Kimkim Trip Reviews

Kim Kim put together an AWESOME experience for us! We traveled to Kenya in April for 10 days as a family of four, with two girls (ages 11 and 13). Our itinerary was as follows: Nairobi (2 nights), Ol Pejeta Conservancy (2 nights), Nakuru (2 nights), Maji Moto (1 night), and then Masai Mara (2 nights). I was a little worried it would seem like a "bag drag" with all the separate locations, but it didn't! Everything was executed well and went smoothly with just enough downtime. While planning the trip, we were also concerned about traveling during the rainy season; however, we were reassured by local experts that it would not impact our experience. It did affect us, but only in a positive way. The afternoon showers often occurred after lunch and during our siesta, and our evening drives were filled with animals emerging to enjoy the cooler weather after the passing storms. Not to mention, the crowds were minimal. We saw the Big Five on day three and continued to see everything we had dreamed of.
Our two favorite things:
1. Our driver, Andrew, was the best! He made us feel comfortable, safe, and communicated well; he could also drive that Land Cruiser! We were all sad to say our goodbyes and feel like we made a friend.
2. Maji Moto was an incredible experience for all of us, but especially the girls. We felt honored to be a part of the Masai for two days, and camping in the bush under the stars, eating goat, and listening to them sing was something we will never forget! I am very grateful to all the members of this camp for their time and for teaching us not only about their culture but also for letting us experience it for a short period. What wonderful people! If you do go, pack some extra school supplies and clothing for the kids. We brought a little but not enough, and wish we had brought a whole suitcase!

Hotel Reviews

Fair Acres Boutique Hotel

Karen, Nairobi. P. O Box 1121 – 00208 Nairobi.

Wonderful Rooms. The only complaint was that we had to move rooms the second night, and wish we could have just been assigned one room.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Lake Nakuru Lodge

Nakuru

We had a fantastic view and loved the pool after our day drives.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Rooms need some updating, but we would still stay again!

Sweetwaters Serena Camp

Nanyuki

Loved this place! Tents were very well appointed, food and service were fantastic and we loved watching the animals at the watering hole.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Maji Moto Maasai Cultural Camp

Maji Moto

If you're looking for a full cultural experience and are up for a bit of adventure, you must give this place a try. I wrote more about this place in my trip review. Please take a look there. It was the highlight of our trip!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Olive Bush Camp

We loved our awesome family tent and enjoyed hearing the hippos while we fell asleep. The food was incredible, and the staff were terrific. I highly recommend Olive Bush Camp.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Nairobi National Park

Kenya

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Lake Nakuru Full Day Game Drives

Nakuru

Behind Scenes Chimpanzees

Ol Pejeta Conservancy

Maasai Mara National Reserve

Masai Mara

Maasai Mara Game Drives

Masai Mara

David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust

Kenya

Worth the quick visit. Very educational and enjoyable, with great interaction with the elephants.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Giraffe Center

Kenya

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Ol Pejeta Conservancy

Ol Pejeta Conservancy

Ol Pejeta Conservancy Game Drives

Ol Pejeta Conservancy

Quality of Experience

Night Game Drive

Ol Pejeta Conservancy

Very cool experience! Definitely worth giving it a try.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Lake Nakuru National Park Game Drive

Nakuru

Maji Moto Maasai "Olpul" Bush Camp

Maji Moto

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Overall we had a good experience, but there were highs and extreme lows (good excursions and they tried and customer service, but logistics and transportation was a nightmare). I go with travel agents when there is a logistically challenging trip I need assistance on to ensure low stress and efficient trips. I can honestly say this was the MOST STRESSFUL trip experience I have ever taken, and we have traveled with 3 generations of family in and out of the USA before.

The Bad:
-We had several logistical issues small, medium, and large. I was very clear that we had an 80 year old with double knee replacements and I am limited to about 10,000 steps max. My steps were mostly spent chasing cabs down in our recurring transportation issues. The travel agent was made aware of this, did not ask the appropriate questions and thus did NOT accommodate properly for this. We had so much stress and wasted time fixing everything.
-Our stadium tour was not booked on the day planned and had to be updated days before the trip.
-Our cooking class was great, but was changed the night before to a town not close to where we were staying. we had a mad scramble to and hours spent figure this out for the next morning. Kim Kim luckily set up a transfer but the address was wrong on the building so we had to walk to each building buzzing the owners until we found them.
-Both of our hotels were in nice historical areas but we could not get a van taxi for 5 people to drop or pick us up at the locations. We had to walk/run to various different places and had several Uber cancelations.
-Several locations we could not get picked up. Two time we had walk to a gas station for a taxi since there were none around and Uber would not pick us up (AS Roma Stadium and Ostia Antica).
-Our Bari rickshaw trip (good once figured out) got scheduled for a walking tour so yet another scramble and wasted time changing that up.
-Our speed boat tour of the caves near Bari was the absolutely wrong location link, yet another mad dash but at this point I had no confidence in our travel logistics and showed up two hours early at the supposed meeting location.
-We needed to get a train from Bari to Rome since we flew out of Rome the morning after so we asked Kim Kim to set up one to make sure we did not miss the train. The driver was told by someone to go to the airport, so once we noticed we were going to the wrong place we got to the train station running with our luggage and my 80yr old mother with two knee replacement to get on the train as the doors closed.
-There were other discrepancies in the itinerary in addition to the location and scheduling conflicts, like one area said breakfast was included and another did not.
-A medium issues was the in the hotel rooms: we had a window that would not close in 100F degree heat that was not fixed, a sink the leaked, a shower drain that would not drain, got put in separate buildings. We would have chose a less historic area if we knew about all of these issues.
-Steps up to the bathroom on 2 of the 3 rooms we stayed, which may mother tripped on at least once...I can't believe no one even asked about steps, safety bars, or anything having to do with all the mobility concerns we told them about...I could not imagine if someone used a walker or wheelchair!
-I HIGHLY recommend setting up more set transportation ahead of time on the itinerary so a lot of the issues would be prevented.

The Good:
-Our travel agent was pleasant to work with and had good excursion recommendations.
-The excursions were good to excellent.
-The travel agency made a good effort to resolve the issues.

Activity Reviews

Polignano a Mare: Speedboat Cruise to Caves with Aperitif

Bari

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Bari by boat

Bari

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Pasta & Tiramisu Cooking Class at a Local's Home

Bari

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Full Day Tour to Alberobello, Monopoli and Locorotondo from Bari

Italy

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Discover the "Sassi" of Matera and all the traditiones

Italy

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Guided tour of Bari and the old city with street food tasting - By Rickshaw

Bari

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Vatican Highlights Tour: Sistine Chapel and Vatican Museums with Skip-the-Line Tickets

Rome

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Hadrian's Villa and Villa d'Este Half-Day Tour from Rome

Rome

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Golf Cart Tour of Rome

Rome

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Ostia Antica Tour | Half Day Trip

Rome

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Colosseum Underground Tour with Arena, Palatine Hill & Roman Forum

Rome

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Welcome to Rome

Rome

Carlos was amazing driver to Sentra. Busy palace and town but we escaped to the beach for lunch.

Ricardo was great. I wish he would have had water in the van. We were for many hours to Porto and Douro with no water. Other than that he made great suggestions and was a great guy during our time. So helpful.

Knowing in advance we had a kitchen would have been great info to share. We had no hot water on night 1 in Porto until 11:30 pm.

The Pine Cliffs resort was so BIG and our room clear at front gate. Everything was a bit overwhelming. Maybe in future we would choose a smaller hotel. Was not aware we needed to make a reservation for dinner and wound up eating so late because all restaurants were booked. So many young children.

All in all we loved our expeditions and seeing this beautiful country. Thank you

Hotel Reviews

The Pine Cliffs Resort

Apartado, Albufeira

Hotel is gigantic and a bit overwhelming. Need reservations for dinner well in advance but need to know this. Lots of children! Young kids and babies. Very family friendly but as a family with older children we were looking for a bit more relaxing feel. Our room was very nice but way at front near exit. Would have predatory be closer to everything.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Condes de Azevedo Palace

Porto

No hot water day 1 but was corrected late into the evening. The garden was fabulous and rooms very clean. We were on the top floor so lots of stairs. Be prepared

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

PortoBay Liberdade

Lisbon

No hot water day 1 but was corrected late into the evening. The garden was fabulous and rooms very clean. We were on the top floor so lots of stairs. Be prepared

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Unveil the Fairytale Villa of Sintra with a Private Driver Service

Portugal

Sintra was beautiful. Must see but be prepared for long lines

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Carlos was so great. We had a great day

Transport

Flavors of Lisbon: A Gastronomic Tuk Tuk Adventure

Lisbon

Do not recommend. Not authentic and cobblestones made for uncomfortable ride.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

We really enjoyed the tours provided by our local guides in Japan. Our first guide Nick came very well prepared to provide current and historical information on the sites we visited which included the Meiji Jingu Shrine, and the Sensoji Temple. At lunch time, he navigated the crowded Tsukiji Outer Fish Market to lead us to a restaurant with delicious sushi: Sushizanmai Honten.

Zumi was our guide in Osaka who took us to see the impressive Umeda Sky Building along with the Osaka Castle. The day ended with a visit to Nara Park. Zumi was very kind and easygoing; our family connected with him over our shared love of baseball. Both guides were considerate of the high temperature and humidity and provided breaks to rest and hydrate which we really appreciated.

Clover, our guide in Jeju, was a joy. Among many of the sites, she took us to see Jeju's beautiful beaches on differing sides of the island: Woljeongri Beach and Hyeopjae Beach. Throughout both tour days, she displayed thoughtfulness and consideration of everyone in our family such as helping my elderly mother navigate Dongmun Traditional Market and carrying all of her purchases. She even helped by providing tips for our self guided day on Udo Island.

This kindness and consideration were further extended by Jones, our guide in Seoul. My husband and I had visited Gyeongbokgung Palace before but we learned so much more about its history and architectural symbolism from Jones. We mentioned our impromptu interest in visiting a bookstore in Seoul and Jones gladly accommodated our wish; while at the bookstore he helped our family find the topics of books we were searching for.

Though it was our first time meeting each of our guides, upon arriving in Japan and Korea, we felt like we had friends waiting for us to show us hospitality. Our family left Japan and Korea with so many amazing memories thanks to our guides.

Hotel Review

Jeju Sun Hotel and Casino

Please note that I provided the following review on TripAdvisor as well: My family and I enjoyed a five night stay at Jeju Sun Hotel and Casino and loved our experience there. The staff were so warm and welcoming each time we arrived back at the hotel from an excursion. Special shout out to Ahn Tae Young who went out of his way to help our family find a delicious naengmyeon (cold noodle) restaurant! The location of the hotel is conveniently located to bustling shops and restaurants all within walking distance. There is nearby bank where you can convert your currency. There was even a nearby park that held a free concert featuring young Korean artists on a Friday night. The hotel boasts a beautiful, bright and open lobby area which lifts your spirits after a long day of sightseeing. If you view other nearby hotel lobbies on the same street, they are rather bleak and bare. There’s really no comparison to Jeju Sun’s lobby and reception area. To the right of the lobby, you will find the Garden Buffet which served the most delicious breakfast buffet offering both Western style breakfast (eggs, sausage, bacon) and Korean cuisine. The freshness, quality and presentation of the food shows how much effort the chefs and staff put into the food. There was a green fruit compete dressing that I couldn’t get enough of; I wish I could get the recipe to make at home. Our room consisted of a spacious two bedroom, two bathroom suite that fit five people. After five days in cramped hotel rooms in Tokyo and Osaka, our room at Jeju Sun provided room to breathe. It was clean and comfortable and great for spending time together. One recommendation I would make is for the hotel to offer beach towels for guests who plan to visit Jeju’s beautiful beaches. I saw that most other Asian tourists spent the day at the beach dressed up to take pictures. We came to Jeju to actually swim in its lovely waters.

Authenticity & Character

Bright and inviting lobby area, decor, fixtures.

Location

Nearby shops and restaurants within walking distance.

Staff

One staff member went out of his way to make sure we found a delicious cold noodle restaurant.

Cleanliness & Comfort

I appreciate how clean the bathrooms were on a daily basis.

Activity Reviews

Explore Seoul Highlights

Seoul

We really appreciate the tour of Kwangjang market. While we're not hungry to eat because of lunch, high temperatures and upcoming dinner, we enjoyed seeing all of the delicious street food options. We have this market bookmarked to re-visit on our next trip to Korea.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Jones broke up the market into separate sections (seafood, pancake area, textiles).

Transport

Osaka-Nara day trip with Osaka Castle

Osaka

We loved Nara deer park. We fell asleep on the way to Nara and when we arrived, we were surprised to see so many deer frolocking about. The Todaiji Temple was set in a beautiful and serene setting. And having Zumi guiding us along the way was a treat!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Half Day Horseback Riding and Kayaking Experience

Jeju Island

Our itinerary was adjusted so that horseback riding and kayaking were split into two separate days but I would say these were my favorite activities. The first day we rode horses in light rainfall crossing the street to reach a UNESCO site - a beach that had the most stunning views. The rain, the clacking of the horses as they walked, and the views made it a special experience. Kayaking was great exercise! It was fun to be out on the water with your family. I enjoyed the clear kayak where you should fish swimming beneath you!

Quality of Experience

Stunning views of the landscape near the horseback riding business are priceless!

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Staff at the horseback riding business were considerate; they offered to take family photos while on horses.

Transport

Comfortable, clean air-conditioned van. Clover brought us water to ensure we were all hydrated.

Planning with Kim Kim and Rita was VERY easy and our 19 day trip was FABULOUS!!! We were very impressed with every tour we went on, accommodations, and transportation services. The communication during the trip was immediate and thorough when we reached out to Kim Kim. We definitely will use Kim Kim again for future trip planning! We Highly recommend Kim Kim!

Hotel Reviews

Unico Relais

Napoli

Rooms are very nice, staff is very friendly and helpful.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Monte Cenci

Rome

Very clean, Comfortable, quiet hotel in a great location! Very friendly staff!

Authenticity & Character

Very nice rooms and ammenities

Location

Staff

So friendly and helpful!

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Il Guelfo Bianco

Florence

Hotel is nice and clean, friendly staff, cute boutique style.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Easy to walk everywhere from hotel!

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Carnival Palace

Venice

Hotel was clean, friendly staff and comfortable rooms. Morning breakfast buffet was excellent! Location of hotel Is in a nice quiet part of Venice! We so enjoyed our stay!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Nice quieter part of Venice and still so easy to walk to everything!

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel The Square Milano Duomo

Milan

The hotel was very clean, comfortable rooms, and the amazing breakfast each morning. Excellent location! We Cannot praise the desk staff enough! We were in great need of their help with some luggage transport and they helped us above and beyond their duties. We very much appreciated their help!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Close to so many sites and easy to walk everywhere!

Staff

Very friendly and helpful!

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Pompeii Archeological Site Guided Visit: Travel to Ancient Times

Italy

Pompeii is worth the visit. We sooo enjoyed Seeing it. Highly recommend seeing it.

Quality of Experience

Transportation and the tour

Guides, Drivers and Staff

There was difficulty with transportation AC and it was of no fault of driver and guide but they were having trouble understanding the issue occurring for all the passengers and not listening to the passengers. The tour guide of the actual site was hard to hear

Transport

AC did not work

Neapolitan Street Food & Local Market Experience

Naples

Fun evening experiencing Naples local scene and so much delicious food!!!

Quality of Experience

So fun and everyone was so friendly everywhere we went! Excellent food!!!!

Food

All the food was DELICIOUS!

Guides, Drivers and Staff

The tour guide was bery personable, gave us a great tour of the local scene of Naples! Highly recommend!

Guided Visit: Vatican Museums & Sistine Chapel

Italy

A must see and soooo worth being on this tour, skipping the very long lines to get in and amazing to see!

Quality of Experience

The site, the tour guide, the small number of our tour group.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Tour guide did an excellent job!!

Colosseum & Roman Forum Visit: Arena Access, Gladiators Gate & Ancient City

Italy

Excellent tour! Amazing to see! A must see site!

Quality of Experience

Tour guide was amazing!

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Tour guide knew her history and gave an excellent tour!

Evening Aperitivo Private Street Food Tour

Milan

We really enjoyed this beautiful evening walking to the couple Bars for a drink, appetizers and the tour guides recommendation for our dinner.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Interacting more

Guided Visit of Florence Including David and Duomo

Italy

Excellent tour of the city when tight on time! We enjoyed it so much and our guide was amazing!!

Quality of Experience

Our tour guide!

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Excellent!

Privately Guided Visit of Venice: St. Mark's Basilica & Doge's Palace

Venice

Tour was EXCELLENT! Tour guide was so i formative and knew her history well. She was able to answer all of our many questions. Beautiful tour!! Highly recommend!

Quality of Experience

Guide was awesome! Enjoyed it being a private tour!

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Joao curated a terrific trip for us. While we really enjoyed our time in Lisbon, Joao gave us a great history lesson on the city and the country over several centuries. That history lesson provided us with a much better appreciation as to what inspired the architecture over the years. Outside of Lisbon, we really enjoyed our visits to Fatima, Batalha Monastery, Pena Palace and Nazare (home of the world’s largest waves). We had some last minute adjustments to our schedule and Joao accommodated those requests and was incredibly friendly and helpful along the way. At the end of our trip, one of our family members accidentally left their eyeglass case in his van. He could have easily left in the van and did nothing. Instead, he texted us, met us at our last excursion and offered to drive us in his personal vehicle back to a spot near our hotel. Joao was caring, thoughtful and worked very hard to ensure that we had a memorable experience in Portugal (which we did!). Thank you again, Joao!!!

Angela our agent, was amazing. She was attentive and responsive and on top of every detail of our trip. Greece was an amazing place to visit and she had every excursion set with an extremely knowledgeable guide. The hotels were amazing top notch. We’ve experienced everything at a very comfortable level and felt everybody was very kind and helpful Throughout the trip. Although tips aren’t expected, everybody was extremely grateful to receive them.
All the ladies at the Woo hotel in Athens great and friendly and so much fun. They made it feel like home. Highly recommend that great place, position in the middle of Athens.
The Melrose hotel in Reythmno was beautiful and a fantastic breakfast display. This hotel was in the perfect place right by the beach, walking distance all fun, cool shops.
Crete was a beautiful island and would definitely love to see that again. The Nautitech 46 Fly catamaran taught crew was amazing!! we absolutely enjoyed their company and having conversation and lunch on the yacht was delicious. Love that crew.!!

Hotel Reviews

Athens Woo Suites

Athens

Great hotel, fantastic location and amazing people that work there

Authenticity & Character

From the rooftop, you have the Acropolis. Absolutely beautiful.

Location

I was in the walking distance of so many cool shops, and areas to see

Staff

The staff was so accommodating anything we needed or wanted they provided. They also were fun and friendly. Made us feel extremely comfortable.

Cleanliness & Comfort

The whole place was clean. It was comfortable absolutely loved it.

Melrose Rethymno by Mage Hotels

Rethymno, Crete

The hotel is perfect, a block from the beach. It was updated beautiful rooms and very comfortable beds. It was a walking distance of a bunch of restaurants and the boardwalk with all the stores. Very nice to walk down at night. The breakfast bar was fantastic and delicious and everything was so fresh. Heads up to the Chef.

Authenticity & Character

The breakfast buffet had some authentic foods on it, which was very pleasing and delicious

Staff

The staff was extremely friendly, helpful, and kind

Cleanliness & Comfort

Everything is so picked up clean and in order constantly.

Activity Reviews

Rethymno 7-hour Cruise to Georgioupoli/Morning

Greece

This is probably our favorite thing to do and probably our favorite group of people we hung out with. Was chilly, but it was beautiful. It was a beautiful ride and very relaxing after going from all the different excursions that was a perfect way to end for our last day.

Quality of Experience

Food

Thank you, Chef. Everything was delicious.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

That was so friendly and fun

Transport

Athens Highlights Mythology Tour

Greece

Quality of Experience

lol

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

The Ultimate Delphi Day Trip from Athens

Greece

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Crete Sightseeing: Rethymno - Argiroupolis - Kournas Lake - Chania from West & Her

Greece

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Our trip to Greece was amazing! Angela did an amazing job. We have a few instances where we needed to communicate with her and she was super responsive and easy to work with. Everything we did from all the tours, the guides and the hotels were perfect for our trip.

Hotel Reviews

Athens 21

Athens

The staff here was super friendly the breakfast and coffee were great and the views from the rooftop were 10/10!

Authenticity & Character

Location

This is right in the center and can walk everywhere we needed

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Grand View

Santorini

Let's just say the view is the winner! Staff was great and Photis was the perfect bartender. Would highly recommend this place. One thing to note is that it's a minimum of a 40min drive to Oia where a lot of the action is but if you want something quite and relaxing this was nestled in the cutest little town. We very much enjoyed the down time.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Great for those looking for something quite and near the wine tasting rooms

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Athens Wine Tasting Tour & Nightlife

Athens

This was so fun! 10/10 recommend and everyone was amazing especially our guide!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Catamaran Sunset Cruise 2025

Santorini

This was overall a fun day however from start to finish this is about a 10hour deal. Highly recommend doing the sunset cruise since its still day light when you start so you get to swim and see all the different types of beaches around the island.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Athens Highlights Mythology Tour

Greece

Penelope was great! She was easy and very knowledgable about greek mythology.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Private Jeep Tour to Delphi, Mount Parnassus, and Arachova

Athens

So glad we had this day! It was relaxing with all the scenic views yet we did a lot of hiking this day. Adam was amazing and really customized the tour for us.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

I loved Katie’s local knowledge which helped to go beyond the beaten path and helped to find unique and hidden gems which made our vacation truly special! We loved the smaller boutique hotels that were tucked in quieter places surrounded by Norways beauty. Will definitely go thru KimKim again!

We had an amazing time, this is our second time using KimKim to plan a large trip and it was for the most part seamless. Jessica and Storywalking were in contact with us constantly which was amazing. We could have used a little additional guidance in determining the best time to go to certain locations and the best way to organize that, (i.e. scheduling around afternoon reposo when everything is shut down) but we had an amazing time exploring Italy. Thank you so much!

Hotel Reviews

Albergo California

Positano

Authenticity & Character

Location

Amazing location with gorgeous views.

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Our room while large, seemed a little dated compared to the other rooms the people in our party had.

Il Giardino di Venere

Palermo

The villa is beautiful and very spacious. The photos honestly don’t do it justice. The pool was used a lot. The location was good as well and walkable to the beach and restaurants and gelato.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

They were very kind and welcoming

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Review

Day Trip to Monreale & Cefalù

Italy

Monreale is amazing but there wasn’t enough time to go to both cities. We spent more time driving to Cefalù then we spent in the actual city. Both cities were must-see locations but we felt super rushed.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Driver was so nice!

Transport

The overall trip was wonderful, beautiful and amazing. The guides were good and connections and transfers went smoothly. Accommodations were great and food was super. Overall everything was well organized.
Here are a few thoughts, my personal opinion:
A better list of what to bring for the Rainforest Resort would have been helpful. We needed long socks, long sleeved shirts and long pants. It would be a good idea for the resort to provide boots. It was very muddy and slippery. Utan Rainforest Lodge did provide boots.
The snorkel gear was not included in our stay as the information provided said.
Melaka was very interesting and I enjoyed the historical background, but it took a lot of time in transit.
I would leave out the day of the Heritage Walk and Trainride Adventure in Kota Kinabalu and substitute a day to walk around the waterfront, shops and markets.
The cooking class was great and the Kinabalu Park was great.

Hotel Review

Danum Valley Rainforest Resort

Lahad Datu

The rooms at the Danum Valley Rainforest Resort were absolutely gorgeous, and the service was good. The guides were knowledgeable and patient, providing an excellent experience. However, I felt underprepared for the jungle treks, as there were no boots or gators available to tackle the slippery and muddy terrain. A better preparation list and provision of proper gear would have greatly enhanced the experience. The food and service overall were satisfactory, with stunning room accommodations.

Activity Review

Kota Kinabalu Cooking Class

Kota Kinabalu

The Kota Kinabalu Cooking Class was a wonderful experience. Going to the market and participating in the cooking was especially nice, and it provided an opportunity to get to know some locals better. The family that hosted the cooking demonstration was very friendly and gracious, making the experience quite special.

Great trip and I would highly recommend it to others.
The logistics seemed spot on, the guides were excellent, and the lodging was top notch.
As for activities, the day trip from KK to Papar was the least enjoyable activity. This felt like a missed opportunity to learn about the people/culture. Also, I wish I had known in advance that the Danum Valley Lodge did not provide boots and gators for hiking through the jungle. The cooking demonstration in KK and the excursions at the jungle lodges and Lankayan Island Resort were truly awesome.

Activity Review

Heritage Walk & Trainride Adventure

Kota Kinabalu

The train adventure involved getting on a regular train for a short trip to a town just outside of KK. The heritage walk amounted to walking to a church, mosque, and temple. The entire activity felt like a missed opportunity to learn about the culture and people. The time for this activity could be better used doing something else.

We recently used Aleksandra to plan our trip to London and Paris, and she was absolutely amazing. She handled every detail—hotels, activities, and travel between cities—with such care and expertise. Everything was seamless, and her recommendations were spot on.

She made the entire process so easy for us. Aleksandra was responsive, organized, and really listened to what we wanted. Thanks to her, we were able to relax and fully enjoy our trip without any stress. I highly recommend her to anyone looking for a smooth, well-planned travel experience!

We had a great trip to Japan that worked for all ages, from young children to grandparents. We were active and moving every day which was exhausting in the heat (so maybe I"d pick a different season), but I started to get excited to surpass each days steps on my pedometer! Our tour guide in Tokyo, Allen, was fabulous. He really taught us a lot on our rides to and from sites and helped us understand the Japanese culture. He brought Pokemon cards to a disappointed fan when the store had an hour wait, and seemed to just "get us." Our tour guide, in Kyoto and Osaka, was also knowledgeable, but we seemed to struggle some with communicating our desires and being understood. He was flexible when we needed a break from the heat or when we were ready to skip another temple/shrine. If I had the trip to do over I would spend more time exploring the different areas of Tokyo, see one or two fewer shrines and temples, and more of the day to day living of the Japanese people. I'd even like to stay in a traditional Japanese home set up with the tatami mats. Heidi, our local specialist, revamped our trip several times to meet our needs and was lovely to work with.

Hotel Reviews

Kyoto Tokyu Hotel

Kyoto

What a fancy place to be. While there was minimal A/C in the central atrium, the rooms were nice sizes, the beds were comfy and the amenities were plentiful. The breakfast options were also a plus, as after being in country for a week we were ready for something more familiar than a Japanese breakfast.

Authenticity & Character

Location

It was nice to be in a quiet neighborhood that felt safe to walk at night alone. We were nearby to restaurants and saw some of the residential side of Kyoto.

Staff

Greeted us with cool wet towels when we arrived after a HOT walk from the train station, helped us make reservations and were ultimately super respectful and polite.

Cleanliness & Comfort

very clean and comfortable. Loved the shower/bath set up.

Osaka Excel Hotel Tokyu

Osaka

The rooms were sufficient and clean, but they were quite small. I wish we had more space to put our luggage and that the bathroom set up was different.

Authenticity & Character

Some really cool art adorned this hotel. It was also neat how it was built at the top of a building and you had to go up to get out.

Location

Right near shopping and a mile walk from Dotonbori.

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Sumo Show and Experience (with Sumo Lunch)

Tokyo

Super fun to learn about Sumo and get to try it ourselves. The entire experience was geared toward tourists, but it didn't matter. We had so many fun photo ops posing with the sumo wrestlers.

Quality of Experience

Food

The food left us wanting. The kids weren't into the pork cutlet and the gluten free meal was quite bland.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Our driver in Tokyo was top notch, cool vehicle, safe, and always there when we needed him.

The Ghibli Museum

Tokyo

It was very neat to see how Miyazaki created his animated films. I think we could have spent less time in this museum.

Full day driver and guide service:Mt. Fuji Panoramic Ropeway, Lake Kawaguchi, Arakura Fuji Sengen Shrine, Kawaguchiko Music Forest, Cruise on Lake Kawaguchiko

Tokyo

Fuji sang did not come out from behind the clouds on our visit, but it was still a beautiful area. The music forest was closed the day we visited and our tour guide pivoted us to a museum sharing the history of Mt. Fuji and a World Heritage Village that was amazing to see. This was when I learned that in Japan your wealth is measured by your garden, not your house. Our tour guide also took us to a traditional soba house for lunch where we sat on tatami mats and ate huge bowls of soba with tempura.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Allen took us to some neat places that were not on our itinerary.

Transport

Safe, smooth, drive in rainy weather.

Traditional Tea Ceremony

Kyoto

We had so much fun being dressed in traditional tea ceremony outfits. My kids and I loved the experience of what it's like to layer on a kimono and kneel to make tea. The sweets were delicious and we learned a lot about the ritual of making tea. Plus, lots of fun photo ops in the garden.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Authentic Japanese drum (Taiko) experience

Osaka

So much fun and quite a work out! The language barrier meant that we didn't learn as much about the history of Taiko drumming as we would have liked, but we did learn how to play them and play for an entire hour!

Quality of Experience

We would have liked more history so we understood the significance of the Taiko drum to Japanese culture.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

A fantastic trip.

Nick, our trip has been amazing and thank you for arranging it.
I thought that you might like some positive feedback.
Singapore - the hotel Boss was very close to nice eateries and easy to get around.
The room was small but I guess that’s to be expected without paying top dollar.
Melaka - Hotel Puri was in a great location and Jason was a great guide to this interesting town. There was also a good breakfast choice.
Kuala Lumpur - Anggum Hotel. Good sized room and comfortable bed in a great location for the street food which was amazing. Breakfast was strange
We had to choose what we wanted the night before from 1 of 4 options and also the exact time we would be down. There was no help yourself tea/coffee/juice - you got what you were given. The staff were nice though
It was also a faff checking in and there was a limited window of manned checkout time.
Cameron Highlands. Bala Chalet. Nice clean room and a nice breakfast. Internet was very hit and miss.
Ipoh - hotel not very central. Needed a ‘Grab’ to get to a decent restaurant.Hotel was clean. Breakfast was in the next door restaurant and was from a small choice but was ok.
Penang - E&O - wow! fabulous!
Langkawi- a lovely resort opposite a fantastic fish restaurant.

Hotel Reviews

M Boutique Hotel

Ipoh

Our stay in Ipoh was somewhat underwhelming. The hotel was located a bit far from places of interest, which made it inconvenient. It felt more like a stopover location with not much else to offer.

Eastern & Oriental Hotel

Penang

The Eastern and Oriental Hotel in Penang was amazing! The accommodation was fantastic, providing a luxurious and comfortable experience. The staff was attentive, and the overall atmosphere of the hotel made it a memorable part of our trip.

Activity Review

Kuala Selangor Fireflies Cruise & Dinner

Kuala Lumpur

The Kuala Selangor Fireflies Cruise was a bit disappointing. Unfortunately, the fireflies weren't out as much as we had hoped, which took away from the experience. However, it was still a pleasant evening.

We loved the entire trip..except for the parking app snafus. The ice cave and lava show were stand outs. The huge vistas, mountains, waterfalls, landscapes were amazing. Horses and Sheep everywhere, very enjoyable as we drove through the countryside.

suggestion do not book clients into citizensM hotel at Paris airport
hard to get to the hotel
rooms way to small
no room for luggage

additionally our Loevre Guide did not conform to the identification instructions that Kimkim provided and therefore we could not identify him as a result we did not meet him until 45 minutes after the set meeting time
additionally he was a business major at the university and knew nothing about art

We have no complaints about any part of our trip. The communication and coordination was seamless, it definitely allowed us to focus on having fun. Our guides were excellent (Marta, Michael (boat) and the guide in Pompeii), extremely knowledgeable and accommodating. The drivers were all outstanding as well, again very communicative. Melanie and her team did a great job coordinating and making timely suggestions. They were able to adapt quickly and stayed engaged the entire trip. Job well done, thank you.

While every single city had a fabulous tour guide that was extremely knowledgeable about the city and landmarks and culture; what stood out the most was the personal service anytime we had questions or needed help during traveling. Le Dani and Melanie were never out of reach and were able to connect us to the best experience I have ever had while traveling. Our trip to Italy was beyond any experience I’ve ever had. This is only due to their service.

Melanie is absolutely amazing. She presents a deep level of care and attentiveness so we never felt like we were left hanging. This coupled with her thorough planning and exceptional knowledge resulted in a once in a lifetime experience we will never forget. There are truly no words for the experience she was able to curate for us.