Personalized trips to United Kingdom
for independent travelers

Justine was great. Entire trip was seamless and exceeded expectations. Hotels were excellent and tours were excellent. The weather allowed us extensive walking in each city. Very happy and would definitely use the Kim Kim team again.
toby

Hotel Reviews

The Grand, York

North Yorkshire

Get the breakfast buffet, amazing. Spa was great.

Authenticity & Character

historic and feels like the lux hotel it is

Location

Quiet and close to train station

Staff

proper

Cleanliness & Comfort

robes and slippers

The Yard in Bath

Bath

Great setting with great showers.

Authenticity & Character

cute as

Location

just enough away from the centre to be quiet

Staff

knowledgeable and helpful with directions

Cleanliness & Comfort

great bath towels

Activity Reviews

Walking Tour of Bath with a Blue Badge Tourist Guide

Bath

great guide, funny. Bob

Bath: Guided Ghost Tour

Bath

great guide

Quality of Experience

guide

Guides, Drivers and Staff

animated

we had an amazing family trip to the UK and the pre trip experience was great too! the itinerary was excellent with the hotel selections and the guided tours.

Hotel Reviews

The Yard in Bath

Bath

cute, well appointed, great location, friendly staff. we sat in the lounge after dinner the first night playing games, i also enjoyed sitting in the foyer with all the windows with my tea in the morning and a glass of wine at night.

Authenticity & Character

clean and nice simple design choices. lots of greenery in the foyer made for a beautiful entrance

Location

easy walk to the center of town

Staff

friendly, accommodating

Cleanliness & Comfort

rooms are small but the bathrooms are a good size - we had a huge shower with great water pressure and nice lotions/shampoo etc.

The Grand, York

North Yorkshire

2 minute walk from the train station and a short walk into the center of town so a perfect location for exploring and a beautiful hotel. we arrived at 7:30pm and had a delicious dinner in the restaurant which was so perfect after travelling all afternoon and i highly recommend the breakfast buffet. spa area was fine. our rooms were large, spotless and very comfortable. staff was very friendly and helpful. this might have been my favourite hotel of our week.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Walking Tour of Bath with a Blue Badge Tourist Guide

Bath

The walking tour of Bath with a Blue Badge Tourist Guide was a great way to get to know the city. The guide was informative and entertaining, and we got to see all the major sights. The group tour format allowed us to meet other travelers and share the experience. I would definitely recommend this tour to anyone visiting Bath.

Chocolate Bar Making at York Cocoa Works

York

chocolate bar making was a fun activity and the space was great. We preferred the authentic and smaller feel of the venue we visited. Overall, it was a great activity for the family.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

right in town - walked there

Visit to York Minster

York

self guided tour. was nice to have tickets pre booked and to get in early before the crowds

Quality of Experience

Bath: Guided Ghost Tour

Bath

our guide was fun and very knowledgeable. a fun activity to do after dinner.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

The Best of York on Foot

York

our guide Sarah was amazing. we loved this walking tour. small group size is nice and sarah is so knowledgeable, well travelled and well spoken.

Quality of Experience

great to do on our first day to get our bearings and learn so much history - nice to start at 10:30 as the kids were happy to sleep in!

Guides, Drivers and Staff

sarah was amazing

I recently finished The Trip of A Lifetime. It could not have gone any better!
It began with an Orientation Call from Jonathan . He explained how traveling and planning with KIMKIM works, asked questions regarding things I did and didn’t want to do, other personalization goals and budget.
I soon heard from my personal agent, Jane. We had great text conversations. Jane was patient with my endless questions and concerns; I was traveling alone for the first time, my first time international, and my first plane ride in nearly 20 years.
I proudly labeled myself as the anti-tourist, lol. I didn’t want to go near any trite locations that many tourists flock to just because everyone else does.
I wanted Ancient History, I wanted Ancient Religions, I wanted Archeology. Don’t send me to churches, don’t send me to rote performances. I wanted my own desires, not be a stereotype American Tourist.

Jane went to work straight away.

I had one location and specific dates that were mandatory: The British National Dressage Championship, September 14-17. I didn’t care when I went to nor left the UK. Everything built around that event.

Jane would send me ideas, questions, clarifications and I would send her ideas, questions, locations that looked to hold/meet my desires.
Jane was quick to learn me and my tastes, I’m an “odd bird”, lol, and very much an anti-tourist with different goals and expectations.
We clicked very well and spent six months planning my trip.

This was a TRUE bucket list trip.
I have an incurable blood cancer. It is dormant, yet it can become active at any time. This was my one and only time to physically navigate such a trip. I had been tested and scanned and was given the ok by my doctor to make this trip.

I had given Jane a rundown of my medical conditions and the limitations they impose on my strength, stamina, functions, etc..
She seamlessly worked assistance and help into every movement, hotel, travel and train.

The end result was a magnificent trip! Eleven cities in 30 days. Plus two days, one each way, of long distance travel.
I was supported, pampered and celebrated everywhere I went.
Jane, and her co-worker Flore were with me daily while I was actively traveling. We texted at least twice a day and I reported in daily to keep Jane and Flore apprised of my health(cancer).
They were on top of everything behind the scenes as well - there was a particular chain of hotels that my body found uncomfortable. Jane found an alternative option and we made the change. Flore discovered there was going to be a Train Strike that was going to impact my plans, so they found out more, made plan changes, asked me if I wanted to go with the pivot and we pivoted. Seamlessly. The whole trip was that simple; they handled every little detail and it put NO stress on me.
Jane, and Flore, also went above and beyond!
In one city I got digestively sick. I let Jane know I was cancelling an outing bc I was just too sick to leave the hotel. She checked in with me a number of times. There was once when I didn’t reply back in my normally swift manner, so Jane called the Reception/front desk and ask them to come to my room and check on me. Awww.
I wanted Ancient History - I got Roman, Celt, Pict, and more. I wanted Ancient Religion - Jane found a very Ancient Druid Worship site that dated back to 4,000 bc.
Yes. You read that correctly. That site was approximately 6,023 years only when I experienced it. It doesn’t get much older than that!
More Ancient History: I got to spend one night in a Castle, turned boutique hotel, built in 1380 ad.
Ancient archeology - one location had an active archeological dig site going on!
I even got to experience an archeological find I had seen discovered on The tv show called Time Team. All I knew of the day was I would be having a Private Guided Tour of an Ancient Roman city.
It was in the car ride over that the guides and I realized the destination was That One. I was fan-girling the entire drive over and the hours we were there. Other than a group of school children, I had the whole location to myself. BLISS. One of the guides even carried my phone and took candids as I walked along with the other guide. It turned out, as we said our goodbyes at my hotel, that they really enjoyed the day as well. They loved that I was so engaged, knew so many (few, really ) things, and wanted to learn so very much more.
And just how did it come about that I had such a glorious day? Jane. Jane found it - based on her knowledge of the UK and her knowledge about me.
I saw so many exciting things and places in 30 days, this day still shines brighter than the rest.
So
If you are of a mind to travel, KIMKIM is the only way to go.
Jane, and Flore, took my ideas and wants and needs, plugged in my sizable budget (see True Bucket List) and aligned them together for a breathtakingly beautiful and fantasmagorical experience.
I’d share more pictures here, yet I’ve 2,000 photos to search through - each a memory to delight in over and over.
Point being - I was listened to and made plans with a True Professional Travel Planner.
If I get to travel again, no matter the destination, I will always and only plan via KIMKIM.

Activity Reviews

Stonehenge, Cotswold villages, Avebury stone circles & Film Locations (from Bath)

Bath

This was a small group tour (maybe a dozen people) The driver was fantastic, personable, knowledgable and fun.

Quality of Experience

The Avery stone circle.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

He was kind to me - I am extra slow due to a bad knee. His narration was fun and geared well to his audience.

Transport

Smooth driving. Clean bus. Well appointed seating.

Tickets to Cardiff Castle

Cardiff

My only regret was my inability to climb 170 steps (each way up to and down from) to actually get to the ancient Keep. There is no alternative to the stairs.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Private transfer

Cardiff

I can’t say enough about having a caring and professional driver!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

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Shrewsbury

I like the pampered feel of someone else getting me to my destination - no stress and the driver is always personable.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Private transfer to your destination

United Kingdom

It is so nice to relax and enjoy the ride and the conversation with your knowledgable and professional driver!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Vindolanda

Hexham

My childlike wonder was alight. Seeing the last day of the active archeological site for the season was so cool. My geek flag flew high!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Private transfer

Hexham

I enjoyed both the luxury of being cared for as well as the personal interaction with a local person.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Private transfer in town

United Kingdom

It’s always nice to have transport that has had their assignment given in advance.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Three hour Tour around the Canal and Loch - Loch Ness with Urquhart Castle included

Inverness

Well, when this close to Loch Ness, you really must go for your trip to be complete, eh? It was a nice, though cold, ride over calm waters and properly narrated by the Captain. Once there, the Castle Ruin is lackluster. Though fully paved, the walkway is nothing BUT steep. I skipped walking the (very small) ruin and instead began the LONG STEEP walkway to the face/shop. I enjoyed the variety and bought some very functional cashmere socks and a very warm hat, both served me well during the remaining weeks of my trip. HOWEVER There is an EVEN STEEPER AND LONGER ascent to climb up to the parking lot and our tour bus. It was beyond exhausting, even for the Healthy people in our group. Yet, I’d have regretted not going - you only get one chance to be there.

Quality of Experience

Better walking path - handrails. Warning the it’s not so much a Castle Ruin as it is a glob of stones.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Private transfer to your accommodation. Then check-in or bag-drop

Stoke on trent

My Travel Planner, Jane, made plans for this amenity at every location and stop for all 30 days of my trip. I have a medical need that this planning assisted.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

London Globe Theatre Performance

London

It was so fun! The play, by William Shakespeare , is titled “As You Like It”. Upon knowing this I researched it and watched a few different movie versions. This allowed me to enjoy what was happening without wondering what the plot was; this turned out to be ideal.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

London Globe Theatre Tour

London

To be in a small group of 8 gave lots of time to really hear and understand, ask questions and still absorb the ambiance.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport