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Back from a fabulous trip to London, with side trips to Windsor Castle and Oxford. I went with my wife, Marci, and 2 of our grandchildren, cousins Jake (13) and Drew(16) from 8/14 to 8/21. We worked with Jennifer Virgilio and several members of her team. Both in the planning and the execution while we were there, all members of the team were extremely responsive and helpful. The guides they chose to accompany us on private tours — Georgiana, Martin, Mark and Russell were all excellent.
The most unusual thing we did was the behind-the-glass private tour of the Churchill War Rooms. I have no doubt that the normal public tours are fine, but actually being able to go into the rooms and see the charts, maps, papers, etc. up close was an incredible experience.
Jennifer and her team added tremendous value. They selected a hotel, the Rubens at the Palace, that was just the kind of hotel Marci and I love. Her team was able to get us tickets to a Premier League match as well as show tickets. No complaints!
I am very grateful for the help Jennifer provided for our excellent experience in France. Everything worked smoothly, even when our flight was delayed Jennifer’s team met us at the airport and delivered us to our destination with ease. There were no worries that we could see everything on our itinerary with a minimum of lines and delays. I will definitely use Jennifer’s services on my next trip. Many thanks to each member of her team.
My husband and I just returned from Italy. Our travel dates were July 21-31.
Jennifer Virgilio planned this amazing trip for us. Normally we would not travel to Italy in July…too hot and too crowded. However, our goal was to see Andrea Bocelli perform at the amphitheater he built in Tuscany called Teatro del Silenzio in Lajatico, his hometown. The theater is “silent” except for the one concert he performs there each year in July, and we felt it would be a once-in-a-lifetime experience.
The concert was taking place during the middle of our time in Italy, so we needed an agenda before and after.
We have planned other trips with Jennifer’s expert advice over the years in France and Italy and knew she would be the one to make this happen for us.
She suggested we start our trip on the Tuscan coast, staying 4 nights at the Hotel Il Pellicano. This gorgeous, iconic property overlooks the Tyrrhenian Sea providing cool breezes throughout the day and evening, a welcome relief from the heat in Europe this summer. Heaven in July! We then traveled inland to the countryside of Tuscany for the next 4 nights, where we would be closer to the Bocelli concert. Borgo Pignano is an elegant country estate close to the hill towns of Volterra and San Gimignano. A perfect location that we would never have found on our own. Again the temperature dropped in the mornings and evenings, making it very pleasant for al fresco dining and touring.
While at these locations, Jennifer arranged for driver/guides to transport us to several wineries. A standout was Ornellaia. Not an easy tour to arrange, and Jennifer managed it!
The Bocelli concert was beyond our expectations. The tickets that Jennifer and her team secured were front and center, 5 rows back from the stage. We will never forget it. It was more than a concert, it was a masterful production with a full orchestra, ballet company, chorus and guest artists, from opera to pop. Magical.
Because we were flying home from Rome, we stayed 2 nights at the Six Senses Hotel in Rome, which just opened in March. Another superb recommendation.
We trust Jennifer and her team to ensure all the details are taken care of, from the meet-and-greets at the airport, the professional drivers, and the knowledgeable guides. A member of her team is in constant contact with texts each day giving all the details of the next day’s itinerary, including the names of the drivers and guides. It takes away any anxiety…we just have to show up!
Jennifer’s advice is invaluable to us and we consider her a friend. We will definitely call on Jennifer again!
We have used other WOW List advisors with the same excellent results and will continue to use Wendy Perrin’s great resources when we travel.
Michelle Price and her friend, Candi, at the Eiffel Tower.
Jennifer planned a glorious 14-day girls’ wine trip in France. Our itinerary was completely planned around our focus on wine. Every hotel, tour guide, driver, wine tasting, and dinner recommendation was perfection.
Our trip started with being met on the jet bridge by Sofiane, who was literally waiting outside the airplane door. He whisked us through passport control, helped with baggage and escorted us to the awaiting car. This was the first time utilizing the service for passport control and I am a big fan!
We had a wonderful day in Bordeaux visiting 3 Grand Cru Classe chateaux with private tours and wine tasting. Our driver, Remy, was full of wine knowledge and helped us with our French. The tasting in the cellar at Chateau Pichon-Longueville was incredibly memorable.
In Loire Valley our highlight was learning about the powerful women who owned Chenonceau castle. The highlight in Paris was a private cooking class in Veronique’s home (Cuisine Elegante). And dinner at Le Tout Paris was delicious with an incredible view of the city—including the Eiffel Tower.
My personal favorite part of the trip was Champagne. Domaine Les Crayères was an outstanding hotel and both meals were amazing (Le Jardin and Le Parc). We toured Reims Cathedral, Veuve Clicquot, and a small Champagne house, La Maison Penet (where we had a delightful lunch).
Will definitely utilize Jennifer on the next trip to France.
We stayed at Borgo Pignano in Tuscany in July. Our villa had the most incredible views of the Tuscan countryside. The hotel was a wonderful choice, as there was lots of activity on property but it was close to many wineries we hoped to visit. Jennifer planned an incredible wine tasting at Ornellaia winery, one of our favorite wines in the world. The tasting was informative and the winery was beautiful. Jennifer introduced us to a winery we didn’t know, Podere Le Ripi. It was also an incredible tasting followed by a delicious lunch at the winery. Both experiences were very special, and helped make our time in Tuscany wonderful. It was also nice to come back from our activities and relax in the large private villa pool. After our time in Tuscany, we had a transfer to Florence, and had an incredible guide Leonardo for a walking city tour. He quickly deduced we are interested in different spirits and took us to a fantastic shop to purchase Italian spirits to send home. The shop also had some rare and special amaros which I look forward to enjoying when they arrive back to California.
Our family just got back from a trip to Florence, Amalfi Coast and Rome using WOW agent Jennifer Virgilio. This was our first WOW trip, and we were so happy with the experience. Every one of the tours that Jennifer set up for us was absolutely amazing, especially in Rome where we had a golf cart orientation tour of the whole city, and a food tour with a college professor of history and philosophy.
Our group of four travelled to France in mid-May. We stayed one night in Paris on each end of the trip but wanted to focus on areas we hadn’t visited before. Our first day in Paris, Jennifer planned a trip around the city in an open-top vintage Citroen car. This was so much fun and the highlight was stopping in Montmartre for a Champagne toast with a gorgeous view overlooking the city. The next day we were off to Burgundy for 4 nights. Jennifer suggested using Beaune as our base and we were so happy that we did, as we prefer the smaller towns and villages. We stayed at the Hostellerie Cedre, which we highly recommend. It is within walking distance to the center of town with many wonderful restaurants. We did eat one night at the Michelin-starred restaurant at the hotel but actually preferred our dinners in town at the local eateries. Each day we had wonderful guides who led us through local markets, wine tastings, village tours and vineyards.
We were then off to the Loire Valley for 3 nights. We stayed in Blois at the Fleur de Loire. It was a beautiful, fairly new hotel opened by a famous French chef. You can walk across the bridge to the old town of Blois for shopping, restaurants and to tour the Chateau Royal de Blois. As nice as the hotel was, we would not recommend it. There were numerous staff members always on duty but they never seemed to be very helpful. The concierge dropped the ball several times on dinner reservations for us and one of our local guides was able to help us in a more timely and efficient manner. We had a very relaxing boat ride on the river in Blois with local guides who brought snacks and wine. One of the highlights of the Loire Valley for us was the cooking class we took with 2 wonderful ladies. We made an incredible lunch of asparagus soup, cheese souffle, salad and chocolate tart. Then we all enjoyed our lunch with more wine of course. The Loire Valley is known for its chateaus and we loved visiting the Chambord Castle and the Chateau de Chenonceau. Another favorite experience was a visit to a small family-owned winery in Ange called Clos Roussely. The day we visited was a holiday in France and the owner had given his staff the day off, so he spent the afternoon with us himself. We enjoyed a picnic lunch, all foods the owner had procured from local delis and bakeries, with our wine tasting. We loved the wine and ordered a case to send back to the U.S.
Then it was back to Paris for our final day. We had a guided visit to the Musee d’Orsay (skipping the long lines) and a wonderful dinner that Jennifer booked for us. That evening we had a private boat ride on the Seine on a beautiful old Venetian boat. The highlight was stopping in front of the twinkling Eiffel Tower at the end of the evening.
I would highly recommend Jennifer as a trip planner. She was very detail-oriented and planned a thoughtful trip after listening to all our requests. The greeters at the airport both coming and going were worth every penny. We were whisked through the airport in record times and it just eliminates so much stress. Each night of the trip we received a text about the next day’s itinerary and who our guides and drivers would be. Our trip was amazing but be aware that France is a very expensive place to travel right now. Last year we used Wendy to book a trip to Portugal and it was half the price of France but just as amazing.
We had a wonderful two weeks in France planned by Jennifer and her team.
Hotel Tardiff in Bayeux was a great home base for exploring Normandy, and our guide Jonathan was so knowledgeable about WWII history and very patiently answered our tween history buff’s many questions. In Paris, we adored Pavillon Faubourg St Germain, where the staff was lovely, and we were welcomed with gifts of champagne and treats and an upgrade to a suite for my parents (lucky them!). If you plan to visit the Louvre, a guide is so worth it. Our guide Camilla knew her stuff when it came to art, but even more importantly, she was able to zip us around to see the pieces we were interested in while limiting our exposure to the crowds, which are as substantial and suffocating as you can imagine. A private cruise on the Seine was so pleasant and relaxing, but as for the most fun we had, we laughed pretty much non-stop during a three-hour tour on a retro sidecar motorcycle. Léo and Clement took us past major landmarks all over the city, unfazed by the traffic and the many people who stopped to ask us questions while we waited at lights. In Cannes, we were given an upgrade to a lovely room with balcony at Hotel Barrière Le Majestic. (Note: the construction in Cannes is significant as of spring 2023.) If you will be doing any touring in the south, request Fatou as your guide. She took us on a day tour to several nearby villages, and we cannot express how amazing she was. She knew everything: history, geography, pop culture, local quirks, little-known facts, she gave book recommendations, and, wow, can she drive. And even though the tour was in English, I’d like to give her extra credit and gratitude for speaking French with me for so much of the day.
Due to our children being on different school break schedules, we had a lot of moving pieces for this trip. My husband and our younger child and I arrived first and went to Normandy, our eldest came over with my parents and the six of us all met in Paris, and then my parents returned to the States with our younger one while my husband and I took our eldest to the south. Daily messages from Jennifer’s team confirming the next day’s details, including contact info when relevant, were extremely useful. There were so many places there could have been hiccups, and most things went absolutely beautifully. There was a little blip or two along the way, which happens through the fault of no one. In those rare situations, Jennifer and her team were extremely responsive and immediately went out of their way to try to make it right and then some. We greatly appreciate how seriously they took their commitment to service in those moments.
A final note: We must recommend one service that is pricey but beyond worth it, dare I say essential: the VIP Airport Meet-and-Greet, especially for departure flights. You will be taken to the front of every line and whisked through the airport in mere moments. I don’t know how we will ever endure waiting at the airport again. We are utterly spoiled now.
Ellen and Jeffrey Weiner enjoying a cooking class in Paris.
We recently returned from a trip to Paris and London which Jennifer and her team helped us plan. We were extremely lucky to meet with Jennifer in person, while we were in London over Christmastime with our family. We took an immediate liking to Jennifer and knew we would be in good hands planning a trip to Paris in May and then back to London to attend our niece’s wedding in May. Jennifer recommended the JK Place for our stay and it met all of our expectations for a small, luxury, boutique hotel on the Left Bank. It was a beautiful hotel, and the staff was truly extraordinary! We felt like we were guests in someone’s beautiful home! Since we had been to Paris several times prior to this trip, we asked Jennifer for some ideas of different things to do instead of the usual sightseeing. She sent us a variety of activities to choose from and we picked something each day, which also allowed for us to have free time. A food tour in the Marais was our first stop and it was delicious!! Our guide was extremely knowledgeable and we tried everything from cheeses, wines, charcuterie and desserts. The highlight of our trip was a cooking class with Veronique! We went to the local food market to shop for all of our ingredients and then back to her apartment to cook an authentic and delicious French meal. Everything that Jennifer arranged for us was top-notch. Her team sent us a daily text message confirming our plans for the day with all contact numbers in case we needed anything. All of our arrangements went according to plan from the moment we stepped off the plane in Paris until we departed from the airport in London! Her team of drivers, and greeters at airport and train stations were great and so helpful. We cannot say enough about how helpful Jennifer was, and we highly recommend using Jennifer and her team for a trip to France!
We sure had our dream trip as planned by Stephanie. We had a lot of issues with our flight to Florence (missed connections), but she was always on the phone checking our progress so our driver would know when to meet us at the airport. All the drivers were great. The wine tasting, cooking experience and truffle hunting were highlights. The hotel was very accommodating.
In Amsterdam, she found us sold-out tickets for two exhibitions, which were impressive. We also had a private boat tour through the canals for our wedding anniversary.
Overall a 10/10. I would strongly recommend them to plan trips to Italy and the Netherlands.
My wife and I, along with 6 other friends, were in London for a 2023 Memorial Day Weekend Getaway. Working with Jennifer’s office was a pleasure. The five guides they arranged were all top-notch and made the experiences (Westminster Abby and War Room, Chelsea Flower Show, Tea at Claridges, Royal Opera House backstage tour, Antique Shopping, East End Food Tour) come alive. The transportation arrangements and drivers were excellent. The private coaches were extremely clean and comfortable. Expectations were exceeded.
The restaurant selections were hits as well. Kutir (Indian food) was top-notch and the lunch at Nopi was extra special with your help…amazing food. It was a happy surprise that a sister restaurant was where we stopped on our food tour for cakes.
Thank you to everyone for working to make this long weekend in London very special, since moving in a group of 8 is not always the easiest. The group has great memories that have been taken home.
This was our second trip with Jennifer with, again, outstanding results.
We spent 4 days in Rome with excellent guides for the major attractions and intimate, curated, experiences with local artisans. At Jennifer’s recommendation we then traveled to Umbria and had a truly delightful sojourn in the countryside — staying in a restored castle, eating at small, excellent, restaurants and visiting a number of the remarkable hill towns, including Assisi.
Jennifer customized everything for us including matching us with a guide who could also hike and giving us a really rewarding day at an innovative farm that culminated in a truffle hunt and private meal in a beautiful setting.
Overall, another terrific trip! Thanks.
I traveled in Bologna with 6 other family members from 5/1 – 5/6. On 5/6 we picked up another family member at the Milan airport and made our way to our Villa in the Menaggio area. We thoroughly enjoyed the region!!! Our specialists in Jennifer’s office helped us with hotel, transport from the Bologna airport and train tickets to Como. There was a whole team that helped us, but Susanna was our main contact. The hotel was terrific. The hotel location was perfect, right off Piazza Maggiore, the hotel staff were very helpful and got to know us in our few days there. They also had a relationship with Susanna. My advice for Bologna is take at least one food tour, plan to walk everywhere you need to go, buy any tour tickets ahead of time.
For the Lake Como portion of the trip, I suggest visting Villa Carlotta, taking the public ferry to Bellagio and Varenna and hanging out in the Menaggio square for a gelato or apertivo. We did both!
Jennifer recently planned a 4-day trip for my friend and me to London. We stayed at the Mandarin Oriental, which was perfectly located and such a luxurious treat. Jennifer and her team made excellent restaurant recommendations as well as a wonderful high tea experience. She also arranged a stylist and driver to take us around London for the day. Not only did we love our stylist but she took us to neighborhoods that we wouldn’t have gone to on our own. We also saw the Tina Turner show, which I would definitely recommend. Jennifer’s knowledge of London is excellent and as this is the second trip she has helped plan for me, she has gotten to know me and my likes/dislikes, which shows the personal touch she takes with her clients. I’m looking forward to working with Jennifer again soon!
I want to thank you for referring me to Jennifer Virgilio for my recent trip to Paris. My wife and I traveled from 3/31-4/8 for our 25th Wedding Anniversary. Even though I called her 3 weeks before our trip, Jennifer and her team put together a wonderful itinerary including private boat excursions on the Seine, VIP tours of the Louvre and Versailles, arranged reservations at Michelin-rated restaurants, and much more. They updated us every day on our daily itinerary and made us aware of areas of the city that may be closed due to strikes. One suggestion I have for anyone using them or any agent is for food tours. They arranged food tours that were different than what we had in Italy the previous year. I would recommend what time of day and types of food/restaurants you would like to visit as part of the tour. I suggested this to Jennifer and I believe they are incorporating this suggestion. It was a wonderful experience and we can’t wait to return. We would not have been able to experience Paris the way we did without the help of Jennifer and her team. We highly recommend this firm.
and investigated the last home of T.E. Lawrence—and finally located the marker of his fatal crash site near Bovington—and paid our respects at memorials in Moreton and Waresham. Off to my old stomping grounds in Portsmouth for an amazing hands-on refresher on pre-WWII D-Day happenings and a stop to see the Mary Rose (after a 31-year restoration effort). Finally to London for the Ceremony of the Keys in the Tower at night—quite eerie if you think about what went on in the Tower—and an amazing cruise up and down the Thames (HIGHLY recommended for all). In Greenwich, we got to stand in two hemispheres at once and see the original clocks that helped ships at sea navigate.
Boarding the British Pullman, we could see how the “other half” lived in the early 20th century, the luxury (and great food!!) were still awe-inspiring. Then came another bucket-list highlight, an overnight on the Venice Simplon-Orient-Express to Venice. A few martinis in the Bar Car and you could imagine sitting with Agatha Christie as she writes another “who-dunnit.” Again, the food, champagne and atmosphere were stunning and the craftmanship of these luxury hotels on wheels could never be matched by today’s trains. There is simply too much history embedded in the wood inlays and thick woolen carpets.
Arriving in Venice gave us time to wind down and relax—it’s another great walking city, one in which you should get lost and then discover a hidden gem. It was off to Milan for the last few days of this tour. Seeing daVinci’s “Last Supper” for the second time in 53 years took my breath away…the 20+ years of restoration have helped to improve the masterpiece (and ask about Leonardo’s secret trick for maintaining perfect perspective in the mural). Walking up to the roof of the Duomo was perfect to catch a glimpse of the fashion capital below you (as long as you are not afraid of heights). The culmination of this experience was Donizetti’s Lucia di Lammermoor being sung in La Scala….we could have sat through the performance again, if possible.
The trip was fabulous, the attention to detail and support was flawless and the experiences eternal….I’m starting to plan my next excursion already!!
My daughter and I took my 10-year-old twin granddaughters to Paris for their first trip overseas during spring break. We had a wonderful time on our “girls’ trip” from New York City. Although my daughter and I have both been to Paris many times, Jennifer’s group suggested activities geared to the girls, which included several activities we had never done before.
We did a private walking tour through Montmartre with tastings. Nicolas indulged us in tastings including “meringue et de crème fouettés,” chocolates, crepes, and macarons. Our tour concluded at the Basilica of Sacre-Coeur. A private cruise on the River Seine gave us splendid views of many places, including the Eiffel Tower.
Who would have thought that a private macaron making with a professional chef could be so much fun for everyone! We had plenty of macarons to eat and take back with us. The game at the Louvre was an excellent way to learn about the paintings and artwork by finding hidden clues in them and answering questions. The 2-hour guided game was a perfect introduction to the Louvre for the girls.
Finally, the sidecar tour with drivers in sidecar motorcycles gave us a view of Paris from the street. It was an absolute blast!
Our guides were very professional, prompt and engaged with all of us easily.
We especially appreciated the text messages each evening with the details for the following day. What a wonderful introduction to Paris for the granddaughters!
Jennifer (and her wonderful team) helped me plan our recent mother/daughter trip to London and Paris. I wanted to create an unforgettable experience for my daughter’s 16th birthday. Words cannot express how perfect this trip was… I could never have created this epic trip on my own (and don’t think I will ever try). I spoke with Jennifer before we even began the process, and she asked questions about my daughter to help tailor the trip around her preferences and interests. We traveled during spring break ahead of her June birthday, as per Jennifer’s recommendations to avoid the summer crowds. My daughter had some specific requests, which Jennifer did a fabulous job of delivering! She also suggested other activities, hotel options, made dinner reservations, arranged train transportation, private guides and drivers, and transfers. She even helped me with my request to have flowers delivered to each hotel room upon our arrival. I did not have to worry about anything but my airline reservations. She and her team allowed me the opportunity to simply enjoy 10 glorious days with my daughter…priceless.
We stayed at the Reubens on the Palace in London, which was a beautiful hotel and very well located for walking to shopping, theater, Buckingham Palace and the Underground. The hotel provided a lovely gift and note to my daughter upon our arrival for her birthday and left a variety of treats for turndown each night. The staff was friendly, and the doormen were very kind and helpful. We had a very busy itinerary which included horseback riding in Hyde Park, a private guide for a full day in London, Windsor Castle, East End, theater tickets, a visit to Harry Potter studios, and even a day train trip to Harry Styles’ hometown (specific request). I will not regret my decision to secure private guides and drivers. Russell was our guide for all of our tours in London. He was so knowledgeable, personable and did a wonderful job considering my daughter’s interests. We truly enjoyed our time together with him. I would highly recommend requesting him if you are considering a trip to London, as you will find yourself seeing, doing and learning things that you might miss if touring on your own. Having a private driver also allows you to sit back, relax, enjoy the scenery and once again experience more than you would if you are trying to navigate the Underground, maps or hailing taxis.
Our travel from London to Paris was very organized and uncomplicated. I purchased business-class tickets on the Eurostar, which allows you entrance to a wonderful waiting area that has a lovely display of food, drinks, and magazines.
Jennifer arranged a VIP Meet and Greet for us when we arrived in Paris, which was quite helpful to navigate our luggage through the train station and out to our transfer driver.
We stayed at Hotel Madame Reve in Paris, after exploring many options with Jennifer. We were very happy with our choice. The staff was very friendly and helpful. Our room had a beautiful view of the Eiffel Tower and a large outdoor terrace. There was a bottle of champagne and macarons waiting upon our arrival with a nice note for my daughter. They even made the king-size bed with 2 separate sets of sheets for us since they do not have twin rooms. We have visited Paris many times, so Jennifer provided excellent activities for us including a Perfume Workshop, Pastry Making Class, private Louvre tour, the Moulin Rouge and a day trip out to Chateau de Chantilly to ride horses and tour the chateau with a private guide/driver. Our guide, Tatiana, took us through the Louvre and did an exemplary job of showing us the highlights and also pointing out artistic styles, providing pertinent art history and keeping my daughter engaged. I felt as if we walked away from the Louvre with a much better experience and understanding of what we saw.
Our departure was a welcome surprise. The driver was timely, friendly, helpful and dropped us off at the airport to another VIP Meet and Greet. This gentleman took our luggage, walked us through the airport, helped complete tax refunds, took us to VIP check-in and escorted us to the boarding gate. If you have the opportunity to take advantage of this, I think you will find that you will never do without again! We loved it.
Throughout our stay, I was receiving texts with reminders and information on the following day. If we had any concerns or problems, (which we didn’t), I knew that I could reach out to someone for assistance at any time.
I would never have been able to provide such a memorable vacation without Jennifer’s help! I assure you that you will not be disappointed.
We traveled to Italy, Rome and Sicily in particular. Jennifer did an outstanding job arranging the activities and drivers. Her daily communication was excellent. We always knew where we were going, what time and who would be picking us up. I definitely recommend the golf-cart tour of Rome. We had a very knowledgeable and enthusiastic guide and saw so much so conveniently. The dinner and lunch recommendations were spot-on. The Appian Way bike tour was enjoyable but we did travel on some rather busy streets, so I wouldn’t recommend with children. The guide here was also very knowledgeable. All the drivers spoke English and communication was not a problem.
Jennifer’s office is hands-down amazing!
My husband and I have been working with Jennifer since 2020. We planned a summer family trip to Paris that was cancelled due to Covid. We had a credit towards an apartment, so we planned a Paris trip for 30th wedding anniversary arriving March 29, 2023. Jennifer and her staff found a beautiful apartment, planned a magnificent, detailed, fun-filled trip but then The Garbage Strike, in its 20th day, turned violent 5 days prior to our departure. We decided to cancel Paris. (Buy trip insurance!!!) After some quick thinking and needing to travel, we moved our trip to Tuscany. Thankfully Jennifer’s Italy team had Giulia. Jennifer & Giulia sent suggestions for hotels, I checked the map and a new itinerary formed within hours via WhatsApp and it was superb!!!
The most helpful and best expense was the VIP Meet & Greet at Charles de Gaulle as we were transferring airlines and don’t speak French. Brice, our greeter, was on the jet bridge as soon as we deplaned, whisked us thru passport check, carried our bags and assisted our transfer to Terminal 1, checked us in, whisked us again thru security & showed us our gate. Priceless!!!
We loved how Jennifer’s office communicated daily with text messages for the itinerary for the next day. We woke up knowing where we were going, how long it would take us to drive there, special notes, and who we were meeting, contact numbers, then give us details to our next location! It was so nice to know that they were available!
The castles recommended where Jennifer has solid relationships were priceless too! We were greeted with baskets of fruit, bottles of champagne and other treats. The suites we stayed in were beautifully appointed at Castello di Reschio and Castello di Casole. The staff at both properties were personable, friendly, informative and classy. Every meal we had was divine, whether is was a tasting menu or a simple buffet breakfast!
The drivers/transfers/car service were clean, professional and knowledgable, so much better than taking your chances with an Uber/taxi.
Our most memorable moments that Jennifer’s team arranged were the Truffle Hunting/Lunch and the Organic Farm Tour/Lunch. Both experiences had us with locals who educated us, then prepared meals using their products. Over-the-top fresh food made right in front of you. We loved it and felt at home with both “families.”
Highly recommend using Jennifer’s team! Trust their choices and years’ experience.
Jennifer and her team were great. They planned our holiday to ski in Cortina and then on to Venice. The hotels were perfection and not ones that I would have found myself. The tour guide in Venice was just wonderful. Interesting and charming. Her local team kept us posted on pick-ups, meeting times, etc. while on the ground. This is the 3rd time that we have used her company and we’ve been so happy each time.
Our trip to Italy was nothing less than perfect! We traveled 3/11/23-3/22/23 to Rome, Florence and Venice with our 2 adult children (ages 21 and 25) and then a few days in Milan on our own. We worked with Jennifer…she was amazing to work with and we couldn’t have been happier with our trip. The hotels that she selected were top-notch, service was incredible and unbelievably located. Each tour/tour guide was unique…filled with information, history, culture and more. Our cooking class in Rome with Marco was surprisingly a highlight for my 25-year-old son. My husband has not stopped talking about our day in the Tuscan countryside, where we visited a cheese farm, tasted wine and olive oil, had the most incredible lunch at one of the wineries, and then ended our day with truffle hunting in the woods with the cutest truffle hunter ever, Dora. Other highlights were an artisan tour of Florence where we met local artisans who have been continuing their family traditions for generations, glass blowing in Murano, and our trip to the beautiful Burano with its beautiful colorful houses along the canals. We had great tour guides every step of the way who were incredibly knowledgeable, kind, fun and gave us a taste of the wonderful people of Italy. The food was spectacular!! Every restaurant recommendation was spot-on and when we wanted to make a change (because we needed to get one more portion of cacio e pepe), help was easily accessible, quick to respond and extremely helpful. Jennifer planned an amazing trip that we will never forget. We highly recommend and will use again for sure! Thank you!
It was my fiancée’s and my first time in Italy, and we had an amazing time. We were planning for a trip shortly after Christmas and over New Year’s Eve. Our major concern was planning a trip on a short time frame, as well as finding places and things to do over the holidays, since many places in Italy would be closed over the holidays.
Luckily, we found Jennifer through Wendy Perrin’s List and reached out. Very quickly Jennifer and her team worked with us to provide suggestions on an ideal itinerary through Northern Italy, arranging an amazing itinerary for us over about 2 weeks that took us through Milan, Lake Como, Venice, Modena, and Rome. Jennifer and Susanna started helping us with the day-to-day logistics, making restaurant reservations, and transportation. Additionally Jennifer and Susanna helped me plan an amazing proposal in Lake Como, coordinating with our hotel to create an unforgettable moment. Jennifer and Susanna were very attentive and always willing to hop on Zoom calls and exchange many emails to get things done.
Jennifer’s office provides impeccable white-glove service that made us feel relaxed and thoroughly enjoy the amazing experiences in this trip without worrying about timing and logistics. The activities were each unique and very high quality, and tailored to us and our pace and preferences. We would love to work with Jennifer and Susanna again, they truly made this an unforgettable trip for us!
Wynne Wages and family in front of Windsor Castle.
Our trip to London and Oxford planned by Jennifer Virgilio was absolutely amazing. She listened to our desires, planned a wonderful trip which checked all of the boxes for our various family members, and was incredibly patient and kind throughout the entire process. We felt very secure with Jennifer’s team and with the guides and drivers that they secured for us. This was our best family vacation by far and I would highly recommend Jennifer for anyone traveling to the U.K.
My “royalist” daughter was in literal tears when we walked up to Buckingham Palace…and her enthusiasm didn’t wane throughout the entire trip. Windsor Castle, Westminster Abbey, St Paul’s Cathedral, the Tower of London…so many places were thrilling for her (and for all of us!).
Our London guide, Mark, was fantastic. He truly let our desires lead the way. For instance, Tanner wanted to go by the Lindo Wing steps if we had time. Mark and our driver made the time…and made her day! He said that was a new request for him, but that he aimed to please. He was patient and knowledgeable and we loved our days in London with him. Trey was absolutely enthralled with the BTS tour of the Churchill War Rooms. We all were, actually.
Elizabeth in Oxford was a breath of fresh air. Such grace, knowledge and love for Oxford. She was wonderful as well. Not only do I want to be her best friend, but I want to be in her book club! If I could change anything about the trip, we would have spent an additional day in Oxford…we absolutely loved it.
David was so nice and had so much information to share. He was less flexible than the other two guides…keeping us on track!…but we had a lot of sites to see during his two days with us. Stonehenge was a true sight to behold…truly amazing. All of us were disappointed with Bath. It felt very commercialized and the Jane Austen Centre was fairly juvenile. I wish we had gone into Bath Abbey instead. My next trip will be the cathedrals, chapels and churches…we loved them all so much! Stratford-Upon-Avon was great; unfortunately Anne Hathaway’s cottage was closed so we missed going there. But we had added a stop to Holy Trinity Church and Shakespeare’s grave, so that eased the pain!
Both hotels were amazing, especially The Chesterfield Mayfair. The staff was extremely helpful, kind and gracious. The Old Bank was lovely, too. We just had less interaction with the staff. The locations of each were perfect and I’m so glad that we selected those two.
We are so appreciative of the help Jennifer provided us on our recent trip to London and Paris.
We had a fun week and were thrilled to be able to check Paris off our bucket list. Jennifer’s office provided exactly what we asked for – assistance with travel logistics between cities, interesting tours to fit in between business commitments, and a plan to see all the key sites of Paris in a short amount of time!
We both appreciated the daily texts very much. As well as the quick responsiveness when we did have questions. This was reassuring and helped to keep our logistics straight!
In hindsight, I would have done a few things differently, but overall we were really pleased.
~ London ~
We had business in London as well as free time, so I asked Jennifer to fill in some of our down time so we could see parts of London in a different way than we do when traveling for business.
Windsor Castle – I selected this because I thought it would be a good way to pass that first day after an overnight flight. Our guide, Russell was great (as was Wayne, our driver) but ultimately we didn’t see the value, as we were not at our best after the travel and we lost time due to a delay disembarking from the plane.
Next time, I will simply get the hotel for an additional night so it is ready for my arrival.
East End Tour — This was a nice way to see a different part of the city. Russell is an energetic and educated guide and we enjoyed his company.
Fashion Tour — I really enjoyed this and I am not really into fashion, but I wanted to try something different as I have been to London several times. First of all, my guide, Cindy, was wonderful. She is enthusiastic and clearly keen on the subject matter. She was really well prepared and had supporting materials to share along the way – pictures and historical information that she carries in her iPad. In addition to fashion, it was a great way to learn more about the culture, architecture, and history of England, but in a non-traditional way.
It was also really nice that this was a walking tour, as it helped me navigate the neighborhood afterwards when I was meandering on my own.
~ Paris ~
We only had two full days in Paris and I had asked Jennifer to plan a trip that packed in as many of the main sites as possible, which she did accomplish.
Jennifer had recommended a greeter and a car upon arrival in Paris, which we appreciated, as the train station is super busy and it was later at night so having the greeter there was nice.
Classic Car Tour – My husband enjoyed it. We covered a lot of ground and saw all of the well-known sights! I am mixed about this one as I prefer walking tours/slower paced.
Our guide, Renejean, was very nice and we enjoyed his commentary and his company. Renejean also made some good restaurant recommendations, showed us a great local cafe and treated us to a wonderful croissant.
Eiffel Tower – This was a nice way to see the tower. Our guide was good and I enjoyed being with a group here and meeting some other tourists. We also could have easily navigated this one on our own.
Louvre – Isabelle was great. It was very helpful to have a guide here as I can imagine that on our own we would have just meandered about and may not have seen all the top exhibits or even fully realized all that we were looking at. We both really enjoyed our time and Isabelle as our guide. She also made some good suggestions for our afternoon exploration and set us off on a good path.
Airport Greeter – Such a great service! Ending a vacation without the stress of navigating departure is wonderful!
In summary, it was a great trip. I realize now that Paris is perhaps a city best enjoyed in a more relaxed manner, walking and exploring. I wish we had had at least one more day to do more meandering about.
Jennifer’s office did a fantastic job, and the tours recommended met all our needs as we discussed originally. In the future, I may approach these trips with less of my own plan initially and see what the local guides suggest as a pace and schedule. I always learn from travel and this was no exception, any activities that I would have done differently are a part of that process.
Thank you for all of your help!
Jennifer and her team made our trip to France and Italy truly exceptional. The hotels they recommended and arranged were outstanding, both for their accommodations and their service. The tours were interesting, and the English-speaking tour guides were knowledgeable and friendly and very fun to be with! We stayed in four different cities, across two different countries, and we very much appreciated that all of our transfers were timely and went without a hitch. We’d highly recommend Jennifer’s office for planning any special trip to France and/or Italy.
Nancy and I were fortunate to have spent a wonderful week in Florence, Italy that was planned with Jennifer and her team. The trip went smoothly and more than met our high expectations, which we had from our previous experiences with trips that Jennifer has helped plan.
We had not even left the US when we realized how using a WOW expert like Jennifer is beneficial to a smooth and seamless travel experience. Our plane out of Denver was 6 hours late in leaving because of a mechanical issue and thus we were going to miss our scheduled connection in Frankfurt. However, because of the daily texts sent by Jennifer and her team describing the next day’s schedule, all we had to do was alert them as to the change in times and they took it from there so that our airport greeter was there to meet us and that our transportation into Florence was rescheduled to the appropriate time.
Jennifer arranged for us to have Veronica as our tour guide while we were in Florence. Veronica was so warm and friendly. She had a fantastic knowledge of the area and was able to explain things in a fun and educational way. We would definitely recommend Veronica as a guide if you are in Florence.
A highlight of the trip was a private visit to Palazzo Corsini where we not only had Veronica’s expertise but we also had the privilege of Countess Francesca, who grew up and still lives there, conduct the tour. We had such a wonderful afternoon. Another highlight was spending an afternoon visiting with local artisans of Florence. Veronica took us to places which we never would have found on our own. We also spent a morning going to various churches in Florence and saw some amazing artwork still in the churches; Veronica especially shined during this tour as she was able to put the art and the church into proper context so that you understood and appreciated the art you were seeing.
As we noted above, Jennifer and her office did a great job in planning and executing our Florence trip. We have only the highest praise for the services they provide and will undoubtedly utilize them again on a trip to Europe.
My teen daughter and I had a wonderful trip over her February weeklong break. Jennifer was clear, responsive, and thorough from the start—full of ideas to interest both of us. Thank you! The perfume and macaron classes were big hits. A full-day at Versailles got to be long for a young teen, especially filled with lots of history for which she has little context at her age. But she perked up for the farm animals. We both enjoyed the sidecar tour and didn’t find it scary. I’m so glad we did it.
Jennifer listened carefully to our interests and suggested multiple properties in different areas. We chose Relais Christine for the historic beauty and lively neighborhood. We were pleased with this beautiful property with very kind and fast service.
I LOVED the VIP greeter service Jennifer recommended upon landing. Such a lifesaver with efficient and speedy shepherding of us through the airport. Our flight to Paris had been delayed the night before and had a change of outbound airport so it was a little stressful in the lead-up to departure. Landing with someone to take care of us immediately was a treat. Thank you!
Our London trip over the 2022 Thanksgiving holiday was fantastic—fulfilling the wishes of a family of four including two teens. We are very glad we went for five nights, any longer would have been too much, any shorter wouldn’t have included such a variety of experiences. We all needed a seamless getaway from work and school with enough activity to engage without the worry of language translations. We had heard the Christmas lights could be grand (they were) and that the streets wouldn’t be crowded (not true). The trip was energetic and vibrant—a great refresh.
Jennifer and her righthand planner, Zara, were pleasant to deal with, efficient, and thorough. In five short weeks, they planned a packed itinerary meeting all our specs. They suggested 3 hotels and we selected the one (The Ampersand) with a charming private nook for the four of us, which had the added benefit of being near the Tube. The staff was very attentive and the food delicious. After a day, the breakfast staff knew us and had our food ready every morning when we arrived! Dinner was good too. Given we were hesitant about dining out coming off Covid, meeting our personal needs was important and appreciated.
The trip planners added value in many ways: organizing a one-direction route for our activities taking into consideration the timing of all activities and our walking stamina. There was no backtracking and all new material to see. They also provided guides that had extraordinarily deep knowledge of the subjects we wanted to tackle each day, from London history, architecture, Savile Row and Tower of London to the new demands on the city from an environmental perspective. We are foodies and our food tour was over the top, even the vegan cheese! The planners also suggested our getting our own theatre tickets ahead of time online to save an agent fee, which we appreciated. While we were very fortunate with all our guides, one convinced a maître d’ (twice) into taking us for an early meal without a reservation, including a Friday night at a great Indian restaurant (Masala Zone).
In the end, the teens loved the London Eye (priority tickets cut so much time), Cabaret, Winter Wonderland, Tower of London, and the RIB ride. The historians in the family enjoyed St. Paul’s, changing of the guard, financial district, judicial buildings, and the many detailed stories from the guides. My husband enjoyed Savile Row, the changing architecture seen from rooftops, and the night lights. Me, I loved the personal photography shoot at night. We all loved the food tour. Other travelers can’t go wrong with any of these.
If you are booking with Jennifer, specify your interests in detail, where you want to spend your money (hotel, shows), and all the things you want to see. She listens, follows direction and has great suggestions. Make sure you bring a hard copy with you of the names and addresses of each destination in case you cannot access your phone itinerary. The RIB ride entrance was not obvious, so we floundered and barely made it.
Jennifer Virgilio was our trip planner for traveling to London and Paris with our two young children. This was the first time traveling internationally with our children because of previous COVID restrictions, and the first time using a travel planner.
Jennifer had many suggestions for family-friendly activities in both cities, as well as dining options. We used the local guides in Paris (as we were more comfortable navigating activities in London on our own), and they were all knowledgeable and wonderful. The duty managers in both cities were in touch via text (and phone, if needed) throughout the trip. Both hotels were lovely, with gracious service, and in very nice locations.
We did book greeters and car transport at the airports and train stations and they were extremely helpful, particularly with children in tow. We would highly recommend this service.
Jennifer is extremely patient, kind and knowledgeable. We’d highly recommend using Jennifer’s services and will do so in the future if we are to return to her geographic areas of speciality. It was a huge relief to not have to sort out logistics on our own.
Jennifer and team knocked it out of the park again! After several trips to Paris in the past, my husband and I were looking to have a few special experiences organized by Jennifer’s team and leave the rest of our time open. From a seamless airport pick-up and departure experience, to a delightful private wine tasting, to front-row seats at the most magical harpsichord quintet performance in Saint-Chapelle after-hours, Jennifer made sure that no detail was overlooked and we were well taken care of every step along the way. When traveling to France, Jennifer has become my first point of contact (after Wendy, of course :)) and has never failed to delight!
Jennifer Virgilio and her remarkable team once again did an outstanding job of planning our second trip through them, this time to Courmayeur, Italy and Paris for the 2022/2023 holidays. We were a bit late to the game, but they still found us a really impressive set of hotel and ski options, as well as fun opportunities to make the best of both destinations, including New Year’s Eve.
This was the year that a big storm hit the Midwest, which meant that it took us three days to reach our destination (and without our bags). Jennifer and her indefatigable team were with us every step of the way, helping us to carve through the interminable airport baggage bureaucracies and working with our hotels and restaurants on changes in itineraries. Things don’t always go right on trips, but when they do, you want the best travel team behind you. Jennifer’s office hit the mark.
From airport transfers to out-of-the-way restaurant recommendations, the team didn’t miss a beat. When we requested changes in the field, they were always accommodated professionally and with good humor.
We give Jennifer Virgilio and her team the highest recommendations after two successful excursions — for great planning and for top-notch support on the ground to ensure those plans go as well as possible, regardless of the circumstances.
We are just back from a 2-week stay in London over the most magical time of year! Zara helped my family of four (2 adult children) plan an amazingly festive and fun time in London! She assisted with everything from show tickets, tea and dinner reservations. Her team was always prompt in responding to any inquiry I had and was very professional from start to finish. Our “wow moment” was a dinner river cruise on the Thames to ring in the New Year with Big Ben and the London Eye as the backdrop for the most spectacular fireworks display! This is my second time using someone from Wendy’s WOW List and I can’t wait to plan another trip with her recommendations!
We had a wonderful trip planned by Jennifer. She and her team planned some really great activities that our kids would enjoy, including the Retro Sidecar tour and the macaron-making class. I loved how her team texted our itinerary with addresses, phone numbers, and any museum/attraction tickets each day, so that we had everything handy. The dinners that were suggested were yummy. And our suite and adjoining room at the Hotel Grand Powers were absolutely perfect for celebrating New Year’s in Paris. We had a front-row seat to the Eiffel Tower and the fireworks over the Arc de Triomphe. It was an incredibly smooth experience in Paris, which is what we needed for such a short trip.
This is our 2nd international trip using Jennifer Virgilio and we would not hesitate to use her firm again. In fact, we are currently in the planning stages with her team for a Summer 2023 London trip, and once complete with those details will be requesting her firm for a Fall 2023 Italy trip. Clearly we are happy with our experience.
The trip-planning process has always been trouble-free and the feedback on locations and “things to do” very insightful. Dining suggestions have been spot-on and add a tremendous value to the service. The constant contact while on the trip is also invaluable, especially when traveling internationally. We have not encountered a poor guide yet using Jennifer’s office, whereas we have using other firms in countries they do not service. In fact, on this trip we had the same guide for most of the trip (Tatiana). She was not only a delight to be around, she was a wealth of knowledge on all things art and Paris.
Both our trips using Jennifer have been fantastic.
We travelled to Paris for a long weekend in early November 2022 and with the help of Jennifer’s office were able to make the time so well used, fun, and focused on the things that we wanted to accomplish. For example, a private walking food tour, private champagne tasting, and personalized shopping in the flea markets. Dinner reservations were made on our behalf, which saved hours of hunting down restaurants that fit our desires. When time is short…good professional planning is key!
The communication before and during our travel was exceptional. Will reach out to them again next year for our intended return to Paris.
My wife and I loved our trip to Paris on October 4-11, 2022. Jennifer Virgilio picked a very nice hotel in a good location (between the Louvre and the Opera House), and got us an upgrade. A lot of the places we went were within walking distance. Jennifer also filled our days with fun and interesting activities. Our favorite was probably Giverny, with Versailles on the way back. We had a very good guide, who worked late so that we could see everything we wanted. We also had a great guide for the Louvre, and for a food-tasting walking tour through St. Germain. The airport guides were great too, getting us around all queues. Jennifer and her team provided the expertise and assistance to make for a bountiful trip that we won’t forget.
Yet another lovely trip with Jennifer! This time, I traveled with 3 close friends to Champagne to celebrate our 40th birthdays. Jennifer and her team helped to ensure we had a memorable trip and my friends raved about every aspect — from the beautiful hotel to the stellar private guides and the exclusive experiences. Thank you thank you for always going out of your way to ensure I have a seamless travel journey, Jennifer!
Thank you so much for matching us with Jennifer Virgilio. This was our first trip to Italy and we were there for most of October. My wife and I wanted to see some of the many highlights of Italy, and we were not disappointed! We met with Jennifer via Zoom four times to discuss our interests (and non-interests!). Jennifer developed an itinerary that more than matched our hopes and expectations. We enjoyed several unique and interesting tours and EVERY guide was beyond excellent! We so appreciate their attention-to-detail, knowledge and excellent communication skills.
We were in Rome for 5 days and enjoyed:
• A half-day golf cart tour of Rome. Guide: Valeryo. This was unique and fun and we could have easily spent an entire day riding around Rome on a golf cart with Valeryo!
• A tour of the Jewish Ghetto and food tasting. Guide: Laura. Laura is extremely well-versed in this important history and it was very moving to spend time with her.
• A tour of the Vatican. Guide: Valentina. Valentina knows seemingly everything about the amazing art and history of the Vatican. A wondrous visit.
We were in Tuscany for 3 days and enjoyed:
• A jeep tour of 3 wineries (including olive oil tasting as well as a number of wines) and lunch at a family-run winery. Guide: Jessica. Jessica made this day fun and interesting. She knows a lot about wine and the area.
• Tour of San Gimignano and Siena, along with two additional wine tastings and a lunch at a family-run winery. Self-tour plus tour with guide: Claudia. Claudia’s knowledge of Siena runs deep and she shares it in an interesting manner.
We were in Florence for 5 days and enjoyed:
• A walking tour of Florence.
• A food tour of Florence. Guide for both Florence tours: Veronica. Veronica is lovely and, like her colleagues, extreme knowledgeable of her subject matter. We loved our time with her.
We were in Venice for 5 days and enjoyed:
• A walking tour of Venice (that included a gondola ride).
• A tour of Murano and Burano. Guide for both tours: Alvise. We referred to Alvise as the “Mayor of Venice,” as he seems to know everyone there! Like his above-mentioned colleagues, he is personable and flexible, and truly wants you to have an outstanding experience.
• Food tour of Venice. Guide: Camilla. Camilla is lovely and introduced us to many Venetian treats. Spending part of a day with her was the perfect way to end our formal tours on this trip!
Jennifer and Mattia did an unbelievable job of curating guides who were completely simpatico with what we wanted to see and do. EVERY SINGLE ONE was excellent. There is no way we could have ever found guides on our own that were so well versed in the area and our interests (as well as completely fluent in English). Jennifer and Mattia made sure we had the same guide in a city for multiple events when it made sense.
As important as having great guides, Jennifer listened to what I wanted in hotels for the major cities and picked absolutely perfect locations—walking distance 5-15 minutes to everything in each of the cities. Only a knowledgeable travel agent would know these great locations and properties.
We had zero worries about pickup and transportation everywhere we went, as we received the day before a text on times, who was picking us up, where, contact information and the activities for the day. Every person was on time or even early. They knew who they were picking up and where we were going. As an example, in Florence we were picked up at the hotel, our driver took us to the train station and helped take our bags into the station. From there we boarded a train to Venice (our tickets were sent day before to my cellphone). Once the train pulled into Venice there was a person waiting with a sign with our name to pick us up and take our bags to a water taxi, which then took us directly to the dock at our hotel (I mean how cool is that?).
Jennifer provided us a link to restaurants in all the different cities with their recommendations and even helped us make reservations while alerting the concierges of the different hotels so if we needed to make changes to times/days or even restaurants they were in the loop. This came in handy as there were some nights we wanted to eat earlier or wanted to change restaurants.
I think the critical piece of having a good travel agent such as Jennifer and Mattia is when there are hiccups—and every trip has one or two. First, we had an issue with texting—I reached out to Jennifer and within an hour we had the issue resolved. Second, we had a noisy room in Venice. I first tried working with the hotel but when I was not able to make any progress, I sent a text to Mattia–not looking for an upgrade or a better view—just something quieter. Looking back at my text, within TWO MINUTES, Mattia acknowledged my issue and started working on helping us. With his help, we had a much more quiet room in less than a couple of hours. This is one of the true values of a great travel agent.
It was a perfect time to travel. We found all the sites accessible and not many lines. When we did encounter a line, our guides had passes to bypass them! Reservations at restaurants were not really any problem (although we were glad to have made them ahead of time, as some of the popular restaurants book up quickly).
Jennifer and her staff and all the guides, drivers, greeters and hotels were fantastic. We could not have done this trip without them. I see why Jennifer is one of the top travel agents you recommend. Thank you again for putting us in touch and making this a wonderful experience.
Our trip to Italy (Sept 18 to October 1, 2022) was spectacular thanks to Jennifer Virgilio and her staff. We typically like to have a lot of flexibility when we travel, so we were a bit unsure of having so much planned activity, but every outing exceeded our expectations. Highlights were a private wine tasting and Michelin-starred lunch at a high-end winery, a tour of the Accademia with an art historian, and a private tour of a biodynamic winery during harvest. We asked for wine experiences that featured special wines, and they delivered! The accommodations were lovely and Jennifer helped us select really special dining options, all with great seating, such as the table overlooking the Arno River at sunset. We had one hiccup with a reservation and our on-call agent helped us immediately. I now get why people use travel agents :). Expect to pay top-dollar, but everything was worth it.
Jennifer and her team were very busy when we tried to get our planning going, and we were a bit worried about how responsive they could be, but Jennifer assured us that we had ample time to plan and that they would not accept the job if they couldn’t deliver an outstanding experience. We had no issues once we got their focus, and the execution was perfect.
There was one watch-out that had nothing to do with Jennifer and her team. One of our drivers told us he had made us a reservation for lunch even though we had not asked for this or even for a recommendation. We should have known something was up but went along and ended up at a marketing-scheme wine tasting that we had no interest in. Once we figured out what was going on, it was hard to leave.
I spent a week in Paris with my granddaughter, who is studying there this semester, and the weekend in Rouen. Jennifer and our guides all did an outstanding job. The VIP guides & drivers for my CDG arrival and departure were superb and essential. My granddaughter is interested in the history of feminism, and Edith de Belleville was an excellent and very knowledgeable guide on the history of some of the well-known and less well-known women, and men, of Paris. Our Tour Eiffel semi-private guide, Constanza, an art history student, was also outstanding. Our two Paris restaurant bookings (we requested QUIET as a priority) were also perfect and tasteful. Jennifer also found me the best available and best located hotel in the 7th, Le Cinq Codet, as Paris was very booked. Our Rouen hotel was totally lovely (Bourgtheroulde) and Liza, our guide there for “following in the footsteps of Jeanne dArc,” was wonderful and she had done her homework. The only slip-up was we did not receive Jennifer’s usual text confirming time and place to meet Liza in Rouen for our tour, but she quickly got me the necessary information once she learned we did not have it. Covid was not an issue, as I wore masks inside whenever it felt necessary. As a very experienced and sophisticated traveler, I will from now on always contact Wendy Perrin/Jennifer for superb guidance and suggestions.
When my wife and I honeymooned in Rome 35 years ago, the Sistine Chapel was in the middle of its restoration. The lasting impression we had was of scaffolds and dark images. Likewise, the Colosseum was dark and mossy. When we contacted Jennifer for our Rome visit in September we mentioned these impressions. Wow, have things changed. She arranged to have Francesca, an excellent, caring and knowledgeable guide, bring these two Roman icons to life for us. Francesca also took us on an unforgettable food tour on our first night. We were also happy with Jennifer’s recommendations for our accommodations near the Pantheon and several restaurants. We would definitely use Jennifer again to plan a trip in any area of her expertise.
We worked with Jennifer Virgilio to craft a remarkable trip through Italy this September, and she was fantastic! There were 6 of us in our group – my husband and me, another couple we have known for decades, and their 25-year-old daughter and her boyfriend. I contacted Jennifer in the winter of 2022, and together we constructed a ten-day itinerary that took us from Lake Como to Positano. Jennifer was an excellent travel advisor – she listened carefully to what we all wanted, asked about our travel style and expectations, and made wonderful suggestions to help narrow down our choices. It was so easy to work with her, and we spent several months going over the itinerary to be sure it was just what we wanted. It really made a difference. Jennifer and her team stayed in touch with us every day with texts and reminders about the plans. Our tour guides were knowledgeable, articulate, and very friendly. Our drivers were experienced, careful, and calm in traffic. We did not use the personal escorting service at the train stations or airports, but it was interesting to note that we could have made those arrangements if we felt we needed them.
We began our adventures at the Grand Hotel Termezzo, on the shores of Lake Como. It was a spectacular hotel, and our rooms were amazing. Our first morning was spent in a beautiful classic wooden speedboat, touring the shores of the lake, learning about history, architecture, and celebrity gossip. We had timed tickets to tour Villa Balbianello, had a wonderful lunch at a quiet café, and strolled around Bellagio. (As you can imagine, we had many great meals in Italy, and Jennifer secured dining reservations at several restaurants that we were unable to book on our own.)
Next, we traveled by train to Milan, and spent several days there. The tours arranged by Jennifer were precisely what we wanted. Our city tour of Modern Milan included the Bocco Verticale building, the Porta Nouva district and the Monumental Cemetery. She also secured timed tickets to see da Vinci’s Last Supper. One day we had a beautiful drive to Piedmont for a spectacular wine tasting.
Then we went to Florence by train, and again we had a wonderful time. Hotel Brunelleschi was perfect, and within walking distance of everything we wanted to visit. Our cooking class was amazing – we walked to a local market to select the ingredients, and then we walked to the stunning personal kitchen with a view straight to the Ponte Vecchio. Our chef was delightful, and the meal we made together was delicious.
It was in Florence that we had our WOW Moment. And, again, this just showed how carefully Jennifer listened to our interests and preferences. Late afternoon we were met at the lobby of our hotel, where we discovered we would be visiting two local artisan workshops to see classic Venetian crafts – mosaics in hard stone, and paper marbling – and afterwards have a chance to relax with aperitifs and nibbles while talking with our wonderful guide. It was EXACTLY what I wanted. It was similar to what I had discussed with Jennifer, and we just hadn’t been able to it work into the schedule.
Next, we traveled by train to Naples, and then by driver to Positano where we checked into our beautiful hotel, Le Sirenuse. Oh, we know there is so much to do along the Amalfi Coast that it is hard to pick between activities. However, we have been there a few times before, and this time all we really wanted to do was just enjoy the sea, the view, and our lovely hotel. And this is pretty much what we did for the three days we were there. Eat, swim, repeat. Again, Jennifer managed to get reservations at several restaurants that we were unable to book ourselves.
The last full day of our trip we left Positano, and our driver took us up through the mountains towards Naples. We were met by a guide at Pompeii for a fascinating private tour of the ruins and museum. And then our driver took us on to a winery on the slopes of Vesuvius for a lunch and wine tasting. And finally, we got to Naples for our last evening. The Hotel Romeo was a perfect spot, very modern and groovy, right on the waterfront by the cruise ships. That night we walked to a local restaurant for, of course, pizza!
The value that Jennifer added to our trip is too much to calculate. We were a diverse group, with varied interests and tolerances, and it was great that we had worked out our itinerary so far in advance. The early portions of the trip that were carefully planned meant we all were on the same page each day, and we had all agreed to the schedule. The last few days on the Amalfi Coast were totally unplanned, which allowed for more relaxation and spontaneity. It was the perfect combination.
As for concerns about COVID, this was not really an issue on this itinerary. All of us were fully vaccinated and had our booster shots. We were mostly in our own group, with private tours and private transportation. Our train tickets had reserved seats, and we were not in big crowds very often. Our hotels were quiet and expansive. We knew our guides and drivers had been vetted by Jennifer. We felt safe.
I would highly recommend Jennifer and her team. We hope to get the chance to use her again!
This was our first trip with Jennifer, and it won’t be our last. We can definitely see how she made The WOW List! We asked Jennifer to arrange a long weekend in Italy to celebrate our 30th anniversary. It was a last-minute request, but Jennifer was on it right away and found us the perfect location at a castle hotel in Umbria. The team’s communications were first-rate, from the initial discussions to determine our preferences, to the options presented on day excursions, to the daily texts while we were there reminding us of the next day’s agenda. We requested a change in excursions while there and those were handled efficiently and with grace by Jennifer’s team. We especially appreciated their suggestion to visit Civita de Bagnoregio on our way back to Rome, an off-the-beaten-path excursion to an amazing medieval town. We have traveled to many countries and can recommend Jennifer and her office without hesitation!
The trip was fantastic! The planner did a great job on such short notice. We have no complaints.
When we first decided to travel to Paris, we went to Wendy to find the best match for our travel plans. She suggested Jennifer Virgilio. We had not been to France in 30 years but knew that we wanted to focus on the French Revolution and WWII history. From the first meeting and emails we secured the perfect itinerary for us. Jennifer knew the guides that would help us and suggested several tours.
Jennifer’s choice of guides matched us perfectly. So full of life, passion and information. We enjoyed each tour with Isabelle and Edith. Tarek, the driver, was amazing. How he drives in Paris needs a courage and bravery medal, and he never lost his smile. We appreciated how both Isabelle and Edith put the tours into historical context for us to readily understand the meaning. Not too much detail nor too little. They were fun to be with – and even gave me some insights into Emily in Paris, including showing us the shooting locations. Loved it.
The River Cruise was as imagined. I only wish there was a bit more information given during the time on board. I did provide the feedback via text.
We so enjoyed Le Grand Controle in Versailles. Every detail mirrored the time period. I don’t know where they bought their towels, slippers and bathrobes but they were the lushest, plushest we ever used. Having a private tour of Versailles – what can I say, really made the tours a pleasure with no crowds to deal with. The Hamlet was the best tour – after the oppressive nature of the palace I can see why Marie Antoinette built it for her and her friends. The breakfast, sweet tea, dinner and drinks made one feel pampered and spoiled.
We liked the daily updates to keep us on track and added flexibility for last-minute time changes.
Overall, a great tour and we will definitely rebook with Jennifer.
Trip was fantastic! Our family found a window of time in the Covid Pandemic, and we all returned safely. Jennifer Virgilio is one of your professional experts who are all proficient in their country of expertise. I have recommended her to all of the friends who inquired. Jennifer was extremely sensitive to pandemic planning. We felt safe with her choice of localities. Our family needed certain room requirements and she responded to that need. One morning we arrived at our transportation only to find a sick driver. One phone call solved the problem quickly and we were soon on our way. The trip was a dream of a lifetime and lived up to all of our expectations.
PANDEMIC TRAVEL This is our second time working with Jennifer and her team, and again we had a marvelous time on our vacation in Italy from August 28th to September 10th. Jennifer and Maria created a wonderful 2-week trip for me and my husband that included transportation, accommodations, private tours, restaurant recommendations/reservations, a rental car, and any last-minute changes/requests.
Since we have worked with Jennifer before, she understood what we were looking for on our trip and her recommendations on hotels and restaurants were spot-on. She also provided us with different tour options so we could decide on what we wanted to partake. The tour guides were extremely knowledgeable and engaging. We were invited by a family and tasted homemade wine while touring in Oliena, Sardinia. It was such an unplanned but heartwarming experience. People in Sardinia are the most welcoming and friendly people that I have ever met.
We enjoyed the daily messages from duty managers to remind us our daily activities. Jennifer and Maria were also super responsive when we requested to modify our daily activities, such as adding a water taxi tour around Lake Como and arranging a driver for a day of shopping in Milan. Every request was executed flawlessly. We would work with Jennifer for future trips again and again.
PANDEMIC TRAVEL We planned our trip to Italy to coincide with a friend’s wedding in Ravello. Our last time on the Amalfi Coast had been in 1996, so we were seeking some help planning 5 days in Capri to celebrate our own 25th wedding anniversary.
Jennifer Virgilio and her team clearly know Capri, as they set up a fantastic set of activities along with a perfect hotel for our stay. She made sure the transfer from Rome’s airport to the hotel was seamless. Given that this required planning a 2 hour car ride, 45 min ferry, and a taxi up to Anacapri, this was a very welcomed expertise coming off of our long flight from the US!
In Capri, Jennifer helped select a beautiful hotel and a room with a stunning view of the Mediterranean. Even the porter helping with our luggage shared that it was one of his favorite rooms. For dining options, Jennifer chose options that met our desire for terrific Caprese food, wonderful service, and exquisite views.
For the most part, we just stuck to sitting out in the sun and going off to dinners in the evening. On one of the days, though, Jennifer chartered us a boat to explore the Amalfi Coast. Our captain and his crew were a perfect fit. We had a fantastic day on the water swimming, sunning, and posing for classic Amalfi photographs.
We left Capri to make our way to Ravello for the wedding. Jennifer made all of the arrangements, including a stop in the city of Amalfi itself for our favorite meal of the entire trip. We arrived at the wedding well-rested, adjusted to the time zone, and ready to party. Several days later, Jennifer had arranged for a quick and easy transport back to Naples by car to catch a train up to Rome for one last night in the eternal city before we went to the airport in the morning to fly back to the US.
Overall, Jennifer did a fantastic job listening closely to our experience as travelers, our interests for this particular trip, and our logistics for the wedding. Every decision she helped us make worked out even better than expected. While Jennifer is quite busy due to the post-Covid travel boom, we felt well-taken care of. All in all, a wonderful vacation experience!
PANDEMIC TRAVEL We had some complicated logistics where we had to be in Rome in mid-July and in London a week later. We could do anything with the days in between so we contacted Jennifer, who has offices in both locations. Jennifer suggested we spend the week in northern Italy, 3 days in Florence and 3 in Venice, followed by 3 days in Bath once in the UK.
I would categorize our experience with Jennifer as mixed, due to a mismatch in our styles more than anything else. While I like Jennifer and we truly had a wonderful trip, I am not sure we are her ideal client. My sense is that person would be someone that prefers to be catered to and escorted every step of the way, while we thought it was overkill to have someone meet us at our train in Venice, simply to walk 100ft to a water taxi. That’s something we could have managed on our own. We like good, attentive service but that level is overkill for us.
The good stuff:
-The itinerary was great. We specifically asked for activities that were not too heavy on history and museums (to keep the teenager happy) and that is exactly what we got. We would have loved an extra day in both Florence and Venice but were limited by time.
-I liked that there was someone in communication with us daily. We would receive a daily text with the next day’s agenda. This also allowed us to easily contact Jennifer’s team when we wanted to add something in at the last minute–which they were able to do!
* The guides were fabulous! Highly recommend Veronika in Florence and Alvise in Venice:
* In Florence, Veronika took us on a city tour focusing on artisans doing their craft as they’ve been done for hundreds of years. We could never have found these shops on our own, and even if we could, we would not have known what we were looking at. Such a treat! Veronika also took us on a food tour–delicious!
* Alvise took us on a city tour of Venice as well as Murano and Burano. His love for his hometown is contagious and made the tours so much fun.
Overall, we had a positive experience using Jennifer and her staff, but I do think a different type of traveler would be better served by their services.
PANDEMIC TRAVEL We had a great trip to Champagne and Paris. We spent four nights at the fabulous Royal Champagne hotel. Jennifer booked us into five wine caves, which were each spectacular. We ate at Michelin-star restaurants and had wonderful guides in both Paris and Champagne. The quality of guides was magnificent: Our guide to at the Louvre and Musee d’Orsay was so well educated in art history that I think we could have spent an afternoon in just one gallery learning from her. Our guide in Reims and our bicycle guide in Paris were so kind and knowledgeable and friendly. Jennifer’s team was also great about making sure everyone knew about our son’s friend’s allergy—I would say six out of eight of the restaurants we went to identified and confirmed his allergy before we even ordered drinks. That was amazing. The highlight of the trip, besides the tours of the Champagne caves, was seeing the fireworks from a boat in front of the Eiffel Tower on Bastille Day. My husband, my son, his friend, and I will remember that for the rest of our lives.
PANDEMIC TRAVEL My wife and I recently returned from an outstanding 4 week trip to Italy & France wonderfully planned by Jennifer Virgilio and her exceptional team. The trip included private villas, transportation, private tours, restaurant reservations, and a rental car. We spent two weeks in Italy (Umbria & Tuscany) and two weeks in France (Cõte d’Azur & Provence). Planning and executing custom luxury travel is a challenge in the best of times, but in these super busy post-Covid times, Jennifer’s team was exceptional in delivering such a flawless vacation.
The planning process with Jennifer starts with a good understanding of the type of trip we were looking for, our budget, and what was most important to us and ends with a detailed, customized travel itinerary including conveniently web-linked documents. For this trip, I had the good fortune of working with Jennifer and her highly capable, efficient, and charming staff, Susanna, Tiago, Luna, Antoniette, and a number of “Duty Managers.” Jennifer is super knowledgeable and a pleasure to work with, and I will say the range and depth of her team and staff really make the difference, including a daily text message summary of tomorrow’s plans. It was like having a Concierge via text message. From Villa selection to hotel, tour guide, and restaurant suggestions, Jennifer really delivered. Each week had its unique features and experiences, and in totality, the full 4 weeks were a terrific complete vacation, including a few final days feeling like royalty in Versailles.
I cannot thank and recommend Jennifer enough, and can’t wait to plan our next memorable vacation together.
PANDEMIC TRAVEL Fantastic family experience in Paris! Jennifer crafted three very special occasions for our family of four (2 adults, 2 teens). Our tour and bicycle ride at Versailles will be one of our favorite days forever. It was the perfect balance of scheduled and flexibility. The guide was so wonderful with our youngest. You can imagine our happiness when she repeated as the scavenger hunt guide at our Louvre tour! I will never do the big museum without a guide again. It’s enjoyable and complete. Our final experience was a private Venetian boat on the Seine. What a gorgeous boat! We felt like VIP guests! We were very appreciative of the help.
PANDEMIC TRAVEL Working with Jennifer Virgilio and her team was such a fabulous experience. Nothing was left to chance, all the experiences arranged for my 13-year-old granddaughter were incredible and we couldn’t possibly have had a better trip. We learned how to make macarons, worked with a perfumer to create our own scents, went hot-air ballooning in the Loire Valley and took a small boat on the Canal St Martin. Since my granddaughter is a “creative” who’s interested in fashion and fashion design, Jennifer arranged several hours for us with an expert for a teen shopping tour. Also in the fashion vein, we met with Marine Henrion, a wonderful up-and-coming fashion designer. My granddaughter went home with Paris fashion appropriate to her age and fashion sense, and I loved sharing the experiences with her. Jennifer and her colleagues are so skilled at what they do. I’m on a safari with my grandson in Africa now and I had Jennifer arrange VIP Meet and Greet services for us when we had to change planes at Heathrow since I’ve decided I’ll never travel without it again! This was my summer to introduce my boy/girl twin grandchildren to traveling the world and Jennifer and her incredible team have made all of it as wonderful as can be.
PANDEMIC TRAVEL My wife and I had an absolutely great trip with our granddaughters. Our trip to Paris and Florence could not have been better. Jennifer reached out for a call. Jennifer listened carefully and made great suggestions for hotels and a custom itinerary…which included great successful shopping. We made it clear that we wanted this holiday to create long lasting memories for our granddaughters. Jennifer and her team delivered!! Jennifer provided us a number of suggestions and a recommended itinerary. We made a few adjustments and settled on a plan.
We had to make a few adjustments during our holiday, but her staff could not have been more accommodating. Her selection of guides was terrific. Isabelle in Paris met every need. She adjusted a few plans based on her discussions with our granddaughters. She was professional, patient, and flexible. Our granddaughters loved Veronica in Florence. She was warm, knowledgeable, and listened and responded to every request.
Having a member of Jennifer’s team check in each night was great planning comfort. I would highly recommend Jennifer to anyone planning a trip to Paris (France) and/or Florence (Italy). She and her team are very special.
PANDEMIC TRAVEL Our travel planner was perfect from start to finish!
Four days in Paris and five days in Loire Valley. Great restaurant choices. Wonderful drivers. Fantastic hotels. Airport experience was flawless.I would always go through Wendy Perrin and her recommendation of travel specialists!
PANDEMIC TRAVEL I took a two week trip with my 13-year old son to the United Kingdom to visit my two college-aged girls who were living there for the summer. Jennifer planned my trip (and this is the second time I have used her). As expected, she delivered a first class, organized, spot on trip. Ekaterina, who works with Jennifer, assisted in a lot of the coordination of the trip and she was amazing, kind, organized and responsive. My trip was not an easy one to plan because it was constantly evolving (even during the trip itself), because I was trying to coordinate my trip with the schedules of my daughters, one of whom was in Scotland and the other in London. I sent so many emails changing things almost daily for a few weeks, and Ekaterina was able to quickly respond and pivot. Jennifer’s group also checked in with me daily to confirm the plan for the next day. Our trip was terrific. It was a perfect mix of history and some laid back adventures that my kids enjoyed. Two highlights were when we went behind the scenes for a private tour at the Winston Churchill War Rooms and had a private tour at the Tower of London at night and watched the centuries old changing of the keys ceremony there. The hotels were first class and our private tour guides were absolutely top-notch and incredibly knowledgeable. I will use Jennifer again on another adventure and highly recommend her!
PANDEMIC TRAVEL My husband and I recently finished an extensive trip to Slovenia and Croatia and we flew into and out of Venice. We wanted to stay 2 nights, July 9-11th, in Venice before flying back home. Fortunately the requirement to be tested for Covid ended just prior to our flight to Venice so we did not have to be concerned about that.
We contacted Jennifer Virgilio at Wendy Perrin’s suggestion and had a conversation with her about our plans. It may seem that a trip of 2 days would not require the services of a WOW advisor, however, we have had at least 3 very positive experiences with Jennifer, twice in France and once in Italy, and again we were very happy we reached out to her.
She arranged an airport VIP and assist with 2 porters to meet us at our airport gate upon arrival in Venice after a very long overnight flight with 2 stops, and escort us to our driver waiting to take us to Slovenia. To us, this is a valuable service and money well spent.
At the end of our time in Croatia, Jennifer again arranged for a private transfer via water taxi to our hotel, the St. Regis, which has been recently renovated, and in a very great location. It was a good recommendation. We had a view of the canal and it was mesmerizing.
Jennifer and her team also arranged dinner for us both nights at restaurants within walking distance of the hotel and both were excellent.
We had a guide on our second day, Sara, who met us at the hotel. Jennifer secured tickets to the 59th Biennale and we viewed amazing art from all over the world. It was fun having a guide who knew the streets not traveled by tourists and at times it seemed like we had Venice to ourselves!
Sara even took us to her favorite bacari for the Venetian snacks, cicchetti. Delicious!
When it was time to fly home, Jennifer arranged for a private water taxi from the pier of the hotel directly to the airport terminal where we were met by a driver who retrieved our bags and drove us to the front door and helped us with our luggage at check in. Again, a small worthwhile luxury at the end of our trip!
Luna, who works with Jennifer, was great about texting us each day and evening to confirm our schedule and reservations. It was seamless as every trip planned by Jennifer and her team has been! I know we will call on Jennifer again for a future trip.
PANDEMIC TRAVEL Jennifer Virgilio planned an amazing trip for my family of 3 to Paris and the Dordogne for 9 days in June. My 10 year old son loved the chocolate making class with our very personable and kid friendly guide. I loved how Jennifer arranged for a guide to take us speedily through the airport where we skipped every line and sped through customs! The most magical highlight of the trip for me was Rouffignac cave, where we took a train a mile into the cave and came upon a glorious array of prehistoric cave paintings. Our guide, Martin, was perhaps the best guide I have ever had, full of knowledge and fascinating to listen to talk about the area. The apartment Jennifer arranged for us in Paris was perfectly situated and much easier than a hotel when traveling with kids. There was so many wonderful moments and so many great memories from this excellently planned trip!
PANDEMIC TRAVEL We needed help planning a couple of special items on our trip to Paris. Jennifer and her team were very thoughtful in helping us choose a special activity for my daughter’s birthday and a special restaurant for her birthday dinner. They also were very knowledgeable about other restaurant reservations. We all loved their suggestions and were very grateful for their advice!
PANDEMIC TRAVEL My wife Andrea retired in April 2022 so I wanted to plan a special trip to celebrate the conclusion of a 35-year career in healthcare management. After learning about the Wendy Perrin WOW List I reached out to one of the suggested travel planners that specialized in France, Jennifer Virgilio. I told her my goal was to put together an unforgettable trip to Paris and Normandy for my wife that would celebrate her father’s service in WWII and allow us to explore the wonderful and romantic city of Paris. During my first Zoom session with Jennifer it was clear that I had come to the right place. She immediately knew what we were looking for in an experience and provided valuable guidance as to the appropriate length of stay in both destinations. She also suggested some additional side trips and stops that looked amazing but ultimately we settled on three days in Normandy with a half day stop in Giverny followed by seven days in the heart of Paris.
Although we have traveled to other parts of Europe in the past, and own an apartment in a Tuscan hill town in Italy, this would be our very first trip to France. After sharing our preferences with Jennifer during several Zoom sessions we arrived at a final customized itinerary that was itemized and fully booked by Jennifer’s office well ahead of our trip. While one objective was to enjoy guided tours of the most important sites and destinations, we also wanted plenty of free time to explore on our own, especially in the heart of Paris.
Since this was also our first time working with a travel planner we both agreed that we would commit to the process and trust the experts. Thankfully, Jennifer and the team did not let us down as they presented a number of hotel, dining, sightseeing and tour options for every one of our 10 days, along with excellent descriptions of what to expect including the pros and cons. After several back and forth emails and Zoom sessions, Jennifer presented us with a truly personalized and comprehensive itinerary that was meticulously planned but not over-scheduled. Best of all it provided the balance we sought between private tours and free-form exploration.
Starting with Normandy we narrowed things down by selecting a hotel in Bayeux (the Normandy base recommended by Jennifer) with two full days set aside for the WWII sites. We also managed to include time on our day of arrival to visit Monet’s house and garden in Giverny plus enough time in Bayeux to visit the famous tapestry. While that may seem like a lot after a long flight from the US, the airport connection and Giverny stopover were seamless thanks to a “meet and greet” service that whisked us through customs to our private car for the day. After several hours exploring Monet’s wonderful home and gardens with time for lunch we journeyed on to our handpicked hotel in Bayeux (Villa Lara) where we were welcomed for three nights. While there are other very fine hotels in Bayeux, Villa Lara was a perfect fit for us combining a boutique family-run style with high-end luxury and best of all an A+ location in the downtown. Really this is one of the best located hotels in all of Bayeux.
For the rest of our stay in Normandy Jennifer arranged for us to spend two full days with Pierre, an outstanding private guide and WWII historian. We cannot say enough about Pierre and the moving experiences of visiting Utah and Omaha beach along with Point du Hoc and the US Cemetery. While we could have visited all of the sites on our own, the value of a knowledgeable guide cannot be overstated. Knowing that Andrea’s dad was a WWII veteran who landed in France a few months after D-Day, Pierre guided us through a very emotional experience with grace and compassion. He knew how to keep us moving so we could visit and see all of the important sites while giving us space to process our emotions and reflect on the history changing events that took place so many years ago. Given the large area that we covered in two days, it is hard to imagine doing this without the help of a guide or a travel planner.
The next part of our trip began with a high speed train to Paris for another meet and greet at the train station compliments of our hotel, La Reserve Hotel & Spa. Although this was a hotel we suggested for consideration along with a half dozen other wonderful options presented by Jennifer, she was very familiar with this small-form palace hotel in central Paris near the Plaza de Concorde. More importantly, her personal knowledge of the property and an understanding of what Andrea wanted for her first “Paris hotel experience” helped us choose La Reserve as the home base for the next seven nights in the City of Lights.
Jennifer also proposed a number of guided tours and dining options including a luxury gourmet dinner cruise called The Ducasse de Seine. Without a doubt this was one of the most spectacular and memorable meals we have ever had and will always be one of the highlights of our amazing Paris experience. Although there were lower priced dinner cruise options, we chose the Ducasse “Best View on the Seine” six-course dinner with champagne and wine pairings. While this experience is not for everyone, for those that want to feel like royalty for one glorious night in Paris it should be at the top of the list. Oftentimes these over the top dinners can be a disappointment but in this case we can truly say it was worth every penny. Thank you Jennifer and the Alain Ducasse team for a special night we will always remember.
Of course fine dining in Paris is just one of the many wonderful things we wanted to experience on this trip. Jennifer also selected several other bistros for lunch and dinner during our week along with private guided tours of the premier sites including the Louvre, The Orsay Museum, the Marais neighborhood, and Carnevalet Museum with food and wine tastings mixed in. Sadly, Notre Dame was closed due to the horrific fire a few years ago, so that was one site we could not enjoy. Also, by our choice we decided not to trek up the Eifel Tower, leaving that for another time.
However, with help from Gigiliana, the personal guide selected by Jennifer, we navigated through and around all of the main sites and museums with half-day private tours, leaving each afternoon for exploration on our own. We also had two free days during our week long stay, including an afternoon for a spa treatment at our hotel. Without question the private walking tours and dining options were just what the doctor ordered for our way of travel. Also, Gigiliana made sure each and every tour (we had four of them with the same guide) ended in a place where we could easily extend the experience on our own. On two occasions she stayed with us beyond the allotted time and went above and beyond to make sure we found our away around. As with Pierre in Normandy, Gigiliana, the Paris tour guide selected by Jennifer, was a great fit.
If we had to do it all over we would keep everything the same except for a prix fixe dinner at L’Oiseau Blanc and a half-day “Discover Paris” tour by car. After our dining experience on the Seine, a second five-course gourmet dinner was not needed and the touted view from the top of the Peninsula Hotel was only for a few tables. Also, the menu was very limited and the pricing of the a la carte choices made them not much of an option. For the car tour the time spent was valuable but not the way we like to see things. However, it did provide an overview of central Paris that we were able to draw upon especially during our free exploration time.
Obviously if you cannot tell by now our trip and experience with the Wendy Perrin WOW List and Jennifer Virgilio was a huge success. We enjoyed the trip of a lifetime and will use these services again, especially when we are exploring new places outside our Tuscan comfort zone.
PANDEMIC TRAVEL Our trip to Rome and Amalfi was a perfect family vacation with our teens. We had a golf cart tour of Rome enabling us to see so much that we otherwise couldn’t have fit in. The guide took great family photos of us at all the stops and was very knowledgeable about the history of each place. Note that if you want to see the inside of the Pantheon, you need to make a reservation. We absolutely loved the gluten-free cooking class arranged by Jennifer, Mara and Maria. The kids were impressed that they were able to cook such delicious food. Our visit to Pompeii was a highlight. Our tour guide Costanza made it so interesting for a teenage audience. Our stay in Amalfi was incredible. We loved our hotel, the Borgo Santandrea. it was beyond amazing. Breakfasts on the gorgeous terrace were a highlight as was the beach. Mara arranged a day on a private boat which stopped for lunch in Nerano and the grottos near Capri. The crew was wonderful and the day lovely. Everything about our trip was made easy and our country experts were always responsive. We cannot recommend them highly enough.
PANDEMIC TRAVEL Working with Jennifer Virgilio and her team was an unparalleled experience. Our trip to France with my nearly 14 year old granddaughter was a special gift for her and, after COVID shutdowns, a welcome treat. The menu of experiences Jennifer tailored to someone of her age and interests was unbelievable. My granddaughter was able to select exactly what interested her and the outcome was dazzling. The level of service Jennifer’s office provides, with a 24/7 contact in Paris who communicates the daily itinerary in the late afternoon each day, answers questions and clears up any issues, however small, is extraordinary and immediate. The skill and contacts of the airport greeter they arranged to get us onto our plane in the midst of the CDG Airport strike this past weekend defies description. People were waiting on long lines for hours and we were checked in, whisked through Border Patrol and Security in what felt like seconds and in the Lounge in no time. Jennifer’s team operates in several European countries. I will certainly seek their services whenever I travel to any of them and I recommend everyone doing so uses them. Your experiences will be unforgettable. It is an extraordinary company and Jennifer Virgilio is a pure pleasure to deal with. This is high end travel at its best!
PANDEMIC TRAVEL Our family of 4 has just returned from an amazing 2-week trip in mid-June planned by Jennifer Virgilio. This was our 4th trip using one of Wendy’s WOW List specialists, and with each one we have been very satisfied with the experience. We had a terrific initial call with Jennifer in October 2021 and within a quick turnaround of 2 weeks we had most of our itinerary and hotel choices planned and booked. Jennifer warned us early on that Italy was extremely busy and pricing was going through the roof. She was extremely responsive through the planning process; any questions we had she replied within a day or two and it was very easy to pick from a large menu of different choices to suit our family (my wife and I, our 19-year-old son and 21-year-old daughter) with different interests. We had some “bumps” early on with a 5-star hotel in the Amalfi coast that after 48 hours of quoting a rate to Jennifer raised the rate by 25% and then refused to honor what they had initially quoted. Unfortunately, we were being held hostage to the market conditions in Italy. Jennifer did her best to try to get the hotel to honor the initial rate, but was unsuccessful. However, as a result, she used her own company’s funds to reduce part of the new increased rate and we very much appreciated her efforts and actions in that regard.
Overall, the trip planning process went very well and the final outcome was truly spectacular. Approximately one month before the trip we tried to finalize the itinerary and restaurants, and that is where the timing became a challenge. It became somewhat frustrating at this point with the lack of responsiveness from Jennifer’s team. It took over 2 weeks to get a reply, but that being said, with some persistence everything was eventually finalized. The early pre-trip planning experience was quite different than the final confirmation experience we had with Jennifer. We are not sure why the marked difference—all we can assume is they were barraged with new trips and were busier than they likely have ever been, so the response time and communication radically changed. My preference would have been to be told the situation and why the delays were happening, and to be reassured that it would get done. I expect good, clear communication up front rather than long delays and being frustrated from people not replying in a timely manner. The good news is this did not affect the trip at all; it could not have been any better.
We started off with 3 nights in Venice and then 3 in Rome, followed by 5 nights in a villa in Tuscany and the last 4 nights in Praiano on the Amalfi coast. All of the hotel choices were excellent—the service and rooms at each property were terrific and we were very happy with all the locations. During the trip we had 9 private guides for various tours and things we had planned. Each of these guides were a 10/10—very knowledgeable, organized, friendly, and sincere with our family. We were all so impressed at the quality of the people Jennifer’s company deals with. We felt very lucky and in extremely capable hands. We kept ourselves fairly busy in Venice and Rome with a 3-island tour (including the Murano glass factory on Murano Island), the Jewish Ghetto tour, a gondola rowing lesson, pizza and gelato cooking class evening, a Rome orientation golf-cart tour, a Coliseum and Roman Forum tour, Vatican City/museum tour, and an evening 3-hour E-bike tour through the streets of Rome. We would not recommend the E-bike tour, as even though each of us have biked a fair bit, the streets of Rome were far too busy for our comfort and with zero bike lanes or safety for bikes we found it too harrowing for our family. En route to Tuscany we stopped in Orvieto and had a few-hour tour there and the next day did a 25 km E-bike tour through the beautiful Tuscany countryside. This experience was truly spectacular, with a beautiful lunch and wine tasting at a local winery to finish the afternoon off. This ride avoided traffic almost completely and felt very safe. My son and I went golfing one day at Antognolia golf club which was really a treat. There were beautiful surroundings and it was a real pleasure to play that course. At the same time, my wife and daughter went to the recommended spa, Terme Di San Giovanni. Unfortunately, this was honestly the least favorite part of the trip and should not be included on any traveler’s options. The spa was very old, they were given only 1 towel to use for the pool all day and for the shower. The change room facilities were extremely dated and small, with no toiletries (i.e. no soap or shampoo in the showers). The pools were unimpressive and the lawn chairs were old. We had requested 2 female masseuses well in advance with Jennifer, who relayed that information to the spa, but a man and woman masseuse were booked. The spa was not willing to refund the fee for the massage, claiming they did not receive this request. So, they split one 50-minute massage with the female masseuse, which was fine, and the spa reduced the price slightly as a result. We let Jennifer know but she was not able to get the spa to refund the full fee for the second massage. The spa and the pools were pretty low-end and we would not recommend a visit there, especially given the day pass was very expensive. The only other experience that was very expensive and we would not recommend was the gondola lesson in Venice. It was on a regular boat with an instructor from Australia as opposed to an actual gondola with a local, and it was not easy to do. The weather was really hot and there was no shade, so it was rather uncomfortable. We would definitely instead spend less money on an actual gondola ride with a professional gondolier if we had to do it over again.
We had a long day travelling to the Amalfi coast to our hotel in a small town called Praiano, about 15 minutes from Positano. The drive, scenery, and overall beauty of Amalfi was absolutely spectacular. The next day we had a car take us to several towns along the coast—it was so nice just to saunter through the streets on our own and look at all the shops. However, our favorite day on the coast was when we chartered a medium-sized power boat and spent 8 hours travelling along the coast to Capri, stopped to swim, saw the Blue Grotto, and had a delicious seaside lunch at a restaurant on the water. Again, the personnel we dealt with were amazing—the captain of the boat was friendly, fun and totally accommodating to whatever we wanted to do. It was pretty much the perfect day.
Jennifer gave me a huge list of restaurants to choose from and was helpful in narrowing it down to both casual and more formal dinner choices. We enjoyed the food and variety immensely, as well as the many great views. The pizza, pasta and fresh fish were all spectacular and so tasty. As well, some nights we just ventured out and found our own places to eat at which was also fun.
Given this was our 4th WOW trip, our kids were looking forward to the WOW Moment that we told them was going to happen. Unfortunately, it was missed on our trip last year to Newfoundland by the WOW specialist, so this was supposed to be the make-up WOW Moment. The days went by and this was not provided, and the trip ended with it being missed yet again. This was an unfortunate oversight, that I think was the result of just too many people travelling Italy at this time with some details getting lost. The good news is my wife and I are travelling in September to Europe again using 3 different WOW specialists and that WOW Moment should be planned for then. Hopefully.
During the trip a few adjustments were made spontaneously as a result of different unforeseen circumstances and Jennifer’s office was amazing to deal with. They got everything that was needed to be changed done and they were made both efficiently and happily. As well, although there was some lack of communication towards the time of our departure… once we were on the trip, it was amazing! One of the team sent us a nightly text with the details of the following day, including the itinerary and timing, and the driver or guide’s contact info just in case. This was a really nice touch that was most helpful and appreciated.
Overall, our whole family had a fabulous time in Italy; we loved most of the different things we did, the people, food, history, culture, language and the stunning beauty of Italy, from the cities to the countryside to the coast.
Response from Wendy:
I am dismayed that Elliot’s WOW Moment was missed—a highly unusual circumstance, thanks to a Covid-related snafu—and we will certainly more than make it up to him on his next trip! As a reminder to all travelers, here’s how our WOW Moments project works and here are the rules for redeeming your WOW Moments gift certificate. While every WOW Moment is a surprise, if your final trip itinerary does not include mention that this surprise will occur and when, by all means let us know immediately at info@wendyperrin.com.
PANDEMIC TRAVEL Jennifer and her team planned a wonderful itinerary to enjoy the Basque region of Spain/France as well as time in Bordeaux. This is our third trip with her, and this trip was consistent in the high quality we have become accustomed to with Jennifer’s team of planners. We really enjoyed our guides. One was able to get us in to see one of the San Sebastián area’s famed “social clubs” and showed us around the Basque seaside town he grew up in — which included entrance into a hotel not open to the public where the only tapestries Paul Reubens designed reside. The bonus was observing the town’s Corpus Christi celebration. In Bordeaux, our guide was very well versed in wine and gastronomy — the cousin of a *very* famous French chef (don’t want to out him here!), his knowledge of food and wine was unparalleled, and he was well versed in the history and culture of the region too. I could add so many more special moments from our trip, but ultimately the guides’ deep knowledge added so much nuance and depth to our experiences. We made many cherished memories.
PANDEMIC TRAVEL Jennifer and Chiara planned a terrific trip to Venice for our family of two adults and two older teen age boys. We went in mid June for a week, and wanted to have something structured and locally meaningful to break the occasional randomness of our own explorations. Jennifer had a lot of suggestions when we met online a few months before the trip and we went over them before selecting just a few. We had a pizza, bruschetta, and gelato making class with Michele one day for around 3 hours. We got to see his apartment in an area of town we would not have traveled to, and all had a lot of fun. We also had a private tour of the islands with Alvise; we were met at our airbnb apartment by motor boat and went out to Burano and Murano and then slowly through the canals. Alvise knows a ton about the city and was a thoughtful and really terrific guide. Seeing the city from the water (and not just on a vaporetto) was wonderful and gives you a great perch to see the different sites; going out to the lagoon was also really interesting for getting a sense of the geography of the islands. Lastly, Chiara selected a restaurant for us for an anniversary dinner that was fantastic and one I never would have found on my own. The inside knowledge the travel planners have is invaluable and can make a trip really unique, plus they take some of the planning out of your hands which can be hugely welcome. We were able to choose just a few things from the long list they offered and they were among the highlights of the trip. One great part about having these different guides is the opportunity to meet local Venetians and ask them lots of questions about the city.
PANDEMIC TRAVEL My husband and I traveled to Venice, Florence, and Rome in May of 2022.
I would wait to travel until the US has lifted its COVID testing restrictions. We had a beautiful trip and were lucky we didn’t get COVID at the start or middle of the trip. Italy was completely packed everywhere we went, massive crowds at all the sites. Masks were only required in the airport and a few basilicas. Also I didn’t think about allergy season hitting in May in Italy. I was pretty miserable unless I used a serious mask outside, but it was pretty hot. We ended up getting COVID right before it was time to go back home and I had to stay an extra 5 days in a hotel in Rome until testing negative and being able to leave.
Jennifer and her assistant Naike were wonderful. We really loved our tour guide Alvise in Venice. Our food tour with Nesim in Rome was unforgettable. Katia in Rome was wonderful as was Veronica in Florence.
We decided to use a trip planner because we wanted to go abroad but didn’t have time to flesh out the details. After a few Zoom calls Jennifer had all the details worked out and took our specific goals and desires into account. I was worried about the language barrier but the tour guide orientations for the first day in each new city were so helpful. The best benefit to the tour guides was being able to talk to local Venetians, Florentines, and Romans for hours on end! I have never had so much interaction with locals before when we have traveled. The tour guides and drivers helped us find good places to eat and shop and gave us all kinds of great tips, like how to avoid tourist trap restaurants. They also helped break up a long trip of just talking to a spouse for 8 days!
The orientation tours and the food tours were my very favorites. The historic tours did get a bit boring but they did a good job showing us the pieces we shouldn’t miss. Make sure you get a foodie for the food tours though, the ones that know their stuff make a big difference!
PANDEMIC TRAVEL All I can say is WOW in regards to our trip to France!!!!!!!! Jennifer was absolutely AMAZING!!!! From the hotel recommendations, to the restaurant recommendations, to the guides that she provided for us, everything was super incredible!!!! From now on, I will use her exclusively for all of our trips to France in the future. She really made it a truly incredible trip of a lifetime and we travel all the the time! SHE made the trip magical (our stay a Versailles) and sooooo easy with the constant contact to remind us every day where we were going and what our appointments were. JENNIFER WAS THE BEST PLANNER, EVER!!!!!!
PANDEMIC TRAVEL Great job! We had a delightful private tour while in Rome. Jennifer (our planner) and Salvatore (our guide) were both fantastic. Super professional, prompt and wonderful to work with. Jennifer was particularly accommodating of some big last-minute changes in our schedule.
We’ll be using these wonderful folks again in the future. I highly recommend them.
PANDEMIC TRAVEL Jennifer created the perfect girls’ trip getaway for me and a friend in Paris.
We had both been before and had done museums so we wanted a different experience this time. Jennifer recommended the Grande Hotel de Palais Royal and we could not have been happier (and we were upgraded upon arrival!). Excellent location, delicious breakfast, and such friendly, helpful staff.
Jennifer connected us with a local personal stylist who took us to 4 French designer boutiques that we would never have found on our own. It was such a fun and unique experience.
Jennifer also recommended excellent restaurants and while the street cafes are absolutely delicious, our meal at Girafe overlooking the Eiffel Tower was simply spectacular.
The recommendation to have a personal meet and greet at the airport and driver to/from the hotel was invaluable since CGD was very crowded and hectic.
Jennifer and her team were fantastic and I would highly recommend. I already want to plan another trip with them! Thank you for connecting us!
PANDEMIC TRAVEL As a first time visitor to Rome I knew I needed expert help, especially since I only had 4 days the first week in May and a long list of must see sites. Jennifer Virgilio came to my rescue with a great plan that allowed me to see the key sites and also have several super special off the beaten path experiences. My golf cart tour was such a fun way to get oriented to the city and Mauro was charming and knowledgeable. I cannot say enough good things about my afternoon with Alessia visiting Borghese Gallery and Palazzo Colonna – she’s a brilliant and passionate guide who makes history and art come alive. Borghese Gallery is magnificent and our visit to Palazzo Colonna was completely private – just the two of us and so magical. I had the good fortune to see the Colosseum and Forum with Alessia as well as the Vatican. Jennifer suggested I visit Castel Gandolfo, the Pope’s summer palace, which is not something I would have known about myself. Just 30 minutes from Rome, the palace and gardens are beautifully situated above Lake Albano – the day was an idyllic respite from the hustle and bustle of Rome. Again, my guide and driver were superb – I could not have enjoyed the day more. Jennifer also found a way to accommodate my request for a food tour – I loved being in Testaccio, a neighborhood devoid of tourists filled with artisanal food shops, restaurants, and a fantastic market. Jennifer made wonderful restaurant recommendations and sent me to quintessentially Roman coffee shops and gelaterias. I did not leave Rome hungry!
I would say travelers are back – Rome was super busy and many sites were crowded given that Covid restrictions are loosening. My guides did a great job steering clear of the worst crowds and a good bit of my time was spent outdoors. The hotel staff were courteous and helpful and I loved being able to open my window to the see the Spanish Steps and Via Condotti. Maria, a member of Jennifer’s team, did a great job keeping me posted on daily logistics. I appreciated Jennifer’s attention to airport pick up and return, and loved her fast tracking through the Rome airport on departure.
I am sure I could not have had such a comprehensive and memorable first visit to Rome without Jennifer’s help. After two trips this year using Wow List travel experts I cannot imagine traveling any other way.
PANDEMIC TRAVEL This was our first trip going through Wendy Perrin, we had an exceptional trip! We went to Italy and from the beginning planning through completion the planning was seamless. The guides we used were exceptional and the communication exceeded our expectations. With regards to Covid we felt very safe for the entire trip. Can’t wait to plan our next trip!
PANDEMIC TRAVEL Could not be happier after a little over two weeks in France, arriving back on Easter weekend. A week in Normandy including two days on the D Day beaches and a week in Paris. There were four of us, two couples all over the age of 65, related by the two wives being sisters and we had a marvelous time. Jennifer picked two ideal hotels in terms of our desires, with intimacy and ideal locations and services that met our standards. Jennifer minimized the financial risk from COVID and COVID really didn’t influence the trip. The guides were outstanding. Can’t wait to use her and her team again.
PANDEMIC TRAVEL We just used Jen to go to Paris for 2 days on our way to Morocco. We had our 3 kids with us (ages 3, 7, and 9). We did a Louvre kids’ tour and my kids loved a scavenger hunt through the museum but I loved learning more about the art. Isabell was wonderful! We saw the Eiffel Tower and rode the carousel and explored Montmartre and the beautiful view of Paris! Having Isabel and a driver made a fast path through the city super easy! My 9 year old got off the plane with a fever and so we had to pivot and modify, but it worked out wonderfully!
PANDEMIC TRAVEL I made use of Jennifer’s team while in Paris, with guides on three half-days. I was traveling with my daughter and we were very pleased with the intellect, energy, English, and warmth of our guide, Tatiana. We gave Jennifer very short notice of our plans and her team was able to deliver. I highly recommend their services.
PANDEMIC TRAVEL Thank you Jennifer Virgilio for planning an amazing trip to London. Our original trip was scheduled for April of 2020 and the pandemic delayed that trip until March of 2022. Jennifer was a pleasure to work with the entire two years it took to finally get us to London. We had a fantastic guide, Alex, who was so incredibly knowledgeable, full of energy and so much fun to be with the entire 4 days. I would highly recommend Jennifer and her team to anyone traveling to the UK or anywhere else she specializes. The trip was perfect!
PANDEMIC TRAVEL Nancy and I were lucky to have spent the first week of 2022 in Rome, Italy on a trip planned by Jennifer Virgilio and her team. This is the 4th time that we have had a good fortune to have used Jennifer’s services on a trip to Europe. Jennifer provides invaluable services from the planning of the trip to the actual implementation of the trip when you are on vacation. We found it especially comforting using Jennifer on this trip as it was our first trip abroad since the outbreak of Covid and we knew that we could count on Jennifer and her team to look out for us while we were in Rome. Also, Jennifer has learned how we like to travel and this made the planning process easy and fun.
Jennifer arranged for us to stay at the Hotel Eden while we were in Rome. The staff at the hotel were so nice to us and looked out for us during our stay. They worked with Jennifer to make sure that we got our Covid test at the hotel for our return to the United States. The staff at the Hotel Eden sure that we were comfortable and this made the trip even more enjoyable.
Jennifer also arranged some great experiences during our time in Rome. By far, our favorite experiences were exclusive visits to the Galleria Borghese and the Galleria Doria Pamphilj with Alessia, our favorite guide during this trip. Alessia was able to navigate both galleries so that we saw the most we could during our limited time and her knowledge of the art in each location was outstanding. Two other experiences which were highlights during our trip were a day trip to Naples/Pompeii with our guide Liberata and driver Salvatore as well as a lovely food tour in the Trastevere neighborhood with Luca where we got to sample some Roman delicacies.
Like our past trips, we always felt looked after by Jennifer and her team when we were in Rome. They would check in daily to see if we needed anything and they would lay out the itinerary for the next day. This was important to us during this time of Covid and in fact they made the call to cancel a planned outing when the tour guide tested positive for Covid. They offered to arrange another experience but Nancy and I decided to spend the day exploring Rome on our own.
All in all, it was another great trip planned and executed by Jennifer. We feel so fortunate that we have found Jennifer and know that everything will be spectacular and that we will be well taken care of when we are on a tour which she has arranged. We highly recommend that other travelers consider using Jennifer and we know we will use her again in the near future.
PANDEMIC TRAVEL Because of great advice from Wendy Perrin about traveling to Paris during Covid, my friend, Cam and I had the most PERFECT six days in Paris imaginable! Wendy put us in touch with a “Guardian Angel” travel expert, Jennifer Viriglio and from the moment we landed until the moment we left, every detail was handled flawlessly! The guides and staff were consummate professionals not to mention gracious and totally accommodating. The most wonderful Alain Ducasse river cruise was one of the highlights of the first day, not to mention all of the incredible restaurants that followed. Needless to say, I will never plan another trip without Wendy’s guidance and recommendations….there was not a moment that was not impeccable!
PANDEMIC TRAVEL My husband and I just returned from Paris just over two weeks ago and I’ve already been in contact with Jennifer regarding planning a girls’ trip with 3 friends for a belated 40th birthday! Jennifer and her team planned a delightful trip for us, with a good mix of culture and relaxation – highlights included a day trip to Reims, complete with an intimate lunch with champagne pairings at a family-owned champagne house; a market tour and curated cooking class in the beautiful home of a French chef near the Eiffel Tower; and a private wine and cheese tasting at a historic wine shop with a young sommelier highlighting new and emerging winemakers from less well-known regions in France. Jennifer’s team was very responsive in the planning – quickly addressing any questions or concerns we had given the ever-changing Covid guidelines – and checked in with us regularly during our trip, seamlessly managing a few last-minute, unforeseen itinerary changes. Cannot recommend Jennifer highly enough – and am looking forward to all the fun she has in store for my return trip to the Champagne region with my friends later this year!
PANDEMIC TRAVEL We were so very fortunate to be able to experience an impromptu trip to Milan and the Piedmont region in early January 2022- and could have never have done it without Jennifer Virgilio and her team. First, the trip was initiated and planned in less than 3 weeks. Jennifer provided excellent advice on how to insure our trip and how to minimize risk if we found ourselves in the unfortunate circumstance of testing positive for Covid while we were abroad or before travel–since the new variant was impacting the world. Even though we are vaccinated, knowing I had a way back home to my children if we tested positive allowed me to enjoy the trip and not worry. The trip itself was glorious. We went to a Barolo village and had the chance to visit a Barolo wine cellar for a private tasting and tour. Our guides in Torino and Milan were excellent, and we relished the opportunity to take in the Last Supper and other masterpieces with no crowds. Like, NONE. In Piedmont, the weather was mild and we were able to spend a lot of time outdoors. And our vaccine and booster allowed us to eat in restaurants with other vaccinated people and not put our health in jeopardy. Our private transfers and drivers were professional and masked at all times, and we honestly felt safer on the trip than we do at public places at home. We made some wonderful memories, and cannot say enough about how this trip abroad gave us a much needed change to start 2022. Thank you Jennifer!!
PANDEMIC TRAVEL We had a great experience with Jennifer and her staff. We planned a trip to Italy over Christmas and New Year’s 2021-2022, but had already booked accommodations, so asked Jennifer to assist with booking tours and activities. We were afraid Christmas and New Year’s day would be “dead days” with nothing open and nothing to do, but Jennifer was able to find us really interesting activities. On Christmas day we had a cooking class with a local chef and then sat down to Christmas lunch with her family, just outside of Florence. On New Years Day, we had a golf cart tour of Rome. She booked us walking tours in both Florence and Siena and our guides were outstanding. Finally, the highlight of our tour was a truffle hunt, followed by lunch (made with our truffles) and wine tasting at a Tuscan vineyard. We had one tour that went awry, but within minutes of contacting Jennifer’s staff, they had gotten us a full refund. Overall, great experience.
PANDEMIC TRAVEL Jennifer is terrific, a TRUE expert. You don’t have to worry about details being handled; you can be confident that Jennifer will take care of everything at the level you’d expect when traveling. We used her planning services for a trip to Venice when we were skiing in the Dolomites.
I want to plan another, longer trip with Jennifer as we were only able to use her for a very short portion of our trip. Her guide in Venice was extraordinary and after a quick phone call, she instantly knew what we wanted. Can’t wait to use her again. Soon!
PANDEMIC TRAVEL Jennifer exceeded our expectations. She procured fabulous guides and made great restaurant recommendations. We had planned our trip and reserved our hotel before we learned of WendyPerrin.com. Jennifer accommodated our less than full trip plan needs and made our trip perfect. The tours she arranged were to wonderful places with limited people and SPECTACULAR guides. The drivers were professional and friendly. We felt covid safe.
PANDEMIC TRAVEL Thank you Wendy Perrin for your awesome recommendation of Jennifer Virgilio and team for our wonderful and memorable trip to Paris and Versaille. The value that Jennifer and team added to our trip is one that we could never have achieved on our own! (and this is a couple who travels extensively and has been to Paris multiple times!)
My husband and I were planning this trip to celebrate our 25th wedding anniversary. We were a little concerned about the covid restrictions that were in place and how it might impact our plans. Jennifer and her team put us at ease. They were very knowledgable about all the changes taking place in France and kept us up to date on anything that might personally impact our trip. This included arranging for our required vaccination passes that were mandatory for entrance into all public venues. In addition, Jennifer’s team also arranged for our pcr covid tests, performed in the convenience of our hotel room, before our departure back to the states.
Jennifer’s focus to detail was apparent from our first zoom call where she covered all our expectations from hotel accommodations, experiences, restaurant reservations, car services, etc. She followed up our zoom call with multiple suggestions that allowed us to choose some fabulous experiences such as private guide tours at the Louvre and Versaille. The tours were absolutely incredible and added such insight (our guide at the Louvre was an art historian) that we never could have encountered on our own. We received access on some of these tours that is normally not available to the general public. This included after hours tours of Versailles and Marie Antoinette’s Hamlet.
In addition, Jennifer arranged all of our dining experiences throughout Paris and Versaille. All of her recommendations were excellent and exactly what we wanted. She also arranged for our special anniversary dinner on the grounds of the Airelles Chateau de Versaille at the amazing Alain Ducasse restaurant. She also arranged for a private room and a very special anniversary dinner that was way beyond spectacular!
In addition, to our excellent car service Jennifer also arranged for our meet and greets upon arrival and departure. This was definitely useful and made the normal hassle of airport travel completely stress free. I cannot emphasize during these new norms of travel how having such an incredible and professional group like Jennifer and her team is invaluable.
Jennifer and team were incredible and their focus on detail was exceptional. In addition to our detailed itinerary prior to our departure, we also received daily detailed reminders of all our scheduled events on our phones. I cannot fully express my gratitiude to Wendy Perrin for another amazing recommendation. I left Paris with some incredible memories because of all the hardwork Jennifer and her team provided. It was an amazing and stress free experience!!! Thank you for helping to make this trip so very special!!
PANDEMIC TRAVEL We had the pleasure of working with Jennifer for our trip to Paris 11/14/21 through 11/21/21. We had real trepidation going to France and navigating their COVID requirements. Jennifer was quite knowledgeable and it all worked out well. We loved her recommended hotel and got our room of choice. She arranged for a very specific day trip to two chateaux in the environs with a lovely guide/driver. We went to her suggested two star Michelin restaurant for an excellent meal. We were in constant touch with Jennifer and her staff. They were prompt and responsive. She suggested a car service to and from the airport; both drivers were courteous and right on time. We appreciated and followed her tipping suggestions. Pre-COVID we only used a trip planner on occasion, but in this environment a good trip planner adds real peace of mind.
PANDEMIC TRAVEL A poet once said “…through the trials and tribulations…” My travels were certainly an unforgettable experience that encompassed nearly 2 years of planning and replanning, the tireless efforts of Jennifer and her team must receive the highest commendations.
I rechecked my notes and saw that my first deposit for airfare was paid in November of 2019…but then, the “fun” started. Four reschedules later….and a tremendous effort by Jennifer, finalized my dream trip for Oct 2021. And it was everything that I had hoped for…with a little hiccup on the side.
London was amazing as ever. Jennifer was spot-on in recommending the Kensington. It had the best martinis of the entire trip (and I tasted many all over town) and was a quick walk to the Underground for exploring the city. Although I have visited several times in the past (I lived in Portsmouth on-and-off for three years), my travel expert—Hugh—turned out to be a bigger history buff than I. Special access to the Churchill War rooms, a visit to the crypts of (an almost deserted) St. Paul’s and amazing walks through Blenheim and Chartwell. Hugh knew more than just what was in history and guide books….it was an amazing educational and entertaining experience. Stephen and Antonio kept me apprised of my schedule daily and made sure every detail was confirmed. I am already planning a return to follow in the footsteps of T.E. Lawrence…Hugh, you better start reading up!!!
At the back end of the trip, Venice was starting to come alive. I, too have visited Venice before, but the city seemed to be emerging out of its pandemic isolation and tourists were coming back. So was the water!! It wouldn’t be Venice if San Marco were not flooded at least once during the week…it did not disappoint. The Baglioni Hotel Luna was perfectly situated at the corner of the Piazza San Marco, right off the Grand Canal and around the corner from Harry’s Bar (still have great Bellini’s). Alvise, my artisan tour guide, knew the ins-and-outs of the cathedral, the amazing talents on Murano and introduced me to Maestro Pastor and his wood-carving talents. But Jennifer left me just the right amount of time to wander (and get lost in) Venice on my own—it’s the best way to experience the city.
Unfortunately, the middle of vacation was filled with major upheavals—none of which was due to the actions of Jennifer and her team, but by Belmond. A day before I was to embark on the Orient Express, the entire journey was cancelled. A major disappointment. However, Jennifer, Antonio and Mattia quickly sprang into action and coordinated/expedited/confirmed transport for me from London to Bologna to Venice. It was a major logistics coup and something I could not have done without their help—it turned a nightmare scenario into a (minor) annoyance. But what would life be without such a glitch?? This only means that I will have to come back next year for the train experience—and Jennifer is already working on that. I’ll let you all know how that works out this time next year!!
My thanks to Jennifer, Antonio and Mattia for making these weeks a memorable occasion. See you all next year!!
PANDEMIC TRAVEL Our trip to France dated Sept. 21 – Oct. 11, 2021 was absolutely incredible! It was everything and more than we had hoped it to be. The trip in one word was MAGICAL!! We felt completely safe throughout the trip. France has done an excellent job of vaccinating their citizens and requiring proof of vaccination in all venues. Jennifer only recommended hotels, restaurants, experiences, and guides where only vaccinated guests were allowed and she was able to secure our Sanitaire Passes for us as well in advance of our departure.
We spent several days in each Paris, Reims, Colmar and the Alsace region, Burgundy, the Loire Valley, and the piece de resistance, Versailles. Each city and town was nothing but perfect. All our hotels, experiences, tours, guides, and restaurants were top notch and of the utmost in quality. All our guides spoke English fluently, were very professional, enjoyable to be with and flexible with any itinerary changes we wanted to make at the last minute. Jennifer did a flawless job in planning our trip, while her team checked in with us each evening to make sure the day had gone well and to remind us of the next day’s itinerary. All the support made the trip so easy and flawless.
I highly recommend Jennifer Virgilio and will be looking forward to her helping us plan our next European vacation. She was a pleasure to work with and has excellent follow through. She planned a trip that I would not have been able to assemble in such a complete and thorough manner as she did. Thank you, Jennifer, for a trip we will always remember and cherish!
PANDEMIC TRAVEL Both perfect days in Lake Como and Venice.
My wife and I typically do what Jennifer arranged for us as we travel around the world…we ask the concierge to hire a local person for a walking tour —
It was nice to have outsourced this to Jennifer and her team- all professionals!
We’ll work together again in the future thanks!
I also appreciated the local contacts who the night before via text to confirm the next day activity said, “in case of emergency don’t hesitate to call”….given the Covid situation- that was a great back up and piece of mind.
PANDEMIC TRAVEL My husband and I traveled to France for two weeks in September. Our trip covered the northern section of France – from Paris to the Loire Valley, and up to the northern coast.
My husband and I actually felt relatively safe, concerning the pandemic, during most of our travel throughout France. Their vaccination level is high and knowing that the pass sanitaire was required virtually everywhere (except the metro), allowed for a certain level of comfort. Plus, we tended to avoid exceptionally crowded cafes and restaurants. (We were unaware of how many people smoke at the outdoor cafes.)
Jennifer worked her magic in getting the pass sanitaire to us before leaving for France. We met quite a few American travelers who applied for the pass but did not receive it before traveling. Fortunately, those travelers were able to use their vaccination card in place of the pass.
Jennifer set up a COVID testing appointment, with a qualified nurse, to come to our apartment in Paris, which was quite convenient. We did learn later that one can take a much less expensive USA-approved COVID-19 test at the local pharmacy, but we thought it better to stick to the English-speaking nurse who could take care of the testing and keep us from trying to figure out the process in a pharmacy – in French, no less.
Having our own driver and/or guide was key to keeping us away from traveling with large tour groups. All were vaccinated except one, and she explained that she must test twice per week in order to work as a guide.
I enjoy trip planning but was happy to hand over some of the duties to Jennifer. Her knowledge and expertise provided us with a plethora of tour, restaurant, and hotel choices. Through several Zoom meetings, phone calls, and emails, we discussed our have to-do list and she suggested other possibilities.
The travel guides Jennifer set up were top notch. All personable, knowledgeable, and English speakers. We spent an entire day with Gigliola, a wonderful guide, who escorted us through San Germain chocolate shops and patisseries, the Musee d’Orsay, and Sainte-Chapelle. We also thoroughly enjoyed a day trip to the Champagne region of France. Perrine, our driver and guide, took us to family-owned vineyards. We met the owners, toured their underground Champagne caves, and enjoyed private Champagne tastings. The most memorable experience of our trip was candlelight dinner and tour of Chateau Vaux-le-Vicomte, followed by a fireworks show – with Alexander as our driver and guide.
I highly recommend the airport VIP meet and greet. As soon as we stepped foot into the CDG airport, we were greeted by Brice, who whisked us through the airport, including the Customs and Immigration windows, and then directly to our driver.
Jennifer is able to plan a trip from start to finish, or provide assistance as needed. We thoroughly enjoyed the tours she provided for our trip to France.
PANDEMIC TRAVEL The actual act of traveling, in other words, transit, itself is made ever so slightly more cumbersome and uncomfortable due to the pandemic. For example, long plane rides, in fact very long travel days, with mask in place, little on plane food and an acute lack of shops and eateries available at airports. Over half of the food places were closed in both JFK and Atlanta, making the other places crowded, with long waits. Of course, you must be vaccinated and schedule your pre-test for Italy. This was easy for us to do in Portland, ME. On our return flight, our trip planner, Jennifer, and her staff made all the necessary arrangements for us to get our COVID test in Venice the day before our flight. That part was very smooth. On the real upside, Venice was relatively uncrowded! To see Venice just as it is opening up again was a rare opportunity. Don’t miss this chance. No cruise ships and no large tour groups. Most of the tourists were Italian, Scandinavian or German! Jennifer and her staff planned an outstanding trip. We felt 100% safe in all ways, but in particular with regards to COVID risk. The trip was special, personal, enlightening and very, very safe. Our local guides, Alvise in Venice and Monica in Verona, were outstanding!!! I cannot say enough about them. They were both vaccinated and chose locations, tour routes and provided additional recommendations that definitely minimized our exposure to large crowds whenever possible, chose restaurants and shops that were genuine, unique and where they knew that the proprietors would be respectful of COVID precautions. Jennifer and her staff, especially Susanna and Mattia, made sure that our transportation was always COVID safe. Again, it all felt very personal without being so exclusive that you missed getting a feel for the actual location. Jennifer found a wonderful apartment for us to rent in Campo San Maurizio. It was sunny, gorgeous, centrally located and supremely comfortable. This was very important to me, as I was traveling with my 77 year old mother. Comfortable beds, good air-conditioning, functional kitchen, great bathrooms. Our local guide, Alvise picked us up at our apartment at the start of each excursion. Jennifer and her staff worked so hard on the entire itinerary, but even if all they had done was find Alvise as our guide, they would already have added enough value to pay for the trip. My mother and I cannot say enough about him. Born and raised on Lido in Venice, he knew it inside and out and demonstrated immense pride in his city and culture. As an Art History major, he knew more about the art and architecture than we could possibly absorb! Most importantly, as a genuinely kind and happy human being, he always kept our welfare in mind and went out of his way, even on his off days, to make sure we were ok and having good experiences. He must have personally known every 5th or 6th Venetian on the street or on the water. Someone was always calling out to him with a few friendly words and a wave. He was able to get us up onto the rooftop of one of the stores for a spectacular view of Venice, despite the fact that others were being turned away at the door. This is just one example. Truly, everyone knew him and clearly liked him. We really felt that as his charges we would learn about and experience the best that Venice has to offer. He is a true treasure. Any of the excursions that get you out on the water, such as the day trip to Murano and Burano – both of which have suffered so much in the pandemic – are memorable. Especially if you are a boat enthusiast, get out there on those gorgeous wood-paneled, leather-seated private water taxis and just soak in the waterways, canals and incredible history and architecture of Venice. There is no better way to “feel” what it means to be a city with such spectacular history that is built on the water, literally. The other experience that is a must do is the trip out to Verona and the Valpolicella that Jennifer and her team planned. Our guide, Monica, in Verona was so knowledgeable that it was like drinking from a fire-hose. We were deeply impressed with the history and beauty of that city. I could go back again in a heartbeat. The two small, family-owned Amarone wineries that we visited were delightful, packed with an almost unbelievable history and the wines! WOW! If a non-drinker, such as myself, is telling you that you must do that day out in the Valpolicella visiting the Tedeschi and Fumarelli wineries, then really, you must do it!! Thank you, Jennifer! Finally, I would say that some of the richness of this experience came out of the fact that we stayed in Venice for a week. We didn’t have to rush through experiences and we could really start to gain an appreciation for life in Venice. We were so proud of ourselves the first time we made it back from San Marco to our apartment without using a map or getting lost and the first time we walked over to the Vaporetto stop or Tragetto stop and hopped on with the others without fumbling or milling around. Take the time to stay. You may see less of Italy, but you will feel Venice at a point in history like no other. Thank you Jennifer, Susanna, Mattie, Alvise and Monica. What a trip!
PANDEMIC TRAVEL This was our first trip to Calabria, and we had no idea what to expect. Jennifer researched the area and found really great places to visit – lovely villages, unique architecture and experiences with local food and people. We spent one day on a sailboat enjoying the stunning coastline from Tropea to Capo Vaticano, swimming in the beautifully clear water. We visited a bergamot farm and drove to the village of Bova where we took in a panoramic view of the ocean and countryside. We visited gorgeous churches in Tropea and grottoes and caves in Pizzo. Our guide, Tatiana, was very informative and attentive to the types of things we were drawn to, stopping for photos where she thought I’d be interested and pointing out significant monuments.
On our last day, we thought the place we were staying might be too far a drive to the airport (we had a 6:45am flight), I mentioned it to Mara and she found us a perfect B & B, close to the airport but in a beautiful remote area. We had the whole place to ourselves and spent our last day relaxing by the pool – perfect way to end our trip.
PANDEMIC TRAVEL My husband searched The Wall Street Journal for help planning our July/August 2021 Italy trip. An article there sent us to WendyPerrin.com, and Wendy’s team recommended Jennifer in Italy. We communicated our desire to see the art and architecture in three cities: Venice, Florence, and Rome. Jennifer attentively listened and created a plan that made our trip a huge success. She and her assistant Mara made arrangements for five people in our family the first week and seven the second week. They set up transportation and hotels and suggested great sites of which we were not aware. Because of such detail, we were ready with proof of our COVID-19 vaccination. She gave us the place to receive the virus test so we could be readmitted to the U.S.A. Every detail! Fantastic guides met us in each city and oriented us about the history, architecture, and art. We had studied the Renaissance and ancient Roman history, but these guides deepened our knowledge and understanding much, much more than we expected. They also snapped photos of all our family. We particularly enjoyed the craftsmen we visited: In Venice, we saw lace makers and glass blowers. In Florence we watched engravers, leather artisans, and jewelry makers. The only activity that did not work out was the one we scheduled without Jennifer. Lesson learned! From then on, we depended on her to set up all our activities. The pinnacle of the trip was different for each of us, but we all enjoyed every single experience and guide.
PANDEMIC TRAVEL I didn’t vary this trip much due to Covid — the main change was bringing lots of masks and spending several hours to convert my vaccination card into the French system, and then reserving museum visits in advance. The trip planner did suggest Covid-appropriate activities (outdoor walks). She worked hard to set up special tours for me for the unique interests I have in 11th and 12th century Loire Valley and Jazz. I would seek out a trip to the musée Carnavalet — it’s free and has an abundance of items on the history of Paris — I found the prehistoric and early history and then Revolutionary War sections especially interesting.
PANDEMIC TRAVEL We found Jennifer Virgilio through Wendy’s list for our honeymoon to Italy. We contacted here with just over 2 weeks until our trip. Would recommend getting started with more time but Jennifer and her team got to work quickly and were incredible to work with. They organized everything, provided alternatives based on feedback, and were very flexible. Most importantly, they were incredibly responsive and proactive throughout our trip. Would highly recommend!
PANDEMIC TRAVEL Jennifer and her team were great to work with. In the planning stage we worked through several options as to how best to enjoy our 5 1/2 days in Venice & came to an ideal balance between scheduled time and free time.
Throughout the planning one or the other, often both, were touching base; making sure we knew not just what we would be doing but also what we needed to do to meet all requirements of travel as they changed leading up to departure. When we had specific requests they were able to accommodate without difficulty.
After our arrival, I particularly liked the daily text update from a staff member reviewing what was on the schedule for the next day, a contact phone number for any issues and stating any important updates such as the need for proof of vaccination in order to eat indoors, go to museums etc. which began in Italy midway through our trip. Yes, I had my printed copy as well as access to the digital copy of daily activities but getting that text made it so easy. Who wants to carry around the printed page and a text is easier to access by phone than getting into the itinerary!
Our guide for touring Venice and our sommelier guide for Valpolicella wineries were knowledgeable as well as engaging to spend time with–both are native Venetians which provided an ideal lens through which to learn about Veneto. Venice is a magical place and having Alvise take us to the expected as well as unexpected and unknown spots was wonderful. Make sure not to miss the best, and funniest, saleswoman in the world at the linen shop on Burano!
Unrelated to Jennifer–we had purchased the BinaxNOW home test to use prior to our return to the US. Wait times however were over 3 hours whenever we checked within our window for testing which negated any convenience aspect as we weren’t going to sit around and waste time. Luckily Marriott has a system whereby the primary properties in Venice have rotating “testers” who come to their hotels for 2 hours each day and for $65 we could get an antigen test. Felt like BinaxNOW let us down but there was an easy solution that left us able to not miss out on time exploring. Thank you Bonvoy/Marriott for making the process simple and the price reasonable.
My husband and I had a very stress free trip with all planning aspects having been taken care of by Jennifer and Susanna. Thank you again for recommending a great travel agent to help create a memorable trip–especially in these travailing travel times. I do feel that with appropriate destinations and precautions, travel can be done safely and enjoyably. Venice was delightfully uncrowded, by Venice terms!
PANDEMIC TRAVEL We felt completely comfortable on this trip. The apartment-style accommodations had a double benefit that they felt more COVID-friendly and also really made us feel like we were living in the city where we were staying.
In addition, as others have noted, this is a truly special time to be in Rome and Venice. It was my first time and I am afraid I have been ruined for the future. The crowds just weren’t a factor at any time. We felt like we always had the space to move around freely, visit any location and were comfortable with the mask wearing when we and others were indoors.
Highlights included:
– The guides, Roberto and Alvise, really were wonderful. They obviously both love their cities and their work and they made the time with them quite educational and fun. Alvise was particularly engaging. His personality is perfectly suited to being a guide and he loves showing off his hometown of Venice. We learned so much during our orientation tour and got great dinner reservations as well at lOsteria di Santa Marina.
– The Danza tickets were amazing!!! Jennifer didn’t tell us they were front row!! Thanks so much to her for coming through on that request. Choreographer Wayne MacGregor was actually sitting right behind my son in the audience too. We really enjoyed the show and the talk afterwards. We also loved the Architecture exhibit at the Arsenale (didn’t have time for the Giardini unfortunately).
– The various accommodations worked out very well for us. In Rome, the Martius private suites were very well situated and quite comfortable. In Bologna, we were close to Oriana’s (chef for cooking class) apartment and just down the street from her optometrist shop and of course a quick walk to the downtown area. We enjoyed doing a little bit of shopping and cooking while we were there. In fact we took some of the groceries with us to use in Venice. The Venice apartment was beautiful and very comfortable and a nice bit away from the hubbub of the central part of Venice. I would definitely stay there again. And then the Villa Serbelloni’s history and beautiful views made it special as well.
– Oriana, our chef for the cooking class, took us for a delightful tour of the outdoor markets and then welcomed us into her home for a relaxed, fun and educational afternoon of pasta making.
Thanks again for your assistance. We really felt like we were in Italy at a special time and Jennifer’s choices helped us take advantage of all it has to offer.
PANDEMIC TRAVEL Jennifer Virgilio and her associates furnished us with the best imaginable service in Italy, from scheduling private tours for us, to understanding who we are and finding guides who matched and built on our interests. Above all, given the unpredictability that the pandemic continues to wreak on openings and closings of monuments and museums, Jennifer and associates were able to “turn on a dime” and give us alternative tours and tickets if something was closed, and they notified us on the morning of a tour that something we had wanted to see had just opened to the public–and with our approval, they immediately secured tickets and tours for us.
She/they did this without causing us one iota of stress or worry. We were in the hands of professionals who wanted to give us the best experience possible. We did not take advantage of a number of lovely services that Jennifer provides, including chauffer and reservation services, but we look forward to doing so on our next visit to Europe.
PANDEMIC TRAVEL Jennifer did a great job developing an itinerary, helping us react with flexibility in-country, and putting us in the hands of great people on the ground. We felt very safe in Italy. Our trip had a very rocky start, as it was a stormy night at Newark Airport. Our flight was over 8hrs delayed, forcing us to miss our connection and then take the last flight out of Frankfort, arriving in Naples at 11pm and transferring 3hrs+ to Ostuni, arriving at 3am. (More on how fabulous our driver Luca was later). Italy required masks indoors, and most places were requiring social distancing and had timed entrances.
Ostuni was lovely. We stayed at the Paragon 700, a boutique hotel in a historic mansion. The staff and service were top-notch. They serve a la carte breakfast each morning starting about 7:30ish. The room was large, the bed comfortable, but there is no television. I think had we known we would have asked for a different hotel. (We like to have access to the news and would have enjoyed seeing the Olympics in the evenings when we were home). However, all our hotel choices were based on being able to cancel without penalty, so they probably aren’t what Jennifer would have suggested normally. Ostuni is very walkable and has a lively aperitivo scene. We visited the Pianelle Masseria and had a magnificent time learning and participating in making mozzarella, stracciatella, and burrata. We were then treated to an incredible tasting. We were so full we canceled our dinner plans. The next day we met our guide and visited Lecce and had a private tour with a local docent of the Jewish history museum and area. Our guide then took us around Lecce and Otranto. Angela was so knowledgeable about history, culture, and was able to impart what was most special and unique about each town. We were her first tour since the shutdown and everyone—no matter where we went—was thrilled and said they were so happy to see Americans.
The next day, we would be leaving Ostuni for Matera. We learned about the bacteria that is killing the olive trees of Puglia. It is sad to see field after field of dead trees as the Italians fight to save this ancient industry. We would stop in Locorondtondo and Alberobello. The first town was voted as one of the most beautiful towns in Italy. The residents compete to have the most gorgeous flowers. Our guide had relationships with people in both cities, allowing us entrance into homes to see what a traditional Trulli looked like when people lived there in the past.
We arrived to Matera at the Sextanto Le Grotte Della Civita. This is a hotel and UNSECO site. The hotel has somewhat modernized caves. While we previewed the rooms before agreeing to stay here, we hadn’t grasped the amenities. It is truly an experience. The caves are a bit dark and warm (we should have known), no television (we should have known), and no door to the bathroom. If ever there was something I could classify as “luxury rustic,” this would be it. One of the most comfortable beds and the breakfast was amazing. An elaborate buffet that the staff served to keep things safe. They could not have been more helpful, kind, and accommodating. They brought us an extra light and fan. It is air-conditioned but the controls are in the office. Our biggest issue was the bathroom mirror was practically unusable. It was antiqued, hung low, and quite small which made it hard for getting ready to go out, shaving, etc. I would still suggest everyone stay here one night. Matera is magical. Antonio took us on a tour that was fascinating and had the perfect mix of history, culture, art, and food. We had two fantastic dinners. The first at Le Baccanti in a cave and the second at the Michelin-starred restaurant, Vitantonio Lombardo Ristorante. Chef Lombardo signed a menu for us and came out to greet us as we left.
The next morning Luca picked up us and all our luggage and drove us via Sorrento to Positano. Jennifer was able to re-adjust our itinerary so that we could learn about the ancient craft of wood inlay (Intarsia) and visit one of the oldest crafters of this art form. After this brief visit to Sorrento, Luca suggested a lovely restaurant overlooking the water in Positano, and then we went to our hotel, The Eden Roc. Our room at the Eden Roc was large, air-conditioned, and had a television. We were on the second floor and had a bit of street noise but all in all was fine. The breakfast is a la carte and comes with a dose of Tony. Tony is amazing and makes you feel so welcome. This hotel was conveniently located by the stairs that took you down and across the street to the main path to the beach area of Positano. Positano was beautiful and we were happy to have a day to ourselves. We had privately scheduled a sunset boat tour with Junior Grassi Boats. We had a great time seeing Positano from the water. Positano was the busiest place we were and saw crowds everywhere. As expected it is expensive and full of young beautiful people. It was also quite hot and humid. Jennifer helped us get reservations at La Sponda. We had requested indoors assuming it would be air-conditioned, it is not. If you are sensitive to heat, you might want to ask specifically. We would recommend people not miss the museum, Mar Positano,that shows the ruins of a Roman Villa in the crypt of the nearby church. It is a docent-led tour and truly fascinating.
After two nights it was off to Naples. We would visit the Herculaneum and Pompeii, mixed with free time in Naples. Once again Luca would be our driver. Our guide in the Archeological Parks was Augustino. He was so knowledgeable and was able to transport us back in time and give us the context to better understand what occurred. He was an accomplished scholar of history, archeology, and more. He made sure we didn’t wait too long in lines to get in. Pompeii was a bit busy and we focused on the highlights, There were places we had hoped we would see and didn’t, but there were traffic plans in place and closures of areas so we understood. We were able to visit the museum at the Herculaneum and had the site largely to ourselves. We visited a local winery, Casa Setaro, where Jennifer arranged to have the owner invite us to his home for a tasting and lunch. This would have to be a highlight. We sampled four of his wines, his olive oil, limoncello, and one of the best meals ever. We would meet his wife and children and eat tomatoes from his garden. Luckily we were able to ship some wine home.
Back in Naples, we decided to tackle it on our own without a guide and visit the wealth of museums and historic sites. We were sure to purchase timed tickets for the most important sites, Sansevero Chapel, Archeology Museum, Capodimonte Museum, and Tour of the Catacombs. Naples is not known as the safest of cities so it was great to have a driver. Luca added stops at other sites, allowing us to get out and look around. He also took us to a historic pizza place for authentic Neapolitan pizza. We stayed at the Romeo Hotel, which is a 5-star hotel near the port. Truthfully it is not our style of hotel and we only agreed to stay there when the Grand-Parker closed during the days we were there. We had a sea-view room which really from our low floor was a building. The hotel seemed to have very few people so we had hoped for a possible upgrade. Room-service food was par at best. The room was very streamlined, not much space for unpacking and having your things accessible. Very high concept that sacrificed utility. Breakfast was upstairs and had a gorgeous view. There was no menu and it was very unclear. They brought you a basket of pastries, juice, coffee, a bowl of fruit, and then we figured out you could ask for eggs but they never offered or explained what they could get you or offered a menu to scan. We found COVID protocols across our hotels very different, which leads me to believe that most of the “restrictions” were cost-cutting measures and less about safety in most cases. I however honor the fact that everyone is just trying to do their best given the circumstances.
All in all it was a wonderful trip. The itinerary and time at each place was perfect. The guides and drivers were phenomenal. We had a great mix of experiences. Southern Italy is a truly beautiful group of regions each that could have been a vacation in itself.
PANDEMIC TRAVEL Our trip to Paris was such a welcome return to pre-pandemic life. We worked with Jennifer and her team to arrange a private half day tour of Versailles and a private tour of the Kings stables and Equestrian center. Both were fantastic. The stables tour was absolutely a once in a lifetime treat. I wasn’t even aware of the riding academy and am so grateful to Jennifer for suggesting it when I inquired about a private guide for Versailles. I have already recommended that part of our experience to all of our Francophile friends. After the stables we went to the palace where we were delighted to to be among the few who were out enjoying a beautiful day. It was so wonderful to tour the palace without the usual massive crowds. Having such a knowledgeable guide added so much to our enjoyment of that exquisite building. Gigliola’s style felt like being with a really good friend who just happens to know the answer all your questions about the art, the rooms, the history and the courts of the many kings. Thank you again for another WOW trip.
Jennifer and her team are magical! Jennifer and I communicated a ton prior to the trip and she had a great feel for what kind of trip my husband and I desired. We wanted a boutique hotel that was charming, intimate and quiet. She gave us numerous ideas and helped us select the perfect hotel for our needs. We wanted a combination of expected sites in Paris and then more off the beaten path activities. Our guide to the Lourve for the Da Vinci exhibit was A plus! One of the most informative and knowledgable guides ever. Equally outstanding was our guide to Versaille. Personally I didn’t want to go back to Versaille as I was there 2 years ago, but my husband had not been. Jennifer was aware of that and chose for us with the most outstanding guide who made the day so pleasurable and ultra informative. We learned some fun facts and it felt totally new to me. We had an incredible food tour in St Germaine and a private cooking class with a chef that taught us how to prepare the most amazing duck recipes per our request He also took us food shopping prior to the class and seeing all of the little stores in Paris for bread, wine, cheese, our duck and vegetables was a treat! . All of our guides for our tours and experiences were informative, interesting, personable and really a joy to be with. In addition she was able to secure some very hard to get dinner reservations and we were able to dine every where on my wish list. Each day her team checked in with updates, and any time we needed anything at all they came through. Last minute we wanted to add a tour in Montmartre and again they came through with one of our previous guides we loved and transportation even though the strike was going on. Jennifer and her team are amazing and very deserving to be on your list!
Lastly, thank you for an incredible WOW Moment! It exceeded our imaginations. Jennifer knew how much we love food and wine and our WOW Moment was at the oldest wine shop in Paris. First the shop is beautiful! And in the most charming area. We were guided to a private room and the sommelier said he was opening bottles he was actually never able to taste himself as they were that rare. He was thrilled with our WOW Moment too! Thank you Wendy for making it possible. The wine, setting, and getting to share this on a special trip with my husband made for some wonderful memories.
Jennifer and her staff made our recent holiday trip to Rome extraordinary and memorable. This was the third trip Jennifer planned for us (other two to Paris) and we always think how fortunate we are to have had Jennifer enrich our experiences when we are in Europe.
Jennifer arranged the perfect balance in our itinerary between activities and relaxation. On the sightseeing side of the trip we were lucky enough to have an exclusive visit to Galleria Colonna, an early morning visit to the Vatican and an architecture of Rome tour. All of the tour guides were friendly, enthusiastic and knowledgeable. In addition, Jennifer arranged our WOW Moment gift from Wendy Perrin which was a Rome Orientation Golf Cart Tour. This was a unique way to marvel at the beauty of Rome with Mattia, an expert local guide, in a vehicle that can easily navigate the small streets of Rome and its crowds that cannot always be easily accomplished in a regular automobile.
Jennifer also arranged for us to participate in a pizza and gelato making class which we found informative and are hoping that we can utilize the tips we learned at home. Another immersion experience we enjoyed was getting to experience a Michellin Restaurant dinner service at Per Me Giulio Terrinoni. During this experience, we first stayed in the kitchen with Chef Giuulio and his team for dinner preparation service and then we got to sit at the chef’s table as Chef Giulio prepared a delicious tasting menu.
Jennifer also helped us choose a great hotel to stay. The staff at Hotel Eden were so nice and welcoming to us and always made sure that we were enjoying our stay in Rome. In addition, Jennifer arranged a greeting service for the airports in Rome and London Heathrow so that our airport experiences and transfers were easy.
Finally, we received daily communication from Jennifer’s team as to what we will be experiencing the next day and to make sure that everything is going well. They also supply you with a 24 hour contact if you need any assistance. This is the type of 5 plus star service that you can expect from Jennifer and her team.
We are lucky that we have found Jennifer and her team to assist us with our recent travels. I highly recommend them if you are visiting any of the various European areas in which they specialize. I know we will definitely utilize their expertise for future trips and we now count them among our friends when in Europe.
Jennifer’s team provided top notch, personalized service throughout our weeklong stay in Rome. The guides that were selected for us were experts in their fields, and they added so much nuance and color to our personal tours. For example, I have a love of Baroque art and the wonderful guide that they selected for our art tours was a former art history academic who specialized in the Baroque period. Not only was Susanna able to really dig in and educate me more about art from this period, we did a specialized tour on Caravaggio that culminated in visiting an art restoration studio with restorationists who had restored some of the Caravaggios that I had just seen hours before. Being in that studio, up close and personal with the art, was one of the most impactful travel experiences I have ever had- so much so, that I was brought to tears. Jennifer’s team went above and beyond during our stay- even going as far as securing a somewhat obscure gift for a work associate to bring back to the US and having it sent to our hotel. The restaurant reservations that were made for us did not disappoint, and my husband and I had the most lovely lunch at the chic rooftop restaurant at the Hotel Eden, with unparalleled views and warm and attentive service. I especially appreciated the afternoon text each day, reminding us of our engagements for the next day. Everything went off without a hitch. I would not hesitate to use Jennifer Virgilio and her team for future visits to Rome, or to any of the other locations they specialize. I also wanted to thank Wendy and her team for the wonderful WoW moment in Rome! The food tour in Testaccio was so much fun! We loved trying the Trappizzini and I really enjoyed Mastro. Jason loved meeting the owners of Giolitti. Thank you for making our trip special.
Absolute Perfection!
Jennifer’s level of service was perfect and she listened to the needs of our family of four for a short excursion in Paris. Due to train/metro protests in France, she was able to pull together a perfect itinerary, complete with a driver, transfers and an esteemed private guide with a very short lead time. Her staff and everyone who helped coordinate it – were always courteous and professional and we got to do everything we planned.
What makes Jennifer and her team worth the investment are the extra suggestions and ideas that were printed for us for the time slots we wanted family time for. We didn’t need every moment planned, but her efforts ensured we had a fabulous time no matter what.
For the very picky and often overlooked segment of marketing in the travel world, my teenagers ages 15 & 18 said it was the best trip we’ve taken. For that alone, I’d pick a Jennifer destination just to have her assistance again!
Jennifer is extremely detail-oriented. She listened to us and amended our itinerary (as per our requests) several times before our trip. We had a difficult itinerary: 4 hotels, 3 cities in 7 days. We had been to France many times before, so we were not interested in the typical “tourist activities,” and preferred active quality time with our daughter who was studying in France. Jennifer offered hotel and restaurant suggestions in the areas we loved, and they were fantastic. The daily late-afternoon text check-ins re: the upcoming day’s activities were a nice touch.
Jennifer Virgilio is like having a personal assistant in your pocket through the entire trip. Aside from being available to answer questions, make dining reservations and change plans mid-adventure, she was able to procure tickets to a sold out event and offer upgrades and added amenities to our hotel stays. The transportation services are reliable, professional and safe. The guides are thorough and knowledgeable. Precise, efficient and friendly are the words I would use to describe this service. We had a wonderful vacation in Paris with Jennifer’s advice.
We are truly grateful for Jennifer’s help with our recent trip to Europe with our 3 children. She provided us numerous options as far as activities, repeatedly offered to help with restaurant reservations and her team texted us each evening to remind us about the following day’s activities and schedules. We cannot say enough good about our London tour guide Augusta Harris who made our day together an absolute joy for our entire family. Her warmth, humor, knowledge and people skills make her a dream guide to spend the day with!
Jennifer and her team made my family’s first trip to Paris a fabulous experience. She offered great advice on where to stay, booking us in a gorgeous boutique hotel on a quiet street in a great neighborhood, and helped us arrange some wonderful experiences to introduce us to all that is Paris.
We just took a 9 day trip to London with our 3 children, aged 11, 10 and 7. Jennifer helped us to plan a few activities for while we were there, and they turned out great. The kids’ favorite was a bike tour through the Royal Parks of London. We saw all the great sites, had lunch at a beautiful spot and even braved the crazy English weather! Jennifer and her assistant, Paola, could not have been more helpful. We received itineraries before we arrived, and while we were there. We were in contact through text and email and they were even able to offer to help set up more activities while we were there! I would 100% recommend Jennifer to anyone looking for a full service trip specialist!
We were a group of 7 women traveling together, some family and some friends. We spent a couple of nights in Paris, then 4 nights in Bordeaux, France, then 4 nights in Lecce, Italy.
We had some issues during the planning stages with delays in communication and billing. I reached out to Wendy Perrin, then directly with Jennifer and we talked through all the issues and came to a resolution before we left on our trip.
Our trip was GREAT! We so very much enjoyed everything…although my mom was tired when we got home . We loved Boris and Angelo, our drivers. Boris (Bordeaux) did not speak English, but it was fun for me to translate. Fortunately, Angelo (Italy) did! They were incredibly accommodating. We did not use guides to explore towns in Italy, it worked out beautifully to have Angelo orient us a bit, then we wandered on our own. I believe that the quality of the driver/guides is related to the relationships with Jennifer and her group.
There was some confusion at our first hotel – breakfast was supposed to be included but we were charged. Within just a few days, Jennifer’s group worked it out with them and we were all credited for the breakfast charge.
One of our favorite things was the Grotte Pair-non-Pair – it was an incredibly special, private time with unbelievable art dating back 35,000 years.
I really could go on and on, it was a wonderful trip. Even problems were adventures (one flight cancelled, another flight booked for the wrong day, high winds/downed trees our last day), but no one was hurt, nothing stolen, all bags arrived, lots of laughs, LOTS of wine!
Favorite things – wandering Paris on Sunday, Arcachon Bay/oysters/geocaching, cooking class at Cantele Winery – wow!, 2 hr lunches, jammies and wine. It was a great trip!
Here’s a review regarding the Yndo Hotel in Bordeaux from one of our travelers:
A Perfect Vacation Made Extra Special
This is a wonderful hotel. We are traveling, seven women between the ages of 40 and 80, and spent four nights at the hotel. The staff here could not have been nicer or more accommodating. Marguerite, the manager, was here each day, from the time we came down for breakfast until the time we went up to bed. She and Inez, the owner of the hotel, helped us plan our dinner menus for the two night we decided to dine in at the hotel. Sebastian, our receptionist, helped two of us plan our three hour drive to visit family in another city. He told us to call him immediately should we run into any trouble. He put our minds at ease as travelers and also for those staying behind. Everyone at Yndohotel made our vacation perfect. We will remember this beautiful hotel and its wonderful staff for many years.
Thank you to Jennifer, Andrea and Mara for putting together a wonderful, interesting itinerary!
An Outstanding Journey was Elevated to a “Trip of a Lifetime” by Expert Guides….
It’s been 4 weeks since our Viking Mediterranean Cruise and Italian Land Adventure concluded and were still reminiscing about our incredible journey and the lifetime of memories we returned with. Our Italian land experience was planned and executed flawlessly by Jennifer Virgilio & her team! The expert local guides Jennifer arranged for us in Florence, Rome & Venice were outstanding, extremely knowledgeable and exceeded our expectations!
We want give special thanks to our talented guides who elevated our journey!
In Florence Federica had exceptional knowledge on the history & architecture of Florence, the Medici dynasty as well as bringing the antiquities & treasures inside the Uffizi & Academia Galleries to another level. We were fortunate to have her for 6 hours, and we certainly look forward our return trip to Florence & Tuscany Region and spending more time with Federica to see the inside of Piazza della Signoria, Palazzo Vecchio, the Duomo and maybe seeing the inside of the Vasari Corridor when it reopens!
We had the pleasure of having Azzurra as our guide in Rome for 2 days. Azzurra’s has outstanding knowledge of the Eternal City, it’s astonishing history and all its ancient treasures. She has to be the best guide in Rome. Azzurra has a true gift of bringing Roman history, Vatican City along with all its masterpieces & treasures to life. Truly one of the best guides we’ve ever had!!
With the limited time we had in Venice Jennifer Virgilio arranged for Alvise to take us on a sunset wooden boat tour of Venice’s beautiful canals and historic sites. Alvise is a very personable & knowledgeable guide which we will defiantly use again for a 2-3-day tour upon our return visit to Venice.
Thank you Rish for showing us how special and diverse Roman food can be in Testaccio area of Rome (especially trapizzino). Rish grew up in the Testaccio area and had personal local stories, along with fascinating history into Roman history and how cuisine was shaped over the centuries. I would highly recommend Rish for a Food Tour of the Testaccio area while in Rome.
If you are looking for a “White Glove” experience in Italy Jennifer Virgilio & her team will design and deliver a flawlessly executed experience and provide a journey which will give you a lifetime of memories from Italy.
Great hotels we wouldn’t have found on our own. Plus upgrades on one of the rooms that was spectacular. Fantastic attention to detail. Always had next steps and phone numbers sent before all activities. Highly recommended.
Our flight plan for a trip to South Africa took us through Paris so we decided to stop for a short 36 hours. We wanted to make the most of this time with a focus on culture and food. Jennifer tailored an itinerary that did just that. Both of our guides were excellent. One’s art history background made the Rodin and Orangerie museums come alive. She also introduced us to hidden passages which were fascinating. With our food guide we visited several neighborhoods, tasting the specialties of each. Our hotel, the Grand Hotel du Palais Royal, was charming and perfectly situated. Though our sojourn was brief, we had a wonderful stay in the City of Light thanks to Jennifer and her team.
I give Jennifer Virgilio excellent marks on supporting my daughter, Sarah and I in planning our 5 day trip to Paris, plus supporting us in getting train tickets to Bordeaux. The hotel Relais Christine was wonderful in every way, and we would recommend it to others and stay there again when we return. Jennifer offered us many choices and opportunities to choose from as to how to spend our time in Paris. She organized a tour of the Louvre and also a half day to Giverney to see Monet’s home and gardens, and the guide, Gigliola Alba was excellent! She was personable, prepared and so knowledgeable – worth her weight in gold, and we enjoyed her company very much. We’d also connect with her again on a future visit. Though Jennifer did some traveling during our planning, she connected us with her staff – Kenza and Julia – who were helpful and communicative in her absence. They were all instrumental in getting us reservations at restaurants of our choice. The Eiffel Tower tour guide was also tops, and the timing of our visit there overlapped with a beautiful sunset and 8 PM light show! We loved the Atelier Des Lumiers of Van Gogh, as well as our visits to Musee D’Orsay, Picasso and Rodin museums. We appreciated her advise to get an airport transfer upon our arrival. Because we arrived into different terminals, I would next time have one of us take the shuttle to the other and be picked up at 1 terminal together. Driving to the second terminal took quite a while in traffic and I don’t think our driver was expecting this. It was minor. We enjoyed seeing the countryside on our train ride south – beautiful! We took full advantage of our time and received very good support, recognizing that must return with so much more to see in a future visit. I will be contacting Jennifer soon to plan another venture in Italy in 2020. I extend gratitude for all the support we received on this very special trip to the City of Lights!
I am thrilled with the attention to detail and immediate response I got from Jennifer and her fantastic team. They completely understood the challenges of a multi generational trip to London. Our drivers, tour guide and itinerary were perfect. It really took all of the stress off of me so that I could fully enjoy our trip.
I highly recommend using them for your next trip to London.
I cannot speak highly enough about Jennifer and her team. We used Jennifer to visit Paris in January 2018. Because it was so much fun, we had scheduled a return trip for January 2019. In December of 2018, I had a major health issue which prevented me from traveling as planned. Once I let Jennifer know, she sprung into action to cancel things so that we did not lose any of the money already paid. Jennifer’s understanding and caring meant a lot to me during my recovery as she kept in touch with me to see how I was feeling.
We finally were able to make our trip to Paris in September 2019. We had a fabulous time with some really interesting tours such as a tour of the Louvre with a curator, the hidden passages with a local guide, bread making at a local shop, an afternoon with a culinary specialist, chocolate making at a local candy store, a day at Chantilly, an after hours tour of Fontainbleau and my favorite a PSG/Real Madrid soccer match. We were impressed with the guides and how easy it was once we landed in Paris as Jennifer’s team was always available once we landed in Paris.
I consider ourselves lucky that we were able to find a tour person as great as Jennifer. We will be using her to assist us with an upcoming trip to Rome. I highly recommend Jennifer and her team.
Jennifer was very patient with us while we tried to make our final decisions. She was also very detailed and really cared about the success of our experience. Though there was some confusion about the airline and time of arrival (we didn’t have a greeter upon arrival as planned), Jennifer was quick to send us an email apologizing and sent us an immediate refund for this service. She took full responsibility for this error though we will never know where the mix up occurred. Our guide and driver were wonderful!
My husband and I had a wonderful three nights stay in the South of France. Jennifer helped meticulously planned this trip to ensure both my husband and my interests were considered and satisfied. From the moment we got off the plane in Nice to the moment we boarded our plan to depart Nice three days later, we received the ultimate VIP treatments throughout the trip. Jennifer and her team were responsive and the daily text reminders on our daily itinerary and the guide contact information were extremely reassuring. The local guides and drivers were extremely knowledgeable, professional, and punctual. The restaurant recommendations from Jennifer were terrific. We stayed at the Grand Hotel Du Cap Ferrat. We can’t be happier with the hotel location, services, and the food.
We would highly recommend Jennifer and her team to anyone going to France. It was the PERFECT trip for us!
Jennifer and the team put together a wonderful experience in Paris and the Dordogne for us and our two grandsons (ages 13 and 18). With just enough well planned activities to keep them engaged. The daily text reminders with contact information were wonderfully reassuring that everyone was on the same page. Absolutely no travel problems. The guides we had were delightful and really added to our experiences at the Louvre and in the Dordogne.
Jennifer Virgilio offered us many options within our budget for hotels and excursions. Her staff were on-call 24/7 to meet any of our needs. Upon our initial arrival we wanted to take a detour from the airport to our destination, and her staff was available via text to get us a wonderful lunch reservation and the driver was able to take the two hour detour. Each driver, at each destination, was kind, informative and comfortable to be with.
Each hotel generously welcomed us with a gift and an upgrade if available. The rooms chosen easily accommodated three of us.
The tour guides for our excursions were all professional, English-speaking guides, passionate about their subjects. One of our guides was going on a little long for an extremely hot day, and on a moment’s notice, one of Jennifers assistants changed our lunch reservation so we could get out of the sun an hour earlier. We couldn’t have been more grateful!
Jennifer ensured that we would travel smoothly from destination to destination. She even had porters awaiting us at the train station to assist with luggage onto the trains.
Lastly, we really enjoyed meeting Jennifer in person. She happened to be available on our last night and met us for a spectacular sunset in a penthouse restaurant for a farewell aperitivo. It really made our trip.
Jennifer Virgilio and her team have arranged our trips to Rome and Paris last summer and London this summer. All three trips were meticulously planned and closely tailored to the varied interests of our traveling group where ages ranged from toddler to adult. Each day had something for each person in our group. Jennifer’s team was very responsive and accommodating and their local contacts were connected, knowledgeable and service-oriented. We stayed in new or renovated hotels in historic centers, we ate at world class restaurants and our local guides were engaging, knowledgeable and patient. We were able to visit areas generally not open to public, such as inside the Notre Dame tower, and visit popular places before they opened, such as Vatican properties. Our itinerary was packed with great experiences and everything happened as it was supposed to. We were so pleased with Jennifer that we are now considering traveling to the remaining countries that she covers because we think traveling with her is better that traveling to maybe more popular destinations but with less outstanding travel agencies.
We had a wonderful trip to Paris. Jennifer Virgilio and her team designed the perfect itinerary. We especially enjoyed our day trip to the Champagne region. The scenery and champagne tasting were pure heaven. Our tour guide took us to an excellent restaurant where we had steak with foie gras and it was delicious! We got to visit our favorite champagne houses Veuve Clicquot and Dom Perignon where we had a private tour. This is one item we can take off the bucket list.
The guides for our various tours were friendly and professional as was the pick up and drop off service to and from the airport. It was pure luxury as was our stay at the Plaza Athenee. The memories we experienced are priceless.
I was very pleased with Jennifer V. She was prompt in returning my emails, she arranged fantastic accommodations to suit our family of eight, and the vendors she arranged for us were top notch. Our transfer drivers were always there to meet us and were very professional. Marie was quite efficient in providing details for us and would periodically check in to make sure all was going according to plan. I couldn’t be happier with the trip Jennifer V. planned for us. I will recommend her in the most glowing terms to family and friends. It was the trip of a lifetime.
Jennifer Virgilio was terrific. We mainly used her to recommend and reserve a hotel in Normandy. She recommended the town of Bayeux and the Hotel Villa Lara. Both were fabulous recommendations. The hotel was so good that my wife wanted to move in there. Everything went as smoothly as possible and Jennifer’s service was terrific. I can’t recommend her more highly – she’s a great resource for anyone visiting this region.
First of all, my apologies for the delay in sending this review. Jennifer Virgilio was our contact for a family trip to Paris and Rome. I had many misgivings as we started the planning because of the ages involved. My husband and I, our son and his wife plus four children ranging in age from 12 down to 18 months. How can we make everyone happy and keep the children engaged? Well, Jennifer and her team came through brilliantly. I have been singing her praises to everyone who asks about the trip. The guides were even better than I had expected, e.g., at the Vatican Sylvia kept them enraptured with stories and “assignments”. Who would think Napoleon’s tomb, Invalides, would hold their interest? It did and even I, who live part-time in Paris, hung on every word! Each evening I received a text confirming the next day’s specifics such as time and place which completely eased my logistical worries. There seemed to be many people behind the scenes taking care of us. In all, I would not hesitate for a second to recommend Jennifer’s team and of course, Wendy Perrin.
Jennifer Virgilio helped my wife and I plan a FANTASTIC trip to Paris! It was our first time to Paris and we didn’t know what to see first. Jennifer asked good questions to determine what we really wanted out of our trip and curated a number of adventures for us. We selected the ones we liked, made sure to include downtime and the trip was planned easily. During our trip Jennifer and her team were very responsive to texts and random questions we had at all hours. She sent us a text each evening asking how the day was and reminding us what our itinerary was for the next day! She was even able to change dinner reservations at the last minute as well as change the size of the car we had due to extra luggage. The hotel she suggested was great and within walking distance to almost every attraction we wanted to see. The guides she chose were knowledgeable, easy to spend time with and spoke English perfectly. I estimate that we saved 5-6 hours using guides who helped us skip lines at the airport and at busy sites.
This was, simply stated, the best trip my family has ever taken. The hotels were meticulously chosen based on my family’s preferences. The various tours/outings were staffed with knowledgeable and personable experts who left us feeling grateful for the experience. We had the PERFECT trip designed for us and we are still smiling 2 weeks later. The only questions that remains is – same time, next year?
Jennifer Virgillio and Sylvia Bury (we are Indonesians and she is an Indonesian as well) did excellent job for us. From the planning stage, we talked on the phone to inform them about our trip and preferences, and they listened to us well. We visited Lourdes, Lyon, and Paris in France. They provided us with excellent guides who really worked extra miles. The first guide in Lourdes, Gabrielle, she even brought us to Gavarnie, a beautiful place one hour drive from Lourdes, which was not included in the itinerary. Thumbs up! In Lyon, we did a great food tour with a young gastronomist, and being a foodie, we were happy when she brought us to Les Halles de Lyon Paul Bocuse, where she brought us to taste great chocolate from the specialist, charcuterie, cheese and wine. Then Paris was memorable. It’s all about special access, skip the line, went in to the private area where are not accessible by public. Our guide to Versailles, Marie Ange, she’s one of a kind. She knows the history and the palace very well, she made us to get in to the private access, skip the line, and got permission to enter the “not for public” sites in the palace. She is another excellent guide. In Louvre, Jennifer and Sylvia managed to arrange our tour with one of the curator which was amazing. Followed by a secret food adventure (part of our Wow Moment) with a young chef, who is very passionate about food. He brought us to the best specialty shops, from meat shop, seafood, chocolate, jam, puff pastry, and macarons. We managed to taste them all in 2 hours before we go to Eiffel Tower (another skip the line service) Despite the packed itinerary in Paris, we still have a whole shopping day on our last day. One last thing. They arranged meet and greet service at the airport, which was very helpful for us. The greeter told us that our luggage was too heavy so he arranged the luggages, proceed with our VAT refund, check in, immigration, etc, with no hassle at all. We were happy with the service provided by Jennifer. All communication was easy, and they executed it perfectly.
The trip to France arranged by Jennifer Virgilio was wonderful. She had a double task of arranging the details of our visit and coordinating with my daughter’s family who came to Paris before us and who we surprised for her birthday. The surprise on a Seine river cruise was spectacular and my daughter and grandchildren were shocked, and pleased. Jennifer arranged for a rental car, all hotels and recommended events and restaurants as we drove from Paris to Strasbourg, Colmar, Dijon, Burgundy and back to Paris. Each hotel chosen was extremely well located. An occasional room was challenging regarding the bathing facilities, but in Europe that is to be expected. There wasn’t a hotel that we would not go back to. The car that I rented from the company Sixt worked out well. They included a GPS for which I was not charged, and gave me a car with an automatic transmission, again with no extra charge. We thoroughly enjoyed all of the Christmas markets especially in a small town called Kayserberg, near Colmar. I would have liked to spend a bit more time touring the Route of Alsacian Wines and/or the wine region of Burgundy. The museum and the monument four day passes in Paris worked out well. The tour of the Eiffel tower was superb, and the guide we had was terrific. The WOW moment tour of the Garnier Opera House was very special for all of us. The concert at Saint Chapelle was amazing but the venue was very chilly and the dinner at Les Antiquaires a tasty ending to our sixteen day visit. When I return to France, I will be more that happy to have Jennifer make all arrangements.
Our family of 5 including 3 teenage boys were going to be stopping in Paris for 1 day and two nights on the way home from a trip to Morocco. I contacted Jennifer to create a full day highlight tour of Paris. The guide, Marie ange, was incredible. She is a historian and provided the perfect depth of historical analysis my very inquisitive kids needed. The driver and guide team allowed us to see the highlights of Paris in an organized, efficient, and interesting way all in 8 hrs. For longer and future trips I would definitely contact Jennifer again.
Jennifer arranged for great guides to the various destinations we wanted to visit. She provided direction and reassurance during the protests in Paris. She arranged all the skip-the-line ways to get into the various tourist destinations (such as the Louvre). Guides were all fabulous, able to relate to our children and provide great historical and interesting information about the destinations. Also, she was able to send us a list of all the Christmas markets and the best tea houses in Paris for us to explore on our own.
Jennifer and her team were very hands on during both planning and the actual trip. While we had visited Paris many times before, we wanted something a bit special to celebrate a birthday. We were there during the gilet jaunes protests and were able to navigate a remarkable and safe journey. Jennifer was personally monitoring a Plan B if we needed it before we arrived, and someone was in touch from her team every day while we were there. Jennifer created a very special, private day for us in the Champagne region as well as tickets to a sold out ballet in the Palais Garnier; something I had been trying to do myself. Not only did she garner the tickets for the night we wanted, but they were spectacular seats! All transportation and other efficiencies were also seamless and I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend anyone reach out to Jennifer and her team to make your trip just that much more special.
Jennifer and her team allowed us to make the most of a short trip to Paris to celebrate my wife’s birthday, along with presenting her with the diamond ring she never got when we first got together 10 years ago. Through continuous communication, Jennifer was able to suggest different things to do as well as suggestions regarding my wives surprise gift presentation. The highlight was giving her the ring in a renewal proposal aboard a private yacht. I originally requested a Venetian boat which at the last minute had mechanical problems rendering it unavailable. Jennifer quickly replaced it with what was Sophia Loren’s private yacht and assured me furnishings and seating would be altered to be more intimate and romantic. The result was spot on resulting in the highlight of our trip.
This was the second time Jennifer helped us plan a trip. Our travel itinerary started in Amsterdam and although she does not cover that city, she arranged our train travel to Paris from Amsterdam. This included a person to meet us at the station in Paris and take us to our driver then on to our hotel. This was a great service and very time-saving!
Jennifer arranged several tours for us, including a guide for a tour of the Marais neighborhood.
To our surprise, the guide was the same one we had during a previous stay that Jennifer arranged.
Once again he was terrific. The weather that day was much colder than anticipated and he immediately found a wonderful shop so I could purchase a sweater! He knew the history and personality of the Marais so well and now it is a favorite for future trips to Paris.
All of the guides Jennifer has recommended, including in London, have been exceptional.
She also secured museum tickets and gave great restaurant recommendations.
Jennifer and her team were always accessible and continued to check in with us during our trip.
Jennifer Virgilio and her team were exceptional. From the early planning stages to the very last hour of the trip, each member of the team performed with the highest standards. During the planning phase, Jennifer reached out personally to ask about my goals for the 3-week trip. She suggested events such as the Ryder Cup and then was able to secure tickets to the already sold-out event. They were also able to secure Moulin Rouge tickets on days that were already fully booked and unavailable to the general public. Each driver or driver/guide that I was assigned was friendly, knowledgeable and extremely professional. Perhaps my favorite service was the departing airport greeter. We went through the ticketing line, customs, and security with great ease….in about 10 minutes. In all my travels, I have never encountered service like that. Working with Jennifer and her colleagues truly was a pleasure and helped to create many memories of a lifetime!
Jennifer helped us plan two nights in Paris and it was fantastic. We opted for a greeter at the airport who sped us through customs – well worth it – and a transfer to our hotel.
She gave us a number of hotel options and we settled on a great hotel in Le Marais neighborhood. Beautiful hotel and a great neighborhood – not too touristy.
Jennifer also arranged a private tour guide for the day. He was friendly and knowledgeable and we were able to see a side of Paris we otherwise would not have.
I should also note the communication during the trip was great. We received text messages with contact info for the airport greeter, driver and tour guide.
Overall, we had a great time and have Jennifer to thank for it. I would definitely work with her again.
Jennifer & Fiamma were friendly, helpful and did an excellent job for us in Italy. We had little flexibility, but having said this Jennifer and Fiamma were enormously helpful and responsive. Would give both a 5 out of 5.
Jennifer and her team were masters of details, efficient and very supportive throughout the entirety of the trip. We started the planning process for our trip in January. We worked up an entire itinerary for Labor Day which we then put on hold because I was going through an interview process where I didn’t know what my schedule with a new job would look like. That process went on for a really long time, and Jennifer kept checking in with me to let me know she was still holding everything, but not pushing. Finally, around July 15th I finalized my acceptance of a new position and knew that I would have 3 weeks off. This did not include the period of our original trip. I contacted Jennifer and she immediately reworked our entire trip including rebooking the hotel, remaking our reservation at Arpege, and rejiggering some elements since we were now traveling during August when many things were closed. The service did not stop with the booking process. Each night I received a text from Jennifer’s teams on call agent with our schedule for the next day including the phone numbers of our drivers or guides. This made it very easy for us to get in contact with people, something that proved very helpful when our train to Reims was 1.5 hours late. It was also extremely useful for when we bought two cases of champagne thinking we would just check them with our luggage and forgetting that we had to get them home on the train to Paris. Some quick texts to the agent on call solved the issue. They arranged for someone to come and pick them up from our driver and then ship them to us in the US. Jennifer was also very good about helping us with selecting a hotel. I had just stayed at the George V and (though I looooove it there) was looking to try something different. She was excellent at letting us know what rooms had the best Eiffel views and broke down the cost of two rooms versus suites in an extremely clear fashion. We ended up staying in the Eiffel terrace suite and the Shangri-La and it was worth every penny. I slept on the pull out but had my own closet and shower. And we had a huge terrace (only one at the hotel!) that had a full view of the Eiffel. (NB FYI the food at the Shangri-La is terrible! Don’t go there if that matters to you!) One other thing to note is that everything Jennifer suggested, all tours, hotels, guides, etc, was extremely expensive. I would plan on spending at least $3000/day if you book with her.
I used Jennifer to book some hotels and add some special experiences for my recent trip to the Loire Valley in France.
She provided two wonderful hotels where we were given excellent rooms at well-located properties for our touring by rental car. Our special full day tour to Chambord and Chenonceau was a highlight, and when questionable weather canceled our evening balloon ride, she arranged a one-hour private Helicopter tour the following day. She also secured hands down the BEST table at the Jules Verne Restaurant in the Eiffel tower, thanks to her relationship with the management!!
Jennifer really delivered some pinnacle experiences that greatly enhanced our trip, which was booked less than 6 weeks out. She also alerted us to the fact that the French Open was going on in Paris, which would impact crowds at the various sites.
From the moment we stepped off the plane to moment we left, we felt like our trip was coordinated with care and the perfect balance of guided adventures and free time. Our dinners were fantastic and the logistics were letter-perfect. Our guides were knowledgeable, engaging and fun. The hotel was ideal in both its location and its accommodations. The staff made us feel at home. The team made sure that our days’ plans were clearly communicated, and when there was a change (due to the World Cup Final), our plans were rescheduled to accommodate our hopes. All we can say is thank you! Sincerely, Matt, Lisa, and Charlie
Jennifer Virgilio and her team were terrific. All were helpful, accessible, organized, knowledgeable, reliable, thorough, responsive … making the pieces of our trip run smoothly. This outstanding service freed us from travel worries. For example, in the morning we needed to get from the hotel to Gare de Lyon, there was heavy rain. It was rush hour and finding a taxi would have been impossible. Instead, we had a reliable limo, right on time, and a greeter at the station waiting to assist. So glad to know of this excellent service. Never would have known without Wendy Perrin website and WOW list.
Jennifer assisted us during the planning stages and Marie, on her team, assisted us during the trip itself, checking in with me each day and reminding me of the next day’s events and where to meet our guide. We spent 4 days in each of Normandy, Brittany, and Paris. We are a family of 5 (3 kids, aged 9, 15 and 17), so we needed a variety of activities to engage the youngest to the oldest of our kids, and Jennifer and Marie did just that. All of our guides and trips were fabulous. Our favorite guide was Isabelle in Paris, who took us to Versailles and to our WOW moment on a private boat ride down a canal in Paris, complete with a skipper, picnic, and wine. It was amazing!! We love boats and being on the water, so it was perfect! Isabelle was warm, funny, engaging and extremely organized. She was also able to maneuver us to avoid several long lines at Versailles on an incredibly hot, crowded day. She has a passion for France and Paris, and it shows. She was very knowledgeable about French history, Paris itself and Versailles. I studied in Paris in college, and I know more than the average traveler about France and its history, and I learned so much from her. She was an absolute delight. Another highlight was our day trip with our historian to D-Day sites. Jennifer planned several day trips that were specifically designed for our kids, where they were able to see some important places in a way that made them fun, from a treasure hunt in the Louvre, a bike ride around Paris, and a crossing of the Bay of Mont St. Michel. We loved all of the places we stayed as well, which were all first-rate and all recommended by Jennifer. Jennifer and her team were extremely organized and detailed-oriented. We didn’t have one issue or mistake during our stay, which is amazing considering we changed hotels 3 times with multiple guides and tours. I knew that if we did have an issue that it would be taken care of, as we were in constant contact with Marie and her team (which was a tremendous relief). We will return to explore another part of France, and will definitely contact Jennifer and Marie again.
We traveled with two teenaged grandchildren to Normandy, Brittany, and Paris. Jennifer did a wonderful job. All the guides she arranged for us were excellent. Everyone was on time and full of information as well as helpful and pleasant. One outstanding guide was Francois in Normandy, at whose chateau we had lunch and met his family.
The only caveats I have were some difficulty in the planning stages— i.e. two separate days visiting Mont St. Michel, which I had to catch and correct. There were also errors in the final print out regarding the days allocated, which were corrected by my grandchildren. Had I not been with them I would have been confused. That having been said, we enjoyed all of her choices for activities and the hotel choices were generally excellent with the exception of The Hotel Des Thermes in San Malo. We had a sea facing room, which was nice, but it was extremely tiny for the 3 of us, and we had to remove furniture in order to live in the room. Also, it was a very commercial hotel, and our guide told us there was a better one to be had. I cannot blame Jennifer for not correcting the situation, because we did not reach out to her to assist. We were unable to change our room, and they were not very pleasant at that hotel. Two of the hotels were outstanding, The Saint in Paris and Chateau La Cheneviere in Port en Bessin. We appreciated them and thank her for finding them for us. The first hotel, Chateau La Chaumieres, was beautifully located and lots of fun. I would say all the activities were very well planned as well. There is no way we could have arranged any of this by ourselves, so kudos to you, Jennifer
I highly recommend Jennifer Virgilio and her team! In planning a trip to Monaco for our family to see the 2018 Monaco Grand Prix, Jennifer and Andreas Eberhart put together a fabulous visit, including a hotel with upgrades, restaurants, and a fantastic day on a yacht. Even with some last minute changes on our family’s part, her team was responsive and proactive in making sure everything went smoothly. It was truly a luxury experience and completely problem-free thanks to Jennifer and Andreas.
Jennifer Virgilio is a true professional and a very lovely person. She understood our needs and catered to them. We would gladly hire her again.
I cannot say enough about how wonderfully responsive Jennifer and her crew were for me. Contact throughout planning was always prompt and thorough. During the trip, I had a couple of questions or uncertainties that were responded to with desired results and with lightning speed.
It was such a comfort to know that this team was available when I needed them.
Aside from the reliability provided, the quality of the transport and guide services were superb. Our drivers were all prompt, friendly and eager to please ( even when we were complete jet-lagged duds). Had a small group tour to Mont St Michel that was wonderful and a highlight of our trip. We also had a day with a driver and Historian guide that was nothing short of amazing. Not sure where they found this gentleman but he was so knowledgeable, thoughtful, funny and like a magician with all of the added touches he provided. Truly outstanding and was probably our favorite day.
Jennifer Virgilio was prepared to do anything I expressed an interest in and was happy to work around my existing plans. Everything she arranged (private tours and hotel) was A+. She followed up constantly during our trip to make sure everything was going well. Next time I will book more hotels recommended by Jennifer—or, by Wendy Perrin’s tour planner for the country I’m headed to—because the hotel she booked for us was the best! I would rely more on the WOW specialist next time. Thank you!
Jennifer and Mara on her team were excellent and so easy to work with, our entire trip was so smooth and easy, everything was perfect. While on vacation we would get an evening text update for our following day’s schedule, who our driver/guides were going to be and times of events scheduled.
The hotel they recommended was great, not too high up in Positano and not too close to town, just the perfect mix, and the views!
They booked lunch reservations for us on Capri and provided a wonderful list of dinner option for us to select from while in Positano. Our driver to and from Naples to Positano was the best, he was knowledgeable about the region and his lunch recommendations were excellent. Our guide on Capri was so fun. If we had attempted Capri on our own we would have tried to squeeze in too much without being able to enjoy it, even though we didn’t get to see everything we wanted the day was wonderful.
Our private guided tour of Pompeii was excellent, the time flew by, it was so interesting. Yet again if we had attempted Pompeii on our own we would have wandered around looking at things and waiting in line but our guide was able to smoothly guide us to the highlights all while telling us the wonderful history of Pompeii.
We just had a wonderful trip to Paris, with much help from Jennifer Virgilio and her team.
I highly, highly recommend them and would absolutely use them again.
They were thoughtful, well coordinated, frequently in touch, and helped us to put together the best possible trip we could manage given just three days in Paris… They were regularly and easily in touch for on-the-fly questions and modifications, as well…
We got way, way more out of the trip than we possibly could have on our own.
We had the skeleton of a trip with a flight schedule, free hotel accommodations in Paris (Hyatt points) and a week at Le Chevrefuille in the Dordogne, but that left us with some significant blanks to fill in and no knowledge of how to best use our time or get around.
Jennifer stepped up with fantastic suggestions, booking us for two nights in Tours and a cruise on the Loire River, two nights in Bayeux with time to see the D-day beaches and Tapestry, and a behind the scenes tour of the Opera Garnier. She arranged a rental car for us upon leaving Paris and the agency was right across the street from the hotel!
Emmanuelle, our guide in the Dordogne, was an absolute delight. I have had tour guides who carefully watched the clock to make sure they did not go beyond their paid shift. Emmanuelle went hours past 5 pm. At first I felt like we were imposing upon her, until I realized this is a guide who genuinely LOVES what she does.
I understand not all planners will work with travelers who have partially booked their own trips, so I thank Jennifer for that as well.
It was a glorious trip with memories that will last a lifetime.
Jennifer was great at listening to our needs and planned a great itinerary She chose the right guides who knew how to gauge their tour to teenagers. Everyone was extremely flexible and provided a fabulous experience for our family.
She chose wonderful guides who gauged their chats to our family’s (teenagers) needs. We visited Notre Dame, The Louvre and Versailles and the kids were engaged throughout. The guides were extremely flexible and interesting resulting in a terrific experience in Paris.
Jennifer was amazing. We wanted to have private time without the crowds at the Musee d’Orsay in Paris. As huge art lovers who appreciate the Impressionists, this would be the pinnacle of our short trip to Paris. We were able to access the Museum before it opened to the general public. and we had the entire fifth-floor Impressionist galleries to ourselves. Jennifer’s team offered us opportunities to have insider guided tours of Paris’s museums, including the Louvre, but due to our short trip we didn’t book those this time. We would absolutely call Jennifer for our next trip to Paris. Thank you for giving us such a memorable moment as we celebrated our sixth-year anniversary.
We used Jennifer for our trip in Europe last October, she helped us coordinate our hotels and itinerary in Burgundy and Paris. Jennifer was user-friendly, easy to communicate with and the trip was flawless, could not have been more perfect. I would highly recommend using Jennifer for future travel in Europe as our experience was outstanding.
Nancy and I just returned from a one week trip to Paris that Jennifer and her team arranged. The planning stage of the trip with Jennifer was enjoyable and easy. Jennifer listened to what we were seeking and then offered us various options from which to choose. This ensured that we experienced the Paris we wanted. Jennifer suggested 5 hotels for our stay. We ultimately chose Le Burgundy which was a small boutique hotel offering a great location, plenty of services and a very helpful and caring staff. Jennifer also matched us with our tour guide, Tatiana. This was a great match as we spent 4 days with Tatiana where we learned a lot, saw a lot and spent time conversing with Tatiana about the culture of Paris. Jennifer also arranged a fun day of going to a market with a chef and then going back to a cooking school to make lunch with the ingredients we bought at the market. I would also recommend seeking dinner suggestions from Jennifer before leaving for Paris. We ate well when in Paris and we did this and various types of restaurants from a bistro to a couple of Michelin starred venues. Finally, Jennifer and her team were constantly in contact while we were in Paris in order to make sure we were enjoying ourselves and if there was anything else we needed. I would highly recommend Jennifer to anyone seeking a special vacation in Paris. Jennifer is great. We will definitely use Jennifer and her team when we return to France.
Jennifer Virgilio was an outstanding resource in planning our much-needed jaunt to Paris. We hadn’t been back to Paris in over 20 years and couldn’t wait for this trip. We traveled from August 31 to September 9, 2017, my husband and myself. We request one hotel to stay in for half the trip and were up for a recommendation for the second half. Jennifer came up with a treasure that we would not have known about without her input. She organized our flight arrival, from reception at the gate, gathering luggage and then handing us off to our driver – seamless!
We didn’t require a lot of hand holding as we are “seasoned” travelers, but do appreciate insider knowledge at our destinations. Jennifer coordinated a day trip to Giverney with a wonderful guide/driver – a truly marvelous day. She also reserved a fabulous lunch for us at the Jules Verne Restaurant within the Eiffel Tower – an experience we had always wanted!
The hotels gave us wonderful upgrades, welcoming treats and we felt like we were very important guests and the hotels. Each were a true delight.
I absolutely would recommend Jennifer and her team – even though we were late in the planning stages to contact Jennifer – she and her team came through for us – we would certainly contact Jennifer should our travels take us back to Paris, Rome or Monaco.
Thank you, Jennifer!
Jennifer Virgilio and her team, particularly Alfonso, helped me plan a last minute 4 day stay in Rome. It was flawless. First, I had found a hotel that I wanted to stay in and they confirmed that it was a good choice –which was a huge help given the number of hotels in Rome. Jennifer then helped me put together an itinerary that involved a very private viewing of the Sistine Chapel, a fabulous tour of the Forum and Pantheon, and a trip out of Rome to Tivoli that was outstanding–all with incredibly educated guides–archeologists who were both truly wonderful to spend the time with and incredibly knowledgable. I cannot say enough what a difference it made using Jennifer. And my husband and I usually eschew using tour companies and guides. She is such a lovely, helpful person with a wealth of knowledge because she lives in Rome. When I called at the last minute she was obviously extremely busy with other things but never once did I feel like I was not her number one client. She and her team helped with wonderful dinner reservations, many of them last minute. The whole experience was first rate.
Bayeux, Normandy, and Paris.Jennifer and her team provided a smooth transfer from the airport in Paris to Bayeux. The hotel, Villa Lara, was a wonderful choice for our stay; it was in the middle of this charming town; and though built to blend with the older architecture, it was relatively new. Our guide for a day-long tour of the Normandy beaches and the American cemetery was excellent. Jennifer also provided good restaurant suggestions, as well as suggesting sites we could see on our own in Bayeux.
Jennifer and her team provided a smooth transfer from the airport in Paris to Bayeux. The hotel, Villa Lara, was a wonderful choice for our stay; it was in the middle of this charming town; and though built to blend with the older architecture, it was relatively new. Our guide for a day-long tour of the Normandy beaches and the American cemetery was excellent. Jennifer also provided good restaurant suggestions, as well as suggesting sites we could see on our own in Bayeux.
Even though we were meeting friends in Paris and did not need Jennifer to set up tours for us there, she helped us find a hotel close to our friends and to public transportation.
She was also very attentive during our stay and checked in on us regularly to be sure that all was well. Throughout our planning for this trip, she and her staff were attentive to our desires and were always available to answer questions. We would definitely use her services in the future.
Jennifer Virgilio and her team, arranged for some great experiences including a private cooking class with a top chef, a cheese (Camembert) and apple (Calvados) tour with a an agronomist who was truly fantastic that included a picnic lunch he had prepared, and a very informative D-Day tour with an English gentleman who was extremely knowledgeable. All the guides were personable and very knowledgeable. In all cases, they had arranged for a lunch and we asked that they join us – talking with them and hearing their stories, for us, is important.
Also, we would highly concur with her recommendation to stay at the Villa Lara in Bayeux (where we were upgraded to a suite) and her restaurant reservations.
We hope to go back and would use her again.
Jennifer and Queen of Clubs arranged wonderful tickets for us to the Women’s Final at Wimbledon and arranged restaurant reservations there, where we enjoyed lovely meals. Transfers were all efficient and comfortable in wonderful automobiles. Two hotels (The Regina in Paris and The Milestone) gave us upgrades when we checked in and provided excellent service as well. And our private River Cruise on the Seine was wonderful. My only wish would be better seating at the Globe Theater (partially obscured view) and at the Opera Carmen in Paris.
Jennifer is candid, smart, charming and incredibly responsive. She made some excellent overall trip proposals and was very clear about which ones were new to her.
We are experienced travelers and speak French so we preferred to drive ourselves and we also made some bookings directly. This was fine with Jennifer who worked around our plans. She organized several terrific private tours (Montesquieu’s chateau, also vineyards) and dinner reservations which were great choices. We called for some help with a wifi issue and a last minute reservation and her team was right on it.
We spoke upon our return and she was very interested in hearing details to add to her knowledge of the Bordeaux region.
Jennifer was most attentive. Quick to respond and to offer excellent recommendations and thoughtful attention to details.
Jennifer Virgilio made the logistical arrangements for much of our March 2017 trip to London, Bruges, Normandy and Paris. She went above and beyond just making reservations for us. She had our Eurostar tickets delivered to our hotel in London and our train tickets from Caen to Paris to our hotel in Bayeux. She made all our dinner reservations in Paris at Michelin star restaurants. She was an absolute delight to deal with, “got” us immediately and her advice was not merely useful but spot on. She knows London as well as Paris and guided us to a wonderful meal at a top Indian restaurant in London. I would use her again for any trip to Paris and highly recommend her to anyone thinking of going there. She’s terrific.
Our tour guide gave us an excellent overview of Paris. It was perfect to have a tour scheduled early during our trip so we had a great footprint of the history and architecture of the city as we wandered around throughout the rest of our stay in Paris.
Jennifer was very attentive and responsive and planned two fabulous days for us in Brittany. She got us one of the best guides I have ever had and I have had a lot of guides. She has now lined up guides for my daughter in Rome. I highly recommend Jennifer!
Jennifer Virgilio was thorough and very flexible. She worked with our plans and interests and provided excellent guides – always courteous, friendly and very knowledgeable.
The tour guide for the Meuse/Argonne full day tour had trouble finding one of the sites and, as a result we almost ran out of gas. It was pretty tense for a while. However, the tour planner reacted to that promptly and promised to take this up with the guide. She also picked up any fees we had for the art gallery tour in Paris. We were very pleased with the way she handled this issue. Even with that problem, the guide for that tour was charming and gave us so much information about the battlefields that my husband’s grandfather fought at. The rest of the guides and the tours they provided were stellar.
My husband, 16 month old son, mother, brother-in-law and I went to Rome in November of 2016 with Jennifer Virgilio. To begin with, Jennifer took us on with very short notice. With less than a month before my planned trip, Wendy helped connect me with Jennifer. Jennifer called me during her vacation and determined exactly what kind of trip my family and I wanted.
Within a few days, Jennifer had sent a detailed preliminary itinerary along with various options to either increase the comfort level or adventure of the trip and to either squeeze in a few more sights or to slow down the pace of the trip. My family and I reviewed the suggested itinerary and responded with a few questions. Jennifer answered all of them easily and quickly. She also managed to get us a special access option to the 3rd Ring and Underground at the Colosseum (we loved this!) and suggested two special access options at the Vatican to have a Popes Audience or an after-hours tour (we didn’t do these, but they were amazing options to have). These were just a few of the special options available to us.
As this was a vacation that took place over my husbands birthday, I had asked Jennifer if she knew of anything we could do to celebrate his birthday or to make it special for him. When she came back with the suggestion of a Ferrari day trip through Umbria for him and his brother or a day trip out to the Ferrari plant and racetrack, I was amazed! What perfect suggestions! My husband is still raving about the Ferrari day trip through Umbria.
Jennifer kept in contact almost every day until the day of our flights with suggestions for dinners or ways to make this an even more special trip. She even suggested a children’s museum and a few playgroups I could take my son to on a scheduled down day and included all the needed contact info to arrange for it if I chose to do it; as well as suggesting a personal shopper that my mom and I could work with if we so desired.
During our trip, Jennifer and her colleague, Fabrizio, contacted us every night to be sure we knew the schedule for the day ahead and that there were no changes needed, and to ask how that day’s planned events went. Everything ran smoothly and to plan, with a couple of small snafus that were quickly remedied.
This was an amazing trip that included a Vespa tour, a good food tour, a great cooking class, excellent and informed guides, courteous and timely drivers, two great day trips to Florence and Pompeii/Naples, behind the scenes look at the Colosseum and a fantastic Ferrari tour of Umbria.
Jennifer is a wonderful and insightful person to have arrange your trip to Italy (I understand she also does the UK, France, Ibiza, and Monaco and I will be using her services again when I travel to those areas). Please be clear in your expectations for your trip, let her know if you are not sure of an activity and tell her of any special occasions you may have or may want to celebrate on your trip. She will figure out a way to accomplish all you hope to do and will suggest some amazing options that you haven’t even considered. You won’t go wrong if you choose to work with Jennifer.
I highly recommend Jennifer Virgilio. She and her company are outstanding. If you are looking to go to Paris, look no further than this treasure trove of knowledge and epitome of service.
From our first conversation Jennifer was attentive, enthusiastic, and resourceful and this standard was continually carried out by her staff and her contacts.
Our requests were not so easy. We were to be in Paris with our two teenagers for 4 days in August. Because our teens had never been to Paris we wanted to show them some important highlights. And also have fun. AND my husband and I wanted to also find some large pieces of art to ship home (not an easy task in August when so many galleries are closed)…and we wanted to spend just a half day on art.
I am a researcher by nature, so when I called Jennifer I had already looked into suites in several top hotels and I knew all the numbers. Jennifer gave me invaluable input about the pros and cons of different properties, and also told me where she had the strongest connections (which could lead to perks for us). I was very pleasantly surprised when Jennifer sent me quotes for stays at several hotels and they were significantly less expensive than what I had found. In addition, she said she would make the reservation using my credit card. So, I dis not have to pay her up front for the hotels, I could still cancel up to a day or two in advance, and the pricing was totally transparent. Many options were great, and we ended up choosing a newly renovated property where Jennifer said she knew we would have a great experience, and she had a close relationship with them.
We were thrilled with the hotel, where we were upgraded to a super luxurious suite (granted, in August, the hotel was quite empty…but it was an amazing accommodation). We were treated like royalty the entire time.
Jennifer arranged tours for us that were exactly what we had wished for. She even arranged for an incredibly knowledgable art advisor who asked us very detailed and comprehensive questions in advance related to what we were interested in, what we like and dislike, price range, and much more. The art advisor went to galleries in advance for us and sent us images of what he thought we might like. Bottom line: we purchases 3 large pieces we were very excited about during our half day with him. To top it off, we had asked Jennifer if the kids could have a separate tour while we were looking for art and she had arranged a tour of their choice which they greatly enjoyed.
Jennifers staff was extremely efficient from when we landed to when we departed, always texting us the contact info for our drivers and guides and checking back to make sure we were happy with everything. They were on top of restaurant reservations and handled all itinerary changes with ease and grace.
I cannot recommend Jennifer highly enough if you are looking for a special trip to Paris. Her contacts are deep and her service is excellent. And, she offers a la carte pricing instead of the typical “one price for the whole trip.”
Thank you Jennifer Virgilio and Queen of Clubs staff for making our short stay in Paris as perfect as it could have been.
Just returned from a 30th anniversary trip to France for my husband and I, that Jennifer helped plan, and it was absolutely fantastic! We travel frequently and thought the 3 hotels that she selected were all exceptional, all with great locations, terrific service and at an excellent value. Jennifer made all of our arrangements for us: rental cars, tickets to top of the Eiffel Tower, train tickets, private transfers, tour guides, dinner reservations, etc.. and they were all terrific. She must have a good relationship with many of the companies because everyone did something “special” for us in honor of our anniversary—champagne, special deserts, room upgrades, etc. I started planning the trip about 12 months in advance, and Jennifer was always very responsive, even with a 9 hour time difference, she always got back to me very quickly. I appreciated her understanding about the types of activities that I had told her we were and were not interested in, but there was one thing that I initially said “no” to, and she encouraged me to reconsider. It was a luxury river dinner cruise in Paris and we initially thought it sounded too “touristy”. Based on past experience, Jennifer encouraged us to take it the night of our anniversary. It was absolutely magical, I can’t imagine a more perfect place to celebrate our anniversary. I will definitely recommend Jennifer to my friends who are traveling to France and look forward to working with her again on our future trips to France.
Jennifer did a fantastic job. Not only did she plan the entire trip to France with guides and drivers but all the restaurants. I had in mind places to go and a few restaurants in Paris but she supplied the rest. She even reconfirmed our restaurant reservations. All said it was a great experience which made planning a trip a breeze.
We contacted Jennifer for an ad hoc tour while my wife and I were in Paris. She did a very good job of suggesting some interesting tours in keeping with our statements that we have been to Paris numerous times before and had visited most of the principal tourist sites and museums. For example, the Aligre market tour that she arranged for us was excellent (providing an insider’s view of the market itself and the best purveyors) and her guide was very personable, knowledgeable and very engaging.
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