Kimkim Trip Reviews

We are back home in Maine with our two cats, the gardens are in late Spring bloom and we have many, many photos to be edited and posted.

We sincerely thank Tom Christer and the KimKim team for their guidance throughout the trip, from framing our itinerary to our final days in Oslo. Tom was not only a guide but a friend in times of uncertainty when we tested positive.

Times and technology have altered the nature of travel on many levels and a new set of challenges often await at every turn, not the least a global pandemic.

Tom and KimKim offered not only a link to some of the best things to do, places to visit stay but also connected us to excellent guides, Stig in Oslo and Fartein in Bergen, who both added so much to our understanding and appreciation of each city.

Our personal tour up the Esefjjorden with Capt. Thor remains a highlight of our trip.

The hotels were exceptional. No one serves a better breakfast buffet that the Hotel Bristol, they set the standard.

On our next trip KimKim will be our first consideration and we will highly recommend KimKim to anyone looking to travel.

We personally and sincerely thank Tom Christer and the KimKim team for a great journey and travel
experience and wish you all continued success.

Kenny and Sally Gilbride

I was skeptical at first, having never heard of KimKim before but Andrea was very reassuring and responsive to all my questions throughout the planning. Oscar was a phenomenal guide! He is so knowledgeable, interesting, and not boring at all! We had an awesome time. The activities were also really great. Colombia is such a beautiful country and the food is magnificent! We also had an awesome and relaxing time at Punta Faro, everyone was so attentive and accommodating. I was especially glad we didn't have to worry about food there. We couldn't have asked for a better experience. Will definitely be back!

Hotel Reviews

Sofitel Legend Santa Clara Cartagena

Cartagena

Excellent service. Beautiful accommodation. Awesome staff.

Authenticity & Character

Loved they kept the original structure. Made you feel like you were part of history.

Location

Close to pretty much everything.

Staff

Everyone was super nice and accommodating.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Everything.

Hotel Punta Faro

Isla Mucura

The perfect relaxation spot. Awesome food. Amazing staff. Excellent service.

Tips for future travelers

Brush up on your Spanish - although, Google Translate saved me.

Authenticity & Character

Felt like an islander.

Location

The isolation. It was perfect for quiet relaxation.

Staff

Amazing people. Made some great friends.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Everything.

Activity Reviews

Afternoon-Night Walking Tour

Cartagena

Oscar is such an excellent guide! He was intentional about changing misconceptions about Colombia but was also very honest about some of its brutal past. I learned a lot and enjoyed touring the City.

Quality of Experience

The beautiful city.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Oscar was amazing.

Transport

We walked. It was perfect.

Wander Cartagena’s Storied Streets & Discover the Art of Getsemaní

Cartagena

Getsemani was a dream! I mean the murals, the colors, the art! So beautiful!

Quality of Experience

The art everywhere.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Oscar was amazing.

Transport

Very comfortable.

Drum Safari - Sounds of Cartagena

Cartagena

We had the absolute best time!!!!!! We drummed, we sang, we danced! Whoo! What an experience!

Quality of Experience

The school.

Food

PHENOMENAL.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Oscar was amazing.

Transport

Comfortable.

Our trip was indeed AMAZING and we got what we wanted from it. We had a wide experience of the main highlights that Norway has to offer.......including the calm of Oslo, the history of Bergen, and why or what is Trondheim. We had a "great railway trip" from Oslo to the Flam, met up with over peopled Cruise Ships (not for us), cruised the coast and the fjords through rain and sun, fell in awe at Geiranger fjord, and got very wet on the Atlantic Highway.
The wide selection of hotels KimKim booked us into were all fascinating and we enjoyed the quality and of course the breakfasts at each one.
We found our way around quite well and most of the arrangements clicked into place easily.......however there were some inevitable hiccups that always occur on these trips: 1. Anyone going to Bergen via the Flam must be on the 6.25am train (KimKim nearly had us on a later train that wouldn't have worked) (TIP ALWAYS CHECK EVERYTHING THAT KIMKIM ARRANGE) 2. The Hurtigertun boat is not a cruise ship and we found it overcrowded and uncomfortable particularly given KimKim couldnt get us beds/cabins (We feel strongly that KimKim should have shared the email they received from the shipping co on 3rd May: if we had seen it we would probably have changed the itinery (TIP TO KIMKIM IF THERE IS A PROBLEM THEN SHARE IT WITH THE CUSTOMER : THE EARLIER THEY KNOW ABOUT IT THE BETTER).

I can't state enough how happy I was with my KimKim experience. From start to finish, I was thrilled with our interaction and experience with KimKim. Vale, our trip planner, was thorough, friendly and extremely responsive. Lucia, our contact while in Italy, was amazing and always available whenever we needed her. All of our private transfers and coordinators (Lucia, Deborah and Daniela) were on time and knowledgeable, our tour guides were amazing and friendly (Gianluca, Deborah), and the entire experience was made seamless because of the trip that was planned for us. Traveling is amazing but it can also be stressful, and KimKim took all of the stress away. Thank you KimKim (ans especially Vale) for a truly perfect trip.

Activity Reviews

Wanna be Italiano - Florence cooking class and market tour

Italy

Loved this experience. Our trip to the local market and the things we cooked were awesome!

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Day visit to Siena and San Gimignano - guide in Siena included

Italy

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Guide was knowledgeable and friendly and we loved our driver!

Transport

Private golf cart tour

Rome

Gianluca was the best guide we had. Funny, friendly and showed us things that were off the beaten path, which is exactly what we wanted.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Private Full day Tour Amalfi coast

Italy

loved our driver and the experience

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Free Day in Rome

Rome

we were given great recos for our free day in Rome!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

We had great guides. Stig was incredible in Oslo. Torstein was great in Aurland. John was superb in Bergen and went out of his way to help. Linda was the best - responsive, courteous, helpful - even got us refund from hotel due to difficulty leaving US. Linda was creative in planning the trip and with me all the time, thru kimkim, very fast responses. Our 13 days in Norway was everything we could have imagined. Even the weather cooperated!!

each individual who assisted us in our tour of Croatia was great...in Dubrovnik, we were assisted and guided by Ana, who showed us the old city from a local's perspective...our drivers, Josef, Ivo, Mario...all intelligent and helpful...Our boat captain Mario (Fish and Fun) showed us a great time and cooked for us on his boat. Our hiking guide ..not positive of the spelling of his name..Tivo...maybe?...just terrific...all the hotels that were booked for us were beautiful and suited our needs perfectly. At the Hotel Lero, we got a chance to hear some musicians playing who we got acquainted with...very memorable and enjoyable.

Hotel Reviews

Hotel Lero

Dubrovnik

Top notch

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Korsal

Korčula

Beautiful..great location overlooking the water....

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Heritage Hotel Dea

Hvar

the only aspect that would make it tough on some travelers is that there are a few steps in and out to get to the hotel...otherwise, it was great...nothing bad to say. Great service.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Heritage Hotel Fermai

Split

architecturally fascinating....beautiful...very well run. front desk folks were delightful

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Tour Dubrovnik's Old Town

Croatia

Ana gave us the "insider's" tour....just spectacular.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Boating Excursion Around Korčula's Archipelago

Korčula

Mario was fun, interesting, and a great cook....took us to some spots to swim, and to our pleasant surprise, had a grill off the back of the boat where he prepared a fresh fish lunch for us...

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Hike to Lost Villages of Hvar, Croatian Peka Lunch

Hvar

our guide was an energetic outdoorsman with boundless energy and terrific knowledge of the area and its history, plants, herbs, ..we met a woman who gave us information of the use of these herbs and plants in making of essential oils and natural remedies. The peka lunch was a real treat too.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Krka National Park + lunch in the countryside

Croatia

Our driver Ivo was particularly interesting, incredibly educated and experienced and well traveled. He dropped us at the park, where we enjoyed a walk through the waterfalls and great views. He picked us up promptly and took us to a fabulous restaurant for lunch.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Peljesac Wine Tasting Excursion + Ston

Dubrovnik

Our driver Mario was very professional and charming, giving lots of interesting comments during our drive . The winery was a real treat, where we tasted several varietals, olive oil and cheese. The owner had lots of valuable experience and knowledge, We brought some wine and olive oil back with us from there.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

We are a family of 4 and just completed a phenomenal trip to Greece. Eleni was our local specialist and she was awesome. The trip was a great mix of historical sites, beach/water activities, food, wine, culture and people. All trips, transfers and activities were perfectly arranged and we just needed to show up with a smile. I'd recommend a trip to Greece arranged by Eleni for everyone - we visited Athens and 3 islands and the logistics can be complicated without a local expert.

We had a great guide in Jordan. He was a true historian. Our driver was also super nice- The car was a bit tight but did not dampen our enthusiasm. We also had excellent guides in Istanbul and Cappadocia.
In retrospect our itinary was quite packed and our children were a bit tired of moving almost everyday.
Thank you for an unforgettable trip.

Hotel Reviews

Sultania Hotel Istanbul

Sirkeci, Istanbul

Very attentive staff. We live breakfast- the best in our entire trip. We also love the boutique feel

Tips for future travelers

Can walk easily to pier to catch ferry

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Gamirasu Cave Hotel

Ayvalı/Ürgüp/Nevşehir

Unique setting- such wonderful surprise! We had the biggest room and wish we had more time to enjoy

Tips for future travelers

Have to eat dinner at hotel since it’s far away from town

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Sulaf Luxury Hotel

Amman

Our room had intense smoking/cigarette smell despite it being a nonsmoking room. At 6am- someone walked into our room and quickly excused himself and left. We brought the issue to the front desk who did not take it seriously. Breakfast was terrible

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Petra Moon Hotel

Wadi Musa

Great location. Very attentive staff. Close to restaurants and Petra

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Mazayen Rum Camp

Al Dissi

Amazing experience. Dinner was fantastic

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Holiday Inn Dead Sea Resort

Sweimah

Hotel was very busy and service was so so. We had to go down to reception 3 times because we keep waiting for notification that it was ready to move in but the front desk never called. Then they forgot to install an additional bed despite acknowledging twice. Food was indifferent Appreciate the private beach

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

CAPPADOCIA full day tour

Cappadocia

It was very fun and informative. We wish we knew some of the tour included a sale- heavy portion where the presentation was followed by a heavy , pressured sale pitch

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Our guide bd a lot of energy and was very personable

Transport

Courteous. Ontime

ISTANBUL Full Day City Tour

İstanbul

Perfect full day tour

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

We had the most wonderful trip to Croatia and that’s because we used Kimkim and our amazing trip designer Nikola. This was a no stress, safe, and fun vacation and would highly recommend the Croatian expertise we were fortunate to leverage with this company. Thank you for an amazing trip!

We had such a wonderful trip. Thank you so much for your help. The trip you designed for us checked all of our boxes. Additionally, the service you provided was excellent. When there was an issue (i.e., train delay), you informed us immediately and made sure all impacted plans were rescheduled. You were easily accessible whenever we had questions.

All of our guides and drivers were very kind and helpful. We did have one driver (the one that received us in Rome the first time) that was not very nice. The train was delayed and he seemed upset. He's the only driver that did not offer to help us with our bags. Additionally, he dropped us off at the wrong hotel (thankfully, the correct hotel was only a few doors down the street). Other than that, everything and everyone was excellent.

Thank you very much for a memorable experience. We look forward to planning another trip with you soon.

Hotel Reviews

Grand Hotel Cavour

Florence

Very nice and modern hotel. Great location.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Giorgione Venice

Venice

Very nice hotel in a great location. Very kind staff and nice rooms.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Very central to everywhere we wanted to go

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Modigliani

Roma

Great location, but not the best hotel. Breakfast was not very good. The flight of stairs at the entrance made it difficult to transport our bags.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Residence

Amalfi

Great location with beautiful views. Loved having a balcony. Breakfast was great and staff was very friendly.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Caruso Place Hotel

Naples

Very nice location. The staff said we were in a "bad neighborhood" but we did not experience anything bad. Staff was extremely helpful and the room was extremely nice. Getting into the hotel was challenging at first but, once inside, we just used the back door when we came and went.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Aenea Superior Inn

Rome

Nice hotel, but seemed more like a hostel. We did have a terrace which was nice. There was a lot of stairs and the available elevator was extremely small.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Tuscany by Vespa

Florence

Great experience. For someone who has never ridden a Vespa, the instructors were very helpful and kind. Went to a very nice winery afterwards for food and wine.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Private Gondola Ride

Venice

Very fun! Driver was very friendly and the experience was everything we'd hoped for.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Florence Food Tour & Dinner

Florence

Great food with a very friendly guide!

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Private Colosseum & Roman Forum Tour

Rome

Fantastic experience! Loved having the private guide who was very knowledgeable and friendly. Afterwards, she even gave us recommendations of where to eat.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Trastevere Afternoon Aperitivo & Food Tour

Rome

Our favorite food tour! Very friendly guide with amazing food and wine. We conveniently finished the night at a gelato place right next to a taxi line, which was very nice.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Private Vatican Guided Tour

Rome

Was nice having a private tour. Our guide was nice.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Sunset Amalfi Coast Boat Tour

Amalfi Coast

Wonderful way to see the Amalfi Coast. Our train into Amalfi was late which caused us to be about an hour late for this ride. However, the driver was extremely nice and waited. He took us to some amazing places. Very romantic!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Private Amalfi Coast Driving Tour

Italy

Nice tour, but a lot of driving. Wish we had the chance to get out more. When we DID get out, the driver gave us plenty of time to explore.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Private Transfer with Self-Guided Pompeii & Mt. Vesuvius Hike

Italy

Vesuvius hike was very cool. Very windy at the time and the hike was very steep, but it was nice and the views were incredible. Pompeii was incredible. We do wish we had a guide for Pompeii to tell us more about it (we just walked around ourselves) Driver was incredibly kind!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Naples Street Food Tour

Naples

Guide was very nice and provided great information about the city and its history. Food was good.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Robbie and Bruno were amazing guides! Robbie organized the entire trip and he did a great job. We loved how Robbie personalized the entire tour. Two highlights of the trip were when Robbie organized a meal to eat the traditional dish peka at a Croatian couples home!! We had a wonderful meal and were able to see their gardens, how they made the food and wine. We also got an entire explanation of how the husband of the household is a marksman and saw his collections of stuffed animals. We also loved going into Dubrovnik via boat and being able to visit several small islands. Robbie was so easy to work with. He made the trip completely seamless. Robbie organized another tour guide, Bruno to work with us the first part of the trip. Bruno also was very good.

Hotel Reviews

https://www.facebook.com/VillaRadicSton/

Ston

We loved the personal experience of this hotel! We ate at the owner's restaurant every night. Only one thing they could work on is that the towels need softening agents. Also would have liked a few more towels in the room.

Tips for future travelers

Maybe

Authenticity & Character

Location

Right in the middle of town.

Staff

All the family members were easily available

Cleanliness & Comfort

Great air conditioning and newly renovated.

Hotel Degenija

Rakovica

Clean. Nice staff. Excellent location. Blum Cafe food amazing!!

Tips for future travelers

Definitely eat in the Plum Cafe////11

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Dubrovnik

Zagreb

Great breakfast meal!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Good location just a bit loud at night from outside bar

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Pasike

Trogir

Very warm staff. Cute hotel in good location. Excellent food!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Grand Villa Argentina

Dubrovnik

Beautiful views, stunning and great location. Rooms a bit dated but nice anyhow. Most excellent breakfast of the entire trip!!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Skradinski buk

Skradin

Understated hotel but lovely local option. Staff very nice and accomodating.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Explore Plitvice Lakes National Park

Croatia

Loved how Bruno our tour guide understood timing of when we should go into the park!! We avoided the crowds so it really felt like a personal experience.

Quality of Experience

It was great to be alone with our tour guide and family for much of the experience and not with big crowds!!

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Bruno was easy to be with and quite humorous

Transport

Zagreb - Arrival Day & Sightseeing

Zagreb

Loved the walking tour with Bruno. He took us to the museum of Broken Relationships. Very patient with us and totally flexible!!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Visit to Zadar and Skradin overnight

Plitvice Lakes

This was a laid back day since it rained. Bruno let us explore the city on our own.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Krka National Park -Trogir

Skradin

Didn't love this park as much as the Plitvice Park. It was a bit more touristy.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Explore Split ,Ston & Pelješac penisula

Trogir

Loved walking the walls on our own!! Wonderful way to really understand how local people live in Ston!! Robbie did a great job in touring us around and explaining the history of the area. Would have been nice to have more time to explore Split, but it is a more touristy area.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Robbie is completely an exceptional tour guide. He knows exactly when to join us and give us our own space as a famiy!!

Transport

Robbie has a wonderful van we were in the entire time!

Explore Pelješac penisula - multiactivity

Croatia

Loved the biking and paddle board experience. Robbie took our time with everything and was very patient with us if we wanted to change our plan!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Cycling Mljet island and National Park

Croatia

Robbie dropped us off with his bikes which were in excellent condition!! He arranged for a wonderful meal for us with a local family.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Dubrovnik and Elaphiti islands - Lopud and Koločep private boat trip

Croatia

Robbie absolutely did a tremendous job in touring us around on a boat, had water snacks and clean towels for us!! He brought us to many caves and islands. This such a highlight of our trip!!

Quality of Experience

AMAZIMG!!

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Dubrovnik Old Town and the City Walls

Croatia

Robbie set up a tour with a local guide he gave us an amazing walking tour. She also took us into the old synagogue and had a plethera of knowledge of Dubrovnik.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

N/A

Goodbye Dubrovnik

Dubrovnik

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Joel did a great job helping us plan our trip to France in early June. We were a little late getting started and had a number of changes and complications on our end (adding my son and his friend to the trip mid-way through) and Joel was very helpful and patient with us. We hade great experiences in Paris, Bordeaux and Cassis. Joel arranged great guides and experiences and arranged the travel in a manner that worked perfectly. He seemed to think of everything and made the trip stress free and wonderful!
Thanks to Kim Kim and especially to Joel!
Mark and Debi

Hotel Reviews

Best Western Aramis Saint Germain

Paris

Great location! Very helpful people at the front desk! Comfortable and they provide a very nice breakfast. Just steps away from the Metro stop and an easy walk to the Luxembourg Gardens (and just a little further to the river and Notre Dame.

Authenticity & Character

We had a small balcony where we could sit and watch people coming and going to work and school. Charming!

Location

Easy access to the Metro, and within walking distance of a lot of downtown Paris.

Staff

The people working at the hotel seemed very happy to be helpful.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Met or exceeded our expectations

Hôtel Majestic

Bordeaux

Great location, very nice rooms and a great breakfast. You really felt you were somewhere else while you were staying there (it was much more authentic that being at a standard chain-hotel). The room was very comfortable and just a short walk from the main square area of the town.

Authenticity & Character

Its not a chain-style place. The rooms have character and our was very large!

Location

Its just around the corner from the Opera House square - easy walk to the main parts of the town and the riverfront and the metro line.

Staff

Everyone was so friendly and helpful.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Met or exceeded our expectations

Une Terrasse sur la Mer

Cassis

Fantastic view! This is a private apartment, not a hotel, but the main room has fantastic views of the bay.

Tips for future travelers

It is located on a hillside above the town - which results in fantastic views but also some significant stairs/hillside walks.

Location

The views of the bay.

Activity Reviews

Paris Macaron Baking Class

Paris

Just a fantastic experience! Fun, and instructive, and the other participants were all so friendly!

Quality of Experience

A nice break from the usual activities of a Paris vacation.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Very friendly and also very informative!

Sainte Chapelle and Notre-Dame

Paris

Our guide was very pleasant and knowledgeable, and seemed very interested in sharing what she knew about the locations we visited.

Quality of Experience

We saw a number of things we would otherwise have missed, and learned a lot!

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Our guide was very knowledgeable and friendly.

Skip the line visit of the Louvre with audioguide (tickets only)

Paris

Obviously any trip to the Louvre is fantastic, but calling this a "skip the line" visit is a bit of an overstatement. Even with these tickets there was a significant line, but it was much better that if we just tried to get tickets that day. We found the audio guide to be cumbersome at first, but that may just be our inexperience with this type of technology.

Landmarks of Bordeaux - Private Walking Tour

Bordeaux

Very pleasant and informative. Our guide was very knowledgeable and friendly. In just a few hours we learned so much about the city and its history! It really improved our whole stay in Bordeaux!

Quality of Experience

Our guide so knowledgeable and nice, and provided so much information on the city and its history.

Saint-Emilion Afternoon Wine Tour

France

A wonderful tour of the Sant Emilion city and the surrounding vineyards and very nice stops at two Chateaus/wineries! Travel in a comfortable van with a very friendly and knowledgeable guide.

A kayak trip in the Calanques (inlets)

France

Beautify location! The experience of paddling into the calanques and taking a little swim in one of them was great!

First of all Yvonne, with Curated Greece in Athens, was outstanding. Kim Kim put us in touch with her 2 1/2 years ago when we first planned our trip. Then Covid happened and everything stopped. Yvonne stayed with us through the delay and helped us prepare an amazing tour of Athens, Crete and Santorini, about a week total. She arranged all of the transfers, tours, hotels and flights/ferries while abroad. The last morning in Santorini there was a knock on our door and our luggage removed and boarding passes handed to me. Took all the worry away... We visited the Acropolis, the Temple of Poseidon, and Knossos Palace. Had a wonderful walking food tour in Athens as well as an outstanding authentic Cretan cooking lesson at a farm in the hills. Wine tasting in Santorini delicious, and our last maybe best day was spent on a sunset fishing trip where we ate the fish we caught right on board. Best vacation ever!

Everything was good. Recommended place were very good.

The best: Waterfalls, Whale watching in Husavik, the canyons, Iceberg Lagoon, Jeep tour (terrific.) Also -- the Blue Lagoon. Touristy? Yes. But fun and worth seeing. Good experiene. Good way to start the trip. And.... Rejkavic restaurants..... Pricy, but very good. Skal, in partcular. Very good.

The not so good: Geysir: Touristy and boring. Skip it. IcelandAir hotel by Rejkavik marina. Noisy and not so good.

Service from Andres Ulfur: 5-star. Super. Responsive. Always available.

Overall: Very good. Expensive. But, if you can afford it, worth it.

Andres Ulfur service.

Hotel Reviews

Alda Hotel Reykjavík

Reykjavík

Tips for future travelers

Don't go there if you have a car! Otherwise, hotel is good.

Authenticity & Character

Hotel staff friendly, talkative, and helpful.

Location

Hotel is good. Location great. Could improve or make available PARKING. Many guests have cars!!

Staff

Hotel staff great. "Happy hour" staff terrible. Didn't know drinks. Came across as stupid and non-caring. Hostile, which was so unlike the normally friendly and helpful Icelander. The "hostess" should instead clean rooms. Job as a maid may be too difficult for such a person, but it may be only job she's qualified for.

Cleanliness & Comfort

"Happy hour." Overpriced crap. Poor service. So bad that hotel management should do something about it.

Fosshótel Mývatn

Myvatn

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Fosshotel Núpar

Kálfafell

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Non-caring staff.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hótel Lækur

Hella

Small, funky hotel with great staff.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Breakfast and overall service.

Staff

Staff talkative and friendly. Accomodating.

Cleanliness & Comfort

small rooms. But breakfast space good.

Reykjavík Marina - Berjaya Iceland Hotels

Reykjavík

Noisy, no parking. TV didn't work! Staff no help.

Authenticity & Character

Location

The bar.

Staff

No TV!!

Cleanliness & Comfort

Blow it up and start again.

Activity Review

Fjallabak Nature Reserve- Superjeep tour in the highlands

Iceland

Jeep driver and guide.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

The driver was great. "Tate" Ulfarsson. Friendly, knowledgeable, and brought us to unusual and awesome places. Only a Jeep could get there. Snow, waterfalls, hot springs. etc. Great day. Picked us up and dropped us off at hotel. From 9:30 to 4.. One of the highlights of the whole trip.

Transport

$-wheel drive vehicle with 48 inch wheels. Necessary for the places we went.

Wonderful experience. Chris did a great job planning a trip for our family to Crete and understood the types of trips we like and lodging we like. Lina who gave us a tour of Knossos was excellent The hospitality at our lodgings in Archanes and Milia was superb. This is my first time using a travel agent. I usually plan all of our trips but due to my busy work schedule I used an agent for the first time which turned out to be a good thing. My husband had an injury hiking and this required a last minute change to travel plans (we rented a car with stick and my husband is only the only person who drives stick but was unable to after his injury). Irene from the travel agency promptly helped come up with a solution. I would have spent hours on the phone trying to make changes with a language barrier but fortunately she was able to make adjustments for me with a few texts exchanged between us. It was worth the use of travel agency.

Patricia put together an amazing trip! Everything was literally perfect. Every hotel was amazing, every guide was polite, knowledgeable, and punctual, and every excursion was an awesome experience.

I cannot give a stronger recommendation for her services.

What a trip!

Beatriz was SENSATIONAL planning every part of the trip and no request was too difficult for her to accommodate...and she always did it with a smile. She stayed in touch with us via text throughout the trip and was able to make some helpful suggestions. She was always responsive to our questions and concerns. Most importantly, the tours she arranged were memorable and the team she established made the trip memorable. For example, the Fada experience in Lisbon was awesome and the restaurant gave us front row seats. The Lisbon walking tour with Maria was perfect-she was fully prepared, arrived on time and provided a fascinating history of the Jewish Portuguese experience that we had requested. Likewise, our guide Paula led us on a Portuguese food tasting tour that was so much fun with a few other couples. All the hotels Beatriz suggested were great, particularly the Penha Longa Ritz Carlton where we enjoyed a fabulous round of golf-and all the arrangements tee times, for clubs and cart were perfect. At the beautiful Yeatman Hotel, overlooking the Douro in Porto, we experienced first class treatment along with a tasting experience that was "beyond beyond. " We ran into some rain in Douro but our guide brought us inside to the winery where we had a wonderful learning (and drinking!) experience. Finally, Porto was both beautiful and charming and our guide Daniel was charming and knowledgeable about history and in particular, the history of the Jewish people in Porto. All in all, a fabulous and memorable experience and Bea was with us every step of the way. Obrigado! Eric and Susan

Hotel Reviews

Penha Longa Resort

Sintra, Linhó

Fabulous staff, beautiful rooms and gorgeous golf course.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Palácio Ludovice Wine Experience Hotel

Lisboa

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

MW Douro Wine & Spa by TRIUS Hotels

Santa Marta de Penaguião, Cumieira

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

The Yeatman Hotel

Vila Nova de Gaia

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Fado Dinner Experience

Lisbon

Quality of Experience

Food

Food and wine!

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Our guides Maria, Paula, Daniel were outstanding. Rai was good but we had bad weather in Douro, no fault of his

Transport

Transport was fine. Our driver to pick up at the airport in Lisbon was a half hour late as was the driver who picked us up in Lisbon to go to Sintra.

Get to Know Lisbon with a Local

Lisbon

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Lisbon Foodie Experience

Lisbon

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Private Day Excursion: Sintra, Cascais & Estoril

Portugal

Quality of Experience

Arrival on time to our hotel in Lisbon to go to Sintra. Driver was a half hour late.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Tour of the palace with a guide who is knowledgeable of the palace. our guide dropped us off at the park and we got somewhat lost on our way to the palace and. had no guide for the palace itself.

Transport

Transfer from {{start_location}} to {{end_location}}, via Belmonte

Portugal

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Day Excursion to Douro Valley: Wine Tasting & River Cruise

Porto

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Privately Guided Visit of Porto

Porto

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

We had a great time on our trip! Our vacation guide was very well put together and was full of information. We really appreciated not having to worry about bookings.

Great hotel locations and suggestions — looking forward to the next one!

Rinolda at KimKim did a great job in planning our trip. We had a wonderful trip because of the suggestions and the itinerary that Rinolda did for us, Hikes, restaurants, fjords, hot baths, ice lagoon in zodiac all were excellent. thank you Rinolda!