Kimkim Trip Reviews

Our 3 guides, Layla, Dennis and Yoyo were phenomenal, they looked after us and helped us even with things that they shouldnt have helped us with, we had a great time and would definitely book with kimkim again now that i have the experience

Appreciate Francesca’s patience with helping me plan my trip, and her diligence in getting money back for me which the local tour overcharged for.
The experiences were amazing, once in a lifetime journeys. The suggested tours proved good overall. I preferred my time with WonderLapland on the northern lights trek. The ice floating was so funny though would have preferred visiting during the day rather than not being able to see much at night.
More info on what exactly each tour entailed and what to expect would be good for preparations.
Would also have appreciated suggestions for tours or excursions I didn’t know existed until I got there, like toboggan, and skipping waiting in line for ‘Santa’.
Francesca’s added walking guides and local places to see in the towns I stayed in were great additions.
It’s challenging to get across exactly what your intentions are via messaging. Would recommend kimkim offer a way to have at least one conversation with the travel specialist. As well as provide accommodation options so the traveler can research the options and advise the travel specialist if they’re willing to pay more or less for a hotel.
The Santa Clause Hotel in Rovaniemi was fine, though there were other options I saw once I was there that might have been nicer. It is centrally located, though so were many other options. Also didn’t like that the sauna was only available 6p-9p when most are at night tours or dinner during that timeframe. The F6 was lovely and I would stay there again, though I might have been willing to pay a little extra for a room better located within the hotel. There’s no sauna here though it was a very cool experience using the nearby public sauna in Helsinki. The glass igloo was a cool experience though for the cost, probably not worth it.
Thank you, Francesca for all the work you put into my adventure!

Monika did an amazing job of planning our New Zealand vacation and choose the perfect itinary for us to follow during our trip. It felt like we had a good friend who was available to help us during our stay so we never felt concerned abut the trip logistics or other events. There were several times where we needed to make changes to the original plans (weather cancelations, etc) and Monika took care of everything for us so we were able to see everything that we had envisioned.
We particularly liked the many activities she planned in Rotorua and the Hobbiton tour. The Sudima hotels we stayed at in Auckland and Roturua were exceptional.
The Waitakere Resort & Spa was a bit of a disappointment. It seemed like it was in need of significant updating and repairs. The people were very nice and helpful but overall it just seemed very dated.

Hotel Reviews

Auckland City Hotel

Auckland

Our stay at Sudima Auckland City was pleasant. It boasted clean accommodations, friendly staff, and good layout. The hotel's location was perfect and accessible, making our traveling and exploring of the city uncomplicated. However, the breakfast wasn't up-to American taste, but that could just be due to different customs. Overall, the service and facilities were commendable!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Waitakere Resort

Waiatarua, Auckland

This resort wasn't quite up to our expectations. While it was clean and had promise of nice hikes, and waterfalls, many roads were closed and the hikes were hard to find. The wifi was weak and the hotel felt a bit outdated overall. Despite the resort's potential, it didn't quite live up to its prime. Regardless, it was a clean place to stay!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Sudima Lake Rotorua

Rotorua

Much like the Sudima Auckland City, the Sudima Lake Rotorua was an excellent place to stay! The location was superb and the staff was extremely friendly. Our rooms were clean and comfortable. The breakfast was similar to the sister location, the bacon came off as a bit raw which was disappointing. Despite this minor hitch in the breakfast, our stay in Sudima Lake Rotorua was pretty good!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Waitomo Glowworm Caves + Ruakuri cave combo

New Zealand

This activity was truly incredible. Exploring these unique caves was a blend of learning about stalactites and stalagmites and experiencing the wonderful light show created by glowworms. Our tour finished with an unforgettable boat trip in the cave river lit only by the glowworms above. Definitely a surreal and must-try experience!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Mt Tarawera Crater Walk Experience

Rotorua

Walking around the edge of an extinct volcano! Words can't describe the majestic views and raw natural beauty of the crater. The walk was a highlight of our trip and proved to be a thrilling experience!

Redwoods treewalk by night

Rotorua

The night walk through the Redwoods was an incredible, one-of-a-kind experience. The Redwoods were beautifully lit up, creating an enchanting atmosphere. The platforms and bridges made it a unique treetop adventure. This shouldn't be missed!

Hobbiton Movie Set Tour

New Zealand

This was an absolute treat for movie buffs like me. Getting the chance to explore the beautifully recreated Hobbit village from the movies was fascinating. The place was full of the furniture details like in the movies. This addition is new and is something exclusive which made our visit special!

Fantastic trip to Ecuador. We hadn't heard of KimKim before, but the sample itineraries looked cool and so we inquired. Mathias of Authentic Ecuador responded right away and we evolved an itinerary that covered the major areas of Amazon, Andes, and Galapagos in 15 days. Going with 2 kids, there were a few long travel days, but the itinerary spaced those out with other more-relaxed days. Mathias was great, always responsive and tailoring everything to what we wanted. We preferred accommodation that had "character" and he got us a cool boutique hotel in Quito, a remote Amazon lodge, and a lodge with panoramic windows on a volcano. (Though he of course couldn't control the weather which was cloudy that day).

Local guides and drivers were great. Especially Mishell in Quito & mainland -- very organized and thorough. And Daniela in Galapagos -- very knowledgeable local naturalist with lots of energy. Only hiccup was a date-switch on which island we were doing on a day-trip boat excursion. But not their fault -- boat operator changed the dates with only one day notice and we didn't have cell phones that worked to be contacted. They did send a private driver to get us to the correct place, albeit late.

Overall, very pleased with our trip and experience. Prices were mostly in line with what I had researched, maybe a bit on the high side, but tradeoff is the customization and responsiveness which was top-notch.

Two thumbs up!

Activity Reviews

Hot Springs of Papallacta

Ecuador

Visited Termas de Papallacta for a few hours. Beautiful location, variety of pools and temperatures. Not crowded when we went. Wish we could have stayed longer!

Quality of Experience

Transfer to Quito Airport, Arrival to Galapagos & Highlands of Santa Cruz

Ecuador

Our guide Daniela was great, told us a lot about the ecosystem and history of the island. Visited Tortoise Refuge and it was amazing to see these giant animals just wandering around. Darwin research center was interesting, especially the baby turtles.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Everything was top notch , Trang was very professional and diligent in her job.
Very impressed with the transportation modes.
Definity will use Kim Kim again !!

Our family had a great time! Arianna took care us through out the whole trip by making sure that our connections with our transportations and tour guides were on point during the entire trip. The tour guides were calm, patient and excited to share the site's information with us. We learned a lot. The kids want go back!
Thank you!

Serendipity arranged our trip. Everything as expected. Drivers on time, safe. Kioro and Senda best accommodation. Needed to do our own research for Guanacaste, Playa Hermosa. Travel logistics, time spent driving, hotel Bosque, area around not as good. Would be nice to also be given a time frame for tour days, rather than just a pick up times. Ie, 9am to 2pm or 7am to 930am so we could plan open time. Serendipity was fabulous when had questions. All of our drivers were great.

Hotel Reviews

Hotel Arenal Kioro Suites & Spa

Fortuna

Authenticity & Character

Tucked away, peaceful

Location

Lush, Gardens, View, Staff

Staff

Personal attention

Cleanliness & Comfort

Extremely clean each day

Senda Monteverde Hotel

Monteverde

Perched up on hill, room great, views incredible. Deck area great. Restaurant & Bar enjoyed

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Bosque del Mar

Playa Hermosa

Agency booked. We needed to do more homework about hotel and location.

Authenticity & Character

Right on the beach, pool didn't seem clean as under tree canopy.

Location

It is located next to houses, chickens, loose dogs, constant vendors selling stuff, like 8x an hour, burning fire garbage, people take beach chairs. Nothing else around. Other restaurants, stores, town. Just accommodation.

Staff

Clarence made our stay more fun. Check in experience poor.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Rooms not ready or cleaned had to wait

Activity Reviews

Guided Hike on Arenal Hanging Bridges

Arenal/La Fortuna

We kind of raced through as busy with large groups blocking way. But still fun

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Private Guided Nature Walk at Ecological Park & Butterfly Garden Danaus

Arenal/La Fortuna

Private and thoughtful guide, learned lots, saw lots.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Nature Safari Float and Tortilla Making

Arenal/La Fortuna

Quality of Experience

Tortilla making very quick, like 5 minutes, then lunch. Float was awesome.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Day at Selvatura, Hanging Bridges and Fauna Exhibitions

Costa Rica

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Coffee & Chocolate Tour

Costa Rica

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Visit to the Monteverde Orchid Gardens

Monteverde

Short 45 minutes but learned lots.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Wetlands Boat Ride and Rum Tasting at Hacienda El Viejo

Costa Rica

2 hour drive each way. Tour guide not available when arrived, lots of sitting and waiting. Almost 8 hr day for 1.5 hour tour + lunch. Place was amazing though once got going.

Quality of Experience

Food

Buffet

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Tour to Guaitil Pottery Town

Costa Rica

Should be added to Hacienda Day as basically in same area, repeat long drive. Pottery demonstration was fabulous.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Guide Minor spoke great English so we learned lots while driving

Hike to Las Pailas, Rincon de la Vieja National Park and La Oropendola Waterfall

Costa Rica

We did not do due to extremely long day prior

this is the second time I have used KimKim and have been impressed both times. One n South America and now this one in Asia. Jessica was very good at finding nice boutique hotels and unusual excursions. Her local contact in Bali was equally amazing. We had the same driver and guild for the entire week and they were also very good. Our guide Budiada was very knowledgeable and easy to understand. Our amazing driver Navya was adapt at navigating the crowed streets and always got us there safely. Thanks for an amazing trip and we will use you again.
Sam and Teressa

Hotel Reviews

The Kalyana Ubud

Ubud

Staff was extremely friendly and accomadating, The Included breakfast was good and the grounds were parklike and well maintained. Perfect little hotel.

Authenticity & Character

have kept the charm of Bali

Location

Quiet setting and on site spa was great.

Staff

very eager to provide whatever was requested

Cleanliness & Comfort

Spotless grounds

Montigo Resorts Seminyak

Badung

Great pool areas, great breakfast and very helpful staff.

Authenticity & Character

Location

short walk to beach and shopping

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

I Gusti Ngurah Rai International Airport (DPS) Departure Meet and Greet

Ngurah Rai International Airport (DPS)

meet at curb and escorted right through check in to security gate, very helpful

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Visit Tirta Gangga Water Palace

Indonesia

nice maintained spot

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Experience Cooking and Arak-Making Class

Indonesia

fun experience to see how some dishes were made

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Visit Trunyan Village

Indonesia

very unique village with unique cemetery.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Visit A Mask Maker

Indonesia

I was impressed by mask maker skill and preserving old method of making mask,

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Visit Home of Local Blacksmith (Keris) Crafting

Ubud, Bali

amazing skill to make the kris daggers with minimal tools doing it the traditional way

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Visit Tenganan Bali Aga Village

Ubud, Bali

nice little village with glimpses of how it used to be.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Visit Tegallalang Rice Terrace

Indonesia

beautiful and well managed fields, amazing

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Experience Sebatu Soul Purification Ritual

Indonesia

very special visit that is worth the many slippery steps to experience.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Visit Sacred Monkey Forest Sanctuary

Indonesia

interesting but a bit of a tourist trap, but well maintained and worth the visit.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Visit Angel Billabong

Indonesia

skipped this one

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Visit Kelingking Beach

Indonesia

skipped this one as well, I am checking amazing as all tours have beet to this point but can't continue without checking boxes

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Visit the Mother Temple of Besakih

Indonesia

quite a large complex

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

My two week adventure in North Vietnam as a solo traveller in December 2023 was a great success, due in no small part to the services on Long Pham. My particular interest was in the embroidery and textile techniques of the ethnic groups in Vietnam (over 54!), so after a short stay in Hanoi I went to Sapa and then on a 3 day 'trek' (walk, but at times difficult) through rice paddies and villages and was able to see first hand the techniques of the very skilled tribal women as they wove, dyed and embroidered their traditional outfits. The homestays arranged were good, comfortable and very authentic. I spent a further 5 days in Hanoi, with a day trip to Halong Bay on one day. All was wonderful and very well arranged by Long. I changed arrangements during the trip and Long handled everything with immense patience and ease. Finally, I would like to give a shout out to guides: Andy on my vespa food tour of Hanoi, Bach on my full day seeing the sights of Hanoi and Lu on Sapa walking leg. Andy and Bach in particular were very knowledgeable about the history of Vietnam and generous in sharing their personal histories and experiences in modern Vietnam. Terrific holiday. As a solo traveller (older woman) it was important to me to have someone I could contact if needed, and Long was available 24/7. Highly recommended.

Vickie Parrack planned an excellent 5 week trip for the two of us. The plan included trains, planes, automobiles, and boats.
We made it complicated for her by having the trip include two stops to visit/stay with family and friends. From the moment our private driver picked us up at the Sydney Airport we knew our vacation was going to be great. A few days seeing Sydney then a flight to Darwin. A few days in the Top End seeing war history, rain forest, jumping crocodiles, and soaking up native culture. A great train excursion on The Ghan from Darwin to Adelaide. A few days in Adelaide and overnight on Kangaroo Island. A Princess Cruise to Melbourne, Tasmania, and on to Sydney. A few more days in Sydney. Then up the east coast with stops in Newcastle, Airlie Beach and the Great Barrier Reef, Townsville, and Cairns and more Great Barrier Reef plus rain forest by wheels plus rain forest by overhead tram (awesome!)

We can't praise Vickie enough. Vickie perceived our intentions and needs. The planning was almost flawless. We hope she will be available plan a New Zealand vacation for us in the next year or so.

Activity Reviews

Arrive Sydney

Sydney

Loved it all. The driver met us at the airport, and was very informative and full of info as he drove us into the city and our hotel.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Sydney Harbour, The Rocks Walking Tour and Bondi Beach

Sydney

The walking tour was very informative and fun. Bondi Beach; we got the tee-shirt!

Prviate transfer from Airport to Accommodation

Darwin

Our driver was great!

Charles Darwin Dinner Cruise with Darwin Harbour Cruises

Darwin

This tour was not available. As I recall, the tour company, and the other companies were not running at the time we were there. We were off by a week or so. No fault of Vickie's.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Private transfer train station to accommodation

Adelaide

This transfer was part of our itnerary. We used Uber.

Adelaide Central Market Delicious Lunch Tour

Adelaide

This market tour was great. Just a couple of hours long, but it was fun. After the tour completed we had trouble deciding which market stall to go back to for our lunch. Great choice, Vickie!

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

2 Day Kangaroo Island Tour

Kangaroo Island

These two days were absolutely wonderful. Lots of land and marine mammals and birds performed for us. Our driver was great. The other travelers in our small group were fun. The overnight hotel and restaurant were great. The weather was great. We're so glad this tour was included in our plan.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Taronga Zoo

Australia

We've been to some nice zoos. This is one of the best! And the view of Sydney from the zoo is unforgettable.

Quality of Experience

Whitsundays - Ocean Rafting

Airlie Beach

We hosted our relatives, a couple with 3 children, on this rafting experience and everyone of us loved it. Especially the snorkeling.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

The high-speed inflatable boat was a lot of fun.

Private Transfer Cairns CBD Accom to Airport

Cairns

We rode the hotel shuttle but to the airport.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Kakadu National Park Explorer with AAT Kings

Darwin

Captain Cook Cruises - Hop On Hop Off Harbour Explorer 2-Day Pass

Sydney

This hop-on hop-off experience is a waste of money and time. The harbour is beautiful. But the 'cruise' boats were few and far between, and when on the boat, any tour dialogue was forgettable. The water ferry system is very nice, very convenient, goes to many more locations, and is very affordable.

Heart reef and Whitehaven Flight

Airlie Beach

There was no flight for us that day. We arrived in Airlie Beach too late in the day.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Arrive Cairns

Cairns

Loved the train ride from Townsville to Cairns. Upon arrival at the Cairns station in the evening, it took us quite awhile to get a taxi to take us to our hotel. The hotel opposite the bay shore was great and centrally located for exploring the town on foot. The taxi waiting experience was not bad, just unexpected and uncomfortable as we stepped off the air conditioned train into the humidity in the covered train station. In the future, for other visiting travelers, perhaps a heads-up about the possible wait might be appropriate.

Quality of Experience

Transport

Quicksilver Outer Barrier Reef Cruise

Australia

The catamaran trip out to the anchored barge was nice, very comfortable. The multi-activity barge was great. Unfortunately we chose to ride in the semi-submersible submarine as our first activity, and we both became very nauseous from the small boat's movement. The nauseousness put a damper on further activities. So we weren't up for the snorkeling or other activities. However it was fun to watch all the others having fun. Its amazing that they'll teach you so scuba dive in the short time we're on the barge. Watching the fish feeding is fun. All things considered, this is a great experience.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Daintree, Cape Trib & Bloomfield Day Tour

Cairns

The Billy Tea Safari tour to the rainforest showed us some great flora and fauna. Our guide/driver as great. However our safari vehicle was too rough-riding for our old bones. For us, the same travel route in a more conventional vehicle would have made the day tour more comfortable.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Free Day in Cairns

Cairns

We rode the Karunda scenic Railroad up the mountain. Wonderful experience. The Karunda village is nice. We bought some artwork from a local vendor and had it (sucessfully) shipped to our home in Idaho. The Karunda Skyrail overhead tram was awesome. I never expected I would enjoy this as much as I did. Seeing the rainforest from above is indescribable. I would love to see the rainforest from this perspective when its raining hard. I know they close the skyrail when raining, out of caution for lightening strikes, but still I'd like to see it.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Litchfield National Park Waterfalls with AAT Kings

Darwin

Tina planned an absolutely incredible trip for us to Thailand (Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Koh Yao Noi), Cambodia (Siem Reap), and Vietnam (Hanoi, Halong Bay, Saigon). During the planning process, Tina provided an itinerary that would take us through all three countries in two weeks, including flights, hotels, and activities. She then adapted the schedule to our every preference, including flights with particular airlines and activities that better suited our specific interests. She provided thorough and timely responses to every question that I had prior to our trip. When we were on our trip, Tina responded within minutes to the few questions that we had, such as when we had difficulty locating our driver in the airport or when the flight app would not let us check in to our flight ahead of time. Each issue was fully resolved immediately, which made our trip seamless in every way.

In regard to our hotels, we were impressed with all of the hotels that were selected. They were clean, comfortable, and located in downtown areas that were perfect for exploring the nightlife of the city. Complementary breakfast was always included and our rooms were often upgraded to have a view or balcony.

At each destination, we were assigned a driver and an English-speaking guide, who picked us up at the airport and took us on our guided tours each day. All of our guides were incredibly informative. We’d like to particularly thank Ms. Leena in Bangkok and Mr. Chhay in Siem Reap for going above and beyond with our tours. Our visit to the elephant sanctuary and our Thai cooking class in Chiang Mai were truly amazing experiences as well.

Tina and the KimKim team made sure that every detail of our trip was taken care of and that we had an incredible experience learning about the history and culture of each place that we visited. We had an unforgettable trip and would highly recommend working with Tina to plan your Southeast Asia trip!

Hotel Reviews

Aurora Premium Hotel & Spa

This hotel was perfectly situated to enjoy the nightlife in Hanoi! It was so clean and comfortable.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Paradise Koh Yao Resort

Paradise Koh Yao Noi was truly a 5-star experience. Our villa was nestled into the hills and overlooking the ocean and the jungle. Our room was incredibly clean, comfortable, and functional. Breakfast and dinner were delicious, and it was wonderful to eat at tables on the beach in the sand. The live music was the perfect ambiance. This was the most relaxing resort we have ever been to!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Phka Chan Hotel

Siem Reap

This hotel was perfectly located to enjoy the nightlife of Siem Reap on Pub Street! It was so clean and comfortable. The complementary breakfast was absolutely delicious.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Kingston Suites Bangkok

Bangkok

The hotel was located in the heart of Bangkok's nightlife, though it was on a block that was off the main boulevard. The room was functional, though the bed was very stiff.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Sabai Sabai Chiang Mai

Chiang Mai

The hotel was located in an excellent location to explore Chiang Mai's nightlife, though it was on a block that was off the main boulevard. The room was clean and comfortable, and we enjoyed having a balcony.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Cochin Sang Hotel

This hotel was perfectly situated to enjoy Saigon! It was one block from Ben Thanh market and easily walkable to the city center. It was so clean and comfortable.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Halong Aquamarine Cruise

Ha Long

Our room was clean and comfortable, and we enjoyed having a balcony to overlook Halong Bay.

Authenticity & Character

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Half-Day Eco Elephant Care!

Chiang Mai

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Back to the Nature on Koh Yao Noi

Ko Yao Noi

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Bangkok's Temples Tour

Bangkok

Our guide, Ms. Leena, did an incredible job showing us the temples and highlights of Bangkok.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

A visit to Mae Klong Railway market and Damnoen Saduak Floating Market!

Bangkok

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Chiang Mai Cooking Class Experience

Chiang Mai

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Exploring the Famous Angkor Wat

Siem Reap

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Evening Street Food Tour

Ho Chi Minh City

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

The Temples, Tradition and Cultural Traces of Vietnam

Ho Chi Minh City

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Halong on Cruise!

Thailand

Quality of Experience

It was wonderful to see Ha Long Bay, though the journey was very long from Hanoi (3 hours each way). The cruise took us to a cave for one hour and a beach for one hour.

Food

Food on the cruise was average. We stopped at a rest stop for lunch on the way back to Hanoi which was aimed at tourists.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

We had an amazing trip! Marco was our guide in Quito, and he was excellent. We then traveled to the Amazon and stayed at the Napo Cultural Center, it was such an unforgettable experience. We had the best time with our guide Sergio, who we still keep in touch with. Our next stop was the Galapagos, a definite must visit! All of our guides there (Enrique and Julio were AMAZING!) were so knowledgeable, friendly, and fun. We got engaged on the trip and truly had the most wonderful time. Once in a lifetime trip!

We had an amazing trip to Argentina thanks to KimKim. Our guides, drivers were always delightful, helpful and went beyond just picking us up or telling us about the sites. It’s very evident that everyone loves their country, the descriptions and history were always filled with details and excitement that reflected that pride. We felt safe, free to ask for advice and always looked out for throughout the trip. Ana did an awesome job putting together the itinerary and selecting hotels and flights. The Vamoos app was a great source, having everything all at your fingertips and the ability to communicate easily and quickly was a definite advantage. I usually do all my trip planning, but so happy that this time we used KimKim and we highly recommend Ana for her knowledge, availability and willingness to listen and adapt plans.

Our 12 day father/son trip to Patagonia was spectacular and we had a wonderful time! Many thanks to Ana at Kimkim for organizing an excellent trip. We started in Chile (Santiago, Puerto Natales) and went to Argentina (Calafate, Ushuaia and Buenos Aires).  In Chile, we did 3 excursions to the Base Towers, Grey Lake to see the glaciers and the Cuernos hike. Our guides in Patagonia were amazing and kind and took care of us (special thanks to Victor and Genisys at Massif). We then did the glacier hike at Calafate which was amazing and again had wonderful guides. We then flew down to Ushuaia to see the penguins - a truly magical experience to walk with them on the island. Also hiked in the Tierra del Fuego National park and took the end of the world train.  Ushuaia is the southernmost town in the world and it was great to visit. Our last stop was in Buenos Aires - took in a tango show, city tour and a Tigre tour and it was great to experience a vibrant city. All of our hotel accommodations, ride pickups, excursions happened on time and everyone was so kind!
Thank you Kimkim for helping us with a trip of a lifetime!

Hotel Review

Hotel Rio Serrano

Torres del Paine

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Rio Serrano excursion

Torres del Paine

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Full day tour to Parque Nacional Los Glaciares and Minitrekking

El Calafate

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Half day Walking with Penguins

Ushuaia

Guide in Medoza (Cecilia), Santiago (Soli) and Puerto Natalas (Matieus) were excellent

The experience with KimKim was great except for two things. Most important to me was having a smooth arrival - transfer-to-hotel experience as I was traveling alone and arriving about 1am in a foreign country. Unfortunately the locating the individual responsible for the car service to take me to the hotel was not smooth at all. After traveling for 24 hours, I just wanted to get to the hotel and get to bed. This set a bad tone for the trip. After that everything was smooth sailing with KimKim, but the communication on detail about each day could have been more clear and a check in on how we were doing and whether we needed anything would have been nice. We did not hear from our rep unless we had a question.

Hotel Review

Hilton Sukhumvit Bangkok

Bangkok

The staff at this hotel are amazing! The hotel is beautiful and amenities fantastic (especially if you are a Diamond member) Small thing: the pool was not in the sun any time we went up (mostly in shade) and the leaf chairs - while lovely - are not ideal for comfort.

Authenticity & Character

The hotel is beautiful, my room was fantastic and the staff are great

Location

Although not really a walkable area, there are a lot of restaurants and shopping and massages nearby

Staff

LOVE the staff!

Cleanliness & Comfort

Lovely

Activity Reviews

Enjoy Food Tasting in Chinatown!

Bangkok

There were many things I dared not eat, but that is on me.

Quality of Experience

Food

pad thai!

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Our guide - Betty - was fantastic

Transport

Our driver was great, very reliable

Exploring the Ancient Ayutthaya

Thailand

This was a good day, but very hot as we were outside the whole day. It should be more clear that the whole thing is outside. It would have been nice if our rep told us about apparel requirements at the palace grounds and various temples. We could have packed more accordingly in advance. our guide told us the day before, but what if this was our first excursion and we did not have our guide to tell us that

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Betty was fantastic

Transport

Car is air conditioned and driver is very reliable

A visit to Mae Klong Railway market and Damnoen Saduak Floating Market!

Bangkok

Super fun day!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Out guide - Betty - is fantastic!

Transport

A visit to Elephant Jungle Sanctuary in Pattaya

Thailand

The drive from Bangkok (and home same day) was 2.5 hours so it is a long way to go, but worth it. It was fantastic

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

no guide - just driver. The guides at the sanctuary were great

Transport

Longtail Boat Bangkok Canaling Tour!

Bangkok

Lovely, fun, comfortable

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

We did arrive 1.5 hours early, which was way too early, but KimKim rep told us they had to account for traffice. They should have known it was a holiday and that business traffic was low that day

Bangkok City Tour with Museum Visit

Bangkok

By this time I was a bit tempeled out - but it was lovely. The museum was disturbing

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Our expectations were exceeded on this trip! I have never used KimKim before but was so impressed with the service. Elena, our agent put together a wonderful itinerary! Her selection of hotels was incredible, especially the hotel Na Niranda in Chiang Mai. We loved that place!

Our guide in Bangkok was Toto and he was a very attentive, fun, knowledgeable guide. We enjoyed having Toto as our guide and had a great time visiting the temples, train market and floating markets as well as a night out visiting street vendors by tuk tuk.

Chiang Mai was lovely and our guide Pookie took good care of us. The Elephant Nature Center was a great excursion. To see the elephants happy and taken such good care of after being abused was heartwarming for sure.

Phuket hotel was my least favorite. We stayed at the Avani + hotel and it felt more like a chain resort and didn't have the charm of previous hotel stays on the trip and it was heavily programmed for kids, which we don't have. Overall a nice hotel but would have preferred something with a little more charm and less family friendly. If you are a traveling family, then this is a great hotel for you!

The sunrise boat excursion was a blast! Enjoyed the whole day! Visited Phi Phi Island and had a great time seeing some beautiful scenery above and below water! ;)

I will definitely use KimKim again. I like how you can completely customize your trip. We usually wing our trips and head out on our own, but this trip spoiled us and we will look forward to having them help us with our next trip.

Thank you, Namaste, Mahalo, Khob khun ka!
Heather Stevens

Hotel Reviews

Ariyasom Villa

Bangkok

Charming hotel! Small, family owned hotel. You get very good service and the food was very good too! We enjoyed hanging by the pool and the outdoor courtyard. If you are looking to stay at a place that isn't a chain and feels more authentic and local, this is a great choice. Rooms were very spacious and had good amenities.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Na Nirand Resort

Chiang Mai

This hotel is gorgeous! Such an amazing place and the staff was terrific! We were upgraded upon our arrival to a suite and all's I can say is WOW! The Burmese Suite was gorgeous! The bathroom is so luxurious with a shower as big as a walk in closet. It was a decadent stay and we didn't want to leave. Staff was very welcoming and helpful. The breakfast buffet was so good, we loved it! The pool area is the centerpiece of the outdoor area and you can't wait to just sit in a lounger and soak it all up. The Lomi Lomi massage that I received was probably one of the best ever. I can't say enough about this place...I hope to come back again soon! Thank you for making this part of our trip very memorable. Heather Stevens

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Avani+ Mai Khao Phuket Suites

Phuket

Pleasant, clean resort. No complaints. Staff was very helpful and friendly. It is a very family oriented hotel, so if you have kids traveling with you, this is a great spot. Lot of family activities. I was not traveling with family so would have preferred a more adults only type of place.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Close to the beach and a shopping center across the street.

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Na Nirand Romantic Boutique Resort

This hotel is gorgeous! Such an amazing place and the staff was terrific! We were upgraded upon our arrival to a suite and all's I can say is WOW! The Burmese Suite was gorgeous! The bathroom is so luxurious with a shower as big as a walk in closet. It was a decadent stay and we didn't want to leave. Staff was very welcoming and helpful. The breakfast buffet was so good, we loved it! The pool area is the centerpiece of the outdoor area and you can't wait to just sit in a lounger and soak it all up. The Lomi Lomi massage that I received was probably one of the best ever. I can't say enough about this place...I hope to come back again soon! Thank you for making this part of our trip very memorable. Heather Stevens

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Khantoke dinner at traditional Lanna family

Chiang Mai

Wasn't sure what to expect but enjoyed the experience. You visit a local house and learn the customs of the Lanna people and their traditions. You tour the property and gardens and then you feast! The food was delicious with ample appetizers and a big variety to try. The food is delivered Khantoke style (on the floor on a tray). The family leaves you to enjoy your dinner and then you get access to some of their recipes. I will definitely try to make the coconut/banana dessert drink that was served. Yum. Thank you for a wonderful, unique experience.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

The second day at Elephant Nature Park - Elephant interaction (join-in activity)

Chiang Mai

The second day we got to feed the elephants, which will be a highlight to remember forever! These animals are amazing! I'm so glad that they have this sanctuary to live in after the abuse they have suffered. Wonderful day! **Our guide Chi-Chi acted like a horny teenager and despite his lack of professionalism and the fact that he ignored any guest that wasn't in his age group (20's), we had a lovely time.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Except for Chi-Chi, staff was Wonderful!

Transport

Bangkok symbolic temples

Bangkok

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Toto was great!

Transport

Night Street Food Tour After Dark by Tuk Tuk

Bangkok

I enjoyed the experience even though I wasn't very adventurous. Didn't try any scorpions or weird dishes, just a sample of some more tame, local dishes. Fun evening

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Railway market & floating market

Bangkok

Such unique experiences! Both the Railway market and Floating markets should not be missed.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Toto was our guide and he was excellent!

Transport

Sunrise Phi Phi island joining tour

Phuket

Wow! I had no idea how beautiful the islands are out here! Stunning! Great excursion to view sunrise from the boat and the beauty of Phi Phi Island. Fun day to be on a boat in the sun in Thailand! Highly recommend! Staff was great too! Very attentive to the guests.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Great vacation. Since my usual vacation is laying on a beach with little physical activity, I was concerned I would not enjoy myself. Wrong, I had so much fun and saw so many beautiful places and animals. Pura Vida certainly is an accurate description of the culture and friendliness of everyone we encountered in Costa Rica.

First of all, our holiday in Morocco has been an amazing experience. The country has so much to offer - beautiful and varied landscapes, great weather in December, delicious food and very warm people. I believe the govt has not marketed the country enough and more Indians should look at Morocco instead of the very crowded and touristy European cities.
Our trip was made special by Abdel and his team who put together a great itinerary, booked wonderful hotels and paired us with great guides at all the relevant places. Not only that, Abdel and his colleague Said were available promptly through the entire trip wherever we needed any assistance or clarification. They also graciously added a couple of extra dinners which were not a part of the original plan.
I want to specifically call out our tour guides, Hafid in Fez who was a walking encyclopaedia about the city, Hamid at Merzouga who in his quite way made sure we experience all that the desert had to offer, Mohammed in Dades valley who talked and walked us through the wonderful canyons and Hanan who gave us a detailed tour of the Marrakesh Medina.
Lastly and importantly, our sincere thanks to Faissel, our driver and our guide through the entire trip. He gave us great insights into Moroccan life, helped us navigate the country and ensured we made the best of the 12 days we spent in Morocco.
We hope to come back again some day.

So Kimkim has planned my trip to Japan covering Tokyo, Kyoto and Osaka. I won't mention its perfect. there has been mostly ups and some downs. To break it down...

Positives:
The travel plan is great in general. Very good for a traveler who has yet to visit a country. I thoroughly enjoyed the plans set up and curated specifically for me.
Kimkim has saved the hassle for me in reserving tickets for my travel plan. Made the trip smoother.
Help is somewhat there when you need it
Kimkim has a good plan overall to cover the core parts of a country.
A proper document is given to help guide the traveler in case the traveler is unsure of where to go or how to go

Negatives:
Initial confusion for the changes in itinerary, specialist should be aware of the changes but was not at that point of time. Kimkim site itinerary and document itinerary was different!

Transport planning for an activity is left at the worst option.

Some activities might overlap and become sort of a repeat, due to lack of in-depth check on the activities.

Also,, tickets booked for an attraction had issues which led to some frustrations.

Overall Feedback:
When activities have alternate form of transport available, do in good faith help us plan for the best and most feasible. should not let your traveler face a 3 hour ride back to the hotel vicinity when there is a shorter option of 1 hour train available.

Please ensure travel activities are unique and no activities head to the same place. It should be your duty to check in with the activity host on what the activity consists of.

When planning for activities which the traveler has paid for, also take note on the distance between locations. You are the specialist, try to walk the plan you came up with in our shoes. Discuss with the local guides if necessary, if it is a rush. Plans should not just be activity listing but also time-managed

Your fees are high, as I mentioned, which is alright, but that there comes with a certain expectation. We pay a fee to ensure a specialist who should have proper and vast local knowledge to help guide us through.

Nonetheless, I thank you Kimkim still for remediating the situations.

Recommendation:
I would recommend people to use Kimkim if they are first time travelers to a country. Overall a good experience.
But I also advise travelers to scrutinize the itinerary deeper to ensure they do not face issues similar to mine. Ensure the specialist knows the plan they proposed inside out and the changes. (Which should be the case, else why would we use this)

Hotel Reviews

Shibuya Excel Hotel Tokyu

Tokyo

Splendid Hotel! Good space and amenities to support long stays and good location

Authenticity & Character

in the heart of the famous crossing

Location

Not as crowded as Shinjuku but strategically located to go to various locations and near the main train station

Staff

all of them

Cleanliness & Comfort

they maintained cleanliness daily and the room smells fresh for new tenants

Osaka Excel Hotel Tokyu

Osaka

This one is a great hotel for long stays. Staff were friendly and helpful. Also the room is quite big. It didnt feel cramped up

Authenticity & Character

Very homely and along the prettiest streets in Christmas,

Location

Located near the train and also strategically distant from the crowded Namba.

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Kyoto Tokyu Hotel

kyoto

Quite small and compact. Basic needs met at least

Authenticity & Character

Its a normal hotel. Nothing grandiose but serves its purpose

Location

Short distance from the main station and conveniently has a shuttle bus service to help get to and fro from the hotel

Staff

Helpful as expected

Cleanliness & Comfort

Just the design maybe makes it look dated

Activity Reviews

Full Day Tokyo City Tour with Meiji Jingu Shrine

Tokyo

Great experience to cover Tokyo and its beautiful aspects. The guide Yukari was very helpful and knowledgeable. This was one of the well-planned ones

Quality of Experience

Visiting the core aspects of Tokyo

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Helpful and knowledgeable guide

Transport

1-Day Mt. Fuji & Hakone Tour Roundtrip from Tokyo (join-in)

Tokyo

The trip was amazing. Managed to reach the 5th station of Mount Fuji and visited Owakudani and Lake Ashinoko

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Please in good faith plan for the traveler to head back by Shinkansen since there is that option. 3 hour bus rides back is not funny

Kyoto Cooking Class

Kyoto

Fun class learning about Dashi. Good way to cook and make your own food

Quality of Experience

Learn more about Dashi, a core aspect of dishes

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Full Day Tour with Tea Ceremony

Kyoto

Everything was okay until I had to rush for the tea ceremony sweating. Pulled my ankle muscle rushing because i am not geared up for a run yo

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

The distance! The damn distance!

Full Day Osaka City Tour

Osaka

One of the best chill guides among all of them.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Yoshiko was very helpful and friendly!

Transport

Osaka-Nara day trip

Osaka

A good exposure to Nara and its accompanying mountain Mikasa

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Osaka Foodie Walking Tour

Osaka

This one was special. Its a food tour but I was surprised to know its also a Dark alley tour. Our guide Taka brings us for some local food and to explore the darker side of Osaka, around the Nishinari ward

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Taka is amazing and knowledgeable

Transport