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SA Vacations, maybe not, actually - never again!!!
I wish l did not have to write this review but in my heart of hearts, l believe l must as sometimes people should try to be courageous. This was to be a trip of a lifetime, 21 days touring South America at a cost of over $21000, a top end tour we thought, hoped, but sadly we were wrong. Our experience was nothing short of, at best, being second rate, at worst, well, just that, terrible. Albeit SA Vacations has good reviews, with over 65 countries visited thus far and multiple tour companies used, this, by far, is one of the worst experiences we've had. Without knowing or being advised, it appears that Martha onsells all the components of the itinerary/tours you pay her good money for, regarding management, enjoyment and experience. So you are always dealing with 2nd, 3rd and 4th tier parties who owe you, not that much as you are really loyal to SA Vacations and not them. *Which, by the way, is fair enough ... During all of the 21 days, my experience is about 30% great and the rest, well, let's just say, regrettable. From hotels being not fit for purpose, dirty towels, dirty glasses, dirty floors, dirty curtains, not being able to enter the room, waiting in a cold loby for hours, one until after 6.30pm, failure to provide breakfast boxes, clean water to brush teeth and it goes on and on. Some hotels were just tired, old, dirty, worn down, furniture torn and broken, the feeling of sleeping in a tent would have been an upgrade. "Oh well, what can you do", as Martha said, words to the effect of, "that's life, things happen", etc, etc..." From sections of tours being withdrawn without notice, itineraries changed without notice, experiences destroyed without notice and then to be told you would be refunded those portions. But my experience to date is that they were just 'empty' words to appease you at that moment as there has been no sign of any compensation or refund, nor do l expect any ... Communication with Martha is the worst. I had to insist she contact me by phone as hours of messaging her fell on deaf ears and when we spoke, she basically told me to calm down, shut up and understand that life is not perfect and things happen. I found her to be (I'm sorry to say) somewhat aggressive in her tone and manner, as if your bad experience was your fault and you shouldn't have complained to her in the first place.That may be true but not if you pay her so much money so as to avoid this. Other travel agents albeit don't want to hear from you, are happy to know when things go wrong and mainly to do the right thing, but more importantly promote their company as one that is there for you in times of trouble - we did not feel the love. If you travel to South America for the very first time and don't speak Spanish or Portuguese, a good travel agent should know this as on many occasions, Spanish or Portuguese was spoken and English was extremely difficult for the locals to understand or speak. I would love to go on and on but l think I'll finish up by saying, please check the negative reviews first because if everything goes right, all reviews are usually good, but it is when things go bad that you want your tour company to step up to the mark and take ownership. Sadly this did not happen and, apart from that, when I would complain it was usually met with the fact that if l wanted to upgrade my experience, I would have to pay for it. The greatest experience for me and my wife is that this nightmare we paid SA Vacations for is over and thank God for that. I hope Martha enjoyed my money more than I did. But please visit South America, the people, culture, experience and riches are just "the best." I wish her well because, in my opinion, she will need it. So please do yourself a favour, consider another tour company or do it on the hock. I believe you will have a better experience and be treated better. *The above is a reflection of our experience. We have no intention to upset anybody but simply give an overview of our opinion having used SA Vactions. "But Never Again" I'm sure there are many other wonderful tour companies out there that, in my opinion, care and take ownership of your holiday. After all, it's not always about the money, or is it? God speed and safe travels to you all. God bless you too Martha as l am a God fearing person and to share love is better than the alternative. The world should always strive to love more and hate less...