Kimkim Trip Reviews

Chris, we are so very grateful to you for all your excellent support and expertise helping us plan our "Greek Odyssey" trip. We were amazed by your superb customer service, especially your recommendations to help us experience some lesser traveled areas of Greece such as Meteora and the Zagori villages, with lovely lodging, transportation arrangements and countless other measures you took on our behalf. We highly regard your work ethic, prompt responses to questions and attention to detail, and highly recommend your services to other adventurous travelers. We thank you profoundly, Chris. Carol & Ray

The tours, guides, chefs and places were beyond amazing!

Our driver, Said, was amazing. He was knowledgeable and took the time to stop at interesting places as well as inform us about local custom and culture. He was funny, articulate and able to give us an wonderful perspective on his country. Our travels through the mountains, deserts, olive and palm groves was memorable. Riding dromedaries in the Sahara and staying in the luxury tent camp was another highlight. The staff at the riads and hotels were accommodating and helpful. We enjoyed this trip immensely.

Hotel Review

Kasbah Mohayut

Merzouga

Amazing Kasbah. The best accommodation we had on our journey. Staff were friendly, helpful and generally created a welcoming atmosphere for guests. The food was delicious and plentiful. Highly recommend this hotel

Authenticity & Character

Beautiful decor. Amazing, large room.

Location

Right on the edge of the Sahara.

Staff

Friendly, helpful.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Review

Transfer from Chefchaouen to Fes via Meknes

Morocco

We did not get to see Meknes. At the last moment, we received a message from our tour coordinator Meagan that Meknes was closed for restoration. I'm sure this could have been known days ahead of time. The Moroccan authorities didn't decide to close Meknes one day and begin restoration the next.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

The services provided by Hakim were very professional in all interactions we had with him. We always felt that he was attentive to our requests and he designed our trip just as we requested. We were pleased with the selection of hotels and the guides provided for our trip. We enjoyed the guides in each city we visited (each guide was a 10!) but we were most pleased to have a female guide in Mekenes. As the parent of 3 daughters we always enjoy seeing how women in other countries live.
Our driver, Mohammad was fabulous. He was attentive to our needs and was prompt and courteous. We especially appreciated that he spoke English--he was a great source of information and we enjoyed hearing about life in Morocco from a local.
I would highly recommend Kimkim, Hakim and his team to anyone wanting to visit Morocco. We were delighted by the country and hope to return sometime.

Hotel Review

Riad El Yacout

Fès

This was a lovely riad and the service there was very good. We enjoyed the location and the ease of coming and going from the riad. The meals we had at this riad were among the best we had on our entire trip. The staff was courteous and attentive to our needs.

Authenticity & Character

The decor and the historical feel of the place

Location

Easy access to our car when arriving and departing

Staff

Very good dining service

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Review

Day Trip to Meknes & the Roman Ruins of Volubilis

Fes

Our guide at Volubilis was so informative and gave us such a good historical perspective of the site and the settlements of Morocco

Quality of Experience

The ruins were very interesting and unique

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Our guide was very well informed and gave us good insight into the lives of those settled in the town.

Transport

Our tour guide and chauffeur, Hicham, was fantastic. He was patient, organized, charming and quick to laugh. His love and knowledge of Morocco was evident. Highly recommend him. The other local guides were also quite good.

Tricia was attentive to our requests and needs. We had a lovely trip from
Bergen to Oslo. Particularly liked the uniqueness and locations of the places we stayed in. Tricia was also very responsive to any needs we had during my the trip and provided good suggestions or plans for every day in out tour.

An incredibly intimate and special tour of Morocco that took us into small towns and to the shared tables of several local families. We selected luxury level and requested stylish hotels and jammed packed days. Each guide, our driver for the week, and everyone in between were top notch. So grateful to have discovered KimKim who connected me to Abdullah in Morocco!

Our experience with kimkim has once again been nothing but the best. The ability to customize an itinerary to my specific desires is the best part of this service. Once we told Fabio what our interests are and the type of vacation we wanted to experience, Fabio gave us excellent choices and suggestions.

Since we are very into experiencing culture through food, we set up a food tour in Sorrento. Now, this food tour was not like ones we have experience before- where you go to local restaurants and sample traditional foods. This food tour started on a cheese farm, traveled to a family owned pizza shop where we made our own pizzas, and ended on a lemon farm! It was one of my most memorable days. We learned so much, about the way of the people and how it shaped the food/culture. I highly recommend this tour for those who really want to explore an authentic side of Italy.

Another favorite day was the trip to Ischia to experience a day at the hot springs. We choose to go to the water park Negombo. This park was most breathtaking- the natural beauty of the island was kept intact, well manicured, and the pools were all full of different features. I would recommend a day here to anyone looking to unwind.

We really enjoyed our hiking guide from our Path of Gods hike. It really is a wonderful experience to get to know the history from a local. He was very informative and able to open our eyes to things we would have never known about along that hike.

We loved each hotel that Fabio picked for us. It was only until we stayed at each hotel and experienced the city highlights that we could fully appreciate the optimal locations picked out for us! Thank you for that. Our favorite hotel was Hotel Corallo- the costal views were unbeatable.

Every driver was very punctual, professional, and friendly. A very special thank you to the driver who picked us up on May 13 from the Naples train station to our hotel, (we apologize, we cannot remember their name), they were with Ms. Deborah and while we were reviewing our itinerary details for future drop off/pick ups and excursions, he was very attentative to details and helped point out small tips for us.

It was great having a personal concierge in Italy, having Mrs. Daniela help us through any details that we were unsure of was very reassuring. Her availability and ability to help us at any time was greatly appreciated.

We cannot wait to plan another trip with kimkim! We don’t know where and we don’t know when, but we do know that it will be amazing.

Hotel Reviews

47 Boutique Hotel

Rome

Great location to experience so much in Rome, the location makes a lot of highlights walkable. The rooms are very modern and the inside garden/patio is adorable.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Corallo

Sorrento

Staff were very friendly and helpful The hotel was very clean, the costal views were unbeatable Even the breakfast buffet was really good, lots of options and very tasty

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Pasta Making Class in Rome ( group tour)

Rome

Our chef that walked us through how to make traditional pasta was great! Talking about food and tips/tricks in the kitchen was a great experience. She was very patient and helpful. Of course, the best part of this is eating the food that you made!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Lemon Grove- Mozzarella Farm in Sorrento area

Italy

I loved every part of this food tour. The hosts were so charming, so genuine, and fun to be around. Learning about the cheese farm was most enjoyable, and of course eating the best cheese I have ever had was an amazing experience.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

I did the 3 day tour of Uyuni. Milenka was a great travel agent and arranged everything so there was nothing I needed to do but enjoy my trip. Lucio was a great guide. My only suggestion, is to consider booking “luxury” accommodations over basic. The hotels were chilly and only one of the two hotels had hot water…so basic has a different meaning in Bolivia. That said, both were clean, and comfortable aside from being cold! The night bus was surprisingly nice and everyone I interacted with from start to finish was friendly and helpful. It goes without saying that the scenery was spectacular and the wildlife and ecology of Bolivia were breathtaking.

Robi was exceptional. Robi is a local guide who has been professionally dedicated to guiding in Croatia for many years. It is usual to get someone this knowledgable in everything about a country who is the 'cycling' guide. His attitude was also one of being extremely flexible, and checking in with us on anything we wanted to modify, right up to 'in the moment' changes. He did an excellent job of ensuring the three sets of tandem bikes we had in our group were well secured in his bike trailer. Thank-you Robi.
In terms of Croatia, as people who have cycled in 20++ countries over the last several decades, Croatia is a 'jewel' in terms of the scenery, the food, the 'old' towns themselves, and the people of Croatia. Far exceeded our expectations.
We also found the functionality of the Kimkim application easy to manoeuvre within, and when we had to reach out directly to Kimkim regarding COVID, the people were 'client first' oriented; which was a great relief (our trip was delayed twice as it was originally scheduled for the time when COVID -19 was declared a pandemic- early spring 2019).
In gratitude,
Mike & Jacquie

Morocco was beautiful with so many interesting places to see with a multitude of things to do. Our driver Ahmad helped to make this trip special. He was terrific and was able to help explain anything we asked and get us everywhere we needed to go. From always having cold water ready to stopping for breaks along the way or providing cord and charger for our phones or blue tooth for music. This trip was excellent.

My husband and I had a wonderful 8 day tour of Italy. We had excellent communication with our local specialists Barbara during the entire length of the trip. Sonia was extremely helpful in providing various trip options and helping us customize the trip to our liking.

Thank you for making each day a highlight and memorable part of our trip. We especially loved hiking up to Lagazuoi, Col de Bos and Tofana di Rozes in Cortina d’Ampezzo . Our local guide
Chiara was exceptional and we now have a great understanding of the history behind the Dolomites that we hiked to.

We had high expectations for Chianti - the Tuscany trip, but the actual sights and experience exceeded them! Local expert Jessica was extremely helpful and friendly to have shown us the best of the countryside. We can’t wait to try what we learned in the cooking class!

The Kimkim specialists Sonia and Barbara helped us through some last minute changes in our plans and quickly changed our train reservations, pick up options and guided us on obtaining a covid test prior to leaving.

Overall, we would highly recommend both Italy and the Kimkim team. We are definitely planning to come back!

Hotel Review

HOTEL de LEN

Cortina d'Ampezzo BL

Fantastic service, picturesque location, and comfortable stay with the latest in Scandinavian design! We thoroughly enjoyed our stay at this hotel, especially the luxurious spa experience with Dolomites in the foreground! The staff was especially courteous and ensured our stay was taken care of in every way.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Review

Private guided hiking: the stunning Tre Cime di Lavaredo loop in the Dolomites

Italy

I am so grateful to Kim kim . They truly took the stress out of my trip to Costa Rica . I knew it was a difficult country to traverse but wanted to see as much as possible. The team at KK helped plan 9 different locations over a 2 week period . They even picked us up from our 1st week planned by ourselves in Nosara so we didn’t have to worry about transport . Every driver / shuttle bus was courteous, on time and sometimes even offered humour and added facts about Costa Rica along the way . KK even organised a PCR test for us at our last hotel last minute when we discovered we needed it to fly home via USA . Always helpful and polite and took the stress out allowing us to fully immerse ourselves in enjoying the trip knowing everything that had been planned would flow smoothly and without delay or mishap . I can’t recommend them enough !!!

Our trip to Colombia exceeded all of our expectations. My mom and I took a week long girl's trip to Cartagena to learn the history, see the beautiful city, and experience some of the local culture. Our specialist, Margoth, was so helpful and responsive when setting up the plans for trip. We somewhat expected that we would be on our own once we had paid for and landed in Cartagena, but Margoth and her team were beyond helpful and I couldn't have asked for a better experience. Any questions or concerns were immediately addressed and we ended up loving all of the activities that Margoth had planned for us. Each restaurant reservation she made was perfect, we especially loved Mistura for the delicious food and great live band. We also absolutely loved our local tour guide, Manu. We spent a few days with him as he brought us to various sites (San Felipe de Barajas, the local mangroves, and the bird sanctuary) - he was extremely friendly, knowledgeable, and we were sad to say goodbye at the end of the trip. He truly made us feel welcome by introducing us to the locals and sharing his personal experiences growing up in Cartagena. I can't thank Margoth and her team more - I was beyond impressed with the service we received both before and during our trip, thank you so much for making this such a wonderful experience!

Hotel Review

Hotel Capellan de Getsemani

Cartagena de Indias

The hotel was clean, comfortable, and an excellent location. Ray, one of the hotel staff, was beyond accommodating and kind. Our only concerns were the bathroom and the pool area. Our bathroom had a leak in the ceiling and the pool didn't look especially clean, we decided not to use it during our stay. We loved the breakfast included with our stay.

Tips for future travelers

I'd check out the photos on Trip Advisor before staying here. I had looked at a lot of them so I knew what to expect, but my mom wasn't thrilled with the lack of privacy with our only windows looking out to a public courtyard. If you want bright sunlight and a view, this isn't the best option.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Being across from the park, walkable to walled city, close to main square in Getsemani

Staff

The staff were so friendly and accomodating - Ray made our stay extra special

Cleanliness & Comfort

The AC, size of room, and breakfast included with our stay

Activity Review

Suggested Sunset Drinks at Café del Mar

Cartagena

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

We had a great road trip through the north and northwest of Spain. Kim Kim provided us with local agents with local knowledge which really made a significant difference. Besides arranging tickets to well-known destinations such as the Sagrada Familia, Batllo House, Park Guell, etc. in Barcelona. They helped arrange unique walking and Pintxos tours in Barcelona and San Sebastian. If you like maritime history then you would also appreciate the Alboa Foundation and seeing the construction of a traditional whaling ship using original techniques. We really enjoyed the Agroturismo Casas that were arranged for us, although a couple of locations were a bit further off the beaten path than what we had expected; but nevertheless, very enjoyable and provided for a unique experience. We enjoyed visiting villages along the Camino and seeing places such as the Monasterio de Pietro park and all of the beautiful waterfalls, Bertiz National Park, and the Playa de Catedrales. The folks at Kim Kim stayed in touch with us on our journey to check in with us and were always available if there was a question or a need.

The planning process was easy and responsive using the online communication tools that Kim Kim provides.

The trip was well designed with Hakim's assistance and our driver Mohammad was superb. We enjoyed the modern and clean city of Rabat, the blue city of Chefchaouen, the Roman ruins of Volubilis, the Imperial city of Meknes and the uniqueness of Marrakech.

Hotel Review

Riad El Yacout

Fès

We thoroughly enjoyed this Riad and the food was some of the best we had in Morocco.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Great food.

Activity Review

Day Trip to Meknes & the Roman Ruins of Volubilis

Fes

We had 2 different guides for Volubilis and Meknes. We especially enjoyed our female guide in Meknes.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

First of all, our many many thanks to Olman for organizing our trip and looking after us along the way when we had any inquiries!!!

We enjoyed Costa Rica thoroughly in spite of a lot of driving, we had time to rest and discover each area we went to.
I would highly recommend Tifakara Boutique Hotel as the room and staff were lovely and the chef outstanding! We wouldn't recommend the El Establo Mountain Hotel. Although the grounds are beautiful, the rooms had paper thin walls and every word, whisper, movement could be heard day and night.
In addition we especially enjoyed Monteverde - and the Hanging Bridges and Ziplining in Selvatura Park as well as the lovely Nammbu Bungalows. I would recommend a great Argentinian restaurant only a 200 meter walk from there. We enjoyed the cocktails by the pool, but were disappointed inthe dinner in their dining room.

We will definitely use Kim kim again!

Hotel Reviews

Ti-fakara Boutique Hotel

La Fortuna

Great room, with a feeling of being right in the middle of a forest, outstanding staff and chef. We also enjoyed a free night walk to view colorful frogs on the premises! Well located - away from crowds but easy driving access to all around.

Tips for future travelers

Enjoy!!!

Authenticity & Character

Very friendly and accommodating staff

Location

close to all by car but away from crowds, walking distance to waterfall

Staff

Coffee machine, balcony, surroundings

Cleanliness & Comfort

Couldn't ask for more

Pachira Lodge

Tortuguero

We spent only one night at the lodge and we were happy with the rooms and service. I would definitely recommend it.

Authenticity & Character

Nice views and built to

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Review

Wildlife Boat Tour in Tortuguero

Tortuguero

It's a longish drive, there from San Jose, so I would consider 2 nights rather than one - or not doing this tour the morning after a flight... But is was worthwhile. It was also amazing that KimKim arranged to have our car rental from a drop off spot so we didn't have to back track to San HOse just carry on travelling from there.

Quality of Experience

Hotel was fine and everything went smoothly

Guides, Drivers and Staff

On time

Transport

All connections were quite well timed, just a wait for bus at port on way back

As mentioned in a text earlier, all the guides, places, chefs, bus drivers were outstanding. They were kind and did their best to please us with recommendations. The hotels were excellent especially the Convent & the hotel at Algarve.
The wine tours, boat ride to Douro Valley was wonderful.
The cooking class outstanding, loved the place we learned and Hugo. Fatima was super, it was also nice to spend a day of leisure where we saw the beautiful coastline of Portugal, the caves etc. The tiny Villiage on top of the mountain (Monsaraz)was just gorgeous and amazing along with the cork harvesting farm/ tour .
The boat trip was special as it was so thoughtful of Sam to think of one of our passengers birthday, went on the secluded beach as well. Lisbon just wonderful and amazing sights am to see, love all the castle tours as well. Loved being near the water. All hotels provided outstanding breakfasts and dinners were wonderful! Unexpectedly to me we’re 4 of my group with physical challenges, and everyone went out if their way to accommodate. So thank you for such a fantastic itinerary & people, the kindness of everyone was outstanding.

Our itinerary in Paris was everything we hoped it would be! Sara took the time to create exactly what we were looking for - a mix of culture, history, and food - that made my husband, my 12-year old and myself all smile. Sara stayed in touch with us during our trip to make sure everything went smoothly. The guides selected for us were absolutely excellent and we had the same guide more than once, to build off of the relationship we already established. Our itinerary was easy to follow and was the perfect mix of days filled with walking then offset by days with a bit of travel outside of Paris. And our hotel was a great match with thoughtful and friendly staff and centrally-located. Thank you, Sara...you made out dream trip a reality!

Hotel Review

Hôtel LOUISON

Paris

Charming boutique hotel with warm & friendly staff. Our room was quiet and relaxing. Breakfast was excellent...try the house-made yogurt! In the heart of the city, we were within walking distance of many great sites. Highly recommend!

Authenticity & Character

I love that there were only two rooms on our floor - when you open up the window, you get the most lovely birdsong!

Location

We walked EVERYWHERE from our hotel!

Staff

The staff are wonderful - friendly and genuine

Cleanliness & Comfort

We had a triple room and were very comfortable.

Activity Reviews

Lifestyle tour of the Marais

Paris

We loved strolling through the Marais district with our guide Roberto! He brought the history, culture and contemporary moments of the Marais to life for us....and shared some Parisienne off-the-beaten-path gems, too!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Roberto tried to tailor the experience of his tours to each group he works with. So for us, he paid particular attention to our 12-year old daughter, to make sure she had a great time too. SO incredibly thoughtful!

Lifestyle tour of the Marais

Paris

We loved strolling through the Marais district with our guide Roberto! He brought the history, culture and contemporary moments of the Marais to life for us....and shared some Parisienne off-the-beaten-path gems, too!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Roberto tried to tailor the experience of his tours to each group he works with. So for us, he paid particular attention to our 12-year old daughter, to make sure she had a great time too. SO incredibly thoughtful!

The Louvre museum

Paris

Our guide Anja made our first-ever trip to the Louvre a wonderful experience! The Louvre is so massive and overwhelming...the thoughtfulness by which Anja selected works for us to see and spend time with was amazing. And she built layers of connection and comparison between the works so that we could get a whole other layer of appreciation. No matter what aspect of the collection we asked about, Anja was a master of knowledge and so passionate about the works. I have a background in Art HIstory, and I was so impressed by her agility and depth of caring about the role the Louvre plays in the cultural history of not only France, but all of civilization.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

I can't say enough about the depth of Anja's art historical knowledge and - more importantly - passion and how that helped us connect with each piece we saw, in a VERY busy and chaotic environment.

Transport

Market Visit & Cooking Class in Chef's Apartment

Paris

This was an absolutely lovely experience in Paris - especially on our last full day. Chef Marthe is so warm and genuine. And her passion and wisdon related to ingredients and French cooking was wonderful to experience. The trip to the open market and the selection of foodstuffs led to all sorts of wonderful stories about food and farming in many regions of France. And our cooking session in Marthe's appartment was a wonderful way to learn more about food, family traditions, and Marthe's previous restaurant...all within the ambience of a true Parissienne apartment.

Quality of Experience

The authenticity of it all was so appreciated!

Food

The meal we all prepared together was fantastic! The chicken dish was a recipe from Chef Marthe's grandmother. And the zuchinni cerviche? Well....my daughter does not like zuchinni and she LOVED this dish! Everything was amazing. And had such special meaning for us. And Chef Marthe sent us the recipes so that we can make them again.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

I so enjoyed our time with Chef Marthe. I would have loved to share a bottle of wine with her and here more of her stories!

Transport

Walking the neighborhood and hearing about the various markets and stalls in Paris added another layer of appreciation of Paris as a living city.

Château de Versailles & Giverny

Paris

Giverny has my heart - the gardens were exception and Monet's house so meaningful to visit! Our guide gave an exception session of storytelling and information on our trip to Giverny, which added a wonderful layer of meaning. Versaille - in all it's grandeur - blew our 12-year old daughter's socks off :) And once again, our guide gave a wonderful guided tour that helps you understand the purpose and impact of all the oppulence,

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Our guide had an exceptional level of knowledge....it brought both sites to live in a meaningful way.

Transport

Our bus driver was warm and friendly and the coach was very comfortable.

Perfume workshop in Paris

Paris

What a fun, informational and unqiue experience in Paris! We learned so much from the master perfume maker who led our session! Our 12-year old daught had a fantastic time with us, and we all have a fantastic souvenier from our trip. We also learned a lot!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

The owner of Candor actually led our session - his passion and charm made the 2-hour experience absolutely delightful!

Transport

Pastry & Chocolate tour in Saint-Germain-des-Prés

Paris

This was SUCH a great experience! There are so many shops to choose from and many are so exclusive, it's hard to explore them in a meaningful way. This tour added to our understanding of the culinary values and pride of French chocolate and pastry making....and we dearly LOVED all the amazing tastes of this tour!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

We can 't say enough about Roberto - he clearly loves providing French culinary experiences (and has a collection of over 1500 cookbooks himself!). His depth of knoweldge and respect for the French traditions and innovations in chocolate and pastry made this an exceptionally fun experieince!

Transport

Day trip to le Mont Saint-Michel

Paris

This is a long drive from Paris but absolutely worth it - there is not another experience like this!!! Le Mont Saint-Michel is unlike any other location in France!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

We really liked Sarah - who is originally from the region and could add a layer of "living history" and remembrance to our experience!

Transport

We went with one other family - the van was a great size and very comfortable!

Notre-Dame Cathedral & Sainte-Chapelle

Paris

Saint-Chappelle is absolutely breath-taking! If you want to understand the power of stained glass as an architectural element of the cathedral experience, SC is one of a kind!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Roberto was an absolutely excellent guide - so thoughtful and knowledgeable! He went out of his way to bring stories and extra books to help our 12-yr old daughter have a fantastic experience. I can't say enough about how much we enjoyed learning from and exploring with Roberto!

Transport

Evening Eiffel Tower Tour

Paris

Having expedited access was SUCH a good thing, as lines get long at the tower! 5:30 was a perfect time for a guided tour - it wsd still very warm, but not too hot. And seeing the city from above was a perfect way to start our vacation and get a sense of where everything is...the Paris cityscape is everything you imagine it is :)

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

We met at a coffeeshop that was a 5 minute walk from the tower. Couldn't have been easier!

Fantastic organisation and amazing walks all around the ring of Kerry, can't recommend enough!