Beau Voyage

What a wonderful trip to Paris! Lucie listened to what we wanted and provided a perfect itinerary. It started with our excellent driver picking us up from the Eurostar train station and taking us to our boutique 3* hotel, which was in a wonderful location and overall very comfortable. Lucie also arranged for a driver to take us to the airport when we left. We chose to travel from our hotel by the Paris metro to our daily events. I am a 73 year old, who traveled with twin 17 year olds girls. One of our favorite activities was the sidecar motorbike tour of Paris when we first arrived. The drivers told us fun facts about the sites as we rode around Paris. The highlights of our 5 day stay included the summit of the Eiffel Tower, Montmartre and Sacre Coeur, the amazing treasures of the Louvre, Notre Dame Cathedral, beautiful Versailles, and the Pantheon. We asked Lucie to give us time to choose some of our own activities and were able to attend a baroque orchestral performance, view the Victor Hugo museum, and eat at numerous local restaurants of our choice. Our private tour guide, Aloïs, was outstanding and knowledgeable for our walking tour in Montmartre. The only negative we encountered had nothing to do with kimkim or Lucie. Workers in France went on strike, and we were unable to go up into the Arc de Triomphe. The other cancelation due to the strike was at the Paris catacombs. Although disappointing, my young travelers said, "I guess we will have to come back." Thanks Lucie and kimkim!

Hotel Review

Hôtel Korner Opéra

Paris

This hotel was perfectly located for our Paris visit. We needed beds for 3 and stayed in a room at the top of the hotel. The room was very clean and had everything needed for our 5 day stay. One twin bed was located under a low ceiling and I kept bumping my head. The room had an air conditioner, but we never got it to work, However, we didn't ask for help. We used a fan in the room instead, and we opened the windows which made it comfortable. Only problem with the open windows was sometimes there was noise outside. The staff was nice and friendly. The breakfasts were continental and perfect for us. We would happily stay in this hotel again.

Authenticity & Character

The hotel had a local feel and not so touristy.

Location

Close to the Paris metro and restaurants

Staff

Always friendly and helpful

Cleanliness & Comfort

The room was clean and overall comfortable.

Activity Reviews

Visit of the Eiffel Tower with access to the summit

Paris

I'm so glad we got tickets to the summit. The views were great!

Quality of Experience

The Eiffel Tower was our first Paris landmark to visit and it did not disappoint. We had no trouble arriving on our own. Our tickets were arranged by kimkim.

Adventure aboard an authentic sidecar to uncover Paris

Paris

The sidecar tour was one of our favorite tours. The drivers were knowledgeable, friendly, and provided a fun tour. They were also courteous and helpful in dropping us off so we could safely get to our next event.

Quality of Experience

It was a fun way to be introduced to Paris.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

We couldn't ask for better drivers, who were also our guides. Their enthusiasm made us love Paris.

Transport

Besides the sidecars being fun, the ride was safe and comfortable.

Visit of Arc de Triomphe

Paris

After hearing about the Arc de Triomphe my whole life, I stood under the Arc in awe. We observed the tomb of the unknown soldier. We were sad that we couldn't go up into the Arc due to a workers strike.

Exploring the Panthéon: a Journey through French History and Architecture

Paris

We enjoyed learning more French history and observed the names of people who made a difference in French history.

Visit the Royal castle of Versailles

France

Versailles was amazing. You could feel the once decadent era when Louis XIV and those that followed lived there. If you love French history, there is much to learn and enjoy. We wish we could have spent a little more time there.

We had an absolute BLAST on our trip. We were able to celebrate our Honeymoon with adventure, relaxing, and new experiences! It was great having our entire trip planned for us, with a detailed guide on what to do each day. We can't recommend Kimkim, but especially our agent, Lucie, enough!

Activity Reviews

Romantic tour of Paris by vintage 2CV car, with a bottle of Champagne included

Paris

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Gourmet food tour in Saint-Germain-des-Prés

Paris

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Unveiling Masterpieces at the Louvre Museum

Paris

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Market visit and Provençal Cooking Class in Aix-en-Provence

Aix-en-Provence

Such a wonderful, unique experience!

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Full-day in lavender fields of Valensole

France

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Half-day private Sailing Tour of the Lérins Islands with lunch included

Cannes

Wish we could live this day over and over again!

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

It was nice to have a local travel agent to connect us with experiences we wouldn’t have known about otherwise. It was a long trip with so many options but she really helped us narrow things down. There was something for the adults and the children and everyone was happy.

Audrey, our trip to France was incredible. Thank you for everything you did to make it happen. We always felt you had our backs while we were traveling. You were excellent to work with. I would definitely use KimKim again and will recommend KimKim to others. We were especially pleased when you solved our train problems while we were traveling to Nice. You were watching out for us.

Hotel Review

Boutik Hotel 3*

Annecy

The Boutik Hotel 3 was very traditional, quite comfortable and perfectly located by the town square. The staff were very friendly and the breakfasts were very French. We loved staying here and would stay here again.

Authenticity & Character

It was an old, remodeled orphanage that is rich in history.

Location

It is right next to the town center and very close to the waterfront.

Staff

The main staff who prepared the breakfasts was so kind.

Cleanliness & Comfort

It was just super comfy and so perfectly located .

Activity Reviews

Day excursion to Cannes, Grasse and Saint-Paul-de-Vence

France

The tour wasn't your classic tour with the tour guide explaining history, etc, as you move thru a town, the country side, etc., Essentially, the driver explained a few things as we drove to our destination, then he let us out of the car and said we were on our own to explore the cities with limited time to do so. Also, "Victor" , one of our drivers in Nice, was impatient and somewhat rude. I would suggest not using him again.

Quality of Experience

Whatever we experienced, it was through our own efforts. Victor wasn't very helpful.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Victor was quite impatient and somewhat rude. He drove too fast.

Transport

Don't use Victor. Set expectations regarding the nature of the "tour".

1-day Mont Blanc Multipass

France

Must do. the Multipass allowed us to really enjoy the Chamonix surroundings.

Quality of Experience

Aiguille Du Midi was such an incredible experience. It is amazing to see such engineering work merged with such a challenging environmental component

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

The connections were quite good.

Day excursion to Monaco, Monte-Carlo and Eze

Nice

Good driver, but the tour was mostly on your own.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Lucie was great and attentive, even during the trip. 5-star!

Hotel Reviews

Hotel Le Concorde

Aix-en-Provence

Staff was excellent but hotel needs updating.

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

La Ponche Hotel

SAINT-TROPEZ

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

La Villa Nice Promenade

Nice

Authenticity & Character

Location

Not old town but close. Close to beaches and what is now my new favourite restaurant Dante

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Market visit & Cooking Class followed by lunch

France

Gilles was a great host.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Marseille food tour

France

Sebastian was an awesome dude! If we lived closer together we'd surely be friends.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Provence Wines and Luberon Villages

Aix-en-Provence

Two tours in the same day was too much.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Market visit and Provençal Cooking Class in Aix-en-Provence

Aix-en-Provence

Gilles is the MAN! Such a great day and we've made friends for life as a result of this experience.

Quality of Experience

If there were more stars I'd check them.

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

French Riviera countryside and wine tasting

France

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Bob's comments:
Our local specialist, Audrey did a great job. This saved us a lot of time in planning our trip. She was patient and helped us with all the details from a local perspective. Our tour of Normandy with guide Francis was one of the most memorable days on this trip. His in-depth knowledge and personal accounts of events around D-day were very interesting and sobering.
Alicia's comments:
Audrey did a wonderful job of working with us to plan a memorable trip to France. She was incredibly patient with my suggestions and changes while creating our itinerary. All of the sights we saw were wonderful, memorable, and unforgettable. She chose some towns that I hadn't heard about before and I'm so glad. Her suggestions for activities and sightseeing were perfect. I enjoyed the lodgings she chose. Many were centrally located and we were able to walk to most of our activities and meals. Having breakfast included was perfect. And being picked up at the Orly Airport and taken to the train station was wonderful and so helpful. We've never done that before.
Some small suggestions:
It would have been good to have a little more information about parking availability for our lodging and about toll road cost. Also, for the last two lodgings in Bayeux and Giverny, we ended up staying at a different location and address than was listed on the itinerary, so it was a bit confusing. In hindsight, I would have chosen to drop off our rental car in or near our last stay in Giverny and take the train to Orly Airport. The car return signage at Orly Airport was minimal, small, hard to see, and it took a long time to find the drop off location.

Paris is beautiful. Impressed with the old building architecture. Amboise visit was great. Chateaus are very intersting

We had the most spectacular time! So many hidden gems and experiences. Our favorite was shopping in the market and cooking a local provençal meal.

Activity Reviews

Guided visit of Commanderie de Peyrassol and Lunch at "Chez Jeannette"

Flassans-sur-Issole

Market visit and Provençal Cooking Class in Aix-en-Provence

Aix-en-Provence