VIP Tour of London and Paris

Overall, the trip was fabulous.

The Zicasso tour company organized fabulous hotels, tour guides, and transportation. The hotel in Paris had an amazing location for what we wanted to do. The tour guides were great. I gave an outline of specific things we definitely wanted to see at the Louvre and we were accommodated. She did a fabulous job.

We did a side trip to the Champagne region. The driver in the region was very nice. We had two very nice tours and tastings. It went very smoothly.

If I were to have done anything differently, it would be to extend the trip by a couple of days or possibly do a little bit less and have more time to just be there and have some random exploring.

Zicasso's trip planner worked with my family for the better part of a year planning our big family trip. She provided exceptional service and planned every detail of our trip. We have a large family, with lots of moving parts. There were many changes in the itinerary along the way and she rolled with all the many changes. She was always polite, courteous, and graceful in her many interactions with our family.

She listened carefully during our initial conversations to help us plan the best trip possible. Being a large family, with multiple generations, she really created the best possible experience, taking in everyone's wishes. Working with her was very relieving, knowing she was taking care of all the details.

Our family's trip took us from the States to Ireland, Scotland, and England. We traveled on planes, trains, ferry, and drove a car. Our trip planner arranged every detail meticulously. We stayed in lovely, quaint, boutique hotels, ate the most wonderful foods, saw the amazing sights, and UNESCO World Heritage Sites across all three countries. From the Cliffs of Moher to the Culloden Moor Memorial to Stonehenge to castles grand and desolate; from beautiful cathedrals to old abbey ruins; from little country pubs to Michelin-starred restaurants; and even spending a couple days in an actual 17th-century castle, every minute was amazing! Truly amazing!

This was my family's first international vacation. We have traveled internationally a lot for mission work, and that is usually done as a group, working with local people, so we have never needed a travel agent. When we made the decision to travel to France for our Christmas vacation, I knew I needed some help. I searched online and came across Zicasso. They were wonderful to work with and put me in touch with our travel specialist.

I was impressed from the first email I received from her and it only got better from there. We talked a couple of times on the phone and the rest of our communication was through email. She was always prompt to reply and answered all of our questions. She developed a great itinerary for us.

We spent three nights in the Normandy area and five nights in Paris. Our hotels were very small, local hotels, with a lot of charm. We loved them both. Not only did she organize our itinerary for us, she also arranged all of our transportation for our tours and getting us to and from the airport. All of our drivers were very professional and extremely prompt.

We did tours in Normandy and Paris. In Normandy, our guides were from the same tour company and were very knowledgeable. We did a full-day tour of the American D-Day sites and it was clear that our guide had a true passion for what he was doing.

When we arrived in Paris, she scheduled a pastry and chocolate walking tour (highly recommend), a private tour of the Louvre, and a private tour of the Palace of Versailles. She also scheduled us for a macaron cooking class in Paris and we loved it. My daughter (11 years old) loves macarons and had a wonderful time getting to make her own.

I cannot recommend this travel company enough. The travel specialist was fantastic and if I ever get the opportunity to go back to Paris, I will certainly want her to plan my trip.

Every hotel had beautiful grounds and views. We had asked for hotels that also had the ambiance of age and antiquity. One of our favorites was in Chelsea. The staff was especially warm and friendly. We felt very comfortable with everyone! We loved all of the rooms in the entry level. It was cozy and beautiful, even the patio.

The Broadway hotel really blew us away. It was built in 1300 or so. It has an outstanding courtyard and landscaping. The staff were flexible. Theye even helped me to find a secluded area for dinner the last evening. We were mesmerized by every sitting area. There were antiques everywhere; I should say ancient antiquities. The coastal hotel was nautical and charming. There were lovely staff there as well! The views of the estuary were stunning. At high tide, the river came right up to the outdoor patio. It was mesmerizing!

Another hotel was very pretty inside and had compelling views of gardens and sweeping lawns. It overlooked the Jurassic coast, as well as a very large beach and piers. It was very far to walk and straight downhill. We could not get any taxi or bus to get to the harbor for our boat ride, sadly. We tried walking, but it was too far. There was no taxi for the return trip either. We had to walk up steep steps and then along a winding garden path back to the top. It was very stressful for me because I have a damaged tendon in my ankle, which hurt me quite a lot. It was very disappointing. However, my husband was thrilled that I made it up the hill. So was I.

There was a mix-up at the hotel about our room. We had discussed with our agent that we needed rooms on the ground floors. They had us on the first floor and moved us at the last minute to a very small corner room with cheap furniture and no space for two people to maneuver. We were both appalled, but fortunately our agent was able to take our call and we ended up in an apartment instead. It had no view other than of parked cars, but it was spacious and modern. It was the best they could do. This hotel was located in Lyme Regis.

Our next stop was Henley on Thames. The hotel was very nice and the two was pretty, but we didn’t arrive until 4.30. There was no Sunday dinner, so went elsewhere. Then we left the next morning at 9.30. The river was lovely to view.

We had fantastic drivers and driver guides throughout London, the Cotswolds, Cornwall, and Dorset back to London.

We missed our tour of Westminster Abbey due to the time change and lack of sleep. Our concierge tried his best to arrange for us to visit it on our last day. I called our travel company and was given the ticket number by email. Westminster Abbey declined because the company it was purchased through refused to confirm it. We were again disappointed. I tried calling the travel company back, left a message for help, but never got a return call.

We may go back again, but I would arrange for someone to meet me at the airport with a wheelchair. I would have been less stressed. That airport was overwhelming and confusing.

I sincerely wished that we did not have the Chelsea Flower Show and Windsor Castle on the same day. I could hardly walk by the end. Our agents offered to change Windsor to a different day, but it was an additional £350 or so. That seemed very unfair.

Zicasso's travel agency is a world-class travel company and our agent is the best travel designer in all of France. I could not recommend her more! She planned a once-in-a-lifetime luxury trip to Paris and Champagne to celebrate my wife's 40th birthday and it exceeded our expectations!

Our designer's extensive knowledge of the region, attention to detail, and expansive network of contacts ensured we had exceptional service and experiences throughout the trip.

When planning our itinerary, she took the time to learn what we liked and where we wanted to go, and the result was a perfect combo of sightseeing at historical landmarks, gastronomy at Michelin-starred restaurants, and VIP experiences like a private cruise down the Seine.

In Champagne, we learned more about the region's wine production and relaxed at the most prestigious hotel. All of our guides were friendly, knowledgeable, and prompt.

Simply put, it was an amazing trip and it's because Zicasso's travel company planned it for us!