Liz Chreist

Hotel Citadines Trocadero: good location*, good rooms for family group, reasonable kitchen, rather odd bathroom with tiny shower. Toilet in separate room and bathtub were okay. The staff were minimally helpful. There is a large, locked closet in the lobby to hold luggage. A self-serve laundry is onsite. The laundry app works well until you have problems or questions; then, nobody can help you. The dryer didn’t dry very well. We did not have breakfast there. It seemed to be a continental breakfast.

Hotel Apollinaire in Nice was very nice. Staff was helpful. Breakfast was included and was impressive. Hans and Susan and the kids had adjoining rooms. There was some breakfast confusion on the first morning, but we texted KimKim and things were straightened out right away. Hotel approx. 5 stars

Versailles, half-day tour of palace and gardens. We enjoyed seeing the palace and would have liked time to actually see the gardens. This was the part of the trip we enjoyed least. The heatwave didn’t help matters. Versailles is some distance from town. We tried hard to figure out walking, Metro, bus, etc. The only simple way to get there and to get back for an afternoon activity is by Uber. The process for sorting out groups of tourists and guides is rather disorganized. This was the first time we ever used the headphones / earbuds and device to hear the tour guide. It seems to be the most reasonable way of having multiple guides and groups of people to communicate with. However, we weren’t very happy with our guide (Leonor) or the tour. We arrived on time for a tour time which was an hour later. It was rather hard to stay with the group with so many other people there. We didn’t find the commentary very informative. After several hours, we were shown the gardens outside (through a window) and told that we had tickets to the gardens but that part of the tour was on our own. In retrospect, we think this should actually be marketed as a day-long tour with a guide in the morning and on your own in the afternoon, with the expectation of eating at the palace. There is a nice restaurant which was very crowded, a café with good food but very little seating space, and a small snack shop we noticed on our way out. Also, bathrooms are very hard to find once you are outside. Versailles 4 stars, guide maybe 3.

crowded

Our guide was Arina (originally from Brazil). She had a good mix of places for us to visit and things to taste. We enjoyed this part of the tour very much and give Arina 5 stars.

Disneyland Paris. Susan had planned this in great detail and KimKim helped with appropriate tickets, transportation, etc. This was a 5-star family experience.

The final activity for the day was an Eiffel Tower summit at sunset. Our hotel wasn’t far from the tower and we walked. It took a little effort to find the meeting point. The guide for this event was more of a shepherd. He made sure everyone got tickets, got in line, knew about the security check, understood how and where to go in the tower. Everything went very well, despite some misgivings about being “way up in the air.” The views were spectacular. A 5- star experience.

We went to Notre Dame early and did a self-guided tour before meeting our guide, Ed. He told us history of the cathedral and the area, showed us the Ile de la Cite, Latin Quarter, the Seine, Sainte-Chapelle. 5 stars

Private Louvre Visit geared to a family with children. Our guide, Sara, knew the museum well, had a scavenger hunt-focused booklet for the kids to use, and did a great job with the whole family. The kids were very engaged in this activity. 5+ stars for Sara.

We walked to meet our driver / guide Sebastian for a Monaco, Monte Carlo, Eze morning excursion. (Not sure why it is advertised this way, since you go to Eze first, then Monaco and Monte Carlo.) Seb was surprised that he had more people booked for the van than usual, but it was summer high season. He told us about history of the area and current celebrities who lived there. We had stops to see the views. It was very hot that day and the many steps in old Eze were a bit much. We arrived in Monaco in time for the changing of the guard, which is very hard to see when there is a crowd. Our family left the group at this point, since the children couldn’t go inside the casino, and we were interested in seeing the Oceanographic Museum. Unfortunately, the museum was very hot and crowded. However, Elizabeth wants to be a scientist and created her own project of taking photos and viewing the exhibits. Tour: 4 stars, museum: 3 stars Since we didn’t continue with the tour, we had to make our own way back to Nice. I had a Rick Steeves map and pocket guide which were somewhat helpful. The bus to the train station is no longer free and it was a rather long, uncomfortable ride. We managed to figure out the train and get through the crowds and back to Nice.

Antibes and Cannes. (It was interesting having a tour to these cities because we had gone past them on the train.) We met our driver / guide in the same place, along with two Russian women. Sebastian (Seb) was our guide again. It was very hot and we spent more time in the van with commentary than walking about, which worked well. We enjoyed this tour more than the previous one. 5 stars for Seb

Hotel Apollinaire in Nice was very nice. Staff was helpful. Breakfast was included and was impressive. Hans and Susan and the kids had adjoining rooms. There was some breakfast confusion on the first morning, but we texted KimKim and things were straightened out right away.

In the afternoon, we had a tour to Antibes and Cannes. (It was interesting having a tour to these cities because we had gone past them on the train.) We met our driver / guide in the same place, along with two Russian women. Sebastian (Seb) was our guide again. It was very hot and we spent more time in the van with commentary than walking about, which worked well. We enjoyed this tour more than the previous one. 5 stars for Seb

The final activity for the day was an Eiffel Tower summit at sunset. Our hotel wasn’t far from the tower, and we walked. It took a little effort to find the meeting point. The guide for this event was more of a shepherd. He made sure everyone got tickets, got in line, knew about the security check, and understood how and where to go in the tower. Everything went very well, despite some misgivings about being “way up in the air.” The views were spectacular. A 5- star experience.

Disneyland Paris. Susan had planned this in great detail, and KimKim helped with appropriate tickets, transportation, etc. This was a 5-star family experience.

We walked to meet our driver / guide Sebastian for a Monaco, Monte Carlo, Eze morning excursion. (Not sure why it is advertised this way, since you go to Eze first, then Monaco and Monte Carlo.) Seb was surprised that he had more people booked for the van than usual, but it was summer high season. He told us about history of the area and current celebrities who lived there. We had stops to see the views. It was very hot that day and the many steps in old Eze were a bit much. We arrived in Monaco in time for the changing of the guard, which is very hard to see when there is a crowd. Our family left the group at this point, since the children couldn’t go inside the casino, and we were interested in seeing the Oceanographic Museum. Unfortunately, the museum was very hot and crowded. However, Elizabeth wants to be a scientist and created her own project of taking photos and viewing the exhibits.

We went to Notre Dame early and did a self-guided tour before meeting our guide, Ed. He told us history of the cathedral and the area, showed us the Ile de la Cite, Latin Quarter, the Seine, Sainte-Chapelle. 5 stars

Our guide was Arina (originally from Brazil). She had a good mix of places for us to visit and things to taste. We enjoyed this part of the tour very much and give Arina 5 stars.

Versailles, half-day tour of the palace and gardens. We enjoyed seeing the palace and would have liked time to actually see the gardens. This was the part of the trip we enjoyed least. The heatwave didn’t help matters. Versailles is some distance from town. We tried hard to figure out walking, the Metro, the bus, etc. The only simple way to get there and to get back for an afternoon activity is by Uber. The process for sorting out groups of tourists and guides is rather disorganized. This was the first time we ever used the headphones / earbuds and device to hear the tour guide. It seems to be the most reasonable way of having multiple guides and groups of people to communicate with. However, we weren’t very happy with our guide (Leonor) or the tour. We arrived on time for a tour time which was an hour later. It was rather hard to stay with the group with so many other people there. We didn’t find the commentary very informative. After several hours, we were shown the gardens outside (through a window) and told that we had tickets to the gardens but that part of the tour was on our own. In retrospect, we think this should actually be marketed as a day-long tour with a guide in the morning and on your own in the afternoon, with the expectation of eating at the palace. There is a nice restaurant which was very crowded, a café with good food but very little seating space, and a small snack shop we noticed on our way out. Also, bathrooms are very hard to find once you are outside. Versailles 4 stars, guide maybe 3.

The afternoon was a Private Louvre Visit geared to a family with children. Our guide, Sara, knew the museum well, had a scavenger hunt focused booklet for the kids to use, and did a great job with the whole family. The kids were very engaged in this activity. 5+ stars for Sara.

The rooms were well appointed and just funky enough to know you were in an old Natural History Museum. Wish it were closer to the downtown area where most of the restaurants were.

Only one of the two elevators worked during our 4 day stay. Complimentary coffee was only offered the first day. Great location, amongst lots of different restaurants. Sure nice to have a washer and dryer to use.

Loved the location of this hotel! Right in the midst of Covent Garden.

This was our favorite hotel. Amazing service (everyone was so kind and helpful with anything we could possibly need); they even upgraded us to a suite on their top floor when we returned on our last night. The location is fantastic, beds are very comfy, lovely bathrooms, great breakfast, GREAT A/C. Cannot say enough good things. This is where we will stay when we return to Paris.

Personally recommended by Liz and we get the hype! It's quaint, the host is personable, it's the perfect place to get an authentic taste of Provencal life. Dinners were lovely, the pool was a welcome break after our morning activities, and the team is so kind. A couple of things to note-we felt that our stay was uncomfortable due to the heat and mosquitoes. Our room on the top floor stayed warm throughout our stay and we were hesitant to open our window for better ventilation as there are lots of mosquitoes outside. We did mention this to the host, but nothing was done to address it, so we just adjusted for our 3-night stay. At other times of the year we can see how this would be the perfect stay, but during the summer it's a little tough. We also felt some of the pricing wasn't the most transparent. Although there is a sign by the front desk outlining cost of dinners, snacks, wine, etc., we noticed that when we requested a glass of wine during meals, we were poured very large pours that ultimately cost us the entire bottle (even if we weren't interested in this much). Just small things that gave us pause.

Rally enjoyed this experience! Informative, included excellent wines and cheeses.

This was our favorite activity of the trip. Our guide was friendly, knowledgeable, kind enough to alter our plan for the day to work around the rough afternoon heat without us prompting him, and he noticed we enjoyed shopping at the small villages and took us to another for our last stop! He even offered to drop us off directly at our accommodation at the end of the day, rather than at the Tourism office. We really appreciated his thoughtfulness.

An enjoyable afternoon, our guide was very knowledgeable, we went to two wineries.

Excellent private tour of the Louvre highlights. Our guide was very informative!

We had a wonderful day with our guide!

Felix knows his history and brought the art alive with his stories. Def worth having a guide.

Great location, good AC.

Really cool hotel, so unique and amazing location and views!

A beautiful Chateau! Would love to stay here again! Food was not as good here, but lots of options nearby.

The staff were so kind and helpful! Beautiful stay!

Very relaxing and great way to see some of the sights while working through jet lag.

Definitely needed this day of relaxing in between tours.

Felix was a great guide! Sainte-Chapelle was spectacular!

Go early to get parking

Alex was amazing, wishing we had more time as we loved hearing about the history.

See other review for D-Day tour, all the same - Louis was the BEST.

This was great, but we were too tired having just landed hours earlier.

A unique experience, but feels like a money maker, I appreciate history more.

Wrong tickets were uploaded to our app, had trouble getting in, but we did.

We ended up skipping this, needed more downtime.

Louis was the BEST guide! His level of knowledge and engagement were above and beyond. Wishing I had more time to do more of the beaches with him as a guide.

Our guide was not very engaging and little information to offer. She was unprepared for us, especially in not transporting us to the river cruise.