Joel did a great job helping us plan our trip to France in early June. We were a little late getting started and had a number of changes and complications on our end (adding my son and his friend to the trip mid-way through) and Joel was very helpful and patient with us. We hade great experiences in Paris, Bordeaux and Cassis. Joel arranged great guides and experiences and arranged the travel in a manner that worked perfectly. He seemed to think of everything and made the trip stress... read more
Joel did a great job helping us plan our trip to France in early June. We were a little late getting started and had a number of changes and complications on our end (adding my son and his friend to the trip mid-way through) and Joel was very helpful and patient with us. We hade great experiences in Paris, Bordeaux and Cassis. Joel arranged great guides and experiences and arranged the travel in a manner that worked perfectly. He seemed to think of everything and made the trip stress free and wonderful!
Thanks to Kim Kim and especially to Joel!
Mark and Debi
Hotel Reviews
Best Western Aramis Saint Germain
Paris
Great location! Very helpful people at the front desk! Comfortable and they provide a very nice breakfast. Just steps away from the Metro stop and an easy walk to the Luxembourg Gardens (and just a little further to the river and Notre Dame.
Authenticity & Character
We had a small balcony where we could sit and watch people coming and going to work and school. Charming!
Location
Easy access to the Metro, and within walking distance of a lot of downtown Paris.
Staff
The people working at the hotel seemed very happy to be helpful.
Cleanliness & Comfort
Met or exceeded our expectations
Great location, very nice rooms and a great breakfast. You really felt you were somewhere else while you were staying there (it was much more authentic that being at a standard chain-hotel). The room was very comfortable and just a short walk from the main square area of the town.
Authenticity & Character
Its not a chain-style place. The rooms have character and our was very large!
Location
Its just around the corner from the Opera House square - easy walk to the main parts of the town and the riverfront and the metro line.
Staff
Everyone was so friendly and helpful.
Cleanliness & Comfort
Met or exceeded our expectations
Une Terrasse sur la Mer
Cassis
Fantastic view!
This is a private apartment, not a hotel, but the main room has fantastic views of the bay.
Tips for future travelers
It is located on a hillside above the town - which results in fantastic views but also some significant stairs/hillside walks.
Location
The views of the bay.
Activity Reviews
Notre Dame and Sainte Chapelle
Paris
Our guide was very pleasant and knowledgeable, and seemed very interested in sharing what she knew about the locations we visited.
Quality of Experience
We saw a number of things we would otherwise have missed, and learned a lot!
Guides, drivers and staff
Our guide was very knowledgeable and friendly.
Skip the line visit of the Louvre with audioguide (tickets only)
Paris
Obviously any trip to the Louvre is fantastic, but calling this a "skip the line" visit is a bit of an overstatement. Even with these tickets there was a significant line, but it was much better that if we just tried to get tickets that day.
We found the audio guide to be cumbersome at first, but that may just be our inexperience with this type of technology.
Paris Macaron Baking Class
Paris
Just a fantastic experience! Fun, and instructive, and the other participants were all so friendly!
Quality of Experience
A nice break from the usual activities of a Paris vacation.
Guides, drivers and staff
Very friendly and also very informative!
Landmarks of Bordeaux
Bordeaux
Very pleasant and informative. Our guide was very knowledgeable and friendly. In just a few hours we learned so much about the city and its history! It really improved our whole stay in Bordeaux!
Quality of Experience
Our guide so knowledgeable and nice, and provided so much information on the city and its history.
Saint-Emilion Afternoon Wine Tour
France
A wonderful tour of the Sant Emilion city and the surrounding vineyards and very nice stops at two Chateaus/wineries! Travel in a comfortable van with a very friendly and knowledgeable guide.
A kayak trip in the Calanques (inlets)
France
Beautify location! The experience of paddling into the calanques and taking a little swim in one of them was great!
Local specialist: Joël Massé
