Pauline Mathieu

We were knocked out by the variety, depth and professionalism we experienced during our travel adventures. This was one of the best travel experiences we've ever had. We could never have dreamed up the countless escapades we got to be a part of and were so appreciative of the accessibility and ease of it all!

We explored museums, castle ruins, and ancient villages and dined in cozy pubs in the middle of vibrant world-class cities. We had some of the finest guided tours I've ever been on (the Edinburgh literary tour and Cotswold Tour in Bath were standouts). But we were most impresssed by our KimKim travel specialists, Pauline and Sarah (and earlier on Neil), who not only put together this unforgettable travel experience for us but who were available to us at every turn.

In fact, they managed to transform a potential disappointment (due to an unexpected train incident) into one of the most exciting days of our long vacation by rescheduling a much-anticipated river cruise for us. We were able to sneak in a spontaneous visit to the Greenwich Museum and see a show at Shakespeare's Globe Theatre because of the way they thoughtfully configured our day. (We even had a chance to visit with some of the actors at the Swann afterward)! Pauline was as warm and attentive as she was thoughtfully professional as she worked to troubleshoot the inevitable unexpecteds that travel brings.

Our accommodations, while varied, were universally safe, clean and served delicious breakfasts. We were especially fond of our accommodations at the Grosvenor Arms in Bath, where we found the company of our host Richard genial and engaging. The Crown Inn at Penrith was our coziest night of sleep and the hardworking staff was personable, warm and gracious. We loved our travel itinerary in the Lakes District and the fascinating visit to beautiful ruins of Lowther Castle.

There is an endless array of memories to meditate on over the coming winter. One thing is certain: we will be trusting our next travel adventure with Kim Kim!

The trip planning process was incredibly easy and we were supported the entire way through by Pauline and the kimkim staff. Once we were on our vacation, we were able to continue contacting Pauline when we had a few snags at hotel check in, which she expertly handled. Using kimkim took a lot of stress out of traveling and is something that we’ll consider using again in the future!

This was our second time booking a trip through KimKim - our first time working with High Pointe Holidays and Pauline. The trip was expertly planned, perfectly paced and hit all the right notes for us. The team was incredibly proactive and responsive when we did have questions. In the one instance where an accommodation fell short of our expectations (not KimKim's fault!) they more than rectified the situation. We would absolutely book through KimKim/High Pointe Holidays again.

Hotel Reviews

Apex City of Glasgow Hotel

Glasgow

Might have been our favorite hotel of the trip. Perfectly located for our activities. Center center, but away from the more busier, touristy sections of the city. Comfortable rooms. Great breakfast. Very helpful, friendly staff.

Authenticity & Character

Apex always delivers, in my experience. Everything you need. Nothing you don't.

Location

Close to the action of the city, but not too close to the busier, more touristy sections of town. Quiet. Comfortable. On par with the other Apex hotels I've stayed at.

Staff

Staff was incredibly helpful with recommendations and very accommodating.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Rooms were very comfortable. Quiet. Generously proportioned.

3 Oban Self catering Apartment with seaview

Oban

Wish we had more time here! Perfect for us. 3 bedrooms. Full kitchen. Washer. Very walkable to all activities, shops in Oban.

Authenticity & Character

Beautiful, charming building. Generous sized rooms. Nice kitchen. Good place to stay for a few days and use as a base of operations. With the Tesco Superstore nearby wish we had more time to have used the kitchen.

Location

Staff

Self-catering, no staff.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Very clean and comfortable apartment.

The Garrison

Fort William

Another stand out amongst many. New-ish hotel. Great location. Friendly and helpful staff. Well located in Fort William. Minor complaint - small rooms if you are traveling with a child and need a rollaway bad or sleeper sofa. Great breakfast and bar.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Perfectly located. Fort William is very walkable. Key for us - onsite and free parking.

Staff

Friendly and helpful

Cleanliness & Comfort

Very clean and very cozy rooms

Rosedale Hotel

Portree County

Do not stay here. Location is great. But, little to no parking. If you are on a long trip and traveling with family/kids + have bags - can be a bit of a challenge. Front desk staff were rude and unfriendly. Asked for passport number and future travel plans. Terrible experience would not recommend.

Authenticity & Character

This hotel/property has a lot of potential. It needs some work. Rooms are very generous, but feels/smells musty. As mentioned, very nice location, but just didn't hit the mark for us.

Location

As far as location gets in Portree - only thing I can give high marks on.

Staff

Outside of the restaurant staff at breakfast, which were nice/helpful (but very slow) - front desk staff were terrible. Wouldn't give me room keys without providing my passport number (very, very odd) as well as asking me where we were traveling to next, so they could document it electronically.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Smelled musty. Rooms felt dirty.

Malmaison Edinburgh City

Edinburgh

Very well located in new town. Very nice, generously sized rooms. Incredibly helpful staff!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

River Forth & Bridges Boat Tours

Scotland

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Loch Lomond Cruise

Scotland

We really enjoyed this activity. Small cruise, not a lot of people. Felt more intimate, which we liked and prefer.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Great commentary - quite funny.

Transport

Visit the Glenfinnan Monument

Scotland

Please guide appropriately on timing - how early to arrive. At least an hour early if your tour is scheduled close to a train crossing time.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Edinburgh Castle Tickets

Edinburgh

When possible, I'd recommend to folks try to get the first tour of the day, especially during summer (peak season). It was uncomfortably full of people at 3pm and was hard to enjoy the tour. If you can't get an earlier tour due to travel schedule, I'd probably skip if you don't like walking shoulder to shoulder and being cut off in line constantly by unaware tourists.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Boat tour from Oban - see the coast of Mull

Oban

we unfortunately had to skip this activity as our son was sick. Imagine it would've been pretty awesome.