Another exceptional trip planned by Kimkim
Spain
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Oct 12 - Oct 26, 2026
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
Hotel offers a fitness center but only really two people could occupy space. Centrally located which was great!
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.
My daughter thought this hotel was "the nicest place she has ever stayed!"
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!!!
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.
Activity Reviews
Once in a lifetime experience. You need to do
Beautiful gardens. The architecture was pretty amazing.
Great overview of the city.
Claudia was amazing! She was funny, engaging, patient and a great teacher of cooking.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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!
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.