Kimkim Trip Reviews for France

After a few days of getting lost in all the beautiful pictures of different hotels, we decided it might be best to look for a travel agent. We first considered using Kim Kim less than two weeks before our trip, and we already had an idea of what we wanted to do, so we were surprised when we were advised against it. Bastien, the travel agent, took the time to explain why our plan might be improved (the sheer amount of travel time alone was enough for us) by a few places we hadn't previously considered. We took his advice, tweaked the itinerary, talked it through him, and decided this was the way to go! He had a surprisingly quick turnaround and even mentioned an item that might be easier to get on our own rather than through him, which I appreciated since it didn't feel like he was trying to upsell anything. We asked for nicer/posher accommodations (and he delivered).

Once we were there, Mathilde took over as our primary contact and took the time to check in. She was readily available for our few questions and checked on us to ensure everything went smoothly.

The tours were fabulous, and the ONLY thing that made this less than perfect was one tour that offered lunch and champagne tasting. The champagne-tasting part was great, but there was no lunch (pairings only, and the tour guide indicated that she had already informed the agencies). Needless to say, after the hours-long tour, we were starving.

Everything else was spectacular. Highly recommend!

We gave a bit of an unusual order to Joel, asking him to find and plan a 4 days advanced intensive cooking class in Lyon with some ability to have a bit of English if possible from the teacher. as we are a true Canadian couple - half French and half English ! We also booked a boutique hotel in the Presqu'ile and a quick tour of the city on the first day to get oriented. .

Joel was straightforward that was not a usual request, but he has delivered on our request.

We had a fantastic week with 2 chefs (Alice and Basil) that went through Pastries, French classics, desserts and entremets. We also did a day of Lyonnaise cuisine assorted with small plates, some meatless dishes, petits fours, amuses bouches. Extremely fast paced and we went through about 50 total dishes in 4 days - it was difficult, a lot of work but exactly what we had asked and we could not be more happy with this week.

Jean-Alexandre did a good job at the lay of the land for the tour, good recommendations for restaurants and what not to do ! The hotel was well located, boutique with a good bistronomique restaurant, a good breakfast and quiet.

so all in all, it was the first time we worked with Joel and he really came through for this trip and we would not hesitate to have another trip with him and recommend to our close circle.

Well done. Merci.

Hotel Review

Hotel de l'Abbaye

Lyon

Excellent small boutique hotel. good service, good bistro, good breakfast, quiet and decent little bar. It is boutique, so don't expect Sofitel amenities !

Authenticity & Character

Old building renovated with taste.

Location

quiet. close to Perrache.

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

quiet. Rooms are sized as per French standards.

Activity Reviews

Cooking class in Lyon

Lyon

Excellent class with Alice and Basil. This was advanced, intensive and private 4 day class. We did over 50 recipes over the 4 days declined in several dishes in several meal formats. It is not for beginners and some level of French understanding is a must. If you want to dig deep into French cooking, this is a very good option. Everything was well organized, on time and extremely busy (what we wanted). Thanks for the great week.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Its a Peninsula! Guided tour of Lyon town center

Lyon

Jean Alexandre was excellent. What else there is to say ! our 3 hours tour went very well !

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Amandine & team were great at building an itinerary that was packed, but at a manageable pace. A private guide at the Louvre with David was a must as no time was wasted lost in the museum. It was crazy busy during our visit, so having him there to whisk us to the main attractions and to our personal interests made it all the better. Lucey in the Loire Valley and Yann guiding us in Cote Rotie and Beujolais wine tours offered the perfect mix of information and freedom to make day trips relaxing. The dinner cruise on the Seine in Paris was luxurious. Bastien encouraged us not to skimp on that and I’m glad for it. We got the most inclusive package for the dinner and it was well worth it. Alban in the Alps took the cake for the trip. He led us on a hike overlooking a glacier and offered up a gourmet picnic which included a mix of fruits and vegetables from his own garden. The whole experience at Aguille du Midi far exceeded expectations. All the hotels were clean with friendly and helpful staff in each city visited. We only pivoted once veering off itinerary by taking a “down day” to lounge on the beach in Nice. That turned out to be one of our favorite days. Visiting Cannes was a bust. Red carpet was under plywood. Antibes was just ok. Same for Grasse and Valbonne. St Paul de Vence and Goirdon were gorgeous though as was the Bellet wine tasting. If I were to change anything it would’ve been to do St Paul de Vence/Goirdon/Bellet in one day and have a second beach day in Nice. 4 days in Paris, 4 days in Lyon, 2 in Chamonix and 4 in Nice. I think it was the right number of days. All in all a fantastic trip.

Simon and his team provided thorough itineraries however there is no follow up contact from them to check on us, the travelers. With minimal of 4 arrangements with local guides during our 28 day trip, we were very much on our own most of the time. It would be more informative for us to have a guide in a city. We did not expect to have ones in small town or village stays. With the amount of research that we did ourselves, at times we thought that we could have done the trip without having to go with KimKim.

Many thanks to Kimkim and Simon for helping us to plan our two-week tour of France to celebrate my wife's 60th Birthday. The full itinerary brought in all the highlights we wanted to view and experience in a thoughtful well laid out order. The top highlight was Mont-Saint-Michel, a true wonder (although it was difficult to choose). The trip started in Paris, we then traveled to Bayeaux, in Normandy, then to the Loire Valley for Chateau tours before traveling to Avignon to experience Provance with the Roman ruins and wonderful wine. It was truly the trip of a lifetime.

We loved all aspects of our trip. We fell in love with France- South of France in particular. All our guides were really good. Nichola who did the Luberon villages was exceptional and the older gentleman who did the Saint Remy was our least favorite. LaDemoiselle was exceptional. We loved it. We also loved Le9Opera Hotel. The location of both and the comforts were exceptional. We didnt like the one in Eze- but it was very close to the medieval village and that helped very much.
All our car transport people were reaaly good except the one who picked us from the paris train station in the middle of the night. We had to walk all the way over to the exit close to midnight. Overall an excellent trip.

Hotel Reviews

B&B La Demoiselle

Avignon

The stay was amazing. Our hosts were so gracious in providing home cooked fresh breakfast every morning. Fresh jams, breads and fresh orange juice. Very nice ambience. Our hosts even gave tips on restaurants and museums that we should not miss. We loved our Avignon stay. Will go back there during our next trip!

Authenticity & Character

Simple and elegant

Location

Easy access to everything and walkable to all sites.

Staff

Very Gracious and friendly

Cleanliness & Comfort

Very clean surroundings

La Villa d'Eze

Eze

The room comfort was not that great. Overall crammed. There was a slight mix up in the name on the booking but the host was overly gracious and checked into it and clarified everything to our benefit. But very easy access to Eze village and restaurants. We were planning to be there only for a day. So overall was good.

Authenticity & Character

Just ordinary place

Location

Central but crammed and crowded

Staff

Very helpful and gracious

Cleanliness & Comfort

Rooms were just okay

Le 9Hotel Opera

Paris

This hotel was very clean and very central to all places that we wanted to explore. In the middle of paris and very affordable and the breakfast was unbelievably amazing. The ambience was amazing for the hotel and the breakfast area was very beautiful! The staff were very helpful, kind and friendly.

Authenticity & Character

Breakfast and Decor very French!

Location

Centrally located and easy access to everything in Paris.

Staff

Very friendly and kind

Cleanliness & Comfort

Very clean and loved the french decor

Activity Review

Visit of Luberon & the hilltop villages

Avignon

This was the most amazing trip for us. Our tour guide was very knowledgeable about Luberon villages and knew every bit of that area and took us to all the lovely spots and took amazing pictures for us. Gordes was our favorite. We took pictures of the poppy fields and lavendar fields. He even gave us tips on photography.

Quality of Experience

The tour guide was so engaging and his descriptions were very nice

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Outstanding guide

Transport

private tour was amazing

As we planned our trip, Clement was helpful and enthusiastic and had very good recommendations for day tours with A la Francaise!, which were excellent. Clement worked hard to meet all our needs and make necessary changes throughout the process. He was accommodating and professional. However, those "people behind the scenes," his colleagues who were in charge of making transportation arrangements or hotel bookings, did not always get it right. We had issues with almost every pickup/drop-off and the emergency numbers we had, especially on the weekend, got us no response from anyone. Luckily, when in Paris, Tony's Car and Limo Service, rose to the occasion and helped us out.

It seems there were some major communication issues within the company and that caused some challenges for us. The day tours Clement arranged were all excellent and our guides were so friendly and knowledgeable.

Kimkim needs to pay careful attention to details, review each itinerary with a fine tooth comb and listen to customer requests. In some instances, two or three requests were made to fix something and it was not addressed. Even while on our trip, we experienced several stressful situations due to lack of coordination on Kimkim's part, causing us to "work" on our own to solve several problems. Overall, our trip to France was amazing, but we will not be using Kimkim for future travels.

Hotel Reviews

Handsome Hotel Paris

Paris

Beautiful hotel, but very tiny rooms. Lovely people who were incredibly helpful. Be prepared to fit only one person and bag in the elevator at a time. Absolutely incredible staff that went out of their way to help. make recommendations and go above and beyond.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Bellevue 3*

Amboise

Lovely rooms, easy to walk around town. Lovely staff that were helpful and accommodating. Charming town!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Quality Hotel Bordeaux Centre 3*

Bordeaux

Beautiful hotel, very nice rooms. Helpful staff and great lounge area.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel CitizenM CDG

Roissy

A theatrical experience! Beautiful accommodations, though a bit overwhelming with all the technology. Staff was incredibly helpful throughout the process. Great location to get to the airport.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Hop-on, Hop-off Bus through Paris

Paris

Fantastic tour of the city!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Timed tickets to Le Louvre

Paris

Magnificent, absolutely magnificent.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Eiffel Tower Tickets

Paris

Not to be missed!! Amazing and magical experience.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Cruise on the Seine

Paris

Totally worth it.. stunning views, breathtaking cruise.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Versailles Palace Half Day Trip

France

WOW! This was a spectacular tour with a very knowledgeable guide. Fantastic!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

The Orsay Museum, timed tickets and audioguide

Paris

Magnificent museum that was truly remarkable. Not to be missed.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Private transfer in town

Scotland

Driver was prompt and helpful. No problem.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Driver was polite and friendly and helpful.

Transport

Chambord, Chenonceau & Lunch at a chateau - Full Day

Scotland

Amazing tour with Sophie!! Absolutely perfect day and the lunch at the chateau was so special and delicious. Chambord and Chenonceau were breathtaking. A beautiful day not to be missed.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Villandry, Azay-le-Rideau and Vouvray wine tour

Amboise

Gorgeous day! Again, we had the pleasure of being with Sophie who was enthusiastic. knowledgeable and a pleasure to be with. The Vouvray wine tour, in particular, was a fabulous experience and we loved it.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Beach and Wine full day tour from Bordeaux

France

This full day tour is great on paper, however, we felt very rushed and did not feel we fully enjoyed each part of the experience. There was a great deal of traffic as we left town, so, perhaps, an earlier departure time might help. The oyster/shrimp tasting was delicious, but we, again, felt hurried to be on our way. Lunch was at the office instead of an outdoor area as we were short on time. The wineries were great, but the stop along the estuary, while lovely, seemed a bit unnecessary. Less "activities" could have made for a more relaxed day where we could fully enjoy and appreciate these special places.

Quality of Experience

More time to enjoy each place/activity. Too rushed and hectic.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Suzanna was lovely, friendly and enthusiastic. However, she was easily distracted, causing her, at times, to share only a limited amount of information. She had no microphone so everyone could hear her, and had some difficulty managing the GPS causing us to get a little lost.

Transport

Ensuring that the GPS is usable by each guide to help with travel time.

Private transfer in Paris

Paris

Tony's Limo Company was helpful and professional. Michael was professional and helpful in getting us to the hotel at the airport on our last day, June 5th. However, on May 31st, the driver was late to get us to the train station due to some communication issues and we had on 8 minutes to get to our train with our luggage. Definitely stressful. Tony was great about communication with us and ensured that we had no problem on our return to Paris before our departures. We were very grateful for his assistance!!!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Private transfer from the railway station to the city center of Reims (hotel)

Scotland

Driver was a no show so we had to get our own taxi. Many attempts to contact someone from Kimkim failed. We could not get through or received no responses.

Quality of Experience

Make sure reservations are confirmed and that the driver shows up!

Transport

Discover the wine in St-Emilion

France

One of our favorite days! Emilie, our tour guide, was so enthusiastic and knowledgeable. We were so impressed by her and she really made this an amazing experience. St-Emilion is absolutely charming and a fascinating area. This was exceptional.

Quality of Experience

The town is stunning and the wineries were excellent.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Emilie was outstanding! So charming, helpful and had so much knowledge to share with us.

Transport

!. Dinner cruise on the Seine - relaxing and beautiful.
2. Culinary tour in the 7th district (where we were staying).
3. Monet's Garden and House - very worthwhile. It was more beautiful than I imagined. Walked around the city of Paris
on our return. The area around the Eiffel Tower was full of people selling trinkets and wine, and seemed kind of
trashy. Notre Dame had a high fence around the renovation, but had lots of information about the project.
4. Normandy Beaches & American Cemetary - excellant guide, cold and very windy, lots of walking so wear good shoes.
5. Train to Loire valley - Be ready to get off quick, we missed our stop. Wine tasting and touring the vineyards. Stayed in
Sancerre, VERY hilly.
6. Went to a goat cheese manufacturing plant, learned about the process and tasted cheese. I do not like goat cheese,
but the cheese was delicious. Maybe because the French don't pasteurize their cheese. More wine tasting. Guide
was very knowledgeable.
7. Back to Paris to fly to Nice. A beautiful city on the French Riviera. Picture postcard perfect! We shopped, ate, drank
our way across the city. We were fortunate to get a sailboat cruise on the Mediteranean. We ate at a restaurant in
the town of Ese, or EZE. Did not get into the main restaurant , reservations have to be made 6 weeks in advance. The
drive and view were worth it. Spectacular!!!!!

I loved France. It is beautiful, historic. I was prepared to meet people who didn't care for the loud, brash Americans, but everyone was so helpful and nice to us. I would definitely like to go back! I struggled with swollen ankles and blisters from all the walking, but it was worth it.

Amandine did an amazing job planning the trip exactly what we wanted but also providing great suggestions and recommendations! She literally thought of everything! We wish she could plan all of our trips!!!

France Trip Review:
In addition to comments from Mark & Rhonda, I've added a couple of my comments below:
What we liked the most:
- Bordeaux and wine tours: our guide Bogdan Ghita was very knowledgeable and fun. He did a great job with the itinerary and we just really enjoyed his company.
- Bordeaux itinerary with Bogdan was excellent and well thought out! We enjoyed the variety of Chateau's, from small to big, and the great restaurants for lunch each day.
- Our guide for the D-Day tours was also outstanding. We were not prepared for the cold weather in Normandy but we enjoyed our time there and learned a lot about WWII.
- Transportation: All transportation was on-time and very comfortable (cars and trains). We had a little hiccup in Paris because our drivers that picked us up at the train stations did not speak English but we got through it.
- Itinerary variety: I thought the plan to begin our trip in Bayeux, move to Bordeaux, and end in Paris was ideally suited to experience a variety of tours and visit the best sites in each area.
- Hotels in Bordeaux and Paris: We enjoyed the accommodations in both cities. Each hotel was comfortable, in a good location, and served a really nice breakfast each morning.

What could have been better:
- Accommodations in Bayeaux: Great location but uncomfortable beds and a couple of inconveniences like we had to go buy toilet paper and soap as well as we had to return the keys to the owner’s mailbox a few blocks away on the way to the train station. It was also hard to find a place for breakfast given our very early start every day (nothing was open). I would have liked to see more options before we decided to stay there.
- Foodie tour: We did not enjoy this tour as it was too much walking/standing. We were unable to sit to enjoy any of our tastings. Given that it was late afternoon we could not find good pasteries and the formagerie was too crowded to host us. I wouldn’t recommend this tour in the future.
- Paris: We started most days very early, which was ok. However the Louvre tour was at 10:00 and the lines to get in were terrible. I would recommend an earlier start at the Louvre to avoid some of the crowds.

Thank you again for everything!
Mark and Rhonda Elming

We had a wonderful trip to France! Mathilde worked diligently to fit everything we wanted into our ambitious schedule. There was not one glitch, it was effortless and totally enjoyable which is what we wanted. Mathilde handled all the minute details and all we had to do was follow her directions. Every guide, tour, hotel, driver was vetted by Mathilde and they all get 5 stars. We traveled in France to Bayeaux, Amboise and Paris and had a trip of a lifetime!

Hotel Review

Villa Lara Hôtel

Bayeux

Right in the center of Bayeux and around the corner from the cathedral and famous tapestry. The bed was luxurious and the room very comfortable. The breakfast was delicious as well.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Review

Private Mont-Saint-Michel Day Trip with Entrance Tickets (Rental Car)

France

Mont Saint Michel was amazing to experience. Our guide Samuel had extensive knowledge of the area, the history and the tides to explain about what makes Mont Saint Michel so special.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Trip was wonderful!! It was nice to have transfers to and from hotels. To and from places on our own for travelers who aren’t used to the metro can be a little intimidating, but it worked out great. Lori, Valley Castle tour I wish we would’ve had more time at each castle. We did pay for audio tour guide, but did not receive. Turned out, we didn’t have enough time to use them if we would’ve had them. One of our favorite tours that we did was our cooking class with Rosa. It was absolutely amazing!
Loved Paris, Nice, our tour to Eze, Monaco, and Montecarlo. We took a train one day to Antibes and it was fantastic . Very beautiful there. Thank you!!

Activity Review

Market Visit & Cooking Class with Lunch

Nice

This was an amazing excursion! Rosa was a fantastic!

Quality of Experience

We only had 16 days to spend in France and the package that Amandine put together was totally amazing. We got a great taste of France - not just Paris.

The bicycle tour of Dijon with Leah was enjoyable as was our tour of the "Gand Cru" road with Joachim.

Amandine also organised a fantastic dinner cruise for us back in a stopover in Paris.

Bayeaux was amazing, although Mont St. Michel was disappointing because of the crowds, our Guide Julie did an incredible job. A tour of Normandie countryside with Stephen was also great.

Amboise was great - We enjoyed our tour of the Loire Valley with Camille taking in two Chareau and two wineries.

Our e-bike tour was certainly very enjoyable - even in cool drizzly weather - Alexane was great.

Back in Paris - the market visit and French cooking class was good. Our tour of Giverny and Versailles was certainly spectacular to say the least.

We would not hesitate to use Amandine as a local specialist again.

The trip exceeded our expectations. Our planner Lise was absolutely terrific. All of our excursion guides were informative, helpful and very nice. We would highly recommend KimKim again to friends and hopefully for another European vacation in the future.

Hotel Reviews

Hôtel Tardif Noble Guesthouse

Bayeux

The Noble Guesthouse in Bayeux was beautiful and exceeded our expectations. Our stay was comfortable and enjoyable.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Lovely

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel de Cambis

Avignon

Our stay at Hotel de Cambis in Avignon was very nice. The accommodations were lovely, and we had a great experience.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel West End

Nice

The 4* Hotel West End in Nice was amazing. The location and accommodations were perfect, making for an incredible experience.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Eiffel Tower Summit Ticket

Paris

The Eiffel Tower summit tour was busy, but it was definitely worth doing. We had to wait early in line, but it was a great experience.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Medieval Paris - St Chapelle, Notre Dame & Conciergerie

Paris

The private tour of Ile de la Cité was informative and lovely. Our guide was knowledgeable and showed us around San Chappelle and Notre Dame.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Latin Quarter Gourmet Tour

Paris

The food tour with Carol in Paris was great. It was a unique experience to go on a food tour with a food critic.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Half day guided tour of Versailles with private transfers

Paris

The Palace of Versailles tour was fantastic. Our guide was very informative and engaging throughout the visit.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Mont-Saint-Michel day Tour

France

The Mont-Saint-Michel tour was incredible. The transport was impressive, and the experience was exceptional.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

D-Day U.S beaches tour

France

The D-Day beaches tour in Normandy was terrific. Our tour guide was very accommodating and made sure we got everything we wanted from the experience.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Afternoon Food and Wine Tour!

Nice

The food and wine tour in Nice was enjoyable, but it was a bit crowded due to a last-minute change in the group size. Nonetheless, the tour guide was excellent.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

I'm so glad that we found KimKim to help us with our trip to France. We wanted a customized experience and KimKim and our travel agent Amandine really stepped up to provide a once in a lifetime trip. After I explained to Amandine what we were looking for and gave her our budget she provided suggestions for tours and accommodations. We went back and forth for a while until we nailed down all the specifics. She organized amazing tours that we would have probably missed if we had tried to plan this trip on our own. All the tour guides were punctual, extremely friendly and provided a ton of information about the places we visited. We had so many wonderful tours and experiences - here are a few highlights.

Paris -
We enjoyed a dinner cruise on the Seine River on our first night. It was an amazing meal with live entertainment and very friendly and informative servers and we loved seeing Paris lit up a night from the Seine River.
For our Louvre visit Amandine arranged for a personal tour guide David. He is fantastic with so knowledge and passion of the art and the museum. He made our visit to the Louvre fun and informative. I would definitely book him again on our next visit to the Louvre.
For our visit to Versailles we had a "skip-the-line"and self guided half-day tour from Paris. Versailles is a must see although very crowded. We would have liked a little more time to visit the gardens but overall we enjoyed the museum and learned a lot about French history.
While in Paris we took a small group tour to Normandy to visit the D-Day Invasion beaches and the American Cemetery. Our tour guide was informative and provided a thorough tour of the beaches and museums and cemetery. He also took us to a nice restaurant for lunch and was a pleasant guide throughout the day.

Avignon
We took the high-speed train from Paris to Avignon which was a real treat. The train is clean and a relaxing way to travel though France. Amandine pre-booked the train tickets so we had no issues navigating the journey.
We arrived in Avignon around noon and joined a small group tour to the Chateauneuf-du-Pape wine region. Our tour guide was amazing - she was informative about the wine growing process in this area and its history. We visited two wineries for some great tastings.
After a relaxing day to ourselves in Avignon we went on a "All of Provence in One Day" tour. This was a great day - we visited Roussillon, a photo stop of Gordes, Fontaine-de-Vaucluse, Port du Gard, Les Baux and Saint Remy.

Aix-en-Provence
After an amazing time in Avignon and the surrounding region we took a train to Aix-en-Provence. That afternoon we did a Gourmet Historical Walking tour of Aix with our tour guide Lucy. She helped us navigate the streets of Aix and we visited some amazing gourmet shops for some local sweets and wine and cheese. We learned a lot about the history of Aix and its wonderful charm.
The following day we had another small group tour to visit Arles, Saint Remy and Les Baux villages. While this tour somewhat overlapped with the All of Provence in One Day tour we took from Avignon we enjoyed having more time to explore Saint Remy and Les Baux villages. There was a market going on in Saint Remy when we arrived so we enjoyed exploring all the stands and experiencing the French market day. We had a tasty relaxing lunch in Les Baux at a restaurant that our tour guide Thomas suggested. Thomas was a lot of fun and very knowledgeable of the villages we visited.
Next was our Gourmet Stopover in Marseille. We took to train from Aix to Marseille and our tour guide Sebastien met us at the train station - he went out of his way to collect us from the train station because initially we were supposed to meet him at the start of the tour. Sebastien guided us through the historical part of Marseille and we visited several gourmet shops that provided some tasty treats. We first visited a wonderful chocolate shop that makes chocolate with olive oil. The host was friendly and informative and she provided us with variety of products to taste. Then we visited a biscuit shop to taste their excellent cookies shaped like sardines. We visited a great wine/cheese shop and had a good time visiting with the owner and learning more about the cheese and wines in the region. We also visited an ice cream shop and tasted some awesome ice cream and visited with the owner who herself is a real treat. We visited the beautiful cathedral in Marseille and ended our tour at a shop that provided a Pastis tasting as well as local artisanal tapenades. Sebastien was a delight and we really enjoyed our time with him and the owners of the shops we visited.

Nice
We took to a train from Aix-en-Provence to Nice for our final few days on the French Rivera. We spent our first afternoon on a small group tour to Monaco, Monte Carlo, and the village Eze. Our tour guide was great - she took us through some beautiful areas and stopped to let us take in the amazing views. We had some free time in Eze, Monaco and Monte Carlo. Monaco was preparing for the Grand Prix race which was exciting to see.
The next day we met Rosa Jackson for a market tour, cooking class and lunch. This was one of our highlights of the trip. Rosa is passionate about the food available at the market in Nice and she guided us through the market as she purchased food for our cooking class and lunch. Then we went to her kitchen and our group prepared a wonderful lunch using the ingredients she purchase at the market. It was a relaxed and fun time. Once our meal was prepared we enjoyed the fruits of our labor and a little wine. If you're into food this is a "must do" while in Nice.
We also did a small group tour to Port-Grimaud and Saint-Tropez. Our tour guide gave us the option of getting from Port-Grimaud to Saint-Tropez via her van or the local ferry. Most of our group took the ferry which was a unique treat. We had enough time in Saint-Tropez to do a little shopping and had a great lunch at at Le Bagatelle Restaurant.

Overall this trip to France was beyond our expectations. Amandine arranged our transportation from Charles de Gaulle airport to our hotel in Paris and our transportation from our hotel in Nice to the Nice airport for our trip home. Both drivers kept in touch with us and were punctual, friendly and had comfortable/clean cars. Amandine also arranged all the train transportation tickets which really helped eased our anxiety around navigating strange train stations. Our hotel accommodations were great - we told Amandine our requirements and she delivered. All the hotels were comfortable, clean, quiet, and the included breakfasts were great.

We will definitely use KimKim for our international trips again.

Mathilde was very helpful with planning for the France portion of our 3 week France and Italy adventure. She made excellent choices with the hotels and tours she booked for us. And it was a real boon to have hotel and airport transfer during key points on our journey. It was a luxury to have this kind of assistance with travel planning as we typically do it all ourselves. Glad we made the investment for this first big post-retirement adventure.

Hotel Reviews

Hotel Escaletto

Aix-en-Provence

Well situated and beautifully appointed hotel with fabulous breakfast and a super-attentive and caring staff. Rooms are small but bed very comfortable and everything has been updated. The location in Aix is great and right in the older part of the city.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Elise was amazing and provided superlative service. But all the staff were good and truly friendly and kind.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Beds great.

Palm Hotel

Nice

We were lucky enough to get the family suite which was really like a great small apartment. Sweet outdoor probate rooftop deck and tons of room very comfortable bed and well appointed. Perfect for our 3-night stay.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Close to everything!

Staff

Karine was super and really helped out. Enjoyed speaking with her and she made good suggestions. Also the owner was helpful.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Cassis Village, Calanques Boat Ride & Provence Wines Day Trip

Aix-en-Provence

Gorgeous views and lovely boat ride. Cassis is a sweet small town and it’s truly amazing to see the beautiful blue water and breathtaking vistas from the hilltop park above the city.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Comfortable van with plenty of room for our small group. Good driver.

Latin Quarter Gourmet Food Walk

Paris

This tour with Akiko from Meeting the French was a memorable highlight of our trip. She was an outstanding guide who truly knows all the shops and many of the shop owners in the Latin Quarter. She introduced us to her favorite artisan vendors then selected fabulous cheeses, pates and bread for the picnic lunch we had at our wine tasting location. She also knew so much history and of the area and we really felt like we got to dive in depth into not just the food and market culture but architecture and history.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Stayed above.

Cannes, Antibes & Saint-Paul-de-Vence Day Trip

France

This driving tour was a lot of in-car time and while the guide was knowledgeable and we learned - great deal, I’m not sure that seeing Cannes was so worthwhile if you aren’t into the glitz of the film fest. Best part was the time in Saint-Paul de Vence. This is a gorgeous medieval village with stunning views.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Driver seemed a bit stressed out. She talked nonstop and could have been a bit more interactive rather than lecturing.

Transport

We loved working with Mathilde! I would highly recommend her to all of my friends. She was so personable and put together the perfect itinerary for us. I loved ending our trip in Nice and really enjoyed the cooking class. I want to go back and visit more of the French Riviera and part of Italy next time. I loved the experience traveling first class on the high speed train! Better than flying! Thank you Mathilde for planning such a great experience!

Hotel Reviews

Hotel Escaletto

Aix-en-Provence

Great location, easy to walk to the central areas in Aix. Room basic but perfectly fine. My only suggestion would be to have a few snack options available at the bar for us late night munchers! Staff was terrific!

Authenticity & Character

More readily available items like snacks and water in the evening.

Location

Staff

So nice! I enjoyed chatting with one of the staff in the evening while having a night cap.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Room clean and comfortable

Hôtel de l’Horloge

Avignon

Nice clean room with good location. I loved our view of the center square.

Authenticity & Character

Felt very French!

Location

Right in the center of the square

Staff

Helpful

Cleanliness & Comfort

Daily service was nice

Suisse Hotel

Nice

Loved our view of the water and loved sitting on our balcony to soak up late afternoon sun. Walking distance to the market, restaurants. Great place!

Authenticity & Character

Elevator sort of small. Bar:lounging area not very good.

Location

Walking distance to water, restaurants, shops

Staff

Staff fine just not as warm as the staff at the other hotels we stayed, but fine.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Very clean and comfortable

Activity Reviews

Private Half Day Trip to Luberon Hilltop Villages

Aix-en-Provence

Lucille was an excellent guide and gave us a terrific experience

Quality of Experience

We loved our tour guide’s presentation and communication style.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Local knowledge and personal passion for area.

Transport

We loved the comfortable vehicle and the microphone so we could hear guide

Provence Historic Sites & Roman Ruins Day Trip

Avignon

Very educational overview. Thought our guide Bastion was terrific!

Quality of Experience

Less time at coliseum, first stop, one hour too much

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Loved Bastions friendly style and he was very knowledgeable about the various sites and encouraged questions.

Transport

Loved the nice vehicle and use of the microphone

Market Visit & Cooking Class with Lunch

Nice

Rosa our chef was wonderful! I learned so much about Nice cooking and culture. Loved the market tour and the cooking class was so enjoyable! Was so nice to have our meal together with such a nice group. I highly recommend this!

Quality of Experience

Rosa gave us a great tour in the market and I loved her overview of nice style cooking as we prepared our meal.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Rosa great

Transport

Walked!

Monaco Day Trip via Èze & La Turbie

France

This was my least favorite experience. Too much time in the car which made me nauseous. Seemed a bit rushed and I don’t think our guide was very good.

Quality of Experience

Felt rushed

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Driver did not use microphone so we missed a lot of what she was saying

Transport

A bit crowded

Great trip. Thanks to Amandine for adjusting our plans at the last minute. Debt of gratitude for your help. Thanks.

On Christmas Day 2019, I told my then-82-year-old father that I was going to take him to France in 2020 to visit the places our ancestors lived in the 17th century before immigrating to La Nouvelle France (present-day Quebec and Nova Scotia). Dad is the family historian and an accomplished genealogist, so this was my effort to make a dream come true for him, though it turned out to be a tremendous gift for myself. The pandemic delayed our plans, but our trip to France in April 2023 ended up being both worth the wait and worth every penny/euro spent. The return on our investment was remarkable, with quality accommodations, expert guides, wonderful assistance from our private driver, and some delicious meals included. Truly, this trip was among the very best experiences of my life, and I will be forever grateful for it.

We started to plan by highlighting the locales we most wished to visit, and then Josee, our local specialist, recommended excursions, secured expert guides, and made arrangements for accommodations. At every step she was professional, helpful, and encouraging. My father is in good health, but he has some stamina/mobility issues, so I wanted to establish some safeguards to ensure his comfort and access to all we wished to see. Josee could not have been more helpful! Not only did she help me prioritize places to visit, she also made sure that we had private guides, a driver with a wheelchair in his van for my dad to use as needed, and an emergency number to call in case of any glitches. We only had to use the emergency number once when plans for one night's accommodations fell through; in a matter of minutes, Josee helped us secure an alternate place to stay, at no extra charge to us.

It's hard to express how meaningful this trip was for my father and me. Our time in Paris was nothing short of magical, with a lovely stay at Les Villas des Artistes, in walking distance to wonderful restaurants, bookshops, Les Jardins de Luxembourg, and more. A luncheon river cruise on the Seine was the perfect way for Dad to see the sights of the city, and we enjoyed a marvelous tour of Sainte Chapelle with an expert guide, who also walked us over to see Notre Dame from the outside, and the Parisian Flower Market. An excursion to Monet's gardens in Giverny with another guide, Paul, was absolutely wonderful. He was a font of knowledge about Monet's life and art, and he also was able to tell us a lot about the surrounding areas and their history as we drove between Paris and Giverny.

Our driver, Christophe, who would stay with us for 6 of our 9 days in France once we left Paris, picked us up and brought us to Chartres for the next leg of our journey. He was courteous, attentive, professional, and helpful. Chartres is a lovely, walkable town, with the Chemin de Memoire offering great opportunities for exploration and reflection. Our guide for a tour of the Chartres Cathedral and the surrounding medieval town, Claire, was incredibly kind and knowledgeable, and the sights we saw were breathtaking.

We ended up staying in a small town in Perche, L'Aigle, for the next stop, in a community near to the village where the first ancestor of our family name came from, Tourouvre. We enjoyed exploring L'Aigle (look for the beautiful "Remarkable Trees of France," and the small Eglise Saint Martin), but the highlight was when our driver took us to Tourourve, where we went to the church where our ancestor was baptized and saw his name on a plaque. The church is called L'Eglise Saint-Aubin, and it includes stained glass windows commemorating the immigration of many people from Perche to Quebec in the 17th century. It is a must-see for Franco-American and Quebecois visitors with roots in the area. A nearby museum, Les Museales de Tourouvre, has a permanent exhibition devoted to these immigrants, and we stumbled upon it in a stroke of good luck. The person at the admissions desk even gave us a printout of the materials they had in their digital archive about our ancestor. I should add that our driver wasn't expecting this side trip, and he was very understanding and patient during what turned out to be the most personally meaningful day of our trip.

We next spent two nights in Bayeux in order to tour sites associated with D-Day: Omaha Beach and the American Cemetery, Pointe de Hoc, and a drive by the British Cemetery. Our guide, Stephane, was brilliant, and I only wish we'd had more time to spend with him! He even followed up with additional photos and resources for us to peruse at our leisure. On our own, we also managed to squeeze a visit to the Bayeux Tapestry museum to see the famed 11th-century tapestries commissioned by William the Conqueror to document and celebrate his conquest of England. This was an unexpected addition to our itinerary, and we felt so fortunate to be able to see it. Our stay in Bayeux at L'Hotel Lion D'Or was spectacular, and the Bayeux Cathedral was another special stop.

Finally, we went to Liseux to celebrate the centenary of the beatification of St. Therese de Liseux, an important figure in our Franco American family's Catholic faith tradition. It was sheer luck that our visit coincided with this celebration, though when I said so to our wonderful guide, Ria, she said that it was, "providence." In any case, it was an event never to be forgotten, and the tours of the visitor's center and the basilica were moving and informative. The Mass itself, led by the Cardinal, and attended by over 1,000 people, including many members of the clergy, was beautiful.

I will recommend KimKim to anyone planning a trip abraod, and especially to those travelling with or as elderly people who next a little extra tlc. I know that I will turn to KimKim again in the future, and I am so very grateful for this trip.

Megan St. Marie
President, Modern Memoirs, Inc.
www.modernmemoirs.com

Hotel Reviews

Hôtel A la Villa des Artistes

Paris

A lovely boutique hotel, with excellent continental breakfast. The surrounding neighborhood includes terrific restaurants (La Closerie des Lilas, Le Dome Montparnasse, creperies near la rue Montparnasse) and not-to-be-missed bookstores, Tschann Librarie and Tschann Jeunesse, and the Jardin des Grands-Explorateurs and Les Jardins du Luxembourg are less than a 1/2 mile away on foot.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hôtel Mercure Chartres Centre Cathédrale

Chartres

We were very happy with this hotel. It was comfortable, and there were restaurants within walking distance. We also had time to explore the surrounding area and visit the Chemin de Memoire.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Au Petit Paradis

Sainte-Gauburge-Sainte-Colombe

We had a mix-up with our reservation, but the innkeeper was understanding and recommended another hotel nearby. This place would be great for people with their own car who want to stay in the countryside.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Le Cosy Bayeux

Bayeux

Hotel Le Lion d'Or et restaurant la Table du Lion

Bayeux

A fancy and special hotel with beautiful rooms but no elevator. Such a great way to cap our trip.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Kyriad Lisieux

Lisieux

This was our least favorite among all the hotels due to its location and lack of things to do in the area.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Back to Medieval Paris with Notre Dame, St Chapelle & Conciergerie

Paris

Our guide was knowledgeable, and we enjoyed the tour of St Chapelle. Unfortunately, the Conciergerie was closed early, but the company said they would credit our account. We also visited Notre Dame but couldn't tour it.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Lunch cruise on the Seine (Premier Service included)

Paris

The lunch cruise was fabulous, with delicious food and great views of the city. It was an excellent way for my dad to see parts of the city without having to walk too much.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Half-day tour to Giverny from Paris

Paris

Our guide, Paul, was knowledgeable and friendly. Monet's gardens were spectacular, and we had a fantastic time.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Private tour of Chartres (2-hours)

Chartres

Our guide, Claire, was wonderful and knowledgeable. The tour of the medieval part of the town and the Chartres Cathedral was breathtaking and moving.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

D-Day U.S beaches tour

France

We had a guide named Stefan, who had spent 40 years studying the history of the battles of Normandy. The tour started with a visit to the British cemetery, followed by a trip to Omaha Beach, the American Cemetery, and the visitor center. We also visited Pointe du Hoc.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Private tour of Lisieux (2-hours)

France

The private tour of Lisieux was a serendipitous experience. The tour guide, Maria, was a devout Catholic with extensive knowledge of the saint's life and the memorial site

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

We had an excellent trip, exploring some of the most beautiful parts of France. Highlights included Park Asterix, walking on the Emerald coast of Brittany, the incredible troglodyte villages of the Dordogne, cycling in the Loire and our incredible private tour of the Louvre. Highly recommend.

Hotel Reviews

Les Quais de Lutèce 4*

Plailly

Super fun hotel, great bedding!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Le Bayeux

Bayeux

Good location, friendly staff, tired hotel.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hôtel & Appart'hôtel L'Adresse

Saint-Malo

Great location just outside the old city, nice and tidy hotel.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Manoir de la Maison Blanche

Amboise

Very friendly host, lots of character. A way from central amboise.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Citadines Apart'hotel Saint-Germain-des-Prés Paris

Paris

Great location, easy to get everywhere.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Bon Encontre

Sarlat

Lovely hotel, a bit of a walk from the city.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Logis Hotel La Chartreuse

Cahors

A very tired hotel, smelled like chlorine. Not a great location, but a good view of the river.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Les Terrasses du Midi 3*

Carcassonne

A lovely apartment, great hosts and everything you could want in terms of facilities. Not near the medieval city.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Boutique Hôtel Entraigues

Uzes

Beautiful hotel in a great location. Felt luxurious.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Day excursion in the Dordogne Valley

France

Absolutely fantastic guide and incredible countryside. We want to spend a month in the dordogne!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Private visit of Chambord Castle and Gardens

France

Very beautiful area, knowledgeable guide who was excellent with our kids.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Chambord Horse & Bird of Prey Show

France

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Saint Germain des Près Food Tour

Paris

Great experience, loved everything about it, including our fabulous guide.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Biking Day Trip Through Historic Versailles

France

A fantastic way to spend the day, loved it. It’s great to explore Versailles on bike.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Family tour at the Louvre

Paris

I think this was the best tour of our trip. Our guide was incredibly knowledgeable and fantastic with our kids.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Back to Medieval Paris with Notre Dame, St Chapelle & Conciergerie

Paris

This was a very interesting tour, but not as engaging for young children. Recommended for teenagers/adults.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Omaha Beach Half Day Tour

France

Very knowledgeable guide, interesting area.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Day-tour to Mirepoix, Camon & Montségur Castle

Carcassonne

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Roman sites and historical places

France

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport