Great first visit to Spain
Spain | Apr 1 - Apr 16, 2024

Lisa
Lisa R.
Washington, DC | Reviewed on Apr 23, 2024

We spent 16 days staying in Madrid, Cordoba, Granada, Seville and Barcelona. The trip was great and the planning was very easy. I cheated a little bet and started by referencing a trip I found on the KimKim destinations pages. As can always be anticipated, not everything works perfectly, but KimKim made corrections very quickly to allow us the best outcome. I just tweaked the activities and days a bit to suit our groups interests and abilities. The private tours were the highlights of our trip. In Cordoba, unfortunately I can't remember the guide's name, the private walking tour of the Mezquita, Alcazar and Jewish quarter was excellent. In Granada, Jennifer provided so much historical insight during the Alhambra and Generalife Gardens visit. Marcell took us on the Private Flamenco and Tapas Tour and provided great food and drink pairings. The Private transfer from Granada to Seville via Ronda was with Miguel. Miguel went above and beyond during the trip. Barbara was our private guide for a walking tour of Seville. Our Spanish Menu Cooking class had a booking error, but KimKim quickly got us into a Paella Cooking Class in Barcelona that was awesome.

Hotel Reviews
Petit Palace Posada del Peine
Madrid

Hotel is in a great location, within reasonable walking distance of many plazas, Real Palace and many sights. Just a block off of Plaza Mayor which has an abundance of bars and restaurants. Per reports, it is the oldest hotel in Spain. It has some dated features, but comfortable beds and rooms.

Authenticity & Character
Much of the old charm is still visible
Location
A block off of Plaza Mayor
Staff
Staff was very helpful with providing advice and recommendations
Cleanliness & Comfort
Las Casas de la Juderia Hotel
Córdoba

Great old piece of history, used to be a prominent resident's home.

Authenticity & Character
There were old artifacts around the hotel which was interesting. Also, there is an open archeological site accessible on the ground floor which was really interesting
Location
Easy walk to Mezquita and restaurants
Staff
Gave us advice about things to do and see that was very helpful
Cleanliness & Comfort
Hotel Macià Granada Five Senses
Granada

This was a clean and modern hotel. Not as close to some of the attractions as I would have liked, but was close to shops and restaurants.

Authenticity & Character
More modern and cold than the historic hotels we stayed in during our trip
Location
Need to expect to take a taxi to get to Alhambra. The walk is quite steep and a bit far. Easy walk to many restaurants.
Staff
They were helpful, but seemed busy all the time
Cleanliness & Comfort
Beds were a little low and the room had carpeting which may not be as clean, but you never know.
Hotel Casa de Colón
Sevilla

Very quaint old hotel.

Authenticity & Character
Rooms built around the central courtyard of what was probably a great old home.
Location
Easy walk to most of the attractions
Staff
Cleanliness & Comfort
Rooms had a few little quirky things. The bathroom was an old sliding door made from a stained glass door that may have been the old door to the entrance of the room. Our room was directly under the space where the breakfasts are prepared, so noises started early.
Ciutat de Barcelona
Barcelona

This was the worst hotel I have stayed in to my memory. The rooms noted that they were air conditioned and soundproofed. Also, no minibar as was noted in our booking info. However, upon our arrival, we found the rooms were not air conditioned. The front desk told us the air conditioning would not be turned on until the end of the month of April. (However, the front desk area and breakfast area were definitely air conditioned.) Consequently, we had to open the patio windows to be able to withstand the night in the room. With the windows open, the SUPER SUPER loud street noise was unbearable with people screaming at all hours of the night and city trash, recycle and street cleaning occurring every night. Also, the room patio was shared with another room, so the security with the patio doors open was minimal. Additionally, we were traveling with another couple and we were not able to get rooms near each other. We would rate this hotel with a 1 star. Also, you should be prepared to pay a per person, per night city tax at check in which was about 75Euros for 4 people for 4 nights.

Authenticity & Character
Semi-modernized older hotel. From the inside, there wasn't much of the older character left
Location
Quite a distance from Park Guell and La Sagrada Familia, but close to Parc de la Ciutadella. Very Noisy area with lots of activity late at night
Staff
Staff didn't have any way to help us when we didn't want to have a room sharing a balcony with a stranger instead of our traveling companions. Also, no help with the discomfort due to no air conditioning
Cleanliness & Comfort
Room was clean enough, but noise and inability to control the temperature was terrible
Activity Reviews
Private transfer from  {{start_location}} to {{end_location}} with Ronda visit
Private transfer from {{start_location}} to {{end_location}} with Ronda visit
Spain

Miguel was great. He took us on a side trip to see Sentenil de las Bodegas which was an interesting town built into rock overhangs--sort of cave like. Then, he proceeded on to Ronda. During lunch, a traveling companion suffered a choking incident. He promptly took us to the hospital and assisted with translation as needed. After all was well again, he continued with the remainder of the trip without cutting anything short. That caused him to have a longer day than anticipated.

Quality of Experience
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Transport
Multi-Course Cooking Class with Wine Pairing
Multi-Course Cooking Class with Wine Pairing
Barcelona

This was super fun. The staff at the Paella Club were very engaging. The meal was fun to cook and share amongst all the other participants. Plenty of Spanish cava and wine was poured throughout the evening.

Quality of Experience
Food
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Self-Guided Walk around the Historic Center
Self-Guided Walk around the Historic Center
Madrid

I wish these self guided tours included maps and some information about the tickets that may be wanted since many attractions in Spain have limited ticket availability

Quality of Experience
Toledo Day Trip and Winery Experience
Toledo Day Trip and Winery Experience
Madrid

This trip had a couple of issues. First, there is never enough time to really explore the old towns and feed yourself. The winey tour part of the trip was quite a bust. The bus drove us to the winery usually used and it was closed. We had to spend another hour driving to a different winery where the wine expert did not speak English and the tour guide did not have enough skill to translate the information into English for us. A couple on the tour who spoke Spanish did some translating for the group.

Quality of Experience
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Transport
Driver was good and van was comfortable enough, but seats were small
Private Walking Tour of the Mezquita, Alcázar & Jewish Quarter
Private Walking Tour of the Mezquita, Alcázar & Jewish Quarter
Córdoba

Private guide was great and gave us great history information.

Quality of Experience
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Private Alhambra & Generalife Gardens Visit with a Historian
Private Alhambra & Generalife Gardens Visit with a Historian
Granada

Jennifer, our guide, did an amazing job. She provided us with so much history and cultural information to make the visit extra memorable. She also spend more time with us than specified in the trip details. She never rushed us.

Quality of Experience
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Private Flamenco and Tapas Tour
Private Flamenco and Tapas Tour
Granada

Marcell was amazing at discussing the food and drink during the tapas part of the tour. We sort of ran out of time and had to ride a taxi up to the Flamenco show. The Flamenco part of the visit was in a unique cave dwelling, but it was a little cramped.

Quality of Experience
Food
Food was an interesting selection from a couple of restaurants and paired with wine or sherry
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Marcell was great
Private 2-Hour Walk in Seville
Private 2-Hour Walk in Seville
Seville

Barbara did an excellent job of providing lots of information about the old part of Seville, including some anecdotal tidbits about the various changes as power changed between the romans, moors, jews and spaniards.

Quality of Experience
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Barcelona by e-Bike, Boat & Cable Car
Barcelona by e-Bike, Boat & Cable Car
Barcelona

The ebike, cable car and boat rides were all very pleasant. I with there had been more time to be able to explore Monjuic though. That part of the trip was very rushed and we didn't even have enough time to go in the castle.

Quality of Experience
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Transport
Park Güell & La Sagrada Família
Park Güell & La Sagrada Família
Barcelona

Jorge was a terrific guide who tried to keep the group engaged by posing questions and pointing out many of the subtle architectural features of both the park and cathedral. The cathedral was not at all what I was expecting. It was such a mix of styles and architectural novelty.

Quality of Experience
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Transport
bus was a bit late picking us up from the park
Day Trip to Montserrat & Lunch at a Farmhouse
Day Trip to Montserrat & Lunch at a Farmhouse
Barcelona

Lucas was very good at providing information, but the time at Monserrat was too short to see everything desired. Need at least another hour or 2 at the monastery.

Quality of Experience
Food
Family style worked for most, but some travelers did not share as they should have
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Lucas was great
Transport
Bus was quite late picking us up for the trip
Local specialist: Adam Gomez
Adam
Adam Gomez
Local specialist in kimkim HQ | Replied on Jul 30, 2024

Hi Lisa,

Thank you so much for sharing your detailed review of your 16-day trip through Spain! I am happy to hear that your experience was great and that the planning process was easy for you. :)

I am glad to hear that our team was able to make corrections promptly! 😃

Private activities are the way to go for the best possible experience, and thank you for your review, as it gives future travelers insight into what to expect! 🙌

Adam :)