Emily Boles

Overall, the experience exceeded our expectations. Emily put together a near perfect itinerary after a short conversation where I just brain dumped a bunch of ideas and was easy to work with to make adjustments at our request.

One thing to note is making the lemon grove experience would not have been possible with the original itinerary. The time to get a ferry from the hotel in Positano and make it to the lemon grove in Amalfi (or even a taxi) would not have been possible. I appreciate the flexibility and trying to fit everything we asked for but sometimes being told "no, this is too much" is better.

Highlights - cooking class in Tuscany, food tour in Florence, private boat tour in Positano, Vatican and Colosseum tours in Rome. All of the guides we had were remarkable - they were knowledgable, took time to answer any questions, and really helped us appreciate what we were looking at. We also really appreciated your support in Naples with the hotel situation.

The cooking class was our favorite experience of the entire trip with the private boat ride a close second. The chef was personable and made sure we had a lot of fun while we were there. The boat tour was the perfect way to end the trip - we got really lucky with the weather, the captain was great, and it was nice to sit and relax after 13 days of walking.

Misses - the self drive was a bit boring (we saw a lot of the scenery on the winery/olive oil tour) and if I were to plan this again I would have replaced this with another wine tour; going to the same vineyard for the wine tasting and the next day for the cooking class; Naples train station pickup and hotel; lemon grove experience.

For the transfer from the train station to the hotel in Naples, the driver was waiting for us across the street from the station instead of inside. It took 30 mins for me to get a hold of the company and driver to figure out where he was. When he saw us, he made no effort to come meet us to help with the bags. As we were crossing the street, my 70 year old aunt's bag got hung up on a manhole cover and she almost fell. And things went downhill from here.

The lemon grove experience was a bit boring. It was a lot of effort to get up to the orchard to only walk around for an hour and then leave. The staff was nice but the experience fell flat.

Overall, we really enjoyed the whole experience. Looking back, there will always be a few things we would have done differently or in a different order, or even cut a couple things out to go at a slower pace as we were all exhausted by the end. We will always look back fondly at this experience. Thank you for making this happen!

Details on each item:
Hotel Calimala Florence - great location, friendly staff. Only issue was street noise but hard to avoid this in a central location.
Accademia Gallery Visit with First Viewing of David - We really loved this. Getting into the museum before the crowds is the way to go and the guide was really good.
Uffizi Gallery Visit - the guide was very knowledgable about all the art and we learned a lot. Also good to do this in the afternoon as it's less crowded.
Morning Culinary Discovery Walk - This was the highlight of the Florence activities. The guide was great and all the food we got to try was really good.

Villa Lecchi - beautiful views, friendly staff. Our rooms were in the second building above the restaurant so it was noisy in the mornings and at night when there was activity in the kitchen. Overall, not a big deal but being in the main building would be quieter.
Self-Drive Through the Val d'Orcia: Vitaleta Chapel, Pienza & Tuscan Landscapes - If I were to cut one day from the trip it would be this day. The driving was enjoyable but and chapel was really cute (and a great spot for lunch) but doing a wine tour would have been a better option for us.
Private Tuscany Day Trip with Olive Oil Experience & Winery Lunch - Both were great and the driver, again, was really good.
Private Tuscan Countryside Cooking Experience - this was the highlight of our trip. Only downside was going back to the same winery we were at the day before. It would have been better to experience a different winery the day before for some variety.

Hotel Viminale - Good location, no complaints.
Wednesday Morning Sistine Chapel Visit - definitely the way to go for the chapel visit. The guide was really good and we beat the crowds. Would recommend.
Private Colosseum & Roman Forum Visit with Rooftop Aperitif - the guide was great, enjoyed this as well.
Private City Highlights Storytelling Walk - This was the least favorite activity in Rome but it wasn't bad. The guide usually does tours of the Vatican and felt a bit lost roaming the streets. She was much more comfortable inside the Pantheon and talked a lot about the art inside and the history of the building. We were also exhausted from the day before which didn't help.

Decumani Hotel de Charme - not anything like the photos. Thanks again for getting us out of here.
Private Day Trip to Pompeii - guide was an archaeologist who had been working at Pompeii for 15 years and knew everything. We really enjoyed this.

Hotel Conca D'oro - good views, really good breakfast, and friendly staff.
Lemon Grove Experience & Limoncello Tasting - least favorite of Amalfi coast.
Private Coastal Highlights by Boat with Snorkeling - perfect end to the trip

Hotel Reviews

Hotel Conca D'oro

Positano

Great location and views, staff is very friendly, good breakfast.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Decumani Hotel de Charme

Naples

Hotel is very dated and photos are misleading. The rooms are in desperate need of a renovation.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Viminale

Rome

Good location. Had a small issue with mosquitos in the lobby and room as they keep the main doors open during the day.

Villa Lecchi

Tuscany

The views from the rooms are amazing and the breakfast was one of the best we had on the trip. Only downside was water pressure and sometimes lack of hot water when too many people were using the shower at the same time on the property.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Calimala Florence

Florence

Great location, friendly staff. Only issue was street noise (hard to avoid with a central location)

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Private Colosseum & Roman Forum Visit with Rooftop Aperitif

Rome

A good way to see the Colosseum and Forum. Relaxed pace and the tour guide knew a lot about the history of both. He adjust the pace nicely as we were tired from a long day of touring but we didn't feel like we missed anything as he pointed out and explained a lot of the ruins in the Forum.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Uffizi Gallery Visit

Florence

Going in the afternoon to avoid a lot of the crowds was a plus. We did run out of time and had to rush though the last few rooms as the museum was closing.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

The guide knew a lot about art history and gave good explanations on how religious art evolved through the centuries but we ran short on time towards the end

Private Coastal Highlights by Boat with Snorkeling

Italy

Stunning views and a relaxing afternoon.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Wednesday Morning Sistine Chapel Visit

Rome

Great experience. Go early to avoid the crowds.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Lemon Grove Experience & Limoncello Tasting

Italy

You see some lemon trees and have a taste of Limoncello. It was interesting but nothing too special.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

The staff was knowledgeable and friendly.

Private Day Trip to Pompeii

Naples

The guide you have will make or break this experience. Our guide had been studying and working at Pompeii for over a decade and was able to give us a lot of insights on what life was like there and what happened when the volcano erupted.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Private City Highlights Storytelling Walk

Rome

Overall, this was good. The guide (Anna) felt a bit lost during the walking part but excelled inside the Pantheon and another church she took us to.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Private Tuscany Day Trip with Olive Oil Experience & Winery Lunch

Italy

Olive oil tasting was unique and we learned how to properly taste oil and got to experience how different the oils can taste depending on how they are blended together. The winery lunch and tasting were also good.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Self-Drive Through the Val d'Orcia: Vitaleta Chapel, Pienza & Tuscan Landscapes

Italy

The drive was enjoyable and the views were stunning but we saw a lot of the same going to wineries in the area. The highlight was the chapel and if there is an event planned on the day of your drive, you are out of luck. We were fortunate and it was open when we made the drive.

Quality of Experience

Private Tuscan Countryside Cooking Experience

Italy

The chef was great and the food we had us make was simple and delicious. Come hungry because there will be plenty to eat.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Morning Culinary Discovery Walk

Florence

Highlight of our time in Florence. highly recommend this tour.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Accademia Gallery Visit with First Viewing of David

Florence

First visit to avoid the crowds is the way to go. Make sure you are there on time because if you are late, you'll miss the window and get stuck with the crowds. Sara (our guide) was knowledgeable and hustled us around crowds to get good photos.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Everyone was amazing and showed up on time. The trip went perfectly! It really allowed us to get some local experiences that we would not have been able to do on our own. This saved us so much frustrations. I am not sure what they put on top of everything but whatever it is worth it.

This was the first time we used KimKim for a family trip to Portugal. We worked with Emily to plan a trip that would work for everyone. Emily was very patience as we changed the plan a few times. She was very knowledgeable and advised activities based on our interests. There was an incident from a local vendor during the trip but we were able to contact KimKim and they addressed it timely to our satisfaction. Overall, it was a great trip. We will definitely use KimKim again for our future trips.

Hotel Reviews

Jardim da Batalha Boutique Hotel by Shiadu

Porto

Great location. Easy walk to shopping, restaurants and interesting landmarks, Very quaint hotel. Staffs are very friendly and helpful. Great breakfast.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Very clean. However, we had some ants issues the last few days of our stay but the staffs addressed it quickly.

Nicola Rossio Hotel

Lisbon

Great central location. Very friendly staffs. Great services.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Central to everything

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Self-Guided Local Markets

Porto

We walked to the market after check-in to our hotel. It was an easy walk from our hotel. Market was clean and had everything you could want. Great food options, local gifts, fruits and vegetables. We ended up bought some local treats and took it back to our hotel for dinner that night as it started to rain and we didn't want to walk in the rain that night for dinner.

Quality of Experience

Private Day Trip to Braga & Guimarães

Porto

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Private Porto’s Harry Potter Legends: Fact, Fiction & Inspiration

Porto

We actually didn't have the Harry Potter legends walk as my husband and daughter said they weren't big on HP. However, our local guide was flexible enough to give us a tour of the city instead which was great. Afterward, we did get into the famous bookstore which was worth seeing.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Private Alfama Walk & Fado Dinner Performance

Lisbon

While the Fado dinner performance was great, the guide experience was not for us. We booked a private dinner but somehow, another couple joined us for dinner. The guide did not know where we stayed to pick us up nor he was aware of the number of people in our group so all of us didn't fit in the car. We ended up had to walk to the restaurant which we didn't have a change to explore the Alfama neighborhood. Also, we arrived late so the show already started. Because the group is larger than expected, we all share a table in a corner which then was very hot. Then after dinner, the guide told the group that we had to decide which group will leave first as his car doesn't fit everyone.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Private Fish Market Visit with Seafood Lunch

Porto

This was our favorite activity of the trip! We started the day with a little car trouble but our guide used her personal car to take us on the trip so we don't get stuck in traffic. The fishing village was where she grew up so the tour was very intimate. We had an amazing seafood lunch in the local market. Everything was fresh and delicious! We were able to pick out our own fish from the market and the restaurant grilled it for us. We enjoyed this experience very much!

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Would give it a 5 if it wasn't for the car trouble initially

Local Secrets Excursion by Van

Lisbon

It was a good exposure to everything Lisbon on our second day. Marta, our local guide, drove us to places that we would not know or be able to explore on our own. Since she was born and raised in Lisbon, her perspective and knowledge was greatly valuable.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Private Transfer From {{start_location}} to {{end_location}} via Óbidos & Nazaré

Portugal

It was one of our favorite days seeing Obidoas and Nazare on our way to Porto. Obidos was a charming medieval village and worth a stop to see. Nazare was a little busier and a surfing city so it was nice to see but we didn't spend much time there. Our driver was very pleasant and knowledgeable of the areas.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Private Sintra & Cascais Day Trip with Pena Palace & Quinta da Regaleira Visit

Lisbon

The private trip to Sintra & Cascais Day trip was fabulous. We were able to bypass the long line and get in to the park as soon as we get there. It made the visit more enjoyable. Pena Palace was amazing and worth the visit. Our local guide, Louis, was very pleasant and knowledgeable. We enjoyed his company and learned much about Portugal culture and history from this trip.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Our guide Louis was awesome!

Transport

Each of our guides in the various parts of the trip were superb. We really enjoyed our two guides in Lisbon - especially the guide from "We hate tours" as he was really knowledgeable, hard working and informative. Food was delicious and we really enjoyed our tour of the 2 palaces in Sintra. We also enjoyed Obidos and Nazare before going to Porto.

The accommodations were also wonderful - great locations and hotel selections.

Areas of improvement:
- Recommendations of restaurants or areas to visit when we had downtime; even scheduling some resevations ahead of time for us would have been helpful.
- We arrived at our hotel by 9am and breakfast was not included that day and we had a full day until rooms were ready at 3pm. They held our bags, but would have been nice to grab a meal included as most places were not even open yet.
- We had a full day in Lisbon on the day we arrived with no plans- would have been helpful to have our city tour this day instead of having that be day 3 of Lisbon. We ended up going to belem on our own but some guidance would have been helpful.
- Some of the Fado tour and the driving tour around lisbon overlapped so it felt a bit repetitive on where we went and what we did. Also the Fado location for restaurant and dinner was closed so our guide had to find another restaurant with Fado for us to go to. He worked hard and found a great place, but it was odd that our original place was closed without notice.
- The timing of the tours that were proposed were not accurate, especially the day trip to Sintra and surrounding areas. Due to high season, and major issues with finding parking in and around the palaces and town, we got back to our hotel 3 hours later than was intended on our guide. While we enjoyed the tours, we had to truly cut short our last city visit as we had dinner reservations that we would have been charged for had we not been there in time. In the future, the driver should either drop us off so he can find parking and we can walk around, or there should be better parking locations or have parking factored in somehow. It was more walking due to not parking close to city center in Sintra.
- would have been nice to have included a one day trip to the Duoro Valley. Our walking tour was great though and the port wine tour were great - they could have been combined on one day to allow for Duoro valley on one day.

Hotel Reviews

AlmaLusa Baixa & Chiado

Lisbon

Great location and great breakfast included

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Torel Palace Porto

Porto

We were upgraded and really enjoyed our accommodations and the breakfast included.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Gaia Port Tasting Walk

Portugal

We thought this was supposed to be small group but there were 15-16 people on the tour. Would have liked a smaller group experience as we had discussed, but we enjoyed the 3 wineries selected.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Local Secrets Excursion by Van

Lisbon

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Private Alfama Walk & Fado Dinner Performance

Lisbon

The restaurant we went to was wonderful - it wasn't the one that you had planned for us as that one was closed and the guide had to find somewhere else.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Private Transfer From {{start_location}} to {{end_location}} via Óbidos & Nazaré

Portugal

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Self-Guided Local Markets

Porto

We did this in about 30 min during our walking tour. Didn't need separate time for this

Hidden City Guided Walk

Porto

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Private Sintra & Cascais Day Trip with Pena Palace & Quinta da Regaleira Visit

Lisbon

We enjoyed this tour the most of any of the days on the trip. The Pena Palace tour was wonderful and not busy when we attended The full day was 3 hours longer than was planned due to travel times, parking locations being far away and requiring a lot of walking to get to and from starting locations.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Finding parking spots was difficult and added time to our tour

i'm sure the spelling of names will be wrong? nick of e motion good historian and guide. chavier of the second tour to Fatima by e bike..... thanks for introducing me to google maps and whatsapp🤣 He also inspired me to do the tour alone, no one else signed up🤷‍♂️. Valez was very knowledgeable about the wine business, he owns one!
As usual i had Emily as backup for everything . Everyone showed up on time. I can't wait to use Kim Kim for my next adventure 👍😄

Hotel Reviews

Hotel Britania Art Deco

Lisbon

like an art deco museum. Omar the bar tender had great stories

Authenticity & Character

remolded to the original design

Location

it's near all the high end shopping and walking distance to everything.

Staff

they let me park right outside the front door!

Cleanliness & Comfort

Casa de São Domingos

Peso da Régua

Manwel was a great host , answered all my questions and gave great recommendations. The place is a beautiful family home, decorated like a fine European mansion. Breakfast was incredible each morning !!!!!

Authenticity & Character

like a fine family home.

Location

it's on hill side near a main road

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Scenic N222 Drive with Boat Ride & Wine Tasting

Peso da Régua (Douro Valley)

Vazquez a local vineyard owner was full of knowledge about the wine industry !!!

Quality of Experience

i

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Bike Through The Vineyards

Portugal

David another great guide with a lot of local knowledge !!!!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Cycle from Nazaré to Fátima

Nazaré

chavier (sp) it's was just me, no one else signed up! we kept in contact at a few points but i made with his help!

Quality of Experience

it was spiritually moving

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

guide functioned as a sag wagon

E-Bike the Atlantic Road Cycling Path

Nazaré

nick was a great guide, perfect mix of history and scenery

Quality of Experience

the group was a good mix.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

nick was very personable, informative and he chose a great breakfast stop

Transport

This trip to southern Portugal represented an add-on to our original trip, and as such, was a bit more challenging to plan since we were already a bit tired. The boat tour was the highlight for me, and the hotel in Lagos was lovely. Also enjoyed the ATV drive—the driver was particularly sensitive and kind, so he stood out for me as well. Unfortunately, I succombed to a cold by the end and missed the last day’s activities, but I understand it was very much appreciated by my group.