Espíritu Travel

My wife and I have just completed an amazing trip to Portugal, using KimKim to help plan our 21 days there. Before I go any further, I want to say how invaluable the KimKim app was during the trip. Everyday’s itinerary was easily accessible, with the names of hotels, guides, drivers and their contact numbers.

We had many excellent guides and a few really stood out. Our Lisbon’s walking tour guide, Pedro A. impressed us with his historical and cultural knowledge of the city, plus it was exciting to have a shot of Ginjinha at 11 in the morning. In Porto, Carlotta guided us about and showed us the most important site in the city, the hospital she was born at. Carlotta also does food tours and directed us to a delicious dinner and a great evening of conversation with the owner. Our tour of the Douro Valley with Pedro was exceptional, with wine, port and olive oil tasting. Our tour guide to Peneda-Gerês National Park was a spunky woman named Inês. She joyfully led us on trails ending with beautiful waterfalls and a small village with a traditional lunch. On Madeira our rental car was waiting for us to explore the tropical island on our own. We hiked with Margarita through lush forests to beautiful waterfalls. Paulo, a professor of biology and geology, educated us about the world of cork production.
Hector and Espiritu Travel exceeded our expectations with the itinerary he designed from our initial thoughts for Portugal.
KimKim will be at the top of our list when planning our next trip

The trip was wonderful. Just what we wanted. Kudos to Hector.

All guides were interesting, informative, and gracious. This included tapas tours, city tours, and museum tours.

All drivers were pleasant, helpful, and on time. They all arrived a few minutes early to insure we left at the appropriate time and this was especially helpful.

The hotel was perfectly situated in the heart of Madrid. It was very "Spanish", which is what we wanted. We were able to walk almost everywhere.

We had a last minute canceled train reservation due to a transit strike, the day of our trip to Toledo. Kim Kim was with us all the way by text. When it became clear that the train was finally going to be cancelled, they arranged for a driver to take us back and forth to Toledo. He arrived within an hour of the cancelation. They coordinated with our guide in Toledo. The transition was seamless. We had a wonderful day.

How a travel agency responds to challenges is the true test of the quality of the agency. Kim Kim performed like a champ. They exceeded expectations. We will definitely use them again and recommend them to our friends.

Activity Reviews

Walking Madrid’s Old Town

Madrid

Guide was interesting, informative, and friendly.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

We started the tour right from the hotel. That was awesome.

An Excursion to Toledo by Train, Guided Walk

Madrid

The tour was wonderful and the guides lunch recommendation was excellent.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

The driver was flexible. We wanted to leave an hour early and he obliged. He was also very willing to pull over for photos.

Masterpieces of the Prado Museum: A Private Experience From Velázquez to Goya

Madrid

The guide was very knowledgeable and gave us exactly the tour we wanted. We asked for the highlights of the museum and she delivered with great enthusiasm and interesting insights and details.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

N/A

Tapas & Tradition: A Madrileño Evening

Madrid

We especially enjoyed the small size, and the enthusiasm and knowledge of the guide. We experienced a wide range of tapas and Spanish beverages.

Quality of Experience

Food

My favorite was the tapas at the first restaurant and trying the Spanish Vermouth that was served on tap.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

N/A

I was a passionate adventure seeking traveler when I was younger.
Now that I am older but still have the same excitement about travel without tours for senior adults in cruise ships or totally planned tours for groups , I reached out to KimKim as a way to have "customized planned travel" without the stress involved with planning it on my own.
The trip to Portugal was developed brilliantly after I was able to work with Janelle to customize our itinerary. I could include time on our own to explore while she included other days with a guide. She also included areas of interest to my travel partner and I.
While in areas of Portugal that needed transport, we had very interesting local people who were extremely knowledgable and at the end of our time together, we considered them friends.
I wouldn't hesitate to contact KimKim when I plan my next trip!
Cheers, Jana King

This is hard to write succinctly but I will try, Kimkim is great. I highly recommend working with them. Our local specialist Anita and team did a stellar job connecting us with local guides and smaller tours. Our stand out tour guide was Nuno from Get Lost Go Local. We could have talked to him all day. Nuno has a way of making you feel like a friend and really listens to understand and shares from the heart. We didn't have a single bad guide and so appreciate that they all shared their lived experiences.

Now for Anita, what a star, I feel like we asked so many questions had changes here and there and she was so helpful every step of the way. My sister recommended connecting with Kimkim and I am so glad she did.

Thanks so much!

The Bari / Puglia area were highly recommended to us (and we had to remove one whole area to abide by our desire to keep the pace slower)—so based on the recommendation we chose Bari /Puglia over another region, and it turned out great.

Hotel Review

Masseria Longa Boutique Hotel

Otranto

Great team and food. Nice pool.

Authenticity & Character

Simple clean converted buildings just a bit out of town but walkable.

Location

Well positioned to explore or relax.

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Very attentive

Activity Review

Mount Etna Hike & Winery Experience

Italy

Great guide and amazing

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Local knowledge of geology and history

Transport

Ryan air challenges were fixed by gaining access to their automated baggage check system.

The Amalfi Coast, Naples and Sicily, all the historic sites and towns/cities we visited, the hotels, the guides and the drivers were fantastic. Just an overall great experience that would not have been possible without the support, responsiveness, insights and guidance provided by Bea and Nadia. They were better than fantastic. There is no doubt we will use KimKim to help arrange our next trip.

Hotel Reviews

Hotel Eden Roc Positano

Positano

Absolutely fantastic hotel. Our suite, the rooftop bar and restaurant, the location, the views and the staff were great. One of the best hotels I have ever stayed at.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Grand Hotel Parker’s

Naples

First class hotel. Our suite, the rooftop bar and restaurant, the location, the views and the staff were outstanding.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Monaci delle Terre Nere, Relais & Chateaux

Zafferana etnea

One of the most unique hotels I have ever stayed at. The setting and views are absolutely breathtaking, the bar/restaurant could not have been cooler with nightly entertainment provided by a great guitarist that played unique stylings of rock/pop classics, the formal restaurant had a wonderful setting, a great menu that was well executed , and an extensive top notch wine list and the hotel/restaurant staff was super nice, attentive, responsive and professional. My only recommendation would be for the hotel to upgrade their gym a bit by updating their aerobic equipment and adding an elliptical.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Mount Etna Visit & Wine Tasting Experience

Italy

Absolutely great experience made even more special by our guide Bruna who was super nice and knowledgeable and full of life and positivity. Mount Etna did not disappoint and the wine tasting and lunch were great.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Bruna was outstanding. Would not have been the same without her.

Transport

Full-Day Experience in the Valley of the Temples

Italy

Both the Temple of Gods and The Roman Villa were extraordinary made even better brought by our guides who were very knowledgeable, articulate and personable. A lot of driving, but that gave us the opportunity to take in the beautiful Sicilian countryside.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Explore Pompeii & Mount Vesuvius with Wine Tasting

Italy

Pompeii was extraordinary. An ancient city frozen in time brought to life by our charismatic, knowledgeable and articulate guide Nina. Combining it with Mount Vesuvius made it even better. Being able to take in both sites was a true bucket list item. The sine tasting and lunch were nice, but not fantastic.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

A Day Along the Amalfi Coast

Italy

A day of wonderful sites that gave a great feel for the wonders and history of the Amalfi Coast.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Italy -Important Trip Information: Please Review Before Departure

Italy

All great. Bea was responsive, clear and professional. Could not have been better.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Ancient Paestum & Buffalo Mozzarella Cheese Farm Experience

Italy

Totally top notch. Antonio brought Paestum to life with his knowledge and enthusiasm. A truly special snapshot of Magna Grecia in Italy. The Buffalo Mozzarella Cheese Farm was also much more enjoyable than I was expecting. The cherry on top of a great day.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Taormina Walk with a Local

Italy

Another great experience. Just a wonderfully scenic and historic town made that much more special by Lucka our guide. The amphitheater was a real highlight complimented the sights and sounds and history Taormina.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

A Half Day Visit Through Syracuse & Ortygia

Italy

Really glad we added Siracusa to our itinerary. An incredible city rich in so much history. Ortigia combined with the archeological site on the mainland were outstanding made that more special by our guide Michael who was fun, colorful and knowledgeable. The surprise of the day was the quarry including Dionysius’s ear. Very cool.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Hector, our local specialist, was incredible in the planning process. He was excellent at responding to numerous questions and making changes to multiple itineraries to prepare a customized trip for my family in Spain. This is the second trip Hector has planned for us. Last year, he customized an itinerary for us to Portugal which also was an exceptional trip. I would highly recommend booking a trip with Hector.

Our top three excursions were: a tapas tour on arrival, a paella cooking class with Claudia from "Just Royal" and the Caminito del Rey.

The tapas tour set us up for a wonderful introduction into the Spanish culture of slowing down in the afternoons and sharing tapas at an outdoor cafe. Brais, our tour guide was engaging, energetic and knowledgeable on the varieties of foods/wines. He even had us participate in a tradition called Porron, which numerous tour participants engaged in. Fun, fun!

We loved our excursion of the paella cooking class. Claudia, our formally trained cooking instructor, engaged all six of us in the cooking class in the preparation of the food which included: food selection, chopping, sautéing and even browning the brûlée. The excursion culminated in a lunch expertly presented of the food we had cooked. Delicious!!

The Caminita del Rey was an excursion I had read about which involved catwalks 300-feet above the river which were formerly used by maintenance workers for a hydro-electric power plant. Although the height could be dizzying for some, my husband who is afraid of heights was able to partake in the hike/walk. What an amazing engineering marvel knowing the catwalks were originally built in the early 1900's (but were recently upgraded with added safety features in 2016).

Least favorite excursion: Cycle the Via Verde. I had originally thought this would be a guided trip, however, it was not. The maps and GPS given to us by the company were not helpful. Fortunately, we had our smart phone that eventually allowed us to get out of the city. It took us 4 hours to get to our destination and 2 hours to return which shows how lost we were getting out of the city. If I were to make a recommendation, I would not choose this company to do the trip again. I would also have preferred to select a bike company on the outskirts of the city so we would not need to navigate the city if we were biking independent of a tour guide.

Best Hotels: My daughter was a huge fan of the Casa Romana Hotel Boutique and the tastefully decorated contemporary rooms. She described it as being "the classiest hotel she has ever been in". She is actually very accurate. My husband and I loved the "Catalonia Ronda" because it had additional space in the room with a couch and chairs that provided a place for us to gather and play a game or two in the privacy of our room.

The kimkim app is invaluable to all in our party. It was a great resource because it was well-organized with our vouchers, directions with links, updates and chat feature. This is such a bonus to traveling.

Thank you for your kindness and expertise in planning our trip. We will continue to use Kimkim for any future guided trips.

Karen and company!

Hotel Reviews

Gran Hotel Havana

Barcelona

Hotel offers a fitness center but only really two people could occupy space. Centrally located which was great!

Authenticity & Character

Loved the rooftop lounge

Location

Close to hotels and walking distance to central part of town.

Staff

Concierge/check in staff lovely. They stored our luggage until our room was available which was helpful.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Diana

Tossa de Mar

Centrally located and clean only a few feet from the beach. We were in this location in mid-October and found many of the restaurants were closed down. Parking with the hotel was a walk off site but manageable.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Right near the beach.

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Casa Romana Hotel Boutique

Sevilla

My daughter thought this hotel was "the nicest place she has ever stayed!"

Authenticity & Character

Location

Beautiful and clean

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Catalonia Ronda

Ronda

Appreciated having a small couch and extra chairs in the room as a place for our family to gather. The view from the restaurant was amazing in the mornings. The breakfast was delicious!!!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Overlooks the breath-taking mountains.

Staff

Exceptional.

Cleanliness & Comfort

The bathrooms were large and super clean. The hotel felt luxurious!

Hotel Palacio de Santa Inés

Granada

Rooms were very small and although the hotel had recently been refurbished...it did not feel that way. There was really no place to open a suitcase except on the bed. The toilet malfunctioned while we were there, however, they were quick to have a repairmen there the next morning. No elevator...this is not a place for someone that is disabled.

Authenticity & Character

Definitely authentic.

Location

Centrally located and only a one block walk to the Main Street.

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Entrance Tickets to Caminito del Rey

Spain

Once in a lifetime experience. You need to do

Quality of Experience

The awe of being in the canyon on the catwalks was great.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

The guide was funny and full of energy. She was organized and very safety conscious.

Discover Granada’s Iconic Alhambra & Generalife Gardens

Spain

Beautiful gardens. The architecture was pretty amazing.

Quality of Experience

Beautiful gardens.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Very knowledgeable.

Barcelona Highlights: Montjuïc, Gothic Quarter & Sagrada Familia

Barcelona

Great overview of the city.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Knowledgeable. It would be helpful to provide a brief timeline of the different countries/religions in power. The nature of the tour is that you are traveling between sites but it wasn't until the 10th day of hearing about the history that I could put my own timeline together.

Transport

Lots of walking.

From Market to Table: Cook Authentic Spanish Dishes

Barcelona

Claudia was amazing! She was funny, engaging, patient and a great teacher of cooking.

Quality of Experience

A nice break from the excursions that just delivered a lot of historical facts.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Claudia was awesome as was her assistant who unfortunately I cannot remember her name.

Monumental Seville on Foot & Visit Real Alcázar

Seville

Tour was well-done. I feel it is important to do these overall tours when going to a new city, however, I found the information became overwhelming after a while.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Cycle the Via Verde: Seville to Carmona by Electric Bike

Seville

Least favorite activity of the trip. The GPS and maps were not helpful. We spent too much time trying to get out of the city.

Quality of Experience

Directions not great. Bike worked well.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Poor explanation of directions.

Excursion to Montserrat Monastery & Scenic Mountain Hike

Barcelona

We hiked the mountain for our excursion and loved the opportunity to be outdoors. Make sure you wear good walking shoes. There was not much time for us to wonder the market or get a bite to eat. We picked up a beverage at the supermarket and ate when we got back from the excursion. It might be good to bring a snack and water with you. I was under the impression our tour was supposed to include a snack...that did not occur.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Knowledgeable on the plants of the area.

Transport

Costa Brava Coastal Escape: Kayak, Snorkel & Scenic Walks

Spain

We were fortunate to have this excursion with just our family of four. We loved the 45 minute walk along the coastal trail prior to our kayak trip. The guide spoke about the flora. Our guide kayaked us to a section of the cliffs where there was a via fuerata and we snorkeled below the people. It was a beautiful relaxing trip. There was enough time for us to get tapas at a restaurant beach-side. It was a lovely day.

Quality of Experience

Appreciated the relaxed day away from the city.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Ronda Up Close: A Guided Walk

Spain

Guide really knowledgeable about the town. The walk was well-organized going through the three distinct different neighborhoods. The hike culminated at the Nuevo Bridge with the sunset shining though the arches. My favorite city!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Very knowledgeable.

Taste Barcelona: Authentic Tapas & Neighborhood Walk

Barcelona

Great way to start the vacation after a long flight from the states. I was a walking tour to three different restaurants. We sampled different tapas at each of the restaurants paired with wine/beer.

Quality of Experience

Food

The variety of food. The guide was great at selecting the different tapas.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Exceptional! He came with a lot of energy, funny stories and had a knack for engaging the group. My family LOVED this tour.

Our trip was wonderful! We traveled to Porto (City Food and Wine Tour and a day trip to Duro Valley), Sandigo de Compostella (day trip to Galicia) and Lisbon (a day trip to Sintra, Cascais and along the coast) over an 11-day period.
The hotels were all in a great location. The hotels were exactly what we were interested in, small boutique in the city center. Our favorites were Jardim Da Batalha - Porto (wonderful, helpful staff, fabulous breakfast, great location and neighborhood and very quiet room), also The Art Inn - Lisbon (very unique, helpful staff, great location, and wonderful roof top restaurant!
We All our guides and drivers were expectational, on time and professional!
Janelle truly listened, communicated and did an outstanding job helping us coordinate the trip.
Thank you for all your help and guidance. We would highly recommend KimKim

Hotel Reviews

Jardim da Batalha Boutique Hotel by Shiadu

Porto

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Compostela

Santiago de Compostela

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

The Art Inn Lisbon

Lisboa

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

A Day to Discover La Costa da Morte: Exploring Fisterra & Beyond

Portugal

We had a great day! The guide/driver did a great job!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Culinary Highlights of Porto: Food Delights & Bolhão Market

Porto

Great experience and guide

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Douro Valley Highlights: Wine, Olive Oil & River Cruise

Porto

The guide was great - we had a great experience

Quality of Experience

Food

We liked the second vineyard very much! Our lunch on top of the mountain in a small family restaurant was unique and the food and wine was wonderful! We had a great day!

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Exploring Sintra & Cascais: Palaces, Cliffs & Coastline

Lisbon

The guide/driver did a great job! We really enjoyed the day! We really appreciated the walk up to the Palaces via the paths through the gardens - it was a bit of a walk-up hill, therefore not for everyone, but our small group really appreciated it! The only negative was that the tour of the Pena Palace was very crowed, we would have skipped tour of the inside of the Pena Palance and spent more time in Sentra.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Portugal - Important Trip Information: Please Review Before Departure

Portugal

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Our trip to Italy was absolutely perfect! A special shout-out to our tour guides: Giovanni in Rome and Martina in Florence. They were extremely knowledgeable and provided excellent tours. Our contacts at kimkim were also extremely helpful in planning. Anita provided us with some great experiences and made the trip as smooth as could be. And Nadia, our point of contact during our travels, was very responsive and accommodating to any questions or additional requests we had. I'd recommend kimkim to anyone looking to plan a long trip. Kimkim made it a thousand times easier!

Hotel Reviews

Hotel Monte Cenci

Rome

Great hospitality and great location

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Horto Convento Florence

Firenze

Quiet and comfortable. And Ginger the Convent cat is adorable.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Relais Santa Chiara Hotel - Tuscany Charme

San Gimignano

Great location and the view is incredible.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Claudia took excellent care of us each morning at breakfast, providing gluten free options.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Palace Catania | UNA Esperienze

Catania

Beautiful hotel and good location

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Palazzo Ventimiglia

Palermo

Beautiful palazzo and comfortable. Only drawback was that it was a bit noisy outside at night.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Too noisy to sleep. Only complaint.

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Discover the Vatican: From the Museums to the Sistine Chapel

Italy

We had a great guide!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Get Inside the Colosseum with Arena Access

Italy

Giovanni was a lot of fun and gave us a great experience. Worth every penny to avoid the crowds and lines too. We were confused about where to meet up, but they called us and waited for us.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Florence on Foot: Michelangelo’s David & Duomo

Italy

Great tour! Didn't realize we weren't going inside the duomo though. But overall a lovely experience.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Explore Mt Etna: Volcano Hike & Lava Cave

Catania

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

A Scenic Horseback Ride in Tuscany

Italy

Amazing experience! Calming, and a beautiful way to meet the locals and see the countryside.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Italy -Important Trip Information: Please Review Before Departure

Italy

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Dining & Wine Tasting in the Vineyard Rows

Italy

Great wine and delicious food. Accommodating to gluten free as well.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Overall it was a good experience. The trip went smoothly except for a wine tasting excursion when I was given an 8am start time and the real time was 9:30. The guide said there was never an 8 am start so not sure where that came from. The hotel in Sorrento, Maison Kalea, was fine but what stood out was that the person who hosted the breakfast was very unfriendly to us. I tried multiple times to smile and say good morning to her and she always replied with a scowl. However if an Italian family was there she was all smiles and played with their child and was a completely different person. I have to assume she does not like foreigners. It was very uncomfortable.
I was disappointed with the planning regarding the flight to Sicily. We told Giorgia that we did not need lodgings for Sicily but needed transportation. I assumed she would book a flight from Rome. However when I checked the itinerary later she had not and when I questioned her about this she said it was my fault for not making this clear to her. I am not sure how she thought we were going to get to sicily from Rome.
Other than these things I felt the trip was very good and the lodgings were about what I expected for what we wanted to pay. The tour guide in Rome, Daniele was excellent.

Hotel Review

Maison Kalea

Sorrento

The hotel was cute and had a boutique feel. It could be a little loud at times from the street but not late into the night. The balcony was nice and I enjoyed spending time outside and on the outside plaza. The food was very good. However, the cook who served the meals was very unfriendly to us (Americans) but was all smiles and friendly to the Italians. I said buongiorno every morning and tried to smile at her to let her know I was friendly but never got a smile in return. I thought she was just quiet until I saw how she was with the Italian guests. It was located out of the busy downtown area but only a short walk away.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Florence on Foot: Michelangelo’s David & Duomo

Italy

This tour was great and entirely due to Daniele who lead the tour and was a wealth of information about Florence and the history of the art and the city.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Daniele was great

Half-Day Chianti Wine Experience

Florence

I really enjoyed talking to Raffaella on the car ride over and the two tours were very nice and the sampling and food were great

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Explore Pompeii with an Archaeologist

Italy

The tour guide was very good. I wish we had a longer time with her.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Sailing the Amalfi Coast: From Sorrento to Amalfi & Positano

Italy

The boat ride was very well run and gave amazing vies of the coastline.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport