Kimkim Trip Reviews for Italy

Giulia,
My wife and I are on the flight home today. Just wanted to thank you for doing a wonderful job on our travel arrangements. All of the details were taken care of. The hotels exceeded our expectations. Locations were perfect. Being greeted upon arrival in Venice, drivers waiting, water taxis always at the ready. The timing between trains, tours, and free time was well thought out. Private tours and guides were exactly what we were looking for. We appreciated the occasional reminders you sent as well as being able to get responses from you or your staff when we had a question. We felt very comfortable the whole trip. It was obvious that you really listened to our desires when you put together the itinerary. Combine that with the beautiful scenery and people of Italy and our trip was fantastic.

Activity Reviews

Chianti Winery visit with Tuscan Wine Tasting and Lunch

Italy

This boutique winery catered to us very well. The scenery was fantastic and our seating in front of a wall of floor to ceiling glass enabled us to take full advantage. The wines and information were very interesting. Food/lunch along with it was very tasty and went well with the tasting.

Quality of Experience

Food

Assistance service on arrival

Italy

After a big travel day and a long train ride, jumping back into reality at a busy train station is a bit of a shock. Being met at our arrival was a very easy and comfortable way to ease into our stay. She explained a lot of things about how the water taxis worked and how to get around, all this on the way to the hotel. Very glad we had this.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Marta planned the trip and we were very disappointed in her planning. She did not tell us how remote the hotel in Agrigento was. We could not walk into town and Could not get a taxi or an uber. A hotel employee drove us in his personal car. The tour in the Valley of the Temples was supposed to be a small group but was over 40 people and was conducted in Italian and English. It was a waste. We could not walk into town.. The hotel in Siracusa was horrible. There were no services. The cooking class was great but we were not asked if there were any food concerns and one member of our group does not eat meat. Gila made adjustments but that shouldn’t have happened. Barbara, who took over for Marta was great and did her best to accommodate us. I definitely would not used Kimkin again and will not recommend them to others

This was a fabulous trip. Smooth with no issues the entire time. The Kimkim team were amazing to work with and very communicative. They worked with me to make sure we was were to see everything we wanted, in the time and budget we gave them to work with. Seamless transition from one location to the other with no issues. Daily reminders of the plan for the next day and answered any questions we had while traveling. It gave my husband and I peace of mind while traveling in a foreign country knowing that we had them in our pocket if we had any issues (which we never did).
I would absolutely use Kimkim again, in fact, we are looking to go to Thailand in 2027 and have started working on an itinerary with them currently.
Thank you Kimkim for the memories of a lifetime.

The initial online planning process at KimKim.com is very user friendly and easy to navigate. I appreciate the photos and descriptions of the destinations. This was our second Kim Kim trip to Europe and we were very pleased with how it went. Sonia is a wonderful Italy specialist . Also , our concierge , Roberta was amazing . After an initial travel mistake on the part of my husband and I, she was kind and assisted us on
What’s app for the duration of our trip.
On our planning phone call, Sonia really listened to what we desired to do on our trip as well as how we like to travel. Our accommodations and tours were great. All of our transfers and the gentlemen who drove us were fantastic. They definitely made getting from point A to B easier and we saw many different cities.
As for our tours , I was impressed with Livtours and their product. Everyone from, Lara in Milan , Sara N. And Linda in Rome and Andy in Tivoli were awesome guides. All of them are so knowledgeable and a pleasure to be around. The Rome in Sidecar Vespa tour was also so much fun. Claudio and his team were awesome!

Hotel Reviews

Hotel Carnival Palace

Venice

Beautiful hotel and Daniel assisted us with our transfer and water taxis. He gave us a great dinner recommendation and was a pleasure to spend time with.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Great stuff and bartender

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Della Conciliazione

Rome

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

HOTEL VILLA CAMPOMAGGIO Resort & SPA

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Palazzo Castri 1874

Florence

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Marina Piccola

Manarola

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Uptown Palace Milan

Milan

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Full day excursion to Lake Como from Milan (small group)

Italy

Unfortunately due to a travel mistake, ( my husband and I were at fault) we did not do this tour.

Milan Last Supper Tour with City Highlights & Duomo

Milan

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Venice Gondola Ride

Venice

Beautiful time of day to go 6pm at sunset! Great memory . Our gondolier spoke to everyone but us , lol( his coworkers )overall a great experience.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Group orientation walking guided tour of Venice highlights (no inner visits)

Italy

A bit too large of a group ( a woman got lost on the tour) it was difficult hearing the guide, but it was still an overall good experience and intro to Venice.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Small group tour of Tivoli

Rome

Beautiful,unique tour! Andy is an awesome guide

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Small Group tour of Colosseum underground, Palatine Hill, and Roman Forum ( max 6 people)

Rome

Great tour a bit hard to hear a coliseum , would recommend the headsets to hear a bit better but Linda was a great guide.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

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

Rome

Quality of Experience

Very busy , but overall great experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Small group tour of Vespa ride

Rome

Great drivers and Claudio was a fantastic guide and picture taker!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Ferrari rental car for a day

Tuscany

The young man who dropped the car off was very professional and informative with good suggestions where to drive. My husband loved ( me too) his experience with the Ferrari.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Private e-bike tour in the Tuscany Countryside with a cooking class experience, wine tasting and Tuscan lunch

Italy

Tuscany is beautiful and Sam was a great e-bike guide ! We enjoyed our cooking class/wine tasting at the Complicita winery! Our teacher was great ( her name escapes me ,sorry).

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

1 hour with the David

Florence

Great tour , just a very crowded space, difficult to hear at times

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Hike the Villages of Cinque Terre

Italy

Our guide , Andrea was awesome at the Cinque Terre. He was very knowledgeable and considerate, taught us about using the train system and had good restaurant recommendations.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Our trip to Italy was absolutely amazing thanks to the KimKim team! Every detail — from the hotels and excursions to the seamless communication throughout the journey — was handled flawlessly.
A special shout-out to Melanie and Fabrizio for their outstanding support, attention to detail, and genuine care in making sure everything went perfectly. Their recommendations and responsiveness made all the difference.
We couldn’t have asked for a smoother or more memorable experience — we’ll definitely be using KimKim again for our next adventure!

Our 30-day trip through northern Italy was virtually flawless. Our trip planning partner (Arianna) did a great job listening to our interests (wine, food, cooking, and natural areas/lakes/mountains) that we wanted to visit, and building an itinerary that met all of our expectations at a reasonable price. All transfers throughout our trip were on-time, and our drivers were courteous and professional. Our guides for each tour were top-notch and very friendly and personable, and while we may not recall their names, our most memorable tours were as follows (not necessarily in rank order): the truffle hunt; the cooking class on Lake Como and the cooking class in Florence; the back-roads/less touristy places tour in Venice, Murano glass factory, Ricchi Winery (near Lake Garda) with lunch in a vineyard, the tour of four of the five villages of Cinque Terre, the sunset food tour and tasting in Bologna, and the parmesan-reggiano and balsamic vinegar tours in Modena. Above all, our daily conversations (via WhatsApp) with Francesca were very helpful in keeping us on-track, and also very pleasant and enjoyable. It is very clear to us that Arianna and Francesca are passionately committed to doing everything they can to help each customer thoroughly enjoy their vacation.

Our Italian Adventure was one to remember!

The overall planning was great from venice and florence. Only downside of Venice was not allowing us to explore Murano and felt very weird for us to be boated their on the excursion and then be in a stored followed by sales people wanting our money for a 5k chandelier or what not. It was not enjoyable one bit. Didnt like the jewelry section and wish we could have explored muranos town a little bit. Loved florence, wish we got to see the Duomo inside. Great tour of ufizzi she was lovely.

Hotel Reviews

Hotel Ca' d'Oro

Venice

Loved the staff. The breakfast was not good at all.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

La Maison du Sage

Florence

Stunning. Great staff. Great amount of room. Love everything

Authenticity & Character

Location

Close to everything.

Staff

Loved everyone!

Cleanliness & Comfort

Very clean.

Activity Reviews

Half Day-Trip to Pisa from Florence

Florence

Not enough time for 3 hours. It was fine. Dont recommend unless you do something else over there or in another town.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Masterpieces of the Renaissance: Uffizi Gallery Tour

Florence

Lovely tour. Great amount of time. Very intelligent.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Best of Florence Walking Tour with David & the Duomo

Florence

Great tour.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Murano Excursion with boat

Venice

Not happy at all. Felt rushed to but something. Followed around my sales people. Poor jewelry section. Viewing the work was quick. Didnt get to explore the town. Very upsetting since we heard murano was gorgeous

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Visit to a Peggy Guggenheim Museum and Palace

Venice

It was fine. I thought it was a museum, not a collection. My aunt and mom appreciated it but i could have skipped.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Welcome Walking Tour to Venice: The comprehensive view of the Floating City

Venice

Great tour.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

A special thanks to Beatriz and the kimkim travel service. Bea was wonderful to work with in planning our trip and made some wonderful recommendations for us to tailor our trip to our needs. Our trip to Southern Italy was perfectly planned and executed. Our extended stay in Naples as our base worked well and allowed us to take our day trips to the city center of Naples, Casserta, Pompeii and our ancestral town. Even though kimkim did not arrange our flight travel, the local staff (Nadia and Natalia) were most responsive to us when our direct flight from Chicago to Naples was diverted to Rome and we were bussed back to Naples later that day. They contacted our driver who was to pick us up from the airport in Naples and alerted the hotel to our late arrival. The Grand Hotel Oriente was a lovely, conveniently located hotel with wonderful staff. We were upgraded to a suite because of our extended stay-which was a pleasant surprise. Our daily drivers were professional and always polite and punctual-most of the time driving Mercedes cars. Only one day did a driver not show up-and once again the travel team got us a driver in no time, with only a slight delay.
My husband and I enjoyed the trip and would not hesitate to select kimkim again to arrange our travel plans.

Grazie !!

Hotel Review

Grand Hotel Oriente

Naples

I shared a review on Tripadvisor The Grand Hotel Oriente was wonderful!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Centrally located

Staff

Friendly, professional, very helpful

Cleanliness & Comfort

Entire hotel, rooms, restaurant

Activity Reviews

The Flavors of Naples: Private Traditional Cooking Class

Naples

Also did not do this activity. Had to reschedule our visit to Amalfi coast on this day. The day of the original tour to Amalfi was raining and my husband was not feeling well, so we rested that day. The local travel support staff helped us reschedule Amalfi for this day and cancelled our cooking class.

Day Excursion to Capri Island and Anacapri

Italy

Did not do this trip.

Guided Visit to Pompeii with Archeaologist

Italy

Our archaeological guide was amazing. She had a degree in archaeology. It greatly enhanced our visit to Pompeii. We learned so much more than just seeing Pompeii by ourselves. She also tailored the pace of the tour to us which was most appreciated.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Private Full Day Amalfi Experience

Italy

Beautiful experience. Glad the driver did the driving-not us!!!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Private Visit of Naples & Veiled Chryst with a Local

Naples

Loved seeing the streets of Italy with our private guide-very professional and knowledgeable. She tailored the walking tour to my husband who needed to stop and rest occasionally, -much appreciated!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Professional, friendly, punctual-with one exception on the day trip to Trivigno. Driver did not show up -but travel support got us another driver quickly with a minimal delay.

Transport

This was by far the best vacation my wife and I have ever taken. And it was all due to the detailed planning by Catrina and the exceptional on sight concierge service provided by Beatrice. Every single detail was planned and executed to perfection. Every lodging, travel, and activity were spot on and fit our expectations exactly. I can not stress enough how much the up front planning and the on ground communication during the trip made a difference. Fantastico!!

This was my first experience with KimKim and we would definitely use them for our next trip as well as refer them to our friends. Chiara did a great job of getting to know us and what our interests are; she created a plan that catered to our needs and interests. She is based in Italy which was a bonus! We spent 4 days in Rome and 4 days in Tuscany. During our trip, we had give different tour guides. Lea, who gave us a tour through Vatican City, was great. Her knowledge and excitement of art history really shined through during the tour. Francesca helped up eat our way through Rome. We learned so much about the not only the food but the history of city. Our tour of the Colosseum was terrific! Our only mistake was to tackle Vatican City and the Colosseum in one day. Do these on two separate days! In Florence, Stefan gave us a great walking tour of the city that ended with seeing the statue of David. We now have a much greater appreciation for the architecture and history of the city. The last day trip was a small group tour of three wineries. Chiristine and her colleagues were fun and informative. This was such a fun day; we not only had great wine and food, we met fun travelers from all over! KimKim arranged for the purchase of tour tickets, train tickets, hotel stays, and private transportation. We completely underestimated how many tourists are in each city so having all of these things prearranged for us was very much appreciated. In addition to all of the arrangements, Chiara provided us with a list of great restaurants to try in each city. Lastly, KimKim sends you reminders each day of what to expect the following day that included links to tickets and locations to meet our guides. They were also very quick to respond during the trip with any clarification questions. All around, this was a great experience!

We absolutely loved both places we stayed in Tuscany. They were magical! We loved all of our activities and drivers (except one grumpy one after our bike tour.)

Hotel Reviews

Relais Le Clarisse Rome

Rome

The staff is wonderful. The room was very small and an odd set up. We didn’t LOVE the location.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Very clean

Boutique Villa Liberty - Depandance Hotel - Borgo Capitano Collection - Albergo diffuso

San Quirico d'Orcia

If you want to feel like royalty, stay here.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Romitorio di Serelle

Barberino di Val d'Elsa

The views, accommodations and food are unparalleled.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Olive Oil & Wine Tasting: a True Taste of Tuscany

Italy

we were both so surprised how much we enjoyed this activity and just how much we learned on it.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Vincenzo is an absolutely amazing driver and went above and beyond to chat with us, answer questions, and educate us. He was always very, very concerned about our comfort level etc..

Tuscany by E-Bike Through Chianti’s Heart: From Radda to Volpaia

Italy

This was probably our least favorite activity. We biked 40 Km which we absolutely were not expecting. And since it was in sienna, it was almost all on gravel roads. There were portions of it where we were truly off Roading uphill in the gravel, thank goodness the two of us are in decent shape and very coordinated. I honestly don’t think the average person would’ve been able to do this. The lunch we ended up having was absolutely beautiful and breathtaking and we will remember that forever! When I have done a bike tours in the past, there was a lot more scenery involved, and I was disappointed in that part of this

Quality of Experience

Food

The place where we stopped for lunch is a place we will remember for the rest of our lives

Guides, Drivers and Staff

our guide Sarah was absolutely delightful. And our driver on the way there was also very very friendly. But the one that picked us up was Cleary annoyed because he was told to be there at 2:30 when the bikes were actually ended at three but we ended up all finishing at 3:30. He did not hide his annoyance at all

Transport

Please see above review of driver

A Tuscan Day: Pasta Cooking Workshop & Wine Tasting a Countryside Estate

Italy

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

We enjoyed our 19 day Italy trip very much. Everything went very smoothly and we did ALOT!
Our driver Dino in Sorrento area was a standout. Polite, punctual, helpful and friendly. He was also quite informative seeing as he was a driver and not really a guide.

Great trip on little notice! Eleonora and the Kim Kim team were able to help me put together a great trip to Italy with very short notice. The hotels, transfers and tours were absolutely spot on. While in country Lorenzo offered excellent communication to ensure we connected with our tour guides and transfers. Meravigliosa!

We had the most wonderful, stress free honeymoon in Italy thanks to kimkim and local Italy-based team! There was incredible communication from the initial inquiry through small day-to-day changes throughout our trip. The team perfectly matched our wants and wishes and went above and beyond to find us unique, highly recommended activities and hotels. We appreciated having help with transfers to and from activities and different locations, making this a very stress free trip! We will definitely use kimkim to help plan future vacations!

We booked through Kim Kim with the help of Tazos! Everything he helped us book was incredible from all transportation and hotels to incredible activities! The hotels chosen for us were perfect and definitely took into account our preferences of being in small boutique hotels within walking distance from many attractions. We even had a local driver ask us if we had been to Italy before because of how good our selection of hotel was! All of the activities booked for us were so fun and well done! Tazos and his team were so great to work with and really helped us plan our honeymoon with no stress! Overall we had such an amazing honeymoon and would definitely recommend!

Activity Review

Trastevere Afternoon Food Tour & Wine Experience

Rome

This was a really great tour! The guide was so knowledgeable and taught us lots of fun and interesting things about the food and wine in Italy! All of the food was incredible! This tour was definitely a highlight of our trip!

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Fabio was fantastic.

I elected on this trip to use kimkim rather than book things myself as I generally do. It was a very good decision. Irene curated an excellent 16 day tour of Tuscany and the Italian Riviera. Their partner in Italy, Travel 12 was very responsive to any questions that surfaced during the trip. One example, there was a rail strike on the last day of our trip. Travel 12 researched and rebooked us on a train that would not be impacted by the strike. Irene and I had numerous exchanges about the itinerary, she listened to my needs and crafted a truly outstanding experience. Her intimate knowledge of the area was particularly helpful in finalizing our itinerary. Every driver was either on time or early and extremely professional. The tours, particularly the Uffizi, the city walking tours, the Brunello winery tour and Cinque Terre tour were outstanding. All private and all with outstanding guides. Finally, I feel pretty certain that due to kimkim's and Travel 12's relationships with hotels and local tour operators that we received the best rooms and guides. I highly recommend both Irene and their local partner Travel 12 if you are planning a trip to Italy.

Activity Reviews

Brunello di Montalcino Wine Tour

Italy

We are both wine lovers, and the Brunello winery tour was fantastic. We visited two wineries and had an amazing private lunch at Violetta which was one of the best meals we had on our entire trip. Our guide added a bonus, a short visit to Pienza which we both wanted to see and certainly appreciated his flexibility.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Florence Walking Tour

Florence

We always like to get some orientation to a city when we arrive and the walking tour of Florence was excellent.

LOCAL SPECIALIST Erini. Very good but could have made clear about time between drop-off and check-in. Ciara. Very quick attention to our needs. ACCOMMODATIONS: Alberobello 5/5 stars. Gorgeous interior, clean, newly renovated, all amenities, great communication with host. Only negative was spotty wifi. Lecce 3/5 stars. Room was not ready for us. Sofa bed was not made up. No drinking glasses. No kleenex. Only one trash can. Not particularly clean. Ants on the dresser. Could not check in until 4 pm. We arrived at 2 pm. Host was not on the premises. We were on the sidewalk with our luggage. Luckily a guest was leaving and she let us in and we left our luggage unattended in the foyer. Only positive was a nice large terrace at the back of the building. Would never stay there again. Bari 4/5 stars. Nice interior, clean, all amenities. Room was not ready for us. Sofa bed was not made up. AC not working and they came right away to fix. Good communication with host. Stairs very narrow and steep. GUIDES/EXPERIENCES: Alberobello Annarita B+. Matera Luigi A. Bread baking experience C (could have skipped it). Bottega Lucano liqueur - was skipped why? We had to pay to see a typical cave home Casa Grotta, why? Lecce Simona B. Cooking class B. Egnazia archeological park Luca A+. Bari Enzo? B. Grottaglie (my addition to the itinary) A. DRIVERS. Generally okay. English capability varied greatly. Driver (Sept 29) did not speak English! It was difficult to communicate. Most drivers did not give us their cell number. It would have made mid-route stops easier. Driver (Oct 3 leaving Bari) did not park near our accommodation to pick us up. We had to walk 10 mins to where he parked. He rolled Donna's suitcase and I had to roll my own over cobble streets. Do not understand why, since Driver (Sep 29 arriving Bari) parked close by and the host walked there to meet us.

Hotel Reviews

Porta Piccola Luxury Home

Bari

4/5 stars. Nice interior, clean, all amenities. Room was not ready for us. Sofa bed was not made up. AC not working and they came right away to fix. Good communication with host. Stairs very narrow and steep.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Palazzo dei Dondoli - Luxury Room & Apartments

Lecce

3/5 stars. Room was not ready for us. Sofa bed was not made up. No drinking glasses. No kleenex. Only one trash can. Not particularly clean. Ants on the dresser. Could not check in until 4 pm. We arrived at 2 pm. Host was not on the premises. We were on the sidewalk with our luggage. Luckily a guest was leaving and she let us in and we left our luggage unattended in the foyer. Only positive was a nice large terrace at the back of the building. Would never stay there again.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Chiancole Trulli Experience

Alberobello

5/5 stars. Gorgeous interior, clean, newly renovated, all amenities, great communication with host. Only negative was spotty wifi.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Private Walking Tour of Bari

Bari

Good tour but guide did not seem enthusiastic.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Guided tour of the Archaeological park of Egnazia

Italy

Egnazia archeological park Luca A+. One of the true highlights of this trip. Luca was awesome and gave us a 1.5 hour tour not 1.0 hour. Wish we had budgeted more time there.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Private Driver at your disposal to Grottaglie *

Italy

A gentleman. Very helpful. Very good English

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Pasta Cooking Class and Wine Tasting in Lecce

Italy

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Private Guided Tour in Lecce

Lecce

Lecce Simona B.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Storywalking Experience: A guided walk exploring Matera's history and food traditions from Alberobello

Italy

Matera Luigi A. Bread baking experience C (could have skipped it). Bottega Lucano liqueur - was skipped why? We had to pay to see a typical cave home Casa Grotta, why?

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Alberobello Guided Tour

Italy

Alberobello Annarita B+.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Awesome trip in Rome! We had a great time and many very good memories were made!

Very much enjoyed the Appian way, Rooftop opera, Testaccio taste tour, Catacombs, and Three Basicals Private
Tour along with Museo Capitolini. All in 4 days! What an experience!

Hotel Review

Hotel Navona Colors

Rome

The hotel is in a great location and has an intimate feel. Staff are helpful. That bathtub/shower situation is a bit intimidating for people our age and with some of our mobility issues.

Authenticity & Character

While somewhat austere it had a charming hreakfast

Location

Excellent. Located near so many things to see and great restaurants. Taxis easily accrssed

Staff

Staff were helpful and friendly. Although they seem to speak clear English a few of them appear to have some comprehension issues with the language

Cleanliness & Comfort

Beds are very comfortable. There is a store next door that sells most things people would need. Restaurants in walking distance. They can make arrangements for you

Activity Reviews

Small group Testaccio Market food tour

Rome

Great guide, fun tour

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

We did not have a transport arranged which would have been nice. We arranged Ourselves to have a cab

Rooftop bar Opera show

Rome

Pleasant show

Quality of Experience

Appertizers and wine were the bomb

Guides, Drivers and Staff

We walked there

Private golf cart tour along the Appian Way and small group tour of the Catacombs

Rome

Very informative and interesting. Relaxed day and learned a lot

Quality of Experience

Fascinating history

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Very professional

Transport

On time, prompt. But there was a problem with the guide’s Golf cart. It kept dying. He was great to take us back to our hotel though

The Jubilee tour of Rome: three major Basilicas private guided tour

Rome

Guide was very good. Hotel pickup awesome. My only complaint would be we needdd some method to get back to our hotel rather than walking. We tried to walk but after the tour it was too much and I was in too much pain with my feet. Eventually we were able to hail a taxi

Quality of Experience

So informative and interesting

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Prompt and professional

Overall, our Italy trip was wonderful. Our itinerary was packed but allowed enough down time to relax and explore each destination. Alessia, our concierge, was very attentive and did all she could to make sure everything went smoothly. We enjoyed spending time with her in Venice; she took special care selecting locations for the food tour so that we could try different local specialties. We also enjoyed the Venice walking tour. In Florence, the Tuscany tour was amazing! There was a communication problem regarding our transfer from Florence to Rome, the driver notified the hotel staff that he was waiting for us at the entrance but apparently didn’t communicate with the local concierge who was not yet at the hotel. The driver took us to the train station without the concierge, which led to some confusion and frustration. The concierge met us at the train station; we made our train without any issue. Once in Rome, the Colosseum tour was disappointing. The guide was unprepared and disorganized. It was a very hot day but didn’t try to find shade, spent an especially long time on Palatine Hill, leaving everyone on the tour wandering around. The tour ended about 30 mins early in the middle of the Colosseum, didn’t give us the opportunity to climb the stairs or go to the bottom floor. After this tour, there was another communication problem with the driver. Alessia contacted us with a driver change about 30 mins before the tour was to end (we were already dismissed and exploring), then a few minutes later a driver also contacted us, saying he was there. We then hurried to exit, he asked where we were, we did our best to describe our surroundings and sent pictures but failed to find him, after about 45mins of back and forth messages with the driver, struggling with WhatsApp to try to figure out how to send photos and receive phone calls, we cancelled the ride and walked back to the hotel. The Vatican City tour the following day was much better, despite being very crowded, our guide did a good job managing the group and was organized and knowledgeable. Our transfers to Sorrento and Sicily went smoothly. At our request, Alessia was able to reschedule our Capri boat tour which saved us from a rainy day. We loved the tour in Palermo, the crypts were extraordinary, and we had fun learning about the unique attractions. The guide was well educated and eager to show us around the city.
Except for some communication issues and a bad tour experience, our trip was great. One suggestion would be for drivers to communicate through the concierge and not directly with clients. This may have saved us some frustration. WhatsApp works well for text messaging, but I was unable to accept phone calls, perhaps more instruction is needed prior to travel.

Hotel Review

Hotel Artemis

Cefalu

The room was spacious and had the best shower of all of the Italian hotels we visited. Most importantly, the staff was amazing! They helped us navigate the area and recommend restaurants. One of the team members went out of his way to lend us his personal luggage scale when we were unable to find a way to ship purchased items home!

Authenticity & Character

Our room had a balcony, large enough to do yoga in the morning, there was also a roof deck with a nice view.

Location

Very centrally located, 5 min walk to the beach and restaurants or train station.

Staff

They went above and beyond to accommodate our needs.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Half Day Guided Tour of Palermo: the unknown side

Italy

We loved the tour in Palermo, the crypts were extraordinary, and we had fun learning about the unique attractions. The guide was well educated and eager to show us around the city.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

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

Rome

Despite being very crowded, our guide did a good job managing the group and was organized and knowledgeable.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Small group tour of Colosseum with Arena access, Palatine Hill and Roman Forum

Rome

This tour was disappointing. The guide was unprepared and disorganized. It was a very hot day but we spent an especially long time on Palatine Hill, without the guide making any effort to find shade and leaving everyone on the tour wandering around wondering when we would move on. The guide did show us one of the special exhibits in the Forum that featured Egyptian art but didn't have much else to offer during the tour of the Forum. We were excited to explore the colosseum, she mentioned climbing the stairs but dismissed the tour group about 30 mins early in the middle of the Colosseum, without giving us the opportunity or showing us where to climb the stairs or go to the bottom floor (which she said was a separate ticket).

Quality of Experience

A guide who is energetic and personable.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Small group Tour of Tuscany Oil & Wine Tasting with a personal sommelier

Florence

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

"Bacari" local street food tour

Italy

Alessia took note of our food and wine preferences and what we had already tried to carefully selecting locations for the food tour so that we could try different local specialties. We were able to try things we probably wouldn't have without her guidance. The salted cod was unique surprise, that we never would've found or been brave enough to try on our own.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

We had fun with Alessia, like having a friend to show us around.

Absolute Venice: group tour of the highlights including the Saint Mark's Basilica and the Doge's palace

Italy

Our guide was knowledgeable on all things Venice and very patient, making sure to keep the group together and allow time to enjoy the sights without lingering too long. Her flag was very helpful in crowded places to make it easy to find her.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff