Kimkim Trip Reviews

Mathias and the whole boat crew were exceptional! Snorkeling was amazing and the hikes were unique, very educational.

We only had a few weeks to plan before departure and the kimkim team did a great job of planning the entire itinerary, transportation, excursions, and lodging. While we might have been able to save some $ by planning the trip ourselves, the simplicity and comfort of having someone knowledgeable set everything up was worth the added cost. We were picked up at the airport and taken to our hotel in San Jose. the next day we were collected and driven to the east coast where we spent a few days before trekking back to Arenal for a few more days then a scenic drive back to the San Jose airport. All of the transports were clean, on time, and pleasant. The accommodations were above average with breakfast provided. All in all a wonderful and memorable trip. We would certainly use kimkim again.

The trip was great - seamless and a lot of on the ground help once we got to Japan. We had fun learning about the metro system and generally walking all over. And some of the guides were terrific. The Kyoto visit was by far the most incredible part of the week. Thanks for your help!

Hotel Review

Patina Osaka

Osaka

Absolutely amazing! Brand new, right on Osaka Castle... A little walk to the metro but not bad. Breakfast was incredible. We will definately stay here again!

Authenticity & Character

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Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Experience Old and Nostalgic Tokyo: Yanaka Walking Tour

Tokyo

Very neat learning about this neighborhood. The guide Michiko Aoyama was incredible - she was tireless and took us all over, to all the alleys of the neighborhood finding millinium old shrines. Great tour! And wonderful tour guide!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Kyoto Arashiyama Bamboo forest & Garden Half-Day Walking Tour

Kyoto

Incredible. the guide Akira Itoh was knowledgable and very friendly. An incredible visit!

Quality of Experience

Food

Tofu lunch was a bit boring

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Doris did an exceptional job planning our trip to Vietnam. She was incredibly patient throughout the entire planning process, truly listening to what we wanted and tailoring the itinerary perfectly to our style. She checked in multiple times during every step of the trip, which made us feel supported and well cared for from start to finish.
She found excellent tour guides and organized very comfortable transportation, making each day smooth and enjoyable. The overall flow of the trip was planned incredibly well — starting with more activity and exploration, and gradually easing into relaxation. It was exactly what we needed.
The places she chose for us to stay were absolutely incredible, and she went above and beyond by meeting up with our family during the trip and even bringing us gifts — such a kind and thoughtful gesture.
Doris is a true pro, and she made our trip unforgettable. We couldn’t recommend her more highly.

It was a great trip! The planning process was easy. Mohamed (and later, Said - who we contacted a few times while on the ground. He was always VERY responsive!) were focused on our preferences and helpful. Hotels exceeded our expectations — especially in Marrakech. Our driver, Mustapha was really helpful and totally available. Plus he was just a really nice guy. The local guides varied of course with Chafik (local guide in Marrakech) being beyond outstanding. Our guide in Rabat (Mohamed) was a bit aloof but informative and very knowledgeable. Our food tour guide in Marrakech simply didn’t like his work and was somewhat unfriendly and distracted. All-in-all it was a wonderful trip: the cooking school, hot air balloon ride , & hammam were outstanding. I’d do it all over again.

Hotel Review

La Sultana Marrakech

Marrakech

The hotel in Marrakesh was outstanding, truly one of the best we've ever stayed in. The staff was excellent, and the hotel itself was absolutely perfect. The only small downside was that we wished the main restaurant had a broader menu at night, but that's understandable given it was a small establishment. Overall, it was an exceptional experience.

Activity Reviews

Sunrise Hot Air Balloon Ride in Marrakech

Marrakesh

The Sunrise Hot Air Balloon Ride in Marrakech was a spectacular experience. Seeing the sunrise over the beautiful landscapes was breathtaking and a must-do experience for anyone visiting the area.

Three Hour Cooking Workshop at La Maison Arabe

Marrakesh

The Three Hour Cooking Workshop at La Maison Arabe was absolutely fantastic. It was fun and interactive, and we learned cooking skills that we'll use for a lifetime. A true highlight of our trip!

Hammam & Spa Experience at Les Bains D'Orient Marrakech

Morocco

The Hammam & Spa Experience at Les Bains D'Orient Marrakech was outstanding. It was a truly memorable and relaxing experience that I would highly recommend to anyone visiting Marrakech.

In general, our trip was great. Our guides were wonderful, and most of the drivers excellent. We really enjoyed most of the activities, and most of the hotels. Adding in the activity to make floats for Loy Krathong was wonderful, and we highly recommend the Thai Farm cooking class. They do an amazing job! The only hotel we did not like was Tree Tara in Lampang
For a variety of reasons, I would not recommend it. And although we really liked the hotel near Khao Sok, there were several misunderstandings around food orders.
The hotel in Bangkok turned out to be lovely, and in a great location as we could walk to restaurants and Lumphini park. The other hotels were generally quite nice as well. We enjoyed most of the activities, but sometimes it was just too much packed into a day( we are the kind of travelers who read all the signs in the museums!), and it seemed our tour guides felt responsible to get us everywhere in a timely fashion, but maybe we would’ve liked more time at fewer stops. But we sensed they were doing their job! For example, we had very little time at the Artists House in Bangkok.
The crowded busy tours to James Bond island and the lake at Khao Sok covered a lot, and we were glad to see the sights, but again being rushed around like like wasn’t our favorite. We realize we are tourists too, but tend to like quieter, slower activities!
Trang was wonderful to work with, and I do think she listened and worked really hard at putting together the trip we envisioned. It was great having our itinerary worked out and drivers, and some amazing things added we would never have known about! She answered our many questions quite thoroughly, and appeared to do quite a bit of research for us, which we appreciated. We have not used a travel agent before, so it was a new experience for us. If we were to ever return, I think we would just see more countryside and national parks!

Hotel Reviews

Ao Nang Villa Resort

Krabi

Authenticity & Character

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Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Khaosok Boutique Hideaway

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

White Boutique Hotel and Spa

Staff was incredible!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Laluna Hotel & Resort

Authenticity & Character

Location

J

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Thai Thai Sukhothai Resort

Sukhothai

Lovely hotel, nice location, wonderful staff.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Mandarin Hotel Bangkok, managed by Centre Point

Good location, very nice facility. Couldn’t find the concierge, you just need to ask …amazing breakfast! Nice pool.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Exploring Sukhothai Historical Park (B)

Sukhothai

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Khao Yai National Park – Bangkok - Loy Krathong Experience

Thailand

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Our trip from start to finish was immaculately planned by Doris. She was receptive of our feedback and made sure to implement our changes where necessary. There were 5 adults planning this trip, all with different needs and requests and she fielded all of them with patience and grace. We were able to meet up with Doris in Hanoi and her sweet personality was memorable. She was able to pack a few highlights of Vietnam in only 10 days travel time - visiting Ho Chi Minh City, Hanoi, Ha Long Bay and Phou Quoc. We had reliable drivers and tour guides in both the North and South and it eliminated a ton of stress from the family dynamic. Luggage, domestic travel, private transfers, tour guides, visa help, itinerary changes - you name it, she helped us with it. I would 10/10 recommend this service for anyone wanting to plan a seamless, enjoyable travel experience abroad, especially to a far and exhilarating country like Vietnam.

This trip has been my dream.
Sangita from Himalayan Namobuddha travel agency made it come true!
Organisation was perfect: accommodations, cultural trips, logistics, no matter if bus, 4x4 or plane.
Mitra was the perfect guide, calm, funny, knowledgeable, UNO player 🤣
Not to mention Pravat, porter, always had a smile on his face, waiting patiently for 2 hours until we finally arrived

Hotel Reviews

Hotel Parkside

Chitwan , Narayani

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Aabas Pokhara

Pokhara

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Beautiful Kathmandu Hotel

Kathmandu

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Market walk(about 2 hrs)

Kathmandu

Thank you so much, Sangita!!!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Kathmandu Sightseeing: Pashupatinath Temple and Boudhanath Stupa

Kathmandu

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Full Day Jungle Activities in Chitwan

Chitwan National Park

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Trip Briefing. Evening Tharu Cultural Program

Chitwan National Park

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Fly from Jomsom to Pokhara

Jomsom

Cutest little plane ever ......

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Trek from Thorong Phedi to Muktinath via Thorongla Pass (5416 m/ About 7-8 hrs). Drive to Jomsom

Thorung Phedi

Wonderful!!! But be prepared to get up early to cross the pass before 19am when the winds get very strong.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Trek from Manang to Thorong Phedi (4450 m/ 6-7 hrs)

Thorung Phedi

Quality of Experience

Food

Try the Pizza!!!

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Acclimatization day at Manang

Manang

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Trek from Pisang to Manang (3540 m/ 5-6 hrs)

Manang

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Trek from Chame to Pisang (3190 m/ about 4-5 hrs)

Pisang

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Drive from Besisahar to Chame(2670 m / 5-6 hrs)

Chame

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Drive from Kathmandu to Besisahar (about 6 hrs )

Besisahar

Not the most comfortable, but that's what I wanted to experience!

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Trek Briefing

Kathmandu

Quality of Experience

Sangita is a very experienced travel manager, highlighting also the potential difficulties.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Mitra (guide) and Pravat (porter) were never impatient, always smiling and helpful, as well as knowledgeable also in cultural things.

Transport

Perfect mix of public bus, 4x4 and flights!

Very well organized trip, great communication and planning.

Abdellah and his on-the-ground team, Said and Abbesamad were outstanding. They took great care of us and we couldn't have had a better trip.

We had a wonderful journey through central Portugal. Our guide, Joao was helpful and personable. He managed to massage our available days into an interesting and active, yet relaxing itinerary. His hotel choices and transportation facilitation really made the trip easy. He is a font of local knowledge, and his command of Portuguese history, geography and culture made our trip even more rewarding. He was always ready to help with suggestions on WhatsApp when not available in person. We will surely reconnect with him on our next visit to Portugal.

Hotel Reviews

Eurostars Áurea Museum

Lisbon

This hotel was very comfortable and quiet. We had an interior room looking out on a plain courtyard. We were only there for a night because it was our last night and we had to transfer to the airport early so we missed breakfast, but the staff provided a nice breakfast in a bag to go. I loved this neighborhood, and would definitely stay here again.

Hotel República

Tomar

Great location, we did not have a view but it didn't matter, we spent the whole time exploring the lovely town. The breakfast was super.

Hotel Albergaria do Calvário

Évora

Stay here if you can, it's excellent. Staff were very helpful, room was cleand and cozy and the location was perfect for exploring the old town.

Hotel Baia

Cascais

The location of this hotel is outstanding. There were two issues, one was a noise problem due to the city's scheduling of the holiday festivities around the hotel, I talked to the owner about it and he was very apologetic but there was nothing he could have done to fix it. The other issue was the construction going on in the lobby but it did not really inconvenience us. The breakfast buffet was fine, the room was well appointed and had nice views.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Review

Winery Visit with Wine Tasting

Portugal

Fascinating property. We enjoyed the tour and it was a good introduction to Portugal's Antejo wine region.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Our travel advisor Joao selected, scheduled and provided transportation to the winery.

An amazing, enjoyable, exciting, and fun-filled trip to Australia, Tasmania, and New Zealand all arranged by our spectacular agent Vicky Steinhardt. She did an amazing job of setting an itinerary to meet all our requests. The pre-arranged tours were all first class and hit the major highlights of the places we visited. In addition, Vicky's suggestions of things to do and see in our free time, and restaurant recommendations, were spot on - plenty of variety. We were especially appreciative when she quickly and seamlessly made new flight arrangements due to a late cancellation by one airline, without interrupting our itinerary. If you want the best experience of Australia and New Zealand, all 4 of us highly recommend kimkim, and Vicky in particular.

Enjoyed the overall experience working with kimkim and Krista. There was one hiccup with transportation at one location but everything else went perfectly. Really enjoyed the snowshoeing hike with Tromsø outdoor - our guide was great.

Activity Reviews

Luggage Transfer Service

Norway

Very easy to do and definitely worth it. We did the Norway in a nutshell and was so so much better to not have our large bags or packs with us. The bags even beat us to our next location.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Mostraumen Fjord Cruise

Bergen

The staff was great, scenery was amazing and really enjoyed the anecdotes and music played during the cruise.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Guided Snowshoe Hill Hike - Kvaløya

Tromsø

This was my favorite experience during the trip. We had a small group and the guide was personable and made the day enjoyable. We also lucked out with the weather so it was quite picturesque.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

My partner and I took a 12-day trip to Thailand. Even before we left, we had a lot of questions and made a number of changes to the itinerary to suit what we were looking for during our luxury trip. Elizabeth was receptive, positive and happy to accommodate until we had it just right. The planning was excellent overall.

During the trip, it was clear that Elizabeth had planned everything exceptionally well. From drivers to tour guides to hotels, everyone was on time, had our requests and treated us well.

In terms of the excursions and activities, they were generally of high quality. When a concern did arise, the communication from Elizabeth was excellent - very attentive, clear and reliable. She also jumped in immediately and resolved the situation and then went the extra step to ensure future tours went smoothly.

KimKim organized a seamless trip for us! Our 2 tour guides (Jaime on Tenerife and Paolo on el Hierro) were fantastic. They were both knowledgeable, passionate about their island, and very flexible with their itinerary to meet our needs.
All transfers were well communicated, on time, and stress-free.
Thank you KimKim!

Hotel Reviews

La Laguna Gran Hotel

San Cristóbal de La Laguna

We were there only 10 hours but it was a memorable stay! Gorgeous!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

La Rayuela Suites

Frontera

Katherina was a wonderful host. Beautiful home, excellent breakfasts, and gorgeous views.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Parador del Hierro

El Hierro

The most beautiful spot for a hotel! Gorgeous views from every window. Would go again in a heartbeat!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

La Casona del Patio

Santiago de Teide

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Reconnect with Nature: Mindful Walk in Laurisilva Forest

El Hierro

Paola was an incredible guide. He tailored the experience to our needs which was greatly appreciated. His knowledge and passion about this island was awesome. We'd love to travel with him in the future!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

An Excursion toTeide, Garachico, & Icod de los Vinos

Tenerife

Jaime made this trip memorable. He was knowledgeable and passionate about his job and his island. We learned a lot and would love to take excursions with him in the future!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

We absolutely loved everything about Morocco and about Original Travel who planned out whole trip. We are family of 5 with 3 small children, I have never used KimKIm before so I was little bit nervous. But everything went exactly how we planned and went beyond my expectations.
First and foremost our wonderful driver Farid. Btw if you are reading this Farid, kids are still asking about you. He was so patient with us, and so helpful in many situations and kids absolutely love him! He got us safely everywhere from Casablanca to Fez, Merzouga to Dedes and Marrakesh. He never complained about the long hours on the road.
As for the trip, we had only 8 days. but I feel we did a lot. We visited Casablanca, walked in medinas of Fez and Marrakesh; camped in the desert and visited many cabas that were on the way to Marrakesh. All guides that were provided were very knowledgeable with special shout out to Randy who was out guide in Marrakesh. He delivered phenomenal tour full of historical and cultural facts. We truly enjoyed it. Our favorite part was definitely in the desert. Over there we visited a nomad Berber family. The experience was really one of a kind and it put a lot of things in the perspective.
If you are having doubts about signing up to get to see this beautiful country, don't. They are very hospitable and I felt completely safe. Hotels and riads we stayed at were amazing and 5/5.
Thank you to Original travel and KimKim for making this family vacation unforgettable one!

Hotel Reviews

Riad Le Pèlerin

Marrakech

This was the best place we stayed period. Rooms- very clean and very comfortable. The best bed sheets by far! Breakfast- fantastic! Fresh and delicious. Staff- THE BEST! First night we came super late and the kids were hungry. He used his app to order pizza for us and then waited with me for the delivery to come even though his shift was over. That's going extra mile for a customer.

Authenticity & Character

Location

You are literally inside of Medina. The cars won't go in so prepare to walk from a drop off point to the riad with your luggage.

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Dar Rihana Dades

Douar Aït Ouffi

It is a bit remote hotel but it is absolutely beautiful. Beds weren't that comfortable though. The hotel has restaurant off site so you have to walk to the building next door to go to breakfast/ dinner. and actually, the best part of it is food. It is very fine dining and delicious. I didn't expect that. Even simple breakfast was elevated.

Authenticity & Character

Location

It is a bit far away from the action.

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Tiziri Luxury Camp

Merzouga

This was truly one of a kind experience. The camp was equiped with everything! They even have wifi! Heaters were running too at night so we didn't feel cold a bit. Each camp has it's own bathroom with sink, shower and toilet. They just ask you conserve the water. Which given the circumstance is VERY reasonable.

Authenticity & Character

Location

You are in the middle of Sahara desert!

Staff

They went above and beyond to make our stay comfortable. Food was also great in their restaurant. Probably the best beef tagine I ate.

Cleanliness & Comfort

This felt like a spa more than a camp which I wanted.

Riad Layalina Fes

Fes

Riad was beautiful and people there were absolutely amazing. However room that was given to us had a bathroom outside the room and across the hall. It wouldn't be a problem but hallways were really cold so taking a shower was uncomfortable. Also we couldn't get heater to work inside of the room . Kids room was much bigger, and their heater worked.

Authenticity & Character

Location

It is very close to medina.

Staff

Probably the best part of this riad. Very, very welcoming. We even met the owner.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Review

Quick Tour of Casablanca with your Driver-Guide

Morocco

This would've been better if our flight wasn't delayed for 4 hours. So we were late to go inside of the mosque. But we went all around and took few pictures. Took us half an hour. The rest was driving through the traitorous traffic of Casablanca.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Overall the Kimkim team performed exceptionally well both in the planning stages as well as communication and support during our trip.
Our hotels were overall excellent. Due to the lateness of the season, some services at hotels were not available. However overall, the hotels met our expectations.
Air reservations were well-arranged and everything went smoothly thought the half-hour time from "wheels down" in Athens connecting with our flight to Zakynthos was a little stressful. In fact, we and our luggage made the flight and we understand that, unless we wanted to lay over a day in Athens, this was our only flight.
One comment, our last night in Athens, we arrived in Athens from Zakynthos in the early evening and had to depart from Athens from our hotel at 4:30 AM. Our hotel was 30-40 minutes from the airport. I would suggest a hotel nearer the airport with this tight layover. The hotel was nice.
We appreciated the pacing of the trip without continuous activities. We were in Europe a month total and it was good to have some down time or simply some time to explore the destinations we stayed on our own. We are experienced travelers.
We loved the activities/tours planned for us. Cape Sounion; Archological Museum, Food tour of Athens; Peloponnese tour, Acropolis, Santorini Village and Wine tours. All our guides were fun and very knowledgeable.
All our transportation connections made it easy to keep our connections stress-free. The ability to Whats App our drivers was especially helpful when connections were late or other complications.
Finally, your Kimkim app worked beautifully and was easy to navigate. The only comment I would add is that, while the app has a link to log in, you cannot actually login. The only way to activate the trip is following the link given us by our arranger. Just a bit confusing. Either let us log in or remove the link.

Vicky was able to accommodate our ever changing schedule. We were so grateful.

Our guide in Jaipur was our favorite and our driver for Agra and kochi were our favorites by far they went above and beyond

Hotel Review

Houseboat

Looks nothing like the photos looks like they took a ferry and put a bed on it

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Review

Bathe, Paint and Feed- A life-time experience with elephants at Elefantastic

Jaipur

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Our family of four (kids, ages 10, 12) had a wonderful time in Rome and Florence. Melanie planned a trip that was well suited for our children--they were not bored once and thoroughly enjoyed the cooking class, tours and day tours. We could not have asked for a better trip. Melanie and her team were available every day and updated us of any changes to our plans.

Hotel Reviews

U-Visionary Roma Hotel

Rome

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Calimala Florence

Florence

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Otivm Hotel

Rome

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Pisa and Lucca with private driver

Florence

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Vatican & Sistine Chapel Tour

Rome

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

The Accademia Gallery tour - skip the line

Florence

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

COOKING CLASS TO MAKE REAL ITALIAN PIZZA AND GELATO

Rome

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Private Family Experiences: Colosseum Tour for Kids

Rome

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport