Kimkim Trip Reviews

We loved Iceland but I think hotels should be researched more. We had a reservation at the GEO hotel it was unexceptionable. It looked like an institution. We left, even though we already paid $180 for it that's how horrible it was. We went to Northern Lights and had to pay $500 for the night which was a killer. The hotel in Fudor would have been much better. The other hotels were from 180$ to 200$ per night no dinners included which was another 120$. Except Aldo in Reykjavik which made the reservation on my own not included included in your price.
I would hope to get a refund from KimKim for the $180 for GEO hotel.
Thank you. CArolee Kass and Amanda Cline

More choices of lodging. One of the hotels put us in lower level under main dining room, which was open at 6:30am to 10:00 pm. Chairs moving and people walking around was very disturbing. After a long day we looked forward to comfort and to be able to get some rest. They had no more rooms.you should check these things out.
Blue lagoon there r different entry fees. You had an economy plan for us. For 10$ each more which I paid extra for while we were there, , we didn't have to wait on line for 30 extra minutes and received a bathrobe which was not included in the plan you gave us. You need a bathrobe! It was cold.

The trip was great and Enguerran was really easy to deal with. Quick replies to my emails and lots of information provided for my questions.

I wish we had known the physical level required for the trip. I found it to be more physical than expected - - not undo-able, but would have appreciated knowing that walking sticks over the lava beds are suggested and vaulting from the panga to the yacht is a 2-3 times a day requirement.

Tariq was responsive and had an answer for our questions within a few hours every time.

Preeti - was excellent in her suggestions - having the detailed itenerary everyday with where to go, what to see, suggestions on where to eat and a hotel a the end of the day was invaluable...and imo the best way to see Iceland. The booking process was very smooth - I only wish there was more disclosure on actual cost of the trip abd some of the hotels - i.e so you could perhaps upgrade if desired, etc...

Preeti did an amazing job. We had one issue that was not her fault, but was the fault of the guesthouse...she had great meal suggestions and also her recommendations of what to see and the tours was excellent. Again, the itinerary was worth its weight in gold...and having a place to stay at the end of a long day was a premium. Also, the restaurant suggestions were fantastic....here are a couple of my favorites...Bjargarsteinn was amazing...don't miss this one. great meal and for Iceland, reasonable...which is saying something...Sjavarborg was very good but the cowshed was fantastic, go when the cows are brought in...fresh warm milk...Humarhofnin had amazing Lobster - a must. Reykjavik has a LOT of good restaurants and Kaldi Bar for great unfiltered beers...

We also did a detour on our drive around the Island and stopped at restaurant Fridheimar - for tomato soup bread and other tomato greenhouse specialties. I would include this on the itinerary...

The Glacier Hike was awesome - we ended up with a personal guide, just my wife and I and since we were in great shape we did the 3 hour tour in about 2 and 1/2 hours...I would recommend this....

The Baths at Myvtan were awesome...as well - go at night to see northern sunset and stay for northern lights...long yes, but relaxing...have a beer while you bathe...

PS - also recommend the Into the Volcano tour...pricey, but frankly worth it...has to be seen.

Great communication before leaving and during our stay.

Linda was excellent, she was on hand whenever I had a query. A landslide occurred whilst we were on the train and I knew a taxi would be waiting for us in Aurland, obviously we did not know what time we would be expected in due to the delays, however, Linda was on hand and continuously kept us updated and also updated the taxi and our accommodation that we were significantly delayed. Couldn't have asked for more.

What an amazing country and a well planned trip! Plenty to do and see.

Only issue was a few rough roads which could have been avoided that weren't really appropriate for an RV. In particular the road north of Detifoss. Best to approach from the south which is bitumen.

My compliments to all the support staff. From Abdullah our Bedouin guide to all the drivers, cooks and Wilderness Camp workers, they were all very kind, helpful and attentive to our comfort and safety

As for me, being an older, slower and more deliberate hiker, I found the terrain and heat more than I have ever experienced on previous hikes. I would like to do that trek over 10 days instead of 5 but that would be difficult from a logistical point of view. I was able to walk 2/3 of the trail but was happy to have the donkey or truck for the other 1/3. Gratefully, Mahadi was understanding and never made me feel that I was a burden.

Of course, the last 2 days, the hike to Little Petra and then to Petra were the highlight. Other than Machu Pichu I have never experienced anything like the hike from the Monastery and through the Siq to the Treasury. It was truly magnificent. The hardship of the trek was worth all that I learned about Jordan and its' people and customs. We all came away with a much greater understanding of the Middle East and the peaceful religion of Islam. It is very unfortunate that many politicians, for their own gain, paint Islam with a terrorist brush. It would be a better world if more Americans had the same experience we had.

There is a possibility that I will be returning to Jordan next April to work with a medical team at the Syrian Refugee Camp near Amman and I told Mahadi I would contact him and we would have a cup of tea together

Best regards
Bill Tedesco

As a solo female American, Bianca and Jolanda did a great job making me feel comfortable.

Bianca was amazing. She planned every step for me perfectly.

Every part of your itinerary went off without a hitch - perfect! Thank you, thank you. We never waited a minute for any of our transfers or activities. Would definitely recommend and use you and KimKim again.

Transfers: The drivers who did our transfers all were in time, polite and had nice, clean luxury cars.

Lodging: Our accommodations were well selected. The locations were great and staff very helpful. Our only comment on hotels was the the Hotel de Corsa in Taromina : the location, staff and breakfast were good but the rooms were small and "tired" looking - no "wow" factor, seemed more two star, we wished we had upgraded. Just two doors down was a similar boutique hotel called "Hotel Taodomus", prices for lodging looked similar...you might
want to look into that one for future bookings.

Activities: Taromina - Our day of Mountain Biking on Mt. Etna with Luca from "Sicilybiketouristservices", was fun and challenging. Luca was waiting with all the equipment for us (nice comfortable mt. Bikes) plus a picnic lunch. He made it safe and accommodated our skill level- which was "beginner."

Would strongly recommend him again- a lovely kind person who refused to take a tip, only asked that we give him an hi set review. A great day to away from of the crowd streets of Taromina - still back with plenty of time for dinner and shopping.

The next day's cooking class at Porta Messina with owner Stephano was top-notch . Learned much about Sicilian food with a trip to the market first, then back to his restaurant for the cooking and learning experience -so much fun and so much food to eat !!! Five star experience!

Modica: A nice drive to a different part of Sicily- arrived with our road bike tour guide" Raffaelle from "Sicilybikeroutes.com" was waiting for us with wonderful road bikes. We took a nice ride through the countryside on stone fenced roads and almost no car traffic- a dream for us cyclists.

We visited a cheese farm where we watched them make fresh mozzarella cheese and then we sat down to wonderfully prepared lunch awaiting us. A different scenic route back with a stop in Scicli to view beautiful church, then a fun climb navy to our luxury hotel in Modica. We later heard that the restaurant at the hotel was so good it should be Michelin star rated, but we had already been offered the chance from the hotel to go to an evening cooking class in an old villa in town, which we did (and enjoyed immensely.

The following day's bike ride took us to the Noto region for another fun ride with a private tour and lunch at a winery with the owner, Baron Sergio. Raffaelle and his company "Sicilybikeroutes.com" were top notch- excellent bikes, clean transport van, great food selection activities plus some added flexibility when we asked to visit a local bike store one morning. We felt like we were treated like royalty and would definitely highly recommend using Raffaelle again.

Ortigia: Our bike operator transferred us to Ortigia where we had very nice accommodations at Hotel Alla Giudecca. The next morning our city guide Eva was waiting for us with a taxi to take us on our private tour of the history sites of Syracuse. She was an excellent choice of a guide for us - very knowledgable, spoke great English and a lot of fun- again a great choice.

Our early transfer to the Catania airport worked out good. The airport was very crowded and by the time checked in at the airline, we had something to eat we had little time to spare, so you were right to get us there 2.5 hrs early.

All and all we had a lovely, stress-free time in Sicily - all due to your good planning.

This trek in Jordan as arranged by Tala and guided by Mahdi was a life-satisfying experience like none other. Hiking through the desert took me from modern times and troubles to the depths of where
it all began. Throughout the trek, our excellent guide showed professional competence and patience easily seen reflected in the faces of the people young and old in Bedouin communities we passed through. He was able to take us back in history to the Nabatean era to the present with ease and understanding. Our accommodations were comfortable and complete offering us the modern eco-friendly to the more primitive camping styles. My favorite times were having tea through the day, prepared in the way of traditional Bedouin tribesmen, as if to take timeout to remember to enjoy and experience the moment, a time that often is missed back home. Thanks to all who made this possible. I will never forget this outing nor those who joined me on this adventure!

It was a short trip. I would say the biggest surprise was just how beautiful, well-equipped/appointed the Fig Tree B&B is. The food and accommodation exceeded every expectation. The host Jolanda even does chair massages!

Organized to a tee. Bianca could not have been more organized, knowledgeable or accommodating.

It sometimes felt like the driver was a bit impatient with us. We wanted to linger a bit each morning (not morning people) and the driver seemed annoyed with us. We are of a different culture so taking our time is normal, but there may have been a cultural misunderstanding.

The arrangements Preeti made were wonderful! She was very responsive to us and made every little tweak we requested. My finance's birthday was amazing!

I couldn't ask for anything more from a travel company — you made our trip so special!

I am SO glad we used Kimkim to organize our trip. I can't believe how quickly the time passed between booking our flights and when it was actually time to fly out. All of that planning I thought I'd have time to do disappeared in 6 months. It was so convenient to have an idea of the distances to travel, what to see and where, things to skip when we were short on time, and the highlights of each location. It brought a lot of peace of mind and much-needed structure to our road trip.

Chris provided exactly what we asked for, and went above and beyond when we needed last minute help and changes. His timeline gave us plenty to do on each day, and while we couldn't quite fit in every single thing, it was nice to know we already had our next destination planned and there was no time spent wondering where to go next.

Chris put together a great itinerary and I am amazed at how much we saw. I really appreciated his insight and guidance on places to see. A great example is Seydisfjordur, a beautiful little Scandinavian village at the end of a fjord on the eastern coast. He had us there for a night and it was charming. Not knowing Iceland, I'm not sure on our own we would have ventured all the way out there.

Chris was very easy to communicate with and always promptly answered my questions or concerns.

I asked for breakfast included in all my accommodations, but some did not have breakfast and some others I had to pay extra and this was not communicated to me. Would also be good if there was more information given on the conditions of the roads in Iceland, as some were very bad with gravel and many potholes.

Some miscommunication about the tours cancellations. But at least the refund was completed promptly.

The weather was hot and humid and I was unprepared for that. The walking days were longer than I expected.

Amanda was friendly, informative, and punctual. She was great!

I'm very thankful with the service you guys provided to us. You made me feel more relaxed during my stay in Myanmar.

We truly had a great time in Jordan. Basma and team organized a well-planned itinerary but we wished we had more time in Jordan, especially in Petra and the Dead Sea. Jordan is an amazing place for a holiday. People are friendly and the food is great. The place is safe. We felt safe and relax wherever we traveled. The driver we had in Jordan was fantastic. He has good knowledge of the places we visited that made our holiday in Jordan more special and memorable. Thank you.

We are over the moon with getting such a taste of Albania in such a short time. We were visiting family in Europe and had limited time to visit Albania. Five days and four nights to fit in with flights into the capital Tirana. The four wheel-drive was able to get us to some places off the beaten track in just the short time. We had given just a brief outline to the team about our interests and basically left it up to them. We think we’ve got a pretty fair idea now of what Albania and its people are all about.

Being met at the airport was great when arriving in a strange place. We didn’t get dropped into the city hotel but took off straight away for the old castle city of Kruja where we liked the hotel right above the bazaar. Time to wander through it with help and lovely not to be hassled. A few purchases. Time to walk up to the old castle and also see some of the museum where we started to understand some of the history that goes way back for this land.

Of course the secret was to have such a good driver as Nesti, Albanian born and very knowledgeable of the country and its history. While it was strange to meet this tall fit young mean, it didn’t take long to relax in his care and he was fantastic in answering all out questions and explaining things as we went.

After dinner and the night there we were off next day to a great beach on the Adriatic: a colorful spot with the bright umbrellas, crystal clear water and a wonderful seafood lunch to finish. Then we went chasing a look at some of the gun placements.

Back to Tirana and the same hotel for two nights. We were able to walk around and experience how the city and its people work and live. Even did some shopping, though both items turned out to be Italian leather.

Driving around next day showed another side to the city with the civic buildings and public places. A guide met us to take us through the mosque and also the museum though it was very hot and too much to see everything so we were happy with viewing some. The history of Albania is very different from our own.

Albania is a land of mountains, or so it seemed, and we took a good road …. at least two or three, then to the off road bit to meet a special couple who provided a typical country meal. This was the time we met Ed, who joined for the drive and meal. The weather was extremely hot but sitting under the shade of the vine made for a pleasant time.

The Ottoman old city of Berat was another experience and Nesti sure knows the places to eat as well as the short way up to the castle. Joining the evening stroll down the main street made us feel part of the local scene. The last day took us back from Berat to Tirana but have to share a secret: Nesti and his mates know the best seafood restaurant ever, duly booked of course. Safely back at the airpot to catch the plane it was a sad goodbye to our guide Nesti whom we had come to regard as a good friend. So…hot weather, short trip, one off-colour day for one of us BUT it was left to Kim Kim and they organised around the weather and our interests, our photos, our interest in the history and culture even if we didn’t drive all of the roads that they know about but that’s for longer trips. We think we covered a fair bit in the short time, made possible by kimkim.
Jim and Genevieve