Kimkim Trip Reviews

Everything was planned and even when plans changed they made backups that were great options to help us have a great time. Love all the tour guides and learned so much more than I would have not having them! Everything was top notch and would recommend him to everyone for an amazing trip!! I will use him again!!

Hotel Reviews

Hotel Modigliani

Roma

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel NapoliMia 

Naples

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

NLH Monastiraki

Athens

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Trastevere Afternoon Aperitivo & Food Tour

Rome

Quality of Experience

Explore Pompeii Walking Tour

Italy

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

We had a great time. The hotels were wonderful and our guides were professional and fun. Luis was very responsive and communicative. The trip was well planned and we loved our trip.

Hotel Reviews

Catalonia Donosti

San Sebastián

Authenticity & Character

Location

Easy access to town.

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Carlton

Bilbao

Excellent location

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Áurea Convento Capuchinos by Eurostars Hotel Company

Segovia

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Michelin starred restaurant

Spain

Excellent food

Quality of Experience

A bit loud as it is a smaller restaurant; it has two loud parties the night we were there.

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

From San Sebastián to Bilbao (or viceversa) along the Basque Coast

Spain

A beautiful trip and the guide was wonderful

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Airport transfer (return)

Spain

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Free Time

San Sebastián

Lovely place to just walk around and do people watch

Quality of Experience

Cooking class

Spain

Our Chef took us to the market and helped us cook. Have never cooked Basque food before. It was different and I would do another cooking class again in the future.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Hiking the Camino de Santiago Trail

San Sebastián

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Rioja Premium Wine Tour

Spain

A bit too much wine for me (not for my husband though). The picnic was lovely.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Adiyabold and his team were amazing in providing an excellent trip in Mongolia and making our honeymoon very special. They really went the extra mile

Activity Review

Bayanzag and Amaraa's family

South Gobi

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Trip of a lifetime! sigurdur was attentive, and made sure an excursion was rescheduled when it was cancelled due to weather, so we could make sure we got in all of our priorities on our trip. The Kimkim team was outstanding from start to finish.

I first contacted kimkim re a preset 3 day itinerary they advertised for Uluru. When I mentioned we were also going to Perth/WA she offered to book that part of the trip as well. Ruth turned out to be in California at the time. I thought that would work out as I am east coast US and doing these things at night EST can pair well working with someone in an earlier timezone. However, she was working with her Sydney office, who was in turn working with people in Perth. This ended up being a bad situation, which I will admit was made worse by our being last minute, but having to go thru so many channels and the time zone differences every time you ask a question created major communication delays. In the end, they were unable to find availability for the Uluru package, although I was able to book it directly on my own. We were scheduled to go on a day trip to Freemantle & Rottnest Island. Our itinerary instructed us to be ready to be picked up at 8:45 am at the hotel. Turns out this was TOTALLY WRONG. The boat leaves at 8:45, and you're supposed to be there earlier. According to the doorman & concierge no pickup came for us at 8:15 either. Ruth also suggested and then arranged an overnight side trip to Cervantes for us. The hotel up there was pretty bad. If the problem was hotel availability she shouldn't have sent us up there. (As a side note, we did a walking tour with a local guide in Perth. This local guide was mortified that it was suggested/arranged we take this trip to Cervantes and she did her best to scare us into not going!). After this Cervantes trip was arranged, there was drama over the car rental closing early the day we would be coming back, and we were forced to decide between paying a surcharge to drop at an alternate location or come back early. There was really no good option but we were already locked in to the Cervantes hotel. If this was going to be an issue Ruth could have arranged the days in a different order. After the side trip we went back for one last night in Perth. We had to leave so early for our flight that we could not have breakfast (and Ruth knew about our early flight as there was a lot of back & forth about whether we would return the rental car the night before and taxi to the airport or return the rental on the way to the flight), the hotel did could no accommodate us with any food to go so that was another unnecessary expense paying for a breakfast included room.

We used kimkim to travel to Croatia, Greece, and Italy (separate times), prior to using kimkim for a 12-day trip with family to France. Isabelle had positive reviews, so we started our booking processes with her. We were traveling with a 14-year-old, 87-year-old on a walker, and three relatively spry adults and so I made sure to carefully articulate that with Isabelle up front and reiterate often. We were also spending four days with family, requiring no hotels or scheduling on her part for that time.

We gave her maximum flexibility to use trains, planes and suggest hotels and tours based on the broad interests of our group. We started planning 6 months in advance to give us the best schedules and options. Our budget began at $200 p/p p/day, but we increased it to $250 p/p p/day at her urging. She was very patient with my father-in-law, who struggled to understand and use kimkim successfully; we had several last minute requests. My pre-travel experience with Isabelle was positive, save for about 10 days when she was completely non-responsive. Then, about a week before our trip was scheduled to start, she let us know she was leaving the company and someone else would be assigned to support us. No one contacted me proactively, so right before we were scheduled to arrive I contacted kimkim customer service...

Upon arriving in Nice, everything went very smoothly and we had a nice hotel and excellent tour driver who took us through Eze at sunset, which I recommend.

We originally asked for the most direct train from Nice to Pau upon departure, as we had a family reunion scheduled that night. During our planning, Isabelle insisted that our best option was to fly from Nice to Toulouse, then take a train from Toulouse to Tarbes. We agreed. When the tickets came (often during planning, only sample schedules are offered) it had us waiting in Toulouse for 4.5 hours. When asked about the schedule, Isabelle insisted it was still the best option and that we could also "enjoy Toulouse" before taking a train to our family. We believed Isabelle when she said taking the plane and train were the fastest option... but wish I had checked. There were several direct routes she could have selected, with far better schedules, that would have allowed us to spend far fewer than eleven hours in transit. Our flight was at 7:20AM, meaning leaving our hotel in Nice at 4:30. When we arrived at the airport in Toulouse, our transportation wasn't there. We couldn't get in touch with the driver or our replacement support servicer from kimkim (it was 8:20AM on Saturday). We finally got a response from the driver who had forgotten about us. After waiting an hour, we were druven by a very kind gentleman to the Toulouse Gare. Unfortunately, contrary to Isabelle's suggestion, there was no way to "enjoy Toulouse", because the Gare (train station) had no place to stow luggage. Isabelle hadn't coordinated for a driver or tour, so lugging bags through the cobblestone streets for 4 hours after being up since 3:40AM, didn't seem like a great option.. So we were stuck in the train station that was under serious construction for a whole morning and didn't arrive in Tarbes until 15:10.

If you visit the south central area of France I highly recommend a trip to the Grottes de Bettharam; especially with children. It is not fir the mobility-challenged, because you will do an hour of walking and stair climbings in wet, uneven conditions, followed by a boat and train through the most unbelievable natural caves, lit using electricity in a beautifully artistic manner. It is truly an eartly and manmade marvel all-in-one.

Leaving our family near Pau, we were supposed to take a train to Biarritz. The original proposed schedule on the trip summary wasn't the same as what was actually reserved. Our family was shocked by the train schedule and connection, since it had us going from Pau to Bayonne and then waiting in Bayonne an hour before heading to Biarritz. Biarritz is only a ten minute train ride from Bayonne and there were more direct trains available on that specific date that she didn't choose. So rather than lug suitcases around two stations and have another long layover that made no sense, my in-laws extended the rental car they were using when we visted family and we drove to Biarritz in an hour. When I shared the concerns with kimkim about the train schedule and our decision to drive, Isabelle's replacement (Valentine) agreed that the schedule made no sense and that driving was a good option. We lost the money we'd paid for the trains and the private transportation from the station, had to pay for gas, and two more days of the rental.

On arriving in Biarritz, we were astonished to learn that the hotel Isabelle booked us all into had no lift. We contacted kimkim and were told this was a historic property and couldn't have a lift, but hotel staff would help with bags. The hotel staff did not help with the bags, but the point is that an 87-year-old with two knee replacements and a recently-shattered ankle, on a walker, cannot go up and down three flights of stairs! Well, there was absolutely no real sense of urgency about the situation at all and no alternative hotel offered. We struggled to get him and our bags up (and for him, the going down was even harder). There was also no parking at the hotel, and there is not even a drop-off area at the front. Very important things to disclose. The suggestion Valentine offered when I explained how difficult the parking situation was (street parking several blocks away and lugging the luggage with my father-in-law on a walker), was to park in public garage even farther away... We spent over $130 Euros on parking before being able to return the car. The Hotel Edouard VII is a lovely property and had kind staff with a beautiful breakfast. But it is absolutely not appropriate for anyone with limited mobility. Biarritz is by far one of our favorite places: Le Sin in the Cite de l'Ocean is not to be missed! What a fantastic restaurant. And Petit Place, right on the water with your feet in the sand (inside the restaurant!) is the best place to watch the sunset.

After Biarritz was Paris, where Isabelle booked us in separate hotels. My in-laws were concerned about some reviews of the Off Seine where we were staying (lots of entertainment and right on the Seine, so can be loud), so Isabelle offered to put them "right across the river" in a quieter hotel. Well, they ended up being a half-hour walk away. Their hotel had no AC (something that should also be disclosed). We could take the metro 5 stops to visit, but they had to get taxis to meet us for our tours which were scheduled from our hotel and other activities that were planned. Isable booked us for the catacombs on our first full-day in Paris, but did not schedule transportation there or back. It is not easy to get taxis that can accommodate five people, and it was very expensive, so if you have a larger party and taking the metro is not a good option, make sure kimkim handles transportation well ahead of time. Taxis and private cars (Serge and Tony reserved by kimkim both had problems) have a hard time finding the Off Seine hotel and getting down to entrance (which is blocked on one side by a gate and the other by barriers). A visit to the catacombs is a perfect way to spend a couple hours, although another tour that is not appropriate for anyone with mobility challenges. If you're there on a weekend, you get spit out into a nice street market and area with good restaurants.

If you stay at the Off Seine over a Sunday, be sure to reserve for brunch well in advance. It's wonderful. I would also recommend scheduling a boat tour to the Eiffel Tower through the Off Seine (they have a relationship with a nice boat operator). We went in the morning and it was cool and a lovely way to see Paris. The Off Seine is a great property, generally, but we had no AC our first 30 hours and the electricity kept shorting out, affecting our lights.

Upon departing to the CDG airport, Isabelle booked us a private driver. As mentioned above, the hotel Off Seine is apparently very difficult to access, so he was 30 minutes late picking us up meaning a bit of a scramble at the airport.

In the end, Joel (my France kimkim support) and Mariana (general kimkim customer support) tried diligently to find solutions and ways to compensate us for the impacts of Isabelle's poor planning and selections. As she is no longer with the company, I fear we were just the unfortunate recipients of a lack of care/concern, knowing there would be no consequences to her professionally. My previous experiences with kimkim have been completely different and almost exclusively positive.

We had a remarkable family trip to Colombia recently. Michael from Chaska Travel was incredibly flexible, attentive to details, and prompt in getting us information and making adjustments to the itinerary to match our interests and needs as a family with 3 kids ages 4-10. Very much appreciated arrangements for all internal travel as well. With Michael's help, we had a seemless trip that started in Medellin, including a day trip to Guatape and Penol Piedra with our wonderful guide Will and continued in the coffee region. Will even provided us a list of recommendations for vegetarian-friendly restaurants for later in our trip in Cartegena; we went to several and all were delicious! Our guide Jose was terrific and knowledgeable as was our driver Mario who knew so much about birds! Jose even checking in with us after we had left his company to make sure we we had reached Cartegena and were continuing to enjoy our trip. The coffee region was beautiful and lush and we enjoyed our hike to the waterfall with a nature guide. Cartegena is beautiful and our hotel was perfectly located. A bike tour was the perfect way to get around and learn the layout of the old city and much better for the kids than walking! We are thankful to Michael for finding a way to get us to Hotel Las Islas which was a truly wonderful experience in terms of service, activities, food, and the setting. A truly memorable trip that was a pleasure to plan and take with the help of KimKim and Chaska tours!

Hotel Reviews

Hotel Las Islas

Barú

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Park 10

Medellin

Great breakfast, very friendly staff! Rooms are large, clean and comfortable.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Finca Hotel del Cafe

Santa Rosa de Cabal

Beautiful setting on a coffee farm surrounded by lush vegetation, the hotel has a lovely central courtyard and friendly staff.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Salento Real Eje Cafetero

Salento

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Nacar Hotel Cartagena, Curio Collection by Hilton

Cartagena

Excellent location in the Old City of Cartagena with clean and comfortable rooms and friendly staff, great morning breakfast on rooftop.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Tour of Guatapé

Medellín

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Santa Rosa Hot Springs

Colombia

The Santa Rosa Hot Springs are an impressive setting and the hot springs were fun, although crowded when we went as it was a holiday. Getting in at first was confusing due to the crowds but once in, all was straightfoward. We had some issues with dinner as almost no vegetarian items on their menu were available and arrangements had to be made for our driver to stop at a restaurant in town with us so we could eat. Worth considering in determining the timing of when to go to hot springs.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Tour to Frailes Waterfall & Salento & the Cocora Valley

Salento

Great hike -- thank goodness for the rain boots provided by the nature guide!

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Cartagena Bike Tour

Cartagena

Great way to get a sense of the old city and see the main historical sites before exploring further by foot although a little hard to navigate on bikes with traffic and narrow streets. Guide was a little nervous with our kids but they were fine. The vendor for the bikes would benefit from improving their helmets which did not adjust/fit well.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Night Bioluminescence Tour

Isla Barú

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Visit the National Aviary of Colombia

Colombia

The aviary is impressive but it was just too hot and humid to fully enjoy on the day we went. The educational show at the two set times is okay but not a huge loss if missed (especially if not fluent in Spanish). We rushed through the last several exhibits before the arena to get to show in time.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Tricia was very responsive and helpful before and during the trip. It was so nice to have someone “on the inside” help with planning and booking. We loved our trip and all went almost flawlessly. Very grateful!

Hotel Reviews

Scandic Victoria

Oslo

Staff not overly friendly or helpful, rooms small and not clean to my standards

Authenticity & Character

Dining room

Location

Central/walking distance to many attractions

Staff

Friendliness and helpfulness

Cleanliness & Comfort

The bathrooms could be cleaned to a higher standard

Hotel Aurlandsfjord

Aurland

Very lovely, nice, new rooms, good meals.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Lovely views and convenient

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Grand Hotel Terminus

Bergen

Decent location for accessing Bergen attractions, felt historic.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Svinøya Rorbuer

Svolvær

Really lovely cottages on the water, lots of space and amenities, great dining.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Reine Rorbuer

Reine

Beautiful and authentic, best place we stayed! Amazing views.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Super comfy beds/ pillows

Activity Reviews

Fjordsafari Extended

Norway

Personal, adventurous, beautiful!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Flåm Zipline

Norway

Just a single zip line, but gorgeous and fun.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Short Hike with a Local in Bergen

Bergen

Our guide was lovely and really feel feel we saw things we would not have otherwise happened upon. A very nice experience.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

John was very kind and informative

Transport

Trollfjord Cruise

Norway

This was beautiful, but had done another cruise on a smaller boat elsewhere and actually enjoyed the smaller boat experience more.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Midnight Sun Kayak Tour

Norway

The scenery was the highlight here. Our quite was a little scattered and I actually would have liked to paddle to an actual “destination”…but the scenery was undeniably amazing

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Overall we had an amazing experience on our trip. Everything was well organized and planned with detail which was a relief. I was surprised to have the same guide for all the days we’d stay in each city but it wasn’t necessarily a bad thing. Fabiola, Jose and Oscar were knowledgeable and fun. A few improvements with choice of hotel and preparation for tours could be made but nothing extreme. We will definitely be using Kim Kim for our next adventure.

Hotel Reviews

Hotel Casa Deco

Bogotá

Great food and clean rooms. Location has pros because it’s walking distance to everything but loud at night if you want sleep.

Tips for future travelers

Take ears plugs for the noise

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

GHL Hotel Armería Real

Cartagena

Overall very pretty, our experience may have been bad luck but we could not sleep at night because there was very loud music next to our room coming from another building. Police had to be called twice to address the issue at 4am. Breakfast is sufficient but a bit bland, location is close to many touristy areas.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

La Campana Hotel Boutique

Medellín

Great location, clean and good breakfast.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Punta Faro

Isla Mucura

Beautiful grounds, very clean rooms. Environment is relaxing. Only con would be overall size and amenities offered. Beach is not very big but not many guests stay at the hotel in general. Only one restaurant but offers tasty buffet. More than two days might start to seem repetitive.

Tips for future travelers

The location prohibits music

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Visit the Salt Cathedral at Zipaquira

Colombia

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

The car was a bit small in the back, not much leg room for long trips. Driving was also a little choppy for those who get motion sickness.

Day Hike in Chingaza National Park

Bogotá

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Ecological Walk - "La Miel" Waterfall

Medellín

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Tour of Guatapé

Medellín

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Tour to Totumo Volcano

Cartagena

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Very attentive to details and understood our needs that were reflected in a wonderful experience.

Below may be helpful...but plse note that the constructive feedback is not a reflection of disappointment, more so a commentary to the company for future reference.

Hi Ina,

Back in Vancouver now and just reminiscing about our wonderful stay in Greece. I will absolutely do a review for you , but I thought that I should offer some constructive feedback. Below:

Athens:

- Hotel was fantastic and memourable...highly recommend for future bookings
- 1st dinner, though the food was fantastic, unremarkable location
- bike tour of Athens was just OK...unremarkable guide...would not recommend
- Acropolis visit was excellent, and the guide very engaging...highly recommend

Paros:

- too early of a transfer to the ferry...too much waiting
- great ferry experience
- fantastic hotel and having the two rooms was a good call
- driver on Paros was fantastic and a big personality
- 1st dinner magnificent in Naoussa (sp?)
- sunset boat trip, a highlight...great crew and highly recommended

Naxos:

- Ok hotel; probably better options to explore...would not recommend
- bike tour was great...good guide and a great way to see the island and Naxos town if you are fit enough...good choice
- probably would have preferred 3 nights in Paros vs the 3 in Naxos...but still a nice visit
- nice call on flying back

Athens Riviera:

- Ok tour from airport
- unremarkable lunch...do NOT recommend
- great hotel and location...highly recommend to complete the tour

All in all, you did a fantastic job, and I would recommend you highly. We'll be back.

Sincerely, neil

Hotel Reviews

Vouliagmeni Suites Athens

Vouliagmeni

Greek Riviera is a must visit in a fabulous location.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

The Foundry Suites

Athens

Great location, amazing roof patio and view of the Acropolis...HIGHLY recommend.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Contaratos Beach Hotel Paros

Naousa

Great location near Naoussa (sp?).

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Liana Beach Hotel & Spa

Naxos

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Local Transfer in Paros

Paros

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Dinner in Athens

Athens

Great food, unremarkable decor.

Quality of Experience

Food

Enjoy Athens by Bike!

Athens

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Acropolis Afternoon Tour

Athens

Must do...even with children.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Local Dinner in Paros

Paros

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Private Sunset Boat Trip

Paros

Must do.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Local Transfer in Naxos

Naxos

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Naxos Bike Tour

Naxos

Really good way to experience the island.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Private Cape Sounio Sunset tour

Greece

The drive was unremarkable with no history or guiding. BUT the hotel town made the experience memourable...must do.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

no storytelling, lunch selection was unremarkable.

Transport

Tiago and Joël expertly planned a most memorable trip to Lisbon and north. Tiago communicated with us immediately when we were in the planning stages and meet us the first day to settle us in and suggest a site seeing route appropriate for the jet lagged. For two days Joël shepherded is throughout old Lisbon, and a fun day to Cascais and Sintra. We experienced Lisbon and the Atlantic Coasts that we would not have seen by ourselves. Plus he introduced us to the Portuguese seafood and fish cuisine.

Once we rented a car, the itinerary develops for ids was varied and exciting; the accommodations were perfect.

Highlights: at the risk of listing them all, Douro Valley, Porto, Tomar, and Évora and the sites at those locations too my list.

We had a terrific experience through KimKim and we will recommend to others and hopefully take another trip with you soon.

We really appreciated the care and attention that Valentine took to listen to our wants for a family trip to France and make it a reality. The experiences and accommodations were wonderful and we'll have many memories from this trip. We will definitely suggest kimkim to friends and family to book their next international trip!

It was a great trip!
Very friendly and helpful drivers
Nice hotels - we especially liked Jogja Village Inn!
We liked having private guides at both Borobodhur and Prambanan in order to learn more about the history
We definitely couldn't have explored Indonesia without kimkim!
Thanks kimkim for another great trip! Hopefully we will be able to use kimkim for our future travels!

Hotel Reviews

Dusun Jogja Village Inn

Yogyakarta

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Bromo Cottages

Pasuruan

Staff was friendly and helpful Were willing to provide breakfast after hours when we got back to hotel after Bromo Housekeeping did not clean our room The shower water did not get very hot

Activity Reviews

Visit Borobudur Temple, Pawon Temple, Mendut Temple, and Yogyakarta Market

Yogyakarta

Loved having a private guide to teach us more about the history!

Kota Gede District, Plaosan and Sewon Temples, Prambanan Temple and Ramayana Show

Yogyakarta

Loved having a private guide to teach us more about the history! We got to explore the Sewon temples without many tourists because not many people walk past Prambanan. Definitely worth it! The Ramayana show included a 3 course dinner with a beautiful view of Prambanan Temple lit up at night.

Honestly, I don't have the words to describe how wonderful the whole thing was. We went to Greece and we were connected with Rebecca from Grecian Lux. From beginning to end, the entire trip was flawless. I went with a friend and we wanted to ensure that our friendship remained intact, so we wanted to be on the trip and not have to think about anything. Rebecca took care of it all, and even dealt with our tourist brains when we messaged her with questions we should already have known. She was wonderful. I can't recommend her enough!

Hotel Reviews

18 Grapes Hotel Naxos

Naxos

SO wonderful. The staff treated us like family from the moment we arrived. Our room wasn't ready so they gave us complementary wine and a sampling of Greeks finger foods while we waited at the pool. On checkout we were gifted a bottle of wine from their vineyard. The staff work so hard, and such long hours, but they were so amazing the whole time and you'd never know how hard they work!

Authenticity & Character

Location

It's the perfect place for a romantic getaway - if you're looking for action I would recommend staying in town, but that's not what this hotel is for. It's a quiet oasis.

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Plaka Hotel Athens

Athens

Was in the perfect location. The staff were incredible, and the breakfast was beautiful.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Poseidon Hotel Suites Mykonos

Mikonos

Simply beautiful. The room was a bit tiny, but the view made up for it. The pool is glorious, and the staff were so helpful.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Agali Houses

Firostefani 00

We were in awe the second we saw the room, and I had to post photos of the room from the second we arrived. Simply magnificent.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Welcome to Athens

Greece

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Athens - The City

Athens

We had low expectations because people had said Athens didn't have much to offer, so we only booked two nights and then wished we had longer!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Athens - Twilight Tour of Athens with Food & Drinks

Athens

One of the hightlights of our trip. It ended up a private tour with our guide Theo who took us to an array of interesting, local and hidden places, and ended with us on a rooftop overlooking the Parthenon at night. It was just magical. Would recommend this to anyone who visits.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Naxos - The Island

Naxos

It's such a large island that we definitely want to go back to do more exploring.

Full Day Naxos Island Catamaran Cruise-Small group cruise

Naxos

The crew were amazing, and the service was great. We also met some wonderful other guests on board.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Naxos - Self drive Beach & Island Exploration | Self guided

Naxos

There is a LOT to see here, and Google maps got us lost a few times. I would definitely recommend leaving earlier than we did and spending less time at beaches in order to enjoy more of the scenery. But driving in Greece is so stressful. We cheered that we didn't die when we arrived back at the hotel haha.

Mykonos - Free time

Mykonos

Mykonos-Day Trip to Delos island & Mykonos Free Afternoon

Mykonos

The yacht was beautiful, and the service was amazing. Delos is worth seeing, but it's HOT so be prepared with light clothing. You can't swim around Delos, so we had to wait until Rhenia in order to cool off. The wine was flowing and amazing though. :)

Mykonos Beach Day

Mykonos

We went to Super Paradise Beach to Jackie O's because we heard so many great things, and yes it's beautiful, but the prices were simply outrageous. We went to Elia beach the following day and THAT was definitely worth the lowered prices. The beach is more expansive, and the options plentiful. And it's less expensive by far than Jackie O

Santorini - The Island

Santorini

It's more stunning than you can imagine.

Santorini - Free Morning & Santorini Catamaran Gold Sunset Cruise (Small group cruise)

Santorini

The staff were incredible, and this was the ONLY boat experience we had where they did a little history along the way. They also had a contest while we were aboard to win a bottle of wine for best photo on IG...and we won! The staff cooked some of the most incredible food on a BBQ on the back of the catamaran. It made other trips pale in comparison.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Santorini - Sights, Wines & Clicks Private day tour

Santorini

The highlight of our tour. It was a private tour for my traveling partner and myself. Lazarus picked us up and took us to all the best places on the island, and some hidden gems as well. He's very knowledgable, knows so many people on the island, and he used our phones to take our photos and when I say that they look magasine worthy, I'm not kidding. Simply magnificent. The winery sampling was an amazing experience, and then taking us to the highest point on the island was worth the view!

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Eleni worked with us to create a memorable trip. She answered every question we asked and provided us with all of the assistance we needed. The KimKim team was quick to respond to our questions. During the entirety of our trip, we felt that the team was there to offer guidance and support. We are already recommending KimKim to our friends.

Our guide who took us up the Duora Valley and recommended the lunch venue was terrific, so much so that we treated him to join us for lunch. Also, the wine tasting in the valley was terrific as well, as we bought a case of wine there.

Special thanks to Beatrice who made Kimkim the terrific company that it is. She was very easy to reach if we had questions, she planned a trip that we will never forget. We told her we had 12 days and she planned them perfectly, she is so knowledgeable. We will recommend Kimkim and tell our friends to ask for Beatrice.

Hotel Review

Flores Boutique Hotel

Porto

The crew that work there are very knowledgeable and helpful. Great location for restaurants and sites to visit. The buffet was fresh and generous. The room was good size and was accommodating.

Tips for future travelers

I did not pick or look up any hotels that Beatrice suggested as I trusted her choices and we were rewarded with excellent accommodations.

Authenticity & Character

Everything

Location

Center city for convenience

Staff

Knowledgeable and easy to talk to.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Nice count on sheets and comforters.

Activity Review

Day Excursion to Douro Valley: Wine Tasting & River Cruise

Porto

Our tour was outstanding!! The River tour was very interesting and felt very privileged to be able to see the wonders of the area. The Port winery that our guide set us up with was amazing. Tour of vineyard and home of wine makers was fun. The restaurant that our guide took us to we had a chef that was outstanding. A very special remembered day.

Quality of Experience

All day trips were well planned into day.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Knowledgeable guides

Transport

Knew area and where they were to take us!

We had a great time and it was planned well. We never would have done as much or see so much without your service. It was such a pleasure to be greeted by Oscar when we arrived at Bogota. He has so much knowledge and knew so many people along the way that made the trip extra personable. Gustvo made the coffee region exciting, fun and full of local greetings everywhere we went. Sebastian toured us throughout Medellin hitting every aspect of the city while explaining both the successes and challenges. For us, Cartagena was to be more relaxed as we had already seen and done so much. The walled city was vibrant at every hour of the day and night. Martin shared the beautiful history of the city and we felt his pride.
Kimkim experience was beyond our expectations, all of the planning, coordination and thoroughness of both drivers and guides made our travel full and rich. Thank you all

Tricia did a fantastic job setting up our 8-day journey in Norway! While we could have spent some more time in the cities, the fjord cruises, hotels, and Trolltunga hike were definitely the highlights. The Flam Railway was also an amazing surprise, as we didn't realize it was not a normal train transfer, and that valley was simply incredible. The Aurlandsfjord Hotel was also a terrific place to stay and gave us gorgeous views of that particular fjord. Trolltunga Active is a high quality and professional outfitter that led our Trolltunga hike, and their camping (or glamping) domes are definitely the way to go. We had comfortable sleeping pads and fully catered dinners sitting at benches, and then had the Trolltunga rock formation all to ourselves after the hordes of day hikers had left. All the fjord cruises were incredible and the waterfalls and cliff faces were everywhere and around every corner. Simply a gorgeous country!

Thank you so much for planning an amazing first trip to Greece for us! When we first met Nadia, we we're a bit overwhelmed by all the incredible ways we could spend days 10 days in Greece. We are very appreciative of Nadia's quick and detailed responses to our many questions, and also were grateful for her suggestions (we took many of them!) Special thanks to Nadia for quickly and thoroughly answering our last minute barrage of questions in the last 24 hours before left home - cell phones, internet, tipping, laundry (including an address near our hotel in Naxos,) etc. etc.!

Our Athens Monastiraki hotel was perfect. Laid back, great staff, breakfast on the rooftop in view of the Acropolis, central to great food, art, history and exploring neighborhoods and finding great views of the city. And, we're so glad we said yes to the Acropolis & Flavors Tour! Joanna was a fabulous guide to both, and left us with many recommendations for the rest of our stay.

I am also grateful for all the time Nadia worked with us on planning our trip to Delphi and Meteora. The private driver was the perfect solution and Yannis made it all extra memorable by giving us off the beaten path lunch options -- a quiet laid back lunch and swim at Camping Delphi with incredible views of the valley, olive groves and coast after Delphi visit; exquisite calamari on our seaside table on the scenic drive back to Athens. And, of course, impeccable on time delivery for our flight to Naxos that evening.

Throughout the trip we had the right balance of scheduled activity and time to explore on our own. Our surprise love was Naxos which Nadia added into our itinerary at the end when we asked for a visit to second island. We rented a car (very easy and affordable) and explored the island, but honestly didn't get past Pyrgaki (20 min from town) where bought an umbrella, sandwiches and fruit from the mini market and settled in for the day on this spectacular secluded beach. The staff at Nastasia Village hotel were a big help with directions, logistics, and advice. Thank you!

Our last stop was Santorini and I must thank Nadia again for advising us on how to take advantage of this unique (and popular !) location. We leaned into views, sunsets, wine, tomatoes, white eggplant and fava beans. (Our welcoming driver from the port to the hotel gave us a great primer on vegetarian must haves unique to Santorini.) The Sunset Catamaran Caldera Cruise was perfect, relaxing, the right amount of people (not crowded on the catamaran), well run, great food and staff. The extra $$ for the caldera view was worth it and we enjoyed an amazing breakfast every morning with this exceptional backdrop. We took a 1/2 day to visit the tourist area in Fira but enjoyed the laid back family restaurants near our hotel in Akrotiri -- explored appetizers and watched the sun set at The Good Heart. We spent our last night by the water sharing a large grilled fish at The Cave of Nicholas. Γειά μας!

Thank you to all the drivers, guides, hotel staff, shop owners, family businesses and more that made our trip so memorable. Nadia, please accept our deep gratitude for everything you did to make it all come together. Every detail was cared for, for being on hand for anything that was needed, and for ensuring all plans went smoothly. I can't think of a time we've had such a vacation with so little time spent on figuring out logistics and so much time for pure relaxation and enjoyment. This make our trip to Greece exceptional. Thank you.

Hotel Reviews

NLH Monastiraki

Athens

In a busy area with short walk to markets, historic sites, restaurants, shopping, museums, and more. Great staff, beautiful roof top bar and breakfast areas.

Tips for future travelers

Get to know the staff on the roof top!

Authenticity & Character

staffed by normal happy people

Location

proximity

Staff

helpful - found item we left behind

Cleanliness & Comfort

extremely clean

Dellas Boutique Hotel

Meteora, Kalambaka

We were here just one night. Beautiful setting and perfect distance to walk to town.

Authenticity & Character

surrounded by scenery of Meteora

Location

proximity to dinne

Staff

helpful and welcoming

Cleanliness & Comfort

Nastasia Village

Naxos Chora

We enjoyed meeting the owner who was at front desk everyday and on hand for advice and making arrangements. Close to restaurants. 15 min walk to town/Temple of Apollo

Tips for future travelers

Make time to enjoy the breakfast every day. Get to know the owner. Explore the beaches to find the one that is the right fit for you.

Authenticity & Character

local owned and operated

Location

close but not center of busy part of town

Staff

welcoming and helpful

Cleanliness & Comfort

very clean and tidy

Goulielmos Hotel Santorini

Santorini

Amazing views and premium treatment!

Authenticity & Character

Caldera view

Location

Caldera view; not in Fira or Oia

Staff

Natalie at the front desk was exceptional as were the staff that brought gourmet breakfasts to our caldera view patio every morning

Cleanliness & Comfort

housekeeping was great!

Activity Reviews

Restaurants in Athens

Athens

Very helpful notes about views and types of restaurants

Welcome to Athens!

Athens

Our driver from the airport was great, shared advice and oriented us to our neighborhood around hotel.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Acropolis & Flavors Combo Tour

Athens

Joanna was exceptional

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

J

Divine Delphi & Breathtaking Meteora in Two Days (Day 1)

Greece

Our driver Yannis was exceptional. Our guides Georgia (Dephi) and Dominque (Varlam) were both very informative and happy to answer questions. Chris gave a us a sweeping review of Meteora

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Yannis was exceptional. Thank you.

Transport

We loved our guide (Julie) in Normandy (both for the D-Day beach guided tour and the Mont St. Michele guided tour. She was young, fun, energetic, knowledgeable and personable and we all enjoyed our time with her.

Our hotel in Bayeux (Hotel Villa Lara) was also terrific, the staff was friendly and welcoming, the rooms were spacious, and the lobby was quaint and nice with a fun little bar for wine and snacks.

We did not care for the "scavenger hunt" activity in Paris and would not recommend that activity for other visitors to Paris.

Our hotel in Paris (Pavillon Faubourg Saint-Germain) was also excellent, in a great location, with very nice amenities, although the rooms were slightly on the small side (not much room to move around).

Eiffel tower was a fun adventure

Our bike ride tour of Versaille and the Versaille Castle and property was also very fun, and our guide (Rachel) was pleasant and knowledgeable.

Really enjoyed our brief tour of the Louvre with Melanie..she was very energetic and knowledgeable and focused on some of her favorite areas which we enjoyed.

In Avignon, we did not enjoy our first night at our N15 B&B (we didn't find the host to be very warm and welcoming, and the hot water broke mid shower and they were not anticipating hot water through the weekend), and were much happier after moving to the Hotel Cloitre Saint Lous. Air conditioning didn't seem to keep pace with the higher outside temperatures, but it was a very neat place to stay, with access (literally outside our bedroom door) to the old Chapel. It also had a neat rooftop pool which was great for cooling off after a hot day.

We loved our cooking class (small group) with Chef Jean Marc..such a neat experience being in his personal home vs. taking a cooking class in a commercial kitchen.

As for Nice..beautiful place, great hotel (La Perouse), great location, great staff, loved the extra space in our room (one of the large suites with nice outdoor patio/terrace). "Food" tour guide was knowledgeable and friendly, but it was more of a general walking tour and not so much a food tour, so that was a little off from expectations.

All of the scheduled transportation (private drivers, trains) was terrific and so nice for us to not have to worry with any of those logistics.

Overall, we had a fabulous trip and everything was well coordinated by Laurence..we would definitely consider using KimKim again for future international travel.