Kimkim Trip Reviews for Spain

So grateful to have found Kimkim. Everything was seamless. Great communication and wonderful ideas. The concert at Palau de la Musica was phenomenal. Pintxos tours sublime. Our guides Nereae and Diego so helpful and knowledgeable.

Our trip to Spain was absolutely spectacular. Bea was extremely helpful and knowledgeable. She suggested options for our itinerary that enhanced our trip. We so appreciate her expertise and for arranging such a wonderful trip for us. We had a fabulous time!

We visited Madrid, Toledo, Merida, Zafra, Seville, Grazelema, Ronda, Granada and Cordoba. Our trip was filled with historical tours of many of the cities and the guides selected for us were wonderful. Most were local to the town we visited and most were true historians; extremely knowledgeable, but also with a good sense of humor. We enjoyed all of them. We also visited an Olive Oil Estate , Countryside Wine Tour and a Gourmet Tapas and wine tour. Each tour was unique and enjoyable. Ester was our favorite wine from our wine tour.
We also participated in a ceramic tile painting workshop while in Grenada. I would definitely recommend this workshop for all. They explained the process, demonstrated and were very patient with us as we tried to replicate their handiwork. We had so much fun and it is nice to have our tiles as a perfect souvenir.

Driving through the country was quite easy and a little interesting when arriving at city centers. Some of the roads are quite narrow, but it added to the adventure.

If I have another chance to visit Spain, I would spend more time in Toledo and Ronda. And I would leave the last couple of days without any plans to relax. With so much to see and do, it is hard not to over schedule.

Thank you again Bea and KimKim!

Hotel Reviews

Parador de Toledo

Toledo

Amazing views and very friendly, fabulous service.

Staff

friendly, helpful

Catalonia Ronda

Ronda

Great views! We upgraded our room and were quite happy. Very spacious, clean and comfortable. We had champagne on the rooftop patio...wonderful!

Location

Close to everything

Staff

Friendly, helpful

Cleanliness & Comfort

Very clean and comfortable.

Activity Review

Workshop: Traditional Tile Decoration

Granada

This was a unique experience that we had not been exposed to before, and we absolutely loved every part of this workshop. I would highly recommend. It was fun to be creative.

Quality of Experience

Unique, very helpful in assisting us in creating our tiles

Guides, Drivers and Staff

staff was very supportive and helpful

Transport

We drove ourselves :)

Our trip was everything we had hoped it would be and Marina made it happen! I had a very limited amount of time to plan this trip and she made herself available to answer any questions or concerns we had. I will absolutely use kimkim again and highly recommend it. Marina is the icing on the cake!

Response time while in Spain was also exceptional. We had a couple of questions during our travels and we received help almost instantly.

Thank you for making our trip so memorable!

Hotel Reviews

Hotel España Ramblas

Barcelona

Don't recommend. Location is good but that's it.

Authenticity & Character

Location

in the center of the gothic quarter

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Windows fogged and mold. bathrooms not comfortable and could be cleaner. Not great

Majestic Hotel & Spa Barcelona

Barcelona

Perfect location in Barcelona. Safe, friendly, beautiful, clean. We'd love to visit again. They treated us like royalty! Food was terrific as well.

Authenticity & Character

They keep true to the history and it's exceptionally maintained

Location

Staff

Can't compliment enough

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Aigua Blava

Costa Brava · Girona

Beautiful location and private beach. Very helpful staff

Authenticity & Character

Location

Beach! Views!

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Very clean, comfortable. I wish they had more food options. Breakfast was great but after our first night, we left for meals elsewhere. Only drink service at pool. It would be awesome if they offered some kind of food service poolside instead of chips and prepackaged icecream.

Activity Reviews

Day Trip to Montserrat & Penedès Region Wine Tasting

Barcelona

Our guide made it special for us. Super friendly. Llopart winery was very fun!

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Kayaking Excursion

Spain

Guide was great! Beautiful day and plenty of time to jump off of rocks and swim. Beautiful way to experience the seaside of Spain and it's ocean wildlife.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Private Tour of Barcelona & La Sagrada Familia

Barcelona

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

The platform KimKim provided was to me very useful and effective in putting together a personalised trip plan to a destination which I did not do much research into beforehand. It allowed me to choose the exact elements of what we wanted to see and do, and not just take an entire pre-determined package; but saved me the trouble of communication with tens of tour companies, hotels and transport and ticketing services. I just paid one single bill for it all, and though I did not do an exhaustive comparison, I don't believe the prices were unreasonably higher.

Yuri who assisted my booking from start to finish was informative and helpful. The mix-up on one particular day's tour that occurred was addressed by him promptly and responsibly, and a generous compensation was subsequently offered by KimKim for the inconvenience caused.

Overall I was happy with the experience and would consider using Kimkim again

We admittedly were nervous entering our first experience with KimKim, not knowing whether the scheduled drivers and guides actually show up, what would the tours really be like, what about the hotels, would the restaurant reservations actually be reserved? Not to worry! Everything went exactly as scheduled, all drivers and guides were exceptional, the hotels were great (one spectacular), and the food astounding., and Marta was there every step of the way. The overall experience could not be better. PS: We want especially to thank Marta for somehow getting us a New Year's eve reservation at José María after we had failed. It was a truly spectacular culinary experience. Marta is remarkable! Thank you.

Hotel Reviews

Hotel Rector

Salamanca

This is a very small, boutique hotel is a perfect location related to the historic heart of Salamanca. The service was personalized and exceptional. The rooms were beautiful and well-appointed. We were greeted with champaign and some special treat every night. This is one of the best hotels we have experienced anywhere we have travelled. We cannot recommend it too highly.

Authenticity & Character

Beautiful throughout; with very classy art and decoration.

Location

Staff

Carried bags to room before we knew they were gone. Nothing they would not do to be helpful.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Simply perfect!

Hotel Palacio de Valderrábanos

Ávila

Perfectly located right next to the Cathedral in the heart of the old city. Nothing fancy, but very pleasant.

Authenticity & Character

In historic structure well repurposed.

Location

Could not be better located.

Staff

Professional and accommodating. Expect to carry your own luggage.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel San Antonio El Real

Segovia

We initially thought that the hotel was badly placed, outside the walls of the old city. It turned out to be a perfect location to follow the Roman aqueduct into town. For those with cars, it actually has a parking lot, which you will not find in the city center.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Expect to carry your own luggage. Facility with English was helpful. Accommodating in every way.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Nothing special, but pleasant.

Hotel Madrid Alameda Aeropuerto, Affiliated by Meliá

Madrid

Much higher quality, more pleasant and less generic than your average airport hotel.

Authenticity & Character

Location

10 minutes to the terminal. In a neighborhood of apartment residences.

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Day Excursion to Douro Valley, Wine Tasting & River Cruise

Porto

This was the highpoint of our two weeks in Iberia. Coming from California wine country, BUT already hooked on Duoro red wines, we were not prepared for the steep hillsides and rugged beauty of the river. Second, the specific driver, Rui, was remarkable: Personable, knowledgeable, and responsive. He specifically approved of the choice of Quintos de S. Tiago in Mesâo Frio, which on the outside is a dump that no-one would pull off and visit on their own--burned out buildings, junky driveway, humblest of houses. But, upon entering the house through an open-hearth kitchen, we knew we were in for something special. The food, the wine, the atmosphere, and the host made this the Quinta an unforgettable experience. Keep using Rui and this particular Quinta.

Quality of Experience

It rained all day, and we didn't care. Even the river cruise was perfect.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Everything you could want in a driver--and more. He really opened up after he became familiar with us.

Transport

Guided Visit of Salamanca

Spain

Our guide met us in a timely manner at the hotel and walked us through the University and Cathedral and associated areas. She was delightful, but overly detailed about things that interested her and not necessarily sensitive to whether or not it interested us. She was particularly absorbed with esoteric marginalia about the university. Eventually, after the tour was 30 minutes longer than scheduled, we (gently, I hope) asked her if we could have the opportunity to explore on our own.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Didn't like: Driver knew very little about stops along the way.

Guided Visit of Ávila

Spain

With certificates in tourism and theology, our guide provided the perfect introduction to Avila and its two saints--Teresa and Juan de la Cruz. He quickly picked up our interest in them and shaped the tour and his message to our interests. For instance, at the chapel built in the room where Teresa probably was born, he emphasized the holiness of the space, not the art of the chapel, and he asked if we wanted some time just to sit in prayer and contemplation; we did. He also recommended the monastery where Teresa had trained and lived, and we found it to be a deeply moving experience. I was in the museum business for 40 years, and I deeply appreciated the simple presentations, the unprotected access to the "things," and the freedom to explore on our own time. Our guide reflected that receptive and trusting attitude and helped us discover meaning and treasures beyond the formal tour.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

The tour guide provided the perfect introduction and shaped it to our obvious interests as we went. He was responsive and suggestive, with great integrity.

Transport

Privately Guided Visit of Segovia

Spain

This was the most traditional tour of the trip. The handed us ear plugs, spoke into a microphone, and largely led with her back to us. She would have fit as a tour guide in San Francisco. At the same time, she provided a marvelous orientation to the city, not too detailed, but with enough off the wall items--like the first book published in Spanish--to make it fascinating. A special commendation: When she informed us that the Cathedral was closed New Year's Eve (the day of our tour) and New Year's Day, we noted that January 1st was a Sunday, she called a friend to check on service times, which we attended the next day. That is the kind of personal responsiveness you would seldom receive on a tour in the United States. She also helped us plan our walking for the next day. We are grateful for her tour and assistance.

Quality of Experience

There is so very, very much packed into this small city.

Quality of Experience

There is so very, very much packed into this small city.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Transport

This trip began in Nov 2019 just before Covid hit so unfortunately we had to postpone until Sep 2022. Sam was incredibly helpful with planning and tweaking to accommodate our changes.
We were amazed by the level of detail Sam provided and we actually spoke to him by phone from Spain which left us feeling very comfortable with the itinerary and that everything was above board.
We absolutely got value for money. Accommodation was 95% very good with just a couple of little glitches but these were compensated with other items. Drivers, guides and transport were above what we anticipated.
I would have no hesitation in recommending Kimkim in general but Sam in particular.
In fact, we are currently trying to organise a trip to the UK with Kimkim and do so very confidently

We’ve traveled extensively through Europe and always planned our own trips but we didn’t have time to plan this year. Luckily we found kimkim which focuses on independent travelers.

Our journey started in Barcelona. We flew to southern Spain rented a car and stayed in Granada, Seville and ended our trip in Madrid.

Marina planned a wonderful trip for us. From the moment we started planning and throughout the actual trip Marina and her team were very responsive and always available to answer any questions.

All the activities Marina organized went off beautifully. The guides we had for each walking tour of the cities were on time and excellent.

In Barcelona we enjoyed a tapas dinner and Marina got us excellent seats at a concert in the marvelous Palau Música and tickets to Gaudi locations.

Loved the Scents tour of Granada and all the recommendations given of what to do and where to eat in each city. We had a particular interest in Pedro Almadovar and Marina provided lots of information from film locations to where he lived and personal background.

The app was incredibly helpful and easy to use so all four of us knew the itinerary. The tickets were easy to pull up in the app and guides phone numbers available.

Thank you Marina for all your help. We look forward to using kimkim again.

Hotel Reviews

Midtown Apartments

Barcelona

Location

Cleanliness & Comfort

Eric Vökel Boutique Apartments - Madrid Suites

Madrid

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Chez Moi - Plaza Nueva Luxury Apartment

Granada

Incredible views of Alhambra from apartment and rooftop. Meticulously cleaned. Management very helpful. Loved this place.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Luz de Sevilla Apartment

Seville

Location

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Tapas Walk in Barcelona

Barcelona

Private Tour of Barcelona & La Sagrada Familia

Barcelona

Guided Visit of Granada Through Its Scents

Granada

Guided Visit: Alhambra & Generalife Gardens

Granada

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Flamenco Show

Granada

Quality of Experience

Guided Visit of Seville

Seville

Self Drive {{start_location}} to {{end_location}} via Córdoba

Spain

Cordoba is a wonderful stop along the way to Madrid.

Guided Visit of Toledo

Spain

Take this day trip. High speed train excellent. Cathedral fabulous. Toledo incredible.

Guided Visit of Madrid: History, Culture & Architecture of the Capital of Spain

Madrid

We really enjoyed the pace and activities on our trip. The kids were not looking forward to the walking tour in Spain but Beatriz made it so much fun. The cooking class in Seville was wonderful too. So much fun for the whole family. The train rides to each destination was fun too. Between Seville and Granda we hiked/walked Caminito Del Rey. The kids really enjoyed this adventure. Each place we visited had something unique and memorable.

Hotel Reviews

Dear Hotel Madrid

Madrid

Great location in the city. The accommodations for a family of four were good. Great breakfast!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Very professional and nice

Cleanliness & Comfort

Petit Palace Puerta de Triana

Seville

Seemed out dated. Rooms were small and had tile floors. Would recommend a small carpet by the bed. Bathrooms and rooms need makeovers. Breakfast was lacking. Staff were great and rooms seemed clean however.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Eurostars Puerta Real Hotel

Granada

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Madrid for Kids - Walking Tour with Activities & Snacks

Madrid

Beatriz is absolutely awesome! We had so much fun on this tour. We highly recommend.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Flamenco Experience

Spain

Was fun to watch. Was one hour in length. We wish the couple would have danced more together as they spent a considerable amount of time dancing solo. Other than that, they put on a good show.

Guided Visit of Alhambra for Families

Granada

Alberto was our guide. He is very knowledgeable about everything. This was a good thing and a bad thing as he would talk forever about tiny details. The kids got bored very quickly with our pace.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Traditional Andalusian Market Visit & Cooking Class

Seville

Such a fun thing to do as a family. We are vegetarian and they helped us make dishes without meat. The kids were awesome and tried everything they made!

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

We had an amazing experience in Spain for the holidays! Yuri, our Kimkim specialist, was fantastic- flexible, patient and responsive. I cannot say enough about him- I was nervous at first booking a trip through this service- despite the reviews- because I was unfamiliar with Spain and also the idea that KimKim curated our experiences. That said, I would heartily recommend the service to anyone who is interested in traveling to a new-to-them location and wanting to have an authentic experience.
All of the tour guides provided to us- Laura for the Tapas tour in Madrid, Diana for the Toledo tour, Carlos for the trip to the White Villages and Ronda, to Nico (our family fave) for the in depth walking tour of Seville and Richard for the Montserrat Abbey experience- were amazing, knowledgeable, personable and warm. They were truly invested in the tours they gave- providing history, and context to the sights we saw.

Hotel Reviews

7 Islas Hotel

Madrid

We liked this hotel a lot- lovely rooms, spacious and well furnished. Its located on a side street but still extremely accessible to major streets. As a result, our rooms were blissfully quiet.

Authenticity & Character

Great art work that made the decor feel special

Location

Staff

Bar man was great- friendly and personable

Cleanliness & Comfort

Comfortable rooms, good size. Only issue was we had been given a room with two twin beds- and when I inquired, was told that it was all that was available. (The hotel did not seem full though)

Hotel Gravina 51

Sevilla

This hotel was fantastic!! Upon check in we were told our room had been upgraded, we were greeted with a glass of Cava with an additional bottle in the room. It was luxuriously furnished, and we really enjoyed our stay.

Authenticity & Character

Very much a boutique hotel, a gem nestled in the City

Location

Side street location- quiet and restful but not isolated

Staff

All the staff were kind, personable and attentive

Cleanliness & Comfort

Rooms were well appointed, and had good sized bathrooms and wonderful beds

Activity Reviews

Half-Day Walk Through Seville

Seville

Nico was fantastic!! He demonstrated his love of the City during our walk- highlighting not just the typical tourist spots but providing color and depth from a historical perspective on our tour. Using a combination of humor, facts and in depth knowledge of Seville, he gave us possibly the best tour of our trip.

Quality of Experience

Great, comprehensive look at Seville

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Cannot compliment Nico enough- he made the tour come alive!

Transport

This is a walking tour- so be prepared to walk! That said, everything was flat and easy to navigate

Flamenco & Tapas Night

Madrid

Laura was great- very articulate and wonderfully knowledgeable about the foods and drinks we had.

Quality of Experience

Food and tour guide was great

Food

Nice array of food and wine

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Laura was great

Transport

As mentioned earlier- would benefit from knowing and mapping locations prior to meeting -

Toledo Day Trip and Winery Experience

Madrid

Toledo was a wonderful City- so rich in culture and interesting on so many levels The winery was lovely and the wine was delicious.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Ronda & White Villages Day Trip

Seville

Carlos- our guide, made this trip so much fun. He was engaging and informative and kept our attention throughout this (long) tour.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Comfortable van

Day Trip to Montserrat & Lunch at a Farmhouse

Barcelona

For this (larger) tour we had Richard as our tour guide- he was funny and engaging. He clearly was having fun on the trip- which made it fun for us! Very informative

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Kimkim paired us with Spanish travel specialist Irene who coordinated our 7-day drive through the Extremadura region southwest of Madrid, after we spent 10 days with friends in Sevilla and Madrid. With minimal Spanish fluency, my husband and I were nervous about driving on our own through the countryside for a week, but Irene managed every detail, allowing us to experience this extraordinary agricultural and historical region. She designed an itinerary that incorporated each destination we requested and hit the mark in every respect, assuring that we felt safe and looked after throughout this part of our journey. She arranged the car rental, reserved exquisite hotels for no less than two-night stays as we requested, and arranged local English-speaking tour guides for each major destination we requested along the way. Although our tours ranged from laidback to frenetic, each guide was prompt, passionate, and informative, aimed to address our interests as well as share their favorite sites and stories, and helped us feel safe and welcome. The best guide for us was Álvaro with whom we spent two full days. An expert in the region’s “dehesa” and agrarian culture, Álvaro shared a thrilling visit to witness as hundreds of newly born lambs were vaccinated and marked to pair them with their mothers, a stroll among a herd of Iberian black pigs, and a tour and tasting at a family-run processing plant for curing ham. Álvaro also guided us through architectural antiquities in Plasencia and through the Monfragüe National Park, including a mountain top hike and birdwatching expedition, and provided two of the most outstanding culinary experiences of our trip: the tasting with the owner of the processing plant and a picnic with his colleague Esther at a panoramic mountainside location. We are grateful to Kimkim and to Irene for her understanding and for meeting our specific requests to create as seamless and stress-free a travel experience as possible.

Hotel Reviews

Hotel Hospes Palacio San Esteban

Salamanca

Wonderful hotel and experience. Comfortable modern room in this historic renovated convent. Excellent breakfast buffet and table service and one of the best dining restaurants of our three-week travel through Spain. Convenient location.

Authenticity & Character

Peaceful interior courtyard, lovely dining room and bar. Low-key restful throughout. Simple and elegant decorations for the winter holiday season.

Location

We parked once at the hotel and were able to walk everywhere to visit antiquities and local sites of interest. Safe and central location on a side street a few blocks from the Plaza Mayor.

Staff

Helpful front-desk staff. Highly attentive and professional dining room staff.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Clean, orderly. Felt pampered simply by the ambiance of the facilities.

Hotel Soho Boutique Casa Don Fernando

Caceres

Spacious corner room with a great view of the Plaza Mayor. Airy and bright but easy to black out the windows for sleep and quiet. Good breakfast in convenient dining room. Front desk staff were attentive and accommodating.

Authenticity & Character

Modern facility in charming renovated building with vestiges of antiquities.

Location

Could not have been better. Directly on the Plaza Mayor, just a few steps from the walled city and numerous bodegas, restaurants, and shops. Parking was a few blocks away, easily manageable one we understood the arrangements.

Staff

Front desk staff were helpful and attentive.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Very comfortable room and bed, well appointed.

Parador de Trujillo

Trujillo

Authenticity & Character

Quiet setting, lovely interior courtyard.

Location

great location with rooftop views of centuries old structures. Blocks from the central sites and walled city. Gorgeous sites well within walking distance.

Staff

Front desk staff were attentive and helpful.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Clean, simple, well appointed.

Activity Reviews

Guided tour in Caceres

Cáceres

The tour began on the steps of the walled city, where we stood too long next to a loud generator that made it difficult to hear and understand our guide; we wish our guide had taken the initiative to step to a quieter spot much sooner. Our guide Javier was relatively low energy and, unfortunately, the night was cold and rainy, which detracted from the experience. Javier was well-informed and shared many intriguing stories and points of history. The sites themselves were stunning and beautifully lit at night. We did not know how long a tour to expect, so when Javier said at several points that we could go into a building or museum then or come back later on our own, we opted not to enter each time in order to walk and see more. In retrospect, I wish Javier had encouraged us to step inside from time to time to get out of the rain and cold. We were able to tour the walled city fairly thoroughly, and did return the next day, but might have enjoyed touring some of the interiors with Javier who had extensive knowledge about the architectural, political, religious, and art history of the city.

Quality of Experience

The walled city of Cáceres was fascinating, ethereal, and allowed a profound opportunity to imagine the lives of generations of inhabitants over the centuries.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Guided tour in Merida

Mérida

The Roman ruins in Merida were our primary focus and we were thrilled to walk among the ruins of the theater, amphitheater, and Temple of Diana. These spots have enough authentic relics to ground the viewer in their historical relevance and enough restoration to give a feel of their awesome grandeur. Our guide Juan Luis, native to the city, was informed, funny, and responsible to attend to our interests and comfort. Right away, he stepped up to help us find parking, paced our walk among sites to match our interests and stamina, then recommended restaurants for us to access following the tour. He relayed stories of historical importance and reveled in trivia about the daily lives of ancient Romans which made his tour especially fun and engaging.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

We strongly recommend Juan Luis. His knowledge about local businesses and personalities added richly to our experience beyond the historical sites of interest.

Discover the Dehesa

Trujillo

Perhaps the highlight of our three weeks in Spain, the experiences our guide Álvaro shared in the dehesa met and exceeded our hopes for pastoral experiences of the Spanish countryside. He shared deep knowledge and passion for sustainable agriculture and demonstrated an impressive grasp of the intersection of politics, economics, geography, and biology in determining the past and likely future of this region. We got rare glimpses of the workings of animal husbandry due to his investment in and commitment to individuals who work the land and whose efforts maintain the local culture and economy. We strongly recommend this experience for anyone interested to get out of the urban centers and seek to learn about the people and culture of this region of Spain.

Quality of Experience

The sites and experiences on this day were varied, educational, and eye-opening, a welcome difference from our visits to urban areas in Spain. As we moved from one fascinating location to another, Álvaro provided informed commentary to make sense of the land we were traversing and its importance to the economy and culture of the region.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Álvaro's passion for the dehesa was evident from the first moment of the tour. He was flexible to our interests and needs while being driven to share as much as possible about his extensive knowledge and intimate experience with this region and its people. For the full two days of our tour, he got us safely from place to place, making the experience both intriguing and restful. A bonus was meeting his colleague Esther who joined us for an exquisite picnic at the end of our tour.

Transport

Our guide drove us from place to place from early morning into the evening, allowing us to view the terrain and activities he was describing. This made the days feel safe and easy, and kept us from getting weary along the way.

Excursion in Monfragüe

Trujillo

A tour of this beautiful park was a great change from the urban areas we also visited on this trip to Spain. We enjoyed a mountaintop walk to an ancient Castillo offering amazing 360-degree panoramic view of the area, birdwatching with binoculars and a telescope the guide provided, and a delicious picnic provided by our guide.

Quality of Experience

We were lucky to have a beautiful fall day: sunny and cool. We enjoyed the hike, the vistas, and a great picnic at the end of the day.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Our guide Álvaro drove us around safely, prioritized our interests and curiosity, and was keenly prepared for each of several varied activities. We felt very well catered to on this day.

Guided tour in Salamanca

Salamanca

This was a busy tour both because there was much to see and because our guide kept a fast pace to cover a number of sites in limited time. His knowledge and passion of this hometown were evident as was his professional commitment to being a guide. He encouraged us to return later to visit several sites we passed; we were able to return to a couple of them but the initial tour was so rushed that we could not get our bearings and had difficulty finding some locations when we tried to return. Nevertheless, Salamanca was one of our favorite cities to visit in Spain due to its remarkable architecture, profoundly significant 15th-century history regarding discoveries of the "new world," and the presence and influence of the third-oldest surviving university in Europe.

Quality of Experience

We greatly enjoyed touring the university buildings and learning the historical functions of particular classrooms and significant spaces. We were fascinated learn highlights of the history of the university and its alums and leaders and to see the mix of architectural influences on major buildings across centuries of varied cultural, religious, and political influences. We enjoyed the vibe of the city and the mere experience of walking within the central areas.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Our guide had extensive information about the university and the political and religious history of the city.

3 cheers for Kimkim and especially for Irene! If we could give her 10 stars out of 5, we would. As 2 retired teachers who enjoy travel, had never been to Spain, and have enjoyed a number of organized small group tours, we wanted to plan an individualized trip to Andalusia. Enter KimKim, and specifically Irene, who is a local tour operator in the north of Spain. After sharing with her our preferences, she created an initial draft itinerary for us. We worked together on honing the plan for a number of weeks until we knew it was exactly what we wanted. Not only was Irene tireless in planning every detail of our guided tours, transfers, accommodations and special meals, while we were in Spain, she was available to us via WhatsApp and checked in every day to ensure that everything was going smoothly. We told her that she was like our mother hen and we were her little chicks. Thank you so much, Irene, for a perfect introduction to Spain! Next time will include Barcelona and Madrid!

Highlights of the tour included Malaga, Ronda, Arcos de la Frontera, Sevilla, Cordoba, and Grenada.

The Petit Palace Plaza Hotel in Malaga was right in the middle of the pedestrian centre of the old city. We wandered the meandering streets that were buzzing with people enjoying a coffee or beer and tapas in one of the many outdoor cafes and restaurants. We’ve never seen such a vibrant scene. After a short rest, we met our city guide, Pilar Domingo, who took us on a walking tour of the historical sites. Pilar was a superb guide, and she set the bar very high for all of the guides yet to come. We enjoyed seeing the Cathedral, Roman Amphitheatre and Alcazaba where we had our first taste of Andalusia’s colourful history. Not only was Pliar a wealth of historical and architectural knowledge, she pointed us to the restaurant with the best fried artichokes in town!

We took the train to Ronda where we were met by driver, Diego, who took us to the famous Parador Hotel. Our stay in Ronda gave us a couple of days to relax and explore on our own. The Parador sits majestically atop a huge gorge and beside the Puente Nuevo built in the 18th century across the 400 ft chasm. Points of interest in Ronda are the Bullring where we enjoyed our audio tour and the museum in the Palacio de Mondragon. We were so lucky to get a reservation at the highly rated tiny mother/daugther operated restaurant called Casa Maria. There is no set menu, just an array of fresh local produce from which they produce the most delicious 6-course meal, including wine pairings. Unbelievably delicious and great value.

Diego collected us again for our drive to Sevilla. En route, we met our guide, Cecille, who took us on a wonderful walking tour of Arcos de la Frontera, one of the many “white villages” in Andalusia. We wandered the narrow cobbled streets imagining all of the peoples who had conquered and controlled this area through history, Romans, Visigoths, Moors, Christians. What was harder to fathom was learning that they still practise the running of the bulls through those narrow steep streets! After a light lunch, Diego chauffeured us on to Sevilla.

Hotel Casa de Indias was another perfectly located hotel sitting adjacent to Las Setas, a huge sculptural structure resembling mushrooms. It was difficult to get lost with this landmark so prominent within the pedestrian streets of Seville. We had two very different tour experiences here. The first was a walking historical tour of the Cathedral and the Alcazar, led by the delightful Damiana. Her deep knowledge of art history was impressive and added to our appreciation of the Mudejar architecture that we were seeing in the palace. Later in the day, we met Manuel who took us to our first flamenco experience. The energy of show was riveting for us and Manuel was able to explain the importance of flamenco in the Spanish culture. He then took us to a local restaurant where we had our own tapas and wine tasting. Manuel was full of enthusiasm for his city and its culture.

We headed off to Cordoba on the super fast train. With only one day there, we had two more fantastic tours. First, we visited the Medina Azahara, the archeological restoration and remains of a palace/fortress and city built in the 10th century by Caliph ABD ar-Rahman III of the Umayyad dynasty. Unfortunately, this remarkable city was laid to waste during civil war that ended the caliphate in the early 11th century. The remains were discovered nearly 1000 years later. Our guide Enrique brought the remains of the city’s splendour back to life for us. His knowledge and enthusiasm were infectious and set the stage for our afternoon tour of the Mesquita. Known as the Mosque-Cathedral, beginning as an 8th century mosque on top of a visigothic church, later added to to become one of the largest mosques on the world, then having a cathedral built in the middle in the 16th century.! Luckily for us, our guide Jose, a practising archeologist, shared his vast knowledge and unsurpassed enthusiasm with us for over 2 hours. This was a fantastic experience. Our hotel, Las Casa de la Juderia, was delightful and perfectly situated in the old Jewish quarter.

Granada was another train trip away and was the icing on the cake! We looked up at the Alhambra from our room at Hotel Palacio Mariana Pineda. In our two final touring days we loved exploring the narrow streets leading up to the top of the Albacin where we watched the sun set over the Alhambra, the city, and the mountains. The Albacin is a neighbourhood of Grenada made up of meandering narrow streets built as early as the 13th century. While there, we were treated to some local musicians and dancer who performed flamenco for the gathered crowd. The following day, we had a wonderful tour of the Generalife (beautiful gardens, summer palace and country home from the 13th century built by the Nasrid rulers) and the Alhambra (11th century walled fortress/city and palaces built over time by the Muslims and reimagined by the Catholic Christians before being overtaken and damaged by Napoleon’s troops.) Even though we had rain while we walked through the gardens, we were spellbound. The whole complex of the Alhambra is stunning and a history lesson that would take more than one visit to fully appreciate. Once we finished the tour of the Alhambra, the sun came out for us when we climbed the watchtower where we had a spectacular view of the city and the Albacin. We could also see our hotel room! Our guide Maite was fantastic and delightful in her enthusiasm. On our last night in Grenada, we went to another flamenco show and dinner atop the Albacin.

While the organized portion of our trip was virtually over in Granada, Irene was still our faithful fairly godmother. We were driven from Granada to a private apartment on the coast owned by family friends where we stayed for another week. While we were there, we had another tour booked with Kimkim to visit wine and raisin country. Our guide Anna and driver Manu were very accommodating and we had a wonderful day driving through the mountains north of Malaga where we had a delicious wine tasting and got a flavour of the people who live and work so hard on the steep slopes of this beautiful part of the country.

We were fortunate enough to get tickets to watch Canada play Germany in the Davis Cup tennis held in Malaga. This entailed a bus trip there, but getting back to the apartment at night. Irene came to our rescue and arranged a driver to meet us outside the stadium in Malaga at 11 pm and drove us the hour’s drive back to the beach. She also arranged our return to Malaga the day before our 6 am flight, and she planned the most beautiful 6-course final dinner for us at the famous El Pimpi Restaurant.

We could not have been happier with our trip, from the initial planning through to our departure from Spain. We realize that we have barely scratched the surface of Andalusia let alone the whole country. More to come, and Irene is our gal!

Hotel Reviews

Las Casas de la Juderia Hotel

Córdoba

A beautiful, quirky old building. We kept getting lost, trying to find our room, but it was worth it and the staff were so helpful.

Authenticity & Character

Tons of character.

Location

Perfect.

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Casa de Indias by Intur

Seville

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Palacio Mariana Pineda Hotel

Granada

Authenticity & Character

Location

So close to everything and the view of the Alhambra

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Petit Palace Plaza Malaga Hotel

Malaga

Authenticity & Character

We spent our first and last nights of the trip here. The building is beautiful and the rooms were modern and clean.

Location

So central and close to the action.

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Parador de Ronda

Ronda

Location, location, location!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Literally, the best view in town.

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Private tour of Malaga

Málaga

Pilar was outstanding.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Visit Arcos de la Frontera

Ronda

A great place to stop en route to Seville. There are so many white villages in Andalusia, we enjoyed seeing such a pretty one.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Diego didn't speak English but he understood us and was so accommodating. Cecille gave us an excellent tour, both from the car where we had a view of the town atop some very high cliffs and by foot which we enjoyed.

Transport

Guided tour in Seville

Seville

Damiana was excellent, an art history student initially from Italy. She knew her history and was so enthusiastic. We loved the walking tour with her.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Damiana was delightful.

Transport

Evening Flamenco & Tapas Private Tour

Seville

We weren't sure that we would enjoy the art of flamenco, but we were spellbound. It was thoroughly enjoyable.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

We enjoyed our time with Manuel at the flamenco show and then again over wine and tapas.

Transport

Exploring the archaeological site of Medina Azahara

Córdoba

The video about the archeological site before touring the real thing was very well done and worthwhile.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Enrique was extremely knowledgeable and very interesting.

Transport

We never heard our driver's name but she was excellent.

City tour in Córdoba

Córdoba

It is so important to see the Mesquita. Don't miss Cordoba.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Jose was so passionate and informative. We were hanging on his every word.

Transport

Visit la Alhambra

Granada

We felt so fortunate having Maite guiding us. There were a number of large group tours and we knew that we were having a much richer experience having our private guide.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Maite was outstanding.

Transport

Flamenco Show

Granada

Once again, we were surprised by how much we enjoyed the flamenco, and the dinner was very good as well.

Quality of Experience

Raisin and Wine Route of the Axarquia

Almuñecar, La Herradura

We felt we were at the winery off season and would likely have enjoyed the day even more had we seen more of the wine process. We did enjoy tasting the final product though!

Quality of Experience

Beautiful country and charming villages.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Anna and Manu were both great.

Transport

Dinner al Pimpi

Málaga

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

It took a few minutes for the staff to understand who we were and that Irene had made a reservation for our pre-paid meal. We enjoyed the people watching while they sorted that out. Once we were seated, the staff and service were excellent!

We spent the week of Thanksgiving in Spain (family of four, including two teenage boys). James planned a very exciting and comprehensive trip for us, and Angela took care of any of our needs while we were there, including a last-minute switch I made to our itinerary which likely required some pretty impressive effort on her part to accomplish, but she did so quickly and graciously. We had extremely well informed guides to lead us through sites and cities, who shared with us a great deal of history and knowledge. We particularly loved Maribel in Barcelona and Teresa in Madrid. James offered a few means of seeing cities we hadn’t tried before, including a Segway and horse and carriage. I questioned both, but we ended up loving them. James booked our hotels, booked our trains, secured our drivers, and set up all of our guided tours, and everything went off without a hitch. Literally no planning on my part, and that was just wet we needed in deciding on this last-minute trip during a busy time. I would absolutely recommend this travel agency and can’t wait to use them again. Thank you!

This trip has changed my perspective on traveling! I usually wing it with minimal research ahead of time. This was the first time I have had a complete itinerary set up for me and it was great. It allowed my wife and I to meet people and see places that we would have never found.

The highlights of the trip for me were our Flamenco tour and out city tour in Granada. There was so much more to learn about Flamenco and the gypsy lifestyle than we expected. And the fact that our guide was performing at the end of the tour really made it unique. She introduced us to the culture and brought us to some great local places. I would change a thing.

Our tour with Pedro in Granada was also a blast. He was very passionate and prepared. Of all the tours he was the easiest to talk to and was very accommodating. After getting to know us he made some last-minute tweaks to the tour to show us a local spot that most people try to avoid. It was a genuine experience, and I would recommend him to anyone.

Our driver who Yuri coordinated for us was also a very cool guy. He drove us to Granada, and we talked the whole time. He shared great tips on things to do in town. The tapas are included in every bar and there are some many spots to check out.

I definitely recommend southern Spain to anyone. Very safe, clean and packed full of history.

The only things I would have changed are:
-The hotel Petit Palace Puerta de Triana which had a very strong odor throughout the building and our room. We choose to sleep with windows open.
-Our guide to Seville’s Cathedral & Alcázar was a little quiet and seemed kind of rushed. Nice guy but not quite the typical outgoing guide personality.
- Now that I know the spots, I personally would prefer another night in Granada and maybe skip Malaga.

Great experience- everything met or exceeded our expectations. Marina and staff were accessible and responsive to any questions or concerns during the planning and the trip itself. We loved our custom itinerary and the travel app they provided us for the trip. We’ve recommended Kimkim to a number of family and friends.

It's hard to know where to start. My first trip to Spain was filled to the brim with sites, tastes, and experiences. We must have walked 3 - 7 miles/day. Regarding the guides:
Tslila's Tapas and Wine/Vermouth Crawl in Barcelona was a superb intro on our first night. So much fun and delicious food and drinks. I must have tasted four different vermouths. Tslila couldn't have been better.
Miguel's tour of La Sagrada Familia and the Gothic Quarter was superb, a highlight of our trip.
Our guide in Girona was amusing but he seemed more interested in taking photos of members of the group than anything else. The misunderstanding regarding the contents of the tour (Costa Brava instead of Figueres) was solved quickly and generously by Helena and the kimkim team. We were able to fit in the Jewish Museum and lunch on our own and then take a taxi to see the Dali Museum.
Our small group trip to Monserrat with Alex was memorable. The views are spectacular. He is an enthusiastic and well-informed guide. We were surprised and impressed by the art museum there, too.
Eduardo's tour of Granada via Senses was a nice way to weave in the history of the places we passed but the synthetic fragrances did not always hit the mark and we had little room to carry home the fragrance kits.
Our Alhambra guide was excellent but we don't have his name.
Flamenco dance experience was enjoyable but it was an hour instead of two hours and did not include "a fascinating overview of this culturally distinct musical genre, from its origins to its current global renown."
Eva was the perfect person to introduce us to the Jewish history of Ubeda since her family's home, which she opened for us, contained Jewish history.
Marta was an informative and entertaining guide to Baeza.
The driver who took us to Cordoba from Granada was accommodating and flexible when his instructions didn't match our expected tour. We were able to fit in most of what was listed (confusingly) for the day, although in a different order. We were not able to visit the olive oil factory.
Antonio Jose's tour of the Medina Azahara was well done. Impressive.
The guide for Cordoba (Saray?) was superb. She had a dramatic and informative way of showing us the steps in the transformation of the Mezquita.
Sevilla - our tour was supposed to include the Cathedral and bell tower as well as the Alcazar and the Santa Cruz neighborhood but ended up being split into two different tours, the latter led by Pablo who was excellent, the former afterwards led by Teresa whose stories about the two sisters was memorable.
Jorge's evening introduction to the Hapsburg district was interesting. He shared many insights and left us off at a wonderful restaurant friends had recommended which happened to be across the street from his hairdresser.
We enjoyed Esther's generous wine, vermouth, and tapas tour near our hotel in Madrid. She shared a wealth of information.
Our guide for Toledo (Antonio?) was excellent - so enthusiastic and informative. We appreciated his detailed discussion of the former Synagogue.
Elena's tour of Segovia included details and stories that were very interesting. Our only tour in the rain/drizzle went very well and the restaurant she reserved for our lunch was excellent. Love those artichokes.

The plane and train tickets Helena prepared were a big help.

The hotels:
All the hotels and breakfasts were great:
The Radisson Blu in Barcelona was the least charming but the breakfast was the most extensive - amazing spread. After being offered a room with no view - just the air shaft - they gave us what seemed to be the honeymoon room which had light coming in.
The Aurea in Granada was well situated and historical with lovely Garcia Lorca quotations on the wall.
We appreciated the whimsical creativity and light of our room at the Madinat and enjoyed the Hammam experience that was included. The staff was very nice as was the breakfast.
The hotel in Sevilla was very well situated and elegant with a slightly less extensive breakfast.
We enjoyed the art and craft nature of 7 Islas in Madrid but never did get to sample their craft cocktails - too busy. The staff was helpful and the breakfast was excellent.

Highlights for me:
Museums in Barcelona, Monserrat, and Madrid we went to on our own: Miro, Picasso, Dali, El Prado, Thyssen, Reina Sofia, Sorolla
La Sagrada Familia and Casa Mila
Wine/Vermouth/Tapas tours
Cordoba's Mezquita
Driving through the olive orchards
Olive oil tasting - guide was very good
Several superb restaurants

The experience working with kimkim was enjoyable. I appreciate the initial approach where we discussed the pros and cons of various scenarios - six iterations before we paid anything. There were a few mix-ups while we were in Spain but they were settled right away. We packed a lot in and, at 71 years old, were amazed at our stamina. Perhaps we should have left more free time.

Hotel Reviews

Hotel Madinat

Córdoba

Creative and comfortable with excellent staff and breakfast.

Authenticity & Character

originality

Location

Staff

helpful and English-speaking

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Casa 1800 Sevilla

Sevilla

Elegant and fun location.

Authenticity & Character

Restored building Lovely breakfast area. Our room had a sitting area and bedroom.

Location

It wasn't noisy but was off a pedestrian street with restaurants and very near the Cathedral.

Staff

A few little problems with the wi-fi. Staff was helpful.

Cleanliness & Comfort

No complaints.

7 Islas Hotel

Madrid

Creative design and very helpful staff. Outside room with light but noisy at night since the Spaniards eat fro 10pm - 1am it seems and then hang out in the street.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Radisson Blu 1882 Hotel, Barcelona Sagrada Familia

Barcelona

Superb breakfast. Not charming. Many rooms have air shaft views.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Áurea Catedral Hotel

Granada

Comfortable, historic, good location, very good breakfast.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Highlights of Madrid Walk

Madrid

Very nice evening tour with history and interesting neighborhoods. Madrid is so large it's hard to get a feeling for it and this was just one special corner.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Tapas Walk in Barcelona

Barcelona

Guide was great. Excellent tour.

Quality of Experience

Food

Variety of tapas and wines and vermouths.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Half-Day Excursion to Montserrat

Barcelona

Go to the museum in addition to the church. May need more time to go up to the top of the mountain.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Day trip to Medieval Girona & Dali Museum in Figueras

Barcelona

Mishap related to misunderstanding of the tour group was remedied very well by kimkim. Fit in the Jewish Museum in Girona.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Guided Visit of Granada Through Its Scents

Granada

Guide was very good. Senses part - nice idea but not that necessary.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Guided Visit: Alhambra & Generalife Gardens

Granada

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Flamenco Show

Granada

Would have liked an explanation of the history of Flamenco. Dancing was great.

Quality of Experience

Full Day Excursion to Úbeda & Baeza

Granada

Very nice addition but don't know if it is necessary given the amount of trips and activities that were put into our 18 days.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Helpful if the drivers speak English although our Spanish skills helped.

Medina Azahara Guided Tour at Night

Córdoba

Wasn't at night but was very good.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Private Guided Visit of Córdoba

Córdoba

See my evaluation of guides.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Visit an Andalusian Olive Oil Estate

Seville

Very interesting and worthwhile.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Staff was great. The driver got a little lost - first time ever - but got us there.

Train Madrid to Toledo, Guided Visit of Toledo, Train Toledo to Madrid

Madrid

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Guide was very knowledgeable.

Transport

Train was fine. Good to have the tickets purchased in advance.

Train Madrid to Segovia, Guided Visit of Segovia, Train Segovia to Madrid

Madrid

Loved the designs on the buildings. Tour included the Jewish quarter and other interesting sites and beautiful views.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Spanish Cooking Class & Market Visit

Madrid

We enjoyed the food tour in the market and the small class. We helped make salmorejo, spinach and chick peas, and paella. We learned how to make a real sangria and how to debone a chicken. Each person was involved and there were accommodations for vegetarians and pescatarians.

Quality of Experience

Private Wine Tasting, Tapas & Vermouth

Madrid

The guide was excellent and brought to us to especially selected bars where we were served generous portions of wine, vermouth, and tapas.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Our guide was excellent.

Guided Visit of Seville

Seville

An excellent introduction to Sevilla.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Private Tour of Barcelona & La Sagrada Familia

Barcelona

Guide was excellent. Everyone should experience La Sagrada Familia.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

kimkim set us up with Alfonso, who did a wonderful job helping us plan our one week trip to Spain in November. We spent time in Barcelona, Cadaqués and Menorca and lucked out with only having rain one evening and temps in the low 60’s. In Barcelona we loved our bike tour and the tour of Sagrada Família. We also went to Parc Guél and did a tapas tour the last night in the Gothic Quarter. Our guide for the bike tour and tapas tour was George and he was very funny and knowledgeable about the history and architecture of Barcelona. In Cadaqués we did a 10 mile hike along the coast with Alfonso as our guide. It was a besutiful hike and the weather was perfect for it. Most of the shops in town are closed during this time but it was nice to have less crowds and just be able to explore the beautiful streets and relax. In Menorca we went on a horseback ride along the coast and had time to explore Ciutadella and Mahon. If I were doing it over I would save the island for a separate or longer trip because I would have liked more time in Barcelona. We wanted to see as much as we could though so we added it in. Overall kimkim was very easy to work with, very responsive and helped us set up and incredible trip for our family of four. We are already talking about where we might like to go next in Spain and would definitely use them again.

Activity Reviews

Visit Park Güell & Sagrada Família

Barcelona

I enjoyed Sagrada Família the most because it is such an incredible sight. I recommend the guided tour because you learn so much more about why he designed things the way he did. You receive headphones so you can hear the guide without her having to shout. Parc Guél was crowded so I can’t even imagine how it is in the summer.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Horseback Riding in Cala Mitjana

Menorca

This was a wonderful way to explore the coastline and see a beautiful beach not accessible by car. Our Spanish is limited and our guide did not speak English. We wish we spoke Spanish better so we could have communicated with our guide more during the trip.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

hiking the Gr-92 Camí de Ronda

Cadaqués

Beautiful views, great exercise. There is some steep uphill but it is not too long and definitely worth it. We enjoy hiking and it was a great way to get outside and see some amazing scenery. November is a perfect time for this because we could wear shorts yet were not too hot.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Evening Tapas Walk in Barcelona

Barcelona

We were originally thinking we would be going to more than one restaurant to try out tapas but this tour is a walk around El Born and you dine at one Tapas restaurant. Our restaurant was right by the Picasso Museum. I cannot remember the name of it but was very good. Our guide George was wonderful.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Private Walk in Barcelona's Gothic Quarter

Barcelona

The Gothic Quarter is an amazing place to walk around and just get lost, but luckily with our guide we didn’t have to get lost. Ha. Jorge was so knowledgeable and familiar with the area and it’s history. This was a favorite part of our trip.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Private Barcelona Bike Tour with Cava

Barcelona

I enjoyed this a lot because we were able to see many different neighborhoods and make it down along the water as well. It was an easy bike ride and our guide was great. It might not be as enjoyable in summer with hot temps and big crowds but November was perfect for it.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

He was funny, very knowledgeable, had an iPad to show us pictures of some of the areas in the past and was great with our teenagers.

Transport

We enjoy biking and it is a great way to see a lot of the city and take breaks along the way.

Wow, where to start? From the beginning of planning the trip, we had an amazing experience with Beatriz. She answered all of our questions super quickly and I really liked that the budget we discussed was stuck to, so there’s no surprises at the end when you get the invoice. We did a 10-day trip to Spain (Barcelona, Sevilla, and Madrid) and we thoroughly enjoyed every minute of it. We wanted a trip that we had planned events like a tapas tour, cooking class, museums trips, day trips, etc., but also enough time to ourselves to enjoy just waking around the cities and doing our own thing. I think our favorite parts were the tapas tour in Barcelona, the cooking class in Sevilla (the guides on this one were AMAZING, highly recommend), and the day trip to Toledo. Unfortunately, on the day we were supposed to go to a winery, I was not feeling well, but it was very easy to cancel because all of the information I needed was in the trip app. When we’re ready for our next big trip, we will certainly use KimKim again - we loved the ease of having everything we needed like train tickets, museum tickets, and phone numbers for important contacts right in the app at our fingertips. Thank you Beatriz and the KimKim team for making our trip so amazing!!

Hotel Reviews

Arc La Rambla

Barcelona

The location is great because you’re in an area that makes it easy to walk around the city. The hotel itself was clean and the staff were very friendly! As many hotels are in Europe, it’s older so the walls are thin and you can hear everything going on around you. So if you’re a light sleeper (like me!) bring ear plugs and maybe install a nice sound machine app on your phone. We had the free breakfast included, but ended up only using it once. I’d recommend walking down the street to the local market and grabbing something there instead. Overall, a decent place to put your head at night, but if you’re looking for a luxury stay, maybe look elsewhere!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Petit Palace Puerta de Triana

Seville

The aesthetic is super cool - very eclectic wall paper in the rooms and carpeting in the hallways. Breakfast was very good, lots to choose from. Staff was friendly and accommodating. Walls we’re very thin and the room would get very hot at night, despite trying to lower the temperature on the AC. Bathroom was updated nicely, but there was no shower door in ours, just a long piece of glass, so water would get on the floor when showering. For what we were looking for on our trip (essentially a place to put our heads at night, shower, and change) it was perfect. If you’re looking for a luxury stay, this is not the hotel for you!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Petit Palace Preciados

Madrid

This hotel is in the heart of a large shopping district and in busy roads - so light sleepers beware! It’s also in a pedestrian area, so a taxi can’t drop you off right in front of the door. The room itself was fine, beds were comfy and the bathroom was nice and large. The shower was… interesting. Took me a few tries to master as there are multiple shower nozzles, a large shower head, and other odd features that were a bit confusing! The walls are paper thin, so again, beware light sleepers! The location was great to get around the city and if you enjoy shopping.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Tapas Walk in Barcelona

Barcelona

This was a great experience. We visited 4 separate restaurants and got to try at least 4 different tapas at each location and a drink of choice at each location. We had about 10 people in our group and the guide was really knowledgeable. There’s a lot of different options for the tapas but if you’re a vegetarian or don’t like seafood, this may not be a good experience for you as most options had meat or fish in them. Overall this was a great first experience in Barcelona and we loved being able to meet other visitors in our small group!

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Visit an Andalusian Olive Oil Estate

Seville

We had a lovely private tour of this estate and our guide, Sarah, was so knowledgeable about all of the different olive types and what they’re used for (eating vs olive oil extraction). The estate itself is beautiful and you get to see the modern day way they make olive oil as well as the ancient way they used to make it. The owner of the estate also has an impressive collection of old horse carriages that was an unexpected, but very interesting, addition to the trip. We ended up buying a ton of olive oil to bring home with us as gifts!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Flamenco Experience

Spain

The show and experience was really wonderful, but since we were there on a Wednesday night, we were one of only a handful of attendees in the audience. This was a bit weird and felt awkward at first, but once the show started you forgot about it. The dancers and musicians were highly skilled and you could tell that they love performing. This may be a better experience on a weekend day assuming more people attend at that time.

Quality of Experience

Traditional Andalusian Market Visit & Cooking Class

Seville

Highly recommend this experience! The cooking class takes place inside the market and you do a tour of the market beforehand. The guide tells you about the local fare and what is in season. Then you get to cook with the ingredients that we’re discussed like saffron, purple garlic, and smoked paprika. Our chef, Dom, was so incredible! He was able to make a group of about 12 feel like a little family. He got everyone involved with chopping and cooking - everyone got a chance to be the star.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

I was nervous to use kimkim and now we are complete sold. We traveled to Barcelona, Madrid, and Mallorca for 9 days. Yuri, our travel specialist, is absolutely wonderful. He was quick to correspond and when I was nervous he reassured me on the processes. My husband didn’t know what everything we were doing on the trip. After trains, plains, and shuttle services, he said it was one of the best experience he’s ever had and grateful for this vacation. Everything was taken into consideration, and I was able to have meetings with Yuri when I had questions. He helped when we were lost on one excursion. It was our mistake, but he was able to connect us. We had shuttles, hotels, and excursions all set up for us and I was able to pick out the hotels around the areas we wanted to explore.

The hotels were in ideal locations and we walked everyplace to eat and explore. Everyone at the hotels were beyond accommodating to our needs. They made the guest experience unforgettable. We appreciate everyone's kindness to help make this trip a memorable one.

Excursions: Tapas tour (Mirko), Gothic Tour (Ann Marie), Iberico Ham class (Santi), Paella Cooking Class, and Wine Tasting. Beyond our expectations and sincerely delightful to learn from all these brilliant instructors.

Thank you again. We hope other people get to experience a wonderful vacation like this.

Hotel Reviews

H10 Madison

Barcelona

H10 was perfect for our first stop in Barcelona. We liked the location it was close to the Gothic Quarter. It was quiet but close to businesses if you wanted it. The morning breakfast was delicious and lots of choices. The wait staff always had a smile on their face and helped us through the menu. They entire team met us with such kindness, explained where to explore on the map, helped us with some laundry that needed to be done, and gave us recommendations on where to have some local wines. We couldn't have asked for a better place.

Authenticity & Character

Hotel was clean, bright, and so much character.

Location

We love that it was quiet but close to everything.

Staff

Everyone was wonderful! I wish I knew everyone's name. From the wait staff to the front desk (Alberto ?). No one made us feel less because we didn't speak english and they had a lot of patience.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Fresh and clean. I am very particular about this and they did a fantastic job.

7 Islas Hotel

Madrid

Loved 7 Islas Hotel. It's in a location that is easy to walk around and lots of fun tapas restaurants. They gave us great recommendations for places to eat and would call ahead for reservations for us. This place has little clutter and minimalist which was perfect for us. The downstairs bar had fantastic drink and our bartender who works all the time was so kind to us. If you have a chance, try the apple crumble dessert with a cappuccino (so yummy).

Authenticity & Character

Unique and different from the other hotels and I love that it wasn't a replica of other places.

Location

This was a little more busy than our other stay but the hotel was quiet when we came in so it was perfect. Close to shopping and dining.

Staff

Absolutely fantastic. There was one restaurant they recommended that had the best dinner (pork, mushrooms, and sweet potatoes dish) and wine out of our entire stay in Madrid.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Clean and comfortable.

Boutique Hotel Posada Terra Santa

Palma de Mallorca

LOVE the hotel! This was towards the end of our Spain tour and what a surprise. The beautiful architecture of the hotel, the sauna, and the roof top terrace were just some of the perks in this hotel. Watching the sunset while having a glass of wine before heading to dinner was one of the most memorable times of our trip. The staff was absolutely kind and helpful. We loved talking to them and they helped us through every part of our stay. We only wish it would have been longer.

Authenticity & Character

The decor and architect with the court yard of the hotel is such a treat.

Location

Perfect for walking around the area but also quietness.

Staff

So accommodating and they make you feel heard and important.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Everything was so clean and spotless. It smelled clean and great beds.

Hotel Regina

Barcelona

This was towards the last part of our stay. It's a beautiful hotel in downtown Barcelona. It's a great hotel and is super busy. They have a great bar and room service and if you need anything such as groceries are right across the street. The room was a little hot so having the balcony door opened helped. What I learned is that when the AC is on in a hotel it's on for everyone. So when it's turned off and it's winter the heat is on. You can't regulate your own room. This is on all the hotels I stayed in. With that said, then you have a window open. If the noise of outside doesn't bother you then you are fine. I can sleep like that and most people can. This hotel had a great and friendly staff. You can go outside and get anything you need. Everyone is super friendly.

Authenticity & Character

Such a cool and historic hotel.

Location

Close to everything. Reminded us of New York.

Staff

They were super welcoming. Received a note and some fruit upon our arrival. The room service was delicious.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Clean and beds were comfy!

Activity Reviews

Evening Tapas Walk in Barcelona

Barcelona

Loved our tapas event. Mirko was a great tour guide. Our first thought was to go out eat, drink, and watch flamenco dancing. We were so tired from our trip and he adjusted to our energy. We saw places we would have never visited and wen't back another time too because we loved it so much. We went to three different restaurants and learned about the different types of food, culture, and how the area is divided up. We were so glad to meet him and he was the start of our 9 day trip.

Quality of Experience

Everything was set up ahead of time. They had a table when we arrived. If we needed anything, Mirko helped us or got it for us. He would call ahead before the next restaurant so they would be ready for us. We learned about what we were eating and what was a common dish in the area. Such a great treat!

Food

The food was delicious. We went from authentic dishes to the new.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Mirko was absolutely wonderful.

Transport

We walked everywhere.

Private Walk in Barcelona's Gothic Quarter

Barcelona

Ann Marie was a perfect guide! She showed us all around The Gothic Center and much more. We were able to go into stores, museum, and the chapel. She accommodated our request for tour and adjusted as needed. She is a wealth of knowledge and we didn't know how much history was surrounding us until we were done. What's cool is we weren't expecting to get what we received and it was a lot of unexpected history and information that we are grateful to learn and appreciate the culture a lot more. We had so much fun and learned so much.

Quality of Experience

Everything. Ann Marie was such a pleasure to learn from.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

We walked from our hotel. 5 min. walk.

Jamón Ibérico Workshop

Madrid

Santiago (Santi) was such a great instructor! We learned so much and had the best Iberico ham tasting. The quality of pigs, how they are raised and how you will have different taste from the same pig. We learned that this is an art and it takes years of experience to understand. We learned that this is only from Spain and which one to choose next time we are out dinning. Such a great experience.

Quality of Experience

Lots of fun. Loved that it was a private class so we could ask questions and interact more. Great wine and ham.

Food

Absolutely the best ham.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

The staff was kind and let us have our class while others had lunch.

Transport

We walked to restaurant. 15 min. walk from hotel.

Paella Cooking Class & Market Visit

Madrid

This was such a great class! We thought it was a private class and it ended up being a group class which ended up being a blast! Our instructor, Angel was so knowledgeable and an excellent teacher. We took a trip to the market and learned about what to buy for our paella, dessert, and also Sangria. We all worked together but also made some delicious food that we can try and recreate at home. Delicious food, conversation, and drinks! They also send you home with the recipes.

Quality of Experience

We had so much fun and learned so much! The food tasted so good we can't wait to try it again.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Angel was fun, always keeping it interesting and he was prepared for us too!

Transport

We walked. It was about a 20 min. walk from our home.

Wine Tour of Mallorca's Famous Fincas

Mallorca

Tucked away at a beautiful estate, is a little slice of heaven. We tried different wines, walked around a beautiful estate, and learned about their new wines and projects. This family has been making wines for decades but did it for trade. They made the wines to barter and trade on their island they live on. Now, this is newer and they are bottling their wines. It's just a serene time with yummy tapas and wine.

Quality of Experience

That it's family owned and they care about what happens to their wine and estate.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Everyone was so kind and knowledgable about the history of Mallorca and wine.

Transport

They came and picked us up at our hotel.

From start to finish, we felt like we were in good hands. We had a wonderful experience planning and taking our trip to Spain with Kim Kim. Our local agent, Beatriz De Pablo was consistently reliable and available to us both before we left, and also the whole time we were in Spain. And if she wasn’t in, she made sure to let us know the name and contact information of a colleague who was covering for her. That greatly helped in reducing the stress of traveling with my older parents, who have some mobility issues. It was especially nice to get an upgrade to premium class on our train rides, with meals included. The hotel - train station and hotel – airport transfers were welcome, and even when there was a problem with one of them, the team worked to quickly resolve the situation to our satisfaction.

The driver who picked us up from MAD when we landed on 1 Nov was reassuring about waiting for us after we landed, as we navigated through the massive airport with my parents in wheelchairs. The driver who picked us up at the Granada train station was very nice too. Our guides in all destinations were uniformly outstanding: Alberto (Granada), Fátima (Córdoba) and Teresa (Sevilla). They had a solid knowledge base about the locations, as well as great personalities, which made spending time with them a pleasure. We appreciated that Bea arranged separate tickets to la Mezquita in Córdoba to accommodate my parents, who weren't able to accompany us on the official tour. We especially liked our driver, David, who picked us up at Atocha station on 14 Nov and brought us to our hotel in Madrid, and who also drove us to MAD on 15 Nov. He was friendly and helpful.

We loved it all, but especially the cooking class in Sevilla! Laura was a warm, kind, and patient instructor and the food was delicious (looking forward to receiving the recipes!).

Hotel Reviews

Eurostars Puerta Real Hotel

Granada

Clean, centrally located, but utilitarian and not very charming.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Las Casas de la Juderia Hotel

Córdoba

This hotel is charming. It's ideally located in the old quarter of the city, steps from la Mezquita and the Roman bridge. Reception is wonderful and they gave us a very warm welcome, which was appreciated after a long drive. Breakfast was served in a large utilitarian room, but the choices were great, and the service was responsive and friendly. The courtyards and fountains were magical, but one caution I would mention is that the various steps up and down through the garden and courtyard areas were not well-lit or marked. We were traveling with my elderly parents, and I worried about them slipping and falling. Otherwise, it's a lovely property. We didn't get a chance to partake in the "honor bar" in the lovely library, but I loved the idea of it and we definitely would have if we had had more time in the beautiful city of Córdoba.

Authenticity & Character

Charming!

Location

Centrally located in the old city.

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Lighting in the guest rooms could be a bit brighter.

H10 Casa de la Plata

Sevilla

Hotel H10 Casa de la Plata was our favorite hotel during our two-week stay in Spain. Front desk staff were top-notch: warm and welcoming. The lobby area is tastefully appointed with eclectic furnishings and decor. The guest rooms are wonderful: spacious but cozy. We loved the bidet and the illuminated toilet :-) There was witty and whimsical art on the walls, eye-pleasing colors and - a first for us - a pillow menu!! The breakfast buffet was lavish and delicious, with more choices than we knew what to do with. Service at breakfast was warm, friendly and welcoming.

Authenticity & Character

Location

In the middle of the old city, in the pedestrian zone - ideally situated. May be difficult to reach, though, for folks with mobility issues, as the closest taxis can come is about 500m away.

Staff

Special shout-out to Fran, who walked out to help find us when were arrived in old Sevilla, and were lost with our rental car on the narrow cobblestone streets. He graciously helped us with our luggage and guided us to the hotel.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Bidet and illuminated toilet in the bathroom. Pillow menu - oh my!

Catalonia Las Cortes

Madrid

Hotel is lovely, with excellent service, comfortable rooms and beds, and great breakfast.

Authenticity & Character

A nice mix of character and history, with modern amenities.

Location

Central location, near museums, Plaza Mayor, and Plaza Santa Ana

Staff

Consistently friendly and helpful

Cleanliness & Comfort

Very clean. One issue is that the rooms on one floor (not sure which one) all have a substantial step up into the bathroom. This was a hazard for my elderly parents, to the point that they requested a room change, which hotel staff accommodated quickly and efficiently. There are also door stoppers affixed permanently to the floor, which are easy to walk into and stub one's toe.

Activity Reviews

Tapas Culinary Experience

Madrid

Jenk was a friendly and informative guide. We liked that it was in the Chamberi neighborhood, which has fewer tourists and so felt like an authentic experience.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Guided Visit of Museo del Prado with Art Historian

Madrid

Christina was an excellent guide, with considerable knowledge about the museum, which she presented in a lively and interesting manner.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Private Guided Visit of Córdoba

Córdoba

Traditional Andalusian Cooking Class & Market Visit

Seville

Guided Visit of Seville

Seville

Guided Visit of Alhambra & Generalife Gardens

Granada

Alberto was outstanding.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Our guides were for our tours were great.
They were very knowledgeable and efficient.
The hotels we chose from the list were amazing.
Great choices to chose from. The wine tour to Rioja was wonderful. Iker did a great job as our guide for the day.
All the drivers were on time and we felt very organized the whole trip.