Kimkim Trip Reviews for Mexico

Extremely professional coordination and guides. We had a wonderful time. We felt safe and impressed by the degree of timeliness and punctuality of all the folks who tended to our needs. read more

Extremely professional coordination and guides. We had a wonderful time. We felt safe and impressed by the degree of timeliness and punctuality of all the folks who tended to our needs.

Hotel Review

Casa Pepe Puebla

Puebla

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Narvarte At Night: Tacos, Chelas & Mezcal

Mexico City

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Gastronomic Workshop in Coyoacán

Mexico City

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Walking Tour in Teotihuacan "The City of the Gods"

Mexico City

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Hiking in Popo-Izta National Park

Mexico

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

History, Culture & Gastronomy on the Streets of Oaxaca

Oaxaca

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Visit Mitla, the Tule Tree, Hierve el Agua, a Mezcal Distillery & Teotitlán del Valle

Oaxaca

We couldn't go to this tour due to illness.

This was a great trip filled with very positive and unforgettable experiences. Everything worked out as planned. The itinerary we had was excellent and the gastronomic, geographic, archaeological, and artisanal tours were excellent. The hotels were great with a couple of exceptions. They were all centrally located and we could easily move about on our own and explore the places not included in the formal itinerary. All the guides were knowledgeable and spoke english as promised. The drivers... read more

This was a great trip filled with very positive and unforgettable experiences. Everything worked out as planned. The itinerary we had was excellent and the gastronomic, geographic, archaeological, and artisanal tours were excellent. The hotels were great with a couple of exceptions. They were all centrally located and we could easily move about on our own and explore the places not included in the formal itinerary. All the guides were knowledgeable and spoke english as promised. The drivers that took us on our city tours and long distances from city to city were friendly and drove with great care. All the guides and drivers were very punctual and we could complete all the activities in the time that was planned.

Ximena out travel coordinator was outstanding! She checked in with us every day to ask how the day went and also to inform us about the next day's plan. The couple of times we had an issue with hotels, she was very quick to get them resolved.

Hotel Reviews

Histórico Central Mexico City

Mexico City

Very centrally located with extremely friendly and helpful staff. The breakfast that was included had a lot of choices, and the free food all day long was amazing.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Casona de los Sapos Hotel Boutique

Puebla

Very centrally located. The staff were very accommodating even though it was Christmas eve.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Boutique Casa Garay

Oaxaca

The hotel is very centrally located and that was the only positive aspect about it. The room was windowless and had very poor ventilation. Unfortunately, to improve ventilation we could not leave the door ajar since it opened directly into the dining area. The room was not serviced well and one morning the water ran out in the bathroom and it took a lot of time to restore. The air conditioning unit was very noisy, but we had no choice to use it since the room had no air circulation. The hotel was understaffed and the couple of employee there were doing multiple tasks and as a result everything took time. We had breakfast at the hotel the first morning, but it was such a bad experience that we decided to eat elsewhere the next day. We were also very frustrated with the wifi which was very very slow and at times we could not even connect to it.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Please refer to my detailed review.

Hotel Parador Margarita

San Cristobal de las Casas

Nice hotel. very centrally located. Large rooms. The only issue was that the rooms did not have any heating, but fortunately we could get spot heaters from the hotel. The breakfast was wonderful and the staff were very friendly and helpful.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

The heating could be improved.

Piedra de Agua Hotel Boutique Palenque

Palenque

It is a nice hotel, but it is far from the town center. Also, there are no shops anywhere within walking distance. Continental breakfast was served at the hotel, but besides that the hotel did not have a restaurant and since we did not have a car, the only option was a restaurant that was 75 meters away. We had to eat all our meals at that single restaurant, The room was a bit small and it was strange that the light for the bathroom also switched on a light that was in the bedroom. That did not work out well at night when my wife or I had to use the toilet.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Please see my detailed review.

Hotel Plaza Campeche

Campeche

Nice hotel, very centrally located.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Nice large room and everything worked.

Hacienda Mérida

Mérida

This is nice hotel, but we had a bad experience. We were assigned a room with clearly had an issue with the plumbing. The water pressure was extremely low and therefore we informed the front desk who sent someone to attend to it. After sometime they reported they had fixed the problem, but the situation was still the same. It is hard to accept that the hotel was not aware that this room had a plumbing issue, but still decided to assign the room to a guest.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

I have mentioned about the issue with the plumbing in my review.

Activity Reviews

History, Culture & Gastronomy in Mexico City

Mexico City

This is a good introduction to Mexico City's historic center and street food. The tour is a bit early in the day to truly enjoy the street food especially after a hearty breakfast.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Knowledgeable, friendly and could speak English.

Transport

This was a walking tour and so there was no transport.

Floating Gardens & Canals of Xochimilco

Mexico City

This is a very unique tour. We enjoyed the serene and quite environment and the demonstration of how farming is carried out on the small islands on the canals.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Explore Coyoacán

Mexico City

Very nice neighborhood of Mexico City with its colonial ear houses, markets, and food courts. The zocalo and church are very picturesque.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Explore the Pyramids of Teotihuacan

Mexico

Must visit archeological site.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Free Afternoon in Puebla

Mexico

Very charming city with a nice zocalo and cathedral.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Tastes of Oaxaca Gastronomy Tour

Oaxaca

This is a fun tour, but to do justice you have to start on an empty stomach since there are many stops for food.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Archeology and handicrafts in Monte Alban, Arrazola, Cuilapam and Coyotepec

Oaxaca

All wonderful sites and places on this very enjoyable tour.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Excursion to the Sumidero Canyon & Chiapa de Corzo

Mexico

The Sumidero Canyon is amazing!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Cultural Immersion in Zinacantan

San Cristobal de las Casas

This was a very very unique tour. The visit to Chamula and especially to the church there was a truly one-of-a-kind experience. The visit to Zinacantan was also special, with an exposure to the milpa form of farming and being invited to the house of a local artisan to see how they create their wears and to share a meal with them.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

The beautiful waterfalls of Misol-ha & Agua Azul - Night in Palenque.

Mexico

Agua Azul is beautiful, but Misol-ha is special.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Discover the Palenque Archeological Site

Palenque

A must visit archeological site of the Mayas.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Explore the Archaeological Site of Uxmal

Mexico

A must see archaeological site of the Mayas. It is laid out much better than Palanque, the first Mayan archaeological site we visited.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Jícara Engraving Workshop & lunch in a Mayan Community

Mexico

A very unique experience. We loved the hands-on workshop on how to polish and engrave a jicara shell.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Visit Chichén Itzá, Wonder of the Maya World

Mexico

Unfortunately, we could not visit Chichen Itza since the site was closed due to local protests. However we did visit Izamal which was nice.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

From beginning to end, a big shout out to Natalia and Ximena! Natalia tailor-planned our trip to our interests and it was a pleasure working with her enthusiastic personality. Our family was looking for an authentic experience for our trip of Colonial Mexico. From the diverse activities to the beautiful accommodations, they exceeded our expectations. We will never forget hiking the volcano Popocatepetl, visiting archaeological sites, and seeing the vibrant colors of the colonial towns. ... read more

From beginning to end, a big shout out to Natalia and Ximena! Natalia tailor-planned our trip to our interests and it was a pleasure working with her enthusiastic personality. Our family was looking for an authentic experience for our trip of Colonial Mexico. From the diverse activities to the beautiful accommodations, they exceeded our expectations. We will never forget hiking the volcano Popocatepetl, visiting archaeological sites, and seeing the vibrant colors of the colonial towns. Ximena was available at all times during our trip, and she was responsive to every question we had and did so in a very professional, kind, and timely manner. Our guides Emiliano, Jorge, Lupita, Rafael, and Maria were passionate and very knowledgable about their culture. Our drivers were also very professional. Thank you Kim Kim Mexico team!

Hotel Reviews

Casa Jacinta Guest House

Del Carmen, Coyoacán, Ciudad de México

This hotel was very personable and authentic. It was perfectly located walking distance from the center of Coyoacan. We very much enjoyed the breakfasts as well--freshly made in the kitchen and traditional Mexican food! The staff was extremely helpful and accommodating.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Posada del Tepozteco

Tepoztlán

We very much enjoyed this hotel for a couple of restful days! The grounds and views are beautiful, and everyone in our family was able to find activities that suited them: reading by the pool, massages, or walking into town. Located near the town center, it was easy to walk into town to explore the local market or climb el Tepozteco. The staff were also very friendly and accommodating--and the breakfasts were divine!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

History, Culture & Gastronomy in Mexico City

Mexico City

Emiliano was a wonderful guide! This was our first day in Mexico City and he gave us a great introduction to the city and the food. He tailored his tour to our interests (more history over gastronomy) and brought us to some hidden gems such as Plaza Loreto and the Cultural Center. The food was also AMAZING with lots of variety. It was so nice to have a guide to show us the safest foods to eat as we were a little worried about getting sick on our trip.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Enjoy the great archaeological site of Teotihuacan, and the most emblematic religious site in Mexico: The Basilica of Guadalupe.

Mexico City

As an anthropology professor, our guide Jorge was incredibly knowledgable and passionate about the Teotihuacan and the Basilica. We felt that we were able to really understand the importance of Teotihuacan in the Aztec culture as well as the significance of the Virgen de Guadalupe among Mexican catholics. We also felt that we had plenty of time to wander through Teotihuacan as well as the Basilica by ourselves and did not feel rushed at any point.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Discover the Magical town of Cholula

Mexico

Our guide Lupita was incredible! She is so passionate about her city of Cholula and took all of her time explaining the history behind the city as well as its beautiful churches. Although the tour says 5 hours, she spent more like 8 hours with us. There is so much to see and learn about!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Hiking in Popo-Izta National Park

Mexico

We so much enjoyed hiking with Rafael! He is very knowledgable about the geology and landscape of the park as well as the volcano and its activity. He is also wilderness-medicine trained so it was very interesting to learn about his work in the park. It was a wonderful way to see Popocatepetl and and the vast nature in this area. We also appreciated that Rafael took all of his time on the hike and paced us well, asking us if we were doing well with the altitude change.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Our Christmas Mexico trip was perfectly planned - everything ran smoothly, our guides were extremely knowledgable , flexible and friendly, and the suggested tours and experiences were fun and all worth our time and money! The best guides were our 'Mexico a pied' guide Emilio in Mexico City who showed us the culture and history and food culture in a tour around the historical district, Alex from etnotouristica for our Oaxaca tour of Monte Alban and the crafts people, and the guides from... read more

Our Christmas Mexico trip was perfectly planned - everything ran smoothly, our guides were extremely knowledgable , flexible and friendly, and the suggested tours and experiences were fun and all worth our time and money! The best guides were our 'Mexico a pied' guide Emilio in Mexico City who showed us the culture and history and food culture in a tour around the historical district, Alex from etnotouristica for our Oaxaca tour of Monte Alban and the crafts people, and the guides from Huatulco Salvaje who guided us through the National Park's ecosystems and to the magic waterfalls. We are grateful to them for sharing so much of their beautiful country with us!

Hotel Reviews

Zócalo Central

Mexico City

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Boutique Casa Garay

Oaxaca

Images on web are not what the hotel looks like. Rooms are a dark, all face in towards an atrium / common spaces + staircase so you hear when everyone comes home at night. Roof terrace and balcony are not in use. Breakfast is not served until 8:30, which is a problem if you are leaving for tours in the morning. It is generally clean but looks very 'lived-in' and is in need of some upgrading. Def. not a "5 star boutique hotel" and not what could be expected at the price. During our stay there were plumbing problems (black water, water turned off at night on one of our rooms), which eventually got fixed but no extra water, refunds, move to other rooms were offered. Would def. not recommend

Authenticity & Character

Location

right in the middle of center, close walk to cathedral and other attractions

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Las Brisas Huatulco

Santa Maria Huatulco

Great place for beach fun! 3 beaches (1 with water sports) and 5(?) separate 'pueblos' break up the large complex. Recommend to stay in "Mar" section - it has a separate lounge ("Beach Club") for Continental breakfast and happy hour from 5-7. Great service, friendly and helpful. Food is soso (especially the lunch buffet), but La Crocecita with fun (La Crema Bar + Pizzeria) and other good food options and the amazing 'Ocean' restaurant in the Cosmo condo complex next door are only a short taxi ride away. "El MExicano" is the nicest restaurant on site, located on one of the beaches. Be prepared for a lot of walking in the complex - it has beautiful walks along the beaches to get from one end to the other (or hilly walks and steps, depending on where you live), but shuttles can also take you around. Great entertainment with DJ's, bands, cultural groups, evening shows., and kids' crafts. On site store with everything you could need for the beach and your OTC medicine cabinet. Tour into the National Park and surrounding beaches with Huatulco Salvaje!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

History, Culture & Gastronomy in Mexico City

Mexico City

Emilio from 'Mexico a pieds' was amazing. He knew everything....

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Archeology and handicrafts in Monte Alban, Arrazola, Cuilapam and Coyotepec

Oaxaca

Alex from etnotouristica was an amazing guide!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Gastronomic Indigenous Roots

Oaxaca

THE BEST MEXICAN FOOD on our entire trip was in Oaxaca!

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Explore Wild Huatulco

Mexico

Fascinating tour through the National Park. Our guide knew all fauna and flora and their medical uses. Great snorkeling, too!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Magical Waterfalls Adventure

Mexico

The waterfalls were fun - our guide Raoul was always the first one int he water, unter the falls, climbing through the crevices!

Quality of Experience

Food

Expect local dishes.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Explore the Pyramids of Teotihuacan

Mexico

Interesting. We had an average guide.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

The kimkim team (Leslie and Ximena) were very helpful in:
1) Planning my trip, giving me options, suggestions, etc. The trip was well planned (for the exceptions see below).
2) Helping me with any and all issues during my trip. Ximena was very responsive to all my messages and very nice.
3) My tours of Puebla and Oaxaca were very good.

Suggestions for the future:

1) Please book hotels that have a return policy, even if it costs a bit more. Something always comes up, hotel fees need to be... read more

The kimkim team (Leslie and Ximena) were very helpful in:
1) Planning my trip, giving me options, suggestions, etc. The trip was well planned (for the exceptions see below).
2) Helping me with any and all issues during my trip. Ximena was very responsive to all my messages and very nice.
3) My tours of Puebla and Oaxaca were very good.

Suggestions for the future:

1) Please book hotels that have a return policy, even if it costs a bit more. Something always comes up, hotel fees need to be returnable up to 24 hrs before the stay, this is international practice.

2) If a tourist needs to spend a night near the airport, the hotel needs to be near the airport and not in the Historical Center. I feel silly even writing this. I mean, hello? All the traffic and 250 pesos to get to the airport in the morning, for what?

3) That my original flight was cancelled due to the cold weather is nobody's fault. But in the end I was in the MC for the two full extra days. And the team that was SO helpful in planning everything before I bought the tour kind of left me hanging. I went on internet and booked my own tours, one tasting tour in Polanco and one private guide tour through the Historical Center. The hotel staff recommended museums and how to get there. It probably cost me more, I am sure you have your contacts and your discounts. I could not even get into Palacio Nacional because there were no tickets. I was expecting, for this price, that the team would come through and help me plan those two unexpected days with the same care they helped plan the original tour BEFORE I paid. But I guess when you don't have anything else to sell, it's not that important. It left a bit of a bitter taste in my mouth.

4) Xochimilco is a tourist trap. That was a unanimous opinion of all 18 people in our group. There are no flowers - they say they don't buy them anymore due to the inflation. There were a million of garishly painted cheap wooden boats in dirty water. No flowing at all because there were centimeters between these boats and they kept hitting each other. No views except the aforementioned garish boats and huge crowds. Mariachi that wanted $10 (that's $220 pesos) for ONE song. Noisy sellers of junk and drinks coming over all the time. Nothing to see, really. Maybe it was nice 30years ago but now during the holiday season? Plain awful.

That whole tour was not very successful. The guide gave a saliva-spitting raging rant about the conquista (get over it, it's been 500 years; a guy from Chicago next to me commented, "what sore losers") and kept bragging about his sexual conquests while in college. Coyocan was nice but we spent less than an hour there. Xochimilco, as I said, was awful, long waits, huge crowds... I could have spent my day better.
A good tour would be to visit Coyocan, visit the Frida Kalo museum, visit the Trotsky museum, etc.

Final note: they came at 9:07 am, not sure why I was told to be ready at 8:30 am sharp. I have no problem waiting but I need to be told that there is a time range. I worried they forgot about me.

5) The tasting tour in Oaxaca is a LOT of food. Please tell your guests not to eat anything before. I was told to have a light breakfast and in the end completely missed the last two tastings because I physically could not fit anything else in me. It's a feedback for them, not for kimkim, but it needs to be related to them. Each stop is a lot of food. They need to plan it better. They are very nice people and I really enjoyed working with them, don't get me wrong. But one can only eat so many big pieces of dough stuffed with meat/veggies.
For example, the tasting tour in Polanco in MC had seven stops but was PERFECT in terms of the quantity of food: a small cup of tortilla soup here, a (very) small tortilla with some topping there, etc. In Oaxaca they want to feed you all the good stuff that there is to eat in Oaxaca, in regular portions. It's like eating six lunches in a row. I was almost sick after it.

Again, thank you for all your help. Please take my suggestions with a good heart - I am simply trying to make it better for the next tourist. Mexico is a beautiful country with a lot to see. I will be back.

Wow, what great service!!!! This was the first time I've worked with a travel agency and they made our last minute mother daughter trip an absolute breeze! It was so nice having someone on-call to answer any questions I might have while traveling out of the country. We truly had a seamless experience and I'm SOOO HAPPY I used them. Highly recommend! read more

Wow, what great service!!!! This was the first time I've worked with a travel agency and they made our last minute mother daughter trip an absolute breeze! It was so nice having someone on-call to answer any questions I might have while traveling out of the country. We truly had a seamless experience and I'm SOOO HAPPY I used them. Highly recommend!

Activity Review

Río Secreto: The Mayan Underworld

Mexico

The highlight of our trip!!! It was so cool being underground and swimming! The caves were absolutely beautiful and I felt completely safe the entire time.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

My local specialist was not Natalia, it was Ximena. Natalia booked the initial trip and then it changed for some reason that I was not made aware of.
There are several areas of improvement in communication and research that could have/should have been done prior and during to make the trip better. I had to make decisions on my own a few times due to the specialist not understanding timing/our needs etc. and the roads in the Yucatan. They clearly have not traveled there, or not driven... read more

My local specialist was not Natalia, it was Ximena. Natalia booked the initial trip and then it changed for some reason that I was not made aware of.
There are several areas of improvement in communication and research that could have/should have been done prior and during to make the trip better. I had to make decisions on my own a few times due to the specialist not understanding timing/our needs etc. and the roads in the Yucatan. They clearly have not traveled there, or not driven themselves or to make arrangements with more time allowed because of construction/closures/ road issues etc.
Just having some more life experience would be helpful for your specialists, and also knowing the area well is even better. Taking in mind lack of cell service in areas we were going to, and the cultural differences taken into consideration. Thankfully, I can figure my way around without a cell phone and have traveled to many different countries in the past. It was a little exhausting having to explain to communicate better to the specialist and why things weren't doable. We ended up doing about 70% of the planned trip and was able to find my own way around but it ended up costing us more money. One of the more expensive hotels (Hotel Okaan) we booked on my birthday (Dec 24th- xmas day 25th) had no working toilet inside the rooms and they didnt seem to care or want to refund any money. I will be returning to Nuevo Durango on my own and that was worth it. The pueblo was great, The experience was great. The specialist....was OK.

Our trip to Mexico was amazing!

Rutopia basically set us up with a personalized guide in both Mexico City and Oaxaca for our family of four. We felt totally taken care of -- private car, private transfers, and private tour guides showing us around everywhere -- flexible to our needs. It was totally a luxury, and not how we usually travel. I think we could have done this trip for about 30% cheaper if we did it on our own. But, we were traveling with two small kids, without knowing... read more

Our trip to Mexico was amazing!

Rutopia basically set us up with a personalized guide in both Mexico City and Oaxaca for our family of four. We felt totally taken care of -- private car, private transfers, and private tour guides showing us around everywhere -- flexible to our needs. It was totally a luxury, and not how we usually travel. I think we could have done this trip for about 30% cheaper if we did it on our own. But, we were traveling with two small kids, without knowing much Spanish, so I was glad we paid extra for the luxury. It was worth it. We would have never found all these tours and private guides without the help if Rutopia (via KimKim).

Also, Rutopia found us two gem hotels to stay at -- little boutique hotels in quiet neighborhoods with easy access to everything -- Casa Decu in CDMX and Hotel Tabaa in Oaxaca. We LOVED where we stayed.

Highlights:
* Food Tour of CDMX with Adrian from Eat Mexico. Learned about all the foods of Mexico and their history. Fruits, pastries, cheeses, mole, and tacos.
* Seeing the CDMX Anthropology Museum with our guide Jose.
* Dinner at Rosetta in CDMX. One of the best restaurants we've ever eaten! (We did this on our own)
* Seeing the Pyramids of Teotichuacan with our guide Jose. Good explanation of the site and plenty of time to explore on our own. I just wish we could still climb the pyramids.
* Private transfer from CDMX to Oaxaca stopping in Puebla and Zapotitlan Salinas. The cactus reserve near Zapotitlan Salinas was particularly awesome to visit. Way off the beaten path -- but spectacular to be among the cactus like that.
* Street Food Tour of Oaxaca with Pepe from Ethnoturstica. We ate ALL the things and learned so much about the history of Oaxaca, Mexico, and all the different types of food -- from memelas, to agua fresca, to mezcal.
* Guided tour of Monte Alban with Alejandro. Learning all about this ancient Zapotec site that I'd never heard of before the tour.
* Visiting the alebrije workshop and the black pottery workshop near Oaxaca.
* Private cooking class in the Oaxacan country side -- starting with a visit to the market to buy everything, cooking everything from scratch, and eventually eating it all.

Things I would do different:
* Xochimilco in CDMX was meh. It was a Mexican party boat. It wasn't what we were looking for with two small kids. Most people can safely miss.
* Don't book a tour everyday. If I had to do it again, I would have one "dead" day in CDMX where we can do things on our own, e.g. visit the Centro Historico and another "dead" day in Oaxaca where we can just wander the city.
* Tell your guides early on that you want to have lunch and to work it into the plan. The working assumption was usually "no lunch". Which didn't work for the kiddos.
* Don't book fancy dinner reservations on the days that you are doing food tours. After the food tour I basically didn't want to eat for another 18-24 hours I was so stuffed.
* Note that Guides are important for context at various sites -- but you don't need them all all the places. For example -- Centro Historico, Coyoacan, the more "tourist markets", and many other places in CDMX are easily visitable on your own. I would strongly recommend getting the private guide for Teotihuacan, the Anthropology Museum, Monte Alban, food tours, and the cooking class.

All in all though, an amazing experience -- we really felt like we got to see large swaths of Mexico, learn a lot about the culture and food, and be taken good care of the whole time.

Hotel Reviews

Casa Decu

Mexico City

Fantastic boutique hotel right in the heart of Condesa. It's on a quiet street just steps from the greenbelt that circles the neighborhood (Amsterdam Ave). The room we were in (a suite) was well appointed for our needs. We had one room with a queen bed and a crib. Our older daughter slept on the couch in the living room that could be converted into a comfy twin size bed. There was a kitchen as well with a fridge, microwave, and sink -- perfect to store water, milk, make bottles, etc. One of the best parts of Casa Decu is the rooftop. We had breakfast on that roof every morning . There is a nice spread of juice, coffee, bread, cereal, yogurt -- with the option to purchase hot food if you wanted. It was really relaxing to go up there every morning overlooking Condesa and have a lazy breakfast and chat with the other tourists at the hotel. The staff was really helpful as well -- pointing our restaurants, letting us store our baby stroller and car seat on the ground floor, and keeping the room sparkling clean.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Tabáa Oaxaca

Oaxaca

We loved our stay at Hotel Tabaa. It's located just three blocks away from the Historic Center of Oaxaca in the neighborhood of Jalatlaco -- just a short walk from all the action, but on a quiet corner away from it. The inside of the hotel is a beautiful courtyard that feels like a little oasis in the middle of Mexico. We loved spending time in the courtyard having breakfast, tea, and hanging out on the hammock with the kiddos. Our initial room was a single room with a double bed -- that wasn't big enough for our family of four (which includes a baby). But after talking to the owner, he was able to switch us for the last three days to their master suite that had two separate rooms -- a master and a "family room". That was a perfect fit for us on the ground floor. I wish it had a kitchen, but we made do. The little breakfast kitchen in the courtyard was just ten steps out our front door, so we ended up using that to store our milk and make bottles for the baby. It really just felt like our courtyard. The staff was *super* nice and helpful as well. They went out of their way to make us feel welcome and helped us order food when we arrived there late at night on the first day, store our baby stuff under the stairs, help us switch rooms, and just talk and get to know us (and us them). It felt like staying at a family house rather than a boutique hotel (in the best way). Super authentic.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Hands in the Dough: Rural Cooking Workshop in Oaxaca

Oaxaca

This was one of the highlights of our trip. It was such an authentic experience. Pepe, our guide, took us to meet Dalia, our cook, at the market in Tlacolula. There we picked out all our vegetables and meats and took them back to Dalia's house in the village of Santa Ana del Valle. There she has a big kitchen where we got to work. Dalia only speaks Spanish, but Pepe was there to translate for us. We made: * a mole from scratch with dried chiles, corn, and other herbs. We ground it down on an old school moler stone. This was much of the fun. * A pumpkin flower soup with zucchini in there. So good. * mashed down corn to make empanadas and the mole base * sweet empanadas from our corn mash and corn husks We ate: * our mole over chicken * said soup * chile relleno * agua fresca * said sweet empanadas We would do this again in a heartbeat. My 8 year old loved it and participated in everything. The baby was happy there crawling around on the floor and interacting with all the other people.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Tour the Canals & Floating Gardens of Xochimilco

Mexico City

This was meh. It's a Mexican party boat. Wasn't the right fit for us as a family of four with a baby. We just sat on the boat for 2 hours and in traffic for another 3 hours to get there and back. Would not do it again. It felt very "manufactured", e.g. a tourist trap like experience where it's just a bunch of other tourists on boats and people trying to sell stuff to us.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Our team was great in setting up a quick getaway to Mexico City packed with fun, cultural adventures. Would absolutely recommend for anyone wanting to get a good taste of the city. read more

Our team was great in setting up a quick getaway to Mexico City packed with fun, cultural adventures. Would absolutely recommend for anyone wanting to get a good taste of the city.

Activity Review

History, Culture & Gastronomy in Mexico City

Mexico City

Lots of great insight! Fun and good food. Loved the tacos. Would, if anything, mix in some other non-tacos (churros perhaps?). Very fun and informative, though!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

The hotels were all great. The guides were friendly and knowledgeable. The local support team was there for me when difficulties arose. read more

The hotels were all great. The guides were friendly and knowledgeable. The local support team was there for me when difficulties arose.

Our Mayan trip was wonderful. Our guide, Joyce Guia was so knowledgeable and accommodated our need to move a little slower and take breaks. He could also answer our questions about the current culture, flora and fauna. Seeing Palenque and The famous Bonampak murals were a highlight as well as the Olmec sculptures in Villahermosa. read more

Our Mayan trip was wonderful. Our guide, Joyce Guia was so knowledgeable and accommodated our need to move a little slower and take breaks. He could also answer our questions about the current culture, flora and fauna. Seeing Palenque and The famous Bonampak murals were a highlight as well as the Olmec sculptures in Villahermosa.

Hotel Review

Hotel La Aldea del Halach Huinic

Palenque

The plants were beautiful on the grounds, the restaurant had good food, the pool was lovely and we tried a massage at the spa.

Authenticity & Character

The local food

Location

The tropical plants

Staff

Very friendly

Cleanliness & Comfort

The rooms were clean and pretty

Activity Reviews

Visit to Carlos Pellicer Cámara

Villahermosa

Amazing artifacts that should not be missed if you are interested in archeology.

Quality of Experience

Accommodated our needs

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Joyce Guia was fabulous

Transport

Ancient Mayan Cities of Yaxchilan & Bonampak

Mexico

While it is an effort to get to these sites, it is worth it. The murals at Bonampak are amazing and should not be missed.

This special trip otherwise known as My Dias de los Muertos Birthday Celebration was beyond amazing & was magnificent!! Leslie was kind, helpful, patience & extremely creative with her planning & designing our 10 day adventure! We also were so very impressed with the constant communication from our "Guardian Angel" Ximena Villavicencio. She gave us the comfort of always being there with confirmation info, questions or problems we had. It was like having insurance our entire journey as... read more

This special trip otherwise known as My Dias de los Muertos Birthday Celebration was beyond amazing & was magnificent!! Leslie was kind, helpful, patience & extremely creative with her planning & designing our 10 day adventure! We also were so very impressed with the constant communication from our "Guardian Angel" Ximena Villavicencio. She gave us the comfort of always being there with confirmation info, questions or problems we had. It was like having insurance our entire journey as she was an excellent communicator & problem solver. This is what makes Kim Kim so special and personalized, Leslie's planning & Organizing and Ximena's follow through & communication. As for the entire trip itself, it was a a dream come true. Starting with The Hotel Morales in Guadalajara was perfect in terms of location, onsite restaurant and amenties was perfect. Our driver Ceaser was a sweet heart, kind, gentle & always on time or even a tad early. We knew we could depend on him. Our tour guide Josue was wonderful, helpful & very knowledgeable. Our trip to Oaxaca was a dream come true and our hotel at Hotel La Parra was amazing. The pool & bar side service were wonderful. Our trip to Mezcal country was a special experience. We also were blown away with the rooftop access and terrace at our second hotel in Oaxaca. Our last night was in the cute Mexico City neighborhood of Coyoacan and we loved our quaint b&b at Casa Jacinta, but the showstopper & grand finale Gastronmic workshop & coffee tasting was beyond any experience we could have imagined. It was the best way to end a dream vacation and left us full with happiness!

Activity Reviews

Tequila Distilleries Tour

Guadalajara

Loved our guide & driver and the town of Tequila. I do think there was a little miscalculation of time and we didn't get to go to Jose Cuervo as we had been told. But what I appreciated about the guide was he wanted to make us happy and found a way to get us a tour at Sauza. That really was impressive to see how much they wanted us to have a good experience. The lunch was a little long in time but was a great choice for food & atmosphere. We really enjoyed the day.

Quality of Experience

timing of sightseeing

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Kind & Helpful

Transport

On time and enjoyed their company. It was great as we got familiar w/ them having them on other tours

Tlaquepaque: "The Magic of Cacao"

Mexico

A mouth watering sensory journey for your pleasure! This was an amazing tasting & educational experience. I learned so much and felt this was a special session that I would highly recommend to anyone.

Quality of Experience

The food, samples, drinks, atmosphere were top notch

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Educational & helpful

Transport

On time and helped with carrying my purchases!

The artisan route of Tlaquepaque

Mexico

This was a magical & visual experience I will never forget. Seeing all the town decorated for Dias de Los Muertos and the vendors and Catrinas was eye candy and made me so happy. I felt like this was my DisneyWorld experience. Loved seeing the town, alters, vendors and more. A special town with a special celebration.

Quality of Experience

Getting my face painted, watching the Brides Parade

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Helpful and knowledgeable

Transport

knew the short cuts to avoid traffic

Visit the great Zapotec city of Monte Albán

Oaxaca

A great place to visit to get the history of the area. It was a hot day and very busy so we cut the trip a little bit shorter. We appreciated the guide letting us cut the trip shorter as the information was alot to absorb.

Quality of Experience

Give options of 2 or more hours

Guides, Drivers and Staff

not sure

Transport

Historical Tour of Oaxaca City

Oaxaca

I did not personally do this tour as I wanted to see the Dias De los Muertos parade (we were not told about this by Leslie) but by our hotel and this was a priority. My roomate enjoyed the thour and thought it was great. She left it an hour early to go with me to the BIG parade!

Quality of Experience

seeing the town

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Mezcal Tour

Oaxaca

A wonderful day with lots of stops to see many things that make Mezcal country special. Loved the variety of places we visited and the two different type Mezcal Distilleries. They really were informative and the Mezcal was yummy. Our private dinner at a families house was very special and the food was very good.

Quality of Experience

The whole day

Food

Homemade food was wonderful

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Anna was a beautiful lady with a kind heart & very knowledgeable. She just needed to speak a bit louder

Transport

Wasn't so comfortable in the van. The driver never attemtped to talk to us. He wasn't mean just no connection w/ us

Biking tour and street art

Oaxaca

My Birthday Day was kicked off with this amazing Bike Street Art Tour and it did not disappoint! The guide Shai was amazing, kind and spirtual. She made the trip 5 star. Her kindness & help was beyond. Somehow we had no confirmation number and they initially were not going to let us on the trip. I was so upset, but she was kind, patient and spoke to Kim Kim so they could provide an email confirmation. Luckily it worked out. The tour itself was perfect. Plenty of stops to see art, hear explanation and a few stops to galleries as well. A perfect size group too and the best way to cover a lot of ground in the busy city roads of Oaxaca.

Quality of Experience

All

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Shai was the best tour guide ever

Transport

Bikes were comfy and great to have mountain bikes on the cobblestone roads

Gastronomic Workshop in Coyoacán

Mexico City

This experience was truly one of the highlights of the week and a perfect ending to a perfect vacation! The education & guidance for our cooking experience was superb. We learned techniques on how to chop veggies, prepare food and tricks w/ garlic. The menu that was provided was so much and a great way to learn about Mexican culture and dining. The food was delicious and our Host Chef was excellent. He truly made us feel comfortable and he was very entertaining & engaging. This experience was exciting, enjoyable and full of passion.

Quality of Experience

The Chef, his direction, menu and the whole experience!

Food

The Guacamole, Mezcal, Coffee Drinks, Rice, and putting it all together

Guadalajara and Oaxaca, Mexico. My friend, Deb Weed, organized the trip and worked extensively with Leslie on planning and Ximena on the details. So I was along for the ride. From my prespective, the trip was fabulous. Our guide (Josue) & driver (Caesar) in Guadalajara were friendly, prompt, sincere and flexible. We felt like they were our friends when we left. Day trip to Tequila was memorable. In Oaxaca, our guide for our art bike tour (Shai from Coyote Aventuras) and Ximena helped... read more

Guadalajara and Oaxaca, Mexico. My friend, Deb Weed, organized the trip and worked extensively with Leslie on planning and Ximena on the details. So I was along for the ride. From my prespective, the trip was fabulous. Our guide (Josue) & driver (Caesar) in Guadalajara were friendly, prompt, sincere and flexible. We felt like they were our friends when we left. Day trip to Tequila was memorable. In Oaxaca, our guide for our art bike tour (Shai from Coyote Aventuras) and Ximena helped us through a miscommunication issue which was resolved satisfactorily. Ximena was available every step of the way to help. She was awesome. Last night was in Mexico City before our departure, we did a cooking class with Luis Alfonzo, chef of Barra de Cafe de Malinche which was over the top. I will definitely recommend KimKim to my friends.

Hotel Reviews

Hotel Morales Historical & Colonial Downtown Core

Mexicaltzingo, Guadalajara, Jal.

We loved this hotel with its rich history. Beautiful courtyards and centrally located. The restaurant was an added plus since some nights we were too tired to venture out. Staff was very accommodating.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel De La Parra

Oaxaca

This smaller hotel was perfect for us. The location was perfect and within walking distance for all of the Day of the Dead feastivies and sightseeing. The staff was very helpful. Loved the pool area and the ability to get a cocktail in the afternoon. Breakfast was delightful.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Suites de la Parra

Oaxaca

Only stayed one night, but loved the penthouse suite. Large suite with outdoor patio and 360 degree views. Lots of stairs to the penthouse.

Casa Jacinta Guest House

Del Carmen, Coyoacán, Ciudad de México

Only one night here but wish it were more. Property was cute and quaint in a good neighborhood.

Activity Reviews

Tlaquepaque: "The Magic of Cacao"

Mexico

Christina Taylor was amazing with this private experience. You could tell she was passionate about her work and shared that passion with us. Loved the pairing portion of the tasting.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Josue (guide) and Casear (driver) were professional, knowledgeable and very friendly.

Gastronomic Workshop in Coyoacán

Mexico City

Loved this private experience! Luis, our chef, was amazing, friendly and professional. The food we prepared was delicious and we learned that everything is used in one form or another. Highly recommend this experience.

We really appreciated Leslie’s recommendation to visit Mazunte. It was exactly the kind of quiet, private, low key beach getaway we were looking for. Casa Lu hotel was perfectly located, clean, relatively upscale for the area, friendly staff, bar/restaurant on the beach. Loved that the infinity pool was steps away from the sand so you could lounge in the fresh water while taking in the dramatic coastline. Outstanding dinners at Navigante in San Agustinillo and Alquamista in nearby Zipolite.... read more

We really appreciated Leslie’s recommendation to visit Mazunte. It was exactly the kind of quiet, private, low key beach getaway we were looking for. Casa Lu hotel was perfectly located, clean, relatively upscale for the area, friendly staff, bar/restaurant on the beach. Loved that the infinity pool was steps away from the sand so you could lounge in the fresh water while taking in the dramatic coastline. Outstanding dinners at Navigante in San Agustinillo and Alquamista in nearby Zipolite. Also enjoyed our 3 days in Oaxaca city. Excellent tour guide, Leonardo, took us on a private city tour, as well as visits to local archeological sites, a mescal production facility, the giant Tule tree and a small weaving village. A former teacher, he was incredibly knowledgeable and enthusiastic. the best! Food was ok, but didn’t live up to the foodie capital reputation we’d heard. Only downside was returning with dysentery as we were not particularly careful about ice in drinks, salads, etc. Otherwise, great trip and Kimkim was helpful, responsive and professional.

I can't recommend Jorge and the team at KimKim highly enough. We will certainly use them again in future. We shared our priorities with Jorge (we wanted a mix of foodie tours and historic sites) and he proposed the perfect itinerary. We felt like we saw all the highlights of the cities, but nothing felt rushed, because of the very smooth transfers and daily updates/info from the local agent.

The hotels were wonderful and very central. The private guides we had were also fantastic and... read more

I can't recommend Jorge and the team at KimKim highly enough. We will certainly use them again in future. We shared our priorities with Jorge (we wanted a mix of foodie tours and historic sites) and he proposed the perfect itinerary. We felt like we saw all the highlights of the cities, but nothing felt rushed, because of the very smooth transfers and daily updates/info from the local agent.

The hotels were wonderful and very central. The private guides we had were also fantastic and spoke extremely good english (which was helpful as our spanish is non-existing!). The best part of the trip for us was Oaxaca, especially the last few days where we had a couple of trips out of the city to see the Mescal distilleries, participate in a rural cooking class and visit a traditional textile workshop.

This was my first time using KimKim and was phenomenal in many ways. It was like having a personal guide with me and my group of 8 friends throughout my entire birthday celebration.

They set up a personal chef, photographer, five days of transportation and excursions.

The only thing that I am not totally favorable about is the lack of transparency in the pricing model. I had a friend to cancel and hike I understand the no refund policy after thirty days, we all know that all... read more

This was my first time using KimKim and was phenomenal in many ways. It was like having a personal guide with me and my group of 8 friends throughout my entire birthday celebration.

They set up a personal chef, photographer, five days of transportation and excursions.

The only thing that I am not totally favorable about is the lack of transparency in the pricing model. I had a friend to cancel and hike I understand the no refund policy after thirty days, we all know that all excursions can be cancelled and refunded up until
About 48 hours before the trip.

But, I will let that go because everything was planned out perfectly and took allllllllllll the stress away from me. Any issues that we had Ximena and Melina were only a WhatsApp chat away. I honestly rate these ladies 7 stars!!!!!!

Leslie did great on the planning but was often slower for someone who lacks patience (me), but once the trip was handed over the Ximena and Melina the responses were within seconds. This brought me so much comfort and my group was amazed at how responsive they were at all hours!!!

Activity Reviews

Mexican Dinner Party!

Nuevo Vallarta

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Sunset in a Sailing Boat

Mexico

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

City Tour and Tequila Tasting!

Mexico

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

We had a fantastic experience with the Kimkim staff and the tour guides they connected us with.

Adrian our Mexico City food tour guide was amazingly knowledgeable and conscientious. The food in Mexico City is so delicious and we got to experience all sorts from markets to street vendors to high end pastries. Luis our guide in Tenochtitlán was friendly and easy going with all our questions and our kids. We learned so much about the history of Mexico and how it influences the culture of... read more

We had a fantastic experience with the Kimkim staff and the tour guides they connected us with.

Adrian our Mexico City food tour guide was amazingly knowledgeable and conscientious. The food in Mexico City is so delicious and we got to experience all sorts from markets to street vendors to high end pastries. Luis our guide in Tenochtitlán was friendly and easy going with all our questions and our kids. We learned so much about the history of Mexico and how it influences the culture of modern Mexico. Jorge set us up with some amazing food while on the trajiñeras and gave us the historical perspective of Coyoacán .

Willy in Puerto Escondido was a local who knew about everything in the area and was always on time, was great with kids and went out of his way to make the trip great.

I’m so glad we had Ximena on WhatsApp the whole time. It was so great to have her there to confirm tours and adjust schedules, and even in one case help us figure out what to do when one tour was no longer available due to weather.

Activity Reviews

Sweets & streets! Family-Friendly Historic Center Tour

Mexico City

Adrián was an amazing guide, a chef and pastry maker himself he was so knowledgeable about the world of food and about Mexico City’s gems. Great with kids and fun to spend the day with.

Walk through the mangrove and release the turtles - Walking Night Patrol

Mexico

We got to see a turtle lay eggs and release baby sea turtles! What a unique and wonderful experience. Willy was the ultimate driver and guide.

Karen helped us plan our honeymoon to Mexico and we couldn't be happier with our trip.
She took everything we discussed on board and planned our 11 day trip with all our specifications in mind. The process of planning was very smooth and we had regular contact with Karen with additional updates to the itinerary. She was very receptive to any changes we needed to make and was extremely helpful in reorganising part of the trip when I made an error with flights.

The holiday itself was... read more

Karen helped us plan our honeymoon to Mexico and we couldn't be happier with our trip.
She took everything we discussed on board and planned our 11 day trip with all our specifications in mind. The process of planning was very smooth and we had regular contact with Karen with additional updates to the itinerary. She was very receptive to any changes we needed to make and was extremely helpful in reorganising part of the trip when I made an error with flights.

The holiday itself was exceptional. We knew at all times who we needed to meet and where we needed to meet them and had daily correspondence with Ximena over What's app.
The mix of activities and excursions was exactly what we had hoped for and I feel like we got to experience a broad view of Mexico.
Our personal highlights were the food tasting and historical tours in Mexico City where we had private tours with some very experienced chefs.
We also got to experience some eco-tourism on the Yucutan and get an idea of modern Mayan culture. One of the best parts of our trip was the cultural emersion tour in Nuevo Durango. Because of these small tours we got to visit lots of hidden cenotes and small villages that we would otherwise never have been aware of.

Every day of our trip had an excursion planned but left plenty of time to explore locally in the evenings. I cannot recommend kimkim, and Karen in particular, enough. I would never have been able to plan such a varied trip without her.

Hotel Reviews

Cabins in Nuevo Durango

We stayed in one of the cabins in Nuevo Durango as part of a cultural tour of the area and it was one of the best nights we spent in Mexico. The cabin itself is rustic and sparse but very clean and the bed was incredibly comfortable. The cabins each had a toilet and shower and mosquito net for protection. The wifi didn't stretch to the cabin but this didn't limit the experience in any way, and moreso created an unplugged, relaxing night. We had delicious lunch, dinner, and breakfast, all cooked locally and our guide, Jose, was really excellent at showing us around the area and bringing us to the cenote in the centre of the town.

Authenticity & Character

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Casa González

Mexico City

Great location with easy access to town and nice local restaurants. We felt very safe in the area and there were always plenty of people around. The room was beautiful and comfortable and the staff at the front desk were very helpful. Breakfast each morning was delicious with a good variety of Mexican and international food on the menu. Our only issue was with the timing of the room cleaning. We arrived back from trips late in the afternoon most days and our room hadn't yet been cleaned and on one occasion the cleaner arrived while we were in our room (around 4pm) and we had to leave for half an hour while the bathroom bins were emptied and the room cleaned. Despite this we really enjoyed our stay and would happily visit again.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Gayser

Valladolid

Great location that was a short walk to the main square and restaurants. The room was clean and comfortable and the air-con was great. We were on the ground floor and there was a lot of noise with music playing in the lobby at night which made it very hard to sleep. The breakfast was limited, just toast and fruit, so we wouldn't have relied on it as a full meal for the morning.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

too much noise from music playing in the lobby at night

HM Playa del Carmen

Playa del Carmen

Beautiful and clean hotel with a great pool and bar service. Check-in was very straightforward but there is no elevator in the building so we had to carry heavy suitcases up 2 flights of stairs. Location was great and just a few minutes walk away from the main strip but far enough away that there was no noise at night. There's also a secure carpark which was great.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Fiesta Americana Viaducto Aeropuerto

Mexico City

Brief overnight stay between flights. Very nice and clean hotel with great airport shuttle service. Check-in was very straightforward and the staff were very helpful. Very clean and comfortable.

Activity Reviews

Biking in Teotihuacan, "The City of the Gods"

Mexico City

Really pleasant morning biking around Teotihuacan with our guide. We got to visit one of the nearby caves and learn a bit about Aztec customs and auras which was fun! A light lunch was included which was enjoyable before heading back out in the sun. We also had a visit to a local craftsman who showed us how some of the obsidian ornaments are created. Our guide was great and full of information about the mathematics and construction of the pyramids. Really enjoyable tour overall

Float in the Muyil Sian Ka´an Biosphere Reserve

Mexico

Cannot recommend this tour enough. The reserve has a gentle current so we spent 40 mins in a very relaxing natural lazy river. Our guide filled us in on how the Mayans used the lagoon and pointed out native plants and fossils as we drifted along. We really didn't want to leave!

Thank you Leslie and Ximena🙏🏻 Our Mexico City and Playa Del Carmen trip was so enjoyable and carefree thanks to all your planning for us. Every transfer, tour and reservation went according to plan and my daughter and I felt completely safe and taken care of💞 read more

Thank you Leslie and Ximena🙏🏻 Our Mexico City and Playa Del Carmen trip was so enjoyable and carefree thanks to all your planning for us. Every transfer, tour and reservation went according to plan and my daughter and I felt completely safe and taken care of💞

This is the second time we used kimkim for our trip planning and this is the second wonderful experience that we had. The trip was wonderful, the guides and tours were great, and we had great peace of mind knowing that the details were taken care of. I find the planning process painless and flexible so we get the kind of trip that we want. Both Lelie and Melina were prompt in their communications. Although we didn't have any problems, I knew we were just one chat away from getting help which... read more

This is the second time we used kimkim for our trip planning and this is the second wonderful experience that we had. The trip was wonderful, the guides and tours were great, and we had great peace of mind knowing that the details were taken care of. I find the planning process painless and flexible so we get the kind of trip that we want. Both Lelie and Melina were prompt in their communications. Although we didn't have any problems, I knew we were just one chat away from getting help which is a nice feature in a foreign country.

I highly recommend the guides we had, Alex from Etnotouristica and Margot from Vamos o Que?. They really knew their stuff and we feel we got very unique tours tailored to our specific interests. And thanks to Alex, we got to see one of the pre-festival parades on our first day which was a real highlight for me.

Overall, I highly recommend kimkim and we will use them again.

Hotel Reviews

Hotel Boutique Parador San Miguel

Oaxaca

We loved this hotel. Fantastic location and adorable accommodations. Very friendly staff. We would definitely stay here again.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Santa Fe Hotel

Puerto Escondido

Great location but the hotel was showing some wear and tear. The food and staff were great. The hotel had very unreliable internet which became frustrating (we never got it in our room, we had better luck in the restaurant).

Authenticity & Character

Location

Across from the beach!

Staff

Very friendly and helpful.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Internet. Need to improve reliability of internet in the rooms. The room was looking a little worn out.

Activity Reviews

Artistic tour of Oaxaca

Oaxaca

Loved it, small group, great way to experience the block print art of Oaxaca and it was great to meet some artists. The chocolate tasting was a nice surprise and a great way to break up the walk.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

This is a walking tour. Be prepared to walk!

Gastronomic Indigenous Roots

Oaxaca

Amazing meal! Quite a treat, beautiful presentation and delicious food.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

we were very happy with how smoothly everything went. fair amount of moving us from place to place and all went perfectly . hotels were great and in wonderful locations. thanks to everyone involved read more

we were very happy with how smoothly everything went. fair amount of moving us from place to place and all went perfectly . hotels were great and in wonderful locations. thanks to everyone involved

But Jennifer was not our local contact but certainly put together an excellent itinerary read more

But Jennifer was not our local contact but certainly put together an excellent itinerary

Hotel Review

Guayaba Inn

San Cristóbal de las Casas, Chiapas

Low key. Serene. Easy walk into town. Very close to Na Bloom museum. Great breakfast

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Review

History in Zinancantan and San Juan Chamula

San Cristobal de las Casas

Surreal. Unreal. Wish I could have taken a long long video. Will have to stay in my heD

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Enjoyed using Rutopia (Marisol and Melina) to plan my trip to Mexico. Marisol helped me figure out the best options fand booked everything. Melina was my in country support. Rutopia (the company through Kim Kim) is great and would highly recommend it to anyone who wants to take the burden out of vacation planning. My son and I truly enjoyed the trip knowing everything was taken care of and we just had to have fun. Thanks! read more

Enjoyed using Rutopia (Marisol and Melina) to plan my trip to Mexico. Marisol helped me figure out the best options fand booked everything. Melina was my in country support. Rutopia (the company through Kim Kim) is great and would highly recommend it to anyone who wants to take the burden out of vacation planning. My son and I truly enjoyed the trip knowing everything was taken care of and we just had to have fun. Thanks!

Hotel Reviews

Hotel El Moro

Puerto Morelos, Quintana Roo

We went with this hotel as we were only staying a night and wanted quick access to the snorkeling at Puerto Morales. It's a small homey hotel. It's not fancy but the staff is great and had a good feel to it.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Holbox By Xaloc

Isla Holbox

Activity Reviews

Snorkeling in the beautiful marine park of Puerto Morelos

Mexico

Really enjoyed the company and the guides. Being an avid snorkeling, I would have liked knowing ahead of time that you are required to wear a life jacket while snorkeling. I understand it is to protect the coral but for me, I would have liked to know about it to determine if I would have chosen to snorkel somewhere else.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Coba and the sacred Mayan roads.

Mexico

Manual is an amazing personable guide. Both him and his son were just really nice and helpful. My son and I really enjoyed biking through the ruins.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Float in the Muyil Sian Ka´an Biosphere Reserve

Mexico

I really enjoyed this adventure. Eddie the guide was just great.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Too many stops to pick up others. It was supposed to be a 7 hour trip and it was 10hours. The transportation was just too long and too many pick ups.

We had several different guides.
Most memorable was Enrique and his walking and biking tour in Teotihuacan.
Nicolas and the food tour including Mezcal tasting in Mexico City.
Manuel in Chichen Itza and Vincente and Cesar in Tulum and Cenote.
Also very memorable was Rio Secreto.

Overall it was an amazing vacation which had everything, culture, history, food, nature and relaxation. And thanks to the organisation and our provided local contact Melina we hadn't had to worry about anything, so we... read more

We had several different guides.
Most memorable was Enrique and his walking and biking tour in Teotihuacan.
Nicolas and the food tour including Mezcal tasting in Mexico City.
Manuel in Chichen Itza and Vincente and Cesar in Tulum and Cenote.
Also very memorable was Rio Secreto.

Overall it was an amazing vacation which had everything, culture, history, food, nature and relaxation. And thanks to the organisation and our provided local contact Melina we hadn't had to worry about anything, so we were able to enjoy every secong of our vacation and trip.

Hotel Reviews

Hacienda Merida VIP

Mérida

Great stay, beautiful old colonial building

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hampton Inn & Suites Mexico City

Mexico City

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Courtyard By Marriott Cancun Airport

Cancun

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Biking in Teotihuacan, "The City of the Gods"

Mexico City

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Spirits of Mexico: Pulque, Mezcal, & Tequila

Mexico City

Great experience but more a food tour than a pure mezcal tequila pulque tasting tour

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Nicolas was so passionate about mexican food culture. It was like eating and drinking with a good friend

Transport

History, Culture & Gastronomy in Mexico City

Mexico City

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

A journey through the history of Chapultepec.

Mexico City

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Coyoacán and Xochimilco including Frida Kahlo museum

Mexico City

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

City Tour of Merida: The White City

Mérida

Was not really a walking tour, rather a driving tour which was better due to the heat and humidity

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Explore the wilderness of Celestún

Mexico

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Visit Chichén Itzá, Wonder of the Maya World

Mexico

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Immerse Yourself in the Peaceful Yokdzonot Cenote

Mexico

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Río Secreto: The Mayan Underworld

Mexico

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Snorkeling in the beautiful marine park of Puerto Morelos

Mexico

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Visit the Archaeological site of Tulum and snorkeling in Gran Cenote

Mexico

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Melina, our local contact was very nice and always available for our needs. All our guided tours were well selected, punctual and unforgetable. read more

Melina, our local contact was very nice and always available for our needs. All our guided tours were well selected, punctual and unforgetable.

Hotel Reviews

Hampton Inn & Suites Mexico City

Mexico City

Room had no Window. Hotel is quite old. Poor breakfast Buffet.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Courtyard By Marriott Cancun Airport

Cancun

Very nice hotel for an airport hotel. Great breakfast, nice Pool area!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hacienda Merida VIP

Mérida

Very nice hotel, lovely people. We had some problems with the mosquitos there, but apart from that: great experience. Amazing breakfast (but a la carte!)

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Spirits of Mexico: Pulque, Mezcal, & Tequila

Mexico City

We really enjoyed this tour, eventhough it was more a tacos tasting tour (not as stated in the title). Which was fine by us, but we shouldnt have eaten before it, if we would have known. Our guide, Nico was excellent. It felt like going for authentic dinner with a good friend.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Snorkeling in the beautiful marine park of Puerto Morelos

Mexico

We felt kind of lost in this Tour. Our guides were nice people but we didnt get any Information about what is going to happen, what we are going to see. Quite stressful experience - had so swim right after our guide, heavy waves.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Tom and I knew we wanted to go to Mexico. We knew we wanted a little bit of culture, some wildlife, and maybe a splash in the ocean. That's it.

With the vague and minimal information we gave them, Jorge and KimKim were able to put together a perfect trip for us. We had a flawless itinerary. It's so clear that KimKim really cares about the communities (animals and humans) in Mexico. Everything we did and everywhere we stayed felt like they were helping us experience Mexico as authentically... read more

Tom and I knew we wanted to go to Mexico. We knew we wanted a little bit of culture, some wildlife, and maybe a splash in the ocean. That's it.

With the vague and minimal information we gave them, Jorge and KimKim were able to put together a perfect trip for us. We had a flawless itinerary. It's so clear that KimKim really cares about the communities (animals and humans) in Mexico. Everything we did and everywhere we stayed felt like they were helping us experience Mexico as authentically and respectfully as possible.

It's almost impossible to pick a highlight, but top of the list has to be the day we shared with Enrique, a Mayan host who was unbelievably generous with us. He shared the community gardens, including history and background about the families that live in Nuevo Durango and other nearby communities. He showed us the neighborhood cenotes, Punta Laguna, Uma Nojoch Keej (a wildlife reserve), and more. We picked and prepared the plants as Enrique and his wife Blanca showed us the best way to cook them (and rescued us when we were pricked by the nopales!). We saw howler monkeys and spider monkeys in the wild which was very cool.

That had to be the very best day, but every day was amazing. Sian Ka'an reserve was lovely, the Mayan ruins were spectacular, the snorkeling in Puerto Morelos was fabulous, the bicycle cenote tour was jaw-droppingly gorgeous. I'm waxing superlative but it really all was like a dream.

Beyond the activities, the scheduling and pace were perfect for us. We felt like we really made the most of our six days, but with enough downtime to explore and enjoy at our leisure. From picking up our car at the airport to finding our accommodation, the logistics were very smooth at every interaction. Special shoutout to Melina who pretty much instantly helped us when we had any questions about the trip.

We've never used a travel planning service like this before. But after this trip, we'll never go back to the old way!

Review of our trip to Mexico

Mexico City
*******************
We found everything to be well organized.
Our guide Demi was very knowledgeable, flexible, helpful and polite.
The hotel was clean, staff was attentive and the location was conveniently, centrally located.
We appreciated the option to have private transfers to all our destinations.

Puerto Morelos
***********************
The place was beautiful! It was exactly what we were looking for: a lovely little town away from the big... read more

Review of our trip to Mexico

Mexico City
*******************
We found everything to be well organized.
Our guide Demi was very knowledgeable, flexible, helpful and polite.
The hotel was clean, staff was attentive and the location was conveniently, centrally located.
We appreciated the option to have private transfers to all our destinations.

Puerto Morelos
***********************
The place was beautiful! It was exactly what we were looking for: a lovely little town away from the big resorts! We thank Jorge for understanding our preference!
The hotel was gorgeous – however we have a few remarks:
- Staff tries to sell you a timeshare or purchase when you arrive. We did not appreciate this as we were tired from our travel.
- There is a problem with insufficient beach lounges and umbrellas.
- The hotel would be more environmentally friendly if it offered water bottle refill stations. Instead there were only water plastic bottles and no recycling bins.

Overall our trip was great, and we are very satisfied!

Hotel Review

The Fives Oceanfront

Quintana Roo

An amazing place. The premises are stunningly beautiful. The beach is kept very clean and the ocean is gorgeous! Only two things need some attention: - the staff at the resort tries to sell you a time share -there seems to be a major problem with insufficient beach chairs and umbrellas - they promote water plastic bottles, and it would be great if they could install a water bottle refill station

Tips for future travelers

Yes. Stay firm when hotel staff tries to book you for a presentation to sell you time shares. Unless you are truly interested in making such an investment, you'd better find some good excuses and get out of it...

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Review

Mexico City Walking Tour

Mexico City

Our guide Demi was very well prepared and informative.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Overall, our Mexico trip was amazing and I was very happy with our accommodations and planned activities. All of our guides were great, but a special shout-out to our guide Manuel who took us through the Sian Ka'an Biosphere Reserve. He went way above and beyond and his passion for his work really showed. Other highlights of the trip were Chichen Itza, a cooking class in Tulum, and everything about Holbox Island. Our local assistant, Leslie Perez was very responsive and helpful. We did have a... read more

Overall, our Mexico trip was amazing and I was very happy with our accommodations and planned activities. All of our guides were great, but a special shout-out to our guide Manuel who took us through the Sian Ka'an Biosphere Reserve. He went way above and beyond and his passion for his work really showed. Other highlights of the trip were Chichen Itza, a cooking class in Tulum, and everything about Holbox Island. Our local assistant, Leslie Perez was very responsive and helpful. We did have a couple of misfires on our transportation, almost missing our ferry to Holbox Island, and our airport return driver showing up 6 hours early, then leaving. We had to hire a local taxi to make our flight and it was a little sketchy but we made it. Otherwise the planning, tours, and service were stellar. Looking forward to our trip to Italy in a few months!

Our 5 days tour package to the Mexico City was put together by KimKim's team. Leslie from Rutopia, a travel specialist, helped put together this package. She was in close contact with me throughout this process until the package was finalized. We never had been to the Mexico City before, so wondering how the package would be prior to our travel.

We were picked up from the airport by a private driver to our hotel Sofitel located at Reforma, which is indeed a beautiful luxury hotel. Our tour... read more

Our 5 days tour package to the Mexico City was put together by KimKim's team. Leslie from Rutopia, a travel specialist, helped put together this package. She was in close contact with me throughout this process until the package was finalized. We never had been to the Mexico City before, so wondering how the package would be prior to our travel.

We were picked up from the airport by a private driver to our hotel Sofitel located at Reforma, which is indeed a beautiful luxury hotel. Our tour began from the 2nd day. We were picked up by our personal guide Pablo every morning at 9 am. Besides his amicable personality, Pablo speaks English very well, and is highly knowledgeable about culture, archeological and architecture Mexico throughout its rise and fall of history.

We returned back to US with full of memories to be cherished in our lives. We are very happy with Kimkim's service.

The trip overall was good but not the greatest. There were so many things we missed doing and other things that we struggled with. To start with, the hotels we were booked at were not what you would expect out of a vacation. Our first hotel had cold water and was smelly in an awful way. Our last hotel was good but the water was cold and salty. I ended up being itchy and my legs had a ton of rashes I am curing until now. Additionally, we were not told about the fees we need to pay to our... read more

The trip overall was good but not the greatest. There were so many things we missed doing and other things that we struggled with. To start with, the hotels we were booked at were not what you would expect out of a vacation. Our first hotel had cold water and was smelly in an awful way. Our last hotel was good but the water was cold and salty. I ended up being itchy and my legs had a ton of rashes I am curing until now. Additionally, we were not told about the fees we need to pay to our second hotel. We were not advised of the ATV tours, zip lines, horseback riding, Xcart or the major shopping centers in cancun which we had to extend our holidays for. We have asked for adventure but ended up in Tulum with nothing to do there. We were booked with a local tour guide in Coba who talked non stop about history in extremely hot weather instead of actually doing sth we enjoy. In our 2nd hotel, we missed out on having breakfast because the trip plan timings were incorrect.

On.our 5th day we were told by locals about all the things we are missing out on. which we had to extend our stay for an additional 2 days and pay extra money on activities we actually enjoy.

Off to the good, we loved the snorkeling activity in Puerto morales and the night life and beach walks in Playa de Carmen. They were amazing. The breakfast in the first and last hotel was amazing. We loved it. We loved the gesture in the last hotel when the company offered us a cake and flowers

Overall, we enjoyed it, but after being to and knowing Mexico, we deeply believe the plan could have been way better than this.

This was my second trip organised via KimKim. Again, I cannot fault the service. Always very responsive and helpful. Thank you so much for your help.

We had an amazing honeymoon thanks to kimkim & Jorge.

Initially I had just contacted them to get some ideas about my trip, but I ended up booking our trip to Mexico with kimkim, after a lot of back-and-forth planning with Jorge. We wanted to visit and see both cultural/historical/gastronomical/vacation places in Mexico and our trip made that happen.

Our hotels were excellent. Our drivers and guides were always on time. The activities were fun and informative. Couldn't ask for more. We did... read more

We had an amazing honeymoon thanks to kimkim & Jorge.

Initially I had just contacted them to get some ideas about my trip, but I ended up booking our trip to Mexico with kimkim, after a lot of back-and-forth planning with Jorge. We wanted to visit and see both cultural/historical/gastronomical/vacation places in Mexico and our trip made that happen.

Our hotels were excellent. Our drivers and guides were always on time. The activities were fun and informative. Couldn't ask for more. We did not encounter any problems, we did not have to pay any extra money for an activity either. Everything went perfectly well.

Special thanks to Angel who was our guide in Merida and Chichen Itza.

My husband and I had the best vacation of our lives while visiting Oaxaca, Mérida, Valladolid and Puerto Morelos in México. Vanessa helped us tailor the trip and then Marisol coordinated the final details. Anita, from Rutopía, was always responsive to our questions and concerns while we were in México.

In Oaxaca, Alex, our guide from Etnoturismo, made sure we fell in love with that city. And we did indeed. The colors, the food, the people are just amazing and have a special place in our... read more

My husband and I had the best vacation of our lives while visiting Oaxaca, Mérida, Valladolid and Puerto Morelos in México. Vanessa helped us tailor the trip and then Marisol coordinated the final details. Anita, from Rutopía, was always responsive to our questions and concerns while we were in México.

In Oaxaca, Alex, our guide from Etnoturismo, made sure we fell in love with that city. And we did indeed. The colors, the food, the people are just amazing and have a special place in our hearts. The guide we got for Chichén Itzá, Juan, was very knowledgable and took great photos of us.

The hotels chosen by our local specialists were breathtaking. We wouldn't have been able to plan such a wonderful vacation without their help.

Muchas gracias!

Melina and Sibila were excellent. They answered all my questions promptly and spent time with me to plan out activities. Melina was also very responsive during the week while I was on vacation as we made some adjustments to the itinerary. Overall, I was very satisfied.

The Mexican Eco company, Totonal, that Kim Kim uses in México is excellent. As a solo female traveller, I was very pleased with the custom itinerary planned for me by Sibila. All of my requests were fulfilled, from urban tours and decent, clean hotels in CDMX to horseback riding, hikes and cooking lessons in beautiful Guanajuato. All drivers and guides were professional , knowledgable and arrived on time. I was very reassured by Melina from Totonal, a warm and and very diligent... read more

The Mexican Eco company, Totonal, that Kim Kim uses in México is excellent. As a solo female traveller, I was very pleased with the custom itinerary planned for me by Sibila. All of my requests were fulfilled, from urban tours and decent, clean hotels in CDMX to horseback riding, hikes and cooking lessons in beautiful Guanajuato. All drivers and guides were professional , knowledgable and arrived on time. I was very reassured by Melina from Totonal, a warm and and very diligent person who checked in with me every step of the way both before my trip and during my days in Colonial Mexico. I heartily recommend this company as a reliable source for trip planning in Mexico.

Jorge and Melina did a great job and I was very happy with my trip. On very short notice during the high season, Jorge put together a perfect itinerary. I hate to plan and Jorge took all the work out of it. He put together a good balance of the big, can’t miss sites and activities that were a little more off the beaten track. Jorge helpfully worked with me to adjust the itinerary to meet my interests, and in hindsight, I only wish I had gotten more involved. Every tour they arranged was fun... read more

Jorge and Melina did a great job and I was very happy with my trip. On very short notice during the high season, Jorge put together a perfect itinerary. I hate to plan and Jorge took all the work out of it. He put together a good balance of the big, can’t miss sites and activities that were a little more off the beaten track. Jorge helpfully worked with me to adjust the itinerary to meet my interests, and in hindsight, I only wish I had gotten more involved. Every tour they arranged was fun and worthwhile with knowledgeable and professional guides and comfortable transportation. During my travels, Melina kept close tabs on me to make sure things were going smoothly. The few times I sent her a message, she quickly responded and she would check in on me every couple days when I hadn’t been in touch.

Totonal Viajes (KimKim's Mexican partner for this tour) did an outstanding job with the arrangement and execution of a 9 day tour of Mayan sites in the Yucatan peninsula. We provided Totonal with the general parameters of the trip we wanted and they suggested an itinerary. After our approval, they set up the hotels, transportation within Mexico, and site tours. The hotels were good quality, and all of the drivers and tour guides showed up on time. We were very impressed with the quality of... read more

Totonal Viajes (KimKim's Mexican partner for this tour) did an outstanding job with the arrangement and execution of a 9 day tour of Mayan sites in the Yucatan peninsula. We provided Totonal with the general parameters of the trip we wanted and they suggested an itinerary. After our approval, they set up the hotels, transportation within Mexico, and site tours. The hotels were good quality, and all of the drivers and tour guides showed up on time. We were very impressed with the quality of the tour guides and learned a lot on the trip. Jorge handled setting up the itinerary, and Melina handled the execution of the trip and was readily available via WhatsApp throughout the trip for any questions or issues. Melina was particularly helpful in changing our transportation arrangements to the airport at the last minute per our request. I would recommend KimKim/Totonal Viajes and would use them again for future trips.

Our Greece experience was amazing. Our Mexico experience with KimKim was disappointing at best!

We paid $10k for our second KimKim tour. Greece as stated early was amazing. Mexico was an embarrassment for KimKim and a bad experience for our family.

The agent planned a terrible hotel for a family. We were subjected to two full days and nights (6 am) of night club music blasting our room. We were Blamed for shortcomings by transport company and the agent planned nice experiences at the furthest points from our hotel.

Both Sibila and Melina with Totonal were very helpful in putting together an excellent trip based on our interests. Aldo Flores picked us promptly at the airport, making the transition to the hotel very easy! Our tour of three interesting architectural sites in Mexico City one day with Pablo Yuichi gave us an opportunity to see various parts of the city, and eat a delicious lunch in the market of Coyoacan. Pablo is a wealth of information on many topics, and an excellent driver in heavy,... read more

Both Sibila and Melina with Totonal were very helpful in putting together an excellent trip based on our interests. Aldo Flores picked us promptly at the airport, making the transition to the hotel very easy! Our tour of three interesting architectural sites in Mexico City one day with Pablo Yuichi gave us an opportunity to see various parts of the city, and eat a delicious lunch in the market of Coyoacan. Pablo is a wealth of information on many topics, and an excellent driver in heavy, big city traffic. On another day in Mexico City, our food tour included a delicious chef prepared lunch in a private home in the Condesa neighborhood and a visit to the gourmet market in the Roma neighborhood. The hospitality of the chef, Rodrigo Llanes, made for a very fun, unique experience. Leaving Mexico City, our transportation to the bus station was provided by Josue, who made sure we arrived in plenty of time to board our bus to Morelia. Our driver in Morelia, Jesus Lopez, was so friendly and resourceful. He smoothed out several small issues for us and made our car trip to see the incredible Monarch migration in the Santuario de la Sierra Chincua very comfortable. After several days of Spanish classes in Morelia, he was more than willing to let us practice with him!

It was such a fun trip and such a pleasure to meet some of the people who made it possible!
Suzanne Napier

The team is very responsive and really listen to your requirement and tried to accommodate your demand . The response time is quick . When arrived in Mexico , the responsible person kept close contact to ensure things are on the correct track . The itinerary planned just fit our requirement .
It had included both the colorful culture and history of the country . Even with a last minute request to book a restaurant , the agent is willing and try her best to arrange for us ,

Our family of four just completed an extraordinary 16-day trip through Mexico, which included stops in Mexico City, San Miguel de Allende, Guanajuato, Tulum, Valladolid, and Holbox Island. This was a truly unforgettable trip. KimKim connected us with Mexico experts, Sibila and Jorge, from Totonal Viajes and they took care of all the details; planning our itinerary, transportation, and activities. From day one, they asked about us to learn how we like to travel, where we wanted to visit, and... read more

Our family of four just completed an extraordinary 16-day trip through Mexico, which included stops in Mexico City, San Miguel de Allende, Guanajuato, Tulum, Valladolid, and Holbox Island. This was a truly unforgettable trip. KimKim connected us with Mexico experts, Sibila and Jorge, from Totonal Viajes and they took care of all the details; planning our itinerary, transportation, and activities. From day one, they asked about us to learn how we like to travel, where we wanted to visit, and what we were interested in doing. The trip was perfectly coordinated. Our transportation and guides were all punctual, professional, and great to work with. It is clear that the staff at Totonal have experience and knowledge which they are passionate about sharing so that their clients have a truly wonderful time in Mexico. Every guide we had was well informed on their particular area and subject matter, as well as being friendly and accommodating when necessary.

Melina oversaw our day to day operations, and was available day or night any time we had a question or concern. She was an invaluable resource, and her response time was always super quick! In Mexico City, Pablo capably led us around the city, avoiding crowds and heavy traffic, sharing with us his knowledge of art, history, and the Aztec ruins in the surrounding areas. He was our driver on longer journeys to Queretaro and San Miguel de Allende, and he became like a member of the family after our time together.

Outside of San Miguel de Allende, we had the amazing opportunity to cook with Rosana at her home and restaurant, which is also a museum of prehispanic astronomy. It was an unforgettable day with Rosana, her husband, and her helper Lola- and I would highly encourage anyone with a love of history and the culinary arts to check it out!

Our guide for the day in Guanajuato was Antonio, and he deftly led us on a walking tour of this fabulous city, painting a vivid picture of its history and current status as one of the world’s great silver mining regions. As a lifelong resident of Guanajuato and a former mining engineer himself, Antonio had a wealth of personal knowledge and experience to share with us, and was a true gentleman and pleasure to converse with. From Guanajuato we flew to Cancun and began our time in the Yucatan in Tulum. Our guide, Pepe, showed us the wonders of the Sian Ka’an reserve. As an avid and prolific diver, his knowledge of the history and flora and fauna of the area were unparalleled. We followed him into the jungle to watch a skilled ‘chiclero’ extract latex from a tree using the same method as his father and grandfather before him. Unforgettable!

I also must thank our local contact in Playa del Carmen, Teresa. She accompanied us in person to ensure we had no difficulties at the car rental office, and she was there at the culmination of our journey to see us off at the airport and facilitate a smooth departure. She was kind and wonderful, and always just a message away if we needed anything at all during our time in the Yucatan.

In summary, we are thrilled with KimKim’s services. Like most people, our time and resources for travel are limited, and KimKIm succeeded at providing us with a unique and personal curated experience. It means so much that KimKim was able to assist us with crafting such a memorable, meaningful, and seamless trip. I am already dreaming of the next adventure… and when we are ready for that journey, I will be reaching out to KimKim again to help us with the logistics!

Thank you,
Jessica and Alan

This was a tremendous trip! I can’t say enough about the entire team. From the very first step, Sibila was knowledgeable, friendly and more then helpful throughout the pre-planning pre-booking phase. She helped coordinate a trip that exceeded every expectation. She responded immediately to every question, and concern that I had. The trip was planned expertly and we were able to see and do things that we will remember for a lifetime. We had local guides that spoke impeccable English, and... read more

This was a tremendous trip! I can’t say enough about the entire team. From the very first step, Sibila was knowledgeable, friendly and more then helpful throughout the pre-planning pre-booking phase. She helped coordinate a trip that exceeded every expectation. She responded immediately to every question, and concern that I had. The trip was planned expertly and we were able to see and do things that we will remember for a lifetime. We had local guides that spoke impeccable English, and had the historical knowledge of a college professor; Anna, Paola, Fidel, Gilberto, Manuel...all amazing . We were more than impressed. Our local representative, Melina called and texted me immediately upon arrival, and she too was available and responsive at all times. We had a wonderful driver: Javier, who went above and beyond each time he drove us, and was truly a joy. We can’t wait to go back to Mexico, and will definitely be using Kim Kim for our next journey. Muchas Gracias todos!!!

Wonderful trip to Mexico visiting Mexico City, Puebla and Oaxaca. Perfectly organised by Jorge who arranged a fantastic itinerary based around Mexican gastronomy. Lovely hotels, excellent guides and everything worked very smoothly. Highly recommend Jorge to plan a memorable holiday in Mexico!

Our Ednza tour with Juan was great,he was very informative,friendly,and went out of his way to take lots of group pictures for us too!...It was beautiful, and I would defiantly recommend this guided tour....Great Job!!!! Tom

Jorge organised the trip for us, and Demi was our guide for the Mexico City. First day we decided to go to the Teotihuacan and Basilica de Santa Maria de Guadalupe and on the second day wandering in the city. We liked pyramids in Teotihuacan the most. Demi explained everything and also he knows english so that was a bonus. Even we got stucked in the traffic jam Our driver Eric and guide Demi were very calm and easy going. Would recommend them also to the others!

Best regards,
Dina

We contacted Kimkim last year to arrange a locally organised trip. From the beginnin* excellent communication and we were put into contact with Jorge Reyna bested at Totonal. Jorge was fantastic. He listened to our requests whilst bringing his own experience of travelling in Mexico. Arrival in Me I o city was perfect; met on time and transferred to the lovely central zocalo central hotel. Pablo Yuichi was our guide and was very knowledgeable, very friendly and worked very hard to maximise... read more

We contacted Kimkim last year to arrange a locally organised trip. From the beginnin* excellent communication and we were put into contact with Jorge Reyna bested at Totonal. Jorge was fantastic. He listened to our requests whilst bringing his own experience of travelling in Mexico. Arrival in Me I o city was perfect; met on time and transferred to the lovely central zocalo central hotel. Pablo Yuichi was our guide and was very knowledgeable, very friendly and worked very hard to maximise our experience in Mexico City. Highly recommend Pablo and his charming father who drove us. We had a 3+ hour delay for our flight to Tuxtla but our driver was waiting despite the early hours of the morning and saw us safely into our hotel room. Pepe our guide was fabulous. We had a great trip along the Canon del Sumidero and Chiapa de Corsa. Our visit to the indiguviilages was fascinating. Still with Pepe an early but worthwhile journey to Agua Azal Waterfalls onto Palenque. Our next great guide Hector toook us along with other travellers to Yaxchilian and Bonampak sites. Fabulous. Onto the lovely walled city of Campeche, Terese, our final guide and driver was amazing. She took incredible care of us. Very professional helped me find the mexican cooking ingredients in particular the elusive dried epazote. Finally onto Isla Holbox. A fantastic, very well organised trip with great local guides who made this a truly memorable experience. One again thanks to Jorge.

Really enjoyed my trip with KimKim and would highly recommend.
Usually I would plan my own holidays and research everywhere, but with my Mexico trip I didn’t have this luxury. I trusted kimkim and they were fantastic. Not only did they plan me an awesome trip within my budget, but they were also available 24/7 for support which was really helpful!
Thanks so much to the team.

Everyghing that KimKim helped coordinate, including guides, was excellent. Jorge, our KimKim agent really helped make this a perfect family vacation.

We booked a week long trip to San Miguel de Allende and Guanajuato through Totonal Viajes (via KimKim) and were so pleased with the attention to detail and positive experience throughout -- from our friendly airport transfer to our exclusive tours with Maria in San Miguel de Allende, and with Susana and Antonio in Guanajuato.

Jorge, our agent, did a wonderful job of accommodating our group during a very busy travel time. Our hotels were perfectly located, and our local experiences were all... read more

We booked a week long trip to San Miguel de Allende and Guanajuato through Totonal Viajes (via KimKim) and were so pleased with the attention to detail and positive experience throughout -- from our friendly airport transfer to our exclusive tours with Maria in San Miguel de Allende, and with Susana and Antonio in Guanajuato.

Jorge, our agent, did a wonderful job of accommodating our group during a very busy travel time. Our hotels were perfectly located, and our local experiences were all so well curated. It's clear we were dealing with someone who knows how to share the magic of travel and Mexico's culture with visitors! And Jorge stayed in touch during our trip, checking in via WhatsApp. I would definitely book with Totonal Viajes on KimKim again.

We have just returned from an amazing trip to Mexico that Jorge had planned for us. We were met at the Leon airport by a very friendly driver - Christian - and soon learned that every single person that the agency has assigned to us is just as nice. Our hotel in San Miguel was comfortable and centrally located and the tours that Maria gave us were informative and most enjoyable. We enjoyed visiting churches, monuments, and the Mercado without being pushed in any way. Being a great host, she... read more

We have just returned from an amazing trip to Mexico that Jorge had planned for us. We were met at the Leon airport by a very friendly driver - Christian - and soon learned that every single person that the agency has assigned to us is just as nice. Our hotel in San Miguel was comfortable and centrally located and the tours that Maria gave us were informative and most enjoyable. We enjoyed visiting churches, monuments, and the Mercado without being pushed in any way. Being a great host, she even treated us to local ice cream!) The hotel in Guanajuato was just as nice, if not better. Here we met a family of tour guides. First Susana took us around town and gave us a lovely description of the city and its magnificent history. The next day, her father Antonio drove us to the mines and the mummy museum and showed us spectacular views of the beautiful Guanajuato. Not only does everyone in this family know their history and city, but also the friendly approach of those we met made us feel as if we were among relatives.
I would highly recommend a similar journey to everyone. I still can't believe that these magical cities are only a couple of hours' flight away and am confident that our family will take more trips to these destinations. Thank you, KimKim, and a huge thank you to Jorge who did everything he could to meet our demands. I hope to someday have a chance to thank him in person!

Thank you Jorge for organising a wonderful trip over 3 cities in Mexico. Mexico City was vibrant and active. Puebla was more historic and the central area full of character, artists, pottery and candy! Great to wander around and enjoy. Similarly the days spent in Oaxaca further south were so enjoyable, wandering around the historic centre. Whilst the Sun and Moon temples at Teotihuacan were amazing, the pyramids at Monte Alban I think outshone them! The guides we had in each area were excellent - knowledgable, friendly and so helpful. We want to come back!

Jorge turned around a complete tour with under 24hrs notice. The tours were informative with great guides and delivered exactly what we asked for. Thanks!

My nephew and I especially enjoyed the guide Miguel who took us to Teotihuacan pyramids and other places near Mexico City and Alex in Oaxaca who took us on a tour of the Santo Domingo Church and museum as well as Monte Alban for their knowledge of the archaeological digs as well as ancient Indian history. Chef Carla was also great at providing us information about the local produce market and teaching us how to cook traditional Oaxacan food while allowing us to be quite interactive in the preparation of the food.