Personalized trips to United Kingdom
for independent travelers

Our trip to London was absolutely wonderful, and I couldn’t be happier with our experience using Kimkim!

From the initial planning stages through our arrival and departure, everything was thoughtfully coordinated and well organized. Jane was a pleasure to work with, responsive to our questions, and accommodating whenever we needed to make adjustments.

I especially appreciated the assistance we received when selecting our hotel. Jane was incredibly helpful in working through the different options to find accommodations that suited our preferences and budget. We ultimately chose The Queen’s Gate Hotel, and it was amazing! We were absolutely delighted with our choice, and it was the perfect home base for our London adventure.

Our itinerary offered a wonderful combination of British history, sightseeing, and memorable experiences, while still allowing us time to explore on our own.

Some of our favorite highlights included visiting Buckingham Palace and the Queen Elizabeth II exhibition, exploring Westminster Abbey and the Churchill War Rooms, and enjoying a beautiful afternoon tea at Kensington Palace. The entire experience exceeded our expectations, and we came home with wonderful memories!

My only constructive feedback concerns our Windsor Castle, Stonehenge, and Oxford excursion. We had originally booked a tour that included just Windsor and Stonehenge, but unfortunately, the tour operator canceled approximately five days before our departure. Jane and the Kimkim team were quick to accommodate us with an alternative that included Oxford, which we genuinely appreciated.

However, the replacement tour was on a full-size coach bus with a large group, and the day felt very rushed. With three destinations to cover, we had limited time at each location, making it difficult to fully enjoy the experience. In hindsight, I would have preferred a smaller-group or more private tour, even at an additional cost, allowing us more time to explore without feeling hurried.

That said, I recognize that the original cancellation was outside Kimkim’s control, and I appreciate the effort made to ensure we didn’t miss out on these destinations.

Overall, I would absolutely recommend Kimkim to anyone planning a trip to London. The communication, organization, attention to detail, and personal assistance made the entire process easy and enjoyable. I would happily use their services again for a future adventure!

Hotel Review

The Queens Gate Hotel

London

We absolutely loved our stay at The Queen’s Gate Hotel during our recent trip to London! The hotel was a wonderful choice for our visit. Its location in South Kensington was fantastic, with easy access to so many of the attractions we wanted to explore, while still being situated in a lovely neighborhood. We were especially pleased with how well the hotel suited our needs as two friends traveling together. It provided a comfortable and welcoming home base after our very full days of sightseeing, shopping, and exploring London. We couldn’t have been happier with our choice of accommodations. The Queen’s Gate Hotel was a wonderful part of our London experience, and I would absolutely recommend it to anyone planning a visit. We would happily stay here again!

Authenticity & Character

Neighborhood was great

Location

Great location in Knightsbridge!

Staff

Friendly and helpfull

Cleanliness & Comfort

Rooms were pristine!

Activity Review

Soho Evening Food Tour

London

We enjoyed our London food tour and appreciated the opportunity to explore different places and sample a variety of foods. However, I felt the experience was better suited for an afternoon outing rather than an evening food tour. As our guide explained, the tour was originally designed for the afternoon, and that became apparent in the types of establishments we visited. We began with a cinnamon bun and continued to several casual, quick-service locations, including a very small Chinese takeaway. While it was interesting to experience these different spots, the overall selection felt more like a casual daytime food crawl than the evening culinary experience we had anticipated. I would have preferred a little more variety in the atmosphere and dining experiences, particularly given the evening timing. Overall, it was a pleasant experience, but I would recommend positioning this particular tour as an afternoon activity or adjusting the stops to better complement an evening outing.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

We really had a great time. A few hiccups to be sure, but the tours executed were excellent.

I could not --and, likely, would not--have made this trip without Rachel and KimKim.

I started out with a vague idea of three things/places I would like to experience. Rachel did a magnificent job of helping me figure out what else I might enjoy. And she was right on all counts. I ended up with memorable experiences in all three areas plus a couple more: seeing beautiful landscape by train, art, horses/animals, theatre, history. And Harry Potter.

The KimKim app was indispensable, especially for an almost 3-week trip. It kept everything in one place, was well-organized, and had a clean, easy-to-read design (I have design experience--I know it's not a given). In addition to a day-by-day list of where I was going and what I was doing, it also listed how I would get there and included invaluable links to tickets, maps, and everything else useful and interesting.

They purchased tickets for me for everything from a front-row, center ticket to Phantom of the Opera, to museum tickets, to multiple train tickets. The train tickets were not insignificant, especially because my hope was to experience the landscape of England and Scotland by train. I started out in London and made stops at York, Barnsley, Edinburgh, Inverness, Portree, Oban, and Glasgow. Rachel arranged for me to join several small group tours and for several drivers for longer distances (I didn't trust myself to drive on the left-hand side!).

Each tour was an exceptional experience. The guides were a huge part of that--they made these tours interesting, informative, and fun. I'd like especially to mention:

--Private Walking Tour of York: My guide was Rob, from Walking Tours in the UK. Rob has a doctoral degree in history. To say he was knowledgable is an understatement. He was also passionate about the history of York, his native town. I very much appreciated his consideration for my slight limitations in walking--neither of us made a fuss about it; he simply and quietly stopped at places where I could sit down for a bit while we talked. My York history walk with Rob was a clear highlight of my trip. He has my deep appreciation.

--Whitby and the North York Moors, complete with a ride on a steam train (Mountain Goat Tours). I never understood the mystique of the moors in literature and film until this drive. I do now. Our guide's passion for the moors was contagious. He also had some recommendations for our time in Whitby, which were right on the mark. Another knowledgable, remarkable guide. (And I feel bad I don't remember his name!)

--Harry Potter Guided Walking Tour (Edinburgh) with Caroline, from the PotterTrail. This could easily have been a cutesy, "here's this" and "here's that" tour, but what Caroline did was give thoughtful insight into parts of Edinburgh that inspired JK Rowling. It became as much about where inspiration comes from as about landmarks and Harry Potter--not an easy thing to do, in my opinion. There were several children on the experience and she treated them with respect and fun. It really was quietly inspirational in itself.

--Skye in a Day. This was a dream come true. (I'd been singing the Skye Boat Song for decades before Outlander!) Once again, the guides were a key part of the day. (We had one guide, Donny, in the morning. When he started having van trouble, he called in a colleague, Kevin. There was no disruption; the switch was seamless.) They were both excellent guides. The camaraderie, with a touch of humor, they created with our group made this particularly memorable day. They made it a point to learn everyone's name and where we were from. And the island itself? Stunningly beautiful.

The arrangements that had to be made to make this trip possible were mind-boggling. In addition to the items mentioned above, KimKim arranged drivers for me from Heathrow to my hotel, from Skye to Oban, and from Glasgow to the Edinburgh airport. The drivers were, to a person, professional, knowledgable, and good conversationalists.

One of my tours was cancelled due to a mechanical issue with a ferry we were to take to several of the islands. I received a timely notification from KimKim the day prior.

The hotel selection, especially given the number of cities I was visiting, was also a not-insignificant part of KimKim's services. We talked about what I was thinking of and she chose the right hotels for me. Also, they were conveniently located to the places I would be visiting.

Rachel and I were in touch almost every day. She even reminded me to make restaurant reservations in Portree, where there is a limited number of restaurants.

Those arrangements, from hotels, to theatre, tour, and train tickets, absolutely (pardon the expression) blow my mind. And that everything went smoothly is a testament to their skills and expertise. I can't thank Rachel and the KimKim Team enough for the experience of a lifetime.

Hotel Reviews

Perle Oban Hotel & Spa

Oban

One of my two favorite hotels, the other being the York Grand.

Authenticity & Character

Rather elegant, with a lovely staircase and hallways. (My room required several turns down very short hallways and had a gigantic and elegant mirror.) The first thing I saw was huge ferry right outside my large window. pulling up into the harbor (this was before I knew this was a big ferry terminal.

Location

Perfect. Right in the middle of everything.

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Marmalade Hotel

Portree

Location

Short and pleasant walk to the city.

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Redcliffe Hotel

Inverness

My room was in a building separate, but just across the street from the main hotel. This was a very recently remodeled space and was lovely. The best thing was a patio running the length of the building with a phenomenal view of Inverness.

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Leonardo City Edinburgh

Edinburgh

Authenticity & Character

Location

Only a short walk to the Royal Mile.

Staff

Was just a little too relaxed.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Maldron Hotel Glasgow City

Glasgow

It's a little difficult to compare because, like the Tower Hotel, it is a typical modern hotel. But it was nice and having a little less character the last night of my stay (when I was pretty tired) was kind of nice.

Location

It was a short cab ride from the train station. I was only there one night (on my way home), but I spent a little time exploring and found a nice food/shopping street to explore.

Cleanliness & Comfort

The Grand, York

North Yorkshire

It felt both impressive and comfortable. The breakfast buffet was outstanding. The bar was impressive in a formal, yet comfortable and relaxed way and had good food--it was a very good place to eat at the end of a big day of walking. Best of all, it was a very short walk to the city center.

Authenticity & Character

I've never stayed in a hotel with a doorman dressed in a red livery uniform before. And, along with the rest of the staff, was very helpful.

Location

It was only a block or so from one of the city gate entrances into York, so very easy to walk to wherever I needed to go.

Staff

The staff was very helpful. They went above and beyond when I forgot about one of my prescription medicines and left it in the refrigerator. They overnighted it to my next hotel.

Cleanliness & Comfort

The Tower Hotel

London

Authenticity & Character

the location

Location

it's right on the Thames and right across the road from the Tower of London

Staff

professional and responsive

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Review

An Evening at the West-End! Tickets to a Show of Your Choice

London

I will never forget seeing Les Miserables at the Sondheim Theatre. The theatre, the sound quality, the sets, and, especially, the talented cast were absolutely memorable. The opening notes of the male chorus are still sounding in my head.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport