Kimkim Trip Reviews for Italy

we had an excellent experience working with anita and all the kimkim staff! everyone was helpful, responsive and accommodating. well done!

a few items:

-while the process of developing the itinerary was initially difficult for me -because of the way communication is imbedded in the developing itinerary- anita was willing to accommodate me and work around it with direct contact via phone and email. thank you, anita! the app proved to be a very useful tool during the trip, providing up to date changes, quick contact and quick responses. what a great idea!

our trip went smoothly for the most part.

the guides were quite knowledgeable; some were extremely personable and fun. while all kindly accommodated the visually impaired member of our group, massimo stands out as having gone above and beyond. he was extremely helpful and caring. vito and donato also went out of their way to accommodate his needs; the ape calessino was a lifesaver in both matera and ostuni. all the guides were in contact in advance of our scheduled meeting time and were prompt in meeting us. the driver you hired at the last minute for the driving tour of naples proved to be as knowledgeable as any guide would have been; indeed, he actually was a guide. all well done!

all drivers were professional and helpful; in rome and naples, we were quite glad that they were driving and not us. again, each was in touch with us in advance of our meeting time and accommodated any travel delays cheerfully. this was especially true of vito and donato. the driver for our transfer to the rental car pickup at the naples airport was not informed of the correct pickup time. this delayed our arrival in matera, but vito and donato kindly waited for what was a substantial amount of time and cheerfully toured us anyway. we did regret that the driver assigned to pick us up in rome on arrival from munich did not learn of the delay until after he had already gone to the airport. i hope he was properly compensated.

each of the hotels stood out in different ways, but all of them were beautiful and comfortable and the staff professional and accommodating. however, the following were issues for our visually impaired friend:
-is it true that grab bars are only required in new construction in the eu? it was difficult for our friend without such accommodation. this might be wise to share with others who may be anticipating accommodations we take for granted in the united states.
-at the cenobia in matera, the staff was quite helpful and very nice, especially samir and mario, but the location was dangerously challenging. the hotel was at the bottom of several very long flights of exterior steps (no hand rails, of course). add in the rain and it was a difficult, dangerous situation for our friend. even the room assignment was problematic given the exterior steps by which it is accessed. it was fortunate the hotel was empty because it allowed management to change his room to one that had fewer steps to reach it (all entrances were exterior). as it was, it took several people to help him navigate all these steps, in the dark and the rain. he did not go to breakfast because of the rain and steps. while the hotel was beautiful and the staff wonderful, this was a bad choice for our circumstances, and could have had disastrous consequences for our friend. there is nothing on the website to alert to the steps. a heads up for other travelers is indicated.

-the same situation with steps occurred at masseria montenapoleone, on a smaller scale. again, it was fortunate that because so few people were there, management was able to reassign him to a room that was less of a challenge.

-the donna camilla was stunning. we arrived quite late after our flight from brindisi and did not see any restaurants nearby so we were quite happy it had a restaurant, a good one. however, as you know, because of our early departure, we couldn't eat at the hotel in the morning. in retrospect, we would have preferred a credit on the room since the breakfast the hotel provided was sparse and more snack-like than anything.

-because we arrived late to the donna camilla and went immediately to dinner, it wasn't until afterwards that we discovered the room our friend received had only a tub -no shower- a serious oversight and miscommunication with the hotel.

that our friend was not accommodated in several circumstances, as requested from the outset, is the only negative in what was otherwise a wonderful trip.

anita, it was a pleasure working with you…you were accommodating, quick to reply and thoughtful in your suggestions. Your colleagues we interacted with via the app were quite helpful as well. if you would like to discuss any of my comments, please feel free to contact me.

This was our first experience with KimKim and we had such an exceptional experience. The hotels that were selected for us were in perfect locations for the type of touring we wanted to do—within walking distance to attractions, public transit, great neighborhoods and yummy restaurants. We are an active family who like experiencing the more “local” flavor or places, and Bea did a great job of planning and adjusting our trip to fit our personal preferences and personality. There was the right amount of scheduled activities and downtime for personal exploring. We were totally impressed with the warm demeanor of all of our tour guides, who also gave great, local recommendations of places to eat/things to see. It was such a gift for me to not have to plan and hold all of the details so I could be present with my family. We are so grateful for the memories we made and have since recommended KimKim to many friends looking for a memorable travel experience. Thank you!!

Hotel Reviews

Rome Life Hotel

Rome

This hotel is in a fabulous location with a helpful staff and clean, comfortable accommodations.

Authenticity & Character

This is a more modern place but we loved the breakfast area and sitting spaces, where we were able to play cards and chat during downtime.

Location

We loved the walkable, easy access to the Collosseum, Metro and Monti neighborhood (with great restaurants).

Staff

So kind—especially the bellman who delivered our bags.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Refreshed daily. Love.

Hotel Piazza Bellini & Apartments

Naples

This hotel was right outside the bustling Piazza Bellini—which was full of local life and markets/food. We loved the courtyard, which immediately provided a respite from the busy city, and our flat, which was cozy, clean and very comfortable.

Authenticity & Character

This is a really quaint, bright hotel.

Location

So close to easy pick up spots for tours and nightlife/Naples life etc.

Staff

Their suggestions of where to go and what to see how to easily access these things. We ate amazing food in Naples and the hotel staff helped!

Cleanliness & Comfort

Somehow our room was on a crazy busy piazza but it was also very quiet. So nice to sleep well in a place after busy travel days!

Hotel Meninas

Madrid

We loved the charm of this place and the friendly people who greeted us every time we came and went. Again, super helpful folks with great suggestions—who made reservations for us so we could enjoy the 3 Kings parade as soon as we got to town.

Authenticity & Character

The stairwell in this hotel is charming—and the room was just right. We appreciated the daily refresh and the overall cleanliness of the space.

Location

We loved the easy access to city attractions, transportation and eateries. We also liked that the hotel is in a side street so just a little bit away from the hustle!

Staff

Again, so great and helpful. I couldn’t believe they offered to make our reservations for us—which is amazing when you don’t speak the language!

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Campo de’ Fiori, Jewish Ghetto and Trastevere Food Experience

Rome

We loved this whole evening—it was the perfect start to our trip and a great introduction to Rome. Silvia, our guide, was the best—she was kind, funny, and gave great information about the food and history around the neighborhoods where we ate. We had our 16 and 19 year old with us who also loved the entire experience (and Silvia!). This was a trip highlight for all of us—highly recommend!

Quality of Experience

The food was delicious and the commentary just awesome.

Food

So fun to try local, delicious bites and walk through so many cool neighborhoods during the process.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Silvia. We loved Silva. She made our photo book!

Colosseum & Roman Forum Visit: Arena Access, Gladiators Gate & Ancient City

Rome

This was just a fabulous experience. Dennis, our tour guide, was excellent—in demeanor and knowledge. Again, my kids really enjoyed his commentary, which says a lot. We visited on a crisp sunny day and enjoyed the whole thing. We didn’t realize we would have an ear piece to hear him and we loved it—there were a lot of people around but it didn’t matter!

Quality of Experience

Dennis. We were so sad we didn’t think to get a picture with him—he was excellent!

Guides, Drivers and Staff

The Flavors of Naples: Traditional Cooking Class

Naples

The cooking class in Naples was so much fun! Francesca and Silvia, our instructors, were fantastic, and it was a delightful way to engage with the local culinary traditions. We will ask them to share the pasta recipe! The experience was unforgettable and definitely one of our trip's highlights.

Everything went effortlessly. All the ride transitions from the airport to the train station to the hotel to the tours were scheduled for us and arrived on time and were great companies. The hotel choices made by the team at kimkim were perfect and in ideal locations. The tour was excellent. There were no issues on the whole trip everything went according to the plan and was better than I could have hoped for.

Hotel Reviews

Hotel Palazzo Guadagni

Florence

Great location. Authentic feel. Beautiful rooftop bar. Awesome views from the room. Service was impeccable.

Authenticity & Character

Quaint and charming.

Location

Everything is within a 5-10 minute walk.

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Scalinata di Spagna

Rome

Great location at the top of the Spanish steps. Many sites within 10 minutes walk. And other attractions like the Colosseum are a 10 minute taxi ride. Beautiful rooms with your own terrace. Friendly helpful staff.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Walking distance to many historical sites and short drive from the Colosseum.

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Review

Day trip in the Tuscan countryside, wine tour, lunch and guided visit to San Gimignano

Italy

I wasn't originally in favor of doing tours but this ended up being one of the highlights of the trip. The tour takes you to several locations and gives you an authentic experience.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Very knowledgeable and professional guides and drivers.

Transport

Maria-you exceeded all our expectations for our family trip to Rome and Florence to celebrate Chris holidays. The tours, restaurants and recommendations for walking while we had down time on our own were perfect and we cannot wait to come back and experience even more (hopefully soon!). Thank you for everything!
Laura

Hotel Reviews

GCF Luxury Suites

Roma

Centrally located, clean and grey space for us and our two older kids. Walked to everything nearby.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Glance

Firenze

Perfectly located to walk everywhere and experience all the amazing streets of Florence!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

2 Restaurant Reservations

Rome

Delicious!!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Vatican Tour & Sistine Chapel

Rome

Learned a lot and loved seeing everything thru the eyes of our guide.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Central Food Market & Tuscan Cooking Class

Florence

The best family-friendly class with great people from all over the world. What we made and ate exceeded our expectations and we had so much fun!! Jon-our chef-was superb and taught us a lot o about Florentine life.

Quality of Experience

Food

All of it!!

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Private Walking Tour of Florence | City Highlights with David & Duomo

Italy

Very detailed history tour!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Private Colosseum Tour Including Roman Forum

Rome

Julia is amazing!! We learned so much!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

The good: entire trip was pre-planned so we literally just had to get ourselves to the airport. But from landing in Rome to leaving Rome 11 days later everything was taken care if.

If you have questions, or a driver is late, whatever, the person helping you via the app was super fast and responsive. Very white glove. For us, Rita was on point.

The highlights of our trip were a guided walking tour of Florence, which was simply amazing. I don’t remember our guides name, but she understood architecture and art and made the three hours absolutely fascinating. The other highlight was our cooking class in Rome, which was an absolute blast.

The less good: we were planning a day trip to the Amalfi coast. They said it was about an eight hour day. But the night before, luckily, we looked at maps and realized the drive from Rome to Amalfi was three hours and 15 minutes or more. So given that we were going to be in the car for approximately seven hours, we weren’t sure how it was going to be an eight hour day. When we contacted them, they said oh yeah actually it’s a 12 hour day. And of those 12 hours, yes we’re gonna be in the car 7 to 8 hours driving to and from Amalfi and then around the area once we’re there. We were just not psyched about spending that much time in a car and we’re disappointed that the trip was so misrepresented. They did change it for us so that we could do something else around Rome that day. We basically had a car that took us to some of the local villages outside of Rome and that was pretty fun. But it was certainly a lot cheaper than the 12 hour day to Amalfi coast and yet they didn’t offer to rebate us any money. So that experience was disappointing.

The other less good… we had a day trip to sienna from Florence. And why we loved Sienna, and our driver was lovely, it turns out that he was only a driver who dropped us off in Siena and we were on our own. We sort of thought that he would drive us to sienna and then take us around. Sienna. And because we misunderstood that we sort of got to sienna and didn’t really know what to do. Because we didn’t do any research we thought we didn’t have to. Again, the driver was lovely, but it was just sort of a strange misunderstanding.

The final less good…the cost. Look if you’re insanely wealthy and don’t care then don’t read this paragraph. But we spent quite a bit of money to hire Kim Kim, and in the end felt like we received a lot of drivers and several guided tours that we probably could’ve booked ourselves. And like I said when we changed our 12 hour Amalfi excursion to an eight hour excursion just around Rome they didn’t refund us any money.

So overall sort of a mixed bag for us. Not sorry we hired Kim Kim, but also not sure we would do it again. Lastly, I would like to thank everyone from Kim Kim, who was so lovely in dealing with us. They were very, very nice.

Absolutely beside myself at how well-planned our trip to Italy was. Anita and her team did such an incredible job taking our vision and making it much more than we could have imagined. I feel like we took such a unique trip that we will be reminiscing about for the rest of our lives. Everything from the off-the-beaten-path tours to the smooth and professional drivers and transfers...we were blown away at the experience. Thanks so much!

Hotel Reviews

Sorrento City Hotel

Sorrento

Great location and attentive staff. The breakfast had wonderful variety and felt very homey.

Authenticity & Character

Small but well thought out. Not the coziest hotel I've ever been to, but gets the job done well.

Location

Right on the main street of Sorrento. Very easily walkable and lively.

Staff

Kind staff. Breakfast attendants were very warm.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Pietra Campana Italian Villa

Orvieto

Cannot give this villa enough praise. The location is absolutely breath-taking. The service and warmth of the staff was so wonderful. The spaciousness of the room was also wonderful. Highly recommend!!

Authenticity & Character

I felt like I was staying with a family member in the Italian countryside.

Location

Unbelievable panoramic views of Orvieto, while still being a very short drive from the city.

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

La Maison du Sage

Florence

What a cool, unique guest house in such a fun part of town!

Authenticity & Character

The art deco decor was so cool while still giving a very cozy environment.

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Very clean and super comfortable. The couch/daybed was an amazing touch. We loved!

Activity Review

Private Full Day Amalfi Experience

Italy

It rained the whole day but we made the most of it. Was really fun to travel the Amalfi Coast during off-season. If there's any way to request Giuseppe as your driver/guide, you MUST!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Giuseppe was top notch!

Transport

Our trip to the Cote d'Azur, just like our trip to Paris last year, was better than anticipated. So many beautiful views, so many art masterpieces, so much history.
In addition, the hotels were clean, comfortable and conveniently located.
Everyone involved in our trip was tremendously cordial and knowledgeable. From the hotels’ staff, to the tour guides, to the drivers. Plus, we had some wonderful food, especially delicious seafood.

We saw so many beautiful sights, too many to list here. The churches are like museums, of course. Along with several look-out points all along the coast, the castles and citadels offered wonderful views, but be ready to climb lots of steps.

We were expecting to see beautiful views, masterpieces and history, as these are all listed in tour brochures and tour books; but a couple of things still managed to surprise us. One was the Cosquer cave attraction in Marseille. For someone like me, who loves history and prehistory, that ride was both fun, educational and a wonderful surprise.
We were also wonderfully surprised when we went to visit Port Grimaud, dubbed "Little Venice" by the locals. It is not Venice, by any means, but those beautiful canals and romantic bridges definitely reminded us of “La Serenissima”.

The staff at KimKim was extraordinary. Quite knowledgeable and able to accommodate even our last minute trip changes.

I would definitely highly recommend a similar trip to anyone.

The people and trips were simply amazing! We highly recommend food tours to get to know the cities and regions.

Hotel Reviews

Hotel Firenze

Venice

The staff were very polite and full of recommendations. They made us feel right at home.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Bigallo Florence

Florence

The room was very, very small. The staff were okay, but not warm and friendly.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Florida Residence

Positano

Wow! No words can describe the view! The staff were beyond amazing. So friendly and helpful!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

I can't say enough about how friendly and caring the staff treated us.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel del Mare

Sorrento

We weren't pleased with the view of our first room. It looked at a side of another building and there was a dead bird outside. I mentioned it to the front desk assistant. They worked hard to fix our concern by moving us to another room the next day. I can't thank them enough! Very friendly and helpful!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Great location! We were able to walk to the water and to the downtown.

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Venice Bacari Food Tour

Venice

The guide was fantastic and authentic! Excellent way to meet people and become familiar with your surroundings!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Wine tasting & dinner in Chianti vineyard

Italy

This was our most memorable activity on our trip! Food and wine were incredible. We met so many new friends!

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Tuscany Highlights: Siena, San Gimignano & Pisa with lunch & wine tasting

Florence

Fantastic guide and the towns were full of history! We particularly enjoyed the food and wine tastings!

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Capri Cruise

Italy

This trip was canceled due to weather.

The guides on our trip were excellent. Federico, Luigi, Stephania, etc.

Hotel Reviews

Duodo Palace

Venice

Clean hotel, centrally located. Staff, breakfast were very good. Friendly staff.

Authenticity & Character

Traditional

Location

Staff

Ariel.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Minerva Sorrento

Sorrento

Magnificent location with breathtaking views of the Gulf of Naples. Words cannot describe this hotel location. The first night there was a private banquet in their dining room. Despite this, the dining room manager Giuseppe put up a special table for us in a very nice location and served us an excellent dinner. We had a picturesque view of the Gulf of Naples from our room and balcony. Breakfast everyday was on the top floor patio overlooking the Gulf. I would come back here in a heartbeat.

Authenticity & Character

Golf=geous big room with all amenities.

Location

Beautiful view of the Gulf of Naples.

Staff

Unbelievably friendly staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Clean

Hotel Berchielli

Florence

Nice clean hotel, nicely located. Walking distance from all must see sites. Safe.

Authenticity & Character

Traditionally decorated

Location

Centrally locates and safe.

Staff

Friendly

Cleanliness & Comfort

Clean

Al Manthia Hotel

Rome

Well located, safe.

Authenticity & Character

Was a two level room with bedroom upstairs. Steep stairs to go up.

Location

Centrally located and safe.

Staff

Staff was uptight, can be significantly improved

Cleanliness & Comfort

Clean hotel

Activity Reviews

Venice Private Bacari Tour

Venice

Very good tour. Would recommend. A must do.

Quality of Experience

Guide was nice

Essential Venice

Venice

Historic place visits.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Explore Pompeii - Private

Italy

Pompeii is a wonderful place to visit. Our guide was knowledgeable but was too descriptive.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Driver was great.

Tour of the Amalfi Coast

Italy

Ah, we were the only ones so it became a private tour. Excellent experience. Luigi our driver and guide was very good. Very knowledgeable and was a local person. Friendly and full of jokes and we had a lot of fun. Positano, Ravello, Amalfi were nice and the coast is just gorgeous. Along the way is Atrani where the movie “Equilizer 3” starring Denzel Washington was shot, just beautiful. If I have a choice to have a second home overseas or to retire overseas, this would be it.

Quality of Experience

Friendly driver.

Food

Food in Amalfi was tasty.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Luigi.

Transport

Clean car.

Walking tour of Florence (Private)

Florence

Saw all the historic sites.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Visit to Pisa, San Gimignano and Siena with lunch and wine tasting

Florence

Long day 7a to 7p. But must do and great trip. Winery in San Gimignano was nice. Siena is cultural and historic.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Tuscan cooking class with San Lorenzo food market

Florence

Magnificent experience. A small group. Roberta our chef was very very good. An absolute must do. Don’t miss it.

Quality of Experience

Food

Food tour among squares and fountains of Rome

Rome

We enjoyed this very much. Stephania was very very good and made our tour so enjoyable. She went above and beyond. Very pleasant and professional.

Quality of Experience

Excellent, excellent. An absolute must do.

Vatican Museum, Sistine Chapel & St. Peter's Basilica

Rome

Breathtaking, overwhelming, wonderful experience.

Quality of Experience

Our guide Stephania was great.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Colosseum - Palatine Hill - Roman Forum

Rome

Very nice tour. Guide was wonderful.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

I knew that I needed help organizing my trip to Italy, because I had never been there before and I wanted to be able to relax while I was there with my college age daughter. I reached out to kimkim after seeing great reviews, to request trip planning for a 5-day trip to Varenna, on Lake Como, and Verona. The response to my request was super fast, which I appreciated because I contacted them just 6 weeks before my trip. Eleonora asked lots of questions, and then proposed a list of hotels and activities in each place. First, we had the most incredible view of Lake Como from our hotel balcony - it was magical. She recommended shopping in Bellagio (across the bay from Varenna), which was so adorable and had so many wonderful little shops and spots for aperativo. She signed us up for a tour of a beautiful historic villa, with a boat to drive us dock to dock. Then we drove to Verona to our next hotel, which was very centrally located in a beautiful historic district, just steps from the collosseum ruins. We had a food tour with Miriam - who was the highlight of Verona for us - who took us to taste local olive oil, wine, cheese, cured meat, candy, pizzetta rossa, and a traditional Veronese cake. I have limited mobility and so Eleonora went out of her way to research things that we could do that were within my ability, and our hotels were right in the center of everything in both Varenna and Verona, so we were just steps to delicious food. There was an issue with one of our hotel rooms, and her associate local Gabriele, solved it within 15 minutes. They made the trip easy, efficient, and enjoyable which was exactly what I wanted.

Hotel Reviews

Hotel Royal Victoria

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Milano & Spa

Verona

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Afternoon at leisure in Bellagio

Lake Como

Lake Como boat tour and guided visit of Villa del Balbianello

Italy

Private food tour of Verona

Italy

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Overall, our trip to Italy was wonderful! The information Marina gave us was for the most part very clear and timely and correct. We did experience a few glitches in communication which I will detail in a moment. But, again, overall, the drivers, guides, accommodations, and tours were really very good. The drivers were friendly and spoke English well enough for us to be able to communicate, and in many instances very well! The guides for the tours were well informed and passionate about what they were telling us. I am not good with names and was going to get back on the Trip Plans App to retrieve some of those names, but it won't let me. The Trip Plans App was also very helpful in keeping directions, train tickets, guide names etc all at our fingertips! I liked that very much!
Back to our drivers & guides: Coliseum tour: wonderful guide!! Very engaging! We saw her the next day at the Vatican and she came up to us and spoke for a while. Lovely woman! AnnaMarie may have been her name?
The food tour: Delightful young woman, who conveyed the different vibes of the different areas well!
The cooking class: This was a blast! The chef was a lot of fun even though he didn't speak English! He made himself known, and our translator was fun and engaging with the whole group! I may get a pasta maker because of this class!
Pompeii tour: She was so knowledgeable and interesting to talk with! She really knew the history, and conveyed it well to us. Again I'm so sorry I don't have any names!
Trip to Capri Island: She was wonderful as well! Knowledgeable and fun to chat with about life style and cultural things. I enjoyed her very much!
Florence tour with David: Very good as well. She was personable and informative. There was quite a bit of standing while she spoke and that was a little hard. She knew her stuff about Michelangelo and David though and that showed in the way she spoke about the statue!
Our driver and guide for the 3 Tuscan towns were good too. Friendly and informative! The driver was very accommodating. His name was Johnny! We were ready earlier and he was there and we just started out before the time and changed the order of the towns to be seen. It was a lovely day!
Wine tasting day! Fabulous! I think Matthew was our driver/guides name. Funny, informative, (a little opinionated, but that was ok! We understood where he was coming from even tho we may not have agreed on all his points!) He was a lot of fun and we learned A LOT from him!
Jacob was our driver/guide for what should have been our day to Cinque Terre. The rain kept us away from there which was a great disappointment for me as that was the place I was most looking forward to. We went instead to Lucca and Pisa. The day was sunny but I was sad about not being able to spend the day by the sea. Jacob was excellent as well. He was very knowledgeable about all kinds of things and funny too. Seeing the Marble mountains driving by Carrara was a treat we didn't expect. Very cool!
I think our guide in Venice was "Henry" or the Italian equivalent of Henry! He was delightful as well! Really knew the subject of St Marks Basilica and the Doges palace well. There again, we stood quite a bit and that made us tired. That wasn't his fault tho!
Accommodations were very nice! Capo d/Africa hotel: Lovely, friendly staff. Positano Art hotel: very nice! Concierge there was very helpful and personable! Olympia Hotel in Venice: Super friendly staff!! Very helpful! Mamo apartment was very nice as well. I did call for them to come and fix something in our closet, but they couldn't make that happen. We called for additional toilet paper & trash bags and someone decided that it would be good to deliver them at 22:30! We were all in bed! At first I thought it would be far from the Florence sites but the location grew on me! There were several good restaurants we enjoyed very close to the apartment! Good job! :)
Now the down side of the trip were the following: Communication while in Italy. For the most part it was fine but there were several times that the drivers or guides had my sister-in-law, Julie's number. Julie began the process of planning the trip but had to back out in April, so I took over planning. I don't think Marina communicated with Julie anytime past June, so her number should not have been part of the itinerary. When we booked and had to give all our final information I took Julie's name off the list so it wouldn't be confusing, but it was still in Marina's files. Julie ended up getting several calls from Italy (mainly in the middle of the night!). That was annoying for Julie and frustrating for me as I couldn't get to our guides in a timely fashion. This happened most notably on the Vatican tour. Our guide was late, I believe, to begin with, and didn't use a sign with our name on it. She looked up Julie on facebook to see what she looked like to be able to find us. That obviously didn't work. I don't look like my SIL! :)
The Vatican tour was disappointing too as I had requested going to the Rafael Rooms specifically, and that got overlooked.
The other disappointment was the final day in Rome. We didn't get to go on the Appian Way bike tour because of traffic to the airport hotel. And we didn't get any type of refund for this either.
I think this stemmed from the fact that I had no idea about drive times to and from places. I wish that Marina would have explained drive times to me better. It didn't affect too much of the trip, but this last day we may have changed things around had we know about how long it took to get from the train station to the airport and back to town to take the tour. All we did that day was travel, but it wore us out! Plus day light savings time had just ended so it was getting dark sooner than it had up until that point. That threw us off as well. If Marina had explained to us that, since we wanted to stay at the A/P hotel, that we may be taking on too much, we could have cancelled that activity and saved a little bit of money. We did have a nice relaxing evening together at the hotel on that last night!
Oh! One other suggestion! It would have been helpful to have the name of the tour companies for the tours we were on. We would have then been able to be proactive in finding our guides a little quicker. As it was we were completely dependent on them finding us. Just a thought!
So as you can see we had a "Fantastico" trip to Italy! There were some rough spots, but nothing that would dampen my memories of this trip! I have already recommended KimKim to others planning trips to Europe and Italy in particular! Thank you for listening to me!

Hotel Reviews

Hotel Capo d'Africa—Colosseo

Rome

Good location, friendly staff and the breakfasts included in the stay were very tasty!

Authenticity & Character

rooftop breakfast and bar in the evenings!

Location

walkable to historic attractions

Staff

Very friendly and helpful

Cleanliness & Comfort

No problems!

Art Hotel Pasitea

Positano

Lovely hotel! Concierge was super helpful in restaurant selection! He really seemed to enjoy seeing us when we'd come by the front desk!

Authenticity & Character

Fun artwork all over the place here!

Location

Beautiful views! Gorgeous

Staff

Very friendly staff and helpful. Spoke English well for us, which we appreciated!

Cleanliness & Comfort

Lovely rooms. Could have had a few more hooks, shelves & storage cabinets. A mini frig would have been nice too!

Mamo Florence Apartment

Firenze

Not as far from the Florence attractions as I initially thought but we did have to do a good bit of walking, which isn't bad! The staff was mostly accommodating to some of our needs. They couldn't come fix a closet issue, and brought us extra toilet paper and trash bags at 22:30! That was late for us Americans! We were in bed already! I would suggest having instructions for things like the coffee maker, washer/dryer & dishwasher. Letting us know what the checkout process was, and what to do with the trash would have been helpful too. Maybe having an information sheet with restaurants, markets, pharmacies etc would have been nice too. The lock for the door was something none of us had ever seen so that was a challenge initially but we got used to it! Overall a nice place to stay!

Authenticity & Character

City feel

Location

Good . Maybe could have been a little closer to town.

Staff

22:30 for delivery? not the best.

Cleanliness & Comfort

It was fine and clean and comfortable!

Activity Reviews

Colosseum & Roman Forum Visit: Arena Access, Gladiators Gate & Ancient City

Rome

Learned a lot! Lovely guide

Quality of Experience

learned a lot

Guides, Drivers and Staff

she was very engaging

Transport

we walked there!

La Dolce Vita: Private Golf Cart in Rome

Rome

Loads of fun! Guide was great and drove us all over the place! He was very knowledgeable and explained a lot of history & culture to us! He was losing his voice and we felt bad about that. a microphone would have help us and him out a bunch!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

so fun and a little scary on the streets of Rome! We had a lot of fun!

Day Excursion to Capri Island and Anacapri

Italy

Started out rainy but turned into a lovely sunny day! Really enjoyed the Funicular and the chair lift to the top of Anacapri!

Quality of Experience

Our guide was very personable and helpful

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Enjoyed our guide very much

Transport

I thought we would get to ride a hover craft out but we didn't get to That was the only downside. Funicular, Chairlift,ride over the MamaMia bridge! Very memorable

Day Excursion to Pompeii & Hercolanum

Italy

Fascinating to learn all the details of these ancient cities!

Quality of Experience

very informative.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Excellent! She knew her stuff and could convey it well to us!

Transport

Our driver to and from Pompeii/Positano was very conversational!

Guided Visit: Vatican Museums & Sistine Chapel

Rome

Interesting place. Lots of people. Didn't find our guide for about half an hour. It was beautiful but felt herded like cattle through the Sistine Chapel. Didn't get to see the Rafael Room which was on my list.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

She was passionate about the artwork she was telling us about

Transport

The driver to the Vatican was fine.

Italian Cooking Class at a Local Ristorante

Rome

So fun! Loved this event! Made pasta and an appetizer and were served plenty of wine in the process! Friendly Chef, translator and staff too!

Quality of Experience

Engaging staff! Wine! Yummy food! Fun Chef!

Food

Great food! So fun!

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Enthusiasm, outgoing personality!

Transport

the driver got us there! It was fine!

Guided Visit of Florence Including David and Duomo

Florence

Good tour. Lots of information. Lots of standing which is hard sometimes! We did walk a lot though too!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

We walked and met her at the designated point.

Chianti Wine Half-Day Experience

Florence

So fun! Really enjoyed the wine, luncheon an both wineries! The guide was very friendly and talkative as well (I talked about him in my overall review

Quality of Experience

Food

Delicious! Italian lunch and olive oil and wine! Who could ask for anything more!

Guides, Drivers and Staff

friendly funny knowledgeable

Transport

driver was our guide! Good!

Day Trip to Siena, San Gimignano & Monteriggioni

Florence

Fun day driving through the Tuscan countryside!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Our driver was super friendly and helpful! He told all sorts of things about the area. Our guide in Sienna was good too! She enjoyed her town and liked telling people about it!

Transport

Driver was great!

Day Excursion to Cinque Terre

Florence

Did not go to Cinque Terre because of rain. Very disappointing to me! We did go to Lucca and Pisa. It was sunny but didn't make up for not being able to see the sea!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Our driver Jacob made the best of a bad situation. He was super friendly and explained a lot of things to us driving down the highways to our destinations!

Transport

Driver was excellent!

We booked a duplicate trip that my sister in law and brother in law had already planned and reserved. We accompanied them on the trip. All our guides were fantastic and knowledgeable. We usually do not book tours, and was very impressed with our guides and small group tours.

Hotel Reviews

Casa Montani Hotel

Rome

The hotel was very nice and secure. Comfortable accommodations and had space to hang up clothes . It was located a bit far from some of our destinations but was definitely a walkable route to them. The light breakfast provided was delicious and was at our door within 5 minutes after requesting it. However, we got bored with having the same each day. Would have been nice to be able to substitute an item or two. Was only provided with a menu on the first day.

Authenticity & Character

Charming and authentic to the area

Location

Close to restaurants and shopping

Staff

The introduction we received on check in was helpful. The breakfast staff was very quick

Cleanliness & Comfort

Imperial Hotel Tramontano

Sorrento

This hotel is beautiful inside and out. There are lush gardens out front to enjoy day and night with seating, pool with food/beverage service. We enjoyed an amazing buffet breakfast daily, and evening cocktails, all with an amazing sea view at the hotel restaurant. Our room was beyond expectations; a two level accommodation with a gorgeous view of the sea from both floors. We opened the large window to let in the warm sun and light breeze. Plenty of wardrobe and drawer space for our clothes.

Authenticity & Character

Hotel was elegant and was well maintained.

Location

This hotel was centrally located and had access to many sites, shops and restaurants.

Staff

All staff we encountered were friendly and helpful with any questions we had. We also had our clothes laundered and they came back professionally clean and smelled amazing! Kudos to the porters, front desk staff, cleaning staff and wait staff that made our stay extra special.

Cleanliness & Comfort

The entire hotel was extremely clean.

Hotel Orto de' Medici

Florence

Great hotel located near city center. Walkable to many sites and restaurants. Beautiful architecture. Great breakfast buffet. Room was very small and not much wardrobe space to hang or unpack clothes. Beds were extremely firm which I like, but was not my husband's favorite. We arrived on a Friday night and was given a complimentary beverage at the bar. Was disappointed to find out that the bar was closing for the season that evening. The only other negative comment is we requested laundry service and due to the holiday the hotel staff said there would be none during our stay.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Near city center

Staff

Everyone was friendly and were given a great recommendation for dinner.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Locanda Leon Bianco on the Grand Canal

Venice

We had a wonderful room that had a Canal view. Even though it wasn't a grand Canal view it was still extremely nice view. Delicious breakfast buffet and the scrambled eggs were outstanding! The Staff is friendly and made sure we had what we needed. We had to leave very early on our last day due to flight arrangements and the staff provided us with two breakfast bags full of breakfast goodies that we were able to eat most of throughout our flight home.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Very close to all shops and restaurants. We could walk anywhere from this location.

Staff

Very friendly and made sure we had everything needed.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Our room was very clean each day!

Activity Reviews

Colosseum & Ancient Rome Tour with Roman Forum

Rome

Our guide was not only knowledgeable, but he had a sense of humor and a great personality.! (I wish I could remember his name.) Although the tour was lengthy, it was not overwhelming or boring. He gave us plenty of time to take photos and tour a little bit on our own.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Crypts, Bones & Catacombs: An Underground Tour of Rome

Rome

We learned quite a bit about The Roman catacombs and the history behind it. Enjoyed our guide who was very knowledgeable and friendly. Nice drive thru Appian Way and past Circus Maximus.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Mini Private Rome Tour in Golf Cart

Rome

This was a perfect day for a golf cart tour because it was raining. Our driver/guide was great! We had lots of laughs. He was knowledgeable on all the sites he showed us. He even gave us a surprise visit to the Pantheon which we really appreciated!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Pizza School at Agriturismo

Italy

A must do when in Italy. Enjoyed meeting the family who owns the farm. It was a fun, delicious and authentic experience!

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Highlights of the Vatican & Sistine Chapel Tour

Rome

Thankfully we had skip the line tickets and tour guide. Guide was very knowledgeable and was helpful when visiting this site. So much to see and was a bit overwhelmed with so much to look at.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Storywalking Experience in Castelli Romani

Italy

Our contadina breakfast at Ornesto's vineyard turned out to be a very special experience. He not only shared his vineyard, food and wine but also his life. The views were beautiful and food and wine were outstanding. We walked the vineyard and got an in depth tour/understanding of farming/wine making. We made a life long friend. We didn't want to leave and actually stayed longer than our schedule called for.

Quality of Experience

Food

Everything was homemade, delicious and plentiful.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Ornesto makes sure you enjoy your visit

Transport

Our driver was patient with us, as we extended our time there, which cut into our next destination which was a self guided tour.

Naples to the Amalfi Coast or Amalfi Coast to Naples - Pompeii en Route

Italy

Our train arrived late but arrangements were made to have our driver remain with us and tour was not shortened. Cool place to learn about Pompeii history and to view Mt. Vesuvius.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

St Mark's and Doge's Palace Tour | Semi-Private

Venice

We were tapped out of tours and historic sites by this point. St. Mark's church is beautiful and the square definitely has a lot of history. Tour guide knew her history and provided many details.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Private Gondola Ride Venice & City Stroll

Venice

We were looking forward to the gondola ride but was disappointed. Our gondola driver wasn't dressed in authentic attire. He was wearing plain street clothes. Assumed he would speak about points of interest but that didn't happen. He was nice to us and maneuvered the gondola safely. Tour was supposed be 30 minutes but ours over in 20 minutes.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Storywalking Experience: Full Day Tour of the Amalfi Coast with Limoncello Tour & Tasting

Italy

The Amalfi coast, Positano and Ravello are gorgeous and breathtaking. Nature's perfect gift. We had a tour with Chef from La Bonita del Capo. Gave us a tour of his lemon, orange and fruit trees/vines. Made limoncello in a small group with tasting. Had a full lunch with all courses. Delicious!

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Giotto Tower, Dome & Piazza del Duomo Monuments - Only Tickets

Florence

Wow.. incredible architecture. Loved the walk up the 440 steps to the incredible view. Only negative is once we got inside church, the staff didn't allow us to stop to view the church and were a bit rude about it. It wasn't busy so not sure why I couldn't stand there for one minute to look at the beautiful inside of the church. They hurried us outside.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

See comments above. This was a self guided tour.

Florence Art Tour: Uffizi & Accademia

Florence

Learned a lot about the history of Florence and the periods of art history. The highlight was seeing the statue of David..., a gorgeous piece of art.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Our guide was very knowledgeable and can tell she loves the arts!

Transport

Best of Tuscany tour: Siena, San Gimignano and Pisa from Florence

Florence

This was an all day tour. Saw beautiful countryside driving to Siena and Tuscany. Enjoyed walking through the streets in Siena and learned more about their history. Wish we had more time in San Gimignano, it's absolutely beautiful there. Touring a family vineyard was awesome and the lunch served was delicious as well as the wine. Had to ship some wine back home! Pisa was a nice ending to the day.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Our driver was our guide. She was awesome and gave us a ton of information about these regions!!

Transport

Rome Street Food Tour

Rome

If you are a foodie or not, highly recommend a food tour. It was fun walking through different neighborhoods to learn about their specialties Started at a bakery and had sampling of baked goods, then onto another to have sweet and savory Marizotto, enjoyed Supli, pasta , wine and lastly stopped at a gelato shop. We even went to a local butcher/market and sampled a variety of meats and cheese. Everything was delicious but it was a lot of food for me in a few hours. My husband enjoyed what I could not!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

She was wonderful and very friendly. We felt like we made a new friend!!

Transport

We walked to our destination. But it was a wonderful walk to the meeting point for the tour.

Exclusive Capri Boat Tour from Sorrento

Italy

This was an amazing and unforgettable tour and day! Breathtaking scenery and awesome tour guides. We got to take canoe into the Blue grotto. Took a chairlift ride to the top of AnaCapri with more breathtaking views of the other grottos, rocks and lighthouse. Boat tour gave us close up views of all and we even saw a waterfall!!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Our boat guides deserve 10 stars!! They ensured we saw all the sights that make this coast so beautiful. Great personalities and fun people. Would repeat this tour.

Transport

It was a short drive from our hotel, which was a nice change.

The organisation, transfers and guides, accommodation, quality of the activities and everything about the trip was just sensation!.. would highly recommend !

Hotel Review

Hotel Continental

Sorrento

Fantastic facility, Amazing staff, centrally located and great views across the bay to Mt Vesuvius!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Colosseum, Roman Forums and Palatine Hill

Rome

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Amalfi and Positano discovery boat tour in a small group

Sorrento

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

We had a wonderful time on our trip to Italy. Melanie did a great job planning a “Comfortable Trip” for my mom. My mom can walk but not long distances so we needed an electric wheelchair for this trip. Melanie was able to find one for us to rent and had it waiting for us at the hotel. After talking w/ friends from the USA and reading reviews online, I was led to believe that Italy was not a wheelchair friendly place and we were going to have difficulty using it. Fortunately that was not the case. Yes, there were some narrow streets and steep hills but we were able to work around the obstacles and my mom did not have to miss out on any of our Italy experiences. Very happy that Melanie listened to our requests and planned the trip accordingly. She was also very accessible on what’s app during the trip and checked in with us regularly. Highly recommend her company. The only negative was that I had to postpone the trip a year and the price ended up increasing by about $1k a person. Not sure if that was because of inflation or because there was originally going to be 5 of us and it only ended up being 4.

Activity Reviews

Chianti Wine & Olive Oil Tour and Village of Siena

Italy

Food and wine were great - the gnocchi was AMAZING! Family was very friendly. The only negative is that if u place an order it takes about 30 days to receive it which is fine because they tell you that upfront. However, I live in Atlanta and was having the wine shipped to San Diego for a party that I am attending Nov 9. The some said that he would ship the Monday after our tour. Unfortunately, totally dropped the ball on this and as of Nov 4th the order still hasn’t shipped. Had I know. That they weren’t going to follow through, then I would have just had it sent to Atlanta. I spent a lot of money on wine, olive oil, and vinegar that I won’t be able to enjoy.

Quality of Experience

Wish a tour of the vineyard was part of the experience. Maybe it wasn’t because the grapes had already been picked for the season??

Food

Gnocchi and tomato’s were so yummy!

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Rey friendly but son didn’t follow through on shipping my order in a timely manner

Transport

The driver was very friendly

Pizza Cooking Class in Sorrento

Sorrento

So much fun. The chef was so funny. We really had a great time and the pizza was yummy. We met another group from the US on this experience. When we left, someone from the group forgot something at the restaurant and the chef chased us down on his motorcycle to return it to him.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Capri and the Amalfi coast boat tour with the Blu Grotto

Italy

Really fun day. The driver was very friendly.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Explore Pompeii Walking Tour

Italy

Loved Pompeii. Our guide was very knowledgeable and it was very interesting hearing the history of the city.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Andrew was very knowledgeable and nice. He made the tour interesting. Only thing is that he often walked far ahead of us and was on his phone a lot. There was one time when he took my mom by elevator and we took the stairs and met him. He said do t worry, I will stay with her. When we met up with them he was walking far ahead of her.

Transport

Driver was nice but not a very good driver. His van was a lot older than the other vans we had taken. He drove fast and passed other cars in traffic. This was the only day that my niece got car sick during any of our tours.

This trip was a dream of a lifetime. It was my first trip to Italy . Our friends recommended KimKim so we contacted your company. Best move we could have done here ! Andrea was attentive and detail oriented and always answered whatever questions we had . The trip was perfect. Rome, Florence , Venice and Milan. The individual guides were a huge benefit . It was a custom tour and they could not have been better. We were very impressed. We will back and plan on using you often in the future !

Hotel Review

Sina Palazzo Sant'Angelo

Venice

Classy well appointed and nice accommodations close to everything . The only thing I didn’t like was the shower. An old bath tub jacuzzi set up that you had to step high to get into. Not a good barrier for water spraying out either. Many Americans don’t bathe we shower. Otherwise great in location , views, hospitality service.

Authenticity & Character

Right on the canal

Location

Gorgeous views.

Staff

Very nice and accommodating

Cleanliness & Comfort

The way we expected

Activity Reviews

Rome Private Guided Walk

Rome

First we were so lucky to have great weather. sunny and temps in the 70s everyday. You can’t plan that. I am a history buff and I love Ancient Rome . Our guide Mariapaola was amazing. Every sight was a wonderful journey into the past . She was so informative and interesting . I can’t imagine anyone nicer or better to have as a tour guide

Quality of Experience

The personal private guided tour

Guides, Drivers and Staff

On time and ready to help

Transport

On time and ready to help. Very nice

Colosseum and Roman Forum - Private guide

Rome

My favorite of the trip. This is right in my wheelhouse. I love ancient Roman history and this typifies it for me. Mariapaola is a superb tour guide. Love touring and viewing the forum and colosseum . It’s the best

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

We had an excellent 10 days in Rome and Sorrento. Everything worked well with great transfers, good hotels and excursions. The excursions we went on were all good but in hindsight private tours in Rome would have been better for us. Rome is extremely busy and in groups of 12 plus it’s often hard to hear the guide. The accommodation was as described, clean and of a good standard. Sorrento was an excellent base to explore the Amalfi coast and Pompeii.

Hotel Reviews

Royal Suite Trinita dei Monti

Rome

The hotel is in a great location on the Spanish Steps. Drinks in the courtyard at sunset was fantastic. However it is hard to access with luggage via a tiny elevator. The rooms whilst very nice were all quite different eg: our room had an extremely small bathroom but a big bedroom. The hotel only has eight rooms and is one floor is a residential building.

Authenticity & Character

Bathroom in unit 27

Location

Proximity to many attractions and Metro

Staff

Very helpful.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Continental

Sorrento

Great location close to the old town and the beach/port area. Rooms were spacious, clean, and staff were very helpful. Very quiet of a night to sleeping was easy.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Room Mate Filippo

Rome

An excellent B&B in the Barberini area. Modern, clean comfortable rooms. Staff were very caring and helpful.

Authenticity & Character

Modern, clean, quiet and well located.

Location

Close to plenty of attractions and the Metro.

Staff

My partner injured her knee travelling to Rome and the staff were very caring and helpful.

Cleanliness & Comfort

The place was spotless.

Activity Reviews

Colosseum, Roman Forums and Palatine Hill

Rome

The tour was too big and it was hard to hear the guide. Going to the Coliseum at 11 was too late on the day as the coliseum gets very crowded. We visited the Forum and Palatine Hill before and this could have been done first

Quality of Experience

Smaller groups

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Better audio systems.

Vatican & Sistine Chapel - Small Group Tour

Rome

The guide was knowledgeable and spoke well. We only passed by the art in the Vatican Museum with little time to appreciate it. We did not see the Raphael room or the Caravaggio’s. It felt like the Vatican Museum was the conveyor belt to the Sistine Chapel. The crush in the Sistine Chapel was awful. The tour of St Peters was good. Having been to Rome previously and seen the Museum etc, I know how good the experience can be. Too many people in small spaces.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Better audio

Pompeii Excavations half-day Tour

Italy

Great guide and transport. The guide wasvery knowledgeable and funny. we arrived as the gates opened, so we beat the crowds. Pompeii was an amazing experience and 1/2 say was plenty of time to see the key things.

Quality of Experience

Knowledge of the guide

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Very friendly and knowledgeable

Transport

Great driver on very narrow roads

Amalfi and Positano discovery boat tour in a small group

Sorrento

What a wonderful way to see the Amalfi coast and the towns of Positano and Amalfi. The boat was excellent for 10-12 people. The time we had in both Amalfi and Positano was enough to get a taste of both places. We every had a couple of beers/wines on the trip and this was much appreciated. However a hotel pickup would have been appreciated as we had a 20 minute walk to from the pick up point.

Quality of Experience

The boat, the driver, the guide and the hospitality.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

They loved their jobs.

Transport

Capri self guided day-trip with hydrofoil tickets

Sorrento

At best it’s a fast ferry not a hydrofoil. The trip to Capri was fine but timing of the return trip changed without notice. At one stage we were wondering how we would get home. In the end we got a later ferry. While Capri is nice, it’s very expensive to eat and drink. The Blue Grotto closed in the early afternoon allegedly due to high tide but we suspect it closed due to lack of people.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Day at leisure in Sorrento

Sorrento

We organised a cooking class and we had a wonderful day.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

The pace was just right! The tour guides all excellent for pier private service tours and in the end the Mikos of Mt Etna and Catania, Elise for the shared tours where phenomenal in understanding and appreciating all that we see. Private pick up service, on time and excellent and helpful to see the sights. I’m so happy to have chosen Kimkim.

Starting on April 30th Giulia of Liberty Travel of Liberty Travel in Padua was wonderful adjusting our travel wishes repeatedly as she helped us customize our Italian vacation. It was all set during the first week of August. Then after August 9, when we had paid the balance of our trip, the first problem started.

Problem #1- Internet Glitch: KimKim trip chat notifications stopped. The trip chat messages from Giulia appeared to us to simply stop. We assumed that meant there were no issues to discuss. In fact KimKim just suddenly and unexpectedly stopped sending us her many trip chat comments. Up to then we had always answered her within a day. We don’t knowwhy she didn’t think there might have been a notification problem.

Problem #2- A scheduled tour 'DaVinci' was canceled by the tour operator.. Unbeknownst to us Giulia asked via the non-functional notification system for a replacement tour. Getting no response she signed us up for a tour we had previously told her we did not want. I became suspicious at the apparent silence from Giulia and logged into kimkim chat and discovered the lack of notifications (from then on I logged in daily to the kimkim trip chat because I did not trust the performance).
When we reminded her that we did not want the Chianti tour she promised a refund which was done.

Problem #3- Our driver for our Siena/San Gimignano tour failed to arrive. The tour operator told us over the phone that she had no replacement drivers available to us. It was agreed with the Liberty Travel agent that we would receive a refund for the failed all-day tour. We made alternate plans. An hour later around 10AM a woman called and identified herself as the manager of Liberty Travel saying she had a driver who would be available in maybe an hour or hour and a half... to begin the ‘all-day” tour. We didn't believe her over the tour operator we just talked with and we wondered how she could still call it an all-day tour when it would not depart for Siena until 11-11:30 AM (instead of 8:30 AM). We had to hang up on her because she would not stop repeating the unaccepted offer and in the end tried to say we were choosing not to take the tour and implied at first we would not qualify for a refund.

While we received refunds for the two cancelled tours and enjoyed the tours that weren’t canceled we will not use KimKim or recommend it to other travelers. Between the KimKim communication issues before the trip and the tendency of the Liberty Travel agents to be defensive we would rather use a service that supplies small-group tours with a dedicated, onboard travel guide, e.g., Road Scholar, where problems are more quickly seen, anticipated and resolved.

We had an absolutely wonderful time on our PRIVATE trip to Italy. We were a group of 4 senior citizens.
Our drivers we always on time and our personal guides were actually outstanding. They accommodated us at our own gentle and non-hectic pace. When we requested breaks to rest, our guides we are accommodating. All our guides recommended and actually led us to noncommercial local restaurants and stores. We were really embedded in the Italian culture. Our local specialist Rita kept in touch with us every day and sometimes 2x a day. She made so many arrangements & cancellations for us we are so happy we did not make her quit. LOL Now I am not going to mention the names of our guides and drivers for selfish reasons bec I want them all to ourselves for our next trip to explore the northern tour of Italy next year:):)

THANK YOU KIM KIM YOU ARE THE BEST
I am, David Pagnotti Old Forge, Pa

Hotel Reviews

Hotel Monte Cenci

Rome

An excellent location and this hotel was spotless clean & extremely comfortable. The rooms and lobby had air condition. The porters couldn't do enough for us. And everyone spoke excellent English. The staff was well dress and the had a security guard in the lobby all day but i don't know why bec the location was great. It's in the bst part of town! In any event yes, I would definitely stay there again. This was our 3rd trip Rome Italy

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

The female at the desk with red hair & the porter & really to be fair and honest everyone really was extremely nice and polite. And I mean that from the bottom of my heart

Cleanliness & Comfort

Actually we had a brand-new room. Cant beat that!!!

Hotel Lorelei Londres

Sorrento

First of all, this is a 5-star hotel and the whole staff was extremely Solicitous to us senior citizens .The restaurant won many Michlin awards. All air condition and super clean rooms & clean bathrooms through ought. They offer WHITE hand towels not paper ones.

Authenticity & Character

Since there are virtually no woods in Sorento this hotel is all marble and cut stone. We don't have this in America, So this gives it character. Also there is a lot of art on the walls

Location

The location was stupendous!! The whole hotel has extra-large glass windows and glass door all overlooking the mediterranean sea. And at Nite you can see all the yachts anchored in the harbor.

Staff

The staff was absolutely perfect. They bent over backwards for us. The front desk answered with 1 ring of our phone call of things we need like was cloth's. The called for transportation in our behalf without delay. When the kitchen was closed & we had to leave at 5am in the morning they packed us breakfast and lunches to go. The dining room staff served us with white glove and the tables had white tablecloths.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Are room was large with lots of windows and everything was colored white especially the white tiles on the floor. I mention this bec dirt can't hide on white everything has to be clean or guest will notice dirtiness.

Hotel Il Guelfo Bianco

Florence

First of all, this hotel is located in excellent section of Florence and with walking distance for just about all important sites. AND restaurants too! It's a converted church/rectory to a hotel which is very typical of most hotels in this particular area of Florence. But it also means the rooms and hallways are very large. The public spaces and rooms actually have air conditioning. The hotel rates are sensible too. not overpriced.

Authenticity & Character

Location

The location is everything and this hotel is right on spot! Its in the middle of everything and that's why we choose to stay here. Close to important sights and restaurants.

Staff

The staff treat us like gold!! Extremely accommodating especially at breakfast. They were ready for us early each morning. The front desk helped us with directions and transportation. They were very polite too.

Cleanliness & Comfort

The actual bed size was nice and wide just like the room itself was large and wide & I also checked the accommodations of other people's accommodations that we were with & and their rooms we the same as ours. Large and spacious

Activity Review

Private Guided Visit of the Colosseum & Ancient City

Rome

We had an excellent tour guide & we got to cut the entrance line bec she pre purchased our entrance tickets ahead of time. Between the colosseum & forum and lunch we spent at least 5 hours in this area. It was fantastic:)

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

My sister and I had a wonderful trip to Italy! Every arrival/departure was met on time and with very attentive drivers, the cars were all beautiful and clean, and we were also treated to bottles of water and even candies with each trip.
The trains ran beautifully - on time every time!
All of our guides were knowledgeable and very professional. They were well versed in the locations and engaging in their presentations, providing much historical information and details that we would otherwise have missed. They clearly demonstrated a love of their work and their country.
All of the accommodations were lovely and the staffs were very friendly and helpful. My only suggestion would be for the Venice location - we were on the ground floor and although we were quite comfortable, there was a musty odor due to the proximity to water levels. In the future, I would request an upper floor room, even if there is a higher room rate. Venice was beautiful and we also visited Murano & Burano. Lots of walking and LOTS of steps! What a workout :)
Bologna was definitely the highlight for food! Best lasagna in the world! It was nice to be in a city that didn't feel so crowded. We even got to see the President of Italy who visited and gave a talk the day we were there.
Florence was the jewel city that I'd heard so much about - it certainly did not disappoint! So much to see and experience in such a short time! The silk factory tour was fascinating and our guide was great! We enjoyed our visit to the vineyard/farm but it would have been better had we been able to arrive earlier in the day so that we could really appreciate it. We arrived after dark so there was no opportunity to see the actual vineyards. Perhaps taking into account the season with earlier sunset times would help. I'm happy to say that the wine I ordered from them arrived yesterday, YUM!!
Milan was also a fascinating city. We attended the opera and La Scala was very beautiful. We wished that our seats had either been on the main floor or in the front row of our box. We didn't have chairs, but rather stools, and it was difficult to view the stage.
We fell in love with Stresa! The hotel and staff were wonderful! The town was everything we had hoped for in our visit to Italy. The driving experience was
Overall, our trip was wonderful and I thank Eirini for all of the planning and arrangements. She was wonderful to work with! I have already recommended kimkim to several friends and those who have asked how we were able to arrange such a great experience. I will certainly use your company for future travels. Thank you so much!!

Hotel Reviews

Ca' San Giorgio

Venice

The stay at Ca' San Giorgio in Venice was charming overall. Our room was on a lower floor, and it had a musty smell due to its proximity to the water, which was understandable given Venice's nature. Had we known, we would have requested a higher floor. Other than that, the room itself was great.

Art Hotel Commercianti

Bologna

Our stay at Art Hotel Commercianti in Bologna was delightful. The room was beautiful, and the staff were very friendly. Bologna offered some of the best food I've ever had. Despite being a city, it felt less crowded than others, which made the stay more enjoyable.

Activity Reviews

Visit a Silk Factory in Florence

Florence

Visiting a silk factory in Florence was an incredibly fascinating and unique experience. It felt off the beaten path, and with just my sister and I, it provided us a personal and memorable tour.

Best of Milan City Tour with Last Supper Tour & Duomo

Milan

Seeing the Last Supper in Milan was simply breathtaking. It was one of the highlights of the trip, an unforgettable experience.

Half day tour: Isola Bella and Fishermen's Island with a tour guide

Italy

The half-day tour of Isola Bella and Fishermen's Island was lovely. The guide we had made the experience rich with history and personal interaction, making it stand out as a memorable part of the trip.