Kimkim Trip Reviews

Our grandmother's/granddaughters trip to Italy exceeded expectations. All elements of the plan curated and refined by Erica and Diliana flowed smoothly without any major glitches. Our guide for the Coliseum, Mirta, was knowledgeable and provided a lot of background. Oksana, our Vatican guide, had lots of inside info, although I feel we literally ran thru the Vatican museum. I somehow thought we were going to St. Peter's Basilica, but it was not part of the tour.
The train rides were supremely comfortable and we had no problems finding our car and seats due to the detailed info Kimkim provided.
Our Pompei excursion with Vincenzo was particularly fun for me because so much more has been unearthed since my last visit.
Our cooking classes with Lily in Rome and Leonardo in Florence were particularly fun for the girls. They learned a lot and we had delicious meals to boot.
Daniela, our guide in Florence, was excellent and highlighted and explained some of the pertinent history that makes Florence so unique.
Rita guided us in Venice, a magical city if there ever was one. She made the narrow passageways seem not so daunting and definitely hit the highlights. Gianmarco took us to Burano and Murano and explained why these islands are so special. He was patient and kind even when we were late getting back to the boat.
All our accomodations were clean, safe, and very well located. It made getting around these crowded places pretty easy to navigate especially with the embedded links to maps.
Diliana, Erica, and Grant all checked in during the trip to see if things were going smoothly and it was comforting to know they were only a text away and response time was almost instantaneous.
I must say I was quite nervous before the trip that all guides and drivers were where they should be at the right time and I shouldn't have worried.
Thanks, Kimkim for your attention to detail and excellent and thoughtful planning. I have already been recommending Kimkim to others and will continue to do so. You have provided my granddaughters with fantastic memories.

Every part of the trip was amazing and well organized, from our trip planner Paola, to our local guide Danny. The entire experience was A+!

Every guided tour was excellent. Every transfer was on time with helpful & courteous people. Everything was as planned; expectations met and exceeded.

Hotel Reviews

The Haymarket Hotel

Edinburgh

Great location, great breakfast

Authenticity & Character

Built 1850s

Location

Walking to center city, near train station, near trolly stop

Staff

Clean daily, quick breakfast

Cleanliness & Comfort

Beds not the best, very stiff

Bearnock Lodge

Charming, beautiful, fully equipped, extremely comfortable beds

Authenticity & Character

150 years old

Authenticity & Character

150 years old

Location

Deep in the Highlands country

Location

Deep in the Highlands country

Staff

No staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Private Transfer

Scotland

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Private Transfer

Scotland

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Bambough and Alnwick Castles & the Borders

Edinburgh

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

The Best of York

Edinburgh

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Highland Coo Tour

Scotland

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Edinburgh Castle & Old Town Private Tour

Edinburgh

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

None

Highlands Day Tour from Inverness

Inverness

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Isle of Skye Tour including the Eilean Donan Castle, Portree and other attractions

Inverness

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Loch Ness Tour

Scotland

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Anna did a wonderful job of helping us plan and arrange our trip to Norway! With her very helpful insights and suggestions, she helped us create exactly the kind of trip we were looking for. Anna and her team were responsive and helpful whenever we had questions, both before and during our trip. I would highly recommend Anna and KimKim!

Our family of four had a fantastic 10 day June trip to Morocco in large part due to the planning assistance of kimkim (Abdel and Said) and the reliability, good cheer and guidance of our wonderful driver, Mustapha. The accommodations and activities/excursions were as described (or better!) and our local guides were knowledgable and friendly. We especially enjoyed our Sahara camel riding experience, our cooking class in Marrakech, our various kasbah visits and our time in Essaouria. We had some long travel days (as planned), but the multiple cultural pit stops along the way made the travel time much more manageable and interesting.

I do not write reviews usually but this one is well deserved.
Interacting with Mr. Long in preparation for our trip was very efficient, professional and well done. Everything during our 12 day trip was executed to the minute and as per our correspondences.
Mr. Long was in touch with us with instructions and checking that all went well contacting us few times a day.
Reminders were sent prior to arrival making sure visas were done. At every pickup point ( Airport arrivals, immigration procedures, drivers, guides and transfers ) we were greeted either prior to time planned or on time. One time that driver was late due to traffic ( 10 minutes ! ) we were notified prior. For every flight there were notices sent in advance.
As for guides and drivers as well as their vehicles they were all perfect as promised. However I have to commend specially the guide and driver in Angkor Wat ( 3 days ) It was very humid, every time we entered the vehicle driver had super cold small towels to refresh ( from ice box, 10 pieces in one day ) and in humidity it was great. Very nice guide in Ninh Binh. All drivers and guides were very attentative, polite and never experienced anything but careful driving. The cars were nice as stated prior.
Honestly, never gotten so much attention and sincere interest to make sure all is going well.
We want to thank Mr. Long and his choices of drivers and English language guides for making our stay and travels withing the country easy, pleasant and amazing!

Tetiana was very attentive in the planning stage and throughout our travels. She was always quick to respond and ready to provide solutions to our questions.

Caroline took an outline of a trip we wanted to take to Switzerland and completely filled it in for us from beginning to end.

The itinerary details were impeccable, the optional activities were extremely helpful.

All of our vouchers were provided so ticketing for trains and gondolas was taken care of.

Hotel check-in went seamlessly.

In addition, Caroline was an absolute delight to work with. She truly seemed to care that my son and I had the trip of a lifetime.

I would recommend kimkim And Caroline to anyone with my highest confidence.

Hotel Reviews

Hotel Chalet Swiss Traditional style

Interlaken

Hotel Chalet Swiss in Interlaken was charming with its old and creaky ambiance. The service was wonderful, and the location was easy to get to. Although Interlaken can be a bit touristy, I enjoyed exploring the quieter old town area nearby. The hotel provided a cozy, authentic experience with helpful staff.

Hotel Nolda

St. Moritz

Hotel Nolda in St. Moritz was great, although the room was a bit small. The view from our window of the Alps was beautiful, with a river and cows in sight. It made the whole stay very picturesque. The hotel restaurant served a nice dinner, which added to the experience. Overall, it was a cozy stay with wonderful views.

Seeburg Hotel

Lucerne

The Seeburg Hotel in Lucerne was very nice. It was located a little outside of the tourist area, which I appreciated because I'm not really into the rush of touristy places. Although it required a short ten-minute bus ride to get to the old city part of Lucerne, it was worth it for the peaceful environment. The hotel itself was very pleasant, with great breakfast options. Overall, staying here made our time in Lucerne more enjoyable.

Activity Reviews

Mount Pilatus, Golden Round Trip (Tickets)

Switzerland

The visit to Mount Pilatus was a bigger, higher elevation adventure compared to Mount Rigi. We took the train up and the gondola down. The journey was seamless, and the view from the top was exquisite. Although initially hesitant about doing two mountain trips in a row, Mount Pilatus offered its own unique experience and was definitely worth it.

Self-guided day to Mount Rigi, the Queen of Mountains

Lucerne

Our first Alpine adventure was the self-guided day to Mount Rigi. It was wonderful. We explored around the main area and then ventured off into pastures, finding a shelter with lounge chairs where we enjoyed some solitude surrounded by cows and the beautiful mountain environment. It was quite the serene experience and a good introduction to our mountain adventures.

I found kimkim after a frustrating and disappointing experience with a local "luxury" travel agent. From the first trip survey and timely assignment to a local expert, I knew immediately I had found a fit.

I feel so fortunate that Ben was responsible for planning our trip because he clearly wanted to create a truly customized trip for my family - not regurgitate or cobble together other itineraries he'd already planned.

In our initial planning stage, Ben made sure to keep a momentum in our communication to ensure that we could secure any necessary activities or experiences in plenty of time. He also asked detailed questions and always took feedback to heart so that we could fine tune our overall plan and the activities for each day.

The kimkim itinerary system lists each part of the trip (transportation, hotel stay, experience, etc.) separately so it's very easy to do your own research of whether or not it's a fit for your needs and then provide your feedback and thoughts.

There were some very specific things that I wanted to include in the trip for our family that weren't typical and Ben found structured classes or local neighborhoods to explore for each one.

As the departure date for our trip approached, Ben made sure to provide all the necessary details and confirmation numbers we would need and the kimkim app made information easy to find whenever we wanted to check on specific details.

The guides that Ben assigned to us for each activity seemed hand-picked for the timing of the trip and specific goal.

Peter-san was calm and collected in the chaos of someone's first day in Tokyo as we moved through the city using public transportation.

Hitoshi-san took great care in mapping out a half-day bike tour through Takayama that allowed us to visit landmarks that would have otherwise taken a couple of days to see.

Amanda-san clearly loves sharing her vast knowledge of Kyoto along with accommodating some quick shopping requests since we had some extra time in our day.

At the end of our trip, Miki-san helped us navigate parts of Tokyo we hadn’t seen and shared daily trips and tricks that helped us enjoy the area like locals.

Akiko-san, our translator for the tofu making class, ensured we had clear instructions along with some added humor along the way. She also took the extra time we had after finishing class early to provide a quick walking tour of the area since she is an expert in that neighborhood.

Each person we interacted with was helpful, kind, and clearly enjoyed their role in the process.

Throughout the trip, Ben was in touch so even a minor hiccup could be addressed in a timely manner.

I highly recommend both kimkim and Ben!

Hotel Reviews

Karaksa Hotel Tokyo Station

Tokyo

This hotel is the perfect final destination in Tokyo because of its location and wonderful staff.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Sotetsu Fresa Inn Kyoto-Kiyomizu Gojo

kyoto

This room was well appointed, had comfortable beds, and even had a bathtub!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Takayama Ouan Hotel

This was the only hotel that didn't seem in the same class as the others. Not only was the room an awkward layout, but it was well-worn and even a little dusty. It may be that we just got a room that needed a little TLC compared to the others,

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Onyado Yuinoshou

At first, I wasn't sure that we needed to spend the night in Shirakawa-go, but once we arrived at the hotel, we knew it was worth it. Since we stayed here at the midpoint of our trip, it slowed things down in a way that we didn't feel we had to be moving all the time. The property is gorgeous and the views of the valley, soothing. Everything you need to enjoy the baths is provided and they even have a variety of special pillows you can take to get a great night's sleep.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Onyado Nono Kanazawa Natural Hot Spring

Kanazawa

Not only was the location just what we needed to explore the sights of Kanazawa, but the room was a great size for a family of four. Our room even had a little sitting area which allowed us to organize and coordinate our plans and our packing. This hotel had a breakfast buffet instead of a standard meal so we were able to try a variety of freshly prepared dishes. After the hustle and bustle of Tokyo - both Kanazawa and this hotel provided a wonderful opportunity to slow down a little bit.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

The TOURIST HOTEL AND CAFE AKIHABARA

Tokyo

This hotel was a great fit for us because we could enjoy the high energy of the Akihabara area then return to a quiet street and neighborhood to decompress after a long day. The rooms were designed to use space efficiently and had all the necessary amenities. The breakfast options provided something for everyone and since they were freshly prepared for each person, they provided a great start to our day.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

⚾️ Afternoon Baseball Game at Meiji Jingu Stadium

Tokyo

If you are a baseball fan, a game in Japan is a must! It's easy to take public transportation, but make sure to wear comfortable walking shoes. You can bring food into the game so feel free to purchase some snacks while walking to the stadium. Or, there are plenty of food options once you arrive if you prefer.

Quality of Experience

🌿 Traditions in Tokyo: A Day of Tofu & Indigo Dyeing Experience

Tokyo

It's always fun to learn from experts. Kai-san's tofu workshop gave us the skills to make tofu at home. Akiko-san was the interpreter and the two worked so well together that it was seamless communication. Miki-san was our guide and she made sure to provide details about the area/neighborhood while helping us get to these smaller workshops located in places we may not have visited otherwise.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

🏯🍜 Kyoto Culture & Culinary Day: Kinkaku-ji, Nanzen-ji & Ramen Workshop

Kyoto

It was a great day in Kyoto with typical sightseeing and a quick food focus . Amanda-san is a highly knowledgeable guide who helped us navigate the Kyoto bus system while seeing the sights. We also got to make ramen noodles with Momo who clearly loves sharing the craft with anyone hoping to learn more. The ramen workshop also included lunch, so make sure to arrive hungry!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Half Day Cycling in Takayama

Takayama

Our guide, Hitoshi-san, took the time to hand-draw a map of our route and clearly explained it to us before we left. After all the walking we had done on the first part of the trip, it was nice to cover more ground on a bike and to experience Takayama in a different way.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

The public transportation from Shirakawa-go to Takayama

Japan

A beautiful ride through the hills.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Really enjoyed planning this amazing first trip to Japan. Marii listened to all of my requirements and helped me put together a trip that was memorable for all. We did encounter some glitches, but she rectified them and in the end everything worked out well
Tokyo stay at the Indigo Shibuya was amazing. The meiji shrine shinto ritual tour is highly recommended. We toured Tokyo on the east side with Molly and Yuri and had a great time exploring all the food choices and getting their recs for shopping and dining places in Asakusa and Akihabara. The sumo wrestling is just a fun family event so would rec.
Hakone Ryokan was superb and relaxing as an in between city stay
Kyoto was a favorite and we enjoyed our Tea Ceremony the most. The Gion tour was not necessary as we could have done on our own. The Thousands Tokyo is very well situated near the station allowing us quick in and out for exploration.
Hiroshima/Miyajima tour was well executed by our personal tour guide yuko who kept us on track but never made us feel rushed.
All of our train tickets were purchased ahead of time and we used our suica card for metro and short travel distances which worked great. Our guides were a big help in helping us navigate all this when asked.
I highly rec Kim Kim for those travelers that need some help with coordinating hotels, transfers and ideas for tours. I was fully involved in all the decision making with Marii guiding me along the way.
I really enjoyed our 2 main chats to put together all the days and tours which helped personalize our trip.
We were exhausted at the end of the day but really enjoyed the whole trip and will be back to Japan to enjoy at a bit of leisure. Awesome country with amazing people who were very welcoming.
We returned back to Tokyo for another day and loved the Wagyu beef and sake tasting tour. Probably should have done earlier in our tour so we could enjoy the correct sake for the rest of the trip!

Hotel Reviews

Daiwa Roynet Hotel Ginza PREMIER

Tokyo

After our other two hotels, this one is mediocre. But pricing of hotels in ginza are astronomical so this was more of a budget hotel, with a comfortable room. Breakfast was okay but not as nice as the other stays in Shibuya and Kyoto

Authenticity & Character

very basic

Location

Staff

helpful when needed but didn't go out of the way

Cleanliness & Comfort

clean but no real ambience

The Thousand Kyoto

Kyoto

Great location and the staff is very helpful with navigating the area and trains. Make sure to come out the central hall at the station to get to the hotel. We went out the wrong way. They were very helpful in transferring our bags back to Tokyo and it only took a few minutes on our end.

Authenticity & Character

beautiful lobby

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

room was big enough for the 3 of us

HAKONE GORA BYAKUDAN

Hakone-machi

A must for a first time traveler. But one night is enough.

Authenticity & Character

the decor in the room was amazing

Location

one with nature

Staff

treated us like royalty with great attention to detail

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Indigo Tokyo Shibuya

Shibuya

Decent size room for 3 people. Well situated near Shibuya station but quiet. Breakfast was amazing and service excellent

Authenticity & Character

the decor

Location

Staff

everyone was very kind

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Kyoto Evening Gion Food Tour

Kyoto

Our guide was very kind but could not speak fluent English. He walked us around Gion, but we could have done that on our own and read from tour books. Took us to a traditional Kyoto Kaiseki dinner and conversation with him at that time was good.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

very kind guide, but his English was not very good and he was not able to engage with information during our stroll. He did take very nice pictures of our family

Relaxing Evening: Private Onsen and Kaiseki Dinner

Hakone

This is a 5 star experience you should not miss. We stayed at Gora Byakudan which provides an amazing experience at the Onsen, dinner and breakfast. They explain the tradition of the onsen and there are many instructions to follow prior to stepping in to the open onsen. We had a private one on our balcony as well which was nice. The dinner is like nothing I have experienced. You have to keep your mind open as it is very traditional kaisaki.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Dinner & Live Sumo Show with Former Professional Wrestlers

Tokyo

No trip would be complete without a live sumo show. Had a good time with our daughter and the crowd really fed in to the whole experience

Quality of Experience

Food

Hot Pot and Champo were okay

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Wagyu Beef & Sake Paring Foodie Tour in Ginza

Tokyo

Really fun experience with a knowledgeable guide. Encompasses understanding sake and then a very nice teppanaki style wagyu experience

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Full Day Hiroshima and Miyajima Tour from Kyoto with a Multilingual Guide by Public Transportation (Private)

Kyoto

Yuki was a wonderful guide and helped navigate the trains, boats and admission to the sites.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

You use high speed trains and local transport that is included in the cost of the tour. Tickets were prepurchased

Kimono Tea Ceremony Gion Kiyomizu (Private)

Japan

One of our favorite experiences. Very authentic and full of detail and beauty. She was so knowledgeable of the customs and rituals. They use excellent matcha so enjoy

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Tokyo to Hakone Transfer: Mt. Fuji and Hakone Full-Day Tour with English-Speaking Driver

Japan

Our driver Gary was committed on getting us a view of Fuji which we somehow did for 15 min before the cloud cover came back. Took us to some amazing view points and never rushed us. Was a great resource on culture in Japan and ways to navigate the other cities. Spoke excellent English

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Bring your music and enjoy on the drive!

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

Tokyo

Great way to get an understanding of the fish market and the offerings. It is overwhelming with instagram influencers swaying you to go to certain vendors. Our guides knew where to go for the best offerings and introduced us to so many dishes which helped with our choices later in the trip

Quality of Experience

Food

so many varieties to sample.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

navigating the metro/subway for the first time so it was helpful

Special Access: Join a Traditional Shinto Ritual at Meiji Shrine

Tokyo

Highly recommend to immerse yourself in to the shinto culture and get an inside peak at the shrine

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Palermo in general seemed a bit shabby ( a lot of trash everywhere) The food tour was fantastic , Our guide Angelo was wonderful and very funny.
Cefalu and Hotel Kalura were an absolute dream.
Tripani- on-street parking was challenging. Hotel Gancia - water was no potable!! Never encountered that before.
Castelemare del Golfo was very pretty and we loved our hotel. Parking was a challenge.

We had 4 guides Dolly, Hiroshi, Taka and Pete. All of them excellent guides and we had a great time with them.
Japan is a amazing place and the experience during this trip exceeds our expectations starting with the planning by Bella , the sightseeing and the hotels.
We loved all but we enjoy the most Kyoto and Hiroshima.

Hotel Reviews

Onyado Nono Kanazawa Natural Hot Spring

Kanazawa

Good tradition Japanese Hotel but also adapted to western clients

Authenticity & Character

Walking without shoes and quimono made our stay special. Also the public bath was vrry well equiped

Location

Near to a lot of restaurants

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Public bath

THE KNOT HIROSHIMA

Hiroshima

Great location and very comfortable room

Authenticity & Character

The variety of food in the breakfast

Location

Central place very near to the locations we visited

Staff

The staff was nice and the restaurant food and service were excellent

Cleanliness & Comfort

All

Activity Reviews

Family-Friendly Day Trip Itinerary: Hakone – Lake Ashi – Kawaguchiko – Tokyo (Guide, Private Transfer)

Japan

Fantastic. Beautiful sightseeing.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Public transport very well planned

Hiroshima's Legacy: Peace Memorial & Okonomiyaki（public transport）

Hiroshima

Very emotional and must to see the Peace Memorial Museum and Park

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Robi and his team planned the most wonderful trip for my family. He was even able to manage a last minute pivot . Fantastic guides and customer service!!

Activity Reviews

Oyster tasting in Mali Ston

Croatia

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Visit Ston

Croatia

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Truffle hunting experience in Istria

Croatia

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Great experience from start to finish. The itinerary was well thought out, the local guides and city managers were excellent, and everything ran smoothly.

A special thanks to Shahd and Ahmed, who were incredibly attentive throughout the trip and always quick to answer questions. They did a great job helping us navigate the uncertainty when the conflict with Iran started and worked with us on itinerary adjustments as things evolved.

Would absolutely recommend them and would use them again.

I gave them a budget and they hit it to the dollar. Good follow up and check ins throughout the trip.

My favorite activities were the knife making and the gold leaf chopsticks. I really liked all the wood I saw in Japan. Tons of the signage is just a large slab with their name on it. I did bonk my head fairly hard by looking down at the floor construction while walking through a samurai house, the wood working was fascinating. The ceiling height not so much. 4 out of the 5 places we stayed were absolutely incredible, top notch. The hyatt in kanizawa, was not bad by any means. It's just the other 4 were much better.

Everything tour wise went great, each guide met us in our lobby and had local/native knowledge of the areas we toured. I asked each day if the driver would eat lunch with us, and was told no, and that I should not get him a lunch from the restaurant. That felt strange to me.

So much of the history has burned down and been rebuilt, but it was neat to see things that had survived

We had the most amazing trip organised by Caterina and the KimKim team, highlights were Lake Garda, Bologna and Sorrento, however the entire trip was fantastic.

Hotel Reviews

Kolbe Hotel Rome

Rome

Really clean and comfortable with a great outdoor garden area to relax in.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Central to the main attractions and the resturant district.

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Rosso 23

Florence

Neat and tidy Hotel, staff weren't as friendly as all other stops and not as helpful, and the breakfast was just ok.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Good location out of the hussle and bussle and only a couple minute walk to the centre of town.

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

I Portici Hotel

Bologna

Very upmarket Hotel and quote luxurious, on the main street and a short walk to the sqaure.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Césa Tyrol

Canazei

Very helpful staff and only a short stroll to town, and nicely renovated.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Caesius Thermae & Spa Resort

Bardolino

Great location and really lovely Hotel, the staff were helpful and friendly, and had great ammentities.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Very central.

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Exceptional clean and great size rooms.

Activity Reviews

Cycle the Appian Way - Bike or e-Bike tour

Rome

We didnt do it.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Private e-bike tour in Florence with Gelato

Florence

Fantastic trip and the guide was sensational, a lovely family business.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Pizza and Gelato making Class (group tour)

Italy

This was ok, the quality of the pizzas were just ok, it is obviously hard to make dough and have it cure in the short time we were there, so maybe they could teach how to make the dough and go through the process however have some other bases there that were made the day before to make the end eating experience a bit better.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Self explore Bardolino

Italy

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Private excursion to Lucca and Pisa - access to the Leaning Tower included

Florence

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Verona Day Trip

Italy

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Half day foodie tour in Bologna

Italy

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

We enjoyed this trip very much and are very appreciative of the support we received from KIMKIM. We worked with Aleksandra for several months finding a way to include all the cities and areas we wanted to visit.
In terms of cities I think Dublin was our favorite. We liked the Mercantile Hotel - a great location, nice room, amazing breakfast and a very good bar and restaurant. We enjoyed the stores and pubs in the neighborhood a lot. The Hop On Hop Off bus stop was very close to our hotel and we used this system to make our way around Dublin.
We're so glad Aleksandra recommended the tour of 14 Henrietta Street. It was a little tricky to find but we had a very nice guide and appreciated his words about the history of the building.
The day tour of the Cliffs of Moher was disappointing. The bus was very cramped and Bill especially was uncomfortable because of no leg room at the seats. Galway was a big disappointment it was very crowded with tourists and we saw no charm in the city.
Kilmainham Jail was fascinating. The guide provided an excellent exposure to the many different eras of the jail including why people were jailed and executed there. Experiencing the small cells and limited access to the outside was chilling.
The Guiness Experience Tour was a struggle. It was packed with people - mostly young people who's purpose was to enjoy the free beer.
We were so glad to visit Trinity College and the Book of Kells. It was a graduation day for medical students so the plaza was filled with family members bearing numerous floral bouquets. It's too bad the books are being removed from the "Long Room" and it will be closed to the public for several years.
Edinburgh was our next stop and our lodging issue was extremely frustrating but NOT the fault of Aleksandra. We thought the apartment building had a lift but it did not. Only a very large spiral staircase and there was no way we could have handled that climb daily. Aleksandra was quick to respond and found us another hotel very close to the areas that we were scheduled to tour. My only suggestion about Edinburgh is that people who are considering Edinburgh need to understand how steep the streets are and how difficult it is go get around. Our food tour was excellent. The castle tour was very strenuous. The Real Mary King's Close was difficult due to uneven flooring and small doorways but the guide was very accomodating to the senior citizens. Holyhood House was very interesting to see - we enjoyed that opportunity very much.
Our hotel in Bayeux was very nice close - to the train station and the downtown area. We were a bit challenged by all the football fans who had filled the bars close to us to watch Arsenal but we enjoyed the fun, Our all day tour of the Normandy beaches was a real highlight of our trip. We booked this tour ourselves but I would suggest that KIMKIM include this gentleman for Normandy tours in the future. His name is Bertrand Saudrais and his email is [email protected].
Our hotel location in the West End was great. The changing of the guard was very crowded and took quite a long time but we wanted to see it. The Royal Mews was very interesting and our lunch at Buckingham Arms Pub was a great recommendation from Aleksandra.
Unfortunately our trip to the Victoria and Albert museum was cancelled. Bill had a cold and we both thought we needed a day off.
The river trip to Hampton Court didn't work out. It was raining heavily and the wind gusts were difficult. The boat did not have enough room for everyone and we ended up on the front deck chairs. After an hour we got off the boat and found a local pub where we enjoyed a great lunch and a very friendly group of people.
The next day our Hidden Pubs of London tour was a wonderful history of London pubs over the centuries. Drinking beer wasn't the focus but the guide Lynden was excellent. - very informed and very cognizant of all the people on the tour.
Our day long tour of Stone Henge, Bath and Windsor Castle began at 7:00 AM anded at 6:30 PM - a long day. However, the coach we had was very comfortable we covered many miles hearing from our guide and talking with our fellow tour people. All of the stops were just as we had hoped but it would have been nice to have more time in Windsor Castle - guess we'll have to go back.
On Saturday it was raining again as we waited in line at Parliament. Once we got inside we really enjoyed the different rooms for the various political groups. Very interesting.
Our last day we toured the British Museum that was very close to our hotel. Seeing the ancient artifacts from around the world was such a pleasure..
Overall, we were once again very pleased with KIMKIM. Aleksandra worked very hard to fulfill our wishes in the way that made the most sense. What we learned is that we may have over booked this trip with tours - we should have included at least one more day of rest.
As we talk to our friends about our travels we always mention the KIMKIM name so I hope you'll get some new customers.

We were excited for Kimkim to help us out with our planning for our Ireland trip. We were expecting a local expert and high level of concierge support. Cathy was part of Highpoint Holidays - which is a travel agent based in France. Cathy was NOT local to Ireland, although they claimed that they had local experts. The service we received was about average for a non-local travel agent. The places that were booked were ok, the hotels were decent and met our expectations - but we could have probably booked them ourselves. Two of the planned activities could not be scheduled - our dinner in Dublin and the food tour in Kinsale. We were reimbursed for those items - but were disappointed. We ended up booking our own food tour. We ended up NOT being able to attend the hurling match in Galway, because there was no adequate car service to get there. The drivers for the Giants Causeway and Dingle peninsula were just that - just drivers, not really private tour guides. A gruly local Irish travel agent, would likely have been able to advise our activities and make recommendations much better than what we got. While all the acommodations were ok, it was not the high end local concierge service that we thought we paid for -- we could have actually done most of the research ourselves and booked the trip on-line, likely for cheaper than we paid for. We still enjoyed the trip very much, because we were able to adapt and plan a lot of it ourselves - not sure we'll use this service again in the future for the price paid.

Hotel Reviews

Ashling Hotel Dublin

Dublin

Very American hotel. Large rooms, large tourist crowd. O

Authenticity & Character

Location

Need to Uber to get to most sights.

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

The White House Guesthouse

Loved this hotel. It was right in downtown Kinsale - EVERYTHING was in walking distance! The downside is there is no parking and no place to even temporarilly park to unload your luggage without blocking the main street.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

The room was very nice. The hotel is on the main street and there was a true Irish wake on one of the nights we stayed there - so the street noise was VERY loud until about 3AM. Tough to sleep.

Countryside Retreat Dingle

Dingle

This was a place off the beaten track and quirky is a really good description of this place. It is NOT within walking distance of Dingle and to take a taxi was about 30 pounds one way. It is an old farmhouse that has been renovated. The bedrooms are upstairs. It worked for our purposes.

Authenticity & Character

Definitely old - there was an old farmyard next to it and cow pastures out back.

Location

Farther out from Dingle than we were expecting

Cleanliness & Comfort

There were dead bugs all over the windowsills. For an Air B&B - the kitchen supplies were on the lower side of adequate. There was a washer (but we didn't use it) - as there seemed to be a water pressure issue.

The Stone Cottage

The owner if this Air B&B was so very nice and accommodating. The directions provided by Highpoint Holidays put us in a cow pasture! There was a washer and dryer available (which was perfect since we had just come off of 7 days of hiking). It was a very quiet neighborhood near Castlebar. Loved it!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Ship Quay Hotel

Londonderry

This is a cute hotel in Derry close to everything. The room was great and breakfast was delicious - had porridge with a shot of Jameson whiskey (never had that before).

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

The Malone Hotel

Belfast

The room that we had was really nice, large and plenty of space. The issue we had was the hotel was pre-paid. They took our credit card at the desk for "incidentals" similar to hotels in the United States - so we didn't think anything of it. They ended up charging us $600+. Then they said they made a mistake, so the refunded us. Then they said they made a mistaket with the refund - and - ended up charging us again. Since we paid with a third party (through Kimkim) - we had to go through them. Both Kimkim and us were unsuccessful in getting the charge reversed. We ended up going through our credit card company. It was a very stressful situation and the hotel manger that we dealt with was very rude and didn't listen to our explanations. While the accomodations were nice, the bar was nice, and the restaurant was decent - be wary of how they charge you.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Kilronan House

Dublin 2

Average 3-star hotel. Typical European small room. Close enough to sites around the City. Very quiet area (which was really great).

Authenticity & Character

Location

Quiet neighborhood

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Musical Pub Crawl in Dublin

Dublin

NOTHING SHORT OF AMAZING AND VERY FUN! Highly, highly recommend!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Private Guided Tour of Dingle and Slea Head

Ireland

This would have been amazing, if the weather had cooperated. The driver was nice, but very old. He knew the tour areas to stop and take us to. But it was a bit scary to be driving with him. He also ended up hitting his car on a wall. What we were able to see was quite nice. Ended up cutting our tour a bit short, because we were a bit uncomfortable with his driving. The car was immaculate and clean.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Private Tour Giant's Causeway and Antrim Coast

Belfast

Scenery was amazing. Driver was just that, just a driver - not a tour guide. Didn't really have the history and didn't really even know the legends about the Giant's Causeway. Great driver though, nice guy.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Belfast Political Taxi Tour

Belfast

LOVED IT - one of the best things to do. Highly recommend if you're interested in Irish History at all.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

It was so helpful to us never having visited South Africa to have Janneke's local expertise. She took the time to get to know us and planned an experience that went beyond a checklist of attractions to connecting us with local people and providing us deeper insights into the country. Our highlight was time in Kruger National Park where we went on 6 game drives in just a few days. We saw the big 5 game animals, but we saw so much more and learned about the ecology of the bush and the history of the region. It was an unforgettable experience.

Hotel Reviews

58 On Hume

Randburg

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Bambuu Lakeside Lodge

Hazyview

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Ivory Wilderness River Rock Lodge

Hoedspruit

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

The whole team knew our names, details about us, and what game we'd like to see within minutes. The food was amazing.

Cleanliness & Comfort

La Cotte Farm

Franschhoek

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Lion's Head Sunrise Hike

Cape Town

I had an amazing morning hike up Lion's Head with Jodie from SLOW. I learned so much about the area and the ecology. And she prepared snacks for my birthday. Just a fabulous experience.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Bo-Kaap Walking Tour

Cape Town

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff