Kimkim Trip Reviews for Italy

Using Kimkim to plan my honeymoon was so easy and definitely worth it! I recommend to anyone planning a big trip, especially in a foreign country to use this service! It can be really stressful to look up reviews of places, compare pricing, and then need help with the language after booking. Fabio and Deborah were fantastic to work with. Fabio created the itinerary and helped adjust it after some feedback. Deborah was a great contact before the trip.

To start my trip, my husband and I... read more

Using Kimkim to plan my honeymoon was so easy and definitely worth it! I recommend to anyone planning a big trip, especially in a foreign country to use this service! It can be really stressful to look up reviews of places, compare pricing, and then need help with the language after booking. Fabio and Deborah were fantastic to work with. Fabio created the itinerary and helped adjust it after some feedback. Deborah was a great contact before the trip.

To start my trip, my husband and I experienced a delay in our flight and ended up arriving very late at night. Our Italian concierge, Roberta, was phenomenal. We communicated through Whatsapp and she reassured me that we would be taken care of once we arrived and not to worry about any delays in our flights. She also helped us get recommendations and reservations for a Christmas Day lunch which was very helpful. It was also really nice to have private transfers when we moved from city to city and to and from the airport. The train station in Milan would have been a little difficult to navigate on our own.

I thought our itinerary was a great mix of small private tours and days where we were free to explore on our own. In Milan, we did a tour of Duomo as well as La Scala theater. Our guide, Barbara, was wonderful and very knowledgeable. We enjoyed this on our first day as we got our bearings in the city and were able to walk around a bit and explore the Christmas markets nearby. We also did a cooking class that was awesome. Our cooking teacher, Debora was very friendly and made it seem so easy to cook up some delicious pasta and tiramisu.

In Florence, we did a wine and olive oil tasting tour in Tuscany and a walking tour of the city that included museum tickets to see Michalangelo's David sculpture. We enjoyed all aspects of these itineraries in Florence.

In Rome, we did a tour of the Coleseum, Palestine Hill, the Roman Forum, and a separate tour of Vatican city and the Sistine Chapel. These were really crowded, so I was glad to have tickets and not worry about entrance into these tourist destinations. Additionally in Rome, we did an Aperitivo tour/food tour which was delicious and had us returning to a few favorite spots while we were still in town. Valeria, our food tour guide, was great company and we really enjoyed eating our way through Rome.

Hotel Reviews

Hotel Balestri

Florence

This hotel was so lovely and perfectly located along the river. They had a bottle of Prosecco and fruit for us waiting in the room as a congratulations and that was so lovely to start our trip in Florence. The breakfast was delicious and staff was very helpful. The hotel provided umbrellas for guests and honestly the location couldn't be beat. It was so close to everything and had a beautiful view from our room.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Luxe Rose Garden

Rome

The hotel is located right across from the US embassy and very nearby one of the large parks. The rooms itself was nothing too special and it was fine for us to just rest and be out exploring the rest of the day. The beds were a little more firm than I am used to, so it was not very comfortable for me. It was about a 20-minute walk to most attractions.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Small group Tour of Tuscany Oil & Wine Tasting with a personal sommelier

Florence

Using Kimkim to plan my honeymoon was so easy and definitely worth it! I recommend to anyone planning a big trip, especially in a foreign country to use this service! It can be really stressful to look up reviews of places, compare pricing, and then need help with the language after booking. Fabio and Deborah were fantastic to work with. Fabio created the itinerary and helped adjust it after some feedback. Deborah was a great contact before the trip. To start my trip, my husband and I experienced a delay in our flight and ended up arriving very late at night. Our Italian concierge, Roberta, was phenomenal. We communicated through Whatsapp and she reassured me that we would be taken care of once we arrived and not to worry about any delays in our flights. She also helped us get recommendations and reservations for a Christmas Day lunch which was very helpful. It was also really nice to have private transfers when we moved from city to city and to and from the airport. The train station in Milan would have been a little difficult to navigate on our own. I thought our itinerary was a great mix of small private tours and days where we were free to explore on our own. In Milan, we did a tour of Duomo as well as La Scala theater. Our guide, Barbara, was wonderful and very knowledgeable. We enjoyed this on our first day as we got our bearings in the city and were able to walk around a bit and explore the Christmas markets nearby. We also did a cooking class that was awesome. Our cooking teacher, Debora was very friendly and made it seem so easy to cook up some delicious pasta and tiramisu. In Florence, we did a wine and olive oil tasting tour in Tuscany and a walking tour of the city that included museum tickets to see Michalangelo's David sculpture. We enjoyed all aspects of these itineraries in Florence. In Rome, we did a tour of the Coleseum, Palestine Hill, the Roman Forum, and a separate tour of Vatican city and the Sistine Chapel. These were really crowded, so I was glad to have tickets and not worry about entrance into these tourist destinations. Additionally in Rome, we did an Aperitivo tour/food tour which was delicious and had us returning to a few favorite spots while we were still in town. Valeria, our food tour guide, was great company and we really enjoyed eating our way through Rome.

Quality of Experience

The tastings were a lovely experience, along with the food provided.

Food

The combination of foods paired with wine was fantastic. I enjoyed the olive oil tasting as well!

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Everyone we encountered was very friendly and knowledgeable.

Transport

Small group tour of Vatican City , Sistine Chapel & saint Peter's Basilica

Rome

While it was really cool to see Vatican City and the Sistine Chapel, it was overwhelmingly crowded. I felt we didn't have the full freedom to walk around and view things on our own until after the guided tour was over, in which case you had to go back around and start at the beginning. The art was beautiful though and it was nice learning about the history.

Quality of Experience

Crowd control- even though it was a small group tour, the area was crowded and we often were separated from the tour guide.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Very friendly tour guide

Private tour of Milan Highlights (3 hours) with la scala theatre

Milan

We got lucky and were able to hear an orchestra practice at La Scala theater which was special. I also enjoyed hearing about the history of the city and exploring the Duomo with our tour guide. She was very knowledgeable and friendly.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Evening Aperitivo Tour

Rome

I enjoyed learning about the Jewish "ghetto" and how it's been preserved in Rome, as well as trying the different kinds of Italian foods. Even though I was full at the end, I wish there was one more stop for pizza or pasta. Unfortunately one of the places the guide was going to take us to was closed.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

I personally had never used Kimkim, but my son Keith convinced me I need to and actually handled the majority of the online messaging for me.
Having said that, my personal interaction with the Kimkim travel professionals blew me away in a good way: SO accommodating, SO communicative, So knowledgeable! Wow.

My memory is legitimately poor after brain surgery in terms of remembering names, but I’m going to at least tell you what services I’m referencing. Our main guide there who met... read more

I personally had never used Kimkim, but my son Keith convinced me I need to and actually handled the majority of the online messaging for me.
Having said that, my personal interaction with the Kimkim travel professionals blew me away in a good way: SO accommodating, SO communicative, So knowledgeable! Wow.

My memory is legitimately poor after brain surgery in terms of remembering names, but I’m going to at least tell you what services I’m referencing. Our main guide there who met me in Naples, handled detains there, and throughout the 10 days in Italy checked in with me at least once a day was AWESOME. The assistant/guide who worked with me multiple days in Florence and was kind enough to accommodate some extra excursions I wanted to go on including the purchase of an Italian pocketbook was AWESOME. And our guide/ driver for much of the end of the trip was beyond helpful and incredibly knowledgeable of so much about Italy/ every time I had a special need or asked for an accommodation, she made it happen for me. LOVE that girl!!
I wish I could remember names; every driver and guide were so amazingly knowledgeable of their area and so helpful in accommodating us. I’ll never hesitate to use Kimkim again…

The attention to details that Alessandro provided prior to the trip as well as each day of the actual trip was exceptional. read more

The attention to details that Alessandro provided prior to the trip as well as each day of the actual trip was exceptional.

Hotel Reviews

Turin Palace Hotel

Turin

Great location to see the city, plus just across the street from the train station

Authenticity & Character

Location

Central to everything

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Villa Petriolo

Cerreto Guidi

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

CASTELLUCCIO PALUSSE

Città della Pieve (PG)

Authenticity & Character

Furnishings are very old, offering limited comfort

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

HOTEL ISOLA SACRA

Very quiet setting near airport. Only negative was bed pillows were paper thin and should be improved

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

TORINO: LEISURE DAY IN TORINO

Turin

Royal Palace Turin was amazing and should be a priority

Quality of Experience

TORINO: LANGHE WINE REGION FULL-DAY TOUR

Turin

Beautiful location with excellent staff. Best winery tour I’ve ever had.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

TOSCANA: WINERY TOUR (ACTIVITY SHARED WITH OTHER PEOPLE) & DINNER

Cerreto Guidi

Actual winery operations is not on site

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

VILLA PETRIOLO: PASTA & PIZZA CLASS AT VILLA PETRIOLO (ACTIVITY SHARED WITH MAX.10 PAX)

Cerreto Guidi

Personal attention from chef (Michael) was great.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

TOSCANA: LUCCA HALF-DAY TOUR FROM VILLA PETRIOLO

Cerreto Guidi

It was raining all day, but guide was able to focus on inside options including a beautiful government building that isn’t routinely open to tourists

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

UMBRIA: CITTA’ DELLA PIEVE 2,5-HOUR TOUR WITH A PRIVATE GUIDE

Città della Pieve

We had a wonderful trip to Milan. We decided fairly last minute to take a trip and Sonia was able to arrange a great itinerary for us. We were only in Italy a few days, but were able to do and see a lot. Our flight was delayed arriving, but Barbara Fussotto met us at the airport and ensure our transport was waiting. She was there to answer questions throughout the trip and was a great help. Our tour of the city center with Ester Ghezzi was a highlight. It was informative and enjoyable... read more

We had a wonderful trip to Milan. We decided fairly last minute to take a trip and Sonia was able to arrange a great itinerary for us. We were only in Italy a few days, but were able to do and see a lot. Our flight was delayed arriving, but Barbara Fussotto met us at the airport and ensure our transport was waiting. She was there to answer questions throughout the trip and was a great help. Our tour of the city center with Ester Ghezzi was a highlight. It was informative and enjoyable and Ester was a delight. Our side trips to Langhe and Como were great and the transport arranged made it so easy for us. Sonia's planning made it easy for us to just enjoy our time in Italy!

Hotel Reviews

Uptown Palace

Milan

Rooms are small, but generally nice. There is currently construction outside the hotel making it harder to access, but will be in an even more prime location once the Metro expansion is complete. The breakfasts were good and staff friendly.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Walking distance from lots of things and easy access to the Metro

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Albergo Terminus

Como

We only stayed here one night, but the room was very comfortable. The building was beautiful and right on the lake.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Private tour of Milan Highlights (4 hours)

Milan

Ester Ghezzi was an incredible guide. Truly enjoyed our tour and the sights we were able to see. She had all the tickets we needed which made things easy. She was very knowledgable

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Private wine tour: Barbera and Nebbiolo

Italy

Enjoyed the tour and tasting.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Excellent trip and would refer any one to KimKim and especially Francesca if going to Italy! read more

Excellent trip and would refer any one to KimKim and especially Francesca if going to Italy!

Elena planned a fantastic tour of northern Italy - Florence, Tuscany, Cinque Terre, Bologna, Venice - for me and my husband. Based on a couple of phone calls and messages, she tailored the trip, including all the great guided tours and activities, perfectly for our interests. She thought of every detail to make the trip go smoothly. And while we were in Italy, Elena was always available by WhatsApp for any questions or concerns.
read more

Elena planned a fantastic tour of northern Italy - Florence, Tuscany, Cinque Terre, Bologna, Venice - for me and my husband. Based on a couple of phone calls and messages, she tailored the trip, including all the great guided tours and activities, perfectly for our interests. She thought of every detail to make the trip go smoothly. And while we were in Italy, Elena was always available by WhatsApp for any questions or concerns.

Hotel Review

Belvedere di San Leonino

Castellina in Chianti

The Belvedere is beautiful with amazing views of the Tuscan hillside. We had such a relaxing stay there after a week in Florence. Breakfast was delicious - with an ingenious cappuccino maker!

Activity Review

Food day including Lambrusco wine tasting, Balsamic Vinegar, pasta making class, Parma ham and Parmigiano Reggiano - from Bologna

Italy

This was probably the highlight in a trip of amazing experiences! We learned so much about how lambrusco, parma ham, parmigiana reggiano, and ricotta are made. We cannot overstate how delicious everything was. Just a note - instead of the pasta making class, we had lunch at the Opera winery, which was incredible, with the most beautiful views. Our guide Isadora and driver Fabia were very knowledgeable and great fun. Highly recommend!

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Jessica was always ready to answer questions and work with us as we changed our original plan to the final one. The private tour guides arranged for us for each area were excellent. Especially notable for mosaics and artwork were;
1. The Duomo in Monreale
2. the Villa Romana Casale

Sonia was really great!

She was warm, friendly and responded very quickly to all of our concerns. She also addressed all our inquiries very quickly and thoroughly. We were very happy to be matched with Sonia and had a great trip. I would hope everyone could be so lucky :)

Our request was for the chance to see as much of Sicily as possible within a 10 day period. Sonia came through with a plan that we loved. We began in Palermo, traveled to Agrigento and Romana del Casales and then on... read more

Sonia was really great!

She was warm, friendly and responded very quickly to all of our concerns. She also addressed all our inquiries very quickly and thoroughly. We were very happy to be matched with Sonia and had a great trip. I would hope everyone could be so lucky :)

Our request was for the chance to see as much of Sicily as possible within a 10 day period. Sonia came through with a plan that we loved. We began in Palermo, traveled to Agrigento and Romana del Casales and then on to the east coast via Siracusa, Taormina and Mt Etna. In all we feel we have had a great overview of the Island and would love to return someday. The hotels were fine, our car rental went off without a hitch and the connections all worked well. We were met by Tony in Palermo who was there to provide assistance if we needed it [we didn't]. I don't think we would have had such a well organized trip without the input from Sonia.

In general we have had a wonderful trip. We have lots of great memories to think about. Sicily is amazing. Would we go with Kim Kim again? I am not sure because of one reason. I would like to know that line costs for our travels. There is no accounting for what is charged that can be easily seen. I get that it is not always possible to create an exact budget, however, as a consumer, it is common practice to tell people exactly what they are paying for and how much. This is nothing to do with the great efforts of Sonia and co. It is all to do with the business model of kim kim. We might use it again, we might not because I cannot tell if we have paid a reasonable amount, underpaid or overpaid. Had I a clear accounting then I would know and feel more confident that my dollars have been spent wisely. I stress that this is not anything to do with the wonderful trip we have had, but a suggestion for future travels. Perhaps KimKim should figure this part out a little better. Would I recommend KimKim? I honestly don't know, because of the above reason. Travel is costly. We feel we have had value for what we paid. I just cant really tell.

Hotel Reviews

Hotel Principe di Villafranca

Palermo

This was fine. We really liked the staff. The breakfast was good. The location was great as we could walk everywhere. It was clean but not fancy.

Authenticity & Character

The amenities were not 4 star or was it 3? Not sure. It was adequate.

Location

You could easily walk anywhere.

Staff

Really liked the front desk staff- they were super

Cleanliness & Comfort

clean but not fancy

Doric Bed Boutique Hotel - Resort

Agrigento

This was the best place we stayed on this trip. The welcoming staff were wonderful. The hotel is lovely. Can't recommend it enough!

Authenticity & Character

The people, the farm which produces the food that you eat here, the very thoughtful approach to sustainability that one does not see often enough! You feel welcomed and appreciated as a guest.

Location

Beautiful, peaceful country location with a stellar view of the Temple of Juno. Only a five minute drive to the Valley of the Temples

Staff

This hotel has an excellently trained staff who are very attentive and nice people.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Very high calibre. We loved the pool in our room!

Algilà Ortigia Charme Hotel

Siracusa

Lovely hotel in a super good location as well.

Authenticity & Character

I liked the old building in the middle of all sorts of old buildings in various states of repair. This hotel is meticulously kept up and I felt very at home here

Location

You are in Ortigia and can walk everywhere throughout the historic city. WE were delighted with this- It is also on the water's edge which is very special.

Staff

The staff was very pleasant and professional

Cleanliness & Comfort

Also very high caliber in this area.

Zash country boutique hotel & SPA

Riposto CT

I liked the location in an orange grove. It looks out to Mt Etna which is nice. However it was not my favourite hotel on this trip. The countryside is lovely but the entrance to this hotel is THE most awkward I have seen in my travels to many countries. It is not welcoming. There is a very narrow gate between concrete posts and you must speak into an intercom to get the gate opened. It is on a back country road and I thought our GPS was off. The road from the gate [about a kilometer long?] is in very poor condition. There is no signage to indicate the entry to the front desk. On arrival we were told there was no room at dinner [out in the country after a long day travelling]. Then they changed their minds and we had the Michelin starred tasting menu at vast expense [ it was good enough but... there was really no other choice]. The breakfast was good. The second night we declined to eat in the restaurant as there is so little choice... . So- in my opinion, this hotel has some confusion as to what their core business actually is-- Is it a hotel? A Michelin starred restaurant? A citrus farm? A spa? I remain puzzled by this place. Maybe I am missing something...... but I wouldn't return. I also did not like that we were asked to state our arrival time and food preferences/ allergies 3 or 4 days in advance.... travel for us is spontaneous.

Authenticity & Character

Lovely old winery- beautiful grape press in the restaurant. In desperate need of a welcoming and easy entrance with good road and signage.

Location

Yes and no- very pretty but far from town/ really awkward to get in and out. No choice therefore , for dining options for us. [We were offered a list of restaurants in the area on arrival and declined it. If you know that you will have guests for weeks in advance wouldn't you try to accomodate them? Just a very strange place]

Staff

Nice people and quite charming- but off putting at the start as they did not want to feed us. Then we had to pay a fortune for a meal we would not likely have chosen. One is pretty much captive to whatever is on offer here as a hotel guest. We did find the waiters to be very charming and friendly- in fact they saved the whole experience for us.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Clean enough for our standards. Bed was comfortable.

Activity Reviews

Private driver to Monreale (self-guided tour)

Italy

Emmanuel was terrific! We really liked him and the afternoon was a lot of fun. Thank you!

Quality of Experience

Loved Sicily for its diverse geography , vegetation and fantastic history

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Sonia steered us on a very good path. We are grateful. We liked all the people we met, everywhere.

Transport

We rented a car- it is not an easy place to drive but we managed and saw things that we would never have seen had we been on a tour. We are very happy for that as well

Afternoon private guided Tour of Valley of the Temples

Agrigento

Enza was the Best Tour Guide Ever. If you get Enza you are really really lucky. She was v knowlegeable and made the entire Valley of the Temples come to life for us. We were not familiar with this incredible site and yet felt that we had had a crash course in the history of many cultures that have come together in this part of the world. We will never forget our afternoon with Enza. We highly recommend her! Thank you Enza!

Quality of Experience

This is a truly awe inspiring place- like no other in the world that I know of.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Enza was the best

Transport

This doesnt really apply as we drove ourselves.... but it was easy to access.

Our family cannot say thank you enough to Tasos and the KimKim team. Tasos worked with us to create a vacation that exceeded all of our expectations. Tasos provided us with a detailed outline that we iterated together to match our specific ideas for our desired Italian vacation - exploring traditional foods, staying in a Tuscan Agriturismo, and experiencing Rome. Every city included at least one private tour for our family with guides who understood that if our kids are engaged, everyone... read more

Our family cannot say thank you enough to Tasos and the KimKim team. Tasos worked with us to create a vacation that exceeded all of our expectations. Tasos provided us with a detailed outline that we iterated together to match our specific ideas for our desired Italian vacation - exploring traditional foods, staying in a Tuscan Agriturismo, and experiencing Rome. Every city included at least one private tour for our family with guides who understood that if our kids are engaged, everyone is happy. And all the transfers were pre-arranged, so there was never any stress. On the morning of our 8 AM Vatican tour, there was a car waiting outside our hotel at 7:30 to take us across town.

On our last night in Italy as we walked around the lit-up Coliseum, none of us wanted to go home. 19 days in Europe with their parents, and our teenagers wanted to spend more time with us! In fact, most days in Italy ended with one boy commenting on how awesome the day had been, and other boy agreeing. Next summer our family vacation will be to Greece, and we are excited for the adventure Tasos will plan for us!

Hotel Reviews

Fattoria la Loggia

San Casciano in Val di pesa FI

Fattoria la Loggia was everything we hoped it would be! Most of the guests were families with children, and the atmosphere was warm and family friendly. The pool was fabulous and definitely our boys favorite. The three-bedroom apartment with a kitchen was great for our family. On our Parma and Modena days, we bought cheese, prosciutto and balsamic vinegar on our tours; we supplemented those with some fruit and bread, and that was our dinner for two of our nights at la Loggia. As we expected, there was no air conditioning. Keeping the shutters closed during the day kept the apartment from getting too hot, and with fans we were able to sleep well. The managers also gave us a wonderfully fun and delicious cooking lesson outside with views of the vineyards. We would highly recommend staying there!

Authenticity & Character

Italian villa!

Location

In the center of Tuscany and 30 minutes from Florence.

Staff

The cooking class is fantastic.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Be ready for no air conditioning...but with the right expectations the fans are enough!

La Bella Modena Centro

Modena

This small hotel is owner operated with a part-time front desk. The owner is available by phone, and was very helpful.

Authenticity & Character

The rooms were the most efficient use of space, with innovative closets.

Location

Just outside the old city, everything was close.

Staff

The owner/manager was attentive and went out of her way to help us.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Clean and comfortable.

Hotel Gran Duca Di York

Milan

The staff at Gran Duca di York in Milan was very attentive and having a happy hour in the hotel was great for our larger group.

Authenticity & Character

We felt welcome

Location

Center of Milan

Staff

Very attentive.

Cleanliness & Comfort

The rooms were clean and comfortable, but small

Hotel Capo d'Africa - Colosseo

Rome

This hotel was interesting, with fully staffed lobby bar and roof top bar, but no patrons. The one night we went to the roof top it had a night club feel, but we were the only ones there. The breakfast was excellent.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Three blocks from the Coleseum!

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

The rooms were clean, comfortable and good size, especially for Europe.

Activity Reviews

Milan Highlights With Duomo & La Scala

Milan

The tour in Milan was the right tour for us because it focused on exactly what we wanted, the Duomo and La Scala. Nina (our guide) was very informative and extremely thorough and wearing the headphones allowed us to wander but still hear everything she had to say. But at 4 and a half hours it was a little too long. A little less detail and an hour shorter would have been better (especially with our teenage boys).

Private Modena Walking Tour

Modena

Our guide, Elisa, was a local teacher who gave tours in the summer. She was a very fun guide who gave us a wonderful tour! We enjoyed the mix of history and trivia she gave us.

Local transfer in Rome

Rome

A car waiting outside our hotel when we needed it, fantastic!

Afternoon Florence Highlights Walking Tour (Semi-private)

Florence

Our tour guide, Antonella, gave us the very best tour we have ever been on! She was so engaging (even to our two teenage sons). It was certainly a “Renaissance” tour. Antonella was so proud of her home city; she gave us such a complete understanding of the city and how it changed the world. She shared such a wonderful mix of historical facts mixed in with human interest, that we were captivated every moment. When we mentioned that we were reading a book about Michelangelo, she began to cater to stories and artwork that were specific to Michelangelo, complimenting what we were already learning about from the book. She was wonderful!

Cooking Class in Tuscany

Italy

The couple who manages Fattoria la Loggia were engaging teachers, the setting was spectacular and the meal we made was delicious! Fresh pasta with roasted vegitables for dinner and tiramisu for desert.

Private Sunset Rome Walking Tour & Orientation

Rome

This sunset walking tour was wonderful and a great way to get to know the city. Our guide, Giuseppe, helped us to get our bearings, giving us a great overview of the city and where we wanted to spend more time. He also taught us how to drink from one of the many Big Noses of Rome and gave us a great recommendation for a restaurant to eat at that evening.

Private Colosseum & Roman Forum Tour

Rome

This tour with Sarah Napolitani was also one of the very best tours we have ever been on! We were a few minutes early, and Sarah took us straight out, so we were one of the first into the Forum when it opened at 8 AM. She timed our route so that we avoided the massive crowds of tourists for as long as possible. But once we got to the Coliseum avoiding crowds was no longer possible…the crowds were insane! But we just followed Sarah and let the chaos go on around us. She provided a very interesting mix of history, funny stories and thoughtful moments that had all of us mesmerized. We had so much fun with her!

Catacombs & Underground Rome Tour

Rome

This was really an interesting tour. The Capuchin Crypt was very unexpected, a bit bizarre and beyond interesting - the bones of monks made into art. In one of the crypts shoulder blades were arranged as butterflies. Even though we were only there for about 30 minutes it was absolutely a must see! For the Catacombs portion of the tour our guide was a geologist who had helped map these Catacombs, admitting to having been lost in the Catacombs as a student more than once. We did not get lost!

Bike The Appian Way

Rome

Biking the Appian Way with Fabrizzio. What a fun way to see this important part of Roman history! The tour started with a ride across Rome through the Jewish Quarter and past the Circus Maximus before heading out the Appian Way. This was a real bike ride (no e-bikes for us!) with some strenuous sections. We rode past Italian villas on the way to the Catacombs. On our way back we continued clockwise around the Forum, biking by the Arch of Constantine, down dei Fori Imperiali and past Curia of Pompey, where Cesar was assassinated. Fabrizzio was interesting and gave us many new tidbits of information on places we had seen. He also trusted that we knew what we were doing on bikes - this was not a tour for rookies! Back at the shop, Fabrizzio and the owner shared with us some of their favorite spots.

Vatican Guided Tour

Rome

What a way to start the day - a black car waiting for us at the hotel curb at 7:30 for our 8 AM early entrance Vatican tour. All of the pre-arranged transfers really made a huge difference! At the Vatican Sarah was another wonderful guide. She gave us a wonderful tour of both the Vatican and St. Peter's Basilica, and while there is no way of covering all of the art and history of these two places in three hours, she chose well which pieces to focus on and gave us both historical and religious perspective.

We can't say enough positive things about our experience with Jessica and Chiara. If you can afford it, the concierge approach to planning and experiencing your family vacation is the ONLY way to go. It's worth every penny! The investment was worth the amazing service, attention, and care we received throughout our trip to Italy. During a turbulent time when the service industry is inconsistent and at times lacking, Jessica and Chiara were a breath of fresh air. Jessica, who is the head... read more

We can't say enough positive things about our experience with Jessica and Chiara. If you can afford it, the concierge approach to planning and experiencing your family vacation is the ONLY way to go. It's worth every penny! The investment was worth the amazing service, attention, and care we received throughout our trip to Italy. During a turbulent time when the service industry is inconsistent and at times lacking, Jessica and Chiara were a breath of fresh air. Jessica, who is the head of Storywalking in Italy, worked with our budget to create an itinerary to maximize our 8 day family vacation. All her recommendations were spot on. Chiara checked in frequently to make sure every detail of our trip was locked in. We loved our tour guides from LivTours (Adriana, Sara, Raf, and Frederica)- they were great with our 9 yr old son who wasn't always so awake or chipper, but they ALWAYS got him to smile at some point during the walking tours.

We felt like Jessica and Chiara were our personal travel assistants. Whenever we had a concern, question, or need, they were prompt in their response and always came up with a solution or recommendation.

We highly recommend using kimkim, Jessica, and Chiara to plan your next family vacation to Italy. You won't regret the investment. It's worth the peace of mind to ensure you have the best stress-free vacation.

Hotel Reviews

Hotel Giorgione

Venice

Small room and a little dated BUT great location and staff!

Authenticity & Character

Location

so convenient but tucked away from all the noise!

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

just a little dated and musty

Solo Experience Hotel

Florence

Love the location and staff!! Room was generous for European standards. Great breakfast too!

Authenticity & Character

Location

so convenient to everything!

Staff

Nina and her colleague with the braces (forgot her name) were super!!

Cleanliness & Comfort

our room was spacious and didn't feel crowded for three people. Beds were very comfy!!

The Independent Hotel

Rome

convenient to the train station.

Authenticity & Character

Location

even though it's not located in the prettiest and trendy part of Rome, it was convenient to the train station.

Staff

very attentive and helpful

Cleanliness & Comfort

large room and well appointed

Activity Reviews

Private Evening Gondola Ride Venice & City Stroll

Venice

Adriana, our tour guide was great. We had a tired, grumpy, and hungry 9 year old. She walked us straight to dinner at the end of the tour!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Gondola ride was so magical!

Venice In a Day Tour - VIP

Venice

Great way to visit Murano, see Venice, and learn the history of this unique Italian city!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

boat ride to Murano was wonderful

Learn how to make Pizza and Gelato

Florence

My son's fav part of the visiting Florence! A must for families but also fun for all ages

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Jon was a great instructor who made it fun to learn how to make pizza and gelato!

Transport

Uffizi Treasure Hunt Family Tour

Florence

Very family friendly way to cover a museum which isn't always fun for kids!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Sara had her work cut out for her but she was super with our 9 yr old!

Transport

Colosseum VR Tour | Arena Floor, Gladiator Gate & Ancient City

Rome

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Raf was great!!

Transport

Family Experience: Vatican Tour for Kids

Rome

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Frederica was super! She kept our son engaged with the activities in book provided with the tour.

Transport

we had a wonderful experience booking our italy trip with kimkim. Valeria was very responsive and quick to maodify the trip based on our interests and made great suggestions for tours. All booking were made ahead of time and hotel tour and car reservations went smoothly. guides everywhere were awesome . I would totally book another tour with kimkim. Thansk Valeria and big thank you to all the local folks who made our trip fun and very memorable.

My husband and I enjoyed a very relaxing and wonderful 15 days trip in the Amalfi Coast and Sicily in early October.  We contacted Jessica, a travel specialist for Italy through kimkim.com.  Within a week of speaking to Jessica, she arranged a private tour for us and we were on a flight to Rome.  

Jessica was very efficient responding to our requests or updating changes before and during our trip to Italy. From the airport pickup to each destination, our trip was seamless and relaxing.  We... read more

My husband and I enjoyed a very relaxing and wonderful 15 days trip in the Amalfi Coast and Sicily in early October.  We contacted Jessica, a travel specialist for Italy through kimkim.com.  Within a week of speaking to Jessica, she arranged a private tour for us and we were on a flight to Rome.  

Jessica was very efficient responding to our requests or updating changes before and during our trip to Italy. From the airport pickup to each destination, our trip was seamless and relaxing.  We enjoyed the central location of all our hotels and B&Bs which allowed us to walk everywhere and enjoy excellent meals with locals.  All the tours arranged by Jessica were very enjoyable and interesting.  We learned so much about Italian and Sicilian history, culture and art through our excellent tour guides.  In particular, Tony gave us a wonderful tour of the Cathedral of Monreale and Marta gave an excellent tour of the Ancient Villa Romana del Casale.  Our drivers, Ciro, Stefano and Fabio are great drivers and are very friendly.  We also enjoy lots of free time exploring on our own, visiting small old fishing villages and swimming in the crystalline waters of the Tyrhennian and Ioninan Seas.  We have so many beautiful memories.

We can’t thank Jessica enough for this very enjoyable last minute trip and for frequently checking in with us to make sure our time in Italy was going smoothly and according to plan.  We would highly recommend her to anyone thinking about traveling to Italy.  

Hotel Review

Grand Hotel Royal

Sorrento

Grand Hotel Royal, Sorrento is the best hotel from our Southern Italy trip. It is centrally located in Sorrento with many nice restaurants near by. This elegant 5 star hotel is located at the top of a cliff with an elevator to the beach. The view from the beautiful garden and our balcony were magnificent . The staff was great and breakfast was delicious! It's so enjoyable and relaxing staying at the Grand Hotel Royal.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Exclusive Capri Boat Tour and Blue Grotto by Sorrento (up to 8 participants)

Italy

Limoncello Tour & Tasting

Amalfi Coast

The Limoncello Tour with Chef Fiore was lot of fun. The wonderful meal from his restaurant was so delicious and I learned many different ways using lemon in my cooking from this tour. Thank you Chef!

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Ciro is an excellent and friendly driver. We enjoyed his service to the Amalfi Coast and Limoncello tour.

Transport

Monreale, Cefalù & Castelbuono Tour from Palermo

Italy

It's amazing seeing the beautiful mosaic Bible stories all around the Cathedral of Monreale. Thanks to our terrific tour guide Antonio who made this tour very interesting and enjoyable! We had a wonderful time walking through the lovely town of Cefalu with many interesting shops and we tasted the best warm meat and sausage rice ball there. It's so wonderful cooling off and swimming at the beautiful Cefalu sandy beach.

Quality of Experience

Guided Tour of Villa Romana del Casale

Italy

Seeing the incredible story telling mosaics in the Villa Romana del Casale was very impressive. Our excellent tour guide, Marta made this tour very interesting and lively. The vivid depiction of the captured animals and ostrich being loaded into a boat was awesome.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Catania: Food & Folklore

Catania

Enjoyed the sounds, taste and color of this delicious fish market tasting tour. Giusi our tour guide is excellent and we enjoyed the delicious green drink and fried seafood from her restaurant. The tasting menu from other restaurant and cheese sampling were great too.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

w

Maria was awesome in planning everything prior to our trip, and Jessica was an awesome resource when we were there to help us set up an additional private transfer.

The private transfers were really nice to have, so that was a great recommendation from Maria!

The only issue we had during the trip was that the private transfer picking us up from our wine tour/cooking class arrived at 1:30, but the tour wasn't yet complete. We had just sat down to sample to wine and the food and... read more

Maria was awesome in planning everything prior to our trip, and Jessica was an awesome resource when we were there to help us set up an additional private transfer.

The private transfers were really nice to have, so that was a great recommendation from Maria!

The only issue we had during the trip was that the private transfer picking us up from our wine tour/cooking class arrived at 1:30, but the tour wasn't yet complete. We had just sat down to sample to wine and the food and unfortunately had to leave before trying any because our ride had already arrived. One recommendation for the future would be to plan for that private transfer to arrive about an hour later for bookings at this tour.

Other than that everything was great! We loved the four cities we visited and will definitely be recommending kimkim's services to friend and family.

Thank you!

Activity Reviews

Cooking class and wine tasting at Castle

Italy

The instructor was awesome and the tour was very interesting. Only comment would be to be sure the private transfer shows up about an hour later, as we were unable to stay for the sampling of the wine and food we had made.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Exclusive Capri Boat Tour by Positano

Italy

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

We are so glad that we found Jessica on kimkim to help us plan our 30th Anniversary trip to Italy and Greece. She worked with us to create the perfect itinerary and made herself available to us in case we needed anything whatsoever while we were traveling. Knowing we were in such good hands made our minds at ease, which is so important when you're on the go for two weeks! It was a truly magical trip. read more

We are so glad that we found Jessica on kimkim to help us plan our 30th Anniversary trip to Italy and Greece. She worked with us to create the perfect itinerary and made herself available to us in case we needed anything whatsoever while we were traveling. Knowing we were in such good hands made our minds at ease, which is so important when you're on the go for two weeks! It was a truly magical trip.

We started out in London and Paris for 8 days and then flew to Rome. The trip for our Italian leg was extremely well organized in no small part thanks to Fabio and Danielle. We spent a day in Rome and did a private tour of the Vatican with a friend who works there. The next morning we were off to Positano. Danielle picked us up at the hotel in Rome with our driver and made sure we made our train. In Naples another local coordinator met us on our arrival to bring us to our driver, Luigi,... read more

We started out in London and Paris for 8 days and then flew to Rome. The trip for our Italian leg was extremely well organized in no small part thanks to Fabio and Danielle. We spent a day in Rome and did a private tour of the Vatican with a friend who works there. The next morning we were off to Positano. Danielle picked us up at the hotel in Rome with our driver and made sure we made our train. In Naples another local coordinator met us on our arrival to bring us to our driver, Luigi, who took us to Positano. The following day we did a private boat tour of Capris and Anna Capris, which included a visit to the blue grotto, really a must see if you are going to Capri. We enjoyed a wine tasting and lunch and visiting the city of Rovillo and Amalfi and was guided by our driver, Carmine, who regaled us with stories about life growing up in Amalfi. The coastline is beautiful but the road to get there is not for the feint of heart! From Positano we returned to Naples and headed to Assisi. We had a great walking tour of the city and stayed in a special place called Nun, which was a convent converted to a hotel/spa. The spa jacuzzi was amazing and the hotel had just 18 rooms. Assisi was very interesting and a fantastic addition to our trip. We went to to Sienna and Florence, where we had a 5 hour Italian cooking class. Another great experience.

All in all we had a great tour of Italy and we are thankful to Kim Kim and all the guides and drivers who made this a trip of a lifetime!!

The planning was easy and the itinerary was executed perfectly! Couldn’t have been easier. Thanks Harry and the KimKim team. We’ll be using your services again.

Jessica provided incredible guidance and support to make sure our group of 12 had both detailed transfer, tickets and guides for the things we wanted to do and also plenty of free time to explore on our own. Yulia's walking tour of Pompeii was so well informed and detailed, I loved every bit of it!
thank you
read more

Jessica provided incredible guidance and support to make sure our group of 12 had both detailed transfer, tickets and guides for the things we wanted to do and also plenty of free time to explore on our own. Yulia's walking tour of Pompeii was so well informed and detailed, I loved every bit of it!
thank you

Jessica was incredibly responsive and helpful.

Daniella was a great tour guide. I would recommend that she let folks know upfront how much food will be provided on the walk and tasting tour. We were all very full after eating our homemade pizza that it was difficult to try the other items.

Yulia was amazing! Mount Vesuvius, the wine tasting, and Pompeii were a highlight of my trip.

The boat tour was also a blast. No complaints. read more

Jessica was incredibly responsive and helpful.

Daniella was a great tour guide. I would recommend that she let folks know upfront how much food will be provided on the walk and tasting tour. We were all very full after eating our homemade pizza that it was difficult to try the other items.

Yulia was amazing! Mount Vesuvius, the wine tasting, and Pompeii were a highlight of my trip.

The boat tour was also a blast. No complaints.

Jessica did an excellent job booking this trip! She was attentive and there for us whenever we had questions or concerns. She booked all of our drivers and experiences. We started in Rome with a 8 hour tour with Paola. She was so good and very knowledgeable. Hotel was cute. We then took a train, which she also booked for us down to Salerno where we had a driver, Chico drive us down the Amalfi coast, stopping in Ravello, which was our favorite, then Amalfi, and ending in Positano. Most... read more

Jessica did an excellent job booking this trip! She was attentive and there for us whenever we had questions or concerns. She booked all of our drivers and experiences. We started in Rome with a 8 hour tour with Paola. She was so good and very knowledgeable. Hotel was cute. We then took a train, which she also booked for us down to Salerno where we had a driver, Chico drive us down the Amalfi coast, stopping in Ravello, which was our favorite, then Amalfi, and ending in Positano. Most beautiful place I’ve ever been. Our guide was great! We then stayed in Sorrento. Such a cute town! We also enjoyed the hotel here too. Next day we went to Capri Island and Andrea was our guide for the day. He was excellent! So personal and also very knowledgeable about the area. We had a fantastic time and also did the blue grotto. Next day we went to Pompeii. I don’t remember our tour guides name but this was also a very good experience. We enjoyed this service very much and would recommend it to anyone who is traveling. Loved the private tours and guides and individual attention. My only suggestion is that we didn’t know about needing money for the bathrooms and it would have been nice on our car drives, we took a lot of them, to be offered water.

Hotel Reviews

La Casa dell'Orologio

Sorrento

So cute in the middle of Sorrento Square. Walking distance to the pier, 15 minutes. Room had a cute balcony and nice decor.

Authenticity & Character

Decor was cute

Location

Near the square

Staff

Answered any questions we had

Cleanliness & Comfort

Very clean

Hotel Capo d'Africa - Colosseo

Rome

Nice hotel right next to the coliseum. Roof top restaurant with views of the coliseum.

Authenticity & Character

Rooftop restaurant

Location

Walking distance to all major monuments and museums.

Staff

Attentive

Cleanliness & Comfort

Clean

Casa Montani

Rome

Concierge was great! So concerned about our luggage not making it. Call the airport and just truly wanted to make the situation not stressful. He very helpful with providing a map of where to go and places to eat.

Authenticity & Character

Cute little apartments.

Location

Centrally located

Staff

So caring

Cleanliness & Comfort

Clean

Activity Reviews

Explore Rome in a Day

Rome

Paola was our guide and she did great! Wish I had a little more time at some of the areas, like the Vatican.

Quality of Experience

Small group. There was 4 of us.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Friendly and knowledgeable

Transport

N/A

Half Day Tour from Salerno to Sorrento (Transfer) and Sorrento to Salerno

Italy

Chico was a great tour guide. We learned so much about this region of Italy. Ravello was our favorite and would have liked to spend more time there.

Quality of Experience

Great!

Guides, Drivers and Staff

So friendly and knowledgeable

Transport

I felt very safe

Private Deluxe Capri Island Trip

Italy

Andrea was our guide. He was friendly and knowledgeable, spoke good English. Capri was amazing and the views are breathtaking. We also did blue grotto which is definitely an experience. He even provided money for us when we didn’t have any to us the bathroom.

Pompeii Private Morning Tour from Sorrento

Italy

Mario was a great tour guide! My only complaint is that I didn’t have enough time there

Dine. Taste. Learn - Dinner

Rome

Fun to learn about the wine and cheese from the region.

Sonia was very helpful in booking the trip and balancing everything we did so we didn't feel rushed. It was the trip of a lifetime for me!!
Daniella was our local concierge and made sure our trip went smoothly from day to day. She made a last minute change for us on a travel day so we could be in Florence an hour earlier! She was very friendly and helpful.
The drivers that picked us up for our transfers and tours were very nice for the most part. Rosanna especially was really wonderful!... read more

Sonia was very helpful in booking the trip and balancing everything we did so we didn't feel rushed. It was the trip of a lifetime for me!!
Daniella was our local concierge and made sure our trip went smoothly from day to day. She made a last minute change for us on a travel day so we could be in Florence an hour earlier! She was very friendly and helpful.
The drivers that picked us up for our transfers and tours were very nice for the most part. Rosanna especially was really wonderful! She was personable and picked us up on time from the airport and took us to Sorrento. The drivers like Luigi and Carmino were very knowledgeable and kind and spoke English really well!!
The tour guides were also very knowledgeable and had a sense of humor which I really loved. The Tuscany wine tour with Antonella and the Cooking class in Florence with Caterina stand out the most for me! However, all the tour guides were knowledgeable and helpful and again, spoke and understood English very well!
The accommodations for the most part were really great. Hotel Corallo in Sorrento and Hotel Concigliere in Rome were the best! The staff was friendly, professional and helpful.
Overall, it was a trip of lifetime and I was extremely happy with all of the services!!
Thank you so very much!!

Hotel Reviews

Hotel Corallo

Sorrento

Stunning views. Shuttle to the city center. WONDERFUL STAFF!! Everyone was so friendly and very professional. Nice restaurants in the immediate surrounding area as well as the restaurant at the hotel itself.

Authenticity & Character

People and general geographic area.

Location

Staff

So friendly and also professional. Very helpful with requests.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Clean rooms,nice bathrooms, very comfortable beds!

Hotel Delle Nazioni

Florence

Across from the train station and very loud. Scary elevator. Very loud argument between front desk and guest. Did not really feel especially safe in this location. Beds not comfortable. Front desk did not answer phone for information. Room was dingy and shower posed a big fall risk. The plumbing was loud and did not work at times. The breakfast was good. The person at the front desk when we first checked in was very helpful. The terrace from the room had space and the morning and evening views were pretty. Florence was my favorite city.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Different location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Beds were not comfortable.

Hotel Della Conciliazione

Rome

Excellent location, the street was filled with very nice restaurants. The staff was wonderful! Especially Chiara at the front desk! We loved her! Very professional and personable. A very impressive young lady and an asset to the hotel.

Authenticity & Character

Everything

Location

Right near Vatican on a nice street with great restaurants.

Staff

Staff was very friendly, professional and helpful with information in navigating throughout Rome!

Cleanliness & Comfort

Overall loved the room, but beds could have been more comfortable

Activity Reviews

Visit of The Amalfi coast Villages Full Day

Italy

Luigi the driver picked us up on time. His English was very good and he knew the area well. The Amalfi coast speaks for itself and is really breathtaking. We had ample time to explore and shop!! It was great!!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Small group Tour of Tuscany & Wine and Olive oil tasting

Florence

Antonella was extremely knowledgeable about the region and the wines and even how the environment effects the grapes!! Definitely try to ask for her, she was fantastic!! The lunch at the winery at the end was amazing.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Ask for Antonella! She was wonderful!!

Transport

Wanna be Italiano - Florence cooking class and market tour

Italy

FUN!! Very educational experience! Caterina was knowledgeable and really had us all laughing! She was very patient and kind. She was very knowledgeable about the ingredients and the marketplace.

Quality of Experience

Food

Delicious!!

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Ask for Caterina! She showed us so much and was really funny! Loved her!!

Transport

Walked to site.

Small group tour of Vatican City , Sistine Chapel & saint Peter's Basilica

Rome

Very knowledgeable guide.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Small Group tour of Colosseum underground, Palatine Hill, and Roman Forum ( max 6 people)

Rome

Gio was a very knowledgeable and friendly guide! It was an amazing experience!!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Ask for Gio!! She was extremely knowledgeable and friendly and made sure we really enjoyed the tour.

Transport

Sonia was wonderful! She listened to what we wanted, foresaw what we would need, and made sure all our wants and needs were met. She was personable and fun to work with. Everything went smoothly and while everyone we dealt with was helpful and informative, Filippo, our guide while biking certainly stood out. We spent the most time with him so got to know him best, but he added a lot to our trip. The other standouts would have to be the other guides we spent the most time with, Frank and Sandy who were both incredibly knowledgeable and interesting. We had a great time!

Taos did an amazing job. Everything (drivers, trains,flights) all came off without a clitch.. Our tours were amazing and our guides were outstanding. Our accommodations for the most part were excellent. We had a fabulous time and will recommend to our family and friends.

Regards and Thank you
Linda and Ken Orlowe read more

Taos did an amazing job. Everything (drivers, trains,flights) all came off without a clitch.. Our tours were amazing and our guides were outstanding. Our accommodations for the most part were excellent. We had a fabulous time and will recommend to our family and friends.

Regards and Thank you
Linda and Ken Orlowe

Hotel Review

Villa Poggiano 

Montepulciano

My favorite of the trip. The view was amazing and everyone was so helpful and friendly. The breakfasts’ were excellent.

Authenticity & Character

Accomodations

Location

The view

Staff

Exceptional

Cleanliness & Comfort

Clean and very comfortable

Activity Review

Private Val D’ Elsa Wine Tasting

Italy

Danny our guide was very informative, and made our tour a total success.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

All of them were very knowledgeable and interesting!

Transport

This was a relatively last minute trip to Italy for us, otherwise, I would have planned it myself. Based on this experience, I doubt I can trust a travel agent again.
While responsive, the planning experience was painful. It was like pulling teeth to get details on the trip, especially excursions. Example: You will be on an all day trip, leaving at 7 am, will have lunch and will return late that night. How long will it take to get there, how long will we be at each stop, what will we be... read more

This was a relatively last minute trip to Italy for us, otherwise, I would have planned it myself. Based on this experience, I doubt I can trust a travel agent again.
While responsive, the planning experience was painful. It was like pulling teeth to get details on the trip, especially excursions. Example: You will be on an all day trip, leaving at 7 am, will have lunch and will return late that night. How long will it take to get there, how long will we be at each stop, what will we be doing, any free time, when eat dinner, etc.
When I initially discussed hotel preferences, my only request was we needed a bed to accommodate by 6'4" husband (and I'm 5'8/9". First hotel in Rome, his feet were hanging off the end of our Double bed by an easy foot and 1/2. The room was so small I had to hunch over to get by the bed or scrap my back against the TV. It was an unpleasant four nights. With that said, the location was excellent and the breakfast was good. In addition, Kim Kim made it up to us by making a tour in Venice private & ensured we had a King bed at our next two spots.
The location in Florence was poor - simply too far away with no uber/taxi options. Fortunately, the Venice hotel was changed and this location was excellent as well.
There was a real lack of consideration with the tours as well - who schedules a 4 hour Vatican tour and a 3 hour Coliseum tour back to back in the same day? It was miserable.
Who schedules an all day tour for EARLY morning knowing they also scheduled your all day tour the day before that did not arrive back until LATE at night?
What was excellent was the transportation that was arranged and the Kim Kim CEO follow up (when needed) during our trip, that was a very nice surprise and bonus so, thank you very much.

Hotel Reviews

Al Manthia Hotel

Rome

Wonderful location and excellent breakfast. Room was uncomfortably small.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

warning on small room for big people!

Hotel Fortezza

Florence

Great hotel, just was not a fan of the location.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Ala

Venice

Great location. Annoyed the front desk failed to tell us there was a full breakfast at the main location while we ate fruit and bread at the secondary location.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Tuscany day trip: Siena & San Gimignano (Regular Tour)

Florence

This was a wonderful tour and the guides were great.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Rome in a Day: Skip the Line Vatican Tour & Colosseum

Rome

Personally do not think many people need a 4 hour tour of the Vatican. What made this worse was it was followed by the 3 hour Colosseum tour. Two other couples were on the same tour and everyone was miserable. While all the sights are magnificent, just too much walking and overkill of information. We tried to leave the Vatican tour early and guide became upset and "made" us stay. Another party went to the bathroom during the Colosseum tour and the guide "went off" on the person.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

There was none!

Cinque Terre Day Trip From Florence

Florence

While a great experience - it was very rushed! It would have been nice to know what to expect before the tour started. Rushing between the 4 locations made the day hectic and provided no time to relax and enjoy the environment. The group was entirely too big and having to listen to the Tour Guide repeat everything in two languages wasted more of our time. Could have been more efficient and eliminate a stop. With this said, the guide did an excellent job with the limitations she had.

Quality of Experience

Food

While food was good - you could tell we were part of a "burn and churn" discount group meal. Were not greeted by anyone from the restaurant, food just tossed on the table (not sure what were eating), no refills, had to get own oil for bread, disappointing experience.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Venice In a Day Tour - VIP

Venice

This was one of our favorite tours, outside of our Rome Food Tour and Amalfi Coast/Pompeii Tour. The guide was EXCELLENT - what a wonderful way to learn about Venice.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Our trip to Italy was fantastic! Fabio helped us plan an excellent trip that included Rome, Florence, Siena and Cinque Terre. Fabio took care of all the details including arranging for: private tour guide for the Vatican, tours in Florence, private driver to Siena, tour of Cinque Terre. Our hotels were excellent and the restaurants recommended great. We look forward to visiting Italy again within the next year and will definitely use Kimkim and will request Fabio.

Thank you to Kimkim... read more

Our trip to Italy was fantastic! Fabio helped us plan an excellent trip that included Rome, Florence, Siena and Cinque Terre. Fabio took care of all the details including arranging for: private tour guide for the Vatican, tours in Florence, private driver to Siena, tour of Cinque Terre. Our hotels were excellent and the restaurants recommended great. We look forward to visiting Italy again within the next year and will definitely use Kimkim and will request Fabio.

Thank you to Kimkim and especially Fabio!

I'm glad you didn't put a character limit on the review - this may take a while. I'll start by saying that we learned something new every day and had a great time doing it. The drivers (for the most part) were great and the tour guides amazed us with how easily they taught us about the history and every day living of the populace of centuries ago. The only downside we experienced on the trip was it forced us to realize we weren't 20 years old anymore. It would have been nice to not have... read more

I'm glad you didn't put a character limit on the review - this may take a while. I'll start by saying that we learned something new every day and had a great time doing it. The drivers (for the most part) were great and the tour guides amazed us with how easily they taught us about the history and every day living of the populace of centuries ago. The only downside we experienced on the trip was it forced us to realize we weren't 20 years old anymore. It would have been nice to not have to get up early nearly day and rush through breakfast to get to the tour - or to have more down time during an afternoon. We always had a good time, but we were getting tired by the end of our trip.
Villa Poggiano was the perfect first stop. Fantastic staff, grounds, and meals. There was a small field in our back yard with a farmer plowing up the ground with a small tractor and a 2 bottom plow. It took him 3 days. In the U.S. - that would have been done in about 5 hours. Just shows a different pace of living. Montepulciano was a lovely little town where we fell in love with a small little wine bar and the various shops. The staff at Villa Poggiano was great about calling a cab for us if we needed one. The taxi drivers were a little crazy, but we found that to be true all over Italy. Our driver - Danny - went out of his way to make sure one of our travelers was able to get a needed medication that was left at home, and in the mean time, kept us fully engaged with stories.
Palazzo Niccolini is in keeping with the small boutique hotels that sometimes gave us a "WOW" factor when we first walked in because of the paintings in the rooms. Supposedly original and untouched over the years, but maybe someone should "touch" them. It appeared as though there were water drips running down the walls and they needed some help. Again - meals were great and the people were fantastic! I'm sorry I don't remember the name of our guide (Livitaly Tours), but she was very good.
Train - Florence to Rome. Once we figured out how to read the train schedules, we were ok, but still managed to exit the train 1 station early. Louise was able to contact the driver and he picked us up with no problem.
Hotel Modigliani - location was great. Meals and staff were, once again very good. The room was way to small - to the point where it was uncomfortable and I wouldn't recommend it. Our sunset Rome walking tour, with Riccardo as our guide, was super. He was (in my mind) so typical "Italian", speaking with his hands so much, that I had to video him for about a minute. It was a great tour and while my preconceived notion was to not expect much, I'm glad to say it wrong and I would highly recommend this. The private Vatican tour with Sam gave me a lot of "wow's" because of the art, but I didn't feel this was exactly what I would consider a "private" tour, and Sam could have moved a bit more often. The constant standing in one place was starting to drain my knees and feet and it seemed his voice was becoming a constant monotone. It's a fabulous place and I think a different guide might be able to add more than I got out of it.
Our private Colosseum tour was probably the highlight of all the places we visited. I'm sorry to say I forget the name of our tour guide because she was really good! (Liv Italy tours) Walking through the bowels of the Colosseum gave me the chills wandering all tunnels and trying to imagine what it was like thousands of year ago. Really, really great!
Train to Naples. No problem. We got off when we were supposed to! 😉 Driver to the Caruso Place Hotel was jerk. He drove like a maniac (although it appears as though that is common in Naples), gave us a brief - and inaccurate - description of how to get to the hotel, and then asked for a tip! (so I told him to drive slower) We wandered around and helped by a local shop keeper who called the hotel and Alessandra came to our rescue. She led the way to the lobby and helped us get checked in. This was absolutely the nicest hotel we stayed in during our 3 week trip. The pizza making class turned out to be much more entertaining than I had anticipated - something fun for tourists to go to. The Pompeii tour was quite eye opening. I had no idea that the digging had to go down so far to find the artifacts and quite amazing at how well preserved they were. I can't remember the guides name (again), but she was just the opposite of Sam when we did the Vatican. She kept on going at a rapid pace, but still explained everything as we went along. Could have slowed down a little, but better than just standing around. Other than the Colosseum, Naples was probably my favorite city in Italy - but the drivers are crazy!! Glad I didn't rent a car while I was there.
On to Greece. An alphabet that I'll never figure out. We probably laughed more, and more often, than any one time in Italy. It wasn't that things were boring in Italy, it just happened that we clicked with our guides. Arrival to Athens was uneventful. Our first stop - Zillers Boutique Hotel. Great place, but the highlight was the view of the rooftop bar at night. There - in all its' glory, is the Acropolis all lit up. It's like seeing the Grand Canyon for the first time - all you can do is say "WOW!" Our tour guide the next day was Kiki. She was great at letting us catch our breath on the way up the hill, but still talking about the area or the ancient Greek society while resting. Somehow or other, she got us to the top but made it feel like we didn't work that hard. After that the rest of the tour was almost an afterthought. Kiki was one of the best guides we had if for no other reason than the pace she maintained. This was the one tour I was really looking forward to and it was overshadowed only by the Colosseum.
Our driver for the rest of the mainland was George. Always on time, always smiling, always a smooth and careful driver.
On our way to Olympia, we stopped at "My Precious Olive Tree". Ioanna was our guide. I thought this was just going to be a gimmick to sell us something, but we not only got lunch, we adopted an olive tree (thanks to Tasos). The best part was after lunch was over, we met Ioanna's father, mother, and the farm manager - Jimmy. Well, Jimmy is now my new best friend. He produced a small bottle of Tsipouro! Never had anything like it, and we drank and laughed and everyone had a great time! That was the hardest I've laughed in months. Great stop on the tour!! We finally made it to Olympia and while we weren't expecting a Marriott, but the Leonidaion certainly was step down from what the last couple weeks were. We all realized that we are not in a major hub, so the idea of a new, modern hotel was out of the question. It was clean, and breakfast was good, and Damion was a first class host always offering his help and giving us directions and making sure our dinner next door was taken care of. Great guy. The hotel? - you have to remember where you are. It was fine. The tour of Olympia was everything I was expecting. Nothing spectacular, but I wanted to see what it was like at the beginning. Lots of temples, statues, and pillars. Much the same as what we have already seen. Fortunately, our tour guide left time for us to sit and take pictures when we wanted. This tour might not be for everyone, but I'm glad we got to see it. Well worth the time. We also stopped at the Kilo Honey farm, met the owner, got a little tour and explained how it was all done. It took no effort and really wasn't out of the way, so I have no problem doing this.
Last stop on the mainland was Nafplio. What a cute little town. A big fortress on top of the hill to protect it years ago. Sitting right on the water, we had a front row seat to some extremely fancy yachts coming and going. Great little restaurants all over town. We stayed at the Amymone Suites hotel. No elevator to get our bags up to the 3rd floor, but we did have a balcony and breakfast next door at the Wild Duck was delicious. Our tour guide was Theo for evening and the next morning. There is more to be seen than meets the eye and while I wasn't thrilled with him in the evening, he earned his keep the next day. Our dinner the last night was from Alaloum restaurant (courtesy of Travel 12 - thank you) and it was fantastic! I had never had roast rooster before! Our final stop was a wine and farm tour at Venikos. Cate was our guide and by the end of the tour we were laughing like we were old best friends. The lunch was very good and they were kind enough to get me a beer when I told them I don't drink wine.
Last but not least - Santorini. The Ambassador Suites Hotel was listed as 5 star, and while it was nice, the up and down of all the steps (and there were many) would cause me to look for something else. ...but the view was great, the breakfasts were just about anything you want, and they have their own helipad - just in case. The second day was guided by Will from Argyros Travel, and he not only did a fantastic job showing us things that everyone wants to know about, by the end of the day he turned out to be everyone's best friend with a big group hug to say goodbye. Finally - our Catamaran cruise in the Caldera lagoon. What a perfect way to end the trip. The crew on board was top notch, and the food and drinks were never ending. We happen to be lucky in that we got a good group of people to help share the cruise with.

I was embarrassingly uninvolved in our trip planning to Florence and Tuscany, to the point that I was only vaguely aware of the itinerary. Andrea nailed it! He chose great accommodations that included excellent outings and guides. The 2 Tuscan countryside hotels, with their gorgeous views and superb restaurants, obviously required local knowledge to choose. Thanks so much! read more

I was embarrassingly uninvolved in our trip planning to Florence and Tuscany, to the point that I was only vaguely aware of the itinerary. Andrea nailed it! He chose great accommodations that included excellent outings and guides. The 2 Tuscan countryside hotels, with their gorgeous views and superb restaurants, obviously required local knowledge to choose. Thanks so much!

Hotel Reviews

Hotel Santa Maria Novella

Florence

First time through nit the greatest room. Second time was better. Wonderful breakfasts.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

1st room had 2 levels, upper level cold.

Castello La Leccia

Castellina in Chianti

Authenticity & Character

Location

Views

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Relais Osteria Dell'Orcia

Castiglione d'Orcia

Great restaurant. Owner is an amazing, relaxed character. Restaurant superb.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Florence private guided walk including Accademia Gallery

Florence

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Knowledgeable and personable

Transport

Wine tasting in Tuscany countryside (1 winery)

Italy

Parking difficult. A bit of a mill. Wine was good.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Siena guided walk - private guide

Italy

Great experience, but could have been an hour shorter.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Cheese farm visit and tasting in Pienza area

Italy

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Pienza guided walk (private guide)

Italy

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

So many terrific experiences and the care provided for our trip. All transfers, car services were timely and professional. The accommodations were all centrally located to each destination. The tour operators were informative and professional as well as fun. We highly recommend kim kim to our friends. Thank you for making our holiday memorable. read more

So many terrific experiences and the care provided for our trip. All transfers, car services were timely and professional. The accommodations were all centrally located to each destination. The tour operators were informative and professional as well as fun. We highly recommend kim kim to our friends. Thank you for making our holiday memorable.

Hotel Reviews

Aenea Superior Inn

Rome

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Marina

Monterosso al Mare

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Davanzati

Florence

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Residenza Luce

Amalfi

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Jeraldo was so helpful

Cleanliness & Comfort

Residenza Borbonica

Naples

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Local transfer in Amalfi Coast

Italy

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Rome With Ape Calessino

Rome

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Loved marco

Transport

Campo Dei Fiori Market Tour & Pasta Making Class

Rome

Quality of Experience

Food

Loved cooking class experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Leonardo was superb

Transport

Local transfer in Rome

Rome

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Sunset Boat Trip

Italy

Trip was cancelled due to weather

Quality of Experience

Tbd

Food

Tbd

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Tbd

Transport

Tbd

Afternoon Florence Highlights Walking Tour

Florence

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Francesca knowledgeable and loves what she does

Transport

Marianne, our agent with Kim Kim begin planning our trip to Sicily almost 3 years ago but then 2020 brought Covid and we were continually delayed. Through it all Marianne was very helpful, patient, kind and very understanding explaining how to work thru the delays and with our concerns even after travel was reopened.

I have to say ALL of our guides Captain Marco from Lionel Ritchie in Casslemare Del Golfo provided an amazing boat ride in the clear blue waters of the Tyrrhenian Sea,... read more

Marianne, our agent with Kim Kim begin planning our trip to Sicily almost 3 years ago but then 2020 brought Covid and we were continually delayed. Through it all Marianne was very helpful, patient, kind and very understanding explaining how to work thru the delays and with our concerns even after travel was reopened.

I have to say ALL of our guides Captain Marco from Lionel Ritchie in Casslemare Del Golfo provided an amazing boat ride in the clear blue waters of the Tyrrhenian Sea, Lorenzo in Agrigento shared his incredible love and knowledge of his home town and of the Valley of the Temples, in Modica Professor Onofrio Prestifilippo’s exuberance sharing his knowledge of the excavation at the Villa Roamana Del Casale Villa’s and what’s more to be found was contagious, our guide in Syracuse was Fausto at the Archaeological Park where he shared his knowledge of the history of the caves and surrounding area, we had an amazing tour and lunch at the Tenuta San Michele winery then Marco Saprenza our guide at Mount Etna shared we were blessed because we could see Mount Vesuvius it was so clear, we couldn’t have had a more beautiful day and tour, we did a nice relaxing boat ride in Taromina in the Ionian Sea, we ended our travels in Palermo where our guide Lara Guida Turistica with her big smile and love of the city provided us a knowledgeable walking tour even though it was an unusually wet rainy day. Sicily is a MUST see destination!

“Trip of a lifetime” said one of my daughters during our amazing vacation. A good friend of ours recommended kimkim and we were blessed with having Andrea to help us plan our first trip to Italy. For the most complicated trip we have embarked on, including the first time to Italy, Andrea was exceptional. The entire process was very smooth. His recommendations on the itinerary to start us off provided a great foundation and his desire to put together a special trip for us was apparent... read more

“Trip of a lifetime” said one of my daughters during our amazing vacation. A good friend of ours recommended kimkim and we were blessed with having Andrea to help us plan our first trip to Italy. For the most complicated trip we have embarked on, including the first time to Italy, Andrea was exceptional. The entire process was very smooth. His recommendations on the itinerary to start us off provided a great foundation and his desire to put together a special trip for us was apparent from start to finish. The attention to details was comforting. The hotels he selected were perfect for us, centrally located, enabling us to explore by foot in every city. The vouchers he supplied for transfers to and from the airport, tickets for the high-speed trains and “skip the line” tickets for key venues were very helpful to have in advance. The tours he selected were perfect. His willingness to instantly respond to random questions throughout the entire trip was a huge help as we navigated Italy. The advice and recommendations he provided from beginning to end were so helpful. We are forever grateful for having Andrea as our planning partner for our “trip of a lifetime”. Thank you from all of us.

Hotel Reviews

Palazzo Veneziano

Venice

Beautiful hotel in an excellent location.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Il Guelfo Bianco

Florence

Beautiful hotel in the heart of Florence. Very neat place with exceptional front staff.

Authenticity & Character

Really cool place.

Location

Staff

Super helpful at all times.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Belvedere di San Leonino

Castellina in Chianti

Beautiful hotel in the countryside. Felt like we were in a different world.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Views were amazing. Location was very peaceful.

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Albergo Del Senato

Rome

Beautiful hotel right next to the Pantheon. Location was exceptional. Staff was excellent. Rooms were very nice.

Authenticity & Character

Had a nice feel inside rooms and in lobby.

Location

Central location right across from Pantheon.

Staff

Everyone was always genuinely helpful.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Wine tasting in Tuscany countryside with lunch (1 winery)

Italy

What a way to start our time in the Tuscan countryside. Location and views were amazing. Food and wine were top notch and the staff/family were all very nice and welcoming.

Hidden Venice and cicchetti experience

Venice

Great way to learn about the nooks and crannies of Venice.

Florence private guided walk including Accademia Gallery

Florence

Great way to explore Florence by foot. Really loved the city. Our guide was great.

Rome Private Guided Walk

Rome

Great way to explore Rome. Our guide was very knowledgeable.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Vatican Museums and Sistine Chapel - private guide

Rome

The Jewels of Venice (St. Mark & Doge Palace)

Venice

Truly enjoyed everything we saw. Three hours was a bit intense.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Colosseum and Roman Forum - Private guide

Rome

Fabio did an amazing job planning this trip for us. It was truly a vacation, since we did not have to deal with the stress of figuring out tickets, transfers, tours, and a myriad of other details that make a trip to cities as busy as Rome and Florence stressful.

The private tours were priceless, especially as we wove our way through unbelievable crowds at every turn. Having private transfers to and from the train stations and airport were life savers, something that we would not... read more

Fabio did an amazing job planning this trip for us. It was truly a vacation, since we did not have to deal with the stress of figuring out tickets, transfers, tours, and a myriad of other details that make a trip to cities as busy as Rome and Florence stressful.

The private tours were priceless, especially as we wove our way through unbelievable crowds at every turn. Having private transfers to and from the train stations and airport were life savers, something that we would not have even considered planning otherwise.

The day trip to Siena with lunch and wine tasting at La Marronaia, again planned by Fabio, was the best day in Italy.

It was also helpful to have someone to contact when we had a few issues - particularly lost luggage - because sometimes a translator is needed to explain and understand a complicated situation.

Both Kimkim and Fabio were the best!!!! We will definitely use them again.

Thank you.

We had an incredible trip to Greece! Harris did an incredible job working us to plan the right amount of activities and staying within our budget. He recommended we visit Naxos instead of Mykonos and it was the highlight of trip! Once we arrived to Greece we were impressed by the quality of the tours & lodging, and all of the logistics worked perfectly! We appreciate all Harris and the Travel12 team did to make our trip special!

Ina and her team worked with us to set up a trip that combined history, museums, biking, hiking and some free time as our son was in the region to which we were traveling. We were able to easily see what we wanted and travel (with all the details pre-arranged) between Venice, Florence, Levanto and Rome, Italy. The planning was a great collaborative experience, the attention to detail was excellent, and the guides that they set up for us were all among the best we have had (for tours and... read more

Ina and her team worked with us to set up a trip that combined history, museums, biking, hiking and some free time as our son was in the region to which we were traveling. We were able to easily see what we wanted and travel (with all the details pre-arranged) between Venice, Florence, Levanto and Rome, Italy. The planning was a great collaborative experience, the attention to detail was excellent, and the guides that they set up for us were all among the best we have had (for tours and for bike tours). This is my second time using Kimkim and I will be back for the next big trip.

Hotel Reviews

Hotel Antiche Figure

Venice

They actually upgraded us to a junior suite at the sister hotel which was a 5 minute walk from this place. Both looked great but we stayed at the Canal Grande and loved it and the staff.

Authenticity & Character

It “fit” what we expected for Venice.

Location

Easy to get anywhere.

Staff

The staff were friendly, recommended places for dinner and made the reservations. Excellent service!

Cleanliness & Comfort

Milu Hotel

Florence

This was our favorite of all the hotels because it was full of cool art and again, the staff were fantastic.

Authenticity & Character

It was in the fashion district and had a totally cool vibe about it.

Location

It was right in the midst of everything we wanted to do and so everything was a 10 minute walk.

Staff

They were also great at finding us places for dinner and we were comfortable enough to just let them pick and make the reservation.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Palazzo Vannoni

Levanto

This was such a friendly hotel!

Authenticity & Character

Location

It was just a bit off the beach in Levanto and easy to navigate to and from. Also close to the train station.

Staff

Super helpful with directions, hiking suggestions, other activities and food!

Aenea Superior Inn

Rome

It was a convenient location and provided good access to what we needed.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Market & Cicchetti Food Tour

Venice

Tour guide was knowledgeable, the food was amazing, and it was just us and another couple which was fun.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Bike Tour on Lido Island

Venice

Valerio took good care of us, adjusted the trip length and speed to our desired activity level, and had a ton of good info.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Afternoon Gelato Making Class

Florence

He was hysterical, and excellent teacher, and so much fun!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Chianti Wine & Olive Oil Tour from Florence

Florence

Our guide for this was so personable and the small group was easy to get to know. Loved seeing and learning about all the places we went.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Sunset e-Bike Wine Tour

Italy

Sara and Matteo took us on an fun trip, were good at explaining the history, use of the bikes, and took lots of pictures and drone shots for us to enjoy.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Vatican Guided Tour

Rome

Really knowledgeable tour guide that made this more interesting than I expected it to be. But you can’t go to Rome and not see the Vatican. She made me glad I went.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Bike The Appian Way

Rome

I can’t believe Valentina actually got us to bike on some of those roads, but what a trip! It was a great way to see things a typical tour would not get to, she was wicked smart, and took good care of us as we went through some really busy places. We learned a lot and appreciated Rome so much more. The description mentioned a breakfast or lunch but that wasn’t actually included in the tour.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Monica from the KimKim affiliate Your Custom Journey began working with us at first. She was amazing. Love that we could say where we wanted to go and the kinds of things we wanted to do but at the same time have suggestions from Monica on other activities.
Booking was easy.
Near the start of our trip we had to switch consultants for a understandable reason and began working with Fabio who is Monica's boss. I think he is extremely busy with the number of travelers he is handling and he... read more

Monica from the KimKim affiliate Your Custom Journey began working with us at first. She was amazing. Love that we could say where we wanted to go and the kinds of things we wanted to do but at the same time have suggestions from Monica on other activities.
Booking was easy.
Near the start of our trip we had to switch consultants for a understandable reason and began working with Fabio who is Monica's boss. I think he is extremely busy with the number of travelers he is handling and he was harder to communicate with. Also Gloria was thrown in the mix so it was a little confusing.
The end result of our activities and accommodations and drivers was excellent. But it was a little nerve wracking trying to reach anyone including the concierge when we had questions. Again it all worked out in the end but I would have preferred a quicker response from most everyone.
It was a wonderful vacation.

Hotel Review

Grand Hotel Cavour Florence

Florence

Great location with an amazing rooftop bar. Clean and a great breakfast!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Walking distance to so many historical must sees.

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Private truffle hunting, and lunch in the tuscan countryside - Explore Arezzo

Italy

I would suggest doing this in the morning. Afternoon experience runs a little late and could have a daunting drive in the dark back to accommodations.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Private transfer to Avignonesi. Small group cooking class, winery tour & Grand Lunch with wine tasting (6h)

Cortona

Maybe favorite part of the trip. The setting is beautiful. Very educational on vinyards. Cooking class so much fun. Lunch with wine tastings amazing.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Cheese making demonstration& Row meal pecorino production - Self-explore Pienza-Turn in rental car

Cortona

Again a beautiful setting. Proprietor has an interesting life story and is obviously very passionate about his property and farming. Cheese and other food was delicious.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

We had used Kim Kim in the past for a trip to Costa Rica. Everything from the activities to the accommodations, guides and support were exemplary. Unfortunately, our experience with our recent trip to Italy was not as great and I do not think I will be using Kim Kim or recommending Kim Kim in the future, which is sad given our first experience was so positive.

For starters the price was absurd. We paid $20,000 for a 2-week trip for 5 (3 children and my husband and I)-over $1,400 per day. ... read more

We had used Kim Kim in the past for a trip to Costa Rica. Everything from the activities to the accommodations, guides and support were exemplary. Unfortunately, our experience with our recent trip to Italy was not as great and I do not think I will be using Kim Kim or recommending Kim Kim in the future, which is sad given our first experience was so positive.

For starters the price was absurd. We paid $20,000 for a 2-week trip for 5 (3 children and my husband and I)-over $1,400 per day. This did not include food or flights and did not include most of our entertainment/activities. We stayed in 4-star hotels and had several activities and several train rides as well as multiple private transfers included. I understand this is expensive and I had thought the price may be reasonable at the time until I started asking our guides, transfers, and hotels for the amount they had been paid and compiling a spreadsheet of this. I understand there will be a premium going through a travel agency, but this was borderline fraudulent and not at all congruent with our prior Kim Kim experience. My family is from Sardinia and so we began planning our own activities using them as well as a family friend who is a local travel specialist in Italy who reviewed our prices and itinerary and basically concluded we were conned.

Second the planning was extremely sloppy. We did not receive the actual schedule with times in PDF format as we had before with costa Rica. Everything was through the app. Multiple links did not work so I had to frantically call Jessica from the train station in Venice when the train tickets Kim KIm had uploaded to the app had the wrong link and were not there (we almost missed our train). Jessica had EXCELLENT communication as was available 24/7, however I feel if that if the trip was planned better, I would not have to had to be contacting her so frequently. It was annoying and stressful to constantly be on What’s Ap instead of enjoying our vacation. Our schedule told us that in Venice our transfer back to the train station would meet us at the hotel this was not the case and we waited in the hotel until the driver called the hotel and told us to walk the quarter mile to the canal for the transfer. I would have been happy to do this if it had been communicated. Our driver in Florence was late to pick us up to the train station for the transfer. Our driver in Sorrento could not find our hotel, and again for our transfers given the hotel location it was not possible to be picked up at the hotel as the itinerary said, but we had to walk to a street corner, Jessica communicated this the day before, (again not a big deal, but helpful to know all of this ahead of time and put in the itinerary before we left so we knew what to expect and were not constantly having to check whats app, bother Jessica and clarify all the transfers) Our driver to drive us to the airport on departure to Rome was also 30 min late bc he had a 6:30 pick up despite the 6am pick up listed on our itinerary.

The planning was also not well thought out. We had 2 full days in Florence, one free day to visit Uffizi and dell’Academia etc and one day of a private bike tour. Kim Kim planned Monday for our free day to visit the major attractions including the Uffizi (listed in our itinerary) however did not take into consideration that these major museums and galleries are CLOSED on Mondays!!!! This made no sense and despite traveling all the way to Italy/Florence, we were unable to see the Uffizi. Seemed like a major oversight and not something I would expect using an Italian travel agency for a $20,000 trip. Sardinia was similar. A free day on Pelosa beach, however there was no mention that we needed to buy tickets to go to the beach, so again on our planned beach day we were unable to go bc there were no tickets!!!! It seems like this would have been important info to put in the itinerary, let us know about.

I have nothing but positive things to say about Jessica. She went above and beyond and was readily available and an excellent communicator. However, as wonderful as she was, I would’ve preferred to just enjoy our trip and not have to be in constant communication with her about details that were not well spelled out/thought out in the itinerary. Jessica was not assigned to us until after the trip was built, so I’m guessing most of this was all out of her control.

We enjoyed the chosen hotels/accommodations except for Florence (location of this one was too close to large amount of vagrants/beggars, and the kids were scared walking back to the hotel, the staff were also not friendly, and the room was stuffy and hot and did not have enough beds so 2 of our children had to share a twin bed). We enjoyed the planned activities (mask painting, scavenger hunt in Dodge’s palace were both excellent, gelato making excellent, bike tour in Florence excellent).

At the end of the day our trip was still amazing, and these were minor inconveniences, however the whole point of using a travel agency is to not have to worry about the minor details/logistics. And again, after a perfectly executed trip in Costa Rica (a much less developed country than Italy too!), the planning on this trip was extremely disappointing, between this and the price gauging, this will be our last Kim Kim trip. I hope a large portion of the $20,000 we paid goes to Jessica, because she is worth her weight in gold!

Hotel Reviews

Hotel Giorgione

Venice

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Albani Firenze

Florence

not good for families

Authenticity & Character

Location

near area where vagrants hang out, kids were scared walking back to hotel, would NOT stay here again

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Alghero Resort Country Hotel

Alghero

loved it

Authenticity & Character

Location

not walking distance to anything, worked well for us bc we had a car

Staff

staff make this place. they go above and beyond. cannot say enough great things about the staff here

Cleanliness & Comfort

Cuore di Sorrento Suites

Sorrento

Authenticity & Character

Location

hard to find, otherwise great location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Monti Palace Hotel

Rome

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Venetian Mask Painting & Family Scavenger Hunt in the Doge’s Palace

Venice

Rosana did excellent job engaging the kids and also teaching them about the history of Doge's palace. LOVED the mask painting.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Private Gelato Making Florence Class

Florence

not what we were expecting but still a good experience, we were in small room in back of gelato shop, very authentic experience and Tulio was great with the children. wasn't quite as hands on as we were expecting though.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Downhill bike tour in the hills around Florence (San Gimignano) #2

Italy

Piero was excellent, we really enjoyed our time with him. I had done bike tours in Tuscany in the past and only critique of this trip/route was there were some roads with cars and some street crossings which weren't ideal with the kids. Piero was extremely conscious of this and safety centered, the prior tours I'd done were all in the countryside. the lunch was the best meal we had in florence/tuscany. SO GOOD!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Guide 10/10

Transport

van was very comfortable and roomy.

Private Snorkeling excursion in Bosa coast

Italy

rained out/cold, didn't go

Full Day Tour Amalfi Coast: Positano, Amalfi and Ravello

Amalfi Coast

Really liked our driver Rosario, however would probably not do this tour again. Was SOOOO crowded and most of our day was spent sitting in the van in traffic (likely the same of any of these tours).

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Our agent from KimKim, Marianne was incredible and made our visit a seamless experience, we are so grateful. She provided wonderful suggestions, constant support, and coordination.

Vincent was our guide for our 3 days in Rome was nothing short of exceptional! Vincent’s enthusiasm and knowledge of the history of Rome plus his visible love and pride for his home made each day exciting and so worthwhile. We will never forget our experience with him.
Ciao for now Roma, we will see you again 🥰 read more

Our agent from KimKim, Marianne was incredible and made our visit a seamless experience, we are so grateful. She provided wonderful suggestions, constant support, and coordination.

Vincent was our guide for our 3 days in Rome was nothing short of exceptional! Vincent’s enthusiasm and knowledge of the history of Rome plus his visible love and pride for his home made each day exciting and so worthwhile. We will never forget our experience with him.
Ciao for now Roma, we will see you again 🥰