Kensington  Reviews 2,362

Enjoyed working with Arjun! He was very flexible with our many requests over 3 countries. He was also helpful with organizing tours, changing the timing of pickups to the airports and allow my 85 year old mother more time to get through security.

Everything was extremely organized, professional and punctual. Local guides were excellent. Travel support was great when I needed to make a change while already on location. I will travel with Kensington again and highly recommend it

It was a wonderful trip! it was a priority on my list and with kensington's help everything tuned out perfect!
Our guide Öslem was very knowledgeable and did everything to please all 4 of us! the choice of hotel in Istanbul was fabulous. The hotel in Kapadokya was nice but it needs to be refurbished. The food and breakfast was great though. It was nice that even with the rainy weather, all our activities were accomplished! We had a great time and wonderful memories

Destination expert interacts with you during planning, trip itself, and after. It is not a chatbot, support line, etc. type approach. That is a big plus.

Well organized, great guides, car meetings always on time, nothing left to chance.

Everything was so well planned. We had guides who were very knowledgeable and made the tours fun.

Fantastic journey from north to south in beautiful Taiwan. My guide, Ms. Ivy, is extremely kind and knowledgeable, and very attentive. Wonderful professional and person.
Our driver, David, is a very professional, punctual and very kind person.
At the end of my stay, Ms. Ruth and David picked me up and took me to the airport.
Ms. Ruth stayed with me through the entire check in process.
Thank you very much!

We went to New York City and everything except the flight was planned for us by Shaina. Our flights were delayed by 5 hours but they were still able to send us a driver to pick us up and was able to see the Empire State Building. All the activities were done by the most experienced knowledgeable guides. Jon and our food tour guides were awesome. I would definitely tell my friends about the whole experience. Statue of Liberty was super. It is true “New York city never sleeps”.

Moe Sami was our excellent destination expert. He helped us throughout the whole trip booking, postponing and executing. He was absolutely a joy to work with and was always very responsive, thoughtful and knowledgeable. We loved our trip to Egypt!!!!!

Great communication with our advisor Garland which allowed us to get the best itinerary for us. Our expectations were high and other than a few minor things they were completely met. The majority of guides were excellent with giving us a great cultural and educational experience. Great service with pickups and transportation. Guides were helpful when we had special requests, such as pharmacies in Siem Reap, restaurant recommendations, and a specific shopping request in Hanoi. In Siem Reap Tola added on a wonderful lunch experience outside of our itinerary which allowed us to fully experience a typical local experience. Yes the trip was expensive, but we felt the value in it.

We have used Kensington for many trips. They have been wonderful and we have felt very well taken care of. They have been attentive and very responsive to us and help create really personalized trips for us

James did a wonderful job planning with me for the perfect family trip to Ireland! Being able to tailor the experience to our family’s interests was the best part! The local guide,Juri, took wonderful care of us and was so knowledgeable and helpful.
We had so many very unique experiences that we would not have known about if it weren’t for the expertise of James and the local team on site. Thank you.

The individualization of planing.

Sahar put together the perfect trip to Spain and Portugal for my family of four. This was our second trip with Kensington and it will not be our last. I can’t believe everything we saw and experienced without feeling overwhelmed. Every guide was lovely, experienced, knowledgeable, and accommodating. I really felt like I could relax and enjoy the trip because Sahar and Kensington did all the hard work and planning for me. Thank you!

Due to the excellent service and attention to detail we were able to focus totally on our experiences without worrying about the logistic of making the experiences possible.

My clients, a Mother and Daughter, just travelled to Italy on a two week trip that was arranged by Farzana Iqbal at Kensington Tours.

Both clients are still raving about their experience and the skill and knowledge that Farzana applied to make their trip a lifetime experience to remember!

Farzana's attention to detail, knowledge of the region, connections to the various tour and hotel operators ensured this trip was a success!

As a Travel Agent I can also say that Farzana's capabilities made this experience easy for me down to every detail. Our clients were very impressed that we would hold 3 way calls to discuss the planning for their trip.

A couple things went wrong along the way, ie the clients missed a tour time, and misplaced their passports, but a quick call to Kensington resolved the issues very efficiently. What an amazing way to further impress our clients!

I highly recommend Farzana wherever she may be of service!

Working with Sepideh Mohseni and the Kensington Tours team on this Italy itinerary has been an exceptional experience defined by their proactive support and attention to detail. When a flight information mix-up threatened to disrupt the clients' arrival, Sepi immediately pivoted to arrange a new driver and meet-and-greet assistant to ensure a seamless transition. The trip was further elevated by Sepi’s personalized recommendations, such as a private chef dinner that my clients described as a major highlight of their journey. Her collaboration and ability to handle on-the-ground logistics so efficiently is exactly why Kensington is a trusted partner for luxury travel, making the entire planning process seamless and rewarding!

Regarding Reference Number: Har3T-501721
Guides: We had 6 guides.
• All were knowledgeable and successfully worked around some very rainy weather.
o A complaint and replacement for Guide #3 was requested to (+1) 888-776-1003. I was told that all changes had to be requested 2 weeks before the trip began. That isn’t helpful if you’re in a bad situation!
 I requested a replacement for Guide #3 as our Osaka Guide because she was extremely flustered as she attempted to move the three of us from Kyoto to Naoshima. We figured out that Guide #3 was placed in an untenable position by Kensington! A private black car wasn’t hired by Kensington (like it was in Nagoya & Tokyo) to take us to the Shinkansen with our 6 pieces of luggage. Instead, it appears that Kensington chose to send us by cab. Guide #3 attempted for 20 minutes to hail us a taxicab. She stood in the middle of the street and moved to different spots trying to hail a cab. It’s incredibly lucky for both Guide #3 and Kensington that she wasn’t hit by a car. Passersby remarked that she was going to get hit. One cab finally stopped and refused to take us because of the luggage. Time was running out to catch the Shinkansen. We were on a tight schedule to make the ferry in Uno. Guide 3’s only option was for us to take the subway to the Shinkansen station. We ran down the street with our luggage. We had to run down 3 sets of stairs in the subway carrying our luggage. We are all 74 years old. This was an uncalled for and an extremely strenuous requirement. Guide #3 was resourceful in getting us onto the subway and to the Shinkansen. She spoke to people in both stations to expedite our movement as we dragged our luggage. Guide #3 pulled one of the 6 pieces.
We missed our Shinkansen train and somehow made it onto either the next train or the following one. Guide #3 submitted a report, so the train details should be in there. Guide #3 was rattled. She was crying and apologetic. She was put in an unfair situation by Kensington. Our private black car was waiting at the Shinkansen. He had to navigate traffic quickly to make it to the Ferry in time. Guide #3 guided us through the island as best she could after the morning’s ordeal.

Guide #3 did a fine job as a guide for us in Osaka. Obviously, she was far less stressed!

Schedule:
o The train from Nagoya to Kyoto was scheduled too late. Our Kensington Agent should have recognized and discussed this with me. We should have left between 60-90 minutes earlier. This Hikari train left at 12:03 and arrived at 12:37. Our tour guide was supposed to meet us at the Kyoto hotel at 1:30. We hadn’t had lunch and we needed to collect our transferred luggage in Kyoto. Two hours of the four-hour tour was wasted collecting our large luggage which had been transported from Tokyo to Kyoto and finding a place to have lunch. This was poor planning by Kensington!!! We should have been on the 11:03 train Hikari 705 or an earlier one!!!

Hotels:
o I complained to the (+1) 888-776-1003 about our first hotel: the Gate Hotel because we didn’t receive luxe rooms. This, again, was our Kensington Agent’s error. He claims that he requested an upgrade to luxe rooms. I checked in my notes and it is different from the original class or rooms booked. HOWEVER, I took the latest itinerary with us and this had luxe rooms printed on it. It caused confusion, disappointment and a call to the 888 line.
o A huge issue for us was the Kyoto hotel. It’s location and ambience were terrible! We didn’t experience Kyoto’s charm in that location. We should have been in the Gion district! We booked this trip one year in advance! No excuses should be allowed for Kensington! We were in this hotel four nights and it was the worst hotel that Kensington placed us in. We wouldn’t consider this class of hotel in the USA, let alone in a foreign country! Kensington is supposed to be a luxury travel company. This hotel had an unacceptable restaurant in the basement that reminded us of a hospital cafeteria. It was no place to have a meal other than breakfast! This lodging was 33% of the nights that we spent in Japan. The rooms were the cheapest and smallest in the hotel. There wasn’t enough room to open our luggage because the bed took up the entire room! There were no restaurants nearby. On the day that we visited Hiroshima,the hotel sent us to a sushi restaurant 3 streets away where the proprietor was rude and demanding. The area had no decent restaurants to walk to. This episode was a reflection of the sub-par hotel placement by Kensington!! I complained to the 888- number. Worthless, phone call again!

We will not recommend Kensington Travel to our friends! Some have asked and we’ve shared our disappointment.

Jane Twinney at Kensington was an absolute rockstar.

This trip had a lot of moving pieces, and she handled it all with patience, expertise, and a deep understanding of Croatia. She helped us refine the itinerary through multiple iterations, always keeping us grounded in what would actually work while still creating something truly special.

Her recommendations, responsiveness, and ability to problem-solve made all the difference. I’m so grateful for her partnership and can't wait to work with her again.

This trip was truly the experience of a lifetime and every single moment felt unforgettable. From the very beginning, the experience was exceptional. During the booking process, our destination expert, Moe Sami, was extraordinary guiding us every step of the way, answering all of our questions, and making sure every detail was perfectly planned. His support set the tone for the entire trip.

From the moment we arrived in Cairo, everything was seamless and thoughtfully arranged, allowing us to fully enjoy the journey without any stress. At the airport, we were assisted with the visa process, which was incredibly smooth and stress-free after a long flight. Throughout the trip, that same level of care continued even when our return flight was unexpectedly canceled, our guide stepped in and helped us rebook a new flight home, which made a potentially stressful situation so much easier to handle.

Exploring Egypt was absolutely breathtaking. Seeing the pyramids and the Sphinx in person was something we’ll never forget—it’s one thing to see them in pictures, but standing there in real life is indescribable. The private tours made such a difference, especially visiting the Valley of the Kings and stepping inside King Tut’s tomb. Our guides were incredibly knowledgeable and brought so much history to life.

One of the highlights of the trip was the Nile River cruise. Sailing from Luxor to Aswan on a luxury ship was both relaxing and enriching. Each stop—Karnak, Luxor, Edfu, Kom Ombo, and Abu Simbel—was more impressive than the last. The Oberoi Zahra crew truly went above and beyond to make our experience unforgettable—they were attentive, warm, and always made sure every detail was perfect. They even made my husband’s birthday extra special.

The service on board was exceptional, the food was amazing, and waking up to those views every day was something special.

Even during moments of regional uncertainty, we always felt completely safe and well taken care of. The team was proactive, communicative, and reassuring, which gave us peace of mind throughout the trip and allowed us to fully enjoy the experience.

The transition to Jordan was just as incredible. Petra completely exceeded our expectations, the walk through the Siq and seeing the Treasury open up in front of you is something you must experience to believe. Wadi Rum was equally magical, with its vast desert landscapes and the unforgettable night in a luxury camp under the stars.

Every hotel, transfer, and excursion was perfectly coordinated. The balance between guided experiences and free time made the trip feel both immersive and relaxing. It’s clear that a lot of care went into planning every detail.

I can honestly say this was one of the best trips we’ve ever taken. It was worth every second.