“OMG! This might be my favorite place I’ve ever stayed and we haven’t even explored yet. This is a 100% must do for any of your clients coming off safari. I’m not sure why I ever question anything you recommend as you’re always right!!! I love this place and know we’ll have the best three nights here. I love you Laura. You’re a special, incredibly lovely person! ”
— M.M.
“Laura, you did it again! Our guide Sladana was just wonderful; warm, welcoming, knowledgeable, personable and thoroughly professional. She spent her entire day with us and it just flew by, as she gently guided us into, unexpectedly, just falling in love with Montenegro. The walking tour of the charming and sparklingly vibrant old city of Kotor was fascinating and thoughtfully well-paced, and the water tour to Our Lady of the Rocks (and unique other places) was just stunning. We had a waterside table for a delightful and unhurried three course lunch (sea bream baked in rock salt) at the lovely Forza hotel. And capped the day off by the luxury speedboat return to Kotor from the Adriatic, through the legendary windings, tidy baroque towns and mountain channels of gorgeous Boka Bay, spotting the fabled thousand foot fortified walls as we came around the final bend - what a thrill for anybody with a love of dramatic scenery, a sense of history and an appreciation for a people determined to be free. Wow, what a day! ”
— B.K.
“We spent the last week settling back into life as we know it and coming down off the honeymoon high. It was an absolutely phenomenal trip, truly. Every tour, every hotel, every dinner—it was all perfect and we couldn’t be happier with how it all came together. Each tour guide was exceptional, and the Vespa tour was one of our favorite moments of the entire two weeks! Not to mention the stay in Taormina. We’ve already decided that’s where we’ll be going for our 5 or 10 year anniversary! Thanks to you and your team for creating such a memorable trip for us. I’m not sure we’ll ever be able to travel on our own again after experiencing what you guys can do!! ”
— E & Z M.
“We are having an amazing time in Spain. Truly magical. And everyone we meet seems to know you! Fabio, Mariana, and others. They are all so impressed we know you . . .you are famous here. Having a great trip. ”
— J.A.
“(We) wanted to thank you for a spectacular Italy trip. It was undoubtedly one of the best vacations we’ve had. From the first resort at Lake Garda, to the hiking and biking in the Dolomites, to a sensational couple days in Venice — we were wowed! The personal touch from all of the guides and drivers and hosts — particularly Alberto in the mountains! — made it that much more special. This was our first big trip as empty-nesters and it could not have been better! Grazie Grazie Grazie!”
— A&M G.
“Just wanted to let you know the trip has been wonderful. Kids and I arrived in Trancoso yesterday and were upgraded to “Casa Anderson” - Anderson Cooper’s house. It is magnificent and Trancoso is a very special place. If you haven’t been here (which is hard to believe) you must stay here. Food here especially is the best so far.”
— Gillian D.
“We had an OUTSTANDING trip and would highly, highly recommend the Viceroy resort. The staff was very attentive and such a welcome change from our experience at the Four Seasons Anguilla. We all loved that we could fly directly into Saint Lucia so we were swimming at the resort by 3 pm on the day of arrival! The villa was spectacular and served our needs perfectly. All of us felt that this was the best food we have ever had at a Caribbean resort - each restaurant was delicious. The pools, beach, and spa were perfect and we were so happy. With that being said, we are already interested in returning there next year for MLK again. Thank you as always for putting together such wonderful trips! ”
— Diane W.
“We are on our way back from Liberia as I type. Just wanted to drop you a note thanking you so much for introducing us to and arranging Villa Manzu. We could not have enjoyed our stay any more than we did. The property is amazing in every respect, as you no doubt know, and we would probably have enjoyed it regardless, but Chris, Jennifer and the rest of the staff were simply amazing and a big reason why we enjoyed it so much. I could add a lot of color commentary about the food, the boat, the personal attention, the level of service, etc., but I’ll simply say what I wrote in the guest book: 17 on a scale of 10. ”
— David W.
“Laura, I know I speak for {my wife} as well but our trip was magnificent !! Could not have enjoyed it more. The Allison was wonderful. Dan was exquisite. We loved everything about Oregon. The winery experience with Dan has to be an annual event. This gentleman knows his region and the visits we had with the families to me was far better than the big winery experiences of Napa and Sonoma. I can’t begin to tell you the rainforest experience of the Northeast and our day trip to the Oregon coast. The movie “Goonies” is what our grown children kept screaming at us when we showed them pictures of where we were. I could not believe it. The coast line highway from Cannon Beach back to the Allison was an experience to never forget. Fried cheese curds and craft beer where culinary musts haves along the coast road. Hawaii was beautiful. That is all I can say. The Four Seasons is the place to be. The food was fabulous. The canoe House restaurant has the best 16 oz midwestern cut of beef, grilled to a mid rare presentation of anywhere I’ve been on this planet. The seasoned Hawaiian steak is the best steak I’ve ever had. The best. So, can we talk about the restaurant of the vaca? You have to go to Merrimans. It’s in a little town on the island that was recommended to us by the concierge. TO DIE FOR!!! The service was what you would dream for. Not a table empty. The Maitre D was perfect. Our seating was in a corner table with lots of room and a birds eye view of the entire restaurant. Friendliest people I’ve ever experienced in a restaurant. You’ve got to add that to your list to go to. The ocean was beautiful. The relaxation was needed, and the cocktails were the best. I would like to say thank you for your help in arranging this trip. It was wonderful. Please know that both {my wife} and myself will not think about travel without you. Thank you so much. ”
— Rick S.
“If you are planning to travel, I have to STRONGLY recommend that you contact Laura Madrid. I never thought I’d use a travel service/agent because so much is available on the internet. But you are missing out! She finds the best guides, the most unique experiences, does all the work and, as i learned today, can save you a ton of money! And, to give you some idea of the unique things she’s planned for us, in Croatia we went to a local grandmother’s home so my kids could make a local Croatian dish with her and we went to a private oyster farm where we picked oysters and mussels right out of the ocean and cooked them right there! I never make these kind of recommendations, so the fact that I’m saying this (again) speaks volumes!”
— Steven R.
“We just finished our amazing adventure at Pacuare Lodge including the helicopter and then our charter to Liberia and have checked into the 4 seasons. They upgraded our room to an amazing plunge pool suite and it is simply spectacular. I will email when we are home but wanted to let you how perfect and beyond our expectations this experience has been. We are truly impressed and grateful. ”
— Stacey M.
“Hi Laura! Greetings from Miami! First let me say our trip was possibly the best ever and that is saying a LOT! I will give more feedback later but suffice it to say we had phenomenal guides who could not have been any nicer, incredible weather, excellent food, and loved our hotels and especially loved the adventures and activities. And kudos to Vira Vira and your tour partner for getting car keys returned to us that we hadn’t even realized were left at Vira Vira!! First rate trip, all the way around!!!”
— Nancy F. - Chile
“We loved Oregon!! The Allison was great & all the restaurants you reserved were wonderful... The absolute highlight was the Triangle Wine Tours!! The wineries he chose were perfect and we met so many nice people... On Friday, we took a day trip to the Pacific coast... Cannon Beach, Tillamook Creamery & lunch at Pelican Brewery... Fried cheese curds!!! Just boarded for Seattle & Kona... 1st part of trip has been outstanding!!”
— Ruth S.
“Thank you for the trip. My favorite part of Chile (not Patagonia) was Valparaiso and the graffiti there. My favorite part of Patagonia was the horseback riding or seeing the Guanacos. My favorite part of Buenos Aires was seeing Boca Juniors and River Plates Stadium. We appreciate all that you’ve done to make our trips so FUN!”
— Zander, 10 y/o -Chile & Argentina
“Hello Laura! It was amazing! Thank you for making my 40th birthday a special one :) The upgraded {Four Seasons Anguilla} villa was so spacious and the staff was wonderful! If we would have had the boys with us I would have tried to extend our stay 😄 This is definitely one of my favorite places so far! ”
— April W. - Anguilla
“Ok, Calistoga Ranch is ridiculously awesome. Oh my gosh Laura you steered us well. We are sitting by pool having lunch and our first glass of wine. We got your nice welcome gift and the hotel staff has been so nice. Our room is fabulous, so clever how it’s designed. Greg can’t wait to take a shower in the outdoor shower. We love it here so much and a great way to spend our annv. Thanks again for all your help.”
— Julie - Napa Valley, California
“Having a wonderful time. Patrick took us to a great place yesterday and we road horses on the beach. It was awesome. The chocolate making today was a huge hit with Hannah. Benoit was so sweet and informative. We have just arrived at the hotel. They upgraded us to a balcony suite and it is soooo nice. My favorite hotel so far. Have you stayed here? Just like in Croatia, we are being treated like royalty. Cannot thank you enough. I look forward to many more trips with your help and suspect I will be sending a lot of friends your way.”
— Sandy W. - Ireland
“It’s our last night in Croatia and I’m not sure where to start. This truly has been the best vacation I’ve ever had. Being able to sit back and know that someone else has taken charge has been amazingly relaxing, yet the most educational and pleasant trip ever.
I’ll start with Aleossia. He was beyond amazing. Yesterday, he took us for a tour of the old city in Dubrovnik and we both really enjoyed his intellect and insight on a period/topic/place/event in which we were both very interested. He was passionate, interesting and we both were captivated by his stories and history. Today, we explored wine, oysters we just couldn’t end our day. Absorbing more of this fascinating culture until well past 8, we made a new lifelong friend.
We adored our driver, Ivan. He was funny, respectful and was happy to share his stories. The time flew by on our travels, we felt safe and very nourished in his care! He was a darling.
Lana….we LOVED her! Lana had an unique perspective, was highly intelligent as well and vulnerable while sharing her own experiences. I was not familiar with the story of Mostar and feel like I’m a better person spending time with Lana. We would love to host her and her family in America. I liked her so very much!
Igor was another amazing man that we both really liked and consider a new lifelong friend. He did a wonderful job sharing his knowledge and love of both Split and Croatia as a whole, encouraging us and enabling us to love it as well. We had a wonderful day with him and left with a huge appreciation of the history of Croatia and the sense of fun of the people. We had a really fun lunch that seemed more like three old friends hanging out, laughing and sharing stories vs. two tourists with a guide. Every moment of the day was thoughtful and very well planned out.
And sweet Damir….we were so exhausted coming off of our flight with virtually zero sleep. He boated us to Hvar and was the perfect host. He was perceptive, kind, interesting and just an all around great guy.
I would be very remiss if I didn’t mention the two AMAZING hotels. We loved, loved, loved both the Vestibul Palace Hotel as well as the Villa Dubrovnik. Both were stunning, spot on, chic, luxurious, yet laid back and comfortable. I can’t decide which we liked better as both ranked in our favorite stays ever. Stunning accommodation with staff beyond reproach.
This is my first time I’ve ever written a “book” upon leaving a holiday, but honestly, there wasn’t one thing I would change. Without a doubt, I will tell every friend I know to contact Laura Madrid and arrange any trip with your help. Croatia….my new favorite place in the world.”
— Maripat N. - Croatia
“You nailed it again. Could this place be any more beautiful? Took the single prop plane in, did horseback riding to the waterfall today, followed by amazing zip lining. Just wanted to say hi and so far so great. Can’t wait to see what tomorrow has in store!”
— Jason F. Belize
“Just want to let you know that we had a great time. Rome was perfect. The Vespa ride was something that I cannot even explain in words and the timing for the ride was perfect. I was able to see Rome in daylight, sunset and after dark. The city is so beautiful and romantic. Thank you so much for arranging such an awesome trip for us. ”
— Noma R. - Italy
“Carneros Inn ‐ we were blown away and will probably never stay anywhere else ‐ the outdoor patio, the view from the pool, the food, and just the overall feeling of Carneros and the Inn. The private wine day was also spectacular. My favorite thing we did for sure. All three places were so much fun and such wonderful wine! The driver was great. French Laundry was wonderful ‐ so over the top with the food, the wine, and the service ‐ a lifetime experience.”
— Katie M. - Napa Valley
“Hi Laura, thank you so much for putting our river boat trip together. It ranks among our best trips. Everything went without a hitch. The boat was new, the crew was professional and efficient, the scenery was amazing, our fellow passengers were fabulous and yes our stay at the Amstel hotel (with upgrade to the Presental Suite) was beyond our wildest expectation. We will use you and your team in our future trip planning.”
— Denny and Phyllis - Amsterdam
“We had a fabulous time! CT and I will go back by ourselves next time:) The 2 hotels were awesome, in their own unique way- one was modern London chic, and the Shangri-la was high tech, sleek, NYC Wall Street vibe. The tours were great, guides so knowledgeable. {Our daughter} got us on the Tube, and Jeff was very patient as my girls took multiple photos on the steps ‘where Megan and Harry were.’
Best restaurant= OPSO, greek food and the tea at Sketch is an experience. Celia Brooks is neat and I’ve preordered her book, “SuperVeg”, on Amazon. We should’ve done her tour earlier, then would’ve eaten on Portobello Street every night! I’m also ready to try 10 different ways to make gin and tonics by the pool this summer! Virgin Atlantic is my new favorite airliner and I’ll be watching for deals!
All in all, we loved it. Thanks so much for everything!” ”
