From PM, Seattle
My husband and I have done SIX of Bev's tours (Cinque
Terre twice, Rome, Tuscany, Venice
Carnival twice), so that in and of itself speaks pretty well of our
impression of her tours. Her groups are small and Bev has so many
local contacts in the areas she visits that one gets to see and
experience the "real" Italy and do things that the normal traveler on a
group tour does not - such as cooking and dining in private homes of her
contacts, visting small private cheese factories or wineries.
Of course, there is always ample time to hit the "must-sees" of each
area as well. There is really a great mix of cooking classes, touring
and free time for shopping, etc. Her cooking classes are always
fun and you can participate to the extent you wish or just observe -
never any pressure. There is enough time devoted to cooking
classes, usually only a half day each, but not so much that you feel
that's all you've been able to do on your vacation.
Beverly is very detail-oriented, organized and thinks of everything both
before and during her tours - but what's even more important is that
she's just a FUN lady to travel with! There's always lots of good
food, good wine, and more laughs than anyone is entitled to (and
fortunately, a fair amount of walking which is good to help burn off all
that good food and wine!).
I really can't say enough good things about Bev's tours and I know we're
looking forward to traveling again with her. Her tours are all
that her website depicts and more and I would recommend them to anyone.
From LT,
I wanted an Italian travel experience that was led by someone who knew
Italy well, understood the customs and cuisine of the country, and could
provide the right mix of cooking, culture and sight-seeing. Bev's
Rome program fit the bill! It
was well-balanced, and Bev was so knowledgeable about the country.
My first trip to Italy (Rome) was
wonderful, and I have Bev to thank for that. I'm looking forward
to joining another one of her trips in the near future.
From KW
The best part of being on Bev's tour was the feeling of intimacy I had
with ROME and the surrounding areas.
We stayed in a lovely residential part of the city and got a sense of
the local markets and restaurants in addition to taking personalized
guided tours of the major tourist spots.
Our trip also included several sidetrips to the surrounding countryside
for cooking, lunch and wine tasting at a winery and touring a water
buffalo farm. When I think of ROME,
I don't think of just the Coliseum or Vatica City . . . I think of all
the people and places I got to know. I am amazed at how much we
did in such a short time without feeling rushed.
