Beatriz De Pablo Rocha

Wow, where to start? From the beginning of planning the trip, we had an amazing experience with Beatriz. She answered all of our questions super quickly and I really liked that the budget we discussed was stuck to, so there’s no surprises at the end when you get the invoice. We did a 10-day trip to Spain (Barcelona, Sevilla, and Madrid) and we thoroughly enjoyed every minute of it. We wanted a trip that we had planned events like a tapas tour, cooking class, museums trips, day trips, etc.,... read more

Wow, where to start? From the beginning of planning the trip, we had an amazing experience with Beatriz. She answered all of our questions super quickly and I really liked that the budget we discussed was stuck to, so there’s no surprises at the end when you get the invoice. We did a 10-day trip to Spain (Barcelona, Sevilla, and Madrid) and we thoroughly enjoyed every minute of it. We wanted a trip that we had planned events like a tapas tour, cooking class, museums trips, day trips, etc., but also enough time to ourselves to enjoy just waking around the cities and doing our own thing. I think our favorite parts were the tapas tour in Barcelona, the cooking class in Sevilla (the guides on this one were AMAZING, highly recommend), and the day trip to Toledo. Unfortunately, on the day we were supposed to go to a winery, I was not feeling well, but it was very easy to cancel because all of the information I needed was in the trip app. When we’re ready for our next big trip, we will certainly use KimKim again - we loved the ease of having everything we needed like train tickets, museum tickets, and phone numbers for important contacts right in the app at our fingertips. Thank you Beatriz and the KimKim team for making our trip so amazing!!

Hotel Reviews

Arc La Rambla

Barcelona

The location is great because you’re in an area that makes it easy to walk around the city. The hotel itself was clean and the staff were very friendly! As many hotels are in Europe, it’s older so the walls are thin and you can hear everything going on around you. So if you’re a light sleeper (like me!) bring ear plugs and maybe install a nice sound machine app on your phone. We had the free breakfast included, but ended up only using it once. I’d recommend walking down the street to the local market and grabbing something there instead. Overall, a decent place to put your head at night, but if you’re looking for a luxury stay, maybe look elsewhere!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Petit Palace Puerta de Triana

Seville

The aesthetic is super cool - very eclectic wall paper in the rooms and carpeting in the hallways. Breakfast was very good, lots to choose from. Staff was friendly and accommodating. Walls we’re very thin and the room would get very hot at night, despite trying to lower the temperature on the AC. Bathroom was updated nicely, but there was no shower door in ours, just a long piece of glass, so water would get on the floor when showering. For what we were looking for on our trip (essentially a place to put our heads at night, shower, and change) it was perfect. If you’re looking for a luxury stay, this is not the hotel for you!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Petit Palace Preciados

Madrid

This hotel is in the heart of a large shopping district and in busy roads - so light sleepers beware! It’s also in a pedestrian area, so a taxi can’t drop you off right in front of the door. The room itself was fine, beds were comfy and the bathroom was nice and large. The shower was… interesting. Took me a few tries to master as there are multiple shower nozzles, a large shower head, and other odd features that were a bit confusing! The walls are paper thin, so again, beware light sleepers! The location was great to get around the city and if you enjoy shopping.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Tapas Culinary Experience

Barcelona

This was a great experience. We visited 4 separate restaurants and got to try at least 4 different tapas at each location and a drink of choice at each location. We had about 10 people in our group and the guide was really knowledgeable. There’s a lot of different options for the tapas but if you’re a vegetarian or don’t like seafood, this may not be a good experience for you as most options had meat or fish in them. Overall this was a great first experience in Barcelona and we loved being able to meet other visitors in our small group!

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Visit an Andalusian Olive Oil Estate

Seville

We had a lovely private tour of this estate and our guide, Sarah, was so knowledgeable about all of the different olive types and what they’re used for (eating vs olive oil extraction). The estate itself is beautiful and you get to see the modern day way they make olive oil as well as the ancient way they used to make it. The owner of the estate also has an impressive collection of old horse carriages that was an unexpected, but very interesting, addition to the trip. We ended up buying a ton of olive oil to bring home with us as gifts!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Flamenco Experience

Seville

The show and experience was really wonderful, but since we were there on a Wednesday night, we were one of only a handful of attendees in the audience. This was a bit weird and felt awkward at first, but once the show started you forgot about it. The dancers and musicians were highly skilled and you could tell that they love performing. This may be a better experience on a weekend day assuming more people attend at that time.

Quality of Experience

Traditional Andalusian Market Visit & Cooking Class

Seville

Highly recommend this experience! The cooking class takes place inside the market and you do a tour of the market beforehand. The guide tells you about the local fare and what is in season. Then you get to cook with the ingredients that we’re discussed like saffron, purple garlic, and smoked paprika. Our chef, Dom, was so incredible! He was able to make a group of about 12 feel like a little family. He got everyone involved with chopping and cooking - everyone got a chance to be the star.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

From start to finish, we felt like we were in good hands. We had a wonderful experience planning and taking our trip to Spain with Kim Kim. Our local agent, Beatriz De Pablo was consistently reliable and available to us both before we left, and also the whole time we were in Spain. And if she wasn’t in, she made sure to let us know the name and contact information of a colleague who was covering for her. That greatly helped in reducing the stress of traveling with my older parents, who... read more

From start to finish, we felt like we were in good hands. We had a wonderful experience planning and taking our trip to Spain with Kim Kim. Our local agent, Beatriz De Pablo was consistently reliable and available to us both before we left, and also the whole time we were in Spain. And if she wasn’t in, she made sure to let us know the name and contact information of a colleague who was covering for her. That greatly helped in reducing the stress of traveling with my older parents, who have some mobility issues. It was especially nice to get an upgrade to premium class on our train rides, with meals included. The hotel - train station and hotel – airport transfers were welcome, and even when there was a problem with one of them, the team worked to quickly resolve the situation to our satisfaction.

The driver who picked us up from MAD when we landed on 1 Nov was reassuring about waiting for us after we landed, as we navigated through the massive airport with my parents in wheelchairs. The driver who picked us up at the Granada train station was very nice too. Our guides in all destinations were uniformly outstanding: Alberto (Granada), Fátima (Córdoba) and Teresa (Sevilla). They had a solid knowledge base about the locations, as well as great personalities, which made spending time with them a pleasure. We appreciated that Bea arranged separate tickets to la Mezquita in Córdoba to accommodate my parents, who weren't able to accompany us on the official tour. We especially liked our driver, David, who picked us up at Atocha station on 14 Nov and brought us to our hotel in Madrid, and who also drove us to MAD on 15 Nov. He was friendly and helpful.

We loved it all, but especially the cooking class in Sevilla! Laura was a warm, kind, and patient instructor and the food was delicious (looking forward to receiving the recipes!).

Hotel Reviews

Eurostars Puerta Real Hotel

Granada

Clean, centrally located, but utilitarian and not very charming.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Las Casas de la Juderia Hotel

Córdoba

This hotel is charming. It's ideally located in the old quarter of the city, steps from la Mezquita and the Roman bridge. Reception is wonderful and they gave us a very warm welcome, which was appreciated after a long drive. Breakfast was served in a large utilitarian room, but the choices were great, and the service was responsive and friendly. The courtyards and fountains were magical, but one caution I would mention is that the various steps up and down through the garden and courtyard areas were not well-lit or marked. We were traveling with my elderly parents, and I worried about them slipping and falling. Otherwise, it's a lovely property. We didn't get a chance to partake in the "honor bar" in the lovely library, but I loved the idea of it and we definitely would have if we had had more time in the beautiful city of Córdoba.

Authenticity & Character

Charming!

Location

Centrally located in the old city.

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Lighting in the guest rooms could be a bit brighter.

Hotel H10 Casa de la Plata

Sevilla

Hotel H10 Casa de la Plata was our favorite hotel during our two-week stay in Spain. Front desk staff were top-notch: warm and welcoming. The lobby area is tastefully appointed with eclectic furnishings and decor. The guest rooms are wonderful: spacious but cozy. We loved the bidet and the illuminated toilet :-) There was witty and whimsical art on the walls, eye-pleasing colors and - a first for us - a pillow menu!! The breakfast buffet was lavish and delicious, with more choices than we knew what to do with. Service at breakfast was warm, friendly and welcoming.

Authenticity & Character

Location

In the middle of the old city, in the pedestrian zone - ideally situated. May be difficult to reach, though, for folks with mobility issues, as the closest taxis can come is about 500m away.

Staff

Special shout-out to Fran, who walked out to help find us when were arrived in old Sevilla, and were lost with our rental car on the narrow cobblestone streets. He graciously helped us with our luggage and guided us to the hotel.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Bidet and illuminated toilet in the bathroom. Pillow menu - oh my!

Catalonia Las Cortes

Madrid

Hotel is lovely, with excellent service, comfortable rooms and beds, and great breakfast.

Authenticity & Character

A nice mix of character and history, with modern amenities.

Location

Central location, near museums, Plaza Mayor, and Plaza Santa Ana

Staff

Consistently friendly and helpful

Cleanliness & Comfort

Very clean. One issue is that the rooms on one floor (not sure which one) all have a substantial step up into the bathroom. This was a hazard for my elderly parents, to the point that they requested a room change, which hotel staff accommodated quickly and efficiently. There are also door stoppers affixed permanently to the floor, which are easy to walk into and stub one's toe.

Activity Reviews

Tapas Culinary Experience

Madrid

Jenk was a friendly and informative guide. We liked that it was in the Chamberi neighborhood, which has fewer tourists and so felt like an authentic experience.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Guided Visit of Museo del Prado

Madrid

Christina was an excellent guide, with considerable knowledge about the museum, which she presented in a lively and interesting manner.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Privately Guided Visit of Alhambra & Generalife Gardens

Granada

Alberto was outstanding.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Private Guided Visit of Córdoba

Córdoba

Traditional Andalusian Cooking Class & Market Visit

Seville

Guided Visit of Seville

Seville

Bea was so patient and helpful in planning our trip to Portugal and Morocco! She checked in with us throughout the process and during the trip. The trip itself was incredible. All of the guides we had throughout the journey were fantastic, but particularly our two guides in Lisbon: Gisela Gouveia for our tour of the city and Paulo Pires for our day trip to Sintra. They were both so knowledgeable, kind, and fun. I would highly recommend them both to anyone who has never visited!

During our... read more

Bea was so patient and helpful in planning our trip to Portugal and Morocco! She checked in with us throughout the process and during the trip. The trip itself was incredible. All of the guides we had throughout the journey were fantastic, but particularly our two guides in Lisbon: Gisela Gouveia for our tour of the city and Paulo Pires for our day trip to Sintra. They were both so knowledgeable, kind, and fun. I would highly recommend them both to anyone who has never visited!

During our stay in Morocco, we had a designated guide/driver with us throughout the trip which was really nice for consistency. Our guide in Marrakesh, Hamid, was fantastic. I was so impressed with his knowledge and ability to help us understand Moroccan culture. He was very kind and helpful. We also had a really great guide in Chefchaouen, also named Hamid. This was my favorite city in Morocco and he really helped us see so much of it's beauty. Overall, just an amazing vacation!

Hotel Reviews

Hotel Dom Henrique Downtown

Porto

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Olissippo Castelo Hotel

Lisboa

We loved this hotel! On our way back through Lisbon before heading home, we ended up booking here again because we liked it so much. The staff was wonderful. We had some issues with lost luggage and they were so helpful in calling the airport to check on the status of our bags so we could go out and do some sightseeing. The rooms are lovely and it's a great location with a beautiful view of the city.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Riad Chergui

Marrakech

This was probably my favorite hotel of the trip. It was in the middle of the medina so it was easy to walk to everything and the hotel itself is just gorgeous inside! I could have spent all day sitting in the courtyard.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Oum Palace Hotel & SPA

Casablanca

Pretty average hotel. It was fine for just one night stay but it was really loud because of the street noise.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Riad Kalaa

Rabat

Beautiful hotel. We only stayed one night but I would definitely go back.

Authenticity & Character

Beautifully decorated rooms and courtyard. Very clean.

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Palais Zahia

Old Medina, Tangier

I really loved this hotel--it's beautifully decorated and well cared for.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

We had booked a twin room and when we checked in there was only one bed but the staff was very kind and accommodating when we asked to switch to a twin room with two beds.

Cleanliness & Comfort

VANCII HOTEL

Chefchaouen

Really nice hotel--very clean and well taken care of. They have a beautiful rooftop deck where they serve breakfast and a lovely sitting area where you can see the entire town.

Authenticity & Character

Location

It was really close to everything. We could easily walk to restaurants and shops. The only downside was the street noise at night, which was really loud.

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Privately Guided Tour of Chefchaouen

Chefchaouen

This was my favorite city in Morocco, by far! I couldn't stop taking pictures! We had a really lovely guide, Hamid, who took us on a walking tour of the city. He led us up pretty high in the city so we could get a nice view of the whole area and led us down through all the shops. He was very patient as we stopped all the time to take pictures.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Sunrise Hot Air Balloon Ride over Marrakech

Marrakesh

Honestly, I was a little disappointed in this experience. We thought it was a sunrise hot air balloon ride but when we got to the area with the balloons they had already taken off with other passengers so we didn't get to watch the sunrise in the balloon. There was a lot of confusion about when we would get to take the balloon ride and, essentially, we spent almost an hour waiting around not knowing what was going on. After about an hour, our driver had us get back in the car and drive to another point to get in the balloon. The ride itself was nice but leading up to it was pretty disorganized and there was a lot of waiting around.

Quality of Experience

Organization and communication

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Our driver was late picking us up so by the time we got to the balloon field the balloons had already taken off with other passengers. We missed seeing the sunrise in the balloon.

Day Excursion to Douro Valley, Wine Tasting & River Cruise

Porto

Beautiful drive and experience. We did a wine tasting and had the entire place to ourselves. We had a wonderful lunch and a scenic boat ride along the river.

Quality of Experience

Gorgeous area

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Our guide, Nelson, was great!

Transport

Privately Guided Visit of Marrakech

Marrakesh

Overall, this was a really great tour. Our guide, Hamid, was incredibly knowledgeable and kind. Marrakech is an amazing city and we were able to see quite a bit in just a short time. The only criticism is that we were taken to two places (one that sells creams and perfumes and one that sells rugs) to basically sit for a sales pitch to buy things from these vendors. It was interesting to learn about how these things are made but this cut into our tour time significantly.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Get to Know Lisbon with a Local

Lisbon

Lisbon is such a beautiful city! We really enjoyed our tour with our guide, Gisela Gouveia. She really helped us get acclimated to the city and taught us a lot about Lisbon in such a short time.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Our guide was fantastic!

Private Day Excursion to Sintra, Cascais & Estoril

Lisbon

This was one of my favorite days during the whole trip. Our guide, Paulo, was friendly, kind, and knowledgeable. We really appreciated his good recommendations for food during our tour as well as other suggestions for food and sites to see in Lisbon. I really loved the visit to Pena Palace and the beautiful walk through the woods on the way back down.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Our driver and guide, Paulo Pires, was fantastic!

Transport

Everything about the planning was wonderful-- and the reality was equally good, except for the hotels. So the logistics, the events, the guides were wonderful. Everything worked as planned -- and that is of course hugely important. The hotels selected were a big disappointment, and we should take part of the blame because we should have taken a closer look at the hotels selected. But we were under the impression that we'd be staying in 4star hotels and that speaking for myself, Kim... read more

Everything about the planning was wonderful-- and the reality was equally good, except for the hotels. So the logistics, the events, the guides were wonderful. Everything worked as planned -- and that is of course hugely important. The hotels selected were a big disappointment, and we should take part of the blame because we should have taken a closer look at the hotels selected. But we were under the impression that we'd be staying in 4star hotels and that speaking for myself, Kim Kim's "on the ground" team knew selected hotels first-hand. The reality was far different: almost all were 3 star with most of these characteristics: tired decor, few to no services, dated plumbing, not well-located, catered to huge tour groups. Posted hotel photos and "budget traveller" reviews often do not reflect the reality and I am guessing, given what they cost per night (as I later learned) our expectations were way out of line. Otherwise-- the trip and the notes and other helpful recommendations included on the wonderful KimKim trip app were all good.

Hotel Reviews

Gallery

Barcelona

The rooms are spare but plumbing is up to date and the bed very comfortable. The restaurant and reception staff are top notch. The location couldn't be better.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Bed4U Bilbao

Bilbao

This is a three star that is bare-bones as far as hotel services and comfort. The bed and the shower were very good, the breakfast was find, there was a gym, and the room was very clean. But creature comforts were practically non-existent: no closet, no drawers, not even a glass in the bath "area." Good for no-frills travellers looking for value over creature comforts. Location far from ideal-- go out the wrong way at the front door and you'll be in a drug market in five minutes.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

clean and limited comfort

Adriano Hotel

Seville

well-located but (decor, plumbing) very dated-- stylish for the 1950s.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Hotel Macià Alfaros

Córdoba

Well located and comfortable accomodation. But caters to large tour groups-- breakfast can be noisy and competitive.

Granada Five Senses

Granada

Very well-located with great staff. Room very up to date/stylish and comfortable. Breakfast not so great- ended up going out for breakfast a couple of mornings.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

The Walt Madrid

Madrid

No cab driver knew this place-- a tiny hotel with some style and comfort. But off a small street, off a side street, off another small street-- all dark. If you're looking for comforts, this isn't the place for you. More like a two star. But very cheap.

Staff

Activity Reviews

Tapas Culinary Experience

Barcelona

Ghislane was an amazing hostess and guide. Lots of fun.

Private Tour of Barcelona & La Sagrada Familia

Barcelona

Ann Marie was outstanding-- wish I could have taken her along for the rest of the trip. Knowledgeable and fun.

Day Trip to Montserrat & Penedès Region Wine Tasting

Barcelona

Eduardo was a fanstastic companion for this magical day trip.

The Best of Pintxos Gastronomy Experience

Bilbao

Omayo (sp?) was just fantastic and this whole evening was great fun, with good food, wine and companions.

Privately Guided Visit of Bilbao

Bilbao

Again our guide Irene was outstanding and we enjoyed every minute we spent with her in Bilbao. She went out of her way to be helpful to us-- even checking on how we could get to San Sebastien the next day. Which we did with great success!

Guided Visit of Seville

Seville

Teresa was a good guide for us in Seville.

Visit an Andalusian Olive Oil Estate

Seville

Enjoyed this visit very much. Learned alot.

Traditional Andalusian Market Visit & Cooking Class

Seville

yes amazing and wonderful fun; learned alot. Ate even more. The best event of the trip if you ask me.

Private Guided Visit of Córdoba

Córdoba

We had two guides for our touring in Córdoba-- Isabel and Sarah. Both were outstanding in their knowledge and passion for their city and its amazing sites. Great tour

Private Transfer {{start_location}} to {{end_location}} via Ronda & White Villages

Spain

Antonio was a great driver and beautiful car! Though he didn't speak much English, it was a very enjoyable trip through beautiful countryside, and lovely time in Ronda. So glad we were able to squeeze this in!

Tour of the Alhambra and Generalife Gardens

Spain

We were with a group for this tour (@ dozen people). Our guide made the visit even more special given his African background and multi-cultural view of the world.

Flamenco Show

Granada

I thought this might be a bit hokey-- but really enjoyed the show!

Train Madrid to Toledo, Guided Visit of Toledo, Train Toledo to Madrid

Madrid

Probably one of our best guides for the whole trip. Carlos had a wealth of knowledge AND passion for all things Toldeo. It was an honor to experience Toledo with Carlos!

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Tuk Tuk City Tour - Valencia Historic Center

Valencia

A great guide and a lot of fun!

From start to finish Beatriz was on top of things. She customized the trip for us and made changes, at our request, as we moved along. Also, she also provided the name of a backup when she was off so we always felt connected. Eduardo was very interesting and he took us on the walk around Granada through its scents - what a novel and interesting way to explore and learn about Granada. Jose Miguel, our hiking guide in the Sierra Nevada Mountains very quickly realized we were experienced walkers... read more

From start to finish Beatriz was on top of things. She customized the trip for us and made changes, at our request, as we moved along. Also, she also provided the name of a backup when she was off so we always felt connected. Eduardo was very interesting and he took us on the walk around Granada through its scents - what a novel and interesting way to explore and learn about Granada. Jose Miguel, our hiking guide in the Sierra Nevada Mountains very quickly realized we were experienced walkers and he took us on a great walk, up and down the hills. Luis, in Malaga, gave us a very thorough tour through the old town and was able to sneak us into a very popular restaurant for a peak and a shot of something strong! We met Jose in Ronda and again, he was very informative and gave us an interesting walking tour - on the spur of the moment, at our request, he took us through the bullring and its museum. In Sevilla, Pablo showed us the sights and was able to provide some very interesting historical perspective. In Lisbon, we had Gisela take us around and she was fantastic - very interesting to get her perspective on Lisbon and its different areas to explore.

All the guides were very pleasant and knowledgeable.
Trip to Malaga was most memorable.
Hotel locations were very good but hotel in Granada was very noisy as there was an outdoor restaurant in front of the hotel and people were talking loud till after midnight.

The trip to Portugal and Spain was planned out very well. Beatriz gave great advice on how many cities to visit with the 12 days we had , she advised not to pack too many cities due to time constraint and concerned that we would not be able to enjoy our time in each cities if we did not stay long enough in each city. Karin was also a great support and answered our questions. The itinerary in Trip plans was a great tool because we were able to download it and view it anytime. I like that all... read more

The trip to Portugal and Spain was planned out very well. Beatriz gave great advice on how many cities to visit with the 12 days we had , she advised not to pack too many cities due to time constraint and concerned that we would not be able to enjoy our time in each cities if we did not stay long enough in each city. Karin was also a great support and answered our questions. The itinerary in Trip plans was a great tool because we were able to download it and view it anytime. I like that all the contacts were in one place. The communication via Trip Plans app was helpful and easy to use . Helena was helpful in answering our question regarding tax refund for purchase. I really like that they booked our tour guide that spoke great English and was knowledgeable on the topics related to the tour. We loved our experience in Sintra Hike in Portugal and the bike tour experience. The wine tasting tour was excellent , we meet friendly people in the tour. This kimkim travel experience was slightly different from my previous experience, where my contact person met up on my first day of landing , I thought that was a nice touch. The airport experience was slightly anxious, we were 2.5 hours early in line before our boarding time, but we barely made it on time for boarding. Overall, the kimkim team was great and I would recommend them .

Hotel Reviews

ICON BCN by Petit Palace

Barcelona

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Casa del Poeta

Sevilla

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Villamar Style Maison

Nazare

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Dom Henrique Downtown

Porto

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Rossio Boutique Hotel xxx

Lisbon

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Iberostar Las Letras Gran Via

Madrid

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Get to know Porto by E-bike

Porto

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Ana Lopes from Blue Dragon City tour was very accommodating and shared an abundant of information on the city of Porto.

Transport

Sintra Heritage Hike

Portugal

Felipe was an excellent tour guide. He was knowledgeable of the area and history of Portugal. Felipe was also very easy to talk to , he shared his travel experience and it was inspirational. He was very communicative during our stops. I really appreciate his professionalism.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Beatriz and her team did an amazing job organizing our Gems of Southern Spain and Lisbon trip and was extremely responsive both before and during the trip when we needed help. She quickly grasped during the planning stage the type of accommodation we preferred and understood the type of activities we enjoy. The trip exceeded our expectations which were high! read more

Beatriz and her team did an amazing job organizing our Gems of Southern Spain and Lisbon trip and was extremely responsive both before and during the trip when we needed help. She quickly grasped during the planning stage the type of accommodation we preferred and understood the type of activities we enjoy. The trip exceeded our expectations which were high!

The planning was great. The tour in Oviedo was ok we had a little difficult reaching Beatriz in the weekend when we reached Bilbao because we were trying to reach her by her e mail and phone number instead of the Kim Kim message. The tour guide at the Guggenheim museum kept insisting that our tour was an hour earlier than what we had written in our itenirary and she wanted to reschedule for the next day. The Puebloastur resort was wonderful. We really liked it and the transfers from the... read more

The planning was great. The tour in Oviedo was ok we had a little difficult reaching Beatriz in the weekend when we reached Bilbao because we were trying to reach her by her e mail and phone number instead of the Kim Kim message. The tour guide at the Guggenheim museum kept insisting that our tour was an hour earlier than what we had written in our itenirary and she wanted to reschedule for the next day. The Puebloastur resort was wonderful. We really liked it and the transfers from the airport were excellent. We had to book more bags since we only had one bag checked We had fun with our tapas and wine tours as well as the pinchos tour. Over all we enjoyed ourselves very much. Oh and Diego at the Rioja wine tour was excellent.

Beatriz found us some great places to stay. A stone house in a small farming village near Portugal's national park; and in Morocco, Riad Fes was one of the nicest hotels I've been in. The drivers and guides in Morocco were all friendly and well informed. read more

Beatriz found us some great places to stay. A stone house in a small farming village near Portugal's national park; and in Morocco, Riad Fes was one of the nicest hotels I've been in. The drivers and guides in Morocco were all friendly and well informed.

Hotel Reviews

Riad Fès - Relais & Châteaux

Fès

Incredible architectural details, small, personal scale, and probably the best food we had in Morocco.

Authenticity & Character

Fancy because the craftsmanship is so beautiful, not just because things are expensive

Location

Staff

Really polished service

Cleanliness & Comfort

Pousada Porto - Rua das Flores

Porto

Fine -- clean, nice bathrooms, small balcony onto courtyard. But cramped, and on an overwhelmingly touristy crowded street.

Authenticity & Character

It's pretty generic.

Location

It's really not fun to be on the single most crowded touristy street in all of Porto.

Staff

They were somewhat understaffed, and had signs everywhere trying to push breakfast attendance earlier.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Riad Zyo

Rabat

It was fine, and in a convenient location. Not extensive service and no food. Certainly nowhere near as nice as Riad Fes, though I imagine it is a lot cheaper.

Casa das Afonsas

Barral, Portugal

Very basic in some ways -- the stone house has almost no windows and bad flurescent lights -- but this was a surprise hit on the itinerary. It's in a super-cute town that's mostly stone houses and farming, sheep everywhere. The town cafe is a sister of the Casa das Afonsas family, super friendly, with all just locals hanging out. Pretty short drive to a part of the park where nothing is touristy at all -- the hikes are just from one tiny stone village to another, with few people around.

Authenticity & Character

Don't send people here who want luxury every night, but escaping tourisim into a beutiful landscape is its own luxury.

Location

Close to a gorgeous but totally untouristed part of the national park.

Staff

Friendly family hosting.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Oak Nature

Vieira do Minho, Portugal

Extremely half-baked. Amazing sunset views from the pool, which is also really nice. Terrible sewer gas smells in bathrooms. Cheesy construction quality. Inexplicable mistakes like ugly sponsored ice cream brand umbrellas screwed to the deck smack in the middle of the best view. No real dinner, but a major hassle to drive up and down the mountain to get to restaurants.

Authenticity & Character

Cheesy modernism, poorly constructed.

Location

Amazing view from the pool. Really hard to get to and far from food. Rooms are mostly overgrown by trees and do not really have views, though the trees are pleasant. The town is on a pretty lake in a beatiful valley and near some of the park's best hikes like Poco Azul (really bonkers) but the town itself is kind of a junky crowded tourism hub.

Staff

What staff there were were really nice. There's not supposed to be dinner, but they made us snacks off hours anyway.

Cleanliness & Comfort

The place is visually clean, but they never really figured out the sewer gas stench in the bathroom, and other rooms they offered us were musty plus they try to hide the must and sewer smell with aggressive electric air fresheners.

Activity Review

Half-Day Guided Tour of Fes Medina

Fes

Hakim was great -- informative, happy to tailor the walk to what we cared about, knew the medina incredibly well.

We had a wonderful trip to Portugal and Spain! All our accommodations were great and centrally located! All of our tours were wonderful with great and knowledgeable guides! The only issue was our driver from Lisbon to Porto! He was a horrible driver and I know Bill Moody has addressed that with you and you are looking into it!
Overall a wonderful experience!
read more

We had a wonderful trip to Portugal and Spain! All our accommodations were great and centrally located! All of our tours were wonderful with great and knowledgeable guides! The only issue was our driver from Lisbon to Porto! He was a horrible driver and I know Bill Moody has addressed that with you and you are looking into it!
Overall a wonderful experience!

Hotel Reviews

BessaHotel Liberdade

Lisboa

Great hotel! Breakfast was amazing! Great location!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Se Catedral Hotel Porto, Tapestry Collection By Hilton

Porto

Very nice hotel! Roomsca little small and hard to get hot water! Breakfast was amazing!!!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

7 Islas Hotel

Madrid

Rooms were great! It was a little noisy due to bars on the street below open until we hours of the morning! Breakfast ok but often food was cold!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Gran Hotel Havana

Barcelona

Great location! Breakfast was delicious with much variety!!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Lisbon Roots, Food & Cultural Walk

Portugal

Quality of Experience

Food

Get to Know Lisbon with a Local

Lisbon

Private Day Excursion to Sintra, Cascais & Estoril

Lisbon

Good day! Tour guide was good but did not have as much knowledge as we thought he would have!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Private Transfer {{start_location}} to {{end_location}} via Coimbra

Portugal

Terrible driver! Did not speak a word of English! Did not know where has going and did not take us to the correct area of Coimbra! Very scary drive for us!!!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Private Guided Visit of Porto

Porto

Quality of Experience

Transport

Day Excursion to Douro Valley, Wine Tasting & River Cruise

Porto

Great day! Visited two remote wineries that were amazing!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Tapas Culinary Experience

Madrid

We were given the wrong time to meet and missed the 1st part of the tour! We called and guide got us for the rest of the tour!!

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Guided Visit of Madrid: History, Culture & Architecture of the Capital of Spain

Madrid

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Train Madrid to Toledo, Guided Visit of Toledo, Train Toledo to Madrid

Madrid

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Private Tour of Barcelona & La Sagrada Familia

Barcelona

Laura was an amazing tour guide!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

We had an amazing time visiting Madrid, Seville, Granada and Toledo. In each location, we loved having the local guides who provided so much insight into the history and beauty of each place. Their love of their city translated into a wonderful experience. We loved discovering the history of each place and getting insight into the hidden gems. Kimkim also made sure we got to experience the "high adventure" activities to break up the sight-seeing. Biking in Granada in the Sierra Nevada... read more

We had an amazing time visiting Madrid, Seville, Granada and Toledo. In each location, we loved having the local guides who provided so much insight into the history and beauty of each place. Their love of their city translated into a wonderful experience. We loved discovering the history of each place and getting insight into the hidden gems. Kimkim also made sure we got to experience the "high adventure" activities to break up the sight-seeing. Biking in Granada in the Sierra Nevada mountains was beautiful and hiking the caminito del Rey was amazing. Our hotels in each place were so beautiful and perfectly located to walk to anywhere we wanted to go. The outside living space in our hotel in Madrid was a perfect place to begin and end each day. Overall, one of our favorite family vacations and the stress of planning it was nearly zero because everyone at Kimkim did such an amazing job. We WILL be using them again.

Guides: Martin, in Evora, Andrea in Silves Sara, Coimbra were most excellent on top of their game both in knowledge and story telling. The accommodations in general were just right. The Noble House (Evora) provided a good room and breakfast however parking is very limited and the walk to and from is not for the older. read more

Guides: Martin, in Evora, Andrea in Silves Sara, Coimbra were most excellent on top of their game both in knowledge and story telling. The accommodations in general were just right. The Noble House (Evora) provided a good room and breakfast however parking is very limited and the walk to and from is not for the older.

Overall, our trip to Spain was amazing! There were only a couple issues that we had. When we first got there the private transfer from the airport, Miguel, didn’t speak any English. He wasn’t able to drop us off right at our hotel in Madrid. We were just getting there, trying to get our bearings, jet lagged and carrying all our luggage. We walked around for at least 20-30 mins pulling our luggage up steeps hills to find the hotel. There were 2 Petit palace hotels and no one, even the... read more

Overall, our trip to Spain was amazing! There were only a couple issues that we had. When we first got there the private transfer from the airport, Miguel, didn’t speak any English. He wasn’t able to drop us off right at our hotel in Madrid. We were just getting there, trying to get our bearings, jet lagged and carrying all our luggage. We walked around for at least 20-30 mins pulling our luggage up steeps hills to find the hotel. There were 2 Petit palace hotels and no one, even the cops on the street , spoke English so it was very frustrating. The same guy picked us up to take us back to the airport, and even though we were more acclimated to the area and I had him drop us the meeting location, we still spent 15 minutes looking for him. My recommendation would be if we are paying for a private transfer, have them be bilingual! I had the emergency numbers written down for Beatrice but neither of us could figure out how to make the phone call from our phone. We tried putting in 00 before the call, 1-00, etc. once we found someone that spoke English we were good.
Besides that everything else was amazing! Miguel our guide to Sagrada familia was perfect! He was even hobbling around on crutches because of a soccer injury but we walked around for 5 hours! Very knowledgeable and kept things interesting!
We also loved our cycling guide, Claudio! He was very accommodating for me and my back issues and knew exactly where to take us so me and my husband could climb as much as we wanted!
I would recommend Kimkim again!

This was an amazing trip, Exceptionally well-planned, with all the details accounted for. For the most part, the guides were extremely knowledgeable and a great source of information. The pre-trip material gave many suggestions on things to do on free days and kimkin was extremely responsive when we had questions about logistics, meeting drivers, etc. The places kimkin picked for us to stay were not in the touristy mainstream, which is just what we wanted, so our experience felt very... read more

This was an amazing trip, Exceptionally well-planned, with all the details accounted for. For the most part, the guides were extremely knowledgeable and a great source of information. The pre-trip material gave many suggestions on things to do on free days and kimkin was extremely responsive when we had questions about logistics, meeting drivers, etc. The places kimkin picked for us to stay were not in the touristy mainstream, which is just what we wanted, so our experience felt very authentic.

The only thing I would say that was a let-down was that there was absolutely no transparency as to pricing, and my sense is that as a result, the mark-up may have been more than the quoted 5%.—I suppose that extra markup is what you pay for local knowledge and a bit of laziness on our part to plan the trip. But all in all, we were very satisfied.

Hotel Review

Loule Jardim Hotel

Loule

What a charming location. Small room, but the staff was very friendly and located on a tiny community square a ten minute walk to the center.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Very small room

Cleanliness & Comfort

Bigger room

Activity Review

Private Tour of Évora

Portugal

This guide was exceptional, great story teller, knowledgeable about history, local folklore and culture.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Great guide

Beatriz was awesome! She planned a wonderful trip in both Spain and Portugal and booked us the absolute best private tour guides for the cities that we visited. Really appreciated her working with us on the itinerary and our constantly changing timelines. We had a wonderful time we don’t forget! read more

Beatriz was awesome! She planned a wonderful trip in both Spain and Portugal and booked us the absolute best private tour guides for the cities that we visited. Really appreciated her working with us on the itinerary and our constantly changing timelines. We had a wonderful time we don’t forget!

Our trip was very well planned and Sao Miguel Island is much more beautiful than expected. The hotel view was so calming and delightful and the staff was eager to please. However, by the third day, we escaped the breakfast buffet as it was too crowded and the food became boring a repetitious. I may never eat scrambled eggs again.

Our first tour guide was Natasha who took us off-road to see the blue and green lakes at the top of the crater. She was very informative, but we later learned,... read more

Our trip was very well planned and Sao Miguel Island is much more beautiful than expected. The hotel view was so calming and delightful and the staff was eager to please. However, by the third day, we escaped the breakfast buffet as it was too crowded and the food became boring a repetitious. I may never eat scrambled eggs again.

Our first tour guide was Natasha who took us off-road to see the blue and green lakes at the top of the crater. She was very informative, but we later learned, through our other guides, that some of her information was inaccurate.

Our second guide, Paulo, was very kind while we hiked to the top of the caldera to see Fire Lake. What was not part of the description of this hike is that there are NO restroom facilities and the hike, although labeled "medium" difficulty, was probably only medium for mountain goats. The hike took us approximately 8 hours and covered over 22,000 steps, up a very high mountain (hill) and down the other side. It was worth the hike because the scenery was breathtaking, but became increasingly more uncomfortable because of the lack of facilities. I've never learned to "go in the woods" so that wasn't really an option, and because there were so many other hikers, privacy would have been difficult to find.

Our third guide, Gary, did a really masterful job of driving us into a caldera and hiking us around the lake at the bottom. This hike was the day after we summited our equivalent of Mt Everest, so by the end, we were done and asked Gary to bring the car and pick us up, which he happily agreed to do. We got a very good history of the island and more accurate information. All the cows are not milked by hand but rather with moveable milking machines. I do not recommend booking two hikes back to back as we did, and therefore had little time to recover.

My horseback ride was primarily through residential neighborhoods and the forest was really just overgrown, abandoned land, so not like the forests we saw in the other places we went. Also, the path we took was very littered, which was disappointing, as most of the island we saw was really clean.

The blooming hydrangeas and yellow ginger lilies all over the island were so unexpected.

Our trouble began when we left the Azores and went to Lisbon. The hotel we were booked into, Hotel Mundial, is surrounded by homeless people and the air smelled like urine. My view was of a very old building that looked like a crack house. We found a much better hotel, closer to the water, and moved, which was a pain, but totally worth relocating to a much lovelier and safer part of town where the air smelled sweet. We had to do this on our own because we were told that other hotels were $700 euro per night; we paid $200 euro at the Pastano CR7, which we found while waiting on our tuk-tuk tour, guided by Dominic. I would skip this if I go back. The streets are exceedingly bumpy and the ride uncomfortable. We got only a small bit of history.

Our very best tour was with a different Paulo who took us to Sintra and Cascais. He was so knowledgeable about the country, history, and political changes and made the whole day so worthwhile. He was our very best guide for the entire trip, and he should be requested as a guide if possible.

The rest of our trip was uneventful and restful and we were picked up timely for our trips to our next destinations. I felt that we received a very good value and overall, we had a wonderful trip and learned many things that we will take with us as we plan our next excursion.

Thank you, Bea, and the rest of the KimKim team for making this a vacation we'll remember and talk about for years to come.

Hotel Reviews

Hotel Marina Atlântico

Ponta Delgada, São Miguel

The view of the harbor each evening was so relaxing. This is a well-located hotel and very busy.

Authenticity & Character

It is really a tourist hotel with many busloads of people arriving daily.

Location

the view

Staff

Very accommodating.

Cleanliness & Comfort

My room was both clean and comfortable.

Hotel Mundial

Lisboa

We changed hotels because this one was impossible to stay in. The neighborhood is surrounded by homeless people who must use the gutters as their toilets, because the air around the hotel smell like urine, and worse. Also, the neighborhood it is in seems to be very shabby and run down. I would never recommend this hotel to anyone who has had experience with better equipped and more modern facilities. I think the in-room hair dryer was an original model from last century, probably from the 1970's.

Authenticity & Character

Not sure what authenticity it's striving for but it only succeeds as a run-down has been. If that's the goal then it wins.

Location

It isn't close to shopping or the water.

Staff

The only people who seemed interested in us were the managers when we checked out and couldn't understand why. They should stay at probably any other hotel of equal ranking and then they'd know why we left.

Cleanliness & Comfort

I don't know how Lisbon is addressing their homeless problem so can't comment on how that could be improved, but the hotel could start with a total remodel, including the hair dryers. Really? It looked like a vacuum cleaner.

Activity Reviews

Private Day Excursion to Sintra, Cascais & Estoril

Lisbon

This was my favorite part of the trip; the guide was amazing in his knowledge of the country and was very friendly.

Quality of Experience

For the most part, very well planned.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Arrived exactly on time, every time.

Guided Excursion to The Furnas Valley

São Miguel Island

This area was so unexpected in its beauty. We could have been in Colorado.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Hiking Experience in Lagoa do Fogo

São Miguel Island

This hike is rated medium on the difficulty scale, but it isn't or wasn't for me. It was very difficult and parts of the hike are straight up which means other parts are straight down. This is not a hike for people who are not in good shape and have little hiking experience. Sticks would have made this much better, but they weren't suggested. Our guide, who does the hike, probably weekly, didn't break a sweat, but we were exhausted and exhilarated when we finished. The views from the top were worth the trouble. He explained that the government determines the difficulty scale, and I know I would never do a hike they deem difficult. I can't even imagine what that would be like.

Quality of Experience

Food

Our guide was nice to bring us lunches and water and we had a nice picnic near the lake.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

We had an overall great experience with the places chosen and the guides. We came home with a greater appreciation of the different cultures in the Spanish country.
In Madrid, Hotel 7 Islas was centrally located. The room and the breakfast buffet were good. Both Carlos with the tapas tour and Isabel with the city walk were excellent. Picking up the rental car took more time than expected, which made us a little stressed about making it on time for the wine tasting in La Rioja. We don't... read more

We had an overall great experience with the places chosen and the guides. We came home with a greater appreciation of the different cultures in the Spanish country.
In Madrid, Hotel 7 Islas was centrally located. The room and the breakfast buffet were good. Both Carlos with the tapas tour and Isabel with the city walk were excellent. Picking up the rental car took more time than expected, which made us a little stressed about making it on time for the wine tasting in La Rioja. We don't know if a later wine tour was feasible at all. We did see other groups arriving later for their wine tasting. A later tour would have been better to allow us to eat breakfast in the hotel and enjoy the drive without stress.
The wine tour in Marques de Riscal was good. The hotel Finca de los Arandinos is beautiful and the food was great, but it is very remote.
The trip to Bilbao was easy. The hotel Miro was excellent, the staff was very friendly and the location was central. Our guide Zorione was great. She went above and beyond the city sights, giving us an insight of the Basque culture.
In the Basque countryside tour we met Diego. He proved to be a good friend for 3 days. It was a real cultural experience, enhanced by Diego's company.
The stops between Bilbao and San Sebastian with Diego were great. Hotel Catalonia in San Sebastian was excellent and had a great location. The breakfast buffet was the best. The pintxos-hopping was a real culinary experience. The day off in San Sebastian was a good choice. It allowed us to rest a little and enjoy the beach. The visit to Pasai Donibane was relaxing. We had more pintxos with Diego.
The train ride to Barcelona was uneventful. Gran Hotel Havana was centrally located. The staff was nice. The market tour was enjoyable. The tour of the Sagrada Familia with Mari was very educational.
The Monserrat tour and cava tasting with Nuria was also educational. Nuria took the time to talk about the Catalonian culture past and present.
All the guides and transfers arrived on time.
We are very pleased with Kim Kim's service and the choice of guides. We truly recommend Kim Kim to travel in Spain.

Hotel Review

Catalonia Donosti

San Sebastián

The hotel is centrally located. The staff is friendly. The room was spacious with a good sized bath. The breakfast buffet is excellent.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Tapas Culinary Experience

Madrid

Carlos was a good guide. We enjoyed the food and the company.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

N/A

Guided Visit of Madrid: History, Culture & Architecture of the Capital of Spain

Madrid

Seeing Madrid from a historical perspective, walking with Isabel was a great experience.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Flamenco Night

Madrid

I found the show kind of boring. There were no castanets and no dancing in couples. The individual dances felt too long. They even explained that the show is improvised.

Quality of Experience

Privately Guided Visit of Bilbao

Bilbao

Zorione was a wonderful guide. She shared with us the Basque culture past and present.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Day Excursion to Hondarribia & Pasai Donibane, with a Txakolli Winery Visit

San Sebastian

These small villages are very pleasant to visit. They are a rest from the busy city lifestyle.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Diego was phenomenal.

Transport

La Sagrada Familia Private Visit

Barcelona

Our guide Mari explained really well the evolution of this masterpiece.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Day Trip to Montserrat & Penedès Region Wine Tasting

Barcelona

It was a great day trip from Barcelona. The mountains are spectacular. We had a great time with our guide Nuria, who talked at large about Catalunya past and present.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Barcelona- our stay at Be Mate Gracia was incredible- great location (thank you Bea!), and great space for families. The reception and all staff there was so helpful and kind and attentive throughout. I would highly recommend them.

Our bike tour was great, great guide!

Unfortunately our tour guide for our day trip to Girona-Costa Brava- Pals was so nice, but way too chatty and the tour was not geared towards children at all. My kids were SUPER bored. Pals was an amazing last stop... read more

Barcelona- our stay at Be Mate Gracia was incredible- great location (thank you Bea!), and great space for families. The reception and all staff there was so helpful and kind and attentive throughout. I would highly recommend them.

Our bike tour was great, great guide!

Unfortunately our tour guide for our day trip to Girona-Costa Brava- Pals was so nice, but way too chatty and the tour was not geared towards children at all. My kids were SUPER bored. Pals was an amazing last stop though.

We did Montjuic on our own which was nice but I would not recommend Poble Espanol- pointless.
Casa Battlo was one of our favorite places in Barcelona, along with Oassis restaurant for delicious salads across from our hotel.
.
Valencia was magical- we loved the city and did a bike ride on our own which I recommend. Although Mon Suites Catedral was clean and in a fabulous centrally located area (the Old town), it was very loud, and the beds were terribly uncomfortable. As a result, I would NOT recommend that place to anyone.

Special thanks to Bea for being so attentive to all of our needs during the trip!

Hotel Reviews

Be Mate Paseo de Gracia

Barcelona

Great location, great for families, great staff, super helpful, super comfortable beds!!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Mon Suites Catedral

Valencia

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

clean but the beds were NOT comfortable. felt like sleeping on a table

Activity Reviews

Guided Bike Tour

Barcelona

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Flamenco Night

Barcelona

Quality of Experience

Day trip to Medieval Girona and Costa Brava

Barcelona

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

We loved every minute of our trip. Beatriz recommendations were spot on, and the trip went exactly as we would have hoped (and more!). All the experiences were truly great.
read more

We loved every minute of our trip. Beatriz recommendations were spot on, and the trip went exactly as we would have hoped (and more!). All the experiences were truly great.

Hotel Reviews

Almaria Ex Libris Chiado

Lisbon

Incredible place, lovely service, perfect location. As a family of 4, we were really comfortable.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Lovely staff that went above and beyond

Cleanliness & Comfort

The apartment has everything you need, in addition to breakfast and a well stocked fridge

Flores Boutique Hotel

Porto

Beautiful hotel, centrally located, vibrant rooftop bar with excellent food.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Boavista Golf & Spa - Bela Colina Village

Sítio da Atalaia - Lagos

Very comfortable, brand new villas with swimming pools and breakfast. A car is needed to get around, but it is very easy to get around.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Really friendly staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Private Excursion to Sintra for Young Explorers

Lisbon

Wonderful day trip, our guide was very friendly and knowledgable. We really enjoyed this day.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Algarve Sunset Experience

Portugal

We had the best time, beautiful sites, thoughtfully planned, away from the masses. Very friendly and knowledgable tour guide, overall great experience.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Private Porto Family City Tour

Porto

Our lovely tour guide was very knowledgeable, friendly and patient with our little girls. We loved our day.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Day Excursion to Douro Valley, Wine Tasting & River Cruise

Porto

Beautiful area, must see. Our tour guide was very friendly and knowledgable. We really enjoyed our day.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Bea and Karin were fantastic, especially their response time to all our messages. Really made a difference in our trip. read more

Bea and Karin were fantastic, especially their response time to all our messages. Really made a difference in our trip.

KimKim came though again! This trip to Spain was our third using KimKim (the others were Greece and Costa Rica) and we could not have been happier. Beatriz and Karin at Espiritu Travel really listened to what we wanted and created the perfect trip. We were in regular contact during our trip to make sure everything went smoothly. It was truly a world-class experience. Thank you! read more

KimKim came though again! This trip to Spain was our third using KimKim (the others were Greece and Costa Rica) and we could not have been happier. Beatriz and Karin at Espiritu Travel really listened to what we wanted and created the perfect trip. We were in regular contact during our trip to make sure everything went smoothly. It was truly a world-class experience. Thank you!

Kimkim schedule in Lisbon became confused when we tried to confirm food tour. Resulted in hurry- up-and-wait in blazing sun; finally made connection with delightful guide two hours off schedule.
Enjoyed provided dining and fell in love with fado music. On our own we walked (always uphill) to the Botannical Gardens--impressive green oasis in the middle of the city.
Bullet train to Porto great experience. 203 km/hr and smooth as silk.
The cabbie in Porto (not Kimkim) could not find... read more

Kimkim schedule in Lisbon became confused when we tried to confirm food tour. Resulted in hurry- up-and-wait in blazing sun; finally made connection with delightful guide two hours off schedule.
Enjoyed provided dining and fell in love with fado music. On our own we walked (always uphill) to the Botannical Gardens--impressive green oasis in the middle of the city.
Bullet train to Porto great experience. 203 km/hr and smooth as silk.
The cabbie in Porto (not Kimkim) could not find hotel--tried to drop us in the middle of a street. But we stuck with him until a passer-by pointed out where the hotel was (name and number hidden). Our excellent assigned guide walked us all up and down over the old city and market areas. We were able to talk ourselves into a reservation at the highest restaurant in town, where we enjoyed the sunset and an excellent meal.
Kimkim-provided transport to and from train station and airport excellent, on time, and friendly.
We would have liked to visit the sea shore--maybe next time.

Hotel Reviews

Hotel Lisboa

Lisboa

Simple accomodations, friendly and informative staff, excellent breakfast. Elevator very welcome. Centrally located between uptown and downtown, on main avenue. Be ready to walk.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Porto Charming Hotel

Porto

Tiny accommodations, but not uncomfortable. No lobby. Very friendly staff. Two/three rooms per floor, steep steps, no elevator. Simple but ample breakfast. Location 15-minute walk to tourist markets, 30 minutes (down- and then up-hill) to large cathedral plaza overlooking harbor and shore. Good guide, knows everybody in town.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Review

Day Excursion to Douro Valley, Wine Tasting & River Cruise

Porto

Wonderful up and down countryside laced with vineyards . Narrow, lightly traveled roads. River Douro at bottom of valley carries port-wine freighters, sightseeing ships and large cruise ships. We stopped at a small vineyard along the road and were treated to a tour of growing grapes, curious pigs, gaggling geese, alert dogs, and a traditional farm kitchen probably a hundred years old. Just the two of us, and I don't drink wine. So my sister got to taste four different vintages, and I ate all the cheeses and meats and olives on the bountiful charcuterie plate!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Very well thought out trip plan, great picks for both our hotels and activities. Beatriz, our local specialist really catered to our needs and was very helpful whenever we contacted her. read more

Very well thought out trip plan, great picks for both our hotels and activities. Beatriz, our local specialist really catered to our needs and was very helpful whenever we contacted her.

Our trip to Catalunya was fantastic. Working together with Bea translated into a perfect mix of city culture and relaxing fun on the coast.

We absolutely loved our tapas tour to kick off our first day in Barcelona. It was a PERFECT introduction to the Catalan culture. Another food orientated experience we enjoyed was a cooking class. The experience was special because we were welcomed into the chef's home with a small group. The personal and semi-private atmosphere with other people from... read more

Our trip to Catalunya was fantastic. Working together with Bea translated into a perfect mix of city culture and relaxing fun on the coast.

We absolutely loved our tapas tour to kick off our first day in Barcelona. It was a PERFECT introduction to the Catalan culture. Another food orientated experience we enjoyed was a cooking class. The experience was special because we were welcomed into the chef's home with a small group. The personal and semi-private atmosphere with other people from around the world was wonderful.

One of the highlights was our private Gaudí Architecture Walk. It. was. fabulous. Our guide was excellent and continuously responded to our interests and needs. We also enjoyed having the flexibility in our schedule to explore. Our lodging was in the thick of the activity on La Rambla, but we also enjoyed taking the public transportation and getting to other parts of Barcelona. We went to the beach and up to Park Gruel, both very "outdoorsy" for an urban location.

Once our trip shifted to the beach, we loved the relaxing vibe of the coast. We were still able to tap into cultural experiences such a Dali's museum and home while kayaking the next day. After a few days in the city, it was a perfect transition for our vacation.

We loved working with Bea and KimKim for our vacation. Providing a downloadable app that held our itinerary and all important links, etc. was impressive. We could easily contact KimKim during our trip and we appreciated this availability.

Monica M.

Hotel Reviews

Alta House Begur

Begur, Girona

Perfect location. The room was meets all your travel needs. The breakfast is very nice as you can take it outside to the pool area. The pool was wonderful because it was so hot. Even though the A/C is fine, it was nice to dip into the pool after a hot day. The lounge on the roof was a wonderful bonus. Wonderful! Everyone was very nice and professional. Note - you can't park there, you need to park in one of the lots outside the city. Not a far walk at all, but good to know.

Authenticity & Character

It was modern and minimalist. It was 100% fine.

Location

On a quiet, quiet street within a minute to the center of the evening activity. Really perfect.

Staff

Very helpful, very professional.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Very clean, but the rooms aren't the kind of room you stretch out in and relax. The pool is for that. Or the roof top lounge is for that.

Arc La Rambla

Barcelona

Very professional and helpful. Our room was on the lower end, I believe, so we were in an "inside" room. Whereas this felt like a negative, I will admit the room was very, very quiet. Located on La Rambla, it was impressively quiet. The front desk people were always helpful and polite. We appreciated them a great deal. The breakfast was wonderful. The common room was also helpful to sit and relax and plan your day.

Authenticity & Character

Everything was professional, clean, and to a high standard.

Location

Right. On. La. Rambla.

Staff

Always helpful and in a good mood.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Well, the room had a window to an air shaft. Not ideal. But we used the common room to sit and relax in couches, etc. As already mentioned, I believe this room was super quiet and we appreciated that.

Activity Reviews

Tapas Culinary Experience

Barcelona

This is the best idea for one of your first nights in Barcelona. It was fun, educational, and culturally enriching. We loved our guide and we loved sharing the experience with a handful of other people from around the world. What fun! Perfect!

Quality of Experience

Interactive, engaging, educational, cultural!

Food

I liked getting to know the tapas that I enjoy and the tapas I would not choose.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Guide was a perfect mix of causal and teacher. Loved her.

Gaudí Architecture Walk

Barcelona

An amazing 4 hours. Our guide taught us about Gaudi while we immersed ourselves in the architecture. I liked that we did not go into every house/building. It was not needed. We went into one and that was very thorough and interesting. The guide was excellent at working with us as far as how fast we went or when we needed a break. This experience proved the value of a private tour vs a group tour.

Quality of Experience

Personal and extensive.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Guide was fantastic. She was very good at her job and we were comfortable asking questions or for more/less time at different places.

Flamenco Night

Barcelona

Bravo! What a wonderful experience! It was the most culturally authentic experience of our time in Barcelona. I enjoyed the smaller, more personal theater and the energy of the show. Also, the show is not super long, it is a perfect amount of time to include in an evening. The tapas afterward was excellent in that as you spill out of the theater you don't have to start to figure out where you are going to eat. The transition is perfect. Add it to your itinerary. You won't regret it.

Quality of Experience

Authentic x 1,000

Boquería Market Visit & Cooking Class

Barcelona

Fabulous! We enjoyed all 3 parts of this experience. First, a tour of the market. Second, the chef cooked different tapas and explained the food in the different areas of Spain as we ate and drank. Finally, we prepared our meal under her watchful guidance. All 3 parts were engaging, intriguing, and educational. The chef was extremely personable, fun, yet professional. To add to this, the shared small group experience was delightful.

Quality of Experience

It is a great concept and the chef makes in a win.

Food

Come on, a chef prepared it.

Kayaking Excursion

Spain

We enjoyed our kayak excursion very much. Nile, our guide, was terrific. He made the trip personal to our needs and interests. It was also a good amount of time. This is a great activity for a vacation on the coast.

Quality of Experience

We were kayaking in and out of rock caves. What's better than that?

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Nile was terrific. We lucked out with this super young guy.

We thoroughly enjoyed our Barcelona and Costa Brava vacation. We wanted an active vacation and the Barcelona bike tour with Jane was an invigorating and educational highlight as was our kayak tour with Joel in Platja de Llafranc. Everything was organized and easy to follow from Beatriz. We already want to go back and would definitely use Kimkim again! read more

We thoroughly enjoyed our Barcelona and Costa Brava vacation. We wanted an active vacation and the Barcelona bike tour with Jane was an invigorating and educational highlight as was our kayak tour with Joel in Platja de Llafranc. Everything was organized and easy to follow from Beatriz. We already want to go back and would definitely use Kimkim again!

Hotel Reviews

Arc La Rambla

Barcelona

Great location to explore all of old Barcelona and our room and bathroom was surprisingly large. Air conditioner was not quite strong enough to keep up with the heat of July.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Alta House Begur

Begur, Girona

Great location and the rooftop bar at sunset is a must! Very clean and comfortable.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Review

Guided Visit of Barcelona by Bike

Barcelona

Jane was fantastic and took us to historical buildings to explore that we never would have seen otherwise. Great pace and plenty of stops to rest and learn.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

What began as panic and inability to plan our family vacation in a timely manner, turned into a great blessing. Bea was so helpful and easy to work with, she helped us create a trip to remember! In Portugal, we started with a great tuk tuk tour and then Elsa, who showed us local treats! Our most favorite was touring Sintra with Nuno who was a perfect mix of guide and friend and we had the most wonderful lunch and day of exploring. In Barcelona, Dani was amazing- took us all by surprise with... read more

What began as panic and inability to plan our family vacation in a timely manner, turned into a great blessing. Bea was so helpful and easy to work with, she helped us create a trip to remember! In Portugal, we started with a great tuk tuk tour and then Elsa, who showed us local treats! Our most favorite was touring Sintra with Nuno who was a perfect mix of guide and friend and we had the most wonderful lunch and day of exploring. In Barcelona, Dani was amazing- took us all by surprise with his knowledge and love for the city and sport, Camp Nou was even amazing for our son who cares nothing about soccer! But really, every guide and activity planned were fantastic. On our last day, Nuria was kind and flexible and able to change our tour plan without any sign of concern. We had a wonderful day to Girona and Tossa de Mar. Whatever hiccups occurred were easily solved by Bea and Marta. Our accommodations were great and conveniently located, though having now seen the city, I will opt to stay closer to Gothic area In Barcelona in the future. We had a great mix of activity and downtime with suggestions to fill in the gaps. I have already recommended to friends and will continue for many years to come. Very sincere thanks from our entire family.

Hotel Reviews

Vincci Baixa

Lisbon

Unassuming and lovely. Modern accommodation very well located. Excellent breakfast

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Regina

Barcelona

The lobby area especially roomy and beautiful. Rooms are modern and simple. Lovely staff and breakfast

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Private Day Excursion to Sintra, Cascais & Estoril

Lisbon

The whole day was perfect and a real highlight. Beautiful sights and Nuno was wonderful to spend the day with ensuring we got the best of the best!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Nuno was incredible

Transport

Privately Guided Visit of Gothic Quarter, F.C. Barcelona & Camp Nou Stadium

Barcelona

What an amazing way to better understand the heart and spirit of the city. Even if you are not a soccer fan, seeing the history of this team and it's detriment to the people was beautiful. Truly more than a team.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Dani was amazing. My 17 year was stuck to his side the whole time.

Transport

Private Lisbon Roots, Food & Cultural Walk

Lisbon

A schedule misunderstanding changed our restaurant options, but Elsa was great and we had a lovely evening together.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Elsa was fantastic! Lovely and very knowledgeable

Transport

Day Excursion to La Garrotxa & Besalú

Spain

We did not take this trip- instead to Girona and Tossa de Mar. Ultimately we did not want to spend this much time in the car on our last day and right before a 9 hour plane trip the following morning. Recommend for sure, but better to have a free day afterwards.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Nuria was lovely and her flexibility was much appreciated!

Transport

Bea was supportive, accommodating and patient throughout our planning process and always cheerfully and promptly responded to our many questions and requests. We had an unexpected incident during the trip with one of transportation providers, and she was immediately available to support us. After the trip, she continued to follow up and provide updates regarding the incident. We enjoyed the trip, and I would recommend her and her agency without reservation to anyone planning on making a trip... read more

Bea was supportive, accommodating and patient throughout our planning process and always cheerfully and promptly responded to our many questions and requests. We had an unexpected incident during the trip with one of transportation providers, and she was immediately available to support us. After the trip, she continued to follow up and provide updates regarding the incident. We enjoyed the trip, and I would recommend her and her agency without reservation to anyone planning on making a trip to Spain or Portugal in the future.

Our guide who took us up the Duora Valley and recommended the lunch venue was terrific, so much so that we treated him to join us for lunch. Also, the wine tasting in the valley was terrific as well, as we bought a case of wine there.

Special thanks to Beatrice who made Kimkim the terrific company that it is. She was very easy to reach if we had questions, she planned a trip that we will never forget. We told her we had 12 days and she planned them perfectly, she is so knowledgeable. We... read more

Our guide who took us up the Duora Valley and recommended the lunch venue was terrific, so much so that we treated him to join us for lunch. Also, the wine tasting in the valley was terrific as well, as we bought a case of wine there.

Special thanks to Beatrice who made Kimkim the terrific company that it is. She was very easy to reach if we had questions, she planned a trip that we will never forget. We told her we had 12 days and she planned them perfectly, she is so knowledgeable. We will recommend Kimkim and tell our friends to ask for Beatrice.