Beau Voyage

The pleasures of Provence are legendary, and the Kimkim team was instrumental in helping us to delight in them. Our guides were interesting people in their own right, affable, informed, humorous, efficient and invariably reliable. I’m quite old and I have my share of infirmities—but the guides, Adie and Greg, were alert to these and truly helpful in accommodating my needs. To Lucie we owe the wonderful idea of cooking a meal in a chef’s kitchen, for me the high point of the trip, including as it did a trip to the market for the ingredients of our meal. (Special praise is due to the chef, who said, after our trip to the market, “For this afternoon, my kitchen is your home.”) Lucie also accommodated us when we needed to make changes in our arrangements and was, from the first, always accessible. The drivers from and to the airport in Nice were on time and very helpful, though there was some confusion about the dropoff in Nice, which I attribute to the hotel. I couldn’t have made this trip without the Kimkim team.

Hotel Review

Grand Hôtel Roi René Aix-en-Provence Centre – MGallery

Aix-en-Provence

Entirely comfortable and adequate, though the open shower was a bit hard to manage. Breakfasts were quite ample and quite good.

Authenticity & Character

Location

A bit distant from the center of activity in Aix, but not a problem for a good walker.

Staff

Very pleasant and helpful, but could do better in helping us to change large Euros

Cleanliness & Comfort

very clean, beds very comfortable, shower a bit hard to manage

Activity Reviews

Private Provençale Cooking Class & Lunch

Aix-en-Provence

I have commented on this in my written review. It was, for me, the high point of the trip, and Emma, the chef, was wonderful: I’ll never forget her welcome to her kitchen and the pleasure of shopping for, cooking and eating a meal with her.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Guided Tour of the Bastide du Jas de Bouffan

Aix-en-Provence

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

ignore—we had no Kimkim driver or fuide for this event

Transport

ignore—we furnished our own transport

Lucie and Slimane from Kim Kim planned a fantastic trip for our family to Aix-En-Provence. The companies that they connected us to were all top-notch. The guides from A la Francais couldn't have been better. We spent 4 days with Adrien and 1 day with Greg. They were passionate about the experiences they provided to us, were well versed in history and regional information and were kind and accommodating throughout.

Our cooking class with Emmy who runs La Cuisine De Leki was magical. Her intent is not to have a technical cooking class, but to let you experience what it's like to be invited to a French home for a home cooked meal with friends or family, and she certainly succeeded.

Lucie and Slimane made this happen over months of planning with my Mom, with frequent changes and updates, but their patience and knowledge certainly turned this into a memorable trip.

This was our first trip to Europe and we were unsure about so many things. We took months to plan our itinerary and dumped our disorganized ideas into Audrey's lap. Unfazed, she helped us to plan out a near perfect vacation in France. And, when we had several transportation and housing issues, Audrey used her time and talent to help things run smoothly again. Because of her going the extra mile for us, we will continue to use kimkim as our travel agent, and if we return to France, we will ask for her again. She was wonderful!

We had an absolutely wonderful trip to France, beautifully organized by Lucie. She was incredibly helpful, always reachable, and very knowledgeable. Every detail was thoughtfully arranged, and all our transportation was seamless, making the entire experience smooth and stress-free.
In Paris, we enjoyed a magical Seine River cruise and a fabulous vintage car tour (2cv Paris Authentic) with John, who was not only knowledgeable but also helped us capture stunning photos at iconic Paris landmarks. Our stay at Hotel Jeanne D’Arc Le Marais was delightful – the hotel was clean, charming, and staffed by friendly, welcoming people.
In Aix-en-Provence, we had an amazing time wine tasting and exploring the Luberon villages with Greg – truly the best tour guide! He was incredibly knowledgeable about the region’s history, culture, and hidden gems. The views were absolutely breathtaking, and every moment felt special.
We loved every part of this trip – from the vibrant city life in Paris to the serene beauty of Provence. Huge thanks to Lucie, John, and Greg for making it so memorable!

This is my first trip to Europe and it was so amazing. Audrey's thoughtful trip plan included both typical tourist highlights of the area as well as unexpected activities that were outstanding. I cannot recommend this service enough! The trip was so well-planned and all I had to do was show up and enjoy it!

Hotel Reviews

Le 9Hotel Opera

Paris

The staff were friendly, food was great and location was perfect - so close to the metro and easy to navigate around the city from the hotel

Authenticity & Character

Location

Easy access to the metro

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Aquabella Hotel & Spa

Aix en Provence

Beautiful location and hotel!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Splendid Hotel & Spa Nice

Nice

Beautiful and historic hotel room, far enough from the beach to be peaceful and quiet but close enough to be able to walk to anything we wanted to see.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

The rooms were great; unfortunately my deadbolt didn't work and it made me a little uncomfortable at night.

Activity Reviews

Gourmet food tour in Le Marais

Paris

This was such a an unexpected pleasure of the trip! Fernando was great, so friendly and helpful!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Unveiling Masterpieces at the Louvre Museum

Paris

So much to look at!

Quality of Experience

Discovery tour of Paris by vintage 2CV car

Paris

Unique and interesting way to view the city

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Driving through Paris is slightly terrifying!

Full-day tour of Monaco, Eze and La Turbie

France

This one was not as fun, unsure if it was because we were hitting our vacation wall, but I think it would have been better to end after the tour near the palace in Monaco. I think driving through Monte Carlo would have been sufficient. Many things were closed and what stores we were able to go in, you get followed around by the staff like a criminal.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

The driver, Eric, was very kind, but not punctual.

Transport

Filling every seat in the 8 seater van when it was 30 C was too much!

Visit the Royal castle of Versailles

France

Beautiful!

Quality of Experience

Visit of the Eiffel Tower and Seine river cruise

Paris

We missed our guided boat tour because our car tour ran over, so we ended up doing the river cruise with a band and cocktails, which was still nice, but would have preferred to have the guided tour.

Quality of Experience

Provence Wines and Luberon Villages

Aix-en-Provence

This was one of my favorite parts of the trip. Seeing the wineries was wonderful and visiting the smaller villages was so fun!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Rafael was great; it was amazing learning the history of the area from an actual archeologist!

Transport

In the morning, with just 4 of us in the bus, it was great. In the afternoon when the bus was full, it was a little too crowded and chaotic.

Cassis & Bandol Rosé Wine Tour

Aix-en-Provence

Fun and interesting day trip. Would have preferred more time in the village after lunch, but still managed to do some shopping!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Donato was very knowledgeable, but his driving was a bit alarming, either hitting the gas or the brake, no 'cruising' or maintaining of a speed. You were either accelerating or decelerating the whole drive.

Transport

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

France

Very nice tour!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Our driver, Kad, was very funny and knows the area well.

Transport

The car was either accelerating or decelerating, nothing in between. Use caution if you get carsick.

We had a great trip to Paris for adults and kids. The vintage car ride around Paris was great for the adults, the kids didn't find that as exciting. The Lourve and Eiffel tower were great and tickets were easy to use. Versailles tickets were great as well. We had to Uber there as the train was shut down that day so be sure to have a backup plan. My kids especially loved the Evolution museum and zoo. Overall, great trip and planning.

Our trip to Paris was absolutely incredible, and all of the arrangements that kimkim made for us were seamless. That said, we definitely felt the schedule was overly jam-packed toward the end, and if we could do it over we would *not* have tried to do The Louvre and the Jardin de Plantes (which included the Managerie *and* the Grande Galerie de l'Evolution) in the same day. It was an incredible amount of walking, crowding, and stimulation for the kids all in one day. As a result, we decided to skip all of the scheduled activities on the last day so that we could instead enjoy the day at our own pace. All in all, however, it was the trip of a lifetime, and all of the activities we did do were spectacular. The only additional note I'll make is that we tried for nearly an hour to find access to the RER C (which would have taken us from Paris to Versailles) only to find out some or all of it is currently closed for maintenance. Had we known, we would have just taken an Uber straight from the hotel, which is what we ended up doing in the end. As it was my first time taking my girls overseas, a lot of travel lessons were learned, but overall it was a genuinely wonderful vacation and an experience they will never forget.

Hotel Review

Hotel Jeanne D'Arc Le Marais

Paris

The Hotel Jeanne D'Arc Le Marais was really nice, with its best feature being its location. The Marais district is absolutely to die for and was centrally located for access to most of our activities. All of the staff were amazing and accommodating. I acknowledge it's a three-star hotel because of my tight budget, but the breakfast, "bar," and lack of central air took some getting used to. But otherwise, we really enjoyed it. We even found the beds to be unbelievably comfortable. If you do stay here, I recommend staying on the 2nd floor or above (which in France is the 1st floor or above) so that you can open the windows; the rooms on the bottom floor (Floor 0) have a large protective barrier over the window, so opening it doesn't help much.

Authenticity & Character

Because of its location, you can enjoy all of the rich, authentic charm and culture of Paris.

Location

Le Marais is where to be in Paris! It was my favorite part!

Staff

Amine!

Cleanliness & Comfort

The beds really were unbelievably comfortable (at least in room 15).

Activity Reviews

Discovery tour of Paris by vintage 2CV car

Paris

This was one of my personal favorite activities and was a great orientation/introduction to Paris on our first day, but others in my group had varying experiences.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Visit of the Eiffel Tower with access to the summit

Paris

We loved it! We also appreciated going in the evening so we could see the light show.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

We took an Uber to and from.

Visit the Royal castle of Versailles

France

Quality of Experience

Unveiling Masterpieces at the Louvre Museum

Paris

Quality of Experience

French macaron bakery class for families

Paris

If I'm honest, the best part of this experience was its location inside the Galeries Lafayette, which we spent *hours* shopping in after the baking class was over. The chef was about twenty minutes late getting started, after we had arrived about 15 minutes early, so we ended up sitting on the 3rd floor near the Concierge for more than 30 minutes. That said, the kids really enjoyed the class, and the parents were all relieved it was straightforward and not terribly involved.

Quality of Experience

Visit of the Menagerie, the zoo of the Jardin des Plantes & and the Great Gallery of Evolution

Paris

Quality of Experience

I was a little nervous using an online service that I had no previous knowledge of to book my "trip of a life time". I read reviews stating "they overcharge" for the cost of the rooms and tours --- maybe a little, but why shouldn't they? I would only expect that so that they can operate a business AND you are definitely paying for convenience. It is so well worth it! I did not have to think about much while on the trip other than enjoying our time. I would use their service again without hesitation.

We just returned from an amazing trip to France. We had 2 nights in Paris, 2 nights in Reims, and 2 nights Beaune with a final night in Paris before departing. Audrey was amazing to work with. She planned a trip with all of the things we requested. Our hotels were beautiful. The hotel the first 2 nights in Paris was a little small, but it was quaint, with very nice staff and in a great area. All of the hotels were in great locations and located within walking distance of many cafes, shopping and sites. The transfers from hotel to train stations/airport were absolutely seamless. We did not have to think about how were were getting anywhere -- it really made it so super easy to get around. We had 2 wonderful wine tours. The first in Reims/Champagne. Our guide Julie was superb. She was sweet, fun, and very knowledgeable. She made us feel like she knew us for years -- it was a very memorable day. Remy was our tour guide in Beaune -- his level of knowledge of wine and history was remarkable. He took us to many vineyards, thoroughly explained the region and the wine making process. Both tours provided tastings of fantastic wines. Highly Highly recommend.

Audrey, Merci Beaucoup! You are amazing.