Kimkim Trip Reviews

Such a beautiful hotel with a top notch breakfast. By far my favorite hotel from all our travels!

Ruairi was a wonderful guide and host with an extensive knowledge of the food offerings of Dublin. Quite possibly the best falafel I have ever had!! Nothing like a Guinness, but even better when you have some history of Michael Collins, local lore, etc! Highly recommend this event!

Bucket list item done! Truly breathtaking to see in person. Needed another hour or two for more exploring!

The Maldron Hotel Belfast City was located in a great location for restaurants and catching our day tour to the Giants Causeway. The bed was comfortable and the breakfast was good. We would stay here again.

This was probably the least liked hotel of our trip. Our room was toward the back of the hotel and was very small. It also had no ceiling fan or window that one could open wide so the room was uncomfortably warm. Thoughtfully the hotel provides a small fan (which should have been a clue) which helped a little, but not enough. There was a tiny space in which to put our small suit cases, with one being on the floor, The hotel was close to restaurants and the boardwalk. On the plus side, the breakfast was delicious and they had menu items you could order freshly made (i.e., avocado toast, Irish breakfast).

The Castle Hotel is set within nine elegantly restored Georgian townhouses with rooms full of period pieces. We had a fairly large room with a four poster bed and a nice sized bathroom. We had a choice between the full Irish breakfast or a ala carte selection.

Business class hotel with nice sized room and comfortable bed. Delicious breakfast!

One of our favorite hotels on our trip Comfortable quiet room with enough room for side chairs and small table. Breakfast was delicious with good selection. The location was central for walking around town, the Jaunting cars and good restaurants!

Business class hotel with attached restaurant (which was actually good) and typical ala carte breakfast. The room was comfortable but not outstanding. Location was walking distance from the train station and central shopping area.

Quirky hotel in the central part of Dublin. Room was mid-sized but comfortable. The breakfast was typical ala carte fare.

So nice to have a driver ready and on-time to take us from the hotel to the airport!

We weren't really sure what to expect on this tour, but came away with a much clearer picture of "The Troubles" from 1968-1998. We made several short stops around both the Protestant and Catholic sections of Belfast with our guide explaining the significance of each location - often with graphic photos. Our guide, Paul, was passionate about the conflict that is still going on today, and that I don't think people outside Belfast are aware.

This was a small group (~30) tour to the Giant's Causeway. The driver/guide was personable and pointed out many sights along the way!

We were so fortunate to have Peter Vale as our driver for our time in Wales! After stopping at Caernarfon Castle, Peter took us to see Plas Mawr - one of the finest examples of an Elizabethan town house from the late 1500. Along the way, Peter stopped at several sights we would never have know about unless we were shown!

Our driver/guide, Peter Vale, picked us up from the airport when we arrived in Liverpool. We made stops to see Penney Lane and the club where the Beatles played. On the way to Llandudno, we stopped at the Pontcysyllte Aqueduct which was impressive! The view was incredible and walking across the bridge gave us a chance to stretch our legs and enjoy the scenary! Peter also transported us back to the Liverpool airport.

We were picked up in Galway by a private driver, Patrick, to take us to Killarney via Cliffs of Moher. Patrick was very informative and told us a lot about the area we were traveling through. At the Cliff's of Moher, we spent a good hour hiking up to the different vantage points. Afterwards, Patrick dropped us off at our hotel in Killarney.

Caernarfon Castle is a very impressive structure to explore. It's worth a visit.

We've been on many food tours across Europe and we wanted to like this one, but it fell a bit short. Our first stop was a bar where we were served what the guide said was a dish that everyone eats in Galway - white bread with potato chips made into a sandwich. I could have done without this. None of the other stops to me really showcased the food of Galway.

We took a small group tour of Ring of Kerry. The countryside along the Ring is beautiful and our guide/driver was very knowledgeable.

Our guide/driver, Peter Vale, was fantastic! He has intimate knowledge of the Snowdonia area in Northern Wales, and took us to his favorite sights, some of which aren't even in the guide book!!

We took the Jaunting car from right outside our hotel to Ross Castle. We didn't realize, but each Jaunting car is for just your group (in our case, just the two of us!). The driver was knowledgeable about the route and pointed out deer in the fields. The boat part of the tour took us out around the lake where we could view a former monastery and enjoy the view of the countryside from the lake!

The Book of Kells is a one of a kind experience! We could easily have spent half a day just soaking up the information that was presented on the Book of Kells as well as the Trinity Library.

Nice to have free time to wander down the side streets of Dublin!

Hotel and rooms are very beautiful and clean. The staff is wonderful and accommodating. Leo at the front desk was appreciated by my husband for a very helpful map outlined by Leo! The breakfast was spectacular and the outdoor area to sit at night was wonderful being with a group of six!

This hotel is located in the center of a very busy street, which has pluses and minuses. If being transported from the airport to the hotel you must pull your luggage up a steep hill to get to the hotel. Restricted times for traffic on this street. Rooms are accommodating but small in comparison to the two other hotels we stayed. There is no outside area to sit which we appreciated as a group of six. The rooms have less amenities than we found typical in our other hotels. Overall, this is a very nice hotel but, in a comparison, not the favorite of the three we stayed.

If you stay here, you will be amazed at the setting, the views, the outdoor areas to sit, relax, swim, spa, restaurant. You do not need to leave unless you want to. The staff do everything they can to make you feel special and meet your needs. If we were to pick a resort setting to get away and relax and be pampered, this hotel would be top of the list. We are a group of six on our trip to Portugal and not one in the group had a complaint. We did go out sightseeing on one of our days in Lagos, but 4 of our group said no thank you, we are not leaving here!! That speaks volumes

Our last night preflight staying at this airport hotel exceeded our expectations. Airport hotels do not have these same amenities and dining from our experiences. Very clean and well appointed, great staff.

Paulo Pires our guide made this excursion one not to be forgotten!! His knowledge, personality, engagement is exceptional. If we were to do any other excursions, we would seek Paulo out to guide us and make us feel as though we are off on a journey with a friend. We need to add his wife, Anita, as he calls the beautiful one, is equally a spectacular person and you feel the warmth of true Portuguese people. We had our lunch at her restaurant, and you will not be hungry when you are done eating!! Exceptional couple and family!

Our guide Celia was well versed in the history of Porto, made our walk a bit easier by knowing the streets to take. Porto as is Lisbon hills and cobblestone. She offered suggestions for the rest of our evening, where to eat more local, and a great Farmers Market that we went to the next day and which roads to take back to the hotel. We ate on the Riverfront and took the Funicular (cheated on the walk up the hill) to the top. Plus, a fun experience, never have been on one before. After many days of Lisbon and Porto walks, it was a welcome treat to not walk the hill.

Alex was a tremendous asset to our understanding of the history of Lisbon and took the time to allow each person in our group to be involved. He slowed the trip a bit when needed for rest period. When we completed our tour, he surprised us with a treat of Ginji, our first tasting,

Pedro had a wonderful line up of events for our day trip to the Douro Valley. This excursion is a must, a completely different experience and set of scenery. Small town stop for coffee/pastry onto our boat ride down the river, and off to two wineries'. One a large venue and one a small venue. Each beautiful. The lunch and people we met at the small winery gave you the feeling of the love that goes into the wine making process. The lunch was delicious and once again, lots of food.

We have been on Catamarans before, so we had an expectation of the type of boat we would be going on, but this boat was not quite what we were expecting. That being said, we enjoyed the trip, staff very knowledgeable and willing to answer questions for those seeking information. The ride and scenery we saw was amazing, looking back at the cliffs from the water is awesome. The lunch served was exceptional for serving on a boat. The staff a thumbs up.

I hate to do this review, but it is necessary. The jeep, not a jeep but rather a very old 1976 Nissan, dirty, and seating unacceptable. There were seats in second row for 3 tight fit, and 4 more of us had to sit in the rear, step up on a small plastic step he put on ground for us, as you hit your head leaning over to get into the back, and sit facing each other with no view out the windows, and knees touching each other. 8 people in the vehicle and one driver, Daniel, who did his best based on what he was given to drive us. He said the other two jeeps were in the shop. The vehicle emitted fumes, so you could not close windows, and you still smelled it. The people in the very rear could not hear anything the guide was sharing. The trip description did not mirror what we received. We were to have wine, Chorizo and bread when we sat for the sunset. We did not receive any of this, and when we returned to the hotel, I asked Daniel and he said no bread ever on Sunday, because the bakery was not open, and he did not know why his boss did not send him the wine. Honestly, I thought maybe our planned trip was subbed out to another company, but he said no. I, being the lead in this group of six, had very angry travelers, and all requesting money back for this excursion. I do not know what happened, but it was a sad that the last part of the trip had been wonderful until this excursion. They all wished they never got into the vehicle and remained at our beautiful hotel. We would like feedback on this situation. Thank you

The room was small, the staff was not as friendly or helpful. The garden was beautiful. The location was good and within walking distance from the train and bus stations.

Great location, pool options on various floors. Great view from rooftop bar/restaurant, friendly staff.

Hotel was beautiful and in a great location. Staff was exceptional and went above and beyond to ensure our comfort. Hotel room service dinner was excellent. Ended up ordering the same dinner two nights in a row. Close to shopping and major attractions.

We stayed in a suite on the 3rd floor and had a beautiful view of the acropolis from our balcony. The location was busy, which was perfect for us because we were able to walk to most every area we wanted to visit. If you prefer less hustle and bustle, you might not want to stay in the Plaka neighborhood. But once we walked through the hotel doors, we were in a quiet, cozy environment. The breakfast was lovely and we had an amazing stay.

Nicholas and his grandmother created a wonderful stay for us in Santorini. The room was lovely and accommodated our family of four. The balcony was perfect, creating some extra space for us all to enjoy! It was a short 5-minute walk to the beach, ships, and restaurants. Being in Kamari was a great experience - we were able to rent a car easily through Nicholas at the front desk and drive to Fira (15 minutes) and Oia (20 minutes) to experience the larger villages and shopping, but come back to the less crowded side of the island for our evening.

Anna and Joanna made our stay so lovely. The Naxian Rhapsody villas are adjacent to the Naxian Utopia and both are owed by the same family - three sisters who represent the next generation in charge of the hotel. The hotel is outside of the village of Chora and a car is necessary if you don't want to be beholden to taxis, but we loved returning to our little oasis. Our villa was huge - two bedrooms and a large living space for our family of four. The sisters were able to provide great recommendations for beaches and restaurants and also helped us reserve a car for our time on the island.

Our entire family loved visiting George's farm! My kids are now obsessed with donkeys. It was nice to just hang out with his animals and not have too much other structure to it. The walk into Χαλκείο was really nice, and Iliana was really easy to talk to and full of information about the town. Lunch was delicious, with Iliana guiding us through the Naxos staples. One of my children has Celiac disease and everyone was lovely in accommodating for her. The mediterranean diet is quite Celiac friendly!

Rooms were dark, small and had windows opening to the ailes of hotel meaning no fresh air. No amenities almost. Not a 5 star hotel at all!

Due to plane issues we did not get there until very late and had to leave early, but us was a very lovely hotel.

Perfect location to many of the extraordinary sites of Dublin. The heart of the city and close to many of the amazing sites and pubs.

This was the friendliest hotel of our whole trip. The staff was extremely helpful. The food was good, and we all slept well there.

Lovely building, good food.

Very friendly staff, helpful in getting acclimated to the city.

Great tour. Our guide was very knowledgeable about the town both currently and historically.

We saw all the highlights of lucerne, Learned a lot about it’s history.

This is physically demanding but a great way to see the area

Our guide was very friendly and knowledgeable.

Couldn’t have a better location to kayak

This hotel was perfectly located in Tokyo. Access to literally everything that you would want to experience.

Great location! Very close to Amida-do temple. Not a far walk to shops.

Authentic Japanese experience. My wife enjoyed the onsen.

Our guide Yoshiko was great! Very helpful. We enjoyed the tour.

The Shinkansen was awesome! Tried bento for the first time and enjoyed a self-heating one.

The bamboo forest was a bit crowded., but Yoshiko helped us take good pictures. She also provided good background history of the areas we visited.

Our tour Yumi made this excursion amazing! Our whole family enjoyed this experience.

Even though the weather was cloudy, we were able to see Mt. Fuji peeking through the clouds. Great fun on this day! We were actually sad to leave Yumi.

Our guide mostly took us to photo spots, we felt we missed seeing a lot of the city and actual sites people go to in Lisbon. Compared to walking tours in other cities we didn’t feel like we got a very personal /immersive tour just driving around. The streets in Lisbon are also very bumpy so it became very uncomfortable as the guide would zip through the streets of Lisbon.

Charming place, excellent service, very clean, and good food. Highly recommended!

David is an amazing guide. His explanation and tour was fun and educational at the same time. Thanks!

It rained a bit at the beginning, but we decided to continue and it was a very good decision. It was an excellent tour and the guides were very friendly and knowledgeable.

Good location, helpful staff, great breakfast and a decanter of port in your room

beautiful ocean view, large rooms, pool is beautiful large breakfast

grounds are gorgeous but the castle is overbooked and if you have been in one european castle you have been in allof them

Only way to do a city tour in Lisbon! Very safe! Guides were very knowledgeable and fun! They were all Portugese natives and were passionate about their country1

Guide was good but the food was not very good. Charcuterie board, bifina sandwich, cod cakes and olive oil tasting and chocolate tasting

Do not rent this unless you have a rental car! We asked for a house that was walking distance to town, as we would not have a rental car. We like to bike and said we’d be happy biking into town as well. Villa Monica is only 2K from Greve however, the road to town is a main highway with cars going very fast and no sidewalk or walking path. No one walks on it as it is too dangerous. Also there is no taxi service in Greve and no Uber, Lyft or other rideshare. This made going into town almost an impossibility. There is a bus but the schedule is unreliable. For example, one evening my daughters took the bus to pick up food only to find there was no return bus so they had to walk along the dangerous road carrying all the food. My husband tried riding one of the bikes into town but, again, the roads were very dangerous with blind turns and the bike was in terrible condition with the brakes barely working. So, with a dangerous road, no rental car and a town without taxis we were unable to go into town to have dinner or coffee etc. and grocery shopping was a huge challenge. The other problem with Villa Monica is that the photos do not match the reality of the home. The main floor rooms are dark with old, shabby, uncomfortable furniture and the house has a very moldy, musty smell. Luckily it was sunny enough to keep the doors open so we could air out the top two floors but the lower floors were impossible to be in due to the awful smell. The best rooms were the kitchen and sunroom. As to the bedrooms, the photos showed a room with bunk beds which we were expecting but there were only single beds so our guests had to share, 2 to a bed. Another disappointment was that the house was not well supplied so we had to buy toilet paper, paper towels, tissues, dishwashing soap and detergent for the dishwasher. That is not something I expect in a luxury rental. The gardens outside were beautiful and we enjoyed being outside. The pool was nice but the photo of the tennis court does not match the reality. It looks new in the photo but in fact it is quite old with big cracks in the concrete and clearly has not been maintained well. In sum, Villa Monica was not the luxury Tuscan villa we had expected, very inconvenient for vacationers without a rental car.

Excellent location near the Forum, very comfortable with top rate service

Great hotel services: pool, gym, restaurant - comfortable, clean rooms - good vibes

The day visit to Siena and San Gimignano was just okay. Our guide in Siena, unfortunately, spent too much time inside a church despite the tour being advertised as mostly outdoors. We were eager to explore on our own, and this slowed the experience down.

The experience we had at this hotel was excellent! The attendants at the pool bar were readily available and kind. They helped suggest places to go on the island and were happy to chat. The hotel staff were also very helpful in organizing car pickups to the places we wanted to visit. The pool is small but relaxing. The cook offered authentic food, came out, and gave us a dessert specific to her home village! There are nearby restaurants and a beach we could walk to. I highly recommend the taverna Giannoulis.

Absolutely beautiful view of the ocean and the beach within a mere few paces of the hotel. It made it easy to go back and forth between relaxing by the pool, taking a dip, going to the beach, and going back to the hotel again. There's a lot of windsailing in the hotel right next to it, which makes it hard to swim in one section of the water, but the rest of it is up for grabs. The staff was attentive, knowledgeable, and kind. The food and drinks were excellent, even though a bit pricey. The breakfast bar, however, was a stellar deal and offered many options. The hotel also helped organize and pick ups at the hotel we needed for transport.

Hard to beat the view and location! There are so many restaurants and shopping nearby, it gave us the ability to explore readily. The area was busy with tourists, though, so keep that in mind if you want to stay in a less hot spot area. It was nice to step out of the room and have our table with an umbrella to sit out and enjoy the view of the ocean. The staff was also very accommodating. One member carried our heavy luggage up and down the steep stairs! The stairs are something to keep in mind, though, if you have trouble walking. Our group, with members ranging in age from 27 to 70, managed alright, but it took some time. The breakfast they deliver to your room was good, but it was one set option, the same each time. Overall, though, we had a great experience staying there.

Our driver and guide were excellent! She knew a great deal about the wines and locations. She also made everyone, including those like me with less knowledge of wine, feel comfortable. Any opinion on the taste was okay, and while she showed us the proper tasting technique, she said not to worry, and we didn't have to do it every time if we didn't wish to. It was great to learn about the history of wine making on the island, as well as how Santorini is unique.