Good Vibes Tours

Honestly, I would not change one thing that Aleksandra set up for us. The trip was perfect and all the accommodations and tours were great.

Hello Tetiana,

Thank you for putting together this overall very memorable and satisfying trip through Scotland. We had a wonderful time and left feeling that we got a thorough impression of Scotland’s cities and breathtaking landscapes. Everything worked out perfectly, and we truly appreciated the attention to detail throughout the itinerary.

We do have a few minor comments and recommendations:

First, we were unable to go inside Edinburgh Castle because our flight delay made it too stressful on the day of arrival. However, we thoroughly enjoyed the recommended city tour and even stumbled upon Greyfriars Bobby’s grave, which was a lovely surprise for us as dog lovers. That would be a wonderful addition to your list of sightseeing recommendations.

Second, on the third day, we left Stirling Castle and drove north to the Culloden Battlefield. The drive took over three hours due to road construction and traffic, which caused us to miss our 2 p.m. tour. Fortunately, we were able to join the 3 p.m. session instead, though this meant we missed visiting Urquhart Castle that afternoon. That turned out just fine, as we later saw the castle from the Loch Ness Canal Tour the next day.

Isle of Skye was the absolute highlight of our trip. We loved Portree, the Storr hike, and the scenery filled with sheep—it all felt wonderfully authentic. We decided to skip the Quiraing hike to keep the day more relaxed and ensure we had time for the Talisker tour, which was a great decision.

On the sixth day, driving from Portree to Glencoe, we came across the Highland Soap Company and decided to stop. We recognized the brand from the products used in all our hotels—from Edinburgh to Inverness to Portree—and enjoyed shopping there tremendously. It would be a fantastic addition to future itineraries.

Overall, the trip was beautifully arranged, and we’re so grateful for your excellent planning and thoughtful touches. Thank you again for helping us experience Scotland in such a memorable and personal way.

Hotel Review

Bracken Hide Hotel

Portree

This was the best hotel on the trip, and we were so happy to be able to stay there for two nights. This hotel, and the Isle of Skye in general, was so beautiful that we could have stayed there the full week as well.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Review

Sea Breezes Restaurant

Scotland

This restaurant was sadly closed during our stay on the Isle of Skye, so we cannot leave a proper review.

Our trip to Scotland was magical. Kate was very attentive, always quick to respond with questions and to offer alternatives to the itinerary. The pace was perfect and we hit every sight we wanted to see, with the exception of Nessie, she was not in view the day we were at Loch Ness!

Eridon was exceptional as a driver/guide. He drove us to Portree and made a few stops en route that were not on the itinerary, places that he thought we'd like, and we did! It was a long day, but one of the best ones. He was lovely and very knowledgable.

All the hotels were great, but Taransay House stood out. Our stay there included breakfast and dinner each night and the food was delicious. The rooms were immaculate and very spacious and comfortable but what stood out the most is how hospitable Murdo and his family are, he was there at the door to greet us upon arrival and we immediately felt like old friends. He helped us with mapping out routes, and finding a driver for us, by calling in a favor, when he learned that we had no transportation reserved.

As a note - in many of the more remote places in Scotland, Uber is not available and taxis need to be reserved (well) in advance. We didn't understand this and were caught out more than once when there was no transportation available. It would have been better (and easier) for us to have that done in advance, whether by Kate or on our own, as it was a bit stressful on the day to learn that we couldn't move forward with our plans due to lack of transportation.

Hotel Reviews

Virgin Hotels Edinburgh

Edinburgh

Fabulous location, right on "Diagon Alley" and walking distance to everything in Edinburgh. The staff was very helpful and very welcoming. Rooms were comfortable and clean.

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Taransay House, Small Hotel

Portree

Taransay House is a gem. Only four rooms, run by a family, includes breakfast and dinner. We have stayed at 5 star resorts all over the world, and Taransay House is on par. The rooms are immaculate, large and very comfortable, and the food is wonderful. The family that runs it are very special, we felt welcome immediately and when our stay was over, I didn't want to leave. It was one of the highlights of our trip.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Walking distance to the center of Portree, overlooking a waterway.

Staff

Murdo and Scott are fantastic!

Cleanliness & Comfort

Prestonfield House

Edinburgh

What a special experience! We felt like we had stepped back in time to another, more civilized, era, but with all the modern amenities and comforts.

Authenticity & Character

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Review

Edinburgh: Harry Potter Magical Guided Walking Tour

Edinburgh

Even my husband, who is not a Potter fan, thought this was so much fun.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Aleksandra was wonderful and made our trip to London, Edinburgh and Dublin a wonderful experience. All of the details were planned in advance and the everything went flawlessly. I would highly recommend Aleksandra and KimKim to those that want to go on a trip but don’t want to go through the pain and hassle of planning and booking a trip

Kate from KimKim connected us with drivers and guides that were just good people with local knowledge and an interest in helping us have a positive experience. Numerous times during our trip, my wife and I commented that the support from Kate made this a comfortable and stress free trip.

Hotel Reviews

Cameron house

Lovely property and welcoming staff.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Inverlochy Castle Hotel

Fort William

Our time here was impacted by a major wind and rain storm. The staff rose to the occasion and did their best to pamper us and help make it a positive staff.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Views are amazing.

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Marmalade Hotel

Portree

Nice property in a very convenient location.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Front desk staff was not overly friendly. All other employees at the property were great.

Cleanliness & Comfort

River Ness Hotel, a member of Radisson Individuals

Inverness

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel du Vin & Bistro Edinburgh

Edinburgh

Authenticity & Character

Unique property, in a good sense.

Location

Staff

Wonderful welcoming staff. Made us feel like we were appreciated.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Holyrood Distillery Tour

Edinburgh

Was looking for a whiskey tour. This tour focused more on their other distilled spirits. Was not a fan of their whiskey.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Talisker Distillery

Scotland

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Private Inverness Walking Tour

Scotland

Our guide was knowledgeable and engaging.

Explore Glen Affric, Culloden, and Clava Cairns Tour

Inverness

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Edinburgh Old Town Tour

Edinburgh

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

The Vaults Tour

Edinburgh

If you have limited time, don’t think this needs to be a priority.

Quality of Experience

Probably the least favorite guide we had while in Scotland.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

It was a great vacation with an interesting and fun itinerary! While relatively quick paced (which is fine, we asked for it) we felt we were able to see and get a feel for each of the areas we visited. Highlights include the Cliffs of Moher / Inisheer boat trip from Galway, the Titanic Museum in Belfast and the Jameson/Guiness experiences in Dublin. We elected to reserve a Black Cab tour in Belfast that delved into The Troubles and sights and locations of political murals from both sides. This might not be appropriate for everyone but we found it very informative and incredibly unbiased. I recommend it for anyone interested in the history of this modern conflict. We also discovered and had a tour of the Little Museum of Dublin in Dublin. It was great! Housed in an old Georgian home, the tour was theatrical, amusing and spotighted much of Dublin's history and cultural contributions. Also recommended and all ages appropriate.
Lastly, I think it's worth noting that the Trinity College long library is currently undergoing a multi year restoration and as such, has no books in it. Was nice to see it anyway but might be worth mentioning that to any future travelers.

Hotel Reviews

Leonardo Hotel Galway

Galway

Clean, comfortable, great location, good breakfast, allowed us to check in early which was a day saver as we had just flown in from NY

Authenticity & Character

A pretty straight forward hotel. Nothing over the top but checked all the important boxes for us

Location

Right at the bottom of the Latin Quarter

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Regency House

Belfast

This was our favorite hotel on the trip. Recently renovated, and very tastefully appointed. Also the best food we had from any of the places we stayed. The pastries were amazing!

Authenticity & Character

Very new, very charming, the most tastefully decorated hotel of any of the ones we stayed in

Location

It's about a 10-15 minute walk from the Cathedral area but coincidentally we saw a show at the Empire Theater our 2nd night and it happened to be a block away!

Staff

I couldn't lift a bag, open a door, or wait for anything I needed. They parked my car! They sent us off with the best pastries for our early drive to Dublin. Loved this hotel!

Cleanliness & Comfort

NYX Hotel Dublin Christchurch

Dublin

Great central location, hip vibe and we got a room upgrade!

Authenticity & Character

Not sure about authenticity but had a rock music aesthetic we thought was cool.

Location

a couple of blocks from everything - Grafton St, St Stephens Green, Temple Bar, Castle, Cathedral, Trinity...

Staff

Easy check in, got a room upgrade, restaurant was clean and service quick

Cleanliness & Comfort

Worth mentioning that room won't be serviced unless you turn on an indicator light which we weren't aware of. Might be worth pointing that out at check in

Activity Reviews

Galway to Cliffs Cruise, Aran Islands and Connemara Full Day Tour

Galway

Great to see the cliffs from the water. Enjoyed Inisheer visit too. Recommend renting a bike to tour the island

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

We had a great tour guide! Connor I think his name was. And Bertie was our driver.

Transport

I liked the smaller coach and smaller group

Guinness and Jameson Irish Whiskey Experience Tour

Dublin

James from the Jameson experience should be in theater. He put on a show that elevated the Jameson story from merely interesting to highly entertaining. Also our guide for the whole tour - Jameson and Guiness was Fergus and he was excellent too. He was as informative as he was advisory making sure the group was aware of the history of the city - things not discussed at Jameson or Guiness - but he also made us aware of discounts and opportunities and warned about higher prices at gift shops vs Dublin retail and also street smart tips. The line of Guiness pints he assembled at the end of the tour was pretty epic too!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

James at Jameson and Fergus our guide for the day improved the experience significantly

Transport

no transport. just walking

Our trip went smoothly overall and all of our accommodations and private guides were exceptional. Shawna did a fabulous private tour of Old Town Edinburgh with us. She recommended a wonderful place to eat in Old Town and we ended up eating there again on our last day when we returned to Edinburgh for our flight home the next day.

We had an issue with Ian, our driver (son of Brian of BW taxis) on our transfer to Inverness from Portree-he didn't seem to know where he was supposed to take us and insisted that he had let you know that he could not do Culloden, Cairngorms and Clava Cairns on the same day ; I let Kateryna know and she fixed the issues promptly (on a Sunday!) and arranged for a driver on Monday who was outstanding (Jim). He and Kateryna made sure that we were able to do the activities that we were supposed to do on Sunday even though it made a very long day for both Jim and ourselves. (It was almost dark and we were the only ones left when we left the Culloden battlefield!) If the driver on Sunday had followed the itinerary we would have been able to see all the places on our itinerary before it became so late. I would suggest that you do not use ian again. Constantine, our driver from Edinburgh to Loch Lomond was very accommodating - he stopped at Balloch Castle and took us into Luss. Our driver from Loch Lomond to Portree (Eri) was also great. The driver who picked us up at the airport did not meet us in the airport as we expected but sent me a WhatsApp video of where we should go to find him. We weren't able to follow his directions very well and he had to come and find us after all. I understand that he was not supposed to leave his car in the place that he had parked but this disconcerted us as it was the first thing we encountered upon our arrival.

Kateryna's suggested activities were perfect for us! We were able to see a lot in the 9 days that we were there. We ended up doing the Mary King's Close tour on the last day that we were in Edinburgh which was not something that we booked with you. It really was a spectacular 9 days. The only other thing I want to mention (I've mentioned this to Kateryna) is that we have used agencies for several other international trips in the past and we have always been able to view a detailed list of expenses for drivers, hotels and excursions. I'm not sure why you do not wish to make this information available to your travelers but my husband prefers this transparency. Even though Kateryna did a wonderful job for us, he would be hesitant to use your services in the future for this reason.

Hi Kateryna,
Our trip to England was wonderful and you were great, responding very quickly to our texts and emails, and making the adjustments we requested. Our guides, Chris, our Black Cab driver in London, and Ulrich in Bath, were so knowledgeable and fun. Loved our hotels, very quaint and comfortable (especially The Manor, I'd like to live there forever). Enjoyed our diverse itinerary and the great transportation between town, especially our train ride.
Thank you so much for making this trip perfect.