comments from our clients

Hi Urszula,

We got home from our trip late Thursday night and I wanted to let you know that it was a complete success. Not one flight was late. In fact two of them were early. Every connection went smoothly as did the flight from Krakow to Budapest and the trains to Prague and Dresden . And nothing got lost, no one got sick, and we wound up with about 800 pictures, 48 pages in my journal, happy memories, and we met some great people in every place. All the hotel and travel vouchers were honored without any questions and we never had any issues at checkout time or arrival at an airport or train station. You’ve obviously done your homework and have good relationships with your suppliers. We studied several books too, which helped a lot. The hotels were good too. The Archibald in Prague was our favorite, being a brand new place with a courteous staff, free internet computers and the best air conditioning. We got a top floor room with a great view of the city. All four places had excellent buffet breakfasts, helpful staff, terrific locations, and comfortable rooms. Krakow . He not only met us at the airport and had all our plane and train tickets ready for us, but he helped us with our side trips to Ojcow National Park and the Salt Mine. His driving us to both places and his expertise enabled us to fit them into one day whereas we’d planned on a day and a half or two. He knows every trick getting in and out of places quickly. He was simply a great person to show us around and answer questions. Besides the tip we gave him, he deserves extra recognition for a job well done. You have a great resource in him and he really helped get our trip off to a good start. You did a terrific job setting things up, working through a lot of e-mail communications and dealing well with our concerns along the way. I will certainly be letting my friends know what a great job you did and on your approval give your name to people interested in a similar trip.

Richard

Dear Urszula:

Having just returned from our vacation in Krakow I want to thank you for all the work you did and for recommending the Hotel Polski to us. The hotel couldn't be in a more advantageous position within the town, easy access to the old town and easy access to the new. Our room was very pleasant and all of our needs were met including a day trip to Auschwitz. On the morning of our departure, we had to catch an early car service to the airport which would have resulted in our missing breakfast. I have never in my 25 years of traveling ever asked a hotel to accommodate our breakfast needs because we had to leave early. To our surprise, the Polski had considered our needs and prepared a bag of sandwiches, juices and fresh fruits so we would be able to have breakfast at the airport. How attentive is THAT to the needs of a traveler? Krakow is one of the most understated European cities I have ever visited. I can't understand why more people aren't trumpeting its history, wealth of art and history. It reminded me so much of Prague but without the crowds! And the currency was 4 to 1 in our favor which meant it truly was a bargain!

We just returned from our trip to Poland, arranged by Urszula, and it was incredible. When we originally told our friends about our trip they said "Why Poland?". Now after hearing about our tour and seeing our pictures, some are very interested in going themselves! Our guide, Marek, really enhanced our tour. His knowledge and love for his country was a gift to us. All our accommodations were above average and we can't get over how much we saw in just a week. We would recommend this tour (Scenic Poland) to anyone who loves history, good food, fun and friendly people, interesting sights and beautiful scenery. Thanks Urszula and crew for a great trip!
Dennis and Linda Peglow

We had a great trip to Poland. You delivered more than you promised and more than we expected. Accommodations, food, guides and locations were all very good. We would be happy to serve as references and would like to take other trips with you, Dr. Carl, Del & Lori Becker

Well, we have been there and back...and must compliment your work as everything went like clockwork. Pawel Szczepaniec was right there at the Krakow airport and was an excellent agent throughout our stay. We had him bring us to the prison camps and he also drove us to the train station to catch our overnight train. Rest assured, he is an excellent fellow for a traveler to have around. We enjoyed him! The train accommodations were excellent, the Hotels very satisfactory. Following your advice about notorious taxi drivers in Prague, Dick stuck with the $10.00 amount when the taxi drivers sought our business. He said outright that he knew the fares were in the $10 range...and we turned to walk back into the terminal. One fellow followed us in and said, I'll take you for that amount. He was pleasant and we were in the hotel before we knew it. And in Vienna, we just had to walk across the street to the Hotel. It does pay to travel light..each of us had just a carry-on.

i returned last week from the krakow-warsaw package offered by sophisticated traveler. i had been considering this trip for the last year and finally pursued my dream as the iraqi war started. i hedged many times and had both andrzej and urszula re-quote itineraries from sophisticated traveler ad nauseam. finally...war or no war, this was going to happen. my two fears were the internal logistics and the language barrier as a solo traveler. flying via swiss through zurich was a snap. the hotel voucher got me to the friendliest hotel i could have hoped for, the hotel classic in krakow. the staff was warm and accommodating and catered to my every need. i would arise, savor the generous breakfast buffet, consult with the staff and explore krakow until dusk. my 1st class train ticket for warsaw arrived and awaited me at the front desk as planned. concerns never crept up, as my stay was covered per my itinerary. language wasn't a barrier. per urszula's suggestions i learned a few courtesies which helped immensely. a note of warning, english is not spoken widely but patience and compassion will go a long way. solo travel is a golden opportunity to engage on every level. krakow's splendor counters the sad and vast vacuum of auschwitz-birkenau and the deserted streets of kazimierz. history lives down every street, cavern and cafe. life abounds. anyone wanting to truly experience the poetry that is krakow should know the few obstacles are easily overcome and the dividends will resound. i feel i owe a debt of gratitude to all those who helped me to discover this hidden treasure, and for that i am humbly grateful. you did a perfect job getting me to a city i now love, krakow. thanks to you i now feel like a lost son of krakow, and i can not thank you enough....jon moll.

Dear Urszula & Andrzej --
We just wanted to let you know what a wonderful time we had on our Krakow trip, and how much we loved Poland; it's an incredibly beautiful country. We were also lucky enough to have had perfect weather the entire week. It sounds like it was somewhat warmer than usual, so it was nice to have had the air conditioned hotels. The Amadeus was lovely; our room (101) was > really small, but we liked everything else about it. The staff were really first-class, and were so friendly and helpful. The Sobieski Hotel in Warsaw was a great place to unwind at the end of the trip, too. We also wanted to let you know about an excellent driver that we went out with on Tuesday and Thursday. He took us to the Wieliczka Salt Mine and Auschwitz on Tuesday, ensuring that we had the English-speaking tours (he actually recommended that we get a private guide at Auschwitz, and that was a very worthwhile suggestion; we think that Krystyna Klekot really enhanced this experience). On Thursday, we had asked to see some of the countryside, and we were taken to Zalipie and Zakopane; we approached Zakopane from the west and returned from it via an eastern route, so as to be able to see a lot of the gorgeous alpine scenery that we would have missed on the direct route taken by the bus. The driver's name is Pawel Szczepaniec, and he has a very comfortable VW van (Sophisticated Traveler's comment: After Mr. and Mrs. Frazier recommendations, Pawel and his company now provide all our incoming transfers in Krakow. His additional services are available on request). We handled all arrangements through e-mail, and he responded very promptly. Pawel does not speak fluent English, but he does know it fairly well, and we had no real problem communicating or conversing. He is a warm, delightful person who gave us more than we expected and who seemed very anxious to please and to make sure that we got the most out of our trip. We would recommend him whole-heartedly. Pawel also offers transfers to/from airport and train station. We originally engaged with him to enable the two day trips outside of Krakow. He additionally provided us with transport from the airport and at the end all the way to our train compartment. We would also be happy to serve as a reference for your company in the future, if the need ever arises. We were very impressed with your responsiveness and helpfulness, and we feel that Poland is an outstanding destination for anyone seeking friendly people, great food, beautiful architecture, and fascinating culture. I am all for growing business especially in the case of yours where the service has been extraordinary. Thanks again for all the great effort and the attention to detail. It really shines compared to most businesses that are out there today. I am sure you have a long and growing list of thrilled customers.
Thanks again,
Jean and John Frazier Click here to see John's pictures from Poland

We returned earlier this week from our trip to Poland. All of the arrangements worked out very well. We were particularly impressed with the Bristol Hotel in Warsaw - truly a beautiful hotel. During our trip, we also drove down to Zakopane in southern Poland. We visited the town and also took the tram up the mountain. Could you please advise as to what the best hotels are in Zakopane. (We are already thinking about a return trip to Poland!)
Many thanks for your assistance.
One further comment to pass along. At the Bristol Hotel, the rate listed in our room was 459 Euro (which did not include breakfast or 7% VAT). The cost per person for breakfast would have been 105 zlotys per person. Based on current exchange rates and adding in the 7% VAT, this would have resulted in a cost of $640 for a room for two persons with breakfast included. As you will recall, you were able to obtain for us a room for two persons with breakfast and VAT included for $128. What a great deal!
Thanks again.
Regards,
Joe

Just wanted to let you know that we enjoyed our trip to Poland very much and all the arrangements were excellent! The flights on Swiss were very good and we thoroughly enjoyed Krakow. It is such an interesting city! We also made day trips to Zakopane, Wieliczka and Auschwitz. The Campanile Hotel in Krakow was really excellent! Nothing fancy but everything worked really well there. The staff was very friendly and helpful, the breakfast was great and the location is just excellent! We even got a room facing the Planty. This hotel was well worth the extra cost. The train ride to Warsaw was enjoyable and we spent a great afternoon in the Stare Miasto and Nowe Miasto areas of the city. If we had to do it over again, we would probably stay another day or two in Warsaw. We had glorious weather the whole nine days we were there! Thanks very much for arranging that!!!!
Best Regards, Harry and Angelika Y.

Just wanted to drop a note to say how much we enjoyed the entire trip you planned. Warsaw was very interesting and the Bristol was just top notch! Krakow was a real discovery and we'd probably go back again sometime. The Amadeus is a lovely small hotel with a great location. The English speaking staff are just great and they bring a lot of credit to this fine hotel. We enjoyed the two trains and want to thank you for your work in planning the trip. While we had accommodations in Prague, I'd recommend the Warsaw - Krakow- Prague trip for people wanting a quick taste of both countries.

We're back. It was a wonderful trip. Only 1/2 a rain day out of 14. The trip tour guide was great; probably the best we've ever seen. Thanks for your help too..........Tom and Pat G.

A couple of months ago I made arrangements for two of us to travel to Poland through your agency. We left on May 31, the day before the official start of the tour and returned on June 10. Well, I wanted you to know that the trip was terrific. I don't know whether to credit you, your travel agency, the incoming tour operator, or our guide. You promptly answered my many questions ahead of time. Perfect. You arranged air travel on Swiss Air, including our seat assignments. Perfect. You arranged for someone to pick us up at the airport in Warsaw and drive us back to the airport at the end of the tour. Perfect. You arranged for the extra night at the hotel in Warsaw. Perfect. The tour itself was an excellent combination of preplanned activities and free time. The buffet breakfasts were excellent, and the guide's choices for the included meals were outstanding. Marietta was an experienced guide who knows the country, its history, and how to make tourists feel comfortable and cared for. One thing that we especially enjoyed was the lack of a sales pitch that we buy add-ons (for example, special side trips or goods after touring such places as wineries or glass-blowing shops). We didn't feel pressured to do or buy anything more than we had contracted for. Having been on both Trafalgar and Globus tours in the past (and having been quite satisfied with most of the arrangements), we were even more delighted not to feel badgered to buy, buy, buy. At this point I should ask if you have any other suggestions for tours that you sponsor. I would be most happy to continue to do business with you. Thank you so much for making the Southern Delight tour absolutely delightful.

Kathleen Kenney

Many thanks for arranging my wonderful trip to three fascinating cities! I was busy every minute and--wonder of wonders--saw nearly everything I'd planned to see: castles, cathedrals, operas, palaces, art museums, the salt mine, Lipizzaners... Krakow, which was a new destination for me, was a true jewel and so very charming! I hope someday to see much more of Poland.
Again many thanks,
Pamela

Both Krakow and Prague are enchanting and we had a wonderful time... I hope to return and explore more. Thank you again for arranging the package.
D. Kimball

We have just returned from Budapest and had a wonderful trip, thanks in great part to the arrangements you made for us. The City Panzio Matyas was just the type of hotel we wanted and was a perfect location from which to go on our daily adventures. The flights were good and there was not much time spent waiting between flights in Germany. All in all, we were extremely pleased with your services and will be recommending you to our friends. Budapest was more than we expected in many ways. The Hungarian people were very friendly and helpful. There was so much to see and do that we limited our sleeping to just a few hours per night. We can’t wait to go back someday! Thanks again for your help!
Kindest regards, Joanna and Tony Miscavige

I just wanted to thank you for arranging my Poland trip. It went incredibly well, and i had an amazing time. It was great to learn so much about the history and politics of where my great-grandparents came from. Everything went smoothly as far as the travel, as well, and the weather was mostly warm and sunny. I may go back next year, so take care.
Ted from San Jose

On June 20, 2003 we went on the Scenic Poland tour, and a week on our own, that was arranged by Urszula. I just want to take a minute to tell anybody concerned how pleased we were with the arrangements Urszula made for us. Everything went like clockwork. I feel that the reason was because Urszula did an outstanding job. Our bus driver, Chris, was very knowledgeable, friendly, and caring. Our tour guide, Mary, was a delight. She made us feel comfortable. Her knowledge and presentation were terrific. We were all very pleased. We would like to say big Thank You for the wonderful time that we had. I would be very happy (this also includes my family) to give my highest recommendation to any one that asks. Again, Thank You all for great time. Sincerely Yours,

Just wanted to thank you and tell you what an absolutely fantastic time we had. We were able to see all the sights we wanted. The hotels were very-well located. The Jan was nice. In Prague we took the metro from the Olympic Hotel every day. I was so fascinated by the history there. I'd definitely recommend you to others.
Dale