Kimkim Trip Reviews

Terry and I emailed back and forth and she really got a good idea of what type of a vacation we were looking for. She wanted to know about us, what we liked to do, eat, etc. Then we had a nice long phone conversation to discuss further what we were looking for.
She listened and provided a few ideas and we revised and regrouped and tweaked the plan and the trip plan was fantastic. We stayed in 7 hotels over 10 nights. The selection of hotels were perfect. Exactly what we wanted.
The Iceland Yurt !! Wow what an experience. Loved it. It was the perfect way to begin our adventure. We wanted a variety and she delivered. We stayed in a cottage on the water in Fjarabyggd and it happened to be cold, windy, rainy and blustery. It was so perfect and we were able to keep our blinds open and watch the weather through the windows overlooking this amazing water - the view was amazing. Frost and Fire in Hveragerdi was awesome. Loved the town and so glad she chose this little gem for us to stay for two nights. Every hotel choice was perfect - we had fantastic variety and locations.
Excursions !! She hit the nail on the head. Every one of them was perfection. We had the perfect quite the variety; beer bath, Glacier Hike, Geo Spa geothermal pool, Ice Cave tour, Glacier Snowmobile.
Between our excursions we had outlines of the best things to see as we drove around the country.
The driving directions and itinerary was outstanding. Every night we checked the next days activities and picked the can't miss ones !!! We followed right along with the directions in our trip plan. We loved the way the trip plan was broken down with the driving directions, hints (ie: when to book our covid test, dont forget to pay for the toll for the tunnel, etc) accommodations and confirmations for our tours.
It was truly priceless. It allowed us to just enjoy the adventure and not stress about the little things. Thankful for Terry's work and diligence to help us plan the absolute best vacation of our lives.

Activity Reviews

Glacier Ice Cave Experience

Iceland

The cave is beautiful. Our guide was great as well. The notes said that there was a bumpy ride to the cave. Just be prepared because whatever you think is bumpy times it by 10. It was super bumpy as you drive for about a half hour off road. Then you will hike about a half hour to the cave. It is an easy walk. It is gorgeous in the cave. Waterproof pants jackets and shoes really will make life easy.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Langjokull Glacier Snowmobiling

Iceland

This was our favorite excursion. You will meet at the meeting spot and drive for one hour up the mountain in ice and snow. Once you get to the hut they will put a complete snowsuit on you with helmet and buff. If you don't have waterproof shoes they have a bootie you can use. The day we went the winds were at least 50mph and it was hailing. Being a Florida girl never on a snowmobile I was second guessing my choice as I watched grown people fall over because the wind was so strong they couldn't even walk. Once we got on the snow mobile and drove for about 5 mintues we got out of the hail storm. It was the most beautiful sights from up there. Truly unforgettable .

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Skaftafell Glacier Hike

Iceland

This hike was very educational . We didn't realize why the lava was on the glacier, etc I loved learning about it. The crampons are interesting to walk with. They will give you those, a helmet and you will wear a harness. Be prepared that you may get hot walking but the guides are so great. They realize that you may want to take off a layer or two. This is a straight hike. You hike from where you check in. There is not drive to the glacier.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Our guides were great. Super helpful

GeoSea Geothermal Sea Baths Experience

Iceland

This was a great place to visit. We loved the baths, the swim up bar, etc. We ate in a lovely restaurant in the town. Be sure to bring clothes and be ready to shower before and after going into the pools. We brought a towel with us from our hotel. We didn't need a robe. I was shocked that i wasn't freezing getting in and out of the pools. The view of the mountains over the water in the distance does take your breath away.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

We really had great tours and guides. The cooking class was lord of fun with great instructors. Jospeh our hiking guide and Pedro our 4x4 guide did an excellent job as well. The can Alberti was an excellent hotel with great service

Hotel Review

Casa Albertí Boutique Hotel

Mahón

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Review

From Market to Table: Cook Authentic Spanish Dishes

Barcelona

I could not have been happier with the overall service provided. I initially booked this trip on 2019 with the intention of travelling in 2020. Obviously, travel in 2020 became impossible. My local specialist, Marina, seamlessly arranged refunds and then re-booked everything when I could eventually travel in 2022. The itinerary precisely suited the style of holiday I was looking for, and Marina was thoughtful and thorough in scheduling the right amount of tours and downtime. Each accommodation in which we stayed was gorgeous; well situated and beautifully presented. All tour guides and drivers were warm, knowledgeable, and reliable. Marina regularly checked in and confirmed driver times and locations. When bad weather forced a ferry cancellation, Marina seemingly effortlessly found alternative means of travel for us. Having a local expert on hand and so available to us was so helpful. I would happily recommend KimKim to anyone as a wonderful way to see this beautiful country!

Enjoyed using Rutopia (Marisol and Melina) to plan my trip to Mexico. Marisol helped me figure out the best options fand booked everything. Melina was my in country support. Rutopia (the company through Kim Kim) is great and would highly recommend it to anyone who wants to take the burden out of vacation planning. My son and I truly enjoyed the trip knowing everything was taken care of and we just had to have fun. Thanks!

Hotel Reviews

Holbox By Xaloc

Isla Holbox

Hotel El Moro

Puerto Morelos, Quintana Roo

We went with this hotel as we were only staying a night and wanted quick access to the snorkeling at Puerto Morales. It's a small homey hotel. It's not fancy but the staff is great and had a good feel to it.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Float in the Muyil Sian Ka'an Biosphere Reserve with transportation from Cancun.

Cancún

I really enjoyed this adventure. Eddie the guide was just great.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Too many stops to pick up others. It was supposed to be a 7 hour trip and it was 10hours. The transportation was just too long and too many pick ups.

Coba and the sacred Mayan roads

Cobá

Manual is an amazing personable guide. Both him and his son were just really nice and helpful. My son and I really enjoyed biking through the ruins.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Snorkeling in the beautiful marine park of Puerto Morelos

Puerto Morelos

Really enjoyed the company and the guides. Being an avid snorkeling, I would have liked knowing ahead of time that you are required to wear a life jacket while snorkeling. I understand it is to protect the coral but for me, I would have liked to know about it to determine if I would have chosen to snorkel somewhere else.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Our driver, Mohammed was amazing. He was patient, friendly, tireless and a great driver. Mohammed was always willing to help us with luggage, open doors and making sure we had access to restroom facilities. I don't think our trip would have been as good with another person. So happy he was chosen for us.
All of the guides we had during the trip were wonderful. They were very well informed about the areas we visited. They took in to account our health needs and paced the tours to accommodate our slower needs. We learned so much from each of them.
Finally, our local specialist, Hakim, did a great job organizing a diverse trip of Morocco for our family. The suggestions he made gave us a small taste of the country.
I would recommend KimKim Travel to anyone who was planning a trip to Morocco.

We were so happy with our trip to Iceland. Terry provided a very detailed and easy to follow itinerary. We so appreciated the convenience of having all of our reservations booked for us and easily accessible. The tours, hotels, and rental car were all perfect for our needs. Terry was excellent in communicating and providing helpful information. We will definitely recommend kimkim to those looking to travel to Iceland!

Activity Review

Silfra Snorkeling

Iceland

Our tour guide, AJ was fantastic. He helped us every step and let us know what to expect. The experience was amazing and even though seemed daunting at first was very surreal and easy if you listened to your guide’s tips.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Emanuela planned an amazing trip for us. I traveled with 3 kids and their grandmother. Everything was perfect for our group. The hotels were spectacular, the activities a lot of fun, and even the dinner recommendations were amazing. Our favorite dinner was in a small local restaurant in Vik that we never would have heard about if we didn't have Emanuela. Can't wait to take my husband to the Blue Lagoon!

Sangita did a wonderful time setting up all of the details of my trip. The hotels I stayed at were comfortable and in great locations, the daily tours were engaging and everything was easy and enjoyable. My guide Bipin in Kathmandu was knowledgable and engaging and set the daily tours at my pace. I was able to ask any and all of my questions and he shared so much knowledge that my brain is full of Nepalese history and culture. My time at Chitwan was full of great experiences - I saw so many animals including several Rhinos. I had a wonderful time and will be back one day. Thank you Sangita and Bipin

We had a spectacular 7-day trip in Egypt in April 2022. If I could give Dunes 6 stars, I would. This trip was postponed two years because of Covid. Sherif was understanding and patient in extending the trip and regularly checking with us to see if we were ready to schedule. Excellent and prompt communication before the trip, so we had all the information we needed.
Now to the trip itself. We were met at Cairo airport by Dunes rep Mr Ahmed. He met us really close to where we got off the plane and whisked us through getting a visa and getting out of the airport (basically, VIP service!). Then by a/c van to the Nile Kempinski hotel in the Cairo garden district. Mr Ahmed stayed with us until our rooms were assigned and we knew what to expect the next morning. This was a pattern everywhere. Dunes staff (and Sherif via WhatsApp) constantly checked on us and made sure we were completely taken care of. Everywhere we went, we had a comfortable a/c van. Pretty much everything was pre-paid and taken care of --- especially important for tickets at the various sites.
We had two expert guides --- Ms Nesrine in Cairo and Mr Alaa on our nile cruise. Both were excellent -- friendly, very well informed, with decades of experience, and who explained the history and significance of the things we saw. We were traveling as a family with our two adult children, and both of them were great at relating to everyone across generations.
I left the trip planning entirely to Sherif and he picked a great itinerary for us. First two days in Cairo for us to see the pyramids and sphinx and the Egyptian museum. Then flight to Aswan to get on a Nile cruise to Luxor. By choosing to start in Aswan and end in Luxor, we staged it perfectly so that we ended with the amazing Karnak and Luxor temples.
Sherif had advised us to upgrade to the Sonesta St George ship and I'm glad we did --- the ship was comfortable, the staff were incredibly friendly and the food was terrific. We are vegetarians, so the chefs went out of their way to get us some special options during the sit down dinners. The buffet had a ton of vegetarian options anyway, but I think Sherif had told them in advance, and so we got special treatment.
Finally, Dunes sent a travel coordinator to take us from the cruise ship to Luxor airport and onto our plane, then at the Cairo airport, we were met again by Mr Ahmed and escorted to the airport hotel as we had to stay overnight to catch our flight out of Egypt. Sherif also organized someone to come to our hotel to give us a covid test for our travel, and updated me regularly until we had the results.
Overall, this was top-notch service. Dunes took care of our every need. More importantly, they anticipated every potential need and took care of it for us. I rarely write reviews but this time I am because I am super-impressed by this excellent team of travel professionals who made our Egypt trip special.

Diego did such an incredible job planning the girls’ trip to Costa Rica my best friend and I went on earlier this month. He was incredibly responsive the entire time (including when we had real-time questions while we were in Costa Rica), and put together an itinerary that was perfect for us!! It was SUCH a relief not to have to plan anything ourselves and to know that everything was taken care of (especially transportation). I would 100% recommend Kim Kim (and Diego!) for anyone who is looking for a fun, stress free trip to Costa Rica!!

We had the experience of a lifetime in Peru! Jesus was so helpful in planning our trip with the restraints that we gave him. He worked with us on fitting all of our desired excursions in our timeframe. There were occasional delays in response time, but communication overall was very timely. Some of the transportation/timing details were not entirely clear to us at times. For me, the more details the better, so I would've appreciated being told things like where our driver would be waiting for us at the airport or what time we might expect to have free time to grab lunch on a given day. One big thing I was missing was transit time, as we often didn't know if we'd be in the car for 30 minutes or several hours until we actually got in the car and asked. I suggest always bringing extra snacks and water in case you're out and about longer than anticipated!

Here is how we spent our time in Peru!
1 free day in Lima: We walked around Miraflores and went to Museo Larco. The museum had lots of pre-Inca and Inca relics, which were so beautiful and fascinating. We had some trouble waiting on Uber rides and having them canceled, but we eventually got to where we wanted to go.
1 day in Cusco with walking tour: The flight from Lima to Cusco was short and sweet. We met our guide, Fredy, who would be with us for the rest of the week. The tour around Cusco was so interesting! We went during Holy Week, so we also got to see a huge gathering of people in the plaza celebrating. We got really good drinks at Museo del Pisco!
1 day exploring Incan ruins on the journey to Machu Picchu: Lots of really big rocks in really cool formations! One of our favorite parts of the whole trip was feeding the llamas, alpacas, and guanacos at Sulca. We got to participate in a traditional Inca dining experience called "pachamanca", which was so unique. When we finally got to Aguas Calientes outside of Machu Picchu, our hotel was right on the bank of a roaring river. We had a great dinner at Julian a couple doors down!
1 day at Machu Picchu: No words can describe this incredible experience. The views were just breathtaking! Afterwards, we explored Aguas Calientes a bit more and ended up renting swimsuits to go into the hot springs.
1 day hiking Palccoyo (unable to do Rainbow Mountain as originally planned): It was about a 4 hour drive to get here, which we didn't know until getting in the car. We also had to switch plans because Rainbow Mountain was closed due to disagreement among the communities. The hike was no joke in terms of elevation! The views were well worth the physical exertion, though. We had a beautiful picnic by a stream afterward, which was so lovely. When we got back to Cusco, we had dinner at Uchu, which was AMAZING!
1 free day in Cusco prior to departure: We got to explore more of the city and just take it all in before leaving :)

Hotel Review

Casa Andina Standard Machu Picchu

Machu Picchu, Cusco

Being right on the river was so fun! Super convenient location right near the train and bus stops.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Review

Machu Picchu Exploration

Aguas Calientes/ Machu Picchu

Fredy shared so much rich history with us as we took in the iconic views!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

The bus trip is a bit unsettling at some points, but the bus drivers seem like they really know what they're doing.

Amazing itinerary and client-focused service by Deb! The itinerary was fairly complex since we were visiting 4 countries, but the activity selection, local guide selection, accommodations, and the *numerous* transfers were all seamless. We are so happy with our trip, and could not have done it without flawless execution by Deb. She was also very mindful of our budget and we felt she maximized the experience and value based on what we had planned on spending. Also amazingly responsive during our vacation whenever we had questions.

Hotel Review

Ivory Wilderness River Rock Lodge

Hoedspruit

Great accommodations, *impeccable* hospitality, and Craig was an amazing safari guide! It was 100% the highlight of our trip.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Private reserve, and can view so many animals right from the lodge deck.

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Review

E-biking Day Tour Stellenbosch to Franschhoek

South Africa

Beautiful way to experience Stellenbosch.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Our trip from Brussels to France was terrific. The itinerary was very doable with different things and tours each day and attention to helping us get from train to hotel and to place as well as to care rental. We thoroughly enjoyed the trip and the advice we received from Isabelle. The guides and transfers were handled by folks that Isabelle knew and had worked with previously so we were very comfortable with each.

Our only suggestion is to have a bit more information on the road book instead of relying on "see voucher" as not all vouchers provided the same level of detail. In particular - in a city where there are multiple train stations, indicate which station the ticket ends in - we had confusion with one situation where our train made an unexpected change.

Otherwise -- I would highly recommend Isabelle in particular and Kimkim in general.

Thanks for a great time.

Activity Review

Contemporary Food Tour in the Marais & Beyond

Paris

Guide was terrific and the experience was unique - great job Phillippe.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

We do not have words to express our experience. Amazing, Memorable, Beautiful, Hospitable, Kindness, Great, Picturesque, WOW….

In our travels to others countries before we never used a travel agency but knowing the language barrier and travel restrictions we decided to use a travel agency. After reading reviews about Abdullah and Mohammed from Original Travels on Kim Kim we decided to initiate the conversation and from Day 1 we only received guidance and support without a slight hint or push that we need to reserve our booking through them.
Mohammed provided us a detailed Itenary based on our likes, budget and dates. He was very through and quick to make changes as we reviewed and requested.. Most important point was he understood our family ( age group and planned to perfection). He made the planning part look so easy for us that we had no stress and concerns before travel.
Said our supervisor for the trip took over and oh boy!!! he was on call 24/7 from couple of days prior to our travel giving us all the needed information
What we need to pack?
What to expect?
Weather?
Driver?
Important phone numbers.
Any last minute requests we may have or any changes we may need to make to the Itenary or plans.
Every day morning and night we got a call asking if we are doing good and if anything needed that we would like for him to take care of. We felt like ROYALS - It is good knowing we had someone ensuring we are safe and are having fun. We made a request everyday ( Room, Wheel Chair, Reservation at a particular restaurant, and or shopping for particular) and Said ensures it was taken care of according to our needs. Went above and beyond !!!!
Ilyas : Our companion for the trip who stayed with us 24/7 and drove us to all the places. People may prefer to call him a driver but for us he was our companion and friend.Ilyas was in constant touch with Mohammed and Said and made sure they were aware of our needs. Very sweet, Patient, Knowledgeable, Kind, Hardworking and above all someone who cared and wanted us to have the time of our life. He took us to some beautiful places, kept us entertained in the car giving us the history lessons about the places we visited and made sure we enjoyed Morocco and see Morroco for the place it is - Beautiful and Hospitable.
Yousuf -( Tour Guide Chefchaouen ) was professional, full of energy and went above and beyond . A local from Chefchaouen , he gave us great insight on this little piece of heaven on earth.
Mohammed our tour guide in Fes was very experienced, extremely professional and paid attention to what we wanted to see . He navigated through the alleys of Fes’ Medina and took us to some most amazing shops for shopping.
Hanan our tour guide in Marrakech was so much fun to be with! She gave us thorough background on everything we saw , picked out best places to eat and shop . Anything we wanted she made sure we got the best deal!
We miss all these amazing people .
We cannot thank Original Travels enough for making our trip so memorable !

Hotel Review

Inara Desert Camp

Marrakech

One cannot call it camping ! It was glamping in the desert at this beautiful camp. Filled with most amazing hospitable people , breathtaking views of snow covered Atlas Mountains, this desert camp was absolutely perfect for our family. Our kids loved the quad rides, camel rides and the local musicians at dinner . At night we gazed at million stars that covered the sky and woke up at dawn to catch sunrise .

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Review

Guided Tour of Chefchaoeun

Chefchaouen

Chefchaouen is a piece of heaven on earth. Beautifully, charming little town filled with most humble and hospitable folks. Our tour guide Yousuf , a local from Chefchaouen was absolutely amazing. He took us through picturesque spots in the beautiful blue colored town. Showed us amazing architectural features , gave us history of the place . We tasted fresh bread, freshly made cheese and so many deserts ! We would highly recommend him !

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

My mother and I traveled to Argentina in January of 2022 and had an amazing experience booking with KimKim.

Hotel Review

Calafate Parque Hotel

El Calafate

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Review

San Antonio de Areco & Estancia el Ombu

Buenos Aires

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

A huge thank you to Tiago and his team! They made planning our trip, on short notice, a pleasure. The hotels, tour guides, restaurant recommendation and our travel book where all spot on! We will definitely be using KimKim again!

Erin is simply the best travel agent I have ever worked with. She spent time up front understanding how we wanted to travel and then helped create an itinerary to accomplish this. Her manner is low key, yet responsive. She suggested a unique experience to visit Estancia Mercedes which was one of the highlights of our trip. She stayed with us for 3 years as we rescheduled several times due to covid. She was timely and responsive to every request we made, offering suggestions of her own. On her day off she made sure that there was a backup person we could reach out to if necessary. This trip involved so many logistics due to covid and she coached us along the entire way, even sending reminders when it was time to upload an affidavit or take a covid test during the travel process. We received a detailed day by day itinerary that we both carried with us which was helpful as we navigated various modes of travel and experiences. I highly recommend her services.

Hotel Review

Hotel Lunajuim

El Chalten

Great location and price. The beds in particular were very comfortable.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Review

Trip Briefing at Dittmar Adventures

Puerto Natales

Nara met us at 1o pm to review our upcoming trip. She was pleasant, had all our materials and provided helpful information. We had one activity where we met a boat early in the morning at an out of the way spot and she even sent us a photo the night before to help us be sure we arrived at the correct location. This was useful since the cab driver used it to find our drop off location and we felt is was above and beyond by Lara.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

We had an amazing trip to Egypt earlier this month and were very impressed with all the arrangements. There was no hiccup on any of the logistics. Our accommodation was mostly first-class - especially the Kempinski in Cairo and the Old Cataract in Aswan. The only slightly disappointing one was the Ghaliat Eco-Lodge in Siwa. Firstly everything was served on single-use plastic - cups, plates, cutlery etc - but also it had nothing in the way of facilities - no bar, no WiFi, no hair-dryer, no ice etc etc. while it was relaxing, three nights was more than enough there.
Our main guide, Mohammad Shaarawy was outstanding - very knowledgeable on everything and had perfect English. He was also excellent company. Our main driver, also Mohammad, was equally outstanding and there was plenty of room on our mini-bus.
Our guide in Upper Egypt was not so outstanding- very heavily accented English and not as knowledgeable on Egyptology. Also he seemed to mess up on our plans for a hot-air balloon ride in Luxor, which we eventually could not take.
The Sonesta St. George boat was superb and we were very happy with the service, food and comfort.
Our airport collections and transfers worked very smoothly and the only change we would make again is to allow an extra day for this itinerary as it was really full-on most of the time.
We wanted to cover as much ground as possible and thus visited Cairo, Aswan, Abu Simbel, Nile Cruise, Luxor, Alexandria, El Alamein and Siwa all in a two-week period.
The highlights for us were going inside the Pyramids, Abu Simbel, Karnak Temple, Valley of Kings, the amazing Alexandria Bibliotheque, and the great Siwa Oasis
Overall we had a memorable trip and learned so much from the really informative guides and were very happy with the service provided by Egypt Promotions Ltd
Edmund

Activity Review

Visit Philae temple & High Dam and Check-in on board Nile cruise

Aswan

High Dam was disappointing compared to other dans we have seen - Kariba, Boulder- couldn’t see the size of it or the sluices and no working model nor tour of the operating of the dam.

We found Guatemala to be more friendly, cheaper, more interesting and way, way safer than the other Central American countries that we've toured, especially Mexico. We felt safe walking anywhere, excluding Guatemala City, including night. People are smiling and unusually kind, both to us and to each other. We did the standard Antigua, Tikal, Atitlan route. The latter was the most interesting, especially when we took an extra day to go to the villages the tourists don't normally visit. And though all guides and drivers were fine, Pedro in Atitlan was the best.

Special thanks to Eduardo at kimkim. He had to plan our trip 3 times (twice delayed due to Covid restrictions.) I ask lots of questions and requested many particular changes to the itinerary. He always responded quickly. During the trip he was very attentive, coming to our hotel to review things and always available on the phone. The only two issues we encountered occurred on Sunday nights and he was available and on top of it even then.

In Flores near Tikal, recommend staying at a hotel on the island, not the other side of the bridge and definitely not the El Patio hotel (we were moved upon request.) The 5 star hotels in Antigua, Camino Real and the Casa Santa Domingo (the latter built around museums and not to be missed) were fantastic. Every hotel, including the $50/nite Regis in Panajachel, included great breakfasts.

Tourism is still down 50% or more in Guatemala so take this opportunity to
Visit.

Charlotte was awesome, she created an itinerary which met our needs with a 7 yr old kid and we were yet able to cover a lot of activities including a dinner with a local Costa Rican family, which was the highlight of the trip!
Charlotte was easily reachable on text whenever we had any questions during the trip and even prior.
We wouldn’t have been able to explore and enjoy CR the way we did , if it wasn’t for Charlotte.
A true professional and an expert at what she does! Would highly recommend her to anyone!!