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Our Customer Testimonials and Kudos | | We pride ourselves in offering the highest quality service and value, which explains our very high customers return rate. See what our customers are saying about us. If you would like to send us your comments, please email us. We would love to hear from you and see how we can improve our products.
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It's been a hectic week back in the office and I have been meaning
to do this all week. Just wanted to thank everyone again. We had a
wonderful time. Your arrangements were terrific. The hotels you
chose were excellent and the tours were a pleasure (not to mention
the dinner cruise in Paris, a highlight of the trip) . I appreciate
your knowledge and thoughtfulness, as always. Thanks again for
everything.
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Complete custom vacation to Italy and France - July 08 -
Donald W. Attorney at Law, NY. |
| "Hello! The trip to Italy was absolutely wonderful. Our flight from the USA arrived on time and the driver was waiting for us at the airport with our names on a sign. He immediately took us to his car and drove us straight to the Amalfi Hotel in Rome. The transportation that you booked for the entire trip was absolutely great. We had the same driver from the airport to the hotel on the first day and again on the last day he picked us up from the hotel. We also had the same driver from Sorrento to Amalfi and then again from Amalfi to Pompeii. The drivers from that company are extremely efficient, professional and take their jobs very seriously. They are consistently on time or even early. In Italy, sometimes it is difficult to gage the traffic and the drivers took this into account. They all get kudos. The Amalfi Hotel was great and approximately four/five walking blocks from the Coliseum/Forum. Great location and ok rooms and close to restaurants. The tour of Naples was great as they let us out along the water to take pictures for a few minutes. Then on to Pompeii and this tour was also very good. The tour guide was very good, informative and quite engaging. This was my third trip there and it was the most inclusive. After Pompeii, we boarded a small bus and were driven to Sorrento and our hotel. We stayed at the Bristol for two nights...it was wonderful!!! We were given a large room overlooking the water with huge windows that open. The hotel is large, extremely well maintained and gorgeous. The food was absolutely wonderful and we were given a choice of meals each night. Breakfast was great and included a choice of fresh fruits, and other prepared breakfast foods. The service was excellent and we were really made to feel like we were royalty. From Sorrento, we went to Capri, Anacapri and the Blue Grotto. We would have loved to spend more time in Sorrento and on the island because all were absolutely beautiful and we would have loved to do some shopping in Sorrento. Amalfi was great and the hotel was very good. We spent most of our time in Amalfi shopping because it rained every day except for the last morning in Amalfi. Finally, we were able to take some pictures. The other side trips to the surrounding areas were tabled because they were mostly outdoor sites and it was recommended that we not go if still raining. If given the choice, we would have chosen to spend another day in Sorrento instead of Amalfi. The trip was great and we thoroughly enjoyed it. As a side note, we were told that bottled water could cost as much as six Euro for small bottles. We always managed to find grocery stores and purchased large bottles for 1.80 euro and hauled it around in my back pack. Things are expensive there but you can conserve and still enjoy the great sights, the wonderful aromas and the fantastic food. Thanks for all your work and the arrangements. Marcia L. | | Amalfi Coast, Emerald tour and Post tours to Italy - March 08 - Marcia L. | "We had a great time and all the arrangements you made for us were perfect.
The car transfers/drivers were wonderful, especially Gilio, he picked us up
from the Naples train station and from Positano, very very nice man. We loved Positano, it was quiet but quite perfect for us especially after spending some busy days in Rome sightseeing.
All in all it was a wonderful trip, we thank you very much for all your help
and your advice. We left Italy very pleased. Now we just have to do
something about the American dollar because its killing us.
I hope you have a wonderful time in Italy and I hope to keep in touch with
you.
Many thanks again and kind regards,
Georgia " | | Naples & Positano Nov 07- Georgia - Citigroup Investor Relations, NY | "It has been hard to catch up after being away 2 weeks!! The trip
was great and we loved all the cities. The three hotels were very
nice and we would go back to them. We did have terraces at all three
and the view from Due Torri was fantastic! We had great meals in all
cities an d the only overcooked fish was one evening at Due Torri.
The list of fabulous restaurants is too long but ;we did get the
chance to eat at three of the best Restaurants in Italy( San Pietros
in Positano, Rossellinis in Ravello, and Don Alphonso 1890 Due
Golfi in Santa Agata. Expensive but worth it!!. Thanks for your help with the trip and enjoy Italy even if it is not 75 degrees and sunny!!! Mille gratzie, CIAO Barry
" | | Naples, Positano, Ravello, Nov 07- Barry D. | | " THANK YOU!!! Everything you arranged went perfectly! - The three transfers were on time, great drivers and in great vehicles. - Your recommendation to limit Naples to two nights was spot on. - The Royal Continental in Naples was the right choice - right on the water overlooking the Castel D'Ova and in the nicest part of the city (Santa Lucia waterfront). - The tour to Pompeii was okay. While the half day tour was a bit of a rush, we would have been really worn out if we stayed for a whole day (it was 80+ degrees). On the way there, we noticed the driver was totally focused on the attractive, female tour guide. We got there safely but he hit a motor scooter in Naples on the way back to the hotel!! The motor scooter driver went flying and there was some time spent sorting out the accident. Recommendation - remind people that a Pompeii tour is a crowded, fast paced, bustling experience that requires lots of walking on uneven ancient rock roadway. - Transfer to Sorrento was so good, we hired that service and that particular driver on the spot to take us down the Amalfi Coast for a day later in the week. Great choice! I don't know how anyone could rent a car and drive the coast road themselves. It was 40 euro per hour (320 for the day). This also allowed us to do whatever we wanted and get dropped off and picked up on our own schedule as the day progressed. It may be a more expensive approach but the experience was A-1. We were able to visit Positano, Ravello and Amalfi with a stop at a grotto near a ceramics store. The grotto boat ride was very short but a lot of laughs. Highly recommend the Garden Ristorante in Ravello just before the tunnel into the village. That meal was, without question, the best of the trip. - Hotel Imperial Tramontano was fantastic! Elegant, old world hotel built right into the cliff in the perfect location! It had it's own "beach" (man made piers with lounge chairs) and a beautiful pool with flowered gardens. The views of the Gulf of Naples and Vesuvio were spectacular. One minute walk to the central shopping area. Couldn't recommend this hotel more highly for a stay in Sorrento. - Took a day trip to Capri. Highly recommend renting a small boat with "captain", which we did, to take a private tour around the island. This two hour boat ride was the highlight of our trip, truly spectacular while incredibly relaxing and peaceful. The small boat was 25 euro per person but the experience was, I'm sure, much different than doing it with 75 people on a larger boat. Recommendation - make sure people know that Capri is mountainous terrain and probably warrants an advance plan for the day. It requires hiking! - FYI regarding the air travel that I (not you) took care of - the Air France plane transfer at CDG in Paris was way too tight at one hour. We and many others had to make a long, mad dash to make it and it was wasn't fun. Also, good thing we had plenty of time to check-in at Naples Airport. It was a zoo. Thanks again. Our trip was magical! Peter M. " | | Amalfi Coast -Naples - Pompeii -Sorrento Sep 07 - Peter M. | | "First, let me thank you for all your efforts. The trip was wonderful and I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend you and your agency to my friends and family. Here is my trip in a (large) nutshell: We arrived on Saturday (March 31) on time in Rome (self-booked) from Atlanta. Your transport met us with a sign, and the ride to the hotel was uneventful. The Hilton Cavalieri has to be experienced by everyone in life! Beautiful view of the city (and the dome of St Peter’s) and luxurious rooms. My sister mentioned to the concierge that she needed a nice restaurant for a birthday dinner for me (April 2) and the hotel sent up a bottle of champagne and petit fours. We used a hotel shuttle to get to the Via Veneto and had our first dinner in a very nice restaurant just off the main street. The tour company had a driver waiting for us on Sunday morning and we went on tours 1&2, including by lunch. Unfortunately, I bit into and swallowed something that didn’t taste quite right and got ill about two hours later, halfway through the second tour. We returned to our hotel about half way through that tour. The women-folk (my wife and sister) ate alone that night, but I was much better the next day. Tour 3 (Vatican museums/Sistine Chapel) started with a little excitement when the driver arrived a full hour earlier than scheduled. Luckily we are all used to getting up early, but our morning showers consisted of spray deodorant. We scrambled and made the tour. It was Palm Sunday and we joined 50,000 of our closest friends on the square with the Pope. (Nowhere near as crowded as the pictures I saw for Easter!) I personally don’t mind ending the tour with a stop at the gift shops and my women-folk enjoyed them (and one of the Murano glass factories in Venice). Along the way I changed the train tickets to an earlier time so we could make the Pisa tour in Florence. The hotel in Florence was within an easy walk of the train station as was the tour(s) departure point. We strolled around Pisa at a leisurely pace after the guided portion. Florence tours were also uneventful, although we did have one day of cold/blustery rain showers (every other day was sunny and pleasant). Warmest day was in Venice, but still not uncomfortable. Hotel Minerva was very nice (but could not compare with the Hilton). Service/hotel personnel throughout the tour were excellent and went along with my poor Italian until they jumped in to straighten things out in English. A funny thing about both the train rides was that both were actually late (no more than 15 minutes, but an eternity if you don’t know what to expect) and the departure track was not announced until relatively late. There was a bit of last minute scrambling to get down the platform. In the train to Venice, we were in the last car in a long train and thought we were hiking all the way. Hiking, by the way, was a little tough on my wife who will be having hip replacement surgery next month. She stuck with us all the way, but we did end up at the tail end of most tour groups. The Carlton and Grand Canal Hotel in Venice was also nice, although the rooms/bathrooms were a little small. It was also an easy walk (across a bridge) from the train station. I almost screwed up our major tour when it turns out that the water taxi has about a zillion stops before we got to St Mark’s Square. In the chaos of tour groups, we actually managed to stumble into the correct one (already in progress by 15 minutes) and things went smoothly from there. The last bit of excitement was that the water taxi pickup confirmation FAX from the company had an incorrect departure time (2050). The next FAX went back to the correct time, but, as we knew, didn’t give us enough time for the mandatory 2 hour check-in/security screen. We finally got an earlier pickup (same company) arranged with the help of a concierge and things went smoothly again. We actually had lots more time to kill than we expected because the Delta flight was delayed for an hour on the ground due to air traffic congestion (we still arrived in DC at about the scheduled time). There was a lot of construction throughout the places we visited and some of the views were obscured (like the entire front of Santa Maria Novella). It gives us an excuse to get back. Crowds were large, but not impossible. We knew this up front but were stuck because of my wife’s school vacation schedule. The idea was to give my two rookie travelers an overview of Italy, and I think we succeeded. We were fascinated by the number of tiny cars (especially the Smart Car) and were equally amused with no cars in Venice. I think there is a correlation between the “Euro” and “agua”, because money seemed to flow like water. Again, we knew what to expect and didn’t mind spending (especially the women), with very little scrimping along the way, especially for meals and tips. So that is my report. We had a great time and now we have to get back to work and save for the next one! Again, thank you for your help. Please share this with your boss, because you have worked hard for us and we appreciate it. Sincerely, John F. | | Venice April 07 - John F. Fairfax | "This is my new e-mail address - my husband got tired of reading all my Italy stuff!!!
Anyway got back from Italy on Monday night and things are now back to normal. I am just writing to say that we had a wonderful time, everything worked well. The weather was great (it rained only twice).
The Emerald Tour was great - Hotel Vesuvio is just beautiful. We stayed at a different hotel than the one listed for Amalfi,(ande I can't remember the name of it at the moment) but I think the one we stayed in was probably nicer 'cause it wasn't on the main road. It was up the hill and there was shuttle service down to the town of Amalfi quite regularly. For those who didn't want to ride the shuttle bus, it was 1097 steps down to the town (we walked down twice but not up!!!)
The hotel in Venice was really nice, the one in Florence the Rex not quite so nice. I think the Rex was just older and hadn't been updated in quite a while. The room I was in was one of those that the shower was literally the whole bathroom and you'd better remember to take the toilet paper out of the bathroom before showering!! La Spezia hotel was great and we just walked up the hill a few minutes to the train station and got our "Cinque Terre cards" which were good for using the trains from La Spezia to the 5 towns or the paths for walking and cost 5.40 euros for a day. Siena was a really nice hotel but there was only one restaurant (with very good pizza) within walking distance and we didn't really want to have to drive anywhere. The Zone Hotel on the outskirts of Rome was also very nice but again not a lot of restaurants, but the one we found was good.
We got a Fiat Ducato van as the rental - good thing 'cause by that time there was a lot of luggage. I didn't know people could shop so much!! I managed to get us lost in every city, but there were a lot of nice people who told us how to get where we were going. Some even jumped in their cars and said "follow me". But I also managed to get us to the beach outside Rome without getting lost.
I had hoped to have some pictures to send you, but Bonnie the official photographer, hasn't sent them to me yet. I will forward them as soon as I get them.
Anyway, thanks for all your help in organizing this.
Kathy" | | Emerald Tour, October 06 - Kathy F. | | "We're back and what an amazing trip - we had a fabulous time. Wanted to thank you for all your efforts. Also, just wanted to give you our feedback positive and negative on our experiences. Itinerary:
1. Transfer airport/hotel Rome - Perfect person was actually waiting with a sign - did not have to look for counter. All worked out well. 2. Rome - Delle Nazioni Hotel - The hotel was good (great location 1/2 a block from Trevi Fountain). But they are going through major renovations and some days elevator would work other times not? Also, staff was ok - not the friendliest. I wouldn't say that Delle Nazioni Hotel was a four-star if the Grand Minerva Hotel is rated as a four-star too?
3. Vatican museums tour - Perfect great tour. The guide actually got us into the Basicilla as well (wasn't part of the tour). Only negative - your information you provided said we would be picked up at our hotel at 7:45am - they showed up at 7:00am (thank god we were ready - didn't get breakfast though). They pick you up (in a minivan) and then bring you to the main bus stop for departure at 8:00am. This information needs to be provided to your clients.
4. Florence - Grand Minerva Hotel - Great hotel - very nice. We understood the comments you see online about this hotel based on the square (shambles) and the type of people that hang out in the square at night - could be intimidating to some. Would be a great recommendation if the square would get cleaned up - nice area otherwise. Close to train station. 5. Day tour to Siena and San Gig. - Tour was ok but we actually liked the town of Lucca better (we did this on our own the day before). 6. Gondola Serenade - Very nice - but a large amount of people were there at the same time with vouchers - if we were not as early as we were - we would have gotten turned away (as others did). 8. Transfer hotel/airport Venice - Since the hotel in Venice had no idea what we were talking about - they said no one ever comes to the hotel to pick you up? I had to call the Rome office to find out the name of the company in Venice who would be picking us up (not Applianline as you mentioned). Then had to call that company two times until they faxed us a confirmation - but didn't get this until late Friday night - when we were getting picked-up at 5:25am the next day. The day of pick-up though, all went extremely well. Very glad we paid the money for this because of the early time. The complaint would be that no one wants to explain the process - they just expect you to know it. Overall, as I mentioned, a great trip and experience of a lifetime. Thanks again, Monica M. " | | Sep 06 - Monica M., Senior Manager Marketing Communications - Piscataway NJ. | "I just want to tell you that your web site is WONDERFUL! I'm planning for next year and I look forward to being a customer. Anyone who puts this much thought and care into the creation of their web site has to have superior products.
So many web sites just throw things on the web and expect the "customer" to search through everything to find what will work for their vacation. You have made it not only easy but enjoyable!
Applause, applause, applause!" | | France Experience Tour - Ann | | "Thanks for all your hard work (and quick work!) in making a great trip possible for myself and my wife, Toni. We had a spectacular time.
As we expected, the room at the Due Torre was grim to say the least. But I pled my case with the Desk Manager, Vincenzo (a very sweet and competent fellow). He said that the hotel was full but he asked for a day to see what he could do. The following day, he offered me the best suite in the hotel for about 300 Euros more for the week. Turns out that the owner was planning on staying at the hotel for the week. When she heard of our situation from Vincenzo, she gave up the "honeymoon suite" as they call it, for us. It was wonderful. Three rooms, 20 foot balcony, lots of storage, located at the end of the hall and quiet but on the same floor as the lounge. Perfect!
Minori is a quiet, charming town and a great home base, especially if you have a car. The town's people and the shop owners are lovely and there are very friendly. There are also small restaurants with great food, very nice shops and for the ladies, Minori is home to one of the two locations of Sandali Tipiki. Sandali Tipiki is a shop where they will design and make shoes while you wait. The owner, Alfonso is a gifted cobbler and great guy. His brother runs the other shop in Positano. My wife and Alfonso are now very close. Minori is 20 - 30 minutes by car to Amalfi to the north and the same to Vietre Sul Mare to the south. Small boats leave Minor every morning to connect with boats to Capri, Sorrento, Salerno, Naples. Minori also has the longest and I think, the best beach on the Amalfi coast. I know that Minori is not as desirable as Positano, Ravello, Priano and other towns but it was for us, the perfect spot.
I highly recommend that you send folks to a restaurant in Minori, Capo d'Orso. It's a ten minute drive from downtown, south along the coast. Capo d'Orso has perhaps the best views on the coast and the chef is committed to high art in food preparation and in paying creative tribute to the local, fresh foods. Each course, each dish is truly a work of art. The service is formal and yet friendly in a way that we never see in the U.S. It's expensive and worth every Euro.
The Hotel Club Due Torre is definitely 4 star. We loved the place, the people the service, the views(!), the location. It's just up a small hill from the downtown, maybe 100 meters walk. Some folks would be disappointed that there is no pool but it's a 5 minute walk to best beach around. I do not think that the other hotels in Minori are ones that I would recommend. Kind of blah. Cathy, please don't hesitate to reprint this and to forward it to the nice folks at Due Torre. You may also call for more details. Thanks, Philip | | Sep 06- Philip B. CPC Vice President, Partner Market Research Practice - Stamford, CT | | "Thank you for your rapid and exemplary resolution to my issue... When I made my first purchase with you, I was leery of the unknown when dealing with a web based company. You have proved that reliability and customer service are still available without the face-to-face interaction that many people rely on. Now I know why you are on top of all search engines. I will be back to make additional purchases and I will refer you to all of my friends. Thanks again" | | - Charles, TX | | "I would like to tell you I really like your web site. It is user friendly. And the very first time to your site I bought some excursions. Thank you for putting it together." | | - Gene | | "It doesn’t happen often but you folks exceed my expectations and you deserve to know it! The quality of the tours in France were great, and I can't wait for my next trip. | | -M.K., Iowa | | | | All prices are in US$, land only and per person based on double occupancy and do not include taxes, government fees and surcharges unless noted otherwise. Air is available upon request. Prices are subject to change without notice.To get an updated & accurate quote, please contact us via email. We are not responsible for misprints. |