Kimkim Trip Reviews

Mathilde did a phenomenal job of customizing our trip exactly how we envisioned it, especially by getting us hard to get tickets, including the Vermeer exhibit which was nearly a miracle. The pacing of the trip and quality of the stops was perfect no complaints

Our two drivers were a highlight. Paulo and Daniel were great guides as well.

Hotel Reviews

Porto Royal Bridges Hotel

Porto

Authenticity & Character

Modern. A good think but not “ authentic”

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

H10 Duque de Loule

Lisboa

Good hotel. Location not as close to parts of city we visited.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Unraveling the Timeless Charms of Braga and Guimarães with a Private Driver

Porto

Daniel was great. Went to interesting sights and local restaurant. Always made stopping and visiting easy. Great ambassador

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Scenic Voyage along the Douro River aboard an Exclusive Boat

Portugal

Alright. Nice day helped

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Sip & Savour on a Guided Winery Adventure with a Flavourful Tasting Experience

Douro Valley

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Seamless Discovery - The Ultimate Douro Valley Experience with Private Driver Service

Portugal

Great trip. Quinta de Pecheca!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Unveil the Fairytale Villa of Sintra with a Private Driver Service

Portugal

Sinatra closed during strike. Paulo took us to more interesting places. He was great!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Lisbon's Historic Odyssey on a Private Walking Tour

Lisbon

Good but we already knew about half the details

Quality of Experience

Transport

Perfect

All the tour guides were great!
Everything went smooth.
Enjoyed it all!

Austin did a nice job helping us plan our trip. His suggestion were good. We really enjoyed Leap Castle and had the pleasure of meeting the owner. He even played a song for us.

Thank you so much Hanna for planning this memorable trip. Everything was meticulously planned as per our request. We went through many iterations to plan out what we wanted. Hanna's responses were quick and was always on top of things. She ensured that things such as vegetarian food etc in the remotest corner of Iceland were available. We had good support to handle our emergency issues when we landed there with flight cancellations and kid falling sick. They even handled refunds quite promptly. Tours were well arranged and convenient.

Activity Reviews

Northern Lights Hunt Super Jeep Tour

Iceland

We were most excited about it. Supposedly, we had moderate chance of seeing northern lights but we couldn't due to lingering clouds. Pick up was little late but guide was very informative. He did try to going to few locations to try to spot but didn't work out. They provide hot chocolate and cookie which was good. They did offer a free tour at later time but since it was our last day we couldnt really use it.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

knowledgeable

Transport

comfortable and convenient

Golden Circle & Horse Riding

Golden Circle

Golden circle tour was ok. The guide was little hard to comprehend and so tough to understand the information. Weather was not very cooperative either. Drive was comfortable. Falls were great. Geysers were nothing spectacular. We were eager to see the tectonic plates but again was hard to appreciate it completely without the guide info. Horse riding at Eldehaus farm was awesome. They provided all the right gear and ride itself was quite nice. My 9 year old enjoyed as well. The lunch was simple but good.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Guide in Golden Circle tour could have been better in communication.

Transport

comfortable

2nd Day South Coast

Iceland

Had fantastic day with visit to multiple falls, glacier lagoon, diamond beach, black sand beach, church etc. Guide planned it well to make best use of the warm sunny day. We had ample time in each place to see and not feel rushed. Group was very friendly as well.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

1st Day South Coast

Iceland

Troll expeditions was on time and Yohan was very friendly. Shared lots of tidbits about the country and place which was very interesting. The bus had wifi so was perfect. He made sure we had timely bathroom breaks, lunch and dinner. We were glad to find vegetarian options at every stop. Weather on day 1 wasnt great with rain and wind. So we went directly for glacier hiking with some stops based on weather. Glacier hiking and ice cave tour was great. Need to have good shoes, jacket, gloves, snow pants. Inspite of that we got wet and cold. Wish they would provide appropriate gear so its more pleasant experience. All our gear and shoes were completely wet and had to use hair dryer and paper to dry so we could use it next day. The guest house was basic but good food.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Friendly, accommodating, changed plans as needed per weather.

Transport

Wifi, heated.

Blue Lagoon

Iceland

The blue lagoon was an awesome experience. The water was so warm and refreshing. Its very comfortable in the water but can get super cold when out. Come handy with wet bags and swimsuit and change of clothes Lava restaurant was quite good. Definitely recommend going here if its your first time.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Our driver was quite accommodating in terms of timing.

Transport

We had the shuttle booked but due to flight delay ended up going directly from the airport in private car and then to hotel.

We wanted to thank KimKim and Amandine for planning such an amazing 11-day itinerary for our first ever family trip to France. We were able to experience the best of both North and South France, from the cooking classes to the biking tours, Bakery tours to dinner cruise, the private guided tours at Versailles and Louvre ( our tour guide- Alexandra, she was the best!!!) and night tour bus. It was all so much fun.
We also wanted to extend our gratitude for the fantastic service provided by your French cooking class chefs, tour guides, pick-up drivers, and hotel choices.They were all knowledgeable, personable, and made the whole experience all the more enjoyable, especially for our kids. And we got to learn so much about France and the French history them. It was a very unique experience for us.

This was our first time planning a trip with kimkim, and we were a little nervous about how everything would turn out. However everything from planning to booking the trip turned out to be so seamless and hassle free.
Both our itineraries in Paris and Nice ( French Riviera side) has been well planned.
We just can't thank Amandine enough for all that she did to make this trip such a memorable experience. We will definitely be planning more trips with kimkim in the future, and we highly recommend their services.
Merci for everything Amandine and Kimkim.

Best regards,
Sachi and Pradeep

Hotel Reviews

Le Rocroy Hôotel & Spa Paris

Paris

We stayed here for 5 days herein Paris. It was conveniently located and was easily accessible to metro and the bus stops. Walkable to Montmarte area. Had so many good cafes and restaurants near. The suite was perfect for our family of four. They had an amazing breakfast included too and a 24 hour coffee and hot chocolate machine. We loved our stay in this cute little parisian hotel.

Authenticity & Character

A sweet little parisian hotel

Location

Everything was just in walking distance

Staff

Very good.

Cleanliness & Comfort

They had their cleaning services everyday.

Palm Hotel

Nice

We loved staying in the suite of Palm hotel Nice. We arrived late and we forgot to call them and update them, thinking they would have a 24 hour reception like we had in Paris. But when we arrived at 9pm, everything was locked. We called the hotel and the Nicola led us in via code and the receptionist was kind enough to leave keys for us , even without a proper check-in. Seeing we had kids traveling with us. The hotel was really in the prime location with everything walkable- cafes, restaurants, the beach. We absolutely loved our stay and we definitely will be coming back!!

Authenticity & Character

Very close to cafes, restaurants, beach

Location

Staff

Friendly staff and guiding us through Nice.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Yes everything was super clean and comfy

Activity Reviews

Market Visit & Cooking Class with Lunch

Nice

This was an amazing culinary experience. The Nissean style of cooking. Which includes a lot of olive oil and veggies and meat with less cheese and butter unlike the Parisian culinary experience we had. We had a market visit and Rosa walked us through how she chooses her produces. She told us how the Italiian Mediterranean influence of Nice has made their culinary a different from.the Northern style of France. The menu was delicious. We had so much of fun experience with Rosa. Thanks to Kimkim for planning this for us .

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Monaco Day Trip via Èze & La Turbie with Optional Beach Time

France

What a trip this was. To see the richness and granduer of Monte Carlo( Monaco) the monarchy, the churches. Just loved it. Thanks to Alex our driver and guide for walking us through the history and life around Monte Carlo. Fraganord perfumery tour at Eze was awesome too. Kids had a blast there knowing how the perfumes around the world are made from here. Loved this beautiful trip :)

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Alex was an amazing guide.

Transport

A Day Trip from Nice to Cannes, Grasse, Gourdon & Saint Paul de Vence

Nice

We loved this whole day trip. It was such a beautiful drive along the French Riviera. Our driver and guide Xavier was really really awesome. He told us so many things about Nice and how was it to live around there. We loved the perfume factory tour and The Antibes medieval village. The drive was amazing. We absolutely loved it!!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Xavier was amazing!! We had the best experience. Big shout to Xavier

Transport

Speed Boat Tour on the Coast

France

It was a beautiful one hour tour. Just make sure to be there like 15 - 30 minutes before the trip. They are very much strict on time. We missed it by two minutes on our first day because of lack of sleep. They didn't wait for us. But thanks to Amandine and kimkim they got it rescheduled for us :)

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Paris Night Tour

Paris

Just magical to see the city of love lit in the dark hours. Eiffle tower was so majestic . This is a must go ..to see Paris in the night felt so beautiful. J'adore Pareee.....

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Louvre Museum Treasure Hunt

Paris

Louvre experience was Outstanding and it was just because of our private guide Alexandra!! She just made our trip so fun, especially keeping the kids entertained as well as informative. It's a huge museum and it can be tiring for kids and adults. To be honest there's a lot of brain power that takes off in consuming all these majestic artworks. Alexandra picked out just the major and important attractions for us and had rhe kids solve a puzzle along the tour. We were blown away by the amount of knowledge she has and her passion to talk endlessly about the history and art of Louvre.

Quality of Experience

WE LOVED IT.. BIG SHOUT TO ALEXANDRA OUR PRIVATE GUIDE. THANK YOU KIMKIM FOR GETTING HER FOR US.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Orsay Museum: Entrance Tickets & Audioguide

Paris

This was an audio guided tour. We were bown away by the art that we witnessed through our eyes. We enjoyed every bit of it.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Private Notre-Dame & Sainte-Chapelle Visit with Priority Access

Paris

It was a wonderful experience. Elle our tour guide walked us through outside of Notre Dame ( Notre Dame isn't yet open after the fire that happened in 2019 it is still under construction) but there's a virtual reality of how it will be just in front of it. Saint Chapelle was amazing . The interiors and the art work of the chappele. Just mind blown with the feel of it. Our tour guide took us around the Latin quarter and to floral markets around. It was a beautiful walk for two hours.

Quality of Experience

Elle was really amazing. She walked around depending on kids energy level. She told us lots about how the church and the Chappells worked in those days. She was very informative.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Half-Day Private Palace of Versailles Experience

Paris

Our tour guide Alexandra ( Family focus tour company) she was the best. She made this four hour tour so much enjoyable for kids. I mean if it was without a private tour we would have just got lost or kids would have got bored for sure. But Alexandra made sure from the garden tour to inside the palace she kept telling these stories in such a simplified way , that we all got so information about king Louis 14th to the French revolution, the interiors of the palace. I mean hands down Alexandra , she made sure the kids had a good time knowing about the palace.

Quality of Experience

Alexandra's knowledge and her love for telling these stories to the kids. She just made our trip such an amazing experience.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Tour guide Alexxandra - Big shout for her!!

Transport

Toni took care of everything so good!!

Private Family Bike Trip

Paris

This was the highlight of pur Paris trip. We LOVED biking around Paris , just like the Parisiens do it. Our guide Tibou from Bluefox travel was the best we could ask for. He talked so much about the cities history and made it exciting for kids with asking them to spot things around while we stopped, talked about french history and made a photo stop on the iconoc points in Paris. He always watched for kids safety while we biked around. Can't thank enough. Thank you Tibou for making our biking ride so special for us.

Quality of Experience

Everything was wonderful.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

French Bakery Visit

Paris

We visited a traditional French Bakery - Le grenier a pain. Meeting their owner, going into the bakery behind scenes- meeting the baker, patisserie chef and watching them making these baguette , bread and croissants. Cheese pudding etc. It was such a great experience knowing how much time and effort and the details they need to watch for. We got to try freshly baked bread and baguettes too. Our guide was really awesome too.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Skip the line Eiffel Tower Tickets - 2nd floor with audioguide

Paris

We missed going inside due to the strike that happened. But Eiffel tower from outside was beautiful:)

French Cooking Class & Market Visit

Paris

Chef Miriyam was such a joy to be around. The excitement she shared while talking about the farmed produces in France to the cheese to introducing to us the French culinary ( parisian style of cooking) was such an amazing experience. Our kids enjoyed how she explained everything. We loved her class and the hosting services she did. We loved Miriyam and miss her " AllieAllie" .

Quality of Experience

Miriyam had so much to talk about the French culinary, the spices that she used and how flavourful her food was.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

My husband and I were looking to travel to France for our delayed honeymoon/anniversary trip, and found KimKim while looking online for travel/tour companies. The travel itinerary created by our tour specialist, Nathalie, was fantastic, and we enjoyed all of the different excursions booked (our favorite was the wine tasting tour in Aix-en-Provence!, though they were all amazing, including the excursion to seeing the Pont du Gard, and our own personal guide for our trip to Versailles, La Conciergerie, Saint-Chapelle, Notre Dame). There were a few bumps along the road (booked to see the Louvre with a private small group tour, however unbeknownst to us the start time of this tour was changed to earlier in the day, and we did unfortunately miss the tour; and had difficulty with a couple of the private drivers hired to take us to/from the hotel to/from the TGV) however we will be getting refunded for these reservations. The hotels reserved for us were very nice (chose 4 star hotels for the most part, one 3 star hotel in Lyon but was also very nice), and we had surprise gifts for us waiting in our hotel rooms as a part of our anniversary trip, which I thought was a very nice touch and added welcome surprises to our trip along the way. Overall, had a really nice time, and glad we used KimKim to help curate our trip.

Lisbet was very responsive and helpful. We revised our trip several times to coordinate with friends. Lisbet was there at every turn to help us, always with patience and insight.

We were in Iceland in April for a series of concerts by the American band Wilco. We love the band, and a visit to Iceland is something we had on our bucket list, so it was natural. The first four days of our trip were spent traveling the sparsely populated South Coast, then back up through Thingvellier. The next four days were spent in Reykjavik.

Iceland is an amazing country, and we absolutely loved our visit. One might say we were a bit unlucky with the weather--lots of rain in April! But my wife and I felt we got a real taste of the combination of the incredible shifting microclimates and precipitation patterns against the landscape. We saw water in every form. We had blazing sun, near hurricane level wind with rain, dense fog, brilliant rainbows, ice caves, and hail. It was almost psychedelic. I would never have imagined that ice climbing by a volcano in the rain, with an avalanche (that made us turn back), would be so exhilarating. It was. Talk about feeling alive. Wow.

Favorite Hotel
360 Hotel: Anna and her husband run a beautiful and serene place. The food was superb. We'd go back there in a heartbeat

Favorite Destinations
- Black Sand Beach in Vik. The columnar basalt formations, the power of the sea, and the volcanic outcroppings made it a mythical place
- The Gullfoss waterfall
- Reykjavik's Harpa Center was also spectacular.

Favorite Food
- lamb stew
- licorice

Best Moves
- Go directly from the airport to the Blue Lagoon: totally refreshes after the international travel. Can't think of a better way to start any adventure than this
- Having the mobile wifi device that came with our car assured us that we would have excellent connectivity everywhere, so using Waze and accessing the internet was easy and especially appreciated when in remote areas
- Having truly waterproof outwear--total lifesaver (nothing like being prepared!)

Biggest Surprise
- Iceland is effectively a bi-lingual country. Everyone speaks English, and we never even needed to exchange currency

Final Thought
- Iceland is a complex and beautiful place we will surely visit again. Remember, as they say there, "It's not just cold; it's expensive."

Mieke was fantastic to work with! She pulled together a varied and interesting itinerary for 7 days in the Netherlands, arranged a great team of guides and offered so many helpful tips to make the most of our time there. Mieke was also readily available for questions and assistance along the way.
We highly recommend!

João and his team were amazing to communicate with in the planning process. We wanted an Azores adventure for our family (2 adults, 2 school-aged kids) and they recommended exploring Sao Miguel for the week, which was perfect. We stayed in Ponta Delgada and then Furnas and explored the different ecosystems around the island. We did the full gamut of activities including hiking, whale watching, biking, kayaking and canyoning. João kept in touch throughout to make sure everything went smoothly, made sure we had adjoining rooms, to help when we were running late, helped plan a birthday surprise for my son and gave us tips on some local hot spots. :) We had an amazing time and will definitely be back to explore more islands!! Thank you, Across Portugal!!

Hotel Reviews

Octant Furnas

Furnas

Really appreciated the filtered water in the thermal pools. Overall very relaxing atmosphere. Recently built within a historic building so the rooms are a bit small, but beautiful property. Hotel restaurant is delicious!! Staff were wonderful!!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Octant Ponta Delgada

Ponta Delgada

Super helpful staff and awesome accommodations! Highly recommend!!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Walkable to all of town and easy to park in their garage, so can zip out to explore easily also.

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Whale & Dolphin Watching Experience in Azores

the Azores

Glad we went on a calm day! Saw dolphins and spent whales. The ride back was definitely an adventure!

Welcome Service

the Azores

Very warm and kind welcome.

I am 73 and decided to travel to Spain on my own. I had specific plans and wanted some built-in assurances since I had not travelled for a few years. After spending extensive time on the internet I found Kimkim and was put in touch with Patricia in Barcelona. She was so helpful with ideas about how to make the most of my time there and worked around my specific requests that fit with my already partially self-planned trip. Everything went perfectly. I was provided with all the necessary vouchers/ tickets beforehand. The driver/ guides were punctual and very helpful. Tour guides were all excellent and they really managed to bring the history of a site to life for me. Patricia was in touch with me every step of the way.

Blanca, my guide in Granada was amazing. I enjoyed my time with Flavio on my tour of his winery. Carmen gave me a great tour of the Seville cathedral, Giraldi tower and Santa Cruz. Driver and guide Alexis, very kind and informative took me to my olive oil mill tour which was sooo interesting and another day to Córdova where I enjoyed a wonderful guided tour of the mosque/cathedral which was amazing. In Barcelona my guided Gaudi tour was amazing and the guide , Laura so enthusiastic. All my guides were superb and I thank them. Each hotel was top notch and I thank Patricia for that.

Thank you to all. Connie

Waterfall was our favorite followed by the hanging bridges. Our guide, Mau, was amazing. Sloth tour was great and so was our guide. Zip line was safe and efficient, but felt more like an exercise and rushed. Night tour was too crowded with many large groups. Loved the beach at Carrillo. The snorkeling is nothing like the pictures. There are few fish and only dead coral. Our guides were very nice though and the kayaking was not difficult. Our last private transfer back to the airport was pleasant and the only ride we had that wasn’t nausea inducing.overall, a great trip!

Hotel Reviews

Nammbú Beachfront Bungalows

Sámara

Authenticity & Character

Location

Right next to the beach!

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Beds could be bigger.

Arenal Manoa & Hot Springs

Fortuna

Loved walking to breakfast and dinner. Room was big and clean. Lots of birds to view especially from the hot springs area and hummingbirds from our room. Food was great.

Authenticity & Character

Location

A little removed from activities

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

El Establo Mountain Hotel

Monteverde

The rooms are very far away from the pool and restaurants with very steep hills. The transportation service is slow to respond for requests for rides. Views are great from the room but you can hear conversations in the rooms next door and below you. I would not stay here again

Authenticity & Character

Seeing lots of birds and a few animals

Location

Better transportation

Staff

Very nice

Cleanliness & Comfort

Queen size bed would be better

Activity Reviews

Isla Chora Ocean Kayaking & Snorkeling Tour

Sámara

The reef is not like the pictures. It is a dead reef so the fish are few but did see two eels.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Zip Line (Canopy) Monteverde

Monteverde

A bit rushed and robotic but fun to fly over the trees

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Night Walk

Monteverde

Way too many people in our group and other groups. Could here more humans than the night sounds.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

He was very friendly and knowledgeable

Sloth Tour (Sloth Territory)

Arenal/La Fortuna

Loved our guide and small group. Made it nice and quiet to hear the forest.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Hanging Bridges, La Fortuna Waterfall & Arenal Volcano Hike

Arenal/La Fortuna

Our guide, Mau, made this a great trip.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

The jerky lotion of the stick shift car is difficult for those with car sickness. The rods are full of potholes and are very curvy

Danny was our guide he was awesome perfect fit for a relaxing vacation. Alvaro planned our trip he did a awesome job very happy with both of them

We just finished an amazing trip to Peru. Justino was an excellent guide who provided us with an authentic Peruvian experience. We were able to engage with locals, stay at family run hotels and learn about the history of the area. Our driver Reuben was also amazing, caring, and fantastic driver who safely drove us each day. I would highly recommend Aspiring Adventures to anyone looking for a uniquely personalized Peruvian adventure!

We thoroughly enjoyed our 3-hour walking tour in Rome with our highly professional tour guide Yevgen Lysenkov.
From the moment Yevgen picked us up at the hotel in Rome we felt his warm and inviting personality that highlighted our trip. He was accommodating, professional and personable. Having with us our 13-year-old grandson did not make the long walking tour easier! However, our boy felt that he was exploring the landmarks of Rome with a new friend and not just with the guide.

Yevgen has a deep knowledge and understanding of the history and culture of ancient Italy and made connections to modern Italy which made the archaic places come alive. This special way of presenting the places that Yevgen took us gave us a real appreciation of Rome and its place in history.

We truly rank Yevgen as one of our top tour guides and have already started recommending Kimkim and Yevgen to friends who are planning a trip to Rome.

Thank you so much for the memorable visit to Rome.

Alla, Bill, and Nick

We really enjoyed our trip and working with Antonia to plan our family vacation to Croatia. We really enjoyed all our guides and places we visited. We went to Split, Hvar, Kotor and Dubrovnik. We went hiking, ate delicious seafood at the oyster farm in Ston, saw some of the Game of Thrones sites and just had a wonderful time seeing these beautiful countries.

Hotel Reviews

HOTEL LIBERTAS

Kotor

This boutique hotel had amazing breakfast and the staff was extremely friendly. Our issue was that the AC in our room did not work and the staff didn’t know how to fix it. It was also a little farther from Kotors city center than expected. The beds were hard as well.

Authenticity & Character

Location

A little farther away than we would like

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

No AC

Vila Nepos

Split

This is an amazing location. Right in the center of Split and it was extremely clean. We loved that it felt like we were staying in a castle with all the exposed stone. Our only complaint was that the bed was a little hard, but this is just a personal choice and understand everyone has their own preference when it comes to beds. Great location and host and would t hesitate to come back again.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

So helpful!

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Review

Ston Oysters Experience & Wine Tasting

Croatia

Best seafood ever!!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Original Travels (Abdellah and Said) arranged a wonderful trip for us. They quickly and easily made the minor changes that we requested for the itinerary prior to booking. There were no surprises with the booking itself.

The trip went off without any significant hitches. Our driver, Ilyace, was great. From the pick-up at the airport through our last day in Marrakesh, he made sure that we were always taken care of. We appreciated his knowledge of Morocco and his clear love for his country. His English was excellent. We were so grateful to have a driver - the traffic in the cities was crazy. We would not have enjoyed the trip nearly as much if we had been trying to navigate everywhere that Ilyace took us.

Our accommodations were lovely overall and when food was included, it did not disappoint. Kashbah Titrit near Ait Ben Haddou was a lovely facility with gorgeous rooms, a beautiful terrace, and an amazing (and affordable) dinner menu. However, the jacuzzi needs to be shut down. It was moldy and made the entire pool and common area smell bad. We just didn't use the jacuzzi, so it wasn't a problem for us. Hotel Xaluca Dades had an expensive and very underwhelming buffet dinner that we would not recommend. Hotel Movenpick Casablanca also had an expensive buffet dinner on the 16th floor, but it was worth every penny. Dar Jasmine in Chefchoauen was probably our favorite - the setting on the hill was breathtaking. Their dinner was inexpensive and delicious.

Our activities were well planned and most were exactly as advertised. The guided tour in Fes was somewhat disappointing - while we saw the things that were noted, it felt like a good portion of the tour was going into shops where we were often sat down to get a sales pitch. It doesn't help that we had no idea the actual value of many of the items that were being offered so bargaining (which is expected) was difficult. Along the trip, we figured out that shopkeepers are likely often starting at twice the price they are willing to accept. Sandboarding in the dessert was nonexistent. A single sandboard was available at our hotel. It was actually an unwaxed snowboard, so it did not fit well over regular shoes and did not slide down the sand. If waxed, it may have been fun. I get the impression that the hotels just have the boards available and you can grab them, so I would not ask for this to be a special activity.

We skipped our planned Food Tour in Marrakesh because our guide let us know that most of the places she liked to showcase were closed for Ramadan. We appreciated her honesty and the company treated us to dinner on the square instead, which seemed like a very appropriate response.

Unfortunately, it rained on the day we planned to do the hot air balloon ride, so it was cancelled. The company refunded that expense without hesitation.

Overall, we loved the trip and were extremely satisfied with the support from Original Travels through kimkim. I would consider booking another vacation with kimkim in the future. It was definitely more expensive than most of our vacations, but it was also the most pampered and luxurious vacation we've taken.

Hotel Reviews

Riad Nyla And Spa Marrakech

Marrakech

This hotel was just recently completely redone and it is modern and beautiful with the classic character of the riads.

Authenticity & Character

Location

very convenient to get to the Marrakesh souks

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Kasbah Titrit

Ait Ben Haddou

This hotel is really great. I'm only giving it 4 stars because the jacuzzi is really bad. It has mold on the ceiling and makes the whole common area smell bad. This was unfortunate because the pool area was otherwise really nice. This hotel has a fabulous rooftop terrace as well. The restaurant served us one of the best dinners we had, from the beautiful presentation of the meal to the delicious food. It was also very inexpensive. If they just drained and shut down the jacuzzi, this would be 5 stars.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

The rooms were great. The jacuzzi was icky and made the common areas smell bad.

Hotel Xaluca Dades

Boumalne

This was a nice hotel. It felt much more like any other hotel outside of Morocco as it was significantly larger than the other places we stayed. The buffet dinner was really underwhelming and overpriced for the quality of the food. The included breakfast was good.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

there was a bit of a strange smell in our room, but not in the kids' room

Riad El Yacout

Fès

Lovely Riad in Fes. Our rooms had beautiful stained glass windows in addition to the gorgeous decor. The included breakfast was very good.

Authenticity & Character

Location

seemed very convenient for the places we went from here

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

newly redone bathrooms that were very nice

Dar Jasmine

Chefchaouen

This was probably our favorite hotel during our trip. The combination of the character and the view over Chefchoauen made it so peaceful and serene. I would love to go back and stay there for a week or 2. The staff was excellent and the food (inexpensive dinner and the included breakfast) was really good.

Authenticity & Character

It was just really neat - both the indoor and outdoor spaces were all well thought-out

Location

gorgeous views over the city

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Mövenpick Hotel Casablanca

Casablanca

The actual hotel and rooms were very nice, but nothing special in particular (especially when compared with some of the riads). However, it was clean and convenient. The restaurant on the 16th floor served a really impressive buffet dinner. The selection was excellent and everything was delicious. It was about $40 per person, which was more than we were expecting but there was nothing else open in the area because of Ramadan. Thankfully it was really good. We did not realize that the main floor also had a restaurant that I bet was also good and less expensive.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Orient Desert Camp

Merzouga

This was a really cool experience. If only all camping was this luxurious... The staff here was really kind and enthusiastic. The food was delicious.

Authenticity & Character

The evening music with the staff was quite engaging and fun. They worked really hard to get everyone involved.

Location

Beautiful to arrive by camel (although 1 camel ride is enough in my life...).

Staff

Kind, respectful.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Architectural Elegance: A Journey through the Hassan II Mosque

Morocco

The mosque is beautiful. The tour is a larger group and our particular guide was a bit difficult to hear as the group was large. It felt a bit rushed, but was still very interesting and worth the time.

Hammam & Spa Experience Marrakech

Morocco

This was pretty cool. We had the bath and scrubbing with the black soap. We then had time to relax followed by a massage. It was a busy place so it felt a bit like we were being moved through (because we were), but it did not feel rushed.

ATV Ride in the Dunes of Merzouga

Merzouga

This was so much fun!! The Quads were high quality machines and we had a great time racing around the desert. Really a blast. The only hiccup was that we were a bit confused about when it was supposed to happen - nobody told us in the morning that we'd be doing it at the end of the day. It worked out just fine though.

Morocco Last Nomads Experience: Tea, Tales & Desert Adventures

Merzouga

Ali was a member of the hotel camp staff, so he also sang with us in the evenings. He drove us into the desert and we had tea in a nomad tent. We had berber pizza and got to see a fair bit of Merzouga. The shops that we stopped at here did not feel as pressured as in Fes.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Private Cooking Class in Fes

Fes

Ameena was amazing. She took us shopping in the souks for the vegetables for our chicken tagine. Her home was lovely and the instruction was great. The completed meal was delicious and I'm so glad we learned how to make chicken tagine!! It was a privilege to spend time in her home and to meet her family.

Quality of Experience

It was really great to purchase food in the markets and then take it back to Ameena's home to prepare our meal.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Ameena was a good teacher.

Transport

Ameena met us at the hotel.

Sand-Boarding in Erg Chebbi (Free of Charge)

Merzouga

The hotel had a 'sandboard' for guests to use. It was a snowboard that was not waxed. Because of this, you did not slide down the hill. There was only one board, so if it had been working, we would not all have been able to go.

Our trip to Morocco was pretty amazing, partly because the country itself is so amazing, and partly because Sharon, KimKim, and the team at Morocco Immersion Tours pretty much thought of everything to make it really special.

When we first spoke to Sharon, we told her that we'd booked a flight to Marrakech and intended to spend the first four days there -- and that we'd like her help with the rest of our 11-day trip. I think we said something like, "Here's our budget. How about a little time in the mountains, a little time in the desert, a couple of days in Fes, and then we fly back to the States from Riad?" And, with only that input, Sharon put together a draft of an itinerary that was based on our preferences, and filled with fun and interesting places to eat, stop, tour, learn, meet crafts people, hear music, and enjoy excellent accommodations along the way.

To say that the itinerary was very detailed and very complete makes it sound boring, but the detail was very reassuring (i.e., someone is actually thinking of EVERYTHING), and the way it was written got us even more excited about the trip than we already were.

Key to the success of our trip was our driver, Rachid, who was not only a great driver, but also a great person: warm, funny, likable, knowledgeable, and ready to help us with anything we needed on a day-to-day basis. He was our driver, our guide, our translator, our photographer (because sometimes our "selfies" aren't as good as they could be), our cultural tutor, and more. It was a real pleasure to spend time with him.

We are new to new having someone else plan a vacation for us and drive us around, because we usually do it ourselves. We thought Morocco might be the place to get some help from the experts because there is so much to see and do, we could use help prioritizing -- and not only do we not speak Arabic and Berber, we can't even read the alphabets!

This was truly an amazing experience from beginning to end. Sharon and Rachid took all the work and anxiety out of everything, and gave us the luxury of just being able to relax, experience, and enjoy!

The guides and drivers were excellent

The details and the planning for the trip were excellent. We changed plans many times prior to finalizing - I loved the flexbility of the planning - I was in charge. However, about 2 weeks prior when I was emailing Paulina, she never responded. A new person was assigned to my account and that went fine after that, but I had to escalate. During the trip, there was one hotel where our rooms were on 2 different floors - we were travelling with 3 kids. The hotel said there was no comment in the reservation that said they had to be together - so either the hotel was being difficult or there really wasn't a note. That was the only hiccup. The only other issue was the pick-up times for our events were so early - and I didn't realize that until one week prior. I should have asked more questions as to WHEN the trips were planned so I could have modified them. We were being picked up twice at 6:30 a.m. when the hotels' free breakfast didn't start until 6:30 a.m. - making it as if we really didn't get a free breakfast. I would look into those details if I were to use them again. Having said all that - the service of the drivers was excellent - everything went off without a hitch.