I just wanted to thank you [Wanda] for your generosity last evening at the restaurant in & Korcula with the wine. The service was over the top and our waiter went out of his way to give us a most wonderful experience. For that matter, the whole trip has exceeded our expectations in every way and we wanted to let you know even though we still have a week to go. I know you worked with the Vestibul hotel before which was spectacular in quality and service but I understand you have not booked people on the Aurum before. I can tell you from our travels especially on water that this boat is exceptional, Wanda. Jere and his crew are the most hospitable and professional crew and this boat has attracted a huge amount of attention in every harbor because of its physical lines and the care with which Jere goes about his business. It is like a 5 star hotel on the water and there has not been a request [that has not been] fulfilled. We would highly recommend this way of traveling down the Dalmatian coast to any of your customers and I would absolutely be a reference. We can’t thank you enough for arranging this for us and we are already talking about another vacation in this area with our children.  On a final note, Croatia itself is even more beautiful that I imagined so in summary you have 8 very happy customers.

Lee Meager – Canada
September 27, 2012

Dear Wanda,

We are sitting on the terrace of the Regent Esplanade having a lovely breakfast on our final morning in Croatia. I can’t thank you enough for this glorious vacation – it was inspiring, amazing, and deeply relaxing all at once! 

All the best,

Jennifer Chayes & Christian Borg – MA
September 22, 2012

My husband and I recently returned from a trip to Croatia’s Dalmatian coast which was a collaboration between my travel agent, Barbara Spero at Tzell travel, and Ms. Radetti’s group. While I can’t say enough positive things about my travel agent, with whom I have been working for years, I would also like to provide some very positive feedback about working with Ms. Radetti’s group. First, I want to make a general observation – that Croatia should be more of a presence in the American “consciousness” about European travel. It is beautiful and exciting and offers a great deal of variety, the people are open, friendly and helpful, and for the time being, it is affordable! Although we only had ten days and therefore focused on the lower Dalmatian coast (i.e., Split, Korcula and Dubrovnik with a side day trip to Montenegro) the country offers a much more extensive opportunities to include things we did not do – biking, hiking, natural wonders, etc. Ms. Radetti and her group put together a highly organized series of events, transfers and tours, with excellent hotels in each location that met our needs and were to our taste (small and quaint), from The Marmont in Split, to the Lesic Dimitri Palace in Korcula, to the Grand Villa Argentina in Dubrovnik. Her tour guides were extremely well-informed and very personable, and her travel notes, which comprised all aspects of the trip except flights, included historical overviews that provided a good deal of perspective. All restaurant recommendations were also spot-on. Our only complaint involved the air travel; Air Croatia is not particularly reliable, and of course there are no direct flights from the US to anywhere in Croatia, and there should be ( it would certainly boost tourism from here). All in all, Croatia is a wonderful destination and we highly recommend Ms. Radetti’s group, Tasteful Croatian Journeys.

Nancy Payne – New York, NY
September 17, 2012 – Condé Nast Traveler

Thank you to Conde Nast Traveler and your readers for helping us select the perfect trip planner for a recent trip to Croatia in July 2012. From reading previous reviews on Conde Nast Traveler, we contacted Wanda Radetti at Tasteful Croatian Journeys to enquire about a custom journey to Croatia. We are 3 well-traveled women in our 50’s/60’s who are always interested in the unique and different. We also prefer to work with native travel planners for whatever region of the world we’re heading to. From the reviews in Conde Nast Traveler, Tasteful Croatian Journeys sounded perfect. And it was. Wanda instantly understood the exact type of trip/traveling we prefer. With just a couple of phone calls and a few emails, she had designed a trip that sounded perfect and covered much more than we expected. We traveled for 19 days throughout Croatia and into Slovenia and Northern Italy. Every hotel perfectly matched the style I told Wanda we preferred, our guides and drivers were all professional, friendly and (best of all) fun. We didn’t feel we were listening to a history lecture on tours, we felt like we were seeing a new place with new local friends. Tasteful Croatian Journeys designed a good mix of short 2 hour guided city walks with longer day trips throughout our journey. On Wanda’s recommendation we had a charter sailboat for 6 days of our journey and it was absolutely fabulous! (and something we hadn’t even considered before talking to her). We started our journey in Split where we met up with our boat, then sailed down the Dalmation coast to Dubrovnik, where we very reluctantly debarked. The boat was luxuriously comfortable for 3 guests and the Captain (Sebastian) and First Mate (Gaspar) were a delight. The motto of our trip from them was “As You Wish My Ladies” – they made sure our every wish was delivered… from isolated swimming coves, to wonderful small restaurants and even a spa stop. We hated to leave the boat, but the rest of our trip was just as good. Every stop was beautiful, clean and charming in its own fashion – just as Wanda had promised. We visited Dubrovnik, Montenegro, Zagreb and Lovran in Croatia; Lake Bled in Slovenia and Trieste in Italy. We can’t pick a favorite part, because we loved every stop. The trip designed for us was a perfect “taste” of several different areas. Just enough to entice us to want to return and see more. We’re all very experienced travelers and we know the work, coordination and effort that goes into making a trip like this appear “seamless.” We appreciated that our days were effortless only because there was a lot of effort behind the scenes by the team at Tasteful Croatian Journeys. From the perfect selection of hotels, restaurant recommendations, tours, guides, drivers and even Wanda’s own concerned local Croatian Concierge checking on us just to make sure we were fine during the trip – Wanda Radetti and her team at Tasteful Croatian Journeys could not get higher marks from us. The trip was a dream from start to finish. We’re looking forward to future travel with Tasteful Croatian Journeys!

Pamela Solvang – TX
August 6, 2012 – Condé Nast Traveler

Let me thank you [Wanda] for helping Larry and I have a fabulous vacation in Croatia. I appreciate your thoughtfulness in all the arrangements. Highlights included the dinner in Kortula that our driver Joseph took us to. We were serenaded a cappella by the owner, his son and the “locals” who showed up. We also liked the fresh oysters in Ston. The best hotel was villa Dubrovnik… Their service was great and I loved their swimming area…

[It] was a memorable trip to a beautiful country and I would definitely recommend your services to other travelers.

Moira Ariano – IL
July 9, 2012

Wanda,
Just wanted to let you know that the trip was terrific. We thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. Sebastian and Jasper were great, and the hotels were all very nice. Thanks for pulling it all together on short notice.

Doug P. – CT
July 9, 2012

Hi Wanda. I wanted to thank you for arranging such an amazing trip for us. We all absolutely loved it. The Monte Mulini was perfect and Puntulina was our favorite restaurant. I can’t say enough about Cedo – he is a pearl among men. His service was outstanding but, more importantly, we sincerely and thoroughly enjoyed his company. Nada was a pleasure to be with and we became fast friends in the short time we spent together. Both Cedo and Nada were keenly in tune with the interest and stamina levels of the children and my mother and we could not have asked for better aids during our trip. Please let me know where I may post glowing comments and recommendations for your services.

Dareuscha & family – New York, NY
July 9, 2012

Thank you so very much for the recommendation for Tasteful Croatian Journeys! We recently took a two-week vacation to Dubrovnik and the Istrian Peninsula of Croatia. Croatia is a beautiful country with literally hundreds of breathtaking sights to see. And I sought the help of a highly recommended travel agent to help guide me through a myriad of options. It was probably the best travel decision I have ever made.

Wanda Radetti was impeccably astute in her planning and her recommendations for us. She listened closely to our preferences and turned our vacation into a sublime experience. Beautiful, charming hotels, sophisticated restaurants and breath-taking locations greeted us everywhere we went. Wanda arranged personal drivers for us who were polite, punctual and fluent in English. Before we left for Croatia, we received a wonderful travel packet including our itinerary and her lyrical notes to us on the history and spirit of each site we visited. After reading her historical background notes and walking the cobblestoned streets, I felt the sense of awe that years of antiquity provide.

As the capital and historic jewel of the country, Dubovnik is spectacular for history buffs, photographers and gourmands alike. Its coastline and harbor are dramatic and we especially loved the abundance of fresh seafood. I have fond memories of sitting in a quaint alfresco restaurant after a busy day, eating mussels and drinking crisp white wine, while boats entered and left the scenic harbor.

The Istrian peninsula is varied and stunning. It was a continuing delight in each of the towns and villages we visited. The people were kind and the beauty of the Adriatic Sea unforgettable.

We were cordially welcomed by name in each place we visited. It is hard to say enough about the magic that Tasteful Croatian Journeys and Wanda created for us! I have recommended Ms. Radetti and her staff to friends.

Lynn Gardner – Albania
February 24, 2012 – Condé Nast Traveler

Wanda and her staff at Tasteful Croatian Journeys allowed my two daughters and me to have a completely enjoyable and worry-free experience in Croatia in July of last year (2011). All parts of the trip – guides, hotels, cars, drivers and restaurants – exceeded our expectations. Working with Wanda and her staff was easy: during the planning phase they promptly updated any changes we made and then they checked in with us throughout the trip to make sure we had everything we needed. Our first hotel in Trieste, Italy was fabulous; my daughters and I truly adored our amazing room in an exquisite and grand hotel. Not wanting to change hotels every day, but eager to explore Croatia, we were quite happy to find that Wanda had booked us for most of the next week into a very comfortable hotel with spacious rooms and fabulous Adriatic views that I still keep as background on my cell phone. My teenagers were happy being on the water and having a pool. We all enjoyed the convenience of walking into town to shop and sample the many good restaurants. Our personal driver and local tour guide picked us up each day to show us some neighboring towns and historical treasures – even my teenagers enjoyed sightseeing with them! We would have happily stayed even longer just to soak up the ambiance of the Istrian peninsula. A highlight of our trip was our visit to the Plitvice Lakes which my daughter had researched prior to our trip and which was what drew us to Croatia initially. The beautiful turquoise lakes and waterfalls in the middle of a forest were breathtaking – no wonder it’s a UNESCO World Heritage site! Our local driver, Cedo, and I discussed how Tasteful Croatian Journeys had sent us to all the best places —including some that most people who visit Croatia never get to see. Wanda definitely listened to me during our initial conversations and then used her own vision and expertise to create the best vacation we have had in years – very relaxing and carefree, yet full of new experiences and special memories. I have already recommended Wanda and Tasteful Croatian Journeys to two of my friends and would highly recommend them to anyone else looking for a luxury, tailor-made “journey” in and around one of the loveliest parts of Europe. We can’t wait to go back and see more.

Karen Edwards – MD
February 13, 2012 – Condé Nast Traveler

In August, 2011, our family of six, including our two daughters and their fiances, had the great pleasure of taking a vacation in Croatia, expertly organized by the team at Tasteful Croatian Journeys. Wanda Radetti and her staff listened closely to our interests and needs, and put a great trip together for us, with lovely hotels, efficient and courteous land travel, knowledgeable city guides, and even the helpful connection to family on a coastal island. We had sea view rooms overlooking islands and the old city of Dubrovnik, and an extremely comfortable hotel within Diocletian’s Palace in Split which even had an original Roman wall in our hotel room. We had drivers take us on day trips from Dubrovnik to Kotor and Sveti Stefan in Montenegro, and from Split to the spectacular Plitvice Lakes National Park. Guides in these locations were arranged and waiting for our arrival. The highlight of this very special Tasteful Croatian Journey, that only Wanda with her extensive professional experience and personal relationships could have made possible was an unforgettable week on a magnificent 57 foot Beneteau luxury sailing yacht cruising the Dalmatian coast and visiting the wonderful islands of Hvar, Vis, Lastovo, and Korcula. Sebastian, our skipper, and Gaspar, his young first mate, were absolutely extraordinary: excellent sailors, great guides, first class chefs, and wonderful, fun-loving people to be around. Our idyllic days consisted of breakfast, sailing to a quiet cove for a swim, a delicious multi-course lunch with Gaspar’s family’s Slovenian wines, an afternoon sail to a local marina, and a great fish dinner in the marina restaurant. While we were not obligated to include Sebastian and Gaspar in our dinners, we enjoyed their company so much that their inclusion was an obvious enhancement to our experience. To top this off, Wanda was able to help connect us to my wife’s father’s Croatian family on the island of Korcula, with whom we had a wonderful visit. All in all, this was one of the great vacations of our lives (certainly the best of our childrens’ lives), and the job done by Tasteful Croatian Journeys was instrumental in the success of the trip. We can recommend them wholeheartedly.

Jeffrey Gaynor – CA
January 10, 2012 – Condé Nast Traveler