Coraima Yañez

Overall we had an absolutely wonderful 10-day trip to the Basque region of Spain. This was our first time working with kimkim, and I was very impressed with the service. Our trip specialist, Coraima, was terrific - highly responsive, accessible, and very helpful in planning the type of trip and experiences that we wanted. She then " handed it off" to the logistics scheduler, Chinh, who was also very communicative and helpful. We planned multiple activities and excursions, and the guides were all excellent. The hotels were just what we wanted - not overly fancy or expensive, but quite comfortable and well situated. Also, the kimkim app was very helpful and user-friendly. Were there any hiccups? Yes, but quite minor: (1) a self-guided walking tour one day in Logrono (La Rioja) was a bit of a bust because it was a Sunday and everything was closed, (2) the e-bicycle wine tour that we took was gorgeous and really fun, but the planning could have been better - it was much longer than expected (by 3-4 hours!) and we got lost several times (but found our way eventually!). Lastly, our transfer back to the airport at the end of the trip was cancelled at the last minute by the ride company. This was definitely NOT kimkim's fault, and in fact kimkim was easy to contact and made this right extremely quickly - so their emergency service really does work. Again, we had a fantastic trip and I would definitely use kimkim again for a future vacation.

Hotel Reviews

Hotel Arrizul Catedral

San Sebastián

Very nice hotel - clean and comfortable. Located about a 15 minute walk from old town, and quite close to La Concha beach. Staff were friendly and helpful. Nice place to stay in San Sebastien, and a bit away from the crowds.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Finca de Los Arandinos

Entrena

The location is beautiful - the view from our room of the wine region was stunning. However, be aware that it is not in town - a taxi to Logrono is about 20 minutes and about 25 euros each way. The rooms are odd - modular and modernistic, but clean and comfortable. They have a nice spa, the breakfast was very good (made-to-order eggs, and a buffet of cold items), and the one dinner we had there was very good. A nice choice if you would rather be in a more isolated location.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

The front desk staff were very helpful!

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hesperia Bilbao

Bilbao

Comfortable rooms, very well-located (easy walking distance to the Guggenheim, but also to the downtown pintxo bars and right by the funicular). Very nice place to stay.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Private French Basque Coast & Biarritz Day Trip

San Sebastián

A wonderful trip for the day to the French Basque region. We saw Biarritz, Bayonne, and Saint Jean de Luz. Had a wonderful lunch in Bayonne, and did some shopping in Saint Jean de Luz. Very enjoyable day, and an opportunity to briefly experience the French side.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Self-Guided Beach Day

San Sebastián

Great to have a free day in San Sebastien. Plenty to see and do. We didn't spend the day at the beaches, but did end up walking along 2 out of 3 local beaches. We also did a really nice walk up to the Christ statue, with some beautiful views of the city. We also saw some of the cathedrals, and had lunch in old town. Nice day.

Quality of Experience

Private Pamplona & Basque Countryside Escape: Bulls and Hemingway Stories

San Sebastián

Wonderful, fun day! The guide was outstanding. Interesting to experience and learn about the running of the bulls, outside of the season.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Camino de Santiago Hike to San Pedro

San Sebastián

Great hike! Our guide was excellent. If you want to get outdoors and get some exercise, and want to experience a very small portion of the Camino, this was a great way to go!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Pintxos & Wine Walk

San Sebastián

Another great pintxo experience, this time in San Sebastien. Our guide also included jamon tasting (which was great!) AND dessert. Fun evening.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Self-Guided Half-Day E-Bike Ride with Winery Tastings

Spain

This trip was a great idea, and overall really fun and a great way to go wine-tasting in the region. It was extremely hot the day we went (which of course is not kimkim's fault!). However, the trip turned out to be MUCH longer than we thought or had planned for, which got difficult at the end. We're still very glad we did it - the landscape is gorgeous and the winery visits were wonderful!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Self-Guided Logroño Walk

Spain

Didn't work out so well, because literally everything on this walk was closed. However, later in the evening, we did have a really fun pintxo tour of Calle Laurel in Logrono!

Quality of Experience

Everything was closed.

Txakoli Wine Excursion

Bilbao

This was great, and probably a bit more unusual of an excursion. Very enjoyable.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Self-Guided Old Town Walk

Bilbao

We appreciated having free time to wander around Bilbao.

Quality of Experience

Market was closed.

Guggenheim Visit with a Private Guide

Bilbao

1 -hour private tour of the Guggenheim. Guide was from the museum. Terrific overview and information. Afterwards, we had as much time as we wanted to wander around.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Pintxos & Wine Tasting Walk

Bilbao

Excellent - great intro to Pintxos!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Amanda Sanchez of Runner Bean Tours Barcelona stood out as an excellent guide on day 2. She took us to Casa Mila, La Sagrada, and Park Güell.

When comparing this Spain trip organized by KimKim to my last one to Spain a few years ago, the latter was better. In quite a few ways, I am unsure if it was because I had more days and destinations in Spain.
This time, there were gaps in the schedule. I added more activities from TripAdvisor. I am somewhat disappointed that I was not advised to book a different activity, rather than duplicating what I specifically asked for. It is okay, not earth-shattering. I don't like to spend time answering your question as to what happened.
In short, I do not want to spend more time writing about what happened.

Hotel Review

Hotel Villa Emilia

Barcelona

Very nice in all aspects. I like the size of the room, and the layout is super user-friendly. I like the minimalist decoration. I wish there were charging stations for USBC and USB. I wish there were wall plugs that were easily reachable. I wish the bedsheets felt more inviting and smooth.

Authenticity & Character

Quaint hotel, untainted Barcelona

Location

Easy to get to places, very nice neighbourhood

Staff

Very friendly and helpful

Cleanliness & Comfort

The cleaning staff is excellent. I wish the sheets had a nicer feel to them.

Activity Reviews

Private Barcelona Picasso Tour with Picasso Museum

Barcelona

The museum is great, but there is not enough time to go through. Our guide assumed we wanted to walk the streets to see the exteriors of other museums in the area, eating places, etc. Our guide was too eager to spend time and pay attention to the beginning of the tour at the Picasso museum; as a result, we had to rush through the last part. Better time management is needed.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

See above

Transport

The instructions on where to meet are unclear. We ended up running around searching for the guide.

Private Gothic Quarter Walk

Barcelona

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

To have stops in between

Private Gaudí Experience with La Sagrada Família & Park Güell

Barcelona

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Fantastic trip to Spain with our young boys. We can not have chosen better accommodations ourselves. The Palacio solecio and Casa de las Artes were amazing and we would happily stay there again. The day trips to Granada and Ronda were incredible and made more so by our guides Ruth and Carlos.
We would have liked to have had the visits to the palace and cathedral in Sevilla organised for us. We were told by everyone in Sevilla it is a must visit so we were surprised these were not included. But the walking tour was fantastic. We enjoyed exploring the old city and learning about the quirks and stories of this beautiful city. Our accommodation in Sevilla was lovely and Ana looked after us very well. We were however swamped by crowds and noise outside of the apartment by a Netflix premiere which was being set up across the road from our apartment which made getting in and out a bit tricky and kept us up at night.
We organised our own additional jamon excursion to Jabugo which we loved. Such an amazing day in the countryside tasting very high quality jamon.
Overall, a fantastic trip and we would love to return to Spain soon!

Our trip to Portugal was absolutely incredible—such a fun and memorable experience from start to finish. What really made it special were all the thoughtful, personalized touches added along the way. Our planners, Coraima and Summer, went above and beyond to create an itinerary that felt both seamless and uniquely tailored to us.

We didn’t just see Portugal—we truly experienced it. From exploring beautiful cities and hidden gems to learning about the country’s rich history, traditions, and cuisine, every day brought something new. We especially loved the opportunities to connect with locals, hear their stories, and gain a deeper appreciation for the culture. Those interactions made the trip feel authentic and meaningful in a way that typical travel often doesn’t.

Every detail felt intentional, and those little extras made a big difference in creating such a special and immersive adventure.

We would definitely recommend kimkim to anyone looking for a well-organized, customized, and truly enriching travel experience!

Hotel Reviews

Villa Bela Vista

Sintra

Beautiful view and great breakfast! Helpful staff! Nice central location!

Authenticity & Character

Location

!

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

The MN56 Hotel

Lagos

Authenticity & Character

Location

Sights and restaurants within walking distance

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Casa de São Domingos

Peso da Régua

Authenticity & Character

Location

Very close to sights and restaurants

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Jardim da Batalha Boutique Hotel by Shiadu

Porto

Great location, helpful staff and good food!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Walking distance to so much. Lots of places to eat close by!

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel da Baixa

Lisbon

Great breakfast, excellent location and very helpful and caring staff!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Very central and within walking distance of so many places

Staff

I wasn’t feeling good one evening and the young man at the front desk was so nice. He brought me tea and toast …and Andres honey because that’s what makes him feel better!

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Sintra's Royal Treasures - QueLuz, Pena & National Palace

Sintra

This was very interesting and beautiful. Our guide Luis was very flexible and helpful! We changed one of the sites we wanted to see and no problem!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Luis was fantastic! By the end we felt like we had made a friend not just had a guide for the day! He is vey interesting and knowledgeable.

Transport

Self-Guided Beach Day

Lagos (Algarve)

We didn’t get to experience everything because of the rain but what we did see was so beautiful! The guide is very helpful!

Quality of Experience

Eat with a Local & Market Tour & Lunch at Private Country House

Lagos (Algarve)

This was also a definite highlight of our trip! João and Sophie were incredible hosts! The food was incredible and it was just fun sharing stories and visiting! The markets were very interesting too!

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Lagos Evening Food Walk

Lagos (Algarve)

Even in the pouring rain we had fun! Lots of cultural local and unique food! Definitely worth it!

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Self-Guided Walking Tour: Exploring Lagos Old Town

Lagos (Algarve)

This was very helpful! We didn’t get to everything because it was raining.

Quality of Experience

Private Douro & Vinho Verde Wine Tasting

Portugal

Definitely recommend this tour! Vasco took exceptional care of us!! It is nice to interact and experience something really local! Very interesting and educational…beautiful too!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Private Lamego Day Trip

Portugal

I think this was the highlight of our trip! We got some very personal and unique experiences! Talking with the archeologist from the dig site was incredible! Our tour guide was the best!!!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Douro River Sailing Trip

Porto

Amazing!!! Fun experience with a few drink and food samples! A really cool way to see the city from a different perspective. Lots of great photo ops!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Self-Guided Local Markets

Porto

It was great to have these as suggestions! We went to two of the three that were suggested.

Quality of Experience

Porto Highlights Walk

Porto

It was raining but that didn’t stop us! Our guide was very knowledgeable and we saw some amazing things! It was a good thing to get your bearings and the highlights of what to do and see.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Private Transfer From {{start_location}} to {{end_location}} via Óbidos & Nazaré

Portugal

We really enjoyed our driver and the knowledge he shared!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Private Belém Walk

Lisbon

We learned so much on this tour! Highly recommend it!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Traditional Portuguese Food Walk

Lisbon

A very nice leisurely tour with excellent variety of local food. Lots of history shared too! Dani was an excellent guide!!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

First off, I want to appreciate our agent, Coraima. She planned a terrific trip! Sh was very knowledgeable and really took great care of us through out the journey. Our Spain trip included three locations, Barcelona, Valencia and Madrid. Through it all, Kimkim was there for us and really made the journey easy. The Kimkim AP is a bit of a work in progress, but the key to what make this group work is how responsive the whole team was when we needed them. 24/7 they all seemed to be there for us.

Hotels? Good solid choices with central locations, good breakfasts and very helpful concierge.

Travel was easy. Either drivers, uber, or trains were all accessible and simply laid out in our schedule.

Tours were all a little crowded, but we’re not really “crowd” people. The one thing I will say is that across the board we met the nicest people! The leaders of the tours were all very knowledgeable and engaging. “Just enough” is how I would describe them all.

Favorite experiences…probably “paella cooking lessons.” Shout out to our chef who was SO entertaining and dynamic! Personally, I could have lived without the flamingo dancing and tapas evening. Not that it wasn’t entertaining (and this is subjective)… but the tapas were just ok and the performance was just a little cheesy.

Extra note…both my wife and I caught colds. The hotel in Barcelona sent us a doctor who was amazing and the medical system in Spain was really remarkable. Easy access pharmacies and educated help.

Bottom line, we just had a sensational time!!