Rachel Long

Rachel and her team did an amazing job planning a trip for us. Rachel was patient and attentive to our needs. We had wonderful experiences, including a personal driver who took us through the wonderful Isle of Skye, a private sheep dog demonstration, and many memorable adventures. We would work with Rachel again in a heartbeat!

Our trip was great. The itinerary was perfect. And Rachel did a good job helping us customize it for our needs. The only items should be pointed out are two of the links in the app directed us to the wrong place for tours. One was the food tour in Kinsale and the other was the boat tour of the cliffs of Moher.

Hotel Reviews

Dunraven Arms Hotel

Dunraven Arms Hotel had a vibrant atmosphere and was well-situated. Overall, a pleasant place to stay.

Old Bank Townhouse Kinsale

Kinsale

Old Bank Townhouse in Kinsale was in a nice location, and although my in-laws had a nicer room, ours was a bit cramped with an extra single bed. It did impact the overall experience slightly.

Cliff House Hotel

Ardmore

Location

Activity Reviews

Cliffs of Moher Cruise from Doolin ( 50 min)

Doolin

The Cliffs of Moher Cruise from Doolin was an amazing experience. Unlike the typical view from the top, being on the water offered a unique perspective of the cliffs. We were fortunate to have sunny weather which made the sights even more beautiful.

Celtic Nights Music and Dance Show - with dinner optional

Ireland

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Caherconnell Fort & Sheepdog Demonstrations - Private

Ireland

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Kinsale Private Walking Food Tour

Ireland

Awesome guide

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

We absolutely loved Trad on the Prom, the Blarney Castle, the Guinness tour, the boat and jaunting car ride at Ross Castle, the famine boat tour, and the CaherConnell sheep herding experience. The lodgings were excellent though the information about which had parking and which didn’t wasn’t correct. Many other things were awesome as well. However, it is impossible to do the Ross Castle, Blarney Castle, and Rock of Cashel in one day unless you can fly between them.

Hotel Reviews

The Rooms @ Firecastle

Very nice and the shop beneath is awesome!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Right in the middle of town.

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Foley's Townhouse Killarney

Killarney

Had parking which was amazing and the owner and the bartender were incredibly full of info and kind.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Right in downtown.

Staff

So helpful!

Cleanliness & Comfort

Eyre Square Hotel

Galway

Very centrally located but easier to just go to parking garage and walk to hotel with luggage.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Right in the square

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Cassidys Hotel

Dublin

Beautiful and super helpful staff

Authenticity & Character

Location

Right in the square

Staff

Very helpful with directions, parking, places to go to eat

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Rock of Cashel

Ireland

It was impossible to make it to this in time . Which was a bummer. But the schedule as planned by the agent for the day, since we started on the boat in Killarney at 10:30AM couldn’t have worked.

Guided E-bike Tour Of Galway City

Galway

Great tour guide! Learned a lot!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

The smart helmets were great and even though it was windy and periodically raining, we could hear him.

Cliffs of Moher Visitor Center tickets

Wales

This was a gorgeous view, but the wind and cold made it a challenging experience on this day.

Quality of Experience

Killarney Combination Tour - Boat + Jaunting Car

Wales

We had a gorgeous day, which everyone said was totally unusual. :-). It made for a perfect day to be out on the boat and then take a spin through the park!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

The jaunting car driver was fine…..boat the guide on the boat was fantastic!

Caherconnell Fort & Sheepdog Demonstrations

Ireland

This was amazing - never seen anything like it!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Irish Dancing Show

Galway

LOVED IT!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Aran Islands and Cliffs of Moher Day Cruise sailing from Galway

Ireland

The water was super rough and far worse than we expected. The time on the island was excellent and luckily the trip back was better than the trip over, however, due to fog/weather, we didn’t see the Cliffs of Moher from the water.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

That staff did their best to distract from the rough water but spent a lot of time handing out and collecting sick bags. They were so patient.

Transport

Visit of Christ Church Cathedral

Dublin

We enjoyed this more than St. Patricks.

Quality of Experience

Tickets for St Patrick Cathedral, Dublin

Dublin

Very interesting to the history of the city/country.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Trinity College Library : The Book of Kells Experience

Dublin

A lot of info but super interesting!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Dear Rachel/KimKim Team,
I hope you are well. I am writing regarding our recent London trip arranged through your company. While we appreciated some aspects of the planning, there were several arrangements that did not meet our expectations and significantly affected our experience.
Before I get started I want to mention that our liaison Rachel went on vacation just as we were beginning our trip, so that we had to ask for help from whoever was covering for her. The person we worked with did their best to help with the problems as they arose.
Key concerns and misalignments:
Accommodation: We were placed at the Tower Hotel near the Tower of London. As seasoned visitors to London, we do not view this placement as valuable or appropriate for us, since we were not seeking a Tower of London–focused experience and have substantial familiarity with the city.
I have already raised this issue with Rachel but got a response that most people just love the Tower hotel. This kind of response is not helpful and I find it dismissive.
Also, we were placed in a room that did not have an accessible bathroom, which meant we had to move to a handicap room. That’s fine but the room was not particularly nice or comfortable. All in all, we did not enjoy the Tower hotel, and in particular their breakfast was absolutely appalling.
Tour/activities: We had explicitly stated that we were not interested in group tourist activities. Nevertheless, we were signed up for two large sightseeing bus experiences. When I discussed the overview with Rachel, I did not understand that we were going to be placed on a large tour bus or I would never have agreed to that arrangement. Once I realized what we were in for, I requested to cancel day two.

Mobility and transportation:
We explicitly informed KimKim that both of us are over 70 and that public transportation in London, as well as extensive stair-climbing, would not be suitable. Despite this, we were advised to use public transport and participate in activities involving multiple stairs, including two large sightseeing buses. This was uncomfortable and impractical and did not align with our accessibility needs. Once again, when I brought this issue up with Rachel I felt dismissed and not heard. I was very clear with Rachel during our conversations that we have, and my partner who is 80 has, mobility issues. I think a more experienced person might have picked up on this aspect of our experience. On the contrary, the response I got from Rachel clearly indicated that somehow, we should have just sucked it up and gone down into the tube, even though we both struggle with stairs and long walks. Here is the response I got from Rachel.
“Tower Hotel is positioned right beside Tower Bridge and the Tower of London, offering one of the most iconic and scenic settings in the city. It also has excellent public transport connections (Underground, DLR, and river services), allowing easy access across London.
As London is a large city, even centrally located hotels often require some use of transport depending on the day’s activities, and taxis are frequently used for convenience rather than necessity”
Clearly written by a person who doesn’t get accessibility concerns, and the kinds of issues older people can face doing something that seems simple to a younger person
When we arrived at the train station at Matlock on May 28th, the transportation hired by the company didn’t show up for over an hour. Calling the company eventually resulted in someone showing up, but the following days the company failed to turn up and we had to find local transport, including our transport to Chatsworth. The new company required us to pay in cash which ended up costing us 60£ for three trips.
Btw, for some reason we were not booked with first class train tickets. I have to say I find it a bit outrageous that we paid 14,000 for the tour services, and they we had to fight to get decent transportation and first-class train tickets and that we were booked on cheap group tours. What were we paying for? I am struggling to understand the value offered at this point.
When we arrived at the train station at Moreton on Marsh, we discovered that there was no assistance to get to the hotel. I ended up having to drag my partner’s suitcase the two or so very bumpy blocks to the hotel in the extreme heat that was happening at that time. We ended up having to book a taxi for 15£ to avoid having to drag our luggage. Not to mention that there was a huge over the track ramp we needed to cross to get to the train and there was no assistance at the train station. Luckily we met kind people along the way who gave us a hand or I would once again have had to drag all of our stuff over the ramp.
Cost transparency: We have repeatedly requested a detailed, itemized breakdown of all charges (accommodation, transportation, activities/tickets, service fees, and any markups) and the net amounts paid to third-party suppliers. To date, we have not received a clear breakdown, making it impossible to verify charges and value.
Summing up, I am requesting the following:
A detailed, itemized cost breakdown for our trip, including:
o Accommodation for each place and what was included
o Transportation: transfers, and private transport
o Activities/tickets: names, dates, per-person costs
o Service fees, markups, and any other charges
o The total charged to us by your company and the net amounts paid to third-party suppliers

This was a very important trip for us. We often travel to Europe, but we are getting too old to do complicated booking and arrangements. We thought that the KimKim service would do the heavy lifting for us, and they did step in to help solve problems, however the problems were usually caused by our liason not listening to us or just not putting a lot of thought into what would be good options for us. To be honest, the person we were working with seemed distracted and not easy to contact prior to our trip and of course she was unavailable to us during 90% of the trip!

Hotel Reviews

Hotel du Vin & Bistro

Tunbridge Wells

This is a super nice hotel with large rooms. The bathroom was also great. The restaurant has really amazing food.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Just a short walk to the high street

Staff

The staff at this hotel were so incredibly nice

Cleanliness & Comfort

The White Hart Royal Hotel

Gloucestershire

This hotel is nice and our room was very interesting but they don't seem to have enough staff

Authenticity & Character

Location

Right on the high street so you can walk to many different restaurants and to the town market

Staff

The staff seemed really overworked and few and far between

Cleanliness & Comfort

The Peacock at Rowsley

Matlock

Very comfortable and nice hotel with a great staff.

Authenticity & Character

Location

The hotel wasn't near anything but that didn't really matter to us.

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

The Tower Hotel

London

This was a very basic hotel. We had an accessible room which was ok however for some reason accessible rooms don't get coffee makers? So strange. The room looked out on a roof with some large machines or fans stuck on them. The coffee at breakfast was literally the most terrible tasting coffee I have ever had in my life. The concierge at the hotel was very good however. There was also a laundry place nearby which really came in handy. The worst thing about the hotel was the location, it was miles from everything that we wanted to do in London. We racked up huge bills taking taxis and Ubers to get places because we couldn't navigate the public transportation because of accessibility and time constraints.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

The accessible room was very basic and not particularly comfortable and their was zero view, which was why KimKim put us in there

Activity Reviews

Taxi Transfers in and around Matlock (2)

Matlock

The company that was engaged was very shady and didn't show up as planned. I highly recommend that you find a new company and never use this one again. We ended up finding some local drivers and paying them ourselves.

Return Taxi Transfer from Matlock to Chatsworth House

Matlock

The company that was engaged was very shady and didn't show up as planned. I highly recommend that you find a new company and never use this one again. We ended up finding some local drivers and paying them ourselves.

Taxi Transfers in and around Matlock

Matlock

The company that was engaged was very shady and didn't show up as planned. I highly recommend that you find a new company and never use this one again. We ended up finding some local drivers and paying them ourselves.

Canterbury, Dover Cliffs & Castle and Leeds Castle is included

London

The tour guide on this trip was beyond nice but the trip was very hard for us because the bus was not comfortable and we basically rushed around too many places with no stop for lunch. Going to Dover was just too much. We had barely no time to enjoy Canterbury cathedral. Leeds castle was nice but once again being rushed around with a group of people is something I was hoping to avoid on this trip.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

I spent my whole time in the bus with my knees crushed up against the seat in front of me. Getting in and out of the bus was a real challenge because of the narrow steps

Our travel specialist was Rachel Long, and she did a good job of putting our trip together. We challenged her by needing trains, buses and drivers to get us around Wales and some of England (none of us wanted to drive). She managed that task very well, and not having to drive lowered our stress level considerably! She put together excellent tours for us. Every tour guide was just perfect for us; they helped us feel at home and taught us so much about the London Borough Market, the Brecon Beacons and Pembrokeshire coast in Wales, the mining history of the Cornwall regions, and the county of Yorkshire. Just wonderful. The accommodations were sometimes challenging with the size of the rooms, the shower facilities, and the locations. But overall, it was a wonderful trip!

Hotel Reviews

Hotel Du Vin York

York

This was the best place we stayed. The location was ideal for exploring York, the room was large with a walk in shower, and the restaurant food was excellent.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Belmont Llandudno

Llandudno

The location of this hotel was great. We had a beautiful view of the water and esplanade. The room was a bit tight, again with no where to put our suitcases, and the shower was a tub shower, which is just so difficult for my husband to manage.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Walk in shower.

Galwad y Mor

St Davids

This was our stay in St. David’s, and the place itself had everything we requested. A full kitchen, living room, etc. We could spread out and relax in this space. It was located a bit further out of the center of town than we would have liked, but I imagine it could have been challenging to find this kind of accommodation right in town.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

I tried to contact staff regarding the checkout time but never heard back. Thank you kimkim for handling that issue!

Cleanliness & Comfort

The Parkgate Hotel

Cardiff

This hotel had everything we needed: walk in shower, a lift, and a great location. The breakfast here was also very good with a wonderful, complete buffet.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Chy Mor Apartment 1

St Ives

The location of this apartment was wonderful; a great view of the bay and very near shops and restaurants. Our only complaint was that it was situated over a bar that on our first night, had very loud karaoke until midnight. We were very concerned about the next 2 nights, but fortunately, the bar closed after the first night for renovations. So we feel like we lucked out. The narrow staircase up to the apartment was a bit of a challenge for my husband who has balance issues with his feet, but he managed.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Georgian House Hotel

Pimlico

Our room was so small that we had no place to put our suitcases, let alone our clothes, etc. The bathroom was no more than 4’x5’, including the shower, which made it very difficult for my husband (who has significant balance issues) to navigate the shower. The location was good, but I wouldn’t recommend this hotel.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Full-Day Whitby and The North York Moors Private Tour from York

Wales

Andrew was an excellent guide, taking us up into the Yorkshire Moors and up to Whitby. He was extremely knowledgeable about the history of Yorkshire and we learned so much from him. He was also humorous and engaging. I would highly recommend going with Expedition Yorkshire for a well rounded tour of the area.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Exploring Brecon Beacons with a Guide

Wales

We had Laura as our driver/guide for 2 days in a row. She was another guide who was just perfect for us. She showed us the beauty of southern Wales, and gave us a real insight of what it is like to live there. She also gave us the choice of seeing St. David’s cathedral or a visit to the best ice cream ever (on a dairy farm). We chose the ice cream and didn’t regret it. We visited the cathedral on our own the next day. I would highly recommend Laura or Ewan as tour guides in southern Wales.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Exploring Cornwall with a private driver guide

Wales

Nigel was just perfect as our guide. He obviously had a real connection to his homeland and the history of mining and what has befallen the miners. He took us to the Minack Theatre, which was such an amazing place with an incredible backstory. I would highly recommend his tour to everyone visiting Cornwall.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

An Evening at the West-End! Tickets to a Show of Your Choice

London

This was actually a highlight of the trip. Sean Hayes was unbelievable in this Oscar Lavant role and -layer Rhapsody in Blue so professionally…we had no idea he was such a pianist. Rachel got us great seats!

Quality of Experience

Hidden Gems Food Tour - Tower Bridge to Borough Market

London

We learned so much about the Borough Market and the surrounding area on this tour. Anna was such a great tour guide. We got to try out traditional English food like excellent fish and chips and British pasties. I would highly recommend this tour and ask for Anna!

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Rachel was a delight to work with in planning our trip. She listened to what we wanted to do and made it happen along with offering suggestions that were some of the highlights of our travels. We had a wonderful time in Ireland because of the careful planning that took the stress out of any details. Our trip plan not only included some great places to stay and wonderful experiences, it also included directions with time of travel.

Hotel Reviews

Titanic Hotel

A great stay at this historic hotel. It is even included as part of a tour from the Titanic museum across the street. Hallways were rather dark giving off the vibe of a dark ship. Room was beautiful.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Lough Eske Castle Hotel

Loved our stay in the castle. The staff were attentive and unpretentious. Our room was well appointed and comfortable. The grounds were very beautiful.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Monks Ballyvaughan

County Clare

Oh my, what a beautiful setting. Hotel was a great place to stay. Recommend the restaurant too.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Wilder Townhouse

Dublin

Great boutique hotel out of the hustle and bustle of Dublin but also within walking distance of all the attractions. Lovely staff.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Connemara Sheepdog Demonstration

Ireland

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Kylemore Abbey

Ireland

Quality of Experience

Cliffs of Moher Cruise from Doolin ( 50 min)

Doolin

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Trinity Trails & Book of Kells Guided Tour

Dublin

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Dublin Food and Drink tour

Dublin

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff