Kimkim Trip Reviews

We had a mostly great trip with a few little issues. Our hotels in Santiago and Buenos Aries were fantastic as was our private guide at Iguazu (Marcello). Johanna listened and understood what we were after in our trip.
Our transfers from our hotels to the airport were on-time with great communication from the drivers, however our airport transfers from Santiago and B.A. were poor (or non-existent in one case). Full credit to Kim Kim though, through Kristy who intervened straight away to assist us and provide instructions and reimbursement when required. It was good to know that when things didn’t quite go to plan that there was someone readily available who could assist.

Hotel Reviews

Hotel Cumbres Lastarria

Santiago

Palo Santo Hotel

Buenos Aires

Loved everything about this hotel! The location, the breakfasts, the staff, the service. Highly recommend.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Saint George

Puerto Iguazú

Unfortunately they insisted we pay for our room, even though it had been paid for. Easily sorted by Kim Kim. 👍🏻

Activity Reviews

Fly to Puerto Iguazu

Argentina

Excellent communication and transport at both ends.

Arrival in Santiago de Chile

Santiago

Driver didn’t show. Our plane was early so we understood there may have been a wait. We had no communication from the driver and travel company and they did not respond to phone calls. We were still at the airport well after our plane arrived. Fortunately Kristy from Kim Kim assisted and we arranged a taxi and were reimbursed.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Fly from Santiago to Buenos Aires

Santiago

5 stars for our transport to the airport in Santiago. Our driver for early and provided great communication, however a poor experience at the airport in Buenos Aries. Whilst we had communication from the transport provider which was pleasing, it took a while to locate our driver outside the airport. Our transport was a taxi and the driver was too busy scrolling through his phone to look for us. (He scrolled through his phone for the whole drive). Unimpressed.

A Day of Adventure at Iguazu Falls: Exploring the Argentinian Side & Gran Aventura

Argentina

Marcello was an outstanding guide, a fantastic experience made even better by having a private guide who was passionate about his home. Highly recommend.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Explore Iguazú Falls (Brazilian Side) - Fly to Rio de Janeiro

Argentina

Another great experience with Marcello!

A lot of transfer from airport to hotel and trian station to hotel where left to us. Would rather that be part of the service. Didn’t like tours being shared.

This was another very nice trip arranged by Kimkim. Overall impression was really good; everything was well organized, and the level of activities was just appropriate for our taste and our capabilities. And yes, we were quite lucky with the weather.

We just stayed in three hotels during our 14 nights trip, which proved to be a good decision as transportation is one of the weak points, especially on Bali. All three hotels were exceptional, but the most we liked Tejaprana Resort & Spa in Ubud.

We like to praise Marc for the planning process. After we gave Marc our traveling details and basic wishes, he generated initial trip plan amazingly quickly, but we were not completely satisfied with it. We proposed several changes, but Marc was politely persistent and give us clear arguments why proposed changes might not be so good idea. We are glad that at the end we accepted originally proposed plan with only one minor change, as this proved to be optimal! Just one example: we insisted to see also Kuta beach on Bali, but this fairly short excursion from Ubud to Uluwatu temple, Kuta beach and back to Ubud took us nearly eight(!) hours of driving, as commuting in Bali is a serious problem.

We like to summarize that all involved guides and drivers on both islands were prompt, polite and knowledgeable.
We like to thank the complete involved team to arrange really nice trip for us.

Guide Oscar palomino was amazing. You can’t find a better guide

We had a wonderful holiday throughout Vietnam & Cambodia. Huyen organised an ideal family itinerary visiting many sights & we met such lovely & funny tour guides who made the holiday memorable. We highly recommend the KimKim team who were always available to answer messages & requests at anytime. Thanks again!

Activity Reviews

Hanoi - Halong Bay Cruise - Overnight on boat

Ha Long Bay

Wonderful service, delicious food & memorable sights.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Saigon By Night Food Tour - Experience Vietnam on Two Wheels (Small Group tour)

Ho Chi Minh City

Such a fun tour in Saigon, my favourite night of our 2 wk holiday. Thanks to the lovely ladies who drove us around the city & gave us a great insight into the culture of the Vietnamese people.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Louis was very helpful in planning our trip to Morocco, especially with it being a last minute trip. We absolutely loved every moment of our trip and cannot wait to return one day. Our driver, Az, was very helpful, educated us about the area, and was very enjoyable. Our amenities and service was also very pleasant and hospitable. Lastly, our tour guide was very nice and we enjoyed hearing and learning about the country from his lens. This is my second time using kimkim and I will definitely use them for my next trip.

Hotel Review

Riad Atrium & Spa

Marrakesh

I enjoy this accommodation. Very comfortable and clean. The staff and the owner were very hospitality and accommodating.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Morning Hot Air Balloon Ride

Marrakesh

This was a great experience and I’m glad we added it on. During my own research I did find several vendors that were about half the cost of our booked hot air balloon ride, so I thought it was slightly overpriced. Nonetheless, it was a great experience and worth doing.

Quality of Experience

Food

Happy they provided food for such an early morning excursion.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Hammam Visit: Traditional Body Scrub & Massage

Morocco

Exploring the Medina and Historical Sites Of Marrakesh

Marrakesh

I really enjoyed this experience. I possibly would’ve have added more stops to historical sites or attractions but it’s also hard to fit so much in the allotted time.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

The whole adventure in Morocco was absolutely amazing.
Early planning is the key to success. Said worked with us so that we had the ultimate experience throughout our journey.
Our driver, Mustapha, went above and beyond to make sure we had the best experiences.
All our guides were exceptional except for one.
The hotels and riads were excellent.

Hotel Reviews

Hilton Tanger City Center Hotel and Residences

Tangier

not exceptional.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Lina Ryad & Spa

Chefchaouen

Small ,intimate Ryad. Very different experience Unfortunately very noisy at night. Food not exceptional.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Palais Amani

Fès

Lovely hotel and beautiful gardens. We had a wonderful room on top floor with outstanding view. The walk from the car to hotel a little disconcerting - a very narrow alley and not very clean. Then the entrance to hotel transforms into a paradise. Quite an amazing experience. Staff extremely helpful and friendly. Gardens beautiful.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Ksar El Kabbaba

Skoura

This was paradise. Peaceful , tranquil . The gardens were absolutely amazing . Intimate outdoor eating areas: Large but intimate dining room.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

La Maison Arabe Hotel

Marrakech

Beautiful hotel - full of history - intimate seating areas, The decor so authentic you would believe you were in a different century and living in an ex patriots dream.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Desert Luxury Camp Erg Chebbi

Merzouga

Not quite as we expected but we were in the desert. Accommodation basic. Heating (for the nights) and a/c( during the day) was not very efficient. Food not good.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Helpful and efficient. Also always cheerful

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hôtel La Tour Hassan Palace

Rabat

Fabulous. Highly recommend. Beautiful setting. Accommodation superb. The dining experience not quite up to expectation. Service extremely slow and food not as ordered.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Le Casablanca Hotel

Casablanca

Marvelous location. Beautiful setting. Very large but furnishings and decor superb. Easy to get lost in the cavernous halls and public areas. Food not exceptional.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Tangier Guided tour

Tangier

Marvelous guide with great sense of humor

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Fes Guided Tour: Unravel the Riches of Morocco's Ancient City

Fes

Wonderful experience with great guide. Much more compact Medina therefore easier to negotiate.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Guided Tour of Chefchaoeun

Chefchaouen

Rain rather dampened the experience. A definite stopping place to experience the real Morocco.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Chefchaoeun to Fez via Volubilis, Moulay Idriss & Meknes

Morocco

Long drive - but full of experiences . Guide at Volubilis not very good. But the site was amazing. Not enough time for Moulay Idriss and only a drive thorough Meknes. Wish we had more time there.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Transfer from Fes to Merzouga via Erfoud & Camel Ride

Morocco

Long drive but interesting and scenic. Erfoud very dramatic.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Private Transfer from Skoura to Marrakech

Morocco

Interesting stops along the road.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Desert adventures around Merzouga

Merzouga

Best lunch we had was in Merzouga. Interesting driving around the Bedouin camps.Such resilience aginst all the elements. Music cafe was very enjoyable. That was an excellent experience. Camel ride OK

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Hike through Berber Villages

Morocco

WONDERFUL EXPERIENCE. Lunch with a Berber family a heart warming experience. The market gardens were wonderfully kept by the farmers who owned each of the allotments. Great guide who explained how the gardens were allotted and cared for. by each farmer.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Guided Tour of Marrakech

Marrakesh

Overwhelming. People, smells and noise. Felt perfectly safe and free to roam anywhere. Cafes interesting but food not exciting.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Guided Tour of Majorelle Garden

Marrakesh

A must do. Book well ahead. Beautiful gardens and lovely cafe for lunch or tea. Museum a little disappointing. Not many fashion displays.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Marrakesh Evening Food Tour

Marrakesh

Did not enjoy the experience. Food was awful and guide not interested in sharing knowledge. Do not recommend.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

A Guided Exploration of Rabat

Rabat

Rabat a beautiful city. Modern intermingled with lots of historic and traditional buildings. Chellah Necropolis magical. Wonderful atmosphere. White storks a spectacle in themselves. Beautiful waterfront. Royal Palace and Mausoleums gorgeous. Late afternoon perfect time to go. No crowds.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Quick Tour of Casablanca with your Driver-guide

Morocco

Not a very interesting city. Do not recommend more than one night. Very very crowded and traffic jams everywhere. Also very polluted. El Hassan Mosque magnificent but very overpowering. Not much else to see.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

The whole journey was exceptional. All went to plan.
The guides and drivers were excellent. Knowledgeable, helpful and always polite.
From the planning through to the completion of our tour in Southern Spain was above and beyond our expectation.
The hotels especially the Hospes group were absolutely beautiful . The accommodation, concierge service, were excellent. The hotel in Sevilla (Colon Gran Melia) was perhaps not quite up to the Hospes standard. A little tired around the edges.It could do with a refit. Would have liked to have stayed at the Las Casa del Rey de Breza in Sevilla
We will definitely use Kimkim again.

Hotel Review

Hotel Hospes Palacio del Bailío

Córdoba

Absolutely beautiful. All our needs taken care of - efficiently and courteously. Dining room a wonderful experience . The dinners on both occasions were excellent. The coffee station at breakfast could have been a little more efficient.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Sunset Málaga Cruise

Málaga

Too long and not very interesting

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Privately Guided Visit of Málaga

Spain

Guide was excellent and knowledgeable.

Quality of Experience

Transport

Guided Visit of Ronda

Spain

Rained out

Private Transfer {{start_location}} to {{end_location}}, Hike the Caminito del Rey

Spain

Rained out

Quality of Experience

Guided Visit of Granada Through Its Scents

Granada

Guide was excellent. Walked to many places off the beaten track Wonderful

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

A few days ago we (me and my husband) returned from a travel throughout the Brasil. Bruno gave me perfect itinerary and did all booking of the hotels, transfers and flights during our 10 days trip. We have bad luck with canceling of one of the flights, but thanks to Brino’s quick response we were able to get to the next one on the same day. All transfers ran smoothly. As for local guides, Luis in Rio was excellent, very knowledgeable about the history of Rio and Brasil. Addition to all ‘must see’ in Rio, he showed us a lot of hidden gems od Rio. It was like a walking with some celebrity, because he is/was a professor to almost all other guides we met, so he was warmly greeted everywhere. Edson in Foz do Iguacu was also very knowledgeable about the nature and wildlife in the area of these beautiful waterfalls. And at the end Amazonia, which was amazing. Tupana lodge, regarding which I was a little bit sceptic, turned out to be everything that Bruno promised, and Carlos, our guide there, true nature lover, explained us a lot about birds, other animals, forests and native people.
All in all, beautiful experience. Warm ‘thank you’ to Bruno and to all people we met throughout our trip, Natasa

My guide was truly amazing, but so was the driver. One day it was raining and we had a few hours left and he suggested going to the library. I'm an academic, so I was up for it to get out of the rain. It wasn't a normal library. There was a scale model of the region with every building and tree. We spent two hours there and could have stayed longer. It was more like a museum.

We had a fabulous time during our 15-day trip to Japan! The trip was planned and coordinated by local specialist Shona. She did a great job in planning the trip the way we wanted (including all the train reservations). We visited Tokyo (5 Nights), Kyoto (5 Nights), Matsue (2 Nights) and Osaka (2 Nights). In Tokyo and Kyoto, we had several private full day trips to points of interest as suggested and planned by Shona. Our local tour guides Yumi (Tokyo) and Yuji and Ken (Kyoto) were all great in explaining the importance of the sites we visited. In Matsue and Osaka, we chose to do the sightseeing on our own but followed suggestions from Shona. The selected Hotels in Tokyo, Kyoto and Osaka met our expectations. In Matsue we chose to stay at a Ryokan which provided a great cultural experience with Japanese traditions including the prefixed Japanese style dinners). If anyone is planning a trip to Japan, I would highly recommend Shona as your local travel specialist.

It was amazing to get to do our 11 day trip to France and not worry about booking anything but dinner! And even then, the KimKim team helped us by calling restaurants we couldn’t book online and speaking to them in French to make our reservation.

Our bike tour in Versailles with Aurora was amazing, she was an amazing guide! Our other favorite part was the fondue dinner and lake cruise in Annecy with Paul. He had fantastic service, was very personable, and taught us a lot of interesting history about the area.

Hotel Reviews

Hotel La Bourdonnais - Tour Eiffel

Paris

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Le Domaine de Bayeux

Bayeux

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Splendid Hotel Lac d'Annecy - Handwritten Collection

Annecy

Authenticity & Character

Location

Right in the middle of everything! So easy to walk around town.

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hôtel A la Villa des Artistes

Paris

Room was very small and cramped, there was not even enough space to lay out our small carry-on bags. The bathroom shower had tile pieces that were rusted and the hardware had fallen off. We also couldn’t get the room to cool down, but luckily it was nice outside so we slept with our windows open. The highlight was the courtyard.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Versailles : Food & Palace Bike Tour - Full Day

France

Loved the bike ride! Such an amazing way to see Versailles. Our favorite part was shopping in the local market and then having our picnic at the lake. It will be a highlight of the trip, for sure! And our guide, Aurora, was Amazing!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Aurora was amazing! Her English was great and she told us so many interesting things about the history.

Transport

Full Day Tour of Omaha and Utah Beaches & Normandy Landings Sites

Bayeux

It was a long day but a good one. Definitely wear good shoes and layers (it was windy and 49 degrees the day we went). Our guide gave us the perfect amount of time at each location and the flow of the tour itself was very intuitive. Overall, it was memorable and very moving.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Montmartre & Sacré-Coeur walking tour

Paris

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Discover Giverny along the way

France

Highlight of the trip! It’s a must to if you are in the area in April or May.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Le Louvre Private Tour

Paris

It was a great learning experience, but I probably would have done a shorter tour because it was so busy.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Private cruise & Cheese Fondue on Annecy Lake

Annecy

If you have the chance to do this, DO IT. The lake is gorgeous, but there is so much more than meets the eye from the shore of Annecy. This was a highlight of our trip! The fondue dinner was fresh and delicious, and our guide provided wine and blankets (we went in May and it got a little chilly).

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Paul was an amazing guide! So knowledgeable about all the houses and properties around the lake. He did an amazing job!

Transport

Haut Marais & Canal St Martin Food Tour

Paris

It was a very insightful tour, although it was a bit more like a history tour with food as an accent, verses the other way around. Our guide was very knowledgeable and kind.

Quality of Experience

I wish it had been two hours or in a more condensed area. It was a lot of walking and most of the food was dessert, which was a lot of sweets in a short amount of time. I wish there had been more savory food included as well.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Fenne was my main contact and very helpful. Our itinerary enabled us to move smoothly from one space to another. We felt confident with the instructions. Hotels were very good. Well done, KimKim! Thank you

Ammar has been very helpful in the hotel checkin and recommending stops and timming of activities.

Samir has been good in the setup and tweaking of our itinary and following up to make sure things were ok.

We appreciated the process with Monika and kimkim in planning our 3 week self-driving trip of New Zealand. We'd researched the route we wanted to take and what we wanted to see, plus what we wanted to budget. Monika made suggestions and we made further refinements. She arranged our accommodations, car rental, ferry, plane from Queenstown to Auckland, and some of the experiences we desired. She also advised us on what we'd need in order to enter the country (NZeta), driving rules, and other important items. Once all finalized and paid, we received extensive instructions and vouchers for the items Monika had reserved for us, along with recommendations of other things to see and do in each location. Once in country, she kept in contact and was available for questions, or if not (on her days of) who we could contact. As for the trip, the accommodations (we requested cost in the middle range) were all very good overall and those in cities or larger towns were centrally located for ease in walking to attractions and restaurants. We enjoyed the experiences she'd helped to arrange (Hobbiton, Te Pa Tu Maori dinner, Wai O Tapu, Milford Sound) plus others we we'd planned on our own and some that we were told about by locals or other tourists along the way. Those would be the Art Deco tour with volunteer Judy in Napier, Tongariro and Taranaki National Parks, Zealandia and the Cable Car in Wellington, birds and seals at Kaikoura, the lighthouse and Giants House in Akaroa (east of Christchurch), Arthur's Pass National Park, the amazing night sky in Lake Tekapo, the Clay Cliffs near Omarama, and the drive to Glenorchy and Paradise out of Queenstown. Danny, our coach driver to and from Milford Sound (actually a fjord!), was excellent and shared interesting information on the way out. It was nice to relax and not drive that day after all of the driving we'd already done. On accommodations of special note we really enjoyed the Ruapehu Country Lodge in Ohakune. Our host Bernie was quite the character and happy to share information on restaurants and tracks (hikes) we'd planned to do, things to see, and roads & road conditions. We enjoyed his wife's homemade jams and other yummy things at breakfast. One thing of note is that not all of the accommodations were as accessible as they could have been (stairs/no elevators); we didn't specify with Monika that we required that but if you do, let your planner know. We're in our early 70s and in fairly good shape so didn't have too much of a problem and some of the hotels offered to help with our luggage. We "survived" a hot 6 km hike in Tongariro NP (lots of stairs!) so managing stairs in hotels wasn't a challenge. We came home more fit than when we left. ;-) Overall, we had a wonderful experience and the planning Monika did for us made for a smooth trip, especially as it was our first time in New Zealand.

Activity Reviews

Te Pā Tū - Maori Cultural Experience

Rotorua

Quality of Experience

Food

Transport

Hobbiton Movie Set Tour

New Zealand

Great fun for we fans of The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings fans. Our guide, Sam (not kidding) was full of fun and facts.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Our guide, Sam.

Transport

Coach and Cruise to Milford Sound / Piopiotahi

Queenstown (NZ)

Very long bus ride, but scenic. The weather at the sound (fjord!) was a bit dreary but the boat ride was fun, though a bit crowded. Wonderful waterfalls, the mountains were hiding in low clouds but still very pretty. We enjoyed the day.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Driver Danny was excellent and had interesting information to share. He also knew a lot about birds and answered my questions about those we heard & saw.

Transport

We did a one-week tour of Lithuania in early May 2025, including Vilnius, Kaunas, Klaipeda, Palanga, and Siaulou. Our guide Tomas was very knowledgeable, pleasant, patient and polite. He was also a good driver. My background is partly Lithuanian and Tomas listened to my family stories, helped me translate and understand some letters and documents from the early 20th century, and connected those to things he showed us during the trip. He has a good understanding of Lithuanian history and speaks excellent English. The hotels were very nice and the vehicle was sufficient. We thoroughly enjoyed Lithuania. The country is beautiful and clean, affordable and safe. We did not have a single bad meal. I highly recommend this company and this tour of Lithuania.

This was our first trip with KimKim. We feel that the platform is very user-friendly. And the services they coordinated (domestic flight, multiple ferries, transfers to/from aiports and ports) were all seamless and very much appreciated. However, we are less enthusiastic about Rebecca. We aren't certain if we'll use the company again - It would be nice to know the price breakdown regarding nightly rate at hotels, prices for tours, ferries, etc.

Hotel Reviews

Coco-Mat Athens BC

Athens

Our stay at Coco-Mat Athens BC was fantastic. The location was great, and we enjoyed the excellent breakfast. Although the room was small by North American standards, we knew this to be typical in Europe. We had no concerns whatsoever and loved the view from our room.

Verina Astra Hotel

Sifnos

The Verina Astra Hotel in Sifnos was awesome, but we had an issue with water in our room on our first full day. Water scarcity was the explanation, but for the price we were paying, it felt like it should have been handled more seriously. The staff were nice and did offer slight compensation, but it still left us a bit frustrated.

Olive Green Hotel

Heraklion

Our overnight stay at Olive Green Hotel in Heraklion was fine. However, the included breakfast started after our shuttle departure, and we missed out on coffee, settling instead for instant coffee in the room. It was okay for a short stay but could have been better with the breakfast timing.

Activity Reviews

Athens - Athens Food Tour

Athens

Theo was awesome! Very knowledgeable, friendly, enthusiastic and helpful. The food tour was the highlight of our time in Athens. Though it would have been nice to try Retsina wine on this tour.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Athens - Acropolis at Sunset & Plaka neighborhood | Private tour with an archaeologist/guide

Athens

Our tour guide was a bit of a dud. He was scattered with all of his stories. He was obviously racist or anti-immigrant. And he spent our two hours together talking to my husband - obviously thought that he was above talking to a woman... until the very end when we were thanking him for his time and my husband told him that I am a professor at a university. Then the tour guide's entire demeanour and body language changed - all of a sudden I was worthy of his attention. He was relieved when we told him he didn't have to give us a tour of Plaka.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

If you are looking for a company to plan and orchestrate a perfect vacation, Kimkim is the way to go. Diana was amazing in planning a fantastic trip for us in Portugal. The choice of hotels, tour guides and activities was spot on. We thoroughly enjoyed our car trips with Carlos, who was so informative, professional, courteous and fun. We were in Cascáis during the power outage and the staff at Hotel Miragem was unbelievably helpful. Dinner with the locals in Porto was intimate and we had one of the most delicious meals cooked by Vito The trip to Douro Valley was the icing on the cake. We were extremely impressed by how Diana and her team kept checking and updating us with the daily plans throughout the trip. Thanks everyone who made this trip so special for us!!

Erica did a great job planning our trip with only a couple of weeks lead time. The hotels Kim Kim booked were strategically located in the heart of the places we stayed at, allowing us to walk around to shop, visit the sites, and have dinner. Our guide Chris who lead us on a hike up to the Varlaam Monastery in Meteora was fantastic, stopping frequently to engage with the group and share with us his love of hiking and rock climbing the Meteora area. Our guide Nicholas in Crete was also great, spending the day with us leading a small group tour trough tiny villages, over gravel roads (with goats as spectators) to a an olive oil/wine making farm for a tasting, and finally to a beautiful eco-friendly mountain resort for an outstanding lunch. Our last day in Greece was an unscheduled day , allowing us to stroll around the Plaka section of Athens and giving our daughter the chance to lead us out to the American College of Greece where we got to see where she had just spent the last several months studying. The crowds were not yet overwhelming, and the Greek people were very friendly and welcoming. Efharisto!

Activity Reviews

Knossos Palace Experience

Greece

The Knossos Palace tour was incredible. Our tour guide was very knowledgeable and friendly and we loved that we were each given ear pieces so that we could hear what she was saying. We went before the height of the tourist season which was great for 2 reasons: 1. we had a minimal wait to view the palace, and 2. it was not too hot yet. My only regret is that we didn't have a little bit more time to explore on our own after the tour.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Two-Day Journey to Explore Meteora from Athens (Day 1 of 2)

Greece

4 and 1/2 bus ride to and from Athens included a strategic stop at the 1/2way point for a bathroom and food break. We stopped there on the way up and the way back, and the place was prepared to serve a lot of people fast with a cafeteria style food line. Breaking up the bus ride into 2 days with a night stay in Meteora was the right choice (many people on the bus ride back had taken the bus up earlier the same day).

Savor the Heights: Milia Mountain Retreat with Wine & Olive Oil Tastings

Chania

We loved this experience. Our young guide Nicholas was great, sharing stories of his family and Greek traditions, his trip to New York City, and willingly answering all of our questions. The Range Rover drive over gravel roads was awesome, the visit to the olive oil and wine making farm was delicious and enjoyable, and the lunch at the Milia Mountain Retreat was outstanding!

Quality of Experience

Food

The locally grown/sourced ingredients made for an absolutely incredible lunch. Not a morsal of the family style meal remained uneaten by our small group of 6!

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Two-Day Journey to Meteora from Athens: Hermit Caves Hike (Day 2 of 2)

Meteora

Chris who lead us on a hike up to the Varlaam Monastery in Meteora was fantastic, stopping frequently to engage with the group and share with us his love of hiking and rock climbing the Meteora area. The Varlaam Monastery was beautiful, the views from the terrace were breathtaking, and the museum was informative and small enough to be able to enjoy in the 1 hour we were allotted.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Driver dropped us off right in the center of Kalabaka after the tour right next to a fantastic lunch spot.

Two-Day Journey to Explore Meteora from Athens (Day 2 of 2)

Greece

4 and 1/2 bus ride to and from Athens included a strategic stop at the 1/2way point for a bathroom and food break. We stopped there on the way up and the way back, and the place was prepared to serve a lot of people fast with a cafeteria style food line. Breaking up the bus ride into 2 days with a night stay in Meteora was the right choice (many people on the bus ride back had taken the bus up earlier the same day).

Two-Day Journey to Meteora from Athens: Meteora Best Sunset Views Tour (Day 1 of 2)

Meteora

This tour was a bit rushed in the beginning as there were a lot of people to pick up, which was done using 2 vans that were consolidated into one. We got to the Rousanou (St Barbara) Monastery shortly before they closed and it was a small monastery, making it hard to move around with the crowd. The tour was more relaxed after the first stop, and we were fortunate that the clouds that were with us most of the day cleared enough in time for us to see the sunset from the Meteora rocks.

Private Day Trip to Corinth & Nafplio

Athens

Our guide Yannis was friendly, enthusiastic and gracious. Our first tour stop was at the Corinth Canal, which was narrow and steep and definitely worth a stop, even in the rain. We opted not to go into the Temple of Apollo, our second stop, and consequently squandered a bit of time that we wish we had to explore at our next stop, the Acrocorinth. We found the Acrocorinth interesting and it was worthy of its own guided tour. It was unfortunate that Yannis, a former taxi driver turned tour guide, was not a certified tour guide (apparently requiring a college degree in Greece) and consequently he said he was allowed to accompany us into any of the historical sites.

Private Sounio & Temple of Poseidon Day Trip

Athens

Our guide Yannis was friendly, enthusiastic and gracious.

The guides in all the locations were very knowledgeable (Bologna, Verona and Modena). The sites I visited were very interesting. The logistics were well planned and the interaction with Giorgia was very good during the planning process. The hotels were conveniently located and reasonable for the cities visited. I had plenty of free time which is always good on a vacation. The train travel was fun with the only exception being I wish I had more ability to change trains if I got to the station earlier.

Hotel Reviews

Palazzo Segreti

MILANO

Palazzo Segreti in Milan was good and had a charming historical feel as it seemed like a renovated older building. It was well-located, although getting to the airport turned out to be pricey due to the cab fares. Nothing negative, but the Verona hotel was a bit more accessible to sites.

Hotel Porta San Mamolo

Bologna

The Hotel Porta San Mamolo in Bologna was just alright for me. While it was a decent hotel, it required a bit of a walk to get to the downtown area, which took about ten minutes. It had a bit of a dated feel compared to the other hotels on my trip.

Hotel Giulietta e Romeo

Verona

The Hotel Giulietta e Romeo in Verona was fantastic. It had excellent amenities and was very close to all the action and the beautiful old town sites. Though the train station was a bit further away, cabs were available if necessary, or it's a pleasant walk of about half an hour. This hotel definitely stood out as the best among the ones I stayed at during my trip.

Activity Reviews

Guided visit of Bologna

Italy

The guided visit of Bologna was a very enjoyable experience. It was a balanced mix of guided exploration and some free time. I'm glad I had the opportunity to join this tour.

Guided Visit of Verona

Verona

The guided visit of Verona was quite enjoyable. The city is beautiful, and the guide did a great job showing us around. It was one of the highlights of my trip.