Kimkim Trip Reviews for England

Thank you to Kateryna who scheduled a wonderful vacation for my family (all 7 of us)! We spent 5 nights in London and 2 nights in Paris.

» Day 1 - We flew from NY JFK to Heathrow on an overnight flight. Sleeping on the plane helped us feel a little refreshed, but it takes a few days to become totally adjusted. There was a car service set up to take us directly from the airport to the hotel. We dropped our luggage at the NYX hotel (check-in isn't until 3) and then set out on a 3 hour private Black Cab tour. We needed two cars because of our group size. Our guides Lee & Matt were knowledgeable, entertaining, and hilarious. They have a preset tour that they do, but were super flexible and took us to Abbey Road because I'm a huge Beatles fan. Everyone loved the tour! After the tour, we were dropped off at the Borough Market where we got some of London's famous Strawberries and Chocolate cups. Then we walked about 35 minutes to the London Eye to finish off our day.

FYI - The NYX hotel is in the Holborn district of North West of London, a beautiful area. Also, throughout our trip, we tipped about 10 pounds per hour for our tour guides, which they very much appreciated.

» Day 2 - We did a Royal London two hour walking tour beginning at 10am with our guide Delianne. This included seeing the changing of the guard, Buckingham Palace, St. James’s Palace, Clarence House and the Green Park. Delianne is an expert in royal history and shares great stories about the rituals of the British monarchy.

In the afternoon we visited Westminster Abbey, a historic Gothic church in London, famed for hosting British coronations, royal weddings, and burials since 1066. It houses the tombs of monarchs like Elizabeth I and Edward the Confessor, memorials to literary giants such as Shakespeare and Dickens in Poets’ Corner, and the Coronation Chair used in every royal crowning since 1308.

» Day 3 - We took day 3 as a free day and split up to do different things. In the morning, some of us went to do a tour of Tottenham stadium while others visited Kensington Palace. Both groups had a great time and you couldn't go wrong with either choice.
In the afternoon we spent a few hours at the Churchill War Museums. If you love history and all things WWII, this is a must see.
FYI - Uber and cabs can get you everywhere you want to go, but the London Tube/subway was super easy to use and I definitely recommend using this transportation at least a few times.

» Day 4 - We went to the Tower of London, a historic citadel and castle. The Tower was originally a fortress that has served as a royal palace, prison, treasury, and is the current home to the Crown Jewels. We all absolutely loved the Beefeater-led tour!
FYI - Our Beefeater was named Andy Murray (just like the British tennis star).

After the Tower, it was off to see the state rooms at Buckingham palace.
FYI - There are 775 rooms in the palace, but you'll only get to see less than 20 state rooms. The most impressive part of the visit was the grand staircase.

We then set out for a 3 hour Cruise with dinner on the river Thames. Dinner was delicious, and the nighttime views of London from the Thames were absolutely breathtaking.

» Day 5 - We had a private driver take us about an hour away to the Harry Potter Warner Bros Studio. My family are huge Harry Potter fans, and they loved seeing the behind the scenes tour and the original film stages. We spent 5 hours there in the studio. This is a must stop if you're a Potter fan!

» Day 6 - We took the Eurostar train from London to Paris, France. A driver took us from the train station to our Paris hotel, Les Jardins d'Eiffel where we dropped off our luggage (check-in is at 2pm) and walked the 10 minutes over to the Eiffel tower. The hotel location was phenomenal, in a beautiful neighborhood with tons of restaurant options, beautiful Parisian cafes, and plenty of gift shops.

We thought London was great, but Paris (IMHO) was far more beautiful.

FYI - Even though we don't speak any French, we never had any communication problems anywhere. Everyone we spoke with could speak very good English, especially in this area.

We had nighttime Eiffel Tower Summit Tickets and loved going to the top which gave us great picture opportunities and a sunset view of Paris. As an added bonus, don't miss the Eiffel Tower sparkle!

» Day 7 - We did a 2.5 hour private Louvre Museum visit and our tour guide Pat was our favorite guide of all! She brings you through the museum at a perfect pace and we saw so many beautiful famous works of art, including selfies directly in front of the Mona Lisa!!

After the Louvre, we walked around neighborhoods, had dinner, and relaxed before our early morning commute back to the airport.

FYI - You can tap to pay for just about everything both in England and France, but plan on having English Pounds and French Euros for tipping.

In summary, this trip gave us memories we’ll cherish forever—from laughing with our guides to watching the Eiffel Tower sparkle at sunset. Traveling with family can be chaotic, but this journey was pure magic. KimKim planned a beautiful fulfilling vacation for my family, and I'd highly recommend them.

wonderful 8 day vacation for my family!

Kateryna was very responsive and helpful in planning our 3 day trip to London continuing into Southhampton for a cruise. We had a driver that could pick us up for transfer to port and they quickly took care of alternate transportation. A bit stressful but very quick to respond and find alternate transportation. I would use the service again in the future.

Activity Reviews

Thames Cruise with Dinner

London

Cruise sights were amazing at night. Dinner and on board entertainment were a bit cheesy! But it’s ok as sights made up for the cheese lol

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Tower of London Beefeater Welcome & Crown Jewels

London

Very interesting and educational experience! A private tour guide option might have added to overall experience

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

I

Discover London in a Private Black Cab

London

Great interactive tour even though we were exhausted from just arriving!

Quality of Experience

I’m

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Kate goes above and beyond in making sure that the travellers are kept up to date and have all their questions answered. She is prompt and very diligent. For those who are new to world travelling and do not know their way around, I think having such a thoughtful person as a pre-travel planner is helpful as it gives you the peace of mind.

Hotel Review

The Covent Garden Collection

London

I was disappointed with the apartment and I made it known to Kate. I tried reaching out to the apartment owners but they never responded. They were low on stocks and should have provided decent amount for a 5 day stay. The whole building had a smell. And the location, while very fun and lively for young folks, was very noisy and difficult to sleep at night with the noise (this is something we should have been told of since we had kids).

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Everything

Cleanliness & Comfort

Smell, more stock of paper towel and supplies

Activity Review

Tower of London Beefeater Welcome & Crown Jewels

London

For those who are very very new to travelling outside their country and not used to using the internet to search and find their own things to do, this activity is ok. But otherwise, this was not worth it. We travel a lot around the world and often organize our own travel. With KimKim we thought we are buying something extra such as comfort, or customization and special care. But in the end, we realized that we could have planned this trip ourselves for less and the same amount of comfort. The Tower of London falls in the same category. We made the mistake of not checking very thoroughly from yelp/google reviews what this tour entails. So I'm not blaming anyone here at KimKim. I would just caution travellers - they should do their own homework first and then coordinate with a pre-travel planner.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

our advisor Marianna was absolutely fantastic! She assisted us all the way through from beginning to end of trip! The tours were fabulous and our guides for excursions were very knowledgeable and friendly. 5 star all the way!!

Hotel Reviews

The Independent Hotel

Rome

The location is very close to the main bus terminal so makes it easy to get around! We enjoyed our balcony views and the breakfast in the morning is very delicious! I would've given it 5 stars if the bathroom would've had counter space...our bathroom only had a pedestal sink so it made it much more difficult to do daily routine bath things. Other than that it was really good.

Authenticity & Character

Location

close to public transportation

Staff

They were all friendly and helpful and bilingual

Cleanliness & Comfort

Just needed more bathroom counter space

Wellington Hotel by Blue Orchid

London

The Wellington is located within walking distance to West Minster Abbey and the Eye and so many incredible things!!! And also close to the Victoria Station tube. The staff were very friendly.

Authenticity & Character

beautiful grounds and architecture

Location

walking distance to everything!!!!

Staff

very friendly!!

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Pasta & Tiramisu Cooking Class in Piazza Navona

Rome

SO MUCH FUN!!!! and we met such a great couple from Italy! and you get to eat the food you make! ;)

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

we took public transport to this activity and my only suggestion is to make sure to give yourself about an hour+ before the class starts cause the bus stops often!! whew!!

Transport

Colosseum Underground Tour with Arena, Palatine Hill & Roman Forum

Rome

The Colosseum tour is a MUST!!!! We had our own private tour with Rosanna (??) (Roxi) and she was a treasury of knowledge!!! The tour is a must

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Rome with Golf Cart at Night with Pizza & Ice Cream

Rome

This was SO MUCH FUN!!!! Our guide took us to so many places!!! our tour ended up being 4 hours long!! That did include dinner and dessert, but she covered almost every square inch of the city for us. To see the coliseum at night was amazing!!!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Our tour guide's name was Flavia and she was amazing!! I highly recommend requesting her!

Transport

Private transfer in Rome

Rome

Private transport to and from the airport is a must! They are super prompt and friendly.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

our guides and drivers were excellent!

Transport

Private transfer to your destination

England

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

We thoroughly enjoyed our trip through England. Tetiana was so helpful in planning and preparation – and during the trip itself – it gave us a real sense of comfort on our journey.

Two of the suggested activities that stood out were the private tours. Our first day black cab ride with John, who clearly has The Knowledge, provided a most welcoming and informative experience. He's a gem. Another highlight was our black cab private tour of the Cotswolds. Once again, our cabbie Adge gave us a post-graduate course in architecture, literature, and history of Bath and environs. We felt like we were being shown around by a friend who was happy to welcome us to his home.

Train travels were well organized and we were able to walk to our hotels in most cases. Reassuringly, Tetiana was always available when we had questions.

Hotel Review

The Sanctuary House Hotel

London

Right in Westminster, a short walk to Buckingham Palace, this place lives up to its name. Peaceful nights in central London seemed unlikely, but we were happily surprised to barely notice any traffic or other goings on during our stay.

Location

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Charming Private Cotswolds Tour

Bath

Adge was a gem. Brimming with knowledge about Bath and the Cotswolds, we were treated to a relaxing educational experience which gave us equal measures of feeling at ease, and in awe.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Adge was the ultimate ambassador for the Cotswolds.

Transport

Discover London in a Private Black Cab

London

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

John was knowledgeable and accommodating - off to Abbey Road? Why not!

Transport

The 'new' electric cabs are the best

Incredible trip!!! Working with Rachel from high point holiday was such an amazing experience ! She was thorough, efficient, knowledgeable and always the upmost professional !

We travelled through Scotland, whales and England for about a month and literally every day we had plans, tickets, restaurant recommendations and every day was better than the last!

We stayed in about 12 diff hotels ranging from castles, mansions, old brownstones, resorts and a few more traditional. Each of them met or exceeded our expectations (and I am picky)

With soo many logistics we thought we’d run into at least 1-2 hiccups but literally zero went wrong!! Everything was planned out exceptionally ! We could not have been happier with our experiences and cannot wait to work with Rachel and her team again!

Thank YOU!!!!

Hotel Review

Inverlochy Castle Hotel

Fort William

Inverlochy Castle Hotel was fantastic, but the lack of air conditioning was a downside. It was quite hot during my stay, which made it less comfortable. However, the castle itself was beautiful, and it was a unique experience.

Activity Reviews

Bodleian Library Tour

Oxford

The Bodleian Library Tour in Oxford was disappointing. It was supposed to be two back-to-back tours; however, the guide combined them and cut the duration short. We didn't even get to see a book in the library, which was quite frustrating.

Liverpool History, Heritage & Culture Private Walking Tour

Liverpool

The Liverpool History, Heritage & Culture Private Walking Tour was amazing! Our guide was fantastic and really made the city come alive for us, even though we were only there for half a day.

While all the guides were friendly and knowledgeable, James of Zing Tours was far and away the best, especially when it came to interacting with our children.

Hotel Reviews

No 15 Great Pulteney

Bath

Location

The Peacock at Rowsley

Matlock

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Wilde Aparthotels, London Paddington

London

Activity Reviews

Private Transfer from Bath to London Heathrow Airport

England

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Bath Private Tour

Bath

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Chatsworth House

England

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Haddon Hall

England

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Explore the Peak District with a Private Driver Guide

Peak District

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Peak District

England

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Hampton Court Palace

London

Oxford University and City Walking Tour

England

Afternoon Tea at Fortnum & Mason

London

Westminster Abbey

London

London Eye Fast Track Tickets

London

Jane and team set us up with a wonderful trip to England and Scotland. All our accommodations were top notch and excursions were wonderful!

Three generations explored London, Paris and Amsterdam, myself, my son, daughter-in-law, grandson (16) and granddaughter (11), through a wonderful itinerary made possible by Aleksandra. Though we had only a little over 2 months to put together a 12 day European trip, Aleksandra worked with us via email and Zoom calls answering a multitude of questions and clarifying the itinerary.

She especially saved the day (precisely 4 nights in London) when upon arrival we found inadequate hotel rooms, as it was not the beds we thought we had for five people. After notifying Aleksandra, she promptly corrected the situation with a third room at no charge. Her efforts were greatly appreciated and it allowed us to enjoy London stress free. Two separate days of London tours were broken up with a private tour with John our driver, to Stonehenge and Bath. It was a lovely day to experience both of those fascinating places.

On to Paris and of course the sparkling Eiffel Tower at night. We enjoyed the view on a late evening Seine River cruise and also during our trip to the top of the Eiffel Tower on another evening. We especially loved the Versailles bike tour led by Jean-Baptiste where we biked to the Sunday market to purchase our picnic food for lunch and continued a bike tour of the grounds and ponds until it was time for entry into the palace. In Paris, we loved the private cooking class at Cookin' With Class where Chef Christian taught us how to make chocolate candies, truffles and our own personal chocolate bars. He was excellent with the kids and revised the marshmallow recipe due to an an egg allergy in our family. Chef Christian made it a fun, hands on experience for all of us and so much chocolate to take home!

Amsterdam was charming with our Hotel Mai facing a lovely canal in the older section of the city. Anne Frank House was a must see and we found it very emotionally moving. De Kas is a farm to table restaurant where we had one of our best meals. Imagine eating for 3 hours, trying so many fresh, delicious dishes and desserts. On a day trip, Erik our driver and guide took us to see working windmills and the small village of Giethoorn where we boated down the canal to a lake with over a hundred swans.

We thank Aleksandra for helping us plan a wonderful European trip that we shall long remember.

We have used Kimkim before and loved the experience. However, this trip was deeply disappointing. My husband’s bucket list item was to do a private Inner Circle tour of Stonehenge. When we booked with Aleksandra, we specifically asked to secure this tour as soon as possible because we knew it could fill up. Her response was, “We always have guides for that. It’s no problem.”

Well, it was a problem. We were at Stonehenge during the summer solstice, when it’s closed for private tours. Aleksandra didn’t inform us of this until right before our trip. Had we known this back when we booked three months earlier, we could have adjusted our itinerary — for example, visiting Stonehenge at a different time or going to Spain first.

Summer solstice happens at the same time every year, and Stonehenge’s closure for private tours is a predictable, annual event. If Aleksandra were truly an expert on England, she should have been aware of this and flagged it immediately. Even more frustrating, had she reached out to a guide when we requested it in March, she would have discovered the conflict then, giving us time to adjust our plans.

This was a major letdown on what was meant to be a once-in-a-lifetime experience.

There were many other things she missed the boat on. We went to castle combs for three nights with no car and no grocery store in town. There were only two restaurants in town and one you needed a reservation When we told people we had no car there they couldn’t believe it. Oh, and no taxis. So we were stuck at the same restaurant for three days. Although, lovely town. Go for only one night or just lunch.

Hotel Reviews

Fox Den Cottage

Castle Combe

Authenticity & Character

Location

Castle Combs was beautiful but nothing to do for three nights. Only two restaurants no grocery store

Staff

Neighbor doesn’t seem too happy with renters.no staff to ask questions

Cleanliness & Comfort

The Hoxton, Southwark

London

The one good thing about the trip. Hotel was great.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Stonehenge and Bath

England

We liked our guide but so many problems! For example we booked Bath but Aleksandra said oh sorry it doesn’t make sense to go to Bath. She told us a week before we left. Because of timing, we couldn’t do Bath. This was soooooo frustrating. She messed up so many times.

Quality of Experience

On our private tour, we were standing outside a fence because Kimkim messed up the tour.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Our guide was great.

Transport

A Walking Tour of Big Ben and Westminster Abbey

London

Guide was good.

Aleksandra was amazing in guiding us with our first trip overseas to London, Paris, and Normandy. She was able to develop an awesome itinerary based on our desired sightseeing requests as well as offer additional points of interest to consider and she coordinated and purchased tickets for the tours, hotel accommodations, drivers, and other modes of transportation. All we had to do was book our flights.

The trip could not have gone any smoother with little to no issues during the ten day trip. She also checked in with us to make sure things were going well. You could not go wrong with Aleksandra!

Hotel Reviews

Hôtel A La Villa des Artistes

Paris

Right in the heart of Paris! What more could you want!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Chambres d'hôtes du Bas Manoir

A great countryside bed and breakfast outside of Caen for our stay in Normandy. The owners were quite friendly and delightful. The residence was built in the 16th century and was bombed on D-day, which made it that much more special to us.

Authenticity & Character

A 16th century residence and bombed on D-day, how authentic can you get!!

Location

Staff

Very friendly older couple.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Plaza Elysées

Paris

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Blakemore Hyde Park Hotel

London

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Palace of Versailles Day Trip With Driver Guide

Paris

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

City & University Tour – Oxford Walking Tours

England

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Churchill War Rooms & WW2 Westminster Private Tour

London

One of my favorite tours as a World War II buff. Plenty of history and gives you and understanding what went on in the bunkers!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Thames Cruise with Dinner

London

Relaxing evening on the Thames with great food and sights from the river.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Hop-on hop-off sightseeing bus

London

Great place to start your stay by getting your bearings and layout of the city.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

I'm thrilled to share our incredible 9-day family trip to England, which exceeded our expectations in every way. I would rate our overall experience a 9/10, and I cannot recommend both England as a destination AND our amazing travel agent Kateryna highly enough!

What made this trip truly special was having everything seamlessly handled for us. Kateryna arranged all our accommodations, transportation (including private drivers and train tickets), and event tickets. The peace of mind that came with having every detail professionally managed allowed us to simply enjoy our vacation. Her expertise really showed in the quality of experiences she curated for us. And any time we had a question while on the trip, she was extremely quick to respond.

We explored London, York, Oxford, and the charming Cotswolds villages. Our itinerary was perfectly balanced, including iconic sites like Westminster Abbey and Buckingham Palace, cultural experiences at the British Museum and Harry Potter Studio, and unique adventures like our Secret Food Tour in Soho.

The private drivers and guides were a game-changer - traveling on our own timetable with just our family was luxurious and efficient. The trains ran smoothly with easy-to-navigate stations. Special shout-out to Eddie from Good Vibes Tours, who made our day absolutely memorable!

The Grand in York was phenomenal - spacious rooms, perfect location, and their afternoon tea was the epitome of a proper English experience. The Academy in London had great atmosphere in its Georgian townhomes setting, though some service issues arose. The Malmaison in Oxford served its purpose with a good location.

Early June was ideal - beautiful weather with minimal rain, and manageable crowds since schools weren't out yet. The food scene was excellent, especially our food tour with Tom King and that unforgettable afternoon tea at The Grand.

Bottom line - Kateryna created a trip that perfectly balanced must-see attractions with unique experiences, all while handling every logistical detail. For anyone considering England, I highly recommend both the destination and Kateryna's professional services. She made our family vacation absolutely magical!

Hotel Reviews

Malmaison Oxford

Oxford

The location of the hotel was fantastic. Close to the train station while also being close to the local attractions. It's a renovated prison which gave it an interesting character. My biggest complaints were that the rooms were very small, only one elevator worked, and the restaurant was overpriced.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

The hotel was clean. It was the size of the rooms that made it not very comfortable.

The Grand, York

North Yorkshire

The Grand was amazing. The hotel itself is beautiful. The location was fantastic - close to the train station but also close to local attractions. Our room was extremely large and well appointed. The bathroom was amazing. And the food was great. We ate in the bar as well as having afternoon tea in the restaurant. Both were delicious. And the afternoon tea was everything a proper English tea should be.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

The Academy London

The location of the hotel was great -- close to tube stations and great restaurants. Our room was large; however, the bathroom was small. My biggest complaints resolved around service. Our room safe wasn't working when we arrived. I reported it multiple times and was assured that maintenance would look at it. Even though we were there four nights, it was never fixed. I requested extra blankets twice -- they never arrived. I also requested a room that didn't face the street and was assured the room didn't. However, when we checked in, it did.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Cotswolds Tour, Oxford to Bath

Oxford

The Cotswolds Tour from Oxford to Bath was a wonderful experience, greatly enhanced by Christopher, our driver who engaged well with my daughter.

Iconic Oxford Private Walking Tour

Oxford

The Iconic Oxford Private Walking Tour was a great experience, led by a charming Oxford student. Unfortunately, it did fall during their school finals though so we weren't able to view all of the rooms of the Bodleian Library which I had been looking forward to.

Amazing Tour of Harry Potter Warner Bros Studio with Private Transfer

London

The Harry Potter Warner Bros Studio tour was fantastic, definitely a highlight of the trip for my daughter. Our driver was flexible and even got us there early, allowing extra time to enjoy all the magical details.

Westminster Abbey

London

Westminster Abbey was wonderful, although I preferred York Minster as it was so much less crowded. Regardless, the history and architecture were stunning.

London Secret Food Tour

London

The London Secret Food Tour with Tom was so much fun! He engaged with different couples throughout the evening, making it personal and enjoyable for everyone. We had a great time tasting various foods in a small group setting.

British Museum, self-guided tour

London

The British Museum was good and offered a large collection of exhibits. We enjoyed our self-guided tour there.

The Royal London Tour: Changing of the Guard and More

London

The Changing of the Guard tour was fun, although our tour guide wasn't as engaging with kids compared to others we had on the trip. She mostly talked to me and my husband, which was fine, but it could have been better tailored for my daughter.

Stonehenge & Jurassic Coast Private Tour

London

Our driver, Eddie, suggested a substitute tour for the planned Stonehenge & Jurassic Coast tour due to weather, and it ended up being awesome! We visited a couple of castles, Canterbury Cathedral, the White Cliffs of Dover, and an old pub from 1610. It was a day full of surprises and great experiences.

Thames Cruise with Dinner

London

The Thames Cruise with Dinner was really enjoyable. The food exceeded my expectations, which were initially low due to it being a cruise. My only subtle complaint, unrelated to the tour itself, is that it was summer, so it didn't get dark until towards the end of the cruise, but the skyline was gorgeous once it did.

Tower of London Beefeater Welcome & Crown Jewels

London

The Tower of London was pretty much everything I expected. It was an enjoyable experience and full of history.

Discover London in a Private Black Cab

London

Our black cab tour was awesome. Our driver was so friendly and knowledgeable. Despite having a grumpy teenage girl with us, he was excellent at making her laugh and enjoy the experience. We really enjoyed the tour and learned a lot!

There were major issues with transfers. When we arrived to Barcelona, the transfer was 30 minutes later. On our way back to the airport in Barcelona, the transfer vehicle was not the correct size and not large enough to accommodate our luggage. The black cab tour was not an actual black cab, it was a silver taxi, it had no AC and extremely hot. The whole experience was terrible. The changing of the guards but not up close at all, we were stuck behind huge groups and not private or personalized as it was mentioned to us while booking. There was a huge mess also with Costa Brava day trip. The guide messaged up the day before indicating we needed to meet him in Giorna which is 1.5 hours away from our hotel, which was not what was discussed with Stephen. We had to call them and deal with that hassle to get that sorted which added so much stress in the vacation while taking care of our toddler. We would not book with Kim Kim ever again. The agents don’t pay attention to detail, book terrible transfer companies and misrepresent what our experiences will be. Terrible experience! Do not recommend at all. Zicasso is much better to go with.

Activity Reviews

Private Day Trip to Costa Brava's Coastal Villages

Barcelona

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Private transfer

Spain

Horrible transfer company

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Private Tour Guide Changing of the Guard to the Palace of Buckingham

London

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Not private or close up at all

Transport

Private transfer to your destination

England

Not a black cab at all, it was silver taxi and no AC in the heat. TERRIBLE

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

40th Anniversary Celebration to London, Paris, and Normandy
Planning this trip was a totally awesome experience. Working with Alexsandra could not have been easier. She worked with us to provide great accommodations and events that fit exactly what we wanted to do during our 12 day trip. We were able to add, remove, and modify anything we needed. When one of the items was not available, Alexsandra was able to move one day's activities to a different day and add another tour that was only available on a specific day! She also handled all of our transportation needs via trains and taxis during the entire stay (other than flights to and from our home and a rental car). She also made a great suggestion that we walk instead of taking a taxi from our hotel to a train station because it would be significantly faster than taking a taxi (and seeing the traffic backup on our walk, she was right!). We were able to request an earlier pick-up time for the taxi to the airport and Alexsandra handled it quickly and made sure we had proper confirmation.

Our trip included 5 days in London, 4 days in Paris, and a day trip to Caen (Normandy). There is no easy way to pick a favorite part of our trip because it was all so wonderful. In England our day trip via train to Windsor Castle and Oxford along with our tour of the Palace of Westminster (British Parliament) topped the list. In Paris, our private tour of Versialles, along with the Montmartre area were highlights of those days. Our day trip to Normandy to see the history and drive through the small towns was something we will never forget.

I would highly recommend using KimKim for your travel needs if you want control of planning your trip and activities, while using the expertise of a person knowledgeable in the area you are travelling to help coordinate the activities and handle the logistics. We did not want to just be a part of a big tour group; we wanted to experience things mostly on our own.

If you are traveling to the United Kingdom, I would highly recommend Alexsandra to assist you in your travel planning.

Our experience with KimKim was incredible and we will use KimKim again for travel in the future.

Hotel Reviews

Hôtel A La Villa des Artistes

Paris

Staff was friendly and helpful. Rooms were clean and updated. Rooms are a bit small but not out of line for large city accommodations. Breakfast was a little lacking with the food on the buffet not being restocked while we were eating. We had to store our luggage upon early arrival and they had to store it out in the lobby behind the bar. Nothing was missing but it provided a bit of concern.

Chambres d'hôtes du Bas Manoir

A very lovely and charming bed and breakfast just outside of Caen, France. The owners were friendly and pleasant. The breakfast was simple with breads, pasteries, homemade yogurt and jams, and fruit (some grown on the property). Though over 300 years old, the rooms clean and well furnished with spacious and updated bathrooms. Note that this property does not have air conditioning and the room we stayed in did not have any windows that could be opened. The temperature during our stay was not unbearable so this was not an issue; however, it could be during higher temperatures.

Hotel Plaza Elysées

Paris

Great location just north of Boulevard Champs Elysees. Clean room with nice ammenities. The staff was friendly, but was not responsive to issues after we checked in. The room was hot when we arrived late in the evening and it took a while for the air conditioning to be turned on in our room. Each room had a fan, but ours was not working. After bringing this to the attention of the front desk and being promised to have it looked at, we never heard from them. The room eventually cooled down sometime after midnight.

Blakemore Hyde Park Hotel

London

Great location within 5 minute walk of 2 tube stations which allow you access to major attractions. Hotel was clean and roomy for a large city hotel. The staff was helpful and friendly. The breakfast was very good providing a traditional English breakfast buffet.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Although not located next to many of the traditional tourist attractions, this hotel was close to 2 tube stations which made it easy to travel to many locations within the city. 3 minute walk to the Kensington Gardens. Many pubs and restaurants also close by.

Staff

Friendly and helpful staff. Handled a request for an extra sheet promptly.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Very clean and comfortable.

Activity Reviews

Private Transfer from Paris to Paris Charles dea Gaulle Airport

France

We used this company 3 times during our stay in Paris and each time they communicated with us prior to arrival, at arrival, and got us to our location with no issues. From our hotel to the airport, the driver was early and got us there on time. The driver was helpful, courteous, and friendly.

Palace of Versailles Day Trip With Driver Guide

Paris

We had never been on a private tour before and after this experience we will consider these more in the future! Our driver and guide Paul picked us up at our hotel and drove us out to the Palace. On the way he provided the history and background we needed to better understand what we were going to see. He answered questions and provided pleasant conversation during the entire trip. Once there, he managed us into the gardens and palace without any delays or waiting in line. He allowed us to take pictures and ask questions while moving us through and keeping us on schedule. He had a wealth of knowledge about the subject and again provided us with information we would not be able to get if we had toured on our own.

Quality of Experience

A private tour made the trip to the palace more informative

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Paul was fantastic! Pleasant and courteous.

Transport

Clean and comfortable vehicle

City & University Tour – Oxford Walking Tours

England

Wasn't sure what to expect when we arrived but was pleasantly surprised. Led by a graduate student, we received a ton of information about the area and the university that we would have never been able to get on our own. Excellent guide who made the trip enjoyable.

Thames Cruise with Dinner

London

This was a very pleasant surprise of our trip. We had initially planned to remove this, but changed our minds and glad we did. The cruise started down the Thames with the first course of our meal and live music to entertain us. When we reached the turn around point, we were fed our main course and dessert which was excellent! The gentlemen provided entertainment following the meal. The setup of the boat was great. The views travelling back as the sun set and the lights of the city illuminated, were fabulous.

Quality of Experience

Food

Excellent

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Churchill War Rooms & WW2 Westminster Private Tour

London

If you are into WWII history this is a must see! Our guide was imformative and knowledgeable. He presented the a lot of information while walking us from the meeting point to the actual museum. Many of the items are as they were when the war ended, and the rooms were abandoned.

Hop-on hop-off sightseeing bus

London

Great way to see the sights without needing additional transportation. Easy to hop on and off. We did this on our first day after travelling overnight. It helped us get our bearings and see areas that were not on our itinerary later in our stay. We were delayed with heavy traffic.

Our family of 5 (3 x 13yo's) had an amazing experience thanks to Kate's plans! We loved the personalized itinerary, including the private transfers to/from airports, and day trip to Stonehenge and Windsor. Our guide and driver Christopher was extraordinary: informative and thorough. We even saw the King at Windsor (not part of the itinerary!). The kids loved seeing Mathilde. Having a relaxed schedule that fit our needs yet allowed us to hit the high points of London took the stress out of planning and answered the "what are we doing and when" questions. Highly recommend!

Activity Reviews

The Royal London Tour: Changing of the Guard and More

London

Delienne's experience having worked in the royal household was amazing. She knew where to stand and position us before the bulk of the crowds did which gave us a perfect viewing opportunity for the whole experience. Her insider stories were fascinating.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Delienne is a gem!

Tower of London Beefeater Welcome & Crown Jewels

London

Our family enjoyed the tour with the Yeoman Warders and visiting the crown jewels. Not sure if were were supposed to have a personalized tour, but it worked out fine in the end.

Quality of Experience

We got some one to one time with a Yeoman Warder and the personalized Q&A was a highlight for the kids.

Hampton Court Palace, Windsor Castle & Stonehenge Private Car Tour from London

London

Christopher arrived early to pick us up and after navigating thick London traffic had us promptly on our way to Stonehenge. We stopped at Woodhenge first to get an understanding of the archeological age of the henge as well as begin thinking about skills and knowledge neolithic Brits had to possess to begin building these structures. Christopher's knowledge of Stonehenge and the surrounding areas, as well as his ability to avoid some of the heavy traffic around the site made the visit easy and informative. After a quick bite, we headed on our way to Windsor. I truly wish we had more time here. The royals were in residence and we did catch a glimpse of the king while touring the castle. The town of Windor and Eton are easily worthy of a full day to explore and shop. Photos inside the castle grounds are not allowed.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Christopher was superb!

Transport

Very comfortable large touring van gave us plenty of room to enjoy the drive.

Discover London in a Private Black Cab

London

Driver gave us a thoroughly personalized tour. He knew my teen daughter loved music so places that influence Taylor Swift, Oasis, Beatles and more were highlighted much to her amazement. We got photos of our family crossing Abbey Road. The stop at St. Bart's hospital and church were meaningful as we not only visited the spot of William Wallace's execution (and current shrine in his honor), the incense-laden chapel happened to have a small trio of musicians practicing with hymns echoing about this ancient shrine. Our tour concluded at the Black Dog Pub for a Sunday roast and the echoes of Taylor in my daughters head. A++

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Transportation easily accommodated family of 5.

We are four older retired folks that wanted to enjoy England for 6 days before going on a wonderful cruise into Norway and the Arctic Circle. We contacted KimKim and were put in contact with Kate, the KimKim travel planner. We had some general areas we wanted to see in England and Kate took that input and built a trip plan that was fantastic. We went to Stonehenge, Bath (Roman Baths), Canterbury, the White Cliffs of Dover and several sites in/around London. We had private tour guides and drivers, arranged by Kate and we saw Windsor Castle, London Tower, Westminster Abbey, Changing of Guard (the private guide was able to have us see the practice parade for the Kings Birthday coming in Mid June). We had the best guide for the V&A museum (Mr. Robert Miller). Even though we only spent 3 and 1/2 hours in the V&A museum, we had a great time and Mr. Miller made it all worthwhile. His expertise and explanations/history gave us the perspective of the historical items we were viewing. We only saw about 10 % of the 144 areas in the museum, which means we have to return to London to enjoy the rest. We cannot thank Kate enough for her excellent trip plan and being there for mid course changes, driver time updates and points of contact. Kate was superb, we highly recommend KimKim and Kate for any England based trip.

Hotel Review

De Vere Beaumont Estate

Windsor

The De Vere Beaumont Estate is fantastic and we would stay there again if we come back to England. Quiet (with the exception of the airport (Heathrow) nearby), elegant, excellent dining and bar areas.

Authenticity & Character

Location

country type estate

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Victoria & Albert Museum, Private Tour

London

Our Guide - Mr. Robert Miller - was fantastic. Very well educated, knew the museum inside and out. Gave us what we wanted, which was an overview of selected areas out of the 144 museum categories.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

The Royal London Tour: Changing of the Guard and More

London

Superb Guide. This guide was able to get us to view the practice parade for the upcoming Kings birthday. She had a lot of history stories to tell that were quite entertaining.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Discover London in a Private Black Cab

London

Excellent Driver, excellent advice for restaurants, especially Fish and Chips

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

All three guides were excellent — David in London, Alfred in York and Jamie in Edinburgh.

Hotel Reviews

Aparthotel Adagio Edinburgh Royal Mile

Edinburgh

For what it is, a family hotel with minimum service, it worked very well for us. Room configurations, breakfast and location were just what we wanted.

Hilton York

York

Great location, very good lunch breakfast and dinner, with fine service.

Leonardo Royal Hotel London City - Tower of London

London

Excellent city location, great breakfast and service.

Activity Reviews

Private visit of Mary King's Close

Edinburgh

We felt that this time could have been better utilized in a personal tour of Edinburgh.

Private Day Trip from Edinburgh to Loch Lomond, and Stirling

Edinburgh

An excellent view of the Lowlands, Sterling Castle and Loch Lomond with a high energy and very agreeable guide, Jamie McGregor.

Edinburgh Castle Tickets

Edinburgh

We would have liked a personal tour for our 10 people of the Edinburgh Castle rather than the audio tour. Separately we felt that a personal tour of the Old Town, Prince Gardens, Princes Street, and maybe the New Town, would have added to our enjoyment.

Private Walking Tour of York

York

A really excellent tour in a fascinating city with our great guide Alfred.

Private transfer to your destination

England

For any vehicle to get the 80 yards from the side street on which our hotel was located to the adjacent main road took 15 minutes every morning due to the slow light. This made our train connection very tight, and the kids were unable to visit Harry Potter’s Platform 9 3/4.

Villages of the Cotswolds - private tour from London

London

Our Cotswolds trip was tailored specifically to our family needs since we have relatives the area.

Best of Royal London - including Tower of London and Changing of the Guard

London

Could have used another 30 mins in the Tower. We did not see the Changing of the Guard as had been advertised since this currently occurs only Mon, Wed, Fri.

The London Dungeon

London

Really for kids only, and they enjoyed it greatly.

Chris was amazing as well as our Cambridge tour guide! Loved them!

Jane and her team did an amazing job setting up and organizing our trip. She listened to all our requirements, and we were able to everything on our wish list. She was even able to arrange a special tour to the White Cliffs of Dover with GoTours, even though they normally don’t do that tour on Sundays. All the tour guides were exceptional, especially Daniel in Glastonbury, David for Stonehenge & Crop Circles, and Christian for the White Cliffs of Dover. Thanks for a fabulous trip!!! Will definitely use Kim Kim again.

Our trip to Scotland was good. Also Pauline was our main contact person. Though I know Flore did many of our bookings (thank you Flore) we really didn't have many interactions with her, it was all with Pauline. Pauline was always very reassuring and listened to what our wants and needs were and any concerns we might have had.
Our favorite place we stayed was the Whispering Pines, we wish we could have had more time there. Our favorite activities were the Jacobite train and the Historical walking tour in Edinburgh.
Our least favorite was the last day in Luss, because we were never in Luss. The Loch Lomond cruise wasn't that good because we could not hear any of the information being given over the loud speaker and was not in Luss and the hotel wasn't in Luss, so we never really got to see Luss as our roadbook said we would. There wasn't anything to do near the hotel either.
The Glen Mohr hotel and the Loch Lomond hotel were are least favorites. Neither had lifts, so carrying heavy luggage up flights of stairs wasn't easy, especially after a long day.
Would highly recommend the entire Pitlochry plan, (Westlands of Pitlochry hotel, Pitlochry Golf club and Tomnauld Farm), Edinburgh plans ( Tigerlilly hotel, history lovers walking tour and Edinburgh castle), and the Fort William plans ( Jacobite train and Whispering Pines hotel).
One other recommendation would be to drive on the A28 through the highlands and pull over for a short hike. Breathtaking views!
Over all the trip was amazing and I don't think we could have done this well with planning without the help of Pauline and Flore.

Hotel Reviews

LOCH LOMOND HOTEL

Balloch

Our room was a good amount of space for the four of us and the room was clean and comfortable. It was very warm, even with the windows open and the fan on. We were on the top floor and because there wasn't a lift so we had to carry all of our heavy luggage up the flights and there wasn't any help from staff provided. We decided to go to the restaurant/ bar to get a drink. After ordering drinks we asked for the food menu and were told that they were not serving any food that night. So we ended up having to go next door and bring back to our room though I will add that the staff did say that we could bring back the food to eat in their restaurant. Also I think the other thing was that we were ready to check out Luss and when we arrived at the hotel it wasn't in Luss. There wasn't anything really to do where this hotel was located. Just a few restaurants, no shops. This is obviously wasn't the hotels fault.

Authenticity & Character

It's fine.

Location

This isn't in Luss and there isn't anything to do around except a boat tour.

Staff

The staff were very kind.

Cleanliness & Comfort

The Whispering Pine Lodge

Spean Bridge

This was our favorite place during our entire trip to Scotland. We had a cabin and it was so comfortable and had everything we could need. Also the views of the loch right outside our cabin was amazing. I did not want to leave this place. In fact I wish we would have had more time there so we could enjoy all the other amenities that were offered. We ordered take away from their restaurant and they delivered to our cabin which was so nice. The breakfast buffet was also great, so much variety and very delicious. I want to go back to the place!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Loved that it was right on the loch.

Staff

The staff were so kind.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Glen Mhor Hotel

Inverness

Very crowded area and hardly to find a parking spot. I think we got the very last spot that was in the brewery lot. It then took us a bit to figure out how to get from the lot to the correct building we were staying in. Once in the building we had to carry all of our bags up three flights up stairs. Fine if you just have some small bags but lugging large suitcases wasn't fun. The staff did have one of the young restaurant workers come and help us with a couple of bags. Though we did not have reservations, the restaurant host did find us a table for dinner and we were very appreciative.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Westlands of Pitlochry Bed & Breakfast

Pitlpochry

We had the apartment which was perfect for the six of us. Loved how close the hotel was to the stores and restaurants in Pitlochry.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

The front desk staff were just very neutral, neither really welcoming but also not non-welcoming. Kind of felt like we were interrupting whenever we were at the desk.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Tigerlily

Edinburgh

Very nice. Our room was the perfect size for the four of us, very spacious. Enjoyed dinner and breakfast at the hotel restaurant and loved how close the hotel was to everything.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Was in walking distance to the royal mile and other historical locations.

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Loch Lomond Cruise

England

The boat was nice, the staff were great and the views were lovely however we could not hear any of the history or information that the crew were giving over the loud speaker. Maybe it was where we were sitting which was near the engine but really wherever you sit you should be able to hear. It was a full boat. I have a photo of where three of us are dozing off because it was just blah. Being able to hear would have made this trip be completely different.

Quality of Experience

Be able to hear the information.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Day out on the Jacobite Train (of Harry Potter fame)

England

Favorite activity! Could not have asked for a better train ride. We picked up sandwiches at the grocery store next door to the station and had them on the train. There was a beverage service and a Harry Potter souvenir service that came by. The views on the ride were amazing! Just breathtaking.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Inverness & Beauly Firth Boat Cruise

Inverness

It was a fun cruise and did see some different wildlife. Also appreciated that they provided binoculars .

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Culloden Battlefield Visitor Centre tickets

Inverness

It was what to be expected, a nice museum to understand what all happened.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Visit Tomnauld Farm

Pitlochry

This was a great little farm. The owners met us out front and it was like we were old friends right away. They were so nice. David took us for a tour of the farm where we were able to pet and feed the animals. There were goats, pigs, alpacas, chickens a mini Shetland pony. Afterwards, we talked for a bit and Hannah made us coffee and provided cute little cakes to eat. It really was a lovely experience. I would highly highly recommend!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Edinburgh Castle Tickets

Edinburgh

Enjoyed seeing the castle and the views were great.

Quality of Experience

History Lovers Old Town Walking Tour

Edinburgh

Shanna was great! We really enjoyed this tour and wished it was longer.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Shanna was so knowledgeable about everything and so great to talk to .

Transport

We walked everywhere.