Feedback and range of experiences from our trip
Spain | Sep 1 - Sep 11, 2022

J
Jon D.
La Vista, NE | Reviewed on Sep 18, 2022

Private tour and guide to Versailles was 5-star experience/excellent. Lucien the guide was knowledgeable, friendly, and kept the tour moving at the right pace. It was great having a private car ride there, and front of the line tickets.

Toledo tour with Victor was also a 5-star guided visit/outstanding. Similar reasons: knowledgeable, friendly, maintained good pace.

We had two errors in the scheduling: Versailles was on the wrong day, and timing of Barcelona tour was wrong. We were late in both instances which we felt bad about.

The tour in Barcelona was okay. Our tour guide was friendly and knowledgeable however the driving tour was in a van and we couldn’t see anything that he was referencing. It would have been nice to have more guidance at Sagrada Familia than just downloading the app.

We appreciated the list of must see and do, as well as ideas for dining options. Hotels were good, we preferred the four star hotels in Spain.

Walking tour in Paris with Josquin was good, he was knowledgeable, kept a good pace and covered quite a bit of ground. Our walking tour with Amor in Madrid was disappointing. We walked a few blocks and the information was limited. We didn’t feel that tour was worth it and felt like we saw very little of Madrid.

Flamenco show was great as was the tapas food tour in Madrid.

We loved the high speed train but as an American, we didn’t know what we were doing and needed to ask for help to find the gate.

Finally, we appreciated the team’s responsiveness to all of our little questions along the way,

Hotel Reviews
Hôtel A la Villa des Artistes
Paris

Boutique feel, located walking distance from most sites, surrounded by cafes.

Authenticity & Character
This hotel didn’t feel like it was part of a chain, had a bit of its own personality which was nice
Location
Staff
Cleanliness & Comfort
Radisson Blu 1882 Hotel, Barcelona Sagrada Familia
Barcelona

Beautifully appointed hotel located walking distance from key sites.

Authenticity & Character
Hip vibe, larger rooms
Location
Walking distance to many attractions, fining
Staff
Cleanliness & Comfort
7 Islas Hotel
Madrid

We loved the location and modern design of this boutique hotel off one of the main streets in Madrid. The breakfast options were fantastic!

Authenticity & Character
Loved the hotel’s design, lots of plants, beautiful!
Location
Walking distance to many key sites, restaurants
Staff
Always ready to help, answer questions
Cleanliness & Comfort
Activity Reviews
Private Walking Tour of Paris
Private Walking Tour of Paris
Paris

Enjoyed the pace, ground we covered, information, and stop at the bakery.

Quality of Experience
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Seine Cruise
Seine Cruise
Paris

Enjoyed seeing Paris from the river

Quality of Experience
Day Trip to Versailles
Day Trip to Versailles
Paris

Lucien was by far the best guide we had. We were briefed on French history on the way. The private car and drive were nice. Our guide was able to move us about and miss the crowds.

Quality of Experience
Perfect day, relaxed, informative, enjoyable
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Knowledgeable guide
Transport
Clean nice private car ride
Private Tapas Experience in Madrid
Private Tapas Experience in Madrid
Madrid

Great variety of Food and drink in a localized area, friendly guide, fun group. I was accommodated by every establishment as s pescatarian.

Quality of Experience
Food
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Guided Visit of Toledo
Guided Visit of Toledo
Spain

Victor was another one of our favorite guides. He was so knowledgeable and interesting. We saw all of the highlights accompanied with stories, history and context.

Quality of Experience
Victor
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Transport
Day Trip to Montserrat & Penedès Region Wine Tasting
Day Trip to Montserrat & Penedès Region Wine Tasting
Barcelona

I would actually give this tour 4.5 stars. The winery tour and Monserrat Abby were amazing places. The winery tour was comprehensive and wonderful. The Abby portion was less smooth. We had to decide whether we would stand in line and see the black Madonna and our guide had some trouble with the tickets. I would have liked to have walked to see the little church in the mountain but it wasn’t an option. We stopped for coffee before the winery and it felt a little forced and awkward. Finally, the driving was a little fast for me in the mountains with all the twists and turns. Our guide was knowledge about the Montserrat Abby was fine but not outstanding.

Quality of Experience
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Transport
Guided Visit of Barcelona
Guided Visit of Barcelona
Barcelona

Our tour guide Matthieu was friendly and knowledgeable and the places we saw were great. It was difficult, however, to see anything from the van. I would have appreciated more information and preparation for Sangrada Familia and wished we had an actual guide rather than downloading an app, I would have also like to go to SF earlier to avoid the huge crowds.

Quality of Experience
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Transport
Flamenco Night
Flamenco Night
Madrid

Splendid show! Appreciated hearing the artists talk at the end and explain the art of flamenco.

Quality of Experience
Guided Visit of Madrid:  History, Culture & Architecture of the Capital of Spain
Guided Visit of Madrid: History, Culture & Architecture of the Capital of Spain
Madrid

Our guide Amor only took us around a few blocks and the pace was far too slow for us. Also, the focus of the information sharing was architecture, specifically the balconies, versus history and culture, Unfortunately, we didn’t feel we experienced Madrid fully.

Quality of Experience
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Local specialist: Marina Courtaut
Marina
Marina Courtaut
Local specialist in Madrid | Replied on Sep 25, 2022

Thank you very much Jon for taking the time to do the review! I appreciate all your comments, all your feedback will help us improve. I am pleased to hear you enjoyed your trip to Spain and France despite the incident with your guided tours in Paris and the guided visit to Madrid. Train stations in Spain can be confusing for us as well, specially Atocha in Madrid that is so big but I guess that is part of the adventure of traveling :) I will pass your kind words to all the team! I hope to be able to help you plan another trip in the future. Warmest regards, Marina