Kimkim Trip Reviews

Los guías fueron excelentes ,
Irene el tour de Toledo muy buena y muy
Filosa en Lisboa buenísima
Daniela en Lisboa muy buena
Claudio magnífico en Setúbal
En muy buena en Évora Y buen tour
Y el día en Valle Duoro muy divertido

Excellent service , planning and help. Marc worked closely with us to help us plan a wonderful trip. We greatly appreciate all he did to make an excellent trip for my husband and myself.

Hotel Reviews

Sudamala Resort, Seraya, Flores

Labuan Bajo

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Excellent and charming

Lumbini villas

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Santai Toraja

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

The Phoenix Hotel Yogyakarta - MGallery Collection

Yogyakarta

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

BBC Hotel

Authenticity & Character

Activity Reviews

Day tour Highlights of Komodo national Park

Indonesia

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Transfer back to Makassar

Indonesia

Quality of Experience

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Guides, Drivers and Staff

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Full-Day Exploration of Toraja Land

Indonesia

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

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Exploring the Wild Beauty of Northern Toraja

Indonesia

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Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

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On the way to Tana Toraja

Indonesia

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Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

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Borobudur: A UNESCO World Heritage Site

Indonesia

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

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Sultan Palace

Yogyakarta

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

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Prambanan: Indonesia’s Largest Shivaite Temple Complex

Yogyakarta

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Gummi helped us plan an excellent trip, especially considering we had very specific travel dates and didn't get started until about 8 weeks before our departure. Gummi perfectly matched the interests and activity levels for our group of two parents with two adult children. Every day was full, but manageable, and well planned. When small bumps occurred, Gummi and his office were immediately available to work things out. We thoroughly enjoyed everything on the intinerary, but highlights for us were the kayaking among the icebergs in Heinabergslón, snorkeling and Silfra and the Husafell Canyon Baths. This is my second trip booked through Kimkim would definitely use them again

Hotel Reviews

Buubble Hotel Ölvisholt

Selfoss

Fun but cloudy skies for us. A big plus was the location near Mika, our favorite restaurant on the trip.

Center Hotel Arnarhvoll

Reykjavík

Good location across from Harpa!

Stracta Apartments Orustustaðir

Kirkjubæjarklaustur

Nice layout for the 4 of us, but down a long dirt road.

Skuggi Hotel by Keahotels

Reykjavík

Good location in a quieter area but still walking distance to downtown Reykjavik.

Activity Reviews

Solheimajokull Glacier Hike

Iceland

My husband and I did this hike while our adult children did ice climbing. It was a good activity, but overlapped with some of the earlier activities on the trip (ice cave, glacier kayaking). It was great we could do this at the same time the kids did the ice climbing.

Sólheimajökull Ice Climbing & Glacier Hike

Iceland

My adult children did this activity while we did the glacier hike. They had a fantastic time and said their guide Eduardo was excellent.

Fjallsárlón Glacier Lagoon Kayaking Adventure

Iceland

This was actually the Glacier Kayak Adventure at Heinabergslón, which was wonderful. Only one kayaking group goes out at a time - very magical especially after seeing the larger groups/more activity at Jokulsarlon. Our guides were excellent and the kayaking was not difficult.

Katla Ice Cave

Iceland

It's not just the cave, but the adventure getting there. Our guide took the time to let us stop at the black sand desert on the way to the glacier cave.

Silfra Snorkeling – Dive Between Continents in Crystal Clear Waters

Iceland

A very special experience with Briosh, who was an excellent guide and urged us to take our time.

Tour to Husafell Canyon Baths

Iceland

We loved the scenic and private location with a small group of 7 - and when we showed up early they were happy to accommodate us on an early visit.

Lava Cave Explorer Tour

Iceland

Very knowledgeable tour guide.

Sky Lagoon - Experience the seven-step Sky Ritual

Iceland

An excellent way to start our trip.

Our trip was excellent from beginning to the end! In particular the historic tours and boat trips. Highly recommended!

Hotel Review

Hotel Foscari Palace

Venice

Great food, comfortable room, excellent location

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Review

Private St. Mark's Basilica & Doge’s Palace Tour with Exclusive Access to Secret Rooms

Venice

Our guide was excellent, informative, and easy to understand. This could not have been better!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Nikola was amazing to work with. His plans for us were perfect and met all of our expectations. All of our accommodations were very nice and his suggestions for activities and places to eat were spot on. He was also always available to answer questions we had. Very responsive.

Activity Review

Horseback Riding Tour in Bohinj

Slovenia

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Paris, France was everything I wished for and so much more. It was my Eat, Pray and Love experience. Enjoyed every corner and every bit as much as I could. Itinerary was perfect and planned nicely, day by day with the essencial spots and meeting points needed. Amandine left everything very clear and understandable. I did this trip solo and never felt unsafe. Everything she sent me was by the book and on paper. Very thankful for this experience, and definitely looking forward to visiting France again in the future.

Hotel Review

La Maison Eugénie

Paris

The hotel was beautiful, very parisian and great spot by the metro!

Authenticity & Character

Very Parisian

Location

Its right next to the Pont Cardinet station

Staff

Very helpful

Cleanliness & Comfort

Very clean

Activity Reviews

French Conversation & Coffee at Café De Flore

Paris

It was also very authentic, wonderful, helpful!!

Quality of Experience

Guide was helpful and authentic!

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Baking Class in a French Bakery

Paris

Didier was absolutely wonderful as well as his translator. Learned sooo much from him, tried the baguettes and took the hotel baguettes as well. He also gave us the recipes to make at home!

Quality of Experience

Very authentic!

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Felt safe!

Transport

Learned the metro pretty quick!

From the moment we stepped off the plane, until our last day, we felt special and well taken care of. Our guides were all simply excellent in both knowledge and personalty. We were able to shift times around to avoid long lines, and our guides always knew how to maximize our time.
All of our activities and hotel's were exactly as described, certainly above our expectations a few times!
As always, we cannot praise Kimkim and the local agents enough. Thank you for another wonderful holiday. We are traveling with you to India in February 2025, and cannot wait!

We had the absolute pleasure of having Faysel as our driver and travel guide during our trip to Morocco. Faysel is a true gentleman—thoughtful, respectful, and someone who proudly showcases his beautiful country. It was evident how much he loves his job and genuinely cares about his clients. He listened attentively and paid great attention to detail, remembering little things like when I mentioned my daughter was getting married. To my surprise, he bought her a gift at one of the shops we visited—a touching gesture that speaks to his kindness.

Throughout the trip, we learned so much about Morocco’s culture, its people, and religion, all thanks to Faysel’s deep knowledge and passion for sharing his heritage. The long drives felt anything but long as we frequently stopped to explore various villages, making the journey as enjoyable as the destinations.

Our stay in Fès was quite interesting. The Riyad we stayed at was beautiful, and the city was vibrant. However, this part of the tour felt more like being taken to vendors to view products and, while we never felt pressured to buy anything, it was clear that this was a subtle marketing strategy. As a result, we ended up spending a bit more than we had planned.

The Sahara Desert, however, was absolutely phenomenal! Riding camels to reach our luxury camp was an unforgettable experience, and there’s truly nothing like it. We also enjoyed our stay at Dades, where the hotel was lovely and the meals—both dinner and breakfast—were simply superb. A special shoutout to the chef there!

Lastly, Marrakech! We loved this city immensely, and it was the perfect way to round off our trip.

Would I visit Morocco again? Absolutely! I would likely skip or shorten the stay in Fès next time, but without a doubt, I would use Kim Kim again and request Faysel to be our guide. His professionalism, warmth, and dedication made our trip unforgettable.

The process of planning this trip with the travel company was quite easy. Liz was very patient with us, as we changed the itinerary a few times.
Once we got to Peru, everything was taken care of; transportation, guides, tours, hotels etc. All of our tour guides were very knowledgeable and friendly and made our experience exceptional. Drivers were always there and on time.

The restaurant recommendations provided by kimkim were wonderful.

We had one poor experience at a hotel, but kimkim made it up to us with a special night out. We were surprised and very grateful.

This trip was close to perfect. Would consider using kimkim again.

Hotel Reviews

Qalasaya Hotel

Puno

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Tika Wasi Casa Boutique

Cusco

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Chakana Boutique Hotel

Machu Picchu, Cusco

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Tika Wasi Valley

Sacred Valley

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Shared Short Inca Trail trek 2/2: Machu Picchu SV Htl

Peru

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Private Half-Day Cusco Walking Tour: Sacsayhuamán, Qoricancha & San Pedro Market

Cusco

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Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

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Shared Palcoyo Trek: Small group

Cusco

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Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

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The Route of The Sun: {{start_location}} - {{end_location}}

Peru

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Food

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Shared Uros & Taquile Floating Islands tour

Puno

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Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

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Briefing about your future tour/trek

Peru

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Guides, Drivers and Staff

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Shared Short Inca Trail Trek 1/2

Peru

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Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

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Shared Pachamanca Lunch Farm Tour

Sacred Valley

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Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

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Shared Quad bikes tour in Moray & Maras

Sacred Valley

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Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

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NV Private tour to The Sacred Valley

Peru

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

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My husband and I loved our 10-day trip to Ecuador with Kimkim. Nick put together a great itinerary and was very patient with our many questions and changes. Once we arrived, Nick checked in periodically to make sure all was going smooth. And we had great experience with Sebastian, our local guide, who drove us between destinations, took us on tours/hikes, gave us tastes of local cuisine, had vast knowledge of the flora/fauna, culture and history of Ecuador, helped with translation, and generally made sure we were taken care of. We had never used a travel service, generally preferring to arrange our own travel, but we were very impressed with everything. And for our honeymoon, it was so nice to not have the extra stress of planning.

Mi guía fue muy buena, visitamos lugares de forma exhaustiva y completa. Turquía es un país maravilloso. El hotel fue muy bien elegido, nos encantó!!! El trato fue maravilllso!!

The trip was seamless and easy as KimKIm Travel set all in motion based on all of our needs and desires. Guides awaited us at every leg of our journey. Renata planned a great trip. We absolutely adored Bruno, our guide in Rio. He was kind, caring of our needs, and surpassed any expectations we might have had. The Availhanas lodge in the Amazon was amazing. The staff, particularly Pedro and Kenrick (one of our guides) went over and above any of our expectations.....The iguazu falls were spectacular and then we ended with our last day back with Bruno. An overall perfect trip -

Hotel Reviews

Arena Copacabana Hotel

Rio de Janeiro

love the location - again just a place to spend a night - breakfast buffet as well great -

Authenticity & Character

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Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Nadai Confort Hotel

Foz do Iguacu

just a place to spend the night - as always breakfast buffet great

Authenticity & Character

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Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Anavilhanas Jungle Lodge

Novo Airão

an amazing experience from beginning to end - all the staff amazing - activities, meals, guides made everything seamless -

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Intercity Manaus

Manaus

only there for a night prior to our amazon trip but staff kind and breakfast buffet decent

Authenticity & Character

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Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Arena Ipanema

Rio de Janeiro

food was not good at dinner - buffet breakfast fine

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Carioca Lifestyle and Carnival Culture (by Public Transport)

Rio de Janeiro

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Full Days at the Anavilhanas Jungle Lodge

The Amazon

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Iguaçu Falls Hike on the Argentina Side

Foz do Iguaçu

spectacular views

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Half-Day Tour of Sitio Burle Marx, Rio de Janeiro

Rio de Janeiro

this is a definite must see if you want to see the authenticity of the area outside of the big city -

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Sebastian put together a wonderful first time visit to France! I really liked the neighborhood of our hotel in Paris, where it was easy to walk to nice eating and shopping places and it felt safe and clean. Our tour guide Sabine was kind, patient, and knowledgeable on our guided fashion/shopping experience. Harry, who was our guide for Palace of Versailles, was knowledgeable and had a good sense of humor. The hotel was nice with good food. In Marseille, my favorite was the guided walking tour, a self walking tour the local African/French markets, and our gourmet restaurant meal. Ezekial was our walking tour guide and was so patient with my mom and Susan as they needed to end the walking tour early; he helped them get a ride back to the hotel. The hotel in Marseille was my favorite with the decor, food, and lovely kitchen and home-style way of serving breakfast. Nice was great as well and we enjoyed our full day tour to Monte Carlo, Eze, and Monaco with our guide (unfortunately I did not record his name in my notes; he lives very close to the hotel we stayed in in Nice). He shared a lot of knowledge with us and drove safely. The hotel in Nice was not quyite as nice as the ones in Paris and Marseille but everyone was friendly and the location was very close to attractions in the Old Town and shopping, which we all enjoyed. We did have a few small challenges knowing when to get off of the trains to Nice and Marseille as the announcements were difficult to understand (we are not fluent in French) and finding elevators/escalators for painful arthritic knees in metro stations was tricky. The boat ride in Marseille for the Calanques National Park was a bit rougher and more wet than we anticipated. I think we all thought the boat would be larger and a smooth laid back ride, but the sea cliffs were lovely. All in all, I really enjoyed the trip and would love to visit all of these areas again and many more in France in the near future. Thank you!

Activity Reviews

French Fashion, Fragrance and Fun in the Marais

Paris

I loved going into French based fragrance and jewelry stores where we made some purchases. I'm not sure I learned any specifics of French fashion which I kind of though I would but I liked our guide Sabine and how she was told us about the area and the unique shops. She was able to arrange an chocolate demonstration and tasting for us which was very cool.

Quality of Experience

Found some places to discover that we probalby never would have known but we got some unique gifts for ourselves and loved ones.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Very friendly and easy to talk to; very patient and not pushy or loud in her demeanor.

Paris: Illuminations Seine River Cruise

Paris

So fun and pretty to experience. We were able to go around 8:30 pm which was great timing to catch the Eiffel Tower light up around 8:45-9pm. I kind of wish we could have arrived a day or 2 earlier before doing this as we were very sleepy during the tour since it was our first day in Paris.

Quality of Experience

relaxing and lovely sights to see

Guides, Drivers and Staff

the guide was funny and had humor in providing the history of the bridges sights along the tour.

Our trip to Croatia was amazing. Great people, great food and such wonderful history. Robi was awesome with planning our trip from Dubrovnik to Zagreb including the national parks. The arrangements were wonderful and he even found a few unexpected sites for us to visit. He checked in with us every night and sent us updated information and even managed to work with the weathe.I would highly recommend him and Kimkim.

Christine, we really liked the accommodations, especially La Meridian Myeongdong, AC Marriot (Gangnam) and La Valse in Busan. I must admit, I was surprised to learn that our hotel on the beautiful natural island of Jeju was in a highly urban area; it wasn't what I expected. But the hotel itself was fine. We appreciated the balance of planned activities (six days) and unplanned activities (5 days). That really worked for us. The guides were tremendous. Jiyoung, Jake and Kevin were all so different, but they were fun, friendly, enthusiastic and informative. We couldn't have been happier with them. In fact, we've enjoyed guides in several other countries and we think Korea's might have been the best we've ever had. One of the special aspects of having a great guide is that you learn more about the culture than simply learning about the sites. We learned about how elders are treated, about the different perspectives of the different generations, the ways the ancestors are honored (and so much more). Also, Alicia Lee was extremely helpful in many regards, especially in supporting us in real time. Thanks to you and Kim Kim for another great experience!

Ok, so the 4 stars had only a little to do with my KimKim experience overall. However with all of the illnesses my husband and I experienced, giving the trip five stars would not be real. Ok, things that made this trip great - driver pick up from the airport - they hired a porter once we arrived near our Riad Bayti, because the streets are so narrow, we could not be dropped off doorstep. My husband was so sick, he couldn't walk to the Riad, and the porter put him in the wheelbarrow and wheeled him to our Riad = ABOVE AND BEYOND! The Riad was in a central location - right by the spice market. The host was gracious and kind and we had refreshing mint tea as our welcome drink. Our room was traditionally decorated and had a full and a twin sized bed which turned out to be a blessing. There was also a very nice rooftop where I spent a lot of time.
My first full day, I had a nice full day tour. You can easily get lost in the narrow streets and not where you want to be - so it was nice to have a guide show me around - let me enjoy "sand coffee" and take me to a lovely (allergy accommodating) lunch. YSL gardens/museum were nice - 1.5 does suffice. I had a relaxing hammam experience with a stellar massage! I enjoyed Marrakech, but after my own bout of food borne illness, I was happy to take our leave.

We headed out to Imlil which was a nice scenic car ride. Upon arriving, our Riad (Dar Imlil) was lovely - they upgraded us, and our room had a both a nice indoor sitting area, as well as a nice balcony overlooking the pool with the mountains as the backdrop. We sat there for several hours taking in the peacefulness of the mountains and the surrounding quiet enjoying freshly brewed teas the host gave us to ease our gastric distress. We had a very good outdoor dinner prepared by our host that was more than we could eat and just delicious. The next day we had a hike. Abdullah our KimKim host knew my husband still wasn't feeling well and he asked if we wanted a mule - that was extremely thoughtful and turned out to be a great option that allowed my husband to not completely lose out on the trip. We were able to have a nice lunch at our guide's home. Turns out, they also AirBnb their place-so it was updated and clean and we didn't feel "eeked" out eating there (considering our negative food experiences on the trip - no fault of KimKim). We then head off to Agafay to Yes, We Camp - it was an oasis in the desert. We were welcomed, dropped our bags in our "glampsite" and headed to the pool. I was in the desert and the pool water was actually COOL!!! Later, we went for a camel ride and then had a very LARGE dinner back at the camp with fun entertainment included. I mean for a desert location, it definitely exceeded our expectations! We checked out the next morning, and off to Casablanca to catch our flight.

So sickness aside, we had a really nice experience. Prior to Morocco we were in India...comparing KimKim to the tour company we used there to Morocco, is another reason for the 4 stars. In India we had soup to nuts VIP experience where our driver became our friend and was very friendly and kind, and we met our met our local host in person and he made sure we lacked nothing. Our Morocco drivers were "friendly enough" but not our friends - can't remember their names. . .I never actually met the local guide. So, I would say, if you are looking for the "average traveller" experience, then this is for you. Unfortunately, I had just completed a 5 star hotel VIP experience in India, so I had to reset my expectations here. . .which is fine, but dear reader, just letting you know.

Hotel Reviews

Yes We Camp Agafay

Marrakesh

This is our second time "glamping" in a desert. Our first stay was in Dubai, which we absolutely loved, but this one exceeded our expectations! Our "tent" was SOOO clean - no "icky" feeling, it was nicely decorated and felt new. There was a really nice pool and the water was actually "cool" being in the desert! There was a nice dinner, with more food than I could possibly eat, that was delicious, and we had energetic live entertainment. We only stayed overnight - but it felt like the kind of place I could have stayed for several nights and really had some nice chill days!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Dar Imlil

Imlil

This place has a very good location. Our room had a balcony that overlooked the pool and we had the mountains as our backgdrop - we spent hours sitting there and just enjoying the view. We informed our host that we were having stomach issues, and they brewed us a special tea that helped a lot. Our dinner as traditional and very good (which means a lot as we were recovering from food issues on Turkish airlines and in Marrakech). We only stayed one night, but we very much enjoyed the hospitality of the host and the superb view!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Riad Bayti

Marrakech

This Riad was centrally location in the spice market, very walkable. The host was gracious and very accommodating. Our room was very nice and comfortable, decorated traditionally. They have a great rooftop where I spent evenings privately, writing and unwinding. I had a delicious dinner dinner at the property my first evening (where you can get wine) and each morning a (bread heavy) breakfast. The only reason I don't give 5 starts here is because you do need to request/pay for bottled water and I'd just stayed in 5 star hotels in India. . .and I want to be honest:-)

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

The towels I think are line dried, for an American, just note, there's no "fabric softener" so the towel smelled used.

Activity Reviews

Private Transfer from Marrakech to Imlil

Morocco

The guided trek through Toubkal National Park was truly wonderful. Even though we faced some health challenges with my husband being sick, the local guide was incredibly considerate and arranged for a mule, so he didn't miss out on the experience. This made the outing memorable and enjoyable, allowing us to take in the beautiful scenery without worry.

Hammam & Spa Experience Marrakech

Morocco

Framing this, I've done spas in multiple countries in the world. As a prude American, I always have to say to myself, I'm not in America, you're gonna be naked. But, my "scrubber" who kept leaving the door open, could tell I was uncomfortable and at one point, she actually laughed at me (I laughed too). My massage was firm, and my therapist kept checking in to make sure the pressure was good - it was very, very good. I enjoyed my experience very much, but I am not giving 5 stars because the scrubber poured water on my face and it went up my nose and down my throat, and the experience felt a little rushed. I do understand when your operation turns over a lot of people in a single day, but I as the client never want to feel that.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Half-Day Guided Tour of Marrakech

Marrakesh

I had a really great time with my guide! He allowed me to ask endless questions about the culture and at no point did he seem annoyed. I'm a shopper that hates having someone hover, but to be honest, with the endless streets and shopping areas, it was nice to have someone to navigate and help negotiate while I was shopping. We also had a late lunch together, and he was so personable, it felt like I was having a lunch with one of my friends. He did a great job and we had a lovely day together.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Planning was very smooth - Rita was very helpful and insightful. Support during trip was timely and professional. Kim Kim support was aware of our train cancellation before we were and proactively rebooked and notified us. We’ve had just as good of service from Kim Kim on previous trip. Would highly recommend and will definitely use again!

I don't expect that you should publish this as a review of specific places, but rather use is as some guidance for selecting the places you offer to your clients.
All our accomodations were convenient and clean, and provided good value for the cost. Few had adequate hanging space for hand-washed clothing (and often exorbitant laundry pricing). Some had very little space for placing anything so we had to rummage in our bags on the floor. Location and quantity of electrical receptacles was generally feeble, particularly since the vast majority had only one port and that was in many cases already occupied by a lamp or appliance cord. Modern travelers need to charge phones and other electronics, and preferably be able to use them while charging. We invested in a combination USB charger/plug adapter that took care of providing USB charging but only had one pass-thru AC receptacle (It replaced a lost adapter that only served to provide a port for our 3-port extension cord). At least one hotel had USB charging ports at each nightstand. Several hotels had receptacles that had 3 ports arranged around a central axis, which works for three ungrounded EU-standard cord plugs but does not accept our adapters or chargers without blocking the unused ports - making the outlet no more useful than a single-port one.
Meals at the hotels were all quite good to excellent . We only took one dinner in a hotel (in Zurich - excellent albeit from a limited cafe menu). Breakfasts were all great in terms of quality and variety. Our only gripes about breakfast are that the coffee machines generally can serve only a dozen or so tiny (but nice) coffee drinks, one at a time, to a line of generally sluggish and easily confused customers. Getting a decent-sized cup of black coffee usually takes multiple button presses and cycles, and a trip to the machine is best done empty-handed so one doesn't have to balance a plate of food while puzzling out the menu and waiting for the action. Some of the breakfast layouts were kind of chaotic, with a lot of walking around to scope out the offerings and decide on what one wants, then finding things in a rational order and navigating the traffic of other similarly challenged customers. A first-world problem, I realize, but it could be easier...
We spent for an upgrade to our room in Zurich so we'd have extra space for our final re-packing and some relaxing before the flights home, and it proved worthwhile. Hanging and shelf space were still limited and arranged so that it seemed we were always in each others' way or blocking a closet door when unpacking/packing . The ultra-modern bath was almost entirely open to view from the room, being walled with glass. We didn't mind the lack of privacy, having been married for 47 years now, but having any light in the bathroom illuminate the whold sleeping room was annoying. The toilet and shower were further isolated by a second, partially frosted glass wall which hid only the toilet. IMHO, a bathroom that has no provision for using the toilet then washing and drying at least the hands before handling one's clothes is barbaric. No amount of TP is ever going to beat soap and water. Oddly, the only bidet we encountered on our trip was in a 350-year-old house in Courmayeur (IT) remodeled as an inn by a young couple, in a small bath with everything in reach and a place to put everything two guests would need.
Maybe someday we'll stay somewhere that has, on each side of the bed(s), a nightstand, reading lamp, two receptacles compatible with chargers and adapters, hanging space, shelves and drawer space and a countertop or bag stand big enough for at least one large and one carry on bag. The room should also havelso two decent chairs, at least one usable desk with power, some open level space for snacks and personal items, adequate lighting for sorting, packing, reading out of bed and for the cleaning staff to see what they are doing. A dim nightlight in the room, switched from both sides of the bed or by a motion detector, and a second one in the bathroom placed to not illuminate the bed when the bathroom door is open should be standard. Bathroom lights should be switched inside the bathroom so they can be operated without waking a sleeper.
On our Tour du Mt. Blanc, many inns had a shoe-changing room at the entry, with at least a place to store dirty outdoor shoes, and some offered loaner sandals or mules for indoor use. Several had drying racks or cabinets and a couple even had hanging space for wet raingear and packs and wet clothes. These might be over-kill in urban hotels, but for folks who intend to do a lot of walking and sightseeing in whatever weather is extant they are a real attractive amenity.
Our transportation was fine - the driver who took us to Martigny was good comapny and full of information. The rail passes worked fine, though I seemed to have a hard time finding the daily ticket on my phone sometimes and had to log back in repeatedly.
The bike tour out of Interlaken was great fun. Guide Leo did a great job herding us (10) and laid on a nice picnic. The bikes were good quality and plenty powerful, though the saddles could be better. Getting a train of 11 bikes through the traffic of downtown Interlaken seemed a bit chancy, but Swiss drivers are a lot more courteous than Americans and all went well.
The Jungfraujoch was grotesquely oversold and overrun with tourists (like us), many of whom seemed obsessed with getting the perkiest selfie ever taken at whatever cost. Lines for everything, and lines for lines. Dirty windows so photographs from indoors were not practical, but there were few places one could stop inside anyway apart from at dining and shopping opportunities. We took a walk through the Discovery tour, partly icky and artless but partly interesting and informative, spent a bit of time out on the balconies and the glacier in worsening weather, then bailed out as soon as we could get onto the train. At Klein Scheidegg the food options were quite limited but we had a little lunch of food bought from the sausage stand and some we'd brought, then hiked down the trail to Grindelwald - quite enjoyable in a very unusual sort of rural setting, and a much-needed opportunity to de-compress and get some exercise.
The outing from Lucerne to Mt. Pilatus was very much more to our liking - still a little busy but much less intense than Jungfraujoch. Lower elevation, better weather and less imposing infrastructure made the whole experience there more comfortable partly because folks could spread out on the trails and outdoor viewpoints and there wasn't the sense of collective claustrophobia - just a bunch of friendly people out appreciating a beautiful place, mostly unhurried and un-flustered. The cogwheel train down and the boat ride back to Lucerne were also quite pleasant - we got back feeling like we'd had a fun, relaxing and stimulating day. We should have scheduled Zurich for other than a Monday as most of the cultural attractions were closed, but we had a good time walking and sightseeing, with a big bike race event to provide a little bit of buzz (though opportunities to see any of the time trial racing were quite limited).

Our travel agent Angela ( Aggeliki) was the best. Being based in Greece, she knew the best places to stay and arranged everything perfectly. Loved every moment.

Hotel Reviews

Absolute Bliss (Adults Only)

Santorini

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Antony Suites

Naxos

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Boheme Mykonos Hotel

Mykonos

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

HS Catamaran Sunset Cruise MD

Santorini

This was magical. The only way to truly appreciate Santorini.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Private round transfer anywhere in Santorini

Santorini

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

The booking experience was very good, Stephen was responsive and made the process easy. The trip however did not live up to the dollars spent. One of the vendors arrived an hour late which led to lost time on our tour since we were on a schedule for transportation to our next location. The tour was very good but I did not appreciate the lost time and sightseeing that had been paid for. Kimkim did their best to connect with the vendor to find out when we could expect them to arrive but it took me almost 45 min to get in touch with anyone at Kimkim.
Stephen booked excellent private tour providers and hotels in Scotland but the tour itself was very poorly organized. Our first day put us at the hotel way past dark, we had to get take out food as everything was closing and we missed out on some of the planned stops. The next morning we sat with our local driver and reviewed our itinerary. He said that this is common for 3rd party planners. Our tour as written was not feasible; we worked together to reconfigure it into a trip that made sense for the time it takes to travel from sight to sight and based on our interest and the events that had been pre-paid. This reconfiguration provided a more enjoyable experience.
The end result is that I would not use Kimkim again, the very high cost did not result in a luxury trip, only luxury hotels that we did not have time to enjoy. Going forward I will take the time to work with local vendors to configure a trip.

Hotel Reviews

Hotel Colessio

Stirling

The rooms are very small, you will be stepping over luggage to get around. The location is good but don't bother to stay for breakfast.

Authenticity & Character

We were told it was an old hospital so I'm glad it no longer looks like one but there was very little "character"

Location

Very walkable to all of the sights

Staff

Staff was fine, good to see teens working

Cleanliness & Comfort

Fine for one night

Druid House B & B

Inverness

The owner is a wonderful woman who is so very welcoming. She made all efforts to make us feel home as we arrived late and hungry. I would highly recommend staying here if you plan to spend some time in the inverness area. It is a great place that provides an at home feel. The rooms are spacious and very well appointed with everything you need.

Authenticity & Character

Felt like home; after days of hotels and car rides it was a nice change.

Location

Just a hop off of the main road.

Staff

The owner greets everyone with a huge smile and is clearly glad to open her home. I would have loved to stay there longer, she made it very easy to be comfortable.

Cleanliness & Comfort

The home is spotless, our room appeared to be new and was extremely well appointed. I was thrilled with the Dyson hair dryer and just wish we had more time to enjoy the large soaking tub.

Craigellachie Hotel of Speyside

Aberlour

Beautiful hotel, I would love to have spent more time here. The hotel is furnished in beautiful antiques and woven fabrics produced locally. The pub and restaurant looked wonderful, sadly we did not get there in time to try them. The breakfast was very good and the staff were wonderful. The only note is there is no lift / elevator so it is not conducive to those travelling with a lot of luggage or mobility needs. Stairs are the only option.

Authenticity & Character

The decor

Staff

Everyone one was kind and helpful, that is the Scottish way after all.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Johnstons Of Elgin

Elgin

We all enjoyed this tour, although I believe there is room for improvement on how the mill and process works it was an enjoyable and educational experience that we would recommend.

Phd level guided tour of Bannockburn

Stirling

We did not know what to expect from this tour but it was above and beyond any other tour experience. A one on one opportunity to ask all the questions and delve into any aspect of not only Bannockburn but the overall history of Scotland was fantastic. I will look for similar bookings on all of our future trips.

Visit the Kelpies

Scotland

We all enjoyed learning about the story behind the Kelpies. The tour was informative and being able to go inside the structure was something I will remember each time I see photos of the iconic pair.

Stirling Castle Tickets

Scotland

The castle is amazing. The history and views are not to be missed but book the guided tour.

Falkirk Wheel Boat Ride

Scotland

Fantastic feat in engineering, we enjoyed seeing it but the boat ride was not worth the time.