Kimkim Trip Reviews for Ireland

Our trip to Ireland was an unforgettable adventure. Dean had to make our dream journey happen after having to stall for two years due to COVID 19. He never forgot our original wishes. The travel arrangements he made for us were precisely what we had hoped for. Whether driving, biking, or walking, I highly recommend the Kimkim group. It met all of our expectations and so much more. We thank the team for an unforgettable experience.

We had never been to Ireland - and needed more than someone to book hotels. We needed advice on where to go, what to see, car rental, etc... and most importantly... someone who would take the time to understand who we are and what we want re hotel vs. B&B, guided trip vs. self-drive, time for hikes, kayaking, etc. Kimkim Travel and Dean were outstanding in all regards. High points of our trip included - time to drive and stop and hike thru Sheeps Head Penisula, the Ring of Kerry, Dingle and Doolin... All breath taking and great fun.

Linda was a fabulous tour guide who made our Ireland holiday a GRAND adventure! She was a font of Irish knowledge and we learned so much from her. She was so attentive to details and was very patient and kind with each of our requests.
My favorite day was the day that Linda took us to the town of Glin to visit the O'Shaughnessy pub and the little shanty where my great-great grandfather O'Shaughnessy lived. It was wonderful to learn more about my Irish heritage. I also enjoyed my tour of Kylemore Abbey which was a welcomed change from all of the hiking. All of our accommodations were very nice, and the various innkeepers were so welcoming.
I will treasure the memories of our family Ireland trip forever and will always be grateful to Linda for making our experience truly amazing.

Fantastic organisation and amazing walks all around the ring of Kerry, can't recommend enough!

Austin put together a trip that we couldn't have come up with on our own, with recommendations to do things that we probably would have overlooked. We saw so much of Ireland. We loved all the accommodations, especially staying at Kinnity Castle. We had so much fun and such great adventures and made memories to last a lifetime. Austin gave us an insider's tour of the history of Dublin Centre, which was so interesting. He was so helpful when we had a minor snafu (of our doing) on our journey.

Hotel Review

Kinnitty Castle Hotel

Offaly

Great staff and great food. Wonderful grounds include a stone circle and a fairy walk. General manager took us on a tour and gave us the skinny on the ghosts. We enjoyed hunting for Hugh, but he didn't make an appearance.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Review

Guided Walking Tour of Dublin

Dublin

Austin gave us a insider view of the Dublin City Center, and the history of the area. Outstanding.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Austin was awesome managing the logistics of 4 couples and covering a lot of ground in Ireland. We had a great time! Highly recommend kimkim.

Austin was great to work with. He was patient with us, made recommendations and everything came together as planned. He made all hotel arrangements, rental car, etc. We hooked up with him in Dublin for a walking tour of almost two hours, which was very informative.

Loved the trip and will consider kimkim again.

Hotel Review

Tivoli Dublin Staycity

Dublin 8

This place was perfect. Brand new basically and had everything we needed including laundry facilities. Had a small suite which really made it nice. Definitely would stay here again.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Walking distance to most things.

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Review

Guided Walking Tour of Dublin

Dublin

Quality of Experience

Austin nailed our itinerary! We had the best time and he was extremely communicative and curated a trip that was perfect for us. I highly recommend using Austin and KimKim for all your coordination and itinerary needs. It was extremely easy to communicate and develop something to please all our party.

The fact that I did not have to spend hours online researching "all the things" was fabulous. I will use this service again and again for any trip in my future.

Great trip. kimkim provided wonderful places to stay. We got emails along the way asking us how we were doing.
Only one place we stayed said we did not get breakfast (Wicklow Heather Lodge). Places we loved the most. Fernrod B&B, Lighthouse B&B,
Dingle was the best stop for us. Loved this town.
Highlights-Wicklow mountains, peaceful pass, ring of Kerry and the cliffs of moher.
Great time, great company, we will use them again for sure tI help us plan our trip.

The trip that Owen and his team set up was amazing. The places we stayed, the things we saw, the food we ate was all well selected and incredible. Days traveled weren’t to long and we had time to explore the sites, towns and anything we spotted along the way.

Everything was perfect. I don't know what resources KimKim has for this, but it would be awesome to have audio to listen to in the car while driving to the next destination so we get some history or background on the next destination while we are driving.

A friend and I had decided to plan a trip to Ireland . I had used kim kim for a trip I planned with my son to Australia. We worked with Dean this time around . He was great . We ended up having to reschedule our trip 2x because of Covid and he kept us well informed . We finally made it to Ireland , ever detail was planned . We had a bus tour guide Bud who was fantastic . David our private driver for 2 days was so knowledgeable and went above and beyond . I can’t find one negative moment of this trip. Thanks again Dean and kim kim for the most wonderful girls trip ever .

Our experience with the team at KimKim was very professional. We had a well organized itinerary. The team checked in with us to ensure everything was going well and helped us make some necessary changes in hotels when we found the one that had been booked was unacceptable.

We had a glorious 16 days along the Wild Atlantic Way. The helpful hints of where to stop for coffee break or where to go for dinner helped us find hidden gems we wouldn't have found on our own. The place we loved the best was the Glen Arm Castle and Walled Garden. A delightful place to stop explore and rejuvenate before heading onward.

Arranging a trans-Atlantic trip in these times is quite a risky project. However, Austin stayed with me and we eventually got a reservation. Without Austin's local experience we would never have found the ideal place for us to stay, Fullerton Arms in Ballintoy.
He was able to find a local guide for us and the trip was so good we are certain to go back again.

I have to emphasise that without Austin's help we would never have found this place.

I have nothing but good things to say about booking with Ireland Walk, Hike, Bike. A few details about the trip...It was my mom (60+ yrs), myself (38), and my 9 mo old daughter. We were there for 10 days and walked portions of "The Kerry Way" most of the days. I carried my daughter in a hiking backpack while my mom carried the food / snacks. Coordinating a trip with a nine month old in another country can be intimidating to state it lightly. We had cabs picking us up and dropping us to at the start/end of hikes which meant a carseat needed to be transferred. We needed a travel cot for her to sleep in and we needed flexibility in our days just in case she wasn't up for the hike that day and we needed to be done early. Thus, the reason for booking through Ireland Walk, Hike, Bike. I couldn't have been happier that we did this!

From the beginning, they had superb communication and custom built a route that allowed us to maximize what we were seeing each day, but still have some flexibility if needed. It was really nice to give them a budget and have them plan accordingly for hotels, transportation, etc. All of the lodging accommodations were phenomenal with breakfast included. The staff was friendly, the rooms were clean and well stocked, and my daughter's travel cot was ready to go at each location. The transportation to and from hikes was timely and each of our drivers were incredibly knowledgeable and we learned so much from them! No one ever made us feel like a "burden" with a carseat and so many bags full of baby stuff like diapers and formula. Everyone helped where they could and we never had any hiccups.

They reached out to us throughout the trip to ensure that all was going well and to check to see if we had any questions. We had one day that we needed to shorten and they accommodated that as well! Traveling with a little one and knowing that we were just a phone call away from assistance really provided me with a peace of mind that we would be taken care of throughout the trip! Loved our holiday and would highly recommend this company!

Our guide Maurice from Ireland Walk Bike Hike was very helpful both before and during our recent trip to Ireland. He and a woman from their office (whose name I don't recall) called twice in our 7 day trip to make sure all was well. Galway was a good base for excursions. Westport was a lovely little town. We heard the best Trad music there and on my husband's birthday too! Ballina was a fun. We tried the traditional hot seaweed baths since this wasn't something we could do in the US. It was a relaxing end to our trip. If we had it to do again, we would have spent 1 less night in Galway (we had 3) and added another stop or longer in Westport. We enjoyed our trip!

I had a really great trip with Kimkim. Everything was so easy all the way through and the team was always a phone call away if I had any questions or needed some help.
Dean was fantastic and even dropped in for a face to face half way through to check in. I received phone calls from the team during the trip which was really comforting as I was travelling alone.
Petrina was also always close by when I needed anything and responded very quickly to any questions I had.
The hosts at each of my BnBs we’re fantastic, and I’d really love for them to know I enjoyed my stay, particularly my stay with Kathleen at Finglas House in Camp. I was quite unwell during my night there and she was very accommodating.
The pack provided by Kimkim containing route notes, maps and dining recommendations was great! I actually enjoyed readying about the next day’s activities before bed each night. They were thorough and obviously put together by people who were familiar with each walk. My favourite I think would have to be the one from Dingle to Dunquin, absolutely stunning.
Overall, I’d definitely book another holiday with Kimkim, and I plan to return to travel the north next time!
Thanks team.

Our trip to Ireland was memorable and we will use kimkim and Ireland Walk Bike Hike again to plan new adventures. Although we did not bike at all we had many walks and shorter hikes in beautiful places. Our windy, rainy excursion to the Aran Islands was warmed by an Irish Coffee at a small island pub followed by a boat trip around the Cliffs of Moher. Our itinerary was ambitious and we will spend more time in fewer places next visit. Many thanks to trip planner Dean from Tralee who was so helpful and even visited us one morning at breakfast to offer assistance. We love photos of beautiful places and we will enjoy the hundreds pictures we took. The B&B’s were comfortable, and all were clean and welcoming. Big Irish breakfasts are wonderful!! We travelled from Glendalough Abby and Lake to the Ring of Kerry, astounded at the beautiful landscape and historical sights. We enjoyed the Pubs in Dingle and the funky town vibe. The Cliffs of Moher are a spectacular experience and traveling the small roads north to Westport was an adventure full of lovely country sights. We even stayed at Ballyseede Castle and enjoyed a night of luxury. Our travels were slowed by traffic ‘jams’ of sheep and cattle on several occasions and the scent of peat or “turf” fires let us enjoy a bit of the rural life of Ireland.

Thanks Dean and Petrina! We had an amazing time in Ireland, and loved every moment of it! We would love to come back and see more of your beautiful country. All the work you put in for us, both in terms of making our bookings and planning our itinerary, is much appreciated. Almost everything worked like clockwork. We were also lucky to have great weather during our time there, and on the one day it wasn't great due to the rain, quite magically Dean showed up, and helped us plan our day!

In terms of guides and related feedback - here are a couple of things -

1. Hilltop Treks - Celts and Castles Tour. We had specifically requested a tour of Newgrange. Turns out this tour regularly does not enter Newgrange. That would have been a huge disappointment for us. As it turns out our tour started early since all the tourists got there in time, and the guide was able to eke out the time for us to see the inside of Newgrange which was amazing. I don't think the trip would have been worthwhile for us if we had not entered Newgrange. All's well that ends well - but I wanted to mention this, for future reference for you. In case there are others who specifically request a tour of Newgrange, it might be better to find a tour company that routinely goes inside the monument.
2. Lally Tours - Cliffs of Moher tour - In the interest of full disclosure, it would have been nice to know before that the money we paid earlier for the tour does not cover the cost of visiting the caves. Interestingly, they don't even mention it on their website. Also, we would have preferred a tour that covered Dunguaire castle vs the caves.

Overall, for us, I think it would have been better to have been given the option of a couple of tour companies before the bookings were made, so we could have checked out their itineraries and seen which ones worked the best with our interests.

Places that were most memorable - honestly, we enjoyed everything.
In Dublin - our favorites were the tour of Trinity college (the guide was really good), and the Book of Kells, and the Musical Pub Crawl.
Waterford - loved the tour of Waterford Factory
Cobh - loved the town and the beautiful St Colman's Cathedral
Ring of Kerry - loved the Derrynane Loop Walk. Your directions were perfect!
Dingle and Slea Head - were our absolute favorites! Absolutely stunningly gorgeous! Our favorite stop there was the Dunmore Head hike (which was not mentioned in your information - you may want to add it to your repertoire!).

Challenges - we had only one. We were unable to find the Old Head of Kinsale hike. I think we made some error in getting there and hence it took us for ever, and when we got there we were turned around. We parked at the Speckled Door, but were unable to find the start of the hike. It looked to us like you had to walk on a narrow road shared by cars which seemed risky. We asked the gentleman at the bar at the Specked Door, but he was too busy to help us. That's what delayed us in getting to Kenmare that night, and led to the problem at the B and B.
Everything else was really perfect.

I mention the above not as criticisms, but in the spirit of constructive feedback!

Our guide, Dean M was super brillant. We had the best time. He made sure we had the history of each place we stopped. And he added a few along the way he found after getting to know us better. We felt like we had first class service the entire trip. If I had to pick, the Aran Island trip was my favorite.
The food was exceptional. Every meal delicious. Saying good by to Dean at the end of our week together was like saying good bye to an old friend. Thank you for a great trip.