Kimkim Trip Reviews

Estelle from sun e bikes was great and very helpful. The staff at the restaurants: Fort in Marseille, La Fourchette in Avignon were very pleasant and good experiences. Heily Lucullus in Avignon was very good and our owner/hostess was very nice. Eating dinner outside at Les Fin Roches in CDP had excellent ambiance. CDP itself was just OK. Sylvie at La Nerth gave a great tour although a little rushed since we were a little late. But she spent a lot of time with us in the the tasting room and it was very memorable. Very attractive woman by the way. ;) . Before we got to La Nerth, we stopped at Mont Redon winery. Very friendly staff and a beautiful place. I recommend that as a stopover. Domaine de Manville was an excellent experience. The staff was excellent and we were treated very well by everyone that we interacted with, excepting the misunderstanding at the proshop.

Hi Susan and Kimkim,
Re: star ratings above: Susan was very nice (five stars) and booking on your site is excellent (five stars). I put three stars because of value of trip to us.

My computer has been in repair but I’m up and running so here is our review.

Accommodations and Sites on Each Stop:
NAIROBI
Fairview Hotel: Wonderful. We would love to have rested up here for first day as you know.
Sites: Baby elephants and giraffe fun to see. Suspect in hindsight that a drive through the Nairobi National Park would have been a more robust and exciting day…more of an “A” than a “B” site.
LAKE NAVAISHA
Camp Carnalley: Cheryl enjoyed the environment (birds, lake, trees). William was very uncomfortable with the rustic cabin with no windows. William was only warm by the fire in the restaurant…everything else open air and cold. Food very bad except pizza and cocktails. Cheryl and William both feel the camp does not meet with the “comfortable” standard we purchased.
Hells Gate: Hike good exercise but views not “A” rated. Walking with animals lovely (prefer hiking with animals on a hiking trail..but it was nice nevertheless). William not at all excited about Hells Gate. Cheryl was engaged and interested with walk and the gorge hike. She would have preferred arriving early in the morning for pink cliff and more animals. Hindsight.
LAKE NAKURU
Maili Saba Camp: Wonderful. We both enjoyed the view, cottage, food, environment, service, pool. Best accommodation of the trip.
Nakuru National Park: Wonderful. We both really enjoyed the scenery an animals of Nakuru.
MARA, MATIRA BUSH CAMP S IDE
Matira Bush Camp: Could have been perfect. Wonderful setting in the bush, good service and food. Problem upon arrival after dark: they took us to a tent surrounded by bush, no view, very dark and claustrophobic. I told them it did not match what I saw online in pictures. They said pictures can be misleading. They said platform tent might be better but was booked. So we tried to sleep in the dark tent but gave up early am and I got some pads from the reception area and put them on ground around the fire. Got some rest there but it required “going rogue” and it woke up some of the staff. At dawn I found the platform tent with lovely view and no one was in it. We moved into that tent the second night and I really think it was unfair that they did not eagerly change our tent the night before. Lost almost a whole night sleep after a long drive. Did not meet with the comfort standard purchased for the first night. We were able to relax and very much enjoy the platform tent the second night
Game Drive out of Matira
Beginning to be concerned we were not seeing many animals in the Mara. A Swedish couple seriously advised us to go to two places to see cheetah, leopard, and a touch of the remaining migration. Duncan was extremely defensive when I suggested this itinerary. Swedes had warned me this might happen and advised me how to handle driver with gentle persuasion and offer of larger tip. So I did this and he did as requested and we saw the wonderful animals. His attitude cast a pall. We managed to keep things cordial with humor. Did not like having to “manage” driver.
KEEKOROK SIDE OF MARA
Keekorok Lodge: Did not know that there are two sides of the Mara and that Keekorok is located on a side of the park that has fewer animals and a lot of wide open repetitious views (maybe not so empty when there is a migration or on different roads?). Cheryl really enjoyed the hippo pool and wandering the grounds of Keekorok. William was ok with the lodge but felt it was poor value for cost of trip. Food was quite good. Loved presence of monkeys but missed the bush emersion of Matira .
Game drive out of Keekorok: Did not see many animals. Resorted to visiting high end camp which was intereting. Sand River views lovely for Cheryl, but William missed seeing animals. Not good value game driving day. A lot of driving on not very intereting roads.
BACK TO NAIROBI
Hilton Garden Inn: Very comfortable. Nice rooftop pool. We were considering staying in the Fairview Hotel instead of Hilton since Duncan insisted on leaving early from Keekorok. We were headed for Fairview when William asked to go to the stores at the lunch place you recommended after giraffe visit. Without letting us know how long it was going to take (we had no idea where it was), Duncan drove to the store which added so much driving time (and in heavy traffic) to the day that we no longer had time to enjoy Fairview. Arrived late to Hilton and enjoyed it very much for the two hours left in a looooong day of driving, some which could have been avoided. We were having a hard time communicating with Duncan…felt “cut off” from information about what was going on and how his decisions would impact our day. We would not have gone to the store if were knew it would eliminate ability to enjoy Fairview again. He acted quite unconcerned and was very self absorbed (except when we could make him laugh…William was good at that and luckily Duncan was receptive to a laugh once and a while).
OVERVIEW OF ITINERARY
This is a tough one to analyze as I do not know what the rest of Kenya is like. Overall less exciting and I expected for cost of trip. Too much “work” for a tour. Trusted that all destinations would be “A” rated, but this was not the case for us. Did not know I should have worked harder myself on the itinerary. My primary disappointment was the lack of scenery for a majority of the driving. We back tracked over long stretches which were not particularly interesting. The bumpy roads were very hard on William; he would have preferred a shorter trip with flights. I accept bumpy roads as part of safari experience but do expect good scenery as an important part of an itinerary. I’m very careful in California to “stay scenic”. I undertand you cannot predict client response to bumpy roads.
TRIP VALUE
I have recalculated the cost of trip before Kimkim fees as best I can and I come up with cost of driver and accommodation to be about $4,700. (I did not assess hotel nights as “per person” as they are not billed that way online…rates are for two people. The only time I see per person rates is when you are using the lodges safari services). Duncan said his rate is $300 per day. There is a chart below.
We paid $8000. Duncan said he is paid $300 per day ($2,700 for our days). I estimate the lodging at $2,000 for two. Hotels based on prices for two not each searched online or at sites: Fairview $175 one night (I did not include the one night tobe refunded; Camp Carnalleys (generous estimate $150/night); Maili Saba $400 for two nights meals included two people; Matira Bush Camp rate not listed so I estmate about $250 per night max for two; Keekorok two nights $500 for two; Hilton Garden Hotel generous upward estimate $200 for two).
I thought that since we were not receiving the kind of full blown attention and services of a Roads Scholar type tour that using Kimkim would be a good value way to go…more like a travel agent than a tour company. I thought that we would enjoy consistent comfort, that the driver would be congenial and trustworthy and while not a guide would convey an eagerness to please, that we would have comfortable lodging, and that the itinerary would be full of “A” rated experiences.. I thought that without steep middle man fees and additional fees for a professional guide that cost would be much lower than a standard tour like Roads Scholar. Unfortunately, little of this turned out to be true for us.
I did not have a bad trip…I was quite happy most of the time. William suffered more…he kind of “gave up” and used a lot of humor to cope. We are both glad we went, but feel like we way overpaid for what we got.
I am of course open to your response to my concerns and you are free to call me 415 7305305. If there is a way to address these concerns and continue working with you that would be great.
Sincerely,
Cheryl Chester (and William Baker)

Thanks to kimkim and Travel12 for an exceptionally well planned and amazing vacation in Greece.
The attention to detail was most impressive.

I was a little nervous as I was traveling alone and had an ambitious schedule. Christos
ensured I was able to visit all the places I wanted to and got some time to relax and enjoy the islands. Taking my preferences into consideration.
The route was well planned and hotels selected were in close proximity to tourist attractions and pickup points for excursions. Transportation was coordinated with reliable, friendly and respectful business partners. They were punctual and professional. One of them drove around the port so I knew exactly which ferry I was to take as it was a little dark.
The excursions were also with reputable companies with expert and experienced tour guides which, in my opinion, makes a huge difference.
Kimkim's trip planning application made it easy to communicate, track conversations and always have access to information and resources. I never felt like I was traveling alone with prompt responses and help when I needed it the most.
The services provided by the Travel12 team truly reflect their values of honesty, respect and integrity.
Thanks so much Christos, Eric, Tasos and partners.
I highly recommend Kimkim and Travel12.
Talk to you next year Eric.

First let me start by saying I can't give enough praise to KimKim and our local specialist Vasilis in Greece. We had a change in our ships itinerary at the last minute do to weather and one message to Vasilis in hours had a tour change for us, he was just amazing and a pleasure to work with. The tours were wonderful and the service impeccable. The tour we had in Rhodes and the guide, Tsabika Geor Hatinikola was fantastic. Tsabika was not only very pretty and a walking book full of knowledge, she was delightful, funny and extremely charming. Maria in Santorini was wonderful as well and extremely accommodating when one in our group suggested to add an additional stop. We were a group of 12 in our private tour and all left each tour with only wonderful memories and knowledge of the two beautiful cities. We all highly recommend KimKim and know we will definitely use them for our future travels. Anita Gagliardi

Robert helped us with everything and did an amazing job. Our hotels were just as we had hoped and our itinerary was perfect for our needs. All along our travels, Robert would check on us and make sure there were no glitches. We had a rental car which he had arranged, someone to pick us up at the airport, deliver the rental car, pick up the car when we were done and someone to drive us to the airport. There was no detail left undone! We loved Croatia, especially Dubrovnik. Our vacation was wonderful!

Had a wonderful time trekking Annapurna Base Camp and Muldai Peak with my awesome guide Nawang. Raj, Erin and Amanda were super helpful and accommodating as plans changed, and made all the logistics effortless. Truly an unforgettable trip!

From the start of planning until our return home, Veselka was the most important asset to our amazing time in Croatia. Starting with a general idea of what we wanted to see during our brief 10 day trip overseas, she was able to put together an itinerary that allowed us to see everything we wanted to and so much more. Each question I had during the planning process was answered promptly and thoroughly. She would check in with me at every step of the way to ensure every detail of the itinerary met our goals.

Our car rental pick up upon arrival was smooth and effortless. Each accommodation was pleasant, clean, perfectly located, and memorable. We never had an issue with a reservation or during any check out process. Veselka made herself available during our entire stay and checked in occasionally to ensure all was running smoothly.

Our trip took us by car from Zagreb, to Slovenia, down the coast of Croatia, and even Montenegro. The 3 private, guided tours were the highlight of our adventures, allowing us to get to know each location in a way we wouldn't have been able to on our own. Each guide--Aljaz, Mario, and Edi-- was personable, knowledgeable, and went above and beyond our expectations of each tour.

We made such amazing memories and are so thankful to Veselka for ensuring we could relax and enjoy our time without stressing over any reservation, accommodation, or planning detail. We cannot wait to work with kimkim again and are so pleased with the service provided by Veselka.

Stephanie & Anthony

Christos, my local specialist couldnt have been more responsive and communicative. It seems that he works 24/7 as he got back to me so quickly all the time! And also, very importantly, I feel we got very good value from them. All of the guides were first rate, very knowledgeable, delightful, and went the extra mile. We really enjoyed the Vintage Tour of Crete,Cretan Village Tour and Cretan Food Tour. We spent two weeks in Crete, going to Heraklion, Chania and Elounda which was perfect. We're already thinking about a return visit we liked it so much!

Robi was in daily contact with us to insure that we were enjoying ourselves in Croatia. We felt the itinerary which had been presented provided appropriate opportunities to experience each stop during our 8 days in Croatia yet allowing some time to explore on our own. The suggested accommodations were outstanding. We would certainly recommend Kim Kim and Robert to anyone traveling to Croatia.

Once again another absolutely amazing trip with Quechua Treks. Our guide, Wilson was amazing, as were every single one of our porters (whose names, unfortunately I can't remember). Wilson was a gem, took extra time with my daughter, who has never been to Peru. He got some truly exceptional photos of us along the trek. The planning was seamless and tons of fun thanks to all the hard work from Haley and crew at Quechua Treks. The food was beyond amazing, I always look forward to the food on these treks, the chef is a true magician. He even took into account my daughter's crazy stomach and make what she liked and could eat. She liked the avocado disc so well, she got the recipe from him!!! I love love this group of people!!!

Had a great time.
Beautiful country & beautiful people.

Kim Kim and specifically our contact Brahim was amazing! I had several different questions that came up before the trip and even during and he got back to me immediately and was very thorough and helpful. I would absolutely recommend Kim Kim!

Overall, the trip was amazing. Morocco is really one of the places that I would want to go again. It was my first time using KimKim as I would usually travel in the Europe on my own, without having a tour guide. However, since we are a bit unfamiliar with how things are in Morocco, and the limited usage of English there, we decided to have a travel guide there. Planning for the trip was made easy with KimKim, as Brahim and the team came up with the itinerary and we all agreed to it, with some amendment. The driver Mohammed was really helpful through out the journey, and made us comfortable. However, the distance from where the car could drop us to the Riad was bit too far for my parents, who had bad knees. It was partly our mistake as we thought it was not that far to walk, but actually took us good 15 minutes. (It was alright for my friend and I but was too much for my parents).

We also had amazing experience staying at the Riad, good opportunity to feel how living in Moroccan house like.

Good job KimKim! Thank you for all the help.

Olivier was very helpful, was quick to respond and booked an unforgettable trip for us. Thank you!

Very enjoyable and well organised trip. Thank you Vishal. Hotels exceeded my expectations. Guide Younten was very effective and looked after everything without fail. I did not catch everything he told us but that was mainly due to my deafness. The driver Sonam was safe and alert at all times and despite challenging mountain roads I never felt nervous. The Hikes were just wonderful although the altitude and my old age made them fairly tough.

We sometimes wished for additional activities between 3.30 and 6 pm. I think many customers would have been happy with the free time and we would have been happy to have a swim but hotels do not have pools. Of course the highlight was Tigers nest but the Simply Bhutan experience was also fun and informative. The Archery and Darts were also a lot of fun albeit seemed a bit dangerous by european health and safety standards.

Hi ! We did the Pikey peak and Solu trek package. It was even better than we expected. Amanda our local specialist really understood what we wanted, I asked for a trek with the least amount of tourist and she delivered. We did not see any tourist until the end of the trek, so our entire trek was nature and the locals (Sherpa coulture). Very sweet people, warm and very hospitable. We stayed in tea houses and they were great. Our guide Pemba was really great, he knew his stuff well and was very good about taking décisions when the weather was less than ideal. He was also really great at the Phaplu airport, a very tiny airport with very few flights and weather plays a huge role in you getting your flight and so does the delivery of goods to Lukla. So after stressing a bit thinking we may not get our flight, our guide found a way and we flew on saturday as planned, thank you Pemba for your hard work! Now our sherpas, they were so amazing, Dowa 1 and Dowa 2, they both had the same name so the told us to add the number when Calling their names. They were so great, they also did most of the cooking for us at the tea houses, they really went out of their way for us to be confortable and well fed.

As for the trek itself I loved all of it, my favorites, I really enjoyed Japre, I loved where we stayed at Pikey basecamp, climbing up to Pikey Peak at 6am in the fog and then seeing Everest was pretty magical. We all really enjoyed Loding village it was really relaxing after two hard days of Walking. When we arrived in Junbesi we immediately climbed to Thubten Choling Monastery, now that was the nicest most amazing mistical monastery I have ever visited. The monks where really warm and hospitable, they even invited us to their tea room for some delicious tea with milk and some local cookies.

I could go on and on, but if you want a trek that is a bit challenging but yet very enjoyable and minimal tourist with a real experience of the Sherpa culture, this is a really great trek. Thank you Amanda for your hard work and thank you Pemba for all the strings you pulled to get us back to Kathmandu ontime. I can't wait for my next trek in Nepal!!!

Audrey

Our Trip to Provence and The French Riveria was great. Alex our guide and driver was fantastic. Very professional but friendly, excellent driver, so knowledgeable on the history and geography of the area and very flexible when we had requests for small variations. Our hotel accommodations were all very good - the last one - Hotel La Perouse was fabulous - great way to end our holiday. Regarding the activities we partook in - we all thought the hike in Calanques National Park was great but in some places a little slippery - not recommended for people who aren't steady on their feet or are not wearing appropriate footwear - or elderly.

We all loved our day in the Luberon visiting Gordes and Roussillon .
St Tropez was also well liked - some good shopping.
Our excursion to Grasse and our workshop at the perfume House of Galimord was probably one of our most memorable experiences - wasn't sure how the interested the guys would be but we all thoroughly ended it.
Monaco and Eze were also beautiful and very enjoyable.

Gourmet walking tour in Nice was good - Marion was lovely and very knowledgeable but a little disorganized and it was hard for everyone to hear her - concept was good and she showed us some great hidden foodie spots - would be a good tour to do the you first arrived in Nice so you could you this information to your advantage to close where to dine.

The wine tasting at Domaine du Clos des Roses was disappointing - we all thought it would have been better to stay in St Tropez - afternoon was a waste -No tour - tasted 2 wines - not worth it.

In all - we were very satisfied with the itinerary except for the wine tasting - perhaps next time we would allow 1 day extra in each location for shopping and wandering the town at our own leisure or enjoying the facilities of the hotels

The trip was Bulagaria and Romania. The guide Theodora in Bulgaria was very good and knowledgable and exposed us to the culture and history. Romania is a beautiful country and Transylvania very scenic. The castles, medieval Sibiu and Sighiasora was beautiful. Had some issues with the driver and guide in Romania. I would rate Romania portion a 3 star

Anne was great! My initial request was vague but Anne pulled together the perfect itinerary.

This was the second trip we arranged through kimkim. This time we had very short notice. Rodrigo arranged a day tour for me alone in Salvador while my husband worked. I went to Praia do Forte beach + Tamar sea turtle project. He suggested going with a group tour since they are more interesting than being driven around alone.

He was right. Picked me up on time at the hotel. Great music and videos during the trip. The guide even spoke English (I was told not to expect this). They have several live specimens and lots of information. Luckily, my guide chose to walk with me around the exhibits to explain it for me and read the signs. I was the only English speaker. Short tours are provided (in Portuguese) to explain how the project works to help save the sea turtle. The beach was lovely, a great place to grab lunch and a short walk from the Turtle project.

From there, we went to Rio. We had arranged a day hike to the Tijuca Forest. A real jungle in the middle of the city. Beautiful place. Our guide was very informative and friendly. We also went on a city tour.

Overall, a really nice trip.