Travel Review: Custom Anniversary Vacation to Italy, Rome, Florence, Vatican City Tour, Pompeii, Amalfi Coast,...

Here are a few things we would change: 1) The Hotel in Rome. I had read reviews about it and concur. The staff were great! Loved the breakfast but the bed was terribly uncomfortable and we realize the showers can be small in Europe but this one was really small. We would opt for another Hotel. 2) The Hotel in Florence. Historical and aesthetically beautiful. It was like staying in a Palace. We would probably stay there again, however, it was more like a Bed & Breakfast if you will in regards too not being able to have a glass of wine, etc. from 8:00 on. There wasn't anyone at the desk if you needed something. The caretakers of the Hotel were friendlier than the young lady at the desk. Her name was Mara. On a scale from one to ten my husband would rate her a two. Being such an intimate setting, our room was right next to the desk, you think she would say good morning, what do you have planned for today and is there anything we can assist you with? I bought three handbags in Florence and when I returned to the States one was missing. Thinking I might of left it in the room I emailed the Hotel, specifically Mara to ask her if she might take a look for me and she never returned my email. 3) Our guide for the wine tour was just awesome. Our guide for the walking tour was very, very nice but she walked about ten to twenty feet ahead of us most of the time. Never glancing back to wait for us. My husband felt she was rushing us through the tour. 4) When we arrived in Amsterdam, we bought a bottle of wine not knowing that we had to give it up before we boarded. We told the young lady we were flying back to the United States and it would of nice if she would of told us we couldn't take on board. 5) We did have some wine sent back to us while in Florence and there wasn't a problem emailing back and forth to the winery, with that said, I don't understand not hearing back from Mara. Those are a few things we would change. If you have any other questions please feel free to ask. My daughter-in-law is making a photo album for us and I would be glad to send along a few photos if you like. Thank you, Julie May [Travel Company's Comments] Dear Julie, Thank you for your kind words about Select Italy’s service. I am so happy to know that you both enjoyed your time in Italy so much. All of your feedback – both positive and negative – is appreciated as it gives us an opportunity to continually improve service to our clients. I checked with the hotel in Florence to understand why they had not replied to your direct queries and also to inquire about the possibility that you’d left your handbag in the room before your departure. They were very apologetic about the impression you got without a response but, as you know now, there was a typo in the email address you were using. The messages were never delivered to the proper place. Had the hotel received your messages, they would have sent an immediate reply. Unfortunately, they did not find the handbag in your room after you checked out. As for the attitude of one particular staff member at the Florence hotel, I have passed on your comments and she apologized for not leaving a better impression on you. They strive to provide all of their guests with the same high quality of attention that Select Italy does and will take better care with guests in the future. Your Florence guide was also very sorry to learn that you experienced any discomfort on your tour. She had not realized that her walking in front of you made you feel rushed but will be more mindful of such practice for future clients. It was a tremendous pleasure for me to work with a couple like you and your husband with such enthusiasm for the country, its people, history and beauties. I hope that someday soon I will be able to help you in seeing more of Italy. Again, thank you for traveling with us and for your review. With kind regards, Maria