Travel Darlings - San Francisco, California

Brooke L.

Our 3 week adventure to Vietnam was epic, and we are so grateful for Irene's invaluable assistance. This was our first time working with Irene, and she is clearly a travel expert. Her passion and excitement for crafting the ideal itinerary were evident from the start. She took the time to understand our preferences, provided fabulous recommendations, and handled every detail with care and expertise. We ran into one very large hurdle, and one small issue, and Irene immediately jumped in to assist regardless of inconvenient time difference. If you are looking for a dedicated and knowledgeable travel planner who truly cares about her clients, Irene is a great choice.

Valerie

Extremely Disappointed — Unresponsive and Untrustworthy

I’m writing this review after giving Irene (Travel Darlings) ample time and opportunity to explain her side, but the complete lack of communication has left me with no choice. Our experience has raised serious concerns about Irene’s legitimacy and ethics.

Earlier this year I entrusted Travel Darlings with my 40th Birthday Trip to Mexico. I had 10 friends and family members join. During our planning calls Irene was extremely positive, bubbly, kind, and accommodating. After returning home it seemed that our deposit payments sent over (before the trip) didn’t match our observation of costs during the trip. So, we sat down to research pricing and crunch numbers for each company in Mexico that was used, plus: each party transfer, hotel stay, one room upgrade, all excursions, all applicable fees, and we were left with an $1,800.00 USD discrepancy PER COUPLE. Not to mention, upon arrival to the hotel our bathroom shower had hair stuck on its walls, the food was lackluster, and the hotel ATM “ate” one of our credit cards (even if we’d tried to retrieve it the PII would have been compromised).

A few weeks after our return I sent Irene a detailed chart including every single cost break down. Despite significant funds being entrusted — including a generous monetary gift from friends and colleagues — we received no explanation or evidence of funds in return. She failed to follow up, offer explanations, or provide any transparency on this huge cost discrepancy.

I’d like to advised others considering future travel plans with Travel Darlings to carefully scrutinize every detail and cost, as our experience was borderline deceptive.

Unfortunately, a flashy itinerary and jovial chatter doesn’t equate legitimacy or quality of a person. Be warned - Travel Darlings is nothing more than a poorly run scam hidden behind flashy ChatGPT scripts.

John D.

An amazing family experience in London/Paris, courtesy of Travel Darlings

My family of 15 decided to travel to London and Paris this summer. In February, I reached out to Irene at Travel Darlings via Yelp. After reading each and every glowing review, I decided to set up an introductory call.

Our first call confirmed that the reviews were accurate and that I should start working with Irene. I could tell right away that she had first hand experience in London and Paris and that she was up for the task of planning our big trip. Because we had such a large group with multiple generations and interests, we needed an expert hand to guide us.

We also wanted to find a travel agency that could deliver personalized attention for our group. We've used other large luxury travel agencies in the past, for example, and felt their approach was too cookie cutter. Travel Darlings is a smaller company and because of that, was in a better position to create a highly tailored vacation for our family.

Irene went above and beyond during our planning process, helping us put together a spectacular experience. She took care of every detail of our trip. She put us in a hotel in London that now sets our benchmark for what a luxury hotel should be. When we arrived, there were welcome gifts and notes from Irene and the hotel GM. The staff knew us by name and joined us for welcome drinks in their private library/bar. We had a similar experience at our hotel in Paris. When we arrived there, we were greeted by the head of guest experience with champagne and gifts in our room.

Irene found expert guides for our visits to important sites in both London and Paris. These guides were highly educated (e.g. masters degrees in Art History). She was able to match our interests and needs (with young children) to guides who were knowledgeable and entertaining. In almost every case, we had "skip the line" concierge service when visiting important sites. One highlight in London was visiting the Churchill War Rooms. Also in London, Irene arranged a walking tour and then a Sunday Roast experience that was memorable, and something we would not have thought about planning for ourselves. She has in-person relationships with the hotels we stayed in, several restaurants and all of the guides in London and Paris. This meant that our family was treated with extra care and attention along the way.

Our main family reunion was for 12 nights in London and Paris. Irene also helped plan complete 3 separate extended side trips for different family members in Amsterdam, Madrid, Biarritz, Lisbon and Normandy. And she placed the same high level of care and attention, along with knowledge of the best hotels and restaurants to suit our preferences for these side trips.

All along the way, Irene was available for questions and checked in with us over a group Whatsapp chat frequently. We truly felt that Irene was invested in making our trip a success, like she was a member of our family.

In fact, we were so appreciative of her work for us, that we invited her to join us for a private dinner experience in London. We are so glad that we got to meet her in person.

Overall, our summer trip to Europe with Travel Darlings was very memorable. Irene's meticulous planning, attention to detail, care, and personalized touch made it an extraordinary experience. We truly felt that Irene was invested in making our trip a success, like she was a member of our family. We recommend Travel Darlings and will work with them again.

Daminna S.

I don't have words to express how wonderful this trip was thanks to Irene at Travel Darlings! The trip of a lifetime! It was more than the destination it was the journey the booking the correspondence the fun emails the camaraderie before the trip was just as exciting as the trip so let's begin! The direct flight on United, the wonderful hotel, the tours she booked! OMG I had a cooking class, an Eiffel Tower lunch, a Louvre tour, Moulin Rouge cabaret show, and the Pièce de résistance the Louis Vuitton foundation tour! OMG AMAZING!!! The most amazing thing that every step of the way Irene was in touch with me so traveling solo was not solo cause she was with me! She guided me on wardrobe, weather, shopping, culture, what to pack, currency, etc. I am creating a blog which I will attach soon. I can't wait to rebook Irene I did not want to write this cause I felt she will be overbooked but I won't be selfish lol! Irene is my new Forever Friend!! Travel Darlings sont magnifiques!

Robert B.

Really appreciated all the work that Irene did to plan and arrange our trip to Scotland! The accommodations worked out very well, centrally located and with easy access to the restaurants and sightseeing activities.

The guides were professional and very friendly, adding a local and personal touch. The tour of St. Andrews worked out well, with funny stories and picture-taking opportunities. And the drivers were friendly and helpful, as well.

All the restaurant suggestions were successful. Starting with Berties, we were able to sample just about every food that Scotland is known for, from fish and chips to smoked fish and haggis. My personal favorite restaurant was the last one, Blonde (in Inverness), which had a uniquely crafted menu and executed each dish to perfection.

The golf courses were excellent, and the experience was certainly enhanced by near perfect weather. Fortrose and Rosemarkie, although a lesser course, offered the most knowledgeable caddies. Royal Dornach was a true championship layout, with daunting but striking, golden blossomed gorse lining the fairways and broad views of the North Sea coastline from nearly every hole. Nairn was just as scenic, with manicured tee boxes and challenging pothole bunkers. Castle Stuart / Cabot Highlands featured greater elevation changes which enhanced views of the water.

Irene provided us with thoughtful suggestions, careful planning, and direct communication during the trip which added to our confidence at just the right moments!

Photos: Classic Fish & Chips in the Highlands; Edinburgh's Old Section; Championship Golf along the North Sea

Bryan W.

Thank you so much for everything Irene, you did a wonderful job with your recommendations. My wife and I had a great time together. As a small business owner I wanted to make sure everyone knows about great companies and the people who make them so great. Thank you again

Lance W.

Travel Darlings is the best travel agent in SF hands-down! Irene has unlimited energy and will create an amazing itinerary based upon your likes, dislikes, and dreams. It can include an amazing resort, village cottage, private guide, tour, beach or all of the above as was the case for our Mexico Riviera Maya vacation. Highly recommend Travel Darlings! You won't regret it! A+++

Sydney B.

Hiring Irene/Travel Darlings to plan our honeymoon was one of the best decisions we've ever made! We couldn't recommend her enough and already can't wait to use her for a future trip. Her passion for travel and attention to detail made our entire planning process so fun, exciting and resulted in an impeccable 2 week itinerary. From the luxury hotel selections, driver pick ups, amazing tour guides and all the restaurant recommendations and activities planned - she knocked our expectations out of the park. It was truly the most incredible trip, the honeymoon of a lifetime and a trip we will never forget. Thank you Irene!