Kimkim Trip Reviews

Our trip was amazing . Our guide in Marrakech took excellent care of us in our tour and during our short visit to the clinic.

A few suggestions:
1. Find a better hotel in Casablanca. There was black mold in the shower, light bulbs out in the room, a broken lamp , no towels , drinking glasses or Kleenex tissue. We asked twice for these items . We got towels and 2 glasses the first night; nothing the 2nd night.
2. Our route should have been planned better and I should have caught this error. We should have gone to Madrid LAST and then flew direct to Marrakech instead of being in Granada and then having to take 2 flights to get to Marrakech.
Avoid Iberia Airlines and go with Air Arabia. They are friendly, accommodating and have much better service and planes. The Iberia jets don't have seats that move. They are in a permanent position. They never offered us anything after a 2 hr delay, gate and plane change. Upon asking them what they were going to do to compensate the passengers for this delay they stated , "this is Iberia airlines ". My response was : "and your point is? They are an international airline." We got nothing !!

The guide in Madrid for the walking tour was so so. When he finished with us he didn't return us to our starting point. We had to figure out where we were and how to get back to the hotel.

We highly recommend the Barcelona Hotel Catedral for Barcelona. Excellent breakfast , room, location and a free happy hour daily.

The other hotels, guides, transfers were excellent.

Hotel Reviews

Hotel Odyssee Center

Casablanca

Black mold in the shower ; light bulbs burned out ; a broken lamp; no towels or water glasses. Nice location but the room wasn't good

Authenticity & Character

Location

Read what I wrote

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Attention to details

Petit Palace Posada del Peine

Madrid

Great location. Small but pretty room

Authenticity & Character

Location , breakfast

Location

Not far from the main square and shop

Staff

Friendly and accommodating

Cleanliness & Comfort

Clean!!

Petit Palace Puerta de Triana

Seville

Great location Great breakfast

Authenticity & Character

Boutique hotel

Location

Close to the sights. Easy walking distance to most of the sights

Staff

Friendly and accommodating

Cleanliness & Comfort

Very clean

Palais Sebban

Marrakech

Beautiful venue Older but authentic feeling It is down a few alleys and without a guide we couldn't find our way out

Authenticity & Character

Authentic. It felt Moroccan

Location

Street signs !!!

Staff

Friendly and accommodating. Extremely helpful

Cleanliness & Comfort

Clean!

Hotel NH Collection Granada Victoria

Granada

Clean and good breakfast

Authenticity & Character

Pretty

Location

Far from the sights. We walked a lot of miles. Street signs. It well marked

Staff

Very friendly and accommodating

Cleanliness & Comfort

Clean!

Hotel Barcelona Catedral

Barcelona

Excellent location and breakfast. Room was very clean and comfortable. Love the free happy hour

Authenticity & Character

Comfortable

Location

Easy access

Staff

Friendly and accommodating

Cleanliness & Comfort

Excellent room

Hotel Regina

Barcelona

Very expensive for a bare bones "superior" room Breakfast was very good

Authenticity & Character

Hang a picture; Make the room feel warm with some color

Location

Staff

Friwndly

Cleanliness & Comfort

Very clean

Activity Reviews

Explore Casablanca

Casablanca

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Highlights of Old Madrid Walk

Madrid

Only 1 hour. Saw the cathedral and palace from a distance. should have walked to it

Quality of Experience

A different guide

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Flamenco Experience

Portugal

1 hour show. No explanation as to how, why they did what they did.

Quality of Experience

Tapas Walk in Barcelona

Barcelona

Excellent tour!!

Quality of Experience

Specific for the area

Food

A large variety

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Guided Visit of Barcelona & Sagrada Familia

Barcelona

Guide was very knowledgeable and thorough

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Guided Tour of Hassan II Mosque

Casablanca

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Privately Guided Visit of Marrakech & Bahia Palace

Marrakesh

We walked through the market after the palace. The market repeated itself over and over again. We didn't need to see every corner of the market. Lots and lots of walking

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Guided Visit: Alhambra & Generalife Gardens

Granada

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Full Day Excursion to Ronda & White Villages

Seville

Good your company

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Full Day Excursion to Cádiz - Europe's Oldest City

Seville

Lovely tour and stop at. Local winery. Lots of knowledge and information.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

I had heard good reviews about kimkim but our Philippines experience was not very great. The lack of professionalism was reflected in the communication and our itinerary. Time frames and location details were not clearly mentioned before. A lot of room for improvement at Philippines kimkim team..

This trip was seamless and remarkable. Phil was a great communicator and the guides were really good- our guide on the volcano hike was great as well as in the guide on this silence hike and Santa Elena hike.

Our entire trip was very well planned and executed. We enjoyed every minute of it.
Riads (hotel) that were booked were of high quality and breakfast was amazing.
Ali was professional, efficient, collaborative, responsive and available to answer questions or take care of new requests even at odd hours of the day and night.
I would highly recommend KimKim and especially the local team of Ali and Said.

I am reviewing my notes to identify where the disconnect occurred between Stephen and I. From the beginning, I was very specific that my wife and I wanted small group or private tours. The fact that the tours to Stonehenge / Windsor, Cliffs of Mohr were large groups were a disappointment. The tour guides were very good in both instances, it was the environment of traveling with 40-70 ppl was not discussed beforehand if that was the only option.

The arrival experience was a disappointment. First, Stephen never mentioned that communication to the KimKim team, tour operators, or taxi service would be through WhatsApp. It was only by chance that I downloaded the app to keep in contact with my family back in the states. The service that provided pickup at Heathrow, Pink Berry Card, went to the wrong terminal (this was disclosed by the driver) and same driver went to the wrong pickup site after your tour to Stonehenge. The rest of the transportation went well.

The welcome baskets at both hotels was a nice touch although considering I am a lifetime Diamond and regularly receive room upgrades, this did not occur in spite of Stephen knowing my Hilton status.

Overall, Stephen was responsive although not transparent in disclosing that my requests were not going to be met.

Put Albania on your travel bucket list and use Drive Albania to make it happen before more people discover this spot. Albania has warm, welcoming and kind citizens, eye-popping scenery, beautiful and interesting ancient sites and natural, fresh and mouth-watering food and of course homemade wine and raki at every stop.

We worked with Ed from Drive Albania to create the tour that worked for us – 4 young middle-aged females. He worked with our itinerary sketch to create a trip that delivered the sites and experiences we wanted while minimizing the amount of hotel hopping we did.

Our guide/drive Margil made this a once-in-a-lifetime experience with his passion for delivering high customer service, his knowledge of Albanian history, his safe driving and his pure joy and zest for life. After consultation with us, on our off days, Margil arranged our activities and made reservations at the best, out-of-the-way eating spots. From the moment he met us at the airport with his wide grin to our final send off, he was professional and attentive, adjusting to our needs, all while sharing his love

Our driver/guide (Tarik) was outstanding. He was informative, punctual, pleasant , helpful and willing to do everything/anything we needed. His assistance made our trip successful, stress free and enjoyable. Tarik was a pleasure to work with. He was our guide for 8 days. We traveled throughout the entire country. Thanks Tarik!

"Exemplary service! From start to finish, our experience with Cathy was nothing short of exceptional. Our tour guide Juan and Estevan were not only knowledgeable but also personable, making our journey unforgettable. Five stars all around!"

We wanted to experience multiple areas of Ireland as a family but didn't want to drive. Emily set us up with stays in 3 cities and got us to each by train.

We started in Killarney with stunning scenery and a charming, vibrant downtown. Our Ring of Kerry Tour was the perfect length and Michael was an informative guide but didn't dominate the trip. Cannot recommend the Kells Sheep Dogs demonstration enough. Highlight of the trip. We took a carriage tour of the Killarney National Park - Mikey, our guide, was a hoot and turned us on to the local pubs to try.

Cork was a quick stop and a colorful city with people who are very proud of their heritage. Blarney Castle is impressive but don't miss out on the gardens. We wanted Irish Session Music and we got it at Sin e'. Our cab driver also recommended the Corner House and those two both had tremendous atmosphere and music.

Dublin has yet another vibe than the other areas. We went on several tours - Molly was great at the Jameson experience. You can't go wrong in Temple Bar but hit THE Temple Bar early. We really enjoyed the Palace Bar and its adjoining Whiskey Bar. JR Mahon's also had great session music. The EPIC museum felt like the best way to end the trip.

We took a 13-hour bus trip from Dublin out to the west coast for the Cliffs of Moher, the Burren and Galway. Barry, our driver, gave us enough breaks and a lot of interesting history along the way. You cannot beat the majesty of views. It's long day to cross the country and back so we were glad we scheduled it in between Dublin days.

Cannot thank Emily enough for building a trip that was exactly what we wanted while making it seem effortless.

Hotel Reviews

Castle Lodge

Killarney

Friendly staff, great location, good food charming decor. Just a little trouble regulating the heater in the room. Wonderful for walkability to the part and the downtown pubs, restaurants, shopping and the train station.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Maldron Hotel Shandon

Co. Cork

Bit of a hike from the training but we had a lovely turret room. Room was very clean and the views were expansive. Bathroom was very updated.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Academy Plaza Hotel

Dublin

Great value in Dublin right off O'Connell street. Quick walk to the river and pubs. Lovely staff. We found our normal double room spacious and updated. Others in our party had a small double and a single that were very tight, so understand what you're booking. Would stay there again for sure.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Leon at the desk could not have been more welcoming. The bartenders were very helpful.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Guided tour to the Ring of Kerry

Killarney

Michael as an excellent guide. The Kells sheep dog demonstration was a highlight of our whole trip. The tour was paced well with enough time to enjoy multiple areas.

Quality of Experience

Kells Sheep Dog Show, View from lunch in Waterville

Guides, Drivers and Staff

We were stopped for quite a while by and accident on the road. Michael somehow made up the time so we didn't miss anything. He was very informative without distracting from us taking in the views.

Transport

Very nice bus

Visit Blarney castle and kiss the stone

Ireland

We were lucky to visit in the afternoon when it wasn't so busy with tour buses and cruise excursions. Got right through the VERY steep climb to the top of the castle to kiss the stone. Had a great time learning about the castle and touring the amazing gardens.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Dublin Castle

Dublin

State rooms are nice but you don't get to see much as it's not large. It's not an expensive ticket, but if you're expecting Windsor Castle, this isn't it.

Quality of Experience

Cliff of Moher tour from Dublin

Dublin

The Cliffs are stunning and worth the long drive from Dublin. We enjoyed our lunch in Doolin - the staff at McGann's was ready and waiting for us. Doolin itself is a lovely village. The Burren is like nothing we've seen before. Wish we could have spend more time in Galway but we did get to spend time in the quaint shopping area and hear busker and see murals. The people could not have been nicer. Barry, our driver, was very accommodating and kept us informed of the schedule. But it was a long day.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Bus didn't have charging ports. The pocket in the seat in front of us was ripped.

Trinity College Library : The Book of Kells Experience

Dublin

Really well done tour of the facilities even though the books have been decanted. Enjoyed the interactive presentations

Quality of Experience

Free time in Dublin

Dublin

The Temple Bar area was colorful and fun with the pubs and restaurants. We sampled many and saw Irish music sessions in some places along with modern performers at others. The city center is every walkable. We found that cab drivers and bar tenders were great sources of intel on places to try.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Jameson Distillery Dublin - Bow St. Experience

Dublin

This was so much more than we expected. The facility itself is very cool with shops and a unique bar. Even though Jameson isn't distilled here, they celebrate the heritage so well and so a great job of interactively demonstrating how the distillation process works. The tasting room was so well done and our tour group was so friendly thanks to our excellent guide, Molly. Will recommend to everyone to gets to Dublin.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Molly was great!

The trip was amazing. The farm in Sorrento, boas ride, everything top notch.

Hotel Review

Hotel Villa Gabrisa

Positano

This hotel was perfect. The room, the view and the people. Also one of the best artichokes I ever had at the restaurant.

Authenticity & Character

Location

The view

Staff

So friendly and helpful

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Review

Cooking class in Sorrento

Italy

This was my favorite part of our trip. Thus farm and family was perfect. My sister and I cooked and ate in the kitchen with the family.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

We went thru a lot of iterations. Sandy was very flexible and invariably polite and responsive.

Both guides were excellent. Mr. Tan went above and beyond to help me deal with the logistics of additional adventures in Japan.

Hotel Reviews

Daiwa Roynet Hotel Kanazawa-Eki Nishiguchi

Kanazawa

very nice but nothing really special. Rooms small for US but nice for Japan. Great bathroom. Good restaurant.

Authenticity & Character

standard westernized hotel. No complaint but nothing special

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

love the pajamas

Mitsui Garden Hotel Jingugaien Tokyo Premier

Tokyo

we were pleasantly surprised by how big the room was

Authenticity & Character

it's ok. Standard westernized hotel without much character but no problem

Location

Location is fine. Only thing better would be closer to Tokyo station. Not really possible to take subway with luggage. But no complaint. Tokyo is so huge that we can't really comment on location. Near a very nice park which we enjoyed.

Staff

very helpful with some addtional requests

Cleanliness & Comfort

everything

Activity Reviews

Full Day Kenrokuen, Kanazawa Castle Tour

Kanazawa

Really nice to walk around with Summer

Full Day Mt. Fuji with Lake Kawaguchiko Cruise and Oshino Hakkai

Tokyo

We loved being in the nice private car. Definitely an upgrade from a bus. The driver really knew the area and took us to a great small local restaurant

Guides, Drivers and Staff

so nice

Transport

big comfy private car

Full Day Tokyo City Tour

Tokyo

Mr. Tan was super nice and knowledgeable. He changed the experience since we'd already been to the imperial gardens

Hello, I would like to share my comments about our Vietnam trip.
Overall, our Vietnam trip was a delightful experience, and everything went seamlessly according to the plan.
The local agent was good, the drivers were very good. The guides were nice/polite and eager to help. Maybe they should be more knowledgeable. Their English level was rather poor.
One thing that spoiled our trip was the Hotel in Hanoi. Despite spending our last two days in a beautiful little place, our accommodation was subpar
One thing that I recommend is for the travel agents to be more specific about the hotels/list, provide at least two options, and let the clients decide. I booked the hotels without knowing the exact level/price of each hotel. I have made clear that we wanted 4/5 star hotels.
Hue, Ha Long Bay, and Hoi An were unique experiences. We particularly enjoyed the Ecolodge at Mai Chau; it was an excellent idea. Additionally, the cruise was excellent.
Thank you,
Lena Pateraki

Hotel Reviews

Mai Chau Ecolodge

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Lalita Boutique & Spa Ninh Binh

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Paradise Sails Cruise

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Pilgrimage Village Hue

Hue

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Laluna Hoi An Riverside Hotel & Spa

Hoi An

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Hanoi - Mai Chau

Mai Chau

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Ninh Binh - Halong Bay Cruise - Overnight on boat

Ha Long Bay

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Halong Bay - Hanoi - Fly to Hue

Vietnam

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Visit Hoi An Ancient Town

Hoi An

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Hue- My Son Holy Land - Hoi An

Hoi An

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Hanoi Culture & Walking Tour

Hanoi

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Mai Chau - Ninh Binh - Hoa Lu, Ancient Capital - Tam Coc Boat Trip

Vietnam

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

The trip was amazing. Our drivers, Daniel, Hugo, and Greddy, were all excellent and ensured we were comfortable as we made our way to our destinations. The itinerary created by Kim Kim was perfect and ensured that we were able to experience the beautiful countryside of Costa Rica.

From our first inquiry to KImkim about a private tour in Morocco, to when we said Good Bye to our incredible driver, Samir, at the airport in Casablanca, our experience couldn’t have been better.
Mohammed worked on the planning with us to make sure our itinerary was exactly as we wanted it. He was very responsive to all of our questions and concerns, answering emails day and night. Thank You Mohammed!
We were greeted at the airport in Casablanca by Samir, who we would be spending the next 16 days with. From our first handshake to our last hug we became family.
Aside from being our driver Samir was a fountain of information about all things Morocco, including information on every site we passed on a daily basis. He got to know our interests quickly and went out of his way to find things we were looking for. I unfortunately got sick on the 2nd to last day and was hotel bound for 2 days. Samir stepped up and brought us food and medication to ease my symptoms-
Thank You Samir!! Couldn’t have done it without you!
And lastly a shout out to Said who was the “ local contact” who helped us with a minor glitch at one of our hotels and got the problem fixed- Thank You Said.
I wouldn’t hesitate to travel with Kimkim again and would encourage anyone to give them a try.
Happy Travelers
Joan and Hugh

How to begin this review—there are so many things to say, but probably should start with what every traveler wants to know—How safe is it? Without a doubt Samir Gummaoui is the safest driver I have ever ridden with anywhere, anytime in my life.
Whether on the mountain roads or in the crazy, frenetic chaotic Medinas’ one lane streets barely wide enough for one car let alone pull carts, pedestrians galore, bikes and motorcycles all vying for the same space—he was calm, pleasant, patient and managed it all with only centimeters of space to spare much of the time.
And another aspect of safety was his subtle, unobtrusive, backstage way of keeping an eye on us to make sure we managed the culture and environment safely and got to see all the wonderful things Morocco has to offer.

After safety, as a traveler, it’s the people you meet. And the first Moroccan we met was Samir who greeted us at the airport with a smile and genuine genial demeanor that never changed in three weeks. His opening comment was that he and his car were ‘ours’ and we were now ‘family’. And it seemed that we truly were.
Although there are apparently restrictions on what he can or can’t do as a ‘driver’ (he’s not a ‘guide’) in terms of where he could accompany us, we wished that he could have and would have loved to share dinners with him from time to time to just continue our discussions about so many things relating to Morocco and the world in general.
He is quite knowledgeable and a great conversationalist and along the way pointed out so many things that we would not have been aware of. He was wealth of knowledge about everything Moroccan—people, culture, customs and history. He made a ten hour trip from Fez to Merzouga seem like nothing. And importantly, he knew when to stop for breaks to walk around to enjoy the scenery and move our legs.

Samir went out of his way many times to make sure that we were cared for. When my wife became ill the last two days of our trip, he brought her meals and some medications I’d asked for to our room as she was not able to go to a restaurant. Again, to him, we were ‘family’ and he was looking out for us in every aspect.

I also want to give a lot of credit to Said who worked very hard behind the scene to correct some last minute hotel issues not of KimKim’s making. It being high season, there were very few hotel/Riad options, but they made it work for us in a very suitable way.

KimKim has been, from the start, a very easy company to work with. We planned a ‘non-standard’, longer than usual itinerary and Mohammed patiently worked with us to make it all happen to our liking. Also, would compliment their staff on being very quick to respond to any message we sent to them any time in the planning process.

I would highly recommend KimKim and all their staff and – to be sure, and if there is any way you can arrange for Samir to be your driver (and new family member) do not miss the opportunity!!

Happy Travelers
Hugh and Joan

Hotel Review

Tiziri Luxury Camp

Merzouga

This was a most unique experience. We rode camels for 2 hours to reach the camp, stopping to watch the sunset in the Sahara along the way. An experience of a lifetime. The camp was luxurious, the food amazing and the staff were there to please, pamper and have fun

Authenticity & Character

the uniqueness

Location

the Sahara desert

Staff

everyone

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Review

Private Transfer from Fez to Merzouga Desert

Morocco

It was a long road trip that didn't seem that long due to the scenery along the way.Then to end up gazing at the Sahara desert was truly amazing

Quality of Experience

Food

moroccan salads

Guides, Drivers and Staff

everyone was friendly and helpful

Transport

in a word Samir

Wolfgang, our KimKim guide planner did an excellent job planning our trip to Dublin and Galway, Ireland. Then on to Edinburgh, Iverness, Isle of Syke, Ft Williams, and Stirling Scotland. He listened to our wish list and provided activities accordingly. In Ireland we enjoyed the ferry ride to Inis Mor and met our guide Thomas for a horse drawn carriage tour of the island. Back to Galway for an entertaining Celtic dinner show. Next up, Scotland whose beauty was remarkable (we said "wow" a lot). In Edinburg we toured the city and the castle with our private tour guide Kieran of Local Eyes Tour. All of the accommodations planned were spot on. A little less driving time would have been appreciated, but we were able to see so much of the country, I shouldn't complain. Kudos to Wolfgang

Hotel Reviews

Residence Inn by Marriott

EDINBURGH

Parking next door, rooms were clean and efficient. Breakfast was good. Staff was friendly.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Good for business trip, ok for family on those on vacation.

Staff

Could have been a little more helpful with parking arrangements and information.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Sheraton Athlone Hotel

Athlone

Parking close, rooms clean, and staff was great. Restaurant was good.

Authenticity & Character

Location

In middle of town.

Staff

The staff was outstanding took very good care of us.

Cleanliness & Comfort

The Western Hotel

galway

Parking provided a big plus. Staff was very helpful, room was clean and the breakfast was very good. In the heart of the city easy walk to city square, with pubs, shops, and restaurants.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Iveagh Gardens Hotel

Dublin

No where to check in to start, city tram tracks in front could not stop to unload luggage. parked a block away had to unload on curb wait for wife to take half our luggage to Hotel where someone was suppose to meet her and take in while she returned to get the rest. No one helped. I had to park the car 7 or 8 blocks away in a massive parking garage. then walk to hotel. Staff not concerned at all with all this. Hotel was fine accommodations were clean and room was spacious enough. Will not stay again.

Authenticity & Character

Location

no parking close, no where to unload luggage.

Staff

Attentive to guest needs.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Skeabost House Hotel

Portree

One our favorite places we stayed. Plenty of parking, great restaurant and great staff. The grounds are breath taking. Do not pass up a stay here. It's away from everything which after staying in the cities we were visiting the country was a nice break. Loved it, would stay again.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Surroundings were amazing

Staff

Great staff, felt like we were in Downtown Abbey, they really make you feel special.

Cleanliness & Comfort

River Ness Hotel, a member of Radisson Individuals

Inverness

Amazing staff, the concierge was so helpful and accommodating can not say enough nice things about him. Rooms were clean. we lucked up being able to park on the street in front of hotel, as it was Saturday afternoon only had to pay a couple hours then rest of week end was free. Close to shops and restaurants. Would stay again.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Downtown, close to everything.

Staff

Great staff, we really liked everyone.

Cleanliness & Comfort

The Garrison

Fort William

parking was a plus, but room was too small. It was clean and staff was nice, good for one night and move on.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Inglewood House & Spa

Alloa

What an amazing hotel. Room was very spacious and clean. Loved staying here , close to the city with ample parking. Very beautiful grounds. Great restaurant. Great staff. Would stay again. This was our last night and it was a welcomed stay at this hotel.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Shared Horse & Carriage Trip

Galway

You will fall in love with Thomas. I could listen to him talk all day. Being borne and raised on Inis Mor he is so knowledgeable of it's history and shares his history. Can't say enough nice things about him. I would go back to Inis more just to do a tour with him.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Experience Edinburgh Walking Tour: Unveiling the Historic Charms

Edinburgh

Kieran our tour guide met us for a magical tour of Edinburg. So very knowledgeable of the city and it's history. We were so educated and entertained of all the things we would have never known if not for this tour. He took time to answer all of our questions. Can not say enough good things about the guided tour. One of the highlights of our vacation, or as they call it holiday. Thank you very much, and we highly recommend.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Our guide was very knowledgeable and answered all our questions.

Loch Ness

Ireland

This was a great ferry ride to Urquhart Castle along side the famous Loch Ness, no we did not spot Nessie but it was fun looking out for her. The Castle was one of the many castles we saw in Scotland and this one was one of our favorite. Take the ferry there and back Jacobite Tours did a fabulous job.

Quality of Experience

You get to see so much from the ferry, when you get off and tour the castle and back to the dock was very impressive.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Everyone is so friendly, we fell in love with the 2 ladies at the gift shop at the Loch ness hotel.

Transport

Ferry is in great shape so no worries.

Kilbeggan Distillery

Kilbeggan

Would have been an amazing tour but we were exhausted from flying in that day from the US. So, we left for the hotel before the tour later that day. Facility was very impressive and we toured the grounds and took pictures. Would recommend the staff were very nice and would go again when we could stay and do the tour.

Blair Athol Distillery's Whisky Connoisseur Experience

Pitlochry

This was a pleasure to tour the guide was quite entertaining and knowledgeable. Would highly recommend tour.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

The guide made the Tour

Stirling Castle

Stirling

Getting to the Castle was an adventure but once there it is massive and impressive.

Quality of Experience

Claudia, Lucia and Carla were terrific! They each brought their knowledge and passion to our tours. We enjoyed all our time with them and would highly recommend them for other travelers. The transportation arrangements were excellent. The drivers were punctual, friendly and helpful. The vehicles were spotless and comfortable.

Two recommendations if I may: 1) Depending on where the pickup spot is for the walking tour of Lisbon, I would offer transportation back from the farthest point. The last 20 minutes or so of walking back was a lot for us older travelers. 😀. 2) If a train is available with good seating, it might be more time effective from Porto to Faro. At least offer the option.

Patricia was fantastic, responsive and attentive!

Hotel Review

Cascade Wellness Resort

Lagos

The location was lovely, the spa was terrific. Our experience at the Bistropub was mixed since no reservations are available. The wait was long and the service was very slow.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Close to the boardwalk/ cliffs. Quiet, natural surroundings and beauty.

Staff

Extremely attentive to all our concerns. Special kudos to the spa therapists who were excellent.

Cleanliness & Comfort

The apartments are very clean, however the appliances including the wash machine/dryer and iron did not work properly. Only one hair dryer was provided for two rooms/bathrooms.

Activity Reviews

Private Sailing Experience in the Algarve Coast

Portugal

The sailing was fantastic- the boat was terrific with a very friendly and capable crew. I would highly recommend this experience.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Douro Valley Tour

Portugal

Our guide Lucia made the trip even more special by sharing her family winery estate with us. We were thrilled to see the entire Douro valley from the top point of the mountain. We also loved having a family style lunch at the other local winery.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Lucia was excellent. We also loved Alda and Lionel, our drivers.

Transport

Transfer from Lisbon to Porto stopping in Obidos & Aveiro

Portugal

Claudia chose beautiful spots to enjoy the transfer between the two cities; Obidos and Navare. She consistently chose authentic Portuguese goods and cuisine at terrific stores that we would not have been able to discern.

Quality of Experience

The restaurant in Navare, Pangeia, was outstanding. The food was superb and we had a beautiful view of the coast. I highly recommend the restaurant.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Vasco, our driver, was such a kind man. He gave my husband a gift for his birthday! Claudia brought candles and arranged for a special dessert for my husband. They could not have been nicer.

Transport

Comfortable, clean and timely.

Moonika is a wonderful organizer and very responsive. I changed my mind about a few things and she did her absolute best to make it work for me.

My favorite part was being met and escorted to my next location by very reliable drivers in very comfortable cars. It took all of the worry away to know I would be met on time.

Moonika was always available when I needed her and she was totally involved in every bit of my trip.

In addition, she is kind, sweet and competent! She will care for you like family.

Finland and Estonia expertly managed by Emerson and the team. Everything went like clockwork, on-time, every time. I asked Emerson to plan for some history, nature, good walks and that was delivered. I had read up some history about Estonia and Finland but I still had many gaps, so with the tours and the sites I visited these gaps were filled
All the guides were informative, on-time and courteous but most of all they were all full of small anecdotes of the places we visited and sites we saw. Alvaro our guide for the Helsinki city tour was excellent giving us a brief history of Finland and how Helsinki came to be, also great advice on local delicacies. Filipe our guide for Porvoo was great with the history and show us great place to take pictures. Elena in Saumeleena was excellent with the historical perspective and strategic importance of this fort/base. While Jeff who took on the Taiga magical nature walk was a delight with his expertise on all things natural in the forest. As I come from Asia, these forests are quite different and hide magical berries, mushrooms and birds.
The hotels booked were OK, the good part was their location; all close to interesting sites and plenty of restaurants.
Transports, pick ups were excellent.
All in all well worth it. Thanks to Emerson, saved me a lot of time by coming up with the itinerary and very fast response times.

Guide Mike was fantastic! Great attitude, lots of information, took us on extra trips not in itinerary and walked us to specific shopping stores! Jim got friendly as time went on trying to use his English skills. Loved the cold water and wash cloths! I'm keeping Mike's card just in case I need it again.

Well organized and very professional,
Patricia was very responsive.
transportation vehicles were first class as were the drivers.. Claudia was a great guide in Lisbon. Lucia in Porto and Carla in Lagos also, we’re fantastic.
1st class trip