Kimkim Trip Reviews

If I could give a 10 star I would. The Columbus Guatemala tour team deserves that and much more. They went above and beyond to ensure our trip and experience was memorable, and they succeeded. Starting with Catharine managing the logistics of our trip and selecting beautiful hotels for us. She showed such care for our needs and was flexible to our requests.
Our trip involved a visit to Tikal, Antigua Guatemala, Atitlan and Chichicastenango, and our goal was to learn our Mayan history and culture. Our tour in Peten was awesome due to the knowledge of our guide Carlos. He shared so much information about Tikal history and surrounding ruins. Our visit to Antigua and Iximche with our guide JJ was terrific and fun. He was the best! He really made us feel at home. JJ was very attentive, offering tips and asking for our food preferences and took us to great restaurants. We enjoy great food and love the coffee. Thanks JJ!
Our trip to Atitlan and Chichicastenango was very interesting and full of history. We have traveled to different countries in Europe and Asia and although we have enjoyed each trip and learned a lot, our trip to Guatemala was very special due to all the care and attention Columbus team provided us. From the drivers to the guides and logistics team, we felt safe and were able to focus on enjoying our trip. I HIGHLY recommend Columbus Tour team.

Activity Review

Tikal Mayan Civilization

Guatemala

Tikal was beautiful and the month of February offered the perfect weather. To my surprise, no mosquitoes and low humidity. The time spent with our guide in the park was sufficient and the food at the restaurant in the part was outstanding. The restaurant was situated in an open area where we were able to enjoy the nature while enjoying the food.

Quality of Experience

We loved everthing

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Our guide was awesome

Transport

The O route was spectacular - the views and hikes were very nice. Varied landscapes, open plains, glaciers, high passes and lagoons. Accommodations were very fun - our particular group spent half of our nights in tents and half in the Refugio’s - we enjoyed the mix. It was a super experience all around.

We are 4 older ladies, fit and ready for a full-on, active 16 day vacation in Costa Rica. Sergio, our local specialist planned a great experience from beginning to end! Any questions we had were answered promptly and we always felt secure knowing we were never alone to try to sort things out by ourselves.
When our plane was delayed, Sergio made sure our transportation was taken care of at midnight to go to our B&B. The B&B was notified as well and it was a seamless transition from the airport to the B&B. He also notified the Car Rental place about picking up the car a day later than expected. When we arrived the car was ready for us.
All the hotels that were selected for us were AMAZING! Beyond what could have expected! Breakfast was included everyplace we stayed and they were all excellent!
Our itinerary was packed with activities. Transportation picked us up at our hotels promptly, and we had excellent and attentive guides. Most of our activities included pineapple and watermelon snacks and some meals were included, even though we didn't expect them. Oh, and by the way, they were great meals, in local Costa Rican eateries!
Here are some of the activities we enjoyed:
Puerto Viejo:
Hiking at Cahuita National Park with Tito. Without our guide we never would have seen all the animals or heard all the amazing stories about the animals, reptiles and insects in the national park.
We took an Afro-Caribbean Cooking class with Glenda in her outdoor kitchen. What a delight that was. We got to chop and dice and learn about roots, fruits and vegetables we had never heard of before. We made a a delicious fish soup, Ron Don, that is native to Costa Rica. With Caribbean music playing, we ate too much, but finished our meal with coconut ice cream topped with chocolate! Yum!!
The next day we enjoyed kayaking with Rofo. Even though it was raining, we had fun hearing his stories, as we paddled a river into the jungle.
Arenal/La Fortuna:
We enjoyed the Hanging Bridges walk and did what we weren't sure we could do, we walked to the bottom of the La Fortuna Waterfall...500 steps down, took a dip in the fresh water and walked 500 steps up! Whew...we made it!! The thermal springs at our hotel felt wonderful after our morning adventure.
One of our favorite activities was the class III-IV White Water Rafting on the Sarapiqui River. Momo was our guide. He made us laugh and kept us safe and called us "Chicas"! He'd yell instructions and we did whatever we were told. We had a fantastic ride down the river. No one fell out of the raft and we'll never forget his instructions, "Chicas, look at me"!
Monteverde:
Our next adventure was with 100% Adventura Zip Line. The longest in Latin America. Yes, zip lining was amazing, but the Tarzan jump at the end is what most people talk about. The question that everyone asks is..."Did you do it?" It's not for the faint of heart, but everyone of us did it!!! 4 older ladies. Until now I haven't revealed our ages...but I will.
That evening we went on a Coffee/Chocolate night hike through the jungle. Alex as our tour guide and we learned things we never knew before. It was kind-of scary at night. We got to see some nocturnal animals on the hike.
Taylor was our guide through the Santa Elena Cloud Forest. Although the forest was only 40 years old, it looked like it had been there since Adam and Eve. It was a nice hike, we crossed the continental divide, saw animals that live at higher altitudes and made our way back to our hotel to lounge in the hot tub and pool and enjoy an afternoon Bloody Mary.
Manuel Antonio:
We enjoyed a 25 mile, mostly off-road experience with Real Adventure ATVs. Kevin was our guide. He was very serious about safety, which was much appreciated! It was a great, long ride. We rode through palm oil groves, little streams, up mountains and to a pretty waterfall. We stopped, got in the water and continued even higher to see the view of the ocean and the valley below. The meal after the ride, was fantastic, rice, beans and chicken in a yummy sauce!
Our final activity was a Catamaran Ride. Drinks and a meal were included along with snorkeling, jumping off the highest deck of the catamaran into the water, and sliding down a slide, like a kid. For a group of women 72 to 74, we had a great time. Thank you Sergio, thank you KimKim!! We'll be working with you on next year's trip!

Hotel Reviews

La Riviera Hotel B&B

Heredia

We got in late after a very long day. The beds were good and the breakfast was really nice with great coffee. We left right after breakfast so our stay was short ans sweet1

Authenticity & Character

Location

Nothing It was just a room to stay in while we arranged for our car and headed to the other side of the country

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hampton by Hilton San José Airport

Alajuela

Clean, friendly and close to airport. Shuttle service was every 15 minutes. Great breakfast.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Costa Verde

Manuel Antonio

Our KimKim travel group really out did themselves when they saved this last hotel for us. WE were delighted and amazed that our last stop on our trip was the creme de la creme. We had a villa with four sleep spaces and four bathrooms,a kitchen and full length patio.Wow Multiple pools were on the property and monkeys and iguanas were seen daily. Even the hard to find sloth was seen at this our last stop. The kitchen staff(in particular Werner) made our dining experience a delight!

Authenticity & Character

Spacious villa spectacular grounds and friendly helpful staff!

Location

close to the ocean but high enough to not be too hot

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Had everything we needed

Hotel & Spa Poco a Poco

Monteverde

After our last two accommodations we thought this was a little step down..But after a day or so we realized this hotel offered a lot for this area. The dining room had great order from the menu meals, both dinner and breakfast. The temperature was such that the hotel had neither airconditioning or heat and didn't need it. And we especially appreciated the welcoming fruit drink given us at checkin.

Authenticity & Character

The tv's should be up graded and not enough closet space for two people sharing space.

Location

Close to everything

Staff

Friendly and accommodating. We especially liked the restaurant staff.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Le Cameleon Boutique Hotel

Puerto Viejo

We loved this accommodation. We arrived late on Valentines Day and wanted to eat at our dining restaurant but we had no reservation..No worries the maitre'd quickly assembled a table and four tired travelers had a wonderful dinner. The hotel is right on the beach and offered more things to do than we had time for. We loved the all white rooms (even the tv hardware was white) with the colors coming from the art on the walls. Two bathrooms in each room was a delightful surprise. All in all a great experience!

Authenticity & Character

The cool beach vibe

Location

Close to everything but not right downtown.

Staff

Did everything right

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hard to keep an all white room clean looking but they did!

Hotel Los Lagos Spa & Resort

La Fortuna

We four ladies were amazed with the rooms we were assigned. They were spacious, contemporary and the beds (very important) were very comfortable. We really enjoyed the plentiful , diverse selection in the dining hall and the fact that they opened early enough for us to be ready for our early pickups. We also appreciated that we were on the lowest level of the resort.. The roads to the top of the resort are very steep. It's one thing to hike them for exercise but quite another to do it after a long day of adventure. There was a shuttle but we were thankful to be on our lower level No shuttle required!

Authenticity & Character

Everything

Location

Away from town but close enough to drive to everything

Staff

Friendly, thorough and accommodating

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

White Water Rafting on the Sarapiquí River, Class III - IV

Arenal/La Fortuna

OMG I was so afraid. It was my first. But Momo our guide was amazing. I highly recommend him. He is attentive, careful and he is so much fun. Me over 70's I felt secure and Momo made me fell safe and us 4 old ladies laugh and laugh with him. When he wanted our attention call us " chicas look at me" I had my greatest time of my life.

Quality of Experience

Speechless , the best!!!

Guides, Drivers and Staff

They are so kind and helpful

Transport

Same wonderful all the time on time

Enjoy the Thermal Hotsprings at your hotel

Arenal/La Fortuna

After a hike and see La Fortuna Waterfall we came back to the hotel and enjoy the Thermal hot springs. It was wonderful so many pools and the design of them unbelievable very well done. The hotel it's huge and the views of the Volcano amazing. I love your country!!!

Quality of Experience

For more than expected

Guides, Drivers and Staff

All of them very kind and attentive and some funny and good looking too

Transport

All very kind and punctual

We recently returned from a wonderful trip to southern Spain. Our travel itinerary was prepared by Luis of Hidden in Spain, and was exceedingly well done. Pretrip info was extensive. All accomodations were centrally located inthe historic districts of the cities we visited. Tours and tour guides were excellent, and we saw so much, both in the cities, and beyond. Of particular mention, an outstanding flamenco performance followed by dinner with Guido, a wine tasting visit to a sherry bodega, and a delightful olive/ olive oil education at a scenic hilltop olive plantation. One guide, Kate, who guided us for two tours, hosted us for a spectacular at home tapas/ wine pairing dinner. Travel arrangements in country, by bullet train and bus, were a positive experience. I can strongly recommend Luis and Hidden in Spain if you want to visit Spain in depth.

We were very grateful to Deborah and her team to help us plan our trip to South Africa. The personal touch and great recommendations for driving routes, accommodations made the trip amazing. The Mosaic Lagoon Lodge was a perfect place to start the trip, (amazing atmosphere) and ending at Ivory Wilderness Lodge was a lovely bookend the whole experience.
We would highly recommend getting Deborah and her team to assist in your trip due to their local knowledge, insight, great communication and personal touches. Thanks very much.

We booked through KimKim after it was recommended by an acquaintance. The planning process was easy and seamless. The team was incredibly flexible and took all of our requests into account in putting the final itinerary together in just a few days. Our driver and guide -Abdelhadi - was absolutely amazing. He was knowledgeable and gave us enough information about the country and each location to be informative and even incorporated facts he knew our young children would be interested in. He was a very safe driver and really took into account our interests and preferences about how to plan out each day. He was always easy to get in touch with and on days when we had free time and we on our own, he frequently checked in on us to see if there was anything we needed. The highlights of our trip were definitely the Tiziri Camp in the Merzouga desert (and the camel ride in to camp during sunset, which turned out to be our kids’ favorite part of the entire trip), the drive over the Atlas mountains from Dades to Marrekesh, and the days we spent in Marrakesh. Tiziri In particular was phenomenal and some of the best food (and hosts) we had in the country. Most importantly, Abdelhadi was very patient and our kids really enjoyed spending time with him, and were sad to say goodbye to him as we left morocco. We would absolutely recommend KimKim and Abdelhadi to our friends.

I don't really know where to start! We had an amazing time, thanks to Ruth. Our accommodation was always in the best locations for activities and tours that had been booked for us. It was always interesting and elegant with wonderful staff. We were treated like royalty everywhere we stayed.
We thought that we had the perfect balance between activity and leisure. The tours were fun and only as active as you wanted to make them,the tour guides were passionate about their work and were keen on sharing their environments.
We honestly couldn't choose a highlight of the trip but visiting Bonorong wildlife sanctuary and holding a baby wombat would definitely have to be one of them.

Hotel Reviews

Curringa Farm

Hamilton

What a stunning place to stay! I'm so glad that we had the opportunity to stay here

Authenticity & Character

the elegance and style, can't think of anything that I would change

Location

Loved the views and it's only a short drive to the closest village if you need supplies

Staff

Jane and Tim are wonderful hosts, they make everyone feel as though they are really special

Cleanliness & Comfort

Comfortable bed, amazing bathroom and absolutely spotless

Brickendon Estate

Longford

A very interesting place to stay. Although the cottage felt old and very in keeping with the estate it was only 26 years old.

Authenticity & Character

I loved that the accommodation was inkeeping with the rest of the estate. Internally and not just the exterior was lovingly created

Location

Loved that it's set in the country with beautiful views but still only a few minutes drive to the nearest village for dining or supplies

Staff

We meet Louise, who with her family owns the estate, took some time to chat to us about the place. We found her very down to earth and just lovely. And the dogs are so very friendly!

Cleanliness & Comfort

I cannot think of a single thing that I would change or add.

MACq 01 Hotel

Hobart

Fabulous in everyway

Authenticity & Character

Loved everything in this hotel. Would absolutely recommend it

Location

Easy walking around the waterfront and into town

Staff

Always friendly and helpful

Cleanliness & Comfort

Spotless and so very comfortable

Laneways by Ovolo

Melbourne

A quirky and fun style hotel

Authenticity & Character

Quirky with fun art and interesting light filled bedrooms

Location

A great location for around the lanes of upper Little Bourke Street

Staff

Always friendly and helpful with local recommendations for dining

Cleanliness & Comfort

Spotless and very comfortable rooms

The Savoy Hotel on Little Collins

Melbourne

Wow! Elegant and stylish, absolutely beautiful!

Authenticity & Character

This place is stunning,the interior looks as though it belongs in a much more refined time. Definitely not a place for children

Location

Great location for the railway and free trams. Easy walking to the riverfront and ferries

Staff

The staff are definitely some of the friendliest and such an asset to this hotel. From the housemaid to the receptionists to the bar staff in the lounge, everyone was just wonderful.

Cleanliness & Comfort

The huge comfortable bed, the spacious room and gorgeous bathroom. And the housemaid do a wonderful job of keeping the whole place spotless.

Activity Reviews

Bonorong Wildlife Sanctuary Night Visit

Hobart

A wonderful opportunity to visit this sanctuary and I'm glad that we did. We arrived too early but we were allowed to roam the park by ourselves until everyone else had turned up. It was really good being the only people there so that you could see the animals in their enclosures without a lot of people around. Our guide Nikki was bubbly and very passionate about the sanctuary and the role it plays in saving wildlife. One of the highlights was being able to cuddle a baby wombat and feed the Tasmanian devils, albeit with a grasping aid and not fingers, we still wanted those!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Depart Australia

Australia

Departing from Tullamarine Airport in Melbourne is easy. It seems well laid out, so it's easy to navigate your way around. Staff are helpful and courteous. We spent most of our time in the Air New Zealand lounge and enjoyed the facilities there.

Quality of Experience

Farm Tour and Lunch at Curringa Farm

Hamilton

Jane and Tim are delightful, down to earth hosts of this farm. The food is BBQ and salad and plenty of it. The tour lasts about an hour or so and is really informative and interesting.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Historic Hobart Pub Walk

Hobart

We really enjoyed this tour of old Hobart. Tales of convicts and dirty deeds, settlers and soldiers all told with passion by our guide. A fun way to spend an early evening before dinner.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Full Day Bruny Island Traveler Tour (Shared Tour)

Hobart

Thoroughly enjoyed this trip and can recommend it if you are interested in seeing bruny Island and sampling some of the islands treats.

Quality of Experience

Lots of little extras like oysters, honey, fudge and spiced apple mead samples to take home. Could be quite active if you want to walk a bit but if you don't you can take it easy.

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Alan would have to be one of the best guides we met on our holiday. He was informative and funny, included everyone effortlessly and was an all round good guy.

Transport

Bus was a good size, clean and comfortable

Full Day Great Ocean Road Day Tour (Shared Tour)

Melbourne

A long day but worthwhile doing. Stopped at lots of interesting beaches and historic little towns.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Kevin was a knowledgeable and humorous driver and guide. He had stories and information about the places we stopped in. He picked us up on time and even at the end of a very long day he was still helpful

Transport

The bus clean and comfortable

Café Culture Walk

Melbourne

Lynn was a friendly and knowledgeable tour guide. A great way to get to know some of the lanes and area around the top end of Bourke street. The finish of lunch in the little Italian Cafe was a really nice end to a fun morning.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Just got back from an amazing trip to Guatemala. Eduardo helped us greatly with the itinerary and how to get the most out of our trip. We were able to get everything on our wishlist thanks to him.
Our guide Willy was great and has so much knowledge. Our driver Antonio took us safely between the different cities/ villages we visited , always on time. Guatemala is a beautiful country and there is so much fun to do and see, highly recommend.

We are home, thank you so much for putting the trip together. We have had an amazing time, experienced so much and learnt so many things about the countries we visited. We could never have done it ourselves. All the trip went to plan apart from the interruptions in Peru which we managed with. It was great to see such good organising. We were collected and delivered on time to wherever we needed to be. La Paz was a great city to visit. The drive across the highlands of Bolivia was unforgettable. Seeing the Geysers at dawn was a brilliant experience. Our hire car was good and we survived the rough roads to see the amazing Marble Caves. The visit to Magdelana Island to walk amongst the penguins was a real highlight of the trip. The cruise from Punta Arenas to Usuaia was fantastic. Horse riding was fun, so many things we did, can't write about them all.

Liz Neal at Springboard Vacations worked closely with us over several months to help us select the schedule, locations and tours we preferred. She promised that everything would be of the best quality and on time. That is exactly what we got. Over a twenty-eight day trip we had about thirty-five different pre-arranged events (flights, tours, hotels, etc). Every one was right on time and as described.

Our 14 day 5 overnight destination trip to Chile, planned by Angel, was extraordinary. We experienced a very broad view of Chile and its citizens. We started with 2 days in Santiago & Valparaiso that are home to half the population with Juan. They are both attractive cities. But nature is the real distinction. We started with 3 nights in the extreme Atacama Desert in the north. This was fooled by 3 days in the spectacular Andes lake country around Puerto Vargas, a charming small city on the largest lake in Chile. We chose to drive around on our own. The highways were very adequate and in excellent condition.Puerto Nogales followed with two boat cruises through spectacular fjords to a working sheep “estancia” (the best fresh grilled lamb ever) with both a horseback ride & a hike and then to a glacier. The 3rd day was to the Torre des PainesNational Park. It was just rated as one of the six best np in the world outside the US. A scenic 21/2 hour drive brought us to Punta Arenas and its 9,000 penguin colony. All the guides were good. Even the taxi driver to PA, Jose, was informative. The 3 hour flight back to Santiago that ended our voyage was over the the heart of the rugged Andes.
We selected economy lodging. They were all clean and relatively small without big crowds. The owner were usually there.
We learned much about Chile. We actually prefer them to large impersonal hotels.
I would highly recommend Chile with Angel as a trip adviser.

Hotel Review

Hotel Alma Sur

Punta Arenas

Small place with comfortable rooms and good breakfast.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Convenience to city

Activity Reviews

Torres del Paine National Park - Private Panoramic Tour

Chile

Unfortunately the peaks were in the fog-still scenic

Quality of Experience

The colored lakes

Food

Box lunch of mediocre qualuty

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Private Tour - Estancia Visit or Grey Lake Navigation.

Chile

Beautiful catamaran ride. Horseback ride and lamb bbq. Founded in 1892z

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

The trip there & horseback ride

Transport

This was part of the same trip reviewed above. It was excellent - again Rachel's help was invaluable, she was always available to answer our questions. Our guide at the Amazon Tupana Lodge Dio was outstanding. A highly recommended trip

We had a great trip thanks to the help we received from Rachel. She was always professional, very helpful, easy to contact and, following our requests, she put together a memorable trip for us. We highly recommend the service we received from KimKim and Rachel and are looking forward to using the knowledge local agents can provide through KimKim for our next trip.

Vietnam is such an amazing country; it has so much to offer both in terms of nature, culture, and history. Halong Bay, Ham Rong Mountain in Sa Pa, Ninh Binh and Tam Coc are definite highlights, but equally powerful in different ways were the Cu Chi Tunnels, Hoi An, and Hue’s Imperial City.

We had the luck of having great guides, in particular Sau in Hoi An and Hue, and Vin in Ho Chi Minh City. And Ha was amazing throughout in ensuring all went well, including by adjusting our itinerary on the fly when we wanted to visit Marble Mountain and Monkey Mountain close to Danang on short notice!

The trip that was organised by Ha at Realistic Asia was phenomenal and planned out exceptionally. Ha and our guides were also accommodating when we requested a last minute adjustment to our plan when we were in Vietnam, just a day in advance! All that we needed to provide Ha with were our arrival and departure dates, the level of the accommodation that we would like to stay at, the places that we wished to visit and the activities that we were looking for, and she took care of everything, including our transportation and internal flights. Ha was incredibly and efficiently responsive throughout our entire booking process and developed a customised itinerary for us , and made sure to check up on us to ensure that everything was going according to plan during our trip too. Our guides Phuoc, Sau, Linh and Vinh and our drivers took great care of us during our stay. In particular, Mr. Sau went out of his way and above and beyond his duties as our guide during our time with him.

We would definitely recommend Realistic Asia & Ha for anyone who may be looking forward to spending some time in Vietnam! Thank you for bringing our dream vacation to life!

Hotel Reviews

La Siesta Hoi An Resort & Spa

Hoi An

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Au Lac Charner Hotel

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Some of our rooms had a shower that was located in an outside terrace / balcony

La Siesta Hoi An Resort & Spa

Hoi An

The La Siesta resort in Hoi An was beautiful and the level of service and quality was exceptional!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Eldora Hue

Hue

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Stellar of the Seas

quảng ninh

We had an excellent experience aboard the Stellar of the Seas. The level of care and professionalism was astounding.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hidden Charm Ninh Binh

Ninh Thang, Hoa Lu, Ninh Binh

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Amazing Sapa

Sa Pa

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Our only critique would be that visitors in adjacent rooms could be heard and we could hear the noise from the dining area during breakfast time

Activity Reviews

Day Trip to the Mekong Delta (Ben Tre)

Ho Chi Minh City

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Explore the Cu Chi Tunnels

Ho Chi Minh City

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Cycling in Cam Thanh & Thanh Dong Organic Farm Visit

Vietnam

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Day Trip To Bana Hills - Visit Golden Hand Bridge

Vietnam

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Hoi An Half-Day Sightseeing

Hoi An

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Hue Sightseeing

Hue

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Beautiful Morning in Halong Bay (Stellar of the Seas)

Ha Long Bay

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Discovery Halong Bay – Lan Ha Bay (Stellar Of The Seas)

Ha Long Bay

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Hoa Lu And Tam Coc Exploration

Vietnam

Sapa Trekking & Sightseeing

Sapa

Half day Taphin red Dao hill tribe village

Sapa

We had a delightful week with Original Travels in Morocco. Recommendations from Said and Abdellah were spot on and we got the most out of our time there!

Hotel Reviews

Hotel Odyssee Center

Casablanca

First night in Morocco -- comfortable bed to sleep in, very pleasant breakfast buffet. Close to the medina for a brief wander.

Location

Casablanca is such a big city, this was a fairly safe neighborhood to walk off our jet lag.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Best bed!

Palais Sebban

Marrakech

Authenticity & Character

right around the corner from the authentic local hammam, and the staff at Palais Sebban told us how to use it!

Location

Great location just inside the medina, a short walk from the J'ma el Fna

Staff

The most accommodating, friendly staff -- they really made us feel like family.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Rooms were so beautiful, the different terraces, lounges, and patios were so lovely and comfortable. Blankets to curl up with and read a book on a sofa with the fountains sound playing in your ears!

Kasbah Titrit

Ait Ben Haddou

The artwork was exciting, the setting picturesque and dramatic. The food and staff were magnificent. Best hotel meal of the trip -- the plates just kept coming and everything was more beautiful, fragrant, and delicious than the last!

Authenticity & Character

Location

A little remote -- but the kids got to play some soccer with the local talent

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Riad Salam Fes

Fes

The most beautiful hotel we stayed at -- although it's a competition with the Palais Sebban for my kids. Such a lush, gentle way of living, truly the highlight of our trip!

Authenticity & Character

the extensively renovated and adjoined riads that made up Riad Salam Fez were so beautiful and ornate. The fountains, the tile work, the woodwork, the furniture, the lighting, and the retractable roof!!

Location

In the medina -- but not too far from the road!

Staff

We had very friendly and helpful wait staff and concierge/front desk staff who made us feel welcome and part of their "family!"

Cleanliness & Comfort

Breakfast, tea, dinner, all super high quality and prepared with care. The rooms were clean and comfortable and they had babuches for us to wear as well!!

Tiziri Luxury Camp

Merzouga

The crew here at Tiziri camp were so hospitable! We learned about the Amazigh/Berber people and about the desert geology too! My teens were delighted to meet other kids and go star gazing together!

Authenticity & Character

charming hosts, shared with us stories about the desert and the people who originally occupied the land

Location

Remote enough... but not too far from civilization.

Staff

Music at the fireside!

Cleanliness & Comfort

Eco friendly lodge, warming blankets (the Sahara is cold in February!)

Activity Reviews

Transfer from Fes to Merzouga via Erfoud & Camel Ride

Morocco

We rode camels across the dunes and took photographs in the sunset. We made memories and experienced something very different from our daily lives. We got a window into the lives of people just like us, who live in a place very different from where we live.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

We spoke with the staff -- the camels were well cared for, rested and appeared healthy. They are managed by a local Berber family and help maintain the sustainability of the camp experience

Transport

It's a camel -- this is what you get! You're really far off the ground!

Marrakech Evening Food Tour

Marrakesh

We definitely left our comfort zone on this one!! We had been in Morocco for 9 nights already and thought we had tasted everything -- boy were we wrong! From street vendor pomegranate juice to Harira on the street corner, spicy tea in the J'ma el Fna and a trip to every souk (olives, pastries, candied nuts, the butcher souk) I think we did it all! Be sure to see where the bread is being baked, the subterranean oven where the lambs are roasted, and the Tanjia as well as the Tajine. We enjoyed Chebakia, the best donuts (Sfinges) in Marrakesh, and dates, dates, and more tasty dates!

Quality of Experience

Food

Bangkok: Ramada Plaza Menam Riverside = great, modern highrise hotel, excellent breakfast buffet.
Guide for Bangkok and River Kwai (4 days) = Chanphen ("Toon") was EXCELLENT.
Favourite Bangkok sites = ride in Bangkok Canal and Night Food tour by TukTuk. The food and flower markets were very interesting. The palaces and temples were beautiful BUT were maybe too much to see in 2 days.
Less favourite things = Asiatique Shopping Complex was disappointing as many shops had not reopened after the pandemic. The weekend market is definitely not something I would recommend. The items were junky and the shops were all repetitive. We WERE lucky to have lunch at Guay New Kua Gai restaurant - Michelin star!

Rom Hub Train Market was interesting to see but the Taka Floating Market was even better!
The long tail boat ride to the River Kwai Jungle Rafts Floating Hotel was very scenic.
River Kwai: The Floating Hotel was rustic, quiet and good for a short stay. Not much to do there. We were there 2 nights. Our visit to the lava cave was a welcome activity away from the resort.
The food was very good.
Returning to Bangkok - The Bridge, museum , and cemetery on the River Kwai were "must see" historical sites.

Chiang Mai: Rimping Village Hotel (3 nights) had wonderful rooms and breakfast buffet.
Our very best excursion was to the elephant sanctuary. We did not want to leave!
The white water rafting that followed was a fun adventure. It was not a physical challenge yet had some thrilling moments.
Our guide for our remaining time in Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai was Jeda. She was also EXCELLENT.
Doi Inthanon National Park was not a "must see". It was not a hike but a stroll and rather unremarkable.
The pagodas and gardens were lovely but it was a long way to go for just that.

The Thai cooking class at Bann Hong Nual was a highlight. Even the two males in our group had fun. Umporn, our instructor, was very lovely and engaging. We would do this again.

Chiang Rai: Imperial River House (2 nights) = very nice rooms and great buffet breakfast.
We stopped at more temples and pagodas on our drive to Chiang Rai. Our interest was waining by then...until we visited Was Wrong Khun (aka The White Temple) was absolutely stunning. It was a "must see".
The visit to the tea plantation was interesting. The visit to Doi Mae Salong , Chiang Saen, and The Golden Triangle were unremarkable.

Krabi: Peace Laguna Resort (4 nights) = a rather run-down hotel. The rooms were not clean and the linens were stained and old. The most disappointing accommodation in all. Fortunately, the breakfast buffet was good.
Phi Phi Island Excursion was not good. Hoards of people in the water and on the island "walk". We would not recommend this.
The Rain Forest Discovery Tour did not meet our expectation. The rainforest, pools and waterfalls were not much to see. The Tiger Cave Temple on our way back to the hotel was ok but not a highlight.
Krabi was a busy beach resort city which is great if you simply want to sit by a pool or go to the beach. Many good restaurants.
We had a great mix of activities and thoroughly enjoyed Thailand.

Gary did an amazing job planning and organizing our trip!!!
We got where we wanted to go, we saw what we wanted to see, logistics were perfect- actually amazingly so, locations of accommodations were unbeatable, and the timing sequencing of our itinerary was excellent!!!!

Hotel Reviews

Clarion Suites Gateway

Melbourne

Limited staff, no food or coffee available. Very tired, old hotel but excellent location!

Hyatt Regency Sydney

Sydney

Great staff, room and location!

Mercure Resort Hunter Valley Gardens

Pokolbin

A little tired! Very cool grounds, bar and restaurant. Staff were great except for receptionist

Sails Port Macquarie - By Rydges

Port Macquarie, NSW

Excellent ambiance!

The Sebel Byron Bay

Byron Bay

Very cool spot, great location!

Quality Hotel Melbourne Airport

Tullamarine

Small room, but great staff, bar, and restaurant

Waves Port Campbell

Port Campbell

Incredible room, amenities and staff!

Desert Gardens Hotel

Yulara

Cleanliness & Comfort

Discovery Kings Canyon Resort

Petermann

Dining is limited and the food sucked

Desert Palms Resort

Alice Springs

Amora Hotel Jamison Sydney

Sydney

Activity Reviews

Clearview Glassboat Cruises Dinner Cruise

Sydney

We skipped this event . It was supposed to be a 3-hour dinner cruise but was actually a one- hour sunset cruise that was scheduled to get back well before sunset. Boat also looked crowded and uninviting!

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

The Rocks Walking Tours

Sydney

Drop Off Your Rental Car in the City

Australia

Challenging to find the drop off spot/parking space.

Explore the Blue Mountains - Scenic World

Australia

Total bust! Directions were unclear! Still.no idea what we were supposed to do.

Uncork the Hunter Full Day Tour

Australia

Too long, got tired of ta s ting the same wine and hearing the same story. Driver and host at Two Fat Blokes was great, excellent guide!

Melbourne Lanes and Arcades Tour

Melbourne

Highest kudos to the guide and experience! One of the highlights of our trip.

Drop Off Your Rental Car at the Airport

Australia

Easy, no problem

Sounds of Silence Dinner

Australia

Did not go, Wind storm created what we thought would be a miserable experience

Uluru Astro Tour

Uluru

Did not go, to late after a long day!

Pick up your rental car at Cairns for your trip to Undara

Canberra

Yassine did a wonderful job putting together our vacation to Morocco. Our driver, Said, who was with us for the duration was warm, friendly, courteous, thoughtful and made our trip so enjoyable and smooth. An awesome guy! Our two local tour guides in Fes and Marrakech (Mustafa and Abdul, respectively) were fantastic and knowledgeable. The riads that Yassine booked us into were magnificent…one more amazing than the next. The overnight luxury camping in the Sahara Desert was perfect and once-in-a-lifetime special. A fabulous trip from start to finish!

Hotel Reviews

Riad Bab Firdaus

Marrakesh

A stunning Riad in the heart of the Marrakech Medina. Very fancy and authentic. White glove treatment from the staff. Welcome tea and snacks, the choice of essential oil scents for our pillows, very spacious room, fantastic toiletries. Super friendly and helpful staff. We also enjoyed excellent spa treatments at their spa.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Caravane

Ouarzazate

This riad is super special. One of the nicest overnights we’ve had anywhere. A beautiful place with carefully curated artwork everywhere. Relaxing rooftop lounge, pool, common areas. Super friendly staff. Delicious breakfast. Highly recommended!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Luxury Camp Chebbi

Merzouga

An amazing experience. The camel ride in and 4x4 ride out were amazing! Our tent was spectacular…plush bed, heater, wifi, usb port, electric lights, heater, toilet, hot water in the shower. Welcome tea and snacks. A fantastic dinner and breakfast. Very friendly staff. Live Berber music by the fire at night. A 10 out of 10 experience!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Riad Kalaa 2

Rabat

A gorgeous Riad. Modern yet authentically Moroccan. Spectacular room. Fantastic breakfast. Wonderful staff.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Riad Mazar Fes

Fes

Amazingly beautiful Riad in the Medina. Nicest staff ever! Delicious breakfast.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Hammam Visit: Traditional Body Scrub

Morocco

We didn’t know what to expect and it was really great.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Exploring the Medina and Historical Sites Of Marrakesh

Marrakesh

Our guide, Abdul, was really warm and knowledgeable and we had an awesome day with him. We feel like we really got to see all the highlights of Marrakech with him and he made sure we had a fantastic day.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Overnight in the Sahara Desert with Sunset Camel Ride

Morocco

Excellent all around. Camel ride was over an hour and stunning. Welcome tea and snacks. Tents are amazing and plush…comfy beds and bedding, wifi, usb ports, electricity, heater, beautiful marble sink, toilet, hot water shower. Delicious dinner and breakfast. The staff was wonderful. Fantastic live Berber music around the fire at night.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Exploring the Imperial City and Medieval Medina of Fes

Fes

Mustafa was a fantastic and knowledgeable guide. Very friendly and attentive. We loved our day with him.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

We just completed a 9 day trip to Morocco and Ali helped us plan our adventure! He was great in changing the itinerary to fit our needs and responded quickly to any enquiries. We started and ended our trip in Marrakesh and honestly wish we had stayed with the original itinerary and ended in Casablanca in order to have visited Fes and Chefchaouen.
The highlight of the trip was the two nights in the Sahara Desert! The camel ride out (optional) was amazing and we were able to enjoy the beautiful sunset. The view of the starry skies will also never be forgotten! The trip was a nice balance of city and off the beaten path. The food is not very varied so be ready to have a lot of tajines and egg omelets! Finally Samir our driver made all the difference! He was very responsive to all our needs. He was able to answer questions honestly about the areas travelled and had great advice on what to do in all the areas visited. Thank you for the once in a lifetime trip!