Kimkim Trip Reviews for Italy

Went on a 12 day Italy trip before we got on a viking ship in Venice. We had a group of 12 and Kim Kim scheduled the whole Italy leg of our journey. They picked us up at the airport and transported us to each hotel and on the last day took us to the ship. We never had to worry about anything because they did it all for us. Transportation, accommodations, food, tours, etc. Had a wonderful trip. I highly recommend going through Kim Kim and especially working with Eleni. She was great. We went to Florence, Seina, Italian Riveria, Lake como and Venice. Stayed in 5 hotels and did tours everyday. Loved the hiking, boat rides, walking tours, restaurants. It was all fantastic.

Hotel Reviews

Alfieri9 Boutique Hotel Florence

Florence

We only got to stay here for 1 night because we had a canceled flight from Paris. But the hotel was perfect. Great location and big comfortable bed and bathroom. The breakfast was so yummy. Loved it

Authenticity & Character

Location

Cleanliness & Comfort

Il Battistero Siena

Siena

The hotel was great and in a perfect location. I only wish we would have had our own room. We ended up getting a room with our friends and had to share a bathroom. I would have rather paid more and gotten our own room

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

My friend loss her luggage for 5 days and the front desk lady was so nice to talk to the Florence airport and we were able to understand that they had her luggage back at the airport.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Cenobio Dei Dogi Camogli

Camogli

The best hotel we stayed in. I absolutely loved this hotel. Nice room and bathroom. The breakfast was amazing and the shared areas were beautiful with ocean views.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

The staff helped my husband get some medical help for an infected finger which was really nice

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Borgo Antico Como

Como

The room we were given had a really bad smell in it. I tried to get another room but none were available. I had to go get a candle and burn it all night. The smell never went away, but with the candle burning I was able to tolerate it.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Olimpia

Venice

We were given a beautiful room and we loved it

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Private Gondola Ride

Venice

I got to sit in the King/Queen seats. It was really nice

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Venice Highlights Walking Tour

Venice

The guide was ok, but not great. The walking was fine, but it was alittle hard to understand her

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Private tour of Villages, Vineyards & a Wine Cellar

Cinque Terre

Another amazing day. It was beautiful weather and the guide was great. The boat ride was awesome and the lunch was so good. Loved this area and it was a great day

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Florence Art Tour: Uffizi & Accademia

Florence

Did not go on this tour because our flight was cancelled so we missed this tour

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Florence Welcome Stroll & Gelato

Assisi

Was unable to go on this tour because our flight was cancelled

Follow the Book "Inferno" by Dan Brown through the Secret Sights of Florence

Florence

Loved this tour and the beautiful roof top terrace we had some coffee on. Very imformative tour

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Siena Food Tour

Italy

Our guide was the BEST. She was so smart and provided a ton of great information about the area and wine and olive oil. I highly recommend this tour

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Tuscany Sunset Tour & Dinner

Siena

Great guides and went to lots of fun places. Loved the area and the guide told us so much about the region. The dinner was outstanding and the wine was so good

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Private Pisa and Lucca Afternoon Tour

Florence

The bus driver was the best. He detoured our bus so we could go pick up our friends luggage that was lost for 5 days. We still got to see Pisa and Lucca which were so cute.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Best driver ever!!!!

Transport

Private Day Trip to Portofino with Cooking Class, Lunch & Boat Trip

Italian Riviera

Best tour ever. We so loved doing this tour. Had so much fun driving up to the cooking class. It was crazy scary and fun at the same time. The lunch was great and the boat ride was awesome. There was alittle mix up with the boat driver not knowing that we were supposed to be able to swim and we were supposed to be dropped off by our hotel. But it was still awesome to experience the boat ride

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Afternoon Como Food & Wine Tour

Lake Como

This was a fun day. Wine was good and the ice cream was great.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Slow Travel In Como, Brunate & Torno

Lake Como

Had a great guide...Dannee we had a wonderful ride up the funicular, did an incredible hike and had an amazing lunch up on the mountain. There was alittle issue with timing and we were late to our boat ride so we ended up not being able to do the whole boat ride and we ended up getting just a ride back to our hotel area. It was alittle disappointing because I would have loved to experience the boat for a couple of hours, instead we only got 30 minutes.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Como, Bellagio & Villas Boat Tour

Lake Como

This is the boat ride we did not get to experience. The tour right before it went long so we missed be able to do this tour. Very sad because I was looking forward to this one. The good news is at least we were able to pick up a ferry to take us back to our hotel area, otherwise we would have had to walk back about 10 miles to get to hote.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Lake Como to Venice with winery visit and lunch in Valpolicella

Italy

The winery was beautiful and very clean. Loved the tastings and the food was good

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Lorenza was great! Not only she helped us plan our trip, she was available once we were on our trip which was so nice. If we had any questions she would respond promptly.
The hotels we stayed at were in perfect locations.
We loved Residenza Luce (a boutique hotel) in Amalfi the best! Family owned and managed. We had "Nona" cooking breakfast for us everyday of our stay and several members of the family were present and so caring.
The hotel in Trastevere Rome was in a great location, but we did not luck it very much (Tree Charm). There was nobody available after 2:30 pm, so if you needed a towel or anything else you just couldn't get it...
Best,
DR

Fabio was the ultimate travel planner and host. I have traveled to different countries for 15 plus years with travel specialists and Fabio is by far the best. He not only helped one of my sister’s find care and called a doctor for her, he also helped with my other sister’s lost luggage and getting her a free transport to and from to get her bag and contacted the airport directly to make sure it was there for her.

Fabio was able to coordinate 5 family members all with different flights and arrival/departure times. We didn’t have a single mishap with our crazy travel schedules because he was so organized and on top of our dates.

He called each of our tour operators the day of to explain our family style and to coordinate with them to make sure we had the best experience. Not only did we love him, but each tour operator has formed a trusting relationship with him and speaks so highly of him. He only books tours/excursions with the best companies. That goes along way, especially when stopping in 5 cities like we did and having so much knowledge of each city, the different things to do there and who to book through.

He met us in Lake Como and went so far as to buy us a few beverages and to host us.

My older sister asked for last minute photographs of her and her recent husband and Fabio came through with the best photographer.

A few of my flights were canceled and I had to switch to a different city to fly out and he was able to cancel those train/excursion tickets and transition to a new city with the same money paid.

I work in sales and his attention to detail and ability to understand the family dynamic was amazing. He is so good at what he does and his understanding of the different tour operators in Italy helped us have the best time.

I wish I could plan all my trips with him across the world. I don’t think I will ever get as wonderful of a travel specialist as him. He really is fantastic.

Activity Reviews

Trastevere Local Food Tour

Rome

We loved Dimitri. Amazing host and so knowledge of the city and food.

Quality of Experience

No

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Highlights & Hidden Gems of Rome | Walking Tour

Rome

Absolutely fantastic and our guide was a pleasure to meet.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Tuscany Sunset Vespa Tour with Wine Tasting

Italy

This was our most favorite activity of the trip. Such a cool experience and breathtaking views of the countryside.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Tuscany Day Trip to Siena & San Gimignano | Lunch & Wine Tasting Included

Florence

Our driver was amazing. He took such great care of us and even stopped by the airport, out of his way with no extra charge, to grab my sister’s bag that was delayed a few days.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Florence Cooking Class and Lunch at a Farmhouse in Tuscany with Local Market Tour

Florence

Carmela is amazing. She made this cooking class so much fun. We couldn’t stop laughing throughout the experience.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Sunset Boat Trip along the Cinque Terre with Aperitif

Italy

Such an amazing way to see the different cities. Our boat operator was fantastic and added so many different touches with his knowledge of the area. We had a blast.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Venice Food Tour

Venice

Giada was a pleasure to meet. Fun, witty and she knows the local spots for food. It was really nice to met someone from the city and to ask her questions about Venice throughout her life there. We loved her.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

[TRANSPORT] Venice Airport Private Water Taxi Transfer

Venice

The taxi service was very accommodating. I asked to leave earlier and they helped me make that happen without any extra fees.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Vatican Museums & Sistine Chapel Tour

Rome

Our guide was very knowledgeable and really helped us with more knowledge and background info.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

I was skeptical of the value of using KimKim to book a recent trip to Italy, but I am taking the time to write this review because my experience was overwhelmingly positive.

Our guide, Fabio, did an amazing job helping us plan and execute our trip. There were five people on my trip, and four unique schedules. I appreciated that Fabio had no issue with us booking our own lodging. It provided nice flexibility. Fabio seamlessly coordinated our various schedules (e.g., people flew in and out on different days, some people visited five cities, some visited three or four, etc.), and the travel between various cities was worry-free. Every driver was professional, punctual, and extremely courteous.

Similarly, the activities recommended and planned by Fabio were varied and enjoyable. I didn’t feel that any of the tours or excursions were overly touristy, and most of the groups were comfortably small. Additionally, I felt that Fabio did an excellent job scheduling toward our specific interests rather than recommending cookie-cutter options. While some events and activities were particularly memorable, all of the activities were enjoyable.

Finally, I’d be remiss not to specifically mention the most outstanding part of Fabio’s service: his real-time availability and problem-solving abilities during our trip. We experienced a variety of minor issues that would have been much bigger headaches without Fabio. For example, my wife’s luggage was lost upon our arrival in Florence and she had an extremely difficult time arranging for its pickup. One call from Fabio remedied the situation. Similarly, another member of my group experienced sun poisoning and Fabio was able to obtain prescription medication for her within a day. We also found that Fabio was an excellent resource for finding/making/changing restaurant reservations and making real-time changes to our daily schedule. It is difficult to overstate the value of having someone that speaks the relevant language and knows the region readily available to troubleshoot issues both big and small. It brought a peace of mind that is hard to properly articulate.

The bottomline is I never thought I’d use, much less recommend, a service like KimKim, but if its agents are half as good as Fabio I will be using it for all future trips abroad.

Our trip itself was incredible for the most part. We started off a bit rocky with Kimkim as it took much longer than they said to get us in touch with the local travel agency. I think it was close to a week before I had the discussion with a Kimkim employee and then another 5ish days before getting in contact with the local agency. From everything I read, it said 2-3 days, which was misleading. We had booked our own hotel, but needed assistance with the tours and planning / coordinating everything. Sonia did an awesome job scheduling everything out and even recommended one tour (Tivoli), which we absolutely loved. We also loved the other activities that she suggested (pizza making class, which was much better than we expected, food tour, and winery). All of the tours and tour guides booked were top notch. There wasn’t a single one that was even just “good”. They were phenomenal. All of our cars and transfers were nearly seamless as well. I was told that i would receive a welcome packet upon arrival and so I didn’t need to print anything. Our concierge did not have that for us, so we had no printed documents. This wasn’t ideal and I would have printed everything on my own had I know. Our concierge then said she would message us every morning with our plans, tickets, vouchers, etc for that day. She didn’t. I had to constantly sign into Kimkim and check times, meeting points, schedules, etc, which was not convenient, especially when we were in places with lower quality cell service. We did experience an issue during the trip, as the agency was to book us an overnight stay in Naples (while we kept our main hotel in Rome). We arrived at the hotel after a long day to learn that the agency messed up and booked it for the night before. Understandably, I was irritated and embarrassed. We had a long, hot, sweaty day and were looking forward to relaxing in a luxury hotel with a sea view. The hotel offered to accommodate us in an inferior room, which we did not accept. I had tried to text and call our concierge so she could look into it, but by the time she got back to me, we were in a taxi on the way back to the train station. Upon arrival at the train station, we went to the customer service desk to change our tickets, which were scheduled for the next day. Our concierge was irritated that I handled the ticket change myself, but I was not going to stand around the train station waiting for somebody else to do something, especially when we had a short window of time to catch the next train. I communicated with her before and during of my intentions and what I was doing, so there would be no duplication of effort. After she confirmed the hotel error and got in touch with the agency, I didn’t hear from her for the rest of our trip. She did not add anything to our trip. (We did receive a refund for the room and transfers that needed to get cancelled). Overall, our trip was amazing and our tours were awesome, but many of the conveniences that I was told we would have and that I would have expected were lacking. And the mistakes made were unfortunate, annoying, and not in line with “luxury” service.

Hotel Review

Hotel Eurostar Excelsior

Naples

As mentioned in the main review, the agency made our hotel reservation for the day before we were to arrive and as such, we did not stay. The staff at the hotel was amazing. They were patient and understanding as we tried to get our concierge on the line to figure it out, eventually printing us a train schedule and getting us a taxi. Also, before we left, they gave us a bottle of water each. I would 100% recommend the hotel based on the service we received in a trying time.

Staff

Activity Reviews

Small group tour of Vatican City , Sistine Chapel & saint Peter's Basilica

Rome

This tour was amazing and our guide was great! She had so much history and knowledge to share and I felt enriched. That said, the Vatican museums are absolutely crazy, packed, hot, and difficult to enjoy with thousand upon thousands of other people and the current of the herd.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Group pizza making class

Italy

Monica was our chef and was awesome. I could not have asked for anybody better. She was fun, engaging, and entertaining. Fabio was great and full of personality. We enjoyed this so much more than we thought we would. We are so excited to use the lessons we learned at home with our kids.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Rome Underground & Catacombs Tour

Rome

This was one of our favorite tours / activities. Our guide was Andy the Aussie. He might be one of the best guides I’ve ever had at any activity ever. I learned so much from him and his experience and knowledge made this tour what it was. I would not hesitate to take any future tour from him and might even pay a premium for him! He was great and it was awesome seeing the Roman lasagna layers with him.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Valeria did an amazing job planning so many wonderful details for our trip to Rome, Florence, Tuscany and Porto Ercole. We are a family of 4, with two boys. She arranged activities and hotels that fit our needs perfectly. Communication throughout the planning process, preparing for departure, and throughout our trip was top notch. I was a bit concern using a travel agency that I had not heard of prior, but I was overjoyed with the results. All three hotels were elegant, perfectly located, peaceful, and with the exact amenities for our family. The transportation (pick-up/shuttles, train, and rental car) were all done very well and with ease. The activities were something I definitely could not have figured out myself and were outstanding. We did a gelato making class, a gorgeous and delicious cooking class in a Tuscany farm home (actual home of the cook), individual truffle hunting and memorable meal in a family homestead, culinary walking tour in Rome (YUMMY!) and amazingly informative and individual tours of Vatican, Colosseum and Roman form, and Florence historical walk (highlights). Everything was very high quality and well suited for our family. The team made sure we had clear directions for every event and had local representatives make sure we got transported everywhere for the transitions. The level of high quality care and results was better than I could have dreamed of and we are so grateful to the Kimkim team (especially Valeria and Daniela) for the outstanding trip that we all agree was a trip of a lifetime!

Hotel Reviews

AgriHotel Villa Ambra

S.Albino +39 0578 798055SI

Beautiful hotel with an amazing staff, great spacious and well appointed rooms, delicious breakfast and cocktails, very nice pool and well located for a Tuscany adventure.

Authenticity & Character

Modern but classic

Location

Need a car but it is a great central place to get to lots of places around Tuscany

Staff

Helpful, friendly, very attentive.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Pendini

Florence

The best location, great clean place. Although it is right in the heart of Florence, it is quiet and well equipped. Every details was great.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Can get to everywhere with an easy walk.

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Della Conciliazione

Rome

Great location near the Vatican. Wonderful staff. Very nicely appointed room (suite) with plenty of space for a family of 4. We had a luxurious view from the patio.

Authenticity & Character

Location

We could see St. Peter's Cathedral from our room!!

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Fantastic gelato making class!

Florence

Fun, informative, and tasty class. Our kids love it, not just for the best gelato that they made, but because it was informative and an unique experience.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

No transport provided - within walking distance

Truffle hunting in Val d'Orcia

Italy

Family run truffle hunters but they also have a farm, winery and beautiful property that served delicious truffle based meal. We had are wonderful time in our private truffle hunt. We learned a lot about truffles, the hunting business, the dogs, and the market. We found 7 truffles! Great activity for the whole family.

Quality of Experience

Food

Wine and food were amazing. Our boys even enjoyed gelato with truffles. Meal fit for royalty

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Cooking Class in Val D'Orcia

Italy

The most unique and memorable experience on our trip filled with amazing experiences! On a private farmhouse of the cook (that is also a winery) it is the most picturesque location. The cooking class was so informative and fun for all of us. My kids can't wait to make the focaccia and Pici pasta themselves at home. The interpreter was very helpful and the host was the most charming and lovely person. We were honored to be at her kitchen.

Quality of Experience

Amazingly beautiful setting, gracious host/cook, delicious meal and a very unique and special experience.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Private golf cart tour

Rome

Fun, efficient, and informative way to see the majority of the all best sites around Rome. In a three hour time frame we saw and learned so much about the classical sites of Rome. The driver was outstanding at getting us around and sharing history, culture, and knowledge about Rome.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Florence and Accademia City Tour

Italy

Our guide was extremely knowledgeable and able to get a great overview of the history of the city and the important people that influenced Florence. We a great overview of all the highlights on this private tour.

Quality of Experience

Food

n/a

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Private Colosseum, Forum Tour & Palatine hill

Rome

Amazing, private, and full of history.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Very knowledgeable and able to provide a great overview of all the important details for each location.

Transport

Pitigliano and Sovana

Italy

Very detailed and informative view of ancient history and these amazing places.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Private tour of the Vatican Museums, Sistine chapel and Saint Peter's Basilica

Rome

Wow! We can't believe we experienced this.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Free day in Porto Ercole and in the area

Italy

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Evening Aperitivo Tour

Rome

Really great classic food and sites. A wonderful way to experience the city.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Where do I start?! A million thank-you's to Chiara for an absolutely unforgettable trip to Italy. This was our son's graduation gift - his choice for us to travel through Italy. I worked with KimKim for our trip to Costa Rica last summer - and was very eager to see what would come about when I inquired about a trip through Italy.

Chiara did an amazing job for us. She listened to my desires, was eager to swap things around, add and omit certain activities/excursions/change accommodations to suit us. She focused on the location of our accommodations for my family, timing of excursions, and took care of all transport from getting off the airplane until 11 days later when getting back on the airplane. I LOVE these trips through KimKim - I do not have to lift a finger while traveling. I don't have to worry about the timing of anything - it is all done for me. We are a very well-travelled family, but on these in-depth trips, it is so nice to have a local expert of the country do the foot work for me. Chiara always responded quickly when planning.

One other thing I loved about working with Chiara and her team, is the App they provided me with just prior to our departure for Italy. It had all our itinerary/tickets/information on it, day by day, and it even had a chat/message feature that I used a few times to get in touch with someone when I had a question. They always responded immediately. I was also provided with a personal phone number to use 24/7 in case we needed anything. It was so reassuring that we had support if need be.

All of our tours and excursions were second to none. Private walking/historical tours of Venice, a private boat tour/excursion around the Venice Harbour and to Murano as well as a gorgeous gondola ride in the evening. In Florence we were given information of the many museums and churches to tour, walks and sights to see. Once in Sorrento, we had the most amazing private boat tour to Capri, spending the day visiting the island and boating the gorgeous waters. Once in Rome, we started with a Vespa Side Car Tour of the entire city, stopping off at the major sights, we had a private tour of the Colosseum as well as the Vatican. And again, in between, private transport (all were amazing and incredibly professional) and trains, made this a trip of a lifetime!!

I with I could personally thank Chiara and give her a big hug. I can plan a trip, but having someone who is a local and knows the country, the cities, the intricacies, makes all the difference. It was fun seeing our trip come together in the beginning, and now that it is over, I am filled with overwhelming gratitude to Chiara. I could not have done this without her. So, thank you.

In closing, I am incredibly excited to plan my next trip through KimKim. I tell all my family and friends about KimKim - I am hooked!! Will be a customer for life!! Thank you <3

Hotel Reviews

Locanda Leon Bianco on the Grand Canal

Venice

This is such a historical hotel - incredibly small (most in Venice are). The only reason I took one star away is because the reception (front desk) does not open until 8:00 a.m., as well as the breakfast - the first seating is at 8:00 a.m. Other than that, it is a quirky, gorgeous European hotel with an amazing location!!! My favorite was when the hotel manager was awaiting our arrival from the water taxi from the airport at their "pier"!! Great personal service!

Authenticity & Character

It's history - next to the oldest building in Venice.

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

We had an incredibly large room for a family of 4!!

Hotel Orto de' Medici

Florence

Authenticity & Character

Michelangelo learned to paint and sculpt in the courtyard of this hotel!! Beautiful, well kept, stunning architecture.

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Palazzo Guardati Hotel Sorrento

Sorrento

The location is the best part of this hotel. It is directly city-center. It is quick - you have to roll your luggage through a small alley between restaurants to get to it (what a memory!) - but that is part of the charm. The hotel itself is beautiful - the bathroom was amazing, but the rooms could be painted/decorated more of a Mediterranean style and this would work so much better than the harsh gold paint and very antique furnishings inside the rooms. As well, that picture of the pool you see is very deceiving - it really is the size of a hot tub - probably holds 6 people sitting. So I wouldn't go there for the pool, however, the rooftop / veranda with sun loungers is wonderful, amazing service for cocktails in the evening, and the most amazing views of Mount Vesuvius.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Rooms could/should be updated with brighter, more modern, Mediterranean style decor/furnishings.

Monti Palace Hotel Rome

Rome

This was a beautiful hotel - much like most small European hotels, you see only the doorway from the street view, and then it opens up on the inside. The staff were incredibly attentive. The breakfast was superb - unfortunately due to early morning excursions/flights, we missed 2 of the 3 we were scheduled to have. Our room was incredibly modern, absolutely amazing bathrooms. Though it was loud - you could hear the noise in the streets at night - but that is Rome!! As far as location - Rome is so spread out - so this was a great location to the Colosseum, Trevi Fountain (a bit of a walk) and the Pantheon. However, anything is walkable if you are willing. Wonderful restaurants nearby. Just a bit far from the Spanish Steps/Borghese Gardens.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Murano Island Excursion

Venice

I didn't realize we would have the boat to ourselves for 3 hours!! Amazing. Nicolette was wonderful - super cool and informative! Loved her. Though - didn't love the hard sell of the man who brought us on the tour of the Glass Factory - we just wanted to look and he wanted to sell!!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Private Evening Gondola Ride Venice & City Stroll

Venice

This was a wonderful insight into the city of Venice. It's one thing to go to a city, but to understand the city and see its intricacies is another thing. We love history and learning, and this was a wonderful, leisurely walking tour onto a private gondola ride!!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Exclusive Capri Boat Tour from Sorrento

Italy

Loved it - a must do!! Small groups (don't do those huge boats with dozens of people) only 8 people on our gorgeous boat, lunch, Capri, swimming, drinks, pictures, information, so much fun!!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Vespa Sidecar Tour in Rome

Rome

Best "welcome to Rome" tour ever. They touched on everything - we saw everything, stopped, learned so much history we otherwise wouldn't have. Rome came to life for us after this tour. Amazing and so much fun!!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

The Best of Colosseum & Ancient Rome With Exclusive Arena Access

Rome

Our tour guide was amazing - though I don't think you need the VR experience. We really didn't use it. But I absolutely recommend Liv Tours for a private tour of the Colosseum - NO BIG GROUP TOURS. Private is the way to go - you will get a much better history and understanding of everything - there is so much to learn!!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Vatican Tour & Sistine Chapel

Rome

An absolute must when visiting the Vatican. We probably wouldn't have even gotten in without a tour/private tour (so many tourists), also, she gave meaning to the how/why/art/history of the Vatican, museum, it's rooms, the Sistine Chapel. Had we just gone in, we wouldn't have understood the intricacies of the art.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Everything went very well.
I do want to comment about a few things.

First- Daniela was our concierge and she was great!! Very responsive and confirmed transfers and tours with us.

I do think that I would have preferred a local guide for the St. Peter’s basilica tour rather than a German one. Our guide was difficult to understand and also did not know that the basilica was going to close early so our tour was only 1 hour instead of 2.

The guide for the Roman forum and the colosseum was excellent through LivTours.

The guide for pompeii was not too good. Although he knew a lot about pompeii, he was a bit too aloof- in my opinion- and should’ve been more directive in deciding about taking umbrellas and what parts to see before it started raining…

Our driver through the coastal towns did not stop in Amalfi and although it worked out, it was a change in what expected and eve Daniela was not aware.

Our hotel in Rome had poor AC in most of the rooms and did not really try to fix it.
We did discuss with them and with Daniela at the time of service so I waiting for a partial refund on this.

Some great things…
The location of all our hotels was excellent!
The cooking class was super fun and great location but again the description did not meet what we actually did.

On our free day in Sorrento, we took a boat tour with a small group to and around Capri and had an amazing time… I would recommend them as a tour you could use and partner with in future.

https://abnb.me/FQ1DUXYjJAb

Hotel Reviews

HOTEL DELLE NAZIONI

ROME

AC was not good / consistent in rooms and not good communication about it with the staff

Authenticity & Character

Location

Great great location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Grand Hotel De La Ville

Sorrento

Beautiful hotel. Breakfast staff was great and front desk was great. Bad Manager was rude.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Grand Hotel Vesuvio

Naples

Great location. Beautiful 10th floor. Strange that the pool and gym area was not open all the time and that the bathrooms were not in service near the pool. The jacuzzi was cold

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Private Colosseum guided tour & Ancient Rome

Rome

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Train Rome/Naples with transfers and 2h guided tour in Pompeii

Italy

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Cooking Class Experience Amalfi Coast

Amalfi Coast

Expectations based on description were different than what we actually did

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Driver and restaurant did not communicate so we waited almost an hour to be picked up

Transport

Visit of The Amalfi coast Villages Full Day

Italy

Driver and concierge did not communicate about the plan that day. Turned out to be a gorgeous day and had a great time but good to see expectations accurately

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Early morning private Vatican Tour

Rome

I really appreciated the care and organization that our guide, Andrea, provided for our trip. We had a great experience with every guide. The tours gave us an intimate understanding of the history and joy of Italy. Andrea kept in touch throughout the experience and was always available. He supported me when my family was complaining and tired. The only glitch in our trip was a typo in the road book that sent us over 3 hours in the wrong direction after we rented a car in Florence. When I called Andrea, he chided me for not putting the address of our hotel into the GPS. We put in the name of the hotel, which was in the road book, not the address. The address was correct, but the name of the hotel was incorrect. Fortunately, we ended up getting to the right location in time for dinner. And it was probably the best dinner we had during the entire trip. I would have given Andrea five stars had he been able to take responsibility for the typo instead of shaming me.
I would definitely use Kim Kim again, but I would rigorously check the names and addresses of everything to avoid drama.

Hotel Review

Hotel Florence

Bellagio

Beautiful room with plenty of room. The staff was friendly and helpful. The location is perfect and the bar/plaza is great for people watching. I would stay here again.

Authenticity & Character

well maintained.

Location

On the lake.

Staff

Great attitude.

Cleanliness & Comfort

No problems.

Activity Review

Pienza and Montepulciano guided food day

Italy

Our guide, Serena, was fun and didn't hurry us. She had positive energy and even helped us find a restaurant for dinner. Love her.

Quality of Experience

Transport

On time, but the driver who picked us up in Milan, hit a guardrail on our trip to Bellagio. No one was hurt, but the car.

Was such a great trip thanks KimKim

Hotel Reviews

Hotel Corallo

Sorrento

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Locanda Leon Bianco on the Grand Canal

Venice

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Private Walking tour Path of Gods

Italy

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Private Caldera Catamaran Cruise

Santorini

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Our cooking class in Palermo was excellent. Chef Michael and his assistant Melissa were fantastic. We made a wonderful meal and thoroughly enjoyed the experience. In Matera, we had a wonderful baking experience. Our guide was also delightful and created an elaborate picture of what Matera was like during its early history. In Agrigento, our guide was extremely personable and knowledgeable. With her detail to Greek history, she brought the ancient period alive. The other guides were good but these were the stand outs.

We found that the guides who were born in Italy were very passionate about their country and shared their enthusiasm with us. We had one guide who was not born in Italy and while she was good, she did not have the same exuberance.
The hotels were comfortable and centrally located. The villa in Agrigento was fabulous. Instead of the fourth night in Palermo, we would have liked the extra night at the villa.
The only hotel that we did not like was in Aberobello. The staff was not friendly. The bed was hard and uncomfortable. They also did not have air-conditioning. We would have preferred staying in Matera instead of spending 2 nights in Aberobello. A half day excursion in Aberobello is more than enough.

All four locations we stayed at were very nice. The properties in Lake Garda and Verona were excellent. We probably could have skipped the Valtelina wine tour as it was not very impressive and the wine was not worth the drive. That's my only criticism of the entire trip.

Hotel Reviews

Hotel Villa Flori

Como

Beautiful view and clean hotel. It was easy enough to get a taxi into town but returning was a challenge.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Villa Cortine Palace Hotel

Sirmione

Beautiful hotel and stunning grounds to walk around.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Accademia

Verona

Great location and friendly staff.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Very close to downtown so everything was in walking distance.

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Really large room and very comfortable.

Ca' di Dio Hotel

venezia

Nice hotel but a little bit of a walk to shopping and restaurants.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Very nice staff and very helpful.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Very clean and modern hotel

Activity Reviews

Valtellina Wine Tour | Private

Lake Como

This part of the trip was a little disappointing. Long drive and the wine and scenery was not impressive.

Full-Day Boat Experience - Explore Lake Como

Italy

One of the highlights of the trip. Boat driver was very nice and took good care of us.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Valpolicella Wine Tour from Sirmione

Italy

Beautiful location and great wine.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Private Venice in a Day Tour

Venice

Overall our experience with Kimkim was perfect! Using Kimkim took away the guesswork and anxiety of traveling to a foreign country. Fabio was awesome - he was very prompt if we needed to contact him and he did a fabulous job of planning our trip.
Would like to comment on our day trip to the winery in Valtellina. While we thoroughly enjoyed our time at the winery, we all felt it was too long of a day in the car. Maybe the time spent in Valtellina could be lengthened instead of a short tasting and tour. We just felt like we spent an entire day in the car when we could have been using our time in Italy more productively.
On a positive note, the three hotels that Fabio picked out were absolutely perfect! The Palazzetto Madonna in Venice was the perfect family owned boutique hotel. The employee, Alain (not sure on spelling), always went above and beyond to make us feel welcome. The DBH - Boutique Hotel Lake Como was in the perfect location and very nice. Again, the employees always made us feel very welcome and were very attentive. The boat trip on lake Como was also fabulous and shout out to the boat captain Jacoba for a great day!! We felt that the best hotel was saved for last, the Hotel Helvetia! Absolutely beautiful views and we loved the town of Sestri Levante. We originally wanted to stay in the Cinque Terre, but there were no accommodations that we agreed upon. Fabio suggested Sestri Levante and we couldn't have been happier. We were able to visit the Cinque Terre and we had an amazing boat ride to Portofino and San Fruttuoso. Another shout out to the boat captain, Matteo. He also went above and beyond to make our day perfect! He was very informative of the areas and treated us to wonderful snacks and beverages. Thanks again to Fabio and Kimkim for creating the perfect trip to beautiful Italy!! Would definitely use Kimkim again and would highly recommend!

Hotel Reviews

Palazzetto Madonna

Venice

This is the perfect hotel for Venice. Great location, right on the canal. The most friendly and helpful employees and outstanding accommodations. Morning breakfast was delicious and can be enjoyed out on the patio!

Authenticity & Character

An older boutique family owned hotel with loads of Venice charm.

Location

Right on the canal...we were delivered and picked up straight in front of our hotel where employees were waiting eagerly to help us with our luggage.

Staff

The staff always went above and beyond expectations. They were all very friendly and helped us with anything, from calling water taxis to helping us learn Italian phrases!

Cleanliness & Comfort

Very clean and rooms were outstanding. AC was perfect, bathrooms were modern, and beds were comfortable!

DBH – Boutique Hotel Lake Como

Como

This is a very nice hotel. It felt very new (I believe recently renovated?). Rooms were perfect...very modern feeling. Location was great - right next to the Duomo and steps to lake Como. Lots of restaurants and shops within walking distance.

Authenticity & Character

Very modern and beautifully appointed. Nice breakfast waiting in the breakfast every morning.

Location

Right next to the Duomo. Felt like we were right in the heart of Como, with lots of restaurants and shopping right outside the door. lake Como was just steps from the hotel. There was also a restaurant/bar right next door where you can sit outside and relax with a glass of wine!

Staff

Very attentive and friendly! Absolutely no complaints!

Cleanliness & Comfort

This hotel felt very modern. It had all the modern amenities and was extremely comfortable.

Hotel Helvetia

Sestri Levante

This hotel is absolutely amazing. The most beautiful views and every amenity one could look for.

Authenticity & Character

Absolutely beautiful hotel with amazing views. Charming lobby when you first walk in. Old time charm with modern amenities!

Location

Perfect location. You can sit on the terrace and just gaze at the sea. Also, has its own beach and a few steps from restaurants and shopping.

Staff

Very polite and helpful! Always eager to answer any question we had. We arrived early and they were very helpful to get our rooms ready as quickly as they could!

Cleanliness & Comfort

Very pleased with the rooms - bathrooms were modern, AC was on spot and bed was comfortable!

Activity Reviews

Private Venice in a Day Tour

Venice

We all enjoyed this tour. Our guide was from Venice so was very knowledgeable. Learned a lot about St. Mark's and how Venice was "created".

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

We asked the boat driver and tour guide to show us the "hands". That wasn't on the tour but they took us anyway!

Transport

Just amazing seeing the canals of Venice.

Full-Day Boat Experience - Explore Lake Como

Italy

A wonderful day experiencing lake Como. Enjoyed the tour and the towns of Bellagio and Verrana. Absolutely beautiful!

Quality of Experience

Just beautiful scenery and towns. Had an amazing lunch at a restaurant right on the water. Also found a restaurant in Veranna where we shared a bottle of wine and enjoyed the scenery. Everyone we encountered were very kind and welcoming.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Jacoba, our boat captain, did a fantastic job sharing information about different villa's, hotels and towns as we boated round the lake. He also had Prosecco and waters for us, which of course was very welcomed!

Transport

Again, Jacoba our captain, did a fantastic job sharing information with us.

Valtellina Wine Tour

Lake Como

I'm giving this 3 stars because of the long amount of time we spent in the van. The wine tour and Valtellina valley were amazing to see, but not sure I would repeat this or recommend it due to the short time spent there and the long time spent in the van. We did enjoy the Villa Carlotta Botanical Gardens. We also enjoyed our lunch spot in Piazza Garibaldi.

Quality of Experience

Maybe more time spent at the winery or just a clearer understanding of how long of a drive it was to the winery,

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Our tour guide at the winery was awesome! She was so knowledgeable about the production process and each of the wines. I would give her 5 stars!

Transport

Maybe if we had a more comfortable mode of transportation, the drive would have been more tolerable? 6 people in a van (especially the 3 in the back) for hours of driving was just not the most enjoyable experience.

Full-Day Boat Tour | Portofino Marine Reserve & San Fruttuoso

Sestri Levante

This was the best excursion on the trip! Matteo was the BEST guide and boat driver, San Fruttuoso was unbelievable and we marveled at Portofino - both the marina with the amazing yachts and the town!

Quality of Experience

San Fruttuoso blew us away. Such a unique place and BEAUTIFUL. Boating the sea is amazing - such beautiful colors in the water. And Portofino was just beautiful with the flowers and amazing yachts.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Cannot say enough about Matteo! He was amazing at his job - gave us so much information and insight to the area. He also was a fantastic host! Wonderful appetizers and wine and beer! He took very good care of us!

Transport

Matteo - made the day!

All the guides were excellent. I especially appreciated Silvia who took us on a hike and exploring Bellagio. She was outgoing, informative & prepared with hiking poles and other things, just in case. She customized our outing based on weather. She even brought supplies to make us tea once we arrived at the highest point.
Phillip was outstanding too. He customized our Bellagio bike trip to suit our needs. We were introduced to people we saw along the way & who knew him, which was a great way to learn about their culture. Janis & I discovered the most amazing restaurant for dinner that evening because Phillip showed us the property during our bike ride. We would have never experienced it without phillip’s help. He provided so much information & was very helpful to Janis when she needed to find a dentist.
Several of the guides took us on tours that were longer than the itinerary stated, because we were all having a good time. You can tell how much they enjoy sharing their knowledge by their willingness to spend time with us travelers.
The wine tour & tasting was amazing (in the Piedmont area) &i loved the truffle hunt. Both exceeded my expectations. I learned so much from each experience.
And WOW! The pesto making experience was a memory I’ll always cherish.

Hotel Reviews

Andirivieni Bellagio Guest House

Bellagio

Authenticity & Character

Charming….

Location

I got a bit lost a time or two. My fault.

Staff

Very helpful by providing information about the town & restaurants.

Cleanliness & Comfort

B&B Cortiletto d'Alba

Alba

I loved everything about this place. Their restaurant was a wonderful place for dinner too. The hotel had so much character. The owner went out of her way to help us find free parking.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Royal

Stresa

Beautiful hotel & property. I prefer hotels that are less fancy, however. The staff was adequate, but not as personable as staff in the other locations. The bartender, however, was very outgoing & friendly. The hotel restaurant would not allow us to order ala Carte for dinner. We prefer not eating two or three course meals.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

STAR HOTEL ECHO

MILANO

Excellent breakfast buffet. Hotel staff was very welcoming too.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Stella della Marina

Monterosso

I loved this hotel & the hard working owner who carried our bags up the stairs, checked us in, was also the breakfast cook & server.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Alba & Barolo Exclusive Experience

Italy

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Cinque Terre Trekking Card

Cinque Terre

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Cinque Terre Train Card

Italy

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Pesto Experience

Italy

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Cinque Terre Sunset Boat Tour

Italy

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Wine Experience in Cinque Terre

Italy

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

I’m

Stephania and the KimKim team planned a 10/10 trip for my fiancé and I. We had a trip from Sunday-Friday all throughout Southern Italy and all of our expectations were met! Every excursion was great, all transfers were easy to find and on time, and hotels were to our liking.

Once again, it was an amazing trip and we would definitely use KimKim again!

Activity Reviews

Amalfi Coast Boat Tour From Sorrento

Sorrento

We loved this boat tour. It was great being able to go to two different cities and also seeing the amalfi coast and the scenic views. We also loved the authentic lunch included. Anna, our boat staff, was amazing! Please make sure she knows how great of a job she did

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Trastevere Afternoon Food Tour & Wine Experience

Rome

We loved the food and wine tour because it took us to places that we probably would have not gone to on our own. It was nice to see the history behind certain aspects of trastevere and meet new people! Chiara our guide was excellent in showing us around and was very well spoken and kind.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Stephania helped us to include many of our "wish for" experiences on our trip to Rome and the Amalfi Coast. Having the transportation set up in advance was fantastic and our drivers were really more like guides. Rino was the best tour guide we could have asked for. He took great pride in showing us the Amalfi Coast, pointing out the highlights in Positano, Amalfi, Furore and Sorrento. We were fortunate to have an extremely knowledgeable guide for our Vatican tour, whose father is also a guide. In fact, Rebecca was also born in the Vatican City so this was a special place for her share with us and she pointed out all of the "fake news" that the Romans had created centuries ago that is on display in the museum. We took a few boat tours to Capri and along the Amalfi Coast, but the boat tour to Positano was made even better by our Captain who stopped several times to let us jump in and swim near the Grottos. Our stay in Sorrento was made extra special by spending three nights in the Grand Hotel Capodimonte. This 4 Star Hotel has 5 cascading pools, with a view that will take your breath away. The Hotel Modigliani in Rome did not disappoint and is filled with very cool contemporary art and upscale furnishings. We loved it. In hindsight we might have asked to do too much as we were very tired after a 10 hour flight and missed our first ferry to Amalfi because we decided to sleep in. My suggestion would be to give yourself at least one day to just relax before getting into high touring mode!

We (my cousins and I in differing age groups) planned a two week trip with Moreno to Italy to include Florence, Rome, Pompei, and Sorrento (lodging in Vico Equense). Moreno and his associates arranged most of our lodging, transport and excursions. We feel with few exceptions the trip was beautifully planned and was a fantastic blend of learning and leisure. I can't express enough the value of private transportation and private tours if you are planning to see and do a great deal in a short time in Italy. These are predominately touring cities so in the interest of time management, private transport and private tours were a blessing.

If you get the opportunity to chose your travel guide in Rome be sure to request Sabrina. She was wonderful at both the Vatican and Sistine Chapel and the following day at the Colosseum. She brought the experience to life and was passionate and knowledgeable about the area.......be sure to request her!

The boutique bed and breakfasts were a game changer as well. Caio

Hotel Reviews

Soggiorno Battistero

Florence

Located in the center, it is well positioned to get to and from important areas. As for the room itself, if you are on the upper floor it is more inviting, bigger space. Plan to eat a big lunch and dinner as the breakfast is light fare and will not sustain you for a long period of time. Bathrooms/bedrooms upstairs were well appointed but the rooms on the lower floor were a bit small for our taste.

Authenticity & Character

Location

If noise isn't an issue, the location is great. Felt safe.

Staff

I only experienced issues with one staff member, I found him to be less than helpful but the rest of the staff were very accommodating and easy to communicate with.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Comfort - it was a loud area but to be expected as it is in a square. We weren't prepared and wish we would have known better. When you travel to Italy a good nights rest is important.

Boutique Hotel Galatea

Rome

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Excellent staff and very helpful. It was nice to have staff avail later in the evening (11p).

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Le Ancore

Vico Equense

Authenticity & Character

Beautiful building.

Location

for the most part you must take transport to other areas as there are limited dining options

Staff

GREAT staff!

Cleanliness & Comfort

I need to rate comfort low as the bathrooms - especially showers are VERY small and difficult to manage a shower in them. secondly, we had an A/C issue the first couple of days which was difficult.

Activity Review

Colosseo and Roman forums adventure

Rome

We had the very best tour guide - Sabrina. She was awesome, interested, entertaining and informative. It was one of my favorite tours due to her enthusiasm of the history .

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Most Memorable
1. The cooking classes: Toscana Mia was my favourite! Simonetta and Paola welcomed us into their home and it felt so authentic! The Giglia class in Florence was my second favourite. We did end up preparing the same food as our first class in Rome but the instructor was wonderful.
2. Day trip to Cinque Terre with Tanya. I loved it because we got to experience 3 of the towns. The lunch in Vernazza was excellent. I loved the mini hike and boat ride. Tanya was a pleasant, knowledgeable guide.
3. The Food and Wine walking tour of Trastevere! Excellent guide and delicious food. Eileen was so fun and shared many great cultural food aspects of the area.
4. Wine tour of the Val D’Orcia area with Georgia. This was a lot of driving but we learned so much about wine. Loved the lunch at Il Cocco.
5. The view from our hotel room La Cisterna was breathtaking!
6. Favourite overall hotel was VOI Donna Camilla Savelli in Rome. Best breakfast and most welcoming staff.

Some Issues and Questions
1. Value for our money spent on the trip. I understand that KimKim does not offer an exact breakdown of the separate costs. However, in order recommend KimKim to my friends and family, I would really like to know some general percentages of what we spent on accommodations, private transfers with Icarelimo, the tours and activities.
2. Knowing some names of restaurants nearby our hotels would have been so appreciated.
3. The self-guided aspect when visiting different areas was somewhat vague. For example, In San Gimignano, we ended up booking our own 2 hour walking tour of the town to learn more.
4. I was confused about buying my own tickets to Accademia in Florence. My impression was that I needed to buy these tickets because, as part of the Florence walking tour, we would only pop in to the Accademia. As it turned out, the tour of the Accademia was thorough for us and I felt we I didn’t really need to buy the tickets myself.
5. Buying the tickets to The Colosseum was super confusing, based on the your information. I couldn’t get the tickets ahead of time so I used Viator. When we got there it was so overwhelming and we could have benefitted from a private tour.
6. If I were to plan another trip, I would have built in more down time because the pace of this trip was somewhat hectic. A possible solution would be KimKim asking more about how much we want to walk ( we are 60 and good walkers but still felt exhausted and overwhelmed at times).
7. Of course, nothing KimKim could do about how crowded we found all the places we stayed, except to offer alternative ideas of where to visit when we began our planning.

Hopefully, KimKim appreciates this feedback. Overall, we had a great time in Italy. It was an expensive vacation at a very busy time of the year but we loved our time visiting and learning about all things Italian. The hotels were mostly situated in good places for walkability. I loved having the breakfasts included. The drivers, guides and hotel staff were overall friendly.

Hotel Reviews

VOI Donna Camilla Savelli

Rome

Loved the location in Trastevere. The old monastery and courtyard had a relaxing oasis feel in busy Rome. Great breakfast, lovely room.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Alfieri9 Boutique Hotel Florence

Florence

Small room, no view and a bit far from where we walked each day. Good breakfast and very kind female host.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel La Cisterna

San Gimignano

Amazing views from our window. Bigger room

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

9Hotel Cesari Rome

Rome

Very much in the middle of the heart of Rome. Great walkability but very busy street and some noise. Loved the rooftop patio

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Campo Dei Fiori Market Tour & Pasta Making Class

Rome

Great instructor, lovely lunch that we prepared. However we were disappointed that our original tour of market and cooking class were cancelled.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Last minute change(s)

Italy

Quality of Experience

Trastevere Afternoon Food Tour & Wine Experience

Rome

Just excellent. Super personable guide! Wonderful food and cultural insights

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Cinque Terre Day Trip from Florence

Florence

Yes, would totally recommend this because of scenery, lunch, activities and what we learned

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Morning Florence Highlights Walking Tour

Florence

Our guide was having difficulty organizing the group.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Private Cooking Class in Florence

Florence

Fun class! The instructor was very good. A lot of her time was spent on the 5 children in the class

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Cooking Class in Chianti

Italy

My favourite!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Private Val D’ Orcia Wine Tasting

Italy

Really good day of learning about wine and visiting Montalcino and Montepulciano

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

I have travelled to Europe many many times but this time, I felt like a VIP! From the very first moment when my travel companion, Debra, and I, Janis, were met at the airport by a nicely dressed man who drove us in a Mercedes to a beautiful modern hotel in Milan, I was impressed. And first impressions count! The hotel in Milan was perfectly located next to the train station, which made it so easy for getting around, especially to the city center. Our room was lovely. Great way to begin our trip! We did spend more than an hour that first afternoon trying to find the car rental location, in preparation for the next morning. We didn't have the name of the local agency, even though I had inquired, only the umbrella company. And the local agency was located a couple of blocks away from the train station. We did finally find it, but it was a struggle. When we picked up the vehicle the next morning, it was very dirty inside. It had not been cleaned at all. And it had no gas.
So we had to immediately fill it. This was the only low point in our trip.
We proceeded to Merano and spent three nights there, really enjoying the little town I had booked accommodations in: Marlingo.
So, then we left for the KimKim portion of our trip, stopping first in Bellagio. Our accommodations were in the old part of the town, in a neighborhood all locals knew, so even when we got lost walking, we were kindly directed to our accommodations. (I'm now going to rate the activities and guides on a 10-pt scale, with 10 being outstanding.). The first morning our guide Silvia showed up at our hotel, exactly on time, and we set off for some incredible hiking with her. She was wonderful and we enjoyed her and her knowledge of the area immensely. She even brought a coffee heater with her and snacks so we could overlook Lake Como on our break. I can't say enough good things about Silvia. What a gem! (10!)(However, we puzzled over how much to "tip" all of our personal guides and drivers. That would be a good thing to include in trips for visitors like us, especially since it was just the TWO of us.)
The next day, we walked to the bicycle rental, got fitted for e-bikes and met our guide Philip. He was also FABULOUS! He took us all over, on steep roads, through narrow streets and on to the top of the mountain, where he recommended a restaurant, which we ended up reserving for that night's dinner. When I had a little accident the next day, I was able to contact him for a dental recommendation. He too is a gem! (10!)
Then we moved onto Stresa. What a lovely old 'classic' hotel, and right next to the ferry to the islands. Very convenient.
Without any guided tours there, however, it didn't have the same engaging 'personality'/ambience for us as Bellagio did, because of Silvia's and Philip's warmth and charm.
Next, we drove to Alba and our hostess at Cortiletto d'Alba was extraordinarily warm and welcoming. She couldn't do enough for us, including showing us where the free parking was! Our meals there (breakfast was included, but we also had dinner there two evenings) were wonderful. Each of our accommodations was so unique from the previous. We truly enjoyed the variety. Silvie was our guide through Alba, and she was very knowledgeable and we learned a lot. (8). Finding the restaurant for lunch was a little confusing, but it was delicious. That morning, driving into the hills for the wine tasting was a real adventure, as the roads there felt more like old narrow 'wagon trails.' But we found it, and joined six others in a lovely wine tasting with the most sensational views. It was phenomenal. (10!) Having both been in Tuscany, separately, on trips a few years ago, we relished the beauty and the quiet of the Piedmont. There were few people - not like in Tuscany. We'd go again in a heartbeat!!
And the truffle hunt: what an experience that was! We were again picked up by a driver in a very nice car, up to where we met the trifalau and his girl dog Buca. The driver left, and the three of us plus Buca tramped through the woods. When the trifalau (Carlo, I think) gave the signal, Buca began sniffing around through the woods, starting to dig when she smelled a truffle buried deep in the earth. We found two truffles, and learned SO much about truffles. It was an experience I've wanted to have for years; this was exceptional! (10!)
Then we drove to Genoa, where we were met by our driver who drove us to Monterosso. What a joy not to have to schlept our bags onto a train. Again, VIP treatment and we loved it!
And we so enjoyed our accommodations in Monterosso: perfect location in the village and the host was so kind to us. Francesco was our guide from Corniglia to Vernazza and he was excellent and very caring. (9)
The pesto making experience was such GREAT FUN! Both being cooks, we appreciated all the little insights Simone told us about the hands-on process. We each got an apron, we were fed heaps of food for lunch, and every couple received a half bottle of Cinque Terre wine. (10!)
The sunset cruise was a little disappointing. We didn't have the name of the company, only the name of the boat. Locals tried to help us, but told us the boat (by the name we had - Guiliana) was moored in Monterosso. It was only with the help of six locals that we finally connected with the right boat company. It was other guests scheduled for the same boat that made our departure even later. There were 14 of us plus the driver/guide. Most people had to sit on the flat padded part of the boat, but we chose the rear where we could sit with our feet on the boat's floor (much more comfortable). The appetizers (foaccacia) were stale and tasteless. We fed the pieces to the seagulls. The guide opened up 11 bottles of Prosecco but Debra and I only drank a few ounces as it wasn't very good Prosecco. The sunset was beautiful and the guide told us a bit about each of the five towns. (7)
The driver back to Genoa was right on time (actually early) and he dropped us at the appointed places, Debra to the airport and me to the train station, for my trip to Nice.
Jessica was a joy to communicate with and make such a customized plan. I was impressed by AXUS - what a helpful and informative app! I can't recommend Jessica enough. During the trip, Barbara too was such a help, and always available despite the hour of our needing assistance or clarification. On a scale of 1 - 10, STORYWALKING gets an 11!

Hotel Reviews

STAR HOTEL ECHO

MILANO

Location

Right next to the train station; you can go anywhere in Europe from here!

Cleanliness & Comfort

A beautiful and modern hotel, filled with art - really a knockout!

Andirivieni Bellagio Guest House

Bellagio

Authentic, charming accommodations. Free parking right at the entrance. Good staff. Terrific location.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

B&B Cortiletto d'Alba

Alba

The staff is so warm and welcoming; truly exceptional people. Location is perfect, very close to the old part of Alba. There is free parking, although it can be difficult to find. Delicious food, for breakfasts, and dinners are exquisite (make reservations; it's popular!)

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Royal

Stresa

Classic, old style hotel - very elegant - beautiful location. Free parking on site. Right next to the ferry to the islands. Fabulous breakfast buffet. Our room had a lovely balcony.

Authenticity & Character

Charming "old world" feel

Location

Just off the water, a short walk to the main portion of Stresa along the water

Staff

Bartender

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Stella della Marina

Monterosso

Authenticity & Character

Clean and modern. Lots of stairs however!

Location

Staff

Host/owner/manager is such a hard worker; he does it all; and very friendly.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Wine Experience in Cinque Terre

Italy

I forgot to include this in my overall review. Perhaps it's because it wasn't much of a event. The vineyard owner was late. She took us through her family's vineyard, describing different methods of growing the vines. Then set us up at the table with the first of four wines to taste. Then she was through with us. Establishment was short staffed and the wine shack is on the public trail. So it took us a while to figure out that we weren't going to be served the other three wines unless we asked at the wine shack. The employee apologized and tried to make up for our being ignored. The wines were just okay.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

We had to wait a long time for a bus because the first bus was too crowded. And the only way down after the event was to walk, or wait two hours for a bus. Good thing we were prepared with good walking shoes and walking sticks - otherwise I would not have been able to cope with the rocky steep trail. I don't think this was worth it.

Cinque Terre Trekking Adventure

Italy

Bellagio peak: Monte San Primo

Italy

The Ghisallo Family E-Xperience

Bellagio

Philip gave us four hours.

Alba & Barolo Exclusive Experience

Italy

Pesto Experience

Italy

Cinque Terre Sunset Boat Tour

Italy

Lorenza was awesome! We had a couple of hiccups in our travels and she was right there to help us during each one. We were amazed at the level of communication, the customer service and care she showed. I truly feel she is absolute the best available anywhere! I have already raved to other travelers about Kim Kim and Lorenza. I will definitely be calling her again when I travel to Italy.