Kimkim Trip Reviews

Good location, convenient. Too crowded.

Very well located. Nice and clean. They pillow was too soft for us though.

Very well located, nice and clean

The guide was excellent, she knows how to find Northern Lights. Her driving skill was also great.

Nice and clean. Food was good even if the fish was a bit too cold in some parts.

This is a camp it is not supposed to be luxury but certainly authentic

You must understand that Morocco is much bigger that what you think. In order to get from the desert to civilization it take long rides in the road.

It is a must to do can’t miss this one

We absolutely loved this place! Hot tub was amazing. Hosts and reception staff were so helpful and friendly. The amenities were first class. The view was stunning! They arranged a firepit and gave us marshmellows. We played badminton and slept listening to the rain. The atmosphere in this location was so peaceful

This was a decent accomoodation and the staff were nice

We did not stay at the Galmont House - we stayed at Salt Hill Hotel. Overall rating - 3 stars

We did not stay at the Greenmount House - We stayed at the Emlagh House which was five stars all around! Lovely, helpful staff, wonderful breakfasts, cozy accommodations, wonderful location to walk to beach or to town.

Beautiful hotel, spacious and comfy rooms, great location.

Great location, great (friendly and helpful) front desk staff, great breakfast selection and wonderfully big, fluffy towels in the bath. There is a huge and beautiful park nearby, a free museum, a light rail that will take you directly to the Temple Bar area.

Josée secured us accommodations in a boutique hotel where I’d stayed before, Villa des Artistes in the 6th arrondissement. She had offered other, fancier places since this was an anniversary trip, but we opted for this 3-star hotel since we planned to have many outings throughout our stay and wanted to save some money for special dinners and other activities. The hotel was just as I remembered: charming, clean, and comfortable, with a supremely helpful front-desk staff, generous continental breakfast. When we arrived in France, our friendly driver, Michael, met us at the airport and brought us to the hotel, where we were delighted to be able to check in early after our red-eye flight. We immediately went out to eat delicious crêpes at La Crêperie de Josselin on a nearby side street of Rue Montparnasse, which I believe is part of what is known as “Le Petit Bréton” of Paris.

I wish I could give a whole constellations of stars to this experience, never mind 5. Before our photographer, Sabine, met us at the hotel, we stopped at a florist across the street, Bouquets Montparnasse. The shopkeeper made up a bouquet for me and a boutonniere for my husband on the spot! Then, we got dressed and our driver, Michael, picked us up with Sabine and we went off to Île de la Cité for our photo shoot and picnic. I hardly know how to express my gratitude to Sabine for her beautiful work. She was professional, patient, accommodating, generous, and above all, an artist in all she did for us that afternoon. The nearly 300 photos she took have given us a priceless record of our milestone anniversary, and they will be precious heirlooms for our family. After taking photos on two bridges, and then photographing our vow renewal, including a handfasting ritual, she took care to photograph various special details—the headpiece my late-mother-in-law made that I wore in her honor, our rings, the handfasting cord, etc.—and I think she stayed much longer than she’d planned. She left us to enjoy our picnic and then returned to bring us to our driver and to pick up the picnic items for the company that set up the meal. We are so very, very appreciative of her time and talents and hope you will convey our thanks to her. She truly went above and beyond, and we could not be happier with the photographs. And, I must also say that the picnic was a delight! In some ways it was an encore of the meal we had with Carole, but it also included a beautiful bouquet, fresh fruit, a lovely Normandy cider for my husband, and tasty desserts. As we enjoyed our meal and reflected on the vows we’d shared, we took time to call our family, and the entire experience left us feeling profoundly happy and grateful. Additional: After our driver brought us back to our hotel, we packed everything so that we would be ready to leave Paris the next day, and then we decided to take the advice of a cab driver we’d met earlier in the week and make our way to the Latin Quarter for some jazz music. I’d mentioned to him that I wanted to find a jazz club for our last night in Paris, and he immediately recommended Le Caveau de la Huchette. So, we walked there from our hotel, stood in a line that wrapped round the corner to enter, and ended up having one of the most fun nights out of our lives! The music was amazing, the energy of the crowd joyful and exuberant, and we even managed to score some seats in the packed room. We wished we could’ve stayed longer until the place shut down at 2 a.m., but we decided to head back to our hotel at midnight since we had to be up and ready to leave for the airport the next morning. Day 6 As it turned out, we had one more delight in store. We got up early enough to take our coffee and breakfast from the hotel to go, and we walked to Le Jardin du Luxembourg for a sunrise breakfast just as the park opened at 8 a.m.. We pretty much had the place to ourselves. I’d been sad at the prospect of throwing away the flowers from our vow renewal, and then I was inspired to bring them to our little breakfast picnic. As we left the park, we passed by a statue of George Sand, and we decided to leave toss the bouquets at the base, recalling her famous words, “Il n’y a qu’un bonheur dans la vie, c’est d’aimer et d’être aimé,” (“There is only one happiness in this life, to love and be loved.”)

On our last full day in Paris, we went to Montmartre, a part of the city we’d never visited. (We ended up regretting taking a cab since several Seine River crossings were closed due to a road race, but we made it just in time after a half-hour drive that should’ve taken much less time.) We are so grateful that Josée scheduled this for our final morning—the juxtaposition of this part of the city with the other areas we’d been in was just incredible. Our tour guide, Florencia, was a last-minute substitute since the person who was supposed to be our guide had to cancel due to a family emergency. Florencia was nervous since this was the first-ever tour she’d led independently, but she did a wonderful job! She was knowledgeable, passionate about history, and very warm and friendly. We had just rewatched the film Amelie on the big screen a month or so ago in our hometown, so it was a special treat to see sites from that movie, and we were delighted to be introduced to the singer Dalida and her story—we’ve been listening to her music ever since! We made all sorts of connections between the art we’d seen at Musée d’Orsay and the sites we saw in Monmartre, and it was quite special to walk up to Sacré Cœur and take in the view of the city from the hill. After climbing down the long steps from Sacré Cœur, Florencia led us to a metro stop, and we went back to our hotel to get ready for our vow renewal/photo shoot, the raison d’être of our anniversary trip.

After our tour, we went window shopping at the Palais Royale before making our way to the Louvre. We asked security where to go with our “skip the line” passes and were unfortunately told that there is no such thing as “skip the line,” and that this is a marketing label with no practical impact. So, we waited in line for nearly an hour including security checks, and then found our way to the audio-guide pickup site. Unlike the audio-guide devices at Musee d’Orsay, we found the ones at the Louvre to be very difficult to use, and we ended up returning them early and just fending for ourselves. This was a fine choice! Everywhere we looked there was something wonderful to see, and we devised a thematic approach to our wanderings, deciding to look for depictions of Mary Magdalene throughout the museum since we had plans to visit La Madeleine that evening. We stayed until the museum closed, and then went back to our hotel to quickly dress up for our nighttime plans. (As an aside, we had no KimKim items on our agenda for that evening, so I had looked for events ahead of time and bought tickets to a classical music concert at La Madeleine. We took a cab to the venue, where we were astounded by the beauty of the church and excited to see more artwork, not to mention relics, of Mary Magdalene. The concert was wonderful! Les Violons de France played Vivaldi’s The Four Seasons, Pachelbel’s Canon in D Major, and Schubert’s Ave Maria, accompanied by a soprano. The combination of the gorgeous music and the exquisite setting made for a night we will never forget. We walked back to our hotel even though it was a bit chilly and drizzly, stopping for a warming meal of boeuf bourguignon at a small bistro to end a long, jam-packed, beautiful day.)

On Saturday we started with a gourmet food tour of Paris. We skipped breakfast and met our guide at the meeting site. Carole was a delight! Passionate about slow food, cooking, and food history, she shared a tremendous amount of knowledge and the many images she had collected on her iPad enhanced the history she shared. She showed us around various kitchenware shops, specialty food stores, and brasseries as we wended our way to Rue de Nil, where she planned to make food purchases. We worked up an appetite and were fairly desperate for coffee, having misunderstood that we would not be eating throughout the tour, but purchasing items to eat all together at lunchtime. About an hour into our tour, Carole did lead us to a good coffee shop where we bought cappuccinos, and we had the best croissants we’d ever had before going to other shops, where she bought a baguette, cheeses, butter, and meats to enjoy as a lunch paired with wine. In retrospect, we wished we’d personally bought fresh fruits, mustards, cornichons/gherkins, and olives to add to the meal, but we weren’t sure if that would have been OK. Also, my husband doesn’t drink alcohol, and his drink options were limited at the restaurant where we had our meal, but these issues were only minor detractions from an otherwise wonderful experience with an expert guide.

We walked to the launching site for our dinner cruise on the Seine. This was a beautiful, romantic night, and the food and wine were delicious. We loved taking in the sites of the city all lit up, and the servers were gracious and eager to make sure we had fun.

We walked to Musée d’Orsay. Neither of us had ever been there, and it is now one of our favorite places on Earth! The collection of Impressionist and Post-Impressionist work is just astounding, and the audio guide was user-friendly and very enjoyable. We learned so much about familiar art and were thrilled to discover new artists. We could’ve spent many days there, happily exploring the galleries and marveling at the architecture itself. We will certainly return! And next time we will certainly add Musée de l'Orangerie to our agenda.

The next morning after a lovely breakfast in the small outside courtyard of the hotel, our guide, Agathe, met us at our hotel to take us by metro for a visit to Sainte Chapelle, La Conciergerie, and the surrounding area. She was warm, knowledgeable, and sensitive, teaching us a great deal about the sites we visited. Sainte Chapelle was breathtakingly beautiful, and we were impressed by the multimedia guides that let us see how Paris (and Île de la Cité, in particular) changed and grew over time. Agathe was careful to point out key features of the architecture, and she sought out more information when we posed questions, seeking specific bible stories in the stained-glass windows. As an aside, Agathe was also able to provide some more recent Parisian history when we encountered police blockades in several areas. She explained that this day of our visit, October 17, was the anniversary of the terrible Paris Massacre of 1961, and she provided context for us, also pointing out street art depicting the late Tunisian-French attorney and feminist heroine Gisèle Halimi, and then connecting her legacy to the bravery of Gisèle Pelicot, the survivor at the heart of the current devastating rape trial. As we walked to La Conciergerie, we stopped to buy cappuccinos at Les Deux Palais, and as we enjoyed them, Agathe oriented us to the sites we’d seen on the video in Sainte Chapelle, pointing out places on the Seine and drawing our attention to various statues. I was very glad we got to go into La Conciergerie, which had been unexpectedly closed the last time I was in Paris. Once again, we were impressed by the multimedia tools at this historic site, which let us see what the interior of the building (including the great hall and the kitchens, in addition to the holding cells) looked like centuries ago. We were also glad to see a beautiful exhibit of artwork from Benin, where we lingered a bit before heading out. Since we’d stayed a bit longer than expected at La Conciergerie, we said goodbye to Agathe and headed out on our own to the marché aux fleurs, where we made a few purchases before going to the viewing stand outside Notre Dame. It’s a shame we couldn’t go inside since construction is still underway, but we decided that’s just another reason to return to Paris again someday! Then, we made our way to Shakespeare & Co., where we happily browsed the shelves, bought a small fraction of the many books we wanted to buy due to luggage space. We walked along the Seine, stopping at a street vendor to buy an antique print, and then had an excellent lunch on the terrace of Les Antiquaires.

We took a cab to the meeting site to go to La Tour Eiffel. Our guide met the small group scheduled to visit the tower, and after making our way through two rounds of security checks, we went all the way to the top! The views were spectacular, and the audio guide (while a bit hokey!) helped us orient ourselves to the city. We are grateful that Josée scheduled this as our first formal experience of the trip—it was the perfect start! We decided to walk back to our hotel so that we could explore the city on foot. This was a choice we made several times throughout our stay in Paris, carrying umbrellas with us in case of rain. On this first night, we did get caught in a cloudburst just before reaching our hotel, but we scurried into a lovely restaurant, Le Dôme, where we enjoyed a beautiful seafood platter paired with excellent wine. (As an aside, although the forecast was gloomy for the 6 days we were in France, we felt very lucky that this was the only time we got caught in the rain. Quelle bonne chance!)

Our stay at Art Hotel Commercianti in Bologna was delightful. The room was beautiful, and the staff were very friendly. Bologna offered some of the best food I've ever had. Despite being a city, it felt less crowded than others, which made the stay more enjoyable.

The stay at Ca' San Giorgio in Venice was charming overall. Our room was on a lower floor, and it had a musty smell due to its proximity to the water, which was understandable given Venice's nature. Had we known, we would have requested a higher floor. Other than that, the room itself was great.

The half-day tour of Isola Bella and Fishermen's Island was lovely. The guide we had made the experience rich with history and personal interaction, making it stand out as a memorable part of the trip.

Seeing the Last Supper in Milan was simply breathtaking. It was one of the highlights of the trip, an unforgettable experience.

Visiting a silk factory in Florence was an incredibly fascinating and unique experience. It felt off the beaten path, and with just my sister and I, it provided us a personal and memorable tour.

the nicest place we stayed. very pretty hotel with an interior courtyard. We would stay here again.

We enjoyed the location and rooftop restaurant. Our room had an amazing view of the cathedral and while there was a lot of street music outside, the room was quiet. The room was clean although a bit small for two people with luggage for a three week trip, but it is workable.

lumpy beds and pillows. The place is rundown adn must have been charming at one time.

we really enjoyed this tour and going to off the beaten track sights. Our guide even added a trip up teh funicular which was not planned. we had a really great lunch where he suggested adn great coffee to start,

the tule tree, distillery were highlights. The drive to the boiling waters was long and we did not bring swimsuits - please remind anyone that takes this tour. We opted out of the weaving and Mitla visit due to time constraints.

we are landscape architects so seeing this place like none other was fabulous.

Great guide through the backroad gardens and farms and looking for Catrinas all over the town. the guide was from a traditional village and had lots to share about traditions

really fun tour, great time making tortillas. Would add a visit to the archeology center at teh base of the pyramid next time.

excellent guide...

so so. guide seemed to be "dialing it in", although the city of the Gods is awesome. Glad we saw it.

we did not take this tour and we were tired of driving and wanted more time in Oaxaca.

great location, basic comfortable room, a bit noisy

Beautiful place, run by two wonderful sisters. Lush landscapes, large and comfortable room. Super helpful folks.

So beautiful, an oasis in San Pedro de Atacama. The grounds are peaceful, especially loved the platform beneath the trees, for lounging / meditating.

wonderfully welcoming place, quiet location.

Super friendly and helpful staff. Great location.

Communication breakdown led to us not being informed about tour cancellation because of sky cover. Tour went the following day. Beautiful time in the desert, moon was bright so star-gazing was just OK.

Large bus group tour to Valparaiso was good. Street art was great.

Fantastic! Touring the markets with Angel was the perfect introduction to Chile. Gastronomic bliss! Really really enjoyed the beautiful sunset picnic above the city. Hospitality from the heart!

Clean room and comfy bed. Nothing fancy but a large breakfast spread.

Small room with stairs up to a loft where the bed was. Clean room and nice enough staff.

Cute hotel with a lovely staff. Nice location, even though the car parking was a bit far. Breakfast was fresh and breakfast patio was a nice area.

The room kind of felt like a basement. It did have a window and a very nice bathroom. Very modern but figuring out how the light switches worked was puzzling. Tried to charge my phone while at breakfast but the electricity turned off when we left the room. Room was very clean but really didn’t like the smell of the sheets. Location was excellent!

Our room was beautiful and the view off the balcony was amazing! Nice pool area and grounds.

Very small room with small shower but located central to all interests. The room and hotel were very clean and desk reception friendly.

Maurizio was so full of knowledge about the area. Our walk on the coast of Otranto was spectacular. He was so nice and happy to answer all our questions.

Livio and Guillia brought us to the market to pick up the ingredients for our seafood dish. During the cooking class, Livio explained everything so we could understand the importance of just the smallest detail when cooking. Very informative! They were fun to be with and we felt like family sitting around the table together to enjoy our creation.

We learned a lot of things about olive oil and olives that we never knew. The property was breathtaking and Filipino was very nice.

The tour was wonderful, even though it was raining. Amelia was knowledgeable and fun.