Client Stories
A few of the trips I've designed, told the way they happened. Most involve luxury cruise planning, some are land trips, and every one was built for the person who took it.
Antarctica on Silver Cloud
John C.
John and his wife had never done an expedition cruise. They wanted Antarctica done properly, with the comfort level they expect everywhere else, and without spending weeks figuring out how the pieces fit.
We sailed them on Silversea's Silver Cloud, in and out of Santiago. I chose their suite before the sailing opened up, put them at the Ritz-Carlton Santiago ahead of the cruise so they arrived rested for the flight south, and brought them back to the Mandarin Oriental Santiago afterward to decompress before the trip home. Before they boarded, I sent their beverage preferences to their butler so the right bottles were already in the suite when they walked in.
An excursion-based trip like this has a lot of moving parts. My job was to make sure none of them were theirs to worry about.
"Alex handled every detail of our excursion-based trip and it went off perfectly. He is an expert at luxury cruise travel and every detail was above expectation."
A 35th Anniversary in Istanbul and Greece
Lauren K.
Lauren does her own research and told me so up front. For a 35th anniversary, she and her husband wanted Istanbul, the Greek islands, and a cruise that felt like a private yacht rather than a ship.
They sailed on Explora I, with a pre-cruise stay at The Peninsula Istanbul in a terrace room facing the Bosphorus and a post-cruise stay at a small boutique property in Athens. My onsite partner in Istanbul handled private airport transfers and a full day with a driver and guide through Byzantine and Ottoman Istanbul: the Hippodrome, the Blue Mosque, the Basilica Cistern, Topkapi Palace, and Hagia Sophia, at their pace.
For the anniversary itself, I arranged a table for two on their terrace at golden hour. Linen, low candles, seasonal flowers, Turkish sparkling wine on ice, and a handwritten card.
"His recommendations were all on point, especially for a picky person that likes to do my own research."
Four Trips in Three Years
Rich G.
Rich first came to me about three years ago. Since then I've planned four trips for him: a quick-turn business trip to Munich, London and Paris with his wife, a family trip through Italy, and more to come.
In London, big Beatles fans, they did a private Beatles and rock history tour with a guide who knew every address. In Paris, at the Sofitel Paris Le Faubourg, I set up a private Eiffel Tower tour and a full day with a driver and guide that included a private visit inside the Louvre, then the Marais, the Left Bank, the Champs-Elysees, and Montmartre.
The Italy trip started with a wedding on Lake Como. I built the rest around it with my onsite partners: a private boat on the lake with a guide, dinner at La Terrazza Gualtiero Marchesi at the Grand Hotel Tremezzo, a Le Erbe Suite at Borgo San Felice in Tuscany with private days in San Gimignano, Siena, and the Chianti wineries, then Bologna for a cooking class and a private food day through Emilia-Romagna, from Parmigiano-Reggiano to Prosciutto di Parma to traditional balsamic. A short stay in Milan closed it out.
The Munich trip was three nights and a tight schedule. The car was waiting when he landed. That's the standard, whether it's a week in Tuscany or a business trip.
"It wasn't the first time we worked with Alex and won't be the last. Knowing there won't be any surprises takes the stress out of the travel."
London, Then Home on Queen Mary 2
Mariann L.
Mariann and her husband wanted London and a slow way home. We flew them over, gave them a stay at the Four Seasons Park Lane, and sailed them back to New York on Queen Mary 2 in a Queens Grill Suite.
In London, the property's house car, a Bentley Flying Spur, took them around town, and they had dinner at Pavyllon London. Their private guide took them behind the scenes at the Changing of the Guard: meeting the King's Guard before inspection, watching the parade from inside the Parade Ground instead of behind the railings, then the Guards Museum. I secured top seats for Hamilton in the West End.
For the crossing, I chose their suite location, set up their dining, arranged onboard credit, and handled trip and medical insurance. I checked in with them mid-voyage. They've booked with me before and have trips ahead.
"He managed all of the details. He kept in touch with us during the voyage which was very helpful."
Hawaii with the Grandchildren
Melissa O.
Melissa told me two things at the start: this was a dream trip with their grandchildren, 15 and 16, and she is not a planner. She gave me the list of what the family wanted to do and I took it from there.
They were greeted with leis at the airport and stayed at a resort right on Waikiki Beach, where the teenagers had the beach and the shops within steps of the room. I arranged a private tour of Pearl Harbor covering the USS Arizona and the USS Missouri, a helicopter tour of the island, a snorkel outing with sea turtles, and a luau where the family was treated as honored guests.
Multigenerational trips work when every person has something built for them. Nobody on this trip was along for the ride.
"I told him the activities we wanted and he set the whole thing up! I was pleasantly surprised with the attention to detail."
Cruising Together from Opposite Coasts
Debbie I.
Debbie and her husband live on the West Coast. We've never met in person. Over several years and several sailings, we've done all of it by phone and email.
Their trips have included AmaWaterways' Secrets of Egypt and the Nile, river cruises with Avalon Waterways, and an ocean cruise with Regent Seven Seas. Each one is different in how it needs to be planned, from the pre-cruise Cairo days on the Egypt itinerary to the stateroom decisions on a Regent sailing, and I handle those details before they'd think to ask.
They've asked for changes along the way. That's part of the work. Where a client lives has never mattered to how I take care of them.
"He's always pleasant and doesn't miss a step to ensure our travels are smooth and complete."
When Trust Is the Product
Martin S.
Martin has sailed with me on several family group cruises. Over time I learned which experiences he values and which he doesn't, and he stopped taking the ship's group excursions in favor of the private tours I arrange for him in port.
On one trip, after the cruise ended, his flight home was cancelled and he had no way back. The flight wasn't part of what I'd booked. It didn't matter. I found him a seat on a different airline that got him home earlier than his original schedule, with one stop instead of two.
He now books what I suggest without second-guessing it. That took years to earn, and it's the whole point of working with one person who knows you.
"He really got to know which experiences I value and which ones I don't, so now when he suggests a tour or trip, I don't second guess it at all."
Athens, Crete, and Santorini
Victoria M.
Victoria and her fiance wanted Greece the way it looks in their heads: Athens, then Crete, then Santorini, with the details handled so they could enjoy each other's company.
In Santorini they stayed at Mill Houses Santorini Suites in a suite with a private outdoor jet tub looking over the caldera, and I reserved a sunset table at The Athenian House. Their private guide and driver took them across the island for a full day at their own pace: Oia, Megalochori, Emporio, the panorama from Prophet Elias, and the best spot for the blue domes in Firostefani.
Before they left, I sent personalized luggage tags and a card. When they arrived at their property, wine and a handwritten note were waiting. Small things, done on purpose.
"I felt secure every step of our trip because of the itinerary he designed. Alex goes above and beyond."