Kimkim Trip Reviews

I've been eager to write this post - and I usually don't review anything at length (if at all!) BUT, this experience requires it - and I hope it helps you decide.
If you do this trip with Morocco Immersion thru KimKim, WITH SHARON - you will have NO disappointments!
PEOPLE: 1. from the first contact I had with Sharon, I was hooked.
I messaged Sharon with some quick, random questions and she was quick to reply. She replied to everything I asked - promptly, generously and courteously. She was patient and answered the smallest concerns I had. She focussed on designing the trip I wanted and was hoping for. (The trip with Morocco Immersion is not a "pre-planned, 8 other people we didn't know with varying agendas" joining us.
It was designed for us.) And it was reasonably priced which made me skeptical at first!
SHARON totally knows what she's doing!
2. Our driver: SALLAM - He was THE BEST. Really. He's young - yet knew his country, its history, the places we were going, and was proud of his own culture while being super respectful of ours. Sallam was welcoming and always attentive to our questions and needs. He was an excellent driver over some 2500km in 10 days - and was always stopping at all the best look-outs before I even asked! He met with us regularly to make sure we had everything we needed and knew what was coming up next. He was friendly, humourous, and engaged. Great guide! Highly recommended!
3. Our tour guides: in Marrakech, The Sahara and Taroudant knew their landscape, the history and the best places to get authentic food, pottery, jewelry, leather-wear, carptes, argon oil, saffron - you name it. They worked hard at being welcoming and informative. STELLAR guides.
FOOD: My husband and I are foodies. The experience of drinking daily mint tea (poured properly with bubbles ;-)), eating tagines and even street food from vendors, was awesome. We tried lots of different things, including fresh fish in Essaouiria - bought by us and then grilled in the fish market right before our eyes. We often had fresh squeezed, "any kind of fruit juice" right in the markets we visited.
Our ACCOMODATIONS were a mix of luxury to 'comfortable with other types of conveniences'. Our rooms were always clean, with private washrooms and tiled floors and walls. The riads were both historically interesting and visually appealing. We drank it all in! The luxury accomodations we had, sometimes with dinner included, were worth writing home about. The bedding was always crisp and clean. Lovely. (We did the luxury Sahara camp on our trip - it was one of the highlights of our trip for reasons that would be apparent if you go.)
OVER-ALL - I know this is a long review, but I totally recommend Sharon, Sallam and 'Morroco Immersion' even to people who have had no previous interest in going to Morocco!
It was a trip of a lifetime - and worth every penny we spent.

Our experience and expectations started with outstanding support during the planning phase. We outlined our objectives and with Valentine and Team we worked through many options to create a memorable and most enjoyable trip.

They were especially helpful in recommending a location outside Avignon, in St. Rémy de Provence for our lodging. This allowed us to spend time in St Rémy and see and enjoy the small town of Provence.

The hotel selected was overall a very good recommendation. They provided transportation to/from town and it was very responsive. This was especially important to us since we did not have a rental car. The Spa and facilities were also very nice. Overall the staff was helpful and pleasant. On the negative side, when we arrived it was at the end of lunch and initially we were told that we would not be able to get any food. They did arrange for a platter and wine. Dinner was set menu - it would be helpful when arranging lodging for Americans not familiar with France to identify if a la carte menu is available.
Valentine also attempted to assist after the hotel scheduled a conference which had the break period immediately below our rooms resulting in lots of noise and smoke from cigarettes. It was too late to effect any changes but it was appreciated.

The Tours met our expectations - we wanted to visit small vineyards and were able to have a great experience with tasting and finding new wines that we liked. Sophie (forgot last name), Provence RÉverie was an excellent guide. She was passionate and knowledgeable about Provence and its history, food and wines. She went above and beyond to ensure we had a great time and adjusted the schedule so that we would have time to visit St Rémy. One of the highlights was our cooking class, presented by Gilles Conchy, Provence-Gourmet. He was superb and humorous. His tour of the market was instructive in the local produce, cheeses, and meats. The location for the class was fantastic. His patience with those of us who needed a bit more assistance was appreciated. Finally, the meal and wine we had topped off the experience. He should be highly recommended for English speakers who are looking for a cooking class.

We also need to identify our driver to the train station in Avignon, Christophe Lano, Alpilleges Luberon Provence Transport. He delivered a present of wine from Valentine fromthe local vineyard we had just visited. Total surprise and was a wine we had tasted and enjoyed. Although we did not experience his ability as a guide, he was very informative on the way to the train station and I believe he would also make a great guide/driver for English speaking tourists.

Overall transportation was excellent. On time and provided safe and timely travel. One note - as tourists not used to traveling on French rail we experienced difficulty in ascertaining the actual itinerary on the train to CDG as the tickets do not show where the train will actually stop. We were on an older train that did not have the digital readout showing the actual station and do not speak French. We heard a reference to Charles de Gualle and could not see any name of the station; and we made the mistake of getting off one station
early. In hindsight we should have know that it was too early to be a CDG.

Again, thanks for helping use create and enjoy a memorable trip.

Hotel Review

Le Vallon de Valrugues & SPA

Saint-Rémy-de-Provence

See my previous notes

Authenticity & Character

Location

availability to St Rémy

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Review

Cooking Class, Provencal Lunch and Local Market Tour in the Alpilles

France

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

This was our first time traveling since the pandemic started. We reached out to KimKim and very shortly after heard from Yassine from Morocco Off The Beaten Track, who immediately began with assisting us in planning our trip. We appreciate his prompt responses and helpful advice; it was invaluable! Yassine helped plan our overall trip itinerary, daily activities, accommodation and provided other recommendations also. He was very professional, courteous and insightful. He made it easy for us to change sections of itinerary as we needed and understood what sort of trip we were looking for. Once we had booked everything he provided us with detailed itinerary of our upcoming trip, including our travel guide, accommodations, activities, and local attractions and food spots based on the cities we were in. He also ensured we understood and met with the travel requirements for entry into Morocco.

Once we landed in Morocco, everything was handled by our local guide, Amine. In my wife and I's opinion, Amine truly made our trip what it was. He was exceptionally helpful, professional, friendly throughout our entire time. He made us feel safe as we toured Morocco and continually provided insight into its peoples, places and customs. By the end of the trip he truly became our friend and we strongly recommend his services to anyone looking to tour Morocco.

Our trip involved stays in Casablanca, Fes, Merzouga (desert night camping), Ouarzazate and Marrakech. Along the way between cities Amine showed us several other small towns, historical sites and beautiful scenery. Our accommodations met our expectations and we are grateful to Yassine for arranging it all. The experience staying at Riad Fes in the city of Fes was certainly one of our most enjoyable and relaxing moments. We highly recommend future travellers to consider staying at local riads when visiting Morocco.

For Fes and Marrakech, we had a local tour guide (arranged by Yassine) who gave us an in-depth tour of the old cities of each respective place. These guides were knowledgable, friendly and very accommodating. This was an amazing experience overall!

Yassine, at our request, also arranged for a Moroccan hammam massage experience as well as a hot air balloon tour over the city of Marrakech. Both these experiences very terrific and we would highly recommend them to future travellers.

Overall, we had an amazing vacation experience in Morocco. It's unique cities, beautiful scenery, warm and hospitable people are something that should be enjoyed by everyone. We owe our thanks to Yassine for organizing and arranging everything for us as it allowed us to be very hands off during the trip and just enjoy things as they come. Once again, we also cannot thank Amine enough for all his help throughout the trip. We truly feel our visit would not have been the same if we did not have Amine as our guide. We highly highly recommend his services and consider him as our friend now. For those travellers thinking about a visit to Morocco, I would strongly recommend they reach out to Yassine and request Amine as their guide!

Hotel Review

Le Casablanca Hotel

Casablanca

Great hotel, very luxurious, amazing food and service. Rooms were clean, well-equipped and featured amenities you would expect in a hotel of this caliber. Would highly recommend this place to others visiting Casablanca!

Activity Review

Exploring the Imperial City and Medieval Medina of Fes

Fes

An amazing and eye-opening experience! Our guide, Hassan through Morocco Off The Beaten Track, was exceptionally knowledgeable and friendly, and we would highly recommend his services. We visited historic madrassas in the old city, a local leather tannery, ceramic shops, unique carpet and antique showrooms. We felt safe throughout the tour and local residents were very friendly and accommodating. This tour is a must for anyone visiting Fes!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Emi planned the honeymoon of our dreams! We had less travel time than we would have liked but she was able to help us plan a trip that included multiple destinations and so many rich experiences. It’s hard to pick out our highlights because every moment was perfect! We started in Buenos Aires and took a cooking class, saw a tango show, and did a tour of the city. Then we spent two days in Iguazu Falls where we got to see both sides. Lastly, we spent a few days in Cordoba and visited many beautiful places in the countryside. Unfortunately I wasn’t feeling well for a portion of the trip but Emi was amazingly flexible with helping us plan some alternate, more suitable activities last minute. Prior to this trip, we had never used this type of service but we’re so glad we did! It was so much more comfortable having someone local to provide us with tips and to ensure that everything was taken care of for us. You won’t regret planning a trip with her!

Hotel Reviews

Azur Real Hotel Boutique & Spa

Córdoba

Authenticity & Character

Gorgeous hotel

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Appreciated all of the little details like the champagne that was left for us and the pillow menu!

Panoramic Grand Hotel

Puerto Iguazú

Beautiful facilities, delicious food.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Recoleta Grand Hotel

Buenos Aires

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Calamuchita Wine Roads. Wines with character

Cordoba

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

H

Transport

Parque Das Aves

Puerto Iguazú

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Brazilian Falls - PRIVATE

Puerto Iguazú

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Argentinean Falls - Full day

Puerto Iguazú

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Half day City Tour - Private service with English speaking guide

Buenos Aires

Andrea is an amazing tour guide!! My husband and I learned so much in one day. Thank you!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Fabio was so friendly and helpful throughout the whole trip. Thank you!

Transport

Perfect combination of walking and driving :)

The Best of Argentina Culinary Experience

Buenos Aires

Quality of Experience

Food

They were so accommodating with my many dietary restrictions!! I felt included in the whole experience despite not being able to eat many of the traditional foods

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Beatriz was a great organizer and took care of all our needs and comfort. All the tours, along with the guides were just awesome. Except for one tour guide who took us on a trip to Sintra, Cascais, and Estoril. He did not give us the tickets for the shuttle along with the entrance tickets to Penna palace. He did not even mention that we have to buy those tickets. We had to waste 55 minutes back and forth.
We liked all the places in Portugal. My best pick would be Douro valley as well as Cascais.

Activity Review

The Soul of Lisbon: Fado Dinner Experience

Portugal

A romantic getaway. Beautiful music to hear along with good food. Worth the money spent. But, we should have been picked up from the hotel.

Quality of Experience

Food

All the food and ofcourse, the wine.

Like a few other travelers on here, I just happened upon KimKim while doing research on our trip to Colombia, and I'm so glad I did! Andrea was an awesome travel specialist to work with. She provided great advice on what would be feasible in the time that we had, and was really flexible in changing things around based on our preferences. We even had a hiccup with food poisoning (be very careful with the tap water!) but our local guides and Andrea worked together to make sure we could recover some activities we had to miss. Shout out to Jesus, Juan David, and Yube - we couldn't have asked for better guides in Minca. Having local guides who could share their personal experiences was one of the best parts of the trip. Hotel wise - Casa San Agustin in Cartagena is beautiful, centrally located, and has some of the best service of any hotel I've stayed at. I am already missing Colombia and all of the friendly people we met there. I will definitely be back!

Hotel Review

Hotel Casa San Agustín

Cartagena de Indias

Casa San Agustin is beautifully kept and the location is ideal, but our favorite part of our stay was the staff. Everyone that we met was friendly and eager to help.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

The beds were probably the most comfortable hotel beds I've ever slept in.

Activity Reviews

Hiking in the Tayrona National Park

Colombia

Yube was an awesome guide - helping us spot all three monkey types and giving us more context on Colombia.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Legendary Rum & Chocolate Tasting

Cartagena

I'm not a huge rum (or alcohol) fan in general, but this experience was worth it because of our host, Jesus. He made the tasting fun and educational!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

We don’t think Tricia is familiar with the area we traveled. She gave us insufficient, incomplete and some cases wrong information. We were fortunate enough to get help from our Norwegian friend who guided us throughout our tour. Without our friend’s help we would have been in a very difficult situation. The selection of hotels was very good except for Malangen Resort. The room offered a very good view but it was shabby and outdated. The floor was loose and, when you walk on it, it bounced. Contrary to what Tricia stated, there were hardly anything interesting this resort /location could offer. The last night we stayed there, there was a big party at the bar downstairs that lasted until 2:30 AM. We contacted the hotel management 3 times. Their response was that it’s a big holiday and it’s common to party but they would lower the sound and stop people to go out into the deck. That never happened. Let us assure you the sound was so loud that our room was shaken with constant loud drum so that when the security knocked our door (according to what they said), we didn’t hear it! The first call was around 11;30PM. We thought the party would be over by midnight, so when they offered to move us to another room, we declined. They never told us that the bar would be open until 2:30AM. The hotel knew about this event but no information was provided to us. They repeatedly told us that “That the way it is and we can’t do anything “. Unbelievable! This incident took away all the good memories in Norway. Tricia should have known that Tromsø town center would be closed to all auto traffic except for certain people. If we have known that, we would have left Malangen a day earlier to Tromsø. We weren’t able to reach our hotel in Tromsø and were told that the parking would be very difficult. Streets were blocked from 6AM to 6:30PM. We had to park our car at our friend’s place and take a buss to hotel without our luggage. We then had to take a buss to our friend’s place to pickup our car after 6:30PM. This was done in a very windy and cold snowing weather. Then, we found out that the hotel has no parking place and we had to find the place on our own. This was never mentioned to us. About how to pay ferry fee, Tricia said that we pay by credit card at the ferry dock. It’s not so. They scan the license plate and send a bill to the owner of the vehicle or scan a special sticker.

Hotel Review

Tromsø Lodge & Camping

Tromso

Authenticity & Character

Location

Away from noise & crowd

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Review

Arctic Boat Safari in Senja

Senja

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

From the initial trip planning to all execution to the simplest details was taken care off very well by Christos and the team.

I recently did a five-day trip to Jordan as part of a group of four people with Nader as our driver. The trip was a great success due in no small way to having Nader as our driver and guide.

We were met promptly at the airport in Amman and all paperwork was completed without complication. From our first meeting, and throughout the entire trip, Nader was well informed and forthcoming on the history, geography, the general political landscape of the Middle East and current societal norms in Jordan. We felt immediately welcome and safe with Nader.

Our vehicle was comfortable, drinks were always available and Nader went out of his way to make sure that we tasted the best snacks and food that Jordan has to offer.

Checking in to each night’s accommodation was seamless due to Nader’s attention to every detail. He was there each morning waiting for us, and did not leave at night until we were fully settled in, and plans for the next day were clarified.

Nader’s warmth, sense of fun and desire to please added an extra layer to the trip which we, as a family group, really appreciated. Our memories are so much more than the amazing places that we visited because of Nader’s contribution. I would highly recommend Nader as a driver/guide and I thank him for making our holiday the wonderful success that it was.

I also thank the Samir and the tour company. Samir proposed an excellent itinerary, which covered all the sites we wanted to see, and was flexible in accommodating any requests for changes.

Simple words would not be enough to describe this trip to Greece.
I gave Rebecca, my Greek specialist, roughly about 2 weeks notice to put this trip together and what she did was beyond expectations.
Everything was perfectly organised and the tours she had arranged for me were amazing, insightful and beautiful. She was at hand to answer any questions I had, prior to and during the trip.
I have to say she went above and beyond to make sure I enjoyed every moment of it. And I can not thank her enough for doing this.
Athens, Santorini and Crete were just amazing places, places that I would definitely go back to.
Her guides were awesome - I have learnt so much and seen a lot with them. They have a true passion for what they are doing and you actually get to know and love the place through their eyes.
A special thanks to George, Kostis, Lazaros , Yiannis and Manos for giving me their time. Because of them Greece has become an unforgettable country.

Hotel Review

Agali Houses

Firostefani 00

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Review

Athens - Private Cape Sounion & the Temple of Poseidon Sunset Tour

Athens

A place steeped in mythology and history, The Temple of Poseidon is definitely something to visit. It is peaceful and so calming just to watch the Temple and look out at the ocean, that there is no need for anything else at that moment.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

I was very happy I used kimkim to plan my trip to Iceland's South Coast. My specialist, Preeti, did a great job. She worked with us to come up with an itinerary that met our interests, had lots of great suggestions for things to see and do, restaurants, etc, and was very responsive to my many questions. During the trip,
a couple of minor problems were handled promptly. We'll definitely use kimkim and Preeti in the future.

Smooth efficent process coupled withs mazibg trek and even better people. While the weather was uncooperative the trip was amazing. From the start of ommunicatuons with Ngima and his local treking company Nepal Myths and Mountain Trails, the process of my iteneray changes bd request were handled quickly and professionally. Greeted by Tashi, Ngima son, a young professional easy with a smile or laugh, at airport arrival gate and escorted through process to hotel and off to trek. Meet by Furba Tashi my guide with 4 Mt Everest Summits and Lagbar (sorry for misspelling) porter i was in capable hands. I was looked after the entirety of the trek. It was obvious that my saftey was most important followed by enjoyment of the environment (views and culture).
My arrival back at Kathmandu and depature onwar again were handled without issues and timely. It is my pleasure to recommend Kim Kim and more importantly Nepal Myths and Mountain Trail Tashi and Nigma.
Dhan'yavāda
Gavon

Our travel specialist, Nicholas Cino, was a joy to work with. We spent approximately 6 months planning our trip and had multiple calls and e-mail exchanges during the process. All the planning paid off and our 13 day trip was memorable and everything and more that we had wished for. Nico was very patient about answering our many questions and flexible when we wanted to change things. Nico has a unique personal touch that showed in all of our interactions.
Our guide in Cusco, the Sacred Valley and Machu Picchu was Jesus Galimberti and he was amazing. He was incredibly knowledgeable about Peru and it’s history and had a warm personality who was easy to spend lots of time with. We quickly felt like he was our friend as well as our guide (he also made good restaurant recommendations in Cusco).
We fell in love with Cusco, it’s rich history and both it’s Inca and colonial architecture. The Plaza de Armas, the cobblestone streets and alleys, sitting at a cafe watching people go by, it’s incredibly charming. The highlight of the trip without a doubt was Machu Picchu. Seeing pictures does not do it justice, the first sight takes your breath away and it is simply awe inspiring. You can’t believe the advanced building techniques and degree of precision that the Incas possessed.
Our last 3 days were spent in the Amazon Rainforest and getting there is an adventure in itself. We saw several species of monkeys and birds including colorful macaws, went on a sunset cruise and a experienced an intense jungle rainstorm.
Our trip was a resounding success and we highly recommend Nicholas and KimKim.

Julia had a prolonged duty with our trip planning due to the Covid shutdown of the travel industry in 2020. She would be in contact with us multiple times in 2020, 2021 and finally ,in 2022 ,Norway was open to us to travel there. Julia, along with Sonia’s assistance, reorganized our travel itinerary and got our needs met. We had one hotel glitch on our trip but Sonia was quick to respond and mediated on our behalf. By days end the problem was resolved.
The hotels Julia selected for us were very good to great and I must say Hotel Bondeheimen in Oslo and Hotel 1904 in Alesund are great boutique hotels. All of the selected hotels included breakfast which really helps manage your food costs and all offered good to very good quality food.
Julia arranged for my desired destinations to include train, automobile and ship travel. We covered a lot of area in southern Norway and feel like we got our money’s worth from the skillful organization of our travel itinerary.
We heartily endorse Julia and Sophia to anyone wanting to plan a trip to Norway.

Amanda, Mads, Raj & team are the best.

Amanda, Mads, Raj & team are the best.

This was my first experience with Kimkim. I was honestly blown away by the level of detail in the planning of the itinerary and the level of customisation available. Michael and his team went above and beyond to maintain a channel of communication and provide constant updates and information, at every stage of the trip. If I had any questions or issues, Michael was more than happy to assist- he even checked the entry requirements for the USA before I left Colombia and organised a nurse to come to my hotel to collect a PCR swab.
The highlights of my trip were visiting an organic Coffee farm in Medellin (Observatorio Agroecologico El Cafetal), hiking through Tayrona National park with a very knowledgeable guide and staying at Villa Maria and doing a historical biking tour in Cartagena with Tavo Reyes. I couldn't fault even fault the drivers - everybody was very friendly and accommodating and helped make this trip a memorable experience. Thank you so much :)

Hotel Review

Villa Maria Tayrona, a Kali Hotels

Los Naranjos

This is a beautiful, secluded hotel in the Tayrona National Park area. The staff were extremely friendly and went above and beyond to help with any issues or questions. I had difficulty booking a flight on my iPad and reception staff went out of their way to let me use their computer. It's little things like this that make a huge difference. The cabin itself was beautiful and clean, nestled within the jungle. The hammock was a nice touch! The food from the restaurant was also very tasty. I also loved seeing the resident Macaw interact with the guests. The hotel grounds were also beautifully maintained and there was a private beach located a short walk from the main area.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Secluded

Staff

Extremely friendly and welcoming

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Review

Coffee-Culture Tour

Medellín

This was an awesome experience. The coffee farm was a small, organic, family run farm on the outskirts of Medellin (around the Envigado area). The owner himself conducted the tour and greeted us with cake and freshly brewed cups of locally grown coffee. It was very interesting hearing about the coffee production process, as well as the impact of covid and recent weather events on global production. As a consumer of coffee from a Western country, we often don't consider or understand all of the hard work that goes into growing the trees, harvesting the fruit and processing the beans. We even had the opportunity to plant our own coffee plant seedlings. A very educational experience!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

We enjoyed everything about our first trip to Nepal! Actually, my husband had been to Nepal on business, but this was his first trip where he was able to mix business with pleasure. Kimkim, Himalayan Trails, and Amanda helped us from our first thought of "We want to see Nepal" to the finished product. We toured Kathmandu and its UNESCO heritage sites with our wonderful guide, Pratikshya; we trekked the area surrounding Pokhara with expert trekking guide Naresh; we toured Chitwan National Park with the folks at Jungle Villa. Himalayan Trails took care of us always, arranging our transfers, tours, hotels, flights, Covid tests, etc. We highly recommend using their expertise to plan your trip to Nepal. Some of our highlights and favorites: we loved our 'luxury lodges' on our trek with happy hour, delicious farm-to-table cooking, and comfortable rooms - a great complement to the fabulous Nepali mountain scenery and the welcoming nature of the Gurung people (hint: prepare physically for your Nepal trek - it's more strenuous than most hiking in the USA). It was wonderful to visit Chitwan National park and the Tharu people; we saw rhinoceros, small animals, and birds (the tour on the previous day saw sloth bear). And, of course, Kathmandu is a treat - a mix of history, art, culture, religion with so much to see and do. All in all, we had a wonderful experience thanks to Amanda, our guides, and the lovely people of Nepal.

Thoroughly enjoyed the trip, everything was planned perfectly and Michael was more then accommodating for any last minute alterations that we had.

Hotel Review

BH Bicentenario

Bogotá

Authenticity & Character

No

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Review

Bogotá Walking Tour

Bogotá

Our tour guide luis was awesome

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

A first-class experience! Our specialist, Dimitris, created an island-hopping trip to Paros, Naxos, and Santorini that more than met our expectations. After a long flight that arrived after midnight, the arranged transportation to the Electra Hotel was really appreciated. Dimitris’ selection of this first hotel was amazing - waking up to find the view of the Acropolis while enjoying breakfast on the balcony and the short walk to see the changing of the guards at the Greece Parliament were unexpected experiences since we were in Athens a brief time.
Having Dimitris organize the airline, ferry and transfer arrangements within Greece made an incredible stress-free difference from self-planning. He arranged the perfect combination of free days with suggested activities as well as planned experiences on each island. We hiked with Chris from Paros Hikes along the Byzantine Way, chatting about history and plant life. The hike with Thanos in Santorini took us along the caldera, getting amazing views, photos, and the best restaurant reservation. In Naxos, we wandered with Kyriaki thru the old town castle area, tasting wonderful local food. Kyriaki went out of her way to buy and deliver tomato jam to our hotel the following day! The wine tasting at modern Estate Argyros in Santorini was informative and paired with delicious bites. All of those were top-notch. Poor weather conditions prevented the all-day catamaran cruise in Naxos, which was disappointing. However, the cooler weather resulted in renting cars and exploring parts of the islands we may not have otherwise seen. Car rental was easily arranged through our hotels and reasonably priced.
A special note about our hotels: We requested hotels with a balcony for down time which all had. In addition to the Electra Hotel, we especially enjoyed the boutique Hotel Iris in Paros and the Saint Vlassis Hotel in Naxos. Both were in a walkable location to restaurants and shopping. We experienced the wonderful Greek hospitality and as we left, we felt we were leaving new friends behind. We would have enjoyed the Santo Miramare Resort on Santorini more if the weather had been warmer. Its location is close to the beach and numerous restaurants. Returning to Athens, the Vouliagmeni Athenian Riviera hotel was walkable to the beach. The receptionist arranged for necessary travel Covid tests at a nearby clinic, convenient and inexpensive.
A special note to Dimitris: we appreciated the phone calls when our catamaran cruise cancelled and when we misunderstood the winery location.
This 16-day Greek trip enriched with culture, history and food is one we will never forget. We highly recommend KimKim and Dimitris for your adventures in Greece!