Kimkim Trip Reviews

We asked for something unusual and Bea came through, especially with our guide Miguel, who was over the top. we were happy with the variety of things we saw. The app was perfect for transfers and tickets and the transfers were also good. Thanks Bea for arranging our trip for us. We couldn't have done it ourselves

We had an amazing trip. Fran and Kristy from Kim Kim were both amazing to work with from start to finish. Fran put this trip together for us last minute and really helped me make decisions on what places we should visit for the time frame, and what would be right for our family. The hotels that we stayed in were beautiful, safe and well-located. Fran went above and beyond, helping us book great restaurant reservations for our time in Cusco and Lima. Everything was 5 stars.

We enjoyed our guide Brian who took us from Arequipa to Colca Canyon to see the condors. We loved hearing about his life in Arequipa and we found we had a shared love of music and it made the long drive so fun to share our favorite songs.

As for our time in Sacred Valley, Machu Picchu and Cusco, we feel like we were so lucky to spend all of that time with our guide Claudio from Cusi Travel. The continuity that we had with Claudio as we traveled over 4 days to a multitude of locations was irreplaceable. Being with a private guide for just our family afforded our daughters to feel comfortable asking questions, using their Spanish skills, and getting a bigger overhead view of the Inca history of the area. Claudio did a fantastic job gathering us for family photos, and telling relatable stories about the area, so we could understand it more deeply. He was kind, patient, organized, helpful, thoughtful and went above and beyond in helping us alter our train ticket and departure time from Machu Picchu. His advice for the day we were not with him and we entered Machu Picchu on our own to hike Huana Picchu was spot on and really added to making our time there absolutely perfect. We loved that we did the Circuit #2 with Claudio in the late afternoon, when it was less crowded and the sunset light was amazing for pictures, followed by getting up early on our own and being the first people to start the hike up the mountain. We were able to get photos alone with our family before a lot of people got up there.

We loved the food tour in Lima with Sylvia and Lima Gourmet. SOOOOO much amazing food. One note for people going in the future. You really don't need to have any breakfast if you want to be able to enjoy all the food you are served during the tour.

This is the first time using Kim Kim, and I was nervous about the cost and whether it was all going to work out, but I have come away from the experience very ready to recommend KimKim to other friends planning international travel. At multiple times we had to make small changes to our itinerary due to plane issues, and missed flights and someone always replied in the chat immediately. Thank you for helping us with an amazing family trip we will never forget.

Hotel Reviews

Antigua Casona San Blas

Cusco

Gorgeous hotel. We loved our rooms, and we all LOVED the hot water bottles and tea that were placed in the room each evening. Our daughters couldn't get over how cozy it was to snuggle with the fuzzy cover. The breakfast was amazing and I wish I could have that breakfast bowl every morning. The staff was very accommodating and if anything I wish we could have had more time there to relax and enjoy the beautiful courtyard.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Tierra Viva Machu Picchu

Machu Picchu

Great location for our time hiking to Machu Picchu. Very easy to walk to the bus. Beautiful canyon views. Simple breakfast that was available very early in the morning, which was awesome. We also got back from our hike and they let us go up to a lounge area and use their bathroom to clean up and get ready for the train, because we had checked out early in the morning before our hike.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Antigua Miraflores

Lima

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Casa Andina Premium Valle Sagrado

Urubamba

Gorgeous hotel. Our one complaint, which wasn't their fault, was that there was an event happening at a neighboring hotel or resort that had music and a person on a VERY loud speaker from about 6 pm to after midnight. It DOMINATED the whole resort and it was totally counter to the serene vibe they have going. We wish the planetarium was in service, because it sounds like that would have been a super cool feature. We enjoyed the breakfasts very much, and also got food at the bar one evening, which was very easy and simple. Our daughter really enjoyed getting to pet and take pictures with the baby alpacas.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Colca Lodge

Yanque

Beautiful hotel and restaurant. We loved the hot springs. Bring flip flops for the walk down. We wished we had more time to enjoy the grounds and the surrounding area.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Palla Boutique

Arequipa

Beautiful hotel, we loved the upper garden deck and we wish we would have had more time to stay and relax there. The staff kindly shipped my kindle to me at a further location after I left it there.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Holiday Inn Lima Airport

Lima

Perfect for what we needed. Late arrival and early departure.

Activity Reviews

Full Day Cusco & San Pedro Market Tour

Cusco

As for our time in Sacred Valley, Machu Picchu and Cusco, we feel like we were so lucky to spend all of that time with our guide Claudio from Cusi Travel. The continuity that we had with Claudio as we traveled over 4 days to a multitude of locations was irreplaceable. Being with a private guide for just our family afforded our daughters to feel comfortable asking questions, using their Spanish skills, and getting a bigger overhead view of the Inca history of the area. Claudio did a fantastic job gathering us for family photos, and telling relatable stories about the area, so we could understand it more deeply. We really enjoyed visiting San Pedro Market with Claudio, who talked to us about all the items that were in the market.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Sacred Valley Tour: Pisac, Maras and Moray & Lunch at Mountain View

Peru

As for our time in Sacred Valley, Machu Picchu and Cusco, we feel like we were so lucky to spend all of that time with our guide Claudio from Cusi Travel. The continuity that we had with Claudio as we traveled over 4 days to a multitude of locations was irreplaceable. Being with a private guide for just our family afforded our daughters to feel comfortable asking questions, using their Spanish skills, and getting a bigger overhead view of the Inca history of the area. Claudio did a fantastic job gathering us for family photos, and telling relatable stories about the area, so we could understand it more deeply. This day, was a long day, but it was awesome. Pisa, Maras and Moray were all super cool locations that we are so glad we got to see. Our lunch at Mountain View was so fun, and it was made extra special by Claudio, who secretly told the chef it was our daughter's birthday. They came over with a special dessert and sang Happy Birthday to her, which really completed a great day.

Quality of Experience

Food

The food and vibe at Mountain View was so cool! We are so glad we got to check out this cool spot!

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Colca Canyon & drive to Arequipa

Peru

We loved seeing the canyon and all the condors. Brian did a great job guiding us on the long drive through the mountains. We loved seeing the alpacas, llama, vicuna and guanacos. It was fun to learn about all the volcanos and the mountains we saw on the drive.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Colca Canyon Tour: Arequipa - Colca Canyon - Chivay

Peru

Long drive, but it was beautiful and a lot of fun to see all the animals. We did not realize how high we would be driving, so that took us by surprise. But the landscape with beautiful.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Train from Urubamba, then Explore Machu Picchu, stay in AC

Peru

As for our time in Sacred Valley, Machu Picchu and Cusco, we feel like we were so lucky to spend all of that time with our guide Claudio from Cusi Travel. The continuity that we had with Claudio as we traveled over 4 days to a multitude of locations was irreplaceable. Being with a private guide for just our family afforded our daughters to feel comfortable asking questions, using their Spanish skills, and getting a bigger overhead view of the Inca history of the area. Claudio did a fantastic job gathering us for family photos, and telling relatable stories about the area, so we could understand it more deeply. He was kind, patient, organized, helpful, thoughtful and went above and beyond in helping us alter our train ticket and departure time from Machu Picchu. His advice for the day we were not with him and we entered Machu Picchu on our own to hike Huana Picchu was spot on and really added to making our time there absolutely perfect. We loved that we did the Circuit #2 with Claudio in the late afternoon, when it was less crowded and the sunset light was amazing for pictures, followed by getting up early on our own and being the first people to start the hike up the mountain. We were able to get photos alone with our family before a lot of people got up there.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Fly to Cusco, and Sacred Valley Expedition: Exploring Chinchero and Urubamba

Peru

As for our time in Sacred Valley, Machu Picchu and Cusco, we feel like we were so lucky to spend all of that time with our guide Claudio from Cusi Travel. The continuity that we had with Claudio as we traveled over 4 days to a multitude of locations was irreplaceable. Being with a private guide for just our family afforded our daughters to feel comfortable asking questions, using their Spanish skills, and getting a bigger overhead view of the Inca history of the area. Claudio did a fantastic job gathering us for family photos, and telling relatable stories about the area, so we could understand it more deeply.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Lima Food Tour

Peru

Loved this tour! Lots of amazing food and restaurants! Make sure you go on an empty stomach.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

All of the guides, the drivers, and the hotels were absolutely amazing. We enjoyed every single activity and meal that was pre-planned for us; and above all we loved the places around Indonesia that Marc had us staying in. Marc is the absolute best and we would do this trip all over again.

Hotel Reviews

Qunci Villas Hotel

Senggigi

hands down nicest place i've ever stayed in, best staff and food in all of indonesia.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Ecolodge Bukit Lawang

Bukit Lawang

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Cycling Adventure from Kintamani to Ubud

Indonesia

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

A Unique Experience with the Elephants

Tangkahan, North Sumatra

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Munduk & Tamblingan Lake Exploration

Indonesia

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Sumatran jungle by 4x4, from Tangkahan to Bukit Lawang

Indonesia

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Jungle Expedition – Trek to Meet the Orangutans

Indonesia

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Boat Trip and snorkeling around Gili Layar & Gili Rengit

Indonesia

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

We had a really great itinerary. Our local guide, Joe O'Donnell was very knowledgeable in both historical and current sights to see. He filled us in as we travelled on current, recent, and ancient events in Ireland. He also had a knack for finding good establishments for eating. It was very interactive and Joe always made sure we were happy with the activities we engaged in.

Overall, it was an amazing trip! Our favorite place was Nafplio. The local guides at the Acropolis (Angelic) and Santorini (Anna) did a phenomenal job of providing rich history on the sites and the area.

The only negative was the rental car. We were given a vehicle with a large quarter-sized chip in the windshield, bald tires and damage to the passenger side bumper. The car only had 1/2 tank of gas, too. The most offensive part of the experience was getting charged $650 for a crack in the windshield that happened due to the extreme heat in Nafplio. As noted, the windshield was already significantly damaged. We felt taken advantage of by the car company. A larger, more reputable rental company (i.e., National, Enterprise, etc.) would likely not have acted in this manner. We were very disappointed with how this transpired and would NOT recommend using the car rental company.

Tiago was rude, obnoxious and unhelpful from start to finish. While planning, he argued with me about minor changes and hotel selections. Once in Portugal, his behavior was consistent with the planning phase. Our travel through Portugal was supposed to be with a paid for driver/tour guide. We got a driver, who was a very nice person and excellent driver, but had no information about the sites, their history or even important places for us to see on our own. He was not a tour guide. Thank goodness I bought a Frommer’s tour book, otherwise we would have missed or not appreciated what we were seeing. We loved our trip with KimKim to Morocco last year, but we were disappointed with this experience.

Everything was absolutely exactly what they said it would be and more! I had a medical emergency with my eye and the local specialist got me in with an eye surgeon within hours of our arrival in Athens. The hotels were exactly as described, the tours, the transportation was top notch. We can compare because last year we used a company called Firebird tours for Italy and they were terrible. They were late taking us to the train station and missed our train and left us there, didn’t book transportation for things an hour away, would have cars drop us off at a location and it was our job to get him. But not KimKim!!! I will definitely be using this company again AND they were $2400 per person cheaper than another company I got quoted from with the exact itinerary.

My family just returned from a trip to France. The team at Kimkim, Sebastian helped plan our trip. He was great to work with right from the start. This was our first trip to France so we didn’t know what to expect going in. Sebastian and the team at Kimkim made it effortless to travel through France.
We were picked up by a driver upon arrival to Paris, and transported to our hotel.
Most of our activities were booked, including a bike tour of Paris, and a guided tour of Versailles palace.
The team had purchased our train tickets to Aix en Provence and arranged a guided tour of surrounding villages.
We had a fantastic tour of Marseille’s national park on a speed boat. This was quite a treat!
We went to Nice and had a fantastic experience. A private tour of Monaco, arranged by the Kimkim team was one of the high points of our visit to France.
We look forward to working with Kimkim in the future for other visits to Europe.
All accommodations we stayed at were very clean and comfortable.
Their pricing was fair compared to some other companies we tried to work with.
I highly recommend this company for anyone traveling to Europe.

Hotel Reviews

Hôtel A La Villa des Artistes

Paris

Clean hotel with friendly staff. Francesc was especially helpful during our stay. Their breakfast bar had good choice of healthy breakfast options.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Easy to jump on metro and travel around Paris. Multiple great restaurants within walking distance of the hotel.

Staff

Francesc was my favorite front desk person by far. She was very helpful from the day we checked in. I left my purse at the front desk when we checked out and she helped us arrange for an ups pick up. My purse was delivered to me when we arrived in Nice, with everything intact. Thank you so much!!

Cleanliness & Comfort

Aparthotel Adagio Nice Promenade des Anglais

Nice

The staff were helpful. The apartment was very clean. And the location was excellent. It overlooks the ocean. It was nice to relax at the balcony, and gaze at the ocean. Also, was nice to walk across the steeet and be at the beach. We ate at Cocoon restaurant right along the beach and the food was delicious! Note:They charge 25 euros to get your room cleaned if staying less than 8 days. 5 euros per towel is charged if you want towels replaced.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

The beds and towels. The bathroom was very clean.

Activity Reviews

Monaco, Monte Carlo & Eze - Half Day private guided tour

France

Our guide was wonderful on this tour. We had a blast at Monaco.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Half-Day hilltop villages in the Luberon nature park

Aix-en-Provence

Greg was a knowledgeable and great tour guide. Will do this again. Beautiful villages.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

French Boulangerie Class in Paris

Paris

What can I say this was my family’s all time favorite activity for our entire trip. Our Chef was truly talented and had many helpful tips. We made multiple different pastries. My whole family took this class and it was fun to learn to make croissants from scratch with my husband, my 16 year old son and my 13 year old daughter. We plan to make more pastries at home from the recipes we received from the class. Highly recommend this class.

Quality of Experience

Transport

We traveled with metro to the location. It always felt like an adventure to travel and navigate the metro system since we don’t have any subway transport in our city of residence.

Electric Bike tour of Paris' Hidden Gems - Small-group

Paris

This was a great adventure tour of Paris. It rained most of the day but that did not dampen our spirits. It was a little scary at times navigating the streets of Paris on bikes, on streets with cars. Our tour guide was excellent and told the best stories about the history of the city and France in general.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Our tour guide made the tour really a fun one. His stories aboutThe paintings, and the gladiator arena were very interesting.

Transport

Using Kimkim was an outstanding experience. Our local specialist, Esther Ruempol, was exceptional, guiding us from start to finish. She assisted in planning our trip and offered excellent suggestions, advice, and alternatives when needed. She was always available to answer our questions and address our concerns, providing significant support. Throughout the trip, she kept in touch, ensuring everything was going smoothly and that we had everything we needed. The trip summary was detailed and well-presented, making it easy to follow. It’s clear that Esther has extensive experience and loves her job. The trip itself was too good to be true. Everything from the pick-ups, transfers, guides and accommodations were amazing.

The highlight for was spending time in Athens , Delphi, Epidaurus and Mycenae. I absolutely adored the private tour guides Penny in Delphi and Theo in Epidaurus. I prefer all the hisotry and someone who can bring it alive for me. The provate tour guides did this for me (the group tour not so much). I highly recommend licensed private tour guides. They can tailor the tour to your specific interests, you get one on one attention, and move at your pace as opposed to group tours. You pay more, but I think it is a far better experience.

If you enjoy islands, beaches, and expensive touristy destinations, then you would like Mykonis and Santorini. Honestly, they were not my favorite as I am not a beach person. I am more interested in local culture, food, historic sites, and less interested in being a pampered tourist who like to shop. However, Mykonis provides access to Delos by sailboat and that was a lovely experience. Not only could we swim off the boat but we could explore the incredible prehistoric/historic site of Delos. Also, Santorini provided access to the Akrotiri of Thera site which was amazing.

In hindsight, I would have added a couple slower pace days. I am glad we saw everything we could but it was a bit exhausting by then end of the tour. I am responsible for that as I approved the itinerary. That being said, the geography we covered was significant and I definitely know where I want to explore further in Greece next time.

As I mentioned above, group tours are not for me. I participated in one group tour to the Parthenon which was my least favorite. I feel like roaming cattle moving through the site at pace that I did not appreciate. I found it less personal and not as enjoyable. Also, I had one interaction with that tour guide that left me sour. I would rather tour by myself than join a group tour.

Activity Review

Private Delphi Day-trip

Athens

Delphi is an amazing site. The experience is greatly enhanced with having a tour guide who can explain it to you. Also, I highly recommend going to Mer Des Oliviers for lunch afterwards. The owners were gracious and explained their six generation owned olive business. The food was incredible. The views were beautiful. I loved it there. Check it out. Our driver George was professional, lovely man who enjoyed talking with as we traveled from Athens.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Emanuela was prompt, personable, and took into consideration all of our needs when planning our 5 day trip to Iceland. She gave us a detailed itinerary with places to see including some off the beaten path we may have missed if we didn't have her information. She gave excellent restaurant recommendations to help us narrow down meals during our time there as well.
I would definitely use KimKim again in the future and would utilize Emanuela again if I plan to take another trip to the arctic.

We had a wonderful guide, Ms. Şebnem Altın, who show us about the beautiful sites of Istanbul. I really appreciate an experienced private tour guides who can pivot and modify the tour, as needed. Ms. Şebnem Altın was excellent at this technique and gave an efficient access to the sites and an informative backstory and context to each site.

We had a great time.

Hotel Review

Sirkeci Mansion Hotel

Istanbul

It was a clean and comfortable hotel room. The moring breakfast was satisfying and the concierge service was very helpful. It is also centrally located.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Review

Turkish Bath and Spa at Hürrem Sultan Hammam

İstanbul

Spoil yourself. You will not regret it.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

We had an incredible 12-day trip to Peru, visiting highlights like Lima, the Nasca Lines, Huacachina, Cusco, the Sacred Valley, Machu Picchu, the Rainbow Mountains, and glamping in Ollantaytambo. The vacation was smooth and hassle-free, thanks to Joanna's meticulous planning and Cusi Travel's friendly guides and drivers. It was a trip of a lifetime, and our kids (6 and 12 years old) thoroughly enjoyed it due to the guides' flexibility. I'm already considering planning our next trip with Kimkim because it was such a worry-free experience.

I had a truly wonderful and unforgettable trip to China. As a solo traveler with limited time and no knowledge of the language, I was initially worried. However, Heidi was incredibly patient and accommodated all my requests to visit Beijing, Xi'an, and Shanghai, ensuring that the hotels met both my quality and budget needs.

In each city, I was met by a driver and guide promptly at the airport and taken to my hotel for much-needed rest. In Beijing, my guide Ms. Niki gave me an amazing tour, sharing the history in a fascinating way. In Xi'an, my guide Zoe provided an excellent tour of the Terracotta Warriors and explained their significance wonderfully. In Shanghai, my guide Mr. Run Liu took me to various exciting spots around the city.

Throughout my trip, Heidi consistently checked in to ensure I was having a great time. I had an absolute blast and thoroughly enjoyed every moment of the trip. I highly recommend this experience to others."

Our guide Jemina and drivers were phenomenal. Very friendly, punctual and kind. The owner of Milenaria Travel, called to make sure our trip was going well.

Hotel Reviews

Pullman Santiago Vitacura

Santiago

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Don Raul

San Pedro de Atacama

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Los Flamencos Ecolodge

Laguna Hedionda

Eclectic, off the beaten path, but very welcoming and cozy.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel de Su Merced

Sucre

Beautiful, great location.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Near attractions.

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel de Sal Luna Salada

Uyuni

Hotel is beautiful, well appointed. Dinner meal was poor.

Authenticity & Character

Beautifully decorated.

Location

Near the salt flats

Staff

Lovely, polite.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Colonial (Potosi)

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Rosario La Paz

La Paz

Beautiful, clean, excellent breakfast.

Authenticity & Character

Authentic Bolivian art throughout the hotel

Location

Staff

Polite, accomodating.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Very clean, comfortable.

Activity Reviews

Viña del Mar and Valparaíso excursion

Santiago

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Stargazing Tour

Chile

This tour was second only to the salt flats. We were able to view the stars through telescopes. Tour guide took pictures and emailed to us, that was a nice and unexpected gift.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Visit the Valley of the Moon

San Pedro de Atacama

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Uyuni Salt Flats

Uyuni

The salt flats were one of the highlights of the trip. Jemina and the driver set up a wonderful picnic and wine at the flats. She also took great illusion photos of us. This tour was so well worth it.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Explore the Ruins of Tiwanaku

La Paz

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Avaroa National Reserve

Bolivia

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Potosi and transfer to Uyuni

Bolivia

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Fly from Calama to Santiago

Chile

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Geysers, Lagoons, and the Journey to San Pedro de Atacama

Chile

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Cal Orcko and transfer to Potosi

Bolivia

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Fly from La Paz to Sucre

Bolivia

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Half Day Tour of La Paz + Valley of the Moon

La Paz

Jemina provided a well paced and thorough tour of La Pax.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Welcome to La Paz

La Paz

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Depart Santiago

Santiago

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Atacama Desert Tour: Lagunas Altiplanicas, Piedras Rojas y Laguna Chaxa

San Pedro de Atacama

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

We cannot say enough positive things about our experience with KimKim and our trip to Africa. Our specialist was able to recommend an itinerary that perfectly suited the travel interests of both myself and my husband with only a paragraph or two of input from us. As we got closer to the trip, they continued to add and update details with our itinerary, which became a wonderful reference as we moved from one place to another once our journey began. And we have run out of compliments about the locations that they chose for us...... the accommodations in every city were amazing, as was the service. I would especially like to recognize Kruger Shalati for their amazing property, food, game drives and overall service, and to Unembezza (and our specialist) for surprising us with an amazing suite and birthday goodies to celebrate my milestone. All of our drivers were early for our pickups, and all transportation was entirely smooth throughout the trip (and we moved quite a bit!). We had an amazing time in Victoria Falls and South Africa and will forever cherish the memories.

Alphonso was responsive, well informed and easy to work with. While in Spain, we had confidence that he or someone in the shop would respond in a timely way to our many questions. It took a lot of pressure off our backs. We had a great trip, which he helped us plan, including visiting several different regions. We relied a great deal on his judgment. Sasha in Girona, Juan in San Sebastian, and Susanna in Bilbao were all terrific -- extremely knowledgeable and fun. We had never used a travel agent before, but will certainly come back to KimKim.

Marina helped us a lot! She had great suggestions, made adjustments when required and communicated everything on time. Our trip was amazing and different from others. Our favorite experiences were food tours and wine tastings, the best way to know a new culture. ¡Gracias Marina por hacer este viaje inolvidable!

Activity Reviews

Tuscany Day Trip: Chianti, Siena & San Gimignano

Florence

Tuscany Is magical, the food and wines were really good.

Quality of Experience

Food

The apperitivo, i think a dessert is missing :)

Guides, Drivers and Staff

She have us great recommendations to do during the free time

Transport

Florence on Foot: Michelangelo’s David & Duomo

Spain

It was very incredible to see the real David. The guide knew a Lot about the scultors so she was able to explain a lot.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

A Day Among Roman Castles & Medieval Hilltop Villages

Rome

My favorite experience in the Trip! Going to a small vineyard and tasting those exclusive wines, then going to these small villages far from the crowded Rome was amazing!

Quality of Experience

The chosen vineyard was wonderful. We were even attended by the owners!

Guides, Drivers and Staff

The driver/guide was really good and conscious.

Transport

Rome on Foot: Spanish Steps, Pantheon & Trevi Fountain

Rome

Rossi was a great guide. She is talkative and full of energy and great sense of humor. Even though she had to move a little bit the start time due to our request, she did and even got us tickets for the Pantheon which was a last moment request.

Quality of Experience

The tour guide was full of energy and knowledge

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Get Inside the Colosseum with Arena Access

Spain

The chosen tour guide company changed the start time and that affected our whole day. Due to this change, our Kim kim advisor Marina had to make adjustments. Besides there were other companies with Spanish speaking guides and we were in an English speaking tour.

Quality of Experience

The meeting point is terrible, full of others companies meeting at the same spot. They should move to another place.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

She knew a Lot but sometimes I felt like she was annoyed by the sun, the crowds and that I had to traslate for my mom.

A Food Lover’s Rome: Campo de’ Fiori, Jewish Ghetto & Trastevere

Rome

The food was amazing! I think the wines could be better. However you learn a Lot about the dish and the history behind the dish. The tour was in English but the guide was also speaking Spanish so my mom was able to understand key aspects. She also shared tips to detect good restaurants in Rome to try the real food here.

Quality of Experience

The quality of the food!

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

She was really kind and even spoke Spanish so my mom could understand.

Small-Group Montserrat & Penedès Region Winery Excursion

Barcelona

The driver/guide was very friendly and was always willing to give recomendations and ideas. My favorite part was to listen to the kids from the monastery.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Segovia Highlights Day Excursion: a Fairy Tale Getaway

Madrid

One of my favorite tours in the Trip. The guide was really an expert and from the same town of Segovia. Great walking tour and the going to the Alcázar is spectacular

Quality of Experience

The guide of Segovia was really good. She knew a lot! The food!!

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Ávila Excursion by Train with Guided Visit

Madrid

The tour guide was from Ávila so he knew everything!!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Walking Madrid’s Old Town

Madrid

The guide was really from Madrid so he knew things that maybe another person from another region would not know.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Tapas & Tradition: A Madrileño Evening

Madrid

My favorite food tour! The guide really knew the history of the restaurant, the tapas, the drinks and the neighborhood. A Great tour to start knowing Spain!

Quality of Experience

The chosen restaurants

Food

Very good restaurants

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Even The tour was in English, the guide also spoke in Spanish to my mom.

Emanuela put together a fantastic trip for us in northern Iceland including Akureyri and Lake Mývatn.

The planning phase was very useful as we had several decision points that would have been unclear without her help. Do you fly or drive from Reykjavik? Answer - there’s little to see on that drive if you have the funds try to fly. How many days? We wound up adding one to make Mývatn and Akureyri 2 days and that was well worth it.

The itinerary was filled with otherwise unobtainable local nuance such as the very pleasant and unexpected cafe Kaffi Klara she casually mentioned in a note to an optional side trip to Olafsfjordur. Best apple cake we had anywhere. Or the endorsement of the seeming odd thing like the bird museum in Mývatn that nudged to try something unique we might not have considered. Suggested providers like hotels and horse riding outfits were very good. My wife’s horse ride in Mývatn was a highlight for her as she’s and advanced rider and she got a solo tour that worked on unique gaits of Icelandic horses.

Highest value to us I would say is having Emanuela available via messaging throughout. There are dozens of little questions that come up and we found it very comforting to just have a local available. 100% would recommend.

Our trip to Japan was amazing! Working with the Kimkim team was Simply wonderful. I have not used Kimkim previously and was initially skeptical of going with an online travel agent/agency. But it was the best decision I made. My travel contact was Katie and she was prompt with communication from the very beginning and especially during my stay in Japan. Starting with planning they came up with sample itineraries based on the number of days I was planning to spend and the cities I wanted to visit. I went off some suggested itineraries on the Kimkim website and looked up the cities on travel guides like lonely planet, and worked with Katie to find the itinerary further. I visited Tokyo, Matsumoto, Kamiki, Takayama, Kyoto with side trips to Nara, Araya and Hiroshima. Katie provided me with the local guide who is very helpful in navigating transportation, especially in Tokyo and Kyoto. Booking tickets for Japan rail, including Shinkansen trains was all done by them! The hotels they booked were simply amazing both in terms of location and service. I would highly recommend using them

Hotel Reviews

Kyoto Ryokan the Kinoe

Kyoto

I could not have asked for a better Ryokan experience! It is a 70 year old hotel that seems small on outside but Rooms were large and convenient. The Onsen was clean but not the best Onsen I had seen on this trip ( after experiencing a hot spring Onsen in Takayama one would not opt for this “usual” style of Onsen ). The breakfast experience was so authentic! Everyday was slightly different than the next. The location was EXCELLENT.. so close to Kamo river.. watching the sunset there was unforgettable!

Takayama Green Hotel

Takayama

A large hotel with 2 Onsens! We had a Japanese style room which was so spacious for our party of 3. The staff came twice a day to set up and remove the futons for sleeping. Had a great souvenir shop with Tax free option that was better than the one at Haneda. 3 great restaurants and the BEST breakfast buffet!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

They came to make and take down our futon beds twice a day.. room was the larger than any suite I have been to at comparative range of hotels in US!

Iroha Grand Hotel Matsumoto Eki-Mae

Matsumoto

Excellent location 5 minutes from train station, clean spacious room for our party of 3 and good breakfast buffet

Shiba Park Hotel

Tokyo

A great hotel with a wonderful breakfast buffet That allowed me to sample Japanese cuisine (besides sushi). The hotel’s amenities and staff were simply wonderful. A great mid-century modern decor with a library. I have not seen a similar concept in any of the hotels I have visited in the US. The hotel location was walking distance from Tokyo Tower and subway stations. I will definitely be staying here again if I visit and reserve one day to spend at the hotel exploring there, Library.

Authenticity & Character

I have not stayed at a “book/library” hotel before! Each floor was dedicated to a category like cooking, art and architecture with books by Japanese authors! I regretted not spending enough time at hotel

Location

Close to subway, Tokyo tower, restaurants. It had a coin laundry which was convenient to use. Had luggage forwarding service and a currency exchange that had a better rate than I got at my US bank!!

Staff

Everyone was friendly.. many had excellent English speaking skills

Cleanliness & Comfort

The rooms were small by US standards but so well laid out with such excellent design features that beats the top US hotels at a similar price range

Activity Reviews

Geisha (Maiko) Tea Ceremony & Show

Kyoto

The tea ceremony experience was not exactly what I expected. I anticipated a traditional setup with a Geisha or a Maiko (Geisha in training). However, the tea experience we had was different from what was described in the itinerary. Instead of a traditional setting, it was held in a dry sculpture garden, where we did some gravel art meditation. Despite this, my kids enjoyed it. We were served tea and a dessert, but it felt like something I could have gotten at a local tea shop. Knowing that there were several tea houses near our hotel in Kyoto, I might have opted for a more traditional geisha tea ceremony if I had known.

Full Day Hakone Mt Fuji National Park Excursion from Tokyo by Private Vehicle and Guide: National Park, Cable Car up Mt Owakudani, Pirate ship across the Lake Ashinoko

Tokyo

I had a fantastic time on the Mount Fuji National Park excursion. The car that picked us up was very comfortable, and the guide was great. We took a cable car up Mt. Owakudani, which offered stunning views, and then we enjoyed a pirate ship ride across Lake Ashinoko. The whole day was well-organized and enjoyable. Despite one minor issue with a driver, which was quickly resolved, the experience was memorable.

TeamLab Borderless: MORI Building Digital Art Museum

Tokyo

I was really looking forward to visiting the teamLab Borderless at the MORI Building, but we ended up going to teamLab Planets instead. Initially, this change was a bit confusing and inconvenient since Planets was further from our hotel, but the experience turned out to be amazing. The guide informed me about the change the day before, which was really fortunate. TeamLab Planets had around five exhibits, and though it’s a smaller attraction compared to MORI, it was still a beautiful and immersive experience. Communication about the change could have been better, but overall, I was happy with the visit.