Ken and Diane Hood 5/4-5/19/2023

Italy | May 5 - May 19, 2023

The trip was wonderful. Rome was crowded and crazy, I’d been there before, but a magnificent city with unmatched history and energy. The colosseum tour with Marta was excellent, with a chance to see the underground that wasn’t available last time I was there. The architecture and engineering that took place 2000 years ago is mind boggling. The hotel was good, full of travelers. Transportation to and from the airport was perfect, both drivers arriving early.
The driver, Fabio, who took us from Rome to Sorrento was wonderful. Very friendly, knowledgeable, speaking excellent English, he was a tour guide as well as a driver. The stop at Pompei was amazing. The tour guide Yulia was excellent, so intelligent and articulate. The hotel in Sorrento was beautiful, on a cliff overlooking the sea. The room was spacious and pleasant, although a bit cave-like with no outside light. One of the desk clerks was very helpful in setting up my Google Maps app. Our Amalfi coast driver, Angelo, was friendly and entertaining, and a veteran at the challenging coastal drive. The day was beautiful despite rain and fog.
A good driver (name unremembered) got us to the Naples airport for the car rental. The car rental was perhaps the most difficult and stressful part of the trip. Very busy and rushed. I upgraded because that was the only option to get navigation, and a very helpful lot attendant got the car computer to work in English. The car was new and beautiful, a Lynk and Co. model, but the electronics were overwhelming and the scant manual was in Italian. We were able to utilize the navigation but couldn’t figure out most other functions. Nonetheless it was a beautiful car and the actual driving was fine. Returning the car at the Termini train station in Rome was very stressful. The station is a frantic and extremely busy place, and there are no signs directing you to the car rental return. A helpful maintenance worker told us how to get to the return lot, or we may still be there driving around. The check out man spoke very little English, and I signed a lot of papers with no idea what I was signing. I received an invoice several days later and I have no idea how much was prepaid or how much I actually am paying for the rental, including a damage surcharge for unknown reasons. I’ve rented cars many times, and its a stressful process, even in your native language, and the rental car industry is well known for mysterious charges. I’m not asking for anything to be done, but just letting you know that the whole process was stressful.
Matera was a surprise and an amazing place. Alina was a wonderful guide, the city was breathtaking, and the experience there was definitely a highlight of the trip. The hotel was very nice and the proprietors were friendly and helpful.
Bari went well. Our guide Giorgio was fantastic, and gave us a very personal and enjoyable tour of the old town. The hotel was central and worked out fine.
Lecce was enjoyable. We had a lot of trouble parking and finding our B&B in the very confusing maze of streets in the old town. There was no one there to greet us when we finally found the place, but was able to call and talk with someone who informed us about parking and actually getting into the room. The door code didn’t work but someone eventually came to let us in. The accomodation was very nice, but we missed the availability of a proprietor who could provide advice and direction. We did a walking tour through the tourist office with a very good guide, and took the narrated tram ride that was informative. The orecchiette class was wonderful, entertaining, interesting, and fun. The owner of Strada del Vino was very supportive and friendly.
The trip was a resounding success, and KimKim’s services were absolutely what we needed. Setting up accommodations and guided events, prepaying, and developing an excellent itinerary made it easy for us to relax and enjoy beautiful Italy.
The app made it easy to know what we were doing and going, and we consulted it dozens of times through the trip. Having you and Jessica available and checking in with us was helpful and reassuring.
A couple of suggestions (not complaints): It would be helpful if parking information was included in the hotel descriptions in the app. Not knowing about parking when coming into busy cities, sometimes
with narrow, winding streets is stressful.
In terms of itinerary, going first to Lecce and ending in Bari would reduce the long drive back to Rome by nearly 2 hours.

Thank you again for your hard work and genuine concern. I won’t hesitate to recommend your services to others.

Grazie Mille

Arrivederci,

Ken and Diane