Personalized trips to Italy
for independent travelers

It was the trip of a lifetime. My wife and I were taken care of from the minute we landed in Naples, Italy till the minute we boarded our return flight home. The drivers, guides, excursions, line free admissions and experiences were 100% first rate. Chris and Maria put together a vacation that was completely worry and question free. We were informed in advance who, what and where we were going to experience each day to come. The drivers and guides were native of each city and area we visited and were incredibly personable and knowledgeable about the history and shorter routes. They gave us wonderful recommendations on additional places to visit or eat and even set up reservations where applicable. I learned about kimkim from a friend. Now, I will be the friend who tells others about kimkim for their travel plans. If another travel destination is in future, we will most certainly reach out to kimkim to see if that location is in their planning abilities.

We had a great experiencing planning this trip to Italy and felt really grateful for Erica, our specialist, and the rest of the kimkim team, for their expertise and their willingness to really tailor the itinerary to us. We were able to make a few adaptations until we found the right schedule for us. The team was super responsive both during the planning period and during the trip itself. All of the hotels were incredible with fantastic locations. We loved the view of the Mediterranean from our hotel in Sorrento and cool history of Rome hotel. There was excellent customer service at all three hotels (our Florence hotel was incredibly helpful when my luggage took a couple of days to arrive!). The activities were generally great. We especially loved the "culinary walk" in Florence, the Vatican Tour in Rome, and the boat tour of the Amalfi Coast. Most guides were excellent-- funny, knowledgeable, and enthusiastic. We overbooked our activities slightly and would have (in retrospect) cut the golf cart tour in Rome and the culture tour in Sorrento-- neither were bad, but were our least favorites.

Working with Melanie to plan our trip was effortless and all went smoothly. She was very accommodating when we requested changes prior to and during the trip. Our concierge, Lorenzo, was also very helpful during the trip and kept us informed by sending us a message every evening with the itinerary details for the next day. We always received timely responses when we had questions.

Hotel Reviews

Terrazza Core Amalfitano

Amalfi

Beautiful and spacious suite!

Authenticity & Character

Location

The location itself is close to everything including busses and ferries so expect it to be busy which we didn't mind. Two notable things: the entrance is in a traffic tunnel and is poorly marked and pretty impossible to find initially. There is no actual porch/entryway so the moment you step out of the place you are literally in traffic with the exception of a tiny shoulder/path that doesn't seem to be meant for passengers. Secondly, there is a beautiful terrace facing the water but you will share it with two other guest rooms. The areas are sectioned off but there really isn't privacy on the terrace.

Staff

They were very kind and came to find us when we couldn't find the place. However, there was a bit of confusion because they were calling out a name that was not ours and also did not match that of our travel company. They said they were not given our name when reservations were made. We were also told that breakfast was provided at nearby restaurant with the exception of the first day we were there and breakfast would be provided at our accommodation. Unfortunately, the lady that gave us this info got the days reversed so we were left without breakfast the first day as the restaurant was closed. We did mention it to the staff the next day, but they acted like it must have been our misunderstanding. Not a huge deal.

Cleanliness & Comfort

The suite was spotless!

Central Wellness Hotel Sorrento

Sorrento

This place was fantastic! Very clean. Awesome buffet breakfast.

Authenticity & Character

Beautiful modern rooms!

Location

Location is very good with a short walk to downtown amidst a lot of traffic and little sidewalk at times which is just due to the area.

Staff

Staff was very friendly and welcoming.

Cleanliness & Comfort

The room was spotless!

Dimore di Brando

Polignano a Mare

This is a very nice place to stay. The location was perfect and pretty much everything was within walking distance.

Authenticity & Character

Location

The location is perfect but a little difficult to find initially. The location of our room was different than the office. Travelers should know that they cannot be dropped off or picked up where this place is located as no vehicles can get to it so expect to haul your luggage a bit.

Staff

The staff was attentive and cordial.

Cleanliness & Comfort

There was mold/mildew in multiple places in the bathroom.

Activity Reviews

Private transfer full day: Pompeii & lunch

Italy

We absolutely loved this day and highly recommend it! I am not a history buff, but was just amazed with Pompeii. The grounds at the winery were stunning and the staff couldn't have been better.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Our guide at Pompeii couldn't have been better and the same goes for the person at the winery that gave us the tour via golf cart.

Transport

Our driver, Andrea, was very sweet, accommodating, and helpful.

Ebike tour from Polignano with picnic

Italy

We loved this experience! Our guide, Davide, was awesome and very knowledgeable about the area. We were happy we got to see Monopoli on this tour. We stopped at a farm for lunch where they make mozzarella. It was fantastic!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Davide was very personable and watched out for us in traffic. He also gave us the best recommendation on where to get gelato.

Transport

I do think a change here may be warranted to avoid riding in traffic so much.

Full day driver to visit Alberobello and Ostuni + stop for lunch in a typical estate

Italy

We are glad we got to see Alberobello and Ostuni. Our driver, Salvatore, was excellent and even called a restaurant to let them know we were coming for lunch. We loved the restaurant he recommended.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport