Kimkim Trip Reviews

I have used Kim kim in the past for trips to Morocco and Jordan. Both those trips worked out really well. I'm not a normal tourist. I've been working in Archaeology for the past 15 years since I retired. I have 12 field seasons and quite a few papers to my credit. I guess I would fall in the category of a high demand customer..

I originally did not choose Kim Kim for the trip that I just finished to Egypt. I chose a different company and that turned out to be a big mistake. I approached KimKim to help me salvage the last week of the trip and they did a spectacular job. In addition to a two day visit to the GEM, which they helped me navigate in view of my specific interests, I did a trip to Tell el-Armana. It's not on the normal tourist trail, and the fact that they were able to put the trip together in such a meaningful way with such short notice really meant a lot to me. They had a lead guide looking after me and specific guides for specific sites. I found all the guides to be very engaging. Nothing that we think we know in Archaeology is an absolute truth and being able to discuss bearing points of view with the guides is to me the hallmark of a world class company.

Khaled Ali handled the logistics in the office and did a superb job organizing all my last-minute requests. They had a primary Guide take care of me.. his name was Samara (Mohammed Monaem). He did a great job getting me from place to place in an in Fischer Manor, but what I enjoyed the most was hard discussions about the interpretation of Egyptian history and historical events. The narratives that are developed about history are never completely black-and-white and to have a guide who could discuss those things just added so much to the trip.. they also provided a local guide in the mania and tell el- Armana areas and his relationship with the local staff helped a lot.

My hero was a guide that they obtained for me to visit GEM, Rania. GEM is overwhelming. I've done a lot of work with museums and I was more than impressed with the way they've organized their material. At the same time I have very specific interest and my guide Rania mapped out a very efficient route through the museum and then helped me find the restoration stela of Tutankhamun. My AI search engine actually had Gavin me five different locations for the stela, two of which were not at GEM. I was panicked, but I shouldn't have worried. I was in good hands..

All in all, it was a very well done trip in some trying circumstances.

The trip and all the arrangements were amazing. All the guides and drivers were where they were supposed to be and everything went off without a hitch!
The Monserrat yacht was a bit of a disappointment. The cabins were much smaller than the pictures implied, and the storage space was inadequate. The guides, Javier and Karem, were excellent; however, there should be more information provided BEFORE the trip detailing the level of activity involved. We found that some of the hikes were too strenuous for my wife. While she was okay with skipping some of them, she was disappointed that she missed out on some of the wildlife and scenery she was hoping to see.
The Quito excursions were well done and our guides, Alex and Roberto, were very capable, friendly and well informed.
The hotel accommodations, the Patio Andaluz in Quito, the Acacia Hotel in Puerto Ayora, and the Holiday Inn in Quito, were excellent! The hotel staffs were uniformly friendly and quite welcoming. We would recommend all of them!

Hotel Reviews

M/Y Monserrat

Quito

The cabins were much smaller than implied by the pictures on their website. The storage space was inadequate (we ended up storing one suitcase in the shower); and the bathroom was small and somewhat awkward to use. While the yacht was in generally good condition, there were some areas that needed attention (sticking windows, minor rust, etc.). The onboard excursion staff was very good. They were very informative and very competent. And very friendly! The crew was friendly too but suffered from some communication miscues as English was not always understood. It did create some confusion at meal times. The ship did not offer any diet soft drinks.

Authenticity & Character

See comments

Location

Staff

Excursion staff was excellent

Cleanliness & Comfort

Unfortunately, it’s probably not possible to increase the cabin sizes but better disclosure would have helped.

Holiday Inn Quito Airport, an IHG Hotel

Tababela

While this was a more conventional hotel, and did not have the charms of the other hotels, it was a very nice property. The staff was friendly and helpful. The restaurant was quite good, with a nice selection of food choices and reasonable prices. The rooms were quite comfortable with all the necessary amenities.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Close to the airport

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Acacia Galápagos Boutique Hotel

Puerto Ayora

This is a wonderful place to stay in Puerto Ayora! The rooms are large, very well appointed, and the beds are very, very comfortable! Carolina and her staff were wonderful- very friendly and helpful, with excellent recommendations for dining. The included breakfast was amazing- fruit, yogurt, granola, fresh juices, eggs cooked to order, various breakfast meats, toast, potatoes- if you left hungry it was your own fault! Highly recommended!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Best staff of all!

Cleanliness & Comfort

Patio Andaluz

Quito

Fabulous location; excellent staff - warm and welcoming! The hotel building is a historic location and has been completely renovated. Lovely large rooms with comfortable beds. The only negative is the spiral staircase to the upper level bedroom- rather steep and narrow and a bit difficult to maneuver in the dark. Otherwise, a nice hotel!

Authenticity & Character

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Quito City Tour

Galapagos Islands

Nice walking tour of Quito.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Quito Cooking Class

Galapagos Islands

Loved this activity! Hands on class where we got to eat the fruits of our labor! Really enjoyed this.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Every detail was tended to with care! Last minute changes to the itinerary were handled seamlessly. If you want a stress free vacation this is the service I would recommend. They really listen and understand what you want in your time spent at your destinations. Every pick-up, drop off and tour were on time to the minute. Never worried about anything! Excellent communication. Accommodations were always on point! Just what we were looking for!

Hotel Reviews

Pillow Urban Stay Thessaloniki

Thessaloniki

Everything was so close to the hotel! We walked to so many things from the hotel! Amazing shopping and cafes and restaurants! As well as walking distance to many sites.

Authenticity & Character

Very modern in the midst of authentic Thessaloniki!

Location

Beat shopping and food just steps away!

Staff

Young staff at the front desk were very kind and professional.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Very clean rooms and super comfortable beds!

Sweet Home Hotel

Athens

Exceptional stay! Really feels like a home away from home! The breakfast they put out is chef’s kiss! I mean it was DELICIOUS!

Authenticity & Character

Beds were so comfy! Huge towels in the bathroom! Everything was so clean and cozy!

Location

Walking distance from literally EVERYTHING!!!

Staff

Everyone was kind and just so sweet!

Cleanliness & Comfort

Super clean rooms and the breakfast area was also very clean!the entire place is comfortable and cozy!

Activity Reviews

Thessaloniki to Meteora Sunset Tour

Thessaloniki

This is a long day and although we got less than perfect weather, the sights are breathtaking even though we didn’t get the amazing sunset.

Quality of Experience

Had a wonderful last day in Thessaloniki. Our driver/guide really went above and beyond to accommodate!

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Our guide really knew where to stop and what to show us! Very knowledgeable!

Transport

Right on time and very comfortable car for such a long drive

Sephardic Cuisine Cooking Classes in Thessaloniki City

Thessaloniki

One of the best experiences of my adult life! I learned so much and the food was amazing!!! Came home of many tips and tricks to make my cooking next level!

Quality of Experience

A Food Magazine was there interviewing the chef and took photos of the food we made with the chef! Very exciting experience!

Guides, Drivers and Staff

The chef is amazing. His family run restaurant is a MUST if you’re visiting Thessaloniki!

Transport

Katarina was our driver and she was just amazing!

Athens Street Food Tour Afternoon

Athens

So much fun! Some of the best foods of the city! Wish we would have done the tour on the first day instead of the last!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Our guide was awesome!!

Transport

Got our steps in!!!

Athens Highlights Mythology Tour

Greece

So much to see!!! Very well put together tour!

Quality of Experience

Everything was amazing!

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Guide was very knowledgeable!

Transport

We got our steps in!

Private Biblical Tour of Ancient Corinth & Isthmus Canal

Greece

Can’t even put into words how amazing the tour was!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Our driver was very knowledgeable!

Transport

Very nice luxury van.

Michelle listened to our trip goals carefully, then created a fantastic itinerary! The lodging, activities, and pace were great. Over 20 nights, 3,000 km of auto travel, 6 hikes, 2 cycling trail rides, and many other fun activities, everything went perfect! We appreciate the creativity when we had to delay the start of our trip by two days to jump in and start as if nothing was missed. Many thanks to Michelle for a terrific experience on the South island of New Zealand!

Hotel Reviews

Hotel Montreal

Christchurch

We loved staying at the Montreal! Close to the entertainment section of Christchurch and spacious rooms. We saw the best of Christchurch from this welcoming hotel.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel St Clair

Dunedin

The right place to be in Dunedin! Beach. Surfers, and great evening fun!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

PurePod Rakiura Stewart Island (Hananui)

Christchurch

This was one of the most unique experiences we ever had! The Pure Pod was spectacular and the provided food excellent! Stewart Island is a special place! We loved our 20km hike to Prince William hut. Enjoying a clear night and the southern sky from the pod is breathtaking!

Location

Staff

Great food prep and spotlessly clean pod.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Fiordland Jewel

Milford Sound

Cruising Milford Sound and staying onboard this ship was fantastic! Captain Jack is an amazing host. We were guests during a torrential rainstorm and the waterfalls were unbelievable! Kayaking was really fun, even in the rain and cold! A great time!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Prospect Lodge

Te Anau

Joan and Ross have an amazing lodge! What a special experience Prospect Lodge is. Only two guest rooms makes this unique. The breakfasts were the best ever! The view of Lake Te Anau and the mountains is Georgeous! Rooms are first class! Our 15km heli-hike on the Kepler Track was unbelievable fun. Seeing the glow worms in the cave was the most unique experience and great fun!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Monte Christo Winery

Clyde

What a great experience! The chalets were very, very nice! The wine tasting terrific, and in room breakfasts really nice. Cycling the 40km Dunstan Lake Trail was the best activity of our trip!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Queenstown Park Boutique Hotel

Queenstown

Where one night in Queenstown is enough, this is the place to stay! Welcoming staff, great happy hour, wonderful rooms!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Edgewater Wanaka

Lake Wānaka

Great hotel/lodge! Rooms a bit spartan, but the common areas, bar, and patio were exceptional. The jet boat on the river and the 4wd on the nearby livestock station made for an exciting and informative day!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Westwood Lodge

Franz Josef Glacier

Rooms were a bit dark and not comfortable.

Authenticity & Character

Cleanliness, decor, and staff cheerfulness.

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Rimu Lodge

Ruatapu

Sue Ellen is a terrific host at this special lodge! Her happy hour and breakfasts were fantastic. The lodge is beautiful, has great views of the Hokitika River, and is luxurious. Our 50km cycle on the Western Track was so much fun!! Hokitika is one of our favorite beach towns! So original!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Awaroa Lodge

Abel Tasman National Park

Great experience to stay at this lodge in the NP. Unique experience to arrive and depart by water taxi. Loved the food too! Our 15km hike through forests and beaches was exhilarating. Could have stayed longer! This is a favorite of our trip!

Authenticity & Character

In the Forrest by the sea.

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

The Mayfair

Christchurch

A little outside the entertainment and shopping district. Nice otherwise.

Authenticity & Character

Cozy

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Yellow-eyed penguins

Dunedin

We enjoyed learning about the penguins and walking the track. Absolute beauty! Great time.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Milford Sound overnight Cruise - Fiordland Jewel

New Zealand

This is must do in when travelling NZ! We lucked out with a rainstorm during our first day creating hundreds of waterfalls. Captain Jack was terrific!

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Heli Hike Kepler track from Te Anau

Te Anau

Absolutely great hike! We had 100km wind and driving rain shortly after being let off the heli! Wow! Such beautiful views at the top, and great forests on the way down.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Te Anau Glowworm Caves

Te Anau

Really fun experience! The caves are spectacular to see.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Lake Dunstan Cycle Trail (from Clyde)

New Zealand

This was the best cycle adventure we could have imagined! Challenging and beautiful. Of course we were on standard bikes!

Quality of Experience

Transport

Wild Hills 4WD Safari tour

New Zealand

Chris was our 4wd guide and did a great job teaching us about the station (farm) operations. Fantastic!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Jet boat and wilderness walk

New Zealand

Our jet boat captain Ben was so much fun! But he was also very knowledgeable and made this a really enjoyable experience. Loved learning about the beech forests!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Lucie worked with us to make custom arrangements for our 11 day trip to Germany including Berlin, Freiburg, and Munich. She was responsive to our wishes and expectations arranging for train transport, transport from airport/train station to our hotel, booking hotels, arranging private and third party group tours of Berlin, Black Forest, Dachau, and Neuschwannstein. She had suggested with take the train to Potsdam, but we felt more comfortable arranging a tour on our own through Viator.
The hotels were all well located; although NH Collection Berlin Mitte am Checkpoint Charlie seemed a bit run down. The Marriott Courtyard in Freiburg was quite nice, conveniently located to the train station, and just blocks away from Altstadt. Platzl Hotel in Munich was fabulous - the accommodation itself, friendly staff, and convenient location to Marienplatz and nearby restaurants. Our private tour in Berlin by Lee was great and personalized to our interests, as was the tour of the black forest out of Freiburg by Simone. The two arranged group tours were both well organized and informative. Our only concern with the overall arrangements was a very tight connection in Karlsruhe for our train from Freiburg to Munich. If we didn't have the assistance of both train personnel and individuals at the station with our luggage and logistics, we would have missed our connection. If you book with them, be sure to doublecheck connections/layovers.
All in all a great trip and great to work with Lucie.

Hotel Reviews

Platzl Hotel - Superior

München

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Staff was particularly friendly and helpful. The doorman (can't remember his name), greeted us each time, and was generally helpful.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Courtyard by Marriott Freiburg

Freiburg im Breisgau

Authenticity & Character

Location

Cleanliness & Comfort

NH Collection Berlin Mitte Checkpoint Charlie

Berlin

Authenticity & Character

Location

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Berlin Introduction

Berlin

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Neuschwanstein Castle Full-day tour

Munich

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Dachau Concentration Camp Memorial

Munich

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Exploring the Enchanting Schwarzwald: A Guided Tour of the Black Forest

Germany

Simone was very attentive to our interests and we had a great day.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Japan was a trip of a lifetime! The Japanese sure know how to cook, loved all the food we tried! We especially appreciated how smooth our guides made the trip- Hal was a great historian in Kyoto to explain the history of Japan during the rule of the Sho-Gun. Safi was especially helpful explaining how the trains work in Tokyo and navigated us around Tokyo seamlessly and gave us a great recommendation for ramen in Harajuku. Tomi was very knowledgeable about the Toyota company foundings and provided a great recommendation for hitsumabushi in Nagoya. If we had a do-over, we probably would want to spend more time in Nagoya after having visited, it’s a lovely city and we appreciated the smaller size compared to Tokyo.

Hotel Reviews

The Thousand Kyoto

Kyoto

The lobby smelled nice when you enter, of lavender! We spent two nights here, loved the proximity to the train station. There is a very nice ramen restaurant that we found near the hotel to enjoy our thanksgiving dinner at. The hotel breakfasts, both Japanese and western style were yummy.

Authenticity & Character

Once we figured out how the iPad in the hotel controlled the room, that was a nice feature. It had lots of info on the restaurants in the hotel, services, room lights etc.

Location

Proximity to trains, made it very easy for our return trip home

Staff

All of the staff were great, very accommodating for letting us drop off our smaller luggage and hold at the desk while we explored Kyoto in the day time.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Everything was extremely clean

Hilton Nagoya Hotel

Naka-ku Nagoya

Very nice hotel, they had a cool train display for the holidays in the lobby! Staff were friendly and the breakfast was very good! We were only here one night and enjoyed our brief stay.

Authenticity & Character

Location

We were able to enjoy a nice walk to the train station from the hotel!

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Again, extremely clean room.

Cerulean Tower Tokyu Hotel, A Pan Pacific Partner Hotel

Loved the closeness to the Shibuya station for exploring around Tokyo. The staff were all extremely helpful when we had questions about setting up a cab or shipping our luggage to Kyoto. The bar on the 40th floor made really good cocktails and the Japanese breakfast was so yummy.

Authenticity & Character

Very modern hotel with lots of nice amenities

Location

Closeness to train station, food and shopping

Staff

Extremely polite and patient

Cleanliness & Comfort

Enjoyed the turn down service with tea and chocolates provided

Activity Reviews

Museums Exploration in Nagoya

Nagoya

My husband loved this! He was like a kid in a candy shop at the automobiles museum. It was very cool learning about how Toyota originally started as a textile company and then became an automobile maker- especially enjoyed how the Industries museum noted different events occurring in the world as they became a car maker company.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Full Day Mt. Fuji with Lake Kawaguchi & Oishi Park

Japan

Even though the weather was not the most cooperative, we had a good time. It was impressive to see how a 12,000 foot mountain can be completely hidden with what I’m assuming is snow clouds. Enjoyed the 400 stair walk to the pagoda that overlooks the Mt Fuji valley and learning about its construction during WW2 for missing and injured Japanese soldiers (was nice to get a Japanese perspective on events in the pacific theater). We bought some cool souvenirs and tried pizza with sweet potatoes as a topping!

Quality of Experience

The fall foliage was stunning- even though we could not see the mountain, we could still enjoy the fall foliage

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Having a private driver was nice, especially to be able to nap on the return trip to Tokyo while still adjusting to the jet lag. Again, very nice to do this with Safi again, we liked the continuity of the guides as she was with us in Tokyo.

Transport

Nice and smooth, the Alphards are nice vehicles to travel in.

Tokyo Day Tour with Tsukiji Outer Market & Senso-ji - East & Central

Tokyo

Loved trying the food- only thing I wish we would have done is to have had a smaller breakfast. We were both pretty full by the time we started exploring the fish market but were able to enjoy some really nice matcha and crab. I especially enjoyed the deep fried sweet potatoes in the market from Asakusa.

Quality of Experience

Liked seeing all the activity in the market and trying Japanese snacks

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Safi was fantastic! We enjoyed running around the city with her, she’s a very fun person and easy to communicate with.

Transport

Loved riding all the trains

It was absolutely wonderful. We learned so much and got to experience a bit of the culture as well. I think we would have preferred to have a little more down time to explore and shop. We never did get to see the Christmas market which would have been fun. The apartment was perfect. Food amazing. It was an incredible experience; one that we will all reflect on for our entire lives.

Our family trip to Norway was an adventure filled trip of a lifetime. We visited Alta, Briggen and Tromso. Each unique and with its own charm. We enjoyed activities such as dog sledding, reindeer sledding/ feeding with Sami cultural experience, whale watching and of course saw many auroras. The Kim Kim team arranged everything flawlessly and were very flexible, even managing to cancel one of our tours due to last minute change in plans. We take many memorable moments with us. Thank you!!

Vicky who organised our Australia New Zealand trip did an amazing job well organised good attention to detail and kept in touch and was always available on the phone to help us she was brilliant and I would highly recommend her .
The guides were all good particularly Arthur who did our ocean trip and Phillip island trip was very good and looked after us well .
Nicky who took us to the tropical forest from port Douglas was excellent
Donna who did Māori luxury trip in Auckland was very good as well .
We had a brilliant 29 days between Australia and New Zealand

Emanuela was in touch and quick in responding from the start of doing my bookings to the end of my trip. It was very reassuring having someone assist in every aspect and make my solo journey manageable despite my torn meniscus of my knee. Only part of the trip was the hotel which I expected to be better but overall it’s not too bad and very near the pick up points.

What stood out of the whole experience was the exceptional details of the trip provided plus the guide even on what to pack- and I was so well prepared due to that.

I would highly recommend Kim Kim and specialtiy Emanuela if anyone wants to plan their trip.

Thank you so much for an amazing experience

Activity Reviews

Ice cave tour and back to Reykjavik - Day 2

Iceland

A once in a lifetime experience with no guarantee the next group will see the same ice cave . This trip was suitable for anyone and if I who is asthmatic and had a torn meniscus of my knee can do it, so can anyone. A tip though, if you are claustrophobic, just doing the glacier walk is sufficient .

Quality of Experience

amazing view, easy walk and breath taking scenery

Guides, Drivers and Staff

A very good guide - amazing how he maneuvered the giant jeep towards the glacier

Transport

Northern Lights Group Tour

Reykjavík

The northern lights were kind of disappointing as I expected to see more but the tour guide on two different occasions were relentless in chasing them and I got to see a small portion which is better than nothing! Kudos to the tour guides !

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Doris did an amazing job Our trip was seamless. She worked with us at every step in planning the trip

Yuliana was great. The only issue was addressed quickly and professionally. Will use you guys again! Thank you for everything.

This was one of the most incredible trips we have ever had. We appreciated all the obvious work and planning that went into our amazing trip to Peru. Starting with the awesome history and introduction to the Inca Empire at the Larco Museum with our guide Andrew, on to a fascinating trip to the desert with Alvaro, followed by the Sacred Valley with Diego.

It doesn’t get any more inspiring than that. The guides were so much more than we had anticipated. Their knowledge and pride of their country was truly touching. Every one went beyond the call of duty to ensure our visits touched so many aspects of the culture, not to mention our safety (and health).

Hotel Reviews

Casa San Blas Boutique

Cusco

This hotel is in the heart of old Cusco off a narrow street. It was converted from a house and appears to be a work of love. Our room was on 2 levels with an incredible view of the city from the bedroom. A note for travellers is that the bathroom is on the lower floor so a steep staircase has to be navigated. It was not an issue for us but required some care. Breakfast was a small but complete buffet and hot offerings made to order. There is also a restaurant which we used for room service after a late arrival. There was also a sitting area with umbrella just outside our room with a great view of the city.

Authenticity & Character

This was the most unique hotel on our trip and built around an old house.

Location

In the middle of everything we walked to the town square and restaurants multiple times.

Staff

Reception and the restaurant could not have been nicer.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hatun Inti Boutique Machupicchu

Machu Picchu

This was the most impressive hotel on the trip. It had a huge jaccuzy, fireplace and large bathroom. It backed onto a river and was in the heart of Aguas Calientes. They held our luggage while we visited Machu Pichu and would have transferred it ti the nearby train station had we requested it. We also chilled there at the end of the trip waiting for our train. The morning buffet also had a great setting on the riverfront.

Authenticity & Character

A very new hotel with river views

Location

Wlking distance to the train, Machu Pichu buses and all the restaurants and shops.

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

La Casona de Yucay

Cusco

Another beautiful and historic hotel. Simon Bolivar once stayed in the original hacienda! The grouds were beautiful and the location at the base of mountains was superb. Breakfast was a treat with a huge buffet and great service. The dinner setting was nice as well.

Authenticity & Character

The hotel is newish so the rooms a large and comfortable. The original hacienda leads into the new reception area.

Location

On a quiet street (except for the occasional morning loudspeakers).

Staff

Service in the restaurant and bar were great as was the front desk.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Bottled water is provided on arrival but refills are done in the lobby area.

Viñas Queirolo

Ica

A beautifull setting with multiple swimming pools. The room was large and the bed excellent. We took the Pisco making tour but no one mentioned that is was solely in Spanish so not very enlightening. Breakfast is a buffet with a self serve coffee machine that was very impressive. Getting there was chanllenging due to rush hour traffic that barely moved.

Authenticity & Character

The facility is huge versus our expectations and appears very new.

Location

Right in the town, the gates open up to a multi acre vinyard at the base of mountains.

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Lima 18 Boutique

Miraflores

We had a nice stay at this hotel located in the heart of Miraflores. The area is very safe and the hotel is near a supermarket, bank and many restaurants. The room was not very large but it was comfortable if a little noisy at night being in the heart of town. The service was excellent as was breakfast and the little courtyard and balcony are nice touches.

Authenticity & Character

Set in an old house near a main street the hotel opens up onto a welcoming private courtyard.

Location

a short walk to groceries and restaurants. A slightly longer walk to the coast and sightseeing.

Staff

When we had an eraly start they made us fruit and a sandwich to go

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Cusco Walking City Tour with San Francisco Church

Cusco

We added the cathedral to the itinerary which was a good idea. A great experience to see the integration of the Spanish and Indigenous cultures.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Morning Visit to Machu Picchu

Peru

As expected, this was a highlight of the trip. The town of Aguas Caliente is a little overdeveloped and crowded but the organization for getting all the tourists onto the site was impressive. Diego said that the Machu Pichu train is the only one in Peru that leaves on time.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Maras & Moray

Peru

This was a great experience. We looked at the reconstructed Inca agronomic experiments in a spectcular setting.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Birdwatching at Piuray Lake

Peru

A beautiful setting at a high altitude lake. We viewed a variety of water fowl from a kind of large canoe with outrigger. We had a separate guide who was very enthusiastic. A lunch was served near the water and enjoyed by both guides, the driver Victor and ourselves on a beuatiful day.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Hummingbird Sanctuary

Sacred Valley

This was a nice setting to see a variety of Humming birds from a viewing platform.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Morning Visit to Ollantaytambo

Peru

Very cool Inca village that is still thriving, the hike was slightly more strenuous that Machu Pichu. Diego did a great job here.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Pass by Pisac Market & an Andean camelid Farms

Sacred Valley

Fed the Alpacas and had a nice demontration of the art of weaving. The shop was very nice. When I didn't know what style I need for a gift they encouraged me to use their wifi for a whattapp call

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Ballestas Islands

Peru

No Rating. We wisely decided to cut this part out because I had a stomach ailment

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Paracas National Reserve Cliff-top Viewpoints Afternoon

Peru

Another trip highlight. We were picked up at our hotel by Alvaro in his Toyota 4Runner for an exploration of the desert on the coast in Paracas. Alvaro was charming and very knowledgeable about the area. We stopped at a local roadside coffee/bakery before doing some off road exploration of Alvaro's surfing haunts. A great time and some great pictures.

Quality of Experience

We had some great photo opps and a nice lunch next to the beach with locally-caught seafood.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Alvaro was a great guide and we would do this again in another part of the country.

Transport

We felt like we were on the set of Star Wars travelling through the empty desert.

Join us to discover the Must sees in Lima

Lima

We had a driver and Andrew who was a very experienced guide. We visited the old town and spent quality time in the Larco museum.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Andrew was a very knolwedgeable guide and we had a great day.

Transport

Despite the crazy Lima traffic we had a serene walking tour and were dropped off and picked up flawlessly.

Bikes & Bites: Cycling and Sampling Peruvian Cuisine in Lima

Lima

A great way too get a sense of Miraflores and Barranca. The bikes were delivered to our hotel where we were met by Maria who was a very experienced and safety conscious guide. We stayed mostly on bike paths with a couple of shortcuts on quiet side streets. We sampled local cuisine at three spots, on the whole memorable.

Quality of Experience

Good quality bikes with the exception of a chain that came off.

Food

We stopped at a local restaurant and one with a spectcular view followed by an ice cream treat.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Maria was very knowledgeable and friendly.

Welcome to Peru and Lima

Peru

we had difficulty finding each other. It's a nice perk after a long flight. Jesus was helpful in reassuring us that Bosco was nearby.

Highly recommend everyone I spoke with before and during the trip. Anahi is a patient and fantastic local specialist. In particular, we loved the food tour and city tours she arranged. Special shoutout to Laure in Iguazu and for making those days very special.

Hotel Reviews

Loi Suites Iguazú Hotel

Puerto Iguazú

TripAdvisor reviews are spot on - the hotel is in an incredible location, the rooms are clean and well maintained. My overall hotel rating is a 3/5 because of the service in the restaurants and pool bar. Each engagement was a challenge, from ordering a beer and waiting 30 minutes (at the pool tiki bar) or for 2 of our 3 breakfasts the buffet ran out of eggs and other items. This is unacceptable for a “5 star hotel”. The breakfast setting was chaos.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Home Hotel

Buenos Aires

Great location and away from tourist traps. Beautiful pool

Location

Activity Reviews

Personalized City Tour 🏛️ ⭐

Buenos Aires

Fernando is wonderful! 2nd time with him!

Argentinean Falls - PRIVATE

Puerto Iguazú

The Birds Park - PRIVATE

Puerto Iguazú

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Jacquie, trip was amazing.
Jacquie stayed on top of our itinerary the entire time from booking til we got back on the plane out of Ecuador! It was such a seamless process, there was a joke that our luck would have to run out, it didn’t. We had one mishap the week before the trip, a flight issue, Jacquie took care of it without us getting involved. She guided us to the tribute yacht and they sure didn’t disappoint! Will definitely us Kim Kim again
And we love the cute Ecuadorean gift we received at our final hotel.
Thank you so much for giving us the amazing bucket list Galápagos trip we will remember for a lifetime

On the Kim Kim side Jacquie was so helpful and kind from start to finish. We really appreciated her accessibility and thoughtfulness. She even went through the trouble of dropping us a thank you gift at our hotel.

The Oniric team on Freddys legacy was fantastic. Roberto, Fernando, Jose Luis and Hansel were the most front facing guides/crew and did an amazing job making everything seamless. There were so many little details that did not go overlooked. The rest of the crew was also amazing. They were always smiling and easy to interact with. They kept the boat spotlessly clean and always had nice touches ready for us like warm towels when we arrived back from a snorkel. They were so knowledgeable and passionate about the Galapagos and really went the extra mile to share their experience and the place with us in a way that was unique. This is hands down the best service, environment and trip I have been on. I cannot recommend it enough. Really every detail was considered and thought of.

Our trip included all of the things I wanted to do and see. Lucie planned things so well! We knew where we were staying and how to get there. The reservations for hotels, a chauffeur, trains, and tours were all lined up with no problems. We knew when we had to pay for things and what was already covered. We had a great visit to Germany! I have shared my experience and high praises with friends and family. I recommend this personalized service highly! I will definitely use KimKim again.

Hotel Reviews

Platzl Hotel - Superior

München

Authenticity & Character

I loved the Bavarian uniforms.

Location

Right next to a main square, and right around the corner from Hard Rock Cafe!

Staff

Very kind, helpful, friendly, and smiley staff!

Cleanliness & Comfort

Park Plaza Wallstreet Berlin Mitte

Berlin

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Dachau Concentration Camp Memorial

Munich

I don't know if calling the Dachau activity 'amazing' is quite the right term. The history of such a place was so disturbing, but I am glad we were able to go and experience history firsthand. We need to remember how insane humanity can be when following the crowd.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Hein knew a lot! He was a little bit difficult to understand because he talked fast and with an accent that I am not used to, but there was so much to say. I think it would have been a better experience if we had more time to see and read all of the exhibits and not feel so rushed.

Transport

Just public transportation.

Welcome to Stuttgart!

Stuttgart

I was so grateful to have time to spend with my brother in Stuttgart! I love that Lucie could make this happen for me. It has been years since I had seen him and his wife, so it was a treat.

Berlin Introduction

Berlin

Forrest was amazing! He knew so much history, and being American like us, he could give us the perspective of how the US was impacted and part of the history of Berlin. He was flexible and could answer questions we had, making the experience very personalized.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Neuschwanstein Castle Full-day tour

Munich

Quality of Experience

I was expecting to see a lot more of the castle, but what we saw was interesting. I don't think KimKim could do better, but my expectations of the castle were higher.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Freiburg Walking Tour!

Freiburg

Very knowledgeable guide! Walter knew history and was passionate about Freiburg. We did a lot of walking and learned a lot.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Vicky gave us lots of options to choose from when planning our excursions and we were happy with every one of them.
She was quickly responsive while we were in the planning phase, but also during the trip. We had multiple flights within the country and she was on top of them when changes were made by the airlines. She answered innumerable questions we had while we were traveling, always very quickly. It was quite amazing, really.

Hotel Review

The Henry Jones Art Hotel

Hobart

Great location - easy walking to food and central business district. You are on the wharf and in the center of most activities. The hotel is worth "touring" itself - full of art, and there is a free art tour provided. Room was very comfortable and the breakfast was very generous.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Foodie Discovery Walking Tour

Melbourne

Dave was great! Yum on the food picks!

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Auckland Maori Luxury Tour

Auckland

Donna was our guide and spent the entire day with us - never tiring and allowing us options on what we did. Being Maori herself, and very open to questions, she made this and enlightening and engaging day.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Blue Mountains Wildlife Full-Day Sights and Hiking from Sydney

Sydney

Paul was our tour guide and was full of information without us feeling that he was just reeling out a bunch of facts. He had a breadth of knowledge about Australia that made this a good trip with which to start our time in the country. I especially appreciated his explanation of the wildlife and its evolution. We had a lot of tours in the month that we traveled, and his information about the animals, and why what is there, was the most enlightening.

Quality of Experience

Food

we ate a lot of fish and chips - our choice!

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

we had lots of transfers and tours, everything flowed smoothly

Overall: Our trip to Thailand was an incredible experience with many once-in-a-lifetime experiences. I gave the trip 4 stars out of 5 mainly because the Ko Phi Phi portion wasn’t for us and if we had it to do over again we would have spent time at a different location. This is not a reflection of KimKim and the outstanding service provided, but our lack of research. We would use KimKim again and highly recommend KimKim without hesitation. KimKim did an excellent job coordinating a great itinerary and logistics were excellent with a couple of minor issues - one pickup was delayed substantially and required calling KimKim. Tina, our itinerary coordinator was exceptional - always available to answer questions and help with any issues that came our way. We will definitely use KimKim for future trips.

This review will cover each of the itinerary items in detail. But overall the itinerary was a great collection of activities. We really appreciated having all the airport transfers organized ahead of time-this relieved a lot of stress. A couple of issues to point out: the itinerary was probably too fast paced for us - in one case we had to cancel an activity because we needed a bit more leisure time to recover from travel. Also, scheduling a 3 hour tour of temples, in the heat of the day, immediately after arriving at our hotel after a morning of travel was not desirable. We understand there is a desire by KimKim to fit in as many activities as possible.

Day 1 - Arrival in Bangkok
Pickup at the airport was without issue. The airport was quite busy (as expected!) with many groups being picked up. However, we were connected with KimKim and transported to our hotel relatively quickly. Our hotel, the Quarter Ari, was quite nice and our suite fit our family well. Pickup required meeting multiple family members at the airport at different times and KimKim’s flexibility in supporting multiple pickups was nice.

Day 2 - Walking Tour of Bangkok
We were greeted by our tour guide, Betty, in the morning (right on time). Betty was fantastic, one of the best tour guides we’ve had, not only on this tour but any. Betty took us on tours of temples, the recently opened Grand Palace, and the flower market and weekend market. The tours were great and Betty was a fount of knowledge, explaining many historical and contemporary facts relating to Bangkok and Thailand.

Day 3 - Floating Market, Railway Market, and Chinatown
We met Betty and our driver in the lobby of our hotel in the morning right on time to drive to the Floating Market and Railway Market. The Floating Market was great. The Railway Market was a bit cramped for what we wanted at the time.

One note: with Floating Market and Railway Markets back-to-back we didn’t have time for lunch so got a late lunch (~3:00pm) when we were back at the hotel. However, when it came time to eat in China town we weren’t hungry - fitting in time for a lunch meal earlier would have been better.

China town was very interesting, but probably too crowded for us after a long day (and the day before), and as mentioned we weren’t hungry for the dinner Betty bought for us. We got our first taste of mango sticky rice which was delicious!

Day 4 - Travel to Chiang Mai and Temple Tours and Flower Market
Travel to Chiang Mai went perfectly. Our driver met us at the hotel and transported us to the airport on time. Pick up at the Chiang Mai airport was also seamless. However, when we arrived at our hotel we were immediately greeted by our guide to take us on tours of the historic Chiang Mai temples. It would have been much better to provide an open afternoon after our arrival to adjust to Chiang Mai and our hotel the Phra Singh - which was excellent (probably the best hotel of all that we stayed at). One of our group decided to skip the tour because they needed to rest. Also, to be honest our guide was not good for the temple tour. He was a very nice man, but his English was difficult to understand, and he often didn’t respond to our questions because it seemed he had difficulty understanding us. The Flower Market was nice, but not much compared to the one in Bangkok, so maybe this could have been skipped.

Overall, Chiang Mai was incredible. Great laid back vibe, with a lot of art and culture. Could have stayed an extra day.

Day 5 - Grandma’s Cooking Class

Met our driver and departed for the cooking class on time. Grandma’s cooking class was excellent. The Chef/Instructor was great - spoke great english and was very enthusiastic and effective at managing and teaching the class. When my daughter burned her finger he was very attentive. Highly recommended.

In the afternoon, because we were quite tired we canceled the Temple and Hill Tribes tour.

Day 6 - Elephant Sanctuary

Met our driver on time for a nice drive to the Elephant Sanctuary. The tour of the sanctuary was great. The guide was excellent, introducing us to the elephants, their behavior, and the philosophy of the sanctuary. Recommended.
In the afternoon, several of us had wonderful massages at the spa across from the hotel.

Day 7 - Travel to Phuket

Travel to the Chiang Mai airport for our flight to Phuket was uneventful. Tina helped us check in to our flight and provided all necessary booking information. Pickup at the Phuket airport was a bit delayed requiring us to call Tina to inquire about who would be meeting us. The Novotel Hotel was nice. It would have been nicer had we requested a room with a view. We also would consider upgrading hotels in the future.

Day 8 - John Gray’s - Hong By Starlight

To be honest we were dreading the fact that this event was scheduled to go from 10:00a - 9:00p. But this activity was fantastic - probably the highlight of our trip. The islands were incredible, John Gray’s did an outstanding job as tour guides and navigating the sea kayak’s. Food was some of the best on the trip, and the sunset, starlight tour with bioluminescence was absolutely magical. Highly, highly recommended.

Day 9 - Leisure day

It was great to have a leisure day.

Day 10 - 12 Ko Phi Phi

I’ll review Ko Phi Phi overall as there weren’t many separate activities other than the Scuba Diving which was excellent. Although, to be honest other than the diving, Ko Phi Phi wasn’t really for us as we were looking for more of a beach experience.

Travel to Phi Phi via ferry was on time. Tina provided us with the booking information, check in and travel went without incident with our hotel reps picking us up at the pier. ChaoKo PhiPhi had a couple of issues. While the hotel grounds and facilities were nice if spartan, our rooms faced trashy alleyways and one room smelled to the point that we needed to change rooms, which took over a day. It didn’t appear there were any hotels on the island that were any better - so were we to do it again we would probably find an alternate destination rather than Phi Phi.

The scuba diving was exceptional. Blue Water Divers was excellent, friendly, safe, thorough. Highly recommended.

Day 13 - Travel to Bangkok

Travel on day 13 was long - speed boat to Phuket pier, pier to airport, flight to bangkok, ride to Hotel, all of which took the entire day. Travel was uneventful and well coordinated by Tina. One note: we took a speed boat from Phi Phi to Phuket which was very rough (in part due to the weather). But the speed boat might not be for everyone, especially those who get sea sick.

Day 14 - Shopping in Bangkok, Traveling back to the U.S.

It was nice to explore Bangkok a bit more and do some shopping. Travel to the airport was uneventful. The departing flight was on time.

Hotel Reviews

ChaoKoh Phi Phi Hotel and Resort

Krabi

Nice hotel in a great location. However our room had a view of a trashy alleyway and our second room had a smell that required moving rooms. Staff was not particularly friendly.

Authenticity & Character

Reflected the culture of Phi Phi

Location

Right in the center of Ko Phi Phi

Staff

Could have been nicely and more responsive, required two days and multiple complaints about a bad smelling room for any response.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Clean except for the smell.

Novotel Phuket Kamala Beach

Phuket

Very nice hotel on a great beach location. Great service, in hotel restaurant. But we would have liked a room with a view.

Authenticity & Character

Seemed to capture Phuket nicely.

Location

Great beach, not too far from shopping.

Staff

Friendly, attentive

Cleanliness & Comfort

We would have liked a room with a view.

Phra Singh Village

Chiang Mai

We loved this hotel. Great staff and service, great location. Tucked away in a private alley for privacy.

Authenticity & Character

Historic character

Location

Right in the heart of old town Chiang Mai

Staff

Very friendly and attentive.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Very clean

The Quarter Ari by UHG

Bangkok

This was a great hotel in a great location. Very friendly service.

Authenticity & Character

Great modern Thai character.

Location

Great shopping and restaurants in vicinity

Staff

Very friendly and attentive.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Very clean

Activity Reviews

2 Fun Dives for Certified Divers

Ko Phi Phi

The diving was amazing and diving company and divemaster/guide was amazing. Unfortunately one of the two diver opted not to dive. Also, there was no need to pay for the park fees ahead of time.

Quality of Experience

Amazing diver with a great diving company

Food

Great lunch of fried rice.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Staff was very friendly. Divemaster was great. Orientation was thorough.

Transport

Great boat ride out to dive site.

John Gray's - Hong by Starlight

Phuket

This was the highlight of our entire trip to Thailand.

Quality of Experience

Amazing experience - staff and guides were amazing. Food was equally good.

Food

Some of the best Thai food we had during our entire Trip.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Amazing guides.

Transport

Perfect

Elephant Nature Park Visit

Chiang Mai

Great visit to the Elephant Nature Park. It was amazing to interact with the Elephants.

Quality of Experience

Elephant guide/driver was great. Interacting with the elephants and learning about the nature park was amazing.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Guide was great, communicated well

Transport

Perfect

Grandma's Home Cooking School

Chiang Mai

This was an amazing experience. Cooking class was great with a great chef/instructor at a very nice farm. The only unfortunate thing was my daughter burning her finger during the cooking class - the instructor was very attentive.

Quality of Experience

Aside from the finger burning the class was perfect!

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Chef was great!

Transport

Perfect

Welcome and Temple Treasures of Chiang Mai

Chiang Mai

The temples were incredible. But it was very difficult to go on this tour immediately after traveling from Bangkok to Chiang Mai in the heat of the day. Our guide was not good and transport was delayed.

Quality of Experience

Better guide and transport, not scheduling it right after arrival in Chiang Mai

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Guide did not speak English well enough to communicate.

Transport

Pickup was delayed by about a half hour.

Enjoy Food Tasting in Chinatown!

Bangkok

Very interesting but crowded.

Quality of Experience

Very interesting - eating bugs!!

Food

Bugs were a bit over the top. Other food was amazing especially the Mango Sticky Rice.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Amazing guide

Transport

Perfect

A visit to Mae Klong Railway market and Damnoen Saduak Floating Market!

Bangkok

The floating market was amazing. The Railway market was a bit crowded and hot.

Quality of Experience

Great experience.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Tour guide was incredible.

Transport

Perfect

Exploring Bangkok by local transfers and walking tour

Bangkok

Great tour of historic temples and sites was the perfect start to our vacation.

Quality of Experience

Historic sites

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Tour guide was one of the best we've had.

Transport

Perfect

I had the most incredible journey to the Amazon rainforest and the Galapagos Islands, all thanks to Tamar! As a single mom traveling with my six children, I needed someone who was reliable and could handle all the logistics, and Tamar exceeded my expectations along with his assistant Ariel.

From the very beginning, Tamar made himself available 24/7 ensuring that every detail of our trip was meticulously planned. With six kids, each having their own opinions, I didn’t have the time to manage transfers to and from airports, activities, hotels, and the like. Tamar took care of everything, allowing us to focus on making memories together.

I also wanted an action-packed itinerary, and he delivered! We were out of our rooms nearly every morning by 5 AM and going strong until 6 PM, exploring the breathtaking beauty of the jungle and islands. Each day was filled with adventure, which kept my kids entertained and happy.

Whenever I had questions about dress attire or other travel concerns, Tamar was just a phone call or text away, always ready to assist. His responsiveness and attention to detail made all the difference.

Overall, this trip was a fantastic experience thanks to Tamar’s dedication and expertise. I highly recommend him to anyone looking to explore South America!