Kimkim Trip Reviews

We reviewed the guides, the hotels, and the itineraries every day with Pedro so refer to him. Generally speaking, the guides were very good and professional and spoke English quite well. The drivers were always punctual, well dressed, spoke English well and drove us to our destinations in E- class Mercedes. Certainly, kudos to the drivers. Although we had 4-star hotels, a couple of hotels were a little disappointing. They didn't have wash cloths, they didn't have tissues, the final hotel, the Villa Galé Cascais, didn't have an iron or an ironing board, suggesting we use their laundry service and they wanted to charge for the safety deposit box. Power went out in the room, but was corrected within 10 minutes. The hotel in Porto was good, but the safe deposit instructions were confusing. They need to get a simpler safe deposit box like other hotels. All in all, the hotels were good and the breakfasts were great! The itinerary that Pedro did for us was comprehensive and we saw a lot of the important cities and places of Portugal. Pedro acceded to our requests to change the times of pickup by the drivers to modify our itinerary and is trying to get us a refund for the Pena Palace which we paid for twice due to the Palace not honoring our tickets on a day when the palace was closed due to fires raging in Portugal. That was stupid. They wanted us to go online to request a refund instead of simply replacing our tickets with new tickets. There was constant contact from Pedro to confirm what each upcoming activity was, the driver's name and WhatsApp # and the time of pickup at our hotels. We had constant communication texting both ways. This was excellent. We reviewed everything from each day's activities for him. The walking tour in Porto was a bit redundant and and we could have done without the honey and chocolate tasting tour. It fell short and felt like a time filler. Yet, we loved Porto. In contrast to all the churches, monasteries, palaces, and other historical places, we loved the nature hiking tour in Serra da Estrela and the follow up picnic. The walking tour in Évora was also quite good.

Hotel Reviews

Octant Hotels Palácio da Lousã

Lousã

This hotel was beautiful. The reception was great. The hotel was designed beautifully. The rooms were comfortable and the breakfast was amazing. The manager greeted everyone personally in the dining area during breakfast. And, they gave us hats to take away with us. What a nice touch. The only thing that out tour planner didn't anticipate was to arrange a dinner reservation when we arrived. They were fully booked for reservations and we would have loved to have dined there.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Évora Olive Hotel

Évora

Very good location, great breakfasts!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Lagos Avenida Hotel

Lagos

Great location, excellent breakfast, very attentive reception and staff, rooftop pool w/bar.

Authenticity & Character

Authenticity & Character

Location

Location

Staff

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Unveil the Fairytale Villa of Sintra with a Private Driver Service

Portugal

Driver was excellent with knowledge of the area. He pointed to things we should try. Not his fault, the Pena Palace was closed due to fires in the area.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Seamless Discovery - The Ultimate Douro Valley Experience with Private Driver Service

Portugal

The driver added personal history to enhance the trip. He grew up here and related what he did on his family's farm.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Hike & Bite with Peaks, Paths, and a Delicious Picnic in Serra da Estrela

Serra da Estrela Nature Park

Our guide was well versed in the terrain, pointing out vegetation as well as geological formations. He spoke well in English and made the hike go smoothly. He topped it off with a "picnic" which was a full lunch. This activity, in contrast to the churches and other historical places, was a highlight of the trip.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Our trip to Iceland was well planned and we had a great time! Jenny was responsive and made sure her recommendations were consistent with our needs. We completed the entire Ring Road in a week and really enjoyed the Blue Lagoon, whale watching, and the Reykjavik Food Tour. The South of the island has more sights to explore than the North and you could easily spend a week only in the South. I recommend kimkim’s service. It made planning easy!

Activity Reviews

Whale Watching from Akureyri

Akureyri

Great tour with knowledgeable guides. We were lucky enough to see whales breach, dive, breathe, and slap their tales!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Myvatn Nature Baths

Lake Mývatn

Ok experience. The hot springs were Luke warm. The Blue Lagoon is better.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Reykjavik Food Walk

Reykjavík

Great, knowledgeable guide. Interesting Iceland history and a sampling of foods you wouldn’t have tried otherwise. Highly recommended.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Blue Lagoon

Iceland

Amazing experience. The best hot spring I’ve been to. Worth the time and money

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

My trip to Ecuador and the Galapagos Islands was very pleasant and enjoyable. Thanks to Daniel, my travel details were ironed out before , during and after the trip. I had issues with my covid test result being delayed and had a mild panic, anxious situation, but with Daniel help I was able to enjoy the rest of my trip, During the trip, Daniel was very easy and fast to reach when I had questions . He helped me speak to one of the receptionist over the phone because I couldn't communicate in Spanish . Daniel is very thorough when booking tours , he would follow through with the tour guides and made sure they were there on time and explained what I would expect on the tours. I also felt safe knowing that Daniel was only a call away via whatsapp. I'm using kimkim again for my next trip because my experience with Daniel's help made a huge difference.

Samir was AMAZING to work with: super responsive, endlessly helpful, and made our trip seamless. My husband and I are picky travelers (we know exactly what we want!) so we went through several rounds of revisions with Samir - but he was *so* patient, and always delivered answers and changes really quickly. I can't emphasize on awesome he was at this!

Our trip went off without a hitch, in part because of the private driver, Mohammed, that Samir set up for us for our whole vacation. He made changes with us along the way as we changed our minds about small details, and we always enjoyed his company and felt taken care of and safe.

Regarding our itinerary, my husband and I spent a total of two weeks in Jordan and we really did *everything*. I'd recommend taking that much time making sure you make the most of this beautiful historic place!

Here's some of things we did
- Historic sites (Jerash, Petra, Umm Qais, often with private guides)
- Outdoor adventuring (Make sure you do Wadi Al-Mujib!)
- Desert (desert castles, Wadi Rum)
- cultural experiences (cooking class, museums)

Thanks again for the perfect trip to Jordan, Samir!

Activity Reviews

Trekking from Dana to Feynan lodge

Jordan

One of the favorite days of our trip! Even though it was a long hot day, it really helped that the trail was all downhill. And our guide, a local Bedouin, was excellent! He was patient, funny, and cooked us a perfect meal on a campfire along the trail

Quality of Experience

Food

Self Cooking Meal in Amman

Amman

We LOVED this and plan to add an experience like this to all our future trips! This was a great way to meet new friends, have a great meal, and learn more about the local culture.

Quality of Experience

Petra By Candle Light

Jordan

This is a great thing to do *IF* it's your very first view of Petra and the Treasury. The candlelight effect is really nice, and we got lucky enough to see the moon over the canyon, too. However, I wouldn't add this if you've already been to Petra :) all it is is a walk to the Treasury by candlelight, sitting on carpets and drinking a little tea, some local musicians, then shining floodlights on the Treasury building

Quality of Experience

We only dealt with Giustono in the beginning, but then were being expertly managed by Andrea, whom we cannot say enough about. He answered our calls, texts, questions in a timely manner and KILLED IT every time!!! I loved the experience so much, I’m working with another KimKim referral for next year’s trip to Argentina. 😊

Tour guide and bus driver was very good

We had a terrific 9-day driving tour through Western Slovenia, focusing on beautiful Triglav National Park. Domen Strle, our virtual tour guide and travel agent, chose excellent places for us to stay and activities including hiking, fly-fishing and touring. Without his intimate knowledge of the area and his responsiveness to our questions, we would have had a difficult time planning such a trip (our first to Slovenia). He quickly accommodated last-minute changes to our schedule (e.g., an unplanned but very worthwhile stop in Lubljana; changing the day of our fishing trip), and provided feedback on activities we discovered en route. Altogether, the trip was planned just enough to avoid the stress of finding places to stay and eat, but with enough flexibility to allow spontaneous, spur-of-the-moment activities. The ability to switch digitally from places on the overall trip plan to Google maps driving instructions made navigation easy and painless. It made for a very diverse and fascinating trip, which we enjoyed immensely.

Emanuela did an incredible job organizing our trip to Iceland, from start to finish! Her itinerary was perfect for our family, easy to follow and we appreciated her checking in with us periodically as well. We couldn’t have asked for a better experience!

Emanuela was great in planning our trip. The provided itinerary was highly detailed, easy to follow and very helpful. We appreciated all her dining recommendations and places to stop off the beaten path. Emanuela was very responsive and communicated with us during the planning process and checked in with us throughout the trip! Thanks for a great adventure

Activity Review

A Day at the Westmann islands

Iceland

Enjoyed seeing the puffins! Less busy than other places. It was nice to get away from the crowds. The island was beautiful!

Galápagos Islands trip review

This is the second time we worked with Mathias for our trip. The first trip was Ecuador adventure tour including Quito, Banos, and Amazon. It was a great trip.

This time we worked with Mathias for our Galapagos island trip and it was amazing. Mathias is super thoughtful, he made sure that every single detail of the trip was taken care of. He is very patient and is so accommodating with our requests and needs. When we first arrived at the Quito hotel, Mathias met us in person with a gift of wine, chocolate, coffee, and soap. This is such a wonderful personal touch that made us feel so welcome.

During the trip, Mathias was available any time we needed any assistance and fixed any issues. On one our trips that they put us on a tour without kayaking, Mathias made sure to put us on another kayaking tour—complimentary from him. In the morning we left for Galápagos Islands the hotel forgot to pack us breakfast, Mathias offered us free breakfast after we checked in at the airport. In addition, we got an upgrade for our flight back to Quito from Santa Cruz. All these gestures made us feel super welcome and taken care of.

All the day tours we were on were amazing: with awesome tour guides and on time pick up and drop off—not a worry at all from our part. We were confident that we were well taken care of.

I would work with Mathias in the future again. He is truly an incredible person to work with and I give him the highest recommendations!

Our trip to Costa Rica was excellent in every way. Olman did an outstanding job of putting together an itinerary geared to our interests and we were so happy with every part of it. We started with white water rafting on the Pacuare River which was unforgettable and exhilarating. And the Exploradores Outdoors guides were exceptional in their instruction, support, and unwavering vigilance. It was an experience of a lifetime for us . And our hikes near the Arenal Volcano and the Fortuna Waterfall were also unforgettable in their quieter way. I was very impressed with our guide, Randall, from Amazilla Travel, who was very engaging and remarkably knowledgeable about the volcano and the plants and animals of the jungle. We learned so much and I have brought back home with me the memory of the magical quiet of the rainforest. Every place we went we were pleasantly surprised with the quality of the accommodations, the food (which we will miss), the warmth and hospitality of the people we met, and the beauty of Costa Rica. Kimkim was the way to go for us.

Great support from Linda - all the KimKim crew was very helpful and supportive

Hotel Reviews

San Jose de Puembo Quito Airport, an Ascend Hotel Collection

Puembo, Quito

A very c harmful hotel

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Posada del Mar

Santa Cruz

I give 3 stars, as it was quite basic, but the reception was very friendly and helpful. Location was very convenient

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Vieja Cuba

Quito

Very charming hotel, with loads of character.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Transfer to Quito Airport, Arrival to Galapagos & Highlands of Santa Cruz

Ecuador

Our guide was super helpful

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Visit to the Charles Darwin Research Station

Puerto Ayora

Very interesting visit

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Excursion to an uninhabited island

Galapagos Islands

That was the peak of the holiday. We felt privileged we visited San Bartolome’

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Otavalo Market & Cuicocha Crater Lake

Quito

An interesting experience - a bit tiring, maybe

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Dimitris was an excellent help on my first trip to Greece. He booked us in wonderful, cute, small hotels, planned our transfers to perfection and was extremely accommodating to our needs before the trip, and as the trip was ongoing. I would certainly recommend Dimitris for anyone looking to go to Greece.

I love researching and planning trips but this year I just did not have the time to do it and as our family wanted to try somewhere new and different I was delighted to find KimKim ! The process of booking our Norway trip was really easy and Merée was able to design a customised itinerary based on a little feedback on our group needs and interests. This included some really enjoyable events that I don't think would have been on our radar had I been researching myself, such as Ciderhuset and Oslo Opera House. The kayaking in Sognefjord was a big hit. We had a nice amount of down time to go find our own experiences and found Oslo and Bergen really easy to get around, with plenty of things to do. The best part of the planning process was how easily we could tweak it before arriving at a final plan. All of our hotels were great and Merée managed to get the best room configurations for our group despite a busy hotel season. The KimKim platform was excellent for the planning process and also while on the trip, and Merée and her colleagues were very quick to respond when I posted enquiries. We really appreciated having them on board as they were very responsive and helpful when we hit issues with the travel delays that are unfortunately an inevitable part of travelling these days! Finally, the weather for our trip was amazing and definitely a big part of its success - although I don't think Merée can take the credit for that!

This is an overdue review for a trip completed pre-pandemic. Pauline did an amazing job planning the trip. We loved driving around and exploring the waterfalls, black sand beaches and cliffs. The natural springs were great too. Looking forward to planning more trips through kimkim now that traveling is more accessible!

We had a terrific time in France thanks to kimkim!

Isabelle was terrific to work with in the planning phase of the trip, and Joel helped us finalize details and offered us valuable on-the-ground support when we needed it. We loved our stay in Paris at the Baum Hotel that Isabelle recommended. It was in a great location, the breakfasts were delicious, and the staff was tip-top. Our excursions were excellent -- though the heat caused some members of our party to pass on a few of the planned outdoor activities. The catacombs and Louvre were wildly different, but equally intriguing. Everyone appreciated tasting the sweets on our Paris tasting tour. We were especially grateful for evening tickets to visit the Eiffel Tower -- not only because it was cooler, but also because we got to see the magic of the lights of Paris. A few of us braved the heat to see Versailles, and we won the jackpot with our Fat Tire guide, Nick. He was deeply knowledgeable about French history and culture, very clever and entertaining, and his positive energy and enthusiasm kept the group from flagging in the 100+ F temps.

After our stay in Paris, we journeyed south to explore some historic towns and our own family history near Loudon. The place we stayed, Domaine de Roiffe, was a spacious, albeit quirky place with an "old school" country club vibe that took us back at least half a century. The restaurant offered something for everyone, and we enjoyed excellent local wines at our family dinner.

Further south in Bergerac we stayed at an incredible accommodation -- Clos d'Argenson -- for five fabulous nights. Our hosts Francois and Ann Marie were wonderful, the three-story building was beautifully appointed and full of interesting art, we enjoyed spacious common areas to read, play billiards, and eat scrumptious breakfasts with homemade delights on the balcony. The grounds were beautiful and quiet, with a peaceful swimming pool we used each day of our stay. In addition to enjoying the charming city and local village connected with another side of our family tree, we took advantage of the excursions Isabelle recommended: canoeing on the Dordogne with spectacular views of castles and chateaus, visiting the site of the Lasceaux caves, and dining at a Michelin starred-restaurant in St. Émilion. A small group of us even ventured a couple hours away to see a French cyclist win Stage 19 of the Tour de France in Cahors. Worth the 2-hour scenic drive!

Our time in Bordeaux exceeded our expectations -- it's a spectacular city with so much to see and do, and the FOOD was fabulous everywhere we went. Because of road closures due to wildfires, the crew that wanted to visit the Dune of Pilat had to make alternative plans. Our place in Bordeaux, Maison Bordeaux, was in a great location and was quite nice, though my parents encountered a few minor issues that did not get resolved during their stay (e.g. their door did not lock).

It was too sad to say goodbye, so we decided to go with, "See you next time!" Thank you, kimkim, for helping us put together our itinerary, figure out the lodging, arrange for our three separate car rentals, the various transfers, and all the local tours/activities that made our time in France an unforgettable experience. We're proud of our French heritage and connecting with it together as a family was a true gift.

Hotel Reviews

Hôtel Baume

Paris

We loved our stay in Paris at the Baum Hotel that Isabelle recommended. It was in a great location, the breakfasts were delicious, and the staff was tip-top.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Professional, responsive, friendly, and competent.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Bathrooms were especially bright and sparkling clean.

Domaine de Roiffé

Roiffe

Domaine de Roiffe was a spacious, albeit quirky place with an "old school" country club vibe that took us back at least half a century. The llama and sheep grazing on the property were entertaining, and the horses were beautiful to visit on an early morning walk. The restaurant offered something for everyone, and we enjoyed excellent local wines at our family dinner. The breakfast buffet was also really good, and we enjoyed the outdoor eating option. If we'd had more time, some of our party would have enjoyed playing some golf, but we had to set out for our adventures in the south. The location was really great for us since we went to visit the Maison de l'Acadie in La Chaussée.

Authenticity & Character

The rustic charm was appreciated by many in our group, but others were concerned that we didn't have air conditioning.

Location

Very close to one of our family heritage sites.

Staff

Everyone was really helpful. Wait staff and front desk especially!

Cleanliness & Comfort

Same as above: The rustic charm was appreciated by many in our group, but others were concerned that we didn't have air conditioning.

Clos d'Argenson

Bergerac

We HIGHLY recommend this incredible accommodation. Our hosts Francois and Ann Marie were wonderful, the three-story building was beautifully appointed and full of interesting art, we enjoyed spacious common areas to read, play billiards, and eat scrumptious breakfasts with homemade delights on the balcony. The grounds were beautiful and quiet, with a peaceful swimming pool we used each day of our stay. In addition to enjoying the charming city, a local village connected with another side of our family tree. It was a perfect place for us to stay.

Authenticity & Character

The space and decor was both comfortable and interesting -- very tasteful without being pretentious.

Location

In the heart of the city center, but not noisy.

Staff

Perfect hosts!

Cleanliness & Comfort

The air conditioning was great. The bathrooms were sparkly clean, the linens and towels changed as we requested.

La Maison Bord'eaux

Bordeaux

Maison Bordeaux was in a great location and was quite nice, though my parents encountered a few minor issues that did not get resolved during their stay (e.g. their door did not lock). The parking on the premise was a tad clunky to manage (e.g. needed some help a few times with the gate).

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

The Sweet Side of Paris Food Tour

Paris

We ALL looked forward to this tour. Our guide was really friendly and easy-going, and she took us to some of the best locations for delicious treats. At our first stop, for eclairs, we asked about the history of the eclair and our guide was stumped -- which seemed a bit odd since she has no doubt been there many times. With the help of the internet we looked up the answer to our question. Problem solved. Later on in the tour, our guide had more of a handle on the history of specific sweet delicacies, which made the entire experience more interesting. Because it was a Monday, and nearing the start of the summer holiday for the French, a few places we would have stopped at were closed. It was not a big deal, but if I had been leading the tour, I might have called ahead to the places I planned to go to confirm whether they would be open or not. Despite a few places with locked doors, we got to see and taste a lot of excellent tidbits. The tour provided a wonderful orientation/welcome for our trip to France. And since it was a really hot afternoon, I would recommend including a place for ice cream or sorbet tasting. Lucky for us the tour ended near where we were staying!

Quality of Experience

I liked the fact that it was a private walking tour for our family group. We got to try lots of goodies and everyone was quite pleased.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Barbara was easy-going and friendly. And she had great recommendations for what to try.

Eiffel Tower Summit Ticket

Paris

We were glad we did this in the evening when the temperature was cooler. Our guide was really good, sharing history of the tower with us as we looked up at it from various vantage points. It was especially useful having him guide us around the different directional sections of the tower pointing out key sites below.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

It was nice having the option to walk the stairs.

Biking Day Trip Through Historic Versailles

France

This was fabulous!

Quality of Experience

Overall a 10 out of 10!

Guides, Drivers and Staff

We won the jackpot with our Fat Tire guide, Nick! He was deeply knowledgeable about French history and culture, very clever and entertaining, and his positive energy and enthusiasm kept the group from flagging in the 100+ F temps. He was also extremely helpful. When a member of our group had difficulty with her bike, he rode it back while we were getting our picnic items and brought her a new one. When the store we were shopping at lost electricity, he helped us get to the best places for alternatives.

Transport

When we got there the train that departs from our meet up location was not operating, so we had to get on the metro for a few stops and take a different regional train. The 3-speed bikes worked well for the flat terrain we had that included some gravel.

Canoeing in Dordogne

France

This was a winning excursion among all members of the family. The biggest surprise to our group was how MANY canoes were on the river at the same time -- it was not as crowded as "bumper cars" but you were never on a stretch of river when you were alone among your party.

Quality of Experience

Stunning scenery. Lovely way to spend a summer day. Three folks in our party of eight dared to jump from the rock ledge after seeing some other people do it without hurting themselves. Very exciting!

Guides, Drivers and Staff

The staff were really helpful at the point of set up and departure. It's just that we were surprised that no one shared more about the history of the river or offered any details about the specific sites we anticipated seeing along the way. It would be handy to have a printed guide with some interesting facts, or a basic orientation -- perhaps akin to what we heard guides sharing on the motorized tour boats along the river -- that would give us a bit more context to the region.

Transport

The equipment was good and the bus rides to the launch and from the end point were excellent. It was helpful that they provided each boat with containers to keep your stuff dry in the event of a capsize.

The Vezere Valley and Lascaux IV

Sarlat

Two of us eight had been to Lascaux II back in 1998, and we were impressed with the improvements afforded by Lascaux IV. Having the audio transmitter/headsets made listening quite easy. And the new space created as a replica to the original cave gives visitors more opportunity to get close to the cave paintings.

Quality of Experience

It's a powerful learning opportunity!

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Our guide was quite good and the exhibition floor guides were also very knowledgable and friendly.

Transport

Parking was not completely full, but quite crowded. As mentioned above, give yourself time to park and walk from further away than you might have anticipated.

Our trip to Colombia was amazing. I whole heartedly recommend this trip to anyone seeking an interesting, inspiring and fun vacation. Wendy was a fabulous specialist - very responsive, helpful and kind. We enjoyed so many activities! In Bogota we loved visiting the Traditional Farmers Market with Maria Jose. She was so passionate about Colombia and her work. We learned so much and enjoyed the fruit and market. We had a blast dancing during a LBGT night in Bogotá! Our guide throughout, Andrea, was absolutely lovely. We learned so much about the city, Colombia and a bit about what it is like to live there. We loved our experience in Medellín. What a beautiful city. Our guide Andres was awesome. We were in awe of how this city and the community has transformed after so much suffering. The vibrancy and passion we felt in the Comuna 13 was amazing. I think I will most remember the moving stories, hopefulness and how much incredible work performed by the community has transformed this city. We also had a fun evening out to a gay bar with Andres. Great conversations! The visit to the “silletera” farm was lovely as well. Our last days were spent in Cartagena. Really had some great meals! Also had a blast with the rum and chocolate tasting! As I write this review, I feel a longing to go back! It truly was amazing. My impression is mostly of the people we met, our guides and others we spoke with. I feel so grateful for how much I learned and got to experience in this beautiful country with such amazing people.

Activity Reviews

Traditional Farmers Market

Bogotá

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

The City of The Eternal Spring & Comuna 13

Medellín

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

LBGT Night in Bogotá

Bogotá

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Colorful Colombia: Hike to Guatapé Rock, Guatapé & Peñol-Guatape Reservoir

Colombia

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Enjoy Medellín Nightlife

Medellín

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Rum & Chocolate Tasting

Cartagena

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

To William , Stephen and all the KimKim team. Ron and I want to thank you for all the work you put into planning our trip. We enjoyed out tip through England to Scotland and back to England. All of the choices for our accommodations were wonderful. One of our favorite places to stay was The Upper Largo Hotel. The pub and restaurant there was so nice. The food was wonderful. Also, our accommodations in Port Isaac , The Slipway was so ver nice. All the Bed And Breakfast and Hotels were extremely nice. We would stay at all of them again.
The excursions, punting , Tea at Blenheim palace, The tour of Manchester stadium and one of our favorites was the walking eating tour. The guide was fun and so nice and very informative and all the places we stopped to taste food were awesome. Definitely anyone who wants to visit in Manchester I recommend that eating tour with our guide. From there we go to bath . Accommodations at the Abbey hotel were wonderful. Circus Restaurant was beautiful inside and the food was so delicious. We also toured the Roman Bath. We would recommend everything to anyone asking about our trip. Port Isaac was a wonderful way to end our vacation. Very beautiful village . Restaurants were all delicious. We never had a bad meal the whole trip. We are big fans of the British TV show Doc Martin and the setting for the show is filmed in Port Isaac. How fortunate were we to actually be there when they were filming the last episode of the series. From our balcony at the bed-and-breakfast we were staying in we could literally watch the actors and the filming happening.
Thank you so much for everything. Thank you for dealing with my phone calls I made through out the trip. There is not one bad thing to say about our trip. It was wonderful.

Ron and Gloria Beavers

Hotel Reviews

The Head of the River

Oxford, Oxfordshire

Beautiful setting. Food is delicious.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Setting, location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Very clean

Dakota Manchester

Manchester

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Lionsgate Guest House

Bicester

Absolutely wonderful place to stay. Very very clean. Great location to walking. Staff was wonderful. Will definitely stay here again

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

The Upper Largo Hotel

4 Main St

Absolutely awesome. Love this hotel the staff was so friendly and helpful. The restaurant was so clean and the food was out of this world delicious.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Love the charm. The setting and all the stuff

The Slipway

Port Isaac

Couldn’t ask for a better place to stay. Great view from our balcony. Such a charming village. Food was awesome at all the restaurants we try. All around definitely want to go back

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

The Eton Mess Boutique Hotel

Eton, Berkshire

Very nice place to stay. The staff were very accommodating and helpful. Set an a perfect location for touring.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hard Days Night Hotel

Liverpool

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Punting in Oxford

Oxford

Great experience very relaxing. The picnic lunch was out of this world. Way more than we expected. Loved it

Quality of Experience

Everything

Guides, Drivers and Staff

We were so lucky to have a seasoned guide. He made it a great experience and he was very knowledgeable

Transport

We were so lucky to have a seasoned guide. He made it a great experience and he was very knowledgeable

Liverpool by The Beatles - Classical tour

Liverpool

Old Trafford Stadium Tour

Manchester

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Eat the City Tour

Manchester

This was very enjoyable. Our guide was awesome and made the experience even more fun with his knowledge of the city. Everywhere he took us to eat was absolutely delicious. Just a lot of fun and would definitely recommend this to anyone wanted to do something in Manchester.

Quality of Experience

Everything

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Awesome. really friendly guide.

Transport

Everything

Cornwall Private Horse and Carriage Tour

Padstow

So fun and relaxing. Great getting to see the countryside from the horse and carriage

Quality of Experience

So fun and relaxing. Great getting to see the countryside from the horse and carriage

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Or guys were so friendly and very informative. Had a lot of fun with these guys

Transport

Or guys were so friendly and very informative. Had a lot of fun with these guys

Port Isaac Walking Tour

Padstow

Very very informative. Our guy was so knowledgeable and the village is absolutely adorable and had just so much fun on the tour

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

We had never heard of KimKim prior to booking this trip. Once we read the reviews, we were sure this is the agency to go with...and we were NOT disappointed. Our local specialist, Nada, helped us plan our trip from A to Z. She had really good recommendations, travel advice and was extremely responsive. Our itinerary, driver's contact details, hotel information etc. was all provided well in advance with a lot of detail so we knew what to expect.
Our driver, Awni Naser, who was with us for 5 days carting us around the sights of Jordan was exceptional as well. Very knowledgeable and helped re-arrange our itinerary slightly based on our needs for an even better experience. He gave us excellent pointers during the entire trip.
Our Jordan trip included Amman, Kerak, Mt. Nebo, Jerash, Petra, Wadi Rum and Dead sea. Wadi Rum and Petra were the highlights for us. We stayed in a panoramic dome "tent" (in Aicha camp, highly recommend the accommodations and food here). Nada also organized a dinner for us with a local Petra family, which was nice to see how people in the area live. We highly recommend the Petra By Night tour, it is simple and quite magical.
Overall, we have nothing but good things to say about our trip - very well organized and executed. We will definitely book with KimKim again for our next adventure. 5 stars all around (would rate it higher than 5 stars if we could!). Thank you very much, Nada and Awni!

Michele, our local specialist was fabulous! He went out of the way for us when we were called home early due to some issues at home. He made all the last minute changes we needed and they were perfect. The hotel accommodations we had during the entire week were very nice, but we especially enjoyed the Hotel Laki and Hotel Selja, both of which were newer facilities with more spacious bathrooms. The others were nice, too, but these were nicer. All the tips for things to see along the route were excellent and much appreciated.

Overall, we absolutely enjoyed our Iceland vacation. Iceland is so unique and special; it was definitely worth our effort. We enjoyed hiking to various waterfalls, such as Grundarfoss, Kirkjufellfoss, Gullfoss, Seljalandsfoss, Skogafoss, and those higher up on the hike to Skogafoss – Hestavaðsfoss and Fostorfufoss. We attempted to hike to the Glymur falls, but were turned away when we thought the log bridge crossing over the river Botnsá was beyond our capability – the river was flowing rapidly! We enjoyed driving around the Snæfellsnes Peninsula and hiking off of Road F575 and hiking to Klukkufoss and Snekkjufoss. Taking in the sights of Djúpalónssandur beach on the west coast of the Peninsula was a unique experience. Our adventure to the Secret Lagoon for a dip in the oldest swimming pool in Iceland – located in a geothermal area near Flúðir was warm and relaxing. We also thought the sights of Fjaðrárgljúfur Canyon were exceptional as was hiking in the area of the Svinafellsjokull Glacier near Vtnajökull National Park. But our absolute favorite activity was the Jokulsarlon Glacier Lagoon excursion! It was a magnificently beautiful and warm day and the sights were once-in-a-lifetime views. How special - we will remember it for the rest of our lives.