Kimkim Trip Reviews

Chris and Randall planned an absolutely fantastic trip for my father and me. We did activities that the both of us enjoyed, and we appreciated still having flexibility during the trip. The trip had a balance of everything; hiking, wildlife, food, culture, beaches, and relaxation.

Hotel Review

El Establo Mountain Hotel

Monteverde

Great views from each room!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Review

Arenal Volcano Hike & Baldi Hot Springs & Dinner

Arenal/La Fortuna

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Felipe did an outstanding job working tirelessly to customize our trip to see as much as possible in 9 days. Once in Colombia, he remained in constant contact and responded immediately 24/7 to any issues that arose. We had a wonderful time with memories that will last a lifetime.

Hotel Review

Sofitel Legend Santa Clara Cartagena

Cartagena

Activity Review

Airport Transfer: {{start_location}} to {{end_location}} & Guatape and El Peñol Tour

Colombia

Guatape and el penol are must sees

When we were looking to travel to Brazil, we knew we needed some help planning and organizing never having been to the country and not knowing the best things to see and do, I spent some time looking online and trying to find people that could help. From prearranged tours to private tours, and nobody seem to have the flexibility to be able to book the things that we specifically wanted to do, if you wanna book a private tour, it’s all private, there’s no option for anything else and it Hass to be using their specific vendors which are generally quite expensive, and if you wanna do one of the prearranged tours you have to stick to those tours and can’t deviate from them. So if you need help finding out what to do, how to get there, and finding accommodations that suit your best needs weather be budget or luxury I’ve done all the research for you, and Camille is the best person for the job, she was able to book tours at an affordable rate rate including flights and make the entire process seamless and smooth. She was able to find budget hotels when we needed them and luxury ones when we wanted somewhere to kick back. I don’t know if you’ve ever had a situation where you show up somewhere and then you need to figure out where to go, how to get there or what to do when you’re traveling, Camille handled everything from A-to-Z and even when we had issues that came up she was there to assist to make sure everything was fixed and went smoothly. I would highly recommend using her, without any questions asked, she did a great and fantastic job was there for us the entire time, and everything was pre-arranged and booked so everything transition smoothly and we didn’t have to stress about anything, and when issues did come up she was there to help immediately handle and address them

Linda did an amazing job planning our trip! We're incredibly grateful for her organizing a last minute trip during such a busy tourist season. Linda ensured we had the best possible experience in Ecuador. Thank you, Linda!

Hotel Review

Jamu Lodge

Quito

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Review

Birdwatching, Indigenous Community Visit & Night Walk

Cuyabeno Wildlife Reserve

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

The whole process was easy, and seamless. Everything was done through online communication and the response time was often less than one day. Overall our trip was seamless and the only areas that brought up any concern had nothing to do with the travel planner but more with the Covid situation.

Had a wonderful time in Slovenia's spectacular autumnal colours! A great way to get back into adventure travelling after having been unable to for so long. Local specialists Tomaz and Jala were both excellent in helping piecing together an excellent itinerary which included the places I wanted to see (Lake Bled, the Julian Alps etc) and the activities I wanted experience including hiking, paragliding and whitewater rafting. The Seven Lakes trek through the Julian Alps was both challenging and spectacular, just the way I like it to be. Highlight of the trek for me was Lake Krn, coloured green by the minerals and surrounded by the reddish brown autumnal leaves. Jala did a brilliant job helping me find my hostel by phone when returning to Bled after finishing the trek. All local guides were brilliant in helping me find my way around as well as assisting with the local covid protocols. Paragliding above Lake Bohijn's reflections was amazing while lake Bled, the Jewel in Slovenia's Crown, was so relaxing, especially while enjoying the delicious Bled cakes! Finally, the capital, Ljubljana was very pleasant, especially when colourfully lit up at night. From Ljubljana, I had enough to time explore how spectacular Slovenia is underneath with a day trip to Postojna Cave. My first ever KimKim trip was both and exciting and relaxing experience, so well done during very difficult times in which to travel with the pandemic. Hoping for some more such memorable experiences in 2022.

Planning a visit to a “bucket list” location like the Galapagos can be daunting…especially if you are a working parent on a budget. Whereas many people will tell you that you need to go via a “got you covered, take you everywhere and serve your every need” cruise, that just wasn’t in our budget…and quite frankly, isn’t our style either. We’ve traveled to 5 continents and doing it on our own – getting local flavor – that’s the way we’ve planned all of our trips…But to do the Galapagos right, (in a pandemic!)..well, we were beyond thankful to have KimKim (and Daniel specifically) on our team.

Originally planned to go in December 2020, we needed to postpone during the pre-vaccination Covid days. So, we punted a year – and rejiggered our thoughts. We shared what our interests were…hiking, horseback riding, snorkeling...and a little down time. We shared our budget. We shared our needs and wants. And KimKim came up with several options for us to look through and decide between. Once we were a go, we felt great about our itinerary – and even got hotel confirmations to help us feel like we for sure had a place to go (something we worried about a little since we’d never done business with KimKim before.).

At the last minute – weeks before our trip – we asked to add a new option to our plan. Again, KimKim came through. In the end, we were able to explore four islands and had a really wonderful understanding of the geography, endemic animals, and saw every bird, reptile, amphibian, and mammal on our list more than once. We’re an active family – we were genuinely very happy with how busy our days were but that we also had evenings and sometimes afternoons to do a little swimming in the ocean and enjoy local flavors.

We had guides meet us at every point, helping us navigate tricky things like the boats between Santa Cruz and Isabela…if we needed dinner ideas or reservations, they were there. And if a guide was running behind, we had Daniel on WhatsApp always willing to check things out and ensure we had what we needed in real time. As we were there over the holidays, we also appreciated Daniel explaining local traditions to us so we weren’t operating as ugly tourists (and also knew to buy some grapes to bring in the new year!)

In short, we cannot recommend KimKim / Daniel highly enough.

Family of 4 (kids ages 9 and 11), 1 week in Colombia (Bogota and Cartagena), Margoth arranged an amazing trip. Everything was seamless from pickup/dropoff at the airports, to all tours with local English guides, and reservations at top restaurants. It was my eldest daughters birthday and she arranged a very special day for her with treats and birthday celebrations throughout the day. There was constant communication throughout the trip and nothing was left to chance. They even arranged a nurse to come to our hotel for the obligatory Covid test to come back to the US. 10/10, I've already recommended them to other friends.

I cannot provide enough superlatives that capture how beautifully my family's trip to Spain, (and side trip to France) unfolded. While very well traveled, and having used Trip Advisor incessantly for many years, I had been unaware of kimkim.com, until I saw it mentioned in a travel magazine. Learning of its origins and creators, and then reading excellent reviews about it, I thought I would give it a try. I generally arrange all of my family's travel, but have been feeling overwhelmed in the past year like many, and decided it would be nice to have a little bit of help "in country", in connecting some of the dots and details. That said, I didn't have very high hopes because cause in the past I have tried a couple of travel agents and been sorely disappointed. Because of my experience in traveling and preference for exacting detail in hotels and itinerary overall, I have found I have to explain too much to an agent. They also tend to want to designate something "typical" or popular for the average tourist.
Well… from the very first encounter with Patricia to our last communication upon arriving back in the States, I could not have been more blown away by the excellence and professionalism offered by Patricia and her associates.

We first exchange some letters and I explained the basics of what I was after. She suggested a phone call to better communicate; I found kimkim's set up of arranging a phone call via the website worked beautifully. Phone calls seem to route through Palo Alto headquarters and the connections were always excellent. At any rate, Patricia was so intuitive fom the get-go. I never felt guilty or pressured when I expressed atypical things like my family doesn't generally like to have a tour guide at attractions. We prefer to just be together and educate ourselves via audio guides or internet searches. She started to get a real sense of our travel preferences and really ran with it. She suggested hotels but knew that I had done a lot of research and respected my considerations. We had such a wonderful back-and-forth regarding selections and I was so impressed at her savvy, warmth, and kindness. I always felt throughout the 7 or 8 weeks of planning that Patricia had my back with every detail. Kimkim has a wonderful platform for sharing every detail of the itinerary, including what is and is not included in the final cost proposal.

Our trip was only 9 days and fairly full. I always felt confident, though, because Patricia had placed the entire detailed itinerary right on the cell phone she provided upon our first hotel check in. An in-country local phone might seem like the smallest detail, but It was seriously the smartest travel luxury I think I've ever been given. I could text Patricia on it at any time and it was unreal how quickly I would hear back from her. What travel agent is that responsive any time of the day or evening?!

We centered in Barcelona, with side trips to Montserrat, the Pyrenees for skiing, the coast, Girona, Perpignan, France, and Port Aventura. So much of it was simply stunning, and always culturally-enriching. There were quite a few times that questions would arise, due to language barrier or a typical international travel snafu, and my husband and I were absolutely blown away at the convenience of having that phone. Patricia would think of a suggestion for a dinner reservation and make it intuitively, just knowing that places would be filling up around the holidays. Then she would check in with me as to whether we were interested. We always were. I just felt like she read my mind and was saving me the trouble; so refreshing not to have to be "Mom the Travel Director" every minute! Her business partner and the driver, Omar, they assigned to us for all of our transiting, pick-ups and drop offs (except for when we rented our own car) were also fabulously professional, sharp, and proactive.

Some real challenges were presented because of changing Covid protocols and requirements, and I thought it spoke volumes that Patricia's team were so adaptable and helpful in overcoming these obstacles (twice very late in the evening!), making it as easy as possible for us. Whether just to check in that all was going well, or calls and texts related to troubleshooting, the level of enthusiasm and responsiveness from Patricia and her team was almost shocking. Such an incredibly high bar was set that I'm almost afraid to arrange a trip to a different part of the world because I will miss her level of service! That stated, I will definitely look to kimkim in the future, since this trip was so seamless.

Do not hesitate- in fact, RUN to arrange a trip to Spain or Portugal and request Patricia and her company Your Trip to Spain and Portugal via kimkim!!

What a beautiful country filled with the nicest people on the planet! Diego helped our family plan a memorable trip to Costa Rica. We trekked through the rainforest, swam in the waterfalls at La Paz, zipped lined for forever (terrifying but incredible), walked around the Arenal Volcano and ended that day at the Tabacon Hot Springs (so awesome). Our last three days were at Samara where we swam, kayaked and snorkeled on the most beautiful beach (Playa Carrillo). Our guides along the way-- Jorges, Philipe, Ray, Walter, Samantha-- all so knowledgeable about the rainforest, plants, animals, history--and so full of love for their country. All our transfers around the country were seamless and easy, and the hotels were so sweet-- especially Hotel Arenal Montechiari, complete with a resident sloth. Diego was incredibly helpful and available throughout the whole planning process, and during the trip when I had questions. Will definitely book another trip through kimkim! Thank you Diego!!

Hotel Review

Hotel Arenal Montechiari

La Fortuna

Super nice place-- in walking distance to town, and the staff is so charming and nice! The bungalows are nice and surrounded by beautiful gardens. Sweet pool as well!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Review

Sky Tram, Ziplines & Sky Walk Adventure

Arenal/La Fortuna

We had a wonderful trip to Costa Rica planned by Olman (through KimKim). From start to finish the whole experience was easy and seamless. Olman was extremely responsive to our requests during our planning and made every modification that we requested. When we were on our trip, every reservation was waiting for us without any issues. KimKim and Olman made this trip absolutely stress-free for us.

First, our driver Roy. We decided to use a driver for our trip so that we didn't have to deal with renting a car and navigating from city to city (3, 4, 5 hour drives), so we hired Roy as our driver and that was a GREAT decision. Roy was professional, easy-going, and SO FUN. He has a great personality and just made our trip so fun and effortless. Roy drove us everywhere and accompanied us on many of our day trips. He was part of our family for 10 days and we truly loved having him. He definitely gave us space to do our own thing, so even though he was with us a lot it was a good balance. I cannot recommend Roy highly enough - such a gem.

Stop 1: Manuel Antonio. The Parador Resort/Hotel was wonderful. It was a luxurious resort - great food, lovely staff, beautiful property and great rooms. It was a sure treat. Manuel Antonio itself was just okay in my opinion. We went on a sunset catamaran cruise and it was also only ok. It was very crowded, very loud and very party-like (not what we wanted). Overall, we felt that Manual Antonio was very touristy and busy, and after going to Arenal and Monteverde I'd put it last on my list of favorites. Glad we went there first...

We then drove from Manuel Antonio to Arenal (5 hour drive - while long, it's a lovely drive)

Arenal: We stayed at Las Lomas de Volcan Hotel for 4 nights. This is also a lovely property. Our family had our own cabana/room and it was very nice. The property itself was lovely and the hotel restaurant was delicious. The cabanas themselves are comfortable. While in Arenal we did horseback riding to the waterfall and white water rafting - both were very fun. We also spent a day volunteering at Proyecto Asis. My family loves animals so this was really fun for us. We also took a cooking class one evening and that was really fun. We made tortillas and ceviche (and they'd already cooked the rest of the food) but it was a great experience. We really enjoyed Arenal overall. There's a lot to do and it was all really enjoyable.

Monteverde: We stayed at Koora Hotel, which was hands down the most wonderful hotel I've ever stayed at. It is a boutique hotel with only 14 rooms and it was AMAZING. The service, the accommodations, the food, the view... everything was absolutely top-notch. This is not a resort so there's not a pool or other amenities so I wouldn't necessarily recommend this for families with young children. My kids are 12 and 15 and they loved it. We had a two-level family unit so it was extremely spacious and comfortable. It was a splurge for sure, but it was worth it. This hotel was a total highlight for us.

Monteverde was top of our list overall. The surroundings are beautiful and we just really enjoyed being there. We did ziplining and went to a sloth sanctuary - both were family favorites for us.

Overall, it was an absolutely amazing trip. My blood pressure stayed at a constant low level for 10 days so there you have it :)

Hotel Review

Koora Hotel

Monteverde

This hotel was hands down the nicest hotel I have ever stayed at. This is not a resort (no pool, spa or other similar amenities). It's a boutique property with just 14 rooms and it is absolute paradise. From the second we walked in the door the staff was nothing short of amazing. They exude warmth and professionalism. The family unit we stayed in was so lovely. It had two levels (it's like a mini apartment) and it was just so comfortable, light-filled, and spacious. The food at the hotel was wonderful. The view was breathtaking. The service was impeccable. I cannot recommend this hotel enough.

Tips for future travelers

Do it! It's worth the extra money to stay here. It's a total treat.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Review

Horseback Riding to La Fortuna Waterfall

Arenal/La Fortuna

This was a really fun experience. The guides were excellent and really helped us out.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

It's a 17-day trip to Chile and Argentina involving activities that's 95% outdoor. Clearly, I am an outdoor person. Enjoyed meeting gracious people with different personalities in both countries. Overall, there are many great places to visit but not enough time. I would like to visit South America again in the near future.

Hotel Review

Quijote Hotel

Argentina

Activity Review

Full day Hiking Base Las Torres - 20km approx

Puerto Natales

I want to preface this review by saying that I've traveled to almost 50 countries, so I've had my fair share of trip planners that I've worked with. Margoth has by far been the most efficient, professional, responsive, and thoughtful one I've ever encountered!

We just got back from a trip to Medellin last week. There were 8 travelers, all with different arrival and departure dates. Margoth seamlessly planned around each individual and crafted an itinerary that best fit our needs and numbers on any given day. We had a mix of requests for her - from adventure to food to relaxing days - she was able to meet them all, offering several suggestions that helped make the most members of our group happy. She always responded within a few hours of our requests (often much sooner), even over the holidays! There was never a time when I felt something would not be taken care of because we had that much trust in Margoth. She is amazing!

Beyond Margoth, the trip we took was so great , in large part because of our tour guide, Juan Manuel. His English is perfect - he was able to describe to us in detail about the history of all we were seeing, often bringing in vivid imagery to bring home his commentary. He was patient and helpful - from e-biking to waterfall hiking (where his patience was needed in spades!) to our various questions about everything - he could always be relied upon to help! There was one day our car had issues (small!), but he made up for them by getting another car ASAP. I could not have imagined a better guide for us on this trip.

Overall, we loved Medellin, and we are so happy that we used Kim Kim to book it. I researched thoroughly before choosing a trip provider, and we chose Kim Kim due to a combination of reasonable pricing, great offerings, and the responsiveness of Margoth. Thank you for a great trip!

Hotel Review

Sites

Medellin

Sites was good for our needs - we had three different families, so it was nice to have a common area to hang out in while in our rooms. The amenities were nice and clean and modern. The cleaning staff was amazing. We appreciated the on-site laundry and breakfast each morning. The pool and workout facilities were also good for our needs. The dinner at the hotel restaurant was fantastic! What we think could have been better: --Lighting - it was so dark everywhere. Some brighter lights would have added to the cheeriness of this place --Breakfast - we had to make a reservation to go down in the morning, but if we didnt let them know in advance, we would not get the timeslot we needed. We are used to being able to go down at anytime for an included breakfast, especially considering that the meal was the exact same, EVERY SINGLE DAY (no variation at all). --The elevator was very very slow, and there was only one on site. We often walked down or up the stairs to get anywhere. --All of the above wasn't a huge deal to us. We are not too picky when it comes to hotels, and we would not even complain about the above. But the biggest problem for this hotel was bad wifi. Only if you were in the lobby or floor 12 was it good. In our room (floor 6), our wifi came and went constantly. If it was connected, it was very fast. But for the most part, it rarely connected, and we could not even get 3G or LTE service, so we were often without internet for our entire stay. In nice hotels these days, to not have reliable wifi, especially for international travelers who don't have local phone plans, is tough.

Tips for future travelers

Do not stay here if you need reliable wifi

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Review

'La Miel' Waterfall and Hike Tour

Colombia

So much fun to hike along the river, but not for the faint of heart!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Our 14 day trip to Costa Rica was the best vacation we have ever had! Diego planned a trip that had a perfect balance of fun, adventure, relaxation, beauty, and learning! He was very easy to work with during the planning stages - and very kind and affable. Diego was also very accessible and responsive during the trip. I would highly recommend KimKim for planning your next trip and for working with Diego if your plans take you to the incredible country of Costa Rica!

Hotel Review

Parador Nature Resort & Spa

Manuel Antonio

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Review

Transfer San José to Arenal with Rafting on the Balsa River en Route (Class II & III)

Costa Rica

Everything went smoothly. It was nice to have someone overlooking everything.
Highlights were the day tour in Manuel Antonio, canyoning, white water rafting and surfing lessons.
All drivers were on time
Negatives
1) aggressive passing and driving from Monteverde to tamarindo (I didn’t complain but was very nervous)
2) hotel in tamarindo was right beside night club. Could not sleep at all until after 1 am.
3) night tour in Manuel Antonio was disappointing and our guide Carla was scared of spiders.

We cannot say enough about Jessica, our local specialist for Italy with Kimkim, and Storywalking. We are seasoned travellers but with this being our first international trip since the pandemic, we decided to use KimKim for the first time. It was wonderful!

With a short interactive questionnaire to start the process, we were able to dialogue back and forth with Jessica including a zoom call, to exchange ideas and options to make our trip perfect. Jessica found the perfect matches for us including private airport transportation, hotel, city tours, excursions outside the city, a trip to a local farmer and formaggio maker, an olive oil tasting, and fine dining.

We hit the streets with a night walking tour with Susanna, a private cooking glass in the Ghetto, and walk with Sarah around Trastervere.

Not only where things organized well, on time and secure, Jessica kept in touch with us throughout the week to see if we wanted any modifications, any additions, etc. She was truly someone we felt we could reach out to in a minute if necessary. We even asked for what seemed like the impossible, a reservation at a fine restaurant that we had not booked in advance and was booked up. Jessica must have good connections because we were in (we were also flexible which is important) and had a wonderful afternoon on an otherwise wet afternoon.

Thank you so much Jessica! We had a wonderful trip thanks to you.

Hotel Review

47 Boutique Hotel

Rome

Great location, staff and hotel rooms!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Review

Michelin restaurant: a day trip from Rome

Italy

This was an amazing day! The visit with local cheese maker and sheep farmer was quite interesting and the couple (3rd generation family owners) were the sweetest! The olive oil tasting was new to us and certainly opened our eyes to another tasting besides food and wine. The restaurant, La Trota, was amazing: we completed a wine pairing of local wines with each course. The staff were great, the atmosphere lovely and we had a wonderful experience. And our driver was very professional and courteous.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

This trip was great!
I found KimKim through an Internet search and was so excited. I told them a basic outline of what I wanted and they found me someone who could organize it for me. I basically had a bespoke vacation planned for me. The KimKim web interface is easy to use and what’s really nice is that keeps all of your correspondence with your travel specialist in one place.

I was assigned to Old Town Outfitters in Antigua Guatemala. Eduardo organized my trip EXACTLY how I asked for it. I got to do everything I wanted to do. I had an extra day and Eduardo suggested a volcano climb and it was the perfect addition to my trip. The hotels were clean and had charm.

My itinerary included a volcano climb, a visit to Tikal, a 5 day jungle hike/camp to El Mirador, and a free day to wander Antigua. My guides were all very knowledgable. The guide I had for Tikal, Mario, was one of the most knowledgable guides I have had anywhere. He was able to put the ruins in a historical context encompassing other ruins I had visited before. The guide i and for El Mirador was an amazing mix of guide and outdoorsman. He really took care of our group and I felt completely safe in the jungle with him.

I highly recommend KimKim and will use their services again for other trips. And I also highly recommend Old Town Outfitters and Eduardo if you are going to Central America.

I thought Linda did a great job arranging our trip to Norway.

Unfortunately outside influences affected the trip. SAS changed our flights 6 times which had a knock on affect to our itinerary but Linda was very patient reorganising it multiple times. SAS also lost one of our bags which was returned to us a day later thankfully. We returned to the UK with Norwegian Airlines who seem a great deal more reliable.

I would not recommend travelling to the islands over Christmas when many of the facilities are shut. However this may be due to Covid restrictions (restaurants are not currently allowed to serve alcohol).

Covid blighted this trip (I tested positive on day 3) but Linda continued to provide support and assistance throughout. Not the trip we wanted at all but not because of anything that KimKim had control of.

Mathias was extraordinary! He helped us through the entire process from customizing the trip to our needs and physical abilities to covering as much as possible culture and nature. He had a network of amazing guides in all locations to that truly cared for us. He even came to meet us in person at our hotel and left us a little present w Ecuador goodies. From Quito bike tour & cooking class to Quitsao& Otavalo and then Galapagos we had an great time in Ecuador! Also, we appreciated the transparency of the process and how easy it was to communicate w Mathias. We are already thinking of our next Ecuador trip ( this was our first time in South America, usually we travel to Europe). Highly recommend Mathias and KimKim!

This was just an overall incredible experience for us. Diego really listened and set up an extraordinary 7 day trip for our family. It was an outstanding blend of fun, culture, relaxation, and excitement.

There was one little hic-up with one of the drivers, but Diego and the team responded very quickly... we didn't miss anything.

My 7 year old daughter could not have enjoyed it more. We'll be going back and will trust Diego with all our plans.