Testimonials

Dear Thierry ,

We just arrived home and I wanted to take a moment to thank-you for the wonderful time we had in Amboise.

We loved the hotel, everyone there was so welcoming and nice and the rooms were beautiful!

The plans that you made for our days there were perfect. It was a good balance of time on our own in closer locations and travelling further with a guide. The girls did a great job and were lots of fun!

All in all I cannot think of anything that we would change. You are in a beautiful area and we are so happy that we got to know it better.

We cannot thank-you enough for the wonderful vacation you planned for us !

Debbie (United States-June 2011)

Dear Thierry ,

Having heard how wonderful my parents thought the trip you put together for them was, I would like to share my thanks and appreciation for such a fabulous Loire experience, they thought it was such an enjoyable few days, and created some lovely memories. Thank you very much indeed, much appreciated .

Dougal (UK-June 2011)

Dear Thierry ,

A brief note to say we made it back to Aus and had a wonderful time on our tour of the Loire with you and our wonderful guide Audray ( hope spelling okay ! ) .

We enjoyed every aspect of the personalised tour which was balanced as to Chateaus , history , wine tasting etc and both Lee Anna and I loved Amboise.

My daughter and I , back in London , carefully wrapped the 2 bottles of wine in plastic bubble wrap and plastic bags , positioned the bottles in our suitcases , with padding top and bottom and happily both bottles made the trip to Australia in tact and are now in my cave a vin . We have vowed only to open and drink them on a special occassion !!

I would also like to praise Audray - for a relatively young person her maturity and knowledge and the professional and friendly manner in which she dealt with us was fantastic - it was a very nice gesture on the last day that she not only took us to the train , but came onto the platform and saw us safely onto the train . Best regards to you all

Patrick and Lee Anna (Australia-June 2011)

We are writing to thank Lucile our tour director and her company RiverLoire for organizing our itinerary for our Loire Valley Tour in May 2011.

We came from Sydney Australia, and had very limited time to spend on our Loire Valley tour. Lucile managed to give us a really enjoyable, informative, very inclusive and yet relaxing tour of the Loire Valley. She picked us up at our Amboise hotel in a modern touring van and travelling pass the elegant Castle Chaumont sur Loire, then looping around many scenic towns like Blois, Cheverny, and Montrichard to visit the selected castles.

Over 2 full days we managed to cover some of the most impressive castles of Loire Valley. Lucile has a amicable personality, she lives locally and knows Lorie Valley very well, and she is a keen photographer.Her advice was concise and to the point.

In planning the sightseeing tour, Lucile gave us options and respected our decisions. She took us to two delicious lunches, and she made sure that we understood the menu and sat us in the restaurants under the shade with a scenic outlook.

Lucile who is multi-lingual, easily delivered the entire package as stated, we are very grateful for her service.

Sakon, Suzanne and Rebecca (Australia-May 2011)

Hi Thierry, Delphine and Karine

After almost 20 years of travel, I have used many travel agencies and guides in many countries around the world and I have only walked away on two occasions feeling that my expectations were well and truly exceeded. I recently organized a tour for my parents in the Loire Valley with RiverLoire. My parents are well into their 70’s and while they are not seasoned travellers they were determined to do as much as possible themselves. I was very concerned about them but my fears were instantly allayed after my first conversation with Delphine at Riverloire. She could not have been more helpful or understanding of what my parents wanted. A schedule was prepared very quickly which included accommodation in a Chateau and a fabulous manor house (4 star but felt like 5) with only 7 rooms. After only 3 days my parents felt that they had very full and unique experience of the area.

Indeed, true to their marketing, my parents were given access to a side of the Loire that isn’t normally available to tourists on short breaks. RiverLoire goes beyond providing accommodation and whistle stop tour of obvious attractions. They give real thought to their itineraries and manage to give tourists an authentic taste of the area. The personalized service was outstanding with every possible need anticipated. My parents couldn’t fault the fabulous accommodation and restaurants but what impressed them most was the lunch and afternoon spent at a private residence to which Riverloire has exclusive access. The lunch and visit to a wine cellar was, for them, the highlight of the trip. All the staff at RiverLoire treated my parents like royalty and they left feeling like they had passed a wonderful three days with close friends. Moreover, there were a number of hiccups (!) along the way that were entirely our fault but Riverloire adapted the itinerary each time with impressive efficiency and without complaint. I cannot say enough about the professionalism of the team at Riverloire and the quality of the product that they are offering. Lastly the value for money is very compelling. I struggle to see that you would save much money by organizing a trip of this calibre on your own. In fact, it wouldn’t be possible to replicate given some of the experiences are inaccessible to your average tourist. To Thierry, Karine and Delphine, I offer my deepest gratitude for taking such wonderful care of my parents and providing them with such a memorable experience!"

Jenny (Australia-September 2010)

Hi Delphine,

Ugh trying to get back to real life ; Thank you again for being a wonderful hostess. I actually found sausison at the duty free shop at Charles DeGaulle perfectly wrapped. Brought it back and it was delicious. I managed to 'smuggle in' all the wine safely in the wine skins as well. yeah! Here's a couple of pix!! I will highly recommend RiverLoire to anyone I know traveling to France. Thanks again (and to Thierry and Karen too!!) Cheers!

Lisa (USA-September 2010)

Hi Thierry and Karine,

Doug and I want to thank you so much for putting together an incredible two and a half day experience in the Loire Valley.

Where should I begin? From the moment Delphine met us at the train station we knew we made the right decision to do a private tour of the Loire Valley. Once we arrived at the Manor house she had thoroughly gone over the plans with us and answered all our questions.

We loved the Manor House. The bed was more comfortable then the bed we slept in at the 5 star hotel in Paris, the view of the castle from our room was beautiful and the breakfast and dinner Sebastian had prepared for us was amazing. His eight course desert is something we are still talking about.

We still can't believe we saw seven castles and chateaux's in two and a half days. And we couldn't have been happier with Delphine and Severina as our tour guides. They both made us feel comfortable, very welcome and their knowledge of the history and area is just amazing.

I've attached are a few pictures for you and if any prospective client should need a reference, you have our contact info. Thank you once again for making our 25th anniversary celebration so special. All our best to everyone,

Mark and Doug (USA-June 2010)

Dear Thierry , Karine and Delphine,

Thank you for the wonderful time that we had in the Loire Valley. Our stay is one of the highlights of our 6 weeks in France. In fact when friends ask what the highlights were, our stay in Amboise is nearly always mentioned first. Delphine, you were a great guide. We liked the fact that we weren't in a bus with many other people as we were later in our trip. We enjoyed those parts of France as well & we paid less per day & as the saying goes, we got what we paid for. Ron & I hope that your business continues to do very well as you are offering a very good quality service. We will be recommending your company to friends as we know that they would not be disappointed. Thank you all very much. Kind regards

Pam and Ron (Australia-May 2010)

Dear Delphine and Thierry,

Thank you so much for our incredible visit to the Loire Valley! Our stay was wonderful -- the itinerary, the apartment, the location in Amboise -- we loved all of it and were sad to be leaving so soon. Thanks to both of you for everything you did to make sure we were comfortable and taken care of. The trip was truly not lacking in any way! Laurent was also lovely and brought us to the train station, making sure we knew where to go and what to do at the station. Thanks again for everything! Best, Bernadine

Bernadine and family (USA-May 2010)

I did want to take the time to sincerely thank you once again for ALL of your kindness to us during our tour last week. On our first night back in Paris, Jaxon & I kept looking at each other across the dinner table and said, Gee we really miss Delphine -- she was FUN! You, Thierry and Karine put a lot of thought and planning into our trip to make it very memorable. Jaxon & I will treasure the memories of the lovely chateaux, the fantastic cuisine and all of the sights from our trip. We learned a lot, laughed a lot and thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. We were also so impressed with the hotel you recommended...

Dana and Jaxon (USA-April 2010)

Hi Delphine,
To let you know that we just loved our stay in Amboise. You were absolutely right, the Loire Valley is absolutely spectacular and we will certainly be back sometime by springtime when we believe the landscape will be astonishing. Everything was beyond our best expectations and we need to thank you for putting together such a wonderful trip for us.
With your permission I’ll be giving your contacts to some friends that showed already interest in visiting the region. Do not be therefore surprised should you receive E-mails mentioning my name.
Warm regards.

Carla and Rui (Africa-March 2010)

Absolutely loved my weekend and when my family visits this Spring I will encourage them to plan a few days in the Loire and contact Riverloire.
I really like how the trip was tailored to what I wanted to do, the hotel and restaurant were fantastic, and Delphine was fantastic. I especially Sunday, thank you for opening your home to me - loved meeting the kids!Any yes, the wine is already handed out! Thank you!
Best Regards

Cason (USA- November 2009)

Thierry and Delphine,
Today Nicole and I return to the states.  We have many lovely memories
of our trip.  We found the Loire Valley particularly enchanting.

Judith (USA-October 2009)

I have to say, my highlight of the trip was, now I'll probably have to rephrase that, because there were so many highlights from the week.  Clos Luce for me, really stood out, not from being more beautiful or anything like that, the whole day actually.  I had in my mind that it was a low key day, nothing too exciting and the whole day just blew me away. Then, we had an incredible lunch in one of the restaurants in the main street in Amboise,

Villandry was spectacular and loved every inch of it.  But knew it would be.  The other really pleasant surprise was Chateau du Rivau... And it was such a pleasure learning from you that day...
But that would not have been possible had we just gone to visit ourselves.  And that was probably one of the things that would have me book with you again, the information that we learned from you, from Thierry and Karine and also from Brian... I love learning and to actually be learning from locals was just so incredible to me...

Robyn (Australia- September 2009)

I just wanted to send you a note of sincere thanks. Miranda had a lovely birthday weekend thanks to your organization and the care of all the River Loire team. We will pass on the good word to our friends and colleagues and hope that we see you again sometime in the future.

Colm (UK- September 2009)

Just loved the town, and someday would like to spend a month there, and take some other tours of castles etc.  We loved our tours, and all the info on the way to and from.  We will pass on the word here.  Feel free to use us as a reference for any Americans wishing more information from someone who has been there.  I have some photo's to email you in a few days.  (I (Sharon) have been keeping our Grandchildren this past week so I'm slow to respond, but LOVED EVERYTHING.  Thanks to everyone and all our best.

Ron & Sharon (USA- September 2009)

We had a very good trip home, no dramas, and France is always on my mind, because I can never find food here that tastes anywhere near as good as the food I experienced whilst there.  Especially the yoghurt, Thankyou Delphine.  I can honestly say the food that stood out the most was the fresh figs and cheeses I had on Hannah's birthday night.  I would never have experienced those had we not booked our trip with you guys and I am so glad we did.  
If it sounds like I have gone overboard with my praise, it is just because I did thoroughly and genuinely enjoy every bit of it.  It couldn't have been better.  And it did mean that much to me.  
You will definitely be hearing more from me and seeing more of me...
And finally Thank you all, for such a wonderful holiday.

Darren (Australia- September 2009)

Ciao Karine,
sono felice di inoltrarti il feedback dei signori Piana, che sono rimasti molto soddisfatti del loro viaggio in Francia.
Ti ringrazio di esserti presa cura di questi nostri importanti clienti, e spero di contattarvi presto per una nuova prenotazione.
Cordiali saluti a te e a Thierry

Giorgio (Italy-August 2009)

Ce WE a été "GENIAL", merci beaucoup pour cette organisation qui a été très réussie. Nous avons vraiment tout apprécié et fait des rencontres avec des gens extraordinaires.

Sylvie (France- August 2009)

Bonjour ,
Deux mots pour vous dire que le bivouac  a été parfaitement réussi  avec   une météo formidable  et une bonne ambiance . Très bien accueillis et reçus par Jean , les guides du Chateau de Chaumont  et Acram qui nous a mitonné un délicieux repas qui fût apprécié par tous .En résumé que du bonheur !!!
Bien cordialement à vous tous et félicitations pour cette remarquable organisation .

Alain et Marie Claude (France-August 2009)

Dear Thierry & Karine:
We enjoyed the trip very much - a very full week of cycling/visits/chateaus/wine tasting/dinners that we would not have sampled without your guidance.  Our favorite places to visit were Chateau de Valmer, Chateau de Montpoupon, the city of Loches, Chateau d'Azay le Rideau and wine tasting at Chateau de Miniere.  As far as places to stay, Chateau de Reignac and Chateau de Gizeux were great.
We definitely recommend this trip to others - it was very seamless ... you all did a great job!  Thank you again!
Best regards

Randy and Leslie (USA-July 2009)

Thank you Delphine!  I am hoping to get back to Europe next summer.  I will definitely get you all to plan our trip for us.  We had a great time with all of you and remember our trip to the Loire as one of our best.

Lorri (USA- July 2009)

Dear Thierry and Karine,
I have been quick to recommend Amboise and  RiverLoire to all of our friends. We truly had a wonderful time! (Unfortunately, we can't seem to get the ones that go to Paris every year to get out of the city!!)
Best regards

Mary and Harry (USA- May 2009)

Hello Thierry and Dephine,
Just wanted to say thank you so much for organizing such a wonderful stay for us in Loire Valley last week.  My mother, sister and I had a fantastic time and will have memories to last a lifetime.  
Thanks for all the wonderful (door to door) service, driving (because we'd have been lost immediately!!), all the time you took with us and the extras....like the yummy macaroons Delphine...delicious!!! I hope that we have the chance to get back that way.....we'd LOVE it and if we do we will definitely be calling on you!!  We will recommend you guys to anyone we know that is heading to Loire Valley.
Thanks again!!!  Enjoy your summer!!

Alexandra (USA-May 2009)

Alo Karine et Thierry, ça va?
I want to thank both of you, once again, for the marvelous time we had at Loire Valley.
You really overcame our expectations. Every single detail was perfect.
It was our first experience on a private tour. At first I thought it would be boring not having a bus full of different people to share the impressions, but no, it was very nice to have one of you waiting to pick us up always on time.
No queues, no rush, no waiting. Everything ready on time.
The  way you interact is, once again, perfect: You know exactly when to be the tourist guide and when to be the friend to share opinions and feelings. Like, when to be professional and when to be a friend.
I can tell you, you were perfect in both ways. We, now, consider you like friends.
You are the kind of person and organization that one can recommend to everybody.
For sure I will share our experience with all of our friends and relatives, hoping that one day they can meet you and have the same wonderful time we had.
Merci beaucoup

Tania and Cezar (Brazil- October 2008)