Amandine Baillarguès

Amandine did and excellent job creating a wonderful experience for my wife and I for our trip to the south of France. She built us an amazing itinerary covering all of our requests and added other points of interest with her knowledge of the areas that we
were travelling through. Accommodations, travel arrangements and tours were spot on.

We would recommend and use Kim Kim again for future travels.

Merci Amandine.....much appreciated.

Robin and Kirk Roberts
Canada

Hotel Reviews

Best Western Marseille Aeroport

Vitrolles

Nice Hotel close to the airport with free shuttle. Good restaurant on the premise and a nice outdoor pool. Well appointed room.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Aparthotel AMMI Vieux Nice

Nice

Very cute hotel in a great location in the heart of Nice on the edge of Old Town. Room was a bit on the small side but was well appointed. Excellent staff.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Chateau St Roux

Le Cannet-des-Maures

A real gem. Beautiful property with amazing views and great wines. Lovely dining room and great food. Staff were very friendly. A great wine tour provided by the staff.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Nemea Appart Hotel Cannes Palais

Cannes

Nicely appointed apartments with a small balcony. Close to all amenities....great location.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Apartment was in dire need of a good cleaning, painting and bedroom carpet was stained with a bit of mold.

Hotel 96

Marseille

Beautiful property with a very helpful and friendly staff. Great breakfast.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Very quiet and quaint. Not too much close buy though. Bit of a walk to restaurants.

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Enjoy the Chateau Saint-Roux

France

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Visit and Wine Tasting at Château Saint Roux

France

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Wine Tour in Bellet & Saint Paul de Vence from Nice

Nice

This has to be one of the best wine tours we have ever experienced. Our guide was very knowledgable and entertaining. We saw some beautiful country side and met several of the owners and families of the wineries.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Cannes – Traditional Gastronomy Walking Tour (approx. 3 hours · shared experience)

Cannes

Excellent tour with a very welcoming guide.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

2-hour walking tour

Marseille

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Half-Day morning Cruise to Calanques National Park - small group

Marseille

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Our trip was wonderful. As the person who is normally in charge of booking EVERYTHING for a family vacation, I was nervous trusting those details to someone else- but everything was wonderful and Amandine was extremely helpful.

The vintage car tour through Paris was so much fun- we loved riding around all of the small streets and learning about the beautiful city. We were also the subject of many vacation photos!

Sebastien, our tour guide at the Louvre was FANTASTIC. He was so good with our daughter- engaging, funny, kind and knowledgable. Even though the museum was SO busy that day, Seb navigated us through like a true pro.

We had a wonderful time with Mai at our croissant baking class. My daughter loved learning how to make all of the delicious treats, and was so excited to try them hot out of the oven when we were done.

Having cars arranged for us to travel between locations was SO helpful- as this was the part I was most worried about accomplishing with my family!

Overall, Kimkim made my first vacation to Europe with my daughter so much easier and we will definitely be back next time we're planning a big trip!

Hotel Review

Aparthotel Adagio Paris Montmartre

Paris

We loved staying here! - The rooms were clean and spacious with a nice kitchenette, close to a small grocery for essentials. - the included breakfast was brought to our room every morning and was delicious! - About a 5 minute walk from two metro lines (2 and 12) that bringing you easily to central Paris - This area of Montmartre is a at the bottom of the funicular (3 minute walk!) so it's easy to get up into the hills, but also had many shops and restaurants very close by!

Authenticity & Character

Location

About a 5 minute walk from two metro lines (2 and 12) that bringing you easily to central Paris - This area of Montmartre is a at the bottom of the funicular (3 minute walk!) so it's easy to get up into the hills, but also had many shops and restaurants very close by!

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Palace of Versailles Half day trip (Skip the line, audioguided & gardens) by minivan from Paris

Paris

I wish we had more time for this! Versailles was gorgeous and the half day tour was great for my daughter, but we could have spent a ton more time exploring the gardens. The audio guide was nice and they have a kids specific option available in certain languages that my daughter really liked listening to. We spent about an hour in the gardens and about 90 minutes in the palace.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Private Transfer from Paris hotel to Paris Charles de Gaulle (CDG)

France

The car services that were booked for us throughout our trip were excellent, everyone was always on time, friendly, clean cars and reliable!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Little Bakers of Paris: Kids’ Baguette & Croissant Workshop

Paris

This workshop was so fun, hands on, and a great way to spend an afternoon. We worked together with the instructor to make croissants and dough, learned about the techniques and had lots of laughs.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Mai was wonderful! We loved getting to work with her and spending time getting to know her a bit!

Louvre Treasure Hunt (kids or teens tour)

Paris

This was a great experience! The Louvre was incredibly busy on the day of our visit, so having Seb, our tour guide was invaluable. He was so knowledgeable and kept my daughter engaged and made sure she was able to see and experience things even in the crowds. She loved spending the time with him and completing her scavenger hunt activity!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Sebastien our guide was wonderful!!

Guided tour of Paris and secret Montmartre in a Citroën 2CV

Paris

This was so fun!! We loved zooming around Paris is this tiny vintage car seeing the sights. A nice way to get a lay of the land and explore the nooks and crannies of Montmartre.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

We had a great 5 days of wine tasting and hiking, first in Vaison la Romaine and the last two days in Chateau Neuf du Pape. Almandine did a great job of picking our two hotels, Le Beffroi in Vaison, and La Mere Germanine in Chatauneuf du Pape. Both were excellent hotels and situated within walking distance to wineries. In Vaison, we had an "in the Dark" wine tasting at the Chene Bleu Estate, as arranged by Almandine. This was a high point of our trip-- a very sensual experience which allowed us to appreciate all the sensory qualities of wine-- more than just taste! We then had two days on our own to explore the ancient village of Vaison and then Almandine arranged our transport to Chateauneuf du Pape. While there we visited a winery suggested by Alandine, the Nerthe Estate. On the second day, she suggested a hike along the Rhone River, which included a tasting at Chateau de la Gardine. This was also a great tasting. Following this Almandine arranged our transport to the airport. All in all a great trip and highly recommended.

Hotel Reviews

La Mère Germaine

CHÂTEAUNEUF-DU-PAPE

Good location

Authenticity & Character

Location

Close to everthing

Cleanliness & Comfort

Le Beffroi

Vaison la Romaine

Good location in the ancient city of Vaison

Authenticity & Character

Location

Walking to wineries

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Review

Visit of Chateauneuf du Pape - Nerthe Estate Tasting

France

Good wines and the winery tour was excellent

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

They were on time and took us where we needed to go.

Our trip booked and organized by Amandine was wonderful. We suggested a general itinerary and Amandine took it from there. We reviewed her suggestions for hotels -- both excellent mid-priced venues, and she suggested a few winery visits and other tour opportunities. Best of all she arranged transport from the train to the hotels, then from hotels to airport at the end of the trip. She was easy to work with and responsive to ideas for walking tours and open days.

We had a wonderful weeklong trip to Annecy and Chamonix thanks to Amandine. After spending two weeks in Paris I wanted to go to a beautiful place away from the city and the crowds where my family (myself, husband, and two kids ages 12 and 10) could go hiking and do other outdoor activites, but I was overwhelmed thinking about planning this trip myself. After staying in airbnbs and doing all the research myself for many years I took a leap of faith and put my trust in Amandine and she did not disappoint. She was friendly, professional, responsive, and efficient with making revisions. She selected ideal destinations, arranged TGV tickets (including a surprise upgrade to first-class), found mid-range hotels with clean, comfortable rooms that had beds for each kid and nice breakfasts, arranged transparent kayak rentals, bike rentals, and gondola tickets, scheduled a hiking guide (Quentin was amazing) and two drivers, and recommended restaurants. I felt a genuine connection with her and the extra money was well-spent. I wouldn't hesitate to ask her for help planning another trip to France.

We had a great time in France. Amandine was great to work with. It felt like 2 trips: first Paris and Normandy, and then Provence and Nice in the South. Luckily we just missed the extreme heat wave.
The following guides really made the experience exceptional:
Juliette - guide for Mont Saint-Michel was fantastic
Stefan - guide for Normandy beaches was fantastic
Tomas - guide for Avignon and Les Baux was fantastic
Jesse - guide for Luberon villages was fantastic, and was substituted at last minute as someone was sick
Nora - guide for Monaco and Monte Carlo was fantastic.

Hotel Reviews

Aparthotel Adagio Nice Promenade des Anglais

Nice

Authenticity & Character

Location

Right next to the beach.

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Saint Christophe

Aix-en-Provence

Authenticity & Character

Location

close to the Aix tour center

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Le Bayeux

Bayeux

Should not offer 3 people in single room. Not enough room

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Don't put 3 people in a room

Citadines Bastille Marais Paris

Paris

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

The Louvre Skip-the-line tour: greatest masterpieces small group guided tour (Max. 6 persons)

Paris

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Paris: Illuminations Seine River Cruise

Paris

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

From Grasse to Paris, Fragonard Perfume Workshop & Museum

Paris

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Nora was fantastic. The tour guide at Fragonard was great.

Transport

Full-day excursion to Monaco, Monte-Carlo & Eze

France

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Nora was fantastic. Learned a lot with her commentary during the drive.

Transport

Private transfer - Excursion from Aix-en-Provence to Nice

France

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Alicia was prompt and took us to some great vantage points for photos.

Transport

Luberon Markets and Villages small-group guided tour

Aix-en-Provence

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Jesse was outstanding.

Transport

Full-day from Aix to Les Baux, Avignon, The Pont du Gard & Chateauneuf du Pape

Aix-en-Provence

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Tomas was outstanding

Transport

From Aix - Full-day catamaran tour in the Calanques National Park

France

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Know the location of the dropoff

Full-day Tour of D-Day Sites

Bayeux

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Tomas was excellent

Transport

Full-day guided tour from Bayeux to the Mont-Saint-Michel

France

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Chauffeured Tour of Paris in a Vintage Car

Paris

Stoyan did a great job with his 1970 Mercedes trip through the city.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

We loved traveling to all the diff. regions in France from Paris to Normandy to Aix Provence to Nice. The tours were amazing and we learned so much history. Amandine was awesome and very receptive to anything we needed.

We were disappointed with the hotel in Bayeux. It was extremely small, outdated and didn't appear very clean. We couldn't hardly maneuver our luggage let alone unpack so I would not recommend having clients stay at that particular hotel. Everything else was very nice.

Thank you for organizing this memorable trip for the Fortino Family!! We loved France

Best Regards,
Tony, Marianne and Katie Fortino

I cannot imagine a better series of memorable adventures than the ones planned for us by KimKim/France by Locals and our consultant Amandine ... nor can I imagine that I could have had the same results trying to plan on my own. I selected the town of St Jean PIed de Port just based on having seen a Rick Steves video about it, but their choice of Hotel des Pyrenees was ideally located, exceptionally appointed and comfortable, and featured a Michelin Guide restaurant where, on a rainy night, we enjoyed the best meal of our lives as the only guests. Yannick was our maitre'd, our waiter for dinner and breakfasts, and our guide to travel around the area. When we arrived on Saturday night, Sondrien helped us to find the parking garage and came out in the rain to assist with luggage. The hotel looks like a place Cervantes might have visited, but the rooms have all been redone and are modern, spacious and comfortable with wonderful baths.

I have a vivid imagination, but when I asked for a Bordeaux vineyard experience I could not have adequately envisioned the magical medieval town of St. Emilion, rising up in the middle of vineyards dotted with magnificent chateaux, nor that we would be staying in a former chateau turned comfortable and welcoming B&B LaGomerie, with host Jean-Francois and Jessica and the sweet beagle Paco to greet us and see to our every comfort. From there we walked through newly blooming vineyards to the town, enjoyed two fantastic dinners in restaurants there, but the real highlight was our 5-hour e-bike tour of the vineyards and wine tasting at two chateaux with Rustic Vines. Our guide, Pauline, a trained sommelier, became a friend as she led us on a sunny day I hope I'll never forget and tutored us in everything from vines to wines, answering our thousand questions with patience and charm. The picnic under the trees at Chateau Moncet was a pinnacle experience.

Then, Brittany! The whole point of returning to France was to see St. Malo and Mont St-Michele, and Amandine wisely lodged us in the magnificent Royal Emeraude Hotel in Dinard, just across the bay from St. Malo. We were steps to the sandy ocean beach, the fantastic shops, the market and restaurants, and a quick drive to St. Malo (or you can take a boat across). We loved St Malo, but agreed that Dinard was the better choice for exploring the region, and I would not have known that, but Amandine did.

I read the reviews from people who thought it was expensive to use local experts, but I disagree. I would have used up hours exploring the plethora of choices on the internet, and I would never have known to select the locations, or the properties, that made for a perfect experience. And once we landed we had support every step of the way, via text, whatsapp, and phone (and I used all 3). I had one chance to see the south and west of France, and I am so glad I found KimKim, and they found France by Locals. Merci beau coup, Amandine! A bientot!

Activity Review

Half-day wine and bike guided tour

Saint Emilion

In September 2025 we took a family trip to France with our two adult children. We started planning the trip in January and began working with Emma at KimKim shortly thereafter. After gathering everyone’s suggestions and ideas I forwarded them to Emma and she began sketching out our trip. Over the next few months our plans came together and excitement built. Before our departure date, Emma was transferred to another country but her replacement, Amandine, never missed a beat. From our arrival in Paris to our departure 15 days later everything just fell into place. Information and instructions provided were clear and accurate. Even when things didn’t quite go as planned, Amandine was always available to assist.

We were most impressed when we heard that there might be a “day of action” on our last travel day back into Paris. Before we could even think about what it might mean for us, there was a note from Amandine indicating that she had proactively reserved a rental car for us as an alternative.

Since our return, Amandine has continued to be available to resolve a few minor hotel transactions that needed to be resolved.

We are impressed and have already started talking about another family trip with KimKim. We highly recommend this company!

Hotel Reviews

Fourvière Hôtel Lyon

Lyon

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hôtel d’Europe

Avignon

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel La Résidence du Vieux Port

Marseille

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Chateau St Roux

Le Cannet-des-Maures

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

La Villa Nice Promenade

Nice

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Private Transfer from Paris hotel to Paris Charles de Gaulle (CDG)

France

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Local Bouchon Lyonnais Diner

Lyon

Lovely location. Quaint atmosphere. Great staff!

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Half-Day Cruise to Calanques National Park - private group

Marseille

This activity didn’t happen because of weather.

Quality of Experience

Make your own Baguette Baking workshop at Chateau Saint-Roux

France

This activity didn’t happen because of scheduling problem.

Quality of Experience

Enjoy the Chateau Saint-Roux

France

Lovely spot for dinner. Enjoyed the family room.

Quality of Experience

Dinner at Le Plongeoir

France

Wonderful spot. Fantastic food. Great service.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Paris: Illuminations Seine River Cruise

Paris

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Discovery of the Parisian catacombs

Paris

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Private Notre-Dame Cathedrale and Saint Chapelle Visit

Paris

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Marais Pastry and Chocolate Tour

Paris

Excellent tour. So much fun.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Skip-the-line: louvre museum greatest masterpieces private guided tour

Paris

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

The tours were wonderful and so were our guides.
Our driver was very nice, but when he dropped us off at the airport to go home, he took us to arrivals because it was so busy. That wasn’t a big problem except he had to leave in a hurry and didn’t tell us how to get to our terminal. another nice driver walked us to the entrance and pointed us in the right direction.

Hotel Review

Hôtel A La Villa des Artistes

Paris

Authenticity & Character

The building next door was under construction.

Location

It was just a little outside of the central area but had wonderful restaurants and cafes.

Staff

Didn’t really interact with the staff much, but the staff during breakfast were very helpful.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Very clean

Activity Reviews

Private Transfer from Paris hotel to Paris Charles de Gaulle (CDG)

France

Further to my previous comments, our driver was stressed about dropping us off so he took us to arrivals and had to leave in a hurry as he wasn’t in an actual parking spot. We were left in a place under construction without any knowledge of where to go. Another driver walked us into the lifts and pointed us in the right direction.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Sacré-Coeur and Montmartre Tour with an expert guide

Paris

Samy was a great guide and he was very knowledgeable and helped take pictures for us. The area was lovely.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Marais Pastry and Chocolate Tour

Paris

Our guide was great, she was very knowledgeable and gave us amazing Paris and France history as we walked and ate amazing food.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

We were able to figure out the metro, but it would have been nice to know that we should consider the metro.

Paris: Illuminations Seine River Cruise

Paris

It’s great to see so many attractions and we went just before sunset - the best time to go so that on the return, you see all the lights. It’s a big boat with a lot of people and you must remain seated. It’s not a tour where you can wander around the boat.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

We bought our own metro pass for 3 days, it was very affordable and made it easy to get around to our attractions.