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19.08.2009 |
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France Tour: Debbi Smith
Croydon, Vic, Austria |
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It is so sad to be home as we had a wonderful time. The tour you organized was very well planned, the distances between each town were good and all your little notes in relation to each town we visited were very accurate. It was a new experience driving on the other side of the road but all went well. The car, a Citroen C4 (not Mercedes A-Class) was large and fitted our suitcases nicely. The weather was also very kind to us with temperatures between 24-33 degrees.
Tours – Beautiful accommodation, exceptional breakfasts, lovely host.
Guerande – Charming couple, very helpful, made us feel so welcome, once again the accommodation was sensational as were the breakfasts. Wanted to bring them home with us.
Pointe du Raz – Apart from the first nights mistake, everything was fine once we moved into the Chateau. Phillipe tried hard to make up for the previous night, accommodation was excellent, meals also.
Mont St. Michel – The Count was exceptionally charming, told some wonderful stories, we only saw the Countess on our arrival. The Count made us a dinner reservation which was fabulous and gave us directions for some towns to visit, very helpful. The rooms were superb as were the breakfasts. I am sure I have come home slightly heavier than when I left!!!
Bayeux – Slightly older inside and not as well maintained, however the owner was a lovely lady and her brother was extremely helpful. Probably a little too far to travel back to Paris in one day (approx 4 hours drive) Would have liked to have been closer, possibly Roen or somewhere similar.
Overall Jerry, it was wonderful. My only regret was that my partner Peter wasn’t there to share it all with also. I have decided we will do Italy in 2 years and once again I will be calling on you to help prepare our itinery. |
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29.05.2009 |
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France Tour: Craig & Pat Catanzariti
Paris, IL, United States |
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Hello Jerry, for the second year in a row I have the pleasure of writing to express Pat and my sincerest appreciation for your efforts in creating a wonderful tour and handling all of the details superbly. Everything went off like clockwork, every reservation and booking was exactly as planned. We are very pleased, again!
Unfortunately, we hit a lot of rain this time out but we didn’t let that stop us, we just had to work a little harder to see the sites! Paris is, well, Paris! Grand and, when the sun finally did come out late one afternoon, it was spectacular!
Normandy and especially St Lo were very pretty and very moving for Pat because that was where her father landed during the war. Seeing is was more important for her than she thought.
I waited 50 years to see le Mont St Michel and it did not disappoint. This is a not to be missed site in France and Europe.
Brittany is a wonderfully scenic place. Hardy people making a living off that rugged coast; see it was fascinating. They take their little boats in tight places, on some rough seas, in conditions I can’t believe.
I can go on and on, Guérande, La Rochelle, St Malo, Dinan, Cap de Hague, 100’s of truly wonderful places to see rain or no rain. I’m glad Jerry, that you and Umfulana helped us see them.
I highly recommend a GPS unit for anyone auto touring in Europe. Both Pat and I are very good at reading/ interpreting maps and developing routings but the GPS let us forget about how to get there and gave us more time to enjoy the trip.
The Yellow Van service from the airport to the hotel was reasonable and fast. I doubt we waited 10 minutes for the pickup. Great service at only 36 Euro for the 2 of us from CDG to the Louvre!
Paris, the hotel is exactly as described, nice, friendly and convenient to the Louvre, left bank and Notre Dame. The room was small, as expected, the breakfast so French that it had an accent and the staff absolutely wonderful. Norbert was spot on with his recommendations for dinner. This gentleman knows where to eat in Paris. If I travel to Paris again, I’ll pick this hotel just to dine under his tutelage!
Picking up the car at Gare du Nord was a bit of a challenge due to the language barrier but the staff was patient and understanding and we got through it in good fashion.
Rouen was a disaster, something was going on and we couldn’t buy a parking place. Pat was not very happy with my driving on the hilly and narrow city streets so we decided to move on.
The mansion at Bayeux and our hostess were a joy. The old manor house (but with all the creature comforts) suited our taste perfectly. The host is charming in a way only the French can be and made us feel truly at home.
The chateau of the Count at Mont St. Michel turned out to be our favorite stop of the trip. What a charming man and a courtly family house. We could have chatted away the entire stay in that wonderful dining room and still counted the trip a success! The real reason for the stop, le Mont St Michel is no slouch either. The Count also knows where to eat and what to see; ask for his advice and you won’t be disappointed.
At Pointe du Raz we had a stately older hotel, not a chateau as our previous stops but nice none the less. Great area, great history and scenery. Audierne is a picturesque port town and in the center of everything we wanted to see. Too many capes and points to see during our short stay and each prettier than the last. I learned that Brittany has its own language which they are working hard to preserve. Interesting tidbit that!
The mansion at Guérande is another gem. Guérande is a wonderful walled city with lots of opportunity for exploration. Our hostess was great and very accommodating. We truly enjoyed our stay and highly recommend both the town and the accommodation. We hit the Wednesday market and had a ball. I know it’s not French but the Paella from the stall near the side door of the church was fabulous! Get a few slices of his caramelized pork roast and a baguette for a picnic later!
La Rochelle and it’s environs have a lot to offer; plenty to see and do. I highly recommend the harbor and old town for lunch and a stroll. Great place to be, our B&B not so much.
Bordeaux was another charming older house (your description is somewhat over blown) with an outstanding hostess. You better be ready for wine country; the tastings start early and can be continuous is you let them! This is the center of the Medoc region with Bordeaux only a 30/45 minute drive. We highly recommend this small chateau; very comfortable, a little luxurious with a very accommodating, sweet heart of a proprietor.
Bordeaux airport, both for dropping off the car and travelling through was a breeze. Connecting through CDG Paris, was good, we were late inbound but still made our crossing flight with time to spare. Lots of terminals to navigate but still easier then Atlanta.
The only real disappointments of the trip were the rain, the food (I think I expected too much) and the accommodations near La Rochelle.
Rain or no rain, all in all a great trip!
Now for next year we would like to………………………………..
Craig & Pat, Paris IL
5/28/2009 |
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15.10.2008 |
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France Tour: Richard Quackenbush
Oregon City, Oregon, United States |
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| The accommodations on our trip were exceptional. We had a small hotel by the Louvre for our Paris part of the trip. This location was very close to where we picked up our car for the trip south to Nice. The travel days were a reasonable distance and staying two days at each location made the trip leisurely and allowed us to explore the countryside. Venasque and Moustiere were our favorite towns on the trip. The itinerary e-mailed to us was very thorough and we referred to it often. I highly recommend Umfulana for their responsiveness and knowlege to put together a wonderful trip that we will remember for a long time. |
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02.09.2008 |
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France Tour: Julia and Bruce
Johannesburg, South Africa |
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Hi Jerry
We had a wonderful trip, thank you. We especially enjoyed our stay in Vence and Arles. However each place had its own character and charm, all the hosts were very welcoming and all the accommodation was extremely centrally and well situated.
Thank you again for the excellent, extremely prompt and professional service. We would not hesitate to use Umfulana’s services again in the future, and hopefully that will be sooner rather than later!
Warm regards
Julia & Bruce |
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11.08.2008 |
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France Tour: Andrea Osborne
Moorooka, Australia |
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Jerry,
I was going to email you before discovering a wonderful surprise on arrival in Audierne, just to say how wonderful my trip has been so far.
Each place I have stayed at thus far has been beyond my expectations!
Total magic. The chateau in the Loire valley was just gorgeous and in a location par excellent!
The host was the most helpful and obliging of all hosts and apart from the home being absolutely wonderful; its ambience, character and history is what I will always remember as medieval country France to a tee! I don't expect to ever have an opportunity again to stay in a living medieval walled village and it was a fairytale wish come true for me. The host had thought of everything that a person could desire in the room well beyond the usual, and so helpful with everything and the best breakfast anyone could ask for.
As for Audierne, well what better location is there than in this village: none!
Apart from that, the staff have doubled over backwards in attending to any perceived need and I had not checked my itinerary well enough to realise I had dinner included in the tariff. It was the best meal I have eaten in France, even after spending a week in Paris. I can only say that this inclusion was the most delightful surprise and thankyou so much for including it in my trip.
I am writing a detailed travel journal and sending it to many friends and family and I will certainly recommend your company and if I decide to use an agent in the future, it will be you if you operate in the region.
Thanks again,
Andrea Osborne |
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