Kimkim Trip Reviews

The trip was planned exactly as we had asked. Emanuela was prompt and efficient at dealing with the minor issues that arose. Highly recommended!

We were completely overwhelmed as to how to book our trip to France. We had never been to this beautiful country. The itinerary that was suggested and eventually booked for us was wonderful! It was a great mix of history, culture, sightseeing and VIP treatment.

Silvia planned an amazing trip for our family. After some challenges at the beginning of planning the trip with a bit of unresponsiveness by her partner, Silvia jumped in and made sure we were well taken care of, all of our questions were answered, and I felt much more confident with our upcoming trip details. Every aspect of the trip was perfect, and she was incredibly responsive via WhatsApp along the way while we were traveling. I highly recommend Silvia to work with in planning a trip to Iceland!

Carl gave us some good initial trips ideas, but when we needed some more specific info we were left waiting. At the end we kept only 3 destinations proposed, the rest of the trip we planned independenty. We had the feeling that the packages offerered were pretty standard & for mass tourism.

Carl gave good tips especially about Banf & Jasper and flyght to Vancuver Island, even if here the accomodation was 45 minutes off the center of Tofino ... not so handy on a little village with no Taxis =we had to rent a car at the last minute!

The voucher organisation of Kim Kim is obsolete if we compare to all the travelling& booking apps we can get online, and the hotel selection was done via e-mail on a "have a look at this place" basis.
The vouchers for trips often had only date and no timing confirmed, so we had to phone the day before to reconfirm & do the follow up ourself (quite anoying knowing that kim kim charged a full price & commission)

Pricing in kim kim is not transparent, we got a lump sum and we had no break down to understand costing.

overall the kim kim service & system is not for us, will not come back.

My trip to Iceland was absolutely incredible. From beginning until the end, Gummi (Guðmundur) provided the utmost care and dedication to make my trip worth it. I'd highly recommend going through him--please request for his suggestions when booking through Kimkim! I enjoy hiking and nature, and Gummi did a great job of suggesting beautiful stops along the ring road for me. Additionally, Gummi knew which activities are a must-do, and suggested those specific activities. He was also flexible in changing my itinerary when I requested for it, making the trip feel completely in my control without me doing any of the groundwork.

Lastly, Kimkim was also super helpful throughout the journey. They were quick to respond and resolve any hiccups (small hiccup when I was picking up the car and at one of the hotels that couldn't find the booking in my 10 day trip).

Activity Reviews

Katla Ice Cave

Iceland

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Glacier Hike & Ice Cave Visit

Iceland

It was super fun to learn about the glacier and see the surroundings. Climbing on the glacier was also fun!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

We took a quick 10-day, 3-country, 4-stop Southeast Asian holiday and Ha Dinh made us the perfect itinerary. The boutique hotels she got us in Ho Chi Minh, Siem Reap, Bangkok and Chiang Mai were all up to standard and very central in their location. The guides in each destination all made our trip quite informative and definitely memorable, slightly bittersweet in Cambodia as we learned about their political past and present. A score of 10 for Ha Dinh as she opened the communication with us when we got to our first destination (Vietnam) and was there every step of the way. She looked after us so well we felt secure, confident and safe in this trip.

I should begin off by mentioning that I was really skeptical and paranoid about using kimkim for my dream trip to South America as it was my first time using it and I did not have any one i know that could vouch for it, but am now a convert and would use kimkim for my future plans as well.

Alvaro (Planner for my trip) was very patient and prompt in making sure that all my interests are captured well in the plan. The itinerary was put together with careful consideration to what I wanted. However personally, I expected no less in terms of the planning but the thing I appreciated the most was the fact that Alvaro was very patient in dealing with my questions and constant paranoia. I have in the past dealt with other services( not kimkim) who want you to finalize a plan quickly and push you to do so, so that they can get the commission and move on however Alvaro encouraged me to take time to make sure things are good.

The trip in itself was wonderful . Experience in Peruvian Amazon was nothing less than extraordinary.. Being in the lap of nature literally in the lungs of the world was experience of a lifetime. Luckily for us the weather was good and it did not rain(I am used to humidity from India so that did not bother me much) so was able to make full use of the time there. Our decision o visit North Chile as well was probably a little unorthodox but something I absolutely loved. From the Amazon to Atacama was a transition that was worth the money and time. Words and pictures cant do justice to the landscapes that we saw. The quality of the service throughout was excellent.

Hotels chosen were all based on our budget and good, while the guides and local services were on most trips awesome. Likewise for airport pick ups and drops (which I took because i dont know Spanish and wanted to avoid dealing with local taxi) were always on time.

People may be skeptical about the cost, as it would definitely be higher than if you would plan your own backpacking tour or use a local vendor, but if you are looking for a relaxing family tour where someone plans out your entire end to end tour without you having to worry about anything, then the cost is more than worth it. If you know the country and exactly what you are looking for then maybe you can go ahead an look for local vendors to save on money but otherwise if you dont know the country well, would encourage you to give kimkim a try!

Areas of Improvement -
The trip in itself went without any hiccup but one suggestion would be for Kimkim to ask the local vendors to contact the clients a day before without fail and have them share the plan for the next 3-4 days on day 1. For Peru that was the case with me, but for Atacama, Chile I was contacted for each tour separately (in advance of that particular tour). Like I said it went without any issue but did leave me anxious a couple of times waiting for a message from the local vendor.

All in all a 5 start experience for me!

After taking the quiz on things I wanted to see and do while in Costa Rica, Gustavo planned the perfect trip! I'm so glad that I went with KimKim for the planning because there's no way that I would have known exactly which hotels to go with or which of the bazillion guides for activities. Knowing how long the travel would be for me to get to La Fortuna, he didn't plan anything until the evening after I arrived, giving me plenty of downtime so that I was ready to take in all the sights for the night hike. I went SUPing on Lake Arenal and kayaking and snorkeling down in Quepos. The hotel in Quepos was absolutely *chef's kiss*! The guide for kayaking picked me up and then we wound our way up to where the incredible palatial hotels are up in the hillside to get a family. Though the hotels up there are gorgeous, he booked me at Karahe--which is beautiful and has lovely accommodations, and is a one-minute stroll from your room to the beach. I was also glad that he booked all the drivers for me. A friend suggested I rent a car and get myself around. I am *so* thankful that I did not have to navigate those roads since the vast majority have no signage. Everything was well worth what was spent. Thank you, Gustavo!

We had an amazing trip exploring Mayan ruins, cenotes, and towns of the Yucatan. Isabelle helped us plan a trip where almost every day included a new adventure that allowed us to experience the culture, history, food, and natural features of the area. We look forward to planning another trip with Kimkim in the future.

Highlights
- Breakfasts at Casa Quetzal, our hotel in Valladolid. Each morning the friendly servers delivered fresh fruits, bread, granola, coffee, and chocolate milk for the kids.
- Casa Quetzal is ideally located just around the corner from Convento de San Bernardino de Siena and the colorful shops and restaurants along Calzada de los Frailes.
- We watched the flamingos and had up-close encounters with crocodiles and horseshoe crabs at Rio Lagartos.
- My kids raced up the palace steps at Ek Balam and ziplined across X’Canche cenote.
- Thanks to Isabelle’s advice, we beat the heat and crowds at Chichén Itzá by arriving at 8 am. We found a shaded parking spot by the entrance, quickly located our guide, zipped past the ticket lines, and walked directly to el castillo. After a few hours exploring the ruins, we were ready for a delicious lunch and a swim in the beautiful Yokdzonot Cenote.
- Lunch at La Casa de los Gorditos in Coba. Best Cochinita Pibil of the trip.
- Villa Pescadores in Tulum is a peaceful, relaxing place to stay. We enjoyed lounging on the front porch of our cabana, hammock naps, and looking up at the stars.
- We floated down the world’s best lazy river during our visit to Muyil Sian Ka'an Biosphere Reserve.
- The people of Tulum are friendly and their food is amazing. We enjoyed El Morros, Burritos Amor, El Sudaca, and fresh churros!.
- On our final day, our tour guide Iber took us to the Tulum ruins and then to Tankah for a 4-cenote adventure that included ziplines, snorkeling, a canoe ride, and swimming in a bat cave, followed by a delicious Mayan lunch. For the kids, this was the best part of the trip. Iber was also our favorite guide. He was engaging, fun, and possessed all kinds of knowledge about the history, geography, plants, and wildlife of the area.

Things that could have been better:
- The house next to Casa Quetzal has a rooster who wakes up at 4 am.
- Villa Pescadores is difficult to access. Despite what Google Maps says, the beach road is one way (north to south) and the only route to the hotel is through the national park entrance (80 pesos per person). We learned this the hard way upon arrival in Tulum. Due to traffic at the national park entrance, we also encountered 20-40 minute delays when returning after our excursions.
While Villa Pescadores itself is wonderful and quiet, the beach club at the hotel next door often plays loud dance music late into the night.
We could have skipped the included breakfast at Villa Pescadores. Twice, we left the hotel before service started. The availability of items on the menu was also a bit inconsistent from day to day.

My family of 5 ages 12-77 had an incredible 11-day trip to Iceland facilitated by Lisbet and Kim Kim. We especially enjoyed up close viewing of whales, puffins, and icebergs; every day's beautiful and varied scenery; and great food at almost every stop. Ending the trip at the Sky Lagoon was also a highlight. Thank you Lisbet, for designing a well-paced trip for our crew and for being extremely responsive and helpful all along the way.

Everyone did a fantastic job, both in developing our ideal itinerary and responding to unexpected changes once we weren't in Greece.

My family had a wonderful 2 week excursion in Scotland with the help of Luigi. We had a once in a life time visit through some of the most amazing locations in Scotland. Not only did we see some of the very well know tourist attraction, but we also visited many of the local "off the beaten path" villages in Scotland. My family always enjoyed more nature oriented excursions rather than big city tours. With Luigi's help, our itinerary included shepherding, falconry, fishing on the Tweed, and lots of hiking.

From the start to the end of the planning process, Luigi was always informative, attentive and prompt. He listened and understood what we wanted for our vacation. There were over 50+ messages exchanges between us before the itinerary was finalized. one week before departure date, Luigi had a Zoom meeting with us to go through the entire itinerary in detail so we were clear on our vacation. Every morning of our vacation, we received a detailed email synopsis of our upcoming activities. The emails included fascinating historical details relevant to the site we would visit. My husband and I really appreciated his attention to details. Luigi made us feel like we were his only client and he was always available for us 24/7.

This is our 3rd international excursion with KimKim. We are so pleased that Luigi is there to help us navigate through our planning. We can't thank Luigi enough for everything he did.

Activity Reviews

Discover traditional herding

Scotland

there is nothing like watching the close working relationship between a dog and the shepherd. We had the most amazing time with our host. After the demonstration, we got to play with all of the border collies for about an hour. Even my most apathetic teenager had a huge grin on his face.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Highland chocolate tasting experience.

Scotland

OMG...these were the most decadent chocolate I have ever had. Never knew chocolate could be that amazing!!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Get passionate to Scottish history with an Historian

Scotland

John and his partner certainly did not disappoint. We were suppose to have a 2 hour guided tour with John through Stirling Castle. But he has so much information to offer that the 2 hours turned quickly into 4 hours. If you are a history buff, John is the person for you.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

River Tweed Fly Fishing

Scotland

Martin and Jamie were the most laid back guides. even though we did not catch anything, they were gracious hosts. we really enjoyed the beautiful and quiet location. We now can check off Tweed river on our list of top fishing locations.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

What a memorable trip. Valeria and Deborah pulled off a minor miracle in re-organizing almost our entire itinerary at the last minute (like the night before we were to leave the US). They salvaged what otherwise would have been a disaster for our family. Due to unforseen circumstances, dates, places, activities, tours, transportation, pretty much everything, had to be altered. What a relief and thrill it was for us to arrive at last in Rome to find new arrangements had been made.

Our local concierge Daniela was waiting for us at the airport and ushered to our air-conditioned, spacious, and comfortable van. Both she and our driver even helped with our bags. That set the tone for the rest of our incredibly well orchestrated trip. To a person, everyone involved from start to finish was professional, affable, knowledgeable, and eager to help. Can't remember every one's name but Lorenzo (The Colosseum and Forum), Vincenzo (got us to the train on time), Annaelise (Vatican City), Alyssa (Venice - unsure about spellings), Beatrice (Venice) and all of our drivers stand out.

Hotel Reviews

Hotel Della Conciliazione

Rome

Great location and very helpful and friendly staff.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Bonvecchiati Palace

Venice

Wonderful location. Great rooms. Good breakfast.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Private walking guided tour of Venice highlights and afternoon Bacaro food tour

Venice

Our guide was superb. So knowledgeable, fun, energetic. Really went extra to make it a great experience.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Morning private Pizza Making lesson afternoon Small group tour ( max 6 people) of the Vatican Museums and Sistine chapel

Rome

Tony was amazing. He is an incredible teacher - a very patient. We had so much fun as a family making pizza (or at least trying to).

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Small Group tour of Colosseum underground, Palatine Hill, and Roman Forum ( max 6 people) with a private transfer from the hotel to the meeting point

Rome

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Venice Gondola Ride

Venice

Trip would not have been complete without this. Beautiful.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

We had three guides, Raphelle F and Mathias and Raphelle S. They were all so outstanding! Very personable, passionate, well informed and answered all our questions in such a passionate way. It was mostly just the three of us so it was very personalized and private to us. They moved us through with expediency and sensitivity, especially to me who is almost 83 and recovering from a stroke. In museums, they took elevators, saving me from stairs and also found places for us to sit while they gave us talked.
The planning of our time and the the sites were wonderful and the uber drivers were never more than 1-3 minutes away from picking us up! Transportation with them was a dream!
We will recommend KIMKIM to any of our friends! Thank you for making our stay in Paris a delight!!
Sharon Schuh

Hotel Review

Hôtel du Rond-point des Champs-Élysées - Esprit de France

Paris

Very pleasant staff and centrally located. They helped us with restaurant referrals. They were on a quieter street. It was a very quiet place to sleep. They had delicious breakfasts and took orders if we wanted something hot and specially made. We were very happy there. A good place to come and go during the day.

Authenticity & Character

Location

As above written.

Staff

Very helpful for referrals and very friendly.

Cleanliness & Comfort

The room was cleaned with fresh water bottles and no personal items disturbed.

Activity Reviews

Back to Medieval Paris with Notre Dame, St Chapelle & Conciergerie

Paris

Our guide Raphelle F was marvelous and passionate and had so much information! She beautifully explained the stain glass and very dramatically told us the history of the Conceirgerie. She took her time to answer all questions and was very personal! We loved the dramatic way she told the history. History can be boring but she made it very alive and interesting! She even walked us to a restaurant that she recommended! We adored her!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Eiffel Tower Summit Ticket

Paris

This is a very historic site and a must see in Paris. Because of the lines and wait, we will only do it once. But it was necessary to do!!

Quality of Experience

Seine Cruise with Commentary

Paris

We took the cruise right at sunset before dark and it was perfect! As the cruise came back we saw Paris and bridges lit up! It was a beautiful time to go. As we landed the Eiffel Tower was lit up and blinking.

Quality of Experience

The time of day and the lights of Paris and bridges. Also the people on the bank were dancing and playing bands and twirling and also just waving. A fun experience.

Saint Germain des Prés Food Tour

Paris

Mathias was our personal guide and he was wonderful. Very passionate about the food we tasted or saved for a wonderful picnic at Luxembourg Park. We stopped in many food, cheese, wine, candy shops and he gave an excellent history of the process of each food. He helped us be aware of the "palate" of good French food, its history and its process. He was very friendly and passionate and personable to us. He did not rush us in eating or talking.

Quality of Experience

Le Louvre Private Tour

Paris

Raphaelle S. gave us a wonderful, informative personal tour! We loved her and all the information. She knew what and where to take us in such a huge museum. We totally trusted her choices and information. One of our favorite tours. She was very sensitive to us and answered many questions.

Quality of Experience

Montmartre & Sacré-Coeur Walking Tour

Paris

I did not go on this tour because of the stairs and amount of walking. Plus it was the last day and at 83 I just didn't have the energy! I hated to miss it and know Mathias did a great job.

Our planner, Rebecca at GrecianLux, was fantastic from my first outreach nearly 18 months prior to our trip until the very last day of our travel home. As first-time travelers to Greece and planning for a family of 8, I needed a lot of guidance. She provided advice and options that were based on her actual experiences and she was patient as we went through multiple trip plans. Once we were in Greece, the detailed planning paid off. Our transfers between islands (SeaJet Ferry is unlike any ferry in the US!) and while on island (clean Mercedes vans) were seamless. Each of our tours were top notch with the best guides (George - Athens Food Tour, Giannis Antetokounmpo Sepolia Tour, Athens Riviera Day; Nicolas - Acropolis at Sunset; Theo - Athens Twilight Tour; Catamaran Trip in Naxos; Kostis - Santorini Agronomy and Wine Tour; Vassilis and Katarina - Santorini E-Bike Tour), food (Greek Salads, Souvlaki, Moussaka, Gyros, everything is fresh and delicious) and hidden gems (rooftop bars, special mini-markets, an underground wine cellar in Santorini). Our hotels were beautiful (Elia Armou in Athens, Liana Beach Hotel (with service on the beach!) in Naxos, and Hotel Agali Houses (these views, the butler service - all amazing) in Santorini and perfectly tailored for the needs of our family and preferences. We were so glad that Rebecca had strongly recommended the Fira to Oia self-guided hike. It was windy, hilly, long and moderately more than we expected...but it was so worth it! Rebecca provided 24-hour concierge service helping with dinner reservations to a last-minute outing for us after a sunset sail was canceled due to high winds. That outing ended up being a trip highlight for our family. All in all, the trip was a 10 out of 10 and it is highly attributable to the efforts of Rebecca!

Hotel Reviews

Liana Beach Hotel & Spa

Naxos

Liana Beach Hotel is a beautiful boutique beach hotel located across the street from a gorgeous beach. The rooms are spacious and clean - each of our 3 rooms had small hot tubs on the balconies overlooking the courtyard and beach. Staff is very friendly and accommodating. Breakfast is fresh and delicious. We especially loved the beach chairs and private service reserved only for hotel guests on the beach. Tony (Tonino) was our excellent and kind beach server each day. He anticipated what we wanted and was always nearby. The pool area is also fantastic and typically where we would find ourselves after coming back over from the beach. The hotel is a very short walk either direction to restaurants, bars, mini-markets, laundry, etc. Well-appointed and located place we hope to return to someday!

Authenticity & Character

The hotel is small so there is an incredible attention to detail. The outdoor courtyard and bar is beautiful and inviting

Location

We could walk either direction from the hotel to find bars, restaurants, mini-markets and laundry

Staff

The staff was so accomodating and friendly

Cleanliness & Comfort

Cleaning staff provided extensive daily cleaning service far beyond the call of duty even picking up after my teenage sons!

Agali Houses

Firostefani 00

Agali Houses is SO PRETTY! It is located on the beautiful Santorin cliffside overlooking the Caldera. Upon arrival, we were amazed by the tenacity of the butlers who met us at our van and toted our nearly 50 lb suitcases, 2-3 at a time, down the stairs to the hotel. We had many experiences in Santorini where we felt in lesser shape than our Greek friends but that fantastic service in particular we have discussed many times. Upon check-in, we were shown our rooms (3 rooms for 8 travelers). Beautifully decorated, very clean and all with private patios/balconies. The pool with the bar area was a hot spot but because Agali Houses is a boutique hotel, it was never too busy and we got to see some of the same people both there an at breakfast, which deserves its own review! Breakfast is served daily, included in the room rate and you can sit inside a beautiful and quaint dining area or outside overlooking the Caldera. Everything was very fresh and the staff kept it stocked and super clean. Fresh Greek yogurt with local honey alongside fresh melon was my daily favorite. Concierge was happy to help with any request and had great ideas for dinner. A walk up the hill and you have access to bars, restaurants ranging from street food to fine dining and mini-markets. Location was excellent and enabled us to go to Oia or to Fira and the southern part of the island with relative ease (it is a busy island!).

Authenticity & Character

Decor looks like it is out of a magazine!

Location

Staff

Breakfast staff! Best Freddo espressos

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Santorini - E-bike Adventure Tour

Santorini

Vassilis and Katarina were such great guides, helpers, trainers and supporters! The E-Bikes are AWESOME. We did 13+ miles and got to tour, learn about and see so many beautiful areas...not to mention we stopped for wine and snacks midway through! Vassilis also took photos along the way and created a video of our family of 8, which he air-dropped to me within 10 minutes of our return. He must moonlight as a photographer, because the photos and video are quality work. We finished off our time chilling out at the black sand beach in front of the bike shop. They have a very cool location and set up. This is HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Athens - Visit to Sports Center of Sepolia - The Giannis Antetokoumbo Court

Athens

George outdid himself. Since this was a specially requested tour by us, George spent a week prior to our arrival doing research on Giannis's time in Sepolia. He showed us Giannis's court, but then took us on a walk to go by Giannis's childhood home, to the cafe that Giannis used to visit coming to or from the court and introducing us to the owner, Katie, who had lots of regalia in the cafe showcasing the success of a young man she knew long before he was famous. Then we saw some of the local schools that Giannis attended. My sons were over the moon and couldn't believe that they got to learn so much about their very talented and endearing sports hero! George really put in the work on this one and we sure appreciate it!!!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Full Day Naxos Island Catamaran Cruise-Small group cruise

Naxos

Rina Cave has the prettiest water we have ever seen and we are well traveled! The trip was great overall including the food - fresh Moussaka for lunch! Staff was very adept and they played the coolest music that we heard on the trip.

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Sergio our initial contact person did a great job making our travel itinerary. Since I do not know much about the country, I gave him a very vague description of what we like and do not like and from there he managed still to create a pretty well rounded list of activities for us to get to know Costa Rica.

Nancy and charlotte: both of them took over since Sergio has a family leave, both of them were very responsive to our questions when we were stuck. Eg had a couple of questions and issues arise during our trip and they managed to smooth it out for us to move on.

Overall I would definitely recommend Kim Kim and use Kim Kim again, it definitely has saved me from doing all the homework and research prior to the trip and just enjoy my vacation without trying to juggle too many things.

Hotel Reviews

Hotel Savegre

San Gerardo de Dota

One of the highlights of our trip. We opted to drive our rental car and the journey to San Gerardo hotel savegre was definitely not something you should try if you are not confident with your driving skill. We called the last 3-4 miles stretch down to the valley to the hotel “road to hell”, the unfortunate part was we got slightly delayed at the airport with looking for our rental car and getting sim card activated and wasted maybe 2 hours prior to leaving SJO, we got to San Gerardo when it was dark and that was definitely an adventure to get down to the valley. We couldn’t see much because it was dark but we definitely saw a huge tapir on our way to the hotel. Once we got to the hotel, we were immediately greeted by the security guard who guided us to the reception and from there we had our first meal in the hotel. Let me say, this hotel is very well kept, the restaurant is clean and upscale provided pretty good food and service. Our rooms were beautiful and cleaned daily. The following day when we have sunlight, we were amazed at how beautiful and serene the valley was. We did bird watching and some hikes around the hotel. Definitely a place we will revisit. Wish we have more time to do more of the hiking trail.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Very serene, beautiful location. But the road to get there is not easy.

Staff

Everybody was very friendly, helpful and nice.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Very well maintained.

Hotel Villa Florencia

Turrialba

I think this hotel has a lot of potential. It is sitting in a beautiful land with lots of vegetation but not maintained enough. When we get there, we immediately had a bad feeling at the entrance compare to our experience from hotel savegre. We got into the our rooms, we have 2 rooms, both rooms bedsheets were not very clean, 1 if the rooms smell very damp and the bathroom were leaking. This location is definitely not as comfortable compared to hotel savegre. 1 night were so hot even with fan going, but I guess we cannot really change the climate. The food quality in their restaurant were pretty bad. We relayed our experience to travel agent, who then spoke to the owner/manager of the hotel and they acknowledged they knew about the leak in the bathroom and immediately change our room to a better room that smell much better with clean linen, they brought us a bottle of wine and cancel our bill of dinner the night before. We appreciate them trying but I think this location is a good location if they have enough staff and maintain better.

Authenticity & Character

It is a good location with lots of vegetation, need improvement project

Location

Need multiple improvement projects

Staff

The first night receptionist who checked us in were not very helpful or friendly with little help but once we complained, the new staff were friendly and nice.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Need lots of work.

Congo Bongo EcoVillage Costa Rica

Manzanillo, Limon

This is an amazing location in the reserve. The people were nice and friendly, very helpful. The housekeeper washed our clothes daily and clean the villa. We were sleeping with the sound of wildlife. Saw lots of wild life, howler monkeys and many type of birds. The hammock was the highlight of this villa. We live in sweet dream house, it has 3 rooms, 1 of them has a/c. The location is cool enough, we did not use the a/c too much. A full function kitchen, outdoor sitting, dining, bbq area, walking trail and a waking path to the beach. Easy access to everywhere else. Will definitely return to this location.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hampton by Hilton San José Airport

Alajuela

We just stay here 1 night before our flight back home. Very standard Hampton in , clean, good breakfast and close to airport.

Authenticity & Character

Very standard Hampton in

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Quetzal Tour

San Gerardo de Dota

Our guide brought binoculars and the super birdwatching magnified spotting scope. We were able to see several quetzals. Learn about them from the guide. Again just a beautiful place to be in.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Coopedota Coffee Tour

San Gerardo de Dota

To be honest we went there with little to no expectations because the coffee shop where the coffee plantation tour attached to had some mixed review from google review. But once we met our guide everything changed, very knowledgeable guide, amazing tour with so much information from the fruits of coffee to the process and tasting of coffee. We learned so much!!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Thermal Hotsprings Hacienda Orosi

Costa Rica

A nice detour between San Gerardo to turialba. My husband said it feel like a heated pool rather than hot spring. The weather was not so friendly, it was raining. It is a beautiful place, the lunch attached was descent.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Kekoldi Indigenous Reserve & Waterfall

Puerto Viejo de Talamanca

This is the description we have from the travel agent: Today you will visit the iguana zoo farm of the KEKOLDY territory, where an indigenous family is dedicated to the reproduction of the Green Iguana, a species that was in danger of extinction, and thanks to initiatives like these it has been recovering. Next, in the Bri Bri territory, you will visit an indigenous family that grows medicinal plants and will guide you through the usage of several tropical plants, followed by a demonstration of the production of chocolate. Cacao (chocolate) within the Bribri culture is very important since they use it for purification, food, and medicine. In the last stage of the tour, you will visit a waterfall where you can take a bath and have a small fruit-based snack. Finish the tour in a typical restaurant in the area where you have typical lunch. Our actual trip: only include the last stage hike of primary and secondary forest to the falls, our guide is very nice and knowledgeable, this is not an easy hike. Very slipper from rain night before, we saw wild life. The guide Mynor, driver fofo and host Hermano? Who serve us lunch were are amazing people. We love this adventure.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Pacuare River Rafting

Turrialba

One of the highlights of our trip. The guide were very knowledgeable and helpful. We felt very safe. And a nice lunch!

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Hike Turrialba Volcano

Turrialba

Very nice hike, unfortunately it was raining and foggy. But we love it. Very nice guide Gloria was very informative.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Organic Farm Tour with Lunch

Turrialba

Again we had no expectations of this tour. We thought just another farm with lunch. We were so wrong!! We learn so much from this organic farm from zero to a full education center. So much knowledge and passion of the owner. We love learning her passion. Great lunch!

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Exploring the Underwater Wonders of Cahuita National Park

Costa Rica

Again slightly different from what was described in our itinerary, Itinerary: You will go snorkeling for about two hours in the most important Coral Reef of Costa Rica… You will discover the National Park by White Beach sector, up to Cahuita point, crossing through beautiful beaches to relax and swim in the calm water of the Caribbean Sea for a while. In spots between Cahuita Point and the town of Cahuita (3.5 km), you will be able to see various types of snakes (boas, bocaraca, bushmaster, eyelash vipers, etc.), sloths, white-faced and howler monkeys, anteaters, armadillos, raccoons, blue morpho butterflies among others, birds and many more such as medicinal plants, orchids, trees, ferns, vertebrates, invertebrates, sea, and earth shellfish. Our actually experienced were hopped on the pick up van, drop off, get on a boat to do snorkeling. It was a nice trip still. Maybe the exploring the national park part is on our own? But our ride got us back immediately? Maybe in the future better description eg we can take our own ride to the boat, a snorkel and explore the national park on our own?

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

This was an incredible trip. Definitely something off the beaten path. Our guide, Jossue aka Pepien, was fantastic and spared no effort or expense making the trip run smoothly, even if it meant finding a guy in the middle of the mountains to drive us to another part of the mountains on short notice. The mountain biking was challenging but not impossible for someone with not a lot of experience. Staying with the local Mam hosts was a very unique experience and something that you will likely not find on other trips. If you are planning on going on this trip be prepared to deal with cold nights, occasional rain, high altitude, and unfamiliar food.

We had a wonderful time in Morocco. The trip was well organized, our guide Said was knowledgeable and accommodating, and our driver Hassan was very experienced. The long drive to the desert (Erg Chebbi) is absolutely worth it and the camel ride in the dunes was an outstanding experience. Chefchaouen is very pretty and Fes is a must. Kamal, our city guide in Fes, is excellent and super knowledgeable, I highly recommend him. Surprisingly, it can be quite chilly in Morocco in May, we used all the warm clothes we brought and it was barely enough, even in the desert.

Meeting 23 relatives that I had never meet was special.
haveing the lodging near the transit helped a lot.
Thank you

Activity Review

Fjordcruise on UNESCO Nærøyfjord

Norway

Our guide Matthia was incredible. The itinerary he proposed was amazing but even more outstanding was his assistance during the trip. He was available during the trip, rapidly providing any change to itinerary that was needed. He went above and beyond making our holiday a Nordic dream.

Hotel Reviews

Thon Hotel Opera

Oslo

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Aurlandsfjord

Aurland

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Kviknes Hotel

Balestrand

Authenticity & Character

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Zander K Hotel

Bergen

Authenticity & Character

Location

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Silent Oslo Fjord Cruise

Oslo

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Fjordsafari Extended

Norway

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport