Kimkim Trip Reviews

Excellent choice in a perfect location between uptown and older downtown

Excellent choice in a perfect location, yet again.

Excellent choice in a perfect location, again

Excellent choice in a perfect location.

Excellent location. However, this hotel did not come up to the same standard as the others. Perhaps it was due to being in a big city, but while the room was large the furniture was very sparse, and there was no cupboard space. The lobby staff were very friendly and helpful, but the ambiance left something to be desired.

Charming character-filled hotel. Absolutely brilliant breakfast.

Very interesting rooms. The breakfast is amazing. And cats!

It’s balloons. It’s Cappadocia!

Very pleasant time. A nice way to watch the sunset.

Goreme is an intriguing place. The natural formations are extraordinary.

Really cool maze of a hotel. Our room was either accessed through a 5 minute walk through tunnels, leading to various lovely courtyards, then crossing an alleyway into yet another old building. The other way was walking outside along a few alleys- we eventually got it down without getting lost. Unique place as all the old mansions have been connected. Our room was very spacious- largest of the trip. Not newly renovated but in good shape and clean which added to the historical character feeling. There was an elegant piano bar on the 2nd floor of the main entry building decorated with lots of very old, elegant furniture- the kind you see in museums that they tell you not to sit on - except you could it on them - old painting on the walls. If we weren't dressed like 21st century tourists, you could feel like you were having a drink in an 18th or 19th century salon of some sort. Breakfast was generous- lots of choice, coffee was a fancy Nespresso machine - prefer real coffee myself but not bad. Our roomed looked out on an alley- one rainy night someone's motorbike alarm kept loudly sounding though the hotel staff were able to remedy that for remaining nights.

Room was clean and spacious. We arrived about 8 pm as flying out the next morning. Not much food on offer - so we had drink and some nuts from the bar as evening meal. Breakfast was mediocre- the worst on our trip as all the others were good. Maybe given breakfast ran from 5am to noon given an airport hotel was part of it - stuff looked like it had been sitting out for hours when we ate about 8 am. Staff were nice. This is about the only part of the trip we might plan differently on hindsight- maybe arriving back in Madrid a day earlier and staying downtown again.

We had a very quiet room - which is a treat staying in a city centre. Unfortunately, it was on the 4th floor and the elevator only went to 3 and the stairs were winding - hard on bad knees if you have them. The hotel was clean and modern inside an older building. Nice roof patio for drinks. The room was small - hard to hang up much so most of our luggage remained packed for the 4 nights we spent there. Breakfast was generous and good variety offered - coffee machine was adequate.

Newer hotel in older palatial type building off a main square. Close to all the main sites. Room was comfortable - not spacious but we were not cramped feeling. We were lucky to get a room overlooking the courtyard (which was the glass -roofed in breakfast area) so super quiet at night, which was better than expected for sleeping in crowded city core. I suspect most of the room were not a quiet.

Very comfortable, elegant hotel not far from the main train station (15 minute walk), the Prado (10 minutes), Reina Sofia (15 minutes), and on the edge of the old historical centre. Great location, comfortable rooms. A bit noisy at night between yelling drunk young folks and city service trucks, but you are in the middle of a big city so sort of expected. The breakfast was very generous, and their coffee was better than the machines at other hotels- seemed fresh made. The restaurant in the hotel was good though expensive compared to the many other places you could eat. Our room was very spacious. Good choice!

This was a long day (0800-1800) that seemed like a short day! Carlos, our guide, met us close to out hotel. Lots of discussion on the drive of things we say and Spain in general. Drive was very scenic and Carlos pointed out cork plantations, wild goats, etc. en route. Zahara and Grazelema were beautiful towns with stunning views. We tried local specialties at each place. Ronda was crowded. We had short guided trip then a couple of hours for lunch and/or exploring more ourselves (we ate lunch looking at the famous bridge). Then long-ish drive back to Sevilla. We were new to private guides this holiday, but the flexibility, ability to ask lots of questions, and wider context given were better than trying to do this ourselves, or in a group. We had many good days on the trip and this was probably the best day!

Our guide, Enrique, whom we had for the earlier Reina Sofia tour as well, had studied art history and was very knowledgeable. The walk to the palace through the old city was informative, and we picked up a tip for lunch after the tour which worked out well. He was able to point out all kinds of details and link them through the palace and in historical context- stuff we would not have picked up on as well ourselves with an audio guide. Having a private guide was new to us this holiday- and better than a group - more flexible, easier to ask questions, and to see things without the group in the way.

Eduardo met us at the hotel. I went alone as at the end of the holiday, one of us had knees that were too sore to want to do the hilly Albaicin area plus it had rained and the cobblestoned streets were a bit slippery. The tour got moved a bit earlier given the clocks went back while we were there (appreciated as the views are better in daylight). This ended up being booked towards the end of a few days we spent in Granada, so we had seen some of the stuff routinely on the tour. The great thing with private guides is they are flexible so Eduardo walking me up and down to various other lookouts I had not seen, and through the medieval streets, and one large beautiful garden in a university owned building. Lots of conversation which put it all into various contexts, and, again, was geared towards my personal interests.

Our private guide, Theresa, met us at the main square at 8pm and we proceeded to wander. One set of knees were pretty sore from the day's activities, and the Albaicin is hilly, so she flexibly amended the tour to avoid a lot of hills. We went to 3 different places and with 4 drinks and generous tapas (and we ordered one extra dish at the first place that I think we probably did not need to portion wise). At the end, she pointed us towards other options, though, honestly I was stuffed and had had enough to drink. I can't see doing this in a group as many of these places are small and crowded. The big advantage having the guide for us was overcoming our reticence to go into authentic or cool looking places that looked too crowded. We would not have gone into some of the places she took us and they were excellent.

We mostly just explored on our own, using a map app on my phone. The notes were helpful for pointing out things to see, but overlap with other booked activities on other days. If you had nothing else booked, it would be fine. Seeing the Alhambra, even in October, requires planning ahead. There were no same day tickets on the morning we did our pre booked tour. The cathedral, royal chapel, etc. are easier to get tickets for though we bought them on line the day before- they are not for a specific time just morning or afternoon windows.

We read the notes, and I bookmarked some places on my map app, but we did not go to any of them. Checked one out but was swamped. Some were quite a distance from our hotel, and after walking around all day, and it being dark (October), we mostly just wandered around locally.

Candela, our personal guide, was keen and knowledgeable. She pointed out all kinds of details we might have missed and provided a lot more context to it all than a larger group might have. The flexibility and being able to ask pretty much limitless questions was excellent. We were new to private tours this trip and came away learning more than we would have by ourselves or in a group.

The notes were helpful, but there was some overlap with other booked activities, so we just used them as a guide and generally wandered around ourselves with a map app on our phone. I think we would have seen the Setas anyway without the notes. The Setas admission was steep comparatively but excellent views and a cool structure. The Roman ruins underneath in a separate but cheap admission were very good.

Our guide, Maria (?), was enthusiastic and knowledgeable. She pointed out all kinds of details we would have missed or struggled to find. First holiday where we tried private tours and the personal touch, flexibility, and ability to ask lots of questions was great. We learned a lot more than we would have on our own or in a group.

Guide was helpful though we generally just explored ourselves with the a map app on our phone. Depending on what other activities you have booked, there is some overlap with the walking notes. If you had no pre- booked activities then there would be none

Our private guide, Stefania, was very knowledgeable and enthusiastic and we had an excellent overview of the Prado and Spanish painters in particular. Private tour was great for asking questions of an expert and not trying to see things through a group. It was somewhat flexible if you had particular interests. We had not tried private guides before this trip and it we learned more than we would have ourselves with an audio guide. The Retiro park walk was beautiful and informative.

Our minibus had about 20 people on it- so a small group. It took about an hour or so to get to Toledo from Madrid and our guide gave us a decent overview tour of the town before leaving us to explore ourselves for a while. On our own, we wandered around the Jewish quarter some more, bought some fresh marzipan (which is a thing there) and then spent most of the rest of our free time in the wonderful cathedral (small admission fee but not a bit line up). We then drove about an hour to a winery - had an informative tour and got to try some of the wines as they were going through the maturation process all the way to trying some delicious finished products quite a few tapas laid out. It was a good day.

Our guide, Enrique, was excellent- studied art history and pointed out all kinds of details and perspectives on modern art that we would have missed. We know a little about art but not a lot and came away having learned quite a bit. Very enjoyable. The tours ends at the gallery so you can keep on see things if you are not saturated. Private tour was great for asking questions and more flexible than a group if you had special interests.

We spent a few days in Madrid and pretty much had seen most of the stuff on the walking trip instructions ourselves. It did point out a few highlights we might have missed (e.g. chocolate and churros place that might have been good but very crowded so we skipped it).

Omg Petra is amazing! We stayed at the Petra House Hotel which is right at the entrance to Petra. It was perfect. Neither of us knew what to expect but having a guide with us to point out the sights and give us background on the place is the only way to go the first time there. The place is enormous! Seeing the iconic treasury carved into the mountain is unbelievable and the fact it is thousands of years old is amazing.

I think may favorite part was actually walking through the open air market and and tasting Omar’s favorite childhood treat!

Within walking distance of all of the sites in Cusco. Clean with all the amenities needed including laundry services which was a great help.

It was beautiful and extremely clean, especially considering you are in the jungle. Our bungalow had a leaky roof when it rained. Also, there is no air conditioning. It is OK during the day because of the ceiling fan, but the electricity is run off of generators which is turned off and 10pm-6am, leaving us with no way to stay cool. If you want an authentic experience in the jungle, this is the place! If you cannot tolerate the heat, you will have a hard time.

Very modern, comfortable, and close to the airport. Food was great. There is also a shuttle to and from the airport, but the airport was not sure where to meet with the shuttle.

The lunch was delicious, and the restaurant was fun due to opportunities to take pictures with the alpaca, lama, and other animals with a beautiful backdrop.

Pictures do not due it justice. It was incredible!

I loved the Sacred Valley just as much as Machu Picchu. The guide, Edwin, was extremely informative, polite, and a pleasure to be with during our trip.

A nice hotel with all the amenities of a large hotel serving both leisure and leisure travelers. The room was large and comfortable. The rooftop restaurant was lovely and the food delicious.

The common areas of the Riad are beautiful! The room we stayed in was very large, comfortable and nicely designed. The bathroom was quite dated. The floor of the room slanted quite a bit, the shower and sinks were chipped and cracked. The staff were lovely. We had dinner in the Riad one night and it was delicious and well presented.

Fantastic experience - great, roomy accommodations, fantastic staff who worked hard to please and entertain us. The food was really good!

A nice, clean, centrally-located hotel. It was overall a very comfortable stay although the room was quite small - we had to get creative in finding space for our suitcases. Where the hotel fell short is that there was no laundry service on weekends(why would a hotel provide a service Monday-to-Friday? That's not how traveling works) and the staff missed making a reservation at a restaurant for us even though we reminded them twice.

The hotel is in a good location and has a large underground parking garage. The staff were impersonal and distant. We arrived during a torrential downpour. No one helped us unload our luggage or told us that we can unload in the underground garage. They just watched us get soaked. We arrived at 2pm but were not given a room until the checkin time at 3pm even though we were soaked to the bone. The rooms were bare of necessities - no conditioner or body lotion, lumpy mattress and flat-as-pancakes pillows. Plastic cups for drinking. Two old fraying towels. The floors are polished concrete, so we asked for slippers and were told that we'd have to buy them. Not sure how this is a 4-star hotel....

Charming, clean centrally located boutique hotel with amazing staff - friendly and very helpful. We really enjoyed staying there.

A trip to Portugal would not be complete without a visit to Douro Valley - such a beautiful, tranquil place. Loved every minute of it.

A nice tour of Porto with Perdro. A very knowledgeable young man, he made the tour fun and interesting. He also suggested and took us to an amazing restaurant after the hotel failed to secure a reservation for us.

We had to cut this activity short because of the heavy rain and only completed two tastings of the scheduled four. Also, the first stop was a pastry and sweets shop because it was literally a few steps from the hotel. The second stop was to try canned sardines and was sardine pate. Backwards - after the sweets, the sardines did not go down well.

Nuno was out guide - born and raised in Sintra, he expertly showed us the best of it and knew how to cut the lines of tourists. He also added a few stops that were absolutely spectacular. Nuno was so much fun to be with - entertaining, knowledgeable, super friendly. It was one of the trip's highlights for us.

Sofia was a delight. She was friendly, engaging, very knowledgeable and fun to be with.

We ended up staying in Chefchaouen overnight. Could have stayed here a second night if I were to do it again. Very beautiful, quaint and charming town.

A first rate working farm and resort! After arriving in Florence (a 12 hour flight from Miami, connection in Lisbon), and a 2 hour transfer to Podere Brizio in Montalcino, our host Vito provided a welcome spread of local wine, cheese and prosciutto. Then, after a tour of the beautiful facility and amazing hilltop view, we were invited to relax in the resort spa, steam room, and sauna. We certainly began our vacation in a relaxing way! Dinner at the resort was another first rate experience with a delicious farm to table dinner!

Great hotel with a great location overlooking the Adriatic Sea high on the cliffs of Sorrento. Great breakfast, excellent staff.

Great staff. Centrally located. Easy to get around. Beautiful rooms and hotel.

Great location. Friendly, helpful staff. Very nice hotel. Our room was nice, the view, non-existent, unless you like looking at a wall.

Nice hotel and big rooms. It was a bit awkward having to walk up and down steps to go from the lobby to our room with luggage, but that seems to be a reflection of Venice. Breakfasts were delicious and service very nice.

Wonderful place to stay

Good hotel. Not to our taste as a large package style resort but the pools are great.

Wonderful hotel

Great hotel and location

Beautiful hotel, professional and friendly staff. Great food and common areas.

Nice place to spend a night during our transit.

Great experience and very friendly staff. We really enjoyed our time there.

This is the best place to get a sense about Morocco, its culture, color and arts. The staff is very friendly and professional. We loved our stay there and we would like to come back.

Wonderful location, friendly staff and unique atmosphere. We loved our stay there.

It was a good option to spend just one night in Casablanca before the visit to the mosque. Clean and comfortable spaces.

Very detailed info guide and super friendly.

Wonderful visit and great time with the friendly staff of the carpet shop

Wonderful experience and great visit

What a lovely family and experience.

Our guide was very good and we had a great visit to the Medina

A small but unique hotel. Very close to the amphitheatre and water gardens and train station

Train trip from Nimes to Clermot Ferrand was unique 106 tunnels through beautiful landscapes. Well worth the trip back to the south of France. The Domes were better than expected and the history was amazing

Ideal location yet very quiet. Staff were very friendly and helpful. Our room had a view of Alhambra and the night life. The whole hotel had a great atmosphere and flet welcoming and relaxing after the busy Granada streets.

A must see in Granada. Three hours was not enough! Great guide and experience as we went through on sun set.

Theo was a great host for the night. He took us to a variety of venues all very different. Food and drinks were paired for a full experience. His knowledge was impressive and we felt like friends by the end of the evening. Certainly recommend Theo and the choices her made for us on the night

Beautiful restored Monastery about a mile or so from the historic center of Evora . Easy Uber ride. Great fair priced restaurant on site. Regrettably we only spent one night in Evora 2-3 would have been ideal.

This hotel did not quite meet our expectations. 1)it's location is a bit too far away for walking to the town center 2) the breakfast eating area was a morning zoo, just too many people 3) the quality of the food was not very good 4) the ambience of the hotel is one of a Mega resort , big and busy. To me the hotel is more suited to the traveler with children during the warmer summer months as the hotel pools and nearby beach can be fully enjoyed. I think for somewhat senior travelers like myself would much have preferred a stay in a more smaller boutique hotel located in the city center.

This Lisbon hotel was a true gem. We couldn't ask for a nicer hotel. Centrally located , friendly accommodating staff a great breakfast free port wine and afternoon tea. We really loved this hotel!

Loved the hotel and the room

A great location which was remote. Good staff but the dinner and breakfast buffet could be improved.

Great hotel and lovely ambience

A good location but very very remote we got there quite late. There was no bread or toast for breakfast!

Good location but limited breakfast options it seemed more suited to locals

Amazing site but we got duped by someone saying to start at other end from little Petra. This is not worth it and you have to hike 2 hours to your destination even if you get the shuttle. The views are good but we were not prepared for the long walk. Just start at the main gate and you will see everything. The horses/ donkeys people are also a rip off don’t bother! I felt we paid to start from the other end and felt it was not worth it.

A good half day is needdd

This was a colorful and really interesting tour. It was a pretty deep dive into all things Gaudi which is pretty extraordinary.

What we liked was that there was more of a general introduction to the city than some of the other tours. What we didn’t like was that there wasn’t a lot of content and it was too long for what was covered. It was a 4 hour but it could have been 2 - 3 hours.

Seville was our favorite city-so charming and historic! The tour of the Roman Catholic Cathedral and the Royal Alcazar was chock full of interesting stories and pieces of history and we learned quite a bit.

We really enjoyed this day and it was different from other tours that we did. The CAVA tour was informative and the tasting was great - the CAVAs were the best we had on the whole trip! The wine tasting was good but not great. The vineyard visit on the 4WD was just fun and nice to be outside.

This was a really nice day trip. Toledo is is a unique and picturesque city rich with history. We toured all of the main areas do they city and also had free time to explore on our own. Though it is now a big tourist attraction, it still preserves its history and authenticity.

A wonderful evening! A great blend of delicious food, tasty sips, music and dance. A very well planned event and each place visited was authentic and excellent.

Loved this! We had front row, center arena seats. I think this is a hidden gem!

Great fun! Our guide, Alex, was excellent! The tapa places we went to were all very good. It was just the right amount of food and wine and all authentic tastes,