Kimkim Trip Reviews for Israel

We visited 3 countries, Egypt, Jordan and Israel. Egypt was outstanding 4.5/5. The driver was excellent and the guide although a bit quiet at times was smart and helpful. Jordan was the highlight of the trip. All visitors must go to Petra and Wadi Rum. Mind blowing to say the least. If you go you must ask for Anees to be you guide! 10 out of 10 fantastic person! The trip fell off a bit in Israel as we were only given a driver and no guide. I don’t think a tourist should be left to navigate... read more

We visited 3 countries, Egypt, Jordan and Israel. Egypt was outstanding 4.5/5. The driver was excellent and the guide although a bit quiet at times was smart and helpful. Jordan was the highlight of the trip. All visitors must go to Petra and Wadi Rum. Mind blowing to say the least. If you go you must ask for Anees to be you guide! 10 out of 10 fantastic person! The trip fell off a bit in Israel as we were only given a driver and no guide. I don’t think a tourist should be left to navigate Old Jerusalem on his own. We did have to spend an additional $1150 on guides in Israel to get the full experience. Overall an amazing trip though. And oh yes the help we received from ambassadors at the airports in Cairo and Amman was outstanding as well!

Hotel Reviews

Helnan Dreamland Hotel & Conference Center

6th of October City

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Shams al weibdeh hotel apartment

Amman

Authenticity & Character

Location

You

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Petra Palace

Wadi Musa, Petra

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Holy Land Hotel - Jerusalem

Jerusalem

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Nof Ginosar Kibbutrz Hotel

Tiberias

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Tal By the Beach Hotel

Tel Aviv

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Cairo Airport - Cairo (Transfer)

Egypt

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Giza Pyramids Tour with Sakkara & Memphis

Egypt

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Cairo - Tour3 - Museum & Mosques

Egypt

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Meet & Assist - Queen Alia Airport

Jordan

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Amman-Jarash-Ajloun-Amman city tour

Jordan

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Amman-Madaba-Mount Nebo-Karak-Petra

Jordan

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Full Day Petra (With Site local Guide or private guide)

Petra

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Trip to Masada & Qumran

Israel

Qumran closed when we got there

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Old City Jerusalem

Israel

No guide provided. Disappointing

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Jerusalem, Mount of Olives and Mt Zion

Israel

No guide

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Day Trip to Tiberias, Haifa, Caesarea and Acre

Israel

No guide

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

The good, the bad and the ugly…
Pros:
1 Samir, our local specialist was easily available whenever I needed to contact him. This was necessary as there were multiple hiccups. Additionally, the people he subcontracted to, Bethlehem tours were in touch with me and readily available.
2 We had assistance with the border crossings to make sure that process went smoothly.
3 Our drivers were on time and affable.
4 Our tour guide Hussam was amazing! He really made the trip for us in the Israel... read more

The good, the bad and the ugly…
Pros:
1 Samir, our local specialist was easily available whenever I needed to contact him. This was necessary as there were multiple hiccups. Additionally, the people he subcontracted to, Bethlehem tours were in touch with me and readily available.
2 We had assistance with the border crossings to make sure that process went smoothly.
3 Our drivers were on time and affable.
4 Our tour guide Hussam was amazing! He really made the trip for us in the Israel portion of the trip!
5 Nick was quite entertaining and willing to do anything for us.
6 Israeli breakfasts are amazing.

Cons:
1 I had been given our drivers phone number by Samir, and when that changed, I was not informed of the name change or the telephone change.
He also did not let me know that we were not doing the sunrise hike in Masada. These changes should have been communicated to me.
2 The hotel in Nof Ginnosar was an absolute dump and should have had a rating of two. Extremely dated with bugs. The food was mediocre and there was nowhere else to go.
3 We liked the personality of our driver Johnny and He met us promptly at the airport in Israel. He was always on time and most importantly, he showed up at 3 AM to take us to the airport to go home. However, He took the long way from the airport to our hotel which was clearly obvious to us because we were mapping it on our phones. He would not take instruction and we went in circles taking an hour and a half for a half an hour trip. We were then taken to the incorrect hotel. We eventually made it to the correct hotel. When we returned to Israel, he again took the long way to the hotel through the downtown traffic instead of the freeway, even though I showed him multiple times on my phone how to go. He ignored my suggestions and was on the phone with his wife/family.
3 When we started booking with Kimkim, we wanted to book our own hotels, and they would not let us. I understand that that is likely one of their biggest sources of revenue. However, with that comes the responsibility of making sure the bookings are correct. It was extremely important to me that we had the panoramic tents in Wadi Rum. When we got there, we were told they were no panoramic tents. After many calls to Samir and the office and many delays, we were given one panoramic tent. This was a huge disappointment because my adult son was particularly looking forward to the stargazing which is the whole point of the panoramic tent, and the price that you pay for it. Samir tried to blame it on the hotel, but it was truly the responsibility was his. He apologized for the hiccups on the trip, but was not straightforward with me concerning the tent situation. I am still awaiting the refund from Kimkim for the difference between the panoramic tent and the tent that my adult children ended up staying in since we were unable to get the second panoramic tent. The office should have confirmed these reservations and clearly did not. This is inexcusable, particularly given the expense of this trip. This reservation should have been confirmed. They tried to make it up to us with a dinner in Tel Aviv, which was appreciated , but cannot really make up for the disappointment.
I will make an addendum to this review to let the reader know if I receive the refund due to me for the downgraded room.

Hotel Reviews

Ambassadore Hotel Jerusalem

Jerusalem

Tal By the Beach Hotel

Tel Aviv

Nof Ginosar Kibbutrz Hotel

Tiberias

This hotel should’ve had a rating of less than two. It was extremely extremely dated. They were bugs in my daughters room. The food was mediocre at best. They need new beds, new furnishings, new sheets, comforters, and pillows. Do not stay in this hotel. Very disappointing.

Shams al weibdeh hotel apartment

Amman

It was nice to stay in apartment with a little more room as opposed to a hotel room. The breakfast, however, was very mediocre. There were multiple restaurants we could walk to in the area that were good.

Movenpick Petra Resort

Wadi Musa

Activity Review

Masada Sunrise

Israel

We didn’t get to do this because the site did not open until 8 AM and the sunrise hike would have put us there at 6 AM with nothing to do but to wait until the guy could take the cable car up to the side at 8 o’clock. Make sure you work out these details before you go.

Samir tailored the type of trip was asked for through Israel abs paired us with an amazing driver and Jerusalem guide. I highly recommend KimKim and Samir to use them as their number one drive and number one guide. Both then tailored our trip even more for us once we could focus on what we really really wanted to see on our trip. Although none of the hotels in our voucher where actually booked due to over flow the replacements hotels were in even better relocation for us to make the most of... read more

Samir tailored the type of trip was asked for through Israel abs paired us with an amazing driver and Jerusalem guide. I highly recommend KimKim and Samir to use them as their number one drive and number one guide. Both then tailored our trip even more for us once we could focus on what we really really wanted to see on our trip. Although none of the hotels in our voucher where actually booked due to over flow the replacements hotels were in even better relocation for us to make the most of our trip… so that was also a major win! Thank you for everything!

Hotel Reviews

Tal By the Beach Hotel

Tel Aviv

Did not stay at any of these hotels but I will say amazing to all as don’t want to hurt the hotels.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Magdala Tiberias

Migdal

Did not stay at any of these hotels but I will say amazing to all as don’t want to hurt the hotels.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Harmony Hotel Jerusalem

Jerusalem

Did not stay at any of these hotels but I will say amazing to all as don’t want to hurt the hotels.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

JORDAN VALLEY TOUR (J) (Tiberias to Jerusalem)

Israel

This was a great day as we wanted to tailor it complete so our driver suggested the Dead Sea… so we had an incredibly beautiful and fascinating drive to the Dead Sea. Great day!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

TEL AVIV / CAESAREA / HAIFA / ACRE (ACO) / ROSH HANIKRA / GALILEE. (J)

Israel

Loved R.H and Gailiee!!! Everything else was fascinating too but really enjoyed that part of the day.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Professional, prompt, informative, personable and listened to what we’d like to do and flexible with leaving times from Hotels.

Transport

Safed, Golan Heights

Israel

Banias Springs was lovely to walk round and Golan Golan Heights Fascinating

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

JERUSALEM TOUR (J)

Jerusalem

Very moving morning to go to the Holocaust museum. Our guide was phenomenal and changed a lot of the planned day to accommodate what I’d really like to see. Amazing day!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Just like our driver… our guide was Professional, prompt, informative, personable and listened to what we’d like to do and flexible with leaving times from Hotels

Transport

JERUSALEM WEST TOUR (J)

Jerusalem

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Visit to Bethlehem

Israel

Bethlehem is a must!!!!! Incredible day and again our guide and driver made the day so smooth and amazing!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

In Israel, our guide Joseph was amazing as he educated us throughout the Old City of Jerusalem. He was knowledgeable and invested in what he was doing. He truly cared and enjoyed all aspects of the trip. Our visit would not have been the same without him.

In Jordan, our guide Wasef was a wealth of information. He was kind, he was informative, and he was passionate about giving us the best experience in our journey. He was energetic, spoke excellent English and negotiated for us on our... read more

In Israel, our guide Joseph was amazing as he educated us throughout the Old City of Jerusalem. He was knowledgeable and invested in what he was doing. He truly cared and enjoyed all aspects of the trip. Our visit would not have been the same without him.

In Jordan, our guide Wasef was a wealth of information. He was kind, he was informative, and he was passionate about giving us the best experience in our journey. He was energetic, spoke excellent English and negotiated for us on our purchases. He helped save us money by his ability to communicate on all levels.

There were so many highlights during our stay, it was absolutely amazing.

Hotel Review

Enjoy Desert camp

Wadi rum

Amazing place, excellent food, wonderful people. A great experience! Highly recommended, it was a highlight of the trip!

Tips for future travelers

This is a must see... enjoy the camel ride!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

I loved it all!

Activity Review

Old City Jerusalem

Israel

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Our guide was name Joseph and he was intelligent, kind, had passion for educating, and was overall one of the best guides we had. He was born inside the Old City and so was his father who is also still living there.... it was a very special experience!

Transport

First of all, I want to say thank you to Lena for sticking with us! We took months to plan and finalize our trip, and she was with us through it all, changing our itinerary multiple times and answering our seemingly endless questions promptly!

Jordan was full of natural beauty and we LOVED our hike in Dana and our guide Mohammed. Will never forget having Bedouin tea and freshly warmed pitas with him over lunch. Equally lovely was Wadi Rum. Aicha Camp was gorgeous (and they upgraded us to... read more

First of all, I want to say thank you to Lena for sticking with us! We took months to plan and finalize our trip, and she was with us through it all, changing our itinerary multiple times and answering our seemingly endless questions promptly!

Jordan was full of natural beauty and we LOVED our hike in Dana and our guide Mohammed. Will never forget having Bedouin tea and freshly warmed pitas with him over lunch. Equally lovely was Wadi Rum. Aicha Camp was gorgeous (and they upgraded us to a panoramic tent - superb!), and our driver on our Jeep tour, Adam, was wonderful. We loved our driver for the first portion of our Jordan trip, Hasan. Always on time and very kind! The only thing I wish we had done differently is make sure that we had transportation arranged for our day at Petra, as our hotel was a bit off the main Tourism Street (Petra Quattro). It was easy to hire our own guide for Petra at the Visitor's Center, but I'm sure Lena could have arranged this for us in advance had we wanted! I also want to note that we loved our cooking lesson at Beit Sitti in Amman our first evening!

Lena was very helpful in prepping us on what to expect during the border crossing at King Hussein Bridge. We were a little nervous, but it went smoothly and our driver Awas was waiting for us on the other side.

Jerusalem was an overwhelming city, but we had the most wondeful guide two days in a row for it and Bethlehem (I loved that we got the same guide as it really allowed you to make a connection). Ibrahim was one of my favorite tour guides ever, anywhere. If I am back in Jerusalem, I know who I am calling. He even checked in on us a few days later to make sure we were okay and ask if he could help us with anything more! The location of our hotel was pretty great too (Gloria on Latin Patriarchate Street near Jaffa Gate). It was definitely older (the dining area is currently being remodeled), but the location makes that worth it.

I thought the price we paid for the trip was quite fair, and appreciated the flexibility Lena showed in booking everything for us.

Thank you again for an unforgettable trip!

Overall itinerary was great. Monther Salah, our guide in Israel was fabulous and we had two guides in Jordan, Ahmed and Seyeal, who were equally good.

Highlights included: Jerusalem Old City; Masada; Sea of Galilee; Tel Aviv; Amman; Kerak; Petra and Wadi Rum.