Germany expert: Valentine

22/10/2024

We've used Insight Guides now three times (more to come) and I'll be rating this third time. It was an 8 day trip for 5 to Belgium and The Netherlands. Our travel coordinator Valentine was exceptional. We spent a few communications back and forth to discuss ideas and durations in each country. A tweak here and there with great suggestions for things we hadn't thought of. All communication was clear. In the end - it was flawless. In particular, the lodging in both locations was amazing - central location for either walking or hopping a bus/tram or a train as needed, for restaurants too. She arranged private tours for the 5 of us and every tour guide was knowledgeable, enthusiastic and tailored things to us as we went. Each one contacted us a few hours before our meeting time (via WhatsApp) to ensure a smooth meet-up. She pre-purchased our train tickets. All trip information came in a lovely PDF prior to the trip with imbedded links we could access as the trip progressed. I'll add that 2 of our folks got sick midway and Valentine was able to cancel one of our tour guides and fully refunded that portion of the money. She checked in a day later to see how they were feeling. She also checked in just to make sure we didn't need anything or have any questions. SUPERB!

21/10/2024

I worked with Valentine for our trip to Berlin and Prague with an in-between overnight in Dresden. It took a little while (many merci's for your patience, Valentine!) but we ended up with a truly spectacular trip to Central Europe. Perfect hotels for our particular context in each city, fabulous walking tours in Berlin and Prague, all transportation anticipated and facilitated, museum ticket entries arranged, and very excellent suggestions for our touristing interests. For instance, we would never have thought of spending a day in the amazing parks of Saxon and Bohemian Switzerland (aka Narnia) - one of the many high points of our trip. Even our departure day was made sooooo much easier by the reservation of a private care at 4 in the morning. This was my first time using a travel agency for the entirety of an international trip. I am very glad I chose to do so.

09/09/2024

Chere Valentine, I wanted to take the time to thank you for the excellent arrangements you made for us on our trip to Nice. The entire experience was wonderful! The Hotel West End was very good, with a most comfortable room and fabulous view. The daily breakfast offered an abundance of choices. The BEST day was the cooking class with Rosa Jackson! We enjoyed the 2 full day guided excursion. One day we walked about 10 miles, visiting the Chagall and Matisse museums, and exploring the heights of Nice. Another day, we rented e-bikes and took a panoramic tour to Villefranche-Sur-Mer and a nature preserve. On our last day we explored the antiques market in the Cours Saleya, then spent the afternoon at the Blue Beach club, which was a treat. All of the arrangements were truly winderful and the trip went so smoothly! We cannot wait to return to France. Thank you very much for your meticulous planning. Sincerely, Cynthia and Bill