Helena Fernández

A spectacular week for our family exploring Andalucia! Things were so well planned, our guides and drivers were amazing. Helena helped us find activities that were right up our alley... a really fun way to explore the countryside. Enjoyed the hiking and especially loved the E- biking. A great trip-- thank you!

Activity Reviews

Madrid Fun Segway Tour

Madrid

A great way to see a lot of the city in a short amount of time. Fun, and just the right amount of history.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

He "read the crowd" and made things enjoyable for adults and teenagers.

Hiking in Madrid National Park & Visit to a Medieval Castle

Madrid

Our guide, Javi, was terrific! His pride in the park was evident, and we enjoyed the way he wanted us to experience the park work all of our senses. He adjusted to our level, and took our teenager (who's a rock climber) on some extra paths to explore.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Sierra Nevada E-Bike Route

Granada

One of our favorite excursions of the trip. Longer than described, so we ended up having to leave early to make it to meet our guide at the Alhambra... that was a little disappointing. But the guides were flexible and helped us make it work. The ride itself was fun and just beautiful. It was amazing to bike through all of the different climate zones. The Ebikes were easy to use and the route was fantastic

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Driver really went above and beyond to get us back to Grenada on time

Guided Visit of Alhambra & Generalife Gardens

Granada

Alberto was an excellent guide. Enthusiastic and knowledgeable. A great balance of historical storytelling and art history commentary

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Hiking Excursion to the Andalusia Countryside: Las Alpujarras

Spain

Jaime was an excellent guide. Personable and knowledgeable, adaptable and gave us options along the way to extend our hike. Definitely hooked tetanus we never could have navigated in our own.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Tajo Trip: Discover Ronda Countryside in Buggy

Ronda

We felt like we were driving around town with the mayor... in buggies! A lot of fun, beautiful views, and felt like we were exploring Ronda with an insider. We enjoyed his recommendations for exploring the town on our own after, and appreciated the tips on things like how to see the bullring.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Day Excursion to Caminito del Rey

Málaga

Pretty views. I think we were spoiled by the remoteness of our other activities-- this felt very "touristy" in comparison. But it was a fun experience.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Our driver, Jesus, was wonderful! He was disappointed he wasn't assigned to drive us during other legs of our week. Our other drivers were fine, but Jesus really stood out above and beyond... both him personally and his exceptionally clean car.

We had a lovely time in Barcelona, I think given the requests, our trip plan was well curated and we had very good experiences. In terms of the accommodations, we had a slight issue each time we stayed at the Gran Havana with the rooms not being equitable for a family of five, but they were kind enough to move the furniture out of the way and bring a rollaway bed in each time for the fifth person to sleep on. Not having heated pools at either accommodation was also a bit of a disappointment when traveling with little kids. The driver and tour guides were all very great. I think we were a bit disappointed with the cancelation of the kayak trip because the weather turned out to be very nice on the morning that we were scheduled to go on that excursion. The mosaics class was really nice and we enjoyed the other tours as well.
Thank you Kim Kim and Helena for your help!

Helena did an exceptional job in planning our wonderful 3 week visit and tour around Spain! The whole kimkim experience is terrific from the start, asking questions and gathering information to understand and accommodate our interests: preferred types of activities, length of time available, budget, travel dates, food interests, physical abilities and/or limitations, willingness to fly/take trains/buses, self-drive, preferred accommodation level, tour group sizes, etc.!! Then Helena created a custom excursion for us based on those imputs, and we had a blast! She was very knowledgeable of all aspects and areas of travel in Spain, and was also available and responsive (or other agents over the weekends) during the trip to advise or answer questions. Very professional and enjoyable experience!!

It’s the first time my husband and I used Kim Kim for one of our trips and we’re very happy we did. Helena was our local specialist and she did a fantastic job with not only the planning of the the itinerary but with keeping in touch with us every step of the way. She was personable, made all the changes we asked for and made sure everything went very smoothly throughout our trip. The hotels were beautiful, their locations were great and the included breakfasts delicious! Also, all the trains we took were on time and our guides in each city were very interesting. Anne Marie, in Barcelona was great, Hector in Madrid was awesome, Laura at the Alhambra was very knowledgeable, Andrés in Seville was personable and funny and the young girl at the Hacienda Guzmán (olive oil estate) really knew her stuff!

Hotel Reviews

Hotel España Ramblas

Barcelona

This hotel was amazing! Most of it is decorated in the Art Nouveau Style (which I love) but the rooms were all remodeled with a contemporary look. The breakfast was one of the best of our trip to Spain.

Authenticity & Character

Perfectly decorated Art Nouveau Style especially because it’s in Barcelona!

Location

Near the lively Ramblas , near several restaurants and a subway station.

Staff

Everyone at the desk, on the roof top and at the breakfast was very helpful and nice!

Cleanliness & Comfort

Whole hotel was supper clean and the rooms were spotless!

7 Islas Hotel

Madrid

Hotel was at a great location almost right on Gan Via and near many attractions. Breakfast was very good!

Authenticity & Character

Very contemporary looking hotel! Breakfast was excellent, lots of variety!

Location

Near most attractions and across from a conveniently located market.

Staff

Everyone at the front desk and at breakfast was very helpful and personable.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Beds were amazingly comfortable! Bathroom was spotless!

Hotel Casa 1800 Granada

Granada

This was one of the most interesting hotels on our trip to Spain because it was so picturesque! The decor was rustic and at the same time contemporary! We loved the way it looked!

Authenticity & Character

As I said above the very Spanish style of the Hotel looked very authentic to the region it’s in. Loved it!

Location

It couldn’t have been a better location, near the action but away enough that it was quiet at night. Also near the Alhambra.

Staff

Everyone from front desk to breakfast staff was amazing! We needed a to go breakfast very early one day and they had it all ready for us.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Super clean hotel and very quaint!

Hotel Hospes Las Casas del Rey de Baeza

Sevilla

This hotel was beautiful with gorgeous courtyards and Bougainville growing everywhere. The breakfast was amazing too and the room very big and sumptuous!

Authenticity & Character

This hotel was very special in that it had the feel of a bed and breakfast with all the amenities of a hotel. In other words the perfect combination of both.

Location

The location was perfect because it was in a more quiet neighborhood yet within walking distance of the historic center of Seville.

Staff

Staff was very nice and helpful with anything we needed from calling us a cab to offering us hot breakfast in the morning!

Cleanliness & Comfort

Exceptional cleanliness in the entire premises of this i hotel!

Only YOU Hotel Atocha

Madrid

The best hotel for the one last night we were in Spain. Right across the Atocha train station where we arrived from Seville and close to museums I still wanted to see on our last day, like the Reina Sofia Museum.

Authenticity & Character

Very contemporary looking hotel, very lively lobby, a “breakary” to have some sweets and a nice restaurant.

Location

Superb location by train station, restaurants, museums, parks, etc

Staff

Everyone was so accommodating at the front desk! Firmin was super helpful and friendly!

Cleanliness & Comfort

The beds were one of the most comfortable beds I’ve ever had in a hotel and the bathroom was super clean!

Activity Reviews

Private Tour of Barcelona & La Sagrada Familia

Barcelona

Absolutely loved this attraction! Was here in 1981 and it was so wonderful to see the finished inside of the Basilica! Not to be missed if you’re in Barcelona.

Quality of Experience

The excellence of the work of Gaudí and the history behind it is what makes this an extraordinary experience!

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Our guide Anne Marie was very knowledgeable and had interesting things to tell us that made it a very special experience!

Transport

We used the Subway to get to the Sagrada Familia and Anne Marie explained how to use the Metro which helped us the next day when we needed to go somewhere else in Barcelona.

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

Madrid

This private guided visit was great! Hector, our guide, was an expert on the history and culture of Madrid. He pointed out several buildings including the famous Royal Palace and showed us places where Madrileños spend their nights having a good time with friends.

Quality of Experience

We wouldn’t have learned so much about Madrid if we didn’t take a private tour like this, with only the guide, my husband and I.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Hector our guide was very personable and we engaged in very interesting conversations about not only Madrid but the rest of Spain and other countries. No drivers were necessary on this tour, it was supposed to be a walking tour of the center of Madrid.

Tour of the Alhambra and Generalife Gardens

Spain

This was one of the most impressive and iconic places we saw in our Spain trip. We really enjoyed every minute of it! We had seen videos of this palace but there’s nothing like being there in person immersing yourself in the experience with a very knowledgeable guide.

Quality of Experience

Excellent quality of experience! We learned so much about the history of Spain by going on this tour and also learned so much about Muslim culture and art! It’s totally worth it.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Our guide, Laura, was fantastic! Her background was in archeology so she knew a lot about the Alhambra and it’s history. No transpor was needed for this tour.

Transport

Guided Visit of Seville

Seville

Once again we had a wonderful guide, Andrés, who showed us not only the old part of Seville like the Cathedral and the Giralda but also the Alcázar. The interesting thing about the Alcázar is that it’s decorations have Muslim elements as well as Christian elements and that makes it very unique . Also Andrés told us very intriguing stories about the Catholic king that had it built.

Quality of Experience

This was a magical tour and the quality of the experience unique! We totally recommend it.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

We really enjoyed Andrés’ tour because he made the palace come alive with the details he told us about the king and the court. No drivers in this tour it was a walking tour.

Visit an Andalusian Olive Oil Estate

Seville

Amazing tour of an olive oil plantation and processing plant. We learned a lot from our lovely and friendly guide. Not only did we see how olive oil is processed now a days but how it was done in the 16th century. We also got to taste the delicious olive oil they obtain from the olives that grow there.

Quality of Experience

What stood out the most was the way they used to do the whole process in the old days. All the vats, the grinders, the containers are still there for us to see how involved the entire method of extracting the olive oil was back then… fascinating!

Guides, Drivers and Staff

The guide was young but very knowledgeable so she showed us when olives are ripe to be plucked from the trees, the different olive trees from different countries, the process of extracting the oil from the olives nowadays and back in the day. She let us taste some of their finest olive oils at the end of the tour. She also gave us a gift of two olive oil bottles. Very visitor friendly place!

Transport

A van came to pick us up at our hotel to bring us to the Estate. The lady driver was on time and waited for us at the estate to bring us back. Everything went according to plan.

Helena was always prompt and made the process easy. She made great suggestions and helped us plan a great trip to the Canaray Islands.

Hotel Review

Iberostar Grand El Mirador

Costa Adeje

We've traveled a lot and this was one of the best places we've ever stayed. Great location. Wonderful, friendly staff. Set up well. No kids. Just the right size. They thought of a lot to help make the stay so comfortable. LOVED IT!

Authenticity & Character

Everywhere you looked this place was lovely

Location

Gorgeous views. Walk to the beach in 2 minutes if you want.

Staff

Very friendly and accomodating.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Spotless

Activity Reviews

Teide Excursion in Safari Jeeps

Spain

What we got to see what great. Our guide was wonderful. Loved Teide National Park.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Massage in SPA Sensations Iberostar

Tenerife

I wouldn't get massages here again. They weren't great. Not much pressure. Climbed on the table (I always think that is inappropriate).

Quality of Experience

Day Excursion to the Island of La Gomera

Tenerife

Long day but worth it. Only reason it doesn't get 5 stars is because it is long, but that's no ones fault.

Maryann was our Guide for Food and Wine tour.
Pedro Dias for our Porto City Tour who was both knowledgeable and accommodating.
Pedro for our Douro Valley and Wineries tour and Port Wine Tasting, very funny and nice guy.
Joao who went out of his way to pick us up from Coimbra upon learning we have left Porto the day before via Fatima to take us to Lisbon. Guillermo or Guill was our Amazing Tuk Tuk Lisbon City Tour Guide. Paulo Pires our Guide for the Day Excursion of Sintra, Cascais and Estoril, Very informative Historically of Lisbon and Portugal as a whole.

We had a fantastic time in Spain! Helena did an excellent job collaborating with us to ensure the trip suited our trip preferences, including everything from type of activities to hotel accommodations to pace of travel and beyond. She was highly responsive both during the planning process and the actual trip itself. In particular, we appreciated how flexible she was, especially when real-time challenges came up such as us getting lost and arriving late to several tours or missing our private transfer to certain locations. Her quick thinking and bias for action helped resolve these hiccups quickly, which we really appreciated. We also liked that she gave us sufficient free time throughout the trip to explore in a more unstructured way, and there were plenty of suggestions on fun attractions to visit, restaurants to eat at, and night life to check out that enriched our experience. Overall, we enjoyed collaborating with Helena and would recommend her to anyone looking to travel to Spain!

Our initial introduction to Barcelona was not the best. We were picked up by a driver and a guide, who was pleasant enough, but her English was so poor that none of us really understood anything that she was saying to us, and the driving tour was less than informative because of that. in addition, we were told that she would take us to a restaurant that she recommended to have lunch and she took us to the top floor of the mall which has beautiful views of the city, but the restaurant she took us to was awful. Most of what we ordered was inedible and I would get that off the list immediately .
The hotel, the Petit Palace BoqueriaGarden, was in the perfect location just a block off Las Ramblas and the rooms were small, but very nice. All the rest of the Recommended Restaurants were delicious.
Our guide the next day, Anna, was absolutely fabulous and we all loved the walking tour that she took us on through the Gothic quarter and the Jewish quarter, and then la sagrada Familia. Then she recommended a delicious restaurant for lunch, Las Sorrentinas, we liked so much we considered going back to it the next day.
And the next day we went on the park view tour, and although our guide was very good, we feel like that tour was misrepresented in the description, especially when the teenagers in our group were looking forward to seeing the dungeons in the castle on Monjuic but when we got there, we discovered that the dungeons were no longer being Open to the public so that was a big disappointment. As a result, we could have done without that tour.
And the next day, the car was delivered to our hotel, and although there was a bit of confusion, initially, it all went well, and we headed out of town. We absolutely adored our hotel, the Hotel Diana, and Tossa De Mar, which is a fabulous little Beachside resort.
The following day we had our hiking, kayaking, snorkeling, and even some cliff, jumping experience with our fabulous guide Stepan who really made the whole experience so memorable and fun.
On the way back to Barcelona, the van broke down on the highway and the travel care team was instrumental in getting the van towed and a taxi to pick us up and get us to the airport in time for our flight so that we are very thankful for them. There was some confusion as we were getting mixed results from the care team and the Tow truck company, but we finally figured it all out and it all ended well

Hotel Reviews

Petit Palace Boquería Garden

Barcelona

Beautiful hotel in a fabulous location with a lovely staff and lovely gardens

Authenticity & Character

Location

Close to lots of charming shops and just off La Ramblas

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Diana

Tossa de Mar

Perfect location right on the beach and a magnificent building and interior design. boutique style hotel with lovely and accommodating staff.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Private Tour of Barcelona & La Sagrada Familia

Barcelona

Anna, our guide was fabulous and knowledgeable and so enthusiastic!!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Barcelona Old Town & Sky Views

Barcelona

We probably could have done without this tour. Some of the territory we covered was repetitive, and the castle that we went to visit was not completely opened and therefore misrepresented in the description. we had hoped to see the dungeons, but they are no longer open to the public and that was one of the reasons we booked that tour.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Coastal Hike, Kayaking & Lagoon Dipping in Costa Brava

Spain

Everything about it was just right! Our guide, Stepan, was fabulous, and we recommend it so highly

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport