Kimkim Trip Reviews

This was the first time for our group of 3 couples to use a tailored tour company. Tasos Mylonas and Travel12, the local tour company in Greece were terrific. Once the schedule was agreed upon, Tasos put together a detailed itinerary for our trip. Our goal was see many of the historic sites on the mainland and then tour a few of the islands. We saw wonderful antiquities and had super guides to bring these ancient locations to life. Penny at Delphi, Antonia at Olympia, Lena at Mycenae, and Nickolas at Santorini. The punctually of the drivers (with large comfortable vehicles) and the guides was without question a high point. One could easily relax knowing that we were always in good hands.
Select luncheons at small villages were an added benefit. This is something that large tours cannot provide.
Prearranging the ferry tickets and intra Greece flights made things easier still.
Like some of the other reviews, we could have used a down day or several 1/2 days. Nafplio is a town where we could have spend added time. Lovely spot on the harbor.
Santorini was wonderful, esp. at night after the cruise ships left. The catamaran ride was a tour highlight. Accommodations were overall great ..wonderful views and great locations. Travel 12 might find an alternative to the The Pi Hotel in Athens. The Kalimera Archanes Villages was a wonderful place but may not be for everyone. Other hotels like those in Tinos, Santorini and Kalabaka were outstanding. Once again an excellent and educational trip.

My Granddaughter and I had wonderful trip.Meeting first with Rogan Lind giving us an overview of what was planned was really helpful. All of the all of the hotels were perfect but the most perfect of all was the excursions we liked them all. Our favorites Sidney Opera House, The Great Barrier Reef, Penguin Parade,Kangaroos& Koalas in the wild. Trip guides were great especially Amy of Echiona Walkabout. I can't thank you enough for helping make this a memorable trip.

Erin was super helpful in getting us all that we needed for our trip to Patagonia. She put together a completely customized itinerary to suit our needs. Everyone who was scheduled to pick us up and bring us somewhere was on time, was very pleasant, and the transfers went smoothly, with one exception, upon our leaving Torres del Paine National Park. In that case it was the other company that had some confusion in their paperwork and was expecting to pick up other people. The tour guide, Simon, for that portion, was informative and entertaining and spoke great English, and the transfers throughout Glacier National Park were smooth as well. Scenery was amazing.
One tip: don't accept the first room offered by hotel reception staff upon check-in. We traveled at a very slow time of the year and in each case were assigned teeny rooms with no views -- despite the low occupancy rates at that time -- until we spoke up. This was not KimKim's fault at all, but thought they should know. In each case we did succeed in getting much nicer rooms. Squeaky wheels . . . .
I do recommend this company highly and don't know how much time I would have wasted trying to do all the research on my own.

KimKim did a great job planning for the wants/needs of our group. We used KimKim for transportation, cooking classes, winery tours, and train tickets. I can’t say enough about our cooking class. Mathilde was knowledgeable, providing history and passion for her cooking class. She was also a great resource for things to do in the area. The meal we created in her kitchen was informative, fun, and delicious.
The train tickets and transportation was also great. With 5 girls and luggage, we always had a van with room to spare.
With regards to the winery, we weren’t very impressed. I am not sure if this is because our expectations were different from how wine tours are run in the Provence area, or if it was not planned properly. Our tour guide Stefan, was very pleasant and knowledgeable and was not the reason for our underwhelming experience. However, we are used to wineries that provide an experience of family history, a comfortable setting to sit, and food pairing (small bites) that pair well with wine tastings. This is not what we experienced, which made this tour somewhat lackluster to say the least. It may be a good idea for KimKim to provide specific overview of wine tours so as not to disappoint future customers.
I would definitely recommend kimkim and their services to others. We had some truly unforgettable moments. Cheers!

We had a very very positive experience each step of the way, from planning the trip with Emily (who listened very carefully to what we wanted, found the kinds of places we wanted to stay at, and developed an excellent itinerary that allowed us to see and experience truly beautiful places) , to the places we stayed, all that we saw, our hiking and kayaking experiences, and especially with our guide, Thomas Riis. He was an exceptional guide, outstanding in every way. Thomas was friendly, flexible, patient, extremely helpful, and very very knowledgeable. He radiated a very positive energy all the way through our time with him. We would wholeheartedly endorse him and would gladly have him as our guide again.

There was one mixup on the travel arrangements but Kim Kim, and specifically Emily, responded quickly and efficiently.

We took an 11 day road trip through Norway that was a fantastic experience. We wanted to be on our own for the most part, but appreciated having the hotels and activities suggested for us. From there, Fridur helped us to customize something that worked for us. Fridur was also VERY helpful mid-trip proactively helping us to manage detours caused by unexpected weather.

We also very much enjoyed our time with David, our guide in Bergen. It was more like a friend of friend showing you his city than a stuffy tour. That was perfect for us.

Larry

Our trip to Ireland was memorable and we will use kimkim and Ireland Walk Bike Hike again to plan new adventures. Although we did not bike at all we had many walks and shorter hikes in beautiful places. Our windy, rainy excursion to the Aran Islands was warmed by an Irish Coffee at a small island pub followed by a boat trip around the Cliffs of Moher. Our itinerary was ambitious and we will spend more time in fewer places next visit. Many thanks to trip planner Dean from Tralee who was so helpful and even visited us one morning at breakfast to offer assistance. We love photos of beautiful places and we will enjoy the hundreds pictures we took. The B&B’s were comfortable, and all were clean and welcoming. Big Irish breakfasts are wonderful!! We travelled from Glendalough Abby and Lake to the Ring of Kerry, astounded at the beautiful landscape and historical sights. We enjoyed the Pubs in Dingle and the funky town vibe. The Cliffs of Moher are a spectacular experience and traveling the small roads north to Westport was an adventure full of lovely country sights. We even stayed at Ballyseede Castle and enjoyed a night of luxury. Our travels were slowed by traffic ‘jams’ of sheep and cattle on several occasions and the scent of peat or “turf” fires let us enjoy a bit of the rural life of Ireland.

The trip was very well planned and thought out. Sites visited were generally all worthy of the time spent. The "Welcome" dinner was very enjoyable. I recall two visits that were much too long; Santorini especially, as we didn't get to our hotel until after dark; We could have stopped at a couple of the museum stores if there had been a little time after the guided tour.
We liked most of the guides. The first one at the Acropolis, Jason was not a top level guide, nor was Katia in Tinos. The others we liked, especially Penny at Delfi and Anna in Santorini, and Antonia at Olympia.
A down day at Nafplio with no tours would be a nice break.
Most of the hotels were fine. We did think that the Athens Pi Hotel was fine for us..modern, clean, elevators, nothing fancy but good location. Lodging at Tinos, and Santorini, and Kalabaka were very nice!
The lunch stops were well chosen. Tinos and Crete lunches were great!
The drivers all professional and on task. Great coordination of transportation will all vehicles on time!
We did like the catamaran ride also.
The manager at Kalimera Archanes Village was very helpful and accommodating; the breakfasts there were terrific.

Our trip to Paris was flawless and memorable thanks to Joel’s help from Kimkim. From airport pick-up to drop off, we didn’t have to worry about anything. Each guide we had was knowledgeable, helpful, and kind. We especially loved our guided trip to the Louvre, our pastry baking class, and our bike trip to Versailles. Our guide, Rachel, showed us where to get the best crepes and make the trip memorable and fun.

We loved the trip! Everything was pretty seamless except for locations for the last couple of pickups. Chris was great. Very responsive and patient with all our questions. We highly recommend him and kimKim

The team is very responsive and really listen to your requirement and tried to accommodate your demand . The response time is quick . When arrived in Mexico , the responsible person kept close contact to ensure things are on the correct track . The itinerary planned just fit our requirement .
It had included both the colorful culture and history of the country . Even with a last minute request to book a restaurant , the agent is willing and try her best to arrange for us ,

We absolutely loved our time in Greece. The hotels were great. We especially loved Hotel Adriani in Naxos and would recommend that place to anyone! Please continue to suggest this hotel to others. The staff there really made us feel welcome and a part of their family. We also really enjoyed our welcome dinner at Mavro Provato in Athens!
The pre-arranged driving and ferry services were extremely convenient. Being able to access our local contact when we had ferry delays was invaluable - Especially when our driver in Naxos did not come to pick us back up.
Overall, we had such a great time in Greece and hope one day to return. Thank you very much for a wonderful trip.

Our driver, Said, was very good, he was attentive, polite, and informative. He made us feel like friends, not just customers. Our guide in Fes, name? Was very informative, and took us to a lot of co operative shopping spots. Our guide in Marrakech, was very amusing, but didn't give us much time to browse the medina.

We had an absolutely fabulous trip to Peru! Kudos to Anne because all of our transfers went seamlessly and all of our accommodations exceeded expectations. We enjoyed Machu Picchu, the Sacred Valley, Lake Titicaca, and Cusco as anticipated, but were surprised by how much we loved Colca Canyon. The bus ride from Puno to Cusco also went faster and was much more entertaining than we had imagined. All of our guides taught us so much: Alecson (sp?), Willie, Daniel, and Primo. Primo also was so kind and encouraging to us when we struggled on the 1-day Inca Trail Hike. We had a wonderful adventure -- a lifelong dream come true!

Wow - our Portugal biking trip exceeded all our expectations. The biking logistics were excellent- top quality bikes, GPS to make the navigation easy and good local tips for dinners. All the tour guides were very helpful and knowledgeable. The taxi service for the luggage was always very prompt and Hugo was so friendly. We had booked this as a budget vacation and we were blown away by the accommodations. We stayed in a castle and several convents / monasteries. We felt very spoiled and loved the living history. The riding was all very beautiful and just the right amount of challenge. We did a self guided biking tour in Provence France, several years ago and did not think it could be topped. But this tour was much more organized and the accommodations really made it special. I would book another tour with this tour operator in a heart beat. Thanks for a fantastic vacation

Rose and I could not be more impressed with the attention to detail that we received from our Kim Kim contact - Julia . Her attention to detail could not have been better

The Trip Julia put together for us was the perfect way to start discovering Norway.

Excellent accommodation in the perfect position to see all the local sites along with the right adventures that suited our style of traveling. This allowed us the time and space to really enjoy the sheer beauty of Norway.

We will certainly be traveling with Kim Kim in future

Rod and Rose

Had an amazing trip planned thru KimKim and Julien as our local specialist. We had a group of 8 people and everyone had a great time, and loved the trip. The route had great diversity and stunning views. Julien was VERY responsive and we asked him a TON of questions. He did an amazing job on our 14 day trek thru the Dolomites.

The material (maps, roadbook, and app) provided were well organized, the guidance on what to bring , money necessary and buses was very helpful.

The app provided worked flawlessly and was a great help. The routes were all well marked and the app provided that extra confidence that we were travelling in the correct direction at all times. The pictures at the turning points also proved helpful at times.

The rifugios were clean, comfortable and accommodating to our meal requirements. Not all rifugios offer private baths so if you require this make sure you inquire what the facilities are that are available. The flexibility in the itinerary was also helpful for a couple people in our group and for the day we had bad weather. We did have a couple of issues with our accommodations being slightly incorrect in a couple of refugios, this may have been to the fact we added 2 people very late in the planning process.

Julien organized two via ferrata's for us which included equipment and guides. Highly recommend Monte Paterno via ferrata. The second via ferrata (Les Cordes) was VERY short and not really worth it. It was a new via ferrata this year so Julien was not aware of the route and distance. All the guides were awesome.

I would highly recommend a trip to the Dolomites, they are amazing. The hiking is not easy, but very beautiful. I will be going back and will use KimKim on future adventures.

1. We lost 2 hours from exploring Perito Merino because the company Erin
contracted us with forgot to pick us up. When we brought our concern to her attention, she didn’t seem to care about the anxiety I had to go through not knowing if I’ll ever see the glaciers that
I came for from far? And the little to no Spanish we spoke trying to figure out what happened? Thanks to a personal connection our hotel owner had with
the local companies, they figured out that we were forgotten and were able to get a hold of the company. Once the company showed up, the tour guide rushed us in the park so we don’t miss the last running boat in the
afternoon. When I called Laura via emergency line, she promised a full
refund for that day because of what we had to go through.

2. I hired KimKim to make sure my religious dietary restrictions were
respected and not to have us starve with the 22km hike to Torres Base Camp.

3. In Paine Grande, they didn’t have running water. So we weren't even able
to brush out teeth or take a shower during our stay. They told us
maintenance is working on the water. They charged us each 5 pesos for the
towel. They promised us warm warmer the morning after, which never
happened. How can you run a business with no running water? Or warm water
even in winter?

4. On our way to ElChalten, Walk Patagonia left us hanging yesterday in the
van in-front of the airport for over an hour waiting for passengers to
board. We were freezing in the car. Someone should have let us know about
this.

5. We missed our meals yesterday because we had red meat in our meal and we
were not sure if it was pork or not. The hotel tried to call Walk Patagonia
to check but no one was answering the call. We had no idea what time we
were supposed to be picked up. The hotel told us 8:30am, however it was not
until 9am that a car came to pick us up.

6. Walk Patagonia sent us a bottle of wine to apologize about their poor
service. I told the hotel receptionist that I have let you (Erin) know that
we don’t drink alcohol. I let her have it. However, she contacted the
company to let them know about the bottle of wine. They sent me a box of
sweet today.

Thanks!

It was a great 2 week adventure. It exceeded my expectations. The trip went flawlessly. The highlight for us was the hike up Wadi Mujib. There is no where else in the world quite like it. I rate the company A+, driver was great. Hotel in Dana was breathtaking. I didn't like the Dead Sea resort. They forbade bringing water on site, then charged 3 JD for water. The rooms were well worn.

Thanks again.

My wife and I recently took a trip to Spain and it was a trip of a lifetime in large part due to the creativity and attention to detail of Karin and the entire KimKim team.

Following a week on the Camino de Santiago from Sarria to Santiago de Compostela we did a driving tour of southern Spain including Salamanca, Caceres, Toledo, Seville, Córdoba and Granada. Kimkim’s support was top notch from start to finish.

Creative pre-trip planning based based on our likes/ dislikes and strong attention to detail led to an excellent experience. Karin arranged all the hotels, rental car and local guides in each city. It all cane together flawlessly. Each local guide was born, raised and still resides in their home city. Each brought an individuality to their tour and were passionate about their hometown and patient with our questions. We couldn’t help but be excited by their passion and knowledge.

We plan to work with KimKim again on our future trips.