Kimkim Trip Reviews for Greece

Our trip was wonderful and perfectly planned and executed by this company. I would recommend them to everyone. All of the tours were personal and our tour guides were exceptional with immense knowledge. We loved the cooking lesson in Vamos, the jeep tour excursion in Rethmyno, and the sea kayaking in Santorini. We probably enjoyed Chania the best with all the beautiful architecture, history, terrific fresh food, and our place to stay was beautiful. All of our hotels were within walking distance of everything we wanted to see. AND we did a lot of walking and climbing!!! Also, our transfers and tour guides were always very prompt! It was probably a once in a lifetime vacation for me, as I'm 73, but I don't think we missed anything!

Hotel Reviews

Olive Green

Heraklion

Not a bad place to stay for a night. The street noise was pretty loud and the receptionist was not too friendly

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Cleanliness & Comfort

Plaka Hotel Athens

Athens

perfect place to stay, close to innumerable restaurants and the acropolis and the museum. great breakfast, too.

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Staff

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SanSal Boutique Hotel

Chania

Beautiful hotel and close to everything we wanted to see and do. Terrific breakfast. The lady that came around during breakfast was very helpful and nice.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Rimondi Boutique Hotels

Rethymno

Very nice hotel in a great location. Room was very nice with a juliet balcony and our own private balcony for relaxation. Food was wonderful and the waitress was very accomodating and friendly

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Alta Vista Suites

Santorini

A very unusual hotel with a cavelike room. Eduardo worked so hard carrying our suitcases up and down stairs. He went out of the way to help us and brought us our breakfast every day. It was close to everything, but not a lot of walking traffic in front of us.

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Activity Reviews

Private Acropolis Hill & Museum Tour

Athens

wonderful tour with a very knowledgeable guide.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Private Old Town of Chania guided walk

Chania

Areagna( the princess) was full of information. We enjoyed all the history and architecture.

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Guides, Drivers and Staff

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Local Transfer in Chania

Greece

Our transfer was right on time and had a lot of information along the drive

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Guides, Drivers and Staff

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Cooking Class in Apokoronas

Chania

This was one of the best experiences we had during the trip. Maria was very interesting and made it a hands on class. The food was terrific and the site was great too.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Rethymno Food Tour

Rethymno

Vincent was a good tour guide, although it was an English tour, three of the people and he spoke French most of the time. The last restaurant was a surprise. We wouldn't have ever found it by ourselves. Very good food.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

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Private Preveli Beach Jeep Excursion from Rethymno

Rethymno

This was one of our favorite tours. Dionysis (sp?) was great with a lot of information about all the local agriculture, and wildlife. We had some great picture stops, and the restaurant for our meal was amazing.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

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Private Knossos & Museum Tour

Greece

My goodness ! I didn't know one person could retain as much knowledge as Lena. She was the best tour guide we had, and didn't waste any time. Her enthusiasm showed!

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Guides, Drivers and Staff

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Santorini Sea Kayak tour

Santorini

Adonis and his crew were very good at helping all of us. The sea was not calm, but they were very watchful. We would recommend this to all ages. I am 73, and I enjoyed it. The lunch was good at the beach, too

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Guides, Drivers and Staff

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Santorini Farm Tour: Food & Wine

Santorini

We had a local tour guide that was involved in all of the processes we saw. The wine tour was great and she personally knew a lot about each wine. The tomato farm was great with 5 different ways to enjoy the fruit.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Every aspect of working with kimkim was superb!
Our accommodations were wonderful and all of our activities were so much fun. The hospitality and services provided by everyone involved with our trip was fantastic!

Hotel Reviews

Villa Marandi Luxury Suites Naxos

Naxos

Lovely, spacious accommodations and amazing hospitality and service from the entire staff. We highly recommend!

Authenticity & Character

The lovely rooms and staff.

Location

Rent a car if you want to be closer to town but it was perfect for us!

Staff

We missed them when we got to our next destination! They were such a joy.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Miland Suites Milos

Milos

Lovely rooms. Beautiful setting and view. It’s a wonderful bed and breakfast property. I’d give it 5 stars if it was full service!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Short drive to town. Lovely views.

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Lilium Santorini Hotel

Santorini

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Elia Ermou Athens Hotel

Athens

Authenticity & Character

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Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Free Day in Naxos

Naxos

The best part was the warm welcome from the Marandi Villas staff. They served us welcome cocktails of our choice and were absolutely the loveliest people.

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Guides, Drivers and Staff

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Naxos Town Private Cultural Food Tour

Naxos

Our tour guide was with the Ministry of Tourism. Highly recommend using only guides with this level of achievement.

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Full-day Private Catamaran Cruise around Naxos Island

Naxos

Captain Anna and Harris were wonderful guides. They shared their knowledge and history of the islands, were very attentive to serving us and sharing their hospitality in a lovely and unhurried manner.

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Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

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Private Milos Kayaking Tour

Milos

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

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Private Santorini Cultural Highlights Guided Tour with Wine Tasting

Santorini

Quality of Experience

The wine tasting with Esmeralda gets 5 stars. She was delightful and shares her passion for the winery and winemaking. The overall tour of Santorini with guide gets 1 star.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Please use official tour guides with the Ministry of Tourism.

Transport

A tour guide who presents himself/herself professionally and is prepared.

Santorini Caldera Private Sunset Cruise with BBQ on board and Open Bar

Santorini

Theos and Thanos were amazing guides and hosts. They were professional, attentive, hospitable and fun!

Quality of Experience

The service, the sails going up, the views… utter joy.

Food

Every bit of it! It was plentiful and delicious!

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

The Acropolis & Athens Old City Private Guided Tour

Athens

Our guide Effie was amazing. Truly delightful, passionate and knowledgeable. She was generous with her time and we felt we could have talked with her forever.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Tony was delightful!

Private Tailored Gastronomic Experience of Milos

Milos

From seeing the mine, Sarakiniko beach, the Cave Winery tasting and Tour, dessert in Plakka to a late and lavish lunch with chef Vasilis Papikinos our day was full in every way!

Quality of Experience

Food

We enjoyed the attention of the chef and how he explained each dish. He lavished is with so many unique dishes! We had a dessert stop first in Plakka and I’d recommend doing that last!

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Free Day in Milos

Milos

We rented a car/van. We had a free day in Naxos on this day to explore villages. We enjoyed Chalki.

Fantastic trip that included nearly all of the main Grecian highlights, travel was impeccably coordinated with luxurious Mercedes sprinter vans and clear instructions on who to meet at which locations. The tour guides were truly outstanding especially Zakia at the Athens sites, Giannis and Nektaria in Crete and Iota in Santorini. The company was flexible in shifting our plans while in country to accommodate preferences. Would absolutely travel with Kimkim again

Dimitrios was excellent to work with. Our trip was wonderful. Hotel staff, drivers and guides were courteous, prompt and welcoming.

This was my first time traveling out of the country and Eirini made it such a stress free experience! From us coordinating our trip she truly wanted to ensure my husband and I had a great experience by booking awesome activities such as a wine tour, food tour, acropolis tour and many more other activities. She was prompt in communication, i never felt alone, it was comforting to know i could reach out at any time. I had such a wonder experience that I am looking forward to booking future travel with kim kim!

Great trip! Theodore’s bohemian Athens tour - fantastic! Enjoyed location of hotel in Skopelos and Santorini ‘in a nutshell’ tour with Kostis was amazing- saw the ‘other’ side of Santorini!

Logistics were easy and well planned. App made the trip even easier. Rebecca was available for any questions we had! Would highly recommend the entire KimKim experience! Will use them again

Hotel Reviews

Agali Houses

Firostefani 00

Beautiful hotel in a perfect location- away from the hustle of Fira and Oia but close enough to walk to both. Staff was phenomenal and accommodating!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hermes Hotel

Athens

Perfect location in Athens and very helpful staff!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Santorini - Santorini in a Nutshell Tour | Akrotiri Archaeological Site & Wine Tasting

Santorini

Kostis was an amazing host and ‘tweaked’ tour to be absolutely perfect for our family. We loved the food and winery and sites is Santorini that he shared!

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Guides, Drivers and Staff

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Santorini - Caldera Hike ~ Probably the most picturesque hike in the world ! | Self guided

Santorini

Well worth the 2.5 hour hike!

Quality of Experience

Athens - Bohemian Tour of Athens

Athens

Theodore was an amazing host - loved seeing the less traveled parts of Athens!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Santorini - Free Morning & Santorini Catamaran Gold Sunset Cruise (Small group cruise)

Santorini

Loved the sunset cruise- crew was fun, helpful and made a delicious Greek meal!

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Everything about our trip to Greece was exceptional, thanks to Chris. He clearly used the planning phase of our collaboration to understand us and what we might enjoy. Every hotel, tour guide, activity, and reservation was perfect - and extra details made the trip easy and luxe for us. Chris booked not only great hotels, but the best room in the great hotels. He chose the best seats on airplanes and the ferry, the most exceptional tours and guides, fantastic drivers - the list is endless. We commented over and over about how Chris' expertise and professionalism were the things that made our trip so special. We moved around a lot over ten days, and it never seemed difficult or taxing. We recommend kim kim and Chris highly.

Hotel Review

Sweet Home Hotel

Athens

It was just lovely. The hotel was well located, well appointed, and provided exceptional personal service. Staying at the Sweet Home Hotel certainly enhanced our trip.

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Activity Review

Acropolis Guided Tour

Athens

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Unforgettable anniversary trip to Athens & Santorini! Thanks to Antonis, Dimitrios and the whole Be a Greek team. We enjoyed being able to create a custom itinerary and the planning and booking process on kim kim was easy. We'd never done private tours before but we loved it--no waiting in lines, waiting for others, or navigating transportation! The guides were excellent, friendly and very knowledgeable. The drivers were timely, helpful, and did a great job navigating the traffic, especially in Athens. Excellent communication from the whole team made our vacation from planning to on-site so fun and stress free. The two hotels we stayed at, Eli Ermou (Athens) and Asha Suites (Santorini) were great choices, recommend both. Greece is a beautiful...the place, the people , the history...the trip exceeded our expectations and we would highly recommend to others.

Hotel Reviews

Elia Ermou Athens Hotel

Athens

Perfect location and very comfortable rooms, a great place to stay in Athens! The staff were friendly and helpful and we loved having breaking every morning looking out at the Acropolis.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Close to many attractions, restaurants, shopping!

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Asha Suites

Fira

Beautiful hotel with sunset views just outside your door! Great location in Fira, near shopping, restaurants.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Close to restaurants/shopping but just outside room is a beautiful view for watching the world go by.

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

The Acropolis & Acropolis Museum Private Guided Tour

Athens

A must-see in Athens! We had an excellent guide and learned so much about the history.

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Goulandris Contemporary Art Museum Private Guided Tour

Athens

Amazing collection of art unlike the typical art museum...so cool!

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Guides, Drivers and Staff

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Private Guided Day Trip to Argolis Region

Athens

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

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Private Santorini Cultural Highlights Guided Tour with Wine Tasting

Santorini

So fun checking out various parts of Santorini and the wine tour was awesome!

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Guides, Drivers and Staff

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Santorini's Past Private Guided Tour

Santorini

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Our trip to Greece was a trip we will never forget! Overall, the experience was fantastic. We had one issue where there was a miscommunication with the date we were arriving and leaving, Angela quickly jumped to action accommodating us with a hotel for us to stay at that first night in Athens and adjusting our stay in Santorini. The taxi for us to get to the port in Athens never showed up to pick us up to the hotel, we had to get a cab and Angela made sure we were reimbursed. She made sure everything was fixed and checked in to make sure our trip ran smoothly.

The excursions Angela selected were absolutely amazing and were catered to what we were interested. There was a perfect mixture between "touristy" attractions and tours that took us through how the locals live. It was all so informative about the history of Greece.

Naxos was hands down our favorite island we visited. I WILL BE RETURNING THERE! It was not full of people and felt very traditional. We loved the scenery, the food, and the people we encountered on Naxos. We went on a fishing tour with Evan with Naxos Fishing Experience and had the best time. He ended up giving us a good bit of fish to take and one of the restaurants cooked it for us! A truly unforgettable experience.

Overall an amazing trip! :)

We just returned from the most wonderful, stress-free two week vacation throughout Greece (May 4-17, visiting Athens, Mykonos, Santorini, Chania, Heraklion) which was made entirely possible through the assistance of the team at Be a Greek operating within the kimkim interface.

For general context, we are a married, American couple traveling without children. We entered the country May 4th and departed May 17th. Before booking our trip, we had a general understanding of some of the highlights and quote unquote “must-see” spots to visit, but wanted to get an insider’s perspective on how we could transform a simple tourist trip into a once in a lifetime, authentic Greece experience.

Months before we even left, we had two face-to-face sessions with our main contact person, Dimitrios. Dimitrios was a wealth of knowledge on all things Greece and a great communicator throughout the entire process. After discussing the basics such as; what time our flight was arriving, had we traveled to Greece before, what our budget was, and what our “need to see or do” checklist items were; he then dived deep, asking many questions regarding the kind of couple we are and what we like to do for fun. After our first conversation, he generated a mock itinerary comprised of; days spent in each location, travel options between each destination, and the daily plan or “event(s) of the day” so to speak. He then scheduled a follow up meeting where he provided more context for each of the proposed experiences and hotels, asked for our thoughts, and discussed what we thought needed to be added or subtracted. As an example, we originally did not plan on going to Crete, but after discussion with Dimitrios we decided we could not miss it. And those days ended up being some our favorite of the trip!

After finalizing the itinerary, we set up a payment plan for the total to be paid in chunks over the next couple months. Dimitrios then said, “do not worry, we will take care of the rest”. And we took that to heart! In fact, the weeks leading up to our trip coincided with some the busiest portions of our work schedules and we did not even finish packing our suitcase until the moment before leaving for the airport, let alone try to coordinate inter-Greece travel. And our faith was completely rewarded.

Before we delve into the trip itself, a quick aside regarding the ease of travel. As mentioned above, we started in Athens before traveling to Mykonos, Santorini, then Crete (3 days in Chania, 1 day in Heraklion). Upon arrival at each destination we were personally greeted by a driver holding up a sign with our names written out then promptly delivered to our place of lodging. All of our in-country flights and ferries were booked beforehand on our behalf. The Be A Greek team set up a WhatsApp group chat with us before leaving our home and while traveling, they would send us our flight/ferry tickets the day before, along with the next day’s full itinerary (pick up times, helpful info, etc). All of this was entirely seamless without any major delay, allowing us to enjoy spending more time at each destination.

Now delving in to the particulars of the travel days themselves.

We arrived in Athens after a long international flight and were greeted by our personal driver who quickly delivered us to our hotel. In Athens we stayed at the Oniro City. The Oniro had impeccable service staff, great breakfast, and was centrally located to allow us to easily walk to each destination.

That first evening in Athens we were moderately jet lagged and, after exploring a bit, fell asleep rather early and rather quickly. Our first full day we went on the Exclusive Myths and Philosophers Private Guided Walking Tour with Giannis. This was the perfect way to first experience Athens. Giannis was extremely knowledgeable about Greek history and showed us the major highlights of the city, stopping at strategic locations to provide more information and context about what we were seeing. The fun, overarching theme of the tour was the emphasis on the titans of Greek philosophy, Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle, and how their ideas not only shaped the political landscape of Ancient Greece but also their impact on the Greece we were seeing that day. And on a personal note, Giannis was a really great guy and we thoroughly enjoyed chatting with him about all things Greece, from ancient history to the Greek basketball team’s chances in the upcoming summer Olympics.

The next day was The Acropolis & Acropolis Museum Private Guided Tour with Katerina. Katerina must have given that same tour thousands of time based on her deep knowledge and ability to answer all our obscure, miscellaneous questions, yet she still presented the information with the fascination and wonder of somebody seeing the true marvel that is the Acropolis for the first time. The Acropolis and the Parthenon live up to the hype! The museum is also a great excuse to get out of the sun and is filled with many fascinating artifacts that help provide more context for what we had just seen up on the hill. We had scheduled free time that evening which we used to re-visit some of our favorite spots Giannis showed us our first day.

The next morning we departed for Mykonos by ferry. Upon arrival we were picked up in the port by a personal driver and delivered to our hotel. We stayed at the Argo Hotel, located a 1 minute walk from the pristine beach of Platis Gialos. The Argo was perfectly located and our room was very unique, appearing as if carved out of a giant limestone slab. While staying there, we briefly misplaced a sun hat and after looking all over we turned in desperation towards the employees, asking them to keep an eye out. At this point we assume an entire battalion was sent searching, because the hat was blessedly found at a restaurant near the beach in less than 30 minutes and hand delivered to our room.

The first night and next full day were scheduled free time. We took the advice provided in our Be a Greek itinerary and divided our time lounging at the beach and traveling over to the main town to experience the delightful limestone houses and the charming Little Venice.

The next morning we set off for the Concierge-Class Small-group Sailing Cruise to Delos & Rhenia islands. As always, we were picked up in an already coordinated shuttle from our hotel. We boarded the sailboat with 6 total passengers (us included). I wish I could remember the names of our crew because they were all absolutely fabulous. They had tons of refreshments on board and continued to generously refill our wine glasses while sailing. Our first stop was the small island of Delos where Katerina (our tour guide) gave us a personal tour of the remarkably preserved ruins found on the island while providing many interesting tidbits and asides throughout. After the (~100 minute long) tour we were given half an hour to; explore the rest of the island, climb up Mount Kynthos, and re-visit some of our favorite spots. Once back on board we had a short sail over to a bay nearby the island of Rhenia. While anchored in the most breathtakingly blue water either of us had ever seen, we were given about 2 and a half hours to swim, mingle, and finished our time off with a very tasty, traditional Greek lunch (the Greek salad in particular was incredible). We sailed back and arrived on shore around 4 in the afternoon where our shuttle was waiting to take us back to the hotel.

The next morning we were shuttled to the port and boarded a ferry to Santorini. Upon arrival, our driver (who remained our driver throughout the entirety of our stay in Santorini and was a really great guy) greeted us with a sign bearing our name then drove us to our lodging.

We stayed at the Christou Estate in Pyrgos, a complex made up of individual, secluded villas on a lot filled with well-kept olive trees, overlooking a vast vineyard. We were specifically in the Kota (chicken) Villa. We truly cannot say enough great things about the Christou Estate and the staff working there. After being dropped off, we were greeted at the door by one of the managers who provided us with a map of the island, locations of nearby shops and grocery stores, and recommended several restaurants and things to do/see nearby. Each morning, a vast breakfast filled with delectable Greek staples was personally delivered down to our villa, allowing us to start our day with great food, great coffee, and a remarkable view. During that first conversation with the aforementioned hotel employee, we asked if he could help direct us to where we could do some laundry nearby. He instead asked us to leave everything we wanted to be washed on the bed, then coordinated with the housekeeper to have all our dirty clothes cleaned and folded by the time we came back at the end of the day. The second day, we absent-mindedly left some of our dirty clothes from the day before near the bed before leaving for the day, and returned with these having been cleaned and folded as well. Without any prompting! It honestly felt like staying in our own personal paradise, we did not see another guest our entire time there.

Regarding our activities while on Santorini, our first full day we went on the Santorini Island Discovery Small-group Tour led by Maria (maybe Irene? Sorry we aren’t the best with names). Along with one other couple, we were driven around some of the quaint, small villages scattered across the Santorini countryside and even stopped at several for a closer look at various points of interest, all of which were wonderfully elucidated upon by our tour guide. We were also dropped off at the Akrotiri prehistoric town and were given the opportunity to stroll through the ancient civilization, remarkably preserved following the Minoan volcanic eruption back in ~1600 BC. We finished the tour by stopping at a combination winery/museum/art gallery where we enjoyed a thorough description of the techniques used to make wine in Santorini across the generations while perusing unique and stunning art pieces adorning the walls throughout. This was followed by a Santorini wine tasting led by one of the sommelier’s employed there. Not only was the wine incredible, the sommelier’s passion for both the wine itself and the history of wine-making across Santorini was very evident. This whole morning was a true highlight amongst highlights for us, one of our favorite memories.

We were then dropped off at our hotel and had free time that afternoon. Per the suggestion of our villa manager, we decided to walk all the way from Pyrgos to Oia, traveling along the Fira-Oia walking path. The path wound its way atop the caldera cliffs and through various villages along the 9 mile trek (14.5 kilometers). This is the activity we would probably recommend to future visitors of Santorini above all else. Several hours of absolutely indescribable cliff-top views capped off by watching the sun set over the beautiful blue-topped domes of Oia felt like a once-in-a-lifetime experience.

The next morning, after enjoying another outstanding breakfast only slightly bested by the aforementioned gorgeous views from our villa, we hiked up to Mount Profitis Ilias to see the entirety of the island from the highest point and revel in the architecture of the monastery built up there. Later that afternoon, we were picked up from our villa for the Santorini Caldera Small-group Sunset Cruise with BBQ on board and Open Bar. We were onboard with 10 people, 5 couples (including ourselves). Perhaps even better than the delicious Greek dinner served on board or the incredible views of the island as seen from the caldera, was the phenomenal staff! Led by the catamaran’s captain, Giannis, the entire crew was comprised of wonderful individuals, whom through their insights on various points of interest along our sailing route and general conversation, made the night unforgettable. The unlimited drinks and stunning view of the sunset from the boat didn’t hurt either. We arrived ashore around 8:30 pm and were driven back to our hotel.

The next morning we were picked up from the villa and driven to the Santorini airport for our flight to Chania, connecting through Athens. Perhaps the only slightly negative part of the trip due to bulk of the day being devoted to travel and a prolonged Athens layover, though we are unsure whether earlier flights would have been feasible given our departure time from Santorini. We were picked up at 6 AM and our the flight out of Santorini left around 8 AM. After the ~30 minute flight to Athens we had a ~5 hour layover in the airport. We landed in Chania around 3 PM and were thus unable to make it to our planned event that evening, which was scheduled to begin at 3:45 PM. That being said, we alerted the Be a Greek team when we landed that we would likely not be able to make the event via the WhatsApp group text and within minutes we were offered the same experience for the next evening. This is just one example of how attentive and expeditiously the team handled any minor inconvenience we had throughout our travel.

We stayed at the Mossa Well Being Hotel while in Chania. This wellness themed hotel had so many fun activities available to us, from guided group yoga and even dancing classes, Unfortunately, we were unable to partake in any due to already scheduled conflicting activities. Additionally, we would like to mention another positive interaction regarding the hotel staff at Mossa. We had a scheduled free day planned for our 2nd full day in Chania and, after consulting the “recommended activities on free days” portion of our Be a Greek itinerary, decided we wanted to book a hike through the Samaria gorge. As we were getting ready to leave the hotel to visit Old Chania our first morning there, we offhandedly mentioned our intent to book a hike through the gorge to the front desk staff. They quickly and graciously offered to coordinate the entire experience for us, even arranging for hotel curbside pick up early the next morning and providing us breakfast boxes to take on the bus so that we would not have to buy food on the drive up to the trailhead..

Regarding our time in Chania; after rescheduling our first night’s event, we had a free first evening. We used the time to eat at a taverna with traditional Cretan food nearby our hotel (we ate about two entrees too many!) then strolled along the beach and enjoyed the marvelous sunset. As mentioned above, we also had a free morning in Chania the next day and decided to visit the old city of Chania. The old city was incredibly beautiful and we thoroughly enjoyed walking around down there.

Later that afternoon we were picked up for The Authentic Cretan Cooking Small Group Experience nearby our hotel by Giannis. This experience was shared with 10 other people (12 including us). We are maybe contradicting our earlier claims (it’s hard to pick just one favorite after all), but the evening spent learning about Cretan history and being instructed on how to prepare traditional Cretan dishes was perhaps the absolute highlight of the trip. The class took place in the shadow of the White Mountains outside of a centuries old home in a vast orchard of olive trees. Giannis has lived in Crete for nearly his entire life and his passion for the island and Greece as a whole was infectious. From the moment we stepped on board his van around 3:45 PM to when we begrudgingly had to say our goodbyes around 9:30 PM, he was engaging, informative, and incredibly congenial. He stood by us throughout the entire experience; providing further context of the ingredients we were using, sharing Cretan wines with us, and detailing customs and cultural idiosyncrasies that make Crete such a special place. Giannis ended the evening with a discussion about the history of Crete spanning 50 million years; starting with the shifting of the tectonic plates that precipitated Crete’s emergence from the sea, then swooping through prehistoric civilizations, the Minoans, and the Iron Age, before touching on the Hellenistic, Byzantine, Venetian, and Ottoman eras, and finally detailing the progression of modern Crete up to today. Beyond informative, his words were inspiring and powerful. Furthermore, the women who directed us throughout the cooking class elegantly wove instructions in how to properly prepare the ingredients sitting in front of us with stories detailing the traditions and culture of the island, leaving us with a truly authentic sense of the people who inhabited this place we were so fortunate to be visiting. We will never forget that evening and also just how much olive oil goes into essentially everything consumed on Crete.

The following morning was our Samaria Gorge hike booked through the Mossa hotel. We were picked up by a bus at 6:15 AM and arrived at the trailhead by 7:45 AM. Beginning the trek surrounded by snow capped peaks before descending through a colossal gorge and finally emerging from the mountains to be greeted by a deep-blue ocean view felt like a singularly unique Cretan experience. Basking in the grandeur of this incredibly varied topography within a relatively short 5 hour excursion highlighted the inherent climate diversity which has made Crete such a bastion of civilization for over 100,000 years. After the hike we ate lunch, enjoyed a beer, and toasted to our accomplishment with some much deserved Raki. As Agia Roumeli (the town at the exit point of the gorge) does not have roads which reach its limits, we had to board a ferry to nearby Sougia, where we were then loaded back onto our bus and returned to the hotel.

The next morning we were picked up by our personal driver around 11 AM for a cross-island drive from Chania to Heraklion. We stopped in the small port city of Rethymno along the way to stretch our legs and walk through the old Venetian streets. We arrived in Heraklion around 3 PM. Our driver for the afternoon (we believe his name was Manolis, though not positive) was a funny guy and kept conversation going throughout the bulk of the drive, pausing intermittently to point out worthwhile sights viewable through car windows.

We checked into our final hotel, the Legacy Gastro Suites upon arrival in Heraklion. The hotel was very nice and had a beautiful window view of the port and plateia eleftherias. We had an early check out the next morning after only one night and they graciously supplied breakfast boxes before we left.

Not long after our arrival, we were picked up for the Knossos Palace Small-group Mythological Tour with Katerina. During the winter months, Katerina works as an archeologist uncovering nearby ruins, and as such, she was a wealth of knowledge regarding both the labyrinth itself and the ancient Minoan and eventual Mycenaean inhabitants. After the ~90 minute tour we were driven back to our hotel to begin our final night in Greece.

We were picked up at 7 AM the next morning and driven to the Heraklion airport for our last Be a Greek booked event; that being a flight to Athens. Shortly thereafter we boarded our return flight home.

We cannot express just how much this trip meant to us and it would not have been possible with the efforts of the Be a Greek team. We cannot recommend Dimitrios and his entire staff highly enough. Thank you for making our dream of an authentic Greek experience a reality.

Efcharistó!!

Kendall and Michael

We had an incredible experiencing exploring Greece. We started our trip in Athens and rounded it up staying on the islands of Sifnos and Santorini. Every aspect about our trip was amazing from the accomadtions, activities, and transport. Ioannis made sure our trip was seamless and was easy to communicate with. He was very responsive when we needed assistance during our trip. We will be back to Greece to explore this beautiful country and it's various islands, mostly part to the wonderful trip we had using Kim Kim.

We had a great time! Kimkim and Chris you did great job with everything you planned and it went very well. All our hotels, tour guides and drivers were great. Thank you for such a great trip. This was the first time booking with Kimkim.com and it was a fantastic experience. Everything I asked for was planned. Our trip was 5 star all the way. We will definitely will book our next trip with Kimkim.com. Your pricing was way better than the company we usually book thru and did the exact same things and stayed in the exact same hotels for less money. We always had someone to contact if we needed them 24/7. I can’t say enough good things about my experience with Kimkim.com and their contacts. Thank you.

Hotel Reviews

Grande Bretagne Hotel

Athens

This is a must stay hotel. Best views, service and beautiful hotel. Great location in Athens with lots of history. Loved our stay.

Authenticity & Character

Historical hotel, so beautiful

Location

Convenience and near great shopping.

Staff

Everyone was so willing to help.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Everything was so clean and neat!

Phaea Blue Palace

Agios Nikolaos

What a newly renovated hotel.! This place was amazing. You won’t be disappointed with this property, staff, spa and service. A must stay.

Authenticity & Character

Very hip vibe! Loved the decor.

Location

Great views and located on a hillside, but access to a private beach.

Staff

Everyone was great and always helpful.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Everything spotless.

Canaves Oia Suites Santorini

Santorini

The best location, views, spa, staff. Our room had a wonderful expansive view and so convenient to everything.

Authenticity & Character

It has that cave vibe, because part of it is inside a cave. Very unique and 5 star all the way. The breakfast patio is spectacular.

Location

Best location and right where taxi drop off is located.

Staff

Everyone was so willing to help.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Spotless

Bill & Coo Suites & Lounge

Mykonos

This place is amazing. Anything you want they deliver. The food was amazing. The staff was amazing. The room was amazing. The pool and views were amazing. You won’t be disappointed with staying here. Highly recommend Bill & Cooz

Authenticity & Character

Had lots of character.

Location

10 minute walk to downtown.

Staff

Amazing. Always near to accommodate your needs.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Spotless

Sofitel Athens Airport

Athens

So so convenient to airport just outside of the exit doors. The room was very nice and bathroom was spacious. It was also very quiet.

Authenticity & Character

Very nice.

Location

The best, just outside airport exit doors.

Staff

Very nice and quick to check you in.

Cleanliness & Comfort

It was very clean and good breakfast. The only negative thing was evening dining was too close to the outdoor smoking area, bad design for non-smokers.

Activity Reviews

Local Transfer in Mykonos

Mykonos

Very easy with our private driver.

Quality of Experience

Everything we did was private.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Driver was great and always on time.

Transport

Mercedes, great.

Private Acropolis Hill & Museum Tour

Athens

Was nice but very crowded. Glad we went early.

Quality of Experience

Very interesting, but too crowded.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

They were all great.

Transport

All the transport was Mercedes vehicle, which was very nice.

Private Flavors of Athens Tour

Athens

Great experience of local foods.

Quality of Experience

Nice to experience different foods and places.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Was great with getting away from some of the crowds.

Transport

Great!

Private Cape Sounio Sunset tour

Greece

Great afternoon, our driver made this tour great.

Quality of Experience

Beautiful views and drive.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Driver was very informative and accommodating.

Transport

Great Mercedes.

Spa Day in Elounda

Elounda

What a great relaxing day. Massage was great.

Quality of Experience

Masseur was great.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Always willing to help.

Transport

Staff can take you where you want to go on property.

Private Knossos & Museum Tour

Greece

Very interesting.

Quality of Experience

A must see.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Was great, very knowledgeable.

Transport

Mercedes, great.

Historical Santorini Guided Tour

Santorini

This is a must SEE! Very interesting.

Quality of Experience

Our guide was great.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Our guide was great and very knowledgeable.

Transport

Mercedes, great.

Day-Trip to Delos Island

Mykonos

We had to do this with a group, not what we like to do. It was ok, but not worth the boat rides and wait times to get there and back.

Quality of Experience

It was ok.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Guide was very knowledgeable.

Transport

Too long wait time in boarding.

Useful Information

Greece

I would recommend to do this trip private all the way. The only way to travel and get the best experience. We had a great time.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

We had an incredible trip organized by Rebecca. The hotels and restaurants were terrific. She was very professional and timely in her responses.

The highlight of the trip was the time we spent with George, our guide through our trip in mainland Greece. I can’t say enough about his knowledge and his kindness, and how he went out of his way to be kind to our son and to ensure we had the best experience possible. I will be forever grateful to him.

My only word of caution would be to try find “official” guides at the sites who really know what they’re talking about. I am a Greek history nerd so I was a little annoyed when my otherwise lovely tour guide painted a too-rosy picture of ancient medical care at the Temple of Askplepius, when I know the true picture was more complex. Similarly, even when we showed we had more knowledge than he expected, our Parthenon tour guide was unable to veer from his scripted tour and find new things to teach us and engage us. On the other hand, our guide at the Temple of Poseidon was fantastic and it was clear he had been trainedr in this field and truly knew what he was talking about. All the guides were very personable however, so I’m just pointing this out for history nerds like me.

My family had an amazing trip and it was truly money well spent. Thanks again to Rebecca and her team.

Angela was an amazing coordinator for our trip to Greece. We were especially impressed because we got in touch with her just three months before our travel dates, and she was still able to plan and organize an amazing itinerary that fit the budget we provided and met all of our requirements. The tour guides she selected were amazing, and the hotels she recommended and booked were better than any of the ones we would have found on our own. She is a wonderful communicator and was very responsive and available throughout the entire planning process and during the trip itself.

All of the guides were very knowledgable and helpful. The drivers were also very good, friendly, shared information and were very helpful getting us to and from our destinations.

V Good experience and happy with Angela organizing the whole trip.
Happy that the trip went smoothly without any problems
Had a great and fun trip.

Trip went so smoothly thanks to Kimkim’s local agency, Somewhere in Greece. Guides and tours were and drvers were in time and friendly and very knowledgeable, making the experience so pleasant and without stress. Highly recommend.

Activity Reviews

Sunset trip to the Temple of Poseidon in Cape Sounion

Athens

Beautiful experience made better by our driver Thanassis, who helped us avoid crowds and shared interesting information about the area and history.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Day trip to Delphi & Arachova

Athens

Our driver Thanassis made the experience more wonderful by sharing information and making the drive very pleasant. All was perfect and he made all appointments on time, etc. Highly recommend. Our guide for Delphi was great, too. Made it very interesting and personal.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Naxos Old Town food tour

Naxos

Gina, our guide, was engaging, fun, and friendly. Made the tour a really memorable one. Food was terrific everywhere. Bonus was hearing about the history and culture of the island and the tour of the labyrinthine castle.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

E-bike experience with tastings

Naxos

Absolutely loved ghe experience. Manos was a fun, kind, informed, and very engaging guide and partner for the day’s activities. Bikes worked so well, great way to see the island. Really an insider’s glimpse of life on Naxos. Loved it. Highly recommend Aurelia Bikes and Manos’s tour.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

KimKim made the planning process easy for our medium sized group of young ladies to travel to Greece! Everywhere we went, there were taxis, boats, planes or rental cars ready for us with our name. Even when my sister met us in Athens (not a part of the main group), KimKim helped us coordinate with the tourism company to ensure my sister could join us that day. The girls agreed one of our favorite things was the WhatsApp group chat with your travel specialist while in country. Any issues that came up (minor), there was immediate responses, which helped us feel very safe. We accidentally flew in on the day of the Olympic Torch passing (we had no idea!) and our travel specialist reached out to recommend it (and it was great!). Trying to plan an island hopping trip of a foreign country couldn’t have been easier.

Dionysus was amazing and his tour of the Acropolis was perfection.
Christus at Meteora was an excellent guide.
Erai in Corfu and the food tour was delightful and went out of his way to show us so many different things. He went over and above all expectations.
Anastasia and the Durrell tour was delightful. We so enjoyed that tour even though the weather was not cooperating that day.
The Olive tour snd tasting was top notch. Learned so much. MerDesOlivers was a wonderful find and we spent hours there.
In Corfu we saw the Olympic torch arrive.
Mykonos and the Delos Island were great archeological sites.
On Santorini our San Hilite Tours were fantastic and Yoda and her husband driver the best.
The wine tour beautiful.
So enjoyed the catamaran tour was top notch, vista yachting!! The crew was delightful and the buffet lunch terrific.
We did take the metro to Akrotiri and what an amazing experience.

All the hotels were perfect. We did change rooms at the Elena in Corfu because the loft was just too many steps and the bed to low . Everyone was so accommodating. Got a first floor room for the second night.

I can not say enough positive things about our experience. Travel 12 in Greece and Erini were accommodating and always available. All the transfers and taxis and cars and vans great and everyone was on time and so kind.
Our trip was magical .thank you so very much.

Hotel Reviews

Plaka Hotel Athens

Athens

Luxury accommodation with a roof top Acropolis view. Elevator and very knowledgeable staff. In the heart of everything.

Authenticity & Character

Very comfortable and quiet in the heart of the city.

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Loved the amenities and roof top dining

Ganimede Hotel

Galaxidi

Lovely accommodations and the yummiest breakfast

Authenticity & Character

Location

Small and personal

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Lithia Boutique Hotel Ioannina

Ioannina

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Theatro hotel Odysseon Meteora

Kalabaka

Fun themed rooms . Enjoyed the atmosphere very much.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Thera Luxury Villas Santorini

Beautiful, Be prepared for steps. Challenging for hip and knee replacements. Delicious breakfast Gorgeous rooftop eternity jacuzzi.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Gorgeous views

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Elena Hotel Mykonos

Mykonos

A delightful choice

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Perianth Hotel

Athens

Authenticity & Character

Every detail was perfect. Great amenities

Location

Gorgeous Acropolis views

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Bella Venezia Hotel Corfu

Corfu

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Car Rental Pick-up

Greece

Private Panoramic Meteora Tour

Meteora

An amazing and “other worldly “ experience

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Christus was a great guide.

Transport

Private Acropolis Hill & Museum Tour

Athens

Dionysus was an exceptional guide.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Lunch with Olive Grove View

Greece

Quality of Experience

Food

Local transfer in Corfu

Greece

Quality of Experience

The Durrells Tour of Corfu

Corfu

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Anastasia was a helpful and knowledgeable guide.

Transport

Food Tour in Corfu Old Town

Corfu

Erai was our guide and he was so personable and loved sharing his city. It was a joy.

Santorini Highlights with Wine

Greece

Yoda was a wonderful guide.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Morning Catamaran Caldera Cruise

Santorini

Vista Yachting. Such fun.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Car Rental Drop-off

Greece

Great to experience the Greek mainland at our own pace. So fun.

Quality of Experience

Day-Trip to Delos Island

Mykonos

Worth every minute. So interesting. Very windy.

Quality of Experience

Transport

Mariliza our tour curator was amazing. She was in contact with us the entire time with reminders, checking on weather in advance ro ensure transport schedule continues.