Alta Tours - About Us

I wanted to send you a follow up to our trip to Spain this Past December. In short it was one of the best trips we have take to Europe. Everything wen well, including the weather. All the arrangements you had made were perfect. I called the emergency number for some help one day and Josu was extremely helpful. He did whatever was necessary and told me not to hesitate to call if I needed anything else. He also helped us book the flamenco show in Madrid.

a sign with our name and he promptly took us to our hotel. He had a nice minivan so the journey was extremely comfortable.

The Hotels were all very good. We always got rooms next to each other that was very convenient. All the Hotels(except the one in Granada) were located very close to everything we wanted to see.

This was very helpful in sightseeing, coming back to rest for a while, etc. The Hotel in Granada was very nice but we did not like the location as we had to take a taxi to get everywhere. It is right besides the Alhambra which is nice but it is not close to other places.

But really nothing to complain...just thought you might want to know for future travellers.

impressive. We had reserved seats on all trains and on the AVE, in each coach there is only one or two areas that have two rows of seats facing each other. On each of our AVE reservations we had

been booked on those seats facing each other and have some family time. On the train from Barcelona to Granada, for some reason we were booked on two separate coaches. That could have been a problem, however fortunately the conductor was able to accomodate a change and assigned us a cabin right next to each other and it even had connecting doors. For future reference, please ensure that the coach number must be the same for each group of travelers.

The quality of the tours was very good. All the private tours were knowledgeable and helpful. I would especially like to complement

Carmen in Granada who gave us the tour of the Alhambra. She had a good sense of humor anf got across all the historical facts in a very

she imparted all the information. In Seville our tour guide arranged for taxis to take us to the Cathedral as it was closing early that day and he even paid for the taxi fares. In Cordoba, the tour guide had us take

pick us up from our Hotel lobby and took us to the main bus terminal where we boarded the bus tour. Toledo is a very beautiful place and i would recommend it to your future travelers. With the kids, the half day tour was plenty as they would have been bored on a full day tour.

I hoped I have covered every aspect of our trip and the detaisl I have given you might be helpful for your future clients. I want to once again

thank tou to Josu also. Ever since we have come back we have been telling our friends to make a trip to Spain and I will happy to recommend your services to all of them You certainly ensured that our trip was comfortable and enjoyable

We walked to all of our destinations from there. We highly recommend Pizzeria Mario C/. Sta Maria La Blanca #15 Tel 954-41-67 75. The Pizzas we had there were better than any we had in Italy. The Hotels in Lisbon and Madrid were also nice.Overall we really enjoyed our trip. Thanks

We just returned from our trip to Spain & Morocco. We had a marvelous time on Spain thanks to you. The hotels and the tours were outstanding. Thanks for your help im making our trip so enjoyable and memorable. Plase pass on our thanks to your office in Madrid for their

I will definitely recommend your travel agency to anyone I know who is Planning a trip to South America or Spain/Portugal. Thanks for all your help

We LOVED the trip! Everything you planned for us was perfect. The tango Show was fantastice and Iwill never forget the experience of being so close to the wild life.

People were very nice to us and we enjoyed using our 10 words of Spanish and they enjoyed practicing their English.

All-in-all, it was a wonderful 2 weeks and if you would like us to talk to anybody about our experiences, please do pass on our names.

Rosemary Woodhead

SPAIN TRIP

Eugenio,

I just wanted to tell you that the arrangements you made for us in Spain worked out beautifully. In particular, the drivers were an enormous help for us. They were always early or on time, friendly, and very professional. It made traveling with 7 people very easy. Also, the tour guides, David, James, and Roberto (he was a substitute for the regular guide in Granada) were fantastic. We learned so much and they too were so nice and very professional.

The hotels were lovely and well located. The train rides were alot of fun. It was very reassuring to have Aurora's number on hand to use in an emergency. All in all, a great trip.

Thank you.

Jeanne

PORTUGAL TRIP:

Eugenio--

We've meant to get in touch with you about our Portugal trip, and I apologize for the delay.

We were very pleased with all aspects of the trip. The hotels you chose were excellent, with very good breakfasts and helpful service. Joanne took a short fall at the Hotel Quinta da Bela Vista, and a nearby room service staff person and the hotel manager couldn't have been more helpful and caring. We especially enjoyed the New Year's Eve gala dinner at the same hotel, and the view of Funchal's New Year's fireworks from the hotel grounds was a high point of our trip.

The transfers to and from the Funchal and Lisbon airports were excellent. In each case the person providing transportation was either waiting for us at the airport terminal or was early for our hotel pickup. We also found our tours in Madeira to be very good. The full day tour to Santana did not include lunch, and that resulted in my eating apart from the rest of the tour (Joanne missed that tour due to her fall). I would rather have paid for lunch and joined the group at the restaurant. All tour restaurants provided excellent food, drink and service. The tours in Lisbon were not quite as good as those in Madeira, maybe in part because the guides had to speak in multiple languages for varied nationalities. In one tour the guide had to speak four languages.

We ate at three of the Lisbon restaurants you recommended and Restaurant Tripeiro in Porto, where we had a nice lunch. The Lisbon restaurants were all excellent. Our favorite was Restaurant Tavares, where we had a wonderful dinner, with food and service as good as we've had anywhere in the world. We had dinner at Restaurant Martinho da Arcada, where the staff was extremely helpful and the food and wine excellent. We were able to walk to Gambrinus, and again the food, wine and service were excellent. By the way, the night tour of Madeira with dinner and folk dancing was also very good.

All in all we enjoyed our experience in Portugal very much. I think it is one of the (if not the) most comfortable, friendly countries we've visited. We always felt safe, and the cab drivers and anyone we asked for assistance were very courteous and helpful.

We would be pleased to recommend a trip to Madeira/Portugal to anyone, and your hotel, tour and restaurant recommendations were top notch. Thank you for a job very well done!

Bob Brush

Dear Eugene,

I've been meaning to write you ever since we came home from Chile and Antarctica . Our vacation was a 5-star one. All four of us loved our whole trip. It made a big impact on the kids as well as Ricardo and me, and will have a front spot in our memory banks!

Thank you for helping me figure out an itinerary and then for arranging every detail of our airport pick-ups and deliveries, our tours, hotels, etc. Our trip was as smooth as could be. And the weather was amazingly cooperative except for our time in Chiloe where it poured rain the whole time. I grimaced when I saw we had a 6am pick-up from Rio Serrano Hotel in Torres del Paine, but the sunrise we saw was so exquisite I was happy about getting up so early! By the way, the Rio Serrano gave us amazing views which we never would have had if we'd stayed at the Hotel T de P so I'm glad the latter was full!

Sara

SPAIN TRIP

Hi Eugenio,

We are back and we had a wonderful time! Thank you so much for all of your help. All of the tour guides were terrific and the drivers were all on time and very pleasant. The car ended up being too small for our luggage so we had 3 of our bags forwarded from Granada to Seville . That worked out fine. We enjoyed all of the cities tremendously. The girls' favorite was Seville . We also enjoyed all of the hotels. I particularly appreciated the locations, very convenient, and in the case of Southern Spain , within steps of all of the action. The only hotel that I didn't love was the one in Cordoba . While the hotel was very lovely and had a great location, I found the hotel to be very understaffed and very unfriendly(Hotel Amistad). There was almost a depressing feeling there. The staff and the Alhambra Palace hotel were awesome, very friendly and helpful, particularly around sending our luggage out.

The train was an experience. The only problem we had is that 4 out of the 5 of us could not sleep at all. But, the service and accommodations were nice (for a train!).

Thanks so much.

Peggy Kriss

SPAIN TRIP

Dear Susie,

I got back on Wednesday from Spain and I just wanted to tell you how amazing the trip was. We loved every hotel you picked for us, as well as your suggestions for restaurants,tour sites, etc. From the hotels, to the car service, the tour guides, etc., everything was smooth as could be. The tour we had, especially in Madrid and Toledo was outstanding. I never met someone with so much knowledge of the history and art of Spanish culture. I brought home her business card- I will send you her name.

We enjoyed spending the time with our daughter in Seville - they were thrilled to go our for dinner with us to Modesto and go see a Flamenco show. She's having a great experience in Seville- Our hotel was next door to the University - it was incredible to see where she was studying.

Thanks again for your comprehensive and detailed itinerary - - it was really helpful. It was truly a trip we will never forget.

We'll be sure to contact you for future vacations!

Enjoy the rest of your summer.

Thanks again!

Debbie & Steve

SPAIN TRIP

Eugenio, the trip on the Belle de Cadix was terrific. In all the cruises I have taken, both ocean going and river, I have never had a friendlier crew or better meals.The meals were not only delicious, they were beautifully presented. Everything was terrific. The cabins were nice, not extremely spacious, but very useable. The bathrooms were well appointed. They had gel soap, but no shampoo so advise your customers that want shampoo to bring theirs. The side trips were a lot of fun and the guides were very good. The main language was French,but the tour director and the chief purser spoke English and were very helpful. There were only two other Americans on board, but there was a large group of British tourists, as well as a couple from South Africa. We enjoyed getting to know them. The entertainment every night was fun. We especially loved the Portuguese dancers and the Spanish flamenco night. The show presented by the crew was hilarious. There was dancing every night. The pool was small, but refreshing and the deck chairs were plentiful and comfortable. Thanks for arranging the trip. It was a good choice for our group's varied ages.

Alicia and Lauren Weil

Henry Brenner

We are back from our trip to Spain and had a wonderful time. The tour was well organized and we got to see everything we wanted. The guide was helpful and made the trip fun and interesting. The hotels were great as well and meals were delicious! Thank you for booking the extra hotel room in Barcelona and the train tickets. Everything went smoothly and we enjoyed our trip.

Thanks again! We would definately recommed Alta Tours to our friends in the future!

Mike White

Eugenio,

We just came back from Argentina-Brazil and I would like to express my
appreciation for the well prepared trip: everything went very smooth,
all guides (Olga, Gabriel, Eleonora)
were very friendly and very helpful. All this made our trip very enjoyable
and memorable.

Thank you very much to you, representatives and our Russian
speaking guides !

Inna

SPAIN BUS TOUR

EUGENIO,
WE'RE BACK FROM OUR TRIP AND WE ENJOYED IT VERY MUCH. ONE OF THE BEST THINGS ABOUT THE TRIP WAS THAT WE WERE WITH PEOPLE FROM MANY DIFFERENT COUNTRIES.
THERE WERE PEOPLE FROM PUERTO RICO, PANAMA, BRAZIL, SINGAPORE, MALAYSIA, AUSTRAILIA, SWITZERLAND, MEXICO AND OF COURSE SPAIN AND PORTUGAL. WE WERE THE ONLY ONES FROM THE UNITED STATES, BUT IT LENT GREAT FLAVOR TO THE TRIP.
MY ONLY SUGGESTION IS THAT YOU TELL PROSPECTIVE TOURISTS TO TAKE AT LEAST ONE EXTRA DAY IN MADRID. IT'S A VERY IMPORTANT PART OF A TRIP TO SPAIN AND YOU ONLY GET A SHORT PANORAMIC TOUR BY BUS OF THE CITY. ONE OF THE HIGH-LIGHTS OF MADRID IS THE WORLD FAMOUS PRADO MUSEUM AND IT'S NOT TO BE MISSED. WE WERE LUCKY IN THAT WE HAD 2 EXTRA DAYS IN MADRID SO WE WERE ABLE TO GET TO THE PRADO.
WE ALSO TOOK A TRIP TO SEGOVIA AND AVILA. THEY ARE MAGNIFICENT CITIES AND WORTH STAYING IN SPAIN EXTRA DAYS TO VISIT.
OTHER THAN THE LIMITED TIME THE 12 DAY TOUR PROVIDES OF MADRID, WE CAN ONLY SAY BRAVO! A WONDERFUL TOUR, GREAT GUIDES, AND TERRIFIC DRIVERS.

SHARYN

SPAIN TRIP

Claire & Eugenio, I wanted to say thanks for our wonderful vacation in Spain. All the drivers who provided transportation and tour guides were there when they were supposed to be. The tour guides were very knowledgeable and friendly and we loved all our walking tours. The hotels were all great, too.

Shelley Bernick

Hi Eugenio

We returned last weekend from the marvellous trip you put together for us. All went very smoothly and, apart from one delayed flight from BA to Iguazu (not uncommon I gather), we had no problems. The weather was very kind and we have thousands of photos between the four of us. Our sons really enjoyed themselves and we loved the diversity, beauty and interest every stop had to offer.

The people were particularly kind and helpful and we really liked them. Our guide, Christopher, from Aquas Grandes in Iguazu, was just superb.

If you need any further information from me, don't hesitate to ask.

All the best for the New Year

Wendy

SPAIN TRIP

Yes, we have recovered. We had the most wonderful time. Alta was just GREAT with everything that I experienced.

Our hotels were wonderful. I really loved each and every one. The Alhambra Palace was the most luxurious, but each of the others had beautiful large rooms and large bathroom s and balconies. The hotel in Seville was the most “charming” with all the courtyards and plants. The Parador had a spectacular view; however, we were extremely disappointed with our meal at their restaurant. It was our most expensive and the food was NOT GOOD and we had a snooty waiter. I was really sorry for that.

I would love to compliment the guides and drivers. The vans were all large and clean and air conditioned and really just perfect for five or six. We had plenty of room for luggage. All our guides were excellent, but several were outstanding. Blanca, our guide in Madrid and Toledo was just about perfect. She was so informative and had such a wonderful personality. She would make a wonderful dinner guest!!! Duke gave her a great big hug as well as a big tip at the end. Our guide and driver from Malaga to Tangiers and back, Juan, was a riot. We enjoyed him very much and he was VERY helpful in boarding the ferry and getting passports checked…. In fact, he took them and filled out all the forms for us. We didn’t have to do a thing but walk through! He had such a great personality. He was telling us about his experiences with Italian tour buses and Russian tourists…. Such funny stories. When we asked him to tell us what was most characteristic of the Americans he drove he said in a slow “Billy Bob” drawl…. “Can you turn up the air conditioner?!?!” Carlanda had been saying that to the drivers the two previous days and we all burst into laughter. We were turned over to a Moroccan guide in the city; we were told he was the head of the local guide association. He was very good. The lunch in the restaurant in Tangiers was lovely. The food was good, the room lovely, and the musicians skilled. Of course we were taken to see the “handicrafts” and ended up buying rugs, caftans, table cloths, etc. Our tour guides in Cordoba, Malaga, and Barcelona were very, very good. They adjusted the tours to our likes and preferences….. Really very good asset. (If there is a way to let Alta know, please do.)

We LOVED the train from Granada to Barcelona. We all slept. The cabins were a bit tight but well appointed and our full bathrooms made some I have seen on cruise ships seem small. The dinner was delightful…. Much better than I had feared. The dining car was very inviting and the waiter cheerful. We were treated to a glass of Spanish bubbly as we waited in the car for the train to leave the station. They didn’t start serving until we were moving. We each got mini bottles of wine with our meals and our meals were all very good. Of course…. We had had a three hour cocktail break at the Alhambra Palace after our tour while waiting for the transfer to the train.. by the way it was a small train station, the train was sitting on the first track and we just walked right on. Anyway, maybe our happy mood and great sleep had something to do with our satisfaction. None of us was hung over in the morning however.

I would recommend Alta for others of your clients to use.

Brenda

TALE OF TWO CITIES BUS TOUR

Good morning,

I wanted to let you know that I spoke with our cllients about their Tale of Two Cities tour and they were very happy. They especially complimented the tour guide and they enjoyed the rest of the group very much.

Thank you for doing such a wonderful job. Thank you also for sending the commission payment so promptly. I don't believe I have ever received a payment so quickly!

I will be strongly recommending your services to other agents.

Thank you so much,

Sharri
Fly Me to the Moon Travel

WINE TRIP TO CHILE

Just got back yesterday and can hardly wait to go again.

What a lovely place Chile is and what a brilliant future it has! We were so overwhelmed by the rapid progress that is being made. New housing and new freeways everywhere ... even construction on a Sunday!

Juan Zapata and Luis Bahamondes our guides were terrific. They filled us in on everything we wanted to know. The wineries they had selected were great. We also learned a lot about Chilean history with the visit to the museum in Colchagua and the El Huique Hacienda.

Our accommodations in the Colchagua Valley and Vina Del Mar , where charming, with delicious food. Ah yes! The wines.they were good

Our experience was just perfect because Alta thought of everything. You even sent guides and maps. In short, you anticipated our needs and provided resources for every detail of our trip. We travel quite a bit, but our comfort, physical and psychological, has never been so thoroughly prepared.

We had a super time. Thank you for making it all possible.

Fran

ARGENTINA & CHILE TRIP

Dear Eugenio, We enjoyed our trip immensely. It was better than we could have imagined. The food was superb at all the locations. We also thought you picked good neighborhoods and central locations for us in the cities.

Our guides were on time to meet us and it was great having all the help with that much luggage. Bernardo in Santiago was very knowledgeable and a good person to hang out with. We are very pleased. I hope you have received our thank you note for the wine and flowers. Thank you,

Sara

PERU TRIP

Eugenio-

Thank you so much for your help in booking our trip to Peru. Melinda, Rachel, and I enjoyed it immensely. The trip you arranged for us made it so easy to get around and relax. We especially liked Cuzco - between the private tour to Ollantaytambo, the wonderful, beautiful hotel, and the great scenery - we couldn't stop ourselves from saying repeatedly, we love Cuzco!

Thanks again! Happy New Year!
Winnie

Hi Eugenio,

Thank you for coordinating our honeymoon trip to Argentina. Todd and I had a great time!. All of the drivers and guides were efficient and punctual. We appreicated the services and will definitely recommend your services to our friends.

Todd & Melanie Stuckey

Mare Australis Cruise:

Just a note to let you know that the trip went very well once we were able to reach Buenos Aires.

The guides were all wonderful, the hotels were nice, the tours well planned and informative and the cruise was more than I could have hoped for!

We were well taken care of and loved it all! Many, many thanks to you for your assistance in planning this wonderful vacation. I will most likely be using you in the future for a trip to Spain!

Thanks again for a GREAT vacation!

I could not have been happier with your arrangements!

Bobbi and Erin

Spain & Portugal Bus Tour

We had an amazing time! The tour was well planned and everything went smoothly. I think our favorite time was 3 nights in Lisbon- it is beautiful there and we had plenty of time to relax and enjoy the city. Everything else seemed to go too fast. None of us enjoyed the trip to Fatima and I wish we'd have skipped it and slept in that day.
Getting up so early everyday started to take a toll on all of us.
Costa Del Sol was beautiful and I could have stayed there for a week!
Our favorite hotel was Los Angeles in Granada. Absolutely perfect. If you are interested, I posted reviews for each hotel at tripadvisor.com.
It was nice to have the 3 nights added on at the end to just relax before traveling again. The airport transfer was seemless and they even had a booster seat ready in the van for my 4 year old.
It was a great trip and we made lots of memories with the kids. Even though the tour was exhausting at times and we all got tired of getting back on the bus, I know we saw and learned much more than we would have on our own. When we were on our own time we tended to spend too much time sitting at the outdoor cafes drinking cervezas and cafe con leche.
Thanks for all of your efforts.
I'll attach a picture of the 8 of us in Cordoba.
Sincerely,
Tina

PERU TRIP

Dear Eugenio,
Thank you so much for arranging a fantastic anniversary trip for us to Peru. In spite of the country-wide strike that provided a little excitement for our last day in the country, we had a fabulous time. Your representaive in Peru was exceptional, and everything worked perfectly for every transfer and tour.

You planned the ideal itinerary and the hotels were absolutely the best. The MONASTERIO in Cusco was the best of the best, and they greeted us with an anniversary cake and upgrade to a bi-level suite. That was certainly unexpected but much appreciated! The guides were knowledgeable, pleasant to spend time with, and provided just the right amount of information about the sites.

We can't thank you enough for making this trip turn out so well for us. We certainly will call on you again!
Karen and Jim Kantor

CHILE & PERU TRIP

Hi Eugenio, Just want to let you know that my family and I had a very good first trip to Chile and Peru. Thanks for making all the arrangements. Your representatives in Chile & Peru were very good . Very responsible and organized. The drivers and guides are always on time and very friendly.

We enjoyed the restaurants in Lima. La Dama Juana has a terrific performance of folk dances of Peru, and the buffet dinner was good too. Alfresco, on the other hand, offers some really nice seafood dishes.

Thanks again.

BTW, we were lucky to run into some really nice weather in Chile too.

Yvonne Chan

PERU TRIP

Eugenio,

Thank you so much for your assistance with our itinerary to Peru. Our guide service was professional and informative. My whole family enjoyed the trip so much! I will certainly recommend Alta Tours to everyone.

Thank you again,

Bradley

Yes, we had a great trip. We found the lodgings all excellent, the people we met all genuinely hospitable, and the country quite beautiful and interesting. With respect to our guides were all superb, whether our guides or working for affiliated firms in Iguassu and Bariloche, both informative and fun to be with and come to know a little bit: Eugenia Felizia in BA, Maria Leal Prono In Iguassu, and sadly I forget the name in Bariloche, Martha... We were quite spoiled by their attention. The Melia Recoleta in BA we highly recommend: an intimate hotel with an excellent location immediately behind the Alvear Palace, an incredibly cordial and helpful staff, and very comfortable accommodations. We walked everywhere from there (and were glad not to be in Palermo Soho, which while charming, would have been a hike to everything). Although the Sheraton Iguassu was a bit predictable, and the food, “national park fare”, the staff was uniformly hospitable and helpful and the hotel very comfortable (and its location overlooking the falls trumps everything). Send clients to Aqua restaurant in Iguassu City for dinner. It is hard to find enough superlatives for Cavas Wine Lodge. I don’t think we’ve ever been in as delightful an inn—you are pampered from the moment you arrive, every need or desire anticipated (as well as needs and desires you didn’t know you had). As an example, we didn’t arrive at the hotel until 11:30pm (flight delays). The driver was there waiting for us at the airport. When arrived at the hotel to find that they had set a candlelight dinner for us in front of the fire in the hotel’s living room, drinks waiting for us and the kitchen open just for us. By the way, the food at Cavas was the best by far of anywhere on the trip, including highly touted restaurants in BA and elsewhere. The proprietors (who could not have been more charming or accomodating) on down to the bellmen made you feel as if your arrival was the highlight of their day.

Hotel Llao Llao was magnificent in a supremely beautiful setting, an oasis away from the somewhat tacky bustle of Bariloche itself (Villa Angostura is a much more appealing town on the other side of the lake, but doesn’t have the Llao Llao). The food was a bit pretentious for what it was, but everything else about the hotel was superb. We left with regret.

Hi,
It has been hectic since I have been back. We had a wonderful time and everything went perfectly. Loved all the hotels, well located. The people at your office in Spain were very helpful. It was great knowing that if I had any issues to take care of, I had a contact person. I was impressed when I received a call from Javier to welcome us and give me a 24 hour # if we have any problems. The guide in Barcelona was terrific. Very knowledgeable and very pleasant.
By the way, The hotel in Seville- The Imperial was one of my favorite. It was charming and the staff could not have been nicer. I felt like I was in a private home. I would recommend it to anyone. Location was great too! The only problem that we had, was that the day that was allocated for us to spend at El Escorial and The Valley of the Fallen ( the extra day in Avila) was on Monday- the day that all the sites are closed. Fortunately, I realized that the day before and we went there on the way to Avila. We only needed 1 night in Avila, but had 2 ( in order to go to see those sites.). Other than that, all worked well.
Thanks for all your help and patience in making this a very memorable vacation.