Kimkim Trip Reviews

Thanks to Kate for assisting in the coordination of the trip. Overall you were very responsive during the planning and reached out several times during the trip to check in. My only wish is that the daily itineraries were really evaluated and questioned from a time and location perspective, especially in Kyoto, as there was no way to actually achieve the intended itinerary in the time allocated.

Tokyo with Allan-san was fantastic!, our favorite of the trip -- he really set a high bar which was unfortunate for our future guides. He took us on a walking/subway city tour of the city one day and then again for a van-trip to Hakone. Both days were seamless. He was super knowledgeable, friendly, patient, and helpful. We modified the day based on what made the most sense rather than the pre-determined itinerary. We started in Asakusa, then took my teenage son to some gaming centers, and ended with Meiji Jingu. Then the next day we headed to Hakone with our driver Ho and enjoyed Hokone Jinja, the pirate ship (fun, but shorter than I would have liked), the tram and black eggs (they taste like totally normal hard boils) from the sulfer springs, Oshino for lunch and back to Tokyo. It was a long day, but gorgeous with all the sakura blooming (only caught one quick glimpse of Fuji). Before we left Tokyo, Allan went to great length to organize all the rest of our shinkasen tickets and explain how to properly navigate with multiple tickets. We can't thank him enough for that as when we got to the first station and made a small mistake, his explanations made sense and we were grateful as can be. Also loved our hotel in Tokyo.

Our time in Takayama wasn't as successful. First, ALL 7 of the restaurants in the hotel were fully booked before we even arrived, so we were required to venture out for dinner after arrival. Takayama is a bit sleepy and finding something open was a bit of a challenge. We walked to multiple places before finding someplace open on both nights there. Our guide was a sweet young lady, but came all the way from Osaka and had only been to Takayama once before and her English was weak. She had to use her phone to find her way around (we could have done the same on our own), and didn't really have anything to offer in the way of history, insights, or recommendations for our day in Takayama and Shirakawago. This was disappointing as I think Takayama was a really interesting and quaint town that we didn't really get a good feeling for. The highlight of Takayama was definitely the onsen at our hotel, my husband and I really enjoyed going each day. We also stayed in a Japanese-style room and although grateful for the experience, we would all probably not choose to do it again as we missed having comfy beds or chairs to lounge on before heading to dinner.

On to Kyoto, which is my favorite city in Japan and I was looking forward to the most. Unfortunately, there was some kind of confusion regarding our guide. We were told our guide would be a gentleman, but then changed to a woman the night before -- and then, the morning of the meeting, we discovered that the guide was at the wrong hotel about 30 minutes away from where we were. I think perhaps the two guides were exchanged by accident (maybe another group had the same happen?). It took about 45 min for us to adjust and meet somewhere in between. Our guide, was a lovely young lady full of energy and smiles, but again from Osaka. She knew Kyoto alright, but still not the level of expectation for a private guide fee and we often would listen in to tour group guides to get more details during our day. Additionally, there was no way that we could have gone to all the places on the initial itinerary as they are too far apart. (I wish this had been pointed out during the planning). Getting to the Kinkakuji Temple, Nishiki Market and then Fushimi Inari Shrine would have spent several hours in transit as they're quite far from one another. So unfortunately we only got to the Market and also Kiyomizu-dera Temple with the time we had. Guess I'll have to come back to Kyoto another time. (poor me - lol)

Our van-trip from Kyoto to Osaka included Slash as our guide -- and he was great! We had a lot of fun talking about music and guitars on our drive and then had lots of interacgtios with the deer and the amazing Todaiji Temple (just WOW) and Kasuga Taisha Shrine. Kudos to Slash for hanging with us as our family was starting to get on each other's nerves a bit after 9 days. He handled it with class and realized when to let us have a bit of space for our bickering. Luckily ice cream solves lots of problems. Slash renewed our faith in guides again and we're grateful for his energy and rocknroll spirit. The hotel was very comfortable, also with an onsen and an incredible massage chair (best 300 Yen spent on the trip). However, there was no restaurant for dinner (only breakfast) I think in the future I'd stay closer to Gion/Pontocho so we'd be a bit more central to the night life and key destinations.

Our last days were on our own in Osaka. This was the least favorite hotel of our trip -- small rooms, and lots of late night noise from the Dotonbori. We definitely had fun exploring the Dotonbori at night, but would be willing to travel a bit for a quieter space.

Overall, we appreciated all the coordination of the hotels, planning, guides, and drivers that KimKim provided. Except for the one confusion in Kyoto -- all guides/drivers communicated well about timing, meeting places, and were on time each day.

This trip cost over $1000/day BEFORE our lunch & dinner meals & non-KimKim activities -- which is high, even for Japan. We didn't stay at luxury hotels -- I can see that our hotel rooms could be booked online directly for between $250 to $550/night, and I can also see the shinkansen fees on the internet, and most of the entry fees to places were fairly minimal, seems like the majority of this cost was towards our guides/drivers, so I would expect those to be top notch/excellent in every regard. Allan definitely met the bar and Slash was close, but the other two, although nice and genuine people, just didn't meet the bill. This is the area where I felt most let down as we rely on guides to provide more than we can do ourselves as seasoned travelers. That means providing history, insights, and secrets hidden among the tourists, restaurant suggestions, recommendations for other experiences for our "own" time, well-thought-out plans for the day, etc. We'll probably give KimKim another chance in the future, but my expectations will be stricter in the planning phase regarding guides and what we want to achieve each day.

A huge shoutout to our specialists Adam, Jessica, and Yuri for putting together this incredible trip for us. Spain has been absolutely amazing, and thanks to kimkim, it's been incredibly easy even with our two little ones. I honestly don't know how we would've managed without kimkim arranging everything from airport/train transport to family-friendly accommodations and private tours for the busy attractions, letting us skip lines and explore at our own speed.

I appreciate all the recommendations and the insight of the local experts to pair us up with tour guides who are sensitive to the whims and needs of smaller children.

Hotel Reviews

Hotel Regina

Barcelona

We had a family room, so there were four twin beds in the room. With all the beds set up, it was not very big, but still very functional. The room is tasteful, modern, and comfortable. There is no empty fridge as it has a lot of drinks in it already. Coffee and snacks cost money. Restaurant and Bar in the hotel, La Esquina, was actually quite nice for a meal or a nightcap. You get 15% off as a hotel guest. Yes, there was construction when we were there, but it didn't really affect us negatively. Extra noise and dust were not noticeable. There is housekeeping everyday to clean the room and replenish towels. Staff is very friendly.

Authenticity & Character

Wonderful balcony with views of all the other old buildings. You are turned in from La Rambla and Plaza de Catalunya so you get none of the throngs of people or noise, but all the convenience.

Location

Right next to Plaza de Catalunya. Minutes walking to Passeig de Gracia, El Raval, Sant Antoni, and La Rambla. Close to Metro. Across the street from a 24hours market.

Staff

Everyone was super friendly. English was fine.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Everything is clean and modern. Housekeeping comes everyday.

Slow Suites Bellas Artes

Madrid

The front door is hard to locate because of construction and a lot of parked vans (deliveries and trailers for the theater people), but it is there. Check in was a breeze. You get emailed a code to get in the door the day before. The location is awesome. Close to Metro. You are equidistant to Plaza del Sol or Retiro Park, both just a 12 minute walk away. The area is very walkable also with lots to eat and places to get supplies.' We had a two bedroom and two bath apartment, with two twin beds in each room. There was a dining room, living room and balcony. A fully equipped kitchen (fridge, microwave, coffee, stove, oven, dishwasher, kitchen tools, utensils and plates). A washing machine (I think it was a washer/dryer combo, but there was a big rack to dry clothes). There was detergent provided. There is an elevator. Place has a lot of charm. My family of four can stay here easily for a long time.

Authenticity & Character

Looking out the balcony every morning with a cup of coffee is such a treat.

Location

12 minutes walk from Plaza Del Sol and Retiro. Literally the heart of Madrid. Neighborhood is very cute. Very close to Metro.

Staff

No interaction as scheduled housekeeping is once every three days and we left the third day. I did text the help line asking for where the washing detergent was and response was prompt. English was no problem.

Cleanliness & Comfort

The place was clean. They had everything we needed. Enough towels and supplies.

Activity Reviews

Private Gaudí Architecture Walk with La Sagrada Família

Barcelona

Casa Batllo is amazing for kids. They get an tablet to interact with the house and the guide does a good job incorporating the tablet so the kids feel very involved. This allows the guide to focus on the adults and actually give them a tour. Casa Batllo is such a fun house. You really get to see how the family lived. The installed artwork like the Mind of Gaudi immersion room and the Chain Links though not original did add a lot of visual value. You don't mind seeing them. Even the paid photography is of you on the actual balcony which is really cool. It isn't just a some green screen. Sagrada Familia is amazing. It really is not to be missed. The tour guide did a great job giving the children a scavenger hunt to keep them engaged. Skipping the line with the tour guide for both sites was worth it. The tour guide was very well prepared. She had workbooks, photos, and other reference material to show the kids. She also did a bonus stop at Casa Mila on the way to the Metro station to give us some more context about Gaudi's work. Our tour guide took us to lunch only to find out that we didn't book the tour with lunch. I rather she just owned up to it and said she a mistake about it so I didn't have to eat at the restaurant she chose.

Quality of Experience

You cannot miss Sagrada Familia if you are in Barcelona. It is really worth it. I cannot stress that enough. Casa Batllo was a lot of fund for the kids and for the adults. I believe because of the line skipping and the self paced tour that this was the best way to have experienced both these sites.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

She really prepared and was ready to engage with my children. She had lots of print outs and materials and stories and activities for the children. She was very knowledgeable. She just sort of made a snafu regarding lunch. I would give her five stars if she didn't take us to lunch.

Transport

We just took metro ourselves between sites. It was easy.

Private Electric Tuk-Tuk Adventure

Madrid

Tour guide was friendly, knowledgeable, and had interesting historical facts. Tuk-Tuk was actually quite comfortable. They provide blankets. The major theme of the tour is a route centered on the old city gates and the old city walls. It doesn't actually go into the Plazas (Mayor and Sol). You see a lot of Madrid on it but you do lose a sense of where you are as you go up and down side streets. There is a see through roof on the tuk-tuk which sort of separates you from the outside, forcing you to tilt your head to see the things above you. You also can't really take photos through the roof. Tuk-Tuk tour has a few stops for you to explore on foot. It stops at the Temple of Debod (old Egyptian temple), and at the old wall and new walls of Madrid.

Quality of Experience

It was fun and it does whet your appetite to see the city.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Driver was knowledgeable and safe. He is easy to listen and talk to. English is fine.

Transport

Tuk Tuk themselves are actually quite comfortable. They provide blankets if you get cold.

Day Trip to Montserrat & Lunch at a Farmhouse

Barcelona

The site is beautiful. Riding a cable car is always fun for kids (though there are cable cars within the city of Barcelona which are closer). There was no time to actually explore the mountain peak as we spent the majority of the "free time" waiting to get into the basilica. Likewise, there is no time for the museums either. After the basilica, you hang out and take a few pictures and time is up. The basilica itself was super beautiful on the inside. We did not get to see the boys choir as our time slot to get into the basilica just missed out on that. It would had been nice. We probably missed it because the bus was late. Lunch was actually very very good. There was tapas and roast meat and wine. Very hearty. You work an appetite walking around.

Quality of Experience

The basilica was very nice. So was the lunch. Kids enjoy the cable care ride. But this is a detour.

Food

This was the unsung hero of the activity. The food is rustic and very good. The restaurant had amazing views.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Guide told good stories and was very knowledgeable.

Transport

Coach was comfortable. You have to walk a bit to get to the actual place where you ride the coach. They could had told us to just meet there. There is no bathroom to go to before you get on the bus. As this was not a private tour, you end up waiting for people to go to the bathroom. This leads to the bus being late.

Family-Friendly Royal Palace Visit

Madrid

Skipping the line was amazing, but because the king was actually going the day before and the day of, there were a lot of people (making up for early closure the previous day). It has very beautiful rooms and neat things to see. But it is so crowded you wouldn't get a chance to take your time in each room. You also get no sense of the life of the palace. It is just really a collection of a few rooms for you to see and a few items. Given this, the pace was perfect at about 2 hours. The guide gave a real effort to interact with the kids which I appreciate, but my kids were too small to pay attention. That is fine. The tour guide told decent stories and made good enough explanations and answered questions from the adults. He was a good tour guide. What made this family friendly was no line, the pace was quicker, and the tour guide acknowledged the kid. That was it.

Quality of Experience

It was definitely worth seeing once

Guides, Drivers and Staff

The guide was friendly and knowledgeable

Transport

Madrid isn't all that big. This palace is very convenient to get to. The guide meets you by the statue. He had no trouble finding us.

All our guides were great!

The adventures were fantastic. All guide and drivers were amazing. I would like to specifically thank Lucas. He was a fantastic guide. We really enjoyed all the things he showed us and taught us. Especially the local phrases and we got to use to communicate. Fun was had by all. Thank you so much.

Hotel Reviews

Pousada Naturalia

Angra dos Reis

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Windsor California Copacabana Hotel

Rio de Janeiro

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Day Tour of Sugarloaf Mountain (walking trail) and Christ the Redeemer Statue

Rio de Janeiro

This was an awsome experience.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Hike to Lopes Mendes Beach

Ilha Grande

Quality of Experience

Food

The restaurant on the water was excellent

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Boat Tour Halfway Around Ilha Grande (Group Tour)

Ilha Grande

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

We had an overall great experience with the activities on this tour. I was upfront in requesting that our trip would focus on enjoyment of our kids and for the most part KimKim came through for us. What I most enjoyed from using this service was assistance in setting up transportation via the high-speed trains between cities in Spain. Our guide in Madrid for Royal Palace, Javier was one of the most enjoyable aspects of the trip because he really focused on engaging our children. Our expedition in Valencia led by Sonia was a lot of fun and really got our kids excited to explore around the Mercado Central. The Park Guell and Sagrada Familia led by Beto was incredible due to the extensive knowledge he had and was very accommodating to everyone in the small group. The last expedition in Barcelona for Born/Gothic Quarter was unfortunately the least enjoyable mostly because the guide, Mateo made it clear he did not know there would be children in our private group and said he would have set the experience up differently if he knew ahead of time.

Hotel Reviews

Hotel Astoria

Barcelona

Awesome rooftop Pool, very good breakfast at hotel. Great Location.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel & Spa Plaza Mercado

Valencia

The "pool" is within the spa and children not allowed in the spa area. Incredible location right next to Mercado Central.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

60 Balconies Design

Madrid

Heart of Madrid, like being at home. Lots of grocery stores nearby.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Private El Born Walk with Flamenco & Tapas

Barcelona

As an adult this experience was 5 stars, however we had children with us and the experience could have been tailored a bit more for them to earn that last star.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Park Güell & La Sagrada Família Experience

Barcelona

Tour Guide Beto really brought this experience to life with his knowledge

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Family-Friendly Royal Palace Visit

Madrid

Tour Guide Javier made it very memorable because he catered towards our kids and his experience as a school teacher really made it very enjoyable occasion.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Our Travel Pro, Monika, was very patient with us while we worked through the itinerary for our New Zealand trip. In fact it took us (not Monika) 3 months to finally settle on the detailed schedule. We just kept asking questions and Monika developed options for us to consider. In the end her original itinerary was close to what we chose; well we added a few excisions and some of the hotels and B&B's changed.

I will say all the options Monika provided were excellent. Monika was very responsive to reschedules (due to weather) and in fact moved an excursion up a day, to keep us on schedule and allow us to do a challenging hike the next day that got cancelled because of weather.

If I had one recommendation to the reader, 16-days is not enough; if you are driving. We saw many highlights and are already thinking of our next visit to New Zealand. Monika was very cognizant of the travel times and provided us guidance to minimize our hours on the road and provide useful, fun, entertaining, & amazing stops along the way.

Monika will be our go-to for our next New Zealand adventure. It was so helpful having a local (she is based in Queenstown) expert.

Thanks,
Tom T

Hotel Reviews

Beaufort House Akaroa

Akaroa

The hostess and host were excellent and this is an incredible B&B

Authenticity & Character

French town with this chateau feel

Location

Small town and this was a walk to the waterfront.

Staff

Excellent Omlete

Cleanliness & Comfort

These linens I really want to know where they get them, was unbelievable comfortable!

Naumi Hotel Wellington

6141

Quirky mid-town hotel.

Authenticity & Character

Quirky, what more is there to say! In a really good way.

Location

Well except the parking, but we were RIGHT DOWN TOWN

Staff

Pointed us to a few interesting things to see.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Great bed and linens

M Social

Auckland

Modern Hotel in the middle of everything! The first 2 days we just walked everywhere we needed to go.

Authenticity & Character

Modern and Modern

Location

Right on the waterfront

Staff

Helped with some tech issues and made recommendations

Cleanliness & Comfort

just great

Kamana Lakehouse

Queenstown

Excellent location, great view of the lake. Great Staff

Authenticity & Character

It is called Lakehouse and it didn't disappoint with the Lake Views

Location

Staff

Came to get us when one of our excursion drivers showed up early!

Cleanliness & Comfort

The staff was responsive to a messy towel day

Activity Reviews

Fly Cruise Fly – Queenstown to Milford Sound by scenic flight

New Zealand

Everyone has pictures of Milford, but you need to experience it yourself!

Zealandia - Night Tour

Wellington

Everyone should do this excursion because it tells you about how New Zealand is reintroducing native birds.

Starlight Gourmet Kayak Tour - Glowworm Caves

Rotorua

Really glowworms only exist in 3 locations in the world, our guide was excellent and we really enjoyed the adventure.

Redwoods treewalk by night

Rotorua

Just fun and interesting in the evening!

The guide in Ecuador was great, we had busy days and visited a lot of different sites!

Everything was well organized and we had no issues at all we were able to enjoy our trip to the maximum

Our Trip to Vietnam and Cambodia through kim kim was very smooth, Ashley was on top of the every day planning and she was being sure we were satisfied throughout our trip. She was very fast putting together this trip for us that was decided at the last minute.
The guides were very friendly, flexible and knowledgeable.
Our private transportation was very comfortable and convenient.
Thank you Kim Kim, Ashley and your team for making this memorable trip for us.

Hotel Review

Chen Sea Resort & Spa

Phu quoc

Amazing location on the beach, very friendly staff, delicious food.

Authenticity & Character

The rooms are beautiful, the architecture of the hotel very unique

Location

Great location on a beautiful beach

Staff

Very friendly and helpful

Cleanliness & Comfort

Rooms and public areas in very well condition

Activity Review

Halong - Lan Ha Bay - Frog Lagoon Area (Capella)

Ha Long Bay

Great sigh seen place, nice family time, food in the boat was amazing, very friendly staff, rooms very comfortable.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

We love the approach KimKim takes of surveying interests and travel styles and creating a custom trip that fits. The local guides were top-notch, and the activities aligned well with our interests. Especially the cooking class we took and the dinner we had in someone’s home. It was a nice change from a restaurant to be able to have a relaxing meal in a
“homey” environment and get to know some new people.

The other positive of Helena (our trip lanner) was the regular communication about trip details both before and while we were away, as well as that from the tour guides. There was very little to fret over while we were on vacation – and we got updates throughout our tour.

The only bit of advice I have is that you should take time to research your destination fully. This was the 1st time I did not plan every aspect of our trip (book hotels, Viator tours, etc.), and I should have better researched Lisbon (and Porto) to fully appreciate what we did and what we missed. I felt a little disconnected following a plan that was built for me rather than one I built. This is nothing against KimKim – I 100% recommend them; just advice as you begin to plan your next destination.

We will definitely use KimKim when we plan our next trip!

From the moment we were contacted by Tamer the customer service was exceptional. The communication was swift and helpful and the tour was arranged using some of our ideas and the undoubted expertise of Tamer and his team. The trip could not have been better. Our guide Sebastian went above and beyond any reasonable expectations to make it a special tour and was such great company for every moment of the 11 days. We saw and experienced everything from the Amazon to zip lining, cable cars, sand boarding and seeing a mix of spectacular city centre buildings to rural mountain life. The mix of food and our cooking lessons were perfect. We will definitely recommend Tamer and Sebastian to our friends and family

What an amazing experience we had in Morocco. Original Travels made the process easy and enjoyable. Said organized the trip according to our needs and was available even after hours. Oussama our driver complemented very well our wonderful visit to Morocco. Beautiful country, beautiful people. Hope to be back

Well organised and everyone very helpful and friendly, but over-priced

Hotel Review

Casa Tayrona Los Naranjos

Thoroughly recommend. Great location, wonderful food, fantastic staff. Perfect place to relax

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Review

Hike Tayrona National Park

Colombia

Very touristy. No need for a guide - clear paths to follow

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Excellent careful driver with good quality comfortable vehicle

We had wonderful time in Japan. This was our first trip to Japan, so we wanted to see main attractions with some focus on 'hidden' Japanese treasures. Fei really did great job in organizing everything to tinny detail. Fei was also supportive during our trip, responding to some of the questions or small additional requests quickly. Communication via KimKim platform and response from local agency was good.
We had few days organized with local guide &driver while for few days we joined smaller group. We had also enough time to do some things by ourselves.
Highlights:
- Katana Sword Making in Kyoto
- Half Day Sagano Bamboo Grove & Arashiyama Walking Tour (Join-in)
- Osaka Highlights Bike Tour
- Full Day Mt.Fuji and Lake Kawaguchi Tour - it is a bit longer drive from Tokyo. We were unlucky that road to 5th station on Mt. Fuji was closed and traffic to the place was challenging so we spend a lot of time in car that day.

Few things that could be improved:
- few of our guides were actually more help to go around the place, rather than being really guide explaining things around the place we were visiting. We felt they didn't have much of the local knowledge, which was something we were expecting. They were mostly students living in Japan for several years. The guide that we had in Tokyo was really knowledgeable and was able to share more details.

Altogether, if you want trip without too much of worry, highly recommended. Make sure you stress out importance of having local guides.

What went well: 1) Shona did a great job planning our trip and making sure we were enjoying our itineraries every day! Our biggest highlight was being able to do all tourist special attractions in one trip across cities. 2) She added things to the itinerary, per our request (Team Labs Borderless), which we are so glad we did and a big thanks to her for organizing it! 3) Louisa (Tokyo guide) gave us some great restaurant recommendations. 4) And the location of hotel in Tokyo was AMAZING.

What could be better - 1) The tour guides we got were not very knowledgeable nor experienced. They were nice people, but it was hard to get much touristy/historical information from them about our destinations. Shu (Kyoto/Osaka guide) didn't even enter most of the places with us; he would just wait outside. We felt like we always had to ask him to explain history / significance of places we went to, as he offered very little details/stories. 2) For the amount of money we paid, we should have received much better and experienced guides. e.g., we met some other guides (via Viator) who have been doing this for more than 10 years and really knew about the history and cultural significance of places - we feel like we didn't get that at all! 3) We also felt like we walked needlessly to fill time in Kyoto / Nara - the distances were very spread out and we had to walk miles (within a single day at times) that we believe should have been a private car experience for the amount of money we paid. We were exhausted by the end of the trip given how much we had walked every single day. Plus, it was very hot in both Kyoto/Nara and Osaka. That wasn't value worth our money spent!

Overall, I think the trip was fine and Shona did a great job checking in and following up on our whereabouts and making sure we were comfortable. But, the guides (especially Shu) really made us think that we didn't get the experience we deserved!

Hotel Reviews

Osaka Excel Hotel Tokyu

Osaka

The Osaka Excel Hotel Tokyu was conveniently located near the train station, but it felt slightly distant from key attractions like the fish market, and always needed to take a cab to move around. Overall, it was a satisfactory stay

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Vischio Kyoto by GRANVIA

Kyoto

Location is good but there were no in-house restaurants or bars!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Shibuya Excel Hotel Tokyu

Tokyo

Location, location, location!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Amazing location, right in the heart of the city, next to a Metro

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Full Day Tour to Arashiyama Bamboo Grove & Sagano Scenic Railway

Kyoto

Sagano Scenic Railway was a fine day tour, but the train ride was not as spectacular as it seemed, the main attraction was supposed to be a boat ride which was canceled due to the weather conditions. Overall, it was a pleasant day.

Spot Early-Blooming Cherry Blossoms in Tokyo

Tokyo

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Her knowledge and storytelling

Transport

Toured Casablanca, Rabat, Chefchaouen, Volubulis, Fes and Meknes. There was a lot of driving on this itinerary; typically 4 hours per day. I would avoid that in the future. Our driver, Younes, was accommodating. The van was comfortable, but note that two people must ride backwards as there are two bench seats that face each other behind the front seats. This arrangement can result in some people getting motion sickness from facing backwards. The people in Morocco were very friendly. The hotel in Casablanca was very good and the staff was very friendly and accommodating: Barcelo Anfa. The breakfast at the hotel was amazing. The riads were just okay. Very nice looking, but not very well insulated from outside noises on the street and we were awoken each early morning (about 2:30 am and 5 am) by the call to prayer as it was Ramadan. Breakfasts at the riads were just okay; mostly a lot of different breads with yogurt and some fruit. Tour of Fes medina was very interesting. Other medinas were nice but very repetitive. The cooking class was very long; approximately 4 hours. The instructor was very nice, but it was too long. Would have preferred a food tour, but that was not available due to Ramadan. Tour of Volubulis was very interesting. Would have liked to spend more than 1 hour. We would not do the hammam again. We were sent in without a change of under garments or swimsuits, no one spoke English inside the hammam and it was bit awkward trying to figure out what to do and when it was finally complete.

Hotel Reviews

Riad Sayeda Alhora

Fes

The nicest riad of the trip in terms of ambiance and room size, but no closets. Street noise very noticeable at night.

Dar Meziana

Chefchaouene

Nicely appointed. Outside street noise was noticeable when trying to sleep. One of the better riad breakfasts. Easy access to the medina.

Riad Kalaa 2

Rabat

Nicely appointed. Outside street noise was noticeable when trying to sleep. Location was good relative to local attractions.

Barceló Anfa Casablanca

Casablanca

Very modern, with one of the best breakfast buffets we have ever seen. Staff was very friendly and went out of their way to make us happy.

Activity Reviews

Exploring the Imperial City and Medieval Medina of Fes

Fes

Tour guide was good. Seeing how products were made was interesting. Dealing with vendors was sometimes annoying.

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

Fes

We had to do the cooking class instead of the food tour because it was Ramadan. The instructor was very nice but the class was simply too long; over 4 hours.

Hammam Visit: Traditional Body Scrub

Morocco

Better description provided ahead of the hammam as no one spoke English. Also it would have been better to have a change of clothes or a swim suit.

This was our first experience with Kikmim, following directly on their Exploring 6-days Australia tour. My husband and I are delighted to give Vicky at Kimkim an "excellent" rating on this tour. From initial contact, to booking, to superb coordination by the tour organizers, the excellent knowledge and wonderful humor of our guides, and the selection of tour sites, the trip was organized and run smoothly and with the interests and comfort of the participants always kept in mind. They are by far the best tour operator we have traveled with.

Hotel Reviews

Holiday Inn Cairns Harbourside, an IHG Hotel

Cairns North

Little bit far from the pier and downtown areas.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Vibe Hotel Sydney

Sydney

Good location.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Cleanliness & Comfort

Vibe Hotel

Melbourne

Location is very good.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Private City Kickstart Tour: Melbourne

Melbourne

Our tour was cancelled without a notice.

Great Ocean Road Scenic Tour

Melbourne

Amazing tour and fabulous experience.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Eleni and her team were incredible! Our family of 4 had a pretty last minute trip request to Italy and they delivered. We visited Bologna, Florence and Venice and would do it all again. Every detail was well planned out. The hotels were in perfect locations. The local tour guides and activities were wonderful and unique - we gained so much knowledge during these tours while having fun at the same time. We never could have planned something like this ourselves. We are so thankful for Eleni and her team for creating wonderful memories for our family.

Lorena helped us plan an amazing trip to Argentina to see penguins, a lifelong dream. Our guides Mery and Fabian were incredibly knowledgeable about the area and shared their love of the culture and natural history. We had a beautiful trip thanks to Kim Kim, thanks!

Hotel Review

Dazzler by Wyndham Puerto Madryn

Puerto Madryn

Really beautiful hotel, friendly bilingual staff and a nice rooftop rest area that was perfect for resting after our day trips. Easy walk to downtown Puerto Madryn.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Central location, great water views

Staff

Very friendly

Cleanliness & Comfort

Rooms were clean and service was really good.

Activity Review

Visit to a Penguin Colony by land - Punta Tombo

Puerto Madryn

Quality of Experience

We were able to spend a good part of the day at Punta Tombo and were not rushed

Food

We really appreciated the packed lunches for the long journey.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Mery and Fabian were so well versed in the history, culture and wildlife of Patagonia. Their clear love of their home was evident and made us appreciate the experience even more.

Transport

We had a slight communication error at the airport, but everyone jumped in and got us to our hotel with a small seat, but every day we were picked up on time and had a great relaxed experience, which is what we wanted. We had some great conversations en route to our destinations, and time seems to go quickly.

Responsive and thoughtful planning process by Florin - we were in constant communication and the details were ironed out very quickly. The local guide Mircea Maftei was one of the best we've had in all our experience with kimkim - very knowledgeable, great english, and above and beyond service.

We had a seamless trip put together in a short timeframe. Besides the amazing sites and people in India, we especially were grateful for transfer agents, guides, and drivers. They were all well versed in what we were doing, easy to commicate with, and made our trip to India very enjoyable.