Excellent Loire Valley Tour
France
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Jun 11 - Jun 14, 2025
I had not used a tour service before, but traveling with my parents and teenage children it was a great way to get 6 people around the Loire Valley without having to drive ourselves or arrange all the English language tours. Mélanie was wonderful to work with and we were able to select a variety of chateau visits, a wine tasting and a private lunch that were all outstanding experiences. The food and wines were wonderful and everyone we met along the way was so welcoming and helpful. The tour guides arranged through À la française, Chloë and Camille, were so knowledgeable about the region and the chateaus and flexible in pacing the tour for us. They were wonderful traveling companions for the drives as well, and we learned a lot about life in France from them. Our driver Tony was wonderful at navigating the roads in Paris, giving us time in Orleans to visit the cathedral and explore the city center and have lunch on the way to Amboise and getting us back to Paris to both Gare de lest and CDG airport. There was a lot of travel to arrange and Melanie managed it all for us, with options we could choose from to make it the best fit for us. It was a wonderful experience and I would not hesitate to use KimKim again.
Hotel Review
The hotel was a good location with a manageable walk to shopping and restaurants, but the area that was open longer in the evenings in Amboise was further from the hotel. The rooms were well appointed and very spacious. On a cooler week, the large windows would be great, but the central air conditioning was challenged by the very high temperatures and could not be regulated in each room, so even closing the curtains during the days it was quite warm in the rooms. The staff was very helpful and friendly and the breakfast was a nice variety. It was wonderful to have a swimming pool for the hot days, but it closed at 8:00 pm which made it difficult to use after a day of tours and dinner in town - seems like it could be kept open until 9 pm in the summer when the sun does not set before 9:30.
Activity Reviews
A fascinating small chateau where Leonardo da Vinci spent his last years. The gardens were huge and the life size interactive inventions are fun for all ages to see brought to life. We could have spent even more time there.
