Kimkim Trip Reviews

We have spent very nice and rather intensive holidays in Yasuni Natonal Park (by plane and boat), Quito-Mindo-Otovalu-Cotacachi (by car), Galapagos - San Cristobal-Santa Cruz-Isabela (by boat staying/sleeping on 3 islands)
Our experience was very good and I will recommend this type of trip to Ecuador to all people who are limited on time and have no time to plan/manage everything personally. It is possible that you can do it cheaper but you need to have a lot on information and do it long time in advance. I’m no longer a backpacker and wanted to see as much Ecuador as possible during given time. I decided to give this planning to the KimKim company. I think it was good idea.

There are two topic which I want to share however.
In hotel in Mindo someone has stolen a mobile phone of my wife. It was very unpleasant as she had already her pictures/movies from Amazon forest and obviously other important info there. It was family owned small and very nice hotel. The reception area was very small – we noticed that some local people are walking across without any control. The area was not monitored – no cameras. We realized that phone is lost and reported the fact to the owner. But he was of opinion that he can only ask some other guests. It was very disappointing. We left the hotel as there was already next activity planned but my wife was not in good mood… Fortunately and surprisingly after 1-2 hrs our guide (Ximena) got info that smartphone has been found… I do not how the owner has managed it but finally we got the phone back. Apparently someone was already unlocking the phone because date and some other settings were changed. My advice – keep all you important stuff with you, never leave it unattended and ask if there are cameras in the hotels. This is however another argument to travel through agency because owner of the hotel has been contacted by agency representative and this was probably most important.

Second comment is on guides. In general our experience with them was very good. Usually we had a local guides who ware looking after logistics and giving some practical information, sometimes travelling with us. Other guides were in the national parks - the certified professionals. Local guides however were sometimes also very talkative and helpful – sharing a lot of information with us (we send our best regards to Ximena in Quito and Stephany in San Cristobal). I have to mention however that on Santa Cruz Island we met a very nice person but she was not really speaking English. So the guide was only ordering taxi and informing us about time of departure and arrival. This was in contrast to all other locations. I recommend to address it. We were asking some questions about possible activities and places to visit on Island but there was no info - it was embarrassing for both sides (I guess).
I think KimKim/Responsibletravel knew that we do not understand Spanish.

Overall experience was fantastic and we regret that we did not have more time to explore more places.
I travelled with my wife and 13 years old son.

Activity Review

Kicker Rock: A Snorkeling Adventure

Isla San Cristóbal

this was definitely one of the best snorkeling points. Regret there was no time to organize scuba diving. We have seen white tip sharks, many turtles and hammerhead shark - which is not that often showing up. I advise to consider diving and during all snorkeling wear a swimming cloths (against sun)

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Our trip to India was amazing. A once in a lifetime experience. We visited Agra, Jaipur, and Delhi over 8 days. Our driver, Prakash, was excellent. I don't know how he managed to dodge all the autorickshaws, motorcycles, pedestrians, and assorted animals without a scratch on the car! We loved the Taj Mahal, the stepwells, and the Amber Fort. Shopping in Jaipur was outstanding - we probably spent too much! The hotels were all excellent. Thank you Ravi and team for putting this together!

One opportunity for improvement - we would like to have had the expectation to tip the driver and tour guides explained ahead of time. As it was, we didn't tip the Agra guide and we used up all our rupees at the end to tip the driver.

The staff was professional, responsive, flexible, and smart. We could not have been better guided. This organization has a strong infrastructure. I recommend it for anyone looking for good, thoughtful guidance on a trip to Mexico.

Portugal-- what an amazing country. The people, the food, the culture and the beauty. We both felt like home in Portugal and loved our whole experience. Our local specialist Joao checked in daily and had us in the most beautiful hotels, with wonderful transportation and drivers who were very engaging and knowledgeable. He was available for any last minute changes and had great recommendations. From start to end it was a wonderful holiday and we look forward to visiting again with our children some day. Thank you.

We had a wonderful journey through Norway in July of 2023. We used the itinerary provided by Lisa as a foundation for our trip. She provided wonderful accommodations, recommendations and customer service!

All drivers were courteous and prompt and some were most entertaining. We trusted them to get us safely to our destinations. Your staff made speedy contact as necessary but really everything went without a hitch. Vivenda Miranda was heavenly. The tours of Porto were memorable as were the areas around our hotel.
We touched 13 countries in almost three months of travel. Our favourite is Portugal! Please thank Racquel and her support team.
Wendy McTavish

We were v happy with the service provided by KimKim and found Tom to be courteous and responsive. Love that everything you need (trip plan, hotels, chat records) is organised and can be found in your trip portal.

I unfortunately fractured my wrist the week prior and Tom went the extra mile in terms of rearranging some activities and also personally contacted me to assist when we had some issues with our rental vehicle.

My advice would be to do some initial research yourself so you can give your agent a detailed overview of what you want to see and do during your trip. Then let them come up with an itinerary for you.

We had the most amazing trip and hike of the Tour Du Mont Blanc. Everything was expertly planned by Stephen Molloy. We started planning this trip of a lifetime almost a year before. We knew we needed experts to help us plan our hike, book our refuges and help us to transfer our bags. We were in touch with several organizations and realized quickly, Kimkim and Stephen were the right fit to help us plan and execute the perfect vacation. Stephen was most responsive and attentive and helped us with all the details of an over seas trip. He also planned the perfect day in Chamonix for us at the start of our hike and the perfect day in Annecy at the end of our hike. All of our accommodations were great. We highly recommend using Kimkim and we are already planning our vacation for next year and will definitely use Kimkim and Stephen Molloy at High Point Holidays to make it happen.

Hotel Review

Boutik Hotel 3*

Annecy

Excellent accommodations! Clean and vintage fun decor. Friendly staff too. Loved our stay!

Authenticity & Character

Cool vintage decor!

Location

Close to everything

Staff

So friendly and helpful!

Cleanliness & Comfort

Super clean and comfortable!

Activity Review

Day 4: Hike from the Chapieux to Val Veny

France

Wow is all we can say!

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Liz Neal booked our family a wonderful trip to Tahiti, Moorea, and Bora Bora. From airport transfers to a ferry ride, ground transportation, a dolphin experience, and two Motu boat tours, everything was on time and exactly as planned. Our flight was nearly disrupted by an airline strike a few days before our trip, and Liz kept in touch with us the entire time, checking in and making sure our backup plans were in place. She took care to message me during the trip as well and make some wonderful suggestions! This was our second time booking a trip with Liz, and once again, it was smooth sailing and an excellent vacation. Bora Bora is like no place we've ever seen before -- a truly unforgettable trip!

Activity Reviews

Shark & Ray Lagoon Safari and Motu TAPU - Full Day

Bora Bora

Our tour guide, Vatea, was amazing. He was so friendly, knowledgable, and had a great singing voice alongside his ukelele! The food was quite good and the lunch on the Motu had a nice setup with picnic tables in the water and fish swimming right by your feet as you ate. Snorkeling at the designated coral garden was incredible. And an unexpected bonus, Vatea stopped by the channel to the ocean and we saw many dolphins swimming nearby.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Outrigger Miti Lagoon Tour - Full Day

Moorea

We weren't quite prepared to have this boat tour on a day of pouring rain and wind. We were cold and uncomfortable for the day, but our guide was pretty entertaining.

Quality of Experience

Perhaps a cancellation/backup plan for inclement weather.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Dolphin Watching & Encounter - Educational Manea Program

Moorea

The dolphin expert at the Center was really knowledgable and made it a fun experience. It was incredible to observe the dolphins in the water firsthand.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Welcome to Moorea !

Moorea

If we could do it over again, we would stay at the Hilton Moorea over the Manava Resort. Manava was nice, but our room air conditioning was not great and had a musty smell. However, the dinners and amenities (paddleboarding, kayaking, snorkeling) were nice. Our outrigger boat tour landed on a day that was rainy and windy, so it wasn't super pleasant, but it was just bad luck with the weather. However, the dolphin excursion at Moorea Dolphin Center was amazing.

Quality of Experience

Would rather have stayed at another hotel besides Manava

Guides, Drivers and Staff

The dolphin expert at Moorea Dolphin Center was really knowledgable and great.

Transport

Ferry ride to Moorea was pleasant, and we had very easy and seamless air transport from Moorea to Bora Bora.

WELCOME TO TAHITI!

French Polynesia

Intercontinental Hotel was great. We enjoyed snorkeling in their lagoon area and loved their restaurant service, which included a traditional Polynesian dance show one breakfast.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

We were greeted at the airport and given all our travel info, with quick transport to our hotel.

We will start by saying what a wonderful trip we had to Sweden and Norway last month. Julia and Fenne were our connections in these countries and did such an amazing job helping to plan our daily activities, travel, restaurants and so much more. It was a big trip in the making and they were there at every step with answers and suggestions to our questions sometimes on a daily basis. We would certainly recommend KimKim to anyone for any type of travel and will definitely use them again in the future. We had full confidence that our trip would go off without a hitch and it did!!

Thanks again to the KimKim team and especially Julia and Fenne..we will remember our trip for many years to come!!

Hotel Reviews

Bank Hotel

Stockhol

Another spectacular hotel with a great location in the heart of Stockholm

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Opus XVI

Bergen

Authenticity & Character

Location

Very walkable location to many attractions in a beautiful city in Norway

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Review

Private tour to Royal Palace & Drottningholm Palace

Stockholm

This was a wonderful tour with a private driver and tour guide. Well worth the time and money. Tobias was our guide who so passionately spoke about his love for his country and people and this was it evident throughout our tour.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Mathilde and her team at KimKim were instrumental in creating a wonderful relaxed road trip in France for our family. We are time-poor professionals with little room for research into the lead-up of our holiday. Mathilde and the team in France created an itinerary which included our must-see sites in Normandy, Loire and Bordeaux; and plenty more we had not thought of. She was thorough and the attention to detail was superb. Her accommodation choices pleasantly surprised us at every location. We could not have possibly have chosen better ourselves. Travelling with a toddler was factored in. Mathilde liaised with the hotel and found us a babysitter in Bordeaux. The itinerary was not rushed but still allowed us to make the most of our 2-week stay. We highly recommend KimKim to any busy professionals and families, or simply anyone who desires a stress-free and incredible holiday.

We had a wonderful trip to Tanzania and a large part of it is thanks to KimKim. We were matched up with local specialists which changed a couple of times. We ended up with Salty Travel. Nadia and Lucy were great to work with. They answered all of our questions patiently and were prompt in their responses. Also, they communicated our requests clearly and seamlessly to their on-ground team and partners.

The trip itself was amazing. We were a group of ten which included kids and we covered Tarangire, Central and North Serengeti, Ngorongoro crater area and a day at Moshi. Magi and Penda are excellent guides who have spent a lot of time doing safaris. They were patient with our questions and responsive to our needs. They were happy to provide suggestions about game drives and willing to work with us to modify plans as needed. Their knowledge of the area and animals were very valuable to us. They were able to get us to the right spots at the right time. We trusted them to take us where the animals were and we got to see the Big 5 and more! Our highlights of the trip included seeing a standoff between a herd of buffaloes and lions, watching a pride of lions eat their kill, seeing a couple of cheetahs eat a gazelle, and being in place to see the first crossing of wildebeests across the Mara river.

One minor area for improvement would be the vehicles. One of our vehicles had the misfortune of getting four flat tires over the course of our safari. Also, having working AC during the long days of travel would have been nice.

Overall, I will highly recommend KimKim, Salty Travel and our guides to anyone who is considering a trip to Tanzania.

I am impressed by how many people worked in a flawless coordination to make my short post-conference trip exceptionally memorable and enjoyable. People clearly put their hearts into their work. From the first phone contact to the last taxi drop off at the airport, I felt the attention and the sincere wish to share the beauty of the country. I won’t name any names though, because many deserve to be named and I am guaranteed to misspell at least one name ;)

Hotel Review

Sheraton Salta

Salta

A great place to relax after the trip. Very early breakfast is exceptionally convenient for the early pick up times

Authenticity & Character

Fresh flowers on the tables in the dining area, hanging decorations in the local style in the corridor

Location

Walking distance to the center. An interesting small museum of anthropology nearby (free entry)

Staff

Very helpful, anticipating your questions

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Half Day Salta City Tour

Salta

Salta has a soul. My guide helped me feel it. And he told me stories about the fight for the independence and the birth of the Gaucho identity. The trip to the nearby village with a lush forest was also very enjoyable.

Quality of Experience

Comparing the interior of two main churches. Watching a religious procession

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

The guide whistled to the birds and they whistled back! I wonder what is it they talked to each other about 😄😄😄. Honestly, he is just an awesome guy to be around. Great sense of humor.

Full Day Cafayate

Salta

The landscape is very scenic and keeps changing. The area has a rich history worth learning.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Juan was very thoughtful and made great suggestions about what to see in the area. He is also a good listener so we ended up swapping quite a few stories while on the road

Transport

Full-Day Salinas Grandes through Purmamarca

Salta

This was pure magic. I have had my share of travels and seen many places. This place is like no other place. If you can stop and listen, that is...

Quality of Experience

It's a great combination of nature and local culture

Guides, Drivers and Staff

The guide suggested an earlier start, which was amazing because I got to see the stars of the south (he even stopped the car so that I could enjoy the moment on the dark road), I watched the sunrise in the mountains, got the best light for the photographs and we were there before the crowds flooded the place. Besides, Javier is an incredible person. His mountaineering and other life experiences and his life views make him a very interesting person to talk to.

Transport

Full-Day Tour in Areco & Estancia

Buenos Aires

Visiting craftsmen and craftswomen in Areco was very interesting. I did most of my gift shopping there - much more authentic than in Buenos Aires. You can use a credit card if you prefer not to carry too much cash with you. The best part of the visit to the Estancia was the horse ride. It's such a relaxing outdoors activity. I wish I had an option of a longer ride. The music and the performance were great as well. Seeing a family with a kid and his friend made it even better. It was a real thing, not a theater

Quality of Experience

Horse riding

Food

Huge portion. Can't eat that much

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Punctual but laid back. No hurry, no hassle

Transport

Tamer and Alejandra were wonderful to work with while planning our adventure in and around Quitó! They listened to all of our needs and concerns and crafted an agenda that was near perfect. Alejandra also supported all of our needs while traveling in Quito and checked to make sure all was going well.

Christian was our tour guide and was an absolute expert and very fun to be with for the week. It would be impossible for us to see as much as we did without him running the show.

We would absolutely return and use the same team on our next trip to Quitó.

Tamer at Kimkim was great to work with. Very patient with our many changes of plans. He recommended Huasquila Lodge to us. Wonderful!

Mathia was the incredibly helpful and answered all questions and addresses all concerns very quickly. Our trip with all the activities was amazing. Thank you!

Hotel Review

Grande Fjordhotel

Geiranger

The best hotel we stayed in Norway - location , staff, rooms, food - everything was perfect

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Oslo Dinner Cruise

Oslo

Explore Oslo's Hidden Gems with a Local Expert

Oslo

Exploration of Ålesund's Surrounding Islands

Ålesund

Guided Hike to Mundal Farm Village

Norway

Mostraumen Fjord Cruise from Bergen

Bergen

Bergen Walking Tour With a Local Guide

Bergen

River Kayaking

Voss

White Water Rafting

Geilo

What a pleasure it was working with Mieke and KimKim on our family trip to the Netherlands and Belgium! I have to say that planning and coordinating the trip with Mieke was actually a real pleasure. She is very knowledgeable and extremely responsive. I never had to wait for responses of excellent, creative suggestions from Mieke, at any hour.

Our trip went quite well. Mieke developed an itinerary for my three kids (22/20/17 - GGB ) that everyone enjoyed. We were in Amsterdam for 3 nights and Belgium for 4 nights. We are active and did bike rides in the countryside in Holland. We also did a bike ride around the ancient city of Bruges. To top it off, we kayaked in the countryside out of Ghent in Belgium.

United Airlines cancelled our return flight from Europe (just as they did last year - Oh, how I'd like to write a crushing review of UAL!). Anyway, we had 2 extra days in Amsterdam at the end of the trip. Mieke worked closely with me on this portion of the trip in real time while I was in Europe, despite the fact that I booked the hotel and activities myself, so she made no money from these efforts whatsoever.

Our transportation was spectacular. Our driver, Fred, was more than a driver, he became our guide and a friend. The mini-bus was a beautiful Mercedes Benz, and Fred always had cold water bottles for us. We stopped and charged the bus and got food at some cool roadside areas along the way. He always texted ahead of time with exact ETA's.

Our hotels were very nice, especially the Pillows Hotel in Ghent - OMG, it was a five-star experience. We felt like royalty. Our guides for Amsterdam and Ghent were both great and very knowledgable. We did a canal cruise in Amsterdam, which was fun, but I'd recommend a dinner or drink cruise in the evening. Also, be sure to have a rice table (reis taffel) dinner in Amsterdam, it was the best meal of the trip.

My only complaint is that it is not that easy to access KimKim on your phone remotely. I had to find an old email from Mieke in my Gmail box, and then connect to the website, and then select the trip itinerary, then finally, access a PDF of tickets etc. It was a bit of a hassle and could be better designed and more functional. But the good news, is that all your activities and tickets can be accessed from your phone with a little bit of work. So, I didn't even carry a backpack around for most of the trip, just my phone and wallet -- and that was super cool!

Three cheers for Mieke - she is truly a star and is great at what she does. You will love planning the trip with Mieke and KimKim almost as much as the trip itself.

Please add a sixth star, so that we can truly identify Mieke as one of the best travel professionals you will ever work with!

Scott D.
San Francisco, USA

Valentine did an excellent job planning our extension stay in Switzerland. We got off a Viking Cruise and Kim Kim took it from there. They listened carefully to our desires and met our expectations.

Our local specialists on this trip to Greece we absolutely invaluable. We were so impressed with every service and the level of detail, availability, and promptness. We would definitely recommend KimKim/Be a Greek to anyone traveling to Greece. We met with Effie at the airport upon landing in Athens and she gave us such a warm welcome after a long travel day. Getting to speak about with her and ask her all of our questions was very reassuring and she was generally such a delightful person to get to meet. Thank you Effie! And thank you Konstantina for your help.

We really loved every hotel chosen as well as the activities planned, especially the sailing cruises. Having transportation available to every activity was also extremely helpful. We had a wonderful trip with no issues whatsoever. Thank you, team.

Hotel Reviews

Athens Flair

Athens

The room we stayed in for one night was sufficient and the decor/location beautiful, but I think it would have been trickier for a longer stay. The shower was not separate from the main room so I would not recommend for people who are not a couple. The staff were helpful and kind, but the ambiance was a bit strange, it felt like we were the only ones staying there and the clientele were a bit cold. The breakfast we had on the terrace was lovely!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

The George Hotel

Mykonos

Heliotopos Hotel

Santorini

This was a lovely stay and a great location. We loved being away from the more tourist areas of Oia and Fira town. The employees were lovely and helpful and the breakfasts on our porch were incomparable. I would recommend this hotel to any of my friends going to Santorini.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

The Acropolis & Athens Old City Private Guided Tour

Athens

Obviously this experience was not the best, as the Acropolis was closed the day we went due to heat. This is not anyone's fault but definitely was not what we were hoping for. We so appreciate our guide's efforts to get as much out of the tour anyway.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Free Day in Santorini

Santorini

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Santorini Caldera Small-group Sunset Cruise with BBQ on board and Open Bar

Santorini

This was by far our favorite day. The small boat was absolutely perfect, the sunset and ocean was beautiful, and the people were amazing. Also, the food cooked on the boat was some of the best we had the entire trip!!

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Concierge-Class Small-group Sailing Cruise to Delos & Rhenia islands

Mykonos

This was also a highlight of our trip. The archeological site on Delos was incredible and our stop at Rhenia was made very special by our new friends aboard the boat, and the staff of the boat. They went above and beyond when they found out it was my birthday, and we had so much fun.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Private Santorini Cultural Highlights Guided Tour with Wine Tasting

Santorini

We loved our trip and it was a once in a lifetime experience! However, I wish that communication would have been better before booking. We had to rush and choose new hotels after we paid our deposit because the ones we thought we were getting got booked. That was a damper on our experience.

The secondary hotels did not meet our expectations 100%. The hotel in Athens was amazing and all of the hotels had great customer service.

We enjoyed our excursions but some of the ground transportation was not properly setup.

Hotel Reviews

Impressiveone

Nice rooms, restaurant, and customer service. Poor location. It's on a busy road with no sidewalks. You should rent transportation if you stay here.

Authenticity & Character

Location

If your room is near the street you will hear cars all night. You will also hear this if you're lounging by the pool.

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Adonis Hotel

Mykonos

Excellent service and great location. The bathroom needs some renovations as it was very dated.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

xenodocheio Milos

Athens

Great hotel with wonderful customer service. I would stay here again.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Very walkable area.

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Santorini cooking classes Miss Anna

Santorini

This is a must do. Miss Anna was amazing and she made us feel right at home. I would do her class again if I went back.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Again no transportation was setup by Dimitris we had to get there on our own.

Cruise to Mykonos South Beaches (5 hours)

Mykonos

This was such a relaxing excursion. We truly enjoyed it. The staff on the boat were wonderful and the lunch the chef cooked was excellent.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Our ground transportation was not setup beforehand by Dimitris. We were told to walk 30 minutes to get there. He did setup the vehicle after we brought it up the day before.