Winter in Maui
Gayle McKay
New Richmond, WI
Accompanied Small Group Tours of Italy
I plan and accompany clients on small group tours of Italy. I strive to provide a first class experience with a combination of private tours and free time to make your own memories. This is luxury travel with 4 and 5 star hotels or villas, privat...
I plan and accompany clients on small group tours of Italy. I strive to provide a first class experience with a combination of private tours and free time to make your own memories. This is luxury travel with 4 and 5 star hotels or villas, private transfers from the airport to the hotel, private tours and first class train travel. I limit my tours to 8 guests in order to provide personalized service. Since my group is small I can customize the trip to explore special interests of my guests and participate in activities that would not be practical for individuals or for larger groups.
- My small group tours have included Rome, Florence, Venice, Milan, Pisa, Pompeii, Lake Como and the Piedmont region. The exact itinerary is determined as I customize the trip for individual clients.
- Discover Italy with activities that include a cooking school or cooking class, dinner in a private home, stay in an 18th Century Villa, visit to wineries, truffle hunting with a dog, visits to artisan workshops, big game fishing in the Mediterranean, test drive of a Ferrari, boat tours , opera, gondola rides with a musician, tours of churches, ancient Rome and many more depending on the interests of the client.
- Since 2008 I have accompanied more than 100 clients on small group tours of Italy. I utilize Delta Vacations for airfare and hotels whenever possible. Transfers between cities is done by private van with a professional driver or by train.
- I am knowledgeable about Italian wines. I understand the different wine classifications--DOCG,DOC,IGT and Super Tuscan. The grape variety, the climate and the soil contribute to the wine and therefore wines are specific to each region in Italy. I accompany clients to wineries in several regions of Italy. My relationship with one winery in Tuscany has enabled me organize wine school events in Wisconsin. The winery sends a member of the family and bring the wine and clients are able to enjoy a fun evening while learning to choose and pair Italian wine.
- I have provided clients with cooking class in Florence that includes a trip to the central market to purchase ingredients.
- I arrange a cooking class in a private home with a couple who has conducted cooking classes for a cruise line. On a different night the same couple prepares a gourmet meal for us in their home.
- I book my clients in small villa in with beautiful gardens and an outdoor pizza oven. A pizza maker from Genoa comes to the villa to prepare a pizza party for us the night we arrive.
- I accompany clients to a 18th Century villa in the Piedmont region for a Culinary Vacation. An Italian family owns and operates the villa and a cooking school utilizes their venue for our accommodations and classroom for cooking classes. We enjoy home-cooked meals for breakfasts and most dinners with the Italian family who lives at the villa. We enjoy the same meal the Italian family is having and it is truly cultural immersion. Cooking classes lasts about two hours daily and the rest of the time we explore the region--wineries, cheese town, truffle hunting, and a chestnut farm.
- In Venice I accompany our clients on a Venetian Dinner cruise that features a 5 course meal with a choice of seafood or meat.
- Women who wish to travel but do not have a travel companion enjoy the companionship and security of travel with my small group.
In addition to the small group tours in Italy I have worked with clients to arrange other travel needs including trips to Maui, cruises, trips to Australia, South America, France and Indonesia.
I have also worked with university groups for learning abroad booking airfare, hotels and trains.
Can Be Reached At
1-715-268-4453
We spend 4 to 5 weeks each winter in Maui. We have been here more than twenty times. Whale watching season runs from late November to April with the peak time between mid-January through February. Theses humpback whales migrate from Alaska to the basin between Maui, Lanai and Molokai to give birth and mate. The warm waters free of predators is ideal for baby whales. We will be on whale watching boats about 10 times during our stay.
We prefer Kaanapali Beach resorts as our favorite place to stay. We enjoy the beach walk from the Hyatt at the south end to Kaanapali North Beach almost daily. Along the way we sometimes stop at Whalers village for shopping or restaurants. We pass along Kaanapali Golf Course and Black Rock with great snorkeling and cliff divers in the evening.
We play several rounds of golf while on the island. We have played Kaanapali Golf Course in the past but our favorite course is the Dunes at Maui Lani. The courses at Kaanapali and Kapalua both hosts PGA tournaments and offer golf schools to improve your game.
Every trip to Maui includes a trip to Makawao in the upcountry. This small cowboy town offers shopping, great food, horse back rides and zip lining. The same day we will stop in Paia where Willie Nelson has his bar and Haiku where giant sea turtles come to rest each evening. Further along the road to Hana we stop and hike at the "Garden of Eden" where we see native plants and beautiful flowers.
Another adventure is a trip to the dormant volcano Haleakala. Seeing it at sunrise is high on the bucket list for many Hawaii visitors. If you wish to see the sunrises you must have a reservation. The rest of the day you are free to visit the crater without a reservatiob. Either way dress warmly. There is also a bike ride from the top of the volcano to the sea.
The road to Hana is a must for some. It is not about the destination but rather it is about the journey there. There are beautiful waterfalls in a rain forest that runs along the coast. We have experienced it by driving our own rental car and by booking a tour. I strongly recommend booking a tour so the driver can also enjoy the trip.
We snorkel on boat trips and from the beach at Kapalu Bay. Black rock on Kaanapali is also known for great snorkeling and sea turtles are frequently seen there.
The best part of the trip if you are from the Midwest is temperatures that range from 75-85 daily. Even the rain is warm. The locals say "Maui Is Best". We agree.