Kimkim Trip Reviews

First of all, Liz Karen, our local specialist did an outstanding job. Besides designing a great agenda, each of the tours, drivers, hotels, she booked were excellent. Two items stood out. First, Liz was incredibly responsive, both answering questions before and during our tour promptly, but providing timely information. Second, the tour guide, Oscar Palomino, was great. Great personality, very informative and thoughtful. We are very happy with the tour.

Adam was there for me from the beginning of the planning and through the trip. Everything turned out exactly as planned if not better. I would recommend KimKim to anyone.

Just returned from an 11-day adventure in Peru planned by Anne Godoy of Peruvian Soul, the boutique travel specialist that KimKim introduced us to. There were four of us, all women ranging in age from 60 to 70. The trip was fantastic from beginning to end; action-packed and curated to our specific tastes. We spent several days in Lima, enjoying the art, culture and food (note that there are a handful of restaurants on the current "Best 50 restaurants in the world" in Lima!). Anne chose a wonderful, small boutique hotel for us in the hip Barranco district - Villa Barranco - which we loved. Special shout-out to the multi-talented Julio, who made the best pisco sours of the trip!! We then moved on to the Sacred Valley for several nights, blissed out at Sol y Luna, a gorgeous Relais & Chateaux property that Anne proposed. While in the Sacred Valley, we enjoyed a beautiful meal at a hacienda, visited a cooperative where we learned the secrets of backstrap weaving, made our own ceramic pieces, had a fabulous pachamanca and liquor distilling experience, hiked along the river from one town to another, visited Inca sites, and more! Then it was on to the incomparable Machu Picchu (it's even more beautiful and mystical than the photos we've all seen), via the luxury Hiram Bingham train (highly recommended!) and afterwards, Cusco for a couple of nights (Palacio del Inka hotel in Cusco was another highlight, again suggested by Anne). In the Sacred Valley, Machu Picchu and Cusco, we had a fantastic guide, Mario, and a warrior of a driver, Wilbur, both of whom kept us safe and well-informed, and ultimately became friends. One very important part of having a specialist plan a trip is the knowledge that if things go awry, you will be well taken care of. We had no large mishaps but a few minor ones did pop up (as they do on almost every adventure) and Peruvian Soul (thank you, Jesus!) and Mario were quick to find solutions and solve problems. I could not be happier with this trip, and highly recommend Peruvian Soul (and Anne Godoy) as top-notch trip planners.

Hotel Reviews

Villa Barranco - Ananay

Lima

Villa Barranco in Lima was a delightful stay. This small boutique hotel was charming, beautiful, and well cared for. It was excellently located in the Barranco neighborhood, which I loved due to its charm. Villa Barranco offered everything one could possibly want without the unnecessary fluff of a large five-star hotel. It was exactly what I had hoped for, so I was thrilled.

Sol y Luna Hotel (Relais & Chateaux)

Urubamba

Sol y Luna Hotel in the Sacred Valley was simply stunning, and everyone in our group loved it. The little casitas we stayed in were round and resembled yurts, making our stay so unique. While the food and drinks were a bit pricey, I didn't mind because it was a luxury property. The breakfast was included and fantastic. The grounds, including the pool and Jacuzzi area, were beautifully kept, and the staff was responsive. Overall, it was a beautiful place to stay.

Casa del Sol

Machu Picchu

Casa del Sol in Aguas Calientes was fine for a night's stay, though nothing extraordinary. It serves its purpose in a town that exists mainly for Machu Picchu visitors. We initially had issues with our Riverside room bookings, which were not as requested. However, the problem was eventually resolved, so we could stay comfortably. The Riverside view is exceptional, but the street view was not pleasant so I'd say it's worth staying here only if you have a Riverside room.

Palacio del Inka Cusco

Cusco

Palacio del Inka Cusco was a spectacular accommodation and one of the best of our trip. The property is gorgeous, being an old palace with original artwork.

Activity Reviews

Andean Textiles with Parobamba Community

Peru

The visit to the Parobamba community to learn about Andean textiles was amazing. It was a hands-on experience getting to dye baby alpaca wool and meeting the talented women behind the beautiful textiles. As someone interested in weaving, it felt unique and enriching.

Pachamanca: Traditional Andean Underground Cooking

Sacred Valley

The Pachamanca traditional Andean underground cooking experience in the Sacred Valley was wonderful. It was incredibly interesting to watch how they prepare such an incredible meal by cooking underground. The meal itself was fabulous. This activity stood out as a treasure of our trip.

Visiting "Destilería Andina"

Sacred Valley

Visiting Destilería Andina and making our own spirits was a fun and engaging activity. It gave us a hands-on opportunity to experience the unique culture of Peru.

Ceramic Workshop - Ramos Kintu

Sacred Valley

The ceramic workshop was highly enjoyable. Each of us made our own pot aided by an expert ceramicist, which resulted in our creations being both pretty and useful.

23 Days in Peru/Bolivia - this included buses, private cars, internal domestic and international flights, group guided tours and private guided tours. Not one problem! I wish every holiday was this simple...

Antonia was great, very helpful with planning, clear details and suggestions, and following up so we could stay on track. All of our drivers and helpers were early or on time and very nice. The vehicles were comfortable and clean.

We enjoyed all our tours, the guides were well informed and enthusiastic

Rachael with our wine and dinner tour was energetic and lots of fun; Tara at the Plitvice Park tour was lovely and passionate about her area. And Grgo in Hvar was wonderful describing his area in such a personal way.
The final night’s Kameni Dvoraki cooking class and dinner was incredible. Beautiful family, so warm and interesting. Highly recommend it!
We all had a wonderful time in such a beautiful and friendly country 🩷

We recently had the incredible opportunity to tour the Galápagos Islands, and our experience with KimKim exceeded all expectations. From the moment we booked, their team was professional, knowledgeable, and attentive to every detail. The itinerary was thoughtfully planned, balancing guided exploration with time to relax and soak in the unique beauty of the islands. Our guides were passionate and well-informed, making each stop engaging and educational. The accommodations and meals were excellent, and logistics ran smoothly throughout. We couldn’t have asked for a better way to experience such a remarkable destination. Highly recommended!

We definitely got a true feel for Norway and its unique culture. The tour guides were all amazing; knowledgeable, thoughtful and fun!
The hotels were very authentic and full of history. The transfers between locations were varied and always clean and punctual. A very memorable trip that I would suggest to anyone interested in visiting Norway!

This was our second trip with Kimkim, and it could not have been better. Antonia created an itinerary for the four of us that was exactly what we asked for. Our guides were local, warm, friendly, and passionate about their home land. Grgo in Hvar, Rachael on our Lumbada wine tour, Nike on our Konavle culinary experience, Tara in Plitvice Lakes and Phillip and Marko on our boat tour from Trogir to Hvar added so much to our experiences. We learned so much. All of our drivers were friendly and always on time. Croatia is a stunningly beautiful country with warm, friendly people and we loved it.
I have noticed a few reviews mentioning that you can put a trip together on your own for less. That might be true, but for us, the tours, guides, hotel bookings, dinner reservations, and drivers that Antonia arranged for us were well worth the price. Antonia checked in with us daily to make sure that everything was okay. We will not hesitate to use Kimkim again.

This was our first time using kimkim and Chiara was nothing less than an exceptional guide. Given this was our first trip to Italy, we wanted explore as many of the country’s key sites as possible. In nine glorious days, we managed to visit Venice, Florence, Tuscany hillside, Amalfi Coast and Rome. We never really felt rushed and every day our drivers and tour guides were prompt and extremely knowledgeable. Venice was fantastic to walk and see most of the island. Our guide graciously added a trip to Murano and a guided tour by a representative of the original glass maker. I highly recommend San Gimingnano and the wine and food tasting at Tenuta Torciano Winery. Our wine order was shipped promptly and delivered to us the day after we returned. For summer wine drinkers, highly recommend the locally produced Vernaccia! Focus your Amalfi Coast tour to Sorrento, Ravello and Positano. Rome was better than our initial expectations - cleaner and very walkable. Our tour of the colosseum with Goia was very hands on and a spectacular engineering achievement for the times. Cannot wait to get back to Italy again. I wanted to use more of my broken Italian but found everyone spoke English quite well!

Yet another thoroughly satisfying trip organised through KimKim, our 4th in recent years. Starting with the incredible sights of Angkor Wat and its surroundings, we travelled across country via Battambang to reach Phnom Penh, an amazing mix of old and new. The country combines amazing beauty with a dark and controversial history, and the KimKim guides gave us a full and fascinating exposure to it all.

Poleak and Sreylan are both excellent guides who made the trip very enjoyable. Their input and know-how made this truly a holiday to remember. We were able to balance nicely the cultural aspects of Cambodia (historic temples and the shocking history of the killing fields) with fun activities such as bike tours and the wide range of foods available in the country. Top marks all round.

Hotel Review

Treeline Urban Resort

Siem Reap

Spacious, modern hotel, perfectly positioned to access the temples of Angkor Wat and Angkor Thom.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Tuol Sleng & Killing Fields

Phnom Penh

A sobering and somewhat disturbing perspective on the shameful history of the Pol Pot regime. Nonetheless a must see if you are to understand the history of the country and its people.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Phnom Penh Evening Foodie Tour with local guide

Phnom Penh

Ever eaten rat? No, neither have we, but we ate just about everything else including the frogs legs. Authentic and delicious.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Excellent guide.

Transport

Tuktuk excitement to go with delicious food.

Angkor Wat morning visit

Siem Reap

Nothing you read prior to coming to Cambodia can prepare you for the splendour and history of Angkor Wat. A visit that belongs on everyone’s bucket list.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Bamboo train ride

Battambang

Great fun. A bit like your own private magic carpet.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Not as comfortable as Swiss trains but twice the excitement.

Our trip was absolutely amazing. We loved our Riad located in the center of the Medina. Every morning our little House Bunting friend welcomed us to the day The wonderful staff: Hicham and others especially were so kind and patient with all my bird questions. They brought our breakfast up four floors so we could have it next to our room. Our guide Selem was incredible explaining everything about places and peoples. Our driver Rasheed amazed us in how he was able to move around the crazy traffic in Marakkesh. The desert was so beautiful! As we familiarized ourselves with the neighbor hood of our Riad I started to feel like we were coming home every day to beautiful peace and tranquility. We wish we could have stayed longer. We love you Marrakesh! Pat Olmstead/Orville Robertson

Hotel Review

Riad La Croix Berbère

Marrakech

Authenticity & Character

I

Location

Nothing it’s just that there were a lot of stairs and I had a bad knee. I should have let Kim Kim know that . The riad was lovely

Staff

I loved our wonderful staff !

Cleanliness & Comfort

Very simple I loved our breakfasts- no tv yeah

Activity Review

Guided Tour of Marrakech

Marrakesh

Sallam was the most amazing guide . So friendly and knowledgeable anywhere he took us. I sent him pics for Trip Advisor

Quality of Experience

Our driver Rasheed was amazing !!! How did he get thru all that traffic. Sometimes he didn’t understand how tired we were. Our flight came 7 hours late to Marrakesh. We had little time to rest. But we loved every moment

Guides, Drivers and Staff

So kind. They are so fun loving. Sallam intruced us to a Gnaua musician. We loved this. Also I loved when a baby camel came up to me and nuzzled my face! I was so happy

Transport

How Rasheed could avoid hitting all the cars and motorcycles

This was my first time using Kimkim, and based on this experience, I would certainly use them in the future. I traveled alone and visited two cities in Thailand: Bangkok and Chiang Mai. Kimkim organized everything for me, including airport pickups, hotels, and local activities. In each city, the hotels were conveniently located and within walking distance of dining and shopping. The primary local guides, Gifsty in Bangkok and Taew in Chiang Mai, were friendly, knowledgeable, and extremely helpful. The local tours used the time available efficiently and covered all the basics. Except for some minor miscommunication upon my first arrival, everything worked out perfectly.

Jordan--Petra/Dead Sea April 2025

To begin the journey, Mariana was spectacular to work with as our Kimkim coordinator. She was thorough, listened to what we wanted out of our visit in Jordan and just could not have been more helpful. She was readily available and always answered questions or addressed concerns in an exceptional and timely manner. I am very appreciative to her for all of her hard work in helping us create the exact itinerary we wanted. Her suggestions were helpful and insightful, detailed and thorough. Thank you Mariana for your suggestions and patience --the trip we put together was outstanding.

Jordan was simply extraordinary. We enjoyed every moment and were grateful to Azmi Aburezeq our driver and essentially our tour guide. He was knowledgeable, kind and considerate. He was invested on our comfort and interests. Thank you Azmi for making our time in Jordan memorable, special, safe and just delightful. We had the best time learning about your beautiful country and truly hope to return!! Your charm and kindness will be cherished with our memories of the incredible experience we had in Jordan.

I highly recommend Kimkin and look forward to using them in the future, as everything was as promised and discussed with no surprises other than good ones---such as accommodating additional stops along our journey as we learned of interesting areas to visit and experience.

Melissa Macias

This was my first time using a travel agency and wow, I am so glad I did. This trip was incredible from beginning to end. This trip was meant to be an elopement/honeymoon and it did not disappoint. The trip was a perfect blend of adventure and enough time to relax in between. We feel like we got to be immersed in the culture, especially the Peruvian cuisine! Our tour guides could not have been more knowledgeable and kind. The food was absolutely incredible and very inexpensive (in comparison to USA prices). The Sacred Valley was breathtaking and our guide found us the perfect place in front of a mountain range to exchange our vows. Our hotels were all beautiful and the staff were all very attentive and hospitable, even allowing us to book massages the same day. The hotels also had wonderful restaurants within their facilities, especially at Antigua in Cusco. We ate there multiple times!
Our transportation was prompt, never a delay, and everyone communicated well throughout the trip. Any questions I had were quickly addressed by the Kim Kim team.
This is the best adventure my husband and I have ever been on. I would absolutely use Kim Kim services again to plan another trip. It was worth the price so that I didn't have to worry about transportation, lodging, tours, and restaurants.

The whole KimKim team was amazing, very knowledgeable about the area and set up wonderful excursions and experiences as well as great tips for down time. We did have one encounter where on of the vendors no showed but KimKim rallied and found us another similar experience in no time. Overall I am very happy with my experience with KimKim and will definitely use them again for future trips.

Hotel Reviews

Hotel Orto de' Medici

Florence

Great room, beautiful garden, great breakfast

Authenticity & Character

Location

Very centrally located in Florence, only 15 mins from Duomo

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Relais Della Rovere

Colle di Val d'Elsa

Great hotel restaurant and beautiful ground, only real issue we had was the lack of air conditioning on a night- rooms got rather hot.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Una Villa - Amalfi Boutique B&B

Amalfi

Amazing staff who made our honeymoon so special. We have nothing but positive things to say about our time at Una Villa

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Ca' dei Proverbi Suites

Venice

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Boat tour to Li Galli islands and Capri from Amalfi

Italy

What was originally supposed to be a boat day with opportunity to swim just turned into a ferry ride to Capri. The boat never stopped in any of the swimming areas that were advertised and no one else on the boat had planned to swim. Felt like a missed opportunity on an otherwise good day.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Venice Gondola Ride with Prosecco

Venice

Loved our gondolier, he was so nice and welcoming as well as knowledgeable about the area and architecture

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Hand-made Pasta & Typical Dessert Cooking Class

Florence

We were originally supposed to have a private market tour and cooking class but when our original vendor cancelled. Kim Kim found us a group class in very short time. Overall an enjoyable experience and the chef, Frederico, was an absolute delight.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

A Guided Hiking Adventure in the Heart of Chianti

Italy

Our guide was wonderful and so friendly. She certainly put us through our paces over a 4.5 mile hike through all different types of terrain and landscape. We really enjoyed this whole experience and loved the passion and knowledge that our guide had for all things nature.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Winery visits with Driver at disposal in Tuscany

Chianti

We had a wonderful time visiting wineries. All the staff were extremely knowledgeable and helpful. We also had a driver for the day and he was very courteous and cordial. Overall a great experience

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

I’m

Transport

We had a great Spain trip. All the places were amazing. Guides were knowledgeable and quite friendly. Facilities were mostly very good, however, the hotel choice for Barcelona was not good. Hotel room for the Barcelona was also very small. Kim Kim did a good job in organizing all the reservations. However, we were disappointed that Kim Kim, even being such a big travel agent could not secure Alhambra Palace tickets. My brother-in-law, ultimately managed to get us the ticket. We were fortunate to see such a beautiful palace from inside. Without that the visit to Grenada would have been incomplete We had paid in full almost 3 months in advance. This should have been secured. Overall, we had a wonderful experience and satisfied with the trip.

Hotel Reviews

Áurea Catedral Hotel

Granada

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Astoria

Barcelona

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Room Mate Alba

Madrid

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Casa Romana Hotel Boutique

Sevilla

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Review

Private Granada Walk

Granada

All the walking tours during our trip were excellent. They were well organized and informative, enhancing our experience.

We spent 2 weeks in Medellin and the coffee growing region of Colombia. Michael helped us create the itinerary based on our interests. With his excellent planning were were able to visit a variety of places and have many different kinds of experiences and learned a lot about Colombia, it's people and history. We especially liked our private tours with Paula in Jardin and with Carlos in Salento.

Sandra in and around Sarlat and Olivia from Cahors to Carcassone were both absolutely superb: very knowledgeable, flexible in accommodating our interests on just a moment’s notice, and delightful people generally.

Clemens and the Kimkim team was incredible from start to finish. I primarily worked with Clemens on setting up the trip. He was wonderful in making suggestions and allowed us to make many revisions.
As we approached the trip we worked with Andrew and Kamilla. They provided a video and helped with how to use the trip planner. We also were given their contact info to use if needed.
Their planning was fabulous. Everything was just as it should have been. When we had questions they answered them. They also helped during the trip when issues arose and fixed them immediately.
I would recommend Clemens and the team without hesitation. They were exceptional. Our trip was amazing and the hotels and excursions they chose for us were top notch!!

Hotel Reviews

Stadthotel

Kaiserslautern

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

StayCity Aparthotels Heidelberg

Heidelberg

This was our least favorite. It was clean but far from the old town. The parking lot was a nightmare.

Authenticity & Character

Location

It was far from city center.

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Villa Mittermeier Hotel & Restaurant

Rothenburg o.d.T.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Just outside the city wall.

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Staudacherhof History & Lifestyle

Garmisch-Partenkirchen

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Das Innsbruck

Innsbruck

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

The Niu Leo

Nuremberg

This hotel was clean and friendly. It was far outside the city center. There was hotel parking.

Authenticity & Character

It was just very much a holiday inn.

Location

It was very far from the city center. We were able to ride the train so that was helpful but with so many fabulous hotels on our trip this was toward the bottom.

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Schwabinger Wahrheit by Geisel

Munich

This hotel was nice. The staff were helpful. There was parking on site with a car elevator which was fun. It was accessible by subway to the city center. There was not a lot that was within walking distance that was touristy and we were tourists so we had to travel by train to do what we were there to do. It was in the nice Schwarbing neighborhood and there were restaurants and shops everywhere. We felt safe at this hotel. There was a problem with our original hotel so we were changed to this one last minute. It was more modern. Room was not large but it was clean and comfortable.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel am Mirabellplatz Salzburg

Salzburg

This was a clean and historic hotel. It was nice. The staff was friendly. The breakfast was top notch. It was close to everything and we were easily able to walk to everything we wanted to see and return to our hotel if needed. The room was a nice size. There are no amenities at this hotel which was a departure from all others we stayed at. Just a lobby and a front desk. That was somewhat disappointing to us. One thing that was sort of strange is they there is a Chinese restaurant below the hotel where our room was and the smell filled our room. It was pretty bad when we got there but got better over time. The only thing we did not care for here was the parking. They did not have parking. They did provide a discount at a nearby garage but it was the most expensive of our trip.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Guided Heidelberg Tour

Germany

Inga was wonderful. The city and castle tour were very good. We greatly enjoyed our tour.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

She was a very knowledgeable guide.

Transport

We walked with her and had to drive ourselves and find parking which was a bit challenging.

Explore Enchanting Rothenburg ob der Tauber With A Private Guided Walking Tour

Germany

We met our guide Robert. He was actually and archeologist! Very knowledgeable and fun to talk with. We enjoyed this tour.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Journey to Dachau: A Powerful Visit to the Dachau Concentration Camp

Munich

There was no tour the day we visited so we did a self tour. Which worked out fine. It was a very powerful and moving experience. We recommend at least 4 hours to see it all and go to the museum.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

We had no guides and the tour was cancelled.

Transport

We drove ourselves and parking was easy.

Nuremberg Old Town Exploration

Nuremberg

Chris was our fav guide on the trip. He met us at our hotel and took us by subway to the city center. Our tour was full of history and he shared photos of different things for a before and after perspective. We had a beer with him at the end and he recommended an amazing place for dinner.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

He met us and helped us with the subway to get to the city center. He provided us with a pass so we would get back to our hotel.

Guided food tour of Munich

Munich

This was so fun. I would recommend to anyone who wants to try foods of a city. Our guide was Tetiana. She was new in her role but did a great job.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

We walked and rode the train to meet our guide.

The Eagle’s Nest

Salzburg

Our last experience of the trip. We set up our own guide and hiked to the top.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

We walked up! Yay us. And then rode the bus down. We bought a ticket at the top.

My husband and I used Kimkim for a trip to Portugal. It was a wonderful experience. Each aspect of the planning was carefully thought out with excellent suggestions and options from Marisa. During the trip we were impressed with the daily communication of what to expect each day which was greatly appreciated. All drivers, tour guides, and excursions were on time with personable, efficient, and knowledgeable people. The hotel selections were excellent, as well as restaurant recommendations. We hope to use Kimkim on any future travels.

Hotel Review

NH Hotel Porto Jardim

Porto

The NH Hotel Porto Jardim was initially a bit of a letdown due to being placed in a very small room. However, after communicating the issue, the hotel promptly addressed it and upgraded us to a better room. Our specialist's promptness in resolving the mistake made up for the initial discomfort, and the rest of the stay was quite enjoyable.

Activity Reviews

Immerse Yourself in the Portuguese Culture by Experiencing a Fado Dinner

Portugal

The venue was very noisy for dinner, the food was so, so, and the service hap hazard. However the music and singing was wonderful.

Quality of Experience

Noisy venue

Food

Lisbon's Historic Odyssey on a Private Walking Tour & Tastings

Lisbon

Our guide, Claudia, was outstanding. She was knowledgeable and presented excellent historical references to what we were seeing.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff