Kimkim Trip Reviews

This was the first time we planned a trip via kimkim. With a spontaneous decision to get out there for a bit but with too much work in the way to at least set some things up kimkim seemed like the perfect place to start. And we weren't disappointed! They were quick to reply and connect us with a local specialist, Thao Nhi, whom we have so much to thank for! She made the idea of a trip to northern Norway possible and was a great companion all along the journey (even if she couldn't be there physically ;). This trip was all tailored to our preferences and we were able to get the most out of our vacation despite the short notice.
A little bit about the trip itself: We were looking to spend a week in northern Norway where we ultimately got to meet a Sami family, their reindeers and slept a night in a lavvo. We went on a winter kayaking as well as a night snowshoeing tour. Norway is infamously beautiful and being lucky to also experience the natural spectacle of the northern lights made the overall experience even more unbelievable.
We met a lot of kind and interesting people along the way but most of all, and I can't say this enough, we appreciate Thao Nhi, her friendliness and the help she was providing. All of our best wishes to you!

Marina was great help in selection of cities and help along the way. Our first stop in Girona was magnificent and Carmen was an elegant host.

Salmanca was also excellent. Hotel Rector was amazing.

We really like the trekking ! It was as we expected, the organisation was perfect and Sangita is very available and kind. She answers fast and precise and she knows what she’s talking about. We really recommend to travel with her compagny!

In the past year I have been to, among other places, Egypt, Morocco, Jordan, Greece and Portugal, and my trip to Kenya was my favorite. This is due in large part to Nariku Travel Experiences. I gave them a basic blueprint of what I wanted to see, do and accomplish and they delivered. Thank you Joseph and Susan. The guide for most of my trip, George, was outstanding. George was knowledgable, personable and downright fun to be around. I miss his and being part of the A-Team. The safari experiences at Maasai Mara, Hell's Gate and Shimba Hills will be forever an amazing memory -- and they delivered incredible photos to match. And if you want to immerse yourself into the culture of the Maasai people, Nariku Travel Experiences is the only way to go.

So again, thank Susan, Joseph and George -- I am truly grateful for what you came up with -- and you delivered 100%.

Oriana did a really good job. She promptly implemented our inputs/comments and was also easily reachable throughout the vacation. All in all there was just one minor misunderstanding, which was solvable on site and thus it was a really good experience.

Costa Rica is a true tropical paradise with an incredible flora and fauna. Our trip was filled with endless breathtaking views and experiences. And the people were incredibly friendly, courteous and helpful. Thank you so much to Alberto, all of our guides and drivers, and Kimkim for making our trip to Costa Rica so well-planned and smooth. Everything went according to plan. The communication with Alberto was without any problems, and he came up with a really nice itinerary for us after two days. He managed to squeeze in so much in just 10 days, but without it being too much. It was the perfect balance between activities and leisure. Our drivers David and Felipe, were exceptionally nice, and we had so many good conversations with them. Our other guides and drivers were all really nice and knowledgeable too. Our guide, Donald, in Monteverde's cloud forest was especially knowledgable and enthusiastic. He was also really good at spotting quetzals! Everywhere we went, the wildlife was in proximity: macaws flying by at breakfast, monkeys coming up to the pool, a beautiful blue bird joining us for lunch at the beach, snorkling and seeing reef fish and a turtle, passing by a crocodile in a river on our way back to the hotel from the beach.

We had a mid-range budget, and the hotels Alberto picked out for us were all great. We had big rooms/bungalows with two BIG twin beds. Hotel Lomas del Volcán in La Fortuna was particularly nice, and the food there was delicious. Hotel Nimmbú in Playa Carrillo (Sámara) was also beautiful, but the food could have been better. It wasn't bad, but it didn't quite live up to the standard that we expected from such a nice hotel.

We loved La Fortuna and its volcano. Monteverde was breathtaking and perfect to see from the horseback. The cloud forest there is also absolutely a must to see. It was perfect to end our holiday at the beach in Sámara, which was such a quaint little community with breathtaking and almost empty beaches.

We will definitely visit Costa Rica again! Also because we didn't get to see a sloth which we really really wanted to see :)

Amazing experience and a great tour led by Karim. He is the best and was very congenial and supported us every way during the tour. He made sure we saw the attractions and ensured we did not miss any. Even though this is my 2nd trip to Morocco, we had a better and great experience due to Karim. If you ever book a trip to Morocco, make sure Karim is taking you. Though a bit pricey, worth every bit of it.

Our 5 days tour package to the Mexico City was put together by KimKim's team. Leslie from Rutopia, a travel specialist, helped put together this package. She was in close contact with me throughout this process until the package was finalized. We never had been to the Mexico City before, so wondering how the package would be prior to our travel.

We were picked up from the airport by a private driver to our hotel Sofitel located at Reforma, which is indeed a beautiful luxury hotel. Our tour began from the 2nd day. We were picked up by our personal guide Pablo every morning at 9 am. Besides his amicable personality, Pablo speaks English very well, and is highly knowledgeable about culture, archeological and architecture Mexico throughout its rise and fall of history.

We returned back to US with full of memories to be cherished in our lives. We are very happy with Kimkim's service.

Thank you Eleni! I wrote a review on another email for this, I hope I'm not doubling up, just wanted to make sure you saw it. Our trip was wonderful and we couldn't have done it without your help!

Valentine with Kimkim was professional and wonderful to work with as well as the individuals she had set up for our private transfers and lodgings. The lodging selections were superb, safe and beautiful. The logistics were perfect. We traveled by plane, trains, a rental car for six days and private transfers in between. Everything went like clockwork! I told Valentine what I wanted to see and do in France and what my budget was and she helped plan a perfect family vacation.

My husband, son and I visited Croatia this past October. The trip was planned by Robi and he was amazing every step of the way. During the planning process, he was extremely prompt in his responsiveness to my questions. I get overwhelmed when trying to plan a big trip with multiple stops along the way. So I let Robi take the reigns and plan our trip for us- And I'm so happy I did! I told him we wanted a trip with activity and also some relax time as well. He planned a perfect mix of activity, nature, history and many amazing experiences. We started in Split, then Ston and then Dubrovnik. We hiked, biked, walked and had amazing adventures all along the way. A few highlights were touring the Diocletians Palace in Split, hiking Krka, oyster farm in Ston, climbing the wall in Ston, biking around the island of Mljet and enjoying a homemade meal on the water, wine tasting at Milos Winery- lets just say, I ordered a few cases :). Dubrovnik was our last stop and so beautiful, well, every place was beautiful. We toured the inside walls of Dubrovnik and enjoyed the amazing views. Robi was with us on every adventure, driving us and giving us the history of each place we visited. He was always available by text/Whatsapp, and very flexible with the planning and any changes we needed along the way. This trip was so fun, easy and beautiful, all thanks to Robi!

Sherif's tour company was EXCELLENT from start to finish. Extremely well organized, responsive and we learned so much from our Egyptologist guide. We joked that we had the nicest tour van in Cairo and I will absolutely recommend Sherif and his team to anyone planning a trip to Egypt.

We really really enjoyed the trip that Olman set up for us! He listened to our needs and asks and executed everything so well!

Orlando, Alberto, Minor, Andres are just a few of the many great people/guides we met on our trip! Thank you so much to them.

I am so glad I hired Egyptian Promotion Travel for my one week stay in Egypt. The service is truly 5 stars. I chose this company because they were happy to customize my itinerary in such a short time frame, and it was a private tour. Ibrahim took my request extremely last minute and his team made it happen. They were all patient with my many questions.

My husband and I are still amazed at what we were able to accomplish in 7 days. We took the Nile Cruise to Aswan and Luxor - saw all the temples including Abu Simbel, and even visited Old Cairo and the new Egyptian Civilization Museum. Mohammed Kamal, our guide from Luxor, was so special. He really wanted to make sure we were happy the entire time and felt like family.

The entire time I felt very safe and taken care of. The guides pick you up from each airport and hotel. The shuttles were large and air conditioned. They even arranged a doctor to come to your hotel or wherever you are to take a Covid-19 test with the proper requirements on your travel home.

Travel in Egypt is booming again and the future looks bright for Egyptian Promotion Travel.

Harris and his team did an excellent job in making our first Greece trip memorable. His recommendations made for a stress free introduction to true Greek culture. When our first flight was cancelled, Harris was able to quickly adjust our Athens tour to accomodate our new arrival date and time. We were amazed and very much appreciative of his successful efforts. Our drivers were prompt, courteous and personable and the hotels were clean, comfortable and hospitable. And the food was Amazing of course!!

The KimKim team kept in touch with us and shared our itinerary every step of the way. It was similar to having our own personal assistant keeping us informed and on schedule!! I would would highly recommend using KimKim to anyone who wants to spend more time relaxing and less time stressing over trip details.

We enjoyed every minute and look forward to returning and working with Harris again. Thank you Harris, we sincerely appreciate everything that you and your team did in creating this wonderful beautiful trip of ours. Big Virtual Hugs!!

Sherif was excellent. All the operators he used gave exceptional service. Everything was so well thought through and well planned. The trip would not have been the same without Sherif's assistance

The trip was great from start to finish. Highly recommend if you are planning a trip to Luxor! Sherif was very communicative and professional and our guide, Gaby, was extremely knowledgeable.

Fantastic service from start to finish, perfectly organized and affordably priced. 10/10 recommend again for anyone looking to visit Cairo.

The goal of our honeymoon was to spend 3 weeks in Italy, starting in Florence and ending on the Amalfi Coast. But we needed help to organize a trip that would ensure we could truly experience Italy, spend quality time in each location, have smooth transitions from place to place, and incorporate down time along with the activities. We called it the “Slow Travel Honeymoon in Italy” and from the first day we were in contact to the final day of our amazing trip, Kimkim did a spectacular job for us balancing the activities with the leisurely pace we desired.
The specific criteria, besides the start and end locations mentioned above, were 1) we preferred boutique hotels; 2) we wanted to experience the food, the culture, the wine (all of which are obvious for Italy, but still worth mentioning); 3) we wanted some tours scheduled, but mostly preferred to be self-guided with recommendations; and 4) we wanted to be worry-free with regard to transportation between venues.

Upon arrival, we were connected to the local Kimkim team via WhatsApp – this is an incredibly reassuring and comforting aspect of Kimkim. Whenever we had any sort of question or minor glitch (which were few and not worth mentioning because they did not impact our enjoyment at all) the Kimkim team was there to answer questions, clarify any planning, and resolve issues. We can’t say enough good things about their service during the trip. Kimkim provided a detailed itinerary with great information about all the places we were to visit, plus all the transfers they arranged (some via train, some private cars) with tickets, phone numbers/names of drivers, hotel addresses, etc. The itinerary was in a PDF, which we printed out and then had bound together like a booklet.

Our overall itinerary included: Florence, Cinque Terre, Sienna, Amalfi Coast, Naples

Florence – We landed in Rome and were met at the airport by our driver (Andrea), who drove the 3 hours to Florence – he was pleasant and informative throughout. Upon arrival, we spent a few days in the city before our wedding. Kimkim booked us in the Hotel Continentale, which is on the River Arno next to Ponte Vecchio and a perfect fit. In addition to the great location and extremely attentive service staff, the room was large and had a really nice romantic feel to it. Breakfast is included each day at an outdoor café a couple doors down, where you can people-watch along the Arno and really soak in that part of Florence. In addition, their spa services were outstanding – we both took advantage of several of their spa treatments, including massages. The roof deck is a great place to get a late afternoon drink, and the views of the Arno and Piazza del Signoria are awesome. After the wedding, which was in the hills of northern Florence, we were back on our Kimkim itinerary – back into the city for a couple nights to stay at the Palazzo Niccolini al Duomo, which as you might imagine is right next to the hustle and bustle of the Piazza del Duomo. This 4-Star hotel was much more of an elegant property – whereas Continentale is more modern, this hotel is in a historical structure. Its location was wonderful, the staff terrific, and included was breakfast top notch, but the room was a bit of a disappointment in comparison to Continentale – i.e. although it was perfectly fine, the room did not possess the charm and romance of the former.
Cinque Terre – we took the train from Florence to La Spezia and then a taxi to our accommodation in Levanto: La Sosta di Ottone III. This boutique hotel is set atop a hill with beautiful views of the surrounding hills and of the sea not too far in the distance. The room was comfortable and romantic. The staff were incredibly accommodating and friendly. The restaurant is not to be missed – only a few tables, and the service is top notch, with delicious food and excellent regional wines to choose from. We spent 4 days and 3 nights in the Cinque Terre region, doing day-trips to visit the five villages and we took advantage of both the trains and boats that ferry tourists between Riomaggiore, Manarola, Vernazza, Monterossa and Corniglia. We shopped, walked, and dined along the way in perfect October weather. The one standout experience was a wine tour in Manarola (arranged by Kimkim) in which we were guided by a local winemaker, as he talked about the history of wine in Manarola, the process of winemaking, etc. He walked us through his vineyard and at the end we tasted some of his excellent local wine.

Siena – From Cinque Terra we took a private transfer back to La Spezia train station and then to Pisa, where we were picked up and driven to our accommodation in Sienna. The drive was great, through the Tuscan countryside, as our driver (Massimo) described some sites in the distance that we would eventually visit a couple days later: Monteriggioni and San Gimignano. We stayed at Il Battistero, a beautiful hotel in Piazza San Giovanni. There’s so much in Sienna to do – we wished we’d spent more time there and can’t wait to go back. Kimkim arranged two really nice tours for us here: a wine tasting at the Tuscan Wine School, where Georgia talked to us about five excellent regional wines, incorporating some points around food pairings as well. The next day, Georgia’s colleague Davide drove us on a tour through the hills of Chianti, to Monteriggioni, San Gimignano and finally to Volterra where we met Omero, an aged alabaster sculptor who exuded such warmth and charm that we still talk about him. Between San Gimignano (which is not to be missed!) and Volterra, Davide brought us to Il Castagnolino, an organic farm where they grow saffron and olives. Their olive oil is special—we brought some home. We had lunch there, prepared especially for us by the proprietor, and learned a lot about saffron. The views of the Tuscan countryside all day were breathtaking.

Amalfi – from Siena we headed south to the Amalfi coast. We had a private transfer to Florence train station, where we boarded the train for Naples. From there our driver Giuseppe (who would also drive us from Naples to Rome a few days later) delivered us on the only rainy day of our 3 weeks in Italy to our accommodation in Porto d’Amalfi – Residenza Luce, which is situated in the heart of the village. The proprietor Vincenzo was great, and immediately made us a dinner reservation at a nearby restaurant L’Abside (which happens to be owned by his sister) – dinner was fantastic, and we were given a great table by the window overlooking the piazza. Our days in Amalfi were spent walking, exploring, eating, shopping. All of it was great, and we found a particular restaurant worth mentioning simply because the food was outstanding and the owners (a husband and wife – Antonio and Adele) are just wonderful. Enoteca e Gastronomia il Protontino is a 3 minute walk from Luce, and has both great food and an amazing wine selection. We had dinner there two nights in a row, and we drank some great wines. We also purchased a mixed case of Chiantis, which Adele shipped to us within a couple weeks of our return to the States. Every single bottle so far has been outstanding.

Naples – we took a private transfer from Amalfi to Naples as our trip finally was nearing the end. Pasquale drove us out over the mountainous terrain of Amalfi on a beautiful sunny day. As we drove north through the winding roads with hairpin turns, we were greeted by the site of Vesuvius on a clear day. Even from a distance it’s an amazing and somewhat foreboding site to see – given we were heading first to Pompeii on our way to Naples. We spent 2 hours exploring Pompeii, which for anyone who is interested in history and archeology is a must-do. From there we had lunch at Cantina del Vesuvio, which is the restaurant run by the Russo family on the grounds of their vineyard. We had great food and tasted their excellent wines. From here, Pasquale drove us to our accommodation in Naples, the Caruso Place Hotel. This is a nice hotel, but the one note of caution is its location relative to the nearby street traffic and restaurant. Our particular room was street level, and we were just feet from tables of people enjoying their meals and motor scooters driving by. The staff, as with all the hotels, were great and we enjoyed massages in our room. We were met early morning of our departure by Giuseppe who safely drove us to Rome – a long drive to be sure, but easiest for us to do the roundtrip from Boston to Rome.

Covid – although the pandemic was obviously part of the experience, it didn’t deter from our enjoyment of Italy. We felt safe at all times, and appreciated the consistent safe measures taken at most restaurants and all museums we visited. Kimkim also arranged for our pre-departure Covid test, making an appointment for us in a nearby Naples location. Everything worked out great.

Summary - If you’re still reading this long review, then the last and most important point I’d like to make is that our Kimkim team, led by Eleni Fotiou (who is the best!) was great all the way. We can’t wait to plan another trip with Kimkim.

I connected to their tour company (Morocco Immersion Tours) through KimKim, Sharon was immediately attentive and super accommodating to our travel schedule. It was fun filled and definitely jam packed. Their local tour guides were great and informative about the local towns, we met so many great people and saw some amazing things. The driver, Amnay, was AMAZING!! He was so welcoming, gave us so much information about the sights as we passed through them, and was so patient with us throughout the long journeys by car. Would absolutely recommend for anyone interested in any amazing travel experience.