Swain Destinations Reviews 213

After constructing a itinerary for 3 weeks in New Zealand, filling in all the blanks with actual hotel reservations, bookings for tours, ferries, etc., seemed overwhelming. And even a few months out, things were filling up. Some friends traveled to NZ with Swain's help a few months before, and I gave them a call. Within a day, our coordinator Grant had everything in place for a custom trip--and kept working to put upgrades in place where possible, and suggested a few tweaks that made the plan even better. And when our flight into Auckland got delayed, and we missed our connecting internal flight, their representative explored all the options and got us back on track with our itinerary while we slept in the airport hotel room that he'd arranged while we were still in the air. The attention, professionalism, and coordination among team members was outstanding. And as a result, we had a fantastic trip. We won't hesitate to work with them again.

Amazing ( 2nd experience ) with Swain Australia, we used them for our honeymoon and this time for our 25th anniversary trip! So helpful in every aspect from booking hotels to air to adventures a 10 star rating ! Ans when o needed immediate help during our trip George from Swain was amazing and made our trip a spectacular experience! Highly recommend to anyone to use Swain :) best 2 trips ever !!!!

If you want a professional travel partner that accommodates your needs and travel changes then Swain is for you. Swain over communicates and is highly responsive; what more could you ask for!

We just returned from a 33 day vacation to NZ and Australia. Swain destinations curated our land package in both countries. It was nothing short of AMAZING. We loved the variety that we were offered in visiting different parts of the countries while maintaining high quality of services. Swain did an outstanding job curating our trip. The accommodations were excellent, the transfers were seamless and the communication from George each day exceeded our expectations. I actually received a text everyday preparing us for the next day. Who does that? We all know Travel can be challenging at times as systems vary wherever you go. The daily texts were extremely supportive and helpful as each day was different.
My husband and I are so grateful to have had such a memorable trip that was SO stress free! I mean completely Stress free!!!! We can’t say enough about this company. We were totally spoiled in SO many ways. We will sing their praises to whoever is willing to listen to us! Thank You George for your kind support!!!!

Swain worked with our travel agent to put together an itinerary for New Zealand that fit our budget and objectives perfectly. Swain was on top of every day's events schedule with text confirmations of tour and hotel bookings. The Swain app is fabulous -- the best we've seen, showing detail for every itinerary item. When we had a few delays and booking adjustments, George Swain was always available by text or phone to handle the changes. Thank you Swain for a memorable visit to New Zealand!

Our three week trip to New Zealand and Australia was everything we hoped it would be and more. Andi and Swain did an outstanding job of arranging the trip, selecting lodging and venues, and staying in touch to make sure everything was going according to plan. Top notch in every respect. Absolutely wonderful!

Swain destinations made it very easy for us to enjoy our vacation. With the help of drivers taking us to our destination we did not have to worry. We enjoyed all of our recommended excursions and communication between was exceptional.
Thank you!

Everything has been top notch. The logistics were all arranged so we just showed up. Our interests were well addressed. And the rooms were amazing. We had our farewell glass of champagne on our balcony overlooking the sydney opera house last night.

From the moment I talked to Garry, I knew I was in good hands. He asked all the right questions to create the perfect itinerary for my needs. I had the time I needed for visiting family and friends, and Garry also booked me on some amazing tours that I never would have found on my own. A luxury cruise in Sydney Harbour? Not what I would think of as my "style," but they made me feel like royalty--quite a treat. The tour of Phillip Island was something I never would have thought of myself, and it was a highlight of the trip.

George did a fantastic job. Everything went extremely smooth. I would highly recommend Swain.

George was truly a great source for us while in Australia and New Zealand. At every turn he guided us through our trip and we felt totally safe and secure. Major kudos to Swain.

We had an amazing trip to Australia. Every detail was perfect. All of our transfers were spot on and on time. All of our tours were top notch and our guides were so friendly and knowledgeable. Our accommodations were amazing and centrally located to everything. George and Jan could not have been more helpful. I would use Swain destinations again in a heartbeat.

We just returned from 3 weeks in Australia where we had an absolutely wonderful experience thanks to great planning and execution by our team at Swain. We would never have known on our own to visit wonders like the Penguin Parade and Cradle Mountain. Other tours they arranged such as the Sydney Harbour Cruise, Lanes and Arcades Walk, and Hudson River Cruise were just delightful. The detailed itinerary developed by Swain provided for an amazing adventure and excellent lodging.

Swain destinations did a fabulous job for my sister in law and myself on a week long trip to the North and South Island of New Zealnd. The flights were timely, transportation upon arrival great as well as all communication. They coupled adventure, culture, wine tasting, restaurant suggestions, hotel , hikes, tours and great itinearies. I would highly recommend;the recommend this travel company.

Having never used a travel agency and traveled over 10 million air miles, we chose Swain since we had never been “down under”. The visit to New Zealand & Australia were planned very well and we had excellent guides with a special thanks to Maureen from Canterbury Trails who found alternative activities and kept us entertained when our Akaroa harbor cruise was cancelled. Mt. Cook, including accommodations, food & star gazing were magnificent. The Sydney harbor cruise with Sydney Princess Cruises was with picturesque stops, great seaside tables & food. Thank you to Amy who made it all happen. My only misgivings: I wish we had made our trip longer!

With Guidance from Swain we developed a month-long trip to Australia and New Zealand with lots of adventures, stops, and logistical challenges. We couldn't have been more pleased with the results.

Background - We are a family of six including a 2 year old. We needed transportation, accomodations and schedule to please everyone. We did 4 cities/areas in Australia and then my husband and I headed to New Zealand where we explored the South and North Island.

Highlights:
- All logistics were smooth and nearly flawless. Issues were quickly addressed and fixed
- Swain was in constant communication to confirm all arrangements and keep us on schedule - Loved this - Thanks George!
- Most of the tours were extraordinary..a few so so and the weather had some impact.

Spectacular New Year's Eve Cruise in Sydney - WOW (adults only)
Sydney Bridge Climb
New Zealand Dart River Speed Boat - Amazing
Glow Worm Caving and Tubing spectacular
Hobbiton Movie set was tons of fun even for non-Hobbit types
Various hikes in NZ and around Australia - especially our hikes around Sydney and Manly Beach

We didn't want to drive so we had drivers everywhere - most superb even is a few overly chatty and all on time. They also had great vehciles that could handle all our luggage

All hotels were in great locations so we could easily walk to locations and get around.

I would highly recommend working with SWAIN for Australia and New Zealand travels and might explore other locations with them in the future

Swain Destinations assisted with our travels though Australia and New Zealand. Everything went very smoothly and as scheduled. I was very happy we used them.

Transportation & Tours 5/5 - Pickups were always on-time, with knowledgeable guides, and easy to tailor the day.

Selection of Tours 5/5 - Great selection of North Island & South Island and city / nature & unique experiences

What could be better?
Scheduled a day of wine tastings and 4 were pre-scheduled. 4/5 Rating. It would have been better to spread them across 3 days. The day before had transportations without a wine tasting. For us, 4 in one day was too much. The following day also have no wine tasting and only transportation. Would have been better to have 1 tasting with transportation, next day with 2, and following day with transportation to new area with 4th tasting from a different region.

Great White Shark Experience in Bluff -- Cancelled due to weather. Huge bummer. Obviously no one can control this, but I would have preferred maybe 3 days in Bluff to increase our odds for an Experience.

Overall - Would definitely recommend New Zealand as well as Swain!!

A happy repeat customer here! For the 3rd (maybe 4th?) time Swain arranged a great vacation on extremely short notice. Special thanks to Garry!

We went on a two week vacation to South Africa- three locations with 5 family members. Swains attention to detail and customer service is excellent. We ran into a glitch and they took care of It immediately- professionally and efficiently with care. I would highly recommend them! They go above and beyond.