Kimkim Trip Reviews

This was a nice hotel, very clean and with very friendly staff. The hotel is very close to the train station, but not knowing the layout of the "basement" coming out of the train station we decided to take a taxi. The hotel is close to shopping and restaurants, but their breakfast buffet is not the best. The staff in the restaurant does not speak English.

It was a nice hotel, but you do have to switch elevators to get to the restaurant. Their breakfast buffet is excellent and the restaurant staff is very nice.

This hotel is in a great location. Close to shopping and restaurants. The reception is on the 8th floor, the rest of the rooms are above floor 8th. The restaurant, Sizzler, is on the first floor and it offers and amazing breakfast buffet. The entrance to floors 2-7 is around the corner of the building. There are shops and even a movie theater inside the building. And if you are interested in Godzilla, this is the perfect hotel for you. They have props from some of the Godzilla movies.

We discovered that upon getting out of the subway station, you can walk up to a little train that takes you to the castle. Taking the train is totally worth it because otherwise the walk up to the castle will completely wipe you out, especially on a warm day. I do not remember the cost of the little train ticket, but it is not too expensive.

Kyoto is a beautiful place to visit with so many temples, Torii gates, history, culture, etc. Kyoto is what we expected to see in Japan: many beautiful places such as temples, pagodas, gardens, etc. The visit to Kinkaku-ji Temple with the famous Golden Pavilion with its two floors covered in gold leaf is beautiful and impressive. The Nijo Castle is impressive and as with everything else surrounded by beautiful gardens. Finally, the visit to Fushimi-Inari Taisha with its endless torii gates. beautiful. Finding out that they all have been donated by individuals and businesses was mind boggling. Everyone going to Japan must visit Kyoto. Everything there is beautiful, you cannot take a bad picture :)

The visits to the gardens were very nice. Very enjoyable to see those beautifully manicured gardens and walk through them. The visit to the market was also interesting. Bea also took us to a department store called Isetan which we found super interesting, particularly the bottom floor with endless food booths. We had never seen anything like that. It was great, so different.

The Lisboa Pessoa Hotel had a fantastic location in Lisbon, making it easy to explore the city. The rooms were smaller than what we're used to in the States, but this is common in Europe. The hotel was nice overall, and the breakfast was one of the highlights of our stay.

The Park Güell and La Sagrada Família Experience was truly amazing. These iconic sites in Barcelona were almost overwhelming in their beauty and significance. The guide was very knowledgeable and passionate about sharing the history and importance of each place. It was a standout moment for me on this trip.

We had a minor hiccup with the Flamenco & Tapas Night as there was some confusion about the correct address for the show location. Luckily, Summer was able to confirm the correct location promptly, so it worked out in the end. The show was enjoyable once we sorted the initial confusion.

The Private Pena Palace & Sintra Village Half-Day Trip was fantastic, particularly because of the skip-the-line tickets. They allowed us to see so much more without getting bogged down by the incredibly long queues. It was definitely worth it and made our experience at Pena Palace much more enjoyable.

A very friendly and fun place to stay! We did not get to see the green lady ghost, but we had a great room...

I was glad we went, however a few hours is not nearly enough time. It would take days to see the place. I did not especially like the "layout" of the exhibits, however it was impressive.

Much better than I anticipated. Well worth the time. Culloden was an emotional experience.

Taru Villas in Kandy had a certain charm with its colonial style, but the room was rather dark due to the shuttered windows, which we couldn't open because of the mosquitoes. It felt a bit confined. However, the staff were friendly and accommodating, making our stay pleasant despite the drawbacks.

The village tour at Hiriwadunna, followed by a cooking demo and lunch, was a delightful experience. It was interesting to engage in local cooking and learn traditional methods. The locals were friendly, and the food was delicious. Definitely a worthwhile experience for those interested in cultural activities.

Visiting Kandy's Royal Botanical Garden was a lovely experience. The garden was vast and beautiful with so much to see, including trees filled with bats which was quite captivating. It's a serene place that's definitely worth a visit when in Kandy.

The cooking demo at Melheim Resort was absolutely enjoyable. As someone who loves cooking, it was enlightening to learn new recipes and techniques from the local chefs. The experience was fun and engaging, and I appreciated the keen interest and assistance from the staff.

The safari in Yala National Park was fantastic! It was one of our favorite activities, and the opportunity to see wildlife up close was incredible. The guides were knowledgeable and ensured we had a memorable experience. I highly recommend this activity to anyone visiting the area.

Makarun Heritage Rooms in Split provided a wonderful stay. The service was spectacular, and we loved the spacious and beautiful rooms. It truly stood out to us as one of the best accommodations on the trip.

Our stay at the Almayer Art & Heritage Hotel in Zadar was fantastic. The room was absolutely stunning, and we loved the design and comfort it offered. Despite the not-so-great weather, the accommodations were excellent, making it one of our favorite stays during the trip. The breakfast served was outstanding.

The Private Walking Tour of Plitvice Lakes National Park with Petra was an incredible experience. She was so special and really made our tour unforgettable. We appreciated her expertise and the personal touch she brought to the tour.

The Konavle Region Culinary Experience was a delightful activity. We loved the cooking class and just how everything was organized. It was a great way to immerse ourselves in the local culture and enjoy the culinary offerings of the region.

Our day trip to Hvar from Split was a spectacular highlight of our trip. The personal trip around the island was amazing, and the visit to the wine cellar followed by a delicious lunch was just unbelievable. It was such a memorable experience and definitely one of our favorite activities.

Super spacious! Very clean, lots of doors to open (important because I could not turn off the heat). However- the birds are LOUD, so theres a downside to open doors. Despite the great amount of space there aren’t enough surfaces for luggage. They have maybe one that is supposedly for luggage, but it’s so narrow we couldn’t even successfully use it for backpacks, let alone carry-on size luggage. So then we used the chairs to open up our backpacks, because the couch needed to be opened for our third person (our son), so then we had nowhere to sit. Thus, despite the huge size of this place, it was not comfortable to hang out in. This extended to the ginormous ballroom size bathroom which contained one of those ridiculously tiny round door showers. Good luck washing your feet without fancy acrobatics or opening the round doors thus creating an even bigger mess of water. They could have simply strung a curtain in a larger area and it would have likely been cheaper (presumably why they used the round doors instead of actual glass that created a bigger footprint). They have shelves, but are the cheap, plastic, wobbly kind, so you can’t use them for anything other than their towels. At least the sink counter is spacious though. All in all- I was very pleased with how clean and well kept it was, but wow what a waste of space that ultimately made it exactly as comfortable as a cramped hotel room.

It was ok- pretty cramped (we were three, so our chair bed was opened), very hot (zero control over temperature- can’t even ‘turn it off’). However, very well located and the staff were very friendly- they got us two fans to help with the heat. The shower is open- the glass that is there doesn’t even reach the floor, so water goes everywhere, very literally everywhere. Important to note that most European hotels have zero A/C (although I can usually at least turn off the heat!), are usually tiny, and the showers tend to be tiny and uncomfortable- so the downsides here weren’t exactly abnormal, but with careful researching I’ve successfully avoided all of these in the past, and did so in Bergen. Last thing- the breakfast was amazing! And again: the staff is outstanding and delivered good service despite an ongoing strike that affected their staff.

It was an amazing way to experience the fjords up close and personal! Our driver/tour guide , Anton I believe, was great- caring, entertaining and friendly. I would highly recommend this!

Ok- it wasn’t- it just wasn’t worth it for us. We had come to Bergen by ferry from Balestrand- so a nice four hour tour of the fjords. Zero upside to the boat ride required to get to the restaurant. The dinner itself was three long hours long- waaaaaaaaaay too long. It was solidly good, but nothing out of this world and because it’s strictly seafood, people who don’t love seafood won’t have as great a time. Also- I’m sure it was ridiculously expensive in a city area where you can get great fresh seafood without even trying. The location is very nice with a great view of the water, and the service is excellent. So again: not bad, just not worth it IMO. For us it was a waste of five hours for something we could have accomplished in one anf slept earlier 😂 but it may very well be something you love if you love spending hours on dinner and want to feel extra fancy.

Excellent tour- Erik was a great guide and quite entertaining. We learned a lot and had a lovely walk around the city, surely we wouod have missed some things if it hadn’t been for this tour!

This is a 3 star hotel likely because it does not have a full service restaurant. But the rooms were spacious, comfortable and well maintained. Breakfast was delivered by room service daily and was very good. The people working at the front desk were all very kind, efficient and helpful. We really enjoyed staying at this hotel.

Top notch 5 star resort. We had 2 villas which were very spacious, luxurious and had private onsens.

We had 2 rooms which were both very comfortable and roomy. The facilities including the restaurants options in the hotel were excellent. The breakfast buffet was truly outstanding. All the staff we dealt with were courteous and efficient. I give this hotel very high marks and would return.

I'm sure this was good for the right people. Once we started the tour we realized we were not particularly interested in Anime and gaming so we ended the tour early.

Our tour guide was pretty good but a bit hard to understand. I think we could have done this tour on our own without a tour guide.

Another highlight of our trip! The 3 woman (2 sisters and their mother) who taught our private class were excellent. We took our final work product home and will be hanging it on the wall. We will never forget this experience.

This was a fun and memorable experience. One of the highlights of our trip. We took great photos of our family in kimonos and enjoyed the entire experience.

Pam was an outstanding tour guide. She was very kind and patient with us and gave us an excellent tour experience.

Max was an excellent tour guide. Food was all great and the tour was very interesting.

Hotel Presidente is centrally located, but that comes with heavy traffic—we had to be dropped off at the corner because the street was temporarily closed. The room we were assigned was also quite small, especially considering we were traveling as three people. Once we opened our suitcases, there was barely enough space to move around. The next day, I noticed that some of the rooms around us were much larger, so I’m not sure why we were given such a small room and bathroom. That said, the breakfast was very good, and the hotel itself has a unique charm in its design. We especially loved the rooftop patio and the abundance of plants and flowers throughout the property, which added a really nice touch. Staff very friendly and helpful.

Sibu Hotel was hands down the best hotel we stayed at during this entire trip—truly boutique, with incredible attention to detail, and absolutely deserving of more than a 3-star rating. The lobby alone feels like an art exhibit. The rooms are exceptionally well equipped, including a fully stocked minibar with drinks and snacks (complimentary on the first day), which was a really nice touch. We really appreciated the room for 3 having a third proper bed. They even had an ice machine—the only place we saw this—while at other hotels we had to request ice and water from the restaurant or bar. (Tap water is safe to drink everywhere, but it was a bit inconvenient filling a thermos from small sinks.) The room amenities were outstanding: custom toiletries, a travel toothbrush, sewing kit, shoe towel, and even a cosmetic mirror—everything thoughtfully provided. The hotel grounds are small but beautifully designed, with every corner carefully landscaped. There are cozy sitting areas throughout and even a fire pit outside—it’s just a beautiful, welcoming space. I would easily rate this hotel as a 4-star property. They also have sister hotels in the area, and I’d expect those to be just as impressive.

La Mariposa in Manuel Antonio has absolutely stunning views and beautiful pools, but the rooms felt somewhat basic compared to the other properties we stayed at, and we wouldn’t consider it a true 4-star experience. We had three people in the room, and the third bed was a small, squeaky bed with an uncomfortable mattress. In comparison, at Sibu Hotel—where we also had three in a room—the third bed was a full, proper bed, which made a big difference. The room itself was quite minimalistic, with basic wall-mounted dispensers for shampoo and conditioner (not even marked which one is which). That said, the view from the balcony was incredible, overlooking Espadilla Sur Beach and Manuel Antonio National Park. The wildlife on the property was also a highlight—we saw plenty of capuchin and spider monkeys, especially active in the mornings, eating mangoes from the nearby trees. There were often mangoes scattered right outside our door. Manuel Antonio is truly full of wildlife—you don’t even have to go far to see it. At one point, we were walking back from dinner and spotted a sloth in a tree just a few feet away. We were especially excited about this hotel since we had planned two days to relax by the pool and beach, and based on the photos and 4-star rating, we came in with high expectations. It’s possible we didn’t get one of their better rooms—there are several floors of rooms in the main building, and those may offer a different experience. We did enjoy the pools—they are very nice—and the overall setting is beautiful. We didn’t dine at the restaurant as it seemed pricey, though we did try the bar; drinks were on the expensive side but very good. The entire area is built on a hill with narrow roads. While it’s technically walkable to nearby restaurants, there are stretches without sidewalks, so we ended up using Uber a few times, which was very reasonable.

This Hotel has very nice rooms, spacious and comfortable. Staff is very friendly and helpful. The hotel grounds overall are very beautiful (the flowers and landscape are amazingly beautiful). It has a short hike trail on the property. The breakfast was very good. If I would go to La Fortuna, I would definitely stay there again. Close to pretty much all attractions in the area.

Great location being downtown San Jose but not in the middle of the city. Good breakfast, room clean and decent size. Great Soda place right next to it.

Definitely a must-do. The guides communicate with each other and know exactly where to look for wildlife. They typically come equipped with professional tripods and binoculars and can even help take great photos using your phone. The park has strict rules about food and drinks, so even though the activity description mentioned a snack being provided, it’s unclear how that would be possible. Also, keep in mind that if you decide to stay in the park after the guided tour—either at Manuel Antonio Beach or Espadilla Sur (which are side by side and absolutely worth visiting for their beautiful sand and calm waters)—the guide will leave, and you’ll need to arrange your own transportation back to the hotel. The public bus runs every 20 minutes from the public Espadilla Beach (outside the park) for about $1 per ride, so getting back wasn’t too difficult.

One of the highlights of our trip—a definite must-do. The canopy views were absolutely breathtaking. Some of the ziplining runs are quite long, so try to relax and enjoy the experience. Definitely go for the Tarzan Swing! The hanging bridges were also very nice. Just take your time and enjoy the walk—it’s about 3 km long, not 3 miles (we made the mistake of thinking it would be longer and ended up rushing to get back in time for the next bus).

It was a great visit, and we learned a lot. Unfortunately, we happened to go on a day when it was raining heavily, with very little break between the tastings and walking to the next stations. The farm is clearly geared toward tourists and is more informational in nature, but they were transparent about the fact that coffee grown in that area isn’t considered the best due to the high amount of rainfall. Even so, we still gained a lot of insight into chocolate (cacao), coffee, and sugar cane production.

Of course, we traveled during the rainy season, which is outside of Kimkim’s control, and it did impact a couple of activities. For example, at Río Celeste the river didn’t have its famous blue color because of the heavy rain. At Tenorio National Park, we felt the guide was trying to shorten the hike due to the rainy conditions, but we asked to complete the full route since it was part of what we had booked. The lunch was nice, but no fruit snack as listed in the activity description. No biggie. I did appreciate though the driver pulling over to show us through his binoculars a sloth up in a tree. He took pictures with our camera.

These activities are definitely not for the faint of heart—especially the rappelling! We had a great time, and everything (organized by what seemed to be two different companies) was very well coordinated, including transportation. The lunch provided was very good, and we especially enjoyed the small cultural demonstration of sugar cane juice extraction. My husband opted out of canyoning and rafting, which ultimately turned out to be the right decision—he wouldn’t have been able to participate in these activities, and even tagging along with the driver wouldn’t have added much value. In hindsight, I wish we had clearly indicated from the start that only four of us would be participating, so we wouldn’t have paid for his activity and lunch.

We traveled during the rainy season, which is outside of Kimkim’s control, and it did impact a couple of activities. For example, during the Arenal Volcano hike we couldn’t see much due to the fog. That said, Franklin and his driver were excellent—friendly, professional, and very accommodating. We really enjoyed the insights Franklin shared about the local plants and vegetation throughout the hike. Even though the volcano was mostly covered in clouds, the viewpoint of Arenal was still beautiful in its own way. At the end of the hike, they provided fresh fruit, which we appreciated very much. We only wish we remembered all of their names so we could give them proper credit—they truly made the experience enjoyable despite the weather. The driver also took us to Ecotermales, which turned out to be one of the highlights of our trip. The dinner there was fantastic, and everything was well coordinated—the driver returned later in the evening to pick us up and take us back to the hotel, making the entire experience seamless.

This was our favorite hotel by far. If the weather had been better, I know we would have had stunning views.

The trainers/guides were so incredibly kind and supportive of our group. It was my first time riding a horse, and my daughter's too, and they helped us all with patience and kindness.

The location was excellent and staff were very helpful. Accommodations were “dated” or “charming” depending on your personal preference although the only minor inconveniences for us were slow elevators and hard room keys.

Location was excellent and staff was very helpful. One of the things which annoyed us most was the lack of outdoor non-smoking gathering places, but this may be a nationwide problem as we also encountered it in Lisbon. Breakfast was good except for the coffee and unfortunately, I could not find a nearby Starbucks or similar. Also, the step in bathtub without any handrails was treacherous.

Basically, the evening did not seem much beyond a dinner show. Perhaps, the experience might’ve been better at a different restaurant. It just did not feel authentic, but more of an activity designed solely for tourist and something locals have grown tired of. If I had a good friend that was going to Lisbon with limited time, I would tell them to investigate some of the other wonderful restaurants in the city and skip the Fado experience.

The day was a great mixture of a visit to historical beautiful palace with gardens, walking up the narrow inclined streets of a centuries old village and concluding with a lunchtime stop at a modern coastal resort.

The whole day was a wonderful experience and something that I would clearly recommend to anybody who includes Porto on their itinerary. The dining experience and lunch were superb as was the wine tasting. The only part that could’ve been improved was the boat trip down the Douro river as our guide did not really add much and it just felt like a perfunctory out and back trip.

I guess it’s something that you need to do in Porto, but it seemed like a typical tourist driven experience with diversions to the gift shop. We’ve been on Wine Tours before and there didn’t seem much to differentiate it from others we have been on. However, the most pleasant surprise was the cheese tray that was added in by Kim Kim. The tray was huge, and we passed it around to some of the other tasters at our table.

Bernardo was a superb guide and a wealth of information. We felt it in a 2 1/2 hours we spent with Bernardo that we received an excellent introduction to Porto and directions on how to spend some of our remaining time.

No guide for scheduled tour

The room was very comfortable and we appreciated the sitting area that overlooked the back garden.

This was a nice clean guest house in Inverness. The owners made you feel welcome and were willing to adjust breakfast upon request. Building and rooms were clean.

The hotel is a work in process. It looks chic but needs to work on certain aspects of their operation. They seemed short on staff during check in. The kitchen was also hit or miss in the mornings at breakfast. Lack of air was also an issue during warm days and fan was not helpful in cooling the room. They might consider ceiling fans.

Hotel Hankyu RESPIRE OSAKA has an amazing location, situated above a large shopping and food complex with plenty of dining options nearby. The convenience of the location was definitely one of the highlights of our stay. The main downside was the room size. Our rooms were extremely small, with not enough space to open luggage comfortably, which made things quite inconvenient. Breakfast was good, with lots of options available. There was also a really good restaurant on site where we ended up having dinner twice. The hotel itself is very large, so it was constantly very busy, but overall we loved the location and found it very convenient.

Kyoto Tokyu Hotel was a comfortable stay overall. The rooms were okay and provided what was needed, though they were not especially memorable. One slightly inconvenient aspect was the layout of the hotel entrance. From the front entrance, you have to go down an escalator to reach reception and the elevators to the rooms, which is not ideal when arriving with luggage. On the positive side, breakfast was pretty good, and the hotel has a couple of good restaurants on site, which made dining convenient. Overall, it was a decent hotel with good food options, though the entrance layout could be improved for guests with luggage.

Ryokan Aura Tachibana was a true 5-star experience from start to finish. The private onsen in the room was a real highlight, offering a relaxing and authentic Japanese stay. We also loved the experience of wearing the provided kimono/yukata, including the men’s version for me, which added to the traditional atmosphere. The food was exceptional. The 9-course dinners featured authentic Japanese cuisine, with every dish beautifully prepared and meticulously curated. The Japanese breakfast was equally impressive and felt just as thoughtfully presented. The staff were amazing — welcoming, attentive, and professional throughout the stay. Overall, Ryokan Aura Tachibana delivered an unforgettable and highly authentic Japanese experience.

The B Ginza Hotel is very centrally located and convenient for getting around Tokyo, which was definitely its strongest point. It made sightseeing, shopping, and accessing public transport very easy. However, the rooms were very small, even by city hotel standards. Breakfast was quite meagre, and the breakfast area was small and crowded, with many people packed in at the same time. The elevators were also a major frustration — they were often full, and the wait felt endless at times. Overall, the location was excellent, but the hotel experience itself was disappointing due to the cramped rooms, limited breakfast, and elevator issues.

Tucked away on a residential street in Bordeaux, this was a surprise. Close to the tramway with easy access to the main part of town, it was quiet and restful. The staff was very helpful in figuring out how to get tram tickets and where to board. They also did a cooked to order breakfast rather than a buffet and I enjoyed what they served.

Great location, charming suite, helpful staff.

I only had one night here but I enjoyed the lovely room with patio overlooking tall trees. That was refreshing. An amazing breakfast buffet!

Well located with very helpful owner and staff. Great breakfasts. Spacious and comfortable room.

Charming with a delightful and helpful owner, Veronique. Great location and easy access to the main part of Aix.

I really loved learning about the food specialties of Bordeaux and walking around the old town and seeing the food market.

This was a fun day. Enjoyed seeing Arcachon. I didn't have the right footwear to climb the sand dune, but enjoyed sitting in a cafe waiting for the group to return. A surprise was meeting a friend from my hometown in the tour group. She had moved away, and we hadn't seen each other in a few years. We had a lovely time catching up (and speaking English)!

Being in a real prehistoric cave and seeing the art there was a unique experience. Then seeing the reproduction of Lascaux was fascinating. The art was easier to see in this exhibit than in the smaller, real cave earlier in the day. Lunch by the river was relaxing and delicious.

This was a great experience seeing the restored chateau, learning about Josephine Baker, and seeing the bird show.

The villages, lunch al fresco, and a ride on the river were a delight.

This is an amazing site with a lot of steps! The ability to build so much on the side of a mountain was impressive.

I only had one night here and it was crowded with folks on spring break. The military aspect of the walled fortress wasn't my favorite, but I'm glad I got to see this unique town.

This was a surprise day! Since I had already been to Arles, we were able to visit La Carmargue, which was fascinating. We saw the bulls, the horses, the flamingos, the salt water pools, and the rice fields. Had a lovely lunch in Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer and a walk on the beach.

I enjoyed seeing Arles and thought I would be sad seeing the Hospital where van Gogh spent time, but it was pleasant and very interesting to see what we saw.

It was good to be with other English-speakers on this group tour. We enjoyed our time together and the beautiful villages we visited - including the square where A Good Year was filmed!