Italy Honeymoon Vacation: Rome, Venice, Florence, Tuscany, Positano, Pompeii, Chianti Wine Tasting Tour

More time on the coast, a day less in Florence.  We would have taken a full day trip to Siena, which was beautiful, instead of half day in Siena and half in San Gimignano, which was touristy and silly.  A day less in Rome.  I definitely would have chosen another hotel in Rome...

Travel Company's Comment

Dear Sophia,

Thank you so much for taking the time to complete a Zicasso review for our company.  We take an active interest in our clients' feedback and appreciate the time and thought you put into your response.  

We are very glad to hear that you largely enjoyed your honeymoon in Italy and found the planning of your trip to be easy and stress-free.  Unfortunately, I see that you were disappointed by some aspects of your trip, which I'd like to take a moment to address.

In regards to the voucher typo, we take full responsibility for this error. Although we check our very detailed documents to ensure there are no mistakes, we are still human and on rare occasions there is a typo.  However, we have taken measures to ensure that if there is an error or confusion, it will not impact our clients' trip.  We give our clients contact information for all our vendors so they can contact the vendor directly should they have any questions (in your case, a discrepancy between the itinerary and voucher times).  We also give clients our own 24/7 number which they can use to reach us at any time during their travels.  This way we can address and eliminate any concerns that might arise while they are in Italy.  Although you did not use either resource, please understand that they were there for your convenience.

In regards to amount of time on the Amalfi Coast, Rome, and the tour in Pompeii, I'd like to emphasize that we never push our clients to do something they do not want to do.  Given our expertise, we offer suggestions as to what we feel would be the optimal trip layout along with an explanation.  If the client is still uninterested, then we do whatever the client wants. 

You only asked for 2 nights in Rome in your initial response, in hopes to add another destination to your trip.  When we explained why we generally advise at least 3 nights in Rome, you approved 3 nights from then on and never suggested otherwise. 

We also never received an explicit need for 4 or 5 days on the coast.  At one point we were working with you to decide between 5 nights in Florence or 5 nights in Positano, however you decided to shorten your trip by one day and told us 4 nights in each would be perfect.  I'm sorry if you wish you could have stayed longer, but we feel there was no way for us to have known this in advance given our correspondence.

In regards to the hotel in Rome, it is in fact a 3* property.  We have been working with the hotel for about 4 or 5 years now without any complaints and inspected it personally.  The property is your typical Italian 3* in terms of the rooms, size, dcor, etc.  However, it had been rated as a 2* previously because there was no elevator, and according to Italian regulations a hotel must have an elevator in order to be rated a 3* or higher.  The hotel finally had an elevator put in within the last year and is thus officially a 3* property now, but since this is a new addition many websites still list it as a 2*.  I'd like to also note that the location of the hotel is one of the best in Rome.  It is located directly next to Piazza Navona, and cannot be more ideal!  This is why we love the property and why our past clients have loved it too.

Between the superb location and fantastic staff, this property is definitely one of our most popular with clients, especially for the price.  Even still, when we finalized your itinerary, we found that we were under your budget after adjusting for the exchange rate.  Because of this, we suggested upgrading your accommodations in Rome to a 4*, but you decided to proceed in confirming your trip as it was.  We also asked if you had any questions when we emailed you the list of all your hotels after receiving confirmations from the properties.  I wish we could have had this discussion at that time so your concerns could have been addressed and your trip could have proceeded in alignment with the expectations you've expressed in your review.  

Finally, I understand that you were unimpressed with your trip to Siena and San Gimignano, and I must say that your feedback is highly unusual for our clients.  San Gimignano is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, which is unique in the world. It is a stunning and very well-preserved medieval town with incredible views of the countryside.  We suggest visiting San Gimignano with tours to Siena as the two locations are close that it is a very convenient opportunity, but also because we don't want clients to feel as though they missed out by not at least being given the option to see both.  We would not have been able to decrease your stay in Florence given the excursions and tours you were interested in, and I apologize that we did not understand your preference for all that I've addressed above.

Thank you again for your feedback as it is very important to us.  I apologize if there was any miscommunication, and I wish there had been a way for us to have better understand your expectations prior to your trip so that we could have adjusted your itinerary accordingly.

I wish you the best in your future travels!