Kimkim Trip Reviews

Berat organised a wonderful holiday for my daughter and I in May 2024. The trip design was great capturing lots of major sites from the extraordinary landscape and cave dwellings in Cappadocia to Greco-Roman sites at Ephesus, Aphrodisias and Hieropolis to the thermal waters and travertine terraces at Pamukkale. We ended our trip in Istanbul exploring Hagia Sophia, the Blue Mosque, the Cisterns, a boat tour of the Bosphorus and the Bazaar. The tour was exceptionally well designed with a full itinerary, great hotels ranging from 5 star to small characterful boutique hotels in lovely places. All transfers and travel arrangements were sorted for us so our trip was completely hassle free and seamless. But what made the trip was our wonderful guide Volkan who guided us every step of the way. He was a superb professional, immensely knowledgeable and helpful, thoughtfully managing every part of our tour. He filled us in on all of the amazing history of the region and made it all fascinatingly accessible to us. He finely balanced his guiding, warmth and support with giving us time to explore and spend time to ourselves. I’ve travelled extensively and this was my best holiday ever. We loved it and were very sad for it to end. I couldn’t recommend it more.

Leo was a very good guide. He was most helpful in getting to and from the various sites. He was knowledgeable and patient with us. The food tours and the guides were also excellent

Scotland is stunningly beautiful. We especially loved Oban and the standing stones of Kilmartin. Neil and Emily were excellent to work with.

Hotel Reviews

Eden Locke

Edinburgh

Eden Locke in Edinburgh was the perfect place to stay. The little apartment was fantastic, and it served as a great base for exploring the city. We loved visiting the castle, walking around the Royal Mile, and even catching the marathon. There were also some sweet little spots off the beaten path that we enjoyed discovering. Overall, it was one of our better trips, largely thanks to Eden Locke.

Location

3 Oban Self catering Apartment with seaview

Oban

Staying at the 3 Oban Self Catering Apartment was a bit different, but fun. It felt like an Airbnb and was fine for what it was. We did have to deal with a lot of steps up to the door, but it was enjoyable to be in a shared living space with the other couple we travelled with. It wasn’t luxurious, but it was comfortable and suited our needs for the stay.

The g Hotel & Spa

Galway

The g Hotel & Spa in Galway was a fantastic place to stay. The rooms were great, and the staff was kind and accommodating. It had a nice boutique feel while still offering top-notch amenities. Overall, it was a very nice experience, and I would highly recommend it to anyone visiting Galway.

Activity Reviews

Cliffs of Moher Visitor Center tickets

Ireland

The Cliffs of Moher were absolutely breathtaking. The visitor center provided a lot of interesting information about the cliffs and the surrounding area. The views were stunning, and it was a must-see on our trip. I loved every moment of it and would visit again in a heartbeat.

Dingle Distillery Tour

Ireland

The Dingle Distillery Tour was a fantastic experience. The distillery has been around for 50 years, and our tour guide did an excellent job explaining the history and the distillation process. I loved learning about the craft of Irish whiskey-making and even ended up buying some whiskey to take home. Highly recommended!

This was our fourth Kim Kim trip. They did a fantastic job as they always do in Vienna and Bratislava. Morjca, our guide in Vienna , was everything we hoped for. She was extremely knowledgeable and experienced and showed us what we wanted to see. Milan , our guide in Bratislava, was outstanding and gave us a memorable two hours.

We had the most amazing time in Egypt. Ibrahim was able to build a package to suit our itinerary perfectly. We were taken care of by a company called Egypt Promotions. Our guides throughout were fabulous, especially Mohamed for our last two days in Cairo. The drivers and attendants were also faultless. The 4 day boat trip on the Nile was spectacular with all the staff making it so good. We have learned so much in our week and plan to read up some more to better our comprehension of the history of the ancient kings and gods of Egypt.
The only negative comment would be the hotel we stayed in Cairo - Helnan Dreamland - not the accommodation but the staff, especially at the restaurant, who were less than attentive making us get up ourselves to request service and at one time we waited 40 minutes for a bottle of wine because there was no corkscrew to be found. Twice we had restaurant staff knocking at our door at night because they had made mistakes on the bill. We then made a deliberate effort to finalize the account the night before checkout (as we had an early morning pick up) only to be confronted with extra charges, but as we tried to explain we were simply told we could not check out until it was settled and they brought in the heavy weight to make sure we understood!!! I would never recommend this hotel to anyone.

Vicky was amazing before and during the trip. I have worked with many travel agents in the past, but she was by far the most responsive and attentive agent I have used. All of our questions were answered quickly and comprehensively, which led to a very relaxing trip very far from home. We both felt very safe and secure knowing that if anything went wrong, vicky would have been there to help immediately. I have recommended her to a few of my friends and family because she was amazing.

Hotel Reviews

Rhapsody Resort

Surfers Paradise

Very good location in relation to the boardwalk. We spent a lot of time riding the electric bikes and there was a station right outside the hotel so we could ride up and down the boardwalk easy. A fair amount of construction around the building, which should clear up eventually. The sheets were alright, could be a little more comfortable, but the view was amazing. Theres a convenience store connected to the hotel at ground level which had lots of options for food we liked.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Emporium Hotel South Bank

South Brisbane

Super luxurious hotel close to brisbanes central business district. Very beautiful area to walk around with a lot of good diverse food options. The spa was AMAZING, and definitely better after a long plane ride. 10 times out of 10 I would stay in this hotel right when I land in australia. The rooftop restaurant was good, but a little expensive for the portions they give you. Drinks are their bread and butter there, made very strong.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Pullman Port Douglas Sea Temple Resort & Spa

Port Douglas

We had a very nice room that had a private pool. Food was difficult to come by at the resort and transfers are needed to and from port douglas since it is too far to walk (~3 miles). Staff was great, spa was relaxing

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Premium Guided Dive Trip - Outer Great Barrier Reef

Port Douglas

Absolutely breathtaking. Our guide was super attentive and made sure myself and my fiancé understood the trip and how to dive. It was her first time diving and she ended up loving it. The guide was awesome

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Great Barrier Reef Sailing and Snorkeling Cruise from Port Douglas

Port Douglas

Quality of Experience

Quality of Experience

Food

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Transport

Croc Express to Australia Zoo

Gold Coast

Loved the australia zoo, ride there was a little bit long though. About 3 hours there and back from the gold coast.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary and Brisbane River Cruise

Brisbane

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Valentine did the planning of my trip and everything goes well. Top of Europe, Mt Rigi, Oeschinensee lake, Lavaux vineyard, burano island are excellent recommendations to visit /hike. Valentine and her team also track and follow through my journey. Very responsible team.

Hotel Reviews

Marcella Royal Hotel

Rome

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Relais Sul Mare Boutique Hotel

Naples

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Liassidi Palace

VENEZIA

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel La Rouvenaz

Montreux

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Metropole Hotel Interlaken

Interlaken

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Romantik Hotel Wilden Mann

Lucerne

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

The Best of Colosseum & Ancient Rome With Exclusive Arena Access | Semi-Private Tour

Rome

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Doge's Palace & St Marks Basilica Tour at Night (Small Group/3,5hours)

Italy

Quality of Experience

Pop

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Early Morning Access Vatican Tour (small group tour/3,5 hours)

Rome

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Jungfraujoch, Top of Europe (tickets and seat reservation)

Switzerland

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Panorama Hike from Männlichen to Kleine Scheidegg (Experience Level: Beginner - Accessible to everyone!)

Switzerland

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

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

Lucerne

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Nick was very available and worked hard to ensure a smooth trip. He was knowledgeable and friendly to work with.

Hotel Reviews

Mabul Beach Resort

Mabul Island

Such a cool place! Wonderful staff, ecologically oriented, gives back to the community, minimizes waste.

Authenticity & Character

Dedicated to diving, snorkeling experience, wonderful reefs.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Right on the beach

Location

Right on the beach

Staff

All so friendly and helpful

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Very clean and good size rooms, nice bathroom.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Borneo Natural Sukau Bilit Resort

Cool location right on the river.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Rooms were small, they needed more hooks and places to hang clothes. However, all was very clean.

Sepilok Jungle Resort

Sandakan

Beautiful location in midst of jungle, boardwalks everywhere. Pool was a bit dirty and limited. Rooms fine, clean. Great location next to orangutan and sun Bear sanctuaries.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Not able to do laundry with no place to dry clothing and high humidity

Kinabalu Pine Resort

Authenticity & Character

Location

Lovely view, but a bit far from activities, not much to walk to or do.

Staff

Food was limited, no alcoholic beverages with dinner.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Lovely from porch, no air conditioning, however, the resort was at elevation, so cooler and they had great fans. Very clean.

Hotel Grandis Kota Kinabalu

Kota Kinabalu

Great roof top bar and pool. Rooms were clean and generous in size.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Mabul to Tawau Airport Departure

Mabul Island

Mabul island snorkeling was amazing and resort fabulous, I would definitely recommend this.

Quality of Experience

Great.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Awesome.

Transport

Prompt and friendly only one miss communication, but it was worked out.

Kinabatangan River Exploration (River Cruises)

Kinabatangan

same as above

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Afternoon Wildlife River Cruise

Kinabatangan

Unfortunately, we never saw the Pygmy elephants but saw other animals. Guide was great, but it rained heavily on our first afternoon trip which limited our experience.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Sepilok Orangutan Centre & Sunbear Centre

Sandakan

Awesome experience!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Kinabalu National Park & Poring Hot Springs

Kundasang

Didn’t do the hot spring, too commercial, crowded, not natural seeming

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Coral Island & Snorkeling Excursion

Kota Kinabalu

Limited coral reefs, had to wear life preserver when snorkeling, murky waster with floating trash. Lunch was limited.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Alvaro, our kimkim specialist planned a trip of a lifetime for us in the Galapagos. Each and every experience he planned was special and executed well. I can’t say enough about each of our four different guides in the Galapagos. All weee knowledgeable, approachable and full of great charm. Thanks Alvaro and kimkim for the trip of a lifetime.

Hotel Reviews

Iguana Crossing Boutique Hotel

Galápagos

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Ikala Galapagos Hotel

Puerto Ayora

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Wyndham Guayaquil, Puerto Santa Ana

Guayaquil

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Casa Andina Premium Miraflores

Lima

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Experience the Pristine Beauty of Galápagos Islands: Discovering an Uninhabited Island

Puerto Ayora

Best of a great trip

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Wildlife Encounter at Los Tuneles (Cabo Rosa)

Galapagos Islands

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Welcome to Santa Cruz Island: Highlands (Plant a Tree) & Charles Darwin Research Station

Puerto Ayora

Our guide Stefano was outstanding

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Adventure: Cycling at Cerro Mesa Reserva & Snorkeling at Garrapatero Beach

Galapagos Islands

Quality of Experience

Quality of Experience

Food

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Transport

Highlights of Lima- City Tour

Lima

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

We had to go home after 1 day due to serious upper respiratory infection
Julia was an outstanding!! She really helped in everything!!
We were feeling so sick it was not possible for us to function

The hotels were spot on: great locations, excellent service, and not places I would have likely found on my own.
The itinerary exceeded our expectations. Giulia was responsive while setting it all up and the agency was responsive the few times I needed help during the trip. Thank you.

My husband and I had a terrific vacation in South Korea the first two weeks of April 2024.

Throughout 2023, we worked with our Kimkim agent Jessica Wang to plan our tour. From our initial email conversations to the final execution, Jessica made sure all our requests and concerns were addressed. This was our first trip to Korea, so we were eager to take it all in. Our plan included several days in Seoul, a tour of Taekwondowon, a visit to Andong with a stay in a traditional hanok and a visit to the Hahoe Folk Museum and Folk Village. We went on from there to Golgulsa Temple for a taste of Buddist life and seongmudo martial art. Gyeongju was next with more history of the Silla Kingdom, then on down to Busan. From Seoul to Busan we traveled with "Mr. Jones," our very attentive, friendly and knowledgable driver and guide. The last stop on the trip was Jeju Isalnd. We had some bad luck with some delicious food our first night there, and unfortunately ended up too ill to go out the next day. Jessica was terrific, checking in on us several times.
After flying back to Busan, we boarded the KTX train back to Seoul, an easy 2.5 hour trip.

If you have any interest in martial arts, go to Taekwondowon! It is a beautiful campus, with indoor and outdoor training areas. The theatrical TKD demonstration was really fun, and I think we got VIP'd because after the show, we were invited on stage for a little training! Andong and Gyeongju are great small cities with tons of history going back to the Silla Kingdom. We enjoyed an impromptu tour of the Hangeul Museum in Seoul. Mr. Kim, a docent, took us under his wing and guided us through the invention and development of the Korean alphabet and language. We learned more about 20th century Korea in Busan, especially the development of Gamcheon Culture Village and also Haedong Yonggungsa Temple.

We very much appreciated all the planning and attention Jessica and her team put into our vacation. It made everything flow smoothly with no worries.

Had the most memorable time

The team in Portugal (Pedro our trip planner and the guides/drivers Pedro, Andre, Pedro and George) were fantastic. Everything went well and according to the trip plan. Could not have done it without Kimkim and Across Portugal.

Hotel Reviews

Luz Charming House

Fátima

Very special experience. The rooms are unique. The restaurant has great breakfast and the dinner menu is excellent. The hosts are amazing. Very relaxing and peaceful.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

NH Hotel Porto Jardim

Porto

This hotel is in a very good location, and we felt safe. I couldn't mention anything bad about this hotel choice. It was great!

MeraPrime Gold Design Hotel

Lisbon

The hotel was in a very good location, and we felt very safe! I wouldn't have changed it at all.

Location

Activity Reviews

Douro Valley Vineyard Delights - A Lunch Experience

Portugal

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Lisbon's Historic Odyssey on a Private Walking Tour & Tastings

Lisbon

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Seamless Discovery - The Ultimate Douro Valley Experience with Private Driver Service

Portugal

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Unveil the Fairytale Villa of Sintra with a Private Driver Service

Portugal

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Scenic Group Boat Voyage along the Douro River

Portugal

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

The Flavors of Port Wine - Sip & Discover

Porto

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Immerse Yourself in the Portuguese Culture by Experiencing a Fado Dinner

Portugal

Quality of Experience

Food

Porto's Historic Odyssey on a Private Walking Tour

Porto

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Audrey made our whole trip SO easy by scheduling our rental car, guided trips in certain cities, beautiful "home base" lodgings as requested as well as various hotels and bed and breakfasts. She did a fantastic job of communicating with us before and during our trip, and even met us in her hometown and had lunch with us!

Magali with the Tourism Office of Lyon, Laurienne freelancing in Marseilles, and Yann with Taste Lyon were all amazing. Laurienne especially it felt like getting a tour from a friend.

Ana Santos, the tour leader was extremely helpful in addressing any questions we had during our tour. Cami Sarmiento did an excellent job organizing our trip. The hotels were great. We were picked up and dropped off on scheduled on every occasion. The local guides were always on time and they did an excellent job ensuring we engaged in the activities for which they were responsible. Local guides always answered ur questions with the appropriate level of detail.

It would be helpful if, in the future, you provide tour participants guidelines for who should be tipped during the tour and the percent or amount that is appropriate. We have traveled extensively with organizations such as National Geography, Overseas Adventure Travel, Kensington Tours and Insight Travel. And, these organizations typically provide this type of information to avoid confusion and surprises.

This was the first time using KimKim and generally, the experience was very good. The initial questionnaire was very thorough and the planner (Ina) obviously used the answers to customize our trip including specific hotels and private tours that met our requirements. I don't think we could have put together an equivalent vacation ourselves, which made the higher price we spent that much more worthwhile. The 30+ page schedule they put together included suggested restaurants, most train tickets and most suggested private day excursions. However, there were several items missing from the schedule that we felt were an oversight. Several days were free and gave a link to suggested walking tours - but when it came time to see the link it was empty. We were also missing a couple of train tickets. Luckily, their 24/7 support is excellent and provided the information when requested. But it added a level of pressure during our trip that was unnecessary. Would we use KimKim again - absolutely. It was a great vacation.

We would like to compliment Soufiane as an excellent driver and chaperon during our 18-day Morocco trip. He was friendly, knowledgeable and struck a good balance of being conversational and giving our group our own space. We appreciated his comfortable driving and willingness to adapt to different plans. He even introduced us to his lovely family, which was a great experience to meet and spend time with a local Moroccan family.

We had a wonderful trip to Costa Rica! Serendipity did a great job with all our logistics and our contact Wilman kept on top of everything. It felt like we had a team supporting us throughout the trip. All our hotels were fantastic, the staff were so accommodating, and our trips were exactly what we wanted. We especially loved our tour of Manuel Antonio National Park, and our guide Andres Chaves Rojas was amazing. Overall we had a spectacular trip.

We are heading home from an amazing trip to Australia and New Zealand. Vickie did a wonderful job of putting together an itinerary that was the trip of a lifetime. I especially appreciated her patience in answering the many questions I had before the trip began. Everything worked seamlessly from being met at airports, transportation, reservations, etc . Two activities needed to be cancelled due to weather and Sabina was extremely responsive in helping us with refunds. We will definitely book future international travel with KimKim.

Hotel Reviews

Scenic Suites Queenstown

Queenstown

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

The Hermitage Hotel

Mount Cook Village

Gorgeous views!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Pullman Rotorua

Rotorua

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Pacific Hotel Cairns

Cairns

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Montreal

Christchurch

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

M Social

Auckland

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Radisson Blu Hotel

Sydney

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Dart River Safaris Funyaks

Queenstown (NZ)

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Te Pā Tū Māori Feast & Performance

Rotorua

Hell’s Gate Experience (Geothermal Walk, Mud Bath, Sulfur Spas)

Rotorua

Take the complimentary tour. This is an other-worldly experience

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Twilight Paddleboard and Glow worm tour

Rotorua

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Auckland to Rotorua via Hobbiton Movie Set

New Zealand

Fascinating particularly if you like the Hobbit and Lord of the Rings movies or books.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Kuranda Koala Gardens

New Zealand

There are two choices- petting a koala or holding a koala. Both choices are only 1 minute long while they take pictures, but be sure you book the experience that you want. We wanted to hold the koalas but had booked petting the koala. Did not know there were different options.