Kimkim Trip Reviews for Italy

Everything was very well planned for us. We did a lot in a small amount of time. We enjoyed the different locations each one having a different vibe and things to offer. The guides were very good, Maria- Paula in Rome, Santi at the Vatican, Simona in Florence, Antonio in Pompeii. Each guide was different in their approach and added to the experience. All the private transfers were very good and relaxing and the drivers were very skilled. Thanks to Andrea for a great itinerary. We especially enjoyed the hospitality of Manuela at the hotel Villa Della Palme, she really looked after us. We would definitely recommend KimKim to friends and family.

My family and I just completed a three week tour of Italy , with stays in Lake Como, Milan, Florence, Rome, Amalfi Coast, and Taormina Sicily.
Jessica Proietti , at Story Walking Tours, worked closely with me to make sure the hotels, tours, activities restaurants met and exceeded our expectations.
While we were Italy she was in contact with us each step of the way making certain that each event went off as planned and she accommodated slight changes we made o the fly.
I am a seasoned traveler, and I would rate the activities she planned for us, the hotels and restaurants she selected and the services provide by Jessica a 10 on a scale of 10.
I am very pleased that we used Story Walking Tors and will recommend Jessica and her agency to all my friends who intend to travel to Italy in the future.

Hotel Reviews

Hotel Lorelei Londres

Sorrento

Very pleasant hotel in good location

VOI Grand Hotel Mazzarò Sea Palace

Taormina

This hotel was a big surprise- It was perfect

Authenticity & Character

Wonderful Veranda - Great dinners with a piano player - Magical!

Location

Has it's own private beach and located new the gondola make going to town very convenient

Staff

Couldn't be friendlier or more attentive.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Rooms were perfect!!

Villa d'Este

Como

My favorite Hotel - Its Magical

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Grand Hotel et de Milan

Milan

Hotel is old and tired.

Authenticity & Character

Hotel is old and tired - needs to be torn down and rebuilt

Location

Staff

Staff very helpful

Cleanliness & Comfort

Grand Hotel Bristol Resort & Spa, by R Collection Hotels

Rapallo

Loved the hotel - sorry we didn't stay longer

The Place Firenze

Florence

Very pleasant small hotel

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel de Russie

Rome

My favorite hotel in Rome

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

The Grandeur Of Como: Villa Olmo and Brunate Funicular

Italy

Enjoyed the tour

Milan In A Nutshell

Milan

Very enjoyable and informative tour

Full Day Tour: Positano, Amalfi & Ravello

Italy

Private boat tour: Pearls of Lake Como

Italy

Had a great time

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Genoa Market & Old Shops Food Tour

Italy

Pleasant guide - but nothing special about the food.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Pisa: full ticket entrance and private guided tour

Pisa

Loved the tour and vising the surround structures near the tower

Quality of Experience

Great tour but day was very hot

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Private Boat Trip along the Taormina Coast

Taormina

Lot's of fun - Swimming off of the Boat was great- Ending up ma t a restaurant a real treat Great Day

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Cannolo Cooking Class

Taormina

Making Cannoli- lots of fun

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Como Food Tour

Italy

Great time

Florence Art Tour: Uffizi & Accademia

Florence

A wonderful tour of the exceptional art

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Market tour and Cooking Lesson with a Farm Chef

Italy

A truly outstanding experience that my entire family will always remember. The best cooking class we have ever taken.

Quality of Experience

Food

Unbelievable experience

Transport

Private Evening Rome Walking Tour

Rome

Good tour of some of the highlights. Guide was terrific

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

NA

Limoncello Tour & Tasting

Amalfi Coast

Great fun - Chef was terrific

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Guided Visit to the Gentile Company Factory

Italy

An interesting tour of the silk factory

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Sicilian Street Food

Palermo

Guide was very good - tried hard- but touring in Palermo is not very interesting

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Eleni is amazing!!! We will defintly use her on our next rtip. The whole team is great. Great follow up. I have already recommended them to several friends

Our 12-day trip to Italy was wonderful! I recommend Eleni at kimkim 100%.

Our Group:
We had four kids (aged 5, 6, 7, & 8) plus two sets of parents, and three grandparents. So we had a total of 11 people. One of the adults had limited mobility in walking. The tour was very personalized to our group. There was a special focus on engaging the kids so they would enjoy the tour.

Our Specialist:
Eleni was our specialist and she really knew exactly how to plan a trip for our specific groups. She took into consideration our budget, our needs, and our interests. It didn't feel like a generic tour, it felt very personalized to us. She was very responsive and helpful at all times. I can't imagine a better person to plan our trip. She took care of everything.

The Hotels:
We stayed in hotels in Venice, Florence, and Rome. All three were excellent, with fantastic rooms, fantastic breakfast, and fantastic service!

The Experience:
We had a series of tour experiences in each location. Every tour guide was knowledgeable, helpful, accommodating to the needs and interests of our group, and kid-friendly. We especially loved day trips, the scavenger hunt-style tours for our kids, and the activities we had in each location: Mask making in Venice, Gelato making in Florence, and Mosaic making and pasta making in Rome. The transfers were seamless.

Overall:
Members of our group regularly looked at each other and said, "Can you believe how fantastic this tour is?!" We loved every aspect of it. The kimkim team was super responsive. When we had questions or little issues we could contact them and get help immediately. Once we got off the plane in Venice, up until the final transfers to the airport in Rome on the very last day, everything was so smooth. We were completely taken care of every step of the way, through three major cities and multiple day trips. We had no stress. The tour was the perfect pace for our group. We all loved it!!! Additionally, I priced out a 12-day Italian tour for our group through several tour companies before choosing kimkim, This tour was the best value of all those I priced out. Kimkim is now my go-to tour company.

Eleni planned an amazing trip to Italy for my family! Everything from the planning stages to the spectacular trip start to finish was superb. The experiences were so enjoyable and engaging for the whole family (4 teenagers included)- especially the private tour guides through Rome (Giovanni and Lorenzo), Pompeii (Mina), and Naples (Frederica). Each one had great personality and local insight. We learned so much, laughed a lot, and had a ball. My favorite part was a stunning and breathtaking boat tour of the Sorrento and Amalfi Coasts with our skipper, Paolo. Another highlight was the pasta making class with our wonderful chef, Leo. Each hotel was perfect and unique with an attentive and helpful staff. Our drivers were always on time, pleasant, and had lots of local insight. We had a little mixup on our trip back but the KimKim team handled it immediately. It was so helpful to have extra people from the team available to help if we needed anything during the trip. I would not want to plan another trip without Eleni and the team. Thank you for the trip of a lifetime!

Hotel Reviews

Relais Le Clarisse Rome

Rome

Amazing hotel with lots of history, character, and charm in the Trastevere section of Rome. Staff was excellent!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Palazzo Murrano Beach Sorrento

Vico Equense

A beautiful and immaculate hotel in quaint fishing village. The hotel manager (Tomas) was so attentive, knowledgeable, and very helpful when planning our activities and meals.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Residenza Borbonica Naples

Naples

A perfect place to stay in Naples, right in the middle of things but on a pedestrian only street. The rooms were so unique and beautiful!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Family-Friendly Rome By Golf Cart

Rome

Giovanni was friendly, outgoing, and clearly has a love and passion for Rome!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Private Colosseum & Roman Forum Tour

Rome

We loved our tour guide, Lorenzo. We all learned so much. It was especially engaging as we got to go underground the Colosseum.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Pasta & Tiramisu Making Class

Rome

We had a wonderful teacher, Leo and a fantastic experience. After learning how to make fresh pasta and gelato, we all sat down to dinner and enjoyed the finished product. Leo was fun, charismatic, and so personable.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Guided Pompei and Wine Tasting Vesuvius

Italy

Mima was the best tour guide we could ask for, she had my teenagers thoroughly engaged and asking questions. She was funny and so knowledgeable and we all learned so much. To top it off, we headed to the beautiful winery with gorgeous views and even more delicious food and wine!

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Amalfi Coast Boat Tour From Sorrento

Sorrento

This was definitely the highlight of my trip. Paolo was our skipper and he was fantastic. We spent the whole day on the boat with spectacular views, spent time in Amalfi and Positano, and went swimming in the deep blue crystal clear water.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Naples Street Food Tour

Naples

The perfect way to see and experience Naples. We all loved Frederica. She was so genuine, funny, and knowledgeable. She took us off the beaten path to see a true glimpse of Naples, old and new. The street food was delicious, especially the gelato from the chocolate store. Her love and passion for the city shines through her!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Alex was great on the Naxos food tour...

Hotel Reviews

Boutique Hotel Campo de' Fiori

Rome

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

NLH Monastiraki

Athens

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Adriani Hotel

Naxos Town

The breakfast was absolutely amazing!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

The breakfast!

Avra Hotel

Rafina, Attica

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

The breakfast! The views from the deck!

Activity Reviews

Food tour in Naxos town

Naxos

Alex was great!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Sailing Tour around Naxos

Naxos

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

This was our first time using KimKim, but we plan to use the service again in the future. It was so easy to communicate with out agent, Marianne, and we had a wonderful trip to Italy.

We were easily able to share what our desires/plans were, including specific dates and locations, and what types of activities we wanted to do. Marianne and her team put together a great itinerary that covered what we requested. We were able to stay in contact with Marianne even after booking to make small changes (our flights were changed so that we arrived earlier and were able to request an additional tour the afternoon we arrived). Additionally, when one tour was canceled due to the leader testing positive for COVID, Marianne immediately contacted me with new arrangements for another tour. We were greeted at our first hotel with our printed vouchers, itinerary, and even souvenir books for the two areas we visited in Italy. One of the easiest parts of the trip was that our hotels and train travel was booked, as well as private tours, so we didn't have to worry at all about these details once we were in the country. Additionally, with the private tours, we skipped the long lines, which in addition to the phenomenal tour guides, was well worth the cost. We look forward to using KimKim to book a similar trip in the future!

Hotel Reviews

Culture Hotel Centro Storico

Naples

We were so grateful to the helpful staff and the air conditioning! The breakfast was delicious, and the atmosphere of the hotel overall was welcoming and comfortable.

Authenticity & Character

Modern furnishings and bathroom

Location

Easy to get to the marina and the centro storico

Staff

Helpful and shared great information about Naples

Cleanliness & Comfort

We noticed ants the last day we were there

Impero Hotel Rome

Rome

The location of the hotel was great- very close to the train station, and within walking distance of many of the central Rome attractions, and even had a variety of restaurants all around the block. The toilet didn't flush well, and didn't improve after we informed staff, but there happened to be an extra bathroom near our room for the meeting rooms, so it was fine. The breakfast was large, and erred on the side of boring and Americanized, but was good enough to start the day. The air conditioning was very welcome!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Centrally located

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

My husband thought the bed was lacking in softness.

Activity Reviews

Private guided tour on Naples

Naples

Ludovica was absolutely phenomenal! She was extremely knowledgeable and did a wonderful job showing us around the centro storico. She answered our questions and shared details about history and architecture that kept us readily engaged for the whole tour.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

There is no way to experience the heart of Naples except on foot.

Tour the Colosseum and Forum area with a private guide

Rome

Martina from RomeGuides was phenomenal! Her husband, who we were originally scheduled with, had an emergency, so Martina conducted our tour. We are so happy she did! She was extremely knowledgable and engaging, and did a wonderful job of helping us better understand the history of Rome (there's SO much history!)

Quality of Experience

Everything!

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Seeing and hearing the history and architecture

Transport

This kind of tour can only be enjoyed on foot!

Visit the Vatican Museums and Sixtine Chapel with a private guide

Rome

Martina did an amazing job! We had a tour with Martina from RomeGuides the day before at the Colosseum and Forum, and touring with her a second time was a great experience. She was able to connect the history we had experienced at the Colosseum and Forum with all (SO much) we were seeing at the Vatican. Rather than just going through room by room and pointing out art, she wove a story that pulled everything together, culminating in the papal suites. We do wish we had had more time to see the modern art collection at the Vatican museums (which we didn't know existed until Martina briefly walked us through), but there was so much to take in, we would have probably needed another tour!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Everything was planned and even when plans changed they made backups that were great options to help us have a great time. Love all the tour guides and learned so much more than I would have not having them! Everything was top notch and would recommend him to everyone for an amazing trip!! I will use him again!!

Hotel Reviews

Hotel Modigliani

Roma

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel NapoliMia 

Naples

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

NLH Monastiraki

Athens

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Trastevere Afternoon Aperitivo & Food Tour

Rome

Quality of Experience

Explore Pompeii Walking Tour

Italy

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Eleni worked with us to create a memorable trip. She answered every question we asked and provided us with all of the assistance we needed. The KimKim team was quick to respond to our questions. During the entirety of our trip, we felt that the team was there to offer guidance and support. We are already recommending KimKim to our friends.

What a wonderful journey! We had a great time in Italy and this was the least stressful travel experience I have ever had. Our travel specialist Tasos thought of everything. We just had to be ready for the day and the rest was taken care of. Our kids got to see Italy and learn about this history and culture in the process. The trip for our budget and had everything we hoped for!

Words cannot express how grateful we are to Andrea for planning this wonderful trip for my husband & I. We had been talking about going to Italy for years. Andrea planned everything that I asked for. All of the tours that he planned for us were first class. The tour guides were so knowledgeable and we learned so much. The private cars that Andrea provided for us were all luxury cars and the drivers were are very helpful and gave us useful tips. The hotels were very nice and one even gave us a free upgrade. I think the best thing about Andrea was that he was available by text during the trip. He responded immediately if I had a question or was confused about something. Thank you, Thank you, Thank you Andrea for making our dream Italy trip come true!

I can't state enough how happy I was with my KimKim experience. From start to finish, I was thrilled with our interaction and experience with KimKim. Vale, our trip planner, was thorough, friendly and extremely responsive. Lucia, our contact while in Italy, was amazing and always available whenever we needed her. All of our private transfers and coordinators (Lucia, Deborah and Daniela) were on time and knowledgeable, our tour guides were amazing and friendly (Gianluca, Deborah), and the entire experience was made seamless because of the trip that was planned for us. Traveling is amazing but it can also be stressful, and KimKim took all of the stress away. Thank you KimKim (ans especially Vale) for a truly perfect trip.

Activity Reviews

Wanna be Italiano - Florence cooking class and market tour

Italy

Loved this experience. Our trip to the local market and the things we cooked were awesome!

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Day visit to Siena and San Gimignano - guide in Siena included

Italy

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Guide was knowledgeable and friendly and we loved our driver!

Transport

Private golf cart tour

Rome

Gianluca was the best guide we had. Funny, friendly and showed us things that were off the beaten path, which is exactly what we wanted.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Private Full day Tour Amalfi coast

Italy

loved our driver and the experience

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Free Day in Rome

Rome

we were given great recos for our free day in Rome!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

We had such a wonderful trip. Thank you so much for your help. The trip you designed for us checked all of our boxes. Additionally, the service you provided was excellent. When there was an issue (i.e., train delay), you informed us immediately and made sure all impacted plans were rescheduled. You were easily accessible whenever we had questions.

All of our guides and drivers were very kind and helpful. We did have one driver (the one that received us in Rome the first time) that was not very nice. The train was delayed and he seemed upset. He's the only driver that did not offer to help us with our bags. Additionally, he dropped us off at the wrong hotel (thankfully, the correct hotel was only a few doors down the street). Other than that, everything and everyone was excellent.

Thank you very much for a memorable experience. We look forward to planning another trip with you soon.

Hotel Reviews

Grand Hotel Cavour

Florence

Very nice and modern hotel. Great location.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Giorgione Venice

Venice

Very nice hotel in a great location. Very kind staff and nice rooms.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Very central to everywhere we wanted to go

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Modigliani

Roma

Great location, but not the best hotel. Breakfast was not very good. The flight of stairs at the entrance made it difficult to transport our bags.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Residence

Amalfi

Great location with beautiful views. Loved having a balcony. Breakfast was great and staff was very friendly.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Caruso Place Hotel

Naples

Very nice location. The staff said we were in a "bad neighborhood" but we did not experience anything bad. Staff was extremely helpful and the room was extremely nice. Getting into the hotel was challenging at first but, once inside, we just used the back door when we came and went.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Aenea Superior Inn

Rome

Nice hotel, but seemed more like a hostel. We did have a terrace which was nice. There was a lot of stairs and the available elevator was extremely small.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Tuscany by Vespa

Florence

Great experience. For someone who has never ridden a Vespa, the instructors were very helpful and kind. Went to a very nice winery afterwards for food and wine.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Private Gondola Ride

Venice

Very fun! Driver was very friendly and the experience was everything we'd hoped for.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Florence Food Tour & Dinner

Florence

Great food with a very friendly guide!

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Private Colosseum & Roman Forum Tour

Rome

Fantastic experience! Loved having the private guide who was very knowledgeable and friendly. Afterwards, she even gave us recommendations of where to eat.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Trastevere Afternoon Aperitivo & Food Tour

Rome

Our favorite food tour! Very friendly guide with amazing food and wine. We conveniently finished the night at a gelato place right next to a taxi line, which was very nice.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Private Vatican Guided Tour

Rome

Was nice having a private tour. Our guide was nice.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Sunset Amalfi Coast Boat Tour

Amalfi Coast

Wonderful way to see the Amalfi Coast. Our train into Amalfi was late which caused us to be about an hour late for this ride. However, the driver was extremely nice and waited. He took us to some amazing places. Very romantic!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Private Amalfi Coast Driving Tour

Italy

Nice tour, but a lot of driving. Wish we had the chance to get out more. When we DID get out, the driver gave us plenty of time to explore.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Private Transfer with Self-Guided Pompeii & Mt. Vesuvius Hike

Italy

Vesuvius hike was very cool. Very windy at the time and the hike was very steep, but it was nice and the views were incredible. Pompeii was incredible. We do wish we had a guide for Pompeii to tell us more about it (we just walked around ourselves) Driver was incredibly kind!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Naples Street Food Tour

Naples

Guide was very nice and provided great information about the city and its history. Food was good.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Jessica is a wonderful specialist with whom to work. She was flexible, adaptable, knowledgeable, and planned a great trip. We had a whirlwind time in Italy--visiting 5 cities in 8 days--so a lot of the exhausting parts were based on our own desired itinerary, not something Jessica suggested. We lost a half-day in Venezia due to a late train out of Verona, so please be mindful of tight connections (we had a 22-minute window, but the train was 15 minutes late, meaning 7 minutes to de-train and run through throngs of people, literally to the furthest possible platform away...train pulling away as we arrived). Cost an extra $250 to rebook a later train. Had a less than ideal tour guide for the Colosseum and Forum in Roma (hard to hear, very difficult to follow), but that is the fault of the tour company, not KimKim or Jessica. On our food tour of Napoli, we were asked to purchase food and drinks, which we did not even want. When doing KimKim tours previously in Greece and Croatia, the guides covered all expenses, including tips, so we hadn't planned for that in Napoli. The guide was good, and we had been delayed to meet her, so we didn't complain about paying for the food.

Best parts of Italia adventure were: (1) in Napoli, the Hop On Hop Off Bus is a great resource; the panoramic line is beautiful and takes you to a lot right next to the Nuevo Castle. Highly recommend taking a tour of the castle. We ate at Antonio y Antonio in Napoli and hadca fantastic experience. (2) Roma--the private tour of the Vatican was incredible, but be absolutely certain you report to the Museum area! We were responsible for finding transportation to the tour that started at 830AM that morning. We couldn't get a cab for almost 25 minutes and then were dropped off a full mile from where we were supposed to be...we were a full hour late to the tour, and thought we'd missed the opportunity, but fortunately, another guide was available. Our 87 year-old father is very mobility challenged, but the Vatican gave him a wheelchair and wonderful treatment, so he could experience his lifelong dream. Also, highly recommend a golfcart tour of Rome! We left at sunset, and saw the majestic city with a fantastic guide in the cool evening air, with the lights illuminating the hostoric sights. (3) Elba's Hotel Fabricia. Take a boat tour with Claudio and relax inside a secluded, lushly tropical, historic resort. Paradise once you arrive. But, please note that ferries are not ADA accessible and all luggage must be carried by passengers up and down multiple flights of stairs. This part of the trip was harrowing for the mobility-challenged member of our party and I ended up very injured by a terrible fall, trying to manage both the bags and my father-in-law. (4) Verona. Everything about Verona is magical. We managed our own tours while there and recommend the cathedral package which allows you access to several stunning historic buildings, including the Duomo. Dining at Osterio il Bertoldo with Italian family was the highlight of our stay. Also, the room at Hotel Mastino wss a superb choice for anyone traveling with a child(ren); they get their own room and TV in the suite. (5) Venezia- We were again responsible for making our own way to the Hotel Carnival Palace, which quite a way from the train station. A porter transited over bridges and cobblestone streets with our bags ($30), but for the mobility-challenged, water movement is easiest. We used water taxis and a gondola (both very costly ($70-180), but necessary) to do most sightseeing and to get to the airport.

All-in-all, a trip of a lifetime. Although sometimes harrowing, over-budget, exhausting, and while still sporting some serious bruises from my fall on the ferry, I would do it all again in a minute.

Hotel Reviews

Hotel Piazza Bellini & Apartments

Naples

Absolutely perfect for families. Our teen son had a loft with his own bathroom, table, fridge and AC. Our room had a large bed, bathroom and balcony. Breakfast was excellent. Location is not great. Would rather have been near the water, but overall lovely experience.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Windrose

Rome

Very average. Located right near the train station, the room was very small, bathroom was inadequate for three people's belongings, and AC leaked excessively. Breakfast was okay. Best part was the staff.

Tips for future travelers

If you are a couple or solo traveler, this might better suit your needs

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Fabricia

Portoferraio

If you don't have a car, plan to be here 24/7.

Tips for future travelers

You will have to eat all meals at the hotel. Budget accordingly. They have an exceptional laundry service.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Mastino

Verona

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Carnival Palace

Venice

Tips for future travelers

Not great for mobility-challenged unless water transport is booked

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

City Sightseeing in Naples - Hop-On, Hop-Off Bus

Naples

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Private Naples Walking Tour with Food Tastings

Naples

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Mini Private Rome Tour in Golf Cart

Rome

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Vatican & Sistine Chapel Tour - Visit itinerary without barriers

Rome

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Rome in a Day Tour with Vatican, Colosseum & Historic Center

Rome

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Private excursion by boat

Elba island

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Claudio was superb

Transport

Everything

Andrea at KimKim was wonderful to work with in planning and during the trip. I appreciated how quickly he responded to my text questions.
The hotels chosen were perfect for us all with very accommodating staff: Porto Roco in Monterossa, the Belvedere in the beautiful Tuscan countryside, and the perfect location of the Pendini in Florence.
Our one suggestion would be to advise travelers in Cinque Terre who aren’t familiar with train travel, to just hop on the train when it stops and not worry about the “assigned seat” listed on the ticket. Trying to get through the crowd to our assigned car, we missed the train. The train stops for a very short time!!
I highly recommend KimKim. Andrea planned a wonderful vacation for us. Thank you!

Everything on the trip was extremely well done. All the guides were professional, friendly, and helpful. Our in country concierge (Barbara) kept in constant contact and was available to answer questions when needed.
The tours setup were small group, skip the line type, of tours. The guides were all excellent and their handling of the situations and crowds were well done.

Overall, I will be working with this service again.

Hotel Reviews

Ai Reali Hotel Venice

Venice

Older hotel, but that was the draw for us. It was very comfortable. The staff was extremely helpful. The location was great, easy walking to anything needed.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Plaza Hotel Lucchesi

Florence

The hotel location was excellent. Staff, especially concierge, was very helpful. The restaurant, on the main floor, was probably the only downside. The food itself was very tasty, but the breadth of offerings were limited.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Rose Garden Palace

Rome

Location was ok, though right across from the embassy row - which while we were there had alarms going on during one night. Obviously not the fault of the hotel. The location is such that, with a little walking, you can get to most any of the most popular sights. The restaurant offered excellent food with a good amount of choice. Staff throughout the hotel was helpful and friendly.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Montepulciano and Pienza Tour

Italy

Two things on this trip really stand out: our driver, and the stop at the working dairy farm. The cities of Montepulciano and Pienza were scenic, and laid back. Even though there were a good amount of people in both. Our driver pointed out many sites along the way and answered questions as we went. He was friendly and fun to hang out with. The visit to the dairy farm allowed us to meet another great individual in the owner. He was down to earth and real. The food (cheese and meat sampling) was amazing! I would go back to this location in a heartbeat.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

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

Rome

The small group aspect of this was helpful. There was a lot of people going through these sites that day, and the guide was able to work through it all. We were in a small group of 6, and caught all the areas and art.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Venice Gondola Ride

Venice

Very much a "tourist must do" type of thing. What really makes this is if you get a helpful gondolier. Ours was, and it made the ride even better.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

"Bacari" local street food tour

Italy

Our guide was amazing! The food was amazing! It was a lot of fun, overall.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Venice walking tour

Italy

Our guide was one of the most knowledgeable individuals I have ever met. We gained so much information on St. Mark's Basilica and the Doge Palace. It was a long afternoon, but very much worth it.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Florence and Accademia City Tour

Italy

A great guide made this a great experience. The knowledge shared was excellent. We saw some of the most famous art/sculpture in the world. The "skip the line" tickets are the way to go.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Wanna be Italiano - Florence cooking class and market tour

Italy

This was one of my favorite things to do while in Florence. The instructors were fun, helpful, great, overall. The class was easy going and had a fun atmosphere. The staff was extremely helpful and friendly.

Quality of Experience

Food

Of course...I helped to make it, so...

Guides, Drivers and Staff

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

Rome

This small group was of 4, which really helped. The sites speak for themselves, but the guide added to the information with her knowledge. The only drawback was we had to meet up with larger groups in order to process tickets. This seemed like an oversight in logistics planning, that did cause some issues, but overall things were handled well.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

When I booked this trip, with the help of Monica and Sonia, I expected to have to spend it with small groups with the usual confusion and mishaps. I can say that without a doubt this trip went so smoothly, we just could not believe it. We only had two excursions that were in a small groups and the rest of our tours and drives were just myself and my husband. We were picked up in luxury vehicles with friendly drivers who were always on time and knowledgeable about the region and made sure we stopped to see everything that we could. We learned so much about Italy through all of our drivers who were from each region and had a wealth of information. Every hotel we stayed at was exactly what we wanted and had a courteous staff with lovely accommodations.
In Venice, Enrico met us promptly and gave us lots of suggestions about how to get around. Enrico was delightful and was our contact through the whole trip. He checked in regularly to see how we were doing and to give us updates and important information. He took us on a food tour and made our time there feel very personalized. Elizabeth (sp?) gave us a personal tour of the Basilica and the Doge with so much information and insight.
In Florence, we drove around wine country with Massimo who was so kind and friendly. He stopped at several quaint towns and told us what to check out and made sure we knew all about the history of the area. We would have missed so much without his guidance.
On the Amalfi coast, our driver was Luigi who also gave us lots of information and tips about what to see. He made sure to stop at the best places to get pictures and see as much as possible in the little time that we had. I also have to mention that driving in Italy is stressful and all of our drivers were very professional and competent.
On our way to Rome, we stopped for yet another personal tour--this time of Pompeii. Our tour guide Gionni (sp?) was very informative and told us more than we could ever have learned by ourselves of the ruins.
In Rome, we had the only mishap of our trip that was caught by the hotel clerk who saved us a giant headache getting to the airport. I am still amazed that he was attentive enough to notice something was off.
I am still blown away by how amazing this trip was and how smoothly it all went. We would not have been able to pull this off by ourselves and using kimkim was absolutely the best decision. I would recommend them to anyone wanting to plan a perfect vacation.

Hotel Reviews

Bonvecchiati Palace

Venice

Courteous staff with lovely accommodations. We really enjoyed the breakfast and our room was nice and quiet.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Near ST Marcos and lots of quaint restaurants

Staff

everyone was very courteous

Cleanliness & Comfort

Grand Hotel Cavour

Florence

Unique room with an amazing breakfast. This hotel was centrally located and was easy to get around to most attractions. Unfortunately for us, there was an event the days we stayed with lots of partying and street noise. The doors in this hotel are very decorative and nice but heavy and it was hard to keep from slamming them. Also unfortunate for us were the neighbors who slammed their door all night long. We also had an incident in the hotel rooftop bar where another patron tried to steal my husband's wallet. We kind of let our guard down in our hotel's bar with what we assumed were other hotel guest, but I guess you can never be too careful.

Authenticity & Character

Lovely decor

Location

Right in the middle of the city and close to most attractions

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Corallo

Sorrento

Hotel is a bit far from city center but they do offer a shuttle. The reason being is that it is right on the coast with fantastic views of the ocean and several restaurants and bars to eat and drink in the views. The staff was super friendly but for some reason they wanted to make a big deal about check in and being so tired we just wanted to get to our rooms. Also, the AC won't work unless the key is inserted and the hallways and lobby were pretty hot. They did make sure to give us an additional key so we could keep the air on while we were away. Be warned if you're staying here that this is a destination for weddings and we had a wedding party right outside our window with a band that played well into the night. If you have to have a quiet hotel, this may not be the place for you.

Authenticity & Character

quirky decor

Location

Literally can't get better with the views

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

47 Boutique Hotel

Rome

I love boutique hotels and this was one of the nicest ones we have stayed in. The room was very nice and quiet and breakfast was great. We did have a concierge named Stephania (sp?) who was completely annoyed to have to answer our questions. I would have loved to have eaten at the rooftop restaurant but it was booked well into advance apparently. I am however, so grateful to one of the hotel clerks who was on service the early morning of June 16th. I don't remember his name but if it weren't for his attentiveness to where our driver was taking us, we may very well have missed our plane. He also made sure to pack our breakfast since we were leaving before it was served.

Authenticity & Character

unique and interesting decor

Location

close to many attractions

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

"Bacari" local street food tour

Italy

This was probably one of my favorite things we did on this trip. Enrico took us around to some of the local places we would never have found on our own. We tried a lot of snacks and drinks and got to see where some of the locals eat. Enrico was the perfect host.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Full-Day Private Excursion to Siena & Chianti Wine Region

Florence

Massimo was our driver and guide and we had him all to ourselves. I really enjoyed the wine tour. We samples many wines and had a very nice meal. Afterwards we drove around to a few other small cities and learned about their history and what to see and do there. Massimo also made sure to stop and show us the most picturesque views.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Sorrento Coast & Capri Boat Tour

Italy

The staff was friendly and informative. They made sure to show us all the sights and gave us lots of information. They even played "That's Amore" when we went under the arches in Capri--which was hilarious and fun. The only complaint I have about this tour is they drop you in Capri for 5 hours. I would have preferred more time on the boat and swimming in the Mediterranean.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Our 12-day mother/daughter trip to Italy in May was AMAZING and it was all because of Andrea, our travel specialist from kimkim! We went to Rome, Florence, Cinque Terre, Castellina in Chianti and Amalfi! Andrea listened to what we wanted and planned everything down to the last detail perfectly! From a laid-back walking tour in Rome to a fantastic cooking class and lunch on an organic farm/winery in Tuscany - it was like he read our minds! The hotels he chose were perfect for us and it was so great to have all the days planned out, the private cars arranged, and the train tickets purchased in advance! I never would have been able to plan that all myself! He went above and beyond and even called me as we arrived in Italy to make sure we found our driver at the airport and gave me restaurant recommendations throughout the trip! It was so personalized - we couldn't have had a better experience! I highly recommend kimkim (and Andrea!) to anyone looking for a great travel experience!

Our trip was amazing! We went to Rome, Cinque Terre, and Florence. The care, thought and planning that went into our hotel stays, activities, and private transportation was phenomenal. Ina's recommendations for site-seeing and food were spot on, our favorite moment was visiting Brac bookstore/restaurant in Florence because she wrote about it- it was a favorite experience of mine (vegetarian food in Florence!).

If you are going to Italy- Kimkim is your way to go. They made the process so simple and easy to follow, and when I did have questions (for example, confusion on when we were doing a Vatican museum tour) they were responsive on Whatsapp every time.

Harris was so helpful and available to us whenever we needed, not to mention the itinerary he made us was beautiful! The locations of the hotels were unbeatable, and the prices were very good, I would absolutely recommend kimkim and Harris if you want a beautiful experience!