Kimkim Trip Reviews

So happy we found KimKim and Karenina as our tour specialist. We started with a broad vision and with Karenina's expertise she prepared an amazing 16 day detailed trip plan! We experienced 6 days in Barcelona, 3 days in the Costa Brava Region (the town of Begur), 3 days in Valencia, and 3 days in Madrid. There was a perfect mix of tours, and on our own time. We were able to reach out to Karenina and her team as needed with questions and/or changes. We could not have been happier with the KimKim team. All of the tour guides were exceptional in their knowledge and very friendly. The local foods were amazing, the people very welcoming, and the architecture stunning. Navigating the cities was very easy, great public transportation. We rented a car for the trip to Costa Brava and then on to Valencia, driving was very low stress. A car is a must to really experience the Costa Brava Region. We were very satisfied with all of the hotel accommodations. We took a trains from Valencia to Madrid and Madrid to Barcelona- a great way to see the country.
Key Highlights: Barcelona- La Sagrada Familia, Olympic Venues, Day trip to Montserrat and tour/tasting at Llopart Vineyard and Park Guell. Costa Brava Region- Day self-driving trips to Girona, Figueres, La Garrotxa, Besalu. Valencia- The Prince Phillip Science Museum and the open-air oceanographic park is a must. We also biked the old river basin which has been converted into 18 different parks. Madrid- Great local markets, and museums.

Hotel Reviews

Petit Palace Puerta del Sol

Madrid

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Alta House Begur

Begur, Girona

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

One Shot Palacio Reina Victoria 04 Hotel

Valencia

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Andante Hotel

Barcelona

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Highlights Walk of Old Madrid

Madrid

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Discover Valencia by Tuk Tuk

Valencia

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Small-Group Montserrat & Penedès Region Winery Excursion

Barcelona

Quality of Experience

We would have liked more time at Montserrat

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Taste Barcelona: Authentic Tapas & Neighborhood Walk

Barcelona

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Barcelona Highlights: Guided Walk & Iconic Sagrada Família

Barcelona

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

We had a fantastic trip to Iceland, tailored to the specific needs of our six person family, which included 4 active 20-something men and their parents. Our guide Gummi even helped plan our small wedding on a beautiful black pebble beach. He found us a wonderful house on the sea, near the wedding site, and helped plan several activities afterward, including a glacier hike, iceberg lagoon cruise, and many other interesting and unique activities. There’s no way we could have such a great trip without his expertise and advice. And when the inevitable minor hiccups arose, he was always quick to respond and set things right. Five stars all the way around!!!

We had a fantastic two week trip to Souther Italy which we arranged with Maria Grazia. She was very knowledgeable and adjusted our trip for us several times to ensure we got to see everything we were interested in. Out trip started in Sicily in Catania, moved to Palermo via Train, then a small flight hop to Sorento and Amafi Coast and then another train ending in Rome.

Our hotels were are very nice and the staff was excellent. They were perfectly located in each area and allowed us to walk to everything we wanted to see. They were also very convenient to local restaurants and all had fabulous breakfasts provided!

The Kim Kim team arranged transportation for everything. Not having to deal with driving made our trip much more relaxing. All the drivers were very good and provided us interesting information about the areas. I usually drive everywhere we go, but was surprised how nice this made the trip. Not worry about how to get to places and dealing with parking and the other issues.

As far as activities we did my favorite were the Story Walking tours in the towns and the private walking tour of the Path of Gods. We also had a great boat trip off Sorrento coast, Positano and Amalfi boat tour with Ieranto bay.

I should also mention that we had a local contact Jessica who provided us her personal number and was immediately responsive to any questions we had. She confirmed our drivers and helped with one issue we had. Best service I have ever had on a trip!

Thank you Maria and Jessica for a wonderful trip!

Hotel Reviews

History Suite

Rome

Location was very interesting, had to prearrange meet time so we could get keys and get in. Owner was great though. The location is fantastic, basically in the middle of all the places you will want to visit. Room was very nice and we enjoyed our stay!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Owner and breakfast staff were very friendly

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Rivoli Sorrento

Sorrento

Was a very nice hotel, room was small but comfortable. Easy walk to everything. Nice breakfast.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Had an issue with hot water, staff wasn't very helpful. Otherwise they were very nice.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Principe di Lampedusa

Palermo

Great location. Easy walk to many attractions. Staff was very friendly and breakfast was great. Very comfortable room.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Duomo Suites and Spa

Catania

Beautiful hotel in the perfect location for getting around town. Staff was very friendly and helpful. Breakfast was fantastic. And the view from the top was great. Would definitely stay here again.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Walking distance to everything

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Private Bomarzo & Orvieto Day Trip from Rome

Italy

Orvieto is a beautiful little town with fantastic views, if you have the time it is worth the trip. And the Bomarzo stop was very nice as well. A very peaceful walk.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Our driver on this trip was exceptional, very friendly! Some great recommendations for future vacations.

Transport

Private Evening Rome Walking Tour

Rome

Nice tour. We had done a lot of sightseeing on our own before the tour so they customized it a bit for us. Guide was very knowledgeable and took us to see some things we had missed.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Colosseum Tour with Underground, Arena & Gladiator Gate with Roman Forum

Rome

The colosseum is an amazing structure. Getting to go under and get a real view into what it was like there was amazing. Without the underground tour you miss so much. We really enjoyed.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Private Walking tour Path of Gods

Italy

Don't miss this tour, it was beautiful! Just a fantastic walk along the coast. Our guide was great!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Sorrento coast, Positano and Amalfi boat tour with Ieranto bay

Italy

Loved this boat tour, we had a great crews and made some nice stops. Positano was our favorite little town.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Palermo Private Walking Tour

Palermo

Our guide was very knowledgeable and customized the tour a bit for us since we had already wondered around quite a bit.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Marilu was a great tour guide

Transport

Walking tour, but we covered a lot of area

Private Valley of the Temples Agrigento Tour

Palermo

Our guide was great and very knowledgeable! Valley was beautiful.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Loved our guide

Transport

E-bike tour of Etna along Magma Trail

Catania

I don't think this tour was run well. It start out with us getting pickup up and then stopping to get gas before we went to another location to pickup his friend that was going to drive the truck back. We wasted a lot of time before we even headed to the mountain. This should have been done before picking us up. The ride itself was beautiful though unfortunately we would up having heavy rain and thunderstorms. We tried to group through but the guide was not prepared for the weather and kept telling us we should have been more prepared. We are travelers and can't pack tons of gear, he should have provided weather gear for us. Because of the weather and lack of gear we had to cut the trip short. We sat in a restaurant dripping wet and waited for an hour for someone to bring the truck to pick us up. A waitress felt so bad for us she brought us some towels and gave a blow dryer to try to warm up a little. He should have known he had to cut it short since he kept telling us we weren't prepared for the weather and planned ahead so we didn't have to sit shaking wet. I think this would have been a good trip if it had been planned better. Even with the weather if he had just had some rain gear for us it would have been fun.

Quality of Experience

Mountain was beautiful, ride would have been great. Would definitely find a similar tour.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Didn't plan well, blamed us for not be prepared. Unprofessional.

Transport

Crammed into a truck with gear, stopping for gas, picking up friends. No pleasant.

We had a wonderful trip to Paris, Avignon and Nice, thanks to Lucie. She was very responsive to our ideas and requests as we planned the trip and she was available if we had questions during the trip. She helped us schedule all the activities we wanted, including dinner at the Eiffel Tower, a sunset cruise on the Seine, and our favorite, a group cooking class in Avignon. We loved all the hotels, but we especially loved the hotel in Nice, which was just across the street from the Mediterranean Sea.

This was my first trip using kimkim, and it won’t be my last!

Normally, I prefer to research, plan and book trips on my own. Due to time limitations and the seeming complexity of the transportation involved, I decided to utilize kimkim’s services for a recent trip from Oslo to Bergen, Norway.
And I am very glad I did.

Mar seemed to understand my desires for this trip almost immediately. The trip plan she put together was perfect for me. The transportation (trains, buses and ferries) was smooth, the pace was great, the accommodations much to my liking, and the activities interesting and diverse.

Fenne was a standout in getting everything properly booked. Even more helpful was our call just days before my trip wherein we reviewed the itinerary in great detail. She patiently answered my questions and assuaged any concerns I had. Her personal recommendations were spot-on and much appreciated.

Julia was there during my trip to jump in and smooth over last minute changes to a hotel, to answer navigation issues and to liaise with a hotel after I inadvertently left an open charge on my bill!

The whole team was very responsive, professional, detailed and personable.

As for Norway itself, it was enchanting. The incredible natural beauty will remain with me forever. I would go back in a heartbeat.

Overall, my family of four had a great trip to Turkey - we visited Cappadocia, Ephesus, Sirince, Pamukkale in 6 days. The trip was well-organized, with very good guides and drivers and solid communication / timing throughout. Irfan, our guide in Cappadocia was extremely knowledgeable and Ozan, in Ephesus and Pamukkale, was very energetic and engaging with our kids. Both guides were very flexible and able to tailor the days to our particular tastes.

There were a few details we didn't love - we have shared that feedback with Berat directly.

For 40 plus years I have been planning and booking my own frequent travels, but I was having difficulty planing and booking an excursion to Flam/Aurland from Bergen in the limited amount of time I had available. KimKim did a great job of taking care of this for me. Very well planned and executed, and they give you an emergency phone number manned 24/7, in case any issues come up. I would fully recommend them.

I cannot emphasize enough how incredibly grateful and humbled I am by the exceptional services provided to my family through KIM KIM and their esteemed partner, Ethical Tours and Travel (Norway). From the very beginning, their approach to understanding our unique travel requirements was nothing short of remarkable.

Our dedicated travel guide, Mathia, went above and beyond to comprehend the needs and desires of each family member. With meticulous attention to detail, he expertly crafted an itinerary that perfectly suited our preferences, ensuring that every moment of our holiday in Norway was tailored to our dreams.

Even when unexpected challenges arose, Mathia seamlessly adapted to our changing circumstances. When our VISA applications encountered delays, he skillfully rearranged our travel dates without any fuss. His unwavering support and constant communication throughout the entire process, from visa acquisition to the culmination of our trip, was truly heartwarming.

Mathia's dedication extended far beyond the logistical aspects of our journey. He provided invaluable advice on daily travel matters, effortlessly adjusting our bookings when our whale-watching safari in Andenes was unfortunately canceled due to unfavorable weather conditions. Moreover, he selflessly went out of his way to assist us in obtaining necessary medications, exemplifying his exceptional commitment to our well-being.

It was a comforting reassurance to know that Mathia was there for us every step of the way, checking in with us on a daily basis and ensuring that our experience exceeded all expectations. His unwavering support and genuine care made all the difference, transforming our trip into an unforgettable adventure.

With immense gratitude, I wholeheartedly recommend KIM KIM and their exceptional travel portal to anyone seeking an unparalleled and tailored vacation experience. Their dedication to customer satisfaction, combined with the expertise of their partners like Ethical Tours and Travel, is simply unparalleled. Trust them to curate your dream holiday, and you will undoubtedly create cherished memories that will last a lifetime.

Travelled to Norway between 25th of July 2023 to 8th of July 2023

Hotel Reviews

Thon Hotel Oslo Airport

Gardermoen

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Scandic Ishavshotel

Tromsø

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Thon hotel Andrikken

Andenes

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Henningsvær Bryggehotell

Vagan

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Reine Rorbuer

Reine

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Svinøya Rorbuer

Svolvær

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Thon Hotel Opera

Oslo

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Review

Trollfjord Sailing Cruise in Lofoten

Svolvær

The experience we had on the magnificent yacht was truly a once-in-a-lifetime affair. It was a day that will forever be etched in our memories as one of the most remarkable highlights of our entire trip to Norway. The impeccable service provided by the Captain, Kenneth, and our gracious Host, Sachi, was beyond compare. We feel incredibly fortunate to have had the opportunity to partake in this extraordinary experience and highly recommend it to anyone who has the chance. It is an absolute must-do that will leave you in awe.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

It was our first time to Iceland. It’s quite daunting to figure out what you’d be interesting in seeing and what all activities you’d like to do along with optimal route and hotel selection/booking. Luckily we had Elisa, our guide/booking agent who is also a native of Iceland. She was very helpful in understanding our needs, suggesting an itenary and extra activities. After some back and forth we booked the trip with her.
Trip went mostly flawless. We had an issue with a hotel booking on one of the days where a new management of the hotel pretended to not find our reservation. I texted Elisa and she went above and beyond her normal duty and booked a new hotel for us within minutes. Imagine if you had to do all this in another country by yourself.

I’d whole heartedly recommend Elisa, if you are looking for a trip to Iceland. She takes care of her clients and takes the stressful planning part out, so that clients can focus on enjoying their vacation.

Audrey was awesome to work with! She was extremely responsive and helped us adapt plans when needed while in France. Maca’rong in Paris was a delicious experience. I strongly recommend for anyone looking for a baking experience especially if you have kids. We spent 2 amazing days with Manon in Normandy. I thought the kids (6 & 8) would not be very interested in the D-day tour. She explained things directly to them in a way they would understand and got them engaged. Both girls still talk about Manon and touring the bunkers is in both of their top 3 things they did in France. Our tour with Laurianne was cut short due to the riots in Marseille. However, we appreciated that instead of cancelling she took us to local shops and made sure we had food to eat before everything closed down. We wouldn’t have known what was going on if it wasn’t for her. Inés was very friendly and knowledgeable. She took us to multiple spots, a highlight being a local farmers market where we purchased delicious local goods. Maria was great, she took us to Monaco and made sure we were able to experience the changing of the guards. Overall, I was very pleased with our entire experience and look forward to planning another trip with KimKim.

The guide were very helpful, and also provided a lot of suggestions on our free time. Arranged to mail my extra luggage from my first hotel to the last hotel, that made my trip a lot of easier!

From start to finish, the KimKim team was amazing. Our first tour took us to Norther Ireland (Dunluce Castle, Giant's Causeway & the Titanic Museum) with Kevin from Wild Rover Tour as our guide. The entire 12 hour tour went off without a single problem! Our train ride to Killarney was smooth and seamless, with a short walk to our hotel. I can't tell you how much my family loved this small little Irish town, as everyone in it was so friendly. We took tours to the Ring of Kerry and Dingle and Inch Bay, both areas you have to see to believe. Something that stuck out to me more than anything was our in country personal contact (Francis) who made sure all my questions were answered in a timely manner. One of our tours had a time and location change last minute, Francis had called, emailed and texted me before I even got up to make sure I knew about the changes. Everything was handled so professionally! Next time I travel anywhere outside of the USA, I will only have one e-mail to send, and that is to KimKim.

Hotel Reviews

Fairview Boutique Hotel

Killarney

Front office personal was friendly

Authenticity & Character

Location

in the heart of Killarney

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Rooms could get a little musty smell if air is not circulating very well in the rooms.

Ashling Hotel Dublin

Dublin

Customer service was top notch My wife loved the hotel Our boys couldn't get enough of the breakfast

Authenticity & Character

Location

So close to the train station, along with bus tour stops.

Staff

So nice!!

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Review

Belfast & Giants Causeway Day tour from Dublin

Dublin

Kevin made this trip extra special. You can honestly tell how much he enjoys to travel and talk Irish history with the customers.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Bus was clean, and had charging ports.

What a trip. We could not have had more fun, eaten more delicious things, learned more or felt more cared for. Effie and her team really went the extra mile to ensure the best trip ever for our family. Every guide, driver, and hotel was outstanding.

Chris did an incredible job arranging our trip- everything was seamless. The touts were good and the guides were all pro. Yanni in Athens for a food and wine tour was over the top.
“Zack” was equally as good and so knowledgeable. Vera- the tour at Mecena was very interesting. She was one smart tour guide
The boat charter was good The captain Demitrus knew the boat and the islands.
Myaya - our host on the boat was incredible. She couldn’t do enough for us.
In Santorini- Theo was our guide - fantastic.
And our guide at attika ruines was also fantastic!
Overall, everything clicked and my group was very happy with the whole trip
Thanks Kim-Kim
John Wirtz

Hotel Reviews

Agali Houses

Firostefani 00

Great hotel with incredable views. Nice clean rooms.

Authenticity & Character

Lots of character. I’d stay there again.

Location

The views. The pool bar!

Staff

Manny at the front desk took very good care of us.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Very clan and comfortable

Ippoliti Hotel

Nafplio

Amazing hotel. Again very nice and resposive Staff. Incredible rooms. Incredible breakfast.

Authenticity & Character

Very romantic

Location

Close to the waterfront and the restaurants

Staff

Staff was very personable and responsive

Cleanliness & Comfort

Athens Utopia Ermou

Athens

Good hotel close to everything we wanted to see. Excellent food top restaurant with views of the city.

Authenticity & Character

We’ll managed- good staff

Location

Very good

Staff

Very caring and resposive staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

All good

Activity Reviews

Private Santorini Panorama

Drama

Excellent! Our guide Theo knew his stuff. A great experience.

Quality of Experience

Food

Transport

Local Transfer in Santorini

Greece

Transfers were on time and very clean

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

At sea in the Aegean

Greece

Overall the entire not trip was great. We had a great captain in Dimitris. Knew the boat very well. I would have liked to have done a bit more sailing instead of motoring. Our host, Myaya was the best. We wanted for nothing- so accommodating

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Acropolis of Mycenae Guided Tour 

Greece

Our guide Vera was very knowledgeable and very patient as we got lost and we’re an hour late.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

We were in a rented van

Private Athens Highlights Tour

Athens

Our tour guide was the best! Can’t spell her name I just called her “Zack” Very knowledgeable we all learned a lot.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Private Flavors of Athens Tour

Athens

The best! Yanni our tour guide was fantastic !

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Working with the agent I was directed to, Liz, was wonderful. She was responsive, knowledgable and flexible. A few small adjustments I would have made in regards to size of some of the activities we booked as they were a bit bigger than we expected or requested but we still had a good time. As for Kimkim's pricing structure, the lack of transparency is a bit disconcerting. Since KimKim "can't" share, I tracked what everything cost, rack rate, and came to about a 20% mark-up in comparison so I think I would have preferred knowing the cost as a line item.

Hotel Reviews

Crystalbrook Byron

Suffolk Park

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

The Reef House Adults Retreat

Palm Cove

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

PARKROYAL Darling Harbour

Sydney

Very big and busy. Felt corporate and full of groups. Nice rooms and a good breakfast but not much character or charm.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Evolution Outer Reef Cruise (Snorkel)

New Zealand

I liked that this was a privately owned company although there were a lot of people on board.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Climb the Harbor Bridge

Sydney

It's well organized with a very friendly staff but it's HIGH so be prepared.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Dinner Cruise Sydney Harbour Window Seat (from Darling Harbour)

Sydney

It was very long and a bit cheesy.

Quality of Experience

We saw the same sites taking ferries to other areas.

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

River Drift Experience

Port Douglas

You're really on the very edge of the Daintree and you don't see much with the snorkeling.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

This was the first trip I've ever booked with KimKim, or through any travel agency for that matter, and even though of course you pay extra to have someone else plan the trip for you, I think it was worth every penny. We had a fabulous time in Portugal and everything went very smoothly. Having the PDF to refer back to for the daily schedule was invaluable - I don't know how we would have kept everything straight without it. Nuno was also always available via WhatsApp when we had any questions or needed help, and it was great knowing that we had that resource if necessary. We certainly wouldn't have thought to book as many private guided tours for ourselves, but those ended up being our favorite part! Special shoutout to the guides in Braga/Gimaraes, the Douro Museum, Coimbra, Tomar, and Evora. We might have visited the same locations, but just hearing more about them from local guides made the whole experience that much more special. In addition to the schedule booked for us, we also ended up going horseback riding (1 hour, walk only) at Centro Hípico de Alcaria, and on the last day we rented kayaks with Taruga Benagil Tours, both of which were great additions.

A few suggestions for improvements:
1) The boat tour on the Douro river wasn't our favorite - it was a short ride (only an hour), and on a large group boat with no comments by the crew. There was supposed to be an audio guide app but we never got it properly installed and working. It would have been nicer to spend more time on the water and with a more personalized boat experience.
2) The PDF document was great, but it could be made even better by including the following:
- (estimated) end time of activities, not only their start time
- reservation numbers / tickets (there were a few times when places struggled to pull up our reservation - we usually got there eventually, but this might have simplified the process)
- indication of the price range of the restaurant recommendations, and suggest restaurants in different price categories (for every lunch, give budget / medium / fancy alternatives)
3) While we had a great time in the fancy car to Cascais and Sintra, it felt like we could have driven ourselves to be a bit more thrifty with our resources. The electric Mercedes with the driver wearing a suit was so nice that we saw them outside the hotel lobby but had no idea the driver was waiting for us until we eventually asked.
4) It would have been nice to also have a guided tour in Nazare and/or Batalha, and to have a few more specific suggestions for things to check out in Lisbon. We also felt quite overwhelmed with the number of Quintas in the Douro valley and didn't really end up exploring other Quintas.
5) Having the car was overall great, but it wasn't always clear where we would have to pay for parking or how convenient it was going to be. In Lisbon, we chose to never use the car and instead got a taxi to the Fado show, which seemed much easier than trying to navigate there and then find parking. Likewise, many things in Porto are quite walkable and we didn't drive to the wine tasting there.

We definitely splurged on this trip, and the hotels all reflected that. We really enjoyed our stays at The Editory in Porto, the Quinta de la Rosa in the Douro Valley, the Cooking & Nature Hotel in Alvados, the Epic SANA Marques in Lisbon, and the Iberostar Lagos. They were all very different but all great in their own way.

We are sad that this amazing trip has now come to an end, but definitely hope to be back in Portugal soon!

Hotel Reviews

Iberostar Selection Lagos Algarve

Lagos

We had a lovely stay here. The staff was extremely friendly and did everything in their power to make us happy. We loved both the indoor and outdoor pool, as well as the location close to the beach. Another plus is their focus on sustainability: there are water purification stations on every floor and you can refill a glass decanter to your liking with water. The reason for my lower rating: All extras are extremely overpriced. There is a jacuzzi, but you have to pay 15€ PER PERSON and sign up in advance to use it. There is supposed to be someone near the spa to help with the process, but the desk was almost always unmanned, making the process and the price rather prohibitive to the enjoyment of the spa. Further, the food was very expensive for its quality. For breakfast, lunch and dinner, there was a large buffet you could use against a flat fee. Dinner was 36€ per person! This did not include beverages. The variety was good, but if you didn’t feel hungry enough to wolf down multiple courses, it was hardly worth the money. We ended up getting groceries from a nearby store instead. We would have liked to take advantage of the snack bar and the cocktail bar but were deterred by their prices as well. The building was also complicated to navigate: reception, on the fourth floor, was the connecting hub. Even though the restaurant and some rooms were both on the third floor, you couldn’t go directly from your room to the restaurant - you first had to go up a set of stairs / take the elevator to the fourth floor and then descend again. There was plenty of parking, but there were three entrances to two separate parking garages, and two out of the three entrances were always locked.

Authenticity & Character

It was luxurious and felt very classy. The rooms were fancy as well.

Location

Right by the beach!

Staff

Very friendly staff.

Cleanliness & Comfort

The rooms were clean and comfortable, but not as well-cleaned as the Epic SANA Marques, for example.

Epic Sana Marquês

Lisbon

We had a great time here. We especially enjoyed the sky pool and the downstairs spa / gym area. The only minor negative thing I can say is that it felt a bit like a cruise ship - it is a large hotel, with many guests, and while for the most part you didn’t notice it so much, on our last morning there was a large number of people at breakfast and we were somewhat overwhelmed by the crowd / noise. I suppose that is expected since they also have the space to host conferences / events themselves, but it took us slightly by surprise because we’d been staying in slightly smaller hotels on this trip. The room was super cool, with a TV hidden behind a large mirror and so many (light) switches that we had a hard time figuring out how to turn everything off at night without activating the blackout blinds. On that note, there were plenty of outlets and USB chargers throughout the room, and the staff provided bottles of water throughout our stay.

Authenticity & Character

It doesn't have much character. It is luxurious but a bit bland, compared to the other hotels on this trip.

Location

Walking distance to everything.

Staff

Great staff.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Spotless, professional.

Cooking and Nature

Alvados

We loved our stay at this hotel. The rooms are themed after movies (we had the Avatar room with an oval bed!), they are located in a slightly remote area ensuring quiet and beautiful views, and the breakfast was delicious. It is such a unique concept and I loved the nature-y vibe of the place.

Authenticity & Character

I've never been to this kind of a hotel before and loved it.

Location

Remote, but that's the idea!

Staff

Very friendly staff, especially the lady who hosted our cooking class!

Cleanliness & Comfort

The bed was amazing, as was everything else about this hotel.

Quinta de la Rosa

Pinhão

This was such a relaxing, luxurious experience. We had a room that overlooked the Douro river and the pool was always nicely warm from the sun. The restaurant had delicious food, and their coffee in the morning was my favorite from all the hotels on this trip. The only complaint that we had was that it was difficult to sleep due to all the flies in our bedroom, and there weren't many outlets or surfaces for electronics (the bedside tables were quite small and had large bedside lamps on them).

Authenticity & Character

Luxurious quinta with pool and all the views

Location

Walking distance to Pinhao!

Staff

Very friendly staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

The flies in our room were annoying, and the bed also wasn't as comfortable as at other hotels.

The Editory Boulevard Aliados Hotel

Porto

This is a lovely hotel and we had a wonderful stay. The building looks brand new and is beautifully designed. The room was on the smaller size but perfect for what we needed, and it was very comfortable and functional. The restaurant was excellent (we had dinner there one night and breakfast throughout our stay, both meals were crafted with attention to detail) and the bar upstairs was quirky and fun (they serve cocktails in mad hatter cups). The pool was small and you had to go through the bar to access it, but we still enjoyed using it. The only thing that bothered us during our stay is that I requested an iron multiple times and it was never delivered. In some hotels this is standard room equipment, and in others I haven’t had any issues getting in delivered on demand so I was quite surprised that it was such a problem for them to handle this quite reasonable request.

Authenticity & Character

Quirky and modern

Location

Walking distance to everything

Staff

The restaurant and bar staff was incredible.

Cleanliness & Comfort

The bed was very comfortable and I also loved the shower.

Activity Reviews

Drive from Lisbon to Algarve with visit to Évora

Portugal

We had a nice time in Evora. The Chapel of Bones is really something else. Our guide was very friendly and we really enjoyed our last guided tour!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Full day private Sintra & Cascais Tour

Portugal

I'm not sure how much this trip cost, but it felt like we could have saved some money driving ourselves to Cascais and Sintra, especially since the driver didn't come to the monuments with us. Sintra boasts a gorgeous castle, but it is also very overrun with tourists. We were not prepared for the crowds. We're also pretty sure we missed part of the castle - was there supposed to be an interior? Overall, it was nice to have a day to just sit and let ourselves be chauffeured around, but the car was TOO nice and we were suspicious how much we'd paid for this.

Quality of Experience

It was great quality for what it was.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

The electric Mercedes was incredible. So fancy! And the driver was very friendly too.

Dinner with Fado show

Lisbon

It was nice that everything was paid for in advance so we didn't have to worry about paying, and the food was nice, but I was hoping for a bit more Fado. I loved the music, but they only performed 4x during the course of the night.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

The waiters were very funny

Lisbon on a TukTuk

Lisbon

After an initial mix-up where our TukTuk didn't show up on time, we still ended up going later in the day. I really enjoyed riding in the Tuk Tuk, but the guide didn't have much new information to share - I felt like I'd already heard most of the things from other guides on this trip. Overall, I could've sat in the vehicle for longer, but the churches and descriptions fell a bit flat.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Self drive from Alvados to Lisbon with visit to Óbidos

Portugal

Obidos is such a cute town, and their cherry liquor in chocolate cups is to die for. Loved this day!

Quality of Experience

Half Day Tour to Tomar

Portugal

We had a nice guides and learned a lot about the area. Our favorite was definitely the Convent of Christ - what a magnificent church!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Self Drive Fátima, Batalha and Nazaré visit

Portugal

It would have been better to have a guide for this day. We went to Fatima first and were mostly confused by what everyone was doing (like walking on knees), then spent too much time in Nazare and ended up missing the Batalha monastery (we did go, but it was already closed unfortunately). It was still a good day though!

Quality of Experience

Dinner cooking class

Alvados

We hadn't done a cooking class before so we didn't know what to expect. We were surprised by how much prep they had already done - we didn't have to do any chopping, just basic assembly, which was a bit anticlimactic. Of course we never would have finished in time otherwise, since we made three courses. We really liked our starter salad, but the main dish for me was too much to eat. Dessert was probably my favorite part, we had a lava cake with raspberry sorbet. Our cooking instructor was very friendly and we enjoyed spending the time with her. I think I was expecting more of a group class, and more "pro tips" that you can generalize, instead of just putting together someone else's recipe, but we still had fun!

Quality of Experience

It's the difference between an art class and a "painting by numbers" exercise that makes me award less than 5 stars.

Food

The dessert was incredible and the starter salad was quite tasty, but I didn't care that much for the main dish.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Half Day Tour to Coimbra

Coimbra

Coimbra is such an amazing city. The university library is phenomenal! Our guide was also very knowledgeable and we enjoyed hearing about the thesis defenses of doctors and other such student experiences. We felt like we saw all the important parts of Coimbra and it was all very interesting.

Quality of Experience

Great guide, and great city that makes it easy to be an interesting guide.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Our guide was great!

Douro Valley Rabelo boat tour

Portugal

When we first arrived at the dock, they gave us a hard time about not having a ticket. Eventually, the magic words seemed to be "The Host" and we were allowed to board, but by then a huge group of other passengers had taken up most of the available seats. We were also expecting some kind of "tour", but we were supposed to download an app for the audio tour which seemed like a huge hassle and we couldn't get it working. The boat ride was only 1 hour, we would have liked to go for longer.

Quality of Experience

Have an actual person talk, not some app that half of us can't download. Longer boat ride.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Be more respectful and helpful. When we said "reservation", they said "we don't do reservations". Yeah, right...

Winery Quinta de la Rosa

Douro Valley

Nice tour and wine tasting. I didn't actually like their wines as much as some others we had on this trip, but the experience overall was still very nice.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Douro Museum

Douro Valley

We were initially a bit skeptical about the museum (Douro museum? What is that??) but our skepticism quickly turned to enthusiasm. This is such a cool place! The tour was amazing, and we learned so much about the region and the history of Port. The guide even took us past their back rooms where they are restoring art, showed us a special exhibit (unrelated to wine), and we got some free port at the end of it! This museum is anything but stuffy - they even have some interactive exhibits, where you can smell aromas that are present in wine, and they have exhibits of old machines used to put corks in bottles.

Quality of Experience

Amazing museum.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

The guide was extremely knowledgeable and loved giving us the tour.

Visit to Quinta da Aveleda (Green Wine region)

Penafiel

The garden of this place is absolutely incredible, well worth a visit! The guide was also extremely friendly and knowledgeable. The wines were tasty, but I was surprised that none of the places we went for wine tastings had any snacks or food pairings. It might be nice to add some food to some of these tours so you don't get too tipsy ;)

Quality of Experience

The property is simply gorgeous.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Very friendly and professional.

Visit to Ferreira Port Wine Cellars

Porto

This was a fairly standard wine tasting trip. It was good, but nothing stood out in particular.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Vintage Food and Wine Tour

Porto

Great tour. The guide was extremely knowledgeable and friendly, plus his English was impeccable. All the wines we had on this tour were very tasty. I have to admit that the food items weren't so much my favorite (and we did make the mistake of having some breakfast beforehand), but overall I really enjoyed this tour, especially the visit to the market where we had canned fish.

Quality of Experience

Well-rounded trip. Not too much walking, but still covered a good amount of ground and saw a variety of places.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

The guide was amazing.

Our Mindo forest tour was great. Marco picked us up on time and was more than flexible with what we wanted to do. Back on time with great memories of birds, zip lining and the scenery of the Mindo area.

Activity Review

Expedition to Mindo Cloud Forest

Quito

We did a small group personal tour to Mindo with Marco. He was great to deal with and fluent in English. We were flexible on what to see and do and so was Marco. Ended up skipping some planned items and added some others on. Great day.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Marco was driver and guide and was great at both.

Transport

Nice vehicle for our small group.

We had a fantastic trip around Australia. Liz listened to our needs, scheduled fun and memorable activities for us, worked around other events we had scheduled, and did it quickly and efficiently. Liz, as well as the rest of the KimKim team, is an excellent, relaxed communicator who kept us updated with any changes. It was a pleasure working with KimKim yet again. We have used KimKim twice now and both of the trips rank at the top of all the trips we have ever taken (and we travel A LOT). Great Job!

Our ‘trip of a lifetime’ was exactly that, absolutely amazing! Moreno and his team were responsive and supportive throughout our entire trip. Moreno executed the trip I had in my mind down to the details I could not have even imagined. One experience after the other continued to get better and better, blowing us away. These are memories we will remember forever. We are grateful for the experience we had in Venice, Florence, Amalfi and Rome and cannot wait to venture into more of Italy one day. When we do, I’ll be reaching out to Moreno and KimKim again!

Hotel Reviews

Charme Spagna Boutique Hotel

Rome

A bit disappointing due to construction happening in front of the hotel.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Bellevue Suite

Amalfi

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Alfieri9 Boutique Hotel

Florence

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Arcadia Boutique Hotel

Venice

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Galleria Borghese Tour

Rome

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Vatican & Sistine Chapel Tour

Rome

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Visit Positano + Sorrento - Pizza Making Class

Amalfi

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Capri and the Amalfi coast boat tour with the Blu Grotto

Italy

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Winery tour in Tuscany countryside

Italy

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Florence architecture and culture highlight Uffizi gallery tour - the essence of Renaissance

Italy

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Venice Walking Tour with St. Marks Basilica and Gondola Ride

Italy

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Hands-on Cooking Class & Farmhouse visit in the Amalfi Coast

Italy

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

We have to say hands down, we LOVE Croatia. Working with Sarah on the prep and Ivan and Sarah while in country was stellar.
During the planning process, Sarah was so helpful in her approach to setting up our trip. She gave us a first pass itinerary after meeting with me on what we were looking for in our vacation. She listened and responded so quickly, our trip was planned well in advance. She checked in and was responsive to any questions or concerns I had.
On our trip, Sarah and Ivan were SO on point for our whole trip. They responded quickly to any questions and helped us manage all the excursions, made sure we knew all the contacts, and really made it so we could sit back and enjoy our vacation.
This is our first experience using an agency, and I do believe we will use them again in the future.
Croatia is a beautiful and amazing place, and Sarah and Ivan made it so that we really got to see and enjoy all the parts, not just the touristy parts!
Thank you for everything!!!

Activity Reviews

Hike to Lost Villages of Hvar, Croatian Peka Lunch

Croatia

This excursion was so much more than we had hoped for. Our guide, Marco, was AWESOME. He was super knowledgable, but also super chill and fun to hang out with. We loved learning the history of the villages as well as the plants. My kids have both listed this as one of their favorite activities from the trip. The countryside is beautiful but to learn more about the nature and people was wonderful!

Visit Ston -> en route to Split

Croatia

The restaurant our driver picked was amazing. Just on the water and the fish was so fresh and had a lovely table side deboning.