Ana Bicanic

This was my first time using Kim Kim, I have used similar services in the past. The trip included my best friend and myself. Overall, the experience was smooth in terms of selecting what we wanted to do and finalizing the booking. Ana was very patient with my delayed responses as well the many changes we had to our itinerary. The trip was memorable and I will definitely want to visit again. I would recommend that you ask as many questions as you need to gain clarity on your activities. I had made some assumptions based on previous experiences with agencies but of course they are not all the same and some tours may have additional costs associated that may not be listed in the description.

Our driver (Eka) went above and beyond for us and would definitely love to have him as our driver again. The cooking class was my favorite activity. The other tours were mostly other drivers taking us from place to place which was nice but would have preferred some additional commentary or explanation of things. The nature of tours can always vary but regardless we had a great time. Would likely use Kim Kim again or recommend to a friend.

Hotel Reviews

Artini 2 cottage

Service was great, loved the staff, they were so kind, helpful and wonderful to talk to. The rooms were clean and met our needs. The food was great - I loved the breakfasts but also the dinner items were great. We did the Indonesian breakfasts. The entire place is quite serene and tranquil and the best part is it's central and close to everything. Would likely stay again.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

La Joya Balangan Resort

Jimbaran

Resort is a nice size and looks beautiful but the food and service at the restaurant was not the greatest. Food is pricey for the flavor - it was either cold or bland but want to note we did not eat any Indonesian food. The rooms are also awkwardly shaped and not well thought out in terms of where one would put their items. Location like most resorts is not super convenient.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Experience Ubud VW Safari Car Tour

Ubud, Bali

Overall really enjoyed this tour - saw lots of things in our first day in Bali and weather was great too. The only thing I was caught off guard with is the fact that none of the waterfall or temple entrance fees are included in the total cost. I didn't see mention of this caveat in the activity details and did not bring as much cash so this was not ideal for me personally. The driver/guide also does not come with you into some of the temples so at times we did not know what we were looking at or what was special about it. It is a car tour after all but I had made the assumption since he was our guide. He did go out of his way to make sure we got all the photos and let us take as much time as we need at places and so that was truly appreciated as we did not feel rushed. Overall, he (Wayan) helped make the tour and our first day at Bali a great experience.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Experience Balinese Cooking Class- Shared

Ubud, Bali

This was my favorite part of our trip. I loved the experience beginning to end - from visiting the market to meeting other travelers and of course, the chef, who helped us make all the delicious dishes. She was funny, engaging, patient and made everything seem super easy to make. I would 1000% percent recommend people take this class. She also told us so much about her life and Balinese culture. Definitely would come back just for the conversation!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

East & West tour of Nusa Penida

Indonesia

The boat ride there was fun but the time spent at each place is too short. We had about 15-20 mins per place and that's also due to the fact that the island is massive and it takes a while to get around. Perhaps a shorter itinerary might work best - for example, we didn't need to go all the way to the tree house as there were a lot of steps and this took a lot of time. Plus the tree house is actually additional money to go into. Our driver was great when on the road maneuvering next to cars in a tight space, however, he was on his phone on a couple occasions watching videos, and this was concerning while driving. He also did not speak to us the entire time outside of telling us the time we had at places so this made for an awkward and transactional experience compared to our other drivers and guides. The island was beautiful and we were glad to have the opportunity to see it and take wonderful pics even though rushed to do so.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Visit Bali's Most Beautiful Beaches & Explore Uluwatu Temple

Jimbaran, Bali

We picked two beaches and spent most of our time at one and a little at the other. Again entrance was not covered for this activity. The beaches were beautiful and Eka was our driver (who was our driver the whole trip) so of course that experience was great. We also got to see the kechak dance at the temple (this cost is covered) which was really fun and interesting. We didn't get a chance to explore the temple but caught the sunset.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

The five of us travelled through eastern Java with two different drivers, and one train trip. Everything went smoothly, and we saw everything we wanted to. The cooking lesson, jamu making class and batik lesson were all very worthwhile - great to interact with local people. Any small problems or required rescheduling was handled swiftly by Ana at KimKim, and there was not one sour note in the whole trip.

Activity Review

Cooking class in Yogyakarta

Yogyakarta

Run by a sustainable tourism organisation with lots of different activities supporting local artists and providing great experiences for visitors. The cooking class was a wonderful opportunity to meet a local who could answer a thousand questions we had about food culture and daily life in central Java.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Our driver Nyoman was fantastic, always on time and always had a smile on his face. Ana was very accommodating and the places and experiences she helped us book were all fantastic. Some more insight into what happens during Nyepi and the lead up to it would have been useful so to be able to plan more effectively around it

Activity Reviews

Experience Cau Chocolate Factory

Ubud, Bali

Fabulous experience with heaps of detail included and lots of things to see, try and do. The rice planting was an unexpected bonus!

Experience Balinese Cooking Class

Ubud, Bali

Lovely activity, which included learning about Indonesian culture and not just food. So many dishes were made which was excellent to be able to try and look out for on the rest of our trip

This part of our trip was simply a return from Denpasar to Jakarta and went without a hitch. Ana is great and I would happily reccommend her.

This was a return trip to Indonesia after a 10 year hiatus. We have been to Indondesia many, many times. I had not used or heard of KimKim before and so was a bit suspect and cautious, as it turns out, for no reason. I would recommend KimKim and Ana (at Shanti travel). Ana was extremely helpful in the planning of the trip. She was available for telephone consultations and created 4 different versions before we finalized the itinerary in order to accommodate each and all of our wishes. When I discovered errors in the plan she corrected them, and was available to us when we were on route. This does not mean that you as the traveller can abdicate responsibility for your travel details. There were changes in flights and times that I had to chase to ensure that we had the correct time. Ana was helpful throughout. We actually met with her in person when we were in Bali.
I was thrilled that each and all of our transfers worked. At each airport/train station/hotel (and there were lots of them) when a driver was supposed to pick us up they were there on time with a sign and /or my correct name and an appropriate vehicle. Drivers were careful and pleasant. Agung in Bali was particularly good.
With regard to the trip itself, the Kalimantan leg up the river to be with the Orangutans was wonderful. The Klotok was uber posh in an "out of Africa' glamorous way with a skilled knowledgeable naturalist guide, excellent cook, Captain and crew. We were happy to be a bit off the beaten path with our particular guide and while Camp leaky is not what it was 15 years ago i am glad to have made the trek again.
Other highlights: Paddling and hiking in the jungle with the naturalist in Munduk. Biking the rice paddies in Ubud. Making lunch the traditional way - starting by grinding the rice, and cooking over an open fire in the rice paddies. Temples on Java are well controlled now for good reason (too many people) but still fascinating as is Bromo. Lovina is beautiful and quiet and the drive over the mountains is spectacular.
Disappointments: 1.Not being able to get out to the Komodo islands as they closed the park because of weather. Ana was great in the rerouting. 2.In the rainy season in Indo the beaches are FULL of garbage as it flows down the rivers and into the ocean and onto the beaches. They have to be cleaned everyday or it is like walking through a landfill. When they are cleaned they are lovely. 3.We would give a hard pass on Jimbaran. Beach filthy, even in front of restaurants and beach clubs no one was cleaning the beach. The seafood dinner on the beach was pathetic. Did it 10 years ago and it was good - now it was really not edible and was stupidly expensive.
Overall: Indonesia has a LOT of people and a LOT of tourists and LOTs of traffic in populated areas. It is a fascinating country both culturally, historically and geographically. We love it. Go if you can and be confident getting Ana and KimKim to help you plan.

Some challenge getting answers back in a timely manner, initial mixup in air flights days

I enjoyed this trip . A trip with varieties. Our two drivers/main guides were both good. They were friendly and helpful. The highlights for this trip for me are the Mount Bromo sunrise trip and the blue flame hike the following morning. But for the blue flame hike, too bad I did not walk fast enough . By the time when I got to the spot, the blue flame burnt out already. If we started 30 minutes earlier or if we skipped that morning refreshment, I would be able to see the blue flame. Hopefully the tour organizer would consider this point so that other tourists who love to see the blue flame would not miss it.

The 3 cruise days trip to Komodo National Park was interesting too. I enjoyed the beautiful coral reefs, sunrise and sunset there. The cruise crews were good.

For the day trip to Nusa Penida, I wish they could provide us big towel so that we could have it to cover our body when we were going to our next snorkelling spot. It was a bit cold after we got out from the water after snorkelling. Or they told us before so that we could bring our big towel.

Overall the trip was great. I enjoyed it. Thanks.
Ling