At age 67, I wanted ease and splendor, and I got it!

Italy | Sep 2 - Sep 10, 2024

I asked Irene (KimKim's Travel 12 partner), for a trip with a fair amount of twists and turns and accommodations for my companion and myself. We traveled from Nice to the Italian Riviera, then on our way to Venice, made stops in Milan and Verona. Yes, a travel-packed route. In Nice, Irene fulfilled my request for a hotel in Old Town Nice with exactly what I wanted, ie, a hotel, The Hotel Rivage, that was perfectly located in Old Town and close to the Promenade and the Rue Massena, a more upscale area in Nice. In short, all the areas we wanted. From there, we went to the Italian Riviera, and Irene suggested that we stay in Camogli, a city we'd never heard of. That suggestion was golden. I wanted originally to stay in Genoa, and Irene, knowing I was looking for beauty and not a working port town, guided me to Camogli, which was gorgeous. The hotel there, The Cenobli dei Dogi was the best hotel we've ever stayed at. Yes, it's not easy to get to (I mean, it's high on the southern coast), but the superior level of service there, and the exquisite room and view were unmatched by any hotel we've ever been to. It was VERY impressive. Katarina, Izabella and Claudia took great care of us there! When we asked for a taxi ride to Portofino (an enclave dripping with money and beauty), they had it arranged promptly. And the food at the Cenobli! Really, really good! Irene also arranged a day tip to Genoa, where we were treated by Paola, a Genoa native, to a food tour of authentic Italian food at Genoa's most popular open market. Paola was friendly with us and the various food shop owners, all of whom seemed to know her. This familiarity lead to quite a few "samples" for us, all delicious. Thank you, Paola! At the end of our stay in Camogli, we were then driven by Stephano, a sweet, wonderful, very patient man, who took us on our complicated, illogical trip from Camogli to stop for an hour in Milan, then stop again in Verona where we spent a few hours before boarding a train (all the train and limo rides were arranged by Irene. I'm sure this trip wasn't easy to arrange, but she did it!), and then we were off to Venice. In Venice, we were met by Barbara at the train station, then escorted to a water taxi to our hotel. (Note: Barbara communicated with me often while on the train, due to the train's arrival delay, but she guided us to the right station, and grabbed us immediately upon arrival. It was appreciated). In Venice, I asked for a hotel close to the Rialto Bridge on the Gran Canal, and that's exactly what Irene arranged for us. We stayed at EGO Residence, and the location was priceless. The room was a bit smaller than we had previously enjoyed (but hey, Venice is a tight little area), and the wifi here was a bit challenging. But EGO's Eldor and Simone were very accommodating. Eldor booked us a spot at a nice, local restaurant on the canal, which I'm sure he scored due to his connections, given this was a very, very busy Saturday night, and everyone was looking for a spot at that restaurant. And the breakfast room where we were spoiled by excellent food and service by EGO's Crystal, was really delightful. We enjoyed our time here! Upon departing from Venice for San Francisco, a water taxi collected us, then a limo took us to the Venetian Airport, where we were dropped off in plenty of time to negotiate all the ticketing, baggage drop and numerous passport checks before departure. All in all, Irene and Travel 12 and KimKim did an excellent job of providing a wonderful trip to Nice and the many Italian cities. We were never left wondering where our drivers or tour guides were, and the selection of cities and activities are all well chosen. This is my second trip with KimKim (the first was Singapore, also excellent) and I'll not hesitate to partner with KimKim and Travel 12 again!