Wondering what a WOW trip looks like? Read the trip reviews below, all written in your fellow travelers’ own words. WOW trips are custom-tailored exactly to your interests, maximizing your experience, minimizing logistics, whisking you past lines, and avoiding crowds (yes, even this summer in Europe—read on to see how that’s possible).
Learn how to get your own WOW trip. Then, browse our WOW List of Trusted Travel Experts to find the right specialist for the trip you’re dreaming of. If you’d like help figuring out where to go or how to plan it, write to Ask Wendy. And you’ll find lots of other ideas in our other compilations of traveler reviews.
Sicily: touring an almond farm, granita tasting in Noto, and cooking with a chef in Siracusa
VIRGINIA SOCOLOF | DECEMBER 18, 2024
Virginia and Joe loved cooking with Chef Maurizio, an award-winning chef at Macalle in Siracusa.
Much needed R&R in Sicily!
My husband and I needed a relaxing mid-October trip to celebrate our only daughter’s departure for college, and after reading Matteo and Marcello’s profile on Wendy’s website, we chose Sicily. We can’t imagine a better decision! Matteo asked me what we wanted to do, and we told him to plan a highlights tour of his favorites with an emphasis on food, wine, and enough history to keep us awake.
Every day a guide and/or driver appeared to take us somewhere new, and we learned a lot about Sicily as we toured a Roman villa, Mount Etna, a few churches, 2 wineries, and an almond farm. We had lovely hotels in both Palermo and Siracusa—Matteo did a great job of finding properties with a gym that were still specifically Sicilian. Both of us gained weight despite a lot of walking, as the food was incredible. Our guides were top-notch, spoke perfect English, and seemed to genuinely enjoy their work. There were no hiccups in the travel arrangements and both of us completely relaxed—the only way we could tell the day of the week was to look at the itinerary!
Matteo checked in with us by phone, tweaked our itinerary when there was an issue with a guide so we missed none of our planned activities, and even met us on the last day for a granita tasting in Noto. Perhaps our favorite evening was spent with Chef Maurizio, an award-winning chef in Siracusa. We had a “market tour” in his restaurant kitchen, chose our ingredients, and cooked a delicious meal using techniques that I brought back home. Maurizio is hilariously entertaining as well as a superb chef, and we loved our experience at Macalle. I’m already thinking about another trip to Sicily as there are nonstops to Catania from the East Coast starting spring 2025—this time I want to spend more time in Noto and go up into southern Italy on the ferry. Thank you Matteo, Marcello, and Wendy!!
Read more reviews of Marcello and Matteo. Or request your own trip.
Italy: oceanfront in Sestri Levante, boating the Bay of Poets, Piedmont truffle-hunting & cooking class
JEFF STENGEL | DECEMBER 15, 2024
Linda Stengel overlooking the vineyards in Piedmont. Photo: Traveler Jeff Stengel
We recently returned from a trip to Italy. Our trip began with our attendance at a 6 day destination birthday party at a large villa in Tuscany for good friends we met when living in Switzerland about 20 years ago.
Following the birthday party we continued on to northern Italy on a trip we planned with Emanuela and her team. Our first stop was Sestri Levante. We stayed at a fantastic hotel right on the water. The ocean views, the people and the restaurants were wonderful and while very close to Cinque Terra we avoided all the crowds associated with it. One of the highlights of this stay was to be a 7 hour private boat tour of the Cinque Terra coast. On our drive from Tuscany we had encountered significant rain and high winds. When arriving at our hotel Emanuela contacted us to let us know the boat’s captain had determined the seas were predicted to be way too rough for the next few days for this boat tour. Emanuela reacted quickly and suggested an alternative boat tour of the Bay of Poets which is close to Cinque Terra but protected from the open seas. She arranged a great boat and captain, Marco.
Marco took us on a great tour of the Bay of Poets, seeing several fishing villages, some massive yachts, the Italian Naval Academy, great scenery and a stop at Porto Venere. We explored the small town and had an excellent lunch at an ocean front restaurant. Marco also took us on a very short ride outside of the Bay to show us how rough the open sea was, and we all agreed that the 7 hour boat trip in 15 foot swells would not have been a good idea.
While in Sestri Levante we also had a chance to visit Portofino and had a great lunch at a beach club close to town. Leaving Sestri Levante we headed north to the Langhe area of Piedmont. We stayed at a modern resort which included its own winery in the middle of the vineyards close to Costigliole d’Asti. The views from our patio looking out over the vineyards at the many hilltop towns was fantastic. On several clear days we could see the snow-capped Alps off in the distance.
While in Langhe, Emanuela had planned many excellent adventures. We visited some very prestigious wineries. We tasted fantastic Barolo and Barbaresco wines and met some very interesting and engaging wine makers. Driving through the hills of the region and experiencing the ancient hill towns was like no other wine region we had visited before. We also visited had a chance to explore the Asti region and visited the caves dug by local winemakers starting in the 16th century and still used today to age their wines. The sparkling wines were great as well as the lunch we had at Casa Crippa in Canelli.
Our adventures did not end with wine. We went truffle hunting with Vittoria, one of the few female truffle hunters in the region with her dog “Alba.” It was lots of fun following Alba though the woods searching for truffles. She found three nice sized black truffles on our hunting trip. After the hunt we had a two hour truffle lunch at Vittoria’s family home, which was fantastic; “truffles five ways.” One of the other highlights of our trip was a private cooking class in a local chef’s home. With the chef we prepared several traditional Piedmont recipes. It was very hands-on so we were comfortable when we got back home we could recreate the dishes. The dinner was great with local cheeses and wine made by her son-in-law at a local winery. We wrapped up our last day in Piedmont visiting a local cheese maker and a local hazelnut farmer and learning about their processes and tasting their products.
We had a very enjoyable trip eating and drinking our way through the Piedmont region. Based on Emanuela’s plan we really felt like we got a real understanding of the region and its people as well.
Read more reviews of Anna and Emanuela. Or request your own trip.
China: snowy picturesque Dali, making tie-dyed samples, dining on food grown on site
KATHRYN WILSON | DECEMBER 12, 2024
Delectable family travel to Yunnan: “We enjoyed all that we ate.”
Our family spent Thanksgiving in the gorgeous province of Yunnan, China. Our trip was expertly planned by Alice with two guides on the ground in our first stop of Guangzhou and then in three different stops in beautiful Yunnan. Our drivers were excellent navigating city traffic and mountain roads alike. We saw historic, cultural and natural sights in days that were full, but not overly crowded.
The small, hands-on experiences we had were most memorable. We saw indigo plants, stirred indigo dye, and then made our own tie-dyed samples. We made cheese, rolled out local flat bread, and prepared flower cakes with roses at a rose farm. We had a visit with a village shaman. We traveled to a small village where we had a fabulous dinner of food grown on site and then were treated to music, folk lore and dance, at the end of which we were invited to join in the dancing!
Our hotels were comfortable and we enjoyed all that we ate. A highlight was seeing the sun hit the snow on the peaks of mountains around Dali, with the lake shining at the bottom. An incredible trip!
Read more reviews of Mei. Or request your own trip.
Colombia: coffee plantation & cacao farm private tours, and a large unique orchid collection…
KEN GERSTEIN | DECEMBER 9, 2024
The cacao farm tour, with farmer Norberto, left, and our guide Pablo, right. Photo: Traveler Ken Gerstein
What a trip! We recently returned from a 10-day family trip to Colombia (with our adult children). Boris’ team provided excellent insight and guidance in planning our trip—helping us to decide which cities to visit, where to stay and what to do—and planned an itinerary based on our interests and requirements. I have to say that we were extremely satisfied with the results.
We visited Bogota, the Coffee Region, Medellin, and Cartagena. Our guides in each city were very knowledgeable, helpful, and informative, and were effective in providing us with an understanding of Colombia, its people, and its history. The hotels Boris recommended, and at which we stayed (generally, smaller boutique hotels), were excellent. Particularly noteworthy was our stay at Hacienda Bambusa in the Coffee Region. It’s off the beaten path (i.e., a 20-minute drive down a bumpy dirt road) and situated on a large farm with scenic views of the surrounding mountains. The hacienda itself is a beautiful building of traditional Colombian design, and our rooms each had spacious terraces with pools. The staff were all friendly and accommodating, and dinners were served each evening at a different outdoor location, with two guitar players providing musical entertainment one of those evenings.
Among the many activities included in our itinerary were private tours of a coffee plantation, a cacao farm, and a large and unique orchid collection. Each was very special and personalized. We also had a private cooking class at a restaurant in Cartagena. The chef there and the rest of the kitchen crew made it a fun-filled experience. Plus, we got to dine on the products of our labors for lunch, which was the best meal we had on our trip. Our boat trip to the Rosario Islands (south of Cartagena) was enjoyable and a relaxing way to spend our last day in Colombia.
Everything during our trip ran smoothly. Both before and during our trip we received ongoing support from Boris’ company that was always helpful, timely and responsive. One example of the level of service was on the morning of our departure from Cartagena, when no cars were allowed into the old city due to the Iron Man race being held that day. We had two scheduled pickups from our hotel that were affected by this, and (with coordination from the company) our guide walked to our hotel for each pickup so that he could help with our luggage and walk us outside the city walls to where our van was waiting.
Colombia is a very large country and there are many places that we couldn’t get to see and things we didn’t get to do during our trip. However, when we’re ready for a return visit, we will be calling on Boris’ team again to plan our trip and handle our travel arrangements.
Read more reviews of Boris. Or request your own trip.
Chile: penguins in Punta Arenas, pumas in Torres del Paine, horseback & e-bike rides on a ranch
AMY EVERS | DECEMBER 7, 2024
We just returned from an amazing trip to Chile. We had nothing but wonderful experiences. Jordan did a great job talking to us in the beginning to get a feel for what we wanted to do and see. He made suggestions, we discussed and we made a plan. It actually came together quickly since we contacted him less than 2 months prior to departure. Jordan made excellent suggestions for accommodations and restaurants. Everything went off smoothly. We really didn’t have any logistical hiccups and we were incredibly lucky with regard to the weather! We enjoyed 2 days in Santiago on arrival. Then went to Punta Arenas to experience the penguins!
From there we enjoyed 5 days near Torres del Paine National Park. We explored the park, rode horses and E-bikes, we hiked, we saw 3 pumas (!), and we learned about the culture and conservation efforts being made there. We even learned how to make a pisco sour the Estancia Cerro Guido way. We had the pleasure of being spoiled by a WOW Moment here too. On that day we went out with our private guide to explore the ranch, rode E-bikes to a delectable lunch, with lots of wine, under a tree, on a hill full of flowers and a view of the towers, while having servers at our fingertips. We rode our E-bikes back, and then went on a gorgeous horseback ride. Not only was everything executed perfectly, even the weather was perfect! WOW doesn’t describe how special this day really was! Thank you!
Our last stop was 2 nights in wine country, staying in the most incredible villa, with all the wine our hearts could desire, amazing food, and plenty of time for relaxation. It was the perfect ending.
Read more reviews of Jordan. Or request your own trip.
India: sunrise aarti by the Ganges, chai tasting & block printing, up close with wildlife
RICHARD MITCHELL | DECEMBER 5, 2024
Richard Mitchell at a temple on the outskirts of Jaipur: “There were monkeys EVERYWHERE in India.”
We have traveled all over the world and had several “trips of a lifetime,” but the trip to India we went on with Victoria’s team tops them all. The initial planning with with her was easy, and she quickly “got us” and set out a plan that was great. Once that was done, we dealt with Diggi and the in-country staff to finalize the details, again with ease.
From the moment we arrived until the time we left we were in great hands. Our guide Harsh was prompt, organized, friendly, incredibly knowledgeable, and willing to intelligently discuss any aspects of India from ancient history, Hindu rituals and beliefs, architecture, botany and wildlife to modern day politics. He expertly guided us through throngs in Delhi and Varanasi and through the countryside to places like the Jain temple in Ranakpur. We learned a LOT about chai and tasted it in various places and forms.
Highlights included sunset and sunrise visits to the Ganges in Varanasi for aarti, a block printing tour and class, an early morning visit to the Jaipur food markets, and a very up close and personal tiger encounter at Ranthambore. There were monkeys EVERYWHERE in India—even in the middle of the big cities. We had expressed interest in doing a bike tour at some point along the way, and the company arranged a great one in Udaipur. When there was an occasional hiccup that affected our plan (a dispute among the royal family in Udaipur making the palace inaccessible, for instance), Diggi and Harsh came up with a great alternative for an extra day in Jaipur which included one of our favorite temple visits. We always felt we were in great hands, especially with our driver Rishiraj who seamlessly negotiated the chaos that is traffic in India (including a brahma bull running down the highway). Harsh and Rishiraj were always attentive to our comfort and we felt very taken care of.
The team was just spot on, and we got to go places and see things we never would have even known about, let alone found, on our own. We cannot recommend them highly enough for your India adventure.
Read more reviews of Bertie and Victoria. Or request your own trip.
Antarctica: sea kayaking & snowshoeing a “magnificent icy landscape” from a spacious, well-designed ship
SUSAN CRANDELL | DECEMBER 5, 2024
Traveler Susan Crandell explores Antarctica ashore with her family.
Booking our Antarctica cruise with Ashton was a confident experience, for two reasons. My family had booked two previous adventure cruises with Ashton, to Alaska and the Galapagos. And, because Ashton had worked in Antarctica, he was able to advise us based on personal experience.
Our three-generation party of four sailed on the Lindblad/National Geographic ship, Endurance, on November 22. We were lucky to have relatively calm crossings of the Drake Passage, and decent weather in Antarctica, including one glorious day of clear blue sky. We sea kayaked, cross-country skied, and snowshoed though the magnificent icy landscape. Endurance was pricier than the other Lindblad/National Geographic ship, Explorer, but it proved to be well worth the upcharge. Staterooms were well designed, the public areas were spacious and comfortable, the food was fantastic, and the service was stellar. Specially designed for polar voyages, the Endurance has stabilizers and an unusual bow design that limit the effects of pitch and roll in an unruly ocean.
Antarctica is like nowhere else on Earth. It cannot fail to capture any adventurer’s heart.
Read more reviews of Ashton. Or request your own trip.
Italy: private gondola at dusk in Venice, Florence’s Piazza Michelangelo via e-bike, Rome by golf cart
GLORIA WALLACE | DECEMBER 4, 2024
View from the 10th-century monastery above Piazza Michelangelo, experienced on bike tour. Photo: Gloria Wallace
Our family group of four adults worked with Jennifer and her team to plan a long-awaited trip to take my daughter to see Italy, the land her 91-year-old grandmother immigrated from years ago. In the past we always arranged our own travel. We arrived in Venice on 11/20/2024 for 3 days and were met by our driver at the airport for the drive to the private speedboat ride to our hotel. Right at that point I knew we were going to be happy that we worked thru a WOW planner rather than doing it ourselves. Having the transfer arrangements handled in advance removed a pinch point in personal travel that allowed us to spend every moment enjoying our surroundings and sharing every moment with our family. Without the distractions of finding our way out of a strange airport and thru the hassles of public transportation, the trip started off great.
In Venice we had arranged three private tours. The private gondola ride at dusk, led by a 3-generation gondolieri, was a highlight for us as our guide led us thru the main canals but also the private quiet local canals. He did an excellent job of explaining (in English) what we were seeing but also knew when to be quiet so we could just enjoy the moment. The next day my daughter and her partner really enjoyed the private rowing lesson on a barca and at the end they looked relaxed and confident in their skills. Of course we had a guide to see the highlights of the city (shout out to Alvisi!) along with just enough historical context to make it interesting without making us feel like we were back in school.
Jennifer’s team upgraded us to first class seats on the train to Florence with drivers to the train station and to our hotel in Florence where we stayed for 3 nights. Again each tour guide was friendly, knowledgeable, timely and reliable. The highlight for us was the bike tour through Florence. We are all cyclists on the flat ground and wide sidewalks of our native Michigan, but were nervous to ride through the hilly crowded streets of Florence. Our guide was friendly and skilled at leading us thru the busy streets to Piazza Michelangelo across the Arno on eBikes that made it a breeze to cycle uphill. We had been to the Piazza before, but our guide took us further up the hill to the 10th century monastery above the Piazza for a more stunning view and more importantly without the crowd of people (even in November). We were able to enter the monastery church and it was a unique moment that we would not have found on our own. Also shout out to our guide Veronica, who took us on a walking tour of Florence while a major Marathon was held in the old city, closing off and blocking many streets and adding to the incredible amount of crowding. She had studied the map of the race and managed to walk us to all our destinations while avoiding closures and the majority of the crowds. And by skill or luck got us to clear point next to the race barricades just in time to see the police escorting the lead racer along the route near the finish line!
We took two days to rent a car ourselves and drive to the town of my ancestors and visit with remaining relatives. This part of the trip, not managed by Jennifer, was full of the minor delays and difficulties that we usually experience in traveling ourselves. It made us appreciate our travel planner’s skill at smoothing away the bumps of travel. We found our own way back to Rome and into the hands of our WOW guides and were grateful!
A highlight of our four nights in Rome was the golf cart tour of the city at dusk with Danielle. He was fun, knowledgeable, and really good at showing us parts of the city we had never seen before. Also skilled at finding points in the city that were less crowded but provided perfect spots for pictures.
Finally, on the last day of our trip, 12/1/2024, we went to check in online for our flight (we had made our own flight arrangements thru Delta and their partner KLM) and KLM’s website was down. We spent almost two hours that day on the phone with Delta and KLM customer service representatives trying to assure we would be able to check-in at the airport in time for our 6 am flight the next day. We have experienced times when arriving early at airports for 6 am flights only to find the airport was not yet open that early. We were especially concerned because we expected to find the airport crowded as it was the Monday after Thanksgiving, and it was! In desperation we called Jennifer’s emergency line for help (even though they did not make the flight arrangements) and they came thru for us. Within 1/2 hour they called us back with two options for making sure we made our flight on time. We chose to have one of their airport experts meet us at drop off and help us through the process. We were glad we did as there were crowds and delays for us through security that he helped smooth for us.
We will definitely use WOW’s Jennifer and her company when we travel.
Read more reviews of Jennifer. Or request your own trip.
Japan: Tokyo temples & towers, post town paths of the samurai in Kiso Valley, green tea tasting in Shizuoka
MICHAEL RUMA | DECEMBER 2, 2024
Taking in the Shizuoka tea fields with 15th-generation tea farmer, Takuya Shigeta.
Japan: Until We Meet Again
We flew to Tokyo on October 4 and traveled by bullet train to Kiso, Kyoto, Shizuoka, and by ferry across Suruga Bay to Toi Izu returning home on October 18, 2024. At the top of many published travel lists, Japan ranked highly for us as the travel distance would be equitable for our friends meeting us from Saipan. Leaning on Wendy and her trusted list of trip planners, she put us in touch with Andrea and his colleague, Floriana. We visited virtually to detail interests, ideas, and idiosyncrasies to develop the perfect itinerary. Andrea and Floriana created a journey embarking from Tokyo, traveling by high-speed train to the Kiso Valley, reuniting with our friends in Kyoto, and then parting ways to continue our trip south to the Izu Peninsula curating a selection of superb hotels, excellent drivers, and amazing guides.
Landing late in Tokyo, we made it through immigration and customs and were whisked to the Tokyo Toranomon Edition Hotel. We enjoyed a night cap at the spectacular lobby bar and called it an evening after a long day of international travel. Awakening to a memorable view of Tokyo Tower, we prepared to explore all the offerings of the most populous city in the world.
From temples to towers, sushi to sake, and crowds to calm, Tokyo did not disappoint during our brief three-night stay. We enjoyed our first bullet train experience heading west to Kiso Fukushima. Appreciating the big city, but always attracted to the close connections made spending time in rural locales, we grew excited to settle into a traditional Japanese ryokan for the next few days. At the small inn, we learned to lounge in jinbei and yukata, dined on the delectable daily breakfast and divine dinners, and ventured throughout the countryside with our guide, Sachi.
The highlight of our time in the Kiso Valley is difficult to choose as we hiked to many ethereal shrines and wandered the path of the samurai through post towns, however we will never forget our opportunity to take part in the century’s old tradition of takigyo, meditating under a freezing cold waterfall, and then sharing the same moment with a local family at Shintaki Falls.
Filled with gratitude and innumerable memories, we left the Japanese Alps and traveled to Kyoto to meet our friends. With our intrepid guide, Mina, we navigated the bustling city by bus, taxi, and subway to visit numerous cultural sites with ease. Understandably crowded at times in the most popular spots, we escaped to a serene family temple with a private tea ceremony and contemplated the Zen gardens by Shigemori Mirei.
Over four days in Kyoto, we enjoyed learning history of the Samurai, mastering sword technique, and wide-ranging dining from yakiniku to yakitori. As the saying goes…time flies when you’re having fun…and we sadly had to say goodbye. Our friends headed back to Tokyo, and we traveled south to Shizuoka for the remainder of our trip.
For the last few days of our trip, we asked to get off the beaten path and find a quiet, relaxing place. Andrea and Floriana did not disappoint…coordinating a mountain green tea tasting in Shizuoka, a ferry ride with awe-inspiring views of Mt. Fuji, and a sanctuary stay in a historic mansion in Nishi-Izu.
We spent the remaining days strolling quiet seaside towns, visiting a secluded organic wasabi farm, and soaking in our private onsen.
It is without question…we could never have planned an experience in Japan like this without the assistance of a brilliant travel orchestrator. Enchanting our minds and our senses, we wait patiently for our next journey to Japan.
Read more reviews of Andrea. Or request your own trip.
Egypt: nighttime hike up Mt. Sinai for sunrise, private time at the Sphinx’s paws, well tipped on tipping
KRISTEN MACLEOD AND PETER ALTHAUSEN | DECEMBER 2, 2024
Traveler Kristen MacLeod Kristen basks in a “spectacular, not to be missed” sunrise at Mt Sinai
Just back from an outstanding two week trip to Egypt (11/6-11/20/2024) through Jim Berkley and his colleague Seema. My husband and I explored all along the Nile River Valley from Cairo south to Aswan and Abu Simbel, including Edfu and Luxor. We even hopped over to Sharm El Sheikh on the Red Sea for diving and a spectacular, not to be missed, nighttime hike up Mt Sinai for sunrise. First of all, if you have considered Egypt, but are hesitant given the unsettled Middle East, we say, “Just go!” We felt 100% safe the entire time. The Egyptian people are wonderful hosts, and their sophisticated country has too many treasures to be explored in just 2 weeks.
Our trip was absolutely smooth from beginning to end. Jim and Seema’s hotel recommendations and the Nile cruise ship they booked were fantastic and gave us a nice mix of historical properties and a few days of just plain luxury. This turned out to be critical given how fast-paced our itinerary was after over 24 hours of travel to get to Egypt. We had 6 in-country flights in order to fit everything in, and that meant some early days and late evenings. The hotel comfort, quality, location and amenities were spot on. Jim advised us to pay a little extra to travel first class in-country as the large tourist crowds can be overwhelming. Normally, I wouldn’t do that for such short flights, but the few hundred dollars actually made a significant difference given the number of flights we had and how busy it is.
As we have found in previous Wendy trips, the biggest benefit is in how Jim and Seema connected us to spectacular local drivers, guides and Egyptologists through South Sinai Travel. You cannot underestimate how critical that is in a big, busy country where you don’t know the customs, don’t speak the language, and can’t even recognize the alphabet! They were always early to meet us, never late and they are with you all the way through the check in and out procedures at each flight and hotel, even checking you in the day before for your in-country flights.
The highlights of our trip include the midnight hike up Mt Sinai with our Bedouin guide to watch the sunrise in peace with people from all over the world and every religion. The fresh Bedouin bread hot off the griddle and dripping with local honey along with a cup of hot tea fueled through our hike and kept us warm. It’s freezing up at 4am at 6,700 feet! A half day spent in Coptic Cairo quarter was fascinating with incredible architecture and history and peaceful compared to the rest of Cairo. Cairo is crazy, but the energy is very positive and riding through those busy streets is an experience not to be missed! The three major museums are all worth seeing and will make your head ache from trying to process the sophistication of a culture well over 4,000 years old. We paid extra to have private time at the paws of the Sphinx in Giza. It’s hard to describe the awe we felt standing alone at its base. Our Egyptologist, Raymonda, was as excited about it as we were! For us this extra cost was well worth it.
Overall, my husband and I both felt that paying for the private Egyptologists made our time at the very busy tourist sites way more meaningful. The Valley of the Kings and Luxor would not have been half as interesting without our Egyptologist, Mahmoud. Must-dos: The hike up Mt Sinai. Yes, you’ll be tired, but you will never regret it. Take a horse and carriage through the streets of Edfu to the Temple of Horus. It was the only time in my life when I have hit speed bumps while riding in a carriage with cars and motorcycles whizzing past me. You see a lot of Egyptian life when you move more slowly through the streets in an open carriage. Pay for the extra tombs at the Valley of the Kings. They are less crowded and beautifully preserved. Spend at least two nights in Aswan at The Old Cataract Hotel. We aren’t usually ones to rave about a hotel, but the setting and historical colonial elegance combined with the modern amenities make it very special. In fact, the slower pace and friendly, laidback Nubian feel of Aswan is a great addition to a busy trip. Wait to buy your spices and cotton/linen until you are in Aswan. This is where they come from.
Things to be prepared for: Tipping is ubiquitous and expected for everything. Seema advised me on amounts even going so far as to break it down by day and event so that we were ready ahead of time. The Egyptians have experienced 400% inflation since 2011. US dollars were very welcome for larger tips (guide, driver, Egyptologist). Cash is still king in Egypt although the nicer shops and hotels may take credit card. Bring more US cash than you think you will use, and bring some smaller bills. Be prepared for the onslaught of merchants trying to sell you souvenirs at the major tourist sites. It can be overwhelming. Outside of the areas right at the sites, we were not approached at all. Finally, I would like to say how safe I felt as a woman. I was not hassled at all, and I saw no younger tourist women getting hassled. The Egyptians are tolerant, respectful, and like to laugh.
We left feeling like we had made a deep connection to Egypt and its people. This is 100% attributable to the local connections provided by Jim and Seema. We can’t wait to go back and see the Siwa Oasis and Alexandria and journey to Petra. Jim and his crew will be our first call when we start to plan!
Read more reviews of Jim. Or request your own trip.
Argentina: the lakes of Bariloche, and the Perito Moreno glacier, and Peninsula Valdes wildlife
SHEILA AND DAVID CAHNMAN | DECEMBER 1, 2024
Travelers David and Sheila Cahnman hiking the “magnificent” Perito Moreno glacier in southwest Santa Cruz Province, Argentina.
We just completed a wonderful 14 day trip to Argentina planned by Paul & Lucinda. They suggested four different locales that represented Argentinian highlights where we could tour, hike, bike without being too strenuous, and also have time for my passion— sketching. The trip started with four nights in Buenos Aires including a private architecture tour and Jewish sites tour with very knowledgeable guides. I loved the Japanese garden and Rosedal in Palermo. We then went for a few days of sailing, hiking and biking in Bariloche which was very similar to the Bavarian Alps. Not a “must see,” but very pleasant. Next we headed to EOLO resort in El Calafate and the magnificent Perito Moreno glacier. Make sure to spend a full day hiking there!
Our last stop was Peninsula Valdes : Rincon Chico, the 8 bed lodge and conservation area, is a 3 hour drive from the Trelew airport. The 3 days we spent there were a cross between a safari and the Galapagos. We especially enjoyed when our hosts took us four couples to see 600,000 Magellanic penguins nesting on their private property.
Paul and Lucinda’s company communicates through their own app, which listed updates to our itinerary and also boarding passes etc. Two minor glitches in transportation arrival were handled through the app: in one case they negotiated a full refund for late arrival at a tango show, and in the other we received complementary massages. Also was impressed that all our flights throughout the country were direct and did not require a return to Buenos Aires like many other fellow travelers.
Read more reviews of Paul. Or request your own trip.
Thailand, Laos & Vietnam: experiencing the elephants, weaving silk, home-cooked meals with Uncles and Aunties
LORI AND JACK ANSALDI | DECEMBER 1, 2024
Floating through Vietnam’s coconut flower groves on a bucket boat.
We planned our trip with Ethan and Sandy—we told them where we wanted to go and they took it from there. They suggested the timetable, flights, sights, hotels, and scheduled the most amazing hosts in each location. Everything was well coordinated and at the same time flexible to our requirements. As we traveled and experienced flight delays or lost luggage, Ethan and Sandy—as well as our local hosts—were on it. They went above and beyond, having a host meet us at arrival in the local Saigon terminal to walk us 10 minutes to the International terminal, confirm we were checked in, and on our way back to the USA. We can’t thank Ethan and Sandy’s company enough. They were terrific to work with from start to finish.
We explored places and people and dealt with traffic and heat. All good and part of the experience. Warm friendly people, exotic temples, superb boutique accommodations, and new food flavors and tastes. We started our trip in Bangkok, flew to Chiang Mai and learned about rescuing the elephants and feeding these incredible loving creatures in Laos, as well as making paper and weaving silk or making a batik. Very hands on.
From there we picked up a Viking River Cruise in Hanoi. Stopped in Siem Reap to see Angkor Wat, sail down the Mekong River and end up in Ho Chi Minh City. Although we saw a lot and enjoyed the river cruise, we preferred the smaller more intimate touring with local hosts.
Some of the most memorable experiences included visiting the Hmong people, meeting our host’s families and being blessed by the Uncles and Aunties, seeing their homes, experiencing their lifestyle, and enjoying a home cooked meal. Some of the best meals. The tour in Hoi An was fabulous. We biked the rice fields, said hello to the water buffalo, learned about farming from an 86-year-old farmer, tilling the dirt, planting the lettuce, watering the plants. Then hopping on a boat, catching fish with nets, and venturing through the coconut flower groves on the bucket boat. So much fun!! And a new appreciation for the people and their hard work.
We’ve traveled many places, but this was the trip of a lifetime. We can’t wait to work with Wendy Perrin again.
Read more reviews of Sandy and Ethan. Or request your own trip.
Chile: exploring Rapa Nui’s sites and statues, visiting island of the Birdman competition, laughing with locals
JEANNIE MULLEN | DECEMBER 1, 2024
Traveler Jeannie Mullen and local Rapa Nui guide explore a quiet inlet frequented by Easter Island locals.
Just back from pre-Thanksgiving holiday to Easter Island … this was my third or fourth time using Tom Damon for solo travel trip planning to South America. I was paired with Martin Hey, a fantastic local Rapa Nui guide… a great story teller who wove science, history and Rapa Nui lore into every single day of the trip. This was also my third attempt since the pandemic to try to schedule a trip to this remote island. It did not disappoint. Not only did Martin bring the platforms and statues to life through his storytelling, he also knew how and when to enjoy them with very few if any other groups around. Many times we had the sites to ourselves for extended periods of time. Interspersed with day trips to the local Moai sites were several long hikes and one particular boat trip out to the Birdman competition islands which enabled us to share stories and meet other locals with whom we could share experiences and a good bit of laughter. Importantly, the pacing of the trip enabled me to enjoy my time on the island without being harried or racing from one site to another. Thank you Martin, Tom and Wendy for yet another fantastic trip.
I cannot fail to mention the great lengths to which Tom and his contacts went to make sure that I made my VERY tight return connection in Santiago. LATAM airlines changed the connecting flight time out of Easter Island at the last minute which made my international flight connection in Santiago very risky. If I didn’t make that connection I would not have been able to leave for another 24 hours, which would have resulted in me missing Thanksgiving with my family. Tom arranged RAC concierge service which vastly expedited the 1 1/2 hour immigration line that my fellow passengers reported they endured before making the same connection. So, Tom, I thank you and my family thanks you!
Read more reviews of Tom. Or request your own trip.
Nepal: flightseeing Everest with narration by a sherpa, and guided tour of old Kathmandu
CHRISTINE STOLL | NOVEMBER 28, 2024
Travelers Christine Stoll and her husband Don at the Dusit Thani Himalayan Resort in Dhulikhel, Nepal.
In 1996 I went to a presentation by the late David Breashears where he spoke about and showed raw footage of his experience on Mount Everest during the climbing disaster earlier that year. The filming of his eventual summiting became the IMAX movie, Everest. I was captivated. Although I was never a candidate to climb the mountain, it was my goal to see it in person. So, I contacted Sanjay and explained how important this experience was to me. Sanjay was a personal friend of David Breashears, giving me another personal connection and an understanding of how important this was to me.
So, Sanjay crafted a 5-day stay in Nepal for my husband and our friends. We were all on our way to India. He offered 3 options for seeing the mountain. We chose the flightseeing, a 20-passenger plane where everyone has a window seat. He scheduled us on the flight, but arranged the trip so that, if the weather was bad, we could reschedule for any of the other days. As soon as we arrived, we were told that we would be going the next morning as that was the best weather opportunity. At 5:00 A.M the next morning we were seated on the plane with the flight still up-in-the-air. It sure looked cloudy. After sitting on the runway for some time, we finally got the okay to take off. We kept going up through clouds until we finally burst out to a sight I can’t put into words. It was stunning, awe-inspiring, jaw-dropping and whatever other superlative you can think of. Sanjay had arranged for us to have a sherpa with us, who had summited Everest. Phula pointed out peaks, routes, and other features to make our time richer. When we finished, he went to breakfast with us. He answered our many, many questions. Phula’s experience was fascinating, and I got a better understanding of the sherpa community and their special connection to the mountain. It took me the rest of the day to “come down off the mountain” and finally catch my breath.
Our other days in Nepal were crafted by Sanjay with equal care. We had a city guide, Arjun, who walked us through old Kathmandu and shared his love of it. The devastation from the 2015 earthquake was still visible, but he was so proud of his country’s rebuilding efforts. The festival of Tihar had just finished, and the city brightly decorated. We went to a Nepalese Welcome Dinner, a small affair with several courses of delicious food and local musicians and dancers. We were definitely made to feel welcome.
Shortly before we left home, Nepal suffered a terrible rainstorm which caused severe flooding. The resort where we were supposed to spend a night suffered severe damage. Sanjay told us he was working on a substitute. What a substitute!! It was a stunning property with eye-popping views at sunrise, sunset, and throughout the day. We were pampered and fed food created by a culinary artist. Nepal is a special place, and Sanjay arranged 5 days to love.
Read more reviews of Sanjay. Or request your own trip.
Belize: a sentimental return visit with Mayan sites, canoeing in caves, and cooking with a local family
ELAINE PATTERSON | NOVEMBER 24, 2024
My husband and I recently contacted Patricia to design a very sentimental return trip to Belize. We had visited in 1978 while in grad school and finally decided to go back, but we wanted help in order to explore all the places and experiences that exist today.
Patricia totally embraced the spirit of this return trip and she designed a fabulous itinerary with time in the Cayo District and beach. Her hotel selection in Cayo was magical (Gaia Riverlodge) with the most stunning setting, staff, and service, and she matched us with a fantastic local guide (Brainard) who spent 5 days with us. He shepherded us through Mayan sites (Caracol and Xunantunich are not to be missed!), canoeing in caves, looking around San Ignacio for sites we would recognize from ‘78, and accompanying us to a memorable cooking experience with a local family. The three of us never stopped talking; he had info and answers on every topic—Mayan history, local culture and politics, farming, food, and forests.
Throughout the trip, Patricia and her team were in touch with us to make sure things were going smoothly. When we rather suddenly realized that going to a beach resort in the middle of Tropical Storm Sara was not our best move, and opted to fly out that morning, her team and Brainard smoothly got us back to the airport.
We had such a wonderful time—and were so charmed by Belize—that we’re already working with Patricia to return later this winter. There’s more to see, we’ll have our beach weekend after all, and we couldn’t be in better hands than with Patricia and her team.
Read more reviews of Patricia and Rachael. Or request your own trip.
Puglia: olive tasting in the grove, cooking class and pasta-making, embroidery looms in action at a textile factory
VANESSA HULME | NOVEMBER 20, 2024
Alison and Elisa put together a marvelous itinerary for our first trip to Puglia. Although we have traveled extensively in other parts of Italy, we had never been to Puglia and needed both advice and suggestions on how to make the best of the trip. Alison and Elisa excelled on both counts. They really listened to the type of itinerary we wanted, and took into account our likes and dislikes.
From the time we were met at the airport in Bari until we departed 10 days later, everything worked like clockwork. The hotels they suggested suited us perfectly (especially their suggestion that we MUST spend our last few days at Palazzo Margherita—this hotel was so very, very special that we are very happy we didn’t pass on this). In all of the accommodations, we were treated incredibly well; it was obvious their company had relationships with them. Their drivers were excellent—always on time and very professional, and the guides are some of the best we have had on our travels.
There were so many highlights on this trip, it would take ages to list them all, but a few were: a guided tour sampling Bari’s local street food; a visit to Casamassella to visit a textile factory where products are made using the centuries-old hands-on method on embroidery looms; a walk through fields of ancient olive trees (1000+ years old) with an olive oil tasting and incredible lunch prepared especially for us; a cooking class with two excellent chefs where we participated in making the dinner (including a chance to make our own pasta!); an opportunity to see the Puglian countryside as we drove a vintage Fiat 500 for hours, and an evening visit to Alberobello where the trulli houses really came to life.
Our visit to Matera was very insightful as we learned a great deal of the history of the cave dwellings and the people who lived there and their day-to-day lives. Especially interesting were the ancient churches and learning how they were carved into the landscape. This entire complex is truly awe-inspiring. The most special part of this visit was our WOW Moment at Sextantio Albergo Diffuso Le Grotte della Civita! Imagine having an ancient church turned restaurant all to ourselves at lunch, lit only by candlelight, with our own private chef and exquisite food and wine—this really was a WOW+ moment. Thanks, Wendy, for pulling yet another amazing experience out of the hat!
We are so very glad we enlisted Alison and Elisa for this trip. Their knowledge of the area and their relationships with providers in Puglia make this a stellar vacation for us. We would have absolutely no hesitation in utilizing their services again.
Read more reviews of Antonello. Or request your own trip.
France: exploring wine regions, a private cruise on the Seine, a mix of Michelin-star dining & cozy bistros
JOE LYLE | NOVEMBER 16, 2024
A vineyard-covered hillside in St. Emillion. Photo: Traveler Joe Lyle
We’ve been using Wendy Perrin’s team for our travels over the past decade, and when it came time to plan our first trip to France, we felt confident in choosing the WOW List representative, Philip. Our goal was to explore several wine regions and indulge in great food—and we certainly achieved that. The team listened closely to our wishes and crafted a three-week itinerary that began in Paris, then took us to the Loire Valley, Bordeaux, St. Emilion, Provence, and Burgundy.
We loved being able to stroll through charming villages, and the boutique hotels were perfectly located for us to interact with locals and enjoy the markets. To satisfy our culinary desires, the trip included a wonderful mix of Michelin-starred dining and cozy local bistros. One highlight was Le Cinq—an extraordinary dining experience in Paris. At Resources in Bordeaux, we were thrilled as the chef presented his innovative creations of his choosing, showcasing the freshest local ingredients.
A few standout moments included a cooking class where we shopped at a local market for fresh provisions, and our WOW Moment in the home of a talented pastry chef. We also enjoyed a romantic private cruise down the Seine on a sunny day, which offered a breathtaking view of Paris. A private tour of the Louvre, along with truffle and chocolate tastings, were pure joy and left us in high spirits.
The visits to the wine chateaus were guided by experts and experienced sommeliers. We especially appreciated the opportunity to explore small, boutique wineries and engage in insightful discussions about the different wine regions. We gained a deeper understanding of French wines and the distinctive qualities of each region.
Thanks to Wendy and her WOW List, we had an unforgettable experience that helped us fall even more in love with France.
Read more reviews of Philip. Or request your own trip.
Southeast Asia: canoe tour of Phuket, Angor Wat at sunrise, Hanoi by scooter, the limestone mountains of Ha Long Bay
JEFF AND LISA WELLEN | NOVEMBER 13, 2024
Travelers Jeff and Lisa Wellen on Thailand’s breathtaking Maya Beach.
What a fantastic and incredible vacation to Southeast Asia thanks to Dan and his entire team. This is the fourth time we have used travel advisors recommended by Wendy and it is the fourth time they have exceeded our expectations.
From the first phone call with Dan and Raphael until the last host helped us get on our plane back home to the States, the entire team was outstanding. During the planning stages, Raphael listened to our needs, made necessary adjustments, and gave us wonderful guidance to ensure the trip was tailored to our needs and desires.
We started our trip in Bangkok with our wonderful host Nemo. Her passion and energy were contagious. She made adjustments based on weather and current events, and blended all of our tours to create one seamless incredible experience. The most significant of those adjustments was she made sure we saw The King’s Royal Barge Procession, which is a significant cultural event in Thailand that takes place on the Chao Phraya River, which was right next to our hotel.
Next we were off to Phuket. The Surin Resort was just outstanding. The views from the hillside resort were awesome and the staff were exceptional. Raphael’s suggestion of the John Grey Sea Canoe tour and the speedboat ride to Phi Phi Islands were great.
We then traveled to Siem Reap, Cambodia, where Vuthy showed us around Angkor Wat and other temples. Angkor Wat at sunrise was an indescribably beautiful experience. The next day we biked through the rice fields and countryside of Cambodia and finished with a private boat ride and picnic lunch on board around Tonlé Sap lake. The temples were awesome but getting out of the city is something you must do if you visit Siem Reap.
Then we were off to Hoi An where Vien showed us a wonderful time in the Old Quarter whether that was eating street food, shopping, or riding around town on scooters. We also did a cooking class where we prepared and cooked a meal, then ate the meal on the side of a beautiful river and finally received a foot and back massage. It was a trifecta of fun.
Finally, we ended our trip in Hanoi where Dat showed us a great time. One of the craziest things we did was ride scooters around Hanoi. An exhilarating experience to say the least. Then we went to Ha Long Bay for a one-night boat trip around the picturesque limestone mountains that rise out of the waters. It was a wonderful way to end our 16 days in Southeast Asia. Another great suggestion from Raphael.
Dan and his team have put together fantastic tours but the best thing was how the hosts made the black and white words on the itinerary pages come alive. His handpicked team of hosts made us feel special from the moment we met to our hugs when saying goodbye.
Finally, I want to thank Wendy, Dan and Raphael for the unforgettable WOW Moment they gave to my wife and me. They arranged a beautiful candle lite dinner on the Surin beach for our 31st wedding anniversary. The hotel staff was amazing, and it is a memory that will last a lifetime and such a fantastic way to celebrate our special day.
Dan and his team showed once again why everybody should use Wendy’s WOW List. THANK YOU!!
Read more reviews of Daniel. Or request your own trip.
South Pacific: Hong Kong and Singapore, river excursions in Borneo, a Balinese blessing ceremony
BARBARA SCHOENFELD | NOVEMBER 13, 2024
The Schoenfelds on the Kinabatangan River in Borneo, looking for Proboscis Monkeys. Photo: Traveler Barbara Schoenfeld.
Andrea organized a fantastic trip across the South Pacific for my husband and me. Over a three-week period, we visited Hong Kong, Malaysia, Indonesia and Singapore. Although we approached the consultation with ideas of where we wanted to go, Andrea’s suggestions for itinerary design were considerably better. For example, he advised that we visit Borobudur, near Yogyakarta, in Indonesia. We did, and it was a highlight. It was never on my to-visit list, but I’m so grateful we went. All of the guides he provided were knowledgeable, but of just as much interest to us, were open to sharing their personal perspectives.
We especially appreciated the time he spent on a couple of iterations mapping out the trip. In particular, we wanted to go to Borneo and initially he proposed a short river cruise. We found it unappealing, so he reoriented to the Sukau Rainforest Lodge—with river excursions—a favorite of our trip.
The hotel choices were terrific. Besides being comfortable and super well-run, they were in excellent locations, allowing us to maximize our enjoyment of our unstructured time. One special experience was the Sala Waterfall Temple in Bali. It went beyond most of the Balinese blessing ceremonies because it involved wading in a fresh water spring, led by a guide, stopping at 21 stations to undertake ritual cleansing steps and prayers. It culminates in climbing to a rushing waterfall, where you stick your head under the cascade and scream three times. It’s a surprisingly calming experience.
Overall, the trip was all we hoped for and more—to gain understanding of the countries and cultures we visited, enjoying discovery on a special vacation.
Read more reviews of Andrea. Or request your own trip.
Sweden: hot springs and saunas, helicopter to private island inn, lobster fishing excursion
ROBYN AND DAN NEEDHAM | NOVEMBER 13, 2024
Pater Noster is nestled on the tiny rock lighthouse island Hamneskar.
My husband and I toured Sweden just recently from September 29 through October 6. We started the first 3 nights in Gothenburg, mixing work and vacation. Our trip was planned by Torunn and her company, and we stayed at The Dorsia Hotel to start. A fabulous hotel and one of the best experiences we have ever had. The room was incredible, and the food was awesome from a late-night dinner on the evening of arrival after a long trip to the wonderful breakfasts included in our package.
Early the next morning we met a young amazing artist quickly becoming a Swedish sensation at an arranged private tour of a local art gallery. The next two days we explored the immaculate city of Gothenburg including the old walled city with the Fish Church. Definitely recommend a visit to this city and a tour of Volvo World.
We departed Gothenburg for a one-night stay at Ästad, a wellness hot springs in the country, just an hour by private car. There we enjoyed the various saunas before an amazing dinner experience at Restaurant Ang, a Michelin-rated eatery with food and ambiance unparalleled. It is safe to say a definite top culinary experience for the two of us.
The next morning we departed Ästad by private helicopter to a private island that was once a working lighthouse and now an island getaway inn called Pater Noster. We were greeted with champagne upon landing on the island by the inn manager and amazing staff on the island. The inn has 9 rooms and we shared our one evening with one other amazing couple and the inn’s proprietor. A setting to relax, but also a lighthouse to explore and a seafood dinner enjoyed with new friends. Such an amazing and unique experience.
After eating a fantastic breakfast, we left via a RIB that swiftly took us to town to connect with a 3-hour lobster fishing excursion. After a private car transfer, we spent our last night in a castle room at Nääs Slott.
We definitely recommend visiting Sweden with wonderful people and a most beautiful and amazingly clean country!
Read more reviews of Torunn. Or request your own trip.
Sicily: small-town visits, personal culinary experiences, lunch at Zio Pippo’s vineyard
TIM TRICHE | NOVEMBER 12, 2024
The Triche travelers at a “terrific” cooking class at Fontes Episcopi.
Sicily is a special place, the crossroads of history and Western civilization, and the sense of a continuous living history is everywhere. We have been four times now, and will likely return yet again. The possibilities are seemingly endless. The small towns and their people are steeped in that history, the food is unforgettable, landscape rugged and rocky and beautiful, and the freedom to simply soak it all in is perhaps the best part of the trip.
We chose our destinations based on things we had not seen before, and we were not disappointed. We focused on destinations away from the crowds and in the process met wonderful people, both the Sicilians and the guides. The food was amazing, and helping prepare at least three meals in different locations was special. Late Fall is definitely a great time to go; the weather was perfect. Our travel adviser, Laura, and her associates were pretty incredible; they were available at any time and were truly interested in making our trip memorable. There were so many unique destinations she chose based on our interview before the trip that it would be difficult to single out only one, but the way the trip evolved, from small Baroque towns on the southeast coast to the interior and Villa Romana (a spectacular don’t-miss destination) and Agrigento, and finally Taormina and environs was perfect, leading to a crescendo finish.
Each of the luncheons was special in its own right, but the ones at Motta Camastra (with Le Mamme del Borgo) where we prepared the macaroni, and Zio Pippo’s vineyard were something to remember. At his place we enjoyed simple food prepared by his wife and accompanied by his wine. Both are something you don’t forget. These people have been living there for 7,000 years, and it shows in their food, their wine, their engaging friendliness and their homes and land. The entire trip was a treat, but the hidden jewels were the small town visits and sitting down and eating with the local population.
This trip was arranged by a WOW List candidate. Here’s what that means.
India: a week in the Golden Triangle, seeing artisans at work, private access to buying uncut gems
GISELLE AND ALAN WEISSMAN | NOVEMBER 11, 2024
The Weissmans’ week included Agra, Jaipur, and Delhi, as well as off-the-beaten-path places.
Sanjay helped us plan a great weeklong trip to the Golden Triangle in India for November 2024. With his help, we planned a very interesting and efficient trip which included both the standard highlights of these great places (Agra, Jaipur, and Delhi), but also a few off the beaten path places (hidden temples, private block printing at an old factory, watching a street vendor make clay cups on his wheel to sell for people to us at the temple across the street, opening up a jewelry store late at night to buy uncut jems in Jaipur, to name a few). We were worried about not being able to see everything with only a week’s time, but with Sanjay’s help we managed to not only see the main highlights but many other sites we didn’t even know about!
We stayed at fantastic hotels and received excellent service at all of them. Our guide, Garish, was incredible. He knew so much and was able to give us the history and current insight in a very entertaining and engaging way. Our driver, Mr. Singh, was also an expert at dodging traffic and knowing just what routes would be the best. We could not have planned a more wonderful and amazing trip. We highly recommend Sanjay’s company for any trip to India. We plan on using him again to see more of India in the future.
Read more reviews of Sanjay. Or request your own trip.
Italy: Lake Albano, uncrowded Papal gardens, Orvieto’s “precursor to the Sistine Chapel”…
KATHY DECARLO | NOVEMBER 8, 2024
Extra assistance in busy Rome and Venice whisked past the hassles, “worth every penny.”
This was our third trip with Jennifer. The first two were in France and based on the exceptional experience we had with her we asked Jennifer to organize our Rome and Veneto trip. We have been to Italy many times over the past 30 years, so we were looking for ease of travel, unique experiences, and few crowds. Tall order for Rome and Venice/Veneto but Jennifer pulled it off.
We met with Jennifer and Guilia, via Zoom, in January and identified the priorities. Over the next few months and a few more calls we were able to solidify the trip. From the moment we stepped off the plane we were whisked through baggage, immigration, and into our waiting car. That is the peace of mind we needed. Jennifer’s team provided daily texts which helped us with the names, times, and emergency numbers. Great to know you have someone to contact—just in case something goes amiss.
For many years I always wanted to visit the House of Augustus and Livia and Case Romane. The guide took us the back way into the Forum, avoiding crowds and explained in a humorous way the history of early Rome and Augustus. Although I always wanted to visit the Vatican Gardens, Jennifer wisely guided us to the Castel Gandolfo (Pope’s summer palace) with its magnificent and uncrowded Papal Gardens. Seeing the enormous gardens by golf cart was essential—it also allowed us time to walk through the private areas where the Popes meditated. Jennifer also reserved lunch for us at Pagnanelli on Lake Albano. We had a front row view of Lake Albano. The food was amazing. After lunch we toured the neighboring villages and castle. I now understand why the Italians vacation in this area.
Jennifer thought Orvieto would be a good day trip. It was. What a magnificent setting. The guide walked us through the Church with its precursor to the Sistine Chapel. The guide was so amazing he drew a crowd, which he graciously moved away from us. He toured the village with us and took us to another delicious restaurant Jennifer chose for us.
We were staying at the St. Regis Rome, one of our favorite hotels in Rome. We took the train from Rome Termini to Venice Santa Lucia in Executive Class (it costs a bit more but worth every penny). When Jennifer suggested we book a private car and baggage handling, the price seemed a bit expensive. The St. Regis Rome is only 5 minutes from Termini station. But when we arrived at the train station, we understood why it cost some extra money—Termini is crazy busy! And we really did need all that assistance. It was worth every penny.
Venice—our dream come true. Again, we and our luggage were escorted off the train to the water taxi to the Gritti Palace. No stress—just ease and comfort. Our goal in Venice and the Veneto area was to see the area from multiple perspectives and eat. Jennifer selected Sara as our guide. When the concierge at the Gritti Palace told us she was an incredible guide, we knew Jennifer put us with the best person for this trip. The View from the Top (St. Marks Bell Tower, Fondaco dei Tedeschi and San Giorgio Bell Tower) was the perfect way to see Venice and the surrounding islands.
We toured Venice with a side trip to the Aman Hotel—Sara used to work there so we had an insider story. We met the Count whose family owns the Aman villa—only Jennifer could pull that off. The visit to the outer Lagoon islands (Burano, Torcello and San Francesco del Deserto) gave us a good understanding of the history of Venice. The Palladian tour of La Rotonda was so magnificent it was difficult to take all the beauty in—and it is privately owned. Padua, the Scrovegni Chapel, and the Arqua Petrarca gave us a lesson of the power of Venetian families and how they used it to create beauty and knowledge.
Who doesn’t love Verona? What a city. So full of life and young people. And Amarone wine. Jennifer selected all of the restaurants, and the food was delicious—never had to decide where to go to get an outstanding meal.
We ended the trip with the car service and Meet/Greet. Worth every penny.
We cannot wait to plan our fourth trip with Jennifer and her team. Perfect planning. Perfect trip.
Read more reviews of Jennifer. Or request your own trip.
Egypt: Nile cruise on a private dahabiya, Cairo & Luxor “brought to life” by passionate guides
JULIE SILBERMANN | NOVEMBER 8, 2024
Traveler Julie Silbermann enjoys a four-legged visit to the Pyramids of Giza.
Egypt in October 2024 was our 3rd Wendy Perrin trip and once again we had THE BEST trip planner. Arlene and her team created the trip of a lifetime for us!
We were a group of 5 and from the minute we landed in Cairo until our last minute in Egypt, Arlene and her staff made sure we were always well cared for and kept very busy! We felt safe the entire trip and never worried about our activities. We started in Cairo and had Ahmed as our Egyptologist. There couldn’t have been a more passionate guide who brought ancient Egypt to life for us. He accompanied us to Alexandria and Sakkara as well as ferried us throughout Cairo. We then flew to Luxor and were met by Ramy, our new Egyptologist. Ramy knew absolutely everything about Egypt and was very happy to answer our endless questions. After touring Luxor, Ramy joined us on our 4-night Nile cruise on our private dahabiya from Luxor to Aswan and then flew with us to Abu Simbel and then back to Aswan.
Arlene and her team work with an Egyptian tour group, and they provided excellent representatives to help shepherd us through airports, hotels, etc. In fact, when we had a small hiccup with our Nile cruise, Jim and Arlene and their Egypt tour group solved our issue very quickly and efficiently. I highly recommend Arlene and Jim for your once-in-a-lifetime trip to Egypt!
Our itinerary was packed and we felt like we didn’t miss one tomb, artifact, or old Egyptian rock!
Read more reviews of Jim. Or request your own trip.
China: going beyond major historical sites, experiencing culture & history, plus a typhoon
JILL BOERGER | NOVEMBER 6, 2024
My husband and I had a wonderful trip to China planned by Mei’s team. I knew we wanted to see the major historical sites such as the Great Wall and the Terra Cotta Warriors, but after a zoom call with Mei, I realized we could really experience China, its history, culture, cuisine, and more. We spent 17 days in China with stops in Beijing, Xian, Dali, Shaxi, Lijiang, and Shanghai. All the guides were terrific and spoke excellent English.
During our stay in Shanghai, a super typhoon hit the city with over 7 inches of rain in 30 hours. Fortunately, our travel planner and guide were able to move some things around on our schedule and found museums to visit while it poured outside.
I would highly recommend Mei and her company for planning a trip to China.
Read more reviews of Mei. Or request your own trip.
Japan: waterfall meditation with monks, Japan’s largest stalactite cave, climbing to sacred & sheer Sanbutsuji Temple
LYNN SAVARESE | NOVEMBER 4, 2024
“Motonosumi Inari Shrine’s 123 brilliant red torii gates to a cliff overlooking the Sea of Japan.”
I am forever grateful to Andrea’s team for helping me with designing my dream trip to Japan. Having lived in Japan as a child and had occasion to visit the country several times since, I knew when working with the team that I was asking for a lot in wanting an off-the-beaten path itinerary. For much of the trip I had in mind, I wanted to go where few tourists go and engage in activities that would be a challenge to arrange. I also wanted to compress as much as possible into my two weeks in the country.
Working with me by email and face-to-face zoom calls, the team strove to understand what I wanted while also offering up wonderful suggestions themselves. In virtually every respect, they surpassed my hopes and expectations!
There are almost too many highlights of my customized trip to Japan to even list, let alone describe, but here are a handful:
Vaulting down through Motonosumi Inari Shrine’s 123 brilliant red torii gates to a cliff overlooking the Sea of Japan.
Clinging to ancient tree roots and chains to climb to the top of the sacred Mt. Mitojusan to reach Sanbutsuji Temple, a wooden prayer hall built into the mouth of a cave on a sheer precipice of the mountain and completed in 849. Known as the most dangerous national treasure in Japan, it remains unfathomable how it could have been built on such an inhospitable site.
Climbing the massive sand dunes at the edge of the Sea in Japan in Tottori, and hiking along the beautiful shoreline there.
Practicing “takigyo” (waterfall meditation) with two Buddhist monks, by standing directly beneath a sacred waterfall—its strong cold water taking one’s breath away as it pelts one’s head and shoulders—before being revived and uplifted by its force.
Meeting with so many artisans: potters in Hagi who showed me their hand-built kilns and exquisite Hagi ware; elderly basket weavers at a bamboo basket weaving studio exhibiting their exquisite baskets and demonstrating their craft; a glass crystal etching expert who instructed me in producing an etched crystal glass of my own; and masters of indigo dying who helped me create my own dyed tee-shirt in their studio workshop.
Wandering through the Akiyoshi Cave, Japan’s largest stalactite cave, more than 100 meters underground, marveling at the wondrous and mysterious limestone features formed over tens of millions of years.
Rising at dawn to walk out and photograph the Itsukushima Shrine’s massive red torii gate at low tide.
Hiking some of the Hagi Okan trail with an expert guide who not only shared with me some of its important history, but also belted out songs sung by samurai to ready themselves for battle.
In the home of a fisherman’s wife, learning how to make several classic fish dishes and then sharing a delightful meal with her and my guide—three older women exchanging intimate life stories while dining on the dishes we’d prepared.
After a profoundly moving afternoon spent in Hiroshima at the Peace Memorial Museum and Peace Park, taking a ferry to the nearby magical island of Miyajima, making it up Mt. Misen for a spectacular view.
Revisiting favorite sites in Kyoto—the Golden and Silver Pavilions and gardens (Kinkaku-ji and Gingaku-ji Temples); the trail of red torii gates up Mt. Inari (Fushimi Inari); the Kiyomizudera Temple with its stunning views; the Sagano Bamboo Forest in nearby Arashiyama; and my all-time favorite: the Ryoan-ji Zen temple and rock garden.
Strolling through Kyoto’s Gion district, and enjoying a private tea ceremony and dance performance there by a young maiko (an apprentice geisha), and being given the opportunity to ask her candid questions about her life and her art.
A full day of shopping in Tokyo—for local artisanal goods in Aki-Oka Artisan alley; traditional crafts in Ayoyama Square; exceptional kitchenware in “Kitchen Town” (Kappbasji); an unparalleled offering of stationery and calligraphy goods at the legendary Ginza Itoya stationery store; and fine art at galleries in Ginza and Rappongi.
A day trip to Yokohama for a stroll down memory lane, visiting my old home there, as well as the nearby Sankeien Garden where I regularly wandered in my youth and which remains one of Japan’s most beautiful gardens, and stopping by Kamakura on the way to admire the Great Buddha that I first photographed as a 12-year-old.
Visiting as many waterfalls as possible in the beautiful mountainous region of Nikko, led by a local canyoning guide, as well as some of Nikko’s magnificent World heritage Site shrines and temples.
One can’t expect most travel experts to be willing or able to create such a packed, customized, and unique itinerary. The logistics, careful planning, and creative out-of-the-box thinking required to pull off this dream trip to Japan was truly daunting, with so many advance reservations required to handle all of for my transportation needs, lodging, and activities, and so many guides that had to be lined up!
A huge thank you to the team for managing to make all of this happen for me—seamlessly and without any hitches—and providing me with truly fabulous guides who, for the most part, spoke English with enough fluency to allow for insightful and free-ranging discussions, and who were deeply knowledgeable about the places we visited—their history and enduring significance.
Andrea’s company also arranged for me to stay in a number of truly exquisite lodgings. The Ryokan Otozure outside of Yamaguchi is out-of-this-world sublime, with its exquisitely beautiful architecture and design; its gracious and attentive staff; and the truly fine dining to be had in its restaurant. The small luxury hotel in Kyoto’s Gion district was also enchanting, with beautiful rooms, gracious staff, and a fabulous restaurant. And the newly built Ritz Carlton in Nikko was fantastic as well, with its extraordinary attention to detail in its design, furnishings, and art.
Traveling on my own for most of the trip, I was also especially grateful to the company for keeping me connected with a WhatsApp group of “Guardian Angels”—staff members who were available by text or phone call, 24/7, to answer any questions or concerns I might have, and to help with any arrangements or modifications I might want or need. Happily, these Guardian Angels were invariably responsive and helpful on the few occasions when I reached out to them.
Thanks to the team, my two weeks in Japan were everything I wanted them to be—and so much more!
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Southern France & Northern Italy: wine regions, medieval villages, and green verdant hills
JANICE YONKO | NOVEMBER 4, 2024
We recently returned from an incredible journey through much of the southern half of France and northern region of Italy. Jennifer and her team helped us plan a a truly unforgettable 3-week trip that highlighted some of the best wine regions in both countries, along with a great deal of historical sites. We began in Bordeaux at the beautiful Les Sources de Caudalie. Apparently the spring had brought an overabundance of rain which translated into very green and healthy landscapes wherever we went, an unexpected bonus!
Jennifer helped us plan an itinerary that covered the Left Bank and Right Bank regions of Bordeaux with a highlight on St. Emilion, a beautiful medieval town. Next, Jennifer encouraged us to visit the medieval village of Carcassone. We were so happy she did! It is the largest and most heavily fortified medieval village in Europe—very impressive! We also visited Montpellier and the lovely Camargue region known for their indigenous white horses and pink salt, staying at the gorgeous Domaine du Verchant. Our next stop was Provence, including stays at two truly lovely but different hotels, Villa La Coste and La Bastide de Gordes, once again thanks to Jennifer’s encouragement. We enjoyed a lovely and delicious picnic in the forest overlooking an ancient bridge hosted by a burgeoning young chef/farmer, as well as a very interesting tour of the asylum where Van Gogh spent many years of his life.
From Provence, we drove through the beautiful French Alps into the Barolo/Barbaresco region and stayed at the stunning Casa di Langa. We spent our time there discovering the wines of the region among the green verdant hills. Our final stop at Lake Maggiore and Villa Aminta was truly magical! The lake is every bit as beautiful as Lake Como but so much less crowded! The highlight was our day spent on a private boat touring both Isola Madre and Isola Bella. Each island boasted the most amazing private homes (more like museums!) built by the Borromeo family. Each was so incredibly beautiful and well preserved and were surrounded by gorgeous gardens.
Each of the hotels that Jennifer helped us find was unique, luxurious, and welcoming. The restaurants she helped us choose were outstanding! Our drivers and guides were some of the very best we have ever had the pleasure of using. We couldn’t have created the same experience without the help of Jennifer and her dedicated team!
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Barcelona: walking tour of the old town, private cooking class, stained-glass church at sunset
COLE JENNINGS | NOVEMBER 1, 2024
My husband and I recently spent 3 days in Barcelona prior to a cruise. I reached out to Ivan from Wendy’s Wow list, who answered me quickly to set up a call to talk about what we were interested in doing and seeing. We had previously been to Barcelona and so wanted to do different things this trip. Ivan quickly came up with suggestions that we loved.
On the day we arrived Ivan arranged a driver to meet us at the airport. We were quickly taken to our Hotel the El Palace which we loved. That evening we were met with our fabulous guide Nestor. We spent a couple hours on a walking tour of the old town and then went to a couple tapas bars. Nestor truly loves his city and is very knowledgeable about everything in it, we learned so much. The tapas bars were much better than the restaurants I booked on my own. The next morning we were met at our hotel by Chef Ricard for a private cooking class and visit to a local market. The cooking class was so much fun and the food was delicious. I’m looking forward to getting the recipes and trying to cook it ourselves.
Later that afternoon we were meet by Nestor at our hotel to tour Park Güell and the church of La Sagrada Familia. We had previously been to both places, but this time we learned so much more. We arrived at La Sagrada Familia in time for sunset. The church was stunning with all the stained glass windows and the perfect time to go. Nestor then escorted us to the restaurant that I had booked and asked the waiter to make sure we got to Taxi for the return to the hotel. This was on his time and not included in the tour.
On our last day Nestor again met us at the hotel with a driver to tour a family winery in the Penedes wine region. We were treated like royalty and given a wonderful tour. Nestor recommended a great lunch spot in the small town before we headed back to Barcelona. Nestor was a great guide and now friend, and Ivan definitely booked the best of the best for us and handled everything perfectly. He also checked in every day to make sure everything was going as planned and if we were happy. I look forward to booking another tour with him in the future!
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Canadian Rockies: hiking and canoeing, visiting a wolfdog sanctuary, balance of “rustic & luxury”
KAREN WOLFE | OCTOBER 31, 2024
Visiting the Canadian Rockies offered “a feeling of immersion being so close to the lake and trails.”
We had such a fantastic time this September visiting the Canadian Rockies, specifically Moraine Lake and Banff (Jasper was closed due to the fires) and are already missing the mountains. We found the guidance from Marc’s company spot on with the accommodations, both of which were perfect for us. Moraine Lake Lodge offered us a feeling of immersion being so close to the lake and trails (canoeing on the lake was our favorite experience overall). We also felt the lodge was very private at the end of the day when most day travelers had left. It was the right balance of rustic and luxury, and we loved being in one of the cabins. It was a good contrast with Fairmont Banff Springs which offered a feeling of grandeur and historical luxury. The vista from our room of the Bow River and mountains was great and we liked exploring the overall hotel and spa. We were happy we chose Moraine over Chateau Lake Louise for a varied experience.
Other highlights:
The private Banff experience with our guides was amazing. I wasn’t sure what to expect with an SUV tour but it exceeded our expectations. Our tour guide, Tony, was so engaging and we saw beautiful spots and the private lunch at the end was special. We loved doing Marble Canyon as part of this experience and Tony also thought it was a great idea to add it to that outing.
The Banff Gondola, Icewalk on the Glacier, Yamnuska Wolfdog Sanctuary (unique suggestion from Marc’s team), and hiking within Moraine Lake were all great. It was nice to be met at the airport by Min and bringing us bottles of water and making sure we got settled with our rental car and hotel was a nice touch.
Banff as a mountain town was lovely, we especially liked that it hasn’t been taken over by high end stores and felt like a perfect mountain place.
Using Marc’s travel company took the stress out of the whole experience. They listened to our desires, made great suggestions, were easy to coordinate itinerary changes with, and were super helpful with the details. I’d use them again in a heartbeat.
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Galapagos: easy zodiac, “everything you could want to see” snorkeling, scuba with hammerheads
JUDY CALVERT | OCTOBER 28, 2024
“We were joking that a Hollywood producer was ahead of us cueing all the birds and animals into position.”
My husband and I did a one-week cruise on the Horizon trimaran, 8 cabins. It was 13-14 guests with equal number of crew. Allie and her company had suggested it, and we are very grateful as it was a great boat, superb crew, a fantastic Naturalist Maria, very good food and excellent itinerary. Snorkeling trips were well organized and fairly easy out/in of the zodiac, and all of the excursions were very good, we saw everything you could want to see—we were joking that a Hollywood producer was ahead of us cueing all the birds and animals into position:
*blue footed boobies, red footed boobies, Nazca boobies, babies of all the above, pelicans, male frigate birds with the red swollen neck on trees and flying and mating ritual, waved albatross and babies and juveniles , marine iquanas on land and under water snorkeling, 2 penquins on a rock, hammerhead sharks, white tipped sharks and galapagos sharks while snorkeling, a gazillion sea lions on shore, in water, while snorkeling, tons of mum and pups, huge parrot and king angel fish while snorkeling, large schools of fish, the 2 different types of land iquanas*
The water was cold, around 19C, but the boat had 2.5mm wetsuits which made it perfect. We did a couple of long crossings (7hrs) at night but relatively smooth.
We were supposed to have a full pre-day in Guayaquil with a WOW Moment but due to Hurricane Milton our flight from Miami to GYE was cancelled until the next day. Allie kept in touch with us throughout and ensured everyone knew that we weren’t coming :-(
My husband really wanted to dive, so with Allie’s help, we extended at Puerto Ayora for 3 nights and she hooked us up with a scuba operation and they made arrangements to pick Doug up right from Horizon! Unfortunately, visibility was not the greatest, so even though he got to dive with the Hammerheads, it wasn’t the experience he truly wanted. Weather, what can you do.
Allie was a pleasure to work with. We had an unrealistic expectation/thoughts on Galapagos at first. We were coming at it as a recommended diving/snorkelling destination, so realizing that we can’t do both on a boat— you choose a dive boat OR a tourist/snorkel boat—was an eye opener, but then the compromise of tourist boat and staying on so Doug could dive with the scuba operator. And I was unsure if we were going to enjoy the land excursions—just birds was my thought, try to get photos when they hide in trees and spook easily. We wanted to snorkel with penguins and sea lions (didn’t really happen, just one sea lion). BUT it was actually quite fun each excursion which species we were looking for and how none of them had any fear of humans and you could literally get right in their faces to take photos and watch them. She had great advice to get to GYE 2 days early, obviously helped when Hurricane Milton cancelled our Thursday flight (huge thank you to her for the heads up on what was happening) but Allie got us out on the Friday in time to make our cruise on Saturday.
Overall, great trip, quite a bit of time/work to get there and VERY expensive, but worth it for the overall experience. Horizon was an excellent boat choice and luckily they found Maria, plus we really really enjoyed our other guests! And staying longer in Puerto Ayora was cute.
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Southern Italy: cooking on Capri, warm & welcoming people, “drop-dead views” in Ravello
CARRIE GAYKOWSKI | OCTOBER 27, 2024
Jennifer planned a masterpiece of a trip for my husband and me in southern Italy. We started in Naples and loved every minute of it. We had guides who led us through the city and then to Pompeii and Mt Vesuvius. Both Pompeii and Vesuvius were incredible. We were so glad we didn’t miss these important sites. We also loved Naples! The food was out of this world and the people are warm and welcoming. We toured several churches, but the showstopper was Sansevero Chapel and seeing the Veiled Christ, sculpted by Giuseppe Sanmartino. I am still wondering why I had never heard of this artist before? Our drivers were all pros navigating the chaos of Neopolitan driving and gave us brilliant tips for navigating Naples.
We then ferried to Capri and spent three days. The highlight of our time in Capri was a cooking class with Sabina, owner of Columbus Restaurant in Anacapri, and her 80-year-old aunt, Rosa. They taught us how to make ravioli and Rosa taught us when it is appropriate to say, “Mama Mia,” which is basically all of the time. We thought it could not get better and then Sabina and her husband served us the most incredible lunch. We lost count of the courses. Everything was locally sourced and much of it grown on their farm—all I can say is, “Mama Mia!”
Jennifer arranged a private boat tour of Capri and that was our ticket to Positano. On our way to Positano we docked in Nerano and were shuttled to a delicious restaurant called Maria Grazia. The seafood was incredible and we felt like we were visiting a smaller, quieter Italy.
We spent a few days in Positano and it was bustling and very touristy, and if you haven’t been to the Amalfi coast it is a must-see. However, for us the jewel in the Amalfi crown is Ravello. We loved the small town with its lovely villas and drop-dead views in every direction. In the evenings the piazza was buzzing, but in a pleasant not overbearing way. Our hotel, Palazzo Avino, didn’t have the largest room we visited during our trip, but our balcony views were absolutely incredible as well as the lovely historic hotel and everyone who worked there.
Our vacation went off without a hitch, however our flight leaving Rome to the U.S. was changed to an hour earlier and I didn’t notice the change until the day before we were leaving. I texted Jennifer’s staff and they were able to make arrangements for our driver to pick us up earlier. We were so happy and relieved to have that sort of back up. We never had to worry about a thing!
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Greece: jagged cliffs at Imbros Gorge, harvesting a farm feast, fresh fish by the sea…
NANCY TAUBENSLAG | OCTOBER 23, 2024
The trip to Athens and Crete that we planned with Jacoline greatly exceeded all our expectations. We’ve planned trips on our own and used other trip planners, and feel that she is peerless in her planning techniques, local knowledge/contacts, and ability to connect to the client’s preferences.
We had so many great experiences and hotels that matched our desire to see many aspects of Crete—from cities to countryside to historic sites and museums to watersports and hikes—all without doing our own driving. The connections went off flawlessly. Among the highlights were half a day at an organic farm where we harvested the produce for our meal, learned how to prepare it from the team of one of Crete’s best restaurants, and ate what was one of the best meals of our lives (no exaggeration). Another day, we visited shepherds in the mountains and had a private feast under the stars overlooking the sea, while listening to local musicians.
The private tours of the Acropolis, Mycenae, Knossos, Arkady and local museums were led by guides with PhDs in archeology and tourism with deep knowledge and tolerance for our many questions. Dmitra—the guide in Knossos and Arkady—was a superb storyteller and made the ancient places feel contemporary and relatable. Our Athens food tour by Nikitas skipped the souvlaki joints and touristic stores, taking us to small local vendors to taste unusual honeys, a basement lunch place serving legume stews, lots of local cheeses, and wonderful pastries.
As requested, all our hotels were somewhat quirky but with warm welcomes and high service levels. We tried a lot of food during the trip, including an Athens food tour, an olive oil producer tour and dinner, fine dining in Athens, and fresh fish restaurants by the sea. Crete is definitely a place to feel good about gaining a few pounds.
An example of Jacoline’s thoughtful planning: because there were few scheduled flights between Chania and Athens, we faced a potential 7-hour layover at the Athens airport on our last day. Jacoline arranged a driver to pick us up from the Chania flight and take us to a town near the Athens airport to view the ruins of the Temple of Artemis, followed by a seaside fish taverna frequented only by locals. What could have dragged down our holiday ended up a relaxing happy final experience.
All of these planned activities exceeded our expectations. But—we couldn’t have planned for or imagined some special moments of the trip. I believe that the magic of Jacoline’s planning was to allow for and encourage serendipity in our experience, by picking great guides/experiences and pacing the trip well. Our guides, hosts, drivers, and others treated us not as clients but as guests. As such there was a warmth and also an openness to spend a few hours to chat with us about their lives, the Olympics, wind farms, family— you name it. Also, the beauty of the locations made us slow down and disconnect from devices and distractions. I don’t think I will forget sitting on the balcony of our hotel near Chania at dawn, watching the sunlight gradually illuminate the white walls of Chania’s old town. The jagged high cliffs at Imbros Gorge made the climb worth every step. And dozens of other places and moments that I adored….
Thanks to Wendy Perrin for helping us connect to Jacoline, and thanks to Jacoline for an amazing trip!
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Portugal & Salamanca: history and hiking, boat tour in the Duoro Valley, wine & port tastings
MICHAEL BRENNAN | OCTOBER 23, 2024
Our trip planners, Gonçalo and Sofia, did a wonderful job helping us plan a memorable trip to Portugal. During our initial zoom meeting, Gonçalo listened very carefully to our desires for the trip and then crafted an itinerary that hit every single one of our goals, which included history, hiking, wine and port. Our trip also included a quick side trip to Salamanca, Spain to visit old friends.
We started in Lisbon with a rental car in late September, 2024 and toured through central Portugal, visiting Tomar, Belmonte and Coimbra. Our tour guides were all knowledgeable and personable and although we were in some smaller cities or towns, our accommodations were all truly outstanding. We then detoured to Salamanca for 2 days, with another excellent tour guide and accommodations, before heading back west to Portugal through the Duoro Valley, which included a boat tour, several outstanding wine tastings and meals, and visits to some fabulous wineries perched high above the Duoro River with amazing views of the mountains and river valley. We ended our trip in Porto with another interesting tour and port tasting.
Our trip planners were always available to address any questions we had (including on weekends) and resolved any issues quickly and pleasantly. This is why we use Wendy Perrin’s trip planners now for all of our vacations.
Read more reviews of Goncalo. Or request your own trip.
Nova Scotia & PEI: storytellers and lobster rolls, folk art at the National Gallery, Scarecrow Festival in Charlottetown
LYNN WOODHOUSE | OCTOBER 22, 2024
Throughout our trip we drove a rental car which we picked up and returned to the airport in Halifax. This worked out very well. The Muir Hotel in Halifax was lovely and right on the waterfront. Highlights of our time around Halifax included the day trip to Peggy’s Cove, a writer/storyteller at the Immigration Museum, and the National Gallery of Art. In and around Peggy’s Cove was spectacular scenery, including a lighthouse on a rocky shore, and a lovely fishing village full of art. At the National Gallery we greatly enjoyed the exhibit about the life and folk art of Maud Lewis.
The food was delicious—lobster rolls were consumed everywhere. We especially enjoyed the pub where we listened to a great Irish music concert and ate fish bites. While still on Nova Scotia we made our way to the Inn at Bay Fortune for a three-night stay. This was such an unexpected and unique experience! The incredible food, the farm, the firework dinner were all fantastic. We learned so much about sustainable farming. We cannot say enough about the delicious meals at the Inn.
We made our way across the Confederation Bridge, an overwater bridge to Charlottetown, PEI, where we stayed at the Great George Hotel. It was Scarecrow Festival time in Charlottetown, so most streets were lined with creative scarecrows! One exceptional highlight of our time on beautiful PEI was the all day art and culture tour. The tour included the fantastic Island Hill Farm, where we enjoyed learning about farming on the island and a delightful goat walk, the PEI Preserve Company, where we had a spectacular lunch, and the Island Honey Wine Winery. The next day we went to the North Shore where we viewed the beautiful red rock coastline and ate at the delicious Mussel Café—the best lobster rolls of our trip! We also visited the Anne of Green Gables “site of inspiration” where we immersed ourselves in the various settings for the 1908 novel. We enjoyed many delicious restaurants on PEI.
When our trip was coming to a close we again crossed the Confederation Bridge and made our way to the Halifax airport. We all agreed it was a very successful, very well-organized trip. Our trip planners booked great accommodations, made great restaurant recommendations as well as access to multiple stimulating experiences described above. All the travel group personnel were so helpful and so knowledgeable. The trip and the travel planners are highly recommended.
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Cinque Terre & the Italian Riviera: making pesto in Genova, walking Albegna, and “the best ravioli ever eaten”
FRANCESCA DEBIASE | OCTOBER 22, 2024
We wanted to see Cinque Terre and the Italian Riviera and were thrilled with the itinerary that was put together by Anna and her team. They really understood our likes (cooking/food, art, history, walking) and dislikes (crowds). We had an amazing experience! Some details:
• All of our drivers were very professional, drove smoothly (as they knew I wasn’t good with all the twists and turns) and on time—a special thank you to Fabio in Alassio!
• Both hotels were fantastic—exactly what we were looking for—great service, rooms, concierge (special thank you to Alex in Alassio), and a gym. We also loved their locations—not too touristy with easy access to all the places we wanted to visit.
• We enjoyed all of the tours and the guides were knowledgeable and nice—they provided fun/interesting information without going into too much detail—including Claudia (she was most fun and had great stories for Santa Margherita, Portofino and Camogli); Valentina (fun cooking class and a beautiful home); Paola (Genova—as well as our pesto making class!), Simona (Albenga and walking tour); Christina Armato (Olive Oil, and her family were amazing and the best ravioli I have ever eaten!); Mario (Cinque Terre, even with the rain, Mario was able to quickly make some changes to the day and ensure we still had some hiking and a nice lunch).
• When planning the trip, we thought we wanted to spend more than one day in Cinque Terre. We were so happy that we listened to Anna as one day was plenty (this area is very touristy and not worth the hype).
• All the restaurant recommendations were great—we ate and drank more than we needed to!
We would do it all again. Thank you again to the team for understanding our needs and planning such a great trip!
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France: Burgundy countryside, storytelling at Vézelay Abbey, “charming streets” of Beaune & Dijon
LEAH JACOBS | OCTOBER 21, 2024
Our recent journey through Burgundy was nothing short of extraordinary, thanks to the excellent service provided by Philip and his outstanding team.
Our adventure began with a bit of a hiccup as our luggage was delayed. However, Nedjma went above and beyond, regularly following up with the airline and keeping us informed. Her dedication ensured our bags were delivered just in time for our transfer from Vault-de-Lugny to Beaune.
In Vézelay, Christopher, our guide, enriched our visit to Vézelay Abbey with his deep knowledge and engaging storytelling. As a member of the local association “Présence à Vézelay,” he had access to the “Visitor’s House,” allowing us a private, early morning visit that was truly special. Our exploration continued at L’Abbaye De Fontenay, where Christopher once again impressed us with his expertise. His passion for the region’s heritage made our visit unforgettable.
In Beaune and Dijon, Alexia guided us through the charming streets and historical landmarks. Her enthusiasm and local knowledge added a unique dimension to our experience, making our time in these cities both educational and delightful.
A special mention goes to David, our driver and guide, who skillfully navigated us through the beautiful Burgundy countryside. As a Burgundy local with expert wine knowledge, he led us to some of the most amazing food and wine experiences, allowing us to savor the true flavors of the region.
Overall, this trip was a perfect blend of culture, history, and gastronomy, made exceptional by the dedicated team.
Good to Know:
>> Taxis are limited in Beaune and the surrounding areas, so it’s best to organize your pickups and drop-offs through your hotel or by contacting a local taxi company.
>> Dining and train reservations made by the travel planner incur a fee (currently 25 euros for dining & 15% booking fee for train).
>> If your driver incurs overtime, their time will be billed at the end of your tour.
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Norway: “perfect” restaurants, nights of Northern Lights, sheep & wool farm (a knitter’s “heaven”)
MAGDA KUHN | OCTOBER 21, 2024
Meeting the owner of a sheep farm—and making purchases in her wool shop—was a “fantastic” surprise.
Our trip to Norway was fabulous. Torstein and his company did a great job of coordinating every detail! The trip planner app on our phones was great and the fact that we could download it and use it when offline. The trip planner truly had all of our reservations and details and more. The hotels, guides and restaurants were perfect! All the activities were perfect for women in their 60s who wanted to take part in activities but not scale mountains.
Our quest was to see the Northern Lights, which we knew was not a definite, but we were fortunate to see many nights of those special lights. Our WOW Moment was truly special, getting to meet the owner of Lofoten Wool and Viking sheep was fantastic. There was a knitter in our group and she was in heaven, not to mention that we had the opportunity to buy some of her things in her shop. The owner of Hattbika Lodge was very secretive and led us to her farm, he never spilled the beans, truly a WOW moment.
There was a hiccup at the end, where the airport hotel in Oslo did not have our room reservations marked as prepaid, but an email & call to the team and all was settled. I would definitely use the company again and recommend to friends. You must keep them on your WOW List.
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Japan: private sushi-making class, coastal hikes, tea plantation visit, cycling the Izu Peninsula
SHELLEY BAKER | OCTOBER 21, 2024
Traveler Shelley Baker cycling along the Izu coastline.
We enjoyed working with Andrea and his team on our recent trip to Japan. Everything was very well organized and he tailored the trip to our interests. All the properties he selected for us to stay at were terrific. The pace notes and online help from Mathew were invaluable for keeping us on track. We especially enjoyed our outdoor activities like cycling through the back streets of Tokyo and then along the beautiful coastline of the Izu peninsula as well as sea kayaking there. Unfortunately it was quite windy, so our guide decided to adjust the time spent kayaking and take us on some beautiful coastal hikes instead.
A private sushi making class in Ginza was fantastic and was the best sushi of our trip. Our hotel in Shizuoka afforded spectacular views of Mt Fuji which was something we had hoped to see. While we were there we cycled to a tea plantation also with views of Mt Fuji and had a special impromptu museum visit of Rodin’s works which included the Thinker en route. A Samaria experience and a tea with a Meiko in Kyoto were both fun.
We had private guides in Tokyo and Kyoto that helped us get around on the trains and local buses which made us feel more like locals. We had food tours in both Tokyo and Kyoto that allowed us to try some new foods. The Tokyo food tour was a bit disappointing and the best thing we had was a cup of coffee, but the Nishiki food tour in Kyoto was very good. All in all it was a fun ten days.
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Spain: Barcelona’s Gaudí’s architecture, San Sebastian pintxos, Bilbao’s Guggenheim and Pinedes vineyards
KATHY PARTRIDGE | OCTOBER 21, 2024
We’re just back from a marvelous trip to Spain, which included Barcelona, San Sebastian, Bilbao, and the Basque Country. We worked with Pablo, who helped us to design a truly memorable experience. Our initial discussion with Pablo focused on what we wanted to see, and who we are as travelers. Barcelona and Bilbao were already on our list, and Pablo encouraged us to check out San Sebastian, which hadn’t been on our radar screen. That bit of advice added immeasurable value to our trip, as it afforded us a unique opportunity to explore the Basque country and culture.
Within a few days of our initial discussion, Pablo sent us a proposal that included detailed information about various activities and excursions, along with lists of hotel recommendations for both Barcelona and San Sebastian. We pared down the itinerary to include a bit more leisure time—we’re both in our 70s, and reasonably fit, but not marathon runners! We divided our trip into three segments—four nights in the Eixample in Barcelona, five in San Sebastian, and our last three in Barcelona’s Gothic district. We easily chose hotels in Barcelona, but were undecided between two in San Sebastian. Pablo weighed in, and we will be eternally grateful that we took his advice!
Highlights of Barcelona included guided visits to Gaudí’s architectural masterpieces—Park Güell, and Sagrada Familia—at the advice of our guide, we toured Casa Milà on our own, and visited the Amatller chocolate shop around the corner—a great source of gifts for the folks back home. We also enjoyed two tapas walks—the first was part of our WOW Moment, which culminated in an authentic and spirited flamenco performance. (Thanks, Wendy!) Then, after our return from San Sebastian, our hotel in the Gothic district was convenient to the Palau de la Música Catalana and the Picasso Museum, both of which were fabulous and easy to tour on our own, but our crowning experience was an excursion to the Pinedés wine country where we toured a cava cellar and vineyards—in a Land Rover, accompanied by a sommelier!
San Sebastian was absolutely glorious! The view from our room was positively jaw-dropping, and every activity and excursion that Pablo planned was so outstanding that it would be difficult to decide which we liked best. All of the pintxos—in San Sebastian, Hondarribia, and Bilbao—were perfectly delectable, with some resembling tiny works of art. Pablo also arranged a market visit and hands-on cooking experience with the chef at one of San Sebastian’s gastronomic societies. We had a wonderful time tasting samples at the market, learning to prepare classic Basque recipes, including the Gilda pintxo, and feasting on the results of our efforts. Our visits to a sheep farm, where we sampled idiazabal cheese, and to a centuries-old Basque pig farm illustrated the care and dedication of small-batch farmers who strive for and attain excellence in their products.
Our day trip from San Sebastian to Bilbao focused on a private tour of the Guggenheim Museum with a local guide whose knowledge of the museum’s history and its collection were encyclopedic. Despite the fact that we visited on a crowded Saturday, she made the entire experience personal and stress-free, and we rounded out the day with a motor trip around Bilbao and a pintxo lunch at one of the city’s squares.
Throughout our trip, all of the guides and transportation services were top notch. Eskerrik asko (“thank you very much” in Basque) to Pablo and his team!
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Amsterdam, Luxembourg, & Belgium: an outing with a naturalist, Battle of the Bulge tour, private canal cruise
RUTH AND GARY READING | OCTOBER 17, 2024
A private canal cruise in Amsterdam, one special feature of a 35th anniversary trip. Photo: Traveler Ruth Reading.
Working with Tom’s company was an absolute pleasure. Tom assisted us with planning a pre- and post- river cruise itinerary in Amsterdam, Luxembourg and Belgium. This trip was to celebrate our 35th wedding anniversary and it went perfectly due to the outstanding planning. Tom worked with us to personalize the itinerary to our specific interests.
All of the tour guides, drivers, transportation and accommodations were excellent. We particularly enjoyed the private canal cruise with a beautiful lunch in Amsterdam, an outing with a naturalist in Vielsalm to see the red deer rutting as we were there in that season, the outdoor Battle of the Bulge tour (not just in a museum) in Bastogne, the culinary tour in Ghent and Bruges enjoying chocolates, cuberdons and waffles, and the private yacht cruise in Ghent followed by a lovely dinner on an outdoor terrace at Auberge Du Pecheur. We also particularly enjoyed our stay in Clervaux at the Le Clervaux Boutique Design Hotel and our time hiking in the local area. The hotel 1898 The Post in Ghent was also wonderful.
Every guide was personable, knowledgeable and delightful to be with. All planned transportation was first class. The company also did status checks with us throughout the trip to make sure that all was going smoothly and to our liking. A very memorable trip made possible by the team! Thank you, Tom, for planning a wonderful trip!
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Japan: serene gardens, shogun palaces, a Buddhist meditation session, a cooking lesson with toro
LISA AND ED BLOCK | OCTOBER 16, 2024
My husband and I just returned from a 2 week trip to Japan planned by Scott Gilman. It was a fascinating and perfectly planned trip by Scott—we started in Tokyo and traveled via private car, express trains, and Shinkansen to Tokyo, Takayama, Shirakawa (after a car ride through the beautiful Japanese “Alps”), Gokayama, Kanazawa, Kyoto, and Nara. The trip was a dream from start to finish with all the connections arranged for us seamlessly: a wonderful, knowledgeable guide, Mihoko, who traveled with us throughout the trip, and fabulous private experiences including participation in a private tea ceremony, a meditation session with a Zen Buddhist priest, a visit to a gold leaf master artisan with a home studio where we met and had tea with his family, a cooking lesson with Kyoko in her Tokyo home which included toro and other Japanese dishes, and a visit to a ryokan with a private onsen. Google translate also helped!
The trip went beautifully from start to finish and Scott as well as his contact on the ground in Japan were available to us for any questions 24/7. The Buddhist temples and Shinto shrines, a visit to Matsumoto Castle, and many other serene gardens and shogun and samurai palaces were also included. We returned happy and very satisfied with our experience and Scott’s attention to detail for this trip.
I believe this may be approximately our 8th or 9th trip using Wendy’s travel expert WOW List and we look forward to many more.
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Scotland: Hiking Arthur’s Seat, visiting Stirling Castle, shepherded to Lismore Island
NICOLLE RIPPEON | OCTOBER 15, 2024
An excellent guide for a hike near Glencoe in Scotland’s West Highlands made for “the most fun and rewarding excursion of the entire trip.”
My husband and I have long wanted a trip to Scotland for just the two of us, and we finally took the opportunity while our girls were at sleep away camp. There were a hundred things that we wanted to do, but we narrowed it down so that we could both discover new things and spend time relaxed in the atmosphere and culture of Scotland.
We began our trip in Edinburgh where we wandered for miles and miles around the city’s Royal Mile and Dean’s Village. On a return trip, we would undoubtedly take the trail from Dean’s Village to Leith via the River Leith. The Royal Mile was a wonderful mix of small side streets, pubs, churches, and glorious architecture. I recommend the guided tour as well as walking on one’s own to better hear the stories that the centuries have to tell. Then we had dinner at Heron, which was an exceptional meal.
The next morning we hiked Arthur’s Seat, and I’m so glad we did! It was just the right level of strenuous. On the way there, we passed through a charming old cemetery, and we ended at Hollyroodhouse Palace, just at the bottom of the Royal Mile. We again walked up the Mile, seeing things from a different perspective and doing a little shopping along the way. (Note: I found the widest range of shopping for items Made in Scotland to be available in Edinburgh. We held off on buying too much wanting to see what came on the rest of the trip, and looking back, we should have stocked up there instead.)
That night, we did a food tour, which was wonderful, but quite a bit different than what I had expected. I sort of thought we would be experiencing haggis three ways at each stop. Rather, we had a very thoughtful guide who walked us through how Scotland has been shaped through the centuries by the world of which it is a critical part. It was lovely, and in the end, we did in fact get the haggis!
Our stay in Edinburgh was at Gleneagles Townhouses. A 10 out of 10. Fantastic food, service, and accommodations—I only wish the windows opened to enjoy the cool air.
From Edinburgh, we drove west. Our driver became a fast friend for sure, and having the driver made the entire trip more relaxing as the roads really are that narrow and windy. She recommended a couple of stops on the way out of town, but far and away our favorite part of this drive was the stop at Stirling Castle. We could have spent two days in and around the village. We were running a bit late by the time we left the castle, so we skipped Wallace’s Memorial, which even in retrospect seems like the right call.
One of the places we really dreamed of seeing on this trip was Isle of Skye, and though we did not have time to tour it properly, we did drive a portion of the Island after making our way to Eileen Donan Castle. Though a limited trip, we did feel as though we saw the Island in two ways as it was quite sunny on the way out, and quite cloudy on the way back. The drama of the mountains and valleys was exactly as we pictured it.
We made our way to Glencoe House, which was another exceptional stay. The Scottish weather rolled in as we departed for a guided hike one day. We were incredibly grateful to have the experience and navigational expertise of the guide—without her, we likely would have turned back and not ventured on the trail. With her help, we actually had the most fun and rewarding excursion of the entire trip. The next day, we had a tour of Lismore Island. The experience with the shepherd was fantastic. My only advice would be to ask—can we do that?!? The guides there seemed not quite as used to people who wanted to get out of the car or scramble up a muddy hill. One of the coolest historic spots on the Island was Tirefour Broch, a circular structure built in the Broze Age. There were lots of people walking and biking the Island, which in sunny weather would have been glorious indeed.
While at Glencoe House, we dined at the Loch Leven Seafood Cafe, which I’m so glad we did. It was a 20-minute drive, which our driver was wonderfully accommodating to take us on. The food was incredibly fresh local seafood, the vibe was super casual, and we left very happy. We also had a dinner at the Laroch Restaurant which featured more wild game. It was also delicious and attached to a pub that had an outdoor seating area that was a refreshing way to end the night.
From Glencoe we headed to Glasgow. We didn’t have much time in the city, but we did make sure to dine at Cail Bruich, which was far and away the best meal of the trip. The Glasgow airport is a smaller airport, so if you have an early morning flight, I recommend checking what time the gates open as we waited a little more than half an hour to check in.
We are so glad to have had our first taste of Scotland and look forward to exploring other parts of this gorgeous landscape in the near future.
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Washington: Olympic National Park’s Hoh rainforest, winding Neah Bay trails, lush Hall of Mosses
ROBERT GRABILL | OCTOBER 15, 2024
Travelers Robert and Lina Grabill hiked the winding Cape Flattery trail at Neah Bay. Photo: Traveler Robert Grabill
This was our first experience using a trip planner. Overall, it was very good though we learned a lot for next time. And yes, there will be a next time. Sheri, our trip planner did a wonderful job with all of her recommendations.
Our trip was to Olympic National Park—a gorgeous park and area that can be a bit overwhelming. Sheri found us a great vacation rental in the 3 Crabs area of Sequim (pronounced Skwim) for the first half of the trip. It was absolutely lovely—highly recommended and one we would like to return to. The house sat right on the Strait of Juan de Fuca, so we could watch the tides, birds and ships. And Mt. Baker sometimes showed itself, though other times it was shy and hid behind clouds/fog.
We hit the majority of the highlights of Olympic National Park. We hiked along Hurricane Ridge, Lake Crescent/Marymere Falls, Sol Duc, the Hoh rainforest, Kalaloch and Lake Quinault. Dungeness Spit, while not in the park, was amazing though we hit it late in the day and so didn’t have an opportunity to see it in all of its glory.
We drove out to Neah Bay and spent time in the Makah Museum at the Makah Cultural and Research Center. The museum is a fascinating look back at Makah culture from 500 years ago. We also hiked to the furthest NW corner of the lower 48 via the Cape Flattery trail. A gorgeous view awaited us at the end, though the trail itself wound through beautiful forests. It had rained that day so the trail was a bit rough and wet.
Despite it being the off season (which was a great time to go to the park), the Hoh rainforest was very popular and was the busiest of all the locations we visited in the park. The Hall of Mosses is as impressive as everyone says it is—a must-see! Our only sighting of Roosevelt elk was by the roadside as we were leaving Hoh. They are beautiful animals!
Kalaloch Lodge and the Pacific coast area was another favorite of ours. We spent 2 nights there and even came back the next day to further enjoy its beauty. Our cabin had a great view of the ocean and sunset. It’s a place to absorb the power of nature.
A must-do drive is the loop around Lake Quinault, though drivers must be prepared for rough roads once the pavement ends. (High clearance vehicles only.) However, the route is like a drive-thru Hall of Mosses. Absolutely amazing…
Sheri recommended Cedarbrook Lodge for our last night close to the Seattle airport and that recommendation was spot-on. The hotel is luxurious in a beautiful and unexpected setting. While meals are on the expensive side, they are worth it.
Lessons learned for future trips and using a trip planner:
• Think about your preferred style of travel—go, go, go each day or a more leisurely pace?
• Be as specific about your have-to-haves, wants, and “we ain’t doin’ that!” as much as possible
• Carefully evaluate all recommendations with your trip planner.
Read more reviews of Sheri. Or request your own trip.
Scotland: trekking Dunadd’s Fortress, greeting Highland Cows, eating “neeps and tatties”
JEANNIE MULLEN | OCTOBER 14, 2024
Traveler Jeannie Mullen in Kilmartin “transported back 3,000 years” among the Nether Largie standing stones.
Returning now from Scotland…. My most recent trip to Scotland was a delightful mix of town and country, art and architecture, lochs and moors, castles and cathedrals, leisurely drives and brisk walks, and…of course food and whiskey. The only other thing that I could have hoped for was to have had more days to spend experiencing all of the above.
Jonathan and Katie put together a terrific itinerary with great hotels and interesting day trips. Solo travel in the off season with a private driver/guide allowed for so many rich and unscripted moments. I was paired with Davie MacLeod, a member of both Clan Cameron and Clan MacCleod. Davie was great company, and told captivating stories that included Scottish history and lore interwoven with his and his in laws’ clan history. He also introduced me to a variety of local Scottish cuisine, including haggis, neeps and tatties, which I fully enjoyed and from which my waistline is currently suffering. Last but not least, I learned a number of colorful local phrases from him that I can’t wait to share back home.
Highlights from the trip include discovering Dean’s Village and the Water of Leigh Walkway in Edinburgh on my own after an unavoidable last minute food tour cancelation, spending an entire day driving around Isle of Skye at our leisure without the usual tourist traffic, eating fresh muscles straight from Loch Fyne, trekking up to Dunadd’s Fortress where kings were taken to be inaugurated with virtually no one else in sight, walking among the Nether Largie standing stones at Kilmartin again without any other foot traffic, spending a morning at GlenEagles working with May, an 16-month-old Harris Hawk in training, and my WOW Moment… meeting face-to-face with those distinctively gorgeous and very chill Heiland Coos (Highland Cows) (thank you Wendy!)
In all, a great experience on a trip which was planned and executed with incredible attention to detail. Thank you again Wendy, Jonathan and Katie.
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South Pacific: overwater bungalows, distillery, vanilla plantation, private catamaran for Bora Bora
JAN HEININGER | OCTOBER 14, 2024
Jan and Jamie enjoying the superb views of sparkling shades of water.
Kleon Howe planned an excellent 2½ week trip for my husband and me to Tahiti for September 2024. We spent time on Moorea, Vahine Island, a private 50-foot catamaran and Bora Bora. On Moorea, Kleon arranged three superb activities for us. We took a hike to Afareaitu waterfall. The guide Kleon had arranged for us was wonderful and, while hiking, we learned much about life and culture on Moorea, family structure (women rule!), and Mooreans’ attachment to the land. A second activity was a marvelous ATV ride to one of Moorea’s highest points with a great view. Finally, we had a superb cooking class provided as a WOW Moment by Wendy. It was just that, indeed. We prefer off-the-beaten path activities that allow us to get beneath the surface of any destination we’re visiting. These activities did that in spades.
Our second stop was tiny Vahine Island off Raiatea Island. Again, Kleon did a great job dealing with all the details. He told us which side of the plane had the seats to get the best view from the air for the flight to Raiatea. My husband had broken his eyeglasses, so after we landed on Raiatea, Kleon’s ground team took us to an optometrist who repaired Jamie’s eyeglasses. The ground team had then arranged a private transfer for us to Vahine Island. Finally, Kleon had booked us into the nine-bungalow resort’s best and largest bungalow with a superb view over a coral garden under sparkling shades of blue water. A pirogue ride got us out into the lagoon inside the outer reef and a class in coconut palm leaf braiding was another activity that gave us insight into how Tahitians creatively live off the land.
Our third segment was four nights on a catamaran with a wonderful captain and cook. Unfortunately the weather didn’t cooperate and we had mostly overcast skies and lots of rain. We still made several interesting stops: a black pearl farm, a vanilla plantation, a distillery, and a culturally important archeological site. Our fourth segment included five nights on Bora Bora. Kleon booked us into Le Bora Bora resort’s largest two-room overwater bungalow at the end of the pontoon. We spent most of our time here enjoying our spacious decks and plunge pool. We did a lot of reading. I did a Jet Ski ride around the lagoon. We ended the trip with a day room in Papeete’s Intercontinental hotel in a nice room in an interesting location with excellent food as we awaited our midnight flight. We could have spent more time there.
Unfortunately, our trip turned out not as we expected although this had nothing to do with Kleon or his arrangements and everything to do with my husband’s insufficient recovery from a leg broken in Paris five months earlier. His stiffness and lack of strength and stamina contributed to two falls in Tahiti, multiple ER visits and stitches. Kleon and his ground team leapt into action and made arrangements we could not have done on our own. He facilitated rapid access to (excellent) medical care. Kleon’s care in crafting our itinerary meant we had qualified and competent people, such as the catamaran cook who wrapped Jamie’s leg in compresses to stop the bleeding, and the manager at Le Bora Bora who provided a wheel chair for him on arrival. Having been through this earlier in the year in Paris with another of Wendy Perrin’s experts, we knew we could rely on Kleon to ensure all our needs were swiftly met. This was another reminder that when you use Wendy’s WOW List experts, they are skilled not only at creating wonderful itineraries and executing them superbly, they are there to handle any problems that arise. That means having access not only to them but to their invariably excellent ground teams.
Jamie’s being banned from all water activities for nearly the entire trip kind of vitiated the point of traveling to the South Pacific. So does climate change that resulted in overcast skies and much rain during what used to be Tahiti’s “dry” season. Coral bleaching hasn’t just affected Australia’s Great Barrier Reef; it’s stripped color from much of French Polynesia’s coral, resulting in less than stellar snorkeling. We are very grateful to Kleon for all the effort and care he put into our trip. We just wish Jamie had recovered enough to heed our orthopedist’s primary rule: “Don’t fall.”
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Egypt: special birthday trip, classic tour of ancient history & monuments
JEFF WESTBROOK | OCTOBER 13, 2024
Traveler Jeff Westbrook planned a special ancient Egypt itinerary for his wife’s birthday.
I wanted a very special trip for my wife, who has always loved ancient Egypt and was having a big birthday in September. Jim and his team talked me through the trip, and gave me lots of great advice about what to see and do for a classic tour of the land. Seema then took over the precise scheduling and did a terrific job.
In Egypt, the local partners were fantastic, always prompt and attentive, and we had a couple of very experienced Egyptologists to guide us through the monuments and the ancient history. I chose to make my own reservations for air travel within Egypt, in order to save some money. I’m not sure I would do that again as it led to a certain amount of extra work dealing with the airlines and agents in Egypt.
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Southern Africa: Zimbabwe wildlife orphanage & rock paintings, Botswana by helicopter
SARA EDWARDS | OCTOBER 11, 2024
Authentic experiences and personal touches—through art, meaningful conversations, orphaned wildlife—made Edwards’ trip “memorable and profound.”
At sixty-seven and finally retired, I started to plan my dream trip to Africa with my adult daughter. Thanks to Katie and her team, we had a trip of a lifetime. We had one day in Johannesburg with a fantastic guide whose “day job” was as a human rights lawyer. We did highlights, such as Nelson Mandela’s house and the Hector Pieterson Museum, but we also had time to see the many murals and art that adorned the city streets. We stopped at a gentrified factory/laundry converted to art galleries and shops.
Our next stop was Harare, Zimbabwe, where we visited Wild is Life, a wildlife orphanage and rescue and rehabilitation center. Katie arranged a private tour as we were only in Harare for the morning, and the day we were there, the center was closed. The experience was so incredible! We talked with a vet caring for an injured porcupine (due to poaching) and met a pangolin and its beloved caretaker. We fed giraffes and had a delicious high tea surrounded by animals. We also got to go behind the scenes and meet the lions. Every animal there has a story!
We were whisked off to the airport to head to Mana Pools to start safari. Amazing! It’s true; big game does come right up to the deck. We went to sleep to hippos singing and lions in the distance. From Mana Pools, we flew to Bulawayo and the Matapo region. Our private guide, Paul, was a brilliant and kind man. We saw the rhinos on our first evening in the park. We stayed with them, watching and moving with them as they traveled to their watering spot, all while the sun was setting. Paul was an expert on this region of Zimbabwe and the rock paintings scattered through the hills. We visited three different sites, all of which were amazing. Paul was kind in helping me navigate trails and rock steps up to the caves. I am not very fit, and it was hot, but it was so worth it! A highlight was a visit to a village and talking to an older woman and her adult granddaughter in their hut. We had an interpreter to make communication easier. This time was a memorable and profound experience for me. I didn’t want to leave.
Next was Hwange, another adventure on safari that was equally fun. A quick overnight stop at Victoria Falls and off to Botswana for our last stop before heading home. The Okavango Delta was beautiful, and we had a leopard visit at our sundowner party. Amazing! The animals, birds, and people were fantastic in all the areas we visited. We learned so much. We left our last camp by helicopter, only to have a surprise landing in the savannah with champagne. This summary doesn’t do justice to the beauty and depth of our trip. There were many moving pieces, flights, and connections, and everything ran smoothly without a hitch, thanks to Katie and the team. We loved the tipping guide created specifically for our trip.
Read more reviews of Cherri. Or request your own trip.
Mexico: ruins and village crafts, ballet & wrestling, hot air balloon over Teotihuacan
CATHERINE MATHIS | OCTOBER 11, 2024
A well-tailored trip, from a private museum tour to artistic performances and ballooning over Teotihuacan.
Zach and Jose helped us plan the trip. While we had been to Mexico several times, we had not been to Mexico City but had heard great things about it. It was definitely on the list. In addition, we wanted to see one of the smaller cities in the country. After thoughtful conversations about our preferences, we settled on Oaxaca.
Zach and Jose asked us all the right questions: Are you interested in architecture? Yes. Are you foodies? We are. Museums, performances? Yes and yes. They crafted a trip that was well tailored to the kinds of things we like. Because we have traveled with many of Wendy’s WOW List experts, we had a WOW Moment our very first morning—a private tour of Museo de Diego Rivera, which houses his masterpiece “Dreams of a Sunday Afternoon in Almeda Central.” I felt like we were traveling through time, from Mexico’s Indigenous roots to 1947, when the mural was completed. It was a vivid crash course on the country’s layered history, which made the sights we saw later more meaningful.
Early one morning we floated in a hot air balloon over the ancient ruins of Teotihuacan. We spent an evening at the Ballet Folklorico in the beautiful Palacio de Bellas Artes. One night we went to see Lucha Libre, a wild cross between the World Wrestling Entertainment and Cirque Du Soleil. Amazing athleticism with much encouragement from the wrestlers for audience participation and statements about the profession of their opponents’ mothers.
Near Oaxaca, we visited the archaeological ruins of Monte Albán and Mitla and went to several villages, each of which specialized in a different craft—black pottery, backstrap weaving, and vibrant alebrijes (intricately painted wood carvings).
Food was a big part of this trip. Zach and Jose’s team gave us restaurant recommendations in each city, and we had a ball learning to make tortillas and salsa with an amazing cook who also fed us her chicken mole and stuffed peppers.
We had great guides and drivers, and throughout the trip, Raquel on the team checked in to see how things were going. She was so helpful, making sure we were not in bulkhead seats so we could put our belongings under the seat in front of us when we flew from Oaxaca to Mexico City, and making sure we were in the right place when we were picked up at the airport.
It was a trip filled with history, flavor and fun. Viva la Mexico!
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Portugal: taking a cooking class, mountaintop stargazing, walking Lisbon’s streets & hills
BARBARA PALTER | OCTOBER 9, 2024
Three couples—friends since high school—enjoy a special stargazing evening in Lisbon.
This is the third trip our group has taken with one of Wendy’s WOW List recommendations. We are three couples, friends since high school, and have been travelling together for the past few years with Wendy. Wendy helped us decide on Portugal and then suggested that we speak to Goncalo. We had a great initial conversation and the planning began. It’s never easy to plan for one couple never mind three! Goncalo’s team rolled with (all of) our constant changes and amendments which ultimately resulted in a fantastic time to Portugal.
Goncalo understood the type of accommodations that we enjoyed and found us some truly special places at The Vagar in Belmonte and Quinta Nova Luxury Winery House in the Douro Valley. Hotel Heritage Avenida Liberdade was a terrific choice in Lisbon; it was very well appointed and perfectly located.
Some highlights included our walk through the market and cooking class in Lisbon with our local foodie guide, wandering the streets and hills of Lisbon, the loveliest staff at The Vagar, and our very special WOW Moment there—stargazing at a mountain top on the hotel property, our flat tire and subsequent rescue by the unbelievably wonderful staff at the Quinta Nova, and the constant ingestion of pastel de nata and gelato at every corner.
Thank you so much to everyone for creating such a great adventure for us.
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Belize: Mayan ruins, jungle and rain forest, and swimming with barracudas
SUSAN CUNNEEN | OCTOBER 8, 2024
First, if you haven’t yet been to Belize, you must go! It is a beautiful country, with many different places to experience, and has some of the nicest people I have ever met in this world. Truly, I cannot wait to return, and soon! This was all made special because of Patricia, who did an outstanding job of asking the right questions about we wanted from the trip, closely listening to our likes/dislikes, and then making suggestions that were perfect for us. She was spot on, from booking us beautiful villas at Chaa Creek in the Cayo District, and then for the beach portion we wanted, Ray Caye, which was such an adventure. I loved that we were able to see Mayan ruins, explore and experience the jungle/rain forest, and then be at an island resort 17 miles off the shoreline. While at Ray Caye, I swam with large turtles, sharks and barracudas. It was a great experience!
On our last night at Chaa Creek, we were surprised by a wonderful WOW moment, which consisted of a wine tasting, done by a local company. The wines were delicious, the charcuterie plate amazing, and most of all, the people that conducted the training were so much fun! We ended up feeling as if we had made new friends, and will never forget that beautiful night.
Again, if you are considering Belize, go (!) and have Patricia and her team do your planning. I have now been to 42 countries outside of the US, and Belize is now one of my favorites!
Read more reviews of Patricia and Rachael. Or request your own trip.
Australia: sunrise over Kata Tjuṯa, snorkling the Great Barrier Reef, seeing Kangaroo Island rise from the ashes
MARTHA LAZARAKIS | OCTOBER 8, 2024
We spent a glorious month in Australia to celebrate our 40th wedding anniversary, thanks to the impeccable planning and care of Stuart and Jacki’s team. They were able to incorporate all of our wish list destinations, no small feat in a country that size! We let them know that our priorities were wildlife viewing, culinary experiences and active exploration, and we went through a few draft itineraries before settling on a framework of destinations, durations and dates. Then it was on to choosing specific activities, restaurant reservations, etc, and then Jacki worked her magic. From premier rooms, to chefs table seatings at restaurants, to champagne greetings and surprise turn-in treats, we felt like we were VIPs the entire trip.
We chose September in order to avoid high season crowds. While cold at times and with a couple of days of rain, in general we felt it was a wonderful time. We packed well for 4 seasons and experienced everything, from the warm lush weather in Lizard island, to dry heat in Uluru, to mild and lovely Sydney and Tasmania, drizzly Melbourne and windy and crisp Kangaroo Island. The team arranged for wonderful private guides to see Uluru, the Great Ocean Road, Blue Mountains, and Maria Island on Tasmania. We highly recommend private guiding for these types of destinations, to get that deep education of the history and culture, as well as to find all those elusive creatures we were hoping to see (and did!) Even our airport transfer drivers were interesting and informative! In other locations, such as Lizard Island, Spicers Hidden Vale, Silky Oaks and Kangaroo Island, we had the most wonderful guides who were employed by the lodges. In our view, one of the most important benefits of staying at the resorts recommended by the company is that we had the highest level of expertise and service from all the staff.
We made the decision not to use guides in Melbourne, Sydney and Hobart for city touring. We love wandering cities on foot and exploring shops and attractions on our own, and this was a great change of pace for us for a few days of the trip. All three are very walkable, and have good public transit as well.
Choosing one favorite experience on such an amazing trip is impossible, but to narrow it down to a few: Seeing the sun rise over Kata Tjuṯa and sun set behind Uluru (with delicious private picnics for both). Snorkeling among the corals and fish of the Great Barrier Reef, and learning about the ecology of the reef at a world renowned research facility. Learning about and witnessing the beautiful flora and fauna that are rising from the ashes on Kangaroo Island (and staying at the absolutely stunning, totally rebuilt Southern Ocean Lodge). Hiking and seeing all the many amazing creatures who live in Tasmania, and doing an after-hours private tour at the Bonorong animal sanctuary where we got to feed the residents.
One reason among many that we are so grateful for the company occurred after the start of the trip. A few weeks prior to traveling one of us had a minor medical issue which required dietary restrictions going forward. We didn’t even consider how that would be an issue until we arrived in Sydney and started dining out. When we realized that we would frequently be dining at places with limited menus, we asked Jacki to make a couple of calls to let the prix-fixe menu locations know of the situation. She contacted everyone—the private guides providing picnics, the all-inclusive resorts, and every restaurant where we had a reservation. Without exception, every location was not only accommodating, but the meals were all delicious! This would have required us to spend hours of time to do it ourselves, right in the middle of our travels. We can’t express how grateful we are to have used Jacki’s team. It was truly a unique and unparalleled trip for us.
Read more reviews of Stuart. Or request your own trip.
Spain: Rioja wine country, Toledo’s Jewish Quarter, hiking Camino del Norte
NINA SCHURZ | OCTOBER 7, 2024
Jon and Nina Schurz walking the Camino Del Norte in Getaria.
We will never plan our own travel again! Working with Pablo for our two-week adventure in Spain this September was a pleasure and we wouldn’t change a thing. In fact, we’ll certainly enlist him again for a future trip to Portugal. We would never have had personal, in depth experience an in-country travel expert offers. We learned so much about Spain, its history and people.
We were travelling to a friend’s son’s wedding in San Sebastian and decided to create a vacation around it. In speaking with Pablo, he understood our desire to have both guided experiences and enough time to venture out on our own. We didn’t want to be too museum-intensive either and he understood the assignment.
From our arrival at the airport in Madrid, we were whisked away to our hotel seamlessly. Day 1 set the foundation for a terrific experience. Our guide in Madrid was so incredibly versed about art (at The Prada) and the history of Madrid and Spain—we wish we’d listened to Pablo’s suggestion of a full day tour. We were THRILLED to learn he’d be our guide for the full day adventure to Toledo the following day. In Toledo, we toured the city in its entirety and focused on the Jewish Quarter. His knowledge was extraordinary and we truly felt like a personal friend.
We took the train to San Sebastian for the wedding—the hotel selected by Pablo was first class, charming and welcoming. Our magical vacation resumed with a guided tour to Biarritz and St. Jean de Luc. Following that, we had another extraordinary guide, Maria, who took us to her home town of Zarautz—invited us into the private dining club she and her husband belong to (!) and hiked with us along a section of the Camino del Norte to the charming town of Getaria. I’ve never experienced such beauty. (For this, you should be in decent physical shape!)
The following morning, we were picked up by our driver and journeyed to Rioja to experience the wine country. The hotel here was the only SLIGHT disappointment of the trip—a hotel too modern for its surroundings that left us feeling cold. It just didn’t fit with the medieval towns. There was nowhere to eat nearby and the hotel’s restaurant was only open for dinner. Our tour of two unique vineyards the following day by an experienced guide—and the special meal she prepared for us—more than made up for the disappointing accommodations.
We then went on to Bilbao for a quick one day stopover and to catch the flight to Barcelona. The hotel was perfect and our guide allowed us to appreciate the Guggenheim more deeply. We finished up with 4 nights in Barcelona—and again had extraordinary experiences cultivated by Pablo. All of our guides throughout the two weeks in Spain were fabulous, easy to be with and eager to please. Our transfers and transportation were seamless and first class. Do not hesitate to enlist Pablo to craft a world class adventure. We can’t wait for our next adventure!
Read more reviews of Goncalo. Or request your own trip.
Normandy, Brittany & Provence: Monet’s gardens, wild bulls and horses, hot air balloon ride
JIM SCHLEIF | OCTOBER 7, 2024
The birthday boy enjoys a hot air balloon ride over the Luberon.
We just returned from an extraordinary trip to Normandy, Brittany and Provence planned by Philip’s team. This was our first WOW trip and a 60th bday trip for me with my partner Bill and our closest friends. I studied and lived in France from ’83-’84 so it was my “Homecoming Birthday Trip.” Every detail was flawless and we had sooo much fun!
We started in Normandy with our guide Herve, an incredible historian. We all had each other in stitches for the three days but also experienced the poignancy of the WWII sights and landing beaches. We saw the beautiful towns of Honfleur, Bayeux and Monet’s gardens in Giverny. We then rented a car and drove to Brittany and did three days there on our own but stayed in the 5-star Hotel Barriere Le Grand in Dinard.
Then off to Provence and the Luberon. Philip’s office helped us secure the most stunning villa, La Mas des Roses, at the base of a charming village, La Coste. Here are some non-stop highlights: wine tasting and private vegetarian catered lunch by organic local chef; a private tour of a Manade in the Camargue with wild horses and bulls and delightful hosts, Estelle and Patrick Laurent and their son (a 4th-generation French cowboy); an after-hours tour of Avignon’s Le Palais des Papes in which a baroque quartet was practicing for an event (we may have been in heaven at that very moment), then wine tasting and dinner at a private Michelin-star chef’s table at La Mirande; a hot-air balloon ride over the Luberon (my favorite); the 2 weeks were topped off with a private chef cooking class by Jonathan Chiri at our villa and a wine tasting “50 Shades of Rose” by the only American sommelier working in France the past 17 years, Kelly McAuliffe. We went out in style (and with a headache)!
I must say 90% of this would never have been possible without Philip’s connections. The wonderful guides and people are all old friends of his and the luxury travel industry is close-knit. What else we loved? The app, all the restaurant suggestions and the concierge list serve! Constantly updated by the minute. Running late? Text the list serve. Change of heart or in the mood for a type of food? Text. Daily check-ins to be sure we were having fun. One guest needed medical attention. They were there immediately for us. We even had coffee with our travel specialist Marion in Aix-en-Provence on the Cours Mirabeau. It was great to meet her in person.
I am so glad the trip itself was remarkable, because the communication during the planning process was really challenging. Sometimes 2-7 weeks would go by before anyone would get back to me on simple details or questions. Ultimately Philip’s team delivered exceptional results, but getting there was not exactly what I expected. Marion admitted this was something she was “actively working to improve.”
That said, the professionalism of this team cannot be underestimated. It may have been the best trip of our lives (and we have been traveling internationally for 30 years). Thank you Marion, Nedjma, Philip and team. You are truly masters of your craft in delivering memories and exceptional experiences.
Read more reviews of Philip. Or request your own trip.
Egypt: Nile river boat cruise, and pyramids, tombs, and museum with an Egyptologist
WENDY SHOEMAKER | OCTOBER 6, 2024
Our recent trip to Egypt was outstanding. The planning was excellent with lots of activities, but not too much. We started with 3 wonderful days in Cairo visiting the pyramids, tombs, and the Grand Egyptian Museum (GEM). Eman our Egyptologist was outstanding. We also had visits to Abu Simbel and Aswan. Then onto the Oberoi Philae river boat which was really a great experience. Superior service and wonderful food. Spacious & comfy. Loved the sites in Luxor as well as visiting Sharm el Sheikh. The all inclusive Rixos Seagate was a great way to relax and end our vacation. Excellent job all around. Will definitely use them again for another future trip.
Tips:
*Be mindful not to take on too much each day due to the heat and amount of walking on some of the excursions.
*Loved my Lobster alfredo dinner at the Crimson Bar & Grill in Cairo.
*Having reps help with airport transfers very helpful.
*Old Cataract hotel amazing. Oberoi Phalea an outstanding river boat. High security presence throughout our stay made us feel safe.
*Bring lots of small bills ($1, $5 & $10) for tipping.
*The Rixos adult only (18+) hotel might have been a better option than the Seagate which allows kids.
*Late check out on last day at the Rixos was worth the $100 it cost (got another lunch and dinner).
*Many of the facilities are going to QR codes in lieu of paper. ATMs readily available for getting Egyptian money.
*AXUS app very helpful for tracking activities. All the reps, guides & drivers did a great job.
Read more reviews of Jim. Or request your own trip.
Africa: thousands of wildebeests, gorillas in Uganda, Johannesburg’s Apartheid Museum
LINDA BAILEY | OCTOBER 3, 2024
We saw, heard, tasted, experienced, and learned so much, our senses sometimes went into overload (a good thing). The migration was one of the reasons we chose to visit Africa. Unfortunately, it was not happening because it had rained a couple of days before we arrived; therefore, the wildebeests did not leave as there was plenty of food. However, seeing thousands of wildebeests grazing was a sight to behold. Spending time with the gorillas in Uganda was also a pinch me moment.
The bush camps were tents with screens in place of windows. It was not unusual to see wildlife in the camp, and escorts were required after dark. One evening on the way back to our tent from dinner, the escort pointed out a fresh leopard track on our path. This meant relying on texting to communicate with family in another tent at night. We appreciated the free upgrade to a villa at one of the camps, which made it easier for us to interact with one another.
The transfer to/from some of the bush camps took a bit of coordination – kudos to Julian’s team. The trip, however, was not entirely glitch free, but these incidents were minor. The majority of our guides were outstanding, flexible, personable and have a deep passion for what they do.
The bush meals (imagine a picnic table set up under a lone tree in the vast, open savannah with wildlife grazing nearby) and sundowner (where Maasai staff used sticks to start a campfire to roast a delicious leg of lamb while we sipped our drinks and nibbled on appetizers as the luminous sun dipped below the horizon) were both fun experiences.
While mother nature can put on quite a show in Africa, there is also the ugly side of apartheid, and the displacement of tribes like the Batwa. Tours of Constitution Hall and the Apartheid Museum were heart-wrenching, but are must-visits to fully comprehend the brutality inflicted on its people. Our visit to a Batwa village was a highlight. It was educational and we loved how the people wanted to share their stories.
It was an educational and wonderful adventure. Africa is teeming with wildlife, from mammals, to birds and reptiles. Staying at a bush camp was surreal with the sounds of wildlife surrounding us throughout the day and night. We will never forget the adorable Maasai and Batwa children. Thank you, Julian, Lisa, and Carmella, from the bottom of our hearts.
Read more reviews of Julian. Or request your own trip.
Bali, Java & Singapore: great logistical flow, beautifully authentic hotels, guide “became family”
CAROLYN CARPENETI | OCTOBER 3, 2024
Andrea and his team really went out of their way to make sure our trip was “off the beaten path,” which is exactly what we asked. There is no way I would have ever found the beautiful and amazing hotels and special day trips on my own. Each was authentic, no tourists, and the guide we were paired with quickly became family as we explored Bali. During the trip, Andrea and his team were always close by via WhatsApp, which was very reassuring. We visited Bali, Java and Singapore and each destination easily flowed into the next from a logistical perspective. Loved every second!!!
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Italy: Rome, Florence, Tuscany, Naples, and Amalfi…with disabilities
LUCAS NADOLSKIS | OCTOBER 3, 2024
Our trip to Italy began in Rome, and right away we experienced the benefits of hiring Alberto and Martina’s company. Our driver was waiting for us at the airport, helping us seamlessly navigate the busy Rome train station, where we caught our train to Florence. As a traveler with disabilities, hiring a travel planner made all the difference. Our guides met us at our hotel for each tour, and everyone was incredibly accommodating. Martina and Elisa were both easy to reach and always available to address any issues that came up during our trip.
The experiences they curated were truly unique, but I can’t recommend their Positano team enough! Every step in Positano was worth it once we arrived at their stunning spot, overlooking the breathtaking Italian coast.
Additionally, having drivers to take us from our hotels to train stations and tours made the trip so much smoother. Vieri, who drove us through the Tuscan countryside, was particularly attentive and offered numerous tips we wouldn’t have known otherwise.
Overall, the exceptional service provided by Martina, Elisa, and Alberto truly made our trip special, and we can’t wait to return to Italy!
This trip was arranged by WOW List candidates. Here’s what that means.
Mallorca & Catalonia: Chopin’s monastery, Penedès wine, Cadaqués by the sea
MINA MILLER SABRITT | OCTOBER 2, 2024
Trip highlight: Concert-pianist traveler takes a private tour of the Chopin Museum.
Mallorca had been on our “bucket” list for a special reason. As a concert pianist, I had always wanted to visit the village of Valdemossa and see the monastery where the composer Frédéric Chopin spent a winter and composed several important piano works. In celebration of my milestone birthday and our 47th wedding anniversary, we decided that this was the moment.
We told Ivan that we were not going to Mallorca for the beach and wanted to avoid crowds and mass tourism. We also knew that we would arrive exhausted and wanted a place where we could relax and be pampered at the start of our trip. Ivan found us a magnificent hotel that met all of our needs and more. Our room had the most extraordinary view of the sea.
Ivan planned a Mallorca itinerary that focused on the history and culture of the Island. Our trip to the Chopin Museum was the highlight, and it included the surprise of a private tour and meeting with the museum director that Ivan made a special effort to arrange. We also worked with Ivan to extend our trip with six days in Catalonia, first in the beautiful seaside village of Cadaqués, and then the Penedès cava region.
Ivan was extremely patient, generous, and attentive to our needs. We had originally planned this trip for earlier in the year but needed to postpone it because of unexpected health issues. When we were ready to rebook, Ivan jumped back in immediately. He was flexible when there were last-minute changes that we wanted to make. In the popular Penedès region, he managed to secure excellent hotel accommodations, drivers and guides – not an easy feat for a very busy holiday weekend at peak harvest time.
Throughout the trip, Ivan was in close touch by email. He wanted to ensure our satisfaction at all points. He informed the hotels of our celebration, and on Mallorca we were greeted at our dinner table with beautiful flowers and a bottle of cava.
It was a pleasure working with Ivan. He was a true partner in the planning of our trip and a perfectionist in its execution. No detail was overlooked. He did all possible to ensure our satisfaction at every point along the way. We’re grateful to have had the opportunity to work with him and for the experience he was able to create for us. Our trip went beyond all expectations because of Ivan’s care and expert planning.
Read more reviews of Ivan. Or request your own trip.
Romania: medieval citadels, truffle hunting, and Jewish history
LINDA GREEN | OCTOBER 2, 2024
My husband and I just returned from a 10 day trip to Romania. We spent most of our time in Transylvania, which is both scenic and uniquely interesting. Our major reason for traveling to this part of the world was to visit the city of Cluj, where my husband’s father lived before emigrating to the U.S. in the 1930s, and to see the specific places where he and his family lived.
Our trip planners, Raluca and Malvina, did a great job of incorporating this into our itinerary, and also providing experiences that gave us a deeper appreciation of the overall history of Romania and Transylvania, particularly that of the Jews. We knew little of this history before the trip. It was very moving to visit the few synagogues that have been preserved and to meet the people who take care of them. And it was extremely interesting to tour the medieval citadels and fortified churches that dot Transylvania and to spend time in the mostly preserved traditional Saxon village of Viscri. We felt transported back in time watching the horse drawn carts, geese, goats, sheep and cows that wander through the streets of this picturesque place and we enjoyed the simple but delicious traditional foods that are truly farm to table.
We also loved going truffle hunting and enjoying the truffle pasta dinner prepared for us by our truffle guide, as well as our beautiful horseback ride through lovely meadows and forests. One of our most unusual experiences was visiting the vast and otherworldly salt mine in Turda which we would highly recommend. Throughout our trip, our guide, Paul, provided great information and suggestions that very much enhanced our overall understanding and enjoyment of the various places we visited. And it was great to spend time chatting with the lovely local people we met who provided insights into various aspects of life in this intriguing country. Overall, it was a very worthwhile trip.
Read more reviews of Raluca. Or request your own trip.
Peru: sunset over the Andes, lodge and spa, archaeological sites, and “Peru flat” hiking…
DAVID DUBOW | OCTOBER 1, 2024
Hiking the Inca trail was challenging. “We now know what ‘Peru flat’ really means.”
The executive summary—it was great. The flights to and from and in Peru were a breeze. Flight times changed a bit between our initial reservations and the travel dates, but our travel agent kept us updated. Knowing that we had backup in case of major changes was very reassuring. We really appreciated spending a little bit of extra money on premium Latam tickets (AKA first class.) While first-class airplane seating on the short flights between Lima and Cuzco was nothing special, skipping the very long lines at baggage check in the airport because we had premium tickets was extremely nice. That might not be something other travelers would know about and is worth sharing with them. The next time we travel, we will ask specifically about that perk. The travel advisors in Lima and Cuzco were also very helpful.
As we expected, Explora was great, and we feel that it was even better than the ones in Tores del Paine and Atacama. The food was outstanding, with the lone exception of the box “breakfast” they provided us on the morning of departure. In contrast to all of the other sumptuous food, we were surprised that it was a dry deli meat turkey sandwich. All of the staff were gracious, friendly, and very helpful. The explorations were fantastic, challenging, fun, and informative. We wish that Explora would open facilities in other locations around the world.
We really enjoyed our WOW experience—watching the sunset over the Andes Mountains on the Racchi highlands while enjoying gourmet appetizers and champagne, and then relaxing with a great massage at the Explora spa. The transition from Explora to private touring with Ruben was seamless. He contacted us the day before we left the hotel and reviewed all the arrangements executed exactly according to plan. Ruben was an excellent guide, knowledgeable about Peruvian history, and very good at explaining it all. We also felt very safe with him in charge.
The one-day hike on the Inca trail was challenging but well within our physical limits. We now know what “Peru flat” really means. We will share that Ruben was a bit like Speedy Gonzalez on the hike and often was far ahead of us on the trail, waiting up ahead, out of sight, for us to catch up. Perhaps he was giving us time to enjoy walking by ourselves, but it would have been nice to learn about the landscape and flora as we walked. We never felt unsafe or worried about getting lost. We will also share that he occasionally seemed to prefer sitting apart from us (e.g. during an hour-plus delay on the train from Machu Picchu to Ollantaytambo). That was not a problem but was a contrast to the Explora guides, who frequently seemed to seek out personal contact with us.
Our time in Cusco was excellent. We were not expecting to enjoy the city and the historical touring we did there. Ruben was an outstanding guide for the city and the nearby archeological sites we visited. He also had great suggestions for where to eat and drink near our hotel.
In regard to lodgings, Explora was, as expected, fantastic. Everything about it was great: the physical facilities, the people, and, as I mentioned, the food. Thanks to Jordan’s team, we also got a chance to enjoy the spa. The Inkaterra Pueblo Hotel in Aguas Calientes was nice but showed its age around the edges and was on the rustic side compared to our other lodgings. The staff was nice, and the food was well above average. We are not foodies, so we took advantage of the included breakfast and dinner and did not venture out to nearby restaurants. In Cusco, Casa Cartagena was excellent. It was elegant, quiet, and very conveniently located. And the staff went out of their way to be helpful, even going to a nearby restaurant to get us the menu when we couldn’t find it online. We highly recommend this hotel.
Our thanks to everyone at Jordan’s company for crafting another bucket list adventure. We will return to South America again (perhaps Brazil to see Iguazu Falls, or to Ecuador, or Bolivia) and will definitely reach out to you for that.
Read more reviews of Jordan. Or request your own trip.
Switzerland: traditional bell-making, postcard-worthy scenery, the art of chocolate
DAVID KINSLER | SEPTEMBER 25, 2024
Our bespoke two-week journey through Switzerland was nothing short of magical. The adventure began in the vibrant city of Zürich, where we were immediately immersed in the city’s rich cultural history. One of the highlights was the watchmaking demonstration, which gave us an intimate look into Switzerland’s famous craftsmanship. The precision and artistry behind each timepiece were mesmerizing, and it set the perfect tone for the rest of our trip. Exploring Zürich was equally delightful, from its scenic riverfronts to the charming old town brimming with history.
We then ventured by train and back to Appenzell, where we experienced traditional bell-making firsthand. Watching the craftsmen at work was fascinating, and the deep tones of the freshly made bells rang with a timeless beauty. Our visit to a working Swiss farm added a wonderful rustic touch to the trip, giving us a glimpse into the country’s agricultural traditions and sustainable practices. It was a peaceful and enriching contrast to the city’s bustle.
We took a day trip to Bern, where the medieval streets and historic charm of the old city transported us back in time. The Einstein Museum was an unexpected gem—an engaging dive into the life and work of one of the greatest minds in history, all set within the beautiful backdrop of Bern’s cobblestone streets and medieval architecture.
Next, we headed by train to Zermatt, a true hiker’s paradise. The breathtaking views of the Matterhorn were absolutely unforgettable. Every step of our hikes offered postcard-worthy scenery, from pristine alpine lakes to rugged mountain peaks. The air was crisp, the trails well-maintained, and the natural beauty of the Swiss Alps left us in awe. From Zermatt we traveled to Grindenwald and the Lauterbrunnen Valley where the weather was uncooperative but the team quickly made arrangements for us to leave a day early for Lausanne and better weather.
We concluded our adventure in Lucerne, nestled on the serene shores of the lake. The city itself is picture-perfect, with its wooden bridges and waterfront promenades. The highlight here was the chocolate-making workshop, where we indulged our senses and learned the delicate art of Swiss chocolate. Creating our own confections was not only fun but deliciously rewarding—a sweet way to end our incredible journey.
Overall, this bespoke trip through Switzerland perfectly blended urban exploration, cultural immersion, and natural wonders. Each destination offered something unique, and we left with memories to treasure for a lifetime. The itinerary blended a good mixture of countryside and city sites and can through for us when the weather wasn’t cooperating.
Read more reviews of Nina. Or request your own trip.
Japan: onsen bathing at a ryokan, forging knives with a swordsmith, making sushi…
EMILY FRIEDMAN | SEPTEMBER 23, 2024
A sushi-making class: “an unforgettable family evening, joyous and full of laughter.”
This was our first trip using Wendy’s Wow List travel specialists. I can’t imagine visiting the Far East without her specialist’s guidance. I was overwhelmed with how to plan a trip to a country so diverse, with a language barrier, and we didn’t want to spend every day visiting temples and shrines. Andrea spent a full hour on the phone to understand our interests and wishes, before suggesting an itinerary. We had multiple zoom calls with him to fine-tune our itinerary.
He redirected us to a different city than we thought we wanted to visit, where we experienced one of the three most famous Japanese gardens, and had a class in gold-leaf applique. We were “spoiled” by having guides to/from railways, to/from airports. This was a luxury and a relief. (Most of our guides spoke good English, but be prepared because most people we interacted with do not speak English.)
The Gate Hotel in Tokyo was wonderful: central location, deluxe, great food, English-speaking staff. Excellent accommodations in Kanazawa at the Hyatt, as well. I must mention that I’m a “foodie” and the buffet breakfasts at both hotels were included, and were superb! A third hotel was under renovation, so unfortunately we missed staying at this boutique hotel, but Andrea was quick to find a satisfactory substitution.
I wanted to be able to interact with a Geisha, and he made it happen! This is not an easy thing to arrange. We had a special, 10-course dinner and she joined us and danced for us. An experience not to be missed—a glimpse into one of Japan’s cultural treasures. Andrea arranged for us to travel to the countryside, visit a swordsmith, and make our own knives forged in the fire! The trips to the city markets were a unique experience, and I loved seeing all the different foods and spices. Lastly, Andrea suggested a night in an intimate ryokan, where we experienced onsen bathing and a beautiful multicourse meal with all the local specialties. (Beware, most meals are raw fish (sashimi) or ramen. Research other ethnic restaurants if you don’t want fish for most meals.)
The best family experience Andrea arranged was a cooking class to make sushi, learn about miso, make matcha and mochi. That was an unforgettable family evening, joyous and full of laughter. I’ll add: Andrea’s assistant Giulia was delightful, kind, and “shepherded” us through the trip with humor and grace. Andrea planned a memorable trip, within our budget, and yet ensuring we experienced many of the “flavors” of Japan—the country and the culture. He also arranged days when we could explore on our own, which was something we really wanted. We did not want to be over-scheduled and exhausted.
Andrea loves Japan, and his skill in selecting experiences that are unforgettable and unique to Japan makes him a travel specialist of the highest caliber!
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Sri Lanka: climbing Sigiriya, a one-day safari, relaxing on the beach
LAUREN SCHOR | SEPTEMBER 19, 2024
Traveler Lauren with her husband and daughter on a one-day safari in Wilpattu National Park.
Just back from in week in Sri Lanka that we tagged onto a trip to India at the end of August with our teenage daughter and another couple. We originally spoke to Miguel and Nicola about a trip in December, but totally switched gears and planned a last-minute week-long summer trip. Because it’s so remote from the US, and such a geographically diverse country, ideally you’d have at least two weeks to spend here. Sri Lanka is a small country but there are so many regions to see and it takes a lot of time to travel from place to place.
Given we only had a week, we had some tough choices as to which areas we were going to visit—the cultural triangle and ancient ruins, the mountains and tea plantations, the jungle and wildlife, the gorgeous beaches or the cities. Ultimately with a lot of back and forth weighing the pros and cons with Nicola and Miguel, we decided on the cultural triangle and the south coast. I couldn’t imagine going all the way to Sri Lanka and not climbing Sigiriya, the ancient fortress atop a mountain and the most visited place in the country. Plus, we were near one of the national parks and we got to do one day safari! And we knew we wanted to spend time near a beach relaxing because we had also come off a week in India before arriving in Sri Lanka.
We opted to charter a flight to the south coast instead of driving the 8 hours. This area was a great combination of relaxation and culture. Galle Fort is a must visit area-the restaurants, shops and local life is unlike anywhere else in the country. And there were a lot of other activities in the area, like a local cooking class, a mask painting workshop and visiting a cinnamon plantation (who knew that 90% of the worlds cinnamon comes from Sri Lanka)!
Nicola recommended fantastic properties. We loved Ulagalla—we have traveled all over the world and its one of the most special properties we have stayed at. We enjoyed a WOW Moment at Kamantha, a traditional and delicious Sri Lankan meal prepared with indigenous tools in a mud hut. Such a special experience! We also stayed at Mosvold Villa, a newer property right on the Indian Ocean. While I wouldn’t consider it a five-star property, the location could not be beat, and we were adamant about wanting to be on the water (versus at a property like the Aman located inside the fort not on the coast).
Something else to note; we had a driver for our week but each activity and excursion had its own local guide. Sri Lanka is a special country and everywhere we went the people were so welcoming and we kept hearing how they meet so few American travelers. I have a feeling this is going to be a new hot spot destination!
Read more reviews of Miguel. Or request your own trip.
Denmark: biking, Viking Ship museum, private tour of a working wood furniture factory…
HOWARD WOLFF | SEPTEMBER 17, 2024
A private canal boating excursion was one of many Denmark highlights. Photo: Traveler Howard Wolff
Mads designed a perfect itinerary that delighted two travelers in their 70s and two in their 30s, giving us unforgettable memories from a busy week in Denmark: biking, a private boat ride on the canal, dining with Danes, as well as visits to the Viking Ship Museum, Danish Design Museum, Roskilde Cathedral, HC Museum, Louisiana Museum of Modern Art, and more.
Since we arrived at 7am after an overnight flight, we were thankful that Mads arranged for early check-in at our hotel, allowing us to take a quick nap before embarking on our 2-1/2 hour bike tour. Our guide Lotte was fascinating and personable; and Dan, our driver throughout the trip, was delightful and very helpful.
Our evening at the beautiful home of the Danish couple Lene and Carsten (sp?) was not only delicious but also engaging—a great conversation and human connection. We’ll remember it fondly.
As an architect, I found our design-themed day to be particularly impactful, and my family members loved it, too. Getting a private tour of a working wood furniture factory, PP Mobler, including a visit to their forest, was very special. A conversation with a young designer at his studio was meaningful, insightful, and enlightening; and our final stop of the day at the Danish Design Museum heightened our awareness and appreciation for Danish ingenuity. After that day, we noticed every chair we sat in!
On a particularly jam-packed day, we decided to skip a visit to the Egeskov Castle and drove straight to the island of Funen after visiting Roskilde, the former capital of Denmark. The Hans Christian Andersen Museum was surprisingly clever and interactive. The Louisiana Museum of Modern Art was unique and special.
We really enjoyed our harbor-facing room at 71 Nyhavn in Copenhagen. The hotel was perfectly situated, and the breakfast options were fabulous. Our overnight stay at Falsled Kro was beautiful and indulgent; our breakfast was one of the best we’ve ever had. The rooms were simply elegant and spacious. Arrangements for a late check-out allowed us to enjoy an e-bike ride from the property in the morning, and we loved every minute. Tivoli, with its theme-park vibe, was of more interest to our kids than it was to us, but we had a great time. All in all, a great experience that we are grateful to have had. Thank you.
Read more reviews of Mads. Or request your own trip.
Ireland: ruins on every corner, Dromoland Castle, private sheep dog competition…
NIK MINOCHA | SEPTEMBER 17, 2024
We and another couple contacted Jonathan at Celebrated Experiences because our daughters had tickets to see Taylor Swift in Dublin. We spent a wonderful weekend with them in Dublin and sent them home after the concert. We then spent the next week traveling around the southern loop of Ireland. Jonathan and his colleague Katie put together an itinerary that included all of the must-sees but also off the beaten path sites, offering a more authentic experience—and fewer tourists.
Ireland is the Emerald Isle for a reason; the variety of green is unlike anywhere else. Jonathan insisted we use a driver for the week and that was probably the best advice he gave us. Tommy was fantastic! He is an active and self-taught student of Irish history, which is very handy when there are ruins on every corner. He also took the time to learn what we did and did not like and tweaked our itinerary accordingly. His guidance was truly catered to us on a day-by-day basis, even down to tiniest details.
This type of trip calls for a lot of driving. We do wish more physical activity (hikes, paddling) had been included. We should have made sure such activities were added to the itinerary. We just wish we’d had more opportunity to move!
One unexpected highlight was a private sheep dog demonstration at Caherconnell Fort. Who knew there was so much skill and communication between the farmer and the Border Collies? It was a privilege to watch them work together, as they have for generations. We debated keeping this activity in our itinerary and it would have been a big loss if we missed it.
All of the hotels were top notch, but none compared to Dromoland Castle. Everyone should experience a castle at least once, especially one where you can try falconry, clay shooting and archery all in one afternoon. We would not recommend dinner at the castle, but otherwise it was amazing!
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Peru: the Amazon, “scenic” train to Machu Picchu, horseback through villages
LORI BENTLEY | SEPTEMBER 16, 2024
Lori Bentley and family took the Vistadome train to the “breathtaking” expanse of Machu Picchu.
Just back from a 60th Birthday trip to Peru. Tom and his team planned a fantastic trip for us. We visited the Amazon, Sacred Valley, Machu Picchu, Cusco, and Lima. The Amazon was amazing, and the Inkaterra Reserva Amazonica Lodge provided a beautiful atmosphere and guided tours. Next, our guides Alberto and Henry along with driver Igor picked us up in Cusco, for a scenic trip to the Sacred Valley where we stayed at the Sol y Luna Lodge, which was beautiful. Our guides were fantastic and assisted with advice on acclimating to the altitude. We enjoyed a 2 hour horseback ride through villages and farmland. It was by far the best ride I have ever been on!
The Vistadome train to the village of Machu Picchu was very scenic and relaxing. We stayed at the Inkaterra Machu Picchu Pueblo Hotel, and the accommodations were fabulous! Of course, visiting Machu Picchu was breathtaking. A walk to the Inca Drawbridge was filled with the surrounding beauty of the area. After Machu Picchu, we flew to Cusco, a charming , historical city. Alberto recommended excellent restaurants, we even tried Cuy (guinea pig). We also enjoyed dinner at the recommended Map Café—the food and service were excellent.
There were so many highlights of the trip, and the guidance and recommendations that we received were so helpful. Grateful for the expertise and planning of Tom, and the service of Alberto, Henry, and Igor. Highly recommend utilizing their services.
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Grand Teton: Old Faithful, great hikes, and a “fantastic” lodge near many trailheads
DEAN NANCE | SEPTEMBER 16, 2024
Three generations came together to enjoy a hiking trip to Wyoming.
There were five of us, from three generations—Grandfather, Son-in-law, and three Grandsons on our September Tetons trip. We all had a really great time! Melissa organized the trip for us. The Tetons are an incredible experience!
Where to start?
The Jenny Lake Lodge was a fantastic place.
* Great location, right in the middle of the Tetons.
* Wonderful meals, including five course dinners and multiple options for breakfasts.
We enjoyed the tours Melissa arranged for us.
* It was so nice that they were private, meaning that they included only our group.
* The guides were all knowledgeable, flexible, and pleasant to be with. They went to great efforts to find wildlife for us to view, and to do such things as to get us to Old Faithful at a time it was about to erupt.
All five of us particularly enjoyed the hikes that we took on our free days. The fact that Jenny Lake Lodge was near the trailheads of several great hikes was a real plus.
Last, but not least, Melissa was wonderful to work with in planning the trip. We could never have done it without her!
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India: Delhi by rickshaw, spa & arts in Jaipur, sidestepping the rainy season
LAUREN SCHOR | SEPTEMBER 11, 2024
Happy mom and teen “tagged along on a business trip” and enjoyed the Taj Mahal at both sunrise and sunset.
My teen daughter and I tagged along on a pretty last-minute business trip my husband was taking to India. Victoria put together an amazing itinerary one month before we left and she really nailed it! After our first phone conversation she put together the perfect plan and I made very few changes. It was very clear she understood what I was looking for and how we wanted to spend our time.
We were traveling off-season during monsoons, and while the weather was very hot and very humid, the actual rain barely interfered with our activities. We flew into Delhi and spent two days exploring the city which was a feast for the senses. It was a great intro to India, both overwhelming and mesmerizing. Victoria set up a tour of the old city by rickshaw which Id highly recommend as a memorable and eye-opening experience. We also took a food tour through the winding streets of Delhi which I was very hesitant about for fear of “Delhi belly,” but Victoria assured me they are very careful about the places we would visit and she was right, we were all fine!
My daughter and I then went off on our own to Agra to visit the Taj Mahal at both sunset and sunrise, which were two totally different experiences and both “pinch me” moments! Friends and family at home were very concerned about the two of us traveling in India alone, but we felt completely safe the entire time because we always had someone with us, just one of the reasons a WOW planner is so important.
Our final stop in India was Jaipur. Each city was a 3-4 hour drive from one another, which was an experience in itself passing through villages and seeing the way people live outside of the cities. We spent four days in Jaipur which was the perfect combination of sight seeing, shopping, spa time and cultural experiences. Highlights were a block printing workshop in a village outside of the city, an early morning visit to the old city, getting custom made pajamas, visiting the city palace, and meeting with an astrologer, which was a very unique experience. Our incredible guide Vikram knew all the best spots to take us to and had access to places we would have never known about. We have had a lot of private guides all over the world and Vikram is up there with the best!
We were very happy with all of the hotels Victoria had suggested—Leela Palace in Delhi, The Oberoi Amarvilas in Agra and Rambagh Palace in Jaipur. Victoria really made the most of the one week we had in India. She suggested three very different cities which were the perfect combination for a first-time visitor to India and I can’t wait to go back to visit other parts of the country!
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Southern Africa: Botswana camps, Victoria Falls, helicopter ride, & wine tasting…
JOE COCO | SEPTEMBER 8, 2024
We worked with Julian and his company to plan our trip to Africa, specifically Cape Town South Africa, safari in Botswana, and Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe. Julian offered great guidance on when to go to optimize for the weather in each country, and when and where to go to ensure a top-notch safari experience, from animals to accommodations. He also provided insightful recommendations to optimize the value for our money.
We arrived in Cape Town on August 19 after taking an extended layover in London to break up the flights and enjoy London. Once in South Africa we stayed at the Four Rosmead, a nice boutique guest house. It’s in a quiet location yet near to excellent restaurants and cafes. The two managers were fantastic. They organized dinner reservations, offered good ideas for things to do, and provided specific safety precautions. Cape Town and the larger peninsula are surrounded by mountains and water, offering spectacular natural scenery. One of the highlights was our guided drive throughout the Cape Peninsula, to Cape Point, the Cape of Good Hope nature reserve, visiting the Jackass penguin colony, and driving through Chapmans Peak. Stunning beauty, and we live in the Pacific Northwest and are therefore used to lots of mountains and water.
Another highlight was our “WOW Moment” —a helicopter ride. We started by flying down the coast, alongside and slightly higher than the mountains, then around various parts of the city and suburbs. The ride provided great views and perspective. Cape Town can be windy and still a bit rainy at that time of year, but fortunately we lucked out and had pleasant weather most of the time, and our helicopter flight was smooth. We also did a daylong guided wine tasting tour through Paarl, Stellenbosch, and Franschhoek, the latter of which is a charming little town with boutique hotels and high-end shops and restaurants. It was a pleasant tour, but unless you are really into wine and wine tasting, visiting 2 of the 3 areas may be sufficient.
There were a few hiccups and downsides to our visit in Cape Town. First, a driver from the local Cape Town tour company was supposed to meet us at the airport upon arrival to take us to our guest house, but he was a no-show. We called the company from the airport and they admitted they dropped the ball, apologized, and picked us up within about 20 minutes. That really drove home the importance of having readily available contact information for airport transfers and guides, especially in locales with potential safety issues. Fortunately, Albert, our local guide for the following three days, was very knowledgeable, organized, and prompt. The other issue was that the cable car ride to the top of Table Mountain, which offers amazing views, was undergoing annual maintenance during our visit. The cable car website (which we looked at only after we arrived), contained a notice that it was shut down from July 15 – September 1, so that was a disappointment. Apparently, the maintenance schedule can vary year-to-year, so check into this before going so you aren’t surprised. Finally, something to be aware of is you need to be more careful about crime than you might be accustomed to. The managers at our guest house emphasized the importance of not walking around the city in the evening and recommended against taking taxis. Instead, use Uber even for very short drives. We found the Ubers to be highly available, reliable, comfortable, and apparently safe. Having said that, we still really enjoyed our visit to Cape Town and the surrounding area.
Our next stop was Botswana for safari, where we spent 6 days at 3 different safari camps: Duke’s East in the Okavango Delta, Sable Alley in Khwai Private Reserve, and Savute Elephant Lodge in the Savute–Chobi National Park. The entire experience was amazing—the animals, landscape, accommodations, people, food, and logistics. We saw an incredible variety of animals, often very close to our open-air Land Cruiser, at the camps, and during a river cruise: lions, leopards, giraffes, elephants, hippos, wildebeest, wild dogs, hyenas, multiple types of antelope, zebra, crocodiles, warthogs, mongooses, monkeys, baboons, ostrich and many other types of birds. Our guides were super knowledgeable, not just about the animals but also the environment, geology, flora and more. The landscape in Botswana is beautiful, in part because it’s so flat, vast and has amazing sunsets. In addition to the safari drivers/guides, the rest of the staff at the 3 locations were all very warm, friendly, and attentive. Despite being literally in the middle of nowhere, accessible only via a propellor plane that lands on a dirt airstrip, and completely isolated from virtually all infrastructure, the food was quite good and the accommodations were fairly plush. The prop plane flights to each camp were professional and reliable. There were also nice touches like stopping our afternoon safari drive at sunset for a sundowner (cocktails and snacks set up by our driver). Being in the middle of a great expanse at sunset, drinking gin & tonic and watching animals come from all directions to visit a watering hole is truly unique. Our time on safari in Botswana was terrific and the highlight of the entire trip!
Our last stop was for 2 days at Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe where we stayed at the Old Drift Lodge. By this point in the trip, we were getting tired and wanted to go at a slower pace, so we just visited the falls, went on a lovely sunset boat cruise on the Zambezi River (a sundowner with cocktails and snacks), and sat on our deck enjoying the view of the Zambezi river across to Zambia. While you can do a safari drive there too, we were a bit safari’d out after 6 days of multiple hours in a Land Cruiser. Fortunately, elephants, warthogs, and mongoose wandered around our lodge (which is outside of town in the national park). The Falls are very impressive and worth visiting when the water is relatively low (when we visited) because you can see more of the geologic features of the falls and only get a little wet from the spray vs completely soaked when the water is high. We went just after sunrise to avoid the crowds and heat, and so we could see rainbows made by the spray and low sun angle. Very cool! We also had lunch at The Lookout Cafe perched above and at the edge of the falls, which offered a great view.
We had a truly wonderful trip!
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Cape Town, Victoria Falls & Zambia: museum tour & cooking class, “Big 5” wildlife from photo hides
NANCY WOLF | SEPTEMBER 4, 2024
African tours, camps, and safaris kicked off with panache—a surprise pickup in a vintage Jaguar.
Our amazing first safari was thanks to Frankie Janssen, of Cherri’s office. We asked for suggestions on where to go and what time of year, and Frankie suggested a mid-August start, with a trip including Cape Town, Victoria Falls and Zambia because we wanted a place that included water activities.
Frankie planned our WOW Moment—actually a WOW day—for our first full day in Cape Town. She told me to trust her, and she was right. She hit all of the highlights…we were picked up in a vintage Jaguar. Our first stop was the Bo-Kaap area for a tour and Cape Malay cooking class. Then we went for a drive along the coast en route for a private tour of the Zeitz MOCAA, followed by a drive up to the top of Signal Hill for magnificent views, including Table Mountain.
Because we were flying into Zimbabwe from Cape Town, Frankie arranged for us to tour Victoria Falls right from the airport so we didn’t have to cross borders multiple times. The driver she arranged for us was especially helpful in expediting our crossing into Zambia. We stayed in 3 camps and all were first-rate. I told Frankie that I wanted a camp with photo hides and she sent us to Kaingo in South Luangwa National Park. We were fortunate to be there to see the red carmine bee-eaters, with the hide a few feet away from the nesting site. What an incredible sight! They also had an elephant hide and a hippo hide. By the first day at Kaingo, we had already seen the Big 5, as well as a chase of 3 male lions (we saw the white rhino at Tongabezi Lodge near Victoria Falls). We didn’t think there were any animals left to see, other than the wild dogs, but we saw them our first day at Sausage Tree Lodge. We also spotted a porcupine, which we never thought we’d see.
Being on the river at Tongabezi and Sausage Tree was a highlight. We loved the sunrise and sunset cruises, and we even tried our hand at fishing (only caught a turtle and a catfish…no tiger fish). Both Tongabezi and Sausage Tree Camp had special lunches and dinners in unexpected locations that really made the trip extra special. Zambia is a hidden gem. The only issue we had with the planning was our travel from Tongabezi to Kaingo. Because of the flight schedule, we had a 3-hour wait at Lusaka airport and once we landed in Mfuwe, we had a 2 1/2 hour drive to the camp. We didn’t arrive until 8:00 pm (we had started our day with a sunrise cruise, so we were exhausted). Kaingo does communal meals, so we were asked to go directly to dinner. Trying to converse with strangers after such a long trip was not pleasant, plus since we weren’t given the opportunity to put on bug spray, it was the one time I got several bites. Unless there is another way to reach Kaingo, I would not recommend it, despite the excellent photo hides.
Frankie added value to our trip, not only by planning our destinations and helping with activities, but also by securing drivers and VIP meet and greets who made our life easier. The one VIP meet and greet I would not do again, though, is in Cape Town. That added no value.
I’d highly recommend Frankie to plan your next safari!
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England & Scotland: Cotswolds, historic monastery ruins, distilleries, private falconry…
MICHELE BLOCK | SEPTEMBER 2, 2024
Two hours of private falconry was a highlight of Michelle Block’s “soooo memorable” Scotland travels.
THANK YOU Jonathan, Katie, Allyson and your team for planning our trip and our wonderful guides to Bath, Stonehenge, the Cotswolds (5 days, guides—Adgue and Maeve), and Scotland (16 days, Scott and Dave…our men in kilts)!!! It was flawless and soooo memorable. Each guide brought their own personalities and stories to enable us to learn about culture and history. It was fun learning the origin of some of our sayings.
Everything on our bucket list was met with some special additions. For example we opted due to the amount of steps to switch from a castle to visiting the wonderful preserved ruins of the St. Elgin monastery and then visit an abbey to hear the monks saying afternoon vespers, an experience indeed. Our goal of 2 hrs of private falconry and the highland games in Helmsdale (northeast Scotland) were remarkable. The hotels/castle of Glenapp, Isle of Eriska, and the Royal Crescent transplanted you into the world of luxury. Edinburg brought us the Scotsman right in the middle of everything to enjoy the royal mile and fringe fest. The Military Tattoo is a must if you visit in August. Pictures cannot describe the places we were taken, some off the tourist route, to appreciate the highlands and inner and outer Hebrides as well as special areas in southern Scotland, which Scott said is not on the tour guide itineraries (it should be).
We enjoyed going to distilleries which you may not have heard about and of course brought home a bottle. It is wonderful to see that all of the accommodations give accolades to Jonathan’s company. The phone app is great to keep track of where you went and where you are going in addition to helpful tips on tipping. We found the people friendly wherever we went and the hospitality was wonderful and charming. We can’t wait to start planning our vacation to Sicily and Italy with Wendy Perrin for the spring.
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Tanzania & Kenya: beautiful geography, gourmet food, warm hospitality, wildebeest & zebra migration
NANCY RIEGER | SEPTEMBER 1, 2024
Traveler Nancy Rieger says spectacular meals at the camp rivaled the finest urban restaurants.
Armand and I sought out Dan’s team for a safari to Tanzania and Kenya because of his excellent reputation. We had a wonderful trip, and were met every step of the way once we landed at our first stop, Arusha, Tanzania.
Dan secured wonderful hotels and camps, beginning with the beguiling Plantation Lodge. The property was stunning, a green Eden, with wonderful food, warm hospitality, and a room that would qualify as a generously sized apartment in Manhattan. Our fabulous and informative guide, Eric, took us to Lake Manyara the first day, and to the Ngorongoro Crater the second. Lake Manyara had beautiful geography, albeit with fewer animals because of recent flooding. The Crater was a revelation. We saw ostriches mating–including the male doing his hilarious approach dance to the female. Also had a lot of time with the babboons, the most entertaining primates around.
Then it was off to Tanzania, and Taasa Lodge. The ride from arport to Taasa brought us smack dab in the middle of the wildebeest/zebra migration. Thousands of animals honking and bleeting, crossing the Sand River. More wildlife sightings than one could imagine: crocs, warthogs nursing their young, vultures fighting over a fly-ridden wildebeest, two lionesses and two cubs with bloody mouths who were just starting to dine on a freshly killed wildebeest. Birds and hippos galore.
The only dampers at Taasa were being given a substandard room with no hot water on our first night (after arriving at 7 pm instead of 5 pm) , a guide who spent 80% of her time talking to her tracker, and a butler who was unfairly given a job he could not do. The lodge manager claimed he wasn’t listening. But he was, and was trying hard. He just needed more training. Still, I would recommend Taasa because of its location, views, and its soups. Just need to make sure about the guide and room butler.
I’ve saved the best for last: Mara Expedition Camp. Dan had highly recommended this camp. It delivered in every single way. Our guide, Clifford, was superb. No roaring around at high speeds, he was patient in seeking out wildlife and was often the first guide to spot a lion, a herd of elephants, hyenas sleeping in the grass like frat boys who had partied too hard the night before, lizards, the golden orb spider, birds of every size, hippos, crocs, I could go on.
The other staff at Mara were exceptional. They made us feel like we had a home in the Mara. Their warm hospitality, their genuineness, kindness, their special surprises that brought even more enchantment to our stay (one: a hot breakfast in the bush alongside a river) , the nature walks around the camp, the gourmet food, Yes, gourmet food that rivals restaurants in New York, London, Paris. A lovely, comfortable, and quiet tent with plenty of light, charging stations, and hot water. We’re going back there again one day with our grandchildren.
Dan made sure we had the time of our lives. He spent time asking us questions before our trip. And he made certain that we were able to see everything that we had hoped for, that we stayed in some of the best accommodations available at our budget, and that we never had any worries. We are also grateful for our WOW Moment. At Mara Expedition, wonderful gifts were in our tent upon arrival. A hat, a stylish neck gaiter, and more. :) We will come back to Dan’s company. Our next trip may be to Rwanda to see the gorillas!
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* Although we have compiled and reviewed these reviews for trip planners to earn a spot on The WOW List, we cannot guarantee the accuracy or truthfulness of the reviews we receive and cannot assure that all travelers will have the same experience.
