Kimkim Trip Reviews

Shirley did a great job in planning the trip for my wife and myself. We are both in our mid 70's and this was our first guided trip and would definitely do it again if we return to Taiwan. Logan, our driver/guide was also amazing. I ask a lot of questions and he was always able to come up with a correct answer. I particularly liked the restaurants and dishes he suggested as we traveled through the different regions of Taiwan. When we requested some changes in our original itinerary, Shirley and Logan worked closely together to make it happen.

Columbus Travel out of Antigua was no less than amazing. Every single detail was taken care of, every question was answered immediately. They helped us plan the perfect vacation for our family. It was a perfect combination of adventure and relaxation. I can’t recommend Sofia and team more! They are simply the very best.

My Husband and I had a fantastic honeymoon in Japan, all thanks to our trip planner/agent Eleanor, our Tokyo guide Yoshi, our Osaka foodie tour guide Jimmy and Moika, and lastly our Kyoto guide Maasake. We especially enjoyed a Temple in Kyoto where we descended into a pitch black, dark area to make a wish on a stone, and come out the other side "rebirthed". It was such a different experience and we felt immersed in Japan's spiritual culture. The food was incredible. The foodie tour showed us unique foods that we had not had before and wouldn't have though about trying otherwise. They were great company too; it felt like going out on the town with a couple of local friends. Tokyo was our first destination and Yoshi was fantastic about teaching us how to use the public transport system and appropriate ways to enter Shrines. He answered all of our questions that mightve come off as "silly" or "ignorant" without judgement. This was our first trip ever to another country and it couldn't have gone better. Eleanor answered every single question cam and I came across, even during the trip. She always got back to me no matter what, and gave some good advice to avoid struggling a lot through some of the busiest areas of Japan. Thank you everyone and Kimkim for an unforgettable honeymoon.

Our overall trip from Mexico City to Cancun (over 17 days) was amazing! Phenomenal lessons about a variety of cultures and civilizations that permeated Mexico over the centuries - Mayans, Zapotecs and Aztecs. Really enjoyed Mexico City for its culture, food, people and vastness; loved the small town feel of Oaxaca (Mezcal tasting barrel-trolley tour is a must!); the beauty of Merida and the Yucatan peninsula and finally the beaches of Tulum. Visits to the Celestun biosphere and Sian Ka'an reserve are a must-do.

While the planning of the tour seemed perfect, we had several executional issues. I must add that while all the issues were remediated as and when they arose, it seemed like we had to confirm and manage communications around expectations almost daily . There were a few individuals involved on the ad hoc Whatsapp group created for the trip but several members jumping in from time to time added to the confusion. It started with the wrong vehicle sent to Mexico city (starting point) for pickup - a sedan vs. an SUV that we had booked. We did get an SUV the next day but only after we raised a hue and cry the first day - this was not proactively addressed. Then there were the guide related issues. At El Tule, we had no guide when we reached the destination and we had to manage with our local driver acting as a guide with very little to no knowledge of English. At Mitla, they had to scurry and arrange for a guide last minute after we arrived at our destination. MExplorer (our travel agency through Kimkim) did process a refund for this day but it just seemed like, almost daily, we needed to confirm logistics for the day, which should not have been the case, since everything should have been pre-planned. None of the drivers could even have a simple conversation in English (Google Translate came to the rescue). Additionally, most of the guides had very basic English speaking skills which detracted from the overall experience. Our best guide was in Monte Alban - fluent in English and extremely well informed about the history, geography and culture of this site. Our best driver was Marco during our travels from Merida through Tulum! Finally the hotels seemed ok overall but not up to the levels we expected for a lower-end luxury package. e.g. the toilet in Mexico City's hotel was so small, one could barely squeeze in, although its location was great! This hotel choice needs to be reconsidered. Hotel Boutique Olbil Valladolid in Valladolid was the most luxurious of them all! Had a great time there - felt like all other hotels should have been of the same caliber!

All in all, I think we made the most of our trip, really enjoyed the various experiences of food, culture and nature while traversing the country. I would highly encourage Kimkim and MExplorer to closely consider this feedback for future visitors!

We had a wonderful time in Australia, and I am so grateful for all the help and advice I received from our Kimkim advisors, most notably Siena! Everyone at Kimkim was helpful from start to finish. They were responsive to my numerable messages and queries, and I greatly appreciated that. The hotels chosen for us were perfect, just what we wanted, and the same goes for the small tours that we had in Sydney, Uluru, and Melbourne. We did not want to be on a big coach, and all the tours were just what we asked for! I have never used a travel service before, and Kimkim made all the difference for me. I will definitely be using them again.

We cant thank you enough what a trip we had!! It was absolutely fabulous and it all went very smoothly thanks to you and your great amazing team at Dittomar
We had a wonderful walk with Andreas in Torres Del Paine which was out of the world and absolutely the right choice as you'd described.
The real star of the show was Baguales and we can never thank you enough for that. Tomas and Jessica his wife were just the perfect hosts and we feel in love with the mountains, the horses and the dogs, it was truly special. .
The Merino Glacier trip was incredible and a real highlight, definitely not to be missed.
Then to Tres Dos Rios which was fabulous and everything we had hoped it would be. Boys loved the fishing and I loved riding with Lucas and a bit of fishing on the side!
We will most certainly be back in a few years time so I will also be in touch in a year or so to organise another trip!

Nadia was extremely responsive to our personal interests. She checked in with us every day during our visit and helped us figure out some logistical problems we encountered. I cannot recommend her strongly enough. She is also very warm and friendly.

Hotel Reviews

Brenton Haven Beachfront Resort

Knysna

Located on a secluded very beautiful beach.

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

aha Harbour Bridge Hotel & Suites

Cape Town

Convenient for visiting Cape Town but in a quiet location.

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Amakhala Safari Lodge

Amakhala Game Reserve, N2 Paterson

This lodge is a bit pricey but well worth it. Beautiful site. Very friendly and helpful staff. Great food. The best part is the safari guides.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

aha Gateway Hotel

Umhlanga, KwaZulu Natal

Location

Convenient to the Durban airport but in a very busy shopping mall.

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Review

Amakhala Game Reserve Activities

South Africa

Pricey but well managed review . Your visit help game conservation.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

We used Kimkim to help plan a one-week adventure in Chile, and honestly, it was one of the best travel decisions we’ve ever made.

From the very beginning, the process felt easy and collaborative. We went back and forth with them on what we thought we wanted to do, and they did all the heavy lifting — researching, suggesting better options, and refining the plan until it was exactly what we were excited about. They weren’t just plugging in generic activities — they were actively improving our ideas.

Once the trip started, the experience got even better.

Riwal and Alex were incredible. They were always available on WhatsApp and responded quickly any time we had a question, needed help, or wanted suggestions — even for things like restaurant recommendations. At one point we accidentally left our phone at a hotel, and they jumped right in and coordinated everything to help get it back to us. That kind of support takes the stress out of travel in the best possible way.

It felt less like dealing with a travel agency and more like having extremely competent friends on the ground in Chile who actually had our backs.

If you want a trip that feels thoughtfully planned, flexible, and fully supported while you’re traveling — Kimkim is absolutely worth it. We would use them again without hesitation.

Highly recommended.

Hotel Reviews

Hotel Cabaña Del Lago Puerto Varas

Puerto Varas

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Borde Luz

Pucon

A bit dated but well managed and cute

Authenticity & Character

Location

In between cities

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Bed needs replaced

Activity Reviews

Mountain Bike Osorno Volcano, Paso Desolacion Trail

Puerto Varas

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Rafting on the Petrohue River

Puerto Varas

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Villarica Volcano Ascension

Pucón

Hardest thing I’ve ever done. Be in shape and bring lots of nutrition and water. It was great. Guides were helpful and made it fun.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Iceland was a trip of a life time! Noga was so easy to work with and thought of everything. Every where we went we would say “I’m so glad we had KimKim’s help planning”. They think of every detail. We had a small issue on our trip and the whole team was on it to fix it. I will never go on a trip without the KimKim team. Thank you Noga, Nick and Maria!

We were extremely happy with Realistic Asia/ Kim Kim company. Hien, our trip coordinator, was super organized and very attentive to details. She helped us plan the 3 weeks trip to tour North, Central and South Vietnam. She accommodated the changes we wanted and always responded back to us within few hours. She kept checking on us when we were in each city and made sure that we were ok and confirmed our transfers and rides. She even came to meet us at the hotel.
All tours and tour guides were amazing.
KC Cuong picked us up as we arrived in Hanoi . He was an amazing tour guide. We enjoyed his company tremendously. He is very knowledgeable and easy to work with. He even took our cloth to the laundromat and exchanged money from the bank so we didn't have to bother. When it was time to transfer to a different city , he walked with us the airline counter and helped us check in our luggage . I can't say enough about him.
Charlie picked us up in Hue. Spent time with us then drove us to Hoi An. He is also very super friendly and knowledgeable. He was a chef before so he was so helpful in guiding us to local yummy restaurants and advised us where to go. We enjoyed our tours with him and kept texting him for food advice even after he left us. We highly recommend him as well.

We came back home and kept talking how Hien made our trip so easy; how much we enjoyed KC and Charlie ; how yummy the food is and how much we Loved Vietnam. Everything was so wonderful. I will definitely use Kim Kim company again and again.
Thank you Hien and Happy New Year 2026

Hotel Reviews

Lyra Grandeur Cruise

Beautiful clean boat. The cruise goes up and back on the same path so you really do not stop in different cities. Nice and relaxing . Very stable . I was happy I didn't get motion sickness

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Nham Village Resort

Beautiful quiet resort. We got a bike a biked around. Beautiful and serene We were there Xmas eve. The staff put a nice show and dinner. We had music and games afterwards. It was really nice.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Everyone was super friendly

Cleanliness & Comfort

La Siesta Hoi An Resort & Spa

Hoi An

Great hotel and great location. Away from the noise yet you can walk to the center of the city

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Silk Path Grand Hue

Very beautiful and clean large rooms. Easy to get out and walk by the river. Enjoyed our stay

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Dusit Princess Moonrise Beach Resort

Very Beautiful Hotel with a sandy beach. Water was warm and clean

Authenticity & Character

Location

Easy to walk to the city that made it nice to get out and visit.

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Grand Saigon

Ho Chi Minh City

Beautiful hotel with very spacious rooms . Walking distance to many stores and places and very friendly staff.

Authenticity & Character

It ia a beautiful historic hotel.

Location

We can walk to many places.

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

A Wonderful Day Experience At Van Lang Fishing Village ( with biking )

Vietnam

I was skeptical about this tour but it was one of our favorites. We loved all the details

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Imperial City Tour of Hue Half-Day Exploration

Hue

It was beautiful tour of the city. We loved it. Charlie was amazing

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

VIP Fast Track Service

Vietnam

Transport was easy and friendly

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Evening Teh Dar Show with Fine Dining

Hoi An

The show was extraordinary. The dinner was ok. I would have had dinner on our own after the show

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

The guide wasn't really interested in us. He was just there

Transport

Lan Ha Bay - Frog Lagoon - Onboarding Lyra Grandeur Cruise (D1)

Vietnam

Nice experience. I think one day cruise instead of 2 would be my preference

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Private Jeep Tour Saigon by Night: Foodie & City tour ( Updated )

Ho Chi Minh City

It was a lovely evening tour. We enjoyed the ride and the food on the way

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Hanoi - Tho Ha - Galaxy Grotto (S)

Ninh Binh

It was a fun experience. We loved the Grotto

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Gala Dinner On 24 December

Ninh Binh

Nice xmas eve dinner and show at the hotel. Music and gamed afterwards

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Hanoi Exploration & Vietnamese Coffee Tasting

Hanoi

It was a beautiful experience and were happy that the train was running. We love the salted coffee

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Hanoi Street food walking tour (S)

Hanoi

Food was so delicious. However, we had it after our Vaspa tour where we had food as part of that tour. I wish we had more time in between or had it on different days

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Ha Noi Countryside Adventure by Vespa

Hanoi

It was a beautiful ride. We were 4 of us and we ride behind the driver. The tour duide was very good and took us to different beautiful places. Highly recommend.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

We had an amazing trip , KimKim not only saved us time , and the stress of planning, all of the guides and services were amazing. The hotels were fantastic and all of the transports were incredibly reliable and on time. Huge thank you to Bella, Marty, PIM and many others along the way . Bella was an incredible help and super detailed to Align our trip to our needs, and incredibly responsive and knowledgeable. . Thank you !

We just got back from our two week trip in Patagonia. We had a wonderful time and loved hiking and exploring both in Patagonia and in the cities of Santiago and Buenos Aires. We really appreciated the ability of the KimKim team to be flexible to our specific trip preferences and itinerary desires, and having the in-country help number was very helpful. We particularly loved our time in El Chalten, where we could easily go on day hikes straight from town. In contrast, in Torres del Paine we had opted to do a group hike so that we could stay in Puerto Natales to save money and still do the Base de los Torres hike, but a few members of our group were very slow hikers and our experience was impacted by the need to constantly wait and the challenge of trying to lead a small group across many different ability levels.

There were a few areas where, in hindsight, the KimKim team could have done better in guiding our trip planning and providing locally relevant recommendations to make things a bit more smooth:

1) We did not receive specific times for bus departures and domestic flights between destinations until a couple days prior to arrival at our second destination (the first destination organized by KimKim). Even when we asked on the portal a couple days before the trip, we were unable to get a response until we reached out to the emergency Whatsapp number. This made it challenging to make specific plans that required reservations or to decide what activities we could do in the time either before departures or after arrivals.

2) We were in Puerto Natales for Christmas Eve and Christmas, and it would have been helpful to know in advance that restaurant reservations would be required for these days. This is the type of insider information that we hoped to get by using a trip planning service, but we were unaware and struggled to find a place to eat.

3) Two of our four pre-booked outdoor activities (Kayaking and Rafting) were cancelled due to adverse weather. While this is somewhat unlucky and bound to happen in a place like Patagonia where the weather can change on a dime, we would have appreciated a bit more of a warning or conversation about the potential likelihood of this happening when we were having the conversations around planning. We got the sense from the tour operators that they have to cancel a large proportion of their trips and this would have been good to know from the get go. While we were able to get refunds for these activities, they took some time to come through.

Overall, we did enjoy our trip and had a blast hiking, exploring, and eating our way across both Chile and Argentina!

Hotel Reviews

Savoy Hotel

Buenos Aires

This hotel is a nice gem in this neighborhood of Buenos Aires! The inside, with the high ceilings and ornate decorations feels like a luxury experience. Our stay was very pleasant. The included breakfast is good, the staff speaks very good english and is very helpful, the rooms were clean, and they were able to accommodate storing bags and showering before our evening flight. The location worked out well for us. It seemed centrally located, about a 10-30m walk from most things.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Chalten Suites Hotel

El Chalten

We stayed at this hotel right in the center of El Chalten for 4 nights while hiking. Overall we had a very pleasant stay. The highlights were the amazing views, breakfast, location, and kind staff. Our only less than perfect experiences was no way to cool the room (it was very warm despite no heat and it being ~15 degrees outside), and the bathroom fan being on a 5s timer making it nearly useless.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Sent Hotel Calafate

El Calafate

Our stay here was mixed. It is very close to the bus terminal making it convenient, but a decent walk from the town. The bad: The interior was slightly outdated, and the room was small. On the first day, the common spaces smelled of cigarette smoke, but that was gone on future nights. The street lights from outside are very bright, so the blinds are a must at night. Finally, the wind is so powerful, and the roof so flimsy, there were sounds of metal clanging on the roof throughout the day and night. The good: Breakfast was great, and the rooms were very clean. The price seemed reasonable given this is a tourist town.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

More attentive front desk staff for check in

Cleanliness & Comfort

Ensure there is no cigarette smoke smell, and better secure whatever is on the roof making a ton of noise in the wind

Weskar Lodge

Puerto Natales

This is a nice hotel just outside of town. The rooms are warm, and ours had a great view of the fjords. The walk to town is beautiful, but also must contend with the extreme wind making it feel like more than the 5-10m walk advertised. This would be a 4-star review, however on checkout the hotel presented us with a bill of unexpected charges (box lunches, and the welcome drinks we thought were included).

Authenticity & Character

Location

In vs Out of town

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Dinner Tango Show at Café de los Angelitos 🍷🎶

Buenos Aires

This was our first tango show and was enjoyable. The dancers were professional, and musicians (especially the accordion player!) were great. However, it was over the top targeted at tourists and felt like a whole production. The food was not good, the tables were packed together and not intimate (big long tables of people, not individual tables). We would have preferred to find a more authentic feeling tango experience, but still enjoyed ourselves.

Quality of Experience

Food

The food tasted like it was prepared on an assembly line. Despite them asking how the steak should be cooked, they were all medium well.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Full day tour to Parque Nacional Los Glaciares and Minitrekking

El Calafate

This is such a unique experience, one of the few places in the world you can experience hiking directly onto the glacier. The operation is very commercialized (probably ~70 people per hour), but the actual glacier trekking is done in smaller groups and was amazing. This made the otherwise so-so time in El Calafate worth the stay!

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Our bus broke down on the way back, but a new bus was sent out promptly so the delay was <30 minutes.

Dinner at Mako Fuegos y Vinos

El Calafate

What a fantastic dinner! The food was amazing, the wine was superb, and the steak was the best steak I'd ever had. This dinner was a highlight of our whole trip.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Full day Hiking Base Las Torres - 20km approx

Puerto Natales

This hike delivers what it says - a guided trip from Puerto Natales to the base of the towers. However, there were some aspects for us which could have been better. The main struggle was our group had a wide variety of hiking abilities. This was a challenge to manage for the two guides. This meant we paused often for breaks to let the slower folks catch up. It felt like playing stop and go at times. The weather was also not ideal, and the guides suggested at a few points we wouldn't even attempt the final stretch to the lookout. In reality, the final stretch was totally fine for the ~half of the group with some hiking experience and we (along with all the other guided and unguided hikers we saw) made it up without issue despite all the hesitation from the guides. Overall, I think the hike was probably 2-3hr longer than it needed to be given our fitness level. The guides themselves were very nice and knowledgeable about the park, and could answer many questions about the plants and animals we saw along the hike. While there could have been aspects navigated better in retrospect, the guides were stuck with a difficult range in hiking fitness for the group and no matter how they approached it not everyone would be satisfied.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

The driver was great, but the climate control in the van was all over the place

Your team quickly adapted to cancellations and weather issues that we encountered. We also felt they your team personally assisted us throughout the trip. Thanks

The Spain vacation was wonderful thanks to Coraima and the KimKim team. They made great recommendations and their responsiveness and reliability was excellent. I would definitely consider using your services for future trips.

Our travel agent at KimKim, Hien, was so helpful not only setting up the trip before we left, but also on the trip.
Throughout our time in Vietnam and Cambodia, she kept in touch with us to make sure we liked our guides, that we likes our tours and making sure we were where we needed to be. She checked in to see if we wanted to move our flight forward to better suit our itinerary then made the changes on her own. She even sent me a special gift on my birthday.

This trip was so wonderful and it was all completely suggested and created by Hien. I would highly recommend her to anyone looking at visiting Vietnam and Cambodia!

Hotel Reviews

Lynnaya Urban River Resort

Siem Reap

Beautiful hotel! They have a roof top restaurant with happy our and live music that is lush with flowers and vegetation and draping. Great steak! The pool was relaxing and zen. Perfect location close to the river and the downtown night life.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

La Siesta Hoi An Resort & Spa

Hoi An

This hotel is so beautiful! The staff was amazing, the food was great, the spa was incredible. All 4 of use took in a day the spa for the cost of 1 massage in the US

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Ambassador Signature Cruise

Great view and food. They had a fun night of happy hour, dinner and live music outside on the roof with a light show.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

O'Gallery Premier Hotel & Spa

In the center of everything! Clean, large rooms and fantastic breakfast!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Bach Suites Saigon, A Member of Design Hotels

Central location, top notch facilities and staff

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Lantern Making & Thanh Dong Organic Farm ( HUT)

Hoi An

Lantern making was a great activity to do with the kids and meeting the farmers and seeing their way of life was very interesting.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Explore Dark & Bright Cave - Disembarking Ambassador Cruise

Ha Long Bay

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Immerse in the Beauty of Lan Ha Bay - Ambassador Signature Cruise ( Day 2)

Vietnam

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Discover Lan Ha Bay - Viet Hai Village - Onboarding Ambassador Signature cruise

Ha Long Bay

Absolutely Beautiful!

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Exploring Ho Chi Minh city Half Day Tour

Ho Chi Minh City

One of the top experiences of the trip. The room was pitch black so you really focused on the food and trying to eat it. I'm not an adventurous eater, so it was wild not knowing what I was eating, but every dish was so flavorful and delicious. It was fun to find out afterwards what each dish was.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Hanoi Street food walking tour (S)

Hanoi

We got to try so many new foods. I felt save trying street food with my guide picking the right vendors.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Hoa Lu And Tam Coc Exploration

Vietnam

Beautiful experience that gets you outside of the city.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Hanoi Half Day City Tour & Train Street

Hanoi

Don't miss this fun experience. This was the highlight of our Hanoi experience.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Explore the Cu Chi Tunnels

Ho Chi Minh City

This gives you an intimate understanding of the mental warfare that Vietnam used to on the enemy soldier who never knew where the Vietnamese would pop up with a surprise attack..

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

VIP Fast Track Service

Vietnam

1st class treatment. They meet you at the gate and guide you through all customs, baggage claim, etc.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Our first trip to Brazil was an adventure we will never forget- we put our trust in Bruno to plan this amazing trip. From the moment we arrived until the end everything was perfectly organized in a safe & fun way. At each step of our journey we were met by local guides (Sol & Luis) who took incredible good care of us. It was our first time planning a trip with KimKim and it won’t be the last. All of our wishes came true.

Hotel Reviews

Pousada Naturália

Angra dos Reis

A bit rustic and sometimes noisy but great overall experience. Be prepared to carry your luggage from the harbor (10 minutes)

Authenticity & Character

Great buffet breakfast

Location

A bit of a walk with luggage

Staff

Thanks to the staff for helping us carry our luggage

Cleanliness & Comfort

Miramar Hotel by Windsor

Rio de Janeiro

The size of the beds was HUGE … bigger than a California king … great sleep Excellent breakfast

Authenticity & Character

Location

Right on Copacabana… walking distance to lots of activities and restaurants

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Amazon Premium Lodge

Manaus

Comfortable beds - clean - quiet Just needed an extra blanket

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Villa Amazônia

Manaus

Great boutique hotel downtown Manaus with great beds.

Authenticity & Character

Location

No

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Half island tour by speedboat to Ilha Grande from Vila do Abraão

Ilha Grande - Rio de Janeiro

The island is really a backpacker paradise - jungle & beach combo with great hikes and beautiful secluded beaches (reachable by boat). Food options are plentiful but expect to wait a long time to be served.

Transport

Boat to and from the mainland to the island is packed and luggage is everywhere

Welcome to Rio de Janeiro

Rio de Janeiro

Beautiful city with lots to do - safer than I expected - beaches are gorgeous but crowded.

Quality of Experience

Great to have a guide with you to experience the real thing

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Amazon Premium Lodge 4 days/3 Nights

The Amazon

In the heart of the earths lungs … insane beauty and quiet place - farm to table food - Piranha fishing and night time boating to see caymans was brilliant

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Sol was a great young dynamic and knowledgeable guide

Transport

Plan for a rough ride getting there … 2 buses & 2 boats which we didn’t know about

All the guides were great, particularly Fatima and Achmed. I forgot to mention that each time we arrived at the Cairo airport, from Heathrow and Aswan, there was no on there to greet us. From Heathrow we waited 50 minutes before we found someone from Sun Pyramids and from Aswan we had to find the sun pyramid representative who spoke no English and seemed completely lost.

Hotel Reviews

MS Salacia Nile cruise

everything was great except that they missed two wake up calls.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hilton Cairo Grand Nile

cairo

Everything was great. As a 81 year old senior citizen getting in ad out of the bath tub was a challenge as the tube wall was about 2.5 feet high.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Tour to High Dam, Philae Temple, and Obelisk / Check out

Aswan

we did not go to the obelisk. we went to the botanical garden and nubian village intead

Abu Simbel Temple

Aswan

We did not go. We did not realize that this was four hour drive to and from through the desert in a caravan for safety with a one hour visit. We should have been told this when the trip was being planned originally

Edfu, and Kom OmboTemples

Aswan

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Luxor West Bank

Luxor

Quality of Experience

Food

Transport

Karnak Temple, Luxor Temple, and Luxor Museum

Luxor

Quality of Experience

Food

Transport

Tour To The Newest Saqqara Tombs

Cairo

Quality of Experience

Transport

Half day To Egyptian Museum

Cairo

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Tour to National Museum, Moez St. and Khan El-Khalili

Cairo

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Half Day Tour To The Grand Egyptian Museum “GEM”

Egypt

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Tour to Giza Pyramids With Camel Ride

Cairo

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

My college-age son and I had an incredible time!
La Paloma Lodge was a pearl -- accessible only by boat, it is nestled in the rain forest and the experience of staying there was both novel and comfortable. My leg was eaten by sand fleas at the local beach, but otherwise we had a wonderful tour of Corcovado National Park, and the Cano Island snorkeling was fun. The only thing I would comment on is that the snorkeling trip ends with lunch on a beach (we were at San Josecito Beach) but there is no bathroom available there (which was surprising). I was also stung by multiple jellyfish larvae while snorkeling, so that was a bit rough. I was itchy due to the sand fleas and larvae stings for a full week afterwards. I would have appreciated a heads up about these in advance, as I did not adequately protect myself.
Manuel Antonio was awesome, but in particular, our hotel (Hotel Mariposa) was spectacular. The resort is breathtakingly beautiful, and there are monkeys and macaws surrounding the property. I went for a daily swim in the pool because it was so beautiful and comfortable. The food at Le Papillon is a bit overpriced but it is delicious.
The Manuel Antonio hike with Andres (an ornithologist and naturalist) was incredible. He can spot a dragonfly from 100 feet away. It was a privilege to learn from him, and his powerful scope was instrumental in getting some incredible photos. We LOVED the whitewater rafting, even though water levels were low. In retrospect, I would have wanted to go in a full raft (not a raft for just the two of us and our guide), as the heavier raft leads to a bumpier ride. The guides at Amigos Del Rio were excellent.
The surf lesson with Sebastian (who works for Glen) was good, even if there was as much chatting as there was surfing. The Manuel Antonio beaches are perfect for learning to surf. The only unfortunate aspect was that our driver to and from the lesson never showed up so we had to rely on alternate mechanisms. Also our itinerary listed the lesson as "2 hours" in one place and "3 hours" in another place. Turns out it was only 2 hours, but that was plenty.
All in all, the team at Serendipity did a great job, and Adrian was accessible on WhatsApp at all times. That was hugely helpful.
Here are my suggestions:
1. More specificity on what to expect and where to be. It's great if a tour starts at 7:50am. Where should we be at 7:50am? Hotel reception? Security gate in front of hotel? Who should we look for? There are times when multiple tour guides approached us, but we were not the right clients. It would have helped for us to have a name/company to look for.
2. Lay out where we will and will not have access to internet. At La Paloma, there is no cell service, and the only WiFi provided is in the central restaurant.
3. Warn people of sand fleas and jellyfish (golden line) possibilities.
4. Recommend tours like the mangrove tours or the night tours. We did not book these in advance but word of mouth indicates that they were amazing.
All in all, we had a great time, and I appreciate Serendipity Travel very much for booking such excellent guides and experiences.

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