Highlights of Italy (Rome, Florence, Venice) & Greece
Italy | May 26 - Jun 6, 2024

Kim
Kim R.
Newark, NJ | Reviewed on Jun 13, 2024

This was my first experience traveling to Europe & it was made extra special through support from KimKim. They listened to what our interests and goals for the trip were & curated special experiences that we thoroughly enjoyed.
The hotel selections were perfectly situated, included lovely breakfasts, and were , overall, quite nice.
The KimKim staff handled details such as transfers & transportation that relieved us of much stress & afforded us opportunity to explore unique areas that we would not have been able to if navigated on our own. Their daily communication with us via their app was very helpful & appreciated.
Overall, we felt it to be a very personalized & thoughtful job by KimKim, which resulted in a trip that exceeded our expectations. I hope to have the opportunity to use their service again in the future!

Hotel Reviews
Monti Palace Hotel Rome
Rome

Great location, lovely room & bathroom, nice rooftop bar (open @ night) w/ great views, & lovely breakfast.

Authenticity & Character
Location
Walkable to many of the “main” sights
Staff
Cleanliness & Comfort
La Residenza Fiorentina
Firenze

Unique “residence” style setting with spacious room in a great location. Large breakfast spread. Water was available in community space which was much appreciated . The shower was “odd” in that 2 different glass doors opened & did not “seal,” causing MUCH water to get on bathroom floor

Authenticity & Character
Location
Staff
Cleanliness & Comfort
Shower, otherwise quite nice
Ca' dei Proverbi Suites
Venice

Lovely, spacious room with high ceilings on a quiet street in a great location (which felt very “local”). Wonderful breakfast included.

Authenticity & Character
Location
Staff
Cleanliness & Comfort
Abelonas Retreat
Santorini

VIEWS!!!! Overall, good location. A spacious room w/ a large balcony (caldera view). We could view the sunrise from either the opposite side of the balcony or from the room entrance. A rooftop access from the room’s loft area. Breakfast served to the room to enjoy on our balcony. The shower was a bit tricky. It was quite small with short glass shower “walls” which resulted in water easily getting all over the bathroom .

Authenticity & Character
Location
Staff
Stella did a great job helping us
Cleanliness & Comfort
Athens Manor Houses
Athens

A nice, modern room situated amongst a “bustling” area of shopping & dining.

Authenticity & Character
Location
Staff
Cleanliness & Comfort
Activity Reviews
Rome Food Tour
Rome Food Tour
Rome

Roberta was our guide & she was GREAT! We loved the small, local spots she took us for authentic food. She shared info about the history of different spots of Trastevere as we strolled. She shared genuine interest in those of us on the tour & made recommendations for other great food & culture. It was an experience I definitely recommend

Quality of Experience
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Day Trip to Siena & San Gimignano
Day Trip to Siena & San Gimignano
Florence

WONDERFUL!! Our driver/guide (Francesco) was terrific! The winery was quaint & beautiful w/ one of the owners providing us the information/education. Lunch was lovely w/ perfect parings in a gorgeous setting. We spent time in the small towns of San Gimingnano & Siena which were so picturesque. The only “complaint” was that we wished we had more time. It really was a perfect day

Quality of Experience
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Transport
Private Walking Tour of Florence | City Highlights with David & Duomo
Private Walking Tour of Florence | City Highlights with David & Duomo
Florence

A wonderful guide (Laura) and experience that included just the right amount of historical sights/overview & local culture for our interest. Highlight for me was The David & learning that the store fronts on the Ponte Vecchio bridge look like treasure chests when closed up each night

Quality of Experience
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Transport
It was a walking tour
Private Venice Murano & Burano Islands Excursion
Private Venice Murano & Burano Islands Excursion
Venice

Wow!! This was one of the best excursions overall. Our guide for the day, Sarah, was wonderful! The glassblowing demo w/ Andrea as our “docent” was mesmerizing. We could have watched them all day. The colorful island of Burano was so quaint. It was relaxing to stroll the streets & pop in to small shops for homemade biscuits/cookies, etc

Quality of Experience
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Transport
Luxury Catamaran Cruise around Santorini
Luxury Catamaran Cruise around Santorini
Santorini

This started off rough. Our info re our pick up spot was either incorrect or the transport van was in the incorrect place. Once we arrived to the transport van, the driver was clearly annoyed with us & maintained that attitude. His van was extremely hot & he drove rather “recklessly” (likely in effort to make up lost time). The winding, narrow roads, the heat, & his driving caused much anxiety & motion sickness for all 4 of us. HOWEVER, once on the boat, everything was GREAT! The others on the excursion were such fun to spend the day with & the crew were great. We had a tasty meal of authentic food, good music was played, plenty of opportunity to swim & relax & the sunset was gorgeous. It was special for sure

Quality of Experience
Food
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Crew on boat were great. This review for them
Transport
To have an Air conditioned van, a driver who is friendly & drives safely
Local specialist: Arianna Zampieri
Arianna
Arianna Zampieri
Local specialist in Italy | Replied on Jun 30, 2024

Dear Kim and Hope,
Thank you so much for your kind words of enthusiasm. It gives us great joy to know that this was not only a wonderful trip for you, but a smooth and stressless one as well!
I am genuinely delighted to hear that you found the services, guides, experiences, hotels and transfers to be excellent.
Thank you once again for sharing your experience. We look forward to assisting you with your future travel plans and creating more fantastic memories together.
On behalf of all Storywalking team, Arrivederci!