Review: Tour of Peru & The Galapagos Islands, Cusco, Sacred Valley, Machu Picchu

This trip was very difficult to rate.  We had amazing guides and excellent tours-- esp in Peru.  Unfortunately, half the trip was mired in issues and we struggled to get details about our trip in advance, leaving us feeling stressed and worried both before and during the trip.  If you are going on a pre-built (no customization) tour in Peru (no other countries), this travel company will likely be great for you.  If you are customizing and/or going to other countries, I strongly encourage considering other agencies or booking yourself.  

Past negative reviews had noted difficulties with customized trips & sub-par hotels as themes.  I would echo those concerns.  We requested 4-star hotels, fast-paced, and tours in the Galapagos that limited boat time (avoiding sea sickness.)  More than half of our trip was spent at 2-star motels/hostels being used by Spring Breakers.  Our travel company sub-contracted the Ecuador part of the trip and that sub-contractor provided no information on tours in advance, had us stay at low-end motels, gave us our schedule (day-of) in Spanish (we don't speak), and totally disregarded our request re boat time putting us on 2 tours back-to-back requiring 6+hrs on a boat straight.  It was this company's responsibility as the travel agency we booked through to ensure all of their sub-contractors met their standards and provided us with what we requested.  They did not do this.  

Despite me repeatedly asking for more information about our Galapagos tours in advance of the trip, we were never provided.  We were repeatedly assured "you speak with someone on arrival and pick the best tour for you then based on interest and weather."  This was 100% false.  We were put on pre-booked tours, which we had not appropriately packed/prepared for, and were given no opportunity to change.  We ended up having to skip the 2nd full-day tour to avoid sea sickness.  We were given no alternative option or refund.  

We complained in the middle of the trip regarding our experience with the Ecuador sub-contractor.  While I do appreciate our travel company's effort to resolve our concerns (they were able to re-book a tour for us that the sub-contractor had cancelled due to a plane delay), it was too little too late in my opinion.  

Overall, despite great guides, we were extremely disappointed with this trip due solely to poor communication, planning, and management from the travel agency.  

Edit: Update from 2 to 3 stars.  As mentioned by our agent in their response, following our trip and review, they did reach out and provide a partial discount.  We do truly appreciate this gesture (thus improving score from 2 to 3), but recognize it does not "fix" our experience on what will likely be our only trip to the Galapagos.  Thank you for the follow up and doing what you can after the fact to try to resolve!