Kimkim Trip Reviews for France

Paris, France was everything I wished for and so much more. It was my Eat, Pray and Love experience. Enjoyed every corner and every bit as much as I could. Itinerary was perfect and planned nicely, day by day with the essencial spots and meeting points needed. Amandine left everything very clear and understandable. I did this trip solo and never felt unsafe. Everything she sent me was by the book and on paper. Very thankful for this experience, and definitely looking forward to visiting France again in the future.

Hotel Review

La Maison Eugénie

Paris

The hotel was beautiful, very parisian and great spot by the metro!

Authenticity & Character

Very Parisian

Location

Its right next to the Pont Cardinet station

Staff

Very helpful

Cleanliness & Comfort

Very clean

Activity Reviews

French Conversation & Coffee at Café De Flore

Paris

It was also very authentic, wonderful, helpful!!

Quality of Experience

Guide was helpful and authentic!

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Baking Class in a French Bakery

Paris

Didier was absolutely wonderful as well as his translator. Learned sooo much from him, tried the baguettes and took the hotel baguettes as well. He also gave us the recipes to make at home!

Quality of Experience

Very authentic!

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Felt safe!

Transport

Learned the metro pretty quick!

Sebastian put together a wonderful first time visit to France! I really liked the neighborhood of our hotel in Paris, where it was easy to walk to nice eating and shopping places and it felt safe and clean. Our tour guide Sabine was kind, patient, and knowledgeable on our guided fashion/shopping experience. Harry, who was our guide for Palace of Versailles, was knowledgeable and had a good sense of humor. The hotel was nice with good food. In Marseille, my favorite was the guided walking tour, a self walking tour the local African/French markets, and our gourmet restaurant meal. Ezekial was our walking tour guide and was so patient with my mom and Susan as they needed to end the walking tour early; he helped them get a ride back to the hotel. The hotel in Marseille was my favorite with the decor, food, and lovely kitchen and home-style way of serving breakfast. Nice was great as well and we enjoyed our full day tour to Monte Carlo, Eze, and Monaco with our guide (unfortunately I did not record his name in my notes; he lives very close to the hotel we stayed in in Nice). He shared a lot of knowledge with us and drove safely. The hotel in Nice was not quyite as nice as the ones in Paris and Marseille but everyone was friendly and the location was very close to attractions in the Old Town and shopping, which we all enjoyed. We did have a few small challenges knowing when to get off of the trains to Nice and Marseille as the announcements were difficult to understand (we are not fluent in French) and finding elevators/escalators for painful arthritic knees in metro stations was tricky. The boat ride in Marseille for the Calanques National Park was a bit rougher and more wet than we anticipated. I think we all thought the boat would be larger and a smooth laid back ride, but the sea cliffs were lovely. All in all, I really enjoyed the trip and would love to visit all of these areas again and many more in France in the near future. Thank you!

Activity Reviews

French Fashion, Fragrance and Fun in the Marais

Paris

I loved going into French based fragrance and jewelry stores where we made some purchases. I'm not sure I learned any specifics of French fashion which I kind of though I would but I liked our guide Sabine and how she was told us about the area and the unique shops. She was able to arrange an chocolate demonstration and tasting for us which was very cool.

Quality of Experience

Found some places to discover that we probalby never would have known but we got some unique gifts for ourselves and loved ones.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Very friendly and easy to talk to; very patient and not pushy or loud in her demeanor.

Paris: Illuminations Seine River Cruise

Paris

So fun and pretty to experience. We were able to go around 8:30 pm which was great timing to catch the Eiffel Tower light up around 8:45-9pm. I kind of wish we could have arrived a day or 2 earlier before doing this as we were very sleepy during the tour since it was our first day in Paris.

Quality of Experience

relaxing and lovely sights to see

Guides, Drivers and Staff

the guide was funny and had humor in providing the history of the bridges sights along the tour.

The Tour du Mont Blanc trip was spectacular! The hikes were strenuous but all had amazing beauty. KimKim worked well with the local tour company, Altitude Mont Blanc, to arrange accommodations that worked well with the hikes. When the hotels were off the route, they provided transportation. Marion provided extra electronic maps which ensured that we did not get lost. She also researched other forms of transportation when some of the gondolas and such were closed for the season. Everything with accommodations and transport went exactly as planned. We enjoyed the other activities beyond the hiking trip as well including a trip to the Mer de Glace and ice cave.

I loved visiting the Calanques, Verdon canyon, and Marie-Moustiers. Highly recommend staying in Aix-en-Provence! Working with Amandine made planning this trip so easy. So grateful :)

Hotel Review

Odalys City Aix en Provence Les Floridianes

Aix-en-Provence

Authenticity & Character

The room smelled like smoke

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Room smelled like smoke, otherwise it was good! It also was not cleaned every day

Activity Reviews

Verdon Canyon & Moustiers Sainte Marie Day Trip

Aix-en-Provence

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Cassis Village, Calanques Boat Ride & Provence Wines Day Trip

Aix-en-Provence

Cassis and the Calanques were great! I also really enjoyed tasting the Cassis wines.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Marion guided us through the planning process for our self-guided trip of Tour du Mount Blanc. She patiently answered all of our questions and gave us additional maps which were invaluable in keeping us on track. Everything went according to plan. She accommodated our requests for adjustments.

Margaux laid out everything we asked for and more. She was fantastic to work with and we had the trip of a lifetime.
Margaux was always available during the planning and the trip. Her colleague Amandine was available if Margaux was not. I could not be happier with the service we received.
My wife became ill during the last leg of our tour, I could not have made it without the Kimkim team, they helped save my wife’s life. No joke

Hotel Review

Lagrange apart'HOTEL Lyon Lumière

Lyon

I didn't quite enjoy the Lagrange apart'HOTEL. It felt more like an extended stay place for students or nurses, which was a stark contrast to the beautiful B&Bs we had been staying in. The carpets were stained, and it just didn't match the charm of our other accommodations. Plus, being right in the middle of downtown was a bit overwhelming.

Activity Review

Guided Tour of Annecy

Annecy

Annecy was absolutely beautiful. Even though my wife was feeling unwell and it was raining, we still managed to enjoy most of our walking tour. The guide was great, and the town itself is picturesque. We could have easily stayed there for several more days. It was just that charming.

Thank you, Thomas and Rashi, for a wonderful trip. They took care of all of the details, and then were really responsive before the trip, when I had some clarifying questions, and during the trip, whenever anything came up. This trip was on our bucket list, and I'm so glad I trusted it to KimKim.

For those considering the trip, I would say that the hiking was more grueling than I expected, and the weather is so variable, you have to be prepared for anything. But if you're up for the challenge, it was the trip of a lifetime.

Aline and Bastien planned a wonderful trip for us to Paris and Normandy! This is our second trip utilizing KimKim and we find their model very good for our needs. I appreciated how accessible they were for questions on the What's App when we arrived and throughout our visit. We began trip by flying to Paris, then "trained" to Bayeux for several days in the French countryside visiting Mt. St. Michelle one day and then Normandy. The local tour guides they arranged for us were ALL terrific! Charles gave us a wonderful experience at Mt. St. Michelle and we appreciated all his shared knowledge, sense of humor and even his singing:-). Jonathan (Normandy) gave us a very enlightening and enjoyable D-Day experience despite the pouring rain! He was energetic and so fascinatingly full of history about this important place. Aline and Bastien had arranged lovely chateau accommodations near Bayeux that were so gorgeous and restful. Excellent restaurant and bar on site, even a sweet set of donkeys grazing peacefully in field. The staff at our chateau were all delightful! Our final day we returned to Paris by smooth, quiet train. We then packed two days worth of touring into one as our airline had canceled our flight at beginning of our trip (after we waited 7 hours through repeated delays in Boston). Thus, since we lost our first day in Paris, we strove to pack everything in on our last day. Remarkably it all worked! Trained 2.5 hrs early AM, brought bags to hotel near Notre Dame, walked to Louvre, toured there (Mona Lisa! I had just read The Davinci Code which begins in the Louvre and discusses some fascinating details about the Mona Lisa...as well as The Divine Feminine...) taxied to Montmartre where we enjoyed a Gastronomy tour with Aude, a delightful and very informative young lady tour guide sharing about the amazing delicacies and history of the area, taxied to Eiffel Tower to meet Anna for our graciously rescheduled tour from Monday She was remarkably prepared with much to share and good visual aids to emphasize our learning as we traveled up to the top and visited stops on way down. Fully enjoyed Anna and her thorough tour! We added our Siene commented cruise back on to close our touring which was very fun and finally had a late Italian meal back near our hotel. A comfortable sleep, a surprisingly efficient and delicious breakfast at cafe nearby and then the transfer service Bastien arranged arrived in timely manner to return us to Charles DeGaulle Airport. If only our air travel had gone more smoothly on both ends, but this was the airlines and not a KimKim responsibility. We look forward to arranging future travel with KimKim. Thank you again Aline and Bastien!

Bon jour! Our trip to France planned by Lise was all that we imagined it to be. We visited three places Paris, Aix en Provence and Nice. Although it felt like a whirlwind everything went smoothly as far as transfers, hotels, guides and the sights that were selected for us. In Paris we had 4 amazing guides and tours. Our guides Raphaelle, Emilie, Agathe and Gil in Paris were truly experts at their craft. We learned things we had never expected and were so impressed with their enthusiasm and kindness towards us. Between the cafes and the tours we definitely feel another trip is in order as this was just a taste.
Aix en Provence was our favorite I think overall. The four villages we visited in Luberon with our guide Carolina were absolutely a feast for the eyes and the senses. Magnificent views, great food, and of course the smell of lavender. It was a carefree day of taking this all in and meandering through the shops nestled in the mountains. Truly another place to return to.. two days was not enough. Carolina was well informed and gave us the freedom to enjoy a relaxing day of leisure.
And then finally Nice, Eze and Monaco. What can I say about these place except beautiful beaches, beautiful views and delicious food and wine. What a great way to end our trip and say goodbye to France. This is not goodbye though it is au revoir for now.
From not knowing anything but Paris, Lise took what I had asked for and made it a reality.. I am truly grateful for her assistance and recommend this service to everyone. Merci Beaucoup! Annamarie Aigotti

Sebastian was very helpful in answering all our questions and creating a trip that met our needs. We had an amazing experience in France and learned so much thanks to him. He also was so patient with us during the planning process, much appreciated.
All of our accommodations were convenient and accessible by walking or train to attractions in Paris, Marseilles and Nice. We especially enjoyed our Maison du Monde hotel in Marseilles, the breakfast there was excellent. We also loved our Paris hotel Hotel Lorette and the lovely local neighborhood it was in.

All of our outings were very fun, educational, and the transportation and guides were prompt and friendly. Ezekiel in Marseille made special accommodations for our walking tour to meet the needs of our group and took extra time to assist us.

We all want to come back and learn more about France given such a wonderful trip KimKim provided for us

Simon planned a lovely tour in France for me, staying at Tours, Amboise, La Rochelle, Bordeaux and St Emilion. Everything went very smoothly and the guides e provided were excellent. Super time.

Activity Reviews

Cité du Vin : priority access with the skip the line ticket and wine tasting

Bordeaux

The Cité du Vin in Bordeaux was a bit of a letdown for me. The building is modern and quite lovely, but I found the experience very basic. It felt more like an introductory course on wine—like "Did you know wine is made from grapes?"—which wasn't very engaging for me. The audio-visual presentations were well-done, but the pacing was off. I often found myself catching segments halfway and not knowing if I should wait for it to restart. Overall, I felt it wasn't the best use of my time.

Visit and tasting Chateau de Miniere

Amboise

The wine tasting at Chateau de Miniere was a bit underwhelming. It was just me and the vineyard host, which made the experience feel somewhat isolated. The host poured a series of wines for me to taste, but there wasn't much conversation or interaction. It felt quite solitary, and at the end, she asked if I wanted to buy some wine, which I couldn't do because I was flying. I think it would have been much better with more people to share the experience with.

We had an amazing 9 days travelling in Paris and Tours as well as the countryside in the Loire Valley. Aline was such a huge help to me to create a trip my whole family was willing to get on a plane for. Biking through the forests to find castles to tour was just incredible and something we will never forget!
Using Kimkim let us balance my desire for all the details to be worked out ahead of time and my husbands idea to just show up and wander. Aline was able to find solutions to the (maybe odd?) requests my two teenagers had and she was always available to help us out when we got stuck. Overall great trip, Thank you!

Hotel Reviews

Appart'City Tours

Tours

This place was ultimately a great home base for us, with a couch, tv laundry and lots of dinner options nearby. There was some trouble at check in because they had booked the room under the travel agents name instead of my name.

Authenticity & Character

Location

its at a shopping mall, but is on the tram line

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

We had two bedrooms, two showers and a couch ~ it was really a small apartment and perfect for our needs

Hôtel de Venise**

Paris

overall good location, helpful staff

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

St-Germain Pastry & Chocolate Tour (Group Tour/3Hours)

Paris

Our guide kept us moving and was an excellent storyteller, we sampled chocolates and along the way learned the whole human history of chocolate preparation leading right into the french tradition

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Full Day E-Bike guided tour, Loire Valley Chateaux : CHAMBORD (Small Group/8Hours)

Tours

This bike trip was so much more magical than I could have ever expected.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

French Cooking Class (Group Tour/4.5Hours)

Paris

Definitely a trip highlight!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

We took the metro!

We were connected with Lise to start working through itineraries and ultimately landed on a plan that we were really happy with. The actual trip was even more spectacular than how it looked on paper and we were very satisfied with the quality of locations, hotel and excursions. The pace and adventure was what we were looking for and Lise nailed it for us. Thank you again for working with us on a tight timeline and within our budget! Much appreciated.

All our drivers and guides were excellent. First class. The hotel in Bayeux was top notch and in a great location as was the one in Lyon. The only suggestion I have would be to offer an option for a room with a view at the hotel in Lyon. The room had one awkwardly placed window looking out onto what they called a courtyard but which was more like a silo. The view you had was into other people’s windows across this square opening in the middle of the building. The building was quite tall so it was not well lit in this “courtyard.”The room was dark and actually sort of depressing. I inquired about an upgrade with a view outside but they were fully booked. The staff and breakfast were very nice though. My wife and I were impressed with the arrangements made by Kimkim and will definitely use your service again.

Hotel Reviews

Hotel Bayard Bellecour 3*

Lyon

Nice hotel in an excellent location. Make sure you request a room with a view. Do not get a “courtyard view” room.

Authenticity & Character

Beautiful old building.

Location

Great location.

Staff

Very nice people.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Very clean in an old building with a lot of character.

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

Bayeux

Very nice hotel and staff in a great location.

Authenticity & Character

Lovely hotel.

Location

Right in town near everything.

Staff

Very nice staff.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Very clean and comfortable.

Activity Reviews

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

Bayeux

Wonderful tour.

Quality of Experience

Well thought out by the tour operator.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Ellen was our guide and she was amazing. So friendly and knowledgeable. Excellent.

Transport

Clean and new looking vehicle. Ellen was a very good driver.

Mont-Saint-Michel day Tour

France

A fun trip we took with one other couple.

Quality of Experience

Everything was first class.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Nice, knowledgeable guide.

Transport

Clean and new.

The TMB has become a top hiker’s destination, therefore, accommodations can be difficult to arrange. When we decided we would finally make the trip, Rashi shared that the accommodations would be difficult considering our shorter “lead time”. Shortly thereafter, she reached out to offer an itinerary from a couple who canceled their trip, but would require date changes. We were delighted with the news!
Rashi and Thomas were able to make some tweaks to this itinerary to customize the trip for us, e.g.; we added a couple days in Geneva on the front end, added a couple on the backend and were able to build in a break day after each 3 days of hiking. We hiked 9 days, around 100 miles overall and wouldn’t change a thing!
Rashi offered suggestions of “things to do and see” for each of our non-hiking days, which was helpful and gave us options.

We were overall pleased with our accommodations which ranged from 4/5 star rated boutique hotels to (a) shared dorm with bunkbeds and shared bathrooms. Most of the mountain huts have both dorms and select private rooms. We were pleasantly surprised to find most of our private rooms also had en suite bathroom facilities. We were expecting to share in these locations. I’m not sure if that was a special request from Rashi and Thomas on our behalf, or if we were just lucky?!

We chose the luggage service which I would HIGHLY recommend for this trek! It was worth every penny to know we didn’t have to carry everything on our backs, nor did we have to “go without” certain items.

This is the 2nd time using Kimkim for International travel with great results! They work with local experts, like Rashi and Thomas from Allibert Trekking, to handle the logistics AND there is peace of mind knowing there’s someone local to contact if in need.

We had such a Wonderful time with our family of 9 in Paris. Thank you to our travel planner Lucie who hit on every highlight we wanted to see. Lucie was so so patient with us as it was a lot & she setup more than we could have asked for in 6 days. We took in a ride down the seine river, saw Eiffel Tower which was Amazing. Went to Versailles Museum & The Louvre so impressive & the art…Gorgeous! Took the kids to Disney which they enjoyed thoroughly. We went to Normandy for the day & there are no words how impactful it was. We had a great guide for the day who made our adventure great. On our last day we went to Montmartre…Beautiful
& went on a lovely tour with our guide as well as a food tour which we enjoyed immensely . Also took in the Arc de Triomphe. This trip was a vacation of a life time that we will never forget! Thank you to Lucie & the tour guides for making this such an Amazing trip!

Hotel Review

Le Basile Hôtel

Paris

The hotel was very accommodating & very nice. The night man at the desk one of the nights was abrupt with answering questions which we didn’t appreciate but overall Very good. The rooms were clean & comfortable. Breakfast was lovely with croissant, meats, cheeses, yogurts & fresh Orange juice.

Authenticity & Character

The Art decor & decorations

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Review

Full-day excursion from Paris of D-day beaches - U.S. sector

Paris

Made such a difference having a tour guide & being it was a 2.5 hour ride we had a vehicle pick us up (9 people) & the ride was great & so glad we did noth

Quality of Experience

Lucie from KimKim

Guides, Drivers and Staff

They were very sociable & respectful

Transport

The driver

Our trip to France during the Olympics was incredible. There were a lot of logistics to coordinate and KimKim did a great job getting it all lined up and coordinated.

Hotel Reviews

Hôtel Font Mourier

Cogolin

The hotel was beautiful. The decor was chic and fun. The rooms were slightly rustic and there were no views, but the AC worked great, which is all that mattered to us. The hotel is 30 minutes from the town which was very inconvenient for us. We asked our travel agent to book something closer but she didn't. It was very frustrating and ultimately expensive to have to shuttle back and forth from the hotel to the city. Also, the buffet breakfast was delicious!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Terrass Hotel

Paris

Hotel is amazing! Service was outstanding. The views were spectacular. We could see all the way to the Eiffel Tower! The only critique is how far we were from city center, so it took us 30 minutes to and from each day which wasn't convenient. The one issue we had was the location of our two rooms. We booked two rooms for our family of 5 and were separated by a floor. We prefer to be on the same floor as our children but this wasn't a possibility. In the future, it should be requested of the hotel that families are on the same floor at least.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hôtel Jardin de Cluny

Paris

Location is amazing. Hotel is a boutique hotel. We had the entire 6th floor for our two rooms which was really nice. The buffet was good but small. The elevator was very small and it was challenging to get our entire family in it at the same time.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel West End

Nice

The location was great, right across from the beach. I wouldn't consider the hotel a 4-star though. Maybe 3-star. Breakfast buffet was decent but the staff was slow to replenish and clean. The front desk was very accommodating and helpful. We had two rooms and the suite for our 3 kids was amazing with really nice views and a balcony. The queen room was small and had no balcony or views.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Seine Cruise with Commentary

Paris

The Seine river cruise was a great way to see the city and it was a nice way for us to end our trip. We went at night so the city was lit up and looked beautiful. The lights were all around and we could definitely see why it's called the city of lights. The speaker was very hard to understand. He spoke in three languages so he would explain each site in English, French and Spanish. It seemed like he was rushing through because it was hard to understand and process what he was saying. Also, I thought we were on a champagne river cruise but there were no refreshments provided.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Best of Louvre & Orsay Museums

Paris

The museums are massive so it's hard to do it all in one day but our guide did a great job of navigating us through and helping us to hit the highlights. She was extremely knowledgeable of a lot of the history and key items in each museum. She had great tips to help us see the Mona Lisa up close. She also shared lots of interesting facts. My only negative was that the tour was supposed to be 5 hours but we finished 3 hours so I felt like we rushed a bit. I would have liked to see more of the Louvre.

Quality of Experience

The tour was great and we hit the highlights but I would have liked to have spent more time in the Louvre or at least until the end of the scheduled tour.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Rafaelle was very knowledgeable about many things and it made for an incredible experience.

1 Hour Photo Shoot

Paris

The setting was wonderful and our photographer was very personable. She was open to locations and configurations for the pictures and pointed out spots that would shoot well. I was very surprised and disappointed that she didn't edit the photos. She gave us the card right after our hour was up and then emailed us afterwards with a copy. I've never had professional photos where the photographer didn't touch them up even a little. I would have liked to know this up front because there were a lot of pictures where people were walking right next to us and it looks sloppy. I would not have purchased this if I had known.

Quality of Experience

Locations were great. There were so many places in a small area in which we were able to get nice photos.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Monaco, Eze and La Turbie Tour Private Tour

France

This was such a fun tour! We didn't know Monaco was so close to Nice so I'm glad our travel agent recommended it. It was very convenient. Our driver/guide was very knowledgeable about the area and filled in a lot of interesting facts about the area as we drove. We got to see Monaco from every vantage point - from the port, the casino/city center, and from the rock at the top of the city. I would have liked more time to shop and walk around in the city center if I knew more of what the day looked like. The trip to Eze was unique but we didn't spend much time. If we had more time I would have loved to stop and have a drink in one of their little restaurants. The stop at the fragrance factory in Eze was very random. We bought some things but I would have rather spent that 45 minutes in Monaco.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Magical Day in Disneyland® Paris

France

I'm disappointed with how late we got our tickets. We weren't able to make reservations at for restaurants ahead of time.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Saint Germain des Près Food Tour

Paris

This food tour was incredible. It was not in St. Germain though, it was in the Latin Quarter. Our guide told us he has a separate tour for St. Germain and this wasn't it.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Eiffel Tower Summit Ticket

Paris

This tour was a disaster. We showed up 30 minutes prior as instructed by the tour company. We stood near the front of the line because we were there early, only to be pulled out by the tour company so we could be moved into a tour group. Then we had to get back in the line and wait with our tour guide to go through security. The tour guide didn't have tickets so then we had to wait in another line to get tickets. Once we finally got up to the first level, the tour guide told us boring, mundane stories that were very disappointing. We would have been better off doing it on our own.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

3 hours Private Cruise On The French Riviera

Nice

This private cruise was hands down our favorite part of the trip. Seeing the French Rivera from the water was the best way to see the area. I only wish we had more time! Our captain was incredible. We enjoyed his stories and the interesting facts he shared. The area we snorkeled in was beautiful and clear. The boat was stunning and definitely nicer than we expected. This day will be remembered forever.

Quality of Experience

The quality of the boat was impeccable.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Our captain was fun and relaxed. He made the trip very enjoyable.

Transport

We had to arrange our own transportation to the port.

Montmartre & Sacré-Coeur walking tour

Paris

The tour guide was very likeable but we found the tour underwhelming.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Guide as good. Topic wasn't as engaging as we hoped.

Transport

This tour was close to our hotel so it made it easier to arrive on time.

Family Bicycle Tour of Paris

Paris

The tour was a great way to experience the city and get a feel for the different neighborhoods. Our tour guide, Simon, was great and very relaxed. He did a great job adapting to our needs and accommodating us.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Again, the tour started 30 minutes away from our hotel so it was challenging to get there in time.

Medieval Paris - St Chapelle, Notre Dame & Conciergerie

Paris

Our tour guide was very nice and it was great to have the headsets to hear her in all the different locations we want to. But she was very disconnected to our group. She had us stand in the sun to talk to us about different facts. She would talk on and on and didn't do a good job of "reading the room". We had 5 kids on the tour and she didn't do a good job of engaging them even though there were several opportunities to do so.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Our hotel was 30 minutes away so it wasn't convenient to get here the morning after we arrived in Paris.

Thanks rashi for organising this trip at last minute - it was really well planned and we cannot thank you enough!

We decided to work with kim kim, to plan and organize travels through the riviera using a private driver (come guide). They then appointed a local agent, HighPoint Holidays, in the riviera, to execute the itinerary.

Day 1 in nice:
Our driver was not a guide and drove us from one destination to another, leaving us on our own to figure out what we wanted to see and do. There was zero guidance from him. Even worst was the level of his driving. My message to the agent was “the driver was a maniac on the road, almost ran into road barriers and multiple people (multiple times). We repeatedly asked him to slow down but he did not listen. The end the day, when we were ready to leave our last destination, the driver was no where to be found. We called his phone numerous times, there was no response and we ended up waiting for him for 45 mins!”

Day 2:
Went according to plans with no hiccups to report or complain about

Day 3:
We were ready and waiting to be picked up at 9am. The driver was late, we made numerous calls to kim kim, who in turn made numerous calls to high point. They had no reason or excuse for the driver not showing up and kept asking us to wait whilst they figure things out. We waited till 10:30am at which point i called a taxi to drive us around and cancelled the tour with the travel agent

A REFUND OF SOME KIND SHOULD MADE, SHOULDNT IT?

Thereafter we agreed that i engage a taxi to drive us around for the next couple of days, as their unreliability left a bad taste in my mouth

A REFUND OF SOME KIND SHOULD MADE, SHOULDNT IT?

Day 7:
We had planned a private boat trips the agent mentioned the weather forecast was not looking in our favor and they would advise the night before and the morning of. The night before, as the weather was not looking favorable, i asked if it might be better that we cancel the boating trip. The agent and captain agreed

A REFUND OF SOME KIND SHOULD MADE, SHOULDNT IT?

Day 8:
We had planned a private drive to san reno and the italian riviera. We were informed at the last minute that we would need to join other people as they did not have enough resources. I decided to cancel this and go on our own

A REFUND OF SOME KIND SHOULD MADE, SHOULDNT IT?

At the end of the travels, we summarized everything for kim kim, they responded and said they would they would honor the changes and refund accordingly. After weeks of writing repeatedly to them, they responded and offer a total of USD1,400.00 less some hotel incidentals which we highlighted is our cost, the net refund of only US$1038.00 which is only a small fraction of the cost we paid of USD17,278;

Due to our experiences, I cannot suggest or recommend these to groups. There was no explanation. They have simply gone radio silent, ignoring us and simply disappeared. Not cool!

Hotel Review

AC Hotel by Marriott

Nice

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Private boat 2 hours excursion

France

The Italian Riviera: Full-Day Tour discovering Menton & Sanremo

Nice

Saint tropez on your way to the French Riviera with a private driver

France

Guided tour of the Fondation Maeght in St Paul de Vence

Saint Paul de Vence

PRIVATE FULL-DAY TOUR MINIVAN AND DRIVER AT DISPOSAL

France

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Gorge du Verdon & Lavender fields

France

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Half Day Trip to Eze, Monaco & Monte Carlo (Morning or Afternoon)

France

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

PRIVATE HALF-DAY TOUR MINIVAN AND DRIVER AT DISPOSAL

France

Welcome to the French Riviera

France

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Wow - we were so impressed with Justine! She listened to what was important to us and planned the perfect trip for us to Provence. The cooking class with Cyril that she suggested is not something we would ever have picked out on our own, and it was one of the highlights of the trip! We told her some of the hotels we have enjoyed in the past in other countries and she found us a unique converted farmhouse in a small town outside of Aix that was exactly what we were hoping for. Her recommendations for excursions were excellent, and even her recommendations on things like where to park on busy summer days were spot on and I'm sure saved us a lot of time. We enjoyed our day visiting vineyards with Remy as well as exploring the villages of the Luberon Valley and cruising in Cassis on our own. We've gone on fully guided trips before as well as ones we completed planned on our own, so this was the first time using KimKim. It certainly will not be our last time - we had such a great holiday! We felt like we had the support we might need in a country where we didn't speak the language, and in the end felt like we really got to spend time experiencing the culture, food and people of southern France instead of worrying about itinerary details and if we were missing out by not having an insider's knowledge of the area. We fell in love with Provence and the French Riviera and if (hopefully) we return soon, we won't hesitate to ask for Justine to help plan a trip in the area again! I cannot recommend her enough. Thank you Justine and KimKim!

Hotel Reviews

In Provence Hotel

Venelles

This was a very unique hotel and we enjoyed our time there! While it was nice to be able to check in with the machine, there were a few times we had questions and it would have been nice to have an actual person there to ask. The Aircon stopped working the last two nights and since there was no one to ask, we just dealt with the higher temperature which was not preferable. We loved the location - just outside of Aix and we could easily drive all over Provence from here - yet in a small town where we felt like we got to experience living in France vs staying in hotel chain. We loved walking down to the restaurants and the bakery was only a couple blocks away - it was fabulous. I would recommend this place to anyone visiting the area who was looking for a more authentic and unique stay.

Authenticity & Character

It's a converted farmhouse and you could really feel that character. I loved the unique room and it felt authentic to the area instead of staying in a more sterile corporate hotel that you end up with in bigger cities.

Location

We loved the small town feel. We walked down to the square, the local pub, the bakery, etc and got to know some of the people working there since we were there for 5 days.

Staff

I feel like poor isn't the right answer....we never actually met anyone who worked here because it was automated check in and check out. The automated check in told us that we had to pay 13 euro per person/per day for breakfast so we never went to that although later our KimKim person told us that it was supposed to have been included. Since there wasn't anyone working there we weren't able to find that out in time to actually enjoy breakfast there.

Cleanliness & Comfort

I thought the bed was really comfortable!

Hotel du Pin

The location was absolutely perfect for exploring Nice. We had a car so their parking lot was invaluable. The staff was lovely and the room was actually quite big by European standards. The downside to the location was that it was incredibly loud at night and then once the restaurants in the area closed, it got loud again when the trash was picked up before dawn. Overall, I would stay here again if in Nice.

Authenticity & Character

It felt like a nice hotel in a city but nothing felt particularly French or French riviera about it. No complaints though.

Location

It was within walking distance of many of the main places - the restaurants on Rue Bonaparte, the city market, the beaches, etc.

Staff

They were LOVELY.

Cleanliness & Comfort

We had trouble with the AirCon and we couldn't keep the windows open at night because it was so loud.

Activity Reviews

Provence Wine Tour Private Day Trip from Aix en Provence

Aix-en-Provence

We had such a fun time visiting the vineyards with Remy! The first vineyard was big and a bit corporate so that wasn't our favorite, although we did enjoy doing the chocolate pairing. The second vineyard was lovely and we enjoyed talking with them and tasting their wines. However, we LOVED the last vineyard, Jas Monges! We really enjoyed speaking with the owner and learning about their vision. We also loved his wines and ended up shipping 2 cases home to the states. We could have hung out there even longer, enjoying wine out on their patio. Remy also took us to explore some local food in Aix during the day (we chose that over sitting down for a long lunch) and that was another true highlight. He was a wonderful guide. What a great day!

Quality of Experience

I especially enjoyed Remy's stop in Aix for us to have different local foods during the middle of the day, and the last two vineyards were so fun. Remy was a great guide too and stopped for us to take some photos in a lavender field we drove by!

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Remy was fantastic!

Transport

Niçoise cooking class expérience

France

Justine offered this option to us and I am so glad that we agreed to do it! We would never have signed up for this on our own. Cyril was fantastic. He gave us some history of the area while visiting the market and we were able to try a lot of different foods that I don't think we would have picked out ourselves to try. Then cooking it was so fun! We were in a real apartment and it just felt like we were cooking with friends for a dinner party in Nice rather than being part of a tourist experience. Cyril told us about cooking with his grandma and everything about the whole experience made us feel so welcome. This was such a great way to start our trip - plus I knew that we wanted to order the squash blossoms on every menu afterwards!

Quality of Experience

It felt very personal. It truly felt like we were friends visiting from out of town as Cyril shared everything with us. It was a highlight of our entire trip.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Cyril!!!!! He was absolutely amazing. Please recommend him to anyone and everyone. He really made us feel welcome and like we were friends visiting so he could share his culture.

Arles, les Baux-de-provence & Saint-Rémy-de-Provence

France

This was another fun day with Remy! Arles was a cute city and we enjoyed learning about the history and seeing the Van Gogh painting, and scenes where he painted. While this wasn't our favorite day of our entire trip, it was still a really lovely day. It was just tough to compete with Cassis, Luberon, vineyards, etc.

Quality of Experience

Remy took us to places where Van Gogh painted and we got to basically "be" in the painting - it was really special.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Remy is fantastic! He went above and beyond multiple times.

Transport