Valeria Arcangeli

I had a hard time deciding on how many stars to rate the service we received through Valeria (per Kimkim). On one hand, Valeria was at all times professional, responsive, friendly and thorough. She helped us plan a trip to Rome and Tuscany. And, for the most part she delivered on what we asked for. However she made one very big mistake - our rental in Tuscany. We asked for a house that was walking distance to town, as we would not have a rental car. We like to bike and said we’d be happy biking into town as well. Valeria booked us into the Villa Monica which is only 2K from Greve (the nearest town). She said it was walkable and we could ride the bikes at the villa. However, the road to town is a main highway with cars going very fast and no sidewalk or walking path. No one walks on it as it is too dangerous. She also assured us there was taxi service in Greve but that is not true. There was no taxi service and no Uber, Lyft or other rideshare. This made going into town almost an impossibility. There is a bus but the schedule is unreliable. For example, one evening my daughters took the bus to pick up food only to find there was no return bus so they had to walk along the dangerous road carrying all the food. My husband tried riding one of the bikes into town but, again, the roads were very dangerous with blind turns and the bike was in terrible condition with the brakes barely working. So, with a dangerous road, no rental car and a town without taxis we were unable to go into town to have dinner or coffee etc. and grocery shopping was a huge challenge. The other problem with Villa Monica is that the photos Valeria sent did not match the reality of the home. The main floor rooms are dark with old, shabby, uncomfortable furniture and the house has a very moldy, musty smell. Luckily it was sunny enough to keep the doors open so we could air out the top two floors but the lower floors were impossible to be in due to the awful smell. The best rooms were the kitchen and sunroom. As to the bedrooms, the photos showed a room with bunk beds which we were expecting but there were only single beds so our guests had to share, 2 to a bed. Another disappointment was that the house was not well supplied so we had to buy toilet paper, paper towels, tissues, dishwashing soap and detergent for the dishwasher. That is not something I expect in a luxury rental. The gardens outside were beautiful and we enjoyed being outside. The pool was nice but the photo of the tennis court does not match the reality. It looks new in the photo but in fact it is quite old with big cracks in the concrete and clearly has not been maintained well. In sum, Villa Monica was not the luxury Tuscan villa we had expected, very inconvenient for vacationers without a rental car.

Valeria is based in Rome and it was clear she knows the accommodations there. She booked us in the Fortyseven Hotel which is centrally located, very comfortable with excellent service. We enjoyed our time there very much. Also, all the tours she arranged were excellent and we loved our guides: Marco on the golf cart, Claudia at the Vatican and Alicia on the bike trip. We learned so much and had a great time. The tours in Tuscany were fabulous. Leonardo led us on an amazing bike tour, we loved having lunch at La Piaggia as well as the farm tour and cheese tasting at Il Podele. Eleanora was our guide for truffle hunting and the cooking class and it was so interesting to talk with her about Tuscany and her love of languages. Guissepe was an amazing truffle hunter with his dog Bibi who we all loved. And the cooking class with Andrea and Eliza was incredible as well as the tour of Sandro’s vineyards and wine making operation.

Also all our transfers worked out perfectly. All drivers were punctual, professional and friendly and we are grateful for their service. We especially loved Manuel who drove us 3 times and helped us immensely.

So, Valeria did many things wonderfully well however it was offset by the poor advice on Tuscan lodging. We use travel agents specifically to avoid situations like that so it was quite a disappointment when we realized she was not familiar with Greve transportation, with the state of the villa or with anticipating how difficult it would be for - 7 people with no reliable transportation to buy food or go to restaurants, sight see in town, etc.

Hotel Reviews

Villa Monica

Greve in Chianti

Do not rent this unless you have a rental car! We asked for a house that was walking distance to town, as we would not have a rental car. We like to bike and said we’d be happy biking into town as well. Villa Monica is only 2K from Greve however, the road to town is a main highway with cars going very fast and no sidewalk or walking path. No one walks on it as it is too dangerous. Also there is no taxi service in Greve and no Uber, Lyft or other rideshare. This made going into town almost an impossibility. There is a bus but the schedule is unreliable. For example, one evening my daughters took the bus to pick up food only to find there was no return bus so they had to walk along the dangerous road carrying all the food. My husband tried riding one of the bikes into town but, again, the roads were very dangerous with blind turns and the bike was in terrible condition with the brakes barely working. So, with a dangerous road, no rental car and a town without taxis we were unable to go into town to have dinner or coffee etc. and grocery shopping was a huge challenge. The other problem with Villa Monica is that the photos do not match the reality of the home. The main floor rooms are dark with old, shabby, uncomfortable furniture and the house has a very moldy, musty smell. Luckily it was sunny enough to keep the doors open so we could air out the top two floors but the lower floors were impossible to be in due to the awful smell. The best rooms were the kitchen and sunroom. As to the bedrooms, the photos showed a room with bunk beds which we were expecting but there were only single beds so our guests had to share, 2 to a bed. Another disappointment was that the house was not well supplied so we had to buy toilet paper, paper towels, tissues, dishwashing soap and detergent for the dishwasher. That is not something I expect in a luxury rental. The gardens outside were beautiful and we enjoyed being outside. The pool was nice but the photo of the tennis court does not match the reality. It looks new in the photo but in fact it is quite old with big cracks in the concrete and clearly has not been maintained well. In sum, Villa Monica was not the luxury Tuscan villa we had expected, very inconvenient for vacationers without a rental car.

Authenticity & Character

Purchase newer more comfortable furniture in the common rooms

Location

Need a car to get into town

Cleanliness & Comfort

Get rid of the moldy smell

47 Boutique Hotel

Rome

Excellent location near the Forum, very comfortable with top rate service

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hilton Rome Airport Hotel

Fiumicino

Great hotel services: pool, gym, restaurant - comfortable, clean rooms - good vibes

Authenticity & Character

Location

Easy walk to airport terminal

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Review

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

Italy

The day visit to Siena and San Gimignano was just okay. Our guide in Siena, unfortunately, spent too much time inside a church despite the tour being advertised as mostly outdoors. We were eager to explore on our own, and this slowed the experience down.

Our concierge was to meet us at 3pm at our hotel however didn’t get there until 5pm which left us a little in the lurch. However when we did catch up he was very nice and helpful. Our guides were fantastic and very informative. The only thing I would let you know is that each guide repeated much of the same stories which was a little repetitive. Loved the places suggested however by the end of the trip we were glad not to see any more churches or relics. The number of days suggested in some of the cities were spot on. I most probably would have added one extra day in Syracuse/Ortigia. Driving should really be done from midday as everything is closed so when they arrive at hotel people can walk around when shops are opened.

Hotel Reviews

Palazzo Natoli Boutique Hotel

Palermo

Really beautiful boutique hotel in the heart of the old city close to everything.

Authenticity & Character

Decor was lovely and so clean. Breakfast for me was a little hit and miss. You tick your breakfast order a little like a hospital menu. I think they could do it different.

Location

It’s slam dunk in the Main Street. You can walk to everything.

Staff

The girls on reception were amazing and so helpful

Cleanliness & Comfort

Room was very spacious with balcony

Viacolvento Boutique Hotel

Marsala

Nice hotel just if the main road. Very nicely kept. Staff were excellent. Recommended a fantastic restaurant. Very obliging. Room was upgraded so that was excellent.

Authenticity & Character

Lovely clean hotel with exposed brick. Really nice.

Location

Marsala for us was just a pit stop. Didn’t venture out

Staff

Limited English but was really helpful.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Breakfast was continental and plenty to choose from.

Boutique Hotel Re Federico

Ortigia

Quaint Boutique Hotel right next to the sea. Loved Ortigia would have stayed one more night.

Authenticity & Character

Upgraded to a much bigger room which had separate bathroom and kitchenette

Location

Just a short walk across the street if you want a dip in the sea. You do however have to swim out quite a bit. Rocky.

Staff

Staff were very pleasant

Cleanliness & Comfort

Air conditioner needed a part to reduce the fan blowing very loudly which was fixed the following day

Hotel Foresteria Baglio della Luna

Agrigento

Outside of Agrigento but in a perfect location if you don’t want to walk the city. Otherwise it’s around 4Km to city. We preferred were we stayed as it was all inclusive beautiful grounds lovely restaurant close to beach

Authenticity & Character

It has a Tower as well as the hotel rooms surrounded by a lovely courtyard with beautiful gardens. Dinner was served outside overlooking the Temples. Gorgeous

Location

Lovely hotel get the room overlooking the Valley of the Temples.

Staff

Head waiter was superb

Cleanliness & Comfort

Had a small issue with shower overflowing on bathroom floor. But it was rectified immediately

Boutique Hotel Villa Fiorita

Taormina

Beautiful hotel in fantastic location just a couple of minutes away from all the hustle and bustle. The hotel had 6 floors. Rooms were well appointed but a little smaller than some of the other hotels we stayed in. I think we were upgraded to a balcony classic room which was very much appreciated. Breakfast was amazing. They don’t have a restaurant but they do a lovely lunch and afternoon sandwiches until 6pm. Hotel had a nice small pool which was nice to relax. I believe they are building a bigger one.

Authenticity & Character

Very well appointed. Loved it

Location

Just down the road from the main drag of Taormina

Staff

The staff were extremely attentive and very friendly.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Very clean hotel.

Activity Reviews

Piazza Armerina and Villa Romana del Casale

Italy

Guide was a history professor 82yrs old fantastic information. The Mosaics were unbelievable. Loved this so much.

Quality of Experience

Awesome mosaics. Unbelievable

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Onofrio was so expressive and informative.

Palermo Street Food Tour

Palermo

Georgio our guide was great and very informative we had a great day with him. We went to Monreal first then we walked all the way around Palermo. Really enjoyed our tasting lunch. Yum. He was lots of fun and bubbly with great history knowledge.

Quality of Experience

Excellent

Food

Street food at the fish markets

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Very informative

Transport

Self Drive with Georgio directing the traffic.

Full Day Guided Tour of Palermo - Visit Monreale

Palermo

Day Trip to Segesta & Erice

Palermo

Relics to Remember absolutely fascinating.

Quality of Experience

So interesting

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Lara was truly exuberant and was so excited to tell us all about the temples

Transport

Self drive

Guided tour of Valley of the Temples

Agrigento

What a massive area of all 4 Temples from Juno to Concordia Hercules and Zeus and the statue absolutely one of a kind

Quality of Experience

Surreal

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Simona was an excellent guide who explained all the stories about each Temple

Transport

Self drive

Cooking Class in Taormina

Taormina

Chef made the day. He was funny and hands on with everyone. Meet some lovely people. We all had fun.

Quality of Experience

It would have been nice to cook small individual dishes and taste your own stuff. It was all mixed up so you weren’t judging your own sample.

Food

Mostly all of it. We made way too much

Guides, Drivers and Staff

The chefs were very involved

Transport

Self drive

Etna Wine tasting

Italy

Unfortunately this was cancelled the day prior

Just back from a very memorable trip to Rome. Valeria set up the entire trip and it really couldn't have been better. She is a pleasure to work with and we are already looking forward to working with her for our next trip.

We were absolutely TOTALLY IMPRESSED and blown away with EACH aspect of this trip. Everything was planned perfectly and we felt 100% taken care of in every way on each step. I would highly recommend anyone to use Valeria and her amazing team for their Italy adventure! 10 out of 10!

Hotel Reviews

Ai Reali Hotel Venice

Venice

Perfect location in Venice- the rooms were so unique and fabulous! We were so thrilled to be delivered right to the door via water taxi!!

Authenticity & Character

Rooms were so unique and comfortable!

Location

Right in the center! Amazing way to arrive by water taxi!

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Porto Roca

Monterosso

WOW! This hotel has the best views and pool in the area! Gorgeous setting with a great staff. We loved it! The rooms were a bit plan and shower was small- but the overall charm was just perfect! Great bar and restaurant!!!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Corallo

Sorrento

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

47 Boutique Hotel

Rome

Great staff and wonderful location!!! Loved the rooftop restaurant and bar!!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Review

Private transfer

Italy

FLAWLESS service! The transports were on time, spotless and professional!

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Incredible trip to Italy!! Valeria helped me plan the perfect vacation for six people. She thought of every detail and her team was outstanding! Beatrice was our faithful and delightful guide throughout the entire 10 day trip. Our drivers were prompt, professional and lovely. The tour guides we had for the historical sites were PHD level and so interesting and informative. Francesco’s tour of the Vatican even produced the Pope on our visit. Just a magical trip where I didn’t have to be the expert and waste my time figuring out the logistics. It was all done for me and as a result I really was able to enjoy. I will absolutely utilize Kim Kim again! Thank you so very much Valeria and Beatrice!

Hotel Reviews

Ai Reali Hotel Venice

Venice

We were brought to the hotel by boat from the airport and it was my favorite memory of the trip. Upon arrival the hotel staff was attentive and kind. The location is fabulous. Our room was decorated in ornate Venetian style and it was so fun! This hotel is close to everything!

Authenticity & Character

Water entrance is lovely. It is tucked away in a quiet corner in an area that has everything.

Location

Close to shopping restaurants and at marks square. Walk everywhere.

Staff

Extremely attentive.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Our linens were crisp and clean.

Hotel Porto Roca

Monterosso

Quiet gem up on the hill in Montarossa. Eclectic and quaint hotel. Beautiful pool. Definitely get a room overlooking the sea! Breakfast was outstanding!

Authenticity & Character

Adorable and relaxing place her amazing views.

Location

Off the beaten path. Nice escape from the crowds.

Staff

Helpful and personally walked us to our rooms.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Our room lovely with a comfortable bed.

Hotel Corallo

Sorrento

Amazing location with amazing views! Hotel was just gorgeous with amazing service.

Authenticity & Character

Eclectic and lovely boutique hotel

Location

Gorgeous sea views and close to great Sorrento restaurants

Staff

Friendly staff that was helpful

Cleanliness & Comfort

Clean rooms with nice terraces.

47 Boutique Hotel

Rome

Cosmopolitan and modern hotel close to everything. Amazing view of ruins outside our room. Beautiful hotel.

Authenticity & Character

Modern and quaint at the same time.

Location

You can walk to the major sites. Tons of restaurants and shopping. .

Staff

So helpful from the rooftop restaurant to the hotel front desk to the bellmen. Everyone greeted us with warmth

Cleanliness & Comfort

Impeccable

Activity Reviews

Venice Gondola Ride

Venice

If you go with a group of couples it is best for each couple to get their own boat. The gondola guide was super grumpy and because of the balance of the boat my husband and my friends husband had to squeeze together and they were hot and uncomfortable and it just felt weird with the guide.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

The views were great but my husband was miserable.

Venice walking tour

Italy

Absolutely fantastic!! So much knowledge and history. Our guide answered so many of our questions and made it such a fun experience. The tide was up and we had to take our shoes off on st marks square.

Quality of Experience

Our guide was brilliant!

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Knowledge and warmth

Transport

Our guide met us at the hotel and led us on the oat amazing h walking tour.

Everything was perfect. Our hotel in Rome was spectacular and the location was perfect. Valeria and IIaria were the best!! The transportation they arranged worked out perfectly and the tour in Rome was fantastic. Thank you so much for a perfect ending to our Mediterranean Cruise.

Hotel Review

47 Boutique Hotel

Rome

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Review

Private Colosseum, Forum Tour & Palatine hill

Rome

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Alessia was amazing as were all the tour guides. All the events were seamless.

We loved our trip to Venice, Florence, and Rome. I simply did not have time to plan a trip to three cities, but the activities and tours selected were all perfect for each city. Not having to worry about transportation or getting tickets prevented a lot of stress. Having private tours to the various places of interest meant we skipped long lines and had a much more enjoyable and informative visit than if we’d done it on our own. We had time to wander around on our own as well, which my family appreciated.

Activity Reviews

Florence and Accademia City Tour

Italy

Our guide was extremely knowledgeable about the art in Florence. We spent a long time in the Galleria looking at the statue of David, and I have a much more informed appreciation of the statue than I did before. Hands down, it was better than if we’d just wandered in on our own without a guide. We visited a few other notable sites in Florence, and our guide, a nice guy to hang out with, had a lot of interesting information about the history and art of the city.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Venice Gondola Ride

Venice

I thought a gondola ride was just a touristy thing to do, and I’d heard that the canals were smelly. It’s true that here and there as we walked through Venice, occasionally there would be a section of a canal that reeked a bit, but the gondola ride itself was not on one of those sections. The ride was relaxing, interesting, and fun. It was an extremely enjoyable experience, and I would definitely do it again. I only wish it had been longer.

Quality of Experience

This was the second trip we booked with Kimkim and they exceeded our expectations once again!! From my initial call with Valeria who was our travel agent to my last interaction with the driver taking us to the airport everything was fantastic!!!
Valeria took the time to listen and get a sense of what we wanted and a designed a trip based on that. What we decided to move forward with exceeded our expectations. Ilaria handled the logistics once the agenda was decided and she also was fantastic!!! Once we arrived in Rome we were met by our concierge Beatrice who was fantastic. She provided her contact information and was simply a text away for any questions. She was very responsive!! Can’t recommend her enough!! EVERYONE who helped us was fantastic! On the way to where we were staying in Monteroni D’Arbia we stopped in Orvieto for lunch. What a beautiful town! On the way back to Rome, Lucia met us in Florence to ensure we got to our train with no problem. Cristina met us in Rome and accompanied us to our hotel to ensure there our check in was smooth.
While in Rome we did 3 tours; Rome Golf Cart, Colosseum/Forum/Palatine Hill, and Vatican tours. All 3 I highly recommend. All 3 guides were great! Highly recommend Mattia out golf cart guide, and Sylvia who was our Vatican tour guide. She made the tour so enjoyable!!
While in the Siena area KimKim arranged a winery tour to Montepulciano. That was a fantastic tour!! Our driver Leonardo was wealth of information as we drove through the countryside. We visited Boscarelli and Bindella wineries. Both great wineries, Bindella is a must to visit. The town on Montepulciano is also a must visit.
Overall on this trip a lot of beautiful memories were made with family and loved ones that was in large part due to the work Kimkim did in putting this trip together! Thanks for everything!!

Every member of Italian team was absolutely great. Starting from Sonia, who penciled in our itinerary, to Valeria, who firmed up all the details, to Deborah, who painstakingly booked every detail and of course Francesca, who was absolutely invaluable to the success of our trip as a concierge.
When everything goes well, you do not feel the importance of the local representation, but when you have a blown tire in the middle of nowhere in the foreign country and you do not speak the language, having a local team who are totally dedicated to the success of your trip, help you deal with authorities, suppliers etc. become paramount. Well it happened to us. Francesca and Deborah dealt with everything, getting us a tow truck based on our gps location, negotiated with a rental company for a new car, reminding us about tours every day, giving us directions to the most convenient parking outside ZTL and making sure that every transfer that we booked is on time. Having a local agent booking a trip is wonderful, having concierge as Franchesca is absolutely priceless and only Kimkim offers it.

Hotel Reviews

Risorgimento Resort

Lecce

Luxury hotel, excellent staff and location.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Luna Convento 4* Amalfi

Amalfi

amazing view, amazing location, wonderful rooms.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Le Alcove Luxury Hotel nei Trulli

Alberobello

We arrived to this hotel after 11 pm due to mishap with a car, yet our concierge was in touch with the staff to make sure that there was an English speaking person there to help us with luggage, parking and arrange for us to have a dinner in the nearby restaurant.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Victoria Pescara

Pescara

Best hotel in Pescara, although just a bit dated, but the staff was amazing in every way, helping us with parking. Breakfast was wonderful, location 1st class.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Above and beyound every reasonable expectation.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Dei Priori Boutique Hotel

ASSISI

Although the hotel and location were wonderful, the parking is pretty far away and nobody to help with the luggage.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Nobody there to help with the luggage

Cleanliness & Comfort

Relais Vignale & Spa

Radda in Chianti SI

Simply amazing...

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Venezia spa

Abano Terme ( PD)

Wonderful hotel, amazing, modern rooms, great location, breakfast so so in comparison to other hotels.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Balestri

Florence

This little gem offers beautiful views of a river, wonderful location and modern, renovated rooms.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Visit of The Amalfi coast Villages Full Day

Italy

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Assisi discovery

Assisi

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

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

Italy

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Private tour of Chianti wine region

Italy

We had a half a day tour of two wineries. The larger was very nice, but a bit commercialized, the smaller winery was very unique in a private house and the lunch that they offered was truly spectacular.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Private guided tour of Padova highlights

Italy

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport