Kimkim Trip Reviews

I really can't say enough good things about our trip to Greece thanks to Chris and the travel 12 team. everything was done for us, which made the trip extremely easy and enjoyable. Chris really took into account the form we filled out about what type of experience and vibe we wanted for our trip and suggested a different island over one of the ones that we initially were interested in (we thought* we wanted to go to Mykonos, but Chris suggested Naxos after we filled out of form), and it was our favorite stop on the trip! if you want to travel with ease, and explore what you want and how you want, then Chris and his team are a must!

I'm so glad that we found KimKim to help us with our trip to France. We wanted a customized experience and KimKim and our travel agent Amandine really stepped up to provide a once in a lifetime trip. After I explained to Amandine what we were looking for and gave her our budget she provided suggestions for tours and accommodations. We went back and forth for a while until we nailed down all the specifics. She organized amazing tours that we would have probably missed if we had tried to plan this trip on our own. All the tour guides were punctual, extremely friendly and provided a ton of information about the places we visited. We had so many wonderful tours and experiences - here are a few highlights.

Paris -
We enjoyed a dinner cruise on the Seine River on our first night. It was an amazing meal with live entertainment and very friendly and informative servers and we loved seeing Paris lit up a night from the Seine River.
For our Louvre visit Amandine arranged for a personal tour guide David. He is fantastic with so knowledge and passion of the art and the museum. He made our visit to the Louvre fun and informative. I would definitely book him again on our next visit to the Louvre.
For our visit to Versailles we had a "skip-the-line"and self guided half-day tour from Paris. Versailles is a must see although very crowded. We would have liked a little more time to visit the gardens but overall we enjoyed the museum and learned a lot about French history.
While in Paris we took a small group tour to Normandy to visit the D-Day Invasion beaches and the American Cemetery. Our tour guide was informative and provided a thorough tour of the beaches and museums and cemetery. He also took us to a nice restaurant for lunch and was a pleasant guide throughout the day.

Avignon
We took the high-speed train from Paris to Avignon which was a real treat. The train is clean and a relaxing way to travel though France. Amandine pre-booked the train tickets so we had no issues navigating the journey.
We arrived in Avignon around noon and joined a small group tour to the Chateauneuf-du-Pape wine region. Our tour guide was amazing - she was informative about the wine growing process in this area and its history. We visited two wineries for some great tastings.
After a relaxing day to ourselves in Avignon we went on a "All of Provence in One Day" tour. This was a great day - we visited Roussillon, a photo stop of Gordes, Fontaine-de-Vaucluse, Port du Gard, Les Baux and Saint Remy.

Aix-en-Provence
After an amazing time in Avignon and the surrounding region we took a train to Aix-en-Provence. That afternoon we did a Gourmet Historical Walking tour of Aix with our tour guide Lucy. She helped us navigate the streets of Aix and we visited some amazing gourmet shops for some local sweets and wine and cheese. We learned a lot about the history of Aix and its wonderful charm.
The following day we had another small group tour to visit Arles, Saint Remy and Les Baux villages. While this tour somewhat overlapped with the All of Provence in One Day tour we took from Avignon we enjoyed having more time to explore Saint Remy and Les Baux villages. There was a market going on in Saint Remy when we arrived so we enjoyed exploring all the stands and experiencing the French market day. We had a tasty relaxing lunch in Les Baux at a restaurant that our tour guide Thomas suggested. Thomas was a lot of fun and very knowledgeable of the villages we visited.
Next was our Gourmet Stopover in Marseille. We took to train from Aix to Marseille and our tour guide Sebastien met us at the train station - he went out of his way to collect us from the train station because initially we were supposed to meet him at the start of the tour. Sebastien guided us through the historical part of Marseille and we visited several gourmet shops that provided some tasty treats. We first visited a wonderful chocolate shop that makes chocolate with olive oil. The host was friendly and informative and she provided us with variety of products to taste. Then we visited a biscuit shop to taste their excellent cookies shaped like sardines. We visited a great wine/cheese shop and had a good time visiting with the owner and learning more about the cheese and wines in the region. We also visited an ice cream shop and tasted some awesome ice cream and visited with the owner who herself is a real treat. We visited the beautiful cathedral in Marseille and ended our tour at a shop that provided a Pastis tasting as well as local artisanal tapenades. Sebastien was a delight and we really enjoyed our time with him and the owners of the shops we visited.

Nice
We took to a train from Aix-en-Provence to Nice for our final few days on the French Rivera. We spent our first afternoon on a small group tour to Monaco, Monte Carlo, and the village Eze. Our tour guide was great - she took us through some beautiful areas and stopped to let us take in the amazing views. We had some free time in Eze, Monaco and Monte Carlo. Monaco was preparing for the Grand Prix race which was exciting to see.
The next day we met Rosa Jackson for a market tour, cooking class and lunch. This was one of our highlights of the trip. Rosa is passionate about the food available at the market in Nice and she guided us through the market as she purchased food for our cooking class and lunch. Then we went to her kitchen and our group prepared a wonderful lunch using the ingredients she purchase at the market. It was a relaxed and fun time. Once our meal was prepared we enjoyed the fruits of our labor and a little wine. If you're into food this is a "must do" while in Nice.
We also did a small group tour to Port-Grimaud and Saint-Tropez. Our tour guide gave us the option of getting from Port-Grimaud to Saint-Tropez via her van or the local ferry. Most of our group took the ferry which was a unique treat. We had enough time in Saint-Tropez to do a little shopping and had a great lunch at at Le Bagatelle Restaurant.

Overall this trip to France was beyond our expectations. Amandine arranged our transportation from Charles de Gaulle airport to our hotel in Paris and our transportation from our hotel in Nice to the Nice airport for our trip home. Both drivers kept in touch with us and were punctual, friendly and had comfortable/clean cars. Amandine also arranged all the train transportation tickets which really helped eased our anxiety around navigating strange train stations. Our hotel accommodations were great - we told Amandine our requirements and she delivered. All the hotels were comfortable, clean, quiet, and the included breakfasts were great.

We will definitely use KimKim for our international trips again.

I didn’t have time to figure out what to do and Maria and the team made this trip perfect. Super easy to switch out activities and more importantly they came up with things I never would have known about - even the locals were impressed! Thank you so much for helping make this trip so amazing.

Activity Reviews

Guided Hike to Trolltunga

Odda

Very difficult hike in the snow, but amazing views. Guide company was fantastic and kept it fun.

Quality of Experience

Amazing views!

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Very personable and fun to spend a day with.

Transport

Fjord Cruise & Seafood Dining Experince

Bergen

Food was amazing and the staff were fantastic. Very unique experience that I wasn’t expecting!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

The boat ride was great- and you can get a drink!

Transport

We were so happy to have connected with Liz! She took the time to get to know us, what we were hoping to do and see in New Zealand and what types of things weren't a priority for us. I love that her expertise of the area gave us the opportunity to experience some really special things that we may not have otherwise known about. The schedule was a perfect balance of booked activities and free time for our own adventures. She worked within our timeline and budget and was super responsive and always helpful!

We had an incredible trip to Morocco. The planning of the trip was amazing as Sharon took all of our preferences into consideration when making our itinerary.

We were able to go to so many places because we had access to a personal driver and other local guides. We loved the people and seeing the many places Fez, the blue pearl, Rabat, Casablanca and Marrakesh in only 8 days. I would definitely book another trip with KimKim in the future!

Activity Review

Guided Tour of Fes

Fes

This was my favorite!!! WE had an awesome local guide who was so knowledgeable!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Chris did an amazing job putting together such a memorable experience with our trip to Athens and Santorini. I will differently use him again and tell my friends. The personal touch was meeting Chris, the fact that he made time to meet his travelers day a lot

Hotel Reviews

Electra Metropolis

Athens

Authenticity & Character

Location

It was in the heart of everything.

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

El Greco Resort Hotel Santorini

Santorini

Authenticity & Character

Location

The view from our rooms of the sea 🥰

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Review

Acropolis & Flavors Combo Tour

Athens

Our tour guide made this amazing.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Nikola was fantastic. Every driver, every hotel, every experience was impeccably plan and absolutely amazing. I’m excited to do another trip with KimKim.

This trip was delayed for 3 years, due to Covid, but it was worth the wait! The organisation by the Kimkim team, the suggested itinerary and the help, advice and support from our guide, Emad, all contributed to a fantastic trip. Our plan had been to see the obvious sights of Petra, Wadi Rum and the Dead Sea, but, as suggested, we also saw wonderful historical sites at Jerash, Mount Nebo, Kerak, Ajloun and elsewhere. Our accommodation ranged from large chain hotels to Bedouin camps, but it was all well-organised and without any hitches.

We were happy to go along with any minor changes of plan suggested by Emad, as his knowledge and patience were extremely welcome; we never felt we were being forced into anything, and every small suggestion turned out to be worthwhile, including a walking tour of the souks of Amman and lunch at the institution that is Hashem’s houmus and felafel restaurant.

Hotel Reviews

La Locanda Boutique Hotel

Amman

A quirky boutique hotel with a welcoming bar and restaurant attached. A great place to spend our first 2 nights in Jordan

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Old Village Resort

Wadi Musa

As the name suggests, this was a former village converted into a large, well-designed and luxurious hotel. Our room was spacious and comfortable and the outdoor pool was very welcoming after a day of walking around the wonderful ruins of Petra

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Hike from Little Petra to Petra

Jordan

I’m really glad we did this hike through “the back door” into Petra first, as we travelled through the entire site, ending with the Treasury, before returning the next day from the main entrance and seeing the main sights from a different angle. It felt really special coming into the old city from the lesser used side first and I would recommend this to anyone.

Quality of Experience

Transport

Take the shuttle to get to the start

2 hour jeep tour in Wadi Rum

Wadi Rum

2 hours barely touches the surface of Wadi Rum, but Mohammed, our driver, knew where to take us to see some spectacular sights, including the Seven Pillars, the location of filming of several films, and a large camel caravan heading off into the desert

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

KimKim turned out to be a great asset to me. Where other travel companies had set itineraries, KimKim let me tailor my trip to exactly what I wanted. My agent, Christina, was wonderful. She worked with me to create a great itinerary, was always available (even when she wasn't on the clock) to answer any of my questions or address my concerns. She patiently offered different trip plans until I found the one that suited my interests. Her assistance did not end with the accepted trip plan, Christina continued to be in contact throughout our trip and even afterward. Christina also incorporated the travel I was doing on my own into our travel plan making for a concise plan. We did 12 days of public transportation and everything was worked out to a t. I highly recommend Christina and KimKim!

Hotel Reviews

Kviknes Hotel

Balestrand

Location, location, location! This couldn't have been a more beautiful location in a historic building. The hotel and room were charming. That being said, it did have its drawbacks. There is no elevator in the historic building and going up and down the stairs got old quickly. The walls are paper thin, we heard EVERYTHING from the couple nextdoor. The rooms are pleasantly attractive but could use an update. Beware of the hot water, it is scalding. The staff at the front desk were pleasant and helpful. The breakfast buffet was very good, the dinner buffet was a bit disappointing.

Authenticity & Character

Location

The view is incredible.

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Beds were very comfortable

Hotel Brosundet

Ålesund

Very cool hotel, comfortable bed, great breakfast buffer.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Thon Hotel Opera

Oslo

Clean, comfortable with great breakfast buffet.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Fjordcruise on UNESCO Nærøyfjord

Norway

Beautiful trip, spectacular scenery.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Full Day Geiranger Fjord Cruise

Ålesund

The trip is three hours out, two hours at Geiranger and three hours back. The only interesting scenery was within the last hour near Geiranger. Geiranger is very touristy and other than a beautiful little walk to a spectacular waterfall, had nothing to offer.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Fabio was fantastic at helping us plan and execute a first-time, 5-day trip through Italy. He listened to our wants and needs, he paid attention to details, and was terrific about follow-up and answering questions from beginning to end. The selection of sites, hotels and guides were great, he was very attentive and available, and it was easy to communicate with him in English by email, text, and phone. Finally, he handled a worrying parent skillfully and professionally. We will call on Fabio again next year!

My daughter and I did an art tour of the Netherlands. Bas from Beat The Dutch did such a great job matching expectations to our budget. I didn't know what to expect, having never used KimKim before, but overall, it was really great - we were comfortable, safe, and were able to move between cities and sites with ease on public transport, thanks to pre-loaded OV chip cards Beat The Dutch provided. Everybody involved did a wonderful job.

Every city we visited was scheduled well, with four star hotels or wine resorts or a farmhouse run by a local family. We loved the accommodations but mores loved the personal attention given by Raquel and Eugenia. When we had any question or issue, they were responsive at every turn. The personal tours were all memorable and each guide was unique and interesting. Wine and champagne tours were all fun and the explanations of the champagne making and wine making process, visiting the cellars and touring the wineries was fantastic. Raquel and Eugenia helped us book museums and the history and art was overwhelming and fascinating. Even when we could not get a reservation at a famous restaurant, Botin in Madrid, they were able to get us in. They were so kind and helpful. We would HIGHLY recommend them and the Kim Kim Website to anyone looking for excellent service and planning for a trip to Europe. We would use them again anyway we want to go on another European Vacation.

Hotel Reviews

Tenuta La Santissima

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Intur Palacio San Martin

Madrid

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Sometimes preoccupied, but responsive when asked.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Altarocca Wine Resort

Orvieto

Beautiful setting. Peaceful and serene with country setting and very nice accomodations.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Arte' Boutique Hotel

Firenze

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Staff was extremely attentive and helpful.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Tapas tour and Old Town walking tour

Madrid

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Prado and Retiro tour

Madrid

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Gaudí Highlights tour

Barcelona

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Datrip to Montserrat and Penedes wine region

Barcelona

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Half day orientation tour in Paris

Paris

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Versailles and Giverny small group

Paris

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Daytrip to Reims and the wine region of Champagne

Paris

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Montalcino: visit and wine tasting

Italy

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Siena city tour

Siena

Our tour guide, Claudia, was so knowledgeable and sweet. Asked for our questions and left time for us to think about what we wanted to know. Listened and interacted so well. Showed interest in us and was very responsive.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Claudia was awesome.

Transport

Orientation tour of Florence with visit to the Accademia

Florence

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Wine tour in Chianti

Italy

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

The Boutique Hotel Galatea was fantastic! Everyone greeted us warmly and the accommodations were comfortable. Our waiter at the complimentary breakfast was most helpful with providing restaurant recommendations for the Florence segment of our trip. Veronik with the Vatican tour and Martina from the Travestere Food Tour were excellent guides and Michela from Michela Home Restaurant gave us the most memorable experience.
The highlight of Florence was most definitely the Tuscany Vespa Tour and the wine/olive oil tasting at Castello di Poppiano! Ben and Alessandro were wonderful guides and made the experience even more special.
Our private transfer driver from Salerno to Sorrento, Massimo, was so very generous and helpful. We made a special request to make a quick visit to the small town of Colliano before being taken to Sorrento. Massimo went above and beyond our expectations for that side jaunt.
Sorrento was breathtakingly beautiful! Unfortunately, bad weather prevented us from enjoying some of our activities. The full day driving along the Amafli coast was absolutely gorgeous, though not an experience I would recommend, due to the extreme traffic and lack of time that we were able to spend exploring each of the towns. However, our driver Angelo was wonderful and made the 9 hours more pleasant with his positive attitude and serenades.

Hotel Reviews

Dedo Boutique Hotel

Florence

Compared to our experience in Rome, the staff was not as friendly. We did have a couple of maintenance issues, which were resolved to our satisfaction. There was a lot of variety for breakfast.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Very near the Arno River and quite walkable.

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Boutique Hotel Galatea

Rome

The staff was soooo welcoming, friendly. and helpful. The breakfast was good and the personalized service was outstanding. The gentleman waiter from the morning breakfast service personally wrote down restaurant recommendations for us for the next city on our trip. The room was small but clean and comfortable. We would definitely stay there again.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Walkable

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Aquae Romanae Bed and Breakfast Sorrento

Sorrento

Although this was the largest of the rooms and the proprietor was extremely friendly and helpful, this was our least favorite accommodation. The facility is listed as a Bed and Breakfast, but they no longer provide breakfast since COVID. The bathroom was only separated from the bedroom by a floor to ceiling glass partition. A portion of the glass was frosted to provide some privacy, however, it was still rather uncomfortable.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Very helpful. Gave restaurant suggestions. Immediately came when we had a slight issue with the key at the gate.

Cleanliness & Comfort

The shower area was not as clean as other accommodations and the lack of private bathroom was noticeable.

Activity Reviews

Highlights of the Vatican & Sistine Chapel Tour

Rome

Veronika was great!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Colosseum & Ancient Rome Tour with Roman Forum

Rome

We don't recall our guide's name, but she was great.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Rome Food Tour

Rome

We had the guide all to ourselves!

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Market Tour & Cooking lesson

Rome

Best day ever!

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Michela was so wonderful! She made us feel like life-long friends.

Transport

Tuscany Vespa Tours

Florence

Best day in Florence!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Ben and Alessandro were fantastic!

Transport

Uffizi and Accademia - Skip the line tickets

Florence

The Birth of Venus and David truly were magnificent! The skip the line tickets are essential.

Quality of Experience

Secrets Walks of Sorrento: Street food by Locals

Italy

Our guide, Hugo, was fantastic and very knowledgeable. We would have preferred that more of the street food we sampled was savory, and not all sweet.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Full Day Tour: Positano, Amalfi & Ravello

Italy

This was our least favorite activity. The extreme traffic and lack of time we were able to spend exploring the towns of Positano, Amalfi, and Ravello detracted from the overall experience. Our driver, Angelo, made the experience much more pleasant.

Quality of Experience

Due to the traffic, one day just wasn't enough time to fully explore what each town had to offer. More than half of the day was spent in the car.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Angelo was so genuinely nice and joyful. He made the ride through chaotic traffic as enjoyable as possible.

Transport

The car was clean and comfortable. Angelo takes pride in his work and it shows!

Eliise organised an awesome 7 day trip in Norway for us. Communication and payment was easy in lead up to travel. Support during travel was great over whatsapp. We were a little unlucky with the weather (strong winds and heavy rain) which obstructed some of the views for our hikes with blanket fog - but we still made the most of our time. Some of the hikes were challenging but rewarding (many stairs!!). We found the local people in Norway very friendly and polite, and fresh Cod was delicious - recommend ordering fish on the menu!
We enjoyed the icy mountain tops of the Lofoten Isands and even tried out Arctic surf lessons which was very fun and a bucket list item! We would go through Kimkim again for travel.

Dean organised an awesome 10 day adventure through Ireland for us. Communication and payment in lead up to the trip was easy, and support during travel over whats app or online was speedy. Any little hiccups were resolved instantly and we had an absolute blast. Highlight of our trip was a day bike riding around Aran Islands and buying locally hand made woolen sweaters. The weather was freezing and we had a windy ferry ride (rug up!) but that didn't stop us having a fantastic time. Had the best fish and chips of my life in Ireland. Would recommend organizing your travel through Dean and his team.

Elisa organised an epic ten day adventure for us through the West Fjords and south coast of Iceland. Liaising and payment in lead up to the trip was simple and Elisa was very helpful if we encountered any hiccups during the trip. We appreciated the support over Whatsapp when travelling. Elisa met up with us briefly and gifted us some Icelandic goodies which was a very sweet touch. The highlight of the trip was certainly the west fjords which was the slightly less traveled part of Iceland - beautiful sweeping scenery that we could take in over days of driving with 100 photo stops. We couldn't get enough. Recommend ordering fresh Cod when available on the menu - it was always delicious. Iceland was a very expensive country which we were anticipating. Certainly a once in a lifetime trip though! We would book through KimKim again.

Francesca organised a fabulous trip to the Faroe Islands for us. Contact and payment in lead up to the trip was simple and quick. We were a little unlucky with weather on the trip, which unfortunately resulted in morning ferry cancellations to Mykines (we tried three days in a row!) but we appreciated Francesca and her colleague's support to keep re-booking the ferry so we could keep trying. Anytime we had little hiccups we received prompt assistance from KimKim. Highlight of the trip was a day out on Kalsoy Island (beautiful black basalt wall where James Bond gravestone is erected given scenes filmed in the iconic 'No Time to Die' film). Tip: arrive at least an hour early to get in line for the 10-car-max ferry to go across to Kalsoy Island as queues build quickly and we were unable to get the morning one, but tried again and got on the afternoon one. (also bring a phone charger+ any medication in case you get stuck there for the night if weather turns or the return ferry is full). Food can be a little hit and miss (and expensive) in Faroe Islands if you are a bit fussy like myself, but fresh fish (especially Cod) was always delightful. Despite much of our trip leaving the islands as a blanket fog of mystery with the weather, we had a great time and would book through KimKim again.

Nuria went way beyond in helping me plan trip. She even made several suggestions that were definitely much needed.

Hotel Reviews

Hotel Kokoro Mineral Hot Springs

La Fortuna

The location and setting were amazing with views of Arenal Volcano. I stayed in a stand-alone bungalow that was very comfortable. The staff were simply wonderful. The only negative was that the jacuzzi was drained but the natural hot mineral pools were excellent.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Views of Arenal Volcano nestled in the jungle.

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Wyndham

Tamarindo

The hotel is on a hill over looking the ocean. They offer an hourly shuttle but only to two different inconvenient locations. Also because it faces west for the incredible view there is no shade around the pool. The bed was very comfortable but the only covering was a very thick comforter so I asked for a lighter cover and they brought another heavy comforter.

Authenticity & Character

A very upscale hotel but not a lot of authenticity.

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Arenal Volcano Horseback Adventure

Arenal/La Fortuna

So so ride mostly through a flat open field.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Sky Tram, Ziplines & Sky Walk Adventure

Arenal/La Fortuna

This was by far the best zipline experience I've had!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Río Peñas Blancas Safari Float

Arenal/La Fortuna

I was pleasantly surprised to be the only one on the raft with the guide. He was extremely knowledgeable and friendly, pointing out things along the way I never would've seen. He also went into detail about these sights. At the end of the very relaxing float he took me to an eco farm for snacks made entirely from ingredients from the farm.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Snorkeling at the Catalina Islands

Costa Rica

This was billed as snorkling but really was a scuba trip that catered mostly to the scuba divers. The snorklers felt unimportant. There was no instruction on using the equipment.

Quality of Experience

This is the fault of the tour but the water was extremely choppy and not clear at all. I sat out the 2nd snorkle due to the water choppiness.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

More attention to the snorklers. My tube was faulty and the guy in the water with us didnt understand and kept trying to adjust the mask.

Transport

Palo Verde Jungle Boat Tour & Guaitil Pottery

Costa Rica

The boat engine was so loud and the guide sat at the front talking with a group of photographers. I had to ask many times what he was talking about. Also it was billed as visiting an authentic Guantil Village to observe the generations old pottery making. There was no visit but a single guy who set up a table in the cafe where we lunched. He made a small clay pot and showed us photographs of the painting process. Very lame.

Quality of Experience

Food

The authentic meal at the end of the boat ride was very tasty (chicken, rice, beans) but by the time the chicken dish came to me there was only a skimpy leg. I asked for a bigger piece that all the others had but there was none.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

The driver informed us there would be 1 maybe 2 stops. The 1st stop was a quick restroom break where he announced 10 minutes. The 2nd was at a souvenir shop/cafeteria. I thought it would be another 10 minute restroom stop but after a long time I couldn't find him so I asked another tourist and she said she didn't know how long the break was but the driver was in the cafeteria having lunch!!!

Transport

Jean Carlo really made sure our honeymoon was planned perfectly! Everything went very well and we had the best time in Costa Rica! Can't believe it's over already :(

Hotel Reviews

Country Inn & Suites by Radisson, San Jose Aeropuerto

San José

Authenticity & Character

Location

Close to the airport but not very close to the city

Staff

Staff was very friendly and helpful

Cleanliness & Comfort

Pachira Lodge

Tortuguero

The lodge itself was really nice, but not as much privacy as we would have liked. You can hear your neighbors extremely clearly and the wall dividing the rooms don't go up all the way. Other than that, the pool was really nice to relax at and we were able to see plenty of wildlife at the lodge itself. We were greeted by some monkeys right outside of our room which was a pleasant surprise!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Los Lagos Spa & Resort

La Fortuna

The resort was so nice! We had issues with the key card when we first checked in, but the hotel staff resolved the issue right away and had someone come up to the room to give us our new key cards. The room itself is a bit away from the restaurant, pools and main lobby but they had shuttle come around and pick us up and we didn't mind walking a couple times to get a nice workout in. The food was amazing and the hot springs at the resort was so much fun to relax and visit.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

El Establo Mountain Hotel

Monteverde

This hotel was so nice! It was extremely clean and the staff were all so nice and helpful. We loved feeling like we were out in nature but also was just a few minutes walk from restaurants and souvenir shops. The wifi was spotty at our room, but the staff told us in advance that they were having some wifi issues due to the high winds the area had been impacted by. It wasn't too much of a problem and was nice to disconnect from the outside world for a few days while we stayed here.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Zip Line (Canopy) Monteverde

Monteverde

I love heights and getting an adrenaline rush so this activity was right up my alley. I had done zip lining before but this was really a great experience. The longer zip lines was truly amazing and really felt like you were flying across the forest. They also have different options for those who are more adventurous called the Superman where you zip line on your stomach and the Tarzan Swing which is like a mini bungee jump almost.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Guided Visit to the Tortuguero Village

Tortuguero

The visit to the village was nice. I think we were just exhausted from the travel that we would have liked to be able to get settled in a bit more before we had to go on the guided visit. Also because it is not the busy tourist season, it was a bit sparse and we probably would have been ok if we stayed for only an hour instead of the full two hours.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Guided Exploration of Tortuguero National Park

Tortuguero

The Tortuguero national park was a fun tour to check out. We saw a lot of different animals and birds. We weren't prepared with binoculars so we didn't get the best views of the animals. It was very impressive that the guide was able to spot animals from so far away. Being on a boat for the tour was a nice little touch.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Hanging Bridges, La Fortuna Waterfall & Arenal Volcano Hike

Arenal/La Fortuna

This was probably our most favorite tour during our entire Costa Rica trip! Our guide, Alfredo, was the best! He was able to give us so much information and spot all kinds of snakes and animals. He was also very friendly and would joke around a lot which made the whole experience very enjoyable. He also recommended we eat at the end of the day which we greatly appreciated because the food was very heavy and we probably wouldn't have been as comfortable with the Waterfall if we had eaten before. The food was very delicious! Alfredo also made sure to pack some fruits and drinks for us as well as towels which we weren't expecting, so that was such a nice little touch!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Cloud Forest Reserve Hike

Monteverde

We had such a good time on this tour. We told our guide Carlos that we wanted a more active hike so he was able to find the best route for us. At the beginning of our hike we saw two rare birds, the Quetzal. They were so beautiful and Carlos told us that about 10% of folks who come to the forest ever get a chance to see them so we were pleasantly surprised! It was also great seeing how excited he got when he spotted the birds! I told Carlos I also wanted to see the clouds and he said it might be tough but was able to find a good place for us to see the clouds which was really nice. We ended the hike at the cafe which also has hummingbird feeders and there were hummingbirds everywhere which was really cool to see up close!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

We were so pleased with all of our guides. Each one was so professional and caring. All of the drivers were on time and helpful with explaining where we should be especially with transport on Ferry’s.
Overall the trip was phenomenal! Greece was more than we expected! The hospitality and care given far exceeded our expectations! Thanks to our incredible travel agent Angela who coordinated all of our tours and transports and hotels. She made sure everything flowed beautifully. Thank you for a wonderful trip!!

Hotel Reviews

Aeolos Resort Mykonos

Mykonos / Chora

The resort was beautiful and the owner and employees were extremely hospitable. We definitely want to return.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Location was convenient but not in the middle of town which we liked.

Staff

They were so friendly and accommodating! Best service by far we have received!

Cleanliness & Comfort

Sole d'oro Luxury Suites

Santorini

Hotel is beautiful location is perfect away from crowds. Very private rooms. Loved the private jacuzzis!

Location

Staff

Staff was very helpful we were spoiled!

Cleanliness & Comfort

The staff went above in cleanliness with the jacuzzi area and patio. Room was very clean as well.

Classic Hotel by Athens Prime Hotels

Athens

This was a nice hotel for staying in the city close to restaurants and shops. Room was small but it worked since we weren’t in our rooms very much.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Close to places we could eat and shop

Staff

Very professional and helpful with directions

Cleanliness & Comfort

Very clean and well kept - breakfast was very nice.

Artion Boutique by Enorme

Iraklio

Hotel was nice but room was small. We were only there a short time so it was fine.

Staff

Very helpful and gave us recommendations for dinner which we liked very much.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Athens Highlights Mythology Tour

Greece

We enjoyed this very much! Group was great and guide was extremely knowledgeable!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Plaka Sunset Tour with Greek Cocktails

Athens

This was a nice experience. We enjoyed having the one on one with our guide who was very knowledgeable and fun!

Quality of Experience

Loved seeing Plaka!

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Our guide made this experience very special! She was great!

Delphi & Arachova full-day tour from Athens

Greece

This was an interesting experience. Leaving the city and seeing more of the countryside and small villages around Athens was great!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Driver and guide were very professional and knowledgeable.

Transport

Rhenia & Delos day cruise

Mykonos

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Reservation at Oia Gefsis (no meal included - only a reserved table)

Greece

Restaurant was beautiful - food was amazing! We had the very best table on the rooftop for the spectacular sunset thanks to our amazing travel agent - Angela- thank you!

Quality of Experience

Exploring the Myth of Santorini

Greece

Knossos Palace & Authentic Crete with Local Experiences from East P9

Greece

This was a full day of exploring Crete. We enjoyed everything included especially since we were only there one day.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Our guide was awesome! She was so nice and very knowledgeable. We enjoyed this day.

Transport

Driver was great and was able to get us around to each location on time.