Kimkim Trip Reviews

For the first time in years, I decided to use a travel agent to help me plan our trip to Japan and a friend told me about Kimkim. It was the best decision! Angel, our travel agent local to Japan, prepared a perfect itinerary for our family, was quick to respond to any questions I had and planned a stress free trip for us. Kimkim and Angel were amazing!

Hotel Reviews

Shibuya Excel Hotel Tokyu

Tokyo

We spent only 1 night here but loved the view of the crossing and convenience to the train station. Had a great meal in the cafe and breakfast buffet was amazing! Bed was very comfortable and room was the largest we had in the trip.

Authenticity & Character

Unique location

Location

Great views of the crossing

Staff

Very helpful

Cleanliness & Comfort

Beds were comfortable and breakfast was great! Knocking off 1 star as the AC was not working great in our room. Had it at the coldest setting and still a bit warm at night.

Cross Hotel Osaka

Osaka

Perfect location a few steps away from Dotonburi in one direction and high end stores in the other. The staff was especially friendly and helpful. The breakfast buffet was the best we had on the trip. So many options!

Authenticity & Character

Breakfast buffet was memorable, location perfect

Location

Staff

Very helpful

Cleanliness & Comfort

Loved the bathroom set up and beds were comfy

Daiwa Roynet Hotel Kyoto ekimae PREMIER

Kyoto

Very comfortable hotel in a convenient location near train station. Great amenities available with laundry, breakfast and a toiletries bar in the lobby for anything you may have forgotten. Check in/check out was so efficient. Loved the soaking tub in the bathroom!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Very clean but bed and pillows were quite firm for me

Hakone Hotel Kajikaso

Hakone

The hotel is in a beautiful and peaceful location with a close walk into town. So interesting and unique to experience a traditional Japanese hotel, the onsen, and authentic meals in our room overlooking the river.

Authenticity & Character

Very authentic and unique experience

Location

Beautiful and serene yet close to the small town and walks by the river

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

The hotel was incredibly clean, however, I was not expecting how uncomfortable I would be sleeping Japanese style.

the b asakusa

Tokyo

Comfortable stay in a quieter yet tourist friendly part of Tokyo. No complaints

Authenticity & Character

Location

Quieter part of the city with lots of places to see, shop and eat

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Full Day City Tour with Osaka Castle

Japan

We added Osaka to our itinerary last minute and I’m so glad we did! Although Osaka is another large city close to Kyoto, the vibes were so different. Very friendly and fun place. Had a great guide Senei who we really enjoyed spending the day with! Having a private driver made transport a breeze.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Our guide had the best English in our trip and tailored the itinerary to our family

Transport

Mr Kole was a great driver! Very easy to get around and see a lot in one day!

Full Day Kyoto City Tour with Fushimi Inari-Taisha

Kyoto

We got to see so many sites on this tour and learned a great deal about ancient history. Kyoto is an amazing place and very unique. Unfortunately one of the main castles was closed the day of our visit and the tour guide had purchased tickets in advance so it felt like a letdown

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Our guide on this trip was very difficult to hear as she only spoke to one of us at a time. We regrouped after the tour and shared what we each learned to get a better feel for what we saw that day

Transport

We spent a good amount of time commuting to the castle only to find out it was closed. Felt like a waste of precious time in a great city

Half Day Samurai Ninja Museum and Kimono Tea Ceremony at Kyoto Maikoya

Kyoto

Really fun touristy experience that gave us a lot of laughs and pictures! Only drawback was the time of year being summer did make the kimonos uncomfortable but we had a lot of fun with it

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Our tea guide was a bit reserved but our guide at the Samurai experience was really funny

Transport

Not applicable

Full Day Mt. Fuji with Lake Kawaguchi & Oishi Park

Japan

Such a different experience from Tokyo - serene landscapes with Mt Fuji as the backdrop with a private guide and driver. Ayumi our tour guide was great at giving us information on the area and history. She also tailored the experience based off of my family’s interests which made the day very special. Ayumi and Mr Kong, our driver, made the day fun and relaxed.

Quality of Experience

Beautiful landscape and area

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Ayumi and Mr Kong were our favorite guides on our whole trip

Transport

Best driver we had!

Tokyo Night Foodie Tour in Shinjuku

Tokyo

While we had some great food in places we would not have found ourselves, the food itself did not stand out to me as being that memorable. I had hoped for something a bit more special. The guide was very hard to hear in loud places and I felt like we missed out on interesting info about the area.

Quality of Experience

Food

Food was average

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Difficult to hear

Transport

Walking tour in cool areas

Full Day Tokyo City Tour with Culture & Life

Tokyo

Nao was our tour guide for our first full day in Japan. She was the best and asked us if we liked the planned itinerary and made subtle changes along the way to our plans that perfectly suited my family!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Nao went above and beyond to change things up and give us the Tokyo intro we won’t forget

Transport

Walked or used the subway. Having someone explain the subway system to us the first day was sooo helpful

Our trip to Brazil was amazing! Camille planned the perfect itinerary and working with her was very easy. We loved the lodge she chose (Amazon Turtle Lodge) for our Amazon adventures as well as our guide Marcelle. Our guides in Foz de Iguacu and Rio de Janeiro were also amazing (Deanna and Fernanda). The waterfalls in Foz were just awesome and then seeing Christ the Redeemer and Sugarloaf, the Lapa samba party, and more in Rio topped off the trip. We definitely just scratched the surface of all that Brazil has to offer and will absolutely be back to explore more. Thank you Kim Kim for another great trip, and I look forward to planning future adventures with your team!

Hotel Review

Amazon Turtle Lodge

Perfect lodge for our adventures. The staff were fun and knowledgeable and there were just enough activities mixed with down time to occupy our 2 1/2 days. The pool was wonderful and the food was good. The guides and boat captains really had a wealth of knowledge and we learned a lot about the Amazon. Would definitely recommend to anyone wanting to explore the area!

Authenticity & Character

Just rustic enough to make you really feel like your immersed but with enough amenities that you don't miss the comforts of a hot shower and great meal!

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Rooms, common areas, pool were all very clean. It's basic but you'll be comfortable.

Activity Review

Gran Aventura Boat Tour

Foz do Iguaçu

Wow, just wow! Best part of our trip to Foz! Adrenaline pumping and opportunity to get up close to the awesome power these falls have!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Was a very nice trip experience, easy communicate before the trip, tour well planned and professional guide, we recommend Kimkim's hard works! if any suggestion maybe tour bus can update newer.

Sofia Wen

Overall, this was a good trip. I was a little disappointed compared to my experience with using Kim Kim in Rome, which was truly amazing. My consultant. Was easy to work with and informative and helped tailor the trip to what I wanted. I was disappointed with the timing and some transportations as pick up times were not what my itinerary said and some vehicles were less than optimal. I was also very happy with my walking tour guide. She was amazing and would highly recommend her. Our food tour was OK. They did make great effort to accommodate my wife’s celiac disease and need for gluten-free options, which was above and beyond and highly appreciated. My full day tour was a great guide and driver however, my friends got the same experience without using Kim Kim so I’m not sure if it was added value but overall good experience. I was happy with result, but was overall not as highly satisfying experience as what I had in Rome.

Hotel Review

Palácio Ludovice Wine Experience Hotel

Lisboa

Great hotel and fun location. Check-in process was easy and they were very accommodating. Room was very nice with modern amenities. Breakfast provided was great with lots of options. Would recommend this hotel and would use it again in the future.

Authenticity & Character

Location

In the center of this region of the city and easy walking access to restaurants and shopping. As well as other highlights.

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Private Day Excursion: Sintra, Cascais & Estoril

Portugal

Our driver and vehicle were amazing. He was very knowledgeable and went above and beyond to take good care of us. He made the experience great and it was a very accommodating. Definitely worth seeing all the stops and made a pleasant and fun day. The restaurant we had lunch at was amazing. Would highly recommend and love to go back again. Would have preferred to visit the first stop a little earlier in the morning to avoid the crowds and the tour could’ve started a little earlier as well to make the day not quite as long.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Private Lisbon Roots, Food & Cultural Walk

Lisbon

Our guide was very nice. He took the time and went above and beyond to try to accommodate my wife’s gluten-free food needs to celiac disease. I love the choices he made for the stops for the food and it was great to experience some authentic dishes. While he was not as good of a guide as some of our prior ones in regard to overall Discussion about the city and tour experience. He was still great company.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Get to Know Lisbon with a Local

Lisbon

Our guide was absolutely amazing. She took the time to make this tour very personal and let us experience the highlights of Lisbon. She was very knowledgeable and answered all questions and provided great information. Would highly recommend her and use her again.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Tour exceeded our high expectations. We had seen a small slice of Colombia on a prior trip and were eager to see more.

The country is so beautiful and the Chaska Team and their tour guides and drivers provided a wonderful experience with lifetime memories . Arrangements practices and drivers and guides routinely waiting for us.

Great activities and sights. Tour guides had great knowledge and were attentive and helpful. The kimkim/Chaska Team was a pleasure to work with during the planning period and delivered on the plan.

Well done!

Hotel Reviews

Aura Hotel Barú By Sport Barú

Cartagena, Bolivar

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Salento Real Eje Cafetero

Salento

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Sonesta Hotel Bucaramanga

Bucaramanga

Superb world class new hotel adjacent t to an amazing shopping mall with some great stores and good restaurants.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Misión Santa Bárbara

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Hotel y Spa Getsemani

Villa de Leyva

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

BH Bicentenario

Bogotá

Good location andjace t to Old Town. Modern and nice restaurant. Great rooftop pool.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Visit the Salt Cathedral at Zipaquira

Colombia

Amazing to see. What a creation 400 feet below the surface. And so expansive and grand, that there is no feeling of claustrophobia.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Charming Villages and Special Coffees

Colombia

Great scenery coupled with understanding and appreciation great coffee snd the challenges in producing it.

Quality of Experience

Packed a lot of fun and I for stop. And scenery in one day.

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

The he Jeep visit on narrow roads to remote villages with incredible views and quaint towns.

Visit of Cocora Valley, Filandia & Salento

Salento

East see why Disney filmed scenes for e Encanto here in this other world setting. What lush growth and scenery with the world’s tallest palms . Nice ecological success story.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Visit Chicamocha Park

Colombia

Fun to hike to the view at the top and see the sculpture paying tribute to peasant heroes of the revolution to establish independence. Cable car ride to the bottom of one of the world’s deepest canyons was a thrill.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Smooth driving on a crazy road with twists and turns and sheer cliffs.

Barichara Walking Tour

Barichara

Our guide Oscar seemed to know everyone in Town and knew just where to take us on an abbreviated tour due to a late arrival because of weather issues on roads.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Tour to Ráquira pottery town & La Candelaria Monastery

Villa de Leyva

Wonderful experience with the lead priest who shared deep knowledge of history and traditions with a wry smile and sense of humor. Ráquira has what must be the world’s largest pottery shop with an amazing diversity of items.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Our guide Manuel had to chastise the driver for starting g out like a race car driver on the typically twisty mountain roads. After that he was fine.

Walking Tour of Villa de Leyva

Villa de Leyva

Bogota Highlights Tour

Bogotá

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

We had a wonderful trip ! Family of three with a cranky 12 year old .. and everything still went smoothly !

All the hotels booked were in perfect foot friendly locations . We were able to walk everywhere in each city and get a great taste of of the people /the city and the delicious food .

I have to say our time is Porto and Cascais was our favourite, we hope to go back .

We did a fantastic food tour with Margarite in Lisbon and highly recommend her . She catered to our specific tastes and found ways to make our picky 12 year old happy .

Our driver Carlos was personal , funny, knowledgeable and very professional. Really enjoyed our time with him.

Pedro and his team were proactive and very responsive. Each day we would receive reminders of upcoming plans and checks in on how things went . On one occasion the hotel had made a booking mistake . We reached out to Pedro - and we literally heard him calling the front desk ( within 5 mins ) and had it sorted . We felt very supported and taken care of the entire trip .

I would highly recommend Pedro and his team .

Hotel Reviews

Cascade Wellness Resort

Lagos

One of the Hotel pools ( in front of our room) was under construction while we were there . Very loud and disturbing during the day . The room intensely was also very loud ( some machines cal issue that made loud banging sounds all night long . Check in is later than any other hotel we visited (4pm) and when we got in just after floor the carpets were wet and someone was fixing a mirror in the bathroom . We were excited to visit this hotel , and unfortunately felt very disappointed with our experience here .

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Cascais Miragem

Cascais

Amazing pool ! Had to be the most beautiful pool in Portugal :)

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Condes de Azevedo Palace

Porto

Fantastic location, staff were extremely warm and helpful . Great suite with everything you needed .

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

PortoBay Marquês

Lisbon

Cute , clean and in wonderful location .

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Review

Flavors of Lisbon in a Premium & Gastronomic Private Walking Tour

Lisbon

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Loved seeing goats at the lava hotel. We got to see gummi our travel agent when going to the ice caves so that was really cool. When boating in glacier lagoon, we saw a bunch of cute seals. The puffins were extremely cute to see also. Lots of cool waterfalls. The first apartment we stayed in had a really comfy mattress. Loved the trip ^^

We had an amazing trip! Mathia was so helpful in planning a great itinerary and we had support in every city we visited.

Hotel Review

Grand Hotel Oslo

Oslo

Lovely hotel located in downtown. Wonderful breakfast selections!

Authenticity & Character

The OG of Oslo hotels

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Review

Explore Oslo's Hidden Gems with a Local Expert

Oslo

Stig was great and very knowledgable. He filled the entire 3 hours with great spots to see and information

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Several long transit days

Dalia was amazing. We loved everything she planned .

Hotel Review

Midtown Apartments

Barcelona

Great Location and great space.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Group Barcelona Sunset Sailing Experience

Barcelona

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Modernist Barcelona: Gaudi's Highlights

Barcelona

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Both Eirini and Julia were extremely wonderful to work with. In the planning of our trip, Eirini was very attentive and listened to what we wanted. The trip was extremely well planned and met all of our criteria.

While on the trip, Julia was very responsive. When we had some issues, Julia was very quick to respond and extremely helpful.

Three generations explored London, Paris and Amsterdam, myself, my son, daughter-in-law, grandson (16) and granddaughter (11), through a wonderful itinerary made possible by Aleksandra. Though we had only a little over 2 months to put together a 12 day European trip, Aleksandra worked with us via email and Zoom calls answering a multitude of questions and clarifying the itinerary.

She especially saved the day (precisely 4 nights in London) when upon arrival we found inadequate hotel rooms, as it was not the beds we thought we had for five people. After notifying Aleksandra, she promptly corrected the situation with a third room at no charge. Her efforts were greatly appreciated and it allowed us to enjoy London stress free. Two separate days of London tours were broken up with a private tour with John our driver, to Stonehenge and Bath. It was a lovely day to experience both of those fascinating places.

On to Paris and of course the sparkling Eiffel Tower at night. We enjoyed the view on a late evening Seine River cruise and also during our trip to the top of the Eiffel Tower on another evening. We especially loved the Versailles bike tour led by Jean-Baptiste where we biked to the Sunday market to purchase our picnic food for lunch and continued a bike tour of the grounds and ponds until it was time for entry into the palace. In Paris, we loved the private cooking class at Cookin' With Class where Chef Christian taught us how to make chocolate candies, truffles and our own personal chocolate bars. He was excellent with the kids and revised the marshmallow recipe due to an an egg allergy in our family. Chef Christian made it a fun, hands on experience for all of us and so much chocolate to take home!

Amsterdam was charming with our Hotel Mai facing a lovely canal in the older section of the city. Anne Frank House was a must see and we found it very emotionally moving. De Kas is a farm to table restaurant where we had one of our best meals. Imagine eating for 3 hours, trying so many fresh, delicious dishes and desserts. On a day trip, Erik our driver and guide took us to see working windmills and the small village of Giethoorn where we boated down the canal to a lake with over a hundred swans.

We thank Aleksandra for helping us plan a wonderful European trip that we shall long remember.

Elena was the absolute best! She was attentive, helped with all questions we had and pivoted when our flight was delayed. She was even one step ahead and when she saw that one of our days when we were supposed to have a catamaran ride it was going to be too windy she change our plans around to ensure we could go on another day. Everything she planned was amazing. Hands down our most memorable vacation and included once in a lifetime experiences that we will remember for the rest of our lives.

Hotel Reviews

Amalia Hotel Athens

Athens

It was right downtown and next to everything! I would recommend it to anyone. It was the perfect location for us as we only had one day in Athens and from this hotel you can walk to everything.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Liana Beach Hotel & Spa

Naxos

The staff was kind and having the beach right across the street was amazing.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Heliotopos Hotel

Santorini

It was the best hotel we have ever been to. If you want to have the best view, the kindest hotel staff and be in the the middle of Santorini, this is the hotel for you!

Authenticity & Character

you can not beat this view!

Location

Staff

The staff were super sweet. They made us sandwiches and even got in early to make us coffee before our early morning flight.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Florida 3* Sorrento

Sorrento

The staff were vey nice. The hotel was clean and in a perfect location.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

ONBOARDING TEMPLATE Decumani Hotel de Charme

Naples

It was a very clean hotel and the staff was nice. The breakfast room is the highlight of this hotel. Our girls loved that they felt like princesses!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Cooking class at Anna Maria's

Sorrento

We had the best experience at Anna Maria's Cooking Class. My husband and our 3 daughters had so much fun. They really amerce you into the experience. It is a must do if you are in Sorrento. You will not forget it!

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Tour To Capri From Sorrento

Greece

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Pompeii guided tour en route to Sorrento

Greece

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Acropolis & Plaka Walk Guided Tour

Athens

Our guide was very knowledgeable. We only had 1 day in Athens and .he did an awesome job at making sure we got in everything we needed to know

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Diamond Caldera Morning Cruise

Santorini

Hands down the best experience we have ever had. It was a once in a lifetime experience that I would do again. It is a must do for anyone traveling to Santorini!

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Amazing Staff

Transport

Amalfi Coast: Amalfi, Positano & Ravello from Sorrento

Greece

We loved our guide, she was amazing and we had the absolute best day!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

The trip was amazing, with all the very detailed planning, especially for a larger group. Great job. Very memorable time.

Hotel Reviews

Hotel Tirena

Dubrovnik

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

AC Hotel

Split

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Occidental Hotel Ljubljana

Ljubljana

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Elafiti Islands - Private Half Day Speedboat Tour

Dubrovnik

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Konavle Region Culinary Experience (small group)

Croatia

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Private Walking Tour of Dubrovnik

Dubrovnik

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Private Walking Tour of Split

Croatia

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Private Walking Tour of Plitvice Lakes National Park

Croatia

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Day Trip to Bled Lake & a small town of Radovljica

Ljubljana

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Private Walking Tour of Ljubljana

Croatia

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

We are so thankful we used Greg with Kimkim to help us plan our 8 day trip to Tokyo and Kyoto. He was not only helpful and answered all of our questions thoroughly throughout the entire planning process, but he gave awesome suggestions. We were traveling with our 8 and 11 year old daughters and wanted to make sure we hit the high points, but didn't totally beat them into the ground. We did various walking tours. Our guide Pam, who did the Temple and Shrine Walking Tour in Kyoto was one of the sweetest humans ever and we could tell she knew her history and has so much pride in Japanese history, which made the tour that much more fun. She was fantastic with the kids too and really made them feel included. Our guide on our vegetarian food tour through Shibuya, Mayu, was also fantastic. She took us to spots we would have never known were there in a million years. Our guide, Yujiro, on our walking tour through Nishiki Market, was kind and let us stop at food stalls and shops along the way to taste test everything. We had originally booked a tour to see Mt. Fuji, but it was so hazy the entire time we were here, that Greg actually recommended switching gears since he knew we weren't going to be able to see the mountain. So, he recommended TeamLab Planets and Tokyo Sky Tree for that day instead. TeamLab ended up being one of the kids' all-time favorite things to do. So if you're traveling with kids of any ages, I highly recommend going there. Also, 3 of the 4 of us are vegetarian, so with each day, Greg also listed out specific restaurants to try in whatever area we were in that day. Lastly, we are tall. My husband is 6'6 and I am 5'9 and we weren't sure if we'd fit in the beds there haha! Greg and Cory went above and beyond to help us find accommodations that we could configure beds together to be comfortable. We kept saying on our trip that had we not had Greg's help, we wouldn't have known where to start. We also would've never found some of the gems he led us to. If you are wondering if it's worth it or not to use Kimkim to help plan your trip - it 100% is. There is no way we would have had as great of a trip if we did what we normally do where we just plan it all ourselves and hope for the best. Greg also recommended getting a pocket wifi which was worth its weight in gold. We were surprised that Japan doesn't have free public wifi in a ton of places, so having the pocket wifi was immensely helpful. And we used both the subway and taxi cabs (which we used the Go Japan to hire) for so many rides, we became "gold" members on Go Japan in just one week. Greg also sent us guides on how to pack and tips on how to fit in with the customs in Japan, which I appreciated as we never want to show up in an unfamiliar place and come off as rude. I can say a million great things about all of the guides, tours, and Greg but the most important one is that you won't regret using Kimkim to help plan your next big trip! Thank you to all of our guides who made the trip that much more special too!

Hotel Reviews

Hotel New Otani Tokyo Garden Tower

Tokyo

The hotel is clean and in a great location. If you've ever been to Las Vegas and stayed on the strip, that is what this hotel reminds me of. It's not easy to just go in the lobby and get to your room. You walk past shops on the basement level and take two different sets of elevators and meander to get to your room. So the vibe of it reminded me of one of the larger casinos. Rooms were clean and we got two that joined together so we could have our 8 and 11 year olds in the room next to us!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Nohga Hotel

Kyoto

We loved this hotel! We got the large suite on the top floor for our family of 4. (My husband and I and our 2 daughters - age 8 and 11.) The beds were comfy and large enough for my husband who is 6'6 which is always a feat! We also loved this breakfast buffet that our trip planner, Greg, added in for us. The location great and close to so many things. The room was clean and huge with so much space. Would stay here again and request our room in a heartbeat!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Yuraku Kyo-yasaka

Kyoto

This was such a unique place to stay in Kyoto. We loved having an onsen in our room, as our 8 and 11 year old daughters did not want to go to a public one and be nude in front of other women haha! We loved our room and it was huge which surprised us! Beds were comfy and the staff was so accommodating on getting us a fantastic vegetarian breakfast in the morning. It was like a five-course fancy meal that we were not expecting at all. It also was walking distance to so many things including the Yasaka Shrine and Pagoda, all things we wanted to see. Would stay here again in a heartbeat!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

The Blossom Hibiya

Minato

Loved this hotel! We were here the first two nights of our trips and got two separate rooms for my husband and I and our 8 and 11 year old daughters. The view from the higher level rooms knocks your socks off as your first time in the city. We included breakfast in our daily stays and loved the breakfast buffet too. The location was great, hotel was clean, staff was friendly, and it was in a great location!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Review

Kyoto Temples & Gion Afternoon Walking Tour

Kyoto

Our guide Pam is what made this walking tour even more magical. She was so sweet and kind and made our 8 and 11 year old daughters feel included. She knows her history and really gets excited to share it, which made us so excited to hear it. She led us through various shrines and temples and was so patient while we shopped at washi club which is a unique stationary store. She gave great recommendations for restaurants and even helped us find ones that had vegetarian options. It was blazing hot on the day of the tour and she handled it like a champion. She was definitely one of our favorite guides we have ever had on any tour ever in all of our travels.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Pam just has the best demeanor. She's so kind and thoughtful and knowledgeable.

Transport

We were walking distance from our meeting spot at the Yasaka Shrine which was fantastic!

We had a wonderful time on our recent self-driving tour of Scotland and Shetland! Aleksandra was incredibly responsive and worked with me to create a trip that worked with our budget. Adding the extra trip to Shetland made this a unique experience for us and having someone that helped with the planning and deciding where to stay was really helpful.

We had such a wonderful trip as set up by Helena! Communication was seamless - she and the support crew responded quickly to adjust plans when needed. We enjoyed our local tour guides - Audrey in Paris, Miguel D. in Barcelona, and Diego in San Sebastian - as well as the pintxos tour in San Sebastian led by Erica and cooking lesson in Barcelona led by Mariángeles.

Of special note, Jaime curated a truly enjoyable tour of the Basque Country coastal towns from San Sebastian to Bilbao, and Stepan led us on a super fun hike and seakayak Costa Brava experience. Those two days were our favorites!

Thank you Helena!

Hotel Review

NH Collection San Sebastián Aránzazu

San Sebastian

Really nice hotel in a quiet location - long-ish walk from old town but great access to interesting neighborhoods and a slightly less crowded beach.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Private Transfer {{start_location}} to {{end_location}} via Coastal Route

Spain

Wonderful guide, beautiful and interesting countryside, really fun time soaking up the atmosphere, sampling at a winery, and eating a wonderful lunch. Enjoyed every aspect of this as curated by our guide, Jaime.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Coastal Hike, Kayaking & Lagoon Dipping in Costa Brava

Spain

Really great guide.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Hi, in all of our travels (we have quite a lot), we have never had a partner like Jake. His level of awareness, sensitivity, flexibility and compassion for his group is unparalleled. He is very patient and anticipates the needs of his group better than anyone I have seen. He truly made our trip much more pleasant and memorable. Thank you for assigning him to us. He has 2 years to learn about Turkey, so he can be our guy there too

Hotel Reviews

Hotel Tirena

Dubrovnik

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

AC Hotel

Split

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Occidental Hotel Ljubljana

Ljubljana

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Elafiti Islands - Private Half Day Speedboat Tour

Dubrovnik

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Konavle Region Culinary Experience (small group)

Croatia

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Private Walking Tour of Dubrovnik

Dubrovnik

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Private Walking Tour of Split

Croatia

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Private Walking Tour of Plitvice Lakes National Park

Croatia

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Day Trip to Bled Lake & a small town of Radovljica

Ljubljana

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Private Walking Tour of Ljubljana

Croatia

Quality of Experience

I

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

We had an amazing trip to Sicily, and loved working with our local specialist Lorenza! She was so easy to work with and attentive and worked with us through several itineraries as we finalized our trip. She was also super responsive while we were on our trip to one small glitch we had and was willing to answer any questions we had. We loved every part of our trip and hard to pick a favorite. We love history and archeology so loved Salinunte, Valley of the Temples, Syracusa Greek Theater and Amphitheater as well the theater in Taromina. Also went to Syracusa (specifically stayed in the island of Ortigia) and Taromina a must.

All our guides were truly wonderful! Chaira (Palermo), Carmelina (Valley of the Temples), Azzurra (Selinunte), Sabine (Ragusa), Giuseppe (Syracuse Neapolitan Archaeological Park) and Aureliano (Taromina Theater). Chaira, Sabine, Aureliano and Carmelina were particular standouts but all wonderful!

Hotel Reviews

Habitat Boutique Hotel

Catania

Such a cool hotel. We only stayed a night and wish we could have stayed longer! Great location! Vibrant and close to things you will want to see in Catania!

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Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Casa Adele

Taormina

Lovely room. And close to everything - shopping, great restaurants and sights!

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Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Algilà Ortigia Charme Hotel

Syracuse

Lovely hotel and great breakfast. Good location. Easy to walk everywhere. Very safe.

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Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Le Terrazze di Pirandello

Good location. Didn’t love our room. Good breakfast!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Not great air conditioning and bed not comfortable. Shower not great.

Bed & Breakfast Il Giardino di Ballarò

Palermo

The staff are wonderful. Room very comfortable. Great location near to so many sights and restaurants. Felt very safe. Loved our stay!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Centrally located in old city.

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Guided visit to the Ancient Theatre of Taormina (private guide)

Italy

This was a beautiful site and tour. Aureliano was of our best guides!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Syracuse Neapolis Archaeological Park - private guide

Italy

Good guide! Very interesting.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Mount Etna half-day trip (group experience)

Italy

Guides were great and spoke good English. It’s a lot of driving and wish there was more hiking!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Boat Tour in Syracuse

Italy

Great trip. And had a lovely group!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Ragusa guided visit

Italy

Sabine was a wonderful guide! We loved our afternoon here and wish we could have stayed longer.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Temple valley guided visit

Italy

Wonderful and knowledgeable guide!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Selinunte Archaeological Park visit - private guide

Italy

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Palermo guided walk insight on the anti-mafia movement and street food tour (private guide)

Italy

We LOVED our guide.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

We had an incredible time in Japan. KimKim had everything planned out and made it easy. We would use them again going abroad

This was our first time to Costa Rica and we wanted to bring family from several places to join including in-country and from three spots in the US. After some reasearch, we chose KimKim as the company to help us have an all-inclusive trip through the highlights of Costa Rica. Olman was assigned as our travel advisor and, in short, he did a bang-up job arranging our trip and getting everyone gathered into one spot smoothly. We gave KimKim a budget, a wishlist of activities, quality of hotels and asked for private transfers between places as it was the rainy season and the driving sounded iffy. Olman listened carefully and was very patient in revising our itinerary many times before it was set. It became increasingly apparent that who you know is important. Olman connected us with local services, guides, tours, restaurants and hotels that enabled us to not worry about the details and just enjoy ourselves. Any issues we did have, Olman and his team were fairly responsive and got back to us within hours, if not sooner. We never tried the emergency number, so have no info on that service.

Itinerary (8 days): San Jose - La Fortuna and the Arenal volcano. - Monteverde (cloud forest) - Manuel Antonio (beach)

Travel: Private driver (Leo). Olman arranged transport from the San Jose airport to each of our hotels and back again. It went perfectly. I want to put in a kind word for our driver Leo, who stayed with us almost the whole trip and was fantastic. He was unerringly on time, careful, thoughtful, courteous and friendly. He would stop when he saw wildlife he thought we'd like to see, he planned stops and suggested restaurants and was generally flexible and helpful for the whole trip. Leo made going from place to place seamless and stress free (and there is a lot of driving). If you do use a private transport, be prepared to tip your driver $10 - $20 per person, per day depending on your experience.

Hotels & Places:
> La Fortuna and Arenal volcano. We stayed at the Arenal Montechiari hotel, which had bungalows which blended with the landscape and had a terrific view of the Arenal volcano. We took a tour of the volcano area and local waterfall led by the local tour guide Franklin (as recommended by KimKim). Franklin was a character - full of knowledge and stories. We highly recommend him, especially for those who want to know about the local plants and wildlife. This was one of the highlights of our trip.

> Monteverde. We stayed at the El Establo Mountain Hotel. Beautiful hotel with unbeatable views of the clouds and countryside. It has extensive wildlife paths on the property. In the area we enjoyed a tour of the local coffee, chocolate and sugar cane farm as hosted by Don Juan Monteverde - again, the local and deep knowledge of the process was really interesting. We also went to the zip line adventure park including cloud forest canopy bridges and gondola ride. This was another fantastic day. You really get a sense of how naturally diverse the area is. Finally, we also did an amazing night hike at the Monteverde Wildlife Refuge which you MUST have a guide for. Our guide, Mario, did an incredible job spotting snakes, spiders, birds, owls and bats. This was a longer hike with lots of ups and downs - a poncho, flashlight and binoculars come in handy.

> Manuel Antonio. Our last location was at the Kahari Beach Hotel. The hotel is a beach hotel and was a little plainer in it's amenities than our other hotels, however Olman told us to give it a chance and he was right. The staff, food, access to the beach and views were terrific and we would come back again. Beach is a wide swath of volcanic sand n which you can walk into the waves a good distance. They also had beach life guards which we were glad of. Hotel is surrounded by wildlife with sloths, monkeys, iguanas and more hanging around the property. Drinks and lunch on the beach was very relaxing and staff was attentive. We also took a day hike in the nearby Manuel Antonio preserve. Olman had said we did not need a guide for this one, and again, he was right. Paths are clear, wide and well mapped. It's a circle, so you won't get lost.

We ended our trip with a ride back to San Jose and the Hampton Inn by the airport which has shuttles to the airport every 15 min or so. Good hotel, comfortable rooms and a good choice for our last night.

Bottom line was this was a memorable family trip that went amazingly smoothly given all the moving parts. Thank you, Olman and KimKim!

Hotel Reviews

Hampton by Hilton San José Airport

Alajuela

Good place to stay by the airport. Very comfortable rooms and dining was fairly good. Shuttle to airport runs 24/7 every 15 minutes. Great place to start or end a trip.

Authenticity & Character

It's a Hampton.

Location

10 minutes to airport.

Staff

Very attentive and friendly.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Karahé Beach Hotel

Manuel Antonio

Hotel is adequate, but amenities, grounds, and staff upgrade the whole experience. Higher floor rooms seem nicer than lower rooms. Rooms are basic, but clean and comfortable. Restaurant, staff and beach are terrific. Food was good, standard Costa Rica fare, drinks were good and staff went the extra mile. Direct beach access is a big bonus and the beach itself is lovely. There are life guards, which we liked, and you can go out a long way because it is shallow. Playing in the waves was terrific and you can rent surf boards and boogie boards right there. There are roaming beach vendors, but they were always nice and backed off immediately if you said no. There is lots of wildlife right on the grounds with sloths, monkeys and birds. Would definitely stay again.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Direct beach access and only 1.5 miles from entrance to Manuel Antonio Park entrance.

Staff

They did a great job taking care of us.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Rooms are very clean. Beds are comfortable. Furniture is basic. Remember that it is a beach hotel and salt eats everything.

El Establo Mountain Hotel

Monteverde

We loved our stay here. While very spread out, the views were wonderful. There are walking paths on the grounds, a nice pool with a bar and a decent restaurant.

Authenticity & Character

Loved the stone facade and integrated nature.

Location

Up on the hill side, views were beautiful and often dramatic.

Staff

Friendly.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Very nicely appointed rooms. Could use screens on windows to enjoy the views but keep insects out.

Hotel Arenal Montechiari

La Fortuna

Authenticity & Character

Bungalow style was fun an made you feel integrated into the surrounding nature.

Location

Within walking distance of La Fortuna with a good view of Arenal volcano.

Staff

Friendly.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Rooms are bungalow style. AC is each, which was nice. Bathrooms are open air vented. Room was clean and comfortable.

Activity Reviews

Damas Island Boat Tour

Costa Rica

This was at the tail end of our vacation and we’d already taken several nature walks, so we were looking for a different experience. Going through the mangroves by boat gave us an entirely different cut at Costa Rica’s nature. The guides were very knowledgeable and went out of their way to make sure that we saw plenty of birds, iguanas, and snakes, as well as gave us detailed information about the ecosystem. The boat ride was very pleasurable and a great way to take in the nature around at a slower pace. Be sure to bring binoculars for the best experience.

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Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

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TreeTram, Self Hanging Bridges & Zipline Adventure

Monteverde

We almost skipped this but turned out to be one of the favorite things we did as a family while in Costa Rica. Wonderful guides, terrific views, and it really gave us a chance to feel part of nature. Zip lines were high above the forest, were fast and a long distance so you had time to look around as you went. Suspension bridges were right at tree top level and we spent time with butterflies, monkeys and birds. Walking paths were great to meander along and take time to look around. There is a cafe at the end for a quick lunch, if interested.

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Night Excursion at the Wildlife Refuge in Monteverde

Monteverde

One of the best excursions we had. You really feel a part of the nature and night time is when you can see the animal and insect world in full swing. The walk is about 2 hours and is up and down, so be ready for a good walk. Our guide, Mario, was excellent and we saw far more than I expected.

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Coffee, Chocolate & Sugar Cane Experience

Monteverde

We didn't know what to expect at Don Juans, but turned out great. Our guide was entertaining and was very knowledgeable about the process, uses and market of the chocolate, coffee and sugar cane farms. Lots of opportunity to smell, touch and taste.

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Guides, Drivers and Staff

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Arenal 1968 Hike & Visit to La Fortuna Waterfall

Arenal/La Fortuna

Rustic and outdoorsy. Our guide, Franklin, really made the difference as he knew an amazing amount of info about the volcano, plants, insects and animals. Amazing views and well worth it.

Quality of Experience

Food

A very nice coffee shop by the entrance. Wonderful views from the roof terrace.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Our guide, Franklin, was excellent. Took his job very seriously and had a great amount of knowledge of the area and the natural surroundings.

Transport