Coraima Yañez

I learned a great deal in planning this trip with Coraima. I had worked very hard on what I wanted to see and do. She had put it all together and with 2 months before we paid our bill. I then noticed a few changes or things that logistically that would not work and requested changes. That was a bit of a no no. But she went to bat for me and made each of them come true. The accommodations in Seville exceeded our expectations. We had a 2 hour guide to begin our time in Seville. She was not terribly inciteful but very nice. BUT, the brilliance of the guide, Carlos that we had for 3 different 9 hour day adventures outside of Seville was the BEST. He knew every detail both historically , culturally gastronomically. He knew people everywhere we went and so he could really coordinate timing and every detail. We only used Kim Kim for train to Madrid and hotel. The location was perfect and although hotel could use a bit of updating, the staff etc were terrific. Kim Kim has once again given us a great trip with lasting memories!

Hotel Reviews

Room Mate Alba

Madrid

Initially, when we walked into this hotel we felt a bit if disappointment it wasn’t as updated as to style as what we’ve experienced. It looked a bit work. But we learned as time went on. . The location was fabulous. In the barrier des Lettres, far more intimate and interesting than most if Madrid. The breakfasts had much to offer but only moderately good as to quality. The rooms were comfortable and the showers very good. Staff- lovely. We ended up feeling glad we had stayed there!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Boutique Casa del Poeta Sevilla

Sevilla

This hotel exceeded our expectations. The location was quiet and intimate. The hotel was so lovely. Every large space as well as the rooms the breakfasts were incredible and the staff so accommodating. Each nite for 45 minutes , we had a Spanish guitarist and could enjoy a glass of wine. Beds and towels also luxurious.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Private Day Trip to Córdoba from Seville

Seville

The Mosque is truly spectacular and our guide Carlos, had a dear friend who gave us a private tour. A true wonder. Only problem was the time of year the town was PACKED with tourists like us and it was very hot. Glad to have seen the Jewish quarter and its history.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

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Flamenco Show & Museum Visit

Seville

So glad we booked it for evening. I’ve seen flamenco, but the man was a superstar. Really enjoyed.

Quality of Experience

Private Cádiz & Jerez Day Trip with Sherry Tasting

Seville

Ten great hours. Cadiz lovely to walk the town and visit Mercado. Onto Jerez for the equestrian show which was brilliant. Fabulous lunch at Alcala, another Michelin. Also sherry tasting at Lustau. A great day.

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Guides, Drivers and Staff

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Private Ronda & White Villages Day Trip

Seville

We loved this portion of our trip… both the visits and our guide. Sentinel is a must to see and experience. Zahara had a film being shot there which was fun and Ronda. Had a Michelin lunch( due to Carlis’ expertise) over looking the gorge.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

OUR DRIVERS IN LISBON WERE INCREDIBLE. THEY WERE ALL FRIENDLY AND EXTREMELY HELPFUL. WE HAD THE OWNER FOR 2 OF OUR TOURS AND FELT LIKE HE WAS A GOOD FRIEND!!!! All the tours wee great and the one to Sintra was extraordinary. Our guide again was exceptional. The accommodations were also wonderful, and the hosts were extremely helpful, especially with restaurant recommendations. The travel to the Douro valley was very long and we were happy we had the long hike once we arrived. Our guide was very friendly during our hike. The accommodations were again excellent, and our host was helpful and friendly. He even had a friend who was a taxi driver who took us wherever we needed to go and gave restaurant recommendations. The first night he just ran a tab instead of having us pay per trip. At the end of the second night we paid him for all trips. We could not believe he was that trusting. We, of course, offered to pay each time but he said we would settle up at the end. Our wine tour was incredible. Our guide who was the son of the owner of the family winery was also incredible. We learned so much about running a winery and it was on the river. We bought some of his wines!!!! While one cannot buy his wines retail, once you have purchased on sight you are now able to order direct from him.
Then we come to a part of the trip that was not good. We had a driver from the valley to Porto who spoke no English and did not even tell us until we reached Porto. His driving was erratic and made us very nervous. Obviously as he had not even spoken to us, we did not know he had no English. We would advise you not to use them again.
Our Porto walk and wine tasting walk were informative and fun. The guide for the wine tasting was great and of course we found a port that you cannot buy here. We are looking forwarding to enjoying the bottle we purchased. Our accommodations were incredible, the garden house, and our hosts were also quite helpful, especially when we had to leave so early. The only tour we did not enjoy was our final day. The day trip to Braga and Guimaraes was not enjoyable. The driver was not on time and the service kept sending different messages, first that he would be 30-45 minutes late, (which meant we could have had breakfast) then that he would be there in 5 minutes, then after I asked that they explain, the response was that one of the responses was not intended for us, and I finally messaged that we would now wait inside until he arrived. They told us to expect one vehicle and later changed to a different one. When the driver finally arrived, he said he had locked his keys in his vehicle and that was the issue. He then spent considerable time picking up 2 other couples. During the long drive, he talked and talked but it was uninteresting. He was hyper. He did finally calm down and we enjoyed him. We had a good lunch. Luckily the guide was good friends with the owner. However, we then had to be in the car while he dropped everyone else off and finally arrived near our hotel, within
a couple blocks, and an hour after the tour was supposed to end. Our driver to the airport at 3:30 am was great. He arrived on time and was quite friendly. KimKim was helpful in assuring me he would be on time so thank you. After the day before I need that assurance.

Hotel Reviews

Menina Colina Guesthouse

Porto

The garden house was incredible, and the staff was very helpful including the manager of the restaurant.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Casa de São Domingos

Peso da Régua

The owner was friendly and helpful.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Pátio do Tijolo

Lisbon

Excellent and the hosts were very helpful in restaurant choices.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Gaia Port Tasting Walk

Portugal

Loved it

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

You take an uber so nothing to review but it was fine

Private Douro Valley Hike

Portugal

See narrative

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

We walked to it

Evening Fado Show

Lisbon

It was interesting

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

NA We walked there as it was very close to our accommodations which was great

Transport

Private Highlights Tour of Lisbon

Lisbon

The guide made it special

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Loved him

Transport

Porto Highlights Walk

Porto

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

We took public transport to get there which wasfin e

Day Trip to Braga & Guimarães

Porto

See narrative

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Private Douro & Vinho Verde Wine Tasting

Portugal

See my narrative.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Private Pena Palace & Sintra Village Half-Day Trip

Lisbon

stated in my narrative

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Amazing as stated in my narrative

Transport

All of our guys were great! Friendly and knowledgeable and willing to go the extra mile to accommodate us. We couldn’t be more pleased.

Coraima helped us plan a lovely trip to Porto and the Douro Valley associated with a work conference. Overall, it was a great trip. The only real hiccup was that the driver who was supposed to pick us up at the airport had some sort of car trouble, so a different driver had to come, and we were waiting a while (maybe 30 minutes after we had cleared customs). The tour of Porto on our first day was fine, but I didn't learn as much about the history of Porto as I expected to. In retrospect a food tour of Porto may have been a better choice. The hotel where we stayed in Regua was very pleasant. It is basically a bed and breakfast run by a family, and they were super nice and helpful. It was about a 15 minute walk from the hotel into the main part of the town. Of the planned activities, the winery tour in the Douro Valley was the highlight. Very fun to learn about wine making at a small, family vineyard in a beautiful setting.

Hotel Review

Casa de São Domingos

Peso da Régua

Bed and breakfast run by a family. It is about a 15 minute walk from the hotel into the main part of town. The hotel staff/owners were very helpful and friendly. The rooms are large and comfortable.

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Activity Reviews

Private Douro Valley Hike

Portugal

Lovely hike through the vineyards near Regua. I am glad we did it in the early morning before it got too hot.

Private Douro & Vinho Verde Wine Tasting

Portugal

I enjoyed seeing a smaller winery and the setting was beautiful.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Private Porto Highlights Walk

Porto

Our guide was enjoyable company, but I didn't learn as much about Porto as I had hoped.

Private River Cruise with Wine & Food Platter

Porto

Pleasant time on the water near Porto. We were given a small plate of snacks (cheese, crackers, grapes) and a porto tonic. We could have played our own music via Bluetooth, but chose not to.

We had an excellent time during our two weeks in Spain (Barcelona, Granada, Ronda and Malaga). Excellent private tours, great itinerary, lots of free time and a relaxed travel schedule. The hotels were wonderful, and I love that all the in country travel was taken care, made everything so stress free. Highlights include the private Gaudi tour and bike tour in Barcelona, private tour of the Alhambra in Granada plus a lovely hike in the Sierra Nevada. All the guides knew their stuff. Thank you KimKim!

This was our first time using Kimkim, and we found our travel planner, Coraima, to be delightful. She was very responsive and knowledgeable about the areas we wanted to visit.
However, we will not be using Kimkim again after being mislead about their markups ! In our first conversation, Coraima told us that they would pass through their costs from hotels, tours, transfer, and rental cars, and add a 9% fee. In the middle of our trip we were booked into very bad hotel rooms in San Sebastián and we asked Coraima for a detailed list of everything thing we were billed for and she quickly provided that list which showed each vendor and the 9% markup applied to the total. We then asked our hotel what Kimkim had paid for our rooms and found Kimkim had marked up the rooms by 100% in what they charged us !!!!
We have tried to get the prices paid by Kimkim for our other two hotels, and so far have not succeeded.

I would not recommend using Kimkim, but if you do, you should demand transparency for all their pricing.

Hotel Reviews

Hotel Ercilla de Bilbao

Bilbao, Bizkaia

This is a very good city hotel as one would expect from Marriott Autograph collection. The front desk staff, bellmen, and restaurant staff were excellent. They have a very nice top floor terrace bar with great views of Bilbao. The rooms are a bit dated and we only had a standard double bed instead of a queen.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Convenient walking access to most of what we wanted to see.

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Rooms were a bit dated and we only had a standard double bed.

Hotel SANSEbay

San Sebastian

This hotel has a nice location overlooking the bay at San Sebastián. Unfortunately we had the worst rooms in the hotel. They were on the first floor with no views and a patio that was tiny for 2 people. The patio was facing a 50 foot high rock wall about 5 feet from the patio door . It felt like we were at the bottom of an elevator shaft. The lobby and restaurant area were quite nice, and the front desk and restaurant staff were great !

Authenticity & Character

Location

Great location next to the Old Town and overlooking the bay. The location of our room, however, was abysmal!

Staff

The front desk staff were very friendly and very responsive.

Cleanliness & Comfort

There was no coffee or tea service in the rooms, and the AC was a bit hard to control, but otherwise the room was very nice.

Finca de Los Arandinos

Entrena

This small hotel in the middle of the Rioja region was delightful. Interesting art and architecture with a small hotel feel. Nice clean rooms and a very good breakfast service.

Authenticity & Character

Location

In the middle of several Rioja region wineries

Staff

H

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Pintxos & Wine Walk

San Sebastián

We had a wonderful guide but we had 8 in our group and it was a logistical challenge to visit crowded pintxa bars and stay close enough to our guide to hear much.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Guggenheim Visit with a Private Guide

Bilbao

We did a one hour tour of the museum with a guide named Ichia who was outstanding.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Traditional Basque Coastal Towns Day Trip

San Sebastián

8 people in a crowded van, and a mediocre tour guide

Quality of Experience

M

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

They need a van with AC vents and or windows that open in the back two rows. It felt like a panel truck !

Local Wine Experience in Rioja

Spain

Our guide Adolfito, or Fito was great. Very personable and knowledgeable. We did tastings and tours at two wineries. The first was a small family owned winery and the tour and tasting were among the best we have ever had !

Quality of Experience

The owner of the first winery gave us a great tour , tasting and pintxos.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport