Spain Insights

We had the absolute best time on our trip to Spain! Alba was wonderful and we were so happy to meet her. Our 3rd destination in Spain to Alquezar was a very special experience we will never forget. Casa Alodia was a perfect place to stay with such a lovely terrace/balcony and fantastic breakfast prepared by our hostess. Our tour guide was lovely and we enjoyed the winery tour and scenic mountain drive along with the medieval villages we visited. We began and ended our trip to Spain in Barcelona and Alba made sure we had transportation and fabulous tour guides for La Sagrada Família and all the Gaudi sites. Our hotel Gran Havana was very good. The rooftop pool and bar with tapas was very nice and we loved the friendly staff. Our tour guide to Montserrat was also wonderful and so very informative and fun! We visited the museum at Montserrat on his recommendation and enjoyed it very much. Absolute wonderful tour guide! Our next stop from Barcelona was the beautiful city of Begur located along the Costa Brava. The scenery was spectacular and our view from our hotel was magnificent. We had another exceptional tour guide from our hotel Parador de Aguiablava who took us to Cadaques and we learned so much about the history of Salvador Dali. The Dalí museum was fun and made extra special thanks to our private tour guide and all his knowledge. Since my husband and I are “older travelers” we very much appreciated the extra care from the private transport and guides so we could walk as much or as little as we felt like. A huge thank you to my exceptional travel agent Alba for everything that helped to make our journey exceptional. ❤️❤️❤️❤️. This is the second trip to Spain with Albas assistance and we had the absolute very best time!! I recommend Alba to anyone I meet that wants to visit Spain

Hotel Reviews

Casa Alodia Alquézar

Alquezar

Fantastic view and wonderful breakfast with tea, coffee, fresh juices, fresh fruits, meats and cheeses as well as croissants, toast and jam. Very nice! The medieval village was exceptionally charming and we loved it here.⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️❤️❤️

Authenticity & Character

Loved it

Location

We had a terrace with an incredible view of this lovely medieval city

Staff

Wonderful

Cleanliness & Comfort

Comfortable bed, very clean and lovely ❤️

Parador de Aiguablava

Begur

Spectacular view. Lovely beach a short walk away.

Authenticity & Character

Spa services and restaurant were good

Location

Spectacular views of the Mediterranean

Staff

Sign for the slippery floor in the shower is needed

Cleanliness & Comfort

Clean and comfortable

Gran Hotel Havana

Barcelona

Rooftop pool with bar and tapas was very nice. We enjoyed the pool, sauna and the friendly staff. Our room and bed were comfortable and very nice central location.

Authenticity & Character

Rooftop pool with bar and tapas

Location

Central location and very nice area to walk to sites

Staff

Friendly

Cleanliness & Comfort

Comfortable and clean room

Activity Review

El Grillo y la Luna - Special Private Visit to PDO Somontano Wine Cellar

Spain

Our tour guide was lovely and we had a lot of fun and enjoyed the conversation and the wine.

Quality of Experience

Staff and tour guide were lovely

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Fantastic guide

Transport

Exceptional and kind guide

Elena was very patient and helpful through out the entire process of planning and then logistics during the trip. An example of the power of KimKim partnering with local guides was when we wanted to add a Flamenco experience she suggested one that provided an absolutely fabulous experience! She understood the focus of our trip and set up activities that were off the beaten path and made us feel special. All the guides, and even drivers, were top notch (and punctual!). Thank you, Elena!

Hotel Reviews

Exe Almada Porto

Porto

Workable for the one day we were in town. Staff was friendly and helpful. Breakfast was good with a section dedicated to local foods!

Authenticity & Character

Nicely decorated but lighting in the lobby area was too dim for me to read my map. The floors of the elevators need to be renovated - they are safe but cracked and peeling.

Location

Porto is the second largest city in Portugal so I suggest staying close to a metro station if you want to see various parts of town. We were in great walking distance to some wonderful restaurants.

Staff

Extremely friendly and helpful.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Barceló Bilbao Nervión

Bilbao

Good location and great breakfast.

Authenticity & Character

It is a large, modern hotel. I'm not sure it needs any particular character.

Location

Location to the Guggenheim. It wasn't readily obvious to us how to find the parking garage when, in fact, it was right in front of us. We also didn't understand how to get out of the garage. Parking is difficult in this area so paying for the parking is understandable and we paid for a taxi so we didn't have to find parking during our daily excursions.

Staff

Helpful and friendly

Cleanliness & Comfort

The room was very nice.

Eurostars Fuerte Ruavieja (Logroño)

Logroño

Good location.

Authenticity & Character

All the stone on the inside.

Location

While it is in walking distance of the main square, it took a drive around the block to find and understanding the garage door was a bit tricky.

Staff

Helpful in understanding the city layout and dining options on a Sunday.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Bedding

Hotel Vinoteca Alquezar

Alquezar

Looks old but very modern. They serve a great breakfast and dinner!

Authenticity & Character

Nothing to improve - people need to understand it is modern on the inside if they are looking for something more period.

Location

GREAT for transporting luggage so we didn't have to drive our car through the small streets. It is a hilly town so one needs to be fit to walk around. Stay at a more central hotel if you have mobility issues.

Staff

Marta and Chef were very helpful. As an American, I love my coffee so waiting for it to come after the breakfast food was served was difficult for me. I always appreciate a coffee pot in my room which many hotels outside the US do not have.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Bedding was comfortable yet a second pillow would have been nice.

El Castell de Ciutat

La Seu d'Urgell

They had been entered our reservation for the wrong date but were able to accommodate us. It is an old hotel that needs a facelift. The front desk, bar and restaurant staff were all very nice.

Authenticity & Character

Lots of old world charm, great view overlooking the city, spa area/pools very nice and modern. It just needs a facelift.

Location

Outside of town. It was fine for us because we had a car. It is more of a resort destination than a sightseer destination. We drove into town to walk thru the old town.

Staff

Helpful and friendly

Cleanliness & Comfort

I always enjoy having a robe and slippers in the room. It took me a minute to figure out the red/green pinecone door hangers.

Leonardo Hotel Barcelona Gran Via

Barcelona

Great location for drop off/pick up rides because it is on one of Barcelona's 45 degree corners and restaurants right across the street.

Authenticity & Character

There wasn't anything wrong just nothing that made it stand out more than other hotels.

Location

It was close to a Hop on/Hop off bus line.

Staff

It may be a cultural thing, but twice the front staff didn't acknowledge us for a while when standing there. Once they did, they were helpful. Breakfast staff very nice.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Bedding was comfortable.

Activity Reviews

Day Trip to the Douro Valley & River Cruise

Porto

This was more than a boat ride on the Douro River. Just getting there and back was so much fun with stops along the way at two wineries and lunch at a small, fabulous restaurant.

Quality of Experience

Variety of experiences

Food

Presentation, location and taste.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Carlos with Your Tours was amazing! He had to go over and above to get us on the Douro river boat due to traffic delays. We truly appreciate him!

Transport

Tickets for Guggenheim Museum Visit

Bilbao

You have to enjoy modern art.

Quality of Experience

Nice that we could get a coffee right there while waiting for the doors to open.

Pintxos & Wine Tasting Walk

Bilbao

Crazy fun and be prepared walk, drink and to eat a lot!

Quality of Experience

History was very interesting. Be ready for any kind of weather because sometimes you are outside eating/drinking.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Funny and knowledgeable

Transport

Be prepared to walk/stand though some locations you do sit down at a table.

Visit to La Rioja Winery

Logroño (La Rioja)

We went to Monticello. Great tour guide and fun experience with the various wine barrels.

Quality of Experience

I felt the tour was so much more than a wine tasting.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

It is funny to look back on now but when we arrived we were more interested in using the bathroom than letting them know we arrived which had them perplexed - they didn't know why we were there! Everything was good once that was settled.

Transport

We drove our own car.

Wine tasting with tapas in Alquezar

Alquezar

Marta told us about her history with wine. We loved sampling local wines.

Quality of Experience

Having the tasting right there in our hotel meant we didn't have to worry about driving!

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Marta is local and we loved hearing her stories.

Transport

None needed for us!!

SOMMOS winery visit

Spain

We went to Laus Winery. You get a lot of food with the wine pairing. Loved the cork stools and the video.

Quality of Experience

Historical information, our guide and the wines themselves.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Knowledgeable and accommodated our need to not walk into the vineyard.

Transport

We had our own car. Walking on the tour was a bit difficult (standing for long periods of time) for one of our group members.

Eco Tuk Tuk Welcome Tour to Barcelona

Barcelona

Nice way to get a feel for the city on your first day.

Quality of Experience

It wasn't raining (sides are open) and we were able to get out at one point to walk and take pictures.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Very knowledgeable and friendly.

Transport

Clean and capable.

Our trip was absolutely wonderful! All the hotels were excellent and very helpful with maps and recommendations! In Madrid our first tour guide Alfonso for Prado museum and royal palace was exceptional. The King of Spain was in residence for Christmas so palace was closed to public. They made last minute change to Almudena cathedral which was great last minute alternate! Alfonso was so passionate about the art and history of Madrid. He took us for chocolate and churros where we can see them making the churros in business since 1902. This tour was fantastic and especially with our guide Alfonso. He pointed out and explained so many historical monuments. He was also the best possible guide for Prado museum! His passion was magnifico! Then on to San Sebastián where we had recommendations from hotel Room Mate Gorka for Narru restaurant where the food was wonderful! Thanks to Alba at Kim Kim we also had the best possible Christmas dinner in San Sebastián with music, food and wine! We had 2 food tours of the wine (rioja) country with pinxtos lunch and medieval village of LaGuardia. The wine caves were amazing. Then another day to a wonderful family owned farm with a fantastic meal we won’t forget! Our hostess was wonderful to walk us around her farm and serve us a delicious home made meal with Txakoli wine. Stop in Tolosa was beautiful! Last stop Bilbao and the Guggenheim. Hotel recommended restaurant Serantes. We had the best scallops I have ever had! Thank you Alba for a most wonderful trip with everything and more than we could have dreamed! I would recommend Alba for anyone who wants to see Spain as she was the best and always checking to make sure we were doing well. All hotels, transfers and tours were fantastic! I would not change anything!
I have so many photos and memories for a lifetime!
Thank you Alba!
Maisa and Robert

Hotel Reviews

Catalonia Gran Vía Bilbao

Bilbao

Comfortable and clean with great sleep and wonderful breakfast included. Room service was very good also

Authenticity & Character

Staff were helpful and packed us to go box meal for early flight departure!

Location

Very nice location

Staff

Wake up call and to go box meal for early flight departure was much appreciated!

Cleanliness & Comfort

Very clean and comfortable!

Gorka Room Mate

San Sebastián

Breakfast was wonderful and so were recommendations for shopping and food. Comfortable and quiet sleep

Authenticity & Character

This was great hotel!

Location

Great location

Staff

Good recommendation for food and ahopping

Cleanliness & Comfort

Very comfortable and excellent breakfast included

H10 Villa de la Reina

Madrid

Wonderful room with view of Gran Via and very comfortable! Staff was helpful with recommendations for late breakfast. Room was clean and very comfortable for great night sleep. Big plus for the balcony view!!!

Authenticity & Character

Lovely staff and very central location in city

Location

Central location with comfortable room and great balcony view. Quiet and comfortable

Staff

Mara at front desk was especially helpful with recommendations

Cleanliness & Comfort

Great room and very comfortable sleep

Activity Reviews

Private Basque Countryside Foodie Day Trip

San Sebastián

This tour was so much fun to meet the people who work and care for the animals and prepare the food. Beautiful countryside! No idea how you would find this without a guide. We had a wonderful meal and lovely experience with kind and generous people!

Quality of Experience

The food was excellent and our hostess was lovely

Food

Wonderful food and wonderful hostess

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Great trip

Transport

Tour of Tolosa was very nice. The farm was a hidden gem

Private Tour in la Rioja- Wine&History

Spain

We loved the tours of rioja country. Our guide Iker took us to 2 wineries where we were welcomed and shown around and explained the production and had tastings. The wine caves were incredible and we enjoyed this tour and the people who we met that were so friendly and welcoming. Easy to fall in love with the kind people we met in Spain.

Quality of Experience

Wonderful people! Beautiful country!

Food

Everything was good!

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Welcoming, friendly and fun

Transport

Iker was good host and driver

Madrid at a Glance, Culture, Royal Palace and El Prado

Madrid

We had the best tour guide! Alfonso was incredible with history and art in Madrid! We were fortunate to have Alfonso as our guide and had the most wonderful tour of Madrid with the Prado museum. He engaged with everyone and his knowledge and passion for Madrid was contagious!

Quality of Experience

Our guide Alfonso was exceptional

Guides, Drivers and Staff

The history and art in Madrid with our guide Alfonso made this tour special.

Transport

We could have walked but taxi was easier for us as we were not familiar with the streets and very busy time in streets at Christmas

Fantastic trip to northern/northwest Spain. Logroño in La Rioja was beautiful. Our guide Ameli took us on a personal tour of the wine country including a stop in Laguardia. It was a beautiful day/evening. Next on to San Sebastián. We loved our accommodations at Maddiola just outside the city on the beautiful coastline. Our tour the following day to Biarritz, Bayonne and Saint Jean de Luz was lovely and nice afternoon lunch in Bayonne with our guide ( Iator?) who was very informative. We really enjoyed our pinxtos evening tour with Gorka in the historic district of San Sebastián. One of the many unforgettable highlights! Our boutique hotel in Bilbao was vey nice and convenient and the city was beautiful. We visited the Guggenheim museum, rode the funicular, explored the historic district and thoroughly enjoyed our walks throughout the city. Our next stop was San Vicente de la Barquera. This was a nice break from the more populated Bilbao. Love the change of pace and apartment style accommodations in the national park. Our host Martin gave us great advice on alternative hikes in the Picos de Europa as weather was threatening and we had an enjoyable drive to and afternoon in
Potes after a nice morning hike along the Nansa River. Our next stop in Ribadeo was also beautiful along the coast and we thoroughly enjoyed our stay and the scenic coast in this area including the impressive La Catedrals beach! On our way to Santiago we made an extra trip to A Coruña which was gorgeous walking along the coast trail to the monument and we did the same previously in Santander where we hiked around the palace. Santiago was wonderful, our hotel was perfect location and we love the vibrant, historical city with all the pilgrimage vibe. Our final destination Vigo was spectacular including ferry ride and hike to Cies Islands. Overall we loved the trip, accommodations were great and as expected with convenient locations but also variety of experiences. Rental car worked out well and no concerns or problems with travel, parking or tolls. Thanks for planning a great trip, Alba!

From start to finish, Alba put together a terrific two week itinerary of Northern Spain (Madrid, San Sebastian, Bilbao, Las Rioja, ALQUÉZAR* and Barcelona). She (and her staff) have set the standard for working with a travel planner. Alba gave us a broad suggestion to start and over subsequent KimKim messaging system and direct phone calls we were able to shape a dream itinerary that gave us everything we wanted to do and was able to afford. Moreover once we set out on our adventure she and her staff were in constant contact to make sure all the plan's details were falling in to place seamlessly.

Note that Alquézar is starred. That is because it was the star of our journey. A quaint little Medieval Village in the foothill of the Pyrenees held the most amazing foot journey through a beautiful river valley. So different from the big tourist cities like Madrid or Barcelona. We spent several hours walking through forest trails, on catwalks (installed into the rocks) overlooking river falls and along river beds. And the village itself was so charming and picturesque!

Within the large city Alba's stable of vetted tour guides (both private and small group) only enhanced our overall experience. Each was personable, knowledgeable and totally amenable to our needs. Pairing us with this type of service truly showed that Alba listened to us.

Alba...as far as my wife and I are concern, you are a Rock Star of the travel industry!!

Dearest Alba,
My wife Jill and myself cannot thank you enough for the absolutely wonderful trip that you planned for us in Northern Spain. Your professionalism was unparalleled throughout the entire planning phase and we are forever grateful that you put this all together for us. From the very beginning, we felt totally comfortable with you and knew that you would come up with some unique things for us to do and see. All of the accommodations that you sourced out were excellent in the 5 different locations that we travelled to during the trip. We especially felt that the daily activities you suggested and booked for us were perfect and well balanced. The full day Gaudi tour in Barcelona was an amazing way to start the trip. In Alquezar, the Footbridges hike down in the canyon was really cool but our favourite thing to do there was the day we personally got to meet you and we went to "The man who whispers Vultures". It was a day we both will never forget. Another special tour was when we arrived in Haro in the Rioja wine district and went on the full day wine tour which included horse back riding through the vineyards. Additionaly, from the bike and hiking tours in San Sebastian, to kayaking in the Mediterranean in Aigua Blava Begur, the itinerary you organized for us could not have been better. Thank you so much again Alba and we can't wait to book with yourself and Kimkim as we plan to go to the Southern Spain in the future.

Bryan and Jill Turkstra,
Ontario, Canada

Activity Review

Full Day Horseback Riding & Vineyard Visit

Spain

Thank you so much Rebecca and Robert for the wonderful full day on the WIne and Horseback Tour. Jill and I had so much fun!!! Your personal attention and kindness were over the top. We did a lot of great things during our 2 week trip to Spain, but this day was very special to us and will remember forever. Thanks again!!! Bryan and Jill Turkstra, Ontario, Canada

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

I want to to express our heartfelt gratitude for the incredible job Elena did in planning our last-minute trip. From the moment we reached out, she was attentive, responsive, and dedicated to making our vacation as smooth and enjoyable as possible.

The hotel accommodations were perfect – exactly what we needed for a relaxing getaway. The rooms were comfortable, the amenities top-notch, and the locations couldn't have been better.

The activities she recommended were fantastic and everyone enjoyed the variety of events. We especially loved the La Sagrada Familia in Barcelona and Private Yacht Trip in Mallorca! Each suggestion was well thought out and tailored to our interests, making our experience truly unforgettable.

We are so thankful for her hard work and dedication. Elena's expertise and kindness made all the difference, and we couldn't have asked for a better travel agent!

We are 3 couples from the USA visiting Spain for 12 days. From the beginning Alba was incredibly helpful in arranging this trip. First, we shared with Alba what we were interested in seeing and doing (And what our budget was!), and she gave us her ideas on what the most popular things to see and do are . This was followed by several ZOOM calls and written communication back and forth until we had an itinerary that Alba thought we would enjoy and also appealed to us. We shared with Alba some suggestions that we had received from friends who were from Spain, and she was willing to incorporate some of them but wasn't afraid to tell us what wouldn't work for us. Ultimately, Alba devised an amazing CUSTOMIZED Spain vacation.

We spent 4 nights in Madrid, 3 nights in Bilbao (Basque Country) and 5 nights in Barcelona. Alba arranged everything for us including airport transfers, hotels, dinner reservations and a tour virtually every day. The tours included visiting The Royal Palace, The Prado, Botin Restaurant, Guggenheim and Dali Museums, a Flamenco Show, A Wine Tasting, La Sagrada Familia, Barcelona's Gothic Quarter and day trips to Toledo, Avila, Segovia, San Sebastian, Costa Brava, Girona and Montserrat. And of course we ate lots of Tapas and Pinxtos with our Guides taking us to some awesome places in each city. The Guides (Beatriz, Rosita, Mati, Julen, Anna, Stepan and Julia were all excellent. They were friendly, informative and very well organized. They all shared the history and culture of Spain which we found very interesting. In the Prado and Dali Museums Rosita and Julia taught us about the artists and showed us specific pieces or art, giving us an understanding of the meaning of each one. That really gave us a better understanding of what we were looking at and made it way more interesting. And we saw some fantastic natural landscape, incredible cathedrals and interesting architecture. We also had enough free time to wonder on our own. Throughout the trip, Alba kept us up to date on What's App to confirm what we were doing each day and who our Guides were which was very reassuring.

It's hard to say what our favorites were. We really enjoyed everything (Except maybe The Guggenheim Museum and Nerua Restaurant which we all thought were a little weird but certainly an unforgettable experience). But that is a matter of taste. The H10 Villa de la Reina, Hotel Miro and H10 Art Gallery hotels were nice in good locations with good staffs. And we had some really enjoyable meals. If anyone is planning a trip to Spain, we would recommend starting with our itinerary, and let Alba customize it based on your interests. We highly recommend KimKim and Alba!!!!!

All the guides were amazing! Not only where they very knowledgeable, they interacted with you like a friend would. The hardest thing in planning the trip was to decide what to do out of all the ideas that alba and Stefy gave me. Communication with them was on point. I had a question or concern, and I got an answer within a day. Rarely two. Once I got to Spain, they provided me with their phone number in case there were any problems. They also sent the numbers of the drivers and their information as the day to the tours approached. (I’m including in this the information for the guides as well). To me it was worth every penny not to have the headache of having to foresee problems or complications. The culture and the food there were also amazing and whenever I needed a recommendation for anything, Stefy and Alba where at a text or phone call away. Overall experience, awesome!

Hotel Reviews

Hotel Inglaterra

Seville

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Intelier Palacio San Martín

Madrid

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

NH Málaga

Málaga

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel NH Collection Granada Victoria

Granada

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Acta Splendid

Barcelona

Great service. Very centrally located

Authenticity & Character

Location

Centrally located!

Staff

Very personable and kind

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Madrid’s Royal Palace

Madrid

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Ultimate Córdoba Day Trip

Seville

Carlos was amazing in showing the city of Cordoba and the guide that we had for the Mosque-Cathedral (sorry I can’t remember his name) was incredible. And he happened to have been Rick Steves, the travel guru’s guide, during his visit to Cordoba!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Frigiliana Hike & Wine Tasting

Málaga

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Tapas & Flamenco Experience in Seville

Seville

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Taste of Granada Walking Food Tour

Granada

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Private Alhambra & Generalife Gardens with a Historian

Granada

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Local Market Visit & Cooking Class

Barcelona

Loved it!

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Park Güell & La Sagrada Família Experience

Barcelona

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Monumental Seville: Royal Alcazar Cathedral and Giralda

Seville

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport