Kimkim Trip Reviews

This was my first experience with Kimkim. I was honestly blown away by the level of detail in the planning of the itinerary and the level of customisation available. Michael and his team went above and beyond to maintain a channel of communication and provide constant updates and information, at every stage of the trip. If I had any questions or issues, Michael was more than happy to assist- he even checked the entry requirements for the USA before I left Colombia and organised a nurse to come to my hotel to collect a PCR swab.
The highlights of my trip were visiting an organic Coffee farm in Medellin (Observatorio Agroecologico El Cafetal), hiking through Tayrona National park with a very knowledgeable guide and staying at Villa Maria and doing a historical biking tour in Cartagena with Tavo Reyes. I couldn't fault even fault the drivers - everybody was very friendly and accommodating and helped make this trip a memorable experience. Thank you so much :)

Hotel Review

Villa Maria Tayrona, a Kali Hotels

Los Naranjos

This is a beautiful, secluded hotel in the Tayrona National Park area. The staff were extremely friendly and went above and beyond to help with any issues or questions. I had difficulty booking a flight on my iPad and reception staff went out of their way to let me use their computer. It's little things like this that make a huge difference. The cabin itself was beautiful and clean, nestled within the jungle. The hammock was a nice touch! The food from the restaurant was also very tasty. I also loved seeing the resident Macaw interact with the guests. The hotel grounds were also beautifully maintained and there was a private beach located a short walk from the main area.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Secluded

Staff

Extremely friendly and welcoming

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Review

Coffee-Culture Tour

Medellín

This was an awesome experience. The coffee farm was a small, organic, family run farm on the outskirts of Medellin (around the Envigado area). The owner himself conducted the tour and greeted us with cake and freshly brewed cups of locally grown coffee. It was very interesting hearing about the coffee production process, as well as the impact of covid and recent weather events on global production. As a consumer of coffee from a Western country, we often don't consider or understand all of the hard work that goes into growing the trees, harvesting the fruit and processing the beans. We even had the opportunity to plant our own coffee plant seedlings. A very educational experience!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

We enjoyed everything about our first trip to Nepal! Actually, my husband had been to Nepal on business, but this was his first trip where he was able to mix business with pleasure. Kimkim, Himalayan Trails, and Amanda helped us from our first thought of "We want to see Nepal" to the finished product. We toured Kathmandu and its UNESCO heritage sites with our wonderful guide, Pratikshya; we trekked the area surrounding Pokhara with expert trekking guide Naresh; we toured Chitwan National Park with the folks at Jungle Villa. Himalayan Trails took care of us always, arranging our transfers, tours, hotels, flights, Covid tests, etc. We highly recommend using their expertise to plan your trip to Nepal. Some of our highlights and favorites: we loved our 'luxury lodges' on our trek with happy hour, delicious farm-to-table cooking, and comfortable rooms - a great complement to the fabulous Nepali mountain scenery and the welcoming nature of the Gurung people (hint: prepare physically for your Nepal trek - it's more strenuous than most hiking in the USA). It was wonderful to visit Chitwan National park and the Tharu people; we saw rhinoceros, small animals, and birds (the tour on the previous day saw sloth bear). And, of course, Kathmandu is a treat - a mix of history, art, culture, religion with so much to see and do. All in all, we had a wonderful experience thanks to Amanda, our guides, and the lovely people of Nepal.

Thoroughly enjoyed the trip, everything was planned perfectly and Michael was more then accommodating for any last minute alterations that we had.

Hotel Review

BH Bicentenario

Bogotá

Authenticity & Character

No

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Review

Bogotá Walking Tour

Bogotá

Our tour guide luis was awesome

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

A first-class experience! Our specialist, Dimitris, created an island-hopping trip to Paros, Naxos, and Santorini that more than met our expectations. After a long flight that arrived after midnight, the arranged transportation to the Electra Hotel was really appreciated. Dimitris’ selection of this first hotel was amazing - waking up to find the view of the Acropolis while enjoying breakfast on the balcony and the short walk to see the changing of the guards at the Greece Parliament were unexpected experiences since we were in Athens a brief time.
Having Dimitris organize the airline, ferry and transfer arrangements within Greece made an incredible stress-free difference from self-planning. He arranged the perfect combination of free days with suggested activities as well as planned experiences on each island. We hiked with Chris from Paros Hikes along the Byzantine Way, chatting about history and plant life. The hike with Thanos in Santorini took us along the caldera, getting amazing views, photos, and the best restaurant reservation. In Naxos, we wandered with Kyriaki thru the old town castle area, tasting wonderful local food. Kyriaki went out of her way to buy and deliver tomato jam to our hotel the following day! The wine tasting at modern Estate Argyros in Santorini was informative and paired with delicious bites. All of those were top-notch. Poor weather conditions prevented the all-day catamaran cruise in Naxos, which was disappointing. However, the cooler weather resulted in renting cars and exploring parts of the islands we may not have otherwise seen. Car rental was easily arranged through our hotels and reasonably priced.
A special note about our hotels: We requested hotels with a balcony for down time which all had. In addition to the Electra Hotel, we especially enjoyed the boutique Hotel Iris in Paros and the Saint Vlassis Hotel in Naxos. Both were in a walkable location to restaurants and shopping. We experienced the wonderful Greek hospitality and as we left, we felt we were leaving new friends behind. We would have enjoyed the Santo Miramare Resort on Santorini more if the weather had been warmer. Its location is close to the beach and numerous restaurants. Returning to Athens, the Vouliagmeni Athenian Riviera hotel was walkable to the beach. The receptionist arranged for necessary travel Covid tests at a nearby clinic, convenient and inexpensive.
A special note to Dimitris: we appreciated the phone calls when our catamaran cruise cancelled and when we misunderstood the winery location.
This 16-day Greek trip enriched with culture, history and food is one we will never forget. We highly recommend KimKim and Dimitris for your adventures in Greece!

Throughout the process of being assigned to Othman at the start of our use of KimKim, we had difficulty understanding what he was doing or saying. It should have been a sign for us to back out of using KimKim.
Othman carried out a plan for us that seemed to ignore some things that were most important to us and seemed scripted and geared toward his personal favorite things to tell tourists to see.
The first example of "The Othman Scripts" was his "Welcome to Reykjavík" and "So happy you enjoyed your day" message, which he posted about 4 weeks before we landed, and it was written for travelers who arrive early AM, not late PM (we arrived at 9:00 PM/21:00)- so his message was off-putting and irrelevant.
Our itinerary seemed to have been pre-written from other travelers' itineraries and often included places we had no interest in seeing and Othman often placed our personal stated goals into his "alternative ideas"- "if you have time" section.
Upon de-boarding and making our way to the transport service, our itinerary listed one company and our voucher listed another. Our voucher said drop-off at hotel and the actual drop off was at a church. Not that walking at 10:00 PM at night in Reykjavík is too dark as they days are long and we easily got to our self-booked hotel which was so charming and clean.
We were assigned to EuroCar for our vehicle and were assigne a similar model at the airport the evening of day 2. We spent several hours the next day driving to one of their stations in Akureyri and waiting as they located a SIM card and black box so we had wifi connection for our driving directions. (One has a 50-50 chance of dealing with a friendly hospitality specialists or a rude hospitality specialists in Iceland.) As never-been-to-Iceland-before tourists, we definitely got our first dose of rude hospitality at EuropCar in Akureyri. The initial male we experienced (after several minutes of ignoring our presence and then assisting a male customer who walking in after us) kept asking us to produce a black case from our vehicle which of course we did not have and was the reason we were there to begin with. Luckily the female who rented us the car at the airport arrived at this station and began to help us obtain the missing SIM card and routing case. After about an hour, a new SIM card was successfully activated. And we finally began our sight-seeing for the day.
Driving times did not seem to factor into Othman's planning so there was no way to both experience his suggestions and our personal interests (which were too-often listed as "alternative sites"). By day 3 we knew to research our personal interests and then focus on what mattered to us (what attracted us to Iceland in the first place).
Any tour that had issues due to weather was fine with us. On day 4 our Geothermal Spa tour was unpleasant because the hospitality experts there are rude. Othman did not think to add towels to our tour package and he did not warn us to bring towels from our hotel. So the hospitality staff took pleasure is insulting us for not knowing that our "basic tour" did not include a way to dry off. By this time in our tour, it was becoming clear that had we done everything ourselves, and not relied on KimKim's "self-guided tour", we would have had a smoother experience all the way around. Everything that we had booked ourselves was splendid, things that Othman booked were often incorrect or chaotic or poorly thought-out. Although in retrospect one of Othman's or KimKim's scripts may have said "make sure you follow Covid policies", it was not mentioned during our stay, nor were we reminded to check on need for Covid testing before going to the airport. It would have been a nice and helpful touch for KimKim/Othman to just check in on us and try to save us money and time by telling us about the Covid testing site on the way to the airport. Spending extra money and time on cabs and testing right before our departure after a less than stellar KimKim experience was not appreciated. We are happy we came and saw Iceland. We are not happy we were assigned to Othman or that we used KimKim.

Hotel Reviews

Húsavík Cape Hotel

Husavik

The two owners have been running this hotel for about three weeks. They are passionate about their unique gallery (Eurovision-themed) and this was an interesting, quirky, and fun bonus. The rooms was clean, the staff was friendly. The current cooks are from Naples so the pizza and tiramisu was delicious. The breakfast was the weak point. No yogurt (a specialty of Iceland), no hot food. Bread, meh. Cucumbers fresh and delicious. Heinrich was quick to honor local restaurants and gave an excellent recommendation for dinner. We are "foodies" and the suggested restaurant was a Win.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Odinsve

Reykjavik

We booked this hotel ourselves and it was charming, clean, well-situated for sight-seeing and had super friendly staff!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Sveinbjarnargerdi

Svalbarðsstrandarhreppur

Although rooms are rustic, they are clean and get the job done. The food here was the best of all hotels booked by KimKim. The staff is generous and kind.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Although rooms are rustic, they are clean and get the job done. The food here was the best of all hotels booked by KimKim. The staff is generous and kind.

Grand Hotel Reykjavik

Reykjavik

We booked this hotel ourselves and it is a great find. Loved the gym, restaurant, locations was good good. Free parking was a Plus. Friendly staff and waiters. Delicious cuisine in the restaurant. One weird thing which we tried to fix ourselves. The air-draft beneath the door to the hallway is quite loud- like a continuous running loud vacuum. We placed a towel there to dampen the sound so we could sleep. It worked well-enough.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Laugarbakki

Laugarbakki

Food was nice. Staff very friendly and helpful. Rooms were very modern, minimalist, and clean. Very updated and pretty. Horses, ponies nearby and swing set for children. Outdoor hot tubs were popular.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

GeoSea Geothermal Sea Baths Experience

Iceland

The pools themselves were pretty and did overlook the ocean with land between the two. Of course it was snowing the day we were there so visibility was limited and our heads were exposed to the snow and cold as we did not have hair/head covers. Water was warm and relaxing from the shoulders down.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Friendliness, understanding that travelers using a travel company are not made aware of details odf what's included in the package purchased by the tour company.

Skutustadagigar Pseudocraters

Lake Mývatn

Cold snowy day. Not much to remember.

Quality of Experience

Blue Lagoon

Iceland

The lagoon is very pretty and the hospitality staff were informative and friendly. A towel, silica face mask, and drink were included with the experience which was appreciated.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

self transport

Robert arranged a perfect 2-day introduction to Croatia. We are looking forward to continuing our adventure next week. Bruno, our excellent guide and driver, gave us amazing experience at Plitvice Lakes and Zadar. His knowledge of and passion for his country was evident and inspiring.

First and foremost, accolades to kimkim, Espiritu Travel, and Karin Eckhard for planning my family’s trip to Portugal; it was extraordinary. We are still reminiscing about the culture, food, and people of Portugal. Karin did an incredible job developing our very thoughtful and organized trip plans.

The tours and private transfers that Karin arranged were above outstanding. Our tour guides and private transfers were prompt, professional, and very personable. Our tour guides were extremely knowledgeable about the various parts of Portugal that we visited and each one made our experience a true five-star delight: Porto (Sergio, Pedro), Douro Valley (Nelson), Aveiro (Marta), Coimbra (Marta), Tomar (Marta), Lisbon (Marta), Sintra (Nuno), Cascais (Nuno), Evora (Miguel), and other various locations in the Alentejo Region (Miguel, Joanna) and the Algarve (Pedro).

The hotel accommodations that Karin arranged were beyond expectation. The beauty and quaintness of Infante Sagres Hotel in Porto made us feel like we stepped back in history. Corpo Santo Hotel in Lisbon enveloped us in a part of history pampered by the staff and remarkable amenities. The M’ar de ar Aqueduto in Evora was classic and serene offering an exceptional gastronomy experience. The Tivoli Carvoeiro Algarve Resort was a beautiful, ocean paradise.

Special shout out to Marta for taking us to several quaint cafes off the beaten path that were special to her.

Karin was accessible throughout our trip. Her messages were timely and she assisted us with restaurant reservations on a number of occasions. She made us feel like VIPs. We are already talking about our next trip, and we will definitely want Karin to be our point person. We are also highly recommending kimkim, Espiritu Travel, and Karin to family, friends, and coworkers.

Obrigada!!!

Hotel Reviews

Infante Sagres

Porto

The beauty and quaintness of Infante Sagres made us feel like we stepped back in history. Excellent breakfast and very lovely staff.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

M'ar de Ar Aqueduto

Évora

The M'ar de Ar Aqueduto hotel was classic and serene offering an exceptional gastronomy experience. The spa was great and the hotel grounds are beautiful.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

M'ar de Ar Aqueduto

Évora

The M'ar de Ar Aqueduto hotel was classic and serene offering an exceptional gastronomy experience. The spa was great and the hotel grounds are beautiful.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Privately Guided Visit of Porto

Porto

Embarking on our first full day in Portugal we met our lovely guide, Pedro, and immediately delved into Porto’s history through a walking tour. Pedro was warm and patient, adjusting the pace of our tour as necessary to help accommodate the elderly. He was extremely knowledgeable about Porto’s history, and he answered all of our questions along the way. Engaging in conversation was a breeze and very insightful. We truly felt Pedro went above and beyond. We highly recommend this tour!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Porto Foodie Experience

Porto

Shortly after arriving to Portugal, we met with Sergio for a walking culinary experience. Sergio was very personable and knowledgeable about Portuguese cuisine (cod, sardines, traditional dishes, and pastries) and wine. Sergio guided us through the city center experiencing great dishes, cafes, and restaurants along the way, then he led us off the beaten path to experience more local treasures. This tour was an excellent way to begin our Porto experience!

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Private Day Excursion: Sintra, Cascais & Estoril

Portugal

Our excursion to Sintra and Cascais with our amazing guide, Nuno, was pretty magical. The Quinta da Regaleira that we visited in Sintra was like something out of a fanciful novel. Every bit of it was picturesque and at the risk of sounding corny, exploring the grounds was full of wonder. Nuno then took us to Restaurante da Adraga, the best beach-side, seafood restaurant we’ve ever been to. The food, wine, dessert, and service were top notch. After lunch, Nuno made sure we had an opportunity to visit and enjoy the shops and sights of Cascais. To top off our experience, this particular day was Freedom Day. Sharing in that moment with Nuno was a heart-warming experience. We feel blessed to have such wonderful and vivid memories of this day.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Private Transfer {{start_location}} to {{end_location}}, via Beautiful Tomar

Portugal

If you have a curiosity or enthusiasm for the Middle Ages, Tomar is a place that transports you to the period of the Knights Templar. Here, in Tomar, we visited the Castle of the Knights Templar. This site is an architectural marvel, and we were graciously allowed time to really take in the expanse of the castle and its grounds. Moments were powerful, serene, and haunting. A must-see for any history buff!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Guided Visit of Aveiro with Tuk-Tuk & Boat Tour

Portugal

The day in Aveiro and Costa Nova with Marta was a treat! Marta is an incredibly knowledgeable guide with a well-rounded repertoire of places to visit and things to try. First, we spent the morning and early afternoon touring Aveiro, learning about the city’s large array of Art Nouveau buildings as well as its history as a once, major exporter of sea salts. We viewed the active salt flats via tuk-tuk and visited local shops by foot to collect a variety of local salts, canned fish, and egg yolk treats. Perfect for culinary aficionados or home cooks! We also enjoyed a boat tour on the canals of Aveiro where we learned that many of the guides are indeed local fishermen. It was a charming city. After Aveiro, Marta took us to dine in another town called Costa Nova. Here we enjoyed a fresh and delicious seafood lunch at Canastra do Fidalgo. Conversation with Marta was intriguing. We felt like we understood Portugal and way-of-life in the country much more holistically through her insights.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Excursion to Alentejo - Jeep Safari Through a Cork Fork & Visit to an Olive Oil Estate

Lisbon

Now into the wild: the safari cork tour was a quiet diversion from our city excursions, as we made our journey south to the Alentejo Region. Our safari’s guide, Joanna, was both personable and quite knowledgeable about the lands that produced cork and wine. Always interested in understanding origination, production, and distribution, our visit to a cork factory after our safari tour was appreciated. One of us is now happily awaiting a unique piece of cork furniture directly from Cortiçarte. Our primary guide in Alentejo/Evora was Miguel. Miguel was outstanding! He truly went above and beyond to maximize our experiences in the region with care, consideration, and kindness. Amongst the most enjoyable of the experiences that we shared in the Alentejo was our visit to the small olive orchard, the Monte da Oliveira Velha estate, where Amor é Cego is produced. There, our hosts João and family warmly greeted us and shared the history of the estate before welcoming us to their table for an olive oil tasting and lunch. This experience was truly special.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Private Transfer Hotel to Hotel

Porto

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Get to Know Lisbon

Lisbon

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Fado Dinner Experience

Lisbon

Quality of Experience

Food

Private Transfer Évora to Lisbon Airport

Évora

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

4X4 Algarve Sunset Experience

Portugal

There was no better way to end an amazing trip to Portugal than with an Algarve sunset experience guided by Pedro! Pedro was very personable, courteous, and possessed a wealth of knowledge of the Algarve. En route to St. Vincent Cape of Sagres via a 4WD jeep, Pedro took us to see some of the most picturesque views of beaches and breathtaking landscapes, particularly Cordoama Viewpoint! Pedro planned our experience perfectly giving us plenty of time to take in these views along the way. Our trip concluded at St. Vincent Cape of Sagres where we witnessed the most captivating sunset while enjoying great wine and bread with chorizo.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Day Excursion to Douro Valley: Wine Tasting & River Cruise

Porto

Our day started with meeting our incredible tour guide, Nelson, who guided us on our day excursion to Douro Valley. He filled us with the history of Douro Valley; Portuguese history and culture; and, insight on the vineyards' planting, harvesting, and production. One of the highlights of our tour was our lunch at Toca da Raposa, a quaint, family-owned restaurant that featured an excellent menu and wine selection. The wine tasting at Quinta da Pacheca was a charming experience, which we thoroughly enjoyed.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Planning a trip of a lifetime is never easy, expectations are high!   Deciding to partner with KimKim was a bit of a gamble, we hadn't worked with KimKim in the past...or even heard of them.  They delivered, specifically Alessandro delivered for us.   It all started in Rome and visiting the many sites.   Alessandro orchestrated drivers and guides that made the experience unforgettable.   Then onto one of the most picturesque locations in Italy...if not the world, the Amalfi coast, staying at the Hotel Le Agavi was perfect.   The guided tours, hiking the coast and dinners on the beach capped with a boat small group tour of Capri was just perfect.  Finally a small group cooking class overlooking the town of Sorrento was an excellent way to recover from all the hiking and tours.  Onto Umbria and Tuscany regions,  the magnificent views, wine tasting and visiting the areas of Citta della Pieve and Montepulciano were fascinating .   Our stay at Borgo Dei Conti Resort Relais Chateaux was incedible. Ending with a great stay in Firenze visiting San Gimignano capped off a trip of a lifetime!!   Thanks  Alessandro for pulling this all together and making this trip a perfect memory!! 

Hotel Reviews

Borgo Dei Conti Resort Relais & Chateaux

Perugia

A perfect location to get away! Excellent service a quiet and relaxing atmophere.

Authenticity & Character

Location

out in the country side, beautiful country.

Staff

Excellent xervice, attention to details.

Cleanliness & Comfort

it was perfect!

47 Boutique Hotel

Rome

great location in the center of Rome

Location

center of Rome

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

LAZIO: VATICAN MUSEUMS AND SISTINE CHAPEL 3-HOUR WALKING TOUR WITH A PRIVATE GUIDE

Rome

CAMPANIA: HALF-DAY AMALFI COAST SCENIC TOUR WITH A PRIVATE DRIVER

Positano

The guide was very engaging, friendly and new the area well. All the special spots and even made recommendations to "bet the crowds"

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

CAMPANIA: SORRENTO COAST & CAPRI SMALL GROUP TOUR BY BOAT

Positano

the boat/guide company was excellent. the small group made it very enjoyable

Quality of Experience

Transport

I would like to thank Mohamed, Abdellah, and the team at KimKim and Original Travels for their effort in organizing the entire nine day trip my parents and I took in Morocco (we are from California, USA). Faisal, our driver and guide, was especially excellent and went out of his way to take care of my parents and I and catered each leg of the journey towards our preferences and needs. All the day tour guides, including Mohamed, Hanan, and Hashim, were extremely knowledgeable and helpful as well. The itinerary was written in detail for us prior to the trip, and the team ensured that we covered whatever essentials of Morocco we could within the timeframe we had. Camping in the Sahara Desert near Merzouga and Fes were our favorite parts! The only downside we experienced was our hotel in Fes which did not have hot water and a lack of advance communication about having to walk far into the medina with quite a few suitcases for one or two of the hotels. This was conveyed to the company, and they went out of their way to make alternative accommodations for us and were prompt in integrating our feedback. They were extremely friendly to interact with, almost like family, with excellent and timely service. I would definitely recommend to all my friends and family. Morocco is a beautiful country with warm, loving people, and we will be back at some point!

Hotel Reviews

Riad Ghita

Fes

Riad Ghita, the people were friendly and breakfast was well-arranged. However, there was no hot water in the room, and we had to go upstairs to shower to receive hot water, which was not a problem for me, but my parents who are older could not climb the stairs and were forced to take cold showers. The faucet and flush were also broken, which is completely unprofessional.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Tiziri Luxury Camp

Merzouga

Ahmed and staff were absolutely amazing, the tent was extremely comfortable with fantastic amenities! The food was great too! Staying here is a must do for any Morocco trip, I can't wait to be back!

Authenticity & Character

Location

I liked it, but our camel ride was two hours (expected one hour), so would have appreciated to have known that. Otherwise great!

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Odyssee Center

Casablanca

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Dar Rihana Dades

Douar Aït Ouffi

Beautiful view and hotel! Staff was very nice and they went out of their way to ensure that we were comfortable and made food according to our dietary restrictions. 100% recommend!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Dar Mounir

Chefchaouen

We didn't know that the hotel was far from the street, but otherwise the food was excellent and amenities were sufficient!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Great experience, higher up the stairs so may be harder for older travelers

Activity Reviews

ATV Ride in the Dunes of Merzouga

Merzouga

So much fun!! Must do!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Guided Tour of Fez Medina

Fes

Mohamed was an excellent guide, very informative tour with plenty of knowledge about Moroccan history.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Dine with a local family

Morocco

The host family was so sweet, treating us as if we were part of their family. They made so much food, that I wish we had the stomach to fit everything! The Moroccan clothing with music and dance was a lot of fun!

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Transfer from Fes to Merzouga via Erfoud & Camel Ride

Morocco

Fantastic experience! The only thing was the camel ride was two hours nonstop, which was difficult for my mom who is older and we were under the impression that it was one hour. Would have appreciated communication on that but otherwise it was the experience of a lifetime and highly recommend that anybody coming to Morocco does not miss this!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Half-Day Guided Tour of Marrakech

Marrakesh

Hanan was amazing, she was very knowledgeable regarding the history of Marrakech and the riad, and helped us in depth as we navigated bargaining in the souks. Highly recommend her for your Marrakech tour!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

We had such an amazing trip to Peru, thanks to KimKim. Our local specialist, Liz, listened to our preferences to build a memorable itinerary. We had a great mix of food/culture and adventure, between Lima, Huacachinca, Cusco, and Machu Picchu. On the trip itself all of the guides were very friendly and knowledgeable and provided private tours that felt very special. Our trip required a lot of logistics (I.e., many vans, buses, trains, and planes), and each transfer felt seamless and safe. Highly recommend!

Hotel Review

El Mapi by Inkaterra

Cusco

Very cool and unique vibe with great food and drinks.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Explore Machu Picchu & Return to Cusco

Peru

Private Peruvian Food Tour in Artsy Barranco

Lima

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Shared Huacachina Adventure: Buggies & Sand Boarding

Huacachina

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Shared tour to Pisac, Ollantaytambo & Train to Machu Picchu town

Peru

Quality of Experience

Pisac & Ollantaytambo were gorgeous, but our guide did not seem very knowledgeable so we missed out on all the history and other information that would have brought it all to life.

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Shared Ziplining & Via Ferrata in The Sacred Valley

Sacred Valley

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Danny was great!

Transport

We LOVED our trip to Italy planned by Andrea! Our travel was seamless and well thought out, and our activities were perfectly aligned with our requests. Andrea was so helpful and responsive to our endless questions, and we really appreciated how quickly he replied. Our favorite things had to be the wonderful Podere Brizio in Tuscany, or the wine tasting near San Gimignano. They were such peaceful and lovely places.

We absolutely recommend Andrea and any (or all) of the places we went in Italy!

Hotel Review

Podere Brizio

Montalcino

Podere Brizio is a peaceful and wonderful place to stay near Montalcino. We loved everything about it and can't recommend it enough.

Tips for future travelers

No, just enjoy!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Review

Wine tasting in Tuscany countryside (1 winery)

Italy

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

What an epic adventure. Daniel made our trip one of the best we have ever experienced! He planned everything and made any adjustments where we wanted. He created such a beautiful experience tailored specifically to us. Not having to think about scheduling anything on our own, or getting taxis when we needed, or worrying about keeping track of flight tickets or time frames made this trip feel so luxurious. We started in Quito and had the best day ever riding around with Danny! Danny took us to the equator, a private cooking class, the statue of Mary, and walked us through multiple places in the historic district. He also stopped alongside the road to buy us yucca bread just because he loved it so much and wanted to share it with us. We then flew to Coca and took a motorized canoe down the Napo to the Napo Cultural Center. Mari, the general manager was so lovely and helpful. She explained how the eco lodge works and answered any questions we had. Venancio was beyond perfect as our guide while we were there. He loves sharing the culture and knowledge he has about his people, the birds, and teaching the native language to us. He was incredibly flexible and would take us anywhere we wanted to go, see anything we wanted to see, and spend as much time as we wanted enjoying the rainforest and giving us his time. He is so selfless and has a heart of gold. We got to see spider monkeys, golden tamarinds, and the howler monkeys put on a show right in front of our eyes while on the canoe trip. The birds are so beautiful and diverse. It was so special to see them and learn about them from Venancio. He makes sure to get you the best photos through his telescope. Living amongst the Kachiwa people was an experience I will never forget. The chefs were incredible! Feeding us gourmet meals three times a day! The fresh juices and cold towels made for a super refreshing end to any adventure we had for the day. Our bartender Lenin was great as well! He was so happy to share his knowledge of local beverages and culture as well. He helped teach us some phrases in the native language also. The housekeeping staff and our boat drivers were the best! I will definitely be back to Napo and Quito in the future. Daniel made sure that this trip was perfect, and he created such a special place in our hearts for Ecuador. 10/10 would recommend!!!

Hotel Reviews

Ikala Quito Hotel

Quito

I love the Ikala Hotel! It is super clean, the rooms are so diverse and comfortable, the staff is super helpful and friendly, it’s quiet, and I would love to stay again!

Tips for future travelers

Definitely book your stay here. You will be happy to have the wonderful places to walk to and the staff are always willing to get you a quick taxi to anywhere you want to explore!

Authenticity & Character

The style and decor

Location

Being close to Mercando El Camino, Tres Gatos, and Abysma.

Staff

Clean rooms and shared spaces with great character and light

Cleanliness & Comfort

Firm beds, great water pressure, cleanliness, and balcony

Napo Cultural Center

Quito

The Napo Cultural Center is breathtakingly beautiful. The staff are the very best. We were so comfortable in our room and everywhere we went! I loved being able to live amongst the Kachiwa people and learn about the culture! I also loved stepping outside and viewing wildlife.

Tips for future travelers

Drink water! Use bug spray! Be thankful and appreciate all of the people and wildlife. You won’t regret this trip. It’s one in a million.

Authenticity & Character

You’re staying in a village. You’re surrounded by culture, history, and wisdom.

Location

The culture, the wildlife, the beauty of it all, how remote it is

Staff

They were are so great

Cleanliness & Comfort

Everything was comfortable and clean

Activity Reviews

Quito - Coca - Napo Cultural Center

Ecuador

Venancio was the best guide! I loved exploring the rainforest and seeing all the wildlife!

Quality of Experience

The culture, the wildlife, and the beauty of the environment

Food

Gourmet meals and drinks!

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Everything! They are perfect!

Transport

Timely, skilled, and friendly

Colonial City Tour, Cooking Class & the Middle of the World Monument

Quito

Karen was amazing. We cooked with her in a treehouse amongst a beautiful garden of local ingredients. The food was incredible and we learned so much!

Quality of Experience

Local ingredients

Food

Empanadas, local fruit, and chocolate!

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Karen and Danny were wonderful!

Transport

Tummas ( both our guide and trip planner and owner of Heimdal Tours) did an amazing job. He put together an itinerary of hikes that were somewhat off the beaten track. Spectacular views . Very knowledgeable and personable.
Highly recommend his tour company if you are planning a trip to the Faroe Islands.

I had a wonderful trip to Morocco with my mom and dad. Arranging the trip was easy and painless, and Hakim listened thoughtfully to our needs and special requests. Our driver, Mohamad, was wonderful! He was a great guide and lovely company for our drive from Rabat to Chefchaouen, Fez, Meknes, and Marrakech. Mohamad provided helpful recommendations and was very conscientious of our needs during the trip. Overall, I would definitely recommend!

Hotel Review

La Mamounia

Marrakech

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Review

Day Trip to Meknes & the Roman Ruins of Volubilis

Fes

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Nika was wonderful, she listened to our feedback on the trip and adjusted perfectly. She was also available during our trip when rescheduling and timing changes needed to be made. We had such a fantastic honeymoon and would def use Kim Kim again depending on the country. One thing that would have been nice was to know of the local holidays beforehand so we could planned accordingly. There were several Slovenian holidays (where lots of attractions were closed) during our trip and a wine festival in Gredic that would have been fun to include if we had planned accordingly.

Hotel Review

Hotel Majer'ca

Bohinjsko jezero

Hands down our fav from our stay! It was cozy and the restaurant was absolutely superb! We ate there twice it was so great!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Review

Ljubljana Food Walking Tour (shared tour)

Ljubljana

Jashmin was a highlight of our trip! We are so glad that we took this tour at the start of our vacation. She was so kind, full of local info, and planned a well curated journey through Ljubljana.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

This was the third trip we have taken with Kimkim and by far this was the best! What made it so outstanding was our guide Robi, and the personalized attention he gave . Robi gave us a lot of options and detailed information which allowed us to see many hidden jewels in the wonderful country of Croatia. He also took time to meet with us personally and provide us an interesting history of the country. We always felt he was just a phone call or a text away should we have a question or a problem. We highly recommend both this trip and Robi as a guide as both were outstanding .

Hotel Review

Apartment Oyster paradise

Ston

This is a charming Airbnb in a hidden fishing village. Very quaint and relaxing. A real jewel. Off the beaten path and allows you to experience the actual flavor of Croatia

Authenticity & Character

Location

B

Staff

Y

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Review

Arrival in Split and transfer to accommodation

Split

Our 12 day trip to Greece for our honeymoon was amazing. We loved the diversity of experiences, landscapes and sights across Athens, Naxos, and Santorini. Harris crafted an itinerary that was well-tuned to our interests and balanced our desire to explore and relax. From a mythology tour around the Acropolis to learning about (and tasting) agricultural products on Naxos and Santorini, all of the experiences Harris set up for us were excellent. During our trip, we were grateful to have dedicated support from the kimkim team to handle shifts in our private transportation schedule, confirming dinner reservations, and responding to our questions.

Lorena developed an amazing itinerary that allowed us to experience as much as possible during our time in Chile. Beginning our trip at Gloria and Leo's home for an amazing dinner, ambience, and conversation was the perfect welcome. Our tour guide Felipe was a wealth of knowledge about the area, the history, and social issues impacting the country, which greatly added to our experience. We spent a day seeing the beautiful sights of Santiago and experiencing a signature Chilean completo for lunch, complete with talented street musicians playing in the background. We enjoyed a memorable day exploring the fun port city Valparaíso. Felipe and our van driver Gabriel worked together to make sure we could experience as much of the city in the time that we had, with the perfect combination of walking the narrow passageways and stone streets, riding the funiculars (hillside elevators), and driving. Our final day in the Maipo Valley didn’t go quite as planned because of traffic. However, Felipe quickly came up with an alternate plan to stop for ceviche and hike Mirador de Cóndores, which ended up being one of my daughter’s favorite experiences of the trip. We visited a couple of the breathtaking local wineries. The entire team expertly managed all the details and any last minute adjustments that needed to be made. For example, our flight was delayed, which was already being monitored by the team, and the necessary adjustments were made to our schedule. “Gabo” and Felipe were so personable and delightful. By the end of the trip we were able to enjoy a wonderful farewell dinner reminiscing and laughing about our adventures with our new Chileno friends. We made so many amazing memories on this trip and would highly recommend using this group.

Liz planned a perfect getaway, taking in consideration our timetable and price range. She also encouraged us to try new things like the Sidney Bridgeclimb and River Drift Snorkeling, we're grateful we did it. We'll reach out to Liz again for our next Australian adventure.

Kudos and more to William and Stephen! What a fabulous 2 week trip they put together for us in April. We started in London, travelled to Swanage and Lyme Regis, experienced Bath and the Cotswalds before returning to London. Our accomodations were charming and all prearranged tours were the best. It was so nice to have all of this plus transportation arranged in advance, as it allowed us to focus on the incredible sights and scenes and not stress about the details. All of the guides we met with were so informative and passionate about their specialties. These included a tour guide for the Albert and Victoria museum; a fossil expert at the Jurassic Coast; a Jane Austin devotee and Daniel, a local guide from Bath, who took us to probably my favorite spot, Castle Combe.
A final note: I don't know how they did it, but somehow William and Stephen arranged for 2 weeks of incredible weather, with not a drop of rain!!

Hotel Review

Eight

Bath

The staff here was so accomodating and pleasant. The breakfasts were 5 star and the rooms clean and updated. While there wasn't a lift, help with getting luggage in and out was provided. The little square our rooms looked out on had activity until @ 10pm, but earplugs were provided just in case.

Tips for future travelers

My only thought would be that guests be able to navigate the stairs without access to a lift. This wasn't a problem for us, and we're all in our late 60's.

Authenticity & Character

Location

So centrally located. The train station was within walking distance, and cabs were available at the top of the street

Staff

The best and so helpful.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Review

Private transfer to your accommodation. Then check-in or bag-drop

London

The drivers were on time and the vehicles spotless.

Quality of Experience

Transport