Kimkim Trip Reviews for Greece

We had a wonderful trip to Greece thanks to Tasos at KimKim. Our guides in Athens, Syros and Santorini were excellent and tailored the trip to match our interests. We felt well cared for and had the time to get to enjoy the best of Greece, In Athens our driver Lambros brought us to great sightseeing locations around Athens and was so welcoming. Our other guides in Athens were extremely knowledgeable about the city and gave us a great tour of the Parthenon and the various neighborhoods around the city. Our guides in Syros Antonio and Mario were fabulous and such a joy to be with- Mario was watching out for us on our boat trip and spotted a jellyfish before we jumped into the water! We felt very cared for. On Thira our guide Manos used my mobile phone to document our cooking classes with photos that I will always treasure! I highly recommend KimKim!

My wife and I tried this company for the first time, and we loved the professionalism, efficiency, and quality service of their agents and managers. We would definitely recommend 100x this company to individuals that are looking for the best customer service yet. We look forward doing business with them again. Definitely worth the five stars.

As for our agent Harris, all we can say is WOW! What an amazing job he did. He is extremely good at his job. He planned everything for us and made everything flow so smoothly. I will absolutely use him again and I’m very picky on that. Harris not only was available 24/7 he went out of his way to make sure we were well prepared for all of the new regulations with Covid, and to make sure my wife had the best honeymoon/birthday ever.

To summarize we went to Greece for our Honeymoon and my wife’s birthday. A 9-day trip visiting Athens, Mykonos, and Santorini in May. A trip that was planned for June 2020, but with the pandemic we had to cancel, so it was no easy task to plan a trip during this unstable time. However, Harris kept in touched with us the whole time. Giving us updates on our accommodation and the situation within Greece with the pandemic. He had to adjust our accommodation a couple of times cause of the pandemic, but the changes were well worth it. From Athens, to Mykonos, to Santorini, our accommodation was great. Especially the Celestia Grand hotel in Santorini was top notch. From the views from our villa, to the service, and management of the villas was excellent. We couldn’t have asked for a better accommodation. My wife did not want to leave, especially after finding out her favorite show and family Keeping up with the Kardashians was filmed there…lol

Harris also checked with all the authorities/regulations and made sure we had everything we needed from Covid testing to different health forms we had to fill out within a certain time frame. He always responded when I text him at literally all hours (not sure how he does this, I think he got some sort of superpower or just extremely passionate at what he does lol)

Harris did absolutely great, and we couldn’t have asked for a better planner. I highly recommend him. I also rarely write reviews, but he absolutely deserves it. With all he did, he made me look like a hero in front of my wife, but Harris was the real hero of this trip. Thanks again Harris, looking forward to meeting you next time!

The Spanns

Well organized trip, thanks to Maria and Dmitri. Transports were smooth and punctual with excellent drivers. Our driver in Athens was extremely helpful. Host hotels were clean, comfortable, and accommodating. The farm tour in Megalochori was a surprise and delight and our host guides were excellent. A bit more information with regard to this farm for review purposes would be helpful. Thanks again!

The positives - I would definitely recommend using Chris.

Very impressed with the overall trip of 2 weeks we booked with Chris at kimkim. The organization and schedule was perfect. Every driver, guide, and event was exactly on time. We did not wait on a single person over two weeks . When there was a problem once, they handled immediately. Every private tour guide was the best except for one that was just average. Our best guide was Penny at Delphi, that engaged all of us but especially our daughter. The hotels were all boutique with charm and great service. Great time of year to visit Greece as all sites are empty and easy to use. Chris really created a customized trip that created awesome memories.

Changes - we drove around for 5 days and saw every part of the culture in Greece which was fantastic. I would not have gotten such a large SUV as most of the streets are narrow and tight.

I wish the hotels selected in Olympia and on Crete were up to the same standard as all the other locations. Most of the hotels here are just average. So I would just stay in the best place you can find.

I don't know where to start , but wow! Harris knocked it out of the park. We have done trips with zero planning, and done trips where we tried to book all the things ourselves but this trip was nearly perfect. Harris and his group in Greece know what they are doing. They matched us with the right tour guides and hotels, planned transfers and connections perfectly. Our tour in Delphi with Penny was so informative, her ability to weave all the layers of information together was exceptional. Our Naxos food tour with Katarina was just as nice, local recipes supplied and additional places to visit for us was perfect. Thanos guided us around Santorini with a tour of the other side of the island, it was such a pleasant day, very interesting and the connections with our group to make sure we felt a connection to the island was nice. Popi was our guide on another tour of Santorini and we got to see the cave houses and a whole different perspective from her. This was not just a vacation tour but a personally selected vacation that fit our group. The interaction with Harris, questions asked and ideas that he had all made sense. The security of having local contacts and agents that have actually searched out the best local talent, from drivers to guides and hotels is worth the extra money spent. Book the trip! Thanks again, we will be back for more soon.
Doug and Dixie

Normally I handle all of the details for my trips. This time, however, I wanted to join friends who were already using Kimkim. WOW! I could not be happier!

Harris impressed me over and over from transportation and hotel choices to tours and guides. It quickly became obvious he knew what he was doing. In fact, you could tell Harris had hand-picked every part of the experience based on what we were interested in doing.

Our first hotel experience in Mystras was spectacular and fit perfectly for our time in Sparta. Not only was the hotel quality, but each morning at breakfast Joanna taught us more about Greek foods and especially Greek coffee.

Our guide in Delphi, Penny, was amazing! We benefited from her being born and raised there, and her knowledge of history was exactly what we wanted as we toured the "Center of the World."

The hotel in Athens was perfectly situated at the foot of the Acropolis with breathtaking views of the Parthenon. It was also within walking distance for everything we wanted to do in Athens. If I were to change anything about our time in Athens, it would be to add one more day so we could see even more.

Our time on Naxos was an opportunity to slow down the pace of the trip, and settle into Greek island life. They have a saying on the Islands - "Siga, Siga" - "slowly, slowly". The family run Adriani Hotel was a great way to begin that process. The roof top deck provided a beautiful view of the city, and the breakfasts prepared by Adriani, the hotel namesake and family matriarch, were delicious!

Our food tour on Naxos with Katerina was tasty. Born and raised on Naxos, she used her culinary education and knowledge to provide insight into it's history and the local delicacies. She even made recommendations for a drive around the island with places to see and food to taste.

When we arrived in Santorini, we were met by Papi who gave us a wonderful tour that included an an amazing winery overlooking the caldera and a walk through some of the older cities at night. It was breathtaking!

The next day we met Thanos for our walking tour of the Caldera. Thanos is a teacher, with a passionate love for the outdoors, history, and people. As we walked through the old cities around the Caldera, Thanos shared about their history, pointed out local flowers and trees (which my wife loved), and helped us understand the culture of Greece on the islands. Our time with Thanos included a private tour of a multi-generational winery which produced a wine that was internationally noted as possibly one of the best in the world. If you go to Santorini, you MUST tour with Thanos.

I have traveled and/or lived in 30 countries around the world. My experience in Greece would definitely fall in the top three places. Thanks Harris for making this experience amazing, we are not disappointed!

This was our first experience with kimkim and our first trip to Greece. We used kimkim for this trip because it was a ‘last minute’ decision to go and simply didn’t have the time to do all the planning ourselves. Overall, it was an excellent experience. Not only was it a big timesaver for planning, the level of service throughout was excellent, incorporating activities into the trip that we would otherwise probably would not have included. Chris from Travel12 in Athens worked with us on the itinerary, offering recommendations and demonstrating a real interest in finding activities aligned to our interests in hiking, sightseeing and gaining an appreciation for local culture and history. Maria, our guide for the Acropolis and the Acropolis Museum in Athens was outstanding. She was very knowledgeable and provided real insight into Greek mythology and history. A highlight of our trip was hiking the Samaria Gorge on Crete. Travel12 made the arrangements for a privately guided hike with Linda. She was clearly an expert on the 16k Samaria Gorge with over 120 hikes to her credit. She guided us at a pace that suited our abilities as well as objectives for sightseeing and photography. An absolutely awesome experience! Overall, we were thrilled with the local support from Chris and his team, who were very responsive and communicated regularly to make sure the trip was unfolding according to plan. We would recommend kimkim and Chris and the Travel12 team for Greece without hesitation.

Did some things well but some little things weren't quite so good. To be fair this was part of a big trip and didn't pay enough attention til at the time so maybe should have picked up some things earlier. Hotels chosen were great and any activities arranged were well done. Responses were always very quick but all by email, no personal touch but that may be an age thing. I did have to ring them once as had left some jewellery behind on one of the islands but otherwise would have had no voice contact at all. They were very good at organizing my jewellery to get to me. Some more detail would have been helpful on what was needed and what to expect. Like on the boat trip did we need to bring our own towel or was one provided for swimming. I did ask, was told take a towel but one was provided. To also to be fair our previous trip we had a driver the whole time and this was a lot more hands off affair so dont want to compare or judge on that.

Just not used to not meeting Dimitris for the whole trip - next time need to give me WARNING about the Hotel in Santorini being Down on the cliff - i was panic because i was not sure how to move the my 2 luggage by my self claim ing over 50 steep steps

Every aspect of this trip was amazing, being picked up after every plane, ferry etc was awesome! Every person we interacted with was great and super accommodating. I even forgot some clothing in Mykonos and the ladies at Portes Mykonos sent it to the hotel in Athens so I could get it when we got back there. It was great being able to use the Greek SIM card in my phone it helped out tremendously. Overall it was a great experience and I would do it again in a minute!!

This is the first time I’ve booked a trip with KimKim and it wont be the last. The trip planning was so easy and having KimKim plan all the details took the stress away. Harris helped me decide on the islands we would visit and was readily available whenever I had a question. Our trip was ten days and we visited Athens, Santorini, Naxos, Paros.

I really can’t say enough good things about the Aegean Gem hotel in Kamari, Santorini. It’s such a wonderful hotel - great owner, new hotel close to the beach, nice rooms, and amenities. Initially I was disappointed to see we weren’t staying Fira but after being there on the tour and seeing the crowds, I was happy to be on the other side of the island in a more relaxed atmosphere. The bus system seemed quite efficient in Kamari so it was very easy to travel to Fira or Oia for dinner or sightseeing. I hope to return in the future. Kostas was our guide on the Santorini Highlight tour and he was great, very friendly and knowledgeable ! I would recommend this tour if you’re in Santorini.

In Naxos we did a cooking class with the family at Basiliko Tavern and I would highly recommend this. Anna was our cooking host and she was wonderful. She took us through her family estate, we picked fresh veggies to use in our dish and she took us on a small walk around the area.

Our hotels in Santorini (Aegean Gem), and Naxos (Cyano Suites), were unforgettable. Great locations and hospitality at both. We stayed at Porto Naousa in Paros and it had a great location, and lovely patio.

I have no complaints about the trip, I would however check the transfer times for ferries as I did feel we arrived very early to wait in the street for ferry departure - even our drivers at two ports questioned why the pickups were so early. However, I do understand why some first time travellers might like to get there early.

Thanks again to Harris for organizing a wonderful trip for my mother’s 60th birthday. We hope to be back again someday. Thank you for everything, Harris and the Travel12 Team!

It was an incredible trip and Harris & KimKim made it so easy to enjoy our vacation. We ran into a few small problems during our trip and they were always quick to respond and find a solution that would work for both us and the people we were meeting. I absolutely intend to book my next trip through them as well once I decide where I’m going!

We had a fabulous trip to Greece from start to finish. Everything went incredibly smoothly, in fact I didn't have to get in touch with Tasos or KimKim/ Travel 12 once the entire trip. All our hotels, guides, tours and drivers were wonderful! I wish I knew how to spell all of their names but they were all so much fun as well as knowledgeable and kind. We also enjoyed all the hotels very much. Sweet Home in Athens was in a great location and had a wonderful breakfast and super comfortable beds. We LOVED the welcome dinner at the Zillers rooftop restaurant which had amazing views of the Acropolis. The Adriani Hotel on Naxos was beautiful and also a good location within walking distance of the port and St. George's beach. We really enjoyed the food and culture tour of the island as well as the medieval hike and our driver both days (Yannis?) was awesome! Naxos is beautiful and less "touristic" than Santorini although the Volcano View Hotel is simply stunning. The views of the caldera are mesmerizing and my only regret was that we didn't spend most of the last day sitting in lounge chairs simply enjoying the view. We did enjoy the insider's food and wine tour and Anna was wonderful but I had expected/hoped to see more of the island on the tour. The sunset catamaran cruise in the caldera was fantastic with great food and people. Tasos had arranged for a birthday cake for my dad who turned 80 that day. It was unforgettable! The only small glitch was that my mom who had hip surgery a few months ago had lots of stairs to climb at the hotels on the islands which did not have elevators. But overall it was worth it and I think her strength improved with all the activity! I would enthusiastically recommend Tasos and KimKim/Travel 12 and hope that we have the opportunity to work with them again for future trips!! Thank you Tasos and team for putting together a trip that was absolutely incredible!!

We were extremely pleased with our trip to greece. It was all that was promised and more. We were always picked up at the exact time that was expected. Dinner at mani mani the first night was delicious and a great way to start our holiday. The first day we tried to call about our flight e tickets early in the morning but no one was in the office so we went on our tour and figured we would call later. We were very impressed that you saw the missed call and tried many times to get to us. We really enjoyed that each hotel was unique and different from eachother. The room in acropolis hill hotel was aLittle to small. We left the Alcnea hotel in Chania early in the morning to catch a plane and they packed us breakfast. We loved our hike in Naxos. Would just suggest that hiking shoes are recommended. Very much enjoyed the food tour also in Naxos. We loved your suggestion that we tour cape sounion the last day. It extended our vacation another day with a wonderful tour guide. We felt very well cared for. Every tour guide was professional and knowable and extremely nice. A++ I have already been recommending you and will definitely use kim kim on our future travels.

KimKim Travel was amazing from beginning to end. If you want to take a major trip around the world somewhere and really experience the culture and adventure that country has to offer, this is the agency to make it happen. I truly had an amazing birthday vacation in Greece, and utilizing this company for this celebration gets 5 stars all the way. Harris was very helpful and attentive through the whole process as well as the local contacts in Greece. Would I ever use this company again - YES!!! You cannot go wrong how everything is seamlessly planned. Thank you KimKim Travel for this Amazing Trip. I will definitely be using you once more in the near future!

**Apologies on how long it took to get me to write this review. It was back to the conundrum of work in DC. :)

Although we are a retired couple, we recently decided that we needed to get away so that we could relax. We decided that we should go to Greece, which has been on our bucket list for a long time but we had never managed to travel there. Generally, when we travel one of us does all the planning and booking with the stress and nervousness that can cause. Because we decided on rather short notice to travel to Greece, we decided to let kimkim take the stress out of the planning and book our itinerary. It was absolutely the best decision we could have made. Harris was terrific at getting back to us and finalizing an itinerary that we wanted. All their recommendations of things to do were spot on and the accommodations they booked were terrific. We took kimkim's advice on which islands to visit and we appreciated that they did not have us on the move too much. They were available once we were in Greece and neither one of us had to give a thought to pick-ups, tour bookings or accommodations. Highly recommend kimkim's personal, friendly and knowledgeable service.

I had a wonderful experience booking my trip to Greece with kimkim. Harris was extremely informative and helpful along the way. He answered any and all questions we had. Based on our interests and budget, Harris designed an itinerary that was perfect for me and my 3 single girl friends. The itinerary was so well organized, we didn’t have to worry about a thing. Every driver that picked us up from the airports, hotels, and ferries was on time and courteous. The tour guides on our excursions were very knowledgeable and interactive and helped make our experience more enjoyable. The hotels were all conveniently located, clean, and comfortable! The beaches and mythology tour were stand outs for me on this trip along with beautiful Santorini!
I would highly recommend using kimkim to book a trip and would happily use them again.

We enjoyed our trip around Greece and the arrangements made by Travel12 were top notch. We normally make all our own arrangements but decided to try KimKim because we could customize our itinerary and let KimKim make all the detailed arrangements. It turned out to be a very good combination. The hotel locations were centrally located which we like, and the tours were all very good. The transfers to/from the airports were very convenient. That’s something we have never arranged on our own and we really appreciated the time and stress it eliminated.

The photo tour in Athens was outstanding with Spyros from Athens Insiders. I’m an amateur photographer and he helped me with several tips to improve my skills. He also took us to very interesting locations in the Plaka neighborhood that we would never have found on our own.
The food tours in Athens and Santorini were both very good. The one in Athens was more about the history of Greek food and the one in Santorini was more about their wine history. I must say we had our first and last taste of Greek coffee, but it was worth the experience.

An unexpected highlight was the small fishing village of Galaxidi near Delphi. We had a wonderful seafood dinner where the waiter said that the “fish was swimming this morning”. Thank you Tasos for booking us in Galaxidi rather than tourist filled Delphi.

We did have a couple of disappointing experiences. I think the tour company in Meteora had forgotten about us. The clerk at the hotel had to call them and they said there was a miscommunication about the starting time. The tour itself was very good, it just started an hour late. The hotel accommodation in Nafplio was on the top floor with 3 long flights of stairs that proved to be a challenge for us since we are in our 70’s. The room had very low loft pitched ceilings that made it uncomfortable to move around. However, the location was great.

Overall I was very pleased with the trip and had many pleasant experiences. Naxos was by far the highlight of the trip. It didn't have the crowds and commercialism that were present on Santorini. It was very noticeable that the residents of Naxos smiled more and seemed happier than their Santorini counterparts. On Naxos the guide who took us on the bicycle tour deserves special mention, he was outstanding. The cooking class on Naxos also deserves special mention. In Athens the guide on the photography tour went above and beyond what could ever be expected and his efforts are much appreciated. I would recommend this tour to everyone, even if they have no strong interest in photography. Finally, a constructive criticism is in order. I don't think it's in your best interests to refer customers to the Acropolis Select Suites. The facility is not up to expected standards and the food is the worst I have experienced in all my travels.

the guide for the food tour in Athens was awesome! Andreas Morgridge
The guide for the farm tour in Mykonos was awesome as well, as was the food and the ladies that cooked. I just can't recall their names.

The wood boat tour in Santorini was good, the swim in the hot spring area of the volcano was oversold, it was cold and difficult to navigate.
Overall the wood boat tour was good and the sunset was beautiful

I would change 2 things, it is very very confusing the ports in both Santorini and Mykonos, and there is long wait and hard to get luggage on boat and find seats,etc. This should be discussed and be clear from the beginning, although I asked for the ferry instead of the plane to save money, I think if I understood the hours lost and we had a short tour, I would have chose the planes.
The second thing, on last leg of the trip, port at Rafina to the hotel, it was not a far walk, but with luggage, 6 hours of traveling , later at night and iffy location, and a bit up hill I would have preferred a transfer here.