Raquel Aceituno

All the local guides were quite good. They all seemed very knowledgable about a number of things of interest to us. We should have been more specific that we needed guides who knew plants, birds, trees, etc., but for the most part they knew enough to help us understand the environment. And their knowledge of the landmarks was quite extraordinary! We cannot find fault with anyone.

Happy New Year, Raquel! We had a FABULOUS and MAGICAL time in Spain! We can’t thank you enough for making this trip for our family of nine, run so smoothly and efficiently. Our drivers were top notch, always on time, courteous and very helpful, and the vehicles they transported us in were very comfortable, roomy, and accommodating. Your choices of hotels for us were AMAZING!..very clean, friendly staff, centrally located, and within walking distances to a lot of places we wanted to visit. The guides for all of our tours were very well educated, knowledgeable, and willing to go above and beyond their call of duty to answer any additional questions we might have, recommend eating places, and very patient when we needed to add an additional stop along the way to grab a water and/or a snack. The 15th birthday celebration for our granddaughter was a hit! She loved the cake, the balloons, the food, and the ambience in general. We were very pleased with how quickly someone always responded through the chat when we had questions, or needed existing reservations changed. We look forward to planning our next trip through KimKim, as you truly made our 50th Golden Anniversary a very memorable one!
Gloria and Jose Ramirez
Wimberley, TX

Hotel Review

Eurostars Puerta Real Hotel

Granada

Beautiful hotel with great amenities, super friendly staff, clean and spacious rooms, and a delicious spread for breakfast! Location is superb!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Review

Private Tour of Barcelona & La Sagrada Familia

Barcelona

This place is beyond belief!…a must see in person to really capture all of its beauty and exquisite detail. Dani, our tour guide, did an excellent job explaining the history of every corner of this amazing place!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Raquel was excellent! We loved our trip, she did such a fantastic job. The tours she selected for us were perfect. The catamaran was a highlight for sure!

Activity Reviews

Douro Valley Excursion with Wine & Olive Oil Tastings & River Cruise

Porto

This was a perfect day! The guide was excellent and we the scenery was stunning.

Catamaran Cruise to Benagil & Carvoeiro w/Snorkeling & SUP

Portugal

This could not have been more perfect! The group was small and the guides were fun. We loved this experience.

The whole trip was very enjoyable. One of the issues we had was communicating with you from, and in, Portugal. Before we left London we gave you a new phone number to use to reach Jeffrey but I don't think that was noted. We provided my phone number which was confusing. Both flights to and from Portugal were on time. We did not find our transport on arrival in Porto because of the mix-up with phone numbers. But Jeffrey called your head office and we were able to sort it out.
When it came to our hotels they were fine, but we would have preferred rooms that were not almost underground at both. The room at Pestana Pousado Porto was very small but it was directly on the street so we needed to have the shutters closed at all times. We had a similar experience in Lisbon, at Hotel H10 Duque de Loule. Our room looked out on an air shaft. We were disappointed at both because we were paying premium rates.
All of our guides were excellent. The Food Tour on our first night was very good. We got an education about food and drink in Portugal. Very enjoyable, and the guide was lively and knowledgeable. Silvia in Porto showed us as much as was possible of Jewish history because there's nothing to see. But, she taught us a lot about Porto and the treatment of Jews. Jose Antunes of Lisbon Walker in Lisbon gave us a wonderful tour and education about Jewish life in Portugal. Teresa in Lisbon was a lively and interesting guide to Sintra and a local vineyard. We felt like all of our guides became a friend.
Fado & Food was enormous fun - great music, club and restaurant. They got a taxi for us at the end of the evening.
The Tile Museum, which we did by ourselves, was spectacular. It was a revelation to see so much amazing tilework.
The day we left the clocks were set back an hour. The hotel gave us good warning and our transfer to the airport was there at the correct time, 5:00am. The flight into Heathrow was fine.
One thing that would have made our trip much better was more information about getting tickets for every site we wanted to see. We were not able to see anything at the University in Coimbra, particularly the library, because we did not have tickets and could not purchase them there. In Lisbon we stood in line for well over an hour at The Monastery only to find when we got to the entrance we found out we needed tickets. The only way you could get them was online. All of this information would have been invaluable, and made our trip that much more enjoyable.

Karin and Raquel did a great job putting together an amazing itinerary for our trip to Portugal. I tweaked it a couple of times and they were so accommodating and helpful. All of our drivers and guides were amazing.

Fernando showed us around Braga and Guimaraes, we had an amazing lunch and he showed us some local shops.
Nuno was a wealth of information as he showed us around Coimbra and the University. We then spent a day in the beautiful towns of Sintra and Cascais as we explored the gardens and Palace of Monserrate with our guide Nuno.
Next we were off to Nazare and Obidos with Paulo. What an amazing day! Obidos was incredibly beautiful with all of the blooming bougainvillea and quaint alleys and doorways. We had lunch in Nazare and went down to see the beach and waves. We met a local vendor and got some yummy treats and then continued exploring the coast.
Perfect day and Paulo is like family now :)

We also rented a car to drive down to Lagos to do some exploring on our own. There was a bit of a mix up with this but Paulo helped us out and got things squared away.

All of the accommodations were perfect.

We will definitely use KimKim again.

Hotel Reviews

H10 Duque de Loule

Lisboa

Absolutely loved this hotel! Great service and wonderful breakfast. Vera greeted us every morning for breakfast and was the sweetest.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Close to everything.

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Star Inn Lisbon Aeroporto

Lisboa

Great location to fly out the next day. Dining was nice and staff was very friendly.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Close to airport

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Cascade Wellness Resort

Lagos

Front desk staff was great and always very friendly. Breakfast was good and staff was very accommodating to an allergy.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Private Day Excursion to Nazaré & Óbidos

Lisbon

Paulo was the absolute best! We had a wonderful day. Paulo is very knowledgeable about his beautiful country, fun to be with and so gracious.

Quality of Experience

Perfect!

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Paulo is the absolute best!

Transport

Beautiful clean car.

Private Excursion: Braga & Guimarães

Porto

Our guide was Fernando and we had a great day with him. Beautiful part of the country, fun stories and yummy food.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Super friendly and knowledgeable.

Transport

Private Day Excursion: Sintra, Cascais & Estoril

Portugal

Loved the town of Sintra! and then we visited the Monserrate Palace with its beautiful gardens. Could have spent the whole day here, beautiful and not a lot of people which made it even better.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Nuno did a great job

Transport

The trip to Portugal was extremely well planned and coordinated by Raquel…. The hotels were terrific and the guides were nothing less than excellent. Totally enjoyed the trip

Hotel Reviews

H10 Duque de Loule

Lisboa

Beautiful hotel…excellent location and great breakfast

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Cascade Wellness Resort

Lagos

Cascade Wellness in Algarve was truly a special place. It stood out among the accommodations for its exceptional atmosphere and amenities.

Pestana Porto - A Brasileira

Porto

Pestana Porto - A Brasileira had a fantastic location, allowing easy exploration of Porto. The rooms were a bit small, but overall it was a nice and convenient place to stay.

Activity Reviews

Private Day Excursion: Sintra, Cascais & Estoril

Spain

The Private Day Excursion to Sintra, Cascais, and Estoril was absolutely fantastic. Our guide, Paulo, was outstanding - one of the best I've ever had. He was knowledgeable, fun, and made the long day an enjoyable experience. I highly recommend this tour and Paulo as a guide!

Private Transfer {{start_location}} to {{end_location}} via Coimbra

Portugal

The drive from Lisbon to Porto via Coimbra was a bit disappointing. We arrived and found that we couldn't enter the famous library as all tickets were sold out for the day due to other tour groups. It would've been helpful to know in advance or have prebooked tickets. Nonetheless, we enjoyed visiting the castle in the area.

I was initially referred to KimKim by a family friend who had a great experience. Due to my work schedule and never traveling abroad before, I needed a company I could trust to set my trip up the right way. Raquel was not only super responsive and helpful, but she also listened to everything I wanted out of a trip to Spain and Portugal and custom created a trip beyond what I could imagine. This trip was 5 cities over 2 weeks. 5 hotels, 2 train transfers, and multiple flights (not counting getting to and from the EU from the US) and she made it as clear and easy to follow as absolutely possible. I do not speak Spanish or Portuguese for reference, and yes it was still extremely easy to follow. Each activity that was arranged was an incredible and memorable experience with a guide who was a true local with local experience and connections. Writing this, I honestly can’t think of a critique I could even give. My expectations were met within the first couple days, then exceeded at about half way through the trip. The rest was all a bonus. If you are reading this review because you might be skeptical or questioning whether or not to use KimKim or Raquel, just know I had my concerns as well. I am now 2 days back and wrote this review and I cannot recommend this service enough if you want a truly memorable experience.

Hotel Reviews

NH Collection Barcelona Pódium

Barcelona

Authenticity & Character

Did not feel out of place and it felt like you were a part of the city

Location

Great location for activities and rich in culture

Staff

Incredibly nice and helpful

Cleanliness & Comfort

Intelier Victoria

San Sebastian

Authenticity & Character

Great rooftop views, incredible breakfast, very clean

Location

Great central location to the old town and everything is accessible by foot

Staff

So incredibly nice and helpful. Everyone seems truly happy to work there.

Cleanliness & Comfort

EVERYTHING was very clean. From the lobby to the showers to even the elevator

H10 Puerta de Alcalá

Madrid

Authenticity & Character

The hotel was just remodeled so it had a very cool and “swank” design

Location

In a VERY nice part of town and was centrally located to many great restaurants

Staff

Everyone involved was very helpful. This was one of 5 hotels we stayed at so unfortunately I do not have any names to mention

Cleanliness & Comfort

Very comfy beds and clean all around from the lobby to breakfast bar to the hotel bar to our room

Catalonia Porto

Porto

Authenticity & Character

Blends in great to surrounding areas and retains a Portugal charm. Also truly an amazing breakfast

Location

Excellent location to city center and the river

Staff

Not only was the staff very friendly to deal with but also happy to help at a moments notice

Cleanliness & Comfort

EVERYTHING was clean all the way down to the inside of the mini fridge

Dear Lisbon - Gallery House

Lisbon

Authenticity & Character

This hotel was clearly renovated from a traditional Lisbon apartment building and gives you a traditional feel with modern amenities. Very very cool place to stay

Location

Very nice area located and very close to amazing restaurants but not so centrally located that it is loud at night from street activity

Staff

Super welcoming and always helpful

Cleanliness & Comfort

Despite being a traditional building, the carpets and rugs do not even have stains on them. The “mini-split” AC units were fantastic

Activity Reviews

Tapas Walk in Barcelona

Barcelona

This was our first activity coming off a 9 hour red eye flight being abroad from the US for the first time just to set the scenario. Boris (our guide) welcomed us to the city in the most impressive way possible. I normally cringe at the idea of a “tour”. This isn’t your traditional tour guide walking and shouting to keep everyone together with a giant sign and whistle giving you the cliff notes of generic “authentic” foods. This is a local guided, off the beaten path, “locals only” known with history and culture. Each location is unique and purposefully selected to give you an authentic experience. The group is not more than 8-10 and you start as strangers and end as friends taking pictures to remember the experience. Boris was an awesome guide with amazing taste.

Quality of Experience

Boris was an incredible guide and you eat at places you are not going to find on a local yelp page.

Food

The authenticity of the meals were great and unlike anything I ever had before

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Boris was fun, friendly, experienced, knowledgeable and the places you go to are welcoming and happy you are there.

Transport

We walked and met at a location that was easy to find

Private Tour of Barcelona & La Sagrada Familia

Barcelona

We met Albert who was our guide and he was incredible. I could not believe how much this man knew about Barcelona. This man had binders of pictures of what the city used to look like and how it has changed over centuries. I walked away from this tour amazed at the education I was provided along with local tips for how to navigate around Barcelona that you would never find even online. You will get a college semesters worth of education in 4 hours and the best part about Albert, you can tell he was excited and passionate about the city’s history and excited to share it with you.

Quality of Experience

Albert (our guide)

San Sebastian Pintxo Experience

San Sebastián

This was an incredible experience with fantastic food all put together by my guide, Felix. Felix is a local and has grown up in San Sebastián so his selection and taste was spot on. He provided an incredible tour and by the end, became a friend. I mean this in the most professional way possible. The selections he picked were unique to San Sebastián and even gave more suggestions for meals during your stay that couldn’t be included in the tour because time wouldn’t allow.

Quality of Experience

Felix and his knowledge

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Incredibly friendly and knowledgeable and the food was nothing short of amazing

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

Madrid

When first getting into Madrid, I wasn’t sure how much I would love the city. Just coming from Barcelona and San Sebastián, Madrid was massive and had a different vibe all together (not bad or dangerous, just very different than the other 2). Sean (our guide) was the game changer for my impression of the city. He showed us the real Madrid that I’m sure not a lot of tourists get to see or understand. If it wasn’t for Sean, I don’t know if I would have enjoyed Madrid as much as I did. He has an awesome local knowledge base of the city and helped us navigate the city much better. By the end, Sean became a friend we met along the way through our journey and I mean that in the most professional way possible.

Quality of Experience

Sean. He was welcoming and extremely knowledgeable

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Sean truly loves the city and understands it so well

Foodie Experience in Porto

Porto

This was one of many food tours we took on this trip and we had Jon (Jean) as our guide. This man was incredible. Not only was Jon a knowledgeable local guide who knows the city well, he was also a chef. So all meals were expertly picked with a chefs taste and Jon was about as entertaining and knowledgeable guide as you could ask for. Meals ranged from local meats and cheeses with authentic port wine to local hot spots with authentic dishes

Quality of Experience

Wide variety and incredible guidance

Food

Absolutely everything

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Jon (Jean) was amazing and a local expert.

Privately Guided Visit of Porto

Porto

Emanuel is a local expert and was such an amazing guide to have. His knowledge of the city and its history is so vast you were getting a college semesters worth of history in a 3 hour tour. He loves the city and gets you to love it too.

Quality of Experience

Emanuel’s knowledge and expertise

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Emanuel’s enthusiasm and attention to city detail along with local pointers for things to do later

Go West to Belém TukTuk Tour

Lisbon

This was my first time on a Tuk Tuk and Catalina provided a great knowledge base of the city. She took us to great places and gave us exclusive access to some things that made the city so great.

Quality of Experience

Great knowledge from Catalina

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Catalina’s enthusiasm for the city of Lisbon

Sintra Heritage Hike: Hidden Secrets

Portugal

Initially, we had a hike planned that unfortunately got cancelled due to the tragic wildfires that happened in Portugal at this time. Our hike got rescheduled to another area along the Sintra Coast. We got paired with Falis, and this might have been the best highlight of an already incredible trip. Falis prepared the hike according to us and what WE felt comfortable with. I am a 30 year old and I am in good shape. We did a roughly 15 km hike that was unlike anything I could have imagined. This was a private costal hike to a private beach and through small costal towns that was beyond anything I could have imagined. The terrain was tough but I can personally handle it. Felis was 100% prepared for anything and knew all the best routes that were the opposite of any “tourist” walk. I will never forget this experience. Felis is now a true friend after my experience. He even personally selected food for lunch and provided it to us. Unbelievably beyond my expectations.

Quality of Experience

Felis and the views. I knew nothing of what the Portugal coast had to offer and was completely blown away

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Felis is truly one of the most welcoming guys I have ever met that you could tell, this is what he loves to do and he loves giving you a memorable experience.

Transport

Felis met us at the hotel and transported us to the hiking destination. As easy as absolutely possible.

Visit Traditional Basque Coastal Towns & a Txakolli Winery Visit

San Sebastián

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

All of the hotels in 4 cities were first class and in great locations for walking and sightseeing. Transportation was seamless. All of the guides were fantastic, and seemed to really enjoy their jobs.
Our tour operator Raquel was very helpful and patient. Highly recommended.

Activity Reviews

Wine & Gourmet Tapas Tour

Barcelona

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Private Tour of Barcelona & La Sagrada Familia

Barcelona

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Flamenco Show in a Sacromonte Cave

Granada

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Guided Visit: Alhambra & Generalife Gardens

Granada

Our guide was very informative.

Quality of Experience

Tapas Culinary Experience

Madrid

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

Madrid

We actually asked for guided tour of the Prado and he happily obliged. Graduate level tour ensued.