Kimkim Trip Reviews

What . . . is your quest?

To seek a memorable and joyous travel adventure? With your teenager in tow no less? Impossible you say. Pish posh! I just returned from a spring break trip to England with my teenage daughter, and we are still positively beaming. In fact, we spent two hours this past weekend warmly recounting our adventures from each day of the trip over a shared pot of tea, a new family tradition.

The crucial first step in our successful quest was reaching out to kimkim to help us plan the trip. The website paired me with one of their kind and knowledgable experts on England vacations (hat tip to Liam!). I messaged Liam a list of sites and priorities which my daughter and I put together, with interests ranging from King Arthur to Shakespeare, Jane Austen, and even Jack the Ripper. Within a handful of messages Liam had worked out a custom itinerary for us, ticking all the boxes for the sites we wanted to see, including free time for our own exploring, and easy-to-get-to hotels. The kimkim team booked the reservations for us, and compiled everything into a roadbook, also available on the kimkim app (thumbs up for the app!).

The second step for our successful quest was also the kimkim team. On the day we arrived, our flight was delayed and London traffic was snarled. We could not make it to our first high-priority reservation: Westminster Abbey. The kimkim team was there to help. A quick message on the app and a follow-up phone call allowed us to continue on with our schedule to the Tower of London, then a night-time ghost tour and boat ride on the Thames. The kimkim team were pleasant and responsive, gaining us admission to the Abbey the next morning at no additional cost in either money or, more importantly, stress.

We very much liked "seeing the sights" in the small group tours. The guides were all knowledgable and friendly, with good senses of humor. With small group tours we were also able to navigate around the big crowds and avoid the big busses on day-trips to Stonehenge and the Cotswolds, as well as to the White Cliffs of Dover and Canterbury.

We particularly enjoyed three individual tours. Robert Jones, an experienced photographer, led us on an afternoon photography tour of central London and the Thames. Robert helped us "see" the city through a local's eyes, but also to look for moments and views reflected in the glass of the many modern buildings. We have a stack of amazing photos from this tour. Ruth Sillers, a stage and voice actress, took us on a lovely afternoon walk through the many Jane Austen sites in Bath, including where Jane lived and the locations depicted in her two novels set in Bath. Daniel Hancock, a worldly traveler himself with many fascinating stories, led us on an afternoon trip through the ruins of Glastonbury Abbey and on a hike to the top of the Glastonbury Tor. We had a brilliant, clear day, and could see all the way to Bristol and the sea.

The third step for our successful quest was the blocks of free time to explore on our own. I especially enjoyed watching my daughter learn to "Mind the Gap" and navigate the Tube system, and riding together across London on the double-decker busses. We spent a half-day each at the British Museum and the National Gallery. In Bath, we savored walks through the town, dining on the bridge, and especially a morning tour of the house museum at No. 1 Royal Crescent, fully restored to the Georgian time period.

The final high point of our adventure was tea, especially High Tea the Savoy Hotel. I have never before seen my daughter hold a smile for two straight hours: three servings of tea, two servings of finger sandwiches, followed by scones, and dessert. We were later introduced to Cream Tea (tea with scones, clotted cream, and jam, and a regional disagreement on the order for applying clotted cream and jam to the scone, as we found out from one of our small group guides). Contentious opinions over tea? That's news to my American ears. Heh-heh-heh. Despite my weakness for bad jokes (very British!), whenever we've shared tea since our return, the same wondrous smile returns to my daughter as we fondly remember our adventures in England.

To the team at kimkim, thank you for helping us plan such an enjoyable quest. Till next time!

Writer and Aspen Clayton

Here is a brief and honest opinion of our Norway sojourn with Kimkim. Oslo and Bergen, although nice, were not special. However, we did get to hear the Oslo Philharmonic. My husband and I were especially impressed with the Lofoten area of Norway. Seeing those gorgeous snow-capped mountains and the surrounding landscape was indeed amazing. The apartment (Nordis Suite) in Svolvaer was spectacular! The view from those floor to ceiling windows of the harbor and the mountains was simply magical. Unfortunately, my biggest yearning was not fulfilled: the weather was not cooperative and we missed seeing the Aurora. We were booked for a photographer's hunt for the Aurora in Svolvaer which never happened. But our snowmobiling north of Tromso was really exciting. We enjoyed most of the local guides who helped make the towns and cities come alive with history. We stayed at the Oslo Grand Hotel, which was a nice 5-star hotel, but the rooms were certainly not "grand." The concierge service was wonderful, however. They went out of their way to try to respond to our needs. The Bergen Bors hotel, a so-called 4-star hotel, was not as good. Word of caution: Do not make a reservation for the Loft Suite. The low beams are hazardous. The bathroom is downstairs but the loft-like bedroom is up a long flight of stairs. Using the bathroom at night would have been challenging so we changed our room. In general, the hotel rooms were rather small compared to those in the US. The AERA Lodge near Tromso was quite "rustic" and is only for those who enjoy roughing it a bit. Kimkim was excellent in helping us plan our trip and was there every step of the way. Our local specialist at Kimkim, Taylor, went above and beyond. We couldn't have done it without her careful and expert guidance. I highly recommend Kimkim as a travel agency that really cares about its clients.

Shona was excellent and always there ! Most of the guides were great -Toya, Hal meho, Mai were also very good but Akira in Osaka was terrible-very little information , little English and poor planning -we had to wait to enter the hemeji palace and then were rushed at the end . I would say overall that the focus could have been more varied -we saw lots of temples and shrines . The bike ride was great and the food tour excellent -udo was our guide and he was the best on the tour. Toya helped us when we realized we had left our passports in Tokyo and arranged to have them delivered to Hakone and that went well -the private bath there was also excellent.Hal helped us retrieve a bag we left in Kyoto as well . Of course the language barrier took a while to adjust to . We had no museums which would have been nice -overall I would say very good tour . Thank you

Kim Kim's Lava Tour guide Guðmundur Óli (Gummi as he is known) was extremely attentive with planning, our trip, always available and prompt to reply to questions on chat at all hours. When the weather got rough while in Iceland, Gummi was quick to rearrange our itinerary so that none of our sightseeing stops were missed, even moving reservations for dinning and scheduled tours/spas. Gummi was there for spur of the moment phone calls as well, alerting us to the ever changing weather and road conditions. Although some of the stops along the way felt a little rushed, we managed to fit everything including the all important thermal bath and spa stops. Our only regret is that we never met him in person to thank him for all his hard work.
Highly recommended for those who like independence when tripping but also want the insight of a native planner to make sure they hit all the high spots and help with unexpected events.

Hotel Reviews

Fosshotel Baron

Reykjavík

Great location, clean and spacious room with breakfast included. no hotel parking....limited paid parking within the vicinity.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Arnarstapi Hotel

Snæfellsbær

This Hotel was in a small remote village...beautiful scenery, hiking. 3 restaurants and a general store rounded out the stay. Room was clean and spacious.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Black Beach Suites

Vik I Myrdal

beautiful setting clean spacious room . lighting was very low within the room.

Authenticity & Character

Location

near enough to Vik

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hótel Grímsborgir by Keahotels

Ásborgir

clean attentive with a good breakfast, but turned a king size room into a triple leaving little floor space. **front desk did offer an aurora phone call to the room upon consent**

Authenticity & Character

Location

near Selfoss

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

room too small for a king and twin

Activity Reviews

Horse Riding on Black Sand Beach

Iceland

Great guides, short trail ride but the scenery and the horses were beautiful.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

horses were well versed in the trail, cooperative, somewhat independent

Lava Tunnel Activity

Iceland

Wonderful look inside a lava tunnel. Our guide was fun and informative, safety first!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

a walk to the cave

Geothermal Bakery Experience

Golden Circle

A great Foodie experience...for the tourist.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Breiðamerkurjökull Ice Cave Small Group Adventure

Iceland

Our driver/guide Siggy was amazing...making sure ever part of this tour was informative fun and safe.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

The Retreat Spa at Blue Lagoon

Iceland

A must for those seeking a little R&R

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Húsafell Canyon Baths Experience

Iceland

a hike into a snow covered canyon with minimal bath time and limited rustic facilities.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

All guides and drivers were excellent and on time. Of note, Hassan was so good and helpful for Debbie and a fountain of Information. Please past that along to him. Osama and Besette (wrong spelling, 25 year old lady) were also very good. We so enjoyed being with all of them. The Great Royal Pyramid Inn was a very nice place to stay, clean, great service and wonderful view of the Pyramids. As Debbie said, the Alma ship on the Nile was a disappointment in the food and room/bathroom conditions. I would not recommend using this ship again until issues (sewer gas and diesel fuel odors) are fixed. Over all, we had a great time!

Your service and communications were wonderful as well. I’m sure we will go on another KimKim tour.
Norma.

Hotel Reviews

M/S Nile Treasure

luxor

Did not stay on this ship. Stayed on The Alma which I do NOT recommend.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Sewer and diesel smell on The Alma.

Royal Great Pyramid INN

Giza

Very nice rooms, bathrooms, restaurant and pyramid views. Would stay here again. Very close to the Giza pyramids and The New Egyptian Museum.

Authenticity & Character

Egyptian themed.

Location

So close to the Giza pyramids.

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Clean, spacious and comfy beds.

Activity Reviews

Nile Crystal Dinner Cruise Cairo

Cairo

Fun, nice, would recommend.

Quality of Experience

All

Food

Ok

Guides, Drivers and Staff

All nice and on time.

Transport

Nice vans

Day Tour To Islamic Cairo

Cairo

Very interesting. Guide was knowledgeable. Trash everywhere. Do they not have trash service there?

Quality of Experience

Food

I am just not a fan of the food in Egypt.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

All were nice. Some tourist vendors were high pressure to buy. Learn to say NO.

Transport

Nice vans.

Giza Pyramids & the Grand Egyptian Museum

Cairo

Loved seeing the Giza pyramids and doing a camel ride. So awesome

Quality of Experience

Taking my granddaughter for a camel ride

Food

Not a fan of the food in Egypt.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

All nice and helpful

Transport

Nice vans

Our guides were mostly good with the exception of one young man in Osaka and Kobe whose English was horrible and he seemed generally disinterested in his job.

Activity Review

Osaka Local Foodie Tour in Dotonbori and Shinsekai

Japan

We absolutely loved our trip. Queenstown was amazing, as was the flight to Milford Sound and the cruise around the sound. Lake Tekapo and the flight over the glaciers. Every stop along the way, both south and north islands had something fun and memorable to do. Noemi and her team took great care of us. Thanks for everything.

Activity Reviews

SKYCITY Auckland Sky Tower

Auckland

Transfer from accommodation to car rental depot (Corporate Cabs)

New Zealand

Hobbiton Movie Set Tour

New Zealand

What a fun place.

Quality of Experience

M

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Starlight Gourmet Kayak Tour - Glowworm Caves

Rotorua

Fabulous trip across the lake with a chance to lounge in the hot pools while the guide cooks you dinner. Then back across the lake to the glow worm cave and a slow paddle back to enjoy the starry night sky. What could be better.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Alex was fantastic.

Te Pā Tū - Maori Cultural Experience

Rotorua

Wonderful experience.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Zealandia Twilight Tour

Wellington

A beautiful place and amazing preservation work being done. Our guides were fabulous.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Skyline Gondola Ride

Queenstown (NZ)

Fabulous view!

Milford Sound - scenic return flights and cruise

New Zealand

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Scenic Flight over Mt Cook and glaciers by plane from Tekapo - The Grand Traverse (Tekapo Air Safaris)

New Zealand

Guides, Drivers and Staff

If you are prone to independent travel, but reluctant to be entirely on your own because of the language barrier and lack of familiarity with Japan's transportation, KimKim is the way to go. Shona did an amazing job communicating with us over 6 months prior to ask about our travel dates and style, where we wanted to go, what we wanted to see and experience. She created a trip that enabled us to be on our own and have guides and transport when we needed them.

Our guides were so helpful in explaining what we were seeing, the history, and were responsive to where we wanted to focus our attention. We visited Tokyo, Hakone area, Kyoto and Kanazawa. Each day we had a guide at least part of the day to get us to and explain various sites. In every area we visited spectacular temples, shrines, and gardens full of blossoms, ponds, bridges. The designs of these parks and gardens are what makes Japan so remarkable and memorial. Some of the other highlights included Tea Ceremony in Tokyo. Being dressed in Kimonos was not to be forgotten, and learning about true Matcha tea and mochi was enlightening.
Traveling by car to the Hakone area was an opportunity for country scenery and living. We had perfect weather to see Mt Fuji and experience our first soft ice cream. In Kyoto we made ramen at a ramen Factory, from the pasta to the chicken and broth. We had a blast. The day trip to Nara with our guide Orura Mei was unforgettable. The Todai-ji Temple and park are not to be missed, and our guide was not only helpful and knowledgeable but responsive to our needs for breaks, water, bathroom, hunger . We had Okonomiyaki (Japanese cabbage pancakes) which are our new favorite, and we walked through the older part of town through shops and residential areas away from the crowds.
In Kanazawa we had a private prepared traditional Japanese dinner and night tour with a fantastic guide whose name we forgot to write down. She went into depth about the differences between shrines and temples, and the history of geisha districts which we walked through. The dinner was superb. We also took a day trip to Shirakawago in private car. The drive through the mountains gave us another perspective of Japanese scenery and living. We walked through the town of thatched roof houses and learned the history and why it's now a UNESCO Heritage site.

All the hotels Shona booked were clean, comfortable and had easy access to transportation, sites, restaurants. Staff always tried to be helpful and were polite and professional and there was usually someone who spoke some English!

Hotel Reviews

SOKI KANAZAWA

Kanazawa

This was our favorite in terms of atmosphere and authenticity. An authentic Ryokan with futons on floor, onset on site, traditional Japanese breakfast. Breakfasts and beds on floor isn't for everyone but we appreciated the authenticity, the heavenly smells of the place, the traditional dress of staff, the fresh cherry branch decorations

Authenticity & Character

smaller hotel, bit of a walk to train station

Location

further from station but right across from huge fish market

Staff

helpful but not mush English

Cleanliness & Comfort

beds on floor a challenge for octogenarians

Mitsui garden Hotel Kyoto Station

Kyoyo

Nice breakfast choices

Authenticity & Character

Location

close to station, restaurants,.

Staff

friendly and helpful. More that spoke some English

Cleanliness & Comfort

lovely and a bit more spacious room for easier suitcase access

Tenseien Odawara Station Annex

Hakone

We thought the hotel would be in Hakone so were disappointed it was right at the train station. That said, we had access to bus to Hakone and the hotel was comfortable, clean and had a public bath.

Authenticity & Character

public bath was a plus. We had our first bath experience there with clear, writteninstructions in ENGLISH

Location

Not in Hakone but good access to transportation

Staff

friendly and try to be helpful

Cleanliness & Comfort

window, comfortable bed, clean

Asakusa View Hotel

Tokyo

Authenticity & Character

larger more modern hotel

Location

Great view of shrine and Skytree. Convenient to train station and access to sites

Staff

confusion at check in but friendly and apologetic. Not much English

Cleanliness & Comfort

clean and comfortable bed. Small room. Hard to find space for two suitcases

Okura Act City Hotel Hamamatsu

Largest hotel in Hamamatsu. Very fancy for us. We were on 44th floor. Good location and near our grandson who we were visiting there. Good breakfast selections

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Kanazawa Half-Day Tour

Kanazawa

We went back to some of the sites we were impressed with and wanted to go, like the geisha districts and the Kenrokuen Garden. Was able to tour inside a geisha house. Our guide also took us to the Samari district that we wanted to explore, as well as several arts and craft shops in the area. We were able to go inside replicas of a samurai and a geisha house.

Quality of Experience

The gardens are the finest we saw on the whole trip and we could have spent hours there! Very interesting to go inside some of the buildings.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Kiya (I think spelled right) was totally responsive to what we wanted to do and navigated seamlessly many bus rides and walking to get us places.

Transport

buses and walking

Shirakawago Day Trip

Kanazawa

Drive from Kanazawa with alpine scenery, high snow capped mountains, tunnels, thatched roof houses

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

good driver in comfortable car but not very communicative. He was responsive to our questions and requests (for water, coffee, etc)

Transport

beautiful drive

Night Tour of Kanawaza With Dinner

Kanazawa

Walk through two geisha districts and along the river, culminating in a delicious multi course private meal with our wonderful guide whose name we neglected to write down.

Quality of Experience

Food

superb

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

walking

Kyoto: Ramen Cooking Class at the Ramen Factory & Souvenirs

Kyoto

This was so much fun though we barely made it there because of confusing directions. The woman leading the small class of 3 couples was an excellent teacher with patience, clarity and good English.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

staff at the factory were great. This experience was self guided - no guide or driver

Transport

Took taxi on our own but the address provided was wrong and we got quite lost trying to find the location.

Nara Day Tour from Kyoto

Kyoto

The temple itself, great guide, Japanese cabbage pancakes

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Half Day Sagano Bamboo Grove and Tenryuji Temple Tour

Kyoto

Beauty and long walks with wonderful guide

Quality of Experience

Such beautiful gardens with fruit tree blossoms

Guides, Drivers and Staff

so happy to be with Tomoko all day

Transport

Fushimi Inari Taisha and Kinkakuji Temple

Kyoto

The shrine and temple was lovely, our first ones with a guide, so learned a lot about traditions of each, the different aspects of shrines and temples. we especially liked the temple in the forest. The day included several modes of transportation and lots of walking which we could not have navigated on our own. Our guide, Tomoko was knowledgeable, responsive to our questions and needs. We had a lovely lunch with her.

Quality of Experience

Beautiful and great guide

Guides, Drivers and Staff

thoughtful, responsive, knowledgeable guide

Transport

She navigated it all with ease

Kimono Tea Ceremony at Kyoto Maikoya

Kyoto

We loved it but barely made it because scheduled to close to our arrival in Kyoto. Had to take a taxi in traffic. Once there the experience was a lot of fun, from them taking us to men's and women's dressing area where they did us up in full garb, then to the ceremony itself where we learned about the ancient tradition and drank true ground matcha tea and fresh made mochi. Many opportunities for pictures.

Quality of Experience

It was all lots of fun. Self guided though, no guide or driver

Guides, Drivers and Staff

staff at the location were wonderful and fun

Transport

we got our own taxi and barely got there in time.

Full Day Mt. Fuji with Lake Kawaguchi & Oishi Park

Japan

Amazing because we were SO lucky with the weather! The mountain was in all its splendor. The boat ride was very short and crowded but gave other perspectives of the mountain.

Quality of Experience

The mountain itself in good weather. Scenic drive once out of Tokyo. Soft ice cream for the first time!

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Very polite and considerate of our needs but not very informative

Transport

immaculate car and excellent driving, particularly in heavy traffic coming out of Tokyo.

Master Tokyo's Must-Sees: 5-hour Tsukiji, Akihabara & Asakusa Highlights Tour

Tokyo

Our plane was a day late so missed this. Fortunately our grandson met us in Tokyo and was able to show us the major sites we missed

Our family of four spent a week in South Africa, including time in Cape Town as well as a few days on Safari. Anna-Marie listened to all of what we hoped to do, see, and experience on our trip and made it ALL happen. I could have never done this type of planning on my own. Our guide Mark was fantastic and gave us a great overview of the Cape Town area and went the extra step to take photos of us while we were at Boulders Beach with the penguins. Blackheath Lodge and their staff are top notch, our whole family loved our time there. For the second half of our trip we were At Timbavati Nature Reserve staying at Shindzela. It was so peaceful and well staffed. The lodge was small and gave us an opportunity to relax in between game drives. Kobus our guide was excellent and made the entire experience so amazing. I highly recommend Kimkim, their work made our trip what it was

Hotel Reviews

Shindzela Lodge

Timbavati Game Reserve

The lodge is intimate which made it possible for the staff to get to know the guests during the stay. The game drives were exceptional!

Authenticity & Character

The staff was so knowledgeable and more than happy to answer our questions and share their experiences.

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

The area was pristine!

Blackheath Lodge

Cape Town

Our stay was delightful at Blackheath. Every staff member went the extra mile to make sure we had an amazing experience. The location was perfect for the things we wanted to do in Cape Town.

Authenticity & Character

Location

We were within walking distance to restaurants and quick Ubers from the waterfront and other sights we were interested in.

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

A Day in the Kruger Bush with Two Game Drives

South Africa

Everyday here was great! They always were around to get is a drink, answer our questions, and in general check in.

Quality of Experience

Food

The staff worked so hard and asked for our requests and cooked so well. We really enjoyed every meal.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

They communicate so well with all of us and the other car to ensure we all get to see the best of what is around us.

Transport

Arrive at Your Lodge in Kruger & First Game Drive

South Africa

Transport was straightforward. We got to the lodge in time to un pack, enjoy lunch and then head our first evening drive.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Community Development Projects (highly recommended)

Cape Town

The reality of wealth disparity is real and we were very thankful to see some of the amazing community work that was going on. We were able to visit a school that was built using reclaimed materials, a community garden, and a senior center with a youth choir performing for us. It was amazing!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Dinner at GOLD Restaurant

Cape Town

So much fun! We were in the drumming area and that was our very favorite part. There was always something going on and it was a little of fun.

Quality of Experience

Food

The food was served family style and was a great opportunity to try some traditional foods.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Robben Island

Cape Town

This is an important and interesting visit. We really liked that a portion of the tour is guided by former political prisoners. That was really impactful!

Quality of Experience

Transport

It takes a while to get to the island. Patience is key.

Kayak with Penguins

South Africa

It was fun to get in the water and get active on our trip. The kayaks were easy to maneuver and we were able to see starfish, seals, and penguins during our trip.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Cape Peninsula & Penguins

South Africa

Mark was our guide and he was amazing. It was a fun filled day and really started our trip off with a bang! The views were incredible!

Quality of Experience

lol

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Mark is amazing! He helped us take pictures at the beach and really went the extra mile!

Transport

Cannon was wonderful to work with. He answered all of my questions both before and during the trip, and helped me customize my trip so we hit all the spots that were important to us and he researched heavily to make sure we stayed in our budget range. He made everything easy and gave me updates every day on what I needed to know for the next day while we were there. He even managed to set up an amazing private tour of all the One-Piece statues in Kumamoto with an incredible English-speaking and kind tour guide! All of our accommodations were great and even the Airbnb we ended up with in Tokyo turned out to be the best option for my family of 4 based on availability, location, and budget, even though it was tiny and we were a bit crowded. I was so grateful that Cannon helped me understand that.

I loved the street food in Osaka, the traditional tea ceremony in Kyoto (so fun to wear a kimono!), the funny bowing deer in Nara, the spectacular Mt. Fuji in Hakone, and the beautiful cherry blossoms in Tokyo (even though it was pretty early in the season). My boys loved Akihabra and the Ghibli Museum! One of my sons even got a tattoo in Shinjuku. Food is so cheap in Japan and everywhere is so clean and safe. We had an amazing time!

Activity Reviews

Chase Cherry Blossom in Tokyo

Tokyo

We weren't able to go chasing the cherry blossoms all over Tokyo, but we did see some in Sumida Park. It was very early in the season (around March 22nd) , so we only saw a handful, but they were very lovely.

Quality of Experience

Kyoto’s Cultural Treasures: Fushimi Inari-Taisha, Kiyomizu-dera & Gion District

Japan

We only went to see Fushimi Inari-Taisha due to time constraints. We climbed all the way to the top -- quite an achievement! There are about 6000 - 7000 steps to get to the top. The woods surrounding the shrine all the way up were very pretty.

Quality of Experience

Kimono Tea Ceremony at Kyoto Maikoya

Kyoto

Quality of Experience

Full Day Nara Experience From Osaka (Overnight in Kyoto)

Japan

Quality of Experience

Kumamoto One Piece Statue Tour

Kumamoto

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

We had the trip of a lifetime to Norway and Finland…Thanks to Moonika! She was absolutely amazing! She kept us well informed on any updates to our activities and helped plan alternative options! We loved all the accommodations that were selected for our group! We loved the location of our hotel in Tromso! It was centrally located and we could walk pretty much anywhere in town! We also loved the hotel in Senja! Loved the cottages right on the water and we enjoyed the hot tub in the snow! That was an awesome experience! The owner of Norwegian Wilde was such a lovely person! We loved talking to her every morning at breakfast!
The Northern Lights Ranch was awesome! Loved lying in bed and watching the snow fall and the stars above! The food there was delicious and the staff was amazing! We loved Kristina in the restaurant! She was so sweet and looked out for us!
Our snowshoeing experience was so much fun! We had such an awesome guide! We loved Andres! He made my first experience snowshoeing so much fun!
We were so happy that we got to see the Northern Lights several times on our trip! The best was our last night at the Ice Hotel & Glass Igloos! Loved that they had an aurora warning alarm in our room! We knew when to look out for them!
This was such an amazing experience and loved the trip! Thank you Moonika again for taking such good care of us! Can’t wait to return and explore more!

It was a wonderful trip a couple hiccups, but they’re bound to happen on a long trip like mine was. One thing I could mention is that flying from Quito to Baltra Island. I was not told there was a stop in between. I was very tired and I was dead asleep and didn’t really hear or understand the announcement and consequently when we landed I thought we were there and I got off had to book another flight myself and a hotel and get on the flight the next morning to go to Baltra while at the airport, I talked to a girl the same thing happened to her. She was not told there was a stop over and she had gone to sleep as well so.
But for the most part, the trip was wonderful. I was always picked up on time brought back the guides and the drivers were wonderful. The hotels were excellent except in QUITO I had to have cold showers. Other than that my showers were all hot, but that hotel was very nice even with the cold showers. The quality of the tours were terrific. I enjoyed every one of them one person who is very instrumental in helping me was Leo QUITO who came to the hotel and explained several things to me that I didn’t understand and that made a world of difference. I have told many many people how my tour was organized because as travelling alone, I spoke to everybody and they all wanted to know about my tour for one person for such a long period of time so I told them Kim Kim was an excellent company and I had used it a couple times before and would definitely be using it again. Weather was excellent so that was a good time to go. Things weren’t as expensive as I thought they would be food was excellent all in all. It was a trip of a lifetime thank you Dorothy McConville Vancouver Canada.

Seven of us (college class mates) did a Patagonia trip using KimKim. Erin as well as Jessica (Dittmar Adventures ) worked with us to customize our plan the way we liked it under her expertise. They helped us all the way through the trip. We did three beautiful hikes including Mirador base Torres, Laguna de Los Tres and Laguna Torre. We are all over sixty years old and different in fitness. Some did not compete all three hikes but we all completed one hike (Laguna de Los Tres) because of Fran, our guide from Walk Patagonia. She taught us the techniques to hike in this terrain when and how long to stop for water and snacks.

Moonika did an amazing job of booking everything and going with the flow to rearrange things upon some cancellations or additional requests!

Hotel Reviews

Arctic SnowHotel & Glass Igloos

Rovaniemi

Just to see all the ice hotel rooms and ice sculptures was amazing! Sadly the warm weather had caused some melting

Authenticity & Character

Very unique! You could tell all the hard work that was put into creating such a place!

Location

Staff

Shayne was an amazing host, safety guide and was helpful to answer all our questions!!

Cleanliness & Comfort

Northern Lights Ranch

Köngäs

What a cute and unique property!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Very remote , but great place to enjoy nature and see the northern lights

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Cahkal Hotel

Kilpisjärvi

Nice hotel, the clothes dryers were a nice touch! The sauna was nice. The 3 course dinner menu was really tasty. Christina was an awesome dinner host we enjoyed chatting with her!!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Not too much around the area, but good place to enjoy nature

Staff

Christina and Lena both were awesome and helpful

Cleanliness & Comfort

Norwegian Wild

Vangsvik

Absolutely beautiful cabins and location!!

Authenticity & Character

The cabins were so unique and allowed beautiful views of the water and the northern lights

Authenticity & Character

The cabins were so unique and allowed beautiful views of the water and the northern lights

Location

Such natural beauty everywhere

Location

Such natural beauty everywhere

Staff

It was nice to meet the owner and hear about the history of this facility. She definitely has passion for her vision of creating a serene place to enjoy nature!!

Staff

It was nice to meet the owner and hear about the history of this facility. She definitely has passion for her vision of creating a serene place to enjoy nature!!

Cleanliness & Comfort

Cleanliness & Comfort

Enter St Elisabeth Suites & Spa

Tromso

Very nice rooms and the spa was amazing!!!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Up a steep hill from the main shopping street

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Scandic Ishavshotel

Tromsø

Clean , quiet and comfortable , rooms a bit small and the lighting switches were a little tricky to figure out.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Right on the water

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Dinner at Ice Restaurant

Sinettä

The food was pretty good. The restaurant and all the ice sculptures were fascinating. Unique experience overall.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Husky Safari (10km)

Finland

OMG, these dogs are AMAZING! Despite some but warmer than normal conditions the staff made sure the route was safe for the dogs. It was awesome to be on the sled and feel their power! The were so excited and happy to run!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Senja Scenic Route Tour

Senja

Our guide Rikki Martin took us to some great sights , so cool to see the beauty of the island and the natural landscape!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Reindeer Feeding & Northern Lights Experience

Tromsø

The reindeer feeding was great they are very cute and learning about the Sami culture from Jon Michael was very interesting!

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Northern Lights Hunting Tour

Tromsø

Arbo was an amazing guide. He really went out of his way to take us far out to try to see some northern lights despite some cloudy weather condition conditions. We did see a bit and he took some great pictures for us.! He also did a great job at trying to keep us warm with a great fire and warm meals !

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Arctic Fjord Cruise

Tromsø

The weather really put a damper on some views and we weren’t able to go to the fishing village , but the crew made the most of it by providing more informational content and samples of the fish for us.

Quality of Experience

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Transport

Omar, our driver, was incredible. He was warm, kind, and professional -- he kept us safe, fed, and laughing the entire time! He was knowledgeable about every place we went to, and so kindly shared his culture with us. We couldn't imagine being there without him. Will 100% recommend him and Original Travels to all of our friends in the states!

The activities were incredible, without exception.
The local guides were fantastic, all spoke very good English.

We encountered a few issues on the ground:
- we were not on the list of passengers in our first boat activity and tried unsuccessfully to reach out to the Kimkim team. We managed to resolve the issue ourselves, but it wasn't a good experience.
- our contact info was not shared beforehand with one of the tour operators (kayaks) which created coordination problems.
- we were not explained beforehand if we needed to purchase entry passes to the TDP park. Our first guide asked us to buy them and we did. The guide the next day said that those were purchased on our behalf by her. To date, I don't know whether we bought them twice or not.
- Our itinerary had the wrong start time for one of the activities, consequently we waited a long time to begin the activity (no fault of the guide on the ground).

Activity Reviews

Day Trip to a Patagonian Estancia

Chile

Quality of Experience

Food

Best meal of the trip

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Hiking in Torres del Paine, Aionikenk and Laguna Azul

Chile

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Torres del Paine Full Day Private Tour

Chile

Carla was an amazing guide

Quality of Experience

Food

Mediocre lunch box

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Kayak Lago & Rio Grey

Chile

The best overall experience we had in TDP

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Boat Tour to Bernardo O Higgins National Park, Serrano & Balmaceda Glaciers

Puerto Natales

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

This was our first time in Morocco and we loved it! The tour agency did an excellent job picking out the itinerary and Riad hotels. Our favorite Riads were in Chefchauen, Fes, and Marrakech. They really stood out in quality and service! We had a great driver Ilyace who spoke perfect English and was so helpful! Besides driving us, he did little extras, like finding us the safest ATM bank machines and even found a local laundry service. He always kept in touch with us as to when and where he would drop us off and pick us up. It was a very relaxing trip and the we saw the highlights of Morocco in 14 days. All of the optional tours were also wonderful! We loved the Hammans and the cooking class in Marrakesh. Maison D'Arabe did a great job!! Hiking to the Falls in Imlil and Ourika Falls was also fun! Morocco is a beautiful country with such a diverse landscape. The people are so friendly and we felt very welcomed.

Hotel Reviews

Riad Mimouna

Essaouira

The staff was wonderful; however there wasn't in room safe so we kept our passports at the front desk. The breakfast was wonderful and Essaouira is beautiful and a relaxing place for 3 nights. I found the rooms to be a bit dark.

Authenticity & Character

Location

The Medinas are like a maze. It's a bit difficult at first to get around; especially when it is crowded.

Staff

The staff were friendly and very helpful.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Yes We Camp

Marrakech

We only stayed one night. There weren't a lot of tourists. It was almost empty. It rained hard the first night, so we didn't do the camel ride. Unless you did the 4 wheel ATV or camel ride, there wasn't much to do. It was a beautiful setting but again there wasn't much to do there.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

We didn't have much hot water. The hot water in the shower only lasted about 5 minutes then it went cold.

Riad Jnane Imlil

Imlil, Asni Marrakech

Beautiful decor. It was a bit out of the way to get to. However, Lucy the mule was a great help. The dinner was excellent and I'm glad we could eat at the hotel because I didn't want to go out to eat since it was not an easy place to walk around at night.

Authenticity & Character

Location

I wish it wasn't so difficult to get to. However it was in a beautiful setting. Our room faced a small waterfall.

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Riad Le Pèlerin

Marrakech

It's a nice, small intimate Riad. Beautiful decor. Wonderful staff. We stayed there for a total of 4 nights so we had the chance to get to know the staff. There was only 3 men that we met. They were very friendly and helpful.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

They were short staffed, so one of the times we stayed, they weren't able to help us with our luggage. That was the only negative. The one person at the front had to do everything, greet guests, serve breakfast and also be the porter. Perhaps they should hire a porter when the hotel is busy.

Cleanliness & Comfort

The rooms were all clean and very comfortable. We enjoyed the breakfast and they even gave us a key when we went out in the evening.

Barceló Casablanca

Casablanca

It was ok. It could have been any hotel in the States. Again we only stayed one night so it was fine for one night. It did have a nice breakfast buffet.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

The staff wasn't very friendly

Cleanliness & Comfort

Riad Maison Bleue And Spa

Fes

This was the most beautiful Riad on our trip! The service was excellent! The rooms were spacious and beautiful! The staff was wonderful.

Authenticity & Character

Location

I loved the decor. Beautiful color. It was easy to find.

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Lina Ryad & Spa

Chefchaouen

This was a beautiful Riad. The Riad gave us the top floor where we had a wonderful view of the city. The staff was very nice and made reservations for us. I had my first Hamman at the Riad.

Location

We loved the decor and that it was quiet and relaxing.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Riad Kalaa 2

Rabat

We only stayed one night here. We loved the decor but we weren't happy with the restaurant they recommended. Since it was our first night, we wished we could had advance reservations at the hotel restaurant. We were tired after a long flight and it would have been nice to have been able to eat there.

Authenticity & Character

The Riad was a bit dark. However we only spent one night there.

Location

Again, we only spent one night. The decor was very authentic.

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Guided Tour of Essaouira

Essaouira

We love Essaouira and visiting the Jewish synagogue was fascinating. I didn't know that Morocco had a large Jewish community.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Nice guide! He was very informative

Guided Mule Trek in Toubkal National Park

Morocco

Mostly walked up to the Falls and rode the Mule down.

Quality of Experience

Transport

We loved Lucy our mule. She was very sweet.

A Relaxing Hammam Experience: The Art of Moroccan Wellness

Morocco

It was a great experience; however it was so touristy. I could see they appealed to the mass tourists groups.

Quality of Experience

Three Hour Cooking Workshop at La Maison Arabe

Marrakesh

The restaurant staff did a great job! We loved the set up and equipment. They did great job explaining Moroccan cooking and ingredients.

Quality of Experience

Visit Majorelle Gardens

Morocco

Beautiful gardens. I'm glad we went toward the end of the day. It was very crowded.

Quality of Experience

Half-Day Guided Tour of Marrakech

Marrakesh

Quality of Experience

Dine with a Local Family

Morocco

The family that hosted us were wonderful. The son, our host spoke very good English. The food was delicious and very authentic. They took time explaining the food and the customs in a typical Berber family. It was a great experience!!

Quality of Experience

Transport

Guided Tour of Fez Medina

Fes

We had a wonderful guide. He was young and had a great sense of humor.

Quality of Experience

The people in Morocco are very friendly. We felt safe and didn't feel threatened by pick pockets. However we were always careful. What I disliked the most were the mopeds and motorcycles in the Medinas. They were loud and obnoxious always honking at the pedestrians. I wish they would ban them in the Medinas.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

The car was clean and comfortable and we had an excellent driver.

Chefchaoeun to Fez via Volubilis, Moulay Idriss & Meknes

Morocco

It was a wonderful tour and we learned so much about the Romans in Morocco,. It is well worth visiting.

Quality of Experience

We loved the cooking school in Marrakesh and the Hamman experience. I wouldn't recommend the Hamman in Marrakesh. It was too crowded and so busy. We loved the Hamman in Essaouria. It was called the Dar L'Oussia spa and hotel. That one was the best. If you have a small group, I would recommend a private Hamman at a hotel. It's just more relaxing and quiet. The one in Marrakesh was very touristy!! When your guest are preparing their trip, I would warn them about Ramadan. Driving long distances during Ramadan isn't too easy as well as finding shops and gas stations open in the smaller, rural areas.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Our drive Ilyace was wonderful. Spoke great English, no accent. We had a great local guide in Fes. All of the local guides were great!

Transport

Wonderful, comfortable SUV . It was just my husband and I. However the driver was great and stopped when we needed to. It was a bit difficult during Ramadan to find a service station open.

Everything worked out well. We had no hitches, delays, obstacles during our entire 9 days. We went primarily to see the Northern Lights which we did see really well the second night on a guided trip. Made it well worth it. But I think for both my brother and me the highlight of the week might have been learning how to mush huskies. We thought we would get a nice tour of the husky farm and a demonstration but we actually got trained in how to drive a sled and manage the dogs and then we drove the sled for 6 miles! Great experience through "Visit Inari." we also went net fishing/ ice fishing with a biologist on a nearby lake. This was also a great experience learning how to net fish and having the opportunity the ice fish. We caught a trout in the nets and grilled it right on the lake. Our biologist was a great resource about all things nature related. We also visited a reindeer farm which was nice. We got to feed the reindeer and then went to their house and cooked reindeer steaks. Nice experience.
The hotel Inari was fine but the hotel Fabian in Helsinki was excellent. The staff went out of their way to give us directions and help. And a fabulous breakfast! Our tour guide in Helsinki was also excellent.
I would say it's very important to make sure visitors know about renting cold weather gear in Inari. The "Visiting Inari' office was great about it and very flexible and they provided insulated overalls, socks, boots and gloves. These were essential for the dog sledding and the ice fishing and should be clearly spelled out not to go out without them.
I did not go to the Sami museum in Inari but my brother did and he thought that should definitely be an emphasized part of the Inari experience.
And lastly I would like to highlight Moonika who was radically available anytime I reached out to her. months before our visit and during the entire time we were in Finland. I think she answered all my questions within 10 or 15 minutes after I emailed her. And everything worked out perfectly -- all of our drivers were great and friendly and competent.
And let me say the Finnish people were wonderful. Everyone we met was helpful and friendly and eager to answer our questions. I was not prepared that everyone spoke fluent English! Puts the U.S. to shame :)
I would highly recommend this tour to anyone. I have a good friend who is a travel agent in the U.S. and I have given her Moonika's contact info.
Thank you!

I would highly recommend this tour to anyone

Hotel Reviews

Hotel Inari

Inari

a good experience. clean hotel and staff was friendly. great location. I believe there is no room service / clean towels, etc unless you pay extra Breakfast is excellent. Dinner is excellent but a bit expensive

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Fabian

Helsinki

Great hotel. great location. staff was super friendly and helpful. the breakfast was fabulous

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Home Visit and Local Food Experience

Inari

great to visit the farm and learn all about reindeers and especially reindeers in Finland

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Arrive in Helsinki in Winter, Explore

Helsinki

Quality of Experience

Private Glass-Roof Sleigh Ride and Traditional Winter Net Fishing

Inari

Our guide was great. very knowledgeable about all things fishing and nature. spent a lot of time with us --- highly recommend this experience

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Husky Experience

Inari

The highlight of our trip ! the tour and staff were excellent and it's not just a demonstration. you actually learn the drive the sled and manage the dogs and then go out for 10 kms!!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Northern Lights Tour with Professional Photos

Finland

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Helsinki City Walking Tour (2h)

Helsinki

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

We had an amazing time on our Thailand adventure! Pom was our guide in Bangkok and was fun and knowledeable. Mona was our guide in Chiang Mai and was kind and knowledgable. We had an amazing time in Phuket and highly recommend the sea canoe tour. Our guides were fun and engaging and the views were gorgeous. Hoa was exceptional and did a great job coordinating to make this vacation incredible!

Iceland in the winter can be a challenge but a wonderful challenge if your guide prepares you!. Gummi was a great guide through KimKim! In a short but action packed week we were able to see the Snaefellsnes peninsula, reykjavik, the golden circle, a lava cave, a glacier, ice caves, northern lights, number of waterfalls, Vik, and a whale watching tour. Make sure your rental has studded tires and use the weather and safe roads apps to check on things everyday. I really can't say enough about our service. We had to make many adaptations but missed on nothing. We got some great personal recommendations and also hit the big attractions. Iceland is a wonderful gem. Next time we will see it in summer!