Kimkim Trip Reviews

Our local specialist Hoa was excellent in helping plan our Thailand vacation! We appreciated her communication before, during, and after the trip. She would reach out daily to check on our group and address any issues that arose (there were none).

Our tour guides Nana (Bangkok), Bam (Chiang Mai), and Billy (Krabi) took great care of everyone in the group, from the kids to the seniors. Also our guides during the excursions, Boy at Elephant Eco Valley and Mr. A at SeaKayak Krabi, were wonderful as well.

Hotel Reviews

Varana Krabi Hotel

Excellent breakfast buffet and restaurant. Great resort for active vacationers such as swimming, working out, yoga, rock climbing, Muay Thai boxing.

Authenticity & Character

Great for active people.

Location

Walking distance to the beach and restaurants.

Staff

All the staff was friendly.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Clean and spacious rooms.

Nysa Hotel Bangkok Sukhumvit 11

Bangkok

Great location, only 15 minute walk to Terminal 21 shopping mall. Very busy hotel. Breakfast buffet staff were not very friendly though. Some guests were sitting with their bare feet on the couch and coffee table in the lounge area.

Authenticity & Character

Breakfast dining staff could be friendlier.

Location

Close to 7-11 and Terminal 21 mall.

Staff

Breakfast dining staff could be nicer. It was very busy so maybe they were under a lot of stress.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Rooms were clean and spacious.

Solitaire Bangkok Sukhumvit 11

Bangkok

Great location, only 15 minute walk to Terminal 21 shopping mall. Excellent breakfast buffet.

Authenticity & Character

Clean and modern design.

Location

Close to Terminal 21 mall.

Staff

Staff was friendly and helpful.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Clean and spacious rooms.

De Chai The Colonial Hotel & Spa

Chiang Mai

Great location, only 15 minute walk to the night market. Good breakfast buffet.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Only a 15 minute walk to the night market.

Staff

Staff was friendly and helpful.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Clean and spacious rooms.

Activity Reviews

Doi Inthanon National Park - A Touch of Nature

Chiang Mai

Great place to go hiking and learn about the Hmong people native to the area.

Quality of Experience

Food

Tom Yum soup, fried fish.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Railway Market & Floating Market

Bangkok

Wonderful activity for all ages and to buy souvenirs.

Quality of Experience

Food

Fried bananas, mango and sticky rice, noodles.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Chiang Mai Culture and Art

Chiang Mai

The kids enjoyed learning about the temple and the craftsmanship involved in the silver pieces. They loved making their own key chains out of aluminum.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Self-guided Bangkok Exploration

Bangkok

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Wat Umong & monk blessing

Chiang Mai

Very interesting tour about the history of the temple.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Private Elephant Rendezvouse & Bamboo Rafting in Mae Tang

Chiang Mai

Highlight of the trip. Learned how to take care of elephants, feed them, make paper from their poop, and bathe them.

Quality of Experience

Food

Fried rice, chicken satay.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Our excursion guide Boy was very knowledgeable.

Transport

Phi Phi Islands Discovery by Private Premium Speedboat

Krabi

Great place to play on the beach, snorkel, and dine on the beach.

Quality of Experience

Food

Pomelo salad

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Billy and the boat crew took excellent care of everyone.

Transport

Private Half Day Kayaking at Ao Thalane

Krabi

Fun activity for all ages. No paddling required if you hire a guide to paddle for you. Beautiful scenery. Lots of animals to see.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Mr. A and his crew were great. They were super friendly, knowledgeable, and helpful for people in our group that couldn’t paddle.

Transport

Night Street Food Tour After Dark by Tuk Tuk

Bangkok

Great way to try the street food without the fear of getting sick.

Quality of Experience

Food

Everything

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

The hotel was in the center of everything we explored and the staff was absolutely amazing and was very welcoming. I absolutely loved the dinner cruise as it was one of my favorites along with Disney land.
The tours were wonderful with lots of amazing history and art,
The metro made things alittle stressful at times into navigating the city.

Hotel Review

Hôtel Parc Saint Séverin

Paris

Such a great fit! The staff was welcoming and very accommodating and helped in any way you needed. Felt spoiled while we were there.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Haut Marais & Canal St Martin Food Tour

Paris

Loved trying all the famous and delicious foods of Paris!!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Nighttime Seine River Cruise with Dining Experience

Paris

Made this truly an amazing way to end the trip. It was amazing.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

We had an absolutely wonderful time on this trip to Northern Ireland and Scotland! Salome did an extraordinary job planning the trip, and patiently took into account our many updates and requests. We ran into just a couple of minor hiccups during the trip, but Salome and kimkim were instantly reachable and quickly (within minutes) resolved them. I would highly recommend kimkim to anyone, and will definitely use them again in the future.

During this trip, we visited Belfast, Glasgow, Inverness, Isle of Skye, and Edinburgh. Kimkim reserved excellent hotels for us at each location, with the highlight being the Tigerlily in Edinburgh. Of these locations, Isle of the Skye was the only one where we ran into any difficulties. Not only is Isle of Skye out of the way, it is also not equipped for the large number of tourists it receives. We stayed in Portree, the largest town on the Isle, and found it very difficult to find restaurants with availabilities for dinner. Most restaurants and shops there close relatively early. Private transportation and taxi service is difficult to arrange as well.

One other note is that while kimkim arranged for private transportation for most transition points, we did have to move our own luggage to and from the train stations to our local hotels. This was typically a 10 to 20 minute walk that could be uphill over ragged streets. We probably would have chosen this over any additional expense, but others may feel differently.

Linda was an amazing vacation coordinator! She suggested many activities that I never would have found on my own. It was so easy to have transportation and accommodations arranged in advance. Our favorite activities were the fjord safari and floating sauna in Flam and our stay at Bestebakken.

Our family of 4 had an incredible trip to Prague, Vienna and Budapest in June 2025. I liked working with Clemens, Kamilla and Andrew. They even encouraged a send-off call to review the trip plans prior to our departure. Hands down, Prague was our favorite probably because of the medieval feel and our hotel was perfectly located. In Vienna, Kamilla made excellent dinner reservations and suggestions and we probably had our favorite and most memorable dinner based off of her reservation - at Plachutta and ordered Tafelspitz! We really enjoyed our e-bike tour in Vienna. This tends to be favorite family activity for us when we travel and Vienna is the perfect place for e-biking. We enjoyed Budapest but our hotel was farther away from the action. However, we were in very large hotel suite that was fantastic for a family of 4. And it was part of a large mall that my teenagers really enjoyed.

Hotel Reviews

Hotel At the Golden Scissors (U Zlatých nůžek)

Prague

Loved everything about this hotel! Even the restaurant had incredible food and the breakfast was perfect. The only issue was no elevator - so walking the steps to the top floor but that is Europe for you. Perfect location, perfect place!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Austria Classic hotel

Vienna

Great hotel and super friendly staff. The suana and fitness were under construction and not usable. That is the only reason for the 4 stars.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Crowne Plaza Budapest

Budapest

Nice hotel but farther from where we wanted to be. The suite was amazing but the a/c didn't work well.

Authenticity & Character

It's modern, not historic.

Location

Farther from where we wanted to be.

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

A/C didn't work well but they provided fans.

Activity Reviews

Candlelight Dinner Cruise

Budapest

Loved this .Exactly what we were looking forward to.

Day Trip from Prague to Bohemian and Saxon Switzerland

Prague

This is an incredibly long day. You will sweat and be exhausted. It is something to know ahead of time. We didn't anticipate how much of a hiking day this would be - lots of elevation and steep hills.

E-Bike through Vienna - Highlight Tour - private

Vienna

🎵 Classical Concert Extravaganza: Vienna Baroque Orchestra 🎶

Vienna

This was more informal than we were expecting. I think we just had the wrong expectations. We dressed up but then most were in shorts and tshirts.

Guided Tour Old Town Prague & Jewish Quarter

Prague

Dana was great but we were so tired after just arriving in Prague from a long day of travel. We shouldn't have booked something right at our arrival.

Krista did a great job coordinating everything for us; wonderful ideas and and reservation selection. Your 24-hour support team was super helpful along the way...that is a great service. its almost impossible to get ahold of anyone these days, and that service was top notch.

Thank you!
Keith and Sydney

We worked with Majo and Steven to plan our Ecuadorian adventure, which included the Napo Cultural Center in the Amazon, Chilcabamba in the Andean region, and Casa Aliso to close out the trip in Quito. Majo was patient and thoughtful as we went back and forth about the details of our itinerary. She adapted to our wants/needs and the result was a well-planned and executed trip with a lot of moving parts. Our tour guide, Luis, in the Amazon was a 10/10. Incredible wealth of knowledge and really made our time in the jungle special. Chilcabamba was a modern, rustic lodge surrounded by wildflowers and beautiful views of several volcanoes. The food prepared by the staff was fresh, local and delicious. Casa Aliso in Quito was perfectly situated for those that enjoy exploring the city on their own as it was very safe, and centrally located to dining hot spots, shops and local attractions. Taking the metro to the old city was a breeze and felt totally safe (also an incredible engineering feat). Majo & Steven went above and beyond to ensure everything was going according to plan and that we were happy. They checked in on us regularly on the what’s app thread and were highly responsive when we had questions. We also enjoyed meeting them at a local brewery to share insights from the trip. They were sweet, sincere and full of knowledge about what makes Ecuador special. Overall, we feel like we stumbled upon a gem with KimKim and we have been recommending to friends & family since. Thank you for an unforgettable adventure. We’ll be back!

Melanie made this family trip a once in a lifetime trip. We started planning over 20 months ahead and she led me through all the necessary details once I laid out things we wanted to see and places we wanted to visit. She set up a couple of unbelievable events that made the trip beyond description. I had 13 of my family the first week and 11 continued onto week 2. She made all the arrangements for our visit from hotels and tour guides; all of which were the best! I even asked her to make some dinner reservations away from tourists and they were all great restaurants reserved! The suggestion of the private boat tour out to Capri was worth the entire trip - it was fabulous! My daughter and granddaughters called her throughout the trip to locate the tour guides or see verify the plans for the day and she was always available to us. In fact, there were times when I called from the states and it was late at night, when she was homes with her kids but still answered the phone and handled all my questions. She and her team were the greatest! I would never do an Italy tour without them!

Joao and team did an excellent job to customize our experience. Excellent time all around. Thanks to the team!

The process of getting a trip plan organised and the communication with Tina/Kim Kim throughout the process was great. It is possible that there was some misunderstanding about exactly what we were after but this was probably not Tinas fault. We were disappointed with Bangkok and found our tour to be too long, too detailed and the family lost interest. We cancelled our day 2 tour for this reason. Our excursions in Chang Mai were generally great, except for mountain trip which was completely fogged out and we could see nothing. The elephant sanctuary and the cooking class were fabulous. The company we did our diving in Koh Tao was also a great. Some of the other tours were not as good. When you say small group tours I expected maybe 10 people, not 30 something as was the case with the Ang Thong Marine Park trip. The boat was packed, no room to move and you could not see out of it. The whole day was like herding sheep from one overcrowded destination to another with too much time at each. I would have much preferred a private trip and would have been happy to pay for it.

Hotel Reviews

The Inside House

Chiang Mai

Amazing hotel, just beautiful. Staff and amenities and the attention to detail was superb. Cannot rate highly enough.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Sairee Hut Resort

Surat Thani

Lovely stafff and great location. Rooms are a bit dated but very comfortable .

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Garrya Tongsai Bay Samui

Surat Thani

The resort is lovely. The grounds and accommodation are beautiful & the pool and private beach superb. the staff are just lovely and the breakfast is great. My only small criticism is that the resort is a 15 minute ($20 aud) grab ride from Chaweng. As such I think the resort should offer a regular free shuttle service in and out.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Koh Kret Island Adventure: Culture, Biking, and Local Experiences

Bangkok

Didn't do it. Was told there was nothing open on the island on a Monday, it was super hot and wondered why it was suggested.

Traditional Thai Massage at Fah Lanna Spa

Chiang Mai

This was not a pleasant experience for the family as a whole. I enjoyed the massage as I like a firm remedial massage however my family hated it. I don't understand why you would recommend this type of experience. It would have been so much nicer if it was a relaxation massage with oil not a pounding. Really disappointed

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

We all loved Mr Toy. What a delight

Transport

Welcome to Bangkok!

Bangkok

As our plane was late, we only went to the food street. We felt rushed through the street and not really able to stop and look at things. At the end we found out we weren't going to go back up the street. We ended up having dinner in a nearby restaurant. We did not need a guide to do this.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Elephant Nature Park Visit

Chiang Mai

This was a great morning. The elephant sanctuary is wonderful and to be up close to the elephants and see them thriving in their new environment was wonderful.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Exploring Bangkok by local transfers and walking tour

Bangkok

Nina was a wealth of information, however we didn't really want to know every intricate detail about each temple. She was lovely but when I tried to explain that the family was losing interest she didn't really understand. In the end we cut the tour short.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Fun Diving (Scuba diving certification not need)

Koh Tao

We had a great day and the company we used were very professional and lovely. Unfortunately we got bad weather and the second dive was very average.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

A Day trip to Doi Inthanon National Park!

Chiang Mai

There is no point in going on this day trip if the weather isn't perfect. We were ill equipped. It was wet and cold. We could see nothing as there was a fog completely blacking out the views and the pagodas. We felt it was a waste of a day.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Grandma's Home Cooking School

Chiang Mai

This was a really fun day. The food we cooked, our guide and the whole experience was wonderful

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Angtong National Marine Park

Thailand

This was sold to us as a small group tour. I do not consider 30 plus people a small group. the trip to the first island takes nearly 2 hours. You are squashed in a speedboat with your knees touching the seat in front of you. You cannot see out of the boat unless you stand up. The destinations are pretty but are overcrowded with 100's of people on similar excursions. You spend too much time at each place and it is like herding sheep.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

We had a wonderful trip to London (2 days) followed by a week in Scotland. Justine set us up with two fabulous walking tours (thanks Guy and Gareth) and the best hotels! Highly recommend. Loved Edinburgh!

Hotel Reviews

The Clermont London, Victoria

London

Excellent location, friendly staff, nice breakfast, lobby was great! Room was small with no view.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Market Street Hotel

Edinburgh

Excellent location, fabulous breakfast (best of our trip), free mini bar, great rooms (but no view). One staff member in the bar was very unpleasant on more than one occasion but all other service was great!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Tarradale Cottage

Portree

What a special treat! Excellent view of the water. Comfortable beds. Clean house. Nice to have all en suite bathrooms and laundry!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Cleanliness & Comfort

No 26 by the Sea

Oban

Wonderful staff from the moment we walked in (with a champagne toast). Superb made to order breakfast. Whole inn was incredible. Cozy and comfortable room with amazing views! Can’t say enough positive!! Quiet and peaceful!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

The Loch Lomond Guesthouse

Arden, Loch Lomond

Really nice family owned inn. Rooms were super clean with great Scottish plaid decorating and clean and cool bathrooms. They got up 30 min early to get us breakfast before our flight out. Really fresh and yummy breakfast.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Royal Morning Private Walking Tour

London

Guy was amazing! So much energy and so knowledgeable. He was extremely interested in the history and economics of London. We felt so fortunate to spend the morning learning and laughing with him!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Yay for Guy!

Entry tickets to The Churchill War Rooms

London

Best experience enhanced by having Guy walk us through and sharing his knowledge and passion. I think the audio guide would have been good but we were fortunate to have a special tour!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Private Walking Tour of Edinburgh with a Top Local Guide

Edinburgh

Gareth was very knowledgeable. We loved his stories! Learned so much in our three hours with him. Best way to start our time in Edinburgh

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Dalwhinnie Classic Distillery Tour

Scotland

Such a cool distillery. So much history. And loved that they stressed “to go” bottles to avoid drinking and drinking. Got to take home three samples and a Dalwhinnie glass to enjoy at home.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

We had a wonderful time on our trip to Morocco! Ali is the best travel agent I have ever worked with. He is very responsive and created a great itinerary y for us. The driver-guide was punctual, professional, had a clean car with AC and friendly. There was some variability with the local guides: the guide in Volubilis and Fez were good, but the one in Chefchaouen had limited knowledge of the local history. (We may have come in with high expectations as we were coming from Spain where we had guides who had graduate degrees in history or art history). We enjoyed staying at the Riads, with the exception of the riad in Fez. The Riad in Fez was beautiful but lacked in creature comforts: the beds were super firm, the towels in the bathrooms were worn out and the bread served at breakfast was stale. These details were surprising for a riad that is supposed to be 5-star! (We also strongly suspect we may have gotten food poisoning at this riad...). It would also have been helpful to have a better understanding of how much local crafts cost, it was unclear how we were supposed to attain that information. Nevertheless, we had an amazing trip to Morocco! Thank you!

Hotel Reviews

Riad Kalaa 2

Rabat

This was our favorite Riad! The beds were very comfortable, and the breakfast was excellent! Super fresh, delicious and in a beautiful courtyard.

Authenticity & Character

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Riad Salam Fes

Fes

This riad is beautiful but it lacks in creature comforts. The beds are super firm, which was a problem for us side sleepers (our hips hurt!). They put an extra comforter down for us but it only marginally improved comfort. The bathroom towels provided were old and worn. The toiletries weren't as nice as we were expecting for a 5-star place. At breakfast, we were served stale bread. Needless to say, we were disappointed.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Seemed close to things, but hard for us to know because we were advised not to wander on our own and were driven everywhere.

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Replace towels in the bathroom with ones that are new and plush. Make fresh breakfast. Change the mattresses on the beds.

Riad Lina

Chefchaouen

Rooms were beautiful and comfortable. Breakfast was solid (not memorable but that means it wasn't bad either :)). Our favorite part of this riad was the pool. They have you reserve an hour for your group, so it was private. This turned the experience into a really wonderful one! Its a beautiful pool and we enjoyed our time together there.

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Barceló Casablanca

Casablanca

Classic hotel. A little warm despite AC on the upper 8th floor. But otherwise comfortable. The staff were super nice and provided us with a little to-go breakfast at 5:30 am! (We were leaving for the airport and breakfast typically starts after 7am). We appreciated it.

Location

Staff

Activity Reviews

Chefchaoeun to Fez via Volubilis, Moulay Idriss & Meknes

Morocco

The highlight of our trip! Volubilis is a can't miss! Impressive roman ruins. Guide was solid.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Guided Exploration of the "Blue City" Chefchaouen

Chefchaouen

The guide was limited in his knowledge of the local history.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Enjoy a private transfer from Fes to Casablanca

Morocco

Driver was punctual and professional.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Guided Tour of Hassan II Mosque: Morocco's Architectural Marvel

Morocco

The guide gave a very broad overview of the mosque with limited information. The least informative guided tour we had during our entire trip. However, the mosque was worth visiting.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Family Mosaïc & Pottery Workshop

Morocco

This was really fun. We were essentially immersed into a mosaic/pottery co-op. The pieces they were selling seemed on the expensive side (we paid $250 USD for a tagine). But we figured we would be supporting the artisans.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Hammam & Spa experience in Fez

Fes

It was a solid spa experience, but nothing about it makes it stand out. We appreciated the convenience of it being in our riad but the fact that the riad was disappointing in many other ways it makes it hard to be enthusiastic about this experience.

Quality of Experience

Guided Tour of Fez Medina: Journey Through the World's Living Medieval City

Fes

Solid experience. Solid guide, though he could have expressed more enthusiasm for the content he was sharing. We appreciated the shops we were shown (tannery, argan oil)

Quality of Experience

Food

We were guided to a good restaurant with tasty Moroccan food.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Okay, but not excellent.

Transport

We just returned from an incredible trip to Greece and couldn't be happier with the experience. All of our hotels were excellent - comfortable, clean and perfectly located for easy access to sights and local restaurants. The tours were fun and engaging with knowledgeable guides who shared so much history and local insight. Our drivers were always punctual and professional, taking the stress out of getting from place to place. Highly recommend Kim Kim (Lea and Siena) for anyone wanting to explore Greece without a single worry.

Hotel Reviews

Abelonas Retreat Sunset & Sunrise Lodgings

Santorini

Great location, beautiful views from the balcony. Claen and comfortable. Delicious breakfast delivered to your room.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

City Lion

Heraklion Crete

Great location close to shopping and restaurants. Clean, comfortable and updated rooms.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

NLH Monastiraki

Athens

Great location near shops, sites and restaurants. Friendly staff. Very comfortable and clean rooms,

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Review

Private Island Villages & Akrotiri Day Trip

Santorini

Great tour for travel around Santorini. Sakis was our guide and he was very knowledgeable and shared lots of history and local insight. Akrotiri was fascinating and as a bonus in an enclosed space out of the sun. Megalochori was a quaint village and the cave house tour was very interesting.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

I will start out by saying that this was by far the most we have ever spent on a 2 week family vacation, not including the airfare to and from Japan. However, the itinerary looked great and covered 5 locations in total, so we decided to go for it. I can now say that I have zero regrets and feel like we got a lot of value out of working with Kimkim, and in particular with our travel specialist, Eleanor.

As background, My family lived in Tokyo for 6 months back in 2017, and I lived in Kobe for a few years back in the mid 90's, so I speak Japanese and we are familiar with the culture, getting around, etc. We started our planning several months ahead of time, corresponding with Eleanor over chat. For our trip in mid-June, we wanted to visit familiar spots in Tokyo, and also stop by Kansai (Kyoto or Osaka), Hiroshima, Koyasan, Hokkaido (for the cooler climate), and Okinawa. We ended up dropping Okinawa because we would be too rushed and the flights would be a challenge.

We made some adjustments to the initial itinerary to reduce the cost, but Eleanor had wisely recommended against public transportation in some cases due to the extreme heat and humidity in June, and because it would be challenging in some cases to get a taxi for 4 people plus a guide. In some locations, it was easier to book 2 hotel rooms instead of a single room that fit all 4 of us, and we were comfortable doing that with our 12 and 15 year old boys since we knew Japan was very safe compared to the US. While we were sorting out trip details, we booked our flights to Japan, taking into consideration airline and timing advice that Eleanor provided. Once we had all the major parts in place, we made our deposit!

In the months before the trip, Eleanor checked in periodically, and gave us updates as she reserved trains (Shinkansen/bullet train) and domestic flights. We also make some minor adjustments to itinerary before our departure due to unforeseen circumstances and, Eleanor also caught a discrepancy between the itinerary and our return date. We really appreciated her professionalism and flexibility during those moments!

When we finally started our trip, we really understood the benefits of working with a Kimkim travel specialist - their extensive local knowledge and excellent service! It was a luxury to have private transfers to and from the airports. We had 2 larger suitcases for the adults and the kids each had a smaller carry-on sized bag, but we also each had backpacks. Spaces tend to be tighter in general in Japan, so it was nice to not have to wrangle our luggage onto trains to get around. Eleanor also strongly recommended car service from Kyoto to Koyasan. While I have been to Koyasan a few times before and always took trains and buses, it made things much easier and more relaxing.

Eleanor checked in with us regularly, and we were able to make some other small changes to our itinerary after getting to Japan, such as adjusting pickup and train times. We also had a minor issue with the included breakfasts at one hotel that Eleanor promptly resolved.

The private tours were all very good - we had guides who spoke very good English and were well-prepared to tell us about the sites they took us to. In some cases we had a private car, and in other cases we took public transportation, and the guides took care of purchasing train, bus, and ferry fares as well as entry fees to attractions. The only part that wasn't included was lunch in the middle of the day, but our guides recommended places to eat based on our preferences. A highlight for us was the Moss Canyon (or Corridor, aka Koke no Kairo) and Lake Shikotsu tour. The hike was relatively easy and short, but the ecosystem in Moss Canyon was magical - we saw many different types of moss, spider, mushrooms, snails, etc. It was a chance to be more mindful and present during a busy trip. In retrospect, I would have had days with shorter itineraries as we were often more tired than expected due to the hot and humid weather, but worth noting that while Hokkaido was still pretty warm, the air was more dry, similar to what we're used to in California.

All of the accommodations were also good, though each had their pros and cons. We had a few places with laundry facilities onsite, and almost all had breakfast included. They were always within walking distance of restaurants and shops, though some were in more industrial areas. The standouts were Umekoji Kadensho in Kyoto -- which was entirely shoes-free and had both private and public onsen baths -- and Rengejoin, a buddhist temple in Koyasan. I had stayed there before a few times, but this time we stayed in the stunning Himalaya suite.

All in all, we had a fabulous trip and were so grateful for the planning and support throughout from Eleanor!

The organisation & planning of the trip was great & the guides excellent
My only critique would be that apart from Oslo the hotel rooms were very small although the hotel staff everywhere were excellent

Activity Reviews

Explore Oslo's Hidden Gems with a Local Expert

Oslo

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Ko

Transport

Oslo Dinner Cruise

Oslo

Quality of Experience

Food

Transport

Waterfall Hike & Stegastein Viewpoint

Norway

The guide was great the weather very poor

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Fjord Safari Taste

Norway

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Scenic Boat Trip to Fjærland

Norway

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Bergen Walking Tour With a Local Guide

Bergen

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Visiting Japan, a country none of us had ever visited before, was a little daunting. Angel made excellent suggestions that enabled us to fulfill specific requests while also having memorable experiences. We were very happy with the expertise of our guides, which was first noticed as we navigated public transportation (trains, subways, buses, etc.). The guides answered all of our questions about local landmarks and provided good suggestions for modifying or augmenting our tours. We walked a lot of steps and endured a lot of heat, which is to be expected in June. The rain wasn't too bad, and in truth, we appreciated the guides popping into air-conditioned shops/stores as we moved about the cities.
Tokyo was a large area, and we crisscrossed the city via subway, seeing multiple shrines and temples, but also museums and eating locations. There was a lot more green in each city than we expected, and walking through gardens and greenbelts was helpful to counteract the heat. We had a good experience riding the bullet train (shinkansen) and had oversized luggage seats (which we probably didn't need since we only had a carry-on and backpack each). There were many last-minute questions that we asked of our local specialist (Angel), and she answered them all very quickly. I was happy to feel like we had some flexibility to alter our itinerary (during our tour days) on the recommendation of our guides, with the intent to avoid crowds or remain cool during the hot part of the day. Overall, each of our guides had excellent English and demonstrated very good local knowledge. We were able to answer most of the questions about Japan's history and some of its significant cultural aspects due to a thorough explanation from the guides prior. We remained in awe of the order and control of the society/country as a whole and remarked that we would return, as there were many areas that we didn't see. We were very happy with the KimKim experience and would use them again to build our itinerary on a future vacation.

Activity Reviews

Authentic Sumo Experience in Tokyo: Enter the Sanctuary

Tokyo

Learning about Sumo and watching the family participate was amazing. The sumo wrestlers were excellent - gracious and humble. We enjoyed their personalities and the lunch was very good. Finding and arriving on time was a little stressful as this was our first experience in Japan, but we persevered and had a great time. Having someone in the family to cheer for was an important part of the event. Photos were priceless.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Half Day Samurai Ninja Museum and Kimono Tea Ceremony at Kyoto Maikoya

Kyoto

Learning about Ninja/Samurai history and getting a chance to feel and touch the weapons (take pictures with) was fun. The tea ceremony with kimono was amazing - so much history and culture wrapped up in that event. My family very much enjoyed the matcha tea, and we found we loved the mochi (especially the cinnamon flavor). The host was very good at explaining the ritual but also at ensuring the customs were understood (and practiced).

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Kyoto Night Foodie Tour

Kyoto

Walking around at night gave us a different view of Kyoto and we appreciated the local food and drink. Our guide (Nami) was very accommodating and friendly. We were supposed to have another couple join us, but they cancelled so this became a defacto private tour. The food difference between Tokyo and Kyoto were noticeable - our guide explained why. Great experience on our last day in Japan.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

I feel like Rinolda was over-worked or overwhelmed or something; she was slow to get back to us, a little snappy, and repeatedly did not listen/ absorb what we were saying about our arrival dates being staggered. I wouldn't use the service again; we spent more time going back and forth with her than we would have actually planning it ourselves.

Every guide we had was outstanding! Marlene who was our guide/driver for Versailles was a spirited, well-informed, humous and marvelous guide! Sin Se was a lovely guide for our tour on/in Montmartre! Camille, our guide for the castle tours and winery in the Loire Valley was simply outstanding! She was fun, funny, accommodating, and knows how to pivot when things are not quite right, or requests are made. Her Dad ended up our driver the next day to take us to the Tour train station and he was kind enough to stop at the Cathedral in tour for us to get a quick glimpse. Normandy Sightseeing Tour guide Emma was phenomenal for our beaches and cemetery experience. We had great drivers, including Hischam, who managed our rides and luggage for the Mont St. Michel. There were many highlights of the trip, but near the top were Versailles, the Louvre, cruise down the Seine, stay in the castle at La Tortiniere, tour of the Normandy beaches, the castles in Loire Valley (Amboise and Chenonceau), the town of Bayeux, Mont St. Michel and being up in the Eiffel Tower. AND, the French people were consistently LOVELY!

Hotel Reviews

Domaine de la Tortinière

Veigne

I would ABSOLUTELY recommend this place to stay!!! It was a beautiful setting and the staff could not have been more accommodating and nice. The woman who greeted us who expressed sincere enthusiasm that we were there, the gentlemen (I think Andre was his name) who managed all our luggage, the staff who helped us figure out how to turn our shower on [;)], all seemed to want to provide a great stay for us, and they succeeded!

Authenticity & Character

To be able to stay in a chateau as beautiful, clean and lovely was a treat! The breakfast spread was fabulous!!!!

Location

It had STUNNING views and we LOVED having a pool to unwind after four fun-filled but hectic days in Paris.

Staff

The staff were so friendly and gracious!!!

Cleanliness & Comfort

Spotless!!!

Le Bayeux

Bayeux

The hotel was perfectly situated... close enough the the center hub for an easy walk, and distance enough to not have the night noises of people celebrating.

Authenticity & Character

Space in the rooms.

Location

Close enough to walk everywhere, but enough distance to not hear nighttime revelers.

Staff

Each shifts' staff was friendly, helpful and accommodating!

Cleanliness & Comfort

Very clean!

Auberge Saint-Pierre

LE MONT-SAINT-MICHEL

Super tight quarters!!! Centrally located on the rock which was nice.

Authenticity & Character

Total character - no ac, seagulls and pigeons who could enter one's room since there were no screens on windows!

Location

Room was tight for three.

Staff

Very little by way of dealings with staff. They were kind enough to allow us to leave our luggage in the dining area while we did a tour just before we left.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Maybe screens on the windows. Realistically, any place on the rock has its understandable limitations.

Hôtel Lorette - Astotel

Paris

Although there only one night, the rooms were lovely, clean. The area was very cool. The food/drink spread they have in the lobby for guests was unbelievable and fabulous! The staff was lovely.

Authenticity & Character

The refreshments in the lobby, the beautiful decor, the lovely staff... just terrific!

Location

Very cool area of Paris. Would have liked to explore it more if we'd had the time.

Staff

The night staff desk clerk was super helpful in giving us bags to put our soaking wet clothes (caught in the storm). The hotel had take-out breakfast bags for us which was so lovely since we were leaving so early in the morning.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Spotless!!!!

Activity Reviews

Paris: Illuminations Seine River Cruise

Paris

I loved this! It was such an incredible treat to be able to say that I was able to cruise down the Seine. I liked having the guide point out various sites, but she didn't overdo it! This ride was a highlight for me.

Quality of Experience

It was a great way to end a long day of walking and touring.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

The guide we had was well-versed and did not overdo on all she knew about what she was pointing out.

Transport

We had learned to navigate the Metro quite well!

Half-day Versailles & Gardens private tour

France

Can one really put into words how spectacular this place is?! It was BEAUTIFUL! Our guide could not have done a better job of navigating the crowds while simultaneously providing a wealth of information on the history. She also made sure she took pictures with all of us (7).

Quality of Experience

What a stellar piece of history that is being preserved and also providing such beautiful history.

Food

We got sandwiches and baked goods at our local bakery back near our Air BNB.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Marlene was a FABULOUS guide!! Her humor, her ability to navigate the crowds and the wealth of information she had was incredible.

Transport

Marlene navigated getting us in/out of Paris in crazy traffic while simultaneously pointing out historic places on the way out and back into the city.

Guided Family Tour of Montmartre

Paris

SinSe' was a terrific guide. It was an unexpected treat to see exactly where so many famous artists lived and painted. The stories those cobbled streets and hills own...amazing!

Quality of Experience

I enjoyed the history of the area - the artists, the martyr stories,...

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Sin se' did a great job! Getting to meet up with him via the Metro was a mess.

Transport

See above about navigating the Metro for this particular trip.

Arrival in Bayeux

France

The truth is, we could have walked from the train station to our hotel as it was that close, and we saw others who had done it. We didn't know so, no regrets.

Quality of Experience

I loved staying in Bayeux. It had so much to offer by way of shopping, dining, and having a lived-in experience in such a small village.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Our driver to/from the train station was friendly and lovely! Our guide, Emma, for the Normandy beaches was outstaning!

Transport

Our driver for the train station and then to Mont St. Michel was lovely. Emma, our guide and driver for the Normandy beaches was TERRIFIC!

Chateaux Day Tour: Chambord and Chenonceau - Full-day

Tours

These were two very beautiful castles to take in and learn about. I really enjoyed this! The only drawback to the day was the winery where they were not prepared for our visit. The staff pivoted well and they set up a nice tasting and charcuterie boards.

Quality of Experience

The castles were a sight to see!! The settings were stunning!

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Camille was probably my favorite of all our guides! She has a great sense of humor, was able to navigate some bumps (the winery not being prepared for us) with great grace, and she was just flat out fun to be with.

Transport

Camille was a confident and great driver and guide!

Full-day Tour of D-Day Sites

Bayeux

This tour was chock full of information I did not know and wanted to know! It was amazing to be on the actual beaches where so much history occurred! It was moving, but the American cemetery and being present while the flag was being lowered and 'Taps' being played had me teary-eyed. THANK YOU France for honoring our fallen soldiers! I am SINCERELY filled with GRATITUDE!

Quality of Experience

To know that France honors so many countries who allied with them to fight evil... just so moving!

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Emma was outstanding! She had her information broken down in such a marvelous, digestible way! She was gracious and kind.

Transport

See above!

Private Transfer from Paris hotel to Paris Charles de Gaulle (CDG)

France

Our driver was on time and pleasant.

Quality of Experience

He got us on time and dropped us off perfectly.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

He was pleasant and helpful.

Transport

Perfect!

My son already wrote you about our disappointment regarding our trip planning experience with Peter. He also told you about changes with respect to some of our lodgings without our knowledge. NOTE: Someone from kimkim personally reached out to and spoke with my son. This was my 3rd trip arranged through kimkim and the first, and hopefully last one, to have a negative experience with the planning part of the trip.
However, on the flip side, we were so very blessed to have Eli as our full time guide and driver!!! He has 15 years experience and willingly shared so many wonderful facts about his country, the animals, birds, etc. Anyone who has Eli as their personal guide is truly blessed. He is a gem!!!! We were able to see the "big 5" and had so many closeup opportunities with numerous species of wildlife. My son shot over 2,000 photos and 75 videos.
Our lodgings were very nice and the food was quite tasty. We were surprised that almost all of the food served was geared to American tastes. The Tanzanian people are very welcoming and always had lovely smiles.

Ruth helped us with our trip. I already had some things organized and wanted to include my son who is on vacation work visa. It was not easy to cobble around all of that. But she was patient and it all worked out brilliantly. Every tour we went on was a unique experience and we enjoyed them all tremendously. The bike tour of Sydney was fantastic, the nightime glow worm adventure in Byron bay was amazing and so was kayaking with dolphins. Another fabulous experience was the river float on Mossman river up by Port Douglas. I never thought I would enjoy tours so much.
Cheers to Ruth! Thank you for making that all possible. We would have missed so much without your guidance.