Let's hear from Liz and dennis again!

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Meet my lovely clients Liz and Dennis 

This time Liz really wanted to go to Portugal after being inspired by Michael Portillo's rail journey through the country. I had recently booked a trip through Italy by train, for my clients Sarah and Stephen with Railbookers, so knew they were a great fit for this request.

It was another bespoke trip I created as Liz specifically wanted to fly form her local airport, Newquay, as there is a direct flight to Faro in the Algarve. With the help of Railbookers we started their rail journey in Faro (where they stayed a night on the arrival and departure dates) and from there they spent a few days in Lisbon, Sintra and Porto.

"What a lovely holiday we had thanks to Sam. With her usual precision and attention to detail Railbookers suited our tour exactly. 

We followed the Michael Portillo trail, but flew out of Newquay to Faro for ease. 

Spending a leisurely morning there, we walked the short way to the railway station and caught the train to Lisbon for 3 days with a short trip to Cascais. 

Sam then organised a transfer to Sintra where we spent a night after a tour of Pena Palace, Quinta da Regaleira gardens and the National Palace. All the tickets were timed and pre-booked by Sam and it went like clockwork. Fabulous!

The final part of our trip involved taking the train to Porto a real highlight, overlooking the Douro river. Sam also helped us book tickets to visit the Livraria Lello bookshop during our stay (a must see). 

I must admit I was nervous about this trip, as it was different and involved lots of connections and transfers, but Sam’s organisation and expertise in working out timings was perfect. 

Well done Sam you made it easy for us."

Liz and Dennis

Meet my lovely clients Mandy and Richard

They wanted a last minute getaway to Tenerife and particularly wanted to stay at the Gran Melia Palacio de Isora, a beautiful 5 star hotel.

I managed to get them a fantastic deal on the dates they wanted. I booked their airport parking, managed all the paperwork and just sent them their boarding passes a few days before they set off. As always I reached out to the hotel before Mandy & Richard travelled and I was able to get good restaurant recommendations for them (as they are big foodies), so that reservations could be made in advance. I was also able to arrange a bottle of bubbles in their room as an arrival gift!

"We had a wonderfully relaxing holiday in Tenerife!  Thanks to Sam, a last minute break of relaxing and dining was organised - fabulous hotel and gastronomic dining - all meticulously planned - thank you Sam!"

Mandy & Richard

Meet my lovely clients Sarah and Chloe

They had their hearts set on Greece — two islands over two weeks. I spent time chatting through exactly what they wanted from their holiday, from the style of hotels to the overall vibe they were hoping for. As there wasn’t an ‘off-the-shelf’ package that was suitable, I created a bespoke itinerary just for them.

In September, they set off on their adventure, starting in Mykonos at the beautiful 5-star Relais & Châteaux Myconian Korali. I was thrilled to secure a room upgrade for their arrival, along with wine and chocolates to make their stay extra special.

After a week, I arranged a seamless private transfer to the port, a ferry to Santorini, and another private transfer to their next hotel — the stunning Cliff Side Suites.

For both islands, I put together tailored ideas for trips and activities (and booked everything in advance), along with recommendations for great local restaurants. It was a joy to plan a holiday perfect for them from start to finish.

"Chloe and I will never use anyone else after booking with Sam! We’ve honestly never had such an easy, stress-free holiday — everything was sorted perfectly from start to finish.

We spent a week in beautiful Mykonos before heading over to dreamy Santorini, and Sam just knew exactly what we wanted. She took the time to really get to know us — what mattered to us and what didn’t — and she went above and beyond in every way.

The hotels she found were absolutely breathtaking, and when we arrived we were delighted to find Sam had arranged a room upgrade, plus wine and chocolates waiting for us - we knew we were in for something special. Those little touches made all the difference.

Flying from Gatwick worked perfectly as we could catch up with family too, and now Sam’s already planning our big Canada trip. We can’t wait — she’s amazing!"

Sarah and Chloe

Meet my lovely clients Kate and Alanna (Mum & Daughter)

They wanted to go on a short break (4 nights) to Lake Como. Top of the wish list was a lake view, and they wanted an authentic Italian property, close to transport links but not in the busy more commercialised areas. Whilst there were some fabulous properties in the city of Como, I knew it was going to be too busy for them. 

I love a challenge and set about finding the perfect property and location that met their budget. I came up with a few options and was in constant communication with them both. They finally decided upon a bed & breakfast that was in Blevio, a town on the eastern shore of Lake Como, located on the slopes of Monte Boletto between the cities of Como and Torno. 

The hotel, The Albergo Milano 1920, was opened way back in 1920 by grandfather Alfonso from the Cappi family who, having left Como, where he owned a wine shop with an attached tavern, moved to Blevio, where he was enchanted by this house with its priceless view of the lake and the mountains. It remains the family business today and still has the autentic Italian charm that Kate & Alanna so wanted to experience. After speaking to the owner, I secured a twin room on the second floor which had views of the lake!

"Thank you Sam! The B&B was lovely - a home from home! Real Italy! We were in a local village, in a lovely hotel that had spectacular views. We were both really pleased and you gave us just what we were looking for."

Kate & Alanna Gorton

Meet my lovely clients Liz and Dennis. 

They wanted to go on a short break (4 nights) during July, but did not want anywhere too hot. They discussed going to Dublin which ticked this box, and I then spent time finding a good quality, central hotel with easy access to the main attractions. Once we agreed, I booked the flights, the hotel and then took time planning activities and tours for them. This was a bespoke holiday that I curated for them.

"One day I happened to mention to Sam that we were thinking about going to Dublin from Newquay our local airport. She offered to help and from then on everything was easy. 

She researched the flight times and prices on our preferred date, booked them and also found some fun and interesting things to do. She gave us a choice of hotels all centrally located. 

With careful planning Sam found us, and booked, the best city bus tour, The book of Kells university tour and Viking tour. She timed our visits with the locations in mind making it easy to get from one to the other, stress free and with plenty of time. 

The Guinness tour was 20 minutes walk away, so we did that on the following day and again Sam printed all the tickets and timed our entry.

Nothing was too much trouble and with printouts of the flights, hotel and trips on paper, by email and on phones we set off with an easy mind. 

Everything went like clockwork, and we had the most enjoyable and fun time. 

I think the secret to Sam being a very good Travel Agent is that she absolutely loves doing it, and nothing is too much trouble!

A big thank you Sam!"

Liz and Dennis Nicholls

Meet my lovely clients Sarah and Stephen. They wanted to go on a rail holiday travelling from London to Italy. Sarah’s longtime dream had been to visit the statue of David in Florence. So I began planning a bespoke trip for them with the help of our fabulous travel partner - Railbookers.  

After leaving London, the train journey had stops for a couple of days in each location (with hotels and sightseeing tours). They visited Geneva, Milan, Florence, Rome, Naples and finally Sorrento.  

"As a couple in our sixties we wanted a holiday full of travel and interest packed into 10 days but without the hassle of sorting it out ourselves. Sam listened to us and came up with an itinerary that completely fitted our dreams. We really enjoyed our trip of a lifetime which took us to amazing hotels in beautiful Italy travelling by train to all the destinations we wanted. Sam understood our requirements and delivered them with care and professionalism checking up on all the details prior to our trip and making herself available at any time for any questions we had. Certainly a holiday we will remember forever." 

Sarah and Stephen Blight