Personalized trips to Spain
for independent travelers

The trip was wonderful. Just what we wanted. Kudos to Hector.

All guides were interesting, informative, and gracious. This included tapas tours, city tours, and museum tours.

All drivers were pleasant, helpful, and on time. They all arrived a few minutes early to insure we left at the appropriate time and this was especially helpful.

The hotel was perfectly situated in the heart of Madrid. It was very "Spanish", which is what we wanted. We were able to walk almost everywhere.

We had a last minute canceled train reservation due to a transit strike, the day of our trip to Toledo. Kim Kim was with us all the way by text. When it became clear that the train was finally going to be cancelled, they arranged for a driver to take us back and forth to Toledo. He arrived within an hour of the cancelation. They coordinated with our guide in Toledo. The transition was seamless. We had a wonderful day.

How a travel agency responds to challenges is the true test of the quality of the agency. Kim Kim performed like a champ. They exceeded expectations. We will definitely use them again and recommend them to our friends.

Activity Reviews

Walking Madrid’s Old Town

Madrid

Guide was interesting, informative, and friendly.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

We started the tour right from the hotel. That was awesome.

An Excursion to Toledo by Train, Guided Walk

Madrid

The tour was wonderful and the guides lunch recommendation was excellent.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

The driver was flexible. We wanted to leave an hour early and he obliged. He was also very willing to pull over for photos.

Masterpieces of the Prado Museum: A Private Experience From Velázquez to Goya

Madrid

The guide was very knowledgeable and gave us exactly the tour we wanted. We asked for the highlights of the museum and she delivered with great enthusiasm and interesting insights and details.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

N/A

Tapas & Tradition: A Madrileño Evening

Madrid

We especially enjoyed the small size, and the enthusiasm and knowledge of the guide. We experienced a wide range of tapas and Spanish beverages.

Quality of Experience

Food

My favorite was the tapas at the first restaurant and trying the Spanish Vermouth that was served on tap.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

N/A

Our trip across Spain (Barcelona, Granada, Sevilla, Cordoba, and Madrid) was absolutely stellar! kimkim was fantastic, responsive, and thoughtful in planning our itinerary, communicating with us, and accommodating all of our changes, including our specific needs given my wife's autoimmune condition, which necessitated some adjustments that aren't always easy to find in Europe. Adam was a great specialist - knowledgeable, thorough, patient, and with a great attitude. Once we transitioned to the ops team as we closed in on our trip and then traveled to Spain, Coraima and Chinh were excellent keeping us informed, along with assists from Nick. And when a horrific train accident in Spain impacted our transportation plans, Summer reached out to inform us, monitor the situation, and eventually ensure we had dependable alternate transportation from Cordoba to Madrid. The recommended excursions and tours were all fantastic and we had super-knowledgeable, flexible, courteous, and warm guides that made it all even more wonderful - Ann Marie and Craig in Barcelona, Eduardo in Granada, Cristina in Seville, Olivia in Cordoba, and Carlos and Eva in Madrid. We highly recommend kimkim and look forward to working with them again in future travels!

Hector, our local specialist, was incredible in the planning process. He was excellent at responding to numerous questions and making changes to multiple itineraries to prepare a customized trip for my family in Spain. This is the second trip Hector has planned for us. Last year, he customized an itinerary for us to Portugal which also was an exceptional trip. I would highly recommend booking a trip with Hector.

Our top three excursions were: a tapas tour on arrival, a paella cooking class with Claudia from "Just Royal" and the Caminito del Rey.

The tapas tour set us up for a wonderful introduction into the Spanish culture of slowing down in the afternoons and sharing tapas at an outdoor cafe. Brais, our tour guide was engaging, energetic and knowledgeable on the varieties of foods/wines. He even had us participate in a tradition called Porron, which numerous tour participants engaged in. Fun, fun!

We loved our excursion of the paella cooking class. Claudia, our formally trained cooking instructor, engaged all six of us in the cooking class in the preparation of the food which included: food selection, chopping, sautéing and even browning the brûlée. The excursion culminated in a lunch expertly presented of the food we had cooked. Delicious!!

The Caminita del Rey was an excursion I had read about which involved catwalks 300-feet above the river which were formerly used by maintenance workers for a hydro-electric power plant. Although the height could be dizzying for some, my husband who is afraid of heights was able to partake in the hike/walk. What an amazing engineering marvel knowing the catwalks were originally built in the early 1900's (but were recently upgraded with added safety features in 2016).

Least favorite excursion: Cycle the Via Verde. I had originally thought this would be a guided trip, however, it was not. The maps and GPS given to us by the company were not helpful. Fortunately, we had our smart phone that eventually allowed us to get out of the city. It took us 4 hours to get to our destination and 2 hours to return which shows how lost we were getting out of the city. If I were to make a recommendation, I would not choose this company to do the trip again. I would also have preferred to select a bike company on the outskirts of the city so we would not need to navigate the city if we were biking independent of a tour guide.

Best Hotels: My daughter was a huge fan of the Casa Romana Hotel Boutique and the tastefully decorated contemporary rooms. She described it as being "the classiest hotel she has ever been in". She is actually very accurate. My husband and I loved the "Catalonia Ronda" because it had additional space in the room with a couch and chairs that provided a place for us to gather and play a game or two in the privacy of our room.

The kimkim app is invaluable to all in our party. It was a great resource because it was well-organized with our vouchers, directions with links, updates and chat feature. This is such a bonus to traveling.

Thank you for your kindness and expertise in planning our trip. We will continue to use Kimkim for any future guided trips.

Karen and company!

Hotel Reviews

Gran Hotel Havana

Barcelona

Hotel offers a fitness center but only really two people could occupy space. Centrally located which was great!

Authenticity & Character

Loved the rooftop lounge

Location

Close to hotels and walking distance to central part of town.

Staff

Concierge/check in staff lovely. They stored our luggage until our room was available which was helpful.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Diana

Tossa de Mar

Centrally located and clean only a few feet from the beach. We were in this location in mid-October and found many of the restaurants were closed down. Parking with the hotel was a walk off site but manageable.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Right near the beach.

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Casa Romana Hotel Boutique

Sevilla

My daughter thought this hotel was "the nicest place she has ever stayed!"

Authenticity & Character

Location

Beautiful and clean

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Catalonia Ronda

Ronda

Appreciated having a small couch and extra chairs in the room as a place for our family to gather. The view from the restaurant was amazing in the mornings. The breakfast was delicious!!!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Overlooks the breath-taking mountains.

Staff

Exceptional.

Cleanliness & Comfort

The bathrooms were large and super clean. The hotel felt luxurious!

Hotel Palacio de Santa Inés

Granada

Rooms were very small and although the hotel had recently been refurbished...it did not feel that way. There was really no place to open a suitcase except on the bed. The toilet malfunctioned while we were there, however, they were quick to have a repairmen there the next morning. No elevator...this is not a place for someone that is disabled.

Authenticity & Character

Definitely authentic.

Location

Centrally located and only a one block walk to the Main Street.

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Entrance Tickets to Caminito del Rey

Spain

Once in a lifetime experience. You need to do

Quality of Experience

The awe of being in the canyon on the catwalks was great.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

The guide was funny and full of energy. She was organized and very safety conscious.

Discover Granada’s Iconic Alhambra & Generalife Gardens

Spain

Beautiful gardens. The architecture was pretty amazing.

Quality of Experience

Beautiful gardens.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Very knowledgeable.

Barcelona Highlights: Montjuïc, Gothic Quarter & Sagrada Familia

Barcelona

Great overview of the city.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Knowledgeable. It would be helpful to provide a brief timeline of the different countries/religions in power. The nature of the tour is that you are traveling between sites but it wasn't until the 10th day of hearing about the history that I could put my own timeline together.

Transport

Lots of walking.

From Market to Table: Cook Authentic Spanish Dishes

Barcelona

Claudia was amazing! She was funny, engaging, patient and a great teacher of cooking.

Quality of Experience

A nice break from the excursions that just delivered a lot of historical facts.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Claudia was awesome as was her assistant who unfortunately I cannot remember her name.

Monumental Seville on Foot & Visit Real Alcázar

Seville

Tour was well-done. I feel it is important to do these overall tours when going to a new city, however, I found the information became overwhelming after a while.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Cycle the Via Verde: Seville to Carmona by Electric Bike

Seville

Least favorite activity of the trip. The GPS and maps were not helpful. We spent too much time trying to get out of the city.

Quality of Experience

Directions not great. Bike worked well.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Poor explanation of directions.

Excursion to Montserrat Monastery & Scenic Mountain Hike

Barcelona

We hiked the mountain for our excursion and loved the opportunity to be outdoors. Make sure you wear good walking shoes. There was not much time for us to wonder the market or get a bite to eat. We picked up a beverage at the supermarket and ate when we got back from the excursion. It might be good to bring a snack and water with you. I was under the impression our tour was supposed to include a snack...that did not occur.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Knowledgeable on the plants of the area.

Transport

Costa Brava Coastal Escape: Kayak, Snorkel & Scenic Walks

Spain

We were fortunate to have this excursion with just our family of four. We loved the 45 minute walk along the coastal trail prior to our kayak trip. The guide spoke about the flora. Our guide kayaked us to a section of the cliffs where there was a via fuerata and we snorkeled below the people. It was a beautiful relaxing trip. There was enough time for us to get tapas at a restaurant beach-side. It was a lovely day.

Quality of Experience

Appreciated the relaxed day away from the city.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Ronda Up Close: A Guided Walk

Spain

Guide really knowledgeable about the town. The walk was well-organized going through the three distinct different neighborhoods. The hike culminated at the Nuevo Bridge with the sunset shining though the arches. My favorite city!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Very knowledgeable.

Taste Barcelona: Authentic Tapas & Neighborhood Walk

Barcelona

Great way to start the vacation after a long flight from the states. I was a walking tour to three different restaurants. We sampled different tapas at each of the restaurants paired with wine/beer.

Quality of Experience

Food

The variety of food. The guide was great at selecting the different tapas.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Exceptional! He came with a lot of energy, funny stories and had a knack for engaging the group. My family LOVED this tour.