Espíritu Travel

we had an excellent experience working with anita and all the kimkim staff! everyone was helpful, responsive and accommodating. well done!

a few items:

-while the process of developing the itinerary was initially difficult for me -because of the way communication is imbedded in the developing itinerary- anita was willing to accommodate me and work around it with direct contact via phone and email. thank you, anita! the app proved to be a very useful tool during the trip, providing up to date changes, quick contact and quick responses. what a great idea!

our trip went smoothly for the most part.

the guides were quite knowledgeable; some were extremely personable and fun. while all kindly accommodated the visually impaired member of our group, massimo stands out as having gone above and beyond. he was extremely helpful and caring. vito and donato also went out of their way to accommodate his needs; the ape calessino was a lifesaver in both matera and ostuni. all the guides were in contact in advance of our scheduled meeting time and were prompt in meeting us. the driver you hired at the last minute for the driving tour of naples proved to be as knowledgeable as any guide would have been; indeed, he actually was a guide. all well done!

all drivers were professional and helpful; in rome and naples, we were quite glad that they were driving and not us. again, each was in touch with us in advance of our meeting time and accommodated any travel delays cheerfully. this was especially true of vito and donato. the driver for our transfer to the rental car pickup at the naples airport was not informed of the correct pickup time. this delayed our arrival in matera, but vito and donato kindly waited for what was a substantial amount of time and cheerfully toured us anyway. we did regret that the driver assigned to pick us up in rome on arrival from munich did not learn of the delay until after he had already gone to the airport. i hope he was properly compensated.

each of the hotels stood out in different ways, but all of them were beautiful and comfortable and the staff professional and accommodating. however, the following were issues for our visually impaired friend:
-is it true that grab bars are only required in new construction in the eu? it was difficult for our friend without such accommodation. this might be wise to share with others who may be anticipating accommodations we take for granted in the united states.
-at the cenobia in matera, the staff was quite helpful and very nice, especially samir and mario, but the location was dangerously challenging. the hotel was at the bottom of several very long flights of exterior steps (no hand rails, of course). add in the rain and it was a difficult, dangerous situation for our friend. even the room assignment was problematic given the exterior steps by which it is accessed. it was fortunate the hotel was empty because it allowed management to change his room to one that had fewer steps to reach it (all entrances were exterior). as it was, it took several people to help him navigate all these steps, in the dark and the rain. he did not go to breakfast because of the rain and steps. while the hotel was beautiful and the staff wonderful, this was a bad choice for our circumstances, and could have had disastrous consequences for our friend. there is nothing on the website to alert to the steps. a heads up for other travelers is indicated.

-the same situation with steps occurred at masseria montenapoleone, on a smaller scale. again, it was fortunate that because so few people were there, management was able to reassign him to a room that was less of a challenge.

-the donna camilla was stunning. we arrived quite late after our flight from brindisi and did not see any restaurants nearby so we were quite happy it had a restaurant, a good one. however, as you know, because of our early departure, we couldn't eat at the hotel in the morning. in retrospect, we would have preferred a credit on the room since the breakfast the hotel provided was sparse and more snack-like than anything.

-because we arrived late to the donna camilla and went immediately to dinner, it wasn't until afterwards that we discovered the room our friend received had only a tub -no shower- a serious oversight and miscommunication with the hotel.

that our friend was not accommodated in several circumstances, as requested from the outset, is the only negative in what was otherwise a wonderful trip.

anita, it was a pleasure working with you…you were accommodating, quick to reply and thoughtful in your suggestions. Your colleagues we interacted with via the app were quite helpful as well. if you would like to discuss any of my comments, please feel free to contact me.

This was our first visit to Portugal so we decided to work with a professional travel company. We are glad we did.

Kim Kim exceeded our expectations! From the first contact with our representative (Helena Fernadez) until we were dropped at the Lisbon airport for our flight home, everything went exactly as planned.

Over a one week trip with visits to Lisbon, Porto, Evora, Obidos, the Douro Valley and numerous other villages and towns, there was lots to do. What stood out for us was the quality of the Portuguese food, the wine and the hospitality of the people. All came together for an enjoyable seven days.

We interacted with guides, drivers, restaurant staff, hotel representatives and other individuals along our trip. All afforded a warm level of service and care. But certain individuals went above and beyond.

Our driver from Lisbon to Porto and back Mr. Nuno Neves was exceptional. He shared his love of Portugal with us, facilitated our visits to small interesting villages and seemed always to be looking out for us. Well done Nuno. Much appreciated.

When we were in the Douro Vally, it was my wife’s birthday. Our guide/driver Bruno took that as his challenge to ensure we had a special visit. From tasting wine on the river cruise, to having the owner and guests of a small family restaurant high above the valley sing Happy Birthday in Portuguese. Very special.

It was a wonderful week. Thank-you to all the kim kim staff for making it happen for us.

Raquel was the best! She worked with us to tailor the trip exactly to our description. We were able to work with Raquel on how we wanted each day to be - activity, free time, transportation - so we could enjoy the location without hassle of trying to figure things out in a new environment. The airport and train station pickups and drop offs were really nice. The little things mattered a lot to us during the trip. Even when things did not go smoothly, we were able to get a hold of the support folks to smooth out and solve the situation. It was comforting to know we could lean on them during all of the trip.

The tour guides were very professional and accommodating to our needs. There was an instance when the hike we were looking forward to turned out to a more of a leisurely walk. The guide took it upon himself to show us a different spot which was more of the hike we had intended to do. Then when the weather turned ugly, we were taken to an alternate location which was a surprise and extremely enjoyable. In the end it turned out to be a great day even though it was not something we were looking forward to at the beginning of the tour. Kudos to the travel agents on picking people who are knowledgeable as well as empathetic.

This is the third time we have used the kimkim service to book trips and each one has been excellent! On this trip, Raquel was a true star, making sure everything worked out great. We are recommending kimkim to everyone we know as well as using the service for future trips.

Thank you Raquel and Kimkim for the wonderful memories.

The guides were great, the cities visited were beautiful and fun. The weather was a little chilly but not so much as to hinder my family's good time.

Anita planned us an excellent trip in Spain. She saved us hours of planning time and eased the stress of travel days with thoughtful instructions. We particularly liked the H10 hotel in Seville, and had fabulous tour guides in all of the cities we visited. Barcelona was our favorite, and Anna, our guide to Sagrada Familia was a particular treat.

Bea was amazing. She came up with several itineraries- adding/subtracting excursions based on my feedback. She had too pivot on one accommodation because it wasn’t available at time of booking and gave clear information. The services were spot on! All transfers very smooth and we can’t say enough about our driver Alberto who transferred us to Granada and was also our driver to Ronda and El Torcal park. Our excursion to El Torcal was prohibitive due to dense fog- that was a disappointment but Alberto was such a good driver he still brought us to the top and 2 of our family braved the weather for a short hike. Our guide at the Ahlhambra was also Alberto and he was so knowledgeable and engaging. All our drivers were friendly, prompt and communicated status and directions well. Our street tapas tour in Madrid was a highlight- our guide and the group became fast friends quickly. The entire Espíritu team was tremendous including a beautiful table of snacks at our last destination. That was a great final touch and a credit to their personal commitment. We will use KimKim again and refer anyone to Bea- she really created the most memorable trip.

Hotel Reviews

Melia Barajas

Madrid

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Intelier Casa de Indias Sevilla

Seville

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Palacio de Santa Inés

Granada

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

H10 Villa de la Reina

Madrid

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Tapas Culinary Experience

Madrid

Highlight of Madrid- our guide was engaging and fun - the choice varied and all the people in the restaurants were friendly

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Guided Visit of Alhambra & Generalife Gardens

Spain

We had to change the date and time of the tour and the support person at KimKim was right on it and made it happen. Our guide Alberto was thorough

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Ronda Wine Experience

Spain

Because it was winter there was no one at the winery which made it special. Our guide was so knowledgeable and gave a good history of the area. Wines were superb!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Alberto is the best!

Flamenco Show in a Sacromonte Cave

Granada

Quality of Experience

This was our first experience with KimKim and we had such an exceptional experience. The hotels that were selected for us were in perfect locations for the type of touring we wanted to do—within walking distance to attractions, public transit, great neighborhoods and yummy restaurants. We are an active family who like experiencing the more “local” flavor or places, and Bea did a great job of planning and adjusting our trip to fit our personal preferences and personality. There was the right amount of scheduled activities and downtime for personal exploring. We were totally impressed with the warm demeanor of all of our tour guides, who also gave great, local recommendations of places to eat/things to see. It was such a gift for me to not have to plan and hold all of the details so I could be present with my family. We are so grateful for the memories we made and have since recommended KimKim to many friends looking for a memorable travel experience. Thank you!!

Hotel Reviews

Rome Life Hotel

Rome

This hotel is in a fabulous location with a helpful staff and clean, comfortable accommodations.

Authenticity & Character

This is a more modern place but we loved the breakfast area and sitting spaces, where we were able to play cards and chat during downtime.

Location

We loved the walkable, easy access to the Collosseum, Metro and Monti neighborhood (with great restaurants).

Staff

So kind—especially the bellman who delivered our bags.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Refreshed daily. Love.

Hotel Piazza Bellini & Apartments

Naples

This hotel was right outside the bustling Piazza Bellini—which was full of local life and markets/food. We loved the courtyard, which immediately provided a respite from the busy city, and our flat, which was cozy, clean and very comfortable.

Authenticity & Character

This is a really quaint, bright hotel.

Location

So close to easy pick up spots for tours and nightlife/Naples life etc.

Staff

Their suggestions of where to go and what to see how to easily access these things. We ate amazing food in Naples and the hotel staff helped!

Cleanliness & Comfort

Somehow our room was on a crazy busy piazza but it was also very quiet. So nice to sleep well in a place after busy travel days!

Hotel Meninas

Madrid

We loved the charm of this place and the friendly people who greeted us every time we came and went. Again, super helpful folks with great suggestions—who made reservations for us so we could enjoy the 3 Kings parade as soon as we got to town.

Authenticity & Character

The stairwell in this hotel is charming—and the room was just right. We appreciated the daily refresh and the overall cleanliness of the space.

Location

We loved the easy access to city attractions, transportation and eateries. We also liked that the hotel is in a side street so just a little bit away from the hustle!

Staff

Again, so great and helpful. I couldn’t believe they offered to make our reservations for us—which is amazing when you don’t speak the language!

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Campo de’ Fiori, Jewish Ghetto and Trastevere Food Experience

Rome

We loved this whole evening—it was the perfect start to our trip and a great introduction to Rome. Silvia, our guide, was the best—she was kind, funny, and gave great information about the food and history around the neighborhoods where we ate. We had our 16 and 19 year old with us who also loved the entire experience (and Silvia!). This was a trip highlight for all of us—highly recommend!

Quality of Experience

The food was delicious and the commentary just awesome.

Food

So fun to try local, delicious bites and walk through so many cool neighborhoods during the process.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Silvia. We loved Silva. She made our photo book!

Colosseum & Roman Forum Visit: Arena Access, Gladiators Gate & Ancient City

Rome

This was just a fabulous experience. Dennis, our tour guide, was excellent—in demeanor and knowledge. Again, my kids really enjoyed his commentary, which says a lot. We visited on a crisp sunny day and enjoyed the whole thing. We didn’t realize we would have an ear piece to hear him and we loved it—there were a lot of people around but it didn’t matter!

Quality of Experience

Dennis. We were so sad we didn’t think to get a picture with him—he was excellent!

Guides, Drivers and Staff

The Flavors of Naples: Traditional Cooking Class

Naples

The cooking class in Naples was so much fun! Francesca and Silvia, our instructors, were fantastic, and it was a delightful way to engage with the local culinary traditions. We will ask them to share the pasta recipe! The experience was unforgettable and definitely one of our trip's highlights.