Kimkim Trip Reviews

Our overall experience with KimKim while in Medellin/Cartagena was fantastic as we were taken care of from the moment we landed until the moment we left. Our guides and drivers were all welcoming and knowledgeable, if given the opportunity to recommend an activity from our trip we highly recommend the flower farm and coffee farm tours.

Michael - our KimKim contact was excellent. Great advice, responsive and helpful.

Fabulous taste of Chile! Well planned destinations for a variety of sights and everything was super smooth. All the guides and activities were fantastic and prefect for our family. Great trip!

Hotel Reviews

Hotel NOI Casa Atacama

San Pedro de Atacama

Small, lovely boutique hotel that has absolutely everything and really honors the desert in its furnishings and design. Just beautiful! And fabulous service! Loved it and will stay there again when back in San Pedro!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Eco Boutique Bidasoa

Santiago

Great city hotel and the outdoor dining area and little pool is like an oasis!! Beautiful!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Cabaña Del Lago Puerto Varas

Puerto Varas

Dated look and feel, but fabulous location and views!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Astronomical Tour - Atacama Desert

San Pedro de Atacama

Sooooo cool!!! Super knowledgeable star guide with two high tech scopes for everyone’s viewing. Professional photog included with the night sky behind you! And a lovely snack spread to boot.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Waterfalls & Cactus Private Trek

Chile

Beautiful hiking in a desert oasis with cacti and waterfalls and donkeys!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Laguna Cejar, Ojos del Salar y Laguna Tebiquinche

Chile

Sooooo cool floating in the saltwater lagoon!! And what a snack spread afterward! Wowza!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Santiago City Tour

Santiago

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Half Day Kayaking in Llanquihue Lake

Puerto Varas

Kayaking around Isla Loreley and into the lagoon behind it was spectacular!! Gorgeous!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Guide was friendly and great, but didn’t have much to say. It was a super simple there and back kayak tour, we didn’t even really need a guide.

Transport

Great except for the early arrival that threw us off.

I had no idea where to begin for this trip, but our teams from kimkim and Serendipity Adventures had us covered! Elena, Nancy and Wilman helped plan and coordinate things I didn’t even know I wanted to do. They gave us itinerary options so we could choose what was best for us. They were available for questions and even checked in regularly on our trip. They did an amazing job and we had the best adventures!

Hotel Reviews

Tabulia Tree

Manuel Antonio

The hotel room was very basic but we were not spending much time there. The gardens were beautiful. The wildlife while eating our meals kept us entertained! The pool was clean and enjoyable. The staff were so friendly and accommodating. We enjoyed our time there.

Authenticity & Character

The layout of the rooms within the gardens.

Location

Very pretty setting.

Staff

The staff were friendly and accommodating.

Cleanliness & Comfort

The room was very basic with limited supplies. Even the toilet paper was portioned out.

Hotel Eco Arenal

Fortuna

This hotel was in a private garden setting. The room had everything you need. The staff was very nice and the breakfast buffet was delicious. It was very close to La Fortuna, but quiet enough to be relaxing. The grounds were kept well and the pool area was clean and inviting.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Manuel Antonio National Park Guided Nature Hike

Manuel Antonio

Don’t skip this.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Catamaran Tour with Meal

Costa Rica

This was a lot of fun and it was all due to the staffs’ attitude. It was rainy and people were glum, but they got everyone up and going. The food was good, too.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Hanging Bridges, La Fortuna Waterfall, and Arenal Volcano

Arenal/La Fortuna

It was pouring most of this trip, but our guide, Chris, made it work. We had an amazing experience and learned so much. Don’t skip this!

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Whitewater Rafting on the Balsa River

Arenal/La Fortuna

I’ve never done this before, but it was exhilarating! Our guide was experienced and gave great instructions. He also made it so much fun with his humor and enthusiasm.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Momo was the best!

Transport

We loved our trip to Norway! The highlight for us was seeing the Northern Lights on our minibus chase with Chasing Lights out of Tromso, with our guide Mickey and driver Ahmed. Despite the weather cancelling some of our activities, we still had a fantastic trip. Since our trip was over the Christmas holidays, we utilized the KimKim emergency whatsapp line several times for communication, which was very helpful! It was also great to have help processing refunds for tours and that were cancelled.

Activity Review

Northern Lights Hunt by Minibus with Photographer & Campfire Dinner

Tromsø

Seeing the Northern Lights on this tour was the main highlight of our trip. Our guide and driver were fantastic, and the provided suits kept us warm! However, keep in mind that since the point of this activity is to view the lights, if it's a good night anticipate not having a campfire or dinner until late (for us, ~10pm) because you will be enjoying the northern lights!

Quality of Experience

Food

The provided dinner for this activity was a choice between two "expedition meals" aka dehydrated backpacking meals -- I chose the vegan red curry and it was delicious! However I would make sure future guests know to expect this and that the meal may be very late depending on the lights that night. But the warm currant juice and cookies around the fire it was a cozy end to the night.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Both Wanessa and Bruno were incredibly generous and friendly people. They cared if we were enjoying the tour and always checked to see if we needed more time at the different locations. They advised about places to eat and looked after our wellbeing at all times. Communicating in English was easy with them. Bruno went above and beyond to give us the best experience touring Rio de Janeiro - Brasil. He helped us with different issues a few times.

Activity Reviews

Carioca Lifestyle and Carnival Culture (by Public Transport)

Rio de Janeiro

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Visit to the Botanical Gardens & Santa Teresa

Rio de Janeiro

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

LuzMa was very attentive to checking on us during the trip.
Iber was our guide for the Chichen Itza, Vallodolid and cenote excursion. He was super knowledgeable and friendly.
Our guide at Tulum, Adrian, was very well-spoken and charismatic.
The family-run business, Lina's Kitchen was an amazing experience. Felix was a great tequila mixologist and distiller.
Memo at Rio Secreto was fun and ensured everyone's safety.
The staff at The Fives was outstanding! The food was amazing everywhere we ate on the grounds.

Hotel Reviews

Copal Tulum Hotel

The room was like an apartment, but there were no coffee filters, dish towels or soap to wash our dishes.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Walking anywhere had us going through some questionable neighborhoods.

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

The breakfast at the restaurant was great. Cocktails are expensive at the bar.

The Fives Beach Hotel & Residences

Playa del Carmen

ALL staff was friendly and helpful.

Authenticity & Character

It was definitely for tourists, but it was relaxing and fun to be spoiled a little.

Location

On the beach!

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Discover the Art of Cooking and the Enchantment of Mezcal in Tulum

Mexico

Miriam and Orlando were so kind and helpful. They work well as a team and made us feel like part of the family.

Quality of Experience

Food

We cannot wait to try the recipes at home!

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Our driver waited for us without issue when our tasting ran a little long.

Río Secreto Privilege: The Mayan Underworld

Mexico

It was a major tourist attraction. While it did not seem very intimate at first, once we broke off into our small group, the guide Memo made the experience.

Quality of Experience

Food

lots of options

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Visit the archaeological site of Tulum

Mexico

Adrian was a great guide. His ending was rather abrupt, so we weren't sure if we were supposed to tip him or not...

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Dining recommendations in Tulum

Tulum

It was a little vague, addresses would be helpful. The front desk at our hotel was helpful though.

Quality of Experience

Discovering a wonder of the world: Chichén Itzá, cenote and Valladolid

Tulum

It was not too crowded or hot.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

We had a great experience with KimKim. From planning to the communication during travel, we were impressed with the level of support. It made our trip enjoyable and stress-free, especially for a family with kids.

We especially loved the cooking class with Cristina, fishing in the mangroves, tubing, and the Minca waterfall. Our hotels were great as well. And all of the food recommendations were amazing.

As far as our private guides, Ana was great with the kids and gave an informative tour of the walled city. She shared helpful background about her own experiences as well.

Jorge helped us understand a lot about the culture in the northern Caribbean region. Above all, the Indigenous aspect really stands out—it’s something that speaks volumes about this country with so much diversity.

We will likely use KimKim again.

Hotel Reviews

Sofitel Baru Calablanca

Cartagena

Authenticity & Character

Loved the contrast between modern and traditional architecture, wishing tree a cute touch

Location

Beautiful location, water was clear, boat ride was easy

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Kokkos Beach | Condo Hotel

Santa Marta

Good layout, close to entrance to the park. Good food and very charming.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Close to Tayrona

Staff

They helped us with laundry and ordering our meals

Cleanliness & Comfort

Weird smell coming from one of the upstairs bathrooms bothered me, power went on and off frequently

Nacar Hotel Cartagena, Curio Collection by Hilton

Cartagena

Amazing location, charm and very comfortable rooms. Perfect for our family. Pool and rooftop restaurant were also lovely.

Authenticity & Character

We loved how it blended into the old city feel but had modern rooms. Beautiful lobby.

Location

so close to all the beauty and action of the walled city, great restaurants

Staff

They were so helpful with our bags, getting taxis, answering questions and fixing our key when it stopped working

Cleanliness & Comfort

AC was the best in all of Columbia, shower was great. Perfect layout .

Marriott Resort Playa Dormida

Santa Marta

Amazing hotel all around! Had everything we needed and more

Authenticity & Character

Architecture was Owen but decorations were very Colombian. We appreciated seeing the indigenous accents in the lobby.

Location

Close to the airport but it turned out to be cool to see the airplanes take off. We took a cab to the central part of the city and it was a little far but we didn’t mind much.

Staff

everyone was great. Kids staff were kind and helpful, bag folks helped us when we had to store things for the day, spa got my husband in last minute.

Cleanliness & Comfort

View and jacuzzi were amazing. Two bathrooms were really nice for 4 people. We were in awe of the view. Most amazing room we’ve ever stayed in.

Ermita, Cartagena, a Tribute Portfolio Hotel

El Cabrero, Cartagena

Our original room had holes in the door and was extremely small for 4 people plus bags. Blinds were beat up and hallways were a little dirty.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Very close to walled city

Staff

When we moved rooms they and handled it professionally and took care of our belongings

Cleanliness & Comfort

Rooms were not in great shape

Activity Reviews

Private Cooking Class and Lunch

Cartagena

We loved Cristina, she was so good with the kids and the food was incredible. She spent so much time getting to know us and Shari g her life experience.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Mangrove Tour with Local Fisherman

Cartagena

Peaceful and informative, plus vey hands on and fun.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Arrival in the Islands (Hotel Sofitel Calablanca)

Isla Barú

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Day at the Islands (Hotel Sofitel Calablanca)

Isla Barú

Multiple pools to choose from, all with ocean views. Loved the restaurant options near the beach, wishing tree was cute activity and beautiful at night. We didn’t love the main Calablanca restaurant but Bahia was amazing.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Walking tour Cartagena and short Fruit Tasting

Cartagena

Great to understand the difference neighborhoods inside the walled city, the history of Cartagena, and the details like door knocker symbolism. It was hot, but enjoyable. Ana tried to make it kid friendly. The fruit tasting was fun, but it was too much to eat.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

My wife and our boys had an incredible trip to Namibia, South Africa, Zimbabwe, and Botswana. Despite planning our trip last-minute, Bianca, our Kimkim local specialist, expertly put together an amazing itinerary. Every detail was flawlessly executed, from airport pickups to safaris and hotel accommodations. All the local tour operators and guides Bianca selected were exceptional. A huge shoutout to Makumu Private Game Lodge – with special thanks to guide Ruann and tracker NY.

We had a great time despite the terrible weather. Difficult driving conditions (we rented a car) added to the adventure! We did not get to do everything on the itinerary, either because of time, weather, or we just decided to pass on a couple of things. Do not miss the Freidheimar tomato farm. The tomato soup and breads are the best.

Blue Lagoon was a great way to start the trip. Ice cave tour was amazing. Thingvellir is incredible from an historic and geological perspective.

We are talking about going back for 3-4 days in Spring or Summer just to stay in Reykjavik and maybe do some days trips from there.

Bryan, with Serendipity Adventures, did a fantastic job of arranging a ten day 60th anniversary celebration for my family of twelve. We flew in anda out of San Jose, then spent a couple of days in La Fortuna, Monteverde, and Manuel Antonio. Serendipity arranged all activities and transportation at each location. All Serendipity folks were personble and punctual, but we remember Minor, Manarino, and especially Alex who went out of their way to provide extra assistance whenever needed. The favorite activity was the zip linning at La Fortuna, but all twelve agreed that they enjoyed every activity, even though the others were not quite as exciting as the zip linning.

I had an amazing time in Cambodia, discovering the magical Angkor Wats and history of Phnom Penh.
Steve worked with me on this trip twice before but each time he was honest enough to tell me that it would not be a good time to travel due to local holiday season or weather conditions. This is something I really admire and felt worth mentioning in my feedback.
The itinerary was meticulously planned, exactly as per my requirements. I was travelling solo, so Steve made sure that there was always a guide and a driver with me.
Several activities involving interactions with the local were added that made this trip even more interesting, engaging and memorable one. Steve took care of my dietary requirements and same was communicated to tghe guides and hotels/restaurants.
The schedule offered a lot of flexibility. The accommodations were all centrally located that made it easy for me explore things on my own as well.
Guides Sukin and Sreypich were very knowledgable and friendly. It felt you were travelling with friends who were so happy show you their country.
Overall, I had an amazing time Cambodia. I learned about their culture and history. All thanks to Steve, and his team at Kimkim.

Hotel Reviews

The Aviary Hotel

Siem Reap

The location, facilities were all excellent. The breakfast was good though fewer options. There was an issue with the room location which was communicated to Steve and hotel staff.

Authenticity & Character

Issue with the room location.

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Amanjaya Pancam Hotel

Phnom Penh

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Traditional dance performance and dinner

Siem Reap

The dance perfomances were spectacular, giving you an insight into the culture and traditions of Cambodia. The food was ok, I could not find the ingredients mentioned in the menu in dishes served to me.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Half day Roluos temple group

Siem Reap

Simply Amazing!!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Kompong Phluck Stilted Fishing Village on Tonle Sap (after Rolous temples)

Siem Reap

Awesome!! The highlight was the small boat ride through the mangrove trees.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Sunrise (and return to hotel for breakfast)

Siem Reap

The sunrise, the changing colours of the sunlight in the backdrop of Angkor temples it definitely worth experiencing and viewing.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Ta Phrom (morning)

Siem Reap

No words to describe the beauty of this place. A perfect amalgamation of nature and God.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Angkor Thom (afternoon)

Siem Reap

Temples worth visiting if you really really interest in history and culture. Bayon temple is a must.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Grand Circuit morning tour

Siem Reap

No reason is good enough to skip these temples

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Afternoon and sunset at Angkor Wat

Siem Reap

Sunset was more beautiful then the sunrise. My best pics are at the time of sunset.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Banteay Srei

Siem Reap

This temple will surprise you!! Very different from the other temples and very unique.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Local noodles (light lunch and see them being made)

Siem Reap

Learning the process of making noodles and actually participating in it was all just so fun. However, being vegetarian I could enjoy the noodles with the typical broth that they are served with.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Phare, the Cambodian Circus (Seat B - open seating in the rear half of the middle seating area)

Siem Reap

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Siem Reap to Phnom Penh via Spean Praptos & Skuon

Cambodia

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Afternoon introductory Phnom Penh City Tour

Phnom Penh

The Cyclo ride is a MUST!!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Afternoon Riverside Walk Phnom Penh

Phnom Penh

One will really enjoy this serene view in a hustling and bustling city.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Tuol Sleng, Russian Market & Killing Fields in the morning

Phnom Penh

Visit to Kiling Fields and Tuol Sleng can be disturbing, go only if you have a strong mind/heart. But there is so much to learn about the history of Cambodia.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Royal Palace

Phnom Penh

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Angkor Silk Farm

Siem Reap

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

The first half of our trip was really well planned with great hotels, perfectly timed transportation and amazing tour guides. At the end of the trip we were reserved in a hotel that was extremely inconvenient and kept giving us false information. We wasted most of our time in Tulum trying to work around the inconvenient location of the hotel.

Hotel Reviews

Histórico Central Mexico City

Mexico City

Great hotel and location. The breakfast menu was excellent. Very clean hotel and helpful service.

Authenticity & Character

Clean, beautiful and easy

Location

Located perfectly near the main attractions

Staff

Helpful recommendations

Cleanliness & Comfort

Great beds

El Mesón del Marqués

Valladolid

Great location and helpful people. Very pretty building

Authenticity & Character

Great ambience and restaurant

Location

On the main square

Staff

Helpful and friendly

Cleanliness & Comfort

Good beds but a smell of mildew

Copal Tulum Hotel

Beautiful room and pools but the location is terrible and the staff repeatedly gave us incorrect information

Authenticity & Character

Nice pool

Location

It takes hours to get to the beach and walking to the center of town requires walking through a poor neighborhood with no sidewalks and muddy dirt roads

Staff

Incorrect information was given at least 4 times

Cleanliness & Comfort

Clean and good beds

Activity Reviews

Be amazed by the pre-hispanic beauty of the chinampas in Xochimilco

Mexico City

The boats are beautiful and the scenery fascinating

Quality of Experience

Very interesting

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Lots of information and a great tour

Transport

Tour the famous and picturesque neighborhood of Coyoacán.

Mexico City

The market was fascinating and the fruit stand a once in a lifetime experience. The neighborhood otherwise didn’t seem very interesting

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Visit of Teotihuacan and the Basilica of Guadalupe

Mexico City

Fascinating archaeology and Luis, our guide, was extremely knowledgeable.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Walking tour through the Historic City Center of this Colonial City Valladolid

Valladolid

The guide was friendly but his English was hard to understand

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Explore Chichén Itzá: A Wonder of the Mayan World

Chichén Itzá

The driver, Carlos, was very friendly and helpful. The guide was informative and nice. The site is very crowded

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Visit a peaceful cenote and enjoy traditional mayan food

Mexico

Amazing swimming and a great lunch

Quality of Experience

Food

Sops de lima was great

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Carlos was really nice

Explore the mysterious area of Ek Balam

Ek Balam

A less crowded site where you can climb the pyramid

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Carlos was very nice

Visit to Xcanche Cenote

Ek Balam

Great experience and lots of fun

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Carlos was nice and helpful

Transport

Excellent, excellent! Our wonderful tour guides were just like having local friends in Rio. I don't know what we would have done without them. They made sure that everything ran smoothly, organized activities for us that we thought of at the last minute and did some heavy duty problem solving - such as when my wife discovered she had left her medication at our hotel just as we arrived at Rio airport for our next destination. Thank-you KimKim, thank-you Renata and many thanks to Bruno and Wanessa, our lovely tour guides. I highly recommend your services, and I have left Brazil with very warm feelings.

We have used Kim Kim several times for trips in various parts of the world. Never ever have we had such a terrible experience as we did with the Travel Agent in Japan. As a family, we look forward to our annual vacation and at every turn the Travel Agent and her choices made things harder for us. Not only did she not give us good advice But she was culturally insensitive to our religious dietary needs and other areas.

Because of this experience, I don’t know if I would use this agency again. It was that bad and it ended up costing us more money to make changes due to the inefficiency and incompetence of the agent. I never write bad reviews, but I do want to protect other people who might book

Minh and his team were extremely responsive both before and during the trip. Our son had an accident and we had to reschedule almost the whole trip, which they managed to do at no extra cost.

Just came back from a fantastic vacation in Costa Rica that Randall, our agent from KimKim, booked for us. All the hotel checkins and excursions went seamlessly smooth.

La Fortuna - we stayed at the Montañad de Fuego Mountain Resort & Spa. Nice rooms but probably wouldn’t recommend as to the paths to our bungalow were not lit and it was easy to trip along the way. The “thermal” pools are warmer at my home. We did the Arenal lava hike and that was good although we never did see the top of Arenal due to daily cloud cover. Baldi Hot Springs were fantastic as was the cano negro boat tour.
Our next stop was in Monteverde where we stayed at Poco a Poco. Loved this hotel and highly recommend it. Hanging bridges were great as was the zip lining. Really enjoyed the coffee, chocolate and sugar cane tour.
Our last stop was in Tamarindo and we stayed at the Wyndham. Very nice hotel although they would run out of clean towels (both in room as well as pool). Did a catamaran snorkel tour through Marlin Del Rey. Snorkeling was poor due to all the rain but the unlimited drinks and food were really good.

Hotel Reviews

Montaña de Fuego Mountain Resort & Spa

La Fortuna

Montaña de Fuego Mountain Resort & Spa had very nice rooms, but I was surprised by the lack of lighting on the paths, making it difficult to walk at night. The thermal pools were also not as warm as I expected. The garden was beautiful though, and the facility itself was lovely.

Hotel & Spa Poco a Poco

Monteverde

Hotel & Spa Poco a Poco in Monteverde was a quaint hotel with great service. The staff were lovely, making the stay highly recommendable.

Wyndham

Tamarindo

The Wyndham had a great location with a nice view over the city and beach. However, they routinely ran out of towels, both for rooms and the beach. At times, the rooms weren't serviced even after requesting housekeeping.

Activity Reviews

Monteverde - Hanging Bridges Guided Hike & Zip-lining tour

Monteverde

The Hanging Bridges Guided Hike was a wonderful experience. Although I didn't do the zip-lining due to my knee, I exchanged my ticket for the Sloth tour, which I really enjoyed. The park was well-maintained, and there were plenty of activities available for everyone.

Coffee, Chocolate & Sugar Cane Experience (English Tour)

Monteverde

The Coffee, Chocolate & Sugar Cane Experience was a delightful and educational tour. It was fascinating to see the process and try various samples. Walking through the plantations and learning about these products was a wonderful and tasty experience.

14 day Andalucia solo travel - Adam and Lea were great with helping me book my trip. Adam especially was helpful in working on last minute changes, etc. Adam spent a lot of time with me working through the changes I had suggested.
One area of improvement that I would suggest is, I felt most of the trip details, etc. came from me including the places I wanted to visit, how I wanted to plan my day yo day, etc. I would have expected suggestions from the travel rep as to what I could do in my free time, on days when I did not have a KimKim tour planned, restaurant suggestions, etc.
I am not sure yet if I will use KimKim platform again because of the fact that I have limited ability to change my trip once booked, and also due to the fact that I am less in control of the options, etc.

Activity Reviews

Private Mezquita, Alcázar & Jewish Quarter Discovery Walk

Córdoba

Ruben was really awesome! he spent almost 3 hours with me on the tour explaining the history of Cordoba, the Jewish quarter, etc. His tour of the Mezquita was so thorough!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Private Alhambra & Generalife Gardens with a Historian

Granada

I couldn't provide a 3.5 rating which is what I wanted to give this. Edu was good but not great like the other guides I had. He was a very nice person and gave a good high level overview of the Alhambra and the gardens. He did not go in-depth w.r.t. the details as some of the other guides that I happened to notice on the tour. It was a good tour.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Could have provided more details about the history, pointed out interesting aspects, etc.

Historic Old Town Walk

Málaga

Even though it was supposed to be a group tour, I don't think anyone else had signed up so I ended up as the only one. The tour was great! Victor was really thorough and took me around the old town in addition to the Alcazaba, Roman Theater, etc.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Private Visit to Seville’s Cathedral & Alcázar

Seville

Cristina was awesome! Really thorough explanation of the history and architecture.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Private Ronda & White Villages Day Trip

Seville

Carlos was a pleasure to travel with. The only part that I was not very thrilled with is I did not get much time in the stops and did not know about some of the sites that I could have visited (for e.g. in Ronda, I had no idea there was a castle, old town, Church, etc. that I could visit). This was a private trip which cost a lot, so I would have loved to spend more time in each of the places I visited. Other than that the trip was nice and pleasant.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Nice car

Flamenco Show & Museum Visit

Seville

Really loved this experience. The performers were very professional

Quality of Experience

I was very satisfied with the level of interaction from planners, detail of the itinerary, and the quality of the hotels, excursions, and transportation. I'm a seasoned traveler and usually do everything on my own. However, finding myself in the midst of a last-minute planned marriage left me little time, if any, to put this trip together. So, if you would rather skip all the time and headache, I can't recommend them enough. However, just know that it comes with a price, and I estimate I could've saved 20-30% on my own. Nevertheless, they excel at what they do, so if the time value of money leans the favor of a third party, go for it!

Galapagos 2024 - Excellent Trip!
My husband and I just completed a 9 day trip to Quito and the Galapagos Islands. We want to recognize the highlights of our trip with a few special commendations.
Angie Maldonado - Did an excellent job booking all the drivers, local transportation, excursions, hotels, and even dining for Christmas eve, and Christmas Day! We wanted to feel entrenched in the local culture, and we did!
Quito - Outstanding guide: Cristobal! We thoroughly enjoyed his tireless attention from the time of our arrival at the airport to our departure. He was a wealth of knowledge, attentive, shared so much with us, including recommendations for local foods. Exceptional experience! We stayed in Casona de la Ronda and loved the accommodations and the staff as well!
Santa Cruz - We stayed at the Acacia Boutique Hotel. Perfect location, lovely people, spacious accommodations. Excellent choice for us! We loved our excursion to the highlands to see the Tortoises and our excursion to Bartolome island where we snorkeled, and saw sharks, penguins, and the famous blue footed boobies along the way as well. The scenery was exceptional! We also spent time visiting N. Seymour Island. Busy schedule, but wouldn't change any of it.
Isabela Island - A welcome quiet experience on this island. Less commercialized, at this time... hope it stays that way. Very much enjoyed all of our day excursions, but our favorite was Los Tunneles, and our hike on the Sierra Negra Volcano. We were here for 3 nights, and wish we had had another day or 2 to explore and relax more.
Some helpful tips or things new South American Travelers should know:
1. No toilet paper disposal (you can't flush it!) in the toilets anywhere. If you want to bring sanitary bags to dispose, that might feel better to you.
2. Bring small denominations (not just $20's) for tipping money. This will be a big part of your expenses while on the islands.
3. Be prepared for some minor inconveniences, and handle them with grace. We were totally embarassed by some of the tourists we witnessed misbehaving toward the dedicated, gracious natives we encountered.
4. Angie and guides did a great job helping us navigate the travel requirements including paying for Transit Control Card, and admission fee to Galapagos National Park upon arrival/departure.
5. You will be moving around a lot on this trip. Try NOT to overpack. (We did bring a wetsuit and our own snorkel and mask and we were glad we did).
6. Final recommendation: The trip back to Colorado was quite long to do without an overnight stay on the mainland on the way back. If you have enough time, I would recommend booking an overnight stay after leaving Baltra airport, on the mainland, rather than hanging out at the airport for several hours in Quito and having to travel for such an extended period of time.
We loved our trip to Ecuador! We appreciate all the drivers, guides, boat captains, restaurant and hotel workers who were so kind, and always helpful. The food was delicious everywhere!
We love the model for KimKim - with local agents planning the trip! They are also a great contact if you have any hiccups/issues/concerns during your trip, and Angie was very responsive, and did "check on us" to make sure all was going well.
Thank you for the surprise of covering our Christmas Dinner!
Happy New Year to all!

Hotel Reviews

La Casita de la Playa

Puerto Villamil

Lovely, clean beachside accommodations within steps of amazing oceanview sunsets! Room size was adequate, bed was comfortable. WIFI was reliable and quite good! Staff was excellent! Food for breakfast was excellent! Only inconvenience - ran out of water around 6 p.m. (which did not affect us too much, but did for some other guests. I think this is an island problem, not an isolated problem to this accommodation). Would be nice to have a few hooks outside the rooms to hang up swimsuits, etc, to let them dry.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Beachside! Easy to walk to center of town and restaurants.

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Acacia Galápagos Boutique Hotel

Puerto Ayora

Excellent location! Easy walk to restaurants, shops, pier, Charles Darwin center. Hotel clean, with pool and hot tub, comfortable mattress, TV; designed with safety and security in mind as a bonus. Quiet in our room and away for the busy town streets. Wifi available but somewhat unreliable. Spacious room and accommodations. Staff very attentive and always on top of our needs/schedules. Very good breakfast, and packed us box breakfasts when needed.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

La Casona de La Ronda

Quito

We arrived in the early morning (2:00 a.m.?). There was a city wide power outage when we arrived, and the back up generator was working beautifully, and the staff was expecting us. Although the street we were on was busy at night, we did not hear a peep in our rooms! (YAY) The staff was diligent with walking us to/from our driver's car and making sure we were well attended to. Breakfast was good; Wifi was good. Mattresses were comfortable; room was spacious. Loved the atmosphere here! Felt very authentic!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Transfer Baltra Airport - Puerto Ayora with visit to the highlands of Santa Cruz

Galapagos Islands

Our transfer did not go smoothly. There was no one there waiting for us with a sign and our name on it, as expected. We had the name of the person who was supposed to greet us but they did not show up. The manager of the tour company eventually showed up after I contacted the agent from KimKim and smoothed everything out. The visit to the highlands was a 5 star experience, along with the expertise and friendliness of our guide.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Visit to the Charles Darwin Research Station

Puerto Ayora

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Kayaking & Snorkeling at Las Tintoreras

Galapagos Islands

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Guided Excursion to Tortuga Bay

Galapagos Islands

Wish we had been able to spend more quiet time here. It was beautiful. We were unable to snorkel here due to a laceration I had on my knee, and kayaking had not been planned here. Wish we could have done either. It is beautiful, and quiet. Our guide was Diego. He was friendly and accommodating.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Quito City Tour

Galapagos Islands

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Excursion to an uninhabited island

Galapagos Islands

Visit to another uninhabited island

Galapagos Islands

Snorkel at Los Túneles

Galapagos Islands

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Hiking Sierra Negra Volcano

Galapagos Islands

It seemed we got off to a late start due to the size of the group. Although we loved the hike, I felt the guides were rushing us. This is not to be missed, but be prepared for a faster hiking pace. As we were near the back of the large group, we did not get any attention on this hike, nor did we get to hear much from the guides. We did, however, prefer to be away from the "crowd".

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Maria-you exceeded all our expectations for our family trip to Rome and Florence to celebrate Chris holidays. The tours, restaurants and recommendations for walking while we had down time on our own were perfect and we cannot wait to come back and experience even more (hopefully soon!). Thank you for everything!
Laura

Hotel Reviews

GCF Luxury Suites

Roma

Centrally located, clean and grey space for us and our two older kids. Walked to everything nearby.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Glance

Firenze

Perfectly located to walk everywhere and experience all the amazing streets of Florence!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

2 Restaurant Reservations

Rome

Delicious!!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Vatican Tour & Sistine Chapel

Rome

Learned a lot and loved seeing everything thru the eyes of our guide.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Central Food Market & Tuscan Cooking Class

Florence

The best family-friendly class with great people from all over the world. What we made and ate exceeded our expectations and we had so much fun!! Jon-our chef-was superb and taught us a lot o about Florentine life.

Quality of Experience

Food

All of it!!

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Private Walking Tour of Florence | City Highlights with David & Duomo

Italy

Very detailed history tour!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Private Colosseum Tour Including Roman Forum

Rome

Julia is amazing!! We learned so much!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport