When traveling with young kids, they steer the boat—sometimes literally. Photo: Jan Heininger

Luxembourg, Belgium and the Netherlands April 10-26, 2025

Tom planned a 15-day trip that broke neatly into two parts. First was an eight-day trip for my husband and me to Belgium and Luxembourg, then a weeklong Netherlands trip with our daughter, son-in-law, and three small grandchildren. It was wonderful from start to finish filled with excellent guides, drivers, interesting places to visit and fun activities. In Luxembourg and Belgium we visited places new to us. While both my husband and I had been to the Netherlands before, we now saw the country through the eyes of young grandchildren. It gives you a new and different perspective.

We started the “adult” week visiting the Waterloo battlefield with an excellent guide followed by a delicious lunch stop at Abbey Maredsous. Our next two days were spent exploring Luxembourg’s attractive capital city and museums, and the rolling hills and castles of its countryside. We drove briefly into yet another county along the German side of the Mosel River. We next headed north into Belgium to Bastogne for a full day exploring the Battle of the Bulge on the ground. As good as our Luxembourg guide had been, our Bastogne guide was even better. There are two kinds of guides for the Battle of the Bulge—those who take you through a superb museum, which takes much of the day, and those who guide you on the ground so you can understand how, where and under what conditions the battle took place. Tom unerringly chose a guide addicted to maps (as are we) who focused largely on the battlefield itself. Someday, we may go back and spend the day in the museum.

From there we went to Ghent, a far more beautiful city than we’d expected. We had an excellent city guide, food tour and a private boat tour of Ghent’s rivers and canals. We finished our sojourn in Belgium with two nights in Antwerp. There we started with a spectacular guide though Antwerp’s Royal Museum of Fine Arts. We also had a city tour with yet another great guide and dinner at a Michelin-star restaurant. We closed our time in Antwerp with an incredible behind-the-scenes tour of the Diamond Quarter. Our guide was herself a diamond trader. She took us to meet one of Antwerp’s most revered diamond cutters known for his unerring creative and artistic vision. He also was extraordinarily friendly. We got to sit in his seat while he showed us how to cut and polish a diamond ourselves! This is the kind of experience you cannot get on a standard tour. You have to have a trip planner like Tom who has the inside contacts to link you up with people who actually work in the industry.

In our kids-centered week in the Netherlands, Tom again unerringly picked activities and tours that would most appeal to a younger set—a food tour, visits to the Maritime Museum and NEMO Science Museum, a canal boat tour with an Indonesian lunch. One day, we participated in the quintessential Dutch activity of riding a bike through the countryside. As it was April in Holland, we visited the famed Keukenhof tulip garden. Tom was smart enough to ensure that we got to the garden before the masses of “tulip tourists” overwhelmed it. Our time in the Netherlands ended with a full day at Efteling amusement park. Tom picked a wonderful Netherlands guide for us. Not only was she seemingly knowledgeable about everything, she knew how to talk with the kids (ages 3, nearly 5 and nearly 8) and even got them engaged in seeing some of the smallest details in Flemish masters’ paintings. The two older kids really paid attention and all three kids loved spending time with her. We all enjoyed the bike ride she took us on between Volendam and Edam, just as we did our visit to the do-not-miss Zuiderzee outdoor museum. (Skip Zaansa Schans—that’s where all the tour buses go.) She also recommended that the kids visit “the best playground they’d ever been to” in Amsterdam – and built over water to boot!

I know that Wendy’s trip specialists can plan and execute flawless trips that draw on their extensive network of contacts to allow clients to dig deeper into the culture than just seeing the sights. But planning a combination trip for well-traveled adults together with meeting the needs of young children takes a special trip specialist. Tom really hit it out of the park for us. It’s one thing to keep teenagers happy; it’s another thing to keep little kids engaged. Tom’s choices of hotels—and specific rooms, especially for our daughter and her family—were spot on. His choice of activities was also spot on. We split our time between Amsterdam (four nights, with two days in the countryside) and The Hague (three days with two days outside the city).

I had reservations about going to the Netherlands in peak tulip season. Not only would there be hordes of foreign tourists, but it was Easter holiday, the same time Dutch schools were on spring break, and the King’s Day celebration. Tom structured the trip in a way that kept us mostly far from the worst of the crowds. Including Keukenhof, the renowned tulip exhibition garden open only for two months each spring with tickets sold out months ahead of time, gave me pause. To miss it would have been a mistake. We discovered a breathtaking huge park of paths winding through gorgeous display beds of the largest tulips I’ve ever seen, manicured green grass among the beds, wonderful playgrounds, a fun maze, and places scattered about to get snacks. It was so large that crowds thronging the entrance gate quickly spread out and the displays were so striking that everyone was in a good mood offering to take photos for strangers. We were impressed at how well organized and run Keukenhof is. Our visit there was a trip highlight.

The kids loved the day at fairytale-themed Efteling amusement park. It was huge, had some truly scary (for me) roller coaster rides that the two older kids and their parents loved, and other rides that even I (not a fan in general of amusement parks) had fun on.

Our congratulations to you, Tom. It was brilliant from start to finish.

We used Tom to plan our trip to the Netherlands and Belgium in March, 2025. This was a special family trip with the grandparents to celebrate their 50th anniversary and was the first international trip they were able to take with our kids. The six of us had a great time, and Tom was able to recommend hotels and activities that everyone enjoyed and were the right speed for the grandparents and children.

We started in Ghent and enjoyed a walking tour of the city and a tour of the city’s canals. The driver that was arranged was excellent. We stopped to in Kinderdijk and the Hague as well. Amsterdam was wonderful as well and we really enjoyed our guides and the private dinner cruise, which was the highlight. Tom was very helpful in accommodating some of our room changes and a tour cancellation. Overall, we were very happy and would highly recommend Tom to those considering a trip to the Netherlands or Belgium.

We recently returned from a trip to Amsterdam planned by Thomas. I would highly recommend using Tom for your travel planning to Amsterdam. Tom planned three days for us and the itinerary was perfect.

We were greeted by our driver Arnoud. He was our driver for the entire time we were in Amsterdam and it was nice to have the continuity of Arnoud when we were traveling by car to/from the airport and to the tulips in Keukenhof. He was wonderful. On the day of our arrival, we had a walking tour of Amsterdam. It was helpful to see the city highlights, so we could decide what we wanted to explore further during the week. The next day, we enjoyed a private boat cruise with lunch on board. Our captain, Will, narrated the city as we cruised throughout the canals. He was incredibly knowledgeable and provided a special experience for us. We were dropped by boat at The Anne Frank House, where Tom had arranged our tickets. The following day, we left the city for the morning to see the tulips in Keukenhof. The tulips were not fully in bloom when we were there (March 20th) so I would advise waiting a few weeks after Keukenhof opens for the tulip season. We spent the remainder of the day on bikes, enjoying the city and beautiful weather.

Tom helped to make our short visit to Amsterdam a memorable one. He helped with ALL our planning—including hotel recommendations and restaurant suggestions. I would happily use Tom again to plan my vacation. It is easy to see how he is on the WOW List at WendyPerrin.com!

Tom was able to plan a day trip to discover Amsterdam. We didn’t have a lot of time but wanted to experience as much of Amsterdam as we could. We met Ilse, our tour guide, and had a wonderful walking tour of the historic part of Amsterdam and the Van Gogh Museum. She had a lot of information to share about the history and design of the city and was very knowledgeable about the art in the museum. Experiencing this on foot with all of the bikes gave us a great perspective on life in the city.

We then toured the canals in a beautiful canal boat with lunch, which offered a unique perspective to see the amazing architecture. We ended the day at the Anne Frank house. The self-guided tour of the house was sobering and intense but the day in Amsterdam wouldn’t have been complete without it. I’m sure there is much more to see in the Netherlands which we may get back to one day. Overall, it was a thoroughly enjoyable visit.

My husband and I traveled to Amsterdam and Belgium for a week at the end of September. Tom did a nice job of arranging the trip. Our flight was cancelled so we arrived a day later than expected and Tom and his team did a fantastic job of rearranging things, so we still saw the major highlights in Amsterdam. Every hotel we stayed at was in a great location and service was exceptional. The only change I would make is to stay outside of Amsterdam because it is so crowded and at night you could hear everything outside our hotel room. The countryside and small villages right outside Amsterdam were charming.

On the way to Belgium, we stopped at Royal Delft and Kinderdijk, and I wouldn’t miss either one. Our first stop in Belgium was Bruges and we absolutely loved the hotel and the city. We had a private tour of the city and then a bike ride countryside in the afternoon. We would have liked to have spent an extra day in Bruges. In Ghent, we enjoyed the tour of the city as well as some beer tasting and amazing chocolates along the way. Our last two nights we spent in Brussels where we went from hearing Dutch for the last 5 days to French. Another amazing hotel and great location. The only thing was the traffic. We arrived in Brussels during rush hour and traffic was almost at a standstill and we spent a lot of time in the car. During our driving tour the next day, traffic was awful again and we ended up not going on part of the driving tour because of traffic.

Overall, an exceptional trip. It would have been difficult to coordinate all the private tours, drivers, hotels, etc. The other change I would have made is to have the tours broken up a bit. Most days we spent 8 hours straight touring without much time on our own. Next time, I would ask for 3 hours of walking tour, a break for a few hours, and then a 3-hour bike tour. Our next trip through Wendy Perrin is Vietnam in December and given what a nice job Tom did, we have high expectations for Ethan and his team.

A private canal cruise in Amsterdam, one special feature of a 35th anniversary trip. Photo: Traveler Ruth Reading.

Working with Tom’s company was an absolute pleasure. Tom assisted us with planning a pre- and post- river cruise itinerary in Amsterdam, Luxembourg and Belgium. This trip was to celebrate our 35th wedding anniversary and it went perfectly due to the outstanding planning. Tom worked with us to personalize the itinerary to our specific interests.

All of the tour guides, drivers, transportation and accommodations were excellent. We particularly enjoyed the private canal cruise with a beautiful lunch in Amsterdam, an outing with a naturalist in Vielsalm to see the red deer rutting as we were there in that season, the outdoor Battle of the Bulge tour (not just in a museum) in Bastogne, the culinary tour in Ghent and Bruges enjoying chocolates, cuberdons and waffles, and the private yacht cruise in Ghent followed by a lovely dinner on an outdoor terrace at Auberge Du Pecheur. We also particularly enjoyed our stay in Clervaux at the Le Clervaux Boutique Design Hotel and our time hiking in the local area. The hotel 1898 The Post in Ghent was also wonderful.

Every guide was personable, knowledgeable and delightful to be with. All planned transportation was first class. The company also did status checks with us throughout the trip to make sure that all was going smoothly and to our liking. A very memorable trip made possible by the team! Thank you, Tom, for planning a wonderful trip!

Tom and team were excellent at every turn, logistics were perfect, execution was perfect. We achieved our goal of a broad overview of Belgium and Luxembourg. Battle of the Bulge tour was best of trip! Antwerp diamond tour was excellent. Tour in Bruges was excellent, really liked the guide! I probably overbooked tours for my wife’s liking…she appreciates more down time to explore cities on her own.

One bit of constructive feedback, the Post 1898 was understaffed. The hotel is unique, beautiful and we would stay there again but they did not have enough help.

I would definitely use Tom and team again.

We had a wonderful trip! Our guide Ton was perfect and always accommodating, helpful, and full of knowledge. Our tulip garden guide and Amsterdam museum guide also were terrific!

While I had requested biking, I found the smallest Dutch bikes entirely too large and unwieldy. Ton’s solution was to push me in a front car on his bike, and I got to enjoy the beautiful countryside on a beautiful day! When I was ill for 2 days, Thomas and the Dylan Hotel found a doctor for me and soon I was well again. Nothing but good experiences on this trip!

Thomas Stinglhamber and his team planned a terrific 2-day trip to Luxembourg. We stayed at a delightful hotel in the center of town. It was a great start for a comprehensive walking tour with an excellent guide. The next day was a drive to Paris stopping in Verdun and Reims. The WW1 Museum in Verdun was impressive — I could have spent even more time visiting. The Douamont Ossuary was a moving memorial. Reims is a beautiful city and the Cathedral is not to be missed.

Each tour guide and driver was prompt and professional. The trip ran smoothly. There was some rain but then sunshine — I was glad I went anyway even though it was November. I am always happy to use someone on The WOW list to plan my trips. These travel experts have the latest information on hotels, access to guides, advice on places to visit or avoid, restaurants, etc. It would take me hours to plan a trip that would not be up to the trip planned by a specialist. Plus — less stress!

Tom assisted us with planning our trip to Belgium and identified the best location to stay in Ghent as home base. He selected a beautiful historic hotel which we likely would not have chosen without his guidance. He also planned our excursion to Bruges and booked a relaxing boat tour outside the city which we truly enjoyed. Tom’s knowledge of the area helped us have an unforgettable stay in Belgium.

Thomas planned a great trip for us to Amsterdam. The guide we had for the Rijksmuseum and Van Gogh Museum was superb. She provided lots of information but did not overload us. We really appreciated how she kept the attention of our children and read their moods and interests. Also, as someone who has studied art history, her knowledge was superb and conveyed with great stories to make the subjects come to life. Similarly, Thomas arranged for a great guide to take us to the countryside to a number of towns and experience a different side of the Netherlands. He was a lot of fun and even took us to the beach where we were able to get a drink and enjoy the sand. Our canal cruise was lovely with yummy food. Finally, the rooms at the Waldorf were well located and quiet and able to be closed off, so it was like we had a family suite. Thomas and Sanae allowed us to have a stress-free and all-around fun time in Amsterdam.

Thomas planned a fantastic, last-minute trip for us to Amsterdam. I was able to purchase tickets to the Vermeer exhibit and he pulled off a trip that left a month later, with all the perks like it had been booked a year in advance. We particularly loved our private boat cruise and the Vermeer expert he selected as our Rijksmuseum guide. He was also very accommodating at making sure my mother, who had recently had hip surgery, was able to get around pain-free.

Our trip to Holland and Belgium was fantastic. The travel experts were great to work with and met or exceeded our expectations. Every hotel was unique to the city we were in, and all 4/5 star. Transportation was seamless as we changed locations 8 times in 16 days.

We would HIGHLY recommend the VIP treatment when you arrive in Amsterdam if you were flying all night like we did. We were served breakfast in a very nice living room while our luggage went through customs. When we were finished with breakfast we went downstairs where we showed our passport and jumped in the car. Well worth it.

We traveled to the Netherlands from 4/21/23 to 5./2/23. We chose that time because of the tulips. We were fortunate that we had a lovely day at the Flower Auction, driving thru tulips fields and the Keukenhof Garden.
Planning with Thomas and Sanae was a pleasure. They listened to our wishes and executed a fabulous trip.
The transfers from city to city were seamless!
The guides were all knowledgeable, and informative.
Our highlights were the day with the tulips, the museum in Amsterdam with the Vermeer exhibit, and Bruges. I would suggest spending more time in Brussels.
The hotels were all varied, and for the most part excellent. Our first room disappointed in the Julien in Antwerp. The first room was small
and the rug shabby. We upgraded at an extra expense to a nicer room.
We planned all our dinners ahead, which worked out well. Thomas and Sanae made suggestions and then they made reservations. I would suggest The Duchesse and Breda in Amsterdam.

The trip Tom designed for us was fabulous. The hotels were outstanding. They were perfectly located, unique and charming, and had great service. The guides were excellent. They clearly knew their stuff and could explain it clearly, were professional and also established a personal relationship with us. The sights and activities were superb. We could describe many examples of superb sights and activities, but here we highlight just one. Our primary initial reason for the trip was to see the spring flowers. Tom’s plan and our driver’s skill got us to Keukenhof a few minutes before it opened. We were among the first few people to enter the park. For almost 90 minutes we had the park to ourselves (plus a few of our flower-loving friends). We spent almost three hours there and our souls were filled up. (NOTE: When we left there was a sea of people entering the park, and traffic jams all around the site.) We also had a wonderful morning at La Floralia, just outside Brussels. This has been called a mini-Keukenhof and in some ways it is. However, it is wonderful in its own right.

Good hotel recommendations & a few special events such as the boat trip from Ghent to a wonderful restaurant on the canal system. Our guide was good & fun.

PANDEMIC TRAVEL  Tom Stinglhamber planned a most thoughtful three-day visit for our family of four to Amsterdam – June 29 – July 2, 2022. Starting from the moment of our arrival at the wretchedly chaotic Schiphol Airport, Tom was helpful and flexible. When our daughter’s plane was delayed by several hours, he immediately arranged a second car to take her to the Pulitzer Hotel, so the rest of us could go ahead. The hotel was lovely, and he’d arranged not only two canal-view junior suites with breakfast but a special food and beverage credit that made eating in the hotel’s excellent dining room practical and cost-efficient on our first, tired night in town. He booked a wonderful private tour on a saloon boat through the canals, and a terrific private guide to take us on tours of the leading museums. He offered other services we did not feel we needed – like a private walking tour of the city center. He uses an excellent digital app – Axus – that allows real-time updates and communication during the trip. He warned us – appropriately – of the long (four hours’) time we’d need at Schiphol for our flight to Copenhagen. When a return flight to Amsterdam from Norway was cancelled unexpectedly at the end of our trip, he immediately was able to guarantee hotel arrangements if we needed to stay in Europe longer. Alas, he was unable to secure a refund for the required last-minute cancellation of a planned overnight at the Amsterdam airport Sheraton – understandable but regrettable. Tom’s services are not cheap, but he is instantly available by phone and email and his careful and thoughtful planning made all the difference in giving our family a fantastic stay in Amsterdam. He arranged experiences and activities we would have been very unlikely ever to find on our own. Flying these days is complete misery, but travel is still uplifting and very fun. Tom made sure we could cope with the former and enjoy the latter to the utmost.

PANDEMIC TRAVEL  After finishing a Viking Rhine River cruise we wanted to spend a week in Belgium. We were referred to Thomas Stinglhamber, who is based in Antwerp, by Wendy Perrin’s staff. We first had a phone conversation with Thomas and told him what we wanted to see. Thomas planned everything plus more. We started in The Hague and then were driven to the Botanic Sanctuary in Antwerp. The following day we had a full day with a private guide with highlights including the Diamond District and Rubens House. The next day we toured Ghent and then were driven to Bruges, where we stayed at the Hotel Van Cleff. This is a beautiful hotel right on one of the canals. We had the same guide for all three cities and I think this added to our enjoyment. After two nights we were picked up by a guide who is an expert on World War I. What a sad but informative day touring battlefields and learning the history of this war. This guide then drove us to Brussels, where we stayed three nights at Hotel Amigo. Another great guide who took us all over Brussels. Thomas would periodically call or text to see how we were doing. The last day of our tour we had our original driver and it was like an old friend showed up. An amazing tour with excellent guides and drivers. Thomas delivered plus more. A wonderful experience!

PANDEMIC TRAVEL The trip Thomas had planned for us to Belgium two years ago was worth waiting for. His hotel choice, The Amigo, was the perfect place from which to explore the sights in Brussels and to return to from our day trips. We also enjoyed Thomas’s restaurant recommendations near our hotel which offered everything from local seafood to haute cuisine.

The daily excursions, which were very well planned, gave us an opportunity to see the old in Bruges, the new in Brussels and everything in between. Because I am a retired teacher and museum educator, I expect a guide to be an energetic and engaging person who is well versed in his/her subject matter. Thomas’s relationships with his guides allow him to pick among the best.

Thomas choose Sofie, who spoke excellent English, for our guide for Bruges, Ghent and Antwerp. She was more than perfect. In addition, she was very sensitive to my husband’s mobility problems and included stops for coffee, biscuits and chocolates along the way. The two days we spent with her were interesting and fun.

COVID is hard to avoid in Europe. Venues are crowded and no one wears masks. My husband and I, who tested negative 24 hours before our flight, became ill 48 hours upon our return. We think we were exposed on our last day in Brussels or in the airport before our departure but will never know. One has to accept the risk in order to travel.

PANDEMIC TRAVEL Aer Lingus required a mask but restrictions in the Netherlands and Belgium were easing by the time we took the trip. As we had private drivers (and didn’t require public transportation), there were no places that required a mask, including museums and restaurants. The trip was fantastic, and private guides in each of the cities were superb. After a long flight, a canal tour in Amsterdam was a relaxing way to start our adventure. Our private boat captain picked us up in front of our hotel. He provided interesting historical details and answered questions as we sipped cool beverages from the bar and waved at passengers on the larger tour vessels. We were dropped off near the Anne Frank house where we had tickets to tour this remarkable site. The following day was a guided walking tour of Amsterdam that concluded with visits to the Rijksmuseum and Van Gogh museum. The next day was at leisure before we joined a bike tour the following day. Tom was great to work with in coordinating our adventures in the Netherlands and Belgium before and after our bike adventure. The travel app he provided was a great way to keep track of our itinerary and to communicate with him during our travels. On the last day of the bike tour, a private driver picked us up in Bruges and drove us to Ghent for a couple of days. Our last stop was in Brussels. The hotels were great! Private guides in each city took us on amazing tours of historical sights and we enjoyed another boat tour in Ghent. We especially enjoyed visiting boutique chocolate shops and a private chocolate tasting. Tom suggested and helped obtain tickets for Floralien Ghent – Nocturne 6th of May which only occurs every 5 years. It was the most amazing floral exhibit I have ever seen! He also secured reservations at a special restaurant for us to celebrate our anniversary.

Our guide Sophie was excellent. She was knowledgeable and enthusiastic. The restaurant outside Ghent that she took us to for lunch was one of the best experiences on the trip.

Thomas Stinglhamber, the travel specialist, organized an excellent trip, among other things, finding a local photographer with great knowledge of the tulip business, with whom we did a full day trip photographing tulip fields and windmills at the height of the season. The local guide Thomas set us up with was informative, and was willing to re-arrange the itinerary based on the expected weather forecast.

During the planning for the trip, Thomas and I exchanged many emails about what we wanted to do as photographers and museum goers, and we were able to accomplish all of our goals.

The two hotels we decided on in Amsterdam, The Pulitzer; and in The Hague, Hotel des Indes, were in the right locations.

Our planner, Thomas Stinglhamber was very good. We hit a stumbling block in regard to our accommodations and Thomas found us another hotel. The Manoir de LesBoiles did not want to stay open for the dates we booked so he and his staff had to find us another. We ended up at the Radisson Blu Balmoral.

It wasn’t as opulent or grand as the first option but it was nice and in a good location for our Battle of the Bulge tour. Thomas arranged a guide for our tour who I would never have found on my own. Jean was on time, extremely knowledgeable and easy to talk to.

Thomas and his office kept in touch and gave us phone numbers in case we needed him. He touched base before, during and after our trip to make sure if we needed him we could get in contact with him and his office.

This was our first time to use Wendy Perrin’s Travel Specialists and we were delighted from the beginning to the end!

We were introduced to Thomas Stinglhamber, through the Wow list of Travel Experts, to guide us through our Amsterdam and Belgium trip planning. Thomas called us from Belgium to learn about us and our trip desires, and after an hour phone chat we received several sample itineraries to review. The whole planning experience was made so easy and fun, and the actual trip from hotels to private boat tours of the canals was dreamy!! We never waited in one single line for museums, nor had to make any reservations for dinner; nor anything else after we left home. We had private historian guides through every city we visited, a private bicycle tour through Amsterdam, and our guide in Belgium invited us to meet her family and to see her 400-year-old Flemish house in Ghent! We met lovely people and experienced so many things we never would have known to seek out.

It was by far the MOST EFFORTLESS AND ENJOYABLE TRIP we have ever taken.

We hopefully will never have to travel any other way again!

Thank you to Wendy Perrin and her terrific team of Travel Specialists!!