Cathi has not long returned from her escorted tour and cruise ‘Secrets of Italy and Croatia’.
Some of Cathi’s guests have shared their experiences with us:
“Cathi takes care of all the little (and big) details of the tour and is always available to discuss (and solve) any problems that may arise.
She thinks ahead and can change arrangements at short notice if necessary – e.g. lunch in a local lakeside restaurant instead of the planned picnic (bad weather); ice creams all round on a hot day whilst waiting for our transport.
The extensive planning and research that Cathi does for her tours, the choice of accommodation and restaurants, the specialised local guides, the sights to be visited, the unexpected extra experiences, all contribute to a unique and special tour.
Some of our highlights:
– Musical interlude in an old Dubrovnik church – just for us.
– Personal tours of the Vatican (before the crowds arrived) and St Marks (after the crowds had gone)
– The serenading gondoliers as we floated along the canals in Venice.
– The hotel on top of the cliff on the Amalfi; the villa in Tuscany; the hotel on the lagoon in Venice – all exquisite choices.” – Steve & Barbara
“Travelling with Cathi Burnett-Cosgrove is a series of rich experiences. I’ve travelled with Cathi before so I knew how much of herself she invested in making this discovery of the “Secrets of Italy and Croatia” the best possible travel experience for her group. I knew I’d be cocooned from the normal frustrations and difficulties associated with group travel because Cathi would make sure that every transition from one destination to the next ran as smoothly as possible, would be full of interest and would come with little surprises that delighted the senses. I also knew that she would look after each and every one of us with good humour and a smile. I was not disappointed.
I loved my trip. The support crew in Italy of the singing guide and foodie, Mario and Gino the great bus driver, worked for and with Cathi to make this trip totally memorable.
We stayed in hotels that not only came with location, location, location, they were also very comfortable and truly reflected the various regions we explored. On the Amalfi Coast we domiciled in an “organic” and beautiful hotel that was built into and on the cliff edge, in Rome we slept opposite the Conservatorium of Music and in the backyard of the Pantheon, in Tuscany we overlooked the beautiful Chianti Valley and in Venice we stayed on the Grand Canal.
The mini tours in each of these places were entertaining and full of historical content and left time for more exploring, time for shopping or time for rest. After that, there was time for sharing the delicious food of the region. And we did that with great gusto!
Regularly, we were surprised with magical and very special treats such as a day at a cooking school in San Gimignano, a wine tasting in Montepulciano, a serenaded gondola ride in Venice, barbecued sea bass at a hillside vineyard in Hvar and a private chamber recital given by the Sorkocevic Quartet in the ancient Church of Our Saviour in Dubrovnik. We even had the luxury of being the first tourists of the day into the Sistine Chapel! Even on the cruise ship Cathi organized special treats and found ways of making amends if things did not go to plan.
Cathi had a way of distilling the essence of the area whether it be through where we stayed, what we saw and heard and what we ate. For me, it was a sensory experience of sights, sounds, smells and tastes. I still have a warm glow when I think of this trip. I loved it.
Thank you Cathi, travelling with you is a breeze.” – Rosie
“As you know Joe and I both loved our trip away. Travelling with you means we don’t really have to think about anything.
One particular standout on the trip over, from an organisational point of view, was the 8 hr delay in Dubai. You very calmly requested from Andrew Jones in Tasmania, 3 hotel rooms to be at our disposal so that we could take it in turns to sleep/ freshen up/ shower, as well as have meal vouchers to eat at our leisure. This meant that we were all very relaxed and flew to Rome, arriving later than expected but much refreshed and renewed and ready for our Italian experience.
While Joe has had two trips with you now, I have had 4 and each time I have been so impressed at the way you not only organise everything down to the last detail but how you manage to care for every individual on the tour, especially singles and more especially those who struggle either through age or health issues.
Each experience has been unique. I love the way you combine the sights with the experience of the local culture. We don’t necessarily stay at 5 star accommodation every time but we experience the local culture. One standout would have to be our cooking experience in Tuscany where we not only got to pick the produce fresh from the garden but we managed to make our own pasta and then tasted the fruits of our labours over one or more glasses of wine.” – Joe and Di
Cathi runs two escorted tours a year, contact us to find out where she is going next!
In the meantime, see some photos from this great tour!