Kimkim Trip Reviews

Great trip!
KimKim did a great job in setting us up with a trip we didn't have to think much about, it was all taken care of for us.

I just had a dream, to go to Iceland in March and view the northern lights.

But as a full time student with a part time job, it was quite difficult to plan the specifics of the trip. A few google searches and reddit posts later, I landed on kimkim and paid the reservation amount.

That was literally all I had to do.

They literally took care of every part of my stay, experience and adventures there.

I’d definitely recommend them to all as well as my local specialist Francesca who was always patient with me regarding all my queries!

We had a wonderful trip to Patagonia with the assistance of KimKim and their rep Ana. Our 13 day trip took us through Ushuaia, El Calafate, El Chalten/Fitz Roy and W-Trek at Torres Del Paine. We had wanted to do some customized experiences, such as our own camping - and she was accommodating.
We were welcomed at the start of our trip in Buenos Aires with a welcome gift box with souvenirs, local food/snacks and wine - and also at some other later accommodations there were welcome gifts waiting for us, which was a nice touch.
We did have a couple hiccups with car transfers between locations, but Ana quickly resolved those.
As for our itinerary - I think we did as much as we could in a 13 day period. But to fully experience both the Argentina and Chile side of Patagonia one really would need an extra week, as there was a good amount of things we didn't have time to do on either side. Also with the weather being unpredictable one would want extra time, just because there may be days you can't see much - but that depends on the time of year also (we went in the fall). However this bucket list trip was epic nonetheless and we will treasure the memories forever.

Hotel Reviews

Hotel Madero

Buenos Aires

Upscale hotel with welcoming staff

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hostería América

Ushuaia

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hosteria Senderos

El Chalten

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Los Canelos Hostería

El Calafate

Smaller rooms than our stays in Ushuaia and El Chalten which was odd given this is a larger city than those two, but otherwise beautiful hotel

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Weskar Lodge

Puerto Natales

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Refugio Paine Grande

Puerto Natales, Chile

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Esmeralda Lagoon Trek & Lunch

Ushuaia

Gable Island and Penguin Colony with Harberton Ranch

Ushuaia

Laguna de los Tres Trek

El Chaltén

Estancia Cristina Discovery Trek

El Calafate

Wow! What an amazing trip our family had in Costa Rica! I want to first thank Jean Carlo for providing us with the best itinerary. We wanted to have an adventurous week and he delivered beyond our expectations! He was always available for suggestions and answered all our questions and concerns immediately. He stayed in touch with us from day 1 up until we landed at home. JC you exceeded our expectations! Well done my friend! Now, let's talk about Costa Rica! I have never experienced a trip like this with so many moving parts in just a weeks time! I was amazed to say the least, how everyone involved was so extremely organized! It was very impressive to say the least! Not one leg of our trip was late, delayed, or canceled. We hopped around to a different town every 2 days and it was amazing how well organized everyone was. From vans, buses, boats & more vans! Well Done! All the hotel staff, drivers, restaurant staff was so pleasant, accommodating and nice! Some of the worlds nicest people in Costa Rica! Shout out to Gabriel at La Senda. We felt like his family in just 2 days! Another shout out to Diego at Leyenda Hotel! You also did amazing job at making us feel at home and catering to all our meals! He even suggested the kitchen would prepare our fish from the fishing trip for us for dinner! And man, did the all kitchen/restaurant staff at Leyenda Hotel produce! We had the best Mahi dinner to date! Also, let's not forget the spa at Leyenda, Oblivion. You treated us to the best start of our day for a mother/daughter spa experience while the boys fished. Thank you Lawlin (excuse spelling). She was the best! And to the fishing Charter crew, you were awesome! Thanks to William who got us to back to the airport. Even though we didn't want to leave! Another fun part of the trip was white water rafting! A huge shout out to the crew and staff at Whitewater on Pacuare River from Arenal/La Fortuna. Grailin (oops spelling) you all were the best! Thanks to 💯 Aventura Nature Park for a thrilling canopy/zip lining experience! What a thrill!!!! And the hikes for our nighttime walk and day hike to hanging bridges in Monteverde, cloud forest . We ended our trip at Leyenda Hotel and visited one of the most beautiful beaches in the world! What an amazing 2 days at Carillo beach. How pristine and beautiful! Thank you everyone that made our week so special and I apologize for not mentioning everyone's name! We loved visiting the countryside of Costa Rica! It was so clean and beautiful with the nicest people! You truly live by your words- Pura Vida! We are so blessed to have experienced it with you! Pura Vida!! The Wulf Family, NC

Hotel Reviews

Leyenda Boutique Hotel and Spa

Hojancha Guanacaste

Thank you for an amazing stay at your beautiful hotel! Such a special place! The grounds were beautiful! Shout out to Diego, restaurant staff & Lawlin, at the spa! You and the hotel staff are amazing!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Volcano Lodge, Hotel & Thermal Experience

San Carlos, Alajuela

Thank you for an amazing stay! The hotel staff is amazing!! What a beautiful place and awesome views of the volcano!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Senda Monteverde Hotel

Monteverde

Thank you for an amazing stay! You have a very special place! Thank you Gabriel for making us feel like family! You and all the staff were amazing! Pura Vida!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Night Walk

Monteverde

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Hanging Bridges & Zip Lining

Monteverde

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Day Rafting Trip on the Río Pacuare

Arenal/La Fortuna

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Fishing at Samara

Sámara

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Everything was super smooth and when we had a cancellation (because of weather), Michael was super responsive and helpful. We had a fabulous time.

We very much enjoyed our time hiking in Chingaza. It was not on our original wish list and yet was maybe our favorite part. The guides were very helpful. We loved meeting the local guide and his family (and dogs). The area was beautiful. I was a little disappointed to not make it to the lake but the altitude was a challenge!

Our favorite accommodation was the Senda Watapuy in the Tayrona area. I could have spent a day just lounging and enjoying the birds and plants and beauty of the place. The accommodations themselves were also super comfortable. I would have loved to know what else to explore in that area.

All of our guides were great - personable and knowledgeable and also they were often able to provide restaurant recommendations that were delicious. We ate well!

Abdellah, Said, Ali, and the best SAMIR, our driver!!! All were so accommodating!! Samir really took care of us and went out of his way to comfort us.

Amazing trip. Sallam is an incredible driver with an even better sense of humor. A true joy.

We started off at the Al Hassan Mosque 🕌 in Casablanca, and just when you thought things couldn’t get more memorable, they did. Our first night was in the blue city of Chefchouaen. Our family of 4 (teenagers) loved exploring this Medina in the evening. We were surprised though of all the garbage and the smell of cat pee. If you can beyond that, the experience and vistas are incredible. We stayed at the Dar Jasmine, which was a hike up, but the views were definitely worth it from the top. We loved the food in Meknes. This was probably one of our favourites when our amazing driver, Faisal, took us to the restaurant in the palace to eat. One dish that MUST be tried is the ‘Pastille’. Our kids actually ate the vegetables when they normally turn those down. My husbands favourite was touring the ruins of Volubilis . This is definitely worth the stop on the way to Fes. Our experience with eating with a local Fes family was likely one of the more highlights of our trip. They had us dancing and gave us traditional clothes to try on. It was such a fun and special evening; one we will never forget. We very much enjoyed our guide, Mohammed, who took us through the labyrinth maze of the Fes Medina. This was my daughter’s favourite part of the trip. Mohammed was so knowledgeable and taught us so much, in addition to bringing us right into the heart and soul of Morocco. One of the biggest highlights for my son would have to be riding a camel and ATV’ing at the famous sand dunes of Erg Chebbi. He loved the adventure. We had an excellent guide, Ali, who took us around to some of the Berber villages. I will never forget seeing a 2 week old camel and getting to kick a soccer ball around with some beautiful kids. Essouria had such a relaxed feel: it was here that we had some family down time and we really appreciated it. We found the food to be overpriced , especially the fish, but we loved the ocean vibe and the Medina which wasn’t so overwhelming. Finally, Marrakech we had so much fun and laughs. We loved the energy of this city and we really enjoyed our guide, Hannad who showed us so many things. Our ryad , Palais Sebban, has an amazing outdoor lounge/ swimming/ eating area where you could just relax with the family. We did not like our bedroom. It was small and smelled it our kids had an amazing room which made up for the lacking of ours.

Amazing trip in Jordan! excellent organisation of the trip.
Our driver was always very punctual and very helpful.

Hotel Reviews

Petra Moon Hotel

Wadi Musa

Food in dinner to be improved.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Movenpick Dead Sea Spa & Resort

Sweimeh, Amman

Excellent Hotel!!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Shams al weibdeh hotel apartment

Amman

Very friendly staff, but I would suggest improving the cleanliness of the room and the quality of the food in the breakfast.

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Wadi Rum Bubble Luxotel

Wadi Rum, Petra

The food at dinner should definitely be improved. In a 5-star hotel there should be more choice! Excellent whirlpool!!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Intercontinental Amman

Amman

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Full Day Petra (With Site local Guide or private guide)

Petra

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Amman-Madaba-Mount Nebo-Karak-Petra

Jordan

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Amman-Jarash-Ajloun-Amman

Jordan

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Meet & Assist - Queen Alia Airport

Jordan

RUM - FREE TIME ON YOUR OWN

Jordan

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Michael was a font of information and a great collaborator for planning a trip with my two teenagers to Colombia. We went from Cartagena, up the coast through Tayrona National Park, to Minca, and left from Santa Marta. Michael was very attentive to details and customized the trip according to our varied interests and our budget.

We especially loved going to the market and cooking in Cartagena, and also our bicycle tour there. The jungle bungalows in Tayrona were so sweet, complete with a gemlike pool and a resident dancing parrot. Our tour of La Victoria coffee plantation, where the machines have been in use since the 1890's, was so interesting followed by a hike to the local waterfall.

We felt happy for easy transfers, nice accommodations, and most of all for the friendly, knowledgable people we were connected to along the way.

Hotel Reviews

Villa Maria Tayrona, a Kali Hotels

Los Naranjos

We loved this hotel. It's a gorgeous setting with beautiful individual bungalows set along paths on the jungle hillside and a lovely blue swimming pool. Lila the dancing parrot made us laugh, and everyone who worked there couldn't have been nicer. Yummy breakfast.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

So comfortable and clean. Not a lot of hot water.

Sweet Harmony by Xarm Hotels

Minca, Magdalena

This hotel set on the hill above Minca was simple and comfortable. We were in the main building in rooms with a very nice shared patio and a gorgeous view. Going down the hillside to the river were individual bungalows. We enjoyed swimming in the river. The staff was very nice and helpful.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Very clean and comfortable. Ceiling fans, not AC, in our rooms, but the night was cooler than the day.

Activity Reviews

Cartagena Bike Tour

Cartagena

Jorge, subbiing in for Carolina, was so knowledgable and articulate. We tried corozo juice from a street vendor and local sweets. Jorge had an easy way of conveying the history of the city through streets, statues, and architecture all the way back to the 1600's. Plus we saw a sloth and monkeys in the parks. A great afternoon.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Our driver Harold in Cartagena was great.

Rosario Islands Day Trip

Cartagena

It was a gorgeous day for a boat ride, but our landing spot on a small private beach with lots of other people was a little disappointing. We each had a shaded chair, and the people working there were nice, but we were very close to everyone else and beach just so-so. Snorkeling also (an extra fee) was fine but not great. Maybe there is another destination in the Rosario Islands that is prettier and more special?

Quality of Experience

Destination spot.

Food

Authentic. Homey.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Carolina was right there to pick us up and make sure we got to the right boat on time. Boat drivers were OK

Transport

Car to and from was great. Boat a little dangerous (says the one who captains day charters in our group).

Market Visit & Cooking Class

Cartagena

One of our favorite things. Good to get out of the Old City. The market is not a pretty setting, but there was a lot of activity, and our chef-teacher picked delicious items all the way through. The cooking class was on a shaded hotel room with an outdoor kitchen in Getsamani. Delicious and fun.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Hike Tayrona National Park

Tayrona National Park

This park is so pretty. The teenagers opted out of the hot hike, but I spotted capuchin monkeys, birds, an anteater, and sloth. My guide was very good and passionate about the area. He knew a lot about the history, the Kogi people and culture, and the nature. I swam at La Piscina. Cabo San Juan was crowded with Santa Marta daytrippers who came by boat. I had the best ceviche of the trip on the beach there.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Tubing on Don Diego River

Colombia

Our guide knew a lot about local history and the Tayrona people. We somehow didn't realize we had a hot, 45 minute uphill hike before we got to the river. There was a pretty little museum of artifacts at the top. The river trip guide was a very nice, but the river itself was beyond sleepy. We met other people who had gone down rivers with a bit more current. A sleepy, sunny morning on the water.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Coffee Farm & Village Tour

Minca

This was much more fun than we anticipated. The 130-year-old machines from England, our knowledgable guide Jamie who grew up on the farm, and learning about the process from little plant to roasted bean was so intertesting. Our hike to Marinka falls for lunch and a swim after made for a really nice afternoon.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Santa Marta City Tour

Colombia

Our guide Al here was a bit odd. We were also worn out, but we jumped ship on this tour halfway through.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

KimKim’s team was fantastic. Great communication, prompt responses. The team helped our group plan some tours in Costa Rica, no question would use their services again. Thanks Kimkim team.

After problems with the reservations at the first hotel in Santiago, the rest of the trip went very smoothly and was a wonderful introduction to the country. Every guide and service provided was exactly on time, professional, engaging and fluent in English. It's hard to identfy one as better than another. I could not have been more pleased with the local service providers. When a glitch occurred because of the Valley of the Moon excusrion was rained out, the schedule was quickly rearranged to accommodate our needs. Every internal flight was on time and the drivers got us to the airports in plenty of time. We were never rushed. The accommodations in San Pedro and in Puerto Varas were outstanding. The hotels' food was very good so we ate most of the meals there. I recommend substituting for the RQ Stay Santa Magadena. While the location is good, the hotel room itself has numerous deficiencies.

Our entire trip to Colombia was fantastic. From the very start, all the way throughout the trip, Michael at KimKim did a fantastic job helping us plan the trip and communicating. During the trip, we had a series of amazing tourguides. In fact, we truly felt like royalty because we were treated so well.
In Medellin, our tour guide, Miguel, did an absolutely outstanding job leading us through the 'Medellin Transformation Tour'. He gave us a great experience and insights that we would never of had otherwise. We very highly recommend Miguel's Medellin Transformation tour to anyone visiting Medellin.
While we were in the beautiful Pereia / Salento region, Gustavo led us on an amazing two day tour that included bathing in volcanic hot springs, a beautiful hike to see giant Wax Palms, to a personal tour of a small coffee farm.

The people of Colombia were wonderful and we felt safe the entire time.
The bottom line is we had a great time and we highly recommend anyone interested in meeting new people and seeing the beauty of nature to visit Colombia and consider using KimKim's services to make the trip truly memorable and stress free.

Hotel Reviews

Los Patios Hostel

This hotel was centrally located to a lot of fun activities and night life. The staff were fantastic. The room was clean. The hotel and surrounding area are very welcoming and LGBTQ+ friendly.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Terrazas de Salento

Terrazas de Salento, Colombia

This was truly the most amazing hotel we have ever stayed. The staff was fantastic. The building was beautiful and the view was breathtaking.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Tayrona Tented Lodge

This is a great hotel for value seeking travelers. It is right on the beach just a two minute walk from Consteno Beach Hostal. Two great resturants and bars are next door and the staff was very helpful and friendly.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Medellín Transformation Tour

Medellín

Our tour guide, Miguel was absolutely amazing. He really took the time to explain the history and current state of the city of Medellin and the Comuna 13 district. We visited several locations with historical significance as well as had several great interactions with local artists. We could not imagine a better tour or a better tour guide. We *highly* recommend the Medellin Transformation Tour and Miguel.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Santa Rosa Hot Springs

Colombia

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Tour Peñol & Guatapé

Medellín

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Visit Cocora Valley, Coffee Farm & Salento

Salento

Gustavo was an amazing tour guide. We could not have hoped for a better experience. We highly recommend anyone visiting Colombia to consider taking this tour. If you do, ask for Gustavo, you won't be disappointed!

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Hike Tayrona National Park

Tayrona National Park

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Karenina was very helpful and responsive to our various changes, but the biggest takeaway I have is that six days are not enough for a visit to Portugal, with Porto in particular needing at least four days. That was our limitation, not hers, but when we come back, we will allow enough time for a proper visit. In Lisbon, the first day tour was comprehensive but a bit of a forced march to cover everything - we reached our daily step goal on the tour alone. Our guide for the Sintra side trip on the second day was great and very charming, making sure that we experienced everything from the 19th century palace to the westernmost point in Europe as well as the port of Caiscas. We took it a bit easier on the third day, visiting the flea market but managing to get on the ferry to Barreiro rather than Cacilhas. (A little more guidance on the Lisbon ferry terminals would have been helpful. Also, the suggestions for street markets should take into account the actual days of the visit.) We managed to find a decent seafood restaurant, where we ordered our fish by pointing at the dorade, a definitely non touristico place. The transit to Porto was excellent. We were too tired to visit the university but we had a good time with an outdoor lunch. Our guide to the Douro Valley was outstanding, making sure that we experienced everything, and his choice of a winery turned out to be inspired, with a home cooked meal to accompany the four wines that we tasted and great company and talk. We were fortunate on the last day to have the owner of the tour company guide us, as she was beyond exuberant and was a whole lot of fun for us both. The transfer back was fine and the airport hotel perfectly located for our early morning flight. All in all, one of our best vacations.

Activity Reviews

Lisbon Foodie Experience

Lisbon

The guide was excellent and the choice of restaurants very good

Get to Know Lisbon with a Local

Lisbon

We had just completed a two week group tour of Morocco, so we were a little tired of touring, but the guide kept us moving and we saw a great deal of the central part of Lisbon.

Fado Dinner Experience

Lisbon

The evening was okay but a bit commercial, like being on a cruise ship tour.

Private Day Excursion: Sintra, Cascais & Estoril

Portugal

The guide was great and helpful through out the day, getting us to three excellent spots with time on our own to enjoy each.

Private Transfer {{start_location}} to {{end_location}} via Coimbra

Portugal

The drive/guide was excellent but we were running out of steam after having been on the road and touring for almost three weeks, but we did enjoy our lunch and wandering the down town area.

Vintage Car Tour of Porto

Porto

I was doubtful about being a spectacle in the car, but both the drive and our guide, the latter the owner of the tour company, made the whole visit a fun time.

Day Excursion to Douro Valley: Wine Tasting & River Cruise

Porto

The drive/guide was outstanding in making sure that we experienced the Douro Valley, and his choice of a winery was excellent.

Julia was so wonderful! Both before the trip and during the trip, she was so communicative and could help with anything I asked. Even when I got sick during the trip, she was so helpful with where to go for help. Could not have asked for a better local specialist!!! She truly helped plan a perfect trip, catered to us! The only thing I would change (not really specific to Julia) is not booking things in advance that didn't necessarily need to be booked in advance to save the spot if you're someone who might change things (for ex. the bus ticket to the airport if you might end up taking a taxi). I understand booking them in advance so you have the ticket available, if you're someone that sticks to a plan! Otherwise, would do this exact trip all again!

A fantastic holiday from start to finish.
Samir our driver/guide looked after us extremely well for the whole week from airport to airport.
He is passionate about Morocco and his enthusiasm definitely helped bring our trip to life.

We had the best trip ever! Everyone was so nice. The attention to detail was amazing. I highly recommend Team KimKim. Their communication and accessibility was on point. We could have never organized the adventure that we had, without them. They were so organized with every excursion, driver, event, and anything else that you wanted to do. Truly an amazing experience.

Hotel Reviews

Country Inn & Suites by Radisson, San Jose Aeropuerto

San José

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Volcano Lodge, Hotel & Thermal Experience

San Carlos, Alajuela

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Leyenda Boutique Hotel and Spa

Hojancha Guanacaste

This place was amazing! Diego was the best. We went deep see fishing and brought back Mahi Mahi filets and the prepared us cerviche for appetizer, phenomenal garlic butter filets for my wife and I, and fried fish fingers for my kids. It was phenomenal.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Senda Monteverde Hotel

Monteverde

This place is the best!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Night Walk

Monteverde

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Hanging Bridges & Zip Lining

Monteverde

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Day Rafting Trip on the Río Pacuare

Arenal/La Fortuna

Phenomenal trip. Perfect rapids and a ton of fun for the whole family

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Fishing at Samara

Sámara

Great time. Reeled in some monsters!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Working with Said and planning our trip was smooth and easy. He was responsive and was very accommodating when we had a sudden change of plans. Our driver, Soukaina, was punctual and greeted us each day with a hug and a smile. I would definitely request her! The trip was a good balance of tours and free time and we didn't feel rushed despite seeing many cities and stops.

My family of four (my husband, myself, and two sons ages 8 and 6) just returned from an incredible 10-day tour of Morocco with Kim Kim and Original Travels. Our itinerary was Casablanca > Chefchaoen > Fes > Merzouga > Ait Benhaddou > Marrakesh > Essaouira. Kim Kim did an excellent job of helping me start the process of planning the trip. Original Travel, and my contact Said, were meticulous, helpful, and responsive in suggesting an itinerary, answering my questions and concerns, and above all planning an amazing trip. They provided extraordinary service and attended to all our needs. When I had a credit card mishap and delay, they extended the payment deadline to accommodate my needs. Said, my contact, even went out of his way to meet with us at our Marrakesh hotel with one of the owners to offer us a personal welcome and ask for our input on how things were going. He was eager to hear any of our suggestions for improvement, of which we had very few! The itinerary was amazing, featuring some of the places that I had requested and others I wouldn’t have known to request but would have regretted missing.

The hotels were well chosen, curated to give us a sense of the best of the country and its hospitality. A couple of the hotels were some of the most exquisite buildings I had ever stayed in after four decades of travel over six continents. The tours were comprehensive and engaging. The pinnacle experience of many was the overnight stay in the Sahara desert. Riding camels for 2-hours into the dunes over sunset to stay in a luxury camp with full bathrooms in fancy tents, eating delicious fresh grilled food and then gathering around the fire for live music played by our hosts is a memory I will not soon forget.

Besides the incredible scenery and the introduction to a vibrant and beautiful culture, the standout of our experience was our driver Abdelhadi. He was kind, caring, professional, prompt, personable, and helpful. He provided outstanding service as a driver-guide, sometimes taking the lead in interpreting the towns and sites we visited, and sometimes taking backseat to another local guide. In all cases, he made us feel utterly taken care of. He was always ready when we needed him, checking in every morning and evening via What’sApp to see if there was anything we needed and to coordinate our plans for our next meeting. He was our boon companion for 10 full days, sticking around when needed and giving us space whenever appropriate. He also had a preternatural ability to anticipate all of our needs and provide for them before we realized that we had them. He was gifted in relating to people, making people feel comfortable, and most of all in engaging with our children. He bought them treats and toys and was always making sure to converse with them. By the end my kids were hugging him every morning. My kids insisted on staying in touch with Abdelhadi! My 8-year-old son made sure I included the following quote about Abdelhadi in this review: “He is amazing and we will miss him.” It takes an incredible range of skills to be a driver for a foreign family for 10 full days and be just the right balance of present and respectful of our needs.

I highly recommend Original Travel and their Morocco tour. My only complaint with our experience comes down to my own ambition: I wanted to see everything in the ten days we had. I ended up asking to do too much in too little time! For anyone reading this, we could have done the same itinerary in twice the time, giving us more time to soak in the experiences and be sure to have enough down time so that we could enjoy one incredible cultural destination after another.

It was a nice trip overall. The tours were great and we enjoyed learning about the history of Portugal. The food tour with Ilana was awesome, especially as it catered to my friends taste being vegetarian.
The day trip to Sintra was also good. In hindsight I would probably just do only Sintra and spend the day there.

Karenina was great - she answered all my questions prior to the trip. She also re-arranged things for us when things didnt go according to plan which was really nice of her.

Hotel Review

Hotel Dom Carlos Park

Lisbon

The service at the hotel was not good at all. My friend encountered a lovely receptionist on the first day. But the person we spoke to on the fourth night was very unhelpful and couldn't be bothered to help with us having a breakfast bag the next day as we were leaving early. We did have the breakfast bag only because the nice receptionist on the first day had made a note. But it did sour our experience of the trip just because of one person. Would definitely not be recommending this hotel to anyone or to have it as your place of stay in Lisbon.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Review

Lisbon Roots, Food & Cultural Walk

Portugal

Good choice of food, especially catering to vegetarians.