I have brought together a team of keen, talented, travel professionals who as stakeholders, are committed to enhancing clients travel enjoyment.

I have held many positions in the travel industry over the last 30 years and none has been more satisfying than founding Fine Travel. Our title and byline sets the tone for all our endeavours relating to product selection, presentation and service delivery.

---

Testimonials:

Dear Paul
We’re back from Israel & thank you for organizing that for us. We were very happy with Korean Air – the seats didn’t go absolutely flat like Air NZ except in 1^st class, but they were pretty comfortable & the service was great
Regards
Sylvia & Arnold
----------------------------------------------------------------

Hi Paul

I just want to thank you for all the organising you did for our cruise. Finally we made it and had the most fantastic trip. We thoroughly enjoyed the whole experience and I can say that the ship far exceeded our expectations. This is the best time of year to do it apparently. September through December.

The whole trip was wonderful and the weather was fantastic. We were lucky to have a ship that was only 2/3rds full and the other passengers were all of a similar age. It truly was a fabulous trip and to be recommended.

Kind Regards. Donna
----------------------------------------------------------------

Hi Paul, thought you might like to know how it all went! The cruise was great and I think the best way to see the Greek Islands. I would have been very disappointed if I had paid a lot of money to go to just one of the Islands for a weeks holiday! Half a day in each is enough and we had a whole day in Athens so we did a tour and got to see everything.

The best part was of course going back to the Ship and knowing you would be somewhere else by that night or the next morning! The ship itself was in pretty good shape and I didn’t hear anything negative about it from other passengers apart from some saying the food wasn’t as good as some other cruise liners but I suppose people measure different things.

I thought the food was of a pretty high standard but far too much for my needs – Tom on the other hand ate from dawn till dusk and thought it was sensational! There was only around 1300 on the ship so not at full capacity which was probably quite nice for us. Passengers were mostly Italians, some Americans, and a sprinkling of Germans and Australasians. Service was great.

Italy was also great and we learnt a few things. We learnt that rental car companies close lunch time on Sundays! We hadn’t organised our rental car in advance and just expected to rock on up on the day and hire one! Thank goodness we got off the Ship around 10.30am and the shuttle took us to the main train station where there were several hire car companies still open.

The cost to do on the spot was also extortionate! Choice was limited to the big boys and we eventually went with Europcar who I have used before and they were excellent. The car choice was also limited on a Sunday! Next time we will book before we leave NZ as it would have been probably half the price. Cost us around $150 per day for a small Fiat Uno.

We went to Venice, Bologna, Florence, Pisa and then drove the coast road through Tuscany to Rome.

Found some good hotels along the way – Best Western Hotel City in Bologna ( €90) and highly recommend the new Hilton at Rome Airport called the Hilton Garden Inn (€129). Brand new I think and just like the new Sydney Hilton. Restaurant was excellent and service was sensational! We felt like we were at home!

We could probably have paid less if booked in advance but we didn’t know where we would end up on any day and at these prices we didn’t feel ripped off and it always included breakfast.

The Marriott at LAX was also excellent – that must be the softest bed I have ever slept in my life – feather everything! Gorgeous after our flight from London (we managed to upgrade to Premium economy on that leg which was great). We also learnt that to get on the bus to go from the hotel to Santa Monica requires the exact change – 75cents! We had only $10 $20 notes! Something for new players…..

All in all a great trip Paul so thanks once again!

Deb
----------------------------------------------------------------

Hi Paul,

The following is a report on our wonderful overseas experience, the great times and memories we have due to you and the excellent way in which you put it all together.

I trust this summary may be of benefit to you and your clients.

EMIRATES AIRLINES. -- You have me hooked here. The service and all the benefits offered for travelling business class can not be matched by any other airline I have used over the years for business purposes. Whilst the flight times were a bit harsh, it was more than compensated by the airlines personal, who couldn’t do enough for you. The door to door service was great.

REGNO HOTEL – ROME -- Whilst the room was very small we were compensated with a nice garden balcony overlooking the inner parts of Rome. The position of the hotel made sight seeing extremely easy. You were right there. The room was clean and the breakfast was more than acceptable. If you booking any other clients at this hotel it would be beneficial to ask for a room with a balcony.

IBERIA AIRLINE -- This airline is okay, however we were pleased that we did not travel business class due to the very poor standard. Mind you we were not travelling on an international flight, and the flights were very short. Due to missing our flight at Barcelona to Venice ( flight delayed from Valencia ) we were very well treated and Iberia arranged accommodation at no cost and had us on an early flight to our destination. This airline was satisfactory.

SOLVASA HOTEL – BARCELONA -- Would recommend this hotel to anyone. Close to the America’s Cup Village it was an easy 20 minute walk. The room was large and clean. The restaurant was of a very good standard, with the opportunity to eat in a beautiful courtyard. I would recommend this hotel as an excellent place to stay with easy distance to all the tourist spots.

ALBERGO ALL’ ANGELO HOTEL – VENICE – The room was small, but more than acceptable. The position was perfect being a 2 minute walk into San Marco Square.

The breakfast was good and the restaurants that flowed onto the street were a real experience.

PRINCESS CRUISE --- What an experience. A must for anyone. I cannot sing my praises high enough.

RAIL TRAVEL – This was a great tourist experience where we saw so much of the countryside. Very pleased that we travelled business class as the other class didn’t look to good. Food was not good and you had to pay ,except from Paris to London. The timetable was a little tight and would recommend that there be at least 2 hours between connecting trains.

TAJ PALACE HOTEL – DUBAI -- An excellent hotel, with one problem. It is dry. No booze. For those who don’t drink it is superior.

THE DESERT SAFARI – Another wonderful experience. 4 wheel drives through the desert and having a barbecue dinner in the middle of nowhere is as exciting as it gets. Another must for everyone.

Many thanks for making our tour such a wonderful experience.

Cheers Pete & Barb
----------------------------------------------------------------

Hi Paul, just thought I'd drop you a line to tell you how much we enjoyed our trip to the UK and to thank you for all your help in changing our return flight. I have found that trying to do this from the UK is very frustrating, so it is much easier to get you to arrange it from New Zealand.

We landed at Heathrow and picked up our hire car and headed up to Staffordshire to stay with relatives. After a week or so there we drove up to Edinburgh and stayed in a fantastic boutique hotel called The Glasshouse. It is a converted church just off the main street that has been turned into a charming and comfortable hotel and allowed us to be in the thick of things in the centre of town.

Edinburgh is a great city with wonderful old buildings everywhere and a real style to it that is often missing in big cities. We did all the touristy things like visiting the castle and taking a cruise on the firth of Forth to see the famous rail bridge but there are so many things to see that we really just scratched the surface. We will have to return to see the rest of Edinburgh and rest of Scotland itself.

We found Thai business class to be great value for money. We landed at the new airport in Bangkok for our 4 hour stopover and were impressed by the buildings - not to mention the business class lounges. You can have a shower and they also throw in a complimentary massage which is great after a twelve hour flight and sets you up nicely for the next leg of the journey.

Anyway Paul thanks again for all your help and advice. Your input definitely makes the whole process of travelling much easier and we look forward to booking through Fine Travel again next year.

Regards
Mike
----------------------------------------------------------------

Hello Paul,

In this world where everyone is so quick to complain, I wanted to email you and sing the praises of Merrill Holst.

My son Kurt (aged 14) began dealing with her several weeks ago regarding flights & costings for travel to Europe next year. It then became easier to keep in contact with her myself, as I am paying for Kurt's tickets and had other family to consider in the plans.

I just want to say she has an exceptional business manner. She is very prompt and so good at keeping us up to date with daily emails on the progress. She had a wonderful telephone manner and a great understanding of my young lads desire to travel next year with his grandparents. She seemed to do everything in her power (and more) to meet his desire and keep me fully informed all along. I am very impressed with overall and wish to pass on my gratitude for such a valuable member of your team. I have told her also how I felt about her, but also felt it was very important to pass it on to you.
Good work deserves praise.
Thank you again and congratulations on an exceptional employee.

Merry Christmas
Debbie
----------------------------------------------------------------

HI Paul!

Just a quick email to let you know that we are back and had a fantastic time!

I would go to the Australian Open every year - we really enjoyed the tennis and atmosphere!

All other details went smoothly and I'd like to thank you for your work to make it so.

..........my poor credit card ......... shopping :-)

Regards Michele
----------------------------------------------------------------

Hi Paul, I'd like to thank you most sincerely for being a great travel agent. We had a wonderful trip - no nasty surprises as had been our prrevious experience with another travel agency.

Singapore was great for a one day stopover, Ukraine was amazing as were all the other Eastern European countries we visited - Slovakia, Hungary, Slovenia, then Italy, Switzerland & France before going to UK.

The 3 day stopovers in Boston and in San Francisco were just right given we felt like getting home.

Kind regards, Pamela
----------------------------------------------------------------

Hello Paul,
Thanks for the phone call yesterday. I had been going to write to you anyway to thank you for a very well organised trip. Everything ran like clockwork and we had a great time. The Pacific Resort's in both Rarotonga and Aitutaki that you booked for us were excellent places to stay, with very friendly and helpful staff, very good locations and facilities.

Yours Ray

---

I have known Paul for over 35 years and have used his Travel management expertise for all of that time, and Fine Travel since its inception.

Paul knows his business extremely well and has arranged both business and personal travel over many parts of the world.

Every trip has gone exactly to plan and without any problems.

If I have had to change plans during my trip, he has willingly obliged.

I am very happy to provide a positive reference for Paul and Fine Travel.

John Hill
Company Director