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Tour of Portugal late May Early June
My mother, daughter and I booked a trip with Exoticca to Portugal at the end of May and it was fabulous. The customer service Dept. always answered promptly and were very helpful. My mother and I were coming from the United States and my daughter was coming from Amsterdam and the travel went so smoothly. Our guide Andre was wonderful. He was a history buff and we learned so much about this beautiful country. We had quite a big group with all different ages and i think he did a great job managing all the different needs of everyone. Everyday was so eventful and we saw so much of Portugal. I would recommend this travel company to everyone. The hotels and food were great and the CUSTOMER SERVICE WAS FANTASTIC. ***** The only thing i would advise is if you are older it might be too much activity for you. Lots of walking and long days. I enjoyed it but i know my mother who is in her 70s was a little exhausted by the end of the day. Overall my 22 year old daughter and I had no problems. It was a lovely trip.
Peru 8 days
Overall, prior to the trip there is no customer service, and once you actually reach the "service" department on the phone after hours on hold, the rep can't actually make a decision or connect you to someone who can.
The flight scheduling is the worst I have experienced. The 8 day trip turned into a 6 day trip because of the flights. I receive my flight information roughly 10 weeks before departure and immediately contacted Exoticca every week for 8 weeks before someone would attempt to correct the flights. It was impossible to change because now it was only 2 weeks before departure, and I would have been charged an additional $700 for more reasonable flights, and a full loss if I cancelled the trip.
Specifically I was scheduled :
Day 1: Arrival at 1am...realistically arriving at the hotel at 3am. City tour at 9am (Per the itinerary published I should have arrived the day before
9/25: Advertised as "depart for your international flight" and 9/26 Arrive back in US
Scheduled : 9/25 flight departure at 1am, leaving hotel at 10PM 9/24 with Arrival in US on 9/25. This eliminated an entire day and also I would have paid for a hotel room that I couldn't use.
I wound up booking my own flights, at my own expense. Exoticca basically did not make any offer to compensate me for this LARGE inconvenience. When I could actually talk to a person in "customer service" i was treated poorly and then to be asked to pay more money for less time was mind blowing.
During the tour, the communication was confusing, and I was never provided an itinerary with pick up times from the hotel. Some of the people on the tour were provided itineraries with not times. Our last Tour in Cusco was changed from 2pm to noon, and the only communication was a piece of paper taped to a window by the breakfast area.
Additionally the last hotel, Irrizarri in Cusco was below standard, I was given a room next to the kitchen which was so noisy you couldn't sleep, and also had no cell phone service...not internet, but service. The following day, there was no water in the hotel at all.
Overall, the tour wasn't all that bad, but customer service and the flight departments need to be totally retrained or overhauled. The worst experience I have ever had.Exoticca Greece
Four of us booked this trip to Greece and this company is just awful. We have encountered so many issues. The changed airports after we already purchased connections and reserved hotels. They do not answer the phone. Today we got an e mail with all our hotels changed- downgraded and some in shady areas with terrible reviews. They gave us no reason the hotels were changed so I will go ahead and contact the hotels to see why and if there was even a reservation. We are leaving in 5 days. I’m mortified that we chose this company. Please don’t book with them.
Trip to Morocco
I am speaking from my personal experience, so if you find what I am writing here offensive in any way, my apologies to you in advance. Nevertheless, I must be honest with you, and I do this only after having shown forth a LOT of patience with this company, which has been given more than adequate time to respond to us and make things right. But our patience has grown thin. This should not, needless to say, come as a surprise to them when they read this.
My wife and I trusted Exoticca with our time, money, and high hopes for a trip to Morocco in late May 2022. The gentleman who booked this trip for us was friendly and a delight to work with; we have no qualms with him. However, when we received the airline reservations approximately two months in advance of the trip, they booked us on Air Canada for what was apparently the least expensive ticketing. We were to depart from Las Vegas and travel through Montreal and Lisbon en route to Casablanca.
I let Exoticca know immediately that the layover in Lisbon was very short, in fact, too short to make the connecting flight to Casablanca. After a very, very long hold time, and having to endure the repetitively annoying music in the meantime while waiting for a representative, I emphasized my concern that we would not be able to make the connecting flight if the flight from Montreal was even a little late. The rep tried to assure me that there would be no problems. I was, of course, skeptical of his “reassurance,” having heard such things before. But he told me that they would get it changed and email me with the new itinerary. When the email came without either an itinerary change or an explanation, I called again and waited on another long hold, only to explain my concern once more to another rep, who tried to assure me that we’d be OK in making the connection in Lisbon. I couldn’t help but get the distinct feeling as she spoke that I was getting an earful of hot air and fluff, despite sounding sincere and genuine. She likewise told me that we would hear back very shortly with an adjusted itinerary, but the email once again came back unchanged, just as if my concern had been completely disregarded and my time wasted.
I attempted other calls to Exoticca, but each time the hold time seemed to get longer and longer. I gave up trying to contact them and just went with the itinerary they had provided. We left Las Vegas on time and waited for eight hours at the airport in Montreal. The flight from Montreal was delayed, causing us to run like crazy to the departure gate for Casablanca, only to be firmly told that the gate had closed and we would not be permitted to board. Our greatest fear was realized. Fortunately, for the most part, the airline agents in Lisbon tried to be helpful. Nevertheless, we were then redirected from counter to counter to counter by airline and airport reps, who weren’t able to do much for us. But after several hours, we finally managed to book a flight on a different airline.
As expected, our bags were not present upon our arrival in Casablanca. The lady at the desk that handled such situations had apparently become tired of dealing with angry Western visitors and would not let us make a claim. In desperation, we went to the Swissport office, where the gentleman tried his best to assist us. But we were not able to file an official claim. Our tour guide patiently waited for us and tried to assist us the best he could, but we left the airport without our luggage and didn’t have it the entire 11 days of the trip, forcing us to wash clothes every night. Repeated efforts to get our bags resulted in continual disappointment. To make matters worse, we learned from fellow trip members that we could have been booked directly from Montreal to Casablanca without that unnecessary and unfortunate layover in Lisbon. We were the only trip members to have to change flights there. Imagine that!
Despite this major setback, we did our best to enjoy our time in the country. We had a great tour group and guide, and were able to see many fun and interesting sites. So, why am I writing all this if we managed to have a decent time? Well, it certainly is not to thank Exoticca, who contracted with a decent in-country travel group. Days after our return, we were contacted by the Exoticca Customer Car Team. I responded to their email by stating that I was displeased with some aspects of the trip and asked to be contacted by the team. “Julie” replied that they were “so sorry to hear that some aspects of this tour did not meet” our expectations. After a couple of failed attempts to reach me while I was at work, I told her by email that I’d make myself available at a certain time that would be convenient for both of us. She apparently ignored my emails and attempted to call again two weeks later, again thanking me for my initial review and noting that she was still not able to reach me successfully. She even asked me to let her know if I’d like for her to contact me either by phone or email, as she said she’d be very grateful for further feedback, which, as she stated, would be “a very useful tool to assist in improving our service and products in the future.”
I never heard from her again. Another rep, “Ivan,” called me a month later and informed me that Julie had been taken off my case “for personal reasons,” which I now believe was BS – the case was simply passed on to him because Exoticca didn’t know how to (or simply didn’t want to) deal with my issue. I was never mean, threatening, or ... in any of my interactions, either by phone or email. “Ivan” and I seemed to have a helpful conversation, wherein I was able to explain my situation. We agreed that he would call me back one week later at a designated time and that he would be able to make things right. Well over a month later, that call still has not come.
It's apparent to me that Exoticca, while providing a great menu of very desirable-looking tours, is horribly unresponsive and not really interested in assisting travelers if there’s an issue of any kind. Be forewarned… and a word to the wise: They book the trip and hope like ... the contracted company in country does its job, because they certainly aren’t doing theirs, and they’re not going to help you if things go south! They don’t want to hear any complaints about their service (or lack thereof)… nothing negative. They will simply stop communicating with you if that’s the case. I gave them opportunity after opportunity to redeem themselves.
I wanted so much to disregard all the negative reviews I had read online before I signed up for this trip. Nevertheless, I made the fateful decision to disregard those reviews and give Exoticca a chance to prove those reviews were simply untrue and biased. At this point, I can no longer do that and feel that I must make my feelings very clear. The sad part in all of this is that I had wanted so badly to give them another chance and take advantage of other seemingly fun deals, but heaven help us if something were to go wrong… they wouldn’t be there to care in the least. Trying to contact them by phone has also been a nightmare, with very long wait times and reps that will tell you what you want to hear, but will not follow through with what they promise. I have always been better off booking with reputable companies like Gate 1 Travel, where I’ve never gotten any of this. The various tours Exoticca offers are quite tempting, and they’ll likely be good once you’re in country; however, just pray nothing goes wrong!Ancient Ruins amp Cyclades Island Hopping
I booked a land only trip to Athens & Cyclades Island Hopping on April 4, 2022, and was very pleased with the assistance I received from the sales department about the cost of the trip and the payment schedule. On April 20 I requested that a pre-night hotel stay be added to the trip and was told "done"; that I would receive an email with the additional cost. I called back on April 30 because I hadn't received a written confirmation and was told only the sales department was working and that I'd have to speak to customer service on a weekday. I've made inquiries using Exoticca's contact form (which they advise you do) and have not once received a response. On subsequent phone calls I've been told "don't worry", booking department will eventually confirm by email. I am travelling with 2 other couples and they are experiencing the same frustration and apprehension as myself. It is now 6 weeks before our scheduled departure and today I was told by a customer service representative that my request is still being worked on and it's not that easy to adjust a trip, if it was, I would have received confirmation already! To date Exoticca has demonstrated that it is a sales only business. They lack both communication skills and much needed customer service. Exoticca is very quick to take your money & then they vanish. After doing a deeper internet search, I'm becoming very apprehensive about a trip I was very excited about. I'll let you know...
Elaine, Please let us know how your trip went. I have almost the same problem as you have with Exoticca, and agree with you, they are ALL SALES - NOT A TRAVEL AGENCY.
Booking a trip safari
After 2 weeks of trying to get information from Exoticca, I'm done. I sent some questions thru their website and have heard NOTHING. I've called (too many times) and NOTHING. There are too many other travel agencies. DON'T waste your time... DON'T USE EXOTICCA!
9 days in France
Best week of my life. I admit, I speak French, but I was in pure Heaven. The bus was pleasant with extremely nice drivers (Hanna and Bernard for the most part). Very friendly and accommodating. When some of the group wanted to get back to Paris earlier than the itinerary showed, we put that out and voted on it. Driver was happy to oblige. They did all the legwork procuring tickets and entries to museums and sites, explaining history (Essedine) in Normandy, and other locations. They all spoke English and were light-hearted and fun to be around.
The hotels varied. Some had ... rooms than others, but I slept well in all of them, the staff were friendly and also accommodating. Perhaps speaking the language helped.
The driver sent by Exoticca to pick us up at the airport was fabulous. I contacted him later on to see if he could take us to a place I wanted to see
for dinner on our last night, and asked him to invite his wife. We had a fantastic meal and the next day he showed up with homemade sandwiches, including GF for my daughter. I could go on and on. I didn't want to leave.
WE HAD A GREAT TIME AND WOULD DO IT AGAIN. Merci la France! J'ai passe la meilleure semaine de ma vie.
Thank you.exottica trip to istanbul Athens and Crete
Bottom line.....unreliable, almost impossible to reach, subcontract to local companies but do not give them any information on who is coming. We were basically on our own. Read the itinerary very carefully. You will see excessive free time, in foreign countries where english may or may not be spoken.
They were supposed to arrange rapid antigen tests for us.... nope. We had to figure that out on our own too. Their answer when I complained.... oh, well, you have to ask us. REALLY?
Read all reviews carefully, spend a bit more money, and use a well known, reliable and accessible company for travel. Do NOT use this oneTravel tour to Peru
Do not use Excoticca
They were horrbile. If we had not had a Spanish speaking person in our group we would have been ....
Horrible planning, horrible communication, horrible customer service.
We would have been better off planning the trip and booking a company in the country.Wonders of the Hashemite Kingdom - Jordan
DO NOT BOOK WITH EXOTICCA. I booked the Jordan Wonders of the Hashemite Kingdom trip (traveled May 14-22, 2022). Jordan was pretty good. Our guide, Adnan, was wonderful. The hotels were OK. Great staff but our group was spread over 4 hotels (not close to each other) in each location. Also, people weren’t on the same schedule so we had people rotating in and out of the tour. The real problem came on the return flight. Our flights were booked by Exoticca. We arrived at JFK only to discover that our flight from JFK to DCA was cancelled due to weather and this means the airline has no responsibility for assisting us beyond booking a new flight (in this case the next day from a different airport). I tried calling Exotticca (at 8pm on a Sunday) using the number at the bottom of their emails that clearly stated “Sat. and Sun.: 3:00 a.m. - Midnight (EST)” but received an automated message that they were open Mon-Fri during business hours. After several more attempts to get better flights from the airline, we gave up rented a car and drove home. The next day I tried calling Exottica to request a refund for my flight/expenses. Since I couldn’t get anyone to answer the phone Monday morning I used their contact form and received this response:
“Sorry to hear you had issues with flight cancellations at the end of your trip.
We inform you that you must take up this issue with the airline as it is their responsibility to provide a new flight for you in this instance.
Communicate with them and send them your receipts as they must respond for these extra costs incurred that would have been avoided by providing a new flight, which is what should have happened.
Alternatively you could take this up with your travel insurance company.
Hope this is helpful and good luck with the process.”
Anyone that has booked airfare thru an agent knows that the airlines will direct you back to the agent (and they did). I was able to get Exoticca on the phone on Tuesday to explain this and ask why their phone line wasn’t open per the times in the email. They responded with “it’s not our responsibility” and “you should have used the emergency number listed on page 17 of the trip summary.” So now I’m stuck trying to get the airline to deal with me even though I didn’t book the ticket and Exoticca is refusing to provide any assistance. So I want everyone to know if you have any problems on an Exoticca trip ITS NOT THEIR RESPONSIBILITY!trip
Save yourself a lot of grief.Do not travel with Exoticca.They are at best a bait and switch company,but closer to a ponzi scheme.And if you need customer service forget it.Their page may say open 24hrs,but it is not true.Your calls will go unanswered,and it wills take many days,or even weeks to receive any answer to emails.I traveled twice with them.Once to Portugal,which was substandard at best.And the second time to Mexico.Which was so bad we changed our tickets and left back home...yes they are THAT bad
I had questions pre-trip and I sent an email with my concerns, and got a reply. I found them very responsive. Shrug.
PERU EXCURSION
I was forced to cancel my Peru trip (Booking No. S-EX2021054343) because of an injury (6 broken ribs) 13 days prior to departure. Exoticca did not offer me a future trip or partial refund. They kept $2,019 though my medical team sent a letter to Exoticca confirming the necessity to cancel my trip.
Peru 10 night package
I will not book another Exoticca tour. I realize there are problems with flights because of Covid, but of the group traveling with us, we were the only two who had to pay luggage fees. We were booked on Star airlines, not Latham like our fellow travelers and had to pay $60 even though our luggage was carry on size. For our trip from Peru to Las Vegas, we had 2 stopovers and the last leg of the journey was a 7 HOUR layover. We might as well have spent the night. That was after flying Juliacca to Lima, Lima to Dallas and then home. Unacceptable to tired travelers. Plus, no one had seats next to their spouses. Exoticca uses Condor travel for the pickups and land tours. Again, unequal treatment within a group, but the tours were amazing. I would go to Peru again. But definitely not with Exoticca. Their customer service agents are great but you can’t get ahold of anyone when you have problems. When you arrive back and send them notices, they ignore you. I’ve left numerous calls and never heard back. Thumbs down Exoticca.
NO! I would not book again.
Use Andes Adventures or Adventure-life for future trips to Peru. And go during the Iynit-rami festival, in Cusco. AMAZING. You will LOVE this festival! We used Andes Adventures and were very pleased. We have also used Adventure-life x 2, and just booked Bolivia with them for Feb.
Ireland Tour
My wife and I just got back from our 9-day Ireland tour (Sep 2021). The tour was fantastic, and I give credit to the contracted tour company - Tour Partner Group of Ireland. They were superb and the driver/tour guide (Bill Murray) was the best guide we've had in a decade. His detailed knowledge made this a trip to remember.
Exoticca, on the other hand, needs work. Communication PRIOR to booking was excellent. Once booked, communication all but ceased. Phone calls were disconnected after being on hold 15 minutes. Emails were either responded to after over a week, but usually not answered at all. Incorrect information on the voucher was never corrected in spite of numerous attempts to get clarification (example, all the optional excursions were listed on Day 2). Guided tour at the beginning in Dublin was simply a 90 minute quick walk which you could get from any map, and NONE at the end of the trip (you were on your own, including transportation). Not a big deal, but certainly misleading from the pre-sales information provided.
The tours were great, but sometimes had to be modified by the Tour Partner Group because of the impossibility of completing the "schedule" created by Exoticca (no Star Trek transporter available to cover the distance required). Some tours (Blarney) were so abbreviated as to only allow barely enough time to climb the tower, kiss the Blarney, head back down to the bus. No time to wander any of the wonderful gardens. Hotels were not conveniently located to the next day attraction necessitating additional travel time and limiting on-site time. Hotels (except Dublin) were no convenient to city centers, so evening meals required use of the hotel restaurant for practical reasons. The food was great, so no problem with it. Just that knowing tour groups were restricted to the hotel generally, why not provide some discount at the hotel? Other travel companies include the evening meals in situations like this, so I understand why Exoticca is cheaper. Most hotels do not have a/c, which normally isn't a problem. Our trip had the rare weather of no rain, temperatures above 22C, and so the rooms were quite warm (no fans). Opening the window gave you lots of outside noise, especially in Dublin.
Exottica booked extra excursions even though they were NOT open and had not been for over a year. I'm still awaiting my refunds for those events canceled. These should have been listed as possibilities and booked WHEN they announced they were opening, not ahead like Exoticca did when they were closed. In closing, the Tour Partner Group made this an excellent experience. Exoticca would do better to COORDINATE with this group what would be realistic tour times, hotels, and travel time. They need to work on communication, especially email!Group made this an excellent experience. Exoticca would do better to COORDINATE with this group what would be realistic
A trusted Company
Great services ,no new experience for last one and half years but I have rendered this service on the eve of Holi festival in India This trip was booked two months back so this way I could save few dollars My team was of four (all family members)
This is not easy to choose a right agency as thousands of companies doing same job all over the United States Took two weeks to select a right company to avoid any last minute disappoint
Exoticca was not in our list I contacted our Indian counterparts and they suggest this name And this was a great advise indeed Pricing cooperation behavior and above then all easy booking process
No if and but ,simple booking Great trip.
About Exoticca
One of the best and simplest and the most convenient way to book a travel ticket and get the best experience of your travel schedule is through the internet. You can discover online travel agencies that can help give you information about great destinations around the globe without setting off to any travel agency office or converse with a travel agency. Online travel agencies are accessible at any time. One such platform that claims to understand the various benefits associated with an online travel agency is Exoticca. That's why it asserts to focus on offering tour and vacation services. For honest reviews of Exoticca, please read on.
About Exoticca
Exoticca is an online travel agency that offers luxury vacations and tour packages to fascinating destinations. They claim to be committed to offering exclusive travel experiences to a wide range of popular, well-known, and exciting destinations.
Services offered by Exoticca
Exoticca offers holiday packages that incorporate accommodation, flights, meals, guides, and private transports, and more, enabling travelers to book travel bundles online. They offer basic coverage insurance alongside luggage coverage and medical assistance. Clients and prospects can subscribe to their newsletter to be kept abreast of their assortment services and offers.
Compliments, complaints, and tips for Exoticca
Have you invested in any of the tour services offered by Exoticca? If you have, did you get value for money? Did you also get the best experience of your investment? Did they keep to their promise of offering exclusive travel experiences? Probably you can suggest to us how the company can improve its service delivery for the best clients’ experience. We look forward to hearing from you!
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Categories Exoticca
Vacations | Special Trips | Sun & All-inclusive
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Seite online seit: October 29, 2019
Letzte aktualisierung: November 29, 2024
Review with most votes
A trusted Company
Great services ,no new experience for last one and half years but I have rendered this service on the eve of Holi festival in India This trip was booked two months back so this... Read onBy: Aaron