Kimkim Trip Reviews

Everything from planning the trip to its execution went smoothly. It was a fantastic way to see such a beautiful land and people, with guided tours, great rental vehicle, and excellent hotels.

All of our tour guides gave us such a personal experience and I am not sure we could have had such a great time without KimKim and Chris' planning. It was great to know everything was laid out all we had to do was show up, and explore as we wanted in between.

It doesn't do it justice, writing this review, I certainly stand by KimKim and believe you should experience it firsthand. Also, the price was phenomenal and so was the transparency of the planning, and agency.

Chris, thanks for giving us such a wonderful journey and we'll be in touch soon!

Hotel Reviews

Avra Hotel

Rafina, Attica

Wonderful room, and location. It was great to have the shuttle service back to the airport. Our driver was excellent and timely. The restaurant was good, and had a great view wherever you looked. I only wish we could have explored a bit more.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Moxy Patra Marina

Patra

Brand new hotel with a very modern outlook. It is built for a younger crowd, and the plethora of artwork/images everywhere was not at all in my taste. It was oceanfront, and therefore had a great view.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Tsikeli Hotel Meteora

Meteora

Absolutely beautiful. Historic log and stone cabin home renovated with every modern desire. The location was fantastic, and breakfast was super accommodating and plentiful, especially for us with dietary restrictions. I only wish we could have stayed longer. It reminds me so much of the mountains in West Virginia that we love to go and get away from it all in, then explore a historic town, and great people and food.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Adiandi and Amymone Hotel

Nafplio

Wow! Does that some it up? A beautiful venetian city, with historic (but modernly renovated where possible) hotels, restaurants, and buildings. We were a block away from the ocean, nearly ALL of the restaurants and everywhere had a scenic view. It is such a Bed & Breakfast "vibe" as my wife would say, which is why we adored it so much. To the staff who cared for us, we thank you so much.

Authenticity & Character

B&B atmosphere and layout. The restaurant is next door, and breakfast was excellent!

Location

We were a block away from the ocean, nearly ALL of the restaurants and everywhere had a scenic view.

Staff

Everyone had such kind hearts and genuine care.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Achilleas Hotel

Athens

Beautiful hotel! Very modern with plenty of space. I enjoyed the location and centrality of the hotel in the heart of old Athens. I would absolutely go back and recommend anyone to stay here.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Great location to all the nearby foods, shops, and acropolis.

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Acropolis Guided Tour

Athens

Alex, our tour guide was incredible! Very knowledgeable. You could tell he loved it. I just want to give the biggest shout out to him and acknowledge is personality and teaching. The KimKim and the company Greece Insiders truly knows how to build an incredible journey and time with people educated in the history.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Meteora Half-Day Sightseeing Tour

Greece

Greece is beautiful and this site truly is a must see. There is nothing else like it. It truly is for the experience of the natural rock formations, the wonderful and townspeople, but also the monasteries.

Quality of Experience

Jim our tour guide.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Jim, I can't really begin to explain and say thanks for how you impacted our trip and delivered such a unique experience. He is such an well educated and explored person he gave us so much knowledge of ancient Greece, the Christian and Byzantine history and the current state of affairs and culture. Greece is beautiful and this site truly is a must see.

Transport

We drove ourselves!

Delphi Guided Tour

Greece

Please do not miss out on this destination. The view the entire journey was incredible. The sapphire water of the Mediterranean was almost always visible and the drive was fun. This was such a magnificent site and to see how much is visible & explorable will make it a favorite.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Penny, Our guide was great! She was very passionate, as all were, but made an already incredible journey breathtaking. She truly gave us such a unique understanding and experience that Delphi became one of my most favorite destinations we saw.

Transport

Mycenae Guided Tour

Greece

The drive to the site, the museum and history. But it was incredible to be at the site and such an epicenter of the peninsula.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Ilias, was great and very passionate about the Peloponnesian history!

Transport

Epidaurus Guided Tour

Greece

Our tour guide demonstrated the acoustics and it allowed us to understand the depth of ingenuity and science that went into building such architecture. It is an amazing place to see and the museum itself is fantastic as well. He really knew a great deal about the Peloponnesian people and peninsula.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Ilias, demonstrated the power and perfection of the architecture here. It was incredible to perceive the sound travel and reverberations.

Transport

- Nemea Wine Tour & Lunch

Greece

It was fantastic to see everything and the food was great! Definitely a great place to get a bottle and hangout for awhile.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

- Ancient Olympia Guided Tour (Self-Drive)

Greece

Wow. Elena (from Olympia Insiders) was our guide and there's not enough room to write why she made this so meaningful and great for us. Her passion, education and personality made it magical to understand the depth of discovery, wonder and history for the birthplace of Olympic games and Grecian art, sculptures, practices. This, along with Delphim, were the two most enthralling of the ancient tours. There was so much to see and witness in every direction and the museums are world-class.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Elena is a must! I couldn't imagine anyone better.

Transport

Franck captured everything we wanted to see in NZ in our short 10 day visit, plus so much more. Each lodge/hotel/inn was a spectacular experience in themselves. Although packed, the itinerary was paced and varied. We never could have formulated such an A+++ trip such as this w/o Franck’s help. We are so glad we discovered KimKim and hope to use them for other trips.

Kim , Kim team was awesome. Martina, Deborah and Valeria made sure everything was on time and as expected. The scheduled drivers were always early for our destinations and were more than happy to communicate with the latest technology if the language barrier was an issue. The scheduled tours and coordination made our vacation truly effortless. We look forward to using them in the future. Thanks for the great memories! Betsy, Marilyn and Danny, Arizona U.S.A.

Amandine put together a trip of a life time for my wife, son, daughter in law and myself. Our favorite places were Aix En Provence, Grotto of Mary Magdalene, Albi and Toulouse. These experiences were made even more memorable by our guides Olivia and Marine. Finally, Amandine really pulled us out of a jam when we forgot our passports in a hotel safe in Toulouse and got them to us in Barcelona before flight was scheduled to leave — 24 hours! Truly amazing client service.

Full disclosure, I work at KimKim. That said, I joined this company because I was blown away by how amazing the platform appeared when I was doing my discovery. After completing my first trip, to Costa Rica, all of my expectations were confirmed.

Setting up my trip could on the platform could not have been easier, and Gustavo and Jessica were very helpful. All of the details were taken care of from the moment I landed. It was the smoothest, easiest trip I've ever taken as KimKim had taken care of all the details.

I could not recommend using KimKim for your next trip enough!

Hotel Reviews

Hotel Pasatiempo

Tamarindo

Hotel Pasatiempo was a very good experience for the cost. The grounds and pool were amazing. The room was adequate, and the staff was very friendly. The breakfast burrito was incredible. The only downsides are Saturday night can be a bit loud (most of Tamarindo is if you're centrally located) and you need to bring bug spray as there can be days with a few mosquitoes.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Bosque del Mar

Playa Hermosa

Bosque del Mar is one of the most relaxing hotels I've ever stayed it. It is located right on the beach, the accommodations are incredible, the rooms are very, very well done, the pool was very scenic and relaxing, and all of the food was great. The staff was very friendly, remembered my name, and were very accommodating with my requests.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Free day to Enjoy the Beach

Costa Rica

Can't beat Guanaste for beaches :)

Explore the Beaches of Guanacaste

Gulf of Papagayo

Amazing. I visited 12 beaches (I'm a bit crazy so I don't recommend going this far). The sand and beaches are amazing, you will love them!

Quality of Experience

Private Surf Lessons at Tamarindo Beach

Tamarindo

I took the Private Surf Lesson and enjoyed it so much I came back for the group lesson (slightly less cost) and then three other days to just rent a board (you get 50% off if you take a class). I kept coming back because the staff was incredible and treated me like family. It is very professional and a great place to take your first surf lesson.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Sarah worked extensively with us to include a variety of activities, sights, and guided tours. The result was a personally tailored itinerary. She checked in with us regularly and was quick with remedies when our plans had to change due to weather. Our guides Ina, Marco, Djana, and Ivo were knowledgeable and passed along the history of each location, while keeping it fun and interactive. Croatia is beautiful with pleasant weather, delicious food, the right mix of historical sights and relaxing time in and around the Adriatic Sea. KimKim made it easy!

From the time I looked up Kimkim and reached out to find out some details on Spain, to the final day of our amazing trip - everything was done so professionally by our assigned travel expert, Carmen and the team! Sincere thanks from our family and Kimkim has acquired a loyal customer going forward :)
Carmen has worked w/ me from the day 1, understanding our needs and expectations and planning the trip w/ us. I have to say I did go back and forth quite a few times, but she and her colleagues were very patient w/ us and answered every question/concern.
The final payment mechanism was smooth and as soon as the payment was done, the trip details were loaded into the 'trip plans' app and all of us in our family had access to the itinerary, tickets, schedules and names/numbers of local guides in Madrid, Toledo, Barcelona.
Overall, I can't thank Carmen enough for the lovely trip she put together for our family!! Highly recommend her services!!

Hotel Reviews

Gran Hotel Havana

Barcelona

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

7 Islas Hotel

Madrid

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Coastal Hike, Kayaking & Lagoon Dipping in Costa Brava

Spain

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Half-Day Excursion to Montserrat

Barcelona

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Barcelona & Gaudí: An Architecture Walk

Barcelona

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

our guide took us on local metro from one place to another - we all liked this small exposure to local transport :)

Flamenco Night

Madrid

Quality of Experience

Train Madrid to Toledo, Guided Visit of Toledo, Train Toledo to Madrid

Madrid

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Tapas Culinary Experience

Madrid

Everything was great.. wish there were more options for vegetarians though!

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Hello, Filipe … We are now back to our home in the US and sorting through dirty laundry and backed up mail. After our own stops and starts on the trip planning, we are very pleased with the overall trip experience that you and your guides assembled.

· Guides. Each of your three assigned guides were excellent, with English language communication skills and insights into Columbia’s past drug lord issues. Guide Diago realized that Robert was not as nimble-footed as he once was, and suggested wheel chairs when necessary. Using such a vehicle, Diago pushed Robert up the very steep walkway in Medellin for a very interesting neighborhood visit. Quite a task!

· Hotels. We were pleased with our hotels in Bogota and Cartegena However, Patio del Mundi there needs some help. We were first booked into a back room that could only be accessed by a crazy quilt of patio and unlit steps. The following day, due to our complaints, we were changed to another smaller room, but with door keys that did not work. In addition, breakfast each morning offered only the same scrambled eggs plate, a couple of the pastries that did not seem that fresh, and coffee where it took forever to get a second cup and that tasted like instant. Patio del Mundi is a small pleasant hotel that really needs some work.

· Restaurant Meals. We planned the trip by asking you to book us in top restaurants in each city. You really achieved our expectations throughout! The lady at the front desk in Cartagena, when we asked each day for a cab to our designated restaurant, said that we were really going to the best restaurants in Cartagena. Our only comment regarding asl of these restaurant reservations was Medellin’s El Ciello, which was perhaps too much over the top for us. They featured a 17 -course tasting menu. That was just too much for our tastes. We skipped that and ordered a lesser selection from their menu.

Overall, we are very pleased with our trip to Columbia and your schedule adjustments, despite our own personal back and forth changes. We would be pleased to provide a favorable reference to others as you may wish.

If I have a grumble about your trip organization, it is your failure to communicate via standard MICROSOFT email. For example, you spent far too much time claiming I should us an application called "Whats App". I wasted too much time and never got the application to work.

Thank you for such a lovely trip. Our guide was not only knowledgable, but able to communicate well. She explained the culture past and present, architecture, flora and answered our numerous questions. Our trip was unforgettable.

Joao’s planning and little surprises like room upgrades and event tickets were top notch. We would recommend in a minute. The guides and drivers were all really good, on time and providing context to everything we were seeing. They added other things to see ideas as well along with restaurant suggestions when we were on our own. Our only negative. Although we gave Joao a specific budget, which sets certain limitations, our hotel had some aging issues. It’s part of a bigger chain and probably just hasn’t hit the list for renovations yet. Again, overall a fantastic experience. Thanks.

Mar and her team made things so easy! I’m usually one who plans her own trips, but between work and managing a home renovation, it was just too much. Mar was so great to work with and so responsive. Our Norway trip was a dream.

We reached out to KimKim to help plan a 10 day trip for me, my husband, our daughter, and my in-laws to London and Edinburgh. We wanted to base our trip off of a group tour itinerary that we found, with some changes and additions to the attractions each day to ensure everyone got to do and see the things most important to them. Marion worked with me for almost a month, adjusting things to help fit our budget and recommending things to help us get everything into the trip. She was VERY patient and always kind, which I appreciated, because I couldn't make final decisions without consulting the others. I never felt pressured in any way (also much appreciated). She truly felt like a trusted friend who was helping me plan a dream trip.

The "roadmap" packet we received before we left had great information. There were directions, times, details, and estimates on how long it would take us to get to the meeting points. All of the tour companies we used were wonderful. In England, we did a large tour one day to Windsor, Stonehenge, and Bath and a more intimate (16) person to Oxford, the Cotswalds, and Stratford Upon Avon. The guides were knowledgeable, helpful, and really fun. She arranged transportation to Harry Potter Studios which was a highlight for multiple members of the family. We also did several two walking tours in Edinburgh- one large group (Harry Potter tour) and one with just a guide and our family (walking tour of Edinburgh). Both were excellent! We got a rental car one day to drive to St. Andrews, and Marion arranged that for us as well. While I love planning things, working with a travel partner like KimKim really helps to make sure things are covered. Everything was easy and seamless.

While we were gone, I only had to reach out to KimKim once to clarify a detail, and they responded quickly. There is no way that we could have done everything that we did without Marion's expertise and guidance. Everyone got to see and do their bucket list items and we all agreed it was the trip of a lifetime. My family kept thanking me for planning everything but Marion and KimKim definitely deserve the credit. We will DEFINITELY use this service again, and I would be delighted to work with Marion again.

Hotel Review

Caledonian Sleeper

London

We absolutely loved this part of our trip. We were a little nervous because another travel agent had not recommended sleeper cars on trains, but it seemed to be the best use of our time, so we decided to give it a shot. My husband and I got a connecting room with out 12 year old daughter, and my inlaws got their own room. All of the rooms had bunkbeds and the rooms are TINY. If you have large suitcases, you are better off having them store those and working out of an overnight bag. Because we had an empty bunk in our daughters room, we piled all of our luggage on there. **We could not figure out how to open the door between our rooms, but we found out in the drinks car that they come around and do it for you once the train gets moving. We went to the bar and got drinks and snacks (adult beverages for us and hot chocolate for my daughter). They were short staffed and couldn't do large meals but at 11pm we weren't looking for that. We met some other travelers who were going home to Edinburgh and talked to them about restaurants, etc. It was a nice way to wind down before bed. We were laughing going to bed that no one was going to sleep, but we all slept AMAZINGLY well. The bed was firm and comfortable, and the provide earplugs and eye masks. My in-laws, who are 70, agreed that it was a great night sleep. In the room there is a tiny sink that you can use to wash your face and brush your teeth. There are toilets in each train car and we never had an issue being able to use one when we needed to. We didn't have breakfast on the train 1) because we wanted to sleep in and 2) you arrive really early, so we just went straight to breakfast in Edinburgh. I would highly recommend it. It was a fun experience- leaving London and waking up in Edinburgh. Because we slept through the journey, we had more time to explore in Edinburgh which was a huge value to us.

Authenticity & Character

We enjoyed everything about it!

Location

Staff

My husband left his tablet in our room and had to run back through the train station. The conductor personally escorted him back to our room to check, where he found it between the mattress and the wall.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Very clean! We had no issues or concerns at all.

Activity Reviews

Edinburgh Castle Tickets

Edinburgh

We had a lot of fun exploring all of the areas of the castle grounds. We spend a lot of time in the jails because my daughter was intrigued with it. There was a lot to see and do, and the self-guided tour aspect of it makes it more enjoyable because you don't have to stay with a crowd. You definitely want to book in advance because we heard a lot of people who were upset that tickets were sold out for the day.

Quality of Experience

Private Walking Tour of Edinburgh with a Top Local Guide

Edinburgh

Gareth was a fantastic guide! He was very personable and friendly. He took us off of the Royal Mile and around parts of Edinburgh that we never would have seen. There was no Harry Potter on this tour but my 12 year old still enjoyed herself very much. My husband asked a ton of questions when we were in between locations and we had some great conversation. He was very sweet about taking pictures of us so we have a few family shots that aren't selfies! It was really nice to have a guide to ourselves rather than being in a large group setting. Everyone agreed that this tour was a highlight of the trip!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Gareth is a gem!

St Andrews Walking Tour of the Old Course

St Andrews

We arrived about noon and were able to eat lunch in the Clubhouse before the tour. The food was good and we could see the practice greens so it was good people watching, The guys went on the tour and loved it. The girls went into St Andrews and shopped and visited the University. St Andrews is a beautiful city! We were very happy we made the day trip out of Edinburgh.

Quality of Experience

Transport

Our rental car was really nice. Everything was set up for us and it was super easy!

Small Group - From London: Oxford, Cotswolds, and Stratford Upon Avon Tour

London

We really enjoyed this small group tour. It was much more intimate and we got to know several of the others on the tour. Stratford Upon Avon was beautiful. We got to tour Shakespeare's home which was so interesting, and the guides who worked there were very engaging and helpful. After that, we had some free time to explore. The day we were there, there was a large famers market on the river with food trucks and vendors of all kinds. That was an added treat! From there we went to the Cotswalds. We drove through these precious, tiny towns, and it was obvious that larger tour buses would not be able to get down a lot of those roads. We stopped for lunch in a beautiful village, but we only had about 1 hour to to find a restaurant, get seated, eat, and get back to the bus. With it being Sunday, a lot of the restaurants were offering Sunday roast or more formal meals. Since we didn't have time to research the village beforehand, we felt a little panicked about finding a restaurant that could seat us and serve us in the allotted time. We made it, but if I could change anything, I would allow 2 hours here so we could walk around and find a place we actually wanted to eat and enjoy ourselves rather than rushing through. Finally, we got to Oxford. This is a beautiful area and we had the most time here. Besides going into the one building (which is the setting for a scene in Harry Potter where the students are learning to dance), we had a lot of free time to go into shops. That was fun, but it was very touristy. My husband opted to go to the free Natural History Museum and he loved it. I would have been happy to have spent less time here and more at the Cotswalds. Our guide was very nice and talked a lot during the roadtrip portion. He was very entertaining!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Overall great-- I just wish we had allotted the time a little differently.

Windsor, Stonehenge & Bath from London

London

Our driver and guide were both wonderful on this trip. We were on a really nice bus, and it was full. We were not able to sit together but we would reconvene once we got to each destination, it was fine. We thoroughly enjoyed each place. At Windsor, we were the first to arrive and so we were the first ones in. There are a couple of highlight areas and you need to choose what you want to do because you have a limited time at each place. We went to the Royal Apartments and marveled at everything we saw. There is so much art, history, and space! On the way back to the bus, we grabbed lunch to go at one of the sandwich shops in the train station that you walk through. Stonehenge is very cool to go to, but it has it's own microclimate and it was insanely windy! There is a path from the main parking lot to Stonehenge, and there is also a bus that will drive you the 1.5 miles. Because of our time limits, we all took the bus. If I came back, I would make a day of it so we could walk through the country side. We grabbed a snack at the cafe there, which is packed. Bath was by far the favorite. We want to come back and spend several days in Bath because the town is so beautiful. The baths themselves were a great site. It is a self-led walking tour throughout. Once we were done, we had about 45 minutes to kill, so we walked around and got ice cream.

Quality of Experience

We got to see so much in one day. Each item could be their own day trip but it was a wonderful way to get a good taste of each place in a limited amount of time.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

The guide was wonderful! Very personable and friendly.

Transport

Safe and comfortable.

Harry Potter Studio Tour from London (with transport)

London

The bus we took was very nice! The studios are 45 min- 1 hour outside of town but we were very comfortable. The studios are overwhelming (in a wonderful way). The guide told us a lot of people spend 4 hours there, which is how much time we had, so it was great. There are passports you can stamp along the way. There are the sets, costumes, design pieces- with fun additional facts. There are also several areas where you can create videos of you riding a broom throughout different areas of Hogwarts and London. My daughter and father-in-law both did it and the videos are hilarious. There is a huge cafeteria about halfway through with a good variety of options. We stopped and had lunch and then went back for butterbeer ice cream. If you are a Harry Potter fan, this is a MUST DO!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Hop-on, Hop-off Bus

London

We had a wait a while to get on the bus, but after that it was smooth sailing. We had downloaded the app and talked about the stops that we wanted to get off at and what we wouldn't mind passing by. My father-in-law really wanted to see Buckingham Palace and stop at a Hard Rock Cafe (he collects shirts). The audio commentary that you get to listen to is really good-- not boring at all. There was only one stop we didn't get to make because we ran out of time. We spent a really fun day getting to see so many different parts of London.

Quality of Experience

Easy to hop on and off--- covered everything we wanted to see without worry

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

London Eye timed entry tickets

London

The evening we went, it was not crowded at all, so our group of 5 got a "room" all to ourselves. The pace is nice and slow so those of us who get motion-sickness were not bothered at all. It was our very first activity after arriving and checking in, and it was nice to get to take in ALL of London, from every direction, for our first event. My husband and I rode on it almost 20 years ago, so it was fun to come back and do it again. You can't beat the views!

Quality of Experience

Having had a previous trip to Mongolia end disastrously when the van we were using with a driver who spoke no English broke down for 36 hours in the wilderness (no phone signal, people, roads etc), I was apprehensive about coming back, so I chose Kim Kim and their partner company, Mongolian Secret History, to organise a 4 day tour of the things that I had missed on the last time I visited. I previously set up a tour themed around Genghis Khan, to see where he was born in Dadal, where he found the golden horn, the heart shaped lake where he proclaimed himself Mongol leader and the Mongol era intriguing walled necropolis of Oglogchiin Khorem, the Berenveen monastery and a Mongol war camp. The car breakdown of the last trip, which was caused by going through rivers several feet deep meant we hadn't seen the monastery and Oglogchiin Khorem, so a 4 day trip ensured that we did that.
The trip was initially postponed, as after booking in 2020, Covid struck, so I ended up going back this month (Sep 2023) mainly to see Oglogchiin Khorem, but also the monastery and deer stones nearby.
The communication from first Chris and later Oyunerdene was incredibly good - I loved being able to dial them up on the computer and ask questions; both were helpful and friendly throughout. The trip went pretty smoothly - itinerary as it said on the packet and pick ups/timings as planned.
Oglogchiin Khorem is really fascinating - I have visited 90 countries and have a keen interest in history, but walking round the 3 km of walls which stretch to high on the mountainside, made me really wonder what this Mongol era place contains - on the sides going up the mountain, the walls are 18 feet high and the effort to build this must have taken a huge effort - I spotted to ancient graves on the east side - wonder who is buried there. When the archaeologists do dig, I hope that grave robbers haven't beaten them to it - could Genghis Khan be buried somewhere in the complex - well the location is right in the heart of his homeland - midway between the heart shaped lake, where he found the golden horn and his birthplace in Dadal, so it is possible, but who knows, though the experts seem pretty sceptical. In any case, the walls are extensive and the views from the top spectacular, so for me it was well worth a visit.
Bereeven monastery was also interesting - the monastery dating to the 1700's does have some original outbuildings and was once home to 6,000 monks, but now has just one monk left - aged 76, you would feel he might be lonely, but while we were there, 2 other sets of visitors turned up, so maybe he actually has more company each day than most old people do. A beautiful location for the monastery too, with hills, lakes and rivers nearby.
So all in all a good trip and I can recommend Mongolian Secret History and Kim Kim - mainly because of the good back up support, but also because the driver and vehicle were good and they were happy for me to tell them what I wanted to do and then sort out the logistics for me.
If you are interested in Genghis Khan, this is a part of Mongolia that attracts few visitors, so the nomads are hospitable and my guide said that the nomads were very different to those in the tourist areas, who ask the tourists for money and treat them as cash cows - my hosts were welcoming and friendly. A bonus was seeing a horse branding occasion, something not at all set up for tourists, some westerners would baulk at this, but it is important to remember that for nomads, it is vital for them to be able to show that they own a particular animal, and they do without question take very good care of their animals.
Anyone wanting to see the sites of Genghis Khan should aim for the statue where he found the golden horn, the Mongol war camp nearby, the heart shaped lake, Oglogchiin Khorem and Dadal. That would probably mean a 5 day tour from Ulan Batar I'd have thought.
One additional bit of advice - if on a tight budget, if you like spicy food, try the Korean restaurants in Ulan Batar - you order one plate of food for around $5 and get about six other plates of sides free - my favourite place was on a road next to the State Department Store, going north from Peace Avenue on the east side of the store - the humble place called Korean Cafe had fabulous food and was dirt cheap.
I also stayed at Gana's Guest House on the western side of Ulan Batar - for $15.50 a night I got a comfortable en-suite room with hot water 24/7, in a ridiculously quiet area allowing a perfect night's sleep, with a comfortable bed and very nice owner, Gana, who allowed me to use his computer for free and store luggage. Previously I stayed more centrally and although it is probably around 15 minutes to walk to the dead centre of town, this location is better than staying centrally as central Ulan Batar is full of traffic and noise, so what you gain from being at the centre of things, you will lose in terms of too much noise and loss of sleep.
Overall a great trip and so I wanted to share to help other future travellers, as finding a good and reliable company can be a nightmare, as my previous trip showed.

We had the most amazing trip! Joao was always available and responsive to answer questions. Each driver was professional and courteous and the van was always extremely clean and comfortable. The itinerary that Joao put together was fantastic- it was the perfect blend of activities that we all really enjoyed. This trip truly exceeded all expectations. Thank you Joao and kimkim!

Joao and his team did an amazing job. We had a great experience from booking to his daily check in and agenda. 10 days, 3 locations all tours, and private drivers were great!! Thank you,

Robert created the most magical experience for us. We were two female travelers and felt safe and cared for the entire time. He kept us informed every step of the way. He also took into account our likes and dislikes and planned accordingly. We wanted outdoor adventures with history and that’s what we got. It was just perfect.

Hotel Review

Guest house and aparmtents Ankora

Skradin

Very nice and close to everything. They have a hot tub and brew their own beer!

Authenticity & Character

Surrounded by olive trees, vines and old buildings.

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Explore Split & Diocletian's palace

Split

Great tour guide. He had really good info and was also part of city council so he answered all our other questions about tourist impact on the city

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Arrival in Split and transfer to accommodation

Split

We were able to have a very comprehensive driving holiday thorough Norway. Our intent was to travel as many of the historic roads as possible over mountains and down to fjords. The views were impressive and the routes did not disappoint. In planning we got good advice on the travel distances (and time it would take) and were told when we were being too ambitious in what we wanted to do in one day. We were booked into some really great accommodation that met our style of travel and we appreciated having someone to phone for their thoughts when small travel troubles came up. Norway is an impressive country and Kim Kim helped made our trip very memorable.

Both of the hotels we stayed at in Montreal and Quebec worked well. Our food tour in Montreal was a favorite for all four of us. The guide was exceptional and the food was wonderful and different. Okay, I'm not a pureed liver person, so I passed on that, but that's just me. If I liked liver, I'm sure it would have been great. The ride on the inspirational ferris wheel was fun! The tour we did of Old Quebec was also very enlightening and again, the guide was fun and very informative. UBER and cabs worked great for getting around when we weren't walking. The Five-course dinner cruise was okay, but I think I would skip it on another trip. I enjoyed the food on the food tour more, and while the lights at night were pretty, I'd rather see the shoreline in the day time. We took a cab to the waterfall and enjoyed that. Carl was very helpful and Kim Kim again came through for us.

Hotel Reviews

Hôtel Le Concorde Québec

Quebec

The big circular restaurant at the top made it easy to find when we have been our walking. The location was conventient to everything we wanted to see. I loved our room. Beautiful view out of two sides since we had a corner window. Looked out at the lights of the city and the river.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Worked well for us since we like to walk. Convenient for taking UBER or a cab to the Falls, the airport, and whereever else we wanted to go if we couldn't walk that far.

Staff

The staff could not have been more pleasant or helpful, at all levels. One of us dropped a ring down the drain whlle showering because there wasn't a drain cover, but maintenance quickly came up and retrieved it.

Cleanliness & Comfort

All the areas seemed well cleaned and taken care of: the entry way, waiting area, restaurants, rooms, elevators.

Le Saint Martin

Montreal

The hotel was located in the downtown area which was a very busy area and hard to find an grocery stores, but it was convenient, clean , very comfortable, and the people at the hotel were always helpful.

Authenticity & Character

Location

It's fine, but in a rather busy, trafficy area. Next time, I think I'd like to be closer to the older area.

Staff

The staff were friendly, welcoming, knowledgable, and helpful.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Old Quebec Walking Tour

Québec City

Our guide was a fun guy, and we enjoyed being in a group of just the four of us. He had done a group of 45 the day before, and I would. not have been interested in a group that large.

Quality of Experience

Excellent guide, fun activities, educational.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Our guide seemed to know what he was doing and he did it well.

Transport

We walked and it was close enough from our Hotel to work out well.

Old Montreal VIP

Montréal

We enjoyed having some open time to just head out and see what we could see. Stopping by local shops and restaurants was fun. We had a fun time riding the Inspirational Ferris Wheel. Beautiful weather.

Quality of Experience

Just relaxing, hanging out , and walking around discovering the city was fun.

Mile End Montréal Food Tour

Montréal

This was one of our favorite parts of our trip to Canada. The Food Tour included six interesting, tasty examples of local food, and they were DELICIOUS and fun to try. Our guide was exceptional. She was fun, knowledgable, and tuned in to our needs.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

The guide was the best.

Transport

No problems.

Our guides for each of the planned events we fantastic, knowledgeable and very personable. We saw some amazing sites in France. My wife's favourite was Chateau Chambord and mine was the food tour we did in Paris.

The arrangement of transfers to and from hotels, railway stations and airports made the entire logistical experience fantastic. We were fortunate enough to have the same driver multiple times in Paris and he went above and beyond to help me when I left my mobile phone in his car on departure day.

Justine did an amazing job of planning and advising and was responsive and helpful throughout the journey with the few hiccups we had

Hotel Reviews

Le Marquis by Inwood Hotels

Paris

Hôtel de l’Horloge

Avignon

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

Paris

Hotel Le Clos d'Amboise

Amboise

Activity Reviews

Highlights of Provence : Chateauneuf du Pape and Luberon

France

Saint Remy, les Baux de Provence, Pont du Gard

France

Louvre Museum Private Tour

Paris

Saint Germain des Prés Food Tour

Paris

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

Paris

unfortunately we missed this activity as my wife was unwell. We were not able to reschedule it

Seine Cruise with Commentary

Paris

Eiffel Tower Summit Ticket

Paris

Chambord, Chenonceau & Lunch at the Château - Full Day

France

Villandry, Azay-Le-Rideau & Vouvray wine tour - Full Day

France

Mathilde's knowledgeable and instantly responsive communications and advice during the planning, adjustments and coordination of our itinerary and logistics was awesome leading up to and throughout our five day anniversary trip. The kimkim site paired us with the perfect travel professional for Paris and, undoubtedly, anywhere in France.

Everyone on the staff of the "boutique" Hotel Baume where we stayed in the Latin Quarter catered to our every need with amazingly friendly, accommodating and professional service. We couldn't be happier with how this most memorable trip worked out for us and high recommend the kimkim online platform for staging a similar travel experience!