Dear Derek,
WOW! Breath-taking, incredible, amazing, awesome, educational, exciting, friendly and beautiful…just a few adjectives to describe our “holiday” in Italy! We could not have asked for more except for TIME!!
Where do I start? First of all, thank you for taking care of the plane seating at the last minute! We so appreciate your efforts as it made our flight much more comfortable.
#1: Hotels were 5*! Lovely welcoming staff. Rooms were beautifully appointed along with evening turn-down with little treats and the next day’s weather forecast. Breakfasts were plentiful and delicious; loved the coffee with steamed milk, all the fruits, cheeses and Larry loved having prosciutto in the morning. Hotel in Florence was in a great location; easy to walk all over the city. Same with in Rome. The hotel in Venice was also lovely. And the hotel in Positano was exceptional (Larry’s brother and wife stayed there over 20 years ago!)!
#2: Private transfers – all were helpful, kind and welcoming, especially in Venice and also in Napoli. Made us feel so comfortable. Always there waiting for us; never had a worry in the word. And the trains were great…too bad we don’t have that here in the States.
#3: Tour guides were exceptional. It was obvious that they loved their job and also were so knowledgeable. Groups were no more than 15, except in Pompeii where we had our own private guide who was an archaeologist and works at Herculaneum and Pompeii.
#4: Winery in Castellina in Chianti was just an amazing experience. Met the owner as we arrived and he welcomed us with open arms. This is a gated winery. It is not walk able from Castellina due to the windy narrow road which does have a bit of traffic. Would definitely recommend driving. The wine and the food and the service are a 10!!
#5: Rental Cars
Had great cars in both Florence and Rome. We did not have the GPS in Tuscany and did okay. Many of the road signs suddenly disappear and you wonder where you are going. Part of the adventure and we were fine. Siena was a bit confusing yet fabulous! In Rome we opted for the GPS when traveling to Sant’Angelo del Pesco in Eastern Italy. It was a very, very good choice! Would definitely recommend getting GPS whenever renting a vehicle, as it is worth its weight in gold…took us straight to that tiny village in the mountains. Did have a horrendous gasoline experience when we came back to Rome. Many of the little petrol stations run on a computer with one attendant (some have none). Larry opted to pay cash…unfortunately the attendant did not explain that no change would be given. Spent 50 Euros on about 25 Euros of gas! Definitely should have used the credit card! And truly that was the only bad thing that happened in 19 days, so really all was terrific!
Your planning and knowledge made our trip exceptional. We cannot thank you enough for all of your suggestions and advice. As we sat in Rome on our last night, we both said, “We have to go home tomorrow!” We were not ready! We were ready to go to the Laundromat and get our clothes ready to venture on!!
Feel free to share our comments/pictures with your clients.
You provided us with the trip of a lifetime!!
All our best for a wonderful Thanksgiving and Christmas
season,
Jan and Larry N.
