Nathalie Durand

A great trip to Paris and area

All of our drivers were excellent! Beautiful, clean vehicles, water provided, etc. Thomas in particular provided some interesting information about Paris upon our arrival. Christian when above and beyond by stopping in our hotel in Paris when we realized we left our passports and wallet. The assistance with making sure we got in the correct trains was very much appreciated.

All of the accommodations were in good locations and provided nice breakfasts. When we got stuck in the elevator in Hotel Monsiuer They were very attentive to be sure we were okay. In Hotel Belle Normandy they opened their kitchen early so we could have some breakfast before our departure.

Our food tour in Paris was excellent! Christina, was knowledgeable, intelligent, entertaining and provided such a great variety of experiences and accommodated our preferences! Ending at the little wine spot with our charcuterie was such a lively way to end our tour. She also recommended a place to go to for great views of the city upon the end of our tour.

Our tour of Versailles was very well done. Tobias was also very interesting and informative. We loved the clear explanations of the history and his perspective of the environment etc We had great conversations!

Montmartre & Sacré Coeur Walking Tour -Was a huge disappointment! Florencia, was anything but entertaining or enthusiastic. We left the tour after 20 minutes.

The Juno Beach tour was very good. Guide was knowledgeable of the Winnipeg participation in the war and so much more. He took the group to a great spot for lunch which provided a nice opportunity to chat with fellow guests as well as enjoy some great food. Between the guide and the fellow travellers we went to a couple of great restaurants before leaving the area of Normandy.

Our food tour in Boudreaux was very underwhelming. Astrid was not familiar with the tour for this company, so it felt like we were just wandering. The amount of food was almost non existent. Paying $50 euros extra for the tiny bit our kids had was ridiculous.

So in closing , Natalie was great to work with she tried hard to figure out what we would enjoy. The drivers and travel was super seamless and excellent drivers. The hotels met our expectations of clean, good location, and good breakfasts. The tours really ranged in quality. The combination of both private and group tours was a perfect mix.

Deanna

Activity Reviews

Eiffel Tower Summit Ticket

Paris

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Seine Cruise with Commentary

Paris

The description of which boat was not made clear. The number of people on the boat was overwhelming, but it was nice to see the city from the water. We were glad we waited for a nicer day. So the flexibility of the tickets was helpful.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Nathalie did a phenomenal job planning our trip and attending to all the details. She was extremely attentive, responsive, knowledgeable, and an absolute joy to work with. (And to meet in person!)

Our hotels were comfortable and well-located and met our specifications. The day trips were perfect with well-chosen local guides and a variety of activities. Our drivers were always punctual, pleasant, and communicative. Nathalie did a great job of balancing scheduled activities with free time so that we had time to explore on our own and catch our breath when needed. There was not a single glitch which is amazing for a three-week trip!

I highly recommend Nathalie and would use her again in a heartbeat!

Nathalie did a great job planning out our trip. The river cruise our first night in Paris was an exceptional suggestion and the tour guide for the Louvre was amazing.

The team was very accommodating as we had to make some very last minute adjustments to the schedule - while we were in France. They happily worked everything out for us.

Hotel Reviews

Hôtel Parc Saint Séverin

Paris

The hotel was clean and the location was great but there are very few amenities and seems to attract older clientele. The rooms and bathrooms are very small.

Authenticity & Character

Location

You could walk to everything!

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Very small rooms and bathrooms.

Aquabella Hotel & Spa

Aix en Provence

This is a great hotel - location is perfect, staff are amazing and it has everything you would need.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Pullman Paris Roissy Cdg Airport

Roissy-en-France

Activity Reviews

Nighttime Seine River Cruise with Dining Experience

Paris

This was a great introduction to Paris and was a great event on the first day we arrived in Paris.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Dinner show at the Moulin Rouge

Paris

Montmartre & Sacré-Coeur walking tour

Paris

The guide did not appear all that interested in giving a tour and did not appear to be very knowledgeable which was disappointing. It is such a neat area.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Le Louvre Private Tour

Paris

Victor was amazing. Very passionate about The Louvre and his knowledge was through the roof. Very, very good guide.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Eiffel Tower Summit Ticket

Paris

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Wine tour in Cezanne countryside

Aix-en-Provence

Our guide was very good. She really knew the area and understood vineyards and winemaking.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

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 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.

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.

Activity Reviews

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.

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.

Nathalie worked closely with us to plan the perfect Provence trip for our three generations! The day trips with A la Française were wonderful. Remy was a wonderful guide for the Aix-en-Provence Historical and Gourmet walking tour...informative and good pace. We LOVED the morning lavender fields tour, also with A la Française. Stunning photo opportunities. The Villages and Markets of the Luberon, also with A la Française, was also enjoyable, although maybe a bit too long? Or, maybe the heat just made us cranky by the end of the long day? Boutique Hotel Cezanne was clean, comfortable and well-located. Breakfast was excellent. Aix-en-Provence is a special, special city.
The train from Aix-en-Provence to Marseille to Nice was a bit of a nightmare, although we maybe should have assumed that it would be during the height of the summer season. We had great difficulty finding seats on the second leg of the train trip, but eventually managed to find three seats in three different train cars, just hoping that we all knew when to disembark.
Nice is bustling compared to the laid back vibe of Aix. Our hotel, La Villa Nice Promenade, was also clean, comfortable and well-located. Breakfast was tasty. Our first day trip was a private tour with Liven Up to Grasse, Tourrettes-sur-Loup, and St. Paul de Vence. The Fragonard perfume factory in Grasse is a must. Great, informative factory tour with shopping at the end! Beautiful city...wish we could have spent more time exploring. Tourrettes-sur-Loup was as lovely as we had remembered, although our stop was short here as well. St. Paul de Vence was as picturesque as we had remembered. We loved wandering along the alleys; however, the crowds made it less charming. It seems as though this is now a much more popular destination than it was in 1997! Our city tour of Nice with Michel (Liven Up) was special as he was born and raised in Nice! Our tour was fast-paced, but packed with special lookouts, sweet anecdotes from his childhood, and of course, the main attractions of the city. I wish we had scheduled a few more days in Nice!
Overall, we ALL truly enjoyed the trip...not an easy feat to please an 18, 48 and 78 year old with the same itinerary!
Merci Beaucoup, Nathalie!

In dinard the hotel had zero parking we usually parked about 6 or 7 blocks away. The guides were awesome.
People need to be aware very little cell service. Makes it difficult to use google maps to travel. communication was nice most new a little English. A list of nice restaurants in areas where we are staying with the times they are open would be great. a lot are closed midday and during the week. Really loved your choices of places to see!

While they were all good, our tour guides for the marais and the Louvre were exceptional. The cooking class in the chef’s kitchen was also a highlight. The wine tasting was more a history with nice wine and cheese but an interesting evening (next time I would go to a vineyard instead). All in all a great trip.

Our trip to France was wonderful. Our kimkim specialist Nathalie spent the time to understand our interests provided a great itinerary that met or exceeded our travel wishes. The only problem we encountered was with our first hotel. The room was dirty and had a smell. We requested another room which was slightly better, but still not adequate. We contacted Nathalie and she found us another, much better, hotel that we took the following night. The other hotels throughout the trip were very nice. The car transfers throughout the trip were punctual and comfortable. The tours and tour guides were especially good. We even emailed each of the tour companies in Bayeux, Saint Málo and Paris with positive feedback about the knowledge and passion of their tour guides.

The hotel problem at the beginning had the potential of spoiling the rest of the trip. But Nathalie’s quick response to find another hotel and her willingness to work to get a refund eased our minds and allowed us to enjoy our time in France.

Hotel Reviews

Hôtel A la Villa des Artistes

Paris

A quiet, comfortable room with a friendly staff in the heart of Paris. Room was a little small, but not a problem for us. We would recommend it.

Le Bayeux

Bayeux

The first room we got was dirty, there was mold in the bathroom and had a smell. They gave us a new room, which had teh same issues as the first room. We moved to a new hotel.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Close to all that is in Bayeux.

Staff

Very accomodating, friendly and understood our concerns about the rooms.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel needs to be updated.

La Maison des Armateurs 4*

Saint Malo

Hotel is located within the walled city. It is very close to attractions, restaurants and shops. Our room was clean and comfortable. Our room overlooked the street. We kept the windows open so it was noisy at night. However, with the windows shut and AC on, noise is not a problem. Breakfast is good, plenty of choices. Staff was friendly.

Activity Reviews

Eiffel Tower skip the line summit tour (small group/2h)

Paris

Skipped it. Too many people.

Paris to Bayeux - Discover Giverny along the way

France

Beautiful stop on our way from Paris to Normandy. Two hours was enough for us to experience the beautiful gardens and home of Claude Monet.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Christophe was punctual, helpful and a good driver.

Transport

Having a driver made the trip more relaxing.

Mont-Saint-Michel day Tour

France

We are glad we had a tour guide for this experience as opposed to just going there on our own. Our guide was very knowledgeable about all aspects of the Abbey (including when the best time to eat was in order to avoid crowds).

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Manon was fabulous!!

Transport

Clean, comfortable van.

Half-day private tour Dinan and St-Suliac

France

This was one of the favorite tours of our visit to France. Once again, Marc knows the area very well and did an excellent job of explaining the history of the area as well as explaining about French culture today.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Saint Germain des Prés Food Tour

Paris

This would be a must-do tour in Paris. We had a great time with Matthias touring the neighborhood of Saint Germain and sampling the charcuterie, baguettes, cheeses and especially the chocolates, wine, choux a la creme and the patisserie! A very memorable tour!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

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

Bayeux

Having a tour guide to see the landing sights should really be considered required. We learned so much and saw many sights that I am sure we would have missed had we done the tour on our own. Our tour guide, Victor, was friendly and knowledgeable. The travel was comfortable.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Victor was knowledgeable about the history of DDay.

Transport

Comfortable van. Victor was a good driver.

Two walking tours on the Emerault Coast: Saint Malo and Cancale (total 3.5-hours)

France

Marc the tour guide was wonderful. Since he is from Brittany he knows the area well. The Emerault Coast is spectacular! Cancale is a beautiful city and a must see if you are in to oysters. Had a wonderful time!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Marc knew a lot about the area. It was fascinating to hear the history of the region.

Transport

Clean, comfortable transport.

The cheese tasting was excellent- a highlight of the Paris trip. So much care effort and knowledge went into that evening.
The bike tour was really fun and well-planned out. The bikes worked well. However, our tour guide was not Parisian or even French and her knowledge of history was a lacking (also negative, snarky). We enjoyed seeing the sights but her commentary was a bit superficial and geared toward a younger age group.
Our hotel in Paris (Novotel Les Halles) had a very convenient location and a nice breakfast each morning. Also a pretty interior courtyard. Our kid's room had a clogged shower drain that overflowed, and the A/C was not great.
In Normandy, the Hotel Bayeux was too rustic. We stayed in MAISON BLUE, #17, and it was awkward, uncomfortable, old and just odd. While the ability to stay in one apartment as a family, this was a bit too rustic for our tastes, especially the bathrooms, with cracked floors and tiny toilets without sinks nearby. The breakfast was fine.
The D-Day beaches tour was very thorough, and and the day by visiting the US cemetery at 5 pm for Taps was very moving. Our guide was very knowledgeable.
Clare Collins, our tour guide for Mont St. Michel, was excellent: extremely professional, efficient, and also possessing an amazing depth of knowledge of the historical site. We loved her enthusiasm.
Finally, Hotel L' Addresse, our accommodations in St. Malo, were quite nice, and more typical of what were were expecting. There was terrace and balcony off each room. There was a nice breakfast each day.. It was reasonably close to the walled city and close to beach stairs- a plus. The staff was extremely helpful and offered to be proactive with recommendations and with communication about our daughter's left-behind passport and medications. They also packed a to-go breakfast for us the morning of our departure.
Unfortunately, one of us seems to have developed a case of scabies from that hotel suggesting they may need some new bedding!
Adil, our St. Malo tour guide, was also very professional and knowledgeable. We were grateful for all of the time he spent with us and his driving us from Bayeux to Mont St. Michel and on to St. Malo.
Our driver back to Paris was very efficient and professional and made sure we linked up with the courier for the missing passport.
Nathalie, thank you for helping plan this trip for us. Thanks for helping retrieve the missing items left behind at the hotel in Paris, we are extremely grateful for that. It would have been so difficult without your help. We all will have wonderful memories of our trip to France in 2023.