Kimkim Trip Reviews

Uyuni Salt Flats was amazing & I enjoyed the day spent on the flats. Accommodations at Hotel # 8 Jardines de Uyuni and Hotel # 10, Mallku Cueva Hotel, Villa Ma were not upto par.. The king size double bed was too large for the room that there was hardly any room left to move around the room or put the luggage resulting in having to put the luggage on the bed.

Other than that, the tour was well arranged & the guides were very professional & knowledgeable.

Mar did an amazing job setting up the lodging, transportation and activities for our dream anniversary trip. She took into account all of the things we love to do and see. The hotels were spot-on both in amenities and location. The transportation was smooth and seamless. One of our favorite activities was the private floating fjord sauna experience in Fläm! Absolutely envigorating!! The details worked out by Fenne were also seamless. We never felt stressed or worried about where to be or how to get there. We had one glitch in that a gondola was not running on the day we had tickets for it. A quick message to the local expert, Julia, via What’sap assured us we would receive a refund and that we could continue on to our next location earlier without having to wait out the 5 hours that had been allotted in our travel for the gondola trip and area sightseeing. It actually gave us more time to explore Bergen on a rain-free afternoon that was perfect. All communication throughout the process was very timely and very clear.

Hotel Reviews

Hotel Victoria

Stavanger

Charming hotel! Full of character but with all the modern amenities. Surrounded by cobblestone streets with cafes, restaurants and shopping. On the wharf to access fjord tours. Fantastic breakfast and fun bar! Super cute bicycles for guests to use…the weather didn’t cooperate for us so we appreciated the umbrellas at the door also for guests to borrow!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Beautiful location. About 20 minutes to the airport or the main cruise port.

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Opus XVI

Bergen

A beautifully appointed hotel in the city center. A very short walk to Bryggen or Mathallen the fish market. It was a lovely indulgence with the romance package with flowers and champagne in the room upon arrival and in-room breakfast. The breakfast was wonderful. Also a short walk to the tram line and the main train station. Lovely room and enormous bathroom!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Gudvangen Fjordtell

Gudvangen

A unique lodging experience. The Viking rooms are filled with handmade wooden furniture made locally and have skylights with views of the surrounding waterfalls and mountains. Very spacious, although a little worn. At low/early season we basically had the place to ourselves. So much so that they started the fire in the lodge just for us and we enjoyed a bottle of wine in front of the fire watching the rainfall one evening all by ourselves.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Flåmsbrygga Hotel

Flåm

Beautiful location with a view of the fjord. Very clean, comfortable and spacious. A cute lodge feel. The hotel made a lovely break in travel and we enjoyed the Viking beer tasting dinner and Aegir the associated brewery. We also had a 5 minute walk to the floating fjord sauna experience that was a favorite of our on the trip. The breakfast was also delightful.

Authenticity & Character

Classic Nordic mountain/fjord lodge feel.

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Heated bathroom floors! Such a treat.

Activity Review

Private Floating Sauna Experience

Norway

Such an amazing experience! The sauna looked directly into the fjord. We listened to music, soaked in the sauna at 175 F (79C) and plunged in the fjord at 40 F (4C). It was incredibly invigorating! Very clean and well maintained with friendly, helpful staff.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

My trip was to Madrid and Barcelona. All accommodations, pickups, tickets and transfers coordinated by Kimkim were spot on- everyone was on time and mostly easy to find! I would recommend Kimkim to anyone! Thank you for a great trip!

Hotel Reviews

Andante Hotel

Barcelona

Very eco friendly hotel, no daily housekeeping and not enough towels, had to ask at front desk for ice. Good breakfast buffet. Neighborhood okay, seemed a little creepy at night.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Cortezo

Madrid

Hotel needs updating, peeling wallpaper, safe didn’t work, slippery shower. Location not the best, homeless and soup kitchen across the street. Fabulous breakfast though!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Not the best neighborhooy

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Summer Magic Nights at Casa Batlló

Barcelona

Very weird Gaudi house, wasn’t exactly sure what to expect, but got a tour with a tablet of the house and then the outside rooftop music, singer and band were fantastic.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Private City Highlights Walk

Madrid

Great guide, a little too much architecture in a little less market. I would’ve liked more marketing and shopping and a little bit less architecture.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Legends Museum & Bernabéu Stadium Visit

Madrid

Quality of Experience

Short Prado Museum Visit and Retiro Park

Madrid

Great guide, much knowledge and willing to adapt to our needs. Didn’t get to Retiro Park. .

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Flamenco & Tapas Night

Madrid

Nice tapas tour, didn’t know there was another part of the tour with more tapas and a rooftop experience- could have been explained up front, and leader did not go with us to flamenco just gave directions

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

All 3 guides were wonderful and added SO much to our trip. Mano in Naxos for the Ebike tour was above and beyond! Jacob ( spelling) in Santorini was an amazing guide and shared so much history. We were picked up for every travel excusion on time and so kind. All the hotels and views were perfect. Thanks so much

Hotel Reviews

Noma Hotel Athens

Athens

comfortable , great location, staff so friendly and helpful

Authenticity & Character

Location

a walk to so many places

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Blue Dolphins Hotels & Villas

Firostefani, Santorini

wonderful hotel, staff and views

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Ippokampos Beachfront Hotel

Naxos

great hotel, a few problems with hot water. They were able to repair by second day. Very kind staff and beautiful sunsets.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Harmony Hotel Mykonos

Mýkonos City

great hotel and beautiful views

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Naxos Bike Tour

Naxos

loved the tour, Manos was a wonderful guide, kept us safe and shared much about the island. Shared with us a great restaurant with live Greek music and fresh fish . Thest sunset ever

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Santorini Highlights with Wine

Greece

Iakovos (Jacob) was the best historian and poet. Showed us many special sites with history. Of couse the wine tour was delious.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Private Acropolis Hill & Museum Tour

Athens

we were able to walk to the Acropolis, guide met us at hotel and was full of history to share

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

My trip to Italy was truly a dream come true! It is the first trip my husband and I have been on (childless) since we had kids over 10 years ago. At first I was very overwhelmed and had no idea where to start, I was also apprehensive about using KimKim as I had no previous experience with them. I have to say, that moving forward with them was the best decision I made.

Irene was exceptional. She was extremely professional and knowledgable. Even with all my questions, fitting in my cousins wedding and a late itinerary change, she accommodated them with ease. She worked with my budget and her suggestion for tours were perfect. Everything from our hotel transfers and hotels were top-notch.

We visited Venice, Florence and Rome. We took her up on her suggestion of taking a day trip to Sienna and we are happy we did. As I mentioned, the tours she booked for us were perfect, and so happy that she did them for us. As you can imagine there are many tour operators, but from what I could see, the ones we went on were all very organized and the guides were so knowledgable and passionate about their cities. I have to recommend LivTours in Rome because the groups were small and you could tell our guides had much experience with the information they shared and how they navigated us through the crowds. We did the Vatican museums and Sistine Chapel one day with Veronica and the Colosseum and Forum Grounds with Lorenzo the following day. I am so happy we did them, we learned so much and got such amazing photos.

But our favourite would have to be the Food and Wine tour with Guilla from Devour tours in Trastevere. It was great to see how the locals eat and what to look for when choosing wines and restaurants during your visit to the many restaurants and cafes in Rome.

We did a lot in 10 days and I don't believe that we would have been able to plan it as smoothly or would have been as enjoyable if Irene did not plan this for us. It was truly customized to us and that is a service that is so hard to come by nowadays.

I couldn't recommend this company enough! I am already saving for our next trip hopefully to Greece and I will definitely have Irene plan for us.

Hotel Reviews

Relais Le Clarisse Rome

Rome

This hotel is in a beautiful area filled with amazing restaurants and night life. But when you walk into the hotel, it is like you walk into a secret garden. They have updated the property but preserved many things to keep it's unique history and character. The staff was super pleasant. The advanced security/lock system was convenient but took me a day to understand because we arrived late at night when there was no staff present. But not a big deal.

Authenticity & Character

So cute and LOVE the little courtyard with the lemon tree.

Location

Love the location...can walk to so many little shoppes, restaurants and cafes. There is even a little park and playground up the street.

Staff

So sweet and accomodating

Cleanliness & Comfort

Signoria 64 Hotel Firenze

Firenze

Room was really modern and had everything you needed. Pretty spacious considering you are in the middle of Florence. The only issue was that the A/C was not working yet because the building had not turned it on but when we left the windows opened there were so many mosquitoes. The hotel did have these Mosquito Repellant devices and those helped significantly. The location is amazing because it is close to everything.

Authenticity & Character

It was more modern, but very clean!

Location

Close to everything!!!

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Olimpia

Venice

Such a lovely hotel very close to the bus and ferry terminal but not loud at all. It is a bit farther from St Mark's Square which is a much busier area but Venice is a pretty small place. The room was perfect for and the bathroom was updated and clean. We were welcomed with a bottle of Prosecco which is always a lovely touch. The staff was great and the buffet breakfast was really well done! Would definitely stay here again.

Authenticity & Character

Beautiful character and has an inside courtyard/garden.

Location

Close to transportation, but not loud

Staff

Everyone was pleasant and polite

Cleanliness & Comfort

Rooms were always clean

Activity Reviews

Trastevere Afternoon Food Tour & Wine Experience

Rome

Such a great tour to teach us about Rome and how modern day Romans live. Guillia was fantastic, she is passionate about were she is from and I learned a lot about Rome I couldn't learn from anywhere else. Now I know what to look for so we don't fall into any tourist traps...lol! And of course, the food, wine and gelato!!! PERFECT!!

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Colosseum & Roman Forum Tour

Rome

The tour was worth every single cent! We learned a lot and was blown away with how grand the Colosseum and Forums were. Lorenzo was amazing and he knew exactly where to guide us to keep us comfortable, in the shade and where to get the best photos. Love that the group was small so we could bypass the bigger lines and go through the areas efficiently.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Vatican Guided Tour

Rome

The group was small and our guide Veronica was amazing. With a smaller group it was easier to navigate through the big crowds.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Veronica has so much passion and a fountain of information!!

Great service and a brilliant holiday. It was self guided but useful to have Christina and the team on hand to clarify any doubts during the trip. Highlights were dog sledding in Røros, being in Bergen and Flåm, but all of it worked well for me and my family (7 and 8yo daughters).

Overall we had a wonderful experience visiting Japan. We were 4 senior adults, one with a bad knee problem. We notified Angel well before our arrival and except for one guide our expectations were either met or exceeded. Before the second day of our Tokyo visit I notified both Angel and our guide for the day, Michi, that we had been informed that wheelchair access to the Nikko Toshugo Shrine was not available. Both Angel and Michi had ample time to modify our schedule. However, we ended up that day spending over5 hours in our vehicle while visiting a lake and tourist trap for which we paid an additional entrance fee of $40 per person. We were not given any options for that day either by Angel or our appointed guide, Michi, who did not offer us any potentially more enjoyable alternatives.
We found that during our trip planning, that Angel needed to be prodded into appropriate responses to our questions and concerns thus creating some overall doubt in her abilities to create the seamless, quality experience on the ground that we had been used to with Kimkim. Our doubts were justified through the experience described above.
Otherwise our KimKim experience met our expectations and we immensely enjoyed our travel in Japan. Our guides and drivers were professional and enjoyable. The transportation schedule was well planned and booked properly.
We will certainly consider KimKim again when planning travel.

Hotel Reviews

The Westin Osaka

Osaka

Located in a relatively quiet neighborhood of busy Osaka.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Quiet neighborhood with walking access to good restaurants.

Staff

We again utilized the concierge for dinner reservations and were very satisfied.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Granvia Kyoto

Kyoto

Great location at the Kyoto Station complex

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

All staff professional and courteous. We used concierge services for dinner reservations and all were very acceptable and met our requests,

Cleanliness & Comfort

Best hotel bathroom during our visit to Japan.

Hakone Kowakien TEN-YU

Hakone

Hakone Kowakien Ten-Yu is a quality Japanese Ryokan experience. The Tenyu dinner included in our stay was an excellent dining experience.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Cerulean Tower Tokyu Hotel

Tokyo

A bit touristy for our taste but otherwise a decent spot to stay n Tokyo. Great hotel staff. We used concierge services to book restaurant reservations and were very pleased.

Authenticity & Character

Perhaps a hotel that catered lees to large tour groups would have been more to our liking.

Location

The Shibuya location was a good spot from which to experience Tokyo.

Staff

All staff and concierge services were great.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Full Day Tour to Arashiyama Bamboo Grove

Kyoto

Full Day Nikko Toshogu Shrine, Kegon Falls & Lake Chuzenji Tour

Tokyo

Already shared in previous review. No options to this handicap inaccessible location.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Driver excellent. Guide poor.

Transport

Full Day Kyoto City Tour with Fushimi Inari-Taisha

Kyoto

Full Day Tokyo City Tour with Meiji Jingu Shrine

Tokyo

Yuki was a very enjoyable guide and a good introduction to tour Japan travel experience.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

One Day Miyajima Island and Hiroshima Tour

Japan

A great day on our tour. Yuji Abosji was a great guide.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Kobe Sake brewery Visiting and Kobe Beef Sampling

Osaka

Fair sake tasting experience at a touristy factory museum. Something more personal and better researched would have improved the day.

Quality of Experience

More personal sake tasting experience. This was dissappoionting.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Great driver as per usual.

Full Day Osaka City Tour

Osaka

Full Day Mt. Fuji and Lake Ashi Tour

Hakone

Justine was amazing...terrific, flexible and easy to work with. There were some issues with prepayments that we encountered but Justine took care of those for us. I think it would be helpful to have one zoom prior to the start of the trip to understand all of the bookings. We had an issue with Hertz that was due to not understanding what was booked. I'm sure it was in writing somewhere but there was a lot of verbage to go through...sometimes it is easier to discuss the info. Overall, just great!

Everything was wonderful!! From start to finish, the trip was well planned. Our driver Moha, was AMAZING! His knowledge, and kind nature made our trip one of a kind. The Riads chosen were beautiful and a nice variety. The excursions were awesome. Riding camel’s throughout the desert to our campsite was a favorite! The food everywhere was spectacular. It was great having tour guides throughout the trip that were from the areas we were visiting. Thank you to all who made our trip what it was! We had a beautiful experience visiting Morocco!

Hotel Reviews

Lina Ryad & Spa

Chefchaouen

Awesome stay! Close to everything! Clean and spacious rooms.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Elegancia Riad Boutique & SPA

Marrakech

Great spot! Close to everything! Nice welcome from staff. Great staff!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Everyone was so helpful and kind!

Cleanliness & Comfort

Dar Rihana Dades

Douar Aït Ouffi

Quiet, nice place! The BEST food! Staff was wonderful.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Tiziri Luxury Camp

Merzouga

The staff was awesome. Staying in the desert like this was a one of a kind experience! The tents were spacious and beautiful. The meal provided was excellent! It was a nice treat to hear drums and traditional Berber music by the fire and the end of the day. We loved our time at this camp!

Authenticity & Character

One of a kind!

Location

Camping in the Sahara desert! What an experience!

Staff

Everyone was very kind and helpful.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Riad Salam Fes

Fes

Staff were wonderful from start to finish! Such a beautiful place to stay! The breakfast was delicious. Highly recommend staying here.

Authenticity & Character

Absolutely beautiful

Location

Staff

So friendly and helpful

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Hot Air Balloon Ride

Marrakesh

Great way to start the day!

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Marrakech Food Tour

Marrakesh

Such a fun experience to try the local foods!! Our guide was great about taking us to several and different spots!

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Fes to Merzouga Sunset Camel Ride via Midelt & Erfoud

Morocco

Amazing! Loved all of it start to finish.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Dinner with a local Family in Fes

Fes

So fun to enjoy a meal with a local family from Fes! Such kind and welcoming people. Food and conversation were great!

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Hammam Spa in Marrakech before back home

Morocco

Our favorite spa experience while in Morocco! Asia did a great job! Beautiful spa. All the services were top notch

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Explore the Blue City

Chefchaouen

Moha was super knowledgeable. We got a great taste and views of the city. Loved the panoramic View on top of the hill.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Moha was awesome! Knowledgeable, and so willing to share what he knew, places he liked, etc.

Transport

We didn’t have to worry about a thing! Moha handled everything so well. The most relaxing way for us to travel and get around. Felt very safe and taken care of.

We had the most wonderful and magical time in Ireland. The trip was organized in an appropriate and flexible way for us.
Justine did a creative and spectacular job in arranging beautiful and comfortable hotels, and all the employees there were professional, friendly, and easy to connect with. A special thank you to Justine and Eva for responding quickly to our questions regarding schedules and transfers from airports and hotels.
Maeve, our tour guide, was most informative, friendly, supportive, and just a gift to spend time with. We enjoyed every moment of each of the attractions and sites.

Thank you to KimKim for creating such a beautiful experience for us.

Barbara and Bill Killeen

KimKim did an excellent job working with my wife to incorporate the places she wanted to visit in Morocco. The selected locations and overnight accommodations were perfect for our trip. The hospitality at each was top-notch, with a special shout-out to Badar at Riad Dar Farouzi. During our travels, we had several terrific guided tours, with Syed's tour of Fes as an exceptional standout. Our driver and guide, Sallam was excellent and he wore so many hats along the way. With great knowledge of each city and town, we drove through, he knew the scenic stops, good places for lunch, answers to our many questions, a good sense of humor, and not to mention a bit of a celebrity.

Nepal was really lovely

Pros:
1. they took care of everything!
2. the guide was really great.
3. The first hotel called Hana lo was excellent.

Cons:
1. It was smoggy and visibility was minimal in the places we trekked.
2. The reason we used kimkim for the first time is because we are terribly busy with work this year and dont have time to research and book ourselves. In response to several queries like, where to get SIMs etc, we would get a web link guides. Which is exactly what we were trying to avoid by using Kimkim. So would suggest in the future answers like "at the airport after exiting immigration" than a website blog.

Just back from a 9 day trip to Costa Rica (Arenal/La Fortuna, Monteverde, and Manuel Antonio). Loved the guidance that Serendipity Adventures provided us both before our travels (thanks Holden and Nancy )a we trip planned, and appreciated the support locally from Wilman while we were there. The entire experience was both spectacular and seamless, from the rental car agent meeting us at our hotel, to the various guides that met us as planned on the different parts and locations of our amazing adventures (wildlife, ziplines, thermal baths, coffee plantations, and Pacific beach time to name a few). We appreciated having the peace of mind of a local contact for the trip as questions arose, as well as an after hours emergency contact number as well (which thankfully we did not have to use). The trip itinerary was detailed, and very easy to follow, and allowed us flexibility as we self drove from various parts of the country. Pure Vida ! Thank you!

Eric was great helping us plan our trip to Iceland. He worked with us to curate the sorts of things we wanted to see and do very well. We had some issues with weather while we were in the country and the on the ground team there was very helpful in making sure we were able to stick to our travel plans as well.

Activity Reviews

Crystal Blue Ice Cave

Iceland

Solheimajokull Glacier Hike

Iceland

Rye Bread tour (Geothermal bakery)

Iceland

Sky Lagoon

Iceland

Lava Tunnel Tour

Iceland

The Secret Lagoon

Iceland

Quality of Experience

We took a trip to Costa Rica for our 10 year wedding anniversary. Olman did a fantastic job helping us plan the trip of a life time. We didn't have to worry about a single thing. All the confirmations and reservations were available at the tip of our fingers. Everything was arranged and paid for prior to arriving. Our favorite experience was our two day white water rafting trip down the Pacuare River. Our rafting guides, Edwardo and Luis, were hilarious, a fantastic chefs. Very knowledgeable and made us feel safe the entire trip. I will definitely be booking our next big trip out of the country with Kim Kim.

Hotel Reviews

Park Inn San José by Radisson

San José

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel & Spa Poco a Poco

Monteverde

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Lomas del Volcán

Fortuna

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Pacuare River Lodge

Bajo Tigre

What an amazing experience to enjoy the sounds of nature as you fall asleep at night. The beds were not comfortable, but the experience made up for the lack of comfort from the mattresses.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Beds were not comfortable at all. The water from the shower was ice cold.

Mawamba Lodge

Tortuguero

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Auténtico Hotel

San José

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Selvatura Park Self-Guided Hanging Bridges & Zip Lining

Monteverde

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Horseback Riding to La Fortuna Waterfall

Arenal/La Fortuna

The pineapple treat prepared for us after we completed the long hike to the waterfall and back was a nice treat!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Day 2 Pacuare River Lodge - Rafting Adventure - Transfer Arenal

Costa Rica

Edwardo and Luis were amazing rafting guides, chefs, and company. I felt so safe as we rafting down the rivers enjoying beautiful sceneries, lots of wildlife and a cool hike to a swimming hole. The guides were very knowledgable and competent in their abilities to lead our group. They made us delicious meals as we arrived at the lodge for the evening.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

San Jose - Tortuguero

Costa Rica

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Our experience with KimKim was pretty much perfect from the initial contact right through the entirety of our Manaslu circuit trek.
Amanda was friendly and her responses were always prompt and helpful. We really appreciated the opportunity to meet with both Amanda, and our guide, Suman, in Kathmandu, the day before our trek.
Suman was professional and courteous through and through. He was sensible, measured, endlessly knowledgeable and a pleasure to spend time with. His English was impeccable and we always felt safe with him.
Our porter, Laxman, was very friendly and hard-working, and we felt lucky to have him on our ‘team’ too.
The Manaslu circuit trek was absolutely epic - The jaw-dropping scenery was rivalled only by the unique cultural experience we had.

We had a fabulous trip to Bhutan - their traditional life practices are being carefully preserved as they work to modernize the country. Our guide, Tashi, was so knowledgeable about the culture, as well as the geography - taking us on some great off-road adventures (on bike and by foot)! Our drivers were adept at maneuvering the mountain switchbacks, and providing support as we pedaled our way across the passes. When the clouds lifted and we took in the spectacular mountain vistas, it was clear why the Bhutanese are so happy.

Our tour was the perfect itinerary and number of days for what we were wanting out of our trip to Egypt. We appreciated the help from the Egypt Promotion representative who helped us navigate the Cairo airport quickly. Samara was good about checking in with us through WhatsApp throughout our trip. Our drivers were good in all locations, which was very appreciated in the crazy traffic.

Mohammed was our guide in Cairo and Alexandria and was extremely knowledgeable in the sites we visited, and everything in between, and we learned a lot from him.

Ahmed was our guide during the Nile Cruise and tour stops, and we cannot say enough good things about him! Not only was he extremely knowledgeable, but he was so much fun to tour with, and he made sure our schedule was set up to beat the crowds. He made sure we stayed engaged with everything we learned from temple to temple and offered a lot of fun photo ops to capture our experience. We'd highly recommend him to anyone doing an Egypt tour!

Regarding Egypt Promotion as a tour company, overall our experience was very positive and things were very organized. However, it seemed like many different people were involved at various phases of the tour which didn't really always seem necessary (three different reps from the company who served in a supervisory role as we transitioned to different segments of the tour, separate bag carriers, separate airport helper, separate drivers, etc.) and it just gave us a feeling that we were tipping way more than we expected due to more people being involved. Our preference would be to work with one driver, one tour guide, and one company representative for the duration of the tour.

Thanks to Kate for assisting in the coordination of the trip. Overall you were very responsive during the planning and reached out several times during the trip to check in. My only wish is that the daily itineraries were really evaluated and questioned from a time and location perspective, especially in Kyoto, as there was no way to actually achieve the intended itinerary in the time allocated.

Tokyo with Allan-san was fantastic!, our favorite of the trip -- he really set a high bar which was unfortunate for our future guides. He took us on a walking/subway city tour of the city one day and then again for a van-trip to Hakone. Both days were seamless. He was super knowledgeable, friendly, patient, and helpful. We modified the day based on what made the most sense rather than the pre-determined itinerary. We started in Asakusa, then took my teenage son to some gaming centers, and ended with Meiji Jingu. Then the next day we headed to Hakone with our driver Ho and enjoyed Hokone Jinja, the pirate ship (fun, but shorter than I would have liked), the tram and black eggs (they taste like totally normal hard boils) from the sulfer springs, Oshino for lunch and back to Tokyo. It was a long day, but gorgeous with all the sakura blooming (only caught one quick glimpse of Fuji). Before we left Tokyo, Allan went to great length to organize all the rest of our shinkasen tickets and explain how to properly navigate with multiple tickets. We can't thank him enough for that as when we got to the first station and made a small mistake, his explanations made sense and we were grateful as can be. Also loved our hotel in Tokyo.

Our time in Takayama wasn't as successful. First, ALL 7 of the restaurants in the hotel were fully booked before we even arrived, so we were required to venture out for dinner after arrival. Takayama is a bit sleepy and finding something open was a bit of a challenge. We walked to multiple places before finding someplace open on both nights there. Our guide was a sweet young lady, but came all the way from Osaka and had only been to Takayama once before and her English was weak. She had to use her phone to find her way around (we could have done the same on our own), and didn't really have anything to offer in the way of history, insights, or recommendations for our day in Takayama and Shirakawago. This was disappointing as I think Takayama was a really interesting and quaint town that we didn't really get a good feeling for. The highlight of Takayama was definitely the onsen at our hotel, my husband and I really enjoyed going each day. We also stayed in a Japanese-style room and although grateful for the experience, we would all probably not choose to do it again as we missed having comfy beds or chairs to lounge on before heading to dinner.

On to Kyoto, which is my favorite city in Japan and I was looking forward to the most. Unfortunately, there was some kind of confusion regarding our guide. We were told our guide would be a gentleman, but then changed to a woman the night before -- and then, the morning of the meeting, we discovered that the guide was at the wrong hotel about 30 minutes away from where we were. I think perhaps the two guides were exchanged by accident (maybe another group had the same happen?). It took about 45 min for us to adjust and meet somewhere in between. Our guide, was a lovely young lady full of energy and smiles, but again from Osaka. She knew Kyoto alright, but still not the level of expectation for a private guide fee and we often would listen in to tour group guides to get more details during our day. Additionally, there was no way that we could have gone to all the places on the initial itinerary as they are too far apart. (I wish this had been pointed out during the planning). Getting to the Kinkakuji Temple, Nishiki Market and then Fushimi Inari Shrine would have spent several hours in transit as they're quite far from one another. So unfortunately we only got to the Market and also Kiyomizu-dera Temple with the time we had. Guess I'll have to come back to Kyoto another time. (poor me - lol)

Our van-trip from Kyoto to Osaka included Slash as our guide -- and he was great! We had a lot of fun talking about music and guitars on our drive and then had lots of interacgtios with the deer and the amazing Todaiji Temple (just WOW) and Kasuga Taisha Shrine. Kudos to Slash for hanging with us as our family was starting to get on each other's nerves a bit after 9 days. He handled it with class and realized when to let us have a bit of space for our bickering. Luckily ice cream solves lots of problems. Slash renewed our faith in guides again and we're grateful for his energy and rocknroll spirit. The hotel was very comfortable, also with an onsen and an incredible massage chair (best 300 Yen spent on the trip). However, there was no restaurant for dinner (only breakfast) I think in the future I'd stay closer to Gion/Pontocho so we'd be a bit more central to the night life and key destinations.

Our last days were on our own in Osaka. This was the least favorite hotel of our trip -- small rooms, and lots of late night noise from the Dotonbori. We definitely had fun exploring the Dotonbori at night, but would be willing to travel a bit for a quieter space.

Overall, we appreciated all the coordination of the hotels, planning, guides, and drivers that KimKim provided. Except for the one confusion in Kyoto -- all guides/drivers communicated well about timing, meeting places, and were on time each day.

This trip cost over $1000/day BEFORE our lunch & dinner meals & non-KimKim activities -- which is high, even for Japan. We didn't stay at luxury hotels -- I can see that our hotel rooms could be booked online directly for between $250 to $550/night, and I can also see the shinkansen fees on the internet, and most of the entry fees to places were fairly minimal, seems like the majority of this cost was towards our guides/drivers, so I would expect those to be top notch/excellent in every regard. Allan definitely met the bar and Slash was close, but the other two, although nice and genuine people, just didn't meet the bill. This is the area where I felt most let down as we rely on guides to provide more than we can do ourselves as seasoned travelers. That means providing history, insights, and secrets hidden among the tourists, restaurant suggestions, recommendations for other experiences for our "own" time, well-thought-out plans for the day, etc. We'll probably give KimKim another chance in the future, but my expectations will be stricter in the planning phase regarding guides and what we want to achieve each day.

A huge shoutout to our specialists Adam, Jessica, and Yuri for putting together this incredible trip for us. Spain has been absolutely amazing, and thanks to kimkim, it's been incredibly easy even with our two little ones. I honestly don't know how we would've managed without kimkim arranging everything from airport/train transport to family-friendly accommodations and private tours for the busy attractions, letting us skip lines and explore at our own speed.

I appreciate all the recommendations and the insight of the local experts to pair us up with tour guides who are sensitive to the whims and needs of smaller children.

Hotel Reviews

Hotel Regina

Barcelona

We had a family room, so there were four twin beds in the room. With all the beds set up, it was not very big, but still very functional. The room is tasteful, modern, and comfortable. There is no empty fridge as it has a lot of drinks in it already. Coffee and snacks cost money. Restaurant and Bar in the hotel, La Esquina, was actually quite nice for a meal or a nightcap. You get 15% off as a hotel guest. Yes, there was construction when we were there, but it didn't really affect us negatively. Extra noise and dust were not noticeable. There is housekeeping everyday to clean the room and replenish towels. Staff is very friendly.

Authenticity & Character

Wonderful balcony with views of all the other old buildings. You are turned in from La Rambla and Plaza de Catalunya so you get none of the throngs of people or noise, but all the convenience.

Location

Right next to Plaza de Catalunya. Minutes walking to Passeig de Gracia, El Raval, Sant Antoni, and La Rambla. Close to Metro. Across the street from a 24hours market.

Staff

Everyone was super friendly. English was fine.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Everything is clean and modern. Housekeeping comes everyday.

Slow Suites Bellas Artes

Madrid

The front door is hard to locate because of construction and a lot of parked vans (deliveries and trailers for the theater people), but it is there. Check in was a breeze. You get emailed a code to get in the door the day before. The location is awesome. Close to Metro. You are equidistant to Plaza del Sol or Retiro Park, both just a 12 minute walk away. The area is very walkable also with lots to eat and places to get supplies.' We had a two bedroom and two bath apartment, with two twin beds in each room. There was a dining room, living room and balcony. A fully equipped kitchen (fridge, microwave, coffee, stove, oven, dishwasher, kitchen tools, utensils and plates). A washing machine (I think it was a washer/dryer combo, but there was a big rack to dry clothes). There was detergent provided. There is an elevator. Place has a lot of charm. My family of four can stay here easily for a long time.

Authenticity & Character

Looking out the balcony every morning with a cup of coffee is such a treat.

Location

12 minutes walk from Plaza Del Sol and Retiro. Literally the heart of Madrid. Neighborhood is very cute. Very close to Metro.

Staff

No interaction as scheduled housekeeping is once every three days and we left the third day. I did text the help line asking for where the washing detergent was and response was prompt. English was no problem.

Cleanliness & Comfort

The place was clean. They had everything we needed. Enough towels and supplies.

Activity Reviews

Private Gaudí Architecture Walk with La Sagrada Família

Barcelona

Casa Batllo is amazing for kids. They get an tablet to interact with the house and the guide does a good job incorporating the tablet so the kids feel very involved. This allows the guide to focus on the adults and actually give them a tour. Casa Batllo is such a fun house. You really get to see how the family lived. The installed artwork like the Mind of Gaudi immersion room and the Chain Links though not original did add a lot of visual value. You don't mind seeing them. Even the paid photography is of you on the actual balcony which is really cool. It isn't just a some green screen. Sagrada Familia is amazing. It really is not to be missed. The tour guide did a great job giving the children a scavenger hunt to keep them engaged. Skipping the line with the tour guide for both sites was worth it. The tour guide was very well prepared. She had workbooks, photos, and other reference material to show the kids. She also did a bonus stop at Casa Mila on the way to the Metro station to give us some more context about Gaudi's work. Our tour guide took us to lunch only to find out that we didn't book the tour with lunch. I rather she just owned up to it and said she a mistake about it so I didn't have to eat at the restaurant she chose.

Quality of Experience

You cannot miss Sagrada Familia if you are in Barcelona. It is really worth it. I cannot stress that enough. Casa Batllo was a lot of fund for the kids and for the adults. I believe because of the line skipping and the self paced tour that this was the best way to have experienced both these sites.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

She really prepared and was ready to engage with my children. She had lots of print outs and materials and stories and activities for the children. She was very knowledgeable. She just sort of made a snafu regarding lunch. I would give her five stars if she didn't take us to lunch.

Transport

We just took metro ourselves between sites. It was easy.

Private Electric Tuk-Tuk Adventure

Madrid

Tour guide was friendly, knowledgeable, and had interesting historical facts. Tuk-Tuk was actually quite comfortable. They provide blankets. The major theme of the tour is a route centered on the old city gates and the old city walls. It doesn't actually go into the Plazas (Mayor and Sol). You see a lot of Madrid on it but you do lose a sense of where you are as you go up and down side streets. There is a see through roof on the tuk-tuk which sort of separates you from the outside, forcing you to tilt your head to see the things above you. You also can't really take photos through the roof. Tuk-Tuk tour has a few stops for you to explore on foot. It stops at the Temple of Debod (old Egyptian temple), and at the old wall and new walls of Madrid.

Quality of Experience

It was fun and it does whet your appetite to see the city.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Driver was knowledgeable and safe. He is easy to listen and talk to. English is fine.

Transport

Tuk Tuk themselves are actually quite comfortable. They provide blankets if you get cold.

Day Trip to Montserrat & Lunch at a Farmhouse

Barcelona

The site is beautiful. Riding a cable car is always fun for kids (though there are cable cars within the city of Barcelona which are closer). There was no time to actually explore the mountain peak as we spent the majority of the "free time" waiting to get into the basilica. Likewise, there is no time for the museums either. After the basilica, you hang out and take a few pictures and time is up. The basilica itself was super beautiful on the inside. We did not get to see the boys choir as our time slot to get into the basilica just missed out on that. It would had been nice. We probably missed it because the bus was late. Lunch was actually very very good. There was tapas and roast meat and wine. Very hearty. You work an appetite walking around.

Quality of Experience

The basilica was very nice. So was the lunch. Kids enjoy the cable care ride. But this is a detour.

Food

This was the unsung hero of the activity. The food is rustic and very good. The restaurant had amazing views.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Guide told good stories and was very knowledgeable.

Transport

Coach was comfortable. You have to walk a bit to get to the actual place where you ride the coach. They could had told us to just meet there. There is no bathroom to go to before you get on the bus. As this was not a private tour, you end up waiting for people to go to the bathroom. This leads to the bus being late.

Family-Friendly Royal Palace Visit

Madrid

Skipping the line was amazing, but because the king was actually going the day before and the day of, there were a lot of people (making up for early closure the previous day). It has very beautiful rooms and neat things to see. But it is so crowded you wouldn't get a chance to take your time in each room. You also get no sense of the life of the palace. It is just really a collection of a few rooms for you to see and a few items. Given this, the pace was perfect at about 2 hours. The guide gave a real effort to interact with the kids which I appreciate, but my kids were too small to pay attention. That is fine. The tour guide told decent stories and made good enough explanations and answered questions from the adults. He was a good tour guide. What made this family friendly was no line, the pace was quicker, and the tour guide acknowledged the kid. That was it.

Quality of Experience

It was definitely worth seeing once

Guides, Drivers and Staff

The guide was friendly and knowledgeable

Transport

Madrid isn't all that big. This palace is very convenient to get to. The guide meets you by the statue. He had no trouble finding us.