Kimkim Trip Reviews

It was a delight to work with Francesca in planning the trip. She developed an itinerary that was perfect for us. The tours she booked were great as were her restaurant suggestions throughout Iceland. We loved how she gave us daily optional activities. The hotels we stayed at were very nice. We needed to make a few changes in our itinerary because of flight cancellations. Michele and Francesca were very responsive adjusting hotels and activities.

Things we loved:
1. Locations of all our hotels in Athens, Naxos and Santorini.
2. Sunset cruise in Santorini - Sunset Oia were amazing (food and staff)
3. Trip to Delphi
4. Trip in Naxos. Since it was private, we could spend more time on things we liked.
Things we did not love so much:
1. Would have preferred a private tour in Athens. The visit to the Acropolis was at noon and very hot and it should have been done first thing in the morning before the crowds came. Also we were the first ones picked up and wasted 1.5 hrs waiting for others to get picked up. The drive by tour of Syntagna square was a waste and we had do it again on our own to enjoy. The private tour would have included Acropolis, archaeological museum, syntagna square, walking tour of plaka and monastriki square.
2. Would have preferred a private tour to Delphi. It would have been faster and more enjoyable.
3. Would have preferred a better hotel in Santorini. Felt a bit cramped overall.

Hotel Reviews

Lagos Mare

Naxos

Great location and ambience and the staff was amazing.

Authenticity & Character

Ambience was great and the layout was amazing.

Location

Just a 15 walk to the beachfront

Staff

They were friendly and we had great conversations with them by the pool.

Cleanliness & Comfort

We had nothing to complain about.

Nissos Thira Hotel

Santorini

Great location but did not like the cramped rooms. Meant more for small families with limited luggage or backpackers.

Authenticity & Character

Location

5 min walk to the bus terminus with buses to Oia and Kamari. 15 min walk to Atlantis Hotel where we began our coastal walk towards Oia. 10 min walk to Fira central where there are plenty of restaurants and shops.

Staff

Staff should help visitors carry their suitcases to their rooms. We were 2 flights down and had to carry our own big suitcases up and down.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Titania Hotel

Athina

Great location with walking access to all sights in Athens. Great view of the acropolis from the 11th floor breakfast area. Amazing breakfast buffet with lots of choices. Did not like their bathrooms for the family suites with the sliding foldable glass door. Very uncomfortable and cramped.

Authenticity & Character

Bathrooms for sure

Location

We could walk to acropolis, monastriki square and plaka neighborhood very easily. Syntagna square was very close as well.

Staff

Very friendly and quick service.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Everything

Activity Reviews

Catamaran Sunset Cruise

Santorini

Amazing boat and liked the crew. Liked that it was semi private and not crowded. Food served on board was amazing and there were accommodations made for allergies and vegetarians.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

The Island of Naxos

Naxos

Great private tour of Naxos. The guide was knowledgeable but sometimes too chatty. Towards the end we just wanted some quiet time to wind down. We were able to spend extra time in places we liked and change the itinerary based on time.

Quality of Experience

The olive oil tour and city tour along the way was amazing. We bought some olives and spices at the local stores.

Food

Great food and views. We had kids with allergies and they were able to accommodate us.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Delphi, the Navel of the Earth

Athens

Amazing trip to Delphi. The guide was knowledgeable but sometimes too chatty that the kids lost focus. We did not like the food at the restaurant in Delphi village. It was downright horrible. We would have preferred stopping at a restaurant of our choice. The trip lasted from 7:30am to 7:30pm. A private tour would have been faster.

Quality of Experience

Less talking by the guide and choice of restaurants. The restaurant on the tour was horrible.

Food

Everything. Appetizers to dessert were all horrible

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Panoramic Sightseeing of Athens

Athens

Would have preferred a private tour that could be customized to what we wanted to see. Wasted 1.5 hours picking up other guests. We visited Acropolis around noon when it was too hot and the kids did not enjoy that at all.

Quality of Experience

Smaller group tours or private tours

Guides, Drivers and Staff

The guide was too chatty towards the end

Transport

Good comfortable bus

We had a thoroughly enjoyable trip. The activities, Mountain Bike riding, zip lining, hiking up the Cotopaxi Volcano and rafting were so much fun. Our guide was exceptional, very knowledgeable about his country, the various fauna and birds. Our unplanned visit to a chocolate factory was excellent. Christian Chalcualan made the trip for us. Nothing was too much trouble for him. The owner of the biking tour Eric, our Cotopaxi guide Luis and Ronnie the rafting and Kayaker were all top notch people.

Unfortunately the 1st 3 hotels were not up to a standard that we would wish on anybody. All 3 suffered from poor or not enough food. Location were either remote or in a dangerous area (the receptionists comment), all had hot water issues and one of them was in the middle of a road building site with deep mud on the access. To arrive at a hotel 5 miles from anywhere to be presented with a box room, awful food (boiled beef of some description), heating was a very noisy fan and heated blankets on the bed and no hot water was disgraceful: no signal to call our guide to get us out was annoying.

We’d had enough at this stage and after reviewing the next disaster in the middle of a noisy environment we paid over $200 to stop at a 4 star hotel. The final 3 hotels were outstanding just superb and everything we’d hoped for in the 1st place.

Overall a trip made memorable by our guide and mentor Christian. His tried to hide his embarrassment at our accommodation but it was obvious he was in a difficult position.

Hotel Reviews

San Jose de Puembo Quito Airport, an Ascend Hotel Collection

Puembo, Quito

Location not brilliant but the on site facilities more than compensate for it. pools, spa various activities. Animals wandering the ground. it sits on a 40km bike route out the back of the hotel. Bikes for hire. Food was excellent and the rooms very well presented with tea and coffee making facilities. The staff were all very good and attentive.

Authenticity & Character

Modern built accommodation for the main annex.

Location

40 minutes from Quito but only 20 to the airport.

Staff

Attentive and friendly.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Excellent very clean and well presented.

Termas de Papallacta

Papallacta

Great staff (especially Jennyfer on reception) Outstanding food. To come out of your room and step into a hot spring 24/7 was amazing. Rooms were well appointed. Some great walks around the hotel and the spa treatments were fantastic

Authenticity & Character

well thought out hotel.

Location

In a valley at 3000m with hills either side stretching to 4000m. Great walking out of the hotel.

Staff

everyone was very attentive. Nothing was too much trouble.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Spotless rooms and facilities especially the spa.

Hotel El Jardin Aleman

Puerto Misahualli

What a great place with many animals, birds and character. Staff were very attentive when needed. the room was comfortable and spacious.

Authenticity & Character

Claimed to be a jungle hotel and it was. Authentic with character.

Location

Beautiful location on the riverbank.

Staff

When we saw then they were helpful allowed us privacy but were there when needed.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Well maintained

Cuello de Luna Mountain Lodge

El Chasqui - Pastocalle

Just no! 5 miles from anywhere. Food was appalling. lump of boiled beef of some description, polenta and lentils for our evening meal. Breakfast was adequate and plenty. Room was a box room. The suitcase was in the way so i put it in the hall. No heating except for a very noisy fan that was on all night and a heated under blanket. No hot water and no-one to complain too until the morning. More suited to a budget backpacker who just wants a mattress.

Authenticity & Character

Oh yes a very old dated ranch type environment

Location

Remote valley

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Clean but no real facilities. No hot water until we complained in the morning.

Casa de Piedra

Mindo

Clean and comfortable accommodation. Inadequate hot water supply with very low pressure. No out of hours facilities. This hotel is in the middle of a road upgrade program. Access into and out of the hotel to the town was wading through mud and various building sites. Breakfast was very small and we asked for more bread. We got an extra croissant. We left went into town and stocked up.

Authenticity & Character

Location

right in the middle of major building works

Staff

When available friendly

Cleanliness & Comfort

Rooms where great but hot water was an issue.

Kitu Hotel

Quito

Dangerous area, no facilities after hours. Mainly a hostel. A few drunks worn and tired.

Authenticity & Character

Location

The dangerous area.

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Worn out hotel with poor facilities.

Activity Reviews

From Cotopaxi Hacienda to Hiking in Cotopaxi National Park, onwards to Baños

Ecuador

An amazing experience. We hiked from 3400m up to 5010m. the mountain guide was awesome. Knew his stuff, refused to let us push it and guided us at a pace he believe we should be comfortable at. Very hard work in the thin air. As an experience hiker and off piste skier this was probably one of the hardest things I have done. At 69 years old to reach 5010m to the glacier was a personal best for me. We arrived in the area to sunshine and volcano was there in all its glory. As we came to the end of the climb the volcano started to erupt smoke and ash but we were in no danger but it was an awesome sight.

Quality of Experience

The experience of a lifetime that will stay with me.

Food

Greta food in a local restaurant.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

This guy really knew his stuff.

Transport

Mindo – Canopy - Cotopaxi

Ecuador

Great fun. 10 rides over the rainforest

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Bicycle day tour: Nono - Mindo

Ecuador

The 40km ride down the hills from the clouds, cold and mountain tops down to the rainforest was amazing. Eric the owner and his staff made us so welcome and ensured we also had some genuine Ecuadorian experiences in a local restaurant

Quality of Experience

Food

Real Ecuadorian experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Great bunch of guys

Transport

Jatunyaku River Rafting - Papallacta

Ecuador

Mad mad fun. The guide Ronnie was a real character. Level 4 & 5 rapids. Serious safety brief before we setup. The best new experience of the trip.

Quality of Experience

An absolute hoot af an adventure. But safe.

Food

A small adequate beach picnic half way down the river.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

2 real characters full of fun.

Transport

I've never used a travel agent before, and Kristy has gone above and beyond what I expected. She was accommodating to my constantly changing travel plans and quick to find alternatives that better met the needs of my family. She was there to assist and direct us at every turn of the journey, which went without a hitch. I doubt I'll ever go back to organizing my own travel again.

Ten days of a perfect trip ! That's how my husband is describing our recent trip to Greece! We are recently retired and
"gifted" ourselves with a trip to Greece. We found KimKim online, read very positive reviews and decided we liked their approach to connecting us with an agent in Greece. KimKim put us in touch with Angela from GA Trips. Angela shared a few itineraries with us and we spent time looking through the options. Everything she shared was very detailed and included beautiful pictures and descriptions of how to plan out our days. She gave us a price each time we made an adjustment to the plan. We were able to personalize everything. We were very interested in visiting actual family owned wineries and Angela adjusted our tours to accommodate our wishes. Prior to the trip, we received a very detailed trip plan showing us how to make transfers from airport to hotel, hotel to the port for the ferries, times and meeting points of tours. There was not one single glitch in the entire trip plan. I was able to reach out to Angela via email with questions during our trip and she was very responsive!
Reflecting on highlights of our trip, here is the best of a wonderful vacation!
Having never been to Greece, we chose to do traditional ancient Greece tours, starting with the Acropolis. Our guide, Michael, through Alternative Athens tours, was extremely knowledgeable and helpful in helping us navigate ancient ruins, and provided so much detail about each and every site. We spent an evening travelling to Sunio and the Temple of Poseidon at sunset,with a few scenic photo stops along the way. We added a day to travel to Corinth and loved seeing the canal and the Temple of Apollo, the archealogical museum and being able to stand where St. Paul addressed the Corinthians! Our Athens hotel, Sweet Home Boutique, was in a perfect location, a section of Athens call Plaka. Restaurants, tavernas and small shops are very closeby and within view of the Parthenon. Rooms are very small, but this is normal for this style of building. Breakfast was wonderful! Hostesses were so kind and helpful.

From Athens we travelled by ferry to Santorini, where a driver was waiting for us. Our hotel, Blue Dolphins, was again in the best of locations, as we could easily walk the path to the city of Fira, or north to Oia. The hotel delivered breakfast to our room each morning. The view from our room was breathtaking, including the white walls and blue roofs of Santorini, as well as the blue water and volcanic islands navigated by cruise ships. The highlight of Santorini for us was provided by Elaina of Santorini Luxury Tours, visiting the wineries - Estate Argyros (and met a lovely sommelier who spent time showing us production, explaining the how the vines uniquely grow in Santorini, and experienced an exquisite wine/food pairing), Gaia Winery, where we had a waterfront wine tasting and learned how they submerge some wines in the sea for five years, and Avantis Wines where we experienced a fantastic lunch with perfect wines! We also had fun on a catamaran sunset cruise!

While other people we met were going to the well known islands of Mykonos and Naxos, our last three days were spent on the island of Crete. We altered our final tour to see the Palace of Knossis, the oldest known European start of civilization, the Minoans, and our day included two more wineries Domaine Paterianakis and Lyrarakis! Our tour guide, Andreas, of Snami Travel was great - providing so much information about Cretian history and local culture, and even making a casual stop to an old aqueduct where our driver provided a roadside table of fruits, nuts and drinks! Our hotel the Happy Cretian Suites was absolutely perfect! The staff was amazing! After eight days of touring, exploring and drinking local wines, we opted to visit a small town by the sea near our hotel, our last two days, where we got waterfront lounge chairs, ate wonderful Greek food and relaxed! We will need to come back to Crete to explore the rest of the island on another visit! Thank you KimKim and Angela for putting together an absolutely perfect vacation!

We thoroughly enjoyed our trip to Mount Rigi. Our guide Ralph did a great job showing us the beauty of the area.

Hotel Reviews

Hotel Felix

Zürich

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Alpenruh

Mürren

Authenticity & Character

View of the alps, very good restaurant and friendly staff.

Location

Near to restaurants and to the tram.

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Anker Luzern

Luzern

Hotel Anker was a perfect base for visiting the area around beautiful Lucerne. Beautiful accommodations, friendly staff, great breakfast and warm design.

Authenticity & Character

Staff and design features.

Location

Staff

Professional and most accomodating

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Jungfraujoch, Top of Europe (tickets and seat reservation)

Switzerland

Jungfraujoch is a spectacular experience and actually exceeded our expectations. That said the cost is far too much.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Mount Rigi, the Queen of Mountains (Group tour/7 hours)

Switzerland

Beautiful views and made som wonderful friends on the tour

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Afternoon tour to Rhine Falls and Stein am Rhein

Zürich

Quality of Experience

Long drive to get there

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Could not hear guid on the walk.

Transport

We enjoyed an amazing family vacation in Costa Rica thanks to Fiorella's trip planning guidance. Our teenagers loved the adrenaline rush of white water rafting on the Pacaure River's long rapids, including a class IV section as well a howling with the howler monkeys while hiking on the Arenal 1968 Volcano hike. We saw a lot of wildlife in Manual Antonio, were surrounded by Capuchin monkeys, swam in the ocean under the Toucans, and with the help of our guide had some excellent views of sloths and roosting bats. My husband and I most enjoyed the biodiversity in the rugged Corcovado National Park. It took a boat ride through a mangrove forest to get there and a small plane to return to San Jose, but was worth the effort. Our guide Manfred with the Corcovado Wilderness Lodge was an excellent storyteller about the interdependence of the wildlife in the rainforest. Our family was lucky to spot an immense mother and tiny baby tapir on our gorgeous hike. Many great memories of our 12 day adventure.

We enjoyed the trip put together by KimKim. All the transfers were easy to understand and having our e-tickets in pdf ahead of time made it all very easy. We enjoyed all the accommodations. And trip planning with Edzi before our trip was easy and communication was very good.

All of the guides were prompt and very knowledgeable. We learned a lot about each city. Pedro was very responsive and answered all of our questions and even made some changes we requested once we arrived.

Hotel Reviews

NH Sintra Centro Hotel

Sintra

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Rooms were a bit hot.

NH Hotel Porto Jardim

Porto

Authenticity & Character

Location

Location was not ideal.

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Heritage Avenida Liberdade

Lisboa

Great location

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Guided Walking Tour to Sintra + Tickets to the Pena Palace

Portugal

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Scenic Voyage along the Douro River aboard an Exclusive Boat

Portugal

It was not a traditional boat and no descriptions of what we were seeing.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Seamless Discovery - The Ultimate Douro Valley Experience with Private Driver Service

Portugal

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Porto's Historic Odyssey on a Private Walking Tour

Porto

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Private Historic Odyssey Walking Tour of Lisbon

Lisbon

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Terry was absolutely fantastic to work with. She helped us plan a super personalized trip to Iceland that fit our family to a tee. We were in a different location every night -- each place was so different. The variety added to the overall experience. Everything went smoothly. A trip of a lifetime. Thank you kimkim team!

Before my trip, many friends asked me not to visit Mexico for fear of safety. My 10 days visit was awesome. We spent 5 nights at mexico city, 3 at Merida and 2 at Cancun. Surprised Mexico city is so clean in the old town where we stayed. Streets are always clean, and people are friendly and do not pose any danger to tourists. Hardly see people smoking or getting drunk on streets.

Our ite was well organised by Kimkim and Mr Rene. everyday is not tiring , giving us ample time to explore on our own. The visits to tourists spots were well guided by professional guides and we were particularly impressed with Mr Pablo. George is also another guide who gave us good information of the sites we toured. Hotels chosen were pleasant and well located for us to walk around the old city .

Thanks to the Trip Sapp set up which is a group chat involving the group of 4 of us and the persons in charge of our tour. Special thanks to Liz for the daily update, advise and recommendations of what we can do. A very innovative way to assist tourists who will find such support assistance highly appreciated.

We have no hesitation to recommend our friends to visit Mexico and to use kimkim to ensure a memorable trip.

Thanks for a memorable visit to Mexico.

We had an amazing visit to Portugal with our 80+ year old parents in early June 2023. We contacted a local specialist via KimKim to tailor a 7-day tour of Lisbon with a private car/guide and minimal walking, since our parents have mobility issues. Diogo and Tiago prepared a perfect itinerary for us, which included visits to Lisbon old town, Belem, the seaside town of Cascais and Cabo da Roca cape, the historical village of Sintra, the UNESCO World heritage site of Evora, as well as Mafra and Ericeira. The pace of the tour was perfect and Diogo was a very informative and amusing guide. He was able to tell us a out the history of each place, as well as show us the best places to eat. We enjoyed our first time in Portugal very much and are planning to visit again!!

Where do I start?! A million thank-you's to Chiara for an absolutely unforgettable trip to Italy. This was our son's graduation gift - his choice for us to travel through Italy. I worked with KimKim for our trip to Costa Rica last summer - and was very eager to see what would come about when I inquired about a trip through Italy.

Chiara did an amazing job for us. She listened to my desires, was eager to swap things around, add and omit certain activities/excursions/change accommodations to suit us. She focused on the location of our accommodations for my family, timing of excursions, and took care of all transport from getting off the airplane until 11 days later when getting back on the airplane. I LOVE these trips through KimKim - I do not have to lift a finger while traveling. I don't have to worry about the timing of anything - it is all done for me. We are a very well-travelled family, but on these in-depth trips, it is so nice to have a local expert of the country do the foot work for me. Chiara always responded quickly when planning.

One other thing I loved about working with Chiara and her team, is the App they provided me with just prior to our departure for Italy. It had all our itinerary/tickets/information on it, day by day, and it even had a chat/message feature that I used a few times to get in touch with someone when I had a question. They always responded immediately. I was also provided with a personal phone number to use 24/7 in case we needed anything. It was so reassuring that we had support if need be.

All of our tours and excursions were second to none. Private walking/historical tours of Venice, a private boat tour/excursion around the Venice Harbour and to Murano as well as a gorgeous gondola ride in the evening. In Florence we were given information of the many museums and churches to tour, walks and sights to see. Once in Sorrento, we had the most amazing private boat tour to Capri, spending the day visiting the island and boating the gorgeous waters. Once in Rome, we started with a Vespa Side Car Tour of the entire city, stopping off at the major sights, we had a private tour of the Colosseum as well as the Vatican. And again, in between, private transport (all were amazing and incredibly professional) and trains, made this a trip of a lifetime!!

I with I could personally thank Chiara and give her a big hug. I can plan a trip, but having someone who is a local and knows the country, the cities, the intricacies, makes all the difference. It was fun seeing our trip come together in the beginning, and now that it is over, I am filled with overwhelming gratitude to Chiara. I could not have done this without her. So, thank you.

In closing, I am incredibly excited to plan my next trip through KimKim. I tell all my family and friends about KimKim - I am hooked!! Will be a customer for life!! Thank you <3

Hotel Reviews

Monti Palace Hotel Rome

Rome

This was a beautiful hotel - much like most small European hotels, you see only the doorway from the street view, and then it opens up on the inside. The staff were incredibly attentive. The breakfast was superb - unfortunately due to early morning excursions/flights, we missed 2 of the 3 we were scheduled to have. Our room was incredibly modern, absolutely amazing bathrooms. Though it was loud - you could hear the noise in the streets at night - but that is Rome!! As far as location - Rome is so spread out - so this was a great location to the Colosseum, Trevi Fountain (a bit of a walk) and the Pantheon. However, anything is walkable if you are willing. Wonderful restaurants nearby. Just a bit far from the Spanish Steps/Borghese Gardens.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Palazzo Guardati Hotel Sorrento

Sorrento

The location is the best part of this hotel. It is directly city-center. It is quick - you have to roll your luggage through a small alley between restaurants to get to it (what a memory!) - but that is part of the charm. The hotel itself is beautiful - the bathroom was amazing, but the rooms could be painted/decorated more of a Mediterranean style and this would work so much better than the harsh gold paint and very antique furnishings inside the rooms. As well, that picture of the pool you see is very deceiving - it really is the size of a hot tub - probably holds 6 people sitting. So I wouldn't go there for the pool, however, the rooftop / veranda with sun loungers is wonderful, amazing service for cocktails in the evening, and the most amazing views of Mount Vesuvius.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Rooms could/should be updated with brighter, more modern, Mediterranean style decor/furnishings.

Hotel Orto de' Medici

Florence

Authenticity & Character

Michelangelo learned to paint and sculpt in the courtyard of this hotel!! Beautiful, well kept, stunning architecture.

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Locanda Leon Bianco on the Grand Canal

Venice

This is such a historical hotel - incredibly small (most in Venice are). The only reason I took one star away is because the reception (front desk) does not open until 8:00 a.m., as well as the breakfast - the first seating is at 8:00 a.m. Other than that, it is a quirky, gorgeous European hotel with an amazing location!!! My favorite was when the hotel manager was awaiting our arrival from the water taxi from the airport at their "pier"!! Great personal service!

Authenticity & Character

It's history - next to the oldest building in Venice.

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

We had an incredibly large room for a family of 4!!

Activity Reviews

Vatican Tour & Sistine Chapel

Rome

An absolute must when visiting the Vatican. We probably wouldn't have even gotten in without a tour/private tour (so many tourists), also, she gave meaning to the how/why/art/history of the Vatican, museum, it's rooms, the Sistine Chapel. Had we just gone in, we wouldn't have understood the intricacies of the art.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

The Best of Colosseum & Ancient Rome With Exclusive Arena Access

Rome

Our tour guide was amazing - though I don't think you need the VR experience. We really didn't use it. But I absolutely recommend Liv Tours for a private tour of the Colosseum - NO BIG GROUP TOURS. Private is the way to go - you will get a much better history and understanding of everything - there is so much to learn!!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Vespa Sidecar Tour in Rome

Rome

Best "welcome to Rome" tour ever. They touched on everything - we saw everything, stopped, learned so much history we otherwise wouldn't have. Rome came to life for us after this tour. Amazing and so much fun!!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Exclusive Capri Boat Tour from Sorrento

Italy

Loved it - a must do!! Small groups (don't do those huge boats with dozens of people) only 8 people on our gorgeous boat, lunch, Capri, swimming, drinks, pictures, information, so much fun!!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Private Evening Gondola Ride Venice & City Stroll

Venice

This was a wonderful insight into the city of Venice. It's one thing to go to a city, but to understand the city and see its intricacies is another thing. We love history and learning, and this was a wonderful, leisurely walking tour onto a private gondola ride!!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Murano Island Excursion

Venice

I didn't realize we would have the boat to ourselves for 3 hours!! Amazing. Nicolette was wonderful - super cool and informative! Loved her. Though - didn't love the hard sell of the man who brought us on the tour of the Glass Factory - we just wanted to look and he wanted to sell!!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Our KimKim specialist in Norway, Tricia, was amazing from start to finish. We had a medical emergency while on our trip and had to change a lot of our plans. Tricia really stepped up and helped us out in our hour of need!

I would absolutely use KimKim again for any future international trips.

Hotel Reviews

Hotel Brosundet

Ålesund

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Alexandra

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Opus XVI

Bergen

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Review

Exploration of Ålesund's Surrounding Islands

Ålesund

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Had the pleasure of taking part in a 5-day Athens/Peloponnese excursion at the conclusion of a Viking cruise. Eleni and her team did an amazing job coordinating the trip for our group of 20+ adults. The days were long to ensure we saw as much as possible during our short stay in Greece. Eleni and team were readily available to answer any questions and to smooth out minor issues.

Booking the trip seemed almost too easy, yet the itinerary (Azores 6 days)was just about perfect for our family. The best parts were dinner with a host family on our day of arrival and the fabulous guides we had (Ruis, Deni, Diego) who took great care of us and taught us so much about the region. The scenery is spectacular, but they made us appreciate it on a deeper level. Each day was a new adventure, with different activities from the day before, and we enjoyed it all. Also loved our hotel (San Miguel Park), with great views of the city and easy walk to downtown.

Our guides were amazing. I believe our guide in Athens was Marina--she was sweet and knowledgeable and attentive to our needs on a very hot, busy day at the Acropolis. Our guide Mary in Naxos was also unbelieveable. We felt like family after our day with her!

Hotel Reviews

Volcano View Hotel

Santorini

First the good parts. The view from this hotel is stunning. The staff is super friendly. However, we felt that the location wasn't great. It's on a super busy road and there is no place to walk to from the hotel. It's a 20 minutes outside of the closest town, Fira, which was our least favorite part of the whole trip. Fira is busy with cruise ship tourists and it was filthy dirty with trash overflowing the trash cans and all over the streets. Streets are mostly T-shirt/postcard shops and fast food joints. Oia is a slightly better choice of city, with a bit nicer shops and restaurants, but it's 30 minutes and 40-50 Euros cab fare away from the hotel. Also, the hotel is filled with large busloads of tourists and honeymooners. Not a great choice for our family of three including our 17 year old daughter. There wasn't one other kid at the hotel.

Authenticity & Character

Location

You need to take a cab or bus or shuttle to get anywhere from this hotel. It's on a super busy road too far to walk to anything.

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

However, our room was super small. You could barely walk around the bed in the bedroom and the living area was uncomfortable.

Naxos Island hotel

Naxos

This hotel is in a cute, laid back beach town about a 10-15 minute drive to Naxos Hora. We loved the location, just steps from a beautiful beach with many cafes. You can rent sunbeds with umbrellas on the beach for about 10-15 Euros, and the cafes will bring you food and drinks. We also enjoyed walking to the beach cafes for coffee and breakfast every morning. Naxos was definitely the highlight of our trip. We would have liked a magnifying mirror in the bathrooms for makeup. The rooftop pool is nice.

Authenticity & Character

Location

We liked the beach location, but if you want to be in Naxos Hora you will need to drive.

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Noble Suites

Athens

Just know that this is more of an apartment building rather than a traditional hotel. However it was perfect for us because we didn't need the amenities of a traditional hotel (gym, lobby, public spaces, etc.) We had two small apartments for our family of three--very neat and clean with everything we needed (*except I could have used a magnifying mirror for makeup). Breakfast was large and delicious with everything we could ask for. The hotel (owner?) Mariana took care of our every need, including some medicine for a stomach ache, extra blankets and early morning breakfast when we had an early transfer. Also the neighborhood is nice with a short walk to the Acropolis and many good cafes.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Private Naxos Food & Culture Tour

Naxos

Definitely a highlight of our trip. Mary was a truly wonderful guide--we felt like family when we left her. Naxos is just lovely and laid back and authentic. Shops pride themselves on handmade goods (food, art, etc) that have been in families for generations. We tasted Naxos potatoes, oil, honey, wine--all delicious.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Private Acropolis Hill & Museum Tour

Athens

Our guide was amazing--super knowledgeable and sweet and attentive to our needs on a hot, busy day at the Acropolis.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

We gave a bit of an unusual order to Joel, asking him to find and plan a 4 days advanced intensive cooking class in Lyon with some ability to have a bit of English if possible from the teacher. as we are a true Canadian couple - half French and half English ! We also booked a boutique hotel in the Presqu'ile and a quick tour of the city on the first day to get oriented. .

Joel was straightforward that was not a usual request, but he has delivered on our request.

We had a fantastic week with 2 chefs (Alice and Basil) that went through Pastries, French classics, desserts and entremets. We also did a day of Lyonnaise cuisine assorted with small plates, some meatless dishes, petits fours, amuses bouches. Extremely fast paced and we went through about 50 total dishes in 4 days - it was difficult, a lot of work but exactly what we had asked and we could not be more happy with this week.

Jean-Alexandre did a good job at the lay of the land for the tour, good recommendations for restaurants and what not to do ! The hotel was well located, boutique with a good bistronomique restaurant, a good breakfast and quiet.

so all in all, it was the first time we worked with Joel and he really came through for this trip and we would not hesitate to have another trip with him and recommend to our close circle.

Well done. Merci.

Hotel Review

Hotel de l'Abbaye

Lyon

Excellent small boutique hotel. good service, good bistro, good breakfast, quiet and decent little bar. It is boutique, so don't expect Sofitel amenities !

Authenticity & Character

Old building renovated with taste.

Location

quiet. close to Perrache.

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

quiet. Rooms are sized as per French standards.

Activity Reviews

Its a Peninsula! Guided tour of Lyon town center

Lyon

Jean Alexandre was excellent. What else there is to say ! our 3 hours tour went very well !

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Cooking class in Lyon

Lyon

Excellent class with Alice and Basil. This was advanced, intensive and private 4 day class. We did over 50 recipes over the 4 days declined in several dishes in several meal formats. It is not for beginners and some level of French understanding is a must. If you want to dig deep into French cooking, this is a very good option. Everything was well organized, on time and extremely busy (what we wanted). Thanks for the great week.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

We chose to kick off our honeymoon in Peru as we wanted to do Machu Picchu Inca Trail. We had wanted to do the 4-day Inca trail and the local travel agency booked the incorrect permits, allowing us to only do the 2-day Inca trail and the 2-day Lares Trek with Alpaca Expeditions. As compensation for the mistake, Kim Kim did refund the difference and upgraded our hotels, which we appreciated. All the activities, local guides and hotels that Kim Kim booked were great. If we had not had had the issue with the Inca Trail, we would have given 5 stars all around.
Inkaterra Amazonia was a great all-inclusive option. We booked the supplemental Orinthology expedition, which was well worth the extra money and 4am wake-up.
We had a great local guide in Cusco, Flora, and I was glad that the afternoon of visiting the surrounding sites was organized as it would have been difficult to visit all the important archeological sites without a car/taxi. Flora also gave us some great tips for the Lares Trail (bring coca leaves and candies to give to the local communities, which they loved). We also did an unprogrammed stop on the way back to Cusco at a local alpaca textile shop where we learned about how the sweaters were made, the difference between real and fake alpaca sweaters and were able to shop directly from the craftswomen.
The Lares Trek was beautiful but the elevation was very difficult. Ricardo at Alpaca Expeditions did a great job with the logistics, ensuring that we were hiking at the right speed and explaining about the region. The 2-day Inca Trail, while not what we had initially expected, still allowed us to enter Machu Picchu through the Sun Gate. Of note, the tickets to Machu Picchu only cover 1 circuit, so if you want to see the full site, you would need to have multiple entry tickets booked.
The Titicaca Train between Cusco and Puno was truly a once in a lifetime experience that Kim Kim booked a few days before our arrival as the trains were closed until that date.
We had a great local guide in Puno as well, José, to visit the Uros floating islands and the village on Isla Taquile. (Tip: bring cash with you if you would like to buy nice weavings).
Our trip then went onto Bolivia and the connection between Peru and Bolivia was not handled by Kim Kim. We booked an early morning bus between Puno and La Paz. Getting to the bus was fine, but the border crossing was a disaster. Fellow Americans: get your visa done before leaving on your trip. Despite telling the bus drivers that I needed to buy a Bolivian visa, there was mass confusion at the border and everyone had different opinions on which order the stamps needed to be obtained and no one spoke English. One American couple on our bus was left behind at the border as they didn't have their paperwork organized and took too long sorting out their visas.

Hotel Review

Inkaterra Reserva Amazonica

Puerto Maldonado

Wonderful experience - delicious food, comfortable and beautiful cabanas, great excursions. No wifi or cell network, so it was a great way to kick off our honeymoon fully disconnected from the world (no temptation to check work emails!)

Authenticity & Character

Beautiful architecture and cabanas, all with open air with mosquito netting.

Location

Isolated in the middle of the rainforest. Opportunity to see wildlife right outside your cabana!

Staff

Our guide for excursions Hugo was great - very knowledgeable and great at spotting wildlife

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Arrival to Lima: Free Day to Explore

Lima

Pick-up from airport was smooth.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Lima Free Day to Explore

Peru

As Lima is a very big city and the sites to see are very spread out, which means you need to taxi/uber between all visits. Having a guided tour of the city to bring us to the museums/sites to see would have been a nice addition to our trip.

Quality of Experience

Depart Puno

Puno

It was nice to be dropped off at the bus, but we would have liked it if Kim Kim could handle the border transfer between Peru and Bolivia as it was a disaster.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Lake Titicaca Tour: Uros Floating Islands & Taquile Island

Puno

Our guide José, was great. It was very interesting to learn about the local cultures here and how they were similar/different to other Quechua communities we'd encountered so far during our trip. The boat trip to Taquile Island was nice and the view from Taquile was beautiful with a delicious lunch.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Welcome to Puno: Free day

Puno

The Titicaca Train was a first class experience and discovered the pisco chilcano! The train was beautiful, the scenery was beautiful, the food was delicious, the entertainment was great. Highly recommend! We're so glad Kim Kim was able to book this last minute for us once Peru Rail reopened the line a week prior as it certainly beat an 8hour drive!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Inca Trail Day 4/4: Wiñayhuayna - Machu Picchu - Cusco

Peru

We did the 2 Day Inca Trail as the local travel agency purchased the incorrect permits and only bought the 2 day Inca Trail permits. The 2nd day, isn't actually a hike, it is just visiting the actual archeological site. We were unaware that the entry ticket for Machu Picchu only covered 1 circuit, which means that you don't get to visit the full site. We would have preferred having more time at Machu Picchu, even if that means purchasing multiple entries to see the full site. The train back from Agua Calientes is quite a bit of fun.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Inca Trail Day 3/4: Chaquicocha - Phuyupatamarca - Wiñayhuayna

Peru

We did the Inca Trail 2 Day as the local travel agency purchased the incorrect permits and only bought the 2 day Inca Trail permits. Day 1 from km 104 - Beautiful hike with lots of stairs and other Incan ruins along the way. Seeing Machu Picchu through the Sun Gate for the first time is truly extraordinary.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Inca Trail Day 2/4: Yuncachimpa - Warmihuañusca Pass - Chaquicocha

Peru

We did the LARES TREK as the local travel agency purchased the incorrect permits and only bought the 2 day Inca Trail permits. LARES Day 2 was less interesting as it was a downhill slope until lunch time and the rest of the afternoon was spent with other activities rather than hiking.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Inca Trail Day 1/4: Cusco - Piskacucho Km 82 - Llactapata- Ayapata

Peru

We did the LARES TREK as the local travel agency purchased the incorrect permits and only bought the 2 day Inca Trail permits. Beautiful views.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Trek Briefing

Peru

Good briefing, but there was a misunderstanding between Alpaca Expeditions and Kim Kim. We had to call Alpaca Expeditions as they did not show up at the scheduled time as they had our briefing down for a different day. The concierge at the hotel called and they showed up about 30 minutes later and the briefing covered everything we needed to know for the Trek.

Quality of Experience

reconfirm with trek company time and date of briefing

Half Day Cusco Tour

Peru

Flora was a great guide - very knowledgeable and had good tips for our future Trek

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Morning river journey and return flight to Lima

Puerto Maldonado

Well organized, Inkaterra handled checking and printing our boarding passes

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Inkaterra Reserva Amazonica Jungle Excursions

Puerto Maldonado

All the organized and included excursions were great.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Inkaterra Reserva Amazonica Jungle Excursions

Puerto Maldonado

All the organized and included excursions were great.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Into the Amazon: Inkaterra Reserva Amazonica

Puerto Maldonado

Simple connection, we were picked up at the airport and they handled organizing storing our big suitcases

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Fly from Lima to Cusco, Explore the City

Peru

Pick-up at the airport was smooth.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Everything went very well.
I do want to comment about a few things.

First- Daniela was our concierge and she was great!! Very responsive and confirmed transfers and tours with us.

I do think that I would have preferred a local guide for the St. Peter’s basilica tour rather than a German one. Our guide was difficult to understand and also did not know that the basilica was going to close early so our tour was only 1 hour instead of 2.

The guide for the Roman forum and the colosseum was excellent through LivTours.

The guide for pompeii was not too good. Although he knew a lot about pompeii, he was a bit too aloof- in my opinion- and should’ve been more directive in deciding about taking umbrellas and what parts to see before it started raining…

Our driver through the coastal towns did not stop in Amalfi and although it worked out, it was a change in what expected and eve Daniela was not aware.

Our hotel in Rome had poor AC in most of the rooms and did not really try to fix it.
We did discuss with them and with Daniela at the time of service so I waiting for a partial refund on this.

Some great things…
The location of all our hotels was excellent!
The cooking class was super fun and great location but again the description did not meet what we actually did.

On our free day in Sorrento, we took a boat tour with a small group to and around Capri and had an amazing time… I would recommend them as a tour you could use and partner with in future.

https://abnb.me/FQ1DUXYjJAb

Hotel Reviews

Grand Hotel Vesuvio

Naples

Great location. Beautiful 10th floor. Strange that the pool and gym area was not open all the time and that the bathrooms were not in service near the pool. The jacuzzi was cold

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Grand Hotel De La Ville

Sorrento

Beautiful hotel. Breakfast staff was great and front desk was great. Bad Manager was rude.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

HOTEL DELLE NAZIONI

ROME

AC was not good / consistent in rooms and not good communication about it with the staff

Authenticity & Character

Location

Great great location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Early morning private Vatican Tour

Rome

Visit of The Amalfi coast Villages Full Day

Italy

Driver and concierge did not communicate about the plan that day. Turned out to be a gorgeous day and had a great time but good to see expectations accurately

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Cooking Class Experience Amalfi Coast

Amalfi Coast

Expectations based on description were different than what we actually did

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Driver and restaurant did not communicate so we waited almost an hour to be picked up

Transport

Train Rome/Naples with transfers and 2h guided tour in Pompeii

Italy

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Private Colosseum guided tour & Ancient Rome

Rome

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport