Kimkim Trip Reviews for England

When I started to plan a trip for me and my fiancé to London and Paris the thought was so daunting, however, Stephen and William at Kimkim made the whole experience so easy and stress free!! Stephen worked with me to tailor make the trip to suit me and my fiancés interests and we had an absolute blast on all of the tours and events that he planned for us. He made sure we got to see all of the highlights and major attractions in each city and we couldn’t have been more happy with our experience. Stephen and two of his associates at Kimkim were also available the entire time I was in Europe to answer any questions and help me with any issues I had. I would definitely recommend Kimkim to anyone planning a big trip for the first time as it truly was a great experience.

We had an amazing time in England and Scotland!! Thank You Stephen and your team for working with us with adding people to our trip last minute. We appreciate all your hard work, and we were able to have a memorable experience we will remember forever! The locations and hotels you picked were so fun and we feel we would have missed out on seeing so much of it weren’t for your recommendations. We have already recommended KimKim to friends and family based on our experience and we will continue to use you for future travels. Thanks Again,
Zane and Jamey Norris

Working with Gabrielle, Stephen & Marianna was great. They were responsive, listened & worked with me on activities, pricing & recommendations. They followed through on everything I asked of them. Our trip was fantastic and everything went perfectly. I seriously could not have asked for more. Thank you to all - you helped us make some special family memories!

Jane was terrific in planning our England and Scotland adventure. Everything this planned ran so smoothly and we really appreciated that. She selected great hotels and we enjoyed the day tours to various places. Working with Jane was so easy. She was very responsive to my questions and suggestions and so patient when I debated taking the trip to begin with. Thank you for finding the great e-bike trip through the Highlands. We adored Kevin and it was a highlight of the trip. Jane also worked with us when we wanted to make some changes at the end to our London days. I really appreciated how quickly and positively she responded to our proposed changes. Wish I could plan another trip with her!

Hotel Reviews

Angel's Share Hotel

New Town, Edinburgh

Nice hotel with friendly staff.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

River Ness Hotel, a member of Radisson Individuals

Inverness

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

ibis Styles London Southwark – near Borough Market

London

Authenticity & Character

Cool decor. The breakfast was amazing.

Location

We liked hotel but everything was 4 miles away but a half hour with traffic.

Staff

They were nice enough. Picked up an off vibe when checking in with the receptionists.. Room not ready when we came back at 3:30 and didn't know that there was a tea kettle in the closet. Plus unsure why our rooms were not adjoining when we checked in since there was a door that separated our room from the one to our left. My husband and son were to the right. But the kitchen staff (people that cleaned up and made sure the breakfast was nice) were terrific!

Cleanliness & Comfort

Loved kitchen and dining room staff.

Caledonian Sleeper Train Cabin

Edinburgh

Authenticity & Character

Location

Just from a personal standpoint I might have done better flying.

Staff

Not too much interaction but dining car person was nice.

Cleanliness & Comfort

I liked my room but my husband complained his toilet smelled.

Activity Reviews

Outlander tour from Edinburgh

Edinburgh

This tour was a good way to start but realized that we are not castle people and we should have watched Outlander.

Edinburgh Castle Tickets

Edinburgh

Nice tour.

The Isle of Skye & Eilean Donan Castle

Inverness

Pretty place/tour. But long day but there is no other way. Would have like to hike a little maybe.

Electric Bike Guided Tour in Inverness

Inverness

We loved biking through the countryside. Plus, Kevin was so nice. Such an interesting person. And I thought it was sweet that he made a point of riding 1-1 with each of us at different times to get to know us a little better. He wanted to get to know us and that level of customer service seems rare today. And he went above and beyond by going back for the van to get us back into town.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

He was just terrific.

Transport

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

London

All drivers assigned to us were great. On time and helpful.

Windsor, Stonehenge & Bath from London

London

So this was tough. These places were extremely crowded and waiting in line burned through the tour time so it felt rushed. We had to wait over an hour to enter Windsor even with the timed entry. Stonehenge was better. But Bath was so rushed. We had to wait a bit but we only had an hour total. So when we drove to town and the driver told us about all of the wonderful places to get pizza or a pastry in the town, that was impossible. By the time we got out of the baths, we had to rush, grab something to eat in the street and get on the bus.

Tower of London timed entry tickets

London

We did the site tour and that was good. The lines into the jewels wasn't as bad as others. Only 30 minutes.

The Caledonian Sleeper (Scotland Version)

England

I think this was good but since I'm having trouble sleeping in general lately, probably wasn't the best for me personally. My family was fine though.

Using Jane (and Stephen and Flora when Jane was not available) for planning our trip and during our trip was amazing. Her suggestions during the planning stage were so helpful to us and helped us avoid being overwhelmed. Jane’s guidance and the team’s support while we were on our trip was also awesome ~ if a minor issue arose or we needed confirmation of something the responses were always quick, relevant and helpful. There is no question in our minds that using Jane and the team enhanced our enjoyment of our UK and Paris trip!

Stephen our travel agent was fantastic. I am recommending him to some friends traveling there next year. All the tours were excellent except the wildlife tour on the boat. They told us to review the safety notice ourselves. They mentioned 2 islands and that was all they said. We saw seal on an island and they said nothing about them. When the porpoises appeared in the water, she rushed out on to the deck and whispered there they are.

All the other's were fantastic. They were so knowledgeable and made it fun. Can't say enough about them.

The rooms were nice. Especially liked the Tiger Lilly and the Eden Locke. The place in Pitlochry was neat up on the hill. Very nice and quiet to sit outside. The Georgian in London was tight but nice. The Garrison was ehh...really tight, our door didn't lock at one point, parking was poor, but there breakfast was nice. The Perle was good breakfast, room was big, parking was poor-we had to walk several blocks in the rain. (but I guess that is Scotland, LOL) We had the best fresh mussels there right on the shore.

Our feet were definitely sore but we knew that was part of it. We figured we walked about 10 miles per day, so close to 100 miles the whole trip. The car was fun, it ran well, no problems. Hamilton was fantastic.

Over all...very very satisfied. Thank you for making out mother/daughter trip a huge success.

Hotel Reviews

Tigerlily

Edinburgh

Loved the size of the rooms. Thank you for having wash cloths.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Eden Locke

Edinburgh

Cute little flat with all you could need. No breakfast.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

High tea at the Savoy Hotel

London

Pretty fancy. Food was good. Great experience though.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

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

London

Driver, Garreth was great. Very knowledgeable and easy to talk with.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Changing of the Guard Guided Tour

London

Tour guide was great. He had good suggestions for us to see the most we could. Very knowledgeable. The King was in residence but did not catch a glimpse.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Hop-on, Hop-off Bus

London

Loved it.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Tower of London Early Access Tour with Beefeater

London

Natalie was great for only living in London for 15 years. Then Gerry was great as well. Very down to earth.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Tickets to the evening show of Hamilton (or another Westend show)

London

Fabulous. Great actor's

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Private Walking Tour of Edinburgh with a Top Local Guide

Edinburgh

Very well done and interesting. Guide was excellent.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Cairngorms National Park Wildlife Tour with a Specialist

England

He new his stuff and was very personable

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Two hour cruise on the Canal and Loch - Loch Ness

Inverness

Very informative

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Mallaig Wildlife Boat Trips

Mallaig

No information, no safety rules given, told to read the sign about it. No conversation from crew except about 2 islands to our left.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Sir Walter Scott Steamship tour on Loch Katrine

England

Very nice area, enjoyed a walk on the path before our cruise. guide was excellent with knowledge.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

When looking for a company to work with, I read reviews and decided to go with KimKim, I am so happy I did. The process of planning the trip was made SO easy by Stephen. He listened to things I knew we wanted to do, but also did an amazing job adding in additional things that I never would have known to do. Our mother/daughter trip was wonderful!

Hotel Review

Tigerlily

Edinburgh

So unique and beautiful. I never would have thought of staying here, but our travel guide selected it and I am so thankful. It is in a great location and easy to get to.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

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

London

Our driver Matt was so nice and helpful. It was great having an easy start to our trip, instead of trying to figure out public transportation with our luggage after such a long flight.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Changing of the Guard Guided Tour

London

Joe, our guide, was exceptional. He had great information and we had so much fun with him!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Tickets to the evening show of Hamilton (or another Westend show)

London

Highlight of the trip for me!

Group Tour to Windsor, Bath and Stonehenge

London

Alan, our guide, was great. Funny, informative, and nice. Really enjoyed his anecdotes and stories as we drove to each place. It was a long day, but worth it!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Private Walking Tour of Edinburgh with a Top Local Guide

Edinburgh

Gareth, was our guide and he was awesome. He had so much information to share, I’m sure we could have spent all day walking around with him. The best part of the experience was that it was just the three of us, which really allowed us to be engaged.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Cairngorms National Park Wildlife Tour with a Specialist

England

I was not so sure about this experience when we saw it, but trusting everything else Stephen planned for us, we went with it and I am SO happy we did. Our guide Ruari was phenomenal. He was extremely knowledgeable and great to talk to and learn from. It was truly a highlight of the trip!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Two hour cruise on the Canal and Loch - Loch Ness

Inverness

Beautiful views and fun history.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Mallaig Wildlife Boat Trips

Mallaig

What we did see was fun, but I would have liked more commentary as to what we were looking at and where we were.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

We had an awesome and seamless experience. We enjoyed kayaking on the River Avon and the Hawk Walk in Bath! I am so happy to have had Sarah's help! I could not have done this alone.

Hotel Reviews

Hard Rock Hotel

London

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Abbey Hotel Bath, A Tribute Portfolio Hotel

Bath, Somerset

Authenticity & Character

Location

Great central location in Bath

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

The Pines Hotel

Swanage, Dorset

Authenticity & Character

Location

20 min walk into town

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

The room could use some updating. Carpet had staining.

Activity Reviews

High tea at the Savoy Hotel

London

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Tickets to the evening show of Hamilton (or another Westend show)

London

Quality of Experience

Tower of London timed entry tickets

London

Quality of Experience

Bath: Guided Ghost Tour

Bath

Quality of Experience

Bath - A Hawk Walk you say?

Bath

Quality of Experience

This was such a personalized experience. Enjoyed learning about the hawks and feeding them too.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Bath Kayak Tour

Bath

Entry tickets to Stonehenge

England

Quality of Experience

Swanage Steam Railway Train tickets

Swanage

London Eye timed entry tickets

London

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Hop-on, Hop-off Bus

London

Loved the River Cruise. The bus was too crowded to enjoy the experience

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Changing of the Guard Guided Tour

London

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

We recently completed our SW England road trip and it was fantastic! This is our second trip organized through KimKim and we really find the level of assistance, coordination and guidance a boon to trip planning. In fact, Stephen, who prepared our itinerary was able to take a lot of the planning for us, out of the equation. There were great activities suggested throughout the trip. This was personalized for us; a small family of three with a 9 year old daughter. She had some great experiences as did my wife and I! We are grateful to Stephen for being available throughout the planning process and things couldn't have been easier.

The trip plan dossier was organized well and served as a quick daily reference for what the next days adventures will bring! Having many activities pre-booked with booking references available prior to departing was very efficient and made things easy.

This is a great way to generate ideas about an area you want to visit by getting local insight from people who know the area and can suggest activites that may not always be 'main stream' but also ensure a rich, full experience of the area.

We are extremely pleased with KimKim and feel that this is the only way we will plan future trips!!

Thank you Stephen!!!

Hotel Reviews

The Bloomsbury

London

Excellent service. The staff were very friendly and we enjoyed our stay here. If (when!) I am back in London - I will be coming to Bloomsbury!!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Very friendly and personable!

Cleanliness & Comfort

Very comfortable bed (this is key!!)

The Pines Hotel

Swanage, Dorset

Overall, this was a great stay. The evening views at dinner time looking at the ocean cannot be beat. The staff very very friendly and accomodating.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

The room layout was good --- the mattresses unfortunately, were not comfortable

Bayards Cove Inn

Dartmouth

This is very, very, very nice inn. An old building with character. The staff are super friendly. We had a great time. My daughter LOVED the room we stayed inn -- it really brought out nautical and pirate themes to our dreams! The bathroom was quite newly renovated and nice. The staff was great and extremely friendly. This was a very memorable stay and I will say that I see myself coming to Dartmouth again in my life and I will stay at Bayards Cove Inn!!!

Authenticity & Character

Very charming building and the room we stayed in was unique!

Location

Staff

Great staff. Always smiling!

Cleanliness & Comfort

Bathroom was excellent

The Stag and Huntsman at Hambleden

Hambleden Village, Henley-on-Thames

We loved this cottage stay - unfortunately for us it was only for one night. It truly has motivated us to come back here for a longer stay. The cottage was exceptionally clean and spacious. The restaurant had excellent food and the village is charming!

Authenticity & Character

The village was small, quaint and beautifulF!

Location

Staff

Very nice staff. I thought they all were very friendly and provided wonderful service when we dined at the restaurant

Cleanliness & Comfort

Very clean cottage and very well equiped.

Activity Reviews

Entry to St Michael's Mount

England

It was a nice sunny day when we visited. The gardens are beautiful. The views are inspiring and the time we spent on St. Michael's mount was great!

Quality of Experience

Private Guided Tour of The British Museum with a Historian

London

After having this guided tour I feel this is the only way to visit a museum!! We met with Alan who is a PhD and has a keen interest and knowledge in early civilizations. The pace was good and we were all engaged the whole time. My 9-year old daughter had a great time and really felt that seeing and hearing the things she did complimented some of the things she has learnt about early civilizations. Truly a great experience!!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Very efficiently done and the team checked in with us throughout the holiday to make sure everything was going ok

Now, that’s how you vacation!
Alex and the entire team were amazing to work with. In the past, my wife and I would research where to go, what to do every day and what/where to eat. Alex made it so easy to vacation.

We had an amazing journey perfectly planned through the cities of Oxford, Bath, and Cotswalds and ended in the big citiy of London. Marion did a wonderful job picking accomodations for my family of 4. She picked a variety of activities of relaxation and action days too. It was wonderful to see so many areas of the UK! We really appreciate all her hard work. The food tour in Bath was a huge favorite since we are foodies. We also loved the history in each city. The road book was awesome at suggestions. We would definitely look to use kimkim again for our next trip. Marion was also 2 steps ahead and made sure we knew what to expect and shared lots of great details. Summer 2023 to rememeber!

Sincerely,
Lesley Bush

How to arrange a seemingly impossible vacation with grandchildren?? Contact Kimkim to be sure. We wanted to travel to
The United Kingdom with a 12 and 15 year old , but were unsure how to make these arrangements. Stephen made the trip happen seamlessly. From pickup at the airport into our hotel in London, to travel from Bath to Oxford and return to Heathrow we had knowledgeable and most importantly, reliable guides. Stephen worked with us for several months to fine tune the overall trip to our particular interests, and kept in contact during our stay. Thanks so much.

Hotel Reviews

Cleveland Hotel

London

Within easy walking distance of several underground stations. No breakfast, but many convenience stores nearby also. Kitchenette provided all necessities. Wonderfully divided room for adults with children.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

No.15 by GuestHouse, Bath

Bath

Great location within easy walking distance of central Bath. Wonderful amenities.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Courtyard by Marriott Oxford City Centre

Oxford

Easy walk to central business district. Great breakfast.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

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

London

Let us know of his arrival by text.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Entry tickets to The Churchill War Rooms

London

We loved this experience

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Tower of London Early Access Tour with Beefeater

London

Tour was listed for 8:30, but due to an underground closure we missed by 10 minutes. We also were perplexed trying to find the meeting point. Allow lots of extra time for travel in the city. Our guide never contacted us.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Hop-on, Hop-off Bus

London

Don't do it. We were stuck in traffic and the audio for the bus was worse than terrible. They played irritating music between narration which was in our case 90 5 of the time.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Very crowded and impersonal

Transport

Better audio

London Eye timed entry tickets

London

Able to board quickly and individual cars were roomy

Quality of Experience

Guided tour of V & A museum

London

Wonderful guide Luciana took us through the museum pointing out many interesting things that we surely would have missed.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Luciana made this a great experience

Bath - A Hawk Walk you say?

Bath

The grandkids were able to have a hawk land and feed about 30 times. Wonderful energetic guide, Alice.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Cab driver was very prompt when summoned

Tour of Stonehenge from Bath

Bath

It is surely a must do when in the UK

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Private driver/guide

England

Mike Rowland was a wonderful guide stopping at a tiny Cotswold village and providing lots of history and information.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Historical Walking Tour of downtown Bath (not much distance covered!)

Bath

Our guide, Andy took us for a wonderful 2 hour stroll through the town. He is an excellent guide.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Audio guides allowed us to take our time and enjoy.

Oxford: Harry Potter Tour with Divinity School Entry

Oxford

Our guide's accent was so strong that we could hardly understand what she said. She did call to say she was running late, which was good, but then she was another 15 minutes late for our appointed time. We had trouble keeping up when she walked and the things she showed us did not impress. Stood beside the ice cream stand rather than strolling the courtyard. We ended the tour in a market looking at Alice in Wonderland balloons!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Walking was entirely too fast.

Punting in Oxford

Oxford

This was a wonderfully relaxing way to end our whirlwind visit to England. Wonderful boxed lunch was included with our tour so it was even better.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Comfortable cushions in the boats

We wanted to see as much of the UK as possible, on our time of roughly 11 days in country and our budget. Stephen, primarily, and the High Point team did a great job planning. Thanks to you all.
One observation on the timing. On day 2 driving to Bath, Tintern Abbey and eventually, Cardiff, we really didn't have enough time to see Bath. By the time we parked near the city center in Bath, it was time to go to Tintern. I drove the speed limits for the most part. Bath was a suggestion anyway and we don't think not touring around town detracted from the overall trip. We especially liked the accomodations selected. VRBO-like places to the small hotels, we liked them all. Favorites were Juniper Cabins, Gwynfryn, and Six Brunton in Edinburgh.

We went on a five night trip to Oxford, the Cotswolds, Stratford upon Avon, and Bath. We had a wonderful time in each place, and realized we could go back and spend more time in Oxford and Bath, in particular. My very favorite memory of our whole trip was sitting on the balcony of our room at The Old Bank Hotel, at eye level with some amazing architecture (University Church of St. Mary the Virgin), drinking a glass of wine and listening to the bells chime. Rapturous!

The planning of the trip was really well done - good communication with the team, primarily with our #1 guide, Jane.
After looking back at all of the itinerary suggestions made by Jane, I actually wish we had followed her original advice at the very beginning. She definitely knew better than we did what should have been our priorities. :)

Jane was also a fantastic guide while we were actually on the trip. It was very much a comfort to be able to ask her a question via text whenever we needed to, about anything. She even rang us a couple of times, just for absolute clarity.

We had a few troubles with delayed or cancelled train trips and Jane was easily contacted and kindly supportive throughout.

If there is any suggestion I could make for better service, it would be to have someone on the team confirm the train schedule for the travelers on the day and then send a text to say “All is well” or “Things have changed”, so we could have planned accordingly.

Overall, we are very happy with our experience with KimKim and will be looking into working with them again on a future trip to Australia.

Owen and Emily did an excellent job planning our trip to Liverpool, which they had to plan twice since the soccer game we had planned to attend was cancelled. Everything ran smoothly and the guides and hotel were excellent. So happy I went with kimkim instead of planning on my own.

Hotel Review

Hope Street Hotel

Liked the location and choice of restaurants. Enjoyed the free buffet breakfast and the Spa. Would have like to have utilized more of the spa services but they were totally booked before we arrived,

Authenticity & Character

not sure what this means but was a modern high end hotel.

Location

walkable, plenty of restaurants, beautiful churches

Staff

responsive, supplied refrigerator when requested

Cleanliness & Comfort

everything immaculate

Activity Reviews

Welcome to Manchester

England

Tour guide Neil extremely knowledgeable and accommodating.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Neil was an excellent guide

Transport

comfortable ride,

Liverpool FC Stadium Tour

Liverpool

enjoyed stadium tour

Quality of Experience

got to see pitch, did not get to see actual dressing rooms as we had been told

Guides, Drivers and Staff

tour guide personable and knowledgeable. Driver excellent

Transport

Enjoyed riding with Adrian (sp?) gave us an interesting perspective of liverpool

Liverpool Football Hospitality

Liverpool

Enjoyed the hospitality suite but would probably book in the Kop next time for a more real soccer experience

Quality of Experience

food was not great

Guides, Drivers and Staff

staff very helpful at stadium

Transport

Adrian was on time, very personable

Our guide, William Berry, from Black Cab Heritage Tours, was fantastic!!! His knowledge of London and beyond is unbelievable! He went above and beyond to make us happy. He worked many long days educating us about your beautiful country! He was funny, kind, caring and considerate. So worried about our well being at all times. Whatever you pay this gentleman, you should pay him twice that amount! :)

Hotel Reviews

ibis Styles London Gloucester Road

London

Very nice hotel. Staff was warm and welcoming. The Continental breakfast was top notch. My only complaint was the room was so very small. Hard to move around in.

Authenticity & Character

An old historic place

Location

Right downtown London

Staff

They were very warm and welcoming and willing to help us in any way.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Cleanliness was perfect but the rooms were very cramped.

Duke of Cornwall Hotel

Plymouth

This hotel is lovely!! It was built in 1863 and it retains the charm of that time period. Really clean and friendly staff. The restaurant was good, too.

Authenticity & Character

Authentic Victorian in every way!

Location

Right downtown so easy to walk the city

Staff

So friendly and helpful :)

Cleanliness & Comfort

No complaints!

Arches B&B

St Austell

It's a very quaint house. The rooms are up a steep flight of stairs so this will not suit everyone. The rooms are decorated beautifully, very cozy and clean.

Authenticity & Character

The rooms, and the owner was very personable.

Location

It's set back off of a busy road with no where to walk to for food or sightseeing.

Staff

The owner was very accommodating and kind.

Cleanliness & Comfort

The rooms were great. Just he steep stairs were difficult to navigate with luggage.

Activity Reviews

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

London

Both trips were fast and the service was great

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Hop-on, Hop-off Bus

London

We got there too late the first day to really use this service. The second day we used it some. Not sure I'd bother with it ever again. The town shuts down at 6 pm so it can't be used at night.

Quality of Experience

Historical Pub Walking Tour of London

London

This was so informative and fun!

Quality of Experience

The guide was knowledgeable and fun

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Everything

Private day trip to Windsor Castle

England

An amazing historical day! To actually experience what we learn in history books was fabulous!

Quality of Experience

Awe inspiring

Guides, Drivers and Staff

William Berry is fantastic!

Transport

William Berry got us there safely and back home safely :)

Black Taxi Beatles Private Tour - Explore Abbey Road

London

So fun to actually see where the Beatles recorded their music and the places in the city where they lived or performed

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

William Berry was great

Transport

William pointing out Beatles sites as we drove around

Full-Day Tudor Tour to Hampton Court Palace and Hever Castle

London

There are not enough superlatives to describe this place!

Quality of Experience

Everything was presented so very well

Guides, Drivers and Staff

William Berry is the best, and the staff guides were so helpful

Transport

William Berry and Black Cab Heritage Tours are the best!

Downton Abbey, Cotswolds and Highclere Castle Private Tour from London

London

It was ok. A very long drive to get there and it was a bit disappointing, actually.

Quality of Experience

Nothing. Just a long drive for not much to see

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Our driver, William was fantastic. So patient with us! :)

Transport

Everything! Bill is the best!

Our trip to the UK was seamless from beginning to end! Drivers were on time and transportation to/from airports, trains and hotels was super easy. The hotels were all amazing. The Bloomsbury in London was perfect. The hotel staff knew us by name. The hotel bars were lovely and just what we needed after full days of sightseeing. Stephen also arranged breakfasts to be included with our stays which proved to be very helpful in starting our days. Day one we saw the Tower of London and Tower Bridge. We ate at Skye Garden for lunch which has breathtaking views of London. From there we walked across the London Bridge to Borough Market for dessert. Day two we saw Buckingham Palace, Big Ben and toured Westminister Abbey. We had high tea at The Savoy which is a must-do! Later that evening we went to a club called Ballie Ballerson which was so much fun, perfect for those with children over the age of 18. Day three we went to Covet Gardens and shopped and also hit Harrod’s, which is a site to see! Mr. Foggs in Covet Gardens is a darling pub with the best fish and chips I’ve ever had! Day four we had a private driver take us from London to Oxford for a day trip. Definitely a highlight of the trip. The University is so beautiful and incredibly interesting with lots of history and stories based on it. Our tour guide was full of great stories. Definitely stop at The Turf Tavern for lunch! Day four was a much needed day of rest in the Cotswolds. The Wild Rabbit Inn in the Cotswolds stole my heart! Everywhere you looked was Instagram worthy! We stayed in a two bedroom cottage that was the coziest place we’ve ever rented. The inn and pub were steps from our front door and the pub served great traditional English food and drinks. We spent hours in the pub sitting by the fire playing card games. Daylesford Farms is a must see and perfection everywhere you look. We did the walk from the inn to the farm which was really pretty although very muddy. Day six we had a private driver take us on a tour of the villages in the Cotswolds. Each village is equally beautiful and quaint, but there is not a lot to get out and do. Many of the shops have closed. This was our least favorite day. Then we took the sleeper train to Edinburgh which was a really fun experience! It was a lot nicer than I thought it would be and I actually slept very well. My husband, who is 6’3” would probably not agree with me. In Edinburgh, day 7, we stayed at the Balmoral, another exquisite hotel. Edinburgh is walkable and you can see a lot in just one afternoon. Probably my least favorite city, but it was my 18 year old son’s favorite. He loved hearing the history and the old buildings and we toured the underground tunnels and graveyards complete with ghost stories to go along. Day 8 another private driver to the fishing villages of Fife and St. Andrews. This was a perfect day trip and end to our holiday. The villages are quaint and a lovely drive and St. Andrews was very cool to see both the University and the golf course. Don’t for get to stop for a pint at the Jigger Inn!

Hotel Reviews

The Bloomsbury

London

Loved this hotel! Loved the smallish size and personal attention received. The hotel staff knew us by name. The Coral Room bar was the perfect place to relax after a full day of touring. The downstairs bar with live music was also pretty great. Beds were very comfortable. And the bathroom! The bathroom was amazing from top to bottom! Even came with a Dyson hairdryer!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Wild Rabbit Inn

Kingham

My favorite! The comfiest coziest cottage ever! Perfection everywhere you looked. Perfect place to build a fire, sip some tea and read a book. The inn was darling and a great place to settle into for hours playing games and sipping pints!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Loved the tiny village of Kingham. Perfect for a couple nights to unwind.

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

The comfiest coziest cottage ever!

Caledonian Sleeper

London

A fun experience.

Authenticity & Character

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

The Balmoral Hotel

Edinburgh

Beautiful room and bathroom. Great service for such a large hotel. The staff was amazing!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

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

London

Loved the black cab experience! Very knowledgeable driver.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Driver/guide

Oxford

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Full day in the Cotswolds with small group and driver/guide

England

The driver was great. The villages are all beautiful. Just not a lot to get out and do.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Overnight Caledonian Sleeper Train between Scotland & London

London

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Fishing Villages of Fife & St Andrews from Edinburgh

Edinburgh

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

We had an excellent time in London. The house was exactly as advertised with plenty of space. We met with Ann on our first day and enjoyed excellent weather with our walking tour. Ann was kind and very flexible as we did cut the tour a bit short due to exhaustion.
Each day we used the Tube as there were suspensions of other services and frankly the tube was swift and easy to use.
We went to Trafalgar Square and the National Gallery on the second day before enjoying our Chelsea game. They even played our American player!
The following day we traveled to Westminster. Our tickets were excellent and we were able to quickly enter. It was crowded but beautiful. We walked the rest of the day - over to Seven dials to get lunch and onto St. Paul's. We LOVED climbing the the top. After, we through the financial district (my eldest son's dream location due to his university interests). We then walked along the river to see the Tower Bridge light up. We walked around the Tower of London which had beautiful lighting and, then across the Tower Bridge. We ended up returning home via the Tube and had to change trains at Kings Cross, so of course, we went into the train station to see 9 3/4. Boys were bored and sitting in the corner and my daughter was gleeful!
On our free day the boys slept. Joe and Lizzie went to the British Museum and met up later with the boys for the Harry Potter Tour. Kate spent hours in the William Morris museum and then walked the Walthamstow Wetlands. It was beautiful.
Our tour of Stonehenge and Bath was lovely. It was nice to get out the the city and Lawrence was delightful. It was a comfortable ride, we found food (essentials for the boys) and the weather was cooperative (enough - just a bit of rain). Long day at the end as Bath was far from London and traffic was awful, but this was not unexpected.
The following day, Joe, Lizzie and Patrick went to the Tower. Kate and Dominic went to the Science Museum to the gallery of mathematics - this was Dominic's favorite as he studies this at university. We met later to travel to the Shard.
We stayed in New Year's Eve. We had no idea that there would be so many fireworks. Fireworks are common in the USA in the summer at July 4, but not at New Years.
On our last day, we slept and traveled early to the Tottenham game. Kate was so excited. The food was excellent and the stadium was beautiful - now if only Tottenham would have played better :(
Many thanks to Eleanor for planning our dream vacation.

Hotel Review

Victorian Sunbeam

London

This house was spacious (for London). The photos are accurate and the owners left good instructions. They cleared out generous space for food in the fridge and the temperature was very comfortable. Beds were large and comfortable and having 2.5 bathrooms was excellent (and the main reason that we selected the house). Being from the USA, we were completely clueless on how to work the microwave and the washing machine. Many thanks to YouTube for assistance. Directions would have been helpful. I'm not sure we ever really understood the washing machine. Special Note: The house is clearly owned by artists who enjoyed modern and avant garde art. There were artistic drawings and photos of semi-nude women in the house. They were beautiful but a bit shocking and my sons informed me where each drawing/photo was as they wandered the house. Younger kids would likely not notice and adults may appreciate them, but teenage boys are likely not the audience for these photos. We were not offended but I know many a USA family who would be unappreciative of these decorations.

Authenticity & Character

I wasn't really looking for character, just space, but I'm 5 starring this one.

Location

About 7 minute walk to the Victoria Line of the tube. Grocery store on the way. Very end of Victoria line so it takes a bit of time to get to many city central sites.

Staff

Nice notes and directions from owners

Cleanliness & Comfort

House was very clean. Towels were laid out. Easy places to put shoes and coats. Space in fridge and easy to use kitchen.

Activity Reviews

Shard Viewing Platform

London

This would be great, if the weather would cooperate. My kids liked the view but it was considerably cloudy, so buying tickets ahead of time is a gamble. We have done it once, so don't need to repeat this experience.

Tottenham Hotspur v Aston Villa - Kick-Off 2pm

London

Wonderful stadium and food. Lovely atmosphere but our tickets were DIRECTLY in front of opposing team fans which was an odd experience. Now if only Tottenham had played well. Since Villa won the game there was much taunting by these fans directed towards Tottenham fans. My kids thought that this was amusing and not typical of the USA.

Quality of Experience

Private Walking Tour of London

London

Our guide was Ann. She was knowledgeable and flexible, adapting to what we wanted to see. It was a lovely day and a great experience.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Chelsea v Bournemouth - Kick-Off 5.30pm

London

Great food and lovely seats. A bit high up, but good view of the field. You can arrive early and also stay after the game.

Quality of Experience

Discover Bath & Stonehenge - Full Day Tour

London

This was an excellent day but a long drive home afterwards. I wish we had done Bath first and then Stonehenge (or just skipped Bath and found some closer place.) The museum at Stonehenge is interesting and the walk around the stones was lovely. Our entire family really enjoyed Lawrence and he was a helpful and responsive guide. I highly recommend him for future tours. His car was comfortable and he had a lovely personality.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Westminster Abbey

London

This was a lovely place although we attended at peak tourist season, so a bit crowded.

Quality of Experience

St Paul's Cathedral

London

This is a lovely church. We thoroughly enjoyed climbing to the top and enjoying the views. All three teenage kids really liked that experience.

Quality of Experience

We had a great trip to England during a very unprecedented time of the Queens passing. Owen literally took care of every detail of our trip from the time we stepped off the plane until the time we stepped back on. It was such a relief to be able to have someone handle all the details and for us to just be able to enjoy our short time there. I would recommend Owen and his team over and over and I would not hesitate to use him again when I return.