Kimkim Trip Reviews for England

We had a wonderful experience working with our travel agent, Kate, to plan our recent trip to England. Everything was handled so thoughtfully from start to finish.

The accommodations were excellent—comfortable, well-located, and a perfect fit for our needs. We especially loved The Randolph Hotel in Oxford - the staff, accomodations, and location were phenomenal! Our itinerary was especially impressive, as our limited time was used so efficiently. We were able to see and do so much without ever feeling rushed, which made the trip both enjoyable and memorable.

We began the trip with a Private Black Cab tour with Greg, who tweaked our tour to focus on London sights that interested us most, and he even acted as our personal photographer at hidden photo spots! Our last tour was a Private Walking Tour throughout Oxford with Tom, who was incredibly knowledgeable about both Oxford history and the current student experience.

Transfers between cities and activities were smooth and reliable thanks to the very good car services that were arranged, as well as two train rides. This made getting around stress-free and allowed us to focus on enjoying ourselves.

One of the things we appreciated most was how accessible and responsive Kate was throughout the trip. Anytime we had a question or needed a little guidance, she was quick to respond and incredibly helpful. It gave us great peace of mind knowing we had that kind of support while traveling abroad.

Overall, the planning and service exceeded our expectations. We would absolutely recommend Kate to anyone looking for a well-organized, enjoyable, and worry-free travel experience.

We truly enjoyed our time in England. Thank you for being so responsive while we were in the country. As my brother-in-law mentioned, I would not suggest Henrietta House (auxiliary site) for future guests. While the other hotel was nice, our favorite hotel during the trip was the Randolph.

Greg was simply the best tour guide. He was the gentleman who gave us our initial tour of London. If you can specifically request him for future bookings, I would highly suggest it. He was incredibly knowledgeable and great fun. He customized the tour for us based on our existing itinerary, and we made unique stops to make sure we saw a little bit of everything. His food recommendations were top-tier as well.

Cash and Eddie were also fantastic. Cash drove us to Durdle Door, and Eddie to Hampton Court.

Looking back, I wish we had had more time to spend in Oxford. It is such a beautiful town filled with so much history. Alas, there was only so much to do with so little time. We will just have to come back again soon. :)

Thank you for making it all happen. We truly appreciate it.

This is my second trip with kimkim.com and I am glad I am a returning customer. Salome, our booking specialist, was always gracious and helpful. She helped to customize our trip to our exact liking and was patient to undergo several drafts of our itinerary with us. Besides highly customized trip plans, one of the reasons why I use kimkim is they offer a 24/7 WhatsApp "help line" while you are on your trip. This has proved invaluable especially for London because things can get quite chaotic there. Salome, Pauline and their other colleagues who fielded our inquiries were super responsive and always got us back on the right track when unexpected events happened or logistics went awry.

Some constructive feedback... When we took our first kimkim trip it was to France and whenever we had a private transport we were usually given the driver's number in advance. I recommend you do the same in England so we are not scrambling if the driver is late or can't be found. Also, when planning the France trip, our kimkim correspondent usually answered us the next day. I think our England was during a peak season so we were getting replies sometimes a week later. Recommend hiring more great workers during busy periods!

We loved the ease and online nature of the process. One thing we would recommend is that with certain tours (like St Paul’s and the British Museum) an estimate of time necessary to fully explore the facility would have been helpful in our planning.
The airport transfers were flawless, even with a Tube strike taking place. The tour companies and their tour guides used by KimKim were all fantastic.
We look forward to booking through KimKim again in the future!

Hotel Review

Citadines Apart'hotel Holborn-Covent Garden London

London

Very convenient. Breakfast was well appointed, although a little light on hot foods. The staff were very friendly and helpful. Drawbacks: - two very small elevators, one of which was broken for the duration of our stay - very modern room design, with almost no clothing storage, or room for toiletries in the bath - the high sided tub made bathing safely a challenge for anyone with even minor mobility challenges

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Hop-on hop-off sightseeing bus

London

Almost a total bust, between the Tube strike and pouring rain. Probably a better experience in better weather.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Churchill War Rooms & WW2 Westminster Small Group Tour

London

The tour leader was vey knowledgeable and added interesting background at each stop.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Hampton Court Palace & Windsor Castle Group Tour from London

London

This was the one tour where we felt we had adequate time at each location.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Dolly (our guide) was AMAZING!!

Transport

Spectacular tour of London landmarks on the way to Hampton Court!

Historical Pub Tour of London

London

Kevin the tour guide was great- very knowledgeable and the pace he set was perfect.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

There was no transport provided.

Tower of London Beefeater Welcome & Crown Jewels

London

The yeoman’s introduction was very helpful. The Crown Jewels were both amazing and obscene at the same time.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

No transport provided

London Secret Food Tour

London

Luke was an excellent guide- he added a lot of detail on the history of the area, well beyond the food.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

No transport was provided.

Overall our trip was amazing! All the transportation service drivers were excellent, especially Ralph in Paris! We had a glitch in Paris with our meeting spot for one outing, the driver had one address, we had another and the ticket had yet another. The driver went above and beyond to get us to the right spot, even went in to make sure we were ok. In London we had some difficulties as there was a strike with the tube- underground. We had the wrong meeting spot for the Tower tour, caused us to miss that tour and had to get an Uber and pay for new tickets ourselves at the right spot. Kim Kim did re-imberse us for the uber which was great! Since the strike was planned and publicized well in advance, we would have appreciated a heads up as getting anywhere was a nightmare! At one point the Toot bus just stopped and took itself out of service for awhile because of gridlock. Our hotels in both London and Paris were wonderful! All of our tours were outstanding!

The black cab tour was good. The changing of the guard tour was not good at all. Not only was there no changing of the guard, but there was really very little else offered other than gossip at that tour. The bus trip to Bath and Stonehenge was overcrowded and the guide actually told us to separate from the group when we got to Bath because we didn’t have wristbands like everyone else. This would be the private guide mentioned in the description. The tour at Oxford was lovely. The hotels were good.

Aleksandra was very responsive and informative in selexting, scheduling, and booking our trip. She was very helpful and accommodating while helping with last minute changes.

Hotel Reviews

Marlin Waterloo

London

As an American, not accustomed to the AC being on a time limit and getting hot in the middle of the night. We did leave something in the safe, which the hotel was very helpful in ensuring the item was returned to us.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

New Town Hotel

Edinburgh

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

London Secret Food Tour

London

Ryan was great!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Retired Royal Guard Central London Walk

London

David was amazing! His knowledge, first hand and learned, was impressive.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Aleksandra was absolutely great! She helped with whatever we needed and was always just a message away! Being able to contact her during our trip was a huge relief and greatly appreciated! What a fantastic person!

Hotel Reviews

Woodman Pub

London

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Ceilidh-Donia

Edinburgh

Had the most amazing time in Edinburgh! Kelly made us feel so comfortable with traveling on the bus, which gave us confidence to adventure more than planned! Rooms were great and service better!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

The Royal Kings Arms Hotel Lancaster

Lancaster

Authenticity & Character

Loved the double and 2 twin beds in our room! The manual lift was so cool!

Location

Perfect location for catching the train!

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Simply Stonehenge Tour with Lunch Pack

London

Stonehenge was amazing! I wished we had more time to explore. The two allotted hours was not enough time to see everything.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

We could not understand our driver due to the language barrier, he had very broken English.

Transport

River Cruise from Westminster to Tower Bridge Quay

London

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Outlander Castle Tour

Edinburgh

Ah.Maz.Ing!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Martin was fantastic, loved his wit and stories!

Transport

Experience Glenfinnan Viaduct, Glen Coe and the Hogwarts Express

Edinburgh

Fantastic! Couldn’t have asked for better.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Ryan P was deadly! And he brought us to see the Highland Coo’s! Added bonus!

Transport

I had an excellent experience working with Tetiana for my Europe trip. She went above and beyond with all of the bookings and recommendations for activities, making the entire journey smooth and stress-free. Every hotel she arranged was in the heart of the city, close to major attractions and within easy walking distance of the metro—perfect for exploring.

Tetiana was incredibly helpful and always quick to respond if I had any questions or needed assistance, even with something as simple as finding the meeting spot for a small group tour. Her professionalism, attention to detail, and personal touch made my trip unforgettable.

I highly recommend Tetiana to anyone planning their travels—she’s truly outstanding!

Hotel Reviews

Hotel Le Petit Beaumarchais

Paris - France

Hotel Le Petit Beaumarchais is in a fantastic central Paris location, close to the metro and main attractions. The room was basic but clean and comfortable, and the staff were friendly and helpful.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

The Sanctuary House Hotel

London

Perfectly located in the heart of the city’s attractions. The room had a wonderful bathroom with a bathtub—ideal for soaking tired muscles. Excellent complimentary breakfast with very welcoming staff at the pub.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Kimpton Charlotte Square Hotel, an IHG Hotel

Edinburgh

Outstanding staff—always welcoming and attentive. The room was clean and comfortable, and the breakfast was excellent. A fantastic stay in a great location.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

NYX Hotel Dublin Christchurch

Dublin

Clean hotel with an excellent breakfast and a fantastic location within walking distance of many attractions. A convenient and comfortable stay.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Hop-on hop-off sightseeing bus

London

A fantastic way to see all the main sights and get oriented in London. The headphones provided interesting commentary about the history and significance of each location, which made the tour both fun and educational. Being able to hop on and off allowed us to explore at our own pace, and it made navigating the city on our own afterward much easier. Highly recommended for first-time visitors!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Tower of London Beefeater Welcome & Crown Jewels

London

An unforgettable experience! The Beefeaters were hilarious, engaging, and incredibly knowledgeable, making the history of the Tower come alive. Seeing the Crown Jewels in person was absolutely breathtaking. We spent the entire day exploring the grounds, the towers, and the exhibits—it was immersive, fascinating, and well worth the money. From the medieval architecture to the stories of kings and queens, every moment was captivating. I would highly recommend this tour to anyone visiting London!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Stonehenge and Bath Group Tour

England

Our day trip to Stonehenge and Bath with Tony was fantastic. Tony was knowledgeable, friendly, and made the experience seamless and enjoyable. At Stonehenge, we learned fascinating history about the stones and their mysterious origins. In Bath, Tony took us on a walking tour, sharing stories about the Roman Baths and pointing out the stunning Georgian architecture and hidden gems throughout the city. His insights brought the history and character of Bath to life. The tour was well-organized, comfortable, and allowed plenty of time to explore both locations. Highly recommended!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

One Day Trip Canterbury & Dover Cliffs

England

Fantastic Canterbury & Dover Cliffs day trip with Kevin! Friendly, knowledgeable, and attentive. We explored Canterbury at our own pace and enjoyed breathtaking views at the Dover Cliffs. Kevin made the day smooth, enjoyable, and memorable—highly recommend!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Edinburgh Castle & Old Town Private Tour

Edinburgh

We had an amazing private tour of Edinburgh Castle and the Old Town with Adrian. He was exceptional—friendly, knowledgeable, and full of fascinating stories that brought the city’s history to life. His passion and insights made the tour both engaging and unforgettable. Highly recommended!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

The Vaults Tour

Edinburgh

We had an excellent Vaults tour! We explored Greyfriars Kirk with lots of spooky stories, then ventured into The Vaults, where our guide was fantastic—she even dressed the part like a witch! We learned so much and had a thrilling, memorable experience. Highly recommended!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Ultimate Edinburgh Bike Tour

England

We had an excellent Ultimate Edinburgh Bike Tour! Our guide shared lots of great stories, and the tour included fantastic stops at key sights, letting us see some of the best places in the city. Fun, informative, and highly recommended!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Private Transfer from Dublin Airport to Dublin

Dublin

We had a private transfer from Dublin Airport to the city, and our driver was friendly, punctual, and professional. The ride was comfortable and stress-free, making for a smooth start to our trip. Highly recommended for anyone looking for a hassle-free transfer.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Activity Reviews

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.

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.

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

Wilde Aparthotels, London Paddington

London

The Peacock at Rowsley

Matlock

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

No. 15 Guesthouse

Bath

Location

Activity Reviews

London Eye Fast Track Tickets

London

Westminster Abbey Entry Tickets

London

Oxford University and City Walking Tour

England

Peak District

England

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Afternoon Tea at Fortnum & Mason

London

Hampton Court Palace Entry Tickets

London

Explore the Peak District with a Private Driver Guide

Peak District

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Haddon Hall

England

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Private Transfer from Bath to London Heathrow Airport

England

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Chatsworth House

England

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Bath Private Tour

Bath

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

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

A Walking Tour of Big Ben and Westminster Abbey

London

Guide was good.

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

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

Blakemore Hyde Park Hotel

London

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Plaza Elysées

Paris

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

Hôtel A La Villa des Artistes

Paris

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

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

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

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

City & University Tour – Oxford Walking Tours

England

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport