Kimkim Trip Reviews for Italy

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.

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

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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!

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 hotel is an older accommodation in a decent location. Its staff are shining stars, however, and had the attitude and approach of a high-end place. It was relatively quiet and comfortable, with a typical breakfast.

If I had to live in a hotel, this would be the one. Everything about its unique character and exceptional delighted my soul, but the location and staff make it even more special than the architect and interior designer could have envisioned. Every glorious concept is so thoughtfully executed. The rooftop spa is something magical. Truly. I cannot wait to get back to it.

A resort and spa with a very luxe look and feel. Staff were impeccably dressed to indicate their role and function, underground parking was available, including electric charging, the entire facility was gated and closely controlled. The breakfast filled two rooms and included every option imaginable, including accommodating various dietary restrictions. The location was stellar--only a five-minute walk to Scaliger castle. But the spa facilities themselves were amazing. We sadly had little time to enjoy many aspects, as we were doing tours and visiting with family, but we wished we could have booked a few more days to enjoy the thermal baths and spa services. Notes: it is adults only, and the thermal spa comfortably accommodates a small number of guests at a time.

The hotel was a marvel of renovation and in a great, central location in the upper città. Bed was comfortable, service was excellent, breakfast was good. The only notes I would offer for fellow travelers to this location are that it is adjacent to a tourist destination (park and fountain) over which our room faced, so it was quite loud. The nightly cost to park a car is quite high.

Wonderful, moving experience to the the Last Supper and fully-appreciate how remarkable it is that the piece has survived, and restoration of this meticulous sort, has been achieved. The other highlights of the tour were also fantastic--ancient historical buildings, artworks, culture, politics--across thousands of years. Deborah was patient and excellent.

The chef we worked with was passionate about his craft and taught us special techniques for making homemade pasta, unique to the region. It felt odd cooking in the dining room so near the entrance, using a portable stovetop, and not in a kitchen, but it was still a great experience. A bit rushed.

Wonderful, knowledgeable tour guide who showed us the highlights of Sirmione by walking and private boat ride. Highly recommend.

A nice Segway to getting back to American life.

Everything about this hotel was amazing from location to staff!

Loved the bartender!! He was fun! The shower was extremely small but used to American bathroons

This honestly was a GREAT EXPERIENCE with Salvo! He knows the history of not just this area but all of Syracuse.

The winery itself is beautiful, it’s big production!

The whole experience from the market to the class was 5 star all the way

I mean it’s the Vatican!

Such great knowledge of the area. The wine is spectacular ordered a lot and they graciously are shipping direct to us

Our room was AMAZING! Private pier, kitchenette, excellent bathroom, etc. Easy to check in/out. Staff very friendly.

Road was a bit too crowded. Shower had mold in our room.

Great location but need to know that it takes effort to walk there.

Nice mid-level hotel. Images over stated the

We did this on our own

Enjoyed going to Basilica. Sam Domiano, and walking from tops of hill down to the Basilica

Enjoyed this trip.

Great but crowd control is over whelming

Swiss feel with a close view of the Matterhorn out of your balcony!

Andrea was incredibly helpful. His restaurant suggestions are the best. It’s within steps of everything important to see.

We had a veranda view of Lake Como that wowed us. The veranda was big. We loved the room and service.

Fantastic guide, we saw more views and sites on this one trip than several put together.

Our private driver Francisco knew the area and all the views. We would get spots and no one else was around. That meant he had greater knowledge and gave us an extra advantage. He brought us to an incredible restaurant with the best water view.

This is how you see it all and save your feet! Jacomo put us in the right spot everytime.

We can’t say enough about going to these people’s homes and making pasta,cooking it including tiramisu!

The room was on the small side, but I didn't spend any time in there, so no problem. Service was great, breakfast buffet was very good.

Huge room, charming place, good service. The piazza and balconies offered ways to be outside if the mood struck. I recommend the place.

We had no problem meeting our driver and getting to the hotel.

This is an activity not to be missed. Elisabetta shared produce and olive oil directly from her farm so we could make a delicious, authentic meal. Also, the setting for this class is gorgeous.

Ivan was an exceptionally good guide. He modified where we went based on our interests and answered a whole slew of questions.

The guide was good, but she was hard to keep up with. I felt like she could have stopped to count us more often. Also, a small thing, but her stick was hard to follow--instead of a flag or scarf, she just had a tiny stuffed animal on the end of it and it was hard to see in the crowd.

Good experience. She didn't seem to mind that we ran overtime.

Anna was knowledgeable and fun.

Beautiful, but we needed a lot more time.

Guide was knowledgeable. Peace altar was the most memorable part of the tour. Overall, very good experience.

This activity was so-so. Could be a one night thing, but the soloist was not into performing.

We asked for a hotel near the PMO airport because we had a 0550 Flight in the morning. The hotel is a very large convention hotel. The room was clean but smelled strongly of mold and vinegar. The concrete was spalling on the wall. The worst problem was the *very* loud birthday party with DJ in the courtyard until 11 PM our first night. The desk staff promised there would be no party on our second night before our flight. They lied. There was a very loud DJ in the courtyard facing our room and the other courtyard had a party with loud music. At 10PM we insisted on a new room. The Staff accommodated us by moving us to a recently built villa but that required us packing and moving to a new building outside the hotel campus. … Less than 3 hours of sleep before a very long trip home. … FYI the beach was filled with garbage, very unappealing but not under the control of the hotel.

This is probably top-10 in hotels we have stayed in. The views of the temples are incredible. Be sure to plan to enjoy a meal in the outdoor dining area.

Stunning views, Very clean and modern rooms. Beautiful pool. One of the best meals we had in Sicily.

Great location. Very nice rooms. Be sure to enjoy the rooftop bar and restaurant with views of Mt. Etna

Lorenzo was literally one of the best tour guides we have ever had. His deep knowledge of history gave context to the site. His style is extremely entertaining and he made the whole tour super fun. He talked for 2 hours and the tour went by in a flash. Lorenzo is one of the few people I would specifically seek out if I were to visit Sicily again. I wish I could give 6 stars

Ragusa is worth a quick visit. Our driver was amazing. He took us to a great spot on the superior village to get a view and then took us to the lower village. He dropped us in the Piazza, pointed out a great gelato shop and told us he would meet us by the garden. This gave us the perfect opportunity to stroll through the Main Street in an unhurried manner. Occhipinti gave an excellent tour and the wines were quite good. (We ordered a couple of cases to ship home). However, the vineyard is a bit out of the way and probably not worth a special trip unless you are in the area.

Our guide Dario is a serious mountaineer. He was very fun, entertaining and informative. He is also a member of the Italian Search and Rescue team so we knew we were in good hands. We had a fantastic view of the Vale de Bove, a UNESCO heritage site. I have done lots of backpacking and climbed many mountains, but this was one of the most stunning sites I have seen.

The cooking class with Luca was a highlight of the entire trip. Half the group was gluten free. Luca had a separate gluten-free station set up for the pasta making portion of the class. Luca was fun and engaging and even experienced cooks learned a lot about Sicilian specialties. The class was super fun and the food was delicious and abundant. … Our guide for the Taormina was a solid “B” grade and was the weakest link of the trip. She was grumpy that our lunch ran late and started the tour with “I have a doctor’s appointment so it is OK if you want to have time to walk around.” She was technically ok but seemed rushed and distracted.

Such a great property such a charming room with an amazing view of lake como

This property was beautiful just wish we knew what exact room we were getting. Our trip advisor told us we were getting upgraded and that wasn’t the case so we were very disappointed. The hotel handled it very professionally though and it wasn’t their fault. They were very helpful with luggage etc.

Great location and very nice rooms.

Beautiful property but the fan in the room caused the lights to bang against the wall. This hotel was in a great location and breakfast was great.

Easy check in and the room was beautiful. This room was in the perfect location to everything.

Loved this hotel and the breakfast was amazing. It was in a great location.

Didn’t get to get bc of winds

Great driver very knowledgeable and courteous.

This was great the boat driver was awesome and patient while we went to the blue grotto.

So fun total highlight of our trip.

She was amazing very intuitive to her group - kept things moving offered to take pics etc.

She cared more about the little details in a building etc and skipped over some of the big tourist things saying oh that’s to crowded. We were tourists and wanted to see the Spanish steps trevi fountain etc. She didn’t gear it to what we wanted to see and do.

Just ok didn’t interact or offer to take pics etc.

She was amazing very informative.

The room we had was very large with many windows. We had a king-size bed that was very comfortable. Our room had a very large private outdoor furnished terrace with a wonderful view. The bathroom was beautiful and very modern. There was a private garage which our drivers could pull into. This was very helpful as the street was very narrow with lots of traffic. There were many good restaurants in close proximity. The managers were very helpful and provided us with a shower seat upon request. They also had a cane to loan us. My only criticism would be to get a smart TV that we could either use Mirroring or something that would allow guests to sign into Netflix.

This hotel is world class. The grounds were exquiste. The view of the Temples and the sea were extraordinary. The restaurant had an interesting menu. The room itself was small, but attached to the room is a private plunge pool so it is hard to complain. The staff was very happy to pick us up in golf carts if we found it too long a walk. There is nothing nearby so you have to eat at the restaurant or take a cab elsewhere.

This was different than originally planned due to our abilities. We did not go to the Rustic Farmhouse but stayed in Ortigia. We had a snack at the market and then went through the food part of the market with the Chef, Allissia. Then she sent us back to her town villa via Velocar and we cooked and ate there. She was delightful and very knowledgeable. It was amazing how much we cooked in a short period of time. We couldn't eat all the food!

Without the private guide we would not have truly appreciated this site. We have seen mosaics in other places but this villa was so impressive. Each mosaic told a different story and our guide explained them all to us and put them in context for the time. She pointed out many details that we would never have noticed.

This was one of the highlights of the trip. We actually made cannellonis including the shells and filling. My husband is lactose intollerant and Carlo had lactose free ricotta cheese and also lactose free buffalo mozzerella for his lunch. I was able to take the walk through his farm garden but unfortunately it was too difficult for my husband . there was another couple there and we had a lot of fun with them. We made pasta as well and then we had a magnificent lunch. Carlo was a good teacher and has a beautiful home and setting for this experience.

Well located and very helpful staff. The rooms are modern and clean. Rooftop and garden in the middle of Rome

Well situated and staff was very helpful! lots of amenities and cool design.

The staff and place was just amazing! I highly recommend for a getaway close to Siena.

We loved our tour guide. Was friendly and knew a lot about the Forum and Art.

Tour guide was very knowledgeable and helped us move through the crowds.

Dropping off the car in Rome was a bit complicated because we had not been warned there is a dedicated parking for rental cars and we kep trying to go to the rental office. If you know about the dedicated parking, it is no issue, but if you don't, you might turn in circles a bit.

LOVED this hotel, great location, great breakfast, room was comfy and clean, and loved the set up of the hotel parts of it was outside just neat set up.

Great location! Staff was good but dont speak much English. The breakfast was good and room was very comfy and clean.

Larger hotel but great location to train station but kinda far from the stores.

This hotel was great location, super friendly staff, and clean. Also loved the breakfast choices, you ordered the day before what food you wanted from the menu and they would deliver it to your room at the time you request.

Staff wasn't the friendliest and the beds they only put two twins together but they didn't have a great bridging system to connect to two beds so they would easily split apart. Breakfast was good but kind of awkward as they sat there and watched you eat.

This was so informative and didn't realize we were the only ones in the group so it was nice that it was small and we got to ask all the questions. It was so nice to skip all the lines too!

Loved exploring all 3 wineries and learning about the olive oil process.

Transportation was smooth and was able to do it on our just fine.

Loved this food tour but the portions were huge so was very stuffed after and you feel bad leaving any food behind. It was a great tour!

This is a very cool experience you must do! Lots of history given during this tour.

This was a great experience but beware your mind will be mush at the end with all the information you are given.

This was an okay class I didn't love it as we all had to make the same pizza you didn't get to customize the pizza.

This was a very cool experience to walk the active volcano Vesuvius but beware its not an easy hike at all.

Loved everything about this excursion. Make sure you bring cash or card to do the grottos

Amazing staff who made our honeymoon so special. We have nothing but positive things to say about our time at Una Villa

Great hotel restaurant and beautiful ground, only real issue we had was the lack of air conditioning on a night- rooms got rather hot.

Great room, beautiful garden, great breakfast

What was originally supposed to be a boat day with opportunity to swim just turned into a ferry ride to Capri. The boat never stopped in any of the swimming areas that were advertised and no one else on the boat had planned to swim. Felt like a missed opportunity on an otherwise good day.

We had a wonderful time visiting wineries. All the staff were extremely knowledgeable and helpful. We also had a driver for the day and he was very courteous and cordial. Overall a great experience

Our guide was wonderful and so friendly. She certainly put us through our paces over a 4.5 mile hike through all different types of terrain and landscape. We really enjoyed this whole experience and loved the passion and knowledge that our guide had for all things nature.

We were originally supposed to have a private market tour and cooking class but when our original vendor cancelled. Kim Kim found us a group class in very short time. Overall an enjoyable experience and the chef, Frederico, was an absolute delight.

Loved our gondolier, he was so nice and welcoming as well as knowledgeable about the area and architecture