Kimkim Trip Reviews

Okay, this was the most amazing trip I have had in my entire lifetime. From the transportations to and from the airports and train stations to the fantastic planned activities, everything was tailored to us in the most fantastic way. Tasos planned our honeymoon just perfect, we thoroughly enjoyed ALL of the excursions. We would, without hesitation, recommend Kimkim to our friends and family, thanks.
Terry

On this trip, my wife and I visited Amman (of course) Jerash, the Dead Sea, Petra, Wadi Rum and Aqaba.

Overall, we really enjoyed the trip, the organization of it by the local specialist, Samir, and the driving and company of Majd, our main driver throughout the trip.

Every place was amazing so it is difficult to say which was best. For sure, Wadi Rum is unlike any other place we have seen. Roman ruins are not unique to Jordan, but Wadi Rum is. Petra was also a fascinating place.

Interacting with Jordanians was wonderful. They are so kind, helpful and welcoming. We were asked multiple times per day, by many people, whether we liked Jordan.

It was also interesting to see the range of hand-made goods for sale, from woven Bedouin cloth and handmade knives to the mosaic work.

Hotel Review

Hilton Dead Sea Resort & Spa

Sweimeh

Fantastic location by the edge of the Dead Sea. We did not go for the resort experience but, rather, to spend some time in and beside the Dead Sea. The hotel had multiple options for eating as well as room service, of course. We upgraded our room to one which had a balcony overlooking the Sea which made our evening at the hotel that much more pleasant.

Tips for future travelers

Ask for a room with a balcony on a higher floor, overlooking the Sea.

Authenticity & Character

It is a Hilton Hotel, so not "local" in any sense.

Location

Staff

Staff were great everywhere

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Review

Meet & Assist - Queen Alia Airport

Jordan

This was really helpful as it saved us a lot of time going through immigration and obtaining our visas.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Great trip. kimkim provided wonderful places to stay. We got emails along the way asking us how we were doing.
Only one place we stayed said we did not get breakfast (Wicklow Heather Lodge). Places we loved the most. Fernrod B&B, Lighthouse B&B,
Dingle was the best stop for us. Loved this town.
Highlights-Wicklow mountains, peaceful pass, ring of Kerry and the cliffs of moher.
Great time, great company, we will use them again for sure tI help us plan our trip.

We enjoyed the welcome arrival with Roy, our Driver. The resort was great, very relaxing and food at the bar especially the pizza was something we will remember.
The coffee tour was very informative and fun with Rafael. The hiking at Tenorio National Park was ok because we thought we are also going to Celeste River but we didn't.

Hotel Review

Hotel Los Lagos Spa & Resort

La Fortuna

Good for family and couples

Authenticity & Character

No King Bed available

Location

A bit far from town and not as secluded like the other resort that are more close to nature

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Review

Coffee & Chocolate Tour

Costa Rica

Great tour if you want to learn chocolate and coffee

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

In Israel, our guide Joseph was amazing as he educated us throughout the Old City of Jerusalem. He was knowledgeable and invested in what he was doing. He truly cared and enjoyed all aspects of the trip. Our visit would not have been the same without him.

In Jordan, our guide Wasef was a wealth of information. He was kind, he was informative, and he was passionate about giving us the best experience in our journey. He was energetic, spoke excellent English and negotiated for us on our purchases. He helped save us money by his ability to communicate on all levels.

There were so many highlights during our stay, it was absolutely amazing.

Hotel Review

Enjoy Desert camp

Wadi rum

Amazing place, excellent food, wonderful people. A great experience! Highly recommended, it was a highlight of the trip!

Tips for future travelers

This is a must see... enjoy the camel ride!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

I loved it all!

Activity Review

Old City Jerusalem

Israel

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Our guide was name Joseph and he was intelligent, kind, had passion for educating, and was overall one of the best guides we had. He was born inside the Old City and so was his father who is also still living there.... it was a very special experience!

Transport

KimKim has helped us to make our trip unforgettable, they have managed to provide us a fabulous trip with less than 7 days in advance and the entire trip has been super smooth, special thanks to Nhung for making it happen!
Thanks to the drivers, guides along the journey, they are very professionals and made the trip as a unique experience!
We will use KimKim in future trips

We had a fantastic time in Costa Rica thanks to Diego. He had planned out a trip for my wife and I, and we paid for it with a credit card. 10 minutes later as we were filling out the forms on Kim Kim’s website we noticed that our passports expired the previous month. We called Diego and he managed to put a hold on the hotels. We received an expedited passport on a Monday and called Diego that day and he rescheduled the whole trip that day and we flew out on Tuesday. The trip went smoothly in spite of the last minute preparations. We can’t thank Diego enough. Pura Vida!

My husband and I finally got to have our Italian honeymoon (2 years delayed thanks to Covid). Over 2 weeks we experienced Venice, Florence, Rome, Pompeii, Ravello, Amalfi Coast, Capri, and Naples. Tasos helped us put this unforgettable experience together and it was perfect! We did all private and small group tours which really helped us get the most out of our trip. Some of our biggest highlights included gelato making with Tulio in Florence, The Colosseum with Elisabetta in Rome, an evening golf cart tour of Rome with Gianluca, and our private tour of Pompeii and Vesuvius with Giuseppe. The entire trip was truly amazing. I wouldn't change a thing!
As for support during the trip, all questions / assistance were quickly answered / resolved with help from Tasos and the Travel 12 team. I had a special request for ice each night (recovering from ankle surgery) and Tasos worked with each hotel to make sure it was provided for me upon our return to our hotel each night. They even worked with our hotel in Naples to set up our Covid tests to return home. Everything was above and beyond all expectations!

We had a fabulous trip to Greece, The tours we booked were wonderful. The guides were extremely knowledgeable, punctual and friendly. We loved them all!
The only thing we would have changed was the hotel choices. The rooms in the Hotel in Athens were not up to our standards. Very cramped and barely functional. The location was good and breakfast was acceptable but overall, not a great experience.
In Santorini we each had very different room qualities. Mine was gorgeous, spacious with an amazing view, but my cousin’s was a hole in the wall.
Rebecca was very helpful and really was on call 24/7 it seemed. We really appreciated it. She was able to assist us with last minute changes to our itinerary, and ensure we arrived at all our destinations.
Overall, we had an amazing trip. Would definitely use Kim Kim again, just be more careful on our hotel choices.

It has been an amazing experience. Meree and Sonia were really helpful planning the trip and were quickly answering and solving our doubts and requests.
We had a wonderful trip with no issues and their recommendations about what to see during spring allowed us to enjoy the most beautiful parts of South Norway while enjoying an amazing weather.

Definitely we will come back to organise our next trip.

Hotel Reviews

Hotel Bristol

Oslo

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Thon Hotel Parken

Kristiansand

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Verkshotellet

Strand

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Ullensvang

Lofthus Hardanger

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

The Hanseatic Hotel

Bergen

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Review

Guided Hike to Trolltunga

Odda

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Mixed feelings about the trip. Some amazing people and experiences but very bad ones as well. All in all, we really didn't enjoy Hanoi, however we loved the trek in the rice paddies and the city of Hoi an. We cut short our trip to avoid another potential bad experience in Saigon.

Greece May 2022

Overall, the logistics were coordinated well (airport transit, ferry, flight,, tour pick-up).
Local guide for Acropolis tour was very good
Santorini Discovery tour + wine tasting was very good
Sailboat tour in Santorini was very good.

I was expecting a bit more information. The initial itinerary indicated: "... driver .... will deliver our small but useful welcome pack, including our insider's guidebook for the places you will be visiting" . This information was not received. However, I had done research on my own for activity options.

Everything was excellent. Our travel agent, Valentine, provided service above expectations (Trip My France/Objectif France).
Jeremie with Authentica gave a great tour of Burgundy countryside.
Lyon Food Tours/Lyon Original Tours was fun and informative. Our guide was lovely.
We were unable to use the full day bike rental due to rain and did not get reimbursed, which is disappointing, but the only part of the trip that wasn't perfect.
All transfers where excellent: AJR Annecy, Michael from Passport Bourgogne was excellent, Nussi Taxi, Limo 013.
Happy with our accommodations at Spendid Hotel Annecy, Les Remparts Hotel Et Demeures Historiques, Globe Et Cecil Hotel. They were all within walking distance to many sites, which we requested.
We would use again, we will and have recommended to friends.

This was our first time leaving the country since the pandemic and we were very nervous about travel restrictions. There were a number of things that did not go as planned with flight cancelations and delays that affected our vacation. All things out of Kim Kim's control. Michael sprung into action and made adjustments to extend our vacation, reorganized our activities and contacted the hotels and vendors. His help was priceless. Michael worked to ensure we had a wonderful, stress-free, dream vacation.

Cartagena is a vibrate city with beautiful art and delicious foods. Having the guide and driver made getting around easy and gave us insights into the city that we would not have known.

Picturing ourselves at Punta Faro in our Bungalow or on the private beach sipping a margarita is now our mental escape. I cannot describe how relaxing this experience was, I can still hear the waves, feel the sun, and smell the sea salt water.

Upon finding great online reviews about KimKim, we decided to go with them for our family trip to Spain. From the first contact to the last interaction, everything went smoothly.

We got excellent advise when planning our trip (it was our first time in Spain so this was important). Raquel -our local specialist- is very knowledgeable and, after making sure she understood our interests, she helped us design the perfect itinerary: Malaga, Granada, Sevilla and Madrid (including visits to Ronda, Setenil and Valencia) in 11 days.

The hotels were all very unique and -as per our request- historic or representative of the Spanish culture. They were all perfectly located in the historic centre, so we could easily walk to all the interesting places, and stay late for shows or drinks and walk back to the hotel easily. The service was excellent and the buffet breakfasts were superb.

Raquel also assisted us in choosing the right tours and activities to keep all the family happy and booking everything for us. We had the perfect mix of cultural, gastronomic and fun activities.

Raquel was also very diligent in making sure everything was properly booked (hotel, drivers, guides, tickets, etc.) and that each evening we had the relevant information/tickets for the next day.

The drivers were always very polite and helpful, and on time every single time. The tour guides were very knowledgeable and friendly. We could ask them all sorts of questions and they made each visit extremely interesting and informative. Bea -our tour guide in Seville- helped us have one of the best days during the trip. Federico was a wealth of knowledge when visiting La Alhambra, Tino was the best guide we could have had in El Prado museum, and Jaume in Valencia was a delight to spend the day with, just to name some, but all were fantastic.

I would definitely recommend planning and booking your next trip with KimKim. They took all the hassle and the stress of planning and travelling from us, we feel we made the most of our time in Spain, and we felt treated like royalty all the time.

Can’t wait until the next trip!

Our trip to Scotland in April 2022 was certainly very well organized. The people scheduled to pick us up from the airport, along with the guides and chauffeurs were timely in their pick up and drop off each day we were there. Our guide Keith was very knowledgeable and prompt and dressed each day in a kilt which added to the flair of the trip!
The walking tour guide in the cities of Edinburg (Jenny) and our city guide in Glasgow ( Caron) were both excellent. We especially liked our guide Ruari in Aviemore who was patient, polite and extremely knowledgeable about the wild life of Scotland.
Inverness is hands down the prettiest place to see. You will not want to miss that city!

Our hotels were all bed and breakfast places that were well sought out, very comfortable and in upscale neighborhoods. We did have one hiccup upon arrival in our hotel in Edinburgh. The check-in clerk told us we had to pay for the hotel before handing us our keys. A quick phone call to the travel agency and our dilemma was handled expeditiously.

If I had one complaint, it would be that our schedule was a little too hectic. We packed in way too many tours, sightseeing, and buzzing around to get to as many places as possible. I did feel we were just driving around too much get from point A to point B . We never got to linger in any one city long enough to absorb the culture, local cuisine, shopping , arts & crafts and street performers.

Maybe, if you plan a trip like ours take at least 1 day in each city to sit at a small cafe with a coffee. Stroll down the cobble streets, take in the sights and sounds and just talk to the local people. Scotland is extremely scenic and picturesque!

Overall we were extremely pleased with our travel arrangements and would highly recommend you using this agency for your future trip to Scotland.

Hotel Review

Hapimag Resort Edinburgh

Edinburgh

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Review

Private Walking Tour of Edinburgh with a Top Local Guide

Edinburgh

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

we were very happy with how smoothly everything went. fair amount of moving us from place to place and all went perfectly . hotels were great and in wonderful locations. thanks to everyone involved

From start to finish, Mieke and Sebastian were amazing. They helped us shape our itinerary, provided the travel passes and all the local insight we needed for a great family holiday. I would highly recommend Mieke and Sebastian to anyone thinking of travelling in The Netherlands.

We starting planning this trip in 2019, then Covid. It was a long wait but worth it, we had an amazing time. All of our guides and drivers were incredible. Our personal concierge, Alessia did a great job of answering all of our questions and giving us itinerary updates and reminders each evening. I can't think of a tour or activity that wasn't exceptional.

Traveling abroad, whether alone or with family, requires significant planning and preparation, consuming valuable time reading travel guides and research, with the hope of making the best use of precious time off from the daily grind. This planning becomes even more challenging when you are visiting a country for the first time, and strictly basing an itinerary on the recommendations of others and a list of the most famous landmarks to visit, without the local experience and knowledge. For our recent (and first) trip to Greece with the family, we chose to use KimKim (local agent - Somewhere We Know) to relieve us of the burden (and gamble) of planning ourselves. This was our first experience with KimKim, and my family and I are so thankful we did.
Throughout the planning of our trip, Amalia (our fantastic local agent - Somewhere we Know) was extremely responsive answering any and all questions (we had many) ahead of our visit to Greece. We had ten days available, and Amalia did an amazing job developing an itinerary based on our criteria exposing us to everything Greece has to offer with stays in Athens, Nafplio and Santorini. The detailed itinerary shared prior to our trip was invaluable, and we referenced it many times throughout our vacation. We started our trip in Athens, where we met our driver Thanasis who would be our transport between activities while staying in Athens and Nafplio. Thanasis offered us a warm welcome to Greece, and each ride with him was an educational driving tour of the area. Thanasis is a real pro, not only in his effortless navigation of the labyrinthian streets of Athens but sharing his knowledge and answering our questions along the way.
Our stay in Athens felt like a ‘home away from home’ at The Foundry Suites. From the attentive staff to the delicious (and fresh) baskets of food delivered to our door each morning, we were very pleased with the accommodations and the overall experience. The Foundry Suites is perfectly located and a great starting point each day in walking distance of everything Athens has to offer. The rooftop garden patio offers a beautiful view of the city, and a great spot to view the sunrise or the brightly lit Acropolis at night. We stayed in Greece for 4 days (one night returning from Nafplio and before heading to Santorini). On day 2 we had a private tour of the Acropolis Museum and Acropolis. Our guide, Xenia, was excellent and the tour was well planned and satisfyingly educational. Xenia was engaging and offered thorough explanations of key exhibits during our time at the museum. Xenia then led us up the hill to the Acropolis, suggesting spots for family pictures along the way. Many thanks to Xenia and highly recommend her as a guide for this tour.
The evening of day 2 we took a food tour of Athens starting with an olive oil tasting at Malotira. We received a quick primer on olive oil production in Greece, and the pride of those who produce it locally. Our guide selected a great variety of restaurants to sample the local fare. There is no personal description I can share that will do justice to the food in Athens, try all of it, often and anywhere you can get it. It’s all delicious. Many thanks to our guide.
From Athens we headed to Nafplio with our driver Thanasis. During our ride from Athens to Nafplio, Thanasis shared details on notable landmarks and made an unexpected stop at the man-made Corinth Canal, a truly breathtaking site to see. Nafplio is a gorgeous and quaint seaside town, and a great reprieve from the big city pace for a couple of days. Our stay at the Castellano Hotel & Suites exceeded all expectations with very spacious accommodations, located in the heart of the central square and great staff. We took two separate tours while in Nafplio, and were extremely lucky to have Vivi as our guide. We visited the Palamidi Fortress a very short ride from our hotel our first day, and a 30-40 minute ride to Epidavros on the second day in the region. Vivi gave exceptional tours of both locations, and we were very thankful to have both sites to ourselves due to overcast skies and light rain. We appreciate Vivi’s level of detail in the history shared, her patience with our two boys and obvious pride she takes in her tours.
On day 5 we traveled back to Athens for a ‘free’ day before flying to Santorini. The Athens airport is very accessible and a short ride from the downtown area. We experienced no issues on the (very short) flight to Santorini. The classic pictures of white-washed houses on the cliffs of the island did nothing to prepare us for the overwhelming beauty of Santorini, and the breathtaking views in every direction. Our stay at Abelonas Retreat in Imerovigli was fantastic, set north from the very busy center of Fira and high above the sea below. Once again, the location was perfect, allowing us to walk down to shopping and restaurants in Fira or staying ‘local’ in the quieter setting of Imerovigli and having the best meals of our stay only minutes from our hotel at Anogi (so good we ate there twice for dinner!). The couple that operate Anogia are amazing, and welcome you as if you are part of the family. While on Santorini, we took an afternoon to sunset tour with Panos and Sophia of Baikas Travel starting at the peak of the island at the Monastery in Pyrgos and ending in the gorgeous village of Oia. Panos offered great details at each stop along the way, and both Panos and Sophia were extremely helpful. With stops at the Red and Black beaches, the Monastery in Pyrgos and Oia we truly got an immersive experience to see the entire island.
Last, but by no means least, we took a day time Caldera Classic cruise along the coast of Santorini and nearby islands. We could not have asked for a better experience, and Captain Elias and crew were gracious hosts. This particular cruise is partially private, and there was only one other couple along with our family on the boat. Captain Elias made frequent stops at key points of interest around the island, and shared the history of the birth of Santorini. The crew made an amazing lunch, and we anchored in a cove to enjoy the views, the weather and the food. We were very grateful for this experience.
Prior to our departure, we had a free day on Day 9 where we took our COVID tests to return to the States (at the Central Clinic of Santorini in Fira, which took 10 minutes and very easy), take in more of the local cuisine, shop and enjoy the views. Amalia’s perfect planning gave our family an amazing, ‘once in a lifetime’ experience. Our driver Thanasis, and tour guides Xenia and Vivian made this an unforgettable memory our family will reminisce forever. Baikas Travel and Caldera allowed us to fully experience the unique island of Santorini. Many thanks again to Amalia at Somewhere we Know, and we cannot recommend using this service enough to plan your next travel experience.