One of our best trips ever!
France
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Jul 31 - Aug 20, 2023
We couldn't be more pleased with the planning, organizing, booking and follow-up from Justine. Ours was a 3-week trip in France covering the areas of Normandy, Bordeaux, the Dordogne area, French Riviera and Paris. Justine set up all of our hotel locations in the best access for all the sights we wanted to see. Also, the hotels themselves were very nice with helpful and friendly staff. All of our guides in the different cities were very knowledgeable. It was especially nice to have all vouchers established with the hotels, car rental, tours, and driver pick up and delivery where needed. We particularly were so grateful for the 1st class booking on the train from Nice to Paris. After seeing the crowds at the ticket windows for the train, it would have been very nerve-wracking to have had to get the tickets ourselves.
During the planning process for the trip, Justine was very accommodating to our requests and even made a last minute change for us on our car rental with ease. All of our guides and drivers texted us within 24 hours before any upcoming event which gave us comfort in not being concerned about time, location, etc.
This is the second time we've used Kimkim (traveled to Colombia before) and have been so impressed with the quality and detail to all aspects of their planning. The local specialists have also been super-fantastic.
One small suggestion we would make is that, if driving, some hotels have limited dedicated parking which fills up fast. We often couldn't get a parking slot for 1 or 2 nights. If we would have known this ahead of time, we could have called the hotel(s) in advance to reserve a spot for us. This info may be worth passing on to future clients.
We will definitely use Kimkim again should we plan another international trip.
Hotel Reviews
This hotel is in a great location for easy access to all the major restaurants and amenities in Bayeux. It also has one of the best breakfast selections of any hotel we've stayed at. If driving, however, it is a good idea to call ahead to assure a parking slot at the hotel as their space is quite limited.
Great location for the primary shopping mall. Very friendly and helpful staff. Parking a bit of a problem as it is about a 15 minute walk to the garage and space is limited.
Great location for walking to all major sites within the walled part of the city. No hotel parking garage provided and a bit of a walk to the public parking garage.
Fantastic location on the Mediterranean...great for people watching and many restaurants available. There is also a covered public parking ramp very close in the same block.
Great location on the left bank within easy walking distance to the Rhone river, Museé d'Orsay and the Louvre. The hotel has access to inexpensive tickets for many attractions which saves having to stand in line. Also, great restaurants nearby.
Activity Reviews
This driving/walking tour felt very rushed. The guide would drop us off and various interest points and tell us we had a very specific time that we had to meet him back at the van for a pick-up. Often these were for very short periods of time, like 15 minutes. He was also very abrupt with accommodating the needs for the tour guests. It would have also been nice to have had some sound amplification in the van so those in the back could hear better.
Our tour guide, Joanne, was very knowledgeable and friendly and provided a great tour. We appreciated the fact that she had a mic and earpieces for us to wear when we were in noisy areas such as St. Chapelle.
Jean Baptiste (J.B.) was super knowledgeable and gave us a lot of info. about Normandy and we visited all the primary sites and gained a lot of insight in being able to physically see where the landings took place. The only downside--and it wasn't his fault--was the bad weather. It was rainy, cold and very windy the days we were there. We ended up totally wet and ruined two umbrellas because of the strong winds.
Fantastic tours with Caroline. She took us shopping for baguettes and cheese, then provided a picnic lunch in a park across for Notre Dame, after which we then walked to pastry shops ending at a wine bar with samples at each place.
Thanks Larry for your feedback, I am happy you enjoyed your holiday and we hope to see you again soon on Kimkim !
Enjoy the rest of your summer !
Best regards
Justine