Travel Review: Luxury Anniversary Trip to Croatia & Slovenia, Ljubljana, Dubrovnik, Split, Zagreb, Fine Dining

My wife and I decided to visit Slovenia and Croatia in celebration of our 25th wedding anniversary.  My wife did some preliminary research, selected a few hotels, and was working on the assembling the entire trip.  I interjected and suggested a travel agent so to place the burden of the execution of the holiday on them.....so if something did not go as planned, we would have someone other to blame than each other (this could be the secret to a lasting marriage!).  I did a quick web search for travel agents and landed on the Zicasso site and after a few clicks, a little bit of information and a few hours, I received a note from this agent (out of Split Croatia).  After a brief email exchange and a phone call, he sent a very detailed itinerary of our vacation.  I shared with my wife who was at first hesitant regarding the idea of the travel agent but after a review of the proposed itinerary by this agent, she was sold.  We made a few tweaks to the itinerary to allow for a little more time with family in Slovenia.  Payment for the trip was easy – a deposit and then full payment via bank wire.  Coordinating with this agent was easy even with the seven hour time difference.  We held a few calls just to finalize all details and away we went.

We arrived in Ljubljana an hour later than planned due to a flight delay.  Our driver met us at the airport, loaded our bags in a brand new Mercedes and off we went to the hotel.  The hotel was waiting for our arrival, reservation and payment already addressed.  No issue with language, no issue with exchange of money, no hassle.  All transfers, all events, all stops happened on schedule as planned.  Perfect. 

We visited Ljubljana for two days, one day in Zagreb, two days in Split, and two days in Dubrovnik.   All hotels met or exceeded our expectations, all excursions were private, on time, and really intimate (sparkling wine tasting with the proprietor, meals that focused on the local cuisine and wine, oysters right out of the bay, locally produced grappa, very special wine tasting and lunch with a spectacular view, island hopping on a private boat, etc.).  All details were addressed but still enough flexibility to deviate as we wished. 

On the way to Split, our driver (who we highly recommend) received a call from our agent inquiring on our status to ensure the itinerary was proceeding as planned. Our driver asked if we might be available to meet with agent for drinks or dinner.  Our agent took us on a short walking tour of Split (his hometown) and we stopped for drinks on the beach and then in town for dinner.  My wife and I were surprised that our travel agent would take such an interest to ensure our trip was meeting our expectations.  Yes, it certainly did meet our expectations!  Many thanks to the good folks at this company for creating a special and lasting memory.