Unforgettable Family Trip to Spain
Spain | Apr 7 - Apr 13, 2024

George
George L.
San Jose, CA | Reviewed on Apr 16, 2024

A huge shoutout to our specialists Adam, Jessica, and Yuri for putting together this incredible trip for us. Spain has been absolutely amazing, and thanks to kimkim, it's been incredibly easy even with our two little ones. I honestly don't know how we would've managed without kimkim arranging everything from airport/train transport to family-friendly accommodations and private tours for the busy attractions, letting us skip lines and explore at our own speed.

I appreciate all the recommendations and the insight of the local experts to pair us up with tour guides who are sensitive to the whims and needs of smaller children.

Hotel Reviews
Slow Suites Bellas Artes
Madrid

The front door is hard to locate because of construction and a lot of parked vans (deliveries and trailers for the theater people), but it is there. Check in was a breeze. You get emailed a code to get in the door the day before. The location is awesome. Close to Metro. You are equidistant to Plaza del Sol or Retiro Park, both just a 12 minute walk away. The area is very walkable also with lots to eat and places to get supplies.' We had a two bedroom and two bath apartment, with two twin beds in each room. There was a dining room, living room and balcony. A fully equipped kitchen (fridge, microwave, coffee, stove, oven, dishwasher, kitchen tools, utensils and plates). A washing machine (I think it was a washer/dryer combo, but there was a big rack to dry clothes). There was detergent provided. There is an elevator. Place has a lot of charm. My family of four can stay here easily for a long time.

Authenticity & Character
Looking out the balcony every morning with a cup of coffee is such a treat.
Location
12 minutes walk from Plaza Del Sol and Retiro. Literally the heart of Madrid. Neighborhood is very cute. Very close to Metro.
Staff
No interaction as scheduled housekeeping is once every three days and we left the third day. I did text the help line asking for where the washing detergent was and response was prompt. English was no problem.
Cleanliness & Comfort
The place was clean. They had everything we needed. Enough towels and supplies.
Hotel Regina
Barcelona

We had a family room, so there were four twin beds in the room. With all the beds set up, it was not very big, but still very functional. The room is tasteful, modern, and comfortable. There is no empty fridge as it has a lot of drinks in it already. Coffee and snacks cost money. Restaurant and Bar in the hotel, La Esquina, was actually quite nice for a meal or a nightcap. You get 15% off as a hotel guest. Yes, there was construction when we were there, but it didn't really affect us negatively. Extra noise and dust were not noticeable. There is housekeeping everyday to clean the room and replenish towels. Staff is very friendly.

Authenticity & Character
Wonderful balcony with views of all the other old buildings. You are turned in from La Rambla and Plaza de Catalunya so you get none of the throngs of people or noise, but all the convenience.
Location
Right next to Plaza de Catalunya. Minutes walking to Passeig de Gracia, El Raval, Sant Antoni, and La Rambla. Close to Metro. Across the street from a 24hours market.
Staff
Everyone was super friendly. English was fine.
Cleanliness & Comfort
Everything is clean and modern. Housekeeping comes everyday.
Activity Reviews
Private Tour of Madrid by Electric Tuk-Tuk
Private Tour of Madrid by Electric Tuk-Tuk
Madrid

Tour guide was friendly, knowledgeable, and had interesting historical facts. Tuk-Tuk was actually quite comfortable. They provide blankets. The major theme of the tour is a route centered on the old city gates and the old city walls. It doesn't actually go into the Plazas (Mayor and Sol). You see a lot of Madrid on it but you do lose a sense of where you are as you go up and down side streets. There is a see through roof on the tuk-tuk which sort of separates you from the outside, forcing you to tilt your head to see the things above you. You also can't really take photos through the roof. Tuk-Tuk tour has a few stops for you to explore on foot. It stops at the Temple of Debod (old Egyptian temple), and at the old wall and new walls of Madrid.

Quality of Experience
It was fun and it does whet your appetite to see the city.
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Driver was knowledgeable and safe. He is easy to listen and talk to. English is fine.
Transport
Tuk Tuk themselves are actually quite comfortable. They provide blankets if you get cold.
Family-Friendly Royal Palace Visit
Family-Friendly Royal Palace Visit
Madrid

Skipping the line was amazing, but because the king was actually going the day before and the day of, there were a lot of people (making up for early closure the previous day). It has very beautiful rooms and neat things to see. But it is so crowded you wouldn't get a chance to take your time in each room. You also get no sense of the life of the palace. It is just really a collection of a few rooms for you to see and a few items. Given this, the pace was perfect at about 2 hours. The guide gave a real effort to interact with the kids which I appreciate, but my kids were too small to pay attention. That is fine. The tour guide told decent stories and made good enough explanations and answered questions from the adults. He was a good tour guide. What made this family friendly was no line, the pace was quicker, and the tour guide acknowledged the kid. That was it.

Quality of Experience
It was definitely worth seeing once
Guides, Drivers and Staff
The guide was friendly and knowledgeable
Transport
Madrid isn't all that big. This palace is very convenient to get to. The guide meets you by the statue. He had no trouble finding us.
Day Trip to Montserrat & Lunch at a Farmhouse
Day Trip to Montserrat & Lunch at a Farmhouse
Barcelona

The site is beautiful. Riding a cable car is always fun for kids (though there are cable cars within the city of Barcelona which are closer). There was no time to actually explore the mountain peak as we spent the majority of the "free time" waiting to get into the basilica. Likewise, there is no time for the museums either. After the basilica, you hang out and take a few pictures and time is up. The basilica itself was super beautiful on the inside. We did not get to see the boys choir as our time slot to get into the basilica just missed out on that. It would had been nice. We probably missed it because the bus was late. Lunch was actually very very good. There was tapas and roast meat and wine. Very hearty. You work an appetite walking around.

Quality of Experience
The basilica was very nice. So was the lunch. Kids enjoy the cable care ride. But this is a detour.
Food
This was the unsung hero of the activity. The food is rustic and very good. The restaurant had amazing views.
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Guide told good stories and was very knowledgeable.
Transport
Coach was comfortable. You have to walk a bit to get to the actual place where you ride the coach. They could had told us to just meet there. There is no bathroom to go to before you get on the bus. As this was not a private tour, you end up waiting for people to go to the bathroom. This leads to the bus being late.
Private Gaudí Architecture Walk with La Sagrada Família
Private Gaudí Architecture Walk with La Sagrada Família
Barcelona

Casa Batllo is amazing for kids. They get an tablet to interact with the house and the guide does a good job incorporating the tablet so the kids feel very involved. This allows the guide to focus on the adults and actually give them a tour. Casa Batllo is such a fun house. You really get to see how the family lived. The installed artwork like the Mind of Gaudi immersion room and the Chain Links though not original did add a lot of visual value. You don't mind seeing them. Even the paid photography is of you on the actual balcony which is really cool. It isn't just a some green screen. Sagrada Familia is amazing. It really is not to be missed. The tour guide did a great job giving the children a scavenger hunt to keep them engaged. Skipping the line with the tour guide for both sites was worth it. The tour guide was very well prepared. She had workbooks, photos, and other reference material to show the kids. She also did a bonus stop at Casa Mila on the way to the Metro station to give us some more context about Gaudi's work. Our tour guide took us to lunch only to find out that we didn't book the tour with lunch. I rather she just owned up to it and said she a mistake about it so I didn't have to eat at the restaurant she chose.

Quality of Experience
You cannot miss Sagrada Familia if you are in Barcelona. It is really worth it. I cannot stress that enough. Casa Batllo was a lot of fund for the kids and for the adults. I believe because of the line skipping and the self paced tour that this was the best way to have experienced both these sites.
Guides, Drivers and Staff
She really prepared and was ready to engage with my children. She had lots of print outs and materials and stories and activities for the children. She was very knowledgeable. She just sort of made a snafu regarding lunch. I would give her five stars if she didn't take us to lunch.
Transport
We just took metro ourselves between sites. It was easy.
Local specialist: Adam Gomez
Adam
Adam Gomez
Local specialist in Boulder (Kimkim HQ) | Replied on May 02, 2024

George!!! Thank you for the kind review! We do have the best team, and it's so nice to hear you had a great experience with them! 😃

Yes, that's right, kimkim handles all transportation, accommodations, and activities, and I am glad you had a smooth experience! Plus, it's so nice to hear everything worked out great with your two children.

I would love to see you using kimkim for a future trip! 🙌

Thank you for your detailed review, this gives insight to future travelers!

Be well,
Adam