Alba Cruells

Our trip was absolutely wonderful! All the hotels were excellent and very helpful with maps and recommendations! In Madrid our first tour guide Alfonso for Prado museum and royal palace was exceptional. The King of Spain was in residence for Christmas so palace was closed to public. They made last minute change to Almudena cathedral which was great last minute alternate! Alfonso was so passionate about the art and history of Madrid. He took us for chocolate and churros where we can see them making the churros in business since 1902. This tour was fantastic and especially with our guide Alfonso. He pointed out and explained so many historical monuments. He was also the best possible guide for Prado museum! His passion was magnifico! Then on to San Sebastián where we had recommendations from hotel Room Mate Gorka for Narru restaurant where the food was wonderful! Thanks to Alba at Kim Kim we also had the best possible Christmas dinner in San Sebastián with music, food and wine! We had 2 food tours of the wine (rioja) country with pinxtos lunch and medieval village of LaGuardia. The wine caves were amazing. Then another day to a wonderful family owned farm with a fantastic meal we won’t forget! Our hostess was wonderful to walk us around her farm and serve us a delicious home made meal with Txakoli wine. Stop in Tolosa was beautiful! Last stop Bilbao and the Guggenheim. Hotel recommended restaurant Serantes. We had the best scallops I have ever had! Thank you Alba for a most wonderful trip with everything and more than we could have dreamed! I would recommend Alba for anyone who wants to see Spain as she was the best and always checking to make sure we were doing well. All hotels, transfers and tours were fantastic! I would not change anything!
I have so many photos and memories for a lifetime!
Thank you Alba!
Maisa and Robert

Hotel Reviews

H10 Villa de la Reina

Madrid

Wonderful room with view of Gran Via and very comfortable! Staff was helpful with recommendations for late breakfast. Room was clean and very comfortable for great night sleep. Big plus for the balcony view!!!

Authenticity & Character

Lovely staff and very central location in city

Location

Central location with comfortable room and great balcony view. Quiet and comfortable

Staff

Mara at front desk was especially helpful with recommendations

Cleanliness & Comfort

Great room and very comfortable sleep

Gorka Room Mate

San Sebastián

Breakfast was wonderful and so were recommendations for shopping and food. Comfortable and quiet sleep

Authenticity & Character

This was great hotel!

Location

Great location

Staff

Good recommendation for food and ahopping

Cleanliness & Comfort

Very comfortable and excellent breakfast included

Catalonia Gran Vía Bilbao

Bilbao

Comfortable and clean with great sleep and wonderful breakfast included. Room service was very good also

Authenticity & Character

Staff were helpful and packed us to go box meal for early flight departure!

Location

Very nice location

Staff

Wake up call and to go box meal for early flight departure was much appreciated!

Cleanliness & Comfort

Very clean and comfortable!

Activity Reviews

Madrid at a Glance, Culture, Royal Palace and El Prado

Madrid

We had the best tour guide! Alfonso was incredible with history and art in Madrid! We were fortunate to have Alfonso as our guide and had the most wonderful tour of Madrid with the Prado museum. He engaged with everyone and his knowledge and passion for Madrid was contagious!

Quality of Experience

Our guide Alfonso was exceptional

Guides, Drivers and Staff

The history and art in Madrid with our guide Alfonso made this tour special.

Transport

We could have walked but taxi was easier for us as we were not familiar with the streets and very busy time in streets at Christmas

Private Tour in la Rioja- Wine&History

Spain

We loved the tours of rioja country. Our guide Iker took us to 2 wineries where we were welcomed and shown around and explained the production and had tastings. The wine caves were incredible and we enjoyed this tour and the people who we met that were so friendly and welcoming. Easy to fall in love with the kind people we met in Spain.

Quality of Experience

Wonderful people! Beautiful country!

Food

Everything was good!

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Welcoming, friendly and fun

Transport

Iker was good host and driver

Private Basque Countryside Foodie Day Trip

San Sebastián

This tour was so much fun to meet the people who work and care for the animals and prepare the food. Beautiful countryside! No idea how you would find this without a guide. We had a wonderful meal and lovely experience with kind and generous people!

Quality of Experience

The food was excellent and our hostess was lovely

Food

Wonderful food and wonderful hostess

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Great trip

Transport

Tour of Tolosa was very nice. The farm was a hidden gem

Fantastic trip to northern/northwest Spain. Logroño in La Rioja was beautiful. Our guide Ameli took us on a personal tour of the wine country including a stop in Laguardia. It was a beautiful day/evening. Next on to San Sebastián. We loved our accommodations at Maddiola just outside the city on the beautiful coastline. Our tour the following day to Biarritz, Bayonne and Saint Jean de Luz was lovely and nice afternoon lunch in Bayonne with our guide ( Iator?) who was very informative. We really enjoyed our pinxtos evening tour with Gorka in the historic district of San Sebastián. One of the many unforgettable highlights! Our boutique hotel in Bilbao was vey nice and convenient and the city was beautiful. We visited the Guggenheim museum, rode the funicular, explored the historic district and thoroughly enjoyed our walks throughout the city. Our next stop was San Vicente de la Barquera. This was a nice break from the more populated Bilbao. Love the change of pace and apartment style accommodations in the national park. Our host Martin gave us great advice on alternative hikes in the Picos de Europa as weather was threatening and we had an enjoyable drive to and afternoon in
Potes after a nice morning hike along the Nansa River. Our next stop in Ribadeo was also beautiful along the coast and we thoroughly enjoyed our stay and the scenic coast in this area including the impressive La Catedrals beach! On our way to Santiago we made an extra trip to A Coruña which was gorgeous walking along the coast trail to the monument and we did the same previously in Santander where we hiked around the palace. Santiago was wonderful, our hotel was perfect location and we love the vibrant, historical city with all the pilgrimage vibe. Our final destination Vigo was spectacular including ferry ride and hike to Cies Islands. Overall we loved the trip, accommodations were great and as expected with convenient locations but also variety of experiences. Rental car worked out well and no concerns or problems with travel, parking or tolls. Thanks for planning a great trip, Alba!

From start to finish, Alba put together a terrific two week itinerary of Northern Spain (Madrid, San Sebastian, Bilbao, Las Rioja, ALQUÉZAR* and Barcelona). She (and her staff) have set the standard for working with a travel planner. Alba gave us a broad suggestion to start and over subsequent KimKim messaging system and direct phone calls we were able to shape a dream itinerary that gave us everything we wanted to do and was able to afford. Moreover once we set out on our adventure she and her staff were in constant contact to make sure all the plan's details were falling in to place seamlessly.

Note that Alquézar is starred. That is because it was the star of our journey. A quaint little Medieval Village in the foothill of the Pyrenees held the most amazing foot journey through a beautiful river valley. So different from the big tourist cities like Madrid or Barcelona. We spent several hours walking through forest trails, on catwalks (installed into the rocks) overlooking river falls and along river beds. And the village itself was so charming and picturesque!

Within the large city Alba's stable of vetted tour guides (both private and small group) only enhanced our overall experience. Each was personable, knowledgeable and totally amenable to our needs. Pairing us with this type of service truly showed that Alba listened to us.

Alba...as far as my wife and I are concern, you are a Rock Star of the travel industry!!

Dearest Alba,
My wife Jill and myself cannot thank you enough for the absolutely wonderful trip that you planned for us in Northern Spain. Your professionalism was unparalleled throughout the entire planning phase and we are forever grateful that you put this all together for us. From the very beginning, we felt totally comfortable with you and knew that you would come up with some unique things for us to do and see. All of the accommodations that you sourced out were excellent in the 5 different locations that we travelled to during the trip. We especially felt that the daily activities you suggested and booked for us were perfect and well balanced. The full day Gaudi tour in Barcelona was an amazing way to start the trip. In Alquezar, the Footbridges hike down in the canyon was really cool but our favourite thing to do there was the day we personally got to meet you and we went to "The man who whispers Vultures". It was a day we both will never forget. Another special tour was when we arrived in Haro in the Rioja wine district and went on the full day wine tour which included horse back riding through the vineyards. Additionaly, from the bike and hiking tours in San Sebastian, to kayaking in the Mediterranean in Aigua Blava Begur, the itinerary you organized for us could not have been better. Thank you so much again Alba and we can't wait to book with yourself and Kimkim as we plan to go to the Southern Spain in the future.

Bryan and Jill Turkstra,
Ontario, Canada

Activity Review

Full Day Horseback Riding & Vineyard Visit

La Rioja

Thank you so much Rebecca and Robert for the wonderful full day on the WIne and Horseback Tour. Jill and I had so much fun!!! Your personal attention and kindness were over the top. We did a lot of great things during our 2 week trip to Spain, but this day was very special to us and will remember forever. Thanks again!!! Bryan and Jill Turkstra, Ontario, Canada

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

We are 3 couples from the USA visiting Spain for 12 days. From the beginning Alba was incredibly helpful in arranging this trip. First, we shared with Alba what we were interested in seeing and doing (And what our budget was!), and she gave us her ideas on what the most popular things to see and do are . This was followed by several ZOOM calls and written communication back and forth until we had an itinerary that Alba thought we would enjoy and also appealed to us. We shared with Alba some suggestions that we had received from friends who were from Spain, and she was willing to incorporate some of them but wasn't afraid to tell us what wouldn't work for us. Ultimately, Alba devised an amazing CUSTOMIZED Spain vacation.

We spent 4 nights in Madrid, 3 nights in Bilbao (Basque Country) and 5 nights in Barcelona. Alba arranged everything for us including airport transfers, hotels, dinner reservations and a tour virtually every day. The tours included visiting The Royal Palace, The Prado, Botin Restaurant, Guggenheim and Dali Museums, a Flamenco Show, A Wine Tasting, La Sagrada Familia, Barcelona's Gothic Quarter and day trips to Toledo, Avila, Segovia, San Sebastian, Costa Brava, Girona and Montserrat. And of course we ate lots of Tapas and Pinxtos with our Guides taking us to some awesome places in each city. The Guides (Beatriz, Rosita, Mati, Julen, Anna, Stepan and Julia were all excellent. They were friendly, informative and very well organized. They all shared the history and culture of Spain which we found very interesting. In the Prado and Dali Museums Rosita and Julia taught us about the artists and showed us specific pieces or art, giving us an understanding of the meaning of each one. That really gave us a better understanding of what we were looking at and made it way more interesting. And we saw some fantastic natural landscape, incredible cathedrals and interesting architecture. We also had enough free time to wonder on our own. Throughout the trip, Alba kept us up to date on What's App to confirm what we were doing each day and who our Guides were which was very reassuring.

It's hard to say what our favorites were. We really enjoyed everything (Except maybe The Guggenheim Museum and Nerua Restaurant which we all thought were a little weird but certainly an unforgettable experience). But that is a matter of taste. The H10 Villa de la Reina, Hotel Miro and H10 Art Gallery hotels were nice in good locations with good staffs. And we had some really enjoyable meals. If anyone is planning a trip to Spain, we would recommend starting with our itinerary, and let Alba customize it based on your interests. We highly recommend KimKim and Alba!!!!!

All the guides were amazing! Not only where they very knowledgeable, they interacted with you like a friend would. The hardest thing in planning the trip was to decide what to do out of all the ideas that alba and Stefy gave me. Communication with them was on point. I had a question or concern, and I got an answer within a day. Rarely two. Once I got to Spain, they provided me with their phone number in case there were any problems. They also sent the numbers of the drivers and their information as the day to the tours approached. (I’m including in this the information for the guides as well). To me it was worth every penny not to have the headache of having to foresee problems or complications. The culture and the food there were also amazing and whenever I needed a recommendation for anything, Stefy and Alba where at a text or phone call away. Overall experience, awesome!

Hotel Reviews

Acta Splendid

Barcelona

Great service. Very centrally located

Authenticity & Character

Location

Centrally located!

Staff

Very personable and kind

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel NH Collection Granada Victoria

Granada

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

NH Málaga

Málaga

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Intur Palacio San Martin

Madrid

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Inglaterra

Seville

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Monumental Seville: Royal Alcazar Cathedral and Giralda

Seville

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Park Güell & La Sagrada Família Experience

Barcelona

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Local Market Visit & Cooking Class

Barcelona

Loved it!

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Private Alhambra & Generalife Gardens with a Historian

Granada

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Taste of Granada Walking Food Tour

Granada

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Tapas & Flamenco Experience in Seville

Seville

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Frigiliana Hike & Wine Tasting

Málaga

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Ultimate Córdoba Day Trip

Seville

Carlos was amazing in showing the city of Cordoba and the guide that we had for the Mosque-Cathedral (sorry I can’t remember his name) was incredible. And he happened to have been Rick Steves, the travel guru’s guide, during his visit to Cordoba!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Madrid’s Royal Palace

Madrid

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Hotels selected were appropriate comfort level, clean and well located for easy walking to most attractions. Breakfasts were uniformly excellent. Staff were friendly, helpful and conversant in English at all facilities.
Tours and guides were great. Sean in Madrid for the Palace and Prado tours was very informative, enthusiastic and fun to listen to. Juan Carlos for the Toledo tour was enjoyable guiding us in his hometown. Theresa and Jaime in Sevilla and Cordoba both were locals and entertaining and we really enjoyed both tour days. Stepan was great on our tour of Montserrat. He had a unique perspective as a non native of Spain. Ana gave us a nice overview of Gaudi architecture and Sagrada Familia visit. We have nothing but positives for all of the guides. The trains were great. No problems with any delays, etc. I believe the trip was planned really well and we were able to see many different areas of the country and both large and small communities without feeling too stressed or rushed. Alba did a great job planning and adjusting a few things on the itinerary. Her periodic check-ins and reminders were appreciated and was like having our Spanish Madre looking out for us!

Hotel Reviews

H10 Art Gallery

Barcelona

Clean, friendly, nice greeting with Cava or juice on arrival, nice rooftop and dipping pool

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

H10 Puerta de Alcalá

Madrid

Authenticity & Character

Clean, friendly and nice rooftop area

Location

Close to Retiro Park

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Las Casas de la Judería

Seville

Unique property with friendly staff. May be diffcult for some with poor mobility because of the outlay of the rooms but we really enjoyed the character of the building and proximity to attractions

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Sercotel Palacio De Los Gamboa

Granada

Clean, friendly, great location

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Day Trip to Montserrat & Scenic Hike

Barcelona

Private Gaudí Architecture Walk with La Sagrada Família

Barcelona

Madrid at a Glance, Culture, Royal Palace and El Prado

Madrid

Sean was great!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Toledo Day Trip

Madrid

Juan Carlos was fun and informative guide

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Monumental Seville: Royal Alcazar Cathedral and Giralda

Seville

Ultimate Córdoba Day Trip

Seville

Group Guided Tour To Caminito del Rey

Spain

Alba booked us an incredible trip to Barcelona and Madrid. Her attention to every detail made the trip truly easy and enjoyable for us. Guides Anna in Barcelona and Carmen in Madrid were knowledgeable, friendly, and helpful; we've had private tours in multiple cities and never had better experiences. We wanted a special trip to celebrate some recent life events, and we got everything we wanted and more! We will definitely be back to KimKim, and to Alba should we return to Spain.