SmoothRed Recensioni 

This was our 4th trip using SmoothRed. Each trip they get a little better tech on their app. This trip was flawless through this wine region. They have some of the best wine guides along with contacts for cooking classes, hotels, shuttle drivers and dining in the business. Their continuous contact via the app is very helpful and stress free.

They are the best in the travel business.

I discovered SmoothRed as a result of an online search for “ custom, luxury tours of Ireland and Scotland.”

I was directed to a site that required me to submit some information regarding travel plans and within a day I got a telephone call from Chris at SmoothRed.

I’ll abbreviate the process by summarizing that SmoothRed put together a private tour of Ireland and Scotland for my husband and me that we will treasure for the rest of our days.

They coordinated private drivers, reservations at spectacular hotels, memorable tours and unforgettable activities throughout our travels.

They made some reservations at recommended local restaurants as well.

The entire planning process and throughout our itinerary, the staff at SmoothRed were professional, responsive, friendly, and knowledgeable. They also provided a customized app with every daily detail of our trip including reservation information, drivers names, numbers and arrival detail, tour guide names and numbers, any and all information pertaining to our trip was at our immediate disposal.

I highly recommend SmoothRed if you want to plan a customized tour of any part of Ireland and the UK.

SmoothRed (Chris Rigge and Andreea Rotaru) listened to our wish list of things to do and see, while keeping our age, health and finances in mind and the result was the trip of a lifetime and memories we will cherish forever. My husband and I were impressed with their attention to detail, organization, constant communication with us and quality of customer service. Our 24-day itinerary was planned out hour by hour, day by day with all applicable tickets/admissions/reservations secured in advance. The tour guides and chauffeurs they employed for our use were outstanding/top of the line, as were the accommodations. It was our first time to use SmoothRed and we would give them the highest rating and recommend them highly. It was a pleasure working with them. Shelia Ross

We had a great trip. All the Hotels were great to perfect.
Hotel Le Pavillon des Lettres in Paris was perfect. Each night after touring we were able to sit in the foyer, have a snack and a cocktail to unwind before heading to dinner. The dinner cruise on the Seine River was a great start to a great vacation. Our tour guide for the Le Louvre and our walk through the Latin Quarter was fabulous. She was very informative and the pace was just right.
Versailles bike tour was a lot of fun. Lunch by the pond with the goodies we purchased at the market was very enjoyable. Our guide OJ, was a lot of fun and he explained the history in a fun easy way to understand.
The highlight for me in Paris was Normandy. Antoine Muriel our guide for the two days was fabulous. What passion and knowledge he has for what took place for D Day to happen. It was a big eye opener for me. And Mont Michel! What can you say, how did they build that is amazing! The Hotel Villa Lara was beautiful, and walking distance to the town strip as I call it.
One thing I would have changed was to stay in Portofino longer! I would have loved to stay there a couple more days. The hotel was gorgeous, our sea front view rooms were fabulous. Just not enough time to really enjoy the flavor of the town.
Florence Hotel Orto De Medici was very nice. Nicholas our tour guide was fantastic. Again a very knowledgeable and compassionate guide. You could feel his heart in every word he spoke.
Sebastien our driver to Tuscan was amazing. I don’t know how they drive there but they do and do it extremely well. Our visit to Badia a Passignano cellars was educational to say the least. The meal, the wine and the service was exceptional. Hotel Athena was very nice with one exception. The bathtub did have mold in the shower (if needed I do have a photo). Otherwise, it was very nice as I said.
Our wine tours in Chianti were great. We enjoyed two that were set up, but were too tired to make the third one. Cispiano Wine Farmhouse was great, we learned even more about wine and the spices used in wine making. Definitely a gold mine for people who want to learn about wine.
On to Rome. What can one say, it is a city all its own. Terrace Pantheon Relais Hotel location was fabulous as well as the hotel accommodations. Vatican, Sistine Chapel, St Peter’s resting place, and of course the Colosseum were all a site to see. Our guide again did a fabulous job explaining things to us.
To Sorrento by train! That was a fabulous way to go, very impressive, and fast. The Grand Hotel de la Ville was exquisite! We enjoyed our balcony sea view room very much. Again all the tours were great. The all-day boat tour was the best way to end our trip. The Mediterranean Sea and the Amalfi coast are beautiful, the clearest blue water I have ever seen, and to swim in it! What more can you do!
Summer, you and all the Smooth Red team made it a great vacation for us. Thank you!

SmoothRed did an absolutely amazing job of constructing a trip suited exactly to our preferences.  The entire trip was executed without a single hitch, even with multiple forms of transportation involved and many transfers.  We cannot imagine putting together a customized vacation without using SmoothRed again!

Terrific experience working with SmoothRed! They are so professional and beyond helpful in planning the trip and keeping you informed all during the trip. I will use them again and highly recommend them to all my friends!!!

We did a couple of nights in AIX, with a wine tasting across three vineyards. We had a great day, and the tour guide was a lovely bloke and we were well looked after. SmoothRed were very communitive throughout and organized a wonderful day wine tasting. The first vineyard (Chateau la Verrerie) was exceptional and produced fantastic wines. The service provided was to a very high standard, with first class transport to and from the airport, and vineyards. The customer service team was fantastic and any queries or questions i had were picked up promptly. Only minor criticism is a 7 course tasting menu was arranged and no mention of what it involved was said prior. Ended up being 5 courses of shellfish which my Wife isn't a fan of. The restaurant were very accommodating and it was replaced with a second more varied menu, but this could have been sorted prior had it been mentioned. Still this wasn't enough to dampen what was a great experience, and partially my fault for not asking the question. I will certainly be using SmoothRed for my next wine tasting, and thoroughly recommend them :)

Jack was brilliant and worked hard to creat a super bespoke package. Professional and personable throughout.

The 3rd time we have used SmoothRed for our Wine/ Champagne tasting experience and each time it has been well organised down to the last detail. Great knowledge on Vineyards and Local Restaurants to complete the experience.

We used SmoothRed for the first time this year, and were delighted with the results. They helped us plan a trip to the south of France, and adjusted the schedule as required during the planning. Once we went on the trip, everything was seamless - the hotel, guides and wineries were all excellent and everything was seamless. We almost felt guilty about how easy everything was - our schedule was planned, and the app is perfect for keeping track for what was next. We are looking forward to using SmoothRed again in future!

This was our second trip using SmoothRed. Last year they planned a wonderful trip for us in southern France. This year we used them for a 16 day trip from Genoa to Milan, traveling through Tuscany and ending with visits to Lake Garda and Lake Como. They customized a trip to our specifications, were super responsive to questions we had, and made changes on short notice to our itinerary. Their team is super knowledgeable. Following our trip, they set up a call to gather our feedback about the trip. How many companies do that anymore!? All our drivers and tour guides were top notch. Using SmoothRed not only allowed us to visit all the places we wanted during our trip, but they made the trip seamless and worry free. We will definitely use them for another trip in near future. I have already recommended SmoothRed to five of my friends!

Our Bordeaux trip was fabulous---every detail--from the elevated wine experiences tasting the best vintages, to the drivers who were very informed and made unplanned stops, to the Michelin star restaurants and amazing hotels... very memorable trip!

Perfectly organised trip to Champagne with a multi faceted itinerary that ran like clockwork. The app with all the timings and details and extra advice was a very good addition.

My partner and I travelled to London and the Countryside of England for a bit over two weeks. The team at SmoothRed arranged EVER aspect of our vacation in an excellent professional, and personable manner.  The whole process of planning the trip with Chris and with Carolina at SmoothRed was FUN!  It made me get more and more excited over the months of planning.  

I was initially a bit cautious about using SmoothRed given their emphasis on Wine Based Travel, but Chris assured me that the agency, and he personally knew England and could provided the knowledge to create a truly wonderful experience for us:   They delivered.  The hotels, especial in the countryside were Five Star and wonderful each in their own way.  Clearly in each hotel we had the best room in the house--something that was clearly a reflection of Chris' knowledge of the hotels and connections with the management of the establishments.  Their restaurant selecting were very good and as well.  Carolina had to get up at 12:01AM in order to get us a reservation at Clare Smyth the three starred Michelin Restaurant (it was excellent and less expensive but no less mind-blowing than other similar restaurants we have dined at).

Another high point were the guides that they arranged for us.  All were knowledgeable but as well, and more importantly, they were personable and quickly read us and our interests and travelling styles.  They lived in the areas that we were touring, all had Mercedes Vans that were great for the two of us to stretch out in!  Lots of personal touches throughout.  Chris has connection to the top-notch guides. A side note, as a Gay Couple we were aware and  appreciated the kind of warm welcome we received from ever single person who was a part of our arranged stay in England. 

To top it off Chris and Carolina met us for drinks while we were staying London--a lovely touch that captures their personal commitment and the connection they made and we felt with them.  This is the first time in our travels through Zicasso that we have had such an opportunity and it mattered to us, as did our feedback matter to them.

Working with SmoothRed was a wonderful experience.  We recommend them without reservation.

Great 10 day trip starting in Paris, then beautiful Colmar as our base for a stay in the Alsace area and of course including a day wine tour.
We then drove to very pretty Chablis for a few days and then North to Ypres for a Battlefield visit. (self drive by us).
All hotels well chosen by Smooth Red ,and our tour guides were very easy to talk to and very knowledgeable about their subjects.
We have used Smooth red several times over the years and look forward to booking with them again.
Thanks to Carolina who had the patience of a saint !

SmoothRed were very easy to work with and communicated throughout the planning process. Our initial conversation resulted in an itinerary that only required minor adjustments to suit our preferences. The SmoothRed App was also a great help containing our itinerary, e-tickets, maps and directions for each day. Overall a fantastic vacation with just the right balance between organized activities and relaxation.

Our trip was split between 3 nights in Paris and 4 nights in champagne region. My wife and I have been fortunate in that we've visited Paris a number of times before, so decided to include things we hadn't experienced. In Paris the St. Germaine food tour was without doubt our favorite activity. The cheese and wine pairing afternoon came a close second and we thoroughly enjoyed our private guided tour of The Louvre.

In Champagne region our most memorable visit and tasting was at Marion-Bosser where we met the owner and enjoyed champagne tasting in the courtyard of her historic home. A must visit for lunch when visiting a champagne producer in the Reims area is Coq et Vin, the food is fantastic!
What would we do differently; other than add additional days in Paris, as there's always more to experience and enjoy, we would adjust our two hotel stay in Champagne region (one in Reims and one in Sacy, near Epernay) to just the chateau in Sacy. The chateau is truly fantastic and given everything is within a 30 minute drive, we would have made that our "base" as both Reims and Epernay can be experienced easily from Sacy.

Our experience with SmoothRed was as the name suggests, smooth! From beginning to end, there was not a single bump in the road. The trip took our party of six to Bordeaux, France, where, for three days, we visited four Chateaux, tasted wonderful French wines, and ate gourmet lunches. Our guide, Charlotte was experienced with winery operations in the area and was outstanding. Our boutique hotel in Bordeaux was top-notch. The second half of our trip was to the Rioja region of Spain. Again, we experienced some unique and special wineries and dined on fabulous Spanish food. The hotel in Logrono was first class and our guide, Javi, was over-the-top incredible. He had an extensive knowledge of Spanish history and, because he was a grape grower himself, taught us much about wineries in the region. Adam and Carolina were able to put together a trip that met all of our expectations. They, along with entire the SmoothRed team, are a five-star operation, who we highly recommend without reservation.

Listen and listen good, this was the best trip with my family and I have ever had!. Your App and the attention to detail were spectacular. Your restaurant recommendations were spot on. Your tour guides were absolutely fantastic. Their enthusiasm was contagious and my family never got bored or disinterested. Please, please express to each guide the great job they did for you and us! The little bit of help we needed was addressed immediately and to perfection. The hotels were great choices and located perfectly in each city. Your drivers and their safety with my family was evident and they were each cordial and professional. I dealt with several of your employees and they too carried themselves with the utmost professionalism and timely responses to my needs.

I'm a control freak and was planning a three-week vacation to Europe. I got completely overwhelmed with locations, hotels, trains, taxis, excursions, guides, restaurants...I like to control my destiny but I knew I was in over my head. My wife found SmoothRed and said, "give them a try".

I spoke with Adam on the phone and he assured me that he would plan a good trip for us. He's English...so he sounded polite...I figured I'd give it a shot and worst-case scenario, I could always back out of the trip.

My wife and I wanted to take the Orient Express from Paris to Venice. That was the "anchor" of our trip but we also wanted to see France, London, Florence, and Venice. It was a lot to plan.

Adam and Karmen came back with a three-week trip that centered around the Orient Express. They planned everything. They planned the guides. The hotels. The taxis. The trains. And they did it all around the Orient Express train ride. I don't know how they did it.

Well let me say this...the trip was BEYOND perfect. The hotels were amazing. The guides and tours were the absolute highlight of the trip. We didn't have a single taxi or ride to worry about. Every single step of the trip was perfectly planned out AND - this was the benefit I never thought of - WHEN we did have hiccups, SmoothRed was just a phone call/email away.

If you ever questioned "Why do I need a travel agent?". The reason is...they support the trip as you are taking it. That reason alone took SO MUCH stress out of the trip. That's the value I see in leveraging SmoothRed. I just had a friend come back from a multiple-week trip that they planned themselves. They were miserable because hiccups happen and they spent time on their vacation trying to figure it out. I said to them "The same hiccups happened to us but all I did was send an email and it was cared for in an hour". COMPLETELY different experience we had and it was because SmoothRed was supporting us as we traveled. I'm sold on using SmoothRed going forward. Seriously. I won't ever look at planning a trip myself again (and I'm a control freak...).

Regarding tours. The tours were really driven by the guides. We had six tours and the guides were the most amazing guides. Two stood out to us. The first was the Versailles tour. He was amazing. He brought us to areas most tours don't go and he gave us the history and background of each step along the way. He set us up with a lunch spot and he gave us privacy too. He was amazing, passionate, and he had such a French "dismissive" behavior towards certain things that my wife and I would crack up about. He was so memorable and so much fun. He inspired me to start reading about King Louis XIV, XV, and XVI. I'm hooked on French history now because of that tour and he even gave us history about the impact of the French Revolution for the places we were going to (Venice and Florence).

The second amazing tour (Sara was the guide) in Florence was amazing. She hit it off with my wife - we actually sat in a cafe and just drank coffee and chatted for about an hour. My wife speaks fluent Italian and the two of them were just chatting away in Italian. My wife had the time of her life and it was like having lunch with an old friend. Sara was so passionate about "her city" and its history and she told the story of Florence so dramatically. She took us into the Duomo and took us to the front pew. Then for about 20 minutes went on about the assassination attempt in that very location. But she was so visual in her expressions and so dramatic in her storytelling. I felt like I was there hundreds of years ago...watching an assassination attempt. She was cool, smart, and just an amazing person to be around. She stopped us on our tour to watch someone make a sandwich. I got such a kick out of that - my wife and I were from the restaurant business so we totally geeked out on the detour to check out a sandwich being made.

The anchor was the Orient Express. I cannot say enough about that train. We sat in the bar car before dinner and after dinner. It was the others on the train that made the experience. Others got dressed up in tuxedos and dresses from the 20s and 30s. I sat there at one point - at the far end of the bar car - and we were going in and out of tunnels. When we entered a tunnel, the outside of the train would go black and the sounds INSIDE the train got amplified. The lighting in the train changed to a more muted and softer color. Music was playing. People in clothing from the 1920s and 30s, drinking classic drinks, and dancing. If time travel existed - that was it. We hit the tunnel and we time-traveled back to 1920. It was real...we really transported back. Then we'd exit the tunnel, the lighting changed...the sounds changed...and we were back in 2023. Then another tunnel...and more time traveling. Everyone on the train said the same thing about that moment. We time-traveled. It's real.

We have just arrived home from a glorious 5 days in France. This is the second time we have used SR, the first being my husband’s 50th birthday treat. What I especially like about this company is that once all the arrangements have been made, they leave you alone to enjoy your break but you always know that they are there…just in case. This is because their app is brilliant and loaded with all the information you need and updated as soon as a change is made. It is an incredibly valuable tool and includes maps, restaurant suggestions, photos of the places that you are due to visit and also allows you to post any photos should you wish. In addition, it keeps you up to date with your flights, gate number etc.

I definitely recommend this company for experienced and novice travellers and would use them again without hesitation.