Kimkim Trip Reviews

Just returned from our first time to Spain (Barcelona, Costa Brava, Girona, and Madrid) and had a wonderful time with KimKim’s and our local agents James Monroe’s and Angela’s assistance. Given our limited time in Spain, I think we were able to see the ‘must-sees’ but would like to return and visit other regions as well. All of our guides - Aida in Barcelona, our cooking instructor Rosa from Cook & Taste, our hiking guide Danny and Sophia in Madrid, were top notch in their field, as well as friendly and accommodating, ground transportation arrangements went as well as could be expected and our accommodations fit our needs well. Overall, we had a great family vacation!

Hotel Review

Sant Roc

Calella de Palafrugell

Sant Roc is situated right on the water so the location and views were magnificent. The hotel rooms could use a little updating but their breakfasts were outstanding. Staff were friendly and helpful.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Water views

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Retiro Park by eBike - Small Group Tour

Madrid

We met our e-bike guide at the designated location, picked up our bikes and helmets. We rode through city streets, approximately 1/2 mile, dodging vehicles, pedestrians, and segways. Once inside Retiro Park, the ride is more relaxing and our guide led us to numerous sites within the park. After a tour of the major park sites we rode through city streets again, to the old part of Madrid and the Royal Palace. Luckily nobody fell off their bike or hit a pedestrian,

Quality of Experience

Meet at the park and avoid the streets.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Private Tour of Madrid & the Royal Palace

Madrid

Our tour guide Sophia was very knowledgeable of the palace, the furnishings, past and present practices of Spain’s parliament and the royal family. I don’t think there was one question she couldn’t answer!

Quality of Experience

Informative tour guide

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Half Day Kayak Excursion on the Costa Brava

Spain

Roger and his partner were great instructors. We kayaked farther than I had imagined and stopped in some nice coves. Scenery was beautiful.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Friendly guys, great at what they do and made our kayaking trip interesting. With regards to our transportation from the kayak back to hotel there was a misunderstanding with the taxi driver. We were under the assumption the person taking us to the kayak rental facility was also the one picking us up but another driver came and we both sat at the meeting spot staring at each other before realizing we he was our taxi and we were his clients. Taxi driver was not happy.

Transport

Day Trip to the Costa Brava & Coastal Hike

Spain

A little rough terrain for older folks like me but our guide was understanding and didn’t rush our hike.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Nothing but after a 5 mile hike, it was nice to get a ride.

A Cooking Class of Spanish Cuisine

Barcelona

We loved Rosa, our instructor. It was great to go to the market with Rosa, who helped us develop a menu, shop for the ingredients and cook. As a family experience, we all participated and enjoyed this 1/2 excursion.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Guided Walk of the Gothic Quarter with Tapas Dinner

Barcelona

Aida was our guide and she was knowledgeable and friendly. Answered all of our questions and more.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Private Tour of Park Güell & Sagrada Família

Barcelona

A lot of visitors so it was difficult to really experience LSF fully but our guide Aida was very knowledgeable about the history of Gaudi and the structure.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

We loved Aida!

Transport

Veronika was extremely helpful and made the whole experience worry free and enjoyable. While we were in Iceland she kept us in formed on activities, food recommendations, and overall trip details. We even got to meet her personally in Vik which we thought was very thoughtful of her! Overall would definitely recommend KimKim and Veronika and team, and will be sure to book again through her for our next Iceland adventure!

Hotel Review

Grand Hotel Reykjavik

Reykjavik

The hotel staff were very professional and nice. They took care of us well. Overall the hotel is beautiful and the restaurant was really a wonderful fine dine experience

Authenticity & Character

Very impressive

Location

Easy to access

Staff

Super helpful and nice

Cleanliness & Comfort

Rooms were spacious, bathroom was very fancy

Activity Reviews

The Retreat Spa - Blue Lagoon

Iceland

An exclusive, and relaxing experience. Highly recommend as a trip ender!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Myrdalsjokull glacier snowmobiling

Iceland

The tour was impressive. Even with low visibility, there was a lot to see, and driving a snowmobile is always fun!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Icelandic horse riding tour

Iceland

The staff was friendly and the horses were well trained, didn't have to do much ourselves. The views on the beach were amazing.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Katla Ice Cave

Iceland

This was by far the coolest experience of our Iceland trip. It truly felt like we were on a different planet.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Most memorable was how well we were treated by our driver/guide: Basson and Eli. They were focused on our experience, getting to know us and taking us to places and restaurants we enjoyed. Particularly small family cafes!
Hiking Petra and Wadi Rum was my highlight in Jordan.
The best hotels were in the Dead Sea and Tal in Tel Aviv. Going to the markets was special.
Eli was amazing sharing his knowledge, insight and depth of history, art and food from place to place.
Both Basson and Eli were prompt and extremely accommodating. We had a lot of fun.
I can say I did everything I wanted to do. Thanks a million.

Terrific trip: Lake Arenal, Monteverde, Manuel Antonio
Olman planned the perfect trip for us. We had a wonderful time and visited La Fortuna/Lake Arenal, Monteverde, and Manuel Antonio. We got to see rainforest, jungle, the beaches, and everything in between. I was nervous about all of the driving, but we approached it as part of the adventure. Our trip was heavy on nature and animals, some adventure, and a little bit of relaxing, which is exactly what I asked for when reaching out to KimKim.
I was especially impressed with the Tabacon Resort and thermal springs and the Los Altos Resort. We also really enjoyed the bike ride around Lake Arenal and the ziplining/hanging bridges in Monteverde.

Thanks for a terrific trip!
Erica Z

What can I say! Our trip of a lifetime was indeed that! Tricia was amazing and extremely patient with us while planning our trip and even throwing her a last minute curveball with accommodations. We wanted a true Norway experience and I feel like that’s what we got! From Tromso to Senja, Bergen, Fjaerland, Flam, Aurland and Oslo, I feel like we were able to truly absorb so much of the Norwegian lifestyle. She recommended some absolutely stunning hikes, ridiculously good food and even more importantly the people we met along the way. Robert, our guide in Senja, was one of our favorites! He was so kind and in tune with everything even on a hike in 17° weather! We saw reindeer on the hike! The Arctic Safari was awesome as well! We saw a humpback whale and sea eagles. The views of the fjords were incredible! John, our guide in Bergen, was also a wealth of knowledge and took us on a 7 mile walk of the city. We took trains, planes, ferries, rented a car and the majority of the trip was nearly perfect! We had some minor issues, as all do, but nothing that we couldn’t resolve on our own.

I was a bit skeptical of using a travel agency I had never heard of before, but have already recommended Kimkim/Ethical travel and Tricia to several friends.

Thank you Tricia for making my 60th birthday one to remember forever!

Sarah did an amazing job of organizing our tours and drivers in Croatia. She was available and responsive from our first contact a year ago and remained readily available throughout the trip, actively managing anything that needed adapting (such as a flooded Krka national park that required a change in schedule and our sudden desire to do a same day cruise to Hvar). She offered many suggestions for itineraries, things to do in each city, and places to go between. Her use of WhatsApp was a nice touch.
The guides and drivers associated with KimKim were top notch - we could not have asked for more!
Highly recommend!

Maria did a great job organizing our trip. The hotels were all great and in great locations. The trips and tours we did were amazing. I would recommend using the train as much as possible where we can because traffic is so bad. Jessica with the story walk app was amazing! She got back to us right away and made everything we need happen quickly. Overall a great experience. We did some tours on our own too with some downtime so that was nice to have the options.

Hotel Reviews

Palazzo Starace

Sorrento

Great location in sorrento

Authenticity & Character

Location

On the strip great location and close to train station too

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

C-hotels Ambasciatori

Florence

Great location. Smelt kind of funny. First room wasn’t great 2nd room better. Staff was nice and breakfast was good with gluten free options

Authenticity & Character

Location

Across from train station is perfect and not to far to main areas

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Had a funny sewer smell on our floor

Hotel Quirinale

Rome

Great hotel, great location, great breakfast that had gluten free. Would definitely stay here again

Authenticity & Character

Location

Close to train station and not a far walk to different piazzas

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

The last night we could hear everything in the room next door was very annoying

Activity Reviews

Best of Florence Walking Tour with David & the Duomo

Florence

The guide was not great. Didn’t give us too much information and if you asked her stuff outside the tour info she didn’t know. The whole group agreed wasn’t the best experience. The guide we had to academia museum was better but even with tickets we still waited over an hour to get in to only be there maybe 30mins

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Exclusive Capri Boat Tour from Sorrento

Italy

It rained did not do it

Full Day Tour: Positano, Amalfi & Ravello

Italy

Driver was amazing! Drive carefully and took us to all the great spots at the right time despite the rainy day

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Colosseum Tour with Underground, Arena & Gladiator Gate with Roman Forum

Rome

This was a great experience and we had a great guide would recommend it

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Transfer from FCO Airport to Rome city center

Rome

Driver was great

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

We had a great trip to Portugal. My husband and I had decided to vacation there but when we tried to put an itinerary together ourselves it was nearly impossible. There is so much to see and do that we knew we needed help planning our trip. Using local expertise to create a fluid itinerary, get hotels in the best locations, and connect with us with along the way was wonderful and saved us a lot of time. Diogo was very accommodating, responded immediately to questions, and was in contact with us along our trip. The last day of our trip, Diogo was our day-long tour guide in Lisbon. It was great to meet him in person and to be able to thank him for all of his hard work!

This was altogether an extraordinary one month-long trip planned with great detail by our local specialist, Cristos, and his amazing, caring, and flexible Team 12! Cristos worked tirelessly until every detail was worked out to meet our needs for hotels and tours. All of our transfers were preplanned; at no time did we have to wait for guides or drivers to provide needed transfers. We had ample down time when we reached each destination with suggestions for self-guided tours before beginning with private tours. Our trip began in Thessaloniki (4 nights) where we stayed at the Electra Palace, a gem of a hotel centrally located. Our guide and driver were ready with suggestions for restaurants, points of interest, and were flexible when the focus of our tour required a change to cover the Jewish monuments and history of Thessaloniki. Our tour of this area of Macedonia included Pella and Vergina, ancient historical sites most worthwhile to visit. I am looking forward to exploring more of Macedonia on my next trip.

From Thessaloniki, we continued our trip on the mainland of Greece to Athens where we stayed in a large 3-bedroom suite apartment, Four Streets Athens (5 nights), centrally located in the Plaka district with a view of the Acropolis. Again we had time to wander about the Plaka and Kolonaki areas before beginning our private tours on the succeeding days: the Acropolis and museum, a food tour, and trips away from Athens (Epidaurus, Nafplio, Mycenae, Corinth Canal). Other very worthwhile tours included the Cycladic Museum and the Benake Museum.

From Athens, we flew to Mykonos to begin our trip to three of the Cycladic Islands plus Crete. Unfortunately, as May turned out to be a rather unseasonably cool month, we were unable to enjoy beach/swimming opportunities; however, we happily exchanged this weather for fewer crowds, especially appreciated when we got to Santorini!! Mykonos with its iconic windmills was lovely and quiet for this time of the year. We checked into the Mykonos Theoxenia Boutique, an elegant setting on the water, a few steps from town, with staff who couldn't do enough for their guests. From Mykonos we took a boat tour to Delos, an archeological site not to be missed. Our only disappointment was that we were included in a large group tour which made it difficult to understand the narrative.
On to Naxos, quite a contrast to Mykonos and then Santorini. The island's lush vegetation creates a rich farming and culinary tradition with some of the best produce in Greece, particularly famed for potatoes, cheeses, and olive oils. We stayed at the Montana Villa Naxos (4 nights), some distance from the town; however, having a driver and an excellent restaurant in walking distance (Kavos), this proved to be no problem. In in exchange, we had a beautiful view over the Aegean Sea. The grounds and pool of the villa were amazing but the weather was too cool to take a dip! The house lends itself well to a family; however, we three women experienced disappointing showering facilities (no shower curtain, high bath tubs to negotiate), but I would welcome a summer stay in spite of this detail. Our stay in Naxos included a private food and culture tour (olive oil, Greek liquor, cheeses, and lunch) as well as a private hike through the mountains with many varied sites and villages. Both opportunities not to be missed!! As our weather did not allow for beach time, we explored the many interesting shops and ruins of Naxos Hora and enjoyed a beach walk with lunch.
From Naxos, we continued on to the famed island of Santorini, much enjoyed because of the lesser crowds. Can't imagine what it must be like in summer: crowds plus the heat!! We stayed at the Volcano View Hotel (3 nights) with gorgeous pool areas and views of the caldera, just far away enough from the very busy center of Santorini. Interesting tours were arranged for us which included walks through Fira and quieter Oia. We also visited a lovely situated winery (Santorini is famous for its white wines). We had a great sail on a catamaran in the caldera from where we could get amazing views of the caldera's varied volcanic layers. The crew was professional and had a great sense of humor, hospitality and cooking skills. Great experience not to be missed. Before we left Santorini, we treated ourselves to a multi-coursed dinner at the famous restaurant, Solene. Fabulous experience, food, and service.
And so onto our last island, Crete, a famous culinary experience according to many a waiter and guide we encountered on our trip. We arrived first in Heraklion, site of Palace of Knossos. After a detailed tour of that site, we were ready to move on to Chania at the other end of the island. The old town of Heraklion has some interesting, upcoming restaurants; one day/evening is enough for this city. (We stayed at the Aquila Atlantis Hotel (2 nights), adequate for a short stay.) Chania is most charming by comparison. Our hotel, the 1400's Scala de Faro (4 nights), was right on the water (some rooms have beautiful views). The staff was most amazing and could fix any problem a guest might face. The town behind the hotel is great for wandering and shopping. As with the other islands, the Venetian influence is everywhere. So here is where our trip got 'interesting.' We were supposed to travel from Greece to Israel, but given the political situation, we were forced to look at options. Cristos sprung into action, and in no time had an itinerary for us to return to the mainland and further explore areas we had not seen (eg Hydra) or wanted to revisit (Nafplio). Furthermore, I had a bad fall on one of the beaches; our driver sensed the emergency and in no time drove me to a private clinic in Chania. All went well, transportation was provided to and from the clinic for two days. I received excellent medical care. Here is where being under the care of a caring responsible travel company and personnel was so very important!! The rest of the trip went without a hitch with Cristos finding us a charming hotel in Nafplio, Residenza di Fedralia, for four days until we were transported to Athens for our trip home.

So all in all, I can't say enough about Kimkim. Cristos planned a wonderful trip for us with a perfect balance of guided and self-guided tours. Suggestions were made for restaurants, but we enjoyed doing our own research in this category. We had very responsive support from his Team 12 &MAMAKITA) whenever needed, every question or request answered immediately. Looking forward to my next trip with Kimkim!!

We had a wonderful holiday, a history tour around the Peloponese. The guides were excellent at the Acropolis, Mycanae, Epidaurus and Olympia.
Thoroughly recommend using KimKim to plan your trip.

Hotel Reviews

Leonidaion Guesthouse Olympia

Archaia Olympia

Very helpful staff, and great location. Clean but basic.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Adiandi and Amymone Hotel

Nafplio

Delightful small hotel and superb location. Sitting on the balcony overlooking the shopping street was great fun. Outstanding breakfast too.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Sweet Home Hotel

Athens

Great location, very convenient for all the attractions of historic Athens. Wonderful staff who were super helpful. Outstanding breakfast, clean and comfortable rooms

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Private Guided Tour in Ancient Olympia

Olympia

Awesome guide to take us through the most interesting aspects of the site. The museum was an unexpected bonus with some wonderful exhibits, don’t miss it!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Private Epidaurus Guided Tour

Greece

A fascinating site, our guide was very accommodating with our particular areas of focus. Take time to explore the site and absorb the energy of the site.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Acropolis of Mycenae Guided Tour 

Greece

Our favourite site, so much to explore here. A great balance between time with our guide around the site, including museum and time for us to explore afterwards which we did and thoroughly enjoyed.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Useful Information

Greece

We made time to visit both the Acropolis and National Archaeological museums whilst in Athens. The latter we visited on our last afternoon and focused on seeing the original items we had visited in the days prior.

Private Acropolis Guided Tour

Athens

One of the iconic sites! Book for an early a tour as possible as it gets crowded! We had a specific interest in 2 aspects of the site and our guide was very accommodating to focus on these with us.

Quality of Experience

Was very busy when coming down from the Pathenon. Perhaps consider starting the tour at 8am.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

My mother, sister and I reached out to Kimkim late summer 2022 for help with planning a trip to the Alsace region of France. I knew I wanted to fly into Zurich and that we had 2 weeks. Valentine reached out to us and put together some iternaries. We choose to spend 4 nights in Colmar France, 4 nights in Interlaken Switzerland and 4 nights in Lucerne Switzerland. There were different tours planned throughout but mostly in France. Then Valentine quit the company and Nathalie joined as our guide. My main criticism was before we left we were sent a lot of information that was a bit unorganized. There were 6 different individual guides and then our vouchers. It would've been much easier on us had it all been streamlined into the Roadbook as we could've referenced day by day as we have had with other tours through kimkim. Keeping the vouchers separate was helpful. Previous tours had included public parking garages that were centrally located, knowing we were driving. Things to stop and see as well as scenic drives would've been a welcome addition. More information and ideas on Lucerne would have been nice.

Tours:
Walking tour of Colmar was fine. It wasn't the best way for us to start our trip because we wanted to explore all the shops and things that caught our fancy. She was trying to inform us of the history of the town and moving us onto museums and we weren't wanting that at that time.

We loved our tours with Alsace Safari, especially the Munster Valley tour. Anna and Eric were very friendly and informative guides. Highly recommend!

Our guided bike ride with Louie was great, even while raining. Highly recommend!
There was unnecessary repetition with these tours. They could have been coordinated better. We visited Eguisheim twice when we could have spent our time visiting another village.
Our walking tour of Strasbourg was on a cold and wet day so 3 hours was already going to be too long to stand outside listening to someone talk but to make it over 4 hours was too much. Our guide was very passionate and informed but long-winded.
Kayaking with Ben in Interlaken was very enjoyable. He was very patient and a wealth of knowledge. Couldn't have been better. Highly recommend!
Our day at the Burgenstock Spa and Resort was unbeatable! What a treat! From the boat ride across the lake to the funicular ride to the top, let alone the spa! It would have been easier if we were told where to meet the boat and the times it left to plan our stay. Highly recommend!

Stays:
Hotel Adler Zurich were able to let us in our room early, which was great as we got into Zurich in the early morning. Breakfast the next day was very good.
The Serenity Colmar apartments were beautiful! Great location and the apartment couldn't have been nicer! The owners were great and very helpful. With driving, it would have been helpful to have a clearer meeting point but otherwise outstanding. Highly recommend!
Aparthotel Goldey in Interlaken- can't beat the location and the views!! The apartment was a bit tired but very clean. Owners were available to ask questions and help with issues. (Mom’s bathroom experienced ceiling water leaks when the tenants above showered without closing their shower door.  Owners dried things up once notified and gave us a bottle of wine for the 2 days of inconvenience.)
Appartements Hofquartier were clean and well-located. The owners were very helpful with issues that arose.

We had a great trip, all feedback is just to clear up some organizational issues and questions we had along the way.

Hotel Reviews

Aparthotel Goldey

Unterseen/Interlaken

can't beat the location and the views!! The apartment was a bit tired but very clean. Owners were available to ask questions and help with issues. (Mom’s bathroom experienced ceiling water leaks when the tenants above showered without closing their shower door.  Owners dried things up once notified and gave us a bottle of wine for the 2 days of inconvenience.)

Authenticity & Character

Location

Perfect location! The VIEWS are amazing. Just outside the craziness of Interlaken but close enough to walk to everything

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Very clean

Serenity Colmar apartments

Colmar

We loved this apartment! Very clean and modern. Excellent location!

Authenticity & Character

Location

In the town, walking distance to everything

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Very clean and comfortable

Hotel Adler Zürich

Zürich

Great location, friendly and helpful staff. Great breakfast

Authenticity & Character

Location

In the center of old town

Staff

Very helpful! Notified us when our room was ready

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Kayak tour on Lake Brienz

Interlaken

Ben was a very patient and knowledgeable guide. Great experience

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Rejuvenation day at Bürgenstock Alpine Spa

Lucerne

Expensive but worth it

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Boat was beautiful

Guided gourmet bike tour in Alsace

Colmar

Louie was great! Very informative and good natured. Even in the rain it was a good time

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Bikes were great

Munster Valley Full-day-Tour

Colmar

Anna and Eric were very friendly and informative guides. Highly recommend! The lunch was fabulous and visiting the goat farm was a treat

Quality of Experience

Worth it

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Anna and Eric are great

Transport

Van was clean and comfortable

Really enjoyed Korea and the itinerary set up by KimKim. All three of our local guides (Corey, Jade, and Suzie) were extremely knowledgeable and pleasant; the drivers were also very nice and diligent. The guides were able to quickly accommodate last minute changes to the itinerary with grace. We had to change our hotel in Busan (the first one didn't have hot water and was fairly basic); the second hotel was fantastic. While located on a busy street with lots of restaurants, bars, and a traditional street food market, the hotel itself was quiet and modern. (It didn't hurt that the street ended at the beach!). Thoroughly enjoyed the walking market tour and cooking class with Jang Heeyoung at Busan Cooking Class. Made some traditional Korean dishes and tried rice wine. Heeyoung is knowledgeable and eager to introduce everyone to Korean delicacies. The hotel in Jeju was very nice, modern, and located within walking distance to an area with lots of restaurants (the hotel only had buffet meals). It was nice to end the tour on such a laid back, beautiful island, especially after the hustle and bustle of Seoul and Busan,

One suggestion - in Seoul - I'd recommend the visit to Gwangjang Market be moved to earlier in the day or substituted as your lunch spot. We learned that Koreans eat hearty lunches and we were too full after a (wonderful) BBQ lunch to try all the street food we wanted.

Activity Review

Half Day Cooking Experience

Busan

Fantastic! Jang Heeyoung is knowledgeable and fun. The market was beautiful and we cooked some delicious dishes.

Quality of Experience

Food

BBQ!

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

First time using a travel agency or company like this but was very impressed and would use again on my
next big trip. Every detail was laid out and the app was extremely useful. Everyone we worked with was very professional. Chiara and her team were great anytime we had a question they immediately answered. Using this company allowed us to enjoy our trip and not worry about anything else.

Activity Reviews

Wine tour from Florence: discover vineyards, olive groves, cellars and wineries

Florence

Cinque Terre Villages and Vineyards

Cinque Terre

Incredible guide so much knowledge an amazing views

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

No

Private boat tour: Pearls of Lake Como

Italy

Must do in Como!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

I would like to take the opportunity to thank Johanna on helping us plan our trip of a lifetime in Peru 🇵🇪 , she was there every step of the way assisting us anytime when needed. So muchly appreciated !! Everything went so smooth and on time. I will definitely be booking future trips with Johanna again with no doubt 👍 and will recommend her and this company to friends and family as well. Thank you again !

One year earlier we visited the safari region of Kenya. We reached out to Kim Kim with an interest to return to Africa and specifically the southern region. Esther was our trip planning guide and arranged an excellent trip itinerary. Esther gave special attention to our requests and preferences making sure we experienced the very best of Johannesburg, Sabi Sands, Cape Town and wine regions. We were surprised when we arrived at the airport to be greeted personally by Asther! Each one of our trips were flawlessly planned and felt very special. We unfortunately experience inclement weather near the end of our trip to Robin Island and Table Mountain, but Esther worked to keep us informed of our options and adjusted the plans where possible and we were able to enjoy the experience. Thanks Esther (Kim Kim) for enabling another wonderful travel experience!

Karolina and then Fenne were so wonderful and responsive in helping us plan our trip. And everything worked out just right - all of the prepaid tickets were accepted everywhere without question. Tickets to certain activities were good for the entire week, which was great in giving us flexibility. And somehow we were upgraded to a much nicer hotel right in the heart of Bergen, oh so wonderful that was!

We have spoken highly of your service to many others who've never heard of you. I'm sure we'll use you again!

We only had 16 days to spend in France and the package that Amandine put together was totally amazing. We got a great taste of France - not just Paris.

The bicycle tour of Dijon with Leah was enjoyable as was our tour of the "Gand Cru" road with Joachim.

Amandine also organised a fantastic dinner cruise for us back in a stopover in Paris.

Bayeaux was amazing, although Mont St. Michel was disappointing because of the crowds, our Guide Julie did an incredible job. A tour of Normandie countryside with Stephen was also great.

Amboise was great - We enjoyed our tour of the Loire Valley with Camille taking in two Chareau and two wineries.

Our e-bike tour was certainly very enjoyable - even in cool drizzly weather - Alexane was great.

Back in Paris - the market visit and French cooking class was good. Our tour of Giverny and Versailles was certainly spectacular to say the least.

We would not hesitate to use Amandine as a local specialist again.

This was the most expensive trip I ever took. The places visited and events chosen were amazing. Alberto was very helpful and picked fantastic hotels and perfect locations in each city. Our guides and drivers were excellent. I especially was thrilled with our stay in Ortigia, the hotel and its picturesque seaside view was ideal. I would have given the trip 5 stars but there were two glitches that affected the trip. One was that a wine tasting was scheduled on a day that the vineyard was closed. On our way to Etna, our driver tried to communicate that the vineyard was not open on Sundays. So we changed directions and headed to Catania. This caused us to lose value time for seeing and doing things in Sicily. On our last morning, we were expecting a 5 A.M. pickup to take us to the Catania airport for a 8:20 A.M. flight. Our driver was late so we called his number and determined we needed to ask the hotel concierge to call a taxi for us. A taxi came and got us to the airport in plenty of time. I had to pay the driver but was reimbursed by Kimkim.

Activity Reviews

Guided Walking Tour of Napoli

Naples

I didn't see our walking and guided tour of Pompeii listed in this section regarding tours but I am commenting on it. Seeing Pompeii was fascinating. Our guide Paola, was extremely knowledgeable and gave us valuable information concerning Pompeii. She was very personable and well informed. It was a pleasure having her guide us.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Guided Walking Tour of Rome

Rome

We thoroughly enjoyed our walking tour of Rome with Tommaso. He was an excellent guide and very knowledgeable. He had a delightful personality. We were shown many fascinating sites including a lot of churches as we requested. Tommaso supplied us with information as we walked and answered questions we had for him. We even went to a popular Roman Caffe shop and enjoyed a delicious espresso with him. We give Tommaso an A+.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Fiat 500 Tour

Italy

The guide was extremely pleasant and knew how to make his clients feel important. The car was adorable and the drive was thrilling.

Wonderful vacation! I wouldn’t change anything. Catarina planned the perfect girls trip for us. Excellent guides and very memorable. Rita in Lisbon was very knowledgeable in history and detail. Mario our driver and guild was so pleasant and knew how to get us everywhere on time. He kept us entertained about local places and customs.Sonia in Porto where we visited the wineries and valleys. Absolutely a must. She taught us customs and daily life for the Portuguese. How I envy them! Every detail of our trip made it one of the best vacations I’ve ever had. Would highly recommend this company for a unforgettable experience.

Hotel Reviews

Lutecia Smart Design Hotel

Lisboa

Wonderful location for our morning flight. Clean and beautiful. The restaurant was the perfect way to spend our just meal in Portugal . 5 star in every way.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Our waiter was the best! Excellent service.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Vila Galé Porto Ribeira

Porto

Wonderful hotel. Staff were very helpful. Excellent location within walking distance of local restaurants.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

So nice and very hard workers with a smile.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Very clean and comfortable.

Activity Review

Dinner - Fado & Food

Porto

I will never forget this night in Portugal! What an experience listening to these stories being sung with beautiful music. A dinner show like no other.. A must for your visit.

Quality of Experience

Food

Best food ever!

Guides, Drivers and Staff

All!

Transport

Experience, ,courteous and wonderful

We have had two great trips to Iceland thanks to Kimkim and our local expert, Rinolda! For this trip, I contacted Kimkim through the website and got timely call back from an agent. She listened to my requests and reconnected me with Rinolda.

Working with Rinolda again made our second trip to Iceland unique. She suggested two itineraries. We chose to travel the complete Rung Road. Rinolda took the time to ask if there were specific places we wanted to visit and things we wanted to do. She then put together a trip for us that took us to different places as well as locations we wanted to see in the summer.

Once we were in Iceland, Rinolda reached out to us each day. She answered our questions quickly . One day she found us a new restaurant to try. All the hotels and activities were booked for us. There is a Tip Summary that has all the information needed in one place. Each day included a Driving Plan that ran on Google maps.

Our sincere thanks to Rinolda for being our guide to Iceland.

Hotel Reviews

Fosshotel Hellnar

Hellnar

Our room had a gorgeous view of the ocean. We were there during a wind storm so we enjoyed an evening at the bar and in the restaurant.

Authenticity & Character

Location

On the cliff!

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Laugarbakki

Laugarbakki

This nice hotel is seriously in the middle of nowhere. That means the views are amazing. Wonderful staff that was friendly. Dinner was delicious.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Berjaya Hotel Mývatn

Mývatn

We especially enjoyed talking with the staff. Restaurant was very good. Friendly atmosphere at the bar.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hérað - Berjaya Hotels

Egilsstadir

This hotel was clean and the staff was great. They helped us change the time of our reservations at the Vok Baths. They had a DJ for their Happy Hour.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Árnanes Country Hotel

Höfn

This is a family run hotel which is quite nice. The rooms were comfortable. We felt like we were staying in a cabin. Once the rain cleared, the views were expansive with the ocean in the distance. The restaurant was open for breakfast only. What they offered was good, but there were limited choices.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Fosshotel Núpar

Kálfafell

This hotel immerses you in the landscape! It is out by itself and the architecture makes it if right into the lava fields. Great restaurant.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hótel Vestmannaeyjar

Westman Islands

We were made to feel welcomed on a cold rainy afternoon. Friendly staff and a comfortable room. Breakfast was very nice.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

The Hill Hotel at Fludir

Fludir

The rooms open to a beautiful courtyard that has two hot tubs. The lava columns are used in the landscaping. The food was delicious.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Fosshotel Baron

Reykjavík

Free parking! This hotel is in a great location for walking in Reykjavik. The staff was helpful and friendly.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Myvatn Nature Baths

Lake Mývatn

What a beautiful view while relaxing! Nice experience.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

The Geothermal Vok Baths

Iceland

Beautiful and relaxing baths. The bracelets were high tech and made everything accessible.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Horse riding in Vik

Iceland

Great experience. I did have difficulty getting on the horse. The staff worked with me until I was u and ready to ride. My horse knew what to do without much help.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport