Mathilde Dubuisson

Since I had very little time to plan and book a trip to Switzerland , I decided to give kimkim a try. In 7 weeks, Mathilde put together a suggested itinerary, worked with me on zoom calls to add and subtract destination cities, and purchased/booked travel passes and hotels.

While I might have done a few things differently (like staying in Wengen rather than Grindlewald), all in all I think it was money well spent with kimkim. The directions for each stop were thorough and clear and the online vouchers and schedules were easy to access.

If I find myself in a similar situation with short lead time, and no knowledge of the destination country, I would use kimkim again.

My wife and I are retired teachers, we love to travel and experience new adventures. Two years ago we spent three weeks driving around Ireland. We didn't do a lot of planning and sort of played everything by ear as we went along. we had a great trip. That trip empowered us to try and do the same thing in France. Neither I or my wife had ever been to France. As I started to research things to do and places to go on the web I came across Kim Kim. I was curious to what it was about. So I clicked on it and started going through the process (which was really easy). I figured if they asked for my credit card I would click off the site. To my amazement they didn't ask for money. The next day I received a 21 day itinerary that included so much, I was astonished. The instructions said to set up a phone interview with the local specialist Mathilde (who is amazing). We did we altered and tweaked the itinerary to the way we wanted it and viola' we had a three week trip planned. We asked if they could rent us a car. They did. We asked to change dates, bookings, tours. Whatever we asked Mathilde accommodated us. We traveled around 1,500 miles and eight different cities. During a travel day Mathilde called me and said that we would be really close to where Kim Kim is located and would we like to get together for coffee. We agreed to meet and for an hour had a wonderful conversation with a really lovely young lady. We experienced Paris (all the highlights), The Alps, The Riviera, Medieval mountain towns, Normandy (D-Day tour was exceptional). The itinerary included 3 bike tours, 3 walking tours, 2 private tours, tickets to the Eiffel Tower, Louvre, Mount Blanc, Chenonceau Castle, Palace of Versailles, Dinner cruise on the Siene, Mont St. Michel, D-Day tour, Monet's Gardens and so much more. All of our hotels booked. Things that I would have never thought of Mathilde and Kim Kim did. And all this at a price that we could afford. We are preparing to go to Italy for three weeks next year, I will definitely be calling Kim Kim and Mathilde . Thank you for a great experience that my wife and I will never forget.

Activity Reviews

Welcome to Chamonix

Chamonix

Quality of Experience

Skip the line Eiffel Tower Summit Tickets

Paris

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Versailles Bike & Palace Day Trip

France

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Seine River Gourmet Dinner Cruise with Live Music

Paris

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

City Excursion by E-Bike with Food Tasting

Lyon

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Omaha & Utah Beach War History Day Trip

Bayeux

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Mont-Saint-Michel Abbey - Entrance tickets

France

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Full Day Luberon E-Bike Adventure

France

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

This is our second time booking through Kimkim. We had an absolutely amazing time with the process and experience on our first trip to Italy last year. So, we were excited to plan the second trip this year. Mathilde jumped in to plan fairly late in the game so we were thankful for that. I will say., in comparison to our first planner, Mathilde seemed to be less available / communicative and/or slower to respond than our first experience. I also was a bit concerned about her knowledge of the areas we were traveling since she is from France and we were not traveling there. That said, everything got booked and we were looking forward to it.

When we arrived in Munich, we had to call our driver when no one was present when we arrived. So, that was a little frustrating and different than we experienced previously. But, the ride was fine. When we arrived at the hotel Jederman in Munich we were very surprised and disappointed in the location, but tried to shake it off. We were there early, and the room was not ready. We knew this was a likely possibility, so that was not a big deal. We were very under-impressed as a first impression of the hotel. We were given a space to put our luggage and a map of the city. When we asked for some suggestions on where to go, the staff was fairly non-responsive. So, we did our best to find the city center for lunch. When we returned to check in, we were given our keys to adjoining rooms, and we retrieved our luggage ourselves. There was just no interest in assisting in any manner from the hotel staff. I guess we’re just not used to that at all. When we got to the rooms, we were again disappointed. They were minimal, semi-clean and definitely not welcoming or comfortable. When we entered my daughter’s room, it was filled with the smell of heavy smoking, even though it was supposed to be a non- smoking room. It was so bad, we all started coughing and sneezing and I started to get a headache immediately. I went down to the front desk and the initial response was - sorry - we can’t control if people smoke in the rooms. That’s when I called Mathilde to see what options she could help with. I was honestly uncomfortable staying there. In the meantime, my daughter found mucus wiped all over the wall next to her bed and some kind of pink substance on the wall next to the door. Additionally, there was black mold in each bathroom. We have pictures of it all. They offered Mathilde to clean my daughter’s room, but I knew that wouldn’t mitigate the smell. They were able to find a room down the hall for my daughter, but, it made me very uncomfortable given the overall state of the hotel. That said, every answer I got was that there were just no other options.

By this time, because we had to wait to check in, and then deal with the room debacle, I was not comfortable leaving in the middle of that mess to go on a tour of the city. And, apparently the guide had been told a different location to meet (we were told she’d come to the hotel, she was at a different location by “the fish pond”). I felt it was such a mess. I couldn’t just drop everything to go meet her. I felt like there was just very limited help to resolve the issue from Mathilde or the staff. I actually resorted to looking for other hotels that I was willing to pay for myself. Ultimately, because we had no idea where anything was in the city, and becausexwe we’re going on a full day tour the next day, we decided to suck it up and stay.

The breakfast buffet at Jederman was just okay and, again, we found the staff unfriendly and unhelpful. It was honestly one of the worst hotel experiences I’ve ever had. Based on our prior experience with Kimkim, we were just very surprised at this choice, it’s poor location and poor presentation. Definitely did not meet expectations and we felt like we had no options but to suck it up and make the best of it. We definitely felt it was well below the standard we had come to expect from Kimkim.

The tour to the castle in Germany from Munich was a lovely day and definitely the highlight of Munich.. It was great to be out of the hotel and somewhere beautiful for the day. The tour guides were very nice and knowledgeable. Well worth it.

The trains to Stuttgart were coordinated well and that travel was easy, as always. So, we appreciated that. The Maritime Hotel in Stuttgart was much more in line with our expectations and was in a lovely, convenient area of the city.

Travel to Bruges was also simple and well planned, so we appreciated that.

Hotel Aragon in Bruges was amazing and fully in line with our expectations. Great staff, warm welcome, assistance with questions and suggestions, and a fabulous location. Just a great experience. Hotel Aragon was in line with what we experienced with our Italy Kimkim trip and we were very thankful for that. The rooms were beautiful, clean and comfortable and the breakfast was very good.

There was a snag with my son’s arrival and transport. We don’t really know what happened, but when he arrived he, too, had to reach out to the driver to see location. Apparently the driver was still an hour away. As a result, and to not waste a full hour waiting, my son took a cab from the airport to the train station. Again, for us, we weren’t used to that inefficiency. That said, he did arrive safely.

The tour of Bruges was great and our local tour guide was super nice and knowledgeable. A great tour. Also, the transfer to the airport on our final day went well and our driver was very nice.

Overall, the trip started in a very disappointing manner. Those first two nights were very uncomfortable and we would never stay somewhere like that again. I was surprised Kimkim would select that hotel as something acceptable for guests. It made me wonder if anyone from Kimkim had ever stayed there.

Thankfully, the trip ended on a much better note in Bruges with hotel Aragon. Much more in line with our previously established expectations.

We had an amazing family trip to Europe and could not have pulled it off myself without the help of Mathilde! She had ideas for activities that I never would have known existed or come up with on my own. I was also very nervous about booking a trip for 6 people ranging in ages from 7 to 70, traveling to three countries I was not familiar with. Mathilde took care of everything and the entire trip went smoothly. She was very responsive and followed up in a timely manner.

In Paris, the macaron cooking class with Marthe in her apartment was incredible. She taught us how to make the amazing macarons and gave us the recipes to try making them at home. It was a fun activity to do together as a family and everyone participated in making the macarons.

Our private guided bike ride through Paris with Thibeau was so much fun! We had fun activities to do, got to hear interesting facts and history directly from him, and was able to see so much. The bikes were comfortable to ride for everyone and the tandem attachment worked out well for our 7 year old (both to keep her from running into other bikers/cars and to make sure she wouldn't get tired).

When our trains cancelled from Amsterdam to Ahaus, Germany, Mathilde quickly responded with other options. We ended up renting a vehicle from Amsterdam to Ahaus, which worked out perfectly (even better than the trains would have).

In Amsterdam, we started with a canal boat ride, which was a great way to see different parts of the city and learn about them. We all had an amazing time on the Zaanse Schans tour. The tour guide, Bianca, was fabulous. We had more fun then we expected seeing how the wooden shoes were made, sampling the different types of Gouda cheese, and seeing the windmills in operation. We could have spent several more hours there. We also enjoyed the Van Gogh museum. It was an easy city to navigate and everything was in walking distance.

Overall, it was an amazing trip that everyone will remember. I will definitely use kimkim again for our big travel needs!

Hotel Reviews

Hôtel Lorette - Astotel

Paris

Nice, clean and quiet hotel. There were several cafes nearby and very close to the metro. The breakfasts were amazing and everyone enjoyed the daily snacks that they had to offer. I would highly recommend.

Authenticity & Character

Modern with nice decor.

Location

Nearby to many cafes and the metro.

Staff

The front desk staff was very nice and helpful.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Comfortable beds and the public areas of the hotel were very clean as well.

Hotel NH City Center Amsterdam

Amsterdam

Super nice hotel in a great location! The rooms were very nice, the hotel was clean in the rooms and public spaces, and the breakfast was phenomenal. It was nice that it had a bar with food for other hours of the day as well for those that were tired and didn't feel like venturing out. The hotel staff was also very friendly.

Authenticity & Character

Right in the heart of everything.

Location

All of the main attractions that we wanted to visit were no more than a 20-25 minute walk. Plenty of cafes nearby and we were right by one of the canals.

Staff

Super friendly staff at the front desk and at the hotel bar/breakfast area.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Everything was clean. The beds were a bit firm compared to other places we stayed at so that would be the only thing I didn't like (but willing to overlook due to all the other great amenities).

Activity Reviews

Arc de Triomphe - Skip the line ticket

Paris

This was a great place to visit upon arriving to Paris. Great views of the city and a lot of things to do in the area.

Quality of Experience

Nice to have the tickets and not have to stand in line to buy them!

Seine River Cruise with Audio Guide

Paris

Great activity for the end of the first day, when everyone was tried from traveling and walking. It was a great way to see the big attractions that were along the Seine River and to learn a little about them. The audio guides were a little more difficult to figure out how to use and some of them did not seem to work well.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Louvre Museum in Paris: entrance tickets & audioguides

Paris

No trip to Paris is complete without a visit to the Louvre to see the famous works of art and an incredible building. It is nearly impossible to see it all because it is so big. The audio guides were helpful to learn more about the art.

Quality of Experience

Private Family Bike Trip

Paris

I was looking forward to this before we arrived but it turned out to be even more fun than I expected. Our guide, Thibeau, was fantastic and made it a lot of fun. We saw so many great sights and learned a lot from T on our tour. The stop at the market for lunch was also very nice. Another 15 minutes in the market would have been great (but that might have been cut short because we arrived late to start the tour). The bikes were really nice and comfortable to ride all day. They all looked new and in great condition. We used a tandem attachment for our 7 year old, which worked out great and prevented her from wandering into other bike/car traffic and gave her an easy way to rest if she got tired. The fun activities and challenges along the ride made it even more memorable. My kids really got into it. There were medals at the end that will be a great souvenir for them! One of the bikes got a flat tire during the tour because we ran over a screw. It was not an issue and our guide immediately sprang into action and repaired the tire quickly and got us back on our way.

Quality of Experience

Great bikes and a well planned tour!

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Our guide was very friendly, knowledgeable, and interacted well with our family.

Macaron Cooking Class

Paris

This was a super fun activity that was enjoyed by all! Marthe was great and was definitely an expert at making macarons. She shared all of the tips to make perfect macarons that you will not find in the cookbooks. Everyone in our party, ranging in ages from 7-70, were able to participate and help. She shared all of the recipes with us at the end so we can try to make them at home on our own. They were definitely some of the best macarons that I have ever had! She even gave us recommendations of places to eat for afterwards!

Quality of Experience

Marthe had everything ready to go and it was a very smooth process.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Marthe was exceptionally knowledgeable.

Amsterdam Canal Cruise

Amsterdam

This was a great way to see and hear about the different places along the canals. It is such a beautiful city and is even more beautiful from the canals. We enjoyed a glass of wine/beer while listening to the audio and taking in the sights.

Quality of Experience

Great way to learn about the different places in Amsterdam.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

The boat driver was friendly and interesting to listen to.

Transport

The boat was nice and clean.

Zaanse Schans Small-Group Half-Day Tour from Amsterdam

Amsterdam

This turned out to be more fun than we imagined. It was a small village with a lot to see and do. Everyone in our group enjoyed it. It's about a half hour drive from the city so you only spend about two hours there. Those two hours went fast as we watched how wooden clogs are made, got a demo on how they make Gouda cheese (and then sampled all the different kinds!), and then visited one of the working windmills. The time we were there went really fast and we could have easily spent another couple of hours there.

Quality of Experience

It was so fun to see all of these traditional and famous activities.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Our guide was very friendly and did a good job getting us from place to place so we could see as much as possible.

Transport

The bus was comfortable and had seat belts for everyone.

Van Gogh Museum: skip-the-line entrance ticket

Amsterdam

If you like art, this is a great place to visit! My husband is a huge Van Gogh fan so this was one of his must do activities in Amsterdam. I wasn't as excited to go here but I was very impressed with the museum. The audio guides made it much more interesting and I enjoyed learning his story and the background on his paintings. I now have a much bigger appreciation for Van Gogh and his artwork than I did before this visit. There was an activity for younger kids (kind of like a scavenger hunt) that made it more engaging for our 7 year old. She turned in her completed booklet at the end as was able to pick a postcard of her favorite painting!

Quality of Experience

Great museum that tells the story of Van Gogh.