Here’s a collection of testimonials and reviews from 2017, offering ideas for your next vacation.
Bev & Maggie | Scotland | March, 2017
Hi Amanda:
The flight to Amsterdam and the connecting flight to Glasgow went smoothly and on time. So convenient not to have to collect our baggage in Amsterdam, knowing it would be forwarded to Glasgow and waiting for us when we arrived.
The Jury’s Inn in Glasgow was well situated for getting around the city. We enjoyed walking to the nearby shopping areas and it was great to be so close to the car rental company when it came to pick up the car.
We took advantage of the “Glasgow City Site-Seeing Bus” with its hop-on, hop-off feature. Among other things, we visited Glasgow Cathedral and the Necropolis (which gave a great view of the city).
The car rental went smoothly, although they apparently did not give us a “load cover” for the back hatch which was questioned when we returned the car in Edinburgh. We did not realize it was supposed to have been there so knew nothing of it.
The car itself was a Nissan Juke which was very manageable and easy to drive. The only complaint I would have about the car is the windshield washer fluid compartment which was empty when we got the car. Driving in the Highlands, I think every bug in the area committed suicide on the windshield and it was very hard to clean off. I picked up some washer fluid at the next gas station but the washer ejectors on the car were so weak that it didn’t make much of a difference. Probably just my perception, I drive a Jeep Patriot at home and the windshield washer fluid shoots out so strongly that I think it probably cleans the car behind me too. LOL!
The Holly Tree Hotel in Glencoe was very nice and right on the water. We used our time here to visit castle ruins and took a 90 minute cruise on Loch Linnhe. Although it was rainy and windy that day, we saw some beautiful scenery.
On to Skye – which Maggie and I agreed was the favourite part of our trip. The people were so friendly and the waiter in the Bosville Hotel (John) was very helpful with directions on how to get to the local sites. Unfortunately, we needed his assistance because (for some unknown reason) the TEP mobile WiFi did not work on Skye. I don’t know if it was due to location but Maggie could not get a signal on the device the whole time we were on the island. That did not stop us from getting around and we saw the Fairy Glen, Fairy Pools, Old Man of Storr and visited Dunvegin Castle. Driving on the one-lane roadways with only occasional pullover spots for passing was a challenge to say the least! Maggie was delighted when our progress was slowed down by sheep wandering onto the roadway. We also found a Highland cow grazing in a pasture and Maggie got a good picture of it. However, the highlight of this stop was definitely our archery lesson! Maggie had found a place online and booked us in before we left. It was called A.C.E. Target Sports and run by a very nice young man named Matt. He was an excellent instructor and had us do a little competition towards the end of our lesson (I won!) – he also threw in an axe throwing lesson to boot! I would highly recommend it for any of your future clients.
On to Ullapool just for one night. The Skylark B&B was a beautiful place sitting up on a hill overlooking the ocean – fantastic views. The room was excellent. The owners (Pauline and Karl) were very friendly and we had great conversations with Pauline. Maggie also voted this the best breakfast she had on the trip.
The Pennyland B&B in Thurso was also nice – though by this time (with all the walking/climbing we had been doing), I wished our room had not been on the top floor! LOL! The hosts here (Raymond and Carol) were also very friendly and accommodating. We took advantage of a ferry ride/bus tour of the Orkney Islands while staying here where we saw the Italian Chapel (built by POWs during WWII), the Ring of Brodgar (standing stones) and visited some small towns – including Stromness that had a music festival in progress where we saw musicians in the street and the pub playing Celtic music.
On to Inverness – the hotel was very nice but when it came time to show us our room, we were taken out of the hotel and down the block to a brownstone building where, again, we were in the top room of a 5-floor walk-up! If we had been staying more than one night here, I think I would have had to ask for a room change because the walk up to the room was exhausting for someone my age. However, we did take a boat tour on Loch Ness before we left the area and visited Culloden Battlefield & Visitor Centre.
On to Edinburgh – this was a 3 hour drive so, at about the 2 hour mark, I told Maggie I needed to stop for a rest. We pulled off in a little town called Bankfoot that had a Visitor Centre with a restaurant. The centre also had a neighbouring paddock that held a Highland Cow! Navigating the streets of Edinburgh in the car was challenging (Thank God, the TEP was working here!) but we finally found the car rental drop-off and returned the Nissan. From there, we walked to the Radisson Blu Hotel. What a nice surprise to find the bottle of champagne from you and the Crystal Travel Group in our room when we arrived. Unfortunately, when we checked out of the hotel, the desk clerk tried to charge us for it. I explained to him that it was already in the room when we arrived and that it was a complimentary gift from you but he was quite rude and insisted we pay. I finally had to show him the card that had been left with the bottle and he grudgingly admitted that we had not signed for the bottle. I have not checked my credit card statement yet, but I hope I was not charged for this.
Other than that, the hotel was very nice and central to the Royal Mile and shopping. We visited Edinburgh Castle and went to an attraction called Edinburgh’s Dungeons which was a lot of fun. The second day we took a bus tour of Dunfermline Abbey (I was born in Dunfermline), Stirling Castle and Rosslyn Chapel.
The day of departure was long to say the least. Our flight from Edinburgh to JFK was delayed by over 2 hours which meant we could not catch the original connecting flight at 3:00 pm. and were rescheduled for a 9:00 pm flight to Toronto. I had arranged for a limo pickup in Toronto so I was able to e-mail the limo company to inform them of our delayed arrival. However, the 9:00 pm flight from JFK was then delayed by 20 minutes but, in fact, left almost an hour late (10:00 pm). I was worried that the limo driver would not be there when we got it but, thankfully, he was – so we finally made it home about 1:30 am. Just a suggestion for your future clients – I think it would be better to connect flights through Amsterdam instead of JFK. JFK is such a confusing airport and we had to collect our baggage and recheck it in for the flight to Toronto which is something we never had to do connecting through Amsterdam.
I sent the TEP device back yesterday from our local FedEx operator.
Thank you for all your help with this trip, Amanda! It has certainly been an adventure to remember.
Emma G. | Ireland | April, 2017
Where you were on this trip: Ireland
How would you rate your trip overall?: 
5/5
Who was your Travel Expert?: Amanda
How were your accommodations?: Great
What did you love?: Every B&B was wonderful, our hosts were great. Especially in Letterkenny. Ashford Castle was simply amazing. Definitely once in a lifetime!
Did everything go smoothly with your transportation?: Yes
What did you love?: We got the seats we requested, car rental went smoothly!
What tours, attractions, or activities did you particularly enjoy?: Our stay at Ashford Castle, Titanic Museum, Whiskey Museum, Cliffs, Rock of Cashel… Everything!!!
What was your favorite part of the trip?: Everything – not sure we could pick just one thing. The trip was tailored perfectly for everything we wanted.
Would you travel with us again?: Yes
How can we improve for next time?: I’m not sure you could improve. Every change we wanted to make, every question we had, was answered promptly and completely. It was our first experience with traveling through a tour company, and we wish you did tours everywhere!
Marcia W. | Ireland | May, 2017
Ann,
Everyone loved the trip! The only change we made was the day to travel to Dublin, instead of the really long day going by Blarney and Cobh, we went a more direct route across stopping at Adare.
All of the accommodations were excellent, we were close to whatever we were doing in each city/ town. The food was a nice surprise. Several spots we ate the food was gourmet quality! Especially Paddy’s pub in Tullycross, Byrne’s in Ennistymon and the Farm restaurant in Dublin.
We had a great time with the Kennedy Coach driver, Nigel. He couldn’t have been more helpful and attentive to our needs.
We can’t thank you enough for your help in planning and executing this trip!
Ashley R. | Ireland | May, 2017
Where you were on this trip: Ireland
How would you rate your trip overall?: 5/5
Who was your Travel Expert?: Katie
How were your accommodations?: Great
What did you love?: We loved our hotel in Killarney, The Fairview Guesthouse! The couple that runs it was such a delight. They let us borrow their plates so that we could order some late night dessert to go from Cronin’s down the street. I can’t say enough great things about this cute place. The Ashford Castle is a MUST SEE! We felt like royalty the whole time.
Did everything go smoothly with your transportation?: Yes
What did you love?: I had so much fun driving our own car and learning to drive on the opposite side of the road. Unfortunately we ended up having to pay a lot more upon arrival, Hertz told us we would not fit in the car reserved for us. Other than that the customer service there was great.
What tours, attractions, or activities did you particularly enjoy?: The Dingle peninsula was really pretty. We met some super sweet people up there. When I go back I would like to stay somewhere out there for a bit. We were blown away by the Cliffs of Moher. Pictures do not do it justice at all.
What was your favorite part of the trip?: Talking to locals and meeting new people. And of course, the Ashford Castle. 🙂
Would you travel with us again?: Yes
How can we improve for next time?: Katie was so amazing and was really patient with all our last minute changes and requests. It was a great experience working with Crystal Travel and Tours.
Denise H. | Ireland | May, 2017
Where you were on this trip: Ireland
How would you rate your trip overall? 5/5
Who was your Travel Expert? Katie
How were your accommodations? Great
What did you love? All were different and all exceeded our expectations. Katie did a great job in picking each property
Did everything go smoothly with your transportation? Yes
What did you love? Flights went well Paul our Driver was phenomenal, can’t say enough about his knowledge and expertise in showing us all there was to see at each destination.
What tours, attractions, or activities did you particularly enjoy? ALL, starting in Kilarney, County Cork, Blarney Stone, Cliffs Of Moher, Golfing at Trump, Galway, Sligo, Dublin, etc etc etc
What was your favorite part of the trip? OMG, cannot pin point one thing it was ALL awesome and Katie went above and beyond with all her expertise
Would you travel with us again? Yes
How can we improve for next time? Not sure if it can get any better
Any other questions or comments? Loved everything about the trip, would like to send a special thank you to our driver Paul
Nancy O. | Ireland | June, 2017
Hi Ann!
The trip was amazing. Our driver Donal was terrific. Always on time, great sense of humor. Once he figured out what and how we operated he was suggesting stops that were perfect for us. We saw a lot of Ireland and enjoyed every minute. The accommodations were spot on. Don’t want to know what we paid a night for the Merrion in Dublin but to end a busy trip with such a luxurious place was just what we needed. Treated like royalty. Have never stayed in a hotel close to that! The Marriotts after that look quite shabby! Our driver to the airport was on time, incredibly professional. Filled the ride to the airport with a fact filled history of Dublin which we loved! Thank you for planning a trip the entire O’Hara family loved!
Kayla & Dean P. | Scotland | June, 2017
Where you were on this trip: Scotland
How would you rate your trip overall?: 5/5
Who was your Travel Expert?: Ann
How were your accommodations?: Great
What did you love?: We loved EVERY place we stayed at! Every host was so incredibly friendly and the accommodations were placed near everything that we needed. We couldn’t possibly pick a favorite accommodation as each one was so unique and had it’s own magical qualities!
Did everything go smoothly with your transportation?: Yes
What did you love?: The driver who picked us up from the hotel was very kind and gave us a little history of the buildings as we drove to Ramsays B&B. The car we received was a little SUV and had many blind spots but worked well for the two weeks we had used it. The flights were long but very comfortable as we had unlimited movies and refreshments.
What tours, attractions, or activities did you particularly enjoy?: What didn’t we enjoy! We loved hiking the landscapes. Especially the Farm Hike in Pitlochry. The hiking in Sligachan was brilliantly beautiful as well! We also got to enjoy some local food and drink, especially the whiskey distilleries and haggis. We took a cemetary hike on our second day in Edinburgh which included going into the Vaults. The history that comes with this country is so fascinating and we loved learning all that we could. It still wasn’t enough for us!
What was your favorite part of the trip?: Pitlochry was our favorite. The hiking we did through the mountains and hanging with the local sheep while we walked through the farms was an experience I hope to have again.
Would you travel with us again?: Yes
How can we improve for next time?: Everything that Ann did was P.E.R.F.E.C.T. ! She made the traveling so easy! All we had to do was show up and do our thing! We stuck mostly to her itinerary with some little additions on the way.
Pamella F. | Ireland | June, 2017
Where you were on this trip : Ireland
How would you rate your trip overall? : 5/5
Who was your Travel Expert? : Amanda
How were your accommodations? : Great
What did you love? : I loved all the places we stayed at.
Did everything go smoothly with your transportation? :Yes
What did you love? : The flight was great. I loved the fact that we went thru customs in Ireland and not in the US.
What tours, attractions, or activities did you particularly enjoy? : Cliffs of Moher was spectacular!
Did you find the Irish Heritage Book useful? : Yes, for planning and discounts
Did you find the Ireland at a Glimpse Book useful? : Did not use
What was your favorite part of the trip? : Traveling the highways of Ireland and seeing the landscape! Beautiful!
Would you travel with us again? : Yes
How can we improve for next time? : We did have an issue with the vehicles but that was taken care of. Amanda was very responsive to our needs!
Stephen & Kelly M. | Scotland | July, 2017
Hello Ann,
The trip was great. Kelly actually drove all the time. I was going to also, but it got easier for her as time went by. So, why have another learning curve with me trying? ; ) We found that on the GPS, as I brought my Garmin and ordered a map for all of the U.K., it was the Postal Code that helped pinpoint the locations. As you may recall, there were no house numbers on many of the hotels we stayed at. I would recommend your future clients to use the codes!
Oban was was very nice. Pretty harbor and great pictures at sunset, and before that, as it set around 10:30pm local time. Portree was very nice. We did drive North and then around that part of the Isle of Skye and back to Portree. Was very very good. Great sights. We went hiking by the water (harbor) and then up the hillside and back around to the town. Our rooms were facing the harbor which was nice. Fort. Augustus was also very nice. We ate at The Lock Inn a few times. Was right beside the locks going into Lock Ness. So nice the see the boats go through them. You could go right beside them with your drinks and food from the Inn. The kayaking was fun also. Would recommend that to your clients. The folks were very nice and competent. The hotel there was ok.
We did stop at all of the three state run castles. Tip: if you know you’ll do that, get the ‘Pass the first time” and save a few pounds.
The Culloden Battlefield and museum was an excellent stop. You’ll want to walk some of the paths too and see the markers. Take time to see both perspectives leading up to the battle in the museum. The hotel at Inverness was interesting. Nice place. We did take a cab to the Downtown area to have dinner at, I think, was No. 13.?? Was good. We didn’t have to worry about drinking and driving. We Stopped at the castle there also. Didn’t go inside. Just the view. Eh. Oh, and Edinburgh was very good also. The castle was very good. Royal Mile-pretty touristy. We did tell you of The Whiskey place we went to a few times. All the different types of whisky. That was a good stop!! Tell your clients!
Thank you for all of your planning for us. We appreciate it.
Rochelle D. | Other | July, 2017
How would you rate your trip overall?: 5
Who was your Travel Expert?: Amanda
How were your accommodations?: Great
What did you love?: Everything was absolutely amazing and we owe that all to our travel agent. Our trip was so easy to book, we told our travel agent our budget, time of year we could go and she made it all happen. She found us the perfect resort with adult only, reserved an ocean front view room with views that we will never forget and got us first class on our way to the resort. Everything was perfect from the weather to the room to the food. We owe it all to Amanda!
Did everything go smoothly with your transportation?: Yes
What did you love?: Transportation was easy and smooth from the moment we got off the airplane in our destination to the moment we left. Transportation was waiting for us when we got off the plane and made us feel very safe bringing us to the correct resort. We also loved how Apple Vacation had representatives at our resort therefore if we had any questions concerning anything they were available. They made us feel very safe and comfortable.
What tours, attractions, or activities did you particularly enjoy?: While at our resort we did two explorations, one being swimming with dolphins and the second one taking a boat to a separate island where we snorkeled, found starfish and were able to relax on a different beach than the resort. We LOVED the explorations, our favorite was the boat exploration as we were able to experience a little bit on how the natives live and also explore a different part of the island. Overall it was a trip of a lifetime and we are so fortunate for everything to have worked out perfectly!
What was your favorite part of the trip?: The boat exploration was our favorite exploration, but we also loved many parts of our trip such as waking up daily to an ocean front view of the beautiful beach, also having an great entertainment crew that made each day fun. We loved the swim up bar in the salt water pool.
Would you travel with us again?: Yes
How can we improve for next time?: No complaints, Amanda took great care of us and made this experience amazing and effortless. I can not wait to book another trip soon!
Any other questions or comments?: Amanda Brown was an amazing travel agent who really took the time to match our budget, time off and location to what we were envisioning. We basically told Amanda we wanted to go to an island with crystal blue waters, no children, during this specific week and this was our budget and she delivered more than what we could have asked for. Not only did Amanda do an amazing job matching what we wanted but she then went above and beyond by booking us first class, finding an ocean front view room and constantly was in touch with the resort up till the day we arrived to make sure we were taken care of and got what we wanted (ocean front and king size bed). She was absolutely amazing!!!!! Thank you Amanda for making our dreams come true!!!!
Dennis D. | Ireland | July, 2017
The bars there were the best, every bar had music everynite. John Benny’s bar actually cooked the fish we caught.
You have to warn people about the 9:00 shut off rule for most of the restaurants. Even in the cities like Killarney the kitchen closes at 9. That plus it stays light till 10 kept throwing us off time wise. We came close on missing dinner a couple of times. Killarney is a great spot to view Ross Castle, Torc Waterfalls, muckRoss House and the Killarney National Park ( absolutely breath taking).
The hotel in Dingle wasn’t as nice as the the other hotels. The staff and food were excellent, but it’s noisy and a lot of people moving around all hours of the nite. The rooms weren’t any where as nice as the Trident or the Fairview or the one in Ennis. Hotel wise the Fairview was our favorite. Excellent staff, the rooms were spacious and had a jacuzzi . Perfect spot in Killarney, ya stones through from restaurants and the pubs.
The Trident in Kinsale was very nice as well. Not much entertainment at the pubs. Only a couple pubs offered music , I was a little surprised. Although there was a Scottish or Welch maitre’e from the hotel restaurant (Pier One) who the best, the kids loved him. He went out of his way to help us, he was just a great host with great sense of humor.
The hotel in Ennis was my favorite because it had AC, thank God there wasn’t a heatwave over there. The pub is very nice as well as the music talent they had. It’s a perfect location only 20/30 mins to Shannon and we were able to squeeze in the Cliffs of Mohar in the rain. Although only last day it rained otherwise it was pretty good weather
The van was perfect, excellent on gas. Just a warning to future travelers that it’s best to get the insurance coverage. Two people in front of me had to pay for scraped rims and tires. They were irate. Someone apparently backed into us in Dingle, that and a couple lost hubcaps. All I did was fill out a report of what happened and I was on my way. The other people were out of pocket hundreds and were there for 20/30 mins dealing with claims
Rolf’s in Baltimore was nice as well. The breakfast was very good. We didn’t do dinner there, but people seemed enjoy their meals. Each room had a private bathroom, small but they were nice. Very small town good pizza and they serve till 11. And. Beautiful sunsets
Again it was a great trip, everyone really enjoyed themselves. I appreciate all your time and efforts. And thank you again for the candy.
Anne M. & Family | Ireland | July, 2017
Ann,
Wow! What a trip! Thank you soooo much for all the work you put in for us. We had a MARVELOUS time!
The dingle skellig wasn’t awful…it’s just, as you said, a bit of a letdown after the AMAZING Sheen Falls Lodge. Had the order been switched, it would have been better, I think. And I did appreciate the fact that I could do laundry at the dingle Skellig for no charge… as my college kid was out of clean clothes by that point 🙂
The old ground in Ennis was also very very nice.
Ireland was awesome, I hope to get back someday. I want to thank you again for the wonderful job you did in assisting us on this vacation of a lifetime!
Linda K. | Ireland | August, 2017
Where you were on this trip: Ireland
How would you rate your trip overall? 5/5
Who was your Travel Expert? Ann
How were your accommodations? Great
What did you love? Loved Whitestream Ballina hosts and location. Loved Girmish hosts and close to Galway and nice room. Loved room at Headly Court, nice host stayed one night.
Did everything go smoothly with your transportation? Yes
What did you love? Seeing family and how easy it was getting around and doing all things in the amount of time
What tours, attractions, or activities did you particularly enjoy? Saw family but recommend around Mayo Achil, Salthill , Westport
What was your favorite part of the trip? Seeing family
Would you travel with us again? Yes
How can we improve for next time? Nothing to improve
Patrick O. | Ireland | August, 2017
Hi Ann,
We have returned and we had a great trip. The itinerary you arranged as well as the rental car and the Tep wireless worked out quite well.
We all agree that Clifden and Galway City were the highlights of the trip:
The B&B in Clifden, White Heather House, was in a great location. The proprietor, Gerard King, was a delight and helpful. Very good breakfasts. A lot of French, Germans, and other nationalities in town on hiking and bike treks. A vibrant town with great food and trad music in many locations starting at 6:30 pm. I got to visit my uncle and cousins in Aillebrack (near Ballyconneely). A good visit.
We all loved the The Park House Hotel. The outside is not all that appealing. (Had a little bit of difficulty finding where to pull the car in to unload.) But inside it is wonderful to sit in the lobby and watch the comings and goings. The staff was wonderful. When we arrived, they quickly took our car and luggage. We went to the registration desk. The front desk associate was very funny and delightful. He said to my wife, Jane, that she looked like she could use a cup of tea. She said yes. So he told us to take a seat across from the reservation desk , and before you knew it the staff was delivering tea, coffee, and biscuits. The two rooms were high quality and comfortable. Wonderful breakfasts. I can see why it is your favorite hotel in GC. By any measurement, a great hotel. We all loved the Quay Street Kitchen restaurant and Garavan’s Bar (Irish coffee…yum).
Dingle was charming. Great food as well. The B&B, Devane’s, was wonderful and we would recommend it to anyone. Kevin and Geraldine were delightful and they made a wonderful breakfast. The place was spotless. The Slea Head drive was nice, but, we all thought the “savage beauty” of Connemara was more appealing and compelling.
Killarney was OK, although we really enjoyed Muckross House, the farms and Torc Falls. They were beautiful and interesting. Randles Hotel was just OK. It is an odd hotel in many ways. First, there is no obvious place to pull a vehicle into to register and unload. When we arrived, I pulled up a driveway to a small parking area. Trying to turn around was a challenge. A guy ran out of the hotel and told me I couldn’t park there. I told him I just wanted to register and unload. Well, after a somewhat awkward conversation, we got the car unloaded and I parked the van in the covered parking…barely; low ceiling, tall van. The inside of the hotel was odd; a lot of stairways and one elevator that was often out of service. There was furniture stored in the hallways. In my kids room, the hot and cold faucets in the bathroom were “the opposite” and the shower only had one setting…hot. Lighting in the rooms was poor. Not enough lights and low wattage bulbs. On the positive side, the beds were really comfortable and the breakfasts were really good.
Dromoland Castle was fun to stay at for one night. It definitely had all the “bells and whistles.” But, what I realize now is that the hotel and its grounds are isolated from the “real Ireland.” I’m glad I got the “castle stay” out of my system; I’d rather stay in a nice town in a B&B or small hotel, eat at a local place, and visit a pub.
Hertz was great for the car rental. I got the super CDW and was glad I did because I had one minor mishap when I backed up into some brush and hit a wall. Result: small dent in bumper. When I returned the car, I pointed out the dent to the Hertz attendant. No worries, though. Sign and go. I got the GPS but never used it because we used the Tep Wireless for directions. I had no problem driving on the left and handling the rotaries. It was a challenge, though, driving a van on some narrow roads and sharing the roads with large trucks and buses. Boy, some of those buses are HUGE; they take up more than half the road and there is only half a road to begin with!
The Tep Wireless worked very well. I’d say that we had about 85% connectivity. In some remote areas it would cut out, but we found our way around.
Thanks for helping arrange a wonderful vacation. You are a professional and I would recommend your services to anyone. If I were you, I’d market myself on the internet as someone who can arrange personal itineraries. When I was seeking out someone like you, I only found a few people who help individuals with personal travel arrangements to Ireland and none in the Boston area…until I found you. You really are personable and do an excellent job. Moreover, you are an excellent writer and I found it very easy to communicate with you.
I hope my trip report wasn’t too wordy!!
Michelle & Christopher | St. Lucia | September, 2017
How would you rate your trip overall? 5/5
Agent Amanda
How were your accommodations? Great
Did everything go smoothly with your transportation? Yes
What tours, attractions, or activities did you particularly enjoy? Amanda booked the Sulfer Springs and Waterfall tour for us! We had a fabulous private tour of the island! It was such a fun experience!
What was your favorite part of the trip? Relaxing at the pool and swim-up bar!
Would you travel with us again? Yes
Any other questions or comments? Amanda was outstanding! She made our honeymoon travel arrangements a breeze! I didn’t have to do or worry about a thing! We will have Amanda help with every trip from now on!
Maria & Marc | Spain, France & the Netherlands | October, 2017
Hi Kevin,
Our flights were excellent. In particular KLM, which never disappoints and Delta which in my opinion is always best when traveling internationally rather than domestic. Full meals were served on these airlines.
Vueling on the other hand is a budget airline, so as to be expected it ran with a 2.5 hour delay while we waited on the tarmac. I’ve used Vueling in the past and it’s definitely an airline that’s convenient as long as you don’t expect the comforts of other “big name” airlines.
Airport transfers were extremely convenient. Although we opted for the ‘shared shuttle’ on two occasions we were the only passengers in the car (departure in Paris and departure in Barcelona). All in all we were very pleased with these except for the departure transfer in Paris as we were woken up at 4:30am (when our reservation said 6:30am) and followed by the driver blasting rap music during our ride. When we asked him to turn it down, he was hostile and although we are unsure if he had a hearing problem, he kept yelling when asking us questions (“where we are from” “where we are going” etc). I must admit this car ride was scary and a little unsettling. Being that we were picked up 2-hours ahead of schedule, upon arrival at the airport we couldn’t check in to our flight to Barcelona and had to wait for a little over an hour until we can check in and go to our gate/get something to eat.
Our hotels were fantastic!! I can’t say enough great things about Hotel Arena in Amsterdam. The grounds are gorgeous and the hotel itself is modern with a historic twist still intact.
The room was comfortable (perfect for 2 adults) and had a big bathroom, compared to other European hotels! The staff was friendly and helpful, for Dutch standards, and then of course the location is super convenient. It is still within the canal ring, but a little removed from the center. You feel like a local staying in this hotel. It’s a perfect way to see Amsterdam from every angle. We will definitely be staying there again on our next trip to Amsterdam!
Another way to see the canals is if you opt for the Wine and Cheese Canal tour. We took this 2.5 hour tour (only offered at night) and it came with a variety of Dutch cheese to sample and (unlimited) wine! It was great to see the city from this viewpoint.
The hotel in Paris was also fantastic! Great location, conveniently located near the Champs Elysses and many train lines just around the corner. The staff was friendly (for the most part) and our room (post-upgrade!) had a Juliet balcony with large windows and beautiful view of the street. This hotel is perfect for anyone looking for a little more luxury while also maintaining a budget.
We will definitely recommend this hotel to anyone visiting Paris!
The Ibis Styles Barcelona Hotel was conveniently located and offered a great assortment of food for breakfast. It’s more of a ‘budget’ hotel, but the amenities were clean, our room was fairly big and had everything you need at your fingertips. The hotel was a short walk to Pasai de Gracia which leads to Las Ramblas and if you feel up for it, you could also make it to the beach!
We took the bus (across the street from our hotel) and we made it to Barceloneta beach in about 15 mins.
We were definitely pleased with this stay and will recommend to anyone.
We spent a lot of time exploring on our own in each city except for the couple of ticketed events we had planned.
The VIP Heineken Experience was hands down worth every minute! We had a fantastic tour guide “Abdi” who took us and 2 other couples around the facilities while also giving us some insights into the family and company. Then we were treated to a 5-beer ‘tasting’ (full glasses of beer!) paired with Dutch cheese in a private bar! We spent about an hour or so just hanging out and chatting while we tried some delicious beer and cheese. **Spoiler Alert!! At the end we were even given personalized Heineken bottles to bring back!
The Rijksmuseum is a must! I had been there before, pre-renovation, but it was great to see it in all its glory now! We went there right when it opened and had breakfast at their cafe followed by a couple of hours of exploring the museum. We recommend anyone going there to go on the earlier side as it was very busy when we left mid-afternoon.
If you want to feel like a local in Amsterdam, definitely pay a visit to T’Arendenst beer bar— a place offering numerous different types of beer from the Netherlands (like 400 different!) great snacks and pleasant conversation. We were there more than once 🙂
The Bruges Day trip was a convenient way to see a different county in 1 day and without having to figure out your way around. You pick up the bus from it’s pick up point in the center of Amsterdam and then a tour guide gives you brief commentary at the beginning of the trip and then also once in Bruge you do a short walking tour followed by time on your own.
We had delicious mussels and fries and the ‘best’ lamb chops at a cute little restaurant called Bistro T’Lammetje.
In Paris; the tour of Notre Dame was a good way to see the towers and get to know a little bit of the history. Only hiccup occurred when the tour guide did not have our names on the roster for that day. After making a few calls, she was willing to take us even though she said we were not on her list 🙁 this minor disruption caused our group to be slightly delayed going up, but once there it was well worth it!
The Skip the line tickets for the Louvre was def worth it. We made it right in with minimal wait. The Louvre is a magnificent place, but definitely know what you want to see and map it out before you get there as it can be a very overwhelming experience otherwise.
In Barcelona, the Sagrada Familia tour was great. We got to learn about the genius of Gaudí and experience the towers in all their glory. It was also good that we were able to skip lines and not have to wait around much.
Similarly, the audio tour and ‘skip the line’ tickets for Casa Batló was convenient as we didn’t wait in line at all (there was a long line) and went right through to experience the magnificence of this architectural gem!
Our wine and cava tour in Barcelona was one of our favorite days! Our tour guide was magnificent and we fell in love with the wineries and picturesque Catalan landscapes. We got to taste different types of wine and cava and our lunch consisted of a delicious selection of jamón and cheese, bread and olive oil (made on premise) a cold gazpacho soup and of course the Pastel de patatas! This trip was well worth it and we’d recommend this to anyone.. we definitely want to go back!
Last but not least, anyone visiting Barcelona must make a lunch stop at the Mercat de la Boqueria (Boqueria Market) where you will get to taste jamón y queso in a cone, various fruit smoothies and fresh fruits, an abundance of seafood and paella dishes among many other mouth-watering selections. We had a great paella dish at Bar Central when we were there. It’s a cute little stand with seats by the bar/kitchen. Go hungry and leave happy!
Thanks again for all your help with planning and recommendations!! We had the most unbelievable time!!
