I used SBT many years ago for a European trip and had a great experience, so I tried them again for…read moreanother European trip. Unfortunately, this time was not good. I will not use names in this review as it is not my intention to hurt them but to report what my experience was so readers can make an informed decision. If you have mobility issues, please use a travel agency that understands and caters to these specific issues. SBT does not and it was obvious based on many issues including the location of some of the hotels, and certain arrangements that they did not complete. After the initial contact, I waited one month without contact and had to call and email them to get a response. The bottom line is that another agent took over. I was relieved until I found out that the original agent was doing most of the work. The new agent was on a three-week vacation during the planning and contact was not easy. Due to the original agent's lack of understanding or experience, the plans were incomplete, not what we wanted or more importantly not what I needed. As far as the train arrangements for wheelchair service, I was told they were made but they were not. When I emailed them from overseas regarding this issue, I was emailed the information and told to contact the service on my own. It was so bad that we skipped using the train two times and hired a taxi instead at four times the cost of the train. Three of the five hotels were on severely sloped streets and were so sloped it was impossible to use a wheelchair. Also, I had asked for all hotels to have an in-house restaurant and 3 of 5 did not. The final hotel was at the airport, and I was told it was in the terminal. It was not in the terminal and to make it worse there were no shuttles to the airport from this hotel. I do want to give you the positives, the second agent recommended a Masseria to stay in, and it was great, and we truly enjoyed the experience. He also recommended a restaurant in a cave and that was seriously awesome too!! Honestly, the entire experience with SBT was so frustrating. The day before the trip started, I was still desperately emailing them to finalize plans for the trip. There is a lot more that went bad but there is not enough time to cover all the issues. I wish I could recommend SBT, but I cannot. Sadly, I will be looking elsewhere for a new travel agency.

I loved the trip and working with Tina and Santa Barbara Travel. Tina helped to make my first time…read moreto take a cruise ship to Mexico a wonderful one. She found just the right trip for my wishes and helped me through the process from start to finish, i.e., arranging for a timely passport, ways to get to the ship, what the costs would be and finding the right insurance. What seemed most important was her experience in getting everything arranged and that she was working with the actual companies, because a lot of it was online and it is so easy to be deceived when using the internet these days. I was confident that she would prevent me from making mistakes as a first-time traveler. The whole experience was very exciting, if not a little nerve-wracking because of my inexperience, but she shared the enthusiasm with me and made everything happen! Thank you, Tina, for this first-time experience, I will be back for more trips to be arranged by Santa Barbara Travel!

There really is no better travel agent than Cathy Kroll!…read more She's passionate, worldly, knowledgeable, extremely "into you having THEE BEST trip", and works tirelessly to make sure everything works out perfectly! She will always go the extra mile for her clients no matter what! Not only have I known her for 38 years, but I have taken trips through her. And I honestly can say she is one of a kind! You will not be sorry if you book through her, she's worth every penny!

I have not used a travel agent to plan a trip in decades (William Shatner has handled the majority…read moreof my bookings), but when it came to traveling to two countries I had never visited, a friend suggested Cathy Kroll as she had been to Ireland and Scotland (and apparently the rest of the globe) on several occasions. I thought I would receive some good hotel and tour recommendations, but what I received was much more valuable. At every hotel/B&B/Castle we stayed in we received upgrades (free breakfast/ larger rooms with 5-Star views/ complementary massages, etc...) that were worth at least $2,000 when added up (although it is hard to put a price on some of the views). Also to my surprise, our airfare was lower than what we had found using various travel websites. Cathy met with us several times before our trip to insure she had covered all of our needs and then tracked us during our travels to insure we were receiving all of the extra perks, and upon our return she inquired as to any changes we would suggest to the itinerary she suggested. I would highly recommend Cathy to anyone planning a trip and will be using her on all future trips!!!

Karin and the Hathaway team are second to none when it comes to service. Recently booked a trip to…read moreCosta Rica with them and they made the process seamless! Looking forward to sharing pictures soon! Hathaway all the way!

From the owner: We are family owned full service travel agency. We book River cruises, Sea cruises, Land tours,…read moreHotels, Transfers, Corporate events, Corporate travel/trips, Destination weddings, and airfare!

I really want to thank Ruth of Hot Spots for dealing with my families' very difficult and lengthy…read morebooking for their trip out here to visit. She was very diligent in finding us EXACTLY what we needed without losing patience with us. Let me tell you that was no easy task I am sure. We were certainly a handful with our endless questions about every option and ever changing minds about the perfect place to stay. We needed a group booking with a block of rooms, as our family was coming and going at different times, and Ruth calmly handled all of the switches and last minute changes with ease. Everyone was pleased with their accommodations and I will absolutely use Hot Spots again. Thanks again Ruth for your professionalism, patience and outstanding customer service, it's a valuable and extremely helpful service you are offering.

This service is great. I learned about Hot Spots about 4 years ago (September 2009) when I was…read moretrying to find a room for one night for my sisters bachelorette party. Hot Spots found us a fantastic sweet in the perfect location. The room was totally reasonable and the hotel waived the 2 night minimum stay. This is huge when you are visiting SB in peak season. I used Hot Spots again in June of 2011 when my boyfriend and I wanted a weekend getaway, but didn't want to spend all our vacation money on the hotel. Again, Hot Spots gave us options and rates that were fabulous. This past weekend was the best experience. We stayed at a hotel that did not honor the rate that Hot Spots quoted. It was a misunderstanding with the hotel staff. I called Hot Spots and, without any hesitation, they took care of everything. The hotel apologized and refunded us. More than anything, Ruth was ready to correct the fee discrepancy without hesitation before she even contacted the hotel. I knew that I could trust Hot Spots to honor their rates. Great service. Great attitude. My husband (the former boyfriend from trip #2 mentioned above) and I rave about hot spots. We simply do not understand why more people do not know about them. We are doing our part to spread the word.

Steve and his expert team have helped my family enjoy the wonders of the world for years! From…read morePortofino Italy to the Inca Trail in Peru :) and don't even get me started on the incredible cruises. They handle all the details and we have never been disappointed. They are truly the best and they make traveling with kids stress free. LOVE THEM, SWEAR BY THEM, YOU SHOULD USE THEM!!!

I can't stand making travel plans so when my out of town girlfriend was planning to come visit and…read morehad "nice hotel with spa services" on her wish list I was at a loss over where to stay. Another friend told me to call Isabel and I am so thankful for the suggestion - she handled everything, from finding dates that worked within our price range to the booking to the spa credit and I didn't have to do a thing! She replied to every email promptly, made great suggestions, and my friend and I had the most wonderful relaxing weekend. I have often thought about vacations I want to take with our family but we always end up just going to Santa Barbara or Palm Springs or to visit family on the east coast (which are all lovely of course) because of how much I do not enjoy figuring out travel - I'm so happy to have found someone who can do the legwork. We may actually get out of California for a real family vacation one of these days! I will definitely work with Isabel/Strictly Vacations in the future. Thanks Isabel!

Rachel is awesome! Super knowledgeable of the ocean, water, marine life, and history of the area…read more What a rad human being to have guiding the tour. As it turns out, all of the harbor seals, and sealions have names. We befriended one named Steve, he is much better at swimming than I am. He also taught me secret techniques to paddling. This one Pelican named Parry got into a barking match with some sealions, which is a fight he wasn't gonna win, let's be honest. Though I was hoping to see an M-A-N-A-T-E-E ... next time! If you're gonna go down on Haley street, where the dogs are easy and the sun is cheap, you never know just who you'll meet, on Haley. (But hopefully it's Rachel from the Santa Barbara Adventure Company, and you get her kayak tour; shout out!)

A heartfelt thank you to Santa Barbara Adventure Company for creating such a memorable birthday…read moreexperience for our daughter. From start to finish, everything exceeded our expectations. We had a fun ferry ride to the islands and even got to slow down to watch a large Sunfish (Mola Mola) snacking on some jellies. I recommend getting in line early to secure the best view seating on the ferry. Our kayak guides, Chuck and Adam, were exceptional--knowledgeable, engaging, and genuinely passionate about what they do. They made the entire trip both fun and informative, while ensuring we always felt safe and well cared for. We were fortunate to have perfect weather and warm water, which allowed us to explore all seven sea caves--many of which are inaccessible during high tide or rougher conditions. It made the experience even more special. Having lived in Santa Barbara for 22 years, this was my first time visiting the islands, and it was truly unforgettable. The pristine landscapes, abundant sea life, and even spotting several tiny island foxes while enjoying our picnic lunch, made it an unforgettable adventure. We can't wait to do it again--highly recommend to anyone looking for a unique and exceptional experience!

Very friendly cab service. They picked us up at dennison park and took us into town. On the way…read morehome a female driver gave us a free lift just because We were camping, very cool

Came in to do a bunch of DMV paperwork. Was in and out in 30 minutes with no appointment necessary!…read more Chris was the guy who helped me out. Extremely friendly and courteous. Got all the paperwork and forms I needed, helped me fill them out, explained EVERYTHING. Answered all my questions and offered alot of pointers. Thank you for your awesome service Chris! Avoiding the pain of the DMV on this alone makes my membership worthwhile.

If you're getting overcharged for your auto insurance, this might help you…read more A few months ago, I noticed that my auto insurance policy had suddenly increased by a significant amount. I called customer service, and the representative told me there was an issue with the mileage listed on my policy. They assured me they would fix it and that the extra amount I had already paid would be applied as a credit toward my remaining policy balance. I agreed with that solution. The following month, however, I was overcharged again. Since the issue still hadn't been resolved, I decided to visit one of the closest offices in person. I thought speaking to someone face-to-face would be more effective than talking over the phone. I even drove my car there because I hoped they could verify the mileage on the spot. The representative who helped me told me she had never heard of a credit being applied to an account and insisted that the amount I was paying was correct. I explained everything I had been told over the phone and pointed out that my policy showed my vehicle as having over 100,000 miles, even though my car was only about a year and a half old and had fewer than 20,000 miles. Despite that, she refused to verify the mileage or investigate the issue further. Instead, she suggested adding a multi-policy discount or a student discount, neither of which addressed the actual problem. What made the experience even more frustrating was her attitude. She repeatedly dismissed my concerns and made comments such as, "Are you comparing apples to apples?" and "We want you to be happy, and if this price doesn't make you happy, you can go ahead and cancel it." As a customer of nearly two years, I never expected to hear that from someone whose job was to help resolve billing issues. As soon as I left the office, I called customer service again. The representative on the phone reviewed my case, corrected the mileage issue, and reduced my monthly payment from $500 to $240. That confirmed there had been an error all along--one that the office representative either couldn't or wouldn't address. My advice is simple: if you think you're being overcharged, call customer service first. If necessary, call more than once until someone takes the time to thoroughly review your policy. Based on my experience, I would not recommend relying on this office for billing or policy issues at all. I left feeling like they were more interested in ending the conversation and discarding my concerns than in helping solve the problem. If I could I will give them 0 stars. I hope sharing my experience helps someone else avoid the same frustration.

Always helpful, always friendly, and nice to be able to skip the DMV whenever possible.read more

Had great customer service Ashley did all the paperwork and walked me thru the process of my new…read morehome insurance I would recommend these guys to all my friends