Kimkim Trip Reviews for Spain

Patrica is 5 star, above and beyond checking in with us

Hi Raquel,
We had an amazing holiday and wanted to thank you for all your help. Here is our feedback. We hope you find it useful and would be glad to clarify anything if that would be helpful. Hotels -
Madrid - the Pestana Plaza Mayor was wonderful. It was a great location and not too noisy despite our room overlooking the square which was great for people watching in the few times we were relaxing in the room. The food was wonderful and the staff friendly and efficient. The room was lovely and spacious.

Sevilla - the H10 Casa de la Plata was exceptional. The staff were first rate and very helpful. The room was amazing, particularly the bathroom. The breakfast was first rate and a very pleasant environment (we ate in the courtyard). We also thoroughly enjoyed the rooftop pool and bar area. It also is in a great location.

Granada - the Eurostars Puerta Real was generally fine - a great location and helpful staff. The cleanliness of the room left a bit to be desired, particularly the fact that the two water glasses were dirty when we arrived. This was quickly addressed however. We were very disappointed that the rooftop was closed for repairs throughout our stay but that can happen; we got our great views of the city elsewhere.

Barcelona - The Majestic was a real highlight. A beautiful room in a beautiful hotel. The bathroom was exceptional. The breakfasts were exceptional and the breakfast staff very attentive and pleasant. We also enjoyed the rooftop bar. Staff were generally very helpful and efficient. The location suited us very well though we are sure there would have been other good options in Barcelona (we effectively picked this one ourselves and were not disappointed).

Guides / events

Madrid - Geza - old town - as previously expressed, Geza was excellent. We thoroughly enjoyed our time with him. He was very knowledgeable, but he is also very engaging and an interesting person to get to meet. Highly recommend.

Sevilla -
Raoul - another excellent guide. Charming and very knowledgeable. We thoroughly enjoyed our time with him. We were sad to have our time together come to an end. Highly recommend.

Nico - Tapas - We had a good time with him. He is a bit “young” which came across as being a bit full of himself (not a big knock on him though and we are much older so we are sure it was a bit of a stretch for him). We suspect he will mature into a wonderful guide and is definitely worth keeping on your roster. Also, he likely would have done better with a bigger group (not just the two of us); the bigger group would have brought more of its own energy. We had a very pleasant evening with him.

Rhonda and countryside towns - Ramon - we had a great time with Ramon. He is on the quiet side in quite an endearing way, but also still very engaging and knowledgeable. Excellent! We would highly recommend him.

Granada - we do not remember the name of our guide at Alhambra and Generalife. He was very knowledgeable and engaging. He had the tough job of trying to get the whole tour done in the prescribed time. We recommend adding at least an extra half an hour to avoid the guide having to be constantly pushing the group a bit.
An incredible and magical place which we saw well with the guide’s help. We would recommend him.

Barcelona -
Caroline - Tapas Crawl - she was delightful and did a great job of getting our group (which was wonderful, fun loving, diverse and interesting) to gel and not to lose any of us along the way ;). It was a great evening and we would highly recommend Caroline.

Dani - Gaudi - Dani (not sure that is the correct spelling) was exceptional. Extremely well informed, passionate about Gaudi, very engaging. There was a lot to cover and he did an exceptional job. The 4 hours flew by and we learned so much from him. Very highly recommend.

Girona - David - he was charming and well informed. This would be a tough guide assignment….you are with the people a long time, have to balance the interests of the group and keep to the time schedule. He managed it very well (though we wish we had had more time in Girona….one of the many reasons we need to come back to Spain). We would highly recommend him.

Transportation
Trains - overall things went very smoothly. The trains left on time and arrived pretty close to on time. We had a bad experience on the trip to Sevilla….the workers at the Madrid station were very disorganized. It would have helped if we had been advised in advance that this was not a direct route and that Sevilla was not the final destination. The workers were only calling the name of the final destination. I think you should try to provide this additional information to clients in the future to avoid stress and the potential for missing the train (which we almost did even though we arrived at least 30 minutes early); we and others got conflicting information from train station employees. Knowing that our stop was one along the way to another final destination would have helped immensely. Otherwise, this was a good way to get around. The final trip from Barcelona to Madrid was great, close to the scheduled arrival time - a great way for us to go. We got to the Madrid airport in very good time.

Flight to Barcelona - very straightforward and uneventful. Worked very well.

Car transport - all of your private drivers were excellent. Right on time, courteous and drove well / safely. Having these definitely enhanced our trip.

We had an amazing trip and our only regret was that we did not have more time…we would have loved to spend more time in each of the cities we stayed, but also that we had had more time in each of the places we went on day trips. Which means we will have to come back. The allocation of time was very good and we thank you for your invaluable help on that front as well as on all other aspects of our trip. Thank you so much for all of your assistance. It has been a genuine pleasure. All the best

Activity Reviews

Barcelona & Gaudí: Walking Among Gaudi's Iconic Works

Barcelona

This guided tour is not to be missed! Our guide, Dani (might be Danny), was absolutely amazing. You will take in much of Guadi’s highest works and come to really understand what a true genius he was. A key highlight of our whole trip.

Quality of Experience

You will be moved by the beauty of La Sagrada Familia. The fact that workers are still working painstakingly to complete the cathedral as Guadi had envisioned over a hundred years ago is utterly amazing. Gaudi’s emphasis on nature and light stand in sharp contrast to many of the other cathedral’s in Spain and elsewhere and is truly honouring of God.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Dani (Danny) was so passionate about Guadi, so engaging and well spoken you cannot help but be fully enthralled and learn a great deal about Guadi as a person and as a genius in multiple fields.

Mediterranean Sailing Experience & Live Spanish Guitar Music

Barcelona

This was an amazing experience. The sailboat was great and not overcrowded. The staff on the boat were friendly and attentive. The food and beverage offerings were good. The views of Barcelona at sunset were wonderful. But the real highlight of the evening was the guitarist…he was truly exceptional. We would highly recommend this sailing experience to anyone.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

An Evening of Flamenco

Spain

This was a very entertaining show. We apparently saw two of the leading flamenco dancers in the country. The singers and musicians were also excellent

Quality of Experience

Walking Madrid’s Old Town

Madrid

This is an excellent tour of the area near Plaza Mayor and the Placio Real and the old city nearby. Our guide, Geza, was excellent.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

The tours booked through Kim Kim were some of the best tours we experienced. All of the company’s they used were exceptional.

Activity Review

Day Trip to an Olive Oil Mill & Carmona

Seville

Our tour guide Carlos was fantastic and the olive oil tour was a highlight of our trip.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Carlos was very knowledgeable and made the experience worthy

Transport

Juao Berta Miquel every guide and driver were fabulous. Our trip to Portugal and Barcelona were 10 days to remember.

Hotel Reviews

The Yeatman Hotel

Vila Nova de Gaia

One of the nicest hotels you will find. Spacious rooms with incredible patios. Michlin dining!!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

H10 Duque de Loule

Lisboa

Great location..small boutique hotel with an amazing rooftop bar. Comfortable rooms and walkable to all the great shopping on Lisbon.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Gaudí Highlights tour

Barcelona

Another must do...pictures do not do justice to what we saw! Fabulous day.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Day-trip to Girona and Figueres

Barcelona

This trip is a must for anyone visiting Barcelona. It's a little bit of a drive, but so worth it!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Sidecar tapas tour

Barcelona

So glad we did this!!! Beyond fun.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Wine tour in the Douro Valley

Porto

A wonderful experience!! We all bought Port. Of course!

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Porto city tour

Porto

Another wonderful day with Miquel. Saw everything and topped off with a local favorite for lunch!@

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Lisbon to Porto via Coimbra and Aveiro

Spain

Miguel was so fun. Loved seeing the university and Aviara.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Day-trip to Setúbal and the Arrábida

Lisbon

Visited a local tile maker...an incredible exoerience

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Daytrip to Sintra

Lisbon

Fabulous...love our guide and driver

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Dinner and Fado

Lisbon

A must do!!!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Honestly, I can write an essay on my incredible experience with Rita Pagano, our trip specialist to Spain. The tours and experiences she designed for us, including the guides she appointed, private transfers, train rides, restaurant suggestions - it was a 10 star Spain vacation!

Rita is very skilled at understanding her client’s preferences. Within a couple of chat exchanges on their portal, she very grasped what I am looking for, and the kind of balanced experience I was interested. Within a few hours, she put together a draft plan, which was 70% ready, and then we iterated to fine tune. I should add, I am very picky when it comes to hotel quality (very used to Marriott Bonvoy), but she identified some boutique and local options that truly enhanced our experience, and was able to add along free breakfasts, extended stays etc., which made it so helpful.
To top it all were the guides she selected – Carla for the Tapas crawl in Barcelona, Anna for Gaudi tour in Barcelona, Julia’s kayaking/snorkeling trip in Costa Brava, Andres for architecture tour in Seville, even Adrian’s tuktuk tour in Valencia were all very enjoyable. Most of the guides were history or architecture majors and brought their passion into the tours. All I shared with Rita was that we want a balanced experience of Spain touching adventure, architecture, culture, food and people – the rest she designed it all, and it was well beyond our imagination! The activities were custom to our liking and rigor.

Above all, I would say Rita is patient, responsive and provided outstanding on-ground support, in a way that I did not expect. Everything was seamless, and if a few things did not work out, Rita jumped in and sorted things out (some times even working outside her office hours). Despite us not speaking on the phone even once, let alone meeting, Rita made us feel assured and was responsive beyond my imagination. I found Kimkim through TripAdvisor, and was initially skeptical about its legitimacy. But I cannot wait to book my trip with them again.

Rita, your team is very lucky to have you, and we were delighted to work with you. With a giant thank you from my family.

Hotel Reviews

Vincci Lys Hotel

Valencia

A quaint, European hotel in the hub of Valencia with great access to food and landmarks. Excellent value for money and great staff. They were very accommodating with our unique requests. The rooms are very clean and have modern amenities. The breakfast buffet was very good - in fact, much better than some of the 5 stars. We did have a bit of an issue with their ventilation system at times - there was a trapped odor during times of the day.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

It was very clean, and the rooms are all updated with modern amenities. Just that at times, there was a trapped odor which made it uncomfortable.

Suites Avenue

Barcelona

If you want to live in an apartment with your kitchen, laundry and have a couple of rooms (good for family or small groups), then this ideal. Located minutes from all the key places in Barcelona, with an outstanding staff, these are sleek apartments with modern finishes. The rooms are very small though, and I would have preferred to have a door separating the master bathroom and bedroom, but overall, really nice.

Authenticity & Character

Lots of Buddhist art, but I wont say they have spent their budget on common areas (which is fine). They have made the suite apartments really good.

Location

Passeig de gracia is a wonderful street, lined with Gaudi landmarks, excellent restaurants and upscale shopping.

Staff

Best part of living in this building. I have never experienced such helpful staff, who truly go above and beyond.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Gran Hotel Reymar

Tossa de Mar

Outstanding location - cannot beat this one. But the hotel itself needs to renovate. Staff rarely speak English, and are not very friendly. Breakfast was limited and the coffee machine did not work on both days (one option for the entire hotel). But the location, pool, access to beach and shops is unbeatable.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Discover Valencia by Tuk Tuk

Valencia

I didn't know what to expect. So left it to Rita to suggest. An easy, laid back trip that takes your though the cities landmarks from ancient to modern. Again, Adrian, our guide was very engaging and proud of his city.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

The tuktuk is so easy!

An Evening of Flamenco

Spain

The Flameco tablao was one of the most traditional and authentic places in the region. In fact, our guide told us that the artists are well paid there. so they can focus on their art. For me, this was particularly important as I am a professional dancer of a form (Kathak) that shares roots with Flamenco. I loved the experience. It was an hour-long performance (just right).

Monumental Seville on Foot & Visit Real Alcázar

Seville

Enchanting place, with a unique mix of Gothic, Moorish and Andalusian architecture. I have never seen such intermingling of cultures anywhere! A must do experience - especially with someone as knowledgeable as Andres, our guide. We had so many interesting discussions on history, global evolution, religious influences - all of it added so much to the experience.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Easy walk around our hotel (Alfonso)

Half-Day Kayak Excursion along Costa Brava

Spain

One of the best experiences ever. Julia, our instructor, gave us clear guidance for kayaking and snorkeling and adapted the experience to our fitness levels, My daughter, who is a competitive gymnast, did cliff diving, while I who can barely swim stuck to kayaking and snorkeling , which I thoroughly enjoyed.

Quality of Experience

Besides the sea adventures, Julia took us on a mini cave exploration, which was so enjoyable!

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Outstanding! So patient and fun. She even waited for us as we reached late.

Transport

Given the location was more than 30 minutes away, we had to take a taxi (unless you rent a car, which is the best option). The taxi dropped us at the wrong location in the middle of nowhere. But some locals helped us find another taxi, while Rita jumped in and called the company and convinced them to wait for us. Amazing Rita again! But in the future, I'd say use a pre-arranged transportation, or best would be to rent a car.

Barcelona & Gaudí: Walking Among Gaudi's Iconic Works

Barcelona

Gaudi's architecture is spectacular. But Anna, our guide, made it even more special. A student of art, history and production, she is very knowledgeable and passionate about the field. We had so many related conversations that made the whole experience superb. We saw Familia Sagrada and Casa Batillo over a 4 hour period with a short break of 10 minutes. Very easy and manageable, and did not feel rushed. Possible to do it in 3 hours if you are in a bind.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

We took a private tour with Anna (organized by Kimkim Travels) and that made it more special. You appreciate the relevance of the masterpieces and make the connections more.

Transport

We took the subway to go from one spot to the other. Again, easy and gave us an experience of local life.

Taste Barcelona: Authentic Tapas & Neighborhood Walk

Barcelona

Carla was so passionate about her culture and has incredible knowledge about local foods. It was very enjoyable. The selection of the restaurants and foods were fabulous. Carla also paid attention to the unique dietary needs, and took us to places with more vegetarian and fish options, as opposed to meats. We also lucked out with the other family who was in our group.

Quality of Experience

Food

Outstanding selection; each very different.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Carla is the best! She is also so well travelled, and knows about world cuisine in an authentic way.

Transport

Easy walk between the restaurants. We took a taxi to the meeting point, which was only seven or eight euros.

This was our first trip using KimKim. I started with Yuri planning one leg of our trip to Spain, and he was so helpful, we expanded to the entire itinerary. Yuri was so helpful all along the planning process! It was wonderful to actually talk with him on conference calls, and he was responsive to all our quick questions via chat. We had a difficult group with different interests and ages, and he was able to advise and tailor our days to please everyone! Every city was a highlight, and even the rail travel in between! We covered a lot of territory in 3 weeks. Started in Barcelona (5 days - not enough time!), train to Valencia (3 days - not enough time!), train to Madrid (4 days - not long enough), train to Cordoba (1 night - I'd recommend a minimum of 4 days!), picked up a car and drove Andalucia. Cordoba to Granada (2 nights) drove to Malaga via Nerja (2 nights), drove to Sevilla via Ronda, Seville 2 nights.

Every guide we had along the way was amazing! We particularly LOVED our evening tour of Medieval Barcelona was fantastic and we kept coming back to this area. My private tour of the Picasso museum with Montserrat informed my entire Picasso pilgrimage as we traveled around Spain. I wish we had booked guided Gaudi tours, as we fumbled along ourselves and walked SO MUCH to cover all the best locations in Barcelona (which is impossible.) I would skip the Barcelona Sailing Experience Sunset Cruise next time. It was expensive and we were trapped on the boat with a couple who drank all the Cava! Coming back here many times! Stunning place with an expansive, joyful vibe and art, art, art everywhere!

We booked our own AirB&B accommodation throughout, and Yuri checked it all for us. He advised us against the place we booked in Valencia because of the location, and we wished we had taken his advice. The Valencia Old Town Tour with Wine and Tapas in 11th C Historic Monument with Emma was a highlight of the whole trip. Planning to return here in 2 years for the Falles festival. We need much more time in and around Valencia!

We need to come back to explore the amazing city park and the Arts and Science buildings. Could spend a whole day there! The only activity I wouldn't do again was the Las Cuevas de San Jose river tour out of Valencia. When we booked it looked like this was a guided kayak trip, but it wasn't. It was very crowded and a long bus trip from Valencia.

The first class train trip to Madrid was worth it! Madrid is an incredible city, and you need a lot of time to explore. We had a private guide pick us up at the station and drive us around Madrid to get oriented. It was a good way to start, although it was a bit claustrophobic in his mini-van. Absolutely LOVED the small group tour of the Prado with Arantxa (Chefarantxalamas) and our lunch in the oldest restaurant in Madrid. Arantxa taught us so much about the food culture of Spain! The Reina Sofia was also a must, but I need more time and a guide!

Cordoba has the oldest cultural history - our guide was wonderful, and he recommended the Patio festival every year. We will go! The Cathedral Mosque at Cordoba was by far my favorite historical site. We went twice. Take a guide! Need more time here! We missed the castle Almodovar del Rio outside Cordoba because we found our favorite restaurant and stayed til closing time, La Viuda .

Granada was spectacular. Our guide, Pedro, was our favorite person of the whole trip. He even knew Yuri! He took us everywhere, was thoughtful, and knowledgeable and even found some cold medicine for one of our party! He delivered us traditional pastries baked by a friend of his the next day! We had the best day in the Alhambra and evening of traditional food. PS. I would not attempt to drive in Granada again!

Nerja - fantastic beach-side barbeque. Malaga... not enough time. Great shopping. El Pimpi!

Ronda - stay a night here.

Seville. What a romantic city! We had an amazing apartment on Don Jaun's plaza. So much to see here. Loved the Real Jardin. Loved the sunset river cruise. We were very tired here and it was getting hot (mid-June and very crowded) so we wandered the city early morning and late afternoons. Will be back here, too.

Yuri and KimKim activities where amazing. We moved a couple of activities, cancelled a couple and yuri helped with that and we did get refunds. My guidelines for our next trip. A minimum of 3 days in any city is necessary. Travel by train. Splurge on private guides with a dinner option as soon as you get to a new place, because they will share local knowledge and help plan out the rest of the trip, between activities. One activity a day is plenty! Take your KimKim guildes advice! They really do know so much about the places you will go.

Don't hesitate! I'll be using KimKim for my future trips.

Thank you so much, Yuri! We love you!

Activity Reviews

Old Town Walk with Wine & Tapas Experience

Valencia

Our favorite activity. This is a start-up business with young people passionate about Valencia and traditional food and wine. We LOVED Emma, our tour guide, and the 10-course tapas tasting menu was incredible. This was a small group of 12 people and the dining experience enabled us to have good conversations with them all.

Quality of Experience

Food and wine were outstanding.

Food

10 courses of traditional tapas made by their own chef in a private kitchen.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Emma was one of the best guides I have had.

Historic Landmarks Walk

Seville

We should have done a lot more guided tours in Seville. Such a beautiful city full of amazing places to see. The Real Jardin was the highlight for me.

Self-Drive Day Trip to Grazalema & Ronda

Seville

We should have planned to stay overnight here.

Private Day Tour to Granada with visit to the Alhambra & Generalife Gardens

Málaga

Pedro was our most favorite guide. He is a young guy starting up his own guide business, and he is amazing. So thoughtful, local knowledge and history. We spent all afternoon and evening with him. He had special touches like home made pastries and helped when one of our party was getting a cold. He took us out to dinner later that night and we had an incredible experience on our tapas crawl! We will go back to Granada and hire Pedro again. It was also good to know that Pedro had met Yuri, our KimKim person.

Quality of Experience

Pedro! He is special!

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Pedro!

Self-Guided Visit to Nerja

Spain

We followed our nose to the beach, and found a great beachside bar and grill! We didn't really see anything else.

Quality of Experience

Midday and a bit too hot.

Transport

We did this in our rental car. I don't know how you could tour these coastal villages without a car.

Flamenco & Tapas Night

Granada

Fantastic entertainment in a small local bar. It was very crowded and very hot!

Quality of Experience

A bit hot and crowded.

Walking Tour the Mezquita & Jewish Quarter

Córdoba

So interesting!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Evening Historical Stroll at Sunset

Córdoba

Loved this. Our guide was Marcus and he knows so much about Cordoba's history.

Quality of Experience

Amazing architecture and history, from Roman, Islamic, Jewish to Christian times.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Our guide is a historian. Knew so much!

Prado Museum & Cultural Walk with Lunch at Botín

Madrid

ONe of the best tours! It was not enough time at the Prado, although Aratxa was knowledgeable and very entertaining! The aperitif at a Vermouth bar and Botin was fantastic. Best cheesecake I have ever eaten!

Quality of Experience

Excellent food and wine.

Food

Suckling pig and cheesecake Oh, my!

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Anantxa nows her art history and her food! She is a chef and shares her recipes!

Madrid Half-Day Excursion

Madrid

Andres, our guide, picked us up at the station and drove us around Madrid. We got out several times. I wish we had bought tickets to the bullfights that night. It was a little cramped in the mini-van, with our group of 4 and the guide. We were not able to go to the bathroom for hours!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Born and raised in Madrid. I think Andres tried to do too much in the time we had.

Transport

It was a bit cramped for 4 passengers.

Caves of San José Day Trip

Valencia

The only activity I wouldn't recommend. We loved the location and the history of the caves, but we thought it was a kayaking tour, not a row boat tour. It was a lengthy bus ride from Valencia. The tour itself was crowded, and the caves were lit with colored lights, which was a bit "cheesy."

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

This was a big-bus tour. We were handed over to the River Boat guides, who did not speak english.

Transport

We don't like big bus tours.

Sunset Sailing Trip with Spanish Guitar

Barcelona

The skipper went out beyond the breakwater and then back. We had 1 other couple on the boat who were quite drunk. The live music was great!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

We didn't really learn much while on board.

Transport

The boat was in good condition.

Self-Guided Gaudí Architecture Walk

Barcelona

Too much walking in the heat! Need a guide for this.

Quality of Experience

I needed transport and interpretation/background. It was HOT! don't do this between noon and 4 pm!

Transport

Took the train to the bottom of the gardens, then walked all the way up! Took a bus back down to next exhibit, so I learned about public transport.

Ancient Bath Experience

Spain

Loved this. It would be good to do this after the long flight. Will book treatments next time!

Quality of Experience

Unique spa experience with 5 different types of pool in progression to a massage at the end.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

The massage could have been better.

Gaudí's Masterpieces by Electric Bike

Barcelona

My friends did this tour and they loved it. A great way to cover a lot of ground.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Bikes were good.

Private Barcelona Picasso Tour with Picasso Museum

Barcelona

Highly recommended as the first Picasso guided tour you do. The Picasso Museum is incredible. I learned SO much, and Montserrat, my guide, shared a lot about Spanish culture during Picasso's time and now. We also went to a Sunday morning service in Santa Maria cathedral in English.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Montserrat!

Dark History Night Walk in El Born District

Barcelona

It was a walking tour and we learned so much about the history of the area, including the jewish history and the Inquisition.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

So knowledgable and easy to talk to.

Self-Guided Walk in Barcelona’s Gothic Quarter

Barcelona

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

INstructions were very clear.

Our trip to Spain was wonderful, from start to finish. Beatriz (Bea) helped us plan an amazing itinerary based on our preferences, which allowed for a combination of traditional site seeing along with some adventure. We visited Madrid and Barcelona over the course of 7 days, and did day trips from each of the cities to Toledo and Girona. There was so much history to learn and beautiful architecture to see in all of the cities. Not to mention the delicious food and drinks!

Bea was available whenever we needed her to answer our questions, and all of the tour guides were extremely knowledgeable and friendly. The entire trip felt seamless. We would love to go again and visit more of the country. We would definitely use kimkim again ... it was well worth it :)

KIM KIM is top notch. This was our second vacation planned by this excellent company and it will not be our last. The individual service and attention to detail Is amazing. LIUS at Hidden in Spain was with us every step of the way an a true professional. I can’t say enough good things about this company and their service.

Hotel Reviews

H10 Villa de la Reina

Madrid

Beautiful charming boutique hotel in Madrid. Which we could have stayed longer

Authenticity & Character

Simply lovely, charming comfortable yet updated

Location

Great central Location to all Madrid has to offer

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Maisonnave

Pamplona

In the heart of old City and the center of all The action during the San Fermin festival

Authenticity & Character

Very modern, quiet and well staffed. Restaurant was delicious

Location

Could be any better. Great location in the center of old town Pamplona

Staff

Super patient, helpful and well staffed

Cleanliness & Comfort

Considering all the running of the bulls festivities. This hotel Was like a little sanctuary while still being the center if it all

Abba San Sebastián Hotel

San Sebastian

Great location and great hotel With rooftop bar

Authenticity & Character

More modern but very European

Location

Walking distance to everything

Staff

So lovely and friendly all around

Cleanliness & Comfort

Room was spacious and comfortable

Hotel Carlton

Bilbao

Amazing hotel in the heart of biboa

Authenticity & Character

Room was huge and had a sumptuous bathroom

Location

Walking distance to everything

Staff

Lovely and helpful

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel del Oso

Camaleño Cantabria

Picture perfect with beautiful nature all around you

Authenticity & Character

This hotel has amazing amenities and grounds. The food in The dinning room is amazing and the staff is lovely

Location

Close enough to town yet located in a beautyful natural setting

Staff

Super friendly and helpful

Cleanliness & Comfort

What a view from our super comfortable room

Hotel Don Paco

Llanes

Beautiful boutique hotel in a lovevly part of Llanes walking distant to everything

Authenticity & Character

Old convent converted into love hotel with great amenities

Location

Walking distance to everything

Staff

Super friendly and helpful

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Tapas in Malasaña

Madrid

Soo informative and delicious. Agustin was an amazing tour guide.

Quality of Experience

Variety of delicious Tapas in authentic settings

Food

So varied and all delicious. Great roof top Drinks at the end

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Great walking tour through the city with tasty stops

Balcony for the bulls running

Pamplona

Unforgettable Bucket list experience. The city of Pamplona really know how to party. We had the best balcony view of the running of the bulls You could ask for. It could not have been any better

Quality of Experience

I have never experienced anything like this and I’m a New Yorker 🤣

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Never felt unsafe and always felt Well Supported by the staff and people Of Pamplona

Rioja Premium Wine Tour

Spain

Two beautiful wineries and a stop in a charming town♥️

Quality of Experience

Everyone couldn’t be nicer or more knowledgeable

Food

Our lunch in the vineyard was so delicious and in a beautiful setting

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Our driver and guide was very knowledgeable and comfortably to be with

Transport

Hiking the Camino de Santiago Trail

San Sebastián

Beautiful day and hike on the Camino de Santiago

Quality of Experience

Our tour guide was amazing and we had the best day

Food

Lovely lunch at the end of our hike

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Pintxos Tour

Spain

The most delicious tour and our tour guide was amazing

Quality of Experience

The variety of foods and locations

Food

Delicious, varied and authentic

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Great walking tour I. The old Part of San Sebastián

From San Sebastián to Bilbao (or viceversa) along the Basque Coast

Spain

Cannot say enough about our guide Andy. He was super sweet, knowledgeable and we had the best day of touring and travel

Quality of Experience

Top notch tour guide

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Guggenheim tickets (and guide)

Bilbao

Amazing modern architecture and art

Quality of Experience

Loved this museum

4WD Car Tour in Picos de Europa

Spain

Fun and adventitious day in the gorgeous mountains of northern Spain. Just the right amount of touring and hiking. We would have never been able ToCover so Much ground in One day without this tour .

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Our driver was fun, informative and knowledgeable

Transport

Super comfortable with the skill Of This driver in some rough terrain

Bike tour: the coast of Asturias

Llanes

Super nice company with great equipment

Quality of Experience

The beautiful northern Spain coastline

Beatriz was great! She helped us plan trip to Barcelona and Mallorca. She gave us great options for tours to choose from, things we wouldn’t have though about. Our favorite one was tapas tasting walking tour - so fun, and our guide was amazing, we learned so much about food and traditions and got to taste a lot of tapas and drinks too. I highly recommend this tour and thankful to Bea for suggesting it. Another great suggestion was a tour of Montserrat - it was out of the busy city and very beautiful. Every guide Bea booked for us was a top notch - very knowledgeable, informative, always on time. All our transfers were on time with nice vans to fit our family of 5. Another great part is that Bea was using the Trip Plans app. I never used this app before. It was so convenient - all details of our itinerary were in the app, with our guides contact numbers just in case, as well as restaurant suggestions and tours and sites description. Also, Bea was responding immediately to any questions via the app. It was so easy and convenient to follow. Thank you Bea!

We took an 11 day trip to Basque Country in Spain. Bea (Beatriz Lopez Diaz) set up the trip for us and did a fantastic job! We received Bea’s initial proposal, with our request to focus on food & wine and historic sites, and after a couple of minor changes, had our final agenda in hand. We flew into Bilbao where we stayed for a couple of days and then spent the rest of the trip in San Sebastián. We had an initial delay to the trip with our international flight from Detroit being cancelled. Bea worked with us to notify the hotel and car service of our new arrival and the arrangements were seamless. We had two pintxos tours, one in each city, and the guides (Jose and Veronica) were magnificent with detailed knowledge of the areas and what each pintxo bar’s specialty was. The food and wine were simply amazing. We had a one day tour through Rioja with Dani and he took us to two outstanding wineries, Tritium and Ostatu. Again his knowledge of the area and Rioja wines were second to none. We also took two day trips to some small towns in northern Spain (Hondarribia, San Juan, and San Pedro) and southern France (Bayonne, Biarritz, and St. Jean de Luz) and saw some beautiful historic churches and had some fantastic views of the ocean. On our free day we took a tour of the Ameztoi txakoli winery with some friends who happened to be visiting at the same time and had a blast eating good food and drinking good wine. We finished the trip off with a fish cooking class at Mimo Bite the Experience- we worked with one of the chefs and took a market tour as well as prepared multiple dishes including whole monkfish. Super fun.

All in all, we had a great trip and a huge part of that was working with Bea at kimkim. My wife has a food allergy and Bea made sure there were gluten-free accommodations made for each activity. We were thoroughly impressed with Bea’s customer service and would highly recommend her if you are planning a trip to Spain. Thank you Bea!

We cannot begin to express our appreciation to Raquel and her team for planning a fabulous trip for us to Lisbon, Porto, and Barcelona. There were absolutely no hidden surprises and tour, guides and drivers were always on-time and the hotels, H-10 in Lisbon and Yeatman in Porto and Le Meridian in Barcelona were wonderful. Guides and drivers, Kaoa, Berta, Miguel, Jasper, Craig, Jordi, and Mickael were fun and extremely knowledge! We were a parry of 4 family members. Booking a trip like this requires a lot of trust in your travel agent. Raquel was beyond our expectations!

Activity Reviews

Gaudí Highlights tour

Barcelona

Another amazing day learning about Gaudi. The Sagrada Familia is something everyone should see in person. Our guide Jordi was fabulous!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Day-trip to Girona and Figueres

Barcelona

Another major highlight of our trip!!!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Sidecar tapas tour

Barcelona

So fun!!

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Wine tour in the Douro Valley

Porto

A must see to appreciate! Learning about Port and tasting was fun and we had a great lunch at the winery.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Porto city tour

Porto

Porto was very special and we all could have stayed longer. Miguel was a world of knowledge and we all enjoyed our time with him.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Lisbon to Porto via Coimbra and Aveiro

Portugal

University was a wonderful experience. Aviary was an added trip and it was lovely.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Daytrip to Sintra

Lisbon

Wine tasting and beautiful beaches. Because of the heat and fire danger we could not see the main castle.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Dinner and Fado

Lisbon

A must do event

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Lisbon city tour

Lisbon

An amazing day ...we kearney so much about the history of Lisbon.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

First and foremost, thank you to Marina, our travel advisor, for putting together an amazing honeymoon for us! We thoroughly enjoyed each of the cities, the experiences, and the restaurant recommendations. All the hotels were comfortable, authentic, and the staffs worked very hard to make us feel very welcome. The guides to the person (especially Gaspar in Barcelona and Rafael in Sevilla) were all excellent and we learned so much in each place we visited. The customer service, including from Marina and those who covered for her on the weekend, was also excellent. We would definitely use Marina again for Spain next time we visit and kimkim for other countries. In all, thank you for helping us put together a memorable honeymoon. We will be forever grateful!

Activity Reviews

Discover Girona & Dalí’s World

Barcelona

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Flamenco Show

Granada

Quality of Experience

Tapas & Tradition: A Madrileño Evening

Madrid

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Kimkim is a great idea overall, but could use some improvements. Adam and his team were a pleasure to work with. Their communication was very prompt and they were patient as I went back and forth with them on our itinerary. I really appreciated them wanting to keep the quality of our experiences top notch, even removing one from my itinerary and crediting me when they couldn’t confirm the guide they recommended was available. All our experiences booked by Kimkim were amazing and I would continue to use their service. I would say Kimkim could improve their service by offering an assortment of different activities with clear pricing so we could easily pick and choose which look the most interesting (like ordering off a menu at a restaurant). It wasn’t clear to me what the cost was of each of my activities unless I specifically asked which seems like wasteful communications going back and forth.

Activity Reviews

Private Half-Day Highlights Walk

Lisbon

Good way to see some of the sights around Lisbon.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Andre was hugely knowledgeable and helped us learn a lot about Lisbon history.

Transport

Toledo Family Experience & Sword-Making Workshop

Madrid

This was more like a 90 minute activity and we never took a full dagger home. It’s not like we needed one but that was a bit misleading based on the description. This was def something different than the normal activity so we really enjoyed it.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Our guide was helpful in dropping us off to get into city center.

Flamenco & Tapas Night

Madrid

This was my personal favorite…it was a perfect mix of food, drink and show. Lisa was an amazing guide and I hope you continue to use her.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

L More walking than I expected

My husband and I loved our trip to Portugal and Spain for our honeymoon. Using KimKim made planning our honeymoon very easy. During the planning period we were able to provide Irene, our local specialist, with feedback to help create our ideal itinerary. She was open to changes that helped us to manage costs and the best use of our time in Europe. We had the opportunity to participate in privately led tours around Madrid, Toledo, and Barcelona, which helped us to learn about these cities' histories, and gave us the chance to learn about the culture from local residents. We had a once in a lifetime opportunity to participate in a wine tasting led at a local wine store. This private tasting gave us incredible insight into wine, Spanish culture, gave us the chance to get to know a person we would have otherwise not have had the chance to meet.

Our only critique of our trip was our experience with reservations for meals. Be aware that when you're given a reservation this means you are being booked at a restaurant with a pre-determined menu because the cost of the meal comes out of the cost of your trip. We were booked for three meals that did not quite fit into our trip. In one instance we were booked for a wintertime stew during the heat of the Madrid summer. In another instance we found ourselves in a local restaurant in which we had a very hard time communicating with the staff due to a language barrier. Our only wish was that these meals were better explained to us as we were planning our trip. Ultimately, the only part of our trip that we would have changed are these reservations.

We would still highly recommend using KimKim to book your next trip!

Hotel Reviews

Casa Mathilda | Barcelona

Barcelona

The Casa Mathilda is truly an authentic bed and breakfast in the heart of Barcelona. While we were initially surprised about the feel of this bed and breakfast in comparison to the other hotels on our trip, we quickly were able to feel at home! The staff at Casa Mathilda is welcoming and friendly. They were able to help us get our bearings in Barcelona. The eco-friendly vibe of the bed and breakfast is also very welcomed, given the damage that the tourist industry can do to a city. When staying at Casa Mathilda, guests are able to make use of the common spaces that include a terrace, sitting area, and kitchenette- at all hours of the day!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel One Shot Luchana 22

Madrid

The atmosphere at the Hotel One Shot Luchana 22 truly helped to give this boutique hotel an authentic feel. The main floor of the hotel is well kept, nicely decorated, and the staff are all eager to provide you with the best possible service. Unfortunately, our room did not match the atmosphere of the primary floor. During the entirety of our stay our room had a strong sulfur smell that was very intense when you entered the room. The walls of the room were scuffed and the bathroom had clear signs of water damage. These details took away from our experience staying here because they did not meet our expectations, given the impression that is made when one enters the premises.

Authenticity & Character

Location

This hotel is very far from the major tourist attractions in Madrid. It is close to metro stops, which did mean we were able to make the most of our stay. However, ideally we would have liked to have been closer the major attractions of the city.

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Moon and Sun Porto

Porto

My husband and I loved staying at Hotel Moon and Sun Porto during our honeymoon. The hotel is clean, well run, and extremely welcoming. The hotel offered to hold our bags for us when we arrived in Porto earlier than check in time. They were able to give us a clear understanding of the services that are offered at the hotel, and they were very flexible when it came to our 4 am check-out time so that we could catch our flight to the next stop on our trip.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Rossio Plaza Hotel

Lisbon

The Rossio Plaza Hotel was a clean and welcoming place to spend our two nights in Lisbon! The hotel was accommodating when we arrived in the city earlier than our check-in time by holding onto our luggage for us while we explored the city on the first day of our trip. This hotel is located in the heart of Lisbon which makes it extremely easy to walk around the city. Our only critique is that our top-floor room had a slanted ceiling which made the room feel very small and difficult to navigate.

Authenticity & Character

Location

The hotel is located in the city center which makes exploring Lisbon very easy.

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Lunch in La Bola

Madrid

I wish I had better things to say about our lunch at La Bola. The staff at the restaurant were visibly annoyed that we arrived at our reservation time of 1 PM because this is also the time that they open. While I understand that this is difficult for them, that was out of our control as we did not choose the time. The staff was difficult to communicate with as they were very short of patience and clearly not happy to have us there.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Eco- tour in Toledo by bike

Toledo

This was a such a unique way to learn about the ancient city of Toledo! Daniel, our tour guide, was informative and fun to be around while we traveled in and around Toledo by E-Bike!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Guided Visit to the Gothic Quarter

Barcelona

We had an amazing time touring Barcelona's Gothic Quarter on our private tour. We were able to learn way more about Barcelona than we ever would have on our own!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Wine Tasting

Madrid

This wine tasting was the highlight of our trip! We were welcomed into the wine store and were truly given a once in a lifetime experience to learn about Spanish culture and wine!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

City tour

Madrid

Our tour guide gave us an in-depth tour of Madrid's most important sites! We loved the two and a half hours we got to spend with her. Without this tour we would not have learned as much as we did about the amazing history of Madrid!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Winery in Porto

Porto

We had a great time touring the Ferreira Winery! Our guide was very clear in his explanations of the history and practices of Ferreira!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Boat trip on the Douro River

Porto

The boat trip on the Douro River was a fun way to see the city of Porto! This ride gave us the chance to Porto from the water. The overhead narrations of the sites we were seeing were informative. Overall, this was an activity that we could have done without- while the narrations were informative it was easy to lose focus because the narrations were given in four different languages. There were instances where the narration in English took place after we passed the intended view.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

We had a fantastic time in Spain! Helena did an excellent job collaborating with us to ensure the trip suited our trip preferences, including everything from type of activities to hotel accommodations to pace of travel and beyond. She was highly responsive both during the planning process and the actual trip itself. In particular, we appreciated how flexible she was, especially when real-time challenges came up such as us getting lost and arriving late to several tours or missing our private transfer to certain locations. Her quick thinking and bias for action helped resolve these hiccups quickly, which we really appreciated. We also liked that she gave us sufficient free time throughout the trip to explore in a more unstructured way, and there were plenty of suggestions on fun attractions to visit, restaurants to eat at, and night life to check out that enriched our experience. Overall, we enjoyed collaborating with Helena and would recommend her to anyone looking to travel to Spain!

We love to travel around and book different excursions, hikes , cooking classes, wine tours etc. I will NEVER plan that type of vacation by myself again. Especially when spending time and money, being connected with great hotels, knowing that sites are closed when we thought we could see them, getting us tickets and wonderful guides , rewriting our itinerary based on what we would like to do, saying something if what we thought was managable would not be......JUST an amazing service. From now on we won't plan without KimKIM.

Activity Review

San Sebastian cooking class

San Sebastián

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

The trip was amazing. I would have given 5 stars all around, except that a couple of hotels were not what i had expected.
I have to say, Luise was very responsive and at our request moved us to a more suitable hotel, and even covered some of the cost. Luise and his team were always only a text or call away. At times, the situation was a bit stressful and I was not pleased with the interactions, but overall I would highly recommend him. I think we you really want to see Spain off the beaten path, he is the man to go with.

The guides and tours set up by Carmen were fantastic. The tour guides were knowledgeable, friendly and tailored there information to the interests of myself and my children!

Kimkim and especially our travel agent, Rita, helped us have an excellent vacation in Spain and Portugal. Rita setup transportation, classes and private guided tours for our trip. Rita was very responsive while we were designing the trip and also when we were in the countries, she responded quickly to any questions we had. Also, we found Kimkim's app very useful and well laid out. I would highly recommend their services and will use them again.

Beatriz did an outstanding job in planning our trip. Her suggestions for various activities including planning many cultural experiences were exactly what we wanted. She was very responsive and met our needs on budget and what we wanted to see and do on our trip. All the day tours were small group and very personalized. The app is very effective and the train tickets, plane tickets etc. provided was very convenient. The guides were excellent - very authentic and knowledgeable and truly interested in ensuring that we got teh best experience possible.
San Sebastien: Amaia was a wonderful guide for the walking tour. Very knowledgeable and gave us a lot of background.
The Pinto tasting tour was very good too (sorry can't remember the name of the guide)
La Rioja wine tour was great. Our guides were Joseglu and Arriving (a new trainee) . Both were knowledgeable about the history of the country and the wine region.
Bilbao (Guggenhiem) and Gaztelugatxe tour was also guided by Joseglu and Arri and was very good. We felt that perhaps we could have spent more time at Gugenheim - we got only 1 hour 15 mins - and less time at Gaztelugatxe and walking around Bilbao.
Pamplona: Diego was fantastic. He is a proud Basque and gave us a lot fo history and information about the region and a great view of the running of the bulls. A once in a lifetime experience - very exciting.
The choice of Zinema7 hotel in San Sebastien was excellent. Probably the best on the whole trip.
Granada: The Alhambra tour was also very good. Our guide (forget his name) Small group and we learned a lot of the history. Hotel (Palacio De Santa Ines) was also good.
We saw on our own a flamenco show in Sacramonte - again a great cultural experience.
Granada to Malaga: The choice fo rent a car company (Sixt) was good too. The people there were very helpful.
Great idea by Beatriz to stop at Frigiliana and Nerja - small towns that give a close up at the Spanish countryside and people.
Malaga is a great spot and we saw it mostly on our own. The sunset cruise arranged by Beatriz was very good.
Malaga to Seville: Nice drive with a stop at Ronda. a good place to visit.
Seville: Pablo was the guide for the walking tour of Seville. He was also very good. The hotel - H10 Corregidor was good.
Cordoba: The train trip was convenient. We found Cordoba to be the most be the most beautiful mosque/cathedral. Our guide was Saray although the app said it would be Enrique. She did a good job.
Lisbon: Filipa Santos gave us the walking tour of Lisbon. She was excellent - and also very knowledgeable. We got a great understanding of Portugal history.
For the Belem tour by tuk-tuk our guide was Davide. It was a good experience.
Lisbon Roots, Food and Cultural Walk: Sofia was the guide - and amongst all the guides we had - she was the best. She taught us so much and she did it in such a personal way it was outstanding. The food choices and her tour of the neighborhoods was wonderful.
Sintra, Cascais tour: Paulo Pires was our driver and guide for the day. He is excellent - so personally committed to providing the best service. He also gave us such great information and made us feel special.
We saw a Fado show on our own and that was a great cultural experience.
Lisbon to Porto via Obidos and Nazare: Nuno was our driver and guide for the day. He was also very caring and knowledgeable. Had a wonderful day.
The hotel room in Lisbon - Madalena - was good. However the breakfast was lacking in quality compared to the Spain hotels.
Porto: Pedro Nelson was our guide. We liked Porto also and Pedro gave us a good walking tour.
Douro Valley: Gustavo was our driver and guide for the day. He also was excellent. The winery selected (Maos) was truly a unique personal experience. It was unique because we met the owner and shared a meal with him. We have seen wineries in many regions around the world but the tour here was so personal.
Madrid: Walking tour with Hector

Hotel Reviews

Zinema7

San Sebastian (Guipuzcoa)

Probably teh best hotel choice on the trip. Excellent room, great service, very nice restaurant and wonderful staff.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

7 Islas Hotel

Madrid

Nice hotel - rooms are good size and comfortable. Breakfast was good. Location is excellent.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Porto Charming Hotel

Porto

Hotel is very basic - and did not fit the quality fo the other hotels on the trip. Room was tiny with very basic amenities. Almost like a hostel. Breakfast was limited in quality and variety. One day they were 30 minutes late in opening and our tour got a bit delayed.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Madalena by The Beautique Hotels

Lisbon

Location is great. Hotel looks renovated - in a unique style. Breakfast was below average. Food quality and variety was limited.

Authenticity & Character

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Breakfast quality is average at best.

H10 Corregidor Boutique Hotel

Sevilla

Good hotel. Room was tiny. Nicely located. Breakfast was good. Staff is very helpful.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Tiny room.

Molina Lario Hotel

Málaga

The hotel is excellent and the staff helpful. The breakfast included was very high quality. The car access to the hotel is not the best and this will only impact people driving.

Authenticity & Character

Very new

Location

Centrally located.

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Palacio de Santa Inés

Granada

Very nice hotel in the central part of Granada. Its a heritage building and unique. The staff was very helpful.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Walking Madrid’s Old Town

Madrid

A very nice walking tour of the center of Madrid. An educational trip to learn about the history of the city and its evolution. We saw teh palace from outside) adn various neighborhoods.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Our guide was Hector. He is very knowledgeable about Madrid and all of Spain from a historical perspective. He was able to tell us a lot about the city and country and also the neighborhoods of the city.

Transport

It was a great walking tour.

Tapas & Tradition: A Madrileño Evening

Madrid

We went to 4 different tapas restaurants and tasted their specialty tapas in each. From garlic shrimp to tuna on toast and many other delicacies we got to taste some excellent tapas and drink some wonderful wine. A great ecperteince because these were not the typical tourney places.

Quality of Experience

Food

The tapas was fantastic!

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Our guide was Noemi and she did a great job of taking us to all these places and explaining the different dishes.

Transport

It was walking tour and we got a great look at Madrid centro

Day Excursion to Douro Valley: Wine Tasting & River Cruise

Porto

Douro Valley is an amazing place to grow grapes for wine. It is a large valley with the Douro river flowing through it. Very picturesque. Vines are planted all the way to the top of the hills. The river cruise was beautiful - very peaceful. The best part of the day was the wine tasting. We were taken to a small privately owned winery. Our host treated us to the wines from his estate which were excellent and also to a homemade lunch which was also excellent. We then took a short walk through his vineyard to get a first hand look at how they grow grapes and some of the challenges they face.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Gustavo was our driver and guide for the day. He did a great job driving us and also telling us a lot about wine making in the region. He is an excellent guide.

Transport

The trip was safe and comfortable.

Private Guided Visit of Porto

Porto

Porto is a beautiful small town. We had a good walking tour of the city ending near the river. We then had lunch at a restaurant along the river and visited one of the tasting centers for port wine. As teh gateway o Douro valley its a must see town in Portugal.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Pedro Nelson was our guide. He told us a lot of great stories about life in Porto and pointed out many interesting spots in the city.

Transport

The walking tour was very good.

Private Transfer {{start_location}} to {{end_location}} via Nazaré & Óbidos

Portugal

Obidos is a cool medieval town. We had a nice walk thru the town, stopping at some of the small shops along the main street. The views from the ramparts fo the fort were beautiful as we looked out on green farms all around. Nazare' is a very nice beach town that is known for its wide and long beach. In winter, the waves are ideal for surfing although at this time in teh summer the Atlantic was very calm. We had a nice lunch along the beach and then got some good views from the top of the cliff looking down on the beach.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Nuno was our driver and guide for the day. He did a great job of driving us to Porto adn stopping at Obidos and Nazare. He is very knowledgeable about the country and was happy to share his thoughts on many aspects of life in Portugal.

Transport

Comfortable car.

Private Day Excursion: Sintra, Cascais & Estoril

Portugal

Definitely worth doing this trip to Sintra and Cascais. Sintra ia a beautiful town in the hills. The weather was lovely. The beaches near Sintra were also beautiful. Cascais was more like a beach resort town and somewhat touristy. We had a nice lunch at a local spot in the hills that Paolo, our guide. knew. The food was fantastic there.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Paolo was with us for the whole day. He did a great job showing us the area adn giving us a lot of information. HE also introduced us to his wife who runs her own coffee shop in Sintra. That was a special treat.

Transport

Lisbon Roots: A Food & Cultural Walk

Portugal

This walking tour was one of the highlights of our trip to Portugal. The food and tour of the neighborhoods was so educational. Lisbon has a great history with the intermingling of so many cultures. The food on the tour reflected that history and heritage.

Quality of Experience

Food

The selections of all the food and more importantly Sofia's explanations to what she chose them and the relationship with Lisbon was fantastic.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Our guide was Sofia. While all our guides were great, Sofia was outstanding. She loves what she does and so proud of the heritage of Lisbon. She explained all the history adn took care to respond to all our questions. She showed us so many corners of Lisbon. Thank you Sofia.

Transport

Its a walking tour. great exercise especially when one is eating all along teh way.

Go West to Belém by Tuk-Tuk

Lisbon

Riding in a tuk-tuk was fun - a bit touristy but worth it. The highlights of the tour was the Belem tour (a must see in Lisbon) adn tasting the pastels in the 1837 bakery that makes and sells them. It would have been better to spend a few more minutes at the monastery which has some amazing architecture rather than at the shops in the converted factory.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Davide was our guide and driver of the tun-tuk. He did a good job explaining what we were seeing along the way.

Transport

Tuk-tuk is a fun experience.

Get to Know Lisbon with a Local

Lisbon

Lisbon is a beautiful city and very walkable. This tour is a must do when in Lisbon. Our guide, Filipa Santos, did a great job in explaining the history of Lisbon and some fun facts like how Ian Fleming was inspired to create James Bond while in Lisbon. Seeing the different neighborhoods and their unique characters was very interesting.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Filipa Santos was our guide - she is excellent and very knowledgeable about the history of Lisbon. She gave us a ton of information about Lisbon which added a lot of context to what we were seeing in the city.

Transport

It was a walking tour so one needs to be ready for a long walk. Lisbon is also hilly so there are some fairly steep slopes.

Córdoba Revealed: From Mezquita to the Alcázar

Seville

After seeing Alhambra (Granada) and Alcazar (Seville) and Alcazaba (Malaga) we thought Cordoba might be similar. But as we stepped into the mosque/cathedral in Cordoba we were awe-struck. This place is perhaps the most beautiful historical site in all of Spain. The beauty of the architecture fo the building and the combination of the mosque and cathedral is just magnificent.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Saray was our guide for Cordoba. She did a great job in walking us thru the town including the Jewish Quarter and the mosque/cathedral.

Transport

The train ride back and forth from Seville was easy and very convenient.

Monumental Seville on Foot & Visit Real Alcázar

Seville

Beautiful city walking tour with Pedro. Seville has a beautiful town center. Alcazar has some similarities with Alhambra in Granada but has its own charm. Again, great history. We had a nice lunch in town before walking back to our hotel.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Pablo did a great job in explaining the history of the town in the context fo Spain's history.

Sunset Sailing on the Mediterranean

Málaga

Cruise around the port of Malaga was good. Compared to all the other activities that were in small groups, this tour was on a large boat which was quite full and crowded. However, people were having a good time. We enjoyed it for teh views of the Mediterranean sea, and the city and its surroundings.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Staff on teh boat were helpful

Transport

Boat itself was good.

A Night of Flamenco in a Sacromonte Cave

Granada

This flamenco performance is different (in a good way) from the typical flamenco dances one sees in restaurants and other places. The ladies are not dressed in the fancy clothes, they dont use castanets for sound of the beat. Instead they are dressed in plain dress that perhaps were the type won by the people in teh villages who danced flamenco. It felt very authentic and original.

Quality of Experience

Guided Visit: Alhambra & Generalife Gardens

Granada

Alhambra is fantastic. The history, architecture and the way it has been maintained is wonderful. The tour was well conducted by our guide.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Our guide was very good. Sorry I forget his name. I think it was Nacho.

A Day in Pamplona with Local Guide

San Sebastián

One of the highlights of the entire trip! The experience of seeing the "running of the bulls" was exhilarating. IT was short trip since we had to return to San Sebastien to catch a flight. But we were able to see the running of the bulls from a balcony. The hosts were very nice and provided us with a basic breakfast. After the running, we walked the entire route and got a good look at the town of Pamplona. There was an amazing party atmosphere with thousands of people attending the festival.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Diego is an excellent guide. He is so committed to making sure his guests have a good time. HE told us a lot about Basque history, the history of bull fighting and ensured that we got a good view. He took pictures and sent them to us - to add to what pictures we took.

Transport

Even with a tight timeline, Diego was able to get us back in good time for our flight.

Bilbao & Gaztelugatxe in a Day: Neighborhoods & Guggenheim

San Sebastián

We had a great time on this tour with the same guides as for Rioja. Gaztelugatxe was excellent. The walking tour of Bilbao was also good. However, I think the tour can be modified to allow for more time at teh Guggenheim. We got only 1 hour and 15 minutes which was not really enough. Some time could have been reduced at both Bilbao and Gaztelugatxe to allow more time at Guggenheim.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Again, Joeglu and Arri did a great job. They were great hosts and guides.

Transport

Discover Rioja: Wineries, Tastings & Regional Cuisine

San Sebastián

Excellent tour of Rioja wine country. Choice of wineries was good. Laguardia was also good.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Joseglu (driving) and Arri (trainee) were the guides. Both were genuinely interested in showing us and giving us a lot of information . They did a great job. Very personable.

Transport

San Sebastian Pintxo Experience

San Sebastián

Great exposure to the pinto culture of San Sebastien. Good choice of restaurants. Food was great and so were the choice of wines.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Guided Visit of San Sebastian

San Sebastián

Very good tour. Great views of the city. However, the walking was a bit much. The walk back from the hill (with the funicular) back to Old Town seemed repetitive and if possible could be avoided.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Amaia was excellent. She is so knowledgeable and authentic. she was truly caring about our needs adn questions.