TESTIMONIALS

 

Edson / Fred

After minimal delays, we got back from Brazil this morning.  We just wanted to thank you for doing such an amazing job helping us plan our trip. Despite the uncontrollable factors (i.e. the Sao Paulo airport!), everything was amazing and we had a wonderful honeymoon.  The clipper cruise was fantastic.  The guides were friendly, knowledgeable and nice and the boat itself was excellent as well.  We would definitely recommend that to anyone looking to visit the Amazon.  Although we were upset that we did not get to see Salvador, we were very glad that we made the decision to cut that part of the trip out, as we had a lot more time to relax (it was our honeymoon, after all). Thank you for doing such a great job in switching around our plans last minute.  Nannai was beautiful beyond words.  The bungalow, the food and the service all were top notch.  
 
Hopefully we will be able to get back to Brazil sometime (we were thinking of maybe going back for our 10th anniversary).  We will definitely make sure to give you a call when we do.  Also, please feel free to use us a client reference should you ever find the need.
 
Best regards,
Jordan and Alyson Schwartz

 


Hellen,
 
I want to congratulate you for a great job you have done.  My client has sent me the following email and he was extremely pleased with the services.
Thanks,
Vasant
 
 
 

 
 
Hi Vasant
 
I got your E-mail & message. As you can see from the pictures Brazil is beautiful. We had a wonderful time. I wish we had more time to stay. Hotels were excellent. Overall trip was great. Also I was concern before leaving we did not tour guide etc. Every airport we went there was a guy our tour guide was waiting outside baggage claim with our name plate holding. They all speak English.
In fact from San Paulo to Iguassu falls our flight was suppose to reach at 1.30 a. m. in the morn. Flight got late by 4 1/2 hours & we reach at 6.00.a.m. Our guide was waiting for us all night. I ask him why did he not go home & come at 6.00.a.m. he said he did not trust airline schedule & did not want to take a chance of missing us & have inconvenience us.
All guides were great.
Tell Helen thanks & we enjoyed the trip. Thanks to you also   talk to you later     kanchan

Vasant Butala
Fun Travel Packages

 

 

Edson,

I just wanted to let you know that my trip to Rio for CARNAVAL was magnificent. I did not have any trouble at all in regards to safety.
Thanks for your services I would recommend you and the team at FREDSON travel to my friends and family!!

Again Thanks,


Bruce L. Johnson
Houston, TX

Dear Fred,

We've just returned from that wonderful trip to Brazil and northern Argentina. All the air connections worked and I think it helped to fly on partner airlines (United & Varig) - no baggage problems etc.
The Amazon cruise aboard Iberostar Grand Amazon from Manaus was a high point. The boat is new and designed for Amazon cruising. Going ashore in ternders and cruising/birding in small channels and lakes really allowed us to experience the Amazon rainforest up close.
Iguacu falls was spectacular. If one has time the Argentinian side provides grander views and a wild boat ride!
Yucatinga Lodge is a great rainforest getaway for those interested in rainforest biology, local cuisine and simple and clean cabin type accomodations. Only emergency electricity between 11pm and 6 am! The small swimming pool has the most beautiful setting we've ever seen. We recommend three nights if posssible because with only 2 nights, the intervening day is fully occupied with excursions away from the lodge.
We opted our of excursions on the second day so we could enjoy the lodge, pool and local area.
Thanks for organizing our transportation and accomodtions. When Brazil travel comes up again, we'll call Fredson!

Kindest regards,
Jonathan and Louise Fairbank

Edson,

We have just completed 'Brazil Fabulous Trio tour'. I just wanted to say I have done quite a few trips, but this was by far the best ever. The actual tour, itinerary and hotels we stayed at were all top class. I extend my compliments to your company and especially to the guides in Brazil (Andrea - Rio, Walter -Ecopark, Iguaçu guide) . They certainly know their stuff....organized, on the spot service, funny, informative and just plain fun!

Thanks a lot and I hope we will see you again soon.

Best Regards
Polina Kushner

Hi Edson,
What a PHENOMENAL trip!!!!!!! Thanks so much for everything you did to make it happen. Everything went so smoothly…..well, except for the flight down, but that wasn't in your control.

Both the flight from Boston and the flight from Chicago were delayed and then we had to sit on the tarmac (we were right next to each other, but didn't realize it) for 15 minutes waiting for planes to leave our gates. We had 15 minutes to get from terminal D to terminal A and when we saw the sign that said "Terminal A - 25 minutes" we thought we were doomed. We decided to try to make it anyway and then the Harvard rugby team went running by to catch the same flight. We yelled to them to tell them there were more people on the way. Actually, I managed to get there only a minute or so behind them (totally out of breathe and my heart pounding). Fortunately the plane was still there and we made out connection.

Now to the trip itself: We were met by Vera Reitmaeir at the airport and wisked off to our hotel. What a wonderful lady!!!! We all felt we made a friend in her. She got the hotel to find rooms for us at 9:30 so we had breakfast there and then took a much needed nap. The weather didn't really cooperate for sunset on top of Sugarloaf, but we did have a great time watching the lights come on in Rio. One suggestion for the timing of that tour (and I don't know whether you or she decided the timing). We went straight to Sugarloaf at 4pm and then drove around the city after we came down. It probably would have been better for her to pick us up at 3 and do the city tour first, then go up Sugarloaf. By the time we did the city it was dark and we were starting to fade so several people slept through it. I think that is the ONLY suggestion I can make for improvement. Everything else the whole week was perfect! Vera dropped us off at a restaurant near the hotel with instructions on how to get back (after a quick stop at the hotel to drop off cameras). The next day was the full day tour. She had wanted a van that could drive up Corcovado, but we had a small bus that couldn't, so we took the train. I was disappointed at first because I wanted to see some of the look out points, but the train ride up was so wonderful, that I was pleased we had been forced to take that route. There were clouds coming and going around the statue and it was quite crowded due to it being Easter Sunday, but it was spectacular. And the clouds made for some interesting pictures (Bill and I took about 1200 pictures over the week just between the two of us!). Lunch was fabulous and the view from the restaurant was incredible. We never would have found it on our own. Then Vera dropped us off at the Hippie Fair with instructions on getting back to the hotel. She was also kind enough to take all of our cameras back to the hotel for us so we wouldn't be walking around with them. Monday we had the day at leisure and people did a variety of things. Some of us took a helicopter tour that we had Vera set up for us. Then we went to the botanical garden (the rest of them had gone straight there). What a magnificent place! Then Bill and Debbie and I took a cab to Ipanema Beach and walked the beach for a couple of hours and did some people watching. That was also the place that I decided had the best caipirhinas (sp?) (at least until we got on the boat where they were also excellent). We just ate at one of the beach front umbrella stands. The Rio at Night tour that evening was lots of fun and the restaurant was terrific. We all ate way too much, but loved it.

Now on to Manaus (the Varig flight was delayed, but not too bad - they also seem to randomly change seat assignments and put Bill and I in the middle of the plane, but the flight attendent managed to get us switched back in Brasilia). Marco met us at the airport and got us quickly to the Hotel Tropical which is beautiful! I'm glad we chose to stay there. Vera had suggested getting him to drive through the city before going to the hotel, but Marco said we should go to the hotel and rest and do a tour the next morning. He took us on a wonderful city tour. I had not really thought much of touring Manaus - it seemed like just a place to pick up the boat, but I'm really glad we did. It's a terrific city and I loved seeing the market and the opera house. The symphony was rehearsing when we were there - what acoustics! After a dip in the pool and lunch we got on board the Dona Selly 2. I was pleasantly surprised to find a shower in our cabin. The floor plan on the Amazon Clipper website had showed shared showers on the stern deck. The cabins were tiny, but nice and the crew was wonderful. Our guide, Chico (Francisco is his full name, I think) was very funny and very knowledgeable. I didn't realize we would be getting up so early every morning, but it was worth it. Lots of canoe rides in the morning and at night, a walk through the jungle, visits to a small town and a little village where we got to visit the school, swimming in the Amazon on a lovely beach, and even some sightings of deadly snakes right next to us (fere de lance and bushmaster). The food on the boat was excellent and there was enough down time of just navigating throught islands and down the river that we had time to relax on deck. The men in our group all ended up with "la turista" on Friday, but managed to get over it fairly quickly. We were all quite sad to have to leave on Saturday. The flight back was uneventful - every flight left right on time. Bill and I had a nice surprise in Miami. We had upgraded using our frequent flyer miles for the return trip and so were in business class from Sau Paulo to Miami (it was a 3 class airplane) and then first class from Miami (a 2 class plane). American changed the plane they were using from Miami and used a 777 instead. Somehow, we still ended up in first class, even though it was a 3 class plane. That meant we had the new seats that lay flat into a bed. I hadn't slept much from Sau Paulo and so took advantage of it to get about an hour and a half nap and felt much better by the time we got home. We now have lots of work to do editing our pictures. We went through them last night and had fun reliving the trip. As we looked at them, we couldn't believe that we had packed so much into so short a time. Everyone agreed that it was a fabulous trip and we would recommend it to others in an instant. Hopefully you'll get some business coming your way as we tell people about it!

Sorry about the long report, but I just had to tell you what a wonderful trip it was and thank you SO much for helping me put it together. Everyone has decided that I have a new career in the future planning trips :-)! Bill and I are hoping to one day get back there and visit Iguassu Falls and maybe some other parts of Brazil (with a couple of days in Rio again - I fell in love with that city, and I'm usually not that much of a city person). When we do, I will definitely give you a call and have you help me plan it again.

Thanks for everything,
Jenni