-
We went with friends who were in charge of an Audley Travel itinerary that included 1 night at the Belmond. Nice hotel; we arrived after the park had closed so got to roam the Brazilian side for an hour or so but next morning was a 0630 pickup to go to the Argentinian side then the airport…didn’t even get a chance to have a nice brekkie at the Belmond so a waste of £££.
No wonder most of us like DIY travel arranging, Audley upselling for a 1 night stay in a pricey hotel for a few hours was silly. If staying in hotels we always try and do 2 nights min so you at least get the chance of a whole day. Yes double the cost, but….
The Belmond would have provided you with a tip top takeaway breakfast even for a 6.30am departure so there was no waste. Time spent at the Cataratas hotel as was, however short, is time and money well spent. There’s always the opportunity to invest at H Stern as well!
In respect of DIY vs agency organised, I think one should keep a very open mind. I have just returned from a two week trip, eleven days organised by a trusted agent. I am a very experienced travel planner, but there is no way I could have organised such a good trip myself in terms of quality, value or cost, plus I had superb guides and didn’t have to drive. We have a trip to China in October and the most important section I have entrusted to an agent who will do it far better and cheaper than I could and one hotel we particularly want to stay at needs a domestic agent.
I am considering a trip to Brazil next year. Does anyone have any travel agency recommendations (UK or Brazil based)? I plan to ask Trailfinders for a quote (Audley seem very expensive generally). Any others that people here have used? Thanks.
I am considering a trip to Brazil next year. Does anyone have any travel agency recommendations (UK or Brazil based)? I plan to ask Trailfinders for a quote (Audley seem very expensive generally). Any others that people here have used? Thanks.
I used this organisation https://trips-southamerica.com/about-us/ for a trip that got interrupted by Covid. I used them again when I went back to finish off the stuff I hadn’t done. They are based in Argentina and I’m not sure if they are strictly consumer facing or more B2B. Everything they did worked well and otel choices were good (not luxurious-as I specified what I wanted). Won’t do you any harm to ask them for a quote. Covered Argentina/Chile and Brazil.
In respect of DIY vs agency organised, I think one should keep a very open mind. I have just returned from a two week trip, eleven days organised by a trusted agent. I am a very experienced travel planner, but there is no way I could have organised such a good trip myself in terms of quality, value or cost, plus I had superb guides and didn’t have to drive. We have a trip to China in October and the most important section I have entrusted to an agent who will do it far better and cheaper than I could and one hotel we particularly want to stay at needs a domestic agent.
Yes, agree, it’s finding the right local contacts which is key. What I was trying to say is that being upsold to a £600/nt hotel where you arrive shortly before dusk and depart at dawn wouldn’t be my choice and that bit was an Audley-driven decision (not the local agent).
I am considering a trip to Brazil next year. Does anyone have any travel agency recommendations (UK or Brazil based)? I plan to ask Trailfinders for a quote (Audley seem very expensive generally). Any others that people here have used? Thanks.
I used this organisation https://trips-southamerica.com/about-us/ for a trip that got interrupted by Covid. I used them again when I went back to finish off the stuff I hadn’t done. They are based in Argentina and I’m not sure if they are strictly consumer facing or more B2B. Everything they did worked well and otel choices were good (not luxurious-as I specified what I wanted). Won’t do you any harm to ask them for a quote. Covered Argentina/Chile and Brazil.
Many thanks @AFKAE – I will check them out.
- You must be logged in to reply to this topic.
Popular articles this week:
