Kimkim Trip Reviews

This trip has been just brilliant-From airport pick up to airport drop. Picked up from the airport by our driver Mustafa with a placard with my name written on it(felt like a celebrity)🤣. Mustafa speaks English amazingly so no difficulty in communication. His driving skill is perfect as well. My partner is amazed by it🤣. We have different hotels every night so a total of 6 hotels for a week trip and all of them has been so comfy. Morocco trip has been comfortable and very much enjoyed. Sayid has been our guide in Marrakesh and he is good. Kamal our guide in Fes is very knowledgeable of the history and the streets in the Medina. He even took us to the secret market of leather that only happens for an hour every day. We were the only tourists in the secret market as not all guides knows about it. I can go on and on in this review but to wrap it all up—- THE TRIP WAS AMAZING 🤩

Hotel Review

Paradis Du Sahara

Merzouga

Comfort in the middle of the desert

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

We felt like VIPs

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hot shower in the middle of the desert? Yes please

Activity Reviews

Tour Marrakech with a private guide

Marrakesh

Sayid took us everywhere. Amazing day

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Ouarzazate to Erg Chebbi

Morocco

Very comfortable ride with non stop of incredible views

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Camel Trek into a Luxury Sahara Camp

Morocco

Unforgettable

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Erg Chebbi to Fes by way of the Atlas Mountains

Morocco

That visit to the wild monkeys was fun

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Tour Fes with a Private Guide

Fes

We would have been lost inside the Medina for thousands of years without Kamal. He was just brilliant and knowledgeable about everything in the Medina

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

The Roman Ruins of Volubilis

Morocco

Our guide Adbul has been so good. Old man with lots of energy and knowledge about the place.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Hassan II Mosque

Morocco

Incredible place. Just wow

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Across Portugal planned the perfect trip, enabling us to experience all of the wonderful things Portugal has to offer! From staying in beautiful hotels in the right locations, to day trips to historic destinations and gorgeous coastal towns, to educational guided walking tours, to our amazing driver Paolo, the trip enabled us to immerse in the culture, history and beauty of Portugal. Our travel agent Joao was with us every step of the way through Whatsapp, giving us our daily itinerary, suggesting restaurants and ensuring we enjoyed every aspect of the trip. We just fell in love with the country and its people and plan to go back for an extended stay next year! Thank you KimKim and Across Portugal for this amazing experience!

Angulu and our porters were superb. We absolutely loved every minute of our trip to Gokyo. The views of Everest and the other 8000s from Gokyo Ri and Rengo La were stunning. At one point we thought we were going to need to turn back due to snow, but the team kindly waited a day and helped us move quickly when the weather cleared. The tea houses were cold but comfortable, and everyone was very kind.

Activity Reviews

Acclimatization day, Climb Gokyo Ri (5357m)

Gokyo

Trek from Gokyo to Marlung (17,585 feet / 5360 m) via Renjo La Pass

Marlung

Now I understand why they say Galapagos is the trip of a lifetime. It would be hard to go there under any circumstances and NOT have an amazing time, but arranging it through KimKim and specifically with our local expert Tamer made it a breeze. Tamer is a great listener and incredibly responsive and caring. He worked with me to ensure this trip for myself, my teenage daughter, and my elderly aunt with some health issues would be incredible for each of us, all the way down to the itinerary that would include seeing specific animals, making sure the ship's crew was aware of my aunt's food allergy, and having wetsuits reserved in case the water temp for snorkeling wasn't comfortable. Here's why I'll happily book through KimKim again in the future: 1. They arrange exactly the trip I want without my having to spend any time researching, 2. I don't have to think about a thing from start to finish, because transfers, accomodations, and tours are all arranged, 3. As a woman traveling with her daughter, I feel safe knowing drivers, guides, etc. are vetted, and 4. I get all that for a few hundred dollars more than if I planned the trip myself. What's not to love?

From the beginning Lacey pulled two vacation options for us. We settled on one and had a few revisions along the way. We were traveling with our 11 year old daughter and long time family friend visiting from the U.S. since we live in Singapore. I explained to Lacey the importance of 5-star accommodations and experiences. She did not disappoint. The suites and two villas were incredible!! She made sure we had first class private transportation and guides. The pre-arranged meals were out of this world and authentic with personal touches. Our first guide - Toto - was so much fun and full of personality. He was a true delight. Our second guide in Krabi - Aos - was very knowledgeable about all of the local trees, plants and was amazing through our jungle and hot springs hikes. When we decided not to do the 3rd adventure in the afternoon (as we wanted to enjoy our villa and private pool) it was no problem at all. Our last days in Phuket, Lacey made a last minute change in our request of private boat and island hopping/cave adventures. It was unbelievable. The staff and guides were just warm and fun personalities, completely customizing our day into the sunset. Our transport on the last day escorted us all the way through the airport, ensuring our easy access to the airline. We cannot wait to use KimKim again for our next vacation!

Chelsea called me before the trip and tailored it to capture exactly what I wanted! She was very knowledgeable about how long to stay at certain places and limited long driving days (mostly less than 4 hours)!
Our favorite spot on the itinerary was the Wilderness Lodge—getting time to hang with the NZ local owners Jerry & Anne was so special.

Margarita was a wonderful communicator and thoughtful travel coordinator, visiting us during two stops in the Bogota airport. All of the guides were kind, informed and prompt, making our trip seamless and easy (even with 5 children ages 1-8 included in our group). Lee in Medellin was especially wonderful, teaching us a lot of the Colombian culture and landscape. We can’t wait to use KimKim again for our travel planning!

I really can't say enough amazing things about Cathy and the whole team at Columbus Tours! They were so knowledgable about the culture and history of Guatemala. They were professional and made all of our excursions so fun. It was such a gift that we were able to learn from them and travel with them to Lake Atitlan, Antigua, and Pacaya Volcano. This team made our trip! Absolutely would recommend them to anyone!

Activity Review

Pacaya Volcano Hike & Picnic

Guatemala

This hike was so much fun! We roasted marshmallows in a crater and enjoyed the entire hike.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Our family took its first trip to Costa Rica, opting for the 9 day itinerary to experience as much of the country during our children's winter break in the U.S. northeast. First, many thanks to our excellent KimKim travel planner Jessica for her responsiveness and advice pre-trip and the same availability and support during our trip. Over the 9 days we were able to cover the lush rain forest in La Fortuna/Arenal, the cloud forest high atop the mountains in Monteverde and the breathtaking Pacific coast beauty of tropical Manual Antonio. This itinerary allows you to fully experience each of the diverse climates in Costa Rica while traveling from the low altitudes in San Jose, up to the cooler and wind swept peaks and descend back down to finish the trip on sun drenched beaches.

RIDE CR provided all our transfers and we cannot recommend them enough for customer experience, timeliness and willingness to share history and knowledge of Costa Rica during our rides. To set expectations, the transfers between locations can be long ranging from 2-4 hours and often on windy roads with mind bogglingly steep inclines. If you are prone to motion sickness, it is worth preparing. This said, the long transfers are - ABSOLUTELY - worth every second and DO NOT let it deter you from making the journey.

The ride from San Jose took approximately 3 hours ascending through very windy and foggy roads (zero visibility at times) up the mountains and down into La Fortuna. In La Fortuna we stayed at the Tabacon Resort and Spa for 3 days. Tabacon's grounds are meticulously maintained and seemingly carved into the rain forest with perfect views of the breathtaking Arenal Volcano. Without a doubt, the gem of the Tabacon resort are the healing natural hot spas. Tabacon offers constant shuttles just around the corner to the spas only minutes away. I recommend walking to the spas (in your bathrobe ;)). The walk is 5-7 minutes and surrounded by gardens and the rain forest. The Tabacon hot spas are amazing, and it features many (often hidden) pools with an average temperature of approximately 98 degrees F. We elected to forgo an excursion to fully experience the spas for a day, even our teenage boys were happy with the decision. As a Tabacon guest you have access to ‘private’ pools in the Shangri La section of the hot spas. Less crowded and totally worth it.

Tabacon offers good options for food, but I recommend heading to downtown La Fortuna and eating at one of the local ‘sodas’. Eating at a ‘soda’ can feel like being invited into someone’s kitchen, the food is delicious and it’s a great experience, in addition to being much less costly than hotel restaurant prices. The Arenal Hanging Bridges tour is a must, and our tour guides were informative and greatly enhanced the experience by pointing out the flora and fauna. Walking the (6) hanging bridges is a ‘bucket list’ item and the spectacular views are inspiring.

On our 3rd day we left La Fortuna for a boat/bus trek across the man made lake surrounded by towering mountains and jungle, and up the mountain to Monteverde. The ride from La Fortuna to Monteverde is approximately 4 hours. Oscar from RIDE CR is a talented driver and navigated the impossible hills and turns in the bus effortlessly (at least it seemed that way). Oscar took a stop half way at a small soda in the mountains, where we got empanadas and stretched our legs. The stress of the grind quickly became a distant memory as we stood outside the soda surrounded by green mountains and deep valleys thousands of feet below.

Monteverde is special and worth every second of the journey to get there. Monteverde is windy (expected being a mile from sea level), and suggest packing some cool weather gear. The cooler temps of Monteverde is a welcome change from the more tropical climates below. Similar to La Fortuna, it is worth keeping a rain slicker in your backpack for the unexpected rain shower. Our original reservations were at Los Pinos - Cabanas & Jardines, but due to increased wind and fallen trees our cabin was no longer available. The staff at Los Pinos was extremely accommodating, found a room at another hotel and covered the cost. Our relocation was serendipitous, and we were fortunate to spend the next two wonderful days at Valle Escondido.

Valle Escondido offers 2 miles of cliff side trails with vistas of towering waterfalls and sheer cliffs. Access to the trails, the prime view to watch the sunset or endlessly stare miles away down the valley leading to the Pacific Ocean makes every moment at Valle Escondido precious. The onsite restaurant serves food made from ingredients grown on site, which also offers educational tours of the permaculture practice at the property. The food and the staff are excellent. While in Monteverde we visited Cloud Forest for a walking tour. Our guide Marvin was an encyclopedic compendium of information explaining the daily contributions many of the plants and inhabitants play in its life cycle. The Cloud Forest does contain a few hanging bridges, with equally stunning views as we experienced in Arenal. We were fortunate to see burrowing tarantulas sleeping during the day, millipedes slinking through the brush and toucanets eating on a branch.

With 4 days to go we left Monteverde trekking down the mountain to the ocean with our final stop in Manual Antonio. On our way down our driver stopped at the Tarcoles Bridge where you can view prehistoric crocodile sunbathing in the muddy beaches 40 feet below the bridge. The crocodiles are enormous and worth the stop (we also stopped on our way back to the airport from Monte Verde). At the Tarcoles Bridge there are a few options for food and souvenirs. The ride to Manual Antonio was short of 3 hours. We finished our trip at Tulemar in Manual Antonio, and we could not have asked for a better way to end an already amazing trip. Tulemar offers multi-level studios with full kitchens and multi room houses all carved into the steep jungle descent down to the warm Pacific Ocean.

Tulemar is fully immersed in the jungle, and we awoke each morning to have coffee on our deck to enjoy the views of the ocean, while watching a troop of 50 spider monkeys gather food for the day. The property is filled with wildlife including spider and howler monkeys, sloths, toucans, giant iguanas and capybaras. The beach is truly a hidden cove at the base of the hill below the resort. Tulemar offers shuttle service up and down the steep hill to the beach, but walking is a fine alternative and good exercise to work off the food and drinks. The downtown is fully accessible by foot from the hotel, with great grocery stores only minutes away. I recommend stocking up on snacks and making a daily trip to the grocery to cook in the more than adequate kitchens of each unit. Although we were on ‘vacation’, cooking meals in this gorgeous setting is a nice change and we enjoyed the ‘home away from home’ feel in such a special place. We spent 3 memorable days on the beach at Tulemar, and elected again to forgo some activities to soak in the beauty and vibe of Costa Rica.

The ride from Manual Antonio was a ‘quick’ two and half hour ride back to San Jose, which included a second stop at the Tarcoles Bridge.

The Pura Vida value of the Costa Rican people, the geography and simply stunning beauty of the country won my family’s heart and we fully intend to make this a recurring trip. I am counting the days to watch the sunset at Valle Escondido again. Truly appreciate KimKim and Jessica for organizing a great trip and all of our hosts in Costa Rica. Much love and Pura Vida!

Working with kimkim was absolutely fantastic. The trip was exactly what we were hoping for in terms of activities...we took our 17 yr old and his friend. There was a good balance between things they loved (ziplining, hiking, jet boating, and things we wanted to do (museums, cultural experiences) and we got a decent amount of downtime, given what we were trying to cram in two weeks! Ruth was awesome and took care of everything. When we ran into a ferry delay, our local contact was able to help us right away even thought it was early in the morning. I would highly recommend especially if you're traveling somewhere you're unfamiliar with.

Working with Ravi was a pleasure from beginning to end. He was incredibly patient, helpful, and accommodating while we were planning the trip and making multiple changes to the itinerary. He and his team made for a super smooth experience once we got to India by providing excellent, timely service and making sure they were always available to help with our requests. All the guides, local representatives and drivers we worked with were very professional and always on time. I particularly recommend working with Yuvraj, our guide in Udaipur who was super knowledgeable and made for the most memorable experience.
Priya, one of the local representatives, also went above and beyond to take care of us (even after her services were officially over) and managed to arrange a last minute over-night car ride back to Delhi when one of our flights got rerouted due to bad weather.
India can be an overwhelming place for first time visitors like us, so if you want to ensure a smooth experience don’t hesitate to work with Ravi and his team.

This was the first time I had travelled in my ow like this, I am extremely grateful there were no glitches and everything was perfectly planned.

There are a couple things I learned for next time and I am looking forward to planning my next trip with KimKim!

Hotel Reviews

Hotel Los Lagos Spa & Resort

La Fortuna

I would give this hotel a 3.5, the facility was beautiful and the hot springs were very nice, but we couldn’t sleep here for a few of reasons: our a/c unit would not stay running I had advised the hotel, but they indicated there was nothing they could do, we had to get up multiple times in the night to reset it. The beds were quite uncomfortable for me, I would wake up multiple time in the night because my hips would get sore, worked out though so I could reset the a/c 😂. Also we were on a main floor and someone was above us, this isn’t the hotels fault, but the people above us stomped around from 6 am until 2am we had to call the front desk, so as a tip ask for a second floor room.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Clean, just not comfortable for me.

Ficus Sunset Suites

Monteverde

Loved this hotel it was quite amazing. It was beautiful and well taken care of, it was also easy walking access to shops and restaurants. The restaurant was also very good for breakfast. 2 things I would note for other travellers: 1 - there is no a/c (I did ask specifically about this and was told there was a/c but there is not.) thankfully it cools down there quite nicely at night but my girls didn’t want me to open the windows because there are no screens and they were worried about bugs coming in. 2nd - there is no pool, I didn’t ask about this, I just assumed there was, if it was just me travelling, it would have been fine but I had a child with me and it’s always best to have a pool when travelling with children, from my experience.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Tamarindo Diria Beach Resort

Tamarindo

This was a great hotel for us, close to the beach, great facilities, beautiful pools. As a tip, we had a room near the back of the hotel facing the pool but backing on to a street, it was quite loud due to the music playing at the restaurants, across the way, it was also near the entrance to the pools so we would often hear people in the hallway, yelling, playing, or trying to access the pool (there was a loud buzzer). Also, I’m not sure why but we had difficulty getting towels in our room, we had to constantly ask for them to be replaced and replaced in an amount for all of us.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Selvatura Park: The Sloth Sanctuary

Monteverde

We loved our time with the sloths and we were lucky to see them moving about and eating, it was shot but sufficient. This should be a self drive activity.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Hanging Bridges, La Fortuna Waterfall, and Arenal Volcano

Arenal/La Fortuna

Such a great day, the guide and driver were awesome and very accommodating!

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

So great!! Funny and engaging!

Transport

Sky Adventures Zip Lines

Arenal/La Fortuna

Probably one of the top highlights of our trip!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Santa Elena Cloud Forest Reserve Guided Hike

Monteverde

This was a nice hike but, there was a lot of stopping looking for birds, which is not really our thing. The guide was very knowledgeable and kind but was not engaging for my daughters. We would have just preferred to hike and stop when there was actually something to see. I know the people we were with were very interested in the birds so I’m sure it was good for them .

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Children's Eternal Rainforest Night Walk

Monteverde

This was cool, however, I was disappointed we didn’t see too much. I did expect to see more, but I guess it’s the luck of the draw :)

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Tamarindo Mangrove & Estuary Boat Tour

Tamarindo

This is not a reflection of the guide or the tour, however, this tour was filled up by a group of Swiss travellers, who made this tour uncomfortable for us. We saw several birds and some crocodiles! Maybe not a trip for a tween, she was a little bored and then when she talked, they other tourists shhh’d her 😳🙄.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Enjoy the Thermal Hotsprings at your hotel

Arenal/La Fortuna

The hot springs were nice! We really enjoyed having access at our hotel!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

We had issues getting towels, there was often a wait as no staff were available.

Our trip to Morocco has been on my wife’s bucket list for years and the only regret we have is that we did not take the trip sooner. There were so many wonderful experiences, it is difficult to narrow it down. However, the one impactful experience that will change our lives personally is our exposure to the kindness and love of the Moroccan people. We personally experienced their daily commitment to family, faith, happiness and kindness. Our guide Karim Chemmi was a perfect daily example as he did everything possible to make sure we were happy, exposed to the culture, entertained and even introduced to his wonderful family for tea in their home. His English was excellent, but his personal heart and commitment to excellence was beyond the norm. We are so lucky to have had him with us for 12 days as we traveled across this amazing country. Our experiences with the people were equally amazing in all the hotels, restaurants, guides, etc. Our favorite places were the Blue City, the desert camp in Mezouga, but Skoura stands out the most on all fronts. There is nothing we would change really. The itinerary allowed us to experience all that Morocco has to offer. It was amazing!!

Hotel Reviews

Dar Jasmine

Chefchaouen

Excellent view of the Blue City and great room and food.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Everything.

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Desert Luxury Camp Erg Chebbi

Merzouga

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Ksar El Kebbaba

Skoura

The staff was like family. They invited my wife and I to join their staff for Ramadan dinner with them. This Kashba was truly amazing.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

La Mamounia

Marrakech

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Review

Chefchaoeun to Fez via Volubilis, Moulay Idriss & Meknes

Morocco

Great historical location and guide.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Great experience with Kimkim and local team.

I booked a 10 day trip to Columbia in a hurry just two weeks before departure. This was my first time using KimKim and I will use them again! They connected me to a local agency in Columbia, which is exactly what I wanted. Michael and the team at Chaska put together a great tour, everything was pretty much as expected in terms of hotels, local guides, etc. They booked everything from hotels, to local guides, airport transfers, and more. My local guide in the Amazon (Juan) was perhaps the best guide I have ever had in years of travel to 40 countries. He was extremely knowledgeable and helped tailor our time to fit my specific ideas.

One thing I did not realize when first using Kimkim and Chaska is how easy it would be to stay in communication with them via WhatsApp, which was super helpful. You might pay a little more using an agency, but it was so worth it - I will do it again. It was wonderful to show up and know everything was taken care of.

I highly recommend Chaska tours in Columbia and KimKim for connecting me with them!

I really enjoyed Kim Kim! Everything was set up perfectly for us and all the hikes we did had really great guides who were knowledgeable of the area!

The only thing I would suggest it to request a hotel with a pool in Monte Verde if possible! Hotel Fikus was really nice, but we were told a lot of hotels do not have pools do it it being “cold” for them up there. For us Canadians it was still so hot! We had also requested this prior to the trip being planned.

If this happens to you, contact Pico Pico hotel and use their pool for the day with any spa treatment! We got massages and they were incredible!

I had an overall great experience and we will be using Kim Kim again for this September in Iceland!

We just returned from a 14 day whistle stop tour of Argentina and it really was amazing. During the planning stage, we found Emi incredibly patient and helpful. Reorganising the itinerary around 3 or 4 times fid not phase her at all - she was professional and insightful throughout.
The trio itself was planned and executed to perfection. The in-country team were all very efficient and the chosen excursions were really wonderful. Professional, informative, high quality and fun.
We raced around the country, trying to fit in as much as possible in the timescale and it all went to plan. The internal flights went smoothly and the various taxi services made sure we were where we needed to be at the right time!
We absolutely loved Argentina - what a wonderful place with some amazing scenery. A fabulous experience all round!
I have been recommending Kimkim and Emi to all my friends and would not hesitate to use the service again. Thank you!!

Activity Reviews

Neighborhoods Tour

Buenos Aires

Loved our guide Fernando - he was knowledgeable, friendly, witty and helpful

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Argentinean Falls - PRIVATE

Puerto Iguazú

Incredible scenery - a must if you go to Argentina

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Great Adventure - Boat trip

Puerto Iguazú

This was a highlight (although there were many of those in our trip). Going under the falls in a boat was an amazing experience - the noise! and the weight of water on your head was fabulous to experience

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Tango Show & Dinner

Buenos Aires

A really fun evening - we did a dance class and that opened our eyes to how hard tango is to dance. This made the show even more impressive - delicious food too

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

driver was a bit late to take us home which was disappointing

Transport

Cycling and Wine tasting in the vineyards 🚴‍♂️🍷

Mendoza

Really fun day cycling through the vineyards. We visited a small family run vineyard first to learn about the process and understand the different stages. And of course do some tasting! We finished with a 6 course dinner and wine flight which was delicious - another highlight!!

Quality of Experience

Food

all of it!

Guides, Drivers and Staff

our driver was very efficient, great english and witty. Andres our guide was fun and knowledgeable and set the right pace for the cycling

Transport

High Mountain Tour Mendoza

Mendoza

The scenery was incredible! Blows your mind

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

brilliant guide - insightful knowledge of the area - brilliant driving too

Transport

Full day tour to Parque Nacional Los Glaciares and Minitrekking

El Calafate

this was fabulous - it is impossible to describe or even photograph what you experience and see. Incredible scenery and the experience of walking on the glacier was something I'll remember forever

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

El Chalten Full Day, Free time

El Calafate

steep hike up to the lake but it was worth the view!

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Fiesta Gaucha Estancia Santa Susana Excursion

Buenos Aires

Great fun at the ranch - we rode the horses around the ranch, had a fabulous lunch and watched some incredible horse whispering. Amazing!

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Loved Michaela - funny, informative and very helpful

Transport

Our trip planned by Cami was amazing. Everything was planned down to the T. Nothing went wrong. Our transfers were always on time and our guides were so accommodating, friendly and knowledgeable. The communication from all parties was great.

Jody- Whilst trekking through the rice terraces over 3 days with Jody I felt I was with a friend rather than a guide which is what you want. He knew everything about the area and is very popular with all the local people. I loved staying in the hostels along the way. We’d often saw glimpses of Jody helping the local people which I admired. A great guide and an even better man. I said I’d be in touch again to climb the 3rd tallest mountain in the Philippines with Jody.

Guides:

Charles- Driving from Manila to Banaue and back is no small feat. Charles was very hospitable and a great driver. He’s your man if you want to get from a to b in good time.

Rich- Although we only spent a small amount of time with Rich our experience was great. He’s a Puerto Princesa local so knows his stuff. The meal prepared in Ulugan bay was a banquet. One thing I would say is the snorkelling here wasn’t great and Coron is definitely the spot to see amazing fish, lovely coral and wrecks.

Zean- It was a great to spend the last day with Zean seeing Pinatubo Volcano. We discovered we both were fascinated by anthropology. Zean put up with my 101 questions and I learn’t a lot. Definitely will be in touch to plan some more adventures. The jeep ride was really an experience and I loved every second.

Admittedly, the schedule was intense but that’s the only way you can see that amount of things in 2 weeks. If you want a relaxing holiday chilling ( which I didn’t) this is not the itinerary for you.

The highlight for me had to be the north. It was eye opening seeing the villages: how resourceful and clever the locals are. I’ve never seen anything like it. Was eye opening.
I enjoyed watching Jody show us how the rice is made with a local man. We could learn a lot about the way they live over here in the west. There’s a really community feel. If you love walking and amazing views then this trek is perfect. The world heritage site was breathtaking. Looking back I wish I’d included climbing Mount Pulag.

Accommodation:

The Manila hotel did the job. We were a bit gutted that on the last day before our flight they didn’t let us use a room for a shower despite staying with them the night before and checking out at 2am.

Banaue homestay, Cambul guesthouse and the Hillside Inn were amazing. Simple but effective. Food was good, people were lovely no complaints. I would say that the accommodation you suggested in Pula is very very simple hence why we went with Cambul which is a better option.

Atremaru was lovely, rooms were amazing and food was good. Great massage also! Although, we did have no electricity all night which meant no fans so we were very hot.

Sangat island was really a cool location, and so remote. Great for padel boarding. The food was a slight let down though.

The houseboats really were an experience and I suggest working with them as it’s not often you can sleep slap bang in the middle of the twin lagoon.

The only real limitation with the trip was it was only 2 weeks! I’ll certainly be back and I’m so keen to see the vast array of other areas the Philippines has to offer. An amazing country with great people.

Cami who planned our whole trip was amazing from the very start. Her communication was great and the hours of conversation planning are not forgotten. I highly recommend planning your trip to the Philippines with Cami. Thank you again Cami!

Our Morocco trip was truly one of the most amazing trips we have taken! Both Abdellah and Said were very in tune with what we wanted out of this trip and made sure everything by was in order! . Very professional! The hotels were top notch, each with their own charm and elegance! We started in Marrakesh for 2 days, stayed in Riyad Elegencia! Absolutely gorgeous! Then we went to the Atlas Mountains and spent a few days there. Experienced the thrill of 2 hr camel rides in the Sahara Desert to the Tiziri camp where we had the most magical experience with Yousef and Mustafa! They were so kind and caring! After an amazing meal nine BerBer gentlemen entertained us around the campfire with traditional BerBer song with drums. We also played the drums and everyone told jokes and sang. It was an absolute blast! On our way back we stayed at the Highly recommended Ait Ben Haddou! Then we went to Essauira and stayed at the charming Riyad Chbanate! We wanted to upgrade our room to the top larger room with a gorgeous view of the water and city. When we called Said he said it was not a problem and took care of it with no problem or additional cost!

I have to say our driver Karim was the best part of the trip. He was so kind, caring, making sure we were comfortable and well taken care of. He drove us for 6 days as we galavanted in Morocco! He always had a big warm smile and his English was exceptionally good. He speaks 6 languages! He shared so much knowledge of all the places we visited and most amazing his own traditions of being from the Berber tribe. Karim gave us great recommendations on where to shop! He stopped at all the beautiful sites so we could take pictures and enjoy the views! I highly recommend Karim as a guide for anyone planning a trip to Morocco! We will definitely ask for him again when we return! By the end of the trip I feel like Karim became a part of our family and we plan on keeping in touch with him! The whole experience was magical thanks to him!

On the last 2 days of our trip we had a driver named Faisal who drove us from Marrakesh to Essaouira.
We made a few stops where he felt were picture worthy locations! So happy he took the time to do that! He was very kind and courteous! He showed us some very special Moroccan hospitality at dinner which we were very grateful and honored!
Great guy! Highly recommend Faisal!

Lacy helped us plan our trip and she was extremely professional, timely, and flexible. Even while we were on the trip, she would let us know about changes in our air transport.

We began our trip in Bangkok with our friendly and informative guide, Pom. He was amenable to adjusting to our energy levels, especially when it got very hot. Pom was a food expert and helped us find many delightful places.

We loved our evening dinner cruise. It was the right atmosphere for us, Quiet, and great food.

Mona in Chiangmai was a superb guide. She was the right balance of entertaining, encouraging, and good humored. Chiangmai was my absolute favorite.

The jungle elephant sanctuary was a once in a lifetime experience and highly ethical in their treatment of the elephants. Be prepared for a windy hot ride to get there, but the experience is amazing.

I’m not sure how many wonderful sunsets you can see in Phuket, but they were beautiful every day. The speedboat tour of the islands was a very long day, but worth it for all the beauty.

I can’t wait to go back again!

Hotel Reviews

Thai Akara - Lanna Boutique Hotel

Chiang Mai

Charming, quietly tucked in Chiangmai. This hotel is a little oasis. The staff was incredibly friendly and helpful.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Friendly and helpful

Cleanliness & Comfort

Soaking tub and we’ll appointed

W22 by Burasari

Bangkok

Charming and close to Chinatown with easy access to street food and shopping. The room had everything I needed, but the breakfast was just ok.

Authenticity & Character

Cute rooms

Location

Close to shopping and food

Staff

Very helpful

Cleanliness & Comfort

Breakfast could have more options

Cape Panwa Hotel

Phuket

Absolutely perfect! Easy beach access, great buffet, and the hotel provided shuttles to shopping and street food vendors. The staff was always ready to help and incredibly friendly.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Manohra Dinner cruise

Bangkok

Amazing food, views, very friendly staff. The best mango sticky rice I had on this trip.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Railway Market & Floating Market

Bangkok

Charming and lovely! The James Bond boat was comfortable but not easy to get in and out of. The markets were very cute but a bit higher in price than China Town.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Night Street Food Tour After Dark by Tuk Tuk

Bangkok

One of my favorite adventures! The variety of food and authenticity was delicious. Our guide, Pom, knew many local distinct dishes. Some of the best chicken satay! Ending at the small roof top bar was lovely 🥰

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Charming Night And Night Street Food Tasting

Chiang Mai

By far my favorite street food experience! Less busy than Bangkok and more delicious! Best pad Thai on the trip and Mona, our guide, was an excellent care taker. This also included a charming small wat that truly revealed local culture as a favorite spot for family photos.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Elephant Jungle Sanctuary (Afternoon session)

Chiang Mai

I can’t even articulate how amazing this adventure was! The taxi ride wasn’t my favorite after being in air conditioned vans, but…the elephants 😍

Quality of Experience

Food

It was OK. Not fine cuisine.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

The guides at the park were lovely.

Transport

The ride was hot and uncomfortable

Thank you for a wonderful trip! Jassie, our driver, was terrific. So personable and helpful. We really enjoyed both the river excursion and sea setting. It was wonderful to be taken such good care of - transfers were super efficient and always on time.

Nick did an excellent job of creating an itinerary that suited us. He was incredibly responsive as well - even when we had a question while at Sukau Rainforest Lodge.

The staff at both Sukau River Lodge and Lankayan Dive Resort were all wonderfully helpful and kind. Wendy, the dive master, was especially helpful!