Wanda and Iva,

We are back in Houston readjusting.  Arrived home Thursday evening. Wanda, I wanted to thank you, Iva and Julie for your help in organizing a terrific trip. The Dalmatian coast is a stunning as advertised and a pleasure to visit. The people with whom we interacted impressed us with their love of country and fierce independence. Everyone was proud to be a part of an independent Croatia and  the sacrifices they made for that outcome were on full display.  Impressive. The importance of tourism to the economy was evident and our drivers, hotel staff and guides were attentive, helpful and flexible to any wish we had. The weather also cooperated…we had beautiful weather throughout our Tuscany and Croatia trip with the exception of our day in Kotor where we got pummeled by rain.  We still had our tour, but missed the beauty of Kotor Bay and obviously canceled our trip up Mt. Lovcen which was in the clouds. No one can guarantee the weather!

We tried several of your suggested restaurants.  Filippi’s in Korcula, by far, served us the premier meal of our trip. The others were good, but after living in Brussels for 11 years our comparative food bar is set fairly high! I did not appreciate the extent of the wine production in Croatia, but we worked hard to sample much of it! 

I must also commend the staff at the Vestibul Hotel in Split.  By far, the most attentive, helpful and professional group we encountered.  Chris ate something that did not agree with her at lunch the day we climbed Biokovo so we stayed in our room that evening. Looking for something simple, the Vestibul chef made us a pizza(it was not on the menu) and apologized that it would take a half hour because the dough had to be made first! They then did not charge us for the pizza! Top notch.  With the exception of our final ride to the Split airport, all of our drivers were timely, helpful and conversant. 

The hotels were fine. The Vestibul was fairly expensive, but the great location and staff were worth it. The Excelsior in Dubrovnik was just as advertised…great location and view of the old city.  We received an upgrade to a suite, so had double the view and amenities. The Lesic Demitri in Korcula was unique.  I have never stayed in such a room before!  Great location, obviously, but  Tony and his staff were more laid back and we really didn’t see much of them. Although we enjoyed the room and hotel, my value system says that it was not worth the hefty rate Tony charges!  We probably would have been just as happy and the Hotel Korcula which offered the same city access, perhaps without the price tag.

We bit off a bit more than we expected on our climb of Mt Vorsac in Biokovo. It t was steep and quite rocky footing all the way and a cold I picked up in Tuscany had me working hard by the end of the ascent.  But we made it and felt accomplished after it was all over and we had a cold beer at the bottom! Marnel is a different character…very independent, environmentally conscious and looking for a life away from the beaten path.  But he knew his way around the mountain and was very patient with us as we made our slow decent.  I gave him an extra large tip knowing that he was facing some cost issues that I assume he has discussed with you. Marnel very much would like to continue a relationship with you and your tours.  He is just inexperienced in the business world and quoting appropriate fixed pricing. Someone just needs to help him over this hump and he will do fine. I would suggest though, that if you do work with him going forward, that he develop several possible hikes of varying lengths and difficulty that he can discuss with his hikers beforehand to find the appropriate degree of difficulty. He has these and we discussed them…and in hindsight we might have been better suited to a less strenuous trek.. Marnel deals mostly with “professional” trekkers, so just has not had a need to deal with those a bit older and perhaps a bit less ready for the big climb!  We did walk the walls from Ston to Mali Ston, but missed out on the Kotor walls due to the weather.   

As you know, we did have a few hiccups in our plans.  In Split, Iva advised us after we arrived that the guide could not make a 10:30AM tour.  We had to accelerate our morning some to a 10AM tour and change to the original guides son to show us around. All worked out OK, but this late change surprised us. When we were on top of Biokovo eating lunch, Marnel asked whether we would have a problem taking a bus back to Split.  I said “no way” as politely as possible.  This is when we learned of the cost pressures he was feeling. He called the car/driver back from Split and everything proceeded as planned from there. With Chris’ intestinal issue, anything other than a car back would have been a big issue.  Again, a surprise to us at the time. In Korcula, our guide showed up at 9AM instead of 10:30 as agreed. We just weren’t ready and asked her to come back at 10:30 which she did. The tour was fine, but was shortened to 1 1/2 hours and we felt that maybe she had a noon commitment to meet and rushed us some. Can’t be sure of this though.  Finally, we had the no show car pick up in Trogir. I’m just glad we decided not to wait and arranged the hotel transport to take us(luckily he was there). So nothing terminal in any of these misses, but I’m certain this is not the quality product Tasteful Journeys wants to provide. One simple fix to your in country procedures would have averted all of these issues. Rather than assume those you contract have it right and will remember, call/contact each provider of services the day before to reconfirm that all is understood and lined out properly. If this had been done proactively by your in country staff, all of the above items would have been identified and averted. Food for thought.

Wanda, thanks for everything.  Despite the hiccups we had a great and memorable trip.

Iva, thanks for your help too and a special thank you for the magnet and brochures you left us in Trogir.  It was much appreciated. 

Glad to discuss any of this with you further if you wish or think it would be helpful.

Dave Lusignan – Houston, TX
September 2013