Kimkim Trip Reviews for Scotland

Amazing stay.

The Ness Walk hotel was definitely one of my favorites. The staff was exceptional, our room was wonderful and the hotel's Afternoon Tea a delight. The hotel is perfectly situated on the river and easily walkable to other places around town.

This hotel was, simply put, awful. Our room smelled like the sewer, it was very cold as the heaters did not work, and the worst part was when I went to make a cup of tea in the room, I found a pubic hair in the tea mug.

We arrived at this hotel quite late at night after having difficulty finding it. We were hungry and not in a mood to try to find somewhere to eat. The manager on duty was so kind and went into the kitchen and prepared a wonderful, little tray of food for us. She set the tone and it was wonderful. When we woke the next morning, we had no idea we were staying right next to the Castle of Mey. What a treat that was! Our only regret is that our stay was just for one night. We would have loved to stay a couple nights longer.

On the surface, it is a lovely hotel. The location is good, the grounds are beautiful, excellent front desk staff (especially the blonde woman, but did not get her name) and we especially liked the two bartenders in the bar, who recommended the gins for us to try. Where the hotel fell short were the hotel rooms. The rooms would be very nice if not for the constant loud hum from the kitchen. We liked the hotel, but would not stay there again because of the hum. The excellent woman at the front desk told us she has brought up the issue with the owners many times, as guests have complained. If we were to go back to this hotel, we'd stay in one of the few cottages/guest houses on the property.

This is a tough one. The location of the hotel is great. One can easily walk through town to restaurants, shopping, places of interest, etc. But the hotel itself is not that great. Playing off the fact that the building was once the "jail" is the draw, but it doesn't work. Our suite looked out over the back parking lot. We had to lug our bags up three flights of stairs. If you just need a quick hotel for one night, it's probably fine. But it wasn't our cup of tea.

Loved the Pine Trees Hotel - and Pitlochry! What a wonderful town. Would definitely go back to Pitlochry and stay at the Pine Trees Hotel. We had the master suite, which was absolutely wonderful. Again, we were in Pitlochry for only one night and wish we could have stayed longer. It's definitely a longer-stay hotel. The staff was wonderful and very accommodating. Plus, a (very short) and nice walk into town.

As "tourist" town hotels go, it's location is great and easy to walk to everything around Edinburgh. We've stayed in better Kimpton properties.

We went into this thinking - "it's a glass-bottom boat tour; we're from Florida, no big deal." However, I am so glad we did this boat trip. As we were driving to the Isle of Skye thinking that we'd have plenty of time to check into our hotel and relax, I received a text from the owner of the boat asking us if we could make it for the 2 p.m. cruise instead of the 4 p.m. cruise as we were the only two people booked for the 4 p.m. cruise. We knew we'd have to hustle, but I told her we would try to get there. Long story short, we made it there before 2 p.m. and as it turned out there were only three of us on the boat cruise. It was wonderful! We had the whole boat to ourselves and had wonderful conversations with the co-owner and the captain. We would not have had this much interaction had the boat been full. It was a wonderful boat cruise and visit to a ship wreck and salmon farm.

There was torrential rain the evening of this cruise and were unable to do the cruise.

Loved every minute of our guided walk. David, our guide, was absolutely wonderful. Very knowledgeable and helpful. Stunning scenery. Would love to go back to the Glencoe area.

Very stunning and interesting castle.

Definitely worth the walk up Calton Hill.

The staff was very friendly and helpful

The water pressure could have been beter

Wonderful accommodations! Beautiful hotel with a very friendly staff

Wonderful stay! Highly recommend

We were given a room that accommodated a guest that required a wheelchair. This trip was booked well in advance and should have been a regular room. The beds were uncomfortable and the shower which was open with no tray covered the bathroom floor with water due to a poor drain. Upon check in we alerted the front desk to probable room mistake but we were assured this was our room and the hotel was full

A relatively young distillery with a lot of old history

Very informative, a quality tour

This was a cask tour which was informative and the whisky delicious. However, none of the whisky that we tried were available for purchase

Loved the history on this self guided tour.

Modern Castle, great history

We came for the history and not the weather! This was the most informative and best tour we went on

Very clean and unique.

Clean, comfortable.

Clean, with everything we needed very handy and accessible.

Ken was friendly, organized and a great cook. Too bad he got sick the next morning and we missed breakfast but the place was pristine.

Loived everything.

Clean, beautiful views, friendly and accommodating staff.

This definitely earns the title of 5-star. Spotless, comfortable. Jackie is an amazing cook, gifted hostess and kind and friendly. Rob our tour guide was over the top. He was very knowledgeable, personable and accommodating. He took interest in researching information about Donna’s family even after the tour was over. When he finds info he emails me and we will keep in touch. Wow.

Was extremely hot.

Good- informative. But short. Didn’t take us in to anything. Was just an introduction.

The g Hotel & Spa in Galway was a fantastic place to stay. The rooms were great, and the staff was kind and accommodating. It had a nice boutique feel while still offering top-notch amenities. Overall, it was a very nice experience, and I would highly recommend it to anyone visiting Galway.

Staying at the 3 Oban Self Catering Apartment was a bit different, but fun. It felt like an Airbnb and was fine for what it was. We did have to deal with a lot of steps up to the door, but it was enjoyable to be in a shared living space with the other couple we travelled with. It wasn’t luxurious, but it was comfortable and suited our needs for the stay.

Eden Locke in Edinburgh was the perfect place to stay. The little apartment was fantastic, and it served as a great base for exploring the city. We loved visiting the castle, walking around the Royal Mile, and even catching the marathon. There were also some sweet little spots off the beaten path that we enjoyed discovering. Overall, it was one of our better trips, largely thanks to Eden Locke.

The Dingle Distillery Tour was a fantastic experience. The distillery has been around for 50 years, and our tour guide did an excellent job explaining the history and the distillation process. I loved learning about the craft of Irish whiskey-making and even ended up buying some whiskey to take home. Highly recommended!

The Cliffs of Moher were absolutely breathtaking. The visitor center provided a lot of interesting information about the cliffs and the surrounding area. The views were stunning, and it was a must-see on our trip. I loved every moment of it and would visit again in a heartbeat.

Chris was a great guide - the tour was so interesting.

We really liked touring the castle with Chris and the afternoon tea was delicious and fun!

Ilir was great.

Wonderful trip with John around the beautiful Highlands!

Osh is incredibly knowledgeable and showed us so much of the wonderful city of Glasgow in a short time. His passion for his city is inspiring.

John was a great guide for us in this spectacularly beautiful place. We also liked the lunch.

Loved this area. Great place to stay in the theatre district. Staff was very accommodating!!

This was very roomy any clean, but more like a VRBO. Not much food in the area to grab for breakfast. No time on our schedule yo find a place to pick up food yo cook and more supplies for our room.

Amazing, new hotel in Inverness! The staff was friendly and very supportive! Had a blast at the bar with the friendliest bartenders! Breakfast was great!

This stay was a bit ruff! The Corran was clean and very local which I loved, but there was no food options near hotel. It was a 40.00 cab ride to Ft William. So our 1 day stay added 120.00 to go back and forth.

Robert was very informative on our walking hour. He very knowledgeable and showed us so much of the city.

For the Outlander Fans this the day!!!!! Edinburgh Black Cab Tour and Stephen were fantastic! Even if not a fan of the show you would have enjoyed all the local stops. Again 💯% and over the top with knowledge and friendliness.

Fine, but a bad weather day.

Best day of our trip!!!!! The Isle of Skye for our day trip was so captivating, beautiful, stunning, awe inspiring and to top it off a gorgeous weather day. Staring off visiting the highland coos, Loch Ness, Eileen Dune Cadtle ,5 Sisters of Kintail ,and then over to Skye. Portree, Man of Stor, Kilt Rock and Quiraing

Clean, comfortable room for three travelers. Foldout bed was set up for us before we arrived, which was nice.

Good location. The apartment had one bedroom with queen bed and a shower, plus an anteroom with queen bed off the living room, plus a full bath and full kitchen. Great for three of us, quite large, relatively quiet even though it’s on a busy corner. Easy to walk to a couple breakfast convenience stores and a couple pubs.

A self-check-in property. We did not receive the code before we arrived and had to contact our kimkim coordinator so waited a bit in the rain. The property is outside Fort William about a 20-minute taxi ride. Clean, a bit dated decor, not as convenient as we hoped given we did not have a car. Restaurant was closed, which we were not informed about prior to arriving, so we had to venture back and forth to the town to eat and to meet our boat tour. Overall, fine, but expensive and inconvenient.

Our guide, Robert, was terrific. Engaging, personable, he started by asking us what we were interested in: architecture, history, ??? He shared great stories, and shared insights into kilts, showed us a couple of Harry Potter sites, and recommended pubs. Great tour and guided introduction to Edinburgh. Do this first!

Great guide for our smallish (15) group from several countries. On a windy, rainy, day, he added insights, humor, and moved things along but in a comfortable way for our group of diverse ages (from toddler to seniors). We loved his stories and highly recommend him.

Our guide, Stephen, made this tour great. Engaging, funny, responsive, we couldn’t have asked for a better experience. He spent a lot of time with us, showing us castles, ruins, towns (Culross was my favorite), graveyards, and the best pub for fish and chips for lunch. Highly recommend Edinburgh Black Car Tours.

The most beautiful castle we saw in Scotland. The brief lecture was interesting, too. Glenkinchie Distillery is a beautiful facility. The group we were with had a lot of fun and our guide was absolutely great. Highly recommended.

This tour was the highlight of our entire trip! Our guide, Sandy of Sandy Dear Tours, was great. We were out for about 10 hours, and we ran into very few people the entire day. I don’t know how he managed to put us in the right spots all day without running into tour busses. We were blessed with great weather, too. Very informative and truly breathtaking scenery made this our #1 event of our trip.

The boat trip was interesting, with new information for us on salmon farming, Ben Nevis, and seal island. Unfortunately it was quite rainy and cold which limited how many seals happened to be out at the time. The tour commentator and crew were great.

We had so much fun on this Loch Ness cruise! The host was very personable, the hot chocolate was immaculate and the views were incredible. I would definitely recommend.

Park Plaza London Riverbank – This was a very nice hotel part of the Radisson chain. 1. Reception/Check in – Check in was very easy. Everyone was welcoming and friendly. Our room was available right away since we got there at about 1800. 2. Service – Was excellent service throughout hotel and very friendly. 3. Room – Was a nice room and comfortable. Lighting was a little dim. A lack of outlets on one side of the bed required me to use an extension cord that I always carry . 4. Location – Wonderful location. On Sunday we walked to the British Museum for a tour. 5. Breakfast – Had a very good buffet breakfast. 6. Local restaurants – We ate at the Hotel Restaurant Chino Latino. We enjoyed some delicious tapas. 7. Hotel Recommendation – I would stay there again happily

Grand York Hotel - This was by far our number one hotel. It was previously headquarters for the Railway. Only been a hotel for 12-13 years. It is beautiful inside and out. We so enjoyed it. 1. Reception/Check in – What a pleasant check-in. Beth was so friendly and welcoming as was everybody we interfaced with. We saw her a couple of times and she always stopped to say hello. Room was available right away. 2. Service – Stellar service throughout the hotel 3. Room – The room was perfect. Very spacious room. Well lit. The ceilings were 5 meters high. We were on the ground floor. Could not have asked for a better room. The porter said it was previously the office of the Railway Manager. Had a beautiful large fireplace. 4. Location – Perfect. We walked with our luggage from train station to the hotel and back and were warmly greeted as we arrived. 5. Breakfast – Not only is this the number one hotel we stayed at but it is the number one breakfast. Grand York has a spectacular buffet breakfast plus you can also order specialty eggs - omlettes fried eggs etc. Service was excellent. 6. Local restaurants – 1. Cote Restaurant we happened to find after visiting York Minister. Delicious Price Fixe menu and very reasonable. We thoroughly enjoyed it. 2. Delrios Italian Restaurant was simply delicious Italian food. Concierge, Matteo, called ahead for us. They were packed and we waited about 20 minutes and had some wine at the bar while waiting. Well worth the wait. Recommend make a reservation. 7. Hotel Recommendation – I would stay there again happily

Glen Mhor Hotel Inverness – This was a very nice hotel. 1. Reception/Check in – Check in was easy but room was not available. Hung around in the bar and had lunch and waited around until room was ready. Maria from reception was so helpful and kind and was a wonderful face for the hotel. 2. Service – Was excellent service throughout hotel and very friendly. 3. Room – Room was very nice and a good size with high ceilings. We were on ground floor thankfully because there was no lift. 4. Location – Wonderful location. River Ness directly across the street. Lots of restaurants close by. Lots of walking possibilities, We taxied to and from the railway station. Not close enough to walk from station. 5. Breakfast – Breakfast was very good buffet but could also order eggs your way along with buffet items. Was at the Wayside Restaurant 6. Local restaurants – Wayside Restaurant at the hotel was good for breakfast. Also we had a early Sunday roast dinner there and it was quite good. After tour on Saturday we walked into town and found a nice Italian Restaurant called Bella Italia that had delicious Italian food. 7. Hotel Recommendation – I would stay there again happily

The Stirling Highland Hotel – This was a very nice hotel. It was previously a high school. 1. Reception/Check in- Check in was easy but room was not available. We walked up to the castle to do our tour that was very nice. 2. Service – Was excellent service throughout hotel and very friendly. 3. Room- Room was very nice and a comfortable size. Had a nice welcome basket with some chocolate bars, crisps, two half bottles of wine plus one full bottle of wine. 4. Location – We taxied to and from the hotel to Railway station. It was a little far and uphill. Hotel was close to the castle. We were there only one nite so did not go into town. We did do some walking around the hotel. 5. Breakfast – Breakfast was good. It was a smaller buffet breakfast but adequate 6. Local Restaurants - Since we were only there for one nite we had dinner there at hotel and it was quite delicious. 7. Recommendation – I would stay there again happily

Malmaison Hotel Edinburg – This was a nice hotel. It was previously a prison at some point. Very awkward getting to our room. Had to go up or down some stairs to get to the lift. 1. Reception/Check in – Check in was fine and reception personnel were friendly and welcoming.. Room was not ready so we went to the Castle to do the Castle tour then the Afternoon Tea then the Whiskey Tasting. All three were great. 2. Service - Was excellent service throughout hotel and very friendly. 3. Room – Room was nice but a little on the small size and dimly lit. Served its purpose though 4. Location – Very good location, We walked to and from Railway Station with luggage. 5. Breakfast –Breakfast was good. Combination buffet and could order eggs, sausage and bacon, 6. Local Restaurants – Ate at the Amarone Italian Restaurant less than a block away from the hotel and on the right. Meal was quite good. Gordon Ramsey Restaurant across from the park. Very close. Food was very good 7. Hotel Recommendation - I would stay there again

Henrietta House Bath – I give this hotel a generous 3 star because of the downstairs niceness and friendliness of staff with the exception at check in. Our room was TERRIBLE 1. Reception/Check in – The gentleman at reception upon arrival was the most unfriendly and unwelcoming individual we had met at any Hotel on this trip. He was the only one because everyone else at the hotel were very friendly and provided good service. We left our bags in the lobby area and went off to do the Jane Austen and Roman Bath tours. When we came back there was a young woman, Kosmina, who was the most friendly and welcoming at the front desk. She was simply delightful. Direct opposite of the earlier encounter with the gentleman. She gave us necessary keys for our room. 2. Service – With the exception of our first encounter at afternoon check in everyone was so friendly. 3. Room - TERRIBLE! . Very small and low ceiling. I am short but when I lifted my arm up I could touch the ceiling. There was no closet just some hooks on the wall with hangars on them. The room was at an incline. The sliding bathroom door did not shut all the way. The bathroom was the size of a postage stamp. The shower space was so tiny. Taking a shower caused such a puddle that my wife could not wash her hair for fear of flooding the bathroom. I should have asked for another room but because of the sour reception we received at check in we just lived with it for the three days. Do not know what was charged our travel company but it was not worth it because of the poor room. I am sure there must be other rooms in much better condition and bigger. 4. Location - Location was good and close to restaurants and center of town. Taxied to and from the Railway Station. 5. Breakfast – Breakfast was good and from a menu. Breakfast did not start till 8:00 am though. 6. Local restaurants – Scallop Shell was delicious and had the most delicious Fish and Chips. A Tour driver said these Scallop Shell Restaurant Fish and Chips were the very best in England. They were indeed best Fish and Chips we had on the whole trip. Clayton’s Kitchen was delicious for dinner also. 7. Hotel Recommendation – Would stay there only in a completely normal room with a larger bathroom otherwise not,

This was an incredible tour to see historical sites and the country side as these. Stonehenge was breathtaking as well as Avebury, and Cotswold Villages

The tour of the Divinity School, Old Bodleian Library was so interesting and educational. Being at Oxford University was an exciting experience. It was simply beautiful to tour the grounds. The surrounding made you feel you were in a Harry Potter movie

This was simply delightful. The tea and sweet and savory food was delicious. Our service was stellar

This Whiskey Tour was fabulous. They have this down perfectly. It was so enjoyable and informative.

Caledonia Sleeper - This was an interesting experience on the twelve hour overnight train ride. 1. Passenger Assistance - Passenger Assistance was great and recommend it for seniors who are taking trains.. In Inverness the individual took us to our cabin and then I went with him to drop off luggage in another coach that had lots of space for luggage. So friendly and helpful. In London we were met right at our coach by a young woman who had a motorized style golf cart where she loaded our bags and drove us out to the exit where we then saw driver from Pinkberry. Driver was very friendly and we got to the hotel fairly quick considering traffic. 2. Caledonia Lounge _ This lounge was not in railway station but just across the street. Because of luggage we did not walk over there. It was raining a little bit too. I checked it out myself though and it was small but nice with some soft drinks and snacks. 3. Sleeping Cabin – was very small. I can see why doubles sell out so fast. We were both able to sleep in the bunk beds. I am glad we had this experience though. 4. Club Car – We went to club Car immediately upon boarding because it filled up so quickly. Breakfast was just ok. My wife had a sausage sandwich and I had a bacon sandwich. Both very small. 5. Recommendation – we would do it again but really trying to have a double.

This tour was given by a graduating college student who had a lot of passion for the subject. the tour was of the street art murals both sanctioned and non sanctioned. It was a wonderful two hour tour.

After a long trip having a driver and a car waiting for you is a good start to the vacation. Drive in to London gave us the realization of the amount of congestion and traffic in London

York Minster is a sight to behold. it is incredible and the history that it has. My wife and i did a self tour. We missed the last tour of the day by 20 minutes.

This was a great tour. The highlight for me was visiting the OLD Course of St Andrews Golf Course. Walking the streets of St Andrews was quite interesting seeing the different buildings and arceitecture.

This was a spectacular tour. Very disappointed we did not see Nessie though. The beauty of the countryside and mountains plus Donan Castle were wonderful.

This was very nice self guided tour of the castle. We were able to take our time. The Stirling Heads were a sight to see the intricacy of the carving. We were able to walk around the castle and walk through the cemetery and look at a spectacular view

Wonderful Tour. Whitby was a charming port town. Had a delicious lunch there. Scenery on the tour was spectacular. The steam train was a nice addition. This has a bridge goign over the train tracks used in a Harry Potter movie as well as the 9 3/4 wall he comes through. If you want to see 9 3/4 wall go to Kings Crossing Railway Station in london

The employees at this hotel work tirelessly to see that everyone is served first class regardless of how many people show up to work! Service was second to none. Food was great! Ambience was great! I love where the name of this hotel came from Angels share - when they were making whiskey, the evaporation went into the air and shared with the angels their spirits

The room was a little outdated and cramped but the location was great. You can walk to all the main sights with ease and close to numerous restaurants and pubs. The trams, buses and trains are also directly in front of you so getting around was a breeze. Great breakfast too.

Very nice hotel. Large rooms and walking distance to the castle and town. Would recommend for a night or possibly two.

This is the place to stay in Aviemore! This hotel has character, very good food and friendly staff. The restaurant and pub are frequented by guests and locals alike so even though this is a smallish inn this is literally the centre of town. Highly recommend staying here, eating here and going to the pub for a drink and some live music. The hotel is also very close to the mountains and lots of activities so the location is right on point.This hotel was one of the highlights of the trip for sure.

This hotel was a bit of a drive but well worth it. The garden room was quite large with a nice view of the water. Great vibe to this place and friendly staff.

Perfect location, large room and view of the town and ocean. Staff were very friendly and breakfast was top notch. Highly recommend this hotel and a visit to Oban.

The location is great, you’re walking distance to everything and the train/tram is right outside your front door if you need them. Room and bar were nothing special but the location can’t be beat.

Almost gets 5 stars but it’s about a 15 minute walk to the action so I’m giving it 4 for that reason alone. Rooms, staff and the hotel were great otherwise despite the renovations that were being done to the bar area.

Nice clean modern hotel with a great location. Walking distance to everything.

Best hotel experience in Ireland! Great staff, good food, fun pub, nice rooms and the place has character. Huge thank you to Maura for her help mapping out our driving route to the Slea Head trail and to Clifdon. Maura you are truly awesome and a wonderful person, very glad to have met you.

This hotel is hard to describe. Definitely more suited to families with younger children than a couple in my opinion. Lots of history to this hotel and a nice view of the ocean but I didn’t love the overall vibe of this place. Some guests were a little snooty for my liking and although the staff were helpful and professional they were very serious. You could feel the tension, almost felt like everyone was afraid they’d lose their job. I think this is a hotel you’ll either like or not like, depending on who you are.

Very good location. Right at the end of the main street and close to everything. Room was pretty small and nothing special but the sound of the ocean was nice. Staff at the restaurant were nice but we felt the food was highly overpriced for what we got and not that great. Expected a full crab dinner for the inflated price but received a few small leg pieces and a minced crab salad of some kind. Guesthouse is okay but wouldn’t recommend the restaurant. I’d try the busy pub next door instead.

Definitely worth the trip and it’s only a short walk from downtown. Great view of the city and a great thing to do before everything starts opening up.

It’s a pretty impressive castle. Would definitely recommend going.

Very nice castle with interesting and important history. Nice views of the town and countryside too.

The reindeer were pretty amazing. Unfortunately, the weather was not in the last week of March. Would recommend this trip for sure but try not to go when it’s too windy. The winds were around 75 km/h which made it quite cold and hard to stand up at times. You’ll be on the mountain and will have to walk through boggy peat so make sure you are sure on your feet. All that said, I’m glad I made the trip.

Safari Steve was awesome! Just book the trip. Great guy in every way, very fun tour and you couldn’t ask for a nicer ride. If you like birds, animals, learning about just about everything by an expert guide and naturalist and you want to see four very different and very stunning ecosystems all in one day then this trip is for you. One of the highlights of our trip to Scotland for sure.

Decent experience. Definitely worth a stop in Oban if you want to learn about the history of the brand and the distilling process. You get to sample 3 whiskeys too which isn’t so bad.

Nice comfy boat ride. Friendly staff and good views of Oban, the islands and a few castles along the way. Lots of birds and some seals too. Good way to spend 2 hours if the weather is nice.

Very touristy but also a very fun day. If you’re in Dublin you kinda have to visit these two places. The Jameson tour was fine, educational and the right length at 1 hour. Guinness, you just have to go and experience. Both activities are recommended and the 4 hour tour allows you to skip lines at both spots.

Definitely worth a visit. The castle is great, and well you just gotta kiss the stone if you’re there. The grounds are quite nice for walking also.

I thought this would be on the boring side but the Abbey and its history was quite impressive. Spent 2 1/2 hours walking the grounds and the garden also. Nice place to go just for the scenery alone. Recommended.