60th birthday Trip of a Lifetime to Italy
Italy
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Apr 19 - May 20, 2025
Francesco helped me arrange my 60th birthday Trip of a Lifetime to Italy. The time difference was a brutal 12 hours, but he worked around that with me to plan. He was so patient with my dithering, gently urging me to book before everything sold out. He listened to me when I said that since I was traveling alone and did not speak Italian, I was going to need boots-on-the-ground help. He arranged for transfers and basically just someone to be there to guide me. It was truly worth the extra cost of using Kimkim as to have them there for me when I needed it.
Thank you also to Luca, Giovanni, and someone else whose name I can't remember .... probably the whole Italian team! They were there for me when I couldn't find my driver, couldn't find and therefore missed the boat on Burano, missed my train, fell down and missed my gondola ride. I'm sure I was just their worst client ever, but they never made me feel stupid (although I certainly did), and were so nice while I was freaking out. And, yes, they helped me get myself out of the situation I was in.
As for the trip itself, I was very pleased. The hotels were all small boutique and in the city central. I hadn't known of any of them, but now that I've been there, I realized they are where I would have chosen to stay. They were also helpful when I lost my cell phone in a taxi and when I forgot my camera after checking out. The trains were comfortable and efficient. The personal drivers were great and, except for the poor fellow in Rome, extremely kind. In Sorrento he even stopped to pick flowers for me!
The only thing that wasn't pleased with was one of the vendors. They advertised their tour as including a location but then it wasn't part of the tour. Kimkim basically just told me that they had been informed of the change but neglected to pass it on to me. I wish they would have because I would have changed tours. It was disappointing to watch other tours go into the location while I had to figure out how to do it on my own. I eventually was able to go in, but without a guide, it was much less seamless and less informational than is should have been.
All in all, I loved every minute of it and am trying to plan a return trip in the next couple of years. Maybe I'll take my family this time since everyone was astonished that I was traveling alone. And, I did miss them terribly since I was gone for over a month.
Grazie mille, Francesco!! I hope that you don't get another client like myself for awhile. I know I was a handful. But I so so appreciate you helping me to plan and execute the trip I've been dreaming of for over 45 years!
Hotel Reviews
Hotel is charming and well placed in the city. No elevator, so that was a bummer. I could see that the outside seating location would be fabulous but it was too cold when I was there so it wasn't open. The room and bathroom were very spacious, but the layout was not optimal. All this extra space in the bathroom, but the shower was very small and hard to navigate. I'm only 5'4" and struggled. The included breakfast was not appealing and I skipped it.
Perfect location and it was extremely nice. Loved the fact that it had an elevator. Staff was friendly and helpful. The breakfast was fantastic and worth making the effort to stop by each morning.
Small and cozy. SPECTACULAR view! The host/staff were so very nice.
Good location. Lovely room, spacious and well appointed. GREAT STAFF!! They were so very helpful and accommodating.
3.5 Stars: Superb location. Breakfast was very nice. The hotel main floor was modern and clean, but the room I was given was run down. Apparently they are redoing the rooms [they look fabulous on line], but mine room was obviously still on the to-do list. It was dingy, the furniture didn't work well (doors either wouldn't stay shut or you had to fight to open them), and it was just dark. The bathroom was a struggle. The shower stall was so small that I literally had to open the door when I wanted to raise my arms up or turn around. Considering I am 5'4", that's just too small.
I DID NOT STAY HERE. I STAYED AT THE ART HOTEL COMMERCIANTI. This review is for the ART HOTEL COMMERCIANTI. Awesome location. Very helpful staff. Breakfast had variety and was worth stopping in the morning. Both the room and the bathroom were clean and spacious, easy to move around in.
AWESOME location. Great view of the volcano from my room. The breakfast was extensive [there was an omelet station on my last morning] and the view alone was worth searching the hotel for the breakfast room. Staff was so kind and helpful, especially at 5am.
Such a central location, everything was a "10 minute walk". The staff was very kind and helpful. Breakfast had a large selection but I had hoped for some cut fruit pieces. I loved the automatic espresso/cappuccino machines. Spacious room. The bathroom tub/shower had issues.
Activity Reviews
What a fun tour! There were only 2 of us (both single travelers) and the guide, so I am grateful they still ran it. Being such a small "group" made it just that much more enjoyable. Marco, our guide was so very personable. We stopped at a castle, 2 wineries, and 2 towns. The castle had the most impressive views. Videos for days! The 2 wineries were small and family owned. The first one served us a delicious homemade lunch. Oh so good! The towns were interesting to walk around and take photos. Overall I enjoyed every minute and highly recommend this tour.
There really isn't any "skip the line" as you still have to stand in line, but it's nice to have someone guide you to where you need to be. I did a few tours without guides and since I don't speak Italian it took a bit of wandering to find the correct entrance/line/etc. The David was spectacular. Just breathtaking. There is also the Abduction of a Sabine Woman which was beautiful. But really it's all about the David and rightfully so. The guide gave some good information. But I found the most value in the close up photos of the David. He is 17 feet tall and there is just no way to get a good look at the details, so this helped immensely.
