Europe Vacations - Europe Luxury Vacations Guide

Thank you for the beautiful flowers in the room. We had a wonderful time. Everyone at the hotel was very nice and did their utmost to provide good service. The food for breakfast and lunch was quite good. We tried the new spa restaurant which was very good. La Parilla was fair. We ate outside the hotel 3 of the nights. Two of the restaurants were among the best meals we have had anywhere in quite some time. One was called Casa Lucas (international food by a Belgian chef) and the other was called Tucan (local food with an international flair). The spa was very nice as was the spa garden.

On the flip side, the interior is moderately run down and is in need of renovations to things like carpets, furniture, etc. Structurally it is fine.

When we arrived, there was a fair amount of confusion about the spa program. They tried to blame it on you, but I told them you had nothing to do with the arrangements and that the confusion was due to their lack of communication internally (which they eventually acknowledged). Once we got it straightened out, it was fine. The only disappointment was that they only got the Jacuzzi working correctly for 2 of the 7 days. The other 5 days it was not hot in spite of management's efforts to get maintenance to keep it hot.

In summary, we had a wonderful time and will definitely go back to the Canaries. We're not sure if we would stay at the Botanico or go to one of the newer hotels. In addition, your service was excellent. My wife and I plan on going on a 5-star (intimate/smaller ship) cruise for my 50^th birthday next year. We definitely will keep you in mind for those arrangements.

Donna -

We had a wonderful time.  Thanks for all your help and recommendations, we really appreciate your efforts. You made it so easy to piece together!

The hotels were great. The owners of the Loch Lein were absolutely wonderful.

Thanks for recommending Dingle, which I think was my favorite.  We went there on a sunny day, and it was so much fun.  Everyone said Spring is the best time to visit.

We also visited Castle Rock on our way to Dublin. It was also very nice. The best nightlife and shopping of course was in Dublin. We were glad to visit the big city.

Our next trip is either Alaska or Italy/ France for wine and food. We will definitely be calling you back.

Private client

Testimonials about Donna Salerno, Europe, exotic tours, and vacation specialist:

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH! Donna!

It was pure bliss! There was absolutely NOTHING that could have been improved. Yes, its true that you will read some reports on Trip Advisors or other sites about construction, but you had us on the other side of the resort and never heard any of it. We were able to get the massages you mentioned ("Zen massage" where they incorporated Pilates and Yoga stretching with deep tissue massage...unbelievable!). Our suite was actually a stand alone pavilion, with sliding glass doors on 3 sides, and the bathroom, closet, mini-bar changing area behind a wall behind the bed. Everything, candy, soda,beer, Perrier, chocolate, nuts, macaroons) except hard liquor was free, as were all local calls and calls to the US. The food was to die for, and when I kept ordering the same thing every day for lunch (cold cucumber soup, the chef offered to give me the recipe (which I took, but have yet to find...I'm still in that "state of bliss").

We made very good use of all the beach equipment, sailed every day on a Hobie cat, sea kayaked and snorkeled (I brought my own dive equip, but they have plenty of very high end equip for guests to use). There are no life guards, per se, but I guess you'd call them beach attendants (who were very adept at swimming, so I wouldn't worry if there was a beach emergency) kept us cool with water, cold towels, regular towels, and doing such mundane things as moving chairs to get in or out of the sun. One of them saw that I was collecting shells, and went to get me a bucket for storage! When I went in the water, he kept looking for shells for me! Just incredible, over the top, friendly guest service. The kind of service where your needs are anticipated, you don't need to ask for something, they've thought of it before you have...

We found out at the last minute that we had friends staying at Grace Bay Club at the same time, and invited them to our place for dinner. Our resort arranged a car for their pick up. We asked if room service could provide some appetizers for us to have in the room before dinner. No problem. The chef gave us a menu, but then made additional suggestions for appetizers that were not on the menu, which we chose.

Everything was delivered and set it up on a recessed table (to make it seem like you are sitting on the floor) on the beach side patio outside of our room, just as the sun was dipping into the horizon. We had been forewarned that there were little "no see 'ems" (those tiny mosquitoes that come out at sunset) and brought bug spray, but the hotel provided something that smelled much nicer and did the trick as well. When we were done, we call for a ride (very nice golf carts some of which sat 6 people) to dinner. Zip.. we were there. Any time we called for a ride (which I must admit wasn't too often, since we enjoyed the walk), it arrived within 2 or 3 minutes NO EXAGGERATION!!! When we got back to our room, all the serving dishes, plates utensils, glasses, table cloths, etc, had been cleaned away.

As an added attraction, which I'm not sure if you planned or not, there were only 9 guests, including us when we arrived; Eve Longoria and her new husband were checking out, and a group of models, agents, and catalog photographers from Victoria's Secret checked in to use the resort as a backdrop for next year's bathing suit collection. And, yes I did get pictures; my husband was pleasantly surprised!

I can't thank you enough! It was more therapy than a vacation. There was no formal dress code, very quiet, very secluded and impeccable in every way. This would not be the place to go if you wanted a lot of shopping, lots of choices of clubs to go to at night, or be on a busy beach. Of course, the concierge will arrange any of those things for you if you want (off property), but we were content to just stay where we were. The ultimate question is, would we go back? ABSOLUTELY. Would we recommended it to our friends? ABSOLUTELY. Is it expensive? ABSOLUTELY, but you don't get the feeling like you are being "nickel and dimed", so to speak (like with the free mini bar and phone calls to the US), and the service was the best I have ever experienced.

I have emailed your name to many of my friends again (since you helped with our previous "over the top" trip to Hawaii), and I hope they get a chance to experience what value a great travel agent can provide! You truly gave us one of the most comforting, therapeutic, and luxurious experiences imaginable. Thank You doesn't convey how much we appreciate what you were able to provide, especially on such short notice.

Warmest regards, Until next time! Private Client

Testimonials about Donna Salerno, Europe, exotic tours, and vacation specialist:

We are back and the arrangements you put together for Europe was great. Your reservations were seamless from the time we left until we returned last night.

All of the hotels were wonderful. We enjoyed the hotel in Salzburg the best -our room had a balcony that overlooked the river. Our visit to Dachau outside of Munich and the Sound of Music tour in Salzberg were the most memorable experiences for different reasons. Innsbruck was by far the prettiest city I have ever seen.

Our only other experience with European travel was a Mediterranean cruise so we were a little intimidated. However, your arrangements made it easy to navigate. Thanks again for all your help; deciding on where to go next. We'll talk soon.

Private

Testimonials about Donna Salerno, Europe, exotic tours, and vacation specialist:

DONNA!!!!!!!!

Man, what an awesome trip it was! Thank you for all your hard work!!! We could really tell that you put a lot into making it as perfect as possible for us, and it was all very appreciated.

Let's see, our favorite restaurant i think was in Sorrento, Zi-Antanio Mare (i think that's right) We actually went there 2 nights in a row! They offer cab service from and to the restaurant, included in the fee of the dinner.... which really wasn't much at all! They also offered free "taste-testing" during the evening, pizza was one night, the Lemoncello (forgive the spelling) was after dinner... it seems like there was another, but my mind is still sleeping!

Our favorite hotel was in Florence, you choose the BEST for us. The location was perfect, the room was huge and elegant and we received complimentary shirts and slippers. The shirts are so soft and comfy too....... It just really made the stay there awesome to have that special treatment.

Or favorite city..... hard to choose between Venice and Sorrento. They were both so pretty, people were so nice and the local handicrafts/souvenirs were plentiful. And they were really easy to walk around in.

Our "night life" consisted of eating dinner! LOL Seems they take up to 3 hours to eat dinner. Which was fun in Venice, but by the time we got to Sorrento... we just wanted to walk dinner off! LOL The food was fantastic throughout our visit.

Our favorite activity was the walking and people watching. It was interesting to see the different people, styles and customs.

The historic city tour was really good, got to see the ancient ruins, and major sights with a very good English speaking guide. : ) Thanks for setting that up for us!

Florence, our first impression was that it was dirty, but i did get a beautiful diamond ring there, so i can't complain too much! LOL In Sorrento they upgraded us to a room with a balcony so we had a view overlooking the water---beautiful!

All in all the trip was awesome. We hope to return someday. But there's other stuff that has to come first. Like a new kitchen LOL

The trip length was perfect, we weren't dying to get home, and weren't so ready to leave. Time to get back to reality though and start paying the bills!

Thanks again for all the help on getting the trip set up so perfectly. We really enjoyed ourselves and will definitely call YOU for our next trip.

Thank you!!!!

Back to Italy...ANYtime

Testimonial about Sarah Baugman, Luxury Cruise Specialist

This is a note to compliment your agent Sara Baughman.

Sara has handled two trips for me – last year on the Seven Seas Voyager from Rome to Athens and this year in on the Paul Gauguin in Tahiti. All hotels, all transports to and from locations were 100% on target. The accommodations were all excellent and most importantly Sara was always available before and during the trips. She is to be complimented on a job well done. She becomes a “friend” not just a travel agent.

If my plans call for future travel you can be assured I will call Sara.

O. Jules Romary of Jupiter, FL

Testimonials about our Italy, Europe Specialist

We've returned home from our wonderful two weeks exploring the beautiful cities of Spain. The advance planning that you did for our trip was terrific. All the hotels that you found for us were located in the heart of the areas we wanted to explore, and each was distinctively clean with helpful staff. The half day planned tours were perfect for our initial overview of each city yet left us enough free time to spend at selected sights we wanted to explore further. The sequence of cities visited was perfect...Barcelona, Madrid, Seville, Granada, and Marbella....allowing us to move easily from one location to the next first via train (First class was definitely the right choice for the train tickets!) and then with the easy car rental for the last leg of our journey (many thanks for thinking of passing on the website information to us to obtain maps in advance!). The final three days at Costa Del Sol were a wonderful way to celebrate our anniversary and wind down from all the sightseeing we had done in the first portion of our vacation. You made our Spanish adventure both easy to plan and to enjoy. Thank you for a wonderful time!

Kind regards, Diane & Ralph

Testimonials about Donna Salerno, Europe, exotic tours, and vacation specialist:

Hi Donna!

What a wonderful stay! You made it so easy and everything worked out so well. It was the first time we booked via the internet but loved the personal touches you did with phone calls, emails and answering every question we had!

Santorini was beautiful, the hotel was fabulous. We really enjoyed our suite, they put rose petals on the bed in a shape of a heart. Every evening with turndown we got chocolates and bottled water. We really liked that. They also had a computer set up, which is how we were able to contact you. We took their van into Fira and to the beach. On the last day, we rented a 4-wheeler and tooled around the island. We loved the hotel and would definitely stay there again. You matched us up perfectly!

I found my most FAVORITE restaurant of the entire trip in Elounda as we were walking through. I can't remember the name of it, but the food was delicious and the view fabulous.

In Crete we liked the one day tour to the ruins in Heraklion. Very interesting and informative.

We really liked Athens a lot. The hotel you picked for us was so nice, in a GREAT spot, and convenient to everything. We got lost for about 2 hours in the Plaka. There were many more streets than the map let on! We learned our way around and did well for the remainder of our stay.

The tours you booked for us were fantastic! We liked the Athens day tour and visiting the Acropolis was a highlight. It meant so much more, seeing it with the guide; so they could explain the history and the culture of what was going on at the time. The Cape Sounion tour was a beautiful drive along the coast, thanks for your suggestions. Our tourguide also wrote a book on Greek Mythology, which we purchased and had her sign.

Overall we had a WONDERFUL trip!! Your quick and assuring responses while we were there was great. We enjoyed ourselves so much and thinking of where our next adventure will bring us. Will definitely call you when we decide!

Thank You for everything!!!

Testimonial about Linda Barber, Hawaii, Alaska, Exotic Vacation Specialist

Linda,

I don't know where to begin. The trip was absolutely perfect from the moment I left my house until I returned. Celebrity is a great cruise line and I would definitely join them on another cruise. The tour at Ephesus was magnificent and my guide in Rome, Francesca, was amazing. I am so glad you recommended a private tour - I felt like a "celebrity". It will be a while before I come back to reality (even if I'm back at work this morning). Thank you so much!

Penny

Testimonial about Richard Engle Exotic Tours & Luxury Cruise Specialist

Thank you so very much Richard. I knew you could pull the rabbit out of the hat. I am certainly happy!

Daisy

Testimonials about Donna Salerno, Europe, exotic tours, and vacation specialist:

Dear Donna,

Great Italian trip. Well planned and well delivered -you did a fantastic job.

Our tour guide, Kris, was more than great. Weather was perfect, 10 sunshiny days in a row, so didn't miss a beat. It was truly memorable, being right there--all the things we've read about, seen pictures of, viewed in movies.

Kept having to pinch myself, as I couldn't believe I was in a gondola in Venice, in Vatican Square, on the streets of Pompeii, etc., etc. etc.

Thanks for your help during the planning. We really enjoyed our stay and will contact you again for our next adventure!

Lou and Kate

Testimonial about our Europe, Italy Specialist

I want to let you know that I received the travel documents/pkg today. I am very impressed with the document case and the way you set up the itinerary etc. Never have seen such attention to detail for a customer. I need something like that for my travels. Sure wish I was able to also go on this trip. I know that my sisters will have a great time. Thanks for all care in making this trip a reality.

Mike

Testimonial about Joan Smith, Luxury Cruise Specialist

Hi Joan,
So nice to hear from you! I keep meaning to e-mail you a note and then you
beat me to it - oh well. We had a wonderful time. The ship was gorgeous and the ports were beautiful. Thanks for ordering the sunshine for us - we got very toasted! We really apprecited all the time and effort that you put into getting everyones questions answered etc... Our rooms were so close together - and the 10th floor was a great location. If you have anywhere where I can sing your praises to your company let me know because I do that often for nice people, doing their jobs and still enjoying it. The best thing about the cruise was, everyone was healthy and stayed that way, we all celebrated something special and even though another one of us is dealing with a crisis, we all managed to enjoy each other and we all came back still friends. Thanks again for your help and we look foward to a future vacation planning together!

--
Best Regards,
Colleen Saufley

Testimonials about Donna Salerno, Europe, exotic tours, and vacation specialist:

Thanks Donna, we had a great trip to Africa! What an amazing country!

All of our guides and drivers were fantastic. My favorite activity was visiting the migration on the Serengeti (thanks for your suggestion!). We were lucky and got wonderful pictures of Kilimanjaro (also another favorite of mine). The Giraffe Manor was exciting and we took so many pictures of the giraffes---everywhere! The Ngorongoro Crater was like the Garden of Eden, with so much wildlife--the picnic lunch and tours you arranged there were amazing.

Next time, Stone Town in Zanzibar -loved it. We saw a couple neat places there. Everything ran so smoothly – it really was a trip of a lifetime. Thanks for all your help.

Private Name

Testimonials about Carson Watson--Cruise Specialist

We had a great time. A few wrinkles but that was to be expected. I don't know if we discussed that the stateroom upgrade from ours came with a "personal butler" and concierge service. We were discussing while on the trip if that would have been worth the upgrade price. What we found discussing with other travelers was the higher the room upgrade the better the service. For instance, you could dine in the specialty restaurants for all three meals if you were in a mini suite or higher. The service is considerably better in the specialty restaurants. Overall, I think the ship was understaffed. We filled out our report cards though so maybe with enough feedback they will tweak it.

Carson, you did a great job for us getting everything together. We will definitely use your services in the future.

Regards, Doug Rodermund

Testimonials about Sharon Walters, Exotic Vacations Specialist:

Thanks Sharon.
We had a great trip. I am in love with London. What a terrific and vibrant city. So much to do and so little time. The weather was perfect for this time of year. In the 50's and sunny every day. Did all the tourist things. Viewed and toured all the main sights from Big Ben, Parliament, St. Pauls Cathedral, Westminster Abbey, Buckingham Fountain, Tower of London, Globe Theatre, Hampton Court Palace, Harrod's, The V&A Museum, Buckingham Palace etc;. Rode the "Tube" everywhere.

We attended the Evensong service at Westminster Abbey and had the privilege to sit in the seats normally reserved for the dignitaries and choir only. We sat right next to the choir. They sounded beautiful.

Saw a play (The Entertainer) at the Old Vic Theatre. It was Fantastic. What great acting!
Robert Lindsay played the lead role of Archie Rice that was originally played 50 years ago by Sir Laurence Olivier.
We had six row center seats that we got half price at Leicester Square TKTS. Unbelievable!!!

The hotel and all arrangements were excellent. Thank You!

Oh yes, we did have dinner at a terrific little restaurant called the Masala Zone (right up your alley taste wise) right around the corner from the hotel.

Now on our next trip to England I have to visit my cousins who live just outside of Manchester, in Leicester, and Nottingham.
Although our next trip will probably be to Italy. Take care. I'll let you know of our next travel plans.

Rudy

Testimonial about Carson Watson, Luxury Cruise Specialist

Dear Carson,

It was FABULOUS. Princess is by far the nicest cruise line we have been on. Service was impeccable. The ship was gorgeous. The food was fantastic. The weather was perfect. We will definitely consider Princess again. Thanks for all your help. Our cabin view was between 2 lifeboats, which made us the luckiest cabin on that level. It was plenty of a view as we were at sea a lot. Someone mentioned to my mom that we must have a great travel agent to get us those cabins. --Thanks! We are sorry to be back but maybe we will go again this spring!
Thanks, Cindy

Testimonials about Donna Salerno, Europe, exotic tours, and vacation specialist:

Hi Donna -

The trip was great - Good Job!
Morocco was captivating and Thank You for recommending the stay in Paris on the way home--it really worked out well and made a relaxing transition back home. Kudos to our guides. I am not sure where we will go next, but will definitely call you. Thanks for putting this together on such a last minute schedule, you really do "make it happen".

Hotel du Louvre was fab!

Thanks again

Testimonials about Donna Salerno, Europe, exotic tours, and vacation specialist:

Hi Donna!!

The trip was absolutely awesome!! I really and truly did not want to come home.

We were able to eat at two of the local restaurants, the Hofbrahaus in Munich (WHAT an experience!!) and the Bishofhaus in Regensburg. The food was amazing at both restaurants. I could've stayed in Munich and Vienna a couple of more days.

The river cruise was great. My only regret was that we didn't splurge for the Suite, the rooms were pretty small so what time we did spend in our cabin we tripped over one another. The crew on the Amadeus Royale were amazing. I liked the small ship, it was easier to meet people and visit.

My favorite city was Dirnstein. It was rustic, small, medieval and came complete with a castle ruins!! I had my spot all picked out to sell Gluhwein and Christmas trees in the winter and beer in the summer. J Our shopping consisted of shopping at the Kristkindlemarkets. We did buy a cuckoo clock and a couple of steins.

We're contemplating Hawaii or Africa next -talk with you soon. Hope you had a great Christmas!! Happy New Year.

Greg -- European River Cruise

Testimonials about Sharon Walters, Exotic Vacations Specialist:

Dear Sharon

We had a wonderful trip to Italy. All of the guides spoke good English and were well informed. The drivers all had very nice cars and were always on time. The rooms were roomy and the beds big enough for my tall husband. The locations were great and we were able to walk most everywhere we went. It is hard to pick a favorite because it was all so nice and so different. The wine tour to Verrazzano was great. The tour was conducted by a lady form London who was both entertaining and knowledgeable. The food was
wonderful and abundant. We recommended it to any one we talked to.

Thank you very much, Sandra

Testimonial about Richard Engle Exotic Travel, Tour & Luxury Cruise Specialist

Richard,
The only hitch on the whole trip was the 5 hour flight delay on Oct. 1.
We had a great time and loved Istanbul. The weather was wonderful and the sights spectacular. The hotel was the best as was our driver Ilhan (he was like James Bond navigating the streets). Nursal, our guide, was pretty good. She showed us lots of local street scenes that we wouldn't otherwise have discovered.

We loved the complete package that you put together for us and would definitely use you again and recommend you to our friends.
Thanks so much for everything.
Susan

Testimonials about Richard Engle, Europe, exotic tours, luxury cruises and vacation specialist:

We had a wonderful time despite the issues. I would definitely
recommend this trip to others. Without your help though I don't think
it would have been as great. We found ourselves really bummed out a few times and in a panic as well!! Luckily you were always there to take our calls and work things out. Thank you so much. You are the BEST! Private client

Testimonials about Richard Engle, Europe, exotic tours, luxury cruises and vacation specialist:

Dear Richard, we can honestly say that this was the most unbelievable vacation we have ever been on. We could not get on the ferry, all sold out so that was are only regret. But everything else made up for it big time. The hotels were unreal and gave us something different in all of them. The transfers were all smooth and kept us on the move but that was good. We ended up contacting our 2nd cousin and had dinner while in Vouglemeni which was so special since we never met. My girls kept asking us if this was real or a dream.and we kept toasting to you Richard...We will be using you again for our next trip in the future and have given out your name already. We all say thank you for all your hard work. I will miss not anticipating and communicating with you. Feel free to send me emails of places of interest.

Rhonda Batlas

Testimonials about Donna Salerno, Europe, exotic tours, and vacation specialist:

A month ago today Steve and I were just arriving in Paris . . . Prior to leaving I had various expectations of the trip but never in my wildest imagination could I ever have anticipated the breathtaking moments I would have.

Everyone asks me what my favorite time was and I really cannot choose – every day I went to bed thinking “that day” had to be the best and the next day I felt again that surely “that day” was as good as it could get.

Steve says he knows in my heart that my most awesome moment was standing in the Great Theatre in Ephesus when an unknown tourist belted out ‘How Great Thou Art’. He may be right . . . what an awesome moment it was to witness that impromptu performance on the very platform that the Apostle Paul once delivered a sermon.

So, so many wonderful memories. You have no idea what a spectacular time we had – yes, Steve too. I’m not sure I had ever heard him speak the word “awesome” before, but I heard it regularly – including every morning about 5:00 as we pulled into the next port. He is not a morning person, but I don’t think I ever had to wake him on the trip – he was always watching the sun come up. He’s sold on the cruise vacations and talking about where we could go next – I know he’s interested in Spain and more stops in Italy. His alternate plan is to sell the house, cash in my 401(k) and buy an Airstream – ha ha!!

I’m glad that you warned me that things don’t always go as planned and to take it lightly. When I found out the day before our trip that our return flight from New York to Austin had been rescheduled so early that we could not make the flight, I didn’t panic. I told him we would catch it the following day and we spent a night in Rome! And you made it happen!

Yours Truly, Private Name

Testimonial to Sharon Walters, Exotic Vacations, and Tours Specialist:

Dear Sharon,

All went perfectly. Your planning was on-time in every detail. Both hotels (Morgan and Thistle) are about right for upper middle class folks like us. So every day we pretended to be high class by having "Afternoon Tea" at places like the Shelbourne in Dublin and the Balmoral in Edinburgh.

Thanks DavidThanks