Kimkim Trip Reviews for Greece

I started working with Seetha on this trip before the pandemic shut us all down. We've communicated since the day we had to postpone it a whole year until we finally traveled to Athens, and then throughout the trip. Seetha was great to work with, and she was very flexible and patient with both us and the pandemic impact. Overall, the itinerary and the trip was superior. As with all trips, there were some hiccups that were not under either of our control. High winds postponed our Delos excursion, the bathrooms at the Santorini villa were sub-par, and the car rental in Crete didn't work out - despite those problems, the trip was still excellent.

One of the nice things about this trip were the drivers that were arranged for us. It made the trip low stress and the drivers were excellent and very accommodating, as well as safe. Michael, in particular, who drove us to Delphi and back was terrific. He was very knowledgeable and shared a lot of information and anecdotes on the drive that made the trip interesting and fun. It was nice to feel taken care of by the transport team. The other individuals that made this trip great were the private tour guides for the Acropolis (CiCi) and Delphi (Georgia). They were very informative and the way they presented the tour was worth the hikes that both required. Well paced, and a perspective that I don't believe we would have gotten if we did these tours by ourselves. Their education and individual work showed up on the tour and enhanced each venue.

The accommodations were in Athens, Mykonos and Crete were excellent. We're resort-y people to begin with, and starting the Island hop at Mykonian Imperial and ending it at the Blue Palace was perfect. Despite our disappointment with the bathrooms at the the villas in Santorini - I don't believe the bathrooms were safe, or well kept up for such a great location, as there was rust, loose moldings and water that could not be contained in the bath/shower areas, as well as mold - the view was spectacular and the location was perfect. The village of Megalachori was charming and we spent our free time there. A short walk, it had cafes and restaurants and shopping, and loved hanging out there. Overall, I can say that we were happy with the accommodations.

Seetha did an excellent job planning our activities. We loved everything we did. The cancelation of the Delos tour was sad, but not under any of our control. I highly recommend using Seetha to plan your trip. Other highlights besides the two big tours (Acropolis and Delphi) were the sunset cruises in Santorini and the Aegean Sea, and the food tour attached to the Acropolis tour. My personal favorite was the day at Delphi - the ruins were awesome, the views were spectacular, the tour guide (Georgia) was terrific, as well as the driver, making the tour very informative, and it was capped with lunch on the terrace overlooking the mountains and sea. Very magical way to end the trip.

Overall, this KimKim planned trip by Seetha was excellent, and I would highly recommend using her specifically for your planning. Very personable, patient and flexible. I can't have had a better experience with a travel agency or a better vacation. I hope to plan another trip with her to cover some parts of Greece that we were not able to do this trip - can't wait!

Dimitris was great to work with in planning a multi-site vacation in Athens and the Cyclades (Santorini, Paros, and Mykonos). The resorts were attractive and near to the beaches and shopping areas. We especially enjoyed a mountain-biking activity on Santorini and the opportunity to explore the island in more depth. Mykonos was also very memorable as our hotel enabled pre-breakfast swims in the Aegean and nighttime dinners on the beach.

Dimitris was Great although he caused me to over pay for my ferry trip which should of been half the price for me and my Companion. He was more than Good. I would use and recommend. Thank you.

We just returned yesterday (September 16, 2021) from a fantastic 18-day vacation in Greece (Athens and Naxos with day trips to Paros, Delos, and Mykonos). kimkim provided a great platform for planning this vacation and Tasos Mylonas and the Travel12 team in Greece provided 5-star expertise, advice, recommendations, itinerary planning, flexibility in details and so much more during the planning process. In the end we had a customized vacation package (except for the international travel and travel insurance) precisely tuned to our desires and integrating Tasos' recommendations for a perfect vacation in Greece.

We approached kimkim in April 2021 to start planning this vacation after Greece announced that they would be opening up to tourism in May. They put us in contact with Tasos and he worked with us through the kimkim platform over the next few months listening to our interests, proposing itineraries, fine-tuning things, and (when all was settled) handling all the booking arrangements for our time in Greece. We really... really appreciate his patience, expertise, responsiveness, thoroughness, and friendliness.

The trip itself went spectacularly, without a hitch. One activity had to be rescheduled due to weather but we had enough flexibility in the itinerary that this presented no problem. The Travel12 team provided great support during our travels -- answering our occasional questions, providing updates, and the like.

One aspect of this trip that made it really special for us was that it included several (okay, seven!) guided tours ranging from a few hours to almost a full day. The guides were local experts who provided stories, information, and context that we would never have gotten if we had explored on our own. And, perhaps best of all, for all the tours but one, it was just the two of us and the guide! (The other tour had a total of five plus the guide.) We loved this! (We also participated in a day-long catamaran cruise on Naxos with about 20 other passengers -- this was a fun day!)

In addition to the tours, we had many full days to do our own thing (by design). Tasos provided excellent recommendations (e.g., neighborhoods of Athens, beaches of Naxos, and villages of Naxos), which we took advantage of (as time permitted) but we also did a few things completely on our own (or recommended to us by some of the people we met).

All in all, we would highly recommend kimkim and Travel12 if you are looking for a vacation customized to your interests, where you can be "on your own" but can also have the support of a great team when it's needed.

Harris was an excellent tour guide who organized a great week for my wife and I during our first trip to Greece. The trip was highlighted by a guided tour of some of Athens famous landmarks, a private food and wine tour throughout the streets of Naxos, and a full-day catamaran excursion around the islands.

We would strongly recommend booking with KimKim and suggest anyone interested reach out to Harris.

Eleni and team did a great job coordinating a 10-12 day trip around Greece. Of course, it's impossible to see everything in Greece in this short amount of time, but she did a great job advising on what we can do for this first time around. She was flexible to adjust along our preferences and budget. The greatest surprise of this trip was being connected to her and her team upon initial arrival, where we had timely response on any questions we had. Their demeanor was service oriented, informative, and we are immensely grateful for their premium service. Totally recommend them!

Dimitris was such an excellent specialist to work with. He was quick to respond, and was able to accommodate all of my requests even with short notice. Although Dimitris had a family emergency, he was quick to set me up with another specialist who did a fantastic job with my needs when I was abroad. HIGHLY recommend.

Our trip to Greece couldn't have gone better. Beginning with the itinerary creation process, Christos was responsive, and flexible in adjusting the itinerary to meet our needs. We ultimately settled on an itinerary that was the ideal balance between beach time spent on spectacular beaches for the kids in Crete and awesome tours of the Acropolis and a Minoan Palace for the adults.

The execution by the operations team was fantastic as well. From well organized pick ups and drop offs, to the responsive support we received around rental cars, they made for a smooth experience that we all look for when we're out on vacation.

All of this made for a wonderful experience, and left us talking about future trips to Greece. Thanks for the experience, Christos and team!!!

Hotel Reviews

Kalimera Archanes Village

Archanes

Quaint hotel in a cute village, but probably not our cup of tea. Pros: * The owners are very friendly and helpful, and the breakfast was a feast! Cons: * It was a bit out of the way, since we were only in the area for 2 nights, probably would have prefered to stay in Heraklion. * The beds were very old, and not the most comfortable. * To have a hot water shower, you have to turn on the water heater a 30 mintues before the shower. While not a huge deal, not very helpful with kids.

Authenticity & Character

Very authentic old house in a small village. Good for a longer stay.

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Pi Suites Athens

Athens

Nice family room, with a separate area for the kids, and some sitting space. There is a small roof terrace with a view of the Acropolis. My only downside is that it is a bit too far from the main areas, and we would have to walk quite a bit to get to the center of town.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Too far from the main center of town

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Private Acropolis & Agora Mythology Tour

Athens

Was a fun way for kids to see the Acropolis. But was so, so hot, that it was difficult to really enjoy (no fault of the guide).

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Cretan Villages Food & Culture Tour

Greece

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Palace of Knossos Private Tour

Greece

Guide was really entertaining for the kids, and try many different ways to draw the kids into this tour. Initially I thought it would be too much for my young kids (6 & 8 years old), but in the end, they really enjoyed this, and understood a bit more about Greek stories and legends.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Marcus the taxi driver in santorini was HILARIOUS He taught us a lot about the country.
To briki. Pirousi were the best restaurants in fira

We felt the hotel room you picked WAS ABSOLUTELY PERFECT! The pool the view the size. Wow! Everyone was soooo nice and the food was great!!

I would highly recommend ammoudi bay and the black beach so thank you for those recommendations

The hotel home and poetry was perfect! The breakfast was actually so fresh and delicious and HIGHLY recommended for other gluten free customers!

Thank you again!

Chris and kimkim were great. Many questions and issues came up during the trip (like needing to modify our travel plans) that they were instrumental in resolving. It was like having a personal concierge. Couldn't ask for a better experience.

Harris was a great resource and made the process of planning the trip very smooth. He is very knowledgeable of Greece and was able to cater our experience to what our needs where for the trip. He did an awesome job!

I am a control freak and usually plan every detail of my trips. I have very high standards and want to make the most of every minute of my vacation. But this time I was just too busy to do the research and wanted the help of a local expert. I struck gold when I found Chris! He took the time to really understand what kind of accommodations and experiences I was looking for, and after a lengthy discussion, he put together a package that looked perfect. We just got back from our 11-day trip to Greece, and it was the best vacation of my life! Every hotel he chose was special - from the Acropolis view suite in Athens, to the luxurious terrace overlooking the Caldera in Santorini, I could not have asked for more. The guides and excursions he suggested were also excellent. Impressively, when I wanted to make a change mid-trip and go to Mykonos a day early, the team had me on a new flight with everything arranged including hotel and transfers within a few hours. I would highly recommend Chris to anyone looking to plan a luxury vacation in Greece. He really knows his stuff! And I will definitely be using KimKim to plan the vacation for the next country I want to explore.

We had an amazing trip! Chris and his team helped us put together an experience we will never forget. They were available to help us before the trip and the whole time we were there. Everything went so smoothly and our trip was incredible. Highly recommend!

Dimitris did an amazing job creating a wonderful experience for my wife and I. From the great hotels to the sailing tour, to the Acropolis tour. Our first hotel was 18 Grapes in Naxos and the property and staff felt like being in a family. Naxos Yachting was our sailing tour and Yanni was our Captain.
Yanni gave an amazing safety briefing and gave us an amazing experience at sea. safe and inviting. If you are looking for a tour that balances great safety with tons of relaxed fun then Naxos Yachting is for you and your family. Our next hotel was the Saint Andrea Paros Seaside Resort. Dimitris some how got us the best room in the hotel with an amazing view of the sea. The rooms were great and beds great. The hotel property was truly elegant and the poolside bar had great service and amazing people with great stories. The hike to the top of Mount Zeus was a highlight for us and of course the food was amazing. Our final island was Sifnos and we stayed at the Windmill Bella Vista. This island is quiet and charming with only 10 taxis on the island. Rental cars were very hard to find so we toured by foot and bus. The hotel is charming and for those that want a real memory they have a hotel room in a windmill. Just make sure you don't have any disabilities before booking this room. The hotel staff was very inviting and warm. Our final destination was Athens and we had a tour guide named Dimitris as well. He was a PHD in history and he literally blew my mind with facts during our tour. I would definitely recommend a tour rather then just cruising the Acropolis. Overall our trip was seamless and easy. All taxis and flights were booked with Dimitris our kimkim rep and we never had a problem. We have already started thinking about coming back next summer. Thanks so much for the great memories Dimitris!

Tasos and his team made our trip simply unforgettable!! What a professional and on point team! My husband and I had a fantastic and memorable trip to the most beautiful place. All vendors were on time, the tour guides were extremely knowledgeable, hotels were amazing and restaurants were the best!
Greece was such an unique place and we will use KimKim for all of our future trips.

Thank you so much!

Mirelly Friedland

When I was looking to book a trip to Greece, I found KimKim and after reading rave reviews I decided to contact them. The good thing with this travel site is that they work with a local travel agency at the place you’re going. In my case I was linked to Harris from Travel 12 in Athens, we had multiple communications via emails and he planned our 9 day Greece vacation to our specifications.
The trip was great from beginning to end, everything was taken care of, from private transfers to ferry tickets to private tours! The whole team at Travel 12 supported us throughout the whole trip, they were always in contact with us making sure everything went smoothly as planned, and gave us suggestions for places to visit on our free time.
Our drivers were all very professional and super helpful as well.
We enjoyed every minute and every place we visited, the food, the people, the sights! The Acropolis tour and the tour to Delos Island were very memorable, and we absolutely loved the sunset sail on the Caldera! A trip we will always remember, made even better thanks to the professionals at Kimkim and Travel 12 in Athens!

Chris Leontopoulos was amazing in helping design the perfect vacation for our family of 5 (Myself, My wife and three high schooler aged kids). Of course Greece was amazing, Athens, Crete, and Santorini, but the level of comfort and relaxation was made possible by the highly detailed and efficient plans set up, so that we never felt out of sorts. We had a lot of free time in every location to explore also, especially on Crete. Overall Exceeded our high expectations and we were truly delighted, and we will all remember this as one of our best family vacations ever.....maybe the best.
Would use their service for certain again.

We were so thrilled with the advice and service provided by Eleni Fotiou in planning and executing our recent 2-week self-drive road trip to mainland Greece. Eleni spoke to us by phone to get a sense of what we were looking for (how much we wanted to drive each day, how adventurous we were, what type of hotels we liked, etc.) and she then put together an incredible and creative itinerary, including things we would never have known about. Our highlights included a self-guided Delphi tour, hikes and drives through the glorious Zagora region (which is barely even mentioned in our guide book), a fabulous guide in Olympia, a bike tour along the Peloponnesian coast through villages, staying in a fabulous stone villa in the south of Peloponnese, magnificent drives through the mountains, and two one-day trips to two magnificent small islands (Stetses and Hydra). Eleni arranged everything from the rental car to the spots where we wanted formal guides, to the hotels, and she was available throughout the entire trip to answer questions and provide timely advice. I would highly recommend Eleni to anyone visiting Greece – she knows every inch of it and is a delight to work with!

We are seasoned travelers and always plan our own trips. When we decided on a spur of the moment, month-long, post-pandemic trip to Greece we put ourselves in the trusted hands of Tasos. We are so glad we did. From his smart itinerary planning to outstanding communications to flawless transfers; from the quality of local guides and tours, to the charming boutique accommodations, the whole experience was top drawer and great value for money. Working with Tasos was a great partnership. We brought our experience and enthusiasm and he took care of the details. Well done and thank you.

We just returned from an amazing 12 day, 4 stop (Athens, Hydra, Crete, and Santorini) trip to Greece and couldn’t be happier with our experience. KimKim put us in touch with a fantastic travel agent named Rebecca who provided us with an itinerary filled with unexpected locations and unique adventures that we never would have found on our own. Whether it was hiking a gorge with breathtaking views, swimming in crystal clear turquoise waters, or sampling delicious local dishes, Rebecca and her team (especially Giannis) ensured we were experiencing the beauty of Greece each day of our trip. We made the decision to travel somewhat spur of the moment due to Covid travel restrictions, so having Rebecca arrange all of the logistics (accommodations, transfers, ferry tickets, covid testing, etc.) was convenient and a huge time saver. For us, this was worth every penny as it allowed us to truly enjoy every second of our vacation. We were also provided a wealth of information about each location which allowed us the freedom to explore each place at our own pace and time frame. As first time users of KimKim, we had a wonderful experience and would definitely use this service again in the future. Additionally, we highly recommend Rebecca and her team of drivers/guides to make your trip to Greece one you’ll never forget.