Kimkim Trip Reviews

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

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

Hotel Review

CoolRooms Palacio de Atocha

Madrid

Lovely hotel and great staff

Tips for future travelers

It was great for our last night before we returned

Authenticity & Character

Room design

Location

Staff

Diego!

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Review

Tapas Culinary Experience

Madrid

Raul was delightful and informative

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

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

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

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

Hotel Reviews

Villa La Lumia B&B Suites & Apartments

Agrigento

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

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Asmundo di Gisira

Catania

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

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Cooking Class

Italy

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

Quality of Experience

Daniella really is fantastic. The whole experience was fantastic.

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Temple valley guided visit

Italy

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

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Lorenzo is amazing.

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

My wife and I truly had a special experience made possible by our excellent guide Chris. Chris made our cycling adventure unique and exciting throughout our journey. Chris was always available to handle all our needs and expectations. Chris ensured our safety and the perfect guide for the beautiful Costa Rican coast line. We are ready to go back and Chris will be the perfect guide again. Really a quality trip. Highly recommend your services and of course Chris made it possible. Cheers, Brian

Hotel Review

Hotel Boutique Lagarta Lodge

Nosara

Best view and quality room and hospitality!

Tips for future travelers

plan ahead and book activities in the surrounding areas.

Authenticity & Character

Activity Review

Bike Ride Playa Hermosa to Playa Grande

Costa Rica

KimKim and Adriana were easy to work with, responsive and helped us create a fun trip. All transportation was on time. Our drivers were very nice. Some of them were even able to provide information along the way of what we were seeing. Hotels were nice and well situated for what we wanted to see and do. Our travels were to Monteverde, La Fortuna, Puerto Viejo and BriBri.

Hotel Review

Studio Hotel

San José

Best place to see a lot of diverse art work without going to a museum or art gallery. It was nice to have a full restaurant and bar in the hotel but also check out the taco place just down the street.

Tips for future travelers

You have to pay for coffee in your room. But staff was nice enough to let me bring coffee up from the restaurant.

Authenticity & Character

The art work and comfortable rooms.

Staff

Very accommodating even if we struggled through some communications.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Review

Bribri Indigenous One Day Experience

Puerto Viejo de Talamanca

First of all, getting there is an experience in itself. Quite exciting! It was a privilege to share the indigenous culture. The people, the meal, the archery, the roof making and to hear their story (a bit of a challenge with the language barrier). We felt welcomed.

Quality of Experience

The family/community feeling.

Food

It all was great and the banana flatbread before lunch was out of this world.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Smiling faces

Transport

The boat ride was a hoot!

We found out about Kimkim originally trying to plan a Morocco trip back in 2020 but that fell through so thought we'd give them a try in Guatemala. Of course it is different guides in each country for Kimkim, but sooo glad we did as Eduardo made our trip in Guatemala! He was so easy to work with, helped that he spoke English (my Spanish is rustier than I thought ha) , very accommodating for our changing plans, and super knowledgeable about the area.

He adjusted our itinerary to what we were interested in and also was able to recommend activities that we should consider on our short 5 day stay in Guatemala. Didnt make it easy for him with the back and forth and he was very understanding, patient and kind!

We went to Lake Atitlan for few days , one more day there made it for us since we cancelled the overnight Acatenango volcano hike (due to a massive earthquake a few days prior that made us unsure to go), did a boat tour to see villages in the area with a coffee co-op tour and a women's textile tour, Chichicastenango and for the 3 of us ,Iximche Mayan Ruins tour, and a last minute zip lining trip! The clutch part of changing our itinerary was that it allowed some extra costs to go to COVID tests - Eduardo scheduled a COVID test tech to come to our accommodations , and send our results that same day so we didnt have to worry about where to go and take it before our flight.. sooo helpful and saved us headaches! And also scheduling shuttles to get us to the airport on time the next day.

All in all, our favorite was Pablo the guide with Old Town Outfitters as our guide for Lake Atitlan as he was humble, knowledgeable, funny and warm, and never pressured us to do anything . He was truly genuine in trying to educate us about the Guatemalan / Mayan culture and took joy when we found joy in learning. He was amazing! It made the part of the trip with him, and all the tours that much more enjoyable. Stay at the Hotel San Buenaventura de Atitlán in Panajachel - the property there is just perfect - with beach waterfront and a pool, breakfast included and tap water that was drinkable! (GAMECHANGER). Lake Atitlan is wonderful! Make sure you take a dip in it - and float to soak in the magic of being surrounded by all the volcanos, a blue sky, and birds chirping all around you! Alex our guide for Iximche Mayan Ruins was also our favorite - he shared the same enthusiasm as Pablo for educating us on his Mayan culture to us and we wish he had more time with him. Ask to taste the corn "moonshine"!

Also cant forget our driver Antonio - who was personable, excited to educate us more about Guatemala and converse with us and our choppy Spanish. He was great as well.

Can't highly recommend Eduardo and Kimkim enough. It would be the easiest and best way to get around the country, seeing everything you want to see and more :)

Hotel Review

San Buenaventura Hotel

Panajachel, Sololá

this was my favorite hotel stay! There are two types of rooms - when you go into this entrance -the left hand side is the 1 room - 2 twin size bed standard stay with access to this back patio with a table/chairs and access to the lush property. the right hand side door is the suite - that has the 1 room 2 twin size and an upstairs which has two sofa that turn into beds if need, a kitchenette and microwave and mini fridge. There is also an outdoor patio there. I stayed in both and they were both lovely. The best part is that the faucet water is drinkable and pretty good tasting ( I drink filtered water at home in San Francisco and it is pretty close!) Crowd: not crowded, and it seemed like it was more of a local staycation spot which I loved! quiet, not rowdy or anything although we were in between two hotels that seemed crazy on the weekends - bass and loud late music Decor: simple yet guatemalan colors and textiles were represented. Beds: were a bit more firm for my taste but I dont sleep in tempurpedics, I am convinced the Guatemalan people need these firm beds! Cleanliness: pretty clean, in the room and property all throughout Friendly Staff: super friendly, front staff speaks english and also staff for breakfast Onsite Ambiance: beautiful and amazing! It is like a mini lush forest/garden! and a onsite beach front, with a pool (more like a wading pool) but so beautiful and relaxing! This was one of the highlights for me - swimming in the lake and being surrounded by all the volcanos and blue sky. Notes: it is pretty close to town and you can have the front desk call you tuk tuks to get you there. mostly for food but we didnt do much else as we did a village boat tour.

Tips for future travelers

all the beds are a bit firm - although the sofa beds upstairs in the suite is more soft if that is a concern for you!

Authenticity & Character

simple decor but still vibrant with the Guatemalan colors

Location

secluded but close to town

Staff

all friendly and helpful

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Textile-Weaving Tour & water activity at Cristalinas

Guatemala

Another one of our favorite tours! Although we didnt sense the same enthusiasm in these women - we probably caught them doing the 238947 tour of the day but we loved it nonetheless, so understandable. I was pulled in on understanding more of the Guatemalan and Mayan culture in women supporting their lives by contributing in making textiles! the colors, the process , and the traditional of passing it down from mother/grandmother/female mentor down to the next generation - was all fascinating. Especially the part where they use all natural ingredients to dye the cotton, and some with changing hues of color depending on when you pick the plant whether close to full moon or not. Amazing! We were able to test out how to spin the cotton into yarn, and crushing some herbs for dye, and also see them dye the yarn. At the end of the tour, we were able to see everything that they made and even purchase some. I personally purchased this bright multicolored shirt, that had hand woven mayan calendar in the front and i love it! Even after we went into other shops that sold similar items after this tour, this shop still had the highest quality. Pablo shared this with us after we asked about Chichicastenango textiles there - and I have to agree! And this properly supports the co-op they started here and they invest it back into the people and the community, so keep this in mind! :) Support the women here and their lovely hand made items. Oh and they take CC - make sure to use one that doesnt have foreign transaction fees :)

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Coffee Tour at San Juan la Laguna

Guatemala

Pablo was our guide who took us to see Lucas who was one of the owners of La Voz. This was one of our favorite tours on the village tour trip! Lucas is amazing- and we were able to tour the entire property from taste testing (soo good!) to procuring the beans, to roasting to packaging . We loved how we were able to see the entire process and see how dedicated and enthusiastic they were in showing us around. You can really tell they care and love what they do. We each bought at least a bag of medium roast beans home - some for souvenirs. Make sure to ask for their freshest bag! The only thing I wished was getting that banana cake - it looked good to pair with the coffee haha

Quality of Experience

seeing the entire process, walk and see and smell everything!

Guides, Drivers and Staff

their enthusiasm, and care

Transport

Boat Tour of Lake Atitlán Villages

Guatemala

we loved having Pablo as our guide! the boat crew were amazing as well. The boat ride to each village was somewhere between pleasant to splish splash, and slight nausea as it was windy when we went at end of February (which apparently is the windiest time of the year). Nonetheless, the crew was great and especially Pablo who is super knowledgeable, spoke English, and has this calm and friendly demeanor!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Antonio was super friendly and funny! and drove carefully especially on the windy roads, which we appreciated

My wife and I recently completed a 10 day trip to Ecuador and had a tremendous time. We knew very little about the country but wanted to see and learn as much as possible during our 10 day journey. We communicated with Mathias of Authentic Ecuador and found him to be very responsive
and helpful. We traveled Feb. 8-17, 2022 just as the Omicron variant was complicating travel in
many parts of the world. We were helped with all of the details and felt well supported. We arrived in Quito about 01:00 am (late) on our flight from Houston and after being efficiently being gotten through passport control and customs we were pleasantly greeted by our driver who got us to our hotel in old town Quito. Our superb guide, Cristian Portilla, met us promptly the next morning and we spent two days seeing all of Quito and the surrounding area. We particularly enjoyed a day trip to Mindo and the equator museum and exhibits. We then traveled through Banos, Riobamba, Cuenca and on to Guayaquil. Cristian was with us all of the time and provided superior services in taking us to all
of the places of interest in each area. He helped us get a feel for the local culture and took us to
local restaurants. We felt very fortunate to have a guide with his knowledge and dedication.
We booked at pretty much the last minute and could not have been more pleased. The accommodations were in boutique smaller hotels and they were all excellent and unique as well
as comfortable. We always felt safe and well cared for during the travels and give Kimkim, Mathias and Cristian our unqualified recommendation. This was a special trip and we are more
than delighted that we took it.

Hotel Review

La Casona de La Ronda

Quito

My wife stayed here Feb. 8-10, 2022 and found it very clean and comfortable. The bed was comfortable and the bathroom was modern and fully functional. The breakfasts were very nice with made to order omelets. We also had dinner in the dining room one evening and it was superb. They do not have an elevator so if one is not able to climb stairs it would be a problem. The staff were excellent and we very much enjoyed our stay in this small hotel in the center of the old city.

Tips for future travelers

Be aware there is no elevator.

Authenticity & Character

Location

We could walk to many old town sights and restaurants

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Review

Visit the Pailón del Diablo Waterfall, Explore Baños

Baños

The hike along the river and down to the falls was extremely picturesque. Well worthwhile.

Quality of Experience

Food

We enjoyed the local Ecuadorian foods.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Kimkim was an easy way to customize a group visit to Costa Rica, focusing on desired types of activities on specific dates while staying withing budget. Kimkim removed the responsibility of doing research and legwork to execute a fun filled activity trip. I will use it again when appropriate.

Hotel Review

Hotel Los Lagos Spa & Resort

La Fortuna

Nice

Tips for future travelers

Do it.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Breakfast

Activity Review

Biking & Kayaking Around the Arenal Lake

Arenal/La Fortuna

The kayaking was a mazing. The biking was bad. It was a the least favorite activity on the trip for the whole group. The level of difficulty was simply too much for the average person, unlike the rest of the activities. 25 KM in (bad) bikes over unpaved roads/hills was too much. Should be half the distance in the future for average folks like us.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Excellent trip. The planning was very smooth and Monica thought of everything. My favourite part was the beautiful hotels and the easy transfers. I highly recommend using KimKim as they've got loal guides who can help with all the planning and then the transfers between cities if that's what you're doing.
Loved every minute!

Hotel Review

Hotel Corona D'oro

Bologna

From the minute I stepped inside I felt like I was a movie star. The staff were incredibly helpful and catered to us the whole time. The room was incredibly lavish and huge and there was a free bar for Spritz's etc. I wanted to stay forever and live there. The breakfast was incredible with cold cuts from Bologna and parmesan cheese. I didn't even think I liked parmesan cheese until Bologna. The location is excellent and you're so close to all the action yet it was quiet in the rooms. The bathrooms were beautiful although the toilet was particularly high (my son even fell off one time). I honestly can't wait to go back and would leave 100 stars if I could!

Tips for future travelers

Definitely stay there if you can!!

Authenticity & Character

Beautiful room and the ceilings were incredible

Location

So close to all the action!

Staff

Lovely check in and check out

Cleanliness & Comfort

The bed could have been softer but it was all so beautiful that I didn't mind

Activity Review

Tour of Pisa

Florence

Our tour guide was fantastic and knowledgeable and spoke perfect English. He made me fall in love with the region and what we saw. The tower of Pisa was quite incredible to see as well. I wanted to stay with the tour guide and have him show me all of Italy!

Quality of Experience

Tour guide!!

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Absolutely excellent

Transport

Loved our driver!! Loved having a private van.

We booked an incredible 7-day Costa Rican vacation inclusive of daily private excursions with Tachiz Travel, through KimKim. It was truly by far one of the easiest and most professional travel agencies we have had the pleasure to work with over many years traveling across the world. From first contact to our final farewell, Alex and Francisco went above and beyond to ensure our adventures in Costa Rica were well organized and memorable utilizing the best tour operators in country.

Due to our last-minute decision to travel to Costa Rica for vacation, the accommodations we had selected were unfortunately not available for our entire stay. Therefore, Francisco recommended The Springs Resort & Spa overlooking the Arenal Volcano; what a fabulous resort! It is centrally located to the many activities available in the area including hiking, rafting, ziplining, bird watching, horseback riding, ATV excursions, or just relaxing in the hot springs. The Springs staff was not just accommodating but very friendly and happy to share incredible stories of their beautiful country and make sure our needs were met every step of the way. The resort has several onsite restaurants that are world class. Specifically, La Ventana restaurant, was phenomenal with an incredible chef (Jason Roja), sommelier, and staff. Maikol and Armando went out of their way each day to make our dining experiences special. The menu was extraordinary, creative, and diverse to meet anyone’s palate. We enjoyed every meal and experienced many customary dishes.

Francisco, Tachiz Travel, really listened and understood our interests and goals for the trip. He and Alex developed the perfect itinerary personally design for us. Every excursion guide and driver were exceptionally knowledgeable and spent quality time explaining the local history, customs, culture, and significant landmarks. The guides were true subject matter experts sharing their knowledge and showing us amazing birds, wildlife, and topography. It was one of the best vacations we have ever had. World-class trip.

We are planning on returning to Costa Rica soon and will leave the planning once again to the incredible team Tachiz Travel Team.

Emanuela was amazing she was informative helpful and was able to help pivot and adjust our schedule when asked and even worked through our flight delay to move bookings around on the fly. This enabled us to still see all of the sites we had desired without a hiccup. She listened so well to all of my questions, needs, and wants and created a trip of a lifetime for my children and I! All of the local nuances and recommendations she made were spot on. She gave us plenty of information and clearly communicated throughout our trip to keep us on track. I left in love with Iceland and long to come back to see more. I can’t thank Emanuela enough for putting together the trip of a lifetime!!

My husband and I had a wonderful trip to Colombia. We visited Bogota, Medellin, Santa Marta and Cartagena in our 9 day trip. Andrea, our local Colombian specialist was extremely resourceful and thoughtful in planning out the itinerary customizing it to our liking. We were making this trip to celebrate our 5th wedding anniversary and Andrea ensured we were treated to a surprise in every location! From upgrading us to a suite in a high end hotel, to a surprise beach picnic lunch with wine, to having chocolate-covered strawberries and roses in our room, we were delighted :)

Colombia as a country for sightseeing is underrated. With such breath-taking landscapes, beautiful weather, wonderful people, we loved Colombia for all that it had to offer,
Kim Kim through its association with local travel agencies in Colombia, not only made us feel safe and gave a true local experience but also help the community by giving them job opportunities.

All our travel guides and drivers were fantastic. Bogota was fun with Rosita, we had a 4 hr city tour but got a great glimpse of what the city had to offer. Medellin with Maria was excellent . Santa Marta with Yubelis was exceptional. We stayed the longest in Santa Marta and was probably our favorite city amongst all that we visited. Marlon and Tavo in Cartagena were wonderful as well.

Couple of recommendations from our experience:
We wish KimKim does better by having fluent English speaking guides, some guides/drivers were not proficient and barely beginners in English speaking and that made conversations and experience very difficult. While we appreciated their efforts, but communication was almost impossible.

We traveled in times of Covid. Although arrangement of testing and receipt of test were seamless, we wish KimKim had informed us of the costs upfront. We had assumed it was covered in the overall quote they mentioned and we paid. This came as a surprise and was the need of the hour that we didnt account for. We managed but budgeting can be tricky for many.

Overall we enjoyed the experience working with KimKim and loved Colombia! I would highly recommend friends and family to use KimKim and work with Andrea. She was with us every step of the way ensuring we had a great time. I was lucky to have met her in person in Colombia! She even gifted us a keepsake when we met.

KimKim created a once in a lifetime vacation for my family. We had three generations of my family travel to South America for the first time, exploring Buenos Aires and Patagonia, creating memories that I could have never imagined.

No one had been to South America before, and this was one of our first trips since COVID so we were all a bit anxious, but KimKim made the experience unforgettable.

Highlights of trip:
- The Argentina Experience cooking class- competing in the an empanada contest, learning how to make mate and tasting regional dishes
- Watching a beautiful tango show in an architectural gem
- Eating delicious steak and drinking excellent Malbec for nearly every meal
- Riding horses in a traditional estancia (ranch)
- Getting up close to hundreds of penguins in the wild and seeing a rare emperor penguin
- Trekking to the end of the Pan-American highway
- Sending a postcard from the southern most post office in the world
- Sailing on a catamaran though the Beagle Channel between the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans and watching sealions hunt for fish

Key benefits of using this service:
- Limited planning of the day-to-day activities on my part. As before, no one in my family had been to Argentina so we did not know necessarily what to plan. We just knew that we wanted to see the highlights of Buenos Aires and go hiking in Patagonia. KimKim planned the rest. They gave us a few options for our itinerary and we went ahead with it.
- Transportation. We had scheduled transportation everywhere. Our guide was there to pick us up at the airport and we had a car take us from our hotel to all of the activities. This was critical for our large group, as otherwise we were have had to organize multiple taxis to get anywhere.
- Communication. Our Kimkim agent Emi was wonderful and quickly answered all of our questions. We organized this trip relatively late (about two months prior to departure) and she worked very quickly for us. All of guides specifically Fernando (Buenos Aires) and Ilya (Ushuaia) were a joy and expressed to us how much they love their county through more than words. I also felt like they care about my family and made small adjustments throughout the trip as needed.

Things to know about using the service:
- The money was more than I had previously paid for a trip, but it was completely worth it. Everyone in my family is already planning to go back to Argentina. All of my friends already want to know how to go on this amazing trip.

Why you go definitely go to Argentina
- All of the food we had was excellent: the lamb in Patagonia, the fish in Ushuaia and the steak in Buenos Aires- all top notch
- The country has nearly ever type of terrain. You can going tango dancing in Buenos Aires, horseback riding in the county, hiking or ski. Everything available.
- The exchange rate is very favorable for tourists. The most I paid for a bottle of wine in a restaurant was USD $5. All of wine was delicious and better than the best I’ve had in France.

Overall, I have absolutely no regrets about using this service and would happily do it all over again. Already trying to figure out my next adventure!

Hotel Review

Huinid Obelisco Hotel

Buenos Aires

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Review

Walking with Penguins 🐧

Ushuaia

Exceeded my expectations. This was an island of hundreds of penguins and we could get up close to them in the wild. We saw three different species including a rare emperor penguin!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

The February weather created a challenge as several of our booked tours were canceled or cut short due to storms. Our agent, Emanuela, was remarkable in rebooking tours, hotel rooms and reassuring us that she would take care of us!! We can't thank her enough for making our holiday a success! We visited the Katla Volcano, ice cave and and glacier; Víðgelmir Lava tube; Blue Lagoon water spa and enjoyed visiting the shops on Laugavegur in Reykjavik. We met so many nice people from Scotland, Ireland, England, Lithuania and even Brazil. To see Iceland in the winter was amazing!

Dear Margoth.
We are back home 😔 after a fabulous visit to your glorious country.
I wanted to express our gratitude for your exceptionally attentive, helpful and timely help in organising the trip.
We simply loved our stay at Calanoa in the rainforest & have taken away such wonderful memories that will last a lifetime
The logistics all ran so smoothly thanks to you 🙏
Your are an absolute star ⭐️ thank you so so much.
You have two happy fans !
All the best
Adam & Lola

Hotel Review

Calanoa Lodge

Leticia

Amazing Lodge, in a spectacular location run by the loveliest of people

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Review

Boat Ride to Peruvian Margin to see Pink Dolphins and the Sunset from the River

Calanoa Lodge, Leticia

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Herman was excellent

Transport

We leveraged kimkim for a Guatemala trip and they made our stay so smooth and convenient. Eduardo organized transportation (to/from the airport and local tour destinations), COVID-19 testing, lodging, and hooked us up with some of the best local tour guides I've experienced. What was great about the itinerary was that it provided a nice structure while being very flexible. We made a few changes in plans and Eduardo navigated those changes with finesse. With kimkim, we had the luxury of worrying less about travel logistics and could really focus on enjoying the finer parts of the stay.

Overall, working with kimkim was an exceptional experience during our visit.

Exceptional Service during Exceptional Times

Traveling during COVID means uncertainty and ever-changing plans. We made changes to our itinerary until the night before we landed in Guatemala City! It could have been a disaster but it wasn't - we were able to do everything we wanted to do. We were even able to arrange for COVID tests to be administered at our place in Antigua the day before we flew back to USA.

Eduardo was incredibly kind, patient, compassionate and flexible with our group of six. Shortly into our trip, I knew we were in the absolute best hands. He was also so knowledgeable about the best places to visit and activities to do for our 1 week stay without feeling over-exerted or uncomfortable. One of my favorite highlights was the 2 night stay in Lake Atitlan where Eduardo booked us the most beautiful stay at Hotel Sanbuenaventura in Panajachel and connected us to the best tour guide of our entire trip, Pablo Chumil. Please request Pablo if you want an expert in Guatemala nature (especially birds), local history and safety - great guide, great human all around.

Antonio was our trusted and only driver for all the many hours we spent exploring Guatemala. As a driver, he was prompt and drove safely at all times. We cherished our time together laughing, using broken Spanish and sharing snacks and a meal - we miss you Antonio, thank you for keeping us safe always!

Before I went, I did not know much about Guatemala or its culture and people. However, thanks to the kind and warm-hearted people, both from Kimkim and the locals we met, I am left with the best impression of Guatemala and would no doubt visit again.

Hotel Review

San Buenaventura Hotel

Panajachel, Sololá

If and when we return to Lake Atitlán, I would 100% book a stay at the Hotel Sanbuenaventura. We got to stay in a standard double bed room one night and upgraded to a two-story suite the following night. Both rooms were very clean with comfortable beds, FILTERED TAP WATER(!), delicious breakfasts (we did not eat lunch and they do not provide dinner). The property feels very tropical with lush landscaping, a beautiful heated pool and many lookout points and green space where you can admire the beautiful lake and volcanos on the horizon. We were always looked after by the hotel staff, they called tuk tuks every time we needed to go into the city center (takes about 15 minutes for them to arrive so plan accordingly).

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Review

Boat Tour of Lake Atitlán Villages

Guatemala

Over 2 days, Pablo Chumil and his expert boat captains took us to 3 villages - San Juan, San Pedro and Santiago Atitlan. We spent the majority of time in charming San Juan, visiting it over 2 days. At first I didn't know why we would go to the village twice but I am so glad we did - we spent 1 day touring an organic coffee cooperative, LA VOZ QUE CLAMA EN EL DECIERTO, SAN JUAN LA LAGUNA and the next day at a women's owned textiles coop, Artesania La Voz De Los Tzutujiles (coincidence in naming). We only made a brief stop in San Pedro so I can't comment on my experience there. Santiago Atitlan was so rich in Mayan history - we visited Maximon, ate the best traditional Mayan/Guatemalan lunch, and enjoyed soaking up the sights and sounds of their culture. I would highly recommend spending an afternoon here. To quote Jurassic Park, "hold on to your butts" during afternoon boat trips across the lake - the water is surprisingly choppy and some rides can be ~30-40 minutes if you're going across the lake. Calm in the mornings, but it was a fun experience! A few of us get sea sickness so we were prepared (turns out natural non-drowsy Dramamine = ginger pills) but we didn't get it too badly.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Our drivers were so exceptionally skillful at navigating a particularly windy afternoon - our boat was top notch as well!

Transport