Your Custom Journey

Our experience with kimkim has once again been nothing but the best. The ability to customize an itinerary to my specific desires is the best part of this service. Once we told Fabio what our interests are and the type of vacation we wanted to experience, Fabio gave us excellent choices and suggestions.

Since we are very into experiencing culture through food, we set up a food tour in Sorrento. Now, this food tour was not like ones we have experience before- where you go to local... read more

Our experience with kimkim has once again been nothing but the best. The ability to customize an itinerary to my specific desires is the best part of this service. Once we told Fabio what our interests are and the type of vacation we wanted to experience, Fabio gave us excellent choices and suggestions.

Since we are very into experiencing culture through food, we set up a food tour in Sorrento. Now, this food tour was not like ones we have experience before- where you go to local restaurants and sample traditional foods. This food tour started on a cheese farm, traveled to a family owned pizza shop where we made our own pizzas, and ended on a lemon farm! It was one of my most memorable days. We learned so much, about the way of the people and how it shaped the food/culture. I highly recommend this tour for those who really want to explore an authentic side of Italy.

Another favorite day was the trip to Ischia to experience a day at the hot springs. We choose to go to the water park Negombo. This park was most breathtaking- the natural beauty of the island was kept intact, well manicured, and the pools were all full of different features. I would recommend a day here to anyone looking to unwind.

We really enjoyed our hiking guide from our Path of Gods hike. It really is a wonderful experience to get to know the history from a local. He was very informative and able to open our eyes to things we would have never known about along that hike.

We loved each hotel that Fabio picked for us. It was only until we stayed at each hotel and experienced the city highlights that we could fully appreciate the optimal locations picked out for us! Thank you for that. Our favorite hotel was Hotel Corallo- the costal views were unbeatable.

Every driver was very punctual, professional, and friendly. A very special thank you to the driver who picked us up on May 13 from the Naples train station to our hotel, (we apologize, we cannot remember their name), they were with Ms. Deborah and while we were reviewing our itinerary details for future drop off/pick ups and excursions, he was very attentative to details and helped point out small tips for us.

It was great having a personal concierge in Italy, having Mrs. Daniela help us through any details that we were unsure of was very reassuring. Her availability and ability to help us at any time was greatly appreciated.

We cannot wait to plan another trip with kimkim! We don’t know where and we don’t know when, but we do know that it will be amazing.

Hotel Reviews

Hotel Corallo

Sorrento

Overall Rating

Hotel Review

Staff were very friendly and helpful The hotel was very clean, the costal views were unbeatable Even the breakfast buffet was really good, lots of options and very tasty

Cleanliness & Comfort

Staff

Authenticity & Character

Location

47 Boutique Hotel

Rome

Overall Rating

Hotel Review

Great location to experience so much in Rome, the location makes a lot of highlights walkable. The rooms are very modern and the inside garden/patio is adorable.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Staff

Authenticity & Character

Location

Activity Reviews

Sorrento food tour

Italy

Overall Rating

Activity Review

I loved every part of this food tour. The hosts were so charming, so genuine, and fun to be around. Learning about the cheese farm was most enjoyable, and of course eating the best cheese I have ever had was an amazing experience.

Transport

Guides, drivers and staff

Quality of Experience

Pasta Making Class in Rome ( group tour)

Rome

Overall Rating

Activity Review

Our chef that walked us through how to make traditional pasta was great! Talking about food and tips/tricks in the kitchen was a great experience. She was very patient and helpful. Of course, the best part of this is eating the food that you made!

Transport

Guides, drivers and staff

Quality of Experience

My husband and I had a wonderful 8 day tour of Italy. We had excellent communication with our local specialists Barbara during the entire length of the trip. Sonia was extremely helpful in providing various trip options and helping us customize the trip to our liking.

Thank you for making each day a highlight and memorable part of our trip. We especially loved hiking up to Lagazuoi, Col de Bos and Tofana di Rozes in Cortina d’Ampezzo . Our local guide
Chiara was exceptional and we now... read more

My husband and I had a wonderful 8 day tour of Italy. We had excellent communication with our local specialists Barbara during the entire length of the trip. Sonia was extremely helpful in providing various trip options and helping us customize the trip to our liking.

Thank you for making each day a highlight and memorable part of our trip. We especially loved hiking up to Lagazuoi, Col de Bos and Tofana di Rozes in Cortina d’Ampezzo . Our local guide
Chiara was exceptional and we now have a great understanding of the history behind the Dolomites that we hiked to.

We had high expectations for Chianti - the Tuscany trip, but the actual sights and experience exceeded them! Local expert Jessica was extremely helpful and friendly to have shown us the best of the countryside. We can’t wait to try what we learned in the cooking class!

The Kimkim specialists Sonia and Barbara helped us through some last minute changes in our plans and quickly changed our train reservations, pick up options and guided us on obtaining a covid test prior to leaving.

Overall, we would highly recommend both Italy and the Kimkim team. We are definitely planning to come back!

Hotel Review

HOTEL de LEN

Cortina d'Ampezzo

Overall Rating

Hotel Review

Fantastic service, picturesque location, and comfortable stay with the latest in Scandinavian design! We thoroughly enjoyed our stay at this hotel, especially the luxurious spa experience with Dolomites in the foreground! The staff was especially courteous and ensured our stay was taken care of in every way.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Staff

Authenticity & Character

Location

Activity Review

Private guided hiking: the stunning Tre Cime di Lavaredo loop in the Dolomites

Italy

Overall Rating

Allesia was basically in charge of us for the entire trip even when she would turn us over to local guides. She was beyond amazing, we were taken care of from arrival in Venice to departure in
Rome. She kept in touch with us every evening no matter where we were. The information she shared with us was very good, especially since we have been in Venice a few times before.
The hotel in Venice was superb, Al Reali, a charming and comfortable hotel, well located with an impressive breakfast.... read more

Allesia was basically in charge of us for the entire trip even when she would turn us over to local guides. She was beyond amazing, we were taken care of from arrival in Venice to departure in
Rome. She kept in touch with us every evening no matter where we were. The information she shared with us was very good, especially since we have been in Venice a few times before.
The hotel in Venice was superb, Al Reali, a charming and comfortable hotel, well located with an impressive breakfast. Staff very welcoming and friendly.
On to the Amalfi Coast. The hotel Corallo was okay, staff was very good, breakfast was very good ,views were stunning. It is a very attractive hotel, but lacking certain amenities, like a coffee maker, readily available ice, make-up mirror. led to believe that hourly transit to the town was provided, and it was not that often. We also had an issue with noise from the lobby and a bathroom door that was difficult to open.. All of these issues were somewhat handled by the manager, but the issue with the door handle was never really fixed.
However we were lucky enough to have a wonderful driver,
carmine. We kept him for 3 days.
It was a pleasant stay but I would not go back there.

On to Rome. Perfection. HotelMartis Palace location was ideal. Hotel completely charming and the staff most accommodating. We would definitely go back there and recommend it to everyone. Great breakfast also. Lovely rooftop lounge overlooking the entire skyline. Louisa was a lovely guide for Rome . completely knowledgeable and very flexible to our schedule.

The trip was a great success thanks to Kimkim

We starting planning this trip in 2019, then Covid. It was a long wait but worth it, we had an amazing time. All of our guides and drivers were incredible. Our personal concierge, Alessia did a great job of answering all of our questions and giving us itinerary updates and reminders each evening. I can't think of a tour or activity that wasn't exceptional. read more

We starting planning this trip in 2019, then Covid. It was a long wait but worth it, we had an amazing time. All of our guides and drivers were incredible. Our personal concierge, Alessia did a great job of answering all of our questions and giving us itinerary updates and reminders each evening. I can't think of a tour or activity that wasn't exceptional.

We were extremely pleased with the overall experience we had with KimKim. Our local specialist, Monica took our ideas and provided us an itinerary that was specific to us. She offered excellent ideas and options and promptly answered any questions we had.
Alessia, our overall coordinator was excellent. From the first time we met her we felt a connection with her. She was warm, welcoming, so very knowledgeable and a joy to be with. Her command of the English language was comforting and... read more

We were extremely pleased with the overall experience we had with KimKim. Our local specialist, Monica took our ideas and provided us an itinerary that was specific to us. She offered excellent ideas and options and promptly answered any questions we had.
Alessia, our overall coordinator was excellent. From the first time we met her we felt a connection with her. She was warm, welcoming, so very knowledgeable and a joy to be with. Her command of the English language was comforting and just made everything easy. Alessia was precise in her coordination of our activities. She arranged every appointment with guides, drivers, etc. so that everything ran smoothly. She provided an updated itinerary every night for the next day.
In Venice, in addition to Alessia, Sylvia provided a guided tour to St Mark’s Cathedral and Doge’s Palace. She was knowledgeable, informative and cordial. We especially enjoyed the uniqueness of Venice. For the next several days, Simone was our driver. He was friendly, helpful and his good English was appreciated. Simona, our city guide in Florence did an excellent job of informing us of the depth of history, culture and arts in Florence. We were especially amazed that the church of Santa Croce was the burial place of so many famous Italians and there is a statute in there that may have inspired the Statue of Liberty in New York harbor. Our day in the Tuscan countryside was my favorite. The stop in Sienna was fun and the wine tasting and lunch at Casa Emma in San Donato was a fitting celebration for 50 years of marriage. Our guide in Pisa, Vincenzo, was also knowledgeable and friendly. We were surprised at actually how much the leaning tower is actually leaning and what has been done to stabilize it. Our last few days were spent in the amazing Cinque Terre. Chiara was our guide of the five lands. Again, she was pleasant, knowledgeable and seemed to enjoy the day with us. We were disappointed that because of the weather we couldn’t enjoy the lands from the boat, but Chiara adjusted the schedule so that we still had a fun day. Two other drivers took us to Milan and then to the airport. They were both prompt and did an excellent job of delivering us to our designated places. Of everything, the planning and attention to detail was evident to us and very much appreciated.

Hotel Review

Santa Croce Boutique Hotel

Venice

Overall Rating

Hotel Review

The friendliness and helpfulness of the staff at Santa Croce Boutiques Hotel was above and beyond our expectations. The room was clean and convenient to surrounding areas.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Staff

The friendliness of the staff and their desire to meet our every need.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Activity Review

Full-Day Private Excursion to Siena & Chianti Wine Region

Florence

Overall Rating

Activity Review

We enjoyed seeing the countryside. The lunch and wine tasting in the beautiful surroundings was a memory we won’t forget.

Food

Transport

Guides, drivers and staff

Quality of Experience

Excellent trip. The planning was very smooth and Monica thought of everything. My favourite part was the beautiful hotels and the easy transfers. I highly recommend using KimKim as they've got loal guides who can help with all the planning and then the transfers between cities if that's what you're doing.
Loved every minute! read more

Excellent trip. The planning was very smooth and Monica thought of everything. My favourite part was the beautiful hotels and the easy transfers. I highly recommend using KimKim as they've got loal guides who can help with all the planning and then the transfers between cities if that's what you're doing.
Loved every minute!

Hotel Review

Hotel Corona D'oro

Bologna

Overall Rating

Hotel Review

From the minute I stepped inside I felt like I was a movie star. The staff were incredibly helpful and catered to us the whole time. The room was incredibly lavish and huge and there was a free bar for Spritz's etc. I wanted to stay forever and live there. The breakfast was incredible with cold cuts from Bologna and parmesan cheese. I didn't even think I liked parmesan cheese until Bologna. The location is excellent and you're so close to all the action yet it was quiet in the rooms. The bathrooms were beautiful although the toilet was particularly high (my son even fell off one time). I honestly can't wait to go back and would leave 100 stars if I could!

Tips for future travelers

Definitely stay there if you can!!

Location

So close to all the action!

Cleanliness & Comfort

The bed could have been softer but it was all so beautiful that I didn't mind

Staff

Lovely check in and check out

Authenticity & Character

Beautiful room and the ceilings were incredible

Activity Review

Tour of Pisa

Florence

Overall Rating

Activity Review

Our tour guide was fantastic and knowledgeable and spoke perfect English. He made me fall in love with the region and what we saw. The tower of Pisa was quite incredible to see as well. I wanted to stay with the tour guide and have him show me all of Italy!

Transport

Loved our driver!! Loved having a private van.

Guides, drivers and staff

Absolutely excellent

Quality of Experience

Tour guide!!

Our family of 5 adults had a terrific trip to Italy with the help of Kimkim and our travel planners Sonia and Barbara. Our trip was very customized to fit everyone's interests. The first part of our trip was hut-to-hut hiking in the Dolomites. We had assistance planning our hiking route, and Sonia arranged for all the lodging and transfer details. After the 4 days of hiking, we spend 4 days in Lake Garda area for wine tasting, cooking class, city tours, and relaxation. It was a perfect trip... read more

Our family of 5 adults had a terrific trip to Italy with the help of Kimkim and our travel planners Sonia and Barbara. Our trip was very customized to fit everyone's interests. The first part of our trip was hut-to-hut hiking in the Dolomites. We had assistance planning our hiking route, and Sonia arranged for all the lodging and transfer details. After the 4 days of hiking, we spend 4 days in Lake Garda area for wine tasting, cooking class, city tours, and relaxation. It was a perfect trip for our family - a mix of adventure and culture. We had a couple of small glitches and Sonia/Barbara were a phone call away with quick fixes. We are so impressed with Kimkim and plan to use their travel services again.

We really enjoyed the pickup at the airport and delivery to our hotel in Venice at the start of our custom journey to Italy and the pickup and delivery from the hotel to the airport at the end in Rome. Kimkim even had drivers delivered us from hotel to the train station with tickets on time in the morning between all the cities we visited. The hotels were all first rate and either 4-5 star with exceptional free breakfast included. The first hotel Bauer II Palazzo in Venice the was perfectly... read more

We really enjoyed the pickup at the airport and delivery to our hotel in Venice at the start of our custom journey to Italy and the pickup and delivery from the hotel to the airport at the end in Rome. Kimkim even had drivers delivered us from hotel to the train station with tickets on time in the morning between all the cities we visited. The hotels were all first rate and either 4-5 star with exceptional free breakfast included. The first hotel Bauer II Palazzo in Venice the was perfectly located and only a few blocks from Saint Marks Square and made it easy to walk everywhere and for us to pick up the water bus system to visit different islands like Murano for glass blowing and Burano for lace making items. Alessia our Concierge in Venice was amazing. She made sure we saw the sites and had a great experience in Venice and made sure of all our other visits to Bologna, Florence and Rome all went with out any problems. Our tour guide Dennis for the Colosseum and Roman Forum in Rome was amazing. His fold out pictures of the Colosseum and Roman Forum before and after and clear explanations made it very interesting. When it is time for us to return to visit Italy with the rest of the family we will be sure to use Kimkim again.

Sonia put together a fabulous trip for us. We were particularly interested in Italian wine, and she was able to secure personal tastings at local wineries specializing in Barolo, Barbaresco, Brunello, and Nero d’Avola. The wine is Sicily was a particular treat, as we were not as familiar with it prior to the trip. The Gambino winery on Mt Etna was the biggest surprise. I even joined the wine club.

Our trip covered the north (Piedmont) to the south (Sicily and Sorrento) over 18... read more

Sonia put together a fabulous trip for us. We were particularly interested in Italian wine, and she was able to secure personal tastings at local wineries specializing in Barolo, Barbaresco, Brunello, and Nero d’Avola. The wine is Sicily was a particular treat, as we were not as familiar with it prior to the trip. The Gambino winery on Mt Etna was the biggest surprise. I even joined the wine club.

Our trip covered the north (Piedmont) to the south (Sicily and Sorrento) over 18 well-spaced days. Accommodations were interesting and excellent. No chain hotels. Drivers were always on time, spoke good English, and often provided helpful local knowledge. Our virtual concierge Mara was always available by phone when we wanted to reschedule an activity on our itinerary.

James, our trip planner was easily accessible and pleasant with any of our questions.
Danielle, our Mount Etna guide was knowledgeable and attentive to our climb in the mountain.
Rosario, our Taormino guide brought that city to life.
Simone, our Syracusa guide, was delightful and so knowledgeable.
Vincenzo was a last-minute addition as a guide in Catania. He showed us so much more than just the city. You should definitely add him to your list of great tour directors.
The whole trip is one... read more

James, our trip planner was easily accessible and pleasant with any of our questions.
Danielle, our Mount Etna guide was knowledgeable and attentive to our climb in the mountain.
Rosario, our Taormino guide brought that city to life.
Simone, our Syracusa guide, was delightful and so knowledgeable.
Vincenzo was a last-minute addition as a guide in Catania. He showed us so much more than just the city. You should definitely add him to your list of great tour directors.
The whole trip is one we will share with our family and friends and would give it a 5 * rating.
Here are a few of my suggestions for future travelers:
Realize that driving yourself in Sicily is not easy. The city streets are very narrow and parking is almost impossible. Instead of traffic lights, they often use traffic circles which are poorly marked and often confusing, even with Google. On the Autostrada there are tolls which are like E-Z pass in the US. You have to be careful choosing your toll booth. In the future, we would hire a driver.
My last advice for future travelers would be to not expect an on-time departure from the smaller airports if you hope to continue on to the next leg of your flight. The smartest move we made was to book a reservation the night before our departure in Rome Hilton which is within walking distance of the airport. I believe you should share suggestions like these with future travelers.

There were a few minor glitches. I would have liked to have had St Peter's Basilica included in the Vatican trip, but it wan't and I wasn't given that option. Most guides were super informative and delightful, but there is a parking problem in Tuscany tour and the guide couldn't accompany us on the sights. Again, it would have been good if the Pisa was arranged in a way so we could have entered it, but that was not an option.
In Rome, I would have liked to have had a tour of the first... read more

There were a few minor glitches. I would have liked to have had St Peter's Basilica included in the Vatican trip, but it wan't and I wasn't given that option. Most guides were super informative and delightful, but there is a parking problem in Tuscany tour and the guide couldn't accompany us on the sights. Again, it would have been good if the Pisa was arranged in a way so we could have entered it, but that was not an option.
In Rome, I would have liked to have had a tour of the first level of Coliseum.
The hotel at Spainsh Steps was not great. For the prices that I paid, I would have liked to have better luxury.
Since you asked: David was the highlight. Sisteine chapel was underwhelming (Sorry Michaelangelo! I expected to be blown away like seeing Mona Lisa. I wasn't)
Except for these two minor glitches (4 1/2 stars but you don'e have 1/2 stars), everything was out of this world. They even tried to pick pocket us in the subway in Rome. Speaking of the complete experience!
Monica was outstanding. A definite 5. Alessia in Venice was great. Another 5.
Hope to work with you again next year for Greece!

Had a ton of fun. All the recommendations for restaurants were on point. The Wine tour was a little underwhelming. That is pretty much my only criticism of the vacation. Thanks for everything !!

Wonderful knowledgeable guides. All drivers were professional, courteous and responsive. Francisco in Bologna was exceptional.

Overall, the expectation for this experience was met, however I expected more service from the concierge and better coordination between the planner and concierge for each location I got a concierge.

The concept of having a digital travel agent was very appealing especially since the planning is performed by people locally and helps for my busy schedule. I felt during the planning process I got the service I expected. However, I felt that I was not attended too as much as I thought I would... read more

Overall, the expectation for this experience was met, however I expected more service from the concierge and better coordination between the planner and concierge for each location I got a concierge.

The concept of having a digital travel agent was very appealing especially since the planning is performed by people locally and helps for my busy schedule. I felt during the planning process I got the service I expected. However, I felt that I was not attended too as much as I thought I would when I actually traveled. I felt a little alone out there which is why I used your services.

On the days I had off, I was not offered any advice or suggestions. When it came to the activities that was planned, it felt like the concierge was just checking off a box on a list then moving on to the next thing. I felt things could be more personable, like visiting a family or friend who makes sure everything is okay and offer up some local information to create a better experience.