Kimkim Trip Reviews

This trip could not havae been better organized or put together. Maria was fabulous as were all the others who helped us enjoy Greece.

Trip selections were excellent. Felt like I saw and experienced the best of Colombia. People were nice and friendly. Guides and drivers were knowledgeable and made us comfortable and safe. Special mention to David in Perreria and Sol in Medellin. Now I understand why we had to take 3 plane rides inside the country. So we can see the best places at such a limited time. Most notable experience and sights for mr include Gold museum, Monserrat Hill, Horse back ride, Cofee plantation, Climbing the rock in Guatape, Communal 13 walking tour, Islabela beach tour, the Cartagena walled town and its plazas and dancers, the gourmet meals we tasted suggested by our guides, seeing Botero paintings and Sculptures, Food tour, and many more . And Thank you Michael for being accommodating and flexible to our schedule as well as David who subbed for you while you were away. KimKim is one of the best tour org. I have seen. Very organized and detail oriented. Thank you Chaska team for a wonderful experience.

Robi planned the perfect family vacation for us in Croatia and was a professional informative and wonderful guide. Everything was high class and executed perfectly from the airport transfers, city transfers, hotel check ins and activities/tours. I will refer many to him and beautiful Croatia.

Hotel Reviews

Hotel Bellevue Dubrovnik

Dubrovnik

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Aminess Liburna Hotel

Korčula

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Amfora Hvar Grand Beach Resort

Hvar

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Radisson Blu Split

Split

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Arrival in Dubrovnik

Dubrovnik

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Dubrovnik Old Town and the City Walls

Croatia

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Dubrovnik and Elaphiti islands - Lopud and Koločep private boat trip

Croatia

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Pelješac peninsula and Ston- triple atraction.

Croatia

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Geting to Hvar and exploring the town

Hvar

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Explore Hvar and neighbouring islands VIS( tour) and Biševo

Hvar

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Explore Hvar, active or leisure day

Hvar

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Visit to Korčula island and town

Korčula

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Explore Split & Diocletian's palace

Split

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Split - Departure

Split

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Tom was very helpful in organising our trip, booking both accommodation and activities. We all enjoyed our boat trips, the cycling back down to Flam, and our guided tour round Bergen with Fartheim.

My son and I just returned from Iceland. It was beautiful. The waterfalls, the animals, the landscapes, and the people were all wonderful. I have never seen so many different landscapes especially in a single country. I would love to go back and visit places we didn’t have to see and others we didn’t have enough time to fully explore.

I want to mention that Preeti helped me so very much and was understanding of all my problems and questions. She walked me through two postponements with so much patience. I thank her and the other team members for making our trip one of a lifetime.

I booked this trip in 2018 and was never given the option to be refunded so our family moved forward with Kim Kim and booked the trip for this summer as an addition to visiting family in Israel.
The tour was well organized but not clearly explained to me and the border crossing was confusing and exhausting to say the least. I think a step-by-step run down of how the crossing works and all the check points would be helpful. When I got we finally crossed from Israel into Jordan and meet the driver Ackhram we were informed that one person from our group had been left off the paperwork this delayed us an additional 2 hours at the border. This was not corrected when we returned 4 days later and had an additional delay of 2 hours. Once in the Van we got to meet the driver who I found RUDE and OFFENSIVE. Within our 1st hour together I was informed that the "United states faked the moon landing" mind you I had 2 Aerospace engineers in the van with me. I was told America created Isis and that Donald Trump was a great business man. I find both of those statements highly offensive. He was aggressive with his misguided facts and argued with me on my vacation about these items for well over an hour. He only stopped when I asked him to pull over so we could call the company and request a new driver. I opted just to let this go as we were so behind due to the border crossing delays. Ackhram was on time everyday and we did do our full schedule that I was happy about. I wasn't happy when Ackhram told us not to buy items in Petra that he would take us to a great shop with lots of options. This turned out to be a gas station with tacky items nothing that you couldn't get anywhere in Jordan. It was very clear that our driver had cut deals with stores all along the route but thats OK, just be honest with me there were some metal items in Petra I passed on buying expecting them to be available in this great shop. Whenever I told our driver something he didn't want to hear, such as I didn't love the Dead Sea Spa hotel (full of running screaming children) or his shop had tacky items I was dismissed and told I was wrong. Also Nada at the agency was delayed in responses we could never have a conversation every msg was delayed. I will say both drivers we had in Israel were much nicer with much more professional attitudes.

We loved our amazing trip. We had been planning it for about nine months Natalia was very helpful especially since we had some trouble deciding exactly what we wanted to do, how much time we could stay and how much we were willing to pay. We wanted to squeeze as much in as possible without feeling rushed or stressed. Natalia was very understanding and accommodating. The lodge where we stayed four nights and eight duck hunts was wonderful. The hunting was great, hospitality was top notch, the lodge itself was luxurious yet homey. The food was out of this world. Ramiro was our host and was very hospitable. We loved talking about just about everything and we learned so much from him. The staff at the lodge were so extremely friendly. We felt so pampered. My family also enjoyed seeing Buenos Aires: the city, culture, and the Tango show. It was so nice knowing that we had someone to pick us up and get us to where we needed to be. We added a short trip to Ushuaia before we started our trip from KimKim team and had a greattime, but could have used some expertise. We loved learning about Argentina culture and seeing the unique landscapes of this beautiful country. The gift sent to us when we arrived at our lovely hotel was a wonderful surprise and a great introduction to Argentina

Hotel Reviews

CasaSur Recoleta

Buenos Aires

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Pampa Lodge

San Miguel del Monte

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

They really pampered us

Cleanliness & Comfort

It was gorgeous and comfortable

Activity Reviews

Argentina duck hunt & mix bag

San Miguel del Monte

Loved the atmosphere and the hunting

Quality of Experience

Food

Everything was cooked to perfection

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Gala Tango Dinner & Show

Buenos Aires

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Kimkim was wonderful in planning our trip to Italy. They made a personalized trip that engaged the entire family. From our seven year old who hung on every word from our wonderful tour guide explaining about gladiators at the coliseum , to our teenagers who loved hiking the Path of the Gods, it was perfect for us. Our drivers were prompt and engaging and tour guides were extremely knowledgeable. The variety of activities meant something for everyone.

Terry spent almost 9 months helping us plan a 7-day and a 6-day trip, before and after 18 days in Norway and Svalbard. We were involved as much as we wanted, providing feedback on the numerous options available. We made our way through the various COVID restrictions put in place by Iceland last year and earlier this year and all of them were thankfully lifted a month or two before departure.

We’ve travelled a lot, having spent almost 30 years living overseas, but this trip has us totally convinced that Iceland is the most beautiful country in the world. Around every bend in the road and from the top of hills and peaks, there were spectacular views. Terry planned a diverse set of stops and activities for us, from incredible waterfalls, to a glacier hike, snorkeling the Silfra Fissure, hiking in Porsmork, a boat trip and tour to a bird sanctuary on Vigur Island, and a five-hour spa retreat at Blue Lagoon.

The rental car process was easy and with the daily link to Google map directions Terry sent that easily connected to the car’s nav system, we never missed a turn and the the timing between places was amazingly accurate. The hotels were comfortable and varied, but always to a good standard.

I have always planned our elaborate trips myself, but took a chance on KimKim, because I didn’t know Iceland at all. I hate to admit it but Terry surpassed my extremely high bar and we had a an incredible trip. All that’s left is going through the thousand photographs!

Our trip to Norway was absolutely amazing and life changing. The itinerary Julia set up for our family of 5 (grandma, parents, and kids ages 5 and 7) was just perfect. I communicated with Julia in early 2022 to provide some comments around what we were looking for - seeing the fjords, being outside and active, etc. From there, Julia took my feedback and made the perfect itinerary. Everything was so easy and convenient, and our favorite parts of the trip were undoubtedly items I never would’ve planned on my own. We are so thankful to Julia and the KimKim team and I would 100% recommend using them!

Some of our most notable trip highlights include:
1) our taxi boat with Captain Tor where he drove right up to fresh waterfalls for us to touch and let our kids catch some fish along the way
2) everything about Fjaerland Fjordstove Hotel (this is such a charming place with a wonderful staff)
3) our private hike in Fjaerland where our kids picked fresh strawberries and blueberries

Thank you Julia and team!

We had a wonderful trip, planned by Valentine. The service we received during the trip was superb, and very much appreciated. Our transfers were made on time and with good communication with us. The major contributor to the success of our trip was our wonderful guide, Olivia. Olivia was exceedingly helpful, gracious, flexible and knowledgeable. The heat this summer was an impediment; it was too hot to comfortably or safely do all that was planned. Olivia adapted. Our gite, with a view of Carcassonne was memorable, our unplanned tour of a Baroque church organ was a delight and a surprise, Mirepoix was charming, and the market in Toulouse was both beautiful and appetite satisfying. We were fortunate to have a wonderful cassoulet lunch in a beautiful garden, planned by Olivia. We all have many happy memories. Thank you.

Hotel Reviews

La Tour Pinte

CARCASSONNE

What a great spot. Pierre’s place is comfortable and superbly located.

Authenticity & Character

THE VIEW, the neighborhood

Location

Staff

Pierre was helpful

Cleanliness & Comfort

AIR CONDITIONING!

Villa du Taur

Toulouse

Authenticity & Character

Loved the protected courtyard

Location

Staff

The staff was informed and helpful

Cleanliness & Comfort

Clean and welcoming

Activity Reviews

Toulouse Bike Tour

Toulouse

It was a great way to unwind from international travel.

Day tour to Medieval Villages : Albi & Cordes sur Ciel

Toulouse

Food Tour in the Belly of Toulouse

Toulouse

Fun, informative and tasty!

Angela was very knowledgeable and very helpful. She kept in contact with us and even arranged last minute schedule changes for us. Very pleased with entire experience.

Activity Review

Athens Highlights Mythology Tour

Greece

Very good tour. Interesting throughout.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Overall our Rockies Road trip (Banff & Jasper) was a wonderful and unforgettable experience. Our specialist Marie-Christine quickly understood what we wanted and tailored a trip plan to suit our needs, including booking hotels, rental car and the Banff Gondola ride (which was amazing!) .
The drive from Banff to Jasper and back was exhilarating. Even though we only stayed overnight at Jasper It was worth doing - the views of the Rockies on the drive were fantastic and we stopped off at several places en-route to see the sights such as Maligne Canyon, Athabasca and Sunwapta Falls and lake Peyto.
On the negative side, picking up the Budget rental car was not smooth Their rep (whose English was not good) said no cars were available for 1-2hours and actively tried to encourage us to try the other rental companies! Also I am glad we got a Parks Pass online for the duration of our stay on advice from a friend rather than buy as you go as suggested by M-C. It is cheaper and saved us having to queue at the highway checkpoints. Also it was not pointed out that you have to book online for a Lake Louise Excursion to get a slot for the park & ride. LL is so busy that we missed a morning slot while doing this process and, unfortunately , the day turned out to a damper in more ways than one as we were caught and utterly soaked by full a Rockies thunderstorm :( . Apart from this we were lucky with the weather.
We have returned with wonderful memories. If you are thinking about doing this - do it!

Hotel Reviews

Coast Canmore Hotel & Conference Centre

Canmore

Helpful staff. We enjoyed our stay there as a base into Banff (only about 30km away)

Authenticity & Character

Location

Easy access to H=highway to Banff

Staff

Prompt response for more coffee and tea

Cleanliness & Comfort

Layout of room.

Jasper Inn & Suites

Jasper

Beautiful Swiss style Inn Hotel.

Authenticity & Character

Our split level suite!

Location

View of the peaks from our bedroom window in the morning - breath-taking!

Staff

Friendly and attentive waitresses at the Inn's diner

Cleanliness & Comfort

The suite was presented to a high standard!

Applause Hotel by CLIQUE

Calgary

Good place to crash overnight. Well designed rooms.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Close to airport with free shuttle service

Staff

Man at reception (Shehzad) was polite and extremely helpful.

Cleanliness & Comfort

The shower head!

Activity Reviews

Explore around Banff

British Columbia

Banff is obviously the main tourist hub town. On our first day we did not find the rep at the Visitor Information Centre helpful - he was more interested in selling us multi-day bus passes which was irrelevant since we had a car. Anyway we figured it out ourselves by the second day.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

See comment above on Visitor Information Centre

Transport

Availability of parking space (except Lake Louise).

Take the Banff Gondola to Sulphur Mountain

British Columbia

Super way of seeing Banff, Bow River Valley and the surrounding peakis.

Quality of Experience

The whole shooting match!

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Staff are helpful and efficient.

Transport

Plenty of parking space next to Gondola station.

Gosh, Portugal was never on my radar till a few weeks ago. We spontaneously cancelled our planned trip to Ba Hamar and went in a different direction. Being familiar with KimKim, my wife found Pedro to be the most experienced/ highest reviews on the KimKim sight when it came to Portugal. We stayed in Lisbon for 3 nights at the Tivoli. Pedro scheduled our hotel, and a walking tour, as well as coordinated our driver around our schedule.
Then the driver drove us to Algarve. Pedro put us in the Vila Veda Parc resort, which, was the most picturesque place I'd ever been to...Period. This says a lot b/c people would say I'm a seasoned traveler, and I stay at 5 star hotels when we do travel. This was it. Vila Veda Parc.
The final destination was Cascais, where we stayed at the Miragem Hotel. Cascais was more international, vs. Algarve which was 100% touristy. Cascais had culture, little streets to walk around into where you can get "lost" but the center of Cascais is not too big to not be able to find your way a back to the hotel. We would 100% do this again.

So impressed! We really loved our trip and the catered attention to detail. We are so grateful. Thank you for a wonderful, well thought out itinerary!

We had a fabulous trip in Croatia. Sarah did a wonderful job taking care of all our needs. Logistics went off perfectly, from our car transports, hotel accommodations, dinner reservations, and boat rides. We loved Korchula Island and a special highlight was Leo our boat driver. He was so much fun and went above and beyond to make sure we all had the best time. Highly recommend KimKim and Sarah. We will be using KimKim again!

Had a great time in Italy with Maria and her crew! All of the arrangements, transfers, reservations etc were smooth. We loved all the tours and the amazing tour guides in Rome, Florence and Venice. We got to enjoy all of the sites on a stress free trip. Thanks to Maria and everyone at Storywalkers.

(Our local specialist was Katy)

Our family recently returned from the most memorable journey in Peru. Katy spent many months planning a trip that was exactly what we hoped for - very active and very informative! Our guide, Aldo Sanchez, was a wealth a knowledge on all things Inca and Peru related. His English was perfect and we thoroughly enjoyed his company. The first five nights we stayed in local accommodations along the way and each stay provided deeper insight into Peruvian culture. In addition to the wonderous hikes of Macchu Picchu, Huayana Picchu, Huchuy Qosqo, and a snowy Rainbow Mountain, we enjoyed paddle boarding with David on Lake Piuray, experiencing Lamay with Franco, Marta, and Matthew and climbing through the endless Inca and pre-Inca ruins. We will remember this incredible adventure forever! Thank you to the amazing team at KimKim for your attention to every detail and exceeding all expectations!

When you travel, help is most needed when you need to deal with the unexpected. During my stay, I had higher than normal internet connectivity needs, which were completely unrelated to our booking. Robi did everything to help me, including contracting services with local companies and offering me his own internet. This is just an example of someone who understands that your experience depends on everything you live during your stay and not just a list of prearranged services. I would encourage anyone that wants peace of mind to book with Robi any trip. Fun is guaranteed but, if something goes wrong, you can rest assured that there is someone always ready to go the extra mile to help you.

Our family vacation through Italy was wonderful. With KimKim's help there was something for each member of our family. We experienced tours that engaged everyone from our seven year old, our teenagers and ourselves. The experiences were designed with each of our interests in mind and tour guides were extremely knowledgable and personable. Everything from the amazing food tour and winery to the cultural experiences were carefully planned during a busy travel season.
There was confusion over a locale to begin one of our tours which Kim Kim quickly solved by ensuring we were able to join another tour an hour later and the problem was quickly resolved.
Our transfers went smoothly between cities and within cities and drivers were quick to explain details about locations and make suggestions on activities.
Thank you for your assistance in having a wonderful time with our family.
Kimberly & John Emmert