Kimkim Trip Reviews for Greece

I found Kimkim on the internt when i was looking at going to Greece for a holiday.
I dealt with Chris and he listened to what i wanted to visit and as a woman travelling on her own, safety was too of this list.
Not only did Chris put together a fantastic itinery he sent draft copy to me first to peruse, along with some excellent comments on due to his knowledge of the area.
From start to finish everything rang like clockwork, the best was having someone there to pick me up at airport or cruise port do deliver me to my hotel or pick me up at hotel to take me somewhere else. Everyone was so accommodating and lovely.
I started in NZ ..Auckland 10 hour stop over at Dubai then onto Athens. From there to Crete for 4 days, awesome beaches outside my door. Then onto Sanorini for 6 days, went on day cruise to other sights around island.
On to 4 days on Naxos, such beautiful beaches, ideal to relax. Back to Athens then home.
Once again a huge thank you to Chris and his tem.
Will be referring them to all my friends and will use them .

Our trip to Greece exceeded my expectations. From the first interactions with kimkim I was very pleased as I was having difficulty finding a good balance between relaxation, luxury and adventure from one source. The initial survey made me feel I finally found a source that understood that there was more than a single goal in vacation planning. With limited time available, Dimitris with Personality Journeys was able to fit all three goals into a 9-day tip with a one-month lead time. With the added bonus of being thousands of dollars less than another quote I received from a travel specialist I've used before.

The interaction through the website was seamless. Being able to reliably communicate online is important to me with a busy full-time job and the time difference using a local expert. Knowing that Dimitris was local made me feel at ease with his recommendations. I also found it very refreshing that he was not pushing for the most expensive options and was considerate of value vs. convenience. Having never been to Greece, Dimitris was patient with my requests, changes and need for clarification prior to the trip. Throughout the entire trip Dimitris was available through Whatsapp to answer questions or communicate any changes.

Together we planned 9-days full of rest as well as adventure in 3 very different locations in Greece: Athens, Naxos and Santorini, Naxos being a recommendation and my favorite of the 3. The New Hotel in Athens was artisitic, beautiful and the provided the top service from the security greeting at the front door, through check-in and everything in between. Warm, friendly and highly professional. It was in walking distance of many of the tourist spots but far enough that I didn't feel overwhelmed and crowded leaving the hotel. With only two days in Athens the pre-arranged activity was a tour of Acropolis Hill and Acropolis museum. Our guide was well versed and patient with our group. However, completely from personal preference, while I very much enjoyed visiting the locations I would have preferred a private guide. The group was larger than expected, it took long for the tour to begin and with a group of several families the guide needed to cover a lot of detail to cater to the different interests. I prefer more personal interaction.

We transferred to Naxos via ferry (the Greek Ferry system is very impressive and efficient) and made our way to Naxos Rock Villas which was simply stunning! I had never heard of Naxos prior to Dimitris' recommendation and it was our favorite fr the laid back island atmosphere. I specifically asked for a balcony and private pool and was pleasantly surprised with a completely private Villa with not only the requested but full kitchen and two baths. I fell in love with these accommodations. We were briefed by the owner on the Villa and the island. "Breakfast included" referred to a stocked fridge which was a very nice change of pace to prepare our own meal. Local snacks, wine and beer were also stocked for our enjoyment. The Rock Villas took our breath away as did the day of sailing that Dimitris arranged for us. Naxos Yachting Giannis and his crew were friendly, professional and engaging. The home cooked meal, the stop at Paros and 2 swim spots were out of a dream. I've traveled around the world but if I ever run away you'll find me here. I would have loved to stay longer. The only change I would make our next visit is to rent a car as the Villas are hillside away from the heart of the town and taxis are not cheap in Greece.

Finally, on Santorini, we were located at Del Sol. Del Sol is about a 30-minute walk from the tourist heart of Santorini or a 5-minute cab ride. Our room was somewhat "stand alone" which we prefer. The rooms were well appointed and the restaurant staff was very friendly and accommodating. The front desk staff was friendly and quick to help us when asked. We also managed to squeeze in a visit to the spa, a last minute request that I am glad we made. In Santorini our acitivities included a wine tour of Argyros Estate winery, sea kayaking and a hike. The winery was very modern but steeped in history. The tour was brief but the tasting was wonderful, including pairings with local fare, rich and plentiful. Our guide gave us a lot of input and suggestions as well as time alone to enjoy the experience and eachother company in private. The best of many wine tastings that I have experienced in my lifetime.

Our second adventure in Santorini was sea kayaking with Adonis. Due to weather conditions, we had to be re-routed. I was a little disappointed as I was very interested in the original route but was happy that the guide made safety the number one priority. The tour was a little late to start but we felt well supported throughout the activity and we were happy that they could accommodate and not have to cancel per previous days. They took a lot of pictures that were e-mailed to us a week later so we could focus on being in the moment. They were very open to feedback and Adonis was very entertaining while explaining the history of Greece and the islands.

Tied with sailing as our favorite activity was the hike from Santorini to Oia our last day in Santorini. It is not to be missed. Intimidated at first looking at the distance we were about to cover, we were in complete awe! Our guides Thanos and Mariana were absolutely wonderful. They were so knowledgeable and yet had the enthusiasm as if they were seeing it for the first time with us. The picnic they prepared of local favorites was perfect. By the end of the experience they felt like friends spending the day with us. While many people were completing the hike independently, I was so happy to have experienced it with our guides. This was the perfect way to end our adventures.

Outside of all the scheduled activities, the itinerary allowed for plenty of relaxation and independent exploration. Our trip couldn't have been more perfect.

We booked a vacation that included me, my husband and our adult children and children in law. Tasos made it all so easy. We arrived and departed at different times. Pickups and drop offs were perfectly executed.

Tasos's recommendations were excellent. We had a wonderful combination of historical exploration, guided cultural experiences, beach days and time to explore on our own.

Highlights included: welcome dinner at Zillers, our guides in Athens, our guided trip to Delos, our full day exploring Naxos with Katerina of Vioma (do not go to Naxos without meeting her), our car trip to the Temple of Poseidon during the time between arriving in Athens by air from Naxos and leaving by ferry for Hydra, and our brief respite on Hydra at the Four Seasons (no relationship to the chain).

The process of planning was efficient and painless.

Already planning our next KimKim vacation.

Chris did a great job and the trip to Greece was one of our best vacations. Everything was handled and all the staff were professional and wonderful to deal with.
I would definitely recommend kimkim to handle your travel needs.

My family went to Athens, Mykonos and Crete in Mid May of this year. It was a fantastic trip from start to finish. Christos , I am sorry this is so late. I cant thank you enough for the terrific Itinerary you put together for us. All the Accomodations were wonderful with a special shout out to Aletro Cottage Houses. The location, pool, view, breakfast and rooms were all amazing. The owners were great and when my daughter needed something for some insect bites they quickly came to the rescue.
The tours set up by Christos and all transportation were 5 star . The drivers always had water available to us and gave us lot of info. Shout out to Alternative Athens for the tours especially our Tour guide Alex on our Mythology walking tour in Athens. He was so passionate about his job!
Our boat rides between islands were fun and the views unbelievable. Just make sure you have some Euros as the internet went down on our day trip to Balos and couldn't buy food on the boat!!
KImKim was available around the clock to answer questions and were quick to answer,.
I will be using KimKim again for our next European travel!!

Tasos was great in planning our trip. We got to see everything my grandson wanted to see and more. The guides he booked were great, everyone of them. The driver, Nikos , he booked for the Olympia, Vasse, and Mycenae trip was the most professional diver we could ask for. He was very accommodating to our every need. Very engaging in conversation and went out of his way many times to makes us happy. We felt like we met as strangers but parted as friends. The boat trip with Socrates was special as he cooked on the boat, which was great, and let my grandson steer the boat under his supervision. We had a very nice experience. Dimitri and Maria were also very good in handling our trip when Tasos was off having a baby.

Two things could be improved. The reservation for the retreat in Abeliona got messed up so we had no place to stay Between Maria and Nikos we found a suitable replacement place to stay but required an extra 1.5 hours of driving. Thanks to Maria and especially Nikos for handling this.
Suggestion would be for someone to confirm reservations the day before we arrive so as not to have too many issues. Plus the retreat in Abeliona, appears to be past its prime especially seeing that not a single person or staff was there when we arrived Think twice about booking that again.

Second area for improvement was the Pi Athens hotel. It was ok but not quite what we expected.. located in a run down area of the city and not near enough outlets where needed especially in the bathrooms by the one and only mirror. You can tell they are trying but not quite up to my standards anyway. The staff was excellent and very accommodating but the hotel itself is lacking somewhat. We still had a very good time though.

Thanks to all for their help and making our experience an enjoyable one.
Bruce and Jenny Zemba

I can’t say enough about Christos, Maria, Angeliki and Dimitris and the whole travel12 team. Wow! They planned a wonderful and seamless trip for my teens and me. Anything went perfectly and if it didn’t the travel12 team make it right AND gave us something to make up for the trouble. In Skopelos our favorite island we had the team schedule us a mamma Mia tour. But on the day the tour company did not show up and didn’t have our reservation. Travel12 got right on it and got us scheduled for the next day. And to make up for our disappointment they scheduled a boat tour of the island. That might have ended up being one of our favorite tours! Everything was so wonderful and exactly what we wanted. We asked to be slightly immersed into Greek culture and boy to christos and travel12 deliver. We had an awesome cooking class with a Greek family on Naxos. It was just us and the family and it was wonderful!! When I go back to Greece I am contacting christos and travel12. Thank you so much!!!!

Our holiday inGreece was remarkable. Chris planned an interesting and outstanding itinerary and arranged great hotel accommodations as well. I especially enjoyed our suites in Athens, Rethynmo,, and Mykonos Town! The Catamaran Cruise in Santorini was delightful and so much fun. Made acqpanitiness with several other travelers . Also wanted you to know that our private drivers were all wonderful ! They were attentive to your needs and polite, and extremely knowledgeable which made our travel time with then educational and allowed for interesting discourse with then. My son, Kenny and I will continue to relive our fabulous holiday that Chris planned for us in such detail to assure we were able to visit all the historic places I wanted my son to see. We have many happy memories which we’ll cherish forever. Thanks again, for an exciting and wonderful experience in Greece!!!

In one word - AMAZING!

Tasos and his team helped us plan a trip of a lifetime. Beginning in Athens with our driver, Lampros, who took us to the Sounio Temple and an impromptu dinner, which was wonderful. We then did an Acropolis tour, which was fascinating and awe inspiring.

Our next stop was Tinos. Our accommodations at Favie Suzanne were great, but the personal service we got from both Yannis and Fabio was above and beyond - they were so helpful. Tinos is a beautiful island, which we were able to enjoy as we took the Marble Route tour with Katia and a driver. Katia and the driver were very informative and showed us a part of Tinos that we never would have seen without the tour. When we were arranging our trip, we asked Tasos to give us the “real Greece” and that is wha we had every step of the way.

Next we went to Naxos, where we stayed at Nastasia Village. Emma, who owns the hotel with hr family was so warm and accommodating . She helped make our stay so very special. The breakfast at the hotel was amazing - real Greek food - homemade and delicious. Naxos is a beautiful island with fewer tourists. After having the food tour, which was amazing with Yannis and Irini, we learned so much about Naxian cheese, Kitron, and Greek foods in general. We also had a fabulous tour of the island and were given an opportunity to visit many villages. Naxos has great Easter he’s and we had a lovely beach day and then we went shopping in Chora. It is quaint and lovely and became our favorite stop on our amazing tour!

Santorini was our last stop. Luckily we were booked at the Makris hotel In Kamari, which was much quieter than either Fira or Oia, but there was plenty to do and it was a lovely beach (black sand/stone) and shopping area. We were able to take an island tour to Pyrgos, the wine museum and winery tour with tasting and Oia at sunset, which was beautiful, but crowded. Our favorite part of Santorini was the old boat tour on the Bella Aurora, which was amazing. The crew was fabulous. We hiked the volcano, swam in the hot springs, went to a secluded beach area and had a lovely authentic Greek barbecue and then we watched the sunset from the water. If that wasn’t enough, while the sun was setting, one of the crew members, Yannis, played the saxophone. It was a great end to our island tour!

Back to Athens for a night and Tasos had planned a goodbye dinner for us at The Black Sheep restaurant, which was delicious. Travel 12 was always there when we needed them and I would highly recommend their travel service. I would also highly recommend Lampros as a driver in Athens as he will go above and beyond what is asked of him and when you say you would like to have a bit of breakfast - he will take you to the most amazing bakery. My friend had a bit of a problem at the end of our trip and both Travel 12 and Lampros were there to help.

We can’t thank you all enough for an amazing adventure.....it was better than we could have ever imagined.

We had an extraordinary trip to Greece, in large part because of the excellent guidance we received from Nicky. We found that our vacation very much matched our sensibilities in terms of our destinations, accommodations, and the activities that were planned for us. The pre-trip planning process went very smoothly and communication was prompt and very helpful.

Despite a few glitches that were quickly remedied, the logistics of drivers and ferries was handled smoothly. I’m pretty sure the process without KimKim/Travel21 would’ve been substantially more difficult. Instead we were able to focus on enjoying the beauty of Greece.

Highlights of our trip included touring and hiking the beautiful and unspoiled island of Tinos. Our stay at the lovely Onar hotel was very pleasant and the breakfast was phenomenal.

Our visit to Naxos was also very pleasant and we enjoyed the archeology museum in the castle, as well as touring the beautiful interior part of the island.

Everybody’s heard of Santorini, and it’s a truly unique place, but also teaming with tourists and assaulted by day-trippers from cruise ships. Based on what we’ve learned from the locals, I’d say that cruise ships are ruining things for just about everyone - better to go with a plan that helps the local economy and gives you the best experience.

Our accommodations at Santorini were perfect - a small boutique hotel away from the maddening crowds. We could easily walk down to the local village and were lucky to experience a “name-day” celebration at the church, which featured excellent music and dancing. An eBike tour was fantastic - highly recommended.

Our trip was bookended by visits to the Acropolis and the National Archeology Museum in Athens- both highly recommended.

Thanks again to Nicky!

In planning my trip to Greece, Vasilis was very attentive. He adjusted my itinerary many times to meet our needs. Our anniversary dinner he planned at Point A was outstanding. However, our travel documents were not received until May 9th for a May 13th departure. I feel that was cutting it close just in case there were any issues. As a whole, the trip was outstanding. Lampros, the driver in Athens, was excellent. Our tour guides in Santorini, Gustos and Paris, were fabulous. Costos and Tasos from Travel 12 were very helpful while we were in Greece. Vasilis checked in with us , as well. When we had an issue with our phone charger it was taken care of immediately. Our Catamaran tour in Santorini was cancelled at the last minute. We, however, were not notified of this cancellation until I called Travel 12 when no one came to pick us up. Tasos gave us a driver for 4 hours to take us to the beaches where we would have gone with the tour to compensate for the missed tour. Tasos made it right. Travel 12 was at our disposal before, during and after our trip. I would definitely use them and KimKim again.

This trip was a blast. Except for a problem with a late driver picking us up at a ferry dock, the whole trip was very smooth! The accommodations were very nice and the excursions were terrific. We felt we got a great introduction to Greece and the islands we visited. I especially enjoyed the local tours of the bell maker, cheese makers, distillery, winery, and tannery. --and of course all the ruins we visited. Our guides were wonderful, knowledgeable, and really went out of their way to make our tours exceptional. The thing I'll miss most is the food! Greek yogurt will never taste the same...

I would highly recommend Tasos and the entire Kimkim /Travel 12 team to everyone. Everyone we dealt with was very professional. Tasos put us with drivers that took us places we didn't even know existed. Every tour was right on point. The tours of ancient Athens, Meteora, Delphi and Messinia were incredible. Mykonos was fantastic and Santorini was wonderful. In Athens of course you must see the Acropolis. The meal arranged by Tasos was unbelievable. Meteroa is like something from another world, the beauty is breathtaking. Visiting the Oracle of Delphi is an experience you must have . Messinia is a treasure we didn't know about, thankfully Tasos and his team did. It is a very ancient city still under excavation, We had a tour with one of the people excavating the ancient city and found an ancient coin which we turned into the museum. Included with the tour of Messinia we met the last bell maker in the region as well as the last leather tanner. Once again our driver provided a few little side trips that were fantastic. The ferry ride to Mykonos was pretty cool. Mykonos is an incredible place. We needed this time in Mykonos to catch our breath. Delos is a sacred island in mythology with many ancient ruins but honestly by this point we were pretty tired so I don't thing we could really appreciate the magic of the island. On to Santorini. The island is a beautiful place and the catamaran tour Tasos set up was truly one of the highlights of the trip. Do not skip the catamaran trip! All of our transfers were right on time. Our driver in Athens was incredible. We feel like we made some friend. I will use Kimkim from now on when making vacation plans. My Mother-in-law, Wife and I just spent 2 weeks in Greece and I have nothing to complain about. Think about that! Thank you Tasos and your team, you truly provided the trip of a lifetime.

The trip was amazing. All except 1 individual were on-time for pickups and twice when he was involved our ride was late. Every other interaction was smooth as silk. It was a wonderful balance of guided tours and free time to roam on our own. I enjoyed that most of our tours weren't the traditional touristy thing. The accommodations were nice at each place and the staff was friendly and very helpful at each location. I have recommended Kimkim several times since returning from our adventure and will continue to do so.

Thanks for the wonderful time!

We planned this for a couple of generations of family, us (in our 40s) and our parents (ranging from 70 to 80). This overall was a great trip which allowed us to combine everyone's interest and also cater to some of the activities we wanted to do on certain days. At every hotel, the breakfasts were fantastic!

Most memorable - the first night restaurant. Although a tiny bit of a walk to get there (for our parents), it was beautiful, food delicious, and gorgeous view of the Acropolis. Pi Athens our hotel, although initially we were skeptical, the service and the rooms were great.

In Santorini - everything worked out wonderfully. Everyone really enjoyed the hotel we stayed (Fileria Suites). I really didn't miss the fact that we didn't have the views because we could go right across the street and enjoy them. Service was perfect.

In Archanes, the city was quaint, very quiet and didn't feel it was built for tourists yet. We had an extremely difficult time in finding the Kalimera Hotel and I had to call the hotel for them to meet us at a church (which was steps away from the entrance). We loved this hotel in its history, beauty, and service (again impeccable)... however, since we had seniors with us, we would have preferred to stay at a typical hotel without so many steps in the actual room. Although I know in Greece we did end up walking up and down quite a few staircases and uphills.... if we could have had the option in our hotel to do without we would have paid extra. Our parents did fine, but this would have been a good option for us to know about. Archanes, as much as we liked it, I know my parents would have loved to had a little touristy area to shop. So maybe a few more options of where to stay since we only had the one tour here and it sounds like we could have stayed in Heraklion, more built for tourists.

Chania - hands down this was the favorite of everyone in terms of the rooms, location, and also the elevator! Loved Chania in general - happy to walk around and explore on our own. The local tour was fantastic - loved the lunch, Raki making, cheese making, and bread making stops. Definite highlights.

Some pointers for our transfer from Chania to the ferry and to Athens. Our driver picked us up around 8:30 and we arrived at the ferry port around 9:30 or so - no problem. We thought we would be boarding the ferry immediately, but the ferry that was docked was for 10:00 PM or so. We found out that they ferry didn't arrive until 11:30 with a departure of 12:00 AM. So we ended up going to a cafe across the way and waited for a couple of hours. This was probably the low point of the trip as we were not expecting this wait. We would have rather waited in the hotel lobby a bit longer or at least know of the wait.

The overnight ferry ride was awesome - wish it could have been longer! But our transfer to Athens and our final day tour with Inside Athens was fantastic with Giannis as our tour guide.

Pick up to the airport worked everyone was able to depart on time!

Our trip and experience in Greece was fantastic. We have Tasos and his team to thank, the itinerary was planned to suit our interests. The communication during the planning phase and while we were on our trip was exceptional. We were able to contact Travel 12 anytime, we had been provided with a sim, and there was always someone on the end of the phone to help. In one instance we were not able to locate a restaurant we were to go to and were helped to find it. The guides during our visit were informative and as our trips were in small groups or private you were able to learn more and had opportunity to have conversations. Our accommodation was lovely in all places and suited our budget and needs. We visited Athens and three islands which were very different and went to Tinos which was suggested by Tasos, this was a good choice as it was so different from
Santorini and Mykonos. The scenery was stunning and history, gave us adifferent view of the islands. I thank Tasos and his team for a wonderful trip and would recommend to anyone planning a trip to Greece you will love it.

We had such a wonderful experience for our Greece trip. I would highly recommend using kimkim services to plan any vacation. Harris, our specialist, was absolutely amazing every step of the way. He skillfully planned an itinerary that was exactly what we were looking for. In our two week trip, we experienced city life, cliffs, beaches, mountains, beautiful waters and of course delicious food. We were able to visit Athens, Mykonos, Santorini and Crete and every single detail was taken care of every step of the way. From transportation, to hotels, to excursions, Harris meticulously arranged everything. All we had to do was show up. I cannot say enough about this service. Going to Greece was one of our top 3 bucket-list trips and we wanted it to be perfect. Harris did that for us in such a wonderful way. We did not have any stress on planning the trip, making bookings, ensuring times line-up for ferries, excursions, etc. All of the excursions that were booked also were so wonderful. Our walking tour and hidden gems tour in Santorini was spectacular. We could not have covered so many things in one day. Kostas, our guide took us to the best places all in one day. The sunset catamaran cruise was also so amazing. Getting to swim in the hot springs was also wonderful. In Crete, we visited two places, Heraklion and Chania, both wonderful places. We did a food tour to highlight the Cretan diet that was tasty and informative. We had a chance to sample home-made food with local ingredients. The botantical gardens tour in Chania was so beautiful and a wonderful way to spend the day, enjoying nature and of course great food. I also wanted to callout our driver in Athens, Lampros. He was so professional, timely and so helpful to us. Even on the way to the airport, he took us for one last sight-seeing adventure to a hilltop where we could see the city of Athens. It was a marvelous view!

This trip was simply an amazing experience. I cannot say enough about Harris and the wonderful service he provided. He was responsive throughout the planning process, advising and guiding us every step of the way. He took out all the stress of planning and coordinating this trip, allowing us to just come to the beautiful country of Greece and enjoy all the wonderful things it has to offer. We were delighted! Thank you Harris for such a wonderful trip!

Sincerely,
Namrata and Andy.

All the guides (sorry, we don't remember names) from Alternatives Athens were very good. We enjoyed the fact that all our hotels were in mid town and we were able to explore and walk everywhere in our free time.
On Delos, the sights were good but there was not enough time to explore the ruins and go to the museum. To us the organized tours were not necessary.
In Santorini the Villa was beautiful and would have been a perfect place for a relaxing vacation but for our first time in Santorini, we felt it was too remote for the schedule we had and it would have been better for us to be in a hotel in the town center. Sophia was great and did her best to make us comfortable ( the electricity kept cutting off when we got there and the safe never worked) and welcome. The guide, Costas was excellent. The CATAMARAN Sunset cruise was the best and all the crew on the boat were fantastic.
The Palace of Knossos guide was very good too.
We enjoyed the 7 villages tour in Chania and the driver/guide who took us was also very good.

We had an amazing family vacation thanks to Christos. Greece is a beautiful country and thanks to Christos and his team (Kostas, Sophie, Spiro just to mention a few) we were able to enjoy all that it had to offer. In addition to excellent tours and experiences, Christos's team went out of their way to help us to surprise and celebrate by dad for his 70th birthday in Santorini. It was a memorable experience for everyone and a fantastic vacation!

This is the first time we’ve used a travel agency and it was a great experience! The hotels were excellent, with the exception of the location of one hotel in Crete, close to an outdoor party area, it was noisy and bright in the room. The tours they booked for us were excellent, every guide was so knowledgeable and very engaging. Christos personally came to our hotel in Athens to hand deliver a SIM card for our phone. We had only one incident of a driver not actually waiting for us getting off the ferry in Mykonos. We called KimKim and someone was there to get us within 20 minutes. We would not hesitate to use KimKim again, a very good experience.