The Maine coast in August: This is the good life!

For New Orleanians escaping the August heat, the Maine coast was idyllic. Over 12 nights we stayed in 3 hotels, starting with the Arundel Inn in Kennebunkport. Nothing tops their restaurant, Ocean, and the views from the Inn overlook the lawn and white hydrangea hedges, with a vista from Walker Point to Kennebunkport. We moved on to Camden and then Bar Harbor.

The do-not-miss adventure was an outing on a lobster boat—who knew those lobsters take 7 years to first harvest? Our planner Melissa really listened to us, and met our needs perfectly.

We had a wonderful experience with Melissa Ladvala, and recommend her without reservation. We were a family of four traveling with two teens. Melissa was informative, friendly, and available to us from start to finish. We had several phone conversations before the trip, adjusting the itinerary based on our preferences and budget. Melissa patiently answered all of our questions, and even helped us when our rental car broke down. We started our trip in Sedona, AZ, continued to the Grand Canyon, then to Page, AZ, Bryce Canyon, UT, Zion, and Las Vegas, NV.

Highlights of the trip were: the exciting Pink Jeep tour in Sedona, exploring the hoodoos of Bryce, the spectacular beauty of Antelope Canyon, and canyoning in Zion, a new experience for us. We enjoyed hiking the Narrows in Zion, though would recommend an earlier start, since it was crowded while we were there. Melissa thoughtfully chose accommodations to maximize space and privacy, while keeping costs down. We especially loved the accommodations in Sedona and in Bryce, both adorable cottages. This trip was an amazing adventure.

My husband and I just returned from a 10-day trip to Montana’s Paradise Valley and Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks, expertly arranged by Melissa Ladvala. It was an amazing trip! Melissa was a joy to work with, always responding quickly and cheerfully with great advice and recommendations. She is so knowledgeable about Montana and Wyoming, and especially with our US national parks. She was able to easily make hard-to-get reservations at national park lodges, particularly at Jenny Lake Lodge. The hotels she reserved outside the parks were incredible! She also arranged private tours of the parks with excellent guides. Throughout the trip process, she was always available to answer questions, and the written trip material she provided was specific, thorough and helpful. I highly recommend working with Melissa if you are planning to visit the US national parks and western states.

We had a good trip to Yellowstone and Grand Tetons. We flew into Bozeman and enjoyed a weekend there. The hotels that Melissa chose were a good fit for us. When we had an issue at one of the hotels, I emailed Melissa and she responded right away and said that she would take care of it so I did not have to worry about it. We had 2 guides on the trip and they were both knowledgeable and knew the ins and outs of navigating the parks. The weather was great so I think it was the perfect time of year to go. Thanks for continuing to recommend great trip planners. I have used many of your recommended planners over the years and appreciate the work you all do.

We had an amazing time in Bryce and Zion. Melissa coordinated a perfect trip. From the route to the accommodations to the guides, all were fantastic. We also loved the restaurant recommendations she made for us, just wonderful. I have had Bryce and Zion on my bucket list for years and this trip did not disappoint. Even in mid-September, there were quite a few people and having Melissa take care of all the details was incredibly helpful, we really didn’t have to deal with the crowds like we would have had to on our own. Definitely recommend using Melissa if you are planning a trip (which everyone should) to Bryce and Zion.

The trip to Yellowstone and the Grand Tetons was wonderful. Melissa did an excellent job in planning where we went and when. The itinerary and choice of hotels worked well. Additionally, she provided very detailed information on the attractions to see and where to eat in the various locations. She even included timing and directions which ended up being very helpful. Our full-day guide in Yellowstone was terrific and I’m sure we would not have been able to see nearly as much without him. We also would not have learned nearly as much about the places we visited. In Jackson Hole Melissa scheduled a Docent to take us around the Wildlife Art Museum. That was a real treat. The museum is stunning, and the Docent was extremely informative and fun to be with. I would have to say seeing a Bison walk down the middle of a two-way road was our most unique experience. We had a wonderful time and are grateful to Melissa for all the planning she did for us.

Melissa Ladvala helped us put together a wonderful itinerary for Alaska in June. She was a dream to work with. Melissa is responsive, thoughtful, attentive to details, and heard our needs. With the exception of the northern lights, she was able to incorporate just about everything on our wish list, including the Anchorage marathon, into our timeframe. She alerted me to my nephew’s birthday occurring during the trip and surprised him with his favorite dessert. All the private drivers were terrific and personable.

The highlight of the trip was Camp Denali. Due to the current road closure, we had the backside of Denali National Park to ourselves with about two dozen other guests. The staff and guides were exceptional and went out of their way to accommodate everyone. There was a variety of healthy food, some better than others. We took advantage of the different level of hikes and saw a lot of wildlife and diverse landscapes. We felt more like family than guests. The aerial view of Denali National Park was special.

We chose to take the train a few times to reduce our carbon footprint. The views on the Alaska Railroad were scenic. The meals on the train, however, did not taste good.

Our Kenai Fjord cruise was unfortunately cut short due to rough sea conditions. The crew was great and professional. While we did not get to the full trip itinerary, we appreciated that they communicated this possibility before we left for the cruise and kept us informed of the status during. We liked that they had our safety in mind and made the most of it with a focus on wildlife. The partial refund was quick and seamless.

As a backup plan in the event we did not see any grizzlies in Denali National Park, Melissa arranged an excursion to Chinitna Bay for bear viewing. Although we did see grizzlies in Denali, it was still exciting to see over 16 grizzlies in Chinitna, some digging for clams and others foraging in open meadows, and other wildlife.

Sadly, two in our group tested positive for Covid; therefore, we decided not to continue on to Glacier Bay, the last leg of our journey. The Glacier Bay lodging that Melissa had chosen reminded us of Camp Denali’s remoteness; we know we would have loved it. Melissa had arranged a private cruise of the glaciers, as well as kayaking and fly fishing. Sigh…

The trip itinerary was executed smoothly. The one glitch was our Exit Glacier tour in Seward. We felt the guide was inexperienced and the tour operator did not communicate well.

We appreciated Melissa’s quick response to our numerous emails and her handling of the Covid situation. Upon getting our call about testing positive, Melissa jumped into action – getting our rooms swapped, offering to cancel flights, sending us necessary documents for our travel insurance claims, and even offering to have food delivered to our hotel via DoorDash while we were in quarantine. We would not hesitate to use Melissa’s service for future travels.

My parents and uncle, who recently lost his wife, wanted to do a bucket-list trip to the Grand Canyon in March 2023. At your recommendation, I asked Melissa to help us plan this trip, which was made particularly challenging given health and mobility differences within the group. Melissa was flexible, responsive, and patient as I determined what direction the group wanted to take. She planned a Sedona Pink Jeep Tour and Grand Canyon all-day private tour that were absolutely perfect for our group — led by sensitive, kind, hugely informed guides who worked flawlessly with our entire age range, which ended up being from eleven to 75. The driving routes she gave us allowed our group to see absolutely everything we had hoped to see without a significant walking burden for my father, who has COPD and was challenged by the altitude. I really believe that travel planning is a calling. You never know what contribution you’re making to a family when you thoughtfully plan a trip. Thank you for giving us all moments to remember forever. Great job, Melissa!

Melissa and team planned a great trip for my family of 5 to the Grand Canyon, Lake Powell, and Sedona for Spring Break ’23. When we had some weather hiccups, she was quick to help us adjust our plans and make the best of the situation at hand! We just loved her detailed itinerary she sent prior to our trip. I would highly recommend Melissa and team to anyone traveling to National Parks!

We just got back from an AMAZING trip to the Southwest. Melissa Ladvala did a great job planning this trip. Prior to setting the schedule we had a long talk about the types of activities we would like to do, type of accommodations we would like to stay in, etc. The pre-trip itinerary looked great, but the actual trip exceeded any of our expectations. We loved all of our accommodations, tour companies, guides, etc. We had to pivot a few times due to weather (road closures, etc). Melissa was incredibly responsive and she quickly scheduled new activities for us. I would recommend Melissa and her team to any friends or family traveling to the Southwest.

Melissa put together an amazing last-minute trip to Big Sky Montana for our family of four (2 adults and 2 grown children 23 and 19). She found us a fantastic unit at the base of Big Sky with all of the amenities that we had been looking for (3 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms, kitchen, laundry and slopeside).
As well, she recommended great restaurants while skiing there.

Most fun was a wonderful recommendation to ski in Bozeman at Bridger Bowl. We had never heard of this ski hill and it was indeed a hidden gem. Although the runs were much more intermediate than Big Sky, the runs were plentiful, the chairs empty and the snow DIVINE!

Our accommodation in Bozeman at the Kimpton Armory was equally as wonderful; it was right on Bozeman’s main street and allowed us to easily walk around town.

Melissa was uber-efficient and extremely responsive.

We look forward to travelling again with Melissa in the very near future.

I told all my friends if they want to travel to the national parks, Melissa is the one to use!

Melissa was very thorough in asking us questions on what we wanted to experience, learning what our likes/dislikes are in staying places, and keeping our budget in mind. I tend to be a planner and do a lot of research before I go on a trip, but this was the first time that I let someone else handle everything for us. My husband has a fear of heights, and with Bryce and Zion she did a great job in matching us up with excursions that he would feel comfortable doing.

We visited Bryce, Zion, and the Lake Powell area. Our itinerary was perfect, with specific directions in case we had limited cell phone service while driving. We traveled between Utah and Arizona for excursions in one day with 2 different time zones, and she had it laid out perfectly for us. We never felt rushed, enjoyed our down time, and loved the excursions.

We had private excursions with local people and we enjoyed not only the excursions but learning about their life in an area that is very remote. On our private UTV tour in the Vermillion Cliffs, our guide, Milo, went out of his way when we came close to big drops that my husband was uneasy with and took us a different way to the same views. We would never have been able to do that on a group tour. We experienced glamping for the first time at Under Canvas Lake Powell-Grand Staircase, which was fabulous. The views, staff, and food were all amazing! On our way back home, our flight from Vegas to Charlotte was delayed, causing us to miss our connecting flight. We reached out to Melissa to see if she could help us in obtaining another flight or a rental car back home from Charlotte NC to SC. We were able to get a rental car once we landed, allowing us not to have to wait a whole day to return home.

I have worked with travel agents before and Melissa definitely knows her area!

My husband and I travelled to some of the Utah National Parks in the beginning of October 2022. We had never been so we contacted Melissa Ladvala to help create an itinerary. Melissa’s original suggestion was for us to visit Zion, Bryce, Capitol Reef, Arches and Canyonlands. After talking to my brother-in-law, who said Monument Valley was the most special place he had seen, Melissa helpfully reconfigured our itinerary so that we could visit Monument Valley (well worth the change!). We had to give up Capitol Reef since we weren’t adding more time to our vacation. Our itinerary was a self-drive tour, with (at our request) limited tour guides. At our first stop, Zion, Melissa put us at Cliffrose Lodge. We had room 135, which had a stunning view of the Virgin River and the sandstone cliffs. We learned quickly that you don’t go to the areas we visited for the hotels or food, but the hotel was clean and the staff were helpful. The prime reason to stay at Cliffrose Lodge was its location. You could easily walk to the Zion Visitor Center, and also to some restaurants and shops. We didn’t have any dinner reservations for our second night at Zion. I was on the plane on our way to Zion, reading a travel book. I found a restaurant that I wanted to try. I texted Melissa as we were about to take off and she was able to get us a last-minute reservation, even though the online reservation system had no availability. I had mentioned to Melissa that I wanted to see some slot canyons. We discussed visiting Antelope Canyon, but I was nervous about going with all the mobs of people. She arranged a private jeep tour in East Zion to see slot canyons. Our guide, Lonnie, was wonderful. He gave us iPhone photo tips that were useful throughout our vacation. Other than one other couple (who waited until we were done), we had the slot canyons to ourselves. We were happy that Melissa suggested a private tour. The jeep technically held 6 people, but it would have been very close to strangers—not what we would have appreciated during Covid.

Melissa’s itinerary included driving directions and some helpful hints, like when the time zone changed (which happened often).

We did have a few times where I would have expected Melissa’s expertise to have avoided problems faced. She had planned for us to leave a morning spent at Lake Powell and arrive at Monument Valley in the afternoon. We had planned to do the scenic drive in the afternoon. However, when we arrived, we discovered that as of October 1, the last entrance to the scenic drive is 3:00 pm (we arrived at 3:15). It would have been helpful to know this in advance and we would have arrived before 3:00. The next day we were in Moab. Her itinerary suggested we visit Arches National Park in the afternoon of our arrival. Unfortunately, Arches closes when it is full (usually by 9 am). It does often re-open in the afternoon (but cars can line up for hours, as we saw when we were leaving Arches the next day), but it was not open the day we arrived. We ended up visiting Canyonlands that afternoon, but then had to miss sunrise at Mesa Arch in Canyonlands so we could visit Arches the following morning. Unfortunately, the Windows section of Arches was closed for renovation while we were in town. I only found out about it by looking at the Arches website (would have expected Melissa to have updated us on this change). Although I knew Melissa was available if we needed anything, this was not a trip where I felt supported on a day-to-day basis. We planned our own hikes each day by reading travel books. Finally, I was not told upfront that Melissa charged planning and operational fees. When asked about it after the trip, Melissa did offer to reimburse us for her planning fee. Melissa probably is best for a more tour-like trip rather than a self-guided trip that primarily just needs hotels and driving instructions. Melissa responds promptly and is accommodating of any changes.

We engaged Melissa to design a custom private travel adventure to Yosemite National Park that included professional photography guides. We knew Yosemite could be very busy, so we wanted guides who could take us to locations only known to locals yet still allow us to photograph the iconic and majestic rocks and meadows. Our goal was superbly accomplished with Melissa’s trip planning and contacts. We received one-on-one training in advanced photography techniques and guided hikes to spectacular locations throughout Yosemite. We had the opportunity to visit a variety of sections of Yosemite National Park during sunrise and sunset. For a different adventure, Melissa also recommended a hiking guide who provided a more historical perspective of the park. Prior to visiting Yosemite, we stayed in San Francisco for a couple of days. A highlight of our trip was the lodging secured by Melissa. Each unique accommodation was located on spectacular properties with distinctive features and amazing views. The locations were perfect for visiting San Francisco and Yosemite, as well as nearby restaurants. Melissa planned and managed all the activities and dinner reservations after discussions with us about our interests. We enjoyed working with Melissa during the pre-planning process and the trip was outstanding!

Our trip to Bitterroot Ranch was great! My husband and I are beginner riders, and the family owners and wranglers were extremely helpful and thoughtful in choosing our horses and rides. The food was good and the other guests were fun to meet. The founder, Bayard Fox, was usually in the lounge (at age 93!) and was a wealth of information and stories.

My recent trip out west was substantially enhanced by leaning on Melissa Ladvala’s knowledge and expertise. Melissa suggested places to go, things to do and good routes to take, most of which I would never have thought of. I cannot recommend her more strongly!