Travel Review: Family Italy Vacation, Rome, Florence, Venice, Tuscany, Colle Oppio, Vatican Tour, Chianti Cooking Class

Review by traveler

Vicki C.

10.29.2012

General Info

Traveler Review

Which Country (Countries) did you visit on this trip?

Italy

Your overall comments on the trip and the travel company:

The trip overall was wonderful, this was our first trip to Europe and to all fairness to the agent, we needed to have planned further ahead to know what we really wanted to do, and we found 2 of the hotels on own and the one in Venice which is the one the agent chose which was extremely disappointing, it was decorated nicely, but there was literary mold all over both bath rooms, dirt on the walls and the smell of mildew was terrible. My husband has terminal cancer and cannot be around mold, mildew or smoke, the agent knew this was a huge problem, we found out from the locals that we should have stayed much further away from the canal in a better hotel. Nothing was done to make up for the rooms except to re -caulk the shower areas. Also the we did not understand the door to door service in Venice, confusing as it maybe but we ended up being late to the airport because our cab contact to boat cabbie was not on time, and we even moved up the time. There is a lot of competition with private tours, the agents that took us around were incredible as far as history but for example I wanted to go on an art museum tour in Venice, I wanted to see Fortuny and La Pasara . The agent knew history but did not know anything about Art, We made a big deal out of the wine tour and that the agent was wonderful and it would be Simone. Simone was the expert, well Simone was not our driver or tour guide and he was to pick a very special place for lunch well that did not happen because it was not Simone, it was again a wonderful driver who knew tons about Tuscany the history of the people, but did not drink wine himself, that seemed odd to me, but he was incredible again as far as history and the area. We ended up eating at one of the wineries, very expensive for local meat and cheese lunch , and it was not a special restaurant at all, the wine owner was wonderful friendly , but again ,not what we paid for and paid extra too. We paid extra for the tour thought we were getting a specific person for both the Art Museum tour and the wine tour, then we are not notified that those people were not going to be our tour guides. Valentina spent alot of time trying to get what we wanted, but some things were a miss, the taxi driver in Rome took us to the wrong hotel so we ended up carrying our own bags up the street to the correct hotel. The people that met us at the train stations were acceptable, The driver who met us in Rome was friendly, but both Florence and Venice did not speak English.

What were the most enjoyable or memorable parts of your trip?

We loved our guides, they were not the guides we were told we would have, but they were wonderful and kind people. They went out of their way to make us happy , The best part of the trip was Tuscany ,Relais La Suvera. that was incredible, the people , the surroundings, the rooms,... perfect. But the website does not do that hotel justice, it was wonderful, the staff were the best . The spa was great. and food excellent. The other incredible activity was the cooking class in Chianti, The people were wonderful the experience was great. We also met a husband and wife who did cooking lessons out of their home outside Sienna and that was incredible, I will give you there names as well, their names are Manuela and Silvio, they were so kind to us and my husband was not well that night and they did not want to charge us,, but we insisted, they were just wonderful people and very kind, their daughter helps out, it was just exquisite.

If you could take your trip again, what would you do differently?

I would have planned ahead more, done much more researched, definitely booked earlier. Do not misunderstand - she worked very hard, and did her best, but for the amount we paid, and with some of the mishaps. Travel Company's Comments about this Review Dear Vicki, I looked more into the hotel situation in Venice as it was very embarrassing to see those pictures you took of the hotel, not up to this hotel's standards. I am really sorry we could not place you in a different hotel, because unfortunately there was zero availability due to a fair in town during those days. Our representative in Italy tried to get you a room in a different hotel, but after a few hours of search, the alternative room at the same hotel was still the best option. I am sorry the guide in Venice was not what you were looking for. We did not understand you wanted an artisan or artist to explain you the techniques used to create certain furniture pieces and other works of art. Usually guides specialize in art history, not art-making so I can see why it did not fit. We do offer workshops with artisans who can explain the making/building techniques you were interested in; I think this would have been a closer fit to what you were looking for. This reminds us how important it is to listen carefully to our clients's special needs and requests. Thank you for giving us the opportunity to review the quality of our services. I am sorry it was not Simone who did the tour as our agent promised and that the experience was not as it had been described to you. I am glad you thought your driver was incredible in terms of his knowledge of Tuscany. Please keep in mind that drinking and driving is not allowed in Italy and the laws is very severe now, which was why the driver did not drink during the tour. Again, this reminds us how important it is to be clear with every detail when communicating with our clients so they have a clear idea of what to expect. Please accept a personal apology from the owner of the transfer company in Rome; this is important for us and for them to understand how drivers are doing, and to continue to offer a quality service. Thank you for letting me know about the good things about your trip and for giving us a chance to do better in the future. We take price in providing a quality service and are very concerned when expectations are not met. Rest assured we are using this experience to make adjustments. Please accept our $500 refund check as a token of our appreciation. We would love the opportunity to help you on your next trip to Italy. Sincerely, Elena Owner

Photos

Travel Review: Family Italy Vacation, Rome, Florence, Venice, Tuscany, Colle Oppio, Vatican Tour, Chianti Cooking Class

General Info

Which Country (Countries) did you visit on this trip?

Your overall comments on the trip and the travel company:

What were the most enjoyable or memorable parts of your trip?

If you could take your trip again, what would you do differently?

Real Customer Reviews

Other Reviews for Travel Agency 126493

Small Footer