Our Travelers
Good afternoon, Wanda.
A most memorable and special journey!
How does one put into words the feelings of heartfelt joy and deep soulful connection with one’s ancestral and familial roots? I am no Hemingway, but I can assure you that we were emotionally moved to our very core, with hearts welling up, tears aflow, lips quivering and arms embracing, as we visited the village of Skare. We will always remember and never forget that your team, especially Mirela, researched, reached out and networked in our behalf with Djuro Pavicic, Jovo and Savka Poznic to make the arrangements for our visit to the village even more enlightening and memorable. We are so grateful to Mirela for her selfless efforts from the outset and throughout our journey. Hvala puno, Mirela!
We would be remiss if we also did not give thanks and extend our appreciation to all the members of your team. They were not only very knowledgeable and informative about the history and current events of Croatia, but also, and perhaps more importantly, so warm, gracious and welcoming. Special mention and acknowledgement to our favorites, Lea, Jure and Josip for their unique engagement with us. We truly enjoyed our time spent together with them. Also, we thank Tia for her responsiveness and communications regarding the administrative matters from the early planning stages to the final itinerary of our journey.
Finally, thank you, Wanda. You listened to our interests, thoughts and dreams of a journey to our families’ homeland. You advised us and presented a plan that took into account our interests and thoughts and made our dreams into reality. You assembled your team and executed the plan to perfection. The accommodations, tours, recommendations of restaurants and activities, team members, the entire itinerary, everything was so very enjoyable, special and memorable to us. You are a true professional. We are delighted to have worked together with you.
Once again, many thanks. Puno vam hvala za sve!
Daniel Skaljac – Brecksville, OH
May 2019
Dear Wanda,
We came back home this weekend from Paris. Still a little jet legged.
We had a great time in Croatia. All the logistics went smoothly.
1) the hotels (Split and Korcula): Both are very good. We particularly loved the Hotel Korsal! The staffs there are super friendly, the room and the food are very good. The only downside: the ice cream shop near the hotel was not yet open when we were there!
2) Tour guides: The one in Korcula introduced us to many of her friends and neighbors, showed us her childhood house and taught us the history of the city of Korcula. The one in Dubrovnik is simply superb.
3) The transportation: airport pickup and drop off worked very smoothly. The one picked us up from Split airport spoke very good English and gave us lot of information during the drive.
4) The private boat excursion/transfer: it started with an unexpected glitch— the skipper and his boat was stopped by the coast guard for random check. But he phoned the hotel so we knew it was delayed. The hotel staff let us sit in the breakfast room and have extra coffee/tea. Skipper is a quiet person (perhaps he is not very fluent in English), but he is nice and professional, pointing out the names of islands we passed and their characters. The weather was not good enough for swimming, and we did not go to the “blue lagoon/cave(?)”. We discussed lunch options and decided to go to Hvar. He led us to a very good restaurant, and after lunch he waited for us while we explored the town and the castle on hilltop. When we arrived in Korcula, he called the hotel and asked the staff to come meet us at the boat landing.
5) the private car excursion/transfer: Mirela reached out to us the evening before to ask if we would like to take the 9:30 ferry or the 11:30 one. We chose the early one. Our driver took us wine tasting and we stopped at a couple of scenic spots before getting to Ston. He is a very good singer and serenaded us, we requested the song of “three balconies”, which we have heard from our guide in Korcula, and he of course knew it with all it’s lyrics. We had oysters at one of the restaurants in Mali Ston. But the service of the restaurant was not good and the French Fries they served was the worst that we have ever had.
6) Dubrovnik cable car was closed down by the city government because of the cable car company did not pay money to the city (or some dispute like that), but we took a taxi to the top of the hill. Beside the great scenery, we learnt so much from the very nice older taxi driver, who had spent 5 of his best years in the War with Serbia.
We loved the people of Croatia, and hope to have another chance to visit the rest of the country some day.
Thank you for arranging our trip!
Hsiaolin Shen & Family
May 2019
Dear Wanda,
It was indeed more than an enjoyable trip to Croatia and all was possible because of your well organized and personalized plan for us with exceptionally good service provided.
I should highly recommend your company, especially “Ms. WANDA!”
Thank you again,
Drs. Jin – Tulsa, OK
October 2018
Dear Wanda,
Thank you so much for putting together such a wonderful trip for us. After finding you on Conde Nast’s list of best travel agents and speaking to you on the phone, I knew I was in excellent hands. Your enthusiasm and expertise were quite evident and you put together a sensational trip within the budget that I gave you. We loved the Excelsior in Dubrovnik. Our room with the balcony looking out on the old city was perfect. As I told you on the phone, we were disappointed with Hotel Korcula de la Ville in Korcula. Our room was tiny as was the adjoining bathroom. The saving grace of that hotel was the outdoor seating area where we could have a drink and watch the boats come in.
On the other hand, we loved the Hotel Marmont in Split. The location was perfect and we especially enjoyed the outdoor terrace where we could relax at the end of the day. The itinerary you planned for us was perfect and although all the guides and drivers were excellent, we also appreciated that we had time on our own to explore. We thought Kotor, although beautiful was a little far. However, our idyllic late lunch at Stari Mlini restaurant more than made up for the time spent in the car. The drive up the Peljesac Peninsula was lovely (oysters in Ston!) and we loved the island of Korcula even though the accommodations were not the best. We enjoyed the monastery overlooking Orebic as we made our way from Korcula to Split and Split was truly unique. We felt really immersed in history as we wandered around the remains of Diocletian’s Palace. Another highlight of our time in Split was visiting the Mestrovic Museum. We knew very little about this renowned Croatian sculptor and the museum was a beautiful showcase of his work. Finally, our last day visiting Krka National Park and the beautiful town of Sibenik with its 15th century cathedral with sculpted faces was a wonderful way to end our trip. I also appreciated all of your restaurant recommendations. All of the restaurants we ate at were off your list and they were all excellent. I don’t think we have ever eaten so well on vacation.
Again, thank you for arranging this wonderful trip. We have every intention of returning in a few years, this time to travel to Zagreb and Istria and will definitely contact you when we are ready.
Judy & Michael Luskin – Scarsdale, NY
October 2018
Dear Wanda,
Thank you so much for your call after our recent vacation in Croatia. It was a pleasure speaking with you, and having the opportunity to share some of my favorite memories of a truly wonderful trip. The country itself has so much to offer – such a diversity of locations, settings, cultures and cuisines – but what made our trip so special was your amazing advice about how to get the most out of our time. The accommodations, the guides, the sightseeing tips – every one of them was terrific.
Best wishes,
Jeremy & Barbara Mishkin – Wynnewood, PA
September 2018
As I mentioned on the phone I particularly loved Orebic, and the Hotel Adriatic. How could I not, when it actually did look like this right outside our door?
And the view from the Monastery on the hill above Orebic, looking back over Korcula, will stay
with me for a long time.
We had a delightful wine-tasting experience at the Korta Katarina, and the setting there is nothing short of gorgeous.
Another incomparable visit was on Marjan Hill outside of Split where we found the Mestrovic Gallery and could not tear ourselves away from the view.
Dear Wanda,
I want to send along a very sincere thank you for such a wonderful trip. The itinerary was seamless, and we enjoyed each of the locations immensely! All of the restaurant recommendations were also fantastic. Croatia was such an amazing place and we will surely look to go back in the future!
We have been and will continue to recommend your services.
Thank you very much,
Jonathan Sabino – Philadelphia, PA
September 2018
Dear Wanda,
My husband and I were referred to Croatia Concierge by another travel planner who specializes in Italy and we were thrilled with the service provided us.
Wanda Radetti and her staff put together an itinerary which turned out to be everything we’d hoped for and more. Wanda chose the finest hotels and the most exciting destinations for us as well as knowledgeable guides and safe drivers.
Everything went according to plan and we absolutely LOVED Croatia. If you haven’t visited this magical place be sure to add it to your bucket list and don’t wait for the rest of the world to beat you to it. For now, it remains a relatively undiscovered gem not completely overrun with tourists.
Gina & Jeff Conklin – Helena, MT
September 2018
Dear Wanda,
Just a quick note to let you know that we had the most spectacular vacation. Everything about it was perfect: the hotels, the guides, the drivers, the cities and towns, and your staff.
No doubt, we will head back to Croatia in the near future. It is a wonderful country with lovely people, wonderful sights and gracious service.
Thank you for planning such a wonderful vacation for us.
Best Regards,
Ronald & Christine Manoni – Brookfield, CT
September 2018
Dear Wanda,
My husband and I had a wonderful trip to Croatia. Thank-you for making that happen. Besides enjoying the beautiful scenery, great food and amazing history we especially enjoyed interacting with the tour guides and drivers and getting their perspective on life in Croatia.
As a final item I am reaching out to you as I would like to tip Mirela for her assistance in booking the restaurant reservations. She booked about 10 reservations and the tables were great. She also gave me the info to contact the recommended kayaking business. Can you provide some guidance?
Thanks again,
P.E. – WI
September 2018
Dear Wanda,
I want to thank you for helping me plan the wonderful trip to Croatia. It is such a beautiful country and the people are so warm and kind. Every place was amazing, especially the islands. My all-day tour on Hvar was the best….All the smaller cities and the Stari Grad plain. Montenegro was a great day, also. All the walking tours were well worth it.
It is like being in America with an accent. Everyone speaks English and most all signs are in English. When off the beaten path traveling by car with my daughter in the northern countryside where menus are in Croatian, the amazing google translate app translated the menu through the camera on our mobile phone. Just put the camera on the writing and slowly pull away from the page and the words magically turn into English. Incredible. Anyone could travel to China or anywhere and translate everything.
Thank you again for the privilege of working with you.
Have a wonderful fall and holiday season
Sincerely,
Linda Seegers – Tampa, FL
September 2018