Kimkim Trip Reviews

Very nice accommodations. Nice massages there, too!

Lovely cottage overlooking the ocean. Nice massages, too!

All of our accommodations were fine.

This was probably the most memorable historical part of the trip. I was in college during the Viet Nam war so seeing this site was moving for me.

We cut our bicycle trip short as the terrain was difficult to ride on. But we enjoyed the time we rode.

Our hike was long as we got just over half way and had to turn around due to deep mud on the path. We saw gibbons and tracks of several animals.

Beautiful views, it's right on the lake and the restaurant was a great place with amazing food each night. Be prepared for a climb, and know that the spiders are harmless.

Room 18 was a little iffy, but the staff moved us to a new room almost right away.

Wow!! This hotel was exceptional. The views of Lake Tekapo were stunning, and the hotel itself was beautifully designed. (Our room had a skylight that's designed for star-gazing at night!) Included breakfast could be taken in-room, which we opted for. Delicious and a great way to start the day.

Views and surroundings were stunning. The food provided was really good too, though it does require cooking on your own. The instructions for how to find the parking lot were a bit challenging to decipher, as road construction has since finished, and the directions were outdated. We did eventually find where to park, and then the 10-minute hike commenced... For the adventurous!

This charming B&B near Tongariro National Park (45-60 mins' drive) was a fabulous place to stay for 1 night on our trip. B&B owners Bernie and Marie were as warm as can be, and the property is clean, beautiful, and quiet. There are 4 rooms total, so even at "full capacity," it never felt like there were other guests looming over us.

The free guided tour at 10:30am was great, and I'd highly recommend everyone gets there in time to join it. The property is quite large, and having a guide to walk through it and explain everything was really helpful, from a scientific and cultural perspective. The mud baths were also really fun.

In one of the world's star-gazing capitals, it makes sense to take advantage! We were blessed with a clear night, and the telescope-viewing was a great way to see multiple constellations and planets before getting into the hot pools to do some more star-gazing while soaking away the day :)

Stuart & his team leading this walk through Tongariro National Park were great. We had nice convos with others in our group, and the guided walk was somewhere between a walk and a hike. The views for those 2 hours, as the sun set, were just spectacular.

This was a very special way to experience some Maori culture while in New Zealand. It was informative and entertaining, and the venue includes numerous geysers to view, too.

This was so much fun! The guides were really warm and understanding of everyone's physical abilities, the kayaking was not too challenging, and the glow worms were really cool to see up-close.

Such a great way to see Kiwi up close and also support conservation in NZ!

To start, this was a challenging kayak experience. Pros: Lake Taupo is a beautiful place to kayak. The water, on our morning, wasn't *too* rough, but it was definitely windy, which made for a challenging rowing experience, and it's not a short one. We spend more than an hour each way paddling. Cons: Firstly, our operator Liz was verbally and visibly annoyed with us that we didn't arrive 15 minutes early, which was never communicated on our itinerary nor the activity voucher. Additionally, she constantly belittled and corrected a new hire on her own team who was clearly in training when accompanying our group. Moreover, she continued to yell at other tourists from Taiwan, whom she thought were tiring out too quickly or not following her shouted instructions to keep up with the group. She actually had them turn back with another guide 1/3 into our trip, which made us think that if we didn't strain ourselves to "keep up," she'd turn us back too. Overall, she was a real detraction from the experience, and I think kimkim & Once Upon A Trip should be aware of all the above when continuing to send tourists to this operator.

This was the highlight of our whole trip. The fly-cruise-fly package was perfect for seeing Milford Sound and the surrounding fjords/mountains/lakes, and it was well worth the money and time. An absolute must-do if visiting the Queenstown area.

These five stars are a direct result of our tour guide, Lina. She was given a tricky assignment - to show us Tangier in three hours or less. She wisely kept us in the old quarter - not only did this mean we were able to see some historical sites and visit some local artisans without spending precious time covering long distances, but this is also where she grew up, and therefore where she was most familiar (and recognized!). Lina was warm, engaging, and knowledgeable about her home neighborhood and the history of Tangier. We had lovely conversations as we meandered the winding streets and somehow left as the proud new owners of two Moroccan rugs.

I have a bit of mixed feelings about this one - I both loved it and felt like it was a huge challenge :D First of all, no one told me there would be these hanging bridges at 20 m height that I'd need to cross to get to and out of the room! I'm afraid of heights so to me it was a huge deal to cross it without any security rope attached to me. But then I took it as a way to face and embrace my fears so I dealt with it and got better at it with time :) Secondly, all the wildlife was both fantastic and scary at the same time :D Waking up to the birds' songs at sunrise is the best medicine for us westerners to calm down our boiling stressed out minds, along with watching dozens of various colorful butterflies float around - to me it was like being in paradise. At the same time, being greeted by buzzing flying monsters and creeping lizards on the walls in the bathroom at night was not something for the sensitive souls :D But once again, i took it as a challenge and made myself proud at the end :D The staff was absolutely wonderful. I got very sick upon my arrival and couldn't eat regular food so they cooked me the most delicious chicken broth and mint tea which I think was what helped me recover so quickly. When i did get to finally enjoy the proper food - it was delicious and so nicely presented, like in the most luxurious resorts. To me, despite the sickness, it was a much needed escape to the heart of the nature which helped me relax and completely recover in just a couple of days from all the stress of everyday life.

Nice hotel with good location. Quite noisy as the room was right below the kitchen and all the rattling starting at 5am was pretty loud. Also, no windows going out to the street - but only to the inside of the hotel - was a minus.

Great Location facing Nile river

Excellent location , in fact one should stay at least for 2 nights to enjoy this hotel

Excellent cruise experience

Overall enjoyed

Enjoyed our stayed at this hotel.

Very cute room and very cute terrace. Super fantastic location in walkable Palermo. I would definitely stay here again when in Buenos Aires.

The hotel had a beautiful view, but is quite noisy on the first floors of the buildings. The heated pool was nice. The breakfast was only ok for a 4 star hotel.

This hotel is amazing and peaceful. We loved the serene setting. The cooking class here was also amazing.

Our guide was fantastic. We went to smaller producer vineyards and they were amazing. Delicious wine.

Very nice location, not as nice as Davinci lodge. The room is very small, it does not fit two independent beds. We had to rent another room.

We loved that lodge. The staff was attentive and kind and the lodge is incredibly nice, spacious, the room was humongous surrounded by lush vegetation. The gardens around the building were very nice, and very well maintained. We stayed in this lodge for three nights. The first night were on our own, no other guests. Their loss, our gain. We were treated by the staff very well. They were attentive to our needs. they have dining area down stairs and upstairs, they have sitting area downstairs and upstairs. Wherever we chose to sit in the evening, they immediately brought a movable "stove" to warm the area. The second night, we were joined by others, the staff was as attentive as the previous night. The evening, the local singers/dancers came to the lodge to give a performance. Everyone had good time. They invited us to join in their dancing. Last day we stayed there, we had to wake up very early (before 4:30) they prepared early breakfast for us, and bagged lunch. We went on a long, tough hike. the trail was muddy, it rained the whole day, when we arrived back to the lodge, We did not want to enter because we were so dirty. They insisted and helped, brought a staff help clean our feed and clothes. We had to do our laundry as we were leaving very early next morning. By far the experience in this lodge was the best we had.

It is clear that this hotel is catering for high end customers and expats. Overall it was good. But the rooms were extremely small. We tried to stay in one room with two bed, for me and my daughter. It was too cramped. We switched to two rooms. The food is OK but not great. The facilities are not maintain well. They advertise they have a gym, When I went there, only one machine worked, they others were hazards, an accident waiting to happen. They do not provide towels in the gym or the pool, you have to request, they bring it on demand, with a bit of delay. I switched three rooms, each one of them had maintenance issues. Squeaky and wobbly bathroom doors. Leaking faucets. In the last room, the sink plug with sink in and could not be taken out. I had to request technician to come fixed twice. The view from the dining area are superb, the pool area is nice as well. The hotel had a gate and cares need to check in before they enter. It give the feeling of safety.

With patience, we were rewarded with a great experience. We watched several Chimpanzees from a close distance. The Park guide warned us before the trekking started that sometimes, it takes time for them to locate the chimps. and that we may need to move from place to place. She was in constant communication with the trackers (Apparently, there are 35 of them who work in the part and help locate the chimps, before the tourist come) nd qt time we had to just stay still auntil she get the signal. There was one/two false alarms. Finally, we reached a place where there three chimps, but they were at the treetop, we could see them but not clearly. As we started going back, she got a signal that some chimps are at a certain location, she dispatched one of the porter/trackers on a short cut. The rest went slower on the main path. The tracker, was very fast, almost sprinting up the hill, causing us to huff and puff and profusely sweat. but we were reward with chimps, climbing down an high tree, stopping to eat, Hanging around for a while as if posing for out cameras. Very nice.

The guide, Oscar, from the forest service was great and knowledgeable. Our own guide, Peter, joined us in this walk and birdwatching, he was helpful and knowledgeable as well. It was a great experience. He, as should be, was patient. At the beginning of the walk, we heard several birds, but not always saw them. then we turned the corner and were rewarded by money birds, several times. Also, the walk was at the edge of the forest on a small dirt road adjacent to the tea plantations. with farmers collecting the tea leaves. which was a bonus. I do bird watching on a weekly basis, this experience was exceptional.

We came to the forest on the designated day, but we decided not to take the walk that day and deferred it to the drive back home. It was raining and we wanted to enjoy the walk. We agreed with our guide, Peter, that we will need to pay the entrance fee again. When we came the next day, the weather was nice. The walk itself is VERY short, nothing special about the hanging bridges for anyone who visit a forest. The bridges are very short compared to the 2km long hike. The park guide, the one who works for the forest, was annoying, he started hinting that in order to answer any question he needs 20USD. not once but multiple times. The guides and porter should know that this is a bad way to get any tip.

It was just a long drive from the north to the south. Our driver and guide was great in answer our questions and entertaining us during the drive, but the drive itself was nothing special.

This hike was an experience for the ages. We are experienced hikers and have been on big mountains and in very difficult conditions. As we started the hike, rain started falling down. When we entered the forest, around 8:00Am, it ws pouring, the trails filled up with water. When we were asked at the beginning of the hike if we needed a porter, we, my daughter and I said, naively, we will take one, as we had only one backpack. Our guide asked as many porters to come with us as guests. This was a very wise decision. soon all of the guests discovered that, the porters' support is essential. They are young, strong and knowledgeable with the terrain and vegetation. The rain was relentless, the dirt turned into slicky mud, water was rushing down the trail. our porters and guides, were great at finding paths side stepping the most difficult parts. When we reached the top, we were grateful that we had the guides and the porters, but it was foggy and windy and because we were soaked in water from the rain and from the stepping in the rushing water, we took the mandatory picture and heading down. The fog prevented us from seeing the crater lake. Going down was even more difficult than going up. Again the porters were great at helping, supporting and steering us to the safest paths, All the guests said at the end that this experience will stay with us the rest of our lives.

This visit was very informative and nice. We do appreciate that us visiting such place may help give people some employment and income and prevent them from reverting to poaching in the forest. But I cannot prevent the feeling that the whole thing is staged.

Overall, this experience was great. We started as all the trip to the Rwandan National Parks by going to the Headquarter, after a short briefing, we were driven to the starting point, we met the guide and porters. From there a short hike through nice farming field. we arrived to the edge of the forest. The monkeys rushed out to greet us, or to steal potatoes. All we needed to do was to stand and watch the monkeys. After some time on the edge of the forest, our guides recommended that we cross the short bridge to the forest. Monkeys there were thriving, many of them going about their business, some played, some stood around as if posing for our cameras. We saw at lease two mothers with tiny babies, the guide mentioned one of them was one week old. This was definitely one of the highlights of our trip.

Was very nice, We loved the trip to the market, As we liked the stop at the question coffee shop and the gallery. We were supposed to visit the Genocide museum, but an unknown VIP occupied the museum and we could not enter that day. Peter P, our driver and guide was incredible throughout the trip. He was helpful, knowledgeable and patient with all our questions. We loved him dearly.

We were booked into one of the apartments at this site and not only was it a wonderful, well-equipped apartment but it had a garage for the car. The hosts were great fun to meet. it would be a wonderful place to stay for a longer time.

The Taj 51 is a unique property in a great location. The staff was very solicitous and the service was impeccable!

David was an amazing guide! His insider knowledge was very interesting and made for a fun tour!

The castle is amazing but be sure to leave time to explore the town!

This tour was a lot of fun! Jack was a great tour guide and shared a lot of very interesting facts about famous musical artists and the beer was good too!

Our tour guide Don was great!

Our tour guide Steve was great! He was super friendly and knowledgable and funny!

The cruise is AMAZING! It has super nice staff and super fun as all the activities are for all the people on the cruise. As it is a small cruise, it allows you to meet other travelers and we had the best guide ever! The food was also really good!

You will wake up to the most beautiful sunrise ever! Expect some insects around the area as it is in the middle of nature, however, the room was really big and they have a super nice common area.

It has a central location and has super nice staff! Also has a super nice rooftop for drinks.

The Cu Chi tunnels were really fun and interesting! It is a long drive from the city but totally worth it! We enjoyed an amazing lunch with our guide (not included in the tour), who took us to a great restaurant he knew. Our HCM City tour was also really good!

It was really special the cave visit we did as we ended up in a beach with amazing views! We also had a super fun cooking class back on the cruise.

One of the highlights of our trip was our Bai Tu Long Bay Cruise. The boat was super comfortable and cosy as we where not many people. The crew was super nice, and our guide was amazing! Kayaking to the beach and swimming in the bay was a memory we will always remember

The boat ride in Ninh Binh was beautiful, it lasted for two hours, and we went through four different natural caves, which was one of the highlights!

Mai Chau was a complete surprise for us! We stopped there for a short hike around the rice paddy fields and had lunch there. It is a super beautiful village and a great first contact with nature. It was good that we only went there for lunch as apparently it gets quite busy with tourists and locals, and we also went on a Monday, which really helped! The food and the views were amazing. Then we drove to Pu Luong, which was astonishing. The hike was beautiful, and it was great that our guide gave us the option on how long we wanted the hike to last, we decided on 2 hours, and it was the best option, as the route we took gave us the most amazing views.

This tour was really complete; we started with the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum, where you can not take any photos but it is pretty impressive. Our guide was super informative and told us everything about Vietnam's recent history and Ho Chi Minh's role. Then we visited the Temple of Literature, which was super pretty and interesting. We enjoyed local lunch and then we could choose between a museum or a prison. We chose the prison, which was also super interesting! We ended the day with a water puppet show and a cyclo ride around Hoan Kiem Lake and the Old Quarter. It was a really complete tour!

One of our favorite tours! The people in the Mekong were the nicest! The highlight was visiting a coconut candy workshop where we bought local products!

I loved that our guide took us to places we probably would not have found ourselves. Our favorites were the Green Papaya Salad and the cooked rice cakes

This was a really great hotel. It fit our criteria of a design led hotel. Great location, decent breakfast, comfortable beds. We loved the bathrooms too. Staff were friendly and welcoming!

Not a 5* as advertised. 45 minute drive from Munnar town. Would not stay here again! To its credit, it was very clean & functional.

The guided trek (that nearly didn't happen) was the best part of the trip! A massive highlight for us to hike through the plantations - so beautiful & peaceful. A massive shoutout to Raj who was instrumental in making this trek happen for us after there was poor communication between the agency and him. We wished we had more days to do more trekking. The tea factory was an interesting experience and was nice to see the production.

A nice opportunity to explore Kochin. The guide was knowledgeable and kind. Note, that the sightseeing tour that was written in the itinerary was not what happened in reality.

This was a nice trip on a boat. It was massive boat, and privatised for us. Took us up and down the river, and through some of the fishing areas to see the nets. We enjoyed this.

We were so confused by the arrival greeting. The gentleman did not seem to know much about our itinerary or plan - he initially also only addressed the only male traveller in our group and the three female travellers had to directly ask him questions in order to get any acknowledgement. It was truly a very strange experience as we weren't sure who he was / if he was the guide for the whole trip, and it did make us very worried for the rest of the trip.....

Excellent river guides.