Kimkim Trip Reviews

The hotel has 2 parts: an older building that was completely redone and a new one. We were in the older part, which has some "outlet" insufficiency issues. Also, the pool was a small, indoor pool, more like a sauna when we were there. I imagine that it would be great in the winter, but other hotels might offer a better pool experience in the summer, esp for kids. But the hotel was otherwise lovely and we enjoyed our stay.

We were just here for 1 night, but it is a fine hotel.

We really enjoyed this hotel visit. The kids in particular loved the pool. The breakfast buffet was over the top.

Very interesting walk. Our guide was extremely knowledgeable and helpful, so we learned a lot.

Our captain was great, and attentive to the passengers. Because the ride was over lunchtime, our travel agent had arranged some snacks.

The only "bad" part was a bit of fog that happened to roll in at the wrong place at the wrong time, a very unusual occurrence., so it was sort of special that we got to experience it. Our driver had great suggestions on which places to go. He knew a great little out-of-the-way non-touristy place for lunch that was perfect.

We loved the visit--quite a palace and the entire day.

We had a great captain and crew, a learned a lot about Portugal as well as local sights. Since this sail was over dinner time, our travel agent arranged a picnic lunch for us, and it was fabulous. We all had a great time.

We had a wonderful driver, great food at the winery, great wine at the winery, wonderful boat tour...all good.

The food was fabulous and the tour very interesting. My husband really enjoyed all the wine; alas, I just can't drink very much (it goes to my head so very fast--a few sips is all that I can handle), but I sure wanted a lot more of that red port than I could drink.

Our driver gave us a wide-ranging tour of Porto. Very informative, so we learned a lot.

We really enjoyed the trip. Our captain was from the area and very knowledgeable. We learned a lot. The scenery is amazing.

Very nice hotel. Excellent location

Our first introduction to the fact that hotels in Norway are very efficient, not big on space, and have fabulous breakfasts included. This hotel was very clean, everything was in working order and the checkin/check out process went very smoothly.

Beautiful furnishings and comfortable beds. It's definitely a nice hotel but I'd never pay the going rate (thank you Kimkim for covering this)

Location, meals, cleanliness and staff were very excellent

We were only in this hotel one short night and I can barely remember it being anything but very nice

I'm not sure what the scenic shuttle is all about. We never found the bus we were supposed to get on but a driver who thought we needed a shuttle to our hotel found us and drove us to the Viking Village. That ride is mostly through tunnels so it's not very scenic. The Viking Village is very interesting but we didn't really need that much time there, so I got a tattoo from the tattoo artist in residence. The Fjord cruise was wonderful. It's a very comfortable boat and the scenery is spectacular. We were very lucky with the weather being clear and relatively warm.

This tour involves a lot of walking in a somewhat out of the way area, so we saw a bit of Oslo that we would not have otherwise seen. The group size was a reasonable size, it didn't feel like we were being herded around. The food samples were interesting, delicious and generous. As a side note, Jay Ternaven of JayWay Travel, was taking this tour with us, considering it as an offering for his tours. So the guide was probably trying very hard to impress.

This was SOOOO helpful. We were in Norway for a wedding in Oslo and had brought a gift that required a large piece of luggage. There was no way we could have managed it on the Flam Railway. I had put the wrong hotel name on our paperwork (Karl Johan Hotel instead of Comfort Hotel at Karl Johan). They got it right and I was so happy to see it when we arrived Oslo.

We didn't get there

We stayed at 58 On Hume as part of our African itinerary planned through KimKim (organized by Anne Marie and Janneke), and it completely blew us away! It was the absolute perfect home base in Johannesburg. To say the hotel exceeded our expectations would be an understatement. The rooms were spectacular: spacious, stylish, spotless, and far nicer than we could have ever anticipated. But what truly set 58 On Hume apart was the incredible team. The staff was accommodating, treating us with such genuine warmth and attentiveness that we felt completely pampered from the moment we arrived. The food was perfect. The entire property feels like a peaceful, luxurious oasis in the city—offering plenty of space and comfort for both the adults and teenagers in our group.

Our stay at Ivory Wilderness River Rock Lodge was nothing short of magical from start to finish. Everything about the property met and exceeded our expectations, creating an authentic and high-end bush experience we will never forget. Beautiful Property, Great Rooms & Delicious Food The lodge itself is stunning, perfectly nestled in the bush with peaceful surroundings and incredible views. The Rooms: Spacious, comfortable, clean, and beautifully appointed to blend luxury with nature. The Food: Absolutely delicious! Every single meal served was fresh, flavorful, and memorable. Phenomenal Game Drives with Ingrid While the accommodations and meals were top-tier, what truly made our trip extraordinary were the game drives. Our guide, Ingrid, was outstanding. Her expertise and tracking skills are amazing, she had an incredible knack for finding wildlife and tracking down unforgettable sightings. Just as importantly, Ingrid tailored the entire safari experience to suit our family group, which included teenagers. Keeping kids fully engaged for hours on end can be hard, but Ingrid connected with everyone effortlessly, catered to our group's pace and interests, and made every single drive thrilling and educational.

You simply cannot top the location. Being situated right on the V&A Waterfront meant were steps away from great dinning and shopping along with beautiful views of Table Mountain and the harbor. It made exploring Cape Town feel completely safe, easy, and stress-free. A few highlights: Amazing Breakfast: The morning breakfast spread was absolutely delicious—fresh, high-quality, and offered something wonderful for every palate before a full day of sightseeing. I highly recommend opting to have breakfast at the hotel. Accommodating Staff: The hospitality was top-notch. The staff was incredibly warm, welcoming, and eager to help with anything we needed to make our stay seamless. Beautiful Property: The hotel itself is clean, modern, and has elegant interiors, and comfortable, stylish rooms.

Our stay at Pioneers Lodge in Victoria Falls was wonderful! It delivered the ideal combination; it has all the great amenities of a large hotel, while retaining all the quaintness, warmth, and character of a small, intimate property. Some Highlights: Gorgeous Design: the design and ambiance of the lodge are full of charm. It has a historical luxury vibe that is really lovely. Spacious Family Room: We stayed in a family room that worked brilliantly for the four of us. It was beautiful, clean, comfortable, and gave us all plenty of space to relax. Lovely Courtyard & Pools: The property centers around a beautiful, lush courtyard. The family loved having access to two great swimming pools, which were perfect for cooling off after a long day of sightseeing. Additionally, the daily breakfast was fantastic, and the bar area offered a wonderful, relaxed atmosphere to unwind with a drink in the evenings. Lastly, the staff were warm and accommodating. They went out of their way to make us feel welcome. Every interaction was met with genuine friendliness and great hospitality.

Absolutely amazing experience that shouldn't be missed. It provided a historical context and understanding that was really amazing. The guides were wonderful and kind.

With children we instead hiked the smaller mountain but it was incredible!

This was super fun but we felt rushed and couldn’t enjoy the park

Moray and Maras and picnic were amazing but our guide took us off itinerary to a high pressure sales textile factory which we did not enjoy

Looks wonderful from the outside, definitely needs updating on the inside. It was hot without AC, which was broken, and they seemed to struggle with providing two beds in one room.

Beautiful, but we were in the basement and it felt that way.

Really enjoyed our stay here, and the staff as well as the restaurant were excellent.

Our guide, John, a former detective, was fantastic.

The tour guide, Domiano, was excellent, but the sites scene were mid.

This was my favorite activity, and the guide, a PhD student, was incredibly knowledgable.

Loved our guide, Jack. So knowledgable, and he did such a good job navigating the London traffic.

Our guide, Ruari, grew up on the land and was incredibly knowledgeable and fun to talk to.

The home is fantastic and spacious. All the windows allow for a lot of air to circulate as there is no AC. Location is great!

Great place a second toilet would have been helpful.

Tour guide was amazing!

An absolutely incredibly fun experience. We were all so excited to create our own scent. The staff were so knowledgeable and friendly.

Great seats and the show was fantastic.

Our guide,Julien, was great! He showed us all around the Alpilles in the area of Provence. He was very knowledgeable.

Ally was super! She knew so much about food, wine and the local history. We also really enjoyed her and appreciate being taken to local places we would never have found on our own.

Antoine was fun and knowledgeable!

Chef Marthe was a wonderful teacher. We leaned many insightful tips and left with her book to try more recipes at home!

Special evening experience!

Ideally located within walking distance of everything you want to see.

Of all the hotels I stayed in during this trip, I was least impressed by this guesthouse.

At this point I had a rental car; however, the hotel did not provide parking nor any assistance in explaining how to pay for parking. I managed to figure it out, but that fact tainted my feeling about the hotel.

This hotel was a little confusing, as I was assigned a cabin instead of a room. Finding this cabin was not clearly explained, but eventually I did. But this was after a day's drive, so it added a level of frustration to what was an amazing area. The cabin was ok, but I didn't need a kitchenette as I was not planning on making my own meals. I would have requested a change if I had known this was the choice KimKim made. Would recommend KimKim explain the options before booking.

I loved everything about Alesund including this hotel. The rooms were uniquely laid out. Their restaurant was full service. Their staff was both knowledgeable and helpful.

For someone needing to catch an early morning flight, you couldn't have chosen a better hotel.

See my earlier comments re Alesund. I loved it.

There's a wonderful walking/biking path that leads you along the fjord.

The guide was genuine, knowledgeable and flexible. I felt like I was walking around with a friend.

For me, architecture is important, so this visit may be more personal than necessary for most. However, getting to the church required a short ferry ride which added a pleasant element to the experience.

Lofoten is one amazing site after another. Even with the summer traffic that gave me more reasons to stop and take in the views.

This is not a hike for the faint of heart. The steps are huge chunks of rock requiring much effort everytime. The climb is very vertical, so if you have any fear of heights, you might want to reconsider this choice. There is no railing (and there are sections where a misstep could be serious). The climb up is the climb down, so crowds going both ways can be a challenge. In retrospect, I wondered if I had made a bad choice (but the view WAS spectacular and no point in crying over spilt milk!) Although my 78 year old body had a very different point of view.

Since the drive from Solvaer to Reine is relatively short, I enjoyed getting off the main road and visiting as many of the towns along the way (Henningsvaer being one). Each is uniquely placed, so each offers a different view. What I also found, is this helped slow me down vs racing to Reine.

The boat ride took special care to slow down (and in some instances, stop altogether) to explain what we were seeing and provide anecdotal stories related to the series of waterfalls. Time at the end of the fjord was just long enough to let you refresh, eat lunch or just walk around. It was an extremely pleasant day.

The speed boat ride was the experience, but the stop to taste the local cheese was a nice touch.

Enjoyed learning more about Munch than just his 'The Scream". That said, the museum has a dedicated room for the 3 versions of The Scream.

Solvaer is the great place to start the Lofoten experience. While stunningly beautiful, it just keeps getting better as you drive away from it.

Our favorite hotel was Flåm Marina in Flåm. The location was perfect, slightly out of the main town, which meant we avoided the large crowds when cruise ships were in town. The hotel overlooked the water and was beautiful. The location and setting made it our top choice.

Thon Hotel Rosenkrantz in Bergen was great and very well located in the middle of the tourist area, which was perfect for us as tourists. The hotel was nice and convenient for exploring the city.

Karl Johan Hotel in Oslo was well located right on the main street, which was very convenient. The only minor issue was that the walk from the Oslo train station to the hotel was bit of a walk with luggage, which could be challenging for some travelers, but it was manageable for us.

The Oslofjord Dinner Cruise on our last night was amazing. It turned out to be perfect for everyone to relax, look around, and enjoy our last evening together. It was a wonderful way to end the trip.

The Cultural Walk with a Local in Bergen was interesting, especially for my wife who loved it. However, the teenagers found the history a bit heavy, and some parts of the walks in Bergen and Oslo felt a bit repetitive.

Canyoning was hands-down one of the most exciting and memorable experiences of our entire trip to Bali! The guides were absolutely fantastic. They were knowledgeable, professional, and extremely safety-conscious, which made us feel completely comfortable even when we were doing something that pushed us outside our comfort zones. They explained everything clearly, told us exactly what to expect, and made sure we knew what to do before every jump, rappel, and challenging section of the canyon. We always felt like we were in very capable hands, which allowed us to relax and actually enjoy the adventure. And then there was one particular guide who was absolutely hilarious. He honestly made the experience! He kept us laughing throughout the entire excursion and somehow managed to make even the more intimidating moments fun. His personality, humor, and enthusiasm turned what was already an incredible adventure into one of those experiences we’ll be talking about for years. The scenery was spectacular, the adventure was exhilarating, and the guides were exceptional. It was the perfect combination of adrenaline, natural beauty, and just plain fun. If you’re considering canyoning in Bali, DO IT! It was one of our favorite experiences of the entire trip, and we would recommend it without hesitation.

Our stay at Finca Sachabacayoc was unfortunately the least enjoyable part of our Peru trip. We understand that staying in the Amazon comes with certain rustic expectations, but there were several issues that made our stay less comfortable than anticipated. The biggest challenge was that we had no running water for the entire morning of one of our days, which made it difficult to shower or get ready for our activities. Even when water was available, the hot water only lasted a few minutes. It was also often difficult to find staff when we needed assistance. The rooms have metal roofs, which made them extremely hot during the day, and the fans were not sufficient to keep the room comfortable. There were also a significant number of insects on the porch, making it difficult to relax in the hammock or enjoy the outdoor space. The food was adequate but fairly average and did not stand out compared to the rest of our trip. That said, we do want to recognize the staff for their kindness during an unexpected family health issue. They arranged breakfast for us when we had to miss one of the scheduled activities and were helpful in coordinating our unexpected return to Lima. We truly appreciated their support during a stressful situation. Overall, while the staff did their best to help when it mattered most, we feel the facilities, amenities, and overall guest experience could be improved.

Blanca was an excellent guide for our Barranco walking tour. She was knowledgeable, engaging, and shared the history and culture of the neighborhood in a way that made it both interesting and enjoyable. She also introduced us to some amazing local restaurants, giving us a wonderful taste of authentic Peruvian cuisine. It was a great experience, and we highly recommend touring Barranco with Blanca!

Julio was an outstanding guide for our Cusco walking tour. Instead of only taking us to the typical tourist attractions, he introduced us to local gems and hidden corners of the city that made the experience feel much more authentic. He is a wonderful storyteller, incredibly knowledgeable, and genuinely caring, making sure everyone in our family was comfortable throughout the tour. We learned so much about Cusco's history, culture, and local life, and would highly recommend this tour with Julio.

Visiting Moray was one of the highlights of our time in the Sacred Valley, and Julio made the experience even more memorable. His storytelling and knowledge brought the history and purpose of the terraces to life, and he took the time to answer all of our questions. We appreciated that he shared not only the historical significance of Moray but also local insights and perspectives that made the visit much more meaningful. We highly recommend this tour, especially with Julio as your guide.

The Maras Salt Ponds were a fascinating place to visit, and Julio was an excellent guide. He shared interesting stories and local insights that made the visit much more meaningful. A beautiful stop in the Sacred Valley that we would highly recommend.

Lunch at Ama was one of the most memorable meals of our trip. Beyond the outstanding food, we were inspired by the owner's mission of creating employment opportunities for young people with disabilities and single mothers. It was a meaningful experience to support a local business making such a positive impact on the community. We highly recommend stopping here if you're visiting the Sacred Valley.

Amazing in the center of all the activities in Tokyo

The fin part of this hotel is the Japanese style bed and the hot springs

Hotel clean and in the center of the city

This hotel is in the center of the city and it is easy to connect to wherever u want to go

Going through the temple and the bamboo grove was a very interesting experience it was peaceful in the grove

Although it was soo foggy 🌁 we were not abto see the mountain Fugi but it was wealth it the trip

Clean, compact rooms, with a delicious breakfast buffet

Clean, quiet, comfortable, and with a delicious breakfast buffet. Walkable to nearly everything we wanted to do in San Sebastian.

Clean, comfortable, and walkable to every thing we wanted to do in Zaragoza. The AC worked beautifully despite the extreme heat (105 degrees fahrenheit).

Carlos was knowledgable and friendly, with a sense of humor and way of engaging kids and adults. He chose menu items that accommodated more selective eaters, but also pushed us outside of our comfort zones to try local ways of preparing the recipes. He accommodated our vegetarian daughter easily, as well.

Diego was knowledgeable and friendly, with a sense of humor and way of engaging kids and adults. He chose pintxos that accommodated more selective eaters, but also pushed us outside of our comfort zones. He accommodated our vegetarian daughter easily, as well.

I wish I'd had more time in each location - they were both gorgeous, and I could have spent twice as long in each location!

We had enough time to actually explore the castle, and it was beautiful. There were minimal other people visiting at the same time, and we never felt hurried.

The locations were beautiful, but it felt hurried and as if we were in the van for a significant portion of the day.

Amazing view, food and staff!!!

So comfortable and clean.

Amazing food, accommodations and views! Really loud at night, but that’s expected on the Nile.