Dean Garrison

Dean organised an awesome 10 day adventure through Ireland for us. Communication and payment in lead up to the trip was easy, and support during travel over whats app or online was speedy. Any little hiccups were resolved instantly and we had an absolute blast. Highlight of our trip was a day bike riding around Aran Islands and buying locally hand made woolen sweaters. The weather was freezing and we had a windy ferry ride (rug up!) but that didn't stop us having a fantastic time. Had the... read more

Dean organised an awesome 10 day adventure through Ireland for us. Communication and payment in lead up to the trip was easy, and support during travel over whats app or online was speedy. Any little hiccups were resolved instantly and we had an absolute blast. Highlight of our trip was a day bike riding around Aran Islands and buying locally hand made woolen sweaters. The weather was freezing and we had a windy ferry ride (rug up!) but that didn't stop us having a fantastic time. Had the best fish and chips of my life in Ireland. Would recommend organizing your travel through Dean and his team.

I can't say enough good things about kimkim and Dean, our local specialist. We had such a wonderful time. Our accommodations were all lovely and run by helpful, wonderful staff and/or hosts. The suggested lunch stops along the way were always hits. Every suggested stop - Blarney Castle, several spots around Cork, and the rope bridge on the way to Giant's Causeway - was fantastic. I would be thrilled to get to travel with kimkim again. Thank you for all your hard work!

The accommodations locations in Dublin and Killarney were great as they were close to things. Killarney was the best. Cork and Galway were far from any local experience on foot for us. The breakfast at all was a plus.
In hindsight , for being the first time in Ireland, I would have stayed in Dublin for three or four days and experienced the area with day trips instead of long drives and being rushed at the end of the day.
You guys are great and did everything you said you were going to do.... read more

The accommodations locations in Dublin and Killarney were great as they were close to things. Killarney was the best. Cork and Galway were far from any local experience on foot for us. The breakfast at all was a plus.
In hindsight , for being the first time in Ireland, I would have stayed in Dublin for three or four days and experienced the area with day trips instead of long drives and being rushed at the end of the day.
You guys are great and did everything you said you were going to do. I will have no problem recommending you in the future.

Unfortunately it will be the last time using your platform.
All the communication with dean from Ireland hike and bike was disaster from all aspects - service was poor and delay of answers
The willing to understand our needs and the trip plan was poor.
After getting to Ireland we decided to leave after 5 days
His manager contact us and he was very nice and help us to get refund for part of the trip.
Last time we use your services kimkim cause platform that their agents ruin our trip is now... read more

Unfortunately it will be the last time using your platform.
All the communication with dean from Ireland hike and bike was disaster from all aspects - service was poor and delay of answers
The willing to understand our needs and the trip plan was poor.
After getting to Ireland we decided to leave after 5 days
His manager contact us and he was very nice and help us to get refund for part of the trip.
Last time we use your services kimkim cause platform that their agents ruin our trip is now worth using anymore.

Activity Review

Book of Kells and Trinity Campus Tour

Dublin

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Dean was very helpful with the planning the trip. He answered all my questions and gave great suggestions for small changes need to hotels and accommodating my daughter's schedule with the trip. Also Justin was very helpful on the phone and helped with some aspects of the trip
The Bed & Breakfast accommodations were lovely. We liked all of them except for the one in Glendalough. The hotels were fine too but the B&B stole our hearts.
Our best part of the trip was Kerry, especially Killarney... read more

Dean was very helpful with the planning the trip. He answered all my questions and gave great suggestions for small changes need to hotels and accommodating my daughter's schedule with the trip. Also Justin was very helpful on the phone and helped with some aspects of the trip
The Bed & Breakfast accommodations were lovely. We liked all of them except for the one in Glendalough. The hotels were fine too but the B&B stole our hearts.
Our best part of the trip was Kerry, especially Killarney National Park, Ring of Kerry and Dingle Town! The views were breathtaking! The people so friendly, the food great! No crowds around this time end of September really helped.

We did a 10 day/9 night self drive tour from Dublin-Laragh-Cork-Killarney-Dingle-Doolin-Galway and it was lovely! The accommodations were all went smoothly and we had plenty of tips of where to go and what was on our way. We felt comfortable choosing what we did and didn’t want to do and even added some of our own stops along the way. I don’t think I could have had such a great trip without the assistance of kimkim and Ireland walk bike hike! The customer service was phenomenal and I have... read more

We did a 10 day/9 night self drive tour from Dublin-Laragh-Cork-Killarney-Dingle-Doolin-Galway and it was lovely! The accommodations were all went smoothly and we had plenty of tips of where to go and what was on our way. We felt comfortable choosing what we did and didn’t want to do and even added some of our own stops along the way. I don’t think I could have had such a great trip without the assistance of kimkim and Ireland walk bike hike! The customer service was phenomenal and I have highly recommended this company to everyone! I will be using them again for another trip for sure! My only feedback was that the city of Cork was not very appealing and had a very very strong foul odor when we entered the city (I think it was the River/waste water). But not sure if the travel agency would have known this!

Thank you to all who helped us plan this unforgettable trip!

We feel the last two days of our trip were not productive. We could have gone to Belfast or seen more areas with our time

When we returned the car, we thought the charges were prepaid by kim kim. We were surprised to find out that these charges were not included in the package

However, when we had an issue at one bed and breakfast, Dean showed up and handed the problem correctly. Ite issue had a great outcome

Many of the pages in the itinerary were out of order and some pictures... read more

We feel the last two days of our trip were not productive. We could have gone to Belfast or seen more areas with our time

When we returned the car, we thought the charges were prepaid by kim kim. We were surprised to find out that these charges were not included in the package

However, when we had an issue at one bed and breakfast, Dean showed up and handed the problem correctly. Ite issue had a great outcome

Many of the pages in the itinerary were out of order and some pictures did not go with the descriptions.

We loved Ireland and felt this was a great way to see the country. Wish we knew more when planning the trip so we could have made better usage of the time we had allocated

I feel that Dean did not want to plan a trip that was not self guided. We stated our interests but received very little information about where trails for hiking were. We actually ended up researching our hikes ourselves. When I asked about where to rent bikes, I received no specific In formation on rental facilities or biking paths . The staff were responsive while we were there and encountered a flat tire. Maria was very nice .and followed up to make sure we were ok. I have had other trips... read more

I feel that Dean did not want to plan a trip that was not self guided. We stated our interests but received very little information about where trails for hiking were. We actually ended up researching our hikes ourselves. When I asked about where to rent bikes, I received no specific In formation on rental facilities or biking paths . The staff were responsive while we were there and encountered a flat tire. Maria was very nice .and followed up to make sure we were ok. I have had other trips with KimKim and received much more personalized service. I would use KimKim again, but would not recommend it in Ireland.

The review is for Ireland Walk Hike Bike as a whole since my interaction with Dean was minimal. Overall they did an outstanding job in understanding my needs and goals for the trip and were flexible in making changes to the travel plan after receiving my feedback.

During the booking phase, I had a chance to have a video call with one of the owners and explained to them what my concerns were, which he took in and offered solutions for.

After a failed hiking trip in Scotland, I asked... read more

The review is for Ireland Walk Hike Bike as a whole since my interaction with Dean was minimal. Overall they did an outstanding job in understanding my needs and goals for the trip and were flexible in making changes to the travel plan after receiving my feedback.

During the booking phase, I had a chance to have a video call with one of the owners and explained to them what my concerns were, which he took in and offered solutions for.

After a failed hiking trip in Scotland, I asked them to adjust their travel plans to what I thought would be more realistic hiking goals. They did it using ingenious solutions that met my needs and at the same time kept the original backbone of the trip unchanged, so I did not have to change my flights or overall plans.

When I arrived in Dublin, I was not happy with the quality of the hotel they picked and changed to another hotel in the same neighborhood. They not only took in my feedback on the original hotel but also reimbursed me for the night I did not sleep there.

After arriving in Killarney, another owner of the company asked to meet me and we went over the travel plans to make sure I understood them thoroughly and confirmed they met my goals.

This is what I had been expecting of a kimkim experience, and I am glad I finally got it.

The trip was fabulous. The accommodations were terrific. Steve provided excellent GPS directions.

This was my children’s first time leaving the country. Dean put together a perfect plan for our family of 5 and I will definitely be using kimkim for all of our future summer trips. Thank you!

It was a great trip. Effortless on our part with planning. The b and b’s were great, the app was fantastic and the recommendations were wonderful.

Sean was absolutely amazing. Very knowledgeable in the history of Ireland, up to date politically, very acquainted with Ireland and areas we were interested in, and very flexible in our day to day schedule. Which made touring the island very pleasurable. Because of his experience and knowledge as a native Irishman, he was able to show us sites and places we would not normally see or visit in a large tour group and was familiar w/ areas to avoid crowds (i.e., Cliffs of Mohr). Sean was also... read more

Sean was absolutely amazing. Very knowledgeable in the history of Ireland, up to date politically, very acquainted with Ireland and areas we were interested in, and very flexible in our day to day schedule. Which made touring the island very pleasurable. Because of his experience and knowledge as a native Irishman, he was able to show us sites and places we would not normally see or visit in a large tour group and was familiar w/ areas to avoid crowds (i.e., Cliffs of Mohr). Sean was also able to provide services such as shopping, local entertainment, dining, etc. that again I felt was above and beyond what he was contracted for. In summary, Sean became a good friend that we hope to see in the future if he visits the US or we visit Ireland, again.

I can't speak highly enough about the itinerary that the Ireland Walk Hike Bike team created for us. Dean created a custom 13-day self-drive tour for me and my husband. We loved all of the lodging, restaurants, hikes, bike rentals, and points of interest he recommended along our route. I never could have pulled off a trip like this without his guidance. Other staff at Ireland Walk Hike Bike were also very helpful (Francis, Maurice, and Jess) - assisting with reservations and other specific... read more

I can't speak highly enough about the itinerary that the Ireland Walk Hike Bike team created for us. Dean created a custom 13-day self-drive tour for me and my husband. We loved all of the lodging, restaurants, hikes, bike rentals, and points of interest he recommended along our route. I never could have pulled off a trip like this without his guidance. Other staff at Ireland Walk Hike Bike were also very helpful (Francis, Maurice, and Jess) - assisting with reservations and other specific questions we had, including while we were on the road. Without question, I would recommend them for anyone visiting Ireland. Thank you to Kim Kim for introducing us to Ireland Walk Hike Bike!

Kim Kim Team was great. It was very comforting to know that the hotels we were registered at were ready and that if there was ever a problem the Kim Kim Team was readily available. We were so lucky to have NO Rain.....and lots of sun for the whole trip to Ireland. beautiful .....The car rental was a breeze and we are glad you hooked us up with a hybrid so gas wasn't our enemy. Driving on the wrong side of the car and the road....and those skinny roads was part of the charm. All of... read more

Kim Kim Team was great. It was very comforting to know that the hotels we were registered at were ready and that if there was ever a problem the Kim Kim Team was readily available. We were so lucky to have NO Rain.....and lots of sun for the whole trip to Ireland. beautiful .....The car rental was a breeze and we are glad you hooked us up with a hybrid so gas wasn't our enemy. Driving on the wrong side of the car and the road....and those skinny roads was part of the charm. All of our hotels/BNB's were lovely. and the ClonTarf Castle was such a fun addition.
all in all it was a great vacation. thanks for all the work on your end.

Lynne and Holly Magner
We even found CastleMagner....both the town and the actual castle....

Our accommodations were great and our Guide, Denis Beakey, was AMAZING!!! Extremely knowledgeable and pleasant. He was a five star guide for a five star experience.

My husband and I had an AMAZING trip in Ireland for our ten year anniversary! The kimkim team and Ireland walk hike bike did such a fantastic job. The B&Bs we stayed at were all wonderful and they provided a very detailed day to day itinerary for our hiking adventure!

Our trip to Ireland was an unforgettable adventure. Dean had to make our dream journey happen after having to stall for two years due to COVID 19. He never forgot our original wishes. The travel arrangements he made for us were precisely what we had hoped for. Whether driving, biking, or walking, I highly recommend the Kimkim group. It met all of our expectations and so much more. We thank the team for an unforgettable experience.

We had never been to Ireland - and needed more than someone to book hotels. We needed advice on where to go, what to see, car rental, etc... and most importantly... someone who would take the time to understand who we are and what we want re hotel vs. B&B, guided trip vs. self-drive, time for hikes, kayaking, etc. Kimkim Travel and Dean were outstanding in all regards. High points of our trip included - time to drive and stop and hike thru Sheeps Head Penisula, the Ring of Kerry, Dingle and Doolin... All breath taking and great fun.

Linda was a fabulous tour guide who made our Ireland holiday a GRAND adventure! She was a font of Irish knowledge and we learned so much from her. She was so attentive to details and was very patient and kind with each of our requests.
My favorite day was the day that Linda took us to the town of Glin to visit the O'Shaughnessy pub and the little shanty where my great-great grandfather O'Shaughnessy lived. It was wonderful to learn more about my Irish heritage. I also enjoyed my tour... read more

Linda was a fabulous tour guide who made our Ireland holiday a GRAND adventure! She was a font of Irish knowledge and we learned so much from her. She was so attentive to details and was very patient and kind with each of our requests.
My favorite day was the day that Linda took us to the town of Glin to visit the O'Shaughnessy pub and the little shanty where my great-great grandfather O'Shaughnessy lived. It was wonderful to learn more about my Irish heritage. I also enjoyed my tour of Kylemore Abbey which was a welcomed change from all of the hiking. All of our accommodations were very nice, and the various innkeepers were so welcoming.
I will treasure the memories of our family Ireland trip forever and will always be grateful to Linda for making our experience truly amazing.