May Have Found the Agency for All our Future Trips!
Spain | Aug 7 - Aug 14, 2024

J
Jane K.
Newark, NJ | Reviewed on Aug 15, 2024

We used KimKim to plan a 8-day trip for our family's first overseas trip in Europe. From beginning to end, the team was very communicative in answering all my questions. I really enjoyed being able to do the quiz to choose what we like as well as the pace we would like for our days. Since this is our first time using a traveling agency, I really did not know what to expect. The activities all looked great but I did not know how they actually would be. Well...they were beyond our expectations. Each activity they planned for us was great. I think they specialized in using local companies which helps to local community and people which I loved. We loved all our guides-each of them had great personalities, very knowledgable, and just overall wonderful people. The hotels were in great locations and our agent, Giorgia, was very helpful during our trip with changing the time of our car rental to communicating with the hotel about our rooms. She even gave us a surprise card and gifts to remember Barcelona. Throughout the trip, my husband and I just kept saying to ourselves how we would have never picked what Girogia picked and would have missed out on some really great gems and experiences. We fully intend to use KimKim for our next year's vacation!

Hotel Reviews
Hotel España Ramblas
Barcelona

This hotel was in a great centralized location so it was easy to get to anywhere. However, after dark, the area felt a little unsafe. We did not really stay out late at night while staying there. There was a lot of street noise at night as it is in a very populated area so sleep on our first night was hard. That was solved when we played white noise on our phones. The staff was wonderful and the breakfast was amazing! I really enjoyed a quiet breakfast by myself in the morning.

Authenticity & Character
The staircase and the balcony.
Location
The street noise was hard and after dark, it felt a little unsafe.
Staff
Cleanliness & Comfort
Alta House Begur
Begur, Girona

Begur is such a charming town and Alta House Begur just added to the town's charm. The staff was wonderful. The views were amazing, especially on the rooftop. The breakfast felt like such a retreat each morning as I sat in the garden by the pool, surrounded by the beautiful mountain views. Alta House is a beautiful place to rest and experience a retreat from the world.

Authenticity & Character
Location
Staff
Cleanliness & Comfort
Activity Reviews
Tapas Walk in Barcelona
Tapas Walk in Barcelona
Barcelona

Carla is the perfect guide for this - each place she picked was different in the food, atmosphere, and personality. We really enjoyed learning from her about the food, the places, and just her love for Barcelona. It was also the perfect first activity to do on our first day to give us a sense of the city.

Quality of Experience
Carla was great tour guide-knowledgeable, personable, warm.
Food
Can't say enough about how good the food and drinks were!
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Carla was amazing.
Transport
The walk from place to place was thought-out and really enjoyable.
Barcelona & Gaudí:  An Architecture Walk
Barcelona & Gaudí: An Architecture Walk
Barcelona

Caterina was wonderful. Her passion for the beauty of the city really came through and really helped us to appreciate everything that we saw. She was very accommodating to us as we had our sons with us. They were getting tired near the end. She recommended a great local place for tapas and even walked us there.

Quality of Experience
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Caterina was wonderful! Her love for the art really was infectious.
Transport
We mostly walked and took the Metro. It was all very easy.
Boquería Market Visit & Cooking Class
Boquería Market Visit & Cooking Class
Barcelona

The tour of the Boqueria Market was very brief and it was difficult to hear with all the noise. We did not really spend much time at the stands and couldn't really purchase anything. However, I think it was because we needed to make it back in time for the cooking class which was awesome. Our chef/teacher (Janella) was great-she was funny, clear with her instructions, and her excitement for the food and cooking was infectious. We loved everything we cooked.

Quality of Experience
The cooking class was amazing. The tour was very short and basic.
Guides, Drivers and Staff
The cooking class was amazing and our chef/teacher was great. The tour guide for the market was ok-hard to hear him and he was not really engaged in conversations with us as we were walking which other guides were.
Transport
Everything was an easy walk.
Coastal Hike, Kayaking & Lagoon Dipping in Costa Brava
Coastal Hike, Kayaking & Lagoon Dipping in Costa Brava
Spain

This was by far our family's favorite activity of all the ones we did during our stay in Spain. We did the 8-hour tour with Ola. The time amount was perfect for all the activities we did-kayak, snorkeling, and cliff-jumping. Ola was such a great guide from his clear, funny instructions to encouragements throughout the adventure that allowed us to feel comfortable to get out of our comfort zone, take some risks, and enjoy ourselves. He was exceptionally wonderful with our boys, who felt very comfortable and safe with him as he taught them how to cliff jump for the first time. I asked if we could do something small to celebrate my husband's birthday, which was the day of our trip with Ola. He took the time to get a special Catalan dessert so we could sing happy birthday to end our day. It was the perfect celebration. We cannot say enough great things about Mr. Ola and our time learning from him and enjoying the Mediterranean Sea. If you have the chance, definitely do this-an unforgettable fun day!

Quality of Experience
The best activity of our trip.
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Ola was an amazing guide who was great with our boys. He was very clear in his instructions and encouraging while we did things that were new to us like cliff jumping!
Transport
It was a very easy ride from Barcelona to the beach at Costa Brava. It was really cool to see Spain outside of Barcelona and Ola did a great job highlighting things along the ride for us to see like the castles.
Local specialist: Giorgia Torre
Giorgia
Giorgia Torre
Local specialist in Madrid | Replied on Aug 22, 2024

Hi Jane,
Thank you so much for writing such a wonderful and detailed review.😍I am so happy you and your family had a great time in Barcelona and Costa Brava and that you liked so much all your guides especially Ola for the hike-kayak excursion in Costa Brava. Doubtlessly I will deliver the message!
Knowing that you had a great experience is the best reward for us! It has been a pleasure helping you plan this adventure with your family!🥰
All the best,
Giorgia