Kimkim Trip Reviews for Greece

Where do I begin? Greece was more magical and beautiful than I could imagine and the entire KimKim Team was wonderful to us! The entire trip was planned for us which included some of the most incredible excursions that we never would have thought of choosing. The best part was having the team coordinate drivers to pick us up from the airport, ferries and hotels and take us to the next destination. Every hotel was gorgeous and the entire team was gracious. We were able to communicate seamlessly using whatsapp which was so nice! We began working with Tasos and the rest of the team (Maria, Dimitris and Christos) joined in during our trip. They are the Dream Team! We had some hiccups on our end prior to the trip and Maria went above and beyond to ensure that we didn't skip a beat - Dimitris also stepped in and made magic happen! They truly made me feel as if we had been friends for years and it felt like one big happy family! I was so lucky to have met Sophia and Costadinos as well during the Santorini portion, they were my tour guides for the excursion and work alongside KimKim. Every single hotel we stayed at was breathtaking and every driver we had was incredibly warm - KimKim is definitely loved by everyone that we had the pleasure of working with. I fell head over heels in love with Greece and plan on going back next year - of course I will be booking with KimKim because there is no one else better!

Hi: all in- wonderful trip.

Tour highlights: tour of Naxos. I would have shortened tour of Naxos (drop the water mill portion with snack) but it was all very well done.
George and Anna were great.

Wooden boat: Jazz soloist was a nice surprise. It was good to be out on water to escape heat. A little more info on tour would be great. Like you have to swim to thermal spring (my mom could not do that), and tell people to bring a towel and a change of clothes. Maybe explain difficulty of volcano hike (my mom could not do that either). But in all it was an amazing tour and day.

The farm to table was nice. I thought it was an olive tour but it was more winery. Which was also nice. It was just a bit different than expected.
Lovely family.

Alternativ Athens was not a great start. You all should take the tour yourself if you haven’t in awhile. We had to leave it was so bad. The tour guide got lost in his script and spent way too much time playing truth and dare. We really just wanted someone to share history with us. This tour was a bit awkward as the people on it did not seem into it at all. This is more appropriate for children.

The hotels: foundry was perfect.

The hotel Nafplio was way too small for Kevin and myself. At 6 foot 4 the shower was a problem! The hotel in Naxos was also a problem. The shower was comical- Kevin simply did not fit. It would have been better to stay elsewhere (the hotel behind looked nice) and walk to beach. But all 3 hotels had a lovely breakfast.

Makris was a nice hotel.

Thanks for everything:
Jen

We traveled to Greece early June 2019. Harris was our Kim Kim local specialist who helped us plan the trip. He was always responsive and helped us refine the trip down to each detail. He was in touch with us throughout the trip as well, providing tips and suggestions , making sure everything was going as planned and problem solving as needed. Our trip was in two parts. The first part was just two of us traveling in the Peloponnese Peninsula with a car rental. The boutique hotels we stayed in were perfectly comfortable and friendly, with a lovely breakfast . The breakfast at the hotel in Napflio (Amymone and Andiande suites) included everything fresh from the owner's farm. In Mystra, ( Mazaraki Guest House) our breakfast was served in a basket delivered to our room so we could eat on our balcony overlooking the beautiful valley. All historical sites and tours with private guides were impressive and fascinating to say the least. We toured Olympia with our excellent guide Antonia , and Mycenae and Epidaurus with the knowledgeable guide Ilias. In Olympia we had a very charming meal at the Bacchus Inn which if we had more time we would have stayed there over night along with enjoying their hillside pool and excellent house wines. The food and wine everywhere was always outstanding especially the remarkable seaside village of Limeni where we feasted on FRESH seafood that was caught and grilled very near to our waterside table. Nafplio was also a wonderful seaside town with many outside dining spots and unlimited fun small boutiques. Another highlight was our visit to Monemvasia, which was an ancient island village on the Aegean sea, one of a kind, with soaring views of the turquoise blue water. Our auto rental was an Audi 3 which was perfect for the winding sometimes narrow Greek roads and on the perfectly engineered smooth highways.
The second part of our trip was returning to Athens to meet with our three adult children. Our welcome dinner at Mauro Provato ( Black Sheep) was excellent. We toured the remarkable Acropolis. It was extremely crowded. I had been there 38 years ago and at that time was on the rock with myself and a traveling companion and not another soul! Such a difference!! We visited the market place named Monestraki where the shopping was exciting and very worthwhile. We traveled on to the islands of Mykonos, Naxos and Santorini by high speed ferry. The ferries were a wonderful way to travel, very comfortable and fast! We enjoyed a "strawberry moon" festival in Mykonos, a wonderful hike with our brilliant guide Matina and a Greek night of dancing and plate smashing at the Flamingo on the water front in Naxos. On Santorini, we enjoyed the breathtaking views of the caldera, shopping, an ebike tour at sunset (with guide Dimitri) and a catamaran sunset cruise and barbecue, our favorite event . We sailed to three different beaches and could swim off the boat at each location. The cliffs and colors were amazing. Thanks to Harris and Kim Kim for helping us plan this wonderful journey.

My 16 year old daughter and I had the trip of a lifetime, thanks to KimKim and Tasos' planning! Firstly, Tasos was incredibly patient and helpful as we tailored the trip to fit my budget and my daughters dreams (there were several incarnations of this trip before we finalized the best version). And we were not disappointed! It was the perfect mix of tours (private, small group and large group), down-time and free-time. So glad we made a two nights stay in Athens to take in the sights with a super cool semi-private "Mythogical Tour". On Santorini, our hike from Fia to Oia with Georges was a definite highlight. What an excellent guide; funny, interesting and knowledgeable. He definitely had the inside scoop and helped us avoid the crowds and see some really beautiful sights. Throughout the trip our lodging was excellent. The Agean Gem, on Santorini was above and beyond expectations. The hotel is impeccably clean, beautifully decorated and in an amazing location, very close to the beach, beautiful hiking and within walking distance to the outdoor cinema (which I highly recommend).

Our trip to Greece was lovely. The guides were wonderful, and the itinerary covered what we had asked for - archeology, mythology, and some family relaxation time. The visit to the family farm / vineyard was especially memorable for our entire family. Hercules, a guide that we had in Nafplio, was also wonderful interacting with the kids- teaching my youngest all about the local plants, and talking to my older two about Scouting in Greece.
The primary reason that I am giving 4 stars instead of 5 for our local specialist was that I didn't receive the confirmation numbers - particularly for our car and hotel until just a few days before our departure. I believe they were booked beforehand, and would have appreciated having those numbers "in hand" for my own comfort.

It was a great trip - and I would use Kimkim again!

Overall Dimitris did a great job in helping us plan our family Greece trip. With so many amazing sites to see and islands to visit, it can be overwhelming knowing what would be good for our family and Dimitris took care of everything. We communicated through the trip and he quickly answered any/all questions that I had. We even met him in Athens and he handed us our ferry tickets and helped us buy an extra ticket that we needed when one of my kids joined us at the last minute.

We were also able to stay in apartments and houses that I didn't see on-line when I was doing my own research, which worked great for our family.

My only recommendation for people who are going to use kimkim services is to truly think about what you want your vacation to be and then kimkim can help you plan it. Review your itinerary very closely day by day to think about what that day will look like. Understand exactly where you will be staying (does it have a pool, is it close enough to walk to the beach, can you walk to places for dinner or will you need a car/taxi etc), if you have a free day you will then need to plan your own day/transportation etc., How will you get to/from the airport or ferry to the place that you are staying? Kimkim can set up all of your transportation or you can find a taxi/Uber if you want. If you do a tour do you want a private tour or a group tour? Overall it was a great trip and I would highly recommend Dimitris and kimkim. Thanks!

Christos arranged a wonderful itinerary for our family of four, to Athens, Mykonos, Naxos and Santorini. The accommodations were modern and hospitable, not sure we could have found them on our own! We had several terrific excursions, including a Greek history/mythology tour in Athens with Athens Insiders, a visit to a Mykonian farm with a traditional dinner afterward, a bike tour of Naxos' beautiful coastline (local guide Reno is fantastic!), and a boat tour of the caldera/volcano region in Santorini. Only caveat I would add is to be specific in your requests to the agency - e.g., hotel walkable to beach or town, etc. The Travel12 team was extraordinarily professional and responsive to all of our needs, particularly when issues cropped up with delayed planes etc as happens with travel. Much appreciation! We recommend Christos and the team without reservation.

It was a fantastic trip for our family. Greece was beautiful and the people we met were all so wonderful. All transfers were smooth except the ferries. The assigned seats on our tickets didn't work and we got bumped to a different ferry, which was confusing, but all in all we made it to Santorini and Crete. The guides, and I wish i could remember all of their names, were so all wonderful. Especially for our tour in Athens (Maria??), Delphi (Kristoff??), Akrotiri, Heraklion (George) and Vamos (George??). I'm so bad with names, sorry. The accommodations were great, especially in Santorini and Athens. The lodging in Chania... I personally wouldn't recommend, but my husband liked it. :)

As for Harris and the Travel 12 Team - fantastic job as well. Harris was always so quick to respond and really understood the importance of good food and lodging that my husband described. He truly listened and was very helpful. And that "Welcome to Greece" dinner at Manh Manh was simply INCREDIBLE!!! We only wished we could have gotten back to that restaurant.

Thank you again for everything
Stacey Bland

Christos was very helpful with the planning of our trip to Greece. He was prompt with his responses and he listened and adjusted the itinerary according to our needs and requests. Everything went exactly as scheduled and when we had an issue with one of the excursions, he was understanding and did his best to handle things expeditiously. We visited Athens, Aegina, Hydra and Spetses. We thoroughly enjoyed each place, but the Hotel Rastoni in Aegina was especially beautiful. I would not hesitate to use kimkim again!

Our tour consisted of Athens, Mykonos, and Santorini. Harris and the rest of the Kimkim team was very responsive in answering our questions as we built our itinerary. The only thing we didn't really get any value out of was the visit to the farm, prior to the delicious home-cooked meal that the cooking class made. We also didn't agree that the caged rabbits should be picked up by their ears, which the tour guide assured us was okay. We also didn't like seeing that the eight rabbits were in a small caged, all cramped together.

Other than this, the rest of the trip and the accommodations were great! Although the hotel in Athens was a typical, small European hotel, it was very close to Acropolis Hill and the major sites. The Mykronos hotel was great, other than the Air Conditioning didn't work well, so we had to open the windows at night. The staff at the Mykonos hotel was top notch!!! Lastly, the hotel in Santorini had a great view and nice hospitality, but would have been nice to been in one with a small pool, as many hotels beside us had.

Overall, a great trip!!!! Would definitely use Kimkim, again, as they were very easy to plan our trip, based on our wants/needs.

This was the trip of a lifetime! We are very grateful to Travel12 for putting together a very detail oriented and authentic tour of Greece, the whole team is so professional and absolutely fantastic.

Our first day landing in Athens we were met at the airport and transferred to our hotel in Athens without any issues. Our driver was very courteous and knowledgeable about Athens. On our way to the hotel we caught site of the Parthenon and that was it! We were awestruck and ready to take in all we could of Greece! Tasos booked a comfortable central lodging close to many restaurants, bars, nightlife and lots of people from all over the world. It was very easy to find a nice restaurant with live music and awesome food.
It was a short walk from the hotel to the Parthenon, where we went on our second day. Our tour guide Alex was very down to earth and it was very nice morning spent with him touring the Acropolis and making our way up to the Parthenon. We had the afternoon to explore Athens on our own and Alex quickly setup a plan to see the most of Athens in the time we had. We visited the Acropolis Museum, Hadrian's Arch, the National Gardens, and walked the beautiful streets of Plaka where we had the best pizza of our lives!
Next we were off with Key Tours to the Corinth Canal, Epidaurus, Mycenae and Nafplio where we had a nice seaside lunch before ending our day in the town of Olympia where we enjoyed spectacular views from our hotel.
The historical site of Olympia is a must see. Our half day tour of the historical site Olympia was made all the better by our tour guide Demetrius, who was an actual archaeologist! The grounds here are amazing and filled with enchantment. After our tour Demetrius also had some suggestions for us to explore the town of Olympia. We hopped over to the Archimedes Museum, which looks simple at first but has lots great information about the inventions of Archimedes, some inventions are even hands on! After that we checked out the shops and had some delicious fresh fish at Taverna Orestis. We decided to hike up the mountain back to our room at the Arty Grand. Good thing they have a nice spa because we were absolutely winded by the time we made it back! I don't regret it though because we earned the gorgeous views you can only enjoy walking. After some relaxation we headed back to Olympia for some shopping and gyros. We met a nice shop owner who explained that he also had a farm where he grew all kinds of chiles including habanero, anahiem and the carolina reaper!
The next day we were taken by private driver to the fantastic Temple of Apollo at Bassae. Nicolas was very friendly, he stopped a few times in some nice spots along the way to take photos. Little did we know Nikolas was not only very friendly and a family man but also a Greek national hero for saving a woman tourist from drowning! After the tour he took us to the bus station, made sure we were taken care of and also gave us some olive oil from his family farm.
Day 6 we took the train to Meteora which is absolutely amazing and one of my most cherished memories from the trip. It is so amazing what the Monks did there and the views are out of this world.
Day 7 On to Delphi where we had a traditional Greek lunch provided at a nice restaurant with the best view ever at the top of the mountain. Private tour of Delphi. Our tour guide was very nice and shared some extra secrets with us (hopefully soon she will make it to Mexico!). Next our driver Lampros, who was excellent (we wish him luck and a wonderful life with his soon to be bride!) took us to the port, and made sure everything was in order for our boarding of the ferry to Chania which was like a mini cruise ship.
Chania is a beautiful island where we traveled with GS tours to visit 7 local villages and got to try out local cheeses as well as see the process of how they make it, a delicious traditional lunch made by Maria, toured a family tskoudia distillery with the best tskoudia in Chania, our tour guide was the best and a local who had lived there his whole life, I cannot remember his name but I wish to give him the highest kudos I can in this review, he was great and knew so much of the history, was so friendly and down to earth, he climbed up this wall and picked us some blackberries off a tree at one point. We visited Gramvoussa beach as well as our favorite Balos Beach with crystal clear waters!
After that we transferred back to beautiful Athens and swiftly whisked away back to our home in Houston, Texas.
It's really hard to describe in words the goodness of all the Greek people we encountered and the beauty of their country, they have a word Philotimo though that I think describes them perfectly.
At one point my credit card came out of my pocket on the bus and a nice lady returned it to me, a taxi driver got us out of a jam, our tour guide helped us get into one of the monastaries when we didn't have any cash.
Thanks to KimKim and Travel12, especially Tasos we were able to go on an adventure and enjoy Greece for 11 days. Tasos and his team were always available to help with any questions or concerns we had. We will definitely be using their services when we return to Greece

The Kimkim team was amazing! The personal touch makes all the difference. We felt well cared-for and thoroughly enjoyed our adventure. Kudos to Christos, Dimitris and all the team. Thanks to my experience with Kimkim I will definitely visit Greece again!

Overall our trip to Greece was wonderful! Dimitris was very responsive during our planning phase and while we were there. He put together a good itinerary that included accommodations, travel to/from islands, tours based on what we like, car rental and a driver to pick us up during our travels. (The driver, Stavos made our trip particularly enjoyable as he drove us to various sites as part of our journey. He was very knowledgeable and so kind.) Dimitris recommended a smaller less inhabited island Tinos that turned out to be the highlight of our trip.
Thank you Dimitris for helping to create such a good memory!

We enjoyed every place we visited in Greece for different reasons. We experienced beauty, history and culture. Most of our guides were excellent, but I did not write down their names so I can’t give specific input on certain ones. The one at Delphi seemed to be in a hurry so we felt a little rushed there. The experience our last night at the fish restaurant was especially nice. The people connected with the the farm tour and meal were very gracious and made a lasting impression. The worst experience was with Mykonian Mare. The people related to food service were very accommodating, but the reception staff was not, especially the night they left us in Mykonos and the lady I called would not give us a time that they would be there to get us. She hung up on me the second time and did not answer the third. Therefore, we had to stand and wait for 11/2 hours for the shuttle to arrive. When we told the manager, all we got was excuses. Other than that, we enjoyed our stay immensely. The last day of our trip there seemed to be a lapse in planning. We even had to pay to go to the Temple of Poseidon. This should have been included in the information given to us. Overall though, we were very satisfied with the trip and gave the trip and you 5 stars.

Overall our Greece trip and experience was great. Some highlights in my opinion:
On Crete: Tour to villages and particularly the distillery, Knossos Museum, Dinner in small town of Archanes
On Santorini: Hidden Gems and Wine Tasting tour (guide was very fun), sunset sailing
On Mykonos: Farm tour/dinner (very friendly hosts), hanging out at the Dublin pub
In Athens: Hotel roof top restaurant, every historic site/museum, farewell dinner arranged by Travel12
Overall: fact that almost all our tours and transfers were private to our group (a benefit from having 8 persons)

On hotels:
Ambassador's Residence - very good to excellent
Kalimera Archanes Village - our stay too short to appreciate, but excellent host and transfers on Crete
Kasimatas Suites - very good, met our expectations, older property with some quirks
Mykonian Mare - good and bad, large variation in rooms between the group, hotel was performing water system work while we were there which was unfortunate
Athens Gate - good, location great, but we were given rooms on low floors so no views from rooms and fair amount of traffic noise, great rooftop restaurant

Guides/tours/transfers in general were very good, on time, and informative of the area and its history.
Travel12 provided us very good itinerary information with all contacts etc and made sure we had their support when we were in Greece, although everything went so well we did not really need much help.

We all had a great time, the trip had excellent value for dollars spent.

I found Kimkim on the internt when i was looking at going to Greece for a holiday.
I dealt with Chris and he listened to what i wanted to visit and as a woman travelling on her own, safety was too of this list.
Not only did Chris put together a fantastic itinery he sent draft copy to me first to peruse, along with some excellent comments on due to his knowledge of the area.
From start to finish everything rang like clockwork, the best was having someone there to pick me up at airport or cruise port do deliver me to my hotel or pick me up at hotel to take me somewhere else. Everyone was so accommodating and lovely.
I started in NZ ..Auckland 10 hour stop over at Dubai then onto Athens. From there to Crete for 4 days, awesome beaches outside my door. Then onto Sanorini for 6 days, went on day cruise to other sights around island.
On to 4 days on Naxos, such beautiful beaches, ideal to relax. Back to Athens then home.
Once again a huge thank you to Chris and his tem.
Will be referring them to all my friends and will use them .

Our trip to Greece exceeded my expectations. From the first interactions with kimkim I was very pleased as I was having difficulty finding a good balance between relaxation, luxury and adventure from one source. The initial survey made me feel I finally found a source that understood that there was more than a single goal in vacation planning. With limited time available, Dimitris with Personality Journeys was able to fit all three goals into a 9-day tip with a one-month lead time. With the added bonus of being thousands of dollars less than another quote I received from a travel specialist I've used before.

The interaction through the website was seamless. Being able to reliably communicate online is important to me with a busy full-time job and the time difference using a local expert. Knowing that Dimitris was local made me feel at ease with his recommendations. I also found it very refreshing that he was not pushing for the most expensive options and was considerate of value vs. convenience. Having never been to Greece, Dimitris was patient with my requests, changes and need for clarification prior to the trip. Throughout the entire trip Dimitris was available through Whatsapp to answer questions or communicate any changes.

Together we planned 9-days full of rest as well as adventure in 3 very different locations in Greece: Athens, Naxos and Santorini, Naxos being a recommendation and my favorite of the 3. The New Hotel in Athens was artisitic, beautiful and the provided the top service from the security greeting at the front door, through check-in and everything in between. Warm, friendly and highly professional. It was in walking distance of many of the tourist spots but far enough that I didn't feel overwhelmed and crowded leaving the hotel. With only two days in Athens the pre-arranged activity was a tour of Acropolis Hill and Acropolis museum. Our guide was well versed and patient with our group. However, completely from personal preference, while I very much enjoyed visiting the locations I would have preferred a private guide. The group was larger than expected, it took long for the tour to begin and with a group of several families the guide needed to cover a lot of detail to cater to the different interests. I prefer more personal interaction.

We transferred to Naxos via ferry (the Greek Ferry system is very impressive and efficient) and made our way to Naxos Rock Villas which was simply stunning! I had never heard of Naxos prior to Dimitris' recommendation and it was our favorite fr the laid back island atmosphere. I specifically asked for a balcony and private pool and was pleasantly surprised with a completely private Villa with not only the requested but full kitchen and two baths. I fell in love with these accommodations. We were briefed by the owner on the Villa and the island. "Breakfast included" referred to a stocked fridge which was a very nice change of pace to prepare our own meal. Local snacks, wine and beer were also stocked for our enjoyment. The Rock Villas took our breath away as did the day of sailing that Dimitris arranged for us. Naxos Yachting Giannis and his crew were friendly, professional and engaging. The home cooked meal, the stop at Paros and 2 swim spots were out of a dream. I've traveled around the world but if I ever run away you'll find me here. I would have loved to stay longer. The only change I would make our next visit is to rent a car as the Villas are hillside away from the heart of the town and taxis are not cheap in Greece.

Finally, on Santorini, we were located at Del Sol. Del Sol is about a 30-minute walk from the tourist heart of Santorini or a 5-minute cab ride. Our room was somewhat "stand alone" which we prefer. The rooms were well appointed and the restaurant staff was very friendly and accommodating. The front desk staff was friendly and quick to help us when asked. We also managed to squeeze in a visit to the spa, a last minute request that I am glad we made. In Santorini our acitivities included a wine tour of Argyros Estate winery, sea kayaking and a hike. The winery was very modern but steeped in history. The tour was brief but the tasting was wonderful, including pairings with local fare, rich and plentiful. Our guide gave us a lot of input and suggestions as well as time alone to enjoy the experience and eachother company in private. The best of many wine tastings that I have experienced in my lifetime.

Our second adventure in Santorini was sea kayaking with Adonis. Due to weather conditions, we had to be re-routed. I was a little disappointed as I was very interested in the original route but was happy that the guide made safety the number one priority. The tour was a little late to start but we felt well supported throughout the activity and we were happy that they could accommodate and not have to cancel per previous days. They took a lot of pictures that were e-mailed to us a week later so we could focus on being in the moment. They were very open to feedback and Adonis was very entertaining while explaining the history of Greece and the islands.

Tied with sailing as our favorite activity was the hike from Santorini to Oia our last day in Santorini. It is not to be missed. Intimidated at first looking at the distance we were about to cover, we were in complete awe! Our guides Thanos and Mariana were absolutely wonderful. They were so knowledgeable and yet had the enthusiasm as if they were seeing it for the first time with us. The picnic they prepared of local favorites was perfect. By the end of the experience they felt like friends spending the day with us. While many people were completing the hike independently, I was so happy to have experienced it with our guides. This was the perfect way to end our adventures.

Outside of all the scheduled activities, the itinerary allowed for plenty of relaxation and independent exploration. Our trip couldn't have been more perfect.

We booked a vacation that included me, my husband and our adult children and children in law. Tasos made it all so easy. We arrived and departed at different times. Pickups and drop offs were perfectly executed.

Tasos's recommendations were excellent. We had a wonderful combination of historical exploration, guided cultural experiences, beach days and time to explore on our own.

Highlights included: welcome dinner at Zillers, our guides in Athens, our guided trip to Delos, our full day exploring Naxos with Katerina of Vioma (do not go to Naxos without meeting her), our car trip to the Temple of Poseidon during the time between arriving in Athens by air from Naxos and leaving by ferry for Hydra, and our brief respite on Hydra at the Four Seasons (no relationship to the chain).

The process of planning was efficient and painless.

Already planning our next KimKim vacation.

Chris did a great job and the trip to Greece was one of our best vacations. Everything was handled and all the staff were professional and wonderful to deal with.
I would definitely recommend kimkim to handle your travel needs.

My family went to Athens, Mykonos and Crete in Mid May of this year. It was a fantastic trip from start to finish. Christos , I am sorry this is so late. I cant thank you enough for the terrific Itinerary you put together for us. All the Accomodations were wonderful with a special shout out to Aletro Cottage Houses. The location, pool, view, breakfast and rooms were all amazing. The owners were great and when my daughter needed something for some insect bites they quickly came to the rescue.
The tours set up by Christos and all transportation were 5 star . The drivers always had water available to us and gave us lot of info. Shout out to Alternative Athens for the tours especially our Tour guide Alex on our Mythology walking tour in Athens. He was so passionate about his job!
Our boat rides between islands were fun and the views unbelievable. Just make sure you have some Euros as the internet went down on our day trip to Balos and couldn't buy food on the boat!!
KImKim was available around the clock to answer questions and were quick to answer,.
I will be using KimKim again for our next European travel!!