Kimkim Trip Reviews for Italy

The entire trip could not have been better. Andrea worked with me through every detail prior to the beginning of the trip and checked in during the 11 days in October. He provided advice on keeping activities to an enjoyable level for our group of six - the right mix of sightseeing and relaxation. He also took special care in providing for a traveler with mobility restrictions. I worked with Andrea to organize the trip on behalf of our group and, with Andrea as close as a text, I could thoroughly enjoy myself too. We had no glitches whatsoever and Andrea was even able to coordinate some time changes in our itinerary that we requested along the way.

All accommodations exceeded our expectations. While all hotel staff were helpful and friendly, the staff at Martis Palace Hotel was particularly warm and welcoming for all three days. Our experience at The Hotel Belvedere di San Leonino was exactly how I had pictured a stay in Tuscany, including dinner at their on-site restaurant. Corte dei Sogni Hotel, Hotel Nazionale and Hotel Palazzo Veneziano were equally enjoyable. All breakfasts provided far more than I am accustomed.

In Rome, the golf cart tour on our first day was a great way to see the city up-close and a good use of time. We enjoyed Mariapaola as our guide of the Vatican, Sistine Chapel and Basilica as she is knowledgeable, entertaining and passionate.

When driving in Tuscany, we especially enjoyed the cities of Bagnoregio, Orvieto and San Gimignano. Cooking class and wine tasting at La Marronaia Winery was very fun! "The wine was made from those grapevines right over there."

It only took the first train ride to figure out how to navigate the Cinque Terre trains with our hop on/off pass. They were clean, convenient and ran on schedule. All five villages were interesting to see. The Via dell'Amore trail is an easy and accessible walk along the cliff and sea and is, of course, beautiful. Hotel Nazionale was in the village of Levanto which we found to be less crowded and slower paced and is also available on the train pass. Due to weather, our boat tour was cancelled for which we received a full refund within just a couple days.

Everything about Venice is unique so I have no particular comments other than to say we are glad we chose to end our trip there as, at one time, we discussed skipping this city.

All guides and drivers were friendly and professional and on-time or usually early to meet us.

We indulged in the local wines, limoncello, chocolate, coffee, olives, oils, balsamics, meats and cheeses. It was all fantastico!

This was my first international trip. KimKim and Andrea set the bar high for the next adventure. I plan to use KimKim again if I get the chance.

Hotel Reviews

Belvedere di San Leonino

Castellina in Chianti

Scenery was beautiful. Dinner on-site was convenient and delicious. Many places to sit and relax including scattered tables and chairs, bar, pool and hot tub.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Corte dei Sogni Boutique Hotel & spa

Great hotel with wonderful rooms. Don't let the nearly hidden outside entrance and ground floor lobby fool you.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Palazzo Veneziano Venice

Venice

Amazing entrance. Comfortable outdoor courtyard. Nice bar and breakfast area. Rooms are beautiful. We also took advantage of the complimentary visit to a Murano glass factory.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Rome Private Golf Cart tour

Rome

A great way to see the city up-close. A good use of time, especially on your first day in Rome. Fredricko and Fabio were fun guides.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Colosseum & Roman Forum skip the line ticket

Rome

We chose a self-guided tour. We should have gotten a guide or headset as there was so much information to take in.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Vatican Museum and Sistine Chapel skip the line ticket

Rome

Important to be able to skip the line.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Vatican Museums and Sistine Chapel - private guide

Rome

So much to see. Guide was wonderful.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Winery visit with wine tasting and cooking class

Italy

Fun class and learned a lot. Olive oil and balsamic tasting were bonuses that we didn't know we would be doing.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Cinque Terre Sunset cruise (Private)

Cinque Terre

Canceled due to inclement weather. We were informed during the entire day as to whether to cruise would take place. Received a full refund.

Accademia Gallery - skip the line entrance

Florence

Skip the line tickets were behind schedule which happened to put us in the middle of a downpour of rain. We waited it out and are glad we were still able to see "David." Amazing.

Quality of Experience

Venice exploration and Cicchetti on a water taxi

Italy

Guide was knowledgeable and weather was beautiful for this.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Caterina worked very closely with us to plan the perfect trip. She listened to our suggestions and accommodated our changes and requests. The trip and plans were smoothly executed seamlessly.

Hotel Reviews

47 Boutique Hotel

Rome

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Grand Universe Lucca

Lucca

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Private full-day tour to discover the Cinque Terre

Italy

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Venice Gondola Ride

Venice

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Private Colosseum, Forum Tour & Palatine hill

Rome

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Evening Aperitivo Tour

Rome

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Private Airport Transfer

Italy

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Cinque terre Card

Italy

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Private guided tour of Lucca with bike tour

Italy

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Tour of Pisa

Italy

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Our group of eight had an amazing trip to Italy thanks to the planning and preparation of Arianna at kimkim. It was a relief not to have to worry about the details.

The guide for the walking tour was outstanding. The guide for the bike to Chianti was good, bikes and safety measure were not great. The bike team for Fiosole was outstanding as was their equipment. A transfer should have been recommended given the distance and obscurity of the meeting point. Again, the distance to the bike trip in Bellagio from our hotel should have been pointed out. It seemed there were closer options available for ebiking. Boat trip was fine. Both hotels were great, especially Villa D'Este. Thanks for all!

Elena was amazing! She first met with our family to check on what type of trip we were envisioning and developed an initial itinerary that we were we able to modify as needed once we met and discussed with her. She was accessible and always responsive when setting up trip meetings. She put together a trip that was the perfect match for our family—it included history, a few days for relaxation, site specific experiences (eg, cooking class, day trip to island, visit to winery, bike tour) and excellent recommendations for restaurants and things to see and do during downtime at each location. Each tour guide that she arranged for us was friendly, engaging, and knowledgeable and were great resources as we were learning about each city. Elena always kept in close communication via What’s App to be sure that we always had up to date information for the upcoming day’s itinerary and to respond to any questions that we might have. She also arranged private transport or high speed train tickets when available and feasible to take any stress away from transport. I would highly recommend Elena for anyone wanting to travel to Italy!

Hotel Review

Hotel Luna Convento 4* Amalfi

Amalfi

This hotel is a jewel! The views overlooking the coast are amazing. The converted monastery is beautiful with its original cloister and with beautiful original tilework everywhere throughout hotel. It is also conveniently located steps away from the main city center of Amalfi. Everyone whom we encountered at Hotel was so friendly and always happy to help with anything needed. Would also highly recommend Hotel Restaurant Verranda—amazing food, service, and meal time views to enjoy.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Rome Private Guided Walk

Rome

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Really enjoyed our tour guide, Maria Paolo! She was friendly, knowledgeable, and engaging and a great resource as we learned about Rome.

Florence private guided walk including Accademia Gallery

Florence

Fadi, our tour guide, was amazing! He was friendly, knowledgeable, and engaging! We thoroughly enjoyed his tour of the Accademia Gallery and introduction to Florence. He also gave us great recommendations for restaurants and things to do while we were there. Highly, highly recommend!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Florence bike tour (small group)

Florence

My family and I really enjoyed this tour. I will say that if you’re older in 70s and not used to riding bikes that you would want to opt for a walking tour. My parents are in their 70s but given how crowded some of the areas were where you are touring, they were not comfortable navigating bikes in squares full of people and down alleyways shared with fast driving taxis and scooters.

Quality of Experience

No

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Siena guided tour

Italy

Alice was a wonderful guide. She was a native of Siena and was knowledgeable, friendly, and engaging! We loved learning about this beautiful city and its rich history!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Wine tasting with light lunch and winery visit

Italy

This lunch was in the most beautiful location in Tuscany. The winery staff were so friendly and knowledgeable as they reviewed the wines, olive oils, balsamic vinegars, and food that we were sampling.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Transport from Florence to the Tuscan winery was wonderful. We were driven by Max, who was so friendly and gave us history and information about everything we were passing during transport.

Pompeii ruin visit with a private guide

Italy

Salvadore was an excellent tour guide. He kept our 11 and 13 year old completely engaged, as well as the rest of family, as he have us history of Pompeii.

Quality of Experience

No

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Day trip to Capri Island from The Amalfi Coast - small group

Italy

The boat captains on way to Capri were wonderful, showing us beautiful sites and points of interest on way to island. The Isle of Capri was absolutely beautiful! We highly recommend chair lift up to Monte Solaro for some breath-taking views! Also thoroughly enjoyed captains stopping on way back to Amalfi to allow us time to swim in the clear aquamarine water of Mediterranean.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Vatican Museums, Sistine Chapel & Colosseum Tour Full Day Combo

Rome

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Vatican Museum and Sistine Chapel skip the line ticket

Rome

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Accademia Gallery - skip the line entrance

Florence

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Pizza and Gelato making class in Rome - small group

Rome

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Colosseum & Roman Forum skip the line ticket

Rome

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Francesco did an amazing job! Although I had one little hiccup, no fault of KimKim or Francesco, it was me - he worked to get it resolved and it was even on a Sunday afternoon when he was not working!!!! He is the best!

I have used KimKim twice now in Morocco and Italy & both times they exceeded my expectations. I will use them again when the need comes up.

Thank you Francesco and your whole team - amazing trip!!!!

Hotel Reviews

Relais 147

Taormina (ME)

Beautiful!!! great location and beautiful property - Rohid was extremely friendly, helpful, and nice. I loved my stay here. It's right in the middle of everywhere you want to be in Taormina - you just need to walk out the front doo.

Authenticity & Character

Location

so easy to get wherever you wanted to be, or stay local and explore the many restaurants and shops

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel brunaccini

Palermo

This not my type of hotel. I am long past the age of "slumming it". And as a solo traveler did not feel safe. The hotel, while very nice on the inside is right in the middle of the slums. Right below my balcony, that was on an alley, was homeless people. I did not feel safe here at all. As soon as I walked in the front door, while I was waiting to check in, I knew I had to leave. I just had a feeling that it was not a good place for me to be. First the front door to the hotel is always locked - you have to be buzzed in. This should tell you something about the area. The hotel staff is rude and arrogant. They are not helpful and definitely NOT pleasant to interact with. I had a 3-night stay and left after the first night. I paid for 2 nights somewhere else and lost money just to get out of there. The only reason I stayed the first night was because I got there later in the day and did not want to leave in the dark. The noise level is ridiculous, and in the evening there was a band that played in the courtyard alley until midnight - loudly. The room was large, but lighting was terrible, the bathroom lighting was the worst. The only thing that comes to mind is a saying we use at work - The hotel is like putting lipstick on a pig. I don't care how "nice" you make it - the location and rudeness of the staff will never make it nice......

Authenticity & Character

Location

everything! awful area - not safe

Staff

Rude and arrogant - and I don't even know why - it's not a Four Seasons....

Cleanliness & Comfort

Bed & pillows extremely uncomfortable. Poorly stocked mini bar, bad lighting

Activity Review

Palermo Street Food Tour

Palermo

did not take this, skipped the tour to leave the area, cannot comment

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

The experience with Andrea and the KimKim Team was absolutely wonderful. Our vacation was a trip of a lifetime because Andrea was truly effective and had all the big details and logistics taken care of. Thank you KimKim Team!!

The three of us couldn't have been more pleased with the experience of working with kimkim! From the beginning, our agent, Irene, crafted a trip that encompassed our wildest dreams. Her quick, knowledgeable answers to our questions, and her expertise in kimkim's services, as well as travel in general, were endlessly helpful and reassuring. The plan she created was excellent in every respect–from transports, ticketing and trains, to hotel locations and staff, tours and guides, restaurants and suggested activities. Our trip would have been far more limited and less successful on our own. We will definitely be using kimkim again in the future!

Italy was absolutely stunning! We decided to only tour Sicily and I’m so glad we did! Bastien helped to book everything we needed to perfection! We did a private tour around Palermo but I have to say I think I would recommend the hop on hop off bus for that instead. A must see tour is with Dario to Mount Pellegrino and Mondello beach! It was STUNNING! Seeing the cave where the relics of the patron saint of Sicily were found was unforgettable! All the villas and hotels that were booked were amazing and no issues! People were so nice there even with speaking minimal Italian and the food was to die for!!! Agrigento was by far one of my favorite days of the trip seeing the Ancient Greek ruins! The BnB Villa Maiolica was one of our quickest stays but most welcoming! They had the best and freshest breakfast it was amazing! Most of the other breakfast offered with the hotels were mediocre! Ragusa was such an amazing little area with unreal gelato and beautiful scenery! We spent an afternoon in Marsala which was so cute and great shopping! We did a day boat trip to Favignana and that had some stunning beaches and cliffs! The Salt roads were unbelievable at sunset! It was so cool to see all the natural salt and how it is harvested!The way that Bastien worked to make this the most unforgettable trip catered to exactly what we wanted was amazing! I was also traveling with my 3 year old and he worked around that to make it the best trip while incorporating a child! I continue to recommend kimkim to everyone I speak with! Truly unreal experience! All to places that I would have never thought or known to book! Even a local found out about things we were doing and he said that’s not a normal tourist stop and I love that you’re seeing true Sicily! We had the best time!! Thank you KimKim and Bastien!!!

Hotel Reviews

B&B Villa Maiolica

Agrigento

Such a sweet Villa! The people who run it were amazing! The breakfast was the freshest we had the whole time in Italy! They made hand squeezed orange juice with mint and it was one of my favorite things! The bathroom was brand new and very nice! We had a HUGE balcony off the bedroom! We were a 5 min walk from the waterside with tons of restaurants!

Authenticity & Character

Being right in the city!

Location

Soooo close to Agrigento and tons of restaurants!

Staff

Everyone there did!

Cleanliness & Comfort

Bathroom was squeaky clean! The photos online don’t do this place justice!

Dimora di Spartivento

Ragusa

It is right off the highway but still feels like a little hideaway! The room was amazing and the pool with the view was great!! Only downside is don’t eat lunch or dinner here the food was terrible! Breakfast was good! Very basic!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Villa Dei Papiri

Syracuse

This really made you feel like you were in Italy! When driving there you think this can’t possibly be where I’m going and then you take a turn and end up driving through a vineyard to this beautiful villa! The room was two floors and so nice with a kitchen set up! Animals all around and a ping pong table with my little one loved! So beautiful and close enough to town to grab dinner!

Authenticity & Character

Made you really feel Sicilian with the double wooden doors to enter your own villa and just the whole vibe!

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Il Vigneto Resort

Menfi

This had the most beautiful view of a vineyard! So pretty and loved the room!!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Relais Antiche Saline

Paceco

Seeing the salt road at sunset right next to the hotel was AMAZING!!! The restaurant they own is next door and the sunset alone is worth staying here! Aside from the fact that the pool is gorgeous and the rooms!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

B&B Hotel Palermo Quattro Canti

Palermo

PERFECT location in the center of Palermo! Driving in to it was a bit tough they have an app you have to get to pay a fee for driving to get to them because it is meant mainly for foot traffic! So once you park your car I suggest you leave it and tour by foot or taxi!

Authenticity & Character

Location

The most unreal location! Everything and I mean everything is right outside the door!

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Lido Méditerranée

Literally on the ocean! The view from our room was stunning and it had a little sitting area to look out at the water! The food here at night was SOOOO delicious! We actually never left the hotel and just enjoyed the amenities on our last day by the water!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

City Kickstart Tour: Palermo (Private/1.5Hours)

Palermo

Didn’t think this was worth it! The tour guide was so nice! But we could have easily just walked around and did a similar thing! He gave us great recommendations on food and such but I didn’t find this necessary.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Our guide was very nice!

Transport

Palermo's Hills & Sea: Mount Pellegrino and Mondello Beach Tour Spritz & Meal (Private/3Hours)

Palermo

This is a MUST!!! Such an amazing experience! Dario was truly so great! He took us to the top of the mountain where we went inside the mountain to see where the relic of the patron saint of Sicily was found! It was one of the most moving things I have ever seen! After we went to Modello beach and enjoyed some real Sicilian food! One of the best days of our trip!

Quality of Experience

Dario had everything under control and knew exactly what to show us!

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Cannot say enough about Dario and how great he was!!!

Transport

Dario drove up the mountain thankfully because he is comfortable driving there and the city is crazy with driving.

We had the most amazing two weeks in Italy. Melanie listened to what was important to us and what activities we liked and planned the perfect trip. She kept us fully informed in the months leading up to the trip but even more important was the support she gave us during the trip. She took the time to send us a welcome message, offer her services while we were travelling around and even sent through an outline of the day every morning with all the vouchers and timelines that we needed for that day. This extra service ensured that we had everything at hand that we needed and nothing was left to chance. She suggested restaurants and other activities that we might be interested in, she checked ferry timetables for us and sent us best wishes/farewell messages when we were leaving. Melanie was an integral part of what made our short time in Italy so enjoyable - we can't recommend her enough!

Hotel Reviews

Portacatena Suite

Salerno

We stayed at the Portacatena Suite in Salerno for five nights and it was fantastic! The little apartment in the old town was spacious and the host was very obliging. The location was perfect, and I'd highly recommend staying here.

La Corte dell'Astore - Wild in Style Resort

Alberobello

In Alberobello, we stayed at the La Corte dell'Astore - Wild in Style Resort. It was an awesome experience staying in a trullo. I have nothing but good things to say about it; truly memorable.

Sextantio le Grotte della Civita

Matera

The cave accommodation we stayed at, Sextantio le Grotte della Civita in Matera, was possibly the best place I've ever stayed. It was a really special experience with fantastic staff and gorgeous breakfast. A unique and unforgettable stay.

Hotel Mozart Rome

Roma

The Hotel Mozart in Rome was in a great location. However, the room was quite tight and lacked space. It would have been better to have a bit more room.

Activity Reviews

Lemon tour and cooking class

Italy

The Lemon tour and cooking class was fantastic. It was a relaxing and fun activity, and the hosts picked us up from our accommodation and dropped us back.

Vatican & Sistine Chapel Tour

Rome

The Vatican and Sistine Chapel Tour was very good despite us arriving a bit late. It's definitely a must-visit place and worth the experience.

Rome food tour: A deliciously cultural tour for foodies

Rome

The Rome food tour was lots of fun. Really enjoyed it and it made for a great day out.

This was our 2nd time using kimkim; it's unlikely there will be a 3rd time.

We made clear when we planned this trip we wanted 4 rooms in Florence and 3 rooms in Rome (we were a group of 6 for 6 nights, and 5 for 3 nights). Kimkim only booked us 3 rooms in Florence, and we had to pay extra, at the last minute, for a fourth room which we were only able to secure for 2 of 4 nights in Florence. In Rome, we learned just before departing for Italy that kimkim had booked us only one room; thus, at the last minute, we had to pay way too much just to get a 2nd tiny room that three grown women had to share. This was a major error by kimkim.

In each Italian location, we had to pay an additional amount for "city taxes" about which kimkim never told us; they absolutely should have told us about this ahead of time.

Kimkim booked us on several tours. Some were very good, but too many of the booked tours were unsatisfactory because the guide was poor, the tour itself was just bad, or the audio quality was quite poor. There were instances where kimkim didn't provide detail where to go for the tour, told us incorrect start times, or provided incorrect travel times to get to the tour.

Given the money we paid, we didn't expect to take any tours with other people, but in two instances we were provided poor quality tours with at least 15 additional people. A tour of the Vatican was promoted as a 3 hour tour, but was only 2 hours, and we felt VERY rushed. Moreover, the guide failed to take us to St. Peter's Basilica, which we believe should be the highlight of any Vatican tour.

The driver Kimkim scheduled to take us to the Rome airport at 6:30 am failed to show up, causing us to scramble and squeeze into a tiny taxi. Multiple times during the trip, including when we attempted to figure out why the driver didn't show up, kimkim failed to answer its own after-hours "emergency line", which was absolutely inexcusable.

Bottom line ... for the substantial amount we paid, we expected a dramatically better experience.

We used KimKim for a trip to Croatia two years ago and had a wonderful experience. To the extent we had any issues, our Croatian kimkim travel agent gave us her phone number so that if/when we had issues, we had instant contact with her. Kimkim Italy did not provide us with similar information causing us much stress when we had issues.

Kimkim should be highly embarrassed about our experience. To make up for its errors, kimkim ultimately gave us about a 3% refund of the amount we paid ... ridiculously inadequate.

Kim Kim,
Our Trip was TRULY AMAZING!
Every Driver was there before for pickup and was kind, courteous and very helpful. The guides brought to life every location for us, they were very accommodating, knowledgeable, pleasant and friendly.
We give ALL your GUIDES an excellent rating!
We highly recommend your travel group!!!
Rita did a fantastic job of arranging this entire experience from locations, hotels, guides, and drivers as well as restaurants. Each person went the extra mile to make this trip a Fantastic experience.
Rita, and Kim Kim Thank you for making this Trip truly very memorable 😊

Hotel Reviews

Hotel Lorelei Londres

Sorrento

The staff and restaurant personnel were fantastic. They made their hotel and A++ rating. The hotel and restaurant views are beautiful. The food was fantastic. They supplied breakfast bags for each morning trips for us since we were leaving early for our excursions. The staff made sure we had everything we needed . This place is excellent……HIGHLY RECOMMEND

Authenticity & Character

Beautiful Hotel

Location

Views!

Staff

They all truly helpful, thoughtful and very accommodating

Cleanliness & Comfort

Beautiful rooms and views

Hotel Monte Cenci

Rome

Hotel Monte Cenci in Rome was nice and very accommodating. The staff were wonderful, ensuring our stay was comfortable and pleasant.

Hotel Il Guelfo Bianco

Florence

Hotel Il Guelfo Bianco in Florence was unique and charming, converted from an old building, perhaps a church or some historical structure. It offered a distinctive experience and the service was very accommodating.

Activity Reviews

Guided Visit: Vatican Museums & Sistine Chapel

Rome

The guided visit to the Vatican Museums and Sistine Chapel was a bit crowded, yet our guide was exceptional in managing the crowds. Their assertiveness and organizational skills allowed us to enjoy this magnificent cultural experience without the stress of dealing with large groups of people. We appreciated the personal touch and dedication.

Day Excursion to Capri Island and Anacapri

Italy

The Day Excursion to Capri Island and Anacapri was fantastic. Our guide was excellent, ensuring we were comfortable and tailored the experience to fit our needs, even accommodating our health issues.

Private Guided Visit of Florence Including Michelangelo's David

Florence

The Private Guided Visit of Florence, Including Michelangelo’s David, was fantastic despite the crowds. Our guide took great care of us, ensuring we had space and time to truly enjoy the experience.

Guided Visit to Pompeii with Archeaologist

Italy

The Guided Visit to Pompeii with an Archaeologist was excellent. Our guide was informative, attentive, and accommodated our needs perfectly.

I enjoyed the trip. However, we had some issues with our travel agent. While we were still planning our trip, she responded quickly and wanted us to book the trip fast to ensure pricing even though we were still booking the trip far in advance. We did have to suggest certain activities like food tour, etc. After we paid for the trip, we asked about dinner reservations, but the response was delayed, etc.
She did not check in with us once we arrived. At one point, we wanted to change the train time; however, she told us that we could not change the ticket. By the time she responded via text on her phone, we had booked another train tickets ourselves.

We felt like we had to plan a lot of the trip ourselves. We booked our stays in airbnbs to help save money. We did not have transfers to and from every city, which was frustrating because of how expensive our trip was.

Overall, I did enjoy the trip, but I just wanted to have better communication overall.

Activity Reviews

Florence: Renaissance History Walking Tour

Italy

We did not do this activity - we ended up doing our own wine tour.

Athens: Parthenon, Acropolis and Museum

Athens

This tour was fun, but the tour guide was not great and the museum could have been self-guided.

Ancient Rome Walking Tour

Rome

Tour guide was great.

Venice: Prosecco Wine Tasting Tour

Italy

Very pretty - great way to end the trip.

Sailing & gastronomy experience across the Athenian Riviera

Athens

This was fun, but the food was sub par - not very authentic.

Naples: Guided Street Food Tour with Tastings

Naples

This was a highlight of our trip.

Jessica you are the most amazing, most organized & interactive trip specialist I ever worked with. I cannot explain how great this trip was and going forward all my trips will be planned using Kimkim. Every person we interact with was great, treated us kindly, was always on time and went above and beyond to make sure our experience in Italy was great. Even when we went to the wrong address for a guided tour, I messaged the team and someone was available immediately to ensure we meet the tour guide. The best trip I ever had. Thank you team KimKim

Once again the smoothness of transportation from one area to another went very smoothly and was stress free as I could rely on KimKim! Notes on what to do on our free days helped us structure them for ourselves. The hotels were all just the right level for us and all comfortable with excellent breakfasts. I appreciated the tours that were arranged for us, the small size suited us, and the tour guides were knowledgeable. Using KimKim saved me hours of work trying to figure out what we wanted to do in each city, where to stay, and how to get from place to place. This allowed me to focus on enjoying my time with my son and granddaughter taking in all the tastes, sites, and activities.
Daily check-ins regarding what I needed to be aware of for our next day of activities was also appreciated so that we could ensure being on time for these. Also, when we had questions or considered any changes the responsiveness was helpful.

We started our journey to Italy with a bump in the road, literally, when we had a flat tire driving from Catania to Taormina. But the staff at our hotel, especially Ranidu, Chiara Rozzi, who allowed us to park the car for free and drove us to our hotel and the Espiritu team saved the day. Thankfully we got rid of the rental car and we were glad we did. We drove in Europe before but the hillside roads and highways in both Sicily and around Sorrento were too much for us to handle. And the intense drivers in Palermo and Naples were more than I would’ve imagined, so.., it was easier to get around with private cars, taxis or buses.
After we settled in at Hotel Villa Greta with a late dinner and bottle of wine everything got better each and every day! Taormina was wonderful as we enjoyed the steps up and down twice a day to shop, eat and explore. We took an excursion to Mt. Etna that include a stop at Alcantara Gorges, so bring your water shoes for a great walk through the park. Our best dinner was at Osteria Rosso DiVino, a higher end restaurant owned by two sisters that served us the fresh catch of the day, sea bass served Sicilian-style.

Our stop in Palermo included a great walking tour with our guide, Rachele and lots of interesting sights on our own, like the Mercato del Capo. Then a quick flight to Naples brought us to Sorrento. Our room at the La Piazzeta Guest House was very comfortable, Catarina made sure we had everything we needed.
We highly recommend the sunset cruise, a guided tour of Pompeii with Alessio, make pizza with Chef Giulia Fusco, and the all day tour of Capri included the Blue Grotto, and the extra cost for the chair lift and funicular are worth it. Our guide, Luigi was a lot of fun and super helpful. We also visited an art exhibition of the works of Antonio Ligabue Villa Fiorentino.

After 5 days in Sorrento we were driven back to Naples for a couple of days to explore and eat. We had a little trouble finding the door to our hotel which was located in a building with no signage, but the Unico Realis was modern, comfortable and clean. Maria Chiara, our host was very attentive. She recommended a great place for our final dinner at L’Antica Trattoria before our flight home the next morning.

A few takeaways to share; we felt safe throughout our trip in very town and city along the way. Most everyone spoke English but we wish we practiced our Italian more!
The hillside towns have many stairs so leave your heels and sandals at home and wear comfortable walking shoes as we clocked well over 15,000 steps a day. One day when we got a bit lost in Taormina we clocked 59 flights of stairs, mama Mia! Pack as light as you can, hauling a large suitcase as we did was tough. The room was a bit small but the balcony view was incredible. The stairs were truly the challenge.
Google Maps was noticeably inconsistent throughout and if you are not good at reading maps spend time plotting out trips before venturing out to explore.
The Trip app provided by Espiritu was very helpful as was the support by our KimKim team led by Rita Pagano.

Hotel Reviews

Villa Greta Hotel Rooms & Suites

Taormina

The staff, especially Ranido, made our crazy start to our trip very pleasant.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Move it closer to the bottom of the stairs! Just kidding, sort of.

Staff

Ranidu was so kind during our arrival following our flat tire in town, late at night when we desperately needed some help.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Politeama

Palermo

Great location, this hotel was more of a typical hotel in any downtown location around the world.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

La Piazzetta Guest House

Sorrento

Location was perfect, just off the main square

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Great bathroom

Unico Relais

Napoli

Authenticity & Character

Location

Near the center of town, just a bit tricky to find.

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Private Guided Visit of Palermo

Palermo

Rachele was very helpful in pointing out sights and places for us to visit the next day.

Quality of Experience

Included along the way was finding a sandwich shop near the port, serving a local favorite spleen sandwiches, Porta Carbone.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Amalfi Coast Sunset Cruise

Italy

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Cook a Pizza like Neapolitan Pizza Maker in Sorrento

Italy

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Pompeii Archeological Site Guided Visit: Travel to Ancient Times

Italy

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Our guide, Alessio was very good.

Transport

Private Visit of Naples with a Local

Naples

I suggest a bit less of historical details and add more about local culture and sights worth exploring.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Our recent trip to Italy, under Caterina at KimKim, was one of the best travel experiences we have ever had. Caterina was very flexible in helping us to tailor the trip to our specific needs and wants. As we know Rome quite well, we chose to start our trip with a self-planned stay in Rome. Day 2 is where the team at KimKim took over and it was seamless from start to finish. Everyone who met us along the way to take us to a station/hotel/restaurants/private tour/airport etc over the remaining 9 days of our trip, were all very professional, friendly and helpful. Because KimKim use local people, it was also wonderful to get a truly local tour with deep local knowledge of the area, even when we were just transferring from one hotel to another. In addition 2 of our guides were able to make great restaurants suggestions that meant we ended up lunching in very special places, that we would never have known about.

Italy is without doubt one of the world's most beautiful countries and Sorrento and the Amalfi coast did not disappoint - however it was the people that we met along the way that elevated the experience even further; So, a big thank you to Beatrice (Rome), Francesca (Naples), Pepe (driver Naples - Sorrento), Gianni (private tour of Pompeii), Manfredi (private speed boat for the day around Capri and islands), Massimmo (tour of local towns) and Carmine (driver to Naples airport).

The hotels that Catrina chose for us were also incredible: The 2nd leg of our trip was at the Grand Hotel Royal, Sorrento. It is the epitome of classic 'Italian Rivera' elegance, with amazing views from our room and all the terraces across the ocean to Mount Vesuvius, with the occasional cruise liner on view. The staff were very professional and courteous. The hotel is dressed beautifully, with classic Italian decor throughout, good food and great bar service. The hotel had a kind of magical quality with it's unique outdoor lift that descends through the rock to a private beach/pontoon area right on the water's edge. Whilst very quiet and you feel you are away from it all, it is also a short walk into Sorrento old town, where there are many shops, and great restaurants and bars.

The 3rd leg of our trip was at Fuore Grand Hotel, Amalfi Coast. WOW. A contemporary and exceptional hotel that made us feel that we were in a dream. All I can say is if you are looking for a base to explore the Amalfi coast and to feel that you have escaped the 'ordinary world', then stay here - you will not be disappointed! We didn't want to leave! Thank you to the team at FGH. We miss you!

Hotel Reviews

Grand Hotel Royal Sorrento

Sorrento

The epitome of classic Italian Rivera elegance. The hotel, garden terraces and restaurants have amazing views across the ocean to Mount Vesuvius, with the occasional cruise ship on view in the bay. The hotel is beautifully dressed throughout in classic Italian decor. The rooms are classic, super comfy beds, very clean and well appointed with lots of storage and superb views. The hotel offers a good range of food, although somewhat limited but the food, especially breakfast and service was excellent and the bar staff very attentive. Overall the hotel has a magical/nostalgic quality, especially with it's outdoor lift that descends from the upper terraces down through the rock to a private beach/pontoon, right on the water's edge. Whilst the hotel is located on a road, it is quiet and you feel away 'from it all'. Yet the hotel is a short walk into Sorrento old town and so shopping and dining out for lunch and dinner is an easy option, with an abundance of local restaurants and bars offering authentic local cuisine. We loved staying here!

Authenticity & Character

The epitome of classic Italian Rivera elegance. The hotel is beautifully dressed throughout in classic Italian decor.

Location

Whilst the hotel is located centrally, it is quiet and you feel away 'from it all'. The hotel is a short walk into Sorrento old town and so shopping and dining out for lunch and dinner is an easy option, with an abundance of local restaurants and bars offering authentic local cuisine.

Staff

The bar staff (a young lady) was particularly good - however everyone at the hotel was professional and courteous.

Cleanliness & Comfort

The rooms are classic, super comfy beds, very clean and well appointed with lots of storage and superb views.

Furore Grand Hotel

Furore

Fuore Grand Hotel, Amalfi Coast. WOW. A contemporary and exceptional hotel that made us feel that we were in a dream. All I can say is if you are looking for a base to explore the Amalfi coast and to feel that you have escaped the 'ordinary world', then stay here - you will not be disappointed! We didn't want to leave! Thank you to the team at FGH. We miss you! The hotel is contemporary and chic, understated enough to allow the stunning valley, views and natural surroundings to sing. The decor throughout is simple and elegant with great attention to detail using local materials and patterns, bringing warmth to the experience. The food at FGH is also exceptional; the breakfast alone is a wonder but the jewel in the crown, is the fine-dining experience. It is not hard to understand why the hotel/chef was awarded a Michelin star within 3 months of the hotel opening.

Authenticity & Character

The hotel is contemporary and chic, understated enough to allow the stunning valley, views and natural surroundings to sing. The decor throughout is simple and elegant with great attention to detail using local materials and patterns, bringing warmth to the experience. The food and wine is authentic and local, but delivered with contemporary flair.

Location

The hotel is fairly remote which means you need to hire a private driver and / or take the hotel shuttle service - however this is one of the best bits about this hotel, as when you are there you feel that you have escaped it all, yet it is accessible to explore all the best towns and villages in the area.

Staff

The staff at FHG could not do enough for us!

Cleanliness & Comfort

Spotless, and well maintained throughout our stay.

Activity Reviews

Train transfer Rome/Sorrento with 2h guided tour in Pompeii

Italy

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Private boat tour to Capri

Italy

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Visit of The Amalfi coast Villages Full Day

Italy

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Everything was well planned and seamlessly easy. We came across many people who were lost and couldn’t find their tour groups, but Irene’s detailed instructions got us where we needed to be on time. The hotels, drivers, tours, and tour guides were all phenomenal. The only misinformation we received was regarding the Florence highlights tour, where we saw the Duomo and the Galleria dell’Accademia. We were told we’d end the tour in the gallery and be able to spend additional time there after the tour, but we actually toured the gallery first, then the duomo, and ended by the Vecchio bridge. However, we had more than enough time in the gallery. We would definitely book with Irene and KimKim again.

Hotel Reviews

La Fenice et des Artistes

Venice

Very helpful staff and lovely rooms. We did run into a hot water issue when trying to shower in the morning, but overall a fantastic experience.

Authenticity & Character

Adorable rooms really make you feel like you’re in Italy

Location

Very centrally located and fun the hear opera music nearby

Staff

Helpful in every capacity. Helped us game plan finding a pharmacy on a Sunday, helpful coordinating with the water taxi picking us up for the train. Quick to give additional blankets.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Very clean and organized

Hotel della Signoria

Florence

Very centrally located and very helpful staff. Beautiful panoramic view at breakfast.

Authenticity & Character

Location

5 minute walk from most attractions

Staff

Always greeted us with a smile when coming and going

Cleanliness & Comfort

Very clean and organized

Abruzzi Hotel Rome

Rome

Pantheon view was amazing! Shower was sizable and lovely.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Lived being right next to the pantheon

Staff

Happy to help get bags up and down stairs, direct to requested locations using maps or gps, happy to take us to the cafe serving breakfast, happy to help game plan and address scheduling concerns. We needed breakfast before the cafe opened one morning and they arranged to get us bagged breakfasts the night before.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Venice Highlights Walking Tour

Venice

Lovely guide and personalized tour. Very helpful and happy to answer any questions and customize tour.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Doge's Palace & St. Mark's Basilica Tour

Venice

Lovely personable guide. Entertaining and great information.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Market & Cicchetti Food Tour

Venice

Lots of yummy food and fun to see more of the city. Very helpful and personable guide. My mom was knocked into and dropped her gelato, and Carlotta went back and got her more. It would have been nice to have time to purchase food from the outdoor markets.

Quality of Experience

Food

They offered alcohol free options and tried to accommodate food sensitivities

Guides, Drivers and Staff

My mom was knocked into and dropped her gelato, and Carlotta went back and got her more.

Tuscany Day Trip from Florence with Chianti, Siena & San Gimignano

Florence

Well organized and highly informative. Good balance of walking and riding in a car.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Morning Florence Highlights Walking Tour

Florence

Beautiful and informative. It would have been nice to have fewer people. We had a group of about 10 and then 4 more were added because they messed up with their meeting place/time and missed their originally scheduled tour.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Colosseum & Roman Forum Tour

Rome

So much fun to be some of the first people in the colosseum for the day. Beautiful to be there around sunrise.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Fresh Pasta Making & Tiramisu Cooking Class

Rome

The chef was so personable and helpful and fun

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Vatican Guided Tour

Rome

Very thorough and informative

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

I expect something to go wrong on any overseas trip; it seems impossible that with so much ground to cover that something would fall through or go sideways. Amazingly, nothing went wrong on this trip. Every detail was covered and Irene answered every possible question before it came up. We met every driver at the exact time they were scheduled to be there and every guide was excellent. The only thing we would have changed is having a driver meet us in Florence and drive us to the hotel, since the hotel was literally across the street from the station. It would have been easier to walk to the hotel; there was no need for a driver. We loved the itinerary in every city. Our cooking class in Florence was one of the highlights of our trip. The instructor provided excellent directions and advice on how to make and cook the dishes and she was quite funny as well, which added to the fun. The sights, smells, and tastes of each destination made for an unforgettable experience. I would recommend kimkim to anyone--especially our planner, Irene. Thank you!!!

Hotel Reviews

Oasi Boutique Hotel Cinque Terre by Best Western

Levanto

This is a quirky, fun, and very comfortable hotel in Levanto. They provide a whole panoply of extras that add to the appeal: a delicious and unique breakfast bar, an assortment of bikes to borrow for free, Netflix (in case of a rainy evening that you want to spend in rather than going out), a few jars of cookies available at any time, a piano and guitar in the reception area for anyone to play, and very friendly and helpful staff. A great place to hang out!

Authenticity & Character

Lovely, comfortable rooms with balconies.

Location

Quiet neighborhood

Staff

Helpful and friendly

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Modigliani

Roma

This hotel is quiet, centrally located, and comfortable. The rooms are small but adequate, and the breakfast buffet had a lot of variety and many delicious options.

Hotel Palazzo Vecchio

Firenze

This hotel is directly across from the train station, which is nice. However, it was quite dark and cramped, and the shower had barely any water or water pressure, so it was not our favorite hotel by any means. One of the lights in the room was out, and it took over a day to get it replaced, so the room was even darker than normal. The breakfast buffet, however, was delicious.

Tritone Best Western Hotel Mestre

Mestre

This was the largest hotel we stayed in while we were in Italy, and it is lovely. The rooms are comfortable, and there is a little more room to move around than in some other hotels. The train station is across the street, making it very convenient to travel to Venice. As with our other hotels, the breakfast buffet was remarkable--many delicious options to get the day started.

Activity Reviews

Local transfer in Amalfi Coast

Italy

The Amalfi Coast, due to its popularity, is now bumper to bumper traffic, so the best way (in my opinion) to see it is on foot, hiking the Path of the Gods. It is utterly gorgeous scenery the whole way, and the trip is accompanied musically by grazing brown goats adorned with bells that echo throughout the mountains. The path is not difficult, although it is often rocky and alternates from climbing to descents the whole way. At the end, there are somewhere between 1500 to 1700 steps to get down to the road that leads to the incredible town of Positano. Once you get to Positano, the climbing is not done--you have to go down to get to the beach, and up to get anywhere else. I'm convinced that anyone who lives in Positano has remarkable glutes and quads.

Private Pompeii Tour & Mount Vesuvius visit with light lunch

Pompeii

Mount Vesuvius provides some incredible views of Napoli and the surrounding countryside. Pompeii is much bigger than I could imagine and our guide was so knowledgable about the history of the place and people who once inhabited the city. It's a stunning site that should not be missed, but the one thing that made it such a fantastic adventure was our guide. He added so much value to our experience.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

We had a private guide that was an expert in the history of the people who had lived in Pompeii, and he really made it all some to life for us.

Venice Highlights Walking Tour

Venice

Venice is an incredible place, but if you stick to St Mark's square, you have no idea of what Venice is all about. We had a guide who was from Venice and knew her way around the tiny streets and quiet piazzas, as well as informing us about the history of Venice and how it came to be built (on a swamp!) and what is happening now with the city and its inhabitants. The real Venice is outside of the heavily-trafficked tourist areas, and it is beautiful and quiet and utterly amazing.

Pasta and Gelato Making Class in Florence

Florence

Super fun! Our instructor was excellent! We got to eat the food we made, and it was one of the best meals we had during out whole trip.

Colosseum & Roman Forum Tour

Rome

As with any of the large tourist attractions in Italy, the guide is the key to full enjoyment. All of our guides were exceptional, and Matteo was no different. He was knowledgeable, friendly, and obviously knew all the ins and outs of the Colosseum, Palatine Hill, and the Roman Forum. Rome is a large, modern city, so it's a bit shocking to have the Colosseum and other Roman ruins pop up in the middle of all the accoutrements of modern life. The ruins are very crowded, so we had to adjust our expectations a bit, but although we were shoulder to shoulder with several thousand other tourists, it was fascinating to learn the history of ancient Rome.

Early Morning Vatican Tour

Rome

As with our other tours, we had a fabulous guide to the Vatican. It was stunning to see the many treasures that the Vatican museums hold--statues, paintings, and of course, the majesty of the Sistine Chapel. Given the massive collection of masterpieces that the Vatican Museums hold, it would take months to fully explore the galleries, so we only saw a tiny fraction. The only downside was that there was no place to rest after hours on our feet, and the huge numbers of other tourists sharing the experience with us. Our guide, Alex, explained everything beautifully and was a great photographer to boot--offering to take our picture with impressive backgrounds around every corner. St Peter's Basilica is enormous, vast, immense--it's hard to process how big the space is; the piazza outside the cathedral is also gigantic. What an amazing place!

Morning Florence Highlights Walking Tour

Florence

One of the best tours we took! The tourists hung out at the Duomo, which was spectacular, but our guide took us to the less-crowded, but historically significant places in Florence, including smaller churches, streets full of the most fashionable brands, and palaces that were not full of tourists.

Kimkim did a great job of finding us rooms that were very centrally located for walking and getting to the places we wanted to go to. All of the guides were exceptional. The pick ups were always on time and easy to locate. Maria hooked us up with Storywalking in Sicily and they did a great job and were very responsive This was my second trip using Kimkim and I have referred many people to them and plan on using their services again in the future.