Valentine Julien

My mother, sister and I reached out to Kimkim late summer 2022 for help with planning a trip to the Alsace region of France. I knew I wanted to fly into Zurich and that we had 2 weeks. Valentine reached out to us and put together some iternaries. We choose to spend 4 nights in Colmar France, 4 nights in Interlaken Switzerland and 4 nights in Lucerne Switzerland. There were different tours planned throughout but mostly in France. Then Valentine quit the company and Nathalie joined as our guide. My main criticism was before we left we were sent a lot of information that was a bit unorganized. There were 6 different individual guides and then our vouchers. It would've been much easier on us had it all been streamlined into the Roadbook as we could've referenced day by day as we have had with other tours through kimkim. Keeping the vouchers separate was helpful. Previous tours had included public parking garages that were centrally located, knowing we were driving. Things to stop and see as well as scenic drives would've been a welcome addition. More information and ideas on Lucerne would have been nice.

Tours:
Walking tour of Colmar was fine. It wasn't the best way for us to start our trip because we wanted to explore all the shops and things that caught our fancy. She was trying to inform us of the history of the town and moving us onto museums and we weren't wanting that at that time.

We loved our tours with Alsace Safari, especially the Munster Valley tour. Anna and Eric were very friendly and informative guides. Highly recommend!

Our guided bike ride with Louie was great, even while raining. Highly recommend!
There was unnecessary repetition with these tours. They could have been coordinated better. We visited Eguisheim twice when we could have spent our time visiting another village.
Our walking tour of Strasbourg was on a cold and wet day so 3 hours was already going to be too long to stand outside listening to someone talk but to make it over 4 hours was too much. Our guide was very passionate and informed but long-winded.
Kayaking with Ben in Interlaken was very enjoyable. He was very patient and a wealth of knowledge. Couldn't have been better. Highly recommend!
Our day at the Burgenstock Spa and Resort was unbeatable! What a treat! From the boat ride across the lake to the funicular ride to the top, let alone the spa! It would have been easier if we were told where to meet the boat and the times it left to plan our stay. Highly recommend!

Stays:
Hotel Adler Zurich were able to let us in our room early, which was great as we got into Zurich in the early morning. Breakfast the next day was very good.
The Serenity Colmar apartments were beautiful! Great location and the apartment couldn't have been nicer! The owners were great and very helpful. With driving, it would have been helpful to have a clearer meeting point but otherwise outstanding. Highly recommend!
Aparthotel Goldey in Interlaken- can't beat the location and the views!! The apartment was a bit tired but very clean. Owners were available to ask questions and help with issues. (Mom’s bathroom experienced ceiling water leaks when the tenants above showered without closing their shower door.  Owners dried things up once notified and gave us a bottle of wine for the 2 days of inconvenience.)
Appartements Hofquartier were clean and well-located. The owners were very helpful with issues that arose.

We had a great trip, all feedback is just to clear up some organizational issues and questions we had along the way.

Hotel Reviews

Hotel Adler Zürich

Zürich

Great location, friendly and helpful staff. Great breakfast

Authenticity & Character

Location

In the center of old town

Staff

Very helpful! Notified us when our room was ready

Cleanliness & Comfort

Serenity Colmar apartments

Colmar

We loved this apartment! Very clean and modern. Excellent location!

Authenticity & Character

Location

In the town, walking distance to everything

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Very clean and comfortable

Aparthotel Goldey

Unterseen/Interlaken

can't beat the location and the views!! The apartment was a bit tired but very clean. Owners were available to ask questions and help with issues. (Mom’s bathroom experienced ceiling water leaks when the tenants above showered without closing their shower door.  Owners dried things up once notified and gave us a bottle of wine for the 2 days of inconvenience.)

Authenticity & Character

Location

Perfect location! The VIEWS are amazing. Just outside the craziness of Interlaken but close enough to walk to everything

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Very clean

Activity Reviews

Munster Valley Full-day-Tour

Colmar

Anna and Eric were very friendly and informative guides. Highly recommend! The lunch was fabulous and visiting the goat farm was a treat

Quality of Experience

Worth it

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Anna and Eric are great

Transport

Van was clean and comfortable

Guided gourmet bike tour in Alsace

Colmar

Louie was great! Very informative and good natured. Even in the rain it was a good time

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Bikes were great

Rejuvenation day at Bürgenstock Alpine Spa

Lucerne

Expensive but worth it

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Boat was beautiful

Summer kayak tour on Lake Brienz

Interlaken

Ben was a very patient and knowledgeable guide. Great experience

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Using KimKim was a leap of faith. I shared with Valentine a bit about my own experience in France/with French, as well as that of my 15 year old son, and our particular interests and hopes for this short spring break trip together. I mentioned my preference for clean local food and my environmental ethic. Everything was SPOT on, from the “Maison Mere” she sweetly selected for this Mother-son trip that began in Paris, with its peek-a-boo view of the Eiffel Tower, beyond organic and unique restaurant and bar, and an Easter egg hunt in the room for our Easter Eve arrival, to the perfectly curated WWII walking tours, the croissant-making class and the classic Eiffel Tower ascent. The tour guide in Provence was wonderful and made sure we visited one of the open air markets. I would never have known the unique history of Nice, seen the Ville Franche coastline or understood the independent principality that is Monaco if Valentine hadn’t so expertly curated this 8 night whirlwind first-time visit for my son to France. Bravo! I can’t wait to use KimKim again to explore some place I don’t know as well as I do France, because I now trust KimKim implicitly to make the most of my time, money and unique interests and objectives!

Everything was perfect for our Winter trip. I will definitely use kimkim in the future.

The tours were fantastic: the guides were knowledgeable and personable and we enjoyed every minute.

The hotels hit all the right notes.

Valentine and the Kimkim travel team was very reliable and sufficient. They provided a trip plan which made my trip to the French Rivera most enjoyable. I highly recommend. You will be in great hands!

Hotel Review

Hotel Villa Victoria

Nice

I enjoyed the free, detailed, variety breakfast at the Villa Victoria. The location couldn’t have been better. The staff gave excellent, friendly service.

Authenticity & Character

There weren’t any clocks or face towels available.

Location

Everywhere in downtown Nice was walkable.

Staff

Two in particular, (male and female)were very likable and accommodating.

Cleanliness & Comfort

The room was cleaned to satisfaction.

Activity Reviews

Half-Day Excursion to Cannes, Antibes & St Paul de Vence

France

Loved St Paul and Cannes. Pleasantly surprised They don’t take American money or do American Express….. I guess for the most part.

Quality of Experience

The shopping and overall atmosphere was amazing

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Professional, well versed, very pleasant, excellent driver.

Transport

Great driver. On time

Journey into the Heart of the French Riviera: Eze, Monaco & Monte Carlo

France

Great experience. Beautiful!

Quality of Experience

Excellent

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Very informative.

Transport

Excellent driver

Uncover the Gastronomic Treasures of Nice

Nice

Had a personal tour guide. Very knowledgeable, pleasant, flexible, enjoyable. Didn’t do food tour.

Quality of Experience

Well done

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Very likable. Easy to share time with. Very knowledgeable and accommodating.

Transport

We walked, which was fine.

Our honeymoon in France was incredible! I would highly recommend 1) working with Valentine to plan the best trip & activities, 2) going to France in September/October, the weather was beautiful!
Valentine helped us plan the best trip, we had a great mix of short and long tours, skip the line tickets, wine tastings, and self exploration days. All of the tour guides were fantastic. Valentine also prebooked us tickets for trains and transportation when we needed it, which helped make moving city to city a lot easier. We stayed in Nice (3 nights), Saint Remy de Provence (3 nights), Annecy (2 nights), Colmar (3 nights), and Paris (4 nights). The only thing we wish we could have changed would be to stay another week longer! (-:

Activity Reviews

Iconic Full day Tour in Alsace from Colmar

Colmar

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Biking Day Trip Through Historic Versailles

France

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Noel was a great guide!

Transport

Art, Architecture & Wine: A Provencal Journey at Chateau la Coste

Aix-en-Provence

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Avignon and Pope's Palace walking tour

France

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Wine tasting at Chateau La Nerthe in Chateauneuf-du-Pape

Chateauneuf du Pape

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

We asked for an active trip and our specialist delivered. We had several zoom calls to set up the framework for our trip. She put together exactly what we asked for. We had great hikes and visits to Albi, Carcasonne and Mirapoix with our guide Olivia. Our tasting tour with Jessica was fun and informative and our bike ride around Toulouse was fun. Definitely a great trip.

I typically love to research and plan trips, but I felt overwhelmed with Paris/Burgundy. KimKim connected us with Stephen and Valentine of Objectif France and they were a boon in advising, organizing and setting up our itinerary. This trip had to be post-poned in April 2020 to Oct 2022 due to pandemic. It was worth the wait. We enjoyed Fabio's walking tour of Montemarte, the Eiffel Tower at night, a personal tour of the Louvre (forgot the guide's name but she was very knowledgeable and allowed us to hit the highlights within 2 hours), a half-day trip to Versaille (Corinne is a great guide), and a splendid trip on train to Beaune (Burgundy) for a wine tour and 2 nights in that old, quaint, country town (Alexi from Safari Tours was a delight and very informative). We have many fond memories thanks to these fine folks.

Our two week trip to Paris, Bayeux, St Remy de Provence and Nice France was wonderful thanks to our local specialists Valentine and Sophie. Our trip was delayed 2 years due to covid but was worth the wait. All of our tours and guides were very good and easy to understand. Our D-Day, US beaches tour guide, Lucy was especially good at making us feel what it was like for our soldiers on the beaches.

Overall, everything went very smoothly and according to our very detailed daily agenda. There were a few very minor glitches mainly caused by miscommunication. When I contacted Valentine she quickly responded and resolved the issues. The four of us travelling together agreed that Valentine made sure our trip was memorable. We highly recommend Kimkim for their attention to detail and communication with us during our trip when needed.

We had a great time. The hotels were great,wonderful breakfasts, super tours with warm and informative guides, the drivers were on time and added so much to our knowledge of the different areas we toured. Andy, Margaret Palko

Hotel Review

The Basile Hotel

Paris

Wonderful staff and management that made us feel like a part of their family. The breakfast was delicious, the rooms were great, and their advice so helpful.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

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

Bayeux

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Versailles Palace and Gardens private tour

France

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Montmartre Local Gastronomy Tour

Paris

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Welcome to Saint Rémy de Provence

Saint-Rémy-de-Provence

Quality of Experience

Villages and Markets of the Luberon

France

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Monaco, Eze and La Turbie Tour small group tour

France

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Mont-Saint-Michel Full day Tour

France

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Guided walking tour in the Old Bayeux

Bayeux

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Eiffel Tower Summit Ticket

Paris

Quality of Experience

Le Louvre Private Tour

Paris

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

We loved this trip. The planning was excellent. We got to stay in places and do things we never could have done on our own. Our guides Julian , Gilles, Sophie and Claire were fun and very knowledgeable about the places and food. We only experienced one problem on our trip. The driver to take us from Lyon to the train didn’t show and we weren’t able to contact Valentine for assistance. We did appreciate the refund we received We would recommend kimkim to everyone.