Kimkim Trip Reviews

Jane and her team were fantastic - we had a wonderful trip. Felt like we really had an opportunity to experience a lot of Ireland in a week!

Hotel Reviews

Clontarf Castle Hotel

Dublin 3

This was a lovely last night in Dublin. I was actually coming down with something and the comfort and luxury of the castle was a relief and relaxing. We normally try to eat away from our hotels, but enjoyed the Knight's Bar. Very cool vibe.

Authenticity & Character

Beautiful - incredible job of creating a modern hotel inside an old castle

Location

Was close to the airport which we appreciated on our last night

Staff

Had a weird encounter on check out with staff member who told us he hadn't heard of Europe-wide hack on airports check-in software and he didn't believe anything in the media.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Foley's Townhouse Killarney

Killarney

Liked the location in the center of Killarney - breakfasts were fantastic!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

The Galmont Hotel & Spa

Galway

Liked the location near city center, but having to take two elevators and walk to our room was a little inconvenient. It was a little on the corporate side for my taste.

Authenticity & Character

Too corporate feeling

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

The Mont Hotel

Dublin 2

Great location in Dublin city center. Comfortable and top notch!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Killarney National Park Jaunt - From Park to Castle

Ireland

Our driver was highly entertaining - we thought this might be a little too hokey touristy, but we learned a lot from the driver and enjoyed the entire experience. Beautiful day!

Quality of Experience

The driver was funny and informative

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Aran Islands and Cliffs of Moher Day Cruise sailing from Galway

Ireland

It rained like crazy but we enjoyed biking on the island despite the weather. Beautiful experience

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Our point of contact with Kimkim changed several times both before end during the trip. Most of the time, we didn't even know who our point of contact was. We were told that David would be our driver the entire time we were in Killarney, yet we never saw him for five days. He didn't respond to the one text we sent him. The one day we had a time constraint was our boat ride from Ross Castle in Killarney. We were told that Dave would arrive in his taxi at 9:45 AM. At 9:40 AM, I sent a text to Ireland Hike Bike and Dr. asking them where Dave was. Just after that, a taxi driver drove up and when we ask if he worked for Dave. He did not confirm or deny but said he was here to take two people to Ross's castle. We got in the cab and made it to Ross's castle in plenty of time. He gave us a card with his phone number on it so that we could contact his agency to get the return trip to our hotel. Since our itinerary said that we were to call Dave to get a ride back to the hotel, and since Dave had not shown up at our hotel to take us there, we called the number given us by the taxi cab driver when we got Ready to come back. A taxi arrived within five minutes and took us back to our hotel. At that point, I happen to check my texts, then I saw that Dave had been late and supposedly arrived at our hotel at perhaps 9:55 AM. Another text said that Dave had been waiting for us to take us back to the hotel. Since we thought we had to call Dave, we found that to be quite surprising. Also, we find it hard to believe that he would drive 30 minutes to pick us up when he hadn't dropped us off. On the plus side, we did get a refund from Kimkim for the €60 we spent for the two cabs, as the cab fair was supposed to be included in our itinerary.
Prior to that, we are expecting someone named Philip to pick us up in Galway at our hotel to drive us to the cliffs of Moher and then drop our luggage off at our hotel in Doolin. I looked on the map and saw that Doolin was on our way to the cliffs, so I decided to propose to Philip that he stop at our hotel so that we could drop off our luggage there, and then drop us off at the cliffs. Instead of Philip, a lady named Anne showed up to pick us up. I told Anne about my proposal to drop a luggage off first, and she seemed reluctant to do it for some reason. I mentioned to her several times that our hotel was in DOOLIN, but she corrected me so that I thought perhaps our hotel was in a small town near DOOLIN. Thank God, I asked her to drop the luggage off first, because she drove past the cliffs to a small town on the other side of the cliffs and pulled into the parking lot. We checked our itinerary, and that was not our hotel. So if we had not changed her plan, we would've ended up taking the bus to DOOLIN, and our luggage would've been in some hotel we wouldn't even know the name of in some town we never heard of a good 20 minutes away at least.

Lugano was out favorite. Having. Very good weather there helped. While our choice to travel by train, we took on an itinerary requiring we do so every other day plus a couple of other touristic/panoramic trains. In retrospect, would spend a bit more time in each of fewer places. Would also strongly consider going to less commonly visited sites. Even slightly past peak season, the big ones like Jungfrauloch, the Gornegrat, crowded.

Switzerland is gorgeous, especially the mountains, valleys and lakes. Food is ridiculously expensive and most often not great. A few standouts: Der Werkstadt and Einhor n (pizza) in Lucerne, Taverne in Interlaken and Marlo (also pizza, pasta) in Zermatt. Zunfthaus Zur Waag in Zurich was very good for traditional Swiss.

Hotels: Villa Principe Leopoldo in Lugano excellent, but is up a hill requiring walking down, taking a car up or car both ways. Skip the restaurant there. Victoria Jungfrau in Interlaken also very good incl changing our room due to noise from adjoing property (a Hooters and a Casino). Huge spa there we didn't take advantage of. Wellenberg in Zurich ok, but has portable, noisy a/c units. 22 Summits in Zermatt, small, modern but also no a/c. Very nice sauna there but only open 4-9? Art Deco Montana in Lucerne also very nice and has its own funicular (also up a hill).

Unfortunately, we had cloudy days both at Jungfrauloch and Gornegrat limiting views from top. The small towns there, Grindewald and Lauterbrunnen, cute enough but also touristy. With a deeper dive, maybe a car, would try to find smaller towns that arent on everyone's list.

Hotel Reviews

22 Summit Boutique Hotel

Zermatt

Lime the room design, otherwise just ok. Staff friendliness varied. Also no a/c despite being a newer build. Had to sleep with window/door open. Would go for a higher floor, a room ending in 02 or 03 on Matterhorn side Has saunas and small outdoor whirlpool. But not open until 4 pm..d then only until 9. Breakfast here was the least elaborate.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Victoria Jungfrau Grand Hotel & Spa

Interlaken

At first booked a Spa room. Huge. Modern decor. But no a/c. Also a long walk from main part of hotel. Then there was loud music from next door. They accommodated a room switch to first floor front of main building. Much better. Though older, had central a/c and a view across park to mountains.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Art Deco Hotel Montana

Luzern

Had great views, room with a whirlpool on balcony. Has own funicular as also on hill.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Villa Principe Leopoldo

Lugano

Beautiful view, very large room. Best we stayed in during trip. Only issues are that it's up a big hill from town so going out, coming back takes time. Car back up at least. The one star Michelin restaurant there was bad. They emphasized things like table side prep of beef tartare (which we didn't order), slat baked fish for two....portions small and nothing tasted especially good. One fish dish was overwhelmingly funky.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Boutique Hotel Wellenberg

Zurich

Good location. We stayed there first and last night. Had 508 first night. Small "family" room meaning a bed and pull out couch. 408 last night, much bigger.

Authenticity & Character

Real central a/c.

Location

Easy to get to things, most no more than 20 min walk

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Gornergrat panoramic train (return day-ticket & Priority boarding)

Switzerland

Some very nice views going up and back. Unfortunately, again, we had a cloudy, rainy day, obscuring views at top

Quality of Experience

Transport

Jungfraujoch, Top of Europe (tickets and seat reservation)

Switzerland

Bad weather made the rides up and down the best part as there was no view at all from top. Very touristy at top--exit through the gift shop type place. Went to Lauterbrunnen on way down. Could be cute but the one main street is mostly tourist-oriented shops

Quality of Experience

Transport

Cruise on Lake Thun: from Interlaken to Thun (& return by train)

Interlaken

Very crowded. Hard to get a place to sit. 2hrs+ with maybe 10 stops between Interlaken and Thun. Thun not that special. Good view from castle/church.

Quality of Experience

Transport

Free time in the charming Mürren

Switzerland

We didn't get to Murren. Took 2 hrs to get to Thun (skip), not enoufh time left to then also go to Murren. Would take cable car from midway up Jungfrau if you want to go

Self-guided day to Mount Rigi, the Queen of Mountains

Switzerland

Mountain itself would be 4 starts. Getting there takes a 1+ hr ferry ride which was very crowded.

Quality of Experience

Transport

Lucerne Private Guided Walking Tour

Lucerne

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Private Walking Tour - History & Mystery of Zurich

Zürich

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Swiss Travel Pass

Switzerland

Essential if using train system. Can be confusing as for some things like the panoramic trains to Gornegrat and Jungfrauloch you need a separate tickets and another for a reservation. One had assigned seats, one didn't. Trains were fairly crowded. Always able to get a seat but not always easy. This pass also works for ferry boats.

Quality of Experience

Better than US trains by far

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Had two short tours, one in Zurich and one in Lucerne. Both very nice.but not essential

Transport

Drivers used for certain transfers, all on time, nice cars

Javier at Machu Pichu was amazing
Mateo driver for Rainbow Mountain was also excellent as well as our tour guide I believe Judith

Activity Reviews

Shared Palcoyo Trek: Small group

Cusco

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Hiram Bingham Belmond train to Machu Picchu

Cusco

great staff and attention to detail!

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Private Tour to Moray & Maras: Lunch with Views

Peru

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Private Transfer from Paracas to Lima: Ballestas Islands & Nasca Lines

Peru

the tour itself in the air is very long and was a bit too much with all the flying back and forth for each side

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Private transfer to {{end_location}} +Lunch+Tacama+Winery+Tasting+Huacachina Adventure

Peru

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Sarah did a wonderful job planning my island-hopping trip to Croatia, and filling it with incredible opportunities to experience the people, history, and culture of this fascinating country. It was phenomenal to have every single logistic covered, and know that she’s only a text away if anything came up. All of the tour guides we met along the way were engaging professionals who knew their stuff, and just as important, were locals who were speaking from their own lives and experience. I would recommend Sarah again in a heartbeat.

Nikola is so thorough and organized. We had just six days in the Croatian islands and he helped a relax and tour just enough to appreciate the special sights and culture of Brac, Hvar, and Korcula. We prefer to site-do, rather than site-see, and Nikola found experiential tourism opportunities for us without overbooking our time.

Hotel Reviews

ECO Aparthotel The Dreamers's Club

Lumbarda

natural, whole foods served. large apartment with outdoor terrace. Quiet and restful. Had to depart early one morning and the staff made sure we had breakfast to take with us.

Location

just where we needed to be

Staff

Beach Bay Hvar

Hvar

walk to everything--water taxi stand close by.

Location

view for the water

Villa Giardino

Bol

just as described, well located. Amazing breakfast and helpful staff.

Location

Activity Reviews

Sea Kayak Tour on Korčula

Korčula

Fun and challenging -- even for experienced kayakers. equipment was well maintained. Loved the authentic home-baked travel snacks and the beverages at the stops. Nothing like seeing an island from the water and the beach!

Quality of Experience

instruction and equipment was excellent.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

thanks again to the whole family.

Transport

we walked to the start and didn't require any return transportation.

Private Lumbarda Wine Tour & Konoba Dinner

Korčula

A highlight of our vacation. Adored the cozy dinner at the Konoba--excellent food and choice of location near the water.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

everyone timely and safe

Transport

Hvar Half-Day Private Island Tour (Afternoon)

Hvar

Learned a lot. really experienced the history of the island. Gentle walking and safe.

Brač Discovery E-bike Tour

Croatia

Tin was a helpful and enjoyable guide. If you like to see more--take this bike tour. Much culture and scenery. I injured my elbow while biking, my fault; he took care of everything. Quite safe and enjoyable.

Helena fielded all of our questions promptly and set us on a great course for our adventures. Chosen hotel rooms were marvelous and the at home meal with locals and our train trips were great learning experience. Intergration of the kimkim front and back ends of our trip with our separate Camino was done seamlessly.

As with any large and long endeavor, there were out of Helena's and our control, some transport hiccups that Helena and her team picked up for us and resolved quickly and effectively.

this was our 3rd kimkim trip and we look forward to our next outing organized by kimkim.

Hotel Reviews

Pestana Porto - A Brasileira

Porto

A short great historical walk to St. James and for a zillion options for food. Give the historical hotel, we figured out how to use the elevators after a day of being the maze!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Bairro Alto Hotel

Lisboa

We were right there for near waterfront views and fun.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Cleanliness & Comfort

Urban Hotel GL

Madrid

Rooms were great and the location with walks in either direction were a delight.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Hiking & Cultural Excursion in Peneda-Gerês National Park

Porto

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Day Excursion to Douro Valley: Wine Tasting & River Cruise

Porto

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Private Guided Visit of Porto

Porto

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Sintra Heritage Hike: Hidden Secrets

Portugal

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Get to Know Lisbon with a Local

Lisbon

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Private Transfer Airport to Hotel

Portugal

Transport contractors dropped the ball 3 times and we alternatively took taxis that kimkim reimbursed us for. May had been better just to use taxis in the first place.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Lisbon Fado Dinner Experience

Portugal

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Toledo Highlights Day Excursion

Madrid

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Tapas & Tradition: A Madrileño Evening

Madrid

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

An Evening of Flamenco

Madrid

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Walking Madrid’s Old Town

Madrid

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Dinner With Locals at a Local Home

Lisbon

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

We had a wonderful trip through Iceland. Gummi took care of EVERYTHING for us. The daily driving map routes he prepared for us made our 2800 km total drive simple. All reservations were perfect. He was always available if we needed help or had a question. His additional inputs during our drive suggesting good viewing places to see the northern lights were spot on. The hotels he booked for us were wonderful. His advice for tourist spots and restaurants were great. I'd really like to give Kim Kim, and especially Gummi, 6 stars, but the system limits this to 5. We have already recommended Kim Kim to several of our friends who have expressed an interest in a similar trip.

Hotel Review

Sigló Hótel by Keahotels

Siglufjörður

My favorite little town by far. Brightly lit streets (we went for a walk late at night and had no concerns). Quaint little fishing village. Everyone we met was super friendly. I had a smile on my face the whole time I was here - and the hotel personifies this town. Wonderful spa. Great food. Nice rooms. They seemed to pamper us for our short stay. If I go back to Iceland, I just may spend my whole time here!

Authenticity & Character

perfect fit for the village. Felt like I was in an New England fishing village, but up to date.

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Víðgelmir Lava Cave Experience

Iceland

Guide was educational and lots of fun. Amazing underground formations.

Quality of Experience

Whale Watching Experience by Traditional Boat

Iceland

RATS - due to 10 foot waves, this was cancelled. Only flaw (beyond anyone's control) of out whoel trip. Did get a prompt refund.

The entire process of planning the trip to Iceland was so overwhelming to me I just couldn’t get started. I am so happy to have found kimkim. Gummi was amazing and so helpful with getting everything organized and booked for us! When an excursion was cancelled due to weather conditions he quickly informed us and helped us to find some alternative activities for the day.

Our trip to Italy for our 25th Anniversary was incredible in every way!

Working with Eleonora, our local travel specialist, was so easy. We really appreciate the guidance and suggestions she made during the planning process as we figured out which cities we wanted to visit and what we wanted to do. Instead of us spending days/weeks researching every detail about what to do and where to stay, Eleonora shared ideas from what other travelers have enjoyed and recommended. She set up the best tours with the best tour companies, arranged all of our transportation between cities and selected amazing hotels in our budget! Our hotel in Rome even had a personal roof top deck and bottle of champagne awaiting us! What a delightful surprise!

Where kimkim really exceeded our expectations was in answering our questions during the trip and helping us problem solve. When we needed clarification on something on our itinerary, we were able to chat with someone from the team quickly to get our answers. When we learned there was a train strike planned for one of the last days of our trip, Gabriele acted quickly to adjust our travel plans between cities, so we wouldn't find ourselves stranded. He even called our hotel to request breakfast boxes since we had a new early morning departure planned. It was something that could have been a real travel headache and messed up the end of our trip, but instead it was quickly taken care of by kimkim.

Thank you, Eleonora, Gabriele, Lorenzo and the kimkim team for the trip of a lifetime!

Hotel Reviews

Antica Locanda Leonardo

Milan

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Park Hotel Argento

Levanto

LOVED this hotel! We LOVE LOVE LOVED the breakfasts and dinner we had here- we are actually still talking about the food daily and we have been home for a few weeks. This hotel is outside of the 5 villages of Cinque Terre but let me tell you its OK. This is kind of what makes it better and more relaxing. It is quiet there with beautiful views. There is a quick walk you can make to the train station- it is kind of like a nature trail, so might not be the best options for strollers or luggage. They also have a shuttle that is easy to take. Then its a quick few minute train ride to the other towns you will want to visit. We enjoyed having a drink while relaxing at the pool. The service was great. Again - the food was AMAZING!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Il Guelfo Bianco

Florence

Updated rooms. Great location. Nice breakfast options.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Navona Colors

Rome

Great service. Quaint little hotel, central to so much. Delicious breakfast. Private rooftop deck in the penthouse was amazing and one of my favorite parts of the trip.

Authenticity & Character

We walked everywhere in Rome and this hotel seemed to be pretty central.

Location

Staff

Loved the friendly front desk - gave great food suggestions. Breakfast staff also great.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Cinque Terre group boat tour

Italy

LOVED this! We had spent a few days hiking and walking through Cinque Terre. Seeing it all from the boat tour was extra special. We have the most amazing pictures from this trip. We enjoyed the wine and food on the boat. And even took a swim!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Day trip in the Tuscan countryside, wine tour, lunch and guided visit to San Gimignano

Italy

We LOVED this tour. It was great to see different wineries. We learned so much, drank amazing wine, enjoyed a delicious lunch and even met some new friends on our tour.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Guided Visit to the Colosseum, Palatin Hill and Roman Forum

Rome

Our guide was great! He was entertaining, informative and fun to spend the day with.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Semi private tour of Vatican Museum, Sistine Chapel and St. Peter Basilica

Rome

There are so many tour companies when you visit the Vatican. I really liked how our tour guide pulled us off to the side when she gave us information instead of some who kind of rudely stop in the center of everything. This was one of my most favorite parts of our trip!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

What an amazing trip. Mar helped me plan the perfect vacation. Our excursion guides especially Eirik from the Bergen Past & Present Tour, and Geir, the Northern Lights photographer went above and beyond to insure our time with them was a memorable one. I loved the fact that both Fenne and Mar checked on us throughout the entire trip to make sure we were OK or if we had any questions or concerns. I truly appreciated this.

Hotel Reviews

Henningsvær Rorbuer

Henningsvær

We stayed here for about 8 days. They allowed us to get into our rorbu as soon as it was ready even if was before check in. I really appreciated this after so much travel. The help at the office was exceptional!!! We absolutely loved Alexandra and Alejandro who we were consulting for everything. They truly love their jobs. We couldn't thank them enough. They helped make our time in Norway so special!!!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Live Henningsvær

Cleanliness & Comfort

Our Rorbu was perfect!

Clarion Hotel Admiral

Bergen

Our room was clean and the view across the harbor was beautiful. The staff were super nice and helpful. The breakfast was awesome!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Centrally located. In walking distance to everywhere we wanted to go.

Staff

Super helpful.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Very clean and very comfortable

Activity Reviews

Lofoten Islands Fishing Excursion

Svolvær

This based solely on my husband's view as he is a fisherman. I was sea sick. Lol. Too short of a trip for him.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Northern Lights Hunt with Photographer

Svolvær

Our guide, photographer Geir Notnes, took every measure to make sure our group saw the Northern Lights. He helped us with our cameras and/phone cameras to take the best pics as possible. We stopped in three or four different locations to see this amazing phenomenon in different landscapes. He also gave us a lesson on why is happens and how to recognize them.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Folgefonna Glacier Hike with Hardanger Fjord Cruise

Bergen

It was a long day but so worth it! It was just the right fitness level for everyone in our group. It was an experience I'll never forget. Our guide was fit, knowledgeable, and took our safety as top priority. We felt a little rushed on the Glacier but still managed to get some great pics.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Safety was her first priority!

Transport

Norwegian bus service was safe, comfortable and scenic!

Past & Present City Walk

Bergen

It was a great way to start the trip. We wanted to familiarize ourselves with Bergen and some of its history before walking around ourselves. Eirik who was our guide was fun and so knowledgeable on everything about Bergen. We loved him!

Quality of Experience

Very interesting

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Eirik was super smart!

This was the our best vacation thus far. All the lodges we stayed at were amazing and the luxury stays we requested. While we missed the migration, the game viewing was what made this an unforgettable experience. We were able to see the big 5 and there is really no way to explain how it feels to see these animals in the wild.
Our guides - Anthony in Nairobi, David from the Ol Seki Mara, Hola in Arusha, Kaka and Jambo in Tanzania - were the best. They were very friendly and helpful. We’d like to callout Kaka and Jambo specifically. They work really well together and pay attention to customer needs. Our son happened to mention early in the Tanzania section that he loves coffee and missed his afternoon caffeine. On our next all day game drive, they arranged for him to have coffee. It was extremely thoughtful. They also figured we didn’t want to have lunch in a crowded environment and they made sure we got to the Ngorongoro break spot ahead of the 50 vehicles that turned up an hour later. Their attention to our needs was noticed and appreciated.
We appreciate the time Stephan and Irene took to meet with us. And the accommodation for the last minute changes we made during our travel. The giraffe center experience in Nairobi was amazing.
We do have some feedback. The driving distances listed in the itinerary are very different from what we experienced. Getting the total distance travelled and not just what it takes to get to a place would have helped with our decisions on what we want to do. For example, on Sept 12, it shows 3 hours for travel time. It was actually a total of 6 hours or more and with the 5 hours it took for the hike, we had no time for anything else. We left at 6am and were back at 8pm. It was unfortunate since we didn’t get to spend any time in the coffee lodge itself. We had been looking forward to the tour they offer. We noticed similar travel time discrepancies in other places as well, including Zanzibar, which is what led us to cancel the tour we had scheduled.
Overall, we had a wonderful experience and looking forward to returning to our favorite places.

Hotel Reviews

Zuri Zanzibar

Beautiful location and the beach is amazing. Need to be aware of the additional taxes and charges levied by the government. This was unexpected and took us by surprise when we were checking out.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Sanctuary Ngorongoro Crater Camp

Authenticity & Character

Location

In the middle of a forest. We had an elephant walk by the dining area in the evening. Amazing experience.

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Luxury glamping with a hot water shower and heated blankets

Lemala Nanyukie Lodge

Authenticity & Character

Location

Beautiful views. We heard lions by the lodge in the night.

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Arusha Coffee Lodge

Authenticity & Character

Beautiful property in the middle of the coffee estate

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hemingways Ol Seki Mara

Authenticity & Character

Location

Beautiful views of the conservancy and opportunities to spot animals. We heard lions in the night by our room.

Staff

Very friendly and helpful

Cleanliness & Comfort

Villa Rosa Kempinski

Nairobi, Kenya

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Full Day Safari Experience at Ngorongoro

Tanzania

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Maasai Culture and Heritage Tour

Tanzania

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Full Day Safari Experience at Serengeti National Park

Tanzania

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Day Hike on Mountain Kilimanjaro

Tanzania

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

2nd Day Full Day Safari at the Maasai Mara

Tanzania

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Joao's experience and advise were invaluable - guiding my wife and I through the planning process as well as while we were on the trip. All were glitch-free - quite important for us first-timers to Portugal. Traveling in the cities and in the regions we were in - as well as traveling to them/and through the country - was simple and stress-free. Of particular note are the service providers - transport and local guides - Joao used. They were knowledgeable, friendly, and engaging - well done to all. We began our trip in Lisbon, then on to Porto via high-speed rail, then to Lagos via rented car and finished our trip for our flight home back in Lisbon. Doing so allowed us to see a great deal of this beautiful country. Like many others before us - allowing 2 weeks would have been better than our 10 days, but maybe another trip sometime!

Hotel Reviews

Meliá Lisboa Aeroporto

Lisbon

Hard to beat the proximity the airport - very walkable to terminal 1 - though a free shuttle to the airport is provided.

Authenticity & Character

Location

If you want close to the airport this one is for you.

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Vila Galé Lagos

Lagos

Great location in terms access to the beach. A bit of a walk (not quite 2k) into town, but the walk is beautiful along the beach walkway. A large facility built to accommodate large touring groups and the summer throngs of visitors to the Algarve. The hotel lacks the cozy feel that boutique hotels have - but the pool and beach access are hard to beat. Food was so-so - especially the buffet-style dining built to for the masses. The smaller two non-buffet restaurants were better both for food and ambience.

Authenticity & Character

Large facility built to handle large numbers of guests.

Location

If you want the beach - hard to beat!

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Exe Almada Porto

Porto

Located in the university area - very walkable to many of the sites of Porto. Highly recommend for this alone, but all other aspects of this hotel were excellent.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Located in the university area - very walkable to many of the sites of Porto.

Staff

While all of the places we stayed at had helpful, friendly staff - this one really stood out. Whether questions about laundry service, places to eat, getting around town, etc - staff was fantastic .

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Lisboa Plaza

Lisbon

Great location in all respects - sites, restaurants, guides and other supporting providers. Many are easily walked to while others are just a short ride. Staff was very friendly and helpful - well-versed in English! (Thank you!)

Authenticity & Character

Boutique in nature, very much portrays the Portuguese culture.

Location

Great location in all respects - sites, restaurants, guides and other supporting providers.

Staff

With our limited knowledge of Portuguese - their English language skills were welcoming and welcome.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Half-Day Guided Tour of Lisbon

Lisbon

We ended up not doing this excursion, but Jaoa did give us an abbreviated driving tour of Lisbon! Thank you Jaoa!

Cave Boat Tour

Portugal

A short excursion that is well worth the trip. The cliffs and caves were gorgeous from a distance and from within!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Funny, engaging and safe!

Transport

Guided day trip to the Douro Valley with visit to wineries and Rabelo boat River Cruise with lunch

Portugal

A must-do for anyone visiting Portugal. Beautiful valley, great port wine and meet/visit wonderful places and people along the way.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Pedro was energetic, engaging and an encyclopedia of all-things Portugal.

Transport

Food Tour

Porto

Eat very lightly for this food tour - plenty of food and beverage along the way. Be prepared to walk a bit, but not excessive as a fair portion of the tour is at one market.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Pedro is a great ambassador for Portugal!

Transport

All walking' of course, but not overly hilly or lengthy, Short distance between stops.

Full-Day Guided Tour of Cascais & Sintra

Portugal

The #1 best thing about this trip was our guide. Thoughtful, informative, flexible to our needs, fluent in English and friendly.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

We had an absolutely wonderful trip to France, beautifully organized by Lucie. She was incredibly helpful, always reachable, and very knowledgeable. Every detail was thoughtfully arranged, and all our transportation was seamless, making the entire experience smooth and stress-free.
In Paris, we enjoyed a magical Seine River cruise and a fabulous vintage car tour (2cv Paris Authentic) with John, who was not only knowledgeable but also helped us capture stunning photos at iconic Paris landmarks. Our stay at Hotel Jeanne D’Arc Le Marais was delightful – the hotel was clean, charming, and staffed by friendly, welcoming people.
In Aix-en-Provence, we had an amazing time wine tasting and exploring the Luberon villages with Greg – truly the best tour guide! He was incredibly knowledgeable about the region’s history, culture, and hidden gems. The views were absolutely breathtaking, and every moment felt special.
We loved every part of this trip – from the vibrant city life in Paris to the serene beauty of Provence. Huge thanks to Lucie, John, and Greg for making it so memorable!

In Granada, our private tour with Matias was amazing. He was very knowledgeable and pointed out many things about the Royal Alcazar that we may not have noticed. It wonderful to do the tour with a local who had lots of insight about the history of the monument and Granada in general. He even gave us suggestions for dinner in Granada, as well as our next destination - Seville. Matias is one of the best tour guides I’ve ever had. (I also have to compliment him on his English…. Very fluent and we had no problems understanding him.)

Hotel Reviews

Joya del Casco Boutique Hotel

Seville

Hotel

Authenticity & Character

Location

The hotel was very centrally located. Only 5 min walk to the cathedral

Staff

Staff was very friendly, but not always available. (I think they manage another hotel as well?)

Cleanliness & Comfort

The room was comfortable, however, it was very noisy in the morning. Every room was open to a central foyer. When the staff would go to prepare breakfast at 5:30 or 6 AM it was very loud and woke us up. Then , when people came to eat breakfast … it was impossible to sleep past 630 or 7 am because it became very noisy. If you are an early riser, this is no problem. But after all you are in Spain and likely you’ll be staying up late. This is something you need to know when booking this hotel.

Villa Oniria

Granada

Breakfast was not very good, and very overpriced

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

The are doing construction right outside the hotel, so taxis cannot get to the hotel. You have to walk 2 blocks with luggage to get a taxi.

Room Mate Alba

Madrid

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Private History & Culture Walk

Seville

Quality of Experience

I’m

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Royal Palace Visit

Madrid

It was good but a little long.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Self-Guided Walk in Albaicín District

Granada

Didn’t get to do this because they were Palestine protesters that were blocking taxis from coming and going to the Albacin area. We finally got an Uber to take us up and to take a picture and come right back down because we missed the sunset.

Evening Flamenco Show

Granada

Quality of Experience

The Flamingo dancers were great. The wine was terrible.

Private Alhambra & Generalife Gardens with a Historian

Granada

Matias was an awesome tour guide

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Private Toledo Day Trip

Madrid

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Evening Tapas, Taverns & History Walk

Madrid

Quality of Experience

No

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

My husband and I had the most wonderful time in South Africa and did not want to leave, each place we visited was amazing in its own unique way! In many ways this trip has changed our lives, it was the perfect start to our 6th decade on earth. It gave us an opportunity to experience wonderful people and new things, reflect, reset, get clarity on what is important to us and envision new paths moving forward.

Our experience with kimkim has been excellent! We love the model and the platform, we will use kimkim again for future trips and recommend it to our friends and family.

We were matched with the lovely Tshepo as our travel planner, she listened closely to our ideas and we collaborated to put together a trip that was just right for us. She is very kind, thoughtful and understanding, she makes very helpful suggestions and recommendations. We give her our highest recommendation!

The highlight of our trip was 4 days on safari at Sabi Sands Game reserve, staying at the incredible Umkumbe Lodge Riverside and celebrating my birthday. Our guide Michaela and tracker Moses were the best we could have hoped for. We were privileged to see lions and leopards every day, along with so many other animals up close, we have some amazing photos to share with our friends and family. On my birthday, we saw a pangolin, the best gift I have ever received! I cried happy tears. Back at the lodge, my room was beautifully decorated, the staff made me a birthday cake and sang happy birthday to me in two languages at dinner. BEST BIRTHDAY EVER!

We experienced a high level of excellent service at all of our hotels and on our tours. Many thanks to the following:

Greeted warmly at the airport by Nokuthala and driven to our hotel by driver Roy. 5 stars

Tuk tuk tour of Soweto in Johannesburg - our driver Isaac and guide Luguile of Lebdo’s Backpackers shared their experiences of life in the township with us. They gifted us with a real experience and connection with the history of Johannesburg and the ongoing impact of the Apartheid system. We enjoyed the delicious food and hospitality of the backpacker lodge after the journey. 6 stars!

Private tour of Johannesburg with guide Andrees from Drifters- Andrews was fun and knowledgeable, he took us to all the places we wanted to see, provided a lot of information and context. We visited The Apartheid Museum, Constitutional Hill and the Maboneg neighborhood. I had been reading Nelson Mandela’s autobiography Long Walk to Freedom so I was able to connect more closely with the history of South Africa. I think it is important to learn about the countries we travel to and I felt that we got a good understanding. However, I would have preferred a Black guide and Andrees didn’t know much about Maboneneg, 4 stars.

Panorama tour from Unembeza, Hoesdpruit - our guide David was one of the best private guides I have ever had, so knowledgeable and open-minded. We had some wonderful conversations and shared information about our home as well. We visited the stunning Blyde River Canyon, Lisbon Falls, Bourke's Luck Potholes, God's Window, the Three Rondavels and had a fun lunch at the Chubby Pig. 5 stars.

Morning walk from Unembeza - our guide Jeramiah took us on an early morning walk in the vicinity of the lodge. We learned about the “Big 5 Trees” of the Kruger area: Baobab, Fever Tree, Knob Thorn, Marula and Mopane. It was refreshing to learn about some of the plant life instead of just animals. We also got some great pictures of zebras and 2 large kudu and learned how to identify different kinds of dung. Awesome, 5 stars.

Drivers Laurence and Vusi of Echo Africa Safaris transported us to and from Sabi Sands, very engaging conversations, 5 stars.

Visit Table Mountain by Cable Car tour in Cape Town - Our guide was Garreth from AWOL Tours and he was a great source of history and tips for enjoying the area. 5 stars.

Hotel Reviews

Ocean View House

Cape Town

This hotel has everything you want for a visit to Cape Town. Stunning views of Camps Bay and the Twelve Apostles, gorgeous modern rooms, delicious breakfast and lunch and amazing staff who go out of their way to help you. We will stay here again, we can't wait to go back to see more of the area! We arrived late in the evening on a Sunday and there weren’t many food options available. We ordered on Uber Eats but had some challenges getting our food. Kinearr, the night guard, was incredibly supportive and understanding. He stood in the street with me looking for the driver and helped me give instructions. When the driver never showed, he rounded up some food for us from the kitchen, peanut butter and bread. We are so grateful for his kindness. One note: there are other locations with the same address (33 Victoria Road) when looking up in Google Maps or within Uber. It would be great if that could be cleared up <3

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Unembeza Boutique Lodge & Spa

Hoedspruit

This was a lovely place for a short visit to relax and recharge before our next adventure. The staff made us feel so welcome, the food and decor are a wonderful mix of modern and traditional elements. We loved the spa treatments, full day Panorama Tour with the incomparable David, outdoor dining and morning game walk with Jeramia. Highly recommended!

Authenticity & Character

The suites are beautiful and fit nicely into the surrounding environment, the main lodge dining areas were elegant and open, making us feel like a part of the bushveld.

Location

On the flight into Hoedspruit, we saw a herd of elephants. On the drive, we saw a giraffe and some baboons. The front porch of our suite in Villa Umbali looked out into the open bush. We could see birds and all kinds of hooved creatures by just sitting quietly, Amazing!

Staff

Everyone on the staff was incredibly helpful, enthusiastic and kind, their service was outstanding!

Cleanliness & Comfort

Very clean, no complaints.

Umkumbe Safari Lodge

Hoedspruit

The highlight of our trip was 4 days on safari at Sabi Sands Game reserve, staying at the incredible Umkumbe Safari Lodge (Riverside) and celebrating my birthday. Our guide Michaela and tracker Moses were the best we could have hoped for. We were privileged to see lions and leopards every day, along with so many other animals up close. We have some amazing photos to share with our friends and family. On my birthday, we saw a pangolin, the best gift I have ever received! I cried happy tears. Back at the lodge, my room was beautifully decorated, the staff made me a birthday cake and sang happy birthday to me in two languages at dinner. BEST BIRTHDAY EVER!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Saw different kinds of animals every day from our back patio

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

HYDE Hotel Rosebank

Johannesburg

The HYDE hotel is stunning in it's design, food at the Proud Mary restaurant and service by an excellent staff! When we arrived, Tamara and her staff had a birthday surprise for me waiting in our room: champagne, red velvet cake and balloons. They went out of their way to make the first part of our trip special. The interior design of this hotel and restaurant are just gorgeous and the rooms are spacious with all the amenities. The location is perfection. The only reason we're giving it 4 stars is because when we were checking out, the staff member asked us if we had taken a towel. Apparently they tag all their towels and we walked through the security gate with a group of people so they couldn't tell who had removed a towel. Instead of looking for the guy who went to the gym or the other people, they implied that we had stolen a towel and had it in our suitcase. This was extremely insulting and coming at the very end of our stay, it soured the entire experience. Why would we take a $10 towel when we were on vacation and was it worth it to end our otherwise great experience on a sour note?

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Marine Big 5 Safari

South Africa

We loved the concept of this activity, the staff was excellent and knowledgeable. However, the time of the activity was moved to earlier and we had to drive a long way in the dark to get there from Camps Bay in Cape Town. We're from Oregon and have a wonderful coastline with whales and such. We didn't see much that was any different on this tour except a small copper shark. In hindsight I would have preferred to do something else.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

We drove ourselves, so N/A

Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden Visit

Cape Town

Beautiful place, stunning garden, views and excellent food! Don't miss it.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Big 5 Safaris in the Sabi Sands

Sabi Sands Game Reserve

The highlight of our trip was 4 days on safari at Sabi Sands Game reserve, staying at the incredible Umkumbe Lodge Riverside and celebrating my birthday. Our guide Michaela and tracker Moses were the best we could have hoped for. We were privileged to see lions and leopards every day, along with so many other animals up close, we have some amazing photos to share with our friends and family. On my birthday, we saw a pangolin, the best gift I have ever received! I cried happy tears. Back at the lodge, my room was beautifully decorated, the staff made me a birthday cake and sang happy birthday to me in two languages at dinner. BEST BIRTHDAY EVER!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Guided tour of the Panorama Route & Blyde River Canyon

South Africa

Our guide David was one of the best private guides we have ever had, so knowledgeable and open-minded. We had some wonderful conversations and shared information about our home as well. We visited the stunning Blyde River Canyon, Lisbon Falls, Bourke's Luck Potholes, God's Window, the Three Rondavels and had a fun lunch at the Chubby Pig. 6 stars!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Unwind at the Unembeza Spa!

Hoedspruit

I had a massage and a facial, both were excellent! Highly recommended as a relaxing treat in the middle of a long vacation.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

My Joburg Private Tour Full Day

Johannesburg

Andrees from Drifters was so fun and knowledgeable! He took us to all the places we wanted to see, provided a lot of information and context. We visited The Apartheid Museum, Constitutional Hill and the Maboneg neighborhood. I had been reading Nelson Mandela’s autobiography Long Walk to Freedom so I was able to connect more closely with the history of South Africa. I think it is important to learn about the countries we travel to and I felt that we got a good understanding.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Tuk-Tuk Tour

Johannesburg

Our driver Isaac and guide Luguile of Lebdo’s Backpackers shared their experiences of life in the township with us. They gifted us with a real experience and connection with the history of Johannesburg and the ongoing impact of the Apartheid system. We enjoyed the delicious food and hospitality of the backpacker lodge after the journey. 6 stars!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Welcome to South Africa!

South Africa

Greeted warmly at the airport by Nokuthala and driven to our hotel by driver Roy.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

My reviews are the same as my wife, Bettie Choi Mei LIm - whom I believe as already submited hers quite a while ago. I agree completely what she has written.

I was genuinely excited about this trip, as it was my first solo adventure. Despite the unexpected circumstances I encountered upon arriving in Nepal, my guides were attentive and dedicated, going above and beyond to ensure I had a great experience and could stick to my itinerary. I would definitely recommend this trip!

overall, very happy with my trip to Switzerland. The ease of use, having all of the tickets and hotel reservations made was super appreciated and made the overall experience wonderful! there are two real highlights to the trip that my wife and I agree on, the first being the town of Zermatt. I am so incredibly thankful that we were able to spend the day in Vermont and the train ride up the mountain to look at the Matterhorn was unbelievable! The other highlight was the cooking class in Lugano. we had such a great time really enjoyed a couple bottles of wine and was super happy! The only thing that we would’ve changed would be when we took the glacier express instead of staying in Saint Moritz, it would’ve been better to stay in Chur, and then took the early train to Saint Moritz to finish the glacier express train, and then picked up the train ride from Saint Mortz on the Bernina express to Tirano. The private transfer from Tirano to Lugano was absolutely fantastic also!

Hotel Review

Tradition Julen Hotel

Zermatt

Quite possibly the best place that we stayed on our 17 day vacation! What a truly amazing and wonderful experience that we had at this hotel! I cannot recommend this place more highly! 15 out of 10 stars!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Cruise and Cook - Lugano

Lugano

This was one of the highlights of our trip, it was so much fun. The food was great. The wine was even better! This was an absolutely perfect anniversary experience for my wife and I! We could not be happier with the experience that we had!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Gornergrat panoramic train (return day-ticket & Priority boarding)

Switzerland

Was a great little ride up the mountain, the staff were super friendly, very happy we were able to experience this!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Sara was our main trip coordinator, centered in Zagreb, Croatia. She was so helpful in getting our trip tailored to all our needs and made everything we wanted to do possible. The entire trip was practically flawless, and the experience made me not want to travel any other way. The App was also very helpful to track the itinerary.

Hotel Reviews

Valamar Argosy Hotel

Dubrovnik

This hotel is part of a large chain. Although the hotel is well appointed, and has wonderful amenities, it seems like some things were missing, like there was no bottle of water in the room, the bathroom amenities were very limited, for example. Otherwise the breakfast buffet is immense with so many options, but you get everything on your own, including the coffee and drinks.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Its pretty far from the old town, about 10-15min by car.

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Adriana Hvar Spa Hotel

Hvar

The hotel is large, but a member of their team came to pick us up at the pier, and they drove our luggage over to the hotel, about a 6min walk away. The breakfast and rooftop bar were great. The rooms we got were a bit small, the bathroom a bit awkward, especially if you're not a couple sharing the space just because of lack of privacy.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Mirari Boutique Hotel

21000

We were only here for one night but the hotel was nice, clean, and the reception was friendly and helpful. The restaurant staff was a little slow with ordering and getting the breakfast.

Authenticity & Character

Location

It's about 15min walk to Split main town

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Review

Private Walking Tour of Plitvice Lakes National Park

Croatia

This location is beautiful, a real wonder to the eye and worth the stop. Our guide was friendly and patient and help take some great photos for us.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport