Trip to France (Normandy, Paris, Avignon, Nice)
France | Jun 17 - Jun 30, 2022

Brandon
Brandon S.
Charlotte, NC | Reviewed on Jul 03, 2022

We loved our guide (Julie) in Normandy (both for the D-Day beach guided tour and the Mont St. Michele guided tour. She was young, fun, energetic, knowledgeable and personable and we all enjoyed our time with her.

Our hotel in Bayeux (Hotel Villa Lara) was also terrific, the staff was friendly and welcoming, the rooms were spacious, and the lobby was quaint and nice with a fun little bar for wine and snacks.

We did not care for the "scavenger hunt" activity in Paris and would not recommend that activity for other visitors to Paris.

Our hotel in Paris (Pavillon Faubourg Saint-Germain) was also excellent, in a great location, with very nice amenities, although the rooms were slightly on the small side (not much room to move around).

Eiffel tower was a fun adventure

Our bike ride tour of Versaille and the Versaille Castle and property was also very fun, and our guide (Rachel) was pleasant and knowledgeable.

Really enjoyed our brief tour of the Louvre with Melanie..she was very energetic and knowledgeable and focused on some of her favorite areas which we enjoyed.

In Avignon, we did not enjoy our first night at our N15 B&B (we didn't find the host to be very warm and welcoming, and the hot water broke mid shower and they were not anticipating hot water through the weekend), and were much happier after moving to the Hotel Cloitre Saint Lous. Air conditioning didn't seem to keep pace with the higher outside temperatures, but it was a very neat place to stay, with access (literally outside our bedroom door) to the old Chapel. It also had a neat rooftop pool which was great for cooling off after a hot day.

We loved our cooking class (small group) with Chef Jean Marc..such a neat experience being in his personal home vs. taking a cooking class in a commercial kitchen.

As for Nice..beautiful place, great hotel (La Perouse), great location, great staff, loved the extra space in our room (one of the large suites with nice outdoor patio/terrace). "Food" tour guide was knowledgeable and friendly, but it was more of a general walking tour and not so much a food tour, so that was a little off from expectations.

All of the scheduled transportation (private drivers, trains) was terrific and so nice for us to not have to worry with any of those logistics.

Overall, we had a fabulous trip and everything was well coordinated by Laurence..we would definitely consider using KimKim again for future international travel.

Local specialist: Laurence Vuillemin