Kimkim Trip Reviews

4.8
Based on 6,937 ratings
Read 6,937 verified reviews by travelers who booked their trip on kimkim. You can also read reviews about kimkim on 3rd party sites including Google, TrustPilot and Yelp.

Just got back from an amazing trip to Guatema...
Guatemala | Feb 16 - Feb 26, 2023

M
Malin F.
Chesapeake, VA | Reviewed on Mar 04, 2023

Just got back from an amazing trip to Guatemala. Eduardo helped us greatly with the itinerary and how to get the most out of our trip. We were able to get everything on our wishlist thanks to him.
Our guide Willy was great and has so much knowledge. Our driver Antonio took us safely between the different cities/ villages we visited , always on time. Guatemala is a beautiful country and there is so much fun to do and see, highly recommend.

Local specialist: Eduardo Celada

We are home, thank you so much for putting th...
Chile | Jan 9 - Feb 24, 2023

John Mark
John Mark W.
United Kingdom | Reviewed on Mar 03, 2023

We are home, thank you so much for putting the trip together. We have had an amazing time, experienced so much and learnt so many things about the countries we visited. We could never have done it ourselves. All the trip went to plan apart from the interruptions in Peru which we managed with. It was great to see such good organising. We were collected and delivered on time to wherever we needed to be. La Paz was a great city to visit. The drive across the highlands of Bolivia was... read more

We are home, thank you so much for putting the trip together. We have had an amazing time, experienced so much and learnt so many things about the countries we visited. We could never have done it ourselves. All the trip went to plan apart from the interruptions in Peru which we managed with. It was great to see such good organising. We were collected and delivered on time to wherever we needed to be. La Paz was a great city to visit. The drive across the highlands of Bolivia was unforgettable. Seeing the Geysers at dawn was a brilliant experience. Our hire car was good and we survived the rough roads to see the amazing Marble Caves. The visit to Magdelana Island to walk amongst the penguins was a real highlight of the trip. The cruise from Punta Arenas to Usuaia was fantastic. Horse riding was fun, so many things we did, can't write about them all.

Local specialist: Emilce Alonso

A flawless month Down Under.
Australia | Feb 1 - Mar 1, 2023

Stephen
Stephen M.
Clarksburg, WV | Reviewed on Mar 03, 2023

Liz Neal at Springboard Vacations worked closely with us over several months to help us select the schedule, locations and tours we preferred. She promised that everything would be of the best quality and on time. That is exactly what we got. Over a twenty-eight day trip we had about thirty-five different pre-arranged events (flights, tours, hotels, etc). Every one was right on time and as described.

Local specialist: Liz Neal

Our 14 day 5 overnight destination trip to Ch...
Chile | Feb 14 - Feb 27, 2023

Bill
Bill V.
Manhattan, NY | Reviewed on Mar 03, 2023

Our 14 day 5 overnight destination trip to Chile, planned by Angel, was extraordinary. We experienced a very broad view of Chile and its citizens. We started with 2 days in Santiago & Valparaiso that are home to half the population with Juan. They are both attractive cities. But nature is the real distinction. We started with 3 nights in the extreme Atacama Desert in the north. This was fooled by 3 days in the spectacular Andes lake country around Puerto Vargas, a charming small city on the... read more

Our 14 day 5 overnight destination trip to Chile, planned by Angel, was extraordinary. We experienced a very broad view of Chile and its citizens. We started with 2 days in Santiago & Valparaiso that are home to half the population with Juan. They are both attractive cities. But nature is the real distinction. We started with 3 nights in the extreme Atacama Desert in the north. This was fooled by 3 days in the spectacular Andes lake country around Puerto Vargas, a charming small city on the largest lake in Chile. We chose to drive around on our own. The highways were very adequate and in excellent condition.Puerto Nogales followed with two boat cruises through spectacular fjords to a working sheep “estancia” (the best fresh grilled lamb ever) with both a horseback ride & a hike and then to a glacier. The 3rd day was to the Torre des PainesNational Park. It was just rated as one of the six best np in the world outside the US. A scenic 21/2 hour drive brought us to Punta Arenas and its 9,000 penguin colony. All the guides were good. Even the taxi driver to PA, Jose, was informative. The 3 hour flight back to Santiago that ended our voyage was over the the heart of the rugged Andes.
We selected economy lodging. They were all clean and relatively small without big crowds. The owner were usually there.
We learned much about Chile. We actually prefer them to large impersonal hotels.
I would highly recommend Chile with Angel as a trip adviser.

Hotel Review
Hotel Alma Sur (Rey Don Felipe)
Punta Arenas

Small place with comfortable rooms and good breakfast.

Authenticity & Character
Location
Staff
Cleanliness & Comfort
Convenience to city
Activity Reviews
Private Tour - Estancia Visit or Grey Lake Navigation.
Puerto Natales

Beautiful catamaran ride. Horseback ride and lamb bbq. Founded in 1892z

Quality of Experience
Guides, Drivers and Staff
The trip there & horseback ride
Transport
Torres del Paine National Park - Private Panoramic Tour
Chile

Unfortunately the peaks were in the fog-still scenic

Quality of Experience
The colored lakes
Food
Box lunch of mediocre qualuty
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Transport
Local specialist: Angel Gutierrez

Brazil continued - The Amazon
Brazil | Jan 2 - Jan 6, 2023

Alison
Alison B.
France | Reviewed on Mar 03, 2023

This was part of the same trip reviewed above. It was excellent - again Rachel's help was invaluable, she was always available to answer our questions. Our guide at the Amazon Tupana Lodge Dio was outstanding. A highly recommended trip

Local specialist: Rachel Vita

Trip to Brazil
Brazil | Jan 10 - Jan 16, 2023

Alison
Alison B.
France | Reviewed on Mar 03, 2023

We had a great trip thanks to the help we received from Rachel. She was always professional, very helpful, easy to contact and, following our requests, she put together a memorable trip for us. We highly recommend the service we received from KimKim and Rachel and are looking forward to using the knowledge local agents can provide through KimKim for our next trip.

Local specialist: Rachel Vita

Great help in having a stress-free vacation
Vietnam | Feb 14 - Mar 1, 2023

Carl
Carl B.
Malta | Reviewed on Mar 03, 2023

Vietnam is such an amazing country; it has so much to offer both in terms of nature, culture, and history. Halong Bay, Ham Rong Mountain in Sa Pa, Ninh Binh and Tam Coc are definite highlights, but equally powerful in different ways were the Cu Chi Tunnels, Hoi An, and Hue’s Imperial City.

We had the luck of having great guides, in particular Sau in Hoi An and Hue, and Vin in Ho Chi Minh City. And Ha was amazing throughout in ensuring all went well, including by adjusting our itinerary on... read more

Vietnam is such an amazing country; it has so much to offer both in terms of nature, culture, and history. Halong Bay, Ham Rong Mountain in Sa Pa, Ninh Binh and Tam Coc are definite highlights, but equally powerful in different ways were the Cu Chi Tunnels, Hoi An, and Hue’s Imperial City.

We had the luck of having great guides, in particular Sau in Hoi An and Hue, and Vin in Ho Chi Minh City. And Ha was amazing throughout in ensuring all went well, including by adjusting our itinerary on the fly when we wanted to visit Marble Mountain and Monkey Mountain close to Danang on short notice!

Local specialist: Ha Dinh
Ha
Ha Dinh
Local specialist in Hanoi | Reviewed on Mar 04, 2023

Dear Carl,
Thanks so much for your review! We’re really glad to know that you enjoyed your holiday in Vietnam. Your feedback is highly appreciated, as it enables us to further develop our services. Trust us, you’ve made our day immensely better by sharing your experience.
Thanks again for the review and for being such a great customer.

Warm regards,
Ha

The trip that was organised by Ha at Realisti...
Vietnam | Feb 14 - Mar 1, 2023

M
Mark Anthony D.
Malta | Reviewed on Mar 03, 2023

The trip that was organised by Ha at Realistic Asia was phenomenal and planned out exceptionally. Ha and our guides were also accommodating when we requested a last minute adjustment to our plan when we were in Vietnam, just a day in advance! All that we needed to provide Ha with were our arrival and departure dates, the level of the accommodation that we would like to stay at, the places that we wished to visit and the activities that we were looking for, and she took care of everything,... read more

The trip that was organised by Ha at Realistic Asia was phenomenal and planned out exceptionally. Ha and our guides were also accommodating when we requested a last minute adjustment to our plan when we were in Vietnam, just a day in advance! All that we needed to provide Ha with were our arrival and departure dates, the level of the accommodation that we would like to stay at, the places that we wished to visit and the activities that we were looking for, and she took care of everything, including our transportation and internal flights. Ha was incredibly and efficiently responsive throughout our entire booking process and developed a customised itinerary for us , and made sure to check up on us to ensure that everything was going according to plan during our trip too. Our guides Phuoc, Sau, Linh and Vinh and our drivers took great care of us during our stay. In particular, Mr. Sau went out of his way and above and beyond his duties as our guide during our time with him.

We would definitely recommend Realistic Asia & Ha for anyone who may be looking forward to spending some time in Vietnam! Thank you for bringing our dream vacation to life!

Hotel Reviews
Hanoi La Siesta Hotel & Spa
Hà Nội
Authenticity & Character
Location
Staff
Cleanliness & Comfort
Amazing Sapa
Sa Pa
Authenticity & Character
Location
Staff
Cleanliness & Comfort
Our only critique would be that visitors in adjacent rooms could be heard and we could hear the noise from the dining area during breakfast time
Hidden Charm Ninh Binh
Ninh Thang, Hoa Lu, Ninh Binh
Authenticity & Character
Location
Staff
Cleanliness & Comfort
Stellar of the Seas
quảng ninh

We had an excellent experience aboard the Stellar of the Seas. The level of care and professionalism was astounding.

Authenticity & Character
Location
Staff
Cleanliness & Comfort
Eldora Hue
Hue
Authenticity & Character
Location
Staff
Cleanliness & Comfort
La Siesta Hoi An Resort & Spa
Quảng Nam

The La Siesta resort in Hoi An was beautiful and the level of service and quality was exceptional!

Authenticity & Character
Location
Staff
Cleanliness & Comfort
Au Lac Charner Hotel
Authenticity & Character
Location
Staff
Cleanliness & Comfort
Some of our rooms had a shower that was located in an outside terrace / balcony
Activity Reviews
Half day Taphin red Dao hill tribe village
Sapa
Sapa Trekking & Sightseeing
Sapa
Hanoi - Hoa Lu - Tam Coc
Vietnam
Discovery Halong Bay – Lan Ha Bay (Stellar)
Ha Long Bay
Quality of Experience
Food
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Transport
Halong Bay - Hanoi (Stellar)
Ha Long Bay
Quality of Experience
Food
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Transport
Hue Sightseeing
Hue
Quality of Experience
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Transport
Hoi An Sightseeing (N)
Hoi An
Quality of Experience
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Transport
Day trip to Bana Hills
Vietnam
Quality of Experience
Food
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Transport
Cycling in Cam Thanh & Thanh Dong Organic Farm Visit
Hoi An
Quality of Experience
Food
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Transport
Explore the Cu Chi Tunnels
Ho Chi Minh City
Quality of Experience
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Transport
Day Trip to the Mekong Delta (Ben Tre)
Ho Chi Minh City
Quality of Experience
Food
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Transport
Local specialist: Ha Dinh
Ha
Ha Dinh
Local specialist in Hanoi | Reviewed on Mar 03, 2023

Dear Mark,

Thank you for taking the time to share your experience with us! We’re over the moon to hear that you’re happy about your holiday! Your feedback is highly appreciated, as it enables us to further develop our services and organize memorable trips for our future clients.
Thank you again for choosing our company and we hope to see you again!

Warmest regards,
Ha

Magical Morocco!!
Morocco | Feb 18 - Feb 26, 2023

M
M E.
Portland, OR | Reviewed on Mar 02, 2023

We had a delightful week with Original Travels in Morocco. Recommendations from Said and Abdellah were spot on and we got the most out of our time there! read more

We had a delightful week with Original Travels in Morocco. Recommendations from Said and Abdellah were spot on and we got the most out of our time there!

Hotel Reviews
Tiziri Luxury Camp
Merzouga

The crew here at Tiziri camp were so hospitable! We learned about the Amazigh/Berber people and about the desert geology too! My teens were delighted to meet other kids and go star gazing together!

Authenticity & Character
charming hosts, shared with us stories about the desert and the people who originally occupied the land
Location
Remote enough... but not too far from civilization.
Staff
Music at the fireside!
Cleanliness & Comfort
Eco friendly lodge, warming blankets (the Sahara is cold in February!)
Riad Salam Fes
Fes

The most beautiful hotel we stayed at -- although it's a competition with the Palais Sebban for my kids. Such a lush, gentle way of living, truly the highlight of our trip!

Authenticity & Character
the extensively renovated and adjoined riads that made up Riad Salam Fez were so beautiful and ornate. The fountains, the tile work, the woodwork, the furniture, the lighting, and the retractable roof!!
Location
In the medina -- but not too far from the road!
Staff
We had very friendly and helpful wait staff and concierge/front desk staff who made us feel welcome and part of their "family!"
Cleanliness & Comfort
Breakfast, tea, dinner, all super high quality and prepared with care. The rooms were clean and comfortable and they had babuches for us to wear as well!!
Kasbah Titrit
Ait Ben Haddou

The artwork was exciting, the setting picturesque and dramatic. The food and staff were magnificent. Best hotel meal of the trip -- the plates just kept coming and everything was more beautiful, fragrant, and delicious than the last!

Authenticity & Character
Location
A little remote -- but the kids got to play some soccer with the local talent
Staff
Cleanliness & Comfort
Palais Sebban
Marrakech
Authenticity & Character
right around the corner from the authentic local hammam, and the staff at Palais Sebban told us how to use it!
Location
Great location just inside the medina, a short walk from the J'ma el Fna
Staff
The most accommodating, friendly staff -- they really made us feel like family.
Cleanliness & Comfort
Rooms were so beautiful, the different terraces, lounges, and patios were so lovely and comfortable. Blankets to curl up with and read a book on a sofa with the fountains sound playing in your ears!
Odyssee Center Hotel
Casablanca

First night in Morocco -- comfortable bed to sleep in, very pleasant breakfast buffet. Close to the medina for a brief wander.

Location
Casablanca is such a big city, this was a fairly safe neighborhood to walk off our jet lag.
Cleanliness & Comfort
Best bed!
Activity Reviews
Private Food Tour of Marrakesh
Marrakesh

We definitely left our comfort zone on this one!! We had been in Morocco for 9 nights already and thought we had tasted everything -- boy were we wrong! From street vendor pomegranate juice to Harira on the street corner, spicy tea in the J'ma el Fna and a trip to every souk (olives, pastries, candied nuts, the butcher souk) I think we did it all! Be sure to see where the bread is being baked, the subterranean oven where the lambs are roasted, and the Tanjia as well as the Tajine. We enjoyed Chebakia, the best donuts (Sfinges) in Marrakesh, and dates, dates, and more tasty dates!

Quality of Experience
Food
Transfer to Merzouga, Bedouin Experience & Camel Rides
Morocco

We rode camels across the dunes and took photographs in the sunset. We made memories and experienced something very different from our daily lives. We got a window into the lives of people just like us, who live in a place very different from where we live.

Quality of Experience
Guides, Drivers and Staff
We spoke with the staff -- the camels were well cared for, rested and appeared healthy. They are managed by a local Berber family and help maintain the sustainability of the camp experience
Transport
It's a camel -- this is what you get! You're really far off the ground!
Local specialist: Abdellah El Asely
Abdellah
Abdellah El Asely
Local specialist in Marrakech | Reviewed on Mar 03, 2023

Hi M. Ehsan,

We're delighted to hear that you had a delightful week exploring Morocco with Original Travels. It's always great to receive feedback from satisfied clients, and we're glad that our recommendations were spot on, allowing you to make the most of your time in Morocco. It's fantastic to know that you had a great experience, and we hope to have the opportunity to welcome you back to Morocco for another memorable trip in the future.

Thank you for sharing your experience, and we appreciate your recommendation of Original Travels.

Regards,
Abdel

16 Day Thailand Grand Tour
Thailand | Feb 9 - Feb 24, 2023

C
Cindy A.
Canada | Reviewed on Mar 02, 2023

Bangkok: Ramada Plaza Menam Riverside = great, modern highrise hotel, excellent breakfast buffet.
Guide for Bangkok and River Kwai (4 days) = Chanphen ("Toon") was EXCELLENT.
Favourite Bangkok sites = ride in Bangkok Canal and Night Food tour by TukTuk. The food and flower markets were very interesting. The palaces and temples were beautiful BUT were maybe too much to see in 2 days.
Less favourite things = Asiatique Shopping Complex was disappointing as many shops had not reopened after... read more

Bangkok: Ramada Plaza Menam Riverside = great, modern highrise hotel, excellent breakfast buffet.
Guide for Bangkok and River Kwai (4 days) = Chanphen ("Toon") was EXCELLENT.
Favourite Bangkok sites = ride in Bangkok Canal and Night Food tour by TukTuk. The food and flower markets were very interesting. The palaces and temples were beautiful BUT were maybe too much to see in 2 days.
Less favourite things = Asiatique Shopping Complex was disappointing as many shops had not reopened after the pandemic. The weekend market is definitely not something I would recommend. The items were junky and the shops were all repetitive. We WERE lucky to have lunch at Guay New Kua Gai restaurant - Michelin star!

Rom Hub Train Market was interesting to see but the Taka Floating Market was even better!
The long tail boat ride to the River Kwai Jungle Rafts Floating Hotel was very scenic.
River Kwai: The Floating Hotel was rustic, quiet and good for a short stay. Not much to do there. We were there 2 nights. Our visit to the lava cave was a welcome activity away from the resort.
The food was very good.
Returning to Bangkok - The Bridge, museum , and cemetery on the River Kwai were "must see" historical sites.

Chiang Mai: Rimping Village Hotel (3 nights) had wonderful rooms and breakfast buffet.
Our very best excursion was to the elephant sanctuary. We did not want to leave!
The white water rafting that followed was a fun adventure. It was not a physical challenge yet had some thrilling moments.
Our guide for our remaining time in Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai was Jeda. She was also EXCELLENT.
Doi Inthanon National Park was not a "must see". It was not a hike but a stroll and rather unremarkable.
The pagodas and gardens were lovely but it was a long way to go for just that.

The Thai cooking class at Bann Hong Nual was a highlight. Even the two males in our group had fun. Umporn, our instructor, was very lovely and engaging. We would do this again.

Chiang Rai: Imperial River House (2 nights) = very nice rooms and great buffet breakfast.
We stopped at more temples and pagodas on our drive to Chiang Rai. Our interest was waining by then...until we visited Was Wrong Khun (aka The White Temple) was absolutely stunning. It was a "must see".
The visit to the tea plantation was interesting. The visit to Doi Mae Salong , Chiang Saen, and The Golden Triangle were unremarkable.

Krabi: Peace Laguna Resort (4 nights) = a rather run-down hotel. The rooms were not clean and the linens were stained and old. The most disappointing accommodation in all. Fortunately, the breakfast buffet was good.
Phi Phi Island Excursion was not good. Hoards of people in the water and on the island "walk". We would not recommend this.
The Rain Forest Discovery Tour did not meet our expectation. The rainforest, pools and waterfalls were not much to see. The Tiger Cave Temple on our way back to the hotel was ok but not a highlight.
Krabi was a busy beach resort city which is great if you simply want to sit by a pool or go to the beach. Many good restaurants.
We had a great mix of activities and thoroughly enjoyed Thailand.

Hotel Reviews
Ramada Plaza by Wyndham Bangkok Menam Riverside
Bangkok
Authenticity & Character
Location
Staff
Cleanliness & Comfort
River Kwai Jungle Rafts Floating Hotel
Authenticity & Character
Location
Staff
Cleanliness & Comfort
Rimping Village Chiang Mai
Chiang Mai
Authenticity & Character
Location
Staff
Cleanliness & Comfort
Peace Laguna Resort
Krabi

not clean and was run down

Authenticity & Character
Location
Staff
Cleanliness & Comfort
Local specialist: Supi Prach-Umpai

A perfect Moroccan adventure…
Morocco | Feb 18 - Feb 25, 2023

Thomas
Thomas R.
Huntington, NY | Reviewed on Mar 02, 2023

Yassine did a wonderful job putting together our vacation to Morocco. Our driver, Said, who was with us for the duration was warm, friendly, courteous, thoughtful and made our trip so enjoyable and smooth. An awesome guy! Our two local tour guides in Fes and Marrakech (Mustafa and Abdul, respectively) were fantastic and knowledgeable. The riads that Yassine booked us into were magnificent…one more amazing than the next. The overnight luxury camping in the Sahara Desert was perfect and... read more

Yassine did a wonderful job putting together our vacation to Morocco. Our driver, Said, who was with us for the duration was warm, friendly, courteous, thoughtful and made our trip so enjoyable and smooth. An awesome guy! Our two local tour guides in Fes and Marrakech (Mustafa and Abdul, respectively) were fantastic and knowledgeable. The riads that Yassine booked us into were magnificent…one more amazing than the next. The overnight luxury camping in the Sahara Desert was perfect and once-in-a-lifetime special. A fabulous trip from start to finish!

Hotel Reviews
Riad Mazar Fes
Fes

Amazingly beautiful Riad in the Medina. Nicest staff ever! Delicious breakfast.

Authenticity & Character
Location
Staff
Cleanliness & Comfort
Riad Kalaa 2
Rabat

A gorgeous Riad. Modern yet authentically Moroccan. Spectacular room. Fantastic breakfast. Wonderful staff.

Authenticity & Character
Location
Staff
Cleanliness & Comfort
Luxury Camp Chebbi
Merzouga

An amazing experience. The camel ride in and 4x4 ride out were amazing! Our tent was spectacular…plush bed, heater, wifi, usb port, electric lights, heater, toilet, hot water in the shower. Welcome tea and snacks. A fantastic dinner and breakfast. Very friendly staff. Live Berber music by the fire at night. A 10 out of 10 experience!

Authenticity & Character
Location
Staff
Cleanliness & Comfort
Caravane
Ouarzazate

This riad is super special. One of the nicest overnights we’ve had anywhere. A beautiful place with carefully curated artwork everywhere. Relaxing rooftop lounge, pool, common areas. Super friendly staff. Delicious breakfast. Highly recommended!

Authenticity & Character
Location
Staff
Cleanliness & Comfort
Riad Bab Firdaus
Marrakesh

A stunning Riad in the heart of the Marrakech Medina. Very fancy and authentic. White glove treatment from the staff. Welcome tea and snacks, the choice of essential oil scents for our pillows, very spacious room, fantastic toiletries. Super friendly and helpful staff. We also enjoyed excellent spa treatments at their spa.

Authenticity & Character
Location
Staff
Cleanliness & Comfort
Activity Reviews
Exploring the Imperial City and Medieval Medina of Fez
Fes

Mustafa was a fantastic and knowledgeable guide. Very friendly and attentive. We loved our day with him.

Quality of Experience
Food
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Transport
Overnight in the Sahara Desert
Morocco

Excellent all around. Camel ride was over an hour and stunning. Welcome tea and snacks. Tents are amazing and plush…comfy beds and bedding, wifi, usb ports, electricity, heater, beautiful marble sink, toilet, hot water shower. Delicious dinner and breakfast. The staff was wonderful. Fantastic live Berber music around the fire at night.

Quality of Experience
Food
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Transport
Exploring the Medina and Historical Sites Of Marrakesh
Marrakesh

Our guide, Abdul, was really warm and knowledgeable and we had an awesome day with him. We feel like we really got to see all the highlights of Marrakech with him and he made sure we had a fantastic day.

Quality of Experience
Food
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Transport
Hammam Visit
Morocco

We didn’t know what to expect and it was really great.

Quality of Experience
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Transport
Local specialist: Yassine Echcherki

Unexpected Morocco
Morocco | Feb 18 - Feb 26, 2023

S
Sandrine W.
United Kingdom | Reviewed on Mar 02, 2023

We just completed a 9 day trip to Morocco and Ali helped us plan our adventure! He was great in changing the itinerary to fit our needs and responded quickly to any enquiries. We started and ended our trip in Marrakesh and honestly wish we had stayed with the original itinerary and ended in Casablanca in order to have visited Fes and Chefchaouen.
The highlight of the trip was the two nights in the Sahara Desert! The camel ride out (optional) was amazing and we were able to enjoy the... read more

We just completed a 9 day trip to Morocco and Ali helped us plan our adventure! He was great in changing the itinerary to fit our needs and responded quickly to any enquiries. We started and ended our trip in Marrakesh and honestly wish we had stayed with the original itinerary and ended in Casablanca in order to have visited Fes and Chefchaouen.
The highlight of the trip was the two nights in the Sahara Desert! The camel ride out (optional) was amazing and we were able to enjoy the beautiful sunset. The view of the starry skies will also never be forgotten! The trip was a nice balance of city and off the beaten path. The food is not very varied so be ready to have a lot of tajines and egg omelets! Finally Samir our driver made all the difference! He was very responsive to all our needs. He was able to answer questions honestly about the areas travelled and had great advice on what to do in all the areas visited. Thank you for the once in a lifetime trip!

Local specialist: Ali Moujane
Ali
Ali Moujane
Local specialist in Atlas Mountains | Reviewed on Mar 03, 2023

Hi Sandrine,

Thank you for sharing your positive experience with us! We're glad that I was able to help you plan your trip and accommodate any changes you needed. We're thrilled to hear that the highlight of your trip was the two nights in the Sahara Desert and that you enjoyed the camel ride and sunset. It's great to hear that the trip provided a nice balance of city and off-the-beaten-path experiences. We're glad that Samir, your driver, was able to make a difference and provide helpful... read more

Hi Sandrine,

Thank you for sharing your positive experience with us! We're glad that I was able to help you plan your trip and accommodate any changes you needed. We're thrilled to hear that the highlight of your trip was the two nights in the Sahara Desert and that you enjoyed the camel ride and sunset. It's great to hear that the trip provided a nice balance of city and off-the-beaten-path experiences. We're glad that Samir, your driver, was able to make a difference and provide helpful advice during your trip.

Thank you for choosing us for your once-in-a-lifetime trip to Morocco!

Best Wishes,
Ali

Hi Christina , we all had such an amazing tim...
New Zealand | Feb 4 - Feb 23, 2023

S
Sue B.
United Kingdom | Reviewed on Mar 02, 2023

Hi Christina , we all had such an amazing time , so lucky with the weather, we saw some pretty fantastic sights , with a few off beat ones . The guides were equally knowledgeable , a lifetime of memories made. Thank you for your help.
Just have to sort the hundreds of photos and videos taken of all the breathtaking sites seen.

Local specialist: Christina Brockie

5 Star African Adventure!!
South Africa | Jan 6 - Jan 17, 2023

Ashley
Ashley S.
Rancho Cucamonga, CA | Reviewed on Mar 02, 2023

If you thinking about having Elgin Africa plan your trip, stop debating and just do it! I can't say enough about how great the entire experience was. Deb, whose company is Elgin Africa, lives in South Africa and has personal relationships with a lot of the tour companies that we used. She cared deeply about me and my family having an amazing trip, and made sure every detail was perfect. I can only say that there would be no way that we would have had such an amazing, flawless trip without a... read more

If you thinking about having Elgin Africa plan your trip, stop debating and just do it! I can't say enough about how great the entire experience was. Deb, whose company is Elgin Africa, lives in South Africa and has personal relationships with a lot of the tour companies that we used. She cared deeply about me and my family having an amazing trip, and made sure every detail was perfect. I can only say that there would be no way that we would have had such an amazing, flawless trip without a passionate destination specialist curating every detail for us.

Starting with the planning process, Deb chatted with me on the phone and walked me though a customized itinerary she made for me. I was concerned about my budget, and she modified the trip several times to keep me at my budget, which I very much appreciated. I was in contact the Deb and her assistant before, during, and after the trip. She would even text me late at night and as ask if I enjoyed dinner.

As for the Trip itself Deb planned a 2 week adventure for my family of six. We went on two safaris in Botswana, visited Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe, and spent time exploring Johannesburg. Every part of the trip was amazing. It's almost impossible to pick a favorite section, but if I had to give advice I was say do not miss out on visiting Chobe National Park!

All the accommodations Deb booked for us were beautiful 5 star boutique hotels. I couldn't believe she was able to fit such fantastic hotels into my budget. Also, the whole trip felt private. We had a private guide for both of our safaris, private transfers, and a private dinner cruise in Victoria Falls. What was most amazing about the trip is that we had so many passionate people making sure we enjoyed ourself. We didn't end up in one tourist trap and we were able to genuinely experience the local culture of every place we went.

I can't recommend Deb enough! Our trip was worth every penny, and every part more than exceeded our expectations. Thank you for planning the trip of a lifetime!

Local specialist: Deborah Smook
Deborah
Deborah Smook
Local specialist in Cape Town | Reviewed on Mar 02, 2023

Hello Ashley

Thank you for the incredible review! It was so good to meet you and I'm so happy that you enjoyed this trip of a lifetime with your family.

Deb

5 star Excellent Itinerary/Booking Services f...
Argentina | Feb 23 - Feb 27, 2023

M
Meerali P.
Flagami, FL | Reviewed on Mar 01, 2023

5 star Excellent Itinerary/Booking Services from KimKim Travel

We would definitely use this company again and again after our trip to Argentina! They were able to work with us over a series of weeks to create a custom itinerary for us that included different hotels, cities, excursions and flights between different cities. The local companies they work with are absolutely amazing. Drivers were on time, courteous, easy to locate, friendly and had a wealth of knowledge on the city we were... read more

5 star Excellent Itinerary/Booking Services from KimKim Travel

We would definitely use this company again and again after our trip to Argentina! They were able to work with us over a series of weeks to create a custom itinerary for us that included different hotels, cities, excursions and flights between different cities. The local companies they work with are absolutely amazing. Drivers were on time, courteous, easy to locate, friendly and had a wealth of knowledge on the city we were picked up. We had the unexpected perk of also having additional guides on hand to pick us up with the driver from the respective airports which was appreciated as the local guides knew our whole itineraries and would give us a rundown of the next day's itineraries along with the to-do local items in our off time. From start to finish, the whole itinerary was followed to a T with the local guides/drivers on hand to pick us up daily and take us through the respective itinerary. The additional perks via KimKim were having separate english speaking guides/tours in some of the shared stops, i.e. instead of staying with a big group, our initial guide would quickly take us to the respective english speaking guide of the tour to take us through an excursion. They did such a group job on each excursions. Special praise for Sergio, Aileen and Cecilia for all their knowledge!

Hotel Reviews
Alvear Art Hotel
Buenos Aires

Beautiful, amazing hotel!! The staff could not have been more accommodating and friendly. Whether it was helping us book dinner reservations (we were unaware that a number of restaurants would require them) or guidance locally on places to visit, they were super friendly and helpful. A pro is that the kitchen stays open till 11 pm and hotel bar till midnight - this was great on long day excursions or late flights in in the middle of our trip. The rooms were spacious, beautiful and extremely clean. You couldn't hear guests in other rooms as well. The restaurant downstairs was great for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

Authenticity & Character
Fantastic; We didn't know that the hotel is connected to a gallery that specializes in private art and showcasing the collection.
Location
Central location; great walking distance to so much nearby
Staff
Cleanliness & Comfort
Mercure Iguazu Hotel Iru
Puerto Iguazú

I'll give this hotel 4 stars due to the amazing restaurant, staff (Luciana at the front desk, spa and location. It's built with an indoor/outdoor feel with the room door opening up to the outside. The rooms were beautiful and spacious along with the bathrooms. The food from the restaurant was absolutely fantastic. A only extremely low point for us was the treatment received by a night manager playing "security". He demanded to see some gifts brought into the hotel by us after one of our excursions due to his belief that the gifts could pose a security threat (aka a bomb) due to their weight. He made us show him one of the gifts so he could feel it and "confirm" it wasn't a threat. It was absolutely ridiculous treatment as this has never happened to us at any hotel before and was extremely uncomfortable as we didn't see the same thing happen to other guests. Without this, i would've recommended to this hotel to others, but after that experience, I would not recommend this hotel to other Asian American/brown/minority tourists.

Authenticity & Character
Location
Staff
3 stars as everyone else but the night manager Emmanuel was great.
Cleanliness & Comfort
Local specialist: Jason Kearney
Jason
Jason Kearney
Local specialist in Peru | Reviewed on Mar 01, 2023

Hello Meerali,
Thanks for your review and I am glad to hear you had a very enjoyable experience with us in Argentina. We hope to see you back in Latin America with us in the near future.

Costa Rica - Monteverde, Manuel Antonio, Corcovado
Costa Rica | Feb 18 - Feb 26, 2023

Tara
Tara Z.
Seattle, WA | Reviewed on Feb 28, 2023

We had a fabulous time in Costa Rica, and really appreciated the planning help we received from Nuria. We particularly loved Sunset Lodge in Drake Bay, and the guided trip in Corcovado National Park. In Manuel Antonio, our lodging at Hotel San Bada was a wonderful location just steps from the park entrance and a short walk to the beach. Our night hikes were amazing, and we were happy with the choice to not use a guide inside Manuel Antonio NP. There were so many guides around that we didn't... read more

We had a fabulous time in Costa Rica, and really appreciated the planning help we received from Nuria. We particularly loved Sunset Lodge in Drake Bay, and the guided trip in Corcovado National Park. In Manuel Antonio, our lodging at Hotel San Bada was a wonderful location just steps from the park entrance and a short walk to the beach. Our night hikes were amazing, and we were happy with the choice to not use a guide inside Manuel Antonio NP. There were so many guides around that we didn't feel like we missed anything.
Kimkim and our specialist Nuria were really helpful to us. I think the Corcovado region in particular would have been difficult to plan and navigate without inside knowledge.
I will say, however, that we learned a bit about ourselves while planning. In general, we like to make decisions based on value. The Kimkim system didn't allow us to do that since prices of individual activities and expenses aren't shared, and we found that to be a bit difficult. Whether or not we want to do something is often balanced with the cost tradeoff in a typical situation. With Kimkim, we didn't know the relative prices of trip components, so when it came time to trim or change, it was difficult. Ultimately, that has to do with our own travel and decision-making style, not a flaw with Kimkim.
The trip was amazing and everything came together without a hitch. All car pick ups and drop offs; boat transfers; activities; shuttles; etc. went smoothly. Thank you!

Hotel Reviews
Country Inn & Suites by Radisson, San Jose Aeropuerto, Costa Rica
San José

This hotel was perfectly fine for what we needed. Nothing too fancy, but comfortable. A great place to stay before a flight.

Authenticity & Character
Kind of a chain/corporate feel, but fine.
Location
Near airport
Staff
Cleanliness & Comfort
Hotel San Bada Resort & Spa
Manuel Antonio

Excellent location right near entrance to Manuel Antonio NP. Comfortable room facing the ocean was great for early morning bird watching and howler monkey listening. Included breakfast was an excellent buffet.

Authenticity & Character
Location
right near national park; no need to drive
Staff
friendly
Cleanliness & Comfort
Sunset Lodge
Drake

This place is absolutely beautiful and the hosts were wonderfully kind and friendly.

Authenticity & Character
Location
beautiful views
Staff
Cleanliness & Comfort
Activity Reviews
Corcovado National Park Hike - Estación Sirena
Costa Rica

This was really a high adventure. We left Drake Bay very early in the morning (before 6am) via boat transfer to arrive as early as possible at the national park. Our guide was excellent and we saw some amazing animals including tapirs, spider monkeys, howler monkeys and more.

Quality of Experience
Food
We preordered restaurant lunch with our tour group in the morning and then when we returned to Drake Bay we all went to lunch together. It wasn't my favorite meal, but it was fine.
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Transport
Coffee Experience and Nighttime Nature Walk
Monteverde

This was excellent. The coffee and chocolate portions of the tour exceeded expectations and were really fun and engaging. The night walk was great! We saw lots of wildlife including kinkajous and vipers. We also enjoyed the gift shop.

Quality of Experience
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Hanging Bridges
Monteverde

We did the self-guided trip to hanging bridges and really enjoyed it. It was nice to just listen to the birds and enjoy the quiet as we walked through the canopy. We didn't see lots of wildlife, but really enjoyed the experience.

Quality of Experience
Manuel Antonio Jungle Night Walk
Manuel Antonio

This was really fun! We had a private guide and he was really informative and great at spotting frogs, insects, snakes, etc. He was less interested in mammals, but we did see 2-toed and 3-toed sloths. He was really great with his spotting scope also and took photos with our phones through the lens for us, which was pretty cool.

Quality of Experience
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Transport
Snorkeling & Scuba Diving at Isla del Caño Biological Reserve
Drake Bay

This was so fun! We joined a small group on a catamaran for a morning of snorkeling and playing off the boat, with lunch included. The snorkeling was guided and we were tightly monitored and kept in a group. I hadn't experienced that before on a snorkeling trip, but it worked out. We saw a huge stingray, several turtles, and lots of fish. The visibility was ok, not amazing, but we all had a great day. We also saw turtles and dolphins from the boat.

Quality of Experience
Food
Lunch was served on the boat and was tasty
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Transport
Local specialist: Nuria Oliveira

Short Vietnam visit with sites that were culturally interesting and stays that were super comfortable
Vietnam | Feb 17 - Feb 25, 2023

TRACY
TRACY M.
Wakefield, MA | Reviewed on Feb 28, 2023

This vacation was great! Long planned interesting cultural site visits and respected our choice to have some free time. Our guides were all knowledgable, spoke great English, and made everything convenient for us. Meeting the guides and drivers were so helpful and took a load off our shoulders!

We loved Vietnam. What a beautiful and very friendly country. We didn't get a chance to see it all and hope to return to revisit Hoi An (our favorite stop with the BEST hotel - the La Siesta)... read more

This vacation was great! Long planned interesting cultural site visits and respected our choice to have some free time. Our guides were all knowledgable, spoke great English, and made everything convenient for us. Meeting the guides and drivers were so helpful and took a load off our shoulders!

We loved Vietnam. What a beautiful and very friendly country. We didn't get a chance to see it all and hope to return to revisit Hoi An (our favorite stop with the BEST hotel - the La Siesta) and then get down to Ho Chi Minh city, which we had no time to visit.

Kimkim.com made the trip so much easier even though I did do the initial planning of WHERE to go for our limited time. Once that was decided, all the plans were put in place by Long. He provided excellent communication during planning and while we were in country. Super grateful for his immediate responses if we had any issues. Would definitely plan another trip with Kimkim.com

Hotel Reviews
La Siesta Hoi An Resort & Spa
Quảng Nam

We loved the La Siesta in Hoi An. What an AMAZING resort. We all said we should have stayed there longer than we did. Since we hadn't had time to visit Ho Chi Minh City -we hope we can return to Hoi An and the hotel and then visit the rest of Vietnam. Beautiful grounds, terrific pools and amenities, great food and comfortable rooms. We can't rave about it enough!

Authenticity & Character
We loved it and perhaps it was a bit more modern than surroundings, it was a terrific stay
Location
a little far from the old city - but doable
Staff
Service was great. Everyone was friendly and helpful.
Cleanliness & Comfort
Love the accommodations of a twin room for the kids and separate room for us!
Hanoi La Siesta Hotel & Spa
Hà Nội

Loved the amenities, service, restaurant, and room. However, being in the middle of a busy area made it a bit loud.

Authenticity & Character
Location
Just a little loud. Unfortunately we didn't get out to explore much because of our tight schedule. Just the immediate area was "scary" due to the many, many scooters
Staff
Cleanliness & Comfort
just a little loud - loved the separation of the rooms from the kids
Orchid Trendy Cruise

Terrific cruise. Good rooms for our family. Friendly staff and great excursions.

Authenticity & Character
Location
Staff
Cleanliness & Comfort
Liberty Central Nha Trang
Nha Trang

The rooms were nice and having 2 rooms for our family was more than accommodating. Rooms were hot and floor/hallways were a bit smelly.

Authenticity & Character
Location
Love accessibility to beach and restaurants
Staff
Cleanliness & Comfort
hallways smelled
Local specialist: Long Dao
Long
Long Dao
Local specialist in Vietnam | Reviewed on Mar 01, 2023

Dear Tracy,
Thanks so much for your review and your kind words! We’re really glad to know that you enjoyed your holiday in Vietnam and liked our country. I agree about Hoi An, it is one of my favorite places too. Your feedback is highly appreciated, as it enables us to further develop our services. Trust us, you’ve made our day immensely better by sharing your experience.
Thanks again for the review and for being such a great customer.
Long

Costa Rica We'll Never Forget!
Costa Rica | Feb 3 - Feb 16, 2023

Alison
Alison C.
Canada | Reviewed on Mar 01, 2023

Took a chance on KimKim and it was a wonderful experience. From the very beginning, Sergio, from Serendipity Tours, took what we could and couldn't do into consideration. A little worried about being 65, long hikes and heights. Ends up we could do everything and it was an unforgettable trip. They took care of everything and took care of us. We did have to contact them a couple of times to confirm times and them got back to us quickly. They even changed the time of the car drop... read more

Took a chance on KimKim and it was a wonderful experience. From the very beginning, Sergio, from Serendipity Tours, took what we could and couldn't do into consideration. A little worried about being 65, long hikes and heights. Ends up we could do everything and it was an unforgettable trip. They took care of everything and took care of us. We did have to contact them a couple of times to confirm times and them got back to us quickly. They even changed the time of the car drop off in San Jose when our flight time changed.

Hotel Reviews
Hotel Costa Verde
Manuel Antonio

From the moment the door to our room opened, and I gasped, I knew we were just maybe in the best room at the hotel. The large room looked out on the ocean and sunsets every night. Gorgeous.

Authenticity & Character
Location
Staff
Cleanliness & Comfort
Hotel Balmoral
San José

This is a tough one. Our room didn't have a window, or it had one which looked like you were in a basement apartment with the glass frosted over. And no hot water. Yes, we let it run. But the location was great and we were only there one night. Therefor the three star rating, versus one star.

Authenticity & Character
Location
Staff
Cleanliness & Comfort
Hotel Los Lagos Spa & Resort
Fortuna

A gorgeous hotel to stay at during our first nights in Costa Rica. We enjoyed the hot springs, location, and the pools. The breakfast was amazing, as were the staff.

Authenticity & Character
Location
Staff
Cleanliness & Comfort
Activity Reviews
Sunset Cruise with Wine & Cheese on Lake Arenal
Arenal/La Fortuna

Lots of fun, and there were very few of us on the boat. I think that allowed for learning how to make some signature Costa Rican drinks and learn the merengue. We were lucky to have a full moon over the Arenal volcano.

Quality of Experience
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Transport
Catamaran Adventure from Manuel Antonio
Manuel Antonio

I should have done my homework on this one. I imagined a smaller group and this was a party boat. 120 on board a ship that could take 200. My partner did get to snorkel, though I stayed on board. One of the best pictures of the trip was taken aboard this boat though at sunset.

Quality of Experience
Food
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Transport
Asis Wildlife Rescue Center, Feeding Tour
Arenal/La Fortuna

An informative tour and getting to prepare their food was fun.

Quality of Experience
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Transport
Nature Safari Float and Tortilla Making
Arenal/La Fortuna

Very nice being the only two people on board the float. A great informative guide. The tortilla making was fun, as were the hair nets and aprons.

Quality of Experience
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Transport
Visit to Maleku Indigenous Reserve
Arenal/La Fortuna

Only two in our group again. It was informative and we were able to pick up some lovely artwork for home. A walk through the jungle (wear bug repellent) to discuss the medicinal plants. Entertainment, which we got to take part in. We also shot arrows and had lunch. They very sweetly had prepared to pieces with our names on them which they gave to us. A lovely visit.

Quality of Experience
Food
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Transport
Sky Adventures Tram, Hanging Bridges and Arboreal Tree Climbing
Monteverde

I was terrified. Especially as the wind was howling the night before. It was one an experience I'll never forget. The hanging bridges were incredible, including the monkeys (and the monkey poo I ran my hand through, yuk). The sky tram was a piece of cake after the bridges. The viewed amazing. We peeked in on tarantulas, and saw sloths as well. My partner climbed the 30 meter tree and rang the bell. Very proud of him!

Quality of Experience
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Transport
Sloth Observation - Day or Night Walk
Arenal/La Fortuna

Just the two of us and a guide for this walk. We spotted sloth and frogs, and other wildlife.

Quality of Experience
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Transport
Self drive from {{start_location}} to {{end_location}}
Costa Rica

Stopped at the Rio Grande bridge to look over at the crocodiles. Huge, prehistoric.

Quality of Experience
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Transport
Manuel Antonio National Park Guided Hike
Manuel Antonio

Get a guide. We saw more with a guide than the solo visitors who would listen in. Having someone to locate, zoom in with their telescope, and take pictures for you was amazing. Very informative and easy hike.

Quality of Experience
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Transport
Damas Island Boat Tour
Manuel Antonio

Loved our guide. Very nimble and entertaining, he climbed over the mandrake roots to point out the wildlife. It was very enjoyable. I think Tolkien must have seen the mandrake groves when he created the Ents.

Quality of Experience
Food
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Transport
Local specialist: Sergio Bolaños
Sergio
Sergio Bolaños
Local specialist in Limon, Costa Rica | Reviewed on Mar 02, 2023

Hola Alison! I'm glad to hear that you had a wonderful experience with us! As someone who takes pride in providing personalized experiences for travelers, it's always great to hear when we're able to meet the unique needs and concerns of our clients. I'm thrilled that you were able to enjoy everything on the itinerary, despite any initial worries, and that you found the trip to be unforgettable. So I'm pleased to hear that we were able to take care of everything and ensure that you had a... read more

Hola Alison! I'm glad to hear that you had a wonderful experience with us! As someone who takes pride in providing personalized experiences for travelers, it's always great to hear when we're able to meet the unique needs and concerns of our clients. I'm thrilled that you were able to enjoy everything on the itinerary, despite any initial worries, and that you found the trip to be unforgettable. So I'm pleased to hear that we were able to take care of everything and ensure that you had a stress-free trip. Thank you for taking the time to share your positive experience, and we hope to have the opportunity to work with you again in the future! Pura Vida!

Outstanding trip to Ecuador mainland - Kudos to KimKim Team, Mathais, and especially Danny!
Ecuador | Feb 6 - Feb 11, 2023

L
Liz S.
West Mifflin, PA | Reviewed on Feb 28, 2023

Our trip to Ecuador was indeed amazing (meeting and exceeding our expectations). The excursions were excellent! The trip was fabulous!! From start to finish, the KimKim team (Mathais, Danny and excursion guides) were responsive, on time, professional and courteous. Prior to our trip, Mathais listened carefully to our requests and helped us prepare the perfect itinerary. From the minute we walked off the plane in Quito, we were met by our personal guide Danny who was outstanding! He escorted... read more

Our trip to Ecuador was indeed amazing (meeting and exceeding our expectations). The excursions were excellent! The trip was fabulous!! From start to finish, the KimKim team (Mathais, Danny and excursion guides) were responsive, on time, professional and courteous. Prior to our trip, Mathais listened carefully to our requests and helped us prepare the perfect itinerary. From the minute we walked off the plane in Quito, we were met by our personal guide Danny who was outstanding! He escorted us every leg of the trip and made sure our travels went smoothly and were top notch throughout our mainland journey that included 2 days in Quito, a day in Banos, a day in Archidona, and hours in Papillacta thermal baths before we flew to Galapagos. In Ecuador mainland, we visited all the places on our itinerary, never felt rushed, and were able to indulge or move along at our own pace - Danny had a great knack for knowing when to be there for us or leave us to venture on our own. We opted for standard hotels that were lovely, clean, hosted by nice folks, and served good breakfasts before we ventured out on our excursions. Mathias made a point to meet and welcome us while we were in Quito, which we thought was classy. Danny spent hours driving us between cities and time flew - Danny was a great conversationalist and shared a wealth of knowledge and love for his country and people and nature and history, which made our drives and excursions all the more enjoyable. Great mix of private and small group tours. Highly recommend all the excursions on our itinerary: Quito City, Middle of the World, Swing, Banos waterfalls (esp Devils Cauldron) and tram, Amazon basin Napo river, rainforest lodge and hike, and Papillacta hot springs. Be aware there are some touristy areas (Banos, Middle of world) and lousy internet, but chalk it up to part of the experience. The people, the country, the food, the nature all beautiful. If you are planning to go to Galapagos following mainland trip recommend the Holiday Inn by airport to reset.

Local specialist: Mathias Onisseit

Fantastic experience with Mohammed and Original Travel
Morocco | Feb 19 - Feb 26, 2023

Dan
Dan M.
Orchards, WA | Reviewed on Feb 28, 2023

We had an exceptional time in Morocco with our new friend Mohammed, our driver guide from Original Travel. He was very friendly, helpful, and informative - and my wife and I both feel as if we gained a new friend! I cannot recommend him highly enough as someone to take you on a remarkable journey through a beautiful country. To see Fes, the Sahara, Ait Ben Haddou, and Marrakech in 7 days is no small feat, and I don't think it would have been possible without the great attention to detail,... read more

We had an exceptional time in Morocco with our new friend Mohammed, our driver guide from Original Travel. He was very friendly, helpful, and informative - and my wife and I both feel as if we gained a new friend! I cannot recommend him highly enough as someone to take you on a remarkable journey through a beautiful country. To see Fes, the Sahara, Ait Ben Haddou, and Marrakech in 7 days is no small feat, and I don't think it would have been possible without the great attention to detail, focus, and dedication that Mohammed and Original Travel showed us. Thank you, we hope to visit again!

Hotel Review
Tiziri Luxury Camp
Merzouga

Absolutely incredible experience! Great staff, delicious food, and an incredible musical performance by the team. We will be booking our stay with them again when we visit.

Authenticity & Character
Location
Staff
Cleanliness & Comfort
Activity Reviews
Private Food Tour of Marrakesh
Marrakesh

Hanan was a delightful tour guide who gave us a phenomenal and delicious experience!

Quality of Experience
Food
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Transport
Half-Day Guided Sightseeing in Fes
Fes

Beautiful experience to see Fes, however our tour guide took us into some uncomfortable situations where we were 1-on-1 with various store owners looking to understandably sell their wares to us. He initially told us that we should buy from the pottery co-op that we visited first, but then 5 different times were we put into situations where we had to either decline after a 1-on-1 walkthrough of how their products are made, followed by a lot of haggling, or we just caved in and bought something. Again, we fully understand as tourists that there is a need to support the economy, however we did not anticipate that we would be put in so many uncomfortable 1-on-1 situations throughout the day trip. By the end, we wished we were in a bigger group, which is not ideal.

Quality of Experience
Food
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Transport
Local specialist: Abdellah El Asely
Abdellah
Abdellah El Asely
Local specialist in Marrakech | Reviewed on Mar 01, 2023

Hi Dan,

Great to hear that you had an amazing experience with Mohammed as your driver guide from Original Travel in Morocco. He made sure that you and your wife had a memorable and enjoyable time and it's clear that he went above and beyond. It's also impressive that Mohammed provided you with a well-planned itinerary that allowed you to see many incredible sites in just 7 days.

Thank you for sharing your positive experience, and we hope you get the chance to visit Morocco again!

Best Wishes,
Abdel

Two Weeks in Vietnam for Two Female Americans
Vietnam | Feb 11 - Feb 25, 2023

Lynn
Lynn A.
Chanhassen, MN | Reviewed on Feb 28, 2023

First, I want to compliment Long on his incredible planning. Every detail was thoughtfully offered to me in the planning stage. We went through four iterations of the trip until it was exactly what I wanted and Long helped me add some details to match other plans as I wanted to meet up with my husband and friend at the end of the trip also. I was so delighted with each and every daily adventure! I had no idea how special each decision Long offered was until I experienced them. The... read more

First, I want to compliment Long on his incredible planning. Every detail was thoughtfully offered to me in the planning stage. We went through four iterations of the trip until it was exactly what I wanted and Long helped me add some details to match other plans as I wanted to meet up with my husband and friend at the end of the trip also. I was so delighted with each and every daily adventure! I had no idea how special each decision Long offered was until I experienced them. The attention to the details of the experiences provided the best possible stays, the best possible guides, and the best possible experience of the trip. He even managed to help us with a missing item mid-way through the trip and oversaw its return without issue. Amazing customer service! I will recommend Long, KimKim, and Realistic Asia to all my friends and family that want to travel in the SE Asia area.

Our Hanoi guide, Tony, was great! He walked with my friend and I around Hanoi, explaining culture, food, local museums, and many sights. It was a great introduction to our Vietnam trip and was very fun. Nothing like having a great kick off to a trip that helps you understand and build your appreciation of a new place like a fun, knowledgeable guide.

We went on to Sa Pa and our guide was Mei. She is a local Hmong woman who really shared her country with us. It was a long hike through the valley that might have been a Top 5 experience. Lots is changing in Sa Pa - I'm so glad we were able to experience it while it still has its ethnic origins to display and admire. Mei was so kind and very helpful. She spoke in great detail about her culture and answered all of our questions. We were happy to know her and enjoyed her time with us immensely.

Que took us on our adventure to Ninh Binh. He was fun, explained a lot about family culture in Vietnam, and took us through the Ninh Binh area on boat and bicycle. This might be my favorite part of the trip as everything was awe-inspiringly beautiful and still has a small town feel.

We took the 2 day, 3 night cruise through Ha Long Bay. Do the 2 night trip!! The second day we got to go farther and see privately bays the day trip boats cannot. We kayaked, swam, and took well over 100 photos because the scenery was amazing. Athena Cruises were amazing and even accommodated our request for a second beach visit.

Trinh was our guide in Hoi An, after a great flight down to Da Nang from Hanoi on Vietnam Airlines. She was very thoughtful and managed many of the details of the last days of our trip throughout Hoi An and Da Nang. Trinh introduced us to all things culinary in Central Vietnam. Hours of tasting, learning about the farming of vegetables and herbs, and more tasting! We really appreciated Trinh's love of her country and her enthusiasm for the local cuisine. We tried so many different dishes and she even sent us recipes! My travel companion is hosting a dinner this weekend to try and recreate some of the wonderful flavors we were introduced to. It will be a pleasure to continue to exchange food stories with her over the next several months!

We spent the last two days on our own. It's here that I want to share that the choice of hotels at each and every stop of our trip was fantastic. Long chose places in the heart of the areas we wanted to visit without losing any luxury or service. We were able to sleep deeply, comfortably each night and had breakfast each day as part of our stay. We were able to do laundry along the way with fast, great service. The choices were perfect - thanks Long!

The bottom line is the service we received in planning and executing the trip was fantastic! Hard to imagine that anything could be better. Well done Long, Tony, Mei, Que, Trinh and all the others we met!

Hotel Reviews
MK Premier Boutique

The hotel was the perfect location for our trip to Hanoi. Clean, quiet at the back of the building, great breakfast, and tea/coffee cafe up front. Very near Beer Street in Old Quarter - walking distance to many popular places. Food nearby highly recommended. English speaking sports bar nearby - saw Super Bowl at 6:30am Monday! Front desk was very helpful with baggage storage.

Authenticity & Character
Location
Very close to Beer Street and other Popular Sights
Staff
Cleanliness & Comfort
Amazing Sapa
Sa Pa

Beautiful vista from indoor pool area. Night skyline was spectacular. Very delicious breakfast, especially the banana crepes with dark chocolate sauce. Deck area for drinks at sunset. Laundry service was super fast! The staff overall was very attentive and made every request possible during our stay. Business gala was held so no karaoke was attempted, but plenty of walkable area places to eat and drink at night. Farther from SunWorld Plaza and main traffic areas, so it was quiet in the evening. A huge plus for us.

Authenticity & Character
Location
Staff
Cleanliness & Comfort
Hidden Charm Ninh Binh
Ninh Thang, Hoa Lu, Ninh Binh

Lovely hotel. Lots of luxury to be found in this hotel. Brief one night stay was restful and the breakfast was very good. Little time to enjoy the outdoor bar area or pool, but it looked fabulous!

Authenticity & Character
Location
Staff
Cleanliness & Comfort
Belle Maison Hadana Hotel
Hoi An

We fully enjoyed our stay at this fine hotel. The breakfasts were very good. The room was clean, and the beds were very comfortable. You are a walkable distance from the tourist area, but there are also many electric cars, bicycle rides, and Grab scooters to get you back to your room. We sat by the pool and enjoyed the sunny, warm weather. The town is awoken with announcements over loudspeaker (sometimes with drums) at 5 am. There's no escaping that. It adds to the experience for us Americans.

Authenticity & Character
Location
Very near vegetable gardens. Great for biking.
Staff
Very helpful, courteous staff.
Cleanliness & Comfort
The 5 am loudspeakers are probably not something the hotel can change but it is a bummer to be awoken so early.
Athena Luxury Cruise
Hà Nội

We took the 3D,2N version. It's really half a day, a whole day, and another half day but it is HIGHLY worth the extra day. the second day you get to go further out to a more secluded bay to kayak and enjoy the sights. The meals served are several courses of delicious food that is custom fit to your dietary needs. Go soon - it was not crowded as the weather was cooler than most think of in Vietnam. As upper Midwest Americans, it was plenty warm for us in February. Tim, our Cruise Director, was fantastic. We were even accommodated for a second beach visit without issue.

Authenticity & Character
Location
Staff
Cleanliness & Comfort
Belle Maison Parosand Da Nang Hotel
Son Tra, Da Nang

This hotel is the best location for beach, restaurants, and it has a great nightclub on the roof with a spectacular view that was unexpected of Da Nang and the ocean. The breakfast was very good and the restaurant is one floor below the nightclub in case you don't enjoy loud music. The spa was very nice with a facial that was moderately gentle. The front desk was very helpful with transportation arrangements and luggage storage needs. The chairs by the infinity pool were a great place to hang out by day or evening!

Authenticity & Character
Location
Staff
Cleanliness & Comfort
Activity Review
Explore the History and Beauty of Hanoi - Full Day Sightseeing
Hanoi

Tony, our guide, took us through the streets, helping us to orient ourselves to the city. We tried local foods and experienced the big tourist areas. our favorite was the Museum of Ethnology which really helped explain the 56 ethnic groups and prepped us for our visit to Sa Pa. Tony explained a lot about the different groups and took us to a fabulous lunch. We saw a wonderful sunny day at the lakes and in the temple area and enjoyed the School of Literature.

Quality of Experience
Food
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Transport
Local specialist: Long Dao
Long
Long Dao
Local specialist in Vietnam | Reviewed on Mar 01, 2023

Dear Lynn,
Thank you so much for your very detailed feedback. We are extremely thrilled to hear that you and Julie enjoyed your holiday in Vietnam.
Thanks again for your kind words about Tony, Mei, Que, Trinh, and me. They and I all remember you and send you warm regards.
We’re very grateful for customers like you and Julie and hope to see both of you again!
Best wishes,
Long

Java - 10 day trip
Indonesia | Feb 10 - Feb 20, 2023

Maureen
Maureen M.
Canada | Reviewed on Feb 28, 2023

We did a 10 day Java trip and it was amazing. Marc organized our drivers and hotels and activities and we loved all of it! Our drivers, Purwol and Sholi were excellent and very safe. We were well looked after and the hotels we stayed at were lovely. We climbed Mt. Ijen, Mt. Bromo and visited numerous temples. We went bike riding, experienced waterfalls and had a really fun time. Marc was excellent at helping plan and we can't say enough about how helpful he was on our trip with getting... read more

We did a 10 day Java trip and it was amazing. Marc organized our drivers and hotels and activities and we loved all of it! Our drivers, Purwol and Sholi were excellent and very safe. We were well looked after and the hotels we stayed at were lovely. We climbed Mt. Ijen, Mt. Bromo and visited numerous temples. We went bike riding, experienced waterfalls and had a really fun time. Marc was excellent at helping plan and we can't say enough about how helpful he was on our trip with getting back to us with any questions we had. He even arranged for a doctor to come to our hotel when we needed to see one. We can highly recommend Marc and Kimkim Travel. They make going on trips easy and fun!!

Hotel Review
Ijen Resort and Villas
Banyuwangi

Beautiful location. Our room was very clean and quite large. Facilities were very nice, large open restaurant and very nice staff.

Location
The views are amazing, not close to other restaurants.
Staff
Cleanliness & Comfort
Local specialist: Marc Urban

Patagonia excursion
Patagonia | Feb 6 - Feb 14, 2023

Mary
Mary M.
Lawndale, CA | Reviewed on Mar 01, 2023

El calafate was a great little town. B n B there was comfortable and very kind and helpful staff. Tours were great from there. Perito Moreno glacier amazing, so beautiful. Hotel in Puerto Natales, hotel Costraulias was great location! Day trip to Torres Del Paine was wonderful. Highlight of the trip was the day at Estancia Mercedes. Wonderful people, stunning property, incredible lunch and then quesadillas and mate tea on the side of the waterfalls, horseback riding through gorgeous, rivers... read more

El calafate was a great little town. B n B there was comfortable and very kind and helpful staff. Tours were great from there. Perito Moreno glacier amazing, so beautiful. Hotel in Puerto Natales, hotel Costraulias was great location! Day trip to Torres Del Paine was wonderful. Highlight of the trip was the day at Estancia Mercedes. Wonderful people, stunning property, incredible lunch and then quesadillas and mate tea on the side of the waterfalls, horseback riding through gorgeous, rivers and streams, and amazing views, returning to another home-cooked delicious meal for dinner in their cozy cabin with delicious wine, wonderful company and ending the day with a gorgeous rainbow over the water and dolphins and puppies and kitties and smiles all around. Incredible day! Boat trip and hikes to O’Higgins glacier was great too. Hotel in Santiago was great location and tour to winery and Valparaiso and Viña Del Mar and Reñaca was great to see the many beaches of Chile. We concluded our trip with more exploring the coast and visiting the surfing capital of Pichilemu. Tour guides were all professional and kind. Only mishap was not getting picked up at the airports. Drivers weren’t there as outlined in the tour but all other parts of the trip were wonderful. Erin put together a great trip in a short amount of lead time. Great job Erin!

Hotel Reviews
Cauquenes de Nimez
El Calafate, Santa Cruz

Very nice and helpful staff

Authenticity & Character
Location
Staff
Cleanliness & Comfort
Hotel Ismael
Santiago
Authenticity & Character
Location
Staff
Cleanliness & Comfort
Local specialist: Erin Wiley

Review of Four days in Naples Feb 6 - Feb 9, ...
Italy | Feb 6 - Feb 9, 2023

L
Linda L.
Tinton Falls, NJ | Reviewed on Feb 28, 2023

Review of Four days in Naples Feb 6 - Feb 9, 2023

Feb 6, 2023: Arrival at our hotel Rinucci Relais
Our driver at the Naples Airport was on time and patiently waited for us to do the paperwork for my husband’s lost suitcase that had been left behind at Rome airport.

At the Rinucci Relais, we were warmly greeted and offered typical Naeopolitian pastries; then
our host explained the breakfast service and showed us around our room.
Our accomodations were much more than the average... read more

Review of Four days in Naples Feb 6 - Feb 9, 2023

Feb 6, 2023: Arrival at our hotel Rinucci Relais
Our driver at the Naples Airport was on time and patiently waited for us to do the paperwork for my husband’s lost suitcase that had been left behind at Rome airport.

At the Rinucci Relais, we were warmly greeted and offered typical Naeopolitian pastries; then
our host explained the breakfast service and showed us around our room.
Our accomodations were much more than the average hotel suite. Our “apartment” was spacious with a sitting area and and table and chairs if we wished to breakfast in our room. The bathroom and shower were spacious and modern. There was also a kitchen with a small stove and boiler.
On host also helped us to book restaurants and her suggestions were excellent.
Our breakfasts were spectacular, well prepared, generous, and delicious.
We were very pleased with our stay at the Rinucci Relai and would definately book the Rinucci Relais if we were to visit Naples again.

Naples and Pompeii 7 February

Our guide, Iulia, arrived at the appointed at our hotel and we discussed our plans for the day. We drove to the center of “Old town Naples” and Iulia explained the important architectural elemtent of the streets and important churches, monumnets, Roman ruins, ancient structures. To help us to get a sense of the city, Iulia recounted many myths and stories about what we were seeing. We stopped for coffee and delicious Nepolitian pastries. We enjoyed wandering the crazy streets of Naples and learning about the culinary delights of the city.
In the afternoon we drove to Pompeii. As we walked through the small museum and the ruins of the site, Iulia’s explanations, historical details, and humorous stories about Pompeii were detailed, interesting and engaging. I especially appreciated learning about the frescos/wall painting in the various structures that we viewed.

Iulia was an excellent guide; she made our visit to Pompeii a fun learning experience. Her sense of humor and extensive knowledge made for an excellent day.

8 February: Tour of the Amalfi Coast with Ciro
Our driver, Ciro, met us at the appointed time to begin our exploration of the Amalfi coast.
We discussed our itinerary for the day. Since our visit was in winter and many places on the Amalfi coast would be closed, Ciro suggested that we make adapt our original plan. We very much appreciated this. Our Naples guide had also made us aware of quietness of the coast during the winter season. The coast scenery was beautiful. As Ciro drove along the coast, he added details about the coast and Naples. His commentary was interesting, informed, and added to the landscape that we were viewing. We stopped in Amalfi for an hour to wanders, and of course, indulge in coffee and Neopoltian pastries. We also made several view-point stops. Our route took us to Sorrento where we originally planeed to stop for lunch. After realizing that the best restaurants would be closed, Ciro suggested that on our return that we could stop in the shadow of Vesuius at a winery for a wine tasting of local wines and lunch. We liked this suggestion and enjoyed the wine tasing and a delicious lunch. On our return to our hotel in Naples, we stopped for a coffee. This was the perfect end to a wonderful day. Ciro was an excellent driver and provided us with a lovely tour of the coast.
9 February: Our driver picked us up at Rinucci Relais and drove us to the airport for our flight home.

Hotel Review
Rinuccini Relais
Naples

Review of Four days in Naples Feb 6 - Feb 9, 2023 Feb 6, 2023: Arrival at our hotel Rinucci Relais Our driver at the Naples Airport was on time and patiently waited for us to do the paperwork for my husband’s lost suitcase that had been left behind at Rome airport. At the Rinucci Relais, we were warmly greeted and offered typical Naeopolitian pastries; then our host explained the breakfast service and showed us around our room. Our accomodations were much more than the average hotel suite. Our “apartment” was spacious with a sitting area and and table and chairs if we wished to breakfast in our room. The bathroom and shower were spacious and modern. There was also a kitchen with a small stove and boiler. On host also helped us to book restaurants and her suggestions were excellent. Our breakfasts were spectacular, well prepared, generous, and delicious. We were very pleased with our stay at the Rinucci Relai and would definately book the Rinucci Relais if we were to visit Naples again. Naples and Pompeii 7 February Our guide, Iulia, arrived at the appointed at our hotel and we discussed our plans for the day. We drove to the center of “Old town Naples” and Iulia explained the important architectural elemtent of the streets and important churches, monumnets, Roman ruins, ancient structures. To help us to get a sense of the city, Iulia recounted many myths and stories about what we were seeing. We stopped for coffee and delicious Nepolitian pastries. We enjoyed wandering the crazy streets of Naples and learning about the culinary delights of the city. In the afternoon we drove to Pompeii. As we walked through the small museum and the ruins of the site, Iulia’s explanations, historical details, and humorous stories about Pompeii were detailed, interesting and engaging. I especially appreciated learning about the frescos/wall painting in the various structures that we viewed. Iulia was an excellent guide; she made our visit to Pompeii a fun learning experience. Her sense of humor and extensive knowledge made for an excellent day. 8 February: Tour of the Amalfi Coast with Ciro Our driver, Ciro, met us at the appointed time to begin our exploration of the Amalfi coast. We discussed our itinerary for the day. Since our visit was in winter and many places on the Amalfi coast would be closed, Ciro suggested that we make adapt our original plan. We very much appreciated this. Our Naples guide had also made us aware of quietness of the coast during the winter season. The coast scenery was beautiful. As Ciro drove along the coast, he added details about the coast and Naples. His commentary was interesting, informed, and added to the landscape that we were viewing. We stopped in Amalfi for an hour to wanders, and of course, indulge in coffee and Neopoltian pastries. We also made several view-point stops. Our route took us to Sorrento where we originally planeed to stop for lunch. After realizing that the best restaurants would be closed, Ciro suggested that on our return that we could stop in the shadow of Vesuius at a winery for a wine tasting of local wines and lunch. We liked this suggestion and enjoyed the wine tasing and a delicious lunch. On our return to our hotel in Naples, we stopped for a coffee. This was the perfect end to a wonderful day. Ciro was an excellent driver and provided us with a lovely tour of the coast. 9 February: Our driver picked us up at Rinucci Relais and drove us to the airport for our flight home.

Authenticity & Character
Location
Review of Four days in Naples Feb 6 - Feb 9, 2023 Feb 6, 2023: Arrival at our hotel Rinucci Relais Our driver at the Naples Airport was on time and patiently waited for us to do the paperwork for my husband’s lost suitcase that had been left behind at Rome airport. At the Rinucci Relais, we were warmly greeted and offered typical Naeopolitian pastries; then our host explained the breakfast service and showed us around our room. Our accomodations were much more than the average hotel suite. Our “apartment” was spacious with a sitting area and and table and chairs if we wished to breakfast in our room. The bathroom and shower were spacious and modern. There was also a kitchen with a small stove and boiler. On host also helped us to book restaurants and her suggestions were excellent. Our breakfasts were spectacular, well prepared, generous, and delicious. We were very pleased with our stay at the Rinucci Relai and would definately book the Rinucci Relais if we were to visit Naples again. Naples and Pompeii 7 February Our guide, Iulia, arrived at the appointed at our hotel and we discussed our plans for the day. We drove to the center of “Old town Naples” and Iulia explained the important architectural elemtent of the streets and important churches, monumnets, Roman ruins, ancient structures. To help us to get a sense of the city, Iulia recounted many myths and stories about what we were seeing. We stopped for coffee and delicious Nepolitian pastries. We enjoyed wandering the crazy streets of Naples and learning about the culinary delights of the city. In the afternoon we drove to Pompeii. As we walked through the small museum and the ruins of the site, Iulia’s explanations, historical details, and humorous stories about Pompeii were detailed, interesting and engaging. I especially appreciated learning about the frescos/wall painting in the various structures that we viewed. Iulia was an excellent guide; she made our visit to Pompeii a fun learning experience. Her sense of humor and extensive knowledge made for an excellent day. 8 February: Tour of the Amalfi Coast with Ciro Our driver, Ciro, met us at the appointed time to begin our exploration of the Amalfi coast. We discussed our itinerary for the day. Since our visit was in winter and many places on the Amalfi coast would be closed, Ciro suggested that we make adapt our original plan. We very much appreciated this. Our Naples guide had also made us aware of quietness of the coast during the winter season. The coast scenery was beautiful. As Ciro drove along the coast, he added details about the coast and Naples. His commentary was interesting, informed, and added to the landscape that we were viewing. We stopped in Amalfi for an hour to wanders, and of course, indulge in coffee and Neopoltian pastries. We also made several view-point stops. Our route took us to Sorrento where we originally planeed to stop for lunch. After realizing that the best restaurants would be closed, Ciro suggested that on our return that we could stop in the shadow of Vesuius at a winery for a wine tasting of local wines and lunch. We liked this suggestion and enjoyed the wine tasing and a delicious lunch. On our return to our hotel in Naples, we stopped for a coffee. This was the perfect end to a wonderful day. Ciro was an excellent driver and provided us with a lovely tour of the coast. 9 February: Our driver picked us up at Rinucci Relais and drove us to the airport for our flight home. Review of Four days in Naples Feb 6 - Feb 9, 2023 Feb 6, 2023: Arrival at our hotel Rinucci Relais Our driver at the Naples Airport was on time and patiently waited for us to do the paperwork for my husband’s lost suitcase that had been left behind at Rome airport. At the Rinucci Relais, we were warmly greeted and offered typical Naeopolitian pastries; then our host explained the breakfast service and showed us around our room. Our accomodations were much more than the average hotel suite. Our “apartment” was spacious with a sitting area and and table and chairs if we wished to breakfast in our room. The bathroom and shower were spacious and modern. There was also a kitchen with a small stove and boiler. On host also helped us to book restaurants and her suggestions were excellent. Our breakfasts were spectacular, well prepared, generous, and delicious. We were very pleased with our stay at the Rinucci Relai and would definately book the Rinucci Relais if we were to visit Naples again. Naples and Pompeii 7 February Our guide, Iulia, arrived at the appointed at our hotel and we discussed our plans for the day. We drove to the center of “Old town Naples” and Iulia explained the important architectural elemtent of the streets and important churches, monumnets, Roman ruins, ancient structures. To help us to get a sense of the city, Iulia recounted many myths and stories about what we were seeing. We stopped for coffee and delicious Nepolitian pastries. We enjoyed wandering the crazy streets of Naples and learning about the culinary delights of the city. In the afternoon we drove to Pompeii. As we walked through the small museum and the ruins of the site, Iulia’s explanations, historical details, and humorous stories about Pompeii were detailed, interesting and engaging. I especially appreciated learning about the frescos/wall painting in the various structures that we viewed. Iulia was an excellent guide; she made our visit to Pompeii a fun learning experience. Her sense of humor and extensive knowledge made for an excellent day. 8 February: Tour of the Amalfi Coast with Ciro Our driver, Ciro, met us at the appointed time to begin our exploration of the Amalfi coast. We discussed our itinerary for the day. Since our visit was in winter and many places on the Amalfi coast would be closed, Ciro suggested that we make adapt our original plan. We very much appreciated this. Our Naples guide had also made us aware of quietness of the coast during the winter season. The coast scenery was beautiful. As Ciro drove along the coast, he added details about the coast and Naples. His commentary was interesting, informed, and added to the landscape that we were viewing. We stopped in Amalfi for an hour to wanders, and of course, indulge in coffee and Neopoltian pastries. We also made several view-point stops. Our route took us to Sorrento where we originally planeed to stop for lunch. After realizing that the best restaurants would be closed, Ciro suggested that on our return that we could stop in the shadow of Vesuius at a winery for a wine tasting of local wines and lunch. We liked this suggestion and enjoyed the wine tasing and a delicious lunch. On our return to our hotel in Naples, we stopped for a coffee. This was the perfect end to a wonderful day. Ciro was an excellent driver and provided us with a lovely tour of the coast. 9 February: Our driver picked us up at Rinucci Relais and drove us to the airport for our flight home.
Activity Reviews
Positano, Amalfi and Ravello from Naples - Private Driver
Naples

Review of Four days in Naples Feb 6 - Feb 9, 2023 Feb 6, 2023: Arrival at our hotel Rinucci Relais Our driver at the Naples Airport was on time and patiently waited for us to do the paperwork for my husband’s lost suitcase that had been left behind at Rome airport. At the Rinucci Relais, we were warmly greeted and offered typical Naeopolitian pastries; then our host explained the breakfast service and showed us around our room. Our accomodations were much more than the average hotel suite. Our “apartment” was spacious with a sitting area and and table and chairs if we wished to breakfast in our room. The bathroom and shower were spacious and modern. There was also a kitchen with a small stove and boiler. On host also helped us to book restaurants and her suggestions were excellent. Our breakfasts were spectacular, well prepared, generous, and delicious. We were very pleased with our stay at the Rinucci Relai and would definately book the Rinucci Relais if we were to visit Naples again. Naples and Pompeii 7 February Our guide, Iulia, arrived at the appointed at our hotel and we discussed our plans for the day. We drove to the center of “Old town Naples” and Iulia explained the important architectural elemtent of the streets and important churches, monumnets, Roman ruins, ancient structures. To help us to get a sense of the city, Iulia recounted many myths and stories about what we were seeing. We stopped for coffee and delicious Nepolitian pastries. We enjoyed wandering the crazy streets of Naples and learning about the culinary delights of the city. In the afternoon we drove to Pompeii. As we walked through the small museum and the ruins of the site, Iulia’s explanations, historical details, and humorous stories about Pompeii were detailed, interesting and engaging. I especially appreciated learning about the frescos/wall painting in the various structures that we viewed. Iulia was an excellent guide; she made our visit to Pompeii a fun learning experience. Her sense of humor and extensive knowledge made for an excellent day. 8 February: Tour of the Amalfi Coast with Ciro Our driver, Ciro, met us at the appointed time to begin our exploration of the Amalfi coast. We discussed our itinerary for the day. Since our visit was in winter and many places on the Amalfi coast would be closed, Ciro suggested that we make adapt our original plan. We very much appreciated this. Our Naples guide had also made us aware of quietness of the coast during the winter season. The coast scenery was beautiful. As Ciro drove along the coast, he added details about the coast and Naples. His commentary was interesting, informed, and added to the landscape that we were viewing. We stopped in Amalfi for an hour to wanders, and of course, indulge in coffee and Neopoltian pastries. We also made several view-point stops. Our route took us to Sorrento where we originally planeed to stop for lunch. After realizing that the best restaurants would be closed, Ciro suggested that on our return that we could stop in the shadow of Vesuius at a winery for a wine tasting of local wines and lunch. We liked this suggestion and enjoyed the wine tasing and a delicious lunch. On our return to our hotel in Naples, we stopped for a coffee. This was the perfect end to a wonderful day. Ciro was an excellent driver and provided us with a lovely tour of the coast. 9 February: Our driver picked us up at Rinucci Relais and drove us to the airport for our flight home.

Quality of Experience
Review of Four days in Naples Feb 6 - Feb 9, 2023 Feb 6, 2023: Arrival at our hotel Rinucci Relais Our driver at the Naples Airport was on time and patiently waited for us to do the paperwork for my husband’s lost suitcase that had been left behind at Rome airport. At the Rinucci Relais, we were warmly greeted and offered typical Naeopolitian pastries; then our host explained the breakfast service and showed us around our room. Our accomodations were much more than the average hotel suite. Our “apartment” was spacious with a sitting area and and table and chairs if we wished to breakfast in our room. The bathroom and shower were spacious and modern. There was also a kitchen with a small stove and boiler. On host also helped us to book restaurants and her suggestions were excellent. Our breakfasts were spectacular, well prepared, generous, and delicious. We were very pleased with our stay at the Rinucci Relai and would definately book the Rinucci Relais if we were to visit Naples again. Naples and Pompeii 7 February Our guide, Iulia, arrived at the appointed at our hotel and we discussed our plans for the day. We drove to the center of “Old town Naples” and Iulia explained the important architectural elemtent of the streets and important churches, monumnets, Roman ruins, ancient structures. To help us to get a sense of the city, Iulia recounted many myths and stories about what we were seeing. We stopped for coffee and delicious Nepolitian pastries. We enjoyed wandering the crazy streets of Naples and learning about the culinary delights of the city. In the afternoon we drove to Pompeii. As we walked through the small museum and the ruins of the site, Iulia’s explanations, historical details, and humorous stories about Pompeii were detailed, interesting and engaging. I especially appreciated learning about the frescos/wall painting in the various structures that we viewed. Iulia was an excellent guide; she made our visit to Pompeii a fun learning experience. Her sense of humor and extensive knowledge made for an excellent day. 8 February: Tour of the Amalfi Coast with Ciro Our driver, Ciro, met us at the appointed time to begin our exploration of the Amalfi coast. We discussed our itinerary for the day. Since our visit was in winter and many places on the Amalfi coast would be closed, Ciro suggested that we make adapt our original plan. We very much appreciated this. Our Naples guide had also made us aware of quietness of the coast during the winter season. The coast scenery was beautiful. As Ciro drove along the coast, he added details about the coast and Naples. His commentary was interesting, informed, and added to the landscape that we were viewing. We stopped in Amalfi for an hour to wanders, and of course, indulge in coffee and Neopoltian pastries. We also made several view-point stops. Our route took us to Sorrento where we originally planeed to stop for lunch. After realizing that the best restaurants would be closed, Ciro suggested that on our return that we could stop in the shadow of Vesuius at a winery for a wine tasting of local wines and lunch. We liked this suggestion and enjoyed the wine tasing and a delicious lunch. On our return to our hotel in Naples, we stopped for a coffee. This was the perfect end to a wonderful day. Ciro was an excellent driver and provided us with a lovely tour of the coast. 9 February: Our driver picked us up at Rinucci Relais and drove us to the airport for our flight home.
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Transport
Guided Tour of Naples and Excursion to Pompeii
Naples

Review of Four days in Naples Feb 6 - Feb 9, 2023 Feb 6, 2023: Arrival at our hotel Rinucci Relais Our driver at the Naples Airport was on time and patiently waited for us to do the paperwork for my husband’s lost suitcase that had been left behind at Rome airport. At the Rinucci Relais, we were warmly greeted and offered typical Naeopolitian pastries; then our host explained the breakfast service and showed us around our room. Our accomodations were much more than the average hotel suite. Our “apartment” was spacious with a sitting area and and table and chairs if we wished to breakfast in our room. The bathroom and shower were spacious and modern. There was also a kitchen with a small stove and boiler. On host also helped us to book restaurants and her suggestions were excellent. Our breakfasts were spectacular, well prepared, generous, and delicious. We were very pleased with our stay at the Rinucci Relai and would definately book the Rinucci Relais if we were to visit Naples again. Naples and Pompeii 7 February Our guide, Iulia, arrived at the appointed at our hotel and we discussed our plans for the day. We drove to the center of “Old town Naples” and Iulia explained the important architectural elemtent of the streets and important churches, monumnets, Roman ruins, ancient structures. To help us to get a sense of the city, Iulia recounted many myths and stories about what we were seeing. We stopped for coffee and delicious Nepolitian pastries. We enjoyed wandering the crazy streets of Naples and learning about the culinary delights of the city. In the afternoon we drove to Pompeii. As we walked through the small museum and the ruins of the site, Iulia’s explanations, historical details, and humorous stories about Pompeii were detailed, interesting and engaging. I especially appreciated learning about the frescos/wall painting in the various structures that we viewed. Iulia was an excellent guide; she made our visit to Pompeii a fun learning experience. Her sense of humor and extensive knowledge made for an excellent day. 8 February: Tour of the Amalfi Coast with Ciro Our driver, Ciro, met us at the appointed time to begin our exploration of the Amalfi coast. We discussed our itinerary for the day. Since our visit was in winter and many places on the Amalfi coast would be closed, Ciro suggested that we make adapt our original plan. We very much appreciated this. Our Naples guide had also made us aware of quietness of the coast during the winter season. The coast scenery was beautiful. As Ciro drove along the coast, he added details about the coast and Naples. His commentary was interesting, informed, and added to the landscape that we were viewing. We stopped in Amalfi for an hour to wanders, and of course, indulge in coffee and Neopoltian pastries. We also made several view-point stops. Our route took us to Sorrento where we originally planeed to stop for lunch. After realizing that the best restaurants would be closed, Ciro suggested that on our return that we could stop in the shadow of Vesuius at a winery for a wine tasting of local wines and lunch. We liked this suggestion and enjoyed the wine tasing and a delicious lunch. On our return to our hotel in Naples, we stopped for a coffee. This was the perfect end to a wonderful day. Ciro was an excellent driver and provided us with a lovely tour of the coast. 9 February: Our driver picked us up at Rinucci Relais and drove us to the airport for our flight home.

Quality of Experience
Review of Four days in Naples Feb 6 - Feb 9, 2023 Feb 6, 2023: Arrival at our hotel Rinucci Relais Our driver at the Naples Airport was on time and patiently waited for us to do the paperwork for my husband’s lost suitcase that had been left behind at Rome airport. At the Rinucci Relais, we were warmly greeted and offered typical Naeopolitian pastries; then our host explained the breakfast service and showed us around our room. Our accomodations were much more than the average hotel suite. Our “apartment” was spacious with a sitting area and and table and chairs if we wished to breakfast in our room. The bathroom and shower were spacious and modern. There was also a kitchen with a small stove and boiler. On host also helped us to book restaurants and her suggestions were excellent. Our breakfasts were spectacular, well prepared, generous, and delicious. We were very pleased with our stay at the Rinucci Relai and would definately book the Rinucci Relais if we were to visit Naples again. Naples and Pompeii 7 February Our guide, Iulia, arrived at the appointed at our hotel and we discussed our plans for the day. We drove to the center of “Old town Naples” and Iulia explained the important architectural elemtent of the streets and important churches, monumnets, Roman ruins, ancient structures. To help us to get a sense of the city, Iulia recounted many myths and stories about what we were seeing. We stopped for coffee and delicious Nepolitian pastries. We enjoyed wandering the crazy streets of Naples and learning about the culinary delights of the city. In the afternoon we drove to Pompeii. As we walked through the small museum and the ruins of the site, Iulia’s explanations, historical details, and humorous stories about Pompeii were detailed, interesting and engaging. I especially appreciated learning about the frescos/wall painting in the various structures that we viewed. Iulia was an excellent guide; she made our visit to Pompeii a fun learning experience. Her sense of humor and extensive knowledge made for an excellent day. 8 February: Tour of the Amalfi Coast with Ciro Our driver, Ciro, met us at the appointed time to begin our exploration of the Amalfi coast. We discussed our itinerary for the day. Since our visit was in winter and many places on the Amalfi coast would be closed, Ciro suggested that we make adapt our original plan. We very much appreciated this. Our Naples guide had also made us aware of quietness of the coast during the winter season. The coast scenery was beautiful. As Ciro drove along the coast, he added details about the coast and Naples. His commentary was interesting, informed, and added to the landscape that we were viewing. We stopped in Amalfi for an hour to wanders, and of course, indulge in coffee and Neopoltian pastries. We also made several view-point stops. Our route took us to Sorrento where we originally planeed to stop for lunch. After realizing that the best restaurants would be closed, Ciro suggested that on our return that we could stop in the shadow of Vesuius at a winery for a wine tasting of local wines and lunch. We liked this suggestion and enjoyed the wine tasing and a delicious lunch. On our return to our hotel in Naples, we stopped for a coffee. This was the perfect end to a wonderful day. Ciro was an excellent driver and provided us with a lovely tour of the coast. 9 February: Our driver picked us up at Rinucci Relais and drove us to the airport for our flight home.
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Transport
Local specialist: Maria Grazia Rubino

Amazing - everything on our two week trip was...
Chile | Feb 4 - Feb 18, 2023

Leanna
Leanna G.
Canada | Reviewed on Feb 28, 2023

Amazing - everything on our two week trip was flawlessly executed. We had never used Kim Kim before and now I will never plan a trip another way! It was so well organized and Lorena was very responsive. Highly recommend! read more

Amazing - everything on our two week trip was flawlessly executed. We had never used Kim Kim before and now I will never plan a trip another way! It was so well organized and Lorena was very responsive. Highly recommend!

Hotel Review
Casa Silva Boutique Hotel
San Fernando

We had a great time, the food and service was amazing. The rooms are spacious and comfortable and unique. The chocolate croissants at breakfast were particularly delicious!

Authenticity & Character
Such a unique location with the best service. And great wine!
Location
Staff
Cleanliness & Comfort
Local specialist: Lorena Huidobro
Lorena
Lorena Huidobro
Local specialist in Houston, TX & Santiago, Chile | Reviewed on Feb 28, 2023

Hi Leanna and Connor,
It is wonderful to hear you enjoyed this adventurous trip to Chile, getting to experience so many different locations, landscape and culture throughout our country. It was my pleasure to plan this trip for you!!
All the best to both of you,
Lorena

Will be booking the next trip with kimkim as well
Belize | Feb 18 - Feb 25, 2023

Marija
Marija Z.
Dedham, MA | Reviewed on Feb 28, 2023

Eduardo was helpful before, during and after the trip. He tailored the initial proposal to suit our budget and preferences and we ended up choosing all his suggestions. Could not have been more perfect. When the weather was interfering with some of the scheduled excursions, Eduardo stayed on top of it to make sure we end up doing what we wanted.

Local specialist: Eduardo Celada
Eduardo
Eduardo Celada
Local specialist in Antigua, Guatemala | Reviewed on Mar 02, 2023

Nice to hear from you Marija,
Thank you very much for your comment! We are glad that you enjoyed our "Belize Advneture Wildlife and Beach program", it is one of the favorites of our clients! And today you have contributed to better position this service, which is undoubtedly one of the best things you can do in this beautiful country.

I invite you to text me on your next visit to Guatemala or Belize to show you other beautiful places in the land of beautiful people.

Thank you for being a high-level Client and providing value to our service!

Sincerely,
Eduardo

The three guides, Thomas, Lucy, Anthea were s...
Croatia | Feb 17 - Feb 24, 2023

P
patrick o.
Harrisburg, PA | Reviewed on Feb 27, 2023

The three guides, Thomas, Lucy, Anthea were some of the best tour guides we have experienced in all our travels. Professional, knowledgeable and personable. Croatia by itself would have been enough to satisfy, they made it so much more interesting.
Anna Maria was about as good as it gets as a tour planner and very flexible as we made adjustments to our plan prior to the trip, and very accessible during the stay. WE had a couple of minor issue and she was able to resolve them very quickly. read more

The three guides, Thomas, Lucy, Anthea were some of the best tour guides we have experienced in all our travels. Professional, knowledgeable and personable. Croatia by itself would have been enough to satisfy, they made it so much more interesting.
Anna Maria was about as good as it gets as a tour planner and very flexible as we made adjustments to our plan prior to the trip, and very accessible during the stay. WE had a couple of minor issue and she was able to resolve them very quickly.

Hotel Reviews
Teatro Verdi Boutique Hotel
Zadar
Authenticity & Character
Location
Staff
Cleanliness & Comfort
Heritage Hotel Fermai
Split
Authenticity & Character
Location
Breakfast was the best, the staff was friendly. They genuinely seemed to love the hotel and went out their way to be nice
Staff
Cleanliness & Comfort
Hilton Canopy
Zagreb
Authenticity & Character
Location
Staff
Cleanliness & Comfort
Hilton Imperial Dubrovnik
Dubrovnik
Authenticity & Character
Location
Staff
Cleanliness & Comfort
room size
Activity Reviews
Fairytale castles & delicious wine
Zagreb

Great guide, and a great lunch with super wines

Quality of Experience
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Transport
Afternoon Split food tour
Split

This was changed at the last minute from an afternoon to a late morning tour. After having a big breakfast at the hotel, we were a bit full and probably were not fully able to enjoy all the food offered. Small nit, but guests should be warned to show up hungry

Quality of Experience
the tour guide, Lucy.
Food
food sampling in the Green Market. Nice to eat what the locals eat.
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Transport
there was no transport involved
Private Walking Tour of Dubrovnik
Dubrovnik
Quality of Experience
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Antea, our guide was very good. She filled in lots of voids in our knowledge of the region.
Transport
none provided
Local specialist: Anna-Maria Frid
Anna-Maria
Anna-Maria Frid
Local specialist in Zagreb | Reviewed on Feb 28, 2023

Dear Patrick and Debbie,
thank you very much for your lovely review.

It was my pleasure working with you and I was very happy that ultimately, you had a lovely trip through Croatia.

Please feel free to contact me if there is ever anything else you might need!
I hope you stay in touch!

Kind regards,
Anna-Maria

We loved the activities in Tromso: a northern...
Norway | Feb 17 - Feb 25, 2023

Rory
Rory B.
Coney Island, NY | Reviewed on Feb 27, 2023

We loved the activities in Tromso: a northern lights chase, dog sledding and a Sami reindeer experience. Tromso is magical!

Julia at KimKim was so helpful throughout our trip. She answered our questions right away and helped us whenever we needed. I was very pleased. read more

We loved the activities in Tromso: a northern lights chase, dog sledding and a Sami reindeer experience. Tromso is magical!

Julia at KimKim was so helpful throughout our trip. She answered our questions right away and helped us whenever we needed. I was very pleased.

Hotel Review
Augustin Hotel
Bergen

Lovely place with charm and style. Great breakfast. Perfect location.

Authenticity & Character
Location
Staff
Cleanliness & Comfort
Activity Review
Northern Lights Chase
Tromsø

I almost stayed home because the weather forecast was snowy and very cloudy all night. But we went and we did see the northern lights! It was worth the time spent on the bus. Do it!

Quality of Experience
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Transport
Local specialist: Julia Plaschke
Julia
Julia Plaschke
Local specialist in Kristiansand | Reviewed on Mar 02, 2023

HI Rory, I am glad to hear that you and your family had a great time in Norway! I wish you all the best for the future!

Best,
Julia

Wonderful last-minute 9 day get-away to Costa Rica!
Costa Rica | Feb 15 - Feb 23, 2023

Steven
Steven B.
Fort Lauderdale, FL | Reviewed on Feb 27, 2023

My wife and I had (both early 60's and fairly fit) had a truly wonderful and memorable trip to Costa Rica. I usually plan my own trips, but since this was kind of last minute, I left all the planning to Kim Kim and kept my fingers crossed. They put me in touch with their local specialist, Nuria, who did a great job tailoring the trip to what was important to us. Our tours and transportation were totally private (a wonderful splurge). All guides and drivers were super friendly, prompt, and... read more

My wife and I had (both early 60's and fairly fit) had a truly wonderful and memorable trip to Costa Rica. I usually plan my own trips, but since this was kind of last minute, I left all the planning to Kim Kim and kept my fingers crossed. They put me in touch with their local specialist, Nuria, who did a great job tailoring the trip to what was important to us. Our tours and transportation were totally private (a wonderful splurge). All guides and drivers were super friendly, prompt, and knowledgeable; but a special shout out to Jacamar Naturalist Tours. These guys were 5 star! With 9 days of tours, and transportation to 3 towns and airports it was incredible that their was only one very minor glitch the entire trip (no biggie). We hiked to volcanos and waterfalls, saw wildlife that we wouldn't have noticed without the guides' knowledge and telescopic equipment, zip-lined, bungee jumped, rode horses, relaxed in Tabacon's hot springs, did a cooking class, a coffee/chocolate tour, and a city tour of San Jose. Nuria even went above and beyond by reserving a few restaurants for us. Accommodations: Finca Paraiso Mtn Retreat in the hills outside San Jose is an absolute 5 star gem. Their property and views are sublime. Tabacon Spa and Resort is also 5 star all the way. Our 3rd hotel, Hotel Senda in Monteverde is a bit more complicated. The service level is 5 star, but the rooms and the property landscaping is just 3 star. Having said that, we did really enjoy our time at Hotel Senda. Staff is very friendly and helpful, free laundry!, free snacks and beverages from the mini bar, hot water bottles left during turndown to warm your bed, etc. . Some nice touches. All in all, we loved our time in Costa Rica and would certainly recommend KimKim and Nuria. Pura Vida!

Hotel Reviews
Finca Paraiso Mountain Retreat
Heredia

This hotel is an absolute gem! Gorgeous grounds, great owners/hosts, wonderful breakfasts. Loved the included wine happy hour watching the sunset with the owner/Ken along with the small group of other hotel guests from around the world. Can't say enough. Just go here.

Authenticity & Character
Location
Staff
Cleanliness & Comfort
Tabacón Thermal Resort & Spa
Fortuna

5 star hotel all the way. Wonderful breakfast buffet and of course those amazing thermal springs!

Authenticity & Character
Location
Cleanliness & Comfort
Senda Monteverde Boutique Hotel
Monteverde

I am conflicted about this hotel. We DID enjoy our stay here but...for the high cost they command.. I'll nitpick a bit. First the good. The service was 5 star. The staff were very friendly and helpful. Nice touches include: FREE laundry returned folded in 12 hours, some free minibar snacks and beverages, and old style hot water bottles left near your pillow during the turn down service (must request turn downs). We also liked the ability to access the Aguiti Reserve for a hike, right from the property. The less good: Its an older property. The common buildings are decent but the rooms are in very old separate bungalows. Supposedly, they were renovated a few years ago, but not well. Grounds/Landscaping- This was our last stop in Costa Rica. The first two hotels had amazing manicured landscaping and flower beds. This hotel does the minimum, ie; cut the grass. So, mostly good, but visually this hotel needs some work.

Authenticity & Character
Location
Up a very steep hill from town. Easy walk to town, but a very athletic walk back. Think San Francisco X 2.
Staff
Cleanliness & Comfort
Local specialist: Nuria Oliveira
Nuria
Nuria Oliveira
Local specialist in Costa Rica | Reviewed on Mar 01, 2023

Hello Steven,

Thank you so much for traveling us and for taking the time to leave us this amazing review. I'll definitely pass your feedback to my colleagues. I was more than glad to assist during this time, and I am so happy that you had a great time here.

I hope you will visit Costa Rica in the future and can explore the different destinations in our beautiful country.

Pura Vida!

Go to Portugal!
Portugal | Feb 13 - Feb 22, 2023

Daniela
Daniela G.
Newburgh, NY | Reviewed on Feb 27, 2023

Pedro really curated this trip to exactly what we talked about!! We had time on our own to explore each city along with a private guide for some of the time. We really enjoyed learning some of the history of Portugal and the places they showed us. Each guide really got a feel for what we were interested in and had some really great conversations. I keep joking with people not to go to Portugal because you will eat your weight in pastry and other amazing foods! I can’t believe how smooth the... read more

Pedro really curated this trip to exactly what we talked about!! We had time on our own to explore each city along with a private guide for some of the time. We really enjoyed learning some of the history of Portugal and the places they showed us. Each guide really got a feel for what we were interested in and had some really great conversations. I keep joking with people not to go to Portugal because you will eat your weight in pastry and other amazing foods! I can’t believe how smooth the whole trip went. Everyone was wonderful. I have so many ideas now for a second trip!

Hotel Reviews
Porto Royal Bridges Hotel
Porto
Authenticity & Character
Location
Staff
Cleanliness & Comfort
Heritage Avenida Liberdade
Lisboa
Authenticity & Character
Location
Staff
Cleanliness & Comfort
Tivoli Sintra
Sintra
Authenticity & Character
Location
Staff
Cleanliness & Comfort
This is right in the historic city center. So close to the bus and restaurants!
Puralã - Wool Valley Hotel & SPA
Covilhã
Authenticity & Character
Location
Staff
Cleanliness & Comfort
Activity Reviews
Porto Bridge Climb
Porto
Guided Cultural Walking Tour in Lisbon
Lisbon
Private Guided Hike in Serra da Estrela w/ Picnic
Serra da Estrela Nature Park

Nuno has the best job! Spending so much time in the mountains and forests of this area!

Quality of Experience
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Transport
Private Guided Cultural Walking Tour in Porto
Porto

We spent most of the time talking about the Knights Templar. So interesting to learn about the role they seemed to have played in Portugal’s history.

Full Day Guided Walking Tour in Sintra w/ tickets to Pena Palace & Quinta da Regaleira
Sintra

Would give Matilde 10 stars if we could. Sintra was amazing and we loved having her to share the information of Pena Palace and Quinta de Regaleira! She even recommended a cool bar to go to after we ended our sightseeing.

Dinner with a Fado Performance
Lisbon
Local specialist: Pedro Luis
Pedro
Pedro Luis
Local specialist in Lisbon | Reviewed on Feb 27, 2023

Hey Daniela,
Thank you so much for your kind words on my lovely country.
You definitely have to visit us again, there are still so many other pastries for you to try!
Once again, thank you for sharing your feedback and experience - you rock!
Your friend in Portugal,
Pedro

Marta was an amazing agent to work with. Very...
Spain | Aug 28 - Sep 5, 2022

Helen
Helen L.
Chicago, IL | Reviewed on Feb 27, 2023

Marta was an amazing agent to work with. Very responsive, pays attention to detail, and did a great job taking into consideration our preferences and constraints. Have highly recommended KimKim to our friends and family because of Marta's excellent work. read more

Marta was an amazing agent to work with. Very responsive, pays attention to detail, and did a great job taking into consideration our preferences and constraints. Have highly recommended KimKim to our friends and family because of Marta's excellent work.

Hotel Reviews
7 Islas Hotel
Madrid

The breakfast that was included was amazing!

Authenticity & Character
Location
Staff
Cleanliness & Comfort
Puebloastur Eco-Resort Wellness & Spa
Cofiño, Parres

Gorgeous hotel and spa set in a very beautiful part of Spain. Great food too, although pricey. Wished we could have stayed longer.

Authenticity & Character
Location
Staff
Cleanliness & Comfort
Local specialist: Marta Trzeciakowska
Marta
Marta Trzeciakowska
Local specialist in Madrid, Spain | Reviewed on Feb 28, 2023

Hi Helen, thank you for submitting your review! It was a pleasure to prepare a trip to Portugal and Spain for both of you. I hope you enjoyed all the activities and that you discovered new places on your road trip that will inspire you to come back. Let me know if I can be oh help in the future. All my best, Marta

Michael offered excellent guidance and commun...
Colombia | Feb 14 - Feb 20, 2023

ben
ben b.
Middleton, WI | Reviewed on Feb 27, 2023

Michael offered excellent guidance and communication to us once we were booked for events. Communication prior to that was less reliable and sometimes we didn't seem to understand each other. Travel to San Basilio del Palenque with Lorenzo and our driver Boris was excellent and a very valuable moment in our time in Columbia. Travel to the Carnaval in Barranquilla with Daniella was fun. She provided great guidance and had a lot of information about the parades and the city in itself. We would... read more

Michael offered excellent guidance and communication to us once we were booked for events. Communication prior to that was less reliable and sometimes we didn't seem to understand each other. Travel to San Basilio del Palenque with Lorenzo and our driver Boris was excellent and a very valuable moment in our time in Columbia. Travel to the Carnaval in Barranquilla with Daniella was fun. She provided great guidance and had a lot of information about the parades and the city in itself. We would have liked to stay late for the partying but that wasn't happening.

Travel to Rosario for a day at the beach was much less than we hoped for, ending at a small enclosure with a rocky beach. the food was good but we were on a small island with no access or information about the rest of the islands that make up Rosario. the ride back in a small boat on a choppy sea was painful and frightening and left us shaken and with back pain for the next day. I would not do that trip again.

overall, however, I would use KimKim services again

Hotel Review
Edificio Alta Mar

A very nice place to stay. great views and right on the beach. it is a way from restaurants but a 30 minute walk to the old city.

Authenticity & Character
Location
Staff
Cleanliness & Comfort
Local specialist: Michael Gold
Michael
Michael Gold
Local specialist in San Agustín, Huila, Colombia | Reviewed on Feb 28, 2023

Dear Ben,

thank you very much for your travel report! It was a pleasure to accompany your journey along the coast. Also, I am very happy to hear that you had a great experience at the carnival in Barranquilla and in San Basilio de Palenque!
It's too bad you didn't enjoy the trip to the Rosario Islands as much - we usually get consistently positive feedback about the beach day. We thank you for your comments and hope that you will come back to Colombia soon.

Best regards,
Michael

Great last minute help and service
Australia | Jan 24 - Feb 4, 2023

Joan
Joan G.
Charlottesville, VA | Reviewed on Feb 28, 2023

I really appreciated Gary because he listened to what I was asking for in terms of hotels to stay and the types of experiences that I was interested. in””His work was somewhat stressful because I only had a few weeks before departure to plan the trip and the planning time included Christmas in between those weeks so I really appreciate his stepping up to the plate so quickly. I also learned myself that when I use Kim Kim in the future, I need to really look in detail at the options that they... read more

I really appreciated Gary because he listened to what I was asking for in terms of hotels to stay and the types of experiences that I was interested. in””His work was somewhat stressful because I only had a few weeks before departure to plan the trip and the planning time included Christmas in between those weeks so I really appreciate his stepping up to the plate so quickly. I also learned myself that when I use Kim Kim in the future, I need to really look in detail at the options that they are offering me and really explore them in depth to be sure that I’m asking clearly for the things that I want. I only had one real issue, and that was not being able to go on a scuba diving tour because of a physical limitation, and Gary was very helpful trying to address that at the last. Minute. It was also great to have someone I knew I could call in-country and a similar time zone if I needed assistance - that really helped.

Hotel Reviews
Spicers Potts Point
Potts Point

I LOVED this hotel in a great Neighborhood, with very kind staff and wonderful bars, restaurants all nearby

Authenticity & Character
Location
Staff
Cleanliness & Comfort
Harbour Rocks Hotel Sydney MGallery
The Rocks, Sydney NSW

Great central city hotel with very helpful staff- quiet but near everything

Authenticity & Character
Location
Staff
Cleanliness & Comfort
Local specialist: Gary Topic

Olman picked a few excellent resorts for our ...
Costa Rica | Feb 18 - Feb 23, 2023

David
David B.
Smyrna, GA | Reviewed on Feb 27, 2023

Olman picked a few excellent resorts for our stay in Costa Rica. The Monterverde Lodge had a great staff and food selection. The Arenal Resort was 5 stars all the way. The hotel was absoultely beautiful and had everything you needed including a complimentary washer and dryer which we used. Drinks were pretty expensive $13 dollars for a 12oz IPA but along with the 10% tip and 13% gratuity added on top The food was delecious in every restaurant we went into the service is top notch. The... read more

Olman picked a few excellent resorts for our stay in Costa Rica. The Monterverde Lodge had a great staff and food selection. The Arenal Resort was 5 stars all the way. The hotel was absoultely beautiful and had everything you needed including a complimentary washer and dryer which we used. Drinks were pretty expensive $13 dollars for a 12oz IPA but along with the 10% tip and 13% gratuity added on top The food was delecious in every restaurant we went into the service is top notch. The people of Costa Rica are some of the finest in the world
The excursions we took were complelety different a ziplne for the us and the kids and the Volcano tour. The kids enjoyed the ziplines in Monteverde but got a little hot and tired on the 3 hour Volcano tour.
Finally our last driver to the airport Fernando made a pit stop at his home where he let us drink from his coconut tree and taste new fruits we never tried prepared by his 82 year old mother. This may have been our favorite part of the trip getting to meet new people who were not there to serve us but just great friendly Costa Rican people
Overall it was a great time and I would highly reccommned Kimkim. Are whole experience in Costa Rica was better becuase we chose Kimkim to help us book it. I hope to use them in the future on our next trip to Europe

Hotel Reviews
Monteverde Lodge & Gardens
Monteverde

Great hotel with a great staff. Arnaldo and Oscar were great bartenders that gave us the best drinks ever. They were friendly and helpful. They taught us a lot about Costa Rica.

Authenticity & Character
Location
Staff
Bartenders were the best
Cleanliness & Comfort
The Springs Resort & Spa at Arenal
La Fortuna
Authenticity & Character
Location
Staff
Cleanliness & Comfort
Local specialist: Olman Romero
Olman
Olman Romero
Local specialist in San Jose, Costa Rica | Reviewed on Feb 27, 2023

Hello David,

Thanks for your kind words.
I am so happy to know your experience in the tropics was terrific.

Looks like you had a lot of fun.
Special mention to Fernando because he created an unforgettable experience for your family.

Pura Vida!
Olman

We had a very good time overall In Seville, t...
Spain | Feb 17 - Feb 26, 2023

D
Dwight L.
Little Rock, AR | Reviewed on Feb 27, 2023

We had a very good time overall In Seville, the Hotel Gravina was very nice, the guides Penelope and Pillar, and the cooking school coach, Ana, were all great. The guide in Ronda was ok, not quite a good as the Sevillanos. The Parador in Granada was also very nice. Eduardo was a great guide. The food sherpas (Mollie, Katya) were fine, but their work was harder with us (most of us are foodies, Christina went to chef school and owned a wine shop, Lance works as a food expert at a high end... read more

We had a very good time overall In Seville, the Hotel Gravina was very nice, the guides Penelope and Pillar, and the cooking school coach, Ana, were all great. The guide in Ronda was ok, not quite a good as the Sevillanos. The Parador in Granada was also very nice. Eduardo was a great guide. The food sherpas (Mollie, Katya) were fine, but their work was harder with us (most of us are foodies, Christina went to chef school and owned a wine shop, Lance works as a food expert at a high end grocery store in Dallas, so we already knew a lot). The Barcelona hotel, the Regina, was not as nice as the other two, as pertains to the rooms. The breakfast was very nice). The hot air balloon ride was a highlight of the trip and wonderful. Scheduling could have been better, though I'm unsure where to lay the blame. We arrived late for the tour of Monserrat, and it was basically cut very short as a consequence. The guide, Mateo, repeatedly apologized, and I'm not sure how he would have been with the amount of time he usually has to guide. The Gaudi guide, Ana, was also great.

Local specialist: Yuri Ihnatov

Family Trip to Spain
Spain | Feb 17 - Feb 26, 2023

Mary Pat
Mary Pat H.
Dallas, TX | Reviewed on Feb 27, 2023

My sister worked with Yuri to plan our family trip to Spain and every detail was taken care of. We had the most incredible trip with wonderful guides and once in a lifetime experiences! We definitely plan to use KimKkm again. read more

My sister worked with Yuri to plan our family trip to Spain and every detail was taken care of. We had the most incredible trip with wonderful guides and once in a lifetime experiences! We definitely plan to use KimKkm again.

Hotel Review
Hotel Gravina 51
Sevilla
Authenticity & Character
Location
Staff
Cleanliness & Comfort
Local specialist: Yuri Ihnatov

From start to finish the experience was first...enriching, interesting, beautiful sites led by excellent guides
Egypt | Feb 18 - Feb 25, 2023

P
Paul W.
United Kingdom | Reviewed on Feb 27, 2023

From start to finish the experience was first class. Sherif managed to put a tour that was exactly what we needed. Excellent service from Mohammed and Ahmed at Cairo Airport where they made sure we had got through security and checked in as quickly as possible. Lina was our guide for Cairo pyramids and museum, very engaging tour and so knowledgeable. Ismail looked after us from Luxor to Aswan and was our tour guide. He again was so knowledgeable, friendly and funny and we learnt so much from... read more

From start to finish the experience was first class. Sherif managed to put a tour that was exactly what we needed. Excellent service from Mohammed and Ahmed at Cairo Airport where they made sure we had got through security and checked in as quickly as possible. Lina was our guide for Cairo pyramids and museum, very engaging tour and so knowledgeable. Ismail looked after us from Luxor to Aswan and was our tour guide. He again was so knowledgeable, friendly and funny and we learnt so much from him. The highlights were the Valley of the Kings, Karnack Temples but also mixed with many others at Edfu and Aswan that were all very different. Philae temple by boat was also very special.

Activity Reviews
Tour to Giza Pyramids & Egyptian Museum
Cairo

The pyramids or just iconic and clearly a must see. The Egyptian Museum was actually mind blowing, the amount of artifacts collected and brilliantly explained by Lina.

Quality of Experience
The whole experience
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Friendliness, knowledge
Transport
Comfortable and always close to hand
Nile Cruise from Luxor to Aswan- East Bank- Overnight in Luxor
Luxor

Good food and lovely boat

Quality of Experience
Scenery along the way sitting in a very comfortable environment
Food
Varied and good quality
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Knowledgeable, friendly, highest possible service
Transport
Very comfortable
Nile Cruise from Luxor to Aswan-Edfu & Kom Ombo Temples - Overnight in Kom Ombo
Egypt

We saw the temple at night which made for a variation in the experience which we loved. Seeing the temple lit up and night was incredible

Quality of Experience
Lighting of temples at night
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Knowledge, humour, friendliness
Transport
5 minutes walk to temple
Nile Cruise from Luxor to Aswan-Philae Temple / Unfinished Obelisk/ High Dam - Overnight in Aswan
Aswan

Really interesting to bring Egypt story up to date with an understanding of the dams but the unfinished Obelisk and explanation of the how they were made and transported was a highlight.

Quality of Experience
Flow of trip through history. We liked the Luxor to Aswan route for this.
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Knowledge of guide again was perfect.
Transport
Comfortable and enjoyable
Local specialist: Sherif Khalil
Sherif
Sherif Khalil
Local specialist in Egypt | Reviewed on Feb 28, 2023

Hi Paul,
We are very happy to know that Deborah and you have enjoyed your Egypt Trip with us and looking forward to seeing you again in Egypt in the near future.
Best,
Sherif

Amazing Jordan
Jordan | Feb 12 - Feb 17, 2023

D
David S.
United Kingdom | Reviewed on Feb 27, 2023

An amazing experience. Guides at Jerash and Petra very knowledgeable, clear and friendly. Our driver Mo'ayad was full of information, made us feel very welcome and in safe hands. Abu Mishal entertained us on the desert tour. Jordan was full of unexpected delights and very varied.

Local specialist: Raísa Jorge

Iceland Adventure
Iceland | Feb 15 - Feb 22, 2023

B
Beth B.
India | Reviewed on Feb 27, 2023

Best excursion was visiting the ice caves with David! He was knowledgeable, funny, and extremely safety oriented. We all felt comfortable and got to experience the awesome beauty of the caves. All of the hotels recommended from Silvia were clean and in great locations. The staff was extremely attentive to our needs. Silvia was great! She checked in with us throughout the trip and reassured us when the gasoline strike occurred. She kept us informed of weather reports and was flexible with our... read more

Best excursion was visiting the ice caves with David! He was knowledgeable, funny, and extremely safety oriented. We all felt comfortable and got to experience the awesome beauty of the caves. All of the hotels recommended from Silvia were clean and in great locations. The staff was extremely attentive to our needs. Silvia was great! She checked in with us throughout the trip and reassured us when the gasoline strike occurred. She kept us informed of weather reports and was flexible with our reservations when needed. We would highly recommend!

Hotel Review
Icelandair Hotel Vík
Vík

The staff woke us up at night (with our permission) when the Northern Lights were visible so we didn’t miss anything!

Authenticity & Character
Location
Staff
The front desk staff was exceptionally nice!
Cleanliness & Comfort
Activity Review
Vatnshellir Lava Cave Tour
Iceland
Quality of Experience
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Local specialist: Silvía Ástvaldsdóttir

An experience we’ll never forget to the Galapagos!
Galapagos Islands | Feb 9 - Feb 20, 2023

B
Brian G.
Stoneham, MA | Reviewed on Feb 27, 2023

We were completely satisfied with our experience! Alvaro made everything perfect, was always accessible, helped with last minute questions and changes and even set up our last day with a very unique Ecuadorian agave tasting! As the cherry on top, Alvaro wrote us a hand written note, drew us an amazing picture of Galapagos blue footed boobies and gave us a champagne and chocolate strawberry send off completed with rose petals and towel swans on the bed. We couldn’t have asked for more from our birthday and engagement celebration. Thank you kimkim and especially to Alvaro!!

Local specialist: Alvaro Pereira
Alvaro
Alvaro Pereira
Local specialist in Quito, Ecuador | Reviewed on Feb 27, 2023

I´m so happy that the experience was great!
Warm hugs from your local friend

What separates the excellent from the merely ...
New Zealand | Feb 18 - Feb 26, 2023

James
James L.
Gresham, OR | Reviewed on Feb 27, 2023

What separates the excellent from the merely very good is how they deal with problems. Sabina came through in spades.
Cyclone Gabrielle arrived the week before our arrival and disrupted our itinerary.
She worked overtime to ensure our trip was still wonderful.
While others were struggling with reservations and ferry crossings, everything went smoothly for us.
In addition, the hotels Sabina booked were great. As we had asked, she booked at various price points from moderate to... read more

What separates the excellent from the merely very good is how they deal with problems. Sabina came through in spades.
Cyclone Gabrielle arrived the week before our arrival and disrupted our itinerary.
She worked overtime to ensure our trip was still wonderful.
While others were struggling with reservations and ferry crossings, everything went smoothly for us.
In addition, the hotels Sabina booked were great. As we had asked, she booked at various price points from moderate to luxury.
Each was unique and lovely. In no way were they cookie cutter rooms.
Finally, Sabina worked hard to include all the activities we wanted.
In conclusion we recommend Kim-Kim and Sabina very highly.

Activity Review
Hukafalls Jet
New Zealand

An adrenaline rush.

Quality of Experience
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Transport
Local specialist: Sabina Din

Our 2 weeks in Argentina
Argentina | Feb 11 - Feb 25, 2023

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Michael B.
New Rochelle, NY | Reviewed on Feb 26, 2023

Our vacation was cancelled twice due to Covid but Lucas remained constant with us and helped us plan a terrific trip. All the airport transfers, hotels and excursions worked out as planned and most were outstanding. There are a couple of things we might have done differently but most of that is on us for perhaps not either communicating properly to Lucas or fully understanding his planning. Specifically, there was a national holiday in Buenos Aries 2 of the 3 days we were there. One of our... read more

Our vacation was cancelled twice due to Covid but Lucas remained constant with us and helped us plan a terrific trip. All the airport transfers, hotels and excursions worked out as planned and most were outstanding. There are a couple of things we might have done differently but most of that is on us for perhaps not either communicating properly to Lucas or fully understanding his planning. Specifically, there was a national holiday in Buenos Aries 2 of the 3 days we were there. One of our city days was a Tuesday and all the museums were closed; we did not know they would be. And our estancia day, while truly unique, was different from our expectations. Since one of us is fluent in Spanish it was okay; otherwise it would not have been. in Mendoza, we did not know that many wineries required reservations and many were booked during out time. Notwithstanding those things, overall everything Lucas suggested was very good and we have a lovely trip. The hotels and excursions in El Calafate and Chalten were great. The boutique hotel in BA was very nice; they voluntarily changed our room for the last 2 nights, which was to a much nicer room. Cavas Wine Lodge was amazing. All properties provided very nice breakfasts, very helpful staff and were very clean and well run. Lucas responded immediately on What's App to any questions, including on weekends. He did an excellent job.

Hotel Reviews
Xelena Hotel & Suites
El Calafate, Santa Cruz

New wing room very nice with wonderful lake view. Very nice breakfast, very helpful front desk. Nice bar. Good service with box lunches. Requires either use of hotel shuttle or taxi to get to town but not a problem. I would stay here again for sure

Authenticity & Character
Very nice in new wing. Very clean property. Great staff
Location
Great view of Lake Argentino
Staff
Polite, helpful, English speaking
Cleanliness & Comfort
Senderos Apart & Suites
El Chaltén

Chalten is very small town so this location was very fine, just 2 minute walk to the main street. At the same time, it was off the main street so it was quite and very close to gently trekking. It seemed to be a new property and it was in very good condition. Very nice breakfast, only that for the first 2 days no one offered a hot breakfast and we did not know it was an option. On the 3rd day it was offered and certainly very nice. The hotel provided a welcome drink for each of us at its bar; very nice. We had 2 loads of laundry done, each returned same day. The hotel changed US $ to pesos. Our room overnight was hot, which we managed with open windows. There are radiators for heat but nothing for cooling. However, it was fine. We were there in February (still summer).

Authenticity & Character
Very nicely appointed although bar area seating was low to the ground stools, not chairs.
Location
Liked that is was just a bit off the main street. No hill to climb, short easy walk
Staff
All front desk, bar and restaurant staff very nice and spoke enough English. One of us fluent in Spanish.
Cleanliness & Comfort
Be Jardin Escondido by Coppola
Buenos Aires

This is a truly charming boutique hotel. They provide free espresso via Lilly machine in the common area which we made use of. There is a small pool we did not use, but seemed it could be used, in a very nice courtyard (buggy in early evening). Our first room had a very poor shower spray and they could not fix it. They moved us to a second room (this was something they told us they would be doing upon check in, we don't know why). They told us they would move us for our last night but actually we moved for our last 2 nights. The second room was much larger and had a private balcony, which was very nice. Breakfast was very good.

Authenticity & Character
Coppola hotel with all that charm.
Location
In a very convenient part of Palermo Soho. Easy walk to many restaurants (and delicious ice cream)
Staff
Did there very best to be very helpful
Cleanliness & Comfort
Only the shower problem kept this from being a higher rating
Cavas Wine Lodge-Relais & Chateaux
Agrelo

Lived up to expectations, from the private casita with the private plunge pool to the rooftop seating area with fire place to the outdoor shower to a very spacious indoors. Excellent breakfasts include. Delicious food for dinner. If you stay multiple nights the dinner menu doesn't change so that is one thing to know. Also, we did not know we needed to make winery reservations in advance. It all worked out well in the end. We chose not to do excursions such as trekking, rafting or horse riding because we had one them in southern Patagonia, but we did not know to do any of them required a drive ranging between 30 minutes to 2 hours. We also did not go to visit Mendoza City.

Authenticity & Character
Such a beautiful place, the grounds are vines, the outdoor seating is great. The outdoor dining is perfect. The art and decor beautiful.
Location
Lujan de Cuyo is about 45 mins from Mendoza and one hour north of Uco Vally. We found it a perfect location for visiting vineyards. The property itself is beautiful and the views are amazing.
Staff
Very helpful. Uses What's App to communicate - worked great. Plenty of English spoken.
Cleanliness & Comfort
Loved the casista.
Local specialist: Lucas Kambic
Lucas
Lucas Kambic
Local specialist in Buenos Aires | Reviewed on Feb 27, 2023

Hi Michael, thank you for your review and kind words! and for your patience, as you said, this trip was cancelled a few times due to Covid. I´m happy to know you had a great time in our country, I hope you can return soon to South America! =) send my greetings to Betty, all the best! Lucas

Amazing 14 day vacation!
South Africa | Feb 10 - Feb 23, 2023

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Leonard H.
Bismarck, ND | Reviewed on Feb 26, 2023

Lize correspondence and attention to detail was perfect. The itinerary worked out amazingly well.
Victoria Falls was beautiful and guide Ernie was patient and thorough. Zambezi sunset cruise was relaxing and hippos a plus. Boma dinner entertainment was fun and Mopani worm a little chewy.
Cape Town accommodations at Victoria & Alfred hotel were ideal on the Victoria wharf area. Many available restaurants a short distance away associated with shopping mall. Unable to visit Table Top... read more

Lize correspondence and attention to detail was perfect. The itinerary worked out amazingly well.
Victoria Falls was beautiful and guide Ernie was patient and thorough. Zambezi sunset cruise was relaxing and hippos a plus. Boma dinner entertainment was fun and Mopani worm a little chewy.
Cape Town accommodations at Victoria & Alfred hotel were ideal on the Victoria wharf area. Many available restaurants a short distance away associated with shopping mall. Unable to visit Table Top mountain due to high winds and cloud cover.
First visit to South Africa and safari trips were amazing. We went to two different game preserves & lodges. Hostess Kelly at Elephant Plains lodge was very accommodating and safaris guide Dennis/tracker Dumi found so many animals Lions, elephants, rhinos, zebra, hyenas, leopards and wild dogs to mention a few. Staff always available and friendly.
Our final lodge Thabamati Luxury Tented Camp was unbelievable and a special experience. The hostesses Mich & Lorna were there to greet us on arrival from every safari with wet cloths and drinks. Intimate camp with only 8 guests and service & food was amazing. Guide Charel and tracker Caswell were so knowledgeable and helpful. You could tell they really loved their job. Simply an awesome experience. Thank you!!

Local specialist: Lize Enderstein
Lize
Lize Enderstein
Local specialist in South Africa | Reviewed on Feb 27, 2023

Dear Leonard,
Thank you for your wonderful, detailed and great trip feedback.
I am delighted to hear that you enjoyed your trip and had a good time in Cape Town, wildlife sightings on safari sounded amazing and enjoyed Victoria Falls.
Hope to see you return soon.
Take care and keep well.
Best Regards, Lize

Thanks for a great trip to Costa Rica!
Costa Rica | Feb 11 - Feb 19, 2023

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Ruth G.
Charlottesville, VA | Reviewed on Feb 27, 2023

From organizing through the trip itself all went smoothly and gave us a great experience! This was our first time organizing travels using a travel service - but won't be the last. We particularly appreciate Bryan arranging for small group tours - versus large groups that we saw along the way. At times it was just us and our guide - fabulous! The guides were wonderful, knowledgeable and enthusiastic about the terrain and wildlife - which is infectious. Special appreciation to Socio of... read more

From organizing through the trip itself all went smoothly and gave us a great experience! This was our first time organizing travels using a travel service - but won't be the last. We particularly appreciate Bryan arranging for small group tours - versus large groups that we saw along the way. At times it was just us and our guide - fabulous! The guides were wonderful, knowledgeable and enthusiastic about the terrain and wildlife - which is infectious. Special appreciation to Socio of Endemic Birds - truly a standout in terms of depth of knowledge (in fact, he has trained many other guides). Our favorite accommodation was Hacienda Baru (near Dominical). This was "homey", complete with a lovely outdoor cafe that served great food that was cheaper than eating in town, and has fabulous nature trails on the grounds. We enjoyed having iguanas visit us during b'fast. Without leaving the property we were able to enjoy a bird watching tour and zip lining. We were happy that we only spent one night near Manuel Antonio Park - the crowds there were overwhelming. Special thanks to Bryan, Nancy and Charlotte for remaining available to us throughout the trip! One suggestion - providing more specific driving instructions would have been helpful.

Activity Reviews
Marino Ballena Park Combination Tour
Costa Rica

Boat ride was lovely - we saw mom and baby whale and playful dolphins, as well as the beautiful views. Our swim was lovely - snorkeling was underwhelming (not the guides fault, just not much to see). We enjoyed our time walking (on our own) on the Whale Tail at the end of the tour.

Quality of Experience
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Rainforest Birdwatching Hike
Uvita

Great guide, shared with one other couple. This was our first opportunity to see sloths - very exciting!

Quality of Experience
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Flight of the Toucan Zip-Lining
Costa Rica

We had 2 guides for the 2 of us - so we were all able to play! The lead guide had also been our guide for bird watching earlier in the day, so felt like we were "playing" with an old friend.

Quality of Experience
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Manuel Antonio National Park
Costa Rica

The park is beautiful and full of wildlife. We did however, feel a bit overwhelmed by the size of the crowds. Most tour groups were large (we were fortunate to be in a group of 4) - so a lot of people to traverse around.

Quality of Experience
The nature - not the crowds.
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Carara National Park Guided Tour
Costa Rica

After our previous day at Manuel Antonio Park, we appreciated how quiet this park was. We had Socio for a second day - for a private tour. The volume of wildlife was lower than in Manuel Antonio - but Socio taught us a tremendous amount about the trees and balance of nature - as well as spotting fascinating insects/spiders, bats and other critters that we would have walked right by.

Quality of Experience
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Socio was both exceptionally knowledgeable about the terrain and wildlife, but also took the initiative to make calls for us to re-schedule our tour in Arenal so we would not be rushed. Very grateful!
Arenal Volcano National Park Boat & Hike
Arenal/La Fortuna

A very pleasant half day - with a (muddy) nature walk that we enjoyed, and a beautiful boat ride with views of Arenal (partially in a cloud). Once again - we had a private tour. Our only complaint was the 50 % penalty that we were charged for changing our tour from the scheduled day (pouring all day!) to the next day which was predicted to be dry. The company was willing to take us out in the rain - but we would have been wet/cold and seen nothing. We chose instead to spend that morning at our resort - enjoying the hot springs. KimKim did try to advocate for us, but the tour company didn't budge on the up-charge.

Quality of Experience
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Transport
Coffee & Chocolate Tour
Costa Rica

Beautiful grounds - even able to enjoy on our rain-filled day (the walking path is under cover). We learned a lot about the production (from start to finish) of coffee and chocolate - and enjoyed the opportunity to make our own. I must admit - the coffee that we bought in their gift shop was much better than what we made!

Quality of Experience
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Local specialist: Bryan Leon
Bryan
Bryan Leon
Local specialist in Cartago, Costa Rica | Reviewed on Feb 27, 2023

Dear Ruth,

Thank you so much for taking the time to share your feedback on your recent trip. I am thrilled to hear that everything went smoothly and that you had a great experience. It was truly a pleasure to help you organize your travels and I'm glad to hear that you found the small group tours to be enjoyable. I'm especially pleased to hear that Andres from Endemic Birds was a standout and that you enjoyed your time at Hacienda Baru.

I appreciate your suggestion regarding providing more... read more

Dear Ruth,

Thank you so much for taking the time to share your feedback on your recent trip. I am thrilled to hear that everything went smoothly and that you had a great experience. It was truly a pleasure to help you organize your travels and I'm glad to hear that you found the small group tours to be enjoyable. I'm especially pleased to hear that Andres from Endemic Birds was a standout and that you enjoyed your time at Hacienda Baru.

I appreciate your suggestion regarding providing more specific driving instructions and will definitely take that into consideration for future trips. It is feedback like this that helps us improve our services and make sure that our clients have the best possible experience.

Once again, thank you for choosing our travel service and for your kind words. Please don't hesitate to reach out if you need any assistance in the future.

Best regards,
Bryan Leon,
Serendipity Adventures, Costa Rica

Kimkim and Silvia could not have been better!
Iceland | Feb 18 - Feb 25, 2023

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David C.
Cheektowaga, NY | Reviewed on Feb 27, 2023

Silvia was available nearly 24/7, quickly had answers to all my questions, big and small, had an easy and detailed knowledge of travel, of Iceland (where we visited), of services and culture, etc., and was able to get some discounts on local activities/services while we were there.

We could not be more happy with both Kimkim and Silvia!

Local specialist: Silvía Ástvaldsdóttir

Highly recommend Lucy from Realistic Asia
Vietnam | Feb 11 - Feb 23, 2023

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Mitch L.
Australia | Reviewed on Feb 26, 2023

We had an amazing time in Vietnam and couldn’t have been happier with the service we received from Lucy. Whenever we had questions or wanted to make last minute changes she was so quick to get back to us. Would highly recommend.

Local specialist: Lucy Do
Lucy
Lucy Do
Local specialist in Vietnam | Reviewed on Feb 27, 2023

Dear Mitch,
Thank you so much for sharing your experience. We are so glad to know that you have enjoyed your trip to Vietnam and that everything went smoothly. It was a big pleasure for us to accompany you and Kirsty on this trip. Thank you again for trusting our company, and we hope to see you again in other Indochina countries!
Best wishes!
Lucy

Family trip to Colombia
Colombia | Feb 11 - Feb 18, 2023

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Rihab A.
Canada | Reviewed on Feb 26, 2023

We arranged our family trip with Kim Kim, Michael was our local specialist. I was really happy throughout the planning process .. he was cooperative and always available. He adjusted the trip details multiple times to accommodate our needs and requests. Also during the trip itself, he was available all the time with prompt responses to our questions.

Our experience during the travel was very smooth, our drivers were always on time and our guides were good. We visited Bogota, Medellin,... read more

We arranged our family trip with Kim Kim, Michael was our local specialist. I was really happy throughout the planning process .. he was cooperative and always available. He adjusted the trip details multiple times to accommodate our needs and requests. Also during the trip itself, he was available all the time with prompt responses to our questions.

Our experience during the travel was very smooth, our drivers were always on time and our guides were good. We visited Bogota, Medellin, and Cartagena and all these cities were an experience with a different vibe. Our guide in Cartagena (Carolina) was great and we enjoyed spending time with her. She was very knowledgeable, fun and recommended nice places for dinner and helped us book them.

Our family trip turned to be a great and enjoyable experience and most important hassle free.

Hotel Review
Arsenal Hotel

We loved this hotel .. location was great and close to the most important attractions in the city. Safe neighborhood. The hotel is very clean and modern. The staff were very friendly and welcoming.

Authenticity & Character
Location
Staff
Cleanliness & Comfort
Activity Review
Coconut Workshop
Cartagena

This workshop was a highlight of our trip. Spending time with local women and learning from them was a very nice experience. They were very friendly and we loved the items we made with them. I recommend this workshop for any traveler who wants to spend time with locals and enjoy their company and learn from them.

Quality of Experience
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Transport
Local specialist: Michael Gold
Michael
Michael Gold
Local specialist in San Agustín, Huila, Colombia | Reviewed on Feb 27, 2023

Dear Rihab,

thank you very much for your travel report! We were very happy that your whole family could participate in the trip at the end and that you could get to know the country and its different cities and people together. We hope you were able to take lots of great photos and make some great memories!

We are looking forward to the next time with you!
Best regards,
Michael

Family tour of Normandy
France | Sep 21 - Sep 29, 2022

Winston
Winston F.
Canada | Reviewed on Feb 25, 2023

Ours was a twice-postponed week-long tour of Normandy for a 20-person group of extended family members, mainly seniors, from Canada, the USA and the UK, in late September 2022.

We appreciate kimkim’s responsiveness in helping us design a tour that, in addition to visits to main tourist sites, included visits to a couple of sites connected to our family. We are especially very grateful for kimkim staying with us through two COVID postponements! Our contact person, Laetitia, was always a... read more

Ours was a twice-postponed week-long tour of Normandy for a 20-person group of extended family members, mainly seniors, from Canada, the USA and the UK, in late September 2022.

We appreciate kimkim’s responsiveness in helping us design a tour that, in addition to visits to main tourist sites, included visits to a couple of sites connected to our family. We are especially very grateful for kimkim staying with us through two COVID postponements! Our contact person, Laetitia, was always a pleasure to deal with: highly responsive and invariably helpful.

We had three different guides during the seven days; all three (Aurélie, Mathieu and Céline) were punctual, personable, friendly, helpful and, above all, highly knowledgeable. We certainly learned a lot of interesting detail from our guides during our visits to Normandie sites, including Mont-Saint-Michel, the D-Day beaches, Dieppe, Caen, Rouen and Giverny. Several members of our group highlighted and especially appreciated Mathieu’s extensive knowledge of Canadian troops’ experiences at Dieppe, on D-Day and in the ensuing Battle of Normandy.

We had requested one guide for the duration of our week-long trip, and been promised we would have the same guide “unless imperative.” But we understand the widespread problem of unexpected absences and staff shortages, and appreciate that kimkim did its best.

Our two bus drivers were always punctual and got us safely from site to site, for which we are grateful.

The weather was not always ideal, and impacted some activities. Notably, we were disappointed we were not able to take the two-hour Étretat-Fécamp boat “cruise” as planned due to the inclement weather.

As might be expected in a trip of this nature and duration, there were several glitches and disappointments, which I will not detail here.

All in all, it was a very enjoyable trip, and a good time was had by all of us, despite the glitches and the weather.

Jim Fraser

Local specialist: Laetitia Evaux
Laetitia
Laetitia Evaux
Local specialist in Lacenas, Beaujolais, France | Reviewed on Feb 27, 2023

Dear Fraser,
Thank you for your comments. It was a real pleasure to accompany you on this travel project.
Wishing you the best and beautiful trips to come,
Best regards,
Laetitia

We visited La Fortuna/Arenal and Manuel Anton...
Costa Rica | Dec 29 - Jan 6, 2023

Laura
Laura E.
Short Pump, VA | Reviewed on Feb 25, 2023

We visited La Fortuna/Arenal and Manuel Antonio. Our trip was beautifully planned by Diego. He found great adventures and excursions for us. Our 5 kids’ ages range from 12 to 23 and he met all of our needs and made sure they would all be interested in what we were doing. read more

We visited La Fortuna/Arenal and Manuel Antonio. Our trip was beautifully planned by Diego. He found great adventures and excursions for us. Our 5 kids’ ages range from 12 to 23 and he met all of our needs and made sure they would all be interested in what we were doing.

Hotel Reviews
Arenal Manoa & Hot Springs
Fortuna
Authenticity & Character
Location
Staff
Cleanliness & Comfort
Si Como No Resort & Wildlife Refuge
Manuel Antonio
Authenticity & Character
Location
Staff
Cleanliness & Comfort
Autentico Hotel
San Jose
Authenticity & Character
Location
Next time we would just skip San Jose and drive directly to our first resort.
Staff
Cleanliness & Comfort
The air conditioning did not work well in our rooms. There was construction going on at the hotel early in the mornings and throughout the day.
Activity Reviews
Sky Adventures Zip Lines & Hanging Bridges Guided Walk
Arenal/La Fortuna

So much fun!! So much adventure! It was great to have it all in one place as well.

Quality of Experience
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Transport
La Fortuna Waterfall Hike and El Salto Swimming Hole
Arenal/La Fortuna
Quality of Experience
Food
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Transport
Snorkeling Adventure
Manuel Antonio
Quality of Experience
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Transport
Manuel Antonio National Park Guided Nature Hike
Costa Rica
Quality of Experience
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Transport
Local specialist: Diego Rivera
Diego
Diego Rivera
Local specialist in Cartago, Costa Rica | Reviewed on Feb 27, 2023

Thank you very much for your comments Laura. It has been a great pleasure designing this wonderful trip for your family. Please keep alive your Pura Vida spirit.

Family Trip to the Amazon Basin and Galapagos Islands
Galapagos Islands | Feb 5 - Feb 19, 2023

Keith
Keith F.
West Friendship, MD | Reviewed on Feb 25, 2023

Our family of four went to Ecuador and visited the Amazon basin and the Galapagos Islands from Feb 5-20, 2023. Our local trip specialist was Tamer Obeid. Tamer was there for us the whole time. He was a text away and always responsive if we had a problem or a question. Special thanks to Tamer for providing us with dinner and a cake on my son’s 26th birthday. Tamer is an asset to KimKim, and we greatly appreciate his help and support.

In the Amazon basin, we visited the Napo Wildlife Center.... read more

Our family of four went to Ecuador and visited the Amazon basin and the Galapagos Islands from Feb 5-20, 2023. Our local trip specialist was Tamer Obeid. Tamer was there for us the whole time. He was a text away and always responsive if we had a problem or a question. Special thanks to Tamer for providing us with dinner and a cake on my son’s 26th birthday. Tamer is an asset to KimKim, and we greatly appreciate his help and support.

In the Amazon basin, we visited the Napo Wildlife Center. Our guide was Remy, and he was incredible. He grew up in the local community and was aware of all the animals and made many of their sounds. Perhaps the highlight of our visit was seeing the Giant River Otters up close and spending time with the Kichwa Añangu Community. We also climbed to the treetop canopy, visited the parrot clay licks, hiked trails, and did lots of wildlife watching from the canoe.

In the Galapagos Islands, we stayed on Santa Cruz, Isabela, and San Cristobal and had different guides each day for our excursions. Perhaps our favorites were Joel and Lambo. They went out of their way to help us get good photographs and provided their GoPro photographs from our excursion.

Joel pulled two non-swimmers wearing life preservers while he was leading our group. He would occasionally dive down to take photographs of sharks and rays at Pinzon, our best snorkeling trip. Lambo would also dive deep and show us where an object was, like a seahorse, to photograph. He led us around the Tunnels to see enormous sea turtles.
The best place we stayed in the Galapagos was at the Iguana Crossing Hotel on Isabela. The view from the hotel was gorgeous and the service was excellent.

Note that everything on our trip did not run smoothly. We had some transportation problems, and three of us had stomach issues during our travels that lasted many days. Having said that, it was still the trip of a lifetime and one that we would gladly do again.

Local specialist: Tamer Obeid
Tamer
Tamer Obeid
Local specialist in Quito, Ecuador | Reviewed on Feb 26, 2023

Dear Keith,
There aren't enough words to thank you for your detailed review and your testimony; your feedback about my personal performance, and this of kimkim in general, means the world to us. Our invaluable reward is no doubt knowing that you and the family have enjoyed the overall experience with us.
I apologize again for the transportation problems that we had; I talked and continue to talk with the relevant hotel to guarantee the improvement of their shuttle service. It was also a pity... read more

Dear Keith,
There aren't enough words to thank you for your detailed review and your testimony; your feedback about my personal performance, and this of kimkim in general, means the world to us. Our invaluable reward is no doubt knowing that you and the family have enjoyed the overall experience with us.
I apologize again for the transportation problems that we had; I talked and continue to talk with the relevant hotel to guarantee the improvement of their shuttle service. It was also a pity that you had those stomach issues, it had cost us skipping the Española's trip in the Galapagos that I really wanted you to enjoy. Nevertheless, Keith, reading your words and knowing how you, Annette, Zach, and Sierra have enjoyed the majority of your trip makes me so happy. I will make sure to convey your positive feedback to the corresponding guides :)
I hope to welcome you again in Ecuador and to continue to be in touch with you and the family.
Best wishes,
Tamer

Good Trip
South Africa | Feb 14 - Feb 24, 2023

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Yin Peng L.
Australia | Reviewed on Feb 25, 2023

I didn't initiate the booking and planning with kimkim. Overall, the trip has been pleasant as we managed to see big 4/5 and the accommodation has been okay in general.

As this is the first time in South Africa for the group, there have been a lot of times where we weren't sure what we can do especially on free days. While instructions are provided, it would be good if it is clearer or in details given everyone is not familiar with the place. Understandably that the group got larger as time... read more

I didn't initiate the booking and planning with kimkim. Overall, the trip has been pleasant as we managed to see big 4/5 and the accommodation has been okay in general.

As this is the first time in South Africa for the group, there have been a lot of times where we weren't sure what we can do especially on free days. While instructions are provided, it would be good if it is clearer or in details given everyone is not familiar with the place. Understandably that the group got larger as time goes and the original plan might not work too well with more people.

The major unpleasant moment was with the hop on hop off bus as the information provided was not consistent (with when we can use the ticket if we didn't go on to the bus/cableway on the booked day). No further communication was provided afterward and we had to check with the company ourselves. The wine tram was not a real hop on hop off experience and because of that some of us have to take Uber to leave earlier. While some of the information could have been found on website, it would have been nicer if it is provided on almost daily basis as it is quite inconvenience to have to refer to KimKim.com sometimes.

While we understand the incident in airport and weather is not under anyone's control, it seems like dietary requirements was not considered given there are a lot of us who don't eat beef. While we are thankful for the goodies bag, some of us can't have biltong. During the meet up session, while expressing our opinions on the trip, we don't think we were taken too seriously.

Cresta hotel need some improvement in housekeeping service. Bathroom mat was taken away everyday without replenish.

Special shout out and thanks to our private tour guides and drivers as they have done an amazing job showing us the beautiful South Africa and go above and beyond helping out one of the members who unfortunately injured her leg at the end of the trip.

Local specialist: Lucy Berndt

Absolutely fantastic trip! We loved our exper...
Morocco | Feb 18 - Feb 24, 2023

A
Ameet R.
Germany | Reviewed on Feb 25, 2023

Absolutely fantastic trip! We loved our experience visiting the northern parts of Morocco and the imperial cities. Every place we visited was incredible--Chefchaouen, Volubilis, Meknes, Fes, Rabat, Casablanca, and Marrakech. Our driver Abdellatif was very friendly and accommodating to our requests. He provided us with a lot of information about Morocco and its people and culture while we drove. We also had two outstanding guides showing us around Fes (Abdullah, nickname "Banana") and... read more

Absolutely fantastic trip! We loved our experience visiting the northern parts of Morocco and the imperial cities. Every place we visited was incredible--Chefchaouen, Volubilis, Meknes, Fes, Rabat, Casablanca, and Marrakech. Our driver Abdellatif was very friendly and accommodating to our requests. He provided us with a lot of information about Morocco and its people and culture while we drove. We also had two outstanding guides showing us around Fes (Abdullah, nickname "Banana") and Marrakech (Hassan). In Fes, Abdullah customized our itinerary per our requests, and made sure to give us plenty of time to visit all of the sights and monuments that we were most excited to see. Hassan was very funny, knowledgeable, and witty during our tour of Marrakech. He told us so much about the Moroccan culture and shared many stories about the famous monuments we were seeing.

The hotels where we stayed in Chefchaouen, Fes, and Marrakech were absolutely incredible! We stayed in Dar Jasmine in Chefchaouen, Riad Fes in Fes, and La Maison Arabe in Marrakech. What amazing experiences. We felt like we were staying in palaces, and we definitely got a flavor of the local art, decorations, and culture at each place.

When we were planning the tour, both Abdellah and Said from Original Travels were very helpful and responsive. They gave us good advice about which cities to visit, and they customized our overall itinerary per our requests. Said also rearranged our entire itinerary after we decided to fly into Tangier rather than into Casablanca.

Thank you to Original Travels, as well as to our driver Abdellatif and our tour guides Abdullah (Banana) and Hassan. They made our trip to Morocco truly an unforgettable experience.

Hotel Reviews
Dar Jasmine
Chefchaouen

Beautiful views of the Blue Pearl of Chefchaouen. No need to visit the Spanish Mosque, because you get even better views from the accommodation.

Authenticity & Character
Location
Staff
Cleanliness & Comfort
Riad Fès - Relais & Châteaux
Fès

Incredibly decorated, simply beautiful Riad right in the heart of the old medina of Fes! Rooftop terrace bar with panoramic views of Fes.

Authenticity & Character
Location
Staff
Cleanliness & Comfort
La Maison Arabe Hotel
Marrakech

Beautiful historic hotel, wonderfully decorated, outdoor dining right next to their pool! Great location as well.

Authenticity & Character
Location
Staff
Cleanliness & Comfort
Activity Reviews
Half-Day Guided Sightseeing in Fes
Fes

Our tour guide, Abdullah (nickname Banana) was fantastic!

Quality of Experience
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Time for Marrakech With Kids!
Marrakesh

Our tour guide, Hassan, was fantastic! Very knowledgeable, funny, witty.

Quality of Experience
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Local specialist: Abdellah El Asely
Abdellah
Abdellah El Asely
Local specialist in Marrakech | Reviewed on Feb 27, 2023

Hi Ameet,

Thank you so much for such incredible feedback. We are happy to see that you had a 5-star experience at our company.

On behalf of all the members of our team, we would like to thank you for such precious words which are highly valued. It means the world to us that we have designed a great trip for you and lived up to your expectations. Such a rating helps us to maintain an excellent standard of service to our valuable guests like you. We always strive much hard to provide our... read more

Hi Ameet,

Thank you so much for such incredible feedback. We are happy to see that you had a 5-star experience at our company.

On behalf of all the members of our team, we would like to thank you for such precious words which are highly valued. It means the world to us that we have designed a great trip for you and lived up to your expectations. Such a rating helps us to maintain an excellent standard of service to our valuable guests like you. We always strive much hard to provide our guests with memorable journeys and make them enjoy the scenic beauty of our country to the fullest. The entire team at Original Travels really appreciates your awesome review.

Thank you again and looking forward to serving you again in the future.

Best,
Abdel

Absolutely incredible trip. Our guide, sherpa...
Nepal | Feb 18 - Feb 24, 2023

B
Brian W.
Belgium | Reviewed on Feb 25, 2023

Absolutely incredible trip. Our guide, sherpa and porter were all awesome. We saw some spectacular sights and it was the trip of a lifetime.

Local specialist: Kunchok Nima
Kunchok
Kunchok Nima
Local specialist in Kathmandu | Reviewed on Feb 25, 2023

Thank you for your wonderful review. It was pleasure hosting you , Elliot and Toby to Nepal. Absolute LEGENDS ! Personally for me , i enjoyed as much, travelling with you guys. Indeed a trip of lifetime!
Rest assured that your kind words have been relayed to our entire team especially Sonam.
We very much look forward to welcoming you guys to Nepal in near future . Till then take care and see you soon

Cheers
Kunchok

Our trip to Thailand was excellent! We did ev...
Thailand | Feb 15 - Feb 24, 2023

Ariana
Ariana L.
Puerto Rico | Reviewed on Feb 25, 2023

Our trip to Thailand was excellent! We did everything we wanted... started off at Bangkok with our guide Jack, ver attentive and nice, gave us all the must do's in the city and during our visit to the grand palace, floating and train markets he gave us all the history of each place and took a lot of pictures for us. In Cambodia we were with Vannak, who was also excellent, smiling all the time, we learned a lot about Cambodia during our time with him, very caring. Ankor thom and ankor wat are... read more

Our trip to Thailand was excellent! We did everything we wanted... started off at Bangkok with our guide Jack, ver attentive and nice, gave us all the must do's in the city and during our visit to the grand palace, floating and train markets he gave us all the history of each place and took a lot of pictures for us. In Cambodia we were with Vannak, who was also excellent, smiling all the time, we learned a lot about Cambodia during our time with him, very caring. Ankor thom and ankor wat are a must.
Sutheeporn in Phuket, we did day trip tour to Khao Sok national park, experience was very good as well. We are very great full for choosing KimKim to plan our trip.

Activity Reviews
Full day Khao Sok safari (private trasfer and private activity) with lunch from Phuket
Phuket

Our visit to Khao Sok was a bit different than what we thought it would be. Early morning they took us to the Tsunami memorial which was nice, then they had told us that we would do a 1h hike along with elephants and the took us to Wassana Elephant park... there was no hike, it was a place with 2 elephants tied up with chains to palm trees, they were skinny and dehydrated, a guy with a pointy spear made him do tricks like playing the harmonica, dancing and kicking coconuts. I had read al over the internet that if you were going to see elephants you should go to a sanctuary . I would've thought Kim Kim would know something like this. I strongly recommend to stop taking your customers to Wassana. Otherwise the monkey cave and bamboo rafting were really nice and fun. All pictures of khao sok on the internet show off the Damn, I thought we would see it.

Quality of Experience
Food
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Guides were a little lost, the had to stop to ask for directions for almost every spot we went
Transport
Full Day Tour to Angkor Thom and Angkor Wat
Siem Reap

We really enjoyed our trip to Angkor. Mr Vannak gave us a great tour. I would recommend every one who visits Cambodia to make this stop in siem reap.

Quality of Experience
Food
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Transport
Full Day Maeklong Railway Market and Damnoen Saduak Floating Market
Bangkok

Our visit to the train market and floating markets were great and very fun. They did a stop at a sugar factory in between markets and we learned about the process of how they make sugar off coconuts. We ate at the floating markets and it was very tasty! Most shops had the same tourist market typical stuff.

Quality of Experience
Food
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Transport
Local specialist: Tom Zhou
Tom
Tom Zhou
Local specialist in Bangkok | Reviewed on Mar 01, 2023

Hi Ariana,

Thank you and glad to know you had a nice trip with us !
Thank you for your warm comments on our services. And thank you for choosing our company as your tour operator. I really appreciate your valuable feedback about the Wassana Elephant park, we will look into it and find other alternative activities. We do care about the elephant very much, we will never arrange this kind of elephant in the future. Thank you so much for your timely feedback .
Hope in the future you will travel with us again to explore more beautiful places!

 

Great museum and architecture tours
Spain | Feb 5 - Feb 16, 2023

A
Avni P.
Manhattan, NY | Reviewed on Feb 24, 2023

The museum, architecture and cultural tours organized were great. Local tour guides were great and very informative. This service was great that I could have all of the logistics, etc taken care of for me. But I don’t think the tapas tours were worth it. For the price paid, I didn’t expect to have to worry about cleanliness or food quality or safety. For both Seville and tapas tours, I was taken to places that were dusty and with food sitting out. I would skip tapas tours type of activities for my next trip.

Local specialist: Yuri Ihnatov

Seven day action-packed trip to Iceland impossible without KimKim
Iceland | Feb 15 - Feb 22, 2023

Michael
Michael S.
Westfield, NJ | Reviewed on Feb 24, 2023

Seven day action-packed trip to Iceland would not have been possible without the help of Silvia at KimKim. She worked out a fantastic itinerary: 2 days based in Borgarnes, 2 days in Vic, a fantastic night at a cabin in the Hrifunes Nature Park (great venue for Northern Lights!), finally 2 days in Reykajavik. We had pre-paid vouchers for everything and Silvia worked with us ahead of the trip to make sure we were hitting everything we wanted to see.
More important: Silvia kept in touch... read more

Seven day action-packed trip to Iceland would not have been possible without the help of Silvia at KimKim. She worked out a fantastic itinerary: 2 days based in Borgarnes, 2 days in Vic, a fantastic night at a cabin in the Hrifunes Nature Park (great venue for Northern Lights!), finally 2 days in Reykajavik. We had pre-paid vouchers for everything and Silvia worked with us ahead of the trip to make sure we were hitting everything we wanted to see.
More important: Silvia kept in touch throughout the trip and when bad weather caused us to cancel a trip east to Skaftafell, she had alternatives for us and handled all the rebookings. Loved the constant check-in and help with everything.
We will definitely use KimKim again and "where to go next" will be determined on where KimKim operates. We saved money with KimKim and had a fabulous time. Thanks!

Hotel Reviews
Hrifunes Nature Park
Hrífunes

Great location on the south coast of Iceland. Several cabins spaced far enough apart for privacy. We had a three-bedroom unit, clean and modern. We cooked in the well-equipped kitchen and had a fantastic time. Condition of everything was fantastic and very close to new.

Authenticity & Character
Modern unit furnished almost exclusively from Ikea.
Location
Great location for Northern Lights: dark skies, no light pollution. Convenient for hiking / touring the South - South East coast of Iceland.
Staff
Easy to reach for check-in / check-out, helpful with firing up the hot-tub.
Cleanliness & Comfort
Everything was "like new" - well maintained and trouble free. Comfy beds.
Icelandair Hotel Vík
Vík

Fantastic hotel located conveniently in Vic, opened 5-6 years ago, everything in great shape. Rooms were larger than expected, nicely finished. Restaurant was fantastic for breakfast and dinner. Good bar, exercise room. Helpful, friendly staff. Would stay again.

Authenticity & Character
Lobby well done with Iceland geology references, great wood finishes in rooms. Great place to come back to at the end of a busy day.
Location
Vic is a great base to see the South Coast of Iceland, Icelander Hotel Vic is the best place to stay in town.
Staff
Excellent local knowledge and helpful planning outdoor activities when the weather was challenging. Local eating recommendations were spot-on good.
Cleanliness & Comfort
5-6 year old hotel, everything was "like new."
Local specialist: Silvía Ástvaldsdóttir

Everything about this trip was smooth and per...
Costa Rica | Feb 14 - Feb 22, 2023

Deb
Deb T.
Pittsburgh, PA | Reviewed on Feb 24, 2023

Everything about this trip was smooth and perfect!
The planning was easy with Veronica. She asked great questions, provided needed information, recommendations and assurances , and then organized a wonderful trip for us. The accommodations were amazing and all the tours, operators and guides were excellent! We had private tours with guides on many days.
Highlight:
Staying at the Tabocan Resort (a beautiful hotel with amazing hot springs) and the view (once the clouds cleared on... read more

Everything about this trip was smooth and perfect!
The planning was easy with Veronica. She asked great questions, provided needed information, recommendations and assurances , and then organized a wonderful trip for us. The accommodations were amazing and all the tours, operators and guides were excellent! We had private tours with guides on many days.
Highlight:
Staying at the Tabocan Resort (a beautiful hotel with amazing hot springs) and the view (once the clouds cleared on our final day) of the volcano

Hotel Reviews
Tabacón Thermal Resort & Spa
Fortuna

This was the most beautiful hotel we've ever stayed at. We LOVED the hot springs and enjoyed the entire atmosphere of the hotel. The friendliness, helpfulness and service was exceptional. Food was very good. Room very comfortable. Shuttle service to the hot springs runs every few minutes and makes everything very accessible. We stayed for 4 nights and very glad we did! Because of the clouds, the volcano was only visible on our last morning, but what an amazing view we had!

Authenticity & Character
Location
Staff
Cleanliness & Comfort
Gaia Hotel & Reserve- Adults Only
Manuel Antonio

We loved our 3 night stay at this hotel. The accommodations were beautiful and staff was very helpful, friendly, accommodating. The owner is very kind and friendly greets every guest warmly.

Authenticity & Character
Location
Staff
Cleanliness & Comfort
Park Inn San Jose by Radisson
San José

This hotel was just fine for an overnight stay. The location is good for walk around the area and finding a lovely restaurant for dinner on the other side of the park (across the street from the hotel).

Authenticity & Character
Location
Staff
Cleanliness & Comfort
Activity Reviews
Shuttle Transfer with Rafting on the Sarapiqui River En Route
Costa Rica

Our driver picked us up on time and we drove in comfort to the Sarapiqui River. The driver provided us with good background information as we drove to our destination. The rafting adventure was awesome! We did class 2-3 rapids in a raft with only us and our guide. A photographer paddled in a kayak near us and took photos. It was beautiful, fun and very exciting! The break for fresh fruit and the meal afterward were very nice.

Quality of Experience
Food
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Transport
La Fortuna Waterfall Guided Hiking Tour
Arenal/La Fortuna

We had a private tour with a guide to this beautiful location.

Quality of Experience
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Transport
Proyecto Asis Wildlife Rehabilitation Center - Volunteer Experience
Arenal/La Fortuna

Spending the morning at the Wildlife Rehabilitation Center was one of our trip highlights. We had a small group tour with 2 other families and our guide was fabulous! He provided an educational and engaging overview of the center. The volunteer experience was fun...we weighed, measured and chopped up fruits for the wildlife and then put the meals in home-made kongs, then delivered to the animals.

Quality of Experience
Food
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Transport
Arenal Volcano Guided Walking Tour
Arenal/La Fortuna

This great hike to the volcano was beautiful and moderately challenging. We loved the fabulous views. Our guide was excellent and provided much information as we hiked. Relaxing afterward with a pineapple snack and watching the wildlife was memorable!

Quality of Experience
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Transport
Coffee & Chocolate Farm Experience
Arenal/La Fortuna

This was a very interesting, fun and tasty tour! Very good tourguide at Don Juan Company.

Quality of Experience
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Transport
Manuel Antonio National Park Guided Nature Hike
Costa Rica

Another highlight of our week! The park was crowded, but we were able to enjoy an amazing morning. We were on a small group tour with 11 people in our group. Our guide was very kind, interesting, professional and considerate of everyone's interests. We were able to see things with the guide that we never would have seen on our own. The beach was gorgeous!

Quality of Experience
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Transport
Mangrove Boat Tour
Manuel Antonio

This was an enjoyable, calm activity for our last day in Costa Rica.

Quality of Experience
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Transport
Local specialist: Veronica Medina
Veronica
Veronica Medina
Local specialist in Costa Rica | Reviewed on Feb 24, 2023

Thank you so muuch for this review Deb <3

It means a lot to me and the team to know that you had a memorable time!!

Keep living the Pura Vida lifestyle!

Veronica

Andean Colombia at its best
Colombia | Feb 9 - Feb 16, 2023

Razia
Razia A.
India | Reviewed on Feb 24, 2023

Overall the trip has left remarkable memories for me . Kim Kim did a good job being a small company . As promised all was taken care . Car, private guides all along Bogotá Medellín and Cartagena. The guides were good with understandable English skills . The best of all was Sandy in Cartagena. . The people were all good and friendly and the coconut workshop with the ladies there to teach us accessory making with coconut were really nice and interactive . The place I enjoyed most was comuna13... read more

Overall the trip has left remarkable memories for me . Kim Kim did a good job being a small company . As promised all was taken care . Car, private guides all along Bogotá Medellín and Cartagena. The guides were good with understandable English skills . The best of all was Sandy in Cartagena. . The people were all good and friendly and the coconut workshop with the ladies there to teach us accessory making with coconut were really nice and interactive . The place I enjoyed most was comuna13 and Penol Guatapé in Medellín.

Hotel Review
Hotel Kartaxa Cartagena
Cartagena

The hotel was well located and was really interestingly made . The decor , the aesthetics .

Authenticity & Character
Was very typical of Colombian style
Location
Accessible to main centre
Staff
Very helpful and courteous
Cleanliness & Comfort
Local specialist: Michael Gold
Michael
Michael Gold
Local specialist in San Agustín, Huila, Colombia | Reviewed on Feb 27, 2023

Dear Razia and Mala

planning the trip with you was a lot of fun! It's great that you could now also get to know Colombia and gain such good experiences. Thank you for the nice and detailed communication throughout the planning and realization of the trip. We enjoyed answering all of your questions and making sure you had a relaxed and stress-free trip!

We are looking forward to the next time with you!
Best regards,
The Chaska Tours Team

The trip was amazing although Beth did all th...
Iceland | Feb 15 - Feb 22, 2023

K
Karen S.
Westfield, NJ | Reviewed on Feb 24, 2023

The trip was amazing although Beth did all the pre planning with Silvia. I wasn’t involved in that. So appreciated the regular contact to make sure that everything was going well. Also Silvia was able to switch things for us when we were delayed. Also kept us updated on the strike situation. Would definitely recommend Silvia to anyone

Also, our guide David who took us to the ice caves out of Vik was excellent. Would give him a 5 star review read more

The trip was amazing although Beth did all the pre planning with Silvia. I wasn’t involved in that. So appreciated the regular contact to make sure that everything was going well. Also Silvia was able to switch things for us when we were delayed. Also kept us updated on the strike situation. Would definitely recommend Silvia to anyone

Also, our guide David who took us to the ice caves out of Vik was excellent. Would give him a 5 star review

Local specialist: Silvía Ástvaldsdóttir

Completely Amazing trip!!
Costa Rica | Feb 10 - Feb 20, 2023

Elizabeth
Elizabeth R.
Manhattan, NY | Reviewed on Feb 24, 2023

The trip and all of the connection points was arranged extremely well. We only had to know what time we needed to be in the lobby of our hotel to have a completely hassle free experience. The guides that were set up for our daily tours were incredibly knowledgeable and managed to find many wonderful animals for us to observe. They even took pictures for us through their scopes so that we would have lasting images of all of the wonderful animals and plants we encountered while in Costa... read more

The trip and all of the connection points was arranged extremely well. We only had to know what time we needed to be in the lobby of our hotel to have a completely hassle free experience. The guides that were set up for our daily tours were incredibly knowledgeable and managed to find many wonderful animals for us to observe. They even took pictures for us through their scopes so that we would have lasting images of all of the wonderful animals and plants we encountered while in Costa Rica. Toucans, monkeys, sloths, macaws, lizards and coati mundis were all part of our experience. The trip itself had a good balance of organized tours and relaxation time. The hotels they chose were pretty as well as comfortable. The scenery - spectacular, we even saw double rainbows from our porch in Monteverdi.
One day was spent visiting natural hot springs which proved to be a very enjoyable and peaceful experience.
We were able to sample local and very delicious foods at low prices. Kim Kim / Serendipity supplied us with some recommendations for dinners and our local tour guides also provided some excellent suggestions like Pollo Fortuneno (wonderful Mahi Mahi dish) while in the Arenal/LaFortuna area.

Being foolish, tired tourists, we also managed to misplace a large sum of money and originally thought our money was stolen.
The hotel staff at Volcano Lodge found the lost money in our hotel room and, in working with Charlotte, our contact at Serendipity tours, managed to wire the money through our next hotel and hand deliver it to us.
That is what I call fantastic, over the top service! Totally incredible in every way.
We will visit Costa Rica again and will also use KimKim for future bookings in other areas

Hotel Reviews
Volcano Lodge
San Carlos, Alajuela

This hotel had very beautiful grounds and many wonderful animals located right on the grounds. We saw a wonderful mother sloth with her baby. We also saw many beautifully colored birds right on the grounds. The swim up pool and the hot springs on the hotel were really fun to go into and swim around in. We even had a private jacuzzi for our room which we really enjoyed using. The staff at this hotel could not have been nicer. Being foolish tourists, we managed to misplace a large sum of money at this hotel and after thinking we were robbed, the hotel staff found our money and had it returned to us! Phenomenal!!! Amazing beautiful hotel with a delicious breakfast and an incredibly friendly staff that made our stay even more enjoyable.

Authenticity & Character
Location
Staff
The staff returned to us money that we had lost with the help of the Kim Kim team
Cleanliness & Comfort
jacuzzi and hot springs were great, room was very pretty and comfortable
Hotel Heliconia
Monteverde Costa Rica

This hotel had very pretty and comfortable rooms and was located near enough to town to walk to town and walk to some great dinner places like Don Luis. The hill on which this hotel was located was a bit of a climb so I would not recommend walking up this hill during the heat of the day but it was quite comfortable in the evening. The staff at this hotel was very friendly and accommodating. They assisted myself and my traveling companion by helping to get us the cash we had misplaced at a different location. They really went out of their way to assist us in this regard and we will be forever grateful. We also saw some unbelievable rainbows from the porch of this hotel adding to the overall beauty. The hotel was located near enough that even when we went to the cloud forest, it was not a far ride. There is a spa at this hotel but we did not utilize it. The breakfast that was provided was not as spectacular as the other hotels in which we stayed.

Authenticity & Character
nice spacious rooms and you can get a bite to eat right at this hotel.
Location
easy walk to town and some dinner places, hotel is on a hill so you cannot walk back on a hot day.
Staff
The manager of the hotel assisted us with getting the cash that we misplaced back in our hands, truly amazing in that respect.
Cleanliness & Comfort
Very nice room with very comfortable beds.
Hotel San Bada Resort & Spa
Manuel Antonio

Nice, older hotel with excellent pool for the entire family and a separate 6th floor pool on top. Rooms very spacious and comfortable. Nice bar and excellent breakfasts. This hotel is located right next to the Manuel Antonio park so it is very conveniently located for quick access to the park and quick access to many, many restaurants in walking distance on the street. The concierge also very accommodating and helpful.

Authenticity & Character
Location
located right next to Manuel Antonio park and the animals can also be seen on the grounds of this hotel
Staff
very friendly staff who assisted with taxis and getting around town
Cleanliness & Comfort
very clean comfortable and spacious rooms
Activity Reviews
The Springs Hot Springs & Meal
Arenal/La Fortuna

Well worth the day trip to the Hot Springs. The natural hot springs were quiet and calming. I had never been to real natural hot springs before and these were fantastic, some of them had small waterfalls falling into the pools. Very fancy hotel that was also fun to visit.

Quality of Experience
Food
This was not our best meal in the Arenal La Fortuna area, we like Pollo Fortuneno better. But the dining room at the Hot Springs was very beautiful.
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Transport
This trip to the hot springs was only a few minutes drive away from where we were staying.
Rio Celeste & Tenorio Volcano Guided Rainforest Hike
Costa Rica

This was a fantastic day, Our guide Paulo was incredible and was able to find many animals for us to observe. The experience of seeing the very blue water was worth it here. Incredible and the paths were good to walk on. Of course there are many steps down to the waterfall so be prepared to climb the stairs once you get to the bottom but well worth it. We also saw a coral snake here which was very beautiful (if you like snakes!). At the end, the guide gave us coconut water out of the shell to drink and that was incredible as well, great finish to the tour.

Quality of Experience
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Paulo took pictures with the smart phone using his scope.
Transport
the transport was completely stress and hassle free.
Coffee Experience and Nighttime Nature Walk
Monteverde

I enjoyed learning about a major export of Costa Rica and how the coffee is grown and harvested. When it was very dark, we did have a nice walk through the jungle, saw sloths, pit viper, porcupine, basilisk lizard and a kinkajou. Not bad for a short stroll through the jungle. I believe other night walks in the Arenal area might prove even more productive. Our guide was very knowledgeable and tried hard to ensure that we saw all that he was pointing out.

Quality of Experience
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Transport
Transport was a little confusing, we did not know whether a ride back was going to be provided, in the end it was and was included but the staff there was unaware.
Ocean Kayaking & Snorkeling in Manuel Antonio
Manuel Antonio

Great snorkel and a bit of a work out getting there in the kayaks. We all did a water entry from the kayaks and also had to get back in the kayak from the water. One person had to hold the kayak steady while the other climbed in. Everyone did this without much of an issue. We saw lots of fish, some fairly good sized snappers and parrot and trigger fish. The lunch that we had later was really delicious.

Quality of Experience
The snorkel was really good, we saw a great variety of fish in a small area.
Food
Mahi Mahi was delicious
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Transport
Transport was so easy, we just needed to be in the lobby of our hotel at the appointed time for pick up
Local specialist: Sergio Bolaños
Sergio
Sergio Bolaños
Local specialist in Limon, Costa Rica | Reviewed on Feb 28, 2023

Hi Beth, thank you so much for taking the time to leave us such a positive review! We are thrilled to hear that you had a great experience with us and we truly appreciate your kind words. Pura Vida!

Oaxaca, Mexico
Mexico | Feb 15 - Feb 21, 2023

T
Tracey B.
Marysville, OH | Reviewed on Feb 24, 2023

The trip was amazing, I knew virtually nothing about Oaxaca so the tours provided were perfect, giving me a good overview of the city and region. The hotel was unique, a bio friendly set with a rather novel toilet arrangement that may not be good for everyone but it was clearn, safe and centrally located so easy to get around on foot. Very good experience. read more

The trip was amazing, I knew virtually nothing about Oaxaca so the tours provided were perfect, giving me a good overview of the city and region. The hotel was unique, a bio friendly set with a rather novel toilet arrangement that may not be good for everyone but it was clearn, safe and centrally located so easy to get around on foot. Very good experience.

Hotel Review
Niyana Biocultural Hotel

It was a unique set up with a novel toilet arrangement tat may not be suitable for everyone but was clean and centrally located which was nice. Hosts were friendly, I like that we connected by WhatsApp so they were available quickly for any questions, issue.

Authenticity & Character
Simple, clean, friendly
Location
Walking distance to key areas.
Staff
Didn’t interact that much, but nice and friendly
Cleanliness & Comfort
Dry toile a bit unique, not a problem but not sure I would use it again.
Activity Reviews
Biking tour and street art
Oaxaca

Really likel this, didn’t know about this aspect of Oaxaca .

Quality of Experience
I loved looking at the different art and stories behind them
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Very knowledgeable, friendly
Transport
Biking was fun
Archeology and handicrafts in Monte Alban, Arrazola, Cuilapam and Coyotepec
Oaxaca

I love learning about ancient history of areas, this was very interesting, a lot of time allowed to explore.

Quality of Experience
Like the topic
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Good knowledge of the issue
Transport
Comfortable, clean
Visit Mitla, the Tule Tree, Hierve el Agua, a Mezcal Distillery & Teotitlán del Valle
Oaxaca

I didn’t know about any of these areas so I like learning about them.

Quality of Experience
Guides, Drivers and Staff
I only have an issue with the tequila tour- the English speakers were taken by an English guide who, frankly, had a poor command of the language. I felt we (only 2 English speakers) did not get a good overview of the history of tequila, how it was made, etc.
Transport
Comfortable, clean
Walk through the enchanted forest of Ixtepeji
Oaxaca

Didn’t happen, mixup in depart times, not a problem, got refunded.

Quality of Experience
Food
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Transport
Local specialist: Leslie Pérez

Kimkim provided us with really great guides. ...
Mexico | Feb 6 - Feb 20, 2023

M
Madalyn K.
Harlingen, TX | Reviewed on Feb 23, 2023

Kimkim provided us with really great guides. Jose shared Mexico City with us (Coyoacan, Casa Azul, Museum Diego Rivera - Anahuacalli). Eloy told us so much at amazing Teotihuaca, City of the Gods. We explored awesome Monte Alban and several Oaxacan neighborhoods with Leonardo; we saw several wedding celebrations. Ada, with connections to our home town, walked us through Guadalajara's squares and museums. In Guanajuato, Susanna took us on a tour of her very quaint town. From San Miguel... read more

Kimkim provided us with really great guides. Jose shared Mexico City with us (Coyoacan, Casa Azul, Museum Diego Rivera - Anahuacalli). Eloy told us so much at amazing Teotihuaca, City of the Gods. We explored awesome Monte Alban and several Oaxacan neighborhoods with Leonardo; we saw several wedding celebrations. Ada, with connections to our home town, walked us through Guadalajara's squares and museums. In Guanajuato, Susanna took us on a tour of her very quaint town. From San Miguel de Allende, Jose took us to historic Dolores Hidalgo and learned about Mexican independence. We had a moving experience with him when we participated for a few minutes in the funeral Mass and procession to the cemetery of a 68-year old wife, mother, grandmother. In Queretaro, Fernando took us to see the Pena de Bernal, a monolith, surrounded by a touristy town.

Hotel Reviews
Zócalo Central
Mexico City

Drinks and light meals are provided 24 hrs a day, gratis. Great location.

Authenticity & Character
Location
Staff
Cleanliness & Comfort
La Catrina de Alcalá

I don't believe this hotel had a coffee maker in the room; that is always a disappointment while we are traveling. All showers should have grab bars and/or seats for older travelers. Because I had requested ground-floor rooms or hotels with elevators, we had a nice room on the ground floor. It would've been lovely to have had an upper floor with balcony in one of the hotels overlooking the square.

Authenticity & Character
Location
Short walk to the square.
Staff
Breakfast servers were very attentive and kind.
Cleanliness & Comfort
Hotel Morales Historical & Colonial Downtown Core
Mexicaltzingo, Guadalajara, Jal.

There was a coffee maker in the room. I don't recall if this hotel had a grab bar and/or seat in the shower for older travelers.

Authenticity & Character
Charming place.
Location
Staff
Breakfast staff was kind and attentive.
Cleanliness & Comfort
Edelmira Hotel Boutique
Centro Guanajuato, Guanajuato

We were upgraded to a suite: that was great. But the suite was reached with a number of stairs, both up and down, around many corners. It was a real labyrinth. There was an espresso-type maker in the room. I don't recall the room's shower. All showers should have grabbed bars and/or seats for older travelers.

Authenticity & Character
Location
Just a block from the really lovely square.
Staff
The tall porter was great; he took good care of us.
Cleanliness & Comfort
Hotel Monteverde Best Inns
León

I regret that the one memory of this hotel was that there was no source of heating in our room. The outside temperature was low, so our room was cold. There was sufficient warm bedding. I don't believe there was a coffee maker in the room; that is always a disappointment. All showers should have grab bars and/or seats for older travelers.

Authenticity & Character
Location
Staff
Cleanliness & Comfort
La Casa del Atrio
Queretaro

We had this room for approximately 12 hours due to a 0100 departure time to get the Benito Juarez Airport. There was an 'honor' bar, which is a good idea. There was no heat source in this room; it got chilly during thr night. I don't believe there was a coffee maker in this room; that is always a disappointment. All showers should have grab bars and/or seats for older travelers.

Authenticity & Character
It's a beautiful place.
Location
Staff
Cleanliness & Comfort
Activity Reviews
Frida Kahlo House
Mexico City
Quality of Experience
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Transport
Visit the Museum Diego Rivera - Anahuacalli
Mexico City
Quality of Experience
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Transport
Walking Tour in Teotihuacan "The City of the Gods"
Mexico City

Awesome!

Quality of Experience
Food
Sorry, I don't remember food as part of this tour.
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Transport
Visit the great Zapotec city of Monte Albán
Oaxaca

Must see!

Quality of Experience
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Transport
Tastes of Oaxaca Gastronomy Tour
Oaxaca

Great for food-market lovers.

Quality of Experience
Enjoyed an unusual corn/chocolate/water drink.
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Transport
Historical Guadalajara & Museums
Mexico
Quality of Experience
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Historical Walk through the Neighborhoods of Guanajuato
Guanajuato
Quality of Experience
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Visit the towns of Dolores Hidalgo & Atotonilco.
Mexico
Quality of Experience
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Transport
Magical Bernal Tour
Mexico
Quality of Experience
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Transport
Local specialist: Isabelle Bauer
Isabelle
Isabelle Bauer
Local specialist in Tulum | Reviewed on Feb 27, 2023

Dear Madalyn, Dear Anne,

Thank you very much for your feedback! I am happy that you had a wonderful time in Mexico :)

Great to read that you especially enjoyed the tours with our guides - this proves us right to exclusively work with local partners that are committed to a high quality service, fair tourism and a positive impact on the region.

I wish you all the best and I hope that you will visit Mexico again soon!
Isa

Excellent itinerary and driver
Morocco | Feb 13 - Feb 20, 2023

Leslie
Leslie P.
Las Cruces, NM | Reviewed on Feb 23, 2023

My niece and I took this trip together to Morocco and it was absolutely amazing. Our driver, Hamza, was outstanding and really made the trip extra special. He is a wonderful man, and he made everything so easy. He made us feel very safe. We hope to travel with him again! All the guides were great with excellent English. Mustafa was especially good and made our day in Fes a really enjoyable one. Riads were also wonderful, especially Chez Pierre. read more

My niece and I took this trip together to Morocco and it was absolutely amazing. Our driver, Hamza, was outstanding and really made the trip extra special. He is a wonderful man, and he made everything so easy. He made us feel very safe. We hope to travel with him again! All the guides were great with excellent English. Mustafa was especially good and made our day in Fes a really enjoyable one. Riads were also wonderful, especially Chez Pierre.

Hotel Reviews
Marrakesh

This Riad was nice, but it was very hard to find in the middle of the Medina. Also, the room was a little tough to maneuver, there were a couple steps down into the living room, them a couple more to the bathroom. A lot of curvy steps up to the bedroom. Very dark also, the lighting everywhere in the room was poor. Breakfast was wonderful, and all of the people who worked there were very nice and helpful and their English was good.

Authenticity & Character
Very traditionally decorated, and the lobby/ breakfast area was charming.
Location
Put a sign up outside with the name on it and light the entry. It’s spooky at night finding it.
Staff
Friendly, helpful, and good English
Cleanliness & Comfort
The lighting in the room needs to be improved.
Boumalne Dades

This was the best place I stayed during the whole trip. The room was small but very comfortable and nicely decorated. The rooms are separated from each other and nicely private. Very nice people working there, and the very best thing was the 5 course French dinner, which was absolutely amazing. Definitely eat there!

Authenticity & Character
So charming! Rooms and grounds are beautiful
Location
Nestled into a hill very close to the beautiful geographic sights of the area.
Staff
Very friendly people, very helpful and provided great customer service.
Cleanliness & Comfort
Everything!

This is a must see and do if you visit Morocco, it’s just amazing.

Authenticity & Character
The luxury tents are very comfortable and private. The firepit in the middle is so welcoming and charming.
Location
A camel ride to a luxury camp in the Sahara desert, it’s like a dream
Staff
Very accommodating and friendly. The entertainment was unforgettable
Cleanliness & Comfort
This is literally a luxury oasis in the desert

Nice place, quite charming. Said was the best part of this Riad, very helpful and always available.

Authenticity & Character
The rooms and lobby are nicely decorated, and the rooftop is a nice place for breakfast.
Location
Great location in the Medina, we felt safe here and it was easy to find and get to restaurants and shops
Staff
Again, Said was very helpful
Cleanliness & Comfort
Clean, but a little difficult with all the stairs. Lighting could be improved also.

Fine place, has the amenities like a restaurant/ bar, laundromat (except that’s unavailable on weekends which was a problem for us as we had planned to make use of that and were unable to). This is what Americans are used to I’m a Hilton garden inn. Not charming but clean and comfortable.

Authenticity & Character
This is not a hotel that is supposed to be charming it is what it is.
Location
This hotel is not near anything we wanted to see or do in Casablanca.
Staff
Cleanliness & Comfort
Very clean, no crazy stairs, good lighting
Local specialist: Yassine Echcherki
Yassine
Yassine Echcherki
Local specialist in Morocco | Reviewed on Mar 03, 2023

Leslie, Thank you so much for the review! I'm glad to hear you enjoyed your time in Morocco! Hamza is a great driver and I'm happy that he made the trip extra special. We are very thankful for our drivers and it makes me happy every time we hear great stories from our travelers. Mustafa is another gem and he loves his job as a tour guide. Chez Pierre is a gorgeous place and I'm so happy that you enjoyed it. I really enjoyed working with you and I'm glad that you and Sydney were able to make... read more

Leslie, Thank you so much for the review! I'm glad to hear you enjoyed your time in Morocco! Hamza is a great driver and I'm happy that he made the trip extra special. We are very thankful for our drivers and it makes me happy every time we hear great stories from our travelers. Mustafa is another gem and he loves his job as a tour guide. Chez Pierre is a gorgeous place and I'm so happy that you enjoyed it. I really enjoyed working with you and I'm glad that you and Sydney were able to make it despite the challenges you were going through. Thank you again for your trust in us and we looking forward to welcoming you again to Morocco!

Great guides and lots of sights!
Morocco | Feb 13 - Feb 20, 2023

Sydney
Sydney H.
Duette, FL | Reviewed on Feb 23, 2023

We had an amazing time. I had to arrive late due to unforeseen circumstances but has some was very accommodating to help me come up with a plan to join the tour late. Our driver, Hamza, became our friend throughout the trip and was there whenever we needed him. He also provided great recommendations for food and drink. He really made the trip what it was and represented Morocco so well. We’ve already discussed coming back and having him as our driver again! We also had a private guide,... read more

We had an amazing time. I had to arrive late due to unforeseen circumstances but has some was very accommodating to help me come up with a plan to join the tour late. Our driver, Hamza, became our friend throughout the trip and was there whenever we needed him. He also provided great recommendations for food and drink. He really made the trip what it was and represented Morocco so well. We’ve already discussed coming back and having him as our driver again! We also had a private guide, Mustafa, who took us through Fez. We saw so many things that we wouldn’t have seen on our own and learned so much about the town from him because he grew up there. Will recommend doing a Morocco trip this way to anyone. It was amazing and hope to return some day.

Activity Review
Exploring the Imperial City and Medieval Medina of Fez
Fes

This was a very very interesting and diverse city. There were some amazing architectural sights, great shopping, and cool history.

Quality of Experience
Food
We had an amazing bean soup recommended by our guide
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Mustafa was very knowledgeable about the area
Transport
Local specialist: Yassine Echcherki
Yassine
Yassine Echcherki
Local specialist in Morocco | Reviewed on Feb 28, 2023

Sydney, Thank you so much for the review! I'm glad that everything worked out just perfectly and that you were able to make it. I'm happy to hear that you enjoyed your time with Hamza and that he made your experience a unique one. Thank you so much for your trust to plan this journey and can't until we see you again next time :)

A road trip with friends
Morocco | Jan 25 - Feb 8, 2023

Kathryn
Kathryn S.
Gilbert, AZ | Reviewed on Feb 23, 2023

The trip Sharon organized for us was perfect. Each day was filled with adventure while being relaxing, the pace reminding you to enjoy the moment and the people around you. My sister-in-law and I laughed ourselves to tears multiple times a day and learned to take our rest with a cup of mint tea. Our tour manager, Rafqik, definitely made the trip an adventure and helped us feel at home wherever we went. Those who were our local guides along the way became fast friends, too.

So many... read more

The trip Sharon organized for us was perfect. Each day was filled with adventure while being relaxing, the pace reminding you to enjoy the moment and the people around you. My sister-in-law and I laughed ourselves to tears multiple times a day and learned to take our rest with a cup of mint tea. Our tour manager, Rafqik, definitely made the trip an adventure and helped us feel at home wherever we went. Those who were our local guides along the way became fast friends, too.

So many experiences stand out in my memory it's hard to select a favorite - the adventure of exploring the Medina of Fes with Siad; seeing the Roman ruins of Volubilis on a partially cloudy day with momentary rain (beautiful pictures); being cold in the Sahara desert as we watched the sunset and then later the sunrise; all the stairs in the riads; the movement and energy of Marrakesh; the beauty of the Atlas mountains (seeing a snowstorm in the Atlas mountains); Chefchaoeun; watching sunset on the beach in Essaouira; the calls to prayer throughout the day; and the cats. And so much more! Every picture we took seemed to turn out perfectly - Morocco is a photogenic country. Reflecting back, considering how relaxed our pace was (compared to our normal lives), Angela and I are amazed at how much we saw and experienced. We both feel like the trip was perfectly designed for us and we look forward to returning to Morocco in the future.

Overall, we didn't feel like tourists exploring a country, we felt like we were on a road trip with a friend to visit other friends across Morocco. I remember as we near Marrakesh and saw more foreign tourists, we felt out of place (it felt too touristy lol). Being Angela and my first international adventure together, I'm so grateful that we came across Morocco Immersion (via KimKim). Had we tried to plan the trip ourselves, it would pale in comparison to what we did get to experience.

Considering the fun we had on the private tour, I'm sure the small group tours will be just as much fun, perhaps even more.

Local specialist: Sharon Louthian
Sharon
Sharon Louthian
Local specialist in US and Morocco | Reviewed on Feb 23, 2023

Hi Katie!

Thanks so much for the amazing review! We are thrilled that you and Angela had a great adventure in Morocco and we look forward to welcoming you back any time. You both are part of the Morocco Immersion family now! I just hope that the next time you visit I'll be able to meet you in person!

Take care and keep in touch!
Sharon, Rafik, and the rest of the Morocco Immersion family

Colombia - Must Visit, Margoth Made Trip Experience Memorable
Colombia | Dec 27 - Jan 11, 2023

M
Marcus G.
Truckee, CA | Reviewed on Feb 23, 2023

I can't express our appreciation for all of the hard-work, dedication and effort that Margoth put in to planning our 16 day trip to Colombia. We had finalized our trip pre-COVID and then of course everything changed. Margoth remained in contact with us over the next 2+ years and worked so hard to get our trip rebooked and have our respective credits applied to our new trip. We visited Guatape, Medillin, Bogota and Cartagena and all of our hotels / experiences were handled seamlessly. Any... read more

I can't express our appreciation for all of the hard-work, dedication and effort that Margoth put in to planning our 16 day trip to Colombia. We had finalized our trip pre-COVID and then of course everything changed. Margoth remained in contact with us over the next 2+ years and worked so hard to get our trip rebooked and have our respective credits applied to our new trip. We visited Guatape, Medillin, Bogota and Cartagena and all of our hotels / experiences were handled seamlessly. Any time we needed to make a change (even if last minute) Margoth and her team did their best to accommodate -- going above and beyond. If you are considering visiting this wonderful country, it is a must to connect with Margoth and the KimKim team as you will have an experience that you will remember.

Local specialist: Margoth Rico
Margoth
Margoth Rico
Local specialist in Bogota | Reviewed on Feb 23, 2023

Dear Marcus,

THANK YOU SO MUCH! MUCHAS GRACIAS!
It has been a pleasure meeting you and thank you once again for trusting us for the last couple of years, and for always being so positive about your trip! Thank you as well for visiting my home country and for recommending us to your friends.

Thank you as well for taking the time to leave a review, and I really appreciate your comments.

I hope you come back to Colombia one day, and hope you stay in touch.
Sending you my very Best Wishes to you and your family!

Best,
Margoth

Wonderful - Ease of Travel
Costa Rica | Feb 13 - Feb 21, 2023

T
Tiffany S.
Tulsa, OK | Reviewed on Feb 23, 2023

We used KimKim to book our transport and tours - we took care of the lodging on our own. Brittany and Jessica were both wonderful - and their care really took the concern out the logistics - everything went smoothly and according to plan. Thanks ladies!

Fortuna/Arenal Area
Volcano Hike & The Springs Hot Springs & Meal
Jacamar Naturalist Tours
Giavone Villalobos was our guide for the volcano hike - it was just a low key walk but very, very informative - it wasn't only about the volcano... read more

We used KimKim to book our transport and tours - we took care of the lodging on our own. Brittany and Jessica were both wonderful - and their care really took the concern out the logistics - everything went smoothly and according to plan. Thanks ladies!

Fortuna/Arenal Area
Volcano Hike & The Springs Hot Springs & Meal
Jacamar Naturalist Tours
Giavone Villalobos was our guide for the volcano hike - it was just a low key walk but very, very informative - it wasn't only about the volcano but it was a holistic talk giving the background of how Costa Rica came to be, the social/economic/cultural influences - why the volcano eruption was so important to really kicking of the development of the country as a whole, beautiful hike and great informative background - great way to set the ground work for a trip around the country.

The Springs were nice - but we had to set our own pickup time after being dropped off by Jacamar - we didn't really know, we were picked up at 9:30pm - after arriving around 5pm. If I had a recommendation - it would be to start the hike earlier in the day, spend a couple of more hours at the Springs. Husband and daughter enjoyed the water slide a whole lot - I enjoyed just soaking in the water. But felt rushed to soak, have dinner (dining closes at 9pm) and get picked up. We were unsure how long we could have stayed - still not sure what time the pools close or if we could have stayed until midnight.

Private: Canyoning in the Lost Canyon
Desafio Adventure Company
Rafi and Josea were our guides - it was just the