Kimkim Trip Reviews

Our first experience with KimKim was absolutely wonderful! From Joanna's exceptional customer service to our local guide Edy and the agency, we received outstanding care. The meticulously crafted itinerary and the well-organized infrastructure were crucial in providing us with an unforgettable experience in the country. Their attentiveness, swift responses to any adjustments, and high-quality itinerary were impressive. We will certainly use their services again in the future! A heartfelt thank you to Joanna, Edy, and everyone who assisted us!

Hotel Reviews

Casa Andina Standard Miraflores Benavides

Lima

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Tierra Viva Machu Picchu

Machu Picchu

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Abittare Hotels

Cusco

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Samanapaq

Ollantaytambo

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Casa Andina Standard Catedral

Cusco

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Cusco City and San Pedro Market Tour

Cusco

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Arrival to Lima: Free Day to Explore

Lima

Quality of Experience

Oi

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Lima Food Tour

Peru

Quality of Experience

I

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Sacred Valley Tour: Chinchero - Maras - Lunch at MV

Peru

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Hiking to Humantay Lake: A Scenic Adventure in the Andes from Cusco

Peru

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Fly from Lima to Cusco, Explore the City

Peru

Quality of Experience

Oi

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Afternoon Train to Aguas Calientes

Peru

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Discovering the Treasures of Machu Picchu

Aguas Calientes/ Machu Picchu

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Rainbow Mountain Trek

Peru

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Brilliant trip to Uganda and Tanzania! Melvin and Irene did a wonderful job organizing everything for us in both countries and personally greeted us which we appreciated. Melvin was our point of contact in the lead up and was always very responsive and helpful. We were very pleased with the final itinerary and how easy it was to get this trip planned. Fantastic guides and drivers in both countries. They were very informative, organized, got us where we needed to be safely, and were a lot of fun! Beautiful accommodation in every location. Will organize future trips with Truly Swahili and can't recommend them enough. Memories to last a life time!

Hanoi guide Mai was excellent and the apartment at the Somerset was perfect for our 3 generation family. Sapa guide Zozo was different in personality but equally excellent. We enjoyed trekking with her and the accommodations at the eco lodge. Nok escorted us to Ha Long Bay and back and made sure we got ticketed and checked in to our flight to Hue. At Ha Long Bay we all enjoyed the Doris Cruise featuring scenery and kayaking.

Hotel Reviews

Somerset Grand Hanoi

Excellent accommodations for our 3 generation family. Nice pool and restaurant.

Family Friendliness

Apartment accommodations.

Laxsik Ecolodge

Beautiful setting. Great accommodations.

Doris Cruise

Nice room. Great crew. Beautiful scenery.

Activity Reviews

Explore The Beauty of Hanoi - Full Day Sightseeing

Hanoi

Good overview of Vietnamese culture.

Walk To The Love Waterfall And Heaven Gate

Sapa

Lovely waterfall. Clouds hampered the views in the mountains.

Trek to Lech Dzao & Thanh Kim Villages

Sapa

Zozo was an excellent guide and being assisted by the women of the area was a unique experience.

Conquer The Roof of Indochina - Fansipan Summit with Cable car

Sapa

Fun but it was raining and cloudy. Would have been much better if the weather had cooperated.

Onboarding - Lan Ha Bay – Ba Trai Dao/ Tra Bau (Doris Cruise)

Ha Long Bay

Great crew. Beautiful scenery.

Lan Ha Bay – Dark & Bright Cave – Disembark Cruise (Doris Cruise)

Ha Long Bay

Nice views. Enjoyed this aspect of the local culture and scenery.

Adam did an excellent job planning our trip. We had full days packed with adventure with no idle time. All the recommendations were spot on. We had an issue with one hotel that had bed bugs and Michelle raised the concern and was able to get a refund. They learned from this experience. On first hotel we didn’t had room codes and didn’t know what to do and the emergency number they gave us worked perfectly, they answered right away and the issue got resolved. I never felt alone during the trip. I will highly recommend to anyone. I also liked that we had the itinerary and reservations but we drove from place to place on our own so we had the flexibility to stay as long as we wanted and stuff.

First of all Andrea was very knowledgeable and available at anytime I require assistance during the trip and while planning the trip… I could tell through the guided tours that he planned he is well experienced in this issue…
However, I would have liked it better if I was with same guide for all the tours at the same city. Becuase some guides were amazing while other did not seam to know what to do. I especially liked Martina our first guide in Rome .. on the other hand, the guide we had for the walking tour in Venice for three hours was not really sure what to talk about we were supposed to get the Jewish ghettos .. but we’re not able becuase we did it have enough time and it started to rain heavily .. the guide can see that we are a slow group but he did not try to take a shortcut or alter the route to get us there faster… we actually when through the same streets twice … and holestly I was not sure if the guide knew what to talk about .. he was knowledgeable but I had to ask question to get some answers. I feel that this tour was unnecessary at the end .. Also, the Murano Burano tour felt like a sales pitch .. our tour guide was great but really we did lot need him becuase all what he did is ride with us to the glass factory and then a representative from that company took over and was trying to get us to buy glass .. yes the experience was great but I felt it was unnecessary for a tour guide to be provided .. because we took a little bit longer at the glass factory .. our guide has to hand us over to another one since he has another tour planned . He was great at rearranging our water taxi ride and getting us another tour guide to take us to Burano.. however, in Burano we met with a person who worked at the lace shop and she was only there to take to the lace shop to buy from there .. did not explain anything about the island and it’s colorful houses and it history .. all what we did at the island is spend our time in the lace shop. I did not like the fact that this tour was just to take us to specific shop to buy we saw nothing of the islands.. I would definitely advice my friends not to take this tour in Venice …

When I decided to use a tour company to plan my trip is becuase I neede this to
Be tailored to our specific needs . we are bigger group of six and a person in our group can’t walk a long distance and I explained this to Andrea in the beginning..,I also explained to him that we would like to take our time in the morning and not be rushed .. however most of our tours required walking and were quite early in the morning .. even our train rides we always before 10:00… and I neglected to ask for that but I feel that Andrea should have confirmed with me about the shower option in the hotel rooms .. most of the hotel rooms had tubs and I have to request a walk shower room at check in ..
the hotel choices were great.. the location was amazing and they were all high class and clean ..
so to summarize… I feel that booking the hotels and arranging the transfers were arranged great with Kim Kim .. however, the prices are not disclosed so I feel that I over paid for some of the unnecessary tours ..

Hotel Reviews

Palazzo Navona Rome

Rome

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Santa Maria Novella

Florence

Authenticity & Character

Location

Right in the center and close to everything

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

It is very clean however a little bit old and needs some updating

Park Hotel Argento

Levanto

Authenticity & Character

Very clean but the decor is a little bit too simple for 4 stars hotel

Location

You have to take the shuttle to go anywhere

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Palazzo Veneziano Venice

Venice

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

The room was not throughly cleaned during our stay and sheets were never changed for three days. Lacks many aminities expected for 4 stars hotel

Activity Reviews

Rome Private Guided Walk

Rome

Martina was great

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Colosseum and Roman Forum - Private guide

Rome

Our guide was knowledgeable and very accommodating

Quality of Experience

Quite a lot of walking

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

It was hard to figure out the meeting point

Vatican Museum and Sistine Chapel skip the line ticket

Rome

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Uffizi Gallery Guided Visit (private guide)

Florence

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Vatican Museums and Sistine Chapel - private guide

Rome

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Accademia Gallery - skip the line entrance

Florence

Quality of Experience

The tour took long at the David statue

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Florence private guided walk including Accademia Gallery

Florence

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Uffizi - skip the line entrance

Florence

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Cooking Class *****

Italy

We loved this experience and the road trip was great

Quality of Experience

Food

Yummy

Guides, Drivers and Staff

The chef was great and the staff at The winery were amazing

Transport

The driver Sauler was great let us take picture a long the road The car is very comfortable

Guided walk at Piazza dei Miracoli and Leaning Tower in Pisa (2 hours)

Italy

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Pisa leaning tower and Piazza dei Miracoli monuments entrance

Italy

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Hidden Venice and cicchetti experience

Italy

Did not see anything meaningful

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

The guide was knowledgeable but did not know how to guide the tour I had to ask the question and were did not get to the see the Jewish ghetto becuase we ran out of time

Transport

Walking around in cirlcle and had to pay 80 euro for a water taxi to take us back to the hotel

The Jewels of Venice (St. Mark & Doge Palace)

Venice

Enrique was The guide was great

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

The guide was great even though we were about 45 mi utes late .. he waited and altered the tour to let us see as much as we can in the time left

Transport

Exclusive Murano & Burano islands visit (private service)

Venice

It is just visit to a glass making factory and a lace shop no tour do the island did lot learn anything about the islands

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

The guide was great explained about the geography of the islands but really was not needed for the glass place .. he just waited outside .. the guide in Burano was not a tour guide but someone from the lace shop did not learn anything about the island

Transport

Water taxi was planned and altered time to accommodate us and dropped us at a different location because we aske to go to lido island

We arrived home yesterday from a 9 day private tour for me, my husband and 18yr old son with Morocco Immersion and I am feeling so full of gratitude for the opportunity to have visited this amazing country, and the good fortune to have found this outstanding tour company.

Sharon planned the perfect itinerary. The accommodations were especially fabulous. And her brother-in-law Hicham was the BEST guide and driver. He was exceptionally kind, safe, competent and client focused. We learned so much from him, knew we were in good hands and sincerely enjoyed his company. Meeting his family was one of the highlights of our trip.

I recommend Morocco Immersion Tours enthusiastically and without hesitation. Look no further for your journey into Morocco. The whole experience exceed our expectations and I know they had a lot to do with it. 10 STARS

Fabio - sending a final Note and big thank you for putting together a fabulous trip to the Amalfi Coast for my family!
Your attention to detail, constant communication, and updates along the way were such a comfort as we finalized the itinerary in two weeks!!
Thank you for making this trip memorable and we will be sure to recommend you to our family and friends!
Best - Leslie Ahmad

Hotel Review

Imperial Hotel Tramontano

Sorrento

Best location in Sorrento. Historic hotel, attentive staff, family friendly

Authenticity & Character

Previously a private mansion…

Location

Water views. Close to city center

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Rooms with balconies overlooking water. Rey comfortable beds, showers great.

Activity Reviews

Full-Day Private Tour of Pompeii and Mt. Vesuvius, with Lunch at a Winery at the Foot of the Volcano

Italy

Do not Miss this one! Perfect day…winery lunch awesome! Tours a must do!

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Cooking Experience with Donna Rita

Italy

Jacimo and family are the best!!! Informative and fun experience

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

We took our children ages 10 and 12 to Việt Nam for the first time in 2024. We knew we wanted to do some sightseeing in addition to visiting my husband’s family in Huế and had decided to go for three weeks. In all of my googling for ideas for how to sequence the trip, I kept coming back to the trips on the KimKim website. That’s when I realized what I needed was an old school travel agent to help me and I found the perfect person in Ashley. We were able to converse seamlessly back in forth through the KimKim platform. She took care of all of the logistics and made things so simple. As a busy working mom, it saved me so much time not to be endlessly searching on multiple websites but simply choosing amongst the amazing options Ashley presented. If I wasn’t sure something was exactly the right fit for our family, she took that feedback and adjusted things within hours. When my 75 year old parents decided to join us for a week of the trip and extend their travels on to Thailand and Japan, she handled that with ease. Ashley was also very engaged during our travels. While we never needed her help because everything ran perfectly, she checked in daily via WhatsApp to be sure it was all great and going according to plan.

And the trip itself - wow! Realistic Asia is the way to go if you want door to door service and top notch local guides. My husband and I have traveled extensively on our own but it was so easy with kids and grandparents to know someone was always meeting us and taking us all the way from point A to B. Mai in Ha Noi was an encyclopedia of knowledge and a great first guide to orient us to the country. We loved Train Street, the Old Quarter, and the Temple of Literature. Our absolute favorite of the trip was Sa Pa. It was so peaceful and cool! We loved staying a bit outside the town in an ecolodge with an infinity pool overlooking the fields. Our guide Do was incredible. She shared so much about local Hmong culture and took us on a walk with the Red Dao people - we were the only tourists in sight. Sa Pa town itself was lively at night and beautiful by the small lake. Our Doris Cruise in Ha Long Bay was a perfect end to our tourist week in Việt Nam.

Hotel Reviews

Somerset Grand Hanoi

Location

Easy walk to old quarter

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Some of the rooms were a little dated

Laxsik Ecolodge

Our stay here was the highlight of our trip. The infinity pool overlooking the rice and corn fields was perfection.

Authenticity & Character

Loved the Hmong architecture

Location

A 10 minute drive from Sa Pa but an easy taxi and the views and peacefulness are worth it

Staff

So friendly and helpful

Cleanliness & Comfort

Doris Cruise

Really lovely and the sunset happy hour was perfect. We would have liked more swimming time and a boat with more water activities (slide, SUP) would have been grand.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Goes to Lạnh Ha bay which was fewer boats

Staff

Kevin and Michael were the best!

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Explore The Beauty of Hanoi - Full Day Sightseeing

Hanoi

We were sad the Museum of Ethnology was closed but the Women’s Museum was a good substitution. The lunch place was just ok.

Quality of Experience

Food

Would have preferred a more local spot, less tourists

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Walk To The Love Waterfall And Heaven Gate

Sapa

We love to hike and the waterfalls were great. We didn’t get to go to Heaven’s Gate as it was too foggy.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Conquer The Roof of Indochina - Fansipan Summit with Cable car

Sapa

Sadly the rain and clouds kept us from seeing the views but we still appreciated the feat of engineering as well as the village museum

Quality of Experience

Only due to weather

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Trek to Lech Dzao & Thanh Kim Villages

Sapa

The hands down most memorable part of our trip - a must do

Quality of Experience

Food

The food at the local home was just ok and there were tons of tourists there - would have preferred a quieter spot

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Do is the absolute best. She is from the valley and shared so much of her life story and also taught us about the farming.

Transport

Onboarding - Lan Ha Bay – Ba Trai Dao/ Tra Bau (Doris Cruise)

Ha Long Bay

Loved the kayaking and the sunset cruise

Quality of Experience

Food

It was just ok, typical of cruises

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Did not love having to stop at the tourist area on the way to and from

Kim Kim is excellent. Sarah was responsive and did a good job developing this trip with our family. We threw some changes at her late in the game and she was able to make those happen. Not easy with a group of 12.

The emergency number proved invaluable several times as we ran into unexpected issues. Both issues were resolved efficiently and we were able to move along with our trip. Thank you!

As a group, we did find the road book a bit cumbersome to use. The first six pages were great. What would have been very helpful was to put the actual links in those first six pages to the vouchers with words like…”click here for vouchers”.

It took one of us (Wendy) finding the menu with the link to transportation, event, and hotel vouchers to see this clearly. Sarah, I know you told us about that menu, but we were having so much to worry about, it didn’t sink in. Any info (like restaurant recommends etc. not in the actual itinerary should be clearly marked and placed at the end of the document for perusing at leisure. Does this make sense?

Great job guys. It was a trip of a lifetime and whoever thought of the Gorski Clan hats was brilliant! Thank you!

Activity Reviews

Visit Fraser Castle

Inverurie

Beautiful grounds…great stories! There is a family link here.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Huntly Falconry

Dufftown

We are a family of 12 with six kids…fabulous hands on experience. Would highly recommend!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Dunnottar Castle Tickets

Scotland

Must see!

Quality of Experience

Transport

Edinburgh Castle Tickets

Edinburgh

Great history…but oh so crowded!

Quality of Experience

Lots of great stuff…Better off season without the crowds.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

On foot!

Visit to Urquhart Castle

England

This ancient castle’s location is amazing and it’s easy to see why it was strategically placed on the rock outcroppings. Lots of nooks and crannies to explore.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Secrets of Edinburgh’s Royal Mile - walking tour with castle tickets

Edinburgh

Wonderful guide…full of history and great stories the whole family loved.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Edinburgh Ghostly underground tour suitable for kids

Edinburgh

It was raining…and not everybody went…too tired. She was a great story teller and truly made the kids squeamish!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Gorski Family Detour : Transfer and Visit at Harlaxton

Nottingham

Our son did a semester here at Harlaxton College in Grantham England. This place is like Hogwarts on steroids…so fun and beautiful. Our guide was a retired PHD in drama and he was thoroughly entertaining.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Private transfer in town

England

Very early morning…on time!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Nottingham Castle Visit

Nottingham

This is a good place for kids with an activity playground to expend energy.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Marina did an amazing job planning and booking all the hotels and tours. She constantly communicated with us to ensure that we were enjoying our trip. I will definitely recommend planning trips with kimkim.

Our guide, Nicole was great! She helped us to adjust our itinerary according to the weather. She helped us to understand the local train system.
Bastien was responsive when we were there, but we should not have trusted his judgement when it came to traveling with children. He often did not consider the ages and abilities of our children when planning our trip. A number of details were overlooked in planning transportation and lodging.
Our itinerary was lacking in detail and left quite a bit to be desired. We had no idea how to use the train system or even find the train station. Getting around was an obstacle and the amount of walking too much for our three year old. Perhaps on a trip with just adults and no small children, this would be fine, but was very difficult to have to navigate ourselves with our two small kids. I did mention my concerns multiple times during the planning process and it feels like my concerns were overlooked in favor of what was easiest for Bastien. We ended up relying quite a bit on our guide, Nicole. She saved our trip!

In short, Mathia helped us plan the perfect trip suited just for us. We wanted to do a self-driving trip thru portions of Arctic Norway. He recommended wonderful and special places to stay and sights to see. We had some issues with weather that cancelled some of our activities and he immediately contacted us and responded with possible alternatives. He was not intrusive at all on our vacation, but you always knew he was behind the scenes and making sure all was ok. The best part is that during the planning of this trip we made several changes from the original itinerary and Mathia was so patient and willing to do whatever it took to try and make this trip special to us. If you work with Mathia please know you are in very good hands. We would 100% work with Mathia and KimKim again in the future.

Our trip to Croatia was surely memorable. Because of the extreme heat, we got to experience a full-Balkan blackout, along with a forest fire being doused by our Canadian Water bombers. Fortunately, all was dealt with efficiently and effectively. The hotel selections were all very lovely and conveniently located., although the late night partiers were a bit of a problem in Split. Our walking guides were very knowledgeable but could have been a bit more enthusiastic. We particularly enjoyed our bike ride and guide in Hvar with a surprise bonus wine-tasting at the end. Sarah was very responsive and quick to answer questions when anything arose.

All the guides especially Ivana. Guide to village tour superb. Antonia in boat tours was very helpful and fantastic. I would have preferred to had a boat with cover. Slightly bigger boat. Becos of sun. Especially as it was a full day tour. Otherwise all went well. Thank u all

Activity Reviews

Private Walking Tour of Ljubljana

Croatia

I would recommend this city. Vibrant and historical

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Discover Bled Town and Enjoy Pletna Boat Ride

Bled

Beautiful and fantastic weather

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Private Walking Tour of Plitvice Lakes National Park

Slovenia

Ivana was good and helpful

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

We had such an amazing experience on our trip to Morocco. Hamza helped us plan a trip that was exactly what we wanted. Our driver Samir made sure that we had a fantastic time and helped coordinate anything we needed. I recommend this trip highly!

We had an amazing trip with great recommendations from our planner!
Kimkim was very attentive to our asks and preferences and they were so helpful when certain things in our itinerary got canceled due to weather!

Hotel Reviews

Galaxy Hotel Naxos

Naxos

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Kastro Suites Santorini

Santorini

Absolutely the most perfect location.. amazing views .. the actual rooms were dated tho. The bathroom showers didn’t stay up (needed to hold the shower head w one hand while washing hair w the other). They have very limited staff. One guy practically did everything!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

They could have more staff. Only had one main guy!

Cleanliness & Comfort

Athens Cypria Hotel

Athens

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Photo shoot in Santorini

Santorini

Great must do!!! They take you to the most amazing locations that you would never find on your own

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Santorini Highlights with Wine

Greece

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

We had a great guide with Waylan throughout Bali. He made our experiences personal and emphasized the cultural perspective of the Balinese. Our car and drivers were always on time and new where to go. Having a family group of 8 was never challenging for our planners and we were able to be flexible with adding things in our itinerary like coffee tasting, plowing the rice fields and elephant rides.

Hotel Review

The Melaya Villas

Bali

A beautiful, private resort. The villas were gorgeous, large and very private. One of the best beaches we saw on Bali!

Authenticity & Character

Location

A remote area that offered a chance to relax away from crowds.

Staff

Very attentive staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Telaga Waja Rafting

Indonesia

It was beautiful and the guides were very experienced. We did not paddle once, which was a disappointment for our family.

Quality of Experience

Would like more participation from the attendees

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Experience Cooking Class

Indonesia

This was an amazing experience with our large family. The food was top notch and the location and beauty of the resort was amazing. We even hiked to a rice field and plowed a field with some oxen. A highlight of our entire trip!

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Snorkeling in Menjangan

Indonesia

Our best snorkeling adventure. We felt very safe with a mix of swimming expertise in our family group. The guide was fantastic with doing small training swims first. Excellent!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Island Hopping in Komodo Island

Indonesia

We felt that the beauty of the islands was amazing. The island hopping and snorkeling wasn’t communicated as well as it could have been. And the snorkeling was dangerous and not safely led.

Quality of Experience

Better trained guides for snorkeling

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Our family was so lucky to have been assigned to Bea for our trip to Spain. She was fantastic. From the beginning, she listened to what we valued and had a lot of helpful input. She suggested many more ideas to consider than what we could fit it, so that we could choose what sounded best.

The greatest thing about Bea was her quick response time. We had the basics of the trip finished quite early, but she had to wait on us for new passports to arrive, and then we went through some revisions as our flights changed. (She was beyond reasonable and quick when our entire trip added a day.) During the trip, we had more questions and required a bit of hand-holding with small details and she was unflappable during this time. Cheerful, quick, and full of good advice. KimKim uses a really efficient app during the trip so that communication is in real time.

It was hard to choose where to start our trip. I picked the route which was loosely based on the suggested trip plans on KimKim's website. We ended up starting in Madrid, and heading south with stays in Sevilla, Granada, and Malaga. We had short visits in Segovia, Ronda, Nerja, Frigiliana, and an activity in Marbella.

Our family includes 3 teen boys so our choices aligned with their interests. Bea hooked us up with a hot air balloon ride which was magical. We also enjoyed a segway tour in Madrid, a few walking tours including the Alhambra, an olive oil estate visit outside of Sevilla, a visit inside the caves of Nerja, a flamenco show in a cave above Granada, and a canyoning excursion near Marbella. On our own we booked a mountain biking day for the boys for our added last day. The fellas most enjoyed the adrenaline activities of canyoning (think swimming through a cave, sliding down natural slides on your behind, and doing 3-9m cliff jumps.) They also loved the hot air balloon ride. I am thankful that the early start time of that aligned with our jet lag near the beginning of the trip. We encountered some really special surprises too: our segway guide in Madrid, David, took us to a small, unremarkable door behind a convent. Inside was a cookie "business" being run by the nuns of the church. We never saw a human. We went in and spoke through a speaker about what we wanted to purchase, and a packed box of cookies appeared in this little door in the wall. During a walk in the very hilly whitewashed town of Friginiana, we came across a local cat rescue with a viewing window of the "gatos." This was our family's jam, and we never would have expected to find it set amongst the small, hilly lanes of the village. The boys were also happy to find the filming location of Naboo from Star Wars in Sevilla. Many teen photos were taken there, second only to cat photos.

The hotels that she recommended fit well with our expectations of location, family sleeping arrangements, and yes, air conditioning :) Our favorite hotels were the two times that we stayed in H10 properties in Sevilla and Malaga. Our Granada hotel was very charming. We enjoyed several dining experiences despite the kids not feeling tapas at every turn. We ended up at a few steak houses and mercados (markets) for even more choices. Our favorite spot for chocolate y churros was Cafe Futbol in Granada. Our favorite restaurant was a pizza place, also in Granada, called La Piccola Carmela. They had a fancier sister restaurant for authentic Spanish tapas. Our favorite place to eat in Malaga was Pampa Grill. Every breakfast was lovely. Zero issues.

I should add a last shout out to the incredible drivers that Bea chose for our longer drives. Our favorite driver was Jesus Ferreira, who we had twice. We loved him, and he really made the time spent so special. He took us to a spot that wasn't planned because he had a hunch, and he was right! We also liked Angel in Malaga and Alberto Zabala in Sevilla.

Our family had taken one trip to Europe before, which I planned. Despite it going well, when I began my research for this trip, I was dreading the legwork. The hours of planning, researching, and figuring timing of trains and when to reserve what, complete with FOMO about things that I didn't know existed. While reading family trip blogs I came across KimKim. I was intrigued and filled out an interest form. We were assigned to Beatriz, and it was like a local angel was inside of my head. She took away almost every worry and I cannot express my relief. We didn't look back. I highly recommend KimKim and Bea. We will use them again.

Hotel Reviews

H10 Casa de la Plata

Sevilla

This hotel was perfect for us. The H10 in Sevilla had probably the best staff that we encountered. The gentleman (Fran?) that checked us in had very good advice and ideas. Everything was modern and clean, beds were good, and we appreciated their decorating style. Irreverent art. Good location.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Despite Sevilla not being much of a car town, this hotel is very close to a large square by the mushroom. (If you see it, you will know what I mean.)

Staff

Beyond helpful. Kind, smart, great english after we attempted spanish with them.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Casa 1800

Granada

H10 Croma Málaga

Málaga

This was our favorite hotel on the trip. It was in a good location and was very stylish and airy. At first, we arrived and thought that we were located too far away from the beach. But quickly we realized that all of the action that we wanted was in the area near us. Everything was nearby. The mercado was a half block away. The hotel rooftop was perfect - big enough for options but not a crazy DJ party like the RIU in Madrid. Loved the rooftop pool, small restaurant, and lounge area. Our family was given two rooms. One had a balcony deck so big that it wrapped around the corner and had a 2nd section with sun loungers. Room 801, btw. The other room was a tad larger but had two small balconies. Also great. Room 809. The breakfast was good. Decor was nice. The lobby has water and small snacks/treats out at all times.

Authenticity & Character

This hotel isn't quaint - it is new. However, that is a big part of Malaga. Lovely decorative tiles surround all of the decks.

Location

Close to everything that we wanted. About 100 restaurants within 4-5 blocks.

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Really responsive air conditioning.

Activity Reviews

Private Madrid Segway Tour

Madrid

We really liked this. We were all new to segways, but the learning curve isn't bad at all. The tour guide was a younger guy. He had a lot of information. For our teens, I'd maybe give him a "4" because he told about more history than they needed. He did take us to a few "hidden gems" that we wouldn't have found otherwise. I gave the activity vendor a 4 because two of our five segways had some slowing issues when accelerating, which suggests a not-super-thorough maintenance system. They were not dangerous at any time, but they weren't as easy to control as the other 3.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Hot Air Balloon Ride Over Segovia

Madrid

This was breathtaking. So glad that we had the opportunity to do it. I don't know why, but I had expected a more private experience. Instead the balloon held around 16 people. That was fine. The pilot had flown balloons for 23 years and was a pro. I was slightly worried when he gave a safety speech in spanish. I only understood an arm gesture and the word "important," which was concerning. Luckily some other riders clued us in that he was talking about landing positions, and they explained what we should do. We floated over Segovia and there was no bad place in the balloon. He steered it so that everyone was able to see each angle. We were in the air for over an hour. Our landing was perfect - no big bumps or tipping over. After the staff cleaned up the gear there was a small breakfast and a toast.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

The pilot was amazing. The staff was kind and energetic

Transport

I am referring to the shuttle to and from the airport. They were proficient. The balloon pilot was a 5+

Private Transfer {{start_location}} to {{end_location}} via Ronda & White Villages

Spain

We were lucky to get Jesus Ferreira Franco as our driver, two different times. I think his business is called Luxury Granada? What a kind, knowledgeable man. He became a friend by the end of our trip. Courteous, polite, caring, prepared, with excellent stories. This was, without a doubt, the best driver that we could have had. He made our trip better. Our sons all said that they missed him after we needed to have a different driver later on.

Quality of Experience

This driver had great stories - I'm sure that he could be quiet if that is what you prefer. We wanted to hear it all. He also had a big cooler of waters to hand out and lent us umbrellas for our time in Ronda during a freak bit of rain.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Love Jesus F.F. KimKim should book him whenever possible.

Transport

Private Guided Visit of Seville

Seville

Our tour guide was named Carolina. She was great with teenagers and was open to what we wanted to see. Some of our kids really wanted to see the area that was used for the filming of Star Wars - Naboo - so we headed over there. We spent a lot of time in the palace, and then headed over to the Jewish Quarter. She even escorted us to a restaurant that we wanted to try for their tapas.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Visit an Andalusian Olive Oil Estate

Seville

I gave this 4 stars because our kids were totally not into it. I liked it a lot, and I think that culture and history can be absorbed by things that aren't museums and famous monuments. The estate was really old and had the original equipment from the 1600's. We learned a lot about different olive varieties and mediterranean-area production. We saw the apparatus and had an oil tasting. There was a driver to the estate and back, so everything was so simple. It was located about 20 minutes from downtown Seville.

Quality of Experience

I loved that it was different. Not a museum :)

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Guide was kind and knowledgeable. Driver was great!

Transport

Guided Visit of Alhambra & Generalife Gardens

Spain

I imagine that there are tons of tour guides for the Alhambra. It is really important to see. We had no trouble finding our guide at the meeting place. He was knowledgeable and told us a lot about the gardens (which we did first) and the Alhambra. You really do get more than seeing it alone. Although, to be fair, we did not listen to any audio tours so cannot compare.

Quality of Experience

I liked hearing the more "secret" things, like about how oleander was used in the garden because the staff didn't like a certain female nobleperson. Oleander is beautiful but poisonous, which was how the staff described this woman.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Our guide took us through a wood product shop at the end. This was the only time on our trip that we felt like American tourists, like he was going to get a kickback from any sales of wood items. Kind of soured us a bit. I'm pretty sure that this was rare because there were not many people in the shop.

Flamenco Show in a Sacromonte Cave

Granada

This was the most authentic way for us to see the dancers. It felt a bit touristy, but the location was definitely built into the side of the mountain and the dancers were amazing. They worked! You really need to see flamenco at some point in Spain. We ran into a family in our hotel that had arranged a lesson somewhere, and they had to perform for an audience after their lesson. This was somewhere else. We weren't that committed. Happy to just watch. It was just the right amount of time.

Quality of Experience

The guides and drivers provided were excellent. There were some scheduling problems with getting the car and attending the tea. Many in the group were unable to attend tea as they were picking up cars. The tea was just okay, a little stuffy and didn’t seem very Scottish (what ever that is). Also the car return schedule was unrealistic as there was not enough time allowed. This wasn’t a big problem and we worked it out. The Highland tour guides were very nice, but this was not very interesting. I don’t think going to the cliffs of Moher by boat was a good idea. The seas were very rough and many people were very sick. Arran island was very fun. The best was the Irish house party. I wish we had more time in a small village with traditional Irish music. We may have to return. All in all, or trip was well organized and you did a good job trying to meet our varied wishes. Thanks Carol

Hotel Reviews

Skeffington Arms Hotel

Galway

Interesting hotel. They do have a problem with unpleasant odors in the hallway. Breakfast was just okay, location was good for the boat trip.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Fonab Castle

Pitlochry

Authenticity & Character

I expected an older castle.

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Eden Locke

Edinburgh

Lovely, very modern and clean.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

The Argyll Guest House

Glasgow

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

The Belvedere Hotel

Dublin

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Free time in Inishmore ( Aran Island)

Ireland

Renting bicycles and touring the island was a definite treat. The scenery is so unusual and beautiful that we were spellbound the entire time.

Edinburgh Castle Tickets

Edinburgh

Very interesting, I would have enjoyed a guided tour.

Quality of Experience

Loch Lomond Cruise

Ireland

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Irish Dancing - The Irish House Party (Dinner & Show)

Dublin

The meal was ho=hum and took way too long to be served. Fortunately, the Irish music after was awesome!

Quality of Experience

It was great to be exposed to the local history. We have nothing to compare in America.

Food

We ate fish and chips until we could take no more. We tried, but, haggis and blood pudding are definitely an acquired taste.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Their open friendliness.

Transport

The drivers were friendly and knowledgeable.

Private transfer in town

Ireland

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Private Walking Tour of Glasgow

Glasgow

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Private Walking Tour of Edinburgh with a Top Local Guide

Edinburgh

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Afternoon Tea at The Signet Library

Edinburgh

With our short time I would have preferred to do something with more Scottish influence.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Cairngorms National Park Wildlife Tour with a Specialist

Ireland

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Blair Atholl Castle Entrance tickets

Pitlochry

Quality of Experience

Blair Athol Distillery's Whisky Connoisseur Experience

Pitlochry

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

My family and I flew to Dublin, Ireland. From there we traveled to Galway, Cork, Limerick, Cork, Cashel, and then back to Dublin-via Kildare.

Our travel specialist Svetlana planned our trip perfectly-in that we didn't move through the countryside to slowly or to fast and our accomodations were fantastic.

Further, the stops Svetlana planned for us, (sometimes ones that we would not have chosen for ourselves) turned out to be reals gems-the Kilbeggan Distellery and the Irish National Stud & Gardens-and we treasure the visits. Not to mention the usual stops: Cashel, The Book of Kells, The Cliffs of Moher, St. Patrick's Cathedral, Blarney Castle ... almost too many to mention.

Needless to say, my family loved Ireland, loved the Irish and had a wonderful time!