Kimkim

Late last year we spent weeks with Chris planning a trip to Greece - a nearly three week trip that recently ended. We spent 9 days on 'mainland' Greece, then three days each in Corfu, Naxos and Santorini. The entire trip from beginning to end was well planned and executed. Terrific driver in Greece, amazing guides at each site, in general wonderful hotels, and Chris was always available before and during the trip to answer our questions or address any concerns. I highly recommend KimKim as a way to find a local travel planner, and also highly recommend Chris.

We just returned yesterday (September 16, 2021) from a fantastic 18-day vacation in Greece (Athens and Naxos with day trips to Paros, Delos, and Mykonos). kimkim provided a great platform for planning this vacation and Tasos Mylonas and the Travel12 team in Greece provided 5-star expertise, advice, recommendations, itinerary planning, flexibility in details and so much more during the planning process. In the end we had a customized vacation package (except for the international travel and ... read more

We just returned yesterday (September 16, 2021) from a fantastic 18-day vacation in Greece (Athens and Naxos with day trips to Paros, Delos, and Mykonos). kimkim provided a great platform for planning this vacation and Tasos Mylonas and the Travel12 team in Greece provided 5-star expertise, advice, recommendations, itinerary planning, flexibility in details and so much more during the planning process. In the end we had a customized vacation package (except for the international travel and travel insurance) precisely tuned to our desires and integrating Tasos' recommendations for a perfect vacation in Greece.

We approached kimkim in April 2021 to start planning this vacation after Greece announced that they would be opening up to tourism in May. They put us in contact with Tasos and he worked with us through the kimkim platform over the next few months listening to our interests, proposing itineraries, fine-tuning things, and (when all was settled) handling all the booking arrangements for our time in Greece. We really... really appreciate his patience, expertise, responsiveness, thoroughness, and friendliness.

The trip itself went spectacularly, without a hitch. One activity had to be rescheduled due to weather but we had enough flexibility in the itinerary that this presented no problem. The Travel12 team provided great support during our travels -- answering our occasional questions, providing updates, and the like.

One aspect of this trip that made it really special for us was that it included several (okay, seven!) guided tours ranging from a few hours to almost a full day. The guides were local experts who provided stories, information, and context that we would never have gotten if we had explored on our own. And, perhaps best of all, for all the tours but one, it was just the two of us and the guide! (The other tour had a total of five plus the guide.) We loved this! (We also participated in a day-long catamaran cruise on Naxos with about 20 other passengers -- this was a fun day!)

In addition to the tours, we had many full days to do our own thing (by design). Tasos provided excellent recommendations (e.g., neighborhoods of Athens, beaches of Naxos, and villages of Naxos), which we took advantage of (as time permitted) but we also did a few things completely on our own (or recommended to us by some of the people we met).

All in all, we would highly recommend kimkim and Travel12 if you are looking for a vacation customized to your interests, where you can be "on your own" but can also have the support of a great team when it's needed.

Harris was an excellent tour guide who organized a great week for my wife and I during our first trip to Greece. The trip was highlighted by a guided tour of some of Athens famous landmarks, a private food and wine tour throughout the streets of Naxos, and a full-day catamaran excursion around the islands.

We would strongly recommend booking with KimKim and suggest anyone interested reach out to Harris.

Eleni and team did a great job coordinating a 10-12 day trip around Greece. Of course, it's impossible to see everything in Greece in this short amount of time, but she did a great job advising on what we can do for this first time around. She was flexible to adjust along our preferences and budget. The greatest surprise of this trip was being connected to her and her team upon initial arrival, where we had timely response on any questions we had. Their demeanor was service oriented, informative, and we are immensely grateful for their premium service. Totally recommend them!

Our trip to Greece couldn't have gone better. Beginning with the itinerary creation process, Christos was responsive, and flexible in adjusting the itinerary to meet our needs. We ultimately settled on an itinerary that was the ideal balance between beach time spent on spectacular beaches for the kids in Crete and awesome tours of the Acropolis and a Minoan Palace for the adults.

The execution by the operations team was fantastic as well. From well organized pick ups and drop offs, to the... read more

Our trip to Greece couldn't have gone better. Beginning with the itinerary creation process, Christos was responsive, and flexible in adjusting the itinerary to meet our needs. We ultimately settled on an itinerary that was the ideal balance between beach time spent on spectacular beaches for the kids in Crete and awesome tours of the Acropolis and a Minoan Palace for the adults.

The execution by the operations team was fantastic as well. From well organized pick ups and drop offs, to the responsive support we received around rental cars, they made for a smooth experience that we all look for when we're out on vacation.

All of this made for a wonderful experience, and left us talking about future trips to Greece. Thanks for the experience, Christos and team!!!

The best part of our 14 day vacation was the choice of hotels. Our first two nights at Posta Di Veccia were a perfect way to start the trip. We relaxed the first day at the hotel right on the sea, and then spent the next day touring Rome with a great guide. The second hotel was Il Pelicano, which we also loved. At both hotels we had really nice rooms with amazing views and felt really welcomed and well taken care of by the staff. The food and location was amazing at Il Pelicano on a beautiful... read more

The best part of our 14 day vacation was the choice of hotels. Our first two nights at Posta Di Veccia were a perfect way to start the trip. We relaxed the first day at the hotel right on the sea, and then spent the next day touring Rome with a great guide. The second hotel was Il Pelicano, which we also loved. At both hotels we had really nice rooms with amazing views and felt really welcomed and well taken care of by the staff. The food and location was amazing at Il Pelicano on a beautiful little island that we toured in our convertible. We went to Elba Island next and we were schedule to stay at Villa Ottone for 4 nights, but we stayed there only one night and moved to our next hotel 3 days early. Unfortunately Villa Ottone was listed as a 5 star hotel, but it was mire like 2 star. We really did not like it there even though they did try there best to make us happy. Luckily kim kim was able to change our itinerary and it worked out beautifully staying at Castello di Velona for 6 nights! We loved this hotel so much and felt like a prince and princess living in a castle! Each day we would drive up to a half out to different hilltop towns to walk around and have lunch and then we’d come back to the hotel to lounge in the thermal water in the afternoon. My favorite hilltop town was Montalcino, and it was only 15 minutes away. The last 3 nights were in Florence, at Villa Cora. This was a stunningly beautiful hotel and they gave us a beautiful room on the top floor with a balcony overlooking the city and the sunset. We loved exploring Florence and then relaxing at the pool in the afternoons because it was so hot. Our last night we went to the Four Seasons for their tasting menu and it was such a beautiful night with a really cool dj playing during our dinner. We loved this trip so much. It was the most romantic honeymoon I could have imagined! Thank you Tasos and team!!!!!

Marcus the taxi driver in santorini was HILARIOUS He taught us a lot about the country.
To briki. Pirousi were the best restaurants in fira

We felt the hotel room you picked WAS ABSOLUTELY PERFECT! The pool the view the size. Wow! Everyone was soooo nice and the food was great!!

I would highly recommend ammoudi bay and the black beach so thank you for those recommendations

The hotel home and poetry was perfect! The breakfast was actually so fresh and delicious and HIGHLY recommended for other gluten free customers!

Thank you again!

Chris and kimkim were great. Many questions and issues came up during the trip (like needing to modify our travel plans) that they were instrumental in resolving. It was like having a personal concierge. Couldn't ask for a better experience.

Harris was a great resource and made the process of planning the trip very smooth. He is very knowledgeable of Greece and was able to cater our experience to what our needs where for the trip. He did an awesome job!

My husband and I just got back from an amazing trip to the Amalfi Coast of Italy, including Positano, Sorrento, and Naples. The process of planning and booking the trip was easy, organized , and our specialist Andrijana was very responsive and attentive to our preferences for the trip. She was able to put together an itinerary that had everything we love about vacation. The detailed plan for the trip was great and the transportation from the airport and between the cities we visited was... read more

My husband and I just got back from an amazing trip to the Amalfi Coast of Italy, including Positano, Sorrento, and Naples. The process of planning and booking the trip was easy, organized , and our specialist Andrijana was very responsive and attentive to our preferences for the trip. She was able to put together an itinerary that had everything we love about vacation. The detailed plan for the trip was great and the transportation from the airport and between the cities we visited was seamless. The accommodations selected by Andrijana and the Kim Kim team were incredible, (especially the bed and breakfasts in Positano and Naples). Tiziana was a fantastic host at our accommodation in Positano, and Gisella was great in Naples. We ate at amazing restaurants with fantastic views of the beautiful Amalfi coastline. We did have a discrepancy about one of the tours that was planned during the stay, where there was an apparent miscommunication between the provider and the travel agency. The team, however, was very responsive and helpful despite the fact that our day did not go as planned. We appreciate the work on their end to try and resolve the issue, and they did compensate for the mistake quickly.
During our stay, we communicated with the team about recommendations for restaurants etc, and it was great to have a access to local guides to get great suggestions.
We had two of the most amazing guides for our tours in Sorrento and Naples. Celestina did a wonderful job showing us around Sorrento and explained the landmarks, culture, and traditions on a walking tour of Sorrento. She was friendly, warm and very knowledgeable. Celestina did an excellent job! We ended that tour with beautiful garden dinner at a the restaurant. We had a fantastic time with our amazing guide, Giuseppe who took us to the picturesque town of Ravello, took us on a walking tour of Naples, and guided us during our favorite day of the trip that included Pompeii, wine tasting and Mt Vesuvius. Giuseppe was top notch! He was one of the best guides we have had on a vacation. We learned so much from him during our tours! I can’t say enough about the hospitality and incredible service he provided on the last few days of our trip. Thank you to everyone that made this trip so memorable for us! We would definitely use KimKim again and recommended their services to our friends and family!!

I am a control freak and usually plan every detail of my trips. I have very high standards and want to make the most of every minute of my vacation. But this time I was just too busy to do the research and wanted the help of a local expert. I struck gold when I found Chris! He took the time to really understand what kind of accommodations and experiences I was looking for, and after a lengthy discussion, he put together a package that looked perfect. We just got back from our 11-day trip to... read more

I am a control freak and usually plan every detail of my trips. I have very high standards and want to make the most of every minute of my vacation. But this time I was just too busy to do the research and wanted the help of a local expert. I struck gold when I found Chris! He took the time to really understand what kind of accommodations and experiences I was looking for, and after a lengthy discussion, he put together a package that looked perfect. We just got back from our 11-day trip to Greece, and it was the best vacation of my life! Every hotel he chose was special - from the Acropolis view suite in Athens, to the luxurious terrace overlooking the Caldera in Santorini, I could not have asked for more. The guides and excursions he suggested were also excellent. Impressively, when I wanted to make a change mid-trip and go to Mykonos a day early, the team had me on a new flight with everything arranged including hotel and transfers within a few hours. I would highly recommend Chris to anyone looking to plan a luxury vacation in Greece. He really knows his stuff! And I will definitely be using KimKim to plan the vacation for the next country I want to explore.

We had an amazing trip! Chris and his team helped us put together an experience we will never forget. They were available to help us before the trip and the whole time we were there. Everything went so smoothly and our trip was incredible. Highly recommend!

Tasos and his team made our trip simply unforgettable!! What a professional and on point team! My husband and I had a fantastic and memorable trip to the most beautiful place. All vendors were on time, the tour guides were extremely knowledgeable, hotels were amazing and restaurants were the best!
Greece was such an unique place and we will use KimKim for all of our future trips.

Thank you so much!

Mirelly Friedland

When I was looking to book a trip to Greece, I found KimKim and after reading rave reviews I decided to contact them. The good thing with this travel site is that they work with a local travel agency at the place you’re going. In my case I was linked to Harris from Travel 12 in Athens, we had multiple communications via emails and he planned our 9 day Greece vacation to our specifications.
The trip was great from beginning to end, everything was taken care of, from private transfers to ferry... read more

When I was looking to book a trip to Greece, I found KimKim and after reading rave reviews I decided to contact them. The good thing with this travel site is that they work with a local travel agency at the place you’re going. In my case I was linked to Harris from Travel 12 in Athens, we had multiple communications via emails and he planned our 9 day Greece vacation to our specifications.
The trip was great from beginning to end, everything was taken care of, from private transfers to ferry tickets to private tours! The whole team at Travel 12 supported us throughout the whole trip, they were always in contact with us making sure everything went smoothly as planned, and gave us suggestions for places to visit on our free time.
Our drivers were all very professional and super helpful as well.
We enjoyed every minute and every place we visited, the food, the people, the sights! The Acropolis tour and the tour to Delos Island were very memorable, and we absolutely loved the sunset sail on the Caldera! A trip we will always remember, made even better thanks to the professionals at Kimkim and Travel 12 in Athens!

Chris Leontopoulos was amazing in helping design the perfect vacation for our family of 5 (Myself, My wife and three high schooler aged kids). Of course Greece was amazing, Athens, Crete, and Santorini, but the level of comfort and relaxation was made possible by the highly detailed and efficient plans set up, so that we never felt out of sorts. We had a lot of free time in every location to explore also, especially on Crete. Overall Exceeded our high expectations and we were truly... read more

Chris Leontopoulos was amazing in helping design the perfect vacation for our family of 5 (Myself, My wife and three high schooler aged kids). Of course Greece was amazing, Athens, Crete, and Santorini, but the level of comfort and relaxation was made possible by the highly detailed and efficient plans set up, so that we never felt out of sorts. We had a lot of free time in every location to explore also, especially on Crete. Overall Exceeded our high expectations and we were truly delighted, and we will all remember this as one of our best family vacations ever.....maybe the best.
Would use their service for certain again.

We were so thrilled with the advice and service provided by Eleni Fotiou in planning and executing our recent 2-week self-drive road trip to mainland Greece. Eleni spoke to us by phone to get a sense of what we were looking for (how much we wanted to drive each day, how adventurous we were, what type of hotels we liked, etc.) and she then put together an incredible and creative itinerary, including things we would never have known about. Our highlights included a self-guided Delphi tour,... read more

We were so thrilled with the advice and service provided by Eleni Fotiou in planning and executing our recent 2-week self-drive road trip to mainland Greece. Eleni spoke to us by phone to get a sense of what we were looking for (how much we wanted to drive each day, how adventurous we were, what type of hotels we liked, etc.) and she then put together an incredible and creative itinerary, including things we would never have known about. Our highlights included a self-guided Delphi tour, hikes and drives through the glorious Zagora region (which is barely even mentioned in our guide book), a fabulous guide in Olympia, a bike tour along the Peloponnesian coast through villages, staying in a fabulous stone villa in the south of Peloponnese, magnificent drives through the mountains, and two one-day trips to two magnificent small islands (Stetses and Hydra). Eleni arranged everything from the rental car to the spots where we wanted formal guides, to the hotels, and she was available throughout the entire trip to answer questions and provide timely advice. I would highly recommend Eleni to anyone visiting Greece – she knows every inch of it and is a delight to work with!

We are seasoned travelers and always plan our own trips. When we decided on a spur of the moment, month-long, post-pandemic trip to Greece we put ourselves in the trusted hands of Tasos. We are so glad we did. From his smart itinerary planning to outstanding communications to flawless transfers; from the quality of local guides and tours, to the charming boutique accommodations, the whole experience was top drawer and great value for money. Working with Tasos was a great partnership. We brought our experience and enthusiasm and he took care of the details. Well done and thank you.

The hotels Maria selected were ideal locations within close proximity to stunning beaches. We loved Naxos and can’t wait to return.

We used kimkim to book our first trip to Greece and we just returned from a fantastic 10 day, 3-stop vacation which included Santorini, Naxos and Athens. All the hotel selections superbly matched our interests, the tours were great, and the complex transfers went off without a hitch (airplane, airport, ferries, tours, etc.). The tour and food recommendations were amazing, and our personal tour guide, Harris B., did a fantastic job! Harris even met us and walked us to dinner in Athens on... read more

We used kimkim to book our first trip to Greece and we just returned from a fantastic 10 day, 3-stop vacation which included Santorini, Naxos and Athens. All the hotel selections superbly matched our interests, the tours were great, and the complex transfers went off without a hitch (airplane, airport, ferries, tours, etc.). The tour and food recommendations were amazing, and our personal tour guide, Harris B., did a fantastic job! Harris even met us and walked us to dinner in Athens on our last evening...who does that? We did and saw things that would be virtually impossible without the help of a local guide. We highly recommend kimkim and will use their services on future bookings!

Tasos and his crew provided a wonder adventure for us in Greece. Due to Covid restrictions and concerns our trip was put off for over a year. Also due to the same concerns we upgraded our trip to basically a private tour. We were provided the same private driver for every trip while in Athens. He was timely, provided a clean neat car, had excellent English and was able to provide information on everything we asked. Our first days of our trip we stayed at Sweet Home Hotel. A very small, clean... read more

Tasos and his crew provided a wonder adventure for us in Greece. Due to Covid restrictions and concerns our trip was put off for over a year. Also due to the same concerns we upgraded our trip to basically a private tour. We were provided the same private driver for every trip while in Athens. He was timely, provided a clean neat car, had excellent English and was able to provide information on everything we asked. Our first days of our trip we stayed at Sweet Home Hotel. A very small, clean and comfortable hotel in walking distance to many things. This is a family ran establishment. Aphrodite was our hostess. She made sure we were comfortable all day every day. She and her mother provided a home cooked breakfast to order everyday. One day we even met her husband as he filled in. On our first night we had a complimentary dinner at The Ergon. What a wonderful roof top restaurant to get a taste of wonderful Greek food. The sunset view of the Acropolis Hill and Parthenon from this roof top was gorgeous. Our Private tour of the Acropolis, temple of Arthena Nike, Erextheion, and Parthenon provided a lot of history and myths. We also visited the markets, Psiri and Monastiraki neighborhoods. Add to all the history a taste of Greece and you know you have had a good day. Our location was wonderful for us to walk to several neighborhoods and get the feel of "small town" Athens. Our same driver delivered us to Kalabaka to see the UNESCO site of Meteora. We stayed at Monastiri which was a short walk to the bussel of the city. Chris was our local driver and tour guide. Chris was born and raised in Kalabaka and was able to provide a lot of information. The rock formations and Monasteries is a site you do not want to miss when visiting Greece. Then we were off to Thessaloniki. This city has so much history. Our hotel was a block from the water front in walking distance to all of Old Town. We did not get to take in all the sites because of Covid restrictions. However our guide was able to provide a lot of history. We made a morning trip to Vergina to see the UNESCO site of the royal tomb of King Philip 11, father to Alexander the Great. His tomb was found untouched. What a unique and wonderful find. Our 3rd day we had Christina as a guide on a Food and history tour. Christina was very refreshing with a lot of information. My favorite part of her tour was the coffee shop in the old Turkish baths. It was in the center of old town and from the top you had a beautiful view of old town. Due to an issue with a canceled flight from Delta Airlines we had an "emergency". With the help of the evening clerk at City Hotel and the wonderful replanning by Tasos we had an excellent one day extension to our trip and was able to stay in another neighborhood of Athens on the water. What could have been a disaster was actually turned into another adventure in Greece. I would highly recommend KimKim and their sister company in Greece travel12.

Maria, Tasos and Dimitris of Travel 12 did a fantastic job finding interesting activities for my family and taking care of all travel logistics. Maria recommended activities that appealed to both adults and the kids. We enjoyed the cultural experience of visiting the Acropolis, Meteora and Epidaurus, as well as doing active things like hiking the Imbros Gorge, sea kayaking, sea fishing and doing a Triple Bath of Peloponnese day trip. The cooking class at the Crete Botanical gardens was also... read more

Maria, Tasos and Dimitris of Travel 12 did a fantastic job finding interesting activities for my family and taking care of all travel logistics. Maria recommended activities that appealed to both adults and the kids. We enjoyed the cultural experience of visiting the Acropolis, Meteora and Epidaurus, as well as doing active things like hiking the Imbros Gorge, sea kayaking, sea fishing and doing a Triple Bath of Peloponnese day trip. The cooking class at the Crete Botanical gardens was also a hit.
Everything was fun and educational and allowed us to see different sides of Greece outside of the typical tourist postcard experience.
The team took care of all the travel logistics including inter-island transfers, tickets and tours. They reacted quickly to an unexpected railroad strike and booked us a bus transfer to avoid missing a day of our schedule. It was great for us not to worry about being stuck, and not miss valuable time. We loved our trip to Greece and are grateful to Travel 12 for making it so smooth and interesting!

Our trip planning was a breeze and our trip was infinitely better because of Tasos. He made sure we had the best guides, saw everything we wanted to see with plenty of time to explore and enjoy. We also made some last minute revisions during our trip that Tasos seemlessly worked into our trip. We are forever grateful. The next time we travel to Greece we will definitely be contacting Tasos!

We had a wonderful trip to Greece thanks to Tasos at KimKim. Our guides in Athens, Syros and Santorini were excellent and tailored the trip to match our interests. We felt well cared for and had the time to get to enjoy the best of Greece, In Athens our driver Lambros brought us to great sightseeing locations around Athens and was so welcoming. Our other guides in Athens were extremely knowledgeable about the city and gave us a great tour of the Parthenon and the various neighborhoods... read more

We had a wonderful trip to Greece thanks to Tasos at KimKim. Our guides in Athens, Syros and Santorini were excellent and tailored the trip to match our interests. We felt well cared for and had the time to get to enjoy the best of Greece, In Athens our driver Lambros brought us to great sightseeing locations around Athens and was so welcoming. Our other guides in Athens were extremely knowledgeable about the city and gave us a great tour of the Parthenon and the various neighborhoods around the city. Our guides in Syros Antonio and Mario were fabulous and such a joy to be with- Mario was watching out for us on our boat trip and spotted a jellyfish before we jumped into the water! We felt very cared for. On Thira our guide Manos used my mobile phone to document our cooking classes with photos that I will always treasure! I highly recommend KimKim!

My wife and I tried this company for the first time, and we loved the professionalism, efficiency, and quality service of their agents and managers. We would definitely recommend 100x this company to individuals that are looking for the best customer service yet. We look forward doing business with them again. Definitely worth the five stars.

As for our agent Harris, all we can say is WOW! What an amazing job he did. He is extremely good at his job. He planned everything for us and made... read more

My wife and I tried this company for the first time, and we loved the professionalism, efficiency, and quality service of their agents and managers. We would definitely recommend 100x this company to individuals that are looking for the best customer service yet. We look forward doing business with them again. Definitely worth the five stars.

As for our agent Harris, all we can say is WOW! What an amazing job he did. He is extremely good at his job. He planned everything for us and made everything flow so smoothly. I will absolutely use him again and I’m very picky on that. Harris not only was available 24/7 he went out of his way to make sure we were well prepared for all of the new regulations with Covid, and to make sure my wife had the best honeymoon/birthday ever.

To summarize we went to Greece for our Honeymoon and my wife’s birthday. A 9-day trip visiting Athens, Mykonos, and Santorini in May. A trip that was planned for June 2020, but with the pandemic we had to cancel, so it was no easy task to plan a trip during this unstable time. However, Harris kept in touched with us the whole time. Giving us updates on our accommodation and the situation within Greece with the pandemic. He had to adjust our accommodation a couple of times cause of the pandemic, but the changes were well worth it. From Athens, to Mykonos, to Santorini, our accommodation was great. Especially the Celestia Grand hotel in Santorini was top notch. From the views from our villa, to the service, and management of the villas was excellent. We couldn’t have asked for a better accommodation. My wife did not want to leave, especially after finding out her favorite show and family Keeping up with the Kardashians was filmed there…lol

Harris also checked with all the authorities/regulations and made sure we had everything we needed from Covid testing to different health forms we had to fill out within a certain time frame. He always responded when I text him at literally all hours (not sure how he does this, I think he got some sort of superpower or just extremely passionate at what he does lol)

Harris did absolutely great, and we couldn’t have asked for a better planner. I highly recommend him. I also rarely write reviews, but he absolutely deserves it. With all he did, he made me look like a hero in front of my wife, but Harris was the real hero of this trip. Thanks again Harris, looking forward to meeting you next time!

The Spanns

Well organized trip, thanks to Maria and Dmitri. Transports were smooth and punctual with excellent drivers. Our driver in Athens was extremely helpful. Host hotels were clean, comfortable, and accommodating. The farm tour in Megalochori was a surprise and delight and our host guides were excellent. A bit more information with regard to this farm for review purposes would be helpful. Thanks again!

The positives - I would definitely recommend using Chris.

Very impressed with the overall trip of 2 weeks we booked with Chris at kimkim. The organization and schedule was perfect. Every driver, guide, and event was exactly on time. We did not wait on a single person over two weeks . When there was a problem once, they handled immediately. Every private tour guide was the best except for one that was just average. Our best guide was Penny at Delphi, that engaged all of us but especially... read more

The positives - I would definitely recommend using Chris.

Very impressed with the overall trip of 2 weeks we booked with Chris at kimkim. The organization and schedule was perfect. Every driver, guide, and event was exactly on time. We did not wait on a single person over two weeks . When there was a problem once, they handled immediately. Every private tour guide was the best except for one that was just average. Our best guide was Penny at Delphi, that engaged all of us but especially our daughter. The hotels were all boutique with charm and great service. Great time of year to visit Greece as all sites are empty and easy to use. Chris really created a customized trip that created awesome memories.

Changes - we drove around for 5 days and saw every part of the culture in Greece which was fantastic. I would not have gotten such a large SUV as most of the streets are narrow and tight.

I wish the hotels selected in Olympia and on Crete were up to the same standard as all the other locations. Most of the hotels here are just average. So I would just stay in the best place you can find.

I don't know where to start , but wow! Harris knocked it out of the park. We have done trips with zero planning, and done trips where we tried to book all the things ourselves but this trip was nearly perfect. Harris and his group in Greece know what they are doing. They matched us with the right tour guides and hotels, planned transfers and connections perfectly. Our tour in Delphi with Penny was so informative, her ability to weave all the layers of information together was exceptional. ... read more

I don't know where to start , but wow! Harris knocked it out of the park. We have done trips with zero planning, and done trips where we tried to book all the things ourselves but this trip was nearly perfect. Harris and his group in Greece know what they are doing. They matched us with the right tour guides and hotels, planned transfers and connections perfectly. Our tour in Delphi with Penny was so informative, her ability to weave all the layers of information together was exceptional. Our Naxos food tour with Katarina was just as nice, local recipes supplied and additional places to visit for us was perfect. Thanos guided us around Santorini with a tour of the other side of the island, it was such a pleasant day, very interesting and the connections with our group to make sure we felt a connection to the island was nice. Popi was our guide on another tour of Santorini and we got to see the cave houses and a whole different perspective from her. This was not just a vacation tour but a personally selected vacation that fit our group. The interaction with Harris, questions asked and ideas that he had all made sense. The security of having local contacts and agents that have actually searched out the best local talent, from drivers to guides and hotels is worth the extra money spent. Book the trip! Thanks again, we will be back for more soon.
Doug and Dixie

Normally I handle all of the details for my trips. This time, however, I wanted to join friends who were already using Kimkim. WOW! I could not be happier!

Harris impressed me over and over from transportation and hotel choices to tours and guides. It quickly became obvious he knew what he was doing. In fact, you could tell Harris had hand-picked every part of the experience based on what we were interested in doing.

Our first hotel experience in Mystras was spectacular and fit... read more

Normally I handle all of the details for my trips. This time, however, I wanted to join friends who were already using Kimkim. WOW! I could not be happier!

Harris impressed me over and over from transportation and hotel choices to tours and guides. It quickly became obvious he knew what he was doing. In fact, you could tell Harris had hand-picked every part of the experience based on what we were interested in doing.

Our first hotel experience in Mystras was spectacular and fit perfectly for our time in Sparta. Not only was the hotel quality, but each morning at breakfast Joanna taught us more about Greek foods and especially Greek coffee.

Our guide in Delphi, Penny, was amazing! We benefited from her being born and raised there, and her knowledge of history was exactly what we wanted as we toured the "Center of the World."

The hotel in Athens was perfectly situated at the foot of the Acropolis with breathtaking views of the Parthenon. It was also within walking distance for everything we wanted to do in Athens. If I were to change anything about our time in Athens, it would be to add one more day so we could see even more.

Our time on Naxos was an opportunity to slow down the pace of the trip, and settle into Greek island life. They have a saying on the Islands - "Siga, Siga" - "slowly, slowly". The family run Adriani Hotel was a great way to begin that process. The roof top deck provided a beautiful view of the city, and the breakfasts prepared by Adriani, the hotel namesake and family matriarch, were delicious!

Our food tour on Naxos with Katerina was tasty. Born and raised on Naxos, she used her culinary education and knowledge to provide insight into it's history and the local delicacies. She even made recommendations for a drive around the island with places to see and food to taste.

When we arrived in Santorini, we were met by Papi who gave us a wonderful tour that included an an amazing winery overlooking the caldera and a walk through some of the older cities at night. It was breathtaking!

The next day we met Thanos for our walking tour of the Caldera. Thanos is a teacher, with a passionate love for the outdoors, history, and people. As we walked through the old cities around the Caldera, Thanos shared about their history, pointed out local flowers and trees (which my wife loved), and helped us understand the culture of Greece on the islands. Our time with Thanos included a private tour of a multi-generational winery which produced a wine that was internationally noted as possibly one of the best in the world. If you go to Santorini, you MUST tour with Thanos.

I have traveled and/or lived in 30 countries around the world. My experience in Greece would definitely fall in the top three places. Thanks Harris for making this experience amazing, we are not disappointed!

This was our first experience with kimkim and our first trip to Greece. We used kimkim for this trip because it was a ‘last minute’ decision to go and simply didn’t have the time to do all the planning ourselves. Overall, it was an excellent experience. Not only was it a big timesaver for planning, the level of service throughout was excellent, incorporating activities into the trip that we would otherwise probably would not have included. Chris from Travel12 in Athens worked with us on... read more

This was our first experience with kimkim and our first trip to Greece. We used kimkim for this trip because it was a ‘last minute’ decision to go and simply didn’t have the time to do all the planning ourselves. Overall, it was an excellent experience. Not only was it a big timesaver for planning, the level of service throughout was excellent, incorporating activities into the trip that we would otherwise probably would not have included. Chris from Travel12 in Athens worked with us on the itinerary, offering recommendations and demonstrating a real interest in finding activities aligned to our interests in hiking, sightseeing and gaining an appreciation for local culture and history. Maria, our guide for the Acropolis and the Acropolis Museum in Athens was outstanding. She was very knowledgeable and provided real insight into Greek mythology and history. A highlight of our trip was hiking the Samaria Gorge on Crete. Travel12 made the arrangements for a privately guided hike with Linda. She was clearly an expert on the 16k Samaria Gorge with over 120 hikes to her credit. She guided us at a pace that suited our abilities as well as objectives for sightseeing and photography. An absolutely awesome experience! Overall, we were thrilled with the local support from Chris and his team, who were very responsive and communicated regularly to make sure the trip was unfolding according to plan. We would recommend kimkim and Chris and the Travel12 team for Greece without hesitation.

Did some things well but some little things weren't quite so good. To be fair this was part of a big trip and didn't pay enough attention til at the time so maybe should have picked up some things earlier. Hotels chosen were great and any activities arranged were well done. Responses were always very quick but all by email, no personal touch but that may be an age thing. I did have to ring them once as had left some jewellery behind on one of the islands but otherwise would have had no voice... read more

Did some things well but some little things weren't quite so good. To be fair this was part of a big trip and didn't pay enough attention til at the time so maybe should have picked up some things earlier. Hotels chosen were great and any activities arranged were well done. Responses were always very quick but all by email, no personal touch but that may be an age thing. I did have to ring them once as had left some jewellery behind on one of the islands but otherwise would have had no voice contact at all. They were very good at organizing my jewellery to get to me. Some more detail would have been helpful on what was needed and what to expect. Like on the boat trip did we need to bring our own towel or was one provided for swimming. I did ask, was told take a towel but one was provided. To also to be fair our previous trip we had a driver the whole time and this was a lot more hands off affair so dont want to compare or judge on that.

Every aspect of this trip was amazing, being picked up after every plane, ferry etc was awesome! Every person we interacted with was great and super accommodating. I even forgot some clothing in Mykonos and the ladies at Portes Mykonos sent it to the hotel in Athens so I could get it when we got back there. It was great being able to use the Greek SIM card in my phone it helped out tremendously. Overall it was a great experience and I would do it again in a minute!!

This is the first time I’ve booked a trip with KimKim and it wont be the last. The trip planning was so easy and having KimKim plan all the details took the stress away. Harris helped me decide on the islands we would visit and was readily available whenever I had a question. Our trip was ten days and we visited Athens, Santorini, Naxos, Paros.

I really can’t say enough good things about the Aegean Gem hotel in Kamari, Santorini. It’s such a wonderful hotel - great owner, new hotel close to... read more

This is the first time I’ve booked a trip with KimKim and it wont be the last. The trip planning was so easy and having KimKim plan all the details took the stress away. Harris helped me decide on the islands we would visit and was readily available whenever I had a question. Our trip was ten days and we visited Athens, Santorini, Naxos, Paros.

I really can’t say enough good things about the Aegean Gem hotel in Kamari, Santorini. It’s such a wonderful hotel - great owner, new hotel close to the beach, nice rooms, and amenities. Initially I was disappointed to see we weren’t staying Fira but after being there on the tour and seeing the crowds, I was happy to be on the other side of the island in a more relaxed atmosphere. The bus system seemed quite efficient in Kamari so it was very easy to travel to Fira or Oia for dinner or sightseeing. I hope to return in the future. Kostas was our guide on the Santorini Highlight tour and he was great, very friendly and knowledgeable ! I would recommend this tour if you’re in Santorini.

In Naxos we did a cooking class with the family at Basiliko Tavern and I would highly recommend this. Anna was our cooking host and she was wonderful. She took us through her family estate, we picked fresh veggies to use in our dish and she took us on a small walk around the area.

Our hotels in Santorini (Aegean Gem), and Naxos (Cyano Suites), were unforgettable. Great locations and hospitality at both. We stayed at Porto Naousa in Paros and it had a great location, and lovely patio.

I have no complaints about the trip, I would however check the transfer times for ferries as I did feel we arrived very early to wait in the street for ferry departure - even our drivers at two ports questioned why the pickups were so early. However, I do understand why some first time travellers might like to get there early.

Thanks again to Harris for organizing a wonderful trip for my mother’s 60th birthday. We hope to be back again someday. Thank you for everything, Harris and the Travel12 Team!

It was an incredible trip and Harris & KimKim made it so easy to enjoy our vacation. We ran into a few small problems during our trip and they were always quick to respond and find a solution that would work for both us and the people we were meeting. I absolutely intend to book my next trip through them as well once I decide where I’m going!

We had a fabulous trip to Greece from start to finish. Everything went incredibly smoothly, in fact I didn't have to get in touch with Tasos or KimKim/ Travel 12 once the entire trip. All our hotels, guides, tours and drivers were wonderful! I wish I knew how to spell all of their names but they were all so much fun as well as knowledgeable and kind. We also enjoyed all the hotels very much. Sweet Home in Athens was in a great location and had a wonderful breakfast and super comfortable... read more

We had a fabulous trip to Greece from start to finish. Everything went incredibly smoothly, in fact I didn't have to get in touch with Tasos or KimKim/ Travel 12 once the entire trip. All our hotels, guides, tours and drivers were wonderful! I wish I knew how to spell all of their names but they were all so much fun as well as knowledgeable and kind. We also enjoyed all the hotels very much. Sweet Home in Athens was in a great location and had a wonderful breakfast and super comfortable beds. We LOVED the welcome dinner at the Zillers rooftop restaurant which had amazing views of the Acropolis. The Adriani Hotel on Naxos was beautiful and also a good location within walking distance of the port and St. George's beach. We really enjoyed the food and culture tour of the island as well as the medieval hike and our driver both days (Yannis?) was awesome! Naxos is beautiful and less "touristic" than Santorini although the Volcano View Hotel is simply stunning. The views of the caldera are mesmerizing and my only regret was that we didn't spend most of the last day sitting in lounge chairs simply enjoying the view. We did enjoy the insider's food and wine tour and Anna was wonderful but I had expected/hoped to see more of the island on the tour. The sunset catamaran cruise in the caldera was fantastic with great food and people. Tasos had arranged for a birthday cake for my dad who turned 80 that day. It was unforgettable! The only small glitch was that my mom who had hip surgery a few months ago had lots of stairs to climb at the hotels on the islands which did not have elevators. But overall it was worth it and I think her strength improved with all the activity! I would enthusiastically recommend Tasos and KimKim/Travel 12 and hope that we have the opportunity to work with them again for future trips!! Thank you Tasos and team for putting together a trip that was absolutely incredible!!

We were extremely pleased with our trip to greece. It was all that was promised and more. We were always picked up at the exact time that was expected. Dinner at mani mani the first night was delicious and a great way to start our holiday. The first day we tried to call about our flight e tickets early in the morning but no one was in the office so we went on our tour and figured we would call later. We were very impressed that you saw the missed call and tried many times to get to us. ... read more

We were extremely pleased with our trip to greece. It was all that was promised and more. We were always picked up at the exact time that was expected. Dinner at mani mani the first night was delicious and a great way to start our holiday. The first day we tried to call about our flight e tickets early in the morning but no one was in the office so we went on our tour and figured we would call later. We were very impressed that you saw the missed call and tried many times to get to us. We really enjoyed that each hotel was unique and different from eachother. The room in acropolis hill hotel was aLittle to small. We left the Alcnea hotel in Chania early in the morning to catch a plane and they packed us breakfast. We loved our hike in Naxos. Would just suggest that hiking shoes are recommended. Very much enjoyed the food tour also in Naxos. We loved your suggestion that we tour cape sounion the last day. It extended our vacation another day with a wonderful tour guide. We felt very well cared for. Every tour guide was professional and knowable and extremely nice. A++ I have already been recommending you and will definitely use kim kim on our future travels.

KimKim Travel was amazing from beginning to end. If you want to take a major trip around the world somewhere and really experience the culture and adventure that country has to offer, this is the agency to make it happen. I truly had an amazing birthday vacation in Greece, and utilizing this company for this celebration gets 5 stars all the way. Harris was very helpful and attentive through the whole process as well as the local contacts in Greece. Would I ever use this company again -... read more

KimKim Travel was amazing from beginning to end. If you want to take a major trip around the world somewhere and really experience the culture and adventure that country has to offer, this is the agency to make it happen. I truly had an amazing birthday vacation in Greece, and utilizing this company for this celebration gets 5 stars all the way. Harris was very helpful and attentive through the whole process as well as the local contacts in Greece. Would I ever use this company again - YES!!! You cannot go wrong how everything is seamlessly planned. Thank you KimKim Travel for this Amazing Trip. I will definitely be using you once more in the near future!

**Apologies on how long it took to get me to write this review. It was back to the conundrum of work in DC. :)

Although we are a retired couple, we recently decided that we needed to get away so that we could relax. We decided that we should go to Greece, which has been on our bucket list for a long time but we had never managed to travel there. Generally, when we travel one of us does all the planning and booking with the stress and nervousness that can cause. Because we decided on rather short notice to travel to Greece, we decided to let kimkim take the stress out of the planning and book our... read more

Although we are a retired couple, we recently decided that we needed to get away so that we could relax. We decided that we should go to Greece, which has been on our bucket list for a long time but we had never managed to travel there. Generally, when we travel one of us does all the planning and booking with the stress and nervousness that can cause. Because we decided on rather short notice to travel to Greece, we decided to let kimkim take the stress out of the planning and book our itinerary. It was absolutely the best decision we could have made. Harris was terrific at getting back to us and finalizing an itinerary that we wanted. All their recommendations of things to do were spot on and the accommodations they booked were terrific. We took kimkim's advice on which islands to visit and we appreciated that they did not have us on the move too much. They were available once we were in Greece and neither one of us had to give a thought to pick-ups, tour bookings or accommodations. Highly recommend kimkim's personal, friendly and knowledgeable service.

I had a wonderful experience booking my trip to Greece with kimkim. Harris was extremely informative and helpful along the way. He answered any and all questions we had. Based on our interests and budget, Harris designed an itinerary that was perfect for me and my 3 single girl friends. The itinerary was so well organized, we didn’t have to worry about a thing. Every driver that picked us up from the airports, hotels, and ferries was on time and courteous. The tour guides on our excursions... read more

I had a wonderful experience booking my trip to Greece with kimkim. Harris was extremely informative and helpful along the way. He answered any and all questions we had. Based on our interests and budget, Harris designed an itinerary that was perfect for me and my 3 single girl friends. The itinerary was so well organized, we didn’t have to worry about a thing. Every driver that picked us up from the airports, hotels, and ferries was on time and courteous. The tour guides on our excursions were very knowledgeable and interactive and helped make our experience more enjoyable. The hotels were all conveniently located, clean, and comfortable! The beaches and mythology tour were stand outs for me on this trip along with beautiful Santorini!
I would highly recommend using kimkim to book a trip and would happily use them again.

We enjoyed our trip around Greece and the arrangements made by Travel12 were top notch. We normally make all our own arrangements but decided to try KimKim because we could customize our itinerary and let KimKim make all the detailed arrangements. It turned out to be a very good combination. The hotel locations were centrally located which we like, and the tours were all very good. The transfers to/from the airports were very convenient. That’s something we have never arranged on our own and... read more

We enjoyed our trip around Greece and the arrangements made by Travel12 were top notch. We normally make all our own arrangements but decided to try KimKim because we could customize our itinerary and let KimKim make all the detailed arrangements. It turned out to be a very good combination. The hotel locations were centrally located which we like, and the tours were all very good. The transfers to/from the airports were very convenient. That’s something we have never arranged on our own and we really appreciated the time and stress it eliminated.

The photo tour in Athens was outstanding with Spyros from Athens Insiders. I’m an amateur photographer and he helped me with several tips to improve my skills. He also took us to very interesting locations in the Plaka neighborhood that we would never have found on our own.
The food tours in Athens and Santorini were both very good. The one in Athens was more about the history of Greek food and the one in Santorini was more about their wine history. I must say we had our first and last taste of Greek coffee, but it was worth the experience.

An unexpected highlight was the small fishing village of Galaxidi near Delphi. We had a wonderful seafood dinner where the waiter said that the “fish was swimming this morning”. Thank you Tasos for booking us in Galaxidi rather than tourist filled Delphi.

We did have a couple of disappointing experiences. I think the tour company in Meteora had forgotten about us. The clerk at the hotel had to call them and they said there was a miscommunication about the starting time. The tour itself was very good, it just started an hour late. The hotel accommodation in Nafplio was on the top floor with 3 long flights of stairs that proved to be a challenge for us since we are in our 70’s. The room had very low loft pitched ceilings that made it uncomfortable to move around. However, the location was great.

Overall I was very pleased with the trip and had many pleasant experiences. Naxos was by far the highlight of the trip. It didn't have the crowds and commercialism that were present on Santorini. It was very noticeable that the residents of Naxos smiled more and seemed happier than their Santorini counterparts. On Naxos the guide who took us on the bicycle tour deserves special mention, he was outstanding. The cooking class on Naxos also deserves special mention. In Athens the guide on... read more

Overall I was very pleased with the trip and had many pleasant experiences. Naxos was by far the highlight of the trip. It didn't have the crowds and commercialism that were present on Santorini. It was very noticeable that the residents of Naxos smiled more and seemed happier than their Santorini counterparts. On Naxos the guide who took us on the bicycle tour deserves special mention, he was outstanding. The cooking class on Naxos also deserves special mention. In Athens the guide on the photography tour went above and beyond what could ever be expected and his efforts are much appreciated. I would recommend this tour to everyone, even if they have no strong interest in photography. Finally, a constructive criticism is in order. I don't think it's in your best interests to refer customers to the Acropolis Select Suites. The facility is not up to expected standards and the food is the worst I have experienced in all my travels.

the guide for the food tour in Athens was awesome! Andreas Morgridge
The guide for the farm tour in Mykonos was awesome as well, as was the food and the ladies that cooked. I just can't recall their names.

The wood boat tour in Santorini was good, the swim in the hot spring area of the volcano was oversold, it was cold and difficult to navigate.
Overall the wood boat tour was good and the sunset was beautiful

I would change 2 things, it is very very confusing the ports in both Santorini... read more

the guide for the food tour in Athens was awesome! Andreas Morgridge
The guide for the farm tour in Mykonos was awesome as well, as was the food and the ladies that cooked. I just can't recall their names.

The wood boat tour in Santorini was good, the swim in the hot spring area of the volcano was oversold, it was cold and difficult to navigate.
Overall the wood boat tour was good and the sunset was beautiful

I would change 2 things, it is very very confusing the ports in both Santorini and Mykonos, and there is long wait and hard to get luggage on boat and find seats,etc. This should be discussed and be clear from the beginning, although I asked for the ferry instead of the plane to save money, I think if I understood the hours lost and we had a short tour, I would have chose the planes.
The second thing, on last leg of the trip, port at Rafina to the hotel, it was not a far walk, but with luggage, 6 hours of traveling , later at night and iffy location, and a bit up hill I would have preferred a transfer here.

Our holiday was intended to give my wife and me a first time taste of cultural Greece.
Tasos from the Travel12 team suggested a great mix of archaeological sites as well as food and wine experiences extending from Athens to islands in the Cyclades, the astounding monasteries of Meteora to the Peloponnese and then Delphi. Our drivers were excellent, punctual and always courteous and friendly. All of the guides were exceptional, Tania and Constantine of Alternative Athens, Anastasia in Mykonos,... read more

Our holiday was intended to give my wife and me a first time taste of cultural Greece.
Tasos from the Travel12 team suggested a great mix of archaeological sites as well as food and wine experiences extending from Athens to islands in the Cyclades, the astounding monasteries of Meteora to the Peloponnese and then Delphi. Our drivers were excellent, punctual and always courteous and friendly. All of the guides were exceptional, Tania and Constantine of Alternative Athens, Anastasia in Mykonos, George on Delos, Ilias with his deep knowledge of Greek history and the archaeological sites of Mycenae and Mystras as well as his home town of Nafplio. Lastly Tania of Alternative Athens led a tour of Delphi, a wonderful place.
We can recommend the wooden boat cruise in the caldera of Santorini, with a Greek BBQ dinner on board and a saxophone player entertaining us at sunset with a wonderful view of the white clifftop buildings of Oia, breathtaking!
We can also recommended a cooking class on Naxos where we picked vegetables with Jacob from the garden of his working farm and prepared stuffed tomatoes, eggplant and capsicums which we then ate with delicious white wine, nice!
The Travel12 team were always readily available with guidance and solutions to any problems that occurred. All in all a wonderful holiday experience.

We enjoyed our trip very much and found the Travel12 team very responsive. The hotels were in great locations, but the rooms were very very small...especially the bathrooms. Other than that, all great. Although the two tours we had on Santorini were repetitive, we enjoyed the guides and our fellow tourists very much. We especially liked Sophia. She was extremely well informed and personable. Thank you for our great trip.

Even tho they were in contact with us at each location when we needed some questions answered they were slow to respond. Once it was overnight to a question that required immediate attention.
Partially because I did not study locations of accommodations I was disappointed in our 3 island hotels. They were much farther from city center and in Naxos and Mykonos much farther from beach than I hoped. In Naxos the hotel was a member of small luxury hotels but obviously that hotel had not been... read more

Even tho they were in contact with us at each location when we needed some questions answered they were slow to respond. Once it was overnight to a question that required immediate attention.
Partially because I did not study locations of accommodations I was disappointed in our 3 island hotels. They were much farther from city center and in Naxos and Mykonos much farther from beach than I hoped. In Naxos the hotel was a member of small luxury hotels but obviously that hotel had not been graded lately. Our accommodations in Athens both on arrival and last night before departure were exceptional and what I had hoped for the entire trip. I thought by requesting the Grande Bretagne in Athens that Christo would know and understand what we expected. It also seemed that where we stayed in all 3 islands that our rooms were the less accessible and farthest away from all amenities. All excursions were good except out trip in Athens to Poseidon’s Temple. Driver was disinterested in us or I trip and because of bad advise we missed getting into Poseidon Temple for sunset although restaurant we ate ,at base of temple, was wonderful and we did have some outstanding sea bream. Our transfers in islands was not reliable but after calling each hotel that responded quickly. Katrina our tour guide in Naxos was exceptional and would highly recommend her also Catamaran Sunset Cruise in Santorini was good. It was getting close to end of season and after working 7 days a week since May they admitted they were about burned out. Not sure what Kimkim got as your percentage but felt considering our accommodations and seeing what they would have cost if we booked independently it seems maybe that Travel12 was probably a little high. We have booked with Keningston the last 3 years. They absolutely were much more expensive but all details were flawless and documents were sent well in advance. All that said I would use Kimkim again but would use much more due diligence on a personal basis than I did this trip. Thanks and please feel free to reach out to me if you like.

My wife and I had a wonderful time touring four Greek Islands. Kim Kim was extremely helpful in arranging all the ferry/boat transportation and local transfers. This made the journey very easy. This was one error on a ferry ticket time and date; as soon as I contacted the local representative, it was immediately corrected. Overall, we were very happy with the hotels that were selected for us; they all had central locations and they had amazing views.

Highlights:
Fantastic walking food tour on Naxos
Great hotel in Santorini, 5 min walk to the black sand beaches
Informative walking tour in Athens
Kimkim hooked us up with a great personal driver in Athens!

Low points:
First hotel in Athens was just ok, but it had a great view
Probably should have flown to Santorini rather than take a 5 hour ferry. With getting there early to avoid rush hour, it ends up being a 7 hour trip with a 5am wakeup. Worth the extra $

Exceptional Service: When all... read more

Highlights:
Fantastic walking food tour on Naxos
Great hotel in Santorini, 5 min walk to the black sand beaches
Informative walking tour in Athens
Kimkim hooked us up with a great personal driver in Athens!

Low points:
First hotel in Athens was just ok, but it had a great view
Probably should have flown to Santorini rather than take a 5 hour ferry. With getting there early to avoid rush hour, it ends up being a 7 hour trip with a 5am wakeup. Worth the extra $

Exceptional Service: When all of the ferries for the next day were going to be cancelled, which would have meant missing our international flight, kimkim and Harris were very proactive. They reached out to us to make sure we got on the last ferry that day and found us a fantastic hotel outside Athens.

I have nothing but praise for Tasos and his team of local travel specialists who made our 30th anniversary trip to Greece a trip of a lifetime. It's not easy to put into words how incredible the trip was for us -- we have come home with fond memories of EVERY experience we had and we wish we could more easily reconnect with our guides and the locals we met during our visit. I am not exaggerating in saying every detail was taken care of for us with punctual transfers, delightful hotels, and... read more

I have nothing but praise for Tasos and his team of local travel specialists who made our 30th anniversary trip to Greece a trip of a lifetime. It's not easy to put into words how incredible the trip was for us -- we have come home with fond memories of EVERY experience we had and we wish we could more easily reconnect with our guides and the locals we met during our visit. I am not exaggerating in saying every detail was taken care of for us with punctual transfers, delightful hotels, and fantastic activity choices.

I found Tasos via the Kimkim website because I honestly didn't know where to begin in the planning process. He had high reviews so I felt he was someone I could trust -- and he didn't disappoint. You pay a premium to use Kimkim, but our experience has been that we received a premium product. I told Tasos we like to travel using guides because we don't take international trips that often and have limited time. He knew we only had 10 days to "experience" Greece -- and I wanted it to include a few islands, authentic experiences, personal guides, lots of culinary experiences, and history. Via a few email exchanges, Tasos designed a PERFECT trip to make us completely fall in love with Greece.

We spent only 24 hours in Athens, which was just enough time to take in old city Athens and see the acropolis. Our hotel, Zillers Boutique Hotel, was conveniently located -- we could see the parthenon out our window and we were close enough to walk anywhere in old city, including to see the changing of the guard at the parliament building. Our two Athens guides were wonderful. With Panos of "Athens Insiders," we toured the fish, meat, produce, spice, and olive markets. We tasted MANY delicious local specialities along the way, including a gazillion olives, raki, lamb patties, gourmet gyros, Greek coffee (once was enough), and delicious Greek pastries. It was a wonderful introduction for us. We toured the acropolis in the late afternoon/evening with Dimitri who shared his extensive knowledge of the site's extensive history.

Early the next morning we were off to an early flight to Naxos, an island I wanted to visit because of a friend's recommendation. It's a laid back island with a low population. We were lucky to get there. Thankfully, Travel12 booked a flight for us -- the ferries were not running because of high winds. We stayed outside of Naxos Town at the Iria Beach Art Hotel. While the hotel is artfully decorated and comfortable, what made it truly wonderful was its staff -- and the kittens and turtle in the garden! The staff couldn't have been sweeter. What made Naxos MOST special was Katerina of Vioma Naxos, who spent a half day with us showing us "her" Naxos. Born and raised on the island, Katarina specializes in gastronomy and cooking tours, padded with lots of extra interesting information. With her driver, Alex, she took us through the Venetian Castle, introduced us to Naxos Citron, introduced us to Nicoletta, the delightful owner of Eggares Olive Museum, drove us all the way up to the quaint village of Apiranthos where we shared a tray of local cheeses and rose at a local Taverna, and finally to dinner at her parent's house in a tiny village of 35 or so people. It was an incredibly special day -- something we'll never forget. I've already experimented with the recipes she sent me via email.

Next on the itinerary were two and a half action-packed days on Santorini, made more interesting by my husband's crippling fear of heights -- and seven cruise ships invading the island at the same time. Needless to say, we had to make a few adaptations to avoid the crowds and to avoid certain site lines (ok, MOST site lines) -- not easy when you're staying on a cliff face! Another Tasos, a wonderful member of the Argyros travel group, was our driver for the better part of our visit. Highlights of our Santorini visit included the wonderful staff at PetitPalace Hotel (especially Victoria), a fabulous anniversary dinner in Fira at a gourmet restaurant called Mylos that was arranged by Travel12, a hike that was supposed to be along the caldera from Fira to Oia that had to be severely modified, (our hiking guide, George, did a wonderful job of finding areas to explore without the cliff site lines), dinner at Penelope's in Pyrgos (one of our BEST dinners of the entire trip), a visit to both black sand beaches and the red sand beach, a wine tasting at Estate Argyros, a visit to the village of Messa Gonia (where Santorini Tasos' grandfather lived before the 1956 earthquake) and the BEST of all, a visit to the Anydro Cherry Tomato Farm where we helped cook and eat a feast of local food with sisters Anna and Irena. There wasn't much we didn't see on Santorini!

Crete was the third and final island we visited and it was my favorite. In fact, if we're lucky enough to return to Greece, I will visit a couple other islands AND Crete. We spent two nights in Archanes and two nights in Chania (a 2-hour drive between the two locations). We truly fell in love with Archanes, a small picturesque village in Heraklion. We stayed at the Kalimera Archanes Village in a small house managed by Lefteris, one of the nicest humans we've ever met while traveling. I'm sure Lefteris befriends everyone who visits his village and everyone says the same thing, but he sure made us feel special. He personally drove us up to the top of Mount Juktas, walked us around the village showing us sites including its Minoan palace ruins and a building occupied by German officers during WWII. He also introduced us to George, proprietor of Bakaliko, a restaurant in the village square, who greatly added to our enjoyment with his knowledge of local wine, olive oil, and Cretan cuisine. A highlight of our Archanes visit was a trip to the Koronekis Olive Farm where we learned more about olive oil than we ever thought possible. George, the son-in-law of the proprietor, was a fantastic educator. In addition to what we purchased on vacation, I will be ordering more products from them in the future.

On our way out of Heraklion, we visited the Minoan Palace of Knossos and the Heraklion Archeological Museum -- two must sees if you're visiting that area of Crete. Every survey book of art history includes images of the palace and museum, including the bull fresco, the snake woman, and the octopus urns. We felt very fortunate to have Lena as our guide.

Chania was a beautiful place to end our visit -- a seaside village with lots of Venetian architecture, a slight Ottoman feel, an interesting maritime museum, and amazing restaurants -- all along the waterfront. Our hotel, the Ambassadors Residence, was AMAZING. A truly beautiful boutique hotel. We stayed in the Wood Room which was on the second floor and overlooked the harbor. Angie could not have been sweeter in welcoming us and securing our dinner reservations. We highly recommend Glossitses for a waterfront dinner. Our tour in Chania was to the Botanical Park and Gardens where we were treated to a cooking class (making briam, tzatziki, a Greek salad, and stuffed grape leaves) and a walking tour of the beautiful grounds of the garden. Learning the history of the park (formerly olive and orange groves before a devastating fire in the early 2000's) and seeing what the family has made from the ruins was very impressive.

Every phase of our trip was excellent. Starting with our excursion to Mycenae and Nafplio where we had both a driver and guides who were very personable and informative, to our hike and food tour on Naxos where our guides were outstanding, to our Cape Sounio and Athens Riviera sunset tour where our driver was terrific, we had an absolutely fabulous time. The only small glitch was that our dates for touring Mycenae and the Acropolis were switched from the original itinerary ( Mycenae was to be... read more

Every phase of our trip was excellent. Starting with our excursion to Mycenae and Nafplio where we had both a driver and guides who were very personable and informative, to our hike and food tour on Naxos where our guides were outstanding, to our Cape Sounio and Athens Riviera sunset tour where our driver was terrific, we had an absolutely fabulous time. The only small glitch was that our dates for touring Mycenae and the Acropolis were switched from the original itinerary ( Mycenae was to be Day 3 and Acropolis Day 2)to the dates in the welcome booklet (Mycenae Day 2 and Acropolis Day3). We had the opportunity to interact with real artisans of Greece and witness their skills as well as interact with the true people of Greece and experience their warmth.

Overall the trip was great. While Tasos did a great job of planning everything and having ready to go, the communication was not great. There was times when we would ask a question and not hear back for days or weeks. Also a few more details for the plan tours would be nice.

I discovered Kimkim online and got in contact for a little bit of advice to start with and was so impressed with Harris, our Kimkim contact, that we ended up booking our trip through him. His advice really helped me shape the itinerary, and he had lots of great suggestions for hotels, day trips and more.
We decided to book our hotels directly, but used Kimkim to arrange all our transportation between the islands of Mykonos, Naxos and Santorini, transfers to hotels and a few excursions.... read more

I discovered Kimkim online and got in contact for a little bit of advice to start with and was so impressed with Harris, our Kimkim contact, that we ended up booking our trip through him. His advice really helped me shape the itinerary, and he had lots of great suggestions for hotels, day trips and more.
We decided to book our hotels directly, but used Kimkim to arrange all our transportation between the islands of Mykonos, Naxos and Santorini, transfers to hotels and a few excursions. Everything went very smoothly and we were contacted by Harris & the Kimkim team throughout our trip to check we were happy with everything.
We absolutely loved our time in the Greek Islands and had a wonderful holiday. Having the help and support of Kimkim was excellent.