Simon Hardy

Simon planned a lovely tour in France for me, staying at Tours, Amboise, La Rochelle, Bordeaux and St Emilion. Everything went very smoothly and the guides e provided were excellent. Super time.

Activity Reviews

Visit and tasting Chateau de Miniere

Amboise

The wine tasting at Chateau de Miniere was a bit underwhelming. It was just me and the vineyard host, which made the experience feel somewhat isolated. The host poured a series of wines for me to taste, but there wasn't much conversation or interaction. It felt quite solitary, and at the end, she asked if I wanted to buy some wine, which I couldn't do because I was flying. I think it would have been much better with more people to share the experience with.

Cité du Vin : priority access with the skip the line ticket and wine tasting

Bordeaux

The Cité du Vin in Bordeaux was a bit of a letdown for me. The building is modern and quite lovely, but I found the experience very basic. It felt more like an introductory course on wine—like "Did you know wine is made from grapes?"—which wasn't very engaging for me. The audio-visual presentations were well-done, but the pacing was off. I often found myself catching segments halfway and not knowing if I should wait for it to restart. Overall, I felt it wasn't the best use of my time.

There are so many good things to say about Simon and the trip he planned for us. Let me start with our initial plan. He created so many fun and interesting things for us. Some weren't quite for our family so Simon was responsive to help choose different activities that were a prefect fit. Once we had everything all in place it turned out that we couldn't get the dates we had planned for. Within a few hours Simon had rebooked everything on our new dates. I can't imaging doing this myself, this alone was worth it.
Simon sent us our detailed itinerary a week before the trip so we could be comfortable in planning our timing, moving around the country.
When we landed in France we were greeted by a beautiful Limo that took us straight to the hotel. The Hotel in Paris was an apartment and nicely located for us to get around the city by Metro. The accommodations were clean and the breakfast each morning was very nice. We made good use of the coffee machine. We explored the city and loved our river cruise of the Seine at night. We also took the opportunity to climb the Eiffel Tower. After a long night of travel we found the cruise to be a perfect way to start the trip.
On day two we all loved the ride out to the palace of Versaille. The kids loved exploring the rooms and the gardens. When we returned to the city we explored the Jardins du Luxembourg on Simon's recommendation. It was perfect.
On day three we did a treasure hunt of the Louvre with the kids. We got to see all the important parts of the museum and the kids loved learning and seeing all the beauty of the museum.
Our next day took us by train to Marseille. Our first impression was a little off, but this was in large part due to the protests that were going on. However the hotel was in a great location and allowed us to get where we needed to go easily. After a good sleep we woke up to a new town. The streets had been cleaned and the energy was much better. Here again Simon was an excellent communicator for our trip. We had planned a morning cruise out to the Calanque national park, but the wind and the sea prevented us from going. Simon gave us plenty of notice and cancelled the excursion and provided a full refund very quickly. In the afternoon we did the e-bike tour of Marseille. The kids claimed this was the highlight of our whole trip. The views were spectacular, the exercise was fun and I highly recommend this as a way to connect with the city. Thanks to Simon notifying us that we couldn't sail in the morning. We were able to book a dinner cruise of the harbour and sea for the evening when the seas had calmed. This also was a highlight.
Then we were off to Nice. The train ride was smooth and easy. We checked in to another centrally located hotel that was cozy and again served a nice breakfast. We went and did some shopping and spent the afternoon splashing in the sea.
On our final full day we took a very lovely ride into Monaco. Our guide was very informative and it was a beautiful city. Definitely worth seeing. And of course getting to do a lap of the course of the Monaco Grand Prix was fun for everyone.
Upon returning to Nice we had more time to play in the Sea.
On our final day our limo to the airport was right on time and delivered us to the airport for a safe flight home.
Our family was so impressed by Simon and our kimkim experience. We had amazing things to do everyday and Simon created the trip of a lifetime for us. We are grateful!!

Hotel Reviews

Citadines Bastille Marais Paris

Paris

The apartments were clean. The breakfast was very good. The location was close to several Metro lines allowing you to get around easily.

Authenticity & Character

It was a more modern feel.

Location

close to the Metro, easy to get around Paris

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Maison Saint Louis Vieux Port

Marseille

Rooms were small but that is to be expected. We had a decent view. Very warm in the rooms. The breakfast was good. The location was very close to the harbour.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hôtel Aria

Nice

A nice hotel. Rooms were clean with a nice washroom. The breakfast was very good.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Easy to walk to the Sea

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Paris: Illuminations River Cruise

Paris

This was the perfect way to start our vacation. The cruise is beautiful at night showing off Paris at sunset. There is lots of room and the views are spectacular.

Quality of Experience

The view of the city

Louvre Treasure Hunt (kids or teens tour)

Paris

This was the best way to see the Museum. Our guide, Marine, was knowledgeable and fun. She told wonderful and engaging stories that kept our kids interested and fascinated. My wife and I were able to enjoy the stories as well and we saw all the the best of the Louvre. We were by the lines and avoided the crowds. We all learned a lot.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Knowledgeable, fun, and a great storyteller. We loved Marine!!

Marseille Fada Guided Ebike Tour

Marseille

The whole family said this was the highlight of our vacation. This is the only way to see a city. Our guide was knowledgeable and able to navigate the city with ease. The e-bike made it possible for us to cover a lot of ground. The view were spectacular and we were able to cover so much. They had a bike for my son and my daughter was just a little small but loved riding in the buggy behind me.

Quality of Experience

Just the best way to see the city

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Fantastic

DU Half-day excursion to Monaco, Monte-Carlo, Eze & La Turbie

Nice

A visit to Monaco was well worth it. And we were pleasantly surprised to have the visit tot the village of Eze on the trip. It was quite the contrast of the old city of Eze and the activity and grandeur of Monaco. Our driver was very knowledgeable and was very good and navigating the busy streets. It was fun to do a lap of the Formula 1 course.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

clean

Palace of Versailles Half day trip (Skip the line, audioguided & gardens) by minivan from Paris

Paris

This was a beautiful look at history. The palace is immaculately maintained and it made you feel a part of the history of the culture and country. The gardens are so vast you could spend days there. We loved the hall of mirrors and the artwork is truly a site to see.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

We enjoyed the hotel and boat ride in Marseille. It was nice for everything to be walking distance. We also loved staying in Moustiers St Marie and the activities near there. Le Jas du Colombier was perfect to walk to town and hang out by the pool. The canyineering with Armand from the Verdoniers was epic. Our kids loved that so much. The kayaking with Christophe of Aquattitude was also a favorite. The horseback riding was a bit of a long and hot day for beginners. Same with biking, it was really hot and a bit challenging for the kids. We appreciated seeing the region from all these vantage points. It is really important for you to share any necessary info to be prepared ahead of time, since we are not in direct contact with the guide.

Hotel Reviews

Maison Saint Louis Vieux Port

Marseille

Great location in the middle of the city. Clean and comfortable. Convenient to everything.

Authenticity & Character

Architecture

Location

Walkable

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Le Jas du Colombier

Moustiers-Sainte-Marie

We had a huge house to ourselves. Very well equipped to cook and wash clothes. We loved the salt water pool at the end of a long hot day. The views are amazing and we enjoyed eating meals outside. It is really more of a house rental, not a hotel. This should be more clear for setting expectations.

Authenticity & Character

A but cluttered with their personal items but we really enjoyed our stay.

Location

Walkable to village center

Staff

Jeanine is very welcoming.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Comfortable beds

Activity Reviews

Half-Day morning Cruise to Calanques National Park - small group

Marseille

Fun ride and swim, but captain was not not sharing a lot of info.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

More friendly and sharing info

Transport

We walked there

A day in Moustiers-Sainte-Marie

Moustiers-Sainte-Marie

Tons to see and do. Truly a gorgeous village. The hike to the church at the top earns you ice cream.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Canyoneering in the Verdon Gorges

France

A big hit with our entire family.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Armand was so friendly and able to adapt to each persons ability.

Transport

Horse riding in the Gorges, full-day

Moustiers-Sainte-Marie

A bit too long and not as scenic as expected. We were supposed to bring our own lunch, would have been better if provided because travelers don’t typically have packs for lunches.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Half-day Canoë kayak Excursion in the lower Verdon canyon

France

Gorgeous view of the canyon and great explanations.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Christophe from Aquattitude was phenomenal.

Transport

Mountain-biking around the lake

France

A bit long and challenging for our kids. We enjoyed the picnic at the lake and biking through the region.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Simon and his team provided thorough itineraries however there is no follow up contact from them to check on us, the travelers. With minimal of 4 arrangements with local guides during our 28 day trip, we were very much on our own most of the time. It would be more informative for us to have a guide in a city. We did not expect to have ones in small town or village stays. With the amount of research that we did ourselves, at times we thought that we could have done the trip without having to go with KimKim.

Many thanks to Kimkim and Simon for helping us to plan our two-week tour of France to celebrate my wife's 60th Birthday. The full itinerary brought in all the highlights we wanted to view and experience in a thoughtful well laid out order. The top highlight was Mont-Saint-Michel, a true wonder (although it was difficult to choose). The trip started in Paris, we then traveled to Bayeaux, in Normandy, then to the Loire Valley for Chateau tours before traveling to Avignon to experience Provance with the Roman ruins and wonderful wine. It was truly the trip of a lifetime.

We had an amazing time on our honeymoon in Paris and the Loire Valley! We started the trip arriving in Paris and stayed at Hotel a la Villa des Artistes. We loved this neighborhood and the hotel very nice/had a great breakfast. We took day trips from Paris to Giverny to see Claude Monet's house and went to Versailles. While in Paris, we did a chocolate & pastry tour & did lots of sightseeing. We then took TGV train to Tours where we spent an evening. The hotel in Tours (Chateau Belmont) was very nice but we did not love the city itself. We took our rental car from Tours and drove to the Loire Valley and stayed in Amboise. Amboise was beautiful and we loved the hotel we stayed at (Le Manoir St Thomas). While in the Loire Valley, we did some wine tours and castle tours. Our absolute favorite tour of the whole trip was the all day excursion to Chenonceau, Chambord, and a private chateau where we had lunch. Our guide was amazing and very informative. We took the train back from Tours to Paris for our last day and stayed at the Handsome Hotel. This was our least favorite hotel of the trip as it was very small and in a very noisy area. The hotel was centrally located though and was near a lot of shopping destinations which was convenient for our last day. The only hiccup we had on our trip was that the driver never showed up to pick us up to go to the airport as he was given an incorrect time. We ended up calling a cab ourselves though and were refunded the money. Simon was very helpful throughout the whole process and we definitely would recommend using him and KimKim to book a trip.

Hotel Reviews

Hôtel A la Villa des Artistes

Paris

Hotel is on a quiet side street in a very nice neighborhood. We are glad we stayed in this arrondissement for the majority of our time in Paris. Breakfast was delicious too!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Château Belmont Tours by The Crest Collection

Tours

Hotel was very nice and we wished we would have booked a spa package earlier as they did not have any available when we checked in. Breakfast was very good. We had dinner at the restaurant and thought it was average.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Le Manoir Saint Thomas

Amboise

We loved the charm of this hotel and how friendly the staff was. There is no elevator in this hotel so it may not be good for people with mobility issues, but we had no problem staying here. The breakfast here was wonderful. Hotel was a few minute walk from all of the shops/restaurants in Amboise. It was also close to Restaurant l'Ilôt which was one of our favorite restaurants we ate at on our trip.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Handsome Hotel Paris

Paris

This hotel was good for a one night stay as it was centrally located and close to the Marais district. It was quite loud though so I do not think I would have liked to stay here for several nights. The room itself was very nice and staff was friendly.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Versailles Palace & Gardens Half-day Guided Tour from Paris - small group

Paris

Our tour guide was great and we are so glad we got to see Versailles!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Marais Pastry and Chocolate Tour

Paris

We enjoyed this tour, however, we felt we did not try enough pastries and mainly tasted a lot of chocolates. It also was extremely busy in the Marais district when we visited, so at times our guide had us wait outside instead of going into the shops with her. I think this would be better to do on a weekday when it is a little less crowded instead of on a weekend.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Monet's Giverny House & Gardens Small-Group Half Day Trip From Paris

Paris

The gardens at Giverny house were absolutely beautiful and we loved exploring the house as well. We were under the assumption that this would be a guided tour though and instead of the tour guide going with us through the gardens/house, he just dropped us off and let us explore on our own. While it was nice to walk through on our own pace, I think we would have liked more explanations behind Giverny and Monet's work. Definitely still recommend going to Giverny, but perhaps with a different tour company.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Vouvray & Montlouis Wine tour

Tours

The guide was extremely knowledgeable and we loved being able to see all the behind scenes of the wine making process along with tasting all of the delicious wines. Definitely recommend!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Chambord, Chenonceau & lunch at a chateau - Full-day

France

This was absolutely the best tour of our trip. We felt we learned so much about both castles and our guide was awesome. We also loved having a private lunch at a chateau to be able to experience some home cooked French food. Highly recommend!

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Private Transfer from Paris hotel to Paris Charles de Gaulle (CDG)

France

Our transfer was not scheduled for the correct time so the driver did not show up when he was supposed to. We waited for fifteen minutes and then ended up calling a taxi so we would not be late to the airport. Kimkim did refund us for our taxi ride.

We landed at CDG and were met by our driver and taken to our first hotel. Having a driver lined up takes so much stress off the end of a long flight/ beginning of the vacation!
After an initial day free, we jumped into our first organized event, an e-bike tour called Paris Charms and Secrets. Tour guide Pierre was part artist, part historian and part actor - animated, passionate and interesting! From Paris we headed south on the train for Lyon, a city we loved and want to return to. A highlight of our stay there was the Lyon Traditional Food Tour with guide Semaan that was a foodie’s delight, but also a history lesson and walking tour of old Lyon rolled into one.
From Lyon we headed to Marsaille, again by train, and and a memorable Cassis and Bandol Wine tour. Our guide, Eric, was extremely knowledgeable and personable. We learned so much about wine and winemaking, met the families who owned the 3 vineyards we visited and heard the history of their operations. The countryside was exquisitely beautiful! We had a delicious lunch at a port side restaurant in Cassis, then rode to the top of a National (?) park that overlooked Marsaille. Amazing.
Our tours were all either private (just the two of us) or 8 or less. Perfect for getting around easily and for being able to ask questions and have the attention of the guide.
Our trip included transportation to and from CDG and train tickets for the inner France travel. With this arrangement we would advise making sure you know which train station you need to show up at (many cities have more than one) and (especially in Paris) where you need to be standing to board the train - they are very long and crowded trains and the stops are short: there isn’t time to figure anything out last minute.
Another consideration is transportation to/from train stations and to tours. Cabs are expensive and can add a considerable amount to your trip. The metro systems take a little time to figure out, but are a great way to go if your destination is too far to walk.
We chose to stay at smaller, boutique hotels and they were more than adequate.
Our trip was an abbreviated version of a longer trip planned and postponed due to the Covid pandemic. If we had it to do again, we would not try to pack visits to so many cities into 7 days.
We highly recommend KimKim if you want a tour, but not the “30-people wearing green scarves- following a flag” variety.

We really enjoyed our experience planning our trip with KimKim and our rep Simon. We were thrilled with the collaboration to set up the trip and how Simon accomodated our requests and questions especially as it related to suitability for our children. It wasn’t a one time correspondence, but a good back and forth of ideas, suggestions and then a final plan.

Once we arrived it was such a breeze. Everything happened as it should and made our trip so enjoyable. Standout tours were Cedric with Normandy Excursions (he was really amazing keeping our children's attention!), Manuel at the Eiffel Tower, chocolate and pastry tours of Le Marias and Loire Valley wine.

We have already recommended kimkim to friends and will certainly use them again.

This trip was amazing! Simon did such a great job in knowing exactly what to plan. In Paris, our dinner cruise on the Seine was outstanding -one of our favorite meals by far! Our tour of the Eiffel Tour at sunset was awesome and our tour guide Christina was so interesting, fun and knowledgeable. Our family of 5 became pastry chefs and created delicious macaroons which was so fun, but planning this on Bastille Day made travel to the kitchen a challenge;( Our hotel was great. The staff was so wonderful and the accommodations were superb at Hotel Bourdonnais- we would highly recommend!!!

On to the South of France via train. We wish we were given better insight on how these trains work. Our destination was Aix de Provence-but at the train station we did not know which train was which because this train was traveling to Marsailles and I am not sure how we would know that without speaking to someone that could speak english. Another bit of advise- have your luggage ready to leave the train ahead-the stops are very quick!

Aix de Provence was amazing. Our dinner at Jardin Mazarin was delicious and the restaurant was very pretty! The highlights was our trip with Pierre to all the villages - this was so worth it. Our Chef Giles adventure in picking put ingredients, visiting a winery and preparing and eating a masterpiece was an amazing experience.

J'adore France - Merci mon ami!

Hotel Reviews

Hotel La Bourdonnais - Tour Eiffel

Paris

Amazing people that work there ! So accommodating and beautiful accommodations. Great breakfast and delicious pastries. We would stay here again for sure.

Authenticity & Character

Location

so close to the Eiffle Tower

Staff

great people that were so helpful

Cleanliness & Comfort

everything was clean all the time;)

Aparthotel Adagio Aix en Provence Centre

Aix-en-Provence

Great location to stay and tour. Offers laundry and great space. I didn't understand a cleaning fee or paying for new towels. I enjoyed the people that worked there. They were very nice;)

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Novotel Suites Paris CDG Airport

Roissy-en-France

so close to our gate! EASY and very nice lodging to make our flight on time

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Versailles Palace & Gardens Half-day Guided Tour from Paris - small group

Paris

This was not a guided tour- it was a ride.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

air was not great

Paris Dinner Cruise

Paris

awesome dinner and entertainment! Great service.

Quality of Experience

Food

you will not leave hungry!

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Macarons class

Paris

I was excited to learn and enjoyed it! I felt bad we were very late because we had t find a ride and it was far. On Bastille day you can not travel anywhere.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

(DU) Evening Eiffel Tower Private Tour + tickets

Paris

This was amazing. Our guide Christine was fabulous !

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

so close to our hotel we walked.

Luberon Markets and Villages small-group guided tour

Aix-en-Provence

Our guide, Pierre was amazing and so knowledgeable. we will never forget these visits.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

everything

Provençal Cooking Class in Aix-en-Provence

Aix-en-Provence

what an amazing experience to learn of an actual day in a life of a resident. Our Chef did amazing in including us, showing us, and creating masterpieces. I loved going to his home and sharing in our creations.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Simon had the local experiences perfect. The cooking class, boat tour, and wine tastings were great. Having the train tickets taken care of in advance was needed. If I had to do it again, I would've tried to have an actual call with Simon to discuss some stuff as doing it all over email was a bit difficult at times. We would have probably also figured out that the hotel back in Paris on the last night was probably not the best one to use. But that is made up by the hotel in Marseille! It was great. We had such an awesome view of the Bastille Day activities from our room while looking at the massive crowds below. We had a few minor hiccups with transfers and dinner reservations, but no vacation goes 100% smooth and we all recovered and Simon was quick to fix what he could. Thank you, Simon.

Hotel Reviews

Hotel OFF Paris Seine 4*

Paris

Such a unique hotel! It's literally a floating barge on the river! The staff was great. It is close enough to walk to the TGV train station if you are going to another part of France, but a bit far from the attractions you might want to visit in Paris. But the local metro station is directly across the street to get to those locations. If proximity to the TGV is what you want, this is great. If you want to stay closer to the Paris attractions, you might want to try another place.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Aquabella Hotel & Spa

Aix en Provence

One of the few places in Aix that has a pool and it was a great pool! It's still walkable to everything in Aix. The rooms are actually very spacious.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Grand Hotel Beauvau Marseille Vieux-Port - MGallery

Marseille

This hotel is right on the Old Port. You can walk to many restaurants and shops. The metro station is right in front as well. The staff was very nice and helpful. They helped us translate some documents! The only complaint would be that this location was sometimes noisy at night given it's location right on a busy part of the Old Port. But this location also allowed us to view the Bastille Day festivities without having to venture into the massive crowds! This will be tradition European size hotel rooms.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Handsome Hotel Paris

Paris

The good is that this hotel is walking distance to some of the Paris attractions you want to see. It is also very close to endless Parisien cafes and shopping. This hotel is TINY even by European standards. The elevator was borderline claustrophobic. I would have been happier paying higher room charges for a better hotel.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Chateauneuf du Pape & Gigondas Wine Tour

France

Our guide, Eric was AWESOME! He knew the area and the wine so well. He also knew the general area very well. He took us to some non wine related stops for some nice pictures and history lessons.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Eric was the best!

Transport

Provençal Cooking Class in Aix-en-Provence

Aix-en-Provence

Gilles was an excellent host. We cooked at his house which was a unique experience. We had a fun group. The only thing I wish was for Gilles to involve us more in the shopping experience by showing us how he was picking things at the market, but that is a very minor complaint. He gave everyone their jobs and helped people who needed help during the cooking process. The stop at the winery was a nice stop. The food was delicious as well.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

It was a little crowded in the transport

Full-day Private Cassis & Bandol Rosé Wine Tour

France

Eric, the guide, was amazing! He knew the wine and the surrounding regions so well. He was more than a wine guide, he was a tour guide. I would book a tour with him again!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Half-Day Cruise to Calanques National Park - private group

Marseille

This was such an awesome excursion. The boat was comfortable (no bathroom). Caesar was our guide and was incredible. He captained the boat with expertise and provided context to all the places we visited. The area itself is gorgeous!! The blue waters and the unique Calanques were so cool. Caesar even dropped us off at a different location as he made lunch reservations for us at a friend's restaurant which turned out to be amazing! Book this trip!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Private Transfer from Paris hotel to Paris Charles de Gaulle (CDG)

France

On time and big enough for our group.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport