We wanted to give you some feedback from our fabulous trip to Spain. Bill and Jorge, you went above and beyond! We had an “Over The Top” experience and one we will never forget thanks to your hard work and detailed efforts.

We were treated like five star guests from the time we put our feet on the ground in Barcelona until your driver left us off at the airport one week later. We marveled at Bill’s ability to work with his partner Jorge at Madrid and Beyond to put together a ideal vacation for our family. The driver, Omar, and the guide, Norberto were so top shelf with manners and knowledge of their country. They treated us with respect and went beyond to ensure we had every comfort and all our needs were met. We loved our experience at cooking school. Our chef, Ignatio, was so good with cooking and with his guests. We were blown away on our trip to the market and having the cooking class allowed us to better understand Catalayan culture and foods. We loved our day trips to Montserratt and Cava tasting at Cordornui. The other day trip to Girona and Tossa Del Mar were both beyond our expectations. The evening of Barcelona Castellars was fascinating and an unexpected pleasure and privilege to watch an old family tradition of team building and spirit of family uniting to build human columns. It was very impressive!

We count ourselves blessed to have been able to allow Bill Gearheart at Classic Travel and his relationship with the partner on the ground in Spain, Jorge at Madrid and Beyond pull together such a perfect trip plan. We absolutely would recommend with no reservations to use both of your services. I can promise you, my next trip to Europe will only be handled by Bill at Classic Travel and Tours.

Once again, we thank you for making memories for our family.

Kindest Regards,
The Marcel Families

Bill,

Elaine and I want to thank you for your attention to our every need as we planned our vacation to Italy; as we departed on June 9, 2011; during our visit to Italy and then our return home on June 27, 2011.  We had the most amazing time and you and your team of extremely qualified professionals across the country helped to make our trip one to remember.  I have attached the following pictures to help me show the value your created for us:

After arriving in Pisa meeting your team who went our of his way helped us get us and our baggage on the train to travel to Rome,  Elaine and I were ready to enjoy the sights and sounds of Rome.

While in Rome Georgea our Private Tour Guide took special care of us guiding us through the Vatican, Sistine Chapel, The Roman Ruins and the Spanish Steps below (just to mention a few the sights visited).  Georgea's extensive wealth of knowledge of each historical sight; her use of technology to enhance the tours; her ability to cut through all the queing lines at each site and her understanding of what we personally were interested in seeing created an environment for fun and learning.

After leaving Rome your team continued to take amazing care of us making our trip from Rome to Naples to Pompeii and then on to The Amalfi Coast was relaxing and comfortable.  At Pompeii we met up with the Professor (our Private Tour Guide) who guided us through the ruines showing us the marvels of a world long ago.

From the travetine lined court yard in the middle of Pompeii, to the bodies of people of the times covered in ash the Professor provided us with the intricate details of the daily life of those who lived in the time of this tragedy.

The Professor also showed us the wonders of Pompeii as well.  From the Bakery above, to the hot and cold baths, to the fast food markets and the intricate layout of the city which showed us much of what we have today was already available to the people of Pompeii.

While in Naples we were lucky to witness a Italian wedding as well as the beautiful water views along its coast below.

As we moved on to the Amalfi Coast we  witnesses one of the many Catholic oriented festivities.  The picture above shows the statue of St. Anthony being delivered to the town of Amalfi.

The views from our hotel on the coast were amazing.

The gardens in Ravelo were spectacular.

And the City of Positano was unbelievable.

But this trip was not with out it's more hands on personal enjoyment.  At Mama Agata;s Cooking School Elaine and I began our training on Italian style home cooking.

Although I am not Italian my new Mother and Sister insisted that I must be part of the family.

From the Amalfi Coast we traveled onto Tuscany  to the IL Falconiere Hotel.  The view from our Wine Cellar Suite as you can see was wonderful.

The hotel was perfect from the winery views to the hotel mascot to the serving of the most wonderful wines and foods of Tuscany.  We were able to use the Hotel as a central point for Euan (who was the so focused on giving us the best experience within the area.  He treated us as if we were his family showing us the best vineyards, the area's historic sights, the finest eating establishments and the best places to shop for ceramics, leather etc.  We could not have asked for a better person to accompany us on stage of our trip).

Again our trip was not just sightsee as we  along with the Blackwell's participated in a cooking class at the IL Falconiere Cooking School.

Silvia and Riccardo the owners of the IL Falconiere and the Baracchi Winery were amazing hosts.  They treated us as if we were old friends and they made our stay one we will never forget.  Finally you were correct the Baracchi Wines were amazing.  They were so good that upon returning home I ordered 4 cases of wine from the Winery.

In Florence Euan guided us to all the major shopping districts and our Private Tour Guide Francesa continued the process of providing us with a wealth of historical knowledge about  Florence.  Her depth of knowledge was only exceeded by her willingness to share it with us.

Then finally before we departed for home we stopped off to see Pisa's leaning tower. 

Bill, As I stated above this trip was one Elaine and I will never forget.  You and your team helped to make it special.  We thank you for all your hard work and we will be in touch in the near future as we plan our next adventure.

Best Regards,
Mike

TUSCAN HOLIDAY - THREE GOOD FRIENDS

Bill,

I want to thank you and Nancy for a wonderful vacation.

Six months ago I came to you with a nebulous wish list for a vacation in Italy.  You enthusiastically accepted the challenge to design a trip to Italy for three women who are both good friends and business colleagues and, who all live in different parts of the country.  During our initial discussion, all I could tell you was that we wanted to spend a week or two in Italy, hiking in Cinque Terre, participating in a cooking school and wine tasting, touring Tuscany, visiting the Borghese in Rome and seeing the David in Florence.  Patiently, you talked with me and my friends, via conference calls, sharing with us your immense knowledge of Italian art, history, wine and culture.  By listening to our dreams you shaped a ten day trip which began in Florence where Euan Mackay, a wonderful, knowledgeable and charming tour guide and driver met us at the airport and escorted us for the next several days as we toured Florence and Tuscany and hiked between the towns in Cinque Terre.  We visited wineries in Chianti and near Cortona, tasting local wines and eating fantastic meals.  Cooking school at Il Falconiere in Tuscany was a feast for our eyes and stomach!  Moving on to Rome, we indulged ourselves in the art and history of this special city, accompanied by a local guide you arranged, an expert in Etruscan and Roman art and history, who amazed us at every turn.

What could have been a logistical nightmare was made surprisingly simple.  You logically mapped out our trip and booked us in three superior hotels.  We spent three nights each in Florence, Tuscany and Rome where the staffs at each hotel could not be more attentive to our needs.  The rooms were superb and, thanks to you, we were greeted with champagne in our rooms upon our arrival.  You even telephoned midway through our trip to insure that our expectations were being met.  You made wonderful recommendations for dining in every area we visited. The restaurants were local and greeted us enthusiastically, knowing you had recommended their establishments.   All your planning and forethought made for a fantastic trip.

I enthusiastically recommend Classic Travel and Tours to all my friends and will be calling you in the coming months as we plan our trip to Paris.

Thank you, again.

TRIP OF A LIFETIME

My husband and I have travelled overseas before, but this trip, I wanted to be extra special. We were planning to take 3 weeks to celebrate our 35th Wedding anniversary and both of us turning 60 all in the same year! A trip to Italy and Switzerland sounded perfect and with Bill and Nancy implementing the travel plans, it was sure to be memorable. That it was!

I have planned trips on my own before but for some reason I was overwhelmed with the length of this trip and the logistics of making sure everything went as planned. I couldn’t imagine how we were going to get to each location, find our way and see all that we wanted to see. I am sure you know by now, Bill did it all to perfection! We not only stayed in the most beautiful hotels/villas that were all centrally located, but we also had guides, drivers, rental cars and train passes in all the right places. As Bill had indicated during the planning stages, “there are places you definitely don’t want to be driving a car”. He was sooooo right. In the major cities of Italy, the only road rule is “there are no rules”!

All went according to plan, we stayed with our itinerary and still managed to have a lot of free time to explore and discover as we love to do.

We truly felt we experienced Italy in its entirety. We toured with the Italians, we swam with the Italians and we dined with the Italians. We totally submerged ourselves into their culture from the Amalfi Coast, to the Ancient Cities, to the picturesque Hillsides of Tuscany. The food was to heavenly. We loved the local pizzerias. As we walked many of cities from one end to another, we were surprised to find how manageable and intimate they were. Some of the sites we enjoyed seeing twice, once in the daylight and once in the evening (Trevi Fountain, Spanish Steps, the Pantheon). It was truly a different experience with each visit.

We spent the last few days of our trip hiking and cycling through Switzerland. The color of Switzerland’s countryside is unmatched with its emerald green grass, bright fresh flower boxes, grand waterfalls, and majestic snowcapped Alps all against crystal clear blue skies. It was simply breathtaking. We loved the sound and ringing of the cow bells. Our cog wheel train ride to Jung Frau Joch (Top of Europe) was the perfect way to end our trip, walking out onto glaciers with the feeling of being on Top of the World. I would never have found this spot without Bill’s help and that is pretty much how the whole trip went. Bill put us in all the right places at all the right times. The trip was romantic, adventuresome and flawless. It is clear to me now; I will never be disappointed with a trip planned by Classic Travel & Tours.

Ellen & Phil   

AN EXCELLENT ADVENTURE

From the time our airplane landed in Milan, Italy, until we departed from Paris, France, Bill Gearhart, along with his wife Nancy, of Classic Travel and Tours, in Metuchen, New Jersey, planned a magical vacation for my husband, me and another couple. Bill was recommended to us from a friend in our town, who raved about their experience in Italy and the service they received from Classic Travel and Tours. When we decided to take a trip to Italy during the beginning of March, we immediately called Bill and from that moment on, he listened to what expected from the trip and he interjected his amazing expertise of Italy…..and most of the world for that matter…and put together a beautiful trip that we will never forget.

We spent 6 days in Italy and 2 days in Paris. Bill suggested that we might be best served having a driver for the Italian leg of our journey. He set us up with a wonderful driver/tour guide named Marcello Grandini. He was waiting for us at the airport in Milan and from then on, he was there for everything! He would pick us up at 9AM each morning and show us an Italy that most tours groups never see. He brought us to the most charming and delicious trattorias for lunch and dinner each day, and at night he brought us back to our hotel, exhausted and exhilarated from the day that we had. His explanations of the sights were perfect and his knowledge of the cities and towns we visited were impressive.

The hotels that Bill booked for us were some the nicest we have ever stayed in. From the Melia Milano, in Milan, to the magnificent Pallazzo Magnani Feroni, in Florence, the Alle Corte Del Sole, in the Umbria, to the Westminster Opera Hotel in Paris, we were treated like royalty. Bill arranged upgrades for us, and we found ourselves checked into a hotel suite. Bill Gearhart always had a bottle of wine, a bottle of Champaign or a basket of fruit waiting for us at each stop. We were so impressed with his thoughtfulness. He also knows that though we like quality in our accommodations, we are conscience of the costs. He was able to combine the two and not compromise on quality.

After our sad goodbyes to Marcello at the Rome airport, we flew into Paris, and Bill arranged a driver to pick us up and transport us to our hotel. The manager of the Westminster Hotel in Paris greeted us on our arrival and couldn’t be more helpful and warm. A half day tour of Paris was arranged for us by Bill, and between that and our own sightseeing, we experienced a great deal of one of the most beautiful cities we have ever seen. Of course, Bill made sure we arrived in plenty of time to catch our flight back to Newark, NJ.

In closing, Bill and Nancy Gearhart of Classic Travel and Tours will be planning all of our future trips, including an 11 night cruise this summer in the Eastern Mediterranean.

Frank and Karen

“I know that this is a trip that we will be discussing forever.”

Dear Bill and Nancy,

Pam and I wanted to express our gratitude for the wonderful trip you prepared for all of us! You created some life-lasting memories for us. I know that this is a trip that we will be discussing forever. Your efforts to make us feel welcome and part of your group did not go unnoticed. Thank you!

Take care and know we will remember our time in Africa with you very fondly.

Shawn & Pam

 “We walked into his office feeling a little lost, and walked out with an itinerary, ease of mind and feeling giddy with excitement over the trip!”

“My husband and I were overwhelmed trying to plan our European honeymoon - we were torn between France and Italy, not knowing much about either. We were overwhelmed searching online and the wedding was 3 months away! Bill @Classic Travel came highly recommended thru a wedding planning website, and he was our saving grace. We met at his office on a holiday weekend, when he was otherwise closed, and he sat with us for hours offering us information about the countries as well as listening to what our likes, dislikes and budget were. In the end, we were won over with Italy and all the knowledge Bill had to offer - he had so many wonderful stories and resources for us, it was as though he knew Italy like the back of his hand. We walked into his office feeling a little lost, and walked out with an itinerary, ease of mind and feeling giddy with excitement over the trip! We spent two glorious weeks traveling thru gorgeous Italy and had the time of our lives! Classic Travel truly put together a spectacular trip for us and we will cherish our memories for a lifetime.”

James & Alicia

“This type of honeymoon would provide us with the freedom of driving from town to town at our leisure, but with the structure that would allow us to capitalize on the unique features of each region.”

“What a Wonderful Experience!! My husband and I were referred to Bill and Nancy by a co-worker of mine, who could not give enough praise to the experiences they have had with Classic Travel and Tours.

We met with Bill and Nancy about 5 months before our honeymoon. We had several ideas of where we wanted to travel and what we wanted to experience, but with very little information about any of the European countries. Bill sat down with us and listened to our interests, past travel experiences, and activities we enjoyed. His intuitive nature and attention to detail led us to discover Southern France, an area he is very familiar with. We choose to do a driving tour of the Southern part of France, which included Tours, St Emilion, The Dordogne Valley, Avignon, Eze, and Monaco. This type of honeymoon would provide us with the freedom of driving from town to town at our leisure, but with the structure that would allow us to capitalize on the unique features of each region. On the first visit to Classic Tours and Travel we looked at brochures, pictures, travel books, sights, and hotels. What would have been an overwhelming experience anywhere else, was turned into an enjoyable and exciting conversation. As the day of the wedding and honeymoon approached Bill and Nancy were in contact about once every other week to go over hotels that were booked, ideas for the itinerary, and always to make sure we were 100% happy with the choices that were made.

The week before the wedding we sat down to go over every piece of the itinerary, which was nicely and conveniently displayed in a folder that included every reservation, every direction, suggestions for each day of our trip, and ideas for unique souvenirs. Each day of the honeymoon was like a treasure. Bill and Nancy made sure that at each hotel/chateau we received VIP treatment; we were either greeted with champagne, desserts, fruits or upgrades. The suggestions by Bill matched exactly what we were interested in experiencing and exploring. We went to castles and chateaus, canoed down the Dordogne River and had a picnic lunch, shopped at local markets that filled the streets of a medieval town, tasted some of the most exquisite wines and cheeses France had to offer, soaked up the beautiful French Rivera, and experienced the decadence of Monte Carlo. Almost a year later and we still talk about our honeymoon and each time I pass by a souvenir I am instantly brought back to the most romantic and memorable two weeks of our lives. WE HIGHLY RECOMMEND CLASSICS TOUR AND TRAVEL!!!"

Allison & George

 "My dream vacation was an African Safari..."

My dream vacation was an African Safari for my 25th wedding anniversary with my husband,Steve, and “He made it happen”! While he was in Metuchen, New Jersey, he wandered into Classic Travel and Tours and met Bill and Nancy Gearhart who were friendly, helpful and planned a magnificent African trip for us. Our 14-day Safari went to South Africa, Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe and to Samburu, Ololokwe and Masai Mara Ranges in Kenya.

Steve took me to meet Bill and Nancy and I immediately took a liking to both of them. Bill asked us a series of questions. I told Bill a little bit about Steve and myself and the places I had wanted to see while in Africa. Bill explained what was possible and not possible to do in our time frame and price range. Within a few weeks, Bill had our itinerary ready and my dream was becoming a reality. Every detail was taken care of – if and when we had any questions we did not hesitate to call and get it answered. No detail was left unplanned.

Our trip was a dream come true and we wanted for nothing the entire time we were there and in the air. We absolutely loved our “Dream Vacation” and will never forget the vacation that Classic Travel and Tours created for us.

Sincerely,
Steve and Maggie Schock