Kimkim Trip Reviews for Italy

Quiet despite being a stones throw from the main thoroughfare through the city. The staff were helpful and friendly. Breakfasts were great.

Our guide Marta took us through several streets off the main tourist path and we saw several of the quirkier sites of Venice. Food and wine were sampled at several great osterias. We got some great tips on eateries where the food was delicious and the prices reasonable.

If you want to stay the very epicenter of Sorrento above all the bars, restaurants and action, this B&B style hotel is for you (please note, it is not a hotel as you'd envision... it is a very old, somewhat dilapidated apartment building with a 3rd floor converted into what is like a hotel, but is definitely a B&B facility where they installed a modern elevator). We did stay one night of our 3 nights in Sorrento, but after having almost no sleep whatsoever, we got back on the Hotel tonight app (see my review of the Florence hotel) and found Hotel Ambasciatori about 0.5 miles away and stayed there our final 2 nights. This place was mostly clean and again had nice staff, but was not for us in any way. The beds were the most uncomfortable I've ever felt in my life, but we could have gotten around that for 3 nights if we had been able to sleep at all. On our first and only night, the music, parties and screaming right below our hotel went on until 5 AM. Yes actually 5 AM... I'm the last one to complain about partying or having a good time outside in nice weather, I love all of that and did it for years, but the fact that screaming, yelling and insanity can occur unchecked until 5 AM is insane... we tried earplugs, putting pillows over our ears, and anything else but essentially we slept from around 5:30 to 7:30 AM. Not exactly a fun night of vacation. If you love all of that happening around you, there's nothing else really wrong with this facility except the horrible beds/mattresses. We absolutely loved Hotel Ambasicatori which we moved to, and will stay there again if we make it back to Sorrento

Perfect blend of great location with being quiet at night. Very nice front desk who answered any questions and concerns. No real amenities but overall a great hotel that I would recommend most people traveling to Venice to stay due to being clean, comfortable, accessible and friendly to tourists

Of all hotels booked through the Kimkim service, this was by far the worst, and while I feel bad to give a one star to anyone, it has to be done here. The front desk gentleman was very sweet, very helpful especially when we told him we need to leave, but that's where it ends. The location is very rough, but that could be dealt with, had anything else worked out. The rooms are extremely dated and unclean, or at least, ours was. We checked in, so tired from a train ride with our 2 minor kids and having to carry our 8 bags about 1/3 mile down the street (due to no fault of kimkim's, our driver couldn't pass a broken down bus and couldn't reach the front of the hotel... but definitely should have and could have driven us around from another street instead of hurriedly telling the 4 of us with our 8 bags to get out of the van and find the hotel down the street).... when we got to the room we found someone else's hair on one bed and some eyelashes on another. The bathroom had obvious mold, and the room overall was just a very 1 or 2 star type of old, outdated, unclean look and feel. My wife said "if we're staying here for 4 nights, we have to make sure we are almost never in this room we have to be out of the room all day and evening and just here to sleep and leave".... so with all that, I logged onto an app called Hotel Tonight and found The Hotel Savoy in the middle of the city of Florence. I'm not going to review that hotel here, but it was the best hotel experience either of us had every had in our 42 years, in every way.

Nice staff, nice place, nice location. Nothing outstanding here, but a very good either 3+ star or you could say, 4 star, hotel experience. As is definitely a theme of Italian hotels we noticed, once again a very friendly and helpful front desk and staff. They offered champagne and/or sodas for us and juices for the kids upon check in and then every day after that, and they made great cappuccino and espresso for no charge, while staying there. Rooms were clean - we had 2 rooms instead of 1 room due to the rooms being very small and we are a party of 4... for the first night, the AC was making insanely crazy loud noises in one room so we all slept together in one room, then the hotel moved that for us, and we were more comfortable the second and final nights. I will be requesting credit for that one night via American Express because why would anyone pay for a room that was unusable for one night? Other than that, a very pleasant stay, good location for shopping and restaurants/gelaterias and I do recommend this hotel overall

Loved it! Driver Simeone was super friendly and got us everywhere we needed to be quickly and in comfort. He recommended what ended up being one of, if not the, best meal of our lives at La Buca San Antonio in Lucca. This wasn't a guided tour, and for once, we actually appreciated that and enjoyed having it that way. Great experience!

The history of this place is amazing and the tour guide was great, it's just a really tough day especially in the summer and as I understand, it gets way hotter in July and August. This tour would be great I imagine in March or maybe October/November... but 3 hours of walking around ruins in the heat, despite the incredible learning experience, is just tough for anyone. It's not the tour or kimkim's fault that we have a 7 and 11 year old, but they absolutely lost it about an hour in, and I can't recommend anyone attend this tour with someone under 20 years old. We thought the drive was an hour each way with perhaps 90 min or at most 2 hours of walking around, but it ended up being just about 3 solid hours of no shade, outside heat tour... so all that is a bit tough... but anyone interested in the history of this once-civilization should definitely go. I'm still glad I went and saw it all for myself

Phenomenal tour and activity. If you get car sick (my daughter does), make sure to either sit up front or take Dramamine or ginger before being picked up as the drive can get tough. That aside, which is no one's fault just a warning to future travelers, it's a picturesque perfect way to spend a day in Italy. We ended up spending hundreds of euros buying some wines and olive oils because they were just that amazing - they don't pressure you or anything, we just couldn't resist

Not a child friendly tour despite its name. Not a great experience. Brutal heat, crazy lines (I understand its the most visited sight in Europe, but people should be aware of this), and just way too long for what could've been accomplished in 45 minutes. I'm not sure why the title says 2 hours, when the guide actually said it was a 3+ hour event, but we did eventually inform her that we were done and wanted to end early. Look - seeing the colosseum in person, both for the adults and kids, was amazing. The history of what went on there (both from what we knew, and things we didn't know such as the fact that much of the gold, marble and materials used to construct it was stolen by the Romans from the Jews ... no surprise, more suffering and mistreatment of Jewish people even 2,000 years ago), it was all amazing to learn and see in person, but an overly long experience with an unbelievably loquacious tour guide, made it less memorable for us all. We were then taken to the gardens area near the forum, which we didn't find interesting or meaningful, and requested to end the tour so could get lunch. There must be better ways to check out the colosseum

What could be more fun than making pizza with professionals in the birthplace of pizza!? My wife and I, and of course our 7 and 11 year olds, absolutely loved every moment of this. It was the right amount of time - about 90 minutes altogether - and tons of fun. Also, extremely delicious, that goes without saying. No matter what, while in Sorrento/Naples area, DO THIS! Especially if you can get Luigi as your host - he's awesome, and funny, makes a great experience even better

Phenomenal!

Very clean. Incredible breakfast with early start time for travelers wanting to get a jump on the sights. Large rooms.

EVO farm was great and lunch incredible. Very beautiful location. Only negative was we started kind of late in the morning and thus were rushed to get to our next destination.

It was a bit stressful that drivers took us to the wrong Ferrari museum. We appreciated the local representative calling the museum and making the F1 simulator work out even though we arrived well after 2 of our time slots. We have a teen who is a huge F1 fan, so we were glad to make the trip. However, if you are not a Ferrari fanatic I would not recommend the detour.

Both cities were neat. We especially like San Gimignano. Climbed the tower and had incredible views. Only negative was such a short time in both. Winery tour with lunch was so lovely. Again, perhaps too much for one day but otherwise really nice. We did end up paying for an extra hour with the driver to have more time in Siena. It may have been nice to go through this schedule a little more with us in advance - we probably would have requested a guide and the extra time beforehand. We still enjoyed it but quite a busy day.

Really cool to see the castle and the aqueduct, the church, and the Roman amphitheater. Guide did a nice job asking us our priorities and giving us a feel for town and its history. Enjoyed a gelato break at the end.

Really fun

Guide was great. It was really hot and crowded the day of our tour and our 5 year old was worn out from the Papal audience in the morning, but our guide (Gaia) tried really hard to keep him engaged and it was sweet. Obviously in 2 hours it’s not possible to do an in depth tour of the Vatican museum and St. Peter’s but it was a great overview. As Catholics who wanted to pass through the Holy Door for the Jubilee and have time to pray in the Basilica, we appreciated that Gaia explained all of the info we needed to have these special moments with our children.

Salvadonica-Borgo del Chianti is truly a gem in the Tuscan hills of Chianti! The service, rooms, restaurant and whole village are a pleasure! We give it our highest recommendation. You will be swept away and truly refreshed from your stay here! Thanks so much to the entire staff!

Gorgeous. Knowledgeable staff. Friendly. .

Central location. Clean, welcoming, and charming.

It was ok the staff were friendly and helpful Location for us could have been more central. It was clean and fine overall.

It was a very very long walk to this and left us feeling very tired to enjoy this art. Perhaps this can be done in the beginning ? then we had to take cab back to the center..

The hotel was really nice, clean, close to everything, room was spacious, aesthetically pleasing and has an amazing rooftop.

Cute hotel close to everything, Clean and nice rooftop. The food in the restaurant was good. Family suite should however have an option of a two full size beds instead of a queens with a pull out sofa.

We had a family room with a loft. We had twin beds downstairs with a full bathroom. Loft upstairs with a queens size bed had bathroom with a small shower. It was four adults we should have had the option of a queen size bed on the bottom floor.

Cute hotel, aesthetically pleasing,clean and has a beautiful rooftop. The beds however were hard

We loved the location of Hotel Ruzzini Palace; staff were exceptional and very friendly. The hotel has a cozy bar offering great cocktails -- the perfect place to enjoy a pre-dinner cocktail and unwind at the end of each day. Great breakfast with plenty of selections.

We loved this hotel because the views were unmatched! From our seaside room, we could see Napoli, Mount Vesuvius, the Sorrentine Peninsula and the Bay of Sorrento. That itself was an experience we will never forget. The rooms were spacious as were the bathrooms (ample vanity top). Loved that the beds were situated in the center of the room to take advantage of the unbelievable view. Plenty of storage space and plenty of space to move around within the room. (Note that we would not want a room that was NOT seaside as those overlook the parking lot and have no view.) Although the hotel feels a bit dated stylistically, it is clean and again, the views -- day and night -- more than make up for it. The Bar and Restaurant areas are large with floor to ceiling windows as well as outdoor seating. The pool and garden areas are beautiful. We enjoyed soaking in the Sorrento sun while enjoying the view. The only downside to the hotel is that it is not easily accessible to town. The hotel does run an hourly shuttle service that often does not have enough seating for those who wish to use it during peak hours...in those cases, the shuttle runs a loop to ensure that all guests are accommodated. We always took a cab back from town rather than waiting for the shuttle. We would definitely return to this hotel!

Very spacious rooms; ours had a terrace. Kind, friendly staff. The Kraft hotel has breathtaking 360 degree view of Florence and its surrounding areas from the top floor terrace that feels like a garden. Such a great place to enjoy a meal and/or drinks. The espresso martinis were exceptional! Located near the US Embassy, we appreciated that this was a quieter neighborhood...an approximate 15 minute (easy) walk to the Duomo area.

This was an interesting hotel that felt more like an Airbnb. This was our least favorite hotel, but I suspect this was based on our own personal taste and preferences. We had 2 rooms -- ours had the large terrace which was nice, but the room felt cramped with minimal storage space (hard with 2 suitcases and carryons) and a bathroom with no counter space at all. The breakfast area was undergoing construction so all breakfasts were delivered to the rooms. Ours was delivered 20 minutes late -- ordinarily not a big deal except that we were being picked up for a tour. The main desk closes at 8pm which means that the front doors are locked as well. Also, there were no stairs to the 2nd floor; only a small elevator that accommodates no more than one person/one suitcase or 2 people. There was a staircase next to our room but it was locked. From a potential fire perspective, this made me nervous.

Love this! Giovanni was a great guide who led us on a walking tour of the popular sights and quiet neighborhoods. We especially liked walking through the market. He was so knowledgeable and friendly. Pace of the tour was not rushed; it was low key and very personalized. We enjoyed cichetti sandwiches and my husband's first Aperol spritz in a quieter neighborhood square...enjoyed the accordion player which was a bonus! Giovanni then took us to an authentic Venetian restaurant...both he and the owner offered up lots of meal suggestions before we were free to order as we liked. Ended our tour with tasty gelato!

Mario Messineo was our tour guide. He met us at the hotel and from there, we proceeded to the Accademia. There seemed to be some confusion about our tickets as he did not have them with him when he picked us up; we had to stop to get them. No big deal. We were able to skip-the-line. The tour was good though it was at times difficult to hear Mario given his soft spokenness and the noise of others. Headphones might have been helpful.

This was one of the highlights of our trip. We started with a tour of San Gimignano. Hilaria was our guide and she was so informative about the village. She worked to tailor our time around what we wanted, so we began with a stop for coffee, toured the village and came across one of her friends, a musician who played a hammered dolcima...magical! Wish we'd had more time here. We then ventured to Terra Di Sovernaja, a family owned winery led by so Federico Montagnani. We tasted 3 whites and 3 reds as well as 7 different olive oils from the winery. As proof that we enjoyed this tour, we ordered several cases of wine and olive oil to enjoy at home. This experience was made complete with a traditional Italian meal created by his mom, Nonna Silvama! Our final stop was to Il Colombaio where we enjoyed wine tastings with a focus on chianti Classico...again ordering several cases to enjoy at home. This was a stress-free trip with a private driver safely transporting us throughout the day.

Personally, we felt a visit to each of these towns was too much for one day. At our request, we spent about an hour at a ceramics factory to purchase items to ship, so that admittedly cut into our time, but even so, we didn't have enough time to really experience and appreciate each of these towns. The time spent in each of these 3 villages was no sufficient for anything more than shopping and/or eating. If we were doing this again, we would opt for 2 days.

Such a fun experience! We started with a tour of the lemon grove -- didn't previously realize how much there was to know about growing lemons! Enjoyed a leisurely "lemon tasting" that included limoncello, lemon sorbet, lemon marmalade and assorted appetizers. This lemon tasting was an unexpected surprise. From there, we enjoyed a private cooking class with Rosaria. There was a lovely outdoor kitchen with our own private dining area. We made ravioli and gnocchi, eggplant parmesan and tiramisu for dessert. While the menu was "standard" and nothing out of the ordinary, per se, the overall experience exceeded our expectations. A special thanks to Chef Rosaria and to Francesca, our lemon grove guide. We left with small gifts, including a bottle of limoncello, assorted marmalades, and cooking aprons.

We enjoyed the golf cart tour, although it broke down 5 times in the middle of busy traffic! Not our driver's fault, but it was a little scary. Great way to see all the sights, stopping just a few times for pictures.

We toured the Vatican Museums, the Sistine Chapel, and Basilica with Barbara, our private guide whose knowledge of all things Vatican and enthusiasm for same was astounding! Although ours was a private tour, Barbara used headphones with us so that we could clearly hear her among the crowds.

Great location, comfortable rooms, and very friendly staff. The breakfast was hearty and a great way to start our busy days.

Easy walk from the train station and near the beach. The restaurant across the street was one of the best we tried in Italy. Loved that the hotel offered free beach towels and bike usage.

A little out of the way but walkable to all the sights. Hotel check in is across the street at another property which was a little confusing but we figured it out.

Location is good for exploring Salerno but the property is aging. Our room had water damage on the walls and a shower that leaked. Breakfast was good. Lots of street noise at times from our room. Staff was efficient but aloof compared to staff at other properties.

This experience was a little weak. We enjoyed that it was a private experience but it was quick. We were just told the ingredients, instructed how to make it and then ate it. Enjoyed the local wine.

Incredible sights made all the more spectacular by our wonderful private guide Paolo. He made the place come to life and delivered his tour with passion and care. Wonderful experience!

The group tour of the Vatican Museum & Sistine Chapel was very impersonal. The guide did not connect and the entire experience seemed rote and without feeling. The guide company was not real clear about what we were doing and were slow to get things started. Overall this was a painful experience.

Loved the private guide who got us in quickly. He was a little had to understand but it was helpful to have his insights

This was one of our favorite experiences in Italy. Incredible staff, amazing views, delicious food. This was amazing.

Rafaela was incredibly knowledgeable and fun to be with. Pompeii is incredible and she made it even better. There was a mixup on the times of our tour so she was rushed and we didn’t get a full 2 hours but we made the most of it.

The room was small, the staff was not as friendly or helpful. The garden was beautiful. The location was good and within walking distance from the train and bus stations.

Great location, pool options on various floors. Great view from rooftop bar/restaurant, friendly staff.

Hotel was beautiful and in a great location. Staff was exceptional and went above and beyond to ensure our comfort. Hotel room service dinner was excellent. Ended up ordering the same dinner two nights in a row. Close to shopping and major attractions.

Do not rent this unless you have a rental car! We asked for a house that was walking distance to town, as we would not have a rental car. We like to bike and said we’d be happy biking into town as well. Villa Monica is only 2K from Greve however, the road to town is a main highway with cars going very fast and no sidewalk or walking path. No one walks on it as it is too dangerous. Also there is no taxi service in Greve and no Uber, Lyft or other rideshare. This made going into town almost an impossibility. There is a bus but the schedule is unreliable. For example, one evening my daughters took the bus to pick up food only to find there was no return bus so they had to walk along the dangerous road carrying all the food. My husband tried riding one of the bikes into town but, again, the roads were very dangerous with blind turns and the bike was in terrible condition with the brakes barely working. So, with a dangerous road, no rental car and a town without taxis we were unable to go into town to have dinner or coffee etc. and grocery shopping was a huge challenge. The other problem with Villa Monica is that the photos do not match the reality of the home. The main floor rooms are dark with old, shabby, uncomfortable furniture and the house has a very moldy, musty smell. Luckily it was sunny enough to keep the doors open so we could air out the top two floors but the lower floors were impossible to be in due to the awful smell. The best rooms were the kitchen and sunroom. As to the bedrooms, the photos showed a room with bunk beds which we were expecting but there were only single beds so our guests had to share, 2 to a bed. Another disappointment was that the house was not well supplied so we had to buy toilet paper, paper towels, tissues, dishwashing soap and detergent for the dishwasher. That is not something I expect in a luxury rental. The gardens outside were beautiful and we enjoyed being outside. The pool was nice but the photo of the tennis court does not match the reality. It looks new in the photo but in fact it is quite old with big cracks in the concrete and clearly has not been maintained well. In sum, Villa Monica was not the luxury Tuscan villa we had expected, very inconvenient for vacationers without a rental car.

Excellent location near the Forum, very comfortable with top rate service

Great hotel services: pool, gym, restaurant - comfortable, clean rooms - good vibes

The day visit to Siena and San Gimignano was just okay. Our guide in Siena, unfortunately, spent too much time inside a church despite the tour being advertised as mostly outdoors. We were eager to explore on our own, and this slowed the experience down.

The staff was incredibly friendly and the included breakfast each morning was delicious. Great location.

The property is so so gorgeous. All of the staff were very professional and eager to help. The only downside was that dinners weren’t great, but breakfast service was delicious and they have a free hourly shuttle to Sorrento where you could grab dinner instead.

Right across from the accademia. A little loud during the day, but quiet at night. Valeria and Francesca met us upon check in and gave us some great local recommendations. Large space, yet very homey.

It’s a must do, but that place is really crowded. Would have liked longer to explore the museum, but they keep people moving - not a flaw of the tour.

You definitely need to be in shape to do this tour. It is a fast paced walk around the Roman forum, but there is so much to see in a short amount of time.

Must do in venice

To be honest, this was fine for us. We didn’t really remember it after the fact, but enjoyed ourselves during it.

Definitely a highlight of the trip. The guide was really informative and took us to some great stops. They had a cookbook and restaurant guide that they sent afterwards too.

This was so much fun, but if you have a big group, would be better to get your own boat instead of sharing with others as it does get a bit cramped.

Wish we had more time in Siena, what a hidden gem! Our tour guide was a local and had so much knowledge to share. Definitely a highlight of our trip.

It was a group of about 80 people. While the experience was good overall, it wasn’t quite what I was hoping for—I was expecting a more relaxed pace and a deeper opportunity to explore the place. But with time we had the places we covered in a day..I would say it was a good tour.

The tour guide Nicola was awesome !!!!!

It is a nice boutique hotel. I would not say it was 5 stars but charge as one. It is located in a central location. Everything is walkable. However, the hotel has no views from balcony or rooftops bar. No one ever used rooftop bar as it had no servers. The breakfast buffet was identical every day. Staff was excellent! We had room serviced every day and turn down service too. Close to a hospital so sirens noise 24/7.

Private tour is the way to visit. More time to ask questions and can spend more time in areas you enjoy. Very crowded so small group is easier to navigate around huge groups.

As a private tour we could go at our own pasce and select where to stop for pictures.

Awesome inside and out. Our guide was excellent and treated us like family. Also suggested the best spots for that prefect picture.

We stayed at the Hotel Villa Pinciana for our first and last nights in Rome. The room itself was very small, reminiscent of a cruise ship, with just enough space for a king-sized bed and two side tables. Although it felt cramped, I was pleasantly surprised by the large patio that accompanied the room—it was as big as the room itself and beautifully adorned with flowers and seating. I heard the hotel used to be an embassy of some sort, which is interesting. Despite its small size, there were no issues with water or bugs. Overall, a decent stay, but not exceptional in terms of room size.

The hotel in Florence, Hotel Porta Faenza, was absolutely lovely. The room, though not massive, was very comfortable and sported a beautiful and spacious bathroom. It felt like a welcoming place to return to after a day exploring Florence. Definitely one of the highlights of our accommodations during the trip.

The Deep Wine Chianti and San Gimignano tour was a delightful experience. The vineyard itself was beautiful, and the lunch provided was very nice. The only drawback was that the sales pitch for the wine was quite heavy, which led me to purchasing more than I initially intended. Apart from that, it was quite enjoyable—just be prepared for the sales part!

The Boat tour along the Amalfi Coast was absolutely wonderful. The views were stunning, and the experience was truly one-of-a-kind. It's the kind of tour that makes you love Italy even more. A definite highlight of our trip!

Unfortunately, the tour of The Ruins of Pompeii was a bit disappointing. Our guide was rather unengaging and made the tour less enjoyable than I had hoped. We did have a nice lunch afterward, which improved the overall experience a bit.