Kimkim Trip Reviews

We really enjoyed our 8 day trip around Morocco! It was extremely helpful to have Abdellah plan our itinerary. He listened to our priorities and made adjustments when we asked him to. I also appreciated that he helped us make some last minute restaurant reservations once we were already on the trip. We also really liked our drive, Soufian, who was really friendly and punctual throughout the trip. All of the guides in each location were knowledgable and made exploring more interesting. We didn't really think we needed a guide for the day hikes, but it actually made the experience much more interesting as we learned a lot about the local villages (we also would have likely gotten lost without them!). Out favorite part of the trip was hiking in the Atlas Mountains!

Hotel Reviews

Inara Desert Camp

Marrakech

The Desert Camp is a really interesting experience. We really enjoyed the glamping tent and were happy to have a private bathroom and A/C. The staff were very kind and they did a traditional music performance at the end of the night, which was fun. The food was also good, though only one dish was offered. Unfortunately the tranquillity of the desert was ruined by a neighboring camp (also owned by Inara), which was hosting a loud dance party until at least 4am. There was also a noisy group playing music in the main area of our own camp until late. I wish there was an expectation of peace and quiet after midnight or so, especially since the whole vibe is very tranquil during the day.

Authenticity & Character

Gorgeous property, great pool

Location

The desert is lovely, but it would have been nice to be further from the party camp...

Staff

Very attentive and kind

Cleanliness & Comfort

It was perfectly clean, but the club music was a real down side to a good night's sleep.

Tizi N'Ouirgane

Ouirgane

We generally really enjoyed this property, thought there were a few things that could have been improved. On the good side, it' a stunning location with a lovely pool. The staff was so kind and cooked us a delicious meal (though we only had one option of tagine, which luckily was good). We were the only ones staying there, which was a little odd, but we got a lot of attention from the staff which was nice! We felt the room could have had better amenities - the shower flooded and there weren't any bath products supplied. For a lovely hotel, those small details were a bit of a disappointment. All and all it was nice though!

Authenticity & Character

Really cool design on the exterior and lobby, but the rooms didn't have a lot of decor

Location

Very remote, but with gorgeous views of an olive orchard and with a lovely pool

Staff

Really kind and treated us very well

Cleanliness & Comfort

Generally we felt the rooms could have been more comfortable and with better bathroom amenities

Ryad Dyor

Marrakech

I adored this riad. It is in a great location in the medina, but feels totally tranquil once you are inside the walls. It is a bit of a walk to the car drop off, but that's part of the fun (and they will carry your bags for you). The rooms were really stunning with clean, earthy style. The rooftop restaurant is gorgeous. We had a private dinner on the roof and they cooked one of the best meals we had on the trip (we opted for a bunch of vegetarian small plates, which were so good and a nice variery from other food we had been served on the trip).

Authenticity & Character

Perfect blend of modern, earthy and moroccan

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Riad Maison Bleue And Spa

Fes

This riad is really great, with totally extravagant decor! The courtyard and restaurant are also both lovely. The only down side was that they only offered two menu items for dinner, which was disappointing as they have a full menu posted online. The food was tasty though!

Authenticity & Character

Lots of authentic decor

Location

Right in the medina, but a quick walk to the car. Cool views over the city wall.

Staff

We really liked the front desk staff - they were really friendly and gave us a tour of the hotel

Cleanliness & Comfort

Dar Jasmine

Chefchaouen

This hotel is absolutely stunning, with boutique style rooms and an amazing view over Chefchaouen. The only thing to consider is that there are a LOT of steps to get up to the hotel and it's pretty exhausting. As a younger couple it was totally with it for the view (plus a hotel staff member carried our luggage), but if you have any issues with steps, it would be a challenge.

Authenticity & Character

Really nice design - a good mix of traditional decor with modern finishes

Location

The view was spectacular, but the steps were a challenge!

Staff

Everyone was really nice

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Drive from Imlil to Agafay Desert via Ourika Valley & Agafay Camel Riding

Morocco

We really enjoyed our hike this day - it was quite different then the hike the day before. The one was a lot steeper, but also really scenic. We also loved having lunch by the river.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Guided Tour of Fez Medina

Fes

We really liked our guide and enjoyed seeing the Medina. The only down side was the pressure to purchase items from the artisans who gave demonstrations. It's easy to feel a bit trapped after they spend a lot of time showing you their work.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Chefchaoeun to Fez via Volubilis, Moulay Idriss & Meknes

Morocco

We enjoyed the Roman ruins - the tour was very in depth! We didn't see much in Meknes as much of the town was under construction.

Quality of Experience

The guide was great

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Private Transfer from Marrakech to Imlil

Morocco

We loved this hike and our guide was great. We did get lead into a local rug shop, which was lovely, but as always made us feel some pressure to buy something. We didn't anticipate needing a guide for a hike, but it was really nice to have a local's knowledge of the villages we walked through.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Visit Majorelle Gardens

Marrakesh

The gardens were nice, but we did a self tour (the guide had us explore on our own, which was fine!)

Half-Day Guided Tour of Marrakech

Marrakesh

We enjoyed this tour and there was a lot to see! It was nice to be in a private tour (we saw other group tours which looked way less fun). We modified the day a bit to spend less time in the Souks, since it was similar to what we saw earlier in Fes. We really enjoyed the tour of the palace and Madrasa.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

KimKim made planning our trip to Portugal fun, personal, and customizable. Our local specialist, Karin, was incredibly thoughtful and attentive a long the way - including through the planning process and logistics on the ground. We cannot sing her praises enough!

Ours was a mixed experience using Kim Kim. The design and booking process was AMAZING. Bryan was super responsive, very patient, and really dedicated to making sure we ended up with a trip that we loved. The implementation of the plan wasn’t as smooth in all cases. Bryan handed us over to someone else - Charlotte - for on the ground logistics who was also so incredibly responsive and patient. We had to change a number of things because of a tropical storm and Charlotte was quick to make everything — including new additions and added requests — happen very quickly. Where it wasn’t as successful was in the details. It did not feel as if Bryan or Charlotte had visited the hotels themselves(recently) or had any intimate knowledge on quality. I’ve used numerous travel agents in the past and they are typically able to say, listen, I know the photos on the website are amazing but….in real life the rooms are run down, noisy, etc. Speaking candidly, three of the four hotels we went with were mediocre — one was straight up bad (for which Charlotte got us some credits)— and I would have expected better insight from people on the ground. The hiking excursions they planned were absolutely spectacular — we asked for, and got, private guides that could move at a family pace, engage kids, teach our about ecosystem, and not hassle us over being 15 late with a meal or needing an extra potty break. Truly, the vendors and guides they connected us with made the trip. The local transportation was hit or miss — in some places we could leave a bag in the car while we hiked and in others it was more of a taxi drop/off pick up — which is fine — but the communication about this was spotty and unclear. There was also a catamaran booking where we were on a 90+ person boat that was dirty, had blaring music, and cafeteria food when we agreed to a small group boat, with a guide who would point out wildlife and a BBQ lunch. The whole point of our trip was to be in a quiet setting that respected nature and was as private as possible — so this booking really made us feel like Bryan and Charlotte did not understand the point of the trip — we don’t care about mishaps but this made us feel like we weren’t on the same page about the experience we were looking for and had been talking about. In the future this has made me realize that although Kim Kim is easy to use and so convenient as a platform, if you don’t connect — really connect — with your trip planners on quality and expectations the details could get lost in translation. Normally I select a travel agency or excursion company because of their values and how they describe their trips and partners and so I know I’m working with a company that is on the same page as me in terms of hotel quality or excursion vibe — with this experience I didn’t have that and in the end, felt it in the details. So a mixed bag — lots of learning on my side — and deep respect for much of what I got on the Kim Kim side.

Hotel Reviews

El Establo Mountain Hotel

Monteverde

El Establo was okay. We had two rooms — one was a duplex with two king beds (311), one was a standard room with two queens (204). The duplex would be good for kids but the stairs are totally open so not ideal for little ones. Overall the rooms were dark and rundown. Internet was really bad, hot water was limited, and definitely nothing luxurious about either room but both had nice balconies and lovely views — but no furniture to sit on. Breakfast was really good but the food we ordered from room service after a long day of hiking — pizza and rice stir-fry — was literally inedible (not an exaggeration) and very expensive. The property is huge — and pretty — and there are shuttles to take you everywhere if you don’t want to/can’t walk but the overall vibe is just super disconnected and impersonal. The service was odd — breakfast crew was awesome and helpful but then it took 3 calls and a personal trip to reception to get a room service menu or an extra blanket. There was nothing awful about it and since we spent most days on hikes and tours, we were fine to crash here at the end of the day but we also were not impressed at all. The location is good for views and walkable to butterfly garden and Valle Escondido and a quick taxi from downtown but if I return I would definitely try someplace else.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Arenal Springs Resort

La Fortuna

The Springs, like Peace Lodge, gets the service aspect down 100%. They do not miss any details and are totally focused on making sure adults and kids have whatever they need to relax and enjoy. The property is big but they run you wherever you want to go on golf carts. We had two adjoining rooms (610-611) and they put my parents right next door without us even asking. The rooms are nice — not luxurious but spacious and super comfortable. The food was really good — again, nothing out of this world but really solid. The hot spring pools were a hit for everyone and the kids could be in the main one for hours. The large pools weren’t the cleanest which was my only issue but they are heavily used. There is a swim up pool vibe — fun, music, cocktails and so If you are looking for luxury or quiet this isn’t it. We did a lot of hiking and so only used the pools for an hour or so between or after excursions and so it was fine for us for these pop ins. Overall, a really solid comfortable choice for families or groups. If only adults, I would likely look for something a bit more unique.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Rooms and restaurants were spotless — the main pool area not as much. Lots of floating hair (no joke) and the area by the swim up bar was rundown and not clean.

Peace Lodge

Vara Blanca

We stayed at Peace Lodge our first two nights in Costa Rica. No words to describe how lovely our experience was — every detail was thought about, from your name on tiles outside your room to the fire going and late night snacks waiting for the kids upon arrival. The rooms have natural indoor living gardens and jacuzzis in the bathrooms. The balconies have hammocks, jacuzzis, hummingbird feeders and the views are staggeringly beautiful. The food — at breakfast and in the restaurants was fabulous — and literally, any change or request was honored without an issue. One of our bags did not arrive and they opened the gift shop after hours so we could buy our son a few things!!! And the grounds are truly spectacular — the exhibits are small but lovely and the waterfall loop a truly perfect hike with kids on day one. Trout lake was also really fun — even in the rain :-) Just can’t say enough good things — it’s about the details — the staff were just absolutely extraordinary and we loved our experience.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Costa Verde

Manuel Antonio

We found Hotel Costa Verde to be mediocre and, based on our room location, the opposite of a beach vibe. We were in the A block of rooms which is right on the road. It was really loud - lots of trucks and cars and people yelling. If your room is away from the street and near the beach, I could imagine having a different experience. We had two rooms A7 and A8. A8 was upstairs and had a sitting room, high ceilings, kitchenette, balcony with a far away ocean view + 2 queens and a bunk bed. A7 had the same bed set-up, kitchenette, and balcony but had really low ceilings and was dark and depressing. The top bunk in A7 was not usable given the ceiling height and fan placement. Both rooms were run down and dingy — rusted faucets, gross molding and corners, and bedding that could really use an upgrade — the A/C is run by a key so you can’t leave it on, the hot water is super unreliable, and you are supposed to use the same towels for pool and shower. The A block has its own cute pool but requires driving to the beach which, with little ones, is a hassle. Breakfast is made to order and was good — the other restaurants were totally overpriced for the quality — especially when you have such good food at local restaurants nearby. The staff was nice but not really service oriented — the overall experience was more “hostel” than “hotel”.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

La Riviera Hotel B&B

Heredia

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Review

Catamaran Adventure with Barbecue

Manuel Antonio

This was terrible! It is a 100 person boat with terrible blaring music and filthy conditions. The floors are gross after two minutes from all the people, spilled food, soggy snacks. Someone vomited and it wasn’t cleaned up for an hour. The food was nasty — packaged cookies and soggy fruit for snacks and awful large plastic cafeteria trays of rice and fish served to people standing in long lines for lunch. There was someone on a loud speaker saying look at this volcanic rock or that beach but no information worth listening to. There was a water slide that was open for an hour and “snorkeling” — which means they handed out life jackets and masks and said if you don’t know what you are doing, don’t go because we are far from a hospital (not joking). Honestly, it was terrible and dirty and we could not wait for it to be over.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

We are so glad that we chose Kimkim to arrange our Italy vacation this summer. Everything was very well planned and we were in constant communication with Jessica (who was awesome). We did Venice, Rome and Sorrento in 9 days and Maria Grazia has a very well planned itinerary for us where we covered a lot of ground as well as she planned enough time in between for us to do things at our own pace. Loved it and can't wait to plan our next vacation through Kimkim. Ciao :).

Hotel Reviews

Residenza Il Hotel Campanile Sorrento

Sorrento

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Loredana was amazing and super helpful.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Little too noisy and too many steps to reach to the room.

Via Veneto Suites

Roma

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Ai Mori d'oriente

Venice

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Private Amalfi Coast Boat Tour

Italy

Our favorite part of the whole trip.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Mini Private Rome Tour in Golf Cart

Rome

Loved it.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Mateo was AWESOME>

Transport

We had a fabulous trip! It was so nice to have everything planned and run so smoothly. Having all the ground transportation planned in advance was really nice. The vans were so comfortable and the drivers were great! We loved all of our tour guides.
Edwin our guide in Cusco, Sacred Valley and Machu Pichu was very knowledgeable and professional as well as friendly.
We especially liked Michael in Puno. He really went the extra like for us. Everything was wonderful. When we did run info a problem Kristy was on top of it and worked things out. Thank you so much for such a great trip!

Hotel Reviews

Amantani Homestay

Isla Amantani

For a Homestay I was surprised how nice this home was. We had private bedrooms and bathrooms. The host family were as kind as they could be. They went the extra mile to help us celebrate a birthday with a band, dancing, a cake, so much fun! Great food during our stay as well .

Authenticity & Character

Beautifully decorated

Location

Overlook Lake Titicaca

Staff

So kind and accommodating

Cleanliness & Comfort

Wonderful

Casa Andina Premium Miraflores

Lima

Absolutely fabulous! Great location! Clean big rooms!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Casa Andina Premium Puno

Puno

Beautiful views of Lake Titicaca

Authenticity & Character

Location

On the lake

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Room smelled but was clean

Quinta San Blas by Ananay Hotels

Cusco

It’s old and so it just had that old smell but was nice

Authenticity & Character

Location

Walking distance to everything

Staff

Very accommodating

Cleanliness & Comfort

Clean

Casa Andina Standard Machu Picchu

Machu Picchu, Cusco

Not as clean as all the other hotels we stayed at.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Right next to the train station

Staff

Very accommodating

Cleanliness & Comfort

Cleanliness and smell

Casa Andina Premium Valle Sagrado

Urubamba

Lovely large property

Authenticity & Character

Location

Close the everything you want too see in Sacred Valley

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Rumi Wasi

Cusco

Cold

Authenticity & Character

Old but well cared for

Location

Walking distances to the main plaza

Staff

Went above and beyond

Cleanliness & Comfort

Was very clean

Inkaterra Reserva Amazonica

Puerto Maldonado

Absolutely gorgeous property. Beautiful lodge, wonderful food, amazing top notch staff! The rooms were splendid! Love the hammocks!

Authenticity & Character

Everything

Location

In the rain forest!

Staff

Went above and beyond to accommodate our needs.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Super clean!

Hotel Antigua Miraflores

Lima

Clean, large rooms, great food!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Fly from Puno to Lima

Puno

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Amantani Island Cultural and back to Puno (Day 2)

Peru

You need to do this ! I was hesitant and kind of dreading this but it was so amazing. Don’t miss out on an opportunity to stay with a local family. Nicest people you will ever meet.

Quality of Experience

Everything

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Lake Titicaca Tour: Uros Floating Islands & Taquile Island

Puno

Super interesting

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Arrival in Puno & transfer to hotel

Puno

Amazing tour guide

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Discovering the Treasures of Machu Picchu

Aguas Calientes/ Machu Picchu

Stunning! Sacred! Amazing! Fantastic!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Scenic Train Journey to Aguas Calientes from the Sacred Valley

Peru

Great views! Clean and comfortable

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Moray and Maras Tour

Peru

FABULOUS

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Sacred Valley Tour

Peru

Salt Mines super cool All the ruins amazing

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Into the Amazon: Inkaterra Reserva Amazonica

Puerto Maldonado

Lots of wild life they made sure they went the extra mile so we could see plenty of wild life

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Lima Free Day to Explore

Peru

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Everything was perfect. Jesus handled all the detailed planning and when we traveled with Peruvian Soul, Edwar had everything handled on the practical side of things. We loved our trip and highly recommend Peruvian Soul for traveling to Peru! Just make sure you pack for all kinds of weather--we were hot when hiking the Inca Trail, and Rainbow mountain was cold and windy. Luckily we had it covered and were prepped by our tremendous guides.

Hotel Reviews

Tierra Viva Valle Sagrado Urubamba

Urubamba

We loved the hotel - grounds were very well kept and quite serene. Our spa visit was unimpressive, because it wasn't ready for us when we showed up at the appointed time, however, the staff made amends and were very accommodating when we told them about our disappointment.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Not much to do outside the resort, but we traveled to other destinations so it was fine to stay here.

Staff

Staff was very attentive and they worked hard to make sure we were happy.

Cleanliness & Comfort

We loved the rooms and the facilities. Restaurant was really good too.

Urban Larco Hotel

Miraflores, Lima

We liked this hotel a lot, but we were not able to get adjoining rooms with our teenagers which was troublesome. Location was good, and one of the rooms even had an ocean view.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Tierra Viva Cusco Centro

Cusco

This was a really cool hotel. We loved that the rooms opened up to a courtyard, but our room with the king bed was really small. Our teenagers got a room with two twin beds and it was huge! Staff was friendly, and breakfast was good. We also got a take-away breakfast one morning and it was also very good.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Really close to Cusco main square and the local markets.

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Rooms were really cool old-world, but ours was small.

Costa del Sol Wyndham Lima Airport

Lima

REALLY convenient to be able to walk to our flight in the morning. We got coupons for a welcome drink, which made our evening much more relaxed!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Rooms were nothing special... just standard hotel rooms. The early morning breakfast was terrible. We had an early flight and we were told the breakfast would be available at 4:00am. When we got down to the restaurant the only thing that was available was scrambled eggs, cheese, ham, and bread. So... we made breakfast sandwiches. I'm sure there were many more options later in the morning, but we expected the breakfast to be full-up when they said it opened at 4:00.

Casa Andina Standard Machu Picchu

Machu Picchu, Cusco

The accommodations were our favorite for our whole trip. We had adjoining rooms with our teenagers, and the view of the river was phenomenal. Great restaurants were a very quick walk, and the breakfast was fantastic. Only negative was that the bottled water in the rooms was not complementary... 10 sol for 1/2 Liter so we just walked down to a different vendor and got 2.5 Liters for 8 Sol.

Authenticity & Character

Adjoining rooms were a huge plus.

Location

Fantastic view of the river.

Staff

Staff seemed very good, but we didn't interact with them very much.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Shower water pressure was awesome!

Activity Review

The Short Inca Trail: Ollantaytambo to Wiñaywayna

Peru

We (the adults in our party) loved this hike. Even though it was challenging due to the hot weather at the start, the pinnacle of the monkey staircase and the reveal of Machu Picchu was well worth it. Our teenagers were not as pumped about the hike. 7.1 miles of uphill climbing on uneven rock stairs was a little too much for them. We like to think they were made stronger because of the experience!

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Our trip to Italy was a long time coming! I worked with KimKim Travel and Marianne for over 2.5 years, through the cancellation and uncertainty of the pandemic. We finally were able to go in June 2022. We went to Venice, Florence, Rome, and Amalfi.
I most appreciated coordinating all of the transport among cities. We took trains, private cars, boats, taxis! We had a hiccup with one of our drivers and the employees on the ground helped us in real time to rebook our train. It's really amazing to have real time support when (not if) things don't go according to plan.

We loved the pace of the trip- I would definitely recommend spending 3 nights in each place, but definitely no fewer than 2 nights. Otherwise, you will really feel rushed. They scheduled tours of the Vatican museums (note- St. Peter's Basilica is no longer included in the Vatican Museum tour, so get separate skip-the-line tickets for that). Our tour guide Martina was amazing!
Our guides in general were all very good. We really enjoyed our golf cart tour of Rome- definitely a good way to see a lot in a short amount of time.
Our hotels were in very central locations and all included breakfast- a must when in Europe in my opinion.
Overall, I would highly recommend KimKim travel to book your Italian vacation!

We loved our family trip (parents plus 2 twenty-somethings) to Menorca and Mallorca. Highlights were a 4x4 tour of Menorca, visiting a cheese farm, horseback riding, and our two hikes in Mallorca. Our specialists Marina was a delight to work with and provided lots of great suggestions and extra ideas for us.

Our family had an amazing trip! Andres planned the perfect mix of sightseeing for the age of our kids. And we LOVED the accommodations. Thank you, thank you!

Hotel Review

Hotel Odinsve

Reykjavik

Great set-up for families!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Right in the middle of everything! Perfect location!

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Cliffside walk at Arnarstapi

Iceland

Djupalonsandur Black Sand Beach

Iceland

This was a can’t-miss stop!

Silfra Snorkeling Adventure with Transport

Reykjavík

This was a once in a lifetime experience!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

When we were planning our trip in 2020, we were delighted to find KimKim and Julia Plaschke to help us with our questions and refine our itinerary. Unfortunately COVID necessitated our cancellation of the trip in 2020. We were very pleased that Julia was able to re book us for 2022. Her itinerary suggestions were very helpful and we greatly appreciated the zoom calls to get our questions answered. We were surprised when our trip was handed over to Sonia.

Most memorable places were the Lofoten Islands ( loved the sea eagle and kayaking experiences), several hikes we took, Nes Gard Farmhouse B&B and the experiences there, stave churches, waterfalls, Rose Church, And of course, the beautiful fjords.

Things we liked about working with KimKim:
1. The itinerary suggestions Julia made during our initial conversations, and those sent by Sonia before our trip.
2. The Zoom calls we had with Julia as we got further into the planning.
3. Most of our hotels
4. Sonia’s response time when contacted her while on our trip. Very quick response!
5. Most of our experiences ( there were some issues with the Midnight kayak)
6. Sonia’s quick response (before we left) to our question about who we contact if we have a problem while in Norway – she gave us her phone number.
7. Sonia’s willingness to help us find Gary’s lost bag. Though we got it before she could make contact w/ Iceland Air, we very much appreciated knowing she was working on it.

Things we we were unhappy with KimKim:
1. Upon our arrival at 3 hotels ( Bodø, Reine and Bergen) we were told we would have to pay. We contacted Sonia and this was resolved in each case, but we wish we hadn’t had to deal with that when we were tired from long journeys) Sonia was apologetic each time, which we appreciated. We were surprised that after it happened once, the payment for others was not confirmed before we got to those hotels.

2. We understand that the two weeks before the trip others were traveling and they had needs, too. However, we confirmed that we were going on this trip this year with Julia in February – more than 4 months before we left. That said, we were not pleased that it took so long for us to receive the documents we needed, and that we needed to request them so often. We did not get our Ferry voucher until just before and it was for the afternoon ferry, not the morning one we had planned. We did not get our train tickets until the day before we travelled – two of the 4 tickets were together – the other 2 were both aisle seats – one in a train car that was two cars away from the other 3 of us! We can’t help but think that these reservations were not made sufficiently in advance of our travels.

I would be very happy to provide a detailed review of the experiences (especially the sea kayaking at midnight), hotels and itinerary upon request. We have some suggestions for you to add to the itinerary for others that we found along the way. We believe this detail would help you in planning for others.

Marta was amazing. Not only did she help me plan my Spain trip, but she also jumped in when I asked for help last minute on my Portugal trip. She checked in with me daily, even on the weekends to make sure everything was great. I made a switch during my trip to see Toledo and she offered to pay for my train tickets and helped with ideas of places to see and eat while there.

The attention to detail she sent was amazing. Not only that, but she made sure I had all my documents way in advance. If I did add anything to the itinerary, she would make sure to update my app to show this information for that day and add any documents I needed for the event.

Marta went above and beyond by making dinner reservations, calling my guides the day my taxi took a wrong turn to ask them to hold a few minutes for me before starting the tour.

I had a few stops with a family and she went so far and above the call of a tour guide by translating a medical issue from English to Spanish to help them with the pharmacy to get the care their child needed.

Marta also sent me Spanish and Portuguese words to help me while in each country. She was amazing! Please go through her should you ever travel to these two countries. I can’t say enough about her and the way she made sure I had the best experience.

Sweet 16 Bday trip,!!
We celebrated our daughters sweet 16 in Greece
Harris was amazing in putting together this trip
We spent time in Athens, Naxos, and Santorini.
Our tour guide Vicky in Athens was so knowledgeable about the ancient mythology history, she was attentive to each person in the group and allotted rest intervals on our climb up to the Parthenon.
In Naxos the beaches were exquisite, pristine , clear tourquios waters, best beaches ever and I'm a carribean native..
We spent time with a local family on their farm, Maria and Giannis we shared stories and they told us of the wine and cheese making process, as we cooked a delicious meal with produce from their farm.
The sunsets and beautiful blue domes of Santorini were spectacular.
We were serenaded atop Fira, as we watched the sunset.
Our tour guide Georgina was sweet, funny and personable as she took us to the Santorini highlights.
The wine tour and tasting and volcanoe cruise were wonderful activities to wrap up our visit.
Oh I can't forget we had a great dinner overlooking a wine vineyard to celebrate my girl.
My kids and husband and I loved the vacation.
The rooms were beautifully designed and accommodating.
Food was delicious.
Many thanks to Harris for making thid trip a once in a lifetime trip.

Hotel Reviews

Makris Beach Hotel

Kamari

Authenticity & Character

Nice decor, authentic pieces, Comfy bed

Location

Difficult to find, needs more signage,

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Very clean organized

Adriani Hotel

Naxos Town

Authenticity & Character

Very close to the downtown area

Location

Staff

Could be a little more friendlier

Cleanliness & Comfort

Authentic breakfast, Great space, Liked having fresh fruit at any hour

Plaka Hotel

Athens

Authenticity & Character

Right in the downtown area

Location

Staff

Friendly attentive

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Santorini Highlights with Wine

Greece

Winery was beautiful, Pricey We didn't get to see the classic row of blue domes due to high volume of people, felt like we missed out a bit

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Cooking Class in Naxos Villages

Naxos

Loved the intamacy and how welcoming the family was Delicious fresh and healthy meal.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Acropolis & Athens Mythology Tour

Athens

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Local Transfer in Athens

Greece

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

On time prompt

We really enjoyed our time in Portugal! The guides were great! Paola was wonderful on the Lisbon Culinary Experience tour. She shared lots of local info and had a great sense of humor. Alex was an excellent guide for our guided tour of the city. He made a wonderful adjustment to the tour based on the starting point at our hotel and took good care of us in the heat. It’s so nice to see a city through the eyes of a local. We thoroughly enjoyed our time with Paolo on our day-long excursion to Sintra, Cascais, and Estoril. Such an amazing area! The delicious food! The sights! The history! He also took good care of us in the unusual heat. Our water expeditions in Lagos didn’t work as expected, but the wind does not respect schedules. We enjoyed the one we were able go on, even with the change of itinerary. Martin had so much to share about Evora and the Alentejo region! He had to adjust his tour plan because we had already visited one of the places, but he did that quite smoothly. Somehow, the wine-tasting portion of the Jeep tour was left off the schedule, but learning about cork was fascinating. We loved the visit to olive oil farm and lunch with the owners! In Coimbra, Gil was a delightful guide. I will repeat how nice it is to hear about an area through from a local.
Our lodgings were entirely sufficient. They were clean, comfortable, safe, and centrally located. We were able to walk to restaurants and sights. The people at the front desks were very friendly and extremely helpful. They always offered restaurant suggestions and directions. The man at the Casual Belle Epoque in Lisbon gave us advice that saved us many, many steps up and down hills! The beach below the Carvi Beach Hotel in Lagos is a wonderful place to explore at low tide. The Noble House in Evora is in an amazing medieval house. The Oslo Hotel in Coimbra has a wonderful rooftop terrace that has a wonderful view of the University of Coimbra. It was lovely at sunset.
The private transfers made travel between cities so easy! It was a wonderful splurge. The only place we had any issue was finding our driver at the Lisbon airport the first morning. But we did finally find him.
When we had questions, the kimkim staff was very responsive. We only started planning the trip about 5 weeks before our departure date. Marina was easy to work with and very responsive to our interests and our budget. We would definitely recommend her and kimkim to other travelers.

Activity Reviews

Guided Visit of Historic Coimbra

Portugal

Excursion to Alentejo - Jeep Safari Through a Cork Fork & Visit to an Olive Oil Estate

Lisbon

The cork part was fascinating and the trip to the small olive oil farm was wonderful!

Guided Visit of Évora

Portugal

Catamaran Cruise to Benagil & Carvoeiro w/Snorkeling & SUP

Portugal

Due to the wind and rough water, we didn’t get to Benagil. But the captain kept us safe and comfortable and took us to an alternate site to play in the water.

Private Day Excursion: Sintra, Cascais & Estoril

Portugal

Get to Know Lisbon with a Local

Lisbon

Lisbon Foodie Experience

Lisbon

I loved hearing the stories behind the local dishes.

We were two sisters travelling to Croatia for the first time, this was our first experience planning a trip with the support of a travel agent and it was incredible. Nikola suggested an itinerary and we had a phone call to go over feedback, and once we all agreed, Nikola arranged so we were able to each pay half. We met Nikola in Zagreb, where he gave us a small gift and the printed version of the itinerary we both had access to online. Throughout the trip, he sent us nightly texts to summarize the next day’s plan, helped us secure dinner reservations, and was able to get us a refund on a last minute cancellation when we changed our mind. He was so responsive, kind, and helpful. Overall an excellent experience!!

Activity Review

Hvar Half-Day Private Island Tour (Afternoon)

Hvar

Grgo, our tour guide, was excellent. He showed us all around the island, spoke honestly and knowledgeably about island life, and really gave us an unparalleled experience.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Extremely grateful and happy with how our family trip to Guatemala turned out! Our guides Christa and David went above and beyond to make sure we'd have a great time and enjoy each place we visited. They became part of our family for the week. Every one of our 10-days was special. One of the most memorable activities was the cooking class at CusCun at the lovely rooftop with the amazing view and having everyone pitch in to make a delicious traditional dinner. ¡Gracias a nuestro especialista Eduardo y Old Town Outfitters por siempre estar disponible para contestar nuestras dudas y preguntas! Super recomendado.

We had a wonderful trip to Greece! It was the trip of a lifetime! It was so well planned and organized, they had wonderful recommendations and reliable connections with the places we were traveling too. If he had any questions, concerns or issues the travel team was available and ready to help. I would highly recommend Tasos and the Kimkim team!! They made the trip so easy.

Very good itinerary and very enjoyable activities. Just very expensive.

We will never travel abroad without using KimKim!!! I could not believe how smooth our trip was. Our group had a detailed itinerary so all 8 of us always knew what to expect and when. Tasos and his team made sure that our hotels had received and printed our boarding passes for flights and ferries. There was one logistical hiccup that was due a a minor misdirection by a driver, but we got on the phone with Tasos' team and it was fixed in a matter of minutes. They are all wonderful communicators. AND it was super easy for non urgent Q&A to use the chat on their site. All of us could access and see the responses. They get an A++ for communication.
A highlight of our trip was our 4 days in Naxos. Not only was this my favorite island, but we LOVED the hotel, Lagos Mare. The staff was one of the most welcoming, kind, cheerful, and warm that I have ever experienced at a hotel. Especially Daphne (front desk), Petros (bartender), and Asteris (driver).
For us, this was a trip 3 years in the making, and it did not disappoint. We made memories that will last forever, met wonderful people, ate fabulous food, and learned a ton about Greek history and culture, and our experience would not have been so wonderful if we had tried to make it happen without KimKim.

This is the second time we used kimkim for our trip planning and this is the second wonderful experience that we had. The trip was wonderful, the guides and tours were great, and we had great peace of mind knowing that the details were taken care of. I find the planning process painless and flexible so we get the kind of trip that we want. Both Lelie and Melina were prompt in their communications. Although we didn't have any problems, I knew we were just one chat away from getting help which is a nice feature in a foreign country.

I highly recommend the guides we had, Alex from Etnotouristica and Margot from Vamos o Que?. They really knew their stuff and we feel we got very unique tours tailored to our specific interests. And thanks to Alex, we got to see one of the pre-festival parades on our first day which was a real highlight for me.

Overall, I highly recommend kimkim and we will use them again.

Hotel Reviews

Santa Fe Hotel

Puerto Escondido

Great location but the hotel was showing some wear and tear. The food and staff were great. The hotel had very unreliable internet which became frustrating (we never got it in our room, we had better luck in the restaurant).

Authenticity & Character

Location

Across from the beach!

Staff

Very friendly and helpful.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Internet. Need to improve reliability of internet in the rooms. The room was looking a little worn out.

Hotel Boutique Parador San Miguel

Oaxaca

We loved this hotel. Fantastic location and adorable accommodations. Very friendly staff. We would definitely stay here again.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Gastronomic Indigenous Roots

Oaxaca

Amazing meal! Quite a treat, beautiful presentation and delicious food.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Oaxaca city artistic tour

Oaxaca

Loved it, small group, great way to experience the block print art of Oaxaca and it was great to meet some artists. The chocolate tasting was a nice surprise and a great way to break up the walk.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

This is a walking tour. Be prepared to walk!

Christina really helped me come up with an amazing itinerary for my summer trip to Norway. She was completely upfront with me from the start about where to put my focus on, and what I would need to leave for another trip. She helped me narrow down all of the places that I would be able to see on an 8 full day trip plan which included Bodø, Hamnøy, Reine, Svolvær, Festvågtind/ Henningsvær, and Tromso. It was jam packed, but I was able to see quite a bit. I also had amazing views on the hikes that were recommended of northern Norway. I also had a few guided tours and hikes, and even the guides commented that Christina did a great job in recommending some activities that many tourists don't know about. I would certainly utilize Kim Kim again on another trip.

Hotel Reviews

Thon Hotel Svolvær

Svolvær

Great location. It's next to public transit, the ferry, the Hurigruten cruise line, supermarkets, and great restaurants.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Location is everything here. Very central.

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Clean rooms.

Thon Hotel Nordlys

Bodø

The room was nice and tidy. Hotel breakfast also amazing.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Right next the the ships and water. Nice scenery.

Staff

Cindy at the front desk was very nice and courteous, and answered a lot of my questions promptly.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Clean and tidy. Probably the best Thon hotel I stayed at during my time in the arctic.

Thon Hotel Polar

Tromsø

Room seems a bit dated. Also found 2 2 liter Coca Cola bottles not left by me underneath the bed.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Central location.

Staff

Friendly staff at the front desk.

Cleanliness & Comfort

They need to thoroughly clean. As I mentioned above, there were 2 empty bottles of Coca Cola seen underneath the bed from guests previously in the room. Just make sure to not forget to check for garbage underneath the bed.

Eliassen Rorbuer

Moskenes

A great placed to stay if you are in Hamnøy. Beautiful scenery, clean cabin, and peaceful environment.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Comfy, cozy room. Incredible views of mountains, fjords, the different colored cabins. Proximity to other nearby towns like Reine.

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Review

Explore Reine and the Surroundings

Reine

The hike to Reinebringen is incredible. A must do if you are physically capable. The stone steps that were installed in recent years made this hike a real pleasure to do. I didn't summit Reinebringen, but got up to 1,542 ft vistapoint that most people see those incredible views from. Festvågtind in the Henningsvær region of the islands probably had the best views of some of the Lofoten islands, even though that hike wasn't as pleasant to do. It sure was memorable and goes down as the most difficult hike I've completed.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

I used public transportation. While it is a significant saving as opposed to renting a car in Norway, you are at the mercy of when the last bus leaves. You could be in an area for hours since buses can be infrequent. If you don't want that over your head, then rent a car. I got around just fine, but also remember that you might not see as much. So plan accordingly.