Kimkim Trip Reviews

We decided to go to Greece a little over a month from our travel dates and we were not sure how to book the trip or where to stay or go. We came across KimKim not knowing anything about it. I filled out the information on the website not knowing what would come from it. My wife and I were amazed at the detail that was sent back to us in less than 24 hours. They assigned a travel agent to us, Angela, and she was extremely detailed and responsive. She was able find places that met our style, budget and preferences.

All of the guides she chose were extremely professional. When we arrived we were immediately impressed with the private driver she arranged who took us straight to our perfect hotel Home Sweet Home. Alternative Athens did an incredible job taking us through the Mythology Tour and bringing it alive. It is a must do in Athens. Meteora Tours showed us the Monasteries in Meteora. With Angela’s great foresight she rented us a car to drive down to Kalamata and the Essence of Messina Guides, Fotis and George and George did an incredible job of bringing the countryside and the sea to life in with our hiking and kayaking trips. They are truly animators and Greek Ambassadors. They treated us as friends rather than clients, Their first concern was that we had a good time. As we traveled back to Athens Angela went out of her way to recommend last minute visit to Nafplio and even arranged for us to return a bit late so we could make the most out of our trip.

I cannot recommend KimKim enough for their attention to detail and concern for us to have the best trip possible. From a logistics and planning standpoint it was one of the best vacations I have ever had. Thanks Angela and thanks Kim Kim.

Hotel Review

Sweet Home Hotel

Athens

The people that run Home Sweet Home care about their customers and want you to feel like you are at home. You can taste care and the warmth they put into the breakfast to make you feel like you are important guests. Don’t miss this home away from home when you are in Athens. It is perfect for people that want to tour during the day and be “home” at night. Don’t miss the decorating touch of the old phonographs and lathe you can see through the glass floor.

Tips for future travelers

Choose this hotel because it is in the perfect location to enjoy all the key spots in Athens.

Authenticity & Character

The decorating and authenticity is excellent.

Location

You can get to all the hotspots from this location.

Staff

The staff is friendly and helpful. One staff, Dena, even found some bananas for us when she knew we would miss breakfast in the morning.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Plenty of hot water and rooms cleaned every day.

Activity Review

Hiking Kardamyli

Greece

Fotis is very knowledgeable about the area and brought the countryside to life as he toured us up the mountain and down. Kardamyli has been his backyard his whole life and he has a wealth of knowledge.

Quality of Experience

Fotis is a high end tour guide with his knowledge of the area and his vast experience.

Food

The food was excellent and authentic fresh Greek food. Make sure he sprinkles the oregano and sea salt on the vegetables and oil.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Fotis wants us to have a good time and enjoy the area.

We travelled to Costa Rica with Kimkim in February this year and it was a trip that will stay with us forever. This was our first international trip in 2 years since the pandemic hit us and we approached it with a fair bit of apprehension. My partner and I knew that we wanted to travel but did not have the bandwidth to research and build a trip of our own given our busy work schedules. Enter Kim Kim! Over the past few weeks....everytime our friends ask us how our trip was, we have one answer - We just showed up and it was phenomenal!  I am someone who likes to research and ensure I have a heady mix of different activities combined with time to relax built into my trip. Yenyi and Brittany at KimKim made sure to listen to what I had in mind and worked with me to build a trip that was beautifully tailored to the experience we were seeking and at a budget that was conducive. Given the uncertainties with the pandemic, I will forever be thankful to a team that aims to have the customer at the center of everything they do - they not only helped us schedule and reschedule the trip but also were available for us every step of the way before and during our vacation. Imagine being in a foreign country but knowing you have a person you can reach out to, should you need anything at all - be it suggestions to eat if you are standing in a town square and are unable to make up your mind, or need someone to book you a last minute night hike that you decided to take. That was exactly how our experience was - we showed up and we knew the entire vacay was planned and taken care of. All while ensuring we get to enjoy the country with its local flavour. Right from travel, hotels, experiences, pre-travel covid tests et al. Over the past few weeks, I have been raving about our vacay and our wonderful experience with this team and realized it was only fair to share this review with all of you. Our highlights on the trip: - Hikes in La Fortuna & Monteverde where we saw a ton of wild animals. - The most perfect beach day in Manuel Antonio- Ziplining through the forest canopies in Monteverde - And the hot springs in the Arenal area in La Fortuna

Hotel Review

El Faro Beach Hotel

Manuel Antonio

They were fantastic and helped us book our pre-travel covid tests. The front desk was so helpful.

Tips for future travelers

It is a very basic hotel and is sufficient if you plan to stay out all day and just crash at night.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Review

100% Aventura Zip Line Monteverde

Monteverde

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Brittany made great suggestions on hotels and activities, was quick to make the changes we asked for, guided us through decisions, and went above and beyond to find alternatives when things were already booked due to a very busy travel season. Highlights were the zip line in Monteverde and the nighttime turtle experience with a licensed guide.

Hotel Review

The Coast Beachfront Hotel

Tamarindo, Guanacaste Province

A lovely and serene hotel off a busy beach, very attentive staff. A highlight was breakfast delivered to the rooms.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Review

TreeTram, Hanging Bridges & Zipline Adventure

Monteverde

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Planning the trip through KimKim was super easy and efficient. Lucia worked with us beforehand to plan the perfect Nicaragua trip! She was even extraordinarily helpful when there was an issue with the airlines and submitting the covid test on time. She somehow was able to work her magic and contact someone locally to make sure we got on the plane and also when the plane was delayed causing a missed flight was able to accommodate and change our transfer -- all which we would not have been able to do on our own and probably have missed out on the trip! The hotels she booked were awesome as were our guides (particularly Freddy and Oscar!) One thing that could have been better would have been checking in throughout the trip. I felt that once we got to Nicaragua, we did not hear from her as much and she was harder to get in contact with. I have traveled a few times with KimKim in the past and each time, the local specialist had checked in daily to make sure everything was going well and to give the more detailed time/itinerary/packing list/guide info for the next day. This would've been very helpful, and just a nice gesture all around. Even when we sent her a message, she did not respond (we had to call in order to get in touch with her). Aside from this the trip was great!

Beatriz was extremely responsive and created the perfect itinerary for our once in a lifetime Honeymoon! She was available for any additional help while we were in Portugal which gave us peace of mind for anything from where to get a bite to eat to ensuring our drivers arrived on time. Beatriz and the KimKim team created the most PERFECT honeymoon above and beyond our wildest dreams! Thank you for giving us the most MAGICAL trip to celebrate our marriage!

This was the most memorable and educational trip of my life. Mathias was very attentive to every question I had. He kept in touch with me. He even checked on my health condition and my husband's injury while we were away. I cannot say enough good things about him.

Our first guide, Sebastian, was a very fun young man to be with. He was polite, attentive, and laughed with us. He was very knowledgeable about the country of Ecuador. He will go far in his career as a guide.

Our guide in the Cuyabena reserve, Fabian, was fun to be with as well. He and the indigenous people of the rainforest were very attentive in our care in a land where we were so isolated. We learned so much about the native people and how they live. When my husband Russell was bitten by a piranha while trying to take it off the hook, Clever, the indigenous young man knew exactly what to do treating his wound with medicine taken from tree bark. He was absolutely amazing in rowing the canoe even at night, and his knowledge of the rainforest.

I love the peace of the rainforest; no traffic sounds, not even an airplane flew over; just the sounds of the wildlife and downpours.

The highlight of the trip was seeing a tapir in the wild and even getting pictures! I am still amazed.

Hotel Reviews

Vieja Cuba

Quito

Very nice little room. Comfortable and safe, especially because it was gated. The only reason I don't give it five stars is because I do not like big cities, but it was necessary the night before our trip home.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Put it in the rainforest! lol. I just do not like city life. It was a fine hotel.

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Termas de Papallacta

Papallacta

Authenticity & Character

Location

Everything except the rain!

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Guango Lodge

Papallacta

Authenticity & Character

Location

The fireplace should have been kept burning since it was so cold. We got cold a lot.

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

So many hummingbirds!!!

Kuyana Amazon Lodge

Archidona

This was the most BEAUTIFUL place we stayed. The gardens are breathtaking. Leo is an excellent host. The food was good, and we really enjoyed the cooking school and waterfall hike.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Aguas Negras River Lodge

Lago Agrio

Do not stay here if you need modern conveniences. It is a wonderful rainforest home, kind of like camping without the work. It was a wonderful experience for us. Fabian was a great guide and fun to be with. The indigenous staff were wonderful. I wish we could speak their language so we could have interacted more. We learned about how people live in the rainforest. We enjoyed the beauty and wildlife. The highlight was seeing a tapir!!! Not many people are this lucky!

Tips for future travelers

Do not bother with makeup for fixing your hair. If you are picky about food do not stay here. I highly recommend it for the adventurous nature lover. Not a good place for small children.

Authenticity & Character

Location

The rainforest! The breeze off the river when it rained was so nice.

Staff

The indigenous staff was over-the-moon attentive to us. They know jungle survival skills.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Nothing can be improved being deep in the jungle. But the comfort is the best that can be expected without air conditioning and iced drinks. I craved cold drinks but they were room temperature.

Sacha Lodge Yasuní

Quito

This is a luxury jungle motel. You get air conditioning and gourmet food. Our guide Oscar was a walking encyclopedia. He knew every tree, plant, and bird by scientific name. The only thing I was not crazy about was the evening meal. They put more effort into a fancy presentation than in flavor. The lunch meal was the best meal.

Authenticity & Character

The rainforest!

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Review

Hot Springs of Papallacta

Ecuador

The hot springs felt so good! I liked the hottest one, my husband picked one a level down.

Quality of Experience

Hot springs

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Sebastian is the best.

Transport

Breakfast was good. Our room was neat and clean.

I traveled with my wife to Morocco and found it to be the best vacation I ever had. We did the taste of Morocco which covered Casablanca, Rabat, Chefchaouen, Fes, Volubilis, Moulay Idris Zarhoun, Meknes, Middle Atlas, Midelt, Erfoud, Merzouga, Tinghir, Todra Gorge, Boulmane Dades, Dades Valley, Ourzazate, Ait Benhaddou, Marrakesh and Casablanca. All the people were amazing. Abdellah from Original Travels hand picked everyone based on what we told him we wanted to experience. He was also kind enough to meet with us on our day in Marrakesh. In Fes we had Alami Mohammed. He was amazing and arranged a private tour of the tannery for us. I’m Marrakesh we had Othman Dadda. He taught us a lot of the history in Marrakesh and was always joking and jolly. We learned a lot about the Berber Culture because of our guide, Samir. Samir was an amazing guide. He was always concerned about our well being and it came from a genuine place. We were never cheated in the market place because the guides that were with us were always ensuring we were getting the best prices. All the people that were chosen in those cities had a deep knowledge of the culture. We were able to see the Touareg and they also shared with us their culture. There was never a moment we ever felt unsafe and with Samir we always felt that we were with our brother. The most difficult part of the trip was when we had to part ways with Samir. I felt quite emotional on that day particularly because I felt like I was leaving my brother who I would not see for a long time. But I am sure I will go back and when I do it will be with original Travels. Their service was excellent and I am sure no other place can come close to their professionalism and care for top quality customer service.

I would recommend the same guides we had. They are great. As for the driver, all I have to say is Samir, Samir, Samir !!!!
He was amazing and I really felt like I left family in Morocco.

Hotel Review

Lina Ryad & Spa

Chefchaouen

Authenticity & Character

Location

Everything. Lina’s food was top notch and the quietness of the Riyad really made it feel like home.

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Review

Casablanca to Chefchaouen via Rabat

Morocco

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Samir was an amazing driver. Very safe and very knowledgeable of his country.

Transport

Samir was amazing.

Top notch! Leandro was very responsive, communicated well, and chose excellent guides for my biking adventure in San Pedro de Atacama. Thanks again!

Using kimkim was such a breeze! Our travel agent Jacky and tour guide Diego could not have been a more perfect match for us. Both spoke very good english and were amazingly patient with me trying to test my Spanish skills. Jacky set everything up so we could just enjoy our trip and was so sweet even with all of our questions. Both truly made our trip an unforgettable experience.

KimKim , via Charlotte Tornquist and Nancy, planned and carried out a very special and smooth operating vacation plan for the 3 of us in Costa Rica in 2022. We visited Sarapiqui, Siquirres / Pacuare, La Fortuna / Arenal, San Jose and the OSA peninsula over 21 days. Absolutely no travel hiccups or problems as all of the connections, transfers and pick ups worked flawlessly throughout. Pricewise KimKim bested other agents, as well as my attempts at a self directed trip - and assured a local connection of all of the involved entities. That was reassuring and made the trip problem free. I've traveled most of the world and have used many different agencies in doing so. I can say that KimKim rates right at the top for service, pricing, diversity, communication, congeniality and skill. You'll enjoy booking your special vacation with KimKim and leave your worries behind.

Hotel Review

Pacuare Lodge

Pacuare

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Review

Enjoy the Adventures and Surroundings at Pacuare Lodge

Costa Rica

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

The three of us had the best trip in Jordan and were exceptionally well cared for by Nader "Nick" T. our guide, advisor and driver. Even a medical emergency was well cared for by Nick with humour and goodwill. Although we never met Samir in person, he checked in with us when necessary, but not overly. The tour was flexible and responsive to our needs and last-minute changes. In advance of the tour the Kim Kim dashboard provided us with a clear idea of what we would see and do, as well as what we could expect from the hotels. The dashboard is a good communication clearinghouse as well for three participants in different parts of the globe to prepare in advance their tour. We requested a moderately priced tour and that is what was delivered. The weather was exceptional and made for perfect hiking conditions which is what we did most days. I wish we had had more time in Jerash, Amman - but we spent too much time enjoying the Ajloun forest hiking... Wadi Rum hospitality was great, and the places and spaces are magical. I appreciated our cook and our bedouin guide at Enjoy camp. The boulder-climbing/hiking at Dana Reserve was an experience we won't forget at all. Petra... Totally amazing. We hiked 20 km that day, then returned for the evening candlelilght (2more Km). The candlelight evening was another magical experience -- even if touristy, the place is redolent with mystique and deep history. Jordanians are so hospitable and rightly proud of their magnificent heritage sites. We felt safe everywhere we went, and at the same time felt we were out on an adventure beyond the average.

Had a wonderful time and felt safe and well cared for. Nader was a fun and excellent driver and tour guide. Especially loved Petra, Jaresh and Wadi rum. Would recommend this tour.

What an amazing trip! I found kimkim through a random google search and their tour options interested me-but especially the customization. After figuring out the details with the representative I had an exciting trip to look forward to.

I visited Bogota, Pereira region, a nice hike around Corcora along with a visit to Salento, Medellin, Guatape Day trip to hike up la Piedra rock for beautiful views, Cartagena, Minca and finally Palomino over a two week period. The accommodations selected for my budget were nice and in the large cities, centrally located. Every driver was professional and Michael booked knowledgeable and friendly guides as necessary. Luis in Bogota was wonderful and told me more than I could possibly remember about the city, the gold museum, etc. Tito was very friendly and helpful at my stay in the coffee region, Jose in Medellin was helpful despite my late arrival (he stayed until I got to the hotel and since it was too late for the planned city tour he recommended me places to visit and restaurants to eat at), Cristian found some wonderful toucans in Minca, my guide in Cartagena was wonderful but his name escapes me, and then Palomino was relaxed beach time on my own. The driver's were also great with Diego in Pereira, Emerson around the Cartagena (plus transport to Minca) and the others I can't recall.

Colombia is a beautiful country you need to see for yourself to believe! Gorgeous scenery, delicious food, friendly people, there is so much to see and do. I almost wish I could keep it a secret so it does not become overrun with even more tourists :).

My only suggestion is maybe offer different vendors for the Guatape trip. A boat trip is pretty unnecessary as all you do is sit on the boat for an hour. I would have preferred to have that extra hour in Guatape because it is such a beautiful little town. Aside from that, no complaints!

Thank you for such a wonderful trip!

We figured this might be a once in a lifetime trip so we included as much we could in our 10 day itinerary. Our itinerary included the Amalfi Coast (including Pompeii), Florence, Cinque Terre, Rome, and Venice. These were all great places to visit and we would we would not change a thing with the benefit of hindsight.

The COVID pandemic and Italian rail strikes complicated an ambitious trip that would have been challenging even under ideal conditions, but our local travel contract (Alessandro) expertly handled all of the planning details and dealt with unexpected issues that came up during the trip (such as 3 cancelled trains due to rail strikes). He called or texted us a number of times during the trip to ensure that things were going well and was very responsive to any inquires that we had. It was very comforting for us to know that he was a just call/text away.

The end result is that this was a fantastic trip with many experiences that will last a lifetime. We deeply appreciate the work that Alessandro and his team put into making this such a memorable vacation for us. He was extremely patient and responsive during the planning stage, but perhaps more importantly, was on really on top of things and readily accessible during the trip . I can't say enough about Alessandro and his attention to detail.

This was our first experience with KimKim and we were originally a little nervous about using them for planning and booking our vacation but now that it is over and was a huge success (probably our best vacation ever) we would not hesitate to use KimKim again.

The trip was truly exceptional. The Amazon is a great adventure for anyone traveling with teenage boys. Our guide Robert was patient and able to help us spot monkeys, sloths, spiders, birds and caimans. The next stop was visiting the Sacred Valley. Our guide Dennis gave us a great foundation in Incan history prior to us heading to Machu Picchu. He made looking at the tiered potato fields interesting by talking about the debunked theories around their existence - such as meteorites and UFOs. We of course went to Machu Picchu with Marcellino - the most patient, fun and informative guide on the planet. And we finished with Arturo and Dennis in Cusco. The chocolate making class is so fun. But ultimately the time I was able to spend connecting with my son was the most valuable part of the trip.

Bea was amazing. Constantly working with us both before AND during our trip to help us have a wonderful experience. We even changed activities and times while in Spain and she made it happen. I would use her again in a heartbeat and hope to do so on our next trip.
By way of background, there were 8 of us in the trip, ages 13-73. We went to Madrid, Toledo, Barcelona and also north in Catalunya. We tackled around three activities per day all thanks to her!

Hotel Review

CoolRooms Palacio de Atocha

Madrid

Lovely hotel and great staff

Tips for future travelers

It was great for our last night before we returned

Authenticity & Character

Room design

Location

Staff

Diego!

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Review

Tapas Culinary Experience

Madrid

Raul was delightful and informative

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Flor Zuniga through Miski travels was our guide for 4 days in Cusco, sacred valley and Machu Picchu. Her English is fantastic. She is extremely knowledgeable and had answers to all of our questions. She went above and beyond to make sure we had the best experience possible. She even walked us to dinner one night even though our tour portion was over to ensure we got there on time and safely. You can tell her customers are very important to her. She’s extremely friendly, fun to be around, and all around the most amazing tour guide. I would 10/10 recommend this tour company- and make sure you request FLOR! Can’t say enough good things.

Andrijana made this trip as memorable as possible with careful planning. She was very responsive each time from the beginning of our contact to the end of the trip. The transfers were so easy; the hotels in great locations, the recommendations for dining were exceptional.
Andrijana is the best, and Mariana stepped when needed.
Nice group of people and highly recommended.

Andrea put together a great personalized trip for us to Sicily. We strongly recommend his services. We were very happy with the locations and activities he picked for us and the time he allotted for each location. His advice and suggestions were exactly what we needed and he was always available and very responsive to any challenges or questions along the way. The local guides he selected were fantastic and the accommodations were outstanding. He jumped in quickly to solve COVID testing issues for us and was consistently looking for ways to aid our trip while we were in Sicily.

Hotel Reviews

Asmundo di Gisira

Catania

Wonderful welcoming staff. Glorious location. Room was amazing and breakfast fantastic.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Villa La Lumia B&B Suites & Apartments

Agrigento

Loved the location and views. We recommend taking in the family meal here. The room was fantastic and unique.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Temple valley guided visit

Italy

Lorenzo was wonderful. He is local and really did an amazing job of recreating an image of 460 BC Sicily. We strongly recommend him as a guide.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Lorenzo is amazing.

Cooking Class

Italy

Daniella provided a very special experience for us. She welcomed us to her Baglio (17th century fortified farm house) like family. We had a great time learning about and preparing and eating Sicilian food. WE STRONGLY recommend this experience.

Quality of Experience

Daniella really is fantastic. The whole experience was fantastic.

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Everything Preeti did was amazing! We had enough time to explore on our own plus her suggestions of what to see and do made Everything manageable. I cannot recommend her enough!
I would book through her again. She knows this country! Iceland cannot disappoint, but having inside knowledge made it spectacular!