Beach & Island Vacations & Tours

While my family and I thoroughly enjoyed the beauty of Tahiti, I regret to say that our experience with Zicasso's travel agent did not meet our expectations. We entrusted her with planning our 10-day vacation for a group of six, including four young adults in their 20s and early 30s, and unfortunately, several issues impacted our trip.

Of the ten days we were in Tahiti, only two excursions were arranged by our agent. Prior to departure, she sent us a finalized itinerary, and based on that schedule, we booked additional activities for the open days. However, on the second day of our trip, she informed us we had missed an excursion in Moorea. I referenced the itinerary she had provided, which listed that excursion for the following day. She claimed that the schedule had changed, and I was looking at an outdated version, despite never receiving an update or notification. She then placed the blame on airport staff for not informing us of the change—something that should have been her responsibility.

Additionally, the selection of one of the hotels for four nights did not align with the preferences we discussed. While the island and hotel are beautiful, the location was extremely isolated and better suited for honeymooners or older couples. The concierge offered little support in finding local activities, and we were disappointed to miss Easter Sunday services, which we had hoped to attend but received no assistance arranging.

Another major concern was the lodging setup. Our agent booked three rooms, each with a king and a single bed. This configuration was excessive for our group, as we could have comfortably managed with two rooms. This was an unnecessary expense, especially given the already significant cost of the trip.

Due to these issues—lack of communication, poor alignment with our group’s interests, and inefficient planning—I would not recommend her services, nor would I book with this travel agency again.

Everything was so well planned and executed smoothly. Our travel agent had great suggestions, with a local touch. The hotels were top-notch, and the tour guides were fun and knowledgeable. Everything was so easy, we didn't have to think about a thing. Highly recommended.

Team Zicasso,

Our trip to Bali was simply outstanding… we could not have asked for a more amazing vacation!  Our highest compliments to our travel agent and the team he put together (our tour guide and driver) to make our vacation (a belated 50th birthday celebration) unforgettable. The travel company put together a top-notch itinerary with the most memorable excursions. From the sunset hike of Mount Batur to tours of rice fields and several temples, and three relaxing days in the Gili Islands, we could not have asked for more!  

Our agent was a master communicator and planner who was always two steps ahead. Throughout the entire planning process, he was punctual, efficient, honest, and a problem-solver to boot. Just one example: I miscalculated our departure day by one day and did not realize it until close to the end of our trip. Instead of me trying to frantically rearrange flights etc., our agent, within 30 minutes of hearing my problem, had three viable options for me ready to go, without any interruptions to our schedule. Another very professional touch that showed his willingness to go above and beyond was his personally greeting us at each new hotel we stayed at to ensure the accommodations met our expectations. 

I will definitely team up again with Team Zicasso and this company for future travel plans.

Sincerely,

Jeff H.

From day one, I knew this was the company for me. Zicasso's travel expert was fantastic at communicating with me and making sure I stayed in my budget while getting the perfect vacation. Every detail was planned beautifully, so I felt like I was on a first-rate vacation. He provided very detailed instructions for transportation, hotels, food, and tours. I cannot rave enough about each of the tour providers he connected us with because each was outstanding.

Our main purpose for traveling was to dive in the reef and this experience exceeded our expectations because the tour was so organized. We also did an Australian safari, which was really off the beaten track and gave us a unique look at the biodiversity in the area that we could not have had with any other tour.

This company set us up for a perfect trip and one thing that was very evident was that our travel expert and staff do their homework! They know the companies they set you up with for tours and they know them because they have experienced them firsthand. I am so glad I picked the travel company for this trip and I can't wait to use them again!

This was one of the top three vacations of my life, and I've been lucky enough to go on many holidays over my 65 years. From the hotels we stayed at to the food at the resorts and the people at the resorts and in public, everything was perfect. 

We had a little snafu at the beginning when our flight was canceled and we ended up leaving 24 hours later, but that had nothing to do with the Zicasso travel company, and after one quick phone call, the itinerary was adjusted to our new day and time of arrival. 

Drivers met us at hotels and airports when they were supposed to, hotel rooms were available and ready when they should have been, and our organized trips went off like a dream. A helicopter tour of one of the islands was canceled due to the airport being closed and we received a refund within days of our return. 

The resorts in Bora Bora and Taha'a were particularly nice; great choices!!

I would consider myself a seasoned traveler and generally plan all vacations myself. However, as I was traveling with a larger party/wider range of ages than I'm used to organizing, I wanted the expertise of an agency. Given the wonderful reviews of this company on Zicasso and a great conversation with the travel agent via the phone, I decided to utilize this travel company. I was sold on the travel agent's vision for a trip that was personalized, accommodating to all age groups, and catered to our foodie/adventurous spirit. However, things became a bit challenging for me shortly before I left. Items that we had previously discussed adding into the itinerary were left out with no explanation, and only some were added back in at an additional cost. The items previously discussed that were not provided I had to organize myself as the other members of my party were looking forward to them. The travel agent had also stopped responding to my direct emails but was communicating through another member of the team.

I made it very clear from the get-go that we are not a family that enjoys structured history/walking tours. We prefer to be immersed in the culture, food, and water activities. I was advised that the guides for tours would be there to follow our lead on what we wanted to see in each location and help with recommendations. This was not the case as the guides were on a very tight time frame with designated stops and regimented talking points. I had members of my group including two children who were unfortunately bored. It got to the point towards the end of the tour that it was necessary to organize my own itinerary as I usually do. This added stress to me on a vacation that was supposed to be relaxing.

The flow of the scheduled itinerary made little sense and wasted a lot of time. We got off the plane in Palermo to stay at our villa at least an hour and a half away to turn around a couple days later and go back to Palermo for a day trip. Palermo should have been scheduled the first day since we were already there, given the distance. The scheduled Palermo trip didn't even start until 11 a.m, which meant by the time we got there, we basically had time to see one street and eat lunch before needing to move on. This was very inconvenient for one family in my party as they were leaving the vacation early. They had to go all the way up to Palermo again the next day for their flight home. It was a lot of back and forth in the car for absolutely no reason. Additionally, I was assured water would be all around me when asking about the beach, but for our first villa it was nowhere close. I had two children going home who that is all they wanted to see before leaving. Asking our driver to stop at the beach on the way back from Palermo was quite the hassle (from my agency's standpoint) though my transportation company stated I was still within contracted hours.

I was assured our trips during the day would be a reasonable distance, but we did an almost 5 hour drive in one day to move from our first villa to the next with a brief stop in Agrigento to break it up. We basically wasted a day of our vacation in the car.

The location of our first villa was very inconvenient for a group relying on drivers to take us place to place. I was told if we wanted to stay in villas we would be outside the main town. While I understood this, it was not noted that I would be far from everything with poor taxi service. Once our driver dropped us off at our villa for the evening we were essentially stuck in isolation. Even our tour guides didn't understand why we were not placed in a villa with a better location.

Our boat tour (which was initially supposed to be added then turned into an additional cost) got cancelled due to weather and I have yet to receive a refund. I was told I went overtime with my driver and the extra money from the cancelled boat might be allotted to this. This is crazy given my drivers told me I was within the hours of their contract. Additionally concerning, our in-country contact initially wasn't even aware I had a boat ride scheduled.

According to my itinerary, I was supposed to have a 4x4 off-roading trip in Mount Etna, though my transportation company assured me this was not the case. The only thing I was scheduled for was a wine tasting near this location as they spoke with my agency to confirm. My family was really looking forward to a nature portion of the trip. I therefore updated my driver and guide that I was skipping the whole scheduled itinerary entirely and did my own planning.

I was impressed that I was told this travel company hand picks their experiences / guides / transportation services and has a personal connection with the island. However, many of the service professionals I encountered admitted they had not heard of this company before. While I have no complaints about those that were contracted, it does make me question the travel company's integrity and reputation.

I did reach out to our in-country contact about my grievances, but they were in my opinion unfriendly, unhelpful, and rude. I asked for the travel agent's phone number, in order to speak with him directly as I contracted with him, and this was not granted. I was only given the email contact information that I already had. I sent an email while I was away on 9/25; it has yet to be answered. I may have given this company at least 3 stars for the accommodations being very spacious and clean, our tour guides friendly, and our drivers top-notch, despite not exactly receiving the vacation I was expecting. However, the lack of customer service, professionalism and responsiveness is unacceptable to me. I would not recommend this company for your Sicily vacation. I was beyond overwhelmed and saddened with how poorly arranged this trip was and how I felt terrible that I had 11 other people spend their money and vacation time on this company. My advice: find a villa in a convenient location and hire a driver vs. rent cars. Save yourself the headache and extra expense of having to reorganize the itinerary independently anyway.