Kateryna Garkavenko

Kate was wonderful,,, very responsive and a delight to work with. She tied up almost every loose end, went above and beyond on a couple of occasions and when she didn’t know an answer to our questions, she quickly found the answer and provided it right away.
I do want to provide feedback on a couple of things,,, fist the positive,,,,, the itinerary was fine, maybe a little too aggressive for people in their 70s but that was more our responsibility than Kimkims. We made changes on the spot and that was fine. It did result in our not taking a number of tours that we prepaid for.
Transportation was fine, both private cars and trains.
Accommodation’s were of mixed quality. In Edinburgh we enjoyed the Glasshouse Hotel but we wished that our hotel could have been more centrally located and if not in the old city, maybe closer to it. The Leonardo In Glasgow, we would never stay in that prearranged hotel and it should not be used as a choice in the future; out of the way, old and dated, heat didn’t work in our room and not a friendly staff.

Hotel Reviews

The Glasshouse, Autograph Collection

Edinburgh

Nice hotel, accommodations were clean and comfortable

Authenticity & Character

Location

Move the hotel choice closer to the old city

Staff

Guest Services/ concierge were great

Cleanliness & Comfort

Had a number of problems in the bathroom,,,, first arrives, no heat in the room, thermostat needed to be replaced; show door did not close, could not be fixed so bathroom floor flooded everyday; temperature control on shower was broken and needed to be replaced. Too many mishaps for one stay

Leonardo Royal Hotel Glasgow

Terrible experience here, you should not offer this hotel in the future

Authenticity & Character

Hotel was dated, needed a renovation, dingy and sparse,,,, our room had no functions heat,,,,, they had to improvise and moved a space heated in for our stay

Location

Out of the way, don’t feel particularly safe walking around neighborhood

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Don’t use this hotel,,,,, it was at the end of our trip and did not leave a positive last impression

AC Hotel by Marriott Inverness

Inverness

Clean, efficient, tiny rooms

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Edinburgh Castle & Old Town Private Tour

Edinburgh

Guide was warn and very knowledgeable but provided tooooo much info, couldn’t absorb it all. Appealed tha she had a set program and couldn’t deviate,,, tooo much and too deep of detail

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

The Kelpies Guided Tour

Scotland

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Erie from Executuve Private transfers was a terrific driver. We used him twice on long distance drive….. A real gem and great representative for the company

Transport

My friend and I had the MOST AMAZING London/Paris adventure that was organized by Kate on the kimkim platform. We went in September 2025 and still talk about this trip daily. We are planning our 2026 adventure with her now!

Our trip to Scotland was magical. Kate was very attentive, always quick to respond with questions and to offer alternatives to the itinerary. The pace was perfect and we hit every sight we wanted to see, with the exception of Nessie, she was not in view the day we were at Loch Ness!

Eridon was exceptional as a driver/guide. He drove us to Portree and made a few stops en route that were not on the itinerary, places that he thought we'd like, and we did! It was a long day, but one of the best ones. He was lovely and very knowledgable.

All the hotels were great, but Taransay House stood out. Our stay there included breakfast and dinner each night and the food was delicious. The rooms were immaculate and very spacious and comfortable but what stood out the most is how hospitable Murdo and his family are, he was there at the door to greet us upon arrival and we immediately felt like old friends. He helped us with mapping out routes, and finding a driver for us, by calling in a favor, when he learned that we had no transportation reserved.

As a note - in many of the more remote places in Scotland, Uber is not available and taxis need to be reserved (well) in advance. We didn't understand this and were caught out more than once when there was no transportation available. It would have been better (and easier) for us to have that done in advance, whether by Kate or on our own, as it was a bit stressful on the day to learn that we couldn't move forward with our plans due to lack of transportation.

Hotel Reviews

Virgin Hotels Edinburgh

Edinburgh

Fabulous location, right on "Diagon Alley" and walking distance to everything in Edinburgh. The staff was very helpful and very welcoming. Rooms were comfortable and clean.

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Taransay House, Small Hotel

Portree

Taransay House is a gem. Only four rooms, run by a family, includes breakfast and dinner. We have stayed at 5 star resorts all over the world, and Taransay House is on par. The rooms are immaculate, large and very comfortable, and the food is wonderful. The family that runs it are very special, we felt welcome immediately and when our stay was over, I didn't want to leave. It was one of the highlights of our trip.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Walking distance to the center of Portree, overlooking a waterway.

Staff

Murdo and Scott are fantastic!

Cleanliness & Comfort

Prestonfield House

Edinburgh

What a special experience! We felt like we had stepped back in time to another, more civilized, era, but with all the modern amenities and comforts.

Authenticity & Character

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Review

Edinburgh: Harry Potter Magical Guided Walking Tour

Edinburgh

Even my husband, who is not a Potter fan, thought this was so much fun.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Kate from KimKim connected us with drivers and guides that were just good people with local knowledge and an interest in helping us have a positive experience. Numerous times during our trip, my wife and I commented that the support from Kate made this a comfortable and stress free trip.

Hotel Reviews

Cameron house

Lovely property and welcoming staff.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Inverlochy Castle Hotel

Fort William

Our time here was impacted by a major wind and rain storm. The staff rose to the occasion and did their best to pamper us and help make it a positive staff.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Views are amazing.

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Marmalade Hotel

Portree

Nice property in a very convenient location.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Front desk staff was not overly friendly. All other employees at the property were great.

Cleanliness & Comfort

River Ness Hotel, a member of Radisson Individuals

Inverness

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel du Vin & Bistro Edinburgh

Edinburgh

Authenticity & Character

Unique property, in a good sense.

Location

Staff

Wonderful welcoming staff. Made us feel like we were appreciated.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Holyrood Distillery Tour

Edinburgh

Was looking for a whiskey tour. This tour focused more on their other distilled spirits. Was not a fan of their whiskey.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Talisker Distillery

Scotland

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Private Inverness Walking Tour

Scotland

Our guide was knowledgeable and engaging.

Explore Glen Affric, Culloden, and Clava Cairns Tour

Inverness

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Edinburgh Old Town Tour

Edinburgh

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

The Vaults Tour

Edinburgh

If you have limited time, don’t think this needs to be a priority.

Quality of Experience

Probably the least favorite guide we had while in Scotland.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Our trip went smoothly overall and all of our accommodations and private guides were exceptional. Shawna did a fabulous private tour of Old Town Edinburgh with us. She recommended a wonderful place to eat in Old Town and we ended up eating there again on our last day when we returned to Edinburgh for our flight home the next day.

We had an issue with Ian, our driver (son of Brian of BW taxis) on our transfer to Inverness from Portree-he didn't seem to know where he was supposed to take us and insisted that he had let you know that he could not do Culloden, Cairngorms and Clava Cairns on the same day ; I let Kateryna know and she fixed the issues promptly (on a Sunday!) and arranged for a driver on Monday who was outstanding (Jim). He and Kateryna made sure that we were able to do the activities that we were supposed to do on Sunday even though it made a very long day for both Jim and ourselves. (It was almost dark and we were the only ones left when we left the Culloden battlefield!) If the driver on Sunday had followed the itinerary we would have been able to see all the places on our itinerary before it became so late. I would suggest that you do not use ian again. Constantine, our driver from Edinburgh to Loch Lomond was very accommodating - he stopped at Balloch Castle and took us into Luss. Our driver from Loch Lomond to Portree (Eri) was also great. The driver who picked us up at the airport did not meet us in the airport as we expected but sent me a WhatsApp video of where we should go to find him. We weren't able to follow his directions very well and he had to come and find us after all. I understand that he was not supposed to leave his car in the place that he had parked but this disconcerted us as it was the first thing we encountered upon our arrival.

Kateryna's suggested activities were perfect for us! We were able to see a lot in the 9 days that we were there. We ended up doing the Mary King's Close tour on the last day that we were in Edinburgh which was not something that we booked with you. It really was a spectacular 9 days. The only other thing I want to mention (I've mentioned this to Kateryna) is that we have used agencies for several other international trips in the past and we have always been able to view a detailed list of expenses for drivers, hotels and excursions. I'm not sure why you do not wish to make this information available to your travelers but my husband prefers this transparency. Even though Kateryna did a wonderful job for us, he would be hesitant to use your services in the future for this reason.

Hi Kateryna,
Our trip to England was wonderful and you were great, responding very quickly to our texts and emails, and making the adjustments we requested. Our guides, Chris, our Black Cab driver in London, and Ulrich in Bath, were so knowledgeable and fun. Loved our hotels, very quaint and comfortable (especially The Manor, I'd like to live there forever). Enjoyed our diverse itinerary and the great transportation between town, especially our train ride.
Thank you so much for making this trip perfect.

Our trip to England was incredible! Kate truly listened to our interests and crafted the perfect itinerary—blending city highlights, countryside charm, and small-town experiences. In just one week, we visited palaces, farmhouses, and ancient Roman baths, and got a real feel for England’s rich history and culture. All of the travel arrangements were seamless—drivers were punctual and friendly, and our tours were fantastic. The Black Cab tour with Chris was fun and informative, and the walking tour of Bath with Ulrich brought the city’s history and architecture to life. Every hotel was spot on for our group of three. Our favorite was the Manor House in Castle Combe—beautiful, comfortable, and topped off with a lovely afternoon tea. Kate was thoughtful, organized, and so easy to work with. I highly recommend her to anyone planning a trip to England—she made our vacation unforgettable!