Kimkim Trip Reviews for Spain

We really loved our trip to Spain and using kimkim to plan it. My sister and I took my daughter and her boyfriend to Spain for their college graduation present. We went to Barcelona, Sevilla, Granada, Ibiza, and Madrid. We had definite ideas about where we wanted to go, what we wanted to do, and what hotels to stay at and I considered just planning the trip myself. I'm very glad we used kimkim instead. It took a lot of stress off us since they booked all the hotels, trains, and inter-country plane trips. Coraima listened to my ideas and let me book some things they did not have on their recommendation list, such as the hotel in Ibiza (my daughter really wanted to stay at a hotel on bossa beach with a night club). The kimkim app we got on our phones was very helpful, with our daily itineraries and links to all of our tickets. Our favorite parts of our trip were the food tours! We especially loved the food tour of the gothic quarter in Barcelona and the Tapas and Flamenco tour in Sevilla. When we did have hiccups in our trip (a driver who never showed up, and a flight delay that caused us to almost miss a connecting flight and missing luggage for one night), Chinh, our local specialist helped us through that and even gave us some refunds. We would definitely use kimkim again.

I did not interact much with Adam because the venue was not very child friendly, and I had to rush ahead all the exhibitions to get to the zone where its permitted to feed a crying baby and let a toddler run around.
Adam seemed to rush us a bit and did not communicate the ticket timeline until we asked him to please wait for everyone.
The venues claims to be kid friendly and accessible but i had to wait 10 minutes for an elevator, which involved waiting for a guard to escort me through a restricted area on both ends.

Amanda Sanchez of Runner Bean Tours Barcelona stood out as an excellent guide on day 2. She took us to Casa Mila, La Sagrada, and Park Güell.

When comparing this Spain trip organized by KimKim to my last one to Spain a few years ago, the latter was better. In quite a few ways, I am unsure if it was because I had more days and destinations in Spain.
This time, there were gaps in the schedule. I added more activities from TripAdvisor. I am somewhat disappointed that I was not advised to book a different activity, rather than duplicating what I specifically asked for. It is okay, not earth-shattering. I don't like to spend time answering your question as to what happened.
In short, I do not want to spend more time writing about what happened.

Hotel Review

Hotel Villa Emilia

Barcelona

Very nice in all aspects. I like the size of the room, and the layout is super user-friendly. I like the minimalist decoration. I wish there were charging stations for USBC and USB. I wish there were wall plugs that were easily reachable. I wish the bedsheets felt more inviting and smooth.

Authenticity & Character

Quaint hotel, untainted Barcelona

Location

Easy to get to places, very nice neighbourhood

Staff

Very friendly and helpful

Cleanliness & Comfort

The cleaning staff is excellent. I wish the sheets had a nicer feel to them.

Activity Reviews

Private Gaudí Experience with La Sagrada Família & Park Güell

Barcelona

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Private Gothic Quarter Walk

Barcelona

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

To have stops in between

Private Barcelona Picasso Tour with Picasso Museum

Barcelona

The museum is great, but there is not enough time to go through. Our guide assumed we wanted to walk the streets to see the exteriors of other museums in the area, eating places, etc. Our guide was too eager to spend time and pay attention to the beginning of the tour at the Picasso museum; as a result, we had to rush through the last part. Better time management is needed.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

See above

Transport

The instructions on where to meet are unclear. We ended up running around searching for the guide.

A week back home, I can still feel the magic of Barcelona. It was a short but magnificent trip, thanks largely to the arrangements by the Kimkim team. The Hotel Villa Emilia was comfortable and conveniently-located. The 3 guided tours were very good, with special mention going to the ‘Gaudi experience’ with the wonderful guide Amanda Sanchez. We were able to book activities to fill all the free afternoons and evenings. An idea for future consideration: it may be helpful if your team can provide ideas for activities outside of the guided tours.

Beyond our wildest dreams in covering all aspects of our trip that we spent much time planning before coming to Kim Kim. Raquel and her team made it even better! Each place we stayed along the Northern Coast from Spain (Vigo to Barcelona) was spectacular in both location and views. The attention to all details and rapid replies to questions from us by Raquel and her team were exemplary. The suggested stops in between cities were mostly unknown treasures even to locals of Spain! The guides chosen were all knowledgeable and fun. We will continue to use Kim Kim for all of our travels going forward. This was a third trip through Kim Kim and it’s been a perfect experience every time in every country!!! Thank you Kim Kim, Raquel and Team❣️😎😄

We had a fantastic trip to Spain visiting Madrid, Segovia, Seville, Cadiz and Vejer de la Frontera. Having local guides is a great way to learn history and they share recommendations for dining. We especially liked Maria in Madrid and both Maria and Lola in Seville. We enjoyed the Flamenco show and tapas tour as well as the tour of the cathedral and royal palace. The private transportation was comfortable and always timely. Jesus and Pedro Lozano were professional and enjoyable to travel with.

Janelle was easy to work with and helped us put together a trip that worked for us. She is very knowledgeable of the area and offered great suggestions. We loved the boutique hotels and dining recommendations provided.

Hotel Reviews

Room Mate Alba

Madrid

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Casa Romana Hotel Boutique

Sevilla

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Parador de Cádiz

Cádiz

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

La Casa del Califa

Vejer de la Frontera, Cádiz

Beautiful hotel. A bit noisy late night due to restaurant diners.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Radisson RED Madrid

Madrid

Hotel was clean Standard room. Just not our preference. Staff was very friendly and helpful.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Very busy part of the city. Just not our preference.

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Unusual decor

Activity Reviews

Segovia Highlights Day Excursion: a Fairy Tale Getaway

Madrid

Definitely worth the trip. Beautiful city and nice train ride from Madrid.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Train was easy to navigate and comfortable

Walking Madrid’s Old Town

Madrid

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Seville Flamenco Experience & Tapas

Seville

Great to see the show. The tapas tour introduced us to food we would not have known to try. Maria was a fantastic guide!

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Monumental Seville on Foot & Visit Real Alcázar

Seville

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Lola was a great guide. Offered a lot of information at a nice pace.

Dalia put together an incredibe and tailored tour for me and my family. Both my Dad and I are huge military history buffs and Dalia managed to find some amazing tour guides that could walk the Battlefields with us and give us so much incredible history. Special shout out to Raul of El Primar Edecan, he was an AMAZING guide! We had him for the tours at Somosierra and Salamanca and they were the highlights of the trip!

Activity Reviews

Salamanca Historic City & Battlefield Day Trip with Private Guide

Madrid

Quality of Experience

Raul was top notch. Incredibly knowledgeable and an amazing story teller. Made the history come to life!!!

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Transfer from {{start_location}} to {{end_location}} with Somosierra day trip

Spain

I would give this one 6 stars if I could. Walking the road where the legendary Polish charge occured was awe inspiring! Raul, our guide was incredible. Honestly my absolute favorite tour in Spain.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

I cannot give enough props to Raul!

Transport

Overall, the trip was AMAZING! Hector was great. Only misstep was the guide in Madrid. I total loser who didn't really seem interested in walking us around.

Our trip to Spain and Portugal was amazing. Kimkim did a fantastic job planning everything. Making sure that we had drivers to take us and pick us up at the key transportation hubs, and provided wonderful guides for the various tours that we took. We had a wonderful guide in Barcelona for the tour of Park Guell and the Sagria de Familia Basilica. Those are not to be missed if you visit Barcelona. We also did a Tapas food tour with Joseph who was funny, knowledgeable and took us to 3 excellent places for traditional Spanish Tapas. We stayed at Hotel Villa Emila which was a nice hotel in a nice part of Barcelona where we could walk to a number of places. After 2 days in Barcelona we took a train to Madrid on a nice coach and stayed at Hotel Regina. The next day we took a tour of the Prada Art Museum which was amazing. Later that afternoon we had a private tour of the Royal Palace with Carlos who was super knowledgeable and just a fun guide to have. The next day we attended a Flamenco show which was amazing. There as a slight mixup with the location, but Summer from Kimkim got back to me quickly to confirm the new location. After 2.5 days in Madrid, we flew to Lisbon which turned out to be our favorite place. Our first 1/2 day there we did some shopping and sight-seeing on our own. The second day we went on a walking tour with Rui who was super cool and very knowledgeable about the history of Lisbon and Portugal in general. He took us to the oldest operating bookstore in the world as well as other highlights of the city. Later that afternoon we went on a Portuguese food tour with Dani who had very close ties to the areas we went to as she grew up in Lisbon and was so passionate about the place and her heritage. The next day we had a private tour with Luis to Pena Place and Sintra. Luis was an excellent guide and the skip the line tickets was the only way to go as the lines for this tour were incredibly long and it was a hot day. I could go on and on, but Kimkim did an excellent job in planning excellent tours with great guides and virtually no issues. I highly recommend them.

Hotel Review

Lisboa Pessoa Hotel

Lisbon

The Lisboa Pessoa Hotel had a fantastic location in Lisbon, making it easy to explore the city. The rooms were smaller than what we're used to in the States, but this is common in Europe. The hotel was nice overall, and the breakfast was one of the highlights of our stay.

Activity Reviews

Private Pena Palace & Sintra Village Half-Day Trip

Lisbon

The Private Pena Palace & Sintra Village Half-Day Trip was fantastic, particularly because of the skip-the-line tickets. They allowed us to see so much more without getting bogged down by the incredibly long queues. It was definitely worth it and made our experience at Pena Palace much more enjoyable.

Flamenco & Tapas Night

Madrid

We had a minor hiccup with the Flamenco & Tapas Night as there was some confusion about the correct address for the show location. Luckily, Summer was able to confirm the correct location promptly, so it worked out in the end. The show was enjoyable once we sorted the initial confusion.

Park Güell & La Sagrada Família Experience

Barcelona

The Park Güell and La Sagrada Família Experience was truly amazing. These iconic sites in Barcelona were almost overwhelming in their beauty and significance. The guide was very knowledgeable and passionate about sharing the history and importance of each place. It was a standout moment for me on this trip.

All of the guides were wonderful

Hotel Reviews

Midtown Apartments

Barcelona

The rooms were nice

Crisol Mesón del Cid

Burgos

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

60 Balconies Design

Madrid

Chez Moi - Plaza Nueva Luxury Apartment

Granada

Puerta Catedral Apartments

Sevilla

Activity Reviews

Private Tour of Barcelona by Electric Tuk-Tuk

Barcelona

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Gaudí & Beyond: Artistic Marvels and Montjuïc Views - with private driver

Barcelona

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Private transfer : {{start_location}} to {{end_location}} with guided tour of Zaragoza (including Roman Theatre & Napoleonic Battlefield highlights)

Spain

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Historic Barcelona: Gothic Quarter, El Born & Maritime Museum

Barcelona

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Prado guided visit

Madrid

Quality of Experience

⁹

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Burgos city tour

Burgos

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Transfer from {{start_location}} to {{end_location}} with Somosierra day trip

Spain

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Madrid Guided Tour with Royal Palace

Madrid

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Salamanca Historic City & Battlefield Day Trip with Private Guide

Madrid

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Full Day Trip to Toledo with Train Tickets, Private Guide & Alcázar Visit

Madrid

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Sevilla & Tapas & Flamenco Small Group Evening Tour

Seville

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Train day trip to Cordoba and transfer to {{end_location}}

Spain

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Alhambra Private Guided Tour

Spain

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Private transfer from {{start_location}} to {{end_location}} with Ronda visit & Exciting Buggy experience

Spain

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Sevilla Guided Tour

Seville

Quality of Experience

8th

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Janelle thank you. Thank your team too!
Our trip throughout Madrid, Porto and Northern Spain was better than we could have imagined.

Every hotel was amazing. The meals and restaurantrecommendations were spot on. Add in the unique private experiences (fun sidecar) and small tours, and all of that adds up to a very special trip.

Janelle and her Team went above and beyond in a multitude of ways. Here is just one example:
Day one I left/lost my glasses 🤓 n my inbound flight. They immediately reached out to the airline, our driver and the airport to initiate a search. They followed up a number of times-alas they were truly lost. BUT they also located an optometrist that could have glasses made, onsite, within an hour. Plus they made the appointment and sent me directions.

We would not have seen or done so many things. We were prepared for every day and knew what awaited us even if we ventured just outside of our hotel!we rented a car and flew to a destination and also had a few private drivers! When WE drove we received ideas where to stop along the way. It really was about the journey AND the destination!

Their app was so cool! No maps or books or notepads. Everything was right in our phones. And more.

I did not know what to see or where to stop and stay at all. Initially Janell asked lots of questions and learned about us first. Then we talked about general destinations and such. She created an itinerary we could see and understand. The hotel website and photos were there. We made a couple of adjustments and damn-she created a plan and trip
I had been struggling with for months

Every question we had was answered quickly and I have now learned a truth: using a travel Agent like Janelle made planning for the trip almost as easy and enjoyable as the trip itself.

We spent 7 days in Madrid and we could have stayed another 7 days. Julie and her team curated an incredible experience for my family. From the beginning, Julie listened and asked lots of questions about what we wanted from our trip. She then put together a detailed itinerary that hit all of our wants. From our perfectly situated hotel, to off the beaten path walking tours, amazing day trips, all while still getting in all the “must do” sights, Julie made our trip unforgettable. The best part was we were not over scheduled. We were able to enjoy time on our own to explore the city. We meet so many wonderful people on our tours and all of the tour operators were top notch. We are so happy to have had the opportunity to work with Julie and her team at KimKim. We can’t wait to book our next trip. Hasta luego.

Hotel Review

Hotel Regina

Madrid

Perfect location. Staff was amazing. Hotel is so clean. We loved our room, nice sitting area to spread out and relax after walking all day. Hotel has a nice rooftop lounge that is a little oasis. No bar, just shaded lounges and conversation areas and a water feature to just get a little peace and quiet.

Authenticity & Character

Very clean, modern design,

Location

City center near Puerta del Sol. Walking distance to all Madrid sites.

Staff

Staff were nice, helpful and patient with our Spanish.

Cleanliness & Comfort

So clean. It was impressive how clean it was.

Activity Reviews

Self-Guided El Centro Walk

Madrid

Great way to introduce yourself to the city. We grabbed coffee and walked to Plaza Mayor and just wondered around. So much to see in the area around the plaza.

Quality of Experience

Loved just walking around with no real goal, just exploring to area.

Prado Museum & Cultural Walk with Lunch at Botín

Madrid

Tour was good. Lots of information in a short amount of time. We went back on our own to explore more of the museum. The tour gives you about 90 minutes. No photos allowed in The Prado. Botin,is a must do. Pictures don’t do it justice, wine cellar alone is a marvel.

Quality of Experience

Tour was good. It hits the highlights, but it is short.

Food

Botin food was delicious. Definitely a once in a lifetime experience.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Tour guide was great. She definitely keeps you on task.

Private Chueca Neighborhood Walk

Madrid

Our tour guide JC gave us a real locals tour of this interesting area of Madrid.

Quality of Experience

Great tour. Local guide was so engaging. Took us through some hidden gems of the neighborhood and gave a great history lesson on the area.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Day Trip to Toledo Cathedral Visit, History Walk and Self-Guided Experience by Train

Madrid

We took the high speed rail to Toledo. This is a must do. Don’t skip this tour. We learned so much. I would have liked more time on our own to explore the city itself after the guided tour finished. Pictures don’t do it justice.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Flamenco & Tapas Night

Madrid

A must do in Madrid. Dancers are amazing.

Quality of Experience

Royal Palace Visit

Madrid

Great tour of this incredible palace.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Evening Tapas, Taverns & History Walk

Madrid

Our tour guide Samantha was fantastic. We stopped at 4 incredibly unique tapas restaurants. Our tour group was great we continued the party after the tour and hit a few more bars.

Quality of Experience

Great way to learn about tapas and the culinary culture of Spain

Food

All the tapas were delicious. So many great stops on this tour.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Tour was amazing.

Paella Cooking Class with Market Visit

Madrid

This was one of the best cooking classes we have ever taken. Loved this class! Chef was enthusiastic and so funny. Tour of the local markets was fantastic. Highly recommend this class.

Quality of Experience

Quality of Experience

Food

We made sangria, gazpacho and paella

Food

We made sangria, gazpacho and paella

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Day Trip to Madrid Wineries

Madrid

Wow! What a great way to learn about the history of wine making in Spain, met incredible people and drink some fantastic wine.

Quality of Experience

Loved to tour.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Great tor guide

Transport

Easy bus ride to the bodegas. We visited three. One was in a 15th century converted monastery.

Fantastic trip to Spain with our young boys. We can not have chosen better accommodations ourselves. The Palacio solecio and Casa de las Artes were amazing and we would happily stay there again. The day trips to Granada and Ronda were incredible and made more so by our guides Ruth and Carlos.
We would have liked to have had the visits to the palace and cathedral in Sevilla organised for us. We were told by everyone in Sevilla it is a must visit so we were surprised these were not included. But the walking tour was fantastic. We enjoyed exploring the old city and learning about the quirks and stories of this beautiful city. Our accommodation in Sevilla was lovely and Ana looked after us very well. We were however swamped by crowds and noise outside of the apartment by a Netflix premiere which was being set up across the road from our apartment which made getting in and out a bit tricky and kept us up at night.
We organised our own additional jamon excursion to Jabugo which we loved. Such an amazing day in the countryside tasting very high quality jamon.
Overall, a fantastic trip and we would love to return to Spain soon!

Nacho - Alhambra: informative, engaging, enthusiastic about the history and culture, warm and welcoming
Sonia - Mijas basketweaving - informative, engaging, enthusiastic about the history and culture, warm and welcoming
Sofia - Malaga Picasso museum - informative, engaging, enthusiastic about the history and culture, warm and welcoming

Nadia and Daniela, our trip specialists, were a great team. In January, Nadia helped us plan our trip to Spain, and she and her colleagues created an itinerary that took our particular wishes and requirements into account. The trip was a good balance of guided tours and free time to explore. Logistical support through the app was excellent — chat replies were prompt and responsive, all our tickets were available on my phone, so I didn't need to carry a lot of paper, and the app updated when there were changes.
The hotels were all well chosen — good locations, comfortable and clean.
We were particularly pleased with our guides, who were knowledgeable about their cities, history, and art history, and very personable. Mario, our tuk-tuk driver in Madrid, was charming — he told us he was training to be a museum curator. He will be good at it. Although our Prado tour was cancelled for some reason, Daniela advised us to buy the three-museum Art Walk ticket, which worked out well since we didn't have to specify a time to visit. Manuel Salinero, our guide in Toledo, was terrific — and on top of a great tour, he knew the best places to take our photo, a nice bonus. In Seville, our guide Ferran was a trained archaeologist and history teacher, patient and engaging. Our Córdoba guide David was knowledgeable and thorough, and seemed as impressed and delighted by the Mezquita as we were. In Granada, Nacho took us on a fabulous tour of the magnificent Alhambra. It is hard to believe he could give the same tour ten times in a week, and still make it feel so fresh and personal. In Málaga, Gloria showed us the city she clearly loved, which was preparing for Noche en Blanco, a night of concerts and free museums.
The next day's tour of megalithic dolmens and the otherworldly landscape of El Torcal, guided by Justine, was a high point among many high points. She was passionate about prehistory and nature, charming company, and sensitive to our capabilities — the hike was fun but not exhausting. She suggested we stop for lunch at Art of Tapas in Antequera. So good.
We only had an afternoon in Barcelona, and it was raining, but Mari made it worthwhile. So many things I'd like to see again. She was the perfect guide for the Sagrada Familia — a place she clearly loves and knows deeply.
Thank you for all your good work and planning. It was an unforgettable trip.

Alfonso was responsive and helpful with planning the trips. Gabriella a d Marta, the guides for the Alhambra and Ronda respectively, were really fantastic. There was some contradictory and outdated information in some descriptions in our final itinerary that led to some confusion while on the trip, but Alfonso and his team were responsive in answering our questions and providing clarity.

Activity Reviews

Guided Alhambra & Generalife Visit

Granada

Gabriella, the tour guide, was really great!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Private Walk in Ronda

Ronda

Marta, the tour guide, was fantastic!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

This review comes a year post trip but it was an unforgettable experience in that it was my husband's and my 70th Birthday celebration vacation. Helena, our KimKim coordinator was fantastic. We made 6 major changes in our plans and she was patient and perfect throughout. The trip was very customized in that my son traveled with us through Spain- Madrid, San Sebastian and Barcelona-and then it was just my husband and me in Portugal (Porto, Lisbon & Lagos). The domestic transportation, international connections, tours (cultural, food & wine) were amazing with no glitches whatsoever. We not only traveled to the major cities, listed above, but also small neighboring fishing villages, monasteries, walled cities with palaces, wineries and churches. Antoni Gaudi"s Basilica de la Sagrada Familia has got to be my favorite church of all that I've visited.

Hotel Reviews

Zenit Convento San Martin

San Sebastián

The Zenit Convento San Martin was one of our favorite hotels- a remodeled convent-spacious, good breakfast, bar and was 2 blocks away from La Concha Beach and about 10-15 min away from the Old Town where delicious pintxos abound.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Praktik Bakery

Barcelona

The highlights of this hotel were the amazing early morning aromas of baking breads and pastries and the breakfasts served. The negative is the teeny, tiny rooms with no place to put clothes.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hooks or racks to put clothes

Portugal Boutique City Hotel

Lisbon

A lovely , clean and spacious centrally-located hotel. We were given pasteis de nata the evening before we checked out!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Tapas & Tradition: A Madrileño Evening

Madrid

It was wonderful starting our Spain vacation with a tapas food tour. Between the wines, vermouth, Spanish tortilla, jamon, sausages and peppers, our guide was enthusiastic, informative and friendly. A truly wonderful welcome to Spain

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

San Sebastian Pintxo Experience

San Sebastián

I ate and loved things I didn't think I would ever like- anchovies. Also the foods I love were only made more fantastic by the presentation and accompanying ingredients. Bar Sport was my favorite with their Gildas and Foie Gras over veal toasts. I would go back to San Sebastian in a heartbeat.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

I think we walked to the meeting place.

Zarautz, Getaria & Zumaia: A Basque Coastal Excursion

San Sebastián

Zarautz had gently rolling hills and lush green vineyards, overlooking the ocean. Getaria was also covered with green farmlands as well as having a busy port city with lots of boats. Zumaia had tall cliffs facing the ocean.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Walking Madrid’s Old Town

Madrid

I think visiting the central market was eye-opening with all of the meats, cheeses and fresh shell fish. There's so much history compared to our homeland, the US. Even the restaurants that have lasted more than 100 yrs are commemorated with bronze plaques in the sidewalk.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Toledo Highlights Day Excursion

Madrid

I thought the train ride to Toledo from Madrid was a nice way to travel. Our guide was born and raised there and was very proud of "his town." The small alley ways, stone streets, the expansive courtyards were very visually appealing. The ornate and imposing Cathedral of St Mary of Toledo stood out in my mind because there were burial sites with the bronze plaques on the floor for several Cardinals and suspended above each of the sites was the cardinal's hat.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Guided Visit of San Sebastian

San Sebastián

The guided visit of San Sebastian was helpful in that it made getting around San Sebastian easier so that we could spend our free time sightseeing and visiting our favorite Pintxo bars with confidence. We especially enjoyed the views of the bay, central San Sebastian and the tour of the Church of St Vicente Martir.

Quality of Experience

The Pintxos

Guides, Drivers and Staff

The guides and staff were very knowledgable, accommodating and friendly.d

Transport

Barcelona Highlights: Guided Walk & Iconic Sagrada Família

Barcelona

I had read about the history of Antoni Gaudi's Basilica de la Sagrada Familia before coming to Barcelona but to see it in person...whoa!...It was an experience of a lifetime. The sculptures and decorative detail both inside and out, the way it was positioned to use the rise and fall of the sun to create sunrise and sunset colors within the church. What an amazing sight!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

From Market to Table: Cook Authentic Spanish Dishes

Barcelona

Visiting market places is one of my favorite things to do to really see how the locals live and eat. The chef who toured us through the market and then brought us to her kitchen, overlooking the plaza was a well-prepared and knowledgable cook. We made a Spanish tortilla, seafood paella and creme catalan. The wine flowed freely and there were snacks of meats and cheeses to keep us student cooks fortified.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

My adult son is a quiet person and the chef kept trying to draw him out, to the point where she was a bit obnoxious. Some people just aren't comfortable yakking it up and after 1 or 2 attempts at getting him to open up, she should've let him be.

Hike Montserrat Mountain & Explore Penedès Wineries

Barcelona

Beautiful drive through vineyards. Our tour of Albet i Noya Penedes winery was perfect. Delicious wines, tasty charcuterie plate and gorgeous green hillside vistas. The Montserrat Monastery was imposingly perched on the side of the mountain and the views into the nearby valleys were spectacular. Although we did not get to see the Black Madonna up close, she was still beautiful from afar.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Inside Benagil Caves by Boat

Portugal

It was fun sitting on the saddle-like seats on the speed boat and seeing the coast from the water side.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Taylor’s Port Wine Experience with Tasting

Porto

The morning before the tour we had some time to ourselves and went to a second breakfast at the majestic Majestic Cafe. Beautiful restaurant with lots of mirrors, glass, marble and a French toast treat called a Torrija. Crispy, sweet, eggy and delicious. After walking in the neighborhoods we stopped to try Ginjinha, a cherry liqueur in a dark chocolate cup. Yummm! The lady helping us was so friendly. For lunch we tried the soft and tasty pork sandwich, the Bifana at Conga, Casa das Bifanas. So we were prepared, somewhat ,for our Port tasting experience... Man did we drink a lot of Port at Sandeman! Our server served us 5 types of port and I could not finish most of them. Possibly because port tends to be sweet and has a higher alcohol content but, technicalities aside, the wines were delicious and she was very informative about the process of making Port wine.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Explore Porto’s Hidden Gems with a Local Guide

Porto

Porto has a lot of hills so my favorite part of this tour was the boat ride on the Douro River, a good way to get a perspective of Porto and Vila Nova de Gaia. In the evening that we had to ourselves we had reservations to dine at Tapa Bento, in the train station. The tapas were fantastic especially the oxtail dumplings and steamed clams. On the way we stopped for another Pastel de Nata.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Dinner With Locals: A Homemade Portuguese Experience

Lisbon

This experience was cancelled and replaced with a dinner at a restaurant that had several Prado singers. The dinner was great and the music was wonderful. We never figured our why the dinner with locals was cancelled but we made the best of what we were given.

Food

Douro Valley Highlights: Wine, Olive Oil & River Cruise

Porto

More beautiful blue tiled buildings in Pinhao, a winery tour and tasting at Croft, a panoramic river cruise topped off by a delicious traditional Portuguese lunch of cured meats and cheeses, grilled fish, and a moist, multilayered cake with a light syrup sauce....and, of course, wine! Oh and then there was another wine tour at Veira de Sousa and another Pastel de Nata before calling it a day.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

I can’t say enough about how fantastic our trip was. Giorgia was our travel agent and she was great. We had absolutely no complaints at all. She set up our trip so well and it was so organized. I loved how our tour guides reached out to us the day before also. It was so reassuring. I’ve recommended her to all my friends and family. I love Spain and want to go back. This is definitely my choice to plan future trips. Maybe I can get Giorgia again to plan for a Portugal trip😁. Thank you again❤️❤️❤️❤️Michelle Gauldin

I enjoyed three very full days in Madrid and four mofe relaxing days in Barcelona arranged by Hector Molina at Espiritu Travel. The hotel in Madrid, las Meninas, was small and very attentive, located in the center of the historic sector. I had excellent guides, Geza for a walking tour of the historic sector, who was very well-informed about history and current affairs in Spain, and Linda for the Prado, who did an amazing job of structuring our time in this extensive collection to cover my interests, making sure to bring me to Velazquez’ Las Meninas, and pointing out that Picasso, whose museum I visited later in Barcelona, spent several months deconstructing this painting. The hotel in Barcelona , Hotel Regina, was even more apt, being off the Placa Catalyuna at the top of las Ramblas, and close to transportation to all parts of the city. The guide, Adrian, drove a small group of us around the city, including the 1930s Olympic venue at Montjuic, a very informative stop at the Gothic cathedral (whose elaborate front was actually added in the 1900s), and arranging for us to have audio guides to the Sagrada Familia.

We had an incredible first trip to Spain, thanks to kimkim! They took the guess work out of the trip. Our specialist, Dalia, was knowledgeable, attentive, and accommodating to all our requests. From the hotels to the private tours, nothing disappointed—everyone was exceptional and kind. We appreciated the unique perspectives and personalities each of our tour guides brought to our experiences. Hotels were centrally located and within walking distance to a multitude of historic landmarks. The hotels were comfortable, clean and spacious, and they had amazing breakfast options. Our private driver, Marin, was friendly and provided a layer of history while on our drives. kimkim took care of us every step of the way, exceeding our expectations for our first trip to Europe. Highly recommended!