Kimkim Trip Reviews

Overall the trip worked out because I had to stay on top of changes and updates to make things go smoothly. I will walk through each day and what went well and what could be improved. Our trip was with my 80 year old parents, and my 10 year old daughter.

One takeaway that still confuses me is that we had the Siene Dinner Cruise until 11p, and then Versailles at 8a the next day. When I asked to move the Dinner Cruise, I was told it was not an option and non-refundable. But when I called the company, once in Paris - and paying international calling fees - they said it was not a problem but that the company that booked it had to ask to move it. Then it seemed like no problem. It seemed like KimKim just did not even want to try.

Day1 - we arrived in Paris with someone waiting with my name once we got through customs and had our bags. They had the wrong delivery address though and so we hand to figure that out and I had no cash yet to tip them.

Day2 Notre-Dame: We started early (9a) with a tour of the Notre-Dame. It would have been nice to sleep in a bit more and acclimate to the new time zone. Also there was some confusion in that we did not actually have tickets to the Notre-Dame, they just let us get in the very long line with everyone else, even though the title of the event was "Private Notre-Dame & Sainte-Chapelle Visit".

Day2 Louvre: For it being day1 after long travel, this made it a long day, but we did have a private entrance here. This guide seemed very scattered. The first thing we heard was that we were going to see the Mona Lisa, but we kept getting "distracted". This visit was supposed to be 2h, but it went about an hour over. If we had plans after we would have missed them. They give you a headset so you can hear them as you drift around a bit. Personally, I would rather had the easy entrance and then to just meet in the middle with a map and let us guide the route, and the person can speak to the things we are interested in. There is just so much there, and it was information overload. There are a ton of tour groups at the Louvre, so you need to pay attention to where your guide is.

Day3 Eiffel Tower: This worked out well, in that we got in quickly and had time to ourselves at the top.

Day4 & 5: We had food tours both of these days that had about half of the experience overlapped. Marais Pastry & Chocolate Tasting Experience - was all around sweets, and very interesting, and the guide was very good. The next day we had the "Montmartre Local Food Walk" tour with another very good guide, but they were not that different.

Day5 Siene River Dinner Cruise: This was good. Guidance on a dress code would be good here. There was a mix of folks dressed in full suits, and others in sweatshirts. Also, we do not drink alcohol so the fact that the agency paid for the wine paring for our whole table was a waste. Seeing the Eiffel blink at night was wonderful.

Day6 Shopping Day: This was nice to have a day to walk around and enjoy the city.

Day7 Parfume Making: This was very good, and we highly recommend this experience.
Day7 Baking Class: This was also wonderful and very kid friendly. We came home with so much bread!

Day8 Versaiiles: Taking the private van out to Versailles in the morning was the way to go. Going through the neighborhood of Versailles and visiting the queens grounds was all new to me. The guide here was very good as well.

Overall a very memorable trip.

My husband and I have never used a service like KimKim before when planning a vacation itinerary, and we are so glad we did. After being welcomed so warmly by Across Portugal, however, the bar has now been set very high for the future, for we feel very spoiled indeed. From the moment we arrived in Portugal, we were greeted and received with white-glove hospitality. Everyone we encountered provided such thoughtful and thorough service, working tirelessly to make sure that our experience ran smoothly. We truly felt cared for at every moment; every detail for our stay had been considered, from our name prominently displayed by our driver at the airport to the welcome box full of local treats in our hotel room to the printed tickets for our excursions and timely check-ins every afternoon. I have never had so many doors opened for me. We felt like royalty!

Throughout our trip, we received immediate, friendly and thorough support from the team at Across Portugal, and they graciously answered all of our questions, no matter how trivial or random. It was a true delight to experience the country through the eyes of those who live there; our drivers and walking guides were exemplary professionals, but most of all we appreciated the depth of their knowledge and enthusiasm as they shared Portuguese history, language, and culture with us, offering suggestions and recommendations for where to go and what to see, where to eat. They were quick with recommendations and remained sensitive and attuned to our every comfort. They consistently went out of their way to provide impeccable service, catering to our whims, whether it was advice on how to speak or pronounce words, removing the front seat to relieve carsickness during a winding journey, providing spare umbrellas when it rained, driving us by Cristiano Ronaldo's house to satisfy our curiosity, calling a restaurants at the last minute to book tables with an ocean view, attempting to help us attend a futebol match outside Porto... The list goes on and on. The love and pride that our guides felt for their homeland shone through their words and actions.

We discovered quickly that Across Portugal had taken the time to find only the very best in local service and excursions, from tastings to vineyard tours, boat rides to cross-country drives and fado dinners. It felt as though we were being given gift after gift of unique insights and kind gestures, invited into an exclusive family. We trusted the Across Portugal team, and by extension their partnerships with local businesses, to lead us at every turn. We would not hesitate to recommend their services to anyone planning a visit to this beautiful country. You will have no choice but to fall in love with Portugal!

Our driver Abdelkarim (Karim) was amazing, he was very knowledgeable and an incredibly safe driver. He did a great job coordinating our day-to-day activities and making sure things ran smoothly. The country of Morocco was truly beautiful and the activities we went to were very fun. We were upset that without us being made aware of it until the day of, our sandboarding activity, which we paid for (and hopefully we can get refunded for this), became impossible due when they scheduled the activity. This was especially annoying considering we were given 5hrs of free time the previous day when we could have done the activity.
What disappointed us the most were the lodgings booked by the KimKim team. With hindsight never have I been more happy that the major hotels we booked ourselves as the ones booked by the KimKim team were dirty, one had roaches, the other lacked a hot water shower. These hotels were quite rundown and did not meet the standards which we felt had been conveyed to us. The "luxury" camp which KimKim had told us had AC did not, and the food served was inedible.
Also the driver we had, as much as we loved him, was not who KimKim had told us would be our driver. This left us very confused and initially nervous since we were unable to contact our driver directly and it simply wasn't who we were told our driver would be.
To summarize, we enjoyed our trip overall and were mostly happy with KimKim's efforts, but in the future we probably will not use KimKim again due to the quality of the hotel bookings not being worth the premium we paid KimKim to book them.

Hotel Reviews

Kasbah Mohayut

Merzouga

Disgusting hotel, roaches outside our room, horrible food, dirty and unclean rooms. There is no internet for guests either. The bed was the worst bed I have ever slept on in my life. The bed and pillows were so awful that my fiancé and I slept on our clothes to make it softer and used our sweatshirts as pillows since the hotels were as hard as cement. Maye this hotel used to be good, but now it should be avoided.

Authenticity & Character

Rundown, pool looked like the water was dyed blue

Location

Right on the dunes, great for sunset/ sunrise.

Staff

Staff didn't do much, left pool area very dirty with old food and drinks sitting out

Cleanliness & Comfort

roaches, beds, internet, pillows, actually clean the rooms, mold in minifridge, the list could continue

La Perle du Dadès

Boumalne

Good for kids with lots of little board games and activities. Bad for people who wanted a view. Hotel has bad food and not near any restaurants

Authenticity & Character

Location

so many hotels with great views of the gorge, not this one

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Bed was rough, lots of flies, lacked hot water in shower and stable wifi

Riad Madu Luxury Camp

Merzouga

Luxury is a stretch. The camel ride out to the camp went great, until the driver tried to force us to buy knick-knacks. The staff was very kind which was a positive. The food was inedible and dinner was a struggle, especially as they did not understand gluten-free meaning my fiancé could not eat most of the dinner. the tent was black which made it incredibly hot, which would've been nice if the A/C worked...

Authenticity & Character

Location

not really in dunes, right next to every other camp

Staff

Staff was nice

Cleanliness & Comfort

The A/C didnt work, black tents made them super hot, uncomfy bed

Activity Reviews

Boumalne Dades to Marrakech, via Ouarzazate and Ait BenHaddou

Morocco

Car ride

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Tour Marrakech with a private guide

Marrakesh

Great knowledgeable guide, I wish we had seen a bit more of the landmarks, but only so much can be done on a half day tour.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

our guide was super knowledgeable, made the experience great

Transport

Erg Chebbi Dunes to Boumalne Dades

Morocco

Its a car ride

Quality of Experience

Its a car ride that felt like it took way too long

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Rock Climbing

Morocco

Was fun, wish we had known it was 4 hours long in advance

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

1/2 Day Tour Fes with a Private Guide

Fes

Tour was great, our guide was very knowledgeable, and we saw so many different landmarks and interesting places.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

From Fes to Merzouga via the Atlas Mountains (Ifrane, Azrou and Zaida)

Morocco

Just a car ride, we didn't want to stop for the monkeys. Its a long ride but it has great views.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Camel Trek into Luxury Sahara Camp

Morocco

Fun ride, ruined by guide trying to sell scam objects at the end

Quality of Experience

Food

There was no food?

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

ATV / Dune Buggy Adventure in the Sahara Desert

Morocco

It is not a real ATV adventure, you slowly drive behind a guide.

Quality of Experience

Not very exciting

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Sand Boarding

Morocco

We did not get to do this activity due to poor planning by the KimKim Staff

Quality of Experience

actually planning it so we could do the activity

Guides, Drivers and Staff

actually planning it so we could do the activity

Transport

actually planning it so we could do the activity

Sunrise Hot Air Balloon Ride over Marrakech

Marrakesh

Very fun, great view

Quality of Experience

Food

generic breakfast, bread and juice

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Paragliding

Marrakesh

Very fun, further from the city than we had been told. the drive with the paragliding crew after drop off was terrifying. They had people sitting on the roof of the car as we went up a narrow windy road on the edge of the cliff.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Drive by the paragliding company to the spot we took off from was terrifying

Pedro and his team made everything so much easier and more relaxed. From the transports to the guides to the daily communication, everything about our trip was fantastic. Highly recommend Pedro and their team!!

Ahmed, our driver was superb.

The guide in Marrakesh was not a good choice.
He spent most of his time talking to his friends than to attending to us.
other that he, the trip was exceptional. Thanks, Sharon

Activity Review

Guided Tour of Marrakech

Marrakesh

The guide was an idiot! If i were you, I would not use this guy again.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Just got back from 10 amazing days in Ireland! Completely and meticulously planned and executed by Cathy. This is our second trip with KimKim and will do it again. These trips take any worry & stress right out. You are taken care of like on a cruise, with experts and locals providing tours, transportation, and lodging....but not with a huge group of people. We love traveling "independently" with the knowledge that every detail is covered and we have a safety net if something goes sideways. We love the ability to tailor the trip to what WE enjoy, and not just accept what is in an itinerary. Going with KimKim also allows for the ability to pick restaurants (which we did ahead of time with incredible recommendations from Cathy) and go at the pace we like, stopping and enjoying a spot if we love it. Not getting in line to board a bus because we need to "move on."

Some of our favorites of this Ireland trip...

Central and lovely accommodations - each different, each perfect...breakfasts were incredible.

Private tours!!! - Ring of Kerry with Aodan who grew up there, Cliffs of Moher and Aran Islands with Phil, Kinsdale, Blarney and Cohb with Derek, Connemara with Patrick? These men know the history, the people, and the places like the back of their hand. I cannot imagine doing these places on our own. We would only see the places not be immersed in them. And driving in Ireland?? If either of us needed to be the driver, we would never have seen anything but the road.

We had two nights in most places, and Cathy figured out how to plan both mornings & afternoons without feeling rushed or crunched, and moving on to the next place with efficiency. Not a moment wasted. Train trips provided views and a little down time. Lovely! Our arranged taxi driver Noel met us at the airport and delivered us at the end. He couldn't have been more delightful and gave us great tips.

Each city was unique and perfect - Galway (Aran Islands), Limerick, Killarney, Cork (Kinsale & Cohb), Dublin - offering us a taste of each area. We loved them all, but enjoyed the everyday feel and peace of Limerick (not touristy), the quiet lifestyle on the Aran Islands, the travel around the Ring of Kerry in Killarney, and the absolute beauty of Cohb, and fun shopping of Kinsale.

The people in Ireland are just as beautiful as their land and sea. We have traveling quite widely and have never been treated with more hospitality and kindness. We won't ever forget this trip. Thank you, Cathy and team!!

Hotel Reviews

The Hyde Hotel

Galway

Centrally located, beautiful restaurant. Our room was a bit dated, but nice and they are renovated all of them. We were there just a little early. Stay there!

Authenticity & Character

Decor is beautiful and unusual. Old place, but being renovated beautifully.

Location

Can walk to everything, but quiet at night!

Staff

Attentive

Cleanliness & Comfort

Had to walk through construction zone to our room....but that should be over soon. The construction crew was super friendly.

The Bedford Townhouse

Limerick

Centrally located and quick walk from the train station!

Authenticity & Character

Beautifully designed right in the center of tour.

Location

Walkable!! 3 bridges walk was delightful

Staff

The woman who greeted us was INCREDIBLE! Gave us local info and a map for a walking tour including pubs.

Cleanliness & Comfort

New!! And with a special room in the lower level for chilling out. Like a living room with wine and water. Sweet!

The Ross

killarney

Right in the center of everything!! Our view was of the church and its cemetery. Breakfast was lovely in the lower level - decorated like on a cruise ship. Walked out with baskets of baked goods to choose from...then incredible full breakfasts. Double doors toward downtown kept out the noise of the fun happening....if you didn't want to join in!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Walked in the door and jumped in to grab our luggage...as check in is up a flight and behind the bar area, not easy to see.

Cleanliness & Comfort

The River Lee Hotel

Cork

Central and walkable. We were upgrade to the 5th floor where we had a view of the River Lee and access to extra waters and snacks down the hall. They do turn down service, too.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Stauntons on the Green

Dublin

Dublin is a busy city and this inn is a little on the edge, away from the people, but not too far. It sits right across from a beautiful park and you can get to everything you want by walking.

Authenticity & Character

So different than our other lodging in Ireland. A small feel inn....walking into a parlor...with a dining room...and rooms tucked in upstairs, main level, and ours in the downstairs garden level - very cozy!

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

A Full-Day Tour: Cliffs of Moher Cruise, the Aran Islands, South Connemara and the Burren

Galway

Phil and Fion were our guides. We had a very small group of 8. We learned much about the land and the people along the way. Loved the time spent on the island. Phil gave us great ideas and choices. Riding on the ferries to see the cliff and just be on the water was spectacular.

Quality of Experience

Beautiful area, good stops

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Good sense of humor, knowledgeable

Transport

Private driver Half day in Connemara

Galway

Our guide picked us up very early (breakfast wasn't open yet)and drove us through the Connemara countryside on our way to Kylemore Abbey. While rainy, it was very beautiful and he told us about the land and its people. We were scheduled for the Abbey and also a sheepdog demo. When we arrived at the Abbey it wasn't open yet, so he took us to a park to view Diamond Hill. We didn't have enough time to hike or anything. Headed back to the Abbey. Had just enough time to visit the building, not the grounds. Too late for the dog demo. We had to head back right away to make sure we didn't miss the train. Had to skip lunch and grab a snack at the train station. All in all, I would change this. My recommendation - an 8:00 pickup with an advised big breakfast beforehand. Less driving around, go directly to the Abbey for the building and the gardens. Then head to the train station for a snack.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

He was so polite and shared so much of Connemara. He had water and tissues for us in the back. Sweet man!

Transport

Welcome to Limerick!

Limerick

We got here in the late afternoon. They suggested we take the 3 bridges walking tour with map. It was perfect! We loved Limerick. Not as touristy and the pub were filled with locals.

Quality of Experience

Transport

Train was great!

Killarney National Park Jaunt - From Park to Castle

Ireland

It was a nice ride through the park. Our guide was not very talkative. The horse carriage ahead of us was having a much more interesting ride as we could hear their voices and laughter.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Our carriage driver rarely spoke.

Transport

Horse and carriage itself were great.

Private Guided Tour of The Ring of Kerry

Ireland

Aodan was incredible!! Share his personal experiences the whole way around the ring. Saw the 1800s village, had Irish coffee, watched an awesome sheepdog demo, drove by his Granddad's place and heard stories of his life, stopped by Skellig tourist info and watched the movie, had an delicious lunch by the sea, and took in the beauty of the land, waters and waterfall. What a day!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Private Tour of Blarney Castle, Kinsale and Cobh

Cork

Derek makes you see, feel, hear, smell and taste these places! Seriously! The ocean, the castle & gardens, the tiny towns, the people, the restaurants. the shopping, the music in his car. What an incredibly delightful day exploring three unique areas in Cork. Can't believe we got all three in one day - but he knows where to go, what to do, and paced things perfectly.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Cork Tasting Trails

Cork

Bob met us at the church and gave us the history of Cork as we made our way to the market. We also stopped at a candy store, where they had been in business as a family for 3 generations. At the market we had a big seafood sampler, huge olive and cheese tray, chocolates and coffee. It was a nice time.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Atrium Afternoon Tea

Dublin

What a lovely last thing to do! Quiet and relaxing off the streets of Dublin, the food was absolutely wonderful and service was top notch. We sat and took in the surroundings, food, and tea while revisiting all the loveliness that had been the last 10 days. Not something I would have thought to request, but delightful!

Quality of Experience

Dublin Highlights and Hidden Gems Walking Tour

Dublin

Such great detail of the history of Dublin! Our guide was extremely knowledgeable and honest about the past. He took us all over and handled questions well, too.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Celtic Night Show & Dinner

Dublin

Loved the opportunity to see the incredible dancers and hear so much of the fun music. The musicians had all of us singing along, too. Nicely interactive at times. The food was very good - three courses with nice choices. Only thing we didn't like was how rude people were when the show started. Lots of talking and side conversations. I felt badly for the performers. Also, some people get up and leave before it's over.

Quality of Experience

Self-Guided Guinness Storehouse Experience

Dublin

I have been in breweries and had tours, but Guiness is over the top!! Kind of like Disney World and Willie Wonka rolled into one. Floor after floor you guide yourself through the interactive, all senses experience. It is kinda crazy, but cool! At the top, we had 360 degree (sunny) views of Dublin. Had lunch at their restaurant and it was very good!

Quality of Experience

Tickets for St Patrick Cathedral, Dublin

Dublin

The handheld audio brought this church to life. I'm not much into churches, but this was interesting and well laid out for tourists. Spent about 45 minutes there.

Quality of Experience

Overall this was a good experience. Lucy set everything up for us and all of the transfers were seamless. Our guides and drivers all met us in the hotel lobbies and were very easy to find. This dramatically reduced any travel-related stress. Most of our guides were wonderful and very hospitable. However, I do think there is some room for improvement. I think we felt underprepared for some of the excursions/tours. For example, it was almost 100°F during our walking tour of the rice terraces and our guide spoke little English. While beautiful, this was maybe not the best choice of a tour for this weather. Additionally, we did a tour involving river boats where it wasn’t clear to us ahead of time whether we’d be getting wet and needing swimming gear. In hindsight, I think we also would have reduced the Ha Long Bay trip to maybe just a day visit or gone to Cat Ba instead. In general I think it would have been nice to know what other tour options there were, as we met others along the way that took motorbikes to a waterfall in Pu Luong or saw some folks doing a seaplane tour in Ha Long Bay.

The service provided by our local specialist, Lucy, was superb. Her communication was fantastic and all the plans worked seamlessly. She organised several informative and fun guides, and good transport - and the accommodation was terrific. Have never used kimkim (and not typically used travel agents), so this was a new experience for us - we were delighted with how it went. Found the whole kimkim process very easy to use and the outcome terrific. Thank you so much, Lucy!
Best wishes, Liz (Darwin Australia)

Hotel Reviews

De Syloia Hotel

hanoi

We spent several nights here and thought it fantastic - lovely rooms, friendly and helpful team and a great location.

Authenticity & Character

Beautifully appointed rooms - ours had cool views!

Location

Easy walking distance to lots of fun things (eg Old Quarter and Hoan Kiem Lake), with lots of great food and coffee close by.

Staff

All staff were super friendly and helpful.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Le Clos Du Fil Hotel

Ninh Binh

Found this hotel very charming - loved the embroidery (part of the owner's background); room really comfortable with a view of the sunset over the skyline; also a nice pool.

Authenticity & Character

Cute embroidery featured throughout.

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Gateway Inn Pu Luong

Loved this place! The views were breathtaking, team was lovely, and room was cute with a gorgeous view from the balcony.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Stunning views.

Staff

All staff were lovely.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Signature Cruise

Hanoi

Room was lovely, food spectacular and team extremely friendly.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Very welcoming and helpful throughout. Andy was a great manager, the food was brilliant and drinks on deck very fun!

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Hanoi Evening Walking Street Food Tour with Jazz Music

Hanoi

Our guide, Tim (Trung) was absolutely superb - really entertaining and knowledgeable with a great sense of humour. Also had brilliant communication. Could not have enjoyed our time with him more!

Quality of Experience

Food

Street food experiences were fab!

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Our guide Tim (Trung) was fantastic - great with communication and ideas for what we'd do as well as full of great information and insights. Enjoyed his company immensely.

Jeep Tour The Inside Hanoi - Morning Tour

Hanoi

Food

Had one of my best bowls of pho of the trip!

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Exploring The Natural Beauty of Ninh Binh (Tam Coc - Hang Mua - Bich Dong) (Maximum Personal Experience)

Vietnam

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Very interesting and knowledgeable guide.

Transport

Pu Luong Explore Village Life Water Wheels & Rafting (Excursions)

Vietnam

Beautiful scenery and a very knowledgeable, interesting and friendly local freelance guide.

Quality of Experience

Gorgeous scenery.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Our guide was lovely and had a lifetime of local insights to share.

Explore Pu Luong Iconic Rice Terrace & Local Brocade (Excursions)

Vietnam

Stunning scenery with a very friendly and insightful local guide.

Quality of Experience

Breathtaking scenery.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

We had a really lovely guide with a lifetime of local insights.

Overall, we enjoyed the trip. It was a bit busy with making transfers every 2 days .

It would have been much easier to have our hotel stays closer to the attractions that were scheduled. We had to arrange for taxi/Uber due to the distance.

The hotels were nice but not always clean.

La Tonnarella was wonderful, clean and we would go again.

Hotel Liassidi was not clean and not very special. Super basic and had bed bugs.

Pitti Palace was nice, but not very close to the attractions that were scheduled.

Trevi Palace was nice, but again, it was across town from the colloseum and the Vatican.

Our tour guides, Sarah in Florence, Alex in Rome and Luca in florence were great !

We actuallly did not get a tour of the Royal Gardens in Venice. wondering what happened here ? We did not have vouchers for this .

Luca was wonderful in helping us with this trip and was very responsive.

Ciao'

I was very impressed with Realistic Asia’s service. Hien was a fantastic guide, she made the whole end to end process so easy, allowing us to relax and enjoy our trip, from planning our trip to budget, the easy to follow comprehensive itinerary through to the WhatsApp prompts and reminders about timings and drivers.
I really recommend Realistic Asia for a stress free trip!

Hotel Reviews

Hanoi Allure Hotel

Big rooms, nice welcome, attentive staff, friendly and helpful for a late check out and other services when our flight was delayed.

Authenticity & Character

Great decor, it has 2 wings

Location

So central in the old quarter of Hanoi, close to the action!

Staff

attentive staff, friendly and helpful for a late check out and other services when our flight was delayed.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Nice big rooms, quiet air conditioning.

Gateway Inn Pu Luong

A good location, fabulous views with friendly staff.

Authenticity & Character

Furnishings a little bit tired but clean and comfortable

Location

Fantastic views

Staff

So friendly, engaging and happy to help

Cleanliness & Comfort

Would only let us have 1 extra pillow between us but likely because of availability of spares

Lalita Boutique Hotel & Spa Ninh Binh

Sleek hotel with helpful staff.

Authenticity & Character

It has a great rooftop pool and little bar

Location

I couldn’t be sure if they had access to a driver to take us the short way into town, but likely had bikes if we wanted to use as they are on the outskirts

Staff

The receptionist was happy to help us plan the day and organise a driver, had some great tips, thanks!

Cleanliness & Comfort

Pool looked like it could be cleaned a bit more frequently but it wasn’t too bad and I used it without issue, otherwise all good!

Doris Cruise

A quaint little cruise ship with some surprises!

Authenticity & Character

It had a great sized bedroom and bathroom with a huge bath!

Location

Visiting Lan Ha bay which was quieter was a great scoop. It offered some fun activities.

Staff

Very friendly and helpful, when I thought I had lost something they were quick to check it hadn’t been handed in

Cleanliness & Comfort

The toilet flush did stop working and the balcony door was tough to open but nothing major and we had no other concerns.

Activity Reviews

Pu Luong - Caving | Scenic Rice Fields

Pu Luong Nature Reserve

Beautiful countryside, the cave is a little past its best (not many bats live here anymore) but it’s still worth a visit and was welcome way to cool down after the hot trek down and before the hotter trek back up!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

So great to have a local guide for our 3 trips to share her local knowledge and was also keen to learn about Australia, I hope she visits soon!

Enchanting 19km Off-Road Trekking

Vietnam

Quality of Experience

It was out of season so the waterfall wasn’t as breathtaking as it could have been but a welcome cool off experience.

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

So great to have a local guide Tuyen for our 3 trips to share her local knowledge and she was also keen to learn about Australia, I hope she visits soon! We were blessed and grateful to be invited into Tuyen’s home for some respite on this big trek as it was a hot day. She checked often to ensure we didn’t need a rest. Thanks Tuyen!

Transport

Village Life | Water Wheels | Rafting ( Day3)

Pu Luong Nature Reserve

Lovely to see the working water wheels and experience more village life.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

So great to have a local guide Tuyen for our 3 trips to share her local knowledge and was also keen to learn about Australia, I hope she visits soon!

Transport

Our family of 4 (parents and 2 boys ages 9 and 7) had a terrific week in Norway. We covered a lot of ground and saw many sights. Starting our trip with the floating sauna in the Oslo harbor was a great first day activity when we were fighting jet lag. My husband and I both jumped right into the frigid water from the diving board. Woke us right up! The next day we really enjoyed seeing the colorful summer cottages and hiking through the harbor islands with Astrid.
Then the Norway in a Nutshell tour was breathtaking in terms of the Flam railway through the mountains and fjord cruise.
I was also particularly intrigued when the train stopped in Finse, a polar wonderland for skiing and expedition training not accessible by road. I’ll have to come back to Finse and get off the train the next time. So unique.
We enjoyed learning about the city of Bergen with Chao and then taking the funicular to the top to take in the views. The next day, the helicopter ride was just incredible. Our pilot was Jan Gunnar. Flying over the tops of the mountain peaks, seeing the remote cabins above the treeline, and viewing a glacier was just spectacular and so special.
We then spent a few days in Tromsø, which we loved. The dogsled ride and the Sami reindeer experience were really fun and full of learning. I have a son who has a fear of dogs but the dogsled was organized well and he managed to warm up to the dogs enough to pet a few of them, which was a real breakthrough. We also enjoyed Polaria, the aquarium, where we saw the seal feeding, and the troll museum, which highly entertaining for young boys. The city itself is stunningly beautiful and we felt like we were in a winter wonderland in late April. One day we got 4 inches of snow. Our hotel, the Scandic Ishavshotel, was right on the harbor and we spent hours watching boats go by. We would have loved to do some ski touring or snowmobiling outside the city in the surrounding mountains, but we ran out of time. We all agreed we need to come back!

We all loved many things about our trip and wished we had more than just a week in Norway. Everything was so delightful - the people, the culture, the food, the experiences. We came home changed and enlightened by the experience, with many new ideas to pursue. Our first night home we cooked Norwegian fish soup!

Traveling in Norway with kids this age was no problem at all. We had virtually zero language barriers because English is so widely spoken, and Norwegians are particularly friendly to children. We even got invited into the old fire station in Bergen so our kids could see them preparing the antique first engines for National Day coming up. So cool! We would highly recommend this trip.

Gary set up a very nice trip trip for us to visit Melbourne, Cairns and Sydney, with lots of great activities, but not so much that we didn’t have time to just explore on our own. He also handled some last-minute changes on our part (actually, our airline). The hotels were also very nice, albeit lacking in character - but I’ll know next time to request “character boutique hotels.” All-in-all our first visit to Australia was great thanks to Gary and Kimkim.
Dave
Vancouver BC

Had an amazing time in Malaysia, exploring Sabah and Kuala Lumpur. Nick did a fantastic job organizing a killer itinerary and also went above and beyond to help when I needed visa documents. An unreal 10 days!

We had an amazing trip to Morocco, in no small part due to the service and dedication of the Original Travels team.

We had a thoroughly positive experience with original travels throughout. Our initial trip planning was through Abdel, who was highly responsive, very pleasant to deal with, and rapidly adapted the trip to align best with our preferences, including taking account of our young children (for instance by managing the driving distances for each leg). The same can be said of the point of contact for the trip, Said. Said was also very responsive, provided helpful answers to various ad hoc questions, and also facilitated a pottery workshop midway through the trip, which turned out to be a highlight. Said also ensured two hotel upgrades throughout the trip, which was appreciated.

Turning to our driver/guide, Samir was wonderful throughout the trip. Not only was Samir a fun companion on the long drives, he ensured our every need was met at every stage of the vacation. Of particular note were the small acts of kindness throughout the trip, such as providing snacks and water for our children, securing cough meds, and even helping resolve our kids arguments! We cannot speak highly enough of his services, and would hope to meet again in the future.

In terms of specific points on accommodations and activities, overall Original Travels arranged for very comfortable accommodations and a range of fascinating activities. The accommodations we enjoyed the most was Kasbah Azul in Agdz (fantastic staff, food and ambience), as well as Riad Pachavana in Marrakech (lovely peaceful Riad, with delicious breakfast). We would also highlight Dar Rihana in Boulmane Dades as being lovely and glad we stayed there.

For improvement in the future, we felt that the desert camp (Orient Desert Camp) had a ‘transactional’ feel as compared with other hotels we stayed at. Whilst a lovely location and comfortable camp, it had a less personable atmosphere from the staff. We also much
preferred the atmosphere of the Riad in Marrakech rather than the hotel we stayed in Marrakech’s New Town (which did not give any particular flavor of Morocco and could have been anywhere), so would recommend use of the Riads where possible.

Of the activities we participated in, particular highlights were the pottery workshop mentioned above - the owner was so welcoming and hospitable and we had a fantastic time. Also the desert camel ride was amazing, though it would have been better had we arrived slightly earlier so as not to be rushed onto the camels to make the sunset. We also thoroughly enjoyed our Marrakech food tour, and would recommend that to fellow travellers.

Generally the guides used by Original Travels were very good, though we would note the following slight caveats:
- Our guide in Ait Benhaddou put the least effort in, and generally just took us to a range of stores to buy things from his friends. Was more preoccupied with catching up with his friends rather than actually guiding the tour.
- The tour of marrakech guide did not adapt his general spiel to better fit our young kids
- The guide in Merzouga didn’t speak much English, which made communication difficult.
- We would’ve appreciated if guides took more initiative with taking photos in the moment instead of us finding a spot and doing a posed photo.

That said, all of our guides (indeed all of the people we met in Morocco!) were welcoming and friendly, and did provide special experiences.

Overall, we are extremely glad we chose Original Travels and Morocco for our vacation, and would strongly recommend for other travellers!

Cory did a great job planning our trip to Japan. Having her book our hotels, trains and a few tours really gave us ease of mind!

Hotel Reviews

Hotel Vista Tokyo Tsukiji

Great hotel and breakfast, very small and the AC was very confusing and would turn off quickly

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Size

SOKI KANAZAWA

Kanazawa

We loved this hotel, the Onsen was great and the overall experience was lovely

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Resol Kyoto Shijo Muromachi

kyoto

Authenticity & Character

Loved the grass floors

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel 1899 Tokyo

Shinbashi

Authenticity & Character

Location

There was not much near the hotel

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Traditional Japanese Tea Ceremony with Kimono Wearing (Higashiyama)

Kyoto

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Tokyo Night Food Tour in Shinjuku

Tokyo

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

The guide was very nice but did not interact with us as much as the other tour we did

Transport

Osaka Local Foodie Tour in Dotonbori and Shinsekai

Japan

This was such a fun tour, we ate amazing food and got a bit of history as well

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Cory was good but there were small things that should be addressed for a better seamless experience.
Our luxury cars were not given the right address and were not adequate enough to accommodate our bags.

Some of the instructions were vague like bus T for Hakone. We should have all gotten our wifi as the devices were not working properly and the battery would die quickly so this made navigation slightly challenging.

I would

Mar did a great job listening and then setting up the perfect itinerary.
The activities and hotels were all wonderful.
We will definitely use Kimkim again for trips that require local knowledge.

Hotel Reviews

DFDS overnight cruise

Room was nice and a good location on the ship

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Karl Johan Hotel

Oslo

Great location, clean and modern.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Flåm Marina

Flåm

Absolutely the best location on the waterfront. The only downside was that our room had an interior bedroom. With no windows and no ventilation, the room was too warm. Restaurant was nice. The included breakfast was great. We had a nice dinner there as well

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Rooms need ventilation. Some of the furnishings were a little dated.

Clarion Hotel Admiral

Bergen

Great location The breakfast and dinner was outstanding.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Our dinner waiter was wonderful and I interesting to talk to.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Overnight Cruise

Bergen

Room was on the small side. The angle of the wall made it very difficult for a tall person to move around.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Nærøyfjord Cruise by Electric Boat (one way)

Gudvangen

Norsk Folkemuseum - The Open Air Museum (museum tickets included)

Oslo

Viking Day in Gudvangen

Gudvangen

Great, authentic feeling experience

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Past & Present City Walk

Bergen

Wonderful, knowledgable guide

Fløibanen Funicular Experience (tickets included)

Bergen

We really enjoyed the trip. Excited about what we saw, and in general, the amount of time that was allotted to each place.

I'd say a couple of adjustments that we might have made would be to make better use of the full day that we had in Lima. It was good that the kids were able to kind of chill out in the afternoon while I walked around, but it feels like there were some key things that we maybe could've seen or done while we were there. I didn't realize about the Lima catacombs and that was something that was spectacular until we had left. Should've done more research on that.

Also, for the Cusco leg of the trip, we spent probably too much time traversing substantial sections of the Sacred Valley. It seems like we spent 1.5-2 hours on that road four times, and that there probably was some other way that that could've been reduced if the planning were to be adjusted.

Lastly, I think we would've preferred to have another day in Arequipa, perhaps reducing one of the days in the middle on the Cusco leg as necessary. Perhaps visiting the Salt Lake or taking a rafting trip down the river would have ben nice, given the effort to reach Arequipa by air travel.

These are really just nitpicks as we did have a wonderful time, but just wanted to mention a few things it could be improved if you were planning a similar trip for another family in the future. Thank thank you again for your planning efforts!

Thank you for the opportunity to safely travel, with your guidance and expertise leading our way! Overall we had a very positive experience. With that said, we would like to provide some step by step feedback, which may benefit other travelers.
Day 1:Our arrival at Schiphol Airport was well timed, and our driver was very kind, patient and helpful. Our stop for groceries was important and very much appreciated. The Bollenschuur Hillegom was everything we hoped for and more; in a beautiful location and perfectly equipped. Our bikes arrived as planned at our accommodations and Jamil went out of his way to ensure our comfort and fit. The rides past fields of lovely blooms was the fulfillment of our dream. That said, the app for bike routes proved very frustrating as it did not accurately advise us; frequently did not keep up to where we were and then told us to reroute. We had to find our own way. We enjoyed the tulip barn. The Twizy we would probably not recommend. The bikes were more enjoyable and the "Twizy" (actually called a Renzy) was very difficult to get in and out of, especially as a back seat passenger.

Day 2: It was totally unrealistic for us to ride 30+ miles to the flower auction. We called an Uber. It was an amazing experience that we would not want to have missed. It is ,however, no longer an auction and there is nothing to arrive at 7AM to see. The auction no longer happens there.
The Tulperji flower Farm and Noordwijkerhout experiences were wonderful.
We would advise you to tell people staying in this area to plan ahead more for meals. There is very little near where we stayed. We liked being in the countryside but, in retrospect, we would probable have brought in more groceries for dinner.

Day 3 : Keukenhof- Great plan to have 9AM tickets purchased in advance. Gardens were amazing!
We were happy to have purchased grand stand tickets to enjoy the parade.

Day 4:Private transport to Haarlem was great and definitely needed.
Boutiquehotel Staats was a perfect pick for us- unique, clean, beautifully decorated, wonderful coffee/food, staff. It was close to everything we needed, especially the bus/train station.
We enjoyed our free time in Haarlem. The Jopenkerk Brewery had good food and beer, but was honestly not a "don't miss" destination.

Day 5: Your transportation advice and passes were a great help. We enjoyed the Van Gogh Museum. The Anne Frank House was an emotion evoking experience that is life changing and unforgettable. The Walking dinner was fun, informative and delicious!

Day 6: The Corrie ten Boom House, like the Anne Frank experience, was very moving and well done. We would not have wanted to miss it. Cycling to the beach was a great idea. The bike shop was great and the owners very helpful. Again the bike GPS app directions were less than adequate, but we managed with staff directions, signs and honestly guessing. The ride through the national park and the beach were lovely and we were very glad for this experience. The Rijstaffel dinner was a very different experience for us and we enjoyed it very much.

Day7: Our last day was good timing for the Zaanse Schans trip. By then, we were tired, and happy to let the bus take us to the 3 destinations. And, we enjoyed each one.

Day 8: We returned to Schiphol airport by bus instead of train so that we could be nonstop.

Through the entire planning and trip we had good communication with your team.
Miecke was very helpful and responsive to our questions and requests.
We enjoyed a trip of a lifetime and thank you very much!
Connie Glunz and fellow travelers

Our overall evaluation of the trip was very good Our favorite parts of the trip would be our tour with Zahra in Fea ,our journery into the desert and our hike in Setti Fatma with Mohammad Zahra did an excellant job of showing us all the medina in an effecient and professional manner Her personality is delightful!! Our hike with Mohammad was filled with the beauty of the mountains and his kindness another delightful experience I also should mention our driver Said who was great we loved all our time spent with him and he watched out for us making sure we always had what we needed. We did not think it was necessary however to have a tour of the medina in both Fes and Marrakesh as they were very much the same and honestly the one in Marrakesh was boring only because it was a bit redundant a suggestion would be to explain that to the client whem booking the trip. Another suggestion might be to do a better job of the actual planning piece with the detail of the trip example we didnt realize if we were a bit late to the desert we would miss out on the camel ride to the camp Acutally we felt there were a lot of small details that were left out of the itinerary such as times to meet guides etc Dont get me wrong we loved the trip but our thinking was these suggestions will help you in th future

Hotel Reviews

Merzouga Luxury Desert Camp

Merzouga

the camp was lovely but we didnt really know where and when we were supposed to be places

Authenticity & Character

The camel handlers were very kind

Location

Beautiful setting

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Villa Makassar

the hotel itself could use a facelift ex when usuing the hotels hair dryer it blew up and blew all the fuses

Staff

the staff in hotel were wonderful alway patient accomading and welcoming

Eden Boutique Hotel

Boumalne Dades

this property was so beautiful and could have been in Italy absoutely lovely

Staff

all of the staff were very helpful

Cleanliness & Comfort

Its a brand new hotel and the rooms were pristine

Activity Reviews

Overnight in the Sahara Desert

Morocco

We enjoyed the camel ride to watch the sunset and our camel handler was very kind and patient the itieneray expalnation of this trip however was not informative

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Exploring the Imperial City and Medieval Medina of Fez + Food Tour

Fes

Food

we loved the food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Zahra was the best she was knowledgable fun and took great care of us

Guided Hike in Ifrane National Park

Morocco

this hike was just ok nothing special in fact we at times thought we were walking in circles

Evening Food Tour in Marrakesh

Marrakesh

This was really fun our guide was great and we had a fun eperience in the market eating soup at a street vendor and morrocan donuts a highlight of Marrakesh

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Exploring the Medina and Historical Sites Of Marrakesh

Marrakesh

This was our least favorite mainly because it was very repetitive of what we had already seen and learned in Fes

Day Trip to Ourika Valley: Hike to a Waterfall

Morocco

THis was a highlight our Guide Mohammed was awesome kind and fun the countryside is so beautifu;

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Hammam Visit: Traditional Body Scrub

Morocco

This experince was just ok the staff were great but the overall experience was a little to commercial

Guides, Drivers and Staff