News
- Cash in on the Cook Islands (TravelWorldNews.com)
- Follow in the footsteps of Anthony Bourdain: Eat your way through Melbourne (Examiner.com)
- Australian Honeymoon Package Wins on the Today Show (Tourism Queensland ‘On Q’ newsletter)
- Eat your Way through Melbourne (Luxist.com)
- Eat your Way Through Melbourne (About.com blog)
- Deals where Summer is Winter (nytimes.com)
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Press
- Swain’s expertise in unique, personalized travel earns feature in Chris Santella’s guide, July 25, 2009
- Swain Tours Travels with Online Trends, July 9, 2009
- Swain Wins 'Best Brochure' in North America for 2008/2009, January 28, 2009
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Accolades
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| South Australia Tourism Tour Wholesaler of the Year 2009 |
Downunder Tourism Export Awards International Brochure of the Year 2008-2009 |
Condé Nast Traveler Top Travel Specialists 2003, 2004, 2005,2006 |
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Testimonials
Dear Anne,
We had a wonderful trip. The staff from EgitaLloyd (representatives, drivers, and guides) were all courteous, attentive, helpful, knowledgeable and professional. They helped us check-in at all the hotels and airports, got our tickets at all the sites, and really enhanced our experience way beyond what we could have discovered on our own.
Looking back now, I think the itinerary is structured very efficiently to minimize travel distances and wait times. My only suggestion would be to move the Egyptian Museum visit in Cairo to the afternoon, since most of the large tour groups appear to visit in the morning, and the place gets crowded.
The hotels were first-rate. The Mena House Oberoi, Sofitel El Gezirah, and Movenpick Aswan have been renovated within the last two years. The Sofitel Old Winter Palace looks like the best hotel in Luxor, but the furniture and carpeting in our room there were old and dated, which was surprising since we paid a little extra money for a higher-level room. However, the New Years Eve dinner in Luxor was grand.
An afternoon felucca ride on the Nile in Aswan was included in the tour intinerary, which wasn't on the original schedule we brought with us from home.
The flights for the Abu Simbel excursion ended up working out well because we were able to avoid a long layover in Aswan on the return to Cairo. The EgitaLloyd rep. in Aswan managed to move us onto an earlier flight from Aswan to Cairo, which used the same airplane that came from Abu Simbel. So we flew back from Abu Simbel to Aswan on our original flight, then waited a half-hour inside the plane, before it took on more passengers and flew onward to Cairo. Our luggage was checked directly from Aswan to Cairo.
Overall, we felt very pampered during this tour since the EgitaLloyd staff took great care of us. This is our second tour with Swain (we did the New Zealand south island tour in 2006), and both experiences have been top notch.
If you would like any more feedback, please let me know. Happy New Year and thank you very much again for arranging our tour.
Regards,
Joseph A., New Jersey
Hi Sarah,
We just returned from our trip and wanted you to know that everything went smoothly and you planned a wonderful itinerary!
We all agree it was one of the best vacations ever.
All of the hotels were well chosen and exactly what we had requested. Ending at Grasmere Lodge was just what we needed.
Ron was the only one to climb the glacier at Franz Josef. If we had known beforehand how steep the climb was we all would have chosen a helicopter instead.
That was the only glitch in the entire journey.
Thanks again for all your help.
Carole C., New York
Hi Sarah, I'm back from the New Zealand vacation and I wanted to write and let you know how wonderful it was. The weather was perfect. I met some interesting and fun people. Everything from the accommodations to the various tours and activities were outstanding. This was my second trip with Swain Tours and like the first, I had some really high expectations. Once again, Swain Tours has exceeded those expectations. Well done! So until next time with Swain Tours, and there will be a next time, thank you very much for a very memorable and fun vacation.
David L., Georgia
I just wanted to let you know that the 4 of us collectively felt that the trip exceeded our expectations which were quite high going into the trip. The folks from Swain were very professional, very knowledgeable, and always on time. The tours were outstanding, the outdoor activities excellent and the food, when supplied, was very good. We are very pleased with the value we got and would not hesitate to recommend this itinerary and Swain to anyone.
Ralph and Jo G., Wisconsin
Houston and I returned from South Africa early this morning and I'm exhausted! Before heading off for some much needed rest, I wanted to thank you for putting together such an amazing trip for us! Thanks to you we are in love with South Africa and can't wait to return. What we received and what we expected was beyond our wildest dreams. The hotels were fantastic, along with the tours. Thompson is a great company, they were prompt everyday for our tours, the guides were very knowledgeable, courteous and accommodating.
Thanks for your patience and turning around a trip that normally takes months to plan, you had us booked in a matter of weeks at such an affordable price!
Houston, who is not easily pleased, thanked me over and over on a job well done in planning our trip. Sorry Phyllis I took all of the credit (smile).
Have a nice holiday and we will be in touch with you to assist in planning our trip for next year!
Michelle B., Illinois
Patricia,
Everything was top notch – across the board. There was always somebody waiting at every airport. All accommodations were amazing. It was truly an unbelievable trip to Australia, as Liz and I mentioned to Hans over the weekend. Liz and I would love to stop by Swain to tell you thanks in person. Your hard work was obviously born out in the trip.
Thank you so very much. Eric A. B, New York
Dear Patricia,
To absolutely no surprise to me, Eric and Liz came back from Australia as excited as my wife and I did when we used Swain a couple of years ago. You are just a first-class operation all around. This was a Honeymoon and therefore not just a simple vacation. The trip was a wedding gift and it was wonderful for me to see how royally they were treated and how happy they came back. Thank you Patricia, you were a great person to work with. If you ever need a reference, please don't hesitate to use me.
Regards, Hans H. Pennsylvania
G'Day Grant,
I must tell you how happy we were with all your arrangements for our trip. It was a lot of flying but all our airport transfers were excellent and on time. The tours were also very good with the exception of some rainy weather in the Blue Mountains and at the Great Barrier Reef. But neither you nor we had any control over that. VAustralia was also a great choice – no worries! We'll recommend you to our friends. Thanks again.
Charline G., New York
Well we are back from our trip now and we wanted to contact you both and thank you for all your help. We had an amazing time and truly enjoyed ourselves and our trip. Every city we did something amazing and created some life lasting memories. To be honest it is a little hard to pick our favourite, but I guess it may have to be Queenstown, New Zealand. Every picture we took there was like a postcard and it was just simply beautiful. It may be our new favourite place on this earth. We also enjoyed the Great Barrier Reef a lot, as it is probably the cleanest/most clear water we have seen in our life. Overall we enjoyed every city and loved all our tours and activities you had planned for us.
We wanted to thank you both from the bottom of our hearts for all your hard work. Our trip was very well planned from day 1 to the end. You guys will probably be hearing from other family members in the future who want to travel there.
Thank you again for everything and we hope to stay in touch in the future.
Shweta and Martin S., Missouri
I just wanted to let you know what a fabulous trip we had. It was all we hoped it could be. The arrangements made by your company and Swain Tours provided us with personalized service with a fine professional touch. The accommodations were to our satisfaction, especially in Beijing.
Joanna, our guide in Beijing, was especially wonderful. The tours she provided as well as the informal conversations we had with her provided us with insight about China that would have been difficult to glean in other ways with that length of visit.
And thank you for the box of toffee. It arrived today and was such a nice touch. I really appreciate the time you took to listen to our wishes during the planning stage, to offer suggestions and guidance, and to link us with Swain Tours who did such a great job.
When we get the pictures together in a shareable form we hope to get to share some with you.
Kathy H., Colorado
Donna: for the record, this was probably the best trip imaginable; we've done Swain trips before (Australia and New Zealand) and golf trips with other operators, but you did everything right!!! Thompson's drivers and their service, as well, could not have been better; I've been singing your praises and hopefully sending some other trips your way -- -again, many thanks.
Frank M., North Carolina
I just wanted to take a moment to let you know how thrilled my clients were upon their return from their recent honeymoon to Dubai and South Africa.
Donna Blumeris created an itinerary that captured the essence of what my clients wished to experience. They were completely satisfied with the day-to-day arrangements and loved all the hotels in the itinerary. The first words they said to me were, "we can't thank you enough for a perfect trip… it went so smoothly."
It is not always easy to put all your trust in a tour operator when you have never been to the destination. It is always a pleasure to contact Swain Tours, your consultants are so fantastic and knowledgeable about their destinations. I'm looking forward to our next collaboration.
Rosetta F., Robyn Potter Travel
This has been late coming, but wanted to let you know this has been an awesome trip. Everything has run smoothly and has been top-notch. The hotels have been wonderful and the excursions have been unbelievable. Thank you so much for handling this for us. It has been one of those trips of a lifetime. Can’t wait to show you the pictures. Hope you have a couple of DAYS! Held a koala today.
Terry and Kathy R., Alabama
Leigh Ann and I are home from New Zealand and Hawaii, and we wanted to give you a quick update on how things went. We were thoroughly impressed with Swain Tours in NZ. Everywhere we went, things were always perfectly arranged, and everything ran exactly on schedule. There was not one single bump in the road for the entire NZ trip. The people were exceedingly pleasant, and we learned a lot about NZ from the tour guides and drivers. Also, for your reference, Air New Zealand was a great airline with very nice planes, food, and staff. We would recommend you use Air New Zealand again if you have other customers visiting NZ.
Christopher and Leigh H., Alabama
We had a wonderful time. You thought of EVERYTHING. The accommodations were superb, the tours were excellent, and our Game Drives were unbelievable. We will definitely share our photos with you once we get over our jet lag. The ground operators did a wonderful job also....we always felt very "taken care of". Only problem was the long flight...but you can't do anything about that.
David M. and Gayl S., Pennsylvania
Hi Patricia, I wanted to let you know I've spoken with my clients and their trip was beyond their greatest expectation. The transfers and tours were exactly what they wanted, they were pleased with the quality of the hotels we used and simply can not speak highly enough of your company. They also wanted me to share with you their recognition as to what a spectacular job you did in planning this trip for them. I have heard from a couple of their friends that they, too, may be interested in doing a tour of Australia and New Zealand. My clients told them to call Junction Travel and have John get Patricia Henriquez at Swain Tours to plan their trip. This is the type of advertising neither of us could pay for. I bow to a professional, and thank you for making Junction Travel look so good. I am looking forward to planning our next adventure to Australia and New Zealand.
John B., Junction Travel
We wanted to thank you for giving us the trip of a lifetime!! There are no words to explain how much we enjoyed Dubai, Kenya, and Tanzania. First of all, if we had done nothing else than fly Emirates Airlines, we would have had the best time! They really know how to treat their customers.........just over the top! Burj Al Arab was unreal....we videotaped the tour of our two story suite, given by our very own butler! Everything about the Burj was seven star.........they insisted upon escorting us to the restaurants, the gym, etc., and we splurged by having the white rolls royce take us to the mall just for the picture value!
Each of the accomodations throughout Kenya and Tanzania were unique and enjoyable. Though the Nairobi Serena looked a bit worn (and we didn't want to venture out of the hotel for safety reasons on the one night we stayed there), the dinner that we had in the hotel restaurant (Mandhari) was one of the best meals of our trip. Our guide from Southern Cross (Justice) was just fabulous.......and taught us the benefit of using a "bush toilet" during the long drive from Lake Nakura to Masai Mara (which, though long and bumpy, was still enoyable because of the people and villages we saw during the way).
We had our first "up close and personal" encounter with a baboon at Sarova Lion Hill Lodge......it sat looking at us right outside our door while picking through the trashcan, and then tried to open the door of the cottage next to ours to break in......pretty cheeky!! We discovered that warthogs like rap music while staying at Kichwa Tembo (which we just LOVED!)......and cannot even describe the thrill of witnessing the great migration of wildebeest. We saw every animal imaginable while at Masai Mara.....and watched a lion kill and devour a wildebeest just 10 feet from our vehicle; and spent several hours in a Masai Village (I think I was being eyed up as the third wife of the chief, who was pretty "touchy-feely" and very personable!), where we gave the kids pens, small writing pads, and stickers. Thank goodness we captured everything on video and camera..........I will never forget Brooke dancing with the women, and both of us sitting inside the chief's home made of cow dung!
Though we had been spoiled by the sheer number of animals that we saw at Masai Mara, we found Tanzania to have its own charm. Both the Lake Manyara and Ngorongoro Serena Lodges were just wonderful, and we especially loved the wonderful buffets they served. Each lodge had entertainment in the evening, and we especially enjoyed the African dancer who, though dressed in traditional garb, did an amazing imitation of Michael Jackson (don't know if it was intentional or not), complete with a fedora hat!!
The highlight of our trip, however, had to be the Singita properties in the Grumeti Reserves! The atmosphere of Singita Sabora Tented Camp was pure "Out of Africa", and the service and food exquisite. Sasha Mueller was quite the host, and saw to our every need. We thought it couldn't get any better.......and then we experienced Faru Faru!! We really bonded with Danielle Mueller, and spent an evening schmoozing around the fire with the interior design team for Singita, who were there to add a few things to the already magnificent furnishings. During lunch one day we watched seventeen elephants, and dozens of zebras, wildebeest, and baboons gather at the watering hole just beyond our table. We had to beg off anymore game drives, because we saw more wildlife while sitting by the pool then during our drives. Our guide, Eugene, couldn't understand why we wanted to just hang around the Lodge, until I showed him the pictures that we had taken during lunch later that night while sitting around the fire. This was a wonderful place to finish our trip.......and we even got to have breakfast at Singita Sasakwa, which was quite the experience. Though too fancy for our tastes, I can't believe that such a place exists in the middle of nowhere! I don't know if you got a complete tour of those facilities........but we were astonished at the style and furnishings of the houses there.
In addition, during our trip we experienced: being charged at by a leopard and capped buffalo; witnessed a pride of 10 lions rip into the zebra they had just killed (we were pretty terrified, because we were just feet away and the range rovers had no sides to it, and the lions kept roaring at each other while fighting for their favorite piece of zebra; had an emergency landing in a pack of wildebeest while on a hot air balloon ride, and survived those little teeny tiny airplanes that shuttled us around Tanzania. I don't know how we can thank you for providing us with experiences that we will never forget........but thank you, thank you, thank you!! Well done!!
Kris and Brooke G., Pennsylvania
Michelle, we're finally settled after the wedding / honeymoon. I just wanted to say thank you so much for all your help! Despite our rough start, (missing the original Fiji flight) we had the trip of our lifetime! Everything was perfect. Thanks for setting up the upgrade in Fiji too; Liku Liku Lagoon was a really special place. Sydney was great, awesome hotel in a terrific location, and we had the perfect amount of time there. We thoroughly enjoyed the beaches in Port Douglas too! We have tons of friends getting married soon, so we'll for sure give them your name if it comes up. Can't thank you enough!
Shannon M., Illinois
We had a WONDERFUL honeymoon. We kept saying that we have to email you. We really don't know what to say!! The whole thing was more than we expected. Everything was planned perfectly, no glitches, no issues, no confusion and that was so nice. It all ran very smoothly, and things just got better and better. The wildlife was beyond what we thought we would experience, and the small planes, the lodges...the way we were treated...it was MAGICAL! Victoria Falls was breathtaking...yes we saw many babies, and we had some scary/exciting run-ins with animals!! We also met a ton of great people. Like you said, we left our hearts in Africa, and didn't want to come back to reality at all! I could go on and on. So now we are just trying to figure out our NEXT trip!! It just inspired us so much that we want to just keep going!! And it's really nice to feel like we have someone now that we trust to use for all of our trips in the future! Thank you for putting the icing on the cake for our entire marriage experience! Thank you Thank you.
Michelle C., New York
I wanted to share with you how outstanding your representatives are, and the excellent service and knowledge they provide. At the beginning of July, I had a client call and wanted to plan a trip to Japan and Vietnam; I know nothing about either destination. In the past, we have booked our Australia and New Zealand clients through another consultant in your office who has been amazing.
Well, I struck gold again with working with Alicha! She put together an amazing itinerary for my clients, and with little revision, they booked the suggested itinerary. They came home last week boasting about the trip. Japan far exceeded their expectations. They spent the night in Hakone at the Gora Kadan. They shared that the service at the Gora Kadan exceeded the luxury hotel service in the United States! They continued on to Vietnam to Hoi An and fell in love with the Nam Hai. They loved it so much that they we able to extend their stay.
With the assistance of your ground operators, the clients were able to make the changes without a problem. I am more familiar with the product now, and feel confident selling the two destinations. Alicha is amazing! She is a wonderful part of your team and I am looking forward to working her again. I felt a strong need to share with you how outstanding your staff is!
Allyson C., All Destinations, Inc
Donna, you have made my trip to Africa “memorable” to say the least. The accommodations were beyond my expectations. Also, the excursions that Swain provides are top notch. Most importantly, the Thompsons people should all be proud of how they succeeded in making my family and I feel safe and secure. Donna, the idea that three women could travel in and around a foreign country and feel at “home”, only comes from the competence that you and Swain provide for its clients. I was not disappointed when I used Swain for my Australia trip and now, I'm elated with my trip to Africa. What a wonderful 50th birthday gift!!! We promise to send photos as soon as they are printed. With kind regards and your #1 Fan!!!
Nancy M., Connecticut
My name is Nick Cordes. Leigh (my wife) and I just recently got back from our trip to Australia that we won as part of the Today Show Wedding contest. Our reason in writing you is to thank you and your company for such a well organized trip. Every time that we felt like we were going to be a bit out of the loop with something coming up - David was there (always with Jens) to explain things and see if we had any questions. David made us feel extremely comfortable with the whole process and was first class all the way - although I am sure we are telling you things you already hear/know. We will spread the good word about Swain Tours to anyone looking to travel abroad. Thanks again.
Dream Big,
Nick and Leigh, NBC’s ‘TODAY Throws a Wedding’ Winners
Donna, I just have to email you and let you know what a fabulous time my client had! She loved the hotel in Cape Town and said the staff was wonderful. She so appreciated all of the arrangements you made – transfers/tours, etc. The Safari was incredible and she had wonderful pictures. She was so delighted that she took me out to dinner! Sorry you weren’t here to join us. Anyway, thank you again for making this trip a very special occasion for her. I certainly appreciate everything that you did and feel sure I would call you again for such a trip.
Mary B., Covington Travel, Inc
Just a quick note to say our trip to New Zealand was FANTASTIC! We felt pampered and there were no glitches during the trip. Patricia, thank you for your excellent service.
J.D. C., Indiana
We had an incredible and very memorable South Africa experience. We really enjoyed seeing city, safari and beach and took over 1500 photos. We started this adventure thinking it was going to be a once-in-a-lifetime trip, but now, we are already planning to go back!
Christina L., New York
This is the first time I have had the opportunity to use your company and it won’t be the last! I would like to let you know how truly impressed I am with the professionalism and efficiency that I had the pleasure of receiving from Alicha. She is truly an asset to Swain Tours. I had a family of 5 traveling to China this past month. Alicha was extremely accommodating in that she was able to offer us the best rate possible for a family on a budget and actually did my quote three times before my clients accepted it. We had many changes and one cancellation close to the departure date. Usually I can detect when an agent I am working with becomes impatient and short tempered when things like this happen. Not Alicha, she was always so accommodating, courteous, and patient with me. I can’t begin to tell you how impressed I was with her knowledge and expertise on China. I could never have done this myself, since I am a cruise specialist. Wow! My clients think I am the best agent they have ever had because I can do both cruises and tours! I couldn’t have done it without Alicha. I have no doubt that all of your agents are experts in their field so I am looking forward to having the opportunity to work with them in the future.
Karen H., Abracadabra! Cruises
I wanted to take the opportunity to enlighten you to the knowledgeable and patient employee Josh McDonald. His professionalism and thoroughness was beyond my expectations. His suggestions in regard to planning my clients’ trip proved to be wonderful. They are not easy clients, but they had only praise for all the plans that Josh made. I look forward to future bookings with Swain and Josh McDonald!
Barbara G., Power Travel
Imagine my surprise when our flight on Egypt Air landed in Cairo and a very handsome young man had a sign with our name on it. Keep in mind it is 2:30AM and he should have been home and in bed. He greeted us as if we were long lost family. His name is Mohamed Arafa and he took over our entire life in Egypt. From that moment on we had the VERY best trip of a lifetime. Hotels were wonderful!!! Food was wonderful!!! The guides were the absolute BEST. I know that because there was one other couple on the Nile cruise with us and they had a different guide and didn't see or learn half of what we did. Also our driver was the kindest fellow. Everyday was packed with adventure. The various sights and museums we visited were stunning and the thousands of years of history we shared was unbelievable. Just so you know, our itinerary was perfect! I feel like I am leaving so many things out – like the cruise – it was spectacular, so was the beach, so was everything!
Jackie S., Edgewood Travel
Swain is the best! It doesn’t matter if you are booking Australia or Asia, the professionalism and service is exceptional! They make my job easier! Thank you!
Michelle F. , Uniglobe Travel Management Consultants
I have really enjoyed booking with Swain and in particular their representative, Amy. My clients had many special requests and numerous questions and she never skipped a beat! Always happy to answer all questions and what she did not know, she found out. The booking was seamless and the itinerary was clear and concise. I have really enjoyed my experience and will use Swain for all my South Pacific and Down Under vacation requests.
Melinda P., Time Travel, Inc.
I have been using Swain for seven years and continue to be delighted by their professionalism, knowledge, outstanding itineraries and final document presentation. Dealing with local Aussies and Kiwis that have traveled their home countries in depth puts me at ease to know that their recommendations will be sure to completely exceed my clients’ expectations. Plus, the fact that Swain has local offices in Australia is a peace-of-mind value-add for my clients, who have someone to contact every step of the way should they have any worries while Down Under.”
Chris B., McGehee Travel
Hello Amy and Lisa! I just wanted to extend a thank you for everything you guys have done up to this point in organizing our Australian honeymoon. The package you have sent looks exciting and extremely well organized. I found you guys on the internet and on the Swain Website you advertise that;
“Our trip advisors distinctively tailor inspiring travel experiences that suit the needs and wants of individual and group travelers.In my experience this has been one of the few times when an advertisement has mirrored the service perfectly. Though the service you offer may be what the Swain organization strives for, dealing with you 2 personally was an absolute pleasure and took a lot of stress off of a “soon to be groom”. I travel all over the world with my work and I have yet to experience the professionalism, helpful advice, quick responses and desire to accommodate our numerous requests that you people have demonstrated. Though we have not yet left for our honeymoon, I have the upmost confidence that this is indicative of what we can expect for the duration of our trip and we can’t thank you enough.
Our unparalleled team of destination experts takes care of every detail of your exotic vacation – from the magnificent accommodations and delectable cuisine to the enchanting excursions and flawless details, with Swain, expect the best in enriching travel and unsurpassed quality.
Let us custom create your itinerary from first class adventure tours to the utmost in luxury travel throughout Australia, New Zealand, Tahiti, Fiji, Cook Islands, Vanuatu, Papua New Guinea, Africa, China, Japan, South East Asia and India. Swain has expert knowledge, and has had personal encounters with all of these services to ensure a flawless travel experience for you.”
Harlan D., Alberta
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