Dear Wanda,

I finally have the opportunity to respond to your inquiry about our recent trip! I’ll try to be as brief and specific as possible….

Hotels – A+

Each hotel was better than the next!   We experienced a level of service at all four of our hotels that we’ve rarely if ever experienced before. It’s very possible that, all factors considered, that The Villa Dubrovnik was the finest hotel we’ve ever stayed in, rivalled only perhaps by one or two hotels on the Amalfi Coast that we were only able to afford because we were there in April.  Vestibul Palace in Split was not far behind, and our accommodations in Zagreb and Hvar Town were not far behind. 

Restaurants – A

While we had unforgettably wonderful meals at Divino in Hvar Town (my personal favorite), Lungo Mare, Nautika, and Gallo in Zagreb, the best meals may have been the lunches at Stari Mlini outside Kotor and a completely nameless establishment seemingly in the middle of the Adriatic where our yacht skipper took us for lunch!   The only meal that I would characterize as just okay rather than great was Bokeria in Split.  It should be noted that we received extra attention and care at Lungo Mare and Bokeria specifically because we were clients of yours….a great touch!    

Guides/Drivers – A+

I must start by saying that absolutely everyone everywhere was phenomenally prompt, professional, courteous, knowledgeable.  Nancy and I particularly enjoyed our time with our guides in Zagreb (a young lady),  Marina (I think) in Dubrovnik, as well as the extraordinary Sinisa in Hvar and the warm, friendly, knowledgeable Marko for our day in Kotor. The woman who “took care of us” on the yacht to Korcula….I believe that her name is Diana….may have been our favorite of them all!   Perhaps one driver, Josip, who took us from Korcula to Dubrovnik, failed to pick up on our “social cues”, and talked non-stop for the entire drive….a minor annoyance, certainly not a significant issue.         

Venues

Zagreb – B+
seemed like a very livable, “people-friendly” city…more interesting than I’d expected.  We wished that we could have spent one full day there.  Our guide represented the city quite well.  

Split – B+
became our next destination due to weather issues.   While we loved the Diocletian’s Palace and adjacent Riva area, the city itself impressed us as somewhat mundane.  Nonetheless, it is a “must” on anyone’s itinerary just because of the Palace and it’s amazing 21st Century adaptation.   

Plitvice Lakes National Park – C
Our one big mistake was going somewhere that we suggested, not you!  We took a day trip from Split to visit Plitvice Lakes National Park. What started out as a beautiful day descended into a dense fog once we passed the mountains near the Park, and abated only slightly throughout the day.  There were still thousands of visitors there, and walking the narrow, broken and uneven boards through the Park forced us spend more time looking down at our feet than at the sights.  If we wanted to stop to take a picture, the back-up our pause created was significant. I’d be hard-pressed to recommend the Park to anyone.

Hvar Town – A+
We absolutely loved everything about the island.  The secluded beaches of the Pakleni Islands were a fun contrast to what we experience in the NYC area.  The restaurants were excellent and the laid-back but energetic vibe of the town was great.  I could have spent my entire vacation relaxing there.         

Korcula – A
We were there only for the time it took to have a walking tour in the late afternoon.  We wished we could have spent the night on this beautiful, mellow island.

Dubrovnik – A+   
Nancy and I had been waiting our entire adult lives to visit Dubrovnik.  All the pictures and descriptions in the world do not begin to do it justice.  Absolutely wonderful in every conceivable respect.  I can’t imagine many things in the world surpassing the majesty of a walk along the walls in early evening or strolling along the Stradun on a late summer night. The perspective offered by the cable car was unforgettably beautiful. 

Kotor – A    
A great day trip….far more interesting and beautiful (there’s that word again!) than I’d imagined it would be.  A visit to Kotor should be an absolute “must” on every visitor’s itinerary.  I’m glad that you “insisted” that we keep it on ours.      

Finally, thank you!  

Nine months worth of my endless questions all handled by you with patience and grace.  You can be sure that Nancy and I will tell all of our traveling friends about Croatia and the extraordinary service that you and your staff afforded us.

Thanks again!

Michael Krieg, Account Executive [ABC Television Network] – Plainview, NY
September 27, 2016

VisitCroatia (Tasteful Croatian Journeys), owned by Wanda Radetti,  exceeded our expectations for our two week family trip through Croatia. 

We have traveled all over the world as a family. We always select a travel agent that specializes in our specific destination to help us develop the itinerary and to arrange the logistics, the guides and the hotels.  Wanda did everything exceptionally well.  She planned the perfect itinerary  and hotels.  The logistics went off without a problem.  And the guides were wonderful.  In addition, Wanda provided  a concierge on call which made our trip much easier.  Iva, the concierge, helped us with restaurant reservations, any minor changes to logistics, and even arranged transport of a small painting that we had left in a hotel.  She was super. 

I’m happy to talk to anyone about Wanda and her services.

Ira Starr [Long Point Capital] – New York, NY
October 3, 2016

Dear Wanda,

We write to thank you and your team for making our anniversary trip to Croatia even more memorable than we imagined.  As you know, we were concerned about our 2 weeks in Croatia since we have mobility challenges and we were traveling with a folding travel scooter.  Your planning was perfect for us – the hotels were first class, and the drivers and guides were prepared for our special needs.
We visited Zagreb, Split, Orebic/Korcula, and Dubrovnik, with a day trip to Kotor, during our vacation.  The drivers all spoke excellent English, and except for one late pickup, were on time in comfortable and well maintained vehicles.  We especially enjoyed Josip – absolutely delightful!  The tour guides were all extremely informative and followed our lead on what we were most interested in seeing and learning about beautiful Croatia.
We most appreciated your helpful suggestions for dining, shopping and local customs (like tipping).  We referred to them daily!  It is difficult to pick our favorites – end-to-end, the vacation was well planned, organized and executed.  It was always a great comfort to know that we had a local consigner to contact should we need any assistance.
We traveled in each city very well with our mobility limitations.  There were certainly some areas that we could not reach due to numerous steps and lack of ADA access, but it did not diminish our overall experience at all.  We highly recommend travel to Croatia with Wanda’s guidance for those with mobility challenges.
Thank you to you and your team for making our anniversary a memory we will treasure forever!

Martha Dawson & Ron Corbell – Seattle, WA
September 2016

Dear Wanda,

We are back home and getting the clock adjusted for this side of the world. I wanted to take a moment and THANK YOU FOR EVERYTHING! Our trip to Croatia and Montenegro was spectacular. I know it would not have been the same without the help of your amazing team. The itinerary you and Iva put together was flawless!

I’m cautious to use the word “team” because everyone from Tasteful Croatian Journeys (VisitCroatia.com) seemed more like speaking with friends and family. Having Iva on the ground as our local concierge was a great convenience. It seemed that everywhere we visited; the hotels, restaurants, guides, shops and drivers had received a call from you or Iva right before our arrival making sure they were ready to welcome us with warm, open arms. The service was first class all the way…everything we expected and more!

It has been years since I used a travel agent; the Internet seemed to make the task of booking travel easier than before. The Internet does have its limitations. The personal touch and care that you and your team brought to our vacation was so appreciated. Your insight, guidance and advice was flawless and invaluable!

I will be recommending your company to my friends, family and business associates. 

My only regret is that you do not provide travel services for the rest of the world!

Warm regards,

Henry Seidner – New York, NY
September 25, 2016

Dear Wanda,

Thank you very much for all your help planning our trip to Croatia.

It really was incredible and we all enjoyed it very much.

Your contacts throughout the trip for transportation, walking tours, boat, hotels and restaurants were all excellent. 

Everyone was great and the logistics were so efficient and easy it made the trip a pleasure.

Your expertise was invaluable!

Kimberly & Matthew Scott McCormack & family – Summit, NJ
September 14, 2016

Dear Wanda,

We returned safely yesterday from our wonderful trip to Croatia. We had a fabulous time.

All of the sights, food, wine history, culture, scenery, architecture, and spectacular scenery were exactly what we were seeking on this vacation. Great hotels too. 

I hope to return to Croatia some day soon to see everything we missed.  

Best regards,

Peter & Lisa Rosenberg – Kentfield, CA
September 12, 2016

Dear Wanda,

As I already indicated our trip was near perfect in every detail.  None the less there are two things that were a matter of our personal preference that I would consider changing.  We all felt the second day in Split would have been better spent as a second day in Korcula.  For us, we loved the visit to the later and would like to have had another day there.

Second, we would have eliminated the visit to Montenegro.  By the end of the trip we were all traveled out and an extra day at the hotel in Dubrovnik would have been nice.  The rides to and from Montenegro took a long time in and out of slow traffic.  The restaurant you sent us to was lovely and served an excellent lunch but was probably not worth spending so much time in the car to go all the way to Kotor..

I say all this not as a complaint but just as a note you might consider for future travelers who don’t want to spend all that time in the car when the end result is a city that is lovely and interesting but doesn’t take long to see.

Again thanks for your assistance and we will of course recommend your services should the opportunity arise.

Edward Halpern & family – Santa Monica, CA
August 17, 2016

Dear Wanda & Team Croatia!

Thank you for following up with us and checking to be sure we had returned home safely.

We (myself, my husband and our 12 year old daughter) had a wonderful experience in Croatia, and I say “experience” rather than trip because I felt like we were much more immersed than we would normally be in an area thanks to our wonderful drivers and tour guides. 

Every person we interacted with was so personable and friendly and did not hesitate to answer our many questions. They were also very good to point out sights or supply facts that were interesting to us as tourists in general and also Americans.  Who knew we’d have to travel all the way to Croatia to find out from our driver in Split that our own USA White House is made from stone from that area of the Dalmatian Coast? 

Another thing we all three enjoyed was talking NBA basketball with our drivers and tour guides, several of whom were OKC Thunder fans.  

I also want to say how more than punctual each driver and tour guide was.  They always arrived early which was a great peace of mind to me.

We enjoyed each location we stayed (Zagreb, Split, Korcula, and Dubrovnik), each of which had it’s own unique vibe and personality and therefore did not feel repetitious.

My 12 year old daughter’s favorite hotel was the Lesic Dimitri Palace in Korcula because of it’s “awesome bathtub (China room)”, the cat that frequented our terrace and the hotel’s location across from the Boya crayons store which she fell in love with (www.boyacrayons.com).  My daughter also enjoyed taking a semi-underwater submarine ride in Dubrovnik and shopping in the open markets in Zagreb and Dubrovnik. 

If I could do anything differently I would want to spend at least one night in Kotor, Montenegro in order to see more of the town and be able to walk the wall above the city. 

Our day trip was really fun but not nearly long enough.  I’d also like to spend more time in Split which I enjoyed more than I thought I would.  But this only gives us an excuse to return.

I also want to say “THANK YOU” to Iva, Wanda’s Tasteful Croatian Journeys Concierge,for just being there and available to us.  She helped me find the closest laundromat to our hotel in Dubrovnik and also figured out how to check in for our flight on Croatia Airlines (she actually called Croatia Airlines and figured out that I and our hotel were both using a web browser that did not fully support the Croatia Airlines website).  Just knowing she was there and available to us made me feel much better and more relaxed. 

And also a big “THANK YOU” to Wanda and her team for creating our wonderful Croatian experience from start to finish.  We appreciated your hotel selections (which were exactly the kinds of hotels we enjoy), your restaurant suggestions in each location and your very detailed itinerary and location information.

Your attention to detail resulted in our being able to concentrate more on fun activities rather than having to make decisions about where to eat, arranging transportation, etc.

We would definitely use Wanda’s Tasteful Croatian Journeys again ourselves and I highly recommend them to any persons considering a trip to this area.

Thanks again!

Caroline Holmboe & Family – Edmond, OK
July 25, 2016

Dear Wanda,

I am writing to share with you my sincerest “Thank You” for making our first visit to Croatia one that we will never forget.  With this trip being one to celebrate both mine and my wife’s 40^th birthdays, I wanted this to be as close to perfect as possible.  You exceeded that expectation by a long shot.  From the personal interview process to the final, detailed calendar of events, you ensured our trip was perfectly customized for our needs. 

The concierge service was amazing – they frequently checked in on us to ensure we were enjoying ourselves and to ensure all facets were meeting our expectations. 

Iva in particular was quite attentive to our needs as we made ad hoc changes to our itinerary. 

Should I encounter anyone wishing to travel to Croatia, you will receive my highest recommendation.  Thank you for helping us make such amazing memories!

Mr. Bradley & Mrs. Rachel Galvan – Denver, CO
August 8, 2016

Dear Wanda, Iva and Cynthia,

Thank you for everything you did to help us with our trip to Croatia!

We really enjoyed our time with the guided tours and we are so glad we arranged for that with you. We just finished an absolutely lovely few hours with Alexsandra, our guide in Varazdin. She was very knowledgeable about the city and the greater history and she was so delightful to be with. We even forgot it was raining while we were walking around with her.  

I am so impressed with Croatia. The people are so friendly and everywhere is so clean, safe and beautiful. It is so fun to discuss the complex history with those we meet as I always keep learning something that brings me closer to ” finally getting” how things in the past came to be.

I will definitely recommend that my family and friends make a visit to your beautiful country and that they be certain to use your services.

We will spend the afternoon in Varazdin, explore Zagreb tomorrow and unfortunately leave Saturday so that our girls can go back to school.

Kindly,

Susan Whoriskey & family – Belmont, MA
August 20, 2015