Cruise

Oslo

The fjord cruise was canceled because of boat problems. KimKim is working to get a refund for us

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Dinner Cruise on the Oslo Fjord

Oslo

Beautiful sights in the harbor

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Private Transfer

Sweden

Free day in Hällevadsholm

Hallevadsholm

Archipelago Brunch Cruise

Gothenburg

We were not able to attend because it was raining heavily and very foggy.

Gothenburg Like a Local - Customized Private Tour

Sweden

Kristina was very accommodating. She was knowledgeable and helped us see the highlights of Gothenburg

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Emerson was easy to work with while planning vacation. We had flexibility to do things on our own and meet with friends, yet also have tours and activities. Everything was perfectly planned. Hotels were beautiful and in perfect locations in he cities we visited. Pick up and drop offs were seamless. Tours were fun and informational with local tour guides.

Hotel Reviews

Arctic Light Hotel

Rovaniemi

Great location. Clean hotel with character. Wonderful staff.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Solo Sokos Hotel Torni Tampere

Tampere

Cool hotel, clean, nice staff. Close to train station. Amazing bar on top floor to see sunset.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Lilla Roberts

Helsinki

Wonderful breakfast, great location, clean with great character.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Short walk to many attractions.

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Very clean and comfortable.

Activity Reviews

Northern Lights Tour

Rovaniemi

Great guide. It was like storm chasing to find the northern lights. We were so excited that we found them! Pictures taken and sent to us very quickly are amazing.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

River Cruise on an Eco Rubber Boat

Rovaniemi

Tour guide was so nice and kind. Nice relaxing ride along the river to a sand bar swimming area. Great traditional Finnish snack.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Cultural e-fatbike Tour

Rovaniemi

Great guide. Bikes were easy to ride and a great way to see Rovaniemi. Ride up to Santa Claus Village was smooth and easy to get to with stops along the way to learn about Rovaniemi and Finland.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Luxury Log Sauna and Finnish Dinner Experience

Rovaniemi

Beautiful sauna and dining area. Food was amazing. Best salmon we had in Finland.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Short Arctic Wilderness Hike (Summer/Autumn)

Rovaniemi

Great guide. Beautiful hiking area. Learned a lot about the plants and trees in Finland.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Sauna Tour

Tampere

Guides were so knowledgeable about saunas. Interesting to try the different saunas. The Yurt was our favorite.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Guided Hike in the Archipelago Sea

Helsinki

Great guide. Porkkalanniemi was beautiful area to hike. Traditional food was very good.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Taste of Helsinki & Tour of Suomenlinna

Helsinki

Great guides. Learned a lot about Finland.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Anna Marié was amazing at planning the trip. Everything was smooth and well thought. I loved it. Special mention for Delta Camp team in Okavengo Delta. The whole team was so nice and welcoming making the experience unique and exceptional. Highly recommend this trip.
Thanks a lot!

Day 1: Arrival in Sāo Luis: The arrangements went smoothly until check-in to Hotel Luzeiros. The reservations were not paid and had to be billed to my companion's Visa until proof of payment was provided. This took longer than expected because the Hotel accounts office was closed leading to an e-mail trial and error. Not a great start. The problem was corrected eventually that evening.

Day 2: Group transfer from São Luis to Barrierinhas. The transfer bus was one hour late, leading to some anxious moments about being forgotten etc. The communication was minimal between KimKim and us, so we just had to wait and hope. When the transfer bus (about 20 passengers) finally arrived, the air conditioning broke down, leading to an unscheduled stop at the SL airport where an alternate vehicle could be arranged. About an hour delay, but the van arrived and we enjoyed a nice air conditioned ride to Barrierinhas. Wonderful couple of tour guides were patiently waiting for us to check in so they could take us to Lençoise MNP. It was an unbelievably beautiful experience - the guides knew the back dirt roads, leading to us enjoying the swimming/walking experience to ourselves. Nice guide walked us there and back, offering assistance to we elderly women. Pousada Boa Vista was lovely: clean, with one English speaking staff member who helped us immensely. We had to text KimKim Angela to give us the departure time for the tour the next day. This was an ongoing problem - we should not have always had to text for departure times. This is a standing complaint. Please always give departure times for tours. We should not have to always inquire!

Day 3 Preguicas River Tour

Absolutely disastrous. The company who is responsible for picking up passengers operates the tour boat as a transfer boat for passengers who have luggage and are heading to Atins. The boat operator was disorganized, did not bother to organize luggage to accommodate all passenger who were only there for the tour and did not take luggage.. The boat operator took a great interest in two pretty passengers, totally ignoring the rest of the passengers on the boat. We two (2) were left on the beach on the final stop without explanation from the boat operator except that he would return in an hour for us. Our reserved seats on the boat were occupied by two strangers who were picked up for the run Atins, down river. Absolutely unacceptable and this boat tour company should never be used again. Also pretty sure the boat operator took time to smoke a few reefers in between stops, but of course cannot prove that. Just felt unsafe all around.

Day 4 Barreirinhas to Parnaiba

Pousada Villa Parnaiba was probably the best accommodation that Parnaiba could offer, but the rooms were in need of a great deal of repair. The toilet shower was not operable. No restaurant was within a reasonable walking distance, so at great personal cost, food delivery was made to the hotel. The hamburger worked out to be about 120 Reals. The pool was a little dicey - very shallow with no discernible pool cleaning system observed, so no swimming was done there. The tour that was supposed to pick us up at the hotel was over an hour late. This meant that return from the river tour would be well after dark. Nothing to see when the river is dark, so there was no point in taking the tour. KimKim would not refund the cost of the tour, as they thought the tour was only 1/2 hour late. No point arguing. There was no refund given by KimKim.

Day 5 Parnaiba to Jericoacoara

The driver was wonderful but without English, it was difficult to understand the day's schedule. Long drive in the vehicle but enjoyed all the stops and runs along highway and beach. Very generous stops, and very nice lunch spot where the hammocks dip into the lake. Well organized, expert driver who ran us up sand dunes.

Day 6 Jericoacoara

The planned activity for the day was something that perhaps younger generation enjoy, but a hot dusty and bumpy buggy tour at high speeds around sand dunes was not really what either of us wanted to do. We cancelled immediately when we saw what we would be in for. We did request age appropriate activity and this did not fit the request at all. We were perfectly content to stay in Jeri for the day and sit at the beach. We were transferred the next day to another room because of a leaky toilet, without incident. We would like to give a shout out again to Leandro, our friend at the front desk for being an awesome host.

Day 8 Fortaleza

Transfer from Jeri to Fortaleza took 9 long hours. We were advised it would be a 4 hour transfer. No idea why it took so much longer, but were again treated to expert driving along beach and road. Hotel accommodation in Fortaleza was 5 star awesome. Right across from the beach. Great room and location.

Day 9 Fortaleza City Tour

We did not have the benefit of an English speaking guide, but we did hire a guide who showed us around beautiful Fortaleza; the opera house, and market. Unfortunately we cancelled the planned tour, and paid for a tour ourselves. We kept some local families happy with that double payment. Poor choice on our part, not KimKim's fault.

Day 11 Manaus City Tour

Beautiful hotel. 5 star. Unfortunately the car provided by the guide was not air conditioned and the temperature outside was 40 degrees. We did our best, but had to return to the hotel because of heat exhaustion. We missed touring the Indigenous People Museum, unfortunately.

Day 12-15 Ecopark Jungle Lodge

Grateful that we did not have to travel 3 hours up river, the Ecolodge was only an hour away via vehicle transfer and boat. Accommodation cabins were lovely. 3 meal a day food was always superb. Special presentation at the beach one night with amazing food and 5 star entertainment. It would appear that this was for the benefit of special guests at the lodge who we guessed reviewed and recommended accommodation on the Amazon. We got the benefit of ths special presentation - and enjoyed it thoroughly.

The transfer from Manous to Manous Airport did not show up at 9 a.m. or at all.
We took an Uber to the airport instead.

After the original accommodation was cancelled at Turtle Lodge, which was 3 hours further up river, the plane transfer would have been doable from EcoLodge - Manous - São Paulo. An extra night had to be spent in São Paulo because of timing with original accommodation arrangement. Unfortunate.

All in all, a well organized tour, but again, it was not acceptable that communication had to constantly be made with Angela to advise us about tour starting times every day.

Original Travel provided us with an amazing trip to Morocco! We felt that every aspect of our trip was thoughtfully and professionally organized. The tour guides were knowledgeable. The cities were full of pleasant surprises. The Sahara and Atlas mountains were breathtaking. Our driver, Samir, was great! Thank you for planning such a wonderful vacation for us, Said!

What a trip! The Kimkim group did a wonderful job planning our activities and customizing the trip for our interests. They were very responsive and highly communicative during the planning stage of the trip. We particularly enjoyed the time spent in the fjords on the Norway in a Nutshell section after we left Bergen. They were awesome! After seeing those fjords, I think the fjord boat ride from Bergen could have been skipped and spent the time enjoying Bergen. We loved the lodging in Flam! Perfect for what we look for--quaint and with a beautiful view. We did a guided bike tour in Oslo that we arranged ourselves which I would recommend. Unfortunately, I had Covid in Oslo and spent most of 3 days in bed. Except for the initial problem with payment at the Bergen hotel that took about 1 1/2 hours or so to get straightened out (I believe that was the hotel’s mistake), all the arrangements worked very smoothly.
We’ve already recommended Kimkim to others and would use your services again for another trip in areas that you cover. Thank you

Activity Review

Norway in a Nutshell Tour

Norway

Absolutely loved the fjords! This was the highlight of the trip. All the transportation was planned well, the guides were knowledgeable and we were very lucky to have dry, pleasant weather.

We thoroughly enjoyed our trip and the ability to relax knowing that all details were taken care of and that we would be going to lovely hotels and have interesting and fun plans each day. Our local specialist came up with many ideas for our family and continued to work with us to perfect an itinerary, and the ongoing support was helpful for daily reminders and any necessary changes. Our local guides were outstanding. I travel extensively for work and really wanted my children to be able to have authentic and respectful cultural experiences for their first major international trip, and they did. We were charmed and delighted by the whole trip.

I would like to extend my sincere thanks to your amazing and trustworthy company, especially to the specialist who arranged our wonderful trip to Finland (Emerson). He was very kind, cooperative and patient with us, and made a great effort to arrange the most wonderful trip. We were there in great luxury and comfort, and lived beautiful moments that will not be forgotten. We will definitely organize all our upcoming trips in cooperation with you. 😍♥️

Our trip to South Africa and Botswana was excellent.
Eileen and her team put together a wonderful trip that completely met our needs.
They listened to all of our requests and after several versions, nailed the perfect trip for our family.
While in country, her team (specifically Lucy) continually checked in with us to make sure that everything was going smoothly and we were having a great time.
I never felt like we were traveling alone and always had someone local looking out for us.

KimKim was a great option for planning a complicated, multi-city/country vacation for our family! We got to see the best of Spain and Morocco worry free. We had an easy to use app that helped keep the plans organized. I would highly recommend KimKim!

The TMB has become a top hiker’s destination, therefore, accommodations can be difficult to arrange. When we decided we would finally make the trip, Rashi shared that the accommodations would be difficult considering our shorter “lead time”. Shortly thereafter, she reached out to offer an itinerary from a couple who canceled their trip, but would require date changes. We were delighted with the news!
Rashi and Thomas were able to make some tweaks to this itinerary to customize the trip for us, e.g.; we added a couple days in Geneva on the front end, added a couple on the backend and were able to build in a break day after each 3 days of hiking. We hiked 9 days, around 100 miles overall and wouldn’t change a thing!
Rashi offered suggestions of “things to do and see” for each of our non-hiking days, which was helpful and gave us options.

We were overall pleased with our accommodations which ranged from 4/5 star rated boutique hotels to (a) shared dorm with bunkbeds and shared bathrooms. Most of the mountain huts have both dorms and select private rooms. We were pleasantly surprised to find most of our private rooms also had en suite bathroom facilities. We were expecting to share in these locations. I’m not sure if that was a special request from Rashi and Thomas on our behalf, or if we were just lucky?!

We chose the luggage service which I would HIGHLY recommend for this trek! It was worth every penny to know we didn’t have to carry everything on our backs, nor did we have to “go without” certain items.

This is the 2nd time using Kimkim for International travel with great results! They work with local experts, like Rashi and Thomas from Allibert Trekking, to handle the logistics AND there is peace of mind knowing there’s someone local to contact if in need.

Perfect trip! Hopped around to a couple of the islands and had zero troubles with any of the transfers or resorts. Awesome, thanks!

Hotel Reviews

Matangi Private Island Resort

Matangi Island

So much fun. Daily free snorkels and meals included. The BEST food we have had around Fiji by FAR and we stayed at many nice resorts. Everything was yummy. The ridge hike kicked our A$$ in the best way. (don't do it if you're scared of spiders, they do give you sticks). The shoreline hike was peaceful. The village singers and dancers were awesome and the little dance part after was a blast. Even the people who said they wouldn't participate were dancing and having a great time. How could you not. The massage was amazingggggggg and all the animals were awesome. Give Missy, Mary and Lucky some pats for me! I also loved that the visitors all enjoyed the friendly game of stealing the orange cat off of each others front porches. Such a friendly little sweetie! All the staff were great but we definitely enjoyed our free diving chats with bartender Jon, Dan telling us his story and about his time here in Colorado and our snorkels with the activity shack boys. The private time on the bay is a MUST for those who love snorkeling. Well done.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Jons the man!

Cleanliness & Comfort

Navutu Stars

Yaqeta Island

If my husband ever goes missing, I know to look for him at Navutu stars. Yes, I loved the resort too, but he said of all the places we have traveled around the world, this place just felt different. The people are authentic. Yes, they are in hospitality and you can tell but they were also just genuine and kind. I have worked in hospitality and nothing from them felt forced. Just great people. AND GREAT DOGS! If you love dogs, just stay here your entire vacation. I was about to pack Elsa in my suitcase, Dolly, Rocky and Snow White could come too. If you don't like dogs, they will leave you alone. I can say, of the 10 bures... those dogs had 9 of us fighting over them. Excursions were fun and adventurous. We hold very fond memories of this place, the people and the pups!

Authenticity & Character

What amazing people. I wish I would have went to the village to meet more of them.

Location

wow! Worth the long boat ride.

Staff

Authentic

Cleanliness & Comfort

Note, there is no air conditioning however the breeze is strong and the rooms were comfortable

Matamanoa Island Resort - see other listing

Mamanuca Islands, Nadi

Healthy, breath taking reef! For those new or in love with snorkeling you couldn't pick a better location. Shallow, gorgeous coral surround the island. We loved the massages and walking around the island. Rooms were amazinggggg. Only downside is no dogs on the island. Silly I know but we loved playing with the dogs on the other islands :)

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Fiji Gateway Hotel

Nadi

We stayed in 4.5 star hotels around Fiji and for some reason the Gateway just hits different! We loved our two stops here while breaking up the trip between different islands. The food was great, bed comfy, rooms cold, the chai tea was to die for and the music was awesome. My hubby and I joked we would be back and just stay and hang at the Gateway!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Fiji Gateway Hotel

Nadi

We stayed in 4.5 star hotels around Fiji and for some reason the Gateway just hits different! We loved our two stops here while breaking up the trip between different islands. The food was great, bed comfy, rooms cold, the chai tea was to die for and the music was awesome. My hubby and I joked we would be back and just stay and hang at the Gateway!

Authenticity & Character

Location

walking to airport

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Welcome to Taveuni

Taveuni

Wow that was a small plane (but safe and fun!). The views were awesome!!!!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Navutu Stars Charged Activities

Yasawa

ADVENTURE! So fun! Loved the cave but long, wet, boat rides. Snorkeling tends to not be from a beach but a boat so check with them about that if you are scared of deep water. Beautiful reef!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Navutu Stars Complimentary Activities

Yasawa

Honestly everything was perfect and the dogs were great adventure buddies if you wanted them there. Hiking, kayak or laying on the beach. They would hang if you asked them to :)

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Our thanks to Clothilde for working with us to build a memorable trip. She was responsive and timely in helping us lock in an itinerary on relatively short notice. Our thanks also to Joel for stepping in to assist Clothilde while she was unavailable.

We were pleased with our main activities:
Funky Chocolate Shop - fun family activity, I don't remember our host's name but she was very good
E-Bike Tour - good outdoor activity, the Trummellbach Falls were the highlight. Pedro was an engaging guide and he helped us with medical attention when one of our sons took an unfortunate fall.
Trip to Jungfrauloch - maybe the highlight of the week, a unique and unforgettable experience
Riffelsee and Riffelberg Tour - Guide Herbie had the good idea to visit the mirroring lake to the Matterhorn first, before the crowds got there
Likewise, we were generally pleased with the accommodations.

A couple of items didn't meet our expectations:
After agreeing to our itinerary and paying the amount in full, we were notified that the E-Bike Tour we signed up for was not available. After some discussion, we were left with no choice but to pay an extra charge to secure the Tour we had already paid for. That still doesn't seem right to me.
For the private transfer from Zermatt to Zurich, we had instructions to meet our driver at our hotel. When he didn't appear, we had to contact him to find out that he was waiting for us in Tasch, as cars are not normally permitted in Zurich. We then had to get ourselves to the Zermatt train station and find a train to Tasch. This should have been avoided and in fact, I sent an inquiry that night prior asking for clarification on that issue.

But overall, a very enjoyable trip.

Hotel Reviews

Hotel Glärnischhof by Trinity

Zurich

Hotel Alpenhof

Zermatt

Heart of Interlaken Apartments

INTERLAKEN

Activity Reviews

Riffelsee and Riffelberg tour!

Zermatt

Time at leisure in Interlaken!

Switzerland

E-Bike Adventure: Exploring Lauterbrunnen and the Enchanting Valley of 72 Waterfalls

Switzerland

Chocolate workshop in Interlaken!

Switzerland

We spent a magical week of wild life safari in Kenya thanks to the extraordinary services provided by Joseph and his team at Nariku Travel Experiences. Andy, was our personal guide and jeep driver who ensured that we had no difficulties in checking in to the various lodges and kept us informed and entertained during the several game drives we went through. Andy went above and beyond to ensure that we got to see the Big 5 animals and much more!

Joseph addressed all of our questions and concerns before and during our trip very quickly to give us peace of mind. There were no surprises either in the itinerary or costs - everything was well designed and transparent.

We very highly recommend Nariku Travel and will most certainly be using their services in the future…

Hotel Reviews

Pride Inn Mara Camp

Accommodation is excellent, and we loved the outdoor shower experience. Lots of modern amenities provided. Indian food here was the best we had on our trip, really fantastic. We celebrated my son’s birthday here, and they baked a cake for us, and had the Masai tribesmen wish him.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Bathroom shower and sink is very luxurious

Lake Nakuru Lodge

Nakuru

Location and rooms are good. Food was below average, and not many vegetarian options. They let the bonfire die by 8pm, and didn’t kindle the fire even when requested

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Lake Naivasha Simba lodge

Naivasha

Good accommodations, and wonderful food! Hotel grounds are v exquisite. Hippos are shy didn’t come out of water

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Fair Acres Boutique Hotel

Karen, Nairobi. P. O Box 1121 – 00208 Nairobi.

Rooms are good and clean. Room service is non responsive. Breakfast menu is very limited, Restaurant service is very slow.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Kibo Safari Camp

Amboseli

Lodging is good , food is excellent and people are the best! My spouse fell sick while we stayed here, and the Asst Manager Mr. Joseph helped us so much, I will always be grateful to him.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Very friendly and helpful

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Maasai Mara Game Drives

Masai Mara

Maasai Mara National Reserve

Masai Mara

Lake Nakuru National Park Game Drive

Nakuru

Lake Naivasha Hells Gate National Park

Kenya

Our guides Kevin and Dennis made Hells Gate very memorable for us! Their energy and enthusiasm kept the trip very interesting and fun.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Lake Naivasha Boat Tour

Kenya

Amboseli National Park

Amboseli National Park

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

I do not typically review experiences to be posted online. However, I received an email asking me to review our experience with kimkim and our specialist in particular. I was just trying to figure out how to do that on my own and I am happy to oblige.

Our trip to Norway was a twice thwarted attempt to bring our family to Norway to see where our family had immigrated from years ago. With four busy kids, a busy family schedule and careers to manage, it didn’t look promising and I reached out to a number of companies, a few of which said that I should have started months before. That was decent advice, but not helpful.

I ran across kimkim randomly online and was curious about the ability to curate our own interests into an agenda with a date range focusing on Norway. Admittedly, not everyone would want the same experiences if given the option to give their opinion, but the tool which gave me an option to select certain things as options including experiences -like a survey-was very clever and helpful. Once that was done, Kadri was assigned as our local expert. I don’t know how much time Kadri spent with us, but she was extremely patient behind the scenes as we had to maneuver a few schedule changes when our airline would not allow us to use stored miles to apply towards the trip (even though previously they indicated we could). Kadri faithfully put together a number of options for an itinerary that fit our desired agenda and had some great additional options as part of our schedule was fluid. When one part of our trip could not come together, she gave some very specific insight about an alternative that ended up being one of the highlights of our trip (spending time in Balestrand and staying at the Kviknes Hotel). In addition, she gave us practical advice which was very helpful.

I did find a friendly competitor of kimkim online and out of curiosity I submitted a similar criteria and was told that we would need months more to plan. That was all I needed to know as Kadri was at work behind the scenes.

The professionalism of the agenda, the links, the access to tickets and the detail was elegant and user friendly. Being able to share it with the family was great. Also, I had priced this trip several times and I found the overall package price of the trip to be very competitive to some long-established travel companies that I had tried to put this trip together with in the past.

We had an amazing trip and I referenced the kimkim itinerary and website several times a day. We are very grateful for Kadri as she was simply excellent not only in her work product, but patience, understanding and additional insights that I did not expect. I highly recommend her and the kimkim team for travel and I hope to use them again.

KimKim saved us many hours in planning last minute trip to Scotland during the height of the season.

Hotel Reviews

AC Hotel by Marriott Inverness

Inverness

Authenticity & Character

The architecture of the building does not match and fit in with the charm of Inverness.

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Newton Lodge

Sutherland

Authenticity & Character

The hotel architecture does not match the surrounding charm of Inverness.

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Northern Sands Hotel

Thurso

Authenticity & Character

The outside curb appeal does not match the pleasant interior of the common areas or the room.

Location

Staff

River Ness Hotel, a member of Radisson Individuals

Inverness

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Cruachan Hotel

Fort William

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Breakfast was not good. Only instant coffee, no fresh fruit, I think there was not even yogurt.

No17 The Promenade Hotel

Oban

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel du Vin & Bistro Glasgow

Glasgow

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Cruise across the Loch Ness including a Visit to Urquhart Castle

Scotland

Private day with a driver/guide from Inverness

Scotland

Ian is a top notch, very informative guide and excellent driver who tailored our experience to our personal needs and interests. Anyone who gets him as a guide, is very lucky.

Private guided tour with driver/guide in Skye from Fort William

Scotland

Evening cruise on Loch Linnhe

Fort William

Cruise of Mull, Iona and Staffa Islands

Scotland

It was cancelled by the operator due to weather but the ferries continued to run and we wish that we had been better informed of the option to take a ferry to one of the islands on our own. This was a big disappointment.

Hop On Hop Off Bus Tour

Glasgow

Linda set up a wonderful trip for my family. We made changes- sorry- but she rolled with the changes and made it so easy. Thank you. The guides were great, accommodations were wonderful. LeeeAnn

Eirini was so knowledgeable and responsive with ideas to create the most perfect trip for our family of 5. The experience in pairing our travel needs with Eirini’s extensive network to create a custom vacation was a great match. She understood our goals, actively level, and budget, and inserted her knowledge of climate, crowds, and seamless logistics. It was a best in class, interactive experience for us, and would highly recommend Eirini and KimKim. Thank you for sharing the best of your country and people with us!