Rita Pagano

We had a great trip, my third this year with KimKim. My ONLY feedback is about Naples. Having never been to the area, I did not know how crazy it is!!! I wish we had some advice from our agent to explain what it was like. We might have been better suited closer to Sorento or the coast. Our apartment was amazing, we had a great time and Pompeii was unbelievable, but it was so loud in the City center!! Maybe if our advisor had mentioned this we would have made a different choice BUT, don’t get me wrong we had fun - it just was CRAZY in Naples and our apartment faced the street and it was so loud all night!

Thanks again, KimKim travel!! I recommend you often and you know I’ll be back!

Hotel Reviews

Hotel Piazza Bellini & Apartments

Naples

Beautiful hotel and apartment!! We loved that - the location was brutal. It was SO loud, the city center stays awake all night and our apartment faced the street. No sleep in Naples for us!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Loud!!!!

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

The Glam

Rome

Amazing! Clean, roof top bar, everything is in walking distance!!!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Walked everywhere after an amazing hotel breakfast!!

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Antiche Figure

Venice

Amazing, great location and included a trip to Murano!! We loved Venice!!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Right on the Grand Canal!!! Perfect!

Staff

They were all so nice and helpful!!!

Cleanliness & Comfort

Great hotel and breakfast!

Activity Reviews

Get Inside the Colosseum with Arena Access

Italy

This was amazing - being in the first group in made the day amazing!!!! The sun rose above the colosseum and it was amazing!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Testaccio Market: A Local Food Experience

Rome

OMG so delicious and what a great exposure to the food of the area. Amazing day!!!!

Quality of Experience

Food

The food at the market and the lunch - UNREAL!!!!

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Discover Venice: From St. Mark's Basilica to the Doge’s Palace

Venice

We were lucky to be with just us and the guide - amazing!!! We loved our guide, the tour and the history!!!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Well we didn’t have any!

Venice after Dark: A Cicchetti & Wine Experience

Venice

This was so fun - we were exhausted from traveling but this tour showed us the side of Venice we wanted to see!

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

* We really enjoyed our stay at The Glam. The hotel was ideally located and close to many historic sites which allowed us easy access by walking or taxi. The hotel was comfortable and the breakfast was very good.
* Campo de Fiori, Jewish Ghetto and Trastevere Food Experience was an excellent, memorable experience. Our guide, Lisa, was outstanding.
* Private Guided Tour of the Colosseum and the Roman Forum was another wonderful experience. Our guide was able to navigate us through the crowds and provide us with the history we needed to bring the surroundings to their former glory. She was a very knowledgable and personable guide.
* Taking the train to Sorrento was a little overwhelming if you aren’t an experienced train traveler. We were targeted by a young person who impersonated a railway employee offering to help us. She showed us how to read the schedule and grabbed our bags to take to the appropriate platform. When the train arrived, she carried them onto the train. Then she demanded that we pay her 20 euros per person for the “service I provided.” We were all tired and flabbergasted at this point, so we gave it to her. Later we realized, we had been scammed. I recommend that you warn others to watch for this type of con at train stations. Most 70 year old Americans don’t travel by train, so they aren’t accustomed to the machinations of train stations. We are perfect targets.
* Sorrento - the town is quaint, but very, very over crowded. This part of the journey did not start well. Our driver dropped us off at the wrong apartment, so we stood outside of it with our luggage trying to communicate with the apartment caretakers via cell phone about where we were. When he finally figured out that the apartment was the wrong one, he told us to grab our luggage, and he told us where to walk . He met us along the way.
* Villa Sofia - I cannot recommend it to anyone. The beds were extremely hard and left the four of us with back aches. Frankly, it was like sleeping on a board. There was no shampoo, no bath soap and one large towel per adult for a three-day stay. Every Air B&B where I have stayed has basic amenities. The decor was authentic Italian style which would be a plus for some travelers. It did not compensate for the negative aspects of the villa.
* Private driver along the Amalfi Coast - excellent! Our driver deserves a medal for his skills in navigating the twists and turns of those steep mountain roads!! He provided us with interesting facts and history about the towns along the Amalfi Coast, and reserved a restaurant for us where we had an incredible meal overlooking the Mediterranean. We stopped in two of the towns where we had sufficient time to explore and shop. He crafted the time according to our needs. He was an outstanding guide.
* Capri Islnd and Anacapri - beautiful island, but the day was overloaded. There were too many activities planned for this day. By the time we took a boat to the island, rode a jeep to the top, jumped on a cable car, took a tram, etc., we were exhausted. There was no down time to explore on our own. The guide was pushing us to the next activity. She was good friends with the other guides; they kept telling us how good our guide was. It was like attending a sorority party of guides. The chosen restaurant was terrible. We were stuck in a corner with no view and our waiter was the rudest server I have ever encountered. I asked if I could have my dressing on the side. He yelled out, “IMPOSSIBLE!” He never came back to the table. The next waiter was not much better. Our guide had to intervene because the waiters could not understand basic English. I recommend a different restaurant for future travelers!
* Free day - we really appreciated a free day to roam around!
* Hotel Palazzo Vannoni - we loved this hotel! The original frescos on the ceilings were magnificent! The owners were so welcoming and hospitable. Levanto is the perfect place to stay. It is not overly crowded and allows easy access to the rail system connecting the villages of Cinque Terre. Exploring the villages is a unique and incredible experience; those memories will last a lifetime.
* Hiking and Wine Experience - this was an exhilarating experience! My husband and I cannot give enough kudos to our guide, Elizabeth. She was the best of the best!! There were several moments when my courage lagged on those mountain trails, and she rallied the adventurer in me. Our hike was followed by a delicious wine and food tasting experience. Elizabeth made sure we were returned safely back to our hotel. She wins the prize for most outstanding guide in our journey.
* Connection to Florence - I’m not sure how there was no advanced knowledge that a railway connection was closed causing a last minute change in the itinerary to be made that ended up costing over $500. Usually railway construction projects are communicated far in advance. Regardless, two railroad connections schlepping luggage is too much for most American senior citizens.
* Hotel ll Guelfo Bianca - great hotel centrally located in Florence. We were able to support the local economy in the central market, view the Duomo, and walk among the beautiful pieces of art and architecture that is found everywhere in this amazing city. The hotel prepared an early breakfast for us because we were picked up at 3:30 a.m. to be taken to the airport.

Hotel Reviews

Hotel Il Guelfo Bianco

Florence

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Palazzo Vannoni

Levanto

Authentic frescos on the ceiling. Warm and friendly staff. Fantastic location.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Villa Sofia

Sorrento

The beds were extremely hard. The amenities provided were sparse. Be prepared to bring your own shampoo and bar soap. Only one large towel was provided per adult for a three-day stay.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

The Glam

Rome

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Cinque Terre Hiking & Wine Experience

Italy

Day Excursion to Capri Island and Anacapri

Italy

OVERCROWDED itinerary

Private Full Day Amalfi Experience

Italy

Private Guided Visit of the Colosseum & Ancient City

Rome

Campo de’ Fiori, Jewish Ghetto and Trastevere Food Experience

Rome

Our trip to Portugal was incredible. We loved the walking tour, led by Alex who was well informed on the history of Lisbon. He spent extra time with us and also introduced us to Ginja.
All of our preset pickups were punctual and the boutique type hotels were in great locations.

Miguel, our guide on the tour to the Douro wine region was very knowledgeable of the area and a great historian. The area and views of the wineries were absolutely stunning. Miguel introduced us to ‘green wine’ and he knew a tremendous amount about US history, so he was prepared to engage with the Americans, as well.

Our drive to Nazaré and Obidos then back to Lisbon from Porto was a fantastic day of learning and traveling the countryside. Nuno was our driver, he was prompt and allowed us to spend as much time as we wanted in both cities. Both cities are worth taking the time to see.

After filling out the questionnaire for our upcoming Italy trip, we were very specific on what we wanted to see and how those places/attractions should be teenage friendly. We heard nothing but good things pertaining to Kim Kim, especially since friends of ours have used KimKim many times. After going back and forth with Rita, she told me that she couldn't move forward with any other modifications until we committed to the trip. I was upset by this since I didn't feel like she was listening to what I was saying in regards to modifying the trip to be catered more to what I was asking her to do. However, we proceeded to pay the deposit. Once payed she seemed open to change a few other things, but was still not listening. We would get generic answers. After finally finalizing the trip, we ran into several issues once we were on the trip. Once the trip started, we never heard from Rita again. The number provided was for her helpers, and at one point, we couldn't even get a hold of anyone when we couldn't find our tour guide. What really upset us was when we were in Tuscany. I explained to Rita, prior to the trip, that we would need accommodations that had food service available. My husband and I were set for a private winery and lunch. The destination was 40 minutes from our hotel. Rita didn't plan correctly and when it looked like we were going to be 25 minutes late for the lunch, Rita's helper called to tell us that the time would be deducted from our tour and lunch. We were quite upset, especially since our driver showed up 20 minutes early and got us to the hotel early. It was still the error of Rita and her planning. On top of it, the hotel did NOT offer food service. On a positive note, she did plan a Venetian Mask class and a Pizza and Gelato cooking class that we all loved. All in all...we were greatly disappointed because we paid a lot of this trip and at several times throughout the trip, her lack of detail caused several unnecessary issues. I do believe that KimKim has many trip planners so as a whole I would still recommend the KimKim group to plan trips. We used a different guide for our Greece portion and Chris was absolutely stellar!

Hotel Review

Torciano Hotel Wine & Winery - Vecchio Asilo Agritourism

San Gimignano

The hotel was a boutique style and only had a few rooms. The view from our window was exactly what I envisioned Tuscany to look like. Rows and rows of rolling hills filled with grapes. It was beautiful and the hotel was quaint and clean.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Private Visit of Taormina with a Local

Italy

Our guide was FANTASTIC! Since it was a private tour, we were able to express our wants right from the start. She was super nice and her 'cliff note' information about Sicily was exactly what we asked for. We were able to move at our own pace and stop in stores for some shopping whenever we wanted. Sicily is absolutely beautiful.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Golf Cart Experience in Rome by Night

Rome

We had the best time! Our driver was young and very funny. Our group likes to laugh and have a good time and that is exactly what happened. Once our driver realized that we had already been to most of the places on his itinerary , he improvised and we loved it! B/c it was a private tour, we were able to adjust the tour for our needs and wants!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Campo de’ Fiori, Jewish Ghetto and Trastevere Food Experience

Rome

This was a great way to experience food like the locals do. It was a small group experience, which was fun. The food and drinks were delicious and our guide was fun and easy to talk too!

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Private Guided Visit of Vatican Museums & Sistine Chapel

Rome

We purposely booked this as a private tour so that we could get into the Vatican early before the heat and the large crowds. We informed our guide that we wanted brief descriptions of the important spots so that we could experience the Vatican before overly crowded. Our guide either didn't know how to shorten her tour information, or just didn't listen. She became upset with parts of our group when they began walking away after 10/15 minutes of standing in the same spot. We again, tried to let her know that we didn't need so much information, but it feel on deaf ears. By the time we made it to the Sistine Chapel it was packed and we were rushed to move through b/c of the crowds.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Private Guided Visit of the Colosseum & Ancient City

Rome

The tour was a bit too long, but our guide was very knowledgeable. One thing we wish we would have done was to include the tour of the underground arena.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Vineyard Lunch in Chianti

Italy

Once we arrived, it was like sitting in a picture! The views were absolutely STUNNING and the tour of the vineyard was perfect. The staff were top notch and the wine was flavorful and delicious. The winery also makes olive oil and honey on property. Our lunch wine pairing was DELICIOUS... literally some of the best ravioli I've ever eaten. The view from our quaint little table was so perfect, I didn't want to leave. The wine was so good that we have a case being shipped to our home in Texas in October.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Pizza and Gelato Crafting Workshop

Florence

So fun and delicious! We all had a hands on experience and the food was delicious. Great family experience!

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Private Guided Visit of Florence Including Michelangelo's David

Florence

Not sure what to say about this tour. I'm not sure if it was the tour or the tour guide that was disappointing. Our guide was nice and friendly, but after telling her our wants about keeping the historical information basic and not to go into too much detail (esp. since it was a private tour), we felt like she wasn't listening to us. We also felt that the places we walked to and that she went into the greatest detail on were. not what we saw as important highlights to Florence. However, the items like Michelangelo and the statue gardens, were just touched on and was literally a walk through. We were disappointed in the tour as a whole.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Evening Wine Tasting & Cicchetti Experience

Venice

We enjoyed this walking tour very much. It was a small group experience and we were excited to try all the local foods.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Privately Guided Visit of Venice: St. Mark's Basilica & Doge's Palace

Venice

Let me say this, it was extremely hot and there really isn't any air conditioning, so we were really hot. Our guide was friendly and knowledgeable, but at times, a bit boring. I think what we realized (esp. with a 13/15 year olds) is that we many need the cliff notes version of the guided tour, rather than the long drawn out version.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Family Workshop: Decor Your Own Venetian Mask

Venice

This was SO FUN! Our family of 4, which includes a 13 &15 year olds) loved this. We all made our own masks and our teacher, Julia, was terrific!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Scenic Navigation through the Grand Canal

Venice

Mateo was an amazing tour guide! He was full of knowledge and was easy to talk with . The views from our private water taxi were so pretty!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Absolutely seamless experience! All our drivers were where they said they would be, when they said they would be, and were friendly and attentive. All of the guides for the many tours we took were so incredibly knowledgeable and friendly, we never felt rushed to hurry through any of our planned activities. It was an amazing and memorable trip, made possible with the meticulous planning of Rita and her colleagues at kimkim.

Planning with Kim Kim and Rita was VERY easy and our 19 day trip was FABULOUS!!! We were very impressed with every tour we went on, accommodations, and transportation services. The communication during the trip was immediate and thorough when we reached out to Kim Kim. We definitely will use Kim Kim again for future trip planning! We Highly recommend Kim Kim!

Hotel Reviews

Unico Relais

Napoli

Rooms are very nice, staff is very friendly and helpful.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Monte Cenci

Rome

Very clean, Comfortable, quiet hotel in a great location! Very friendly staff!

Authenticity & Character

Very nice rooms and ammenities

Location

Staff

So friendly and helpful!

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Il Guelfo Bianco

Florence

Hotel is nice and clean, friendly staff, cute boutique style.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Easy to walk everywhere from hotel!

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Carnival Palace

Venice

Hotel was clean, friendly staff and comfortable rooms. Morning breakfast buffet was excellent! Location of hotel Is in a nice quiet part of Venice! We so enjoyed our stay!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Nice quieter part of Venice and still so easy to walk to everything!

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel The Square Milano Duomo

Milan

The hotel was very clean, comfortable rooms, and the amazing breakfast each morning. Excellent location! We Cannot praise the desk staff enough! We were in great need of their help with some luggage transport and they helped us above and beyond their duties. We very much appreciated their help!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Close to so many sites and easy to walk everywhere!

Staff

Very friendly and helpful!

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

A Guided Visit Inside Pompeii’s Ancient Walls

Naples

Pompeii is worth the visit. We sooo enjoyed Seeing it. Highly recommend seeing it.

Quality of Experience

Transportation and the tour

Guides, Drivers and Staff

There was difficulty with transportation AC and it was of no fault of driver and guide but they were having trouble understanding the issue occurring for all the passengers and not listening to the passengers. The tour guide of the actual site was hard to hear

Transport

AC did not work

From Market Stalls to Street Food: Discovering Naples

Naples

Fun evening experiencing Naples local scene and so much delicious food!!!

Quality of Experience

So fun and everyone was so friendly everywhere we went! Excellent food!!!!

Food

All the food was DELICIOUS!

Guides, Drivers and Staff

The tour guide was bery personable, gave us a great tour of the local scene of Naples! Highly recommend!

Discover the Vatican: From the Museums to the Sistine Chapel

Italy

A must see and soooo worth being on this tour, skipping the very long lines to get in and amazing to see!

Quality of Experience

The site, the tour guide, the small number of our tour group.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Tour guide did an excellent job!!

Get Inside the Colosseum with Arena Access

Italy

Excellent tour! Amazing to see! A must see site!

Quality of Experience

Tour guide was amazing!

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Tour guide knew her history and gave an excellent tour!

The Milan Aperitivo on Navigli Canals: A Taste of Milanese Life

Milan

We really enjoyed this beautiful evening walking to the couple Bars for a drink, appetizers and the tour guides recommendation for our dinner.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Interacting more

Florence on Foot: Michelangelo’s David & Duomo

Italy

Excellent tour of the city when tight on time! We enjoyed it so much and our guide was amazing!!

Quality of Experience

Our tour guide!

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Excellent!

Discover Venice: From St. Mark's Basilica to the Doge’s Palace

Venice

Tour was EXCELLENT! Tour guide was so i formative and knew her history well. She was able to answer all of our many questions. Beautiful tour!! Highly recommend!

Quality of Experience

Guide was awesome! Enjoyed it being a private tour!

Guides, Drivers and Staff

I am so happy with the service level, organization, details, and help with my trip to Italy. This was my first trip to Europe so I was nervous to plan this myself. KimKim (Rita) were magnificent to work with. Every detail was planned perfectly. Communication was excellent. Tours, transfers, trains etc. were so easy. The app we used on our trip was organized and user friendly. We had a little issue with a transfer while in Amalfi Coast and KimKim fixed it with no issues and very quick to respond. I highly highly highly recommend KimKim for your next travel destination. I am already planning another trip and will use KimKim again!

Truly an amazing trip!! We visited many towns and villages from North of Porto to Southwest of Lagos. Spectacular views of natural beauty and friendly knowledgeable guides and people! Rita from the KimKim team was great to work with to get our literary set up. She provided quick communication and coordinated our trip. All our hotels were great with amazing breakfasts which were included.

The Trip Plans app was excellent to reference and all necessary trip details, directions, and information were readily available at our fingertips. We were able to use the "chat" function to message the Espiritu Travel team and they were very quick and helpful to respond. We had very minor issues and they addressed and expedited resolve via the "chat" function. Our guides and drivers were excellent, friendly, and over accommodating.

Guides that we worked with, all were knowledgeable, accommodating, and excellent! Natalia - Lisbon Culinary Tour, Marta David - Lisbon Tour, Emanual Maia - Porto Tour, Elana - Peneda-Geres National Park Tour (breathtaking trails and views...amazing waterfalls and small village in the National Park).

Renting a car was easy and an excellent way for us to see so many cool places! Evora, Coimbra, Alvor, Carvoeiro to name a few! Our visit to a local winery and group lunch setting under an Olive tree was wonderful! The food and hosts were excellent!

This was truly and amazing trip of a life-time and I highly recommend it to anyone one who loves history, adventure, scenic beauty, and views!

Hotel Reviews

Hotel Melia Lisbon Airport

Lisbon

This hotel was very close to the airport. We stayed here our last day in Portugal. We ate dinner in the restaurant attached and it was good. The breakfast offered is in the same restaurant and has tons of options. The rooms were large and comfortable. The outlet at the bathroom that is part of the blowdryer would not let me plug in it may have been overused so I could not use my straightener but that is a petty concern. The shuttle took us to the airport pretty much on time it ran every 15 minutes.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Mercure Porto Centro Aliados

Porto

Perfect location in Porto. There is a restaurant in the hotel and a few just outside the door. The rooms were small but clean. We never really had a cool room, we did advise the front desk we thought the air conditioning might not be working but nothing really came of it. We did sleep with our window opened which automatically turns the air off as it was just too hot in the room. The breakfasts were a mix of cold and hot options. They were yummy. The staff was accomodating. There is a warm pool there we did not use but very pretty.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Sapientia Boutique Hotel

Coimbra

This hotel was hard to find. It literally is down a small alley. It is a unique and beautfuil hotel. We were upgraded to a jr suite. You walk in there is a sitting area with a kitchenette then the bedroom and bathtoom were upstairs. We were very tired when we arrived and only stayed one night. The breakfast was an offer of cold and warm options. The staff was frinedly. Overall a great place but parking is difficult and it is not the easiest to get to.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Lagos Avenida Hotel

Lagos

The hotel lobby is beautiful. The location is across the street from the drawbridge to go across to restaurants and shops. This location is in walking distance from the area that has many restaurants and shops and also the farmers market and fish market are very close as well. The rooms were small but very clean. They divided the bathroom area from sleeping area with a curtain. The set up actually reminded me of a hospital room in the United States. It was unique. Staff was frinedly. This hotel has the absolute best breakfast in an attached restaurant. They offer off a menu and there is a buffet of items. All food at this breakfast was amazing.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

MeraPrime Gold Design Hotel

Lisbon

Hotel was in the perfect location. The breakfast was decent with a hot and cold selection. The rooms were not very large but clean with a large bathroom. There were complimentary snacks and drinks in the refrigerator. Staff were friendly. They were very helpful when we needed a taxi to the rental car location from the hotel. Overall a great place for our first few days in Portugal.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Peneda-Gerês National Park Experience: Easy Hike & Cultural Experience

Porto

The National park was beautiful! Great nature hikes to waterfalls and swimming in the pools surrounding them. Was such a great experience and totally unique and awesome! Elena did an excellent job of taking us around the park, lunch, and a walk in the local villiage. She provided great insight and information about the park and people. She even had us help plant a few tree seedlings and water them for future planting to replenish the forrest. It was a great day and well worth our time. We are so glad we did this excursion!!

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Private Guided Visit of Porto

Porto

Our guided tour was very thorough and infomative! Emanual Maia knew so much history and information. He helped us better understand Portuguese culture and life. Emanual took us to many interesting places that we would not have found on our own. Additionally, he made several restaurant recommendations and sent me links to them to explore later. Emanual was an excellent guide. He was very friendly and personal and treated us like family.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Boat Excursion Inside Benagil Caves

Portugal

Our boat tour included awesome coastal views of cliffs and beaches. The caves were amazing. Our boat operators and guides were very happy and knowledgable. They joked around alot and made everyone feel comfortable.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Private Day Excursion: Sintra, Cascais & Estoril

Spain

Marta was extremely knowledgable and was willing to talk about many various topics. She was very personable and knew here way around to provide us with the best experience possible!

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Lisbon Roots: A Walk Through Flavors & Tradition

Portugal

Very nice tour and walk. Natlalia took us off the beaten path to many small local extablishments. All were excellent and the proprietors were friendly and talkative.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff