Food N' Wine Vacations

Reviews

• ★ ★ ★ ★ ★
  Have you ever been on a vacation where anything you could possibly dream of was realized? For my husband and I, our trip to Provence was that vacation. From the moment our TGV train pulled into the station at Avignon, we wanted for nothing! Our tour guide was magnificent and knew so much-history, the best places for chocolate, places to stop and take in breathtaking views, even the 'insider's track" for the markets. Our accommodations were beyond 5 star! Our personal chefs were dedicated to making each of our meals at the house quite memorable. And our cooking classes were so much fun! The wine, the food, the people, the beautiful villages, the weather. I could go on and on. And I could definitely go back! Thank you Sam and Food N' Wine Vacations for the Trip of a Lifetime!
  By Colleen Dagenhard, February 23, 2018
• ★ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆
  More like Food and Wine CHEATERS Short Version: They are an overpriced over marked-up middle man website. Save yourself half the money (and I am not exaggerating) by finding the actual packaging/outfitting organization. In other words DONOT pay them a penny. Read the rest of it before you decide – and there isn’t really anything to “decide”. Long Version: I don't know about the rest of the reviews. I am not sure how people didn't see it, may be everybody was just in their vacation mood and didn't want to think about the price tag and its value. To me this whole "Food and Wine Vacations" Organization is a scam. This is how I think they work - They have a website where she lists a bunch of "Packages" that are actually packages by other outfitters, mostly local outfitters in France, Italy and other places. There's one person, yes one person and her name is Smadar Palace and she sometimes uses the name Sam I think. She lists the exact same packages on her website that is actually offered by these local outfitters and marks up by, wait for it, 80%!!! Not only does she mark up, she also keeps you in the dark about where you are staying, and tells you that the info will be mailed to you - by snail mail! Really? Why you wonder - Answer is she wants to delay giving you this information as much as possible so you don't google it and instantly figure that the markup is 80% and this is coupled with a site wide 90 day NO MONEY REFUND policy to ensure you are cheated and there’s no way back. Also, we found that the actual local outfitters are similarly kept in the dark about the vacationers going to their place - reason for this - She doesn't want them contacting you. How do I know all this? Because my wife and I just experienced this whole thing. Here's our story: We booked the "Taste Burgundy like a local" package of hers which in turn is a package offered by a B&B place in Beaune, France called "La Terre d'Or". The whole package - Breakfast, place to stay, your personal guide, all the tastings are provided and "already pre-packaged" NOT by Smadar or Food N Wine Vacations but... “La Terre d'Or” (who by the way is awesome) and guess what?? It costs half the price on their website. Just go book it. Google their name and book with them, if you are looking for a burgundy wine experience that is. If it's some other package/place you are looking for, then find the actual local outfitters. Cut the middle man and save 80%. My wife says she was told repeatedly by Smadar Palace NOT to call her, and whenever I've tried to call her, there is a pretense of connecting to an "Agent" and then goes to voicemail. And by this I am guessing, she has another full time job and just has a website to make money by RIPPING OFF PEOPLE. Oh, I almost forgot - When you pay her money, she sends you an excel spreadsheet as receipt. Can you believe it?? It is a hand typed Excel Spreadsheet and she calls it a receipt! Smadar is a cheat and a crook. We were extremely anxious before the trip. Who wants to take a vacation being so anxious. We were anxious because Smadar withheld information from us and disclosed basic information such as where we were staying almost at the very end. This made us very uncomfortable and it was our 10th anniversary trip. But..... Many many thanks to La Terre d'Or, they made our trip. It was fantastic. And Shame on Smadar Palace and "Food N Wine Vacations" for preying on people's most treasured moments and making money off it! I can't say this enough.... STAY AWAY FROM THEM.
  By Niranjan Sathindran, August 27, 2017

Photos