Stephen Molloy

My clients had a WONDERFUL time on their trip.....

I do feel the communication portal could use a little work....... And I'm not a big fan of the final docs, Seems it could be easier to access and perhaps a little earlier than you provide them. (Minor details) (I tend to be old school and like physical docs)

Stephen was a pleasure to work with!

I have been a huge cheerleader for KimKim, having taken a trip to Slovenia which was stellar in every way. So I did not hesitate to come back to KimKim again for a special birthday week in Scotland. Unfortunately, it was a trip that I could have planned on my own fairly easily for far less cost. I am at a loss to understand the value of KimKim for this trip. All in all, it was an uninspired, off-the-shelf undertaking with our specialist Stephen who I wasn’t convinced knew the area well when all was said and done. Never felt the enthusiasm I had in the past, but more of a bit of phoning it in and taking dictation. And through the process I did some push back (should have done more) but it never seemed to result in upping his game.

What I had loved about my past experience with KimKim was the surprise and delight of things to do or see that I would not have found or thought of myself. None of that was the case on this trip.

The itinerary for Glasgow turned out to be ho-hum at best. Lots of go to museum self-guided recos. The private walking tour that was booked was quite lovely and we thoroughly enjoyed it. BUT this came as a result of MY request for it, not the specialist’s recommendation (and a supplemental charge was added to do so). Ultimately, we were looking for some inspiration on things to do in Glasgow besides wandering around museums. I had requested a private Whiskey tasting several times which he said he was working on but never got back to me. Not one suggestion for something inspired.

Unlike our Slovenia trip, transfers to the stations, hotels etc. beyond airport drop off and pick up were not included and left to us to navigate via Uber and local taxis which were not included in the price.

Oban and the Highlands: I requested a castle and got a long in the tooth Isle of Eriska manor house that needs a whole lot of upgrades. And not being familiar with the logistics, it was a 38 pound taxi ride of at least a half hour to get into the town. And Oban area was the only recommendation that was offered. The 3 Isle tour day was fine. But again, I could have booked this on my own directly. It was full of tour groups on a crowded boat and on a coach. The islands, however, were lovely and once on them it was very nice. Our last day was the best day. Our private guide Campbell Cameron was sensational and the highlight of our trip. Kudos to Tartan Tours. THIS was the kind of experience I was hoping for the entire trip.

And the insult to injury is that when I voiced my complaint to KimKim requesting multiple times why this trip that cost me $11K actually would have cost approximately $6700 if I planned it myself, they never had an answer (and because it was so off the shelf it was easy to break out the costs). That is one big mark up for service. Other than just making reservations for things that I could have easily found myself, the value of KimKim for this trip is still a mystery to me. And to add insult to injury their recompense was to refund me a mere $500! Insulting at best to a good customer who has recommended KimKim multiple times to many others. Not only will I never use KimKim again, I will be sure to let all my travel friends know not to use them again and advise others to look elsewhere for a bespoke trip.

Activity Reviews

Full day in Glencoe and the Trossachs

Scotland

Saved our trip on our last day in the Highlands. Our guide Campbell Cameron was sensational and the highlight of our trip. Kudos to Tartan Tours. THIS was the kind of experience I was hoping for the entire trip. The scenery was breathtaking and his intimate knowledge of the place as in his bones. The loch ride was lovely and he drove us through all the nooks and crannies of Glencoe.

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Private Walking Tour of Glasgow

Glasgow

Lovely guide who was very knowledgable and lovely. I had to request this be added to the itinerary as our "specialist" never offered anything of the kind. Oh yeah, and of course this was supplemental. While on the walking tour our guide took us by the council building where she told us there are tours of the interior, but only on weekdays. Our tour being on Saturday, we could not do it. This is something we would never have known about independently and could perhaps have been something for our specialist Stephen to suggest for our Friday itinerary.

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Guides, Drivers and Staff

Three Isles Tour – Mull, Iona & Staffa

Oban

Once at the islands it was great. But a crowded boat and coach trip. Could have booked this myself.

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Private transfer in town

Scotland

If we actually had any I would be happy to review them. But other than one trip from the train to our hotel when we arrived, we were on our own

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

University of Glasgow Tour

Glasgow

Don't bother. Given by an undwhelming student who could care less. We left early

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

We have such an amazing trip. Stephen did an excellent job planning a fun filled trip. Our local tours were so so wonderful! We loved it all! Some days were over booked ,because the places we stayed alone were something to just enjoy!
Thanks
We will use KimKin again when traveling for sure!

We had a wonderful trip. Each and every stop was unique and interesting. From urban settings to small towns and even the seldom traveled Shetland Islands, the scenery was beautiful. We found out many new and unknown facts about England and Scotland and their rich and interesting history. Our guide Paul, in London was very knowledgeable about all things Beatles. When we got to Edinburgh Robert gave an excellent walking tour of the city and told us many stories of unknown facts about events that have occurred in the town. From there we headed out into the country where we received gracious hospitality at all of our lodging stops. We were especially happy with our stay on the Isle of Sky and also the Shetland Islands. When we arrived in Lerwick Lara gave a wonderful and car tour of the town and some other historical sites on the Island. She was interesting, knowledgeable, and accommodating. We all enjoyed the day with her.
After the Shetlands we head back to London for some more rich history tours with Angie and Tracy. The walking tour to the Buckingham Palace was interesting and Angie was full of fun facts about the Royal family and the traditions. Tracy took us on a Black cab tour of London. Tracy was also interesting and knowledgeable. She took us to some local shops and eateries unique to London. She was great as well and we enjoyed our day with her. We could not have had more fun. Stephen you kept us busy and entertained. It was better than I imagined it could be. Thank you for the great planning and great guides!

We were contacted by Stephen Malloy in April 1, 2025 and began planning our Ireland Vacation. From the beginning, Stephen made us feel like he cared about making this trip an adventure for us. We exchanged emails, had two videos chats, questioners, and even received feed back and help from his partner in crime: Elisa Gjepali, Two for One! We must have been important or a big pain.
We received our first itinerary on April 6 and it was almost perfect. We could tell Stephen had listened to us and was trying to make our dream vacation a reality. A few changes were made and we had booked our trip by April 26 and excited to be on our way.
From May through September, Stephen or Elisa answered many. many question we had and not just about our bookings and outing. We had never traveled internationally and had no idea about anything. From travel insurance to customs procedures, they helped us feel comfortable and never acted like it was a bother.
We received our travel book a week before we left on our trip. Some scheduling changes had been made and they wanted to make us aware of the changes. Stephen even did another video chat with us because there was on very confusing day and he wanted to make sure we were all on the same page about the changes for that day.
Our first day in Ireland, we received an email from Stephen welcoming us to Ireland. A friendly face in a new town. He made sure we had numbers to call in case of problems, and let us know we could still contact him or Elisa if needed.
And we did need them a couple of times. Problems were handled and we had a wonderful time.
Thank you Kimkim for a wonderful time and to Stephen and Elisa,
You will be remembered in our hearts and prayer from this day forward.
Blessings,
Pat and Patti McHugh

We had excellent guides for our excursions. They were all knowledgeable, enthusiastic and personable. We especially enjoyed our Beatles tour. With Paul T. Jack, who took us on a walking tour of Smithfield was very knowledgeable and engaging. Grace took us on a walking tour focused on Shakespeare and I learned a lot (maybe more than I needed to know ). I did enjoy the town it was Stratford on Avon. Scotland was beautiful and we had great weather! Visiting St. Andrew’s was a dream of a lifetime. We were busy with all the things that were planned for us and felt like we covered a lot of ground.

We planned a 10-day (9 days + 1 flight day) self-drive tour in Scotland and Northern England with our two boys, 13 and 9. The planning experience with Stephen was great; the interactions were easy and he heard and adjusted with our feedback, though the changes were minimal given that the initial itinerary was close to spot on from our initial input. We really appreciated walking through the entire trip the week before departure and getting a few tips. We had a variety of accommodations, and especially enjoyed the setting of the Bracken Hide Hotel in the highlands and the historic Ballaculich House apartment near Fort William. Having many breakfasts included along the way was much appreciated, as were the combination of self guided days, private tours, Castle tickets and free time. The brief guides of each area were truly helpful and our Edinburgh tour guide Gareth (EdinburghExpert) and Steve (Highland Wildlife & Birdwatch Safaris) in Aviemore were both standouts.

There were major issues with transfers. When we arrived to Barcelona, the transfer was 30 minutes later. On our way back to the airport in Barcelona, the transfer vehicle was not the correct size and not large enough to accommodate our luggage. The black cab tour was not an actual black cab, it was a silver taxi, it had no AC and extremely hot. The whole experience was terrible. The changing of the guards but not up close at all, we were stuck behind huge groups and not private or personalized as it was mentioned to us while booking. There was a huge mess also with Costa Brava day trip. The guide messaged up the day before indicating we needed to meet him in Giorna which is 1.5 hours away from our hotel, which was not what was discussed with Stephen. We had to call them and deal with that hassle to get that sorted which added so much stress in the vacation while taking care of our toddler. We would not book with Kim Kim ever again. The agents don’t pay attention to detail, book terrible transfer companies and misrepresent what our experiences will be. Terrible experience! Do not recommend at all. Zicasso is much better to go with.

Activity Reviews

Private Day Trip to Costa Brava's Coastal Villages

Barcelona

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Private transfer

England

Horrible transfer company

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Private Tour Guide Changing of the Guard to the Palace of Buckingham

London

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Not private or close up at all

Transport

Private transfer to your destination

England

Not a black cab at all, it was silver taxi and no AC in the heat. TERRIBLE

Quality of Experience

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Transport