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Customer Feedback & Testimonials About Europe and Our Europe Travel Advisors
Testimonials about Lidia Fiendeiro, Italy, Tahiti, Fiji, Caribbean, Mexico, Hawaii specialist: Italy, Tuscany, Rome
Dear Lidia, We had the very best trip ever. We had such a great time. Everything went perfectly including the weather. Castello del Nero was a really interesting place and the staff was extremely friendly. The location had unbelievable views of the I wish, as always, we had more time. But especially this trip. We will miss all the great food and wine. Now it is time to start looking forward to the next trip. thanks again for everything!! Eric Testimonials about Sarah Baughm Europe vacation specialist: Turkey, Greece & France
You did such a wonderful job of planning our trip,including the hotels, guides, airfare and suggestions on activities. I hope to use your expertise again soon. I'm assuming that our credit for the cancelled flight and cancelled hotel in Testimonials about Lidia Fiendeiro, Italy, Caribbean, Mexico, Hawaii specialist: England, London
Hi Lidia:
The trip was wonderful! Loved the Ritz London. They offered us an upgrade to a beautiful two-room suite for 200BP a night, so we took it. The room overlooked the park, which was next to Buckingham Palace.
Breakfast for the four of us was included -- which was great, because food was very expensive. Service was exactly what you would expect at the Ritz -- everyone was pleasant, room was well kept, etc. We did the afternoon tea -- very nice and expensive, but an experience to do once. The kids didn't really like the British food, so we ate a lot of Italian in the evening!
The hotel keeps a new Rolls Royce Phantom, which we hired for a two-hour sightseeing jaunt around town. Took us to Abbey Road, and around some of the side streets -- pointing out interesting facts that you wouldn't get from a guidebook. The driver had tales of driving President Clinton and other celebrities around town.
Couldn't have asked for a better location. We were able to walk just about everywhere...and we took in many of the sights. I had put together a schedule that didn't jam pack the days, and allowed for rest, sitting in the parks, etc. We ended up taking a taxi rather than the underground the two times we needed to go a greater distance because the cost was pretty equivalent.
We've got to download the pics, and will send you an interesting one or two. Thank you again for arranging such a wonderful trip for us!
Kim Testimonial about Linda Barber, England, Scotland, Exotic Vacations and Tours Specialist: Scotland, England
Dear Linda, We had the most enjoyable trip ever! Our drivers shared a wealth of information about all the places we visited and were very professional, particularly our driver in We enjoyed having a private driver instead of being “herded” around Sincerely, Sandra Blair PS. John tried the blood pudding and I was so thankful I was smarter than he! Testimonial about Sharon Walters, Exotic Vacations and Tours Specialist: Italy We are having way to much fun! Villa dei lecci rocks!, Marika is such a wonderful person, since we are homeless and travelling for a long time her place feels like home. Her cooking is amazing, she is making lasagna for us tonight. the wine tour was excellent and the chocolate tasting was very enjoyable. the driver for the wine tour--Pietro Massi--was such a delightful person that i would ask for him by name the next time around and would recommend him to anyone. Still working on my trip to London etc. any trip to Cheers. Eshwar Testimonials about Joan Smith, Cruises, Europe, Exotic tours, and River Cruise Specialist: Hungary, Budapest, Danube River Cruise
Our Month Long Holiday in Joan, I just wanted to let you know how much we appreciate all of your work in making our trip such a nice one. All of the flights were just as planned and you found us some of the best seats on the plane! Staying at the Intercontinental Hotel in We will want to do another river cruise in the future. We loved meeting so many people on the river cruise, and it was like one big happy family. It was really great, until the We were a little "miffed" at Air Anyway, your planning was great, and we will let you know when we are ready for another trip. Jonny gets to plan the next one, and he wants to go to South America and Jimmie Rascoe Testimonials about Donna Salerno, Europe, exotic tours, and vacation specialist: Italy
Hi Donna,
Testimonial about Sharon Walters, Europe, Exotic Vacations and Tours Specialist: Multi-Countries in Europe Dear Sharon, I just wanted to say thank you for planning a wonderful trip for Sherri and I know that Travelwizard deals with hundreds of clients, and that we could have been a number on a list, but you made us feel like we were #1. The care and detail to every part of our trip was a tribute to how well you do your job. I hesitate to call it a job, it’s more of a gift you have. On a scale of 1-10, I would give you a 15! I hope that when your son gets older and people ask him what his mother does, that he will tell them that she helps make peoples Dreams come true. We just want to say “thank you” again for such a wonderful trip. We would like to give you this gift as a token of our appreciation for what you have done for us. Many Blessings to you and your Little Guy Randy and Sherri Ansley Testimonial about Sharon Walters, Europe, Exotic Vacations and Tours Specialist: Croatia Hi, Sharon,
Croatia was amazing!!
We are now in our favorite spot in the whole world, Ischia. The rainstorm this afternoon was the first we've ever had here in 10 years! You outdid yourself, Sharon, with our trip. Maryann and co. were fantastic, checking on us every step of the way and sending us wonderful guides and drivers. The best part was that the guides were all local and spoke English beautifully - they really loved their country! Our only suggestion is perhaps not to keep changing the time of pickup ( 3 times), although we know it was at the request of the driver that it happened. We will head back to Trieste on Sat. Definitely a trip worth recommending - thanks for everything! PC!! PC
Testimonial about Sharon Walters, Europe, Exotic Vacations and Tours Specialist: Multi-Countries in Europe
Dear Sharon, I just wanted to say thank you for planning a wonderful trip for Sherri and I know that Travelwizard deals with hundreds of clients, and that we could have been a number on a list, but you made us feel like we were #1. The care and detail to every part of our trip was a tribute to how well you do your job. I hesitate to call it a job, it’s more of a gift you have. On a scale of 1-10, I would give you a 15! I hope that when your son gets older and people ask him what his mother does, that he will tell them that she helps make peoples Dreams come true. We just want to say “thank you” again for such a wonderful trip. We would like to give you this gift as a token of our appreciation for what you have done for us. Many Blessings to you and your Little Guy Randy and Sherri Ansley Testimonials about Lidia Fiendeiro, Italy, Caribbean, Mexico, Hawaii specialist: Italy Hi, Lidia. The trip to Claudia Itzkowitz Testimonials about Donna Salerno, Europe, exotic tours, and vacation specialist: Italy Dear Donna,
Just wanted to let you know that we landed back home after two weeks of perfect honeymooning. Thank you so much for helping us organize the travel. It was truly an amazing experience. The hotels you chose for us were absolutely the right call - they were so beautiful and we were upgraded to a terrace suite (thanks to your help!); which had a huge outdoor patio attached in addition to the ocean view terrace. We did not want to leave the suite all week! Thanks again for your suggestions on great day trips and details with this trip to make it special for us!
It really makes a difference working with someone that has experience! I will make sure to pass your name to friends when they plan their travels! Only wondering how I can top this for our 1st Anniversary next year...
Private Name
Just wanted to drop a quick note and let you know how much we enjoyed our trip to Sincerely, Genevieve Hunt Testimonials about Donna Salerno, Europe, exotic tours, and vacation specialist: Italy, Venice Dear Donna, I talked to my mother for a long time on Monday. She said that their trip to They were especially impressed with the hotels you chose and said that the hotel in Thank you so much for taking such good care of them. Your recommendations on tours were a perfect match to what they needed. The private guides you set up were much appreciated. Each guide was very knowledgeable and made their trip "much more interesting"! Testimonial about Leslie Bryant, Tahiti, Fiji, Europe Specialist: France, Paris
Dear Leslie, Testimonials about Melinda, Europe, Australia, Tahiti--Cruise Specialist: Italy, Croatia, Greece
Melinda,
Thank you so much for planning ANOTHER awesome vacation for us! Everything just runs so smooth when you plan our vacations. Thank you for always being available… you have no idea what a comfort that is! The hotels in both Transportation in and out of Lastly, we absolutely fell in love with the hotels in Our last days of vacation in Santorini were spent drinking wine at local wineries, riding scooters and eating all the Greek food we could get our hands on! The island transfers in We more than appreciate your patience, fact finding, and the detail that you put into planning dream vacations for us! There isn’t a vacation we won’t plan without you! Many thanks, Kelly and Niccole Kaller Testimonials about Patricia Mullen, Hawaii, Tahiti, Mexico vacation specialist: Greece
Hi Patricia,
We had a great time! The hotels were gorgeous with amazing staff and all the transportation arrangements were flawless, which was a huge stress reliever. Thanks again! I'm sure we'll be in touch with you about the next trip." - Patricia Young
Testimonial about Mike St. Jovite, Europe, Exotic Vacations and Tours Specialist: Italy, France
Mike,
Just wanted to let you know that our trip to Thanks again for all your help. Bruce Testimonial about Lidia Fiandeiro, Europe, Hawaii, Caribbean, Mexico Specialist: France, Paris
Hi Lidia,
Thanks for asking.. sorry for replying so late! we really enjoyed staying at the Marriott Champs Elsyees, and we are so happy for your high quality satisfying services! thanks again for everything you helped us with in this trip :) regards Reema Al-Ajlan Testimonial about Sharon Walters, Europe, Exotic Vacations and Tours Specialist: Amsterdam, Prague, Vienna
Hi Sharon- We are back home from our AMAZING trip to The day you got on the line after my calling the central office number for Travel Wizard, will be a day that I will forever gratefully remember. Planning and preparing for a trip to exciting but yet so stressful, as I knew I would be stretching my personal comfort zone for such a venture. However, with you in control, leading and steering me, you had me prepared, and your itinerary was completed with not one… again, absolutely not one glitch. I can say with total conviction, you are amazingly gifted in your profession, detailed orientated, and so efficient. Personally, you are patient, kind, encouraging, thoughtful and generous. Although I had never been to Europe, I am blessed to say I have had many opportunities to travel throughout the Untied States, Canada, Alaska and the Caribbean, but not one of those prior trips can compare to the itinerary you planned, the hotels you chose (thank you again for the amazing upgrades!), the tours you choose, and choice of days per location. There is absolutely nothing you didn’t do on your part to help make this trip a dream of a lifetime, and it was. May I please ask you for a mailing address my wife and I could use to send you a personal thank you? I also wanted to include a photo so you could see two faces of two people whose lives you have forever touched. Sincerely and gratefully. Ted Testimonials about Donna Salerno, Europe, exotic tours, and vacation specialist: Greece, Greek Islands, Mykonos
Hi Donna,
I just wanted to thank you for putting our trip together. Everything went well from beginning to end. Our honeymoon was wonderful! Our favorite was definitely Santorini was very nice too, but I have to be honest...those steps, you mentioned it; but I didn't know we were in for such a work out! We did have a nice stay at the hotel you arranged; very romantic. We had a great trip and look forward to going back one day. The people were very friendly! We're talking about where to go next...for our Anniversary trip! Thanks again for helping us have such a memorable honeymoon! We'll be calling you again.
Private Name Testimonials about Donna Salerno, Europe, exotic tours, and vacation specialist: London, England, Barcelona, Spain, Seabourn Cruise
Hi Donna,
Sorry I haven’t responded sooner. When the vacation ended, I hit the ground running and have continued so. Need to start working on another get-away with you! The trip was wonderful. We loved the hotels you choose for us in It was nice to have time to relax after the cruise in Thanks so much for helping us plan a marvelous vacation and memories of a lifetime.
Private Name
Testimonial about Sharon Walters, Europe, Exotic Vacations and Tours Specialist: Europe
Sharon...you have been a blessing this entire time, and now when you don't
even have to be planning, you still are. I am very grateful for all that you have done for me and continue to still do. Thank you. Ted Testimonials about Carol Jaxheimer, Luxury Cruises, Caribbean, Egypt, Morocco vacation specialist: Italy, Lake Como, Positano
Hi Carol, WE had a wonderful vacation! Both Lake Como and Positano were just
beautiful. We had great weather--not one rainy or cloudy day, although it was certainly warm. Both hotels, although different, were just beautiful. The views and surroundings just can't be captured with a picture. We took several boat rides and one van tour in Positano. We rented the Il San Pietro's boat for a day and went to Capri and toured and swam along the Amalfi coast. I would highly recommend both of the hotels to anyone and everyone.
Some of the staff at the Il San Pietro were a bit "aloof", but others were extremely friendly. Everyone at the Tremezzo Palace was very friendly and helpful. We did have Cindy and Barry's wedding dinner at Le Sireneuse, and that
was also wonderful, but I don't think you can beat Il San Pietro with both a pool and a private beach. We've decided we're going again for Barry and Cindy's 5th Anniversary.
We'll have to start "saving" now--and hope the Euro exchange gets a whole lot better! Thanks for all your help. I can truly say it was a "vacation of a
lifetime"! Mary Jane
Testimonials about Patricia Mullen, Hawaii, Tahiti, Mexico vacation specialist: Ireland, England, London
Patricia, Thanks for the email! We had a wonderful trip!! We are all very tired and trying to rest up before going back to work. Everything went well. We saw a ton of stuff while we were out there maybe a little to much. I think we need to schedule some down days next time we take a trip like this.
Testimonials about Donna Salerno, Europe, exotic tours, and vacation specialist: England
Hello Donna,
We had a fabulous time!! J Thanks so much for all your help. The tour director was great – she really went the extra mile to include the kids. We’ll let you know where we decide to go next. Thanks for all your help! Testimonials about Donna Salerno, Europe, exotic tours, and vacation specialist: Italy
Hi Donna,
I just wanted to write to say how much we enjoyed our trip to Italy. Private Name Testimonial: Eastern Europe, Exotic Tours & Luxury Cruise Specialist : Danube River Cruise
Hi Guys! We had a wonderful time! We loved the Danube. The itinerary. the boat was great and the rooms were a very nice size and the windows were incredible. Also the hotel in Testimonial about Sharon Walters, Europe, Exotic Vacations and Tours Specialist: Croatia, Dubrovnik
Dear Sharon,
We returned from a superb luxury adventure in Croatia,
You planned it to perfection and our driver/guide Joseph was fantastic.
The family really loved the hotels you chose and the Villa Argentina in Dubrovnik was simply lovely.
Thank you for your time and effort in planning this trip.
Best Stephen
Testimonials about Donna Salerno, Europe, exotic tours, and vacation specialist: France and Italy
Hi Donna! Wow, what a fun trip! We loved Europe and we're going back soon- our daughter is definitely a changed person, after seeing the sites first-hand; that she has studied in school and experiencing new countries & cultures.
Your advice about the travel guide book was excellent! Also very much appreciated the advice about carry-on luggage for the train. I bought the Tumi rolling backpack the day before the trip, and it turned out to be the perfect solution. We ended up buying one huge duffel in Venice and bought linens and scarves, clothing, etc... as we knew we could check that bag!
The Paris hotel you choose for us was wonderful- room was great, breakfast yummy, nice helpful people at desk, etc... Guide was very knowledgeable. Same driver all 3 times was excellent.
The Rome hotel was the real winner on the trip--gorgeous room, everyone at Front Desk sincerely helpful and couldn't do enough for us, great restaurant, wonderful outdoor breakfast patio, safe and beautiful location. When Bush's visit closed all the streets, they took us through the kitchen entrance to a back alley for a cab and called owner of restaurant to say why we would be a little late. Sent us to the restaurant you recommended, H'Osteria Roma- fun local place with lots of locals eating there- they were gushing over our daughter, owner brought us some homemade lemoncello. We had such a good time!
The hotel in Florence was comfy but incredibly small bathroom (I remember you telling us most hotel rooms/baths in Europe are smaller in size). Best location for us! Private Car/Driver there was very helpful- got us VIP tickets to Academy and Uffizi.
The Venice hotel was beautiful and in the most perfect location, gorgeous room with 3 huge windows, great size. Front Desk Staff helpful and brought us to the Manager's rooftop garden to see the sights, from a birds-eye view. We got to see more than imagined and had a wonderful time!
All the drivers/guides you arranged were prompt, courteous, safe, and helpful. Many thanks again for all your help!!
We will definitely recommend you to our friends that travel, everything was planned so well and went along without a glitch. Talk soon for the next family trip.
Testimonial about Diane Boyle, Europe, Exotic Vacations and Tours Specialist: Hi Diane, I apologize for the late reply. As it always happens after a long vacation, things piled up and I was sitting here sifting through emails for 3 days. Our drive to But all in all, I enjoyed the trip very much. Checking in with the documents you provided was a breeze, no problem at all. Getting the car and returning the car took no longer than 15 minutes. Everything worked out perfectly and we really enjoyed ourselves. If there was anything I'd do differently, I'd book a directly flight and pick less places to go (we went through 6 places in 10 days). We were so exhausted by the end of the trip, we only went to the coloseeum in I'm glad I booked the trip through you; I could have never done this on my own. Throughout the trip I felt very safe knowing that there is a # I could call to contact someone if I had a problem. Our first experience in Thank you so much Diane! We truly appreciate your effort. Thanks for a wonderful experience. Stephanie and Henry Testimonial about Sharon Walters, Europe, Exotic Vacations and Tours Specialist: Sharon, Ted
Testimonial about Carson Watson, Master Cruise Advisor and Tours Specialist: Hi 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 50th birthday next year. We definitely will keep you in mind for those arrangements. Best Regards, David” But I think our favorite was the Currarevagh House in Oughterard, County Galway. An amazing old manor house from 1840 that could use a little interior decor update, but the family that ran it was fabulous and the home-made breakfasts and dinners they made every night were just amazing -- things like duck a l'orange, fois gras, fresh fish from Lake Corrib and beautiful vegatables that were not to be had anywhere else in Ireland!!
I'm not sure the Irish really understand what fresh vegatables are. But the best were the desserts: baked alaska, chocolate mouse cake, lemon mouse cake w/ fresh blueberries.... I could go on and on!!! We also did a little ancestry hunt and had fun doing so, but in the end hit a dead end. The Irish have great geneological societies established in each county and they plan to have them all on-line within the next year. So hopefully we can find out more concrete info here at home and then check again with the parish records in Ireland thru the geneological societies on-line. Thank you so much for all your help and hard work in pulling this together for us. It was a vacation we both needed and we really enjoyed living it
up!!! It was a very special mum and daughter trip -- a trip of a lifetime. Thank you!! Here are a few pictures... -Regina.
Testimonial about Sharon Walters, Exotic Vacations, and Tours Specialist: Hey Sharon,
We are home & had a fantastic time.
I have to say that the Vatican tour was fantastic. The wine & food experience in Chianti was soo much fun too. The car rental was Mr. toad's wild ride so we drove to Pisa too and I have many many pictures. The tour in Venice we changed up and had him take us on a walking/boat taxi tour around Veniza and completely enjoyed our guide. He was from Chile and was a bit hard to understand, but a very nice man and showed us the 'inside' of Venice. I'll send you but a few of the MANY pictures we took. I have to say
that the trip home was tough. JFK airport is an absolute zoo and if we can avoid it next time that would be great. (1 hr on the runway waiting to take off....) 50 planes at least in front of us.... After a 1+ hr delay for a mechanical issue...) we got to Seattle at 2am..... And on a plane for Spokane at 10 the next morning. We figure we got 4 or so hrs. in 36.... But we are back on track, sharing pictures and have some great memories. We bought wine at the Castillo de Verazzanno and can't wait. Chianti
Reserva! Sooooo good! It truly was a trip of a lifetime.
Thank you - Thank you - Thank you - Thank you - Thank you - Thank you -
Thank you - Thank you Grazia
Merry and Ralph,
Testimonial about Sharon Walters, Exotic Vacations, and Tours Specialist:
Thanks Sharon, We had a great time in Italy. You did a wonderful job with the
accommodations! We took you advice and took a train to Naples, then a ferry to Capri.
What a beautiful place. We went to the information booth and they called a couple of hotels and got us into a nice three star hotel (which seemed more like a four star) for 160 euros. It overlooked the Mediterranean with a gorgeous view. The next morning we tried to get on a boat tour around the island, but
just missed the boat. Luckily, another boat company gave Cindy and me a private two-hour boat ride around the island. That was the best 100 euros we spent. He took us into all of the grottos with the beautiful bright blue sea. We have such great memories.
Thanks again, Dan and Cindy
Bona Sera! Sharon we are having a wonderful time! Tonite we are in Firenze.
Let me start with Como - simply THE most romantic place we've been (other than Bora Bora)... the Villa de Este' is beautiful & romantic & spacious rooms & great food & romantic & great sight seeing & did I say romantic? When you send your next clients there - highly suggest the private boat ride to Bellagio.... expensive... but very very worth it! I will just tell you that for dinner one nite we had champagne & strawberries on the veranda...... The train was delayed via train from Como to Milan- thus missed the connection from Milan to Venzia - however, we got the next train 30 minutes later but missed our pickup.. but caught a water taxi to Hotel Luna Baglioni ... also, the company that was to pick us up from Baglioni to the train did not have us so we had to water taxi from there ourselves...$115 euro for both ways... so you might check with them for a refund.... a n y w a y Venice was so much fun. We saw everything & walked till our feet hurt up to our ears! For the tour to Murano & Burano...... we changed our mind & convinced the guide to take us on a tour of Venice.. He was fantastic! He took us to his home area & to his normal cafe's & to a most beautiful church & gave us a very good 'walking-water tour' & dropped us off at a museeà across town where we walked & ate & drank & went into more churches on our way back to the hotel. Luna Baglioni was a cruise ship size room (small) so we barely unpacked, however the staff was excellent and the resturant-bar downstairs were great. The entertainment guitar-piano guy was superb and all the staff was extremely nice. The train to Firenze was a nice ride & we picked up the car at the airport - thank the Good Lord for tomtom navigation that speaks English! The Wine & Food experience at Villa de Verazanno was soooooo much fun and very informative.... we arrived a bit late due to being lost & our nav system didnàt have it in there, but they were very gracious and we caught our group nearly at the beginning.... a very nice tour, very fun and informative - the lunch provided was superb and very Italian with lots of wine and most beautiful scenery!! Today we drove to Firenze - may I say that my American husband drives very well with these c r a z y Italians!! the scooters are kamikazes and nobody signals or waits for anyone else on any road and merge nicely?? ha! Ralph was in his element..... We saw the Duomo & San Lorenzo's & several others - however the Uffizi was booked till Friday..... so! thatàs where we are so far....VERY smooth wine Chianti Reserva..... will arrive home in 4 or 5 weeks...... Tomorrow we'll make that up as we get there.... Ciao Marià & Rafael Testimonials about Donna Salerno, Europe, exotic tours, and vacation specialist:
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 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 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: Exotic Tours & Luxury Cruise Specialist
Thank you so very much!. 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, 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 Saw a play (The Entertainer) at the 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 Rudy 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! Hi Donna!! The trip was absolutely awesome!! I really and truly did not want to come home. Greg -- European River Cruise 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 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 |
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