My trip to Italy was truly a dream come true!...
Italy
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Mar 29 - Apr 7, 2024
My trip to Italy was truly a dream come true! It is the first trip my husband and I have been on (childless) since we had kids over 10 years ago. At first I was very overwhelmed and had no idea where to start, I was also apprehensive about using KimKim as I had no previous experience with them. I have to say, that moving forward with them was the best decision I made.
Irene was exceptional. She was extremely professional and knowledgable. Even with all my questions, fitting in my cousins wedding and a late itinerary change, she accommodated them with ease. She worked with my budget and her suggestion for tours were perfect. Everything from our hotel transfers and hotels were top-notch.
We visited Venice, Florence and Rome. We took her up on her suggestion of taking a day trip to Sienna and we are happy we did. As I mentioned, the tours she booked for us were perfect, and so happy that she did them for us. As you can imagine there are many tour operators, but from what I could see, the ones we went on were all very organized and the guides were so knowledgable and passionate about their cities. I have to recommend LivTours in Rome because the groups were small and you could tell our guides had much experience with the information they shared and how they navigated us through the crowds. We did the Vatican museums and Sistine Chapel one day with Veronica and the Colosseum and Forum Grounds with Lorenzo the following day. I am so happy we did them, we learned so much and got such amazing photos.
But our favourite would have to be the Food and Wine tour with Guilla from Devour tours in Trastevere. It was great to see how the locals eat and what to look for when choosing wines and restaurants during your visit to the many restaurants and cafes in Rome.
We did a lot in 10 days and I don't believe that we would have been able to plan it as smoothly or would have been as enjoyable if Irene did not plan this for us. It was truly customized to us and that is a service that is so hard to come by nowadays.
I couldn't recommend this company enough! I am already saving for our next trip hopefully to Greece and I will definitely have Irene plan for us.
Hotel Reviews
Such a lovely hotel very close to the bus and ferry terminal but not loud at all. It is a bit farther from St Mark's Square which is a much busier area but Venice is a pretty small place. The room was perfect for and the bathroom was updated and clean. We were welcomed with a bottle of Prosecco which is always a lovely touch. The staff was great and the buffet breakfast was really well done! Would definitely stay here again.
Room was really modern and had everything you needed. Pretty spacious considering you are in the middle of Florence. The only issue was that the A/C was not working yet because the building had not turned it on but when we left the windows opened there were so many mosquitoes. The hotel did have these Mosquito Repellant devices and those helped significantly. The location is amazing because it is close to everything.
This hotel is in a beautiful area filled with amazing restaurants and night life. But when you walk into the hotel, it is like you walk into a secret garden. They have updated the property but preserved many things to keep it's unique history and character. The staff was super pleasant. The advanced security/lock system was convenient but took me a day to understand because we arrived late at night when there was no staff present. But not a big deal.
Activity Reviews
The group was small and our guide Veronica was amazing. With a smaller group it was easier to navigate through the big crowds.
The tour was worth every single cent! We learned a lot and was blown away with how grand the Colosseum and Forums were. Lorenzo was amazing and he knew exactly where to guide us to keep us comfortable, in the shade and where to get the best photos. Love that the group was small so we could bypass the bigger lines and go through the areas efficiently.
Such a great tour to teach us about Rome and how modern day Romans live. Guillia was fantastic, she is passionate about were she is from and I learned a lot about Rome I couldn't learn from anywhere else. Now I know what to look for so we don't fall into any tourist traps...lol! And of course, the food, wine and gelato!!! PERFECT!!
My dear Marissa,
Thank you very much for this amazing review!
I'm so happy that you had a wonderful time in Italy and were deeply moved by your kind words!
It was a pleasure working with you and needless to say, I will be happy to work with you again to plan another exciting trip to Greece!
Until then, I wish you a wonderful summer season and safe travels!
All the best,
Irene