Kimkim Trip Reviews

Jesse was great to work with. We had a great time and wverything went smoothly.

Michelle did a fantastic job organizing our trip!
We had a family of 8 at the start in Auckland. All of our transportation, accommodations, and tours were arranged for us.
As we traveled south some of the family had to go back home, but the fun kept on coming!
In Rotorua we went to the Maori cultural center, Hobbiton, kayaking, and a visit to hot springs and spa.
Napier was another fantastic place as well as Windy Wellington.
The arrangements were made for one of the couples to leave from Wellington while the rest of us crossed to the southern island and then by train to Christchurch.
Michelle made all these arrangements for an easy transfer to our destinations.
Our accommodations were beautiful and in easy walking distance into the city center.
We did food walking tours and the International Antarctic center in Christchurch.
From there we went down to 4 of us.
This is where Michelle had arranged for us to rent and drive a car south to Lake Tekapo. We went on a small plane over the southern Alps and Mt. Cook. We stayed at an absolutely beautiful home overlooking the lake.
We then drove to Queenstown and stayed a couple of blocks from the city center.
We went to a sheep farm on the lake and learned a lot about the farm and its residents (sheep).
From Queenstown 2 of us took a shuttle, boat,shuttle, and finally another boat to Doubtful sound. Absolutely stunning!
We stayed overnight on the boat and were treated to delicious food and great accommodations.
It was a full days travel back to Queenstown but we have some great memories. Our captain Sean and Chef Juanita did a great job of filling our bellies.
We left Queenstown the next day and stayed one more night in Auckland. Michelle arranged our transportation to and from our airport needs. The hotel was so perfect for ending our New Zealand adventure.
Thank you for a great trip!
Laura Hirth

Hotel Reviews

M Social

Auckland

Perfect location.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Doubtful Sound Overnight Cruise - Southern Secret

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Captain Sean and Chef Juanita did a great job!

Cleanliness & Comfort

Lake Tekapo Holiday Homes - various properties

Lake Tekapo

This was a home overlooking the lake.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Orari & Orari Apartments

Christchurch

Beautiful and amazing.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Adina CityLife Wellington

Wellington

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Very dated

Activity Reviews

Manapouri to Queenstown

New Zealand

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Doubtful Sound Overnight Cruise - small group onboard Southern Secret (Fiordland Cruises) Self-drive to Manapouri

New Zealand

Great trip!

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Historic Steamship Cruise to Walter Peak Farm + Lunch BBQ

Queenstown (NZ)

Quality of Experience

Food

The service and food were very good.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Jet Boat the Shotover River

Queenstown (NZ)

That was so much fun!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Scenic Flight over Mt Cook and glaciers by plane from Tekapo - The Grand Traverse (Tekapo Air Safaris)

New Zealand

This was such a highlight!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Our pilot Justin was very informed and a great pilot.

Transport

Progressive Māori Dinner Tour (kai safari)

Christchurch

Delicious international food.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Ashley was a great tour guide.

Cycle the Hawkes Bay wineries (self guided bike ride, includes transport)

New Zealand

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Redwoods treewalk by day including glow-worm cave

Rotorua

This blew me away! Beautiful and well maintained.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Te Pā Tū - Maori Cultural Experience

Rotorua

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Steaming cliffs Waimangu Valley Nature Walk & Kayaking - private group

Rotorua

So much fun!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Polynesian Spa

Rotorua

Quality of Experience

Hobbiton Movie Set Tour

New Zealand

So much fun!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Aucky Walky Food Tour - private

Auckland

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

We walked.

Additional private taxi transfer from airport to hotel or vice versa for second group on same day (Corporate Cabs)

New Zealand

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Shiva in Auckland was great. Highly recommend! Nigel in Queenstown went out of his way to get us to where we needed to go.

Transport

Joao did a great job responding to our feedback and creating a trip that met all of our hopes and expectations. The four guides that we worked with provided high quality tours and their depth of knowledge was remarkable. Pedro with Our Island assessed what our interests were and then provided us a tour of Faial focusing on the plants, helping us understand how the ecosystem was built with endemic plants, plants brought in by the ocean and then those brought by people. His passion for his island and culture stood out. John from Sao Jorge Island Tours was our guide on Sao Jorge and again, his knowledge and passion for his island made us fall in love with all we saw. Matthew with Tripix guided us around Pico Island and his understanding of the history and development of the wine culture helped us appreciate this rugged island. Our final tour was Andres with Green Generation on Terceira and his desire to get people out into the countryside and hiking shone through and he provided us an excellent experience. All of these tours were impressive with the guides being experienced professionals with so much knowledge.
Joao provided us with road books to guide our explorations on Sao Miguel and these were excellent with clear descriptions of areas to explore and good directions to get us there. The rental company that they linked us with provided good service and a solid car for our explorations. The studios and hotels that Joao reserved for us were comfortable and convenient.
The Azores were spectacular - the dramatic landscapes, wonderful food, and kind people made this an exceptional vacation.

Hotel Reviews

Hotel Do Colégio

Ponta Delgada

This hotel was well located, provided a delicious breakfast with brewed tea, the staff were lovely, and the rooms were comfortable though a bit noisy. And the rooms had bathtubs!!

Authenticity & Character

The public spaces were well laid out and attractive. The rooms themselves were ordinary seeming hotel rooms.

Location

Great location, short walk to the waterfront and the restaurants.

Staff

Nice, responsive staff, very pleasant and accommodating.

Cleanliness & Comfort

The room and all of the public space was very clean, the beds were comfortable, and the bathtubs such a treat. The only drawback was that it was a bit noisy.

Azores Book Hotel

Angra do Heroísmo

Beautiful, comfortable, a delicious breakfast, and overall excellent.

Authenticity & Character

The book theme was well done and carried out throughout the hotel. The public areas were nicely set up and very comfortable. The room itself was ordinary but quiet and comfortable.

Location

The hotel was quiet as it was a bit outside of the main town which did mean we had a bit of a walk to explore Angra.

Staff

always polite and pleasant. Happy to answer any questions and were very accomodating.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Very clean, the beds were comfortable, and it was quiet!

Pico Studios

Madalena

Comfortable and an excellent location but the theme of the room was off-putting and the kitchen was not as well equipped as I would have liked. Loved that they provided a laundry facility with laundry soap.

Authenticity & Character

The theme of our room was grey and too modern and plastic for my taste. This was a studio.

Location

Walking distance to restaurants and the ferry.

Staff

We interacted with the staff person when we arrived and she was helpful.

Cleanliness & Comfort

The studio was very clean and the bed was comfortable. We ran out of hot water one night as we didn't realize it was such a small tank.

As Casas da Riberia Grande

Ribeira Grande

Wonderful location - this was a studio and the kitchen was fully outfitted. The bed was comfortable and the parking made it easy to have a car in Riberia Grande. They provided a wash basin and clothesline!

Authenticity & Character

This was a modern studio but nicely decorated and very comfortable

Location

Our room overlooked a small church and the river

Staff

We didn't have staff on site but the individual who oriented us came from the hotel and was very thorough. They were also responsive to all of our questions.

Cleanliness & Comfort

No complaints what so ever

Activity Reviews

Half-Day Hiking Activity in Terceira

Portugal

Andre picked a fabulous hike for us that we were all able to complete despite one of us having a knee injury. He was solicitous and helpful throughout. We appreciated his knowledge and we ended up having him provide us with a full day experience as there was still so much to see!

Quality of Experience

Andre was great!

Guides, Drivers and Staff

knowledgeable, engaging, and professional

Transport

comfortable car - pick up and drop off went smoothly.

Between the Lava and the Sea - A Half-Day Guided Wine Experience on Pico

Pico Island

We had been with Matthew two days previously so it was great that the company sent us the same guide so we did not repeat any of the previous sites/information. The wine tasting was excellent and was a great finish to learning about grape culture on Pico.

Quality of Experience

Matthew truly admired the persistence and courage of the early Pico settlers and what it took to establish vineyards.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Matthew spoke up for this tour and it made a big difference for our understanding him. He clearly loves being a guide and is very professional.

Transport

The Transport was a comfortable van

São Jorge Flexible Explorer - Full-Day Guided Tour

Portugal

John was a pleasure to spend the day with. We saw many beautiful views, learned about the volcanic formation of the island, how the culture particular to Sao Jorge developed, and the unique coffee culture of the island.

Quality of Experience

John was such an excellent guide and there was so much rugged beauty on Sao Jorge

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Yet another guide who loved his work!

Transport

Pick up and drop off at the ferry went smoothly, car was comfortable.

Faial from Coast to Crater: A Full-Day Guided Discovery

Portugal

Pedro was a remarkable guide who catered our day together based on our interests. Our understanding of the ecosystem of Faial and especially of the plants that found their way to being established in the Azores was increased. His passion for his island and it's history stood out in many positive ways.

Quality of Experience

Pedro!

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Pedro was knowledgeable and engaging throughout. He clearly loves being a guide!

Transport

pick up and drop off at the ferry went smoothly

In the Shadow of the Giant: A Half-Day Guided Tour of Pico

the Azores

It was a cold, windy day and we were picked up from the airport to begin the tour. Matthew was excellent and did what he could to accommodate us given the weather. He provided a good overview of the history and ecology of the island.

Quality of Experience

Matthew's voice was a little quiet and so it was difficult to hear him at times. The second time we toured with him we asked him to speak up and he was much easier to understand.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Matthew was knowledgeable and accommodating.

Transport

The van was comfortable.

My son chose the itinerary and Kimkim. You did not disappoint! The Acropolis tour was very well done, before the major crowds arrived. Tour guide explained our way through the Acropolis Museum, which helped us put things in perspective. All of our hotels were centrally located and that made them a HUGE advantage to our touring; especially in Athens and on Chania. Our Meterora guide did an outstanding job with fun touring facts, photographic prowess, and he clued into my interest in local flora by showing me several orchids! Drivers and guides often went above expectations with advice and answers to questions. Hotels were above standard in accoutrements.

Hotel Review

Electra Palace Athens

Athens

Such a great central location for tourists! The Acropolis was less than a mile away. Room was small but felt like a luxury; in room espresso, replenished daily, with water and turn down chocolates. The front desk immediately had an extension cord available for his c-pap plug ins. The hotel restaurant was excellent; breakfast extensive and quick, the bar on top had an exceptional view, and we enjoyed our best meal in their downstairs restaurant.

Authenticity & Character

Central location for desk staff to give recommends, great view of Acropolis

Location

Near to Acropolis, shopping and restaurants

Staff

Great restaurant recommend, helpful with extension cord for plug ins.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Whole room was exemplary; turn down service included Valhrona chocolate!

Activity Reviews

Private Falassarna & Balos Beaches Day

Chania

Lack of details given to us before "boat" ride made for a bad start. Driver was knowledgeable about area, but the driver of the boat had rudimentary English. Although I had a nice hike on the island if I had known about the jarring boat ride I would have passed on this whole day.

Quality of Experience

Explanation of boat ride; I would not have gone if I knew.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Boat driver had rudimentary English, but van driver had grown up on Chania and knew history

Transport

Not even talk about life jackets

Private Acropolis & Acropolis Museum Experience

Athens

Our knowledgeable guide took us past the LONG ticket line! At many stops along the way she explained what and why we were looking at this or that; so helpful as we passed by Greek ruins. She was ahead of our questions; why is the marble a different color, where did it come from, the Caryatids were Painted? Etc. She told us about care of neighborhood cats, the owl on the Euro. She carried a notebook of pictures to help us understand what it would have looked like. At the Acropolis Museum she explained our way through the displays, the chronology, the work of restoration, the amount of Greek artifacts in other countries. My son enjoyed her talks about the political aspects of the Parthenon.

Quality of Experience

I was nervous about late start but she made up for it!

Transport

Walking, had stops along the way for talking.

Kim Kim overall made it easy for us to plan our trip to Morocco. We provided our interests and they made a specialized trip for us. Said was helpful in keeping us informed. Our driver Mustapha was great throughout the trip and was so helpful. Our guides were so knowledgeable. We really enjoyed our trip. I would definitely use Kim Kim again for our future travels.

All of our guides were tremendous and Leny and her staff checked in with us frequently to make sure all was going okay. Even when we had a train snafu (missing our stop) she was helpful in getting us "back on track." The hotels were all clean and met our needs. I will definitely use KimKim again!

Activity Reviews

Cycling tour in the Kyoto Countryside

Kyoto

Due to poor weather, we ended up not cycling. Instead, we were treated to the company of a tremendous guide who was so proud to show off her community. It was not a sightseeing trip, it was an experience!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Day Trip from Tokyo to Mount Fuji with an English-Speaking Driver

Tokyo

Our guide knew to take us to a smaller, intimate space as he could sense our love of the outdoors and nature. Maki-san was fantastic! He also had us buy our tickets for the cable car lift, then we had an hour to explore more rather than standing around. We enjoyed his company!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Private Half-Day Walking Tour: EasternTokyo Your Way (by Public Transportation)

Tokyo

A great way to start our trip and acquaint us with Tokyo and the subway too!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Artiza from Shanti travel was amazing!! She came up with a one of kind itinerary and beautiful places to stay in Bali!
Putu was our driver in Bali. He made the trip! We really had a fabulous time that we will remember forever ❤️❤️

Hotel Reviews

The Sun of Granary Resort and Villas

Ubud,Bali

Beautiful grounds, friendly staff and nice rooms. The breakfast was good but the dinners were not that great... We tried traditional and Western meals and both be very disappointing. I love me some Pringles, but they served them to us on a plate as an appetizer for dinner!?!

De Moksha Eco Friendly Boutique Resort

Tabanan

The staff, food and grounds were beautiful!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Alindra Villas & Spa

Jimbaran

This place was amazing!! I wish we had more time there. The rooms and grounds were beautiful.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Pura Luhur Uluwatu and Ketcak Show

Indonesia

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Silver class in Ubud

Ubud, Bali

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Experience Balinese Cooking Class- Shared

Ubud, Bali

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Experience VW Safari Car Tour - Besakih

Ubud, Bali

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Experience Taman Beji Griya - Purification Ritual

Indonesia

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Travel Tanah Lot to Ubud via Tanah Lot Temple

Indonesia

Took my trip to Thailand back in February 2026. Kimkim takes and holds your hand every step of the way. The guides, the personalized excursion, and the quality of service was simply flawless. The team at Kimkim, Bella and Tina, were there for whenever I needed them. You're in great hands with them. The guides felt genuinely happy to be there, and often went the extra mile to make our trip as smooth as possible. Thank you, Mr. Betty, for a spectacular tour of Bangkok!

This was a trip of a lifetime. I connected with Mohammed and Armia through KimKim travel and they proposed a package that included everything we wanted to see and took us to Jordan to see Petra. It was under our budget and everything was included accept international airfare. Mohammed was easy to work with and communicated excellently. We flew to Cairo and Kariem met us. He was very helpful and just a great employee. We came to love him like a son. He took us to our hotel and met us many times on our trip. He even spent the day with us at the big bazaar in Cairo. Karom was our main guide in Cairo and was very knowledgeable. He took us to GEM, the pyramids and to some mosques and churches. Very easy to get along with and He met me everyday with Voke Zero to fill my needs. We had a driver in Cairo named Mohammed and we felt as safe as we could with the crazy Cairo drivers. Mohammed got us everywhere safely and was easy to get along with. We spent a few days in Cairo and then flew to Luxor to meet our cruise. Kareem took us to the airport and was on time with great communication. We were met in Luxor by Ahmed who was out guide on the cruise and on shore tours. He was fantastic and another highlight of our trip. He was super friendly and knowledgeable about everything. He took us to Karnak, Luxor Temple and Abu Simbel. It was a fantastic time and exceeded expectations. Ahmed took us to a local market and we stopped at a local Cafe and experienced Shisha. It was a greatcway to get to know him and meet some local people. We enjoyed every minute with him and the cruise was perfectly timed in our trip. After the cruise ended we flew back to Cairo. Kariem met us and drove us to our hotel. We met up with Karom and finished our Cairo portion of our trip. He suggested we add on the Civilization museum and that was fantastic. 62 mummies laid out gracefully. It was a highlight! Mohammed drove us around again and was exceptional. Kariem picked us up to fly to Jordan. We were met there by the airport assistant Hossam who handled our visas and got us through customs. We were picked up by our driver Tayseer and Freddie our guide and seeing some of the sights in Amman. We were off in the afternoon to Petra with Freddie and Tayseer. It was a long drive but we got to the hotel and got some sleep. I loved riding in Tayseers BVD hybrid car! We were off to Petra in the morning. It was amazing. Beautiful site and great experience. Freddie was fun to visit with and very knowledgeable. Afterwards we drive to Wadi Rum and went clamping in a tent. It was a beautiful ending yo a great trip. We flew from Amman to Cairo and surprisingly Kariem picked us up at 930. He took us to a hotel where we didn't have time to sleep but could shower and relax for an hour. We then caught the shuttle at 1am and started the long flight home. ✈️. It was a well planned trip with people that were kind and caring. We felt safe and secure and well cared for. I can't thank everybody enough! I hope i didn't leave anybody out!

Our trip to Greece was absolutely wonderful, and we owe so much of that to Siena and her Team at kimkim. From the very beginning, Siena made the planning process easy, stress-free, and enjoyable. She took the time to understand exactly what our family wanted and created an itinerary that was the perfect mix of history, culture, relaxation, and fun.

We also want to mention how incredibly helpful Lea was during the planning process. She was thoughtful, knowledgeable, and made sure every detail came together smoothly. Throughout our trip, the entire kimkim team was exceptionally responsive whenever we had questions, which gave us so much peace of mind while traveling.

Every detail was thoughtfully arranged—from hotels and transfers to tours and recommendations—and everything went seamlessly. Thanks to Siena’s expertise and the support of the whole team, we were able to experience the beauty of Greece with confidence and ease.

Nafplio, Athens, and Crete were all incredible, and the itinerary flowed perfectly for our family. We are so grateful for Siena, Lea, and the entire kimkim team for their care, professionalism, and attention to detail. They helped create memories that we will cherish forever.

We highly recommend Siena and kimkim to anyone planning a trip to Greece!

Thanks so much for planning a great trip for us!  Here is some feedback:
- The Bogota city tour was great but very long. There was some wasted time sitting around and then we had less time to enjoy the city markets and square. It would have been nice to know the duration and start time of each tour ahead of time
- Deena was great, we really enjoyed playing Tejo and I would recommend including this as part of your tour

- Medellin: Liliana was a great guide with a lot of information and insight, we really enjoyed spending the day with her!  She was very kind and understanding with our kids.  Unfortunately our tour was supposed to include Plaza Botero but we did not go there.  In addition, we didn't like how she changed the departure time to Rio Claro Nature reserve unnecessarily, as we had to wake up much earlier and then spent 2 hours waiting around for lunch and rafting.

- The Hotel Marquee Medellin was luxurious but it would have been nice to have known more about its location in the "pink district" and close proximity to nightlife.  The music was incredibly loud until 4am.  Although this was mentioned to us in previous messages, it was not clear how disturbing this would be.  I would not recommend this hotel to visitors unless they are interested in the nightlife and especially not if they are traveling with kids or have early morning tours booked.

- The walking tour and street food tour in Cartagena was very disappointing and poorly done. It only lasted about 1.5 hrs and included only tasting fruit.  We did not get to enjoy any other local cuisine and did not even go to the Getsemani district. It did not match the description given to us at all and we were very disappointed, as this was our only day to see the city.

- we really appreciate that you were in communication with us the entire trip. The transportation vehicles and drivers were amazing.

Hotel Reviews

Sofitel Baru Calablanca

Cartagena

Beautiful, a lot of amenities, very clean. Wish there were more umbrellas available. Did not like how water activities were only available from 11am-1pm and only 1 per person.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

W Bogota

Bogotá

Clean, modern, great location!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Marquee Medellín

Medellín, Antioquia

Great hotel but not a great location. Be aware of the very loud noise on weekends as music is played until 4am.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Nature Experience: Río Claro Nature Reserve

Colombia

Ziplining was pretty short experience. Would recommend to try to time it closer to lunch so there isn't much waiting around. Rafting experience was really nice but little long. Not worth the 3 hour drive

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Good vehicle

Walking Tour & Street Food

Cartagena

Did not match description given to us, very short and missed several aspects

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Driver was great, guide was OK and didn't really seem excited or interested

Transport

Where do I begin? I can't put into words the magical experience Sarah, Angela, and the rest of the team put together for our 20th wedding anniversary in the Philippines. I'm so happy that Sarah and I were able to lock down the perfect itinerary for me and my family. Her ideas were amazing, but she also took into consideration the things that were important to me in planning our trip. For example, I wanted to visit my dad's grave and also show my family where I grew up. Sarah incorporated my requests seamlessly into our itinerary. This proved to me that Sarah is genuinely looking out for our best interests. After several changes to our itinerary, the fifth one was the charm. We were all set for our trip to Manila, Angeles City, El Nido, Cebu, Bohol, and back to Manila to shop for some pasalubongs before returning home to California. Our point of contact in Manila was Angela, Sarah's right-hand woman in the Philippines. Angela was amazing. Any questions I had regarding the local operators, such as drivers, tour guides, or even the boat crew, Angela would respond without hesitation.

I often referred to them as "The Team" because it was definitely a team effort in making our Vacation/Anniversary magical. From Arrival to Departure everything was on point. I can't even fathom how much planning our trip took. To me, it was a monumental task that the Team made look easy. The most touching moment for us was our unforgettable 20th Anniversary Lunch on our own private beach with a personal note from Sarah and Angela wishing us a happy 20th anniversary. Thank you again, Sarah and Angela. My kids loved the Tarsiers and the whale sharks. Me personally, I just enjoyed the crystal clear beaches with the Limestone cliffs in the background doing absolutely nothing in El Nido.

Everyone we interacted with will always remain in our hearts. The kindness and warmth everyone showed us made it feel like a home away from. I owe a debt of gratitude to everyone involved, Sarah, Angela, our drivers, our boat crew, our tour guides, and all the people involved that help make our dream vacation come true. I will definitely be booking our next trip with Sarah and her A-TEAM!!!

Thank you so much,

Ribac Family of California, USA.

Hotel Reviews

Maayo Hotel Cebu

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

El Nido Coco Resort

El Nido

Our Apartment style suite with our own private pool was mind blowing. Few steps to the beach.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Belmont Hotel Manila

Pasay City

Staff was awesome. Newport City is conveniently located by the airport and we felt safe walking around the surrounding area

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Oslob Whale Shark Watching Experience

Philippines

Quality of Experience

⁶

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Bohol Country Side Tour

Philippines

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Private: El Nido Island Hopping Tour B: Caves & Islands

El Nido

Quality of Experience

⁶

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Private: El Nido Island Hopping Tour A: Lagoons and Beaches

El Nido

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Explore Manila and Surrounds with Private Driver

Manila

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Our trip to see the Tulips and Windmills was very nice. The itinerary was well planned for our group of three and only had one activity that didn’t go as expected (Zaanse Schanse - too little time allotted as we arrived only 1 hour before closing).

The hotels were all very good and centrally located - would stay in any of them again, the OV chip card was super convenient for getting around, and the suggestions for things to do and places to eat were helpful.

Our walking tour guides, Jan and Ava, were informative and engaging. We loved the open air canal cruise in Amsterdam. Our driver, Fred, did a wonderful job of providing all transport between airport and cities, as well as a great day in North Holland and on our Flower auction and Keukenhof day.

Overall, appreciated all of the planning, research, and assistance from Lisa at Beat the Dutch travel - she was very responsive and made our trip memorable!

We had three guides each amazing in their knowledge of place their storytelling and their willingness to help make sure we were more than satisfied with our tours.

Hotel Reviews

The Marmara Pera

Istanbul

Comfortable

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Fresco Cave Suites & Mansions - Special Class

Urgup

Great comfortable room. Helpful and kind staff. Delicious breakfast foods. Amazing spa massage. Wonderfully delicious dinner. We could not have been happier with our stay in the Fresco.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Full Day Tour of Ephesus and Region

Turkey

Senem was our guide and we could not have been happier with her. Ephesus had been a must on our tour and we were not disappointed. Senem had a knowledge of the place and its time that helped us to image how people must have lived there. We throughly enjoyed our day.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Great driver

Transport

Explore the Istiklal Street & Galata

İstanbul

Enjoyed the walk around town and the tower views.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Visit to Derinkuyu Underground City & Explore area

Cappadocia

Another great day filled with new knowledge gear exploration

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Explore The Landmarks of Cappadocia

Cappadocia

Gokhan was amazing guide He had a way of explaining things that made them easy to visualize. We throughly enjoyed our day.

Quality of Experience

I’m

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Daily Tour to Iznik & Nicaea

Turkey

Wonderful day. Great information.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Byzantine Heritage Tour

İstanbul

Naci our guide was kind enough to keep pace slow enough to accommodate my very slow pace. He was very informative and knowledgeable. Our first day out was magical.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Enjoy a Hot Air Balloon Ride in Cappadocia

Cappadocia

Above and beyond our expectations. Such a beautiful experience.

Quality of Experience

Pickup on time and comfortable

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Overall the trip was amazing. I only gave George a couple of weeks to get a 2 week trip planned for me and he did amazing. I really enjoyed speaking with him regarding my trip because it gave me a chance to let him know what I wanted and for him to offer suggestions of things I didn’t know about. I would recommend working with George for all your planning needs.

My guide for the first 8or so days was fantastic. Tini made my trip so memorable. It was like I was traveling with one of my best friends. Ultimately, all she wanted was for me to enjoy myself and not worry about a thing. She made sure to explain about everything. Her knowledge was never ending and more importantly her passion for her culture really shown through. What I appreciate most is the little things. She would bring me traditional cakes and treats in the morning to try from her family or even sharing a blessing ritual moment together. When I was hospitalized due to some unforeseen illness she stuck by me the entire time until she knew I was comfortable and well taken care of. She even went out and bought me food to hold me over while there and went to my hotel to get me anything I needed. They truly don’t make people like her anymore. Amazing human being and even better guide. If you can request her.

Ardy was my driver the entire time I was with my guide and he was the best. Always ready and there for Tini and I with whatever we requested. He went above and beyond to make sure we were good and also offered some great recommendations for restaurants to try as well. Any place I wanted to stop at like a grocery store, etc he was accommodating.
As far as hotels, they were all great just unfortunately far from most areas providing restaurants and shopping but a quick ride on the back of a scooter is no big deal when downloading the app.

Activities were immaculate. If you can do a ritual purification ceremony with Pak Nyoman, do it. You truly feel a weight lifted off your shoulders. He has a gift and it was a very private event that I cannot begin to put into words.
Whitewater rafting and atv tours were awesome as well. My guide, Candy, for whitewater rafting was fun and knowledgeable. He pointed things out during our rafting and took pictures for me. Such a sweet soul and made the adventure so much more fun.
Because of George I was able to fit so much in such a short time but never felt overwhelmed or exhausted. He planned every detail and made this adventure that much more enjoyable. I didn’t have to worry about a single thing except what time to wake up. Even when he found out I was in the hospital he checked on me.

My local Indonesia contact was also a great source for recommendations for my free time. Additionally, she made sure I was well taken care of.

I cannot speak highly enough about the service KimKim offers. While I noticed price transparency was a top complaint I did have that worry myself. After getting at least a breakdown from George (you cannot get pricing for everything due to contractual agreements with luxury services like this- yes this is common in the industry) and experiencing everything in person the price is well worth it. My estimated costs were not much more than what I ended up paying but when you consider everything that goes on behind the scene like placing the guide & driver in a hotel as well or paying for all parking and entrance fees it all makes sense. Don’t let the lack of transparency dissuade you from using this service. George stayed within my max budget I had set.

I will definitely use again.

Activity Reviews

Bali Jungle ATV Adventure: Waterfalls, Rivers & Underground Tunnels

Ubud, Bali

Fun day riding the trails

Quality of Experience

They go over all everything before beginning and give you a test run in muddy waters. So much fun. Don’t forget to bring your phone.

Food

Little cafe with a view at your 1/2 way stopping point. You do not need to bring money they will have a bill for you at the end. They had sandwiches, gelato and drinks for purchase

Guides, Drivers and Staff

There to help when you need it.

Transport

White-Water Rafting Adventure on the Ayung River:

Ubud, Bali

Candy, my guide, was amazing. I was worried because it was just him and I but he made this trip so memorable. Definitely a lot of work because there were just 2 of us but he made it so much easier,m. When we would float he would take time to explain things like the meaning of the work Ayung. He even took pictures and videos of me. Loved every minute of this adventures

Quality of Experience

Food

Restaurant had good food and great views

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Candy is the best

Transport

A Spiritual Morning: Melukat Water Blessing

Munduk, Bali

Pak Nayoman truly had a gift. I felt such a weight lifted after the ceremony. But what made me realize his talents was I didn’t have to say a thing and he knew why I was truly there. I hate crying in front of people but he made me feel so comfortable to release all my negative energy. This was a private ceremony and I felt comfortable throughout. They made me feel at home.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

All 3 of our guides (Lucia, Miguel, Raul) were excellent. Their knowledge and passion of the cities and villages we toured was something my wife and I will never forget!

Michelle provided a great itinerary for us which ultimately reflected our desires perfectly. I was unclear about what we really wanted and she was wonderful with information and recommendations that were a significant improvement over my ‘ google’ knowledge. Communication before and during the trip was seamless. We had some problems with a rental car which required a hastily changed itinerary; she was available and very helpful. This was my first experience with a travel planner- very positive overall!

Hotel Reviews

Fiordland Jewel

Milford Sound

A very special experience- first class and a unique way to see the fjord. Our Captain has an intimate history and experience in the sound and his presentation was truly superb

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Queenstown Park Boutique Hotel

Queenstown

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Review

Milford Sound overnight Cruise - Fiordland Jewel

Milford Sound

This was the perfect way to see the Sound

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

We really enjoyed our trip to Australia. Thank you for helping us schedule it.
Here is some feedback for you:

The Brady Hotel Jones Lane was OK. Not as nice or as spacious a room as the one that we had at the Park Hyatt (which is a super nice hotel0. The Brady Jones Hotel was conveniently located and the front desk people were really pleasant but the room was small and the TV never worked (despite several people coming up from the staff to confirm that it was broken...lol). This was a problem only because my husband was trying to watch his team play a March Madness basketball game.

The private trip to Mornington Peninsula was great! We loved our driver/guide Nicci from Epicurean, She took us to a diverse group of wineries and to a wonderful lunch. 10/10 Perfect day!

The car rental from Sixt was a thrash initially because they didn't have the type of car we rented. Lovely people working there but the system was so disorganized. We were not only group that ended up waiting for over an hour to get our car. Eventually they gave us a bigger car for the same price and allowed us to return it without a full tank without charging for the difference in the amount of gas (gas is super pricey there due to the war in Iran). Otherwise no problems with the car and the return was easy.

The trip along the Great Ocean Road was amazing!! We drove about 4 hours each day I think. There are lots of signs warning motorists to watch out for kangaroos crossing the road and they are not kidding since I almost hit one when driving to Robe in the dusk. I will attach photos from Apollo Bay at sunset and the Twelve Apostles if I can.
The cottage at Anchors Port Campbell was wonderful. Spacious with huge windows overlooking the lovely surrounding countryside. Tanya was a gracious hostess and provided us with coffee, cereal, milk, and even a bottle of wine. Lovely place and well situated near the Twelve Apostles so that it was easy to beat the rush of tourists coming from Melbourne in the morning

The Vibe Hotel in Adelaide was nice and in a good location for walking everywhere; the room size was decent and the staff pleasant. The breakfast was good.
We really enjoyed our trip to the Barossa Valley with Chris from Small Batch Tours. He was great and took us to some wonderful wineries and scheduled an excellent lunch for us. The tour ended up being a private one which was a bonus for us. Another 10/10.

Apparently Good Friday is a national holiday in Australia. Almost everything was closed! We did end up scheduling a city walking tour with a lovely young woman (Katina from Flamboyance Tours) which was very good despite the multiple closures. In the afternoon we toured the beautiful Botanical Gardens in Adelaide and got hand pies at the Bakery on O'Connell Street (on Katina's recommendations). In the evening we went to see an Australian football game in Adelaide that evening (which was super fun).

All in all a great trip!

Hotel Reviews

Vibe Hotel Adelaide

Adelaide

The Vibe Hotel in Adelaide was nice and in a good location for walking everywhere; the room size was decent and the staff pleasant. The breakfast was good.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Anchors Port Campbell

Port Campbell

The cottage at Anchors Port Campbell was wonderful. Spacious with huge windows overlooking the lovely surrounding countryside. Tanya was a gracious hostess and provided us with coffee, cereal, milk, and even a bottle of wine. Lovely place and well situated near the Twelve Apostles so that it was easy to beat the rush of tourists coming from Melbourne in the morning.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Brady Hotels Jones Lane

Melbourne

The Brady Hotel Jones Lane was OK. Not as nice or as spacious a room as the one that we had at the Park Hyatt (which is a super nice hotel0. The Brady Jones Hotel was conveniently located and the front desk people were really pleasant but the room was small and the TV never worked (despite several people coming up from the staff to confirm that it was broken...lol). This was a problem only because my husband was trying to watch his team play a March Madness basketball game.

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Review

Private Mornington Peninsula Day Trip with Lunch & Wine Tasting

Melbourne

The private trip to Mornington Peninsula was great! We loved our driver/guide Nicci from Epicurean, She took us to a diverse group of wineries and to a wonderful lunch. 10/10 Perfect day!

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Excellent selection of experiences and places but the logistics were somewhat lacking. Every tour, event and place was excellent and the service was great, but there were a number of logistical oversights: closed locations, special ticket requirements for the dates we were scheduled, a wrong ticket time for a train. I don't regret using the service, but I will not do so again due to the anxiety of these logistical failures.

Activity Reviews

Kaiseki Dinner

Kyoto

Quality of Experience

Food was good, especially the lobster soup

Guides, Drivers and Staff

service was a little slow, no english, but very kind and helpful

Transport

hard to find, google is bad about floor numbers

Samurai Sword Experience for Adults in Kyoto

Kyoto

Quality of Experience

very basic but fun and included the museum tour

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Kimono Rental Kyoto

Kyoto

Quality of Experience

slick shoes for rainy day is my only complaint, I fell on the temple steps but luckily was unharmed

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

The recommended walking path was ridiculous, much too far

Hands-On Japanese Knife Making in Kyoto

Kyoto

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Master Tokyo's Must-Sees: 5-hour Tsukiji, Akihabara & Asakusa Highlights Tour

Tokyo

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Tokyo Night Foodie Tour in Shinjuku

Tokyo

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Our driver Khalid was absolutely outstanding. His knowledge and his reliability and safe driving was really impressive. He was very helpful and prepared to assist us at all times.
The accommodation was excellent in all locations except Essaouira where we were very disappointed. We could not get a bottle of water or tea in the afternoon and were told the kitchen was closed. The Air Conditioning did not work and the fan was very noisy while the shower was average at best.
However the location was good in the medina but overall that hotel (Villa de l'O) was poor.
I must stress however that overall we had the most fantastic time. Our guides were always knowledgeable and helpful while Khalid certainly made the trip a total success.
Thank you to Hassan for all his help and with organizing the overall trip.

Hotel Reviews

Marly Boutique Hotel

Casablanca

Very comfortable - great breakfast and a lovely hotel to end our stay.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

The receptionist was very helpful and was a pleasure to deal with.

Cleanliness & Comfort

La Maison Arabe Hotel

Marrakech

The hotel and the rooms were excellent - great staff and a lovely restaurant where we had a fabulous dinner.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

The staff were very helpful - Ismael at reception was really good.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Riad Ksar Ighnda

Ait Benhaddou

A lovely authentic riad with great staff, good rooms and restaurants.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Tiziri Luxury Camp

Merzouga

A wonderful desert experience - staff were great and hte rooms were very comfortable.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Palais Amani

Fès

A great hotel - comfortable - staff very helpful - excellent Hamman and spa.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Mövenpick Hotel Casablanca

Casablanca

This hotel was comfortable and great for our first night. A normal big city hotel.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Villa de l'Ô

Essaouira

This hotel was mediocre at best - location great but that was about all. Breakfast was very average.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

No service in the day if we wanted water or tea

Cleanliness & Comfort

Airconditioning did not work, fan was very noisy, shower was poor.

Activity Reviews

Free Afternoon in Essaouira

Essaouira

We wandered around the medina, had a wonderful dinner at Dar Baba and enjoyed visiting the waterfront and tasting the oysters!!

Quality of Experience

Food

Sidi Kaouki wild beach

Essaouira

A very enjoyable fun visit - went on bikes across the beach and over the dunes - a lot of fun.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Essaouira Jewish Heritage Tour

Essaouira

a fascinating tour which gave a good insight into the Jewish influence in Essaouira

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Our guide was very knowledgeable

Transport

Transfer to Essaouira & Argan Oil Tour

Morocco

A safe trip with an enjoyable visit to an Argan Cooperative where we had a really interesting presentation and were able to buy some lovely creams and oils.

Quality of Experience

A really interesting tour of the Argan Cooperative.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Khalid was excellent. The staff at the Cooperative were very nice and knowledgeable.

Transport

As always the trip was comfortable and safe.

Visit Majorelle gardens

Marrakesh

We did not do this tour. We could not get tickets and decided to rest at the hotel.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Khalid took us to the gardens but due to a mix up we did not have tickets and we decided to rest at the hotel.

Exploring Marrakech's Wonders: A Private Guided Tour

Marrakesh

A great tour - the Confluence Museum was really interesting and the Secret Gardens were beautiful.

Quality of Experience

Great museum and gardens - well worth seeing.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Our guide was knowledgeable and we enjoyed our time with him.

Transport

Marrakech Food Tour

Marrakesh

The food tour was interesting - the food was tasty although perhaps one stop too many - we were all very full!!

Quality of Experience

Food

The food was both tasty and interesting but we were very full at the end - maybe one stop too many!!

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Our guide was very passionate about the area and took us to some lovely stops for our different meals.

Transport

Ait Benhaddou to Marrakech via Tizi N'Tichka pass

Morocco

A very interesting drive through some wonderful mountains and countryside.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Khalid = excellent!!!

Transport

Very safe driving on some challenging roads.

Guided Tour of Aït Benhaddou

Morocco

A fantastic historical city - really interesting.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Our guide around Ait Benhaddou was outstanding - very knowledgeable and interesting.

Transport

Transfer from Merzouga to Aït Benhaddou via Draa Valley

Morocco

Another excellent trip - great landscapes as we drove. Our stop at the gorge at Camp Todra Gorges was really interesting - greatviews

Quality of Experience

Food

We had a lovely lunch Toudgha El Oulia

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Again Khalid was great.

Camel trek to your luxury camp

Merzouga

Our camel guide Mohammed was excellent. Very safe and a lot of fun.

Quality of Experience

Food

Dinner was fun - plenty of food!!

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Our camel guide was excellent and hte whole experience was wonderful.

Transport

Riding hte camels was quite an experience!!

Fez – Ifrane – Azrou – Mildelt – Errachidia – Merzouga ( 7 Hours Drive).

Morocco

What a great drive with some really interesting stops, a great lunch and a very safe journey. The arrival in the desert was spectacular.

Quality of Experience

The trip to the desert took us through some wonderful landscapes

Food

We had a great lunch

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Khalid was great and the drive was very enjoyable.

Transport

Very safe driving

Dine with a Local Family

Morocco

We had a lovely eveing with this beautiful family - a fun time, great food and good conversation.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Fes: Exploring the Imperial City

Fes

This was a great city with wonderful history

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Our guide was very knowledgeable and helped us around.

Transport

Khalid as always was great.

Guided Tour of Volubilis

Morocco

Fantastic - great guide.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Our guide around Volubilis was outstanding

Transport