Andrea's Travel Agency
Destinations
Verified Review
I am writing this review with fond memories of my trip with Zicasso's travel company. From my first contact with Eva, I was impressed with her responsiveness and follow-up. This was not an easy trip to plan, as I traveled to many different cities and had unique requests. There was not one time when Eva did not respond promptly through email or WhatsApp.
When on the trip, I was provided with names and contact information of drivers and/or guides. There were instances that come to mind where the travel company and Eva really stepped up:
1) In Sarajevo, I wasn't able to see the famed Haggadah, but the guide was great with explanations and I did see a replica and met with her parents.
2) Prior to my drive to Mostar, I was to see the Tunnel of Hope close to the Sarajevo airport. There was an issue in that the local tour company cancelled the reservation and forgot to rebook it. After nearly an hour with back-and-forth phone calls and texts, I finally was able to enter with my driver. That being said, we were late to arrive for the tour of Tito's Bunker as they have only three tours a day and I was unable to enter the bunker. My driver was on the phone with Eva, who was on the phone with her contact at the tour company and, ultimately, it was determined we would drive to Mostar. Because of traffic and border control, I would arrive later than anticipated. Additionally, my travel specialist was informed that my scheduled trip to Blagaj the next day would not be possible as there was an annual spiritual festival I would not be able to attend. My travel specialist was able to work with the local company to switch around the itinerary so I was able to go to Blagaj, and I was fortunate to have been able to see this town, which was so interesting. Because of the inconvenience, it was arranged that my guide in Mostar would, of course, provide the tour of Blagaj and Mostar, but also take me to a very nice restaurant for dinner. It was very nice to experience how the locals eat.
*I do want to add that the destination company for Bosnia and Herzegovina has a very good reputation, but this was an isolated incident. And my point is... Eva took complete control of the situation and, truth be told, was very upset about this turn of events as she is indeed a perfectionist. All worked out as best it could.
3) Leaving Dubrovnik to go to Split required a ferry ride. Because of rain, the 8:00 a.m. ferry was cancelled. My travel specialist received notification at 8:41 a.m. and I had been at the dock since 7:40 a.m. My travel specialist was very disappointed that my driver just left me there. There was no place to shelter and it was pouring rain. Additionally, there was no guarantee that the 3:00 p.m. ferry would go. So I would be at the dock with my baggage and no place to go. I sent a text to my specialist via WhatsApp and was ready to walk across the street for shelter. However, within 10 minutes a driver was dispatched to pick me up. As luck would have it, this was the same driver I had for a couple of side trips in Dubrovnik. The good news was that I got to Split about three hours before I would have with the ferry, was able to check into the hotel, and binged on Netflix until the rain ended and I went to dinner. Again, thank you to my travel specialist for her quick response and follow-up.
My travel specialist was very attentive to my unique requests. Jewish heritage is important to me and she arranged visits to the different museums and synagogues. I appreciated the special arrangements made to personally meet with members of the community. I had a traditional Bosnian meal in Sarajevo with two very interesting people from the community.
In Trieste, Italy, my guide and I made a traditional Sephardic dinner and spent a pleasant few hours speaking to this wonderful husband and wife. Overall, I think I developed a strong connection with my guides and, through social media, I now have new friends, and someday, I will return, or if anyone comes to Chicago, I will be the tour guide.
The accommodations were very good as well. A couple of months before departure I needed to switch my hotel selection in Dubrovnik because of stairs. My travel specialist found me a very nice hotel in a good location that was not too crowded or noisy, just steps away from the Jesuit Stair ("Game of Thrones" site). The irony of this was that the steps in the hotel would have been the least of my challenges as I climbed many steps in these cities and up to castles. The staff at these hotels were so helpful and nice. The restaurant recommendations and them personally contacting the restaurants for me was much appreciated. As a solo traveler, I really appreciated this special attention, both from hotel staff as well as the restaurants.
The drivers and guides were courteous, friendly, informative, and on time. They really know the area. We were fortunate to not have long waits at border control between the countries. I do intend to write individual reviews for my guides and the transportation companies. A benefit of private tours is flexibility and getting to know the drivers and guides. I was able to enjoy Bosnian coffee and double espressos. I was able to go to restaurants that real people go to and not just the tourists.
When in Zagreb, I was finally able to meet my travel specialist. After almost a year of emails, texts, and conversations, it was nice to see the face behind the screen. We had lunch after my tour and it was a perfect way to end my visit in Zagreb.
This trip was not inexpensive and overall more expensive because of the value of the U.S. dollar to the euro. However, knowing that this was pretty much a trip of a lifetime (almost a month), I would expect the cost to be what it was, as it was not the height of the tourist season.
I would definitely arrange travel with this company again and recommend them highly.
Thank you for a wonderful trip.
Destinations
Verified Review
I am writing this review with fond memories of my trip with Zicasso's travel company. From my first contact with Eva, I was impressed with her responsiveness and follow-up. This was not an easy trip to plan, as I traveled to many different cities and had unique requests. There was not one time when Eva did not respond promptly through email or WhatsApp.
When on the trip, I was provided with names and contact information of drivers and/or guides. There were instances that come to mind where the travel company and Eva really stepped up:
1) In Sarajevo, I wasn't able to see the famed Haggadah, but the guide was great with explanations and I did see a replica and met with her parents.
2) Prior to my drive to Mostar, I was to see the Tunnel of Hope close to the Sarajevo airport. There was an issue in that the local tour company cancelled the reservation and forgot to rebook it. After nearly an hour with back-and-forth phone calls and texts, I finally was able to enter with my driver. That being said, we were late to arrive for the tour of Tito's Bunker as they have only three tours a day and I was unable to enter the bunker. My driver was on the phone with Eva, who was on the phone with her contact at the tour company and, ultimately, it was determined we would drive to Mostar. Because of traffic and border control, I would arrive later than anticipated. Additionally, my travel specialist was informed that my scheduled trip to Blagaj the next day would not be possible as there was an annual spiritual festival I would not be able to attend. My travel specialist was able to work with the local company to switch around the itinerary so I was able to go to Blagaj, and I was fortunate to have been able to see this town, which was so interesting. Because of the inconvenience, it was arranged that my guide in Mostar would, of course, provide the tour of Blagaj and Mostar, but also take me to a very nice restaurant for dinner. It was very nice to experience how the locals eat.
*I do want to add that the destination company for Bosnia and Herzegovina has a very good reputation, but this was an isolated incident. And my point is... Eva took complete control of the situation and, truth be told, was very upset about this turn of events as she is indeed a perfectionist. All worked out as best it could.
3) Leaving Dubrovnik to go to Split required a ferry ride. Because of rain, the 8:00 a.m. ferry was cancelled. My travel specialist received notification at 8:41 a.m. and I had been at the dock since 7:40 a.m. My travel specialist was very disappointed that my driver just left me there. There was no place to shelter and it was pouring rain. Additionally, there was no guarantee that the 3:00 p.m. ferry would go. So I would be at the dock with my baggage and no place to go. I sent a text to my specialist via WhatsApp and was ready to walk across the street for shelter. However, within 10 minutes a driver was dispatched to pick me up. As luck would have it, this was the same driver I had for a couple of side trips in Dubrovnik. The good news was that I got to Split about three hours before I would have with the ferry, was able to check into the hotel, and binged on Netflix until the rain ended and I went to dinner. Again, thank you to my travel specialist for her quick response and follow-up.
My travel specialist was very attentive to my unique requests. Jewish heritage is important to me and she arranged visits to the different museums and synagogues. I appreciated the special arrangements made to personally meet with members of the community. I had a traditional Bosnian meal in Sarajevo with two very interesting people from the community.
In Trieste, Italy, my guide and I made a traditional Sephardic dinner and spent a pleasant few hours speaking to this wonderful husband and wife. Overall, I think I developed a strong connection with my guides and, through social media, I now have new friends, and someday, I will return, or if anyone comes to Chicago, I will be the tour guide.
The accommodations were very good as well. A couple of months before departure I needed to switch my hotel selection in Dubrovnik because of stairs. My travel specialist found me a very nice hotel in a good location that was not too crowded or noisy, just steps away from the Jesuit Stair ("Game of Thrones" site). The irony of this was that the steps in the hotel would have been the least of my challenges as I climbed many steps in these cities and up to castles. The staff at these hotels were so helpful and nice. The restaurant recommendations and them personally contacting the restaurants for me was much appreciated. As a solo traveler, I really appreciated this special attention, both from hotel staff as well as the restaurants.
The drivers and guides were courteous, friendly, informative, and on time. They really know the area. We were fortunate to not have long waits at border control between the countries. I do intend to write individual reviews for my guides and the transportation companies. A benefit of private tours is flexibility and getting to know the drivers and guides. I was able to enjoy Bosnian coffee and double espressos. I was able to go to restaurants that real people go to and not just the tourists.
When in Zagreb, I was finally able to meet my travel specialist. After almost a year of emails, texts, and conversations, it was nice to see the face behind the screen. We had lunch after my tour and it was a perfect way to end my visit in Zagreb.
This trip was not inexpensive and overall more expensive because of the value of the U.S. dollar to the euro. However, knowing that this was pretty much a trip of a lifetime (almost a month), I would expect the cost to be what it was, as it was not the height of the tourist season.
I would definitely arrange travel with this company again and recommend them highly.
Thank you for a wonderful trip.
