Kimkim Trip Reviews for South Korea

My husband and I had a terrific vacation in South Korea the first two weeks of April 2024.

Throughout 2023, we worked with our Kimkim agent Jessica Wang to plan our tour. From our initial email conversations to the final execution, Jessica made sure all our requests and concerns were addressed. This was our first trip to Korea, so we were eager to take it all in. Our plan included several days in Seoul, a tour of Taekwondowon, a visit to Andong with a stay in a traditional hanok and a visit to the Hahoe Folk Museum and Folk Village. We went on from there to Golgulsa Temple for a taste of Buddist life and seongmudo martial art. Gyeongju was next with more history of the Silla Kingdom, then on down to Busan. From Seoul to Busan we traveled with "Mr. Jones," our very attentive, friendly and knowledgable driver and guide. The last stop on the trip was Jeju Isalnd. We had some bad luck with some delicious food our first night there, and unfortunately ended up too ill to go out the next day. Jessica was terrific, checking in on us several times.
After flying back to Busan, we boarded the KTX train back to Seoul, an easy 2.5 hour trip.

If you have any interest in martial arts, go to Taekwondowon! It is a beautiful campus, with indoor and outdoor training areas. The theatrical TKD demonstration was really fun, and I think we got VIP'd because after the show, we were invited on stage for a little training! Andong and Gyeongju are great small cities with tons of history going back to the Silla Kingdom. We enjoyed an impromptu tour of the Hangeul Museum in Seoul. Mr. Kim, a docent, took us under his wing and guided us through the invention and development of the Korean alphabet and language. We learned more about 20th century Korea in Busan, especially the development of Gamcheon Culture Village and also Haedong Yonggungsa Temple.

We very much appreciated all the planning and attention Jessica and her team put into our vacation. It made everything flow smoothly with no worries.

We had a great trip to South Korea planned by Jessica. She provided a lot of options for activities in each city and made helpful suggestions for things to do and places to go during our free time. She also checked in with us during the trip to see how our day went, and how each of the local guides did.
The local guides were, for the most part, very accommodating to our needs. Jessica provided us with some of their names and phone numbers in advance. But two of them were substituted at the last minute - "Jake" became "James" in Seoul and "Kevin" became "Jake" in Busan. The KimKim website says that their local guides all have years of experience, but Jake told us that he had just started guiding and we were his second tour ever. James' English wasn't that great, so he didn't understand some of the questions that I asked. Clover, our guide in Jeju, was terrific. She modified the tour to our interests and was very easy to chat with. I'm not sure we would have purchased a private day tour of the DMZ had we known that there was a mandatory bus within the DMZ area that all tour groups had to use. Jones, our guide, was very nice, but he probably should have warned us that the walk down (and back) from the Infiltration Tunnel was VERY long and steep. (We probably would have skipped it, had we known.)
Some of the communication between KimKim and the local guides could have been improved. In one case, the guide didn't realize that the admission to the observation deck of the tower was included, so we paid for our (and his) admission fees, since we wanted to go up to see the view. Later, when I was recapping the day's events to Jessica, I told her that we paid for the admission fees. She told me that the admissions were included in the price that I paid KimKim, so KimKim promptly refunded that amount to me.
Overall, I'd say that KimKim is a useful service for people who are traveling to another country for the first time and don't want to do all the research on their own to figure out where to visit and what to see (or even how to find a private tour).

I had the most amazing wk tour. Originally opted for 5 days but Odynova tours and KimKim suggested 7 for a more comprehensive tour and it worked out really well. The tour guide, Ms Jang, was friendly, courteous and very informative. She was always on time and met me at my hotel each morning. I had a few reschedulings for my departure transfer but Jessica from KimKim/Odynova tours, was able to respond immediately and made the changes for me. I was very impressed by how efficient they were on resolving curveballs in my end and all with a friendly manner and followed up after as well. I will not hesitate to book through them again and recommend them to anyone looking for a tour in Seoul. South Korea. Thank you. Jessica, KimKim, Odynovs and Ms Jang. I am bringing back memories that will last a lifetime!

Hotel Review

NINE TREE PREMIER HOTEL MYEONGDONG II

Seoul

Bed was a little too firm. Only complaint but that’s my individual preference . The rooms were clean on arrival and always kept clean. Cleaning staff were on top of it and I was very happy. Front desk was helpful, the gym was adequate and the rooftop lounge had a great view and my fav drink - toddy. Very satisfied with the hotel.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Heart of Seoul. Within walking distance to anything.

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Discover K-drama Locations in European Villages & Nami Island

Seoul

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Seoul Highlights & K-drama Tour

Seoul

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Seoul Food Tour: Street Eats and Korean BBQ

Seoul

Quality of Experience

K

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Full Day Suwon and Yongin Tour From Seoul

Seoul

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Jessica planned a great experience for us and was very attentive to all the details.

Activity Review

Full Day Hiking in Seoraksan National Park - Biryong Falls Course

Sokcho

The hiking and national park were stunning. The hike was not to hard but provided great scenery.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Our 10 day trip to Korea was absolutely amazing. Our travel planner, Jessica, worked with us to cater to our every desire from hotels, private tour guides, private car service, and plenty of recommendations on what to see and do. We spent six days in Seoul, two in Busan and two in Jeju. At every step, from pre-planning, to booking, to checking in with us during the trip, Jessica was checking in to ensure all of needs were being met. Our tour guide in Seoul, Don Lee, was fantastic. Jade Park expertly showed us around Busan. And Suzie was a wonderful guide in Jeju.

We couldn't be more impressed with everything Korea had to offer - it's incredibly clean, the people are friendly and many speak English so language wasn't a problem, the sights are amazing, and the food scene is off the charts. It was a trip my family will remember forever. And I'll look to KimKim to set me up with all of our future vacation plans.

Activity Reviews

Full Day Gyeongbokgung Hanbok Experience and Gwangjang Market

Seoul

A must see. Definitely rent the traditional wardrobe for an elevated experience.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Half Day Haedong Yonggungsa and Haeundae Beach Tour

Busan

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Half Day Manjanggul Cave and Seongsan Ilchulbong Tour

Jeju Island

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Half Day Gamcheon Village, BIFF Square and Jagalchi Market

Busan

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Full Day Petite France and Nami Island Tour For Families

Seoul

Zero stars for Petite France. 5 stars for Nami Island. Anyone who has actually been to France will likely find Petite France a little silly and not worth spending any time there. Nami Island was absolutely amazing so spend as much time there as possible.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Half Day Hyeopjae Beach, Spirited Garden and Green Tea Plantation Tour and Arte Museum

Jeju Island

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Everything went so smoothly. We don’t speak any Korean but all of the guides and drivers were so helpful and made our trip so easy and low stress. We had a wonderful time.

Hotel Review

Grand Josun Busan

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Full Day Bulguksa temple and National Museum Tour

Gyeongju

Our guides sang and James made all the difference. Great people overall and spent so much time making sure we were comfortable and having a good time.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Fantastic! Couldn’t ask them to do any better.

Transport

Very comfy new van.

Visit Haedong Yonggungsa and Haeundae Beach

Busan

Beautiful temple. Well worth the visit.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Sang and James were fantastic. Great tips so we didn’t have to wait too long for anything. Also picked us up and dropped us off at the most convenient locations for parking etc.

Transport

Half Day Gamcheon Village and Jagalchi Market

Busan

Quality of Experience

Fun time checking out this unique village.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Sang and James did a great job explaining everything to us about the history and how this place came about

Transport

Great van.

Thank you Jessica. We appreciate your patience and hard work in working with us over many months to plan our family trip to South Korea. You never waivered through our many requests and changes as our plans changed.

Thank you Sang, you were an excellent guide for our family trip. We felt very safe in your care and appreciated you sharing your knowledge of each of the areas we visited.

Hotel Reviews

Lotte City Hotel Jeju

Jeju

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Crown Harbor Hotel

Busan

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Ramada Hotel & Suites Gangwon Pyeongchang

Pyeongchang

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Lotte Resort Sokcho

Sokcho

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Surprised to find that 2 people had to sleep in mats on the floor.

Sotetsu Hotels The Splaisir Seoul Myeongdong

Seoul

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Laundry room big plus!

Activity Reviews

Half Day Gamcheon Village, BIFF Square and Jagalchi Market

Busan

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Half Day Busan City Tour with Haedong Yonggungsa Temple

Busan

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Half Day Daegwallyeong Samyang Ranch Tour

Pyeongchang

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Half Day Exploring Sokcho Beach and Jungang Market

Sokcho

For our family we would have skipped the market and spent more time at the beach.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Really enjoyed Korea and the itinerary set up by KimKim. All three of our local guides (Corey, Jade, and Suzie) were extremely knowledgeable and pleasant; the drivers were also very nice and diligent. The guides were able to quickly accommodate last minute changes to the itinerary with grace. We had to change our hotel in Busan (the first one didn't have hot water and was fairly basic); the second hotel was fantastic. While located on a busy street with lots of restaurants, bars, and a traditional street food market, the hotel itself was quiet and modern. (It didn't hurt that the street ended at the beach!). Thoroughly enjoyed the walking market tour and cooking class with Jang Heeyoung at Busan Cooking Class. Made some traditional Korean dishes and tried rice wine. Heeyoung is knowledgeable and eager to introduce everyone to Korean delicacies. The hotel in Jeju was very nice, modern, and located within walking distance to an area with lots of restaurants (the hotel only had buffet meals). It was nice to end the tour on such a laid back, beautiful island, especially after the hustle and bustle of Seoul and Busan,

One suggestion - in Seoul - I'd recommend the visit to Gwangjang Market be moved to earlier in the day or substituted as your lunch spot. We learned that Koreans eat hearty lunches and we were too full after a (wonderful) BBQ lunch to try all the street food we wanted.

Activity Review

Half Day Cooking Experience

Busan

Fantastic! Jang Heeyoung is knowledgeable and fun. The market was beautiful and we cooked some delicious dishes.

Quality of Experience

Food

BBQ!

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

I used Kimkim for the first time for my 10-day trip to South Korea with three members of my family (spring 2023), and it couldn't have gone better! The planning went smoothly with Tom, and it showed as soon as we landed in South Korea. We had three very good tour guides that brought us to fascinating and tasty places and made visiting easy (our top places: the National Folk Museum, zip lining to Nami island, and Haedong Yonggungsa). We would like to especially mention our tour guide for Busan, Jade Kim. Jade made the short time in Busan memorable - he tuned in with us straight away, was knowledgeable and accommodating, had excellent driving skills and gave us great recommendations for our next step in Jeju Island (loved the gimbap and doughnut places). All in all, a trip of a lifetime!

Hotel Reviews

Best Louis Hamilton Hotel Haeundae

Clean room, friendly staff, choice of 3 menu for breakfast, centrally located

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Lotte City Hotel Jeju

Jeju

Great breakfast buffet on top floor, nice clean spacious room, friendly and helpful staff, great location and service overall!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Half Day Busan City Tour with Gamcheon Culture Village

Busan

The temple of the sea and Gamcheon culture village were breathtaking and fascinating places to visi. However, we think that our tour guide Jade Kim made this day special for us. He shared stories with us about the places, brought us to good places to eat (that fit our style), and was very open minded. We could ask him about go stop card and got the cards in the market, we tried the original hotteok in Busan, and he his driving skills were spot on. He gave us great recommendations for Jeju island too that turned out amazing!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

See the comment above: knowledgable, accomodating, excellent driving skills, excellent English, open-minded, fun

Transport

Go to Busan From Andong with Gyeongju Tour

South Korea

The historic center of Silla is a great must-see for anyone interested in the people of South Korea.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Full Day Seoul City Tour with Gwangjang Market

Seoul

Perfect first day in Seoul.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Kdrama Fan Tour

Seoul

I recognize that Petite France is where a lot of Kdramas were filmed; however, as europeans, this wasn't our favorite location (we came to South Korea to see South Korea). Nevertheless, zip lining to Nami island and Nami island was great! Loved the place!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport