Wow! Justine helped us have an INCREDIBLE trip to France!
France
|
Jul 2 - Jul 8, 2024
![Kerry](https://cdn.kimkim.com/files/a/users/profile_photos/19e950b7f4e6aa1e03176f1cb84677eb989b9ccd/original-cb3695a96c351f412f35e912b56d35c3.jpg)
Wow - we were so impressed with Justine! She listened to what was important to us and planned the perfect trip for us to Provence. The cooking class with Cyril that she suggested is not something we would ever have picked out on our own, and it was one of the highlights of the trip! We told her some of the hotels we have enjoyed in the past in other countries and she found us a unique converted farmhouse in a small town outside of Aix that was exactly what we were hoping for. Her recommendations for excursions were excellent, and even her recommendations on things like where to park on busy summer days were spot on and I'm sure saved us a lot of time. We enjoyed our day visiting vineyards with Remy as well as exploring the villages of the Luberon Valley and cruising in Cassis on our own. We've gone on fully guided trips before as well as ones we completed planned on our own, so this was the first time using KimKim. It certainly will not be our last time - we had such a great holiday! We felt like we had the support we might need in a country where we didn't speak the language, and in the end felt like we really got to spend time experiencing the culture, food and people of southern France instead of worrying about itinerary details and if we were missing out by not having an insider's knowledge of the area. We fell in love with Provence and the French Riviera and if (hopefully) we return soon, we won't hesitate to ask for Justine to help plan a trip in the area again! I cannot recommend her enough. Thank you Justine and KimKim!
Hotel Reviews
The location was absolutely perfect for exploring Nice. We had a car so their parking lot was invaluable. The staff was lovely and the room was actually quite big by European standards. The downside to the location was that it was incredibly loud at night and then once the restaurants in the area closed, it got loud again when the trash was picked up before dawn. Overall, I would stay here again if in Nice.
This was a very unique hotel and we enjoyed our time there! While it was nice to be able to check in with the machine, there were a few times we had questions and it would have been nice to have an actual person there to ask. The Aircon stopped working the last two nights and since there was no one to ask, we just dealt with the higher temperature which was not preferable. We loved the location - just outside of Aix and we could easily drive all over Provence from here - yet in a small town where we felt like we got to experience living in France vs staying in hotel chain. We loved walking down to the restaurants and the bakery was only a couple blocks away - it was fabulous. I would recommend this place to anyone visiting the area who was looking for a more authentic and unique stay.
Activity Reviews
![Niçoise cooking class expérience](https://cdn.kimkim.com/files/a/images/7a6b9e045bd994b14a94f35ff13e73bfba0bd194/medium-2869a93c6873489268b9e26b51059751.jpg)
Justine offered this option to us and I am so glad that we agreed to do it! We would never have signed up for this on our own. Cyril was fantastic. He gave us some history of the area while visiting the market and we were able to try a lot of different foods that I don't think we would have picked out ourselves to try. Then cooking it was so fun! We were in a real apartment and it just felt like we were cooking with friends for a dinner party in Nice rather than being part of a tourist experience. Cyril told us about cooking with his grandma and everything about the whole experience made us feel so welcome. This was such a great way to start our trip - plus I knew that we wanted to order the squash blossoms on every menu afterwards!
![Provence Wine Tour Private Day Trip from Aix en Provence](https://cdn.kimkim.com/files/a/images/c1d7b73b0f9783157037aa68e03d29ce4cb851c3/original-5f8f6c2df79afeec4ebfd66b8ca2e52f.jpg)
We had such a fun time visiting the vineyards with Remy! The first vineyard was big and a bit corporate so that wasn't our favorite, although we did enjoy doing the chocolate pairing. The second vineyard was lovely and we enjoyed talking with them and tasting their wines. However, we LOVED the last vineyard, Jas Monges! We really enjoyed speaking with the owner and learning about their vision. We also loved his wines and ended up shipping 2 cases home to the states. We could have hung out there even longer, enjoying wine out on their patio. Remy also took us to explore some local food in Aix during the day (we chose that over sitting down for a long lunch) and that was another true highlight. He was a wonderful guide. What a great day!
![Arles, les Baux-de-provence & Saint-Rémy-de-Provence](https://cdn.kimkim.com/files/a/images/4c8bdc55241fba02ea2e82cf6848c389096c580e/medium-7fd3b43ad3c36f8b282e5f845dfcc53a.jpg)
This was another fun day with Remy! Arles was a cute city and we enjoyed learning about the history and seeing the Van Gogh painting, and scenes where he painted. While this wasn't our favorite day of our entire trip, it was still a really lovely day. It was just tough to compete with Cassis, Luberon, vineyards, etc.
![Justine](https://cdn.kimkim.com/files/a/users/profile_photos/40454458bbb82a008d44288f0d57d27236ea6629/original-823ab2c02c35c8415da378b539ae36aa.jpg)
Bonjour Kerry,
Merci beaucoup, I'm glad to read you had such a wonderful trip to France. We truly appreciate you taking the time to leave a 5-star review and share your experience with the cooking class in Nice, the wine tour in Coteaux d'Aix-en-Provence, and more!
We're always looking for ways to improve the guest experience, and your feedback is valuable.
I wish you and your John all the best in your future travels!
Best,Justine :)