Kimkim Trip Reviews for England

Tours were excellent and guides knowledgeable. Debra on the Kent trip was especially good.

Had a great time, Sophie made everything super easy and smooth throughout my trip to the UK. Would definitely recommend!

The Rubens Hotel was beautiful. The staff was wonderful and very attentive. We did a day tour to Stonehenge, Bath and Windsor . That was great and our tour guide, Carlos , was so knowledgeable. I think the Churchill War Room was one of our favorite tours .
Alekasandra who put together our trip was wonderful. Very responsive to our questions

Tetiana was very helpful and user friendly. There are a couple things I would have liked to do differently, but it was a wonderful trip overall. The lodging was all perfect, the trains went pretty smoothly and were very nice.

Hotel Reviews

The Academy London

London

Some people might want a bit more central location, but it was a lovely hotel, and the staff were terrific.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

The Yard in Bath

Bath

Nice location and great staff. The breakfast was brought to our room in a basket and hung on our door - very cute. The only reason I didn’t give it five stars was because the room smelled a bit.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Cedar Manor

Windermere

I can’t say enough good things about this hotel. It was beautiful, the proprietors were wonderful, it was an easy walk to town and it was on the bus route. Check out Tilly’s restaurant - fabulous, with several gluten free options. Also, the 10 lake tour with Steve from Mountain Goat Tours was one of the highlights of our entire trip.

Authenticity & Character

Classic manor hotel.

Location

On the bus route, and a short walk to town and to the lake.

Staff

Very helpful and gracious.

Cleanliness & Comfort

We spent time in the comfortable lounge playing cards with our traveling companions.

Virgin Hotels Edinburgh

Edinburgh

Great location, wonderful staff.

Authenticity & Character

It’s a modern hotel, so not that much “character”, but I highly recommend this hotel.

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Roomy, clean and modern.

The Ambassador Hotel

Wonderful hotel and staff. Great food. Highly recommend this hotel.

Authenticity & Character

Beautiful and luxurious.

Location

Staff

The staff were so helpful and professional, especially the concierge when we checked in. We were late and tired, and we had an issue. He dealt with it calmly and professionally. Also, some of the wait staff in the dining room were wonderful and charming.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Beautiful room - stayed in “Silk” #12.

Activity Reviews

Churchill War Rooms & WW2 Westminster Small Group Tour

London

Very interesting. A lot more walking around pre-war rooms than I realized, but we saw some interesting sights.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Ultimate Full Day Scenic Tour visiting 10 Lakes

England

Loved this tour.

Quality of Experience

This tour was more than we expected. Loved seeing the stone circle and the slate mine, as well as all the lakes.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Our guide, Steve, was wonderful. He grew up in the area, so he interspersed personal stories with local legends/stories. He took us to some special spots we didn’t know would be on the tour.

Transport

The small bus was very comfortable and clean.

Discover London in a Private Black Cab

London

Good way to start out seeing London.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Our guide, JP, was fantastic. He was flexible when one of our party didn’t feel well. He postponed our start time a bit, and still took us to all the expected places. JP was a good bloke.

Transport

The black cab was comfy, however, someone always had to ride “backward” in the jump seats. All the black cabs in London are like this, though.

Cotswolds Experience from Bath, private tour

Bath

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Our driver, Kevin, was very nice. However, it wasn’t really like having a tour, it was more like just having a driver. When I asked where we’d be stopping for lunch, he acted surprised that we’d want lunch. He did accommodate us and make a few stops in the Cotswolds so we could shop and get something to eat, but I’m not sure if that was on his agenda when we started.

Transport

A black cab for such a long tour/travel day was not the best. One or two of us always had to ride in the jump seats, so we were looking backward at those times. The jump seats are much stiffer than the regular seats, and three of the four of us have bad backs. Also, some of our luggage had to be stored on the floor or under the jump seats. Not the best.

Edinburgh Castle & Old Town Private Tour

Edinburgh

We did the castle on our own the next day, so I’m not counting it as part of this activity. The Old Town private tour was interesting. Unfortunately, it was very cold, so the length of the tour got to us eventually.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Our guide told us some interesting stories and gave us a good overview of the Old Town and some of the New. It helped us for being on our own the next day.

The trip was wonderful! All of the logistics were so well planned! The travel from the airport to Wales, the Farm to Cardiff, the train from Cardiff to London, and the London Marriott to Heathrow went seamlessly. The only improvement that I have is that the PBC Transfer vehicle from Heathrow to Wales was VERY small. We had to sit sideways in the back seat to not have our knees up by our chins (literally). It would have been optimal to have a larger vehicle for that 3 hour drive. The bicycle arrangements with Drover's Cyclery went very smoothly and the equipment (and support) was great! The Trans Wales horse trekking excursion was perfect! The group was made up of similarly skilled riders the horses were awesome! Hello Ladies! The trip was wonderful! All of the logistics were so well planned! The travel from the airport to Wales, the Farm to Cardiff, the train from Cardiff to London, and the London Marriott to Heathrow went seamlessly. The only improvement that I have is that the PBC Transfer vehicle from Heathrow to Wales was VERY small. Gary and I had to sit sideways in the back seat to not have our knees up by our chins (literally). It would have been optimal to have a larger vehicle for that 3 hour drive. Gary's bicycle arrangements went very smoothly and the equipment (and support) was great! The Trans Wales horse trekking excursion was perfect! The group was made up of similarly skilled riders the horses were awesome! I may have been the "short straw" on the first day, but I quickly I figured out that "is everyone o.k.?" meant we were taking off at a gallop straight away and then, after my first long rein gallop across unknown territory, I adjusted and fit in just fine! LOL The Marriott Park Lane in London was comfortable and convenient and the staff was pleasant. I would recommend the Hyde Park ride for your horsey clients (Corey was my guide) as well as one of the river cruises (with live narration). We did the City Boat Cruise. The hop-on hop off Big Bus was fine for a "windshield tour" of the landmarks, but it wasn't a convenient mode of transport. We found that we could get to most of the sites we wanted to explore faster by walking than by Big Busing. Finally, we just Googled what we wanted to eat and were pleased with the resulting options. We stuck mainly to pubs and ate pub fare but, honestly, enjoyed the food (and the quirks) of each pub we frequented. Our trip was a 10/10!!!

Hotel Reviews

The Old Black Lion

Hay-On-Wye

Our room was in the Annex. It was clean and comfortable and included an en suite bathroom. The food at the pub was delicious and restaurant hours were convenient.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Lovely town and convenient base for our planned activities.

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Pen-Y-Dre Farm Holidays

Abergavenny

The farm was a fun stop! The room was clean and comfortable and the house had SO MUCH character! The breakfast was delicious too!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Location was very convenient for the activities that we had planned.

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Lanelay Hall Hotel & Spa

Hensol

We were at the hotel for a very short time and could not take advantage of the amenities. Since we arrived just after 7 p.m. and were not ready to dine until after 8, our in house dining options were limited to one restaurant However, the serving staff treated us (later arrivals) very well and the food was excellent. The room was well appointed and the oversized bath tub a welcome feature1

Authenticity & Character

Location

A good location but a bit of a drive to get to our scheduled activities.

Staff

Front desk staffer had limited information; wait staff in the restaurant and in the breakfast area was terrific.

Cleanliness & Comfort

London Marriott Hotel Park Lane

London

Clean and comfortable. Convenient to our planned activities.

Authenticity & Character

A classic Marriott hotel. Well appointed but nothing out of the ordinary.

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Review

Private Transfer from Hay-on-Wye to Blaenau Farmhouse

Hay-on-Wye

A lovely clean vehicle and Kato was an excellent driver

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Tours were very good. Very satisfied.

We didn’t get to know Liam as he was on vacation. Jane was easy to work with by email, French speaker was very accessible but her accent was hard for me to understand on the phone.

Driver Darren in Glastonbury was very professional, fun and interesting.

Verdant Seafood bar and our lodging in Falmouth were wonderful.

We didn’t love Glastonbury.

Once we got to London we started using the tube. Drivers not necessary and I missed our pick up time with the driver back to the airport as I hadn’t stopped to realize you had lined him up.

Nice hotel in London and Kew was delightful!

Thanks very much!

Hotel Reviews

The Chamberlain

London

Nice hotel and great breakfast!

Authenticity & Character

Used by business travelers as well as tourists. Seemed to be part of the neighborhood

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Star & Garter

Falmouth

This place was so charming, with an amazing view of Falmouth Harbor. We didn’t get a chance to eat in the little pub, but it looked very nice. Check in required us to find a key in a lock box and let ourselves in.

Authenticity & Character

You walk through the tiny restaurant to get to the room. An old building that is part of the fabric of the town.

Location

Amazing view

Staff

No staff. Maybe directions to hotel from train…

Cleanliness & Comfort

The Crown Hotel

Glastonbury

This hotel is right on the main intersection in Glastonbury.. one night there was a wedding in the hotel, so a lot of loud music. A good place if you are really into being part of the action in Glastonbury.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Fine for what it is, But not quiet and a lot os stairs

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Review

Entry tickets to historic Kew Gardens

London

Easy subway to a lovely station and short walk to Victoria Gate. There are tours and a tram, but we found it easy to wander through on a September weekday, starting with the great broad walk.

Quality of Experience

Transport

Our trip was excellent and exceptional due to the attention to every detail!
Our drivers were so knowledgeable and helpful every day, even providing some special extra locations in our travel.
Throughout our trip we trusted Kate to assist us when changes had to be made. She was so professional and accessible, making our trip delightful!

Hotel Reviews

Canterbury Cathedral Lodge

Canterbury

Perfect location! Very friendly and helpful staff. Breakfast was a special benefit, with a separate dining room.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Cleanliness & Comfort

Lacked air conditioning.

The Southern Belle

Brighton

Authenticity & Character

Great traditional pub on ground level. Kitchen is not open every evening. Breakfast was great!

Location

Very close to the beach

Staff

The same gentleman was on stff in the evening when we arrive and in the morning when we were served breakfast. He was helpful and pleasant.

Cleanliness & Comfort

The Fox Inn

Dorchester

Just what we had hoped for as an experience in country English setting!

Authenticity & Character

Authenic locally sourced food that was outstanding.

Location

Pastorial setting.

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Just a caution to some travelers who are not spry--no air conditioning and no lift.

Primrose House St. Ives

St Ives

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Indigo Bath

Bath

Spacious room and bathroom. Nice amenities including robe and slippers.

Authenticity & Character

Location

So convienient!

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

The room was great!!!

The Head of the River

Oxford, Oxfordshire

Enjoyed the entire experience here.

Authenticity & Character

Very popular pub and restaurant!

Location

Right on the river with a large, beautiful patio/deck. Obvioously a very popular place for local residents.

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

The Royal Adelaide Hotel

Windsor

The staff was delightful. The room was very large and accomodating.

Authenticity & Character

It was modernized to make the stay comfortble to foreign travelers, but maintqined a"British charm".

Location

A nice walk to the center of Windsor.

Staff

The staf was so helpful! And, special recognition to Sarah who was so friendly and charming in the reataurant!

Cleanliness & Comfort

The spacious bathroom with seperate tub and shower.

Activity Review

Iconic Oxford Private Walking Tour

Oxford

Wonderful trip - itinerary, accommodations and drivers!! You really came through to provide a trip to exceed expectations Thank you for your professional attention to details.

Great experience working with you. You were proactive and responsive during every step of out trip. We used drivers John and Ollie. They were fabulous.

The accommodations that Kate selected for us were wonderful—easy walking distance to the castles and other attractions that we planned to visit. Every one of them was quaint, historical, and provided excellent breakfasts! The staff at each one were courteous, professional, and helpful.
Our drivers John and Ollie were terrific! They were knowledgeable, personable, and excellent drivers. We did a LOT of touring and felt completely at ease with them. Driving around the south coast of England in a London cab was a bonus!
We requested viewing an extraordinary number of sites in the time that we had available, but Kate was able to design a tour that exceeded our expectations. She’s awesome, and based on her performance, I would not hesitate to recommend Kimkim to others.

Hotel Reviews

Canterbury Cathedral Lodge

Canterbury

The accommodations in Canterbury were superb. We stayed literally fifty yards from the cathedral, which was incredibly convenient. It allowed us to participate in evensong in the cathedral on Sunday, which was a beautiful and memorable experience. Overall, the facility was excellent and added a special touch to our trip.

The Royal Adelaide Hotel

Windsor

The hotel by the river in Windsor did not have a lift, which was a bit challenging for some of the older women in our group. The staff was helpful with carrying bags up and down the stairs, which was appreciated. It would have been better to know about these details in advance.

Activity Reviews

Iconic Oxford Private Walking Tour

Oxford

Mysterious Stonehenge, Tickets Included

England

My favorite activity was visiting Stonehenge. It was a standout experience on the trip and something I highly recommend. The visit was well organized and truly memorable.

Kate was an excellent resource in planning our recent trip to the UK in August! We traveled all around Scotland and England. There were 11 people in our party and she did a great job at coordinating all the details and ensuring that all the key things that everyone wanted to do fit into our agenda. She was organized, very responsive to all my questions, provided great input and insights, and was available to answer questions during our trip. I highly recommend kimkim especially for large group travel planning. And, I especially recommend Kate. She was great!

Hotel Reviews

The Clermont London, Victoria

London

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Radisson RED Hotel, Liverpool

Liverpool

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Apex Waterloo Place

Edinburgh

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Inverness Palace Hotel & Spa

Inverness

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Kimpton - Blythswood Square Hotel, an IHG Hotel

Glasgow

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Stonehenge and Windsor Castle from London, private group

London

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

The Royal London Tour: Changing of the Guard and More

London

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Isle of Skye Tour including the Eilean Donan Castle, Portree and other attractions

Inverness

Quality of Experience

It was very rainy so we couldn't do everything we wanted to

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

St Andrews History Tour

England

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Discover London in a Private Black Cab

London

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Private Transfer from Edinburgh to Inverness via St Andrews

England

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Beatles and History Guided Walking Tour

Liverpool

Quality of Experience

Didn't happen

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Didn't show up to our planned location

Transport

Thames Cruise with Dinner

London

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Edinburgh Old Town Tour

Edinburgh

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Loch Ness Cruise and Urquhart Castle

England

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Salomé was very helpful planning our trip. He was even able to accommodate a last minute change and add my other daughter to the trip. We loved seeing Stonehenge. Our driver David was very pleasant and knowledgeable. We saw the book of Mormon at the Prince of Wales Theatre and had amazing seats.. the sanctuary house hotel was a very nice place to stay and would love to stay there again.

Hotel Review

The Sanctuary House Hotel

London

Great place to stay. The rooms.were clean and comfortable. we had two rooms and we were able to get them right next-door to each other. Would definitely stay there again.

Authenticity & Character

Quaint but modern amenities.

Location

Walking distance to most places

Staff

Staff was very helpful

Cleanliness & Comfort

Rooms were exceptionally clean and comfortable

Activity Reviews

Tower of London Early Access Tour with Beefeater

London

The Beefeater was very knowledgeable and interesting. You get a nice history prior to exploring on your own. Love the ravens.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Private tour of Stonehenge from London

London

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Changing of the Guard Guided Tour

London

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Thames River Cruise

London

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

An Evening at the West-End! Tickets to a Show of Your Choice

London

Excellent show “the book of Mormon“. Our seats were dead center right up front. Lovely theater.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

All local tour guides were absolutely incredible, and I enjoyed talking to every single one of them as a means of learning about local life. Jack in London then Ruari and John in Inverness particularly stand out. Also, the Inverness Taxi company was amazing in their flexibility and reliability.

Hotel Reviews

Montcalm Brewery, London City

Looks wonderful from the outside, definitely needs updating on the inside. It was hot without AC, which was broken, and they seemed to struggle with providing two beds in one room.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

The Bonham

Edinburgh

Beautiful, but we were in the basement and it felt that way.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Glenmoriston Townhouse Hotel

Inverness

Really enjoyed our stay here, and the staff as well as the restaurant were excellent.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Half-Day Loch Ness Tour from Inverness City

Inverness

Our guide, John, a former detective, was fantastic.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Explore Harry Potter's London Tour

London

The tour guide, Domiano, was excellent, but the sites scene were mid.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Jack the Ripper Walking Tour in London

London

This was my favorite activity, and the guide, a PhD student, was incredibly knowledgable.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Discover London in a Private Black Cab

London

Loved our guide, Jack. So knowledgable, and he did such a good job navigating the London traffic.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Tower of London Beefeater Welcome & Crown Jewels

London

Stonehenge and Windsor Castle from London, private group

London

Cairngorms National Park Wildlife Tour

England

Our guide, Ruari, grew up on the land and was incredibly knowledgeable and fun to talk to.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Loch Ness and Caledonian Canal Cruise

Inverness

Private Scotch Whisky & Artisan Food Tasting Tour

Edinburgh

The palace of Versailles and our guide were just incredible. All of the destinations Alessandra recommended were perfect. All transfer rides were timely and professional.

Hotel Reviews

2 Bed 2 Bath Central Shoreditch Modern Flat By Spitalfields Market

London

The home is fantastic and spacious. All the windows allow for a lot of air to circulate as there is no AC. Location is great!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Villa Eiffel

Paris

Great place a second toilet would have been helpful.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Giverny & Palace of Versailles: Art, Royalty & Gardens

Paris

Tour guide was amazing!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Private Transfer from Paris to Paris Charles dea Gaulle Airport

France

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Private Transfer to the International Train Station

England

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Unlock the Secrets of Perfume-Making!

Paris

An absolutely incredibly fun experience. We were all so excited to create our own scent. The staff were so knowledgeable and friendly.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Moulin Rouge Evening Performance with Dinner

Paris

Great seats and the show was fantastic.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

We had difficulty getting water from the wait staff. They were great with everything else.

Eiffel Tower Summit Tickets

Paris

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Aleksandra planned a trip of a lifetime to London & Scotland for my husband & I. We spent 6 nights in London & 4 nights in Ediburgh. Aleksandra was excellent at communicating with my husband & I. We exchanged many e-mails over the course of several months, planning each day & constantly tweaking what we wanted to do. In addition to that, we had a ton of questions that Aleksandra answered, always within a day or two of sending the e-mails.

When planning this trip we needed the most amount of help with laying out, organizing & optimizing our time in each location so that we could do everything we wanted without running ourselves ragged. Aleksandra accomplished this objective. She planned activities each day that were close to each other or an underground stop or two away so we could move easily & efficiently between locations. Alexsandra fit the days together seamlessly & used every second to the fullest. Her directions to get us from one place to another were a godsend. In both London & Edinburgh we never got lost nor frustrated trying to find a particular location. While planning our vacation, she always provided fabulous choices & presented multiple options so we could select what most excited us. This was true in particular for restaurants & hotels. Aleksandra made us dinner reservations at our selected restaurants & every one of those restaurants worked out beautifully. She was even available to us during the trip, when a small problem or question arose. It was a nice feeling to know that no matter what we needed, she was there for us, both in the planning & while we were on the trip.

There were a few standout tours that Aleksandra booked for us. The first was a private tour while we were in London to see the Changing of the Guard with Delianne. A bucket list item for me. Delianne knew just where to stand for the best viewing in several locations. We did not have to line up hours in advance. All we did was follow her & each time we were exactly where we needed to be at the right time. She had a lot of interesting tidbits to share & we thoroughly enjoyed our morning with her.

The next tour in London that we loved was a small group historical pub tour. Our tour guide, Freddie, was fabulous. We went to 4 interesting pubs, all different from each other. He had a lot of fun information to share & we spent just the right amount of time in each pub. This was our last night in London & it was a perfect way to end our time there before traveling to Edinburgh.

In Scotland, we did two private tours. Both of them were well worth the money. The first was a 3 1/2 hour walking tour of Edinburgh with Zander. He was our introduction to Edinburgh. He took us to so many places & told us so many engaging stories. It was more interesting to us than to just be told a list of facts. The time went by very quickly & we attributed that to his way of telling us information about Edinburgh.

The second private tour was a highlight of our entire trip. We spent the day with Calais, a true gentleman & a delight to have as a tour guide. We went through the East Neuk, even stopping in Calais' hometown & going to his local cafe. We loved seeing where people live & learning a little about why they lived there. St. Andrews golf course was next & it did not disappoint. We could feel the history there & appreciated it all, even though neither of us are golfers. We loved taking our picture on the famous bridge, Swilken Bridge, which made my golf loving brother very jealous. We also toured St. Andrews University. The school is even more beautiful than we had imagined & again we enjoyed learning about the history there. The sad, but true story of the the St. Andrews Castle was very interesting & one we had not heard before.

We are only home a few days & are still talking about all the highlights of this trip. We have fabulous memories & many of them are from the tours outlined above. Both my husband & I highly recommend Aleksandra. Her work in preparing for this trip enhanced our trip & resulted in making our trip extraordinary. Using Aleksandra & her team was well worth it & gave us an unforgettable vacation experience!

Hotel Reviews

Leonardo Royal Hotel Edinburgh

Edinburgh,

This hotel was perfect for our 4 night stay in Edinburgh. Room was clean, quiet & was located right off the Royal Mile. It was a good fit for us.

Authenticity & Character

It wasn't that anything needed to be improved. It was just your regular hotel with few amenities, but perfect for what we needed.

Location

Very near to Royal Mile

Staff

There was a small problem at check in that the manager quickly resolved.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Bed was comfortable & room was clean.

Roseate House London

London

We had a wonderful 6 night stay at this hotel. The hotel manager went out of his way to make this an outstanding experience for us. We were lucky enough to stay in a junior suite which provided lots of extra room. The king bed was comfortable which was important to us as we had long days of sightseeing & were exhausted when we arrived back at the hotel. What set this hotel apart from your usual hotel was the staff. They wanted to make our stay the best it could possibly be & they did. We appreciated every bit of that! Highly recommend this hotel!!

Authenticity & Character

The hotel was a boutique hotel which was just what we wanted for this stay.

Location

It was super quiet, but very close to Paddington Station so convenient for seeing all the sights.

Staff

Exceptional in every way!! They went out of their way to make our stay fantastic!

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Historical Pub Tour of London

London

We thoroughly enjoyed our historical pub tour with Freddie. He was an excellent guide through the 4 pubs we "toured". He gave us just enough interesting information without giving too much. We loved all the pubs he selected. They were very different from each other, but each had a lot of character. We never would have found these pubs on our own. We would highly recommend this tour! A really fun evening!!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

St Andrews & Kingdom of Fife Private Tour

Edinburgh

This tour was one of our highlights of our entire trip to Scotland! Our tour guide, Calais, was the reason for this. He was absolutely wonderful & made this tour great! He picked us up promptly at our hotel & had the day completely laid out for us. He told us many interesting stories throughout the day; enough to get a good idea of the areas we saw without bombarding us with too much information. He took us to a few villages in the East Neuk, one of them being the village where he lives. We loved this because we got to see daily life in a non touristy area. We ate lunch at the St. Andrews Clubhouse which was delicious. Our view out the window during lunch was the golf course & we watched several people play through the hole we were near. Neither my husband nor I play golf, but we couldn't help but be taken in with the history of such a famous golf course. Of course we took our picture on Swilken Bridge which made my golf loving brother very jealous. Our tour also included St. Andrews University which was incredibly beautiful & also steeped with history. We had wanted to see something other than Edinburgh during our visit. We were very glad that we took this tour. It was a fantastic day!!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Calais was a delight to spend the day with. Request him for an amazing day!

Transport

We were picked up in a Mercedes SUV which was quite luxurios.

We were happy with how the trip was arranged around all the priorities we expressed interest in and the guides and trip planning were excellent. Our only comment for improvement is a little more transparency on some of trip details that would have improved some of the train travel connections, as it was not always clear which exact train line we were looking for. It worked out fine, but there was a little anxiety when changing trains in the larger stations. The hotels were all great and completely met our needs and expectations.

Hotel Reviews

Georgian House Hotel

Pimlico

The location was great and both the staff and the breakfasts were excellent. The hotel does not have AC, so the heat wave this summer in London created some stuffy conditions in the room, but not uncomfortable.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Easy to navigate to and from Victoria Station and local restaurants were plentiful.

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

No. 15 by Guesthouse

Bath

This was probably the best hotel of our trip. The room was well appointed and overlooked the street (pedestrian and automobile traffic was no issue). There was a nice park right outside the rear entrance that was nice to relax in. The staff were helpful and the food excellent. Walking to and from central Bath was easy from its location.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Nice location that was very accessible to the center of town, as well as two very nice parks close by.

Staff

Always pleasant and helpful.

Cleanliness & Comfort

The Manor House Hotel

Moreton-in-Marsh

This hotel was very much in character with its surroundings in Moreton-in-Marsh. The staff were great and the room was quite nice. We took advantage of its proximity to the high-end restaurant Henne to enjoy a wonderful dinner one evening.

Authenticity & Character

A wonderful slice of English charm and hospitality.

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Sofitel Hotel Heathrow T5

London

The hotel is great, its modern and efficient, thus somewhat lacking in charm. Its proximity to Heathrow is its main advantage. We had no problems here, but no standout experiences either - it met all our expectations, it just didn't excel at anything.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

A Private Classic City Walking Tour of Bath

Bath

Our guide, Dan, was absolutely fantastic. He was very engaging, and was able to link his and our experiences to the elements of the tour. We thoroughly enjoyed our day with him. There were many highlights, but his choice of pub for dinner on the drive between Bath and Stonehenge was inspired - hard to beat a pub with about 700 years of service history.

Quality of Experience

Incredible knowledge and a very engaging personality.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

I run out of superlatives with our guide.

Transport

Afternoon Tea at the Savoy Hotel

London

A experience in and of itself. The tea was great and the accompanying selection of small sandwiches and desserts were wonderful. We were just a bit sluggish since we had just arrived in London with little if any sleep on the plane.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

We struggled to find the proper entrance to approach using the map app on our phones and there was a queue for children's concert at the Savoy that created confusion about how to get to the restaurant.

Tickets to Windsor Castle

England

The self-guided tour of the castle and grounds was great. There is almost always a queue for the Doll House, so come expecting that. We made some decisions about the order in which we proceeded through the grounds based on where larger groups were heading.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

The staff throughout the castle and castle grounds were always happy to answer questions.

Transport

Using a city map app on our phone helped us make decisions about which underground lines and train lines were best based on our time of entry at Windsor. This was quite helpful to navigate London's public transportation system for novices.

Tower of London Tour with Beefeater

London

We thoroughly enjoyed both the tour guide that preceded our entry into the Tower area and the Beefeater (Tower Guard) that provided the tour within the Tower castle area. Both were engaging and knowledgeable and very responsive to questions.

Quality of Experience

There is about a 15-20 minute pre-entry tour guide that escorts you to the meeting place with the Beefeater - he was very good at setting the stage for the second part of the tour. The Beefeater guide was similarly fantastic.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

The guides blended humor with history - thoroughly enjoyable.

Transport

Standard transport through the London Underground.

Private transfer to your destination

England

The driver was on-time at the station, were a little confused about where he was waiting for us and it took a while for us to find him.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Short trip between the station and hotel.

Private transfer to your destination

England

Quick and efficient taxi service between the hotel and station.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Private Stonehenge Tour with Inner Circle access from Bath

Bath

Wonderful and enthralling experience. We had the same tour guide - Dan - for this as for the walking tour of Bath. Dan is fantastic and really gave us a detailed experience within the stone circle of Stonehenge.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Dan was wonderful and helped us both understand the context of Stonehenge and shared some wonderful insight both on the ancient history, but also more recent history of visitors.

Transport

Entry into the Roman Baths

Bath

A must see and must do tour. It's self-guided, but informative and engaging tour of an unique aspect of English and Roman history.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Less interactive staff than at other locations, but still very good.

Transport

A nice and pleasant walk from the hotel to the Roman baths.

Classic Cotswolds 1-day Private Tour

England

Ian was our tour guide and he provided a fantastic tour for us, visiting several villages and other sights and unique areas of the Cotswolds. He was not quite the same outgoing personality as our guide for Bath and Stonehenge, but he was very good at getting around and helping us learn about the unique history and culture of the area. We thoroughly enjoyed this tour.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

London Globe Theatre Tour

England

This tour allows you to experience the reconstructed Globe theater and the learn the history of the original and the revival of the current theater.

Quality of Experience

Good tour - a little dry, but to be expected with a group of about 25 or so.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Easy use of the underground and walking to and from the stations to get to the theater.

Private Taxi at the station

Moreton-in-Marsh

Short trip between the station and our hotel. The same drive brought us to the Hidcote gardens tour.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Private transfer

England

Taxi trip between the hotel and Hidcote Gardens

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Private transfer

England

Taxi transfer from Hidcote Gardens back to the hotel. The driver was on time and efficient both coming and going to the gardens.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Hidcote Gardens Visit - Arts and Crafts inspired intricately designed spaces

England

I think this would be a great addition to anyone's itinerary to experience these gardens at the height of their greenery. Unfortunately for us, the drought and heat in England at this time lessened the experience somewhat. Not a fault of anyone, just mother nature intervening.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Good taxi driver to and from the Gardens.

Landed at Heathrow and were taken straight to Windsor. Castle tour and wandering through town. First (and best) cheese toastie of the trip (and we had several). Then off to Henley. A cute little place and Tanya was a wonderful guide for the next few days. Hever castle, Highclare and then a night on the water at Leeds. There is a great market next to the train station for lunch, snacks, gifts…
Landed in London and had a short walk to our very centrally located hotel in Covent Gardens. Had a wonderful pub tour, went to Michelin star restaurants, and found it quite easy inconvenient to walk or take the tube to get everywhere.
Then back on a train and off to Scotland. A couple of nights in Edinburgh with a city and castle tour, walk of the royal mile and more good food. Off to the countryside with a stay at a lovely hotel with its own Michelin starred chef, right next door to a world renowned chocolate shop. Had a wonderful and educational tour of the Dewars/Aberfeldy whisky distillery and trips to Blair and Stirling castles.
A short flight over to Dublin where we had a wonderful city tour with Seamus and then a standout connoisseur’s tour of Guinness. A drive over to the Atlantic coast with a tour of Galway and a couple of nights on the water. Fortunately we had no rain the entire two weeks, unfortunately until the last day. Our trip to the Cliffs of Moher was disappointing due to no visibility, but I should point out that the visitor center was well worth stopping in.
Thanks to Kimkim for helping us have a wonderful trip!

Kateryna did an amazing job planning our trip! I could have never done it without her. We packed in so many things in two weeks in Europe ! With all the complicated schedules and hours of the many places we wanted to see and go she fit it all in like clockwork.

THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!!

IT WAS A TRIP OF A LIFETIME

Thank you so much for all you did to make our vacation/holiday memorable for years to come.

Day one was great to keep moving…our tour with Deliane was great, it did not match the description at all but what she covered we loved, my daughter especially since they have similar interest…she was a lovely lady and really knows her history, especially detailing Dickens. The Tea at Savoy was wonderful, we were somewhat Zombies by then, but it was amazing.

Day2
Buckingham Palace and Westminster Abbey were both amazing and worthy of the visits. St James Park was good. We saw a lot of it with Deliane on day 1

Day3
St Paul Cathedral was magnificent. A fair warning of the climb to the top might be good for those not in any type of physical shape, we were all winded and legs burning but we enjoyed immensely, Borough Market….OH YEAH! The chocolate Strawberries definitely worth the time. The Tower of London was beautiful and only started our beefeater tour when a young girl passed out from heat and dehydration. My wife is a nurse and provided aide. For my wife’s heroic actions and help, they invited us back that evening for a 700 year tradition. It was amazing and unbelievable that every night for 700 years, this ceremony is carried outs! We never actually finished our guided tour due to fainting distraction but that led us to something very special in the retiring of the keys ceremony.

Day4
British Museum…I want to be positive here, but we didn’t really see any British History and that was what we were looking for…it was extremely crowded and amazingly Hot inside…we couldn’t handle the heat and left early for the shopping between Oxford Street and Harrods. The day was saved and we enjoyed ourselves. Can’t give a good recommendation for the British Museum

Day5. The tour of Parliament and Westminster Palace was our favorite, it is unfortunate that we could not have the guided tour, but understand staffing. This was everything to my daughter as her University Major is Public Policy and Leadership which fits right into Parliament. We did not go to the Tate museum so I cannot rate it. We instead went to the National Gallery in Trafalgar Square…it was great! We loved it and would recommend.

Day 6. Notting hill and all the markets were great….we asked to go ona Saturday and it didn’t disappoint with merchandise and crowd. Hot and tired after many hours in the markets, we did not venture to Little Venice.

Overall we truly enjoyed our itinerary ! Thank you. We love a structured environment as a family, so this worked well. Everyone has different tastes, but if you wanted to include possible recommendations for food at the conclusion of the day, I am sure it would be appreciated by your clients in the future. We found ourselves looking around and wasting a lot of time to find dinner at the end of the day, but managed to find many different types of cuisine.

Finally a shout out to Aleksandra for her communication during the building of the itinerary, she was awesome and during the actual holiday, she was always a message away and willing to go the extra mile got what we needed.

Thank you

Hotel Review

The Cumberland

London

Great location

Location

Staff

Concierge greet desk staff aren’t helpful and wouldn’t answer phone pre-trip

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Retired Royal Guard Central London Walk

London

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Guided Tour of the Palace of Westminster (UK Parliament)

London

Guided tour cancelled last minute do to staffing…audio tour only, still awesome

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Tower of London Beefeater Welcome & Crown Jewels

London

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport