Kimkim Trip Reviews

This was a trip of a lifetime that was made possible by Peruvian Soul! Our main guide, Julio Quispe, was absolutely the best person to show us around Cusco. He is so knowledgeable about Incan and Peruvian culture and history. Julio is the most incredibly patient and sweet tour guide anyone can ask for. He anticipated our needs, gave us great advice for acclimating to the altitude, cheered us on during our hike, and always did it with a smile on his face. He constantly checked in on us to see how we were feeling and making sure we were having a best experience in Peru. Eddie, our guide in Machu Picchu was excellent as well. He was also very patient with us during our hike up Huyana Picchu. Our entire experience with the Peruvian Soul team has been an amazing one. Every detail thought out prior to us coming so that we could have an amazing memorable trip did not go unnoticed. We loved our experience!

Hotel Reviews

Antigua Casona San Blas

Cusco

Such a beautiful hotel! Very thoughtful and great staff

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Tierra Viva Valle Sagrado Urubamba

Urubamba

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Mariel Hotel

Miraflores

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Sandboarding at Paracas Desert

Paracas

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Andean Ceremony at Viacha Community & Hike Downhill to Pisac

Peru

Julian and his family were so welcoming. The lunch his family prepared was so delicious and the backdrop to the lunch was so beautiful

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Gourmet Picnic at the Sacred Valley

Sacred Valley

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Raul is awesome!!

Second visit to Machu Picchu and Hike to its viewpoints

Aguas Calientes/ Machu Picchu

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Eddy is awesome!

Transport

Vinicunca, The Rainbow Mountain

Cusco

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Urban food tour at Lima Historical Center

Lima

Maras Salt Ponds

Sacred Valley

Planning our trip with Sharon was effortless. She was extremely responsive and took care of our every question and concern. Our driver and guide, Hussein became like family. His excellent driving and language skills aside, he is one of the most compassionate, kind and caring human beings that I have ever met. He made our trip very special. I highly recommend Kimkim and especially Hussein. Moroccan’s are some of the nicest, accommodating people we have met while traveling. The country’s landscape is gorgeous with gorges, valleys and stellar panoramic views. Staying in Riad’s in the Medina’s is extra special. The food is excellent, albeit a bit repetitive. Other cuisines are available in larger cities and Hussein took us somewhere different when we had enough tangines. We did a 6 day immersion from Marrakech (city guide one day and hike/gardens the second - Dades Valley - camel ride and camp in the dessert and up to Fez for 2 days. Be prepared for a couple of LONG driving days. There is much to see and it’s hard to nap because you don’t want to miss anything. I would recommend getting an antibiotic from your doctor prior to your trip as we experienced traveler’s diarrhea although we didn’t drink tap water, we did consume all fruits and vegetables. They were too good to resist. Morocco is a country that bargains when purchasing items. Be prepared. We had separate guides for Marrakech, Dades Valley and Fez. We wished we could have had our Hussein for these excursions as well. Their English was very good and knowledge extensive but they clearly received a commission from specific shops. Some tours included an instructional demonstration of a specific craft which we very much enjoyed but typically lead to a gift shop and sales pitch afterwards. We have found this to be true in other countries and on other tours. This is how they make their money and it’s good to be prepared. It’s important to have a mind set of traveling to experience another culture and be prepared to not to have every creature comfort of home (lack of toiletries, subpar linens/towels, temperamental toilets or lack of toilet paper, no half & half for coffee). My favorite experience was having tea with a Berber family and seeing how they live, their daily routine and the “appliances” they use. The Medina in Fez was also a high point. Taking in the countryside and views during the drive and having conversation with Hussein about himself, the culture and norms from his perspective was also a highlight. Morocco is not to be missed, especially with Hussein and knowing that Sharon is an email away. Go and have a great time!

Rinolda was responsive and super helpful- would recommend! We had an amazing trip!!!

Rebecca with KimKim is the most incredible travel agent I have ever worked with. Every detail of the trip (Girls trip with 8 ladies) was impeccable. The fact that she lives in Greece made her planning and suggestions perfect for our group. The hotels, the transportation, the excursions, every detail was taken care of and we had no problems (and moving 8 ladies around Greece and from Island to Island is not an easy task). Rebecca's communication was excellent, She seems to be on call for any need 24/7. She is flexible and adapts to any suggestions the group needed. Her tour guides were also excellent and knowledgeable. I CANNOT SAY THIS ENOUGH....YOU WILL NOT BE DISAPPOINTED USING REBECCA AND GRECIAN LUX AS YOUR TRAVEL AGENT. SHE WILL OFFER YOU THE TRIP OF A LIFETIME!

Hotel Reviews

Elia Ermou Athens Hotel

Athens

HOTEL WAS BEAUTIFUL WITH GREAT VIEW OF THE ACROPOLIS. LOCATION IS EXCELLENT AND BREAKFAST IS WONDERFUL,

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Rocabella Hotel & SPA Mykonos

Mykonos

BEAUTIFUL HOTEL. SMALLER ROOMS WITH AMAZING VIEWS.

Tips for future travelers

JUST KNOW TAKING TRANSPORTATION TO TOWN COULD BE EXPENSIVE.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Villa Renos Hotel

Santorini

LOTS AND LOTS OF STAIRS, BUT THAT IS SANTORINI. ROOMS WERE AWESOME WITH JACUZZI'S. WONDERFUL BREAKFAST. LOCATION IS DIRECTLY IN TOWN NEAR RESTAURANTS AND SHOPS. AMAZING VIEWS.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Santorini - Walk, Drink, Eat Sunset Small Group Tour

Santorini

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Mykonos-Day Trip to Delos island & Mykonos Free Afternoon

Mykonos

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Explore Authentic Mykonos with the Locals

Mykonos

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

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

Santorini

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Santorini - Exclusive Wine Tour

Santorini

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Final Day-Fly out

Athens International Airport (ATH)

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Costa Rica was a wonderful experience for me! Yuliana did a wonderful job planning the itinerary with all of my interest. Even some excursions/tours were included in the reasonable price.
I will come back to KimKim when I would decide to return to Costa Rica.

This was my first time using kimkim and the service did not disappoint. My specialist Amalia was great. We told her things that we wanted to do and she planned those things for us as well as suggesting other possible options. All we had to do was show up everything was planned for us from the transfers to and from activities to ferry tickets between islands, airline ticket reservation between islands. We visited Athens, Mykonos and Santorini. We liked all the cities and the hotels that we stayed at. The view from our room in Santorini was breath taking. Everyone we interacted with on our trip to Greece was pleasant. I can see myself visiting Greece again in the future.

Activity Review

Santorini Cooking Class

Santorini

It was our first cooking class and it was alot of fun and very well planned by the host. We met 7 other couples that we got to share a meal with in the end.

Quality of Experience

The experience in general and meeting other people.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

We had never been to Ireland - and needed more than someone to book hotels. We needed advice on where to go, what to see, car rental, etc... and most importantly... someone who would take the time to understand who we are and what we want re hotel vs. B&B, guided trip vs. self-drive, time for hikes, kayaking, etc. Kimkim Travel and Dean were outstanding in all regards. High points of our trip included - time to drive and stop and hike thru Sheeps Head Penisula, the Ring of Kerry, Dingle and Doolin... All breath taking and great fun.

Mieke provided us with a fabulous itinerary (Haarlem, Noordwijk, Leiden, Gouda, and Uithoorn) and carefully chosen hotels along the way. She accommodated us with many requests and some changes in the early days of planning this trip. Sebastian was very responsive to our needs regarding the bikes and GPS. The e- bikes provided were in excellent condition and fun to ride. Mieke arranged for transport of one rider on a day she did not wish to ride secondary to some physical concerns. We were very pleased with KimKim and I have told many friends about the company.

From the first communication with Megan on day 1 of planning our Moroccan adventure she was nothing but the best. She responded to every email inquiry, question, suggestion & concerns. She really was one of the best travel advisors we’ve ever worked with. We typically do not do tour groups or full planned itinerary traveling and Megan understood that and helped us build an incredibly independent structured itinerary that allowed us to see so much of Morocco in 10 days. She set us up with one of the best drivers ever in Hamid. He became a brother at the end of our trip. We couldn’t have felt more relaxed & safe driving throughout the entire country. It was one of THE best trips we have ever taken and it wouldn’t have been possible without the expertise of Megan & our driver Hamid. Highly recommend Megan & her KimKim team to anyone looking to create a life changing traveling stress free experience that you get to tailor and design with their insight and expertise.

Hotel Reviews

Hotel Odyssee Center

Casablanca

Decent hotel for a layover in Casa. Nicely designed on inside, extremely comfortable beds and quiet. Short walk to the Medina and central downtown area.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Riad Kalaa 2

Rabat

Amazing Riad in the heart of the Medina excellent and exceptional staff. Breakfast was amazing in the center courtyard area. Only Riad that I’ve seen w a rooftop pool. Would highly recommend when staying in Rabat. Peaceful and quiet at night.

Tips for future travelers

Enjoy the hospitality of the staff and being in the heart of the Medina

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Riad Gharnata

Chefchaouen

Awesome location on one of the most photographed streets. A bit of a walk from roundabout drop off but that’s Chef for you. Very friendly and helpful staff. Cool rooms make you feel like your in an ancient castle. Good breakfast on the rooftop

Tips for future travelers

Get a porter to help you w your bags at the drop off roundabout. Worth it.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Riad Perle D'Eau

Essaouira

Amazing location in Medina overlooking the ocean along the old city walls. Staff is amazing. Some of the nicest staff I’ve ever experienced in a Riad. Breakfast is very good on the rooftop with the ocean breeze in your face. Rooms are unique and quiet. If you can get an ocean facing view it’s amazing. Ernest the owner is a lot of fun chatting with during breakfast each morning.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Hard to find at first, tucked away in a corner

Staff

Amazing check in, cooking and overall staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Spotless

Riad Wow

Marrakech

Great location 1/2 block from the heart of the Medina, Hassan Tower & Place Jemma el-Fna, banks & Covid testing locations. All Very convenient. A little bit over decorated with gold chairs and toilets 😳. Air freshener smell of orange blossom is a little over powering at first but it airs out eventually. Breakfast is very good on the very nice spacious rooftop. Staff is very friendly.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Comfortable beds and spacious rooms

Caravan Agafay

Very unique Glamping experience in the Agafay region. Very cool design and architecture of the camp. Very friendly staff and overall very easy to get to with driver. 🐪 rides on or off site. Some tents don’t have outlets for charging phones or accessories. So bring a solar charger or charging pad.

Tips for future travelers

Don’t think you are staying in Sahara. It’s definitely not the Sahara but still a fun desert like experience

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Agafay Desert to Essaouira

Morocco

Hamid was the best driver we’ve ever had traveling. He was the ultimate professional and was very concerned about safety and comfort first. He got us to to where we needed to go safely, timely and all while having great conversations and enjoying getting to know us. He became our good friend and brother but the middle of our trip.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

We had the best driver for the entire trip. Hamid is a rockstar.

Tour Marrakech with a private guide

Marrakesh

Very knowledgeable guide but very dry and quiet spoken. Focused too much on small small details of the palace construction and history that could have been abbreviated significantly. He was thorough but a little too thorough for my style of guides. Could have cut the tour down by 2 hours.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Our driver was always amazing.

Transport

Hamid is simply the best there is.

My experience working with Eleni was phenomenal. From the moment I first reached out to start planning the trip all the way through our departure from Greece she was responsive and helpful. Working with Eleni allowed us to have a highly customized experience which created a lot of joy for our trip. She not only put the big things in place like where we were going, but took into account all the little details that matter like what was the best time to go and making sure we had drivers to take us to and from all our tours. I didn’t have to worry about logistics and therefore I feel like I had an actual vacation. Eleni listened to our preferences and as a result we did amazing things like tour the village of our guide, Leo, in Naxos. We also were able to add in an extra few miles on our Caldera walk with Kostas which produced amazing views of Santorini. Since our trip included private tours we were able to focus on our preferences and do things like stop for gelato and spend more time at the beach and less time shopping. I didn’t know we could have this type of private, customized travel experience and I am so grateful that Eleni helped created the space that allowed us to focus on our time together and not on trip logistics. It was a magical week and Eleni was a big part of that.

Hotel Review

Ammothines Cycladic Suites Naxos

Naxos

This hotel was a slice of perfection right off of the beach. It is a new hotel and the staff are incredibly friendly and accommodating. Each morning we had a big breakfast prepared by Margherita that was phenomenal and we could see the water from our table. The rooms were lovely. The cabanas by the beach were comfortable and easily accessible. Anastasia checked on us regularly and made sure we had everything we needed to spark joy. The hotel itself was great but coupled with the staff makes this place unforgettable. This hotel is quite special for all the right reasons.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Naxos Highlights Tour, Yesterday & Today

Naxos

This tour was special because it was obvious Leo had a lot of pride in his island and wanted to show us all the good things it had to offer. We learned a lot about Naxos, but beyond that we got a sense of the culture. Leo was great about balancing his prepared stops with small ones we requested like getting gelato and buying our family olive oil from the village that is known for producing it. It was an exceptional day.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Hiking at the Edge of Caldera

Santorini

This hike and the guide were trip highlights. Kostas took into account the kind of hiking we liked to do and added on to the hike to make it a little longer which was amazing. As a result we saw this 360 view of Santorini from Skaros. It was one of my favorite spots of the entire week. Kostas was our best guide because it didn’t feel like a scripted experience. He had a good balance of giving us information but also just talking as we walked along.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Self-Guided: Scuba Diving in Santorini

Santorini

I went on 2 dives with Atlantis Dive Center and both were amazing. I loved seeing an underwater environment that was different than what I had seen before. I have a lot of diving experience and worked on a dive boat at one point. However, most of the divers on the boat were new. This dive center did a great job with the less experienced divers. Really one of the most attentive and helpful centers I have seen in the sense of making sure everyone was safe and having a good experience

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

We went to Nepal in May2022, two families with kids. We organized the trip with Sangita who made the best suggestions for our itinerary. We visited Kathmandu and Bhaktapur with Vipin, our guide. He was fabulous, knew a lot from Nepal: culture, history and people. After that we flew to Pokhara were we had a different guide. In this case we were dissapointed with his knowledge, however the driver we got was very talktive and nice. We also stayed one night in Astam, it was nice but we wouldn't recommend it, Pokhara is much nicer. Our driver then took us to Chitwan were we stayed in the best hotel of the trip, plus the kids enjoyed a lot the safaris. Finally back to Patan that it was also very nice. Vipin met us there again for dinner and last visits.

We would definetly recommend Sangita and her agency. They were very helpful, giving tips and suggestions, replying quickly to all of our mails and adapting to our requirements.
We hope to come back again!!!

Our trip to Sicily that Sonia set up for us was first class all the way. From the drivers who picked us up at the airport in Palermo to every hotel Sonia booked for us. Our itinerary was the perfect balance of scheduled events and free time. Our hotels were perfect, and included boutique hotels in interesting locations. Also included were interesting attractions we may want to see on our own.

It is comforting to get off the plane and see your concierge holding a card with your name on it, and meet your driver to be whisked off to your hotel. Every meeting point in every town went off without a hitch. We loved Marco who drove us for 3 days. He was like family by the end.

One of the highlights from our trip was a cooking class in Palermo. It was a fantastic experience with hand on shopping in the market and cooking with Chef Michael of The Sicilian Pantry.

I would not hesitate to use KimKim for any trip in the future!

Hotel Reviews

Algilà Ortigia Charme Hotel

Siracusa

Great location, great food and very kind staff. Staff went the extra mile to be sure you had everything you needed. And the breakfast Buffett was delicious.

Authenticity & Character

Simple decor with several spots for you to meet up within the hotel to share a bottle of wine that you ay have purchased.

Location

Close to the water and walking distance to the shops.

Staff

Printed our boarding passes and offered suggestions for restaurants.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Beds were very comfortable.

Hotel baglio della Luna

Valle dei Templi, Agrigento

I didn’t want to leave this hotel as the grounds were so beautiful. They may have served the best espresso on this trip! Rooms were clean, and cute.

Tips for future travelers

If you are sharing a room with someone, make sure you get two sets of keys. Once you lock it from the outside, the person inside the room needs a key to get out.

Authenticity & Character

Hotel grounds amazing.

Location

Close to ruins.

Staff

They were quick to help.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Beds comfortable, bathrooms adequate. Need to fix locks on doors. Could be a danger.

Grand Hotel et Des Palmes

Palermo

Great hotel in a great locations, Room were cleaned and freshen every day, replacing towels and amenities. This hotel uses Aqua Di Parma products and they are wonderful. Breakfast Buffett was great and opened early. Location was within walking distance to most places and plenty of fantastic places to eat. The hotel itself smelled wonderful!

Tips for future travelers

I think you will enjoy this hotel!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Hotel Amenities.

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Cooking Class in Palermo (private experience with lunch and market tour)

Italy

Who knew pasta could be this easy?! Chef made accommodations for a member of our group who was vegetarian. He was a good instructor and we came away with recipes to duplicate at home. It was a wonderful way to spend an afternoon cooking, and then enjoying our meal with wine pairings.

Quality of Experience

Authentic and caring, He let you know if you had a bad technique in a very nice way.

Guided tour of Valley of the Temples

Agrigento

Our guide made this a wonderful experience with enough historical information and pointing out small details.

Quality of Experience

The guide was like being with a friend.,

Private excursion to Mt Etna, Taormina and Mascalese wine tasting

Italy

Our guide spoke to us on the way up the mountain, but was difficult to hear from the back seats. She was knowledgeable and was interesting to listen to on the mountain,

Quality of Experience

When we got to Taormina, we would have rather explored on our own. She was not happy when we walked off on our own and did not listen to every detail about the town, She was a little unprofessional when she complained that some of us were not listening to her.

So happy that we booked our trip with Kimkim!

After cancelling multiple trips over the past 3 years due to covid and having spent months preparing for each of them, we needed someone else to do the heavy lifting and kimkim nailed it.

Rosa was so responsive and helped us update our itinerary to meet our exact needs. We used a pre-built itinerary to start with and changed a few things around for our particular tastes. It was a special relief to know that we could show up at a hotel or for transportation between locations and not have to worry about providing documents or proof of purchase. Everything went very smoothly.

We particularly appreciated our guide on the Hanging Bridges of Monteverde where got a rare look at the ellusive quetzal and bellbird. We also really appreciated the drivers, especially Christopher who went out of his way to adjust for our changing schedule and even booked us a covid check at the last minute.

Overall, we were very satisfied with our experience with Kimkim and plan to use them again.

Thanks for the trip of a lifetime!

I contacted KimKim late March 2023 regarding a dream trip we had hoped to take in 2020. We basically had to start planning from scratch. And, we just found we needed to go in May in order for this work with our son's internship. For a family who plans far in advance, we didn't if this was even possible. I heard of KimKim and thought I'd try.

They contacted me right away and put me in touch with Samir who also contacted me right away. There was never a time when I had to wait on Samir. Any time I had a question, there would be a response back from him the next day. Samir was also very knowledgeable of the area, culture (providing advice/recommendation upon request regarding clothing, tipping, etc.) , and political climate/safety issues. THANK YOU SAMIR!! I should also know that ALL the tours arranged and guides were PERFECT!!

Hotel Reviews

Sun City Camp

Wadi Rum

LOVED LOVED LOVED LOVED LOVED it. Highlight of our trip. So peaceful and unique.

Tips for future travelers

Stop thinking. BOOK! Do the 4-hour sunset tour.

YMCA Three Arches Hotel

Jerusalem

This place is one of (if not the) most architecturally beautiful buildings in East Jerusalem. It is also conveniently located close to the Old City, great dining locations, and tour group meeting spots. The rooms were simple, but more than adequate. The breakfast each morning was one of the better ones we had.

Tips for future travelers

We picked this place because the website implied they had self-service laundry. They don't - this service stopped because of COVID so we had to find a place, but that worked out fine.

La Locanda Boutique Hotel

Amman

Charming, clean, extremely friendly hostess/owner, great location, and a great restaurant on site.

Tips for future travelers

The restaurant on property is great. I tend to avoid restaurant hotels, but this is one of the better ones with one of the better settings.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Marriott Dead Sea Resort

Sweimeh

Place was absolutely BEAUTIFUL in one of the most beautiful settings. However, if the sign didn't say "Dead Sea" I would not have known I was in the Middle East. American music was playing by the pool. Front desk also did a poor job checking us in.

Old Village Resort

Wadi Musa

Amazing hotel; location secluded - that is either a pro or negative depending on your style.

Tips for future travelers

Just know that you will not be in the main town of Petra where you can walk around, etc., but the property itself is beautiful. Great for one night, but if I were staying there 2 nights I would be bored unless I booked a spa package at night.

Scots Hotel

Tiberias

Amazing hotel. My only regret is that we were there only one night. This is a place where you want to spend more time and have a hotel day. Next time!

Tips for future travelers

Allow yourself some time at the hotel, but also allow yourself time to walk around the town- see you do need at least a weekend.

Activity Reviews

Petra Basic Visit

Petra

Petra By Candle Light

Jordan

We skipped this (Thanks for not having us pre-pay) as we were exhausted! (It would not let me move on without giving a rating so I have it a 3 to try and be neutral.

Wadi Rum (2-3 Hrs Jeep ride)

Jordan

Would just go ahead and make it a 4-hour jeep ride as the defalut.

Old City Jerusalem

Jordan

This day was the highlight of my trip. Part of the reason I wanted a 'free day' was that I wanted to go into Ramallah to see where my family grew up. Our tour guide was instrumental in helping me find both my parent's home and we even met a family member living in one of the homes. Everyone we met in the area was great!

Day Trip to Tiberias, Haifa, Caesarea and Acre

Jordan

Jaffa was great! I wish I had allowed more time for Haifa and Tel Aviv. I was focused on the older part of Israel and underestimated these two amazing cities. I guess I have a reason to return.

Meet & Assist - Queen Alia Airport

Jordan

Very simple and easy. Thank you!

Amman-Jarash-Ajloun-Amman city tour

Jordan

Jarash and Ajloun were great, especially Aljoun. Sulaiman made everything super simple and we knew we were in good hands after he picked the most amazing lunch spot!

Petra - Morning Free

Petra

Trip to Masada & Qumran

Jordan

I should have noted on the review the day before that our guide arranged our COVID testing perfectly so that the physician met us at the hotel. We passed! And crossing the border into Israel was a breeze. Masada was great, but the hike down is tougher than you think. Maybe it was the heat, or maybe we are out of shape. My guess is both were part of the equation. So thankful we didn't hike up but paid for the ride. We skipped Qumran. We were too tired and just wanted to get to Jerusalem.

Travel from Jerusalem to Tiberias via Cana and Nazareth

Jordan

Beautiful scenery. Hotel in Tiberias was beyond fabulous.

STAY PUT JERUSALEM / FREE DAY / OPTIONAL TOURS

Jordan

A lot of things were closed because Sabbath started that evening. Watching what was going on that day was interesting, but we ended up finding First Station and had fun, but lively streets and markets were empty.

We had a wonderful experience on our trip to Spain. It was great to experience the culture, language and diverse history of various locations in Spain. Marina was very patient and helpful during the booking process. She was able to quickly give advice when we missed our train in Madrid. I'd also like to recognize the efforts of Vanessa at the Petit Palace Puerta del Sol for her repeated efforts to find us dinner reservations. We had personal guides in each city and all added tremendous insight and knowledge to what we were seeing. Special mention to Linda in Madrid, Yolanda in Toledo, Elena in Segovia, Ferran in Sevilla, and Sergio, who spent all day driving us around Andalusia, on our day trip to Ronda.

Wonderful 9 day itinerary across Switzerland…mountains, lakes and valleys with city sites as well. Kimkim (Tomaz in particular) was very helpful laying out the initial plan, and the local company that worked the logistics was extremely detailed, accurate in all facets of the final plans with great maps and possible train connections. Overall couldn’t be happier with this experience.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Trip!

Planning was meticulous and recommend trips were awesome.

I share the opinions expressed by my wife, Judy

Hotel Reviews

Hotel Degenija

Rakovica

small room, uncomfortable bed, awkward shower

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Dubrovnik

Zagreb

no additional comment

Location

near old town

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

Ston

convenient location, but accommodations were not comfortable

Location

convenient to old town, and easy access

Apartment Zicara

Dubrovnik

only downside was the steep stairs to get to room

Location

close to old town and convenient for departure to airport

Activity Reviews

Explore Plitvice Lakes National Park

Zagreb

beautiful nature walk

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Guide was very knowledgeable and helpful

Mostar ( Bosnia and Herzegovina) 1 Day Trip From Ston

Ston

Very long travel day, disappointed in the city, touristy, crowded, cheap attractions, not what I expected. However, our guide Robert was very helpful in every way, excellent support and service.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Visit to Elafiti islands

Croatia

Very pleasant break from the routine with boat trip and dining at local restaurant.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Konavle Winery visit

Croatia

Fantastic wines and hospitality of the winemaker's wife was very personal, informative and gracious.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Samir was absolutely amazing. You can feel his pride for his country. He wants to share his culture with his guests. He made us feel so comfortable, like we were guests in his personal home. He took the time to answer all of our questions and culture and even religion. There was a mutual respect and appreciation of our differences. He truly went the extra mile. When we go back to Morocco, we will definitely request Samir.

The experience with KimKim and Original Travels was great. This was my first experience with a guided tour. I highly recommend it, as there is so much to see and do. You need the guidance. My only recommendation for other travelers would be to add in downtime to your schedule. It was go, go , go all 8 days. Next time, I will also request two days per city. 1 is just not enough.

James and the team at KimKim were absolutely spectacular in putting together a family vacation for us to Spain and Portugal. James listened to our goals for the trip and planned out an exceptional itinerary that fit every need from transportation every step of the way, to fantastic hotel selections, both in quality and location, to perfect excursions each day. He found a perfect balance of finding the right experiences for us at every stop while not trying to cram so much in that we felt rushed. In Barcelona, we had a fantastic bike tour with Olga, walking tour with Eli and amazing private cooking class with Rosa. Each representative was exceptional. Victor gave us a wonderful hiking tour around Palamos on the Costa Brava and Margeurida and Peter were awesome in showing us the beauty and history of Lisbon. If we could give more than 5 stars for the trip coordination, we would. My best recommendation would be we would use this team 100% again in the future. Thank you!!

Hotel Reviews

Hotel Aigua Blava

Costa Brava · Girona

This hotel location was amazing, right on the water and cliffs of Fornells just outside the town of Begur. The views were incredible as was the service of the staff. The rooms and everything about the hotel were spot on. We would stay there again every time. My only very minor nitpick is the need for some type of casual dining. We had dinner there one evening and it was great, like a high end restaurant. But on other days after a busy day exploring the area, unless you have a car or take a taxi into Begur, you need to have a fine dining experience on site. Again, very minor and overall this hotel is awesome.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

PortoBay Marquês

Lisbon

A perfect balance of a nice hotel well situated in Lisbon but affordable and not over the top 5 star where you feel you want to stay there to enjoy all the amenities vs. explore Lisbon. The staff was very helpful, suggesting restaurants and helping us access and print all our Covid test results so we could get back to the U.S.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

H10 Madison

Barcelona

James at KimKim booked us at the Madison and it was perfect for our needs. The location was fantastic, just a block from the Gothic historic district and easy walking to all the sites and restaurants. The staff was very gracious, warm and helpful and all spoke very good English which made it easy on us. We would stay there again in a heartbeat.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Private Bike Tour of Barcelona

Barcelona

Olga welcomed us to Barcelona with our first experience in Spain. She gave a great tour, was very knowledgeable, incredibly friendly and spoke great English. It was a perfect way to begin our immersion into the city.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Olga was tremendous. Ask for her.

Transport

Private Tour of Park Güell & Sagrada Família

Barcelona

Eli (Elisabeth) was great to be with, giving us an in-depth tour into 2 of Barcelona's most famous landmarks, the Park Guell and Sagrada Familia. Both were amazing and Eli is an encyclopedia of knowledge of the sites. Even in times of stress when we couldn't find taxis to the sites (due to a Formula One race being in town), Eli ran all over to get transportation and make our trip a memorable one.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Ask for Eli, she's super.

Transport

A Cooking Class of Spanish Cuisine

Barcelona

After 2 days of seeing Barcelona, it was a ton of fun to relax for a few hours in a private cooking class with Rosa. She was tremendous, highly engaging, obviously incredibly knowledgeable about cooking, and it would be hard to not think she was an American, her English is flawless which made communication excellent. She found the right balance of getting everyone involved to their level of experience and interest and was a treat to be with for 4 hours. A big hit on our trip.

Quality of Experience

Food

We picked the menu but the food was so unique and different. A ton of fun.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

If you can arrange for a private cooking class with Rosa, make it happen. Well worth it.

Transport

Experience Lisbon Walking Tour

Lisbon

Marguerida led us on a half day walking, eating tour of Lisbon and it was a lot of fun. It was our first experience in Lisbon so it was fun to begin to get a little immersion into the area. She did a great job of showing us around despite being rushed by our need to squeeze in Covid tests to be able to return to the U.S. Marguerida is studying tourism in college and will do great in the field. Very personable and knowledgeable.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Lisbon Riverside Bike Tour

Lisbon

If you want a great history lesson of Portugal while taking in the sites of the riverfront area of Lisbon, take a bike tour with Peter. He's exceptional, gave us a great tour, is very outgoing and knows EVERYTHING about Portugal. All from someone who was born in England from Portugese parents and has returned to his family's homeland to teach others about the country. It was a fantastic day and great experience.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Make sure to ask for Peter and get ready to learn things about Portugal you never knew.

Transport