Caterina created a “Masterpiece” of an Italy trip plan for us. Recognizing that everyone has different interests and ways to travel, my wife and I commented several times throughout our vacation that we were amazed how well Caterina understood our interests and likes/dislikes of tour types, hotels, etc. Each hotel that we stayed at had the perfect amenities, room design and location for each stage of our trip.
The details of the Trip Plan from length of stay at each location and the...
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Caterina created a “Masterpiece” of an Italy trip plan for us. Recognizing that everyone has different interests and ways to travel, my wife and I commented several times throughout our vacation that we were amazed how well Caterina understood our interests and likes/dislikes of tour types, hotels, etc. Each hotel that we stayed at had the perfect amenities, room design and location for each stage of our trip.
The details of the Trip Plan from length of stay at each location and the type/timing of our tours could not have hit the mark any better. The size of the tours (small groups or private) seemed as if she knew what would fit us better than even we would have done if we booked ourselves.
The local concierges and assistants that KimKim stitched together made intra-city and inter-city transport logistics run so smoothly it removed all stress in a usually stressful activity.
All the tour guides were top notch, especially our Rome guides for the Colosseum (Dennis) and Golf Cart (Valentina). Our private guide for Pompeii (sorry I lost her name) was a former Pompeii archaeologist and now a professor of archaeology was incredible. The winery tour and dinner was an experience of a lifetime!
Also, KimKim’s website platform is a breeze to plan and communicate with Travel Specialists. The format for tracking text communications and reviewing trip plan details was a valuable resource for us.
As stated at the start of the review, and in the spirit of all the amazing art we saw during our trip, Caterina created a Masterpiece of an Italy Trip Plan that fit us perfectly.
Thanks so much for an amazing experience,
Troy & Beth Jandrasitz
Hotel Reviews
Hotel Splendid Venice - Starhotel
Venice
Concierge was helpful in changing our room when it was confirmed that the room A/C thermostat was not operating. A front desk worker first appeared to question our need to change rooms, but the concierge stopped it immediately and said we needed a room change, it was resolved with an impressive room upgrade.
Location
Just seemed perfectly located for us.
Cleanliness & Comfort
5 stars of the first room’s thermostat was operational
Palazzo Castri 1874
Florence
Nice room and view of courtyard. Bed was comfortable. The overnight Front desk reception worker (Raniero) went out of his way yo assist me when a need some minor medical assistance - he was great!
Authenticity & Character
Nice room and bathroom. Very upscale feel to it. Breakfast was very good.
Location
Decent location (could have been a bit closer to town center), but the main issue was significant road construction currently occurring.
Staff
See comment on front desk worker (Raniero) above
Hotel Villa Maria Pia
praiano
Nice hotel. They provided a balcony upgrade at no charge. Dock is nice, but stairs can be tricky to negotiate. The stairs going to street level are equally tricky. Breakfast area was very nice. Room was nice, if slightly small. The tub/shower access was a bit tricky as well - we were ok with it but some individuals with slight mobility issues would have a challenge.
Authenticity & Character
Can’t think of many hotels with a dock like theirs. Ceramic decor was beautiful.
Location
Bus stop right by hotel is a big plus.
Staff
Helpful with local transport. When my wife and I decided to have a picnic dinner on our balcony, the restaurant worked provided a wine bottle opener and glasses
Cleanliness & Comfort
Air handler mini split was difficult to get room temp correct. Awareness of the unit’s fan was slightly bothersome, but not a showstopper either.
Great location, nice room. We enjoyed the roof top bar/restaurant for a drink and views.
Location
It was centrally located for us to walk to key areas including Colosseum, Vatican City, and Trestavere. We like walking so while it wasn’t next to any of these areas, its location allowed for doable walks.
Activity Reviews
ACTV 1 day Transport VENEZIA DAILY PASS
Venice
Nice tour of the Grand Canal - worth the 45 mins to see the city from the Grand Canal
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Transport
Can be crowded as people use this to transport themselves to hotels, etc.
Venice Gondola Ride
Venice
A must do. The gondolier however had no interaction with us at all.
Guides, Drivers and Staff
"Bacari" local street food tour
Italy
Beatrice made this tour fun and interesting. She has excellent knowledge of Venice.
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Entrance fees to doge's palace and Saint Mark's basilica
Venice
The tickets for self guided tour was perfect timing for us as we were beginning to hit our limit on museums. So perfect timing to enjoy this an an abbreviated short tour time.
Guides, Drivers and Staff
N/A
Best of Siena and San Gimignano tour from Florence with dinner
Italy
Winery tour made the trip. The winery property was beautiful and the dinner was a great experience. This tour was the best highlight of many highlights of the vacation
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Admission tickets - Uffizi Gallery - skip the line
Florence
Guides, Drivers and Staff
N/A
Florence and Accademia City Tour
Italy
Amazing tour of art at the Accademia. We found this museum much better organized that Vatican Museum.
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Tour guide was extremely knowledgeable about Renaissance Art and Architecture. General questions about more “touristy” things did not seem to interest her - when asked about locations of operating wine windows she said there weren’t any. Later we found out there was and actually enjoyed that unique experience.
Small group tour of Capri by boat (7 hours - max 12-14 pp)
Italy
Tour around Capri was beautiful. Time spent on island was just right.
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Transport
Expertise of boater was impressive with ability to back into various coves for close views.
Train Rome/Naples with transfers and 2h guided tour in Pompeii
Italy
Transfer to train was a breeze. Pick up in Naples as well. Pompeii tour was unexpectedly incredible due to an amazing tour guide.
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Admission tickets - Vatican Museums and Sistine Chapel - skip the line
Rome
We felt the museum and Sistine Chapel is overcrowded with people and the artwork just jammed onto any wall space. Flow seemed disorganized. The skip the line tickets worked fine and it is critical to get these to avoid long wait. Even the skip the line was a bit disorganized.
Quality of Experience
Not sure how to reduce crowds. Better signage of tour flow in the museum would help
Guides, Drivers and Staff
N/A
Small group tour of Rome highlights by Golf Cart (6 people - 3 hours)
Rome
Valentina was great. She took us off the beaten path for a portion of the tour which was nice. Golf cart was comfortable. We are both very mobile but this tour would seem perfect for individuals with mobility issues. One thing that would have been nice is if we could have toured closer to bottom of Spanish Steps, The cart took us past the top of the steps, but that is not the classic view.
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Transport
Golf cart was comfortable
Small group tour of Colosseum with Arena access, Palatine Hill and Roman Forum
Rome
Dennis (tour guide) was very knowledgeable and entertaining. Timing of the tour = just right; size of group = just right
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Transport
No transportion needed to get to Colosseum. It is a walking tour
Local specialist: Caterina Belvedere