Kimkim Trip Reviews for Ireland

My husband and I had a fabulous trip to Ireland and Scotland thanks to my specialists for each country, Claire and Justine. They discussed our wish list with us to create a perfect excursion. We are foodies and wanted to see all the places that make each country special and they delivered a perfect itinerary. We wanted to stay in unique venues that included great food and convenient locations and that's exactly what we got. We also wanted to be independent, yet get see all the sites so we traveled by rental car, train and tour buses depending on what would be best for each location. We definitely feel we got to know each country and all their wonderful food, history and beautiful landscapes. I never could have put together a plan on my own as amazing as this trip. Both specialist were there to help with any questions and information along the way, so we always had support throughout the journey. THANK YOU Claire and Justine!

Quick response time from local guides; very comprehensive guidebook with helpful pictures and explanations. We wanted to make some changes in the middle of our trip and Dean was able to accommodate our request. I’m glad we used Kimkim for our first trip to Ireland as the number of locations to visit and places to stay can be overwhelming. Though the tendency when visiting a place for the first time is to try to see everything, this is a big mistake in Ireland. Even driving an hour can feel like an eternity when the roads twist and turn in every direction, which they DO. Better to choose just one or two locations and explore from there. We loved Kilkenny and Dingle the best. Both were really walkable, friendly, and charming. We found that you get a much better sense of the real Ireland in the smaller cities, so don't waste your time with Dublin.

Dean did an exceptional job. Every detail was covered.

Hotel Review

Fiddle & Bow

Doolin

Perfect location and accommodations. Walked a short distance to a great pub for dinner. Woke up to cows grazing on the hill nearby. Truly amazing setting.

Authenticity & Character

Reception and greeting at the front desk was welcoming and personal.

Location

Interwoven with natural beauty of Irish landscape.

Staff

Friendly and helpful.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Spacious room exceptionally clean and comfortable.

Activity Review

Belfast & Giants Causeway Day tour from Dublin

Dublin

Landscape along the trip made you forget about any concerns about the time required. Black cab tour was very educational and a good opportunity to see Belfast.

Quality of Experience

The green landscape, sheep and Cattle grazing, and the pasture layout were all amazing. Never seen anything so welcoming and breathtaking at the same time.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Friendly, personable, welcoming and most of all, relaxed and caring.

Transport

Renting a car and following the tour route at our pace was perfect.

Dean was great to work with. He was responsive to our questions and gave wonderful suggestions. We love Killarney especially and the Cliffs of Moher. The accommodations were very easy to work with and we really loved the Fiddle and Bow hotel.

We had the best holiday in Ireland!

Hotel Reviews

Academy Plaza Hotel

Dublin

We were able to check in early which was so great since we landed at 5 am! The shower was a little small but the room was cozy!

Authenticity & Character

Location

It was in the City centre so we could walk everywhere!

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Gabriel House Guesthouse

Cork

The room was large and had 3 beds! Very comfortable! The shower was nice. Breakfast was amazing!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Killarney View House

kerry

Location was great to Killarney! Breakfast was really good!

Authenticity & Character

Right on the river! Views were amazing!

Location

Very close to city centre and walkable!

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Ballyseede Castle

Co. Kerry

Luxurious! Bar area had food and it tasted great!

Authenticity & Character

A true castle feel! Loved it!

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Clonmore Lodge

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Amazing owners that helped us with directions, pulled out maps and suggested nearby attractions/sights! Had a family feel!

Cleanliness & Comfort

An Crúiscín Lán Hotel and Restaurant

Authenticity & Character

Location

Wanted to be closer to city centre… location was safe and not busy though

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

ibis Belfast City Centre Hotel

Belfast

Great location!! The staff was incredible and they had a 24 hour bar and kitchen open!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Very knowledgeable and friendly staff. They always were available to give us advice on things to do etc!

Cleanliness & Comfort

Iveagh Gardens Hotel

Dublin

Beautiful upscale hotel with a bar and restaurant.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Close to city centre and we could walk to everything.

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Killarney Sight Seeing Highlights

Ireland

This was one of our favorites! We drove around Ring of Kerry and saw AMAZING sights!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

We drove ourselves and all the locals were so friendly and helpful!

Transport

Dublin's Oldest and Best Pubs & Bars

Dublin

We visited multiple pubs and bars while I’m Dublin! Some had live music and all the staff was amazing!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

We got on the double decker hop on hop off bus! It was the best way to get around and the driver talked about things along the way!

Celtic Nights Dance Show @ the Arlington Hotel Dublin

Dublin

A definite MUST see! Incredible live music, dancing and the dinner was amazing!

Quality of Experience

Claire did a nice job of adjusting our trip to our needs. Each place we stayed had charm and character. Had never been to Ireland, so we were not sure where to go and what to see, in the 8 days we were here.

Hotel Reviews

Ashling Hotel Dublin

Dublin

great old Irish charm. Nice breakfast included. Close to walk to points of interest

Authenticity & Character

Traditional hotel/Bar

Location

Close proximity and safe to walk at night

Staff

language barrier and instead of taking care of a plumbing problem, questioned our use of such fixture.

Cleanliness & Comfort

beds very comfortable

Cannaway House B&B

Macroom

Very charming and quiet location in the hills of a farm (horses) in the hills of Macroom co. Beds are smaller, WIFI is terrible., our shower was a capsule, which made us feel claustrophobic . Owners were very nice and helpful with dining recommendations. The charm and comfort overtook the inconvenience. Traditional irish breakfast was very good.

Authenticity & Character

The family, The home and the armlike surroundings

Location

Make sure you take the shortest route from the main road. Our garmin took us many miles through muddy, narrow, back roads.

Staff

Great hosts

Cleanliness & Comfort

The Victoria Hotel

Killarney

One of the best hotels wee stayed in Ireland. Close and far enough from downtown Killareny. Easy cab ride. Clean, great room (and shower pressure, OMG). Excellent food in the restaurant and breakfast area. Great bar area. Extremely comfortable beds and rooms. Staff was excellent and helpful.

Authenticity & Character

Location

less than 1 mile to town

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Clontarf Castle Hotel

Dublin

Charming, but did not feel like we were living in a castle. The rooms were ok, but, smaller and resourceful. A little distance from downtown area. It happened to be very busy (there was a wedding going on), so the staff was overcome and trying their best.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Entry into the Emigration Museum EPIC

Dublin

Great place to learn about the History of Ireland.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

House of Waterford

Ireland

Pretty cool place to tour and learn and watch the crystal production as its being done.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Visit Blarney castle and kiss the stone

Ireland

Not quite what I expected. The grounds and Castle were amazing. The wait and process of "kissing the stone" are not quite what we expected. Google it to see. Some people were afraid and claustrophobic of the process. Most everyone there, young and old did it.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

big parking area

Guided Visit of Cork city Gaol ( Former Prison in Ireland)

Cork

Very interesting self guided tour. They have kept the original building in good shape and it was worth a stop. The town has many great restaurants and taverns. We had a fun time at Oliver Plunkett for dinner and music.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Visit of Bantry house and Garden

Ireland

A great place to tour. You could just feel like you were stepping back in time, while visiting each room of this well restored home. It was very rainy the day we went, but still toured the gardens and climbed the steps for the water view.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Guided Killarney National Park Walking Tour

Killarney

We were lucky with our guide, Mike. A local who loves to walk and chat about the history of the largest park (he said in the world). 26,000 acres. we did about a 3 mile hike and learned more about the town and the royals who owned the park.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Irish Dancing - The Irish House Party

Dublin

This was a highlight of our trip. The dinner was very good. I would order the Salmon or Chicken. The show was outstanding. The band leader was informative and funny, and the talent of each individual was great.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Self-Guided Guinness Storehouse Experience

Dublin

Pretty cool and interesting, even if you are not a beer drinker. Very touristy and busy the day we went. Our tickets included a complimentary pint of beer in the gravity room atop the the building. Great city views and information on the windows.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

self guided, but, they had staff everywhere to direct you

Transport

free parking

You made the planning process stress free. It would have been a nightmare booking all the individual accommodations myself. I will use you again for future vacations.

Overall, the trip was absolutely amazing. Shauna was very easy to get a hold of, and it was a great advocate for us throughout our trip. We loved staying in Glendalough and seeing the ring of Kerry was mind blowing. We would definitely do this again, especially with the assistance of Our guide. The only issue that we ran into was that when we arrived in Dublin, we went to go pick up our rental car, and the rental car company did not tell us if there was a time limit on the pick up. So, we arrived at noon , and our car was already rented out to somebody else so we had to rent a more expensive vehicle for our trip.

Dean and other members of the team were professional. They were able to accommodate our last minute requests.

we had an outstanding tour guide, Margaurite. Her knowledge was impressive, as well as her love for Ireland. She meshed so well with our family. Our group consisted of my husband and I, our daughter and son-in-law, our daughter and fiancé. We also had our 11 month old grandson. Dean made sure that everything we did, was doable with an infant. Every hotel was prepared for an infant. I would NOT hesitate to have kimkim plan future vacations. We made some changes to our itinerary, and it was handled well.

Hotel Reviews

Harbour Hotel

Galway

This hotel was excellent. The room was very comfortable and the staff was very friendly and helpful.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

The Tower Hotel

Waterford

Our first stop was quite impressive, from the location to the restaurant on-site, this hotel was fabulous.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Maldron Hotel South Mall Cork City

Cork Co. Cork

A perfectly good hotel with all the amenities we needed.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Killarney International Hotel

Killarney, Co. Kerry

A pleasant stay. The hotel was very good and had air conditioning.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Lahinch Coast Hotel

Dough, Lahinch, Co. Clare

This hotel was a bit of a letdown. There was no air conditioning, and the noise from the parking lot and the banging of a fire door all night was bothersome. Also, the location didn't have much to offer in terms of shops or dining.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Maldron Hotel Kevin Street Dublin

Dublin

This hotel was very good and well-located. We were able to walk to many places in Dublin from here.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Explore Kilkenny and Waterford

Ireland

This exploration was quite fantastic. It was a great way to kick-start the trip.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Cork via Rock of Cashel & Blarney Castle & Stone

Cork

I had a wonderful time experiencing the history and charm of these places.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Mizen Head and West Cork

Ireland

Truly a picturesque location, it was a delight to explore.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Ring of Kerry and Valentia Island tour

Ireland

The tour was perfect and well-organized. The landscapes were absolutely stunning.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Dingle and Slea Head Guided Drive

Ireland

A memorable drive indeed, filled with beautiful scenery.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Belfast

Ireland

The black cab tour in Belfast was fabulous, one of the highlights of the trip.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Our trip was amazing!
Margaret exceeded expectations as our tour guide. She was knowledgeable, friendly, took us to the best places, and fit in well with our family. Dean/Maria planned a wonderful trip for us and we would recommend them to anyone.

Kimkim did an outstanding job arranging out hotels and itinerary for our family trip to Ireland. Our chauffeur Oisin was amazing and our accommodations in the country side were wonderful! We had a problem on our hotel in Dublin , and Kim Kim travel , Shauna did all she could to help us out! She was very much on top of the situation! Appreciated her help very much ! If headed to Ireland and looking for a driver [email protected] is amazing company too! Thanks Kim Kim travel

Both the kimkim expereince and dealing with Ireland Walk Hike and Bike were outstanding.

Not having any knowledge of Ireland, the team at Ireland Walk Hike and Bike were outstanding. They took the stress out of planning an itinerary, booking accomodations and the rental car, and providing restaurant and place of interest suggestions. Most importantly, they took note as to what was important to us (natural sights) and what was not (castles, churches and likely crowded places).

Our highlights in order of experiencing: Dingle Sea Safari, Cliffs of Moher hike, Kayaking Lough Corrib, climbing Tully Mountain, Killary Sheep Farm demonstration, and bodysurfing in Keel Bay.

Was getting dizzy trying to plan my trip for 5 of us to Ireland. Kim Kim did a great job getting us good accommodations, a car and suggested sight seeing. I changed details last minute and they were able to make the changes with no issue. Would definitely use again

Ireland was wonderful !! Dean who planned the trip was very supportive and Clodagh was very pleasant and attentive to all our needs. We loved the hotel in Killarney that we stayed in for three nights. I liked having the trip details planned so we had an idea what and where we were going. Weather was great and no bug bites for evening walks. The last hotel in Galway ‘ Eyre Square ‘was not as convenient or as elegant as the other accommodations because the parking garage was a quick walk distance, but it did provide what we needed to complete our trip. If I were to do anything differently, I would have flown into Dublin and left in Galway to give more time to spend exploring Galway. I would highly recommend a Kim Kim vacation!! Very beneficial for those who never traveled from the USA to Ireland or any other international travel that you may want to do. Thank you, it was lovely and I am so grateful that we chose you to make our travel arrangements 😃

My wife and I recently booked a custom tour of southwestern Ireland through kimkim.com and were extremely impressed with the entire experience. We decided to use kimkim because it connects international travelers to local Irish travel companies and guides who provide customized itineraries you can't find anywhere else.

Our guide Linda W. from Ireland Walk Hike Bike truly made our trip unforgettable. The landscapes we saw, from the rolling hills of the Ring of Kerry to the dramatic Cliffs of Moher, went beyond our wildest expectations. But Linda's warmth, knowledge, and dedication is what really made our adventure magical. She brought Ireland's natural beauty and rich history to life, going above and beyond to satisfy our curiosity. By the end of our trip, we felt we had made a dear friend.

I would 100% recommend using kimkim if you want to see the real Ireland. The service makes it easy to craft a custom trip, and connect with wonderful local guides like Linda. She absolutely made our time exploring Killarney, Dingle, Galway, and beyond a trip we'll cherish forever.

Thank you Dean and everyone we worked with. This was a trip that was a long time in the making. It was to celebrate our 25th wedding anniversary, my 50th and my hubby's 60th birhdays. We had a wonderful time in Ireland. We drove ourselves, well, my husband drove and I navigated, lol. He's braver than me. We went to Dublin, Cork, Kinsale, Kilarney, Dingle, Doolin, Westport, and back to Dublin. The last 3 days in Dublin, we took a tour with Wild Rover to Belfast, Dunluce Castle and Giants Causeway. The "Black Cab" tour in Belfast was really emotionally moving and gave me a more broad view of Northern Ireland. We stayed at a mixture of B&B's and hotels. Cork was interesting learning the history of where my husband's family came from, only 3 generations ago. There is so much more history to everything in Europe than there is here in the states. Especially in Washington state, where we are from. Most everywhere we visited was very clean. Dublin, was the exception. Our hosts at Fernroyd B&B in Cork, Tony & Avril, were so welcoming and were excited to tell us some history about Cork and what would be most important to see during our short stay. There is so much to see and do in Ireland, 2 weeks was barely enough time to scratch the surface. We are already beginning to plan for the next trip.

From start to finish, the KimKim team was amazing. Our first tour took us to Norther Ireland (Dunluce Castle, Giant's Causeway & the Titanic Museum) with Kevin from Wild Rover Tour as our guide. The entire 12 hour tour went off without a single problem! Our train ride to Killarney was smooth and seamless, with a short walk to our hotel. I can't tell you how much my family loved this small little Irish town, as everyone in it was so friendly. We took tours to the Ring of Kerry and Dingle and Inch Bay, both areas you have to see to believe. Something that stuck out to me more than anything was our in country personal contact (Francis) who made sure all my questions were answered in a timely manner. One of our tours had a time and location change last minute, Francis had called, emailed and texted me before I even got up to make sure I knew about the changes. Everything was handled so professionally! Next time I travel anywhere outside of the USA, I will only have one e-mail to send, and that is to KimKim.

Hotel Reviews

Ashling Hotel Dublin

Dublin

Customer service was top notch My wife loved the hotel Our boys couldn't get enough of the breakfast

Authenticity & Character

Location

So close to the train station, along with bus tour stops.

Staff

So nice!!

Cleanliness & Comfort

Fairview Boutique Hotel

Killarney

Front office personal was friendly

Authenticity & Character

Location

in the heart of Killarney

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Rooms could get a little musty smell if air is not circulating very well in the rooms.

Activity Review

Belfast & Giants Causeway Day tour from Dublin

Dublin

Kevin made this trip extra special. You can honestly tell how much he enjoys to travel and talk Irish history with the customers.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Bus was clean, and had charging ports.

We had a very nice trip to Ireland on a self-guided tour. Dean and his team handled all of the reservations. We were satisfied with the accommodations and the bookings they arranged. We really enjoyed the fly fishing and golf day in Killarney National Park. We decide not to cycle in Dingle as the roads were very narrow and the weather was rainy and windy on our scheduled days. We would certainly recommend Dean and his team for booking a tour in Ireland.

Hotel Reviews

Lighthouse Bed & Breakfast

Very nice and clean hotel with a good breakfast. I would highly recommend.

Authenticity & Character

Great sitting room with view.

Location

Very nice view up on the hill.

Staff

Friendly and helpful with map and suggestions.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Clean and comfortable.

Abbey Lodge

Killarney Co Kerry

Very nice and clean hotel with a good breakfast. I would highly recommend.

Authenticity & Character

Nice room and breakfast

Location

Walking distance to the town.

Staff

Helped us with recommendations for dinner

Cleanliness & Comfort

Clean and comfortable

Churchfield Bed & Breakfast

Doolin, Co. Clare

Very nice and clean hotel with a good breakfast. I would highly recommend.

Authenticity & Character

Nice room with funky window in the bathroom. It was round!

Location

Very close to a lively pub with good food.

Staff

Very helpful with map and recommendations.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Clean and comfortable.

St Jude's Galway B&B

Galway

Very nice and clean hotel with a good breakfast. I would highly recommend.

Authenticity & Character

Bigger than it looks. We had a quiet room and good breakfast.

Location

Just a 10 minute walk to the center of town.

Staff

Amazing twin brothers run the place. Good sense of humor and helpful with suggestions.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Clean and comfortable.

Activity Review

Blasket Island Boat Tour

Ireland

This was canceled due to weather.

Quality of Experience

We enjoyed the self-guided tour and having the B&B booked for us. Driving was a little nerve racking with the narrow roads, but we liked the freedom.

Food

For the most part we found nice pubs and restaurants.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

We wished we had booked more private tours. We missed hearing stories and histories of the places we visited.

Transport

We had a nice rental car that was automatic. It was a little scary with the narrow roads.

Amazing trip of Ireland using Ireland Walk Hike and Bike and Linda Woods as our guide. From the detailed planning by Maria Hayes organizing our days to Linda being our brilliant guide our experience was fantastic!