Kimkim Trip Reviews

Our trip to Iceland was phenomenal! Emanuela designed a fantastic itinerary that allowed us to make the most of our 5 days. From our first glimpse of the spectacular waterfalls at Seljalandsfoss, every stop she planned revealed amazing wonders! The glacier lagoon was a highlight for us all! We loved dinner at Lava at the Blue Lagoon and lunch at Fridheimer. They were both delicious!

Emanuela was so helpful not only in planning, but to support us during our travels! She provided a number and was easily reachable during our trip to help with anything we needed. She rearranged dinner and lunch reservations when our schedule changed and was very responsive to all our questions.

I highly recommend a trip to Iceland with Emanuela’s help!! We can’t wait to go back!

All of our guides were incredible, most notably our driver, Faisal, who was an absolute joy to be with for the week. Not only was he always on time and incredibly flexible when we were not on time, but he was so much fun to ride with, including great music. He quickly picked up on our travel style and interests and was able to cater our trip well to what we enjoyed most. He went above and beyond time and time again, even looking for more camel milk for us in his free time. We are definitely looking forward to coming back as soon as possible and will absolutely recommend this trip to our friends and family.

Emanuela did a great job setting up our trip to Iceland for us. She asked lots of questions about our interests and was extremely responsive to our questions and requests. She came up with an itinerary that fit perfectly with our preferences, needs and desires and exceeded our expectations. We chose KimKim to book our trip because Emanuela customized our trip for us when most other travel companies simply offered “canned” itineraries with little opportunity for questions or changes. Our trip was fantastic. Every accommodation and activity was arranged exactly as planned. Emanuela suggested great restaurants, tours and off the wall coffee shops and local bakeries that we would never have found on our own. We loved Iceland and Emanuela definitely helped make our experience as great as it was. Thank you Emanuela!

Where do I begin?
My wife and I have never been to Africa and we decided to start in Morocco. From inception we knew this would be an amazing trip. Abdellah did a great job coordinating the perfect trip and was extremely responsive and listened/executed on what we requested.

We landed in Casablanca on Friday Nov 5th, 2021 with plans on hitting up Chefchaouen (Blue City), Fes, Merzouga (Sahara Desert), Boumalne Dades (1,000 Kasbahs), Marrakech and Casablanca. We covered more than 2,000 kilometers in 9 days and wrapped up on Sunday Nov 14th.

Immediately when we arrived we were greeted with a kind smile from our guide and now good friend Karim. This trip couldn’t have been so great without Karim. His knowledge, love for his culture, country and people was very clear and he took us on this journey that would ultimately change both my wife and I forever.

Karim was always there for us and treated us like his family. He shared details about his family and how he grew up in the Atlas Mountains. His work ethic was also pretty incredible and admirable. He always made sure that we were comfortable and that if we ever needed something he would go out of his way to make sure we were pleased (like my wife wanting to pet every cat, lamb, sheep and donkey in Morocco:)).

As the days past we became closer and closer to Karim. He went from guide to host and good friend quickly. This journey with Karim was unique because we were able to experience sipping mint tea with the Amazigh in the Mid-Atlas Mountains, feeding monkeys in the Atlas Mountains, having the best fresh kofta in small villages as we traveled throughout Morocco, relaxing and enjoying a fabulous Moroccan dinner with a true local family, to staring at the stars in the Sahara Desert while a fire kept us warm at night.

I would also like to add that the local guides in each city were amazing as well. Many thanks to Ahmed in Tiziri Camp (Sahara Desert) for being such a great host and for the great Tuareg music around the fire pit, Hassan in Marrakech for giving us so much knowledge about the region and it’s history, Hafid in Fes for his passion about Morocco’s culture and medinas, and Majid in Volubilis for giving us such a detailed description of the Roman ruins and the Roman influence in that part of the country.

For those of you looking at this I would HIGHLY recommend working with this company and amazing group of people, especially Karim our dear friend. One day both my wife and I plan on returning to this beautiful country and it’s people, inshallah!!

Marcello (NYC)

Sam and his team did a wonderful job from start to finish. They were able to understand what we were looking for in our trip and did everything possible to accommodate us. Communication was clear, thoughtful and timely throughout the process. The guides he found to show us around the Costa Brava and Barcelona were awesome! During the trip itself, Sam's team made us feel taken care of and looked after. Each activity from kayaking to museum tours was amazing!

I would highly recommend using Sam. He brings the exactly what you are looking for to plan your next trip!

Where to even begin! First, I believe Margoth deserves a lot of credit for her resilience in assuring me a safe and very special experience for my first ever international trip outside of the US! Having never even left the country before, I always had major doubts in myself, but something in my gut told me to go with this..
I didn’t want to do anything really typical. I didn’t want the all-inclusive resorts with lots of other US tourists. I wanted to be plummeted into another culture and embraced by love and beauty and freedom. And what better way to spend than on my birthday, 11/11, which also happened to be Independence Day for the beautiful Cartagena. We danced and celebrated in the streets, I felt at home and very embraced.
I took a chance on a country everyone often questions.. as a solo FEMALE traveler, for the first time in my life. And i loved EVERY SINGLE MINUTE OF IT.
From Margoth, Felipe and the rest of the Aracanto team, to Manuel, my tour guide.. Martin, my driver. The infectious Carolina at Oh La La Bistrot! The hotel staff and my lovely Island Boys at Rosario, to the locals ON Rosario Island i met during my Mangrove tour, to the local Cartagena vendors who I’ve been texting on Whatsapp every day because I’ve genuinely made deep connections with several of them. And on my own, even! The Hotel Sophia team who basically treated me like a princess all week. Christina and Juan, and the bartenders at the Arsenal Rum Box who introduced me to all the Colombian rum. To Dyllan, my super handsome salsa guru.. to all the staff and servers at all the restaurants (and my goodness, i never changed a single recommendation for dinner because y’all made some very impressive reservations!!)
I could not have done this without the help and extra push from Margoth and Aracanto Travel! They have really set the tone for me and i have already intrigued so many of my friends here in the states.
Many conversations i had ended up being about me traveling there alone and for my first international adventure, leaving many locals shocked, yet impressed with my choice… and continuously thanking me for trusting their home enough to come see it for myself.
I spent all my money on locally-made items, I had no reservations against supporting the bracelet/gift vendors because they took such good care of me all week! Like i said, I’ve left with many local friends!

The first night, I spent with a group from Medellin who were heading home after a fun weekend together in Cartagena. However, after an hour at Cafe Del Mar sunset with them, we decided it was imperative that i come back and make Medellin a necessary stop!
On my last morning, a street bracelet vendor who actually ended up taking me on a casual walking tour of the entire walled city the day before, stopped by my hotel just to give me a gift he made… simply because i let him take me on a tour and trusted him every step of the way.
I fell in love with myself AND Cartagena. I plan to be back before you know it…
I would recommend KimKim for anyone who needs help with traveling; especially solo travelers! And definitely plan to be an advocate, specifically for Colombia, as I hope the positive image of this beautiful country can replace anyone’s initial doubts about experiencing it. Aracanto team is FIVE STAR!!!

Until we meet again…¡ muy bacano!

Carly M

The trip overall was good but not the greatest. There were so many things we missed doing and other things that we struggled with. To start with, the hotels we were booked at were not what you would expect out of a vacation. Our first hotel had cold water and was smelly in an awful way. Our last hotel was good but the water was cold and salty. I ended up being itchy and my legs had a ton of rashes I am curing until now. Additionally, we were not told about the fees we need to pay to our second hotel. We were not advised of the ATV tours, zip lines, horseback riding, Xcart or the major shopping centers in cancun which we had to extend our holidays for. We have asked for adventure but ended up in Tulum with nothing to do there. We were booked with a local tour guide in Coba who talked non stop about history in extremely hot weather instead of actually doing sth we enjoy. In our 2nd hotel, we missed out on having breakfast because the trip plan timings were incorrect.

On.our 5th day we were told by locals about all the things we are missing out on. which we had to extend our stay for an additional 2 days and pay extra money on activities we actually enjoy.

Off to the good, we loved the snorkeling activity in Puerto morales and the night life and beach walks in Playa de Carmen. They were amazing. The breakfast in the first and last hotel was amazing. We loved it. We loved the gesture in the last hotel when the company offered us a cake and flowers

Overall, we enjoyed it, but after being to and knowing Mexico, we deeply believe the plan could have been way better than this.

I highly recommend Kim Kim and specifically Jessica with “Storywalking”. We are a well traveled couple and will definitely use this agency again. Jessica helped us navigate the COVID requirements and kept in touch with us the whole time. She even filled out a form for us that we couldn’t figure out.
All hotel and car rental arrangements went smoothly and we were very pleased with everything. She made great suggestions as we went along our journey. She was not intrusive (which we liked) but offered just enough help at make everything very nice.

Hotel Review

Hotel Centro Florence

Florence

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Review

Big Bus Rome: Hop-On, Hop-Off Bus - Ticket 48h

Rome

Quality of Experience

Hard to findb

Adriana created such a memorable 2 week anniversary trip for us and will definitely use Kim Kim again for touring countries. The Costa Rican hospitality is so special, the genuineness of the people made all the difference at every place we stayed. We went from coast to coast experiencing such different environments and wonderful adventures. We decided to not rent a car ourselves and splurge on private transfers between the towns and we are so glad we did. It was a very surprisingly special part of the trip meeting so many more lovely people and made it zero stress. The boat transfer across Lake Arenal was like adding another adventure plus it cut an hour driving time! I was surprised by the quality of the guides we had at every location. The guides at Mawamba Lodge were incredible with their knowledge base of botany and zoology, Piedro took us on an unforgettable night hike. I was really hoping to see a sloth on the trip in their natural environment and we saw several in each location with the help from our guides from Mawamba, La Fortuna, and Monteverde. Really made my trip! We have had many discussions about our 'favorites' but it was too hard, it was that great of a trip - each place was so unique and special in different ways! My husband would say the top of the trip was the side striped pit viper in the cloud forest of Monteverde, that was exhilarating! Our guide was incredible at spotting such a variety of creatures after dark! Mine was one of our guides in La Fortuna pulling over on the side of the road as he spotted a sloth climbing in a tree, he got me some amazing pictures with the help of his binoculars up to my phone! Each place Adriana planned for us was so special and we loved ending at Jardin del Eden Hotel in Tamarindo, it was perfect for us. Small and intimate, just an amazing place to truly exhale and I came home just a noodle of relaxation! Looking forward to using Kim Kim again, they really catered the vacation to us and what we wanted and the result was a life lister vacation for sure! Thank you for the unforgettable experience!

Hotel Review

Jardín del Edén Boutique Hotel - Adults Only

Tamarindo

We loved the smaller more personal experience. Staff knew our names and were really attentive. The dining area was gorgeous and the food was really good. The day beds were awesome at the pool and the beach and never had an issue getting a great spot. The outdoor hot stone spa massage was excellent.

Tips for future travelers

I wish I booked less activities and spent more time enjoying their beautiful grounds.

Authenticity & Character

The grounds around the pool were gorgeous with iguanas enjoying the paradise.

Location

I loved being in a secluded area away from the noise but a short walk to the noisier beach area. I thought the beach access was perfect that way.

Staff

They were attentive at all meals, pool drinks, etc. Most made the effort to learn guests names and make it more personal.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Super clean.

Activity Review

Coffee & Chocolate Tour

Costa Rica

We got an amazing guide that really made me appreciate the care and work that goes into making great beans. I was not a coffee drinker but am now! It was like going wine tasting. It was fantastic!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Great job in communication, responsiveness, and personalization! Highly recommend!

KimKim saved the day and helped make a last minute anniversary trip a dream. I usually like to do all my own booking with tons of time spent on reviews etc. but I just didn't have the time (or patience) for it this time. Our local expert Rebecca was amazing, she took my direction and delivered a trip that fit our normal traveling preferences. Was super easy, responsive and provided amazing service while we were on the trip. I have recommended KimKim to a ton of friends and colleagues and will be using again! Thank you for simplifying the planning process while making it a personalized trip.

Ingrid was very responsive to all of our questions and concerns before and during our trip. We had a great time!

We loved our trip to Brasil, we enjoyed a different kind of Brasil, the Atlantic forests, the colonial villages, nature world patrimony at its best, away from the crowds.
And all the experience was enhanced by great guides, great choices.
Loved Paraty, the trekking we made with Rocco Belleti, the best guide we could ever had, and also the Boat ride with "Peixe" with a fresh fish meal aboard. Loved our free day witch Rocco that took us in a beautiful boat ride in "Saco de Mamangua", with a great trekking in the "manguezal", and a beautiful fish lunch in the surroundings.
We also loved "Ilha Grande", paradise on earth, charming boutique hotel, we had a great day with Carlos, that guided us through the best 10km of treckking ever, till we get to the wonderful "Lopes Mendes" beach. The next day boat trip around the island was also very good. Not only Carlos chose a very good travel agency but also gave us some precious tips for that day.
At last Rio de Janeiro, we had less time, but Lucas did its best to provide us with a broad view of the way of life and best spots of Rio.

We had an amazing time in Portugal!  Marina was wonderful; we absolutely could not have planned this trip without her help. While we were in Portugal, the support we received from Karin was also so helpful.  I will definitely use KimKimin in the future.

Some of the highlights included: 
-Porto was a favorite! Thanks to Nelson, the day trip to Duoro Valley was one of the best activities/days that we had on our trip. Nelson went above and beyond to ensure we enjoyed the day, learned more about Portuguese history and culture, and saw sights we may have missed otherwise.  I honestly cannot say enough good things about Nelson; he was absolutely wonderful.  

-Also the tour of Porto with Sara was great.  Sara did a great job taking us to some unique points in the city.  Additionally, she assisted us with restaurants and other recommendations in the city.  Sara is really lovely.  

-The day trip to Sintra was also a fantastic experience.  Sintra is magical and Marta was wonderful.-The Lisbon walking tour was also very good.  This tour helped us understand so much about the history of Portugal as well as see a lot of the city.  Our tour guide Filipa had a great personalityand kept the tour interesting. 

-Lagos is absolutely beautiful!  While we enjoyed the Catamaran, we really enjoyed the Sunset experience with Pedro.  This activity allowed us to see the surrounding areas outside of Lagos and understand just how much more there is to see and do in the Algarve region.  Pedro really did a great job; he was very personable and made the whole experience really fun.

Other:
-It would be good to mention that flat shoes are required for pretty much all of the streets in Portugal. :)
-The Tivoli hotel in Lagos did not meet expectations.  While the rooms were clean, the service and the breakfast were lacking.  For example, every time we went to get towels for the pool, the front desk did not have any available. This is not a hotel I would stay at in the future. 

Thank you Patricia and team! You planned an ideal first visit to Spain for us. You made sure that we saw the most important highlights of Madrid, Seville, and Barcelona, but also included really authentic 'non touristy' excursions. The private tours you arranged were wonderful. All of our guides were knowledgeable and really made an effort to customize our experience. Highlights included Carmen's extensive knowledge of history and politics related to the sites we saw in Madrid. In Seville, Aldara's tour of Triana, the flamenco show, and the traditional tapas at a local bar was fantastic. She is truly an absolute joy! In Barcelona, we enjoyed seeing sites with Elena and loved our day trip with Mariana to visit two local wineries. All of the hotels were conveniently located and our transfers were on time and the drivers were extremely professional. Patricia checked in frequently to ensure things were going smoothly and adjusted our dinner reservations to accommodate our last minute needs. She even booked our PCR tests so that we would have no issues with getting our results before returning to the US. Patricia's service was EXCELLENT from the first inquiry to our flight home. We highly recommend her! We loved Spain more than we ever thought we would and we know it was due to Patricia's careful planning and her knowledge of the best things to see and do.

Although we have traveled extensively, I felt that Morocco was a destination that would require a driver and guidance from local experts. When I discovered Abdellah and Original Travels on KimKim, it seemed clear that he was more than qualified to plan our trip. I just turned it over to him, and set very few parameters. We wanted to be immersed in local culture, to understand the people and their rich history, the way of life past and present. Abdellah was happy to suggest an itinerary, to help us navigate through Covid challenges in the fall of 2021, and to lay out a detailed trip plan. He was very responsive at every step. When we finally arrived in Casablanca and found that some of our luggage was still in LA, he stepped in and navigated the process of getting it delivered to another airport close to our next destination. For the next 2 weeks we were blessed to have Karim as our driver, our guide, and our friend. Karim was attentive, understanding, and patient with us every step of the way. We were intensely curious about Karim's background as he was raised with a nomadic family in the Atlas mountains. He openly shared his life, his family, and his goals with us, and took us to see people and places we would have never discovered on our own. After two weeks in Morocco, we felt sad to leave Karim, our new friend. We could not have hoped for a better experience in this country so rich in history and tradition. I cannot emphasize enough that you will be in great hands if you turn over your trip planning to Abdellah and Karim. They are absolutely the best. We will be forever grateful to them for sharing their country with us.

Sam was a dream to work with when planning my trip of a lifetime to Spain! I was able to provide Sam with my goals and interests, and he tailor-made the perfect trip for me. It was packed with traditional Spanish culture, art, food and drinks. I was able to see the vast landscape that Spain offers through adventure filled day trips. Every details was taken into consideration. The accommodations, drivers, tour guides, and food was phenomenal! While I was in Spain, Fran was always a text away if I had a question or just need a recommendation on a place to visit! They truly are the dream team! I can't wait to someday share the special country with my family. I will be sure to use kimkim in the future! I could not recommend them enough.

A perfect 19days tour of Ecuador. Many thanks to Isabel for her patience and help in the organization of the trip.
Our excellent guide Cristobal Cabezas had a lot of experience and knew all the perfect places to spot birds. He made this trip unforgettable. He was sympathetic, polite and very patient while we were taking pictures, a pleasant companion and good driver, sharing a lot of information about the history, politics and people of Ecuador.

Ecuador is a save country and Covid proof. Nature is very diverse and untouched.

Hotel Reviews

Hosteria PapaGayo

Machachi

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Waita Lodge

n/a

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hosteria Pampallacta

Papallacta

Authenticity & Character

Lo

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

El Edén Treehouse

Mindo

Authenticity & Character

Lo

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Casa Hotel Baquedano

Quito

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Review

Birdwatching and time at leisure in Mindo

Mindo

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

We couldn’t be happier with our kimkim experience. Im not easily impressed and I don’t write gushing reviews often, but this one had to be written. We would use kimkim again for any kind of trip in a heartbeat! Our maiden two-week trip through Croatia for our 25th anniversary was exactly what we imagined and was curated perfectly by the local travel team arranged through kimkim. Our local contact Sarah was so responsive and easy to work with throughout the experience from the planning phase, and throughout the trip if needed. The process was seamless from beginning to end. I didn’t lift a finger or waste time on research. (Except a few special restaurants that they helped us get reservations with) We simply told them our budget and what we had in mind and they crafted a beautiful trip with fantastic local guides, friendly drivers, fabulous hotels, and special experiences both on and off the beaten path that matched our interests. The trip had just the right balance of everything that we were looking for. We are experienced travelers who have tried many kinds of travel from doing it ourselves to luxury tour companies and kimkim beats everything we’ve tried! We’d give kimkim six stars if we could! Can’t wait to plan our next trip with kimkim.

Don’t even hesitate.

Our first trip to Spain and second time using Kimkim and their local experts. Patricia did an excellent job sorting out our requests and building a perfect trip. Connections, shuttles, and guides all fit our plans very well. All the recommendations were spot on, Costa Brava, Girona, Llfranc, Barcelona, Seville, Ronda, Gibraltar and Granada all set for us to enjoy and not worry about details. The ability to contact someone in country and that knows the area is invaluable, we had a few last minute requests and Patricia always came through. I could go on and on but the real review is that we will be returning to Spin and will be using kimkim and Patricia @yourtriptospainandportugal again. Thank you.