Kimkim Trip Reviews for France

Overall this was a wonderful trip, and we were very pleased with our accommodations at Hotel a la Villa des Artistes in the Montparnasse area. That Les Jardins de Luxembourg was walking distance made it even lovelier.

All of our guides through Localers were extremely knowledgeable. We do want to offer a bit of constructive feedback regarding the Treasures of the Marais walking tour with
Patrick. I was at first reluctant to book this tour during discussions with Joel because I felt it would not be of much interest to our daughter, but he assured me that we would enjoy the historic aspects of the traditional Jewish community and the LGBTQ communities. The tour was far more about the French royalty and aristocracy than it was about the historic communities. Our itinerary also stated that we would be offered a midway stop at a traditional French and local cafe for a hot beverage — this did not happen. I felt that while Patrick was very knowledgeable, he was not reading his audience well at all.

While we found our Louvre guide, Melanie, did a great job, we found the itinerary description misleading. When we were told that we would have a private, after hours tour, we expected that the museum would be closed except for small private tours. This was not the case as the museum was open to the public at this time. I think you should be more accurate in the description of this tour. The term “after hours” has definite connotation.

I do want to offer a special accolade to our guide for Musee D’Orsay and L’Orangerie, Victor. He brought great insight and wonderful narrative to his tour with us. His passion and knowledge were outstanding. I am very glad that we were able to enjoy these two museums that highlight the Impressionists since Giverny was not an option at this time of year.

Our trip was Amazing! Simon was so responsive, both before AND during our trip. I've traveled a lot but never used a travel agent before and what a difference it makes! Thanks to Simon, KimKim, and the So Provence! So Alps! team, we enjoyed sights and experiences we would not have planned ourselves. All of our guides were very knowledgeable and experienced. We had a great trip.

I enjoyed the trip and tours arranged by kimkim. The hotels and guides were good with 2 exceptions - described below. I did not interact much with Simon so cannot provide comments on his service.
There are 2 things that were of poor quality however:
1. The hotel in Aux-du-Provence was not good quality. I also had a safety issue there, in that someone I did not know, tried to come into my room late at night. Also, my bathroom smelled bad and my refrigerator did not work. I would not stay at this hotel again.
2. The guide who took us to Monaco was not good. She was more focused on her personal activities and plans for later in the day. She provided minimal information on what we were seeing. She dropped us off and never accompanied us to any spots we visited along the way. She operated more as a driver than a guide. I don't feel we got what we paid kimkim, for this person's services.

Stephen's planning was exactly what we were looking for! Each of the guides/tours he booked for us were excellent - we learned a lot and had a blast the whole trip. Our hotel was also outstanding. Could not recommend his services more!

I think overall KimKim did the best they could to service my group. They provided many options based on my request but our intentions were different. The KimKim service is best for those who are ok with someone taking care of everything and not worries about the additional cost. I think I was trying to learn more about the place and see various price options and activities lined up next to each other so I could get a good comparison and it’s not meant for that.

On that note Simon and Lucie did everything they could to service our group. We had a great time in Provence for the most part. The dinner we had the first night was delicious and I highly recommend the food tour/ cooking class we did with Mathilde. The wineries were less than pleasing and did not meet my expectations in terms of ambiance at the facilities. The wineries did not seem they were ready for visitors or meant for visitors. Maybe my comparison is to California wineries so there is a mismatch.

Overall, glad we went, we had a great time but I might go another route in the future due to my own personal reasons. More clarity around the cost breakdown would help the comfort level when booking for sure. The unknown makes it feel uncomfortable and I expect that we are paying a higher premium for the service but getting a rough idea would help.

KimKim did a great job planning for the wants/needs of our group. We used KimKim for transportation, cooking classes, winery tours, and train tickets. I can’t say enough about our cooking class. Mathilde was knowledgeable, providing history and passion for her cooking class. She was also a great resource for things to do in the area. The meal we created in her kitchen was informative, fun, and delicious.
The train tickets and transportation was also great. With 5 girls and luggage, we always had a van with room to spare.
With regards to the winery, we weren’t very impressed. I am not sure if this is because our expectations were different from how wine tours are run in the Provence area, or if it was not planned properly. Our tour guide Stefan, was very pleasant and knowledgeable and was not the reason for our underwhelming experience. However, we are used to wineries that provide an experience of family history, a comfortable setting to sit, and food pairing (small bites) that pair well with wine tastings. This is not what we experienced, which made this tour somewhat lackluster to say the least. It may be a good idea for KimKim to provide specific overview of wine tours so as not to disappoint future customers.
I would definitely recommend kimkim and their services to others. We had some truly unforgettable moments. Cheers!

Our trip to Paris was flawless and memorable thanks to Joel’s help from Kimkim. From airport pick-up to drop off, we didn’t have to worry about anything. Each guide we had was knowledgeable, helpful, and kind. We especially loved our guided trip to the Louvre, our pastry baking class, and our bike trip to Versailles. Our guide, Rachel, showed us where to get the best crepes and make the trip memorable and fun.

It was a superbly planned and organised trip. Kudos to Lucie who managed the entire planning. As well as Simon from So Provence So Alps! Everything worked like clockwork and exceeded my expectations!
All the excursions were wonderful - the off beat walking tour through the coves and beaches of Marseilles, my stay in the beautiful town of Aix-en-Provence, the wine tours in Luberon, Tavel and Chateauneuf du Pape to the hikes up St Victoire and Calanques National Park, my time on the beaches in Cassis and finally the gourmet tour in the charming medieval town of Avignon.
The guides Marc, Stephan, Aurielle among others were all extremely knowledgeable and made the experience memorable.
I would definitely recommend a visit to beautiful Provence with its breathtaking landscape and make sure that the trip is planned by So Provence So Alps and its local partners.

We went for the 7 day self guided tour de Mont Blanc thru kimkim and had an amazing experience. Julien was fantastic communicating frequently and arranging everything to perfection. Highly recommend kimkim and Julien.

While our trip to Corsica was fantastic and the 4-day walk we did amazing - the whole experience was let down by the poor communication of logistics once we were on the ground.

1. Most egregious was the omission of details about where we would be staying each night along the 4 day hike!!! We didn't even know the names of the accommodation (much less contact details) and had to ask the initial luggage porter where he was dropping our bags the first night. For the following nights we had to ask our accommodation hosts each morning to phone around the next night's town to find out who was expecting us! Luckily one of our party spoke fluent french, or otherwise this could have been a complete disaster...

(On a bright note all of the accommodation was very good and clean. And the hosts were superb - helpful, friendly, welcoming).

2. The route and topographic maps supplied were very poor quality photocopies. They made navigating very difficult. I strongly suggest either including proper trekking maps in the price of the trip or charge a small surplus to do so!

3. The route description booklet could/should be improved with additional photographs & details - especially for key landmarks and tricky intersections. Also I'm not convinced the distance estimates were accurate... Our own GPS devices reported that each day was longer than stated. For example the first day was supposed to be 11-12km but was in fact +15km.

While none of these issues ended up ruining the trip, they certainly made it more challenging for no good reason. Fortunately the beautiful countryside, delicious food and wine, and wonderful people we met along the way are what we will remember from our time walking across Corsica!

We trekked from Corte to Evisa over 4 days in July so the weather this year was hot- often in the mid 30's. It was usually a moderate walk with some hard areas so the beautiful cold swimming holes found in the streams were a very welcome site a couple of times a day and made all the difference to our hike. Without them the weather would have been far to hot to enjoy.
The distances covered were good for each day- although they were futher than indicated and so oftern excluding stop imte took longer to cover. The beeer at the end of each day at the hotels went down well and fast!
Each hotel had its own charm and we very much enjoyed them.

This is my family's 10 day self-guided TMB trekking. Special appreciation to Julien, the local specialist, who provided consultation and support to my trekking. I am not good at English on oral and listen, our communication was done with plenty of text chatting. He always gives professional answers in patience.

This trip was perfection. Our local specialist Simon planned it seamlessly. Each leg of the trip was different and special. The location of the Lyon hotel and the gourmet walking tour and winery trip with Tasty Lyon was great too.
Domaine Capelongue was stunning and a great location to visit all the small towns around.
Our favourite by far was Caroline’s beautiful B&B Villa Astoria. She was a great host and her help Sylvie is very sweet. The location, views and house are perfection .
Thank you to Simon again for the great planning, communication and making our holiday a Dream!

Lucie helped us plan our time in Nice , being met at the airport and taken to our hotel, our quirky and lovely hotel and our absolutely wonderful guide Marion ( from The French Way) who guided us on our Gourmet walking Tour of the old city. It was a really enjoyable and happy stay.
We then travelled by rental car to Moustiers Saint Marie for 3 nights. It is the most beautiful village, wonderful restaurants and friendly people. Driving out to Valensole the huge lavender growing area was an incredible experience!

Thank you to Elise Duhem & kimkim team, we had a fabulous trip to France! Elise did a great job asking us questions and providing ideas for adventures so that we were able to get just the right mix for us! There was no pressure, we just chose what we wanted to do. Elise then set us up with quality well organized tours and businesses. We received a trip book guide to print the descriptions for each event including vouchers. There were not any surprises or extra money that we did not expect. The people at "Canoe Evasion, Sun E Bkies, Blacklane Chaffure, Paris City Vision" were all very professional, prompt and fun! We also loved our Hotel "Hotel Jeanne D'Arc" and the car rent went smoothly!

Elise provided us with all information in a timely manner and was always there whenever we needed her! Thank you!

Really enjoyed all 4 stops. Learned so much. Such a wonderful trip — we and our kids love France!!

The trip was fantastic, the locations, the pace, and all the guides we encountered were terrific. Stand outs were Yoann at canyoning, Francesca at the Louvre and Dan for the bike tour around Versailles.

Joel was very patient and helpful during our planning, and providing ideas and insight as we were really not sure how to begin the planning of this trip.

Trip plan and vouchers were easy to use and follow, a very stress free vacation.

Overall itinerary was well planned and hotel selection was superb with good location and services except for the following :

1) Hotel Splendid Nice, who did the dinner booking for us, failed to inform us of the change in restaurant. We had a nasty shock when we went to the given restaurant and found it to be empty of furniture. The alternative restaurant we managed to locate was poor with meat dishes.

2) Hotel in Forcalquier is an excellent resort hotel, but is located 2 km from town. Taxis service was hard to come by and under the terrible heat wave, we were thankful that the hotel get their staff to send us to town and later, after much frustration in trying to get taxis, arranged for their staff to bring us back to the resort.

Marion, the local guide in Nice for the gourmet walk about was very friendly and gave us plenty of information about Nice. Marc who brought us to Monaco was a responsible guide. The Aix walking tour guide, Arthur, was very helpful and gave insights of Aix En Provence, Remy, our guide from Aix to Marseille is a cheerful and caring guide that provide plenty of information about the places we visit.

Overall Simon has done a good job in arranging this tour. It would be better if we can have a communication link such as what's app established before the tour start. We were on our own on first night when we found the restaurant we were supposed to have dinner was closed, and we didn't know then it was the hotel who arranged it. My attempt to reach Simon by phone went straight to voicemail.

I had a great experience working with Joel in planning my month-long wine and food-focused road trip in France. I started in Bordeaux and went through all of the major wine regions in France (except for the Loire and Alsace) ending with an epic visit in Champagne and a few days in Paris. He planned the route, selected fantastic hotels and Chambre d'Hotes for me to stay. And in each location, he arranged wine excursions and food tours that were perfect for my interests.

At one point we had difficulty with one of the tours. I notified Joel right away and he was able to get things squared away for us quickly and easily.

Throughout this process (we refined the trip plan about 8 times), Joel was helpful and friendly. When we were in Beaujolais, he even came out to meet my sister and I. It was fantastic to put the face with the name and it felt like I was meeting a friend.

I will definitely work with KimKim again!

Overall, we had a wonderful trip. In general, the excursions Stephen planned and booked for us were a big hit all the way around. A couple didn't quite make the grade, and I'll mention below specific thoughts on some of the elements of the trip.
The hotel in Paris was not up to the standards it should be to be rated 3 stars. I would not recommend it to anyone. The first room they gave us was ridiculously small for 3 people. The lamp shade was torn, the bathroom sink fixture was broken and the tilt of the ceiling was such that anyone standing up would bump their head. We asked to be changed, and they were able to accommodate us. The second room was better, but still had issues. The towel bar under the sink was broken, which I mentioned to the staff, but they didn't repair it. A shelf was missing in the shower, and only bare screws showed. The hotel is in a lovely area walking distance to many different attractions, or a short subway ride. Their morning breakfast room was also very nice, and the breakfast they served was very good. The front desk staff seemed inattentive at best.
The Louvre tour was excellent, including a very good guide.
The tour guide for the tour of Montmarte was outstanding. She really knew her art and art history, and was very cheerful and pleasant.
Chunnel to England was the way to go - easy and smooth.
Our hotel in London was very nice, except they put us in a basement room. There was a lingering smell of mold and mildew in the corner of the room, which was unpleasant. Other than that, it was fine. We probably should have asked to change rooms, but repacking bags, etc. is a drag.
London Eye and Tower of London were great fun.
We missed the Sherlock Holmes tour due to us going to the wrong meeting place. I highly suggest you don't include the address for the company that runs the tour since that isn't the meeting place. Or at least pull the meeting place information up much higher - above the address of the tour company.
The speedboat ride on the Thames River was a blast. Highly recommend for people who don't easily get upset stomachs. Very fun.
The Buckingham Palace tour was excellent - including a fantastic tour guide.
The Jack the Ripper tour should be booked only with STRONG warnings that it is incredibly graphic and provides far too much information on just how each and every woman was killed and dismembered. Seriously, this tour is not for the faint of heart, or young children. There was a 10 year-old on our tour who was way too young to be hearing much of the tour. I had to turn my head away from some of the slides he showed. Don't book people on this tour unless they're well-informed on what they'll be hearing and seeing.
All the drivers we had were pleasant and well-informed. Only one driver - the one from the Paris train station to our hotel in Paris - seemed a bit clueless and not particularly interested in doing a good job. Everyone else was very professional.
We really enjoyed our vacation, and are happy we used KimKim.