Kimkim Trip Reviews

Our trip to Scotland planned by Rachel exceeded our expectations and became the trip of a lifetime for us! With very little lead time, she planned a two week trip filled with wonderful experiences and excellent accommodations. We were fortunate to have excellent guides to drive us from one location to another. Their commentary and insights helped us to appreciate what we were seeing. We especially enjoyed Neil McLeod, who did a fantastic job of finding interesting sights and stops for us, and we loved his stories! We had such a good time together and he made our trip filled with special moments.

We asked Rachel for some quiet times to sit by the fire or read, and we loved being able to do that at The Haven Guest House and Monachle Mohr. The DunstaneHouse was also memorable and in a great location.

Hotel Reviews

The Roseate

Edinburgh

We had a comfortable room and loved the location. The food was amazing and the staff went out of their way to be friendly and provide excellent service.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

the biscuits provided, modern luxurious bathrooms

Monachyle Mhor

Lochearnhead

This is a dream come true kind of place! In a gorgeous setting. Our room was super clean and comfortable. The staff was outstanding and the food was the best we had on our trip. Don't miss staying is this unique and wonderful place.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Edinburgh Private Walking Tour

Edinburgh

This was not the ordinary walking tour! Our private guide took us to several places in the city that were off the beaten path and so interesting! She had a wonderful presentation!

Quality of Experience

Visit Inverarary Castle

Scotland

Sonia was really great!

She was warm, friendly and responded very quickly to all of our concerns. She also addressed all our inquiries very quickly and thoroughly. We were very happy to be matched with Sonia and had a great trip. I would hope everyone could be so lucky :)

Our request was for the chance to see as much of Sicily as possible within a 10 day period. Sonia came through with a plan that we loved. We began in Palermo, traveled to Agrigento and Romana del Casales and then on to the east coast via Siracusa, Taormina and Mt Etna. In all we feel we have had a great overview of the Island and would love to return someday. The hotels were fine, our car rental went off without a hitch and the connections all worked well. We were met by Tony in Palermo who was there to provide assistance if we needed it [we didn't]. I don't think we would have had such a well organized trip without the input from Sonia.

In general we have had a wonderful trip. We have lots of great memories to think about. Sicily is amazing. Would we go with Kim Kim again? I am not sure because of one reason. I would like to know that line costs for our travels. There is no accounting for what is charged that can be easily seen. I get that it is not always possible to create an exact budget, however, as a consumer, it is common practice to tell people exactly what they are paying for and how much. This is nothing to do with the great efforts of Sonia and co. It is all to do with the business model of kim kim. We might use it again, we might not because I cannot tell if we have paid a reasonable amount, underpaid or overpaid. Had I a clear accounting then I would know and feel more confident that my dollars have been spent wisely. I stress that this is not anything to do with the wonderful trip we have had, but a suggestion for future travels. Perhaps KimKim should figure this part out a little better. Would I recommend KimKim? I honestly don't know, because of the above reason. Travel is costly. We feel we have had value for what we paid. I just cant really tell.

Hotel Reviews

Hotel Principe di Villafranca

Palermo

This was fine. We really liked the staff. The breakfast was good. The location was great as we could walk everywhere. It was clean but not fancy.

Authenticity & Character

The amenities were not 4 star or was it 3? Not sure. It was adequate.

Location

You could easily walk anywhere.

Staff

Really liked the front desk staff- they were super

Cleanliness & Comfort

clean but not fancy

Doric Boutique Hotel

Agrigento

This was the best place we stayed on this trip. The welcoming staff were wonderful. The hotel is lovely. Can't recommend it enough!

Authenticity & Character

The people, the farm which produces the food that you eat here, the very thoughtful approach to sustainability that one does not see often enough! You feel welcomed and appreciated as a guest.

Location

Beautiful, peaceful country location with a stellar view of the Temple of Juno. Only a five minute drive to the Valley of the Temples

Staff

This hotel has an excellently trained staff who are very attentive and nice people.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Very high calibre. We loved the pool in our room!

Algilà Ortigia Charme Hotel

Siracusa

Lovely hotel in a super good location as well.

Authenticity & Character

I liked the old building in the middle of all sorts of old buildings in various states of repair. This hotel is meticulously kept up and I felt very at home here

Location

You are in Ortigia and can walk everywhere throughout the historic city. WE were delighted with this- It is also on the water's edge which is very special.

Staff

The staff was very pleasant and professional

Cleanliness & Comfort

Also very high caliber in this area.

Zash country boutique hotel & SPA

Riposto CT

I liked the location in an orange grove. It looks out to Mt Etna which is nice. However it was not my favourite hotel on this trip. The countryside is lovely but the entrance to this hotel is THE most awkward I have seen in my travels to many countries. It is not welcoming. There is a very narrow gate between concrete posts and you must speak into an intercom to get the gate opened. It is on a back country road and I thought our GPS was off. The road from the gate [about a kilometer long?] is in very poor condition. There is no signage to indicate the entry to the front desk. On arrival we were told there was no room at dinner [out in the country after a long day travelling]. Then they changed their minds and we had the Michelin starred tasting menu at vast expense [ it was good enough but... there was really no other choice]. The breakfast was good. The second night we declined to eat in the restaurant as there is so little choice... . So- in my opinion, this hotel has some confusion as to what their core business actually is-- Is it a hotel? A Michelin starred restaurant? A citrus farm? A spa? I remain puzzled by this place. Maybe I am missing something...... but I wouldn't return. I also did not like that we were asked to state our arrival time and food preferences/ allergies 3 or 4 days in advance.... travel for us is spontaneous.

Authenticity & Character

Lovely old winery- beautiful grape press in the restaurant. In desperate need of a welcoming and easy entrance with good road and signage.

Location

Yes and no- very pretty but far from town/ really awkward to get in and out. No choice therefore , for dining options for us. [We were offered a list of restaurants in the area on arrival and declined it. If you know that you will have guests for weeks in advance wouldn't you try to accomodate them? Just a very strange place]

Staff

Nice people and quite charming- but off putting at the start as they did not want to feed us. Then we had to pay a fortune for a meal we would not likely have chosen. One is pretty much captive to whatever is on offer here as a hotel guest. We did find the waiters to be very charming and friendly- in fact they saved the whole experience for us.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Clean enough for our standards. Bed was comfortable.

Activity Reviews

Private driver to Monreale (self-guided tour)

Italy

Emmanuel was terrific! We really liked him and the afternoon was a lot of fun. Thank you!

Quality of Experience

Loved Sicily for its diverse geography , vegetation and fantastic history

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Sonia steered us on a very good path. We are grateful. We liked all the people we met, everywhere.

Transport

We rented a car- it is not an easy place to drive but we managed and saw things that we would never have seen had we been on a tour. We are very happy for that as well

Afternoon private guided Tour of Valley of the Temples

Agrigento

Enza was the Best Tour Guide Ever. If you get Enza you are really really lucky. She was v knowlegeable and made the entire Valley of the Temples come to life for us. We were not familiar with this incredible site and yet felt that we had had a crash course in the history of many cultures that have come together in this part of the world. We will never forget our afternoon with Enza. We highly recommend her! Thank you Enza!

Quality of Experience

This is a truly awe inspiring place- like no other in the world that I know of.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Enza was the best

Transport

This doesnt really apply as we drove ourselves.... but it was easy to access.

Emi and Mateo were amazing at providing planning services and engaging in communications regarding changes and updates. The horseback riding tour with an Argentinian asado in Mendoza was amazing as was the glacier tour and trek in Calafate. Everything went seamlessly and made our travel experience amazing.

Hotel Reviews

Entre Cielos Wine & Wellness Hotel

Vistalba

The staff was very helpful and communicative. They were able to answer all questions and assisted in any request we had. The view of the Andes Mountains were amazing from the hotel and the breakfast buffet was great as well. We would definitely stay here again.

Authenticity & Character

Location

There was not a lot that was walkable, and it was about 30 minute drive from downtown Mendoza.

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Loi Suites Recoleta

Buenos Aires

This hotel is in a perfect location in the Recoleta neighborhood. The staff was friendly and the breakfast was good.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Very close to the Cementery of Recoleta, a good market, and some other sights. Close drive to other neighborhoods.

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Chalten Suites Hotel

El Chalten

Bigger rooms with plenty of space to spread out. The staff was very friendly and helpful in terms of providing maps and resources for treks and assisting with other questions.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Right on the main strip close to stores, restaurants and shops

Staff

Very friendly and helpful

Cleanliness & Comfort

Mirador del Lago Hotel

El Calafate

This hotel was close enough to the main downtown and had very friendly staff, but it needed some updates. There was mold in the bathroom of our room, and it was very noisy every time someone above us walked around their room.

Authenticity & Character

Location

At the end of the main strip and about 10-15 minute walk from the main downtown

Staff

Very helpful and friendly, provided reminders on excursions and pick-ups

Cleanliness & Comfort

The hotel needed some updates, as there was mold in the bathroom in multiple places. The room also allows a lot of outside noises from the street as well as from the surrounding rooms. Any time someone above us would walk it would be very loud and prevent us from sleeping.

Activity Reviews

Perito Moreno Glacier Excursion 🗻

El Calafate

Going to see the Perito Moreno Glacier is worth a visit to Calafate. It is amazing to be in a forest one moment and then in view of a glacier the next. There are many opportunities for view and pictures.

Quality of Experience

Once in a lifetime experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Everyone was very friendly, knowledgeable, and accomodating. They made sure everyone was always accounted for and answered questions.

Transport

Cathedral of Wine: High end Valle de Uco 🍷🍃

Mendoza

The Uco Valley is pretty and worth visiting, but we did not visit the wineries we were told we were visiting. Additionally, we were to see three wineries and only visited two. It was a far drive (90 minutes) to only go to two places and it was not what we signed up for exactly.

Quality of Experience

The first winery was a nice experience, and although the second winery and lunch was nice, we did not intend to do a coursed lunch with wine pairing. That took up the entire afternoon and we were unable to see other wineries. Additionally, it was a beautiful day out and we felt stuck inside and unable to truly appreciate Uco Valley.

Food

The food was excellent, but we did not sign up for a tasting lunch and instead were hoping to visit more wineries since we originally had 4 wineries scheduled while in Uco Valley and only got to see 2.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Daniel was friendly and knowledgable.

Transport

Horseback Riding at Sunset (And creole BBQ) 🐴🍗

Mendoza

This horseback riding excursion was excellent. We were able to ride along the Andes Mountains and enjoyed a wonderful Argentinian lunch with the mountains in view.

Quality of Experience

Food

Amazing grilled chorizo and steak, plenty of food and wine.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Drivers and guides were very nice and friendly.

Transport

Minitrekking in "Los Glaciares National Park"

El Calafate

A must do. This glacier trek is on the side of the glacier that is walkable (the many peaks are not). We were able to see many parts, including crevasses, high peaks, water falls, and even were able to go into an ice cave. We drank fresh glacier water and at the end, the guides served some whiskey with glacier ice. Truly phenomenal experience.

Quality of Experience

Best excursion by far, great learning experience as well.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

The guides were fantastic. They took time to explain the glacier and even made sure everyone got the best pictures while on the excursion.

Transport

Nativo Experience

El Calafate

This excursion involves a quick ride up for a view of Lake Argentino. Then you learn about some native heritage and have a beautiful lunch of pumpkin soup, lamb stew, and chocolate mousse with wine in a cave. The actual driving and excursion part are relatively short, but the lunch makes up for it.

Quality of Experience

It was nice to do, but felt like the general driving portion could have been longer.

Food

Lunch with a view of the lake was amazing. The food was excellent and there was plenty to go around.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Robi was great to work with, flexible throughout when we needed small adjustments. He had selected great places to visit, accommodations and recommended restaurants and optional activities that were great.

Dubrovnik and Split were both very interesting and the hikes we did in the parks and around the locations where we were staying were appropriate for my capabilities. Finally, biking on the peninsula was a truly unique experience.

Hotel Reviews

Hotel Dubrovnik

Zagreb

Good basic 4 star hotel. Great location for walking around the city

Authenticity & Character

Location

Easy to walk from

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Degenija

Rakovica

Good location. Nice clean rooms. Breakfast was very good

Authenticity & Character

Modern clean good ambience

Location

Very easy drive to park with our guide

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Villa Bonaca

Skradin

Good quality and clean

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Kastel 1700 Boutique Hotel

split

Location was amazing. Right in the wall of the palace and looking out over the promenade on the water

Authenticity & Character

A bit small but more than adequate.

Location

Staff

Didn’t have much interaction

Cleanliness & Comfort

Breakfast was good but down a step from our other places

Adriana Hvar Spa Hotel

Hvar

Five star quality. Right on the water.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Breakfast was awesome.

Aminess Korčula Heritage Hotel

Korčula

Truly as advertised. Heritage location.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Only small downside was the room was a bit dark and not immaculate. But still outstanding. And again breakfast was amazing

Apartment Zicara

Dubrovnik

Location was okay and easily walkable to old town. By this time we had been spoiled. Also no breakfast which we had been told but given all our others had breakfast was a bit of a negative. Clean and well outfitted.

Authenticity & Character

Basically a studio apartment on a relatively quiet street. Was close to cable car and bus stop.

Authenticity & Character

Basically a studio apartment on a relatively quiet street. Was close to cable car and bus stop.

Location

Location

Staff

No interaction in person. We were accommodated With access to a washing machine in another suite

Staff

No interaction in person. We were accommodated With access to a washing machine in another suite

Cleanliness & Comfort

Clean. Good bed.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Clean. Good bed.

Activity Reviews

Visit to Korčula island and town

Korčula

Location was great. Easy walking about.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Best staff interaction at hotels.

Transport

Ferry to the island and met or guide ther was great

Visit to Hvar and exploring the Old town

Split

Loved Hvar. Walking the promenade was great.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

We did Hvar self guided and other than our bad route choice to the fort that would be what we would recommend.

Transport

Ferries are easy!

Zagreb - Arrival

Zagreb

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Zagreb visit

Croatia

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Leaving Zagreb and exploring Plitvice Lakes National Park

Zagreb

Beautiful park. Great hike.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Zadar - Šibenik - Skradin

Zadar

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Explore Krka National Park

Skradin

Get there early!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Explore Split & Diocletian's palace

Split

Location of accommodation was perfect.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Pelješac penisula and Ston- triple atraction - from Korčula

Korčula

Ston was great but biking on the peninsula was amazing.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Definitely want a guide if you are intermediate level riders.

Transport

A must to get started at a good spot. We took e bikes which wouldn’t be essential but was good for Dwight’s 68 year old legs.

Dubrovnik Old Town and the City Walls

Croatia

Everything we expected. Walking the walls is really a good idea

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

We were mostly self guided. Given the variety might have been worth considering some more hands on with our guide. Q

Transport

Great to have driver drop off and pick up.

Leisure day in Dubrovnik

Dubrovnik

Lots to do.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Self guided. We were awesome.

Transport

We walked almost everywhere.

Goodbye Dubrovnik

Dubrovnik

Driver was there on time. Got us to airport with adequate time.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Working With KimKim stared off rough. We had an agent who could not seem to connect with us nor was able to build an itinerary around our interests. Then we were given a new agent, cue Zulmy! Zulmy! was amazing! She saved our trip! She built a great itinerary with all of the activities we asked for! She was communicative and gave us a comprehensive outline of our trip. She was able to totally match our vibe to the locations. When arriving, transportation was seamless. All of the accommodations were beautiful, the Food was spectacular, and the activities (including tours) we fun and informative!

Overall it was a great trip!

We had an amazing time on our honeymoon in Paris and the Loire Valley! We started the trip arriving in Paris and stayed at Hotel a la Villa des Artistes. We loved this neighborhood and the hotel very nice/had a great breakfast. We took day trips from Paris to Giverny to see Claude Monet's house and went to Versailles. While in Paris, we did a chocolate & pastry tour & did lots of sightseeing. We then took TGV train to Tours where we spent an evening. The hotel in Tours (Chateau Belmont) was very nice but we did not love the city itself. We took our rental car from Tours and drove to the Loire Valley and stayed in Amboise. Amboise was beautiful and we loved the hotel we stayed at (Le Manoir St Thomas). While in the Loire Valley, we did some wine tours and castle tours. Our absolute favorite tour of the whole trip was the all day excursion to Chenonceau, Chambord, and a private chateau where we had lunch. Our guide was amazing and very informative. We took the train back from Tours to Paris for our last day and stayed at the Handsome Hotel. This was our least favorite hotel of the trip as it was very small and in a very noisy area. The hotel was centrally located though and was near a lot of shopping destinations which was convenient for our last day. The only hiccup we had on our trip was that the driver never showed up to pick us up to go to the airport as he was given an incorrect time. We ended up calling a cab ourselves though and were refunded the money. Simon was very helpful throughout the whole process and we definitely would recommend using him and KimKim to book a trip.

Hotel Reviews

Hôtel A la Villa des Artistes

Paris

Hotel is on a quiet side street in a very nice neighborhood. We are glad we stayed in this arrondissement for the majority of our time in Paris. Breakfast was delicious too!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Château Belmont Tours by The Crest Collection

Tours

Hotel was very nice and we wished we would have booked a spa package earlier as they did not have any available when we checked in. Breakfast was very good. We had dinner at the restaurant and thought it was average.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Le Manoir Saint Thomas

Amboise

We loved the charm of this hotel and how friendly the staff was. There is no elevator in this hotel so it may not be good for people with mobility issues, but we had no problem staying here. The breakfast here was wonderful. Hotel was a few minute walk from all of the shops/restaurants in Amboise. It was also close to Restaurant l'Ilôt which was one of our favorite restaurants we ate at on our trip.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Handsome Hotel Paris

Paris

This hotel was good for a one night stay as it was centrally located and close to the Marais district. It was quite loud though so I do not think I would have liked to stay here for several nights. The room itself was very nice and staff was friendly.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Versailles Palace & Gardens Half-day Guided Tour from Paris - small group

Paris

Our tour guide was great and we are so glad we got to see Versailles!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Marais Pastry and Chocolate Tour

Paris

We enjoyed this tour, however, we felt we did not try enough pastries and mainly tasted a lot of chocolates. It also was extremely busy in the Marais district when we visited, so at times our guide had us wait outside instead of going into the shops with her. I think this would be better to do on a weekday when it is a little less crowded instead of on a weekend.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Monet's Giverny House & Gardens Small-Group Half Day Trip From Paris

Paris

The gardens at Giverny house were absolutely beautiful and we loved exploring the house as well. We were under the assumption that this would be a guided tour though and instead of the tour guide going with us through the gardens/house, he just dropped us off and let us explore on our own. While it was nice to walk through on our own pace, I think we would have liked more explanations behind Giverny and Monet's work. Definitely still recommend going to Giverny, but perhaps with a different tour company.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Vouvray & Montlouis Wine tour

Tours

The guide was extremely knowledgeable and we loved being able to see all the behind scenes of the wine making process along with tasting all of the delicious wines. Definitely recommend!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Chambord, Chenonceau & lunch at a chateau - Full-day

France

This was absolutely the best tour of our trip. We felt we learned so much about both castles and our guide was awesome. We also loved having a private lunch at a chateau to be able to experience some home cooked French food. Highly recommend!

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Private Transfer from Paris hotel to Paris Charles de Gaulle (CDG)

France

Our transfer was not scheduled for the correct time so the driver did not show up when he was supposed to. We waited for fifteen minutes and then ended up calling a taxi so we would not be late to the airport. Kimkim did refund us for our taxi ride.

Our trip was lovely. We were able to experience Greece from the perspective of wonderful Greek tour guides. We covered archaeological, ecological, geographical, and historical topics. We felt we came away with a much better understanding of the country.
Our guides, Kostis , George, Nikolaos, and Theo were all so knowledgeable . They opened our eyes to the history and mythology of Greece.
The planning by Rebecca was well thought out. Thank you to all. Karen and Mike Hoger and Jennifer Best

Hotel Reviews

Amymone Suites

Nafplio

We had 2 rooms and the views were beautiful.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Lovely people. Very accommodating.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Kasimatis by La Perla

Santorini

We were in “the cave” room since there were 3 of us. All the other rooms had beautiful caldera views. We would have loved to have that view. The hot tub was only lukewarm

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

They were lovely

Cleanliness & Comfort

Domotel Anemolia Mountain Resort

Arachova

We were disappointed in the location. We saw all the shops as we passed through Arachova. Our hotel was a 20 plus minute walk to town and since we had a late lunch by dinner time, we would have been walking in the dark to reach the town.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Doupiani House Meteora

Kalampaka

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

The breakfast was great. All locally sourced and made on site.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Electra Metropolis

Athens

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Review

Santorini - Sights, Wines & Clicks Private day tour

Santorini

Kostis was a wonderful tour guide!! He was very knowledgeable about Santorini and The Peloponnesus also. He was a great source of information about the flora and fauna of Greece. Thank you Kostis

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Ibrahim and Amr have been amazing, helpful, and patient putting together a busy itinerary for our 12 days in Egypt, from Cairo to Red Sea to Bahariya Desert. We had multiple tour guides during this trip and each and every one of them were amazing and knowledgeable. We almost cancelled camping in the White Desert when we got to Hurghada, but so glad we didn't. It's probably one of the best experiences of the entire trip. Can't wait to visit again in the future!

Activity Reviews

Tour to visit Pyramids and Sphinx - Sakkara - Camel Ride

Cairo

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Day tour Alexandria

Cairo

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Egyptian Museum, Salah El Din Citadel & Old Cairo

Cairo

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Visit Abu Simbel temple and Aswan

Aswan

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Kom Ombo & Edfou

Egypt

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Visit West bank and East bank

Luxor

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Cairo - White Desert

Bahariya

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

White Desert - Cairo

Egypt

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Our family cannot say thank you enough to Tasos and the KimKim team. Tasos worked with us to create a vacation that exceeded all of our expectations. Tasos provided us with a detailed outline that we iterated together to match our specific ideas for our desired Italian vacation - exploring traditional foods, staying in a Tuscan Agriturismo, and experiencing Rome. Every city included at least one private tour for our family with guides who understood that if our kids are engaged, everyone is happy. And all the transfers were pre-arranged, so there was never any stress. On the morning of our 8 AM Vatican tour, there was a car waiting outside our hotel at 7:30 to take us across town.

On our last night in Italy as we walked around the lit-up Coliseum, none of us wanted to go home. 19 days in Europe with their parents, and our teenagers wanted to spend more time with us! In fact, most days in Italy ended with one boy commenting on how awesome the day had been, and other boy agreeing. Next summer our family vacation will be to Greece, and we are excited for the adventure Tasos will plan for us!

Hotel Reviews

Fattoria la Loggia

San Casciano in Val di pesa FI

Fattoria la Loggia was everything we hoped it would be! Most of the guests were families with children, and the atmosphere was warm and family friendly. The pool was fabulous and definitely our boys favorite. The three-bedroom apartment with a kitchen was great for our family. On our Parma and Modena days, we bought cheese, prosciutto and balsamic vinegar on our tours; we supplemented those with some fruit and bread, and that was our dinner for two of our nights at la Loggia. As we expected, there was no air conditioning. Keeping the shutters closed during the day kept the apartment from getting too hot, and with fans we were able to sleep well. The managers also gave us a wonderfully fun and delicious cooking lesson outside with views of the vineyards. We would highly recommend staying there!

Authenticity & Character

Italian villa!

Location

In the center of Tuscany and 30 minutes from Florence.

Staff

The cooking class is fantastic.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Be ready for no air conditioning...but with the right expectations the fans are enough!

La Bella Modena Centro

Modena

This small hotel is owner operated with a part-time front desk. The owner is available by phone, and was very helpful.

Authenticity & Character

The rooms were the most efficient use of space, with innovative closets.

Location

Just outside the old city, everything was close.

Staff

The owner/manager was attentive and went out of her way to help us.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Clean and comfortable.

Hotel Gran Duca Di York Milan

Milan

The staff at Gran Duca di York in Milan was very attentive and having a happy hour in the hotel was great for our larger group.

Authenticity & Character

We felt welcome

Location

Center of Milan

Staff

Very attentive.

Cleanliness & Comfort

The rooms were clean and comfortable, but small

Hotel Capo d'Africa—Colosseo

Rome

This hotel was interesting, with fully staffed lobby bar and roof top bar, but no patrons. The one night we went to the roof top it had a night club feel, but we were the only ones there. The breakfast was excellent.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Three blocks from the Coleseum!

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

The rooms were clean, comfortable and good size, especially for Europe.

Activity Reviews

Milan Highlights With Duomo

Milan

The tour in Milan was the right tour for us because it focused on exactly what we wanted, the Duomo and La Scala. Nina (our guide) was very informative and extremely thorough and wearing the headphones allowed us to wander but still hear everything she had to say. But at 4 and a half hours it was a little too long. A little less detail and an hour shorter would have been better (especially with our teenage boys).

Private Modena Walking Tour

Modena

Our guide, Elisa, was a local teacher who gave tours in the summer. She was a very fun guide who gave us a wonderful tour! We enjoyed the mix of history and trivia she gave us.

Local transfer in Rome

Rome

A car waiting outside our hotel when we needed it, fantastic!

Florence Highlights Walking Tour (Semi-private)

Florence

Our tour guide, Antonella, gave us the very best tour we have ever been on! She was so engaging (even to our two teenage sons). It was certainly a “Renaissance” tour. Antonella was so proud of her home city; she gave us such a complete understanding of the city and how it changed the world. She shared such a wonderful mix of historical facts mixed in with human interest, that we were captivated every moment. When we mentioned that we were reading a book about Michelangelo, she began to cater to stories and artwork that were specific to Michelangelo, complimenting what we were already learning about from the book. She was wonderful!

Cooking Class in Tuscany

Italy

The couple who manages Fattoria la Loggia were engaging teachers, the setting was spectacular and the meal we made was delicious! Fresh pasta with roasted vegitables for dinner and tiramisu for desert.

Private Sunset Rome Walking Tour & Orientation

Rome

This sunset walking tour was wonderful and a great way to get to know the city. Our guide, Giuseppe, helped us to get our bearings, giving us a great overview of the city and where we wanted to spend more time. He also taught us how to drink from one of the many Big Noses of Rome and gave us a great recommendation for a restaurant to eat at that evening.

Private Colosseum & Roman Forum Tour

Rome

This tour with Sarah Napolitani was also one of the very best tours we have ever been on! We were a few minutes early, and Sarah took us straight out, so we were one of the first into the Forum when it opened at 8 AM. She timed our route so that we avoided the massive crowds of tourists for as long as possible. But once we got to the Coliseum avoiding crowds was no longer possible…the crowds were insane! But we just followed Sarah and let the chaos go on around us. She provided a very interesting mix of history, funny stories and thoughtful moments that had all of us mesmerized. We had so much fun with her!

Catacombs & Underground Rome Tour

Rome

This was really an interesting tour. The Capuchin Crypt was very unexpected, a bit bizarre and beyond interesting - the bones of monks made into art. In one of the crypts shoulder blades were arranged as butterflies. Even though we were only there for about 30 minutes it was absolutely a must see! For the Catacombs portion of the tour our guide was a geologist who had helped map these Catacombs, admitting to having been lost in the Catacombs as a student more than once. We did not get lost!

Bike The Appian Way

Rome

Biking the Appian Way with Fabrizzio. What a fun way to see this important part of Roman history! The tour started with a ride across Rome through the Jewish Quarter and past the Circus Maximus before heading out the Appian Way. This was a real bike ride (no e-bikes for us!) with some strenuous sections. We rode past Italian villas on the way to the Catacombs. On our way back we continued clockwise around the Forum, biking by the Arch of Constantine, down dei Fori Imperiali and past Curia of Pompey, where Cesar was assassinated. Fabrizzio was interesting and gave us many new tidbits of information on places we had seen. He also trusted that we knew what we were doing on bikes - this was not a tour for rookies! Back at the shop, Fabrizzio and the owner shared with us some of their favorite spots.

Vatican Guided Tour

Rome

What a way to start the day - a black car waiting for us at the hotel curb at 7:30 for our 8 AM early entrance Vatican tour. All of the pre-arranged transfers really made a huge difference! At the Vatican Sarah was another wonderful guide. She gave us a wonderful tour of both the Vatican and St. Peter's Basilica, and while there is no way of covering all of the art and history of these two places in three hours, she chose well which pieces to focus on and gave us both historical and religious perspective.

Lorena did an amazing job putting this trip together! We wanted to see a lot in a short period of time and she made it all happen. We didn’t have to worry about a thing once we were here. It was truly an incredible trip! The marble caves were insanely beautiful and seeing the towers in Torres del Paine was worth the difficult hike. We also loved walking on Grey Glacier. All of our drivers and guides were great as well!

This trip was planned with such precision, I actually have no idea how we would’ve done it without Lorena! She thought of everything for us, and with the geography of what we wanted to do, that was no easy task! Our drivers, especially Leonides, Ramon, and Luis, were so sweet to us.

Fantastic trip!! We originally planned this trip to take place in March 2020 . Obviously that did not happen and we ended up rescheduling multiple times as we waited for travel to be safe again. Huyen Nghiem and the entire team stayed in contact with us (over the course of 2.5 years!) to make sure we had the best possible support both during planning and the trip itself. We were finally able to take the trip in October 2022 and it was 100% worth the wait. Vietnam is a stunning country filled with wonderful people, delicious food, and beautiful landscapes.

... and it's all thanks to Irene! She was very patient as we learned KimKim and helped us to plan, and then setup a wonderful vacation that worked well for both me and my wife. What's more, whenever we found ourselves missing our driver, on a late train, or just confused in general, she was a quick message away to help us navigate our trip. She even checked in on us a few times to make sure we were having fun and enjoying ourselves as much as possible.

We started our trip with a group tapas tour in Madrid, led by Neomi, who was very knowledgeable and made excellent suggestions at every step. It was truly a blast! We got to sample numerous delicious beverages, food, and make great conversation with our fellow travelers. Next, we enjoyed a guided tour in Madrid, where we learned all about its history, even joking and having fun with our guide (whose name I unfortunately cannot remember - but she was amazing!). Our time in Seville was also well planned, with Barbara showing us the Great Cathedral and the Alcazar our first day, making some fantastic recommendations for dinner. The day trip to the White Villages and Ronda was filled with beautiful scenery, fun shopping, and good food that truly left us wanting more. Granada is a gorgeous city, with so much to see, including the much (and rightfully) touted Alhambra. Our guide, Gabriela, was very knowledgeable and fun, leaving us once again feeling more like we'd been shown around by an acquaintance, rather than a stranger we hardly knew. We discovered a nice coffee house - Cafe 4 Gatos, that I would strongly recommend for good coffee and excellent food (bring cash!). Finally, our dinner at Aben Humeya was the perfect end to our last day in Granada, coupling delicious food with a view neither of us will ever forget.

I know I've gone on for quite a bit already, but I'd be remiss if I didn't mention that every hotel Irene found for us was fantastic, with comfortable beds, polite helpful staff, and delicious breakfasts. The drivers were all polite, professional, and very helpful. And our information packet was very thorough and helped us avoid making numerous mistakes we likely would have made on our own.

Thank you Irene and everyone who helped make our trip such a success!

Hotel Reviews

Hotel One Shot Luchana 22

Madrid

Nice location with very comfortable beds. Polite, helpful staff and a delicious breakfast.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Intelier Casa de Indias Sevilla

Seville

Nice location with comfortable beds. Polite, helpful staff and a delicious breakfast.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Palacio de Santa Inés

Granada

Very location with a lot of history in the building, converted in a very charming and aesthetically pleasing way. Extremely helpful staff.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Aben Humeya

Granada

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Restaurante Casa Suecia

Madrid

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Visit la Alhambra

Granada

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Tapas tour

Madrid

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

City tour

Madrid

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Lunch in La Bola

Madrid

Guided tour in Seville

Seville

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Day trip : Ronda and White Villages

Spain

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Amalia was an amazing local specialist. She was very quick with her replies and altered our itinerary multiple times until we fit everything we wanted to do in!
Travelling between islands was very easy with the arranged pickups and drop offs, we had no issues figuring it all out when we got there!

Activity Review

Welcome to Naxos

Naxos

Less touristy, beautiful beaches and a cute town!

We can't say enough positive things about our experience with Jessica and Chiara. If you can afford it, the concierge approach to planning and experiencing your family vacation is the ONLY way to go. It's worth every penny! The investment was worth the amazing service, attention, and care we received throughout our trip to Italy. During a turbulent time when the service industry is inconsistent and at times lacking, Jessica and Chiara were a breath of fresh air. Jessica, who is the head of Storywalking in Italy, worked with our budget to create an itinerary to maximize our 8 day family vacation. All her recommendations were spot on. Chiara checked in frequently to make sure every detail of our trip was locked in. We loved our tour guides from LivTours (Adriana, Sara, Raf, and Frederica)- they were great with our 9 yr old son who wasn't always so awake or chipper, but they ALWAYS got him to smile at some point during the walking tours.

We felt like Jessica and Chiara were our personal travel assistants. Whenever we had a concern, question, or need, they were prompt in their response and always came up with a solution or recommendation.

We highly recommend using kimkim, Jessica, and Chiara to plan your next family vacation to Italy. You won't regret the investment. It's worth the peace of mind to ensure you have the best stress-free vacation.

Hotel Reviews

Hotel Giorgione Venice

Venice

Small room and a little dated BUT great location and staff!

Authenticity & Character

Location

so convenient but tucked away from all the noise!

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

just a little dated and musty

Solo Experience Hotel

Florence

Love the location and staff!! Room was generous for European standards. Great breakfast too!

Authenticity & Character

Location

so convenient to everything!

Staff

Nina and her colleague with the braces (forgot her name) were super!!

Cleanliness & Comfort

our room was spacious and didn't feel crowded for three people. Beds were very comfy!!

The Independent Hotel

Rome

convenient to the train station.

Authenticity & Character

Location

even though it's not located in the prettiest and trendy part of Rome, it was convenient to the train station.

Staff

very attentive and helpful

Cleanliness & Comfort

large room and well appointed

Activity Reviews

Private Evening Gondola Ride Venice & City Stroll

Venice

Adriana, our tour guide was great. We had a tired, grumpy, and hungry 9 year old. She walked us straight to dinner at the end of the tour!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Gondola ride was so magical!

Best of Venice tour: Murano Island & Guided Walking Tour with St. Mark's Basilica

Venice

Great way to visit Murano, see Venice, and learn the history of this unique Italian city!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

boat ride to Murano was wonderful

Learn how to make Pizza and Gelato

Florence

My son's fav part of the visiting Florence! A must for families but also fun for all ages

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Jon was a great instructor who made it fun to learn how to make pizza and gelato!

Transport

Family Experiences: Uffizi for Kids Private Tour

Florence

Very family friendly way to cover a museum which isn't always fun for kids!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Sara had her work cut out for her but she was super with our 9 yr old!

Transport

The Best of Colosseum & Ancient Rome With Exclusive Arena Access

Rome

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Raf was great!!

Transport

Family Experience: Vatican Tour for Kids

Rome

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Frederica was super! She kept our son engaged with the activities in book provided with the tour.

Transport

Thank you for reaching out and asking about our trip. It exceeded all of our expectations! First, Kimkim and Himalayan Trails executed everything perfectly. The people that surrounded us were always very professional, caring and made the trip seamless.

Rajiv did a great job of introducing us to the important historical sites in Kathmandu and Patan. What a great day that was. We were in informational overload and I had to let it sink in before going back and reading more about the sites we saw.

Our guide, Wang Chu, and porter, Neema , we’re first rate. I think one of the most important things a guide can do is understand his clients and Wang Chu was able to do that very quickly. He made adjustments throughout the trip that catered to what we were looking for and made our experience unbelievable. We often times felt like we were the only ones on the circuit and saw things I know other groups did not get to witness.

The trek itself was difficult at times but rewarding in every instance. The scenery was spectacular and Wang Chu taught us a great deal about the culture, livelihood and history of the Nepalese people as we trekked from village to village. What a great classroom and teacher!

I am glad we chose the Manislu circuit and I would recommend that to anyone interested in trekking the Himalayans. It offered a good challenge, varied landscapes and what felt like a relatively less travelled path.

Thank you for setting everything up for us and sticking with us for almost two years due to travel restrictions!

Again, thank you, Kripa, Rajiv, Sanzeb, Wang Chu, Neema and the whole staff at Kimkim and Himalayan Trails for making it a wonderful, memorable trip!

David Makepeace

Morocco is a crazy place to visit and without the assistance of Hakim to set up our travel and Mahdi to act as driver and guide we would not have been able to navigate this wonderful country. The hotels were set up in advance. The hotel staff were all super friendly and helpful in finding restaurant reservations or even in having a quality dinner at the hotel. All of our hotels included breakfasts which was nice. Mahdi was a fabulous driver, obeyed all driving rules and was so knowledgeable about geography, history and commerce within Morocco. I would strongly recommend kimkim to anyone wanting to visit Morocco and suggest to ask for Mahdi as driver.

My family and I travelled to Costa Rica in October 2022. We had the best time! Sergio and his team made our experience completely seamless and yet adventureful. My husband and I are used to blazing our own trail when we travel, but this time having our 10 & 7 year old daughters along with us we wanted to capitalize on our time and have activities that they would find engaging and provide them opportunities to learn along the way. Sergio and the team at Serendipity provide this and so much more!

We visited Tortuguero, Turrialba and Puerto Viejo. Each location had well thought out activities that allowed us to explore the local culture and environment.

While in Tortuguero we enjoyed a canal tour and learnt about Costa Rica's conservation efforts and national parks. We watched a turtle lay her eggs on the beach and our highlight was an evening walk where a bunch of baby turtles were hatching and making their way to the ocean.
Our guide Jose engaged with the kids and made sure they felt safe, he also helped them spot some tree frogs and bull frogs by the pool at our hotel. It was a rainy couple of days but Jose showed up with ponchos, a sense of humor and a whole lot of fun!

On our 4th day we said goodbye to Tortuguero and met our driver Andres. Andreas was our driver for the duration of our stay in Turriabla and further to Puero Veijo. Andreas was such an amazing guide, he was incredibly knowledgably about Costa Rica and was very helpful translating for us when we needed some help. He safely delivered us to our hotels and always stayed to make sure we got checked in safely. He was wonderful with our kids and even had Disney radio cued up for them in his car!

In Turriabla we went rafting, canyoning and for a farm tour. Our guides while we were rafting, Jonathan and Poco were amazing! Jonathan had a great sense of humor and painted or faces with mud and taught us how to balance rocks on the shore line. The river was beautiful and warm. Poco was great to point out wild life along the shore. While were were rafting, Andres drove down stream and took some action shots of our family to share with us. Andreas also capped the day off by making us the most delicious and beautifully presented picnic we've ever had, he'd made pasta, salads, fresh fruit and even dessert!

The following day we enjoyed a canyoning trip and farm tour with our guides Ceasar and Sergio. They were also very knowledgeable. Our youngest was scared during canyoning and Sergio, who also has young kids got to her level and explained what would happen, how he would keep her safe and also confidently assisted her down the falls. But the last waterfall she was laughing and having the best day! We enjoyed lunch with Ceasar and Sergio at their family farm and then proceeded to a farm tour with Sergio, where we were able to sample fresh fruits and home made coffee. It was a day for the books!

Andreas safely delivered us to our final stop, Puerto Veijo, we were sad to say goodbye, over the last 3 days Andreas had become a trusted friend along our adventure. We arrived at Congo Bongo where we met the owner, Marisol, she was so welcoming and we felt like family instantly. She was an amazing host, providing free laundry service (which was much needed after a few days of rafting and canyoning!), farm fresh eggs, clean accommodations and an amazing eco-village for us to enjoy. Puerto Veijo was a great place to cap off our trip, it was laid back and we enjoy time playing in the ocean, walking to Manzanillo (If you're there check out Colores, the local Greek restaurant - great staff and good food!). Our days were enjoyed touring a chocolate tour at a local indigenous farm, our guide Theresa was incredibly caring. She spoke the local Bri Bri language which added so much value to our tour. We attended a cooking class with a local chef, Glenda and made a traditional Rondon Soup. The following day we went snorkling and on a light hike through the national park where we swam with a lemon shark, sting ray, a variety of fish and coral.

Our final stay before departure was at the Studio Hotel in San Jose. the roof top pool, art, food and Piano / Violin show we were treated to on our last night perfectly summed up our family vacation.

We came home with so many amazing memories and stories, we could never have planned a trip like this on our own. We met amazing people and experienced so much of Costa Rica! We are so grateful to Sergio and the Serendipity team for creating a memorable family vacation. If you are considering Costa Rica, reach out to Sergio, he will enhance your experience and take away the stress of traveling.

Sergio - Thank you for being a phone call or message away whenever we needed to adjust timing, ask advise and for easily rearranging activities based on the weather.

Pura Vida!
Jody

Hotel Reviews

Auténtico Hotel

San José

We weren't here very long, just slept and left, but the room was clean, the hotel was beautiful and the waiter at dinner was very friendly.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Laguna Lodge

Tortuguero

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Jose and the tour guides were very helpful. The front desk staff was not overly friendly or helpful.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Casa Turire

Turrialba

Authenticity & Character

We loved the Cuban feel and 1950's vibe this space had

Location

Staff

The staff was so helpful, friendly and accomodating, they offered games for the kids and suggested local scenery to take in

Cleanliness & Comfort

Congo Bongo EcoVillage Costa Rica

Manzanillo, Limon

Authenticity & Character

Marisol has done an incredible job with this eco-village I found her entrepreneurial nature and creativity refreshing. The world needs more people like Marisol

Location

A close walk to Manzanillo, but about 15-20 min drive to Puerto Viejo. This was nice as it was quite and away from the business of Puerto Viejo, although if your looking to be closer to the action and restruants in Puerto Viejo you'll need to find transport.

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Marisol cleaned our house every day and helped with our laundry. Thank you!!

Studio Hotel

San José

Authenticity & Character

The art, piano, violin players were all incredible!

Location

about 40 mins to the airport

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Very clean and comfortable

Activity Reviews

A Journey into the History and Culture of Tortuguero Village

Tortuguero

Cute town, I wouldn't recommend going at night. No street lights and it would be very dark and unsafe.

Nighttime Turtle Nesting Tour

Tortuguero

Super cool experiance!

Guided Boat Excursion Through the Tortuguero Canals

Tortuguero

Private rafting on the Pejibaye River with children

Turrialba

Our guides were incredible!

Quality of Experience

Food

Best picnic lunch ever!

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Canyoning in Turrialba

Turrialba

Local Farm Experience

Turrialba

Dive into Afro-Caribbean Culture with Exquisite Cooking Classes

Puerto Viejo de Talamanca

Chocolate Tour

Costa Rica

Exploring the Underwater Wonders of Cahuita National Park

Costa Rica

Everything fell into place, plane and transportation and tours, loved Sydney and the harbor and went to a concert in the Opera House, got rain at Ulrulu but that was a good thing as multiple waterfalls developed across it’s face. The eucalyptus forest on the return from the great ocean road was like a jungle version of our redwood forests in No Cal
Great planning for a wonderful trip. Now we’re in NZ

This was our first time in Spain and our first big trip since Covid-2020 shutdown. We did not have a lot of free time to do our own research and book a trip on our own. Luis understood the types of activities we wanted to do and the places we wanted to see. He provided a lot of background information on the places we will be visiting and summary itinerary with times and locations of tour meeting places. He responded on a timely manner whenever I sent a message with requests or questions. The accommodations he booked for us were exactly where we wanted to be - centrally located and near public transportation. They were clean and comfortable. The staff in the hotels/apartment were cheerful and helpful.

We enjoyed the private walking tours Luis arranged for us. It allowed us to see many sites at a more flexible pace. Our guides - Almudena (Madrid), Maria (Toledo) and Luca (Seville) were very knowledgeable of the area and pointed out things that we would have missed if we were just walking on our own. We appreciated that they were checking in on how we are doing with all the walking. They were all open to receiving feedback as to what is and is not interesting to us.

Luis also arranged for group tours to Cordova, Granada and Ronda. We were first concerned about going on a larger group tour but the tours were well organized and efficient. Although the bus ride were long, they were comfortable. We were in awe of the Alhambra as well as the view of the town from Alhambra. Just amazing! It was unfortunate that I got sick and missed the Cordova tour.

The last trip that Luis arranged for us was a small group tour to Montserrat from Barcelona. It so happened that our guide only had 1 tour that day so we had the flexibility to stay a little longer in Montserrat and listen to the Boys' Choir. It was a blessing to hear the angelic voices of the choir.

Overall, we had a great time! Exhausted but full of fond memories! Thank you Luis and staff for helping us enjoy our first time in Spain.