Kimkim Trip Reviews for England

4.9
Based on 13 ratings
Read 13 verified reviews by travelers who booked their trip on kimkim. You can also read reviews about kimkim on 3rd party sites including Google, TrustPilot and Yelp.

London Fun and Soccer!
England | Dec 26 - Jan 2, 2023

K
Kate W.
Rochester Hills, MI | Reviewed on Jan 13, 2023

We had an excellent time in London. The house was exactly as advertised with plenty of space. We met with Ann on our first day and enjoyed excellent weather with our walking tour. Ann was kind and very flexible as we did cut the tour a bit short due to exhaustion.
Each day we used the Tube as there were suspensions of other services and frankly the tube was swift and easy to use.
We went to Trafalgar Square and the National Gallery on the second day before enjoying our Chelsea game. They... read more

We had an excellent time in London. The house was exactly as advertised with plenty of space. We met with Ann on our first day and enjoyed excellent weather with our walking tour. Ann was kind and very flexible as we did cut the tour a bit short due to exhaustion.
Each day we used the Tube as there were suspensions of other services and frankly the tube was swift and easy to use.
We went to Trafalgar Square and the National Gallery on the second day before enjoying our Chelsea game. They even played our American player!
The following day we traveled to Westminster. Our tickets were excellent and we were able to quickly enter. It was crowded but beautiful. We walked the rest of the day - over to Seven dials to get lunch and onto St. Paul's. We LOVED climbing the the top. After, we through the financial district (my eldest son's dream location due to his university interests). We then walked along the river to see the Tower Bridge light up. We walked around the Tower of London which had beautiful lighting and, then across the Tower Bridge. We ended up returning home via the Tube and had to change trains at Kings Cross, so of course, we went into the train station to see 9 3/4. Boys were bored and sitting in the corner and my daughter was gleeful!
On our free day the boys slept. Joe and Lizzie went to the British Museum and met up later with the boys for the Harry Potter Tour. Kate spent hours in the William Morris museum and then walked the Walthamstow Wetlands. It was beautiful.
Our tour of Stonehenge and Bath was lovely. It was nice to get out the the city and Lawrence was delightful. It was a comfortable ride, we found food (essentials for the boys) and the weather was cooperative (enough - just a bit of rain). Long day at the end as Bath was far from London and traffic was awful, but this was not unexpected.
The following day, Joe, Lizzie and Patrick went to the Tower. Kate and Dominic went to the Science Museum to the gallery of mathematics - this was Dominic's favorite as he studies this at university. We met later to travel to the Shard.
We stayed in New Year's Eve. We had no idea that there would be so many fireworks. Fireworks are common in the USA in the summer at July 4, but not at New Years.
On our last day, we slept and traveled early to the Tottenham game. Kate was so excited. The food was excellent and the stadium was beautiful - now if only Tottenham would have played better :(
Many thanks to Eleanor for planning our dream vacation.

Hotel Review
Victorian Sunbeam
London

This house was spacious (for London). The photos are accurate and the owners left good instructions. They cleared out generous space for food in the fridge and the temperature was very comfortable. Beds were large and comfortable and having 2.5 bathrooms was excellent (and the main reason that we selected the house). Being from the USA, we were completely clueless on how to work the microwave and the washing machine. Many thanks to YouTube for assistance. Directions would have been helpful. I'm not sure we ever really understood the washing machine. Special Note: The house is clearly owned by artists who enjoyed modern and avant garde art. There were artistic drawings and photos of semi-nude women in the house. They were beautiful but a bit shocking and my sons informed me where each drawing/photo was as they wandered the house. Younger kids would likely not notice and adults may appreciate them, but teenage boys are likely not the audience for these photos. We were not offended but I know many a USA family who would be unappreciative of these decorations.

Authenticity & Character
I wasn't really looking for character, just space, but I'm 5 starring this one.
Location
About 7 minute walk to the Victoria Line of the tube. Grocery store on the way. Very end of Victoria line so it takes a bit of time to get to many city central sites.
Staff
Nice notes and directions from owners
Cleanliness & Comfort
House was very clean. Towels were laid out. Easy places to put shoes and coats. Space in fridge and easy to use kitchen.
Activity Reviews
Shard Viewing Platform
London

This would be great, if the weather would cooperate. My kids liked the view but it was considerably cloudy, so buying tickets ahead of time is a gamble. We have done it once, so don't need to repeat this experience.

Tottenham Hotspur v Aston Villa - Kick-Off 2pm
London

Wonderful stadium and food. Lovely atmosphere but our tickets were DIRECTLY in front of opposing team fans which was an odd experience. Now if only Tottenham had played well. Since Villa won the game there was much taunting by these fans directed towards Tottenham fans. My kids thought that this was amusing and not typical of the USA.

Quality of Experience
Private Half Day Walking Tour
London

Our guide was Ann. She was knowledgeable and flexible, adapting to what we wanted to see. It was a lovely day and a great experience.

Quality of Experience
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Chelsea v Bournemouth - Kick-Off 5.30pm
London

Great food and lovely seats. A bit high up, but good view of the field. You can arrive early and also stay after the game.

Quality of Experience
Discover Bath & Stonehenge - Full Day Tour
London

This was an excellent day but a long drive home afterwards. I wish we had done Bath first and then Stonehenge (or just skipped Bath and found some closer place.) The museum at Stonehenge is interesting and the walk around the stones was lovely. Our entire family really enjoyed Lawrence and he was a helpful and responsive guide. I highly recommend him for future tours. His car was comfortable and he had a lovely personality.

Quality of Experience
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Transport
Westminster Abbey
London

This was a lovely place although we attended at peak tourist season, so a bit crowded.

Quality of Experience
St Paul's Cathedral
London

This is a lovely church. We thoroughly enjoyed climbing to the top and enjoying the views. All three teenage kids really liked that experience.

Quality of Experience
Local specialist: Eleanor Whitticombe
Eleanor
Eleanor Whitticombe
Local specialist in Pembrokeshire, Wales | Reviewed on Jan 17, 2023

Hi Kate,

Thank you so much for this fantastic and detailed review. I am so pleased to hear you had a fantastic time in London and this feedback is extremely useful for us. If you ever plan a future trip to the UK, Ireland and France we would love to assist. I am delighted you had a dream vacation and managed to experience two soccer games.

Warm wishes,
Eleanor

Amazing Trip to England
England | Sep 12 - Sep 17, 2022

L
Leigh F.
Canada | Reviewed on Sep 20, 2022

We had a great trip to England during a very unprecedented time of the Queens passing. Owen literally took care of every detail of our trip from the time we stepped off the plane until the time we stepped back on. It was such a relief to be able to have someone handle all the details and for us to just be able to enjoy our short time there. I would recommend Owen and his team over and over and I would not hesitate to use him again when I return.

Local specialist: Owen Davies

We had a 30 day trip so it involved quite a f...
England | Aug 8 - Sep 5, 2022

Deborah
Deborah J.
Rohnert Park, CA | Reviewed on Sep 11, 2022

We had a 30 day trip so it involved quite a few hotels. We loved the variety of places that were selected and really enjoyed all the locations. Our guide in the Caingorms Steve Beddick was excellent. He had great knowledge of the history and the wildlife in the area. Our guide Chris on the Isle of Lewis was equally as exceptional and provided an excellent tour. Our accommodations in Lewis the Broad Bay House was one of our favorite locations. The Inn keepers were very skilled and provided a... read more

We had a 30 day trip so it involved quite a few hotels. We loved the variety of places that were selected and really enjoyed all the locations. Our guide in the Caingorms Steve Beddick was excellent. He had great knowledge of the history and the wildlife in the area. Our guide Chris on the Isle of Lewis was equally as exceptional and provided an excellent tour. Our accommodations in Lewis the Broad Bay House was one of our favorite locations. The Inn keepers were very skilled and provided a relaxing stay. The activities that were scheduled for us were all interesting and enjoyable. I wouldn’t have left any of them out. There were a few hiccups but someone was available to put things right cheerfully and in good order. You provided what we hoped for, a trip of a lifetime and we made many memories that we will cherish.

Local specialist: William Armstrong
William
William Armstrong
Local specialist in UK | Reviewed on Sep 12, 2022

Dear Deborah and Conrad,

Thank you for this 5-star review. It was a pleasure creating the itinerary pre-Covid, and then being able to finally put it all in place this Summer. We are really happy that you had a great time in Wales, Scotland and England.

Thank you again for choosing us.

Regards
William & the team at High Point Holidays

England: Modern to 3000BC in 10 days!
England | Aug 5 - Aug 14, 2022

S
Sandy P.
Battle Creek, MI | Reviewed on Aug 17, 2022

Eleanor did a fantastic job developing the perfect trip for us Using her and Routescape i
Are a real asset to KimKim.
Our trip was to take my grandson to a football academy in Milton Keynes where he will be for at least 4 months. After our goodbyes Kim and I started our tour in London, Broadway (Cotswolds), Bath and Windsor. All of our hotels were excellent and easy walk to many sights and restaurants. Of course the Lydon Arms was a treasure but Hotel DeTour,Georgian House, the Bird and... read more

Eleanor did a fantastic job developing the perfect trip for us Using her and Routescape i
Are a real asset to KimKim.
Our trip was to take my grandson to a football academy in Milton Keynes where he will be for at least 4 months. After our goodbyes Kim and I started our tour in London, Broadway (Cotswolds), Bath and Windsor. All of our hotels were excellent and easy walk to many sights and restaurants. Of course the Lydon Arms was a treasure but Hotel DeTour,Georgian House, the Bird and Hilton were very interesting and very nice. We were treated very well by exceptional staff at each of them.
Our arranged tours and cabs were friendly and knowledgeable—great people to spend time with. Debbie and Richard of Ace Taxi were a great welcome and goodbye to the Cotswolds. Robin from Cotswolds Tours and travel made it a very special day for us as he brought history to life. We felt like we were traveling with a very knowledgeable friend. Spending time with
Laurence Davies of Avebury Landscapes and Monuments tours was great He was so willing to share with us it is obvious that he loves this area. Also fun to be with
Yogi of Davids of London Chauffeurs was not an official tour guide but was great to be with and very willing to share his knowledge of the area with us. He was very accommodating on a very hot day
My review is rather long but you can see what a great time we had and especially appreciated not being part of a “herd”. Having local travel agents makes a real difference. Thank you KimKim

Hotel Reviews
Hotel La Tour
Milton Keynes
Authenticity & Character
Location
Staff
Cleanliness & Comfort
Very modern with great gym
Georgian House Hotel
Pimlico

Perfect place to start London adventure Room was like stepping back in time

Authenticity & Character
Location
Staff
Cleanliness & Comfort
Atmosphere
Lygon Arms
Broadway

You know you are in a place a great history. Everything is done with such care and yet very much friendliness

Authenticity & Character
Location
Staff
Cleanliness & Comfort
The Bird, Bath
Bath

Beautiful place with great mix of old and new Very helpful staff especially helping with luggage to third floor

Authenticity & Character
Location
Staff
Cleanliness & Comfort
Hilton London Heathrow Airport
Hounslow

Extremely helpful staff especially Alicia when we checked in. Nice to be close to airport for morning flight

Authenticity & Character
Location
Staff
Cleanliness & Comfort
Activity Reviews
Exploring London on a Hop On Hop Off Bus
London

Great way for quick overview of London. Boat trip was outstanding

Guides, Drivers and Staff
Helpful and friendly
Transport
Day Tour of Stratford-upon-Avon & The Cotswolds
Broadway

Fantastic experience. Robin made sure we saw the best of Stratford-upon-Avon and made the history of the Cotswolds and beautiful country side an unforgettable day

Quality of Experience
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Great guide
Transport
The Roman Baths
Bath

Audio tour was very well done

Quality of Experience
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Discover Avebury
Bath

Our guide Laurence was amazing. His knowledge and love of the area made it special

Quality of Experience
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Transport
Windsor Castle & Windsor
England

Seeing history and current events in the history of monarchy was very interesting Buildings were amazing Audio program at times confusing. Headphone became uncomfortable

Quality of Experience
Local specialist: Eleanor Whitticombe
Eleanor
Eleanor Whitticombe
Local specialist in Pembrokeshire, Wales | Reviewed on Aug 18, 2022

Thank you so much for taking the time to leave this fantastic review. We are all so pleased at Routescape that you had a wonderful trip, it was an absolute pleasure to arrange it all. If we can help at all in the future please do get in touch - and best of luck to Justin with his football!

England and Scotland
England | Jul 7 - Jul 21, 2022

Gloria
Gloria B.
Fairborn, OH | Reviewed on Aug 03, 2022

To William , Stephen and all the KimKim team. Ron and I want to thank you for all the work you put into planning our trip. We enjoyed out tip through England to Scotland and back to England. All of the choices for our accommodations were wonderful. One of our favorite places to stay was The Upper Largo Hotel. The pub and restaurant there was so nice. The food was wonderful. Also, our accommodations in Port Isaac , The Slipway was so ver nice. All the Bed And Breakfast and Hotels were... read more

To William , Stephen and all the KimKim team. Ron and I want to thank you for all the work you put into planning our trip. We enjoyed out tip through England to Scotland and back to England. All of the choices for our accommodations were wonderful. One of our favorite places to stay was The Upper Largo Hotel. The pub and restaurant there was so nice. The food was wonderful. Also, our accommodations in Port Isaac , The Slipway was so ver nice. All the Bed And Breakfast and Hotels were extremely nice. We would stay at all of them again.
The excursions, punting , Tea at Blenheim palace, The tour of Manchester stadium and one of our favorites was the walking eating tour. The guide was fun and so nice and very informative and all the places we stopped to taste food were awesome. Definitely anyone who wants to visit in Manchester I recommend that eating tour with our guide. From there we go to bath . Accommodations at the Abbey hotel were wonderful. Circus Restaurant was beautiful inside and the food was so delicious. We also toured the Roman Bath. We would recommend everything to anyone asking about our trip. Port Isaac was a wonderful way to end our vacation. Very beautiful village . Restaurants were all delicious. We never had a bad meal the whole trip. We are big fans of the British TV show Doc Martin and the setting for the show is filmed in Port Isaac. How fortunate were we to actually be there when they were filming the last episode of the series. From our balcony at the bed-and-breakfast we were staying in we could literally watch the actors and the filming happening.
Thank you so much for everything. Thank you for dealing with my phone calls I made through out the trip. There is not one bad thing to say about our trip. It was wonderful.

Ron and Gloria Beavers

Hotel Reviews
The Head of the River
Oxford, Oxfordshire

Beautiful setting. Food is delicious.

Authenticity & Character
Location
Setting, location
Staff
Cleanliness & Comfort
Very clean
Dakota Manchester
Manchester
Authenticity & Character
Location
Staff
Cleanliness & Comfort
Lionsgate Guest House
Bicester

Absolutely wonderful place to stay. Very very clean. Great location to walking. Staff was wonderful. Will definitely stay here again

Authenticity & Character
Location
Staff
Cleanliness & Comfort
The Upper Largo Hotel
4 Main St

Absolutely awesome. Love this hotel the staff was so friendly and helpful. The restaurant was so clean and the food was out of this world delicious.

Authenticity & Character
Location
Staff
Cleanliness & Comfort
Love the charm. The setting and all the stuff
The Slipway
Port Isaac

Couldn’t ask for a better place to stay. Great view from our balcony. Such a charming village. Food was awesome at all the restaurants we try. All around definitely want to go back

Authenticity & Character
Location
Staff
Cleanliness & Comfort
The Eton Mess Boutique Hotel
Eton, Berkshire

Very nice place to stay. The staff were very accommodating and helpful. Set an a perfect location for touring.

Authenticity & Character
Location
Staff
Cleanliness & Comfort
Hard Days Night Hotel
Liverpool
Authenticity & Character
Location
Staff
Cleanliness & Comfort
Activity Reviews
Punting, and a Picnic in Oxford
Oxford

Great experience very relaxing. The picnic lunch was out of this world. Way more than we expected. Loved it

Quality of Experience
Everything
Guides, Drivers and Staff
We were so lucky to have a seasoned guide. He made it a great experience and he was very knowledgeable
Transport
We were so lucky to have a seasoned guide. He made it a great experience and he was very knowledgeable
Liverpool by The Beatles - Classical tour
Liverpool
Manchester Football Tour
Manchester
Quality of Experience
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Transport
Eat the City Tour
Manchester

This was very enjoyable. Our guide was awesome and made the experience even more fun with his knowledge of the city. Everywhere he took us to eat was absolutely delicious. Just a lot of fun and would definitely recommend this to anyone wanted to do something in Manchester.

Quality of Experience
Everything
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Awesome. really friendly guide.
Transport
Everything
Cornwall Private Horse and Carriage Tour
Padstow

So fun and relaxing. Great getting to see the countryside from the horse and carriage

Quality of Experience
So fun and relaxing. Great getting to see the countryside from the horse and carriage
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Or guys were so friendly and very informative. Had a lot of fun with these guys
Transport
Or guys were so friendly and very informative. Had a lot of fun with these guys
Port Isaac Walking Tour
Padstow

Very very informative. Our guy was so knowledgeable and the village is absolutely adorable and had just so much fun on the tour

Quality of Experience
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Transport
Local specialist: William Armstrong
William
William Armstrong
Local specialist in UK | Reviewed on Aug 08, 2022

Dear Gloria,
Thank you for taking the time with this detailed review, but also thank you so much for choosing to travel with us. We are pleased that you loved the way we ran the vacation, and that you got to so special experiences especially in Bath and in Manchester. Have a great summer, and I hope the happy memories last forever.
Sincere regards from those who worked on the trip here at High Point Holidays.
William

Trip to England—4 days in London, 3 days in English Country Side (Bath, Stonehenge, Oxford, Cambridge)
England | May 29 - Jun 6, 2022

M
Madison P.
Bowling Green, KY | Reviewed on Jul 27, 2022

Our trip to England was absolutely phenomenal. From the beginning of planning the trip to the moment we got home everything was fun & easy. Stephen was fully accessible at all times when it came to planning the perfect trip. He went back & forth with me several times planning & making changes to make sure we were able to have the exact kind of trip we were wanting. All of our tour guides were very informative and interactive! While we were in England anytime we needed to contact one of the... read more

Our trip to England was absolutely phenomenal. From the beginning of planning the trip to the moment we got home everything was fun & easy. Stephen was fully accessible at all times when it came to planning the perfect trip. He went back & forth with me several times planning & making changes to make sure we were able to have the exact kind of trip we were wanting. All of our tour guides were very informative and interactive! While we were in England anytime we needed to contact one of the KimKim members we received feedback from them instantly. Any issues we had were quickly corrected and fixed. I only have the best things to report on Stephen, William and the entire KimKim team who helped plan this once in a lifetime trip to England for the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee! Thanks again for everything guys! Will definitely be using KimKim again in my future travels.

Hotel Reviews
Graduate Cambridge
Cambridge
Authenticity & Character
Location
Staff
Cleanliness & Comfort
Hampton by Hilton Bath City
Bath
Authenticity & Character
Location
Staff
Cleanliness & Comfort
Trebovir Hotel
Kensington, London

Rooms extremelyyyy small. At least one tube stop away from any sight seeing for tourists. And they lock the outside doors at a certain time, which is great for safety, but when you’re out enjoying the night life in London it makes it difficult to get back to your room. The breakfast was included & very filling, and the staff was always nice.

Authenticity & Character
Location
Staff
Cleanliness & Comfort
Activity Reviews
Tower of London Early Access Tour with Beefeater
London

We went on this tour after the black cab tour so we weren’t able to really get to have the time in the tower that we would have liked. We were somewhat rushed but we did get in to see the Crown Jewels. I’m not sure what the “early access” means for this tour because our entrance time for the tour was 4pm and the tower closed at 5pm. We were unable to do the true beefeater tour. I’d recommend to other travelers if you want to visit the Tower of London and truly get the full experience go at the beginning of the day so you have all the time you want in the Tower to see everything. There’s so much history & interesting facts to learn about while there!

Quality of Experience
A better entrance time to get to have the full experience
Transport
Simply Windsor Castle - Afternoon Tour with transport
London

Loved loved LOVEDDDD this trip!!! Anyone who goes make sure you get a map and the audio recording guide. Make SURE to go inside the chapel in the Windsor grounds too. One of my favorite parts of the entire tour, so many historically famous Kings & Queens burial sites are in the cathedral.

Quality of Experience
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Transport
Black Cab Tour of London
London

One of our favorite tours of the entire trip. Our tour guide was phenomenal and very informative! It was so fun to zip around London in the black cab and see the main hotspot sites as well as other ones we wouldn’t have otherwise known about. Such fun & definitely recommend!

Quality of Experience
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Transport
High tea at the Savoy Hotel
London

We went to the Savoy for high tea after the Trooping of the Colours celebrating the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee. It was the perfect place for tea after such a fun & celebratory day! Beautiful setting & lovely live music. The food was delicious & the staff was very welcoming and friendly.

Quality of Experience
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Transport
Hampton Court Palace - private tour.
London

Tour guide was very informative & interactive. The tour actually turned out to be more of an architectural tour which we weren’t aware of ahead of time. We were expecting more of a historical tour specifically about the Tudors (Henry VIII). I told our tour guide this and she was very well informed on this part of history about Hampton Court Palace as well so it wasn’t really an issue, we were still able to get the experience we were wanting. I’d be specific and clear about what your tour guide will be including in the tour before booking.

Quality of Experience
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Transport
Literary tour of Bath
Bath

This was a wonderful way to walk around & see all of Bath! The most BEAUTIFUL town, probably my favorite one of the entire trip. This tour gives you all the Jane Austen deets, as well as lots of sights for Bridgerton fans (which I am!). However, it doesn’t give as much background on the Roman Baths and Romans in general if that is something you’re looking for. Our tour guide Dianne was SO informative on all of the Jane Austen time period information. She was a lovely guide and we had a wonderful time with her.

Quality of Experience
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Transport
Cambridge by the flow of the Cam river
Cambridge

This was without a doubt in our top two favorite things we did on this trip (The first being seeing the Queen & Royal Family during the Trooping of the Colour celebrating the Jubilee!) Punting down the canals of Cambridge was so peaceful & relaxing. Beautiful scenery & lovely punting guide who made for great conversation! Take a bottle of champagne or two & some plastic cups with you ahead of time to enjoy during the tour!

Quality of Experience
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Transport
Local specialist: William Armstrong
William
William Armstrong
Local specialist in UK | Reviewed on Jul 27, 2022

Dear Madison & Charles,

Thank you for this 5-star review. We are really happy to see the detailed review, as your time is precious. It was a pleasure for myself, Stephen, and the team to organize this for you and allow you to experience the Queen's 75th jubilee in such a special way. These types of themed requests are really interesting to work on!

Thank you for trusting in us to create your tailormade vacation in England. Spring is a great time to travel here and we are happy that... read more

Dear Madison & Charles,

Thank you for this 5-star review. We are really happy to see the detailed review, as your time is precious. It was a pleasure for myself, Stephen, and the team to organize this for you and allow you to experience the Queen's 75th jubilee in such a special way. These types of themed requests are really interesting to work on!

Thank you for trusting in us to create your tailormade vacation in England. Spring is a great time to travel here and we are happy that you had a great time.

Of course, we have noted your comments about room size in London.

Best regards!
Stephen

Our family had an amazing time both in London...
England | Jul 7 - Jul 17, 2022

M
Mirelly F.
Cooper City, FL | Reviewed on Jul 18, 2022

Our family had an amazing time both in London and Paris. It was all very well arranged and communication was on point. Thank you for assisting us and making sure we had wonderful memories. :) read more

Our family had an amazing time both in London and Paris. It was all very well arranged and communication was on point. Thank you for assisting us and making sure we had wonderful memories. :)

Hotel Reviews
Hôtel Malte - Astotel
Paris

Outstanding staff! Professional, helpful, and friendly! Our family had a wonderful time. My husband had prepared a birthday surprise and the hotel staff made sure it was done to perfection and were extremely helpful. We would definitely come back and stay at Hotel Malte again. Thank you so much!

Authenticity & Character
Location
Staff
Cleanliness & Comfort
Cheval Three Quays
London

Perfect location! Rooms were big and clean. We only had one issue with one of the rooms in which the AC didn't work, but they fixed it right away. We would definitely stay here again!

Authenticity & Character
Location
Staff
Cleanliness & Comfort
Local specialist: Stephen Molloy
Stephen
Stephen Molloy
Local specialist in Dorset and Lyon | Reviewed on Jul 20, 2022

Hi Mirelly

Thank you for taking the time with this detailed review, but also thank you so much for choosing to travel with us. We are pleased that you loved the way we ran the vacation, and that you got to experience High Tea, the Westend play Matilda, the London Eye, wine tasting in Paris and much more. Have a great summer, and I hope the happy memories last forever.

Sincere regards from those who worked on the trip here at High Point Holidays
Stephen, William, Thomas, Louis, Bérangère and Jonas

Overall, we had a wonderful time in London an...
England | Jun 14 - Jun 23, 2022

Michelle
Michelle N.
San Francisco, CA | Reviewed on Jul 06, 2022

Overall, we had a wonderful time in London and Paris. While Kimkim got a lot right, such as hooking us up with great tour guides and finding good accomodations in nice locations, there were some glitches which would prevent me from using them again. The main issue was with timing; there were many instances where there simply wasn't enough time to get from one place to another, resulting in us missing some of our paid activities. For example, we had premium Big Bus tickets and a boat tour... read more

Overall, we had a wonderful time in London and Paris. While Kimkim got a lot right, such as hooking us up with great tour guides and finding good accomodations in nice locations, there were some glitches which would prevent me from using them again. The main issue was with timing; there were many instances where there simply wasn't enough time to get from one place to another, resulting in us missing some of our paid activities. For example, we had premium Big Bus tickets and a boat tour on the Thames as part of the package, but were unable to use them but for a brief 30 minute bus ride on day 2 (it was at the end of the bus route). Once we arrived in London, the Big Bus tour had shut down, so it wasn't an option on that day. The next day we had plans to go to the Warner Brothers Studio (Harry Potter) early in the morning, despite my request for no early morning activities. We then had to rush (literally had to run) to catch a bus to take us to the Tower of London; we arrived late and missed many of the attractions there, since it was near closing time.
Since the Big Bus tours closed at 6:30 we were only able to ride for about 30 minutes on day 2.
We never were able to use our boat tickets (which I presume we paid for) or take full advantage of the Big Bus tour, which would have been a nice introduction to London.

On the plus side, we thoroughly enjoyed our private Jane Austen walking tour in Bath and the Stonehenge tour. Our final day in London we were scheduled to visit Westminster Abbey after a Changing of the Guard tour. We did not have sufficient time scheduled to see the Abbey; however, since we needed to catch the Eurorail to go to Paris the same day. We ended up rushing our visit to the Abbey and were unable to see much of it.

There were several discrepancies and inconsistencies in the printed information we received from Kimkim. For example, on day 2 in Paris, our itinerary noted that we were to go to the Louvre for a tour. We showed up to the tour only to realize that the tickets themselves were for a later date. That discrepancy in printed information caused us to miss out on other plans. It should be noted however, that when we went back to the Louve two days later, the tour was wonderful. The worst issue came the last day - our itinerary stated that our driver would be at our hotel to take us to the airport 3-3.5 hours before our flight. Unfortunately, our driver had received different information and left us at the hotel 3.5 hours before our flight. There was a taxi strike happening that day so we had to scramble to figure out how to get to the airport and make our flight. I called Stephan (William was not the contact during the trip - my rating above is for Stephan) from High Point Holidays who said he found another driver but it would cost me over $300. I was shocked that he took no responsibility for this mix-up and expected me to pay to make it right. He later called saying he found another driver for less money, but again made no offer to compensate me. We ended up taking the bus to the airport. It was very stressful, and we would have missed our flight, but luckily, it had been delayed. Finally, in both London and Bath, we arrived at our hotels to find that our rooms had not been paid for. This was awkward and time-consuming to remedy (I had to call Stephen both times). Also, at the Black Fox hotel in Bath, we had a room with one double bed, although I had requested separate (twin) beds for the entire trip. The hotel told me they weren't informed of my request and had no other rooms available. I had to share a bed with my teenage daughter which was something I had hoped to avoid (she kicks!). I brought this to Stephen's attention at the time, but he said nothing about it.

I love Kimkim's concept but the poor timing issues took their toll on us. I brought all these issues to Stephen's attention during the trip and asked for a partial refund to offset our costs for the Big Bus tours we couldn't take, but I never got any response.

Hotel Reviews
ibis Styles London Gloucester Road
London
Authenticity & Character
Location
Staff
Cleanliness & Comfort
The Black Fox
Bath
Authenticity & Character
Location
Staff
Cleanliness & Comfort
Eiffel Rive Gauche
Paris
Authenticity & Character
Location
Staff
Cleanliness & Comfort
Local specialist: William Armstrong
William
William Armstrong
Local specialist in UK | Reviewed on Jul 13, 2022

Dear Michelle and Aubrey,

I would like to take the time to sincerely thank you for your feedback. This helps us become stronger, and rectify anything. I would like to take the time to reply though.

Firstly, we are happy that you like the trip and especially enjoyed the hotels and the tour guides. It was a pleasure putting you in touch with great guides during the current boom in European tourism.

When it comes to timing, we are sorry to hear that you missed out on some experiences or... read more

Dear Michelle and Aubrey,

I would like to take the time to sincerely thank you for your feedback. This helps us become stronger, and rectify anything. I would like to take the time to reply though.

Firstly, we are happy that you like the trip and especially enjoyed the hotels and the tour guides. It was a pleasure putting you in touch with great guides during the current boom in European tourism.

When it comes to timing, we are sorry to hear that you missed out on some experiences or had some experiences reduced since there was not enough time to enjoy them.

The Thames boat tour was thrown in by us, and was never included in the quote or the proposal, though I am sorry to hear you didn’t get the chance to experience this.

We hoped that by including a premium bus tour ticket for 2 days (as opposed to the 1-day ticket included in the quote) you would have a moment in your days to enjoy this experience. Again, we are sorry to hear that you were not able to enjoy this experience fully. Since we were just alerted to this now, we have refunded you for a Bus tour.

We are very happy that you enjoyed Stonehenge and you time with our private tour guide in Bath. The works (and life) of Jane Austen came to life in front of you, I’m sure!

We are sorry to hear you felt you missed out on the Abbey because of the need to check in at the Eurostar – simply put June 2022 has seen challenges at international airports and stations so Eurostar has departures by international train have been more than a little stressful at moments. We therefore highly recommend you arrive at the time Eurostar announces as suggested before departure: 90 minutes. Again, a shame that this reduced your time to enjoy the Abbey. Since we were just alerted to this now, we have refunded you for this.

When it comes to a discrepancy in the printed information for the Louvre, I am really confused with what you have written in your review as each of the roadbook, the vouchers and the supplier ticket mentioned 3pm or 15:00.

Regarding the SNAFU on the last day, the roadbook mentioned pickup at 7am. The driver Thierry has showed us a computer generated email that he had arrived precisely at that time. He then contacted the hotel somewhere around 730am to tell them to call you (he may have also called you), after his contractual waiting time was finished, and then he waited another 15 minutes. Still lyou did not show he says. Departing at 745am, as he had other urgent journeys in other places. He felt that you had slept in and not taken seriously the call from the hotel reception to you. I instead think that you thought the arrival time at Paris Airport was instead the pickup time. Is that it? When it comes to our actions, from 746am or so when Stephen was called by you, he sent a screenshot to you of the only private driver he could find at the time, and the price (with of course no markup). It was, as you mentioned very expensive. He did not propose to pay for that as it seemed that you had been slow to arrive downstairs where the driver was, and so were potentially over 45 minutes late to that pickup. Stephen then called around to other drivers and found one who could do the journey for 70€. By that time you had walked or were walking to the bus, on your own accord. After explaining to you that Stephen had a driver for 70€ who could turn around and start coming to your hotel, you chose to still take the Bus. A bus does have some dedicated bus lanes, so the fact of taking the Bus was perhaps quite wise during peak time. Again, we are sorry to hear that you had to run for this, but it took Stephen time between you refusing the expensive transfer, and then him finding the cheap transfer. Again, sorry to hear you had stress and to run for this Bus. Stephen sad he was feeling bad for you all that time, and then elated to hear that you made it. Fingers crossed there are no future taxi strikes on your travels!

We want to apologize for the bother when the hotel did not charge our card, and thank you for alerting us at the time by phone. You were right to have called, and enabled us to make payment immediately by credit card over the phone.

We are entirely sorry that you had the one night in a double room, in the place of a twin. Thank you for bringing that to our attention now for the first time. This is the first time any of us here heard about your concern, and this problem. Regarding the communication about this, Stephen sincerely has no recall of being called about this. We have refunded you this night, as it is not to the high enough standard. Since we were just alerted to this now, we have refunded you for this.

We want to thank you for your review Michelle, and are sincerely sorry that there were some awkward moments during your stay. We are happy that you enjoyed the guides, the hotels and the overall experience in Paris & London.

Best,
Will

Our trip was lovely
England | Jun 17 - Jun 26, 2022

Ann
Ann T.
Manhattan, NY | Reviewed on Jun 28, 2022

We had the pleasure of booking our trip with KimKim/Alex for our recent 10 day trip to England. She was very helpful and patient with all my questions and helped organize our trip in such a short notice. Everything was so easy, from pickups to tours to last day drop off at the airport. read more

We had the pleasure of booking our trip with KimKim/Alex for our recent 10 day trip to England. She was very helpful and patient with all my questions and helped organize our trip in such a short notice. Everything was so easy, from pickups to tours to last day drop off at the airport.

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Park Plaza London Riverbank
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St Paul's Cathedral
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Local specialist: Alex Rawson
Alex
Alex Rawson
Local specialist in Wales | Reviewed on Jul 07, 2022

It was an absolute pleasure to have had the opportunity to assist you Ann with your family trip to London. I'm delighted you enjoyed your stay and thank you kindly for your feedback. Should you ever wish to travel to the UK again, to Ireland, or France, please don't hesitate to let us know, I'm always here and happy to help.
Warmest wishes,
Alex

A perfect 2 weeks in England!
England | Apr 18 - Apr 30, 2022

L
Laura C.
Orlando, FL | Reviewed on May 15, 2022

Kudos and more to William and Stephen! What a fabulous 2 week trip they put together for us in April. We started in London, travelled to Swanage and Lyme Regis, experienced Bath and the Cotswalds before returning to London. Our accomodations were charming and all prearranged tours were the best. It was so nice to have all of this plus transportation arranged in advance, as it allowed us to focus on the incredible sights and scenes and not stress about the details. All of the guides we... read more

Kudos and more to William and Stephen! What a fabulous 2 week trip they put together for us in April. We started in London, travelled to Swanage and Lyme Regis, experienced Bath and the Cotswalds before returning to London. Our accomodations were charming and all prearranged tours were the best. It was so nice to have all of this plus transportation arranged in advance, as it allowed us to focus on the incredible sights and scenes and not stress about the details. All of the guides we met with were so informative and passionate about their specialties. These included a tour guide for the Albert and Victoria museum; a fossil expert at the Jurassic Coast; a Jane Austin devotee and Daniel, a local guide from Bath, who took us to probably my favorite spot, Castle Combe.
A final note: I don't know how they did it, but somehow William and Stephen arranged for 2 weeks of incredible weather, with not a drop of rain!!

Hotel Review
Eight
Bath

The staff here was so accomodating and pleasant. The breakfasts were 5 star and the rooms clean and updated. While there wasn't a lift, help with getting luggage in and out was provided. The little square our rooms looked out on had activity until @ 10pm, but earplugs were provided just in case.

Tips for future travelers

My only thought would be that guests be able to navigate the stairs without access to a lift. This wasn't a problem for us, and we're all in our late 60's.

Authenticity & Character
Location
So centrally located. The train station was within walking distance, and cabs were available at the top of the street
Staff
The best and so helpful.
Cleanliness & Comfort
Activity Review
Private transfer to your accommodation. Then check-in or bag-drop
London

The drivers were on time and the vehicles spotless.

Quality of Experience
Transport
Local specialist: William Armstrong

We booked a trip to England thru KimKim and i...
England | Apr 18 - Apr 30, 2022

C
Cathy K.
Boston, MA | Reviewed on May 12, 2022

We booked a trip to England thru KimKim and it was absolutely fantastic. William and Stephen put together an amazing trip and there was no one thing that was not perfect. Hotels were awesome, the tours they picked for us were fantastic and all transfers showed up on time as arranged. They did everything and all we did was show up. I would highly recommend this group and we will most definitely use them again. read more

We booked a trip to England thru KimKim and it was absolutely fantastic. William and Stephen put together an amazing trip and there was no one thing that was not perfect. Hotels were awesome, the tours they picked for us were fantastic and all transfers showed up on time as arranged. They did everything and all we did was show up. I would highly recommend this group and we will most definitely use them again.

Local specialist: William Armstrong

England Countryside and Garden Tour
England | Jun 23 - Jul 3, 2019

Steven Lee
Steven Lee J.
Asheville, NC | Reviewed on Jul 09, 2019

Without a doubt, the best trip planning experience I’ve ever had. I will never try to plan another overseas trip without kimkim! Louise was absolutely amazing in her creative itineraries, quick responses and knowledge of the area.

Local specialist: Louise Lewis
Louise
Louise Lewis
Local specialist in UK | Reviewed on Jul 09, 2019

Thank you for your kind words Steven, I look forward to planning your next trip and will aim to organise some great weather again too!

England trip 2019
England | May 18 - May 25, 2019

Sara
Sara K.
San Jose, CA | Reviewed on May 30, 2019

Super fun trip, had a great time! Daniel was always very prompt to answer any questions I may have.

Local specialist: Daniel Bradnam