Kimkim Trip Reviews for Spain

A lovely , clean and spacious centrally-located hotel. We were given pasteis de nata the evening before we checked out!

The highlights of this hotel were the amazing early morning aromas of baking breads and pastries and the breakfasts served. The negative is the teeny, tiny rooms with no place to put clothes.

The Zenit Convento San Martin was one of our favorite hotels- a remodeled convent-spacious, good breakfast, bar and was 2 blocks away from La Concha Beach and about 10-15 min away from the Old Town where delicious pintxos abound.

More beautiful blue tiled buildings in Pinhao, a winery tour and tasting at Croft, a panoramic river cruise topped off by a delicious traditional Portuguese lunch of cured meats and cheeses, grilled fish, and a moist, multilayered cake with a light syrup sauce....and, of course, wine! Oh and then there was another wine tour at Veira de Sousa and another Pastel de Nata before calling it a day.

This experience was cancelled and replaced with a dinner at a restaurant that had several Prado singers. The dinner was great and the music was wonderful. We never figured our why the dinner with locals was cancelled but we made the best of what we were given.

Porto has a lot of hills so my favorite part of this tour was the boat ride on the Douro River, a good way to get a perspective of Porto and Vila Nova de Gaia. In the evening that we had to ourselves we had reservations to dine at Tapa Bento, in the train station. The tapas were fantastic especially the oxtail dumplings and steamed clams. On the way we stopped for another Pastel de Nata.

The morning before the tour we had some time to ourselves and went to a second breakfast at the majestic Majestic Cafe. Beautiful restaurant with lots of mirrors, glass, marble and a French toast treat called a Torrija. Crispy, sweet, eggy and delicious. After walking in the neighborhoods we stopped to try Ginjinha, a cherry liqueur in a dark chocolate cup. Yummm! The lady helping us was so friendly. For lunch we tried the soft and tasty pork sandwich, the Bifana at Conga, Casa das Bifanas. So we were prepared, somewhat ,for our Port tasting experience... Man did we drink a lot of Port at Sandeman! Our server served us 5 types of port and I could not finish most of them. Possibly because port tends to be sweet and has a higher alcohol content but, technicalities aside, the wines were delicious and she was very informative about the process of making Port wine.

It was fun sitting on the saddle-like seats on the speed boat and seeing the coast from the water side.

Beautiful drive through vineyards. Our tour of Albet i Noya Penedes winery was perfect. Delicious wines, tasty charcuterie plate and gorgeous green hillside vistas. The Montserrat Monastery was imposingly perched on the side of the mountain and the views into the nearby valleys were spectacular. Although we did not get to see the Black Madonna up close, she was still beautiful from afar.

Visiting market places is one of my favorite things to do to really see how the locals live and eat. The chef who toured us through the market and then brought us to her kitchen, overlooking the plaza was a well-prepared and knowledgable cook. We made a Spanish tortilla, seafood paella and creme catalan. The wine flowed freely and there were snacks of meats and cheeses to keep us student cooks fortified.

I had read about the history of Antoni Gaudi's Basilica de la Sagrada Familia before coming to Barcelona but to see it in person...whoa!...It was an experience of a lifetime. The sculptures and decorative detail both inside and out, the way it was positioned to use the rise and fall of the sun to create sunrise and sunset colors within the church. What an amazing sight!

The guided visit of San Sebastian was helpful in that it made getting around San Sebastian easier so that we could spend our free time sightseeing and visiting our favorite Pintxo bars with confidence. We especially enjoyed the views of the bay, central San Sebastian and the tour of the Church of St Vicente Martir.

I thought the train ride to Toledo from Madrid was a nice way to travel. Our guide was born and raised there and was very proud of "his town." The small alley ways, stone streets, the expansive courtyards were very visually appealing. The ornate and imposing Cathedral of St Mary of Toledo stood out in my mind because there were burial sites with the bronze plaques on the floor for several Cardinals and suspended above each of the sites was the cardinal's hat.

I think visiting the central market was eye-opening with all of the meats, cheeses and fresh shell fish. There's so much history compared to our homeland, the US. Even the restaurants that have lasted more than 100 yrs are commemorated with bronze plaques in the sidewalk.

Zarautz had gently rolling hills and lush green vineyards, overlooking the ocean. Getaria was also covered with green farmlands as well as having a busy port city with lots of boats. Zumaia had tall cliffs facing the ocean.

I ate and loved things I didn't think I would ever like- anchovies. Also the foods I love were only made more fantastic by the presentation and accompanying ingredients. Bar Sport was my favorite with their Gildas and Foie Gras over veal toasts. I would go back to San Sebastian in a heartbeat.

It was wonderful starting our Spain vacation with a tapas food tour. Between the wines, vermouth, Spanish tortilla, jamon, sausages and peppers, our guide was enthusiastic, informative and friendly. A truly wonderful welcome to Spain

Very nice hotel. Very clean. Loved the view and the balcony window. Very nice staff

Clean, modern hotel on or near the airport grounds, with regular shuttle to the airport. Good breakfast.

Great location, near but not in the Ramblas and Gothic quarter (hence, much quieter). Excellent food and staff and ver well-appointed attractive rooms.

Pleasant small hotel with excellent staff and great beds. Location is excellent.

Outstanding location — directly off the main Cathedral square. You step out of the hotel and the Cathedral is right in front of you. Many rooms have a balcony with a direct view of the Cathedral — this is the defining feature of the property. The building looks historic from the outside. The interior is a complete contrast: glass, steel, mirrors, and marble throughout — very modern and grand. The entrance is impressive: a large glass door opens into a marble and glass lobby, leading to double marble staircases that rise to the upper levels.

I stayed at Hotel Helen Bergen at a recent kimkim work trip. Lovely hotel, in a great location. The hotel is only a few block away from the main old town/cathedral, and also just a few steps from the main shopping districts, but is set away far enough such that it feels like you are in the neighborhood. The hotel is very understated, actually looks more like a restaurant at first glance. In fact most of the ground floor is the hotel restaurant, which seems to be busy for afternoon coffees, pre-dinner drinks and dinners. When ever I walked by, there were people there. The rooms were modern, and well setup. The desk is a good size to work from if you are there to work. The only complaint I would have is that the room is a bit on the small side. The other thing I really appreciate is the care the hotel put into ensuring the noise from the outside streets is well insulated. When the windows were closed, you didn't hear anything from the streets. Bed was comfortable and the team were very friendly.

Beautiful experience. I felt it was just the right mix of guided walk around the old town and relaxing at the venue. The venue was in a very unique location, and the team there provided a lovely set of tapas.

Very relaxing, and a beautiful way to see the lagoon. The trip for us was all about the sunset, they put us in a small boat with a bottle of wine, and tapas, and took us into the middle of the lagoon, we were able to just relax and enjoy the view and the food & wine.

What a fun experience! Our guide/master chef Juan was super fun. He was able to keep it easy to follow, and also helped the group really get to know each other. The Paella was delicious, I can't want to try this with my family.

Beautiful and spacious room very close to the touristic center of Malaga. The breakfasts were amazing and the staff was friendly and accommodating.

Beautiful and spacious hotel, our room was facing the water with a beautiful view. Unfortunately we were only there for one night.

A thrilling experience, we loved being introduced to Flamenco dancing in an authentic Sacromonte location.

The Alhambra is an amazing place and a not to be missed site in Granada, unfortunately it was raining the day we were there so it made the visit less than ideal

Our guide Milady was friendly and knowledgeable, she ran a great tapas tour through Madrid

Great location, friendly and helpful staff, beautiful accommodations. My family of 5 loved our stay here! The rooftop pool was the best bonus for a midday respite.

Our guide really connected with our 3 girls and encouraged them to lead a bit of the tour. Julie played games with them, answered all of their many questions, let them try local candies, and shared local history and traditions with them in a way they really connected with.

The location is great, just a minutes walk to Puerta del Sol. It's in a pedestrian only area so we figured out quickly where the drivers can pick you up and drop you off. The place has a small lobby, just for saying hello to the friendly staff and a tiny elevator, perfect for our needs. The breakfast room upstairs was bright and the food wonderful. Everything was clean and we had all the amenities needed.

What a wonderful location on Calle Nava, filled with restaurants and lovely ambiance, pedestrian only. The place was clean and bright and the employees wonderfully friendly. We stored our luggage both coming and going and there was a nice room to take a break next to the lobby. There's an elevator! The breakfast was wonderful. Walk south and immediately find some quiet plazas and a huge church. Walk the other direction and within 5 minutes you're at Plaza Bib-Rambla, shopping, Cathedral and more!

The location was wonderful, right in the heart of the old town and about 5 minutes walk to the Cathedral and main square. We saw a band and singers, 100's of people and a holy relic being pulled by 2 oxen right out of our balcony! We were told it was the beginning of a Festival. The only thing that I was disappointed with was that it felt a little modern and sleek when I was looking for old world charm, tiles and plants and fountains. The employees were very helpful and friendly and the breakfast was wonderful. It was very clean. There were a lot of places to sit in the lobby if you didn't want to sit in your room. It had an elevator and a rooftop area to explore.

This is just a few minutes drive from the airport but it's in a neighborhood, filled with all sorts of restaurants. What a nice find! Nice staff, rooms are super nice and comfortable.

Wow, this riad is a palace and we felt a little like country bumpkins who wandered into the wrong kingdom. It's truly beautiful and the architecture, tile work, fountain, lighting and everything about the courtyard was spectacular. Just-WOW! They greeted us with mint tea and some nibbles and told us all about the riad. Our room was also elegant, comfortable and overlooking the courtyard. All the personel were so nice and really wanted to make our stay a wonderful experience. We saw the same staff often so we got to see familiar faces. Breakfast was delicious and on the rooftop so we had nice views afterwards.

This riad was our first experience so we were a little new as to how a "guest house" worked. It was charming. The courtyard was filled with comfy couches with big pillows, tables and plants. My sister had a moment of anxiety at first seeing just one bed for the 2 of us and made a few comments. It was totally fine and she would have been ok with it but they heard her complaint and brought a 2nd bed downstairs for us! They went above and beyond to make her comfortable and we so appreciated that. The only thing that was off putting to me was the big step down into the toilet room and the big step down into the shower, something to think about with my arthritic knees but workable. The breakfast was wonderful and all the staff were so nice and always greeted us with smiles and hellos.

We had our wonderful driver Said take us on parts of our tour with our guide, Sahara. She was so lovely, energetic, informative and guided us through the narrow alleys with ease. It was a Friday so almost everything was closed. It was a little disappointing not to see the hustle and bustle of all the shops and people BUT we got to walk without every step avoiding people and heard what life is like for the people who live there. There were only locals around, very few tourists. The ancient Fes we were exploring with intertwining alleyways is so huge that at one point I asked how far of a walk our Riad was and she said 35-45 minutes, knowing the exact route.

We walked a lot to see some of the main things to experience and had our guide Ahmed lead the way. He was very knowledgeable and gave us the history and information on his culture and the country. He was aware that long walks were difficult for us due to arthritis and had a tuk-tuk take us to places a little further away. He had us eat lunch at a small place that had the best food! We enjoyed this tour and would recommend it rather than just wandering around on your own.

We had an engaging and charming driver, Joan, who was so fun to talk with about life in Spain, culture, music, etc. from Seville to Cordoba and back. Once we were in Cordoba, our wonderful guide for the Mosque-Cathedral was Angel. It was really helpful to have him as a guide to this amazing place as there were so many additions and such an interesting history of how these 2 religions meshed together in one place. This is a do not miss place to see and on my travels through southern Spain, I never saw anything like this. We didn't see anything else major on this trip, just some of the pretty, pedestrian streets, lunch and the Roman gate and bridge. Some places were closed that day that we would normally have enjoyed seeing.

This is a long but wonderful experience and having a guide to tell us the history was very helpful. For someone with arthritis that was flaring up already, the hills and stairs were a challange. There were so many beautiful rooms, views and architectual details that it was photo heaven and well worth the effort.

What an opulent and lovely palace! Don't skip this. It was so hard to figure out what to look at first as the paintings on the ceilings, chandeliers, tile work and furniture are all spectacular! We had a young but very experienced guide for just my sister and myself and she was filled with great stories about the people who lived there and the history. I loved that we are now allowed to take photos inside.

The rooms are comfortable and the staff was courteous and very accommodating. Excellent

The culture of Madrid flamenco was amazing

This was amazing. From shopping in the market to cooking. Truly an amazing experience. Highly recommend i

It was beautiful. I’ve been on similar excursions in other areas I traveled but this was the best. Intimate and beautiful

This was so amazing. Learning the history of specific tapas and culture was great. The tapas were amazing

I would have loved to have extend our stay to an extra day to absorb and see more of the sites but beautiful city

This hotel was stunning the room staff proximity to different shops restaurants and culture.

The hotel accommodation and staff were so accommodating, friendly and welcoming. Would definitely recommend this hotel.

Overall experience was breathtaking.

It was interactive enlightening informative and so much fun.

Amazing the staff was warming and welcoming

The tour guide was informative, friendly and knowledgeable. Enjoyed his presentation and discussion

Great location, clean and spacious

We ended up changing the itinerary at the last minute and it was seamless. It was a great day.

This was a good trip, but we got side-tracked by some things (our fault) so I don't know that we saw everything. Nonetheless, Jaime pivoted so gracefully

Guide was great and very knowledgeable. Particularly appreciated the trip to the market. The amount of hands-on work was just right.

This did not happen. It was not on our itinerary like this -- there were just a few hikes we could pick (all of which said "High difficulty" and no options for transport to the remote starting places. We were all pretty tired and appreciated a break, but it was a disappointment

Terrific food and wine - great suggestions and great knowledge. Very good that it was only 4 people. This would not have been much fun if we were any more people

Unconventional shower/toilet design would greatly benefit by adding to toilet bidet and waste bucket.

Hotel should not allowed to operate until underground comprehensively marked, for example; every part has its own color code, similarly to marking trails in a forest.

Similar to Madrid, vehicle suspension is not adequate. Display with city map and interactive vehicle location should be added.

Vehicle suspension is not adequate. Display with city map and interactive vehicle location should be added.

Catalina was very knowledgeable, friendly, and spent time to know us.

Staying at Las Casas de la Judería was a unique experience. The place is a charming collection of buildings with an intriguing layout. It took us a day to get our bearings, and it was a bit confusing at first, but it added to the adventure. We were fortunate to have a room close to the lobby, which helped. Overall, it was a pleasant place to stay, but definitely not your standard hotel design.

NH Collection Granada Victoria was a great hotel experience. Although it had a western style feel, the flexibility and kindness of the staff made it stand out. They allowed us to stay beyond the noon checkout without issue, which was incredibly helpful after our visit to Alhambra. This courtesy allowed us to relax before our train, making our stay pleasant and accommodating.

Hotel Madinat was a lovely place to stay with very nice staff. One aspect that stood out was the shower design; it had no walls and was quite open to the bedroom. Though modern, it was not really to my taste. Despite this, the water remained in place, and it didn't bother us much. The overall experience was enjoyable, and the hotel had a genuine local charm that I appreciated.

The Private Ronda & White Villages Day Trip was an incredible experience. Our guide, Carlos, from 'Not Just a Tourist,' was wonderful. He was not only very knowledgeable but also genuinely connected with us. Carlos was very sweet, and his enthusiasm added an extra special touch to the day. This was definitely a highlight of our trip!