Claire Monfray

We had an absolutely fabulous time. Claire listened to our wants and wishes and fulfilled them well. From the first day we arrived in Dublin, to the last day in Dublin we enjoyed every minute.
We rented a car (best idea) and went counterclockwise around Ireland. We were traveling for 2 weeks.
Pros - The hotels, with the exception of one(in cons):
Iveagh Gardens Hotel - Dublin - Beautifully decorated, great buffet breakfast with lots choices, rooms were a good size, nothing too fancy but very comfortable.
Ten Square Hotel - Belfast - Very comfortable, good location to visit Belfast
Lough Eske Castle - Donegal Town - Beautiful rooms, wonderful staff, great bartender! - definitely worth the stay
Victorian Hotel -Killarney - Lovely hotel. Very cozy, meals were order only(but delish) with a wait staff to be commended.
Sites:
Belfast - Black Taxi Tour - outstanding tour of Belfast and the N. Irelands troubled times. We felt like we were in a history class only with wit and lots of wisdom. I believe our driver's name was Justin and he was wonderful. He picked us up at our hotel and we were off. We thought 3 hours was going to be too long, but we could have continued for another 2 and been very happy.
Kylemore Abbey (Clifden)- an active real abbey - just beautiful, the dining room was majestic, with plates set the table of famous visitors from many years.
The Cliffs of Mohr - There are no words to really describe the Cliffs of Mohr from the ocean. It transports you to another world -imagining everything that has happened to Ireland and how it was naturally protected in many ways.
Rock of Cashel - stunning building, lots of history, very interesting. Great stop between Killarney and Dublin
Book of Kells/Long library - A must for every person who visits Dublin. the book itself is unbelievably beautiful. the long library is under renovations but still a wonder to see. Normally ~ 200K books but down to ~17k. Our guide was earning his masters in history at the college(Trinity) and extremely knowledgeable. It was a wonderful day
Teeling distillery - great tour and great whiskey - what else can I say
Our trip went smoothly, exactly as planned - no problems or issues with reservations, or tours. KimKim gave us a perfect itinerary, complete with directions, sites to see (other that what we had planned), and suggestions on where to eat. I highly recommend Kim Kim and especially Claire, our main contact.
Cons
the only real con we have is the Galmont Hotel ( Galway) - it was a great location for the shopping district and getting in and out of the city. However, it was not cozy, the bathtub was inconvenient for older people, and the room were difficult to get to. I would not recommend this hotel.

We did rent a car and it was great. It gave us the freedom to go where and when we wanted to go. Most of the roads were wide and easy driving but when we took the narrow roads we saw parts of Ireland we would not have seen. We only got lost once and lucked in to seeing cows filling the road, being driven to another field. We were also privy to seeing free range sheep, eating grass outside the fence and a sheep do, corralling sheep in an open field, not on a tour.

Again - we had a flawless trip with the exception of storm Amy, which prevented us from seeing The Giants Causeway, but that was of not fault of KimKim.

Hotel Reviews

The Victoria Hotel

Killarney

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

The Galmont Hotel & Spa

Galway

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Lough Eske Castle Hotel

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Ten Square Hotel

Belfast

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Iveagh Gardens Hotel

Dublin

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Visit and taste at Teeling Distillery

Dublin

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Trinity Trails & Book of Kells Guided Tour

Dublin

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Rock of Cashel

Ireland

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Falconry Adventures

Killarney

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Aillwee Burren Experience ( Cave Tour, Birds of Prey, Cheese Tasting)

Ireland

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Aran Island and Cliffs of Moher cruise from Galway

Galway

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Kylemore Abbey

Ireland

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Welcome to Donegal!

Ireland

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Belfast Political Taxi Tour

Belfast

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Claire and the staff at Kimkim did a wonderful job planning our tour of Ireland. The accommodations were great and well located. The tours they booked for us were top notch, with well versed guides. For those that were self guided, the materials they provided gave us everything we needed. The restaurant they booked for an eight course meal was exquisite. I would highly recommend having them plan a holiday in Ireland!

Hotel Reviews

Boyne Valley hotel

Drogheda

Lovely hotel.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Clayton Hotel Sligo

Sligo

Beautiful historical building with lovely accommodations!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

The Connacht Hotel

Galway

Very nice hotel!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Brook Manor Lodge

Tralee

Beautiful B & B.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Crystal Springs B&B

Lovely B & B, very welcoming, with friendly staff.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Clayton Hotel Cork City

cork

We were very disappointed with this hotel. Hotel was beautiful, centrally located, with parking adjacent, and had a huge room with a view across the canal to City Hall. Our room was very warm and the air conditioning was not working. We called the front desk who sent up someone to look at it. Turns out they are in the process of replacing the air conditioning for this room and gave us a fan to use, which did not lower the temperature. We asked about moving to a different room, but they said they were fully booked.

Authenticity & Character

Location

One block from the main shopping, restaurant, and nightlife area.

Staff

No letting a room that has no air conditioning.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Air conditioning.

Waterford Marina Hotel

WATERFORD

Lovely hotel located just a few blocks from the Waterford Crystal factory.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Just a few blocks walk to the Waterford Factory, and close to restaurants and entertainment.

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Motel One Dublin

Dublin

Beautiful hotel in the heart of Dublin, just across the Ha’penny Bridge from the Temple Bar district. Room was lovely, and the breakfast was very well done!

Authenticity & Character

Location

In the heart of Dublin.

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Entire hotel was very clean. Bar had comfortable seating in abundance.

Activity Reviews

Guided Visit of Boyne Valley with Newgrange Chamber and Brú na Bóinne Tour

Drogheda

An amazing experience!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Eala Bhán : Tasting Menu 8 course

Sligo

An amazing meal! The chef is a true artist!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Cliffs of Moher Visitor Center tickets

Ireland

Quality of Experience

Cliffs of Moher Cruise from Doolin ( 50 min)

Doolin

A great experience!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Archaeological Tour of the Dingle Peninsula

Ireland

This was an amazing experience! Michael did a fantastic tour, and educated us on the archeology of the area, which is incredible. Hearing him speaking Irish with the sheep farmer was a highlight, as it brought back memories of hearing my grandfather speaking the language when I was a young girl.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Killarney Combination Tour - Boat + Jaunting Car

Ireland

Wonderful day spent at Ross Castle! The jaunting car was fun!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Titanic trail in Cobh

Cobh

Wonderful walking tour covering the Titanic and some history of Cobh!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Afternoon tea at House of Waterford

Waterford

Delicious!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Waterford Crystal Factory Tour Private Tour

Waterford

A tour not to be missed. Incredible that they are still cutting the crystal by hand. Such incredible craftsmen!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Jameson Distillery Dublin - Bow St. Experience

Dublin

Wonderful tour, and great history.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Entry into the Emigration Museum EPIC

Dublin

Great capture of history.

Quality of Experience

Visit of Kilmainham Gaol

Dublin

Incredible history.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Dublin Private Walking Tour

Dublin

Diane was an incredible guide, very knowledgeable, and very willing to share that knowledge with us.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Diane was amazing!

Trinity College Library : The Book of Kells Experience

Dublin

Incredible experience, even with the library undergoing renovations.

Quality of Experience

Claire suggested an itinerary for 9 days in Connemara and Galway as an add-on to a group trip I was taking to County Clare. My initial expectation was that she would recommend something more “traditional” (at least to me) like Dingle, Kerry, Cork, etc. instead she steered me to Connemara, and I am so glad I took her advice!

I just loved the natural beauty of Inishbofin, the Killary Fjord and Connemara National Park. The excursions and activities she put together for us - Kylemore Abbey, sheep and oyster farms, kayaking and a food tour in Galway - were both educational and enjoyable. And our accommodations were authentic and charming.

Claire really went above and beyond in accommodating a last minute additional person to the itinerary and even more last minute logistics issues with our rental car. I can’t thank her enough for her patience and diligence in working through those issues under difficult circumstances. She has even assisted us after our trip ended.

Hotel Reviews

The Victoria Hotel

Galway

Great location and facilities. Very unimpressed with front desk staff worker who was present during short stay. Extremely unhelpful, unmotivated and unknowledgeable about basic matters.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

See previous comments.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Cashel House Hotel

Cashel

Stayed here for several nights. A wonderful oasis. Always happy to come back at the end of the day. Very helpful staff. Beautiful common areas with working fireplaces. Gorgeous grounds. Excellent food.

Authenticity & Character

Grounds, hotel common areas, room.

Location

Staff

Just really helpful and warm.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Loved the multiple fireplaces!

Ballinalacken Castle Hotel

Awesome grounds. Very engaged manage/owners. Wonderful food.

Authenticity & Character

Castle on site!

Location

Staff

Engaged owners.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Review

Traditional working sheep farm and Sheepdog demonstration

Ireland

Great bucolic location. Engaging host/guide. Fun, unique. Just much shorter in duration than expected.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

We had an unforgettable trip organized by Claire with the help of Rachel and Chloe. They arranged for us to stay in wonderful hotels and tour around Ireland for two weeks. Every day was just perfect but we particularly enjoyed the Guinness Storehouse Stoutie Experience, Kilmainham Gaol, the Cliffs of Moher, the ring of Kerry and Killarney National Park, live music at Sin e in Cork, the Jameson Distillery tour in Middleton with a premium tasting, the Ardmore Cliff Walk and lovely Cliff House Hotel, Galway City Museum and live music in The King’s Head pub, the Killary Sheep Dog Demonstration, Tullamore DEW distillery, and Dublinia museum. The trip ended with a great night of live music and Irish dancing in the Irish House Party. Could not have asked for a better trip, didn’t want it to end!

Golf in Ballybunion. Horse Rides through the countryside Cliff Walks above untouched beaches. Beautiful clean efficient B&Bs like the Tides couple with elegance of the old estates like the K Cub in Staffan. Ireland offered herself and her people to our two week journey from West to East. Unnamed pubs in Tipperary with lively traditional music. A bus tour of Dublin including High Tea. Plus tours and history in every corner. Claire of Kim Kim took my wish list and made an itinerary that hit all the high points without rushing us or creating too many lag points where we felt we were missing out on something. It was a trip of a lifetime and we have already started planning our next adventure to Vietnam with the Kim Kim Team. Thank you Claire for listening, suggesting and delivering.

Hotel Reviews

Base Dingle

Dingle, Co. Kerry,

We stayed at Base Dingle, which I would describe as a European-style minor hotel. It had a simple lobby and bedroom setup, but it was efficient for what we needed. It was comfortable, though not particularly luxurious, but definitely adequate for our stay.

The Tides Ballybunion

Ballybunion

I really liked The Tides Ballybunion. It was just outside of the city, incredibly clean, neat, and well-run. The host was very friendly, providing helpful directions and great conversation about our day. The breakfast was fantastic, far exceeding my expectations. It was a great start to our days.

Activity Reviews

Horse Riding trek in Dingle Peninsula

Ireland

The horseback riding trek in Dingle Peninsula was wonderful. The barn had a very laid-back vibe and the riders were friendly and experienced. The horses were responsive and seemed to enjoy the ride as much as we did. The scenery was beautiful, offering views of the hills and beaches. It was a relaxing and enjoyable experience for riders of all levels.

Irish Dancing - The Irish House Party SHOW ONLY

Dublin

The Irish Dancing show in Dublin was a lot of fun, though it was a bit of a touristy affair. They sang all the songs I knew from when I was a kid, which made for a fun sing-along. The musicians and step dancers were fantastic, and it was enjoyable to experience being a tourist for the night.

I planned our family trip to Ireland with Claire and from day one she realized all our needs and standards, and made sure to tick all the boxes. All the guides and drivers we had were brilliant, friendly and timely!

The places and activities Claire suggested were just the right ones to give us an incredible and unforgettable memories.

Everything was well organized and went smoothly, and even when we needed to add a last minute activity she was very accommodating and made sure it was all organized.

I will always highly recommend planning your trips with the Kim Kim team to be able to get the most of your travels.

Hotel Reviews

Powerscourt Hotel, Autograph Collection

Enniskerry

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Armada Hotel

Spanish Point

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Glenlo Abbey

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Private transfer for 3 travelers to Dublin Airport on August 15th

Dublin

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Free time in Dublin

Dublin

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Irish National Stud & Gardens : The Irish Racehorse Experience

Ireland

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Free time in Dublin

Dublin

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Free time at Powerscourt Hotel

Enniskerry

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Private Adventure in Kilrush ( Cliff and Coast Safari or Scattery Island)

Ireland

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Private tour of Connemara (Sky Road, Kylemore Abbey and a Sheep dog Farm experience)

Ireland

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Cliffs of Moher Cruise from Doolin ( 50 min)

Doolin

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Welcome to Doolin

Doolin

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Traditional Irish Homemade Baking Scones and Bread (Kilcolgan)

Ireland

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Private Transfer/Taxi

Ireland

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Galway Food Tour

Galway

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Trinity College Library : The Book of Kells Experience

Dublin

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Dublin Private Walking Tour

Dublin

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Private transfer for 3 travelers on July 31st

Dublin

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

1st thank you for planning an amazing trip for my family !! Words can’t express how incredible our vacation was. 1st it was a gift from my daughter and son in law for my Birthday!! I’ve been so many wonderful places but have never experienced such beauty and the most friendliest caring people in my life. Also, being handicapped and using a scooter they planned sight seeing around it! Couple things I couldn’t do but OMG I went and saw everything scheduled for us and more! Every driver was amazing. Each one was our little tour guide. Make sure you bring rain coat for sure and layers but the weather was actually pretty good !! Just one little glitch which was our fault after coming out of the Guinness factory we decided to give our granddaughter a horse and carriage ride. Nope, we didn’t check them out unfortunately and even thought “their” sign said 50.00 for 4 when we got to our hotel at tried to charge us 300.00 for 6 of us!!!! The hotel checked them out after we got there and said they had horrible ratings just for that reason and reported them to the police. Lesson learned. So if you want a horse and buggy ride ask your hotel and check them out. BUT…. It didn’t ruin this amazing trip. We are at all amazing restaurants and drank in every pub we could hit!!! WE can’t wait to go back !! Thank you so much Kim Kim for one heck of a lovey vacation 💚🍀☘️ Ireland is forever in our hearts!!

Hotel Reviews

Leonardo Hotel Galway

Galway

Great location. Rooms were small but nice.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Local was great for getting around to so many places.

Staff

Excellent!!

Cleanliness & Comfort

Super clean. Beds a little hard and pillows.

Scott's Hotel Killarney

Killarney, Co. Kerry

People were wonderful. But no air conditioning! And right outside our window was a carnival !!!! Even though they closed 10:00 and having to keep our windows open, it was very loud with screaming! Beds were very hard. But very clean

Authenticity & Character

Cute

Location

Perfect for our adventures

Staff

Always willing to help and very nice

Cleanliness & Comfort

very clean

Drury Court Hotel

Dublin

Very please. Close to everything. Wonderful restaurant and bar !! Great food !!

Authenticity & Character

Small lobby. But cute. Those awesome girls handle all our luggage for 6 people.

Location

perfect spot for everything.

Staff

Went beyond the call of duty. Had a bad experience with getting a horse and buggy coming from Guinness factory. They lied, WAY over charged. Totally ripped us off. My little granddaughter was devastated. Crying so bad !!! The girls at the front desk were so concerned. They called the police. They were so upset for my granddaughter they gave her a box of chocolates. They felt so bad for us having such a bad experience on our last day. They truly went beyond the call of duty !!!

Cleanliness & Comfort

Super clean and comfy !

Mount Juliet Estate

Thomastown

Beyond beautiful! Property and gulf corse are breathtaking. Wonderful food and the nicest people. The rooms were definitely 5 stars plus. Beds were amazing!! 1st class all the way.

Authenticity & Character

Classy charming and #1 on our list.

Location

Not far from all our adventures.

Staff

Super helpful and so nice

Cleanliness & Comfort

The best !!

Clayton Hotel Cardiff Lane

Beautiful hotel. Great accommodation! Super awesome people !

Authenticity & Character

Very clean. Cute and family friendly !

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

The rooms, lobby all very nice

Activity Reviews

Private Transfer/Taxi

Ireland

Outstanding. All 6 of us we very comfortable in such a beautiful, clean vehicle. And plenty of water. So pleased with our driver

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Cliffs of Moher Cruise from Doolin ( 50 min)

Doolin

Truly beautiful!!!! . The captain was amazing and his hands really helped everyone. So thoughtful. We learned so much.

Quality of Experience

Don’t miss it.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Outstanding !!

Transport

Out driver was amazing !!!

Welcome to Doolin

Doolin

So sweet ! Had a wonderful lunch at the cutest little restaurant!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Outstanding driver.

Transport

The driver was great!! The vehicle was spotless and water always available!! So knowledgeable!!

Falconry Adventures

Killarney

You can’t miss this !! One of our very favs ! You pull up to the gentleman’s house and he brings out amazing birds. So knowledgeable and entertaining!! The birds are so beautiful. We learned so much !!!!

Quality of Experience

The best !!

Guides, Drivers and Staff

So amazing !!

Transport

Our driver was incredible!! So much info we learned!

Private tour of Connemara (Sky Road, Kylemore Abbey and a Sheep dog Farm experience)

Ireland

The absolute best !! Wow

Quality of Experience

So many things made this experience amazing!!

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Outstanding !!

Transport

The best !!

Galway Cathedral

Galway

Very cool. Pretty grounds

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Awesome

Transport

Best driver. We learned so much just from the driver on so much

Free time in Dublin

Dublin

Wondered, shopped, ate, drink-pups…. Repeated !!! Learned how to love Guinness!! :)

Quality of Experience

We actually went to his home. Had a lot of surprises and amazing birds. So much knowledge !! Wonderful people !!

Guides, Drivers and Staff

The best !!!

Transport

We felt like friends. So nice and concerned that our time with him was great. Which it was !!

Irish Dancing Show

Galway

So amazing !!!! Love 🍀love 🍀love 🍀would go again !!

Quality of Experience

So friendly and accommodating!!

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Wonderful people. So knowledgeable and kind !!

Transport

The best

Private Galway Food Tour

Galway

WOW….. loved our tour guide. She was amazing!!! What a doll filled with so much knowledge!! All our stops were great. Food was wonderful. I highly recommend this for anyone going to Ireland ! Galway is top on my list. Thank you

Quality of Experience

5 ⭐️ star

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Best people ever !! Everyone we had was great !

Transport

The drivers !!!!

Trip was amazing, starting with our short stay at the Ashling Hotel when we first landed in Dublin. The hotel is beautiful, the food delicious and service outstanding. Two of us had a date at the Ink Factory for Tattoos, where we had some of the nicest artist who made our touchdown welcoming.
Our next day took us to Cork, stating at the Clayton Hotel. We did a tour of the Killarney Castle and Middleton's Jameson Distillery. I would recommend they be done on separate days but we made a day of it. When touring the Castle don't skip exploring the property... what finds there are! The people at Jamison were outstanding; such knowledge and made you feel immersed in the process. We were happily surprised to do a premium tasting, which was a wonderful treat...took home one of those premium whiskeys.
My nephew feels Killarney is the place for him...we spent three nights at the Randall's, which I would recommend everyone stay! The staff, rooms and food is amazing. Plus they have a covered patio with blankets and heaters to sit and wind down from a long day. While there plan on. A trip to Faha Falconry; we had a private visit and it was amazing! Expect a road trip that is something itself to talk about.
Galway is the place to eat! Our food tour had me trying dishes that I never would have. Have a love raspberry croissants and clams now. So much to eat!
There was so much we did... such a horseback riding, sailing and a jaunty ride, that i could talk forever about. Kimkim did an amazing job on helping us plan a family trip of a lifetime to see where my grandmother was born and raised. Thank you, Claire and the Kim Kim team!