Romantic Vacation: France, Switzerland, and Italy

The trip was good and the travel company did their job well. I'm particularly pleased with their recommended hotel location in all 5 cities - Rome, Florence, Milan, Interlaken and Lucerne. The hotels are centrally located and provides easy access to most of the desired attractions.

However, improvement can be made if we are informed clearly that certain area of visit are really really near the hotel, and easily accesible by wheelchair so that transport may not be required. 

To be precise, I've enquired about visiting Trastevere and were informed that we need transport arrangement to get there. Luckily the hotel staff in Rome gave us both directiions and restaurant recommendations as it's wonderfully near our  hotel and we managed to had lunch there with our wheelchair bound son.

Similarly our morning date with a chocolate facility in Interlaken was also very near the hotel of stay, hence the car is not required for that morning. 

Perhaps more detail should be given so that travellers can make their own decision on the requirement of the car as I understand these constitute a big part of the cost when making the quotation for each customer's travel plans.

This summer, I traveled to Europe for the time with my Husband. This travel agent planned a wonderful trip for us and I must say that I am still in my vacation hangover! :) We visited Italy, Switzerland, and Paris.

Italy: I had THE BEST TIME OF MY LIFE in Italy. We visited Venice, Florence, and Rome. Venice was indescribably romantic. Our hotel was hotel was located in the heart of the city so we covered the entire city by foot. We had a private tour guide and she was extremely knowledgeable and friendly. 

After two days of stay in Venice, we next traveled by train to Florence, the fashion capital of Italy. On the first day, our agent had planned a private city tour for us. Our private tour guide was amazing! She told us about the city, best places to buy leather and best gelato place in Florence. Our hotel was strategically located. It was just 0.3 miles from the train station so we literally reached in 5 mins to our hotel. The next day was group tour to Ufizzi gallery and that's where we did not have a good time. The tour company was nice but the tour guide was not all that great. We received differential treatment there. I was not feeling well that day so instead of asking how I am doing, the guide asked my husband if we are done with our tour. WOW! I don't know if it was because of our color, race, or nationality. 

The next day we went to explore the wilderness, the cypress-lined vineyards of Tuscany. We visited a small medieval town and then headed to wine tasting. There, we spent hours in lingering over a meal in the open air, had one of the best meals of our lives as the fresh ingredients were picked up from the market that day and the hosts were as gracious as your own grandmother. We truly enjoyed the glace of Italian culture there. The trip to Chianti was the best part of our entire journey.

The next day we traveled to the sun-washed city of Rome. We had a beautiful time there too. 

Then We flew to Zurich. Our room was amazing and had a breathtaking view of the lake Lucerne with the city line of Lucerne. After two nights in Lucene, we then traveled to Lauterbrunnen. As they say, Switzerland is "Heaven on Earth" we actually did witness that heaven in Lauterbrunnen. The view of the valley of 72 waterfalls was incredible. Our hotel was located near the train station and the had a spectacular view from our room. Unfortunately, the hotel did not have any help available. Even for a glass of hot water, we had to climb up and down 3 floors, which was disappointing. Plus restaurants were super expensive and the food was terrible. 

Then we went to Paris. Paris was again unforgettable. Because of our travel agent, we got to see the Batille's day parade and the gorgeous view of Eiffel tower in fireworks! That experience was unforgettable.

Overall, the trip was amazing. Our agent did put together an amazing itinerary for us and we had a time of our life there.  Highly recommended!

Our trip to Switzerland and Northern Italy could not have been better planned by our travel agency and their representative. We had been to Italy before and had visited most of the major cities and sites but had never been north of Milan. Having never vacationed in Switzerland we thought it would be a good idea to combine the two and that’s exactly the trip our travel agency provided us.

Our overnight stays included Zurich, Lucerne, Interlaken, Lake Garda, Radda in Chianti & Lake Como. Day trips and activities were planned from each stop with enough rest time in between for us to recharge. 

We’re not fond of big chain hotels and expressed our interest in staying in smaller boutique style accommodations located within walking distance of major sites. Our hotels ran the gamut from a palazzo in the Chianti and a Grand Hotel in Interlaken to amazing resorts on Lake Garda and Lake Como.

All the drivers and guides who took care of us were experienced, professional and a joy to spend time with. It was obvious from day one our travel agency had really listened to us regarding the type of vacation we were looking for and had gone above and beyond in providing exactly that. They contacted us numerous times to make sure everything was going well and provided us with a 24/7 phone number which we could use to contact them if we had any questions or concerns.

The agency even took the time to book all our dinner reservations in advance based on our requests. They provided us with confirmations for all activities and a detailed itinerary.

We would definitely recommend this company to friends and family and would not hesitate to use their services again when we return to Italy and/or Switzerland.

THE BEST VACATION EVER!!!!

I must admit that I was somewhat uncomfortable arranging a group tour to Italy with someone I communicated with only via the Internet and telephone.  However, after my first communication with our agent -- I knew that she “had it.”  She understood exactly what we wanted to do.  She was right-on in both concept and execution.

Our ten-day adventure in Italy began with a private transfer with an English speaking local driver from the Rome airport to our fantastic 3 star boutique hotel located right in the historical center of Rome.  During our three days in Rome, we had fantastic private tours of Ancient Rome, the Coliseum, and the Vatican Museums.  Extremely knowledgeable, English-speaking guides led all of our tours.  Sense of Italy had arranged for VIP, skip the line, priority entrance for all tours -- saving us from long waits in long lines.

After our busy 3 days in Rome, we departed via private van transfer from our hotel in Rome to the Chianti Region of Tuscany.  The transfer included stops on the Val D’ Orcia to visit the amazing Villages of Montalcino and Montepulciano.  The “light lunch” and wine tasting we enjoyed in Montalcino was one of the highlights of our trip.  In Tuscany we stayed 7 Nights in a beautiful, historic villa located on one of the best wine estates of Chianti (Villa Le Corti near San Casciano) where we were met with a fantastic welcome dinner. During our time in Tuscany we were transported by private van from our villa to private tours of Siena, San Gimignano, Florence, Pisa and Lucca.  On each of our stops we were met by knowledgeable English speaking guides that clearly were proud of the history of their country, and were anxious to share it.  Interspersed in all of this activity were numerous exceptional meals with opportunities to taste (and drink) very fine Italian wines.

When we finally were forced to leave Italy, our agent arranged for private transport accommodating our varying departure times from the Florence airport and train station.

Thanks to this travel company and our agent for designing the perfect vacation for our group.  The only complaint that I heard was that we ate too much — wow was all the food delicious.  I really don’t know how she did it.  All of the tours were great — the van drivers friendly and helpful, the guides knowledgeable, and the sites spectacular.  Our stay in the villa was a great experience.  We were treated royally everywhere.  We all marveled at our agent's ability to get us, the vans, the guides, the food and wine, etc. all at the right place at the right time.  She is a genius!!!!

Jeff E

My husband and I just returned from a two-week vacation in Italy. With the help of Zicasso and our travel company, we were able to fit every wish into this short time.

We started out in Rome, then went on to Florence for some amazing history. We then traveled to the Tuscany and Chianti countryside for private cooking and wine experiences. We loved the small villages we explored and the little family-owned wineries and olive farms.

A highlight was staying in a bed and breakfast in Ponzano that overlooked the beautiful olive gardens and countryside. We explored the small villages of San Gimignano, Montepulciano, and Montalcino, and felt like we had discovered authentic local life.

The tail of our trip was spent in the beautiful Lake Como area, with a day trip to Lugano, Switzerland.

My brothers and I asked our agent to plan a 50th Wedding Anniversary trip to Italy for our parents who had never been to Italy (or Europe, for that matter).  The trip was absolutely perfect.  Our parents are not big travelers, so we wanted them to be "hand held" a bit and our agent arranged just that.  They were picked up at the airport by a driver, so they did not have to worry about a taxi or finding their way to their hotel.  The trip was a 12 day trip starting out in Rome where they spent 4 days.  They stayed in a lovely boutique hotel (with a great location) with a fantastic roof top bar that was perfect setting for sharing a glass of processo while enjoying the views of this gorgeous city.  When they toured the Vatican, there were only 6 people in their party (including themselves).  They loved the small group size.  They were able to ask questions and hear everything the tour guide said.  We had a private driver take them for a day trip to the village where our father's dad came from.  Our agent was really able to personalize this trip for them.  From Rome, it was off to Florence where they stayed in another lovely hotel centrally located with amazing views of the city.  They also took a cooking class nearby and loved every minute of it.  They spent another day enjoying wine tasting in Siena and Chianti.  Every single excursion was well laid out and extremely well planned.  They ended their trip by spending 4 days on the Almafi coast taking another cooking class (just the two of them) and enjoying a private boat ride to the island of Capri.  It was definitely a trip of a lifetime and we were all pleased with the outcome.  I would highly recommend this agency to anyone who wants a trip tailored to meet all their needs and wants.