Leslie Tranchina

We had a wonderful family vacation to Sestri Levante (Cinque Terre)and Rome. We were very thankful to have had a local specialist plan this trip with knowledge about which activities would work best for all members of our family. We enjoyed our stay in Sestri Levante, away from crowds, yet still on Ligurian sea and an easy trip to explore the 5 towns of Cinque Terre. We loved the restaurants there and we even ended up adding a local cooking experience to our stay in Sestri Levante at Trattoria da Turin. We would highly recommend the pasta experience to others. Family friendly, wonderful staff, and getting to eat our completed pastas at the end. We had to cancel our boat tour due to the changes in location (weather was windy and sea was choppy) but we very much appreciated Leslie’s help in making this happen. Sometimes we realize that things won’t work out as well on a trip and it was nice to have a knowledgeable person helping along the way. Ending our stay in Rome felt like it would be rushed, but we enjoyed all of the tours and recommendations that Leslie coordinated. The Coleseum/Roman forum tour was excellent and even our youngest was entertained by the information shared by our tour guide, Gigi. He was personable, knowledgeable, and comedic. The Vatican/Sistine chapel tour was an experience we were glad to have done but we did find that we were more tired during this time and the tour was probably a little long for the 10 year old. Our tour guide, Patricia, did her best to share info on the highlights and was helpful at end of tour in sharing recommendations. My family would probably say the bike tour to Apian
Way was the highlight of the trip. I also enjoyed the bike tour but I was slightly nervous about using e bikes in the city. Our tour guide, Alessandro was conscientious of this and helped us feel safe. He also shared interesting facts along the way. We enjoyed our stays in both hotels and how each one had a very different feel. It was great to have transportation to various locations figured out for us so we did not have to spend too much time figuring out tickets and transfers. Overall a great and memorable trip and we are happy we went with booking through KimKim.

Hotel Review

Hotel Due Mari

Sestri Levante

Enjoyed the character of the hotel.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Colosseum & Ancient Rome Tour with Roman Forum

Rome

Excellent tour guide, Gigi!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Gigi was knowledgeable, personable and fun. He made the experience relatable for all in our group, even the 10 year old.

Transport

Appian Way & Catacombs By E-Bike

Rome

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Overall, we had a very good experience with Kimkim and enjoyed our two-week trip to Europe. Our travel specialist, Leslie, was knowledgeable about the destinations and provided excellent suggestions for hotels and activities. Many of the recommendations contributed positively to our trip and helped us discover experiences we may not have found on our own. We especially liked Patrizia who escorted us through Bellagio. Also, our driver, Rolant spoke excellent English and was fun, which made traveling enjoyable.

However, there were several areas where the planning process could have been improved. One of the biggest issues was that the final itinerary was not provided in a timely manner. While we had shared the cities we wanted to visit, flights, and some hotels and activities we were interested in, we were not really asked which activities we specifically wanted included or excluded from the schedule. Much of the itinerary was created without our direct input, and we did not receive the finalized schedule until shortly before departure.

As a result, we ended up requesting multiple changes while we were already traveling. Although adjustments were eventually made, handling itinerary changes during the trip itself was stressful and time-consuming. In several cases, activities had already been booked and charged to us even though they were not things we were particularly interested in doing, which unfortunately resulted in lost money.

Another frustration was the lack of pricing transparency. When we requested a detailed cost breakdown for hotels, transfers, and excursions, we were told that this was not possible and that only percentage allocations could be provided. A more itemized breakdown would have helped us better understand the value of the services and make more informed decisions during the planning process.

In summary, the trip itself was very enjoyable. The destination expertise was strong, but better communication, earlier itinerary finalization, more collaboration on activity selection, and greater pricing transparency would have significantly improved our experience.

Leslie did a great job cultivating a trip for the books for us! The only miss was our hotel in Rome, which we did not like unfortunately.

Hotel Review

Eitch Borromini Palazzo Pamphilj

Rome

In short, this hotel had us wanting to go home. We had requested a LUXURY trip, and as part of this, we expected an excellent and comfortable hotel in Rome. We wanted to be well taken care of, and were paying for this experience. Our agent picked Eitch Borromini. When looking at the photos, we were pleasantly surprised. However, the reality did not match what we saw online. The one and possibly the only thing we appreciated was the location. The hotel was in Piazza Navona, and walkable to many of Rome’s fantastic attractions. We did not get to have the breakfast, but the boxed breakfast provided to us could have been a lot better. We were given crackers, jam, Nutella, and a packaged croissant. I’ve had the privilege of being at several high end hotels and asking for boxed breakfasts in various countries (including our phenomenal accommodation in Tuscany), and they were all far more nutritious, fresh, and enjoyable. However, I cannot speak to what breakfast at the hotel would have been like. Our biggest gripe was the room. The room was not very clean, it appeared dated, and unkempt. There was a lot of dirt and dust on the floor, and there was a bug problem. We killed some in the shower room, and there were flies around the room as well. The room with the toilet smelled badly as well. We were supposed to be in a luxury suite, and there was really nothing luxury regarding it. We didn’t even have any proper windows to look out of, and the iron didn’t work. Perhaps we were supremely unlucky with the room. While I understand Eitch Borromini is an old palace and has character and charm, the issues we encountered were not secondary to it being an old palace. Also, an odd thing, but in the room with the shower (the toilet/sink and shower were in different rooms), there was a locked glass door and a dark staircase that could be seen. It was quite disconcerting and as a trio of three women, we didn’t feel very comfortable. I know I would not want to stay in that room alone. Finally, the hospitality wasn’t great either. We requested some water in the evening, as they provide a complementary bottle, which we finished after a long day walking around Rome, and were told to drink the ones in the mini fridge…which they would then charge us for. We had to call twice and explain that we would not be paying for the mini fridge water, and finally about 30 minutes later, someone came with the provided complementary water. When we asked for help with luggage in the morning of our departure, they told us to bring it to the elevator first (which wasn’t that close to our room). I’ve had less “luxurious” hotels send people to help with luggage’s, or deliver a luggage cart. We were shocked that there would be no help. For a hotel that claims it’s a 5-star luxury hotel, there was nothing 5-star or luxury about it, and we should not have paid the price for staying here (assuming they were luxury prices as we did not see the breakdown when we paid kimkim). I will be coming back to Rome, and I will not be picking this hotel again.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Great central location

Staff

Needs more attentive staff, and maybe some women. No women were seen employed outside of the housekeeper.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Room was dirty and had bugs.

Activity Reviews

Colosseum & Ancient Rome Tour with Roman Forum

Rome

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Early Morning Vatican Tour

Rome

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Private Truffle Tour and Homemade Lunch

Italy

Incredible incredible incredible experience! We learned so much, and Massimo and his family were extremely welcoming. The meal with this tour was the best we had in Italy’

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

E-Biking through the scenic cypress trees of Val d'Orcia with Wine Tasting

Italy

Amazing views of Val D’Orcia and a wonderful guide. Would absolutely do this tour again! It was our favorite experience.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Cooking class and wine tasting at Castle

Italy

Phenomenal private tour and cooking experience. What a unique tour! We loved it.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Exclusive Chianti Wine Tour with a Driver at your disposal - Half-Day Tour

Italy

Great experience, we just wish we had an English speaking group. Our tour guide spent a lot of her time speaking to the Italian group before us, and we felt we were losing a lot of information when she translated.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

We very much enjoyed the activities arranged by KimKim on our trip. The wine tasting in Frasceti was phenomenal and we had a great time. I thought KimKim did a good job listening to what we wanted and creating our itinerary.

We do wish we had been more informed about how to get around on a daily basis. We had no knowledge of the bus systems and Rome was incredibly stressful. In fact, one of our guides compared getting a taxi in Rome to being tortured - he was not wrong! Getting a taxi was very difficult, if not impossible, and we could not find anyone to help us learn the bus system but it would have been very helpful to have another mode of transportation. We resorted to walking but this was sometimes an hour or more in each direction! Add that to standing and walking for a 4 hour tour (or in our case on one day, TWO tours) and our feet just about fell off by the end of the day! It definitely added a layer of stress to each day as we had to navigate how to get where we needed to be and no one had warned us about this. (For the record, Florence was not as bad and Venice was the easiest.)

We had asked KimKim about "surprise fees" and were assured that there would be none - that our payment covered everything. However, at each hotel there was an additional tax that we had to pay. This accumulated to about $160 USD for our 10-day trip. Additionally, taxi fees accounted for almost $300 USD even though we walked literally as much as we could. (Usually around 8 miles a day.) These costs were something we hadn't accounted for. In addition to these costs, a train we took was delayed by 2 hours due to a pedestrian incident on the tracks with the train in front of us. Due to this delay, our water taxi waiting for our arrival demanded to be compensated for his time (understandable) but KimKim sent us an invoice to cover that fee. We felt this to be unfair as a train hitting a person is not within our control and we were exactly where we were supposed to be per our itinerary. KimKim did pursue a refund and we were refunded partially for that cost but overall, we feel that KimKim should add a contingency amount to their trips for incidences like this that can be refunded at the end of a trip to customers if none of the contingency was used. That way customers are not being pinged to pay for an unforeseen occurrence on their vacation.

We appreciated the daily reminder from KimKim about the next day's activities; it was very helpful. All in all, despite a few general frustrations, having this trip planned for us was a good experience. KimKim did what we asked them to do and I think now that we have experienced traveling in Europe, we are more equipped to be able to plan a trip ourselves but we really would not have been able to have this Italy experience without the knowledge and assistance of KimKim.

Activity Reviews

Venice Shared Walking Tour with St. Marks Basilica & Doge's Palace

Italy

This was informative and interesting. I am happy we did this tour but probably could have done without it and been fine. Just personal preference!

Full Day Tour To Val D'Orcia and Gladietor's Fields: Montalcino, Montepulciano and Pienza with Wine and Cheese Tasting

Florence

We had a lovely day visiting these cities. No complaints except I could have used a bit more wine than we got!

Colosseum & Ancient Rome Tour with Roman Forum

Rome

The unfortunate thing about this tour was how terrible the headsets were. They cut out and were cheap and the tour group missed most of what the guide was saying. Even the guide was complaining non-stop about them! Go with another tour company with better headsets.

Highlights of the Vatican & Sistine Chapel Tour

Italy

You cannot go wrong seeing the Vatican and Sistine Chapel. Having said that, advertising this tour as "before the crowds" is not accurate. It was body to body. I have a feeling it always is unless you find a way to sneak in during the night! These things would have obviously been much more enjoyable without the crowds but when in Rome...you need to see these things.

Frascati Wine Tasting and Lunch in the Castelli Romani area

Italy

This wine tour was the best wine tour I have ever been on in my life. They give FULL glasses for tastings! The lunch was so good and so much food that neither of us could finish. It was informative and entertaining. I would go back to Italy just do this one wine tour again. I highly recommend this. The train ride from Rome to Frasceti was easy and cheap. This entire experience was amazing.

Quality of Experience

Most wine tastings are just that - a tasting. Not only was this wine delicious but they did not skimp on just letting us drink. Full glasses were provided as well as pitchers of wine during lunch. We had the best time!

Guides, Drivers and Staff

The guide for this tasting actually taught me more about wine than I have learned at any other tasting I have attended.

Transport

Very easy to get to Frasceti from Rome.

The trip was fabulous. The local team (Storywalking) and the drivers were fabulous. Leslie could have communicated a little better about the itinerary change. We found out in the middle of the trip that our itinerary had changed and for a reason that wasn't true. I didn't ask for that change. When I asked Leslie to show me the message where I had asked, she could not provide it. Was a little disappointed with Leslie.

Hotel Review

Grand Hotel Capodimonte

Sorrento

Fabulous!!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Private Capri Boat Tour and Blue Grotto

Italy

PHENOMENAL!!!!!! Boat driver was excellent

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Full Day Tour Amalfi Coast: Positano, Amalfi and Ravello

Italy

We could have been given a little more time in each city - Positano, Ravello and Amalfi. Felt a little rushed.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

The veiled mistery of Naples: inside the Sansevero Chapel

Italy

Very good

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Private Pompei & Vesuvius Experience from Sorrento

Italy

Excellent!! Guide was good!!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Private Tour to Paestum and Mozzarella Tasting

Italy

This was ok. We didn't need to spend the whole day here.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

There were many helpful things that Leslie and the KimKim team did, especially when schedules changed or connections missed, for example. The team helped us to pivot and fulfill tours as planned, as we had some flexibility in our week to do so. They helped find accommodations in Milan, train tickets, and a driver during the train strike, as well new train tickets when we missed another train for Bologna. Also, the daily reminders for the next day was extremely helpful, as we had to navigate a lot and there were six people in our group, so everyone was on the same page, and it was all so new and different territory! I would recommend KimKim to anyone who is considering, as their experience and resourcefulness was appreciated!

Hotel Review

Palazzo Talamo

Positano

The accommodations were beautiful, clean, and authentic to the area! The instructions to get in were good, and the videos for outside, key retreival, and then inside, were essential! I would add to the instructions about the uneven terrain, especially the first half of the 73+ steps, and to be prepared for that! The bus schedule was helpful but maybe more clear instructions for that would help. It was great that the bus stop was right there at the location!

Authenticity & Character

The Design inside and out!

Location

The view and bus stop.

Staff

There were no staff as it was an apartment

Cleanliness & Comfort

The beds and the bathroom and shower....

Activity Reviews

Olivia - La Residenza Dell'Orafo Hotel in Florence

Italy

Olivia really liked the accommodations and the location as well!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Olivia - Train service from Naples to Florence

Italy

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Olivia - Private Transfer from Positano to Naples Station

Italy

Olivias driver was very kind and stopped to get her a water, as she wasn't feeling well on her departure.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Day Tour to Amalfi and Ravello from Praiano

Italy

The tour was great and Pasqual our tour guide was classy, patient, and funny too! We did ask him to take us to the beach, especially for my daughter who wanted to swim in the Amalfi sea, but he didn't do that, and we did have an extra hour to spare, as he dropped us off one hour early. Perhaps he didn't want sand in the car which was beautiful and comfortable. Aside from that it was great and we had beautiful weather!

Quality of Experience

We haf a helpful navigator throughout our trip!

Guides, Drivers and Staff

They were positive, patient,knowledgeable, and professional.

Transport

Positive, patient, helpful, personable