Kimkim Trip Reviews

We had an amazing time in Fiji, Liz really made the itinerary smooth and no-fuss. It felt very effortless to travel from each destination to the next so we were able to enjoy the trip stress-free. Thank you for planning an amazing trip for us, we are already excited to go back to Fiji!

Hotel Reviews

Outrigger Fiji Beach Resort

Sigatoka

As honeymooners, this resort was not ideal for us because it caters to families with children, but nonetheless the quality of our stay here was excellent. There’s plenty to do, the staff is excellent, and the Sundowner restaurant in particular has great food.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

The Palms Denarau Fiji

Nadi

A good transit hotel, extremely close to the marina.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Matamanoa Island Resort - see other listing

Mamanuca Islands, Nadi

This was my favorite hotel from our Fiji trip. The staff was amazing, everyone was so kind and went the extra mile to make us feel welcome. They got to know us by name and even remembered our preferences. We felt so sad to leave! The view of the beach was amazing, we spent every morning snorkeling. The reef is immediately accessible and visible, just 20-30 feet away from the shore. The feel of the hotel is extremely relaxing. There is one restaurant but the food is excellent, I never felt tired of the options because the menu changed everyday.

Authenticity & Character

The staff is so friendly! They take the time to learn your names and chat with you everyday.

Location

The island feels remote and private. It’s a quiet and relaxing location.

Staff

Enoke, Kevin, Bai, Naomi, Aquila, and so many others were all so special. They are extremely kind and friendly.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Very clean, our room was spotless.

Activity Reviews

Sunset Dinner Cruise

Fiji

The cruise and the crew were amazing, but the experience was a bit of a zoo. It was crowded on the deck and many of the people aboard were very loud and rowdy (not the crew, only the guests.) it wasn’t relaxing and hard to enjoy because of this. It was hard to enjoy the sunset because of how crowded the deck was. I didn’t like the dinner that was served, it was buffet food.

Quality of Experience

Food

I wish the cruise wasn’t so crowded. I didn’t enjoy the buffet food. It wasn’t a relaxing experience.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Tivua Island Day Cruise

Fiji

This cruise was so much fun! The crew was so talented and entertaining the entire time. They were high energy and very friendly. We arrived at Tivua and had our own little cabana to relax in, clear waters, and access to an open bar and snorkeling gear. My husband and I learned our first scuba diving lesson and it was amazing to experience the reef for the first time here. Highly recommend this cruise!

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Waterfall Tour

Fiji

We really enjoyed our first outing on our trip to Fiji! Our guide, Esther was so personable and kind. It felt like hanging out with a good friend. She was enthusiastic showing us around the village. Once we got there, we partook in a lava ceremony, then we did a horse ride to the waterfall. The trail was beautiful and we were able to swim in the waterfall for a bit. Esther personally made us lunch, it was so sweet of her! We really enjoyed this trip.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Esther was amazing!

Transport

Great time and it wa a great having the support throughout the trip! Will use again and recommend

Hotel Reviews

Plaka Hotel

Athens

Wonderful experience there!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Acropolis view

Staff

Very nice and helpful

Cleanliness & Comfort

Vouliagmeni Suites Athens

Vouliagmeni

Authenticity & Character

Location

Close to the airport but nothing else

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Ayoba

Santorini

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Caldera Cruise & Volcano Visit

Santorini

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Acropolis & Athens Mythology Tour

Athens

Amazing! Our tour guide was great and so personable!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

I always like to wait a little bit after taking a trip to really think about the trip and give a review. The trip and itinerary put together by Robi and Kimkim was 5 stars and one of my favorite vacations I have ever been on. First, Robi was terrific on working on what we wanted on our trip from length of trip to hotels, to sights, etc. There was a lot of back and forth and I was always presented with multiple options. We had never been to Croatia so we were open to many suggestions, and it was perfect. Second the communication was top notch, any time we were going to a new city, Robi would whatsapp all details, even down to where to turn on a street, how early to be there, restaurants, etc. At no time on the vacation did we feel stressed as he setup everything perfect. Our trip was Split-Hvar-Korcula - Dubrovnik (with side trip to Kotor). The team he worked with was 5 stars with extra shout outs to Antonio in Split and Baldo in Dubrovnik. If you are wondering about using Robi and Kimkim, I highly recommend it for a special memorable trip.

As for sites, everyone is different, but renting a boat in HVAR and going into coves and swimming was terrific and beautiful, and the same happened in Dubrovnik and Robi was the captain and it was terrific also. Dubrovnik lives up to the hype. Kotor was incredible and you should ask for Baldo as a tour guide. In Split took a trip out to the Krka waterfalls and was a great trip. The day trip to Ston on the way to Dubrovnik was a great stop, from walking the walls to the oyster trip, to the salt plant. Be upfront with Robi on what you want and him and his team will find it, so enjoy Croatia

Hotel Reviews

Hotel Marko Polo

Korčula

Overall very good hotel. Great breakfast and great staff. Only downside is that no lunch served on site so when we arrived had to immediatley go out. Rooms were terrific and spacious, not something you always get in Europe

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Devecchi rooms

Hvar

It is more of a B&B than hotel, but that is ok. The rooms and location were terrific. If you want staff to be around, this is not the place for you, but it was great otherwise. The staff was there in the morning for breakfast and cleaning up and were great. But not in the afternoon. Great views in old town overlooking the harbor.

Authenticity & Character

Location

In old town and easily walkable anywhere

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Marul

Split

Great little hotel, the staff was terrific. It is not fancy, but the attention by staff and location make it great. Would stay there again.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Easy walking distance to old town

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Montenegro day trip from Dubrovnik

Dubrovnik

Baldo made the trip terrific. So much knowledge about Montenegro and communicative on what we were seeing. Kotor was beautiful and the climb up the mountain might be tough, but the payoff with views was worth it

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Baldo was great

Transport

Dubrovnik and Elaphiti islands - Lopud and Koločep private boat trip

Croatia

Seeing Old Town Dubrovnik from outside on a boat is worth the trip alone. Robi was terrific in listening to what we wanted to see..

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Pelješac penisula and Ston- triple atraction - from Korčula

Korčula

Great little town, and terrific Ston walls. Robi was terrific with information

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Visit to Hvar and exploring the Old town

Split

Hvar was exactly what we wanted, the ability to relax on the beach and get out on a boat.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Arrival in Split and transfer to accommodation

Split

Antonio was great on picking us up...easily identified

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Goodbye Dubrovnik

Dubrovnik

Baldo was on time and terrific

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Service was great. Samir and our guide Adnan made it a memorable experience and we did everything we wanted!! There were a couple of days where we were on a tighter deadline but that’s absolutely fine as we crammed so much in. Our local driver recommended spur of the moment Red Sea visit which we wouldn’t have seen on our original plan so key suggestions like this would have been useful but we made it anyway. Everyone was so helpful, even when our luggage was lost they did everything possible to get it back quickly. Overall recommended to everyone out there

Chris was excellent. It was very nice to have someone make difficult restaurant reservations and answer questions during our trip. Naxos was an excellent choice of islands to visit which was selected by Chris for us. We also really enjoyed the catamaran sailing trip in Santorini. The crew on the catamaran were very friendly and the experience was very classy.

Hotel Reviews

Belvedere Suites Santorini

Santorini

Very nice quiet spot close to everything but a beautiful oasis in a busy spot. The breakfast was nice but the service can be slow at times when everyone comes down at the same time. Not a huge issue but the room had no iron or ironing board and the coffee was only instant coffee which I felt was low scale for a higher end property. We had a room with the bedroom upstairs which was nice but the stairs are pretty steep and could be dangerous for people that need to go use the bathroom during the night.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

The afternoon and evening managers were very helpful

Cleanliness & Comfort

Cyano Suites

Naxos

Amazing location and a beautiful property. It was very nice to have such an attentive and friendly owner to help us out. This is and ideal location to stay.

Authenticity & Character

Location

The view was incredible

Staff

The owner was awesome

Cleanliness & Comfort

The place is spotless

Athens Manor Houses

Athens

Excellent convenient location and very high quality. The staff was very accommodating and friendly. It can be noisy if your room faces the street which is extremely busy with foot traffic.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Platinum Morning Caldera Cruise

Santorini

This is a must! A beautiful way to end a fantastic vacation. The experience was very relaxing and top notch.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Discover Santorini

Santorini

Our guide Hercules was very nice. The wine tasting and tour was very nice. We enjoyed the visit to Akrotiri but it would have been nice to have a guide to explain the site in detail. We were told that we could have a professional guide at an extra charge.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Welcome to Athens!

Athens

Our walking and food tour was very nice. It was nice to have our private tour guide Jo who gave us an excellent experience.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Traditional Village & Family Home Cooking in Naxos

Naxos

The host was extremely nice and we had a great time. It was a unique experience a we met some really nice people. It was nice walking around the little village during the tour, very beautiful location.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Kimkim's associates in Australia, first Jasmine and later Hugh, helped us plan a wonderful 30-day vacation in Australia. Jasmine worked up a candidate itinerary and we worked with it, tweaked it, and fine-tuned it for several months -- way back in late 2019 and early 2020 for travel in August and September of 2020. But then COVID happened. We tried again in 2021, but Australia still had not opened up to tourism and didn't open up until 2022. We picked it up again early this year (Jasmine had moved on and we were turned over to first Jay and then Hugh with Global Tours Specialists). We worked with them to make a few additional adjustments to our itinerary and Hugh did all the bookings and reservations for our time in Australia. There were some struggles with Australia's recovering tourism industry, but Hugh did a wonderful job handling the challenges. In the end everything worked out almost flawlessly. One of our lodgings (Alice Springs) was a disappointment, but there were no alternatives to be had due to a big auto show that sucked up all available lodging the weekend we were there. We were lucky to get anything, but Hugh found something for us -- better than nothing.

The vacation itself... Wow! We covered lots of ground (literally) from Melbourne to Adelaide, then by rental car to Port Augusta, Coober Pedy, on through the Outback to Uluru and Kings Canyon, and on to Alice Springs. After a couple nights there we flew to Darwin (a few days there), then (by air) to Cairns where we rented another car to explore the Atherton Tablelands and the coast up to Cape Tribulation (including Port Douglas, Mossman Gorge, and the Daintree Rainforest). Our stay in Cairns included a day out on the Great Barrier Reef. We then flew to Sydney for a few days before our trip home.

We spent quite a bit of time on this trip traveling by car (about 2 weeks in the Outback and 6 days around Cairns). This was a lot of driving (roughly equivalent to driving from our home in Southeastern Washington to Chicago!) but what a great way to see the country! We loved it! It gave us flexibility to stop (or not stop) whenever we wanted, stay as long as we wanted, and take little side trips whenever we wanted. We were a bit apprehensive going in (e.g., out of touch in the Outback, long driving days, risk of adverse weather conditions, and driving on the left side of the road), but it all turned out perfectly. We'd do it again in a heartbeat.

All lodgings that were suggested by Jasmine, Jay or Hugh were all excellent (except as noted above). The Flynn Hotel in Cairns was particularly exquisite! Highly recommended (book one of the "09" rooms!). Our room at the Mantra 2 Bond Street in Sydney was really an apartment. Probably overkill, but we enjoyed the space.

Breakfast at the hotel was included on most days and usually was full... very full... breakfast from a buffet (needless to say, we tended to overindulge).

Jasmine and Hugh set up eleven tours for us over the course of the vacation. We enjoyed all of these, but our favorites were the small group ones (e.g., the Melbourne City tour, the Melbourne Lanes and Arcades tour, and the Sydney City tour). The two city tours were just the guide and the two of us -- this was ideal. The big coach tours (Kangaroo Island, Barossa Valley, Uluru, and Kakadu National Park) are not really our cup of tea but this might have been the only practical way of getting a guided tour of some of these sites. Two of these tours (Kangaroo Island and Kakadu National Park) were full days and involved a lot of time on the bus getting to and from the sites -- almost too much time relative to the time we spent actually visiting the sites.

Prior to our travel we set up a WhatsApp chat with Kimkim (actually, with Hugh and his team in Australia) for real-time support during our trip. We did have a few issues that came up along the way, but through this chat we could get their help and they were alway very responsive. Things alway got resolved very satisfactorily.

Generally we prefer vacations where we "park" somewhere for a long restful stay. This wasn't one of those trips. We didn't see any way to give Australia some of the justice it deseres without a lot of traveling. During the planning phase, we tweaked the itinerary to ensure that we had at least two nights at each location (with three or more at several of them). The only exception was the one night we stayed in the Daintree Rainforest. Now we have some good candidates for our "long restful stay" type vacation should we return to Australia!

All in all, this was a great experience and it was a real pleasure working with the team at Kimkim and Global Tour Specialists. They were very patient with us and very adaptable to our preferences and desires. I highly recommend a Kimkim vacation if you want something designed especially for you with help from a local specialist who can provide recommendations where to go, where to stay, and what to see. However, be prepared to spend some time with them to make sure they know what you want out of your vacation and don't be afraid to let them know if something isn't just right. They are there to work with you and are really good at it.

This review is long overdue but this was, by far, the best experience I've had of any tour I've had or been on in my life.

Communication:
From the get-go, Eduardo was extremely responsive to any/all of our questions. His responses were immediate and thorough.

Patience:
We were a difficult group to coordinate since there were 6 of us - all with varied levels of comfort and ideas of fun. Eduardo, took all of this in stride - regardless of last-minute changes or peppering him with questions - he was so incredibly patient with us! He should win an award for this - truly.

Helpfulness / Consideration:
Outside of just being extremely responsive and patient, he always took our questions and feedback into consideration to come up with a few varied options.

Tours/Guides:
I loved all of the guides Eduardo paired us up with - our absolute favorite guide was Pablo - who showed us around Lake Atitlan. Not only was he knowledgeable but he was also adaptive and he has quiet confidence throughout the tour. Everyone seems to know him also! We felt like we were walking around with a celebrity! He allowed us the time to review different spaces and took us to places we likely never would have seen or encountered without him. We only got to meet with Alex briefly (<1 hour) but he has great energy which is infectious! He's great as well

Driver: Antonio is THE BEST. He is so kind, so patient, and so helpful. Even though he didn't know how to speak a lot of English we were able to communicate with him a bit and he was so warm and thoughtful. In once instance, we were trying to get into the house but had issues getting into the gated community - Antonio spent a good 20 minutes working with us to get in touch with our friend who owned the home. Even if he was frustrated (I would be!) he never showed it and was so patient.

I know there must be SO many things Eduardo must have done behind the scenes that our group didn't even see to make our stay great. He even came by the house to sync with us on plans - he got us COVID testers to come to the home.

Again, I couldn't recommend this service or the team we met in Guatemala more. It was THE BEST tour experience I've ever had!

We overall had a wonderful experience on our trip to Athens, Santorini and Mykonos planned by Antonis. The coordination of transport and excursions made the trip very well worth it. Every excursion planned by Antonis was very fun and worthwhile. We had Zakia as our local guide for tour through Athens and Delphi. She was incredibly knowledgeable, funny and kind which made our tours very enjoyable. Due to winds, we were unable to get to Milos as planned for our trip and Antonis was crucial in helping us navigate changes with transport and accommodations. We were so appreciative for having easy, reliable contact with him every call and text. When we return to Greece we will be sure to work with Antonis again.

Hotel Reviews

Ilio Maris Hotel

Mykonos

Ilio Maris was very comfortable and clean. We loved the pool which had great lawn chairs and pool floats that were very fun! The breakfast in the morning was also a good variety to start the day. The hotel allowed for a quick easy walk into town.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Tzekos Villas

Santorini

Authenticity & Character

Location

Easily walkable and accessible to Fira as well as bus station if needed. Nice to be away from where all the major tourist walking happens.

Staff

Maria at the front desk was incredibly helpful and did work to upgrade us our last night to sister hotel Asma Suites which was much more comfortable.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Rooms were sparsely furnished with non functioning lamps and lack of decor to be comfortable. Room accommodations did not seem fitting of a 4 star hotel.

Athenian Callirhoe Hotel

Athens

The staff were kind and helpful. We found the rooms to be clean and well maintained but slightly small unless upgraded to an executive suite.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Sailing Yacht Cruise to Rhenia Island & Delos

Mykonos

We had a blast on the boat cruise! Our favorite was the time swimming around Rhenia island. It was very interesting touring Delos island as well.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Catamaran Sunset Cruise

Santorini

The sunset cruise was a wonderful experience. The amount of other travelers on the boat is small enough for everyone to enjoy their time as they wish. The balance of swimming and relaxing on the catamaran while taking in the sites was perfect. Staff were great and the food provided was very tasty.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Magnificent Athens

Athens

Zakia was a wonderful tour guide of the Acropolis and some surrounding sites of Athens. She was so kind and knowledgeable. Seeing the sites with the history and background surrounding the area supplied by Zakia made the experience much more enjoyable.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Norway is a beautiful, clean, safe, amazing country. The natural beauty took my breath away time after time. The glaciers, fjords, Art, sculpture, gardens, waterfalls, ferries, trains, food, hotels, and people surpassed my expectations. The kayaking in the fjord in Eidfjord was my favorite day. The walking tour with Marianne in Oslo was terrific and professional. We were in Oslo Bergen Eidfjord Stavanger and Skei. All were different and exceptional.

WOW WOW WOW!!!!

We worked with Antonis to create the perfect honeymoon to Greece and let us tell you: IT WAS PERFECT. We spent 9 days there total: flying into Athens (2 nights), Mykonos (3 nights), and Santorini (3 nights). The amount of effort Antonis took to customize, prepare and execute our travel plans was truly astonishing. He left us nothing to worry about: all travel / to and from / check-ins / getting around, etc was completely taken care of. It's so clear Antonis is passionate about what he does, because there was so much care in the details. Below are some more details about our trip.

ATHENS:
We stayed at Villa Brown Ermou Hotel and loved it: it's new. The staff is so friendly and accommodating. It's located in Plaka which is "the spot" to visit - shopping, food, etc. Antonis was there to meet us in person the second we arrived to put a face to a name! He debriefed us on our itinerary and asked for any questions and made us feel so excited and safe. We did the Magnificent Athens tour of Athens with Zakia (our guide) and driver Marios. They were exceptional! Zakia is so passionate and knowledgeable. They even customized our tour of Athens to include the Grand Changing of the Guards (Sundays at 11am) which includes a parade of the Greek soldiers. (This is not normally on their schedule.) We visited the Acropolis Museum, The Panathenaic Stadium, and then the Acropolis itself. HIGHLY recommend this if you are staying even one day in Athens. 10/10

MYKONOS:
The pickup from the high-speed ferry can feel overwhelming with so many people, but we found our pickup very quickly and easily and was immediately brought to our hotel. We stayed at the Mykonos Imperial and cannot recommend a hotel more. It was the best hotel experience we've ever had. Two restaurants on property (Sushi and Mediterranean) which were incredible, and the kindest staff -- especially Giota and Victoria! The breakfast is unlike anything we've ever experienced -- endless options of every kind of breakfast option you could dream up. We also utilized the spa *couples massage* and really enjoyed relaxing at the gorgeous pool overlooking the Sea. *This hotel includes beach access* to Elia Beach, just outside the entrance to the hotel, which is huge. Most folks are traveling and paying 75-100 Euros for a daybed. You can use a daybed for free and charge everything to the room. *We also did the jetskis right there, and there are other water sports available. Amazing hotel. 10/10

The Sailing Yacht Cruise to Rhenia and Delos Islands was phenomenal. It's a large motorized sailboat with tons of space onboard and the shared experience with others was a great way to connect with people. At Rhenia jumped off of the boat, and snorkeled. We saw gorgeous fish. Delos is a historical uninhabited island where you'll get off the boat to do a one-hour walking guided tour (with Sia who is wonderful!) to explore the ruins from when the island was populated during the BC era. *Definitely bring a dry change of clothes and comfortable shoes for this! We also recommend towels / jacket / windbreaker on board because the waves produce lots of ocean spray and it can get chilly en route back. 10/10 experience for sure.

SANTORINI:
Our hotel, Secret Legend Suites, was heavenly. Right in the heart of Oia, which is a destination spot of Santorini for sure. There is a sister hotel, the Santorini Secret and with our stay, we have access to their infinity pool (excellent for your social media photos!) with a bar / restaurant and gym. Our room had a private hot tub which we used every day. The staff is wonderful, especially Elina. You are able to pre-select your handmade breakfast from never-ending options and it's delivered to your room at your preferred time. Between the service, the amenities, the views of the Caldera, and the location, this hotel worth every penny. 10/10

The Sunset Cruise is a must! You board in the afternoon, so there's great sun time to explore the different volcanic islands around Santorini (fascinating!) and jump off the boat / snorkel and then of course, you are set in the prime location to view the sunset. *Another picturesque experience* The food on board is magnificent, and the staff are amazing. 10/10

Overall, what set this trip apart from the rest was the incredible care and effort that Antonis put into both planning our trip, and making sure it was going smoothly along the way. We would work with him again in an instant!

Tomaz and Zala did a fantastic job planning our trip to Switzerland. Every detail was taken care of and everything worked out without any issues. The trip plan was exactly what we had in mind- great hikes, beautiful scenery, very great accommodations which were all very well located and clean, cozy and with great breakfasts! We would highly recommend Tomaz and Zala to anyone interested in exploring Switzerland. Thank you both!!

Hotel Reviews

Hotel Angleterre

Lausanne

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Backstage Hotel Vernissage

Zermatt

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Jnterlaken

3800

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Cascada Boutique Hotel

Lucerne

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Review

Cheese Tuk-tuk tour

Lucerne

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Our trip to Peru was amazing! Everything was perfectly organized.

Martina did a great job upfront ensuring that all of our excursions , hotels, and travels were booked and coordinated. She did a great job of listening to our requests and altering our itinerary to ensure that it was everything that we wanted. She was kept in great contact before and during the trip!
Lionel was our main contact once we got to Peru, he was very helpful providing us all of the detailed information we needed and ensuring we got from place to place. Our trip included 6 flights, 5 hotels, and over a dozen excursions, EVERYTHING was planned to perfection.
All drivers and tour guides were extremely professional and really made our experience the best that it could be. We loved exploring everything that Peru had to offer. Some of our favorite experiences included sand boarding and camping in the desert, visiting Machu Picchu, hiking to scenic waterfalls, and exploring the amazon via jungle cruise!

I typically do not like booking with travel agents, but I would book with Kimkim again in a heartbeat!

Greetings, Christos. The trip you arranged for us through the Peloponnese was wonderful. I gave the trip 5 stars even though two nights' accommodations were less than we would have expected. The other reviewers have commented on the Bacchus and the apartment in Monemvasia. The excursions were good and the restaurant choices were all great. You all did a great job of anticipating the types of places we would like. Kostas did a fantastic job for us - both professional and fun to travel with. Thank you for great service and a fantastic trip. Julie

We loved our guide for Plitvice Lakes, Jelena (I think) however Plitvice was SO crowded, the scenery was impacted by the droves of people that were there - nothing on your end, just an observation that it is hard to go to a place like this and experience it when there are 100 people behind you, in front of you and passing next to you. I don't know that I would recommend going there to anyone even though the site itself was beautiful.
We loved our two guides in Hvar, Gregor and Jelena (hiking and biking) - both tours were great. However, the bike guide ending in the basement of Gregor's father and receiving wine, olive oil, bread and cheese was amazing.
We loved our guide in Korcula, Mislav (biking) - he took us to an amazing lunch experience where the food was divine and the hostess loved doing her job, explaining about her garden the grappa processes, the olive oils and the food!
The guide at Mljet was a darling person but not such a knowledgeable guide and then we had a strange experience at the restaurant on the island where they brought us an appetizer that we didn't order and then charged us for it with the explanation of "It is on the menu". After lunch, there was definitely tension in the air - like I said, an odd experience. After going through this, I would recommend KimKim suggests that people bring a picnic (sandwiches) and water (our guide had none for us) and go to the fire stand at the top of the island - that view and hike was quite memorable. The restaurant is a rip-off -it was our most expensive meal in 12 days and we had no wine with lunch.
The guide Nika in Dubrovnik was an absolute joy to be with and she had SO much information to share with us - she was an incredible guide and just very warm and easy to be with.
The cooking class outside of Dubrovnik was amazing - they provided a vegetarian meal for me without me even asking! The things they had us make were lots of fun and easy - that experience was also fantastic.
We loved our guide "Disco" who drove us to Mostar and the falls. He was also so knowledgeable about the area, the war, the history of both Croatia and Bosnia. He was so personable and gave a lot of good options. I could have spent 30 minutes less at the falls to have that extra time in Mostar.

We loved Villa Nora in Hvar - the hostess there, Natalie, was so nice and ready to help us at any moment. The room was great and the breakfast was so cozy in the walled courtyard. Her sister was also a great cook and also was ready to help us. Great location and we loved being in old town.

The hotel in Korcula Fabris Inn was in a good location, adjacent to the old town. The room was nice but nothing special, the breakfast was nice as well and we loved sitting near the waterfront every morning while we had coffee and breakfast.

The Hotel Lero was nice, clean and modern and offered a fantastic breakfast each morning (I don't think I have had better coffee) - we enjoyed staying there. We had an issue with the A/C turning off around 5:30-6am which resulted in us getting up to turn it back on. We asked the front desk about it and it was never resolved (they sent someone up immediately but they said it was fine). I would have preferred staying in the old town just because that is where we spent the majority of our time but I think that is something we realized in hindsight. The hotel was nice but again, nothing special.

Hotel Reviews

Hotel Lero

Dubrovnik

This hotel is clean and modern and has an incredible breakfast buffet. The rooms were nice though I didn't love the frosted bathroom door - I was traveling with a friend so that was a tiny bit awkward. Loved the towel rack and the soap and lotion. The front desk was very helpful and always responded to any requests we made. They lent us umbrellas when needed as well as boxed breakfast when we needed it. The coffee is fantastic.

Authenticity & Character

It is just a modern hotel - so nothing really stands out about it.

Location

It is about a 20 minute walk to the old town of Dubrovnik. Taking the bus was easy but I would have preferred something closer.

Staff

The staff was very responsive to our questions and needs.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Very comfortable beds and linens. There was an issue with the A/C cutting off in the early morning so that was annoying but not a deal breaker - otherwise, we could set the temperature and it was nice and cold.

The Fabris Inn

Korčula

The Fabris Inn was in a very good location, adjacent to the old town. The room was nice and clean but nothing special (i.e. old with history). The breakfast was also nice, and we loved sitting near the waterfront every morning while we had coffee and breakfast. There was plenty to choose from at the buffet style and they had one or two different pastries each day.

Authenticity & Character

This was newly remodeled so it felt modern and clean. It blended in with its surroundings.

Location

Staff

They were always helpful when we needed them.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Comfy beds and linens

Villa Nora Hvar

Hvar

We loved Villa Nora in Hvar - the hostess there, Natalie, was so nice and ready to help us at any moment. The room was great and the breakfast was so cozy in the walled courtyard. Her sister was also a great cook and also was ready to help us. Great location and we loved being in old town. I also liked how the room was separate from the bathroom - that is a nice touch. As were the mints and dried figs that were everywhere - I would 100% go back to this hotel.

Authenticity & Character

I loved that it was in the old town - there is just a small sign with the name so it feels like it blends right in with all the surrounding buildings.

Location

Close to everything and not too many steps between the port and the hotel!

Staff

The staff was great - we loved Natalie and her sister, they would stop whatever they were doing to answer our questions.

Cleanliness & Comfort

the room was very clean, it was also spacious, it even had a couch to sit on which was very nice.

Activity Reviews

Korčula Bike & Food Tour

Korčula

We loved this experience. Our guide, Mislav, was great! He was very knowledgeable and took us to some beautiful places that we never would have found on our own. We then went for lunch at a small place and the hostess was wonderful about sharing her garden, telling us about the olive oils and liquors they made on the property. The ride was simply awesome and the lunch spot was delicious, relaxing and so fun.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Mislav was great - so entertaining, we felt like we were with a friend. He offered so many great tips about Korcula that we didn't have enough time to do them all!

Transport

I love e-bikes - I would not want to do this tour and a regular bike. Especially after that lunch!

Day Trip to Plitvice National Park from Split (group tour)

Split

Plitvice lakes are amazing the amount of people there is ridiculous. I wouldn't go back here simply because of the number of people. The infrastructure around the park is great, very beautiful but you are sharing it with a constant stream of people before and after you. I don't know how to resolve this but I really felt like the numbers of people took away from the experience of it.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Private Hiking Tour on the Island of Hvar

Hvar

This was a great experience - we enjoyed Gregor's company and vast knowledge of the area. We had a great walk through all sorts of places - there was nothing strenuous about the walk which was nice since it was pretty hot. We ended with coffee in a cafe overlooking the sea - not as nice as the day before with the wine, cheese and bread but nice nonetheless.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Small Group Island of Hvar Cycling Tour

Croatia

We loved our biking guide Jelana - the ride was beautiful and she kept a nice pace - not too slow nor too fast. She pointed out some really great things along the way (the old roman roads, the path that the parades follow near Easter, little Venice etc.) She would stop when asked to allow for photos. I loved stopping near the end for gelato - that was the best gelato we had on the trip! Ending in the basement with wine, cheese, olive oil, meats etc was an amazing finish to an already amazing bike ride. Would do this trip again and again.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Monica helped me begin planning the trip over a year ago. Sonia helped with last part. So organized and outstanding communication. I had never used a company like this. I was so pleased with how everything worked. Alessia was our Concierge assistant that met us at airport in Venice and escorted us to beautiful hotel. She also took us out for food tour on the evening. She checked in with us daily .
around 5 by Whats App to assure we had plan for the next day. Communication was outstanding. It was such a stress reliever. Our drivers were great. Michela came to hotel in Florence to pick us up and also our guide for Tuscany. So fun having lady private driver. Boat ride to Capri was beautiful . Peppe and Luca did a wonderful job explaining sites. Serving drinks, and snacks. It was such a great day.
We enjoyed each city. Venice, Florence, Sorrento, Rome. All so different. In Rome we had Apertivo tour with Valeria to Jewish Ghetto area and Pizza making class arranged by Kim Kim at Grotinno's. In business 35 years.Both so fun and educational. Train transfers went smoothly with help of drivers and Lucia. Marino, Deborah and Daniela to meet us and or get on. Next train. I can not imagine planning a trip like this without Kim Kim. It allowed three women to feel safe and have less stress. A mothers dream come true and Kim Kim and others above helped make it happen. We will be using Kim Kim again to plan a trip. Thank you.

Hotel Reviews

47 Boutique Hotel

Rome

Authenticity & Character

Location

Close to Jewish Ghetto, Collesium

Staff

Kind of stuffy. Didn't go the extra mile to help with questions re walk and restaurants. Good view from roof top bar. Service and bill very slow

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Corallo

Sorrento

Authenticity & Character

Beautiful views

Location

Had shuttle since not in easy walking gdistance of town

Staff

Spoke English well bit did not understand and try to meet me on concern I had on bill. Marianna very helpful to get shuttle to lemon farm for us.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Grand Hotel Cavour

Florence

Authenticity & Character

Beautiful entry and restaurant breakfast area.

Location

Loved the view from roof bar. Also central location for enter city

Staff

Answered many questions. Patient and kind

Cleanliness & Comfort

We had extra Bed in room. Some of slats fell out when I turned overr in the night.

Bonvecchiati Palace

Venice

Authenticity & Character

Vaporetto pulled up to door of our hotel to take us to train station

Location

Easy walk to all sites. Central location

Staff

Polite

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Private Pizza-making class

Rome

Tony made our experience so authentic. He had owned business 35 years. He and sister are partners. His business is in a Residential area with large market outside door. He was so patient with us. Explained details of Ingredients and temp, time and chemistry. We made 10 pizza between my two daughters and I. His assistant was so nice to make the experience move along by assuring supplies available . She took pics for us. His wife daughter and grandbaby dropped by.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Evening Aperitivo Tour

Rome

Valeria was our tour guide. Very informative. Since I follow WW II history, I liked the tour of Jewish Ghetto.

Quality of Experience

Valeria was very knowlegabke

Food

Liked trying artichokes and stuffed zucchini blooms

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Sorrento Coast & Capri Boat Tour

Italy

Beautiful boat ride with Peppi and Luca and app 10 others to Capri. Tour of shoreline and explanations of sites. Swam in water before and after Capri. Was not aware of15$ bus to Anicapri. Very organized. It was not part of KimKim. Drinks and snacks and sandwich provided along the boat ride. Day was a dream.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Explore the Chianti Wine region

Florence

Quality of Experience

Food

Wine tasting and food at each location

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Michala was excellent. Took us back wY into Tuscany. Beautiful scenery. Fun to be with. Dropped us for walk through of small village about e Greve .

Transport

Mercedes van very comfortable. Easy to see out

"Bacari" local street food tour

Italy

Quality of Experience

Alessia was fun, shared good info.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Walking

Good communication and when we had to make changes due to forest fires the team came thru!!

Everything was great!

Really enjoyed how seamless the process was. Our trip was exactly what we wanted. Our rides all showed up on time, the drivers were all fantastic. Our guides were local, knowledgeable. Not associated with any company, which we liked.

Manoa Arenal - oh my god. What an amazing hotel. Stunning. Beautiful. Great service. Would go back.
San Bada in Manuel Antonio - Not my favorite. It sells itself as very convenient as it is attached to the national park. However, this puts you right in the middle of the tourism central, which isn't the relaxing beach vibe I was looking for. Kinda tacky and stressful. It definitely sells itself as more of a party location, and the facilities are a little run down. Service was excellent. Maybe a good choice for some, but looking back I wish I had spent the money for something a little nicer, especially with the convenient bus system.

9/10 great visit to costa rica, will be back
will use kimkim again

:)

We are so grateful for finding Ina, our local travel expert, and the KimKim Travel Management team for our amazing road trip around Central and North Greece. Our entire experience was awesome and we want to thank you and your team very much for helping us make all the arrangements within our budget. It was our first time using the travel service.
Ina and your travel management team provided us with accurate pricing of all the things that we would experience in Greece. We can tell everybody without hesitation that you are the primary reason for our great time in Greece! You took care and paid attention to everything about our trip’s planning and even during our trip. We were in awe to experience the Greek culture and history; to explore its nature of abundant mountains, seas, and olive trees!
The places that you choose for us to go - the hotels, the guides, the island day cruise, the tours, ferry rides, and the stopping points between Athens, Nafplio, Nafpaktos, Ioannina, Corfu, Meteora, Thessaloniki, Lithochoro, and Delphi were top-notch except driving on lots of winding roads. We have recommended your name to a few other people who were in our contacts and who love to travel as well.
We shared the photos of our trip on Facebook and they were very well received. We have fond memories of the amazing food, people, nature, and attractions that we saw in Greece and were surprised that most Greeks are able to speak English as well!
We are looking forward to planning another trip with Ina and your KimKim team and we want to thank both of you again for such a great trip.

Hotel Reviews

Vouliagmeni Suites Athens

Vouliagmeni

Fantastic!

Authenticity & Character

Beautiful room with a sea view..

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Kastalia Boutique Hotel Delphi

Delphi

Authenticity & Character

It indicated that it is a 4 star hotel and for us is 2 star hotel. The hotel needs some improvement. We were upgraded to a larger room with the view..

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Daios Luxury Living

Thessaloníki

The best of overall!

Authenticity & Character

We were treated very well! Beautiful welcome treat with champagne and food and farewell treat-panacotta with berries!

Location

Right across of the gulf. Great location

Staff

Extraordinary!

Cleanliness & Comfort

Tsikeli Hotel Meteora

Meteora

Love the sauna in the room!! Beautiful breakfast buffet. We are in awe to see the views of the high cliff on the front of the hotel

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Wonderful staff!

Cleanliness & Comfort

ELEALS Boutique Hotel

Perama

Beautiful boutique hotel. We had a pleasure meeting with Sofia and Tasos, owners. Private Beach!

Authenticity & Character

Wonderful owners.. Fantastic Breakfast Menu

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

The Lake hotel Ioannina

Ioannina

Authenticity & Character

Location

Far from the central town

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Amalia Hotel Nafplio

Nafplio

Authenticity & Character

Beautiful welcome treat in the room!

Location

Not nearby the old town

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

NJV Athens Plaza Hotel

Athens

Authenticity & Character

Location

Next to the Parliament Athens

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Salonica Jewish Heritage Tour

Thessaloniki

We walked with Ilona Stefani, our private local tour guide where the Jews lived in the Jewish Quarter and unbelievably she was so informative about its history.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Ilona Stefani is amazing! We were fortunate to her guide.

Meteora Sunset Tour

Meteora

We are in awe to explore the monasteries built on the top of the high cliffs. Breathtaking sunset!

Quality of Experience

History of Meteora and Byzantine Church

Guides, Drivers and Staff

The tour guide including 17 tourists were amazing! He spoke English fluently! Driver as well!

Transport

Acropolis Afternoon Tour

Athens

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

The guide was very informative...

Saronic Islands Day Cruise

Athens

Amazing cruise trip to 3 islands! Hydra is the best-car free island!

Quality of Experience

Food

Beautiful lunch presentation in VIP room of the ship.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

The staff was very accommodating.

Transport

Round trip transfers should be by luxury black vehicle as promised and paid for.

Private Tour of Delphi

Greece

Quality of Experience

We were amazed with the ancient history of Delphi!

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Penny is a local private tour guide and provided her tremendous knowledge about Delphi archeology.

We had a great trip to England during a very unprecedented time of the Queens passing. Owen literally took care of every detail of our trip from the time we stepped off the plane until the time we stepped back on. It was such a relief to be able to have someone handle all the details and for us to just be able to enjoy our short time there. I would recommend Owen and his team over and over and I would not hesitate to use him again when I return.

My daughter and I enjoyed a great trip to Argentina and Brazil that we booked through KimKim. It was easy to work with their pre-set itineraries and customize as necessary. We had an outstanding trip and saw a great deal of Argentina in only 12 days and then enjoyed 3 days in Rio. On balance, we were pleased with the service and support we got from KimKim and their local agent in Buenos Aires. Patagonia was amazing!! This was the second trip I booked through KimKim (Morocco - highly recommend!). The reason for the 4 star rating versus 5 star is two-fold. If I contrast the speed and specificity of responses I received from Oleksandra vs. my other trip it was not as good. The second point is it would have been good to have a heads up on the economic challenges in Argentina. We would have brought more US cash as trying to get local currency from bank machines was a continuing challenge and the government fee on withdrawals was up to 35% of the value of the transaction. There were also a lot of places that would not accept credit cards. Knowing this would have made a big difference in how we would have prepared for the trip.