Kimkim Trip Reviews

Thanks to Olman, our visit to Costa Rica was truly exceptional. Everything was perfectly organized, the choice of hotels was spot on, the planning was smooth, and we got to experience all the wonders that this incredible country has to offer. We'll use Kimkim for other trips in the future for sure!

Hotel Reviews

Auténtico Hotel

San José

An overall friendly, pleasant little hotel.

Authenticity & Character

Nice but not unique.

Location

The location is convenient but not spectacular.

Staff

Super friendly and helpful.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Perfect for a stopover.

Monteverde Country Lodge

Monteverde

This hotel feels like a mountain cabin.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Not central but very accessible.

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Villa Lapas Rainforest Eco-Resort

Tárcoles

A resort-like hotel that is not very welcoming.

Authenticity & Character

Felt like a series of rooms for summer camp.

Location

Staff

Overwhelmed by the number of guests, busy and not very helpful.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Plaza Yara

Puntarenas

A unique small hotel with tons of character.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Drake Bay Wilderness Resort

Drake

The perfect place to disconnect from the world but still feel very comfortable.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hilton Garden Inn, La Sabana

San José

A typical chain hotel.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Noah's Forest by Tifakara

La Fortuna

A new, trendy hotel that feels like a resort. A tad expensive.

Authenticity & Character

Very crips and shiny, super green, but a bit too shiny and slick. Doesn't feel very authentic, more like a luxury resort.

Location

Once you know how to get there, it's not too isolated but not crowded either.

Staff

Friendly, helpful, very professional.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Very comfortable and well maintained.

Activity Reviews

Guided Hike in Arenal Volcano Park 1968

Arenal/La Fortuna

The hike in itself is amazing but the whole group moves fast and doesn't allow much time to enjoy all there's to see and experience.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Selvatura Park Self-Guided Hanging Bridges & Zip Lining

Monteverde

An experience that should be thrilling but with many people on site, there's a lot of queuing and every zip line is super fast-paced. No time to enjoy the scenery.

Quality of Experience

Zip lines are a fun adventure, but they shouldn't be done so quick that you don't even have time to enjoy them.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Jungle Crocodile Safari

Monteverde

Super thrilling experience with a great, knowledgeable guide.

Quality of Experience

Food

There was no information on site that lunch was supposed to be included.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Liz prepared very nice initial plan and we were able to further tune traveling plan according to our wishes.
Liz and her team did a great job executing the plan without delays or mistakes. We appreciated that when we had some unexpected problems because of two days strike of transportation workers in Peru, Liz and her team successfully modified the plan to get the best possible outcome out of our trip.
We are quite experienced travellers, so we liked that plan was divided to organized visits and also some free time, when we were able to explore around on our own.

Hotel Reviews

Antigua Casona San Blas

Cusco

Perfectly located small hotel in the old part of Cusco.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Costa del Sol Wyndham Lima Airport

Lima

Walking distance from the airport. Quite noisy because of permanent traffic. Basic room. Nice bar.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Aranwa Sacred Valley

Urubamba

Beautiful surroundings, nice room, good food. Very remote location.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

GHL Hotel Lago Titicaca Puno

Lago Titicaca, Puno

High quality hotel. Beautiful location, but remote (out of town).

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hilton Garden Inn Lima Miraflores

Great location, very nice new hotel.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Private tour to The Sacred Valley

Peru

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Private tour to Ollantaytambo, Moray, Maras & Chinchero

Sacred Valley

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Explore Machu Picchu (Private Guided tour in Machu Picchu)

Peru

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Private Mystic Walking Tour to The Temple of the Moon & Cusco City

Cusco

A new experience for us.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Shared Uros & Taquile Floating Islands tour

Puno

Very nice, we were lucky with weather.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Private Lima City Tour and Larco Museum

Lima

Very good and knowledgable guide!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

The whole trip was amazing, well planned by Ed. Our guide Nik was amazing, really friendly, accommodating, welcoming and really made the trip. Would recommend for sure.

Gideon, our guide was great, and provided excellent service, and should have been consulted when Vivian was developing our itinerary. The micro-lodges Vivian booked us into were not necessarily the best choices for us, and we suspect a conflict of interest. The Budda Guest House in particular was well out of the way, causing extra travel time.
We will write more about this

I was satisfied with everything. Guides and drivers were allways on time. The Andean was very helpfull, too. However, we had to make small changes because of strike and therefore missed some more time in Aguas Calientes. The team arranged all the changes because of strike. I already recomended Kimkim and Liz Karen and her agency to my friends.

Hotel Reviews

Costa del Sol Wyndham Lima Airport

Lima

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Aranwa Sacred Valley

Urubamba

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Antigua Casona San Blas

Cusco

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

GHL Hotel Lago Titicaca Puno

Lago Titicaca, Puno

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hilton Garden Inn Lima Miraflores

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Private tour to The Sacred Valley

Peru

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Private tour to Ollantaytambo, Moray, Maras & Chinchero

Sacred Valley

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Explore Machu Picchu (Private Guided tour in Machu Picchu)

Peru

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Private Mystic Walking Tour to The Temple of the Moon & Cusco City

Cusco

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Shared Uros & Taquile Floating Islands tour

Puno

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Private Lima City Tour and Larco Museum

Lima

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Our trip was well thought out and planned according to what we like to do, see, and accomplish. Our guides were wonderful. Franklin at the Arenal Volcano was so passionate about everything nature. Karla at Manuel Antonio Park was great at spotting all of the wildlife. We even stopped the bus before the park because she and our bus driver George, spotted birds, sloths, and monkeys on our way. Jesus and Alexi were wonderful in the Mangroves. Again, so passionate about what they do. Our vehicle served us well up and down mountain roads. We feel like we got a good feel for different parts of Costa Rica...Waterfalls, Volcano, Rainforest, Beach, etc. Our accomodations were on point and all of the food provided was tasty and good quality. We are grateful that we went with Kim kim to plan our trip so that our time was spent enjoying the sites and beautiful country and people. Everywhere we went, things were smooth.

Hotel Reviews

Arenal Manoa & Hot Springs

Fortuna

Wonderful views of the volcano when not in the clouds. Fabulous breakfast buffet and lovely dinner in the evening.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

our room view, breakfast, outdoor patia

Jungle Vista Boutique Hotel

Manuel Antonio

this was very close to the beach but right in the middle of the jungle. Monkeys everywhere. Beautiful pool areas. lovely bar and cocktails. Close to our favorite restaurant....Emilios cafe. We could walk there. Woke up to beautiful bird sounds and some Howler Monkeys. Umbrellas available in the lobby for the guests which were big and nice. We needed them a couple of times and it was nice to have such sturdy big umbrellas to use. Nice balcony off of room to enjoy the jungle.

Authenticity & Character

Location

view from balcony.....watching birds, monkeys

Staff

They were available for anything at anytime. Made sure we were happy with our drinks poolside. made fresh gaucamole for us poolside.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

San José to Arenal with visit to La Paz Waterfall

Costa Rica

this was a nice self guided tour of this park. The waterfalls are beautiful. You should take time to see all 5. We spent about 3 hours including lunch here. We did the longer hikes which were right in the middle of the greenest forest.

Quality of Experience

Food

Nice buffet lunch.

Transport

We drove ourselves which is up mountain roads. beautiful drive from San jose

Guided Hike in Arenal Volcano Park 1968

Arenal/La Fortuna

We loved our guide Franklin. It was just the four of us and Franklin on our guided hike. We learned a lot and loved his description and passion for everything he shared. The Volcano was hidden behind clouds but Franklin was positive we would see it 100 percent as we acsended on our hike. He was right, A glorious site!

Quality of Experience

The hike, learning about the plants, animals, insects, volcano, etc

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Franklin was very passionate, kind, engaging and experienced

Transport

Our bus driver did a great job.

Visit to Ecotermales Hot Springs

Arenal/La Fortuna

We went to this in the evening when it was dark. I would have loved seeing it during the day, but our experience was very cool. While we were in the Hot springs, we were also in a thunderstorm and rainstorm. We were in the Hot Springs for about 1 1/2 hours and then had a nice buffet dinner afterward. This reminded me a bit of the Blue Lagoon in Iceland, commercialized but a fun night and experience

Quality of Experience

Food

Good quality food with many choices

Guides, Drivers and Staff

self guided

Transport

WE drove oursleves.....10 minutes from the hotel

Manuel Antonio National Park Guided Hike

Costa Rica

This was a great place to see all of the wildlife. Since it is the busiest park in Costa rica, there were a lot of people there. Our guide had 4 couples, which we appreciated in order to see and hear our guide at all times. There were many other larger groups of people. All of the guides were friendly to each other and helped each other spot specific animals. the beach here was busy, so we just walked the beach and put our feet in and saved our beach day for another time.

Quality of Experience

Food

We were provided with fresh pineapple and watermelon after which was refreshing after our hot tour

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Both our driver, George and our guide Karla were great.

Transport

George was as much on the hunt for wildlife as our guide

Damas Island Boat Tour

Manuel Antonio

this was other worldly. If you have not been in a Mangrove forest, it is so cool. We went late afternoon which was pretty nice for seeing birds, snakes, monkeys, etc. Even the bats at dusk were so cool to watch swooping close to the water

Quality of Experience

Food

We had dinner with our two tour guides after and it was a very nice simple delicious dinner.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

We had George our van driver, our boat driver and two guides for the 4 of us. They were all great.

Transport

We visited Arenal, Monteverde and Manuel Antonio and the whole trip was amazing. Many thanks to Alberto for booking everything- it was all perfect!

Hotel Reviews

Auténtico Hotel

San José

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Arenal Montechiari

La Fortuna

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Cala Lodge

Monteverde

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Playa Espadilla

Manuel Antonio

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Country Inn & Suites by Radisson, San Jose Aeropuerto

San José

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Arenal Volcano Hiking Tour & Paradise Hot Springs

Arenal/La Fortuna

Great guide and really interesting hike; only negative thing was the torrential rain for the whole walk!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Hanging Bridges & Zip Lining

Monteverde

The hanging bridges walk was excellent and really interesting; the zip lining was lots of fun!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

From the beginning, Eduardo was so responsive and helpful. He really listened to our ideas for travel and crafted an amazing trip. We packed in so much to our two weeks and all his recommendations were so good. Chocolate making, volcano horse back riding, mountain bike trip, village visiting, textile lesson, ruins, snorkeling…. We did it all! We felt very cared for and safe in their hands. Sebastian was a great bike guide. And Pablo, our main tour guide was above and beyond great. His knowledge and love of local history and culture added so much to our experience. It really helped us to understand and appreciate what we were seeing. We feel lucky to have worked with him on this trip

Activity Reviews

Boat Tour of Lake Atitlán Villages

Guatemala

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Antigua Chocolate Museum Tour

Guatemala

So fun to learn about the chocolate making process and get to make our own flavors!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Day Hike to Pacaya Volcano

Guatemala

Such a cool trip. Kids went on horseback and we walked. Wild to be on top of a lava field (though kids were hoping to see lava) roasted marshmallows from volcanic steam on top, delicious lunch and knowledgable guides. There are kids there to rent walking sticks- bring some money for them, they we’re useful on the walk.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Double Down Mountain Bike Tour

Antigua

My husband loves this trip- he said it was such a unique way to see the country. You are right up next to the farms of the locals and using the same trails they work on, so you need to be respectful of being a traveler in their place of living and working.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Snorkeling Tour in the Belize Barrier Reef

Caye Caulker

Guides were great and knowledgable. So more than we could have hoped for- manatee, sharks, rays, turtles and fish. Great food. And respectful program- they didn’t feed the sharks to bring them in but we still saw a bunch. And they were conscientious of sunscreen on the reef and reminded people of how to protect it.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Our trip to Morocco was amazing!!! The itinerary Megan made for us was just what we were looking for. Our driver Mustapha was very friendly and accommodating to our needs (frequent bathroom breaks during the road trip for one). All of the Dars and Riads we stayed were nice, clean and had very friendly staff. Most memorable for me will be our visit to Rissani since this was my first time admiring in person the wonders of a dessert. Megan was very helpful and responsive to any questions we had prior to our trip. There were some changes regarding our assigned driver upon arrival to Morocco but we were able to contact Megan and got things resolved rather quickly. Shout out to Rahim and Abdul from Dar Victoria, Mohammet from our vineyard visit in Meknes, Brahim from Riad Mourzuga, Mohammet our guide in Marrakech and as previously mentioned Mustapha our driver and Megan of course. Thank you for this unforgettable experience!!

Hotel Reviews

Dar Victoria

Fez

Very nice Dar. Love their terrace. Staff is very friendly. Highly recommend

Authenticity & Character

Location

Easy access in and out of the Medina

Staff

very friendly

Cleanliness & Comfort

Dar Chamaa

Ouarzazate

This is perhaps the nicest hotel I have ever stayed. Beautiful courtyard. We had heater in our room since we traveled in the winter season. It tailors a lot to tourist (buffet breakfast for example).

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Riad Merzouga

Marrakech

Very friendly staff and nice amenities. Shout out to Brahim who was super friendly and very entertaining with his guitar. Highly recommend.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Easy access in and out of the Medina

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Paradis Du Sahara

Merzouga

Very luxurious considering it is in the middle of the dessert. We did the overnight "camping" after camel ride and it was amazing. Shout out to Barak who made our stay very enjoyable and entertaining.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Food Tour

Marrakesh

Food tour was amazing!!! Soo much food and great things to taste. Exploring Jemaa El Fna Square in Marrakech and their food vendors at night is an experience you must have.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Wine Tasting in Meknes

Morocco

Loved our visit to the vineyard. Mohammet our tour guide was very friendly. Loved the food that was provided and of course the wine!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Tour Fes with a Private Guide

Fes

Truly felt like we saw all of Fes by foot lol. It was very informational, our guide was very knowledgeable. Learned a lot about all the details that went into building mosques and castles as well as the history of Morocco

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Camel Trek into a Luxury Sahara Camp

Morocco

Indeed this is Luxury camping. Talk about having hot shower when camping in the dessert. Staff was amazing. This was my favorite part of our trip to Morocco. Highly recommend

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Sahara to Ouarzazate via Todra Gorge

Morocco

I was pleasantly surprised about all the amazing views during this road trip. I don't think I would have gotten to experience Morocco the same way had I not done this road trip

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Ait Benhaddou, Tizi-n-Tichka Pass over the High Atlas, Marrakech

Morocco

Gorgeous views. Highly recommend

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

All of the arrangements made by Johanna were flawless. Hotels, tours, transportation all impressed. We had a very relaxing time knowing what was happening at each stage. The scenery and activities were fantastic and did not disappoint.

Hotel Reviews

Hotel Paracas, a Luxury Collection Resort

Paracas

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Pullman Lima Miraflores

Miraflores, Lima

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Inkaterra Reserva Amazonica

Puerto Maldonado

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Costa del Sol Wyndham Lima Airport

Lima

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Paracas National Reserve Tour

Peru

Who knew a desert could be so interesting? Spectacular scenery right on the Pacific coast and so much variation. The little museum was well worth a visit.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Ballestas Islands Tour (Paracas Luxury Hotel)

Paracas

Our scheduled tour to the island had to be changed at the last minute as harbour authorities suspended trips due to water conditions. We were given a longer tour of the harbour area and closer islands and it was fantastic. Plenty of wildlife and interesting scenery.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Into the Amazon: Inkaterra Reserva Amazonica

Puerto Maldonado

The boat ride to the lodge was a lovely way to begin the experience and view the river. The lodge itself was rustic but very comfortable and totally in keeping with the environment. The organisation of the activities was faultless.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Inkaterra Reserva Amazonica Jungle Excursions

Puerto Maldonado

There were many excursions available and we did at least 2 a day with a lovely guide. Wellington boots were issued for those trips that were muddy. We saw lots of wildlife. and our guide also explained the importance of the various plants to the local population.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Inkaterra Reserva Amazonica Jungle Excursions

Puerto Maldonado

Very flexible arrangements and the right blend of activities and relaxation.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Depart Puerto Maldonado to Lima, Fly home!

Peru

The transfer back to the airport was flawless, and we were able to get in a morning tour as we had a late afternoon flight.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Overnight Stay at Lima Airport Hotel Upon Arrival

Peru

Airport hotel was right at the airport - so easy to access. Typical airport hotel, but comfortable and convenient.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

We had a wonderful week in the company of Wasef, who lifted and laid us at the airport and attended to our every need in between. We travelled in comfort and the miles slipped by as we discussed every aspect of life in Jordan. He used his years of experience to make sure that we arrived at historic sites at the best time of day to avoid crowds (e.g. Jarash in the morning and Amman in the afternoon), found the best local guides, and fitted in meals and breaks to suit us.

Samir was always in the background at HQ, keeping a discreet eye via whatsapp, should we have needed any further help or advice.

All in all - a great trip!

Activity Reviews

Meet & Assist - Queen Alia Airport

Jordan

Went like clockwork

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Smoothe hand over from meet & greet to driver

AMMAN HERITAGE TOUR

Amman

We fitted the tour around the afternoon.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Jarash

Jordan

Great guide. But what was most important was that we went in the morning, beofer the crowds and heat arrived. We also had a good lunch nearby before returning to Amman for the heritage trip.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Amman-Madaba-Mount Nebo-Karak-Petra

Jordan

A well organised part of our week. Breaking the journey from Amman to Petra

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

We had an amazing time on our trip to South Africa! With only a brief description from us about what we were looking for Deb was able to plan just the type of accommodations and experiences we were looking for.

Rochelle was fantastic and showed us around Cape Town and the surrounding areas at the start of our trip. Stellenbosch was beautiful and our wine tastings and e-bike ride in Stellenbosch were some of our favorite memories from the trip. The highlight of our trip was definitely our stay at Ivory Wilderness in Kruger National Park, where Warren and the whole staff were extremely warm, helpful, and knowledgeable. On our last day in South Africa we went on a full day bike tour through Soweto with Linda, who not only explained but showed us the history of the townships and the resilient people who live there.

It was a once in a lifetime trip and one I'm sure we'll remember for the rest of our lives.

Hotel Reviews

Tree House Boutique Hotel

Cape Town

We loved our stay at Tree House Boutique Hotel in Cape Town. The room was large, clean, and modern, the pool area was beautiful, and the staff were so friendly and accommodating. The breakfasts (which were included) were perfect - fresh fruit, yogurt, pastries, and meats and cheeses at the ready, plus several made-to-order options from the menu. We've already recommended this hotel to people we know who are planning a trip to South Africa.

Authenticity & Character

Location

The hotel is at the top of a quiet street, but there are several restaurants and bars on the main road at the bottom of the hill that were only a few minutes walk away. It's only a few minutes drive to many of the places around the city we wanted to go so getting around was very easy.

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Ivory Wilderness River Rock Lodge

Hoedspruit

We loved our stay at Ivory Wilderness. The grounds were beautiful and overlooked a river where we saw plenty of wildlife, the staff was incredible, and the guides were so knowledgeable, friendly, and accommodating we couldn't have asked for more. The pool looked like it needed some service, but fortunately it wasn't too hot while we were there so we spent our downtime lounging on the deck chairs and in the hammock. Our rondavel was clean and comfortable and was perfect for our stay.

Authenticity & Character

Location

We loved that this location was farther into the park than many others, since it meant that we didn't see too many other jeeps while we were out on our game drives, but the drive out from Hoedspruit Airport was a bit long (1.5 hours) and bumpy.

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Review

Lunch at Crofter's Kitchen

Cape Town

This was definitely one of the most memorable experiences of our entire trip. Nicky was incredibly warm and gracious and really made us feel like we were at home in her house. The meal was unforgettable - each dish was unique and full of flavor, and you could tell how much thought and creativity went into each ingredient. Halfway through the meal Nicky took us on a tour of her garden and let us taste the ingredients straight from the source, explaining the culinary and medicinal properties of many of the plants she cultivates, which made her knowledge and passion come to life. This is a must do for anyone who loves unique dining experiences.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

All the guides were wonderful. Ana for the Torres del Paine, Jorge for condor and trekking, Ray and Gonzalo of Andoandes for volcanoes and hot spring

We had a wonderful trip and everything worked out wonderfully. Everything planned worked smoothly and on time. Here is a short review:
The car was delivered on time. We did not get to see a lot of Poas as it was very cloudy and raining heavily. The Arenal observatory lodge was great so was the complimentary breakfast and the dinner menu. The pool and hot tub are spectacular. It is 30 minutes away from the touristic La Fortuna area but that was just fine as the little that I did get to see of Lafortuna did not seem very authentic.
The private guide at Arenal was very enjoyable, especially at the beginning of the trip as we got to chat about different subjects and the country and as he pointed out and got us great pictures of animals and insects.
Monteverde was great and we enjoyed Selvatura park and canopy zip lining was very impressive.
All the hotels selected were clean and comfortable and the personnel friendly and helpful. The poco à poco hotel in Monteverde was comfortable and the breakfast very good, the room was clean and comfortable but thin walls and metal roofs made it noisy, although quiet at night. The personnel were nice and helpful and they even found a sweater I had forgotten in the selvatura shuttle and arranged to have it delivered to my hotel in Manuel Antonio.
We did not get a guide at Manuel Antonio which was fine because by that time we could move at our own pace and animals were more obvious than at Arenal. Since our last day activity was unfortunately cancelled (scuba diving) we visited playa dominical which we liked for its smaller local feel.

So overall it was a great experience, and everything worked out perfectly. We visited near the end of the rainy season, and it can rain quite a bit, sometimes all day and all night, the mornings are usually dryer and we managed to get one sunny day on the pacific coast.

We always planned to have plenty of time for travel between cities and that was very useful as the roads are narrow and we came across some traffic every time for different reasons so drivers should plan for extra time when driving just in case.

We visited Iceland in November 2022 and our trip was planned by Terry. Terry was extremely helpful throughout the planning process and provided us with great suggestions to make our trip memorable. She was extremely attentive and provided prompt responses to our queries. She gave us all information to help us prepare for the trip.

We were also given a local contact Sigurdur who sorted out tour cancellations quickly making our experience less stressful. We would like to say a big thank you to Terry and Sigurdur for helping us plan the most memorable trip and we will be recommending Kim Kim to our friends who would like to visit Iceland in the future 😊

Oleksandra did a great job organising our 12 days in Argentina with brief stops in Brazil and Chile. She packed in as much in as she could without it feeling too rushed, though we did move about a lot and everything went very smoothly, pickups, flights and excursions. The excursions were well chosen and well run. Often we were on our own with a guide just for 4 of us which was fantastic, though we weren’t expecting it and I guess it was just how it worked out on the day.

The guides were very good especially Lorena, a local guide in Iguazu who was charming and knowledgeable. Dante in Puerto Madryn was also excellent - very keen to please and knowledgeable.

Alongside Iguazu, Mendoza was lovely with a highlight being a delightful lunch/ wine pairing in a spectacular location (Ojo de Agua) where we were given plenty of time to relax and enjoy it. Patagonia was a change and we did get to see some wonderful flora and fauna including whales and sea lions as well as penguins very close up.

We had a few minor a questions on the way which were dealt with promptly. Hotel choices were good and we specially liked Ivy de Selva in Iguazu. Some were a little more quirky than I had desired, but I think that goes with the territory here not the operators and nothing impacted the enjoyment of our trip.

I would use Kimkim again and plan to do so in the future.

Hotel Reviews

L'Hôtel Palermo

Buenos Aires

Sweet little hotel, fantastic location in a delightful area with many lovely bars, coffee shops, utterly charming staff, quirky plumbing (but very manageable).

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Yvy Hotel de Selva

Puerto Iguazú

Huge rooms, very clean, set in amongst the forest

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Casa La Galeana

Lujan de Cuyo

One of our more quirky stays. The rooms were huge and unique, decorated with local artefacts. The beds were very comfortable. The air conditioning struggled to cope, but we mentioned it as we were going out and the staff said they would open the windows while the outside was cool , but shut them later and we returned to find fans had been put in the room as well. So 10/10 for doing what they could to help. Layout is curious and one of the pools was out of use, but the other was fine. Again, the shower took some working out, but we got the technique. Sweet, attentive staff and a small, homely feel.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Quiet, but rather far from the main town

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Explore the Argentine Falls

Puerto Iguazú

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Clean, on time, comfortable

Punta Tombo Penguin Colony

Puerto Madryn

The penguin part of this trip was really good, but because of weather the boat element to see the dolphins we were really looking forwards to was cancelled. We weren’t told and it was only after rather further in the car than expected that we realised we were on a different trip than we thought. There was some confusion and we only then came to know that we had embarked on a different trip which replaced the boat trip with a cultural experience to another town. Given the choice up front we wouldn’t have done it and would have opted to do something else, so this was rather frustrating, but having set off and driven quite far at that stage we went with it. Somewhere along the line the communications had missed us out as obviously the cancellation due to weather couldn’t be helped.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

The guide, Dante

Transport

Whale Watching tour

Puerto Madryn

Can’t choose just one place as they all were amazing!! Liz really did a fantastic job guiding us through when choosing what I thought would be the most interesting places for us. When we had questions Liz would get back to us in a prompt time period. We never experienced any bad tour guides along with our pickups. They were prompt every time!!!

Liz went over expectations from me when planning. She watched my budget but also was able to provide us great entertainment and adventure!

Hotel Reviews

Auckland City Hotel

Auckland

Very polite and helpful! Room clean!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Scenic Suites Queenstown

Queenstown

Very clean and great location. Great Mountain View.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Bay Villas Resort

Port Douglas

Great, quiet place. Very clean and good location!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Vibe Hotel Sydney

Sydney

Great place and very nice and comfortable!!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Museum entry and 1 Hour Highlights tour

Auckland

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Hobbiton Express -

Auckland

Auckland Walking Tour

Auckland

Views were great and guide was great as well

Walter Peak Farm and Gourmet Barbecue Lunch

New Zealand

Food and sheep dog talk was great. Beautiful views on ride over on steamer.

Half-Day Macetown 4WD Tour

New Zealand

Our guide Mark was phenomenal! Everything we could have asked for in a 4Wheeling adventure!

Skyline Gondola Ride

Queenstown (NZ)

Beautiful!!

Welcome to Port Douglas

Port Douglas

Glad we didn’t choose to go to a big city. Port Douglas is perfect for a few days!

Mackay Coral Cay Great Barrier Reef Day Trip

Port Douglas

Wow! Exactly as they tell you. Guides were very informative and helpful.

Day Trip to Kuranda Village & Rainforest Tour

Australia

Beautiful scenery and enjoyed seeing the local animals! After an entire day the only thing we weren’t sure of was the actual train ride back. It was slow.

Full Day Mossman Gorge Adventure Day

Australia

Amazing adventure! Especially in the rainforest. We could have stayed all day!!

Morning Panoramic Sydney Sights

Sydney

Sydney Opera House Tour

Sydney

A must see!

I think Ndudi covered most of what I would like to say about the trip however we had some issues at that last hotel.

There was a minor issue too but this was the main one. When checking out the clerk at the desk kept insisting that our room was not paid for and we needed to provide a credit card to pay for the room. He didn't have any idea of how the rooms where booked and who was responsible for payment. He said he needed to wait for somebody to Call and confirm that our room was paid for and that once he got the confirmation that we would be good to go. At this point our guide was already there and waiting on us to leave.

This interaction was a little disconcerning but besides that overall it was a pleasant trip.

Words cannot adequately describe the positive experience we had with Sherif and his team. From the planning stages to the actual trip, no detail was overlooked. He offered excursions that he felt might fit our family; the Fayoum safari and sand boarding adventure was a HUGE hit! This was our first time traveling to Egypt, and it was extremely comforting to know he was behind the scenes making sure everything went according to plan. We truly cannot thank him enough!

If you are thinking of going to Egypt, and feel a little overwhelmed like I did, Dunes and Beyond is your answer.

Everything was perfect for our Winter trip. I will definitely use kimkim in the future.

The tours were fantastic: the guides were knowledgeable and personable and we enjoyed every minute.

The hotels hit all the right notes.