Kimkim Trip Reviews

We used KimKim for a trip to Portugal. They were amazing!

The process for planning our was simple but comprehensive. We were able to give some guidelines re what type of trip and cities we wanted to see and Pedro at Across Portugal build an itinerary for us. We were able to change things around to end up with the perfect trip!

Pedro and his team were top shelf. They made our trip so enjoyable and personal. Pedro knows Portugal and knows the travel business. His expertise really showed in creating our vacation. I can’t say enough great things about Pedro and Across Portugal.

Ray & Sue

Kim Kim did a great job at organizing our 15 day trip to Egypt. 1st of all the people , culture, food and sights are wonderful. While I know using a travel agent usually cost a little bit more, it was well, well worth it. My husband and I usually like to go to any location for at least 2 weeks or more and try to pack in as much as possible. Kim-Kim and their Egyptian team was able to lay out a great final literary after several versions to get to what we wanted. We had a heavily pack literary, and Kim-Kim travel and their Egyptian team ( Ibrahim, Mahmoud Hashim and so many more) made it happen smoothly with no worries. When I think of it, to do it on our own would have been a logistical nightmare.
We captured all the great sights in and around Cairo, a day in Alexandria, 2 days, and a night in the White Desert (A MUST DO!!). Our Guide in the North was Khaled Roshgy and he was wonderful, very well informed, energetic and enthusiastic to show us all the sights. We then flew south to visit all the sights in Aswan and took a Dahabiya sailing boat trip down the Nile to Luxor to take in everything it had to offer. The sailing trip included 4-5 stops at ancient sites that many of the motorized boats don't have access too. Our southern guide was Mohamad Helmy and he too was a fantastic guide who was very informative at every level. He made us feel so welcomed and was not only very informative of all the sites, but also Egyptian everyday life past and present. I would highly recommend the Dahabiya sailing over the motorized boats. The Food and Crew of the Maya was fantastic! We then moved on to Hurghada for some diving and some beach relaxation at the Sheraton Soma Bay. (Great Hotel and team providing great service )

Felipe was excellent from start to finish. My family and I had a wonderful trip to Columbia. Felipe was so helpful in putting together a trip that made all of us with different needs and desires happy. The hotels were steller, the guides lovely and knowledgable. We loved the drumming workshop in Cartegena - a real highlight. We needed to change directions on our trip several times as I had an injured leg. Felipe arranged for me to have an appointment with a physician and had medication delivered to my hotel. Also, when my daughter got a bad cold, he sent supplies and checked in daily. I always felt there was someone there if I needed anything at all - from something small to larger requests. This was the first time I used an agency to plan a trip. I researched many companies. This one was the only one willing to do as much or as little as I wanted and was not pushy about having us do more touring than we like.

Columbia is a beautiful place to visit. The people were kind and helpful. I learned so much about the history, and culture, and got to spend time in both cities and nature. I would love to go back. A shout-out to Margoth and everyone who helped make our trip easy and fantastic.

Hotel Reviews

Senda Watapuy

Santa Marta

A wonderful magical place in the middle of nature. The rooms were large and private and the property was well taken care of. The pool was lovely. My only wish is that they had more umbrellas or created shady pots around the pool. The sun is quite intense and there needs to be a way to stay outside by the pool without getting burned. Other than that, it was a great place to stay and I would not hesitate to go back.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Patio del Mundo

Medellín

A lovely, quiet retreat in the middle of the city. Beautiful house with magical outdoor space. Lovely service and care.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Casa San Agustín

Cartagena de Indias

A beautiful hotel with a staff that is kind and attentive. The rooms are lovely, the courtyard magical, and the food delicious. There was nothing the staff would not do to make you feel comfortable. It was a quiet retreat in the middle of a bustling city. Once inside, you were transported to serenity.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Review

Drums and Music Workshop

Cartagena

All I can say is go..... Support these amazing musicians, dancers, and artists. I loved the workshop, playing the drum, and dancing with the dancers. They were exceptional, and it is a great way to support their school. A highlight of my trip.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Lorena was very wonderful. Lorena responded quickly and accurately. She always kept us in the loop and was extremely accommodating when changes came up. It was a very easy, no stress process. We had a pretty logistical heavy trip and Lorena was great. We will be using Kim Kim again.

Arsenal manoa was exceptional! Great food great atmosphere!all the staff were excellent the guides for trips were all outstanding : Franklin for the waterfall: Justin for the coffee chocolate tour, Winston for arenas
Volcano and Warner for kayaking and snorkeling. It was an excellent trip the transportation was great as well

Hotel Reviews

Espadilla Gardens Hotel

Manuel Antonio

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Monteverde Country Lodge

Monteverde

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Arenal Manoa & Hot Springs

Fortuna

Authenticity & Character

The grounds the hot springs

Location

Town transport

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Ocean Kayaking & Snorkeling

Manuel Antonio

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Guided Hanging Bridges Walk

Monteverde

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Arenal 1968 Hike & Visit to Ecotermales Hot Springs

Arenal/La Fortuna

Quality of Experience

Food

Not food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Hike to La Fortuna Waterfall

Arenal/La Fortuna

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Coffee & Chocolate Tour

Arenal/La Fortuna

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

I gave this Five Stars. It could have been 10 Stars. First, I had a great experience with lining up a trip that suited MY needs. The service was patient with me, always adapting to what I wanted to do and never pushing me.

Second, once I arrived in Colombia, David (tour coordinator) kept in constant contact with me. this was most appreciated.

And finally, I had a real Passport problem that necessitated a major change in my itinerary. this could have been a real issue. But David got right on it and things were worked out and I went right on with my tour.

I would highly recommend KimKim to anyone. Very professional.

My daughter and I decided to visit Brazil in January. I heard about Kimkim from my neighbor and decided to use them. Being two women traveling by ourselves it seemed like an ideal choice. After answering some questions on a very user friendly website we were put in touch with Daria our trip designer. I cannot say enough good things about her. She gave great recommendations to visit 3 places in Brazil and use our 7 days/6 nights wisely. Every detail including pick ups and drops off to airports were planned and we felt very safe and all transfers went very smoothly. We visited Rio de Janeiro first where over 2 days we saw all the important sights leisurely in private tours where only my daughter and I were with the tour guide. The tour guides picked us up at the hotel, took us through leisurely to visit the right amount of sites for half a day leaving us half a day to explore on our own. Rio was beautiful, the liveliness of Copacabana, the majestic views of Christ the Redeemer, the Birds Eye views from Sugar loaf, the artistic Selaron steps and quaint district of St Theresa were all awesome. From there we boarded a flight to Iguazu to see the majestic Iguazu Falls. The falls go as far as the eye can see. We took a boat tour recommended by Daria which takes you right under the Falls. It was exhilarating! We had time to see the Falls from the Brazilian and Argentinian sides. After that we flew to Rio and directly had a taxi take us to Paraty, a village settled by Portuguese in 1600s and it has the original cobblestone streets. This was a recommendation by Daria because I wanted to see a colonial town. It is situated beautifully with the bay on one side and the forest on the other. We enjoyed the walking tour of the serene village in the morning and the bustling streets in the evening. We took a boat out to the bay and the captain stopped at various islands for us to snorkel, sunbathe, lunch! It was a big highlight of our entire trip. I’m so glad Daria suggested this village as it’s not on a traditional itinerary. The food and drinks and the people were also wonderful! Daria and kimkim get 5 stars and more if we could do that!

Hotel Reviews

Pousada Porto Imperial

Paraty

Beautiful quaint, historic, clean and comfortable hotel!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Wyndham Foz do Iguaçu

Foz do Iguacu

We had a comfortable stay at the hotel. Food, staff and location were great for our visit to the Falls.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Arena Leme Hotel

Rio de Janeiro

Beautifully located on the quiet part of Copacabana! Wonderful food, beds and showers. We had a great stay.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Right by Copacabana

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Jeep Tour Regular

Paraty

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Private Boat Tour around Paraty Bay

Paraty

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Walking Tour of Paraty

Paraty

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Sugarloaf, Santa Teresa and old Rio

Rio de Janeiro

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Argentinian Side Falls Tour regular

Foz do Iguaçu

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Christ the Redeemer & city tour private tour

Rio de Janeiro

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Brazilian Side Falls Tour regular

Foz do Iguaçu

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Gran Aventura

Foz do Iguaçu

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

I found it confusing before the trip commenced because you had my name mixed up with Earl our trip organizer. I did not get all of the emails and had trouble paying the balance of my trip.

I did look me the organization of the actual trip. The hotels, transportation , food and guides were first rate. Was surprised, however, when the bicycling was suddenly dropped and switched out for a cave and a palace without explanation.
I am not certain who decided to suggest a week containing a three day weekend national holiday . The first day at the butterfly refuge (Sunday) was totally overrun. Luckily we had added a second day at another refuge which was MUCH less crowded and saved the experience.

The whole experience was wonder and perfectly planned. Not a single issue for the entry week of multiple excursions, shuttles, and hotel. Great recommendations on hotel and excursions. We looked it. Thanks Yuliana

Trip was overbooked and very exhausting. Communication was lacking. Most of our trip was spent in airports. No accountability taken

Deb provided one of the most amazing and well planned itineraries we have ever experienced. She took care of everything down to the minor details. She truly made Southern Africa a trip of a lifetime. We will be back again traveling with Deb!

Emi was wonderful. We changed our itinerary so many times. We had to cancel one year and rebook the next. We started out with a completely different itinerary than we ended up with. The entire time, Emi kept up to pace and planned accordingly. Our trip was mostly seamless and wonderful. Thank you Emi

Activity Reviews

Trekking to Emerald Lagoon 🚶‍♀️🏕️

Ushuaia

Beautiful but didn't really feel like I needed a guide for this trip. Would have enjoyed a ride

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

The Best of Argentina Culinary Experience

Buenos Aires

This was so much fun! We had a blast and got to experience all sorts of culturally relevant activities

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

I was initially set up with a specialist who wasn't listening to my preferences and became increasingly more difficult to communicate with. Once I voiced my concerns though, I was matched with Sabina who was such a pleasure to work with! She was always quick to respond, worked with me on a good balance between budget and activities, and made my trip such an incredible experience. I'd love to work with her in the future when I go back to visit New Zealand and Australia!

Everything was so amazing. The tours and the hotel just perfect. Everything was easy and well taken care of. Anytime I had a question it was responded to.

They were simply amazing. What a great trip

We have only amazing things to say about our experience with Alisha and the trip she planned for us. We first started planning our honeymoon by ourselves and quickly got overwhelmed by planning a 3 week trip to the south or southeast pacific having no experience in the region. We reached out to KimKim and Alisha had an incredible 3 week itinerary across Java, Bali, and the Komodo Islands to us in a week or less. She was super responsive to our requests for changes or alternatives and came up with so many wonderful options. To put the icing on Alisha and KimKim's cake, they were able to rebook our entire trip for two weeks later after me and my new wife contracted COVID after our wedding.

We ended up with the most magical trip including exploring millennia-old temples, climbing a volcano, snorkeling some of the most incredible reefs we've ever seen, surfing a few outstanding breaks, exploring some amazing waterfalls, racing buggies through the jungle, cooking authentic Indonesian food, and cruising an island archipelago to see Komodo dragons. They hit some of the popular highlights but also found some fantastic lesser-known and less crowded places for us to really soak in the local scenery, food, and culture. At every place they had us staying at the most incredible hotels and it all cost less than expected, even with KimKim's service charges. They even arranged for drivers for us throughout the trip across three different islands and English-speaking guides where it counted.

Especially for a honeymoon, KimKim was worth the money and so much more. If you're questioning whether or not KimKim is worth it, don't. IT IS!

Hotel Reviews

Private cruise trip in Komodo National Park

Labuan Bajo, Indonesia

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Biu Biu Resort

Jimbaran

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Nadira Bali Resort & Villa

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Puri Dajuma Beach Eco-Resort & Spa - CHSE Certified

Pekutatan

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Haunted Valley Waterfall Expedition

Munduk, Bali

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Experience Balinese Cooking Class

Indonesia

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Experience Snorkeling in Menjangan

Pemuteran, Bali

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

The end result from kimkim was outstanding. Only glip was all the email confusion for payment etc, as we had 3 couples and 3 individuals, which was confusing on every end. But in the end...we received everything as promised and more. Thank you for being flexible with the number of rooms needed, etc. The Hotels in Mexico City were exceptional. Our driver, Guillermo, was extremely exceptional. We paid for his room, so he could stay with of nearby the monarchs, as he was our translator and expert in all things local. Worth every peso. Our guide, Jesus, was wonderful with exceptional English. Visiting the Monarch Sanctuary in the early morning was the perfect decision. We beat the crowds, making it a wonderful, quiet experience. I will recommend Leslie and Ximena.

Hotel Reviews

Santa Josefita Bed & Breakfast

Cholula

Wonderful staff, setting and rooms. Thank you.

Authenticity & Character

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Rancho Cumbre Monarca

We loved its authenticity, staff and character. Only drawback, was not knowing in advance they do not take credit cards. This was a problem when we all needed to pay our room bills for dinners, drinks etc. I would advise visitors to BRING CASH.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Zócalo Central

Mexico City

Exceptional in value and service.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Visit a Monarch Butterflies Reserve - El Rosario y Sierra Chincua

Mexico

The best. The best because we arrived at park opening, and nearly the first ones up the mountain, via horse. It was a quiet, almost5 spiritual experience. I am sure it was not later in the day as more holiday tourists arrived. I highly recommend Jesus the guide.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Biking in Teotihuacán "The City of the Gods" & Overnight in Cholula

Mexico

We did not do the biking. It, strangely, never was offered. However, we got a wonderful guide and tour and was a great day. Teotihuacan is amazing and a must for anyone visiting Mexico.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

We had a really excellent experience! Some activities that we planned ended up being closed due to the off-season, but the rest of our itinerary was really easy to plan and then the activities were extremely enjoyable. Great recommendations on hotels. The only complaint is that some changes were tricky to process once we got there. We would recommend for others, especially on your first trip to a new city. Yuriy was excellent to work with and very knowledgeable.

Jess organised our 9 days in Bolivia and Atacama which included a 4 day excursion to the Uyuni Salt Flats. Nothing was too much trouble and she kept in touch throughout. Very professional and I will definitely use her services again next time I need help tailoring an individual trip in South America

We had wonderful guides and experiences on the Greek mainland, Santorini, and Crete. It was wonderful to not have to drive or worry about transportation and each of our guides was knowledgeable about their areas and took us to places we would have never found on our own. Highlights for us were Crete and Meteora. Had some marvelous food and wine all over Greece. Babbis(mainland) Lazurus (Santorini), and Yiannis (Crete) were all just fantastic guides and hosts. We loved everything we saw, but do wish we had a little more downtime at the end of our trip. That was our fault, not the guides. Our first hotel in Athens, The Foundry and Hotel Azade were especially standouts with amazing views and comfortable spaces.

Hotel Reviews

Ippoliti Hotel

Nafplio

Authenticity & Character

Cute balcony and a nice view.

Location

Easy walk to everything.

Staff

Tried to put us in a lesser room than we booked way back in August. The first room you had to crawl over the bed to the bathroom. We were there for 4 days, so that was unacceptable.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Once we were moved to the proper room, it was quite comfortable. The laundry service was quick and efficient.

Domus Renier Boutique Hotel

Chania, Crete

We stayed at Hotel Azade - not this hotel and it was by far our favorite of the trip. https://azade-chania.com/

Domotel Anemolia Mountain Resort

Arachova

Hotel was off the beaten track and quite a walk to the town for meals etc, especially when it was dark as there was no sidewalk and the road was pretty windy. Not a good combo for pedestrians. We were lucky to have a guide willing to come get us. Since it was off-season, there was no transportation, no restaurant service, and no laundry services provided. It would have been good to know these things prior to checking in. The room was adorable and the fireplace was fun to have.

Authenticity & Character

Precious chalet room with a fireplace, peaked ceiling, and mountain views.

Location

The road to town is a bit dicey without transportation. It is not that far, but they need to offer transport to town.

Staff

They were accommodating when they could be. It snowed in the mountains the weekend we were there, so it would have been nice for more services to be offered as they did have quite a few guests.

Cleanliness & Comfort

The room was very clean and the view was excellent.

The Foundry Suites

Athens

Absolutely marvelous. Unique space with a wonderful rooftop garden.

Authenticity & Character

Cool industrial vibe with modern amenities.

Location

Easy walk to all sites and action.

Staff

So helpful and friendly throughout our stay

Cleanliness & Comfort

We stayed in Suite D1 and it was comfy and well-equipped

Activity Reviews

Cretan Villages Adventure

Greece

We actually ended up taking 2 tours to the mountains. They were both glorious, We ate in small family restaurants, learned a lot of history and about life in some of the more remote areas in Crete.

Quality of Experience

These were some unexpected favorite days.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Yiannis took the time to help me find a beautiful spot to spread some of my parent's ashes and always had fun with us.

Transport

Perfectly comfy on some winding roads

Drive Nafplio - Ancient Olympia

Nafplio

Meteora Exploration Meteora Monasteries

Greece

This is a bucket list item for sure. You just can't believe these monasteries were build in this way

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Babbis knew where to stop for some beautiful photos and how to take some paths to the monasteries to view wonderful nature trails

Transport

Drive Nafplio - Mycenae & Epidaurus

Nafplio

What a spectacular site.

Athens - Private Cape Sounion & the Temple of Poseidon Sunset Tour

Athens

Beautiful drive from Athens. The sunset views are spectacular.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

George was informative and fun. It is obvious he likes what he does.

Transport

Informative guide and comfortable vehicle

Athens - Acropolis at Sunset & Plaka neighborhood | Private tour with an archaeologist/guide

Athens

We had been to the Acropolis before, but not with a guide. It was wonderful to have his insight. Be ready for quite a climb and if you cannot do stairs, be sure to bring proof of disabiltiy

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Drive - Ancient Corinth & Nafplio

Greece

Corinth was really interesting as was the waterway.

Quality of Experience

Go off-season. NO fighting buses and you can take your time and enjoy

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Babbis took time to make sure we had plenty of information before we entered the sites.

Transport

Nafplio - Wine Tasting in Nemea Region

Greece

Went to 2 lovely wineries - both very different. The wines were fun to taste and the history of each was interesting.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Babbis was the best and both wineries' staff were knowledgeable.

Transport

Babbis got us there and back safely.