Kimkim Trip Reviews

Ashley was an awesome coordinator, very good planner and went out of the way to make our trip memorable.

We had a wonderful trip to Denmark! We loved all the cities we visited and the hotels. We loved the walking food tour of Copenhagen, our guide was excellent! We biked all over Copenhagen and even skied on the Copenhill! We visited tons of castles, castle and museums and loved all of them! We will always cherish the memories from this trip! Miglé, did an amazing job planning a great trip perfectly designed for our family!

Hotel Reviews

Kragerup Gods

Ruds Vedby

This hotel was very cute and we loved the breakfast! The rooms were clean and nicely decorated! My suggestions for this hotel would be have more counter space in the bathroom, very hard to get ready with no place to put anything! I would also have liked to have a place to put our luggage other than the floor. Other than that, it was perfect!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Scandic Roskilde Park

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Helenekilde Badehotel

Darling hotel! Loved this place, so cute and cozy!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Clarion Hotel Copenhagen Airport

Kastrup

Authenticity & Character

Location

Loved that we could walk from the hotel into the airport! That was amazing!

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Comwell H C Andersen Dolce by Wyndham

Odense

Wonderful breakfast! Great location and very clean!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Farmens Gæstehus

Svebølle

Nice big space and very nice hosts, but the bedding, and towels were terrible rough. I would suggest new towels for sure!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Needs new towels!

Activity Reviews

Canal Cruise from Nyhavn

Copenhagen

The guide was super informative and darling! We loved this tour!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Taxi transfer

Copenhagen

We called to tell him we were running late, and he was very unflexible in possibly meeting us in a new location! Then when we were late, he was very rude and upset that we were late. Very off putting to be treated so rudely when we tried to solve the problem!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Food Walking Tour

Copenhagen

We loved this tour! She was knowledgeable and sweet! We had great food and great fun!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Embark on a Timeless Journey at the Viking Ship Museum in Roskilde

Roskilde

We enjoyed having the tour of the museum it was nice to hear first hand about the pieces in the museum!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Frederiksborg Castle

Copenhagen

This castle was amazing and not to be missed if visiting Denmark!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Prior to getting to Costa Rica the process with Kim Kim was fantastic. Unfortunately when we got two Costa Rica the whole process fell apart. We were extremely disappointed with the lack of communication and lack of availability of anyone at Kim Kim while we were in country. The number one reason we used a local travel agency was for the in-country support and that completely fell flat. The best support we got was from someone in finance who happened to pick up the phone on Friday when we were there. She was wonderful but completely under trained in order to actually help us with the concerns that we had. Absolute fail for in-country support. This will be the number one reason we do not use Kim Kim again in the future.

Trip was amazing! Kimkim offered multiple selections for any easy-going-relaxef vacation. Fantastic experience wit Kimkim.

Hotel Reviews

Scandic Torget

Bergen

Room was extremely small, bit for one person it worked well.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Location in the central city.

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Flåmsbrygga Hotel

Flåm

Great place to stay! Located in quick walking distance to all traveler locations.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Scandic Byporten

Oslo

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Norway in a Nutshell Tour

Norway

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Winter Fjord Safari in a RIB Boat

Flåm

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Viking Day in Gudvangen

Gudvangen

Information provided was great. I had about 5 hours at this location and it was too long. You can visit this area in about 2 hours max including having a longer leisure lunch. This is not the Vikings Village fault - it was mine for booking too long it this location.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Food and Culture walk in Bergen

Bergen

Guide was great (I don't recall her name). Food, especially the soup. The dried fish - not so much.

Quality of Experience

Food

L

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Mostraumen Cruise

Bergen

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Fløibanen

Bergen

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Oslofjord Sightseeing Cruise

Oslo

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Naxos was a highlight and particularly the e-bike tour. The combination of Athens, Naxos, and Santorini was a nice mix of what Greece has to offer.

Hotel Reviews

Castle Mansions

Naxos

Excellent central location. Staff very responsive and accommodating. Rooms clean, spaceous. Lack of breakfast was only negative.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Passion Blue Villas

Oia

Excellent location and views. Staff very responsive. Breakfast was superb and served right in the patio! Rooms were big and comfortable.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Niche Hotel Athens

Athens

Rooms were small and the views were very limited. Breakfast was superb and the view from the roof top restaurant were excellent. Staff friendly and attentive. Location was excellent - walking distance to most sites.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Young Heroes: a Family Mythology Tour

Athens

Guide knowledgeable and the acropolis is amazing.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Cape Sounio & The Athens Riviera Sunset Tour

Greece

This is the only tour we would change. The guide and driver were excellent, friendly and knowledgeable. The tour involved too much travel/car time. Multiple stops were very brief and did not add a lot to the experience. The kids were disappointed we were not able to spend more time at Lake Vouliagmeni and go swimming. The stop there was no more than a quick picture. The cultural center stop was brief and did not add value. This could have been skipped. Cape sounion and the temple of poseidon was worth seeing and a great place to see the sunset.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Naxos Old Town, Castle & Portara Walking Tour

Naxos

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Aegean Lush Bike tour

Naxos

Highlight of our trip. The bikes were comfortable and made navigating the mountainous roads a breeze. Was truly an authentic trip into rural/agricultural naxos. The guide was great, very personable and engaging for kids and adults alike. Enjoyed the Olive oil museum, cooking class, and hike to the Kouros statue. The tour was un-rushed and even ran over the allotted time.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

The ebikes were great

Once Upon A Time in Naxos (a kids family tour!)

Naxos

The kids (young and old) really enjoyed the farm animals. The owner was welcoming and engaging. Enjoyed the distillery as well as a very tasty and authentic meal in a small inland village.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

All time classic Santorini 2024

Greece

This was our longest tour and to be honest I was worried we would be tired of it by the end. I was however, engaging from beginning to end. Great sampling of all that the island of santorini had to offer and he rich history that as been uncovered with the excavation of the Minoan Ruins. Beach time was great as was the wine tasting at a beautiful vineyard. Everyone we encountered is welcoming and accommodating. The views on this tour were second to none.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

HS 2024 Catamaran Sunset Cruise

Santorini

The catamaran cruise is very popular with many boats on the water. This is for good reason, the experience was great. Swimming was a bit cold, but was nice to have the option to swim at several locations. The crew was very friendly and the meal was excellent. We were rewarded with the best sunset of the trip. This was a repeatable experience.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

This was the only trip the transport was late picking us up (45 minutes).

The trip was lovely. All the hotels were spectacular. Airlines were great. Two things I was not pleased with...we did not have an English guide 100% of the trip and this caused a lot of confusion at the crossing into Chile. Also, we were unaware if the boat luggage restrictions and had to pay extra. Outitinerary said tariff was included and it wasn't. This could of been explained by an English guide which was not present. It would have been nice to know that as we had that type of info for our airlines. I was removed from the cue and had to wait 30 minutes to pay, nearly missing the boat. STRESSFUL. And more details need to be added to the " lake crossing" to the Andes. I felt like we were grasping for details. And didn't realize there would be 3 boats 4 busses, an uphill climb plus no portage upon exit. Paul's only reply was that he " was surprised " I did not know that when I shared my concerns. I looked at other itineraries from other travelers and they were very detailed, informing them of all changes. There was also a pick up error on the itinerary I had to verify. All in all, we enjoyed it very much, but I feel your agent needs to review some of his work as a traveler needs to feel comfortable and safe in a foreign country. Thank you.

Honestly dealing with Alex (the travel agent) is what made us decide to go to Guatemala. He made us feel safe and worked very well with us. We even got to meet him and his beautiful family while we were there. What I also really appreciated is him always being available on WhatsApp for questions and addressed any concerns that I had. He had us working with our favorite tour guide Christa who me and my wife got close to and learned to love Guatemala and the people of Guatemala because of her.

Seriously the whole team that we had was amazing from our agent Alex, our guide Christa, and our driver David.

Activity Reviews

Antigua Walking Tour

Guatemala

It was good but we would’ve liked to do it with our guide who was also with us on it.

Kayaking & Hiking Lake Atitlán

Guatemala

Our favorite place!!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Christa was awesome

Transport

Explore Tikal National Park

Guatemala

Day Hike to Pacaya Volcano

Guatemala

We had a great time with Tomas and Michael in Belize. The tour guide in Guatemala gave us a good suggestion to do the tour at 4 am instead of later in the day bcoz the temperature was very high ( 101) and that helped us a lot!
Overall a great experience!

Hotel Reviews

Black Rock Lodge

San Ignacio

Best experience ever! The staff is fantastic and the hotel is so close to nature- great way to disconnect!

Authenticity & Character

Location

The location is beautiful but the 6/7 mile long road going to the lodge can be improved.

Staff

Best experience ever- everyone was super nice!

Cleanliness & Comfort

Ramon's Village Resort

San Pedro

Paradise!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Jaguar Inn Tikal

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Issue with water supply and fan in the summer heat

Jaguar Creek Lodge

Cayo District, Belize

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Staff is good but they can help with lugging the bags to the rooms especially if the room is far away from the reception. No one offered to help us

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Actun Tunichil Muknal (ATM) caves day tour

San Ignacio

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

He could have planned for the tubes to be at the cave and not for us to carry it along the way. We saw other guides doing that and even offering to take family pics - he didn’t even ask

Transport

Cacao Farm & Chocolate Making Tour

San Ignacio

Very enriching experience!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Explore Tikal National Park

San Ignacio

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

He charged us extra money for the 4 am tour

Transport

Canopy Tour in Tikal National Park

Belize

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Awesome staff

Transport

Hol Chan/Shark Ray Alley - from Ramon's Village

Belize

Dream come true!

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Best staff - so helpful and made me and my daughter so comfortable

Transport

My wife and I had round trip plane tickets to Geneva with no particular plans. KimKim put us in touch with Valentine who knows all about Switzerland first hand. She asked us a few questions about our budget and what we liked to do and see. Valentine put together an incredible itinerary covering Geneva, Zermatt, Interlaken, Lugano, Luzern, Bern, and Montreux. All hotels were within walking distance of train stations, and getting around with the handy Swiss Travel Pass was no problem.

Switzerland is such a diverse and beautiful country. The Swiss Alps are breathtaking. Especially memorable was our view of the Matterhorn in Zermatt. Valentine set us up with a private guide, Patricia, in Lugano. Patricia put together a food tour highlighting the local Italian cuisine. The next day, she took us on a hike along the shore of Lake Lugano to Gandria, a charming little village, followed by lunch at one of the grottoes across the lake (Grotto Descanso) where we had an amazing meal with a stunning view.

All of these cities were wonderful in their own unique ways. This trip far exceeded our expectations. Thank you, Valentine!

Our travel specialists, Julia and Fenne, were great. They provided a perfect trip that met all of our desires for one week in Norway. Hotel selection and convenience to train stations and activities was well thought out. All of the activities they had planned, cruises on fiords, train rides and the food and culture city walk in Bergen were all great. Will definitely be using kimkim again. Told locals about what kimkim can do for them in planning trips! Keep up the good work!

Our 12 day trip planned by kimkim was amazing.!Our first stop was Venice where Marina our guide did an exceptional overview of explaining the history and uniqueness of Venice. We also took a gondola ride which was wonderfully relaxing. Vincenzo suggested a boat trip to Murano and Burano which added to the magic of Venice. Traveling by train , our next stop was Tuscany. Our driver picked us up promptly at the station and provided us with a lovely overview of the area. We arrived in Castle di Fonterutoli. It was the perfect Tuscany retreat. The serene and beautiful countryside was everything we hoped it to be. Vincenzo set up a luncheon and wine tour which was delicious and informational. We had great food and the wine tasting was fabulous! While in Tuscany , we rented a car and travelled to quaint little towns and Sienna . Next stop, Pompeii. We took a train from Florence and our driver picked us up in Naples. He was great!! He waited for us while we toured Pompeii with Paola Vitiello. She was so informative; we learned so much about Pompeii. Our driver then took us the long way along the Almafi Coast to get to our next stop which was Almafi. It was breathtaking. He stopped whenever we wanted to take pictures. We arrived in Almafi and enjoyed a day cruise to Capri which was a blast! We explored Anacapri and took the chair lift to the top. Amazing views! We also hiked The Valle delle Ferriere . We took a bus to Scalia and hiked down; wear really good shoes and be sure you are in good shape because it is a long trek. Our last stop was Rome. Great food, tours, activities and lots of people. We had a Trastevere Food Tour with Vittoria. She was such a pleasure to be with. We tried lots of food and had a beautiful dinner at her establishment. The Colosseum and Roma Tour were really enjoyable. Our last night, we enjoyed a premium wine tasting and dinner experience . It was the perfect way to end our trip. The hotels Vincenzo suggested were perfect. All in all, the trip was something we will never forget. We will certainly use kimkim for our future trips.

Hotel Reviews

Hotel Floridiana

Amalfi

A little hard to find, but a centrally located, lovely hotel. It was exceptionally clean. They had a great breakfast and the staff was very accommodating.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Castello di Fonterutoli

Fonterutoli, Siena

The perfect escape into the Tuscany countryside. Simple, clean , serene accommodations. The breakfast was great! It's a bit secluded so yo will need a car or use the taxi service to get around.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Hiberia

Rome

Right in the heart of Rome! It was a perfect location to explore all the sights of Rome. The room was beautiful , clean and very quiet for being in the middle of the city.

Authenticity & Character

Exceptional views of the city.

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Donà Palace

Venice

A lovely hotel with lots of Venetian character.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Guided Walking Tour of Venice

Venice

Private Gondola Ride

Venice

Premium wine tasting and dinner in Rome

Rome

Day at Leisure in the Tuscan Countryside

Tuscany

Wine & Food Experience in the Tuscan Countryside

Italy

Full day group boat tour of Capri

Italy

Guided Tour of Pompeii

Italy

Guided Walking Tour of Rome

Rome

Trastevere Food Tour

Rome

Guided Visit to the Colosseum & Roman Forum

Rome

We took a trip to Munich, Austria and Italy.
Every stop we took was planned specifically by Fabio for our needs and our pleasure based on communication with him of what we were looking for in our travels. He listened to what we were looking for, and truly carried out every detail to make our trip an amazing one. .. one that went so smoothly. We knew that if we had any concerns, Fabio would always be there for us. There were several times we asked him a question late at night or early in the morning and he always responded within two minutes. Being in foreign countries where we do not speak the language was a little concerning, but we knew that he would always be there for us..and he was. All of our guided tours were amazing that he had set up for us. We loved every aspect of this trip and would highly recommend Fabio to anyone.

We were extremely impressed how everything went so smoothly. Valentine was extremely helpful and communicative throughout the process. The only complaint was not getting our final itinerary with the final times so close to our departure was concerning since this was the first time we used Kimkim. I like to know everything is set a lot earlier to our trips and this made me uncomfortable, but everything went as planned, so very happy with the service.

All the people to pick us up or tours were on time. It was nice to receive messages from the drivers the night before letting us know they would be picking us up and where to meet them. Our drivers Michael and Thomas in Paris were exceptional.

Our guide Celine, for the Louvre and walking tour of Montmarte was excellent. We wished we had her for all our tours, She provided so much details about the paintings, sculptures, and history at both the Louvre and as we walked through the Montmarte area.

Our guide Alex with Alla la France tours in Amboise and Loire Valley was very informative and we really enjoyed the tours of all of the Chateau ‘s.

The Hôtel Le Manoir Les Minimes in Amboise was a beautiful hotel and located close to all the restaurants and shops in Amboise. The woman in the morning at the reception desk, we forgot to get new name, was extremely helpful and made our stay exceptional. We would definitely recommend this hotel.

We would definitely use Kimkim again for other travels.

Hotel Review

Manoir Les Minimes

Amboise

This hotel was perfect. Located closed to restaurants and shops. The woman at the hotel desk was extremely helpful and made our stay exceptional. Breakfast was great. All the staff were friendly and helpful. Highly recommend this hotel.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Private tour of the Louvre

Paris

Our guide Celine was amazing and provided such great details that we have never experienced on a museum tour before. She provided so much details about the history and things about the paintings or sculptures that we would have never heard from an audio guide. Highly recommend Celine!! We wished we had her on our tour for Versailles.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Exceptional guide!!

Private Guided tour of Mont-Saint-Michel and entrance tickets to the Abbey

France

This was a great tour. We took a train from Paris to Mont Saint Michel and our driver, Samuel was our guide as well. He communicated with use the night before to let us know where to meet him at the train station and confirmed the time. He was great. He provided information about the towns as we drove through them. Provided great details about the people, island and Abbey. We would not have gotten the same experience from an audio guide. This was probably our favorite place. Wish we could have stayed to see the tide come in. Maybe next time!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Chambord, Chenonceau & Lunch at the château

France

Our guide, Alex was excellent. She was very informative and it was nice the tour was a small group. The lunch at the private Chateau was nice and helped to understand what owners have to go through to live in one. We enjoyed all the chateau’s and all are different. Only complaint was the meeting point information on the vouchers was a little confusing, because it showed two different meeting points on it, because they picked up people at two different locations. I should have confirmed earlier with our agent. Suggestion for Kimkim if the meeting point on the itinerary or vouchers actually said meeting point at the Office of Tourism with the address, instead just a street name.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Alex was awesome!

Transport

Villandry Castle, Azay-le-Rideau and Vouvray Vineyards

France

This tour was ok, probably not the best of all our tours. Kimmy, our guide was good. We were with a small group, all french speaking people, except us, so felt a little left out in conversations. There was a lot of driving, but our guide did not provide information about the towns we were driving through. A lot of quiet time in the van. These chateau’s are beautiful, both Azay-de-Rideau and Villandry Castle. We would have liked to been able to actually toured the inside of the Villandry Castle, not just the gardens. Maybe three hours at this location, since we must do lunch on your own or given the option. The gardens were spectacular and you definitely can spend a hour in the gardens. The Vouvray Vineyards tour was good, we enjoyed the detailed about the winery and how they make their wine. Wine was excellent. We enjoyed this tour except we think driving out to see the grape vines could be skipped.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Paris Dinner Cruise

Paris

A little disappointing, not really impressed. We did not get to see all the river scenes due to the river high. Also the dress attire. Everything stated formal attire, not jeans, tennis shoes, base caps, but that was not the case. We were over dressed. Majority of people were wearing tennis shoes, jeans, and baseball caps. It was a very casual dining and not formal. The food was ok, we did not receive what we actually ordered. The music was great. The singer was excellent.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

The staff did not check with us that we got what we ordered, just drop it off and then gone.

Transport

Taxis are charged $10 to get in the gate to drop you off and then you have to pay that, which is ridiculous! Should be a place for taxis to drop off or pick up without this additional charge to the people. Our charges with taxi when leaving.

Montmartre Artistic & Picturesque Life (private/2hours)

Paris

Excellent guide, Celine. Highly recommend her for tours. She provides such insight on the history and art. She was good about making sure we did not over do with the hills, so it was a nice and slow walk through the district to the top to see the Basilica of the Sacred Heart of Paris. We really enjoyed the walk with Celine!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Celine was awesome!!

Skip the line Eiffel Tower Summit Tickets

Paris

This tour we were on our own, but the instructions and skip the line was fantastic and everything went smoothly. Definitely recommend the summit to the top and skip the line!!

Quality of Experience

The guides were all very friendly and informative. The chauffeurs were all on time and very helpful aswell."

We are very glad that we used kimkim for our first time to Portugal! kimkim connected us to João, and kimkim's platform made it very easy to communicate with him as he assisted and advised on the itinerary for our trip. João was fantastic - very prompt in answering our many questions, provided options to accommodate our specific requests, and was all around super pleasant and friendly. We also didn't feel like he gave us any pressure, which was really appreciated.

After we decided to go with kimkim, we trusted João to arrange and book everything for us. He made everything super easy! While we were in the country, João set up a WhatsApp chat and sent daily check-ins with the plans for the next day. It was reassuring to know we always had a lifeline in case there were any issues (and there really weren't any - except for rare bad weather which is NOT in their control of course!). João's network of private transportation and guides were top notch - everyone was prompt, super friendly, knowledgeable, and very willing to share their personal/local experiences and opinions. That really made a huge difference in terms of our overall experience. Special shout out to our drivers - André, Ivo, Ricardo, and Fernando!

We loved our Portugal trip and went everywhere we wanted to go: Lisbon/Sintra, Porto, Douro Valley, and the Algarve. We highly recommend João and his team without hesitation!

A comment about the price - yes, you will probably pay more with kimkim than if you were to book everything on your own, but we felt it was worth it for the convenience, flexibility for 100% customization, level of service, and the high quality of the experiences.

We had looked at several travel companies and selected KimKim based on price and responsiveness. However, in the end we had to do a lot of research and suggest unique experiences that better fit with who we are and the variety we were looking for. We bsed some of our ideas from other sample itineraries we found, passed them along. You need to take the time to get to know your customers and take the time to do research on a variety of options. don't just give us one itinerary that looks finalized. Give us ideas in several locations. It ended up being ALOT of work to plan. The execution and service was great however.

Thoroughly enjoyed our family adventure to Colombia, Had several wonderful guides, Juan Pablo, Gabriel, and Carlos and local driver (Francisco , who spoke excellent English) who not only shared their expertise about their country, but offered engaging conversation on various topics, and provided additional adult support, by going on the amusement rides at Parque del Cafe with the children or assisting in hands on activities such as basket weaving, chocolate making. Colombia is a beautiful country with many diverse activities for school age children to participate in. Hotel accommodations were comfortable and conveniently located in safe walkable areas. If you are looking for a destination that has a lot to offer , and is less than a 5 hr flight from the US East Coast, with minimal time difference, Consider visiting Colombia

Tina was awesome at answering questions and with very responses! Great customer service. All of our drivers were on time and friendly. Our excursions were great! Thailand is such a beautiful country with wonderful people. We especially loved the Tree House Villa and The Shores at Katathani. Amazing properties. The Tree House stands out because of the amazing service and amenities. We plan to return to this property in the future. The only snafu I’m is that we were placed on the 2nd floor at the Panvaree The Greener Floating Bungalows . We had been specific about wanting a one-the-water room. This was disappointing since staying in a floating bungalow was something we were really looking forward to experiencing. Be very specific when working and ask for confirmation that you have the room that you expect to have. Tina suggested to Age Resturant as our last meal in Thailand before going to the airport and it was wonderful! Lovely view and great food. Our trip was the perfect blend of sight seeing and relaxation. We plan to return to this wonderful country sometime in the future.

Francisco was just absolutely amazing in helping me plan this trip. he was patient with all my changing requests, worked within my budgets. most importantly, he was always honest and that gives me the confidence to refer him to all my friends. His excursion choices were well thought out, with good companies. he went over and above his brief to help me with flight bookings that were not in his purview. he was always available on whatsapp, email. and responded quickly. my only regret is we could not meet. As he said, to meet, we have to now plan another visit to South America soon!
Thank you for everything

We engaged with KimKim because of a very positive experience to Spain last year Frances, one of the traveler had. We expected the KimKim standard to carry through.

This is my first experience in engaging an agent for a customized itinerary. Both of us had visited Japan before. We loved the country and was hoping to get a good glimpse of the cherry blossoms, thus a repeat itinerary was acceptable, while we were also hoping to see new things.

Shona as an agent was efficient in setting up an itinerary and responsive to our questions and requests during the month long planning. We were hoping for a more comfortable tour but amenable to public transportation even though we indicated excessive walking can be an issue. We were told that private cars would not be an option because of high season demand, even though some guides commented it was a surprise that we did not have a car.

Our transfers to and from hotels were handled well. The drivers were punctual and efficient. Our transportation via local subways and trains much less so, especially when some guides did not seem to be very familiar with the system. There were excessive walking, as well as time spent in figuring out the proper trains to take, acquiring tickets, or finding escalators/elevators. It was exhausting in a busy city. The situation was rectified on the last three days in Osaka when we were given taxi service to destinations. The Osaka experience was much more pleasant without the hassle of public transportation.

We had 6 guides during this trip. In general, I find the local guides to be average. Most of them were guides to take us from one destination to another, without depth of knowledge of the place. Their English language skills were mostly sub-par. I wonder about their qualifications of being tour guides than just being local. Learning about their personal background stories were more interesting than the knowledge I gained about the places from them. They were all friendly and polite. Some tried harder than others.

The hotels were ok. They all offer great breakfast buffet. The New Orani Hotel in Osaka was the best in terms of amenities and space, exactly the kind 5-star hotel we were asking for.

Regarding the logistics during the trip. I was not happy with the communication between the central office and the local guides. We had questions from a guide asking what hotel we were at in Tokyo, we had to tell another guide in Kyoto our new hotel, and one guide actually went to the wrong hotel because of the change which costed half the morning. That type of information should be communicated properly from the office.

We had to change hotel las minute in Kyoto, which had costed us substantially extra to secure during initial booking. We looked forward to staying in that 5-star hotel in a nice city. We ended up having to change hotel at the last minute because of a mix-up in reservation. Shona did well to get us a hotel quickly but there was a lot of anxiety and it was very disappointing. Shona was on top of things during our trip and responded quickly to the needs and other issues we encountered. She should be commended for her attention and willingness to compensate for shortfalls.

All in all, Japan is a very beautiful country with friendly people and a lot to offer. I would definitely consider visiting again but I would scrutinize the details more carefully to assure my experience meets my expectation.

Hotel Reviews

HOTEL MYSTAYS PREMIER Akasaka

Nice location. Comfortable bed and conveniently located. 7/11 store in basement and availability of free laundry are nice amenities. Buffet breakfast is very good. Room is a little cramped. Enough chairs to sit but almost no space to move around.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel New Otani Osaka

Osaka

Very nice hotel of 5-star quality. The room is spacious with chairs, coffee table and desk. The beds are comfortable. The buffet breakfast is excellent with high quality and variety of both western and Japanese food. The hotel lobby is linked to high end shops - fun to browse. Its location is right across from the river with a bridge to the Osaka Castle. Very pleasant walk.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Spot Early-Blooming Cherry Blossoms in Tokyo

Tokyo

Public transportation to the city sights quite hectic. We did not follow our exact original itinerary. Our customized itinerary allowed us a visit to the Fish Market, which is interesting with great seafood. The visit to the bottom of the Tokyo Tower was a waste of time and effort, especially since we were not scheduled to go up.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Our guide was ok to start the trip, but seemed to have lost interest in the afternoon and was in a hurry to finish up and get us back to hotel. He was walking at least 1/2 block in front of us :(

Transport

Take taxi or use private car to save time and energy.

Full Day Mt. Fuji with Lake Kawaguchiko Cruise and Oshino Hakkai

Tokyo

Mt Fugi boat ride on Lake Kawaguchiko was beautiful with perfect weather. Oshino Hakkai Village was very scenic with the small ponds. Great grilled fish.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Full Day Kyoto City Tour with Fushimi Inari-Taisha

Kyoto

The touring of the various sites were good, very crowded in most places because of the high cherry blossom season. Beautiful sites, streets with interesting shops. Kyoto never disappoints.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Full Day Tour to Arashiyama Bamboo Grove & Sagano Scenic Railway

Kyoto

Arashiyama Bamboo Grove is amazing. The boat ride was also very enjoyable. The scenery was captivating, just wish for more cherry blossoms. The Sagano Railway was supposed to be a highlight, but the guide did not know our booking was for a certain time and location. We ended up in the wrong station, and walked through the bamboo grove twice to the right station.. Also with advanced booking and assigned seating, the tour company should be aware of the direction of the train and booked us on the scenic side (water side). We were not able to enjoy the scenic water front, a bit disappointed.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Day Trip to Nara

Nara

It was a long ride from Kyoto. We started late due to meeting location mixup. The guide was not given our hotel. BY the time we get to Nara, it was well past noon. Even the deer were full and not interested in our food. Nara is a nice city with long history thus the temples were all interesting. The guide tried hard and did her homework, but a more knowledgable guide might be able to give us more information. We were short of time and did not make it up the hill to see the city of Nara. IT was a long day as we were also heading to Osaka the same evening.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Full Day Osaka Castle, Umeda Sky Building and Shinsaibashi

Osaka

Even though it was a rainy day, I enjoyed the castle visit, the exhibit was nicely done. The city museum was also fun to visit, especially indoors on a rainy day. The Umeda Building has amazing architecture. Very enjoyable. The guide was not experienced, since she was very new, but she conducted herself well. Her English was also the best among the guides we had. The Shinsaibashi was very crowded, as expected. It was probably not the best option to put at the end of a long rainy day. We had good kobe beef dinner there though. We used taxi service for the day. Much better than negotiating subways. We were also just in town, so not very tiring.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

taxi service.

One Day Miyajima Island and Hiroshima Tour (Round Trip From Osaka)

Japan

Miyajima Island is beautiful. It has interesting touristy sights, eats and scenery, but not crowded. I was able to enjoy the sights and scenes without much anxiety. Hiroshima is a sobering experience. The Memorial and the Museum were all well done. I am glad I finally get to visit the site of such an important event in human history. The day was not rushed. Very enjoyable.

Quality of Experience

Food

Oysters!

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport