Kimkim Trip Reviews for Italy

Our family cannot say thank you enough to Tasos and the KimKim team. Tasos worked with us to create a vacation that exceeded all of our expectations. Tasos provided us with a detailed outline that we iterated together to match our specific ideas for our desired Italian vacation - exploring traditional foods, staying in a Tuscan Agriturismo, and experiencing Rome. Every city included at least one private tour for our family with guides who understood that if our kids are engaged, everyone is happy. And all the transfers were pre-arranged, so there was never any stress. On the morning of our 8 AM Vatican tour, there was a car waiting outside our hotel at 7:30 to take us across town.

On our last night in Italy as we walked around the lit-up Coliseum, none of us wanted to go home. 19 days in Europe with their parents, and our teenagers wanted to spend more time with us! In fact, most days in Italy ended with one boy commenting on how awesome the day had been, and other boy agreeing. Next summer our family vacation will be to Greece, and we are excited for the adventure Tasos will plan for us!

Hotel Reviews

Hotel Capo d'Africa—Colosseo

Rome

This hotel was interesting, with fully staffed lobby bar and roof top bar, but no patrons. The one night we went to the roof top it had a night club feel, but we were the only ones there. The breakfast was excellent.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Three blocks from the Coleseum!

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

The rooms were clean, comfortable and good size, especially for Europe.

Hotel Gran Duca Di York Milan

Milan

The staff at Gran Duca di York in Milan was very attentive and having a happy hour in the hotel was great for our larger group.

Authenticity & Character

We felt welcome

Location

Center of Milan

Staff

Very attentive.

Cleanliness & Comfort

The rooms were clean and comfortable, but small

La Bella Modena Centro

Modena

This small hotel is owner operated with a part-time front desk. The owner is available by phone, and was very helpful.

Authenticity & Character

The rooms were the most efficient use of space, with innovative closets.

Location

Just outside the old city, everything was close.

Staff

The owner/manager was attentive and went out of her way to help us.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Clean and comfortable.

Fattoria la Loggia

San Casciano in Val di pesa FI

Fattoria la Loggia was everything we hoped it would be! Most of the guests were families with children, and the atmosphere was warm and family friendly. The pool was fabulous and definitely our boys favorite. The three-bedroom apartment with a kitchen was great for our family. On our Parma and Modena days, we bought cheese, prosciutto and balsamic vinegar on our tours; we supplemented those with some fruit and bread, and that was our dinner for two of our nights at la Loggia. As we expected, there was no air conditioning. Keeping the shutters closed during the day kept the apartment from getting too hot, and with fans we were able to sleep well. The managers also gave us a wonderfully fun and delicious cooking lesson outside with views of the vineyards. We would highly recommend staying there!

Authenticity & Character

Italian villa!

Location

In the center of Tuscany and 30 minutes from Florence.

Staff

The cooking class is fantastic.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Be ready for no air conditioning...but with the right expectations the fans are enough!

Activity Reviews

Vatican Guided Tour

Rome

What a way to start the day - a black car waiting for us at the hotel curb at 7:30 for our 8 AM early entrance Vatican tour. All of the pre-arranged transfers really made a huge difference! At the Vatican Sarah was another wonderful guide. She gave us a wonderful tour of both the Vatican and St. Peter's Basilica, and while there is no way of covering all of the art and history of these two places in three hours, she chose well which pieces to focus on and gave us both historical and religious perspective.

Bike The Appian Way

Rome

Biking the Appian Way with Fabrizzio. What a fun way to see this important part of Roman history! The tour started with a ride across Rome through the Jewish Quarter and past the Circus Maximus before heading out the Appian Way. This was a real bike ride (no e-bikes for us!) with some strenuous sections. We rode past Italian villas on the way to the Catacombs. On our way back we continued clockwise around the Forum, biking by the Arch of Constantine, down dei Fori Imperiali and past Curia of Pompey, where Cesar was assassinated. Fabrizzio was interesting and gave us many new tidbits of information on places we had seen. He also trusted that we knew what we were doing on bikes - this was not a tour for rookies! Back at the shop, Fabrizzio and the owner shared with us some of their favorite spots.

Catacombs & Underground Rome Tour

Rome

This was really an interesting tour. The Capuchin Crypt was very unexpected, a bit bizarre and beyond interesting - the bones of monks made into art. In one of the crypts shoulder blades were arranged as butterflies. Even though we were only there for about 30 minutes it was absolutely a must see! For the Catacombs portion of the tour our guide was a geologist who had helped map these Catacombs, admitting to having been lost in the Catacombs as a student more than once. We did not get lost!

Private Colosseum & Roman Forum Tour

Rome

This tour with Sarah Napolitani was also one of the very best tours we have ever been on! We were a few minutes early, and Sarah took us straight out, so we were one of the first into the Forum when it opened at 8 AM. She timed our route so that we avoided the massive crowds of tourists for as long as possible. But once we got to the Coliseum avoiding crowds was no longer possible…the crowds were insane! But we just followed Sarah and let the chaos go on around us. She provided a very interesting mix of history, funny stories and thoughtful moments that had all of us mesmerized. We had so much fun with her!

Private Sunset Rome Walking Tour & Orientation

Rome

This sunset walking tour was wonderful and a great way to get to know the city. Our guide, Giuseppe, helped us to get our bearings, giving us a great overview of the city and where we wanted to spend more time. He also taught us how to drink from one of the many Big Noses of Rome and gave us a great recommendation for a restaurant to eat at that evening.

Cooking Class in Tuscany

Italy

The couple who manages Fattoria la Loggia were engaging teachers, the setting was spectacular and the meal we made was delicious! Fresh pasta with roasted vegitables for dinner and tiramisu for desert.

Florence Highlights Walking Tour (Semi-private)

Florence

Our tour guide, Antonella, gave us the very best tour we have ever been on! She was so engaging (even to our two teenage sons). It was certainly a “Renaissance” tour. Antonella was so proud of her home city; she gave us such a complete understanding of the city and how it changed the world. She shared such a wonderful mix of historical facts mixed in with human interest, that we were captivated every moment. When we mentioned that we were reading a book about Michelangelo, she began to cater to stories and artwork that were specific to Michelangelo, complimenting what we were already learning about from the book. She was wonderful!

Local transfer in Rome

Rome

A car waiting outside our hotel when we needed it, fantastic!

Private Modena Walking Tour

Modena

Our guide, Elisa, was a local teacher who gave tours in the summer. She was a very fun guide who gave us a wonderful tour! We enjoyed the mix of history and trivia she gave us.

Milan Highlights With Duomo

Milan

The tour in Milan was the right tour for us because it focused on exactly what we wanted, the Duomo and La Scala. Nina (our guide) was very informative and extremely thorough and wearing the headphones allowed us to wander but still hear everything she had to say. But at 4 and a half hours it was a little too long. A little less detail and an hour shorter would have been better (especially with our teenage boys).

We can't say enough positive things about our experience with Jessica and Chiara. If you can afford it, the concierge approach to planning and experiencing your family vacation is the ONLY way to go. It's worth every penny! The investment was worth the amazing service, attention, and care we received throughout our trip to Italy. During a turbulent time when the service industry is inconsistent and at times lacking, Jessica and Chiara were a breath of fresh air. Jessica, who is the head of Storywalking in Italy, worked with our budget to create an itinerary to maximize our 8 day family vacation. All her recommendations were spot on. Chiara checked in frequently to make sure every detail of our trip was locked in. We loved our tour guides from LivTours (Adriana, Sara, Raf, and Frederica)- they were great with our 9 yr old son who wasn't always so awake or chipper, but they ALWAYS got him to smile at some point during the walking tours.

We felt like Jessica and Chiara were our personal travel assistants. Whenever we had a concern, question, or need, they were prompt in their response and always came up with a solution or recommendation.

We highly recommend using kimkim, Jessica, and Chiara to plan your next family vacation to Italy. You won't regret the investment. It's worth the peace of mind to ensure you have the best stress-free vacation.

Hotel Reviews

The Independent Hotel

Rome

convenient to the train station.

Authenticity & Character

Location

even though it's not located in the prettiest and trendy part of Rome, it was convenient to the train station.

Staff

very attentive and helpful

Cleanliness & Comfort

large room and well appointed

Solo Experience Hotel

Florence

Love the location and staff!! Room was generous for European standards. Great breakfast too!

Authenticity & Character

Location

so convenient to everything!

Staff

Nina and her colleague with the braces (forgot her name) were super!!

Cleanliness & Comfort

our room was spacious and didn't feel crowded for three people. Beds were very comfy!!

Hotel Giorgione Venice

Venice

Small room and a little dated BUT great location and staff!

Authenticity & Character

Location

so convenient but tucked away from all the noise!

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

just a little dated and musty

Activity Reviews

Family Experience: Vatican Tour for Kids

Rome

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Frederica was super! She kept our son engaged with the activities in book provided with the tour.

Transport

The Best of Colosseum & Ancient Rome With Exclusive Arena Access

Rome

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Raf was great!!

Transport

Family Experiences: Uffizi for Kids Private Tour

Florence

Very family friendly way to cover a museum which isn't always fun for kids!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Sara had her work cut out for her but she was super with our 9 yr old!

Transport

Learn how to make Pizza and Gelato

Florence

My son's fav part of the visiting Florence! A must for families but also fun for all ages

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Jon was a great instructor who made it fun to learn how to make pizza and gelato!

Transport

Best of Venice tour: Murano Island & Guided Walking Tour with St. Mark's Basilica

Venice

Great way to visit Murano, see Venice, and learn the history of this unique Italian city!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

boat ride to Murano was wonderful

Private Evening Gondola Ride Venice & City Stroll

Venice

Adriana, our tour guide was great. We had a tired, grumpy, and hungry 9 year old. She walked us straight to dinner at the end of the tour!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Gondola ride was so magical!

we had a wonderful experience booking our italy trip with kimkim. Valeria was very responsive and quick to maodify the trip based on our interests and made great suggestions for tours. All booking were made ahead of time and hotel tour and car reservations went smoothly. guides everywhere were awesome . I would totally book another tour with kimkim. Thansk Valeria and big thank you to all the local folks who made our trip fun and very memorable.

My husband and I enjoyed a very relaxing and wonderful 15 days trip in the Amalfi Coast and Sicily in early October.  We contacted Jessica, a travel specialist for Italy through kimkim.com.  Within a week of speaking to Jessica, she arranged a private tour for us and we were on a flight to Rome.  

Jessica was very efficient responding to our requests or updating changes before and during our trip to Italy. From the airport pickup to each destination, our trip was seamless and relaxing.  We enjoyed the central location of all our hotels and B&Bs which allowed us to walk everywhere and enjoy excellent meals with locals.  All the tours arranged by Jessica were very enjoyable and interesting.  We learned so much about Italian and Sicilian history, culture and art through our excellent tour guides.  In particular, Tony gave us a wonderful tour of the Cathedral of Monreale and Marta gave an excellent tour of the Ancient Villa Romana del Casale.  Our drivers, Ciro, Stefano and Fabio are great drivers and are very friendly.  We also enjoy lots of free time exploring on our own, visiting small old fishing villages and swimming in the crystalline waters of the Tyrhennian and Ioninan Seas.  We have so many beautiful memories.

We can’t thank Jessica enough for this very enjoyable last minute trip and for frequently checking in with us to make sure our time in Italy was going smoothly and according to plan.  We would highly recommend her to anyone thinking about traveling to Italy.  

Hotel Review

Grand Hotel Royal Sorrento

Sorrento

Grand Hotel Royal, Sorrento is the best hotel from our Southern Italy trip. It is centrally located in Sorrento with many nice restaurants near by. This elegant 5 star hotel is located at the top of a cliff with an elevator to the beach. The view from the beautiful garden and our balcony were magnificent . The staff was great and breakfast was delicious! It's so enjoyable and relaxing staying at the Grand Hotel Royal.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Catania: Food & Folklore

Catania

Enjoyed the sounds, taste and color of this delicious fish market tasting tour. Giusi our tour guide is excellent and we enjoyed the delicious green drink and fried seafood from her restaurant. The tasting menu from other restaurant and cheese sampling were great too.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

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Guided Tour of Villa Romana del Casale

Italy

Seeing the incredible story telling mosaics in the Villa Romana del Casale was very impressive. Our excellent tour guide, Marta made this tour very interesting and lively. The vivid depiction of the captured animals and ostrich being loaded into a boat was awesome.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Day Trip to Monreale & Cefalù

Italy

It's amazing seeing the beautiful mosaic Bible stories all around the Cathedral of Monreale. Thanks to our terrific tour guide Antonio who made this tour very interesting and enjoyable! We had a wonderful time walking through the lovely town of Cefalu with many interesting shops and we tasted the best warm meat and sausage rice ball there. It's so wonderful cooling off and swimming at the beautiful Cefalu sandy beach.

Quality of Experience

Limoncello Tour & Tasting

Amalfi Coast

The Limoncello Tour with Chef Fiore was lot of fun. The wonderful meal from his restaurant was so delicious and I learned many different ways using lemon in my cooking from this tour. Thank you Chef!

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Ciro is an excellent and friendly driver. We enjoyed his service to the Amalfi Coast and Limoncello tour.

Transport

Exclusive Capri Boat Tour from Sorrento

Italy

Maria was awesome in planning everything prior to our trip, and Jessica was an awesome resource when we were there to help us set up an additional private transfer.

The private transfers were really nice to have, so that was a great recommendation from Maria!

The only issue we had during the trip was that the private transfer picking us up from our wine tour/cooking class arrived at 1:30, but the tour wasn't yet complete. We had just sat down to sample to wine and the food and unfortunately had to leave before trying any because our ride had already arrived. One recommendation for the future would be to plan for that private transfer to arrive about an hour later for bookings at this tour.

Other than that everything was great! We loved the four cities we visited and will definitely be recommending kimkim's services to friend and family.

Thank you!

Activity Reviews

Exclusive Capri Boat Tour from Positano

Italy

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Cooking class and wine tasting at Castle

Italy

The instructor was awesome and the tour was very interesting. Only comment would be to be sure the private transfer shows up about an hour later, as we were unable to stay for the sampling of the wine and food we had made.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

We are so glad that we found Jessica on kimkim to help us plan our 30th Anniversary trip to Italy and Greece. She worked with us to create the perfect itinerary and made herself available to us in case we needed anything whatsoever while we were traveling. Knowing we were in such good hands made our minds at ease, which is so important when you're on the go for two weeks! It was a truly magical trip.

We started out in London and Paris for 8 days and then flew to Rome. The trip for our Italian leg was extremely well organized in no small part thanks to Fabio and Danielle. We spent a day in Rome and did a private tour of the Vatican with a friend who works there. The next morning we were off to Positano. Danielle picked us up at the hotel in Rome with our driver and made sure we made our train. In Naples another local coordinator met us on our arrival to bring us to our driver, Luigi, who took us to Positano. The following day we did a private boat tour of Capris and Anna Capris, which included a visit to the blue grotto, really a must see if you are going to Capri. We enjoyed a wine tasting and lunch and visiting the city of Rovillo and Amalfi and was guided by our driver, Carmine, who regaled us with stories about life growing up in Amalfi. The coastline is beautiful but the road to get there is not for the feint of heart! From Positano we returned to Naples and headed to Assisi. We had a great walking tour of the city and stayed in a special place called Nun, which was a convent converted to a hotel/spa. The spa jacuzzi was amazing and the hotel had just 18 rooms. Assisi was very interesting and a fantastic addition to our trip. We went to to Sienna and Florence, where we had a 5 hour Italian cooking class. Another great experience.

All in all we had a great tour of Italy and we are thankful to Kim Kim and all the guides and drivers who made this a trip of a lifetime!!

The planning was easy and the itinerary was executed perfectly! Couldn’t have been easier. Thanks Harry and the KimKim team. We’ll be using your services again.

Jessica provided incredible guidance and support to make sure our group of 12 had both detailed transfer, tickets and guides for the things we wanted to do and also plenty of free time to explore on our own. Yulia's walking tour of Pompeii was so well informed and detailed, I loved every bit of it!
thank you

Jessica was incredibly responsive and helpful.

Daniella was a great tour guide. I would recommend that she let folks know upfront how much food will be provided on the walk and tasting tour. We were all very full after eating our homemade pizza that it was difficult to try the other items.

Yulia was amazing! Mount Vesuvius, the wine tasting, and Pompeii were a highlight of my trip.

The boat tour was also a blast. No complaints.

Jessica did an excellent job booking this trip! She was attentive and there for us whenever we had questions or concerns. She booked all of our drivers and experiences. We started in Rome with a 8 hour tour with Paola. She was so good and very knowledgeable. Hotel was cute. We then took a train, which she also booked for us down to Salerno where we had a driver, Chico drive us down the Amalfi coast, stopping in Ravello, which was our favorite, then Amalfi, and ending in Positano. Most beautiful place I’ve ever been. Our guide was great! We then stayed in Sorrento. Such a cute town! We also enjoyed the hotel here too. Next day we went to Capri Island and Andrea was our guide for the day. He was excellent! So personal and also very knowledgeable about the area. We had a fantastic time and also did the blue grotto. Next day we went to Pompeii. I don’t remember our tour guides name but this was also a very good experience. We enjoyed this service very much and would recommend it to anyone who is traveling. Loved the private tours and guides and individual attention. My only suggestion is that we didn’t know about needing money for the bathrooms and it would have been nice on our car drives, we took a lot of them, to be offered water.

Hotel Reviews

Casa Montani Hotel

Rome

Concierge was great! So concerned about our luggage not making it. Call the airport and just truly wanted to make the situation not stressful. He very helpful with providing a map of where to go and places to eat.

Authenticity & Character

Cute little apartments.

Location

Centrally located

Staff

So caring

Cleanliness & Comfort

Clean

Hotel Capo d'Africa—Colosseo

Rome

Nice hotel right next to the coliseum. Roof top restaurant with views of the coliseum.

Authenticity & Character

Rooftop restaurant

Location

Walking distance to all major monuments and museums.

Staff

Attentive

Cleanliness & Comfort

Clean

La Casa dell'Orologio Sorrento

Sorrento

So cute in the middle of Sorrento Square. Walking distance to the pier, 15 minutes. Room had a cute balcony and nice decor.

Authenticity & Character

Decor was cute

Location

Near the square

Staff

Answered any questions we had

Cleanliness & Comfort

Very clean

Activity Reviews

Dine. Taste. Learn - Dinner

Rome

Fun to learn about the wine and cheese from the region.

Pompeii Private Morning Tour from Sorrento

Italy

Mario was a great tour guide! My only complaint is that I didn’t have enough time there

Private Deluxe Capri and Anacapri Island Trip

Italy

Andrea was our guide. He was friendly and knowledgeable, spoke good English. Capri was amazing and the views are breathtaking. We also did blue grotto which is definitely an experience. He even provided money for us when we didn’t have any to us the bathroom.

Half Day Tour from Salerno to Sorrento (Transfer) and Sorrento to Salerno

Italy

Chico was a great tour guide. We learned so much about this region of Italy. Ravello was our favorite and would have liked to spend more time there.

Quality of Experience

Great!

Guides, Drivers and Staff

So friendly and knowledgeable

Transport

I felt very safe

Explore Rome in a Day

Rome

Paola was our guide and she did great! Wish I had a little more time at some of the areas, like the Vatican.

Quality of Experience

Small group. There was 4 of us.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Friendly and knowledgeable

Transport

N/A

Sonia was very helpful in booking the trip and balancing everything we did so we didn't feel rushed. It was the trip of a lifetime for me!!
Daniella was our local concierge and made sure our trip went smoothly from day to day. She made a last minute change for us on a travel day so we could be in Florence an hour earlier! She was very friendly and helpful.
The drivers that picked us up for our transfers and tours were very nice for the most part. Rosanna especially was really wonderful! She was personable and picked us up on time from the airport and took us to Sorrento. The drivers like Luigi and Carmino were very knowledgeable and kind and spoke English really well!!
The tour guides were also very knowledgeable and had a sense of humor which I really loved. The Tuscany wine tour with Antonella and the Cooking class in Florence with Caterina stand out the most for me! However, all the tour guides were knowledgeable and helpful and again, spoke and understood English very well!
The accommodations for the most part were really great. Hotel Corallo in Sorrento and Hotel Concigliere in Rome were the best! The staff was friendly, professional and helpful.
Overall, it was a trip of lifetime and I was extremely happy with all of the services!!
Thank you so very much!!

Hotel Reviews

Hotel Della Conciliazione

Rome

Excellent location, the street was filled with very nice restaurants. The staff was wonderful! Especially Chiara at the front desk! We loved her! Very professional and personable. A very impressive young lady and an asset to the hotel.

Authenticity & Character

Everything

Location

Right near Vatican on a nice street with great restaurants.

Staff

Staff was very friendly, professional and helpful with information in navigating throughout Rome!

Cleanliness & Comfort

Overall loved the room, but beds could have been more comfortable

Hotel Delle Nazioni

Florence

Across from the train station and very loud. Scary elevator. Very loud argument between front desk and guest. Did not really feel especially safe in this location. Beds not comfortable. Front desk did not answer phone for information. Room was dingy and shower posed a big fall risk. The plumbing was loud and did not work at times. The breakfast was good. The person at the front desk when we first checked in was very helpful. The terrace from the room had space and the morning and evening views were pretty. Florence was my favorite city.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Different location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Beds were not comfortable.

Hotel Corallo

Sorrento

Stunning views. Shuttle to the city center. WONDERFUL STAFF!! Everyone was so friendly and very professional. Nice restaurants in the immediate surrounding area as well as the restaurant at the hotel itself.

Authenticity & Character

People and general geographic area.

Location

Staff

So friendly and also professional. Very helpful with requests.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Clean rooms,nice bathrooms, very comfortable beds!

Activity Reviews

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

Rome

Gio was a very knowledgeable and friendly guide! It was an amazing experience!!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Ask for Gio!! She was extremely knowledgeable and friendly and made sure we really enjoyed the tour.

Transport

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

Rome

Very knowledgeable guide.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Wanna be Italiano - Florence cooking class and market tour

Italy

FUN!! Very educational experience! Caterina was knowledgeable and really had us all laughing! She was very patient and kind. She was very knowledgeable about the ingredients and the marketplace.

Quality of Experience

Food

Delicious!!

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Ask for Caterina! She showed us so much and was really funny! Loved her!!

Transport

Walked to site.

Small group Tour of Tuscany & Wine and Olive oil tasting

Florence

Antonella was extremely knowledgeable about the region and the wines and even how the environment effects the grapes!! Definitely try to ask for her, she was fantastic!! The lunch at the winery at the end was amazing.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Ask for Antonella! She was wonderful!!

Transport

Visit of The Amalfi coast Villages Full Day

Italy

Luigi the driver picked us up on time. His English was very good and he knew the area well. The Amalfi coast speaks for itself and is really breathtaking. We had ample time to explore and shop!! It was great!!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Sonia was wonderful! She listened to what we wanted, foresaw what we would need, and made sure all our wants and needs were met. She was personable and fun to work with. Everything went smoothly and while everyone we dealt with was helpful and informative, Filippo, our guide while biking certainly stood out. We spent the most time with him so got to know him best, but he added a lot to our trip. The other standouts would have to be the other guides we spent the most time with, Frank and Sandy who were both incredibly knowledgeable and interesting. We had a great time!

Taos did an amazing job. Everything (drivers, trains,flights) all came off without a clitch.. Our tours were amazing and our guides were outstanding. Our accommodations for the most part were excellent. We had a fabulous time and will recommend to our family and friends.

Regards and Thank you
Linda and Ken Orlowe

Hotel Review

Villa Poggiano 

Montepulciano

My favorite of the trip. The view was amazing and everyone was so helpful and friendly. The breakfasts’ were excellent.

Authenticity & Character

Accomodations

Location

The view

Staff

Exceptional

Cleanliness & Comfort

Clean and very comfortable

Activity Review

Private Val D’ Elsa Wine Tasting

Italy

Danny our guide was very informative, and made our tour a total success.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

All of them were very knowledgeable and interesting!

Transport

This was a relatively last minute trip to Italy for us, otherwise, I would have planned it myself. Based on this experience, I doubt I can trust a travel agent again.
While responsive, the planning experience was painful. It was like pulling teeth to get details on the trip, especially excursions. Example: You will be on an all day trip, leaving at 7 am, will have lunch and will return late that night. How long will it take to get there, how long will we be at each stop, what will we be doing, any free time, when eat dinner, etc.
When I initially discussed hotel preferences, my only request was we needed a bed to accommodate by 6'4" husband (and I'm 5'8/9". First hotel in Rome, his feet were hanging off the end of our Double bed by an easy foot and 1/2. The room was so small I had to hunch over to get by the bed or scrap my back against the TV. It was an unpleasant four nights. With that said, the location was excellent and the breakfast was good. In addition, Kim Kim made it up to us by making a tour in Venice private & ensured we had a King bed at our next two spots.
The location in Florence was poor - simply too far away with no uber/taxi options. Fortunately, the Venice hotel was changed and this location was excellent as well.
There was a real lack of consideration with the tours as well - who schedules a 4 hour Vatican tour and a 3 hour Coliseum tour back to back in the same day? It was miserable.
Who schedules an all day tour for EARLY morning knowing they also scheduled your all day tour the day before that did not arrive back until LATE at night?
What was excellent was the transportation that was arranged and the Kim Kim CEO follow up (when needed) during our trip, that was a very nice surprise and bonus so, thank you very much.

Hotel Reviews

Hotel Ala

Venice

Great location. Annoyed the front desk failed to tell us there was a full breakfast at the main location while we ate fruit and bread at the secondary location.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Fortezza Florence

Florence

Great hotel, just was not a fan of the location.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Al Manthia Hotel

Rome

Wonderful location and excellent breakfast. Room was uncomfortably small.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

warning on small room for big people!

Activity Reviews

Best of Venice tour: Murano Island & Guided Walking Tour with St. Mark's Basilica

Venice

This was one of our favorite tours, outside of our Rome Food Tour and Amalfi Coast/Pompeii Tour. The guide was EXCELLENT - what a wonderful way to learn about Venice.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Cinque Terre Day Trip From Florence

Florence

While a great experience - it was very rushed! It would have been nice to know what to expect before the tour started. Rushing between the 4 locations made the day hectic and provided no time to relax and enjoy the environment. The group was entirely too big and having to listen to the Tour Guide repeat everything in two languages wasted more of our time. Could have been more efficient and eliminate a stop. With this said, the guide did an excellent job with the limitations she had.

Quality of Experience

Food

While food was good - you could tell we were part of a "burn and churn" discount group meal. Were not greeted by anyone from the restaurant, food just tossed on the table (not sure what were eating), no refills, had to get own oil for bread, disappointing experience.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

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

Rome

Personally do not think many people need a 4 hour tour of the Vatican. What made this worse was it was followed by the 3 hour Colosseum tour. Two other couples were on the same tour and everyone was miserable. While all the sights are magnificent, just too much walking and overkill of information. We tried to leave the Vatican tour early and guide became upset and "made" us stay. Another party went to the bathroom during the Colosseum tour and the guide "went off" on the person.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

There was none!

Tuscany day trip: Siena & San Gimignano (Regular Tour)

Florence

This was a wonderful tour and the guides were great.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Our trip to Italy was fantastic! Fabio helped us plan an excellent trip that included Rome, Florence, Siena and Cinque Terre. Fabio took care of all the details including arranging for: private tour guide for the Vatican, tours in Florence, private driver to Siena, tour of Cinque Terre. Our hotels were excellent and the restaurants recommended great. We look forward to visiting Italy again within the next year and will definitely use Kimkim and will request Fabio.

Thank you to Kimkim and especially Fabio!

I'm glad you didn't put a character limit on the review - this may take a while. I'll start by saying that we learned something new every day and had a great time doing it. The drivers (for the most part) were great and the tour guides amazed us with how easily they taught us about the history and every day living of the populace of centuries ago. The only downside we experienced on the trip was it forced us to realize we weren't 20 years old anymore. It would have been nice to not have to get up early nearly day and rush through breakfast to get to the tour - or to have more down time during an afternoon. We always had a good time, but we were getting tired by the end of our trip.
Villa Poggiano was the perfect first stop. Fantastic staff, grounds, and meals. There was a small field in our back yard with a farmer plowing up the ground with a small tractor and a 2 bottom plow. It took him 3 days. In the U.S. - that would have been done in about 5 hours. Just shows a different pace of living. Montepulciano was a lovely little town where we fell in love with a small little wine bar and the various shops. The staff at Villa Poggiano was great about calling a cab for us if we needed one. The taxi drivers were a little crazy, but we found that to be true all over Italy. Our driver - Danny - went out of his way to make sure one of our travelers was able to get a needed medication that was left at home, and in the mean time, kept us fully engaged with stories.
Palazzo Niccolini is in keeping with the small boutique hotels that sometimes gave us a "WOW" factor when we first walked in because of the paintings in the rooms. Supposedly original and untouched over the years, but maybe someone should "touch" them. It appeared as though there were water drips running down the walls and they needed some help. Again - meals were great and the people were fantastic! I'm sorry I don't remember the name of our guide (Livitaly Tours), but she was very good.
Train - Florence to Rome. Once we figured out how to read the train schedules, we were ok, but still managed to exit the train 1 station early. Louise was able to contact the driver and he picked us up with no problem.
Hotel Modigliani - location was great. Meals and staff were, once again very good. The room was way to small - to the point where it was uncomfortable and I wouldn't recommend it. Our sunset Rome walking tour, with Riccardo as our guide, was super. He was (in my mind) so typical "Italian", speaking with his hands so much, that I had to video him for about a minute. It was a great tour and while my preconceived notion was to not expect much, I'm glad to say it wrong and I would highly recommend this. The private Vatican tour with Sam gave me a lot of "wow's" because of the art, but I didn't feel this was exactly what I would consider a "private" tour, and Sam could have moved a bit more often. The constant standing in one place was starting to drain my knees and feet and it seemed his voice was becoming a constant monotone. It's a fabulous place and I think a different guide might be able to add more than I got out of it.
Our private Colosseum tour was probably the highlight of all the places we visited. I'm sorry to say I forget the name of our tour guide because she was really good! (Liv Italy tours) Walking through the bowels of the Colosseum gave me the chills wandering all tunnels and trying to imagine what it was like thousands of year ago. Really, really great!
Train to Naples. No problem. We got off when we were supposed to! 😉 Driver to the Caruso Place Hotel was jerk. He drove like a maniac (although it appears as though that is common in Naples), gave us a brief - and inaccurate - description of how to get to the hotel, and then asked for a tip! (so I told him to drive slower) We wandered around and helped by a local shop keeper who called the hotel and Alessandra came to our rescue. She led the way to the lobby and helped us get checked in. This was absolutely the nicest hotel we stayed in during our 3 week trip. The pizza making class turned out to be much more entertaining than I had anticipated - something fun for tourists to go to. The Pompeii tour was quite eye opening. I had no idea that the digging had to go down so far to find the artifacts and quite amazing at how well preserved they were. I can't remember the guides name (again), but she was just the opposite of Sam when we did the Vatican. She kept on going at a rapid pace, but still explained everything as we went along. Could have slowed down a little, but better than just standing around. Other than the Colosseum, Naples was probably my favorite city in Italy - but the drivers are crazy!! Glad I didn't rent a car while I was there.
On to Greece. An alphabet that I'll never figure out. We probably laughed more, and more often, than any one time in Italy. It wasn't that things were boring in Italy, it just happened that we clicked with our guides. Arrival to Athens was uneventful. Our first stop - Zillers Boutique Hotel. Great place, but the highlight was the view of the rooftop bar at night. There - in all its' glory, is the Acropolis all lit up. It's like seeing the Grand Canyon for the first time - all you can do is say "WOW!" Our tour guide the next day was Kiki. She was great at letting us catch our breath on the way up the hill, but still talking about the area or the ancient Greek society while resting. Somehow or other, she got us to the top but made it feel like we didn't work that hard. After that the rest of the tour was almost an afterthought. Kiki was one of the best guides we had if for no other reason than the pace she maintained. This was the one tour I was really looking forward to and it was overshadowed only by the Colosseum.
Our driver for the rest of the mainland was George. Always on time, always smiling, always a smooth and careful driver.
On our way to Olympia, we stopped at "My Precious Olive Tree". Ioanna was our guide. I thought this was just going to be a gimmick to sell us something, but we not only got lunch, we adopted an olive tree (thanks to Tasos). The best part was after lunch was over, we met Ioanna's father, mother, and the farm manager - Jimmy. Well, Jimmy is now my new best friend. He produced a small bottle of Tsipouro! Never had anything like it, and we drank and laughed and everyone had a great time! That was the hardest I've laughed in months. Great stop on the tour!! We finally made it to Olympia and while we weren't expecting a Marriott, but the Leonidaion certainly was step down from what the last couple weeks were. We all realized that we are not in a major hub, so the idea of a new, modern hotel was out of the question. It was clean, and breakfast was good, and Damion was a first class host always offering his help and giving us directions and making sure our dinner next door was taken care of. Great guy. The hotel? - you have to remember where you are. It was fine. The tour of Olympia was everything I was expecting. Nothing spectacular, but I wanted to see what it was like at the beginning. Lots of temples, statues, and pillars. Much the same as what we have already seen. Fortunately, our tour guide left time for us to sit and take pictures when we wanted. This tour might not be for everyone, but I'm glad we got to see it. Well worth the time. We also stopped at the Kilo Honey farm, met the owner, got a little tour and explained how it was all done. It took no effort and really wasn't out of the way, so I have no problem doing this.
Last stop on the mainland was Nafplio. What a cute little town. A big fortress on top of the hill to protect it years ago. Sitting right on the water, we had a front row seat to some extremely fancy yachts coming and going. Great little restaurants all over town. We stayed at the Amymone Suites hotel. No elevator to get our bags up to the 3rd floor, but we did have a balcony and breakfast next door at the Wild Duck was delicious. Our tour guide was Theo for evening and the next morning. There is more to be seen than meets the eye and while I wasn't thrilled with him in the evening, he earned his keep the next day. Our dinner the last night was from Alaloum restaurant (courtesy of Travel 12 - thank you) and it was fantastic! I had never had roast rooster before! Our final stop was a wine and farm tour at Venikos. Cate was our guide and by the end of the tour we were laughing like we were old best friends. The lunch was very good and they were kind enough to get me a beer when I told them I don't drink wine.
Last but not least - Santorini. The Ambassador Suites Hotel was listed as 5 star, and while it was nice, the up and down of all the steps (and there were many) would cause me to look for something else. ...but the view was great, the breakfasts were just about anything you want, and they have their own helipad - just in case. The second day was guided by Will from Argyros Travel, and he not only did a fantastic job showing us things that everyone wants to know about, by the end of the day he turned out to be everyone's best friend with a big group hug to say goodbye. Finally - our Catamaran cruise in the Caldera lagoon. What a perfect way to end the trip. The crew on board was top notch, and the food and drinks were never ending. We happen to be lucky in that we got a good group of people to help share the cruise with.

I was embarrassingly uninvolved in our trip planning to Florence and Tuscany, to the point that I was only vaguely aware of the itinerary. Andrea nailed it! He chose great accommodations that included excellent outings and guides. The 2 Tuscan countryside hotels, with their gorgeous views and superb restaurants, obviously required local knowledge to choose. Thanks so much!

Hotel Reviews

Relais Osteria Dell'Orcia Tuscany

Castiglione d'Orcia

Great restaurant. Owner is an amazing, relaxed character. Restaurant superb.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Castello La Leccia

Castellina in Chianti

Authenticity & Character

Location

Views

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Santa Maria Novella

Florence

First time through nit the greatest room. Second time was better. Wonderful breakfasts.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

1st room had 2 levels, upper level cold.

Activity Reviews

Pienza guided walk (private guide)

Italy

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Cheese farm visit and tasting in Pienza area

Italy

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Siena guided walk - private guide

Italy

Great experience, but could have been an hour shorter.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Wine tasting in Tuscany countryside (1 winery)

Italy

Parking difficult. A bit of a mill. Wine was good.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Florence private guided walk including Accademia Gallery

Italy

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Knowledgeable and personable

Transport

So many terrific experiences and the care provided for our trip. All transfers, car services were timely and professional. The accommodations were all centrally located to each destination. The tour operators were informative and professional as well as fun. We highly recommend kim kim to our friends. Thank you for making our holiday memorable.

Hotel Reviews

Residenza Borbonica Naples

Naples

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Residenza Luce

Amalfi

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Jeraldo was so helpful

Cleanliness & Comfort

Davanzati Hotel Florence

Florence

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Marina

Monterosso al Mare

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Aenea Superior Inn

Rome

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Morning Florence Highlights Walking Tour

Florence

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Francesca knowledgeable and loves what she does

Transport

Sunset Boat Trip

Italy

Trip was cancelled due to weather

Quality of Experience

Tbd

Food

Tbd

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Tbd

Transport

Tbd

Local transfer in Rome

Rome

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Campo Dei Fiori Market Tour & Pasta Making Class

Rome

Quality of Experience

Food

Loved cooking class experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Leonardo was superb

Transport

Rome With Ape Calessino

Rome

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Loved marco

Transport

Local transfer in Amalfi Coast

Italy

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Marianne, our agent with Kim Kim begin planning our trip to Sicily almost 3 years ago but then 2020 brought Covid and we were continually delayed. Through it all Marianne was very helpful, patient, kind and very understanding explaining how to work thru the delays and with our concerns even after travel was reopened.

I have to say ALL of our guides Captain Marco from Lionel Ritchie in Casslemare Del Golfo provided an amazing boat ride in the clear blue waters of the Tyrrhenian Sea, Lorenzo in Agrigento shared his incredible love and knowledge of his home town and of the Valley of the Temples, in Modica Professor Onofrio Prestifilippo’s exuberance sharing his knowledge of the excavation at the Villa Roamana Del Casale Villa’s and what’s more to be found was contagious, our guide in Syracuse was Fausto at the Archaeological Park where he shared his knowledge of the history of the caves and surrounding area, we had an amazing tour and lunch at the Tenuta San Michele winery then Marco Saprenza our guide at Mount Etna shared we were blessed because we could see Mount Vesuvius it was so clear, we couldn’t have had a more beautiful day and tour, we did a nice relaxing boat ride in Taromina in the Ionian Sea, we ended our travels in Palermo where our guide Lara Guida Turistica with her big smile and love of the city provided us a knowledgeable walking tour even though it was an unusually wet rainy day. Sicily is a MUST see destination!