Kimkim Trip Reviews

Gummi was an excellent coordinator of our trip and took personal interest as we started our adventure. He stayed in touch and reached out quickly when we hit a snag or two. Not only professional but someone who genuinely cared that our trip was a positive one .
Iceland was amazing and the itinerary fit our needs .

Our trip to Japan was very enjoyable and we learned a lot. We found our local specialist to be very responsive and helpful. All the transfers worked really well. Some drivers were particularly memorable such as the one who took us to the falls and Mount Fuji. Our most impressive driver/guide was in Takayama and Shirakawa-go . She was outstanding as a guide and was an excellent driver. The guides were generally quite knowledgeable for the most part. One improvement would be more complete descriptions of what to expect on the guided tours. For example, a gentle hike to see the 10,000 Toriis was anything but.

Accommodations varied. For the most they were fine. Our biggest challenges were the size of the rooms sometimes and features of a room that were difficult to navigate for older travelers such as the one in Kanazawa, Soki, due to the configuration of the beds and extremely small room,

The attractions and the historical sites were memorable and educational. The notable ones were the tea ceremony, the Buddhist Zen experience, and the visit to Shirakawa-go, and in general just exploring the different cities. We found traveling via mass transit from the local subways to the Shinkansen to be easy to navigate.

Overall, a good experience with no significant regrets. Happy we went.

We loved the private tour to Windsor Castle and Hampton Court with David. And, actually the free day the we were given by accident in both London and Paris were wonderful. Next trip we will schedule a free day intentionally. Paris was a blast. The D' Orsea was not to be missed. We could have gone back for a second day.

Tatiana was ever attentive and super positive. Next up, Venice!

B

I thought a long time about this review. It was an absolutely awesome trip.
Berlin is the city of my heart. I did not want to leave. It is clean, safe, friendly, and beautiful. We did have to walk a LOT because our phones did not work outside the hotel. I had thought this would likely be the case but also thought there would be prepaid phone stores with travel phones. We never found those. Our amazing walking tour guide, Lee Evan, told us we could get a SIM at the O2 store in the subway. The SIMs don’t work with iPhones but one of us has a Samsung android. It was only data so gave us GPS but not the ability to call a taxi or verify a phone number to use a rideshare app. If we didn’t find anyone to call a cab we just walked. We did find a pharmacy and got Neurofen (ibuprofen) and a generic for Volteran pain creme to rub on our feet. The pharmacist was very helpful.
Dresden is pretty with amazing architecture.
We had a Prague 1 and Prague 2. Because we had to stay an extra night we got a different hotel on a different side of Prague and it was the Prague I had imagined.
To explain, and this has no impact on this review but when moving our luggage from Dresden to Prague I left a small bag on the train. It had my passport. I didn’t bring a purse or crossbody bag because I had heard thieves cut the strap and take them. (We had no encounters like that at all and lots of people carry crossbody bags there). I would suggest when moving luggage from place to place to use a crossbody bag or a waist pouch (bum bag or fanny pack depending on the country) for the passport so it isn’t part of the luggage you have to gather and always of course keep your drivers license and credit card in a small wallet in your front pocket like at home.
So Prague part 1. The lift at the Prague Season hotel wasn’t working so we had to take our luggage up five levels of stairs. They said it would be repaired that evening. It was not. That day was a one day heatwave. We went out anyway. The area was dirty and had graffiti. There were penis things just out in display windows. Penis candles, giant stuffed penis, little plastic figures having sex, and every marajuana themed thing you can imagine. We walked to the astronomical clock, took some pictures there but while we were waiting at the clock I started to get sick from the heat so we headed back to the hotel. By the time I got up five floors I was throwing up. Fortunately ONE of our rooms had air conditioning so we all went in there. I forget what activity we had because we had to cancel. We all spent the night in the room with air conditioning both nights we were there. We all thought we hated Prague.
The little village where the Sedlac Ossuary is located is cute. The person who really wanted to see the bone church was awestruck by it. I was enchanted by the village. It was much cooler that day and we spent a lot of time at the little cafe across from the church having lunch and drinks. None of us wanted to go back to Prague.
Prague part 2. The lift at the hotel did get fixed but even though we had to stay an extra day because of the passport issues we did not want to stay there! We got an air conditioned room at a hotel called The Golden Wheel. The area around there is everything we thought Prague would be! We nearly walked our feet off trying to see it all and at night there is a horror movie themed pub and a real goth bar. There was also an amazing music festival coming up but sadly, we had to go home. 😢

Hotel Reviews

Prague Season Hotel

Prague

I might give it better if the lift had not been broken but maybe not.

Authenticity & Character

Honestly I don’t remember if it was “authentic”. I do know only one of our two rooms had air conditioning so we all slept in there and it was tiny.

Location

If you enjoy penis shaped everything, marijuana themed everything and graffiti, this is the area for you!

Staff

I think the service would have been fine if the lift worked

Cleanliness & Comfort

Clean yes, also up five flights without a lift because it was broken and ONE of our two rooms had air conditioning so we all slept in there.

Star G Hotel Premium Dresden Altmarkt

Dresden

It is nice. Plenty of room, amazing view. You can walk all over the central part of Dresden from here

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Albrechtshof Hotel

Berlin

It is a bit of a walk and across the river from everything you came here to see but there are cafes nearby so if you just want to chill in the area it’s fine. It’s very nice, clean, no air conditioning but you do get a large fan. The breakfast is amazing.

Authenticity & Character

Location

It’s a pretty good walk to get to the other side of the river. Everything Berlin is famous for is over there.

Staff

So helpful with directions, calling cabs, explaining things

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Review

Berlin Introduction

Berlin

I love Berlin! It’s clean, safe, friendly, and beautiful! There is so much to enjoy. No matter who you are there is something you will like.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Had a great tour, driver Housanie was great, saw many new sites and enjoyed my time in Morroco.

This was our first trip using kimkim to plan and book the entire experience. We were connected with Peruvian Soul and rep Anne Godoy. Because of Covid and then variouschallenges on our end, this trip was several years in the making. But Peruvian Soul and Anne really delivered. She helped us create an itinerary combining her recommendations and experience along with our research and goals. It was a true collaboration. And then Peruvian Soul really came through on the logistics. During the trip, their operation manager Jesus Martel, provided us with frequent updates as needed. He was available for questions. And he was able to make happen a short notice changes in our itinerary that became necessary. This was our first time trusting someone to take care of travel arrangements other than ourselves, and I was very impressed.
So many highlights but want to mention several that were suggested and/or coordinated by Anne & Peruvian Soul.
- Home visit and Homestay on Capachica Peninsula, Lake Titicaca: We visited two kind, delightful families to get a glimpse into their lifestays, and share several meals, next to Lake Titicaca. We were shown how they use local plants as everything from soap to medicine. We witnessed (and slightly helped) our host Ruffino fishing on Lake Titicaca by hauling in nets. It was a cool opportunity to get a bit of insight into their lives and to simply get to know them a little. We had a very good guide, Luis (forgive me, I lost his last name), who shared the history of the area and the customs of the people on the penisula.
- El Alberque, Ollantaytambo - in one place we were able to enjoy a Panchamanca lunch; learn about and roast a batch of coffee; and then create our own botanical liquor in their distillery. We had a fun and insightful afternoon.
- Misminay Community, Sacred Valley - We spent several hours in Misminay with were our local hosts showed us about their weaving; demonstrating the process and showing us how they create their colors with plants and minerals. Then we had a short lesson, trying to learn the local language, Quechua. From their compound, we were able to take a short hike to see the Moray terraces.
- Market visit and cooking glass in Cusco - Anne set us up with the restaurant Mama Seledonia to get a educational (and tasting) tour of 2 Cusco markets. From there, we took the purchases back to the restaurant to make our own lunch, cocktails and then to try a variety of fruits we purchased. The chef (Gustavo) was great and it was a wonderful experience.
- Not surprisingly, Cuscuo, the Sacred Valley and Machu Picchu were trip highlights. But what made it excellent was our guide, Luis Caceres. The poor guy was stuck with us for almost 5 days :) He truly made the trip excellent for us. It was more like travelling with a friend than a guide. (But a friend who knew a ton!)

I enthusiastically recommend kimkim and Peruvian Soul. Anne sincerely created an amazing experience for us and they all (Jesus, our guides and drivers) made it go great. They really took care of us.

We had a week's trip to Greece and I had a pleseant experience with Gustavo in planning my iterinery and taking all the requirments and wishlist into account. The overall trip was relaxing and well planned, except few hiccups on two days but that was more of a miscommunication than any delibrate fault. Kids loved the historic visits, cruise and the cats!!

Hotel Reviews

Grand Ambassador Aegean Luxury

Santorini

Awesome property with all amenities like private pool, full fledged kitchen, laundry and room cleaning services. Locaton is beautiful. We were staying in a 2 bedroom suite, Rooms are build with good amaneties but cave like appearence. The only issue I had there were the slippery stairs as i fell down on one of those during my stay. Staff was notified and they are pretty open to the feedback, so hope they work on it as it is safety realted issue.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Stairs are little slippery even without water with the slippers on

Paros Comfy Suites

Naousa Paros

A comparitevely new hotel with minimum waste policy, so they provide thermos to the guests with drinking water dispensor at different places on the property. Beutiful loaction with private beach and pools with some rooms. The are still working towards their kitchen , so breakfast options are not enough, but everything is made on demand.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Athens Manor Houses

Athens

In the heart of the city, everything is at walkable distance. Room and Breakfast was as expected. But USP would be its location.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Private Yacht Caldera Cruise

Santorini

The Private Yacht Caldera Cruise in Santorini was fantastic. It wasn't just the kids who enjoyed it; we all had a wonderful time. The food and hospitality were excellent, and it was a delightful way to enjoy the scenery and relax. A truly memorable experience for the whole family.

The Historic Byzantine Path Hiking Adventure

Paros

The Historic Byzantine Path Hiking Adventure in Paros was a standout activity during our trip. It wasn't just a hike; it was an experience where we got to immerse ourselves in nature and enjoy the rustic charm of Paros. After the hike, we stopped at a local cafe where we enjoyed a delicious orange dessert and coffee, surrounded by friendly cats. It felt more authentic and less touristy, and we absolutely loved it.

Private Percy Jackson-Inspired Hero’s Adventure in Athens

Athens

The Private Percy Jackson-Inspired Hero’s Adventure in Athens was good, especially for the kids. My son was quite interested in the stories and mythology, while my younger daughter seemed to absorb more than she let on at the time. It's a great educational activity for children with an interest in Greek myths.

This was a totally amazing trip. Everything was so well planned out. AK was awesome taking care of every possible little thing we could have needed. I don't think he ever slept! It was like our every need was anticipated before we even knew we needed it. The level of service was extraordinary. Everyone asks what my favorite part was and I say everything! It was honestly all magical. Our guides were amazing and so incredibly knowledgeable. Hend (hope I'm spelling that right) in Cairo was so much fun. And we loved Noha in Luxor, she was wonderful and we added a couple extra tours she recommended and so glad we did. And Walla in Aswan was also very nice and very knowledgeable. I will definitely be recommending Kimkim to anyone who is interested in touring Egypt.

I can't say enough about KimKim and our agent Angel, and how seamless the trip she put together for us, was. The experiences - knife making in Kyoto, kintsugi in Tokyo, visiting the kaga yuzen master in Kanazawa - were wonderful, fun, and informative, real learning experiences about each craft and its history. The guides were each great. They were each thoughtful, attentive, a wealth of knowledge and information, fluent in English, on time, and receptive to our inputs as we went through our time with them. They were also founts of information about what to do during our times on our own, where to go for particular interests (e.g., purchasing indigo fabric in Osaka, restaurants in each city, gardens to visit, where to purchase ceramics), and general information about each city, including providing a detailed understanding of how to use public transportation in Tokyo & Osaka. All local arrangements were also perfect - pickups at airports and hotels, train and hotel reservations. One small thing - we found hotel rooms to be on the small side, and in Tokyo & Kyoto, upgraded to larger rooms on our arrival. Had we paid closer attention to the information about the hotel rooms we were booked into, we would have handled this prior to departure. I see this as something that was our responsibility. In summary, we were very pleased, we would consult with Angel and KimKim first on any trip in their domain for our future travel, and we are highly recommending Angel and KimKim to all of our friends and family!

Hotel Reviews

Hotel JAL City Nagano

Excellent location (close to major interests & train station) and breakfast. Excellent staff, helpful with dinner reservations

Authenticity & Character

Location

Close to attractions, comfortable room, excellent breakfast

Staff

Very helpful with dinner reservations

Cleanliness & Comfort

Mitsui Garden Hotel Kanazawa

Kanazawa

Beautiful room, excellent location, great staff, great breakfast

Authenticity & Character

Location

Close to all the things we wanted to see, including the historical garden, samurai section, other sights.

Staff

I left a treasured hat on the train that took us to Kanazawa; I realized this had happened as soon as we got to our room. Went to the desk and told the staff. They went into action, calling the train station and other parties. The hat was located and returned. I can't thank them enough!

Cleanliness & Comfort

Miyako City Osaka Hommachi

Osaka

Beautiful room with balcony. Excellent buffet breakfast. Large sitting area with soft drinks and sake/wine (for a small fee), very comfortable overall. Very helpful staff.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Well situated in relation to major sights, and for those who shop, to Takashiyama and a major wholesale building (9 blocks long!).

Staff

Very hlepful and accomodating.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Cross Hotel Kyoto

Kyoto

Lovely setting with sitting area. Great location 2 blocks from major shopping and food areas.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Shopping, food, the river! Great buffet breakfast!

Staff

Very attentive and responsive to our needs

Cleanliness & Comfort

Ryokan Aura Tachibana

Hakone

Authentic experience of a ryokan. Excellent food. Great baths!

Authenticity & Character

A real ryokan. Baths, included dinner and breakfast that were authentic foods.

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Mitsui Garden Hotel Jingugaien Tokyo Premier

Tokyo

Great staff, lovely hotel - including public bath - and while a bit outside of the main attractions, next door to a subway station and some lovely parks!

Authenticity & Character

Public baths, adjoining park

Location

CLose to beautiful parks and subway

Staff

Very attentive and responsive to our needs

Cleanliness & Comfort

Impecable

Activity Reviews

1-Day Tour: Snow Monkeys, Zenkoji Temple & Sake in Nagano

Japan

Words cannot describe the experience of visiting the area with snow monkeys! great sake tasting experience, very educational. Also excellent - and huge - lunch!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Half Day Artisan Tour in Kanazawa

Kanazawa

Kaga Yuzen! Unbelievable craftsmanship and beauty. Also, the visit to the samurai section was interesting, educational, and beautiful, and was helpful for us to find ceramic gifts

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Ai was great!

Full Day Gokayama and Shirakawago Tour from Kanazawa

Japan

Into the mountains - beautiful! Two villages comprised of thatched roofed houses, less than 200 left in Japan. Beautiful setting, very peaceful. Learned a great deal about this culture

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Our guide Mai was also our driver -safe, excellent. A fount of information.

Transport

Kanazawa Geisha District Night Tour with Dinner

Kanazawa

A VERY interesting and educational experience regarding the history of Geisha 'culture' and how it lives on today

Quality of Experience

Food

Had a great, authentic dinner.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Osaka-Nara day trip with Osaka Castle

Osaka

The deer! But the high point was the Buddhist Temple, largest man made wooden structure in the world circa 740s. It left me in awe. I was deeply moved and did not have the words to describe how or why. It stopped me in my tracks. The castle was also interesting. We chose not to visit the tower as it had already been a full day and we wanted time to find indigo dyed fabric - which we did!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Asuka was an excellent guide!

Osaka Local Foodie Tour in Dotonbori and Shinsekai

Japan

An immersion in street food of Osaka. Interesting, but not the food of my first choice. Nonetheless, and worthwhile evening. VERY jam packed with people!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Our guide was a bit of a 'newbie' and a bit nervous, but she was lovely.

Katana Sword Making in Kyoto

Kyoto

WOW, We REALLY made knives! A real blacksmithing experience

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Full Day Kyoto City Tour with Fushimi Inari-Taisha

Kyoto

A VERY full day with our guide Zumi! Visited the Shogun castle, and both Shinto shrine and Buddhist Temple. Each highly worth the visit with much learned and extraordinary beauty. Especially the garden at the Golden Temple and overall, the castle, where we learned about how each room of the castle was used to communicate awe to those who sought an audience with the Shogun.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Can't say enough about how attentive and informative Zumi was. He forgot to give us a few pieces of information we had gathered during the day (and which he carried for us). he delivered them to our next hotel!

Kimono Tea Ceremony at Kyoto Maikoya

Kyoto

Wow! Dressed to the 9's in kimono, AUTHENTIC! Not quite a formal teas ceremony, but more of a learning experience. Lots of fun!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Full Day Mt. Fuji with Lake Kawaguchi & Oishi Park

Japan

Yuki was amazing. He was our driver and guide. Excellent English, very informative all along the way,, explaining and describing, and answering our many questions. Helpd us locate and purchase sparkling sake! Beautiful trip through a mountainous area. Cedar 'forest at teh Kitaguchi Hongu Fuji Sengen shrine (other worldly big), Mt. Fuji was in the clouds, but its top emerged as we walked along one of the lakes. Delivered us safely t our hotel

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Authentic Pure Gold Kintsugi Workshop with Master Taku in Tokyo

Tokyo

Very interesting to learn about this practice and do it! We worked with a master. We have our pieces on display in our home.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

We walked and found a beautiful garden

Tokyo Day Tour with Tsukiji Outer Market & Senso-ji - East & Central

Tokyo

A very full first day in Tokyo with our guide Yumi. She was excellent, spoke English fluently, helped us find gifts to purchase, our first teacher on this trip about Shinto and - among other things - the history of the fish market and associated shrine, how to approach a shrine and temple, etc. Taught us how to use the subway. Can't say enough!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Italy is amazing! The start of planning and booking with Irene was easy and Irene made sure to answer every question I had. Once the trip started, everything went as scheduled and we had constant communication with a travel team. Our guides through Liv Tours were awesome. They knew so much information and also engaged our teens through out. The cooking class with Towns of Italy in Florence was amazing and Lisa was an incredible instructor! Our food tour through Trastevere was so much fun. We enjoyed getting a tour of the neighborhood where the locals go and also tasting yummy food. Areulio (sp?) was amazing as well. Our favorite by far was Sorrento! We loved the Path of the Gods hike with Antonio through Leisure Italy. He was knowledgable and patient with us as we hiked. Dino, our driver was great as well for this hike! The boat day for our last day with Capitano Ago was just amazing. Our skipper, Orlando was great and we enjoyed the entire day seeing the coast and the blue waters. He recommended an awesome spot for lunch in Capri and even made the reservation for us! I can’t say enough about this trip, it was just incredible and our teens loved it as well! We can’t wait to go back!

We had the most wonderful trip to Iceland planned by Gummi! It was fast paced, and we saw so much of the beautiful country. He thought of everything including driving directions and restaurant recommendations. It could not have been a better trip!

Hotel Reviews

Vík Apartments

Vik I Myrdal

Our two bedroom in my room was very clean and right in the middle of town. The heated bathroom floors were an added plus.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Pier Apartments

Vestmannaeyjabær

An absolutely wonderful place to stay! The kitchen was so well stocked and the house was so clean. You were literally on the harbor. We loved our night here!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Stracta Hotel

Hella

A good place to spend the night. We had a private apartment, which god us out of some of the craziness. It seemed like a very busy hotel with lots of people coming and going. It was a good spot for one night after a long day.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Miðhraun - Lava Resort

Stykkishólmur

A great place to spend two nights. Loved the hot tub, sauna, playground and sheep. Room was very clean!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Rey Apartments

Reykjavík

Good location and plenty of space. A little loud, but that is because you are so close to everything!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Icelandic Food Walk

Reykjavík

This was the perfect way to end our trip. We loved walking around the town and trying all the authentic foods. Our guide was funny and informative.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Lava Show Vík

Vík

This was a very fun one hour activity before we had dinner and Vik. Our host was so knowledgeable and we learned a lot about volcanoes and what happens before and after an eruption.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Explore Jökulsárlón Glacier Lagoon by Zodiac Boat

Iceland

Riding in a boat in a lagoon surrounded by icebergs that just came off a glacier is a once in a lifetime experience. We also were able to see Harbour seals that were incredible. I know that I will never do anything like this again and I am so happy that my family had this experience. It was truly incredible!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Glacier Ice Cave Experience

Iceland

We really enjoyed this experience. It was neat to be able to see a glacier from the inside. I will say that it was more physically challenging than I expected, but I would recommend this to anyone.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

One Hour Rib Safari Trip

Westman Islands

This was one of our favorite activities we did throughout the week! The tour guide was so fun and the driver played the best music. Being able to get on the water around the islands was perfect. The suits that they gave you kept us extra warm and dry. I would 100% recommend doing this.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Víðgelmir Lava Cave Experience

Iceland

This was a fun introduction into what a lava cave was. Our tour guide was wonderful and we learned a lot. Definitely worth going to see.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

★★★★★

This was one of the best trips we have ever taken. The itinerary was thoughtfully designed and offered a wonderful variety of experiences, from Cape Town and Victoria Falls to multiple safari camps across Botswana and South Africa. Each destination and camp had its own unique character, making every part of the journey memorable.

Bianca was highly professional throughout the planning process. She understood exactly what we were looking for and created an itinerary that matched our interests and travel style perfectly.

What impressed us most was how smoothly everything was organized. With multiple flights, transfers, camps, and activities involved, every transition felt seamless and stress-free. The logistics were exceptionally well coordinated, allowing us to focus entirely on enjoying the experience.

The accommodations, safari experiences, guides, and overall trip pacing exceeded our expectations. Everything worked exactly as planned, and we returned home with incredible memories and photographs.

We are 100% satisfied with this trip and would highly recommend this experience to anyone planning an African adventure.

We just returned from our trip to Japan and as the title says, the trip completely exceeded our expectations thanks to our local contact, Cannon. He was amazing to work with, start to finish, and even during the trip! Nothing was left to chance. Our entire experience was seamless. The excursions, the guides, the drivers, the hotels, were perfection. I can't imagine planning a vacation with Kimkim.

Hotel Reviews

Hilton Osaka

Osaka

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hilton Kyoto

Kyoto

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Green Hill Hotel Onomichi

Onomichi

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Suiun

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Asakusa View Hotel Annex Rokku

Tokyo

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Osaka Highlights Bike Tour

Japan

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Transfer from Kyoto to Osaka via Nara

Japan

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Full Day Kyoto City Tour with Fushimi Inari-Taisha

Kyoto

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Tea Ceremony with Kimono & KAISEKI Dinner

Kyoto

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

From Hakone to Kyoto

Japan

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Tokyo Night Foodie Tour in Shinjuku

Tokyo

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Lake Kawaguchi & Mt. Fuji Ice Cave Adventure

Japan

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Yanaka Historical Walking Tour in Tokyo's Old Town

Tokyo

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Tokyo Guided Small-Group Biking Tour

Tokyo

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Ivan was very responsive, flexible, and helpful in building an ideal trip for us. We like to stay busy, and Ivan always had quick and efficient ideas to fill the itinerary and maximize our experience. We hit a snag with passport control in Frankfurt that caused us to lose a day, however, Ivan was tremendously helpful in guiding us through our schedule pivot!

Hotel Reviews

Berkeley Hotel & Day Spa

Dubrovnik

This hotel was the perfect spot to set up our base camp for four days in Dubrovnik. No frills, just a nice, clean and comfortable spot to rest, regroup, and get going again. The people working there were absolutely wonderful hosts!

Authenticity & Character

The hotel is newer and fits in with the feel of the neighborhood around the harbor. We had a nice harbor view from a balcony where we enjoyed a glass of wine each evening while watching the action on the water and the street below.

Location

Arriving by Ferry from Hvar, the hotel is a block up from the harbor. Ivan had a transport arranged, though we easily could have walked. The Old City is a 30-40 minute walk...do yourself a favor an choose the longer route listed on google maps, the shorter route is less scenic and much steeper for much longer (trust me). Uber ride to old town is 10-15 Euros one way. The bus is the way to go if you want quick, cheap, and easy (stop is right in front of the hotel). Immediately after checking in, we went exploring and were cursing the distance from old town (lol). Though once we arrived to old town, we immediately realized that staying closer would have offered a far greater set of challenges: steps, luggage management, noise, transport pickups etc. Since we were doing much more than just old town while we were in Dubrovnik, The Berkeley was the perfect spot for us. An excellent reason to book with someone who knows what they are doing!

Staff

So kind and friendly. We overslept on our first morning, and they were ready with "to go" coffees for us when we got down stairs to grab our ride, while also jokingly noting how much earlier we were rising each day. Whoever was occupying the desk gladly served as concierge, bartender or local guide helping us wth restaurant recommendations, reservations, drinks, pool towels etc. Checking out the morning of our last day, our flight was not until 9pm. The hotel offered luggage storage, pool use, and changing facilities for the entire day prior to our flight. Very much appeciated!

Cleanliness & Comfort

We ran pretty hard with activities in Dubrovnik, and the Berkley was perfect for us to regroup, recharge by the pool, and rest well at night. The room was clean, well-appointed, and we slept quite well!

Amfora Hvar Grand Beach Resort

Hvar

We do not typically choose "resorts" when traveling, so we were a bit nervous about Amphora. Our nerves were calmed once we observed the view of the Adriatic, and checked in to our newly renovated room

Authenticity & Character

The hotel was built as a show piece in the late 60s/early 70's when the country was still part of Yugoslavia, so the authenticity and character is obviously related to that time rather than "old world". The lobby bar is really a gourgeous place to have a drink and relax. The pool is very nice and also overlooking the sea.

Location

Right on the Adriatic, incredible views, and easy walk to everything around the harbor (Ferry, restaurants, historic sites)

Staff

We arrived via Ferry from Split, and were greeted by friendly hotel staff who loaded our luggage into a van for transport, while providing easy directions for a relaxing stroll to the resort. At check-in our reservation could not be located at first (it was filed under our first name). No big deal, easily resolved without delay. However, they considered it a snafu and upgraded us to a seaview room. Totally unnecessary, though very much appreciated! The hotel was very well staffed with plenty of friendly folks providing quality service at breakfast and poolside

Cleanliness & Comfort

Comfortable, clean , well-appointed room with plenty of storage. The upgraded room with balcony was an added bonus. Honor bar offered juice in water included with the room, and additional bottles of water were delivered every afternoon.

Residence Stine

Split

Authenticity & Character

The hotel is only about 6 years old, though it was put together for modern convenience with an authentic vibe. Embedded in Split's old town, we felt were part of the neighborhood. We kept our windows open to enjoy the breeze coming off the adriatic, while enjoying the church bells and neighborhood sounds.

Location

Perfectly located in Split old town just a few steps from excellent restaurants, the palace, and seaside. Know ahead of time (we did) that vehicles cannot drop passengers at the entrance and there is a short walk from the drop off point on stone streets that seems longer on initial impression, though we laughed at its ease once we became familiar. We checked in after hours, though I believe they will meet folks when checking in by a certain time. Worth the steps!

Staff

Renata was super with communication and assistance. We checked in after hours after our rough start traveling. The instructions to enter and retrieve our room access were clear, concise, and simple. Renata greeted us warmly at breakfast; helped us with directions; ATMs; ferry schedules, and just general insights. One other staff member handled breakfast service housekeeping. While I am blanking on her name, she was lovely as well, and prepares a fantastic omelet!

Cleanliness & Comfort

The room was spacious and well-appointed with a desk, chair, and love seat. We had a corner room that offered windows on tree walls with nice views and fresh air. The room was very clean, and a welcome snack of nuts, fruits, and cheeses was there upon checking (though this may have been a sympathy offer for a rough travel lol). There is a bed and breakfast feel in that there is no staff on duty in the evening or overnight. This was not a problem for us, though in conversation with staff, we learned that some guests have been surprised by this.

Activity Reviews

Half Day Boating Excursion to the Elaphite Islands

Dubrovnik

-We like boating, and we loved this trip exploring the island, sea caves, coastal villages, and light house. The skipper had a cooler of refreshments (water, beer, wine) which was a nice touch. -This was the morning of our last day prior to our 9pm flight, and was a perfect culmination of our trip

Quality of Experience

Loved it!

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Our skipper, Josef, was highly confident and capable handling the boat. A University tourism student, he is beginning his first season in the role. A super host who was eager to make sure we were happy by giving us many choices: wait at the blue cave v more exploration; swim at sandy beach or just look; stop at small village for walk around; lighthouse. The highlight for us was the cave he took us to where we were the only people there. Josef has a successful career ahead of him if this is the path that he chooses. Well done!

Transport

-We could have easily walked to the boat location from our hotel (15 mins) and were kind of embarrassed that we had a transport, lol. -We appreciated the flexibility of our driver to drop us off near the old town after the excursion, rather than the hotel

Private Day Trip to Cavtat & Family Farm Day for Traditional Lunch or Dinner

Croatia

This trip turned out to be more than advertised. We thought our driver, Juraj, was transport to Cavtat and then the family farm for dinner. Little did we know... First, he asked if we had been to Mt. Sri...we had not..."I'd like to show it to you if you do not mind"...Of course not! Riding to the top, he discussed the history of the Napoleonic fortress, the history of Croatia's independent spirit, and gaining independence from Yugoslavia. He walked us through the highlights of the museum, then we took in the spectacular views of the old town. In Cavtat, he walked us to the Vlaho Bukovac museum...another unexpected treat. Then off to a wonderful schnapps tasting and traditional meal on the farm in Cilipi, then finally home. We slept well, lol

Quality of Experience

The quality was that the experience entailed much more than expected!

Guides, Drivers and Staff

-Givo was a gracious host on the farm and the food was fantastic -Juraj was just an absolute delight. Born and raised in the area, veteran of the conflict, and 25 years in the hotel industry. He was full of knowledge, and the more questions we asked, the more stores he shared. We tried to tip him, and he refused: "Absolutely not! Your are my guest!"

Transport

Juraj was a good driver also!

Dubrovnik Kayaking Adventure

Dubrovnik

Unique views of the the Old Town. Good exercise and fun and refreshing to be out on the Adriatic. Included a swim at a sea cave and a paddle up to Lokrum Island. We lucked out that the wind was down, other travelers we met said it was a lot of work when windy. Highly recommend

Quality of Experience

The efficiency of the guide company was impressive

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Josef was our kayak guide/escort. He shared some interesting and fun facts while focusing on his primary role as escort. He continually made sure he was "herding" the group and circling up with folks individually to check on them.

Day Trip to Mostar

Croatia

Good change of pace day suggested by Ivan getting away from the coast. A stop at Kravica Falls along the way was well worth it. Only need about an hour to take it in. Scenic drive through agricultural areas and Mountains. Unique cultural experience with different architecture and food. A different vibe in a different country

Quality of Experience

Really enjoyed getting away from the coast; learning the history of the converging cultures. We were fortunate to witness a bridge jump. Those guys are nuts!

Guides, Drivers and Staff

-We spent nearly 5 hours in the car with Dora. She was a highly capable driver, and pleasant conversationalist as we peppered her with questions throughout the drive. Her experience in the border crossings certainly alleviated any potential stress that can occur in those situations -Philip was our guide who met us in Mostar, and he was an enthusiastic ambassador for town and country. Very professional, informative, and lots of fun!

Transport

As noted earlier, Dora was fantastic. We had a rough start to our day when we overslept, however, she was patient and understanding as our start was delayed about 15 minutes. Communicated updated meeting time with our Mostar guide, and kept us on track without missing anything. Very much appreciated!

Tour Dubrovnik's Old Town

Croatia

Excellent historical overview of the old town from its founding to the present day. Some Game of Thrones sprinkled in, but not too much (thankfully!)

Quality of Experience

Day one in Dubrovnik. We learned a lot with the added bonus of the learning our way around to make things easier for the nexts several days.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Our guide was fun and informative. Just an excellent host. We had dinner plans in Old Town after the tour, and she made sure to point out where that was as we enjoyed our afternoon touring with her.

Hike to Lost Villages of Hvar

Hvar

Starting at the top, the hike to the abandoned village was mostly downhill an not difficult at all. As our guide (Marco) described the evolution of the area, he also pointed out the different plants (rosemary, st. johns wort, carob etc.) which have been raised and cultivated there for thousands of years. We made an unadvertised stop at an "inhabited" village where we rested in the cellar of a local family. Vanessa provided samples of her homemade rakija and wine, and showed us soaps and balms that she had made from vegetation foraged by her husband. We also got to meet her father in law and two children. No pressure to purchase (in fact we had to ask to), and a very enjoyable experience. Lunch in the abandoned village was pre-ordered the day before (we chose octopus) and prepared peka style. All enjoyed with a cold beer in a hauntingly beautiful setting. The hike finished up on the water in the town of Milna (started when everyone moved off the mountain) where we had another beer while waiting for our transport.

Quality of Experience

Active, fresh air, great views, unique landscape and stories

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Marco, while interesting and knowledgeable, was also quite fun. We did not spend much time with the driver, though he was very engaging as well. As we finished up, they were interested in what we were doing next, and connected us with a taxi driver friend for the off the beaten track restaurant we had found. Much appreciated

Transport

Picked us up at the hotel, got us to the starting point of the hike, and did the same to return. Easy peasy!

Guided Walking Tour of Split

Split

Ina met us at our hotel where we began our tour. Diocletian's Palace is the main attraction, and Ina knows here stuff! We also very much enjoyed her insight into daily life in Split while we strolled through the old town and along the Promenade. We highly recommend this activity, and one would be hard pressed to find a guide as knowledgeable, fun, and friendly as Ina!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Ina is terrific!

Private transfer from Dubrovnik to Split (stop for oysters and wine on the way)

Croatia

We unfortunately lost this experience when we lost a day of our trip due to passport control delays in Germany. We were really looking forward to it and very disappointed that we could not enjoy this part of our trip. Rating this 5-star in order to continue on the page

Emanuela and her team need to be commended for making our vacation in Iceland to be remembered for as long as I live. It was incredible to the experience the nature's beauty in Iceland. Trip planning, route tips, hotel accommodation, food spot recommendations and precautions to be taken, provided by Emanuela and her team were on the spot, helpful and made our trip more enjoyable, relaxing and stress free. Keep up the good work !!

We were overall very happy with the trip. The transfers for the most part and the stays were all great. And most of our tours were amazing. We also loved the details of little celebrations of our anniversary in each one of our lodgings. The ease of planning a multi stay trip in Italy was the best part, as all this planning would have taken us weeks on our own.
We had a couple of minor inconveniences, but otherwise were so pleased with the entire experience.
Our transfer to Cinque Terre could have been a bit smoother. We figured out easily how to get the car in Rome and then drive to Tuscany easily, based on instructions. After Tuscany, however ,there was some information we were missing. We needed to get the car to the drop off in La Spezia and then get on the train there to get to our lodging. None of this was mentioned in the transfer details. We also had to take a bus in La Spezia to the train station from the car drop off, also not mentioned. We managed this all fine, but would have been nice to know prior to the day of travel.
We were very grateful for the nice upgrade to rooms in Monterosso since we think the original hotel we were booked in was closed for repairs. This was a wonderful stay and we were treated so kindly there by the hostess Tamara.
Our other tours were very well done. The itinerary indicated that all the tour guides would be advised of my celiac disease and inability to eat gluten. The tours that included food were not all advised and on the boat tour in Cinque Terre the guide felt terrible as the boat had not loaded any GF items to make up for the appetizer, bread, or dessert for me. I was disappointed at this as was my husband as he was eating all the food and I could only eat the fish and salad. Lisa, our guide in Rome for our food tour was advised however and made sure that I had GF options for the majority of the tour. She was amazing as a first guide to start out the trip and we loved Rome even more because of her. Also our second food tour in Rome, dinner with a local, was in the same restaurant as one of our stops with Lisa. This would have been hard to predict, and overall did not take away from the experience, but it would have been nice to try a different restaurant. That guide, although I can't remember her name was amazing. She was a college student and had a great perspective on Italy.
The tour from Radda was a bit odd as the guide did not seem to know what our tour was supposed to entail and had some difficulty with English. We did a 10 k loop hiking which was fabulous and the scenery was amazing and the guide gave us a lot of good info about the area and local flora and fauna in English. However, that tour was supposed to include a wine tasting at the end and she did not have that as part of the tour.
Overall this was a lovely trip and having everything mostly planned for us was a life saver with our busy schedules. We also appreciated the detailed attention to the transfers at the beginning and end of the trip, as those long travel days are a lot.
Beatriz had great communication and going forward we have already planned on using KimKim for our next trip to Europe.

Sydney planned an amazing trip to Greece. She took thoughts on what we wanted to experience and turned it into a reality. From Athens to Milos to Santorini to Crete, we were able to experience all of Greece. The private tours, the private sunset cruise, and I can go on and on and on.

Sydney is the best and KimKim too!

Thank you for another well thought out and planned trip!

Hotel Reviews

Phaea Blue Palace

Agios Nikolaos

This was the highlight of our trip. The BEST hotel I have ever stayed in my entire life. I cannot say enough good things about this hotel.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Ducato di Oia Boutique Hotel

Santorini

It was a bit on the older side - the room was not as nice as the other 2 hotels. But the service was impeccable.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Santa Maria Luxury Suites & Spa

Milos, Cyclades

Elia Ermou Athens Hotel

Athens

Activity Reviews

Crete Wine & Culture Adventure: Private Tour of Peza Wineries, Olive Oil, and Traditional Pottery

Heraklion

WOW! Another highlight for us! The best experience! Spyros was amazing!

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Spyros was the best guide, ever

Transport

Private Day Trip to Spinalonga Island

Heraklion

We could have done this on our own. We were also supposed to have lunch included but we did not.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Private Sunset Caldera Cruise

Santorini

WOW! The best!

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Self-Guided Chasing the Santorini Sunset

Santorini

Half Day Kleftiko Catamaran Adventure

Milos

One of the best Catamaran experiences we have had. Great captain and staff, food was amazing. We could have not asked for a better experience.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Private Day of Highlights

Milos

We really enjoyed the exclusivity of the day. Our guide was awesome. And we were able to see parts of Milos that we would have missed.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Self-guided Exploration of Plaka

Milos

Acropolis Beat-the-Crowds Discovery Walk

Athens

My cousin and I decided to go to Greece on short notice. Since we didn’t have time to do our usual planning we decided to let kimkim plan the itinerary and do the logistics. We told them we liked “off the beaten path” and they found beautiful unique places for us to go. All the guides were knowledgeable and delightful. Will definitely use kimkim in the future.

Our trip was booked as a 5 star adventure and everything meet our expectations!

MANY THANKS TO HEIDI!!!
HEIDI WAS AWESOME, EASY TO WORK WITH AND EXCEEDED ALL OF OUR NEEDS. WHAT A JEWEL.
JIM

Mathia setup a wonderful trip for us, with a beautiful hotel in Oslo, then a train trip on the Flam scenic railway. Next stop was Aurland, which I loved our hotel there as well, with a gorgeous view of the fjord. My favorite part was traveling on the fjords to Balestrand (quaint villlage) and then on to Bergen. Our trip went very smoothly and I've highly recommended it to all my friends. Thanks so much