Travel Darlings - San Francisco, California

Daminna Standfield

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!

John Dent

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.

Andrew Parker

I had a truly awful experience with Irene from Travel Darlings. She is incredibly unwelcoming, and to make matters worse, she stays in the house that you are paying to rent, with no mention of any compensation for sharing the space. To top it off, she will keep your deposit of $4,000 without any justification and will ignore your calls and messages. This level of unprofessionalism and dishonesty is beyond unacceptable. I strongly advise anyone considering renting from her to steer clear. Don’t let this happen to you!

Robert Barsky

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

Lance Wills

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 Barbour

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!

Joe Alioto

Irene & Travel Darlings are truly incredible – I couldn’t possibly write out every little thing she did for my trip, but I’ll try! In addition to just being an amazing person, she is so talented when it comes to all things pertaining to traveling. Irene not only helped me pick the cities for my solo trip to Europe, but she also took care of every possible detail that you could think of. Her knowledge and expertise on international cities made it so easy to decide where to go and what to do. Additionally, she is so tapped into flights, hotels, restaurants, and experiences in each city that you are guaranteed to have the exact type of trip that you want.

One of the best parts of working with Irene, though, is her connections with the travel guides abroad. I met some amazing people and got to explore the cities with locals who were not only knowledgeable, but also just really cool people to hang with. She hand picks each guide to match the type of experience you’re looking for. I had some unforgettable times with my guides and still keep in touch with them.

Lastly - traveling during COVID is very challenging, but Irene was on top of everything so I never had to worry. I even had one destination implement a lockdown before my arrival, but Irene acted quickly and was able to find a solution for me ASAP so I didn’t miss out on anything. Seriously, she even worked on her own personal time to ensure that I was taken care of. I can’t stress enough how valuable that is to have when you’re abroad.

I HIGHLY recommend Irene and Travel Darlings!

Mike N

My wife and I feel very fortunate to have found Irene of Travel Darlings. We had never been to Italy and Irene after our many conversations, planned a trip unique to us and made our dream vacation come true!

We spent 4 nights in Rome, 2 in Florence, 3 in Tuscany and 4 in the Amalfi Coast. Each stay was at a 5 star luxury hotel, we had private tour guides who were all extremely knowledgeable and personable, with a huge perk of no waiting in lines. A few of our favorites - Colosseum, Roman Forum, Vatican, Sistine Chapel; night walking tour and museums in Florence; bike riding in Luca; Leaning Tower of Pisa & dinner at a small family restaurant in Pisa with homemade wine; private chauffeur and guide to a sheep farm, olive oil tasting, and family owned winery in Tuscany; private sailing of the Amalfi Coast and around Capri, beautiful hike of Path of the Gods, and shopping in Positano.

Irene booked amazing dinners for us each night and also provided additional options. Each day and meal was as amazing and memorable as the last.

We cannot recommend Irene enough, she has a passion for what she does and truly exceeded our expectations!