Kimkim Trip Reviews

We had wonderful time in Japan. This was our first trip to Japan, so we wanted to see main attractions with some focus on 'hidden' Japanese treasures. Fei really did great job in organizing everything to tinny detail. Fei was also supportive during our trip, responding to some of the questions or small additional requests quickly. Communication via KimKim platform and response from local agency was good.
We had few days organized with local guide &driver while for few days we joined smaller group. We had also enough time to do some things by ourselves.
Highlights:
- Katana Sword Making in Kyoto
- Half Day Sagano Bamboo Grove & Arashiyama Walking Tour (Join-in)
- Osaka Highlights Bike Tour
- Full Day Mt.Fuji and Lake Kawaguchi Tour - it is a bit longer drive from Tokyo. We were unlucky that road to 5th station on Mt. Fuji was closed and traffic to the place was challenging so we spend a lot of time in car that day.

Few things that could be improved:
- few of our guides were actually more help to go around the place, rather than being really guide explaining things around the place we were visiting. We felt they didn't have much of the local knowledge, which was something we were expecting. They were mostly students living in Japan for several years. The guide that we had in Tokyo was really knowledgeable and was able to share more details.

Altogether, if you want trip without too much of worry, highly recommended. Make sure you stress out importance of having local guides.

What went well: 1) Shona did a great job planning our trip and making sure we were enjoying our itineraries every day! Our biggest highlight was being able to do all tourist special attractions in one trip across cities. 2) She added things to the itinerary, per our request (Team Labs Borderless), which we are so glad we did and a big thanks to her for organizing it! 3) Louisa (Tokyo guide) gave us some great restaurant recommendations. 4) And the location of hotel in Tokyo was AMAZING.

What could be better - 1) The tour guides we got were not very knowledgeable nor experienced. They were nice people, but it was hard to get much touristy/historical information from them about our destinations. Shu (Kyoto/Osaka guide) didn't even enter most of the places with us; he would just wait outside. We felt like we always had to ask him to explain history / significance of places we went to, as he offered very little details/stories. 2) For the amount of money we paid, we should have received much better and experienced guides. e.g., we met some other guides (via Viator) who have been doing this for more than 10 years and really knew about the history and cultural significance of places - we feel like we didn't get that at all! 3) We also felt like we walked needlessly to fill time in Kyoto / Nara - the distances were very spread out and we had to walk miles (within a single day at times) that we believe should have been a private car experience for the amount of money we paid. We were exhausted by the end of the trip given how much we had walked every single day. Plus, it was very hot in both Kyoto/Nara and Osaka. That wasn't value worth our money spent!

Overall, I think the trip was fine and Shona did a great job checking in and following up on our whereabouts and making sure we were comfortable. But, the guides (especially Shu) really made us think that we didn't get the experience we deserved!

Hotel Reviews

Osaka Excel Hotel Tokyu

Osaka

The Osaka Excel Hotel Tokyu was conveniently located near the train station, but it felt slightly distant from key attractions like the fish market, and always needed to take a cab to move around. Overall, it was a satisfactory stay

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Vischio Kyoto by GRANVIA

Kyoto

Location is good but there were no in-house restaurants or bars!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Shibuya Excel Hotel Tokyu

Tokyo

Location, location, location!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Amazing location, right in the heart of the city, next to a Metro

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Full Day Tour to Arashiyama Bamboo Grove & Sagano Scenic Railway

Kyoto

Sagano Scenic Railway was a fine day tour, but the train ride was not as spectacular as it seemed, the main attraction was supposed to be a boat ride which was canceled due to the weather conditions. Overall, it was a pleasant day.

Spot Early-Blooming Cherry Blossoms in Tokyo

Tokyo

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Her knowledge and storytelling

Transport

Toured Casablanca, Rabat, Chefchaouen, Volubulis, Fes and Meknes. There was a lot of driving on this itinerary; typically 4 hours per day. I would avoid that in the future. Our driver, Younes, was accommodating. The van was comfortable, but note that two people must ride backwards as there are two bench seats that face each other behind the front seats. This arrangement can result in some people getting motion sickness from facing backwards. The people in Morocco were very friendly. The hotel in Casablanca was very good and the staff was very friendly and accommodating: Barcelo Anfa. The breakfast at the hotel was amazing. The riads were just okay. Very nice looking, but not very well insulated from outside noises on the street and we were awoken each early morning (about 2:30 am and 5 am) by the call to prayer as it was Ramadan. Breakfasts at the riads were just okay; mostly a lot of different breads with yogurt and some fruit. Tour of Fes medina was very interesting. Other medinas were nice but very repetitive. The cooking class was very long; approximately 4 hours. The instructor was very nice, but it was too long. Would have preferred a food tour, but that was not available due to Ramadan. Tour of Volubulis was very interesting. Would have liked to spend more than 1 hour. We would not do the hammam again. We were sent in without a change of under garments or swimsuits, no one spoke English inside the hammam and it was bit awkward trying to figure out what to do and when it was finally complete.

Hotel Reviews

Riad Sayeda Alhora

Fes

The nicest riad of the trip in terms of ambiance and room size, but no closets. Street noise very noticeable at night.

Dar Meziana

Chefchaouene

Nicely appointed. Outside street noise was noticeable when trying to sleep. One of the better riad breakfasts. Easy access to the medina.

Riad Kalaa 2

Rabat

Nicely appointed. Outside street noise was noticeable when trying to sleep. Location was good relative to local attractions.

Barceló Anfa Casablanca

Casablanca

Very modern, with one of the best breakfast buffets we have ever seen. Staff was very friendly and went out of their way to make us happy.

Activity Reviews

Exploring the Imperial City and Medieval Medina of Fes

Fes

Tour guide was good. Seeing how products were made was interesting. Dealing with vendors was sometimes annoying.

Exploring the Imperial City and Medieval Medina of Fez + Food Tour

Fes

We had to do the cooking class instead of the food tour because it was Ramadan. The instructor was very nice but the class was simply too long; over 4 hours.

Hammam Visit: Traditional Body Scrub

Morocco

Better description provided ahead of the hammam as no one spoke English. Also it would have been better to have a change of clothes or a swim suit.

This was our first experience with Kikmim, following directly on their Exploring 6-days Australia tour. My husband and I are delighted to give Vicky at Kimkim an "excellent" rating on this tour. From initial contact, to booking, to superb coordination by the tour organizers, the excellent knowledge and wonderful humor of our guides, and the selection of tour sites, the trip was organized and run smoothly and with the interests and comfort of the participants always kept in mind. They are by far the best tour operator we have traveled with.

Hotel Reviews

Holiday Inn Cairns Harbourside, an IHG Hotel

Cairns North

Little bit far from the pier and downtown areas.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Vibe Hotel Sydney

Sydney

Good location.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Cleanliness & Comfort

Vibe Hotel

Melbourne

Location is very good.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Private City Kickstart Tour: Melbourne

Melbourne

Our tour was cancelled without a notice.

Great Ocean Road Scenic Tour

Melbourne

Amazing tour and fabulous experience.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Eleni and her team were incredible! Our family of 4 had a pretty last minute trip request to Italy and they delivered. We visited Bologna, Florence and Venice and would do it all again. Every detail was well planned out. The hotels were in perfect locations. The local tour guides and activities were wonderful and unique - we gained so much knowledge during these tours while having fun at the same time. We never could have planned something like this ourselves. We are so thankful for Eleni and her team for creating wonderful memories for our family.

Lorena helped us plan an amazing trip to Argentina to see penguins, a lifelong dream. Our guides Mery and Fabian were incredibly knowledgeable about the area and shared their love of the culture and natural history. We had a beautiful trip thanks to Kim Kim, thanks!

Hotel Review

Dazzler by Wyndham Puerto Madryn

Puerto Madryn

Really beautiful hotel, friendly bilingual staff and a nice rooftop rest area that was perfect for resting after our day trips. Easy walk to downtown Puerto Madryn.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Central location, great water views

Staff

Very friendly

Cleanliness & Comfort

Rooms were clean and service was really good.

Activity Review

Visit to a Penguin Colony by land - Punta Tombo

Puerto Madryn

Quality of Experience

We were able to spend a good part of the day at Punta Tombo and were not rushed

Food

We really appreciated the packed lunches for the long journey.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Mery and Fabian were so well versed in the history, culture and wildlife of Patagonia. Their clear love of their home was evident and made us appreciate the experience even more.

Transport

We had a slight communication error at the airport, but everyone jumped in and got us to our hotel with a small seat, but every day we were picked up on time and had a great relaxed experience, which is what we wanted. We had some great conversations en route to our destinations, and time seems to go quickly.

Responsive and thoughtful planning process by Florin - we were in constant communication and the details were ironed out very quickly. The local guide Mircea Maftei was one of the best we've had in all our experience with kimkim - very knowledgeable, great english, and above and beyond service.

We had a seamless trip put together in a short timeframe. Besides the amazing sites and people in India, we especially were grateful for transfer agents, guides, and drivers. They were all well versed in what we were doing, easy to commicate with, and made our trip to India very enjoyable.

Paris: The tour guide of the Gourmet trip, Sarbine Leung was affable, resourceful and professional. The fact that she was from Hong Kong was a pleasant surprise to us. We enjoyed Paris, it is full of heritage and we will go there again in the future. Next time, we would love to explore the local little shops. For the river cruise dinner, we think the atmosphere was good, the food was fair but the service (the waiters) are not polite enough.

Amboise: The tour guide Sophie was very pleasant and took good care of everyone. We love the tranquility and the peaceful ambience of Amboise. We particularly love the cottage style hotel in Amboise. The breakfast lady of the hotel made very good fried eggs which us felt at home. The restaurant recommendation was also very good.

Bordeaux: We love Bordeaux a lot, its vibrancy and sunshine (though a little drizzle) made us very joyful. The city tour guide Jessica was very friendly, resourceful and professional. She taught us a lot of Bordeaux history which was very interesting. Another tour guide, Radouane who took us to the oyster farm was also very good. We enjoyed the spectacular view and experience of La Dune du Pilat a lot, we will definitely come with other family members and friends in the future. The trip was followed by a nice seafood lunch in La Co(o)rniche which made our day.

In general, we are 90% satisfied with the arrangement of Mathilde, if we are to name some areas for improvements, it would be better if you can work with the service providers to assign the tour guide/ contact to us a night before so that we can connect with him/her via Whatsapp earlier.

Thanks again, Mathilde (KimKim). We plan to go to Italy in 2025 (probably Easter). Hope that you can help us with the planning and arrangement. This time, we hope that we can pull in one to two pairs of couples to join us so as to make the trip more joyful.

Cheers,
First-of-May

Hotel Reviews

La Maison Bord'eaux

Bordeaux

A good hotel for the stay in general

Authenticity & Character

Location

Convenient to get to the pedastrian areas

Staff

very helpful and efficient

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Le Clos d'Amboise

Amboise

We love the cottage-style of the hotel, it looks so antique and warm. The room is spacious and well equipped.

Authenticity & Character

I like the color of the decoration and the furniture too, very French to us

Location

Staff

The lady which prepared the breakfast was so nice and proactive in offering more to us

Cleanliness & Comfort

Clean and comfy

Hôtel Bastille Spéria

Paris

The location is very convenient and the breakfast was simple but good

Authenticity & Character

The choice of the yogurt was super good

Location

very central, convenient to get to most destinations

Staff

The reception provided helpful instructions

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Private Arcachon Bay: Sands, Sea & Oysters

Bordeaux

We loved everything about the day trip to Arcachon Bay and Dune Du Pyla. They are all must-go. Spectacular views of Dune du Pyla Interesting to learn how to farm oysters...

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Professional guide

Transport

Comfy ride

Historic City Walk

Bordeaux

We learned a lot about the history of Bordeaux from the guide Jessica.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Jessica was awesome

Loire Valley Châteaux & Vouvray Wine Tasting Day Trip

France

Villandry Castle is super beautiful and eye-opening. It is a must-go! Azay-le-Rideau is so elegant and magnificent, it is also a must-go! Vouvray Vineyards is also a must-go to learn about French grapes and its wine-making.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Sophie + the other colleagues of the service providers were so warm and helpful

Transport

Comfy ride

Latin Quarter Gourmet Food Walk

Paris

Love to learn and feel the everyday lives of the Parisiens. We learned a lot from the guide Sarbine and enjoyed the pastries, cheese, ham and wine of the tour.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Entrance Tickets: Sainte-Chapelle & Conciergerie

Paris

A must-go in Paris if you love history and architecture

Quality of Experience

Half-Day Tour to La Vallée Village from Paris

Paris

Most of the shops didn't offer good discounts and the items were still very expensive, however we managed to find a brand which offered nice and reasonable priced suits. We enjoyed a good meal in one of the steak houses in La Vallee Village

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Seine River Gourmet Dinner Cruise with Live Music

Paris

It was a nice experience of having dinner in a river cruise, especially you can take some pictures with Eiffel Tower (like a jewel) in the evening

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Eiffel Tower Summit Tickets

Paris

A must-go in Paris. The view is spectacular.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Hugo was confident and professional in telling us the history

Transport

The team did an amazing job helping us with a fantastic experience. We spent three nights in Monteverde and seven nights in Nosara. Monteverde and the Cloud Forest was unlike anything I have ever seen before. We spent a few days hiking, ziplining and learning how chocolate and coffee is made. I personally loved the cloud forest. My wife loved the chocolate and coffee experience. The kids favorite was the night hike and zip lining. The hotel recommendation was very unique. With nine buildings stretching from the bottom of the mountain to the top, the resort felt like it was in the rain forest. Our room was at the very top of the mountain providing us with wonderful views of the golf of Nicoya.

We initially hesitated on planning a trip to Costa Rica. With four young kids, I was concerned that we would have challenges traveling between the airport and differing locations. For those that haven't been to CR, the roads can be a challenge. Gustavo connected us with Ride CR. This took all of the stress out of our trip. I would highly recommend using Ride CR if you are planning to move around the country with smaller kids.

Jessica was wonderful. She helped us schedule all the tours and activities. I really appreciated her responsiveness and ability to accommodate late changes that were needed. I was super surprised at how easy KimKim made this. I would 100% use this group again.

Our trip to Cusco, Sacred valley , short Inca trail and Machu Picchu was amazing. The program was very well planned. The hotels included were very nice and perfectly located. We were picked up at the airport and hotels every morning always on time. Our guide for 4 days, Emilia, was perfect; full of knowledge, passion and interesting with a big smile. :-) We can recommend using kimkim for a trip to this region. Thanks!

Hotel Reviews

El Mapi by Inkaterra

Cusco

Modern luxury hotel in Macchu Picchu. Very good!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

El Albergue Ollantaytambo Boutique Hotel

Cusco

Unique hotel on the train station to Machu Picchu. Very nice garden around the buildings. Big rooms. Good breakfast!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Casa San Blas Boutique

Cusco

Very nice hotel and perfect location! Very good staff and breakfast!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Clean and comfortable, but you can hear noise from other rooms easily

Activity Reviews

Short Inca Trail Day 2: Machu Picchu Guided Tour and Return to Cusco

Peru

Machu Picchu is amazing. Our guide, Emilia was just perfect!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Good car and driver back to Cusco, but we had to wait 1/2 hour before he found us.

Short Inca Trail Day 1: Hiking to Machu Picchu via Chachabamba and Wiñay Wayna

Peru

6 hours walk with breaks in a medium demanding trail. Perfect alternative if you don't have time for or want to walk the 4 day trail. 2 impressive Inca sites on the way to Machu Picchu.

Quality of Experience

Food

The lunch box was ok, but it is good to bring some snacks in your backpack.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Lunch at Mountainview

Peru

Highly recommended. Excellent view, food, service and meet with lamas

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Sacred Valley Tour: Pisac and Maras - Lunch at MountainView Experience Lodge

Peru

Very nice and interesting! We even got a bonus trip to the salt production plant

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

The KimKim team, especially Pedro, made our trip to Portugal smooth, exciting, and fulfilling. We especially loved our walking tour guide in Porto (Bernardo - amazing) and our drivers (Miguel from Lisbon to Sintra + Porto & Pedro to the Douro Valley). Every location we saw was wonderful for its own reasons. Thank you for organizing a great trip with our group and making adjustments when we asked!

Hotels were good. Transport between different places with the van was good.
Tours guides took us from the hotel to the van and to the planned destinations. We had too many tourist guides, some of them were very unexperienced and they lacked any deep knowledge of the places that they took us to. It seems that the language was a barrier, too.
This trip was overpriced for the quality that we had.

I don't know what we would have done without Vicky! When we started, we only knew we wanted to go to Australia, and nothing much else. Right from deciding which cities to visit all the way to rebooking our flights and hotels during our trip when we had an unexpected interruption, Vicky was along with us every step of the way, patiently helping us refine our plan and promptly making all the arrangements. She gave us valuable advice on the logistics of traveling with a child - where to rent strollers, what type of cookies she might like etc. The hotels were all in great locations with access to groceries as well as tourist attractions. Each hotel has a refrigerator stocked with milk, which was such a thoughtful touch.

This is the first time we've used a travel booking company and the experience was well worth it! The process of using kimkim was really natural. There was no pressure to commit so we had time to explore whether the process would work for us. The chat-based interface is its best feature, because it made the trip planning really lightweight.

Hotel Reviews

Sails In The Desert

Yulara

There's not many accommodation options in Yulara - but Sails is the best. The morning breakfast buffet was huge and satisfying. The restaurants on site have limited vegetarian dishes, so after a few meals, it gets repetitive. However, its a 2 minute walk to the town square where there's an IGA and other conveniences.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Mantra on Kent

Sydney

The location is great - with access to a convenience store and larger grocery store within reasonable walking distance. There are many attractions nearby - Hyde Park, Queen Victoria Building, Town Hall, Darling Harbor and the main shopping districts. There are tons of swanky coffee shops nearby as well. The breakfast is basic but good. Not much variety, but there are lots of eateries within walking distance.

Authenticity & Character

Location

We stayed in two rooms - one faced darling harbor and the other faced the city with a view of the atrium of the Queen Victoria Building. So, everything is very close by.

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Vision Cairns Holiday Apartments

Cairns

We had a large balcony with a view of the bay. Very close to Muddy's Playground and Muddy's Cafe, which are both very child friendly. The boardwalk is just off the building, which leads to many restaurants and other attractions. The bedding was very comfortable and the apartment was very clean.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Sunlover Reef Cruises Cairns Great Barrier Reef Experience (departs Cairns)

Australia

This was definitely the highlight of our trip because for the first time we saw corals that were thriving! Once the catamaran docks at the pontoon, you have 4 hours to do anything - take a semi-submersible boat tour, snorkel, guided snorkeling, first time diving etc. It can get crowded at times.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Sydney Sights 4 hours - Private Tour

Sydney

We say the harbor and the opera house from multiple vantage points. Bondi beach was way better than I had imagined. The guide/driver was very knowledgeable and gave us ample time of flexibility.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Kuranda Scenic Railway and Skyrail Rainforest Cableway

Cairns

The cableway is great going in and the train is great coming back out (you can take a nap). The butterfly park was good but not really that spectacular. We skipped Reforestation.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

1 Day Uluru with Sunset BBQ - Start/End in Ayers Rock

Uluru

Food

The trip advertised "fruit and snacks". The only thing that was given was an apple. The bbq has lot of vegetarian options, but they were constantly attacked by flies which make it less appetizing.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

The guide was not a good narrator/storyteller, so I really didn't follow most of the aboriginal stories or significance of Uluru, which is a shame.

Transport

Shona was very quick to respond and accommodated our concerns. There was the nice feature of customized private tours; Shona made changes as needed. There are a few things that can be worked on to improve service:
1) Guides need prior training to be more knowledgeable about sites and the transportation system. We learned that the guides did not have a proper selection process; they only had a short interview and were asked if they knew English, and there was no formal identification of English proficiency.
2) It is suitable for travellers to experience the public transport system; however, it is more practical to use taxis if the public system takes too much time.
3) There is a need for more instantaneous communication between the office and the guides; for example, the guides did not get updated on our changed hotel.
4) I used KimKim for my Spain travel May 2023, that experience was far superior than the Japan experience.

Hotel Reviews

Hotel New Otani Osaka

Osaka

Grand Hotel, many restaurants and upscale shopping are attached. It is a great location, close to Osaka Castle and the river, and a nice walk along the river and neighbourhood. Fantastic breakfast buffet, Western and Japanese, the best breakfast buffet we had during the trip.

Authenticity & Character

Grand Hotel, many restaurants and upscale shopping are attached. It is a great location, close to Osaka Castle and the river, and a nice walk along the river and neighbourhood. Fantastic breakfast buffet, Western and Japanese, the best breakfast buffet we had during the trip.

Location

Grand Hotel, many restaurants and upscale shopping are attached. It is a great location, close to Osaka Castle and the river, and a nice walk along the river and neighbourhood. Fantastic breakfast buffet, Western and Japanese, the best breakfast buffet we had during the trip.

Staff

Service outstanding

Cleanliness & Comfort

Perfect.

The Thousand Kyoto

Kyoto

The rooms are big, clean, and comfortable. The breakfast has lots of variety.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

HOTEL MYSTAYS PREMIER Akasaka

Well located in Tokyo, many eating places around, breakfast good, rooms small but very user friendly with space-saving design, clean and adequate; 7-11 store situated downstairs for snacks etc.

Authenticity & Character

Well located in Tokyo, many eating places around, breakfast good, rooms small but very user friendly with space-saving design, clean and adequate; 7-11 store situated downstairs for snacks etc.

Location

Close to subway stations and eateries

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

One Day Miyajima Island and Hiroshima Tour

Japan

The guide was good. His English is fair; it can be better, but it is better than some. He was attentive. The main agent, Shona, responded to our request to use taxis, so the day went much more smoothly.

Quality of Experience

The guide was good. His English is fair; it can be better, but it is better than some. He was attentive. The main agent, Shona, responded to our request to use taxis, so the day went much more smoothly.

Food

The guide was good. His English is fair; it can be better, but it is better than some. He was attentive. The main agent, Shona, responded to our request to use taxis, so the day went much more smoothly. The guide took us to amazing place for oysters, best oysters I ever had.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

The guide was good. His English is fair; it can be better, but it is better than some. He was attentive. The main agent, Shona, responded to our request to use taxis, so the day went much more smoothly.

Transport

The guide was good. His English is fair; it can be better, but it is better than some. He was attentive. The main agent, Shona, responded to our request to use taxis, so the day went much more smoothly.

Full Day City Tour with Osaka Castle

Japan

The whole day exceeded my expectations. Others had biased me to think Osaka was uninteresting. The guide was very good. She had a good command of English and gave us information on interesting facts. She was attentive, problem-solving, and knowledgeable. The main agent, Shona, responded to our request to use taxis, so the day went a lot more smoothly.

Quality of Experience

The whole day exceeded my expectations. Others had biased me to think Osaka was uninteresting. The guide was very good. She had a good command of English and gave us information on interesting facts. She was attentive, problem-solving, and knowledgeable. The main agent, Shona, responded to our request to use taxis, so the day went a lot more smoothly.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

The whole day exceeded my expectations. Others had biased me to think Osaka was uninteresting. The guide was very good. She had a good command of English and gave us information on interesting facts. She was attentive, problem-solving, and knowledgeable. The main agent, Shona, responded to our request to use taxis, so the day went a lot more smoothly.

Transport

The whole day exceeded my expectations. Others had biased me to think Osaka was uninteresting. The guide was very good. She had a good command of English and gave us information on interesting facts. She was attentive, problem-solving, and knowledgeable. The main agent, Shona, responded to our request to use taxis, so the day went a lot more smoothly.

Day Trip to Nara

Nara

I liked the Buddhist temple, but the rest of Nara was not as exciting as it was portrayed. The guide was well-meaning; she studied the destination ahead of time and did her best to give us information, but her English was not good, so I found it difficult to understand. She was unfamiliar with the public transportation system and made some mistakes. It would have been far better if we had taken taxis that day. We asked her to call the office for permission, but the office did not respond.

Quality of Experience

I liked the Buddhist temple, but the rest of Nara was not as exciting as it was portrayed. The guide was well-meaning; she studied the destination ahead of time and did her best to give us information, but her English was not good, so I found it difficult to understand. She was unfamiliar with the public transportation system and made some mistakes. It would have been far better if we had taken taxis that day. We asked her to call the office for permission, but the office did not respond.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

I liked the Buddhist temple, but the rest of Nara was not as exciting as it was portrayed. The guide was well-meaning; she studied the destination ahead of time and did her best to give us information, but her English was not good, so I found it difficult to understand. She was unfamiliar with the public transportation system and made some mistakes. It would have been far better if we had taken taxis that day. We asked her to call the office for permission, but the office did not respond.

Transport

I liked the Buddhist temple, but the rest of Nara was not as exciting as it was portrayed. The guide was well-meaning; she studied the destination ahead of time and did her best to give us information, but her English was not good, so I found it difficult to understand. She was unfamiliar with the public transportation system and made some mistakes. It would have been far better if we had taken taxis that day. We asked her to call the office for permission, but the office did not respond. It ended up the day was very uncomfortable and tiring.

Full Day Tour to Arashiyama Bamboo Grove & Sagano Scenic Railway

Kyoto

The guide's English can be better. He needs to have a better knowledge of the public transport system and the structure and layout of the Aryashima bamboo grove. We needed to walk around the loop of the bamboo grove twice as the guide did not know the train station's information. The guide is well-meaning, though. He was unfamiliar with the Kyoto public transit, he took us to the wrong station etc.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

The guide's English can be better. He needs to have a better knowledge of the public transport system and the structure and layout of the Aryashima bamboo grove. We needed to walk around the loop of the bamboo grove twice as the guide did not know the train station's information. The guide is well-meaning, though. He was unfamiliar with the Kyoto public transit, he took us to the wrong station etc.

Transport

Some of the transportation should be done by taxis to save time and energy.

Full Day Kyoto City Tour with Fushimi Inari-Taisha

Kyoto

Our guide was terrific. He is passionate about his work and talks almost nonstop about the history and background of Japan. He is friendly and personable, has a wealth of knowledge, and has a good command of English. He was attentive to our needs. He is the best guide I have ever met.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Some of the transportation should be done by taxis to save on time and energy.

Full Day Mt. Fuji with Lake Kawaguchiko Cruise and Oshino Hakkai

Tokyo

The driver was excellent, and it was a smooth ride. The driver was helpful. The guide was personable and had a good command of English. The guide and driver accommodated our suggestion. The weather was foggy and rainy in the morning, so we adjusted our destinations on schedule and could see Mount Fuji in the afternoon when the sun came out.

Quality of Experience

See above

Guides, Drivers and Staff

See above

Transport

See above

Spot Early-Blooming Cherry Blossoms in Tokyo

Tokyo

Blossoms do not fully bloom with cold snaps. Not anyone's fault. The guide was enthusiastic for the first half of the tour, but then he lost steam and was off to do the tasks on his agenda. I have to take my time walking and cannot do stairs well. The guide knew this; he was accommodating the first half of the tour, yet for the last hour or two, he did not take time to look for elevators and escalators; he would walk fast and way ahead of us. We had to try to catch up. That evening, I could not get up to walk as my right leg hurt too much; fortunately, it recovered after the night's rest. One good positive attribute of the guide: his English was good, he did make a good effort the first half of the day and guided well.

Quality of Experience

See above

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Part of the transportation should be by taxis, to save time and walking.

Our nine day trip to Colombia began in Bogota. We were delighted with our guide, Oscar. He provided great information, personalized service, and helped make our tours of the city and surroundings enriching and comfortable. We especially enjoyed the historical perspective he provided and his love of cooking! Our tour to Guatavita helped us to appreciate all of the history and the beauty of the gold that was displayed in the Gold Museum.
In Medellin, Sebastian, our guide helped us understand life in this beautiful city. We especially enjoyed seeing Comuna 13 and learning about how the city of Medellin has evolved into the city it is today. Going to Guatape and climbing El Penol was a highlight. Sebastian was enthusiastic and a great ambassador for Colombia.
Cartagena is a vibrant colorful city and our guide, Anna, showed us various areas of the old city on a walking tour. We enjoyed fruit, ice cream, chocolate and rum tasting and learned much about the history of the city. Anna provided great historical insight and even helped us see a sloth in a city park! We also enjoyed a mangrove tour with a local fisherman. It was good to get a view of what life is like outside of the city.
Felipe helped us to arrange a tour that was suited to our way of travel. We covered history, art, food, culture and even managed to get out into the countryside to see life outside of the cities.

Hotel Review

Patio del Mundo

Medellín

Beautiful, peaceful and comfortable. Everything about this place provided a sense of calm. The staff was delightful and attentive. Location was great and near many nice restaurants.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Mangrove Tour with Local Fisherman (Late afternoon)

Cartagena

Very interesting and enjoyable. We loved seeing the birds and seeing how the fishermen do their work. We learned a lot about the mangroves and the ecosystem there.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Exotic Fruit Tasting Workshop and Local Ice Creams

Cartagena

The young women who provided the service at this venue were delightful! Koko and Vicky were great fun and very informative.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Depart Colombia

Colombia

It was really great to have our guides help us with airport check ins. This really made things go much more smoothly than if we had to do the check ins on our own.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

All of our guides made sure we were checked in and good to go before they left us. A nice touch!

Transport

Rum Tasting with Chocolate Pairing

Cartagena

We learned so much on this tour. We enjoyed tasting the rum and the nibbles that they provided were very good.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Guatape and El Peñol

Colombia

We enjoyed climbing El Penol and the city of Guatape. The community was lovely to visit.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Highlights of Bogotá City Tour (with Gold Museum, Local Market and Monserrate Hill)

Bogotá

We enjoyed our entire experience. It was nice to see the Gold Museum prior to going to Guatavita.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Welcome to Colombia!

Colombia

On time and efficient.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Walking Tour of Cartagena Highlights (Old City)

Colombia

We loved learning about the history of the city and it's people. Our tasting tours were informative and delicious.

Quality of Experience

Transport

The Best of Medellín City Tour Highlights (with Comuna 13)

Colombia

We really enjoyed being able to take the cable car and see Comuna 13. We also really liked the guide who was a resident of the Comuna 13 area. We enjoyed the vibrance of the community and seeing how this area is transforming.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Half-Day Coffee Farm Tour

Medellín

This was a nice sample of what coffee plantations are like on a small scale and close to Medellin. Our time didn't permit going to the coffee growing region so this was a nice compromise.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Guatavita Lake Tour

Bogotá

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

What a trip! From the very beginning Dat took into account all our requests for our trip with our 2 daughters. Communication was excellent throughout, quick responses to any questions, itinerary was updated and all information needed was clear and easy to follow. Ha took over from Dat when we arrived in Vietnam, she met us with a welcoming smile and was amazing with any questions I had, checked in with us frequently and was really helpful. The whole trip was absolutely fantastic, all ran so smoothly with pick ups, tours and accommodation, which made it so relaxed and enjoyable. Would highly recommend KimKim to anyone looking to travel. Brilliant experience!

Hotel Reviews

Thanh Kieu Beach resort

Kien Gianh

A little gem of relaxation! Had four nights here in the family bungalow. Lovely, spacious, comfortable which a view of the beach. Good quiet location right on the sandy beach. Staff were helpful and friendly. Beach restaurant food was varied and tasty. Only negative is in the evening, beach restaurant area was super quiet, no music (even just low level chilled music) and bar closes at 9pm, which was a shame as in such a lovely location and just felt it lacked a little atmosphere.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Was on a really lovely part of a long beach, palm trees, plenty of beds to use and a massage area too!

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hoi An Riverside Villas & Apartments

Loved this place. Just outside the main centre of Hoi An, lovely rooms with balcony overlooking the pool. Spacious and comfortable. Breakfast was good and varied. Nice pool that was kept clean throughout the day. Staff were lovely and friendly. Bikes were available to use, but we just caught a taxi to the centre. We were there only one day but would recommend this place to stay.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

La Pandora Boutique Cruise

Great boat that is comfortable, clean, good food and friendly staff.

Authenticity & Character

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Showers needed a bit of an upgrade.

Queen Ann Hotel Saigon

This hotel was in a good location close to the food night market. The rooms are spacious and comfortable. We were on the 11th floor and with only one lift was a bit painful. The breakfast was ok, very busy in the mornings with everyone being there at the same time due to tour pick ups which sometimes could be hard to get a table. Staff were friendly and helpful.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Dal Vostro Hotel & Spa

Hanoi

Hotel is really central in Hanoi and so easy to find. Rooms are spacious and comfortable. Breakfast was varied. Unfortunately for us the spa was closed and they were renovating the hotel when we were there, so lots of noise from that, but we were out most of the time so didn’t really bother us, but would have been helpful to have been pre-warned - their website didn’t even note anything about the renovations. I would still recommend as I think once complete is still a great hotel in the city centre.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Located right near the lake, and close to the night market too.

Staff

Super friendly staff that were really helpful.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Dark and Bright Cave - Ha Long Bay (La Pandora)

Vietnam

After getting up very early to no sunrise, we found this a little disappointing compared to the caves we saw in the Ninh Binh province.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Mekong Delta Group Tour (My Tho - Ben Tre) (updated)

Ho Chi Minh City

Fantastic day out, seeing how coconut candy is made, lovely boat trip through the Mekong and a short fun bike ride. Even got to try Snake wine…

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Ninh Binh Day Trip ( Hoa Lu - Trang An) - Join In Tour

Vietnam

Loved this trip, such a beautiful area to visit and see.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Ho Chi Minh city tour - Cu Chi tunnels - Joint in tour

Ho Chi Minh City

This was a really good day, very informative, interesting and interactive. Highly recommend to give an insight to Vietnam’s history.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Ha Long Bay - Lan Ha Bay (La Pandora)

Vietnam

Very beautiful area to visit. The boat trip was superb, enjoyed the kayaking and swimming was good fun too. Karaoke was hilarious in the evening!

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Our travel specialist, Beatriz, did a fantastic job helping us with all phases of the trip planning and organization process for our recent trip to Spain and Morocco. Everything was customized to meet our particular needs and preferences, and she was available to answer any and all questions, We also had to make unexpected flight and hotel changes to our itinerary while traveling due to illness. Bea and her colleagues responded immediately and took care of the needed modifications. We found Kim Kim’s online platform to be very user friendly, and we would most definitely consider working with them and Bea in the future.

The overall experience was great. Our KimKim specialist was very helpful, responsive, and available especially during our trip.
All the guides that we received in Japan were amazing and went above and beyond.
Just to clarify, I would categorized this trip as an adventure and not so much of a relaxing vacation so we did lots of activities and sight seeing (30K+ steps on daily basis). I had 3 children (9-14) with me so it was a bit challenging at times however the guides were incredibly helpful to minimize the pain.

Jane was incredible! Kim Kim team worked extremely hard for us as we had a unforeseen issues such as canceled flights, lost luggage, etc. They were able to reschedule much of our daily activities. Also, I left my cell phone in one of the tour guides car and we were able to get that back. We appreciate your tireless efforts to see that we still were scheduled and rescheduled where needed. Thank you for the trip of a lifetime!