Kimkim Trip Reviews for Spain

A great location in Madrid and walking distance to art museums, shopping and El Retiro Park. We enjoyed the hotel's artistic ambience, our quiet and spacious room and the professional and attentive staff. The breakfast room was bright and spacious, with an extensive selection and a barista who makes excellent coffee. Special thanks to Ruben at the concierge desk. Be sure to reserve at Angelita, a short walk away. Thank you 7 Islas!

The cab driver dropped us off beside an orange tree and we walked 5 minutes through the narrow cobbled roads to the hotel and it was a wonderful introduction to the ancient neighbourhood. We were greeted with cold drinks and treats and escorted to our light and airy room. All staff were helpful and pleasant. The rooftop view is outstanding and breathtaking by night with a view of the Mesquita. We discovered Bar La Cavea and visited the Museo Arqueologico -- a good place to being your Cordoba experience. Walk the Puente Romano in the evening, visit the Jewish Quarter and the Mesquita, roam the winding passages -- all within walking distance from Madinat. We really enjoyed our 2 night stay.

THIS WAS OUR ONLY DISAPPOINTMENT OF OUR STAY. TOTALLY ON A DIFFERENT LEVEL THAN ANYWHERE ELSE WE STAYED. MUCH LOWER CLASS. THE STAFF WAS NOT TERRIBLY FRIENDLY AND SOME DIDN'T SPEAK GOOD ENGLISH. THE HOTEL IS DARK AND DREARY. IT IS ESPECIALLY DIFFICULT TO GET READY IN THE BATHROOMS AND APPLY MAKE UP AS THE LIGHTING IS TERRIBLE. THE LIGHTING IS TERRIBLE THROUGHOUT THE HOTEL. THE ELEVATORS SEEMED TO BE IN POOR CONDITION. THE BREAKFAST WAS LIMITED WITH STALE PASTRIES AND FEW CHOICES. THE AREA THE HOTEL WAS LOCATED WAS NOT THE SAFEST FEELING. I"M GLAD WE ONLY HAD 2 NIGHTS THERE, BUT REGRET THAT WE WERE BOOKED HERE AT ALL. IT WAS A REAL DISAPPOINTMENT AND I WOULD NOT RECOMMEND KIMKIM PLACE THEIR CLIENTS IN THIS HOTEL IN THE FUTURE. MUCH LOWER CLASS THAN THE H10'S OR PARADORE DE AIGLUBAVA.

I HAD LOW EXPECTATIONS BECAUSE I HAD TOLD MARINA WE COULD SAVE $$ ON THE AIRPORT HOTEL NIGHT, BUT THIS HOTEL EXCEEDED MY EXPECTATIONS. IT WAS LOVELY. LIGHT AND BRIGHT WITH A VERY HELPFUL, FRIENDLY STAFF. BREAKFAST WAS FRESH AND DELICIOUS. ROOMS WERE BRIGHT, CLEAN, AND COMFORTABLE. WOULD RECOMMEND. THE LOCATION WAS A BIT SKETCHY BUT WE DIDN'T LEAVE THE HOTEL ONCE WE CHECKED IN AND FELT SAFE AND FINE THERE.

JAVIER WAS GREAT. ENJOYED HIS TOUR. MAYBE WE COULD HAVE SEEN EVEN MORE IF WE HAD GOTTEN ON THE METRO AND VISITED MORE AREAS THAN JUST WHAT WAS WALKABLE

THIS WAS A HIGHLIGHT. FULL OF FUN, LAUGHTER, GREAT FOOD AND BEVERAGES! HIGHLY RECOMMEND. BUT.....BE SURE TO TELL YOUR CLIENTS THE PROPER START TIME! WE WERE TOLD 6PM AND WERE THERE PROMPTLY AT 6 AND NO ONE WAS THERE. TURNS OUT, IT DOESN'T START UNTIL 6:30.

GREAT EXPERIENCE

ALHAMBRA WAS VERY CROWDED AND HARD TO GET A LOT OUT OF A GROUP TOUR. ANTONIO WAS THE GUIDE AND WAS VERY INFORMATIVE, BUT IT WAS HARD TO KEEP UP WITH HIM AND ALL HIS KNOWLEDGE IN THE GROUP SETTING. WOULD HAVE BEEN BETTER TO HAVE HAD A PRIVATE TOUR.

ANOTHER HIGHLIGHT OF THE TRIP. SARA WAS GREAT! ESTATE WAS BEAUTIFUL. REALLY ENJOYED THE TOUR AND TASTING

GREAT SHOW. HOWEVER, THERE WAS NO INTRODUCTION AS TO WHAT WE WERE ABOUT TO SEE. AND NO EXPLANATION. WE ENJOYED IT BUT WOULD HAVE LIKED SOME EXPLANATION. WE ALSO THOUGHT IT WAS GOING TO BE A LARGE, STAGE PRODUCTION. HAD NO IDEA IT WAS A VERY SMALL INTIMATE AFFAIR WITH 3 DANCERS AND TWO SINGERS.

HELENA WAS VERY KNOWLEDGEABLE AND HAD LOTS OF INFORMATION TO SHARE. SHE DIDN'T PICK UP ON OUR QUEUS THAT WE WERE TIRED AND NEEDED A BREAK, OR TO EVEN CUT THE TOUR A BIT SHORT. `

ANOTHER HIGHLIGHT OF THE TRIP!! WOULDN'T CHANGE A THING! LOVED IT!!

THIS WAS FINE BUT NOT GREAT. THE AREA WHERE YOU START THE TOUR WAS A BIT DINGY AND CROWDED. THE STAFF ON THE BOAT DID A GREAT JOB. IT'S NOT A HIGH CLASS EXPERIENCE. THERE WERE LOTS OF YOUNG KIDS ON BOARD. THE FOOD SERVED WAS FINE. NOTHING GREAT.

WE ARRANGED THIS FOR OURSELVES AND THOROUGHLY ENJOYED THE DAY

Great location

The view from the room directly over the canyon is spectacular! Can’t imagine beating this view. Loved the room decor. This hotel is memorable!!

Enjoyed the tapas and especially the last restaurant. Good food, wine & Cava Appreciated the very small group

Loved it!! The type of boat used & the guides were fun!

Loved the venue & the dancers! Felt like a more intimate experience than a larger show seen in the past.

Great venue in the market. Food was excellent. Very good chef & assistant

What an interesting place to visit. As a Canadian, we have no true concept of the layers and centuries of history. Our guide was superb.

We were wonderfully comfortable here and especially appreciated the restaurant. Besides great food that was conveniently collocated, we had the most amazing and considerate service from the restaurant staff. I especially want to commend Gustavo, Xabi, and the man who sold the coffee. Gustavo actually assisted me in tracking down more information about my long-lost Basque grandfather than I would have otherwise. Gustavo advised me that besides visiting the church in Huarte where my grandfather was baptized, I could also go to the Ayuntamiento in Huarte for his birth certificate and other vital information. I am so grateful he took the trouble to explain this to me (in the middle of working hard to make and serve food) as the focus of the trip was to learn as much about my grandfather as I could. Without Gustavo’s guidance, the most important part of my trip would have been much less productive. I will be forever grateful to him. Xabi was a joy to talk to as he not only served us cheerfully and enthusiastically, but also took great interest in our trip, as it was centered on visiting my grandfather’s homeland. Xabi’s interest enriched that experience, and I will remember him fondly always. The gentleman who staffed the coffee bar was so kind and considerate. I didn’t catch his name, but he had dark hair and was of medium height. He treated me like royalty when I told him my grandfather was a Basque. He truly made me feel personally connected to my Basque heritage from which I had been alienated my whole life due to my grandfather’s abandonment of his family and the resultant lack of information about him.

Hotel is in a great location, within reasonable walking distance of many plazas, Real Palace and many sights. Just a block off of Plaza Mayor which has an abundance of bars and restaurants. Per reports, it is the oldest hotel in Spain. It has some dated features, but comfortable beds and rooms.

Great old piece of history, used to be a prominent resident's home.

This was a clean and modern hotel. Not as close to some of the attractions as I would have liked, but was close to shops and restaurants.

Very quaint old hotel.

This was the worst hotel I have stayed in to my memory. The rooms noted that they were air conditioned and soundproofed. Also, no minibar as was noted in our booking info. However, upon our arrival, we found the rooms were not air conditioned. The front desk told us the air conditioning would not be turned on until the end of the month of April. (However, the front desk area and breakfast area were definitely air conditioned.) Consequently, we had to open the patio windows to be able to withstand the night in the room. With the windows open, the SUPER SUPER loud street noise was unbearable with people screaming at all hours of the night and city trash, recycle and street cleaning occurring every night. Also, the room patio was shared with another room, so the security with the patio doors open was minimal. Additionally, we were traveling with another couple and we were not able to get rooms near each other. We would rate this hotel with a 1 star. Also, you should be prepared to pay a per person, per night city tax at check in which was about 75Euros for 4 people for 4 nights.

Miguel was great. He took us on a side trip to see Sentenil de las Bodegas which was an interesting town built into rock overhangs--sort of cave like. Then, he proceeded on to Ronda. During lunch, a traveling companion suffered a choking incident. He promptly took us to the hospital and assisted with translation as needed. After all was well again, he continued with the remainder of the trip without cutting anything short. That caused him to have a longer day than anticipated.

This was super fun. The staff at the Paella Club were very engaging. The meal was fun to cook and share amongst all the other participants. Plenty of Spanish cava and wine was poured throughout the evening.

I wish these self guided tours included maps and some information about the tickets that may be wanted since many attractions in Spain have limited ticket availability

This trip had a couple of issues. First, there is never enough time to really explore the old towns and feed yourself. The winey tour part of the trip was quite a bust. The bus drove us to the winery usually used and it was closed. We had to spend another hour driving to a different winery where the wine expert did not speak English and the tour guide did not have enough skill to translate the information into English for us. A couple on the tour who spoke Spanish did some translating for the group.

Private guide was great and gave us great history information.

Jennifer, our guide, did an amazing job. She provided us with so much history and cultural information to make the visit extra memorable. She also spend more time with us than specified in the trip details. She never rushed us.

Marcell was amazing at discussing the food and drink during the tapas part of the tour. We sort of ran out of time and had to ride a taxi up to the Flamenco show. The Flamenco part of the visit was in a unique cave dwelling, but it was a little cramped.

Barbara did an excellent job of providing lots of information about the old part of Seville, including some anecdotal tidbits about the various changes as power changed between the romans, moors, jews and spaniards.

The ebike, cable car and boat rides were all very pleasant. I with there had been more time to be able to explore Monjuic though. That part of the trip was very rushed and we didn't even have enough time to go in the castle.

Jorge was a terrific guide who tried to keep the group engaged by posing questions and pointing out many of the subtle architectural features of both the park and cathedral. The cathedral was not at all what I was expecting. It was such a mix of styles and architectural novelty.

Lucas was very good at providing information, but the time at Monserrat was too short to see everything desired. Need at least another hour or 2 at the monastery.

Hotel needs updating, peeling wallpaper, safe didn’t work, slippery shower. Location not the best, homeless and soup kitchen across the street. Fabulous breakfast though!

Very eco friendly hotel, no daily housekeeping and not enough towels, had to ask at front desk for ice. Good breakfast buffet. Neighborhood okay, seemed a little creepy at night.

Nice tapas tour, didn’t know there was another part of the tour with more tapas and a rooftop experience- could have been explained up front, and leader did not go with us to flamenco just gave directions

Great guide, much knowledge and willing to adapt to our needs. Didn’t get to Retiro Park. .

Great guide, a little too much architecture in a little less market. I would’ve liked more marketing and shopping and a little bit less architecture.

Very weird Gaudi house, wasn’t exactly sure what to expect, but got a tour with a tablet of the house and then the outside rooftop music, singer and band were fantastic.

The front door is hard to locate because of construction and a lot of parked vans (deliveries and trailers for the theater people), but it is there. Check in was a breeze. You get emailed a code to get in the door the day before. The location is awesome. Close to Metro. You are equidistant to Plaza del Sol or Retiro Park, both just a 12 minute walk away. The area is very walkable also with lots to eat and places to get supplies.' We had a two bedroom and two bath apartment, with two twin beds in each room. There was a dining room, living room and balcony. A fully equipped kitchen (fridge, microwave, coffee, stove, oven, dishwasher, kitchen tools, utensils and plates). A washing machine (I think it was a washer/dryer combo, but there was a big rack to dry clothes). There was detergent provided. There is an elevator. Place has a lot of charm. My family of four can stay here easily for a long time.

We had a family room, so there were four twin beds in the room. With all the beds set up, it was not very big, but still very functional. The room is tasteful, modern, and comfortable. There is no empty fridge as it has a lot of drinks in it already. Coffee and snacks cost money. Restaurant and Bar in the hotel, La Esquina, was actually quite nice for a meal or a nightcap. You get 15% off as a hotel guest. Yes, there was construction when we were there, but it didn't really affect us negatively. Extra noise and dust were not noticeable. There is housekeeping everyday to clean the room and replenish towels. Staff is very friendly.

Tour guide was friendly, knowledgeable, and had interesting historical facts. Tuk-Tuk was actually quite comfortable. They provide blankets. The major theme of the tour is a route centered on the old city gates and the old city walls. It doesn't actually go into the Plazas (Mayor and Sol). You see a lot of Madrid on it but you do lose a sense of where you are as you go up and down side streets. There is a see through roof on the tuk-tuk which sort of separates you from the outside, forcing you to tilt your head to see the things above you. You also can't really take photos through the roof. Tuk-Tuk tour has a few stops for you to explore on foot. It stops at the Temple of Debod (old Egyptian temple), and at the old wall and new walls of Madrid.

Skipping the line was amazing, but because the king was actually going the day before and the day of, there were a lot of people (making up for early closure the previous day). It has very beautiful rooms and neat things to see. But it is so crowded you wouldn't get a chance to take your time in each room. You also get no sense of the life of the palace. It is just really a collection of a few rooms for you to see and a few items. Given this, the pace was perfect at about 2 hours. The guide gave a real effort to interact with the kids which I appreciate, but my kids were too small to pay attention. That is fine. The tour guide told decent stories and made good enough explanations and answered questions from the adults. He was a good tour guide. What made this family friendly was no line, the pace was quicker, and the tour guide acknowledged the kid. That was it.

The site is beautiful. Riding a cable car is always fun for kids (though there are cable cars within the city of Barcelona which are closer). There was no time to actually explore the mountain peak as we spent the majority of the "free time" waiting to get into the basilica. Likewise, there is no time for the museums either. After the basilica, you hang out and take a few pictures and time is up. The basilica itself was super beautiful on the inside. We did not get to see the boys choir as our time slot to get into the basilica just missed out on that. It would had been nice. We probably missed it because the bus was late. Lunch was actually very very good. There was tapas and roast meat and wine. Very hearty. You work an appetite walking around.

Casa Batllo is amazing for kids. They get an tablet to interact with the house and the guide does a good job incorporating the tablet so the kids feel very involved. This allows the guide to focus on the adults and actually give them a tour. Casa Batllo is such a fun house. You really get to see how the family lived. The installed artwork like the Mind of Gaudi immersion room and the Chain Links though not original did add a lot of visual value. You don't mind seeing them. Even the paid photography is of you on the actual balcony which is really cool. It isn't just a some green screen. Sagrada Familia is amazing. It really is not to be missed. The tour guide did a great job giving the children a scavenger hunt to keep them engaged. Skipping the line with the tour guide for both sites was worth it. The tour guide was very well prepared. She had workbooks, photos, and other reference material to show the kids. She also did a bonus stop at Casa Mila on the way to the Metro station to give us some more context about Gaudi's work. Our tour guide took us to lunch only to find out that we didn't book the tour with lunch. I rather she just owned up to it and said she a mistake about it so I didn't have to eat at the restaurant she chose.

Heart of Madrid, like being at home. Lots of grocery stores nearby.

The "pool" is within the spa and children not allowed in the spa area. Incredible location right next to Mercado Central.

Awesome rooftop Pool, very good breakfast at hotel. Great Location.

Tour Guide Javier made it very memorable because he catered towards our kids and his experience as a school teacher really made it very enjoyable occasion.

Tour Guide Beto really brought this experience to life with his knowledge

As an adult this experience was 5 stars, however we had children with us and the experience could have been tailored a bit more for them to earn that last star.

Gerardo - local! - was an amazing guide and was an expert in navigating the crowds and processions. Smart, funny, informative and a real pleasure to spend the evening with.

This was AMAZING! Such a great way to experience local cuisine as well as more authentic restaurants that aren’t tourist traps. The food/wine pairing choices were phenomenal- even our picky 17 year old raved about how good everything was!

What an amazing experience to see the different areas of Barcelona and this phenomenal place. Our guide, Anna, was absolutely fantastic. She was so sweet, knowledgeable and fun! She had great rapport with my 2 daughters (ages 11 and 17) and made their experience so much more enjoyable by interacting with them while also educating us all!

This was a great day trip! Seeing the monastery, the Black Madonna and the different area was great.

Great way to see the area!

This was our daughter’s favorite thing about our trip! She loved hearing about all the local food and learning to make some traditional Spanish dishes!

This was my favorite activity of our whole trip! This exceeded all of my expectations and was captivating!

The guided tour was a great way to see the area and learn the surroundings as opposed to just walking around on your own.

What a wonderful family experience! Even my husband (who hates heights) said this was incredible and he would do it again! It was the favorite activity of our 17 year old daughter!

Nice hotel and in central spot. Enjoyed our stay there and would highly recommend it to others.

Very experienced and knowledgeable tour guide.

This was really fun!! Great choice of restaurants and lovely wines.

This was fun. Our guide, whose name I’ve forgotten was great. I had this guide for the tapas and chocolate walking tours!!

Our guide Adrian was very professional and super organised. Great tour.

Loved Seville and loved this walking tour with Alejandra of White Umbrella Tours.

This was a stand out. Only mend the guide, but we had a ball and the flamenco dancing was memorable.

Definitely worth a day trip to Toledo. Visited the cathedral and several art museums. It is like walking through time. We had a great lunch too. Our guide Juan was great.

A nice introduction to Madrid.

Nice tapas and a flamenco show is a must

Our hotel has a great view of the cathedral. A must if you are visiting Seville.

I really enjoyed Granada. Staying in Albaicín in our hotel with a view of the Ahlamra was definitely a great choice. Wish we have more time in Granada