Kimkim Trip Reviews

Gummi planned a wonderful trip for me and my partner to Iceland! The schedule hit the major sites around the Ring Road without feeling too crowded or busy. Gummi's daily insights guided us to the best spots in each location. He selected great hotels, and it was awesome to have detailed driving directions for every day (particularly when the names are difficult for non-Icelanders!). We also really appreciated having restaurant recommendations for each stop.

There is such great comfort with a service like KimKim. When there was a minor snafu and I sent Gummi a WhatsApp message after 10pm, he immediately called me and handled it with the hotel clerk (in rapid-fire Icelandic!).

Overall, if you're thinking of visiting Iceland, you want Gummi directing your travels!!

Hotel Reviews

Hótel Grímsborgir by Keahotels

Ásborgir

This was a good spot for Golden Circle adventuring. The room was very nice, and great hot tub!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Fosshotel Stykkishólmur

Stykkishólmur

Nice enough hotel, but a bit generic. Easy to walk to spots in the cute town.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Sigló Hótel by Keahotels

Siglufjörður

Very charming location, nice rooms (the window seat was particularly lovely).

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Berjaya Hotel Mývatn

Mývatn

This hotel had great character, and I loved the hot tub!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Fosshótel Vatnajökull

Höfn

The hotel was nice, but very tiny rooms, and the location was a bit far away from town without good reason.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Magma Hotel

Kirkjubæjarklaustur

I loved this hotel! The setting was beautiful, and the cabins were particularly lovely. Great dinner, too.

Authenticity & Character

I loved the small detached cabins.

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

CenterHotel Plaza

Reykjavík

This hotel was in a great location and an easy resting place for a stay in Reykajvik. The rooms are on the small side, but with everything you might need.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Centrally located and easy to get to everything within a short walk.

Staff

We forgot a pair of sunglasses, and they kept them safe until we returned a week later.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Silfra Snorkeling Adventure

Iceland

This was a very cool (and very cold!) activity! The tour operator was first-rate, making sure we were properly kitted out. Seeing the crystal clear water was a wonderful and unique experience.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Icelandic Food Walk

Reykjavík

I loved this tour -- great food (including some off-the-beaten path options) and a lovely chance to meet other travelers.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Horse Riding on Black Sand Beach

Iceland

The horses were lovely, but this wasn't the most exciting outing -- just walking in a straight line to the nearby beach. There isn't much scenery on this path different from anything you could easily see on your own.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

The guides were all friendly and welcoming.

We enjoyed an adventurous and memorable family trip to Bosnia, Montenegro, and Croatia. Nikola did a great job crafting and arranging an exciting itinerary, and providing excellent support during the week of our trip!

We made it home from an amazing adventure. Thank you so much for all the work you did in planning our trip! It truly was exceptional. I'll leave a review too, but quickly, we had many highlights.

First was for sure the stay in Aurland at the Wangen Apartments. The view was spectacular (we had a full double rainbow end-to-end just outside our window the first morning!!), the sauna and swim was incredible, and the zipline/bike ride through Flam was so adventurous and fun!! I highly suggest you put the Kest Tasting at the Hotel Aurlandfjords on your radar. It was by far and beyond one of the best tasting experiences we've ever had - Norway and beyond (including the seafood one at the end of our trip, which was also delightful).

We really enjoyed the cider tasting at the apple farm in Balestrand. Definitely keep that on your to-do list for folks. If I had known earlier that they also were a restaurant I would have definitely gone back again. The food-pairing with the ciders was so good!! And it was one of the 2 sunny days we had while we were in Norway, so it was nice to hike around the orchard with the fjord views in the blue sky background. The glacier trip was worth it, but unfortunately the guide was the absolute worst one we have ever experienced in our years of travel! haha, he was an American and seemed basically annoyed the whole time that he even had to be hanging out with tourists. But that didn't stop our good time. The Hotel was nice in the lobby areas and dining room. Our bedroom was clean, but definitely not the feel of the older part of the hotel.

We loved Bergen! We aren't city folk, but did enjoy the quaintness of it. Hotel was a good location for getting around. We went up the funicular twice to hike around up there. Kayaking in the north sea was dreamy, the guide lovely. It did say in the notes that we'd have lunch on an island, but that wasn't the case. It was after we returned at the base camp. But that was just fine with us. The trip to Rosendal was nice except for that it was Sunday and all the shops were closed. But that didn't matter because we took the waterfall hike and it was the 2nd sunny day of the trip so we savored the outdoor time in the sunshine! It was lovely!

You are correct, we did have a snafu on the departure day. The driver wasn't there as stated at 8:30am, and we were there 10-min early. There was no contact information for me to reach out, and I hadn't heard anything from them, so we just grabbed a cab. Thanks for the refund!

Overall it was a lovely trip! This is the first time we've not rented a car or a campervan, so that took some adjusting to. I know that Norway lends itself to transport without a car, but we often times felt like we were a little stuck in the tourist spots and couldn't enjoy all the hikes you gave us recommendation for because we would have needed a car to get to them.

Thanks again! We will keep KimKim in mind for future travel.

If you’re looking for an incredible trip, we can’t reccomend Kimkim enough! This was our first time using a travel planner, and it was the best decision we have ever made. We booked a 10 day Scotland honeymoon, and Salome took care of Eid everything. From thoughtful notes and upgrades, to taking the time to listen to exactly what experiences would make our time away perfect, to being available while we were away, we couldn’t not be more pleased. We will definitely be repeat customers!

Hotel Reviews

Angel's Share Hotel

New Town, Edinburgh

This hotel felt so upscale in downtown Edinburgh! We loved the chemex coffee in the room, the high ceilings, comfortable bed, and the restaurant downstairs was so lovely!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Lawriestone Guest House

Fort William

This was one of our all time favourite places to stay on our holiday. The view from the chairs in our room will forever live in our memories as one of our favorite spots in Scotland. Our hosts were so friendly and had great recommendations of places to visit and a great hike. We cannot recommend this guest house strongly enough!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

The Bosville Hotel

Portree

The food was absolutely incredible- location was perfect, and our accommodations were great!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Druid House B & B

Inverness

Our accommodations were amazing!! We loved the space, the big beautiful room and bathroom, and our host was so thoughtful! The on site massage was a lovely added touch!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Cairngorm Hotel

Aviemore

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Leonardo City Edinburgh

Edinburgh

Excellent accommodations, attentive staff, delicious breakfast!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Boat Ride Around the Canal & Loch Ness including a Visit to Urquhart Castle

Scotland

We loved the boat ride, the guide and information about the loch, and the time on the shore exploring the castle is highly recommended!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Edinburgh Castle Tickets

Edinburgh

Quality of Experience

Rothiemurchus by Horseback Trek

Aviemore

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Thank you to Kadri & Fenne for helping me plan & book our exquisite girls’ trip to Norway! From the recommended adventures (glacier kayaking, RIB tour of the Finnabotn Fjord, & Loen Skylift) to our drives to the Vøringsfossen waterfall, Lovatnet, the Jostedalsbreen National Park, the Kjenndal Glacier & the Borgund Stave Church, our trip was full of water, mountains, waterfalls, skinny roads, roundabouts, more tunnels than I’ve ever seen in my life, & absolute beauty. Kimkim was extremely responsive for any questions we had along the way, guiding us when we got confused & ensuring we had all of the information we needed. The team ensured we had a memorable trip in a land foreign to us, guiding us (as requested) off the beaten path into the backroads & beauty of Norway. I highly recommend using KimKim for your travel needs, & I will be using them again in the future - 10/10!!

Activity Reviews

Loen Skylift (round trip tickets included)

Loen

The Loen Skylift did not disappoint. The views at the top are amazing!

Quality of Experience

A fun trip up & down!

Transport

Felt safe the entire ride.

Finnafjord Safari by RIB

Balestrand

The RIB tour was awesome! We went to the Finnabotn Fjord to experience quiet solitude in nature. It was beautiful, & the boat ride was fun.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Lars was a great tour guide - very friendly & knowledgeable.

Transport

The boat ride was fun!

Glacier Kayaking Excursion

Norway

This was an amazing experience! Our tour guides, Maria & Jens, were excellent in teaching us the proper way to kayak & guiding us to the glacier for lunch & viewing. It was a very fun day.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Maria & Jens were fun guides!

Transport

We drove ourselves, following Jens & Maria in their car.

We all loved our trip to Norway, it was fun and full of adventures. Our hotels were very comfortable and in great locations. Food was very good. I was also surprised how clean and comfortable mountain huts were.
I will definitely recommend you to all my friends who are planning to go to Norway.
Best of luck, Irina

Activity Review

Romsdalsstigen Via Ferrata - Intro wall

Åndalsnes

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Another amazing trip using KimKim we had a fun filled adventure I recommend kimkim for any trip their personal touch to detail and times is suberb. Always readily available to answer any question or issues before during and after our trip. Jane worked timelessly with Kathleen to make this trip excellent her colleagues helped us during the trip with questions Kim Kim with always be my number one choice to use on any future trips thank you to all and especially to Jane for a memorable experience

Hotel Reviews

Castle Hotel

Dublin

Rooms were perfect for a large group

Authenticity & Character

Very clean and detail of authenticity

Location

Walkable to all areas of Dublin

Staff

Staff was very helpful and attentive

Cleanliness & Comfort

Perfectly clean

Clontarf Castle Hotel

Dublin 3

Although our time at clontarf was short it was beautiful

Authenticity & Character

Had the character original castle with details of authenticity perfect stay

Location

Location was out of the hustle bustle of Dublin was nice

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Fraser House Inverness

Inverness

This was my personal highlight stop of our trip beautiful area amazing home beyond my dreams

Authenticity & Character

Beautiful charm authentic bed and breakfast charming home

Location

Inverness riverfront beautiful area walking dustanxe to shopping eating and old charm church’s historic areas

Staff

Leila I can’t say enough her hospitality and friendliness always so helpful I for sure will be coming back to enjoy such a peaceful area

Cleanliness & Comfort

The rooms were beautifully arrangedd and comfortable newly renovated and such detail to charm and decor spotless clean

Royal Scots Club

Edinburgh

Beautiful loved the detail throughout the hotel all staff was pleasant and extremely helpful the rooms were spotless

Authenticity & Character

Lovely the character and detail to keeping with the hotels old charm

Location

Perfect location

Staff

Always pleasant and helpful

Cleanliness & Comfort

Room was amazing it was clean and comfortable and perfectly setup

Activity Reviews

Night out at the Merry Ploughboy + Transport, show and a meal

Dublin

Loved the everything about this night food staff singers and dancers so much fun

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Guinness & Jameson Irish Experience Tour

Dublin

Funnnnnnn!!!!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Blarney Castle, Rock of Cashel & Cork Tour from Dublin

Dublin

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Cliff of Moher tour from Dublin

Dublin

Quality of Experience

Transport

Dublin: Afternoon Tea Vintage Bus Trip

Dublin

Loved this tour so unique and absolutely fun

Quality of Experience

Food was great

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Perfect and fun

Transport

Such a cute ride

Dublin Private Walking Tour

Dublin

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Day out on the Jacobite Train (of Harry Potter fame)

Ireland

It was a great tour only part that was not desirable was the train ride a lot of hype anout Harry Potter but was just a steam train ride on an oppressive hot day and the train had no windows that opened it was very hot

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

The Isle of Skye & Eilean Donan Castle

Inverness

Besutiful

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Driver was fun and knowledge

Transport

Loch Lomond, Kelpies & Stirling Castle Tour

Edinburgh

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Private Walking Tour of Edinburgh with a Top Local Guide

Edinburgh

It was great

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Thank you to Kateryna who scheduled a wonderful vacation for my family (all 7 of us)! We spent 5 nights in London and 2 nights in Paris.

» Day 1 - We flew from NY JFK to Heathrow on an overnight flight. Sleeping on the plane helped us feel a little refreshed, but it takes a few days to become totally adjusted. There was a car service set up to take us directly from the airport to the hotel. We dropped our luggage at the NYX hotel (check-in isn't until 3) and then set out on a 3 hour private Black Cab tour. We needed two cars because of our group size. Our guides Lee & Matt were knowledgeable, entertaining, and hilarious. They have a preset tour that they do, but were super flexible and took us to Abbey Road because I'm a huge Beatles fan. Everyone loved the tour! After the tour, we were dropped off at the Borough Market where we got some of London's famous Strawberries and Chocolate cups. Then we walked about 35 minutes to the London Eye to finish off our day.

FYI - The NYX hotel is in the Holborn district of North West of London, a beautiful area. Also, throughout our trip, we tipped about 10 pounds per hour for our tour guides, which they very much appreciated.

» Day 2 - We did a Royal London two hour walking tour beginning at 10am with our guide Delianne. This included seeing the changing of the guard, Buckingham Palace, St. James’s Palace, Clarence House and the Green Park. Delianne is an expert in royal history and shares great stories about the rituals of the British monarchy.

In the afternoon we visited Westminster Abbey, a historic Gothic church in London, famed for hosting British coronations, royal weddings, and burials since 1066. It houses the tombs of monarchs like Elizabeth I and Edward the Confessor, memorials to literary giants such as Shakespeare and Dickens in Poets’ Corner, and the Coronation Chair used in every royal crowning since 1308.

» Day 3 - We took day 3 as a free day and split up to do different things. In the morning, some of us went to do a tour of Tottenham stadium while others visited Kensington Palace. Both groups had a great time and you couldn't go wrong with either choice.
In the afternoon we spent a few hours at the Churchill War Museums. If you love history and all things WWII, this is a must see.
FYI - Uber and cabs can get you everywhere you want to go, but the London Tube/subway was super easy to use and I definitely recommend using this transportation at least a few times.

» Day 4 - We went to the Tower of London, a historic citadel and castle. The Tower was originally a fortress that has served as a royal palace, prison, treasury, and is the current home to the Crown Jewels. We all absolutely loved the Beefeater-led tour!
FYI - Our Beefeater was named Andy Murray (just like the British tennis star).

After the Tower, it was off to see the state rooms at Buckingham palace.
FYI - There are 775 rooms in the palace, but you'll only get to see less than 20 state rooms. The most impressive part of the visit was the grand staircase.

We then set out for a 3 hour Cruise with dinner on the river Thames. Dinner was delicious, and the nighttime views of London from the Thames were absolutely breathtaking.

» Day 5 - We had a private driver take us about an hour away to the Harry Potter Warner Bros Studio. My family are huge Harry Potter fans, and they loved seeing the behind the scenes tour and the original film stages. We spent 5 hours there in the studio. This is a must stop if you're a Potter fan!

» Day 6 - We took the Eurostar train from London to Paris, France. A driver took us from the train station to our Paris hotel, Les Jardins d'Eiffel where we dropped off our luggage (check-in is at 2pm) and walked the 10 minutes over to the Eiffel tower. The hotel location was phenomenal, in a beautiful neighborhood with tons of restaurant options, beautiful Parisian cafes, and plenty of gift shops.

We thought London was great, but Paris (IMHO) was far more beautiful.

FYI - Even though we don't speak any French, we never had any communication problems anywhere. Everyone we spoke with could speak very good English, especially in this area.

We had nighttime Eiffel Tower Summit Tickets and loved going to the top which gave us great picture opportunities and a sunset view of Paris. As an added bonus, don't miss the Eiffel Tower sparkle!

» Day 7 - We did a 2.5 hour private Louvre Museum visit and our tour guide Pat was our favorite guide of all! She brings you through the museum at a perfect pace and we saw so many beautiful famous works of art, including selfies directly in front of the Mona Lisa!!

After the Louvre, we walked around neighborhoods, had dinner, and relaxed before our early morning commute back to the airport.

FYI - You can tap to pay for just about everything both in England and France, but plan on having English Pounds and French Euros for tipping.

In summary, this trip gave us memories we’ll cherish forever—from laughing with our guides to watching the Eiffel Tower sparkle at sunset. Traveling with family can be chaotic, but this journey was pure magic. KimKim planned a beautiful fulfilling vacation for my family, and I'd highly recommend them.

wonderful 8 day vacation for my family!

We had the best trip planned with KimKim. I had an idea for what my itinerary would look like and they executed these plans perfectly. They were flexible with as much or as little involvement in certain parts of our trip. We worked with Caroline who was so responsive. Our driver was Nyoman who was so patient and helpful always. And our guide was Putu, he was so helpful as well and was so informative, it was great to just have someone follow rather than figuring it out on your own. Especially with 5 children and an elderly mother. We would definitely use KimKim again.

We had an amazing time on our trip to Indonesia. Loved the sights and our hotel properties. The guides and drivers went out of their way to help make the trip special. They were especially helpful when seeing the major sights such as waterfalls, hiking and temples. If I had one aspect that I would have changed it would have been getting and paying for larger transportation. We were 4 healthy Americans with a good amount of luggage so the car was very tight for us. Many of the days included long drives.

Hotel Reviews

Puri Santrian

Denpasar

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Arkamara Dijiwa Ubud

Bali

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Plataran Bromo

Wonokitri

This was an exceptional property and a wonderful staff. Loved all aspects.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Artha Cottages Tumpak Sewu

Lumajang

The breakfast was a bit weak but satisfactory

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

The Phoenix Hotel Yogyakarta - MGallery Collection

YOGYAKARTA

Wonderful property.

Rimba Orangutan Eco Lodge

Kumai, Pangkalan Bun

Considering where we were out in the jungle, having air-conditioning and a warm shower was great.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Jakarta Airport Hotel

Jakarta

Finding the hotel upon arrival was a bit difficult but it was convenient being in the airport for next mornings early flight.

Activity Reviews

Travel from Ubud to Sanur via Sukawati Market

Indonesia

Enjoyed the market. The traffic in Bali is just crazy and time consuming.

Canoe & Trekking at Bratan Lake

Indonesia

This was a great day with an amazing local guide. Loved being on the lake and also seeing the local area where the vegetables are grown and the jungle area.

Experience Taman Beji Griya - Healing Experiences

Indonesia

Beautiful cave and waterfall and ritual experience.

Sunrise Trek to Mount Bromo

Mount Bromo, East Java

Both the sunrise and hike to the top of Mt Bromo were exceptional experiences. An amazing site.

Visit Tumpak Sewu (overnight Artha Cottage)

Indonesia

I did not go into the falls as I did not feel that I would be physically able to handle it. My husband did the falls. He loved the experience but said that it was quite challenging.

Visit Borobudur Temple

Yogyakarta

Exceptional site.

Candi Rejo village tour with horse cart

Yogyakarta

Enjoyed the time around the village and seeing the farming.

Visit Prambanan Temple and see Ramayana Show

Yogyakarta

Exception sites

Cycling Tour at Plaosan & Prambanan Temple Area (morning program)

Yogyakarta

Amazing sites. Loved riding through the village. Great experience seeing the locally grown fruit.

Borneo: Rimba Lodge – Kumai – Airport

Pangkalan Bun

Borneo: Rimba Lodge – Pondok Tanggui – Camp Leakey – Rimba Lodge

Pangkalan Bun

Just loved seeing the the monkeys and orangutans. Time on the boat on the river was great.

Borneo: Airport – Kumai – Proboscis Tour – Rimba Lodge

Pangkalan Bun

Loved being on the boat during the day and using the hotel at night. The whole experience was over the top.

Our trip to the Galápagos was truly unforgettable, and we couldn’t have asked for a better experience. From the very beginning, Tamer and our local contact, Ariel, went above and beyond to make sure every detail was perfect. Traveling with a 12-month-old daughter could have been challenging, but they personalized the trip in such thoughtful ways that we always felt comfortable, supported, and able to enjoy ourselves fully.

The islands themselves are breathtaking—spectacular views, dramatic landscapes, and incredible wildlife everywhere you look. The activities were seamlessly organized and offered just the right balance of adventure and relaxation. Snorkeling was a highlight, with crystal-clear waters and amazing marine life, while the hike up Sierra Negra was an awe-inspiring experience we’ll never forget.

Thanks to the care and professionalism of the team, we were able to enjoy a once-in-a-lifetime trip without stress. I would highly recommend both Kimkim and this wonderful team to anyone considering the Galápagos.

Trip was amazing and Melanie did a great job putting everything together. We did have an issue where our driver didn’t show up, and we didn’t have tickets to one of the gardens, but the KimKim team handled the issues quickly and issued refunds immediately. The trip was perfect and everything we could have wished for our honeymoon! Will definitely use KimKim again.

Thanks to Tiago, and the kimkim concept, we had one of the most memorable, and incredibly immersive trip to Portugal. Tiago, with his patience, client centric and client driven approach, planned a superb trip of 15 people with a mixture of foodies, adventure junkies, relaxers, adults and teenagers. No one felt that their desires and needs weren't met by the trip and everyone relaxed, enjoyed, and got to experience a wide spectrum of activities.
The hotels that Tiago recommended were spectacular with tremendous service. It is the service that is unobtrusive, but the staff was ready to service your needs, even before you knew you had a need. The hotel in Douro was particularly impressive. Tiago also organized a private wine tasting in Douro along with a picnic. We thought the picnic would be few snacks - but this was something straight out of a luxury travel magazine. The table was set on a beautiful shaded perch overlooking the Douro valley with mist blowing to cool us down. A selection of wines, juice, water along with a large spread of healthy and fresh food and desserts. Tiago and the winery even had laid out blankets and pillows under a tree for us to relax after lunch. Simply amazing.
Similarly in Porto, Tiago had arranged a food tour that was out of this world with a great guide in Ricardo. The tour was such a hit that everyone in the group has now decided that no matter where they travel, they will always do a local food tour.
Throughout the planning, which took a better part of 6 months, Tiago was patient, accommodating to our wishes and changes, provided us input when felt it was needed, but never rushed us or pushed us any agenda.

This is our third time we have used Kimkim and as an initial skeptic I am now a total convert.

Thank you,

Hotel Reviews

The Albatroz Hotel

Cascais

Fabulous location, great staff, unbelievable breakfast, rooms with character and good local touches.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Infante Sagres

Porto

Hotel was great as a property, but after coming from Albatroz and Torel in Douro, the service was a let down. We could not get our rooms till 630 because someone was using our room and the hotel not once apologized and acted as if this shouldn't be an issue. Breakfast was "meh" and staff was not at all attentive.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Torel Quinta da Vacaria - Douro Valley

Peso da Régua, Vila Real District

Simply Amazing!! No words would fully describe the amazing property, the simply fabulous staff, and the service that is beyond exceptional, but never intrusive. Your needs are answered and met, always positively, even before you know you have a need.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Portuguese Cooking Lesson

Portugal

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Picnic and Wine Estate Visit in the Douro Valley

Douro Valley

This was an experience so good that I'd rather not tell anyone about it so this doesn't become what everyone wants and the special, unique and luxury nature goes away.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Food Tour

Porto

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Enjoy Dinner with Live Fado Music

Lisbon

Good to have the experience but its too long, and can get tiring if you had a long day already. Food was not at all impressive.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Sunset Cruise of Lisbon

Lisbon

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Azulejo Tile Workshop

Lisbon

Just know that this takes time so plan the day accordingly.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Lots of interesting cities in Holland. Had so much fun using public transportation and visiting the sites and museums. Good thing we are fit-lots of narrow spiral staircases in hotels with no elevator (lift). People were all very friendly. Learned alot.

Hotel Reviews

Huys van Leiden

Leiden

had a spiral staircase to get to the bathroom!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Boutique Hotel Museumkwartier

Utrecht

Quaint.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

The James Hotel Rotterdam

Rotterdam

modern hotel. Loved it.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel des Arts

Amsterdam-Centrum

no air conditioning or elevator!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Delft - Delft blue pottery

The Netherlands

Probably could have skipped.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Rotterdam - harbor boat tour

The Netherlands

Amazing

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

The Hague - Mauritshuis Museum

The Netherlands

Wished we had a longer stay

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Rotterdam - Kinderdijk windmills by public boat (waterbus)

The Netherlands

interesting

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Rotterdam

The Netherlands

Big city. Good food. Enjoyed the boat cruise.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Leiden

The Netherlands

Probably may favorite city. Rented bikes.

Quality of Experience

Amsterdam - Canal cruise (join in)

The Netherlands

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Amsterdam - Grand Dutch food & history tour in small group

The Netherlands

Great guide met so nice people

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Amsterdam - Rijksmuseum

The Netherlands

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Public Transport Pass Amsterdam

The Netherlands

A great addition! Made travel so easy.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

The experience started off great with our KimKim guide Joe. Things changed after that and we felt that the information Joe had provided had not been effectively shared with Dean. Joe was incredibly personable and had great recommendations and personal stories that brought us comfort and peace of mind. Dean was trying to pick up where Joe left off and it was not smooth.
The highs of our trip were the accommodations and the breakfasts (but even those were a bit much near the end). We really liked our Dublin and Mout Juliet hotels. I appreciated the communication once we arrived in Ireland, especially with Morris (see later note).
I'll list some opportunities for improvement here:
1. There are too many choices in the daily schedule. We came to KimKim because we wanted someone else to help choose our activities and in the end, we still had to do that work.
2. It was not made clear to us how busy Ireland would be in August and that we should have been pre-booking things like activities at Mount Juliet or restaurants for dinner in small towns (like Lahinch).
3. Even though we discussed with KimKim that both my husband and I would be driving, Hertz charged us an extra 10 Euro per day for a second driver.
4. Three nights is too many in Killarney. It is a very busy town in August and we would have preferred exploring Dingle and spending another night in Mount Juliet.
5. There was unnecessary stress on our day at the Gap of Dunloe. From the very beginning we understood with Joe that we would be taking a boat trip and a jarvey ride back. When everything was booked, there was no jarvey ride. Now we understand that the jarveys need to be connected with in person. This was not made clear to us in advance. We also didn't understand how much money it was be. It was a lovely day, but Morris was challenged with securing us a booking (of sorts) the day before because we couldn't be stranded at Lord B's cottage without a ride for our 9 year old. Morris did a fabulous job, but it was very stressful for him and it should never have gotten this far.
6. I understand you have policies of not sharing your fees. In this day and age, this seems unnecessary. Companies seem to be respected more for transparency. I would be so excited to know what great deals you were getting on hotels. I know I'm paying someone to design our trip for us, I just want to know what I'm paying them.
7. Finally, something less important since we are resourceful, it would help for the days when we don't have a rental car (in our case this was in Dublin) for guidance on public transit or taxis. We ran into an issue with requesting a taxi at our hotel where the taxi driver was called from the airport and given an incorrect destination for us (hertz airport vs. city) even though we gave the destination address to the hotel host. AND the tram was right outside our hotel, so a link to that would have been super helpful.

If you've made it this far, thank you for taking the time to read.

Omar was very polite and helped keep my nervous wife calm on our hike in the mountain trails, and let her ride the mule which was fun. We had a memorable lunch that he served us on the patio on his mountain home.
Ismail drove us to our destinations each day, and he spoke such good English, while always able to explain the culture and history of the country and sights we could see, and always using good humor to make us laugh.
The young men at the Agafay domes were very nice to us, and gave us music, meals, and shows that we will remember for a lifetime.
I am not making this up!

We planned a 10-day (9 days + 1 flight day) self-drive tour in Scotland and Northern England with our two boys, 13 and 9. The planning experience with Stephen was great; the interactions were easy and he heard and adjusted with our feedback, though the changes were minimal given that the initial itinerary was close to spot on from our initial input. We really appreciated walking through the entire trip the week before departure and getting a few tips. We had a variety of accommodations, and especially enjoyed the setting of the Bracken Hide Hotel in the highlands and the historic Ballaculich House apartment near Fort William. Having many breakfasts included along the way was much appreciated, as were the combination of self guided days, private tours, Castle tickets and free time. The brief guides of each area were truly helpful and our Edinburgh tour guide Gareth (EdinburghExpert) and Steve (Highland Wildlife & Birdwatch Safaris) in Aviemore were both standouts.

Hanna came to rescue when needed.
Overall it’s was awesome trip. Well arranged.
Thank you

Ten Days in Norway - what a dream.

The hotels chosen for us were spot-on to our needs and tastes. Each new hotel (we had 4 total) continued to level up our expectations. Unique locations, beautiful accommodations, and comfort all really reigned supreme. Our favorite hotel room was in Ålesund - The Brosundet Hotel. Our favorite hotel view was unmatched in Balestrand at the Kviknes Hotel.

The activities we opted into were so much fun. Our favorite (and wettest) was kayaking in Øygarden - we were hosted by a wonderful company who gave us a warm spot to hang out at after and offered homemade waffles with brown cheese and incredible apple juice. It felt like the most genuine Norway experience imaginable.

We were supposed to visit a glacier in addition to the glacier museum in Fjærland but there was an accident in the tunnel and they kept us from the glacier. The museum was an unexpected delight, however and we didn't feel like we missed out on anything. The small town (omg all the small towns!!) of Fjærland had a lovely cafe where we grabbed lunch and coffee - highly recommend stopping at every cafe option in the small towns.

Our favorite hike was in Rosendal - the end of this hike takes you by a cafe with homemade snacks, lunch, a huge garden, and views for days. I wish we could have spent a little longer here but ferries were pre-scheduled. Still dreaming of the Rhubarb cake and Melkekaker we had here (+more apple juice!!!).

KimKim made this trip unforgettable. We really felt immersed in the country, the majority of our experience wasn't too touristy (preferred), and we left wishing we could extend the trip even longer. Thanks to a lot of self-paced days, we felt refreshed after the trip, despite how much we were moving around. Truly, can't wait to book the next trip to Norway or another trip with KimKim. Thanks to Alex & Nick for the great bookings and incredibly laid out itinerary. We were able to relax when we needed to, and go as needed.

Hotel Reviews

Hotel Brosundet

Ålesund

Biggest, most updated room of our trip. Stairs were challenging for large suitcases but we made it work. Great dinner here and super flexible on the late checkout we asked for here.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Det Hanseatiske Hotel

Bergen

Great location - really cool room layout and space. Only downside is the liveliness of the area at night (for two jetlagged people)- and no ac on hotter days.

Authenticity & Character

Location

sooo close to Bryggen

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Kviknes Hotel

Balestrand

Dated room - definitely bring shampoo and conditioner because they don't offer that in-room amenity. Views here really crazy beautiful and the room size was awesome!

Authenticity & Character

Location

not a lot in this town so it's perfectly placed

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Karl Johan Hotel

Oslo

Small room - and since we were here for a couple days but with a lot of luggage, it was just hard to move around. Historic building (gorgeous) + BEST breakfast, and wonderful location.

Authenticity & Character

Beautiful!

Location

close to most desired spots!

Staff

Such kind staff who recommended specific spot for coffee!

Cleanliness & Comfort

perfectly clean!

Activity Reviews

Geirangerfjord Cruise & Day Trip

Norway

Beautiful - definitely more touristy than past days but still a cool and beautiful spot. Fun little shops and really cool views.

Quality of Experience

Explore Ålesund

Norway

Cool vintage shopping and unique mall - very walkable.

Quality of Experience

Walk up to Aksla Viewpoint

Ålesund

418 stairs at the end of a 10 day trip is not easy, but we did it!! Worth it for the views, and a lot of moments to pause and take in the view.

Quality of Experience

Fjord Cruise to Rosendal

Bergen

Summer + Nice weather = Bees. Mostly just around the dock and port/cafe nearby but there were a ton of bees. We had the best hike and wandering here - the end of our hike brought us to a cafe that had delicious local treats. I saw them harvesting rhubard outside and then they had a rhubarb cake inside that I will never forget.

Quality of Experience

Øygarden Kayaking Excursion with Island Lunch

Bergen

Our favorite experience, despite how cold and soaking wet we were when it was over. The guide provides a lot of additional rain and weather gear and we highly recommend taking them up on every single option they give you. YOU WILL BE WET. That being said, had so much fun spotting unique wildlife and the lunch (we had after, not during because of rain) was so delicious and felt like a genuine Norwegian experience.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Explore Bergen

Bergen

This city felt a lot busier than Oslo but it was really, really neat. We took the Floibannen up to Fløyen and walked down - definitely wouldn't recommend hiking to the top unless you're looking for a really serious challenge. Lots of little views and fun houses on the way down.

Quality of Experience

Fjærlandsfjord Cruise & Bøyabreen Glacier Visit

Balestrand

While we didn't get to the glacier, the museum was really fun and the trip to and from Fjærland was so cool. We stayed on the outside of the boat the entire time. This was also a smaller boat than previous ferries and we loved this experience a lot more.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Self Guided Exploration Balestrand

Balestrand

While gorgeous, there is not a lot going on in this town, and the apple ciderhus was closed while we were there, which I think is one of the main attractions. If you're lucky, the hotel bar will have a bottle of cider available and we highly recommend getting the bottle!!

Quality of Experience

Mathallen Food Court Visit

Oslo

10/10 recommend the cheese shop with champagne!

Quality of Experience

Private City Walk

Oslo

Christina was incredible. We loved getting to spend time with her and her knowledge of the city was wonderful - she even tailored some things to our interests (music)!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Self-Guided Oslo Exploration

Oslo

Love getting lost in a city wandering. We loved this city most!

Quality of Experience

We had a great trip to Paris for adults and kids. The vintage car ride around Paris was great for the adults, the kids didn't find that as exciting. The Lourve and Eiffel tower were great and tickets were easy to use. Versailles tickets were great as well. We had to Uber there as the train was shut down that day so be sure to have a backup plan. My kids especially loved the Evolution museum and zoo. Overall, great trip and planning.