Kimkim Trip Reviews

Trang planned a 28-day trip to Vietnam, Cambodia and Thailand for us. She was a pleasure to deal with and very responsive, Her itinerary and hotel choices were very good. I appreciated that she did the online checkin for local flights. She subcontracted tour to local agents, most of whom were excellent also.

Hotel Reviews

CHEEVA DEE HOTEL

Chiang Mai

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Ad Lib Hotel Bangkok

Bangkok

Authenticity & Character

Location

Too far from old city and all sites

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Sun & Moon Urban Hotel

Phnom Penh

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Anjali by Syphon

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

IRIS Hotel Can Tho

Can Tho

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Eden Star Hotel & Spa

Ho Chi Minh City

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Little Hoi An Boutique Hotel & Spa

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Eldora Hue

Hue

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Victory Star Cruise

Hanoi

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hanoi Pearl Hotel

Hanoi

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Bangkok Street Food tour

Bangkok

Nittaya was a fantastic guide. I loved Bangkok. Ad Lib Hotel was great, but far from river and main sites. This is a problem because taxi or metro took 50 min whenever we wanted to go somewhere, like dinner at night.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Siem Reap: Explore Angkor Complex Temples

Siem Reap

Amazing temples, guide SOPHY was excellent, hotel was fantastic.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Cai Rang Floating market - Vam Xang Village - HCMC

Can Tho

Cu Chi Tunnels and Ho Chi Minh City Tour

Ho Chi Minh City

Guide Trung was average. Gave only basic info at each site. At Cu Chi tunnel it seemed other guides had more to say. Ran out of time later in day so only had 45 minutes at war museum. Hotel was far away from central market and main tourist attractions.

Quality of Experience

Food

Restaurant was very good

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Ho Chi Minh City – Ben Tre – Can Tho

Can Tho

****Floating village was interesting. *****Bike excursion was great and small river boat good. *Can Tho is not interesting, Iris hotel was not nice it was far away from Main Street.

Quality of Experience

Skip city of Can Tho - make this Mekong excursion a river & forest & bike trip

Food

Very good food at the bike ride resort

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Guide Trung was not good. Gave only basic info at each site, didn’t give tour at museum, slept in car rides and took 10 minutes of bike ride to attend to personal call — completely unnecessary to join us on bike ride because there was a separate local guide doing the bike tour. If he had calls to make, he should have stayed at lodge to make them. Bike tour guide was excellent

Transport

Hue city tour half day and street food tour

Hue

Hue has very impressive temple and imperial city. Rickshaw ride was fun, we asked to ride along food market, which was very worthwhile.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Halong Bay - Flight to Hue

Ha Long Bay

Enjoyed additional temple we viewed on the way to airport, it was not on itinerary, but should be added. Stop at tourist shop of marble carvings is unnecessary. There are flights out of Ha Long bay. Ideally, we would have flown from here to next destination instead of spending a day driving back to Hanoi.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Hanoi - Halong Bay Cruise - Overnight on boat

Ha Long Bay

Beautiful, but very crowded with many tourist boats. Our boat was very good

Quality of Experience

Food

Good food, esp for a cruise

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Hanoi - Ninh Binh

Ninh Binh

Loved temple and climbing up overlook

Quality of Experience

Unique temple and limestone formations, loved lotus fields

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Huang was great

Transport

Hanoi - City tour full day

Hanoi

Interesting, Huang was an excellent local guide. Saw major sites, then enjoyed afternoon walk through “very local” street markets.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Huang was excellent

Transport

Both our guide and porters were very nice and very patient. Our first day of trekking was the hardest part of the trekking as we have to change the route to get to our destination, resulting to climb a 3000m high very steep hill (which was a mountain for us 😅). Although it was difficult and unexpected, both the porters and our guide (Naresh) was very helpful and patient with us as we walk slow and take our time. They were kind enough to carry our waters and day bags to lighten the weight we have to carry. The first day of trekking took us almost 10hrs from Phaplu to Junbessi even though the estimated number of hours to trek was 6-7hrs. Moreover, the views up the hill was amazing it was worth the walk.

Our second day of trekking was quite memorable as well. In the morning we got to walk to the Monastery which was a very beautiful place and we got to see the tip of one of the Himalayan mountains. We were very lucky to witness the prayer the Monks does for their last day of celebration (or something like that). Additionally, on our way back to the tea house for lunch, a stray dog followed us from the Monastery to the tea house and trekked with us till the next following day. Unfortunately, It was quite sad that some dogs attacked and bullied the stay dog when we got to Chiwang Monastery and chased him away.

Overall, the trekking experience was amazing and would love to go back and trek for other routes and/or other destinations such as the Pikey Peak. Also, it was an experience to get to go toilet on the bushes 😅, and to get bitten by leeches. Moreover, I wished that the trek on the last day would’ve been a little longer just like how the trekking was the past dew days.

Really liked that we could make adjustments to our itinerary according to our needs, e.g. switching up order of countries, adding on/ removing activities, etc.. Our favorite activities were the boat excursion in Lagos, the Douro River Wine Tasting & River Cruise in Porto, and the Fado evening in Lisbon. Least favorite was the Algarve Sunset Experience, mostly because it was extremely windy and therefore cold and we weren't dressed appropriately. Please let future guests know they MUST take a jacket and dress warmly for this! All in all it was a great experience and appreciate all of Rita's help coordinating it! I'll use Kimkim again!

Hotel Reviews

Casa Mãe Lagos

Lagos

Amazing!! We absolutely loved this hotel! It was the highlight of our trip. Such a great vibe, food was good, property was beautiful. Loved all the health and wellness touches, like herbal tea, relaxing music, lavendar sachet for under your pillow. The welcome wine was great, as well as all the treats they left in the morning and at evening turn down. They kept the towels, water, coffee bar, etc. replenished twice a day. Highly recommend this hotel!!

Authenticity & Character

Wonderful, as per the overall review.

Location

Loved the Lagos town. Great hiking and beaches nearby.

Staff

Very professional and attentive.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Our room and the whole premises were super clean. Bed was comfortable, and all the spaces (dining area, pool, etc.) were relaxing and comfortable.

Porto Charming Hotel

Porto

Door was locked when we arrived and no one answered when we knocked. We had to call Kimkim for help to call the hotel and let us in. It was early afternoon, so during normal work hours. Very basic room. Bathroom shower not great. It was what you expect for a 3 star hotel though.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Be Poet Baixa Hotel

Lisbon

It was warm in the room. Air conditioning was insufficient and would not go below a certain point.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

The Soul of Lisbon: Fado Dinner Experience

Portugal

Food & wine were great and singers were amazing. Really enjoyed it!

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Our waiter was fantastic. Great sense of humour!

Explore Lisbon by Electric Tuk-Tuk

Portugal

Enjoyed this tour.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

4X4 Algarve Sunset Experience

Portugal

They were 30 min late and we were put in the back of the van (not a Jeep Wrangler as specified) and it was uncomfortable and very hard to see back there. It was extremely windy and cold so we couldn't really enjoy it although the places he took us to were pretty. We could only run out of the car for a quick photo and run back in. It should have been emphasized that you need a warm jacket (at least) to enjoy it.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Luis tried to make the experience as good as he could, but too many factors made it unenjoyable.

Transport

Should not put people in the back of this vehicle! A jeep (as advertised) would have been better.

Catamaran Boat Excursion to Benagil Caves & Carvoeiro Beach

Portugal

One of our favorite activities. Stunning coastline and this was the perfect way to see it up close.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Douro Valley Highlights: Wine, Olive Oil & River Cruise

Porto

Really enjoyed this day.

Quality of Experience

Food

Enjoyed the lunch with Douro fish.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Guide was great!

Transport

Foodie Experience in Porto

Porto

We definitely enjoyed it. Guide was very friendly and wanted to ensure we had a good experience.

Quality of Experience

Food

As a young woman, I had my worries about traveling solo without a tour group or travel companion. Emanuela helped my every step of the way! I had the most amazing trip of my life, a great combination of wildlife watching, hiking, and sightseeing! She organized everything perfectly where I could focus on relaxing and having fun. She was available to communicate with, even on Iceland Independence Day where she should have been off work. She was happy to receive updates from me on my travels and checked in on me when I had gotten quiet. She helped me with everything, from making payments on my schedule with KimKim, reserving tables for me at restaurants for dinner, and acting as my digital travel companion over the course of my trip. I am really glad I booked with KimKim because Emanuela really seemed to know all of the secret spots and hole-in-the-wall restaurants with the very best food and cozy atmospheres. She created detailed daily itineraries for me including excursions I had requested as well as new experiences that were so rewarding. I was always so grateful to be traveling alone at my own pace, since I was able to see and do every single thing I wanted! I will forever be grateful to her for supporting me on my first big solo trip, and making it absolutely perfect. I am not kidding when I say I cried happy tears multiple times over the course of the trip, and sad tears when I had to leave!

We had a wonderful trip to France, traveling to Normandy, Paris and Loire Valley. Every segment of the trip was planned well and even though our plane was delayed en route for three hours, we found our driver waiting for us at the airport, and our itinerary wasn't affected at all. We had a zoom call with Lise at the start so she could understand our preferences and she made all the right calls in booking really charming hotels, scheduling excellent guides and pacing the trip. I didn't have to do any of the work and could just follow the itinerary. She was very thorough--we were provided all the information we needed in a very well organized manner. We enjoyed all of our interactions with the guides and it was really the best way to get to know the French culture. I look forward to another trip to France in the future and am very grateful to Lise for all of her hard work.

The trip planning process was very good, but with a little learning curve due to the more unique nature of the model. Pedro was very helpful, adaptive, and facilitative during this process... very accommodating and professional! One aspect that I had to adjust to, was the level of scheduled activities built into the initial plans, but in the end, we arrived at a good mix of planned and unplanned time. For reasons of managing kimkim's total cost (100% paid upfront for us) and maintaining our flexibility, we dialed back a considerable amount of planned activities. It seemed a bit much, and it would have been stressful to proceed as originally planned... especially traveling with a 20-year-old. But again, the final product was an appropriate level of planned (booked) activities.

We thoroughly enjoyed our hotels in Lisbon (PortoBay Marques), Lagos (BoaVista Bela Colina Village), Evora (MAR De AR Muralhas), and Porto (Hotel Dom Henrique)... tasty breakfast buffets AND separate rooms for us and our son (nice!).

We really enjoyed our planned activities and respective guides.
* The Lisbon Walking Tour was very well rounded - enjoyable and educational, and tasty at the end (wine, cheese, etc). Our guide Margarida was wonderful, and provided a true two-way experience. She even went "overtime" with us!
* The kayak tour of the grottoes around Lagos was extremely fun and beautiful (a little strenuous too :-), and our guide Bruno was a delight... engaging, thoughtful, and a character too.
* The Porto Walking Tour was good and interesting, but we all thought that our guide Bernardo was too heavy with the lecturing - it was quite one-sided, with little room for questions and engagement. Our son said it felt like he was sitting in History class.
* The Porto Bridge Climb was fun and provided beautiful vistas. Our guide Kika was a great, personable host, and allowed us to join a bit late after our delayed arrival to the starting point.

Our two drivers, around Lisbon and from Porto to Lisbon, were fantastic... very professional, flexible, and generous with their knowledge and travel tips!

We truly enjoyed soaking in Portugal... the kind people (everywhere), the pharmacist helping me out of a jam with my meds, the meals!, the wine, the architecture and history, the geology of Ponta da Piedade and Benagil, and the vibrant downtown city life... especially in Porto. Evora and its history was a nice stopping point along our trek to the North. Overall, it was a rich travel experience, and we're grateful for the opportunity.

The glue for this entire travel adventure was Pedro Luis! He is awesome... very knowledgeable, connected, forward thinking, extremely adaptable, and quite personable. He worked with us the entire way, answered important questions quickly and at all hours, anticipated issues before we knew of them, made on-the-fly changes to planned activities as we learned more about what we wanted to do, how, and when. He really got to know us, and is the ultimate in travel advocate. Thank you, Pedro!

Hotel Reviews

Hotel Dom Henrique Downtown

Porto

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

M'AR De AR Muralhas

Evora

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Boavista Golf & Spa—Bela Colina Village

Sítio da Atalaia - Lagos

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

PortoBay Marquês

Lisbon

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Private Transfer from Porto to Lisbon with Scenic Stop***

Portugal

Quality of Experience

Transport

Scaling New Heights Ascending Arrábida Bridge for a Truly Unique Adventure Experience

Porto

Fun activity, with very nice views, and a great host.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Visit: Porto

Porto

Great city, with great sites and vibrant activity. Warm and welcoming people.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Porto's Historic Odyssey on a Private Walking Tour

Porto

Interesting, with lots of history and context. But this tour was too heavy on the lecture, and it became one-sided. Needs to mix it up some with more client interaction.

Quality of Experience

Less one-way lecturing.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Visit: Évora

Évora

Interesting old town with historic sites, like the Chapel of Bones.

Quality of Experience

Explore the Enchanting Ponta da Piedade Grottoes on a Thrilling Kayaking Expedition

Portugal

Interesting and beautiful scenery among and in the grottoes of Ponta da Piedade. And it was nice to get some exercise paddling the kayak. Our guide was fantastic and funny.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Visit: Lagos

Portugal

Old town Lagos was fun and vibrant... and delicious! The beach was nice, though didn't spend much time there.

Quality of Experience

Lisbon Walking Tour + Delicious Portuguese Flavours

Lisbon

Guide Margarida was wonderful, and provided an interesting and interactive tour. She was professional and personable!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Claudia's tours of Cinque Terre and Portfolio were fantastic; she was knowledgable and flexible with our needs.

Eva was fantastic to work with on this trip. She was easily accessible and quick to fully answer any questions we had before, and during the trip. We will use kimkim again and refer the service to any of our family and friends who are travelling.

This trip was one of the most memorable trip my wife and I have had.

I want to make particular mention of Gummi, our trip planner. Not only did he understand well what we like, he organized it well. He was ALWAYS available to us. He is a great individual to work with. I would recommend him to anybody without any hesitation!

Thank you Gummi!

Hotel Reviews

Hótel Kea by Keahotels

Akureyri

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Berjaya Hotel Mývatn

Mývatn

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Lagarfell Studio

Fellabær

Location

Cleanliness & Comfort

Entire bungalow by Þórir

Djupivogur

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

We were a bit taken aback by the rustic look; but we actually enjoyed it! Great surprise

Farmhouse Lodge

Vík

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Stracta Hotel

Hella

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

The rooms are small and tight, as is the bathroom

Reykjavík Marina - Berjaya Iceland Hotels

Reykjavík

Boutique kind of hotel would great staff

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Whale Watching Tour

Iceland

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Katla Ice Cave

Iceland

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Geothermal Helicopter Tour

Iceland

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Our trip to Portugal was perfectly planned out with much attention to details. Our drivers, including Josef and Rui, were very informative and went out of their way to make our outings and long drives comfortable. We had an amazing walking tour in Lisbon with Elsa, who was very knowledgeable and managed to answer the many questions our son had. Pedro was our super star who kept in touch with us daily, updating is on our next day and all the activities planned. He answered all questions and made excellent suggestions. Obrigado!!

The guides were fantastic and were very patient with our every request.

Peter and I had a wonderful journey through the ancient sites of Greece for a fortnight in June 2023. Having flown direct from Australia to Athens we spent three nights on the beautiful island of Naxos to recover from jet lag before the tour began and this was a great idea. We were very well looked after by Kimkim from the welcome pick up at the airport and transfer to the comfortable and well-located Belle Epoque Suites. Our driver was at the hotel promptly to meet us and take us to our first destination, the Corinth canal. At the end of the tour we were sorry to say goodbye to Babis who was a terrific guide as well as driver. It was luxurious to have a private car and guide/driver for just the two of us but we felt it was value for money as we learnt so much and his inside knowledge of each site saved us a lot of time and effort.

Rebecca provided us with lots of pre-tour knowledge and responded immediately to any correspondence from us. She was willing to offer any modifications we wanted. The hotels she recommended were all excellent.

In short, I would highly recommend Kimkim if you are considering a tour of Greece. It offers flexibility and value for money.

Justine planned exactly the trip we asked for, and we had an amazing time. With hindsight I would have done a bit less and not tried to cover as much for a more relaxing trip, but that’s just us. We did catch a couple of mistakes so I would encourage people to carefully review all the materials before leaving. Out of five hotels, three were really great and two were not. We had fabulous food everywhere we went, and two guided tours that were excellent. We saw so much beauty, culture and history. Overall an amazing trip!

Hotel Reviews

Hôtel d'Orsay

Paris

Nice hotel with an amazing location right by the Musee D’orsay and the seine.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Staff were super helpful when we needed to find our taxi in the midst of bastille day celebrations. They were great - generous and welcoming.

Cleanliness & Comfort

The breakfast room was light and airy, super clean, great food.

La maison Bakea

Cordes-sur-Ciel

Not really a hotel, more of a guest house, but so gorgeous. A beautifully restored 13th century house with fabulous rooms and amazing views over the surrounding countryside. The owner showed us around, and was so helpful, kind and knowledgeable. The breakfast was amazing, on the terrace looking over the hills. Loved it!

Authenticity & Character

An incredible restored antique house with stone spiral staircase and an inner courtyard. Beautifully kept and decorated

Location

On the edge of Cordes sur Ciel village, with amazing views. Easy walking distance to the shops, galleries and restaurants.

Staff

Marie the owner is wonderful and makes each guest feel welcome

Cleanliness & Comfort

The bed was super comfortable, nice towels and products in the bathroom.

Le Donjon – Cœur de La Cité Médiévale

Carcassonne

This hotel is inside the walled city so it’s not easy to get in and out. You have to pay to park outside the walls and get driven up there. Its dark and outdated “medieval” theme could do with an update. We had to switch rooms as the first one was so dark and sad. Not touched since the 90’s. The walled garden is lovely though, and great breakfast.

Authenticity & Character

Great old building but the rooms need to be updated.

Location

If you like being inside the city it’s OK

Staff

Staff were nice

Cleanliness & Comfort

It was OK

La Baronnie

Saint-Martin-de-Ré

This is a lovely and charming place. Everything was perfect

Authenticity & Character

Lovely old building with gardens. Full of charm and character

Location

Right by the port at St Martin but on a quiet street.

Staff

Knowledgeable about the area, kind and helpful, but discreet.

Cleanliness & Comfort

The room was so pretty, clean and comfortable. Not super modern but we loved it

Hotel Duo

Paris

This is closer to Les Halles and in a bustling busy area. Room was fine. Food not great. We didn’t love it.

Authenticity & Character

Location

For us it was too busy and crowded on the street outside

Staff

Staff were kind and helpful

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Review

Walking tour of Carcassonne

France

Our guide was great. She tailored her info to interests was very flexible, answered our questions so well, and we learned so much from her about this ancient city.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Our Norway trip was fantastic. The itinerary the kimkim team helped develop allowed us to see so much of this beautiful country and have so many great experiences along the way. There was a bit of a miscue in our initial booking, which led to a rework of our original itinerary, but we appreciated how the kimkim team responded by introducing some different experiences. Our itinerary included 4 days on the Hurtigruten, moving us from Bergen up to Svolvaer; I wasn’t sure how this was going to go, but it turned out to be one of the favorites of our trip. Other favorites were Bergen, a guided tour by Martin in Trondheim, and then sea kayaking and arctic surfing in Lofoton. I say favorites, but these are better described as the best of equals because we enjoyed everything on the trip. There were six of us and everyone had a blast.

Julia was our main kimkim contact. She was terrific, both during itinerary planning and then as a very responsive resource/helper when questions or concerns came up on the trip.

This was our first experience with kimkim. We really appreciated their help in creating a wonderful trip and then their on-going help as we made our way through Norway. We will definitely use kimkim again in other adventures.

Our guide in Venice (Grace) was so good! She did a fabulous job guiding us through the Doge Palace and the Basilica! Very friendly and knowledgeable. Will ing to take time to answer all of our questions.

Hotel Reviews

Hotel Cellai

Florence

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Bonvecchiati Palace

Venice

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Lago di Garda

Malcesine

Staff was great and breakfast was wonderful! The location was ideal.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Close to sights , shops and restaurants

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Hand-made Pasta & Typical Dessert Cooking Class

Florence

This was a lot of fun! Learned a lot in a relaxed and enjoyable atmosphere. The Chef was knowledgeable and fun .

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Siena, San Gimignano, Monteriggioni, Chianti: Fully Escorted Tour with guided Siena visit and Wine Tasting

Florence

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Evening Tour Inside St Mark's & Doge's Palace

Venice

Wonderful experience! Tour guide was great!!!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Venice Gondola Ride

Venice

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Margoth and the team were fantastic. They provided us with an amazing trip. All our tour guides and drivers were excellent. Everything went smoothly and we enjoyed it all. Margoth and the team were available to us throughout to answer any questions we had and help us with bookings. Cannot recommend them enough. Thank you!

Leslie is an amazing organizer for the trip of a lifetime. She heard what we looking to get out of a trip to Mexico and tailored a beautiful itinerary to our needs. We learned so much from the tours they booked us. Everything flowed so nicely as we went to different regions from Mexico City to Puebla and then Oaxaca. Her team was also amazingly responsive on a daily basis. We couldn’t be happier!

The trip turned out almost perfect if not for the heat wave we experienced during our trip. The Traveler Care team was amazing and responded to all my requests while traveling in a very timely manner making additions and modifications to the trip to account for situations like the weather.

This is our second trip planned using KimKim and would definitely consider using them again for another trip. You definitely pay a premium but its nice to have someone plan everything for you when visiting a foreign country for the first time.

Hotel Reviews

Hotel Villa di Sorrento

Sorrento

The location of this hotel was perfect . It was within a 2 minute walking distance to the central area where all the taxis converge, and restaurants and shopping within a few minutes walking distance.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

It was a little run down. They could use a little sprucing up but then again I think it was a 3 star hotel so maybe it was on par for the price.

Palazzo Alabardieri Hotel Napoli

Naples

Love love loved this hotel. The charm of it was one of our favorite places we stayed during our trip. Great breakfast. Rooms were super comfy and spacious.

Authenticity & Character

beautiful architecture and Italy charm

Location

great distance to all kinds of shopping and restaurants

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Rooms were spacious. Breakfast area was very nice.

Yes Hotel Rome

Rome

Cute little boutique hotel situated super close to the train station and some amazing restaurants. Nice breakfast in the morning with clean and comfortable rooms.

Authenticity & Character

Location

2 minute walk to the train station

Staff

Great restaurant recommendations.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Clean rooms and comfy beds.

Activity Reviews

Naples Street Food Tour

Naples

This was the one tour we could have done without. While the Naples food scene is interesting and different from other parts of Rome we felt like we walked for miles with no real destination in mind. 3 hours is WAY too long. And after the first few tastings you're so full you can't really eat anything more.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Amalfi Coast Boat Tour From Sorrento

Italy

It was a great experience. Long day on a boat so definitely take your Bonine if you tend to get boat sick. The seas get pretty rough with all the boats in the area. I loved that our stops were short (1.5 hours in Amalfi and 1.5 hours in Positano) and then we had 2 swimming stops. We really got a great tour of the entire Amalfi coast. I do wish the boat was a little more comfortable. For 12 people I felt like a few of us didn't have seats for the entire trip covered as most of us didn't want to be in the full sun for 8 hours.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Pasta & Tiramisu Making Class

Rome

Loved this class! The food was amazing. The instructors were terrific. I loved the experience of it all. The restaurant was very nice and cool (which was important with the heat wave we were experiencing). It was a bit far from our hotel but once we got there we loved the experience.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Private Pompeii Tour & Mount Vesuvius visit with lunch and wine tasting

Pompeii

This was one of our favorite tours however we did have to scrap the Mt Vesuvius hike as the temperatures were in the triple digits. I would say just do a longer Private Pompeii tour and skip the Mt Vesuvius hike or the lunch/wine tasting.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Loved her stories and the things she showed us in Pompeii

Transport

Pizza Cooking Class in Napoli

Naples

Fun class and great tasting pizza but the restaurant didn't have AC and it was around lunchtime. Having to stand and cook near a hot pizza oven in a restaurant with no AC was brutal.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Colosseum & Roman Forum Tour

Rome

Great tour, great stories but it was just hot hot hot!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

tour guide knew his stuff and made it very interesting.

Transport

Local transfer in Rome

Rome

iCareLimo services were amazing. We used them almost daily throughout our trip. They were always on time, communicated with me timely and at my disposal. The car was always nice and cool which was appreciated during the heat wave. Sometimes cold water was provided. I would say that should be a must for every time we used the service just as a suggestion.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Vatican Guided Tour

Rome

Our guide was very knowledgeable. It was a great tour however if I were to do it all over again I would try to find a shorter tour. 3 hours in the Vatican area is a lot. The amount of people being hoarded through is crazy. After a few hours its just a lot.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Comfy, on time

We had an excellent time. All of the accommodation staff were super friendly. Everything was well organized. Rama was our guide and driver for many places and he was excellent. We were sad to depart his excellent service and care. We are excited to return and make another trip.

Fabio helped us plan a 10 day trip to Italy in the middle of July for my family of 5. Kids ages 20, 18 & 14.
Every flight pick up, train transportation, driver to/from worked out. No one cancelled or late in arriving and all super friendly and helpful. We stayed in four different hotels along our trip and all hotels had exceptional service and per our kids, the best breakfast options. 😊
We jammed in so many nice excursions from the walking tour in Venice with our guide, Roberta, who showed us local piazzas, streets that were empty of tourists, inside the Basilica of San Marco and where to get the best gelato! She was great.
We had exceptional drivers, Stefano and Marcelo, and very happy we chose not to drive ourselves. We were able to sit back and really enjoy the scenery during our drive to/from Tuscany for some wine tasting and visiting Sienna and San Gimignano.
The other long drive to Amalfi Coast had crazy curvy streets with narrow, two way traffic and driving that ourselves would have been horrible!! I highly recommend no one tackle that drive. Our driver, Marcelo, handled it with a breeze and we relaxed during that drive (we all took dramamine to be safe!) The views are truly spectacular and have great pictures from it.
Despite the crazy heat, we tried to make the best of it and the only excursion I could have done without was visiting the Sistine Chapel. It was super super crowded and hot inside which makes for a bad combo. Our entrance time was at 4p mid-week and it was crazy. We thought we could easily go under the ropes to work our way out but security didn’t like that and it almost caused us a fine. We explained how my daughter & I felt sick and had to exit and they let us go. Asking security for permission to exit is the better way to handle.
Lastly, our all day boat excursion in Sorrento to see the coast from the water and visit Island of Capri. We had captain David and co-captain Charlotte.
Waves were high and at first not sure we were able to even go boating but captain suggested a slightly larger boat would help ease the feeling (mind you my daughter and I both have weak stomachs 🤢) and it all worked out. At no extra cost to us, we were upgraded to 40’ boat and it was all ours for the day. We packed a lunch and had paninis and swam at our leisure. The stop to Capri was about 3hours and long enough to really explore and visit the Garden of Augusto at the top of the island via a lift. Kids really enjoyed that.
Overall, there are not enough words to explain the exceptional level of service we received from Fabio and KimKim. Sure it comes at a premium but all worth it to have a great planned out vacation that our family will remember for years.
Our hearts are full of wonderful memories of Italy, so thank you!