Kimkim Trip Reviews

Christina helped us with planning our trip every step of the way. She was fantastic!! I told her when we would be there and what we wanted to do (in general) and she planned out every day perfectly. Every day was full of all the activities that would have taken me forever to get arranged. We arrived in Oslo, then took the train to Bergen/Flan and flew to Tromso. Tromso was the highlight of the tour - we saw the most amazing Northern Light show that we could have ever imagined, even our guide said it was one of the best he had ever seen. We could not have been happier. Thanks you so much for the trip of a lifetime!

Hotel Reviews

Thon Hotel Terminus

Oslo

This hotel was close to the train station and and very convenient. The front desk was quite helpful and even arranged for us to have an extra room on the last night because we mixed up our dates.

Authenticity & Character

Very Norwegian

Location

Only 4 minutes from train station.

Staff

Quite friendly

Cleanliness & Comfort

Very clean and exceptional breakfast

Flåmsbrygga Hotel

Flåm

This hotel was nice but we were not there very long. The balcony seemed nice but we did not get to use it.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Radisson Blu Hotel

Tromsø

This hotel was very nice and very convenient to several tour buses that picked us up right in from of the hotel. We walked all around Tromso and saw everyday life - walked along the pier and even caught a glimpse of the Northern Lights.

Authenticity & Character

Very norwegian & contemporary

Location

Very nice location and beautiful hotel.

Staff

Exceptional

Cleanliness & Comfort

Very clean

Activity Reviews

Sommarøy Arctic Day Trip

Norway

Nice drive and lunch at the island.

Quality of Experience

Food

Exceptional

Guides, Drivers and Staff

The driver & guide were both very personable and kept us well informed.

Transport

Buses were great

Aurora Husky Visit

Tromsø

This was just ok, we didn't really care for the Husky visit then on to eating? I smelled like a dog all thru diner - yuk. The lights were not a good this night, so we had been spoiled the night before.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

This was our first trip using KimKim planning for our 10th anniversary in Peru including Lima, Cusco and Machu Picchu.
To our pleasant surprise, it turned out that all excursions were private, and therefore we were always in the safe hands of all the friendly, very knowledgeable team members Amy, Edwin, Richard, Flor and all the excellent drivers who made our trip wonderful, enjoyable and unique.
We would never have figured out how to plan this trip on our own. Joanna, our agent, has selected hotels, guides and wonderful plan.
Thank you so much to all of you! We love you !
Highly recommended.
Tatyana & Peter

Hotel Reviews

Hotel Antigua Miraflores

Lima

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Abittare Hotels

Cusco

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

El Albergue Ollantaytambo Boutique Hotel

Cusco

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Tierra Viva Machu Picchu

Machu Picchu

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Scenic Train Journey to Aguas Calientes from the Sacred Valley

Peru

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Lima Food Tour

Peru

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Fly from Lima to Cusco, Explore the City

Peru

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Cusco Tour

Peru

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Sacred Valley Tour: Pisac - Maras - Ollantaytambo

Peru

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Discovering the Treasures of Machu Picchu

Aguas Calientes/ Machu Picchu

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

South Valley Tour

Peru

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Free Day to Explore Cusco

Cusco

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Fly from Cusco to Lima

Peru

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

The hotels were all great. The guides were friendly and knowledgeable. The local support team was there for me when difficulties arose.

We initially planned this trip pre-pandemic and had to postpone until Nov 2022 so it has been a long time coming. Murat, our local specialist, has been very accommodating throughout this whole period and we were finally able to make it happen! Communication and coordination leading up to the start of the trip were only slightly delayed but everything turned out great. The final call(s) to touch base put everyone on the same page and was quite helpful.

Our local guide, Onder (Andy), was very helpful, informative and friendly. It was wonderful to have a knowledgeable guide show us around different parts of Turkey. He also helped us navigate the (occasionally tricky) streets of Istanbul with ease and had the best tips and advice for every spot we visited.

Our itinerary was quite packed so it depends on the type of traveler you are but overall, we hit the main highlights we wanted to see. Can't wait to go back and explore more of Turkey!

Veronica and her agency provided great service overall. Easy to work with, very responsive, considered our needs and desires and stayed within our budget. The ability to contact her “on the fly” was very reassuring and we utilized it more than once. This was our first experience using kimkim and this agency but definitely won’t be the last!

Very good service from peruvian soul and the choice of tour guides. We had an amazing trip to peru bolivia and chile. Only minor issue was type of room provided in uyuni, but was sorted next day once I told Anne about it. I would definitely recommend Kimkim/peruvian soul for journeys to peru and Bolivia.

I can't say enough good things about kimkim and Dean, our local specialist. We had such a wonderful time. Our accommodations were all lovely and run by helpful, wonderful staff and/or hosts. The suggested lunch stops along the way were always hits. Every suggested stop - Blarney Castle, several spots around Cork, and the rope bridge on the way to Giant's Causeway - was fantastic. I would be thrilled to get to travel with kimkim again. Thank you for all your hard work!

Lucia put together a trip that hit all the things we wanted to experience. Our guide and driver, Sebastian was terrific. He was a cautious driver and an entertaining, knowledgeable guide. We enjoyed things that weren't on the itinerary, like dropping into his grandfather's bakery for a taste treat. We also enjoyed the interaction with some indigenous communities and checking out local cuisine. Besides being a beautiful country, the people of Ecuador are warm and welcoming.

Simply amazing. Awesome flexibility on planning before departed. Amazing guides. Logistics went like clockwork, even when we decided to change plans on a day. Instant responses from Amanda to any question - hate we time of day! Could not recommend this trip highly enough to anyone. Best tour ever….

The trip was very well organized and if not for the weather , it would have gone perfectly as planned! We had a delightful honeymoon thanks to Berat and her brother.

From start to finish, we felt like we were in good hands. We had a wonderful experience planning and taking our trip to Spain with Kim Kim. Our local agent, Beatriz De Pablo was consistently reliable and available to us both before we left, and also the whole time we were in Spain. And if she wasn’t in, she made sure to let us know the name and contact information of a colleague who was covering for her. That greatly helped in reducing the stress of traveling with my older parents, who have some mobility issues. It was especially nice to get an upgrade to premium class on our train rides, with meals included. The hotel - train station and hotel – airport transfers were welcome, and even when there was a problem with one of them, the team worked to quickly resolve the situation to our satisfaction.

The driver who picked us up from MAD when we landed on 1 Nov was reassuring about waiting for us after we landed, as we navigated through the massive airport with my parents in wheelchairs. The driver who picked us up at the Granada train station was very nice too. Our guides in all destinations were uniformly outstanding: Alberto (Granada), Fátima (Córdoba) and Teresa (Sevilla). They had a solid knowledge base about the locations, as well as great personalities, which made spending time with them a pleasure. We appreciated that Bea arranged separate tickets to la Mezquita in Córdoba to accommodate my parents, who weren't able to accompany us on the official tour. We especially liked our driver, David, who picked us up at Atocha station on 14 Nov and brought us to our hotel in Madrid, and who also drove us to MAD on 15 Nov. He was friendly and helpful.

We loved it all, but especially the cooking class in Sevilla! Laura was a warm, kind, and patient instructor and the food was delicious (looking forward to receiving the recipes!).

Hotel Reviews

H10 Casa de la Plata

Sevilla

Hotel H10 Casa de la Plata was our favorite hotel during our two-week stay in Spain. Front desk staff were top-notch: warm and welcoming. The lobby area is tastefully appointed with eclectic furnishings and decor. The guest rooms are wonderful: spacious but cozy. We loved the bidet and the illuminated toilet :-) There was witty and whimsical art on the walls, eye-pleasing colors and - a first for us - a pillow menu!! The breakfast buffet was lavish and delicious, with more choices than we knew what to do with. Service at breakfast was warm, friendly and welcoming.

Authenticity & Character

Location

In the middle of the old city, in the pedestrian zone - ideally situated. May be difficult to reach, though, for folks with mobility issues, as the closest taxis can come is about 500m away.

Staff

Special shout-out to Fran, who walked out to help find us when were arrived in old Sevilla, and were lost with our rental car on the narrow cobblestone streets. He graciously helped us with our luggage and guided us to the hotel.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Bidet and illuminated toilet in the bathroom. Pillow menu - oh my!

Eurostars Puerta Real Hotel

Granada

Clean, centrally located, but utilitarian and not very charming.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Las Casas de la Juderia Hotel

Córdoba

This hotel is charming. It's ideally located in the old quarter of the city, steps from la Mezquita and the Roman bridge. Reception is wonderful and they gave us a very warm welcome, which was appreciated after a long drive. Breakfast was served in a large utilitarian room, but the choices were great, and the service was responsive and friendly. The courtyards and fountains were magical, but one caution I would mention is that the various steps up and down through the garden and courtyard areas were not well-lit or marked. We were traveling with my elderly parents, and I worried about them slipping and falling. Otherwise, it's a lovely property. We didn't get a chance to partake in the "honor bar" in the lovely library, but I loved the idea of it and we definitely would have if we had had more time in the beautiful city of Córdoba.

Authenticity & Character

Charming!

Location

Centrally located in the old city.

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Lighting in the guest rooms could be a bit brighter.

Catalonia Las Cortes

Madrid

Hotel is lovely, with excellent service, comfortable rooms and beds, and great breakfast.

Authenticity & Character

A nice mix of character and history, with modern amenities.

Location

Central location, near museums, Plaza Mayor, and Plaza Santa Ana

Staff

Consistently friendly and helpful

Cleanliness & Comfort

Very clean. One issue is that the rooms on one floor (not sure which one) all have a substantial step up into the bathroom. This was a hazard for my elderly parents, to the point that they requested a room change, which hotel staff accommodated quickly and efficiently. There are also door stoppers affixed permanently to the floor, which are easy to walk into and stub one's toe.

Activity Reviews

Tapas Culinary Experience

Madrid

Jenk was a friendly and informative guide. We liked that it was in the Chamberi neighborhood, which has fewer tourists and so felt like an authentic experience.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Guided Visit of Museo del Prado with Art Historian

Madrid

Christina was an excellent guide, with considerable knowledge about the museum, which she presented in a lively and interesting manner.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Private Guided Visit of Córdoba

Córdoba

Private Traditional Andalusian Cooking Class & Market Visit

Seville

Private Guided Visit of Seville

Seville

Guided Visit of Alhambra & Generalife Gardens

Spain

Alberto was outstanding.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Our trip to Greece was wonderful thanks to Angela and her team. From our drivers Alexander and Nicolas we received a personalized treatment. They were attentive to our needs and took us to local places where we savored local Greek cuisine and experience the culture of the place. Our tour guides were very knowledgeable and provided us with interesting facts in every site. Crete was a beautiful and vibrant island that is worth visiting. Our trip to Santorini was canceled last minutes and Angela assisted to build a different itinerary in mainland Greece. The last five days of the trip were awesome and we visited Corinth, Olympia, Delphi and Meteora as well as many small villages. Thank you Angela for all your help, and a promise we will come back to the islands 😀😀

Hotel Reviews

Legacy Gastro Suites

Heraklion

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Theatro hotel Odysseon Meteora

Kalabaka

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Grand Hyatt Athens

Athens

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Amalia Hotel Olympia

Ancient Olympia, Ilia

This hotel has a great location. The rooms are very basic and wore down. It lacks basic amenities in the room like a iron or a quality blow dryer. It is an old hotel in a great location that has not being renovated in decades. Beds were not confortable either. Breakfast was good and convenient. I will give then a max of 3 stars

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Amalia Hotel Delphi

Delphi

This hotel has a great location. The rooms are very basic and wore down. It lacks basic amenities in the room like a iron or a quality blow dryer. It is an old hotel in a great location that has not being renovated in decades. Beds were not confortable either. Breakfast was good and convenient. Rooms look neglected with black marks in the linens. I will give them a max of 3 stars

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Corinth & Epidaurus Tour with overnight in Olympia

Greece

This is a magical place. Its wonders amaze me and I love it. Our tour guide was exceptional .

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Knossos Palace & Authentic Crete with Local Experiences from East P9

Greece

Minoan Luxuries: Ancient Palaces, Messara Wine Routes & Matala East P5

Greece

Olympia Tour & Transfer to Delphi

Greece

Delphi Guided tour & overnight Kalabaka

Greece

Discover Meteora and return to Athens

Greece

I was only able to spend 5 days on this trip. This was in practice reduced to 4 days when LATAM canceled my flight from Santiago to Punta Arenas, and I was transferred to a flight the next. Two of the four days were therefore devoted to travel - Santiago to Puerto Natales and back, via Punta Arenas. The two days in Puerto Natales were devoted to a hike up to Cerro Paine and a boat excursion to the Balmaceda and Serrano glaciers.

The Cerro Paine hike was arranged at the last minute in place of the popular Torres Paine Base hike because the park was closed due to a strike by park rangers. The hike is very demanding physically - a vertical gain of nearly 1300 meters, some of it on an exposed and very windy slope. It requires hiking poles (provided by the guide) but is not technically difficult or dangerous. The views of the Torres along the route and at the top are stunning. Pray for good weather, though - you might be miserable on a wet or unusually windy day.

The boat trip was on a catamaran capable of seating about 200 passengers. The boat is comfortable, and as the weather was calm (though overcast) it was quite stable. Viewing decks are a little cramped. The trip allowed us to cormorant colonies and sea lions up close, waterfalls from the steep rocky slopes, and the glaciers, which are sadly receding due to climate change. Light refreshments were served by the crew. Lunch was served at a stop on the way back, and consisted of local meat dishes with soup and dessert.

Local guides: They are advertised as speaking English, but don't expect learned discourses on the geology, flora, or fauna of the region. They were all very friendly, paid attention to our safety and physical needs - but do your own homework if you expect more than that.

The Casa Patagonia hotel at Puerto Natales is apparently managed by the same company as the local tour company that arranged my visits. They are housed in the same building and share some of the staff. It is located near the center of the town, with many restaurants nearby. It is also just across the street from a nightclub, which played very (!) loud music all night (until 5 am) on the night of my arrival. The hotel staff were aware of the problem. The following nights were OK - the club is apparently active on Friday and Saturday nights only. My room was small, but immaculately clean, as was the ensuite which is tiny. The bed was comfortable. The room has only 2 electric sockets on either side of the bed, making it difficult to work on my laptop with the power plugged in. Sower water was warm - but not really hot. Breakfast was good, with a selection of fresh fruit in addition to a continental style menu. It turns out that there are hotels in the town on the coast that are not adjacent to restaurants but which offer views of the sea, such as the Hotel Altaplanico - which I personally would have preferred given the choice.

The logistics of my trip were relatively simple, but all transfers, tours etc. were excellent. Drivers were always on time to pick me up, the paperwork was perfect and everything about the trip turned out exactly as planned.

We had an incredible time in Morocco! The tour was well put together, informative and fun!

We felt like we got a good taste of many parts of the country. Our driver Amnay was really good, and the local guides we were introduced to along the way were equally as good.

Sharon did a great job planning our trip, and her communication was brilliant! I would recommend to anyone :)

Hotel Reviews

Riad Nesma Suites & SPA

Medina, Marrakech

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Chez Ichou

Dades Gorge

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Merzouga Dunes Camps

Merzouga

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Riad Al Makan

Fès

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Riad Hicham

Chefchaouen

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel des Oudaias

Rabat

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Review

Guided Tour of Marrakech

Marrakesh

Raj and Bipin organized an 11 day trek to Langtang and Gosaikunda for me. Raj was responsive and patient as he worked with my preferences and scheduling constraints and made sure that I was prepared for the trip before I left home. Once I arrived in Kathmandu, Bipin briefed me before the trip as well as debriefed me afterwards. I appreciated their professionalism, responsiveness, and friendliness throughout. Thanks to them, the trek itself was exactly what I wanted: long days of hiking through alpine terrain with enough moments to appreciate the surroundings.

Hotel Review

Hotel Holy Himalaya

Kathmandu

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Review

Free day | Kyanjin Ri Hike

Kyangjin Gompa

We were first time visitors to Portugal traveling to Porto, Lisbon and Madeira. The guides we had were all educated, knowledgeable and fun to spend the day with. In Porto we had the best day with Renata hiking the national park and visiting a small village that has remained mostly unchanged for hundreds of years. A day we will remember for a long time. In Lisbon we had a magical day with Nuno in Sintra. He surprised us with sweets from his favorite local bakery and also treated us to lunch at a roadside diner that only the locals eat at. In Madeira, George guided us on our hike from Pico Arieiro to Pico Ruivo. It can best be described as walking on clouds for seven hours. All were awesome experiences.

Hotel Reviews

Exe Almada Porto

Porto

Hands down the friendliest staff of any hotel I have ever stayed in. The breakfast buffet was delicious and had plenty of choice to satisfy most travelers. The hotel also took cleanliness seriously as it was spotless. Well situated close to many amenities and tourist attractions. I would not hesitate to stay here again.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Proximity to restaurants, subway and attractions.

Staff

Friendly, helpful and efficient.

Cleanliness & Comfort

The rooms and common areas were spotless.

Vincci Baixa

Lisbon

Centrally located one block outside the main tourist area down town. Most attractions, subways, streetcars are within walking distance. Rooms were comfortable, clean and spacious. I found the staff to be friendly and helpful when asking for directions or recommendations on restaurants, etc.. An awesome breakfast buffet with a broad range of choices to satisfy anyone. This is also the only place in Portugal that we were able to have a cup of filtered coffee ala North American style. This added a nice little taste of home to our trip.

Authenticity & Character

Spacious rooms with awesome showers.

Location

Good proximity to most tourist attractions including old town. Most things you can walk to.

Staff

Friendly and helpful.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Very clean with comfortable beds.

Pestana Promenade Ocean Resort Hotel

Funchal

This hotel was a disappointment for us. The common areas of the hotel looked to be upgraded recently. The rooms were tired and in desperate need of upgrading. The sofa looked to be old, it was stained and it had lost its shape. The hotel decor was probably in style back in the 90's but it looked like nothing had been done to keep it fresh. The beds were two single beds pulled together and they were not comfortable. Each bed was made up as its' own bed and pushed together. We stayed four nights. On our second night I phoned down to the front desk as our wifi was terrible for both nights. I asked that I be moved to a new room and was told that the hotel's wifi was knocked and nobody in the hotel had wifi so changing rooms would make no difference. On our third night, I went down to the front desk to again ask abut the wifi. I was told that it should work in the living room but probably not in the bedroom. I told them this was unacceptable. This was the third day in a row that we were required o use our own data packages rather than the hotel wifi. I asked if the hotel was able to resolve its wifi outage...the clerk had no idea what I was talking about. We managed to get our room changed and lo and behold the wifi was wonderful. This was a terrible customer service experience. The breakfasts were well done with plenty of choice. The outdoor grounds of this hotel are very nice with infinity pools, walking trails, etc..

Authenticity & Character

This hotel is tired and in serious need of upgrades to their rooms

Location

The hotel would be a 50 minute walk to the old town and most tourist attractions.

Staff

Please see comment above on how wifi inquiry was handled.

Cleanliness & Comfort

The room was clean. Comfort was lacking.

Activity Reviews

Hiking & Cultural Excursion in Peneda-Gerês National Park

Porto

This excursion for us was our most favorite excursion we have ever done. Our guide Renata was exceptional. She was educated, knowledgeable on this park specifically and she was a pleasure to spend the day with. We hiked to two water falls. Had lunch in a local village where every serving was sourced from the local village (grown or raised in the village) and prepared in a traditional Portugese style. My wife and I were presented with 15 different dishes to eat. We later walked through he village and saw first hand their gardens/crops, the animals they raised, etc.. We thought this was a wonderful day.

Quality of Experience

See comment above.

Food

See comment above.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

See comment above.

Transport

See comment above.

Private Day Excursion: Sintra, Cascais & Estoril

Portugal

A wonderful experience with our guide Nuno. The weather did not cooperate and we were unable to got to the Pena Palace due to the heavy fog. We adjusted our plans and visited Quinta da Regaleira. This was a spectacular estate complete with water falls, tunnels and many things you will not be expecting. Our guide surprised us when we exited with sweets from his favorite local bakery. He took us to a small road side diner where the locals eat. We visited several small towns on the coast line, saw awesome scenery along the way. All in all a great day.

Quality of Experience

See comment above.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

See comment above.

Transport

See comment above.

Fado Dinner Experience

Lisbon

This was first hand experience in appreciating this music style native to Portugal. The meal served at the Clube de Fado restaurant was exceptional. When the music started, all waiters exited the restaurant putting the focus solely on the Fado performers. The songs are sung in Portugese and my wife and I were wondering if anyone in the restaurant was able to understand the lyrics. At this point the singer said "everybody" and the entire restaurant (with the exception of 3/4 tables) sang the rest of the song for her in Portugese. We were not expecting that. This was a nice cultural experience, with great food and entertainment. Well done.

Quality of Experience

See comment above.

Food

Amazing.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

The wait staff was very efficient and professional.

Transport

We walked to this venue.

An amazing trip! Thank you Raisa for accommodating all my requests from start to finish. (it was a long time in the making) A special shout out to our guide Sayel who ensured that our safety, comfort and our every need was addressed from day one through to day five. His handpicked guides were outstanding. As with any trip there will be minor hiccups along the way, however Sayel addressed it masterfully. Thanks to all who made this a wonderful experience.

1. Use Kimkim only if you have no idea about the country, like I did with Japan. Irish was very helpful and suggested Hakone, which was a lovely place.
2. Be prepared to pay almost double for your trip, compared to doing it yourself. I saw the price and there was a sticker shock, but I decided to still let Irish have her pay since she did a lot of work already.
3. Give them a lot of time! For example time difference between Japan and US is 13 hrs. So it takes 1/2 a day for the email to be answered.
4. Be careful in choosing your "price range". Select "mid-range" only if $300 a night hotels are ok with you.
Overall I appreciate the help in initial planning. Irish was very meticulous and tried hard to meet all our special requests. The support "on the ground" was spotty though. The "limo taxi" that was supposed to meet us at the airport never connected with us and it took Kimkim an hour to answer our call. By that time we were already in the taxi that we hired ourselves. It took them 1/2 hour to an hour to answer our calls each time. So this is not an emergency service. They may have the same problem as everybody else - not enough people willing to work?
Local knowledge was still worth it. Irish suggested JR pass (a weekly bullet train ticket) which was very convenient to have. The Suica card for local trains, subway etc. was also a great suggestion.
Our local guide in Hakone, Mr. Shigeo Ishibashi (a retired engineer) is a great person and we enjoyed talking to somebody local and asking all the "cultural difference" questions!

Hotel Reviews

Hotel Sunroute Ginza

Tokyo

Don't choose the smallest room unless you're traveling alone! Or unless you're newlyweds and don't mind VERY close quarters! :)

Location

It's in Ginza about 15 min walk from Tokyo station.

Staff

Very helpful. The breakfast "hostess" helped us with directions and answered all questions despite of being VERY buisy!

Cleanliness & Comfort

VERY clean!

Ajisai Onsen Ryokan

Hakone

Great property in a tiny "park" of it's own! Next to an antique "museum".

Authenticity & Character

A real traditional Japanese ryokan with onsen. Real Japanese food for breakfast, if you want it.

Location

Beautiful if small property on a quiet street.

Staff

Very helpful and nice!

Cleanliness & Comfort

In our traditional Japanese room there were extra futons that I used to be more comfortable sleeping on the floor. Very clean.

SAKURA TERRACE THE GALLERY

Kyoto

3 minute walk from Kyoto Station! Great open air modern "lobby". Welcome drinks.

Authenticity & Character

Ver nice modern design.

Location

3 minute walk from Kyoto Station!

Staff

Helpful in all respects.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Very clean and comfortable

Activity Reviews

Hakone Museum of Art

Hakone

The art museum itself is ok for a small town, but hard to compare to big city museums. But the park around it is wonderful. Japanese come there in November to admire the beautiful colors of autumn. Many dress in kimonos which they rent for the occasion. They even dress up their kids, very cute!

Quality of Experience

Beautiful traditional Japanese garden.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Mr. Shigeo Ishibashi san was great pleasure to talk to.

Hiking at Fushimi Inari Shrine

Kyoto

The "tunnels" made up of thousands of tori gates are amazing. So are the shrines and the gardens!

The Sumida Hokusai Museum

Tokyo

A must see for any Hokusai art lover. The exposition itself may not have all the originals, but it's so well organized! His life's timeline, different periods in his art. They even animated some of his "dancing" cartoons. There's "find the Fuji" activity for kids (great fun for adults too)!

Our driver Mhammed was really great, he was already on time, lots of great chats, learned a lot about Morocco through him and especially loved our time in the Sahara with him, where he is from!

Megan was very quick to respond in messages when planning the trip. Would have appreciated knowing approximately how long driving was going to be on each day to be ready for some travel days being completely in the car. Didn't feel like we needed a driver for the 4 days in Marrakech, we could have organised taxi's separately for these days. Some of the driving routes didn't quite make sense, for example driving 2 hours to get to mountains biking each way and then another 4 hours to get to Ouarzazate was a bit excessive in terms of driving and missed a couple sites because of the sunset.

The activities overall were great, (woodworking, cooking class, tour of Marrakech/Fez, mountain biking, hiking, camel riding, atv in sand dunes). The cooking class has room for improvement.

The accommodation we also very much enjoyed.

Hotel Reviews

Paradis Du Sahara

Merzouga

Riad Tama & Spa

Ouarzazate

Dar Victoria

Fez

Activity Reviews

Cooking Class

Morocco

There is a lot of room for improvement with this particular cooking class. First of all, all of the knives were very dull and made it hard to cut tomatoes or any vegetable. It seemed as if the cook and the translator were both very uninterested in being there, and they were arguing amongst themselves in Arabic. There was zero explanation about spices as mentioned in the class description. Also no explanation about what we were cooking or instruction. Just sort of copy what the chef was doing and hope for the best. We got to eat our meal on the nice terrace afterwards. The setting was very nice at this very posh luxury hotel, however the beautiful setting kind of took away from the authenticity of cooking a meal. I believe there are better more authentic cooking classes in Marrakech for better value.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Tour Marrakech with a private guide

Marrakesh

We really enjoyed our guide, who was quite funny and very knowledgeable.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Woodworking

Morocco

This was a fun experience in getting to appreciate what goes into the wood carving in the architecture and furniture in Morocco.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Atlas Mountains Hike

Morocco

This was one of our favorite activities. Continue to see the monkeys in the forest at the top of the waterfalls it is worth it! Also really enjoyed our lunch on the river, even if it was a very touristy kind of place.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Too long driving that day.

When thinking back on our adventures in Indonesia only superlatives come to my mind.
First attempts to make the itinerary were done via local Belgian travel agents. Very soon I found out that these lead to the same things over and over again. But then after googling some more I found KimKim. Never heard of them before but as huge US travel fans attracted by the fact they are HQ-ed in Chicago. after indicating our preferred destination and wishes we came in contact with Marc. oh gosh, this was a winner!! From the first moment Marc "listened" to our wishes and was thinking with us. The connection was there from the beginning and step by step he managed to set out the lines for our itinerary. I suppose there were times when he was pulling his hair because we wanted another change, another hotel ..... He never gave us the idea he was done with it, always there to adapt and to help.
We could reach him at any time before, during and after the trip. He is a true diamond for any organization so KimKim I can only advise you to take care of this one! Good team members don't come in easily and frequently.
along our trip we were in contact and taken care of by many locals. We have talked to them for hours as we love to meet the true culture and spirit of a country. They were all good and very helpful. the most knowledgeable was definitely Lucy how thought us many things and was always a nice company.
One person stood out of the many! Jerry, our guide and driver in Bali definitely deserves to be mentioned in person. He is a true jewel to the world. To us he was one of the reasons that our time in Bali will never be forgotten! He pampered us as if he knew us for years! He was always there to lean a helping hand and go the extra mile. He handled according to every of our wishes. Even after getting back home, he asked if we arrived safely. I'm sure we will stay in contact with him and hear about his lovely family.
Reflecting today there were so many things that stood out. Our main focus was nature. We were impressed every day by what each island has to offer. from Oeran-outangs over elephants to stunning sunrises, pink beaches and sunset dances by flying foxes!
We are more than grateful that we were among the happy people having the chance in life to discover this true paradise on earth.
Though our eyes and ears were spoiled on a daily basis what will stay forever as the deepest impression was the friendliness and kindness of the Indonesian people. No matter the island, no matter the religion .... they can teach the world on how to live together. We will never forget those smiles and helping hands.
Thanks to all that made this trip a memory for life!
For those that would love to see some pictures feel free to look on instagram/ judithdebrus