Kimkim Trip Reviews for Scotland

Rachel did a terrific job making our trip purposeful and enjoyable! We can’t say enough about how good of a job she did! She had a few days to figure things out and did marvelous! Trip highlights include boat ride in Isle of Skye for wildlife watching, the Cameron House in Loch Lomond, The Old Mill Inn at Pitlochery and finally playing golf at Royal Troon! We’ll put together for convenience and so many personal touches. Thank you for the support and assistance!

Stephen helped us plan a romantic 12-day trip to Scotland to celebrate our 30th wedding anniversary. I have wanted to go to Scotland forever, but there are so many things to do and see that I was very overwhelmed with the planning. Stephen and I went back and forth a few times to get the details just right, but in the end, we wouldn't have changed a thing. Stand out experiences from the trip were our walking tour of Edinburg with Gareth as our guide--wear good walking shoes. The wildlife safari in the Cairngorms National Forest with Steve--make a plan for breakfast because the tour starts before most places are serving; Steve provided tea, coffee and snacks. Our trip to the Fairy Pools on Skye was wonderful--I've never seen clearer water and the views are spectacular, but wear supportive shoes or hiking boots and if you're at all unsteady consider hiking poles. The three-island tour of Mull, Staffa, and Iona leaving from Oban harbor was also wonderful--pack a picnic and plan to eat it on Staffa. The views are amazing! There's a coffee shop near the ferry terminal where you can buy pre-made sandwiches. We went to 5 castles -- Edinburgh, Glamis, Urquhart, Dunvegan, and Stirling. All had their pros and cons but we loved them all. Urquhart on the banks of Loch Ness was my favorite; my husband's favorite was Stirling Castle. We also toured Culloden and Bannockburn battlefields. I was more interested in Culloden, but my husband enjoyed the story of Bannockburn -- the thing at Bannockburn is that you need to travel to various locations to get a sense of the battle, and not all the locations are marked. Our guide Murray did a good job explaining everything, but there's not much to look at. We didn't go into the educational center at the actual memorial--but I'd investigate it if you're interested in learning about this piece of Scottish history or maybe read an article or book. For me, I think this would have helped ground me in an understanding before visiting the battlefield sites. On our last day in Edinburg we had high tea at the Signet Library. They are one of the few places that offer a gluten free tea and it was an exceptional experience. As someone who needs to eat GF, you can often feel like you are compromising -- not here. One of the finest dining experiences of my life in a beautiful setting. Dinner at the Heathmont Hotel in Inverness was also exceptional. Also, I will say that I was worried about being able to accommodate my food allergies outside the major cities. I'm happy to report that while it was hard to find GF food outside of health food stores, the restaurants were able to accommodate me everywhere we went.

Hotel Reviews

Angel's Share Hotel

New Town, Edinburgh

Nice hotel, great staff.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

They were great about storing our luggage, helping us order taxis and giving us tips on places to eat.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Comfortable bed, small but modern bathroom

Heathmount Hotel

Inverness

Beautiful, historic hotel in a quiet setting.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Perle

Oban

Loved this hotel -- it was one of the most beautiful we stayed in. Very modern decor. Our room had an amazing view of the harbor and was very well located. The hotel restaurant, Baab was also exceptional.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Beautifully decorated rooms, lovely view of the harbor, clean modern bathrooms

The Stirling Highland Hotel

Stirling

This was my least favorite of all the hotels we stayed it. The buildings were formerly a school and the guest rooms in particular feel very institutional. The hotel was fully booked the night we stayed and the staff seemed very overwhelmed. That said, it has a great location that's an easy walk to Stirling Castle.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Eden Locke

Edinburgh

This was a great location in the in New Town. An easy walk to shopping, restaurants and attractions. The staff was exceptionally friendly and I would have appreciated having the kitchenette if we'd stayed longer in Edinburgh. This was also one of the most spacious rooms we stayed in.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Private walking tour of Edinburgh with a top local guide

Edinburgh

Gareth met us at our hotel and took us on a wonderful walk around Edinburg's new and old town, teaching us about the history and showing us the sites. It was a great way to orient ourselves to the city.

Quality of Experience

Gareth, our guide, was both personable and knowledgable

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Gardens & Grounds Admission tickets & Tour at Glamis castle

forfar

Glamis is a beautiful castle -- exactly what you expect a castle to look like! There are only a few rooms to see and you get to learn a bit of history about the castle and the family. I enjoyed it, but it was not one of my favorite experiences in the end.

Cairngorms National Park Wildlife Tour with a Specialist

Scotland

I don't consider myself much of a nature person -- not a hiker or a camper and definitely not a bird watcher. That said, this was an amazing experience -- one of my favorites of the trip. Steve our guide was exceptional -- he took us to 4 different habitats in the Cairngorms and taught us all along the way. This is a 5-hour tour, but I could have spent 5 more hours learning from Steve.

Quality of Experience

The scenery is just amazing and Steve allows you to see a lot in a relatively short amount of time.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Steve was so knowledgeable about the local flora and fauna and a very nice person to spend time with.

Transport

Steve has a lovely Range Rover. Very comfortable.

Culloden Battlefield private tour

Inverness

Our guide, Rhona, was very knowledgable about the battle and the history. She spent time setting the context and the background of the political situation and really helped us envision the full picture. We asked tons of questions and Rhona was very patient with us.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Visit to Urquhart Castle

Scotland

Right on the banks of Loch Ness, this was my favorite of the 5 castles we visited. The setting was especially lovely.

Quality of Experience

Edinburgh Castle Tickets

Edinburgh

Afternoon tea at the Signet Library (Gluten Free also available!)

Edinburgh

I am gluten intolerant, but I really wanted a high tea experience on our trip. When you eat gluten free, you just assume that your experience is going to be a compromise vs. that of anyone you're with. That was not the case here. Our table was tucked away in a little alcove, which gave a very private feeling. We were invited to select a personal pot of tea from an extensive list -- wine and champagne are available for an extra fee. This was followed by a several courses including a 3 tier platter of savory bites and a second one of sweets. Everything was 1-2 bites of meticulously prepared food.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

The staff we discreet and attentive. The tea was well-paced -- we never felt rushed.

We planned our trip to Scotland May 23-June 4 2023 to celebrate our 35th Wedding Anniversary using KimKim for the first time. We were unsure of the process initially, but we were connected with Stephen who was very knowledgable and helpful. After several variations we landed on the perfect vacation! At this point partial payment is due, to confirm the vacation, with the final payment due approx one month prior to your trip. About 2-3 weeks before you leave you will receive your detailed itinerary including tickets and reservations for things like your accommodations, car rental, tickets to sites, private tours, etc. The package you will receive, via KimKim as a pdf, is very detailed and helpful. One thing we found is that the complete addresses for most locations was not included in the package, which made it a bit difficult when using the GPS in the rental car. Using our cellphone we would look up the location and input the post code to the GPS. (You may want to get the complete addresses before your trip, incase you are unable to use your cellphone.) All the bookings for accommodations, events, etc was perfect. Stephen and Celina from KimKim were even in touch with us a few times throughout the trip to make sure all was ok and that we knew how to contact them if needed.
Overall our special vacation was amazing... everything went as planned and the weather was better than we had expected. Having sunshine, warm temperatures and NO RAIN for our entire trip. We did a lot of walking, used the bus system (which was terrific) and experienced the welcoming and helpful people of Scotland. We travelled through much of Scotland, spending just enough time in each location and enjoying the beautiful scenery along the way. Since we are from Canada and not used to driving on the left, this took a bit of getting used to, but was fine. There are many roundabouts, which also takes a bit of getting used to. Road rules and signs were unfamiliar and different, so may be worth looking into ahead of time.
All of our accommodations were great, each being just a bit different from the last. Check in times were usually around 3 or 4pm so keep that in mind, as we arrived early for many of ours. (especially on the first day after travelling overnight). All the tickets for our excursions worked perfectly and we had no issues. Everything was booked and on time as planned. We wanted to immerse ourselves in the culture, and experienced the local food (haggis, big Scottish breakfasts, scotch and fish and chips), music,(bagpipes) pubs, etc. and we had a lot of fun doing it. Our private guided tours were great and highly recommended. The castles are incredible, the landscape was impressive and sometimes a bit scary driving in the highlands.
Lastly, just an FYI, since we are from Canada and due to our exchange rate our trip was expensive. The cost of the trip through KimKim was charged in US dollars and while in Scotland we felt the exchange again being charged in pounds. But, overall this was a trip of a lifetime and was perfect!

Hotel Reviews

B+B Edinburgh

Edinburgh

Amazing hotel and staff. Unfortunately, when we were there they had issues with the WiFi and the elevator wasn't working. ( we were on the 4th floor). Great location, great breakfast, and the staff were so welcoming and helpful. Liam especially went out of his way to help us out.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Heathmount Hotel

Inverness

The exterior of this hotel may leave you feeling that the inside will be the same, but that is not the case. The rooms are modern, clean and well equipped. There is a restaurant/bar located in this hotel which was also had an amazing atmosphere. Food was excellent and the staff were all very helpful and friendly. The only issue is that there wasn't any parking in their small lot as it was full of the restaurant patrons. They did have overflow parking available in a small lot across the street.

Authenticity & Character

Location

We arrived on a Saturday night and didn't spend much time there on Sunday.

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Canowindra Bed and Breakfast

Portree

Georgie and Rick were both friendly and very welcoming. This is a beautiful B&B and our room was spacious and well equipped. Modern and clean with a wonderful breakfast. Very relaxing. Georgie recommended Gasta Pizzeria and bar for dinner and it didn't disappoint. It was close by and had great pizza.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Initially this was a bit hard to find, but they have lots of signage to help you.

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Ardrhu House Fort William

Fort William

Ardrhu House is in a secluded bay with beautiful views and beautiful grounds. The exterior is well maintained and the castle like building is lovely. It has many positive features, the spa, hot tub, outside sitting areas and sun room. The bedroom was a bit small but comfortable. It had an authentic feel. The staff were friendly and helpful. Food was great and the dining was enjoyable.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Not good signage and not easy to find.

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Room was small and bathroom just had a tub. (no shower)

Perle

Oban

This is a lovely hotel and very modern and spacious. We had a lovely view of the harbour. Perfect location, but no parking. We had to park in the railway parking lot across the street which was £3 per day. Restaurant for breakfast was spacious, but understaffed. Staff were friendly and helpful. Great little town for walking.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Courtyard by Marriott SEC

Glasgow

Hotel was very close to airport (6 min walk to airport) , but approx 20 min from central Glasgow. We had an extra day here before our flight left, so we took the airport bus to the town center which worked perfectly and we spent the day touring around Glasgow. This is your typical Courtyard by Marriott hotel and did the trick.

Authenticity & Character

Location

close to airport, but not close to downtown

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Edinburgh Castle Tickets

Edinburgh

Excellent, worth the visit. This is a must.

Quality of Experience

Afternoon Tea at the Edinburgh Castle

Edinburgh

A bit disappointing. Food was great, but the experience didn't seem as authentic as we were expecting.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

staff weren't very attentive

Private walking tour of Edinburgh with a top local guide

Edinburgh

Kate was amazing, so knowledgable and friendly. Loved this tour. Meeting up with Kate at the start was difficult. We didn't really know what to expect and how to locate her.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Culloden Battlefield private tour

Inverness

Our guide was knowledgable and friendly. Again hard to locate her at the start of our tour.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Two hour cruise on the Canal and Loch - Loch Ness

Inverness

Boat trip was great and well narrated. Urquhart castle was a pleasant surprise and definatley worth seeing.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Isle of Skye Whisky immersion at Torabhaig

Scotland

This was a beautiful distillery and our tour was great. Our tour was booked for 3pm but we arrived at 1:45pm and they were able to accommodate us at the 2pm tour.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

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

Scotland

This was so fun. The stopover in the town of Mallaig was nice, and just enough time to grab a quick lunch.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Boat tour from Oban - see the coast of Mull

Oban

We had the perfect weather for this. Staff were awesome, very knowledgable and friendly. We had our tour booked for 3pm but asked if we could change to 10am, and were accommodated. Excellent narration.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Stirling Castle Tickets

Stirling

Beautiful castle and surrounding area. Very high up and amazing. Parking lot was full so we had to park in a public lot and walk to the castle.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

We really enjoyed the sheep dog demonstration and Lindsey, the storyteller and historian at Blair Castle. The Highland Safari was very informative and enjoyable.
We appreciated Luigi’s trip details, but there was some confusion in our trip plans at the beginning. Considering his circumstances, he was very responsive, but it is unfortunate that Kimkim did not have a backup in Scotland when he was dealing with a most difficult family emergency. Nonetheless, he always responded immediately to our questions.

Hotel Reviews

Ben Nevis Hotel & Leisure Club

Fort William, Inverness-shire

Old, worn furnishings. Even the supposed refurbished room looked tired. We were right over the front door and parking lot and had a lot of noise. The front desk said the room had not been paid for until we showed our receipt. No hot water in the bathroom. We do not suggest that you book this hotel for other guests in the future. We knew this hotel would not be perfect, but we didn’t know how imperfect it would be. Zachary, in the restaurant, was the only highlight of the hotel. Excellent!

Palace Hotel & Spa - Best Western Inverness

Inverness

The room, location, and staff were all excellent. We had a beautiful view of the river and castle. The staff were so friendly and helpful. Good breakfast!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

The furnishings were beautiful. The chairs in front of the windows were a very nice touch.

Activity Reviews

Get passionate to Scottish history with an Historian

Scotland

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Discover traditional herding

Scotland

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Get fascinated by a Storyteller's stories

Scotland

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Contemplate the Highland nature

Pitlochry

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

There is so much good to write about that made our trip to Scotland a really fun adventure. We appreciated so much the easy to navigate planning process that allowed so much personalization of what we wanted to see and experience.
Our suggestions would be to include some sort of up front notice of the distance to travel from chosen hotels to the town/city or destination being visited. What we were unaware of was how far some of our expeditions were from our hotels. We ended up needing to miss two such days since there was so much travel involved. We would have made different choices on those days to save travel time.
We had a personal driver/guide for two days. It was well worth the extra cost involved to sit back and enjoy as well as spend this time with a local resident and get to know the area from his perspective.
Aside from one meal at a hotel, the food was all top notch. Scotland should take pride in their quality of food and how it's prepared and presented.
We will look to Kim Kim planning again when we are planning our next vacation adventure.

Hotel Reviews

Tigerlily

Edinburgh

A great location within Edinburgh to use as a place to eat, rest up. The overall décor was quite exotic. The hotel was very clean and well staffed. The restaurant was quite good and the breakfast service is a nice feature.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Easy access to public transportation and walkable to want to see parts of the city

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Isle of Eriska Hotel and Spa

Oban

a hard to find location, but so worth the travel. A beautiful building set on an island. Amazingly quiet and restful. We did not stay in the main building, but one of the remote cabins. I would rate this as the most unique part of our trip. The staff were so helpful and made us feel welcome.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Double Tree By Hilton

Ingliston,

A total surprise being located near the airport. We could walk from our hotel to the tram that connects to Edinburgh. This allowed us an extra day to get back to the city for additional exploration.

Authenticity & Character

A nice, American style hotel

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Review

Jacobite Steam train

Fort William

The train was comfortable. The ride was a bit simplistic. It was difficult to fill in two hours in the town of Mallig.

Quality of Experience

We are now safely home from our trip in France. We had a wonderful time. All the arrangements went well apart from a couple of minor issues which were promptly solved by Clement who was also extremely patient and helpful with various changes of plan. The hotels were clean and comfortable and everyone was pleasant and helpful. We would definitely use KimKim again.

Hotel Reviews

Logis Hôtel Restaurant Chaptal Amboise

Amboise

Our attic room was cute and comfortable but on the second floor and with no lift which could have been a problem, however the staff were very helpful and carried our rather heavy suitcases up and down for us. Reception was only staffed from 8am til mid evening but out of hours access was provided and we were able to get our cases brought down the evening before our 7am departure. Breakfast was good and plentiful. The hotel is well situated and we were able to walk to a lot of sights and to great restaurants.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Les Trois Luppars

Arras

Amazing to stay in the oldest house in the town! Our room was clean and comfortable, breakfast generous and the staff helpful

Authenticity & Character

Location

The hotel is right in the main square and is part of the walking trail of the town.

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hôtel Palm - Astotel

Paris

Great hotel with good rooms, good breakfast and an exceptional receptionist who was fun and very knowledgeable about what to do, where to eat and how to get there. She really made it easy and special

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

The Originals Boutique, Hôtel Le Londres, Saumur

Saumur

We only stayed one night but the room was good and convenient for us to walk to the river for our cruise

Location

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Chambord, Chenonceau & Lunch at a chateau - Full Day

Scotland

This was a great day out - two very different chateaux with a delicious simple home-made lunch in another more personal one in between! Highly recommended

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Free time in the Loire Valley

Tours

We had a good day - visited the Amboise Castle and Clos Luce, both great and both easily walkable.

Private transfer in town

Scotland

Our driver was early and was really helpful inadvising which platform for our train. The car was clean and comfortable

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Private transfer

Scotland

I think this is a duplication of the previous request . We just had one transfer pre-booked on 18 April, for our departure to Saumur

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Explore a cave village and discover a local vineyard

Saumur

The car did not come on time and we had to phone to find out what was happening. We were therefore late leaving and she drove really fast to get us to the vineyard which was not pleasant. Amelie however was excellent. We had not realised it was a walking tour (and mifht have brought better footwear had we known) but we really enjoyed strolling through the vineyards and the cave village. Amelie was very informative and spaced out her stops to explain the various aspects of the wine growing and then the cave dwellings which made it a nice leisurely pace. We also enjoyed the 3 wines we tasted! The car for our return arrived early - different driver. The grading of 4 stars reflects the late pickup - we would definiltey give 5 stars to Amelie

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Aperitif cruise on the Loire

Saumur

This was a very pleasant way to spend an hour or more, drifting peacefully along the river. The snacks and wine were fine for the price

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Private transfer in Paris

Paris

This was a very professional service, excellent in every way. Confirmed by text the previous evening, spotless car, courteous helpful driver (Salman)

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Ficheux and the Arras Battlefield

Arras

We walked from the station to our hotel and had a bit of trouble finding it - our fault as we did not check the info provided. We were then delighted to find it was the oldest house in the town and right in the square so convenient for sightseeing and restaurants. Clean, comfortable room and helpful hosts. As we realised we needed to go to Achiet -le-Grande rather than Ficheux we contacted the driver and arranged to leave earlier. He came well on time and took us there, leaving us in peace to find the grave we wanted and to spend time in the cemetery which is beautifully maintained by the War Graves Commission. He then drove us back and left us at the Wellington Tunnels which was an interesting and educational experience. We had thought we were meeting a guide theme but realised in time that we were to join their regular guided tour. A poignant day.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Evening Eiffel Tower Tour

Paris

It was great to learn the history of the Eiffel Tower and to see the city both in daylight and in darkness.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Hop-on, Hop-off Bus through Paris

Paris

Always a wonderful way to get an overview of a city

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Cruise on the Seine

Paris

An easy way to get a different view of the city with an option of being under cover out of the sun - or rain.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Timed tickets to Le Louvre

Paris

Great not to have to queue as long as those who were not pre-booked! An amazing collection - it would take days to see it all. Good that there were seats available here and there and staff at various points to direct one from place to place.

Quality of Experience

We were very pleased with all the aspects of our trip. I think it’s important to realize the smaller hotels have lots of history and sometime interesting room set ups, but everything works and the breakfast included feature is a real plus as the Scots put on a feast that sets you up for the day. We did not use a guide, but we hired local taxi drivers on three occasions that took us around Lewis, Harris, Skye,, and From Fort William back to Edinburg. Each had lots to tell us and teach us about the places we were. It was nice some days to go slow and stay on our own timeframe, hike, eat light and explore the local town.
The Edinburg B&B had a broken elevator and a story they were waiting for a part but I think that’s a long way out, but we found young men to haul our bags. Broadway House on Lewis is a gem, food , view, accommodations, proprietors. HEB360 local guide A+. RAASAY Distillery and the island itself a highlight. We got a taxi driver from Portree to go over on the ferry with his car and drive us all around the island before checking in…totally a must to do. The Distillery, like so many places, is waiting for more waitstaff to appear for the summer after college gets out. They are a small distillery working on how they want to grow, and share dining days with the inn next door.Lovely hikes there and an amazing view back at Skye. Garrison Hotel in Fort William is also a gem, Small rooms but we had every single thing thought out to be comfortable and charming staff. NEVIS Taxi a real find too, who took us to Edinburg. Hotel Du Vin a bit gloomy lobby and room but spacious and food , staff wonderful and a great location. A last stop before the airport. Security and check in for Edinburg airport , under a lot of construction can take more time than you think so give yourself a bit extra. Luigi from KIM KIM made it all . The plus is having everything paid for, the ability to edit a trip with your own preferences with someone who knows the area. A MUST is to book restaurants AHEAD of time. Everyone is short staffed and Skye in particular was difficult so were were glad we booked ahead as many other tourists ate from the grocery store shelves! We took ferries and taxis and planes.
The hospitality and the humor of the Scots is just wonderful.

We had a lovely trip to Ireland, London and Scotland. This was my first time traveling out of the USA and I was a bit apprehensive but our specialists took care of all of my requests and answered all my questions. The accommodations were great and convenient except for one. However, we reached out to KimKim and they were able to assist us with other arrangements quickly and it made our stay so much more enjoyable. We enjoyed all of our excursions that were pre-arranged. We did miss out on one castle visit because the timeframe just did not allow us to make our reservation. I would recommend KimKim and I will reach out again when we decide onour next trip. Thank you Stephen and William for assisting us with a "Once in a Lifetime Trip".

Hotel Reviews

Claymore Guest House

Perthshire

Authenticity & Character

The home has so much character. The landscape was lovely.

Location

Loved the quaintness of the town and enjoyed the local dining establishments.

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Native Glasgow

Glasgow

We ended up not staying here because the city was just so busy and there was no where to park close to the hotel. We finally found a parking garage but our rental vehicle would not fit through the gate. We had a 3 year old with us and we did not want to walk through the city and crowd with all of our luggage. This may be a perfect place for a couple wanting to visit the city but it did not suit our needs. I am giving it 3 stars just because of the location and inconvenience for our needs.

The Green

Dublin

We enjoyed our stay at The Green. The location was great! The staff were so helpful in giving us directions when needed. The breakfast was delicious! We would definitely stay here again.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Residence Inn by Marriott London Tower Bridge

London

We enjoyed our stay at the Residence Inn. The location was convenient for our visit. We were thankful we had a taxi to deliver us to the inn because it is difficult to find. Our visit was short but we would stay here again.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Destiny Scotland - Hill Street Apartments

EDINBURGH

We enjoyed our stay at Destiny Scotland-Hill Street Apartments. The rooms were nice, clean and comfortable. We did not cook any meals but the kitchen was nice and available if we needed it. We did have a little issue upon arrival with which room was ours and our room code but we reached out to KimKim and it was taken care of. We did not see any staff to ask for assistance or phone numbers to call if you needed help. We felt safe and we would stay there again.

Authenticity & Character

Location

It was just a short walk to everything we wanted to see and do in Edinburgh.

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

The accommodations were well taken care of and clean when we arrived.

Activity Reviews

Irish Dancing - The Irish House Party

Dublin

We loved this show! The talent was amazing! Loved the stories!

Quality of Experience

Food

The food was delicious and in a timely fashion.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

We believe they were training some new staff the night we visited. The service was not exceptional but they were trying really hard.

Transport

We decided to walk through the rain and cold. But it was so worth it!

Private transfer to or from the airport

Dublin

We enjoyed talking to our driver. He was very knowledgable about the area.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

The vehicles were clean and comfortable.

Cairngorms National Park Wildlife Tour with a Specialist

Scotland

We loved the excursion! The staff were so knowledgable about the local wildlife and terrrain. We would love to visit again and see what other trips they could take us on. Beautiful country!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

We worked primarily with Stephen on our trip to Scotland. From setting up the trip in the beginning we received lots of communication. They listened to what we wanted and adjusted the plans accordingly. We did have a few issues arise once we were on our trip that could have been avoided, but once we told kimkim the issues they were handled very promptly and efficiently which we were very thankful for. The customer service team while on the trip was extremely helpful for answering any questions in a very timely manner. Overall, we had a great trip and it was nice to have someone set up things for us that we would not have done on our own.

Marion and William did an excellent job creating a fully custom Scottish vacation of my husband and myself. Each step of the process they were fantastic. They offered excellent recommendations and their responses were always prompt and professional. It took me a while to response sometimes and finalize our plans due to my heavy workload but they were always so kind and patient with me. When it came time for the trip, everything went very smoothly. There was a little hiccup with my train QR codes not scanning but I called the on call KimKim team and got in touch with a team member and got a easy solution. It was a minor issue that ended up being an easy fix and caused no stress or delay in our trip. The next morning Marion was on top of everything so that the issue wouldn’t happen again. Overall the trip was a success. My favorite part was the walking city tour of Edinburgh with Garret and my husbands favorite part was the Ross Clan museum in Tain with Jason. We are so pleased with KimKim and we will definitely be using their services for our next vacation. I highly recommend Marion, William and the KimKim team for creating a completely custom, unforgettable an amazing vacation. Thank you so much!

Sarah was amazing to work with. She was very responsive to us and willing to work to tweak our itinerary to include activities we were most interested in. She picked up fabulous places to stay. Our entire trip went completely smoothly with all the transfers she set up, the dining experience in Edinburgh (we actually thought we may have wanted to cancel because we were tired but are so glad we didn't). Our guide on our trek in the Highlands was fabulous (despite our bad weather that day!) and all the recommendations for things to do and places to eat were really helpful and appreciated. We had a fun, busy vacation making sure to see all that we possibly could. Sarah had us dialed in perfectly! Thank you!! Will definitely use Kim Kim and hopefully Sarah again in the future!

We thank Stephen, William and Celina for organising a wonderful holiday for us in Scotland. The attention to detail was outstanding particularly given it was the winter season when many venues are closed. Nothing was too much trouble and always available and keeping in touch. We had a sensational time staying at terrific hotels often wonderfully located in the country, and made many happy memories out in the Scottish Highlands. A lovely outdoor adventure... favourite spot is Applecross!!! We could imagine the Vikings landing there from the sea.

Super thanks from Anne and Bill

Our guides were very knowledgeable and personable. Hotels were nice. Both countries were beautiful with amazing architecture!

Our trip to Scotland planned by Rachel exceeded our expectations and became the trip of a lifetime for us! With very little lead time, she planned a two week trip filled with wonderful experiences and excellent accommodations. We were fortunate to have excellent guides to drive us from one location to another. Their commentary and insights helped us to appreciate what we were seeing. We especially enjoyed Neil McLeod, who did a fantastic job of finding interesting sights and stops for us, and we loved his stories! We had such a good time together and he made our trip filled with special moments.

We asked Rachel for some quiet times to sit by the fire or read, and we loved being able to do that at The Haven Guest House and Monachle Mohr. The DunstaneHouse was also memorable and in a great location.

Hotel Reviews

The Roseate (ex: The Dunstane Houses)

Edinburgh

We had a comfortable room and loved the location. The food was amazing and the staff went out of their way to be friendly and provide excellent service.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

the biscuits provided, modern luxurious bathrooms

Monachyle Mhor

Lochearnhead

This is a dream come true kind of place! In a gorgeous setting. Our room was super clean and comfortable. The staff was outstanding and the food was the best we had on our trip. Don't miss staying is this unique and wonderful place.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Edinburgh Private Walking Tour

Edinburgh

This was not the ordinary walking tour! Our private guide took us to several places in the city that were off the beaten path and so interesting! She had a wonderful presentation!

Quality of Experience

Visit Inverarary Castle

Scotland

Great trip overall. Every day something new.
The good:
Edinburgh hotel
Stirling castle
Scotch tasting tours in general
Kings hotel in Glencoe was stunning
Restaurant in Portree for tasting menu was phenomenal. 40 min drive but worth it.
Guide at Bannockburn was amazing. Super knowledgeable and a good sport.
Portree northern loop drive and hikes fantastic. One of the main hikes was closed though which was disappointing
Hike near the hotel with a hiking guide was terrific and guide was very good

The disappointing
Edinburgh guide was not from Edinburgh, had only lived there two years and was 15 minutes late.
Would have preferred a more well know whiskey set of tours. Ones we went to were either brand new or not single malt focused.
Staff at hotel in xxx didn't have our dinner paid for and didn't apologize or make up for it when our trip planner proved them wrong
Hotel in Portee was two star at best. Cold, small, run down.

Hotel Reviews

Eden Locke

Edinburgh

Good location. Tiny rooms. Great staff

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Atholl Palace Hotel

Pitlochry

It's run down and staff are not local

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Not friendly.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel is running down. Probably very nice 20 years ago. Feels like it's run from far away with eastern European staff

Rosedale Hotel

Portree County

Run down. Small. Cold. No heat at night...needed a plug in heater. No closet. Very hard to find a parking spot.

Authenticity & Character

Kind of a dump

Location

On Harbour but limited parking was an issue

Staff

Bar and kitchen staff very friendly. Less so front deck.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Too small to be a hotel room.

Kings House Way Inn

Glencoe

Amazing location and building and views and staff

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Moxy Hotel Edinburgh Airport

Newbridge

Only stayed there for location to airport

Authenticity & Character

Trying way too hard to be cool.

Location

Staff

Waited for 7 minutes before anybody came to front deck to check us in

Cleanliness & Comfort

Beds hard a rocks and for some reason the pillows are so big that both our necks hurt the next day

Activity Reviews

Private walking tour of Edinburgh with a top local guide

Edinburgh

She showed up late. Not from Edinburgh so it was authentic

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Exceptional Visit and Tasting at Blair Athol Distillery

Pitlochry

Good tour although it's mostly there to produce a blend and not enough variety of single malt. Nor do they sell in duty free so we couldn't but anything.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Isle of Skye Whisky immersion at Torabhaig

Scotland

Stunning location and buildings but they are new so not sure why we even were there. Only one wiskey to try in the "tasting". Also doesn't sell in duty free

Quality of Experience

Too new. Only one to taste

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Phd level guided tour of Bannockburn

Stirling

Get Dr David if you can A PHD in archeology and super knowledgeable about Bannockburn 3 hours tour. Lots of walking. It was great.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

A Tasting Menu at The Three Chimneys

Scotland

Awesome food. Chef tablets way to go. Book well well in advance

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Middle of nowhere and 40 minutes drive so someone has to be designated driver in the dark and rainy drive home

Private guided walk in Glencoe

Scotland

Great guide. Good hike mostly uphill but perfect if in shape but still not a hiker.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Just back home after more than 40 days walking and touring around Scotland. This trip was originally planned for 2020 but was delayed until this year due to COVID. We travelled to Inverness, Orkney, Shetland, Glasgow, Edinburgh, Isle of Skye, and Fort William. We used car hire, trains, and ferries to get around and it was great fun. What was special, was that William provided us with walking itineraries at each place we visited so we had a choice of 5 or 6 hikes of varying durations whenever we stayed anywhere for a few days. It turns out that there are no bad places to hike in Scotland. We really liked the Fife Coastal Path which we walked over seven days, and hiking in the Highlands near Torridon during what felt like a gale was even more fun. William suggested a guide lead us up Ben Nevis when we were in Fort William and it was an excellent suggestion. David was exceptional and even though we experienced rain, hail, and snow on the ascent, this was the highlight of our trip. I must also mention our accommodation which was all very different from one another but uniformly excellent. The very best place we stayed at was Corbies Rest in Inverness, not so much for the facilities, which were very good, but because of the owner Eilidh Gilchrist. She is a marvel. Friendly, outgoing, and has an amazing amount of information in her head about where to and what to see.
Throughout our time in Scotland we were in contact with Stephen who works with William. There were a couple of minor glitches that came up during our trip and Stephen took care of them right away. I would recommend this company to anyone wanting to visit Scotland. They know their product!

We couldn't have been happier with our self-guided walking tour in Scotland. We were able to experience the Highlands up close and personal. As a solitude lover, I was in heaven on the long walking trails -- very few people, immense vistas, and silence except for the sound of running water. Stephen, our support team, was fabulous -- always answering questions quickly and making on-the-fly adjustments as needed. David, my guide for the hidden valley hike, was absolutely delightful. All of the lodgings met or exceeded our expectations. We particularly liked the Kings House in the Highlands. The four-person walking tour of Edinburgh was top notch -- our guide was extremely knowledgeable, providing us with background and context that we would not have otherwise had as we enjoyed this historic city.

We started planning this trip a few years ago in 2020. When the pandemic hit we had to pause for two years. As a result the trip had to be planned again. Kate and Alex did a remarkable job both times to create a memorable experience for my mom's 80th birthday. We flew into Edinburgh and explored that city for a few days, then travelled up into the Highlands and back down into Edinburgh. The hotels and attractions they booked were exactly what we wanted. Our trip then shifted into Ireland as we flew into Belfast and then drove around Ireland staying in a different place every night or two. Again, the hotels, restaurants and attractions were all booked for us, met the precise needs we had and were spaced very well.

I couldn't have built a better trip myself! They customized it for us and it fit us like a glove. There is no question that I would use KimKim again to plan a trip. They saved me so much planning time before the trip and during the trip I didn't have to worry about anything because they had given us such detailed plans. Also, we were able to reach out for support if we needed them.

Alex proactively checked in with us a few times to make sure all was going according to plan. The personal touch was so appreciated.

- Some very basic and explicit briefing notes provided by me at inception were ignored in the initial trip plan. That set the tone for what felt as an off-the-shelf standardized pre-packaged trip planning experience.
- In general the quality of the guest houses was below par. I do not require luxury, just professionalism. As an example in the Edinburgh hotel No32 I was "welcomed" by a lady that had a hard time finding my reservation, which was one of the 2 paper slips she held in her hand. During check-in there was a young lad that just stood up close to us watching the process unfold while avoiding eye contact. Clearly, it was someone ostensively providing some sort of personal protection to the lady. It was the first time I was treated as a potential threat in the hospitality industry. The lady was not able to answer some basic questions as "the manager was not there". She asked me to ask someone else the following day.
- My concerns around being able to complete the hikes were brushed off with a picture of general guidance material spread over a table and a photo of stephen and a colleague smiling in the hike.
- I was only provided with the actual hiking guidance material in paper format (?) once I arrived in the hotel. After examining the material my concerns about my ability to do the hike increased materially. These concerns coupled with very bad weather motivated me to forego the hike in the first day. I tried to do the hike on the second day but gave up on the first 10% of the itinerary as I did not feel I was fit or skilled enough to complete a 7-hour hike.
- No one asked me how many pieces of luggage I was carying and I was provided with only one luggage tag for the baggage transfer that was supposed to happen during the hike. I was not given a timely solution for the problem and decided to take one of my carry-ons with me along the hike, which certainly also contributed to cut it short;
- Last but not least, I was provided with incomplete transportation information and vouchers for the loch ness cruise. I raised the issue with High point Holidays but they do not work or answer messages during weekends, which left me to my own devices to re-work the transportation plan for the activity. When finally I received a message from them on Monday, they completed ignored the issue and wished me a good time in edinburgh as if nothing had happened.

Despite a very short notice we managed to organise our tour to Scotland in the best conditions. Rachel has been very helpful and professional. Thank you!

Hotel Reviews

Beadnell Towers

Chathill

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Marmalade Hotel

Portree

Staff rude and not respectful of the clients.

Authenticity & Character

Impersonal. It could be in any city in the world. Skye deserves better.

Location

Staff

Service is rude and absolutely non professional. I have been called after 10 PM when sleeping for asking me what time I wanted to have breakfast. Staff is not trained and disfunctional.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Dream Variations

Edinburgh

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

The owner is very kind

Cleanliness & Comfort

Kingsmills Hotel

Inverness

Very nice restaurant and food

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel du Vin

Glasgow

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Fonab Castle

Pitlochry

Good hotel but the service at the breakfast was disfunctional and not very professional.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Cameron House

Alexandria

Wonderful location but a little artificial.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Sightseeing Hop On, Hop Off Bus Tour

Edinburgh

Portree Boat Trip

Scotland

Amazing

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Alnwick Castle

Alnwick

Edinburgh Castle Entry

Edinburgh

The Potter Trail Private Tour

Edinburgh

Visit Scone Palace

Scotland

Sheep Dog Demonstration

Inverness

Very interesting for kids and adults

Loch Ness Freedom Cruise

Scotland