Kimkim Trip Reviews

The trip planning process was very good, but with a little learning curve due to the more unique nature of the model. Pedro was very helpful, adaptive, and facilitative during this process... very accommodating and professional! One aspect that I had to adjust to, was the level of scheduled activities built into the initial plans, but in the end, we arrived at a good mix of planned and unplanned time. For reasons of managing kimkim's total cost (100% paid upfront for us) and maintaining our flexibility, we dialed back a considerable amount of planned activities. It seemed a bit much, and it would have been stressful to proceed as originally planned... especially traveling with a 20-year-old. But again, the final product was an appropriate level of planned (booked) activities.

We thoroughly enjoyed our hotels in Lisbon (PortoBay Marques), Lagos (BoaVista Bela Colina Village), Evora (MAR De AR Muralhas), and Porto (Hotel Dom Henrique)... tasty breakfast buffets AND separate rooms for us and our son (nice!).

We really enjoyed our planned activities and respective guides.
* The Lisbon Walking Tour was very well rounded - enjoyable and educational, and tasty at the end (wine, cheese, etc). Our guide Margarida was wonderful, and provided a true two-way experience. She even went "overtime" with us!
* The kayak tour of the grottoes around Lagos was extremely fun and beautiful (a little strenuous too :-), and our guide Bruno was a delight... engaging, thoughtful, and a character too.
* The Porto Walking Tour was good and interesting, but we all thought that our guide Bernardo was too heavy with the lecturing - it was quite one-sided, with little room for questions and engagement. Our son said it felt like he was sitting in History class.
* The Porto Bridge Climb was fun and provided beautiful vistas. Our guide Kika was a great, personable host, and allowed us to join a bit late after our delayed arrival to the starting point.

Our two drivers, around Lisbon and from Porto to Lisbon, were fantastic... very professional, flexible, and generous with their knowledge and travel tips!

We truly enjoyed soaking in Portugal... the kind people (everywhere), the pharmacist helping me out of a jam with my meds, the meals!, the wine, the architecture and history, the geology of Ponta da Piedade and Benagil, and the vibrant downtown city life... especially in Porto. Evora and its history was a nice stopping point along our trek to the North. Overall, it was a rich travel experience, and we're grateful for the opportunity.

The glue for this entire travel adventure was Pedro Luis! He is awesome... very knowledgeable, connected, forward thinking, extremely adaptable, and quite personable. He worked with us the entire way, answered important questions quickly and at all hours, anticipated issues before we knew of them, made on-the-fly changes to planned activities as we learned more about what we wanted to do, how, and when. He really got to know us, and is the ultimate in travel advocate. Thank you, Pedro!

Hotel Reviews

Hotel Dom Henrique Downtown

Porto

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

M'AR De AR Muralhas

Evora

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Boavista Golf & Spa—Bela Colina Village

Sítio da Atalaia - Lagos

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

PortoBay Marquês

Lisbon

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Private Transfer from Porto to Lisbon with Scenic Stop***

Portugal

Quality of Experience

Transport

Scaling New Heights Ascending Arrábida Bridge for a Truly Unique Adventure Experience

Porto

Fun activity, with very nice views, and a great host.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Visit: Porto

Porto

Great city, with great sites and vibrant activity. Warm and welcoming people.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Porto's Historic Odyssey on a Private Walking Tour

Porto

Interesting, with lots of history and context. But this tour was too heavy on the lecture, and it became one-sided. Needs to mix it up some with more client interaction.

Quality of Experience

Less one-way lecturing.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Visit: Évora

Évora

Interesting old town with historic sites, like the Chapel of Bones.

Quality of Experience

Explore the Enchanting Ponta da Piedade Grottoes on a Thrilling Kayaking Expedition

Portugal

Interesting and beautiful scenery among and in the grottoes of Ponta da Piedade. And it was nice to get some exercise paddling the kayak. Our guide was fantastic and funny.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Visit: Lagos

Portugal

Old town Lagos was fun and vibrant... and delicious! The beach was nice, though didn't spend much time there.

Quality of Experience

Lisbon Walking Tour + Delicious Portuguese Flavours

Lisbon

Guide Margarida was wonderful, and provided an interesting and interactive tour. She was professional and personable!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Claudia's tours of Cinque Terre and Portfolio were fantastic; she was knowledgable and flexible with our needs.

Eva was fantastic to work with on this trip. She was easily accessible and quick to fully answer any questions we had before, and during the trip. We will use kimkim again and refer the service to any of our family and friends who are travelling.

This trip was one of the most memorable trip my wife and I have had.

I want to make particular mention of Gummi, our trip planner. Not only did he understand well what we like, he organized it well. He was ALWAYS available to us. He is a great individual to work with. I would recommend him to anybody without any hesitation!

Thank you Gummi!

Hotel Reviews

Hotel Kea by Keahotels

Akureyri

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Berjaya Hotel Mývatn

Mývatn

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Lagarfell Studio

Fellabær

Location

Cleanliness & Comfort

Entire bungalow by Þórir

Djupivogur

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

We were a bit taken aback by the rustic look; but we actually enjoyed it! Great surprise

Farmhouse Lodge

Vík

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Stracta Hotel

Hella

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

The rooms are small and tight, as is the bathroom

Reykjavík Marina - Berjaya Iceland Hotels

Reykjavík

Boutique kind of hotel would great staff

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Whale Watching Tour

Iceland

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Katla Ice Cave

Iceland

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Geothermal Helicopter Tour

Iceland

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Our trip to Portugal was perfectly planned out with much attention to details. Our drivers, including Josef and Rui, were very informative and went out of their way to make our outings and long drives comfortable. We had an amazing walking tour in Lisbon with Elsa, who was very knowledgeable and managed to answer the many questions our son had. Pedro was our super star who kept in touch with us daily, updating is on our next day and all the activities planned. He answered all questions and made excellent suggestions. Obrigado!!

The guides were fantastic and were very patient with our every request.

Peter and I had a wonderful journey through the ancient sites of Greece for a fortnight in June 2023. Having flown direct from Australia to Athens we spent three nights on the beautiful island of Naxos to recover from jet lag before the tour began and this was a great idea. We were very well looked after by Kimkim from the welcome pick up at the airport and transfer to the comfortable and well-located Belle Epoque Suites. Our driver was at the hotel promptly to meet us and take us to our first destination, the Corinth canal. At the end of the tour we were sorry to say goodbye to Babis who was a terrific guide as well as driver. It was luxurious to have a private car and guide/driver for just the two of us but we felt it was value for money as we learnt so much and his inside knowledge of each site saved us a lot of time and effort.

Rebecca provided us with lots of pre-tour knowledge and responded immediately to any correspondence from us. She was willing to offer any modifications we wanted. The hotels she recommended were all excellent.

In short, I would highly recommend Kimkim if you are considering a tour of Greece. It offers flexibility and value for money.

Justine planned exactly the trip we asked for, and we had an amazing time. With hindsight I would have done a bit less and not tried to cover as much for a more relaxing trip, but that’s just us. We did catch a couple of mistakes so I would encourage people to carefully review all the materials before leaving. Out of five hotels, three were really great and two were not. We had fabulous food everywhere we went, and two guided tours that were excellent. We saw so much beauty, culture and history. Overall an amazing trip!

Hotel Reviews

Hôtel d'Orsay

Paris

Nice hotel with an amazing location right by the Musee D’orsay and the seine.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Staff were super helpful when we needed to find our taxi in the midst of bastille day celebrations. They were great - generous and welcoming.

Cleanliness & Comfort

The breakfast room was light and airy, super clean, great food.

La maison Bakea

Cordes-sur-Ciel

Not really a hotel, more of a guest house, but so gorgeous. A beautifully restored 13th century house with fabulous rooms and amazing views over the surrounding countryside. The owner showed us around, and was so helpful, kind and knowledgeable. The breakfast was amazing, on the terrace looking over the hills. Loved it!

Authenticity & Character

An incredible restored antique house with stone spiral staircase and an inner courtyard. Beautifully kept and decorated

Location

On the edge of Cordes sur Ciel village, with amazing views. Easy walking distance to the shops, galleries and restaurants.

Staff

Marie the owner is wonderful and makes each guest feel welcome

Cleanliness & Comfort

The bed was super comfortable, nice towels and products in the bathroom.

Le Donjon – Cœur de La Cité Médiévale

Carcassonne

This hotel is inside the walled city so it’s not easy to get in and out. You have to pay to park outside the walls and get driven up there. Its dark and outdated “medieval” theme could do with an update. We had to switch rooms as the first one was so dark and sad. Not touched since the 90’s. The walled garden is lovely though, and great breakfast.

Authenticity & Character

Great old building but the rooms need to be updated.

Location

If you like being inside the city it’s OK

Staff

Staff were nice

Cleanliness & Comfort

It was OK

La Baronnie

Saint-Martin-de-Ré

This is a lovely and charming place. Everything was perfect

Authenticity & Character

Lovely old building with gardens. Full of charm and character

Location

Right by the port at St Martin but on a quiet street.

Staff

Knowledgeable about the area, kind and helpful, but discreet.

Cleanliness & Comfort

The room was so pretty, clean and comfortable. Not super modern but we loved it

Hotel Duo

Paris

This is closer to Les Halles and in a bustling busy area. Room was fine. Food not great. We didn’t love it.

Authenticity & Character

Location

For us it was too busy and crowded on the street outside

Staff

Staff were kind and helpful

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Review

Walking tour of Carcassonne

France

Our guide was great. She tailored her info to interests was very flexible, answered our questions so well, and we learned so much from her about this ancient city.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Our Norway trip was fantastic. The itinerary the kimkim team helped develop allowed us to see so much of this beautiful country and have so many great experiences along the way. There was a bit of a miscue in our initial booking, which led to a rework of our original itinerary, but we appreciated how the kimkim team responded by introducing some different experiences. Our itinerary included 4 days on the Hurtigruten, moving us from Bergen up to Svolvaer; I wasn’t sure how this was going to go, but it turned out to be one of the favorites of our trip. Other favorites were Bergen, a guided tour by Martin in Trondheim, and then sea kayaking and arctic surfing in Lofoton. I say favorites, but these are better described as the best of equals because we enjoyed everything on the trip. There were six of us and everyone had a blast.

Julia was our main kimkim contact. She was terrific, both during itinerary planning and then as a very responsive resource/helper when questions or concerns came up on the trip.

This was our first experience with kimkim. We really appreciated their help in creating a wonderful trip and then their on-going help as we made our way through Norway. We will definitely use kimkim again in other adventures.

Our guide in Venice (Grace) was so good! She did a fabulous job guiding us through the Doge Palace and the Basilica! Very friendly and knowledgeable. Will ing to take time to answer all of our questions.

Hotel Reviews

Hotel Cellai

Florence

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Bonvecchiati Palace

Venice

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Lago di Garda

Malcesine

Staff was great and breakfast was wonderful! The location was ideal.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Close to sights , shops and restaurants

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Hand-made Pasta & Typical Dessert Cooking Class

Florence

This was a lot of fun! Learned a lot in a relaxed and enjoyable atmosphere. The Chef was knowledgeable and fun .

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Siena, San Gimignano, Monteriggioni, Chianti: Fully Escorted Tour with guided Siena visit and Wine Tasting

Florence

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Evening Tour Inside St Mark's & Doge's Palace

Venice

Wonderful experience! Tour guide was great!!!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Venice Gondola Ride

Venice

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Margoth and the team were fantastic. They provided us with an amazing trip. All our tour guides and drivers were excellent. Everything went smoothly and we enjoyed it all. Margoth and the team were available to us throughout to answer any questions we had and help us with bookings. Cannot recommend them enough. Thank you!

Leslie is an amazing organizer for the trip of a lifetime. She heard what we looking to get out of a trip to Mexico and tailored a beautiful itinerary to our needs. We learned so much from the tours they booked us. Everything flowed so nicely as we went to different regions from Mexico City to Puebla and then Oaxaca. Her team was also amazingly responsive on a daily basis. We couldn’t be happier!

The trip turned out almost perfect if not for the heat wave we experienced during our trip. The Traveler Care team was amazing and responded to all my requests while traveling in a very timely manner making additions and modifications to the trip to account for situations like the weather.

This is our second trip planned using KimKim and would definitely consider using them again for another trip. You definitely pay a premium but its nice to have someone plan everything for you when visiting a foreign country for the first time.

Hotel Reviews

Hotel Villa di Sorrento

Sorrento

The location of this hotel was perfect . It was within a 2 minute walking distance to the central area where all the taxis converge, and restaurants and shopping within a few minutes walking distance.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

It was a little run down. They could use a little sprucing up but then again I think it was a 3 star hotel so maybe it was on par for the price.

Palazzo Alabardieri Hotel Napoli

Naples

Love love loved this hotel. The charm of it was one of our favorite places we stayed during our trip. Great breakfast. Rooms were super comfy and spacious.

Authenticity & Character

beautiful architecture and Italy charm

Location

great distance to all kinds of shopping and restaurants

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Rooms were spacious. Breakfast area was very nice.

Yes Hotel Rome

Rome

Cute little boutique hotel situated super close to the train station and some amazing restaurants. Nice breakfast in the morning with clean and comfortable rooms.

Authenticity & Character

Location

2 minute walk to the train station

Staff

Great restaurant recommendations.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Clean rooms and comfy beds.

Activity Reviews

Naples Street Food Tour

Naples

This was the one tour we could have done without. While the Naples food scene is interesting and different from other parts of Rome we felt like we walked for miles with no real destination in mind. 3 hours is WAY too long. And after the first few tastings you're so full you can't really eat anything more.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Amalfi Coast Boat Tour From Sorrento

Sorrento

It was a great experience. Long day on a boat so definitely take your Bonine if you tend to get boat sick. The seas get pretty rough with all the boats in the area. I loved that our stops were short (1.5 hours in Amalfi and 1.5 hours in Positano) and then we had 2 swimming stops. We really got a great tour of the entire Amalfi coast. I do wish the boat was a little more comfortable. For 12 people I felt like a few of us didn't have seats for the entire trip covered as most of us didn't want to be in the full sun for 8 hours.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Pasta & Tiramisu Making Class

Rome

Loved this class! The food was amazing. The instructors were terrific. I loved the experience of it all. The restaurant was very nice and cool (which was important with the heat wave we were experiencing). It was a bit far from our hotel but once we got there we loved the experience.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Private Pompeii Tour & Mount Vesuvius visit with lunch and wine tasting

Pompeii

This was one of our favorite tours however we did have to scrap the Mt Vesuvius hike as the temperatures were in the triple digits. I would say just do a longer Private Pompeii tour and skip the Mt Vesuvius hike or the lunch/wine tasting.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Loved her stories and the things she showed us in Pompeii

Transport

Pizza Cooking Class in Napoli

Naples

Fun class and great tasting pizza but the restaurant didn't have AC and it was around lunchtime. Having to stand and cook near a hot pizza oven in a restaurant with no AC was brutal.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Colosseum & Roman Forum Tour

Rome

Great tour, great stories but it was just hot hot hot!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

tour guide knew his stuff and made it very interesting.

Transport

Local transfer in Rome

Rome

iCareLimo services were amazing. We used them almost daily throughout our trip. They were always on time, communicated with me timely and at my disposal. The car was always nice and cool which was appreciated during the heat wave. Sometimes cold water was provided. I would say that should be a must for every time we used the service just as a suggestion.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Vatican Guided Tour

Rome

Our guide was very knowledgeable. It was a great tour however if I were to do it all over again I would try to find a shorter tour. 3 hours in the Vatican area is a lot. The amount of people being hoarded through is crazy. After a few hours its just a lot.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Comfy, on time

We had an excellent time. All of the accommodation staff were super friendly. Everything was well organized. Rama was our guide and driver for many places and he was excellent. We were sad to depart his excellent service and care. We are excited to return and make another trip.

Fabio helped us plan a 10 day trip to Italy in the middle of July for my family of 5. Kids ages 20, 18 & 14.
Every flight pick up, train transportation, driver to/from worked out. No one cancelled or late in arriving and all super friendly and helpful. We stayed in four different hotels along our trip and all hotels had exceptional service and per our kids, the best breakfast options. 😊
We jammed in so many nice excursions from the walking tour in Venice with our guide, Roberta, who showed us local piazzas, streets that were empty of tourists, inside the Basilica of San Marco and where to get the best gelato! She was great.
We had exceptional drivers, Stefano and Marcelo, and very happy we chose not to drive ourselves. We were able to sit back and really enjoy the scenery during our drive to/from Tuscany for some wine tasting and visiting Sienna and San Gimignano.
The other long drive to Amalfi Coast had crazy curvy streets with narrow, two way traffic and driving that ourselves would have been horrible!! I highly recommend no one tackle that drive. Our driver, Marcelo, handled it with a breeze and we relaxed during that drive (we all took dramamine to be safe!) The views are truly spectacular and have great pictures from it.
Despite the crazy heat, we tried to make the best of it and the only excursion I could have done without was visiting the Sistine Chapel. It was super super crowded and hot inside which makes for a bad combo. Our entrance time was at 4p mid-week and it was crazy. We thought we could easily go under the ropes to work our way out but security didn’t like that and it almost caused us a fine. We explained how my daughter & I felt sick and had to exit and they let us go. Asking security for permission to exit is the better way to handle.
Lastly, our all day boat excursion in Sorrento to see the coast from the water and visit Island of Capri. We had captain David and co-captain Charlotte.
Waves were high and at first not sure we were able to even go boating but captain suggested a slightly larger boat would help ease the feeling (mind you my daughter and I both have weak stomachs 🤢) and it all worked out. At no extra cost to us, we were upgraded to 40’ boat and it was all ours for the day. We packed a lunch and had paninis and swam at our leisure. The stop to Capri was about 3hours and long enough to really explore and visit the Garden of Augusto at the top of the island via a lift. Kids really enjoyed that.
Overall, there are not enough words to explain the exceptional level of service we received from Fabio and KimKim. Sure it comes at a premium but all worth it to have a great planned out vacation that our family will remember for years.
Our hearts are full of wonderful memories of Italy, so thank you!

We had a few logistical errors but kimkim bent over backwards to make up for any problems. Our trip was incredible and I appreciate the help from the travel experts. Would highly recommend.

Hotel Review

Å Rorbuer

Sørvågen

We actually stayed at Å Hamna Rorbuer and it was incredible!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Summer Kayaking Excursion

Reine

A can't miss! Loved it.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Private Lofoten Floating Sauna Experience

Svolvær

This was incredible! Loved loved loved it.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

We couldn't have been happier with the itinerary that Gary prepared for us. As someone who had never been to Australia before, he successfully translated our requests and lack of knowledge into a schedule that was easy to follow--and thoroughly enjoyable. The places he recommended and organized for our trip were mind-blowingly spectacular. The Great Barrier Reef, Kakadu, Litchfield, Alice Springs, Kings Canyon, and Uluru---our only complaint was that we didn't have enough time at any of these locations! Even more impressive is that he was able to pull together an itinerary with not much time to spare. We connected with him only 8 weeks before our trip (during peak travel season), so we were quite impressed that he managed to pack as much into our two week trip as he did. Thank you!

Activity Reviews

Sounds of Silence Dinner

Australia

Yet another event that I found tremendously moving. For a large group event (two buses worth of people), they did a fantastic job of making it feel special and more intimate. The setting is spectacular, the food was delicious, the didgeridoo player was phenomenal, and the star gazing was out of this world. And the time of silence was sublime. As a city dweller, I think that might be the first time I've ever seen the Milky Way! My suggestions for improvements are minor: I would have liked the star storytelling to be twice as long (at least). I so enjoyed it, but it seemed much too brief. A side note: the laser pointer he used was awesome! And they did something odd with the food service: we happened to be the first table that got served. (They ask each table to go up to the buffet line separately.) But then they reverse it for the desert, so we were the last to go up for desert. Thus we had a huge gap in our meal, and then only had 5 minutes to eat the desert before we had to depart. Not sure why the swap--it doesn't really make sense for the meal flow. And they need to provide a bit more time between when the last desert is served and the guests are asked to leave.

Uluru Sunrise & Kata Tjuta

Uluru

For a large bus tour, it was pretty well organized. Clearly the tour operators have a clear system for their trips. It was a bit wild, how many people were lining up before dawn for multiple bus tours. We had an awesome guide, Glennon--very high energy, and very knowledgeable. I very much appreciated that he gave us commentary while we drove to the sites. I think we might have gotten off to a late start, however--there really wasn't enough time to do the breakfast, see Uluru, then get back on the bus. I think all of that had to occur within a 1/2 hour, which meant that we had to leave Uluru just 10 minutes after the sun rose. The walk in Kata Tjuta was amazing. I've never seen that type of unconsolidated amalgamation of rock before. I very much enjoyed the experience of being in that place, and I appreciated that Glennon had us all gather at the end and engage in a minute of silence so that we could fully be present in this space. The only critique--and I know this is so common with large groups--is that he stopped several times to make a presentation, but didn't wait for the entire group to catch up, so only a small percentage of the overall group got to hear it.

Yellow Water Cruise - Sunrise

Australia

This cruise was amazing! It shows what difference a good guide can make on a trip like this. Our guide was extremely knowledgeable, entertaining, and open to questions and discussions. If we had had the time, I would have booked the afternoon cruise with him. I felt like I learned so much about the area, and the plants and animals that inhabit it. And he was so good at spotting things!

Darwin City Sights

Darwin

This tour was probably the least favorite of the activities we did on this trip (of course, it's competing with some heavy hitters!). That being said, this overview of Darwin was pretty disjointed, and didn't give us much information about Darwin at all. Basically, it was a bus ride pointing out various buildings (and even that not done clearly), then trips to several locations. To be fair, the guide was also the driver (I don't know if this is normal), and she mentioned she hadn't done this tour in quite a while. Since I don't have much interest in aviation history, that museum wasn't a highlight for me, but I definitely enjoyed the trip to the Botanic Garden and the Museum and Art Gallery.

Classic Kuranda Tour

Australia

Another amazing experience. Thoroughly enjoyed visiting this area, and getting to see the tropical rainforest and learn a bit more about the original inhabitants, plants, and animals. The cable car up and train down were a fun way to get to the town. And I was thrilled the buffet lunch had food choices there was both healthy and tasty. My major critique is that the entire day was so tightly programmed, it did feel a bit rushed. I understand that this can be an occupational hazard of having a tight schedule, but in our case, we were dropped off at the cable car entrance and had to wait for an extended time (maybe 45 minutes?) for our guide to show up with our tickets. It wasn't exactly clear what was going on at the time. If it could be arranged, it would have been a better use of that time for us to have our tickets when we arrived at the cable car entrance, so we could have just immediately gone up. Even better, I'd recommend that the train be used to go up, and the cable car to go down. That would provide a bit more flexibility in heading back down, rather than having to be at a precise location at a precise time in order to leave.

Transport

As I mentioned above, there was a lot of waiting around on this trip. Also, it was very confusing finding our transport van at the end of the train trip. We were not picked up where all the other buses where loading, but had to walk over to a separate area. If someone had not directed to this location, I don't think we would have found it on our own.

Day trip to the Great Barrier Reef

Australia

Seeing the GBR was an amazing experience, and I'm glad I had the opportunity to do so. The crew was high energy the entire time, and made the journey there and back a pleasant one. What I was expecting, but didn't get, was any information about the GBR. I had assumed there'd be some type of presentation about the plants and animals we'd be seeing during our 2 hour journey there, and how to maximize our snorkeling/diving experience. Even better would have been a discussion about the issues that the GBR is facing as the oceans warm. All we got was a disjointed, generalized slideshow AFTER we had done the snorkeling. In addition, I was given a wetsuit that was too large (never having worn a wetsuit before, I had no idea). Thus, for me, the snorkeling was uncomfortably cold, and I ended up with non-stop shivering even after back on the boat. Thankfully, a crew member noticed on the second round of snorkeling, so that dive was much more enjoyable. Lastly, I wasn't blown over by the food provided. Since I stayed out snorkeling until called in for lunch, most of the food was already gone, since others had come in early. What I had was fine, but cold (all the hot food was gone), and not particularly memorable.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Our guides in Oaxaca, Alex and Anna from Etnoturistica, were beyond amazing. This was a family trip for 3 generations - ranging from 14 to 76 years old. Thanks to our knowledgeable and engaging guides and Kimkim's itinerary, this was a true cultural immersion trip. We loved the city tour, the gastronomical feast day, the cooking class, the visit to Las Mujeres de Barro Roja, the archeological sites of Mitla and Monte Alban, the pools and hiking at Hierve de Agua... and every stop in between. The staff at Hotel Tabaa Oaxaca was gracious and professional. It became our home for the week. Thank you, Rene and Lizbeth from Kimkim, for helping us make unforgettable memories together with this incredible vacation. We are most grateful for the kindness and hospitality shown by all.

Yuri and the entire team were great. The tours they picked along with hotel choices and transfers were bang on. I list them decide everything for me and appreciated every moment.
Will book with Kimkim again.

Hotel Reviews

Hotel & Spa Plaza Mercado

Valencia

Loves this place. The staff were great and location is absolutely perfect. Just outside of the Valencia market.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Palacio Garvey

Jerez de la Frontera

Nice location however tight outside of a patio bar so was quite pour the first evening.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

H10 Casa de la Plata

Sevilla

Great hotel, superb location and would book again.

Authenticity & Character

Modern feel in an old location.

Location

Easy to get to and fairly central.

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Regina

Barcelona

Decent location, good staff. The pricing of things as it’s in Barcelona is quite higher that other areas of Spain.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Food Market, Tasting & Local Culture

Jerez de la Frontera

My guide made this amazing. She really knew a lot and was born and raised in Jerez

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Private Visit to Seville’s Cathedral & Alcázar

Seville

Beautiful cathedral. Something that is a must see in life.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Private Flamenco, City & Tapas Experience

Seville

This was something that so really didn’t know what so was going before I went. It was so emotional I literally held back tears. The small venue and use of genuine locals were perfect.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Pop

Gary put together an amazing trip for us with very little notice and during Australian school holidays, which I am sure made the puzzle of finding flights and hotel rooms to all the places we went even more challenging. He was incredibly patient with all our questions and steered us to some fantastic places that it turns out many Australians never get too. This I discovered during my week work at the end of the trip in talking to Australian colleagues. He was incredibly responsive as well during the trip to questions we had as we moved through our trip. A heartfelt thank you for an incredible trip!
Laura

Activity Review

Darwin City Sights

Darwin

This city tour was a bit of disappointment. We were expecting that we'd learn something about the history of Darwin etc. Essentially the driver (there was no separate guide on board) pointed out buildings and told us what they were.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport