Kimkim Trip Reviews for Spain

Working with James over the past two years (thanks to Covid!) was wonderful! He worked with us to plan a trip for our 8th wedding anniversary to Begur and Barcelona in May 2020, which we ended up postponing for two years, and turned into a 10th wedding anniversary trip! The accommodations he recommended and activities planned were perfect for what we like to do when we travel. We particularly enjoyed our time with Olga in Barcelona - she spoke perfect English, was entertaining and knowledgeable, and was very personable. Thank you, James, for a wonderful trip!

We had a great road trip through the north and northwest of Spain. Kim Kim provided us with local agents with local knowledge which really made a significant difference. Besides arranging tickets to well-known destinations such as the Sagrada Familia, Batllo House, Park Guell, etc. in Barcelona. They helped arrange unique walking and Pintxos tours in Barcelona and San Sebastian. If you like maritime history then you would also appreciate the Alboa Foundation and seeing the construction of a traditional whaling ship using original techniques. We really enjoyed the Agroturismo Casas that were arranged for us, although a couple of locations were a bit further off the beaten path than what we had expected; but nevertheless, very enjoyable and provided for a unique experience. We enjoyed visiting villages along the Camino and seeing places such as the Monasterio de Pietro park and all of the beautiful waterfalls, Bertiz National Park, and the Playa de Catedrales. The folks at Kim Kim stayed in touch with us on our journey to check in with us and were always available if there was a question or a need.

The planning process was easy and responsive using the online communication tools that Kim Kim provides.

Upon finding great online reviews about KimKim, we decided to go with them for our family trip to Spain. From the first contact to the last interaction, everything went smoothly.

We got excellent advise when planning our trip (it was our first time in Spain so this was important). Raquel -our local specialist- is very knowledgeable and, after making sure she understood our interests, she helped us design the perfect itinerary: Malaga, Granada, Sevilla and Madrid (including visits to Ronda, Setenil and Valencia) in 11 days.

The hotels were all very unique and -as per our request- historic or representative of the Spanish culture. They were all perfectly located in the historic centre, so we could easily walk to all the interesting places, and stay late for shows or drinks and walk back to the hotel easily. The service was excellent and the buffet breakfasts were superb.

Raquel also assisted us in choosing the right tours and activities to keep all the family happy and booking everything for us. We had the perfect mix of cultural, gastronomic and fun activities.

Raquel was also very diligent in making sure everything was properly booked (hotel, drivers, guides, tickets, etc.) and that each evening we had the relevant information/tickets for the next day.

The drivers were always very polite and helpful, and on time every single time. The tour guides were very knowledgeable and friendly. We could ask them all sorts of questions and they made each visit extremely interesting and informative. Bea -our tour guide in Seville- helped us have one of the best days during the trip. Federico was a wealth of knowledge when visiting La Alhambra, Tino was the best guide we could have had in El Prado museum, and Jaume in Valencia was a delight to spend the day with, just to name some, but all were fantastic.

I would definitely recommend planning and booking your next trip with KimKim. They took all the hassle and the stress of planning and travelling from us, we feel we made the most of our time in Spain, and we felt treated like royalty all the time.

Can’t wait until the next trip!

Patricia did a fabulous job of matching our itinerary to our interests. YTTSP gave us a local phone, preloaded with information we needed in case of questions. Only a few minor isssues occurred, and Patricia called right away to discuss the question and the solution. Her customer service is outstanding, and was very much appreciated on our first visit to Spain.

We spent 8 days touring 4 cities, and had incredible guides for all the important places we wanted to tour. Laura, who handled our tour of the Sagrada Familia and Guell Park in Barcelona, was a particular standout. Federico toured us through the Alhambra and Generalife Gardens in Granada with an incredible amount of background information and details drawn from poetry and letters written by the occupants and visitors of the time. Patricia handled all of our transportation, including flights, trains and drivers. Instructions were always clear and very straightforward. The hotels chosen for us were also standouts.

I highly recommend Patricia and YTTSP for a relaxing and rewarding vacation!

Here is what I posted on TripAdvisor…

We started to work with Luis on an itinerary and made many changes until we came up with a final version. Along that process, Luis was patient and helpful with great suggestions. Once we arrived in Spain, the hotels Luis booked were excellent and all very central and perfect for easy access to things tourists want to be near. We wanted a few tours included and I stressed that I wanted only “small group” tours. Luis found us perfect companies that specialize in small groups and in each case, the tour guides were excellent ! He was in regular contact with us along the way and when we had a few questions, he was quick to respond. Everything he organized for us worked perfectly !
I highly recommend Luis and Hidden in Spain!
Maureen R.
Vancouver

To the KimKim Team and James at Tailormade:

I have lost my survey email somehow but I cannot pass up the opportunity to tell you what a fantastic job James and Susanna did at the Tailormade Andalusia Team!

The customized itinerary was amazing, the accommodations perfect, the attention to detail unsurpassed, and the personal interaction and touches so perfect (and appreciated!). The drivers and tour guides were fun, interesting, well informed, and compensated for our lack of Spanish language with their English skills! With your assistance we discovered the friendly, historic, proud culture of Spain. Everyone made us feel like royalty!

What a great way to explore Spain! Thank you to everyone for making our trip so special. We would not hesitate to call you all again!

We really had great tours and guides. The cooking class was lord of fun with great instructors. Jospeh our hiking guide and Pedro our 4x4 guide did an excellent job as well. The can Alberti was an excellent hotel with great service

Hotel Review

Casa Albertí Boutique Hotel

Mahón

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Review

Boquería Market Visit & Cooking Class

Barcelona

This was our first experience planning travel with kimkim and we will definitely use you again. The trip was really flawless due in large part to Marina and the kimkim team listening to what we thought we wanted to do and acting on, and enhancing, our ideas. Our local guides in Madrid (Geza, fun, enthusiastic, knowledgeable), Cordoba (Olivia, extremely knowledgeable, loved her visual aides), and Sevilla (Raul’s love of the city and the Alcazar really came through), were OUTSTANDING. Each hotel was more charming than the last and I am ready to move in permanently to the H10 Casa de La Plata in Sevilla. Gorgeous lobby, great room, A+ staff. The hotel staff in Madrid were also top-notch. We found the tour and olive oil tasting at Hacienda Guzman to be another highlight: our guide there, again, knowledgeable and engaging. But the overarching positive was Marina and her hands-on attention to every detail. She anticipated everything we needed and was readily available via messaging, even phone, on the occasions we needed anything while we were there. Marina helped us have the perfect introduction to Spain. We are grateful to have had her guidance throughout the trip.

Hotel Review

H10 Casa de la Plata

Sevilla

Location, lobby, room, bathroom, breakfast, staff members, were all exceptional. You really cannot improve on the location: walkable to so much shopping, dining, sites.

Tips for future travelers

Be aware that it is not accessible by car. Your taxi/Uber driver will need to drop you about a block or so away and you will walk through the narrow streets to the hotel.

Authenticity & Character

Beautiful decor, elegant and updated.

Location

Staff

Very friendly, professional, accommodating, spoke excellent English.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Perfectly clean.

Activity Review

Visit an Andalusian Olive Oil Estate

Seville

Our private tour guide was engaging and knowledgeable. The tour and tasting were both so enjoyable.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Our family trip to Barcelona and Madrid was the perfect 10. With the exception of some rainy days everything else was planned perfectly thanks to Bea! From our arrival when customs lines were longer than expected, to one rainy day when we needed some indoor activity ideas, to planning covid tests for our return flight, Bea was available and responded quickly every time we needed her or had questions. It was so reassuring to have someone to ask questions to during our stay--and it removed any anxiety we had about making the most of our time without wasting it on unnecessary google searches! The highlight of the trip was our private tour with Jordi to Montserrat and a Winery where the iconic cava is made. Jordi was informative, and friendly and a joy to spend the day with--and all we had to do was enjoy the spectacular views and countryside! Overall I was blown away by the personal planning I received before and during or trip. I would not hesitate to recommend Bea and Kimkim to friends and will certainly use their service again in the future.

Activity Review

Day Trip to Montserrat & Penedès Region Wine Tasting

Barcelona

This was certainly one of the highlights of our trip. Jordi was a spectacular tour guide, friendly, funny, informative and a joy to spend an entire day with. Doing this as a private tour made it the most memorable part of our vacation. Montserrat was breathtaking and so inspirational. The wine tour was informative and entertaining and we left with some amazing cava to enjoy for the remainder of our trip.

Quality of Experience

Bea's suggestions allowed us to vere off the beaten path of typical tourists and show our son some sights he hasn't seen while studying abroad in Barcelona.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

top notch

Transport

clean, comfortable, on time, completely stress free.

Trip was wonderfully planned out. A perfect blend of oversight and self-determination.
Joel was there for me every step of the way, when needed, both before and during my trip.

We are a well-traveled family of 4. I usually plan our trip itineraries but just couldn’t this time due to work/life. KimKim and Sam to the rescue. I was a bit hesitant but Google Reviews were all good, so I took a chance in reaching out. After the first interaction with Sam, I knew I’d happily let him take care of our 9 day trip.
Prior to the trip, he was great at keeping me informed on ideas and planning progress. He asked questions (and made recommendations) re preferences on hotels and excursions/tours, and then just took care of all of it. From the private transfers to/from airport, COVID tests, train tickets, and tours, it was all done seamlessly for us. When the cloudy/rainy weather caused us to cancel a bike tour in Barcelona and our Costa Brava excursions on a boat and e-bikes, Sam and the tour guides were able to shift to make sure we still had a fun and full day.
The on the ground tour guides were excellent. Teresa, an art historian, was so knowledgeable at the Prado and walking us around Madrid; Samuel had great stories at Montserrat and was a pleasure to talk with; Craig was excellent showing us around the medieval towns in Costa Brava and giving us so many little tidbits at the Dali museum that we’d never have seen or experienced without his info; and Maribel was informative and interesting during our day in Madrid experiencing Park Guell and Sagrada Familia. All of them interacted with our 11& 12 year old boys and made sure to keep them engaged. I even appreciated that our drive to and from the airport (Walter) was the same person to book end our trip with a safe and friendly drive.
The hotels were all 5* with excellent family room setups. I was very impressed.
I can’t recommend KimKim, Sam or the various tour guides enough. We can’t wait to go back to Spain!

Bea was amazing. Constantly working with us both before AND during our trip to help us have a wonderful experience. We even changed activities and times while in Spain and she made it happen. I would use her again in a heartbeat and hope to do so on our next trip.
By way of background, there were 8 of us in the trip, ages 13-73. We went to Madrid, Toledo, Barcelona and also north in Catalunya. We tackled around three activities per day all thanks to her!

Hotel Review

CoolRooms Palacio de Atocha

Madrid

Lovely hotel and great staff

Tips for future travelers

It was great for our last night before we returned

Authenticity & Character

Room design

Location

Staff

Diego!

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Review

Tapas Culinary Experience

Madrid

Raul was delightful and informative

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

I don’t even know where to begin with this review, because our trip to Spain was perfect…and I mean PERFECT-from start to finish.

Patricia was incredibly patient and kind during the planning stages. She quickly and seamlessly accommodated the many changes we had to make because of flight changes , Covid, etc Due to storms back home, we has to stay in Spain extra days. Patricia set up a new and wonderful hotel and our new Covid test appointments.

We spent 3 days in Barcelona, took the high speed train to Madrid, and took a day trip to Toledo from Madrid. In Barcelona, we had a bike tour in the Gothic Quarter with Clara who provided an fun and enlightening information as well as tips on where to go for tapas! We also has an intellectually stimulating tour of the Gaudi Masterpieces and Güell Park with Elena, whose historical knowledge was stunning. For us, the icing on the cake was the guided tour of La Boqueria Market and subsequent cooking class with Carlos. We learned to make paella, crema catalana, Spanish omelette, pan tomate, and flat bread with spinach, pignoli, and raisins. We highly recommend all of these activities

After arriving in Madrid, we were greeted by the most gracious driver, Ricardo. He ended up driving us three times while we were in Madrid, and by the end we felt like he was family. Our day trip to Toledo was life-changing. Toledo was one of the most physically beautiful places I had ever seen! We were so fortunate to have Inma as our guide. We took a cab tour to see the bigger picture, and then we saw the Cathedral and the Jewish Quarter. She left us at a wonderful place for lunch.

I can’t think Patricia enough for this trip. It was truly magical, and she was the one who made it happen. I would recommend her 1000 times over. Thank you! You made me and my husband fall in love with Spain. We will be back!

Karin was very patient in putting together our trip. We booked two weeks in advanced which is too short and Karin was able to make an excellent trip for us. Thank you Karin, we always remember you and Kimkim.
Once Beatriz de Pablo took over in Spain and Portugal it was an awesome trip. We told her our flight and she was able to adjust in short notice our accommodation. Beatriz make our trip so it won't be tiring for us. We have enough rest and go sight seeing, shopping, walking downtown and having tapas. Beatriz also made sure we are doing fine by texting via WhatsApp everyday, if our pickup was there. She also got all the professional guides for us. It turns our almost all out tours were private. Hotels she choose with our budget were excellent. They were very clean and comfortable and made us feel welcome. Staff at the hotel were accommodating as well, they guided us where to eat, shop, what to see on our free time.
Hello Bea, Hats off to you, you did awesome. It's a trip we can't forget. Please also thank our professional guides Cristina, Enrique, Sergio in Barcelona. Jorge in Madrid. Train ride to Toledo was excellent and the place great. It was sooo cold. But anyway we were able to change our return trip to Madrid earlier. Oh gosh, we were having a good time and I forgot the names of our guide in Granada Please so sorry. Our guide in Seville Andres who waited for us to get our antigen test and was very patient. Our driver Juan Pedro going to the Andalusian Olive Estate thank you for being an excellent guide. Now in Lisboa, our last destination this trip was suer great. Miguel our food tour guide was so professional, friendly with a god sense of humor. Maria our guide to our Lady of Fatima was to drive and guide us was very good. It was an hour and a half drive from Lisboa. Tireless woman.
Overall, five stars to all who made our trip worth remembering. Hats off to all!!!

Hotel Review

Ciutat de Barcelona

Barcelona

Easy access to shops, restaurants, points of interests. Hotel can call a taxi for you. Excellent location. Very clean rooms and we had free buffet breakfast. Breakfast selection was very good.

Tips for future travelers

No parking nearby.

Authenticity & Character

Ambiance

Location

within City Center

Staff

Friendly and accommodating

Cleanliness & Comfort

very clean, good wifi connection

Activity Review

Tapas Walk in Barcelona

Barcelona

Excellent tapas. Wine or any drink you like to have. Cava was our favorite.. We went to three bars and tapa place and they were all very good. Tasted parmesan cheese cake!! Cristina was a professional guide.

Quality of Experience

we had the best tapas

Food

Awesome!

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Very Professional

Transport

we walked

Due to Covid, this trip was booked last minute due to several iterations. Karin made it possible and was even available during the trip in spite of a personal situation. She is the best to work with.

I found kimkim with a Google search, and was impressed with the positive feedback given by former travelers. Now, I am the one giving the positive review without any hesitation! Our trip to Spain was planned excellently and with attention to detail by Sam. We certainly had some anxiety due to COVID restrictions, but decided to go ahead with the trip and had a wonderful experience. In addition, my wife had a fracture in her foot that limited her ability to walk distances, but wheelchair assistance was arranged for her when possible. Transportation between sites was always on-time and each driver was very polite and helpful. Each guide was well-prepared and extremely informative and friendly and welcoming: Teresa in Madrid, Joaquin in Cordoba, Maria in Seville, Roberto and Paco in Granada, and Maria and Craig in Barcelona. We experienced so many wonderful sites, too many to mention, but the highlights were: Prado and Royal Palace in Madrid, Mosque-Cathedral and Alcazar in Cordoba, Cathedral and Alcazar in Seville, Alhambra and Albaicin in Granada, and Sagrada Familia and Parc Guell in Barcelona followed by a day trip to Montserrat and a winery near Barcelona. Our trip also included several meals and a Flamenco show, and we thoroughly enjoyed these as well as the sight-seeing planned in each city. Also, Sam and his colleague Fran checked in with us during the trip to make sure everything was going smoothly--and, of course, everything did go very smoothly thanks to the attention to detail by our travel agent! The accommodations were very nice and always in a convenient location in each city. Overall, we had an amazing experience, and would highly recommend Sam and kimkim to anyone. We have no regrets and only wish we had more than ten days to spend in Spain.

Hotel Reviews

H10 Casa de la Plata

Sevilla

Hotel is in a great location close to historical sites and shopping. However, if your room has an outside view, it can be noisy during the night. The staff were friendly and hotel was new and clean and nicely decorated.

Tips for future travelers

While the view of the street was nice, choose an interior room for less noise during the night.

Authenticity & Character

New and nicely decorated.

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel NH Califa

Córdoba

Hotel was good--clean and convenient. However, it could use some updating. Staff was friendly.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Casa 1800 Granada

Granada

Hotel was in a quiet, secluded street. Building was old with lots of character. Staff was extremely friendly.

Tips for future travelers

Highly recommend.

Authenticity & Character

Beautiful building and rooms.

Location

Close to shopping and sites in center of city,

Staff

So friendly and helpful

Cleanliness & Comfort

Beds weren't the most comfortable on our trip.

Gallery

Barcelona

Great location, very helpful staff, comfortable beds and climate control.

Authenticity & Character

A modern hotel. Nicely decorated.

Location

A little farther from tourist sites, but easily reached by taxi or walking.

Staff

Very helpful as this was our last hotel of the trip and we had documents that we needed printed out.

Cleanliness & Comfort

H10 Puerta de Alcalá

Madrid

Nice location, great breakfast, helpful staff. Hallway noise could be heard in rooms.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Private City Tour of Seville

Seville

We toured the Cathedral, Alcazar and explored a neighborhood with our guide, Maria. She was very informative and made the experience so much fun and informative.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Guide was fun, informative, and well-prepared.

Transport

Private Tour of Park Güell & Sagrada Família

Barcelona

Parc Guell is fun and whimsical place to visit. Sagrada Familia is just too amazing for words. If you only have time for one place, go to Sagrada Familia. Also, our guide, Sandra, made the place come to life.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Took taxis, but had no issues.

Private Flamenco & Tapas Tour

Seville

Flamenco show was so much fun and interesting. Tapas tour was also informative and our guide explained the traditions and food choices to us. Delicious!

Quality of Experience

Food

Restaurant choices were excellent.

Private Tour of Córdoba

Córdoba

Mosque-Cathedral and Alcazar were fascinating and came to life with our guide.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Day Trip to Montserrat & Wine Tour

Barcelona

A great day trip from Barcelona. Nice to see the countryside and experience more culture away from the city.

Quality of Experience

Food

Stopped at a restaurant in a small town and thoroughly enjoyed the experience.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Craig transported us and was a great guide for our day.

Transport

I cannot provide enough superlatives that capture how beautifully my family's trip to Spain, (and side trip to France) unfolded. While very well traveled, and having used Trip Advisor incessantly for many years, I had been unaware of kimkim.com, until I saw it mentioned in a travel magazine. Learning of its origins and creators, and then reading excellent reviews about it, I thought I would give it a try. I generally arrange all of my family's travel, but have been feeling overwhelmed in the past year like many, and decided it would be nice to have a little bit of help "in country", in connecting some of the dots and details. That said, I didn't have very high hopes because cause in the past I have tried a couple of travel agents and been sorely disappointed. Because of my experience in traveling and preference for exacting detail in hotels and itinerary overall, I have found I have to explain too much to an agent. They also tend to want to designate something "typical" or popular for the average tourist.
Well… from the very first encounter with Patricia to our last communication upon arriving back in the States, I could not have been more blown away by the excellence and professionalism offered by Patricia and her associates.

We first exchange some letters and I explained the basics of what I was after. She suggested a phone call to better communicate; I found kimkim's set up of arranging a phone call via the website worked beautifully. Phone calls seem to route through Palo Alto headquarters and the connections were always excellent. At any rate, Patricia was so intuitive fom the get-go. I never felt guilty or pressured when I expressed atypical things like my family doesn't generally like to have a tour guide at attractions. We prefer to just be together and educate ourselves via audio guides or internet searches. She started to get a real sense of our travel preferences and really ran with it. She suggested hotels but knew that I had done a lot of research and respected my considerations. We had such a wonderful back-and-forth regarding selections and I was so impressed at her savvy, warmth, and kindness. I always felt throughout the 7 or 8 weeks of planning that Patricia had my back with every detail. Kimkim has a wonderful platform for sharing every detail of the itinerary, including what is and is not included in the final cost proposal.

Our trip was only 9 days and fairly full. I always felt confident, though, because Patricia had placed the entire detailed itinerary right on the cell phone she provided upon our first hotel check in. An in-country local phone might seem like the smallest detail, but It was seriously the smartest travel luxury I think I've ever been given. I could text Patricia on it at any time and it was unreal how quickly I would hear back from her. What travel agent is that responsive any time of the day or evening?!

We centered in Barcelona, with side trips to Montserrat, the Pyrenees for skiing, the coast, Girona, Perpignan, France, and Port Aventura. So much of it was simply stunning, and always culturally-enriching. There were quite a few times that questions would arise, due to language barrier or a typical international travel snafu, and my husband and I were absolutely blown away at the convenience of having that phone. Patricia would think of a suggestion for a dinner reservation and make it intuitively, just knowing that places would be filling up around the holidays. Then she would check in with me as to whether we were interested. We always were. I just felt like she read my mind and was saving me the trouble; so refreshing not to have to be "Mom the Travel Director" every minute! Her business partner and the driver, Omar, they assigned to us for all of our transiting, pick-ups and drop offs (except for when we rented our own car) were also fabulously professional, sharp, and proactive.

Some real challenges were presented because of changing Covid protocols and requirements, and I thought it spoke volumes that Patricia's team were so adaptable and helpful in overcoming these obstacles (twice very late in the evening!), making it as easy as possible for us. Whether just to check in that all was going well, or calls and texts related to troubleshooting, the level of enthusiasm and responsiveness from Patricia and her team was almost shocking. Such an incredibly high bar was set that I'm almost afraid to arrange a trip to a different part of the world because I will miss her level of service! That stated, I will definitely look to kimkim in the future, since this trip was so seamless.

Do not hesitate- in fact, RUN to arrange a trip to Spain or Portugal and request Patricia and her company Your Trip to Spain and Portugal via kimkim!!

Marina was a wonderful trip planner! She was knowledgeable about the cities in Spain we wanted to visit, offered detailed guidance, took care of all the details and was exceptionally responsive. She selected hotels that were perfect for us and provided all the resources and information we needed to have a wonderful trip. She checked in with us all week, even on Christmas day! Thank you, Marina!

Marina was great help in selection of cities and help along the way. Our first stop in Girona was magnificent and Carmen was an elegant host.

Salmanca was also excellent. Hotel Rector was amazing.

Sam and his team did a wonderful job from start to finish. They were able to understand what we were looking for in our trip and did everything possible to accommodate us. Communication was clear, thoughtful and timely throughout the process. The guides he found to show us around the Costa Brava and Barcelona were awesome! During the trip itself, Sam's team made us feel taken care of and looked after. Each activity from kayaking to museum tours was amazing!

I would highly recommend using Sam. He brings the exactly what you are looking for to plan your next trip!