Espíritu TravelReviews of espiritutravel.com

Right from the beginning, out tour specialist, Raquel worked tirelessly to provide an excellent itinerary that proved an exceptional experience for our group of five. The hotels were unique, special and very comfortable. The location of the hotels were perfect. The guides and drivers that were provided were excellent and added value to our trip. Overall, I strongly recommend Raquel who has gone beyond her call to make our trip to Spain such a wonderful and memorable experience. Thank you so much Espiritu and Raquel.

UPDATE TO RESPONSE: This was our 10-year anniversary and took us all of that time to save for. Their responses are based loosely on conversation within app provided by Espritu for use while in country NOT based on promises made within the Zicasso proposal/conversation which was: “I am back with the updated proposal. I have included everything you have in your original proposal from the other company, downgraded the hotel in Seville and the one in Tenerife... Also, you will see I added the same activities they offer within the trip, so you can now compare the proposals equally”. Imagine signing & paying for a non-refundable trip, only to have so many avoidable or sloppy changes & lack of communication. Regardless of timeframe the agency should not promise & get paid for something they did not do. Multiple issues, almost daily, ALL but one was avoidable; just felt like chaos not rest. 1st reservation was for a pre-fix meal of dishes we won't eat. The menu provided in advance included both regular & pre-fix but we were never told an agent selected pre-fix for us, or we would have requested otherwise. Restaurant staff were upset & we thought we might not be able to eat at all for 20 minutes (after 20hrs travel) while they figured out what to do so this wasn’t something to gloss over. They agreed Torcal omission was their error. The Hamman experience WITH massage was what was offered & accepted. The fact something was offered which was not available & the agent didn’t know the difference is sloppy. The "late" guide stated she had NOT changed the time. Since she was NOT the same person/number provided to us I’m guessing she did NOT have our information either (same for most guides during the trip, so we couldn't contact most directly). Tickets to the cathedral were NOT provided: we checked app, email, Zicasso materials, before we asked the guide who didn't have them either & their agent denied we had requested them. Web had tickets only 2 days in advance so "late booking" & "ticket availability" Espiritu kept blaming US for was not the issue, NOR Camera Obscura which WAS part of the plan prior to booking & it was offensive to direct us to other “tickets to monuments included” AS IF we had paid for them but those were actually free to the public. The guide was offended on our behalf not for herself. I have photos from our visit to the horse show, there are considerably better views & it is obvious more than half were empty. We were sitting near the "wall" of the “U” shape. #9 “wine excursion” & #10 were not 2 separate things. Again, I wonder if we were charged for something we didn’t get OR if response is sloppy. We reached out 3x stating we did not want snorkeling, we wanted kayaking as discussed prior to booking. Remember, "same activities" promised. I expressed specific concerns about ethics & safety of snorkeling activity when it was changed on us & when 3x requests to switch BACK to originally agreed upon activity were ignored, I cancelled. We never got any message about the winery portion being cancelled. #13 & 14 were not separate things; the observatory is at El Roque de Los Muchachos; we only made one trip up there. All activities, guides, etc. were reviewed in other places. This review is only for Espiritu’s “work”. NONE of the guides had heard of Espiritu when THEY asked US who we booked with; I mentioned previously getting direct messages from China regarding our transportation which was SCARY. I looked up all activities on sites like TripAdvisor; together would not have amounted to 10% of what we were charged by Espiritu, EMPHASISING they are paid for the effort & accuracy, not the cost of activities. I could have saved a fortune had I just done it myself & would encourage others to do so, but I was working 2 full-time jobs to afford the trip & have the time off. No updates to the travel “documents” were necessary, they were just descriptions of what SHOULD have occurred & were edited AFTER I contacted them for each mistake editing information to display this version instead of what was booked/paid for (when I realized, I started staying up all night taking screenshots of the daily plans & conversations, STRESS). Espiritu notes they haven’t heard from us, when they shut down the ability to contact them immediately after the trip (before we departed from Spain actually). I have NOT received a refund for snorkeling; I only received the refund for Torcal after posting this review (noted in their comments). I was supposedly refunded for a portion of the Hammam for the massage, but the responder didn’t even get that right. The refunds in total don’t amount to even 3% of the cost of the trip, WHICH reminds me they did NOT mention prior to accepting proposal a 3% transaction fee, which obviously put them at a higher rate than their competitor.

Rome, Florence, Naples and the Amalfi Coast - hotels, private tours, private transfers and everything in between were all meticulously planned and executed. The additional information provided for downtime sites and restaurant suggestions made this trip one of the most enjoyable experiences I have ever had. Rita planned a wonderful trip and was able to accommodate a couple of changes mid trip with ease. Looking forward to planning another trip with Espiritu!

We had an exceptional experience with this travel agency! They selected the perfect hotels for our trip, ensuring comfort and luxury throughout. Every detail was meticulously planned, from smooth logistics to the thoughtful itinerary that matched our holiday wishes perfectly. The guides along the way were incredibly knowledgeable and engaging, adding depth and enjoyment to our journey. Their personalized approach and flawless execution made our vacation stress-free and unforgettable. Highly recommend!

We had a wonderful weeklong trip to Portugal, from Porto to Lisbon. It’s a beautiful country with a rich history and very friendly people! The tours/experiences were organized by Espiritu Travel and were extra special because the guides were so knowledgeable, engaging and great storytellers. We would give them all FIVE STAR ratings! They went beyond by being considerate of how my husband was feeling since he had knee and back surgeries within the last six months. At times the hilly streets posed a walking challenge.    We loved the cooking class in Porto and now have a few Portuguese recipes we can serve guests. The Fado evening in Lisbon was really enjoyable — music was beautiful, dinner was delicious and it was within walking distnce of our hotel! The Duoro Valley River cruise offered breathtaking views of steeply terraced vineyards. Our hotel room in Coimbra was a delightful surprise - it included a Roman relic! Espiritu Travel put the week's itinerary on their travel app which worked very well. If there were any changes to the schedule -- meeting locations, contact info for the guides -- it was updated instantly. Overall, it was a grand adventure!

The details and outline of what to expect on each trip was well defined so we could be best prepared with proper clothing, shoes, food, etc. The adventures were timely and most details were arranged very effectively. 2 of our trips weren’t as accurate as written but didn’t cause a major concern, just a little disappointing.

Marina organized the perfect hotels and tour guides. The drivers took us to places we would never have seen or experienced. They were very personable. Our driver in Madeira was singing ABBA songs for us!

We booked a trip to Italy with Rita Pagano. She handled our entire trip from start to finish. We gave her a budget and things we wanted to do/see. She provided us with an itinerary that was beyond our expectations! Our itinerary included various day trips and excursions with private drivers. All our drivers and tour guides were kind, funny & extremely knowledgeable. Each day we were excited to experience something new! Rita did an outstanding job! She even made herself available to us when we had a simple question while in Italy. The response time was immediate! I would highly recommend Espiritu Travel & Rita Pagano!