Kimkim Trip Reviews

Ana and team, thank you so much for supporting our trip tp Argentina! Everything went very smoothly. Transfers always got us where we needed to be on time. The tickets for our flight from Buenos Aires to El Calafate worked perfectly and when we arrived Nilo Zunio was waiting for us. He was a gem, upbeat and organized! He kept in touch via Whatsapp and answered our questions and helped with problem solving promptly.

We loved Madre Tierra, what a nice family! We had a wonderful tour of the Petito Mareno glacier guided by Eduardo Torre. He was fantastic!!!full of knowledge about the area and delightful to spend time with! Tickets were waiting for us for the bus to El Chalten and when arrived there a driver was waiting! Hosteria El Puma was a great choice. Walked into town each night for dinner. Trip home to Vermont was long but uneventful. Your help made the visit to Patagonia perfect. Thank you so much. And a special thank you to Ana, who answered all our questions and offered sage advice when needed!

Hotel Reviews

Hosteria El Puma

El Chalten

Authenticity & Character

Real mountian chalet with firplace in cosy lobby.

Location

Easy to walk and trek most everywhere.

Staff

Very helpful. Willing to listen patiently to our challanged spanish!

Cleanliness & Comfort

MadreTierra Patagonia

El Calafate, Santa Cruz

Great breakfast. Wonderful charming family hotel. Excellent location

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Everything

Activity Reviews

Nautical Safari - Brazo Rico

El Calafate

Quality of Experience

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Transport

Perito Moreno Glacier Excursion 🗻

El Calafate

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Guide Gori and driver A +++++

Transport

Pedro put together an amazing Portugal adventure for my family and I. All of the guides and drivers were fantastic. The hotels were great as well. Portugal is a wonderful country and I look forward to returning. Pedro and his team made planning simple and they are extremely responsive to answer your questions any time during the day. Having a private driver was a huge advantage when stopping in towns on our way from Lisbon to Porto. I would absolutely use Kimkim again.

Hotel Reviews

The One Palácio da Anunciada

Lisbon

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Pestana Cidadela Cascais

Cascais

This is not a 5 star hotel. Look elsewhere

Authenticity & Character

Cleaning

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Maison Albar - Le Monumental Palace

Porto

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Unveil the Fairytale Villa of Sintra with a Private Driver Service

Portugal

Nelson is the best driver in Portugal

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Nelson was awesome

Lisbon's Historic Odyssey on a Private Walking Tour

Lisbon

Ricardo was amazing!

Quality of Experience

What

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

I wrote a review on google I believe already. But I want to also post on here and give a shout out to Kim Kim Travels, specifically, the team of Margoth and Philip in Colombia. This was the first trip I had planned by KimKim & Co and I was hestitant at first. But this team SUPER EXCEEDED All my expectations for a 5-star travel experience! Every detail was cared for and super classy and top notch. We traveled from Bogota, to Perreira, to Cartegna and the island of Baru. Every city, AMAZING experience! As a result, I did my next trip to Portugal with KimKim!

Our trip coordinator, Liz Neal (Springboard Vacations), who we connected to through the KimKim website is OUTSTANDING!!!
- spent considerable time with us planning the trip, making changes, and building an itinerary just for us
- very perceptive and creative in suggesting activities that dovetailed with the family's interests
- excellent ideas and recommendations, both on and off the beaten path
- very knowledgeable
- great communication, very responsive
- very easy to work with
- during the trip, easily reachable and available for needed re-jigging due to weather, closures etc.
- great support team in the country to help us navigate changes and accommodate unexpected requests
- always felt like we were in excellent hands – reducing the stress of the trip immeasurably
- a thoughtful, interesting and caring individual
- went above and beyond to ensure the trip went smoothly

Australia favorites
Philip Island and the Penguin Parade
Exhibition at Adelaide Library on Aussie Rules Football : )
Melbourne
Sydney Opera House
Sydney Harbour Bridge Climb
Great Barrier Reef (Seeing Hammerhead Shark!)
Kangaroo Island special shout-out to Dan (!!!), Exceptional Kangaroo Island
Mossman Gorge and River Drift Snorkeling Tour

NZ favorites
Southern Alps – Flight!
Mount Cook, hiking to glaciers
Queenstown & Rees Hotel
Driving through the Southern Island
Zorbing
Zip Lining
Auckland Central

Tricia planned an amazing trip for our family. We had very specific things on our wish list that she was able to work into a plan. Tricia chatted with all of us and listened carefully to our priorities. She offered us a few different plans. She also worked with us to keep the cost down and work within our budget. I have to say, I was at first nervous about engaging KimKim. I had never used them before and randomly picked them from the internet because of the reviews. We travel extensively and have used many other agencies. I would definitely recommend KimKim and Tricia to others who like assistance in planning the trip and details. Our trip was very complicated with many tickets, boats, trains, planes, guides and drivers and it felt seamless. They even include all walking directions to activities.
We had a few questions along the way and the team was very responsive. We had one tight connection and they checked in with us and reminded us of our options if we needed to modify the day. This was all extremely helpful and comforting. If you are planning on going to Norway, don't hesitate to use KimKim.

Activity Reviews

Northern Lights Sailing Cruise

Tromsø

This is a great choice for a night cruise on a fjord. The night was cloudy and there was a very small chance of seeing the lights. Halfway through, the captain of the boat starts yelling that there is a sighting and everyone ran up on deck and we were lucky enough to see the lights. His reaction to the lights was contagious. It was though it was his first time too. He was so excited that we were getting this experience. The boat holds 12 people and feels very intimate. They serve a Reindeer stew or a vegetarian soup for dinner which was good. They also have a hot tub on deck. I think I would have preferred it to be 3 hours instead, especially being cloudy.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Dogsledding in Senja

Senja

This was a bucket list experience. When we signed up for this activity, I thought there would be a guide taking us on a dog sled. Much to our surprise, we each had our own sled with our own dogs. At first, this was a bit intimidating but that quickly passed once we got started. This activity was a lot of fun! The dogs are so happy and excited to go for a run. They are super friendly.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Private Winter Snowshoe Hike

Norway

This was our first time snow shoeing and I have to say I was not disappointed . I love hiking and the scenery was breathtaking.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Remote Ski Tour in Senja

Senja

Our guide, Kjell, was amazing. We had very different levels of skiers and he made it fun and manageable for all.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Northern Lights Watch at the Hamn i Senja Lighthouse

Senja

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Positives of the trip: some of the local tour groups we used were incredible, particularly Senda Andina in Bolivia and W Circuit in Patagonia. Overall we saw a lot in a short period of time and the itinerary was excellent.

Negatives: Just extreme disorganization at all times from Tangol, the travel agency we were connected to on Kim Kim. Some of our issues were more minor than others but overall added up to an unpleasant experience and at the end we were left with the impression that we could have organized the trip better ourselves.
1. Understood that there were certain fees not included in our booking but these should have been clearly communicated to us ahead of time. We had no idea that one of our hikes in Patagonia required a very expensive fare for a catamaran, cash only, $30USD each way per person. We were not carrying $120 of cash on our person so we were incredibly lucky to run into a friend from back home along the trail who happened to be carrying enough spare cash to get us back home otherwise I’m not sure what would have happened.
2. All communication was very last minute. At 5:30pm the night before we were to go to Bolivia and a half hour before Tangol closed their offices for the day they messaged us asking if we had a tourist visa for Bolivia. Definitely not a question which should have waited for the last minute. We didn’t receive any information on visa requirements from Tangol ahead of time so we did our own research and figured based on information from the US Embassy website we can get our visas on arrival. Tangol then told us in order to do this we would need a lot of additional paperwork including a bank statement! Turns out they were referencing the incorrect requirements and we got into the country without a problem without any of the requirements they were telling us we needed. We were just very disappointed by how last minute this was and how it wasn’t even the right information. It made for a very stressful experience which could have been easily avoided with clear communication far in advance.
3. We clearly communicated our vegetarian meal requests ahead of time but this was not relayed to the tour groups during booking. When we brought this to Tangol’s attention they ended up only reserving 1 vegetarian meal for the remaining tours even though we were clear that we were both vegetarian. This should have been the easiest thing to get right the first time.
4. Another item which we thought should have been very straightforward was pickup from the airports. When we landed in Calama there was nobody there to pick us up. We waited for a while and called Tangol several times and finally got a hold of them. After around an hour of waiting Tangol finally arranged us with a group shuttle service even though we had bought a private transfer.
5. Our stargazing tour was cancelled due to weather which is understandable but we were given no option to reschedule and did not get a refund. What was also frustrating was knowing we probably wouldn’t have been able to go on the scheduled tour anyway since the timing overlapped with another tour we had scheduled earlier in the day.

Hotel Reviews

Los Flamencos Eco Hotel

Uyuni, Potosi

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Boutique Andina

Uyuni

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Our Habitas Atacama

San Pedro de Atacama

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Luciano K Hotel

Barrio Lastarria, Santiago

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Remota Patagonia Lodge

Puerto Natales

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Flamencos - Lagunas de Colores - San Pedro de atacama (Day 4)

Uyuni

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Uyuni - Authentic Villages - Flamenco (Day 3)

Bolivia

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Salar de Uyuni (Day 2)

Uyuni

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

San Pedro de Atacama - Villa Mar - Uyuni. (Day 1)

San Pedro de Atacama

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Planning with Kimkim results in a very memorable trip! My siblings and I as well as our spouses were delighted with the experience. I planned a ten trip to Spain with Yuri and his knowledge was invaluable. Because Kimkim has so many great contacts and activities to choose from we were able to tailor the trip our interests. The resulting trip had the ease of a formal tour group but the privacy of handling arrangements ourselves. We visited Seville, Granada and Barcelona. All of our transportation was handled smoothly and comfortably.

Hotel Gravina 51 in Seville was such a luxurious experience. The facility is gorgeous and so well maintained. Although the bathroom is a bit small it was so well appointed I didn't mind that a bit. My bathroom at home is even smaller and not nearly as nice! The staff was very charming and the daily breakfast offerings were extensive, creative and well-prepared, perhaps the best meals we had in Spain. In Seville the highlights were our tour of the Alcazar, a Flamenco show and our cooking class. Our guides Penelope and Pilar were well versed on the history of Seville and insightful, passionate and just delightful to spend time with. Our cooking class with Ana at Fresh Cooking Spain was also a real pleasure. Her facility is gorgeous. We had fun preparing traditional Spanish foods and enjoyed eating them on her beautiful terrace.

In Granada we stayed at the Parador, right on the grounds of the Alhambra and this was also a great experience. My main quibble there was that we had twin beds, something Americans don't experience much. It was wonderful being located on the ground of The Alhambra. It is a bit of a hike going down into the town center but it was just what we needed to work off some calories. Our guide of the Alhmabra, Edu, was thoughtful and intelligent. Clearly Yannat Tours and Kimkim have a gift for discovering talent. The Alhambra and Generalife gardens are not to be missed, such a remarkable layered history. We also had two tours with Food Sherpas. We did not enjoy these tour guides as well. We weren't as impressed by the Food Sherpa guides in Granada. The guide for the market took us to two nice spots but she didn't seem to know much about food. The guide that did the wine tasting was a bit arrogant and I didn't feel that the wines she chose were very well representative of Spanish wines. Although all four were from Spain one of them was a Merlot, and another was an Albarino that was not from Rias Baixas.

We stayed at the Hotel Regina in Barcelona. The room product was a little rundown and there wasn't much sound proofing so one heard everything the neighbors were doing or talking about. The location is very convenient however and the breakfasts were good. In fact on the day that we left early in the morning for our balloon ride they prepared fabulous to go bags for us. They did not charge extra for this service and it was so considerate that they accommodated us in this way. The balloon trip was the highlight of our trip! The pilot was so skilled that none of us felt any anxiety. The views were spectacular, I can't describe how breathtaking it was when we rose above the clouds and saw the
Pyrenees! However our visit to Montserrat was cut very short. Our balloon ride ran longer than expected so all we were able to do was take the gondola to the top and then walk to the bus for the trip down. It was disappointing to not see anything in the monastery and we did not have lunch as stated in the itinerary. Perhaps the tour tries to cram too much in? I would recommend separating the two activities. But again I can't stress enough how much we loved the balloon! Our architecture tour was also a highlight. Our guide educated us on Guadi and his contemporaries and Sagrada Familia is a wonder. She also gave recommendations on things to visit on our own. This city is so gorgeous and has so much to offer.

We had to drop two activities from our plan and in the end this was a good thing. I would encourage anyone planning a trip like ours to build in plenty of time to explore on their own. We found the Spanish people to be so warm and welcoming and always felt safe walking on our own. I only wish Google Maps was easier to use for walkers. I heartily recommend planning a tour with Kimkim and look forward to exploring another country with their expert planning and guidance!

Hotel Reviews

Hotel Regina

Barcelona

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Parador de Granada

Granada

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Gravina 51

Sevilla

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Montserrat Day Trip with Hot-Air Balloon

Barcelona

Our balloon ride was the highlight of our trip, heartily recommended1

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Private Visit to Seville’s Cathedral & Alcázar

Seville

Our guide Penelope is a treasure!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Private Gaudí Architecture Walk with La Sagrada Família

Barcelona

Our guide taught us a lot about Guadi and his contemporaries and gave us recommendations for see on our own.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Wine Tasting & Tapas Experience

Granada

We were not as impressed with our guide as she is in herself.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Taste of Granada Walking Food Tour

Granada

Our guide was not very knowledgeable about food, disappointing.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Private Day Tour to Granada with visit to the Alhambra & Generalife Gardens

Málaga

Here as in other sites we visited with a tour it is such an advantage to have skip the line access.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Private Transfer from {{start_location}} to {{end_location}} with Ronda Visit

Spain

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Private Mediterranean Cooking Class

Seville

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Tapas & Flamenco Experience in Seville

Seville

The theater is a gem, small and intimate and beautiful. It was so fun to walk in to our seats on the front row. Pilar is outstanding!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Great value--10 stars, not 5! Samanta of Zaman in KimKim made our trip everything we could have hoped for. With our travel dates fixed, Samanta was able to develop a tour that matched our interests, emphasizing the sites we most wanted to see, and hotels and meals that were terrific. We have never had such responsive and knowledgable assistance--she always made sure we could reach her wherever we were, and when we had a small issue due to our error (not hers, she is excellent!), Samanta went far above and beyond to help us. She arranged a terrific guide and driver of a luxury SUV car, Hamdi Das, who was mediator in every interaction with his countrymen, ensuring communications were clear and direct, and that we got exactly what we were requesting. Hamdi has extensive knowledge of Jordan and, like Samanta, found no question too small to immediately address. He is also an excellent driver, as I told him on one winding road up a mountainside "I am always relaxed when you drive, Hamdi".
We are still raving about Samanta and Hamdi. On our flight back to Seattle, a seat mate was talking about her tour experience--which cost double our price--and she told my husband "I really wish we had used Samanta and Zaman Tours in KimKim instead of this luxury tour". We had the best possible experience and highly recommend them to you.

Hotel Review

Movenpick Petra Resort

Wadi Musa

Gorgeous hotel with local decor, luxurious interior. We immediately relaxed when we walked in, staff and our room were lovely. The location is just a few hundred feet from Petra's entrance, yet far enough to be quiet. We also loved the dinner, which is important after the long days hiking/walking in Petra.

Authenticity & Character

Beautiful dark wood, local designs.

Location

A short distance from Petra's entrance but managed to be quiet.

Staff

Smiling friendly staff were patient with everyone.

Cleanliness & Comfort

excellent beds too

Activity Reviews

Day trip to Jerash, Ajloun & Umm Qais from Amman

Amman

Our driver guide, Hamdi, made this (as all days with him) a special tour. Hamdi makes the drive in the luxury SUV smooth and interesting as well as entertaining. He made sure that we had all questions answered, and saw everything we had hoped for.

Quality of Experience

This Roman city is indeed special

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Hamdi is excellent, both as a driver and as a guide. Kind, humorous, and patient.

Transport

Water and snacks are always inside the gorgeous SUV.

3hrs Jeep Safari + Lunch with a Bedouin Family

Wadi Rum

We were able to see petroglyphs and the gorgeous cliff walls in the powdery sand desert of Wadi Rum. Our guide cooked a delicious dish alongside his truck.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Secret Petra Backdoor Hike

Jordan

Our guide spoke very good English, made sure we were able to have every experience that we wanted (& there is a lot!), was patient with a good sense of humor. His enthusiasm made the trip even better.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

If I could give a 10 star I would. The Columbus Guatemala tour team deserves that and much more. They went above and beyond to ensure our trip and experience was memorable, and they succeeded. Starting with Catharine managing the logistics of our trip and selecting beautiful hotels for us. She showed such care for our needs and was flexible to our requests.
Our trip involved a visit to Tikal, Antigua Guatemala, Atitlan and Chichicastenango, and our goal was to learn our Mayan history and culture. Our tour in Peten was awesome due to the knowledge of our guide Carlos. He shared so much information about Tikal history and surrounding ruins. Our visit to Antigua and Iximche with our guide JJ was terrific and fun. He was the best! He really made us feel at home. JJ was very attentive, offering tips and asking for our food preferences and took us to great restaurants. We enjoy great food and love the coffee. Thanks JJ!
Our trip to Atitlan and Chichicastenango was very interesting and full of history. We have traveled to different countries in Europe and Asia and although we have enjoyed each trip and learned a lot, our trip to Guatemala was very special due to all the care and attention Columbus team provided us. From the drivers to the guides and logistics team, we felt safe and were able to focus on enjoying our trip. I HIGHLY recommend Columbus Tour team.

Activity Review

Tikal Mayan Civilization

Guatemala

Tikal was beautiful and the month of February offered the perfect weather. To my surprise, no mosquitoes and low humidity. The time spent with our guide in the park was sufficient and the food at the restaurant in the part was outstanding. The restaurant was situated in an open area where we were able to enjoy the nature while enjoying the food.

Quality of Experience

We loved everthing

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Our guide was awesome

Transport

The O route was spectacular - the views and hikes were very nice. Varied landscapes, open plains, glaciers, high passes and lagoons. Accommodations were very fun - our particular group spent half of our nights in tents and half in the Refugio’s - we enjoyed the mix. It was a super experience all around.

We are 4 older ladies, fit and ready for a full-on, active 16 day vacation in Costa Rica. Sergio, our local specialist planned a great experience from beginning to end! Any questions we had were answered promptly and we always felt secure knowing we were never alone to try to sort things out by ourselves.
When our plane was delayed, Sergio made sure our transportation was taken care of at midnight to go to our B&B. The B&B was notified as well and it was a seamless transition from the airport to the B&B. He also notified the Car Rental place about picking up the car a day later than expected. When we arrived the car was ready for us.
All the hotels that were selected for us were AMAZING! Beyond what could have expected! Breakfast was included everyplace we stayed and they were all excellent!
Our itinerary was packed with activities. Transportation picked us up at our hotels promptly, and we had excellent and attentive guides. Most of our activities included pineapple and watermelon snacks and some meals were included, even though we didn't expect them. Oh, and by the way, they were great meals, in local Costa Rican eateries!
Here are some of the activities we enjoyed:
Puerto Viejo:
Hiking at Cahuita National Park with Tito. Without our guide we never would have seen all the animals or heard all the amazing stories about the animals, reptiles and insects in the national park.
We took an Afro-Caribbean Cooking class with Glenda in her outdoor kitchen. What a delight that was. We got to chop and dice and learn about roots, fruits and vegetables we had never heard of before. We made a a delicious fish soup, Ron Don, that is native to Costa Rica. With Caribbean music playing, we ate too much, but finished our meal with coconut ice cream topped with chocolate! Yum!!
The next day we enjoyed kayaking with Rofo. Even though it was raining, we had fun hearing his stories, as we paddled a river into the jungle.
Arenal/La Fortuna:
We enjoyed the Hanging Bridges walk and did what we weren't sure we could do, we walked to the bottom of the La Fortuna Waterfall...500 steps down, took a dip in the fresh water and walked 500 steps up! Whew...we made it!! The thermal springs at our hotel felt wonderful after our morning adventure.
One of our favorite activities was the class III-IV White Water Rafting on the Sarapiqui River. Momo was our guide. He made us laugh and kept us safe and called us "Chicas"! He'd yell instructions and we did whatever we were told. We had a fantastic ride down the river. No one fell out of the raft and we'll never forget his instructions, "Chicas, look at me"!
Monteverde:
Our next adventure was with 100% Adventura Zip Line. The longest in Latin America. Yes, zip lining was amazing, but the Tarzan jump at the end is what most people talk about. The question that everyone asks is..."Did you do it?" It's not for the faint of heart, but everyone of us did it!!! 4 older ladies. Until now I haven't revealed our ages...but I will.
That evening we went on a Coffee/Chocolate night hike through the jungle. Alex as our tour guide and we learned things we never knew before. It was kind-of scary at night. We got to see some nocturnal animals on the hike.
Taylor was our guide through the Santa Elena Cloud Forest. Although the forest was only 40 years old, it looked like it had been there since Adam and Eve. It was a nice hike, we crossed the continental divide, saw animals that live at higher altitudes and made our way back to our hotel to lounge in the hot tub and pool and enjoy an afternoon Bloody Mary.
Manuel Antonio:
We enjoyed a 25 mile, mostly off-road experience with Real Adventure ATVs. Kevin was our guide. He was very serious about safety, which was much appreciated! It was a great, long ride. We rode through palm oil groves, little streams, up mountains and to a pretty waterfall. We stopped, got in the water and continued even higher to see the view of the ocean and the valley below. The meal after the ride, was fantastic, rice, beans and chicken in a yummy sauce!
Our final activity was a Catamaran Ride. Drinks and a meal were included along with snorkeling, jumping off the highest deck of the catamaran into the water, and sliding down a slide, like a kid. For a group of women 72 to 74, we had a great time. Thank you Sergio, thank you KimKim!! We'll be working with you on next year's trip!

Hotel Reviews

La Riviera Hotel B&B

Heredia

We got in late after a very long day. The beds were good and the breakfast was really nice with great coffee. We left right after breakfast so our stay was short ans sweet1

Authenticity & Character

Location

Nothing It was just a room to stay in while we arranged for our car and headed to the other side of the country

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hampton by Hilton San José Airport

Alajuela

Clean, friendly and close to airport. Shuttle service was every 15 minutes. Great breakfast.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Costa Verde

Manuel Antonio

Our KimKim travel group really out did themselves when they saved this last hotel for us. WE were delighted and amazed that our last stop on our trip was the creme de la creme. We had a villa with four sleep spaces and four bathrooms,a kitchen and full length patio.Wow Multiple pools were on the property and monkeys and iguanas were seen daily. Even the hard to find sloth was seen at this our last stop. The kitchen staff(in particular Werner) made our dining experience a delight!

Authenticity & Character

Spacious villa spectacular grounds and friendly helpful staff!

Location

close to the ocean but high enough to not be too hot

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Had everything we needed

Hotel & Spa Poco a Poco

Monteverde

After our last two accommodations we thought this was a little step down..But after a day or so we realized this hotel offered a lot for this area. The dining room had great order from the menu meals, both dinner and breakfast. The temperature was such that the hotel had neither airconditioning or heat and didn't need it. And we especially appreciated the welcoming fruit drink given us at checkin.

Authenticity & Character

The tv's should be up graded and not enough closet space for two people sharing space.

Location

Close to everything

Staff

Friendly and accommodating. We especially liked the restaurant staff.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Le Cameleon Boutique Hotel

Puerto Viejo

We loved this accommodation. We arrived late on Valentines Day and wanted to eat at our dining restaurant but we had no reservation..No worries the maitre'd quickly assembled a table and four tired travelers had a wonderful dinner. The hotel is right on the beach and offered more things to do than we had time for. We loved the all white rooms (even the tv hardware was white) with the colors coming from the art on the walls. Two bathrooms in each room was a delightful surprise. All in all a great experience!

Authenticity & Character

The cool beach vibe

Location

Close to everything but not right downtown.

Staff

Did everything right

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hard to keep an all white room clean looking but they did!

Hotel Los Lagos Spa & Resort

La Fortuna

We four ladies were amazed with the rooms we were assigned. They were spacious, contemporary and the beds (very important) were very comfortable. We really enjoyed the plentiful , diverse selection in the dining hall and the fact that they opened early enough for us to be ready for our early pickups. We also appreciated that we were on the lowest level of the resort.. The roads to the top of the resort are very steep. It's one thing to hike them for exercise but quite another to do it after a long day of adventure. There was a shuttle but we were thankful to be on our lower level No shuttle required!

Authenticity & Character

Everything

Location

Away from town but close enough to drive to everything

Staff

Friendly, thorough and accommodating

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

White Water Rafting on the Sarapiquí River, Class III - IV

Arenal/La Fortuna

OMG I was so afraid. It was my first. But Momo our guide was amazing. I highly recommend him. He is attentive, careful and he is so much fun. Me over 70's I felt secure and Momo made me fell safe and us 4 old ladies laugh and laugh with him. When he wanted our attention call us " chicas look at me" I had my greatest time of my life.

Quality of Experience

Speechless , the best!!!

Guides, Drivers and Staff

They are so kind and helpful

Transport

Same wonderful all the time on time

Enjoy the Thermal Hotsprings at your hotel

Arenal/La Fortuna

After a hike and see La Fortuna Waterfall we came back to the hotel and enjoy the Thermal hot springs. It was wonderful so many pools and the design of them unbelievable very well done. The hotel it's huge and the views of the Volcano amazing. I love your country!!!

Quality of Experience

For more than expected

Guides, Drivers and Staff

All of them very kind and attentive and some funny and good looking too

Transport

All very kind and punctual

We recently returned from a wonderful trip to southern Spain. Our travel itinerary was prepared by Luis of Hidden in Spain, and was exceedingly well done. Pretrip info was extensive. All accomodations were centrally located inthe historic districts of the cities we visited. Tours and tour guides were excellent, and we saw so much, both in the cities, and beyond. Of particular mention, an outstanding flamenco performance followed by dinner with Guido, a wine tasting visit to a sherry bodega, and a delightful olive/ olive oil education at a scenic hilltop olive plantation. One guide, Kate, who guided us for two tours, hosted us for a spectacular at home tapas/ wine pairing dinner. Travel arrangements in country, by bullet train and bus, were a positive experience. I can strongly recommend Luis and Hidden in Spain if you want to visit Spain in depth.

We were very grateful to Deborah and her team to help us plan our trip to South Africa. The personal touch and great recommendations for driving routes, accommodations made the trip amazing. The Mosaic Lagoon Lodge was a perfect place to start the trip, (amazing atmosphere) and ending at Ivory Wilderness Lodge was a lovely bookend the whole experience.
We would highly recommend getting Deborah and her team to assist in your trip due to their local knowledge, insight, great communication and personal touches. Thanks very much.

We booked through KimKim after it was recommended by an acquaintance. The planning process was easy and seamless. The team was incredibly flexible and took all of our requests into account in putting the final itinerary together in just a few days. Our driver and guide -Abdelhadi - was absolutely amazing. He was knowledgeable and gave us enough information about the country and each location to be informative and even incorporated facts he knew our young children would be interested in. He was a very safe driver and really took into account our interests and preferences about how to plan out each day. He was always easy to get in touch with and on days when we had free time and we on our own, he frequently checked in on us to see if there was anything we needed. The highlights of our trip were definitely the Tiziri Camp in the Merzouga desert (and the camel ride in to camp during sunset, which turned out to be our kids’ favorite part of the entire trip), the drive over the Atlas mountains from Dades to Marrekesh, and the days we spent in Marrakesh. Tiziri In particular was phenomenal and some of the best food (and hosts) we had in the country. Most importantly, Abdelhadi was very patient and our kids really enjoyed spending time with him, and were sad to say goodbye to him as we left morocco. We would absolutely recommend KimKim and Abdelhadi to our friends.

I don't really know where to start! We had an amazing time, thanks to Ruth. Our accommodation was always in the best locations for activities and tours that had been booked for us. It was always interesting and elegant with wonderful staff. We were treated like royalty everywhere we stayed.
We thought that we had the perfect balance between activity and leisure. The tours were fun and only as active as you wanted to make them,the tour guides were passionate about their work and were keen on sharing their environments.
We honestly couldn't choose a highlight of the trip but visiting Bonorong wildlife sanctuary and holding a baby wombat would definitely have to be one of them.

Hotel Reviews

Curringa Farm

Hamilton

What a stunning place to stay! I'm so glad that we had the opportunity to stay here

Authenticity & Character

the elegance and style, can't think of anything that I would change

Location

Loved the views and it's only a short drive to the closest village if you need supplies

Staff

Jane and Tim are wonderful hosts, they make everyone feel as though they are really special

Cleanliness & Comfort

Comfortable bed, amazing bathroom and absolutely spotless

Brickendon Estate

Longford

A very interesting place to stay. Although the cottage felt old and very in keeping with the estate it was only 26 years old.

Authenticity & Character

I loved that the accommodation was inkeeping with the rest of the estate. Internally and not just the exterior was lovingly created

Location

Loved that it's set in the country with beautiful views but still only a few minutes drive to the nearest village for dining or supplies

Staff

We meet Louise, who with her family owns the estate, took some time to chat to us about the place. We found her very down to earth and just lovely. And the dogs are so very friendly!

Cleanliness & Comfort

I cannot think of a single thing that I would change or add.

MACq 01 Hotel

Hobart

Fabulous in everyway

Authenticity & Character

Loved everything in this hotel. Would absolutely recommend it

Location

Easy walking around the waterfront and into town

Staff

Always friendly and helpful

Cleanliness & Comfort

Spotless and so very comfortable

Laneways by Ovolo

Melbourne

A quirky and fun style hotel

Authenticity & Character

Quirky with fun art and interesting light filled bedrooms

Location

A great location for around the lanes of upper Little Bourke Street

Staff

Always friendly and helpful with local recommendations for dining

Cleanliness & Comfort

Spotless and very comfortable rooms

The Savoy Hotel on Little Collins

Melbourne

Wow! Elegant and stylish, absolutely beautiful!

Authenticity & Character

This place is stunning,the interior looks as though it belongs in a much more refined time. Definitely not a place for children

Location

Great location for the railway and free trams. Easy walking to the riverfront and ferries

Staff

The staff are definitely some of the friendliest and such an asset to this hotel. From the housemaid to the receptionists to the bar staff in the lounge, everyone was just wonderful.

Cleanliness & Comfort

The huge comfortable bed, the spacious room and gorgeous bathroom. And the housemaid do a wonderful job of keeping the whole place spotless.

Activity Reviews

Bonorong Wildlife Sanctuary Night Visit

Hobart

A wonderful opportunity to visit this sanctuary and I'm glad that we did. We arrived too early but we were allowed to roam the park by ourselves until everyone else had turned up. It was really good being the only people there so that you could see the animals in their enclosures without a lot of people around. Our guide Nikki was bubbly and very passionate about the sanctuary and the role it plays in saving wildlife. One of the highlights was being able to cuddle a baby wombat and feed the Tasmanian devils, albeit with a grasping aid and not fingers, we still wanted those!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Depart Australia

Australia

Departing from Tullamarine Airport in Melbourne is easy. It seems well laid out, so it's easy to navigate your way around. Staff are helpful and courteous. We spent most of our time in the Air New Zealand lounge and enjoyed the facilities there.

Quality of Experience

Farm Tour and Lunch at Curringa Farm

Hamilton

Jane and Tim are delightful, down to earth hosts of this farm. The food is BBQ and salad and plenty of it. The tour lasts about an hour or so and is really informative and interesting.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Historic Hobart Pub Walk

Hobart

We really enjoyed this tour of old Hobart. Tales of convicts and dirty deeds, settlers and soldiers all told with passion by our guide. A fun way to spend an early evening before dinner.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Full Day Bruny Island Traveler Tour (Shared Tour)

Hobart

Thoroughly enjoyed this trip and can recommend it if you are interested in seeing bruny Island and sampling some of the islands treats.

Quality of Experience

Lots of little extras like oysters, honey, fudge and spiced apple mead samples to take home. Could be quite active if you want to walk a bit but if you don't you can take it easy.

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Alan would have to be one of the best guides we met on our holiday. He was informative and funny, included everyone effortlessly and was an all round good guy.

Transport

Bus was a good size, clean and comfortable

Full Day Great Ocean Road Day Tour (Shared Tour)

Melbourne

A long day but worthwhile doing. Stopped at lots of interesting beaches and historic little towns.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Kevin was a knowledgeable and humorous driver and guide. He had stories and information about the places we stopped in. He picked us up on time and even at the end of a very long day he was still helpful

Transport

The bus clean and comfortable

Café Culture Walk

Melbourne

Lynn was a friendly and knowledgeable tour guide. A great way to get to know some of the lanes and area around the top end of Bourke street. The finish of lunch in the little Italian Cafe was a really nice end to a fun morning.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Just got back from an amazing trip to Guatemala. Eduardo helped us greatly with the itinerary and how to get the most out of our trip. We were able to get everything on our wishlist thanks to him.
Our guide Willy was great and has so much knowledge. Our driver Antonio took us safely between the different cities/ villages we visited , always on time. Guatemala is a beautiful country and there is so much fun to do and see, highly recommend.

We are home, thank you so much for putting the trip together. We have had an amazing time, experienced so much and learnt so many things about the countries we visited. We could never have done it ourselves. All the trip went to plan apart from the interruptions in Peru which we managed with. It was great to see such good organising. We were collected and delivered on time to wherever we needed to be. La Paz was a great city to visit. The drive across the highlands of Bolivia was unforgettable. Seeing the Geysers at dawn was a brilliant experience. Our hire car was good and we survived the rough roads to see the amazing Marble Caves. The visit to Magdelana Island to walk amongst the penguins was a real highlight of the trip. The cruise from Punta Arenas to Usuaia was fantastic. Horse riding was fun, so many things we did, can't write about them all.

Liz Neal at Springboard Vacations worked closely with us over several months to help us select the schedule, locations and tours we preferred. She promised that everything would be of the best quality and on time. That is exactly what we got. Over a twenty-eight day trip we had about thirty-five different pre-arranged events (flights, tours, hotels, etc). Every one was right on time and as described.

Our 14 day 5 overnight destination trip to Chile, planned by Angel, was extraordinary. We experienced a very broad view of Chile and its citizens. We started with 2 days in Santiago & Valparaiso that are home to half the population with Juan. They are both attractive cities. But nature is the real distinction. We started with 3 nights in the extreme Atacama Desert in the north. This was fooled by 3 days in the spectacular Andes lake country around Puerto Vargas, a charming small city on the largest lake in Chile. We chose to drive around on our own. The highways were very adequate and in excellent condition.Puerto Nogales followed with two boat cruises through spectacular fjords to a working sheep “estancia” (the best fresh grilled lamb ever) with both a horseback ride & a hike and then to a glacier. The 3rd day was to the Torre des PainesNational Park. It was just rated as one of the six best np in the world outside the US. A scenic 21/2 hour drive brought us to Punta Arenas and its 9,000 penguin colony. All the guides were good. Even the taxi driver to PA, Jose, was informative. The 3 hour flight back to Santiago that ended our voyage was over the the heart of the rugged Andes.
We selected economy lodging. They were all clean and relatively small without big crowds. The owner were usually there.
We learned much about Chile. We actually prefer them to large impersonal hotels.
I would highly recommend Chile with Angel as a trip adviser.

Hotel Review

Hotel Alma Sur

Punta Arenas

Small place with comfortable rooms and good breakfast.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Convenience to city

Activity Reviews

Torres del Paine National Park - Private Panoramic Tour

Chile

Unfortunately the peaks were in the fog-still scenic

Quality of Experience

The colored lakes

Food

Box lunch of mediocre qualuty

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Private Tour - Estancia Visit or Grey Lake Navigation.

Chile

Beautiful catamaran ride. Horseback ride and lamb bbq. Founded in 1892z

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

The trip there & horseback ride

Transport

This was part of the same trip reviewed above. It was excellent - again Rachel's help was invaluable, she was always available to answer our questions. Our guide at the Amazon Tupana Lodge Dio was outstanding. A highly recommended trip