Kimkim Trip Reviews for Wales

Rachel planned a memorable trip for us recently in Ireland and Northern Wales. One of the best parts of our trip was having a private driver while visiting Wales. Peter was professional but definitely had a fun side. He showed us places in Snowdonia that we would never have found on our own.

Our next private driver, Patrick, took us from Galway to Killarney with a stop at the Cliffs of Moher! He even did a quick detour to Limerick, which was much appreciated!

We had a few questions during our trip and tour pick-up locations that needed to be clarified/confirmed, and the KimKim team was readily available to assist.

Hotel Reviews

Maldron Hotel Belfast City

Belfast

The Maldron Hotel Belfast City was located in a great location for restaurants and catching our day tour to the Giants Causeway. The bed was comfortable and the breakfast was good. We would stay here again.

Authenticity & Character

I would consider this more of a business hotel.

Location

Close to restaurants and the Crown Liquor Saloon (1820's pub) was a hoot!

Staff

Polite and helpful with a city map

Cleanliness & Comfort

Bed was comfortable and their scone with clotted cream and jam in the bar was heaven!!

Belmont Llandudno

Llandudno

This was probably the least liked hotel of our trip. Our room was toward the back of the hotel and was very small. It also had no ceiling fan or window that one could open wide so the room was uncomfortably warm. Thoughtfully the hotel provides a small fan (which should have been a clue) which helped a little, but not enough. There was a tiny space in which to put our small suit cases, with one being on the floor, The hotel was close to restaurants and the boardwalk. On the plus side, the breakfast was delicious and they had menu items you could order freshly made (i.e., avocado toast, Irish breakfast).

Authenticity & Character

It's an old building, so probably not much can be done.

Location

Close to restaurants and the boardwalk

Staff

The staff was pleasant and we felt welcomed.

Cleanliness & Comfort

A ceiling fan and/or air conditioner would be helpful.

Castle Hotel

Dublin

The Castle Hotel is set within nine elegantly restored Georgian townhouses with rooms full of period pieces. We had a fairly large room with a four poster bed and a nice sized bathroom. We had a choice between the full Irish breakfast or a ala carte selection.

Authenticity & Character

Size of the bedroom and that it was a 4 poster bed!!

Location

Depending on your interests, the location was fine for some cultural sites, but almost a 30 minute walk to Christ Church orTrinity College.

Staff

Front desk staff was pleasant and helpful with a city map

Cleanliness & Comfort

Comfortable bed, clean room

The Galmont Hotel & Spa

Galway

Business class hotel with nice sized room and comfortable bed. Delicious breakfast!

Authenticity & Character

Nice business hotel

Location

The location was excellent - short walking distance to Eyre Square and the Quay pedestrian street.

Staff

Staff was pleasant and provided city map

Cleanliness & Comfort

Clean and comfortable

Killarney Plaza Hotel (O‘Donaghue Group)

Killarney

One of our favorite hotels on our trip Comfortable quiet room with enough room for side chairs and small table. Breakfast was delicious with good selection. The location was central for walking around town, the Jaunting cars and good restaurants!

Authenticity & Character

Well maintained older hotel.

Location

Perfect location for walking around town, the Jaunting cars and good restaurants!

Staff

Very helpful in storing our bags and providing directions to the train station (very walkable!)

Cleanliness & Comfort

Clean and comfortable bed/room

Maldron Hotel South Mall Cork City

Cork Co. Cork

Business class hotel with attached restaurant (which was actually good) and typical ala carte breakfast. The room was comfortable but not outstanding. Location was walking distance from the train station and central shopping area.

Authenticity & Character

Typical business hotel

Location

It was walking distance from the train station and central shopping area

Staff

it was fine for a typical business type hotel.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Bed was comfortable and room was clean

The Fleet

Dublin

Quirky hotel in the central part of Dublin. Room was mid-sized but comfortable. The breakfast was typical ala carte fare.

Authenticity & Character

The hotel was long and narrow, with the rooms extending back from the main street. You could take the elevator up to what you thought was your floor, only to find that you needed to carry your bags up and down a few more steps to get to your room.

Location

Loved the location - this hotel was close to Trinity College, Christ Church, the Dublinia, Viking and Medieval Dublin museum as well as Temple Bar and restaurants.

Staff

They were pleasant but we didn't interact with them other than checking in/out.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Bed was comfortable and clean room.

Activity Reviews

Private transfer

Wales

So nice to have a driver ready and on-time to take us from the hotel to the airport!

Belfast Political Taxi Tour

Belfast

We weren't really sure what to expect on this tour, but came away with a much clearer picture of "The Troubles" from 1968-1998. We made several short stops around both the Protestant and Catholic sections of Belfast with our guide explaining the significance of each location - often with graphic photos. Our guide, Paul, was passionate about the conflict that is still going on today, and that I don't think people outside Belfast are aware.

Quality of Experience

This was a very moving tour and not for everyone.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Paul, our guide was very passionate about "The Troubles" He had friends who were killed and to this day, there are bars in the areas we drove through, where he would not enter for fear he would be beaten.

Transport

Comfortable van for this tour.

Giants Causeway Day tour (small group)

Belfast

This was a small group (~30) tour to the Giant's Causeway. The driver/guide was personable and pointed out many sights along the way!

Full day Exploring Castles with a Driver Guide

Llandudno

We were so fortunate to have Peter Vale as our driver for our time in Wales! After stopping at Caernarfon Castle, Peter took us to see Plas Mawr - one of the finest examples of an Elizabethan town house from the late 1500. Along the way, Peter stopped at several sights we would never have know about unless we were shown!

Quality of Experience

Northern Wales is so beautiful - more so when you have someone who knows the area as in depth as Peter does, to guide you!

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Peter is the perfect guide and travel companion! He took into consideration what we might like to see and sprinkled in must see areas!

Transport

We were driven around in a Mercedes luxury van that was perfect for these day trips!

Private transfer

Liverpool

Our driver/guide, Peter Vale, picked us up from the airport when we arrived in Liverpool. We made stops to see Penney Lane and the club where the Beatles played. On the way to Llandudno, we stopped at the Pontcysyllte Aqueduct which was impressive! The view was incredible and walking across the bridge gave us a chance to stretch our legs and enjoy the scenary! Peter also transported us back to the Liverpool airport.

Cliffs of Moher Visitor Center tickets

Wales

We were picked up in Galway by a private driver, Patrick, to take us to Killarney via Cliffs of Moher. Patrick was very informative and told us a lot about the area we were traveling through. At the Cliff's of Moher, we spent a good hour hiking up to the different vantage points. Afterwards, Patrick dropped us off at our hotel in Killarney.

Quality of Experience

The countryside around the Cliff's of Moher are beautiful!

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Patrick was personable and very knowledgeable!

Transport

Patrick picked us up in a comfortable car.

Entry into Caernarfon Castle

Caernarfon

Caernarfon Castle is a very impressive structure to explore. It's worth a visit.

Galway Food Tour

Galway

We've been on many food tours across Europe and we wanted to like this one, but it fell a bit short. Our first stop was a bar where we were served what the guide said was a dish that everyone eats in Galway - white bread with potato chips made into a sandwich. I could have done without this. None of the other stops to me really showcased the food of Galway.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Our guide was nice but this tour just missed the mark

Ring of Kerry (small group day tour)

Killarney

We took a small group tour of Ring of Kerry. The countryside along the Ring is beautiful and our guide/driver was very knowledgeable.

Quality of Experience

Always good to see more of the beautiful countryside!

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Guide/driver was full of information!

Transport

The mid-sized van/bus was comfortable.

Full day Exploring in Snowdonia with a Driver Guide

Wales

Our guide/driver, Peter Vale, was fantastic! He has intimate knowledge of the Snowdonia area in Northern Wales, and took us to his favorite sights, some of which aren't even in the guide book!!

Quality of Experience

I didn't know or realize how beautiful this part of Wales is!

Guides, Drivers and Staff

As always, Peter was the best companion/guide/driver for this day trip!

Transport

Mercedes luxury van - need I say more?

Killarney Combination Tour - Boat + Jaunting Car

Wales

We took the Jaunting car from right outside our hotel to Ross Castle. We didn't realize, but each Jaunting car is for just your group (in our case, just the two of us!). The driver was knowledgeable about the route and pointed out deer in the fields. The boat part of the tour took us out around the lake where we could view a former monastery and enjoy the view of the countryside from the lake!

Trinity College Library : The Book of Kells Experience

Dublin

The Book of Kells is a one of a kind experience! We could easily have spent half a day just soaking up the information that was presented on the Book of Kells as well as the Trinity Library.

Free time in Dublin

Dublin

Nice to have free time to wander down the side streets of Dublin!

We had a fantastic trip on our first visit to Wales! Rachel and High Point Holidays took our preferences for sites, transportation, and accommodations and put together a travel plan that was exceptional. We never imagined we would see so many of the sites we were interested in during this trip. The itinerary was implemented flawlessly by accommodation hosts, guides and transportation services which were arranged for by Rachel. We enjoyed the opportunities to speak to Rachel by phone, and appreciated the value of traveling with an agency located where we were going to visit in Wales. Had it not been for Rachel's willingness to help us on somewhat short notice, we would not have been able to go on this trip at this time. Rachel convinced us our trip was doable. We are so grateful. Also thanks to the beautiful Ivy Bank Guest house in Tenby, Tenby Taxis, Sarah of Stephen Griffin's team for guiding around St. David's, and Andrew with Chauffeur North Wales around Llandudno and Snowdonia.

Hotel Reviews

Ivy Bank Guest House

Tenby

Great location and beautiful accommodations. Quiet and comfortable within a short walking distance to restaurants, shops, and local sites. Would definitely stay here in the futureQ

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Belmont Llandudno

Llandudno

Lovely accommodation with beautiful views to the bay and boardwalk. Very nice staff implementing services. Beautiful breakfast. Walking distance to many restaurants, sites and shops.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Travel from South Wales to North Wales

Wales

Private transfer to or from the airport

Dublin

Knowledgeable driver who got us to the hotel quickly and safely.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Full day Exploring in Snowdonia with a Driver Guide

Wales

We loved working with Andrew as our guide for two days during our trip. He is a safe driver, very knowledgeable, and he seeks travelers preferences frequently while providing options

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Private transfer

Wales

Andrew our guide for the prior two days of our visit also provided transportation to Liverpool airport where our departure was scheduled. Nice to have a mini-tour along the route and have the opportunity to say goodbye.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Our private guide, Dylan Jones, showed us North Wales, then through the middle of the country, next along the coast, and, finally, to Cardiff. His knowledge of Welsh history, culture, interesting sites, and natural resources made the country come alive for us. From the beautiful Bodnant Gardens to the top of Mt. Snowden to a folk festival in Fishguard, he made the journey fun and interesting.

Thanks, too, to Aleksandra and her colleagues at kimkim for putting together a trip that was so memorable.

Hotel Review

Twr y Felin Hotel

St. Davids

Excellent food, facilities, staff and location. Best of the trip.

Authenticity & Character

Stylish and modern with old world charm

Location

Walking distance to town

Staff

Friendly and professional staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Beds and pillows great

Activity Review

Cardiff Private Tour with Local

Cardiff

Dylan knows his town and delights in sharing his knowledge.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

We had a wonderful time on our way-too-short Wales trip...visited the seaside resort of Tenby, saw Puffins on Skomer Island, did a day hike along the beautiful Pembrokeshire Coast out of Fishguard, which is a wonderful town spend a day meandering. Our transfers went off without a hitch, the drivers were all prompt and professional. We ended the trip in central London with an evening walk around Big Ben, Westminster, Buckingham Palace. Such a wonderful experience all around and many thanks to Jane and Marine-Héloise for shaping this trip for us.

trip to Wales was wonderful! The itinerary was exactly as we had planned. Our lodging and quality of meals exceeded our expectations. Excursions, recommendations and planned activities were exceptionally interesting and scenery beautiful. Megan did a fantastic job working closely with us to build a memorable adventure! The Kim Kim Team did a tremendous job to ensure we had a pleasurable journey that enabled us to learn and appreciate the natural, historical and cultural wonders of Wales! Heartfelt thanks to Megan and the Team for enabling our trip full of lasting memories! Kim Kim provided real value for our travel dollars!

Very Respectfully

James Cunningham

Hotel Reviews

The Parkgate Hotel

Cardiff

Rxcellent! Amazing dinner and wonderful breakfast!

Authenticity & Character

Ambiance

Location

Central Cardiff

Staff

Gracious

Cleanliness & Comfort

Spotless

Llys Meddyg

Newport

Cordial staff! Comfortable! Delicious food!

Authenticity & Character

Quaint yet up to date

Location

Staff

Shout out to restaurant and hotel staff who went to such thoughtful measures to save us Sunday Roasts for our late return to the hotel! So much appreciated!

Cleanliness & Comfort

Spotless

The Bull Beaumaris

Anglesey

Staff the best! Food delicious! Very comfortable! Dining areas with roaring fires very charming!

Authenticity & Character

Quaint yet modern appointments!

Location

Staff

Cordial and helpful

Cleanliness & Comfort

Spotless

The Felin Fach Griffin

Comfortable, delicious food, cordial and helpful staff!

Authenticity & Character

A really historic inn that exudes local culture!

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Spotless

Activity Reviews

Conwy Castle

Wales

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Head to Pembrokeshire

Wales

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Cardiff Castle

Cardiff

Quality of Experience

lol

Guides, Drivers and Staff

St. Fagans National Museum of History

Cardiff

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Our trip was positively flawless, and the service while we were "en route" on our trip was responsive and helpful. The locations and activities that Jane recommended and help to orchestrate were spot on, and enabled us to feel far more like "travelers" than tourists. We enjoyed every aspect of our Wales vacation!

Hotel Reviews

Grove of Narberth

Narberth

This is one of the most beautiful and memorable hotels of our trip, set on a lush landscape reminiscent of a time gone by. The accommodations are beautiful and luxurious, and make you feel as if you are living as a Welsh royal. The furnishings are beautifully restored, and the main house fireplaces and lounging areas make you feel as if you are at home. The restaurant chef makes incredible, sustainable meals with produce grown in their garden. It is a special place, and we'll definitely be back!

Authenticity & Character

Location

While this hotel is tucked away, isolated and very private, you are still within easy driving distance of the Brecon Beacons and numerous castles, walking trails and the seaside.

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Tyr Winch

Cardiff

The owners were friendly and the location was great for our needs, however, the rooms were small. The breakfast was not particularly impressive but served our needs as we were on the road early.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Saracens Head

Beddgelert

The Saracens Head offered an extraordinary experience, especially when we had a power outage. The owners looked after us as if we were their own family. The breakfast here was to die for.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Review

State Room at Buckingham Palace and Changing of the Guards (during summertime only)

London

Having been to the changing of the guards many times as a child, youth, etc., i was looking for a better experience to share with my husband for his first time to London, and this does not disappoint! The guide was amazingly knowledgeable and enabled us to enjoy the ceremonial aspects of the changing of the guards, rather than just stand in front of the gates and "wait" for the guards to change locations. We enjoyed the music, the array of different guards and their various roles/dress, etc.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Jane did an amazing job helping three generations of our family explore the region of Wales that our ancestors are from. The highlight of the trip was our 8 hour guided tour. Our guide Roberta and driver Barry were outstanding and very knowledgeable. The surprise of the trip was Gwidyr castle. Such amazing history in this building and just amazing the restoration that the current owners have done. Also our visit to Caernarfon Castle was amazing and the train ride there was relaxing and scenic. I highly recommend Jane and team for any planned trip to Wales!

The entire kimkim team (William, Stephen and Clement) organized and delivered an outstanding travel and tour itinerary and arranged for extraordinary guides to thoroughly entertain and inform us of the welsh history and culture. Each driver and tour guide was on time and always accommodating to our periodic requests for extra stops. Of note were Phillip Owens (Transfer from Bangor to Pwllheli) who spoke fluent Welsh including Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch; Chris (North Wales Guided Tours) was a fountain of information. Not sure there is anything about the history or culture of Wales that he doesn't know. We visited burial grounds, castles (Caernarfon) , Snowdonia and an ancient manor house. Viewed slate mines , the Menai Straits and a experienced a pub or two along the way. A real bonus was renting ebikes for two days of personal exploration (Morfa Nefyn (Ty coch inn) and Criccieth Beach. The outfitter (www.discoverllyn.com) was very accommodating and helpful in providing biking paths for our destinations. Summitting Mount Snowden and the hike down the mountain to Llanberis was a bucket list experience. A great day and timely transportation from snowdonia-taxiarfon. A couple of unscheduled days in Abergavenny and Crickhowell led us to the discovery of a Michelin star Walnut Tree Inn and a number of really great small down pubs (Red Dragon Inn and The Bear Inn). Also hiked the canal trail from Crickhowell to Gilwern where we ended our pub crawl at the Corn Exchange meeting a number of locals and couple of fine welsh beers.
We had an extraordinary two days with Noel and Phionah (South Wales Personal Tours) touring Roman Ruins(Caerleon), the National Roman Legion Museum and , Cheptow Castle and Tintern Abbey . Day 2 took us to Swansea , the Mumbles and the Gower Peninsula which was absolutely stunning. Rhossili and Worm's Head were spectacular. Our trip home included a stop at Arthur's Stone and Merthyr Tydfil near our family ancestral homes.
The KimKim team was very helpful during our trip in identifying transportation on our open days (On-Demand transportation in Wales does not exist). Clement was on call during the weekend and was able to secure transfers needed to get us to the Abergavenny train station back to London. No small trick for nine people. One suggestion would be to have the itemized price of the transfers and tours available so that appropriate tips could be calculated. All in All I would not hesitate to hire KimKim for our next adventure. They, no doubt, were key contributors to our extraordinary family trip.

Activity Reviews

Day exploring the Castle, Coast and Country of North Wales

Pwllheli

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Snowdonian Mountain Railway

Llanberis

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Welcome to Llanberis

Llanberis

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Wye Valley with a private guide

Abergavenny

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

KimKim was an integral part in planning our family (9 people including a child) trip to Wales. They offered us a wide range of experiences with our own private, local guides, who were all excellent and passionate about showing us their country. Our days included castles, mountain hikes, and dips in the ocean - our trip had too many highlights to list here.

Most importantly, KimKim listened to our feedback during the planning stages, so our trip was unique and touched on all the items we wanted to complete on our itinerary while also leaving us some independence. They are very responsive; we needed some last-minute transportation and they worked with us to book our rides while in Wales (which totally saved us!).

All of our guides were on time, attentive, and worked with us to accommodate our family’s needs. It was a trip of a lifetime!

Riki was our guide and he was wonderful. Not only did he drive us around, he gave us insight about his country both past and present. The personal touch made the trip very special as did his patience with our flinching on the back roads where everyone drove on the “wrong “ side.

Loved everything about our trip. Kim Kim Alex and the whole team did an outstanding job. Can't say enough good things about Alex. I give them 10 thumbs up..a perfect 10.

Both Kate and her successor, Alex, went out of their way to create a trip that met our interests. They supported us through the entire process, from planning, to on-the-ground in country, and to the eventual return home.

We had an amazing few weeks driving through Wales and England. Louise planned a lovely trip based on our wish to see beautiful coastal walks and pretty villages. We loved Wales which has escaped a lot of the tourist hype. Mountains, villages and beautiful coast. Louise chose lovely hotels with excellent food. We also enjoyed time in The Cotswolds, Bath and Cornwall. Stand out hotels were Tyddyn Llan and Caes Faen in Wales, the Grove of Narbeth in Pembrokeshire, Dormy House in the Cotswolds, Lucknam Park in Bath and Gidleigh Park in Devon. The service was outstanding, accomodation beautiful and food amazing
The only place we found disappointing was a visit to Stratford-upon-Avon. It has become over commercialised and was packed with bus loads of tourists. All the other places we visited were lovely.
Louise also managed to sort out a small problem with the pick up location of our rental car very quickly. Communication with her was easy via Kimkim when we were at home in NZ and directly when we needed help in the UK. Couldn’t recommend her highly enough. Thanks Louise.

We had a great time in Wales and the English countryside! Thank you to our local specialist, Daniel, who provided five-star service! (Excellent communication, useful advice, super responsive and paid attention to our trip details). We had an unexpected missed flight connection, and he jumped in to adjust our itinerary. We were truly in the hands of a professional! The local tours he confirmed were inspiring and personalized to my family. The guides adapted to what we liked and adjusted the timing to best suit us. Excellent fun in Wales and down to Stonehenge for history and mystery. Noted: Every guide or driver was on time, courteous, and accommodating. Thank you!