Kimkim Trip Reviews for France

This was our first time booking a trip through Kimkim and we definitely plan to book with them again! Our guide, Mathilde, was very knowledgable and helpful and worked through several iterations of the vacation itinerary with us until it was perfect. Our daughters (8 & 11) loved all the activities she planned as well as the private tours she set up for us which kept them excited and engaged throughout our time in Paris. The itinerary could have been a bit more detailed (e.g. how long a tour would last so we could plan out the rest of our day once there) but that was just a minor thing and overall everything was fantastic. The hotel was also in a perfect location, close to local restaurants, shopping, the Metro and the Eiffel Tower. We had the absolute best time and have told our friends and family about Kimkim who plan to use them in the future as well!

My wife, 16 year old daughter and 12 year old son had a wonderful trip to Paris and southern France in early August. Since it was our kids' first time in France we wanted the trip to be fun as well as educational and were really happy with our experience!

Lise quickly understood what we were looking for and organized small group or private tours for us in Paris including the Eiffel Tower, Norte Dame/Sainte Chapelle, Versailles and the Louvre. All of the guides were knowledgeable, personable and passionate about the places we visited. They also helped navigate around the crowds and thanks to them we were able to see the sites more efficiently and learn much more than if we'd gone on our own. We stayed at a boutique hotel just off the Champs Elysees with easy access to lots of great restaurants as well easy subway access to many of the popular sites. Lise provided a set of wonderful looking restaurant recommendations, although quite a few of these were closed as many restaurants that cater to local French were on holidays for a few weeks. Lise was super-helpful in calling restaurants and we found some good restaurants in the more popular tourist areas, but if there is anything I'd change it'd be to make restaurant reservations in Paris a little earlier when traveling in August.

After Paris we stayed in Nice and took guided half-day tours of Monaco & Eze one day and Cannes, Antibes and St. Paul de Vence another. These were more sightseeing vs educational tours, but we'd never have seen so much of southern France in such a relaxing way on our own and got some great pictures and memories. We stayed in an apartment just off of old-town in Nice which is alive with activity in August and enjoyed lots of time at restaurants and the public markets.

Overall, we really had a wonderful trip and hope to book future trips through kimkim. The local guides made a big difference in getting to know France in the limited time we had and Lise made the whole experience including all transportation seamless.

Hotel Reviews

L'abeille Boutique Appartements

Nice

Nice apartment in the heart of a bustling area of Nice, great for people looking to hit the restaurants and social scene of Nice.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Nothing bad, just didn't interact with staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hôtel du Rond-point des Champs-Élysées - Esprit de France

Paris

Cute boutique hotel, delicious French breakfasts, helpful English speaking front desk staff.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Montmartre & Sacré-Coeur walking tour

Paris

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Versailles Palace & Gardens Private Tour

Paris

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Medieval Paris - St Chapelle, Notre Dame & Conciergerie

Paris

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Nighttime Seine River Cruise with Dining Experience

Paris

This just seemed "As Paris as you can get". Seeing Paris by night is just wonderful, the food and service was excellent and it really was the perfect way to cap off our trip in Paris.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

We couldn't be more pleased with the planning, organizing, booking and follow-up from Justine. Ours was a 3-week trip in France covering the areas of Normandy, Bordeaux, the Dordogne area, French Riviera and Paris. Justine set up all of our hotel locations in the best access for all the sights we wanted to see. Also, the hotels themselves were very nice with helpful and friendly staff. All of our guides in the different cities were very knowledgeable. It was especially nice to have all vouchers established with the hotels, car rental, tours, and driver pick up and delivery where needed. We particularly were so grateful for the 1st class booking on the train from Nice to Paris. After seeing the crowds at the ticket windows for the train, it would have been very nerve-wracking to have had to get the tickets ourselves.
During the planning process for the trip, Justine was very accommodating to our requests and even made a last minute change for us on our car rental with ease. All of our guides and drivers texted us within 24 hours before any upcoming event which gave us comfort in not being concerned about time, location, etc.
This is the second time we've used Kimkim (traveled to Colombia before) and have been so impressed with the quality and detail to all aspects of their planning. The local specialists have also been super-fantastic.
One small suggestion we would make is that, if driving, some hotels have limited dedicated parking which fills up fast. We often couldn't get a parking slot for 1 or 2 nights. If we would have known this ahead of time, we could have called the hotel(s) in advance to reserve a spot for us. This info may be worth passing on to future clients.
We will definitely use Kimkim again should we plan another international trip.

Hotel Reviews

Hôtel West End

Nice

Fantastic location on the Mediterranean...great for people watching and many restaurants available. There is also a covered public parking ramp very close in the same block.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hôtel de l’Horloge

Avignon

Great location for walking to all major sites within the walled part of the city. No hotel parking garage provided and a bit of a walk to the public parking garage.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hôtel d'Orsay

Paris

Great location on the left bank within easy walking distance to the Rhone river, Museé d'Orsay and the Louvre. The hotel has access to inexpensive tickets for many attractions which saves having to stand in line. Also, great restaurants nearby.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

They provided us with clear directions on how to use the Metro which was very helpful and also informed us that they had entrance tickets to the Museé d'Orsay for our use.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Plaza Madeleine Hotel & Spa

Sarlat-la-Canéda

Great location for the primary shopping mall. Very friendly and helpful staff. Parking a bit of a problem as it is about a 15 minute walk to the garage and space is limited.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

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

Bayeux

This hotel is in a great location for easy access to all the major restaurants and amenities in Bayeux. It also has one of the best breakfast selections of any hotel we've stayed at. If driving, however, it is a good idea to call ahead to assure a parking slot at the hotel as their space is quite limited.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Saint Germain des Prés Food Tour

Paris

Fantastic tours with Caroline. She took us shopping for baguettes and cheese, then provided a picnic lunch in a park across for Notre Dame, after which we then walked to pastry shops ending at a wine bar with samples at each place.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Full Day Tour of Omaha and Utah Beaches & Normandy Landings Sites

Bayeux

Jean Baptiste (J.B.) was super knowledgeable and gave us a lot of info. about Normandy and we visited all the primary sites and gained a lot of insight in being able to physically see where the landings took place. The only downside--and it wasn't his fault--was the bad weather. It was rainy, cold and very windy the days we were there. We ended up totally wet and ruined two umbrellas because of the strong winds.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

The transport van was adequate but the sound system had an echo which, at times, made the comments from the tour guide hard to understand.

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

Paris

Our tour guide, Joanne, was very knowledgeable and friendly and provided a great tour. We appreciated the fact that she had a mic and earpieces for us to wear when we were in noisy areas such as St. Chapelle.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Monaco, Eze and La Turbie Tour small group tour

France

This driving/walking tour felt very rushed. The guide would drop us off and various interest points and tell us we had a very specific time that we had to meet him back at the van for a pick-up. Often these were for very short periods of time, like 15 minutes. He was also very abrupt with accommodating the needs for the tour guests. It would have also been nice to have had some sound amplification in the van so those in the back could hear better.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

We had a super experience! Valentine was very helpful, knowledgable and accomodated all our requests during the planning and booking of the trip. Everything was organised in a very short time period (7 to 10 days before the trip). Also, we really appreciated that she was available to us throughout our trip in France and we were able to reschedule some private transfers and one tour. The tour guides were very knowledable and interesting. The travel including private transfers, internal flight and train rides were all well organised. Perhaps one area of improvement would be that we would have liked a little more transparency with the costs of the individual tours and private transfers. Overall, we had a great expereience! Thank you.

Hotel Reviews

Renaissance Aix-en-Provence Hotel

Aix-en-Provence

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

B&B Domaine de l'Isle

Civray-de-Touraine

It was a very pretty and charming place but located a little far from restaurants.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Saint-Germain-des-Prés Pastry & Chocolate Walk

Paris

This was quite an interesting experience and in addition to being introduced to some of the better pastry and chocolate shops, the guide also took us to some of the churches in the area. Sampling the pastries and chocs was also grerat!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Private Tours of the French Riviera

France

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Chenonceau Castle: entrance tickets

France

Good audio guide

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Canoë under Chenonceau Castle

France

Great views of the Chenonceau castle and it felt good to do something active

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Afternoon Vouvray Wine Tasting Experience

Amboise

Very informative guides and enjoyed the scenic drives!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Louvre Private Family Adventure

Paris

Guide was very good and made it interesting for the kids.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Disneyland Paris: One Park Entrance Tickets with Premier Access Pass

France

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Driver was very friendly and accomodating

Eiffel Tower Summit Tickets

Paris

Amazing views of Paris from the Summit. Also, felt great to reach the top of one of the most famous structures in the world. Guide was also interesting and fun.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Seine River Cruise with Audio Guide

Paris

The boat was very crowded but we saw the basic highlights of Paris. It was sometimes difficult to follow the audio guide

The cheese tasting was excellent- a highlight of the Paris trip. So much care effort and knowledge went into that evening.
The bike tour was really fun and well-planned out. The bikes worked well. However, our tour guide was not Parisian or even French and her knowledge of history was a lacking (also negative, snarky). We enjoyed seeing the sights but her commentary was a bit superficial and geared toward a younger age group.
Our hotel in Paris (Novotel Les Halles) had a very convenient location and a nice breakfast each morning. Also a pretty interior courtyard. Our kid's room had a clogged shower drain that overflowed, and the A/C was not great.
In Normandy, the Hotel Bayeux was too rustic. We stayed in MAISON BLUE, #17, and it was awkward, uncomfortable, old and just odd. While the ability to stay in one apartment as a family, this was a bit too rustic for our tastes, especially the bathrooms, with cracked floors and tiny toilets without sinks nearby. The breakfast was fine.
The D-Day beaches tour was very thorough, and and the day by visiting the US cemetery at 5 pm for Taps was very moving. Our guide was very knowledgeable.
Clare Collins, our tour guide for Mont St. Michel, was excellent: extremely professional, efficient, and also possessing an amazing depth of knowledge of the historical site. We loved her enthusiasm.
Finally, Hotel L' Addresse, our accommodations in St. Malo, were quite nice, and more typical of what were were expecting. There was terrace and balcony off each room. There was a nice breakfast each day.. It was reasonably close to the walled city and close to beach stairs- a plus. The staff was extremely helpful and offered to be proactive with recommendations and with communication about our daughter's left-behind passport and medications. They also packed a to-go breakfast for us the morning of our departure.
Unfortunately, one of us seems to have developed a case of scabies from that hotel suggesting they may need some new bedding!
Adil, our St. Malo tour guide, was also very professional and knowledgeable. We were grateful for all of the time he spent with us and his driving us from Bayeux to Mont St. Michel and on to St. Malo.
Our driver back to Paris was very efficient and professional and made sure we linked up with the courier for the missing passport.
Nathalie, thank you for helping plan this trip for us. Thanks for helping retrieve the missing items left behind at the hotel in Paris, we are extremely grateful for that. It would have been so difficult without your help. We all will have wonderful memories of our trip to France in 2023.

My son and I traveled around France for 2 weeks. I was anxious about planning the trip but Valentine made it stress free. She was easily accessible and answered all my concerns very timely, making changes I requested, listening to what we wanted and arranging the trip perfectly! The accommodations and tours she arranged were better than expected. I would definitely recommend her and use the services for any future travel.

Great trip planned by Josee! Josee had been great since day 1, she made sure to address any issue simple or complicated. There was some medical & religious issue that she patiently took into consideration in planing this trip. All chauffers & guides used were professional & attentive. Special mention to lady Chauffer Naila, guide Philippe & Julienne. We enjoyed a slow paced relaxing vacation. We felt we’re well taken care of. Josee did a good job!

Hotel Review

Hôtel La Comtesse

Paris

Great location accessible to restaurants, grocery & transportation! Staff are attentive especially Emily!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Shout out to Emily, Jonalyn, William

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Saint Germain des Près Food Tour

Paris

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Philippe is the best of all the guides! He dealt the challenge of most restaurants being closed in August with creativity & patience. He went above & beyond of taking us to different location from the itinerary do that we get to try different foods.

Transport

Naila us gracious & considerate to pick us up where the tour ended instead of the set pick up location.

Sainte Chapelle and Notre-Dame

Paris

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Murders and Mysteries of the Louvre

Paris

So much to see & learn from history. Guide is very knowledgeable.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

There should be at least 30 mind to 1hr allowance from the time the tour ends until pick up. The tour supposed to end at 4pm yet pick up time is also 4pm. The tour ended at 4:15 without seeing MonaLisa the room to see it us full of people almost impossible to get close to it & took longer time. After seeing it, you need longer time to exit not even enough time to eat/drink, go to bathroom, or took one last picture. If you have mobility issue the walk time is longer. To reschedule pick up time cost us extra money it could have bedn avoided if at the begining there’s an hour allowance for crowd, bathroom, walk time, or getting lost finding the exit.

Seine Cruise with Commentary

Paris

Quality of Experience

The boat used was huge and filled to full capacity. There are cruise company on other docks of smaller boat less people capacity.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Tour ended 30 mins earlier then it rained. Supposed puck up was 7pm the transport is condiderate enough to allow an earlier pick up. Amazing Naila looked for us patiently since we ended up at different location to be picked up.

Transport

Eiffel Tower Summit Ticket

Paris

The tower & view is great. Except that it’s too crowded but it’s August peak season of tourist.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

2CV Private Tour Paris Highlights

Paris

Worth doing it! Nicolas was a great guide & photographer!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

We had an absolutely amazing trip to France using KimKim! We started in Paris, then headed to Reims, followed by Annecy and Chamonix. All of our hotels were fantastic and all of our guides were outstanding. Josée was great to work with - we only had a few issues that were dealt with quickly and corrected. This is the second time we’ve used kimkim in the past 12 months and it’s been nothing but fabulous. Highly recommending using them - we certainly will in the future!

Hotel Reviews

Chalet Hotel le Prieuré

CHAMONIX MONT BLANC

THE VIEWS!! Absolutely stunning! The location is perfect. We had a suite that was perfect for our family of four. Everyone had their space. The two bathrooms/showers was awesome. Everything was super nice and newly renovated. The spa is a really nice touch.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Rivage Hôtel & Spa Annecy

Annecy

What an incredible property! We had a junior suite that was perfect for our family of four. It was huge! Everything about the hotel is top notch. The views and location cannot be best. The staff was super! We loved every second of our stay there!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Premier Hôtel de la Paix - Best Western

Reims

Loved this hotel! Rooms were super nice, breakfast was great, room service and the bar were awesome. Staff was super friendly and you can’t beat the location!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hôtel du Rond-point des Champs-Élysées - Esprit de France

Paris

Great location, great breakfast included and the staff was great!!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Roadbook & Support Service

Switzerland

Not super helpful to only receive this a week or two before trip. Should be provided sooner.

Quality of Experience

Aiguille du Midi, balcony hiking and Mer de Glace

France

EPIC I’m every way! LOVED LOVED LOVES this so much. The weather was perfect, the views were to die for and the getting to experience the hike and see the stuff that we did was like nothing we’d ever done. Alban was the NICEST guy - he was just awesome!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Private cruise & Cheese Fondue on Annecy Lake

Annecy

Wow was this amazing! The weather was perfect, the food was fantastic and Roy was super sweet! He even took my son over so he could jump off a ledge into the water. He had blankets to keep us warm as the sun was setting. It was great!!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Confusing as to where we were supposed to meet him.

Famous Champagne Houses & Sightseeing in Reims- Private group

Reims

This tour exceeded our expectations by a lot! Wow - we learned so very much about Teims from an historic context. We visited several amazing churches as well. Rafa knows a lot and was just great to spend the day with!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Saint-Germain-des-Prés Pastry and Chocolate Tour

Paris

This was a super fun experience! It was great to get to sample all of the fun foods! My kids loved it!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Luis was great!

Montmartre & Sacré-Coeur Walking Tour

Paris

It was great - we learned so much about the area that we otherwise would not have ever discovered. It’s a really great excursion. Mathias was great!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Mathias was super knowledgeable and friendly!

Orsay Museum with audioguide (tickets only)

Paris

Loved loved loved this! My kids really enjoyed having the audio guides. It provided us with more appreciation for what we were looking at. And you controlled what pieces you wanted to lean more about. Super easy to use as well.

Quality of Experience

Eiffel Tower Summit Ticket and Commented Seine cruise

Paris

Would have been awesome but it was pouring and cold so it was not a great experience.

We were completely overwhelmed as to how to book our trip to France. We had never been to this beautiful country. The itinerary that was suggested and eventually booked for us was wonderful! It was a great mix of history, culture, sightseeing and VIP treatment.

We had three guides, Raphelle F and Mathias and Raphelle S. They were all so outstanding! Very personable, passionate, well informed and answered all our questions in such a passionate way. It was mostly just the three of us so it was very personalized and private to us. They moved us through with expediency and sensitivity, especially to me who is almost 83 and recovering from a stroke. In museums, they took elevators, saving me from stairs and also found places for us to sit while they gave us talked.
The planning of our time and the the sites were wonderful and the uber drivers were never more than 1-3 minutes away from picking us up! Transportation with them was a dream!
We will recommend KIMKIM to any of our friends! Thank you for making our stay in Paris a delight!!
Sharon Schuh

Hotel Review

Hôtel du Rond-point des Champs-Élysées - Esprit de France

Paris

Very pleasant staff and centrally located. They helped us with restaurant referrals. They were on a quieter street. It was a very quiet place to sleep. They had delicious breakfasts and took orders if we wanted something hot and specially made. We were very happy there. A good place to come and go during the day.

Authenticity & Character

Location

As above written.

Staff

Very helpful for referrals and very friendly.

Cleanliness & Comfort

The room was cleaned with fresh water bottles and no personal items disturbed.

Activity Reviews

Montmartre & Sacré-Coeur Walking Tour

Paris

I did not go on this tour because of the stairs and amount of walking. Plus it was the last day and at 83 I just didn't have the energy! I hated to miss it and know Mathias did a great job.

Le Louvre Private Tour

Paris

Raphaelle S. gave us a wonderful, informative personal tour! We loved her and all the information. She knew what and where to take us in such a huge museum. We totally trusted her choices and information. One of our favorite tours. She was very sensitive to us and answered many questions.

Quality of Experience

Saint Germain des Prés Food Tour

Paris

Mathias was our personal guide and he was wonderful. Very passionate about the food we tasted or saved for a wonderful picnic at Luxembourg Park. We stopped in many food, cheese, wine, candy shops and he gave an excellent history of the process of each food. He helped us be aware of the "palate" of good French food, its history and its process. He was very friendly and passionate and personable to us. He did not rush us in eating or talking.

Quality of Experience

Seine Cruise with Commentary

Paris

We took the cruise right at sunset before dark and it was perfect! As the cruise came back we saw Paris and bridges lit up! It was a beautiful time to go. As we landed the Eiffel Tower was lit up and blinking.

Quality of Experience

The time of day and the lights of Paris and bridges. Also the people on the bank were dancing and playing bands and twirling and also just waving. A fun experience.

Eiffel Tower Summit Ticket

Paris

This is a very historic site and a must see in Paris. Because of the lines and wait, we will only do it once. But it was necessary to do!!

Quality of Experience

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

Paris

Our guide Raphelle F was marvelous and passionate and had so much information! She beautifully explained the stain glass and very dramatically told us the history of the Conceirgerie. She took her time to answer all questions and was very personal! We loved the dramatic way she told the history. History can be boring but she made it very alive and interesting! She even walked us to a restaurant that she recommended! We adored her!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

I want to say thank you to Mathilde and her team for helping me create memories that will last me a lifetime and beyond. I can't rave enough about the exceptional services provided by Mathilde. She was patient, accommodating, flexible, and always available. Every single guide Mathilde paired me with was incredibly kind, generous and knowledgeable. My vacation in France far exceeded my high expectations. I will not hesitate to enlist Mathilde's help again if I ever travel to France or Switzerland for that matter. She is remarkably excellent and I would highly recommend her to anyone. Mathilde, merci beaucoup.

We used Kim Kim to plan a self-guided trek on the Tour du Mont Blanc. Words can't express how amazing hiking the TMB was. Thomas crafted an unforgettable trip for us. He was responsive to our questions and designed a trip ideal for our budget, hiking capabilities, and desired experiences. The 52 page packet of instructions, maps, emergency contact numbers, tips and descriptions of each day made way-finding super easy, helped to control expectations, and ensure we were ready for each day's adventure. The hospitality at all of our accomodations was superb. We truly appreciate the time it took Thomas to design a trip tailored just for us.

We had a wonderful trip to France, traveling to Normandy, Paris and Loire Valley. Every segment of the trip was planned well and even though our plane was delayed en route for three hours, we found our driver waiting for us at the airport, and our itinerary wasn't affected at all. We had a zoom call with Lise at the start so she could understand our preferences and she made all the right calls in booking really charming hotels, scheduling excellent guides and pacing the trip. I didn't have to do any of the work and could just follow the itinerary. She was very thorough--we were provided all the information we needed in a very well organized manner. We enjoyed all of our interactions with the guides and it was really the best way to get to know the French culture. I look forward to another trip to France in the future and am very grateful to Lise for all of her hard work.

Justine planned exactly the trip we asked for, and we had an amazing time. With hindsight I would have done a bit less and not tried to cover as much for a more relaxing trip, but that’s just us. We did catch a couple of mistakes so I would encourage people to carefully review all the materials before leaving. Out of five hotels, three were really great and two were not. We had fabulous food everywhere we went, and two guided tours that were excellent. We saw so much beauty, culture and history. Overall an amazing trip!

Hotel Reviews

Hôtel d'Orsay

Paris

Nice hotel with an amazing location right by the Musee D’orsay and the seine.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Staff were super helpful when we needed to find our taxi in the midst of bastille day celebrations. They were great - generous and welcoming.

Cleanliness & Comfort

The breakfast room was light and airy, super clean, great food.

La maison Bakea

Cordes-sur-Ciel

Not really a hotel, more of a guest house, but so gorgeous. A beautifully restored 13th century house with fabulous rooms and amazing views over the surrounding countryside. The owner showed us around, and was so helpful, kind and knowledgeable. The breakfast was amazing, on the terrace looking over the hills. Loved it!

Authenticity & Character

An incredible restored antique house with stone spiral staircase and an inner courtyard. Beautifully kept and decorated

Location

On the edge of Cordes sur Ciel village, with amazing views. Easy walking distance to the shops, galleries and restaurants.

Staff

Marie the owner is wonderful and makes each guest feel welcome

Cleanliness & Comfort

The bed was super comfortable, nice towels and products in the bathroom.

Le Donjon – Cœur de La Cité Médiévale

Carcassonne

This hotel is inside the walled city so it’s not easy to get in and out. You have to pay to park outside the walls and get driven up there. Its dark and outdated “medieval” theme could do with an update. We had to switch rooms as the first one was so dark and sad. Not touched since the 90’s. The walled garden is lovely though, and great breakfast.

Authenticity & Character

Great old building but the rooms need to be updated.

Location

If you like being inside the city it’s OK

Staff

Staff were nice

Cleanliness & Comfort

It was OK

La Baronnie

Saint-Martin-de-Ré

This is a lovely and charming place. Everything was perfect

Authenticity & Character

Lovely old building with gardens. Full of charm and character

Location

Right by the port at St Martin but on a quiet street.

Staff

Knowledgeable about the area, kind and helpful, but discreet.

Cleanliness & Comfort

The room was so pretty, clean and comfortable. Not super modern but we loved it

Hotel Duo

Paris

This is closer to Les Halles and in a bustling busy area. Room was fine. Food not great. We didn’t love it.

Authenticity & Character

Location

For us it was too busy and crowded on the street outside

Staff

Staff were kind and helpful

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Review

Walking tour of Carcassonne

France

Our guide was great. She tailored her info to interests was very flexible, answered our questions so well, and we learned so much from her about this ancient city.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

We had the most amazing trip and hike of the Tour Du Mont Blanc. Everything was expertly planned by Stephen Molloy. We started planning this trip of a lifetime almost a year before. We knew we needed experts to help us plan our hike, book our refuges and help us to transfer our bags. We were in touch with several organizations and realized quickly, Kimkim and Stephen were the right fit to help us plan and execute the perfect vacation. Stephen was most responsive and attentive and helped us with all the details of an over seas trip. He also planned the perfect day in Chamonix for us at the start of our hike and the perfect day in Annecy at the end of our hike. All of our accommodations were great. We highly recommend using Kimkim and we are already planning our vacation for next year and will definitely use Kimkim and Stephen Molloy at High Point Holidays to make it happen.

Hotel Review

Boutik Hotel 3*

Annecy

Excellent accommodations! Clean and vintage fun decor. Friendly staff too. Loved our stay!

Authenticity & Character

Cool vintage decor!

Location

Close to everything

Staff

So friendly and helpful!

Cleanliness & Comfort

Super clean and comfortable!

Activity Review

Day 4: Hike from the Chapieux to Val Veny

France

Wow is all we can say!

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Mathilde and her team at KimKim were instrumental in creating a wonderful relaxed road trip in France for our family. We are time-poor professionals with little room for research into the lead-up of our holiday. Mathilde and the team in France created an itinerary which included our must-see sites in Normandy, Loire and Bordeaux; and plenty more we had not thought of. She was thorough and the attention to detail was superb. Her accommodation choices pleasantly surprised us at every location. We could not have possibly have chosen better ourselves. Travelling with a toddler was factored in. Mathilde liaised with the hotel and found us a babysitter in Bordeaux. The itinerary was not rushed but still allowed us to make the most of our 2-week stay. We highly recommend KimKim to any busy professionals and families, or simply anyone who desires a stress-free and incredible holiday.

I really appreciated the efficiency and thoughtfulness of the recommendations for our family of 4. We were traveling with our young boys ages 8 and 11 and Audrey and team helped with booking tickets to sites, lunch and transfer.

Activity Reviews

Lunch at Madame Brasserie Eiffel Tower with Paris view

Paris

We were not sure if this meal would be worth the investment but we have to say, absolutely! Post Pandemic, a visitor cannot even stand under the base of the tower without a ticket, and the whole place was mobbed. Luckily, with our tickets to lunch and level 1, we were able to go through expedited lines. Must do this if in Paris!

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Self-Guided Visit of Rodin Museum (Entrance Tickets included)

Paris

A must see for its gardens alone.

Quality of Experience

Had a great trip in the mountains of Savoie ! Every place of accommodation that I stayed at were great (food is always great anywhere in France). The itinerary made sense and was well calculated. Thomas was always there when I had questions or needed more information. We had plenty of email exchanged and one Zoom called that reassured me on everything.

We had a most amazing trip for approximately 30 days in France. We started our trip in Marseilles and ended in Fontainebleau just south of Paris. We travelled via train so we could watch the beautiful, changing countryside out the train windows.

We worked with Amandine and she organized an amazing itinerary for us. At the start, I had an idea of what cities / villages we wanted to visit but I needed assistance on where to stay and more importantly, how to get from Point A to Point B. Amandine made additional city / village suggestions and helped improve the routing. But more importantly, she helped to find and suggest things to do, places to see, day trips to take, and ensured we knew what was not to miss.

Amandine set us up with private walking tours to introduce us to new cities. Specifically, Valarie in Marseilles, Lucy in Arles, Marine in Toulouse, Agathe in Lyon and another woman in Angers. She also set us up on a small group tour from Marseille with a company A La Francaise where 5 of us plus our guide Nicholas went to several small villages in Provence and experienced lavender fields, ochre buildings, a large natural spring and a Sunday market. Not to mention our private tours to multiple villages from multiple other cities we visited - thank you Thomas, Rachel, Sebastian, Alex, Demitri, and Raphael.

On our own, there is no way we'd have found such small group tours with such knowledgeable guides full of history and fun facts. Nor would we have had such centrally located hotels, museum tickets, train tickets, etc. We were clearly well taken care of and in good hands with Amandine.

In general, the trip was very pleasant and navigating to each location was fairly easy. I do think the day to day activities in Bordeaux could have been better, and I don't think I'd go to Sarlat again without a car. The hotel in Sarlat was pretty basic...I wish we would have stayed somewhere nicer and in town (but we were trying to budget). Bordeaux hotel experience was exceptional.

Hotel Reviews

Hotel CitizenM CDG Airport

Roissy

Blah - fine hotel if you have to spend the night before a flight...but the FOOD IS TERRIBLE. Honestly, if you have to spend the night before a flight, go to the Hilton.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Easy to access terminals.

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Bon Encontre

Sarlat

Clean rooms/common area and very kind staff. But a bit too out the way from the town (12 minute downhill/uphill walk on dirt paths full of bugs) and the A/C isn't strong at all. We got so many bug bites!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

La Maison Fernand B&B

Bordeaux

Wonderful hotel! Ahmed is the owner and he keeps his place clean, comfortable, and chic, with the most welcome personal touches. His communication is excellent and strives to be helpful in any way possible – from making restaurant reservations and booking taxis on our behalf. The hotel is also in a superb location. When we visit Bordeaux again, we'll choose this hotel 100%.

Authenticity & Character

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Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

1/2 Day Cookery Course including lunch & wines in Dordogne

Sarlat

Incredibly fun! Good group, engaging instructor, yummy food. Would absolutely recommend.

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Guides, Drivers and Staff

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Private tour The Vezere Valley

France

Sandra and her husband, Francis, were wonderful. So knowledgeable, very kind, and engaging. We saw a lot and learned a lot.

Quality of Experience

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Beach and Wine full day tour from Bordeaux

France

Our guide, Khloe, was wonderful. She was knowledgeable and actually cared to engage with the group. I do think the Sand Dune experience itself was very nice and unique, but it's a bit out of the way and could have been broken out as it's own experience vs. combined with the afternoon of wine tours. This would have given my husband and I time to explore Bordeaux city more.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

E-bike wine tour of Saint-Emilion from Bordeaux

France

Our guide, Isabelle, was terrible. She spent no effort educating us on the wine/experience. She biked meters ahead of everyone, no effort to interact with the others. We also only spent 45 minutes in Saint-Emillion...I would have preferred to spend a whole day there, with a lunch at a restaurant. And then at the end of the trip the guide had the audacity to mention giving a good tip (FOR NOTHING!). I was infuriated. Oh, and the lunch we were given at a tiny chateaux was sandwich meat with a small salad and bread. Not what I was expecting given the location where we were...should have been more chic and we should have been able to have more wine to drink! We were only given scant pours for 'tasting'. I've been to better experiences in Burgundy.

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Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport