Make Your Next Trip Extraordinary
Trip Reviews
BELGIUM, THE NETHERLANDS, LUXEMBOURG
planned by Tom Stinglhamber
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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.
