Kimkim Trip Reviews

I couldn’t recommend booking with KimKim more. I felt like Michael was always available to us and very helpful. Colombia can be a bit overwhelming and knowing we had picks ups and plans was reassuring.
I couldn’t recommend our tour guides enough
Sara at the Market in Bogota, Jose and Juan helping us learn Tejos, Govinda made Medillin magical! Cartagena and the Rosario islands were made better with Gabe’s help too.
The time spent at Islabela was incredible what a treat to stay overnight and see the plankton!
And all the helpers and drivers working behind the scenes were amazing! How lucky were we to have such an enriching and positive experience!

Thank you for making sure our trip was fun and safe

Trip to this glorious country was incredible. The wildlife is a gift to see. What was challenging is the amount of people you share this with. Getting a photo was the most important thing for most people of course but it did pull from the experience.
Guides were good, though we had issues in Drake Bay for an evening birding where they didn't show up at the right time nor location. It worked out okay.

Hotel Reviews

Hotel Jinetes de Osa

Drake Bay

We initially were put into a very small room - door had huge gaps, not really clean. My husband asked for another room and we were put into a much better, cleaner room with a door that closed.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Ecotica

Manuel Antonio

Great location, super interesting wildlife at the hotel.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

El Establo Mountain Hotel

Monteverde

VERY noisy. It was so big. The restaurant was one of the best however. The breakfast, one of the worst.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Noise

Hotel Arenal Lodge

Fortuna

Remarkable property! Our view was sublime.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Delta Hotels by Marriott San José Aurola

San José

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Activity Reviews

Private San José City Tour

San José

Not the drivers fault but we were really tired. Our guide was good, he tried. But the restaurant was not good at all. This was not the guides fault. We were rushed for time due to a late flight out of Drake Bay.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Private Mangrove Tour

Drake Bay

Very special locations. The Mangroves to the wildlife on the river.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Both guide and boat driver where enthusiast and kind.

Transport

Sunset Birdwatching Tour

Drake Bay

Guide did not show up at the location and time we had listed. He asked someone else to come and take us on the tour. At this point in the day after our early morning tour of Corcovado, we were exhausted in the heat. Nice guide but it was really lackluster.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Corcovado National Park Hike from San Pedrillo Ranger Station

Drake Bay

absolutely loved this part of our trip and frankly it was the highlight. beyond my expectations

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Manuel Antonio National Park Nature Hike

Manuel Antonio

Hard because there are so many people.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Private Isla Damas Kayaking Adventure

Manuel Antonio

It was fun but do NOT do this mid afternoon as we were scheduled. It's hot and BUGGY. Not sure why it was scheduled for this time.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

El Tigre Waterfalls Excursion

Monteverde

It was wonderful to actually be hiking in this landscapes and get the feeling of what it's like. there were not as many people. I appreciated our guide. It was nice to take a vehicle out. I cannot imagine that kimkim would suggest taking the horses up that long hill out of the trail. It's arduous even in a vehicle not to mention the hardship on these poor horses.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Self-Guided Visit to the Monteverde Butterfly Gardens

Monteverde

Interesting just not outstanding.

Quality of Experience

Private Arenal Hanging Bridges Walk & La Fortuna Waterfall Hike

Arenal/La Fortuna

We did see exceptional wildlife. though the experience is not as great given it's on a paved walkway with LOTS of other people trying to see the same animal.

Quality of Experience

Our guide was good

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

The Springs Hot Springs

Arenal/La Fortuna

This was not what we expected. Thought it would be more 'natural'. However, this was one of the most beautiful hotels we've seen. Just large and lots of people throughout. Glad we got to see the hotel but wanted a different Hot Springs experience.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

We were traveling as a family of 4 with 2 kids and our trip was excellent. Special thanks to our guide Sameer who was so helpful and made us feel very comfortable. We had a clean, spacious, well maintained private van. He almost felt like family and we were sad to leave him at the end of our trip. Very happy with all the Riads we stayed in- Lina Ryad & Spa in Chefchaouen, Riad Salam- Fes, Tiziri Luxury Camp- Merzouga- it is place you will fall in love with and the staff is amazing- Ahmed, Yusuf and Moustafa, Riad Ksar Ighnda- Ait Ben Houddou, Riad Le Pèlerin- Marakkesh. The staff was very hospitable and genuinely happy to help and serve. Our diet needs of vegan and vegetarian were accommodated well. There is so much culture, art and history that will keep you in a constant awe. From the blue city of Chefcahouen to the Erb Cheggi Sand dunes and to the Medinas of Fes and Medina of Marakkesh you will experience a whole different world. Just as a learning- do not get lured into buying clearly significantly over priced stuff- when you visit the pottery co-operatives, carpet shops. Buy small souvenirs and spices- and bargain ( which many are just not used to doing). Overall a superb trip which has touched our hearts profoundly. Thank You to our trip planners Said and Abdellalif for doing a great job and working seamlessly on a minor glitch. Definitely recommend KimKim and Original Travels. Nilesh and Amishi Khandelwal

Hotel Reviews

Mövenpick Hotel Casablanca

Casablanca

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Riad Du Ciel Marrakech

Marrakech

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Riad Le Pèlerin

Marrakech

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Riad Ksar Ighnda

Ait Benhaddou

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Tiziri Luxury Camp

Merzouga

The best experience- wow! Ahmed and his staff have done a phenomenal job in keeping up the tents in middle of nowhere. Beautiful interiors and exteriors. clean, excellent housekeeping and very tasty food.

Authenticity & Character

Location

sleeping under the stars!

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Even in remote desert location, we had comfortable beds, clean rooms- all solar powered, eco friendly soap, reclaimed water- impressed with the eco friendliness and awareness of environment protection.

Riad Salam Fes

Fes

Clean, beautiful place with good size rooms. We had soap, shampoo and hair dryer provided. Very helpful and smiling staff. They gave us Vegan and Vegetarian Food as requested. Well versed with English. Proficient in their work.

Authenticity & Character

almost like a palace- beautiful mosaic work on walls and very well decorated.

Location

6-7 minutes walk to eateries.

Staff

always helpful

Cleanliness & Comfort

clean rooms, the floors were kind of sticky due to the nature of the tiles and they provided personal slippers which was nice and we got to keep them

Lina Ryad & Spa

Chefchaouen

Clean, beautiful place with good size rooms. We had soap, shampoo and hair dryer provided. Very helpful and smiling staff. They gave us Vegan and Vegetarian Food as requested. Well versed with English. Proficient in their work.

Authenticity & Character

nicely decorated with cultural art and decor.

Location

walking distance to food places and in the heart of the city.

Staff

happy to serve us.

Cleanliness & Comfort

clean fresh sheets and towels. clean floors

Activity Reviews

Ait Benhaddou to Marrakech via Tizi N'Tichka pass

Morocco

Again, fascinating history and wonder at how it all happened.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Family Desert Adventures in Erg Chebbi - Meeting with the last nomads of Morocco

Merzouga

The camel ride was great! Ofcourse you get sore because it is not that you ride camels daily, but made me feel so majestic. ATV was fun! kids loved it!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Chefchaoeun to Fez via Volubilis, Moulay Idriss & Meknes

Morocco

Amazing history

Quality of Experience

Food

nice beautiful restaurant right across from the ruins

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Private Transfer from Fez to Merzouga Desert

Morocco

Unique experience. Beautiful sand dunes, topography. Heartwarming Berber history, history of slavery, music by the descendants of the former slaves.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Family pottery and mosaic workshop

Morocco

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

A Family's Guided tour of Fez

Fes

bustling, old time style market, lively and colorful

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Family Fun in Chefchaouen: Guided Exploration of the Blue City

Chefchaouen

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Punctual, clean, caring

I was so impressed with my first experience with KimKim that when I was looking at going to Italy, I contacted KimKim again and met Eleonora. And WOW, the entire process was so easy, the trip was absolutely fantastic from start to finish. I was initially nervous when we landed not knowing what to really expect, Eleonora messaged to check on us before we left and made sure that we had all the information we needed. We were greeted with a sign and taken to our hotel, which exceeded all expectations, the staff that greeted us were very helpful and friendly, the rooms were very spacious, clean and beautiful. This was just the very start and it just kept getting better. Eleonora, had listened to everything that we had wanted to do, even when we wanted to add something at the last moment, she was able to facilitate it. I also appreciated how easy it was to contact her and how quickly she responded. It was brilliant not having to worry about planning anything and having it all organised.

My trip to Vietnam was wonderful thanks to Trang! She created a perfect mix of days between Hanoi, Pu Luong and Ha Long Bay. My guide for Hanoi and Pu Luong was punctual and knowledgeable. The hotels were in great locations and transportation put my mind at ease as one less thing to worry about. I would recommend kimkim to anyone and am already booking my next trip with them!

Our trip to Vietnam was well planned and executed by Dat and his team mates. The guides in Hanoi, Sapa, and HMC (Saigon) were excellent and highly knowledgeable. The team made us feel at ease throughout. They were punctual and filled our days with sightseeing at a relaxed pace when needed and hectic when required. We couldn't have done this on our own and having English speaking local guides along with all local travel arrangements that were carefully designed to accommodate our wish list made it easy on us. Highly recommend KimKim for anyone planning a trip to Vietnam.

Hotels selected were appropriate comfort level, clean and well located for easy walking to most attractions. Breakfasts were uniformly excellent. Staff were friendly, helpful and conversant in English at all facilities.
Tours and guides were great. Sean in Madrid for the Palace and Prado tours was very informative, enthusiastic and fun to listen to. Juan Carlos for the Toledo tour was enjoyable guiding us in his hometown. Theresa and Jaime in Sevilla and Cordoba both were locals and entertaining and we really enjoyed both tour days. Stepan was great on our tour of Montserrat. He had a unique perspective as a non native of Spain. Ana gave us a nice overview of Gaudi architecture and Sagrada Familia visit. We have nothing but positives for all of the guides. The trains were great. No problems with any delays, etc. I believe the trip was planned really well and we were able to see many different areas of the country and both large and small communities without feeling too stressed or rushed. Alba did a great job planning and adjusting a few things on the itinerary. Her periodic check-ins and reminders were appreciated and was like having our Spanish Madre looking out for us!

Hotel Reviews

H10 Art Gallery

Barcelona

Clean, friendly, nice greeting with Cava or juice on arrival, nice rooftop and dipping pool

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Sercotel Palacio De Los Gamboa

Granada

Clean, friendly, great location

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Las Casas de la Judería

Seville

Unique property with friendly staff. May be diffcult for some with poor mobility because of the outlay of the rooms but we really enjoyed the character of the building and proximity to attractions

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

H10 Puerta de Alcalá

Madrid

Authenticity & Character

Clean, friendly and nice rooftop area

Location

Close to Retiro Park

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Private Gaudí Architecture Walk with La Sagrada Família

Barcelona

Group Guided Tour To Caminito del Rey

Spain

Ultimate Córdoba Day Trip

Seville

Monumental Seville: Royal Alcazar Cathedral and Giralda

Seville

Toledo Day Trip

Madrid

Juan Carlos was fun and informative guide

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Madrid at a Glance, Culture, Royal Palace and El Prado

Madrid

Sean was great!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Day Trip to Montserrat & Scenic Hike

Barcelona

It was a wonderful trip overall! We started our trip at Arenal, and went on to visit Monteverde, Manual Antonio and San Jose. The first hike at the lava rock trail at Arenal Volcano was a difficult one for us, I wish Randall had warned us appropriately. This was genuinely not for our fitness level and I ended up injuring my knee in the process. But the other activities were fine and we enjoyed our trip to the cloud forest reserve at Monteverde. The guide at the cloud forest was young but very knowledgeable and took time to explain what we saw and also answered our questions patiently. Randall chose very good hotels for us and the transportation and pick ups arranged were always on time. This was our first time booking thru Kim Kim and we will certainly consider this again in the future.

Hotel Reviews

Hotel & Spa Poco a Poco

Monteverde

Beautiful landscapes, comfortable stay, room was very nicely prepared for the stay

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Delta Hotels by Marriott San José Aurola

San José

Location of this hotel is great, but everything else was just average.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Arenal Manoa & Hot Springs

Fortuna

Beautiful resort with lush greenery and epic view of the Arenal Volcano from the resort room. Staff was amazing and very friendly and always willing to help. I wish we had more english language channels for the TV and the hotel had shuttle services to the downtown area..

Authenticity & Character

Location

The resort is in a quiet setting for a peaceful getaway but a bit far from the downtown area

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve Hike

Monteverde

Quality of Experience

Best experience at Costa Rica

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Guided Hike in Arenal Volcano

Arenal/La Fortuna

Quality of Experience

It was a difficult hike for us

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Arenal Volcano - Mistico Hanging Bridges

Arenal/La Fortuna

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Coffee & Chocolate Experience

Arenal/La Fortuna

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Our local specialist put together an amazing experience for us. The local guides and drivers were punctual, knowledgeable, and caring. I would use Kimkim for travel again. Now that I have had the experience with Kim Kim, I think I would have the confidence to tailor the trip more to my interests. Everything Jesse planned for us was well executed with very few changes. Our pickup time was changed, in one case, to avoid traffic related to school schedules, and it was a wise decision. All the surprises were delightful ones

Hotel Reviews

Hotel Director Vitacura

Santiago, Vitacura, Región Metropolitana

This is a lovely and reasonable hotel with good amenities. It is surrounded by fancy restaurants but we decided to eat in the hotel restaurant 3 of 4 evenings, for the convenience and the varied menu. This hotel is in one of the wealthiest neighborhoods and hence very safe, but also lacking in character.

Authenticity & Character

Location

This hotel was chosen by our tour planner. I would have chosen a different location closer to museums, history and local culture. Others in our group of 6 may feel differently. This was in a wealthy and cosmopolitan area, hence very safe but also uninteresting.

Staff

The staff was great, especially in the restaurant. We encountered one unfriendly desk clerk but others were welcoming and helpful. I guess it would be asking to much for the door/security person to smile.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Rooms were large and comfortable and cleaned quickly while we were out. Views on upper floors were great.

Hotel Boutique Acontraluz

Valparaíso

Wow, just wow. The hosts were so gracious and caring. The views from the room verandas were stunning. The staff gave us maps to beautiful walking tours and there was nothing more we could have needed. Our only regret was booking only a single night. If you are coming to Valparaiso, book an extra day just to absorb the color and poetry of this neighborhood.

Authenticity & Character

This is an historical building whose character and charm is preserved but carefully updated to modern standards.

Location

It's just a beautiful neighborhood. A maze of amazing treasures. Anything you could need is within walking a few blocks.

Staff

SO gracious and accommodating. We could not believe our good fortune.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Several cozy common areas and comfortable seating in rooms and verandas

Activity Reviews

Santiago City Tour - Private

Chile

Hernan is an older gentleman but very fit and capable. Chile has a very complex history and Hernan spoke genuinely from his own experience, making this a very rich and touching experience for us. He tailored the tour completely to our interests from start to finish.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

San José Volcano & Andes Mountains

Santiago

The drive was a bit grueling but our guide planned it to make it less so. We began our mountain trek on a small farm, surrounded by goats, chickens, sheep cows and horses. Our guide knew the locals and was very knowledgeable about everything. Sebastián is trained in eco-tourism and we traveled leaving only footprints on this beautiful mountain trail in the shadows of volcanoes and glaciers.

Transfer from San Antonio Dock to Valparaíso

Chile

Our young guide was very knowledgeable and outgoing. He keyed in on our interests and gave us some awesome tours. He left us with a strong understanding of local culture that really helped us appreciate what we experienced on our own.

Quality of Experience

Plan to 2wlk and explore

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Punctual, knowledgeable and caring

Transport

Punctual and safe

The travel itinerary for our trip to Peru was spectacular, full of so many extraordinary and special places, excursions, experiences, food, alpacas & people! Pretty much everything went off without a hitch. Our guides were all knowledgeable, organized, attentive, friendly, helpful and prompt. Very professional!
Peru is an absolutely beautiful country with amazing history and an incredible culture.
I did feel like we were a little unprepared for some things and perhaps that’s on us! Inkaterra Resort in the rainforest is magical (excursions, lodging, staff, food) but be prepared for no AC in extremely hot & humid temps, fans and electric off mid day for several hours and from 10pm-4am each evening. No wifi. Still worth it! Also, Definitely take plenty of bug spray :)
For the 8 mile Inca trail hike into Macchu Picchu it was quite a bit more difficult than expected and we had to carry all of our things on our backs for the overnight (thankfully we had backpacks), along with enough water for the full day. We had to borrow 2 hiking sticks each from our guide as there was a great deal of climbing and descending very uneven and sometimes wet and slippery terrain. Took us about 8 hours. Totally worth it however and a must do if you can!
There were lots and lots of street peddlers in many areas, predominantly Cusco, that were pretty aggressive with their selling techniques and stray dogs and puppies in various states of well being almost everywhere we went (except for Lima). A few were almost hit by our driver! That part of things was a bit stressful.
On our last day there we were scheduled to go to Rainbow Mountain but read it was a 3 hour drive there, a difficult 4 mile round trip hike to the mountain in very high elevation, followed by a 3 hour return drive. We also heard that at the present time it was covered in snow so not visible anyway. Luckily we researched that on our own and were able to cancel it and book an easier and more laid back excursion that was much closer to Cusco for our last day. If we’d gone through all of that and been unable to see the mountain we’d have been very disappointed. We are in our 50’s with a few health issues and were a little surprised with the strenuousness of some of the activities that it wasn’t fully explained or discussed (what the excursion entailed and if we were capable of it). Other than those few things to be aware of, so you do not make the same mistakes we did - we highly recommend this trip! Extremely special indeed. Thanks to all who worked so hard to make this a delightful and memorable trip for us.

Thank you to Olman at KimKim who helped build a really exciting and enjoyable itinerary travelling by shuttles, private transfers and buses around Cost Rica. We stayed at some great hotels, some of which had wonderful wild life in and around hotel grounds. The Belmar has its own micro brewery too. The network of transfer vehicles joining up all the key destinations makes it so easy to travel around the country. The trips Olman recommended were excellent (we went on trips around Tortuguero, Arenal, Monteverde and Manual Antonio). Unfortunately the bad weather around Arenal meant we could not see the Volcano as it was cloudy and very wet for three days, but at least the Hot Thermal Springs made up for that. We had to contact KimKim twice by message during our stay and both times they responded within two minutes answering our questions, which was really impressive!

Hotel Reviews

Hotel Belmar

Monteverde

Really nice hotel, located out of town (walkable) with gardens full of colourful noisy birds, their own farm, their own micro-brewery and great food. Cocktails at happy hour, admiring the views was a highlight!

Authenticity & Character

loved that they had their own brewery and farm to table food options

Location

just out of town but walkable

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Parador Nature Resort & Spa

Manuel Antonio

Amazing hotel which felt like we were in the rain forest with monkeys, sloth, iguanas all around the grounds. We had a Vista Room with views of the sea and bay and forest.

Authenticity & Character

Location

views and situated in the forest

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Tabacón Thermal Resort & Spa

Fortuna

The hotel is luxurious and the on-site hot thermal springs are amazing both night and day. Lots of animals to observe around the grounds. The only downside is the cost of F&B. All the hotel cafes and restaurants were expensive, with little choice under $30 for a main course (plus sides/starters/deserts drinks) -so a family of four were spending $200 every night . However, food was excelllent and breakfast was fabulous and included of course.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Mawamba Lodge

Tortuguero

In the middle of the rain forest with Sloth, monkeys and other wild animals around the grounds. Very nice breakfasts, efficient transfers along the waterways to/from the meeting point and well versed local guides taking us out on canoe/boat. Although the rooms around the gardens do not have aircon, the tranquility and ambience of the hotel gardens easily made up for that !

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Clean, good showers, no aircon

Gran Hotel Costa Rica, Curio Collection by Hilton

San José

Well located for the market and old quarter. Good breakfast

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Manuel Antonio National Park Guided Hike

Costa Rica

Good sightings of monkeys, deer, birds, sloths and finished with swim at the beach.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Selvatura Park Self-Guided Hanging Bridges & Zip Lining

Monteverde

13 Zip lines within and above the cloud forest, the final one being 1KM long. Great fun.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

The Zip Line guides push you on quite quickly so little time to take photos or look around at scenery

Transport

Callidryas Sloth Watching Tour

Arenal/La Fortuna

Saw many sloths. The guide ensured we saw them through telescopes as they are often up high in the trees

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

El Silencio Volcano Hike & Visit to La Fortuna Waterfall

Arenal/La Fortuna

Difficult to review as it was wet and cloudy but our guide was enthusiastic and engaging

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Enjoy the Beauty of Tortuguero National Park

Tortuguero

We saw so much wildlife ! We went on various canoe, kayak and boat tours to spot wild animals and colourful birds

Quality of Experience

unique

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

very knowledgeable and engaging

Transport

boats and canoes down the river

San Jose - Tortuguero

Costa Rica

Efficient transport to the meeting point at the docks. However, the organisors moved our pick forward from 6.45am to 6am and as first pick up, we were on the bus for 50 minutes before we even left the City and the roads were then busy for the first half hour. We were picked up at the dock by Mwamber Lodge boats and enjoyed an amazing trip down the estuary right to our hotel, passing monkeys and birds along the river bank. I would give this part of the journey 5 stars!

Quality of Experience

Food

basic rice and beans

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

we were on bus for 50 minutes picking others up

Sara was exceptional at helping us plan our first trip to Brazil. She was very knowledgeable about where to go and how much time to spend in each place, and she was extremely patient with me as we locked in the fine details. Once in Brazil, she and Thiago were very communicative and helpful. Everything that Sara planned for us went extremely smoothly. Our drivers and tour guides were punctual and added new dimensions to our trip. We had a very kind tour guide in Paraty, who taught us about the town's history. We so appreciated Thiago and Eder helping us make our transfers as early as late in the day as they needed to be. Our tour guide in Foz do Iguacu was very flexible as there were some weather impacts on our trip there. However, he made sure we got to see as much as we could and even helped us fill some time before we had a late flight out of town. Our tour guide in Sao Paulo likewise rolled with the weather and brought us to a bunch of highlights in the city. Thank you Sara (and Thiago) for making our first trip to Brazil one that we will never forget!

Had a very good experience with Kimkim connected my family with local travel agent Huyen in Hanoi Vietnam and the customized, private family tour that she helped us put together for us to make our way from Hanoi to Hoi An and Saigon. It was a packed itinerary but traveling between locations was very streamlined with her help and the guides she found for us in the various parts of the country we visited, and our day plans included many creative activities and visits to terrific restaurants we might never have stumbled on otherwise. Given the cultural and language difference having a plan with set meals that offered a wide selection of local delicacies for many of our lunches and dinner was great and we were happy with the mix of unstructured time and predetermined destinations. Vietnam is such a beautiful country and it was a huge privilege to spend time exploring and are grateful to the hospitality of Huyen and our travel guides Pham, Vo, and Vinh.

Hotel Reviews

Orchid Saigon Hotel

Ho Chi Minh

Beautiful hotel in a good central location with verdant tree lined streets and museums nearby. Rooms weren’t huge but totally adequate and very clean and comfortable.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Viollete Train

An adventure traveling an iconic route along the coast through lush mountain passes between northern and central Vietnam overnight. Be aware that though the private sleeper bedrooms on train are reasonably comfortable it is not necessarily immaculately clean especially the public bathroom on board.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Acoustic Hotel & Spa

Hanoi

Spacious rooms and very good food with an amazing old city view in a unique, very atmospheric city.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Review

Saigon By Night Food Tour - Experience Vietnam on Two Wheels (Small Group tour)

Ho Chi Minh City

Great experience having our family ridden around Saigon on motorcycles to highly recommended restaurants for delicious food. Guides were great and very accommodating, friendly and knowledgeable.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Using Be a Greek was the best choice I made in planning my vacation. There was so much I didn't have to worry about. And if anything confused me, I would send a text to the team and be answered immediately. Their local providers were all top-notch. The Greeks are pros since tourism is their biggest industry, and so many of them seem to know exactly what makes a visitor feel safe and at-home. We are history buffs, so the personalized tours and Ph.D. level tour guides were worth any added costs. But it was Maria who helped me plan the trip and gave me the most personalized experience. She even came to tour one of the sites with us! I felt like I made friends with the people at Be a Greek. I recommend this company without hesitation or reservation.

Hotel Reviews

Ibis Styles Heraklion Central

Heraklion

The photos of the "family suite" did not represent what we got. Maybe I should have looked closer, but there is no sitting room, desk, or any social space to hang out as a family. The joined rooms were small with a single window. The worst part was the beds for our teens. They were both hard futon-like mattresses, and my tall son was barely supported by the cot frame. We ended up switching hotels. This is a business hotel, and seems perfectly fine for that purpose. Safe and clean. Just not good for families!

Family Friendliness

Residenza Vranas Boutique Hotel Chania

Chania

We got a spacious suite on the top floor of this adorable little place. The balcony overlooking the harbor alone was worth the cost. We also soaked in the hot tub during our chilly March visit. The staff, like George, were so eager to please and to help. I recommend this beautiful place with no hesitation!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

The Foundry Suites

Athens

Fabulous and unique. Being here with our two teens was a great way to start our visit to Greece. The lobby looks like a little library, and a hotel staff person was always sitting there waiting to welcome you at any hour. We loved breakfasts on the rooftop. Great for those who care about design. I recommend without reservation.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Review

The Real Cretan Cooking Small-Group Experience

Chania

I loved our experience with the family who showed us how to cook! First of all, the meal we made was the best thing I ate in Crete, and I ate many great meals. The experience is long but well-paced. The only thing was that the history lesson offered was a little redundant for us, and my 11 year old drifted off. I might shorten the experience just a little. But if you want to get your hands into the herbs and veggies that Greek food is so famous for, take this excursion! The people are sweet and fun. You won't regret it.

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Just got back from a three week trip to Australia. What a beautiful country and such friendly people. Our travel advisor Vicky did a fantastic job. We could contact her anytime and she was willing to help. I would definitely recommend her!
We visited Sydney, Melbourne, and Uluru. Vicky took care of the transportation which made it so easy for us. She planned our local activities, which were a blast! It’s hard to choose a favorite, but probably watching the sunset in Uluru with a barbecue under the stars.⭐️

This trip was one of my wife's and my favorite vacations ever. Joao did an excellent job, first in curating an itinerary that fit our preferences, and then in providing a uniquely personal and interesting guiding experience. The three of us got along very well; our experience was almost like traveling the country with a good, experienced, and knowledgeable friend. Thanks to Joao, we had excellent accommodations at acceptable prices and we tasted Portuguese cuisine at a wide range of restaurant types--from elegant, formal dining to neighborhood cafes where people who work nearby come for lunch. This was not just touring; this was an experience. A unique experience. PS Don't miss the Fado in a neighborhood venue.

Hotel Reviews

Hotel República

Tomar

We regret only that we had only one night here. The hotel is a pleasure to the eyes as well as providing excellent accommodations. The staff are friendly and competent.

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Lagos Avenida Hotel

Lagos

Our room was extremely compact, and arranged in an unusual manner. For example, after using the toilet, one had two walk around the shower a few feet more to find the sink. However, the accommodations themselves- for example, the bed- were fine. The breakfast was excellent, and the staff were very friendly.

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BURGUS Tribute & Design Hotel

Braga

We had a room and a half at the hotel. That is, we had a very nice regular room, with a loft above containing another bed and another bathroom. We had a great view of the street. Excellent breakfast.

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Casa Balthazar

Lisbon

Well located, very professional staff, and a great location. This hotel provided a great start to our visit.

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PortoBay Flores

Porto

Almost sumptuous rooms and a very friendly and competent staff. Very well located for tourist purposes.

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Activity Reviews

Food Tour - OPTIONAL (not included in the price)

Porto

The leader of the tour was knowledgeable, very friendly, and quite humorous. We had a wide range of food and wines. I recommend the experience.

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Dinner with Live Fado Music

Lisbon

Fado music is unique. Hearing it performed in a neighborhood Cafe/ restaurant, by local singers and musicians (plus a proprietress who took a personal interest in our being served and enjoying the multi-course meal.)

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Local recipes, nothing fancy, but good, solid fare. We go back if we again come to Lisbon.

It was a last-minute decision to go to Colombia and we are so glad we did. Michael was exceptional, he was able to put together a trip that included all the things we wanted to see and do in 24 hours. I did not feel stressed out or anxious about the planning once and Michael was always available to answer questions, with quick replies and very helpful suggestions.
We ended up making a change to our Cartagena itinerary when we were already in the city, and Michael was not only supportive and put together a detailed list of different activities, but he also covered half the cost of our trip to El Totumo Mud Volcano (we decided against a second beach day). Our visit to Medellin surpassed our expectations. Our guide Manuela was wonderful, very knowledgeable and very passionate about her country and her city that she made us fall in love with it too. We visited Hato la Aurora near Yopal and that was another exceptional and one-of-a-kind adventure. Although we did not see any jaguars (the guides tried very hard until the last minute to find them), we saw a lot of wildlife. The staff at Juan Solito were the friendliest and kindest and our guides (Samantha, Anisetto, Jason, Carlos…) were all fantastic. Our guide Jorge in Cartagena was very professional, very polite, and very considerate and I highly recommend Nacar Hotel Cartagena.
I can’t say enough good things about Michael. It was really a joy to work with him. He was so reliable, had an answer to everything and made us feel really valued as clients.

Hotel Reviews

Nacar Hotel Cartagena, Curio Collection by Hilton

Cartagena

Beautiful and charming hotel in a great location. Highly recommend it. Spacious rooms, nice amenities, comfortable beds, soft linens and good towels. Great little pool, perfect for chilling with a cold beverage.

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Juan Solito Ecolodge

Hato la Aurora

It was a charming lodge in the middle of nature, but I wish the rooms were a little cleaner. I don't mind bugs in the room that are alive given the location and the nature of the lodge, but there really should not have been dead ones in the room. It just means that it was even as much as swept before we got there, which is the bare minimum.

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Landmark Hotel Medellín

Medellín

Very nice hotel, friendly and helpful staff and they have a washer and dryer for the guests, which was super practical and nice not to pack dirty laundry. More hotels should have that.

Authenticity & Character

Location

it was in a really nice and safe neighborhoods, close to good restaurants that we could walk to at night alone.

Staff

all of them

Cleanliness & Comfort

the rooms were very clean, but the towels, sheets and mattress could be better.

Activity Reviews

Tour to Totumo Volcano

Cartagena

we did not expect to have this much fun at this volcano. one of a kind and very memorable experience.

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Rosario Islands Day Trip

Cartagena

This was the least fun activity. The beach was very small and a couple water activities only. We went snorkeling (very unhealthy reef, which is super sad. they feed the fish, also did not feel right) and somehow lost our guide and boat, so it was a little stressful trying to find him and the boat.

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Cartagena Street Food Tour

Cartagena

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Cartagena City Tour

Cartagena

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Llanos Wildlife Tour (4D/3N)

Colombia

i think it would have made for a much more enjoyable stay had our rooms been a little less dusty and full of dead bugs. hot water would be nice so would AC.

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Peñol Boulder & Guatapé Boat Trip

Medellín

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Medellín Transformation Tour

Medellín

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Fruit Market Tour

Medellín

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The initial planning stages to the execution of our trip, Kim Kim Travel exceeded our expectations. The accommodations recommended were top-notch, and the itinerary was well-organized, allowing us to make the most of our time at each destination. Our favorite hotels were Meninas, H10 Croma, and Hotel Casa Luz. I think we prefer the self guided instruction versus guided tours, so that we can do more on our own timeline. However, both tour guides were wonderful. Marta and her back up were fantastic to communicate with for additional recommendation's and even making reservations. Having a specialist at your fingertips that had a vast knowledge of where we were traveling definitely made this less stressful and most enjoyable. Looking forward to the next adventure.

Hotel Reviews

CoolRooms Palacio de Atocha

Madrid

We were given an upgrade to 1,100 sqft suite and it was the nicest hotel we have ever stayed in. The staff was 5 star.

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Hotel Meninas

Madrid

Very comfortable and loved the black out shade to sleep in to cure the jet lag.

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Activity Reviews

An Evening of Flamenco

Spain

Great culture, but not for the kids. lol

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Monumental Seville on Foot & Visit Real Alcázar

Seville

The tour guide was a wealth of knowledge and very pleasant.

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A Free Day to Explore Málaga & Beyond

Málaga

This was my kids favorite spot. They loved the walk to the beach.

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Self-Drive {{start_location}} to {{end_location}} via Ronda

Spain

This was a great experience. Beautiful drive and worth the day trip to have lunch over the gorge.

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Our flight was cancelled that required a major change for the first several days of our trip. The kimkim team was amazing helping us get rebooked in tours, alternates to a missed train transfer, hew pickups and more. In a world with almost no customer service, I was shocked at how wonderful they were!

Hotel Reviews

Apartamentos Cuna 41

Sevilla

Very strong smoke smell on outdoor space in the apartment

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Palacio Almagra

Granada

Wonderful location but very small for 5.

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No staff to soeak of

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Activity Reviews

Tapas Cooking Class & Market Visit

Málaga

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Private Countryside Horseback Ride

Seville

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No e

We were 4 friends coming together from different parts of the world for a holiday together. We were meeting after a really long time . Doris from Asia Aventura put together a trip to remember. Planning this trip with Doris was a dream - I found her to be prompt, extremely responsive, quick to understand what we wanted and intuitive to plan ahead. She was unafraid to give us advice when we were overdoing our itinerary and I found her to be extremely forward thinking. The trip itself was seamless. From the selection of the hotels, the guides, the drivers, the kind of sightseeing/experiences - everything was on point. Whenever I reached out to Doris with a question or concern, she responded in less than a minute. Doris is an absolutely wonderful travel planner and I strongly recommend her. She is the kind of travel planner you'd want on your side when planning a dream holiday.