Kimkim Trip Reviews

From the start to the finish we have had an amazing and very easy experience with Olman as our advisor and trip finalizer. We wanted to see and do as much as possible all within a budget and this was facilitated brilliantly.
All our accommodations were as we asked - safe and not luxury (although to be fair it was more luxury than we are accustomed to so a great surprise). Every thing ran so smoothly, every pick up, every tour, everything! Mawamba lodge in Totrtuguero - boat to get there, experience there all fantastic (not even Olman could have predicted quite how the strom on our first day would be) and our programme shifted to accomodate as much as we could despite lightning curtailing some of this adventure. Food here was lovely and the night turtle watching tour was an add on that was brilliant. Car hire pick up really smooth - great vehicle (although Alamo hired us a car that later was stopped by traffic police for not legal registration - not our fault and not our fine just a few hours wasted - not Olman's fault and KimKim helped in the communication issues around this). Azania Lodge in Port Veijo Talamanca - fantastic with Green and Black poison Dart frogs on the doorstep - literally and also a resident Sloth! Great tour to Cahuita and also Ganduca Manzanilla - we booked our own guide having realised how much we miss in a forest without a guide - would recommend this. Eating out here was our favorite place as the Carribean vibe was awesome, chilled and very low key. On to La Fortuna which seemed a large complex - we try to avoid crowds, BUT our cabin was back left and Giant Crested Currasows, humming birds, frogs, toucans and more graced our balcony view that was uninterrupted. - Here we would recommend Bogarin trail as a brilliant wildlife hike - night hike here was stunning. Monteverde next and an adventure to drive here as the roads deteriorated but great lace and again great zip wires and hanging bridges - up close and personal with snuffling Coati. Manuel Antonio was fab - busy but our pre arranged guide was excellent in the park taking us away from crowds where possible for a good view without tripod war! We also Parascended, took a surf lesson and had a night mangrove tour here - all on our day off - it was a great day off ! Then the amazing Drake Bay Wilderness Resort - car drop off, river boat from Sierpe- and then arrival to this wonderful place we would love to return to - wow great staff, fabulous food and most of all expreiences - a walk in Corcovade Natural Park with Daniel and then also a brilliant day Snorkelling with an incidental Humpback Whale en route to the site. Our return flight to San Jose and all pick ups and transfers were prompt, in really clean vehicles and we just felt so safe at all points. A massive thanks to the team who listened to our requests, answered promptly and allowed us to have a bespoke self drive experience that has certainly filled our memories with sites, smells, sounds and emotions for years to come - especially the sound track of the oceans and Dink frogs. Thankyou so much for everything, we would not hesitate in recommending this brilliant company. We are in the UK and hesitant but a little research showed this company to have good reviews in the US - We are so happy we went with them and not a UK based company doing less for our time and costing more. Thnakyou so much - Pura Vida

Hotel Reviews

Drake Bay Wilderness Resort

Drake

Wow what a jewel, in our top 2 - BUT the top one for the all round package. We left the best to last. Great cabins - very clean, super views across Drakes Bay. Tours exceptional lead by brilliant staff - even the bar staff looked for wild life to show us in the evenings - Green frog snake eating a frog was a highlight of the in site non formal sitings. BUT Daniel and Mauricio were great on tours to Corvovado and Isle de Cano. Boat drivers were excellent in choppy conditions and also very respectful when we met Humpbacked whales. All food and drink was stunning and we could not have asked for anything more. Every thin is thought of without being upmarket if that makes sense. Even on our departure a boat to our taxi had a wet landing so they had a bottle to rinse our feet and a towel to dry them off before getting in the taxi. We would love to go back...

Authenticity & Character

This place was full of happiness, smiles, staff who were casual and really helpful and friendly, even down to taking some photos and then whatsapping them to us. It says basic lodges on the shore and this is it - but why do you need more than basic when the experience you get is fabulous.

Location

Amazing for views, for tours to Corcovado, for tour to Isle de Cano, for feeling chilled and away from the main groups of tourists....we loved it.

Staff

So helpful, so informative, so engaging and most of all super super friendly.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Everything from start to finish was brilliant. All kit was clearly cleaned and cared for so snorkelling kit was washed pre use, rooms cleaned daily, we truely loved this place.

Hotel Costa Verde

Manuel Antonio

Our room was fantastic with pacific views. Great AC. This was certainly more upmarket than we are used to. Phoning for a lift to a restaurant is not what we are accustomed to! Or to getting food delivered from the restaurant to our room after a late night tour. In a good location 10 minutes chilled walk from the beach. More monkeys than people was a logo and a truth, lots of wildlife in the area around our cabin - we had a fabulous time here. While the area is touristy - more so than anywhere else we had been, the hotel is great because all cabins are spread out.

Authenticity & Character

Lovely place to chill, watch the see and enjoy the wildlife - as long as it is not your shoes the capuchins throw off the balcony!

Location

Great views, great surrounding trees and the wildlife living in it. A drive to the local town - all good and the town is not that lovely anyway.

Staff

Very friendly and really great help in liaising and using phones to help an issue with our hire car.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Very clean and very comfortable.

Hotel Cipreses

Monteverde

Was a simple room and fine for what we needed. Nothing flash and on the ground floor a lot of noise in the morning BUT that was the tour group also staying there and not the fault of the property. Suit cases wheeled by the window at 6am seemed a little loud!

Authenticity & Character

It was a safe clean stop over - all we need for this. Very efficinet laundry service at this point needed in our holiday.

Location

Good for trip to the cloud forest etc.. as it was first drop off etc at the end. 10 minute walk to town and a little longer back due to the hill. But all good.

Staff

Lovely and friendly.

Cleanliness & Comfort

No improvement but nothing special, safe, clean and fine.

Arenal Paraíso Resort, Spa & Hot Springs

La Fortuna

This was a much bigger complex than we would have chosen complete with wrist band! BUT our cabin was in a great position and really enhanced our experience here - we had a lovely view from the back that had no cabins in....had we been in another area this would not have been the case. BUT we all gained a little digestive issue - so rather than finding a SODA in La Fortuna we ate in and the food was very nice and just what those who ate needed. Good hot tube - shame some people don't have the social skills to not have loud speakers in the pools but that is the fault of the tourist and not the venue. great position for a view of the volcano and also to get to the tour site.

Authenticity & Character

Our cabin was in a great situation and as such we had a great time and when in our cabin had great views from the back . Not sure how we would have felt not in the back row though.

Location

Good views of the volcano, 10 minute drive from La Fortuna, 15 minute drive from the Arenal Volcano park and hike.

Staff

Not really anything to improve, all good but no extra special feel.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Very clean and comfortable.

Azania Bungalows

Puerto Viejo de Talamanca

Our favorite place - well in the top 2- the situation, the vibe of the area, the wild life on site - Poison Dart Frogs, 3 Toed Sloth, Green Macaws, Agouti.... Despite heavy warnings of security for the area, it is clear that if you do not go out as a rich tourist, you do not court unwanted attention. Lovely cocktails changed daily for happy hour, fantastic tours of 2ereserves close by. In a way a shame it was so close to the start of out tour as we loved the area and the feel of this place.

Authenticity & Character

We just loved it all - the grounds, the room, the mezanine for 1 daughter, the animals....we loved it.

Location

400m from the surf....5 minutes drive from a very chilled and relaxed town with lots of food options - Chill and Cheese a great low key place.

Staff

Really helpful in all aspects.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Beautifully clean and really comfortable. Even the pool was spotless.

Mawamba Lodge

Tortuguero

Fantastic place with great facilities, food, tours on offer and staff. Only thing - if being incredibly picky was the very dark lighting in our room BUT that was a minute thing and really is of no consequence. Very clean, great pick up, as with all places great boat men and the turtle tour and lagoon tours were both really well managed and very much enjoyed. Food delicious and whilst off the same menu each day it was still hard to choose from what we had already eaten or trying a new dish. Location brilliant. Loved it.

Authenticity & Character

The sights and sounds of the wildlife everywhere, a dining room that you saw lots from, rooms with hammocks to swing in as the frogs and birds added to the ambience. Wow.

Location

Caribbean beach on one side, lagoon on the other what else would you ask for ?

Staff

Nothing too much trouble, all bilingual and so super friendly without being in your face.

Cleanliness & Comfort

I am sure some people would find something wrong but we asked for safe and this was safe, clean and we loved it. Fan worked well to lower the temperature, there were so many places to sit, chill, walk, wander, gaze, have a drink or just zone out.

Parque del Lago Boutique Hotel

San José

Very good place to be for the first and last night. A walk around the area was OK - the other end of Sabina Park would probably be better as behind this hotel were a lot of garages and opposite a very deserted building with broken glass etc.. The hotel itself lovely, good breakfast just situation could perhaps be better. BUT as we were hardly in San Jose we did not have the chance to get a good feel for the area really.

Authenticity & Character

Good over night, no more really.

Location

As per review - it didn't seem totally great area to walk around at dark - however we were not here for long at all and as such were not able to grasp a real feel for the area.

Staff

Nice and friendly and help ful as they semed to be everywhere.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Nice clean room

Activity Reviews

Isla del Caño Snorkeling Tour

Costa Rica

As with all aspects of Drake Bay Wilderness resort, this was a brilliant trip - well guided and stunning in our experience of turtle and a fabulous Humpback Whale siting - 10 minutes of mother and calf. The fish were mesmerising and very varied. Despite a big storm we were able to enjoy this experience a lot and visibility was good. Daniel, Mauricio and team were really helpful through out and all equipment super clean.

Quality of Experience

Just great from start to finish.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Really good and Daniel and Mauricio were supportive of all and really looked for the best sightings whilst seemingly having infinite lung capacity.

Transport

Great boatman in what was choppy at times. Always felt safe and boat was clean, comfortable and cheerful.

San Pedrillo Ranger Station Guided Hike

Costa Rica

When you see an anteater while drying your feet from getting off the transport it is a good omen! This was a great walk and we were actually taken to Sirena station deeper into the park which was fantastic. So much to see and hear. Daniel our guide was excellent and seeing Tapir was excellent near the end of our walk. All aspects were really enjoyed and standing and listenning to the sound of frogs mingling with howler monkey was magical. Peccaries foraging, primates, reptiles, birds all added to a day not to be forgotten. Even Humpback whales on the way and on the return.

Quality of Experience

Brilliant - from start to finish.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Excellent in all aspects

Transport

Boat transfers stunning.

Manuel Antonio National Park Guided Hike

Costa Rica

Really busy compared to all other sites we were on. The guide we had was great and despite the numbers of groups managed to evade much of the tripod wars going on for best sightings. Saw a number of new species, enjoyed lovely views and had a quick cool off in the sea half way around. Certainly a huge amount of people here compared to else where made this feel a little over crowded having enjoyed much quieter tours in the Caribbean area.

Quality of Experience

Good guide who acknowledged busy nature of area and tried to move out of this when we could.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

great knowledge and ability to spot even the smallest of creatures where others walked past.

Transport

Clean, safe and punctual.

Selvatura Park Self-Guided Hanging Bridges & Zip Lining

Monteverde

Whilst a real honey pot, this activity was so smooth and well run. All instructors at all points super efficient and friendly. Experience through the canopy was brilliant and we all loved it. Tarzan Swing fab, tandem zip lines great and then our daughters loved the superman. All in a fantastic location. Followed by a more serene but much enjoyed hanging bridge tour. With a guide we may have seen more but we had a magical Coati encounter on a path and actually it was great taking in the views we saw having been guided quite a lot already.

Quality of Experience

Just so well organised and run with no wasted waiting time

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Happy, fun, enthusiastic and super efficient / safe

Transport

Clean, safe and punctual.

Night Excursion at the Wildlife Refuge in Monteverde

Monteverde

Really god tour - heart sank as loads of people were waiting but all sorted into small groups and as luck would have it ours was just the 4 of us. Great guide and despite similarities of species seen we heard now things about them. Also saw fire flies, a snail eating snake and a kinkajou which caused much excitement as it raced across the canopy. What was great was our guide also took us to a dark area, we switched off all lights and then witnesses phosphorescent fungi on tree roots. Guides worked together to share sightings, side striped viper, sloth all hidden high up but all shared and seen.

Quality of Experience

Great and much enjoyed.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Very good guide, went a little off the beaten track for quieter sightings where he had experienced animals the previous day as well.

Transport

Loved our hire car

Nature Walk at Ecological Park & Butterfly Garden Danaus

Arenal/La Fortuna

The butterfly garden was really good as were sightings of frog - our first ones. BUT this garden seemed a little over managed really - compared to others, water features etc.. are not natural.. We had a good guide but it certainly was not a 3 hour trip - well it was when we re walked it on our own. Possibly the least impressive of all our activities.

Quality of Experience

It was really not the best of experiences, great frog sitings and butterfly garden good but it did feel more managed than natural.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Good guide- very infromative.

Transport

Self driven

Guided Hike in Arenal Volcano Park 1968

Arenal/La Fortuna

What a walk, what views and a great guide. "Mummy Nature is amazing" was the mantra of franklin. This was a great walk through the volcanic area where we were taught about the geology - pictures drawn on the floor by Franklin that the photos of will be used in our lessons in the UK. Great botanical knowledge and we smelt so many leaves and fruits and heard what they were for. Really was a great and well informed walk.

Quality of Experience

All round a great walk, great guide, great area and great experience.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Franklin the guide was like a favorite uncle! Really informative, fun and full of knowledge about the area. Also great for the right place to take the right photo. Smelling natural citrionella among a myriad of plant aromats was great and Franklin made this walk really very much more than just a walk.

Transport

Good, clean and safe.

Guided Hike in Cahuita National Park

Puerto Viejo de Talamanca

Great guide and we saw so much and realised how much you need a guide to maximise what you see. Sloth, various snake species, many reptiles, primates all seen and explained really well by our guide. Great walk, lovely cool of in the sea half way around. Really good experience.

Quality of Experience

Lots of great sightings and not over busy.

Food

We had a pineapple - as always seems to be the case but this was eaten rather like tequila and as such was sprinkled with salt and lime juice - lovely.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Very good guide - not in a rush and had an amazing eye for spotting both the great and the small.

Transport

Good comfortable pick up on time and clean.

Enjoy the Beauty of Tortuguero National Park

Tortuguero

Really loved this place. Great night tour to see turtles - saw 6 which was really special - 1 was awesome. This was an exciting night of moving through bush and beach fast, following red lights and seeing an incredible event all in highly regulated circumstances.

Quality of Experience

Simply awesome

Food

the hotel had great food - the turtle tour had none.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Great guide - we just need to learn a little more Spanish but that is our fault.

Transport

More great boatmanship

San Jose - Tortuguero

Costa Rica

Good coach pick up and excelent transfer to boat and boat trip to Mawamba Lodge. Breakfast en route also lovely. All good

Quality of Experience

All smooth and boat transfer was really good with added wildlife spots on the way,.

Food

A first lovely breakfast.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Excellent drivers of all sorts and the staff wild life spotting en route excellent.

Transport

All great, clean and safe.

We had an awesome time on the Ring Road! Francesca made a great itinerary for us, with a great mix of hikes, scenic stops, and cool towns. The logistics of the rental car and all of the great lodgings couldn’t have been better! It was very relaxing to know that so many highlights had been organized for us.

We just finished a ten day family trip to Italy. The 10 of us could not be any happier or satisfied from our experience. From the first days in Venice, then to Florence, and down to Sorrento, and finishing in Rome. Just wow. Every city brought to it, it's own beauty and character. Team Kimkim did an absolutely awesome job in every facet. Through booking and scheduling our tours, and trains to recommendations, and having everything so perfectly timed out. Any questions we had were answered almost immediately. We had so many great tour guides from Marica on our tour in Florence, from Umberto in Pompeii, to Jess our chef in Rome( who taught us all the perfect pasta and Tiramisu), to Barbara who led us so professionally through The Vatican and Sistine Chapel. I will most assuredly use Kimkim for future travel. Cecilia was our main contact through out the planning process and she went above and beyond. She matched everything we requested perfectly. She was incredible. I look forward to our next adventure and I will no doubt look to Kim Kim first. Thanks so much. The Smith Family

Hotel Reviews

The Republic

Roma

Very nice Hotel in a very convenient location. Staff was excellent. Could not have asked for a better experience. It helped create a home like feel while walking the streets of Rome

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

La Tonnarella

Sorrento

Speechless. The views are infinite. The staff very helpful. The town was spectacular. Just an amazing place.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Roma

Florence

Great Location, Incredible Staff, Lovely comfortable rooms.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Liassidi Palace

VENEZIA

Excellent. Great location. Friendly Staff.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Private tour of Colosseum, Roman Forums and Palatine Hill

Rome

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Private tour of the Vatican Museums, Sistine Chapel and Saint Peters Basilica

Rome

Our tour guide Barbara was amazing and just so knowledgeable. Honestly without her it just would not have been the same.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Pasta and Tiramisù lovers workshop

Rome

Chef Jess was the best. What a great time with family. A must do.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Pompeii Excavations half-day Tour

Italy

Umberto was so passionate and knowledgeable. The tour was very moving

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

SMALL GROUP TUSCANY WINE AND OLIVE OIL TOUR

Florence

Just Incredible. A must do for sure. Antonia was awesome.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Private Gondola Ride

Venice

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Murano, Burano and Torcello Excursion

Venice

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Our family trip to the Tayrona and The Sierra area near Santa Marta was memorable. Erik Ramirez our guide was terrific. His knowledge of flora, fauna, animals and archeology was superb and he maintained the children’s attention with his information. All three adventures were fantastic but Tayronaka and the inner tube floating experience down the Don Diego River left a special place in our heart. We are still waiting for the photos that Erik promised us.

In Cartagena Jose Miguel was fantastic. The temperature was quite high and he made sure to keep us cool and entertained. He was also very knowledgeable . Most memorable for both children and adults was the music and drum workshop at La Boquilla

Overall we were very happy with our guides and experience.s…Transportation to all locations was very comfortable with luxury air conditioned vans….Thank you Kim Kim, Felipe, Erik and Jose Miguel and all of the drivers and guides for a truly memorable experience.

Kimkim is a great idea overall, but could use some improvements. Adam and his team were a pleasure to work with. Their communication was very prompt and they were patient as I went back and forth with them on our itinerary. I really appreciated them wanting to keep the quality of our experiences top notch, even removing one from my itinerary and crediting me when they couldn’t confirm the guide they recommended was available. All our experiences booked by Kimkim were amazing and I would continue to use their service. I would say Kimkim could improve their service by offering an assortment of different activities with clear pricing so we could easily pick and choose which look the most interesting (like ordering off a menu at a restaurant). It wasn’t clear to me what the cost was of each of my activities unless I specifically asked which seems like wasteful communications going back and forth.

Activity Reviews

Private Half-Day Highlights Walk

Lisbon

Good way to see some of the sights around Lisbon.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Andre was hugely knowledgeable and helped us learn a lot about Lisbon history.

Transport

Toledo Family Experience & Sword-Making Workshop

Madrid

This was more like a 90 minute activity and we never took a full dagger home. It’s not like we needed one but that was a bit misleading based on the description. This was def something different than the normal activity so we really enjoyed it.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Our guide was helpful in dropping us off to get into city center.

Flamenco & Tapas Night

Madrid

This was my personal favorite…it was a perfect mix of food, drink and show. Lisa was an amazing guide and I hope you continue to use her.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

L More walking than I expected

Gummi is the bomb!! He was truly excellent in every way: organized, planned exactly the type of trip that we asked him to plan. He was available when we needed him and always replied very quickly when we visited Iceland! Couldn't have asked for a better experience.

Giulia did a great job planning this trip. My family of 5 with different interests had a wonderful time. Giulia made it easy and was very helpful.

Wow! Where to begin? We planned this trip to Morocco less than a month before we traveled and Ali and Kareem did an excellent job in pulling everything together.

We booked a private driver for my wife and I to travel through Morocco for our 25th anniversary. Ayoub was our driver and now our friend. He did an incredible job throughout the trip helping to guide us with local traditions and so much information. I would definitely recommend using Kim-Kim and I would recommend requesting Ayoub if he is available! Can't wait to come back to Morocco! Inshallah!!

Everything went off pretty much without a hitch. Flights booked through KK worked out well timewise and all the tours were well worth the time and money. They also hit all the major things I wanted to do st each location (Queenstown NZ, Sydney AUS, and Ayers Rock AUS). Liz was super helpful and made this super stress free to plan. Thanks KK!

Planning our trip to Peru had a whole bunch of hiccups because of the political instability in Lima. We had to reschedule our trip in the end, but Jessica was amazing at helping to navigate the changes and adjust our itinerary. We had a wonderful trip and we attribute this to all that KimKim did to make our experience as amazing as possible. Jessica answered all of our questions and made great suggestions based on my family's interests and travel style. We like to have more adventurous trips and Jessica helped us down to every last detail. There was always a guide and a driver to meet us and get us from point A to point B. The guides and drivers were fantastic and super knowledgeable and we had them all to ourselves. When 2 people in our family got super sick and we had to change our flights just a few hours before we were supposed to travel to another area of Peru, I contacted the emergency number through WhatsApp to figure out what to do. Kristy responded right away and provided amazing support to help resolve what became a very complicated issue. She helped to arrange for a driver and local contact to get me around Cusco to make the needed travel changes at the last minute. I absolutely could not have gotten our flights, plans, and hotel changed without all of them, so we're very grateful!

Peridot hotel: awesome breakfast, hotel is beautiful! The people/employees are wonderful!
Zoom: great guide and patient with us
Driver/transportation: transportation was awesome and roomie! We loved it! The driver was nice and professional, just didn’t interact with us much, probably due to the language barrier.
Ashley: she truly coordinated and I loved that she was readily available. We had times when we wanted to change the itinerary a lil and she responded quickly and we are greatly appreciative.
Vietnam: hot and humid! You have no control over that. The sites were nice and I learned some, but I sweated daily!

Activity Reviews

Cu Chi Tunnels & Ho Chi Minh City Tour

Ho Chi Minh City

I learned the most here and I liked it’s interactive nature-that u could touch and experience.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Dark & Bright Cave - Lan Ha Bay - Tuan Chau (Capella)

Ha Long Bay

The caves were not much of a cave, more like an opening. The cruise had great employees but I was happy it was only one night. That was sufficient to enjoy the cruise. The water in ha long bay was not well taken care of. Some debris around even when we were enjoying the water.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Hanoi City Sightseeing & Street Food Tour

Hanoi

Food tour was great! Some great eats!

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

We are so grateful for Maria’s help in planning our trip to Sicily. In addition, the responsiveness of Maria, Barbara and Jessica (from Storywalking) when we decided within a few days to cancel and then changed our minds to go on with the trip with about 36 hours notice. We literally called them in the middle of the night to rebook everything and within a few hours they did it. We were on the fence to going due to the fires and the airport issues but everything went so well. We are so appreciative of every little detail they put into our trip and their continuous check ins with us. And to have a cooking lesson in a home was over the top wonderful. Thank you!!!

Hotel Reviews

Apartment in Catania

Catania

It was a little small but overall we really liked the location.

Authenticity & Character

Beautiful.

Location

Loved having the breakfast place nearby and good restaurants below.

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Beds were very comfortable.

Apartment in the historic center of Palermo

Palermo

Loved the spaciousness of the apartment, it is huge!! The location was also amazing right within walking distance of everything!!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Perfect walk to everything.

Staff

We asked for a lot of recommendations and Roberto was helpful!

Cleanliness & Comfort

Apartment in Taormina with Panoramic Views

Taormina

Loved the location and the views!

Authenticity & Character

Spot on!

Location

Loved walking down the hill a bit for breakfast.

Staff

Great communications.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Fishing Experience near Catania

Italy

The weather conditions prevented us from doing the fishing trip. No fault of anyone!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

N/a

Transport

N/a

Arancino Cooking Class

Taormina

We were running late and missed the class!

Quality of Experience

We had a hard time finding the right door.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

N/a

Transport

Cooking Class at a local's home in Catania

Catania

The best meal we had in Catania and Sicily! To be welcomed into someone’s home and then to enjoy the food making and get to eat it all at a local’s home was the best! Angelou was perfect teaching our 12 year old, too. He was comfortable learning in her home.

Quality of Experience

Being in a locals home and learning more about life in Palermo was unique. So much better than a cooking experience in a classroom type setting. Plus it was a private experience so we were able to relax.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Palermo Street Food Tour

Palermo

We added a few people to the overall tour and it worked out great! Plenty of food experience for all! A great sampling of local street food.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Palermo Private Walking Tour

Palermo

We had so much fun with Marilu. She was fantastic, knowledgeable and was flexible with the tour as it was so hot. She brought us to her favorite coffee place, poked our heads in the door of a shoemaker and more. It was history in motion with the tour of sights and sounds.

Quality of Experience

Marilu’s insights and knowledge were perfect. She knew it was hot and adjusted with almond granita!

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Walking and listening and learning along the way.

Private Mount Etna Guided Jeep Tour

Italy

Our tour was great and tour guide was super knowledgeable and knows everything about Mount Etna. You could tell Marco grew up with the volcano and loved sharing what he knows. The kids listened to what he was teaching!

Quality of Experience

Perfect guide and tour

Guides, Drivers and Staff

He answered questions and we felt safe with his experience level.

Transport

My trip to Iceland was cut short due to illness, Eric helped to secure a refund for a ⛴️ that was booked through KimKim and assist with paperwork for travel insurance.
He was very helpful in securing accomodations and making last minute changes for our small group.

Kimkim is a fantastic concept- who knows better to plan your trip than a travel agent from the country of your destination? Arianna, our local specialist, was not only knowledgeable, she was extremely patient, totally professional, and tremendously helpful. We had no idea what to do or where to start and Arianna had it all under control. Her planning did not disappoint, everything about our trip was beyond our expectations!! We made adjustments to our itinerary several times, and she was there immediately to discuss our options and suggestions. We had many video conferencing calls...often past her workday hours due to the time difference. Once in Sicily, her colleague-Barbara was in contact with us several times a day, confirming transportation and the itinerary schedule. The transportation was first rate as well. There were always on time and very accommodating. My elderly father is not the most mobile, and our drivers made every attempt to get us as close as possible to our sites. I could continue with this glowing review, but suffice it to say that our experience was outstanding! I would recommend them to anyone who is planning a trip! I will be using them again :)

I love this service. I’ve always planned my own trips in the past, but this one just felt right for outsourcing as I didn’t know the country that well and didn’t feel like doing all the research. Gustavo was my guide and now having completed my trip, I must say I’m glad I gave myself this gift. He was able to book each of my requested activities - my favorite being the farm experience in La Fortuna, Costa Rica (I made my own chocolate truffle from scratch and made freshly-pressed sugar cane juice!) I liked this service so much that I booked my next trip while on this trip!

Hotel Reviews

Hotel Villas Lirio

Quepos

Lirio is like at the midpoint between Manuel Antonio National Park and Quepos. Quepos is the town next to the boat harbor and feels like a legit Costa Rican town. The restaurants and inns towards Manuel Antonio all feel like overpriced tourist traps. As for the hotel itself, I thought the “towel card” was strange. It’s a laminated card that says if you lose the card, you’ll be charged $20. I never used the pool, but it did look nice. The room was very clean, and the housekeeping came daily. The bed felt old and was made of springs. I appreciated that they had a restaurant since I arrived late in the evening, I was able to eat dinner and stroll back to my room. The wifi doesn’t cover all rooms. I was in room 303, and I had to sit next to the window with my iPhone in order to get signal. Forget about cellular; even with full bars, you don’t get squat. I like that they let me park my locally-rented moped in the garage for free.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Arenal Country Inn

La Fortuna

Consider the location before booking. I like that fact that it’s outside of town, so it’s relatively quiet except for the loud diesel trucks that roar down the road. On the downside, I was without a car and had to walk into town (20 min each way) to find lunch and dinner (the inn only serves breakfast). The room was good. Hot rain shower, everything was clean, breakfast was good, and towels were changed daily. I didn’t care for the $16 charge for laundry (even though I only had 2 items),

Authenticity & Character

It’s very much an inn

Location

It’s a bit far from town to walk

Staff

Staff was nice

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Review

Los Campesinos Farm Experience

Arenal/La Fortuna

The family that owns this farm is so sweet and hospitable. I would absolutely book this farm experience again just to make another piece of homemade chocolate and freshly-pressed sugar cane juice.

Quality of Experience

Food

I was served a home cooked lunch, which was one of the best meals I had in Costa Rica.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Valeria, Deborah and Daniela were amazing. Questions were answered immediately. It was very comforting to be met at the airport and given help boarding the train to Naples. All hotel reservations and bookings were seamless. No stress. Just enjoyment. Would recommend this team highly.

Hotel Reviews

Mediterraneo Hotel

Sant Agnello

An incredible seaside resort. The views of the ocean were breathtaking. The Vista Sky Bar was exceptional. The daily breakfasts were perfect and the service unparalleled.

47 Boutique Hotel

Rome

Excellent hotel. Centrally located. Friendly staff. We loved the daily breakfast.

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Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Private golf cart tour

Rome

The private golf cart tour was a fantastic way to see the city. It was flexible and allowed us to see many sights in a short amount of time. In retrospect, this could have been a good alternative to the long tours.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Cooking Class @ Fattoria Terranova - Sorrento

Italy

The cooking class was a wonderful experience for the whole family. We enjoyed cooking various dishes and the farm-to-table concept added to the charm. The only downside was a bit of a wait for our driver afterwards

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Small group tour of Vatican City , Sistine Chapel & saint Peter's Basilica

Rome

Again, the guided tour was good but felt a bit long. The quick walkthrough of the Sistine Chapel was pleasant.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Small group tour of Colosseum with Arena access, Palatine Hill and Roman Forum

Rome

The guided tour was informative, but it felt long and a bit tiring, especially in the heat. If I were to do it again, I might opt for a shorter tour.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Our trip included 2 days in Athens area, 3 days on Paros and 4 days on Santorini. It was a wonderful trip with timely transfers and very high quality hotels. Cici, our Athens food and Acropolis guide, was superb! She has a PhD in Archeology and studies Mythology for fun. We hit a number of small local specialty food spots, and then walked up to see the Acropolis. It was a perfect taste of Athens. On to Paros, which is beautiful and has many great restaurants on the water front and top notch water sports (windsurfing, wing foiling, speed boat tours) which we enjoyed thoroughly. If anything, we just wish we had more days on Paros - it was our favorite - and the Summer Senses hotel was very relaxing with great views. Santorini was classic Greek islands with lots of great food, shopping and a truly beautiful and luxurious sunset catamaran ride with grilled seafood for dinner. We also had some fun adventure on a Kayak tour of the southern coast of Santorini, and did some more windsurfing and Wing Foiling at the Namely beach. We were two families with 5 teenage kids and everyone loved it!

We had an amazing trip to Kruger National Park, Victoria Falls (Zimbabwe) & Choble National Park (Botswana). Lucy's recommendation of places to stay plus all the game drives/boat cruises were spot on. We got to see the Big 5! The people at the Lodges we stayed were fantastic and so so hospitable esp in Tremisana (a special shout out to Mamma Di, who manages the F&B). The rangers in all the locations were so knowledgable and took their time to explain about the animals and their habits. Overall, we thoroughly enjoyed this trip and definitely recommend this trip. A big thank you to Lucy for the organisation (even though there was a small hiccup in Chobe)

Hotel Reviews

Chobe Safari Lodge

Kasane

The hotel got our stay package wrong initially but it all ended well. We had a wonderful stay here, from room comfort to the food and the game drives/river cruise. The breakfast and dinner serving choices was great. A special recognition to housekeeping staff, Penny, for her initiative and honesty to check the room on our checking out and notice we had left a handphone in the room.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Cleanliness & Comfort

Shearwater Explorers Village

Victoria Falls

We stayed 2 nights here to visit Victoria Falls and the Elephant Sanctuary. The staffs at the front office and housekeeping were friendly and helpful. The rooms were adequate with all the amenities and good supply of hot water. The restaurant within the resort needs BIG improvement.....service was poor. Staffs were busy lingering amongst themselves at the counter and quality of food is poor. Breakfast serving was a major disappointment as quality of products at the buffett spread was poor.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Sunrock Guesthouse

Johannesburg

Stayed 1 night. Good location as it is near the airport if you are on transit.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Near airport

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Needs improvement on the heating

Tremisana Game Lodge

Hoedspruit

Basic lodge with homely feel. The staffs, from housekeeping, kitchen and rangers, were all so friendly and made our stay there so memorable. Will definitely stay in this Lodge if we were to visit Kruger again

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

1 Night Kruger Safari

South Africa

Great day spend in Kruger National Park....

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Activities at Chobe Safari OR Bush Lodge

South Africa

Great time doing both the river cruise and morning game drive.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Tour Victoria Falls

Victoria Falls

We thoroughly enjoyed our day visiting the fall.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Through the eye of an elephant

Victoria Falls

We had a wonderful time lerning about elephants here at the Sanctuary plus got to interact with the elephants.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Sunset Cruise - Signature Deck

Victoria Falls

We were a little disappointed with the trip....maybe our expectations were set a little too high.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

3 night 4 day Tremisana

South Africa

We saw what we came to see!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Our 8-Day visit to the tropical paradise of Costa Rica made us realize that life is good, it is very, very good.About the size of the American State of West Virginia, Costa Rica is a legend for its natural beauty, biodiversity and of course, its people.
It's our first time to use KimKim as a travel planner app when planning this trip. It matched us with a Costa Rican travel outfit, Serendipity Adventures. From the initial planning stage to the final execution, our local contact, Bryan Leon, tailored our 8 day visit ( as per our request and budget) to include a good introduction to the country. He did this by letting us sample the unbelievable landscapes of Arenal, Monteverde, and Manuel Antonio along with fun activities like trekking, zip lining, night walk in a cloud forest, guided nature hike ,and swimming in the ocean. Bryan was a complete pro in responding to our queries and a valuable local resource we truly relied on.In addition, Nancy and Charlotte from the main office in San Jose also made sure everything was seamless.
We had local guides who made sure that this trip was for the ages. Alex Quieros picked us up at our fantastic hotel in San Jose and drove us to Arenal where we experienced the rain forest and its wildlife. Alex was an awesome guide and driver. He conducted himself with professionalism, kindness, and charm. We felt very comfortable and safe with him. His driving skills were impeccable and he was a delight to talk to. Our second guide, Marianus ,took us on a volcanic hike and later a visit to the La Fortuna waterfall. He was engaging, immensely knowledgeable, and so much fun to be with. Our third guide, Andreas, was skillful at spotting wildlife with a tripod telescope. As both a certified guide and a researcher, he wowed us with his expertise in local flora and fauna.
In addition to the wonderful guides, Serendipity Adventures, made sure that we stayed at top-notched accommodations. Each of the places we stayed made thoughtful little gestures ( we were marking our wedding anniversary and we had bottles of wine waiting for us to enhance the celebratory mood).We were also impressed with the level of attention.
Overall, this short but immensely satisfying visit happened because of the expertise and professionalism of the crew at Serendipity Adventures. We can't wait to come back and we are already telling our friends and neighbors about our fantastic trip to beautiful Costa Rica. Pura Vida!

First and foremost, Angela was fantastic. She listened to what we were interested in and did not just do the standard greek itinerary. She was very responsive to our questions and always very professional even when we asked the same question twice. She also was super responsive during the trip when we had questions the day of - - she typically responded within minutes. As someone who travels quite a bit, I appreciated her approach and attention to detail.

In terms of the trip, we are not big fans of looking at historical stuff. We are more nature, wildlife and beach people. Having said that:

- we flew into Athens and landed around noon local time. We checked into our hotel and walked around to Zeus' temple and the parliment for the changing of the guard. We then did an organized tour of the Parthenon, which was great. We liked the tour guide and he was very informative. There is also a large museum at the base that I am sure would of been interesting to visit, but we skipped it in favor of island time.

- we loved milos.. Angela recommended it after listening to what we were interested in. It is not as touristy or crowded as the other islands but has a ton of picture perfect beaches. we rented a car (note the streets are very narrow, so be forewarned) and had a great time. We did the catamaran cruise which we loved - fantastic. we also did a 3 hour see kayak tour - we liked it as well, but it is not for everyone as it can be moderately strenuous.

- we enjoyed santorini. the buildings built into the cliffs are something to see and the views are fantastic. The shops and restaurants are nice, but duplicative. We are not big dress up for pictures people or bigger shoppers so although beautiful, Santorini is probably a once in a lifetime visit for us. We did a hummer tour which was nice - drive to various picture spots and then a nice lunch. We also did a catamaran. Other than the beautiful sunset at the end, it was good but not great compared to the milos one.

None of these critiques are about Angela or even Greece, but just observations to help you plan the trip.

Hotel Reviews

Art Maisons Oia Castle Luxury Suites

Santorini

We enjoyed our stay at Oia. The hotel was beautiful, like a cave built into the hill. However, we would have preferred a pool that was more in the sun.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Vira Vivere Houses

Plakes

We stayed in an apartment-style housing at Vira Vivere Houses. Initially, we weren't impressed by its location as it wasn't by the water. However, as we explored the island, we realized that most accommodations were similar. The unit was nice, and the owner was accommodating!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Niche Hotel

Athens

We enjoyed our stay at the Niche Hotel in Athens. It was clean, nice, and had a lovely restaurant on top where we had breakfast. Its central location was also a plus.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Hummer Ride Safari without meal

Santorini

Our Hummer tour was okay. We drove up to the top of the mountain, to the monastery, and a few other places. The guide was nice and did a good job. However, the excursion starts on the other side of the island, about a 45-minute drive.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Catamaran Sunset Cruise 2025

Santorini

The Santorini catamaran cruise was good but not as enjoyable as the Milos catamaran cruise. The crew was nice, the food was good, and it ended on a beautiful sunset. However, we felt the sights were not as pretty as in Milos.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Sea Kayak in Milos

Greece

We also did a sea kayaking activity in Milos. The guide was friendly, knowledgeable, and we had no complaints. The experience was enjoyable!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Full Day Sailing Tour Around Milos (Catamaran from Adamas)

Greece

Our all-day catamaran cruise in Milos was fantastic. The crew was great, and the snorkeling spots were good. We were with multiple other people, but it didn't detract from the experience. We loved this tour more than the one in Santorini.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Acropolis Afternoon Tour

Greece

The Acropolis tour was a great experience. Our guide was very informative, respectful, and overall a nice guy. While we are not that into history, the tour was enjoyable. However, unless you are really into Greek history, I wouldn't recommend it.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport