Kimkim Trip Reviews

Mathia was incredibly organized and knowledgeable about Norway. We had a rough itinerary in mind and he made wonderful recommendations to create the perfect trip. All of our guides were friendly and well informed. Highlights were in Balestrand where we met Lars and Captain Tor who took us kayaking and on a scenic boat tour of the fjord. Accommodations throughout were wonderful. Thank you, Mathia and KimKim for helping make our trip to Norway very memorable! We highly recommend your services!

This was an amazing trip for a family of 22. We thoroughly enjoyed every part of our visit - Athens, Delphi, Meteora, Santorini and Crete. Our trip guides, hotels, locations were all selected carefully and it was really really good. We take back memories from this trip for lifetime. Thanks Angela for specifically organizing this wonderful trip.

Overall the experience booking with KimKim was excellent. Everything was taken care of from the moment we boarded the plane to the time we got home. We did an 11 day tour from Toronto to Barcelona with return flight from Lisbon to Toronto. We are a family of 4 with 2 boys aged 16 and 18.
1. Barcelona- We were picked up from the airport by private car and transported to our hotel in Barcelona. We stayed at Silken Gran Havana Barcelona. It was in a good location. The hotel was clean. It had breakfast included and small gym which we used. That night we went to the Barcelona Tapas Culinary Experience in a small group. The Tapas tour was fun. We went to 4 restaurants all within walking distance. We were given food and drinks at each restaurant. The food was good and there was plenty of it. We enjoyed the tour.
2. Barcelona - We did a 3 hour bike tour with Born the next day. It was a good amount of time and we saw most of the major sites of the city. Our tour guide had fair knowledge but she was actually from Paris so was not a Barcelona local.
3. Barcelona - We did a private Montserrat visit and hiking tour with Ramon. This was definitely a highlight. Ramon was very knowledgeable. He was a proper tour guide. He had samples of local food for us to try on our hike and he provided much insight on the tour of Monserrat and on the hike.
4. Barcelona -We had a free day in Barcelona. We probably could have skipped this day. We saw most of what we wanted to see on the bike tour. I wish we had more time in Lisbon.
5. Barcelona to Lisbon. We had a private air port transfer from our hotel to Lisbon airport. Felip was very nice. He was the driver. The Lisbon airport is quite small. We were there 3 hours ahead for our flight but they would only check us in 2 hours before since other airlines use the space. The flight was longer than we expected - 2 hours. We were picked up by private car and taken to our hotel Casa Balthazar. We loved this hotel! Very private and secluded. It felt more like a bed and breakfast than a hotel. Breakfast was included. It had a private spa with steam room, sauna, hot tub and cold tub. It was in a great part of town. That night we went on a Tuk Tuk tour. The tour was 4 hours and went over time. I think a 1-2 hour Tuk tuk tour may be nice but 4 hours was too long, especially considering we had flown in the day time. It was also difficult to hear the tour guide with all the traffic and noise. We could have skipped this.
6. Day trip to Sintra, Cascais & Estoril - This was an 8 hour tour in a car. Paulo was the tour guide. Paulo was great and quite knowledgeable. The car was slightly cramped for our family of 4. The tour was also long being 8 hours. Plus we ended up stuck in traffic so it was more like a 10 hour tour. We learned a lot and enjoyed the tour but it was maybe one tour too much since we did not have much free time in Lisbon to explore.
7. Lisbon to Algarve - We picked up a rental car at Europcar. They ended up giving us a van. At first we were not happy because the streets in Lisbon are so narrow we did not know how we would be able to get a van to our hotel. We were able to do it and after we left Lisbon the van was nice to have since it was spacious to travel in. It took us about 2.5 hours to travel to the Algarve. We checked in to our hotel Tivoli Lagos Algarve Resort. Breakfast was included which was nice. The resort was slightly dated and very full of tourists. The hotel had a happy hour and karaoke. Some guests seemed to love it but that is not really what we enjoy. We visited our friends who stayed at a different Tivoli Resort which was in a nearby town. It was beautiful since it was on the water and overlooking the rocks. We would have preferred that hotel over the one we stayed in. It was closer to the Bengali caves. That said, Lagos was a bigger town with more shopping, a marina. and a festival going on. There was also a Mexican restaurant called the Green Leaf at the bottom of the hill near our hotel that we loved! We ate there every day that we were in the Algarve! There was also East Indian cuisine and shopping.
We did the Algarve Sunset Experience. This was a 3 hour tour but didn't need to be. The guide drove us through neighbourhoods in a run down jeep. He talked about the vegetation, trees, figs, almonds and then we watched the sunset. We were supposed to have bread and chorizo but he forgot to get it so we had almond cakes instead. This tour also went over on time. I would skip this tour and simply drive our rented car to the outlook spot if we did it again.
8. Algarve Kayaking Trip to Benagil Cave - This tour was with Secret Algarve and was the highlight of our trip. I would highly recommend this tour. The guides were professional. The sights were beautiful. It is quite busy since there are a lot of tour groups going out to see the caves but we really enjoyed it.
9. Algarve - We had a free day in Algarve. We went to see some of the sights Ponta da Peidade. It was beautiful but very hot. We ended up just strolling the streets for souvenirs and shopping which was nice.
10. Algarve to Lisbon to Toronto - We drove back to Lisbon. Dropped our rental car at the airport and flew back to Toronto.

Overall we truly enjoyed our trip. It was the family trip of a lifetime. If I had to change anything I would do one or two less tours or at least shorten them because I found them too long. The highlights were Monserrat and hiking as well as the kayaking in Bengali caves. But we are a very active family so we enjoyed being outdoors and exploring nature.
Helena was great. She had every thing planned perfectly. But I may have chosen a different hotel in the Algarve and booked shorter tours.

The trip to Turkey where we enjoyed Istanbul and Cappadocia was very good. Our guide in Instanbul Burak was the best who was so knowledgable about the culture that made our trip the memorable. The balloon ride in Cappadocia was really memorable for us. Our group of 18 family members each enjoyed the trip to the maximum. Thanks for organizing the trip and getting things in place

Audrey has changed the way I will plan trips for every. Audrey organized a trips for my extended family of 6. Each with different expectation, ages, etc. Miraculously within a few days working with us, she created an itinerary that pleased everyone! I couldn't even do that. Audrey saved us so much time and so many discussions. Audrey was patient and very knowledgeable about the area. She made us discover some of her secret destinations that only the locals would know. Once we confirmed the itinerary, Audrey made all the bookings and reservations. On top of that Audrey continued to inform us of the next event, transportation, etc during the trip. She handled changes, issues, etc as well.

I just cannot say enough good things about Audrey and KimKim.

Hello Irene and Team!
We are very grateful to all of you for your support and careful planning while we were in your beautiful country. We have fallen in love with the islands and all the places we visited.
We felt supported and cared for every step of the way. A special thanks to all our guides and drivers. You all did an exceptional, professional and beautiful job. Thank you, thank you!!!
Irene, thank you so very much for meeting with us in Athens and for putting together this exceptional trip. May we be in touch again for another adventure!

The trip was well structured throughout. Mar and Julia were my main points of contact and were always accessible. I missed my connecting flight in Paris on the way over to Norway. They were on point to rearrange our activities in our first stop, Bergen and we didn't miss a beat. We spent 3 nights in Bergen which was quaint and beautiful and what I envisioned Norway to be. It had a broad range of restaurants, shopping and hiking. I would highly recommend. My daughter and I surprised ourselves with navigating the hiking trails on top of the mountains. Gorgeous. Mar and Julia arranged a ferry ride through the fjords to a small community, Ballestrand, for 3 days. A great contrast, with a slower pace, fjords surrounding us everywhere. They arranged some adventure for us with a RIB tour deep into the fjords for some magnificent views you wouldn't see from a ferry. Super fun. They also coordinated electric bike rentals for us to get up close and personal with the fjords. Again, a great experience. The train from Flam to our final destination of Oslo was something out of the movies. The whole trip went flawlessly. I would highly recommend KimKim travel agency. Julia also went the extra mile after the trip. We had bought Norwegian sweaters in Oslo, but didn't have the room to pack them. We have not received them and I wasn't able to get through to the store. She has jumped in to assist and reach out to the store directly. We are making progress. Thank you so much Julia. You are a gem.

Hotel Reviews

Radisson Blu Scandinavia Hotel, Oslo

Oslo

We were only in Oslo for a short time. Radisson Blu Hotel is very nice. We had a beautiful view of the fjords from our room. It was convenient to restaurants, shopping, sites and the bay area. Rooms are a bit small, but to be expected given they are in a premium area of the city with limited real estate. They have a fun rooftop bar with a gorgeous view of the city. Recommend

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Kviknes Hotel

Balestrand

The view from this hotel was magnificent. We looked out at the fjords from the deck connected to our room. Ballestrand is a smaller community, so the hotel was very convenient to everything. The hotel's decor is beautiful with nice Norwegian decor throughout. Food was excellent.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Grand Hotel Terminus

Bergen

This was a boutique hotel with beautiful woodwork throughout. They had a cute bar area in the lobby area of the hotel. There was a wedding the night we were in the bar, so great music to enjoy as well:) The location was fantastic and accessible to restaurants and shopping.

Authenticity & Character

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Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Oslofjord Sightseeing Cruise by Traditional Boat

Oslo

It was a very nice, relaxing ride on a beautiful day at the end of our Norway trip. We met some nice people on the boat. It would have been great to learn more about the area from the guide, but I don't think that was the intent of the cruise. Nice ride.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Bike Rental Balestrand

Balestrand

This was a pleasant surprise. For $5 extra dollars, we upgraded to an electric bike. It was great. It was raining the day we went. We put on our rain jackets and went anyway. We had the best time riding along the fjords up close and personal. We would have rented them again the next day, but ran out of time.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Finnafjord Safari by RIB

Balestrand

So fun!! It was rougher water the day we went, which made it even more exciting. You could tell the driver knew what he was doing, so no concerns. We were able to get in deep into the fjords and see some magnificent waterfalls as we were there in May when the snow was melting. I was looking for something adventurous to do with my 20 year old daughter. It was perfect. Highly recommend!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Ulriken Cable Car

Bergen

Gorgeous ride up to the top of the mountain. Hiking and restaurant at the top were amazing. We spent the afternoon on a fantastic hike and relaxed after at the restaurant/bar to take in the view of the city and fjords.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Past & Present City Walk

Bergen

I always appreciate a walking tour to give you a lay of the city early in your trip. The guide provided great insightful things about the history of the city as well as the culture. It was well worth it.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Fjord Cruise & Seafood Dining Experience

Bergen

Fantastic food and a beautiful location.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

The trip was fantastic. We had an amazing trip with many experiences, but also some downtime to explore and do a few things on our own. Luis was wonderful to work with, as well as the rest of the team. The only suggestion we have about any improvements would be related to the way that the information was viewable related to our customized tour. The website interface was wonderful about the details of each day's experience, but that view lacked some of the necessary details that we needed to stay organized; not all information is in one place. For example, we needed to get to the train station to pick up our rental car. One view stated "0900" but somewhere else it said "0900 to 1100". It wasn't clear to us that there was a time limit on the arrival time for this; I assumed we booked it and it was paid for, so why would there be a time limit? Adding a few details such as that would be helpful. In Santiago, our wonderful hotel was in a section where no driving was permitted. We did not know that ahead of time and got frustrated trying to figure out where to go, where to park etc. Small details like this would have been an enhancement to the experience. Perhaps it's a limitation when you leave the logistics to visitors and not the seasoned locals! Everything that was NOT reliant on our limited logistical coordination skills was expertly organized. All of our local guides in the different cities- Alberto in Barcelona, Mirko for the Barcelona e-bike tour, Ivan in the Rioja region, Sandra in San Sebastian pixto tour, Gorka in Pais Basco, Joaquin in Galacia, Maria Jose in Santiago, Simon in Madrid tapas tour, and Hernan for our Madrid city and Prado tour- were wonderful! Truly, we can't say enough about how great the diverse experiences were and the overall luxury of the trip was phenomenal. Thank you for all that you did to organize a wonderful experience. I will use your services again when planning my next Spain trip.

The activities Mieke planned for my family were exceptional. The trip to Den Bosch on a very hot day was for adults and included a wonderful museum exhibition on Van Gogh in Brabant and a quirky Bosch museum. The next day for family was a trip to Moduradom which enchanted the entire family.Equally fun and informative were trips on a steam train, a day trip to the Kinderdijk, and and another to cheese market day Gouda. The children and adults loved making Stroopwaffels at the Berg bakery in Gouda. Our driver Martin was exceptional. All in all our grandchildren had a very special introduction to the Netherlands thanks to .Mieke. The Ambassador Hotel was comfortable, clean, and has an incredible central location. Haarlem was a wonderful base for our train travels.

Hotel Review

Ambassador City Centre Hotel

Haarlem

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Review

Gouda - Stroopwafel workshop

The Netherlands

A hit with everyone!

Quality of Experience

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Guides, Drivers and Staff

KimKim was absolutely amazing!! We booked this trip 3 years ago as our honeymoon and had to postpone due to covid. Rebecca was our local specialist and she was absolutely amazing!! They were extremely flexible with our rebooking. Rebecca was on top of this and was following all our flights and new when we were delayed. She checked in with us once we arrived and selected the best tour guides!! Theodore on Athens was extremely personable! Our tours in Santorini were given by Gus and Kostas, and they were both very knowledgeable! All of our hotels were gorgeous and, and Greece itself was beyond anything we could have imagined! Everyone in Greece is extremely friendly and we would recommend going there in a heartbeat! Santorini is somewhere you could EASILY spend a week and still not get enough! We truly appreciate everything Rebecca did for us!

Our planning team of Ina and the Travel12 care team was exceptional. Ina really worked on meeting our diverse needs for beaches, vegan and gluten free eaters, hiking and cultural outings. Pretty much a perfect fit for our family of 5. Accommodations and transport were excellent, and we consistently got compliments on (Ina’s) choices of Naxos, Paros, and Tinos for a low tourist, good outdoors options. We highly recommend these folks!

Hotel Reviews

Voreades

Tinos

This is a very authentic boutique hotel in Tinos, which is not very touristy and so hotel options appear to be more limited. The owners are fantastic people, super friendly and helpful. The facility itself is very traditional garden style which we found a bit claustrophobic although the quality of the interior was very nice decor if a little older styling and wear. I think that this is a nice place but not as light and airy as our other hotels on Naxos and Paros. Recommended for authentic feel and staff, but be aware this is a very close-knit experience.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Avra Hotel

Rafina, Attica

Average airport hotel. Location is close to Rafina port for ferry, but otherwise average. This area has clearly seen some decline so there isn’t much it eh way of restaurants or shops around. There is a mediocre public beach next to the hotel.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Iris Boutique Hotel Paros

Naousa

Very nice modern hotel with a balcony view of the ocean. A bit far from downtown and Nasaou is quite hilly, but this location is also quiet and has easy rental car parking.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Korali Palace Hotel

Naxos

This place is wonderful. The rooms are spacious and airy. The facility is traditional but modernized. It fits nicely with the town atmosphere and there are several excellent restaurants very close by. Staff is super helpful and breakfast was good. Nice kitchenette too!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Easy to get away from the port but still close to beach and port for easy walk.

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

NLH Monastiraki

Athens

This is a very nice modern hotel, well situated near the old town plaza and acropolis. Everything was great except that there was apparently a new night spot that was playing booking musing until 4am. We aren’t night life people so this was not great. But the hotel was very clean and breakfast was also good.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Noise at night- might not be fixable

Activity Reviews

Paros Cultural Hiking Tour

Paros

Maria was a fantastic guide. We hiked the Byzantine trail and she covered both history and botanical topics which was great!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

We drove and there was lots to see

Boat Trip to Mykonos & Delos

Naxos

We cancelled this day trip to have more relaxation time

Cooking Class in Naxos Villages

Naxos

One of the best parts of our trip was as this cooking class with Katerina. She and her mother were so friendly and accommodating and the class was really fun! She had no problem providing vegan options and the small village was beautiful!

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

We drove and it was very scenic

Acropolis & Flavors of Athens

Athens

Our guide Dionysus was fantastic. Interesting, friendly, enthusiastic, and accommodating. We had a great time with him and he was very efficient with the tour planning. Highly recommended!

Quality of Experience

Food

Cafe with traditional Greek coffee and sweets

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

We walked

Dinner in Athens

Athens

Fantastic Ergon House restaurant. The food and service were excellent. We had a large variety of traditional foods to try including vegan choices. The service was very good.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

We walked there. It’s a little hard to find.

Valentine and her team are the absolute best.

This was the first time my parents were taking an international trip by themselves so I was worried. However, Valentine’s detailed plans, prompt responses and constant support eased my worry. My parents had the best time and loved the entire trip.

Thanks for being amazing!

Janel didn’t an incredible job mapping out all the locations and making it an incredible easy to follow along.

However leading up to the trip, she was very slow to get back with responses and when we needed help with something on the trip she never responded to us.

Activity Reviews

Solheimajokull glacier hike & ice climbing

Iceland

Incredible experience, but for about 1.5 hours you are just standing around.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Silfra Snorkeling

Iceland

One of the coolest things I’ve ever done

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Kimkim helped us plan the most amazing travel experience in Iceland. We did an independent travel trip as a couple and our Kimkim consultant Rinolda was key to the success of the trip. It was her suggestions and assistance that helped us shape the perfect trip. Having someone who lives in Iceland assist us was a big advantage. Our days were well planned with suggestions and ideas of what to explore for that day according to our interests. The accommodations were booked for us, as were any 'extras' like our ferry, special activities like whale watching, spa stops etc. We haven't used this type of service before and this trip came together as we shared back and forth online planning discussions. It was an excellent experience and trip. Thanks so much Rinolda!

We traveled to Italy in June with my husband and two boys ages 5 and 7. We planned and coordinated our trip along side my sister and her family as well as a friend and her family. Valeria coordinated the whole trip for all 3 families providing transportation, family friendly tours, and memorable experiences. Our transportation and drivers were always timely and the cars were spacious and comfortable. The tours and guides were excellent and held the attention of the children. She made everything easy and it required no additional planning or coordination on our part which made for a stress free and wonderful vacation. We would absolutely use Valeria and Kim Kim for future trips and look forward to visiting this beautiful country again!

Activity Reviews

The Vatican Museums –treasure hunt family tour ( private)

Rome

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Private golf cart tour

Rome

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Private Pizza-making class

Rome

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Street Food Tour in Naples

Italy

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Visit of The Amalfi coast Villages Full Day

Italy

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Sorrento Coast & Capri Boat Tour

Italy

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Naples City tour

Italy

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Adam was a great contact and very knowledgeable about Iceland. Adam was very organized and tailored the schedule to my requests. He also helped me with time management and food recommendations in the area. I highly recommend using KimKim and Adam if you’re going to Iceland!

Such trip is very complicated to organize, but all worked very good.
All the hotels were good and all the tours were on time and well organized.
No "bad surprices" during the trip.
All re reservations where going perfect.

Hotel Reviews

The Savoy Hotel on Little Collins

Melbourne

very central located. Old fashion hotel, nice ambiente.

Authenticity & Character

niche Art Deco ambiente

Location

very close to train station and Skybus terminal

Staff

very friendly

Cleanliness & Comfort

rooms were not made one night

Desert Gardens Hotel

Yulara

it takes some time to get into the constrains of been in Uluru Restaurant too expenscie for a very poor service.

Authenticity & Character

standard hotel

Location

we got interior rooms with no view to the rock

Staff

very friendly

Cleanliness & Comfort

baths were not very clean.

Holiday Inn Cairns Harbourside, an IHG Hotel

Cairns North

nice area, quite and beatifull garden. Small pool

Authenticity & Character

standart hotel

Location

a little outside of the city, but still good location

Staff

VERY friendly

Cleanliness & Comfort

very good air condition!

PARKROYAL Darling Harbour

Sydney

Freindly staff, good location, just a litle dark. Good value for the money.

Authenticity & Character

Location

near Darling habour

Staff

very friendly

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Uluru Sunrise & Kata Tjuta Visit

Uluru

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

guides was not so friendly

Transport

Daintree Rainforest Full Day Adventure by 4WD

Australia

big buss, very bussi

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Full-Day Outer Great Barrier Reef (from Hotel)

Cairns

From begging to the end a perfect adventure

Quality of Experience

swiming with Jarks

Food

very good ... and abundant

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Extremlly friendy staff!

Transport

Welcome to Cairns

Cairns

UNFORGETABLE

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

great crew!

Transport

Blue Mountains Day Trip with Hike

Sydney

Quality of Experience

Food

AMANZING. Over the expectations!!!

Guides, Drivers and Staff

very friendly, educated and nice guide.

Transport

Our ring road adventure was the most fantastic holiday experience. Iceland is truly a magical place, and we're so thankful to Gummi, our local specialist, for creating such a memorable trip. Gummi took on board our wishes to see as much as possible in the time we had and devised a trip that met every expectation. Everything was carefully and thoroughly considered, from our route to the restaurant recommendations and optional activities. Even when things didn't go to plan (the airline lost our bags) Gummi and Veronika quickly assisted where they could with local knowledge on where to acquire the gear we needed. Along the way, questions and queries were responsively acknowledged, and no request was too small. Having this ability to talk with someone local was worth every cent! We'll definitely use this service again.
Thank you, Gummi and Veronika!

Our trip to Portugal was fantastic. It was expertly custom planned by Pedro and we could not have asked for more. Beginning with Kim Kim’s platform which is so simple and efficient to all the detail provided before we left to the constant contact we received from Pedro on a daily basis while we were there, it was amazing. We also had to make changes last minute due to our incoming flight being cancelled and Pedro handled the modifications without issue. Every detail was looked after - the drivers picked us up in Mercedes and were very professional, the tours were personalized for us alone, I would not hesitate to use Kim Kim again.

Mariam was great to work with in planning. During the trip, every detail was covered- white glove treatment from when we got off the plane! Dinner in a cave in Petra was off the beaten path and special. She squeezed as much in to our week in Jordan as possible, to take full advantage!

Our driver/guide for our week, Ayoub, was superb. Highly recommend. He had all the qualities of a great guide: knowledgeable, diligent, creative, flexible, friendly, hard working, caring. Truly excellent . We have had tons of guides through our years of travel and he really stands out!

Great experience with KimKim!!