High Point Holidays and Randonnees Outre-Manche

Amazing Family Trip to Scotland! This is my second trip that was planned by the Kim Kim team and I was very happy with the itinerary and accommodations. The hotels were all centrally located and met our budget. The Three Mile Island tour was fantastic and we also loved the Isle of Skye tour.

Hotel Reviews

Rusacks St Andrews

Amazing hotel! Beautiful rooms and perfect location. The breakfast was fantastic.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Glen Mhor Hotel

Inverness

Loved this hotel, but had to walk up several flights of stairs, which was a bit difficult for my Mom, who is 88. Otherwise, beautiful location, clean, updated, great breakfast.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Perfect location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

beautiful rooms, updated bathrooms

The Great Western Hotel

Oban

The location was amazing. The hotel was old and in need of some updates, but it was clean and worked out well for us. The breakfast was mediocre, but we loved the sitting room in the front of the hotel which overlooked the water.

Authenticity & Character

hotel dated and needs an update

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Uilebheist Distillery Discovery Tour

Inverness

Nice tour...a little too long and the Scotch as not as good as others we tried.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Canal and Loch - Loch Ness Tour with Urquhart Castle included & Bus from Inverness

Inverness

This was a bit commercial. The castle was very nice.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

The Isle of Skye & Eilean Donan Castle

Inverness

Amazing tour. Beautiful scenery.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Three Isles Tour – Mull, Iona & Staffa

Oban

Wonderful tour! The highlight of our trip. Well organized, beautiful views.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Overall we had a good experience, but there were highs and extreme lows (good excursions and they tried and customer service, but logistics and transportation was a nightmare). I go with travel agents when there is a logistically challenging trip I need assistance on to ensure low stress and efficient trips. I can honestly say this was the MOST STRESSFUL trip experience I have ever taken, and we have traveled with 3 generations of family in and out of the USA before.

The Bad:
-We had several logistical issues small, medium, and large. I was very clear that we had an 80 year old with double knee replacements and I am limited to about 10,000 steps max. My steps were mostly spent chasing cabs down in our recurring transportation issues. The travel agent was made aware of this, did not ask the appropriate questions and thus did NOT accommodate properly for this. We had so much stress and wasted time fixing everything.
-Our stadium tour was not booked on the day planned and had to be updated days before the trip.
-Our cooking class was great, but was changed the night before to a town not close to where we were staying. we had a mad scramble to and hours spent figure this out for the next morning. Kim Kim luckily set up a transfer but the address was wrong on the building so we had to walk to each building buzzing the owners until we found them.
-Both of our hotels were in nice historical areas but we could not get a van taxi for 5 people to drop or pick us up at the locations. We had to walk/run to various different places and had several Uber cancelations.
-Several locations we could not get picked up. Two time we had walk to a gas station for a taxi since there were none around and Uber would not pick us up (AS Roma Stadium and Ostia Antica).
-Our Bari rickshaw trip (good once figured out) got scheduled for a walking tour so yet another scramble and wasted time changing that up.
-Our speed boat tour of the caves near Bari was the absolutely wrong location link, yet another mad dash but at this point I had no confidence in our travel logistics and showed up two hours early at the supposed meeting location.
-We needed to get a train from Bari to Rome since we flew out of Rome the morning after so we asked Kim Kim to set up one to make sure we did not miss the train. The driver was told by someone to go to the airport, so once we noticed we were going to the wrong place we got to the train station running with our luggage and my 80yr old mother with two knee replacement to get on the train as the doors closed.
-There were other discrepancies in the itinerary in addition to the location and scheduling conflicts, like one area said breakfast was included and another did not.
-A medium issues was the in the hotel rooms: we had a window that would not close in 100F degree heat that was not fixed, a sink the leaked, a shower drain that would not drain, got put in separate buildings. We would have chose a less historic area if we knew about all of these issues.
-Steps up to the bathroom on 2 of the 3 rooms we stayed, which may mother tripped on at least once...I can't believe no one even asked about steps, safety bars, or anything having to do with all the mobility concerns we told them about...I could not imagine if someone used a walker or wheelchair!
-I HIGHLY recommend setting up more set transportation ahead of time on the itinerary so a lot of the issues would be prevented.

The Good:
-Our travel agent was pleasant to work with and had good excursion recommendations.
-The excursions were good to excellent.
-The travel agency made a good effort to resolve the issues.

Activity Reviews

Polignano a Mare: Speedboat Cruise to Caves with Aperitif

Bari

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Bari by boat

Bari

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Pasta & Tiramisu Cooking Class at a Local's Home

Bari

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Full Day Tour to Alberobello, Monopoli and Locorotondo from Bari

Italy

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Discover the "Sassi" of Matera and all the traditiones

Italy

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Guided tour of Bari and the old city with street food tasting - By Rickshaw

Bari

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Vatican Highlights Tour: Sistine Chapel and Vatican Museums with Skip-the-Line Tickets

Rome

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Hadrian's Villa and Villa d'Este Half-Day Tour from Rome

Rome

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Golf Cart Tour of Rome

Rome

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Ostia Antica Tour | Half Day Trip

Rome

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Colosseum Underground Tour with Arena, Palatine Hill & Roman Forum

Rome

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Welcome to Rome

Rome

The trip was wonderful from beginning to end. Pauline sat down with us via Zoom to understand what we were looking for. She was responsive to questions we asked and changes we wanted to make. There were little touches like a welcome postcard and drinks at one of the hotels that added a tone to the entire trip.

Almost everything recommended was worthwhile. The hotels and B&Bs were wonderful, especially those outside the main cities: Bunchrew House, Taransay House, No. 26 by the Sea, and Malmaison Edinburgh City were perfect and they were very accommodating to our dietary needs. Rooms were not big, but they were always comfortable. Please note, if you are from the USA and ask for King sized beds we discovered there is a difference. Many places have "hotel kings" which are US queen sized beds. "Super Kings" are US kings.

The standout guides and activities were:
1) Walking tour with Gareth--Gareth is knowledgeable and personable. He was able to tweak things on the fly to answer our questions and needs. We could have kept going for hours.
2) Culloden Battlefield Private Tour--Rhona is a wealth of knowledge and really fun to be with. She provided all the history and background to help us understand the significance of the battle for the Scots and the entire United Kingdom.
3) Highlands Wildlife Safari--We did not know exactly what to expect from this experience, but we had a wonderful time with our guide. We saw five very different habitats within Cairngorms National Park and we learned more about the trees and wildlife than I can possibly remember. The Hairy coos were an extra special bonus. It was definitely worth the time.
4) Trotternish Loop--This is an amazing drive and I am sorry we did not have more time to spend on the drive. Allot more than half a day to truly enjoy it and be able to get to your next activity.
5) Oban Distillery Tour--We did more than a few distillery tours, and even more tastings. Oban was the best tour of the lot. It was informative and fun.
6) Three Chimney's dinner--Out in the middle of nowhere sits this excellent restaurant with a fantastic tasking menu. We had the seven course tasting menu and it was worth every penny. It was Scottish food re-imagined and served by an outstanding cast. On the way home, we had one of the best moments of the entire trip when we got stuck in an Isle of Skye traffic jam. The road cut through a paddock and the sheep were not moving off the road for anyone.
7) Soul Sisters Cafe and Cooking Class--We wanted to do something different and asked Pauline to arrange a cooking class for us. They found this wonderful cafe in Glasgow that serves middle eastern and Scottish food and provides jobs and training to immigrant women. They welcomed us warmly with a delicious lunch and true hospitality. We learned to make scones, but as we chatted with them and watched what they were preparing in the kitchen they shared all sorts of extra information and tastes. I only wish we had known about the Algerian Flatbread, because that would have been an awesome class to take.
8) Our best "accidental" experience was at the Three Berries Farm just north of Inverness. I got of at the second exit of the roundabout instead of the third and we happened upon this local market. They make homemade baked goods and sell the freshest fruits and veggies they can. It is clearly a locals place, but they were kind enough to explain all sorts of things and give us tastes of things that were new.
9) Not something we did through Kim Kim, but on our last day we added Afternoon Tea at the Dome in Edinburgh. It was a wonderful way to bring our trip to a close. It is elegant and fun.

We had a few hiccups with communication, but everyone from KimKim's staff and the Highpoint staff worked hard to get things right. In fact, we decided to change our itinerary one day and with enough notice they were able to get us refunds for the activity we were going to skip.

Hotel Reviews

Malmaison Edinburgh City

Edinburgh

This was the perfect location to end our trip. In the heart of Edinburgh's newtown it is right on St. Andrews Square, next to the tram, and easy walking to lots of shops, restaurants, and attractions. The hotel set up is funky and so are the rooms, but they were clean and comfortable.

Authenticity & Character

A lot of black, but clean, comfortable, and quirky.

Location

Really well located. I could have stayed here at both the beginning and end of our trip.

Staff

Very helpful for an urban hotel. They helped our wives move luggage as we ran to return the hire car on time.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Novotel Glasgow Centre

Glasgow

This is a chain hotel. It was clean and comfortable, but not memorable. I think this was more of a business hotel than tourist hotel. Their on-site parking is a very small lot and probably one of the most traumatic driving experiences of our time in Scotland. Long car in narrow garage--not a great combination. We did not need the car for the days we were there.

Authenticity & Character

Standard buisness hotel

Location

It is a walk to where many of the restaurants and stores are, but there were many other choices that were "closer to the action".

Staff

Helpful and friendly, but serving a much bigger crowds.

Cleanliness & Comfort

No 26 by the Sea

Oban

The rooms here are cozy with not a great deal of extra space and the lack of an elevator makes getting things up and down a bit of a challenge, but what do you expect in a hotel with only nine rooms. The staff are all helpful, friendly, and outstanding.

Authenticity & Character

Cute, quirky, and comfortable

Location

Right across the street from the bay in a beautiful old home that is an easy walk to "downtown".

Staff

They tried to do everything they could to make us comfortable and happy.

Cleanliness & Comfort

We were there on some warm days and the fan was a big help. I just could not get the towel warmer to turn off which made the room warmer than needed.

Taransay House, Small Hotel

Portree

I cannot say enough about Taransay House. The owners and their son, the chef, are charming people. They welcomed us with a dram of whisky and throughout our stay did everyting they could and more to make us comfortable. The rooms are modern and comfortable with a beautiful view of the water. Our stay here included dinner and the food for both breakfast and dinner was outstanding.

Authenticity & Character

New build, but very nicely done.

Location

Just south of Portree proper it is well located to visit Skye

Staff

They are simply outstanding from start to finish.

Cleanliness & Comfort

One of the best beds of the trip.

Bunchrew House Hotel

Bunchrew

This is a wonderful place to stay just outside of Inverness. The Baronial House is grand and the staff is wonderful. Rooms are of a good size and comfortable buy unique. The shared lounge is a great place to meet and talk with other guests. The staff work very hard to be accommodating. Breakfast was wonderful.

Authenticity & Character

Definately a special occasion stay

Location

On the water and outside of the city. Don't miss the ancient tree out front.

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

The house is very well kept. Not handicapped accessible.

Leonardo City Edinburgh

Edinburgh

It is a nice small hotel. It is a bit tired, but it was clean and the staff was helpful. It is an easy walk to the grassmarket and old town.

Authenticity & Character

This is in a beautiful old building

Location

There are not many cafes or restaurants in the vicinity. It also seemed to be uphill both ways, but that is Edinburgh.

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

It is time for a revovation.

Activity Reviews

Visit the Kelpies

Scotland

I was not sure why we were doing this, but I am glad we did. The Kepies are two statues built in the Scottish countryside. It is worth it to take the tour to get the history of the statues and to have the chance to stand inside one of them. The guide was great and helped us understand why these beautiful statues were there.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Stirling Castle Tickets

Scotland

This is what you think of when you think of a castle. It is a beautiful location and a wonderful tour with knowlegeable guides. You get the entire history of the castle and there is a lot to see.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Cooking Class

Glasgow

We asked for this to be added to our intinerary and I am so glad we did. Soul Sisters Cafe is a non-profit that provides meals to the homeless, hungry, and paying customers and trains immigrant women in Glasgow. Their food style is mainly middle eastern, but they did scones for us. We started with a wonderful lunch followed by the class. However, as we talked with the ladies in the cafe, the continued to show us and share things with us. I really want to learn how to make the stuffed Algerian flatbread they made. By the time we left, we felt like part of the family.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Historic Walking Tours of Glasgow

Glasgow

The group was a bit large, but the guide was informative and entertaining. He truly loves Glasgow and has the attitudes and accent of a real Glaswegian. With a large group you spend more time moving than talking, but still very worthwhile.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Oban Distillery Tour

Oban

This was the best distillery tour of the four we took. They provided all sorts of extra information and instead of tasting everything at the end, they give you drams to try throughout the tour. It is amazing to see how the town grew around the distillery and leaves them no room for expansion. Drivers and non-drinkers take homes are provided. Like many places, you get a discount in the shop for taking the tour. I celebrated by bottling my own bottle of whisky which I had to register, sign, bottle, and seal, plus it is a single barrel, really good whisky.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Cruise of Mull, Iona and Staffa Islands

Scotland

This is a nice way to see the islands and to get out to the Island of Staffa. However, the rest of the trip is a bit of a let down. You only drive across the Isle of Mull without stops. There is a combination of driver commentary and canned commentary that is interesting. The detour to Staffa is wonderful. We were unable to land on the island due to construction, but we did see all the major sites and were there when the puffins were there. Iona is a sweet little island, but it does not require more than two hours. Other than the Abbey and a couple of shops there is very little. We walked a good deal of the island. The ferry rides were fine.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Tasting Menu at The Three Chimneys

Scotland

This is one of the meals and experiences I will always remember. The seven course tasting menu was fantastic and they were able to adapt to our dietary needs. I am not one who usually takes pictures of my food, but it was so good and so beautiful that I had to. The service was elegant, efficient, and friendly.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Talisker distillery tour

Scotland

We did a number of distillery tours on this trip. Talisker is a very slick and well put together presentation. I did not personally feel very engaged. The tasting offered three drams and take home bottles for drivers or non-drinkers.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

They are used to large crowds and not as engaging.

Boat Ride Around the Canal & Loch Ness including a Visit to Urquhart Castle

Scotland

Urquhart Castle was very interesting and it is worth walking up to the visitors' center to see the short movie. The staff in and around the ruins are happy to talk and answer questions. The boat ride is exactly that, a boat ride. There was commentary being played, but it was hard to hear over people. It is a nice way to get to the castle, but I would not race out to do it again.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Cairngorms National Park Wildlife Tour with a Specialist

Scotland

We saw five different areas in Cairngorms National Park. I was not sure what I was expecting, but the tour and guide were great. We hand the chance to see reindeer, osprey, and to meet two hairy coos up close. The guide is outstanding and I learned more than I could ever remember.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

We are not little people and three us us in the back seat was cozy.

Culloden Battlefield private tour

Inverness

Rhona is a wealth of knowledge and she helped explain the battle of Culloden and its impact on Scotland and the UK. She loves this history and it is clear from the tour.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Blair Atholl Castle Entrance tickets

Scotland

Beautiful "castle". Not a castle like Edinburgh or Sterling, but worth a visit. We did not have enough time to spend in the garden, but they looked lovely.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Edinburgh Castle Tickets

Edinburgh

The guides here are wonderful. Make sure to stay and ask questions at the end to get a real feel for the guide and the castle. The work and restoration that is being done is remarkable. Make sure you make it to the "living" exhibits with period dressed docents. They add a great deal to what you see and learn.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Small group visit of Mary King's Close

Edinburgh

This is a bit touristy, but still worth the visit. It is amazing to learn about the history of the city and how people lived. I could have used less focus on ghosts and such and more history.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Private Walking Tour of Edinburgh with a Top Local Guide

Edinburgh

Gareth was a wealth of knowledge and he shared history, politics, and a whole variety of information. He was engaging and tweaked the tour to our needs and wants.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff