Kimkim Trip Reviews for Italy

The goal of our honeymoon was to spend 3 weeks in Italy, starting in Florence and ending on the Amalfi Coast. But we needed help to organize a trip that would ensure we could truly experience Italy, spend quality time in each location, have smooth transitions from place to place, and incorporate down time along with the activities. We called it the “Slow Travel Honeymoon in Italy” and from the first day we were in contact to the final day of our amazing trip, Kimkim did a spectacular job for us balancing the activities with the leisurely pace we desired.
The specific criteria, besides the start and end locations mentioned above, were 1) we preferred boutique hotels; 2) we wanted to experience the food, the culture, the wine (all of which are obvious for Italy, but still worth mentioning); 3) we wanted some tours scheduled, but mostly preferred to be self-guided with recommendations; and 4) we wanted to be worry-free with regard to transportation between venues.

Upon arrival, we were connected to the local Kimkim team via WhatsApp – this is an incredibly reassuring and comforting aspect of Kimkim. Whenever we had any sort of question or minor glitch (which were few and not worth mentioning because they did not impact our enjoyment at all) the Kimkim team was there to answer questions, clarify any planning, and resolve issues. We can’t say enough good things about their service during the trip. Kimkim provided a detailed itinerary with great information about all the places we were to visit, plus all the transfers they arranged (some via train, some private cars) with tickets, phone numbers/names of drivers, hotel addresses, etc. The itinerary was in a PDF, which we printed out and then had bound together like a booklet.

Our overall itinerary included: Florence, Cinque Terre, Sienna, Amalfi Coast, Naples

Florence – We landed in Rome and were met at the airport by our driver (Andrea), who drove the 3 hours to Florence – he was pleasant and informative throughout. Upon arrival, we spent a few days in the city before our wedding. Kimkim booked us in the Hotel Continentale, which is on the River Arno next to Ponte Vecchio and a perfect fit. In addition to the great location and extremely attentive service staff, the room was large and had a really nice romantic feel to it. Breakfast is included each day at an outdoor café a couple doors down, where you can people-watch along the Arno and really soak in that part of Florence. In addition, their spa services were outstanding – we both took advantage of several of their spa treatments, including massages. The roof deck is a great place to get a late afternoon drink, and the views of the Arno and Piazza del Signoria are awesome. After the wedding, which was in the hills of northern Florence, we were back on our Kimkim itinerary – back into the city for a couple nights to stay at the Palazzo Niccolini al Duomo, which as you might imagine is right next to the hustle and bustle of the Piazza del Duomo. This 4-Star hotel was much more of an elegant property – whereas Continentale is more modern, this hotel is in a historical structure. Its location was wonderful, the staff terrific, and included was breakfast top notch, but the room was a bit of a disappointment in comparison to Continentale – i.e. although it was perfectly fine, the room did not possess the charm and romance of the former.
Cinque Terre – we took the train from Florence to La Spezia and then a taxi to our accommodation in Levanto: La Sosta di Ottone III. This boutique hotel is set atop a hill with beautiful views of the surrounding hills and of the sea not too far in the distance. The room was comfortable and romantic. The staff were incredibly accommodating and friendly. The restaurant is not to be missed – only a few tables, and the service is top notch, with delicious food and excellent regional wines to choose from. We spent 4 days and 3 nights in the Cinque Terre region, doing day-trips to visit the five villages and we took advantage of both the trains and boats that ferry tourists between Riomaggiore, Manarola, Vernazza, Monterossa and Corniglia. We shopped, walked, and dined along the way in perfect October weather. The one standout experience was a wine tour in Manarola (arranged by Kimkim) in which we were guided by a local winemaker, as he talked about the history of wine in Manarola, the process of winemaking, etc. He walked us through his vineyard and at the end we tasted some of his excellent local wine.

Siena – From Cinque Terra we took a private transfer back to La Spezia train station and then to Pisa, where we were picked up and driven to our accommodation in Sienna. The drive was great, through the Tuscan countryside, as our driver (Massimo) described some sites in the distance that we would eventually visit a couple days later: Monteriggioni and San Gimignano. We stayed at Il Battistero, a beautiful hotel in Piazza San Giovanni. There’s so much in Sienna to do – we wished we’d spent more time there and can’t wait to go back. Kimkim arranged two really nice tours for us here: a wine tasting at the Tuscan Wine School, where Georgia talked to us about five excellent regional wines, incorporating some points around food pairings as well. The next day, Georgia’s colleague Davide drove us on a tour through the hills of Chianti, to Monteriggioni, San Gimignano and finally to Volterra where we met Omero, an aged alabaster sculptor who exuded such warmth and charm that we still talk about him. Between San Gimignano (which is not to be missed!) and Volterra, Davide brought us to Il Castagnolino, an organic farm where they grow saffron and olives. Their olive oil is special—we brought some home. We had lunch there, prepared especially for us by the proprietor, and learned a lot about saffron. The views of the Tuscan countryside all day were breathtaking.

Amalfi – from Siena we headed south to the Amalfi coast. We had a private transfer to Florence train station, where we boarded the train for Naples. From there our driver Giuseppe (who would also drive us from Naples to Rome a few days later) delivered us on the only rainy day of our 3 weeks in Italy to our accommodation in Porto d’Amalfi – Residenza Luce, which is situated in the heart of the village. The proprietor Vincenzo was great, and immediately made us a dinner reservation at a nearby restaurant L’Abside (which happens to be owned by his sister) – dinner was fantastic, and we were given a great table by the window overlooking the piazza. Our days in Amalfi were spent walking, exploring, eating, shopping. All of it was great, and we found a particular restaurant worth mentioning simply because the food was outstanding and the owners (a husband and wife – Antonio and Adele) are just wonderful. Enoteca e Gastronomia il Protontino is a 3 minute walk from Luce, and has both great food and an amazing wine selection. We had dinner there two nights in a row, and we drank some great wines. We also purchased a mixed case of Chiantis, which Adele shipped to us within a couple weeks of our return to the States. Every single bottle so far has been outstanding.

Naples – we took a private transfer from Amalfi to Naples as our trip finally was nearing the end. Pasquale drove us out over the mountainous terrain of Amalfi on a beautiful sunny day. As we drove north through the winding roads with hairpin turns, we were greeted by the site of Vesuvius on a clear day. Even from a distance it’s an amazing and somewhat foreboding site to see – given we were heading first to Pompeii on our way to Naples. We spent 2 hours exploring Pompeii, which for anyone who is interested in history and archeology is a must-do. From there we had lunch at Cantina del Vesuvio, which is the restaurant run by the Russo family on the grounds of their vineyard. We had great food and tasted their excellent wines. From here, Pasquale drove us to our accommodation in Naples, the Caruso Place Hotel. This is a nice hotel, but the one note of caution is its location relative to the nearby street traffic and restaurant. Our particular room was street level, and we were just feet from tables of people enjoying their meals and motor scooters driving by. The staff, as with all the hotels, were great and we enjoyed massages in our room. We were met early morning of our departure by Giuseppe who safely drove us to Rome – a long drive to be sure, but easiest for us to do the roundtrip from Boston to Rome.

Covid – although the pandemic was obviously part of the experience, it didn’t deter from our enjoyment of Italy. We felt safe at all times, and appreciated the consistent safe measures taken at most restaurants and all museums we visited. Kimkim also arranged for our pre-departure Covid test, making an appointment for us in a nearby Naples location. Everything worked out great.

Summary - If you’re still reading this long review, then the last and most important point I’d like to make is that our Kimkim team, led by Eleni Fotiou (who is the best!) was great all the way. We can’t wait to plan another trip with Kimkim.

I highly recommend Kim Kim and specifically Jessica with “Storywalking”. We are a well traveled couple and will definitely use this agency again. Jessica helped us navigate the COVID requirements and kept in touch with us the whole time. She even filled out a form for us that we couldn’t figure out.
All hotel and car rental arrangements went smoothly and we were very pleased with everything. She made great suggestions as we went along our journey. She was not intrusive (which we liked) but offered just enough help at make everything very nice.

Hotel Review

Hotel Centro Florence

Florence

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Review

Big Bus Rome: Hop-On, Hop-Off Bus - Ticket 48h

Rome

Quality of Experience

Hard to findb

Andrijana planned us an unforgettable honeymoon in Italy. Our week in Rome and week in Tuscany were absolutely fantastic. The private tour guides were some of the best I've ever experienced, and we learned a lot of insider knowledge directly from locals. Our accommodations were perfectly located in each location, and the drivers they hired for us were reliable and professional. Every detail was worked out ahead of time, and they were there to support us when we had questions.

She even helped us get COVID tested for our return trip per US requirements, making what could have been a difficult trip stress free.

Everything was perfect and I would highly recommend both Andrijana and Kimkim.

I have to say this was the best trip I have taken. My friend and I planned this trip to Sicily over two years ago and due to covid had to postpone twice. The team at Kimkim were amazing to work with us and get us back on track. We spent two weeks driving all over Sicily planned out perfectly by Kimkim. We were never disappointed in anything planned. I do have to say the hi light of the trip for me was the cooking class...it was wonderful!

Every hotel and B&B we stayed at were fabulous, our tour guides were great and so helpful. Milena and Mario... Any time I had any questions I could call Simeon and it was taken care of. I will definitely recommend Kimkim to anyone traveling and looking for a trip designed just for them...I will use them again!
Vince Santo

Sonia put together a fabulous trip for us. We were particularly interested in Italian wine, and she was able to secure personal tastings at local wineries specializing in Barolo, Barbaresco, Brunello, and Nero d’Avola. The wine is Sicily was a particular treat, as we were not as familiar with it prior to the trip. The Gambino winery on Mt Etna was the biggest surprise. I even joined the wine club.

Our trip covered the north (Piedmont) to the south (Sicily and Sorrento) over 18 well-spaced days. Accommodations were interesting and excellent. No chain hotels. Drivers were always on time, spoke good English, and often provided helpful local knowledge. Our virtual concierge Mara was always available by phone when we wanted to reschedule an activity on our itinerary.

What a God send Andrea was ! We had never taken a trip to Europe before when we decided to just do it ! Once we purchased our plane tickets we realized we had no idea where to start next and how to get the most out of only 12 days. That is when we turned to Andrea for help. Within 2 days he had a perfect itinerary set up for us flying into Rome and from there to the Amalfi Coast-Florence and then Venice.
Andrea took care of everything! He purchased our passes to all the private tours, booked our first class train tickets and arranged private first class private transportation to and from all destinations ( not once was a driver late) as well as top notch hotels.. He even recommended which restaurants to try as he had personally tried them himself. The truly amazing factor was Andrea himself. He literally messaged us daily to notify us of recommendations and to ensure all was going well
We highly recommend his services to you ! He made our trip a complete success

James, our trip planner was easily accessible and pleasant with any of our questions.
Danielle, our Mount Etna guide was knowledgeable and attentive to our climb in the mountain.
Rosario, our Taormino guide brought that city to life.
Simone, our Syracusa guide, was delightful and so knowledgeable.
Vincenzo was a last-minute addition as a guide in Catania. He showed us so much more than just the city. You should definitely add him to your list of great tour directors.
The whole trip is one we will share with our family and friends and would give it a 5 * rating.
Here are a few of my suggestions for future travelers:
Realize that driving yourself in Sicily is not easy. The city streets are very narrow and parking is almost impossible. Instead of traffic lights, they often use traffic circles which are poorly marked and often confusing, even with Google. On the Autostrada there are tolls which are like E-Z pass in the US. You have to be careful choosing your toll booth. In the future, we would hire a driver.
My last advice for future travelers would be to not expect an on-time departure from the smaller airports if you hope to continue on to the next leg of your flight. The smartest move we made was to book a reservation the night before our departure in Rome Hilton which is within walking distance of the airport. I believe you should share suggestions like these with future travelers.

Putting together a trip to Europe is stressful, when you're planning on proposing there... it's even harder. Andrijana stepped in to help and we had the entire trip wrapped up in a few weeks. Any worries or concerns I had before we boarded the flight should have been left at home: this was an amazing experience and everything went off without a hitch.
We had 4 planned stops on our trip: Cinque Terre, Chianti, Venice and Como. Andrijana suggested I abandon my initial idea of renting a car in favor for the trains and she was correct to do so. The trains were incredibly comfortable and easy to use, even with 4 suitcases. We had private transfers to and from our destinations, all arranged ahead of time, which made the transfer days some of the most relaxing I have ever experienced. A great opportunity to recharge between destinations.
Our stop in Cinque Terre was at La Sosta di Ottone III. Getting to this place was difficult, it's located outside of Levanto so you need to call a cab or get a car to get to the cities themselves, but they are only a short 10-15 minute drive away. The hotel itself is very rustic and quite, perfect for anyone looking to just escape from the world of technology and enjoy the beautiful scenery. Vernazza was by far my favorite place in the area. La Pirata Cafe, all the way in the back of the little town, had by far the best food I had in Italy, no Michelin star needed. That pesto changed my life.
Chianti was amazing as we are huge wine lovers. We finished at least a bottle or two per night while we were here during all our winery tours. Andrijana set up the most amazing visit to some micro-breweries where we got to meet and have dinner with the owner of Campocorto, Marco. His family welcomed us to dinner and we had a fantastic evening filled with great wine, food, and conversation.
Venice was my favorite stop. Andrijana set us up with an amazing hotel right on the canal, we had a great tour through the city and got to enjoy a lot of resturants. Walk around the city after midnight, wear some loud shoes, and you can really appreciate the beauty of the city and the amazing designs behind every street.
Our stop in Como was also amazingg, our hotel was right on the water with amazing balcony views of the lake. The food in the area was amazing but we particularly enjoyed a small walk in sandwich shop called Passion Como, in the city of Como itself. We went back twice that same day.
This was a fantastic itinerary and I am very happy with everything that we managed to put together. We made memories that we will cherish forever and I cannot wait to work with Andrijana again for our future trips.
Thank you!

My lifelong BFF and I decided to spontaneously get away in late August, with trip dates for Sept 2021. I work long hours and don't have the time nor desire to look for deals and reviews, especially so close to our trip date. I found KimKim online and it was the very best thing we've ever done! Our specialist, Andrijana, was better than we could've ever wished for in a travel partner. We only had 7 nights and no idea of where to go, do or stay; Andrijana curated the most perfect vacation for us. Working together we planned some structured days and some to be 'free' days, where she offered us ideas of where to go, and best places to eat. It completely took the stress out of vacationing, including where to get our Covid test to come back home. The hotels were exactly what we had hoped for. Our drivers were always prompt and courteous.
A couple of highlights (so hard to pick as it was all magical) was the hotel in Positano with the most spectacular view. Small-sized boat trip from Sorrento to Capri. Our private guide, Giuseppe, who took us to Pompeii and then on to a private winery for lunch, followed by the climb up Mt.Vesuvio.
I would absolutely recommend this incredible agency - the personal connection and knowing that the agents are just a message away, is exemplary and next to none.

Andrea was great through the entire planning process to the completion of the trip. I will def use him again for my next trip to Italy. The guides and drivers were top notch, the recommended restaurants and activities allowed us to have a wonderful Vacation.

Thank you, Andrea!! You're the best!

There were a few minor glitches. I would have liked to have had St Peter's Basilica included in the Vatican trip, but it wan't and I wasn't given that option. Most guides were super informative and delightful, but there is a parking problem in Tuscany tour and the guide couldn't accompany us on the sights. Again, it would have been good if the Pisa was arranged in a way so we could have entered it, but that was not an option.
In Rome, I would have liked to have had a tour of the first level of Coliseum.
The hotel at Spainsh Steps was not great. For the prices that I paid, I would have liked to have better luxury.
Since you asked: David was the highlight. Sisteine chapel was underwhelming (Sorry Michaelangelo! I expected to be blown away like seeing Mona Lisa. I wasn't)
Except for these two minor glitches (4 1/2 stars but you don'e have 1/2 stars), everything was out of this world. They even tried to pick pocket us in the subway in Rome. Speaking of the complete experience!
Monica was outstanding. A definite 5. Alessia in Venice was great. Another 5.
Hope to work with you again next year for Greece!

The best part of our 14 day vacation was the choice of hotels. Our first two nights at Posta Di Veccia were a perfect way to start the trip. We relaxed the first day at the hotel right on the sea, and then spent the next day touring Rome with a great guide. The second hotel was Il Pelicano, which we also loved. At both hotels we had really nice rooms with amazing views and felt really welcomed and well taken care of by the staff. The food and location was amazing at Il Pelicano on a beautiful little island that we toured in our convertible. We went to Elba Island next and we were schedule to stay at Villa Ottone for 4 nights, but we stayed there only one night and moved to our next hotel 3 days early. Unfortunately Villa Ottone was listed as a 5 star hotel, but it was mire like 2 star. We really did not like it there even though they did try there best to make us happy. Luckily kim kim was able to change our itinerary and it worked out beautifully staying at Castello di Velona for 6 nights! We loved this hotel so much and felt like a prince and princess living in a castle! Each day we would drive up to a half out to different hilltop towns to walk around and have lunch and then we’d come back to the hotel to lounge in the thermal water in the afternoon. My favorite hilltop town was Montalcino, and it was only 15 minutes away. The last 3 nights were in Florence, at Villa Cora. This was a stunningly beautiful hotel and they gave us a beautiful room on the top floor with a balcony overlooking the city and the sunset. We loved exploring Florence and then relaxing at the pool in the afternoons because it was so hot. Our last night we went to the Four Seasons for their tasting menu and it was such a beautiful night with a really cool dj playing during our dinner. We loved this trip so much. It was the most romantic honeymoon I could have imagined! Thank you Tasos and team!!!!!

My husband and I just got back from an amazing trip to the Amalfi Coast of Italy, including Positano, Sorrento, and Naples. The process of planning and booking the trip was easy, organized , and our specialist Andrijana was very responsive and attentive to our preferences for the trip. She was able to put together an itinerary that had everything we love about vacation. The detailed plan for the trip was great and the transportation from the airport and between the cities we visited was seamless. The accommodations selected by Andrijana and the Kim Kim team were incredible, (especially the bed and breakfasts in Positano and Naples). Tiziana was a fantastic host at our accommodation in Positano, and Gisella was great in Naples. We ate at amazing restaurants with fantastic views of the beautiful Amalfi coastline. We did have a discrepancy about one of the tours that was planned during the stay, where there was an apparent miscommunication between the provider and the travel agency. The team, however, was very responsive and helpful despite the fact that our day did not go as planned. We appreciate the work on their end to try and resolve the issue, and they did compensate for the mistake quickly.
During our stay, we communicated with the team about recommendations for restaurants etc, and it was great to have a access to local guides to get great suggestions.
We had two of the most amazing guides for our tours in Sorrento and Naples. Celestina did a wonderful job showing us around Sorrento and explained the landmarks, culture, and traditions on a walking tour of Sorrento. She was friendly, warm and very knowledgeable. Celestina did an excellent job! We ended that tour with beautiful garden dinner at a the restaurant. We had a fantastic time with our amazing guide, Giuseppe who took us to the picturesque town of Ravello, took us on a walking tour of Naples, and guided us during our favorite day of the trip that included Pompeii, wine tasting and Mt Vesuvius. Giuseppe was top notch! He was one of the best guides we have had on a vacation. We learned so much from him during our tours! I can’t say enough about the hospitality and incredible service he provided on the last few days of our trip. Thank you to everyone that made this trip so memorable for us! We would definitely use KimKim again and recommended their services to our friends and family!!

Just back from an amazing family vacation! Emi’s recommendations and planning allowed us to see and experience parts of Rome, Milan, Turin and Florence - both through relaxed self exploration within the cities and small group tours for daylong excursions in smaller towns nearby. The hotels, and train travel she organized made it easy to relax and enjoy the trip. Questions arose while we were traveling, and she was quick to reply - so nice to have a friendly local resource! Would definitely recommend and use this service again for future trips. Thank you Emi!

This is my 2nd time using kimkim to book a trip and I am so glad I did! This was my first time to go to Italy and I wanted to do/see all the highlights. Marianne created the ideal itinerary for me and I was able to do everything I wanted and more. I had the most amazing 19 days touring Italy-Venice (Murano and Burano), Florence (Sienna, Pisa), Naples (Amalfi coast, Sorrento, Pompeii), and Rome-with great tours and days to saunter and wander on my own. I mean, it was PERFECT! I did have a few hiccups but Marianne was readily and immediately available via WhatsApp to help and get things sorted for me and she did. Everything from hotels, tours, and transportation (private car and train tickets) were all booked ahead of time and I received all of that information before I even headed to Italy. Not having to worry about those things allowed me to relax and enjoy my entire trip. Marianne even offered great suggestions for things to do in each location during my days I had to explore on my own. I'm really grateful that those exploration days were part of my itinerary. I was able to revisit some sites as well as see things I encountered along the way. I didn't feel like I missed out on anything! I highly recommend Marianne to help you plan your Italy trip!

Had a ton of fun. All the recommendations for restaurants were on point. The Wine tour was a little underwhelming. That is pretty much my only criticism of the vacation. Thanks for everything !!

Valentina has been extremely accommodating throughout the entire process — from proposing an itinerary, to making late changes in our plans due to weather, to ensuring that our trip was going well. Our trip to Italy would not have been the same without her. I would definitely work with her again should I travel back to Italy in the future.

Our Guides Alessandro in Florence was excellent. Ricardo in Rome was excellent also. They were also very helpful . I was. Dis appointed in Matthew. On our second he asked us how our cooking class was? We said no one showed or called. Matthew said he would call us back. We never heard another word from him all week! We waited around all day prior to his call, alerted the front desk and no one came. My husband was really looking forward to this. Loves to cook. Communication was a definite issue with the trip, until we took the initiative and asked what time we could expect some one. Andrew was our main driver and was very nice ,. He was on the phone with Matthew 2-3 at least when we were we with him. I use say in higher voice , we are waiting for him to call back. When I asked Matthew if we could go to the isle of Capri, I thought he said it would be to far away. My husband walks around in the morning while we were in Sorrento and what were staring at was Capri from our Bacolony! Our off day we went to for a twenty minute boat ride to Capri and had a wonderful day.

This was a great trip. Cycling routes were very planned and hotels had been very well chosen. Got a real feel for southern Italy at olive harvesting time. Managed to do some informal oil production visiting and tasting as well as wine tasting organised by the tour. Good mix of country and coast.

We had an amazing trip to Italy. The planning went very smoothly with my contact taking into consideration the type of activities we were interested in and arranging for guides that were knowledgeable and excited to share their information. Marianne was a text or phone call away and very helpful in making last minute changes for us. We especially enjoyed Matilde’s pasta making class in Lecce, instructional and fun, delicious too! I think they could have done better with the mostly average accommodations. The two agriturismo stays we had were delightful. B & B Conti Luna in Sciacca, Hotel Palazzo Failla in Modica and Hotel Baia Delle Sirene in Taormina were among the better. The people we met along the way made our trip an adventure we will never forget! Thank you KimKim, overall, great job!