Kateryna Garkavenko

We Loved Our Trip!

Kateryna clearly took the time to create an unforgettable trip to London and Paris for my husband and I.

We began in London with activities planned to help us see the most important sights and landmarks. After a slight hiccup with a two hour delay leaving New York, and then another hiccup in the Heathrow Airport, in which the customs computer system went down, we missed our time slot to see Westminster Abbey. Kate replied to us while we were still standing on line at customs to change our call time to the following day. She also ensured that our transportation from the airport would wait for us! We got the chance to have a private tour of London in a black cab with our guide, John. John was fun, informative, and certainly a highlight of our trip! In addition to Westminster Abbey we were also scheduled to tour The Tower of London and go to The British Museum. On our final day in London we went on a bus that Brough us to Windsor Castle, Stonehenge, and Bath. Our tour guide Apple made sure that we stayed on time and had fun throughout the day. We had a great time in London, we stayed in The Phoenix Hotel, which was easily accessible and in a cute neighborhood that had everything we needed within walking distance.

The middle part of our trip took us to Oxford. Unfortunately, we were scheduled to be there during many of Oxford's graduations. We were booked to stay in a pub that was not in Oxford and we believe this is because many of the hotels were booked for the graduations. While Headington is not far from London, the 20 minute bus rides definitely put the brakes on exploring. In hindsight we wish that we had not been scheduled to go to Oxford. It was impossible to get tickets for Christ Church, Oxford's buildings were closed to non-graduates, and the streets were packed with people. We had a very hard time finding a place to have dinner in the city of Oxford and ended up having dinner at our pub, The Black Boy, both nights. While The Black Boy was a nice place to stay and we had plenty of room in our accommodations we couldn't help but feel that the overall experience was a little... off. While the owner was welcoming she also seemed annoyed that she had guests. The service in the restaurant was extremely slow and the staff seemed untrained. While we made the most of our time there- it probably would have been more fun for us to have spent those two nights in London. That being said, we did enjoy our tour of The Cotswolds, which could have been scheduled even if we hadn't left London.

Finally, our trip brought us to Paris! We loved it there. We got to go to the top of the Eiffel Tower our first night and the experience will stick with us forever. We were also scheduled to visit the Catacombs, which was both thrilling and chilling, and The Louvre! Our last scheduled event in Paris was seeing Versailles which was well organized and well timed within the scope of our day. Our schedule was open enough that we were also able to see Notre Dame and spend plenty of time in the Luxembourg Gardens. We were staying the WS Casanova. We had our own apartment which was cozy. We were on the top floor and were initially concerned about the fact that it had limited air flow, no direct access to the elevator, and no air conditioning (not uncommon in Paris!). The apartment worked out well for us as Paris experienced mild weather during our nights there. The only flaw is that the apartment was not a traditional hotel room and so there were no amenities such as room cleaning or fresh sheets and towels. There were also small signs of wear and tear on the room that, while not taking away from the usability of the space, did diminish its quality.

Overall we are really pleased with our experience. We would recommend Kateryna and KimKim to our friends in the future! Thank you for a great 10 days!

Kate did an excellent job planning our trip for us. The hotels were beautiful! The guides that she set us up with in Scotland were very knowledgeable, friendly, and fun to be with.

Hotel Reviews

VOCO Grand Central Glasgow

Glasgow

Cameron house

Rocpool Reserve Hotel

Inverness

Virgin Hotels Edinburgh

Edinburgh

Activity Reviews

Private Inverness Walking Tour

Scotland

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Edinburgh Old Town Tour

Edinburgh

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Our 12 person family trip to Scotland was amazing! A trip of a lifetime! And Kateryna our travel agent was incredible! She helped us plan a trip for 12 to 5 different towns and cities, starting in Edinburgh, and ending in Glasgow. We had two amazing drivers, Marco and Eri, who helped make the trip and excursions seem less. From the Inns to the restaurant suggestions, tours and hikes we couldn’t have asked for a better trip. I highly recommend visiting The isle of Skye, hiking its magical hills and mountains and its small towns like Portree. We will definitely use Kimkim and Katyrina again!

My daughter found KimKim when she started planning our trip to Scotland. Kate worked very well with our requests, the changes while planning our 2 week trip. The accommodations were excellent in every area we visited, along with scheduling the visits to the castles, dining and transportation on the ferries. I highly recommend Kate and Kim Kim for travel planning.

Our trip was amazing! Start to finish. Kate was super helpful and enthusiastic. Great network of guides and drivers. The ability to personalize our trip was key. Will use Kim Kim again!

I'm thrilled to share our incredible 9-day family trip to England, which exceeded our expectations in every way. I would rate our overall experience a 9/10, and I cannot recommend both England as a destination AND our amazing travel agent Kateryna highly enough!

What made this trip truly special was having everything seamlessly handled for us. Kateryna arranged all our accommodations, transportation (including private drivers and train tickets), and event tickets. The peace of mind that came with having every detail professionally managed allowed us to simply enjoy our vacation. Her expertise really showed in the quality of experiences she curated for us. And any time we had a question while on the trip, she was extremely quick to respond.

We explored London, York, Oxford, and the charming Cotswolds villages. Our itinerary was perfectly balanced, including iconic sites like Westminster Abbey and Buckingham Palace, cultural experiences at the British Museum and Harry Potter Studio, and unique adventures like our Secret Food Tour in Soho.

The private drivers and guides were a game-changer - traveling on our own timetable with just our family was luxurious and efficient. The trains ran smoothly with easy-to-navigate stations. Special shout-out to Eddie from Good Vibes Tours, who made our day absolutely memorable!

The Grand in York was phenomenal - spacious rooms, perfect location, and their afternoon tea was the epitome of a proper English experience. The Academy in London had great atmosphere in its Georgian townhomes setting, though some service issues arose. The Malmaison in Oxford served its purpose with a good location.

Early June was ideal - beautiful weather with minimal rain, and manageable crowds since schools weren't out yet. The food scene was excellent, especially our food tour with Tom King and that unforgettable afternoon tea at The Grand.

Bottom line - Kateryna created a trip that perfectly balanced must-see attractions with unique experiences, all while handling every logistical detail. For anyone considering England, I highly recommend both the destination and Kateryna's professional services. She made our family vacation absolutely magical!

Hotel Reviews

The Academy London

The location of the hotel was great -- close to tube stations and great restaurants. Our room was large; however, the bathroom was small. My biggest complaints resolved around service. Our room safe wasn't working when we arrived. I reported it multiple times and was assured that maintenance would look at it. Even though we were there four nights, it was never fixed. I requested extra blankets twice -- they never arrived. I also requested a room that didn't face the street and was assured the room didn't. However, when we checked in, it did.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

The Grand, York

North Yorkshire

The Grand was amazing. The hotel itself is beautiful. The location was fantastic - close to the train station but also close to local attractions. Our room was extremely large and well appointed. The bathroom was amazing. And the food was great. We ate in the bar as well as having afternoon tea in the restaurant. Both were delicious. And the afternoon tea was everything a proper English tea should be.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Malmaison Oxford

Oxford

The location of the hotel was fantastic. Close to the train station while also being close to the local attractions. It's a renovated prison which gave it an interesting character. My biggest complaints were that the rooms were very small, only one elevator worked, and the restaurant was overpriced.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

The hotel was clean. It was the size of the rooms that made it not very comfortable.

Activity Reviews

Discover London in a Private Black Cab

London

Our black cab tour was awesome. Our driver was so friendly and knowledgeable. Despite having a grumpy teenage girl with us, he was excellent at making her laugh and enjoy the experience. We really enjoyed the tour and learned a lot!

Tower of London Beefeater Welcome & Crown Jewels

London

The Tower of London was pretty much everything I expected. It was an enjoyable experience and full of history.

Thames Cruise with Dinner

London

The Thames Cruise with Dinner was really enjoyable. The food exceeded my expectations, which were initially low due to it being a cruise. My only subtle complaint, unrelated to the tour itself, is that it was summer, so it didn't get dark until towards the end of the cruise, but the skyline was gorgeous once it did.

Stonehenge & Jurassic Coast Private Tour

London

Our driver, Eddie, suggested a substitute tour for the planned Stonehenge & Jurassic Coast tour due to weather, and it ended up being awesome! We visited a couple of castles, Canterbury Cathedral, the White Cliffs of Dover, and an old pub from 1610. It was a day full of surprises and great experiences.

The Royal London Tour: Changing of the Guard and More

London

The Changing of the Guard tour was fun, although our tour guide wasn't as engaging with kids compared to others we had on the trip. She mostly talked to me and my husband, which was fine, but it could have been better tailored for my daughter.

British Museum, self-guided tour

London

The British Museum was good and offered a large collection of exhibits. We enjoyed our self-guided tour there.

London Secret Food Tour

London

The London Secret Food Tour with Tom was so much fun! He engaged with different couples throughout the evening, making it personal and enjoyable for everyone. We had a great time tasting various foods in a small group setting.

Westminster Abbey

London

Westminster Abbey was wonderful, although I preferred York Minster as it was so much less crowded. Regardless, the history and architecture were stunning.

Amazing Tour of Harry Potter Warner Bros Studio with Private Transfer

London

The Harry Potter Warner Bros Studio tour was fantastic, definitely a highlight of the trip for my daughter. Our driver was flexible and even got us there early, allowing extra time to enjoy all the magical details.

Iconic Oxford Private Walking Tour

Oxford

The Iconic Oxford Private Walking Tour was a great experience, led by a charming Oxford student. Unfortunately, it did fall during their school finals though so we weren't able to view all of the rooms of the Bodleian Library which I had been looking forward to.

Cotswolds Tour, Oxford to Bath

Oxford

The Cotswolds Tour from Oxford to Bath was a wonderful experience, greatly enhanced by Christopher, our driver who engaged well with my daughter.

Our family of 5 (3 x 13yo's) had an amazing experience thanks to Kate's plans! We loved the personalized itinerary, including the private transfers to/from airports, and day trip to Stonehenge and Windsor. Our guide and driver Christopher was extraordinary: informative and thorough. We even saw the King at Windsor (not part of the itinerary!). The kids loved seeing Mathilde. Having a relaxed schedule that fit our needs yet allowed us to hit the high points of London took the stress out of planning and answered the "what are we doing and when" questions. Highly recommend!

Activity Reviews

Tower of London Beefeater Welcome & Crown Jewels

London

Our family enjoyed the tour with the Yeoman Warders and visiting the crown jewels. Not sure if were were supposed to have a personalized tour, but it worked out fine in the end.

Quality of Experience

We got some one to one time with a Yeoman Warder and the personalized Q&A was a highlight for the kids.

Discover London in a Private Black Cab

London

Driver gave us a thoroughly personalized tour. He knew my teen daughter loved music so places that influence Taylor Swift, Oasis, Beatles and more were highlighted much to her amazement. We got photos of our family crossing Abbey Road. The stop at St. Bart's hospital and church were meaningful as we not only visited the spot of William Wallace's execution (and current shrine in his honor), the incense-laden chapel happened to have a small trio of musicians practicing with hymns echoing about this ancient shrine. Our tour concluded at the Black Dog Pub for a Sunday roast and the echoes of Taylor in my daughters head. A++

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Transportation easily accommodated family of 5.

Hampton Court Palace, Windsor Castle & Stonehenge Private Car Tour from London

London

Christopher arrived early to pick us up and after navigating thick London traffic had us promptly on our way to Stonehenge. We stopped at Woodhenge first to get an understanding of the archeological age of the henge as well as begin thinking about skills and knowledge neolithic Brits had to possess to begin building these structures. Christopher's knowledge of Stonehenge and the surrounding areas, as well as his ability to avoid some of the heavy traffic around the site made the visit easy and informative. After a quick bite, we headed on our way to Windsor. I truly wish we had more time here. The royals were in residence and we did catch a glimpse of the king while touring the castle. The town of Windor and Eton are easily worthy of a full day to explore and shop. Photos inside the castle grounds are not allowed.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Christopher was superb!

Transport

Very comfortable large touring van gave us plenty of room to enjoy the drive.

The Royal London Tour: Changing of the Guard and More

London

Delienne's experience having worked in the royal household was amazing. She knew where to stand and position us before the bulk of the crowds did which gave us a perfect viewing opportunity for the whole experience. Her insider stories were fascinating.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Delienne is a gem!

Kate planned and organized a wonderful itinerary of Scotland for our group of 6. Throughout the planning and travelling, Kate was upbeat, highly knowledgeable, and really worked to tailor the trip for us. When we had any questions or requests, she responded very quickly, even while we were traveling so that we felt well supported. We chose to travel between towns/cities via private drivers and Kate selected outstanding drivers. They really enhanced our whole experience with their expert driving and engaging stories - and it was just easy and comfortable. I would highly recommend Kate at KimKim and wouldn't hesitate to work with her again.