Clothide was wonderful to work with. She wa...
Switzerland
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Sep 23 - Sep 29, 2026
Clothide was wonderful to work with. She was always prompt, professional and friendly in her communications. I enjoyed putting a face to a name in the Zoom call she arranged. We enjoyed her recommended itinerary and her recommendations for our accommodations (which we found ideally located for our self exploration). She was particularly helpful in assisting me in exploring the various hiking opportunities during our travel.
Gersende was likewise prompt, thorough and helpful in her follow up after taking over for Clothide. She provided just what I needed in terms of finally deciding on the Stoos Ridge hike option, which was one of the highlights for me of our trip.
Nathalie as well was prompt, professional and friendly in all our communications when she took over for Gersende.
One glitch we had was not realizing that the transportation from Lugano train station to Lucerne train station, involved the interim ferry from Fluelen train station to Lucerne. It was clearly described in the details of the itinerary. Unfortunately all of us glossed over those details and focused on the general description of train station departure and train station pickup. Our attention and focus on our self guided travel in Puglia, Italy prior to beginning our trip in n Switzerland, probably contributed to our missing this detail.
We didn’t realize we had the ferry excursion until the attendant on the train station platform in Lugano explained that we were not taking the train all the way to Lurcene.😊
It all worked out and we all enjoyed the 2 plus hour cruise on Lake Lucerne on a beautiful day.
As a suggestion, it would have been helpful if the general description of our transfer from Lugano to Lucerne had mentioned the ferry leg of the trip. Frankly, based on that excursion (which was lovely and we enjoyed) we would not have booked the catamaran cruise the following day. I was going to miss the cruise due to my all day hike, but the others opted out of the cruise too, based on cruising Lake Lucerne the day before. We thought Clothide might have mentioned this when we booked the catamaran tour. All in all it was not that big an issue and I was very happy with all my dealings with Clothide. Again, maybe a useful suggestion for future travelers following the same route.
One other issue was the train from Lucerne to Zurich. As noted in a prior chat the designated train IR2628 was never posted on the departure board and we, at the last minute, boarded what we hoped was a train that would get us to the Zurich train station (although it appeared from the board it was destined for the Zurich Airport). Again, IR70 turned out to be the right train, but it all was a little unnerving at the time for four 70 plus year old travelers.😊 Not sure how KIM KIM team could have assisted under the circumstances or if there was some mix up?
All in all our experience with KIMKIM and your team was very positive. We would recommend your services and use them again in the future.
Hotel Reviews
The staff was welcoming and helpful. The room was roomy and comfortably furnished. The included breakfast was very good. We dined at the onsite restaurant was excellent. Cascada Boutique Hotel was also an ideal location for exploring Lucerne.
The room was modest, but comfortable with efficient amenities. Its small size and location were perfect for our exploration of Lugano. The included breakfast was good. The onsite restaurant was convenient after a long day of travel and the food was unremarkable, but good.
The room was adequate. Shower door was off its track and a dirty towel was left in the bathroom. The check in clerk was efficient but not really welcoming. Our overall perception was probably clouded by the street construction immediately below our room. The staff was unable to accommodate our request for a room away from the street. The included breakfast was good and staff friendly.
Activity Reviews
It was one of the highlights of our Switzerland tour for me. Guide David seamlessly led me through the trains, bus, funicular and chair lift modes of transportation to the trailhead. The trail was congested, but it was a beautiful day and the views and vistas were spectacular.
The the low rating is not intended, but your review sight had no option of “no opinion”. We really have no opinion and no basis for rating this excursion since none of us ended up going on it. As explained in the general review, we wouldn’t have booked this tour if we had realized we were going to enjoy a 2 plus hour cruise from Fluelen to Lurcene in order to reach Lurcene the day before our booking.
