Alex Rawson

WOW!!!! We just got back from an amazing family trip through Scotland and Ireland booked through KimKim with RouteScape and we’re still talking about it every day.
From the very start, everything was so easy. The KimKim app had all our hotels, plans and details in one place, which made traveling stress-free. But what really stood out was how well everything was put together. The hotel choices were all great, we were given options and went with their recommendations and every single one was excellent.
And honestly, the drivers were one of the biggest surprises in the best way. Garry in Scotland and Barry in Ireland were absolutely fantastic. The vehicle was a top notch high end Mercedes that had large windows for everyone to be able to see, clean as a whistle everyday and restocked with bottled water for everyone. It was obvious they don’t just pick anyone, these guys were friendly, knowledgeable and made the whole experience so much better. We learnt some Scottish words ask well as some good Irish words. They felt like part of the trip, not just drivers but family!!
Some of the biggest highlights for us:
🇬🇧 Scotland
Edinburgh Castle, Royal Mile, and The Real Mary King’s Close Tour
Glencoe Valley — absolutely breathtaking
Isle of Skye — Fairy Pools, Old Man of Storr, Kilt Rock (wow, just wow)
We really wish we had more time in Edinburgh. Our hotel, Wilde Apartments right beside the castle, was perfect, we could walk everywhere.
🇮🇪 Ireland
Cliffs of Moher — unbelievable views
Ring of Kerry — honestly some of the most beautiful scenery we’ve ever seen
Killarney National Park — especially Muckross House, Gardens & Waterfall (a must-see)
Blarney Castle — kissing the stone was way more fun than we expected
Wicklow Mountains, Glendalough, Galway, Adare Village, and Kilkenny — all amazing stops
Inch Beach was another huge highlight — the scenery was just breathtaking. One of those places where you just stop and take it all in.
We also did the Guinness Storehouse Connoisseur Experience in Dublin — so well done and 100% worth it.
Temple Bar was another fun surprise. We actually went twice. People online say skip it or it’s too expensive, but we didn’t feel that way at all. The live music, energy and atmosphere made it so fun, definitely something you should try at least once.
What really stood out the most was the people. Everywhere we went in Scotland and Ireland, everyone was so friendly, welcoming and happy. It really made the trip even more special.
A big thank you to KimKim for making everything run so smoothly. From planning to drivers to hotels, everything just worked and that made such a difference.

We enjoyed our travels in England, Scotland, &
Ireland. We appreciated that the hotels were very nice and comfortable. The breakfasts were all delicious & amazing. We appreciated the guides and drivers - they were very knowledgeable and worked with us regarding our interests, the weather, and timing of travels. When we stayed in smaller towns, they were located in convenient locations to other sites we were interested. We were able to go on some nice walks, see brilliant landscapes, and have adventures in the cities. The pace of the trip was good for us, just the right amount of things to do and time to relax.

The trip was beautifully planned reflecting our wishes and preferences and the process was friendly and easy to deal with once we understood the process. We had the advantage that we were not cost constrained, but nonetheless the choices for lodging and arrangements for meals and tours were great.

Hotel Reviews

Ashford Castle

cong

Beautiful building, grounds, and food, and self-aware of its fanciness.

Authenticity & Character

Always in character.

Location

Beautiful building and extensive grounds.

Staff

flawless

Cleanliness & Comfort

perfect.

Glenlo Abbey

Lovely place with lovely grounds and an amazing restaurant, The Pulman.

Authenticity & Character

Flawless execution.

Location

Beautiful.

Staff

Excellent people all around

Cleanliness & Comfort

Perfect.

Ballyfin Demesne

A beautiful place, with lots to do and see, with a peerless service ethic, always helpful and cheerful.

Authenticity & Character

One of the most beautiful locations and land of any place we've ever been.

Location

Overwhelmingly beautiful location

Staff

flawlessly helpful and friendly.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Perfect.

Merrion Hotel

Dublin

One of the very best hotels in which I've stayed. Very comfortable (great bed), great facilities, great location, and wonderfully service-oriented staff.

Authenticity & Character

Just a great place to be.

Location

In the middle of most things you would want to see in Dublin

Staff

Flawlessly cheerful and helpful.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Kylemore Abbey & Victorian Walled Garden

Ireland

Lovely place. A little touristy in flavor.

Private Galway Food Tour

Ireland

Very enjoyable and probably the best way to visit a town that otherwise would be a shopping overload.

Cliffs of Moher Experience

Ireland

Very nice view but rather touristy.

The Burren Smokehouse - Meet the Makers

Ireland

This experience was rambling and way too long -- we bolted after three hours for what could have been a rewarding 30 minute visit. We would have better used this time in the beautiful surrounding area.

Private Tour of Ballyfin Gardens

Ballyfin

A wonderful and informative tour by a very knowledgeable and articulate guide.

Horse & Carriage Ride

Ballyfin

This was just a wonderful experience -- a highlight of our entire trip. A beautiful place with a wonderful guide.

EPIC, The Irish Emigration Museum Entry

Dublin

Informative, but a bit superficial. The story-telling is effective but more basic historical context would be nice.

Private Genealogist Consultation at EPIC Museum

Dublin

The arrangements resulted in a delay in starting as we waited (because the receptionist didn't notify the genealogist, so the genealogist said), and the genealogist mainly did Ancestry.com with us and although she was facile in its use she didn't add that much to our understanding of our family's origins.

Trinity Trails & Book of Kells

Dublin

Very much worth seeing.

Dublin Walking Tour

Dublin

She was very good and informative.

We had a great trip! All went smoothly from start to finish.

Review and comments on trip to Scotland May 2025
From Donald Hamburg and Jan Prokop
May 28, 2025
Dear Kim and Alex:
From our very first correspondence and in all our contacts with you, we advised you that the principal purpose of this trip was landscape photography, generally in the Highlands. That goal was often repeated. As it turned out, the very first landscape photo was taken on day 7 on the Isle of Skye. Poor planning on your part and our inadequate review of the itinerary you proposed created unnecessary problems with our trip. Comments below:
Day 1 and Day 2 in Edinburgh were sufficient. Day 3 not necessary at all. The Bonham was very good.
Day 4 Allen, our driver/guide was very good. The tour of St Andrews golf course was very intersting and the guide was excellent. Pine Trees hotel in Pitlochry was very good. The manager was very helpful and a delight. He offered to drive us to the restaurant, but said it would be a hike to walk back to the hotel. Had to cancel the dinner reservation as there was no transportation from the restaurant. We dined at the hotel. What was your reasoning for us to stay in Pitlochry? We could have taken the train from St. Andrews straight to Kyle.
Day 5 the train to Inverness was ok but the first-class tickets and reserved seats were not honored. The conductor told us our seats were taken and that there were no seats in Coach A. We managed to get seats in Coach C. We will send you the reserved seat tickets if you need them to get a refund for the first-class seats.
The two nights in Inverness were totally wasted. No need to go there at all. The Lock Ness cruise and visit to Urquhart Castle were an unnecessary diversion. We could have travelled from St Andrews straight through to Kyle. The Kitchen restaurant was very good in Inverness, tho service was very slow.
Day 7 the train to Skye was fine. The Marmalade Hotel was too far from town and there were NO taxis. We could not keep the dinner reservation because there was no transportation.
Days 8 and 9 were basically the whole trip. The guide, Neil MacLeod, was fabulous. The Talisker tour was a waste of time. It was all about getting us into the gift shop. The trip through Trossachs National Park became redundant. Neil tried to make it as interesting as he could, but mile after mile of barren hills with not much to photograph was a disappointment. Day 9 should not have ended in Loch Lomond. Another 32 miles and we would have been in Glasgow. Why did you make a dinner reservation the Cameron Grill 17 miles away from the hotel when there was no transportation and after we had spent 8 hours in a car with Neil? Neil could have taken us to Glasgow or he could have left us off in the village of Luss and a new driver could have taken us to Glasgow. No need to stay at the Loch Lomond Arms hotel. We dined at the hotel – again.
Day 10. The Kimpton hotel was fine. We spent the day on a sightseeing bus and got to see a lot of Glasgow.
Since we knew very little about the geography of the Scottish Highlands, we had no knowledge of the distance between towns or the distance between our hotels, the restaurants, and the towns. In all, much too much down time and the purpose of the trip (landscape photography of Scotland’s fabulous scenery) was not fulfilled.
Donald and Jan

Good news: Every guide, without exception was great- knowledgeable, friendly giving plenty of info, but not overdoing it. Kudos to all!

The Athenaeum was superb. In retrospect, it would have worked out fine to stay there for the whole trip. The staff, especially the two concierges were great, and went out of their way to help us. I can't say the same for the Hoxton. Reception, which included the dining area, was very noisy. The room was small (not a "Roomy Room" as described an pictured in the photograph), no washcloths, no luggage stand. An electrical switch, which we brought to their attention, went unrepaired for the entire visit. On the last full day, the room was unattended, and we had to order towels. The reception staff was friendly and helpful, as were the wait staff in the restaurant.

One glitch - our name wasn't on the two Rabbie trios., but Nic's was. Took a bit to get that sorted out on the first trip, so we were prepared on the second one.

Time was a a scheduling problem on two occasions - we just couldn't fit in the Music Museum. We wish we had more time and energy when we went to Greenwich. Having Cutty Sark tour between the Maritime Museum and the Observatory didn't work, because of the walking back and forth. Perhaps the Maritime Museum and Observatory should have been back to bac, since they are close to each other.

Restaurants - we had incredible (but expensive) meals at Scotts, J. Sheekey, and the Seabird on the 14th floor at the Hoxton. Masons Arms was good. To ur regret, we were unable to go to the Swan, Lore of the Land, and Duck & Waffle - perhaps next trip.

All in all, Routescape/ KimKim was a great company to work with, and Alex and Nic did fantastic work. We would recommend you to any one. Great trip, and well planned!

Alex and Kim – our time in Ireland was wonderful. That was largely due to the trip planning and you guys were awesome as you navigated through our wish list and put together something that no standard tour could provide. I know we were probably more challenging – me with my photography habit and Ruth’s knee issues. Although she greatly surprised me with her mobility during this trip.
I must say that the self-driving was quite the challenge. I was mostly terrified during the first 2 or 3 days of the trip, but I gradually came to feel more confident. Part of it may be that North Ireland, where we spent the first part of the trip is more challenging with the lack of road signs and amazingly narrow and curvy roads. Once we got into Ireland, things were a lot easier – less curvy roads, a lot more road signs, and what not. The M and N designated roads were a joy to drive.
The details are already starting to blur a little, so many interactions with great Irish people who were kind and thoughtful to help us on our way. And just plain engaging and friendly enough to explain some of the more mystifying reasons for why some customs were the way they were.
And the hotels! All of them were so quaint and well cared for. We enjoyed all of them and for different reasons at each place. When we made the decision to self-drive, selecting the right hotels was one of the more challenging things for me and one I gladly turned over to you guys. And I must say, y’all hit it out of the park! We felt so pampered and the inclusive breakfasts were amazing at each location.
Ireland is beautiful. Personally, I struggled with the light – either too much sun or dreary clouds (mostly North Ireland), but that is how photography is. Finding the right light and conditions is largely dependent on luck when you are on a pre-planed trip and my luck was not with me when I needed it. But I did get some stuff that I think will come out nicely and when I find time to process my images from the trip, I will be sure to send y’all a link to them.
We saw a lot. And yet we now realize that we only scratched the surface. Much more to see. I don’t know what the future holds, but a return is not out of the question. Y’all will be number one on my short list.

Our trip to Dublin and Northern Ireland
was a trip of a lifetime. This was our first time using a travel agency and we loved it. The trip was more than we could have planned for ourselves. Castle Eske has beautiful accommodations, amazing staff, calming location in the countryside, and delicious food. We just wish we made more time for their relaxing spa. The historic Bushmills Inn had a perfect location on the coast. The food and service were top notch. Our guides Barry and Paula showed us the Causeway Coast and Belfast. They were personable, flexible, and very knowledgeable. We would recommend them to anyone planning a trip to the North of Ireland.
In Dublin, Diane was our guide for a walking tour of the city. She was so knowledgeable! Her historic anecdote were entertaining and informative. The Irish people, food and culture were so warm and inviting, Even our teenage children can’t wait to revisit.