I have to share my experience to France. I found this company online no one has ever heard of, VIP Escapes. They customize tours based on your budget and your requirements. Granted they cater to an upper-end clientele, they work miracles and got us a 10 day trip to France under $3,200/pers. No 2 star hotels, no bad surprises..They went all luxury on us. They even include a cellular phone while traveling so you may reach them when you need to. I don't remember having such a wonderful vacation ever. They handled everything from A to Z. In France, they sent me to Paris (of course), then onto the Loire Valley where we stayed in a superb castle owned by the original "Contesse" and her family. We visited 2 castles of the 12th century and 2 of the 15th century, all while stopping for food and wine tasting. >From there, we went to Provence where we stayed in a 5 star Relais & Chateaux establishment located on a hilltop village. The view was breathtaking, not to mention the rooms and the food. We also experienced the high speed bullet train which took us, in 3 hours, from Provence straight into the Paris airport terminal. Grandiose!
In this day of age where everyone look for cheap and quick, one is to wonder if we are not missing on some of the best experiences of our lives. We all want Champagne for the price of a coke. VIP Escapes accomplished miracles for us and made us understand that booking everything separate and spending days searching online not knowing what to do or where to go was not worth it for a few hundred dollars saved. The experience of a travel consultant is priceless. And for that experience of a lifetime, I will never forget them and their dedication to serving travelers with the best service I have ever received. Check them out at www.vipescapes.com. . If you want to travel to France or Italy, speak with Jennifer or Mikael. They are both native of France.