Wanda planned a customized journey for us (my husband and my parents). We went end of May 2012 for two weeks. It was a fabulous trip! Wanda and her team planned a trip of a lifetime. Every recommendation was superb – from the hotels, restaurants,sights, guides, drivers, etc., etc. There is a local concierge, so if you have a problem, they are on the same time zone and so helpful. My father had a medical issue and she was in touch with us every day and helped find a doctor.

Croatia is a beautiful country, especially the coast. Two of our favorite places were Istria and the island of Korcula. Our trip wouldn’t have been the same had we not used Wanda. I highly recommend Tasteful Croatian Journeys to all Conde Nast Traveler readers. They will have amazing memories!

Karen Herman – FL
October 25, 2012 – Condé Nast Traveler

I am writing to tell you of an absolutely wonderful travel experience that my wife and I recently enjoyed thanks to a travel agent we found through Conde Nast. By way of background, I should tell you that my wife and I travel two to three times a year, mostly to Europe but also to South and Central America, Africa and the Middle East as well as domestic US locations. We enjoy high end properties and rely on private guides to ensure we get the most out of our visits.

In July of this year we decided to plan a trip to visit Slovenia and Croatia around our anniversary (September 2nd. We tend to be last minute types). Having taken a wonderful trip in January that was planned by a Conde Nast award winning travel agent, we decided to tap you as a resource for this trip and were fortunate to find Wanda Redetti of Tasteful Croatian Journeys recommended to us. I immediately emailed Wanda and asked if she would be able to help us plan our trip which, of course, she was happy to do.

Over the course of about two weeks time, Wanda worked with us to plan, what turned out to be, an absolutely wonderful trip. Wanda began by asking questions about past trips we had taken, our interests and our travel style. She then presented a suggested itinerary and worked with my wife, by telephone and email, to tweak and adjust it as necessary until we were completely satisfied with the arrangements. Throughout the process, Wanda was professional and courteous of course but, most important, also helpful in making suggestions that enhanced our trip. She was a pleasure to work with.

As for the trip itself, it went perfectly. We visited six cities in eight nights (we like to cover a lot of ground when we travel) and everything worked exactly as planned. Drivers who transported us from place to place were pleasant and professional, private guides were knowledgeable and interesting, hotel staff were welcoming and accommodating and, all in all, things could not have gone better. Perhaps best of all, Wanda provided us with an in-country contact person who coordinated everything behind the scenes during our travel. While we only spoke with Iva once during our trip – and then just to say hello, not to address any concern – it was comforting to know that she was watching over our trip and ensuring that all went well.

Given our experience, I highly recommend Wanda Radetti to any of your readers who may be considering a trip to the same area. We had a wonderful trip thanks to Wanda’s planning and arrangements and I am confident that any of them will as well.

Bruce Jakubovitz – New York, NY
October 10, 2012 – Condé Nast Traveler

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