Kimkim Trip Reviews

Everyone was wonderful, especially Horn. He was always available and helped us a lot.

Hotel Reviews

Sokkhak Boutique Resort

Siem Reap City

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Penh House

Phnom Penh

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Siem Reap to Phnom Penh Airport (for Christian & Vanessa)

Cambodia

Foodie Tour at 3 of Siem Reap's best restaurants

Siem Reap

A morning with the elephants at Kulen Elephant Forest (transfer by car to/from starting point in Siem Reap town)

Siem Reap

Phare, the Cambodian Circus (Seat B - open seating in the rear half of the middle seating area)

Siem Reap

Siem Reap City Tour with Apopo HeroRats & Artisans of Satcha

Siem Reap

Sunrise (and return to hotel for breakfast)

Siem Reap

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

HAVEN Restaurant

Siem Reap

Food

Angkor Thom (morning) by remork

Siem Reap

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Late afternoon until evening foodie tour

Phnom Penh

Food

Tuol Sleng & Russian Market

Phnom Penh

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Afternoon at leisure (guide and driver at disposal)

Siem Reap

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Hidden Temples Cycling (half day)

Siem Reap

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Ox cart ride, Village Activities & Sunset drinks in the rice fields

Siem Reap

Transport

{{start_location}} to {{end_location}} via Spean Praptos, Santuk for lunch & Skuon

Cambodia

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Central Market

Phnom Penh

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Royal Palace

Phnom Penh

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Champey Academy of Arts

Phnom Penh

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Our first guide Duke was fantastic, so knowledgeable and kind. He was wonderful. Always on time, showed us amazing animals, could not have been better. Then we went to Saloma's homestay. What a lovely person and house! Again she knew so much about jungle cuisine and took us to amazing places. We had a great tour of a longhouse by Jordon? And then William took us around a village and for a night tour. He was so interesting to listen to. The highlight of our trip was Saloma and her parents taking us to their jungle farm for a wonderful lunch. The waterfalls were beautiful. After the homestay we went to Damai Resort. While it looked a little tired it was very comfortable, great staff and an outstanding pool. The nearby cultural village was wonderful. John and Hum took us for a great river tour where we saw dolphins, crocodiles, and monkeys, which was amazing. I forgot to mention that Duke took us to Bako National Park, excellent, the orangutan sanctuary (fantastic) and the amazing fairy cave. All throughout the people were lovely and the food was amazing

Hotel Reviews

Damai Beach Resort

Great pool and lovely staff

Authenticity & Character

Maybe it's due for a refurb

Location

Near wetlands and a cultural village

Staff

They answered every question and were helpful with luggage and a late check out

Cleanliness & Comfort

Nice big clean room and the pool was really clean

Saloma Homestay

This was an outstanding experience. Saloma and her family were so kind and welcoming. We had a magnificent jungle meal, swims in waterfalls, met the children in a local school, the house was so beautiful everywhere you looked, I just loved it!

Authenticity & Character

Alot of the house of made of bamboo and rattan which made it beautiful

Location

Near a waterfall, the jungle and a village

Staff

Saloma herself, I felt like I had known her for ever, she is lovely, funny and kind! Such a great example of a person! It's great how she involves the local people in her business

Cleanliness & Comfort

The bed and pillows were perfect!

Limetree Hotel

Comfortable bed, wonderful food and helpful staff

Authenticity & Character

Location

Very close to chinatown

Staff

Made us a take away breakfast

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Mangrove & Dolphins Cruise

Santubong

Seeing dolphins, crocodiles and monkeys, so great! And beautiful mangroves with John and Him being able to see where animals were so well

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Semenggoh Orangutan Centre Visit

Kuching

This was a real highlight. We were six metres away from a massive orangutan who stuck around for about an hour! Incredible to see him break open a coconut

Quality of Experience

Amazing to see such a large wild animal up close

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Duke knew so much

Transport

Bako National Park Daytrip

Kuching

Saw so many things, beautiful jungle, probiscus monkeys, and two other kinds of monkey. Saw snakes, a perfect length walk

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Duke knew an incredible amount about everything!

Transport

Comfortable

Arrival Transfer from Kuching Airport to Hotel

Kuching

Duke was right on time and lovely to us

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

So patient kind and knowledgeable

Transport

Comfortable van

Moonika was always quick to respond to my questions. She also was able to make adjustments to the itinerary when I was delayed arriving in Helsinki so I didn’t miss any activities.

We loved our trip to Italy! Overall, we found Italian people to be extremely friendly and welcoming. In Rome, Charme Spagna was a lovely hotel with very helpful staff. The location is convenient and offered delicious breakfast and coffee. We enjoyed the outdoor courtyard area. The staff provided excellent restaurant recommendations and was helpful in making dinner reservations. Tania provided an excellent tour of the Vatican and Davide was extremely knowledgeable about the Colosseum and Forum. Our cooking class was fun, learning to make tiramisu & fettuccine. In Florence, 7B was another lovely hotel with a convenient location near the train station. Again, excellent restaurant recommendations. We were appreciative of the staff helping make our dinner reservations and coordinating our taxis. We loved our afternoon tour with Gilda. She did a wonderful job of sharing her love of the city’s art and history. We also enjoyed our day tour of Tuscany, especially our lunch and wine tasting at Tenuta Torciana. In Venice, Carnivale Palace was another very nice hotel! They were very helpful with nearby restaurant recommendations and reservations. It was fun to learn how to row like a Venetian with Nan and the cichettas were delicious! Our visit to Murano and Burano was also very nice. I loved everything about our trip. Experiencing the Italian culture, art, landmarks, language, pasta, gelato, coffee & wine was truly special!

Hotel Reviews

Hotel Carnival Palace

Venice

Very nice hotel, excellent breakfast options and helpful staff.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

7Florence B&B

Florence

Lovely hotel, excellent breakfast options. Staff was very friendly and helpful. Appreciated their help with restaurants and taxis. Location is very convenient to train station.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Charme Spagna Boutique Hotel

Rome

Excellent location, delicious breakfast and coffee. Enjoyed the outdoor courtyard area. Appreciated the staff’s restaurant recommendations, and assistance with reservations.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Cicchetto and Gondola Experience | Row and Eat Like a Venetian

Venice

Nan was a fun & patient teacher! The cichettos were delicious.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Colosseum & Ancient Rome Tour with Roman Forum

Rome

Davide was very knowledgeable about the history of these sites. We learned a lot!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Explore St. Mark's Basilica and The Doge's Palace

Venice

Sarah was extremely knowledgeable about the history & did a great job sharing with us.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Tuscany Day Trip: San Gimignano, Siena & Monteriggioni

Florence

We especially enjoyed our lunch & wine tasting at Tenuta Torciano!

Quality of Experience

Food

Private Florence Historic Walking Tour

Florence

Gilda was an excellent guide! She personalized our tour for us. She is wonderful at sharing her love of Florence’s art & history.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Ravioli & Tiramisù making class in Rome

Rome

It was fun to learn to make tiramisu & fettuccine! Our teacher was kind, patient & very knowledgeable!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Highlights of the Vatican & Sistine Chapel Tour

Italy

Tania shared so much history & knowledge!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

What a fantastic trip to Vietnam and kudos to Long, my local Travel Specialist at kimkim (Real Asia) in planning and booking a memorable action packed trip.

Long was professional and responsive from the initial planning phase to the last day of our trip. The itinerary went through various iteration due to unexpected flight changes (no fault to kimkim), and from planning a solo trip to a couple's trip. Long was flexible, always with a positive attitude and made changes (sometimes on the same day) as needed.

We had a short 9 days in Vietnam and covered quite a lot of grounds & sights (Ho Chi Ming City, Hue, Hoi Ann & Hanoi). Some of the highlights were:
- Saigon vespa by night : street food with female riders in traditional Ao Dai. Our tour guide Jenny and her team mate Titus were both lovely and we had the most fun zipping around on a Vespa the city eating, and sightseeing.
- We enjoyed visiting the Cu Chi Tunnels and learning about the network of underground passages used by Viet Cong during the Vietnam War.
- Visit to the Hue imperial citadel & Hoi Ann is a must
- 1 day cruise to the HaLong Bay with Jade Sail - It was the perfect day on a luxury vessel with attentive staff and good food.

We were more than thrilled with the hotels. In particular, we were most impressed with La Siesta in Hoi Ann and Silk Path Grand in Hue. These two properties are just wonderful and exceeded our expectations in everyway (the service, the ambience, etc). We wished we had more time to enjoy the spa, amenities & facilities thoroughly.

Overall, we were very happy with our Vietnam trip and we have Long and the wonderful local guides to thank. Big shout out to Jenny, Titus & Tony in Saigon and James in Hue/Hoi Ann.

Hotel Reviews

Silk Path Grand Hue

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

La Siesta Hoi An Resort & Spa

Hoi An

The spa is phenomenal! Wished our stay was longer!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Caravelle Saigon

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Cycling in Cam Thanh & Thanh Dong Organic Farm Visit

Vietnam

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Halong Bay Day Trip (Jade Sails)

Hanoi

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Explore the Cu Chi Tunnels

Ho Chi Minh City

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Hoi An Night Market and Boat Trip With Lantern Releasing

Hoi An

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Touch the History of Former Imperial Capital - Hue Full Day Sightseeing

Hue

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Saigon By Night - Vintage Vespa Street Food Tour

Ho Chi Minh City

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Jenny & Titus were superb and so much fun to spend the night with.

Transport

Stylish and well maintained Vespas!

The local specialist at Serendipity Tours made our first trip to Costa Rica so memorable.
Not having to worry about all the planning details took such a load off my mind as I was busy working up until the minute we got on the plane!
They created an itinerary that was well balanced with adventurous activities, learning and downtime.
We were able to see different areas of the country without feeling like we were running ourselves ragged.
The guides and our drivers were so friendly, knowledgeable and kind.
Our main driver, Alex, was awesome and made us feel so comfortable.
River rafting on the Balsa river was the highlight.
There were no issues with reservations or logistics.
Wilman helped arrange last minute changes in our activities and was very attentive, checking in to make sure our trip was going smoothly.
Thanks for a wonderful trip.

Hotel Reviews

Hotel Magic Mountain

Fortuna

Great views of Arenal volcano. The pool area is nice. Easy walk to some tasty restaurants. Breakfast buffet was nice. The room was clean.

The Falls at Manuel Antonio

Manuel Antonio

Food and service were great. We did not have a very nice room though. There was no privacy as the room was right above the restaurant. The door was a big sliding glass door and anyone walking by can see into the room. So we had to keep the curtains closed. There was only a tiny window so there was minimal light with the curtains closed. The bathroom could use an update. There are other more private rooms that would have been much nicer.

Cloud Forest Lodge

Monteverde

The room was so spacious, modern and clean. We overlooked the parking and the registration so that wasn't ideal, but the overall property was so lovely, it didn't matter. The lodge is tucked up in the mountains and has several paths to hike. The restaurant has beautiful views and delicious food. Saw a lot of birds and some other wildlife. Very relaxing stay in the cloud forest.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Local Flavors Cooking Experience

Manuel Antonio

This was really fun. Our guide, Karla, from Toucanes tours was so funny and friendly! The food we helped cook was delicious and I am inspired to try making the dish at home. My son enjoyed cooking as well. It was just my son and I so we got all the attention.

Private Manuel Antonio National Park Guided Hike

Costa Rica

You definitely need a guide to see the animals. Don't expect a relaxing time though until you get to the beach. We were running from one place to the next trying to spot the birds and other wildlife. Our guide was very good at making opportunities for use to see animals, but there are so many guides and groups it feels like a competition. We saw a mother and baby sloth very close up which was awesome. The beach is lovely. Despite the crowds, this is definitely a must see place.

Coffee & Chocolate Tour

Costa Rica

Fun learning about coffee and chocolate. Good for kids. We did the night walk as well and it was fun searching for wildlife.

Whitewater Rafting on the Balsa River

Arenal/La Fortuna

So much fun and the guides are terrific. Great for kids. The rapids are fun but not super scary. The class 2 section is gorgeous.

Ecotermales Hotsprings

Costa Rica

Private Guided Nature Walk at Ecological Park & Butterfly Garden Danaus

Costa Rica

Not much to see here. Could have done without this.

Lookout Tram, Ziplines, & Hanging Bridges Combination Adventure

Arenal/La Fortuna

The walk was just ok. Nice views and learned a bit about the rain forest. The real highlight is the zip lining of course.

Kimkim did an incredible job as usual! Alvaro was terrific to work with and and answered all of my questions in a timely manner and worked with us to put together a memorable vacation.

Once we were there Rita was also excellent to work with. She coordinated everything and she was always met us in-person with a bright smile to get our daily plans started.

Overall it was a trip of a lifetime!

This was our first visit to Columbia. Margoth and her team made the experience easy. They are available 24 hrs a day via WhatsApp. Every detail is handled from airport pickup to tours to dinner reservations. Very Grateful for everything.

Dr Joni and Dr Maynard Luterman

Hotel Reviews

Casa Pestagua Relais Châteaux

Cartagena de Indias

Perfect location service was impeccable and the place is beautiful

Authenticity & Character

Location

In the old city

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

The Artisan D.C. Hotel, Autograph Collection

Bogotá

Modern hotel in financial district. Rooms were on the small side, Front desk staff do not speak English. It was the small items like our room had one bathrobe for my wife and I….great Location and overall very nice

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Calanoa Lodge

Leticia

It’s an ecolodge in the rainforest. We had the treehouse. Everyone is very helpful. Its beautiful. It places you in the jungle with the nighttime sounds being magical. Our room had a quiet, Bed withfly nets a small fan and a bathroom. There is No where to hang cloths. Food was excellent and consisted of fish mostly and some chicken. the food is all local. Beer wine and soft drinks can be purchased. It’s hot and very humid. It is the Amazon so be prepared. I would bring no cotton clothing as everything gets damp. There is a lot of walking, Balance and core strength are tested daily so be prepared. There are tours to local areas twice a day. Boat trips are. It was a once in a Lifetime experience.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

It’s hot and humid and not much relief so be prepare d

Activity Reviews

Drums and Music Workshop

Cartagena

Pure joy and fun. I think the people doing the workshop would have done it for free just to have been able to teach and play. They use there music to support the children and to get them off the streets and get them to work together and it showed. The kids were great. The teachers were great. We had so much fun playing all the drum types. No experience necessary I have none lol….

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Walking Tour of Cartagena Highlights (Old City)

Colombia

Our tour guide Anna Maria was lovely spoke perfect English and was a joy to hang with. Tour was fun and well done

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

We had the best time. Firstly Michael, our driver was super. The hotel location was perfect. We were an hours walk from anything we wanted to see and only twice used an uber when it was late at night. The chocolate and pastry tour was lovely as well as the others and Aneta who took us on the fashion tour was outstanding! Loved her.
What an amazing experience! Will use you guys again in future.

We had many changes going into this trip and Ashley handled everything very well. The trip was great

The guides were good and all the dinners were wonderful

We had an excellent experience with Chaska tour. Michael was flexible and prompt in attending to our requests. The various guides were excellent (Maria Rosa, Chef Lili, Oedro and Emmanuel, and guides Sarah and Meilein from 321 Colombia culinary experience packed humor with insights into indigenous knowledge and ecoethical approach to food), Alex, Doriel, Gaby and Juan made the places come alive with historical and other nuggets of information, and our drivers (Hernan, Mauricio, Edgardo) were very safe drivers and engaging with conversation. The trip to Palengue was especially memorable with Gleidys providing very good cultural information. The food at Palengue was fantastic as was the food in almost all restaurants that we ate in. Overall a lovely set of memories. Thanks very much

Activity Reviews

Medellín Transformation Tour

Medellín

The trip to Communa 13 was moving.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Visit to San Basilio de Palenque

Cartagena

A must see for anyone interested in Colombian society and history. The memorial to Biohó who led the escape of slaves, and the tour of the village ahowed ua the resilience of AfroColombians. Our trip was topped with one of the tastiest meals at the village.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Social Dinner-Experience: Colombian Food

Bogotá

Very thoughtfully done by Maria Jose and her team and Chef Lili, Pedro and Emmanuel. We learnt a lot about indigenous knowledges and agroecological concerns around food. Great job 321 Colombia!!

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Guides: The guides on our trip were all good, but our favourites were Victor Tran (Hanoi, Pu Luong, and Ninh Binh) and Wibol (Siem Reap). Victor was very accommodating to our interests and took many photos for us, took care of all payments during our tours and we felt generally very well taken care of. He had a cup of ginger honey lemon tea made for my husband one morning when he was feeling unwell.
Chanh Cao - accompanied us from Hue to Hoi An via Danang - he gave us so much information and was an excellent guide, albeit for a short time

Hotels: I will rank each hotel below:
Hanoi - San Boutique hotel - 3.5* - a quaint hotel with very nice staff; the room was small and bathroom was okay, but shower was a bit dirty as there was a blind in the shower; hotel was feeling a bit dated; breakfast buffet and service were excellent and the rooftop breakfast area was lovely.

Pu Luong - Pu Luong Eco Garden - 4.5* - I would give it 5* except for the first night in room 101. The room had a strong moldy smell throughout and the bathroom tiles smelled of urine. The room was very ‘wet’ in the morning, as the windows were completely covered in moisture. There was mold on some of the wood furniture legs. We were moved to a villa for our next two nights which was lovely. Again, an issue with moisture in the bathroom, but otherwise it was great. The restaurant was very nice and the breakfast was good. The main desk staff and manager, Mr. ?… I would HIGHLY recommend this hotel for its beautiful setting and lovely villas.

Ninh Binh - Le CLos Du Fil - 4.5* - absolutely lovely hotel; great attention to detail; rooms were a good size, bed and bedding very comfortable; lovely robes, slippers and linen touches throughout the room. Blow dryer not attached to the wall was a bonus. Very nice breakfast buffet and dining area. Staff were professional and excellent location. Spa was a bit disorganized and think they recruited people who work in the massage parlours on the street to come for our appointments. Massage was fine. Bikes may need to be updated as some were in disrepair. I would recommend this hotel, however better maintenance is required to keep the hotel in good condition.

Stellar of the Seas - 4.5* our room was on second floor and was very nice. Very clean and lovely amenities, such as robes and a nice tub, shower combo. The boat was very nice and we enjoyed the small size with only 40 people plus staff. Food was excellent and breakfast buffet was also very nice. BBQ one night on the deck was a lot of fun and food very good.

Hue - Rosaleen Boutique Hotel - 2* - this was the worst hotel of our trip. The room was dirty , especially the bathroom area. There was a moldy smell - our friends’ room didn’t have this odor. Hien was good about communicating with the hotel, but aside from adding a room freshener and ‘cleaning’ it more thoroughly, it was still not a nice stay. The photos on the website are deceiving. I would NOT recommend this hotel. The breakfast in the adjacent building was very nice in a nice setting. I will send photos separately.

Hoi An - Cozy A Boutique Hotel - 5* - this was by far the best hotel we stayed at. Every detail was very high quality and the staff were exceptional. The room was well appointed with robes and slippers, a blow dryer that wasn’t attached to the wall. The breakfast and dining area was bright and clean and the food was excellent. The pool area was inviting and there were lots of areas to sit and relax. The bicycles were in new condition and easy to obtain for use. The location was perfect, a nice walk to the busy area, but a bit outside of the area so quieter. I would HIGHLY recommend this hotel.

Ho Chi Minh City - Blue Diamond Luxury Hotel - 3* - Our first room was dark and dreary and the furniture and walls banged up; an update is needed; the second ‘upgraded’ room was on a higher floor, but was tiny with a smaller bed (not King sized) and the bathroom was terrible - a big tub, but a tiny shower with a huge shower head and no room to move, the area shared with the toilet. The bathroom was difficult to use with two people. There was no hot water in the shower. It was generally cleaner than Rosaleen. I wouldn’t recommend this hotel.

Siem Reap - Royal Crown Hotel - 4* - originally we were put in a double deluxe room, and were supposed to be upgraded. We checked and they hadn’t upgraded us (they did upgrade our friends, and we checked in together, so not sure why they got this wrong). The room in the old part of the hotel faced another wall and was dark and a big depressing. The new upgraded room was great, and was in the NEW part of the hotel, overlooking the pool and facing the street. The room was very spacious as was the bathroom. There were robes.

Phnom Penh - LCS Hotel - 3.5* - thankfully we were in an ‘upgraded’ room. The bathroom had an awkward design and the shower flooded the entire tub surround and floor area; we didn’t have enough towels to dry it all up. The room was very comfortable and spacious and clean. The decor in the hotel was dated and some updating had likely happened. The rooftop pool was very nice and the breakfast buffet was fine - excellent coffee. I probably wouldn’t return to this hotel.

Tours:
Hanoi - everything was great. The only thing I would omit was the visit to the art gallery, as we felt like we had to purchase something, and feel that we overpaid for what we got as we say examples of it for the remainder of the trip.
Pu Luong - absolutely loved this part of Vietnam. We loved the rural nature of the area, the rice paddies, hikes and visit to a local school
Ninh Binh - enjoyed the boat tour through the caves and Victor suggested we see Trang An at the time of year that we were visiting, rather than Tam Loc, which is better to view in the autumn. Victor helped us to have a nice experience in this area.
Stellar of the Seas - a nice break in our busy itinerary. We were sad to see the garbage in Halong Bay. Our butler Eric was excellent. The staff was great. Cat Ba Island was our main tour and it was interesting to visit. This was a tour with a larger group.
Hue - enjoyed the architecture of the citadel and the mausoleums; while it was interesting to see how incense is made, we purchased some and it just smells like smoke unfortunately. Not sure how much of this is influenced by the hotel we stayed in, but if I were eliminating a city, it would be Hue.
Hoi An - loved Hoi An - it was nice to have some unstructured time. Visiting the silk factory was interesting. We loved wandering the streets, shopping for custom clothing and local wares. Dining and rooftop patios were great. A very busy city, so glad we had a hotel a little outside of the main area. Riding bikes on a couple of occasions was a lot of fun, especially to An Bang beach. We went to a performance of Teh Dar at the Lune Theatre which was spectacular and I would highly recommend.
Ho Chi Minh City - loved our Vespa food tour - very professional staff and we felt very safe - guide Jason was really good and he made us small souvenir photo books as well as taking and sharing many photos from our night.
Mekong Delta - we were a bit disappointed by how touristy this part of our tour was. The bicycles available were in ill repair, so only two of us could ride.
Siem Reap - Angkor Wat and other temples - great tours - Wibol took lots of fun videos of our experiences.
Ate in an excellent restaurant one night called Haven which is committed to helping local youth to become trained in the hospitality industry - a story I recommend you become familiar with.
Kulen Mountain - enjoyed the rural nature of this tour. Visiting a school in Chan Sa was a highlight. Our local tour guide for this part of the day was excellent. We did need to tip throughout the day, and fortunately we had enough money in the correct amounts to be able to do so. Perhaps let people know to bring money for tipping. On other tours, our guides took care of all of this for us. Could have omitted the ox cart ride.
Tonle Sap Lake - very interesting - shocking to see so much garbage
Phnom Penh - very emotional and moving experience seeing S-21 and Choeung Ed Genocide Centre/Killing Fields - a must see
Overall, an amazing trip!! So memorable. Thank you Hien and the Kim Kim (Realistic Asia) team

Priscila was fantastic to work with. We started planning our trip to Costa Rica much later than we should of and were unsure if we could pull it off. The pieces finally came together only about two weeks before the start of the vacation! Pricila was patient and extraordinarily helpful every step of the way.

During our trip, she regularly stayed in contact and was available for questions we had throughout the trip. Even when we made last-minute changes to our trip, she was there. I don't think we would have been able to pull it off without her help.

All of our excursions and tours were fantastic. Our kids had a blast and we had one of the best family vacations we've ever had. One big surprise was the transportation company, Ride CR. I think we thought that the drivers would be just that - drivers. Instead, they became like a whole additional part of our vacation! They were awesome. A special shout out to Christian who was with us for the whole second half of our trip. He stopped at some amazing restaurants and scenic areas once he knew we were game.

I also want to say thank you to the folks at kimkim for this platform and the ease of use. It took so much of the stress and anxiety out of the process. I even got in touch with another specialist for our future trip to Iceland!

Hotel Reviews

Hotel Plaza Yara

Puntarenas

First, the people who work here are AMAZING. Some of the nicest people we met in Costa Rica (and that says a lot because EVERYONE was nice!). The place was absolutely beautiful, the breakfast was delicious, the rooms were remarkably spacious, and the front desk staff were always there to help with all aspects of our visit. This would be the kind of place I could imagine staying for an entire week. Just outstanding all the way around. On top of that, the front lobby is an art gallery featuring original works by local artists. Several people even bought paintings while we were there and the front desk staff walked them though the whole process of having the paintings shipped back to their homes. If you are planning on visiting the Manuel Antonio area, seriously consider staying there!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Fiesta Resort All Inclusive Central Pacific

Puntarenas

Great place for our whole family. The food was amazing. The rooms were small, but comfortable (but, frankly, we spent very little time in our rooms). Views from the balcony of the room was amazing for ocean views and the sunset. The pools and amenities were great. We spend a good deal of time in the pools, played giant-sized chess, walked on the beach in the moonlight, and had a great time. The food was AMAZING. On our first day, we were limited to the "snack bar," which has burgers, hot dogs, nachos and other fast food. That was ok. But the breakfast and the other meals were fantastic. The only issue we ran into is there was some kind of miscommunication between their reservation specialist (with whom our travel agent, Priscila worked with) and the front desk staff. We were supposed to have an early check-in as we were arriving around 11 am. The young front staff knew nothing about it and said we had to wait until 3pm. Eventually, one of staff who helps with baggage and greets guests - who was older and had worked there for a while - intervened on our behalf and helped get us into a room after a bit. He was helping at the same time Priscila was on the phone with the reservation people. That was a minor set-back, but I wanted to include it because is just showed how often we ran into people who wanted to help and how awesome Priscila was.

Park Inn San José by Radisson

San José

Pretty standard (quite nice) Radisson. We were only here overnight before heading to the airport early in the morning. Again, great staff.

Hotel Mountain Paradise

Fortuna

The people here were really great. They made us feel welcome. I think we just had some bad luck with the room. The room was beautiful and much bigger than we expected. The major problem we had was that the air conditioning did not work in one of the bedrooms and it was really hot. We reported the problem, but it was not fixed. The food was mixed from day to day. We tend not to be picky eaters, but some of the dishes on the buffets were good, others not so much. On the flip side, the views of the volcano were amazing. The grounds were filled with beautiful plants and wildlife. It was a pleasure waking up and getting outside. To be honest, I think part of the problem was that we booked so late and there were limited options for our stay when we booked.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Good bye Costa Rica!

Costa Rica

We're home!

Manuel Antonio National Park Guided Nature Hike

Manuel Antonio

Another "don't miss" experience. We saw squirrel monkeys, white-faced monkeys, howler monkeys, crocodiles, cool spiders and snakes, sloths (one mother with her baby!), and so much more. Our guide was amazing. He also helped us take cell phone pictures through his spotter scope - and we got some great shots! The hike ends with about 30 minutes free time to swim at the beach before heading back. I would have LOVED to spend more time swimming here, because it's so beautiful. But, its just the right amount of time to refresh and get ready for the hike back.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Isla Tortuga Experience

Puntarenas

Unfortunately, we had to cancel this part of our trip. We were looking forward to this so much! But, we tried to pack in too much. We were exhausted from our previous activities and travel, so decided to spend the day in the pools at the resort. Please don't see the three stars as reflective of the experience, since we did not go on the trip. This review form just requires that I put in a rating before I can continue.

Night tours of marine bioluminescence.

Puntarenas

One of the coolest things we did on our trip. Amazing tour guide and boat captain. We got to swim in the bioluminescent algae and learned so much about the region and the science of the bioluminescence.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Welcome to Puntarenas

Puntarenas

Our driver was amazing! There was not much else about this part of the trip other than the fact that there was some miscommunication about our reservations (no fault of our travel agent, it was an issue with internal communication at the hotel)

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Walking tour on the slopes of the Arenal Volcano w/ Baldi Hot Springs entry

Costa Rica

Fantastic guide and great walk. The guide provided such great context and history of the volcano and the hike was invigorating and well-paced.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Zip Lines & Hanging Bridges Guided Walk

Arenal/La Fortuna

Wonderful! My only suggestion is to either schedule the hanging bridge tour and zip lines as the ONLY activity for the day or plan them on separate days. We did not have enough time to do the hanging bridge guided walk because we had to get back to our hotel to meet up for our afternoon hike to Arenal.

Tiziana and Marina were amazing to work with. Tiziana listened to what I was looking to create for the ultimate mother / son trip in Milan and the Motor Valley region. She nailed it! Marina took over communications when she was out of the office and together, they made our trip was seamless. They handled hotel accommodations, train ticketing, dining reservations private guides/drivers and transfer. We enjoyed walking tours, food tastings & experiences, and car museums with factory tours. The highlight of our trip was the Ferrari Experience where my 20yo son drove a Ferrari 5 laps around a race track. He’s still talking about it. I usually plan all my our trips on my own but this was last minute and didn’t know where to start. Reaching out to KimKim was the smartest decision I made planning this one. I will definitely use KimKim’s services in the future. They were amazing!!!

I had a wonderful tour of Colombia. The tour guides, Dori, Juan, Edgar were very knowledgeable of their country , and wee wonderful hosts. The hotels we stayed at were safe and excellent with friendly and respectful staff. I can’t wait to go back and visit other parts of Colombia I have not visited.

Aaron Tesfaye

This is my second time booking through Kimkim and it was a great experience. Moonika was very responsive and well organized in terms of bookings, ensuring enough time in between activities and her overall knowledge of the area was outstanding. I must say she is a very patient person and accommodated our requests. The itinerary provided was detailed and we did not face any issues during the trip. Finland is a place that I will never forget and I left the country speechless!

Activity Reviews

Evening Wooden Snowshoe Trek in Levi

Finland

The experience was amazing it was like floating on top of the snow!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Superb guide

Transport

Aurora Ice Floating

Finland

A MUST!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Ice Fishing Experience

Levi

It was an okay experience to see how icefishing is done

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Finnish Sauna Experience

Rovaniemi

Quality of Experience

The hosts were amazing

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Justine was great. Entire trip was seamless and exceeded expectations. Hotels were excellent and tours were excellent. The weather allowed us extensive walking in each city. Very happy and would definitely use the Kim Kim team again.
toby

Hotel Reviews

The Grand, York

North Yorkshire

Get the breakfast buffet, amazing. Spa was great.

Authenticity & Character

historic and feels like the lux hotel it is

Location

Quiet and close to train station

Staff

proper

Cleanliness & Comfort

robes and slippers

The Yard in Bath

Bath

Great setting with great showers.

Authenticity & Character

cute as

Location

just enough away from the centre to be quiet

Staff

knowledgeable and helpful with directions

Cleanliness & Comfort

great bath towels

Activity Reviews

Walking Tour of Bath with a Blue Badge Tourist Guide

Bath

great guide, funny. Bob

Bath: Guided Ghost Tour

Bath

great guide

Quality of Experience

guide

Guides, Drivers and Staff

animated

Alvaro helped us plan the perfect trip for us. We loved the whole experience.

Food and Culture Tour guide, Dani was excellent.
Sinta Tour with Mannu was terrific!
Secret Porto Tour Guide, Pepito was excellent.

Hotel Reviews

Meliá Lisboa Aeroporto

Lisbon

Good location, helpful staff. Hotel is just okay, food marginal.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Boutique Hotel Vivenda Miranda

Lagos

Beautiful hotel with great views. Excellent restaurant. Very helpful staff and great location. Clean, comfortable and outstanding!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Octant Évora

Évora

Nice hotel and excellent restaurant. Very helpful staff, We would have preferred to be in the city of Evora.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Too far from the old city of Evora. We would have preferred to be in Evora

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

PortoBay Teatro

Porto

Excellent location and very helpful staff. Good breakfast.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Madalena by The Beautique Hotels

Lisbon

Great location and extremely helpful staff.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Douro Valley Highlights: Wine, Olive Oil & River Cruise

Porto

One of the highlights of our trip! The boat ride was great. The wineries and food were excellent! Very good guide. Lots of fun.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Explore Porto’s Hidden Gems with a Local Guide

Porto

We special experience with Pepito as our guide. He was very informative and took us to interesting locales.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Private Day Excursion: Sintra, Cascais & Estoril

Portugal

Mannu did a great job. He was very knowledgeable about Portugal’s past and present. Very good local lunch.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Lisbon Roots: A Food & Cultural Walk

Portugal

Outstanding experience. Dani was a great guide, who was passionate about her city and its culture. Food and drink samplings were very good. Highly recommend.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Get to Know Lisbon with a Local

Lisbon

Good tour, bad weather.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

AMAZING Costa Rica trip for 3 generations of my family! For my 40th birthday we took my 3 young children and my elderly parents to Costa Rica (La Fortuna, Monteverde and Playa Flamingo) for a 9 day trip. Olman at kimkim was extremely thoughtful and very knowledgeable about these places and recommended the perfect resorts/lodges and activities my family would enjoy all while considering my children's ages and my parents mobility issues.

The highlights of our trip were: seeing 3-toed sloths with Juan Carlos and Gonzalo of Amazilia Travel in La Fortuna; taking a boat cruise on Lake Arenal and learning about the volcano, seeing caiman and eating empanadas with Yeri of EcoTerra Costa Rica; we loved the night tour with Jesus at Refugio de Vida Silvestre in Monteverde (we saw a palm viper, kinkajou and 2-toed sloth!); the guys at Treetopia were amazing and we loved the hanging bridges and zip-lining; my husband LOVED fishing in Playa Flamingo with Blue Marlin Sportfishing - he caught a 90lb yellowfin tuna and we have been enjoying poke bowls ever since; my personal favorite was watching baby sea turtles hatch and crawl into the ocean at Playa Conchal with a local guide Luis and his cousin Netty.

TRULY AN UNFORGETTABLE TRIP. I cannot recommend Costa Rica as a destination or Olman at Kimkim enough.

Hotel Reviews

Koora Hotel

Monteverde

Great views and tasty food. Restaurant is small and wait staff are not accustomed to small kids.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Arenal Springs Resort

La Fortuna

AMAZING! The best parts were the hot-springs tubs piped directly into your hotel room, the gorgeous breakfast, volcano views and many hot and cool pools. 10/10 would live here if I could!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Fishing on the North Pacific Coast

Costa Rica

The hubby caught a 90lb yellowfin tuna and a large dorado, my mom and son smaller tuna. My husband had such a great time he wanted to go fishing again the next day!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Aerial Tram, Zip Lining & Hanging Bridges

Monteverde

FUN! Great wildlife guide Alex on the hanging bridges, and the fellas that did the ziplines were all so great and fun and very hard-working!

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Night Excursion at the Wildlife Refuge in Monteverde

Monteverde

We saw some awesome animals! Jesus showed is so many things - my son's favorite was the click beetles, but we also saw a 2-toed sloth, palm viper and kinkajou.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Arenal Volcano National Park by Arenal Lake

Arenal/La Fortuna

Lots of great information! Yeri is clearly very highly educated!!! We all learned sooo much from her and the boat trip was very relaxing.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Hike to La Fortuna Waterfall

Arenal/La Fortuna

We loved Juan Carols and Gonzalo sooooo much, we wanted to take them everywhere with us! My daughter was holding Gonzalo's hand and he was showing her all the birds. What a heavenly day!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Peñas Blancas River Floating Safari Adventure by Raft

Arenal/La Fortuna

SOOOO much fun! I cant even being to count the number of animals we saw.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport