Silvía Ástvaldsdóttir

Silvia was incredible. She pulled together a fantastic itinerary for us to see Sweden (Stockholm and north of the Artic Circle to Kiruna and Abisko) then to Iceland. The tours and accommodations were spot on. We had a number of quick questions on the trip and she always responded quickly, often real time. It was just nice knowing someone with detailed knowledge of the areas we travelled was available throughout the trip.

Because Silvia was amazing, I think I would use KimKim again but they are not transparent with fees, don’t have a platform where a detailed day-by-day itinerary can be created without a workaround, and it took the behind the scenes team weeks to book tickets once we had a plan and booked airline tickets which made us nervous some things would no longer be available that had other dependencies. We had to get more into the details and needed to follow-up on some things than expected.

Silvía was amazing. All to often an itenerary is presented agreed upon and the you never hear from the planner again. With Silvía it was the complete opposite. She listened to all of our needs. She addressed our concerns and created a travel plan that exceeded our expectations. From delicious cuisine in Narfeyrarstofa to hiking through the glaciers in Katla, Silvía’s attention to detail created a unforgettable experience my wife and I will speak about for years to come. We look forward to planning another vacation with her with more hiking and more adventure. Thank you again for helping us cross off another item on our bucket list.

Hotel Reviews

Konvin Hotel by Reykjavik Keflavik Airport

Keflavík

Hotel Laki

Kirkjubæjarklaustur

Remote location which made it perfect for viewing the northern lights

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Stracta Hotel Hella

Hella

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hótel Hafnarfjall

Hvalfjarðarsveit

Cozy with beautiful scenery

Authenticity & Character

Location

Beautiful location

Staff

Very accommodating

Cleanliness & Comfort

Puffin Hotel Vík

Vík

Cute hotel

Authenticity & Character

Location

Centrally located

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Fosshotel Baron

Reykjavík

Activity Reviews

The Secret Lagoon

Iceland

Reykjanes Peninsula to Keflavik

Iceland

Lunar Landscapes & Healing Waters – Blue Lagoon Immersion

Iceland

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Icelandic Culinary Adventure - Lava Restaurant

Iceland

Beautiful venue

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Katla Ice Cave

Iceland

Absolutely amazing experience guides were extremely knowledgeable

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Would do it again tomorrow

Transport

My wife and I just finished a 12 day trip to Oslo, Copenhagen, Stockholm and Visby (on the island of Gotland). This was a bucket list trip and a birthday celebration. It was an amazing experience - the best vacation we have ever had!

Silvia at KimKim did a phenomenal job - all the way from the initial chats, finding out what we wanted and then making great suggestions. Our itinerary was complex - multiple cities, lots of activities and transfers to be booked.

There were so many highlights - from the scenic sightseeing cruises of the Oslo Fjords, canals of Copenhagen and the Stockholm archipelago. In Copenhagen we also did a very fun Segway tour and a walking guided gourmet tour to sample local delicacies and beers. Silvia suggested we include a trip to Visby on the island of Gotland, and we are so glad we did! Visby is a UNESCO World heritage site with an amazing history going back to the 12th century.

We are foodies and another highlight was an 18 course dinner at a Michelin star restaurant suggested and booked for us by Silvia!

We could never have come up with such an amazing itinerary, nor executed it so well. Silvia’s local knowledge and attention to detail made this vacation extra special.
She was always reachable, responded very quickly and helped us deal with a couple of minor logistical hiccups (which were not her fault). She was our guardian angel who always had our back. We cannot say enough good things about Silvia and this experience with Kimkim. If we could, we would give her 6 stars out of 5!

By the way, this is our second vacation with Kimkim. 6 years ago we used Kimkim and another guide for a week’s vacation in Costa Rica and that was a fabulous experience also.

We would highly recommend Kimkim for your vacation plans, and are so thankful that Silvia was our guide!

Silvia is very responsible to follow through and monitoring my trips to ensure that I am well taken care of, although initial planning required some adjustments. Silvia recommends the best part of Southern Sweden to me. The trip route met my requirements for hiking and national park tours . The hotels were chosen at the best central locations of the town for food and sightseeings by walking and its luxury . I was given a suite most of the stays. It is a well planned and value for money trip. We can trust Silvia

Activity Reviews

Gothenburg Like a Local - Customized Private Tour

Sweden

Kevin is very knowledgeable and extremely good guide. He provides me power point explanation of Sweden, it’s history, culture and the region development He walks with us from points to points regarding political, cultural and economic expects of Gothenburg and also showed us the old wall hidden in a cinema.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

The Art of Baking Danish Pastry

Copenhagen

Excellent, enjoyable and fun teaching

Quality of Experience

I would like to explain why we are giving the trip a score of 2.5. The country of Iceland is such a great place to visit. The weather was cooperative and nice. We saw so many great sights everyday.

Unfortunately, some of the services provided by KimKim were fair to good. I have planned many trips in the US and Canada, some for up to 3 months. We never had so many issues as we did with KimKim's service. The reason we decided to use your services is due to the fact we were not familiar with the country, their culture and norms and we were looking for a hassle free trip. This certainly was not the case.

Problems started when we went to get our car rental. Avis charged us for the full rental. I was surprised but charged it to my credit card. I contacted Silvia with my concerns with the rental charge that evening. She said we should not have been charged. I also told her that we did not get the wifi due to the large unplanned charge on my card. She asked that we send her a copy of the bill. We did a few days later. I do not know why the confusion with the rental charge. Regardless, it was quite upsetting.

We then started our adventure and everything was going well until we arrived in Vik. The hotel did not have any reservations for us. They called Silvia who said she had been trying to contact us and had been unable. We had internet only when we were at our hotel, and Silvia had been made aware that the car did not have Wifi per our decision due to extra incurred costs. After over 1/2 hour we were told to go to a different hotel. Silvia had complimentary drinks for us at the other hotel which was a nice gesture. Silvia also told us to get Wifi on our son's phone and she would reimburse the cost, which she did.

In Seydisfjordur we arrived at our hotel and settled in. It was not a great hotel like we had had since our arrival but OK. After 1/2 hour several people arrived at our door and were trying to get the key for the rental. We did not open the door. A while later this man came knocking at our door and asked us to speak to his boss, Ingrid. She explained she had contacted Silvia re: the change in room which was not communicated to us. We had to repact everything and move to a different room. Silvia apologized for the mix up and lack of follow-up.

In Akureyri, the room and location were abysmal. We could not find out which room was ours as the front desk door is looked and unmanned. Luckily this very nice person let us borrow his cell phone so we could call Silvia. She said she forgot to send us the updated info to the rental. We finally got it and were able to get in only to find out that it was set up for 1 person. Texted Silvia and after several more texts we were told to go to the locked office which is unmanned and get some linens and towels and make our beds. Need I say more? At least we each had our towel for our shower..
The location was not good and the place was run down to say the least. Giving a score of 2 would be more than adequate. I would say it was a step above sleeping in the car... Silvia was made aware of the hotel conditions. She offered us complimentary drinks to compensate for the hick up.

My son texted Silvie after the next place as it also had the reservation for 1 person. We then had to wait in the lobby until it was set up for the third person. Silvia texted back and said she would notify the next places we were staying at. It was good for 2 nights then again, the agent at the desk had reservations for only 1 person. We again had to wait for the extra linens and beds to be made. Very inconvenient. Gave up notifying Silvia and it was towards the end of the trip.

On the positive side, the itinerary was great with strategically placed hotels with not excessively long driving distances so we could enjoy the day and do many on the spur of the moment things. All but 2 of the reservations were very good to excellent. Silvia was always very pleasant when we interacted with her.

I am very disappointed in the services that were provided and which we paid for. Not what we expected.
Renee S.

Smooth coordination and pleasant experience with Silvia and the drivers / guides who

Silvia and Halldor were really professional in planning our trip from start to end. We felt very assured by their friendly and fun demeanor, clearly knowing what are the experiences we were hoping to get. Silvia remained contactable throughout our trip and we could count on her to get all our queries met, even in urgent situations when I had required unexpected medical attention. They also shared top experiences and food options for us to consider, making our role in the trip as just living our wanderlust!

Silvia planned an amazing trip for our family. After some challenges at the beginning of planning the trip with a bit of unresponsiveness by her partner, Silvia jumped in and made sure we were well taken care of, all of our questions were answered, and I felt much more confident with our upcoming trip details. Every aspect of the trip was perfect, and she was incredibly responsive via WhatsApp along the way while we were traveling. I highly recommend Silvia to work with in planning a trip to Iceland!

Traveling with two adults and three teenagers it is always tricky to find the right accommodations. Silvia not only found hotels for us in three different cities, they were charming places with a lot of character and located in very nice and convenient parts of town. When one hotel didn't have exactly the set-up we had asked for, requiring us to book an extra room on the fly, Silvia got us a refund so that we did not end up paying more. She was also a big help with transportation between sites, and had great recommendations for activities. She even met us at our hotel in Copenhagen with a gift bag of Swedish treats. We had a great time!

Thank you Silvia for the amazing trip itinerary and help along the way.

I was able to enjoy my Iceland the way I saw it 20 years ago. Unfortunately with technology evolution, we didn't get to cross rivers as bridges were built along the way. We didn't get the trill of crossing the rivers but it made it a safer travel.

We thank you for all the nice recommandations. Hotel and restaurants were to our satisfaction. Hotel 360 was amazing as well as Hrifunes Nature Park, Silica and Kerlingarfjoll Mountain Resort. Actually Kerlingarfjoll was my highlight. The suggested Hike was my best ever.

We were able to enjoy the beauty that Iceland nature had to offer. The falls, the volcanos, the glaciers, the geysers, hot mud, the iceberg and the ride was very different than what we are use to as well as beautiful as nature can get.

We have numerous photos and great memories to share.

Thank you again for your presence along the way. It was reassuring to know that you were there and easy to reach if needed.

Please keep safe
Diane xx