I've been using Boutique Travel for over 10 years, and I can't imagine planning a trip without them. What keeps me coming back is their ability to create truly bespoke experiences. Ellen has an incredible ability to tailor experiences, which makes each trip feel uniquely mine. She always finds the perfect balance by incorporating culinary, cultural, and art experiences that I love, along with athletic and outdoor activities that keep things active and engaging. It never feels one dimensional. I've used BT's services to book trips to Africa numerous times. Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe, and Uganda are just a few examples.. Each destination has offered something completely unique, and Ellen has hit the itineraries right out of the park. Gorilla trekking in Uganda was a once in a lifetime experience, and visiting the Skeleton Coast in Namibia felt like stepping into another world. In Botswana, I was lucky enough to see leopards up close, which is so rare and exciting! I have also vacationed in Tahiti three times, and each time has been magical and different! Most recently, my husband and I just got back from an incredible trip to Rangiroa, and we are already talking about exploring more islands on our next visit. Looking ahead, I am starting to plan a trip to Japan, and I will definitely be working with Boutique Travel again to put together the itinerary. Their attention to detail, creativity, and ability to truly understand what we are looking for makes every trip seamless and unforgettable. Highly recommend! read more

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Ellen has helped us plan multiple trips to Southeast Asia, and most recently Vietnam. We're 2 adults and 2 kids. She is always a pleasure to work with, listens to our wants and needs, and magically makes them happen beyond our expectations. Her contacts worldwide make traveling a breeze...always on time, super friendly, knowledgable, and just great people. Every time her accommodation suggestions are spot on and again, exceed our expectations. She is conscious of our budget that we set out and just consistently delivers with her experience and guidance. This is our 3rd trip with Ellen and we will definitely go to her first for the next one. You should too! read more

Ellen was fantastic. Planed an incredible honeymoon for us and also was super helpful using her experience at each place to guide us towards what was / wasn't worth it, allowing us to stay in budget and get the most of our trip. read more

My wife and I just returned from a spectular three week trip to Austrailia which was organized and booked by Boutique Travel. The adventure as absolutely wonderful with all sorts of interesting side trips and sites that we were directed through the trip planning to see. All the accomdations were wonderful and all different. The "in-country" representative was there when we had any questions or to point out something we shouldn't miss. All in all i couldn't recommend them more! read more

We just returned from 2 weeks in Italy and so pleased we chose Ellen/Boutique Travel for our planning! 5 of us (myself, wife, 11 y/o son and grandma and grandpa) on the trip. She made sure there were activities for everyone to enjoy, private guides and classes (pizza and gelato making, yum!) accommodated our needs and was quite above and beyond what I would have tried to do on my own or with a less-experienced agency. Every hotel was perfectly located, all the logistics were taken care of and all we had to do was show up! A nice balance of free time too which made our trip also a relaxing vacation (you know how that can be). Both Ellen and our local contact in Italy were very responsive and in the end, we had a fantastically planned trip. You won't be disappointed and well worth it. Thank you Ellen! read more

I highly recommend this travel agency! They planned the perfect family reunion for 21 people in Tahiti! Thank you so much for all your help! read more

Boutique Travel I just returned from another incredible, once in a lifetime trip made possible by Ellen Clark at Boutique Travel in Oakland, California. This trip was a 30 day trip to Africa. I landed in Zanzibar and was greeted on the tarmac by my fabulous tour operator. She and her entourage drove me by private vehicle to emigration, handled customs, and presto chango led me to my private Land Cruser. I arrived late, about 2:30 am, to my room with a full view of the Indian Ocean. Ellen had arranged for The Hotel Serena to offer me food and drink. It is difficult to summarize my incredible private trip through Tanzania and Uganda over the next month. Every detail was handled. I did not have to think about anything. The private car was always there and waiting (the cars were always appropriate - mostly Toyota Land Cruisers, some Land Rovers, and an occasional Range Rover). The professional drivers and tour guides amazing. I saw all manner of wild animals including chimpanzees and the great migration of Wildebeast across the Mara River between Kenya and Tanzania. And the private guided trip went on. I saw the mountain gorillas in Uganda. I enjoy working with Ellen because she tries to make my individual experience exactly what I want. She has visited many of the 5 star properties and assesses them according to the client's specific tastes. Ellen is readily accessible during the trip. You just text her from wherever you are (Africa, India, Australia, Belize, Ecuador) and tell her what you want. She makes it happen. This is not the place to go for budget travel. This is where I go for 5 star experiences around the world. read more

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They put together a 12-day tour of Morocco for me and three friends. It was amazing and exceeded all expectations. We paid extra for a full time English speaking guide which made the trip. With the driver we made six. It was the perfect size group. And Morocco is an exceptional place filled with lovely people. I thought this would be a once in a lifetime trip but I decided I'm coming back. read more

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I just returned from a 3 week visit to New Zealand and have mountains of praise for the team (Penny and Ellen) at Boutique Travel. From start to finish every aspect was carefully planned and executed to the finest detail (logistics - hotels, guides, transpiration, etc were impeccable). Communications were prompt and comprehensive. Penny and Ellen worked with me to create a dream trip that incorporated what I wanted to see, where I wanted to go and the hikes I wanted to take. Their first hand experience of NZ yielded suggestions that enhanced the trip. A stand out experience was a one-on-one guide in Rotorua. I had the chance to spend time with a local, learn her story and experience Kiwi hospitality and insight. This was only possible because I booked with Boutique Travel. I especially loved the little extras - a charcuterie board when I first arrive in Queenstown, a gift on NZ honey later on. I highly recommend Boutique Travel if you are planning a trip to NZ and/or Australia. I will certainly book my future adventures with Boutique Travel. read more

Michelle planned our trip to South Africa and it was absolutely amazing. Every detail from inter-country flights, to transfers to and from our hotels, to the most amazing safari locations, tours and more. It was all perfect enabling us to just relax and enjoy the beauty of the country. We will definitely be contacting her again for our next trip. read more

I just returned from a trip of a lifetime to Uganda with my daughter. Ellen could not have organized a better trip, and the land operator she uses was impeccable. From the minute we landed in Entebbe we were met by airport staff and guided us thru the process. We had several stops in Uganda - the first being trekking (2X) to the Mountain Gorillas in Bwindi - UNFORGETTABLE!! Our private guide throughout our trip was fun, kind, extremely knowledgeable - and stayed with us the entire trip. We visited Murchison Falls - did some chimp trekking, boat trip on Nile and onto Ziwa to the Rhino Sanctuary - all interspersed with great game drives. And I might mention the hotels were gorgeous! Again, I couldn't have asked for a better trip and I truly hope to return to Uganda again, there is so much more to do there. Thank you Ellen, you really shined for us! I look forward to working with you again! read more

We booked a trip to Xcaret hotel Arte in Mexico with Lei and she was outstanding! She was always available to answer my many questions. Lei went above and beyond when one of our family members came down with Covid during the vacation and plans needed to be changed while in Mexico. She made herself available even when we needed help late at night and always remained friendly, upbeat and so helpful. I can't thank her enough. It's scary when someone gets sick in another country and she helped us get through it. I will definitely book again with her when we plan another trip. I would recommend Lei at Boutique travel, she has outstanding customer relations & planned a great trip for us! read more

We booked our honeymoon trip to Maldives via Boutique Travel. Initially I was a little sceptical if travel agencies can still beat price and offerings of numerous websites on the web. When I saw all the great reviews on Yelp for this agency, I decided why not - let's give it a try. You can probably guess what happened next if you are seeing this 5 star review. It's been an amazing experience: from communication / customer service / variety of offerings / price. We worked with Michelle and couldn't be more happier with how everything turned out. Everything that was discussed in terms of expectation was even better in real life. Highly recommend Boutique Travel to everyone who is planning next trip. Michelle will be our go to person next time we start thinking about our vacation. read more

Ellen expertly guided us through the entire process of planning and executing our first safari. She helped us cope with the extra complications of the ever-changing pandemic rules for travel as well. The hotels, camps, and lodges she recommended turned out to be fantastic. The entire trip went smoothly. We had an amazing time and will definitely seek her assistance for future trips. read more

My husband and I decided to go to Tahiti for our honeymoon. I am a seasoned traveler and attempted to plan this on my own. NOT a good idea if you've never been there. Then I found Boutique Travel via Yelp and Tahiti Tourism. Lifesaver. Michelle was my first contact because Ellen was out of town. Even though she is based in South Africa, she responded quickly and looked into flights and different hotel options within a matter of a few days. I really appreciated her taking the time to make sure we got all the information we needed to make a decision since it was going to be a big trip and quite a splurge. Once Ellen got back, she quickly introduced herself and picked up where Michelle left off. She made sure I got all my payments in on time and provided us with all the documentation we needed for our trip along with additional tips and advice. About a week or two prior to our trip, Ellen checked-in to make sure we had all of our questions answered and provided us with emergency contact numbers so we could get help from her and vendors in Tahiti, if anything were to go wrong. We didn't need to use any of those numbers as everything went really smoothly! The hotels we stayed at were amazing and so luxurious! We opted for the Intercontinental Moorea (garden bungalow with private pool) and Le Moana in Bora Bora (overwater horizon bungalow). The staff was incredibly friendly and accommodating at both locations. All of the transports and transfers to/from the hotels to the airports worked out smoothly and in a timely manner. Overall, we had a trip of a lifetime and we really appreciate Boutique Travel for putting it all together for us so we could really relax and have a great time! This was my first time going with a travel agent, but I'm sure it won't be my last now that I know Ellen's around! read more

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Lei with Boutique Travel was amazing in helping us get our Greece trip together. She was amazing working with our date changes, set us up with great 3rd party companies, amazing hotels & excursions. Every transfer we were greeted by someone who made sure everything went well at out next stop. I could not have imagined doing this trip with out her setting it up. It was worry free & every was perfect!! Will use again! read more

My wife and I had Boutique Travel set up our honeymoon. We gave them some ideas of things we were looking for, our budget and we were given multiple options. We finally decided that Costa Rica was the place. Boutique travel took care of every detail for us. Pick up from airport, planned activities at the best locations, hotel transfers, and local contacts while we were there to make sure we made the best of our time. Everywhere we went was our new favorite place. Even the timing of the activities seemed perfect, time for leisure in between all the amazing adventures. Repelling down waterfalls, peaceful hike through the rain Forrest with the howler monkeys, exploring an active volcano and seeing the amazing plant life. Thank you so much for making sure we had the most amazing honeymoon possible. read more

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My girlfriend and I went on an awesome vacation to Africa organized by Boutique Travel. Everything went super smoothly and we had the time of our lives. We saw way more wildlife than we imagined and stayed in some lodges that we will never forget. I would recommend them highly for specialty vacation planning. read more

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I was very impressed with the owner of this business. I left her a message about visa applications and she was not only prompt in returning my phone call she was also very helpful in providing me with information about the visa application process. I was most impressed that she was so helpful when I am not a current customer of hers! read more

After two incredible trips very long trips there is no way to describe this company other than perfect. Ellen and Penny masterfully arranged our complicated trip of 3 1/2 weeks for us. From the moment we left the house till the day we sadly came home we experienced a flawless itinerary with not one hitch. There was somebody to meet us at every turn and every single person we came in contact with was completely competent and absolutely delightful. Each accommodation was more blissful than the next and the service exemplary. I have recommended boutique travel many many times and will continue to do so, you can't go wrong they are the real deal 10+ thank you so much. read more

Michelle from Boutique set my wife and me up with the honeymoon trip of a lifetime to South Africa. She understood our cost constraints and helped us meet them. She picked great hotels and venues for us. We had a wonderful African experience. My wife and I are relatively experienced travelers, with over 30 countries visited between the two of us, and we rarely use travel agents, but in this case, it was well worth it. Thanks, Michelle! read more

My wife and I were mulling over our options for a honeymoon that we wouldn't soon forget. Fortunately for us, Ellen at Boutique Travel exceeded all of our expectations by finding us a promotion that was running at Korosun Resort in Savusavu, Fiji. We spent ten days in pure paradise. The people of Fiji are so friendly and accommodating. We spent our time kayaking, snorkeling (what amazing coral), paddle boarding, walking around the small town, riding bikes, and just taking in the amazing rainforest and beaches. We definitely made the most of the budget we had set aside. Without Boutique Travel and Ellen specifically, we wouldn't have been able to do as much as we did on the budget we had set. Upon informing us of the all inclusive honeymoon package at Korosun, Ellen took care of every little detail and made sure that we didn't have to worry about a thing. What an amazing experience. Next time we take a trip (I'm already counting down the days and pinching pennies) we will be sure to contact Ellen and Boutique Travel. Thanks for setting us up on the experience of a lifetime!!! read more

Once again, the do-it-yourself guy relied on a travel agency to plan his trip. Now I'm not sure if I will ever go back to planning my own vacation. Ellen at Boutique Travel helped us find high-class hotels in Peru at reasonable rates during high season. I have always wanted to hike to Machu Picchu, and although most websites indicated that these trips were sold-out, she was able to find a spectacular hike that took us over Salkantay Pass to Machu Picchu. Our hotel in Aguas Calientes (now Machu Picchu Puebla) was a fantastic, modern, hip hotel that retained a sense of quality without sacrificing intimacy. Even if the air had not been thin, this trip would have taken my breath away. read more

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Ellen at Boutique Travel, has designed our travel, since she planned our destination wedding to Jamaica, in 1998. Ellen has always taken care of everything, so that all we ever have to do, is enjoy the ultimate experience, in every place that we have visited. As my Husband says, the only thing he has to remember to do is carry his passport! Ellen is an amazing expert that designs specialty travel around our interests, while exceeding our expectations every time! We look forward to visiting new destinations with your touch! read more

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Our travel agent, Lei went above and beyond to ensure we were able to make our trip after United cancelled our flight. She called them on Saturday night to resolve the issue. We will definitely continue to use Lei for all our traveling needs. We highly recommend her. read more

Boutique Travel helped us plan our dream honeymoon! We were guided through the process of planning our trip, given lots of options and had communication during our travel. Boutique Travel helped to ensure smooth transitions and travel as we moved from the most beautiful places, meeting kind and professional guides along the way. Careful attention to detail made our vacation magical- we had the perfect balance of adventure and relaxation and activities were matched with our requests. It is clear these are the experts- with connections, knowledge and experience! read more

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My wife and I travel quite a bit with at least 1 or 2 international trips a year and usually plan our own trips. However, we were looking for a great Baby-moon vacation and wanted it to be easy. Our original thought was to go to Cabo San Lucas, Mexico since it would be easy and within our budget. However, we always desired to do one big hurrah before life changes a bit. We met Ellen Clark from Boutique Travel at the Santa Clara Travel Convention in February that we visit every year. Right from the start she was fantastic; she took the time to understand both our needs and our budget and we booked a trip to Moorea and Bora Bora with her. We just came back from paradise and the whole experience was amazing and the diligent planning and clear communication from Ellen made everything seamless. Ellen as a travel agent has an amazing ability to be attentive without being pushy, to be informative without overwhelming you and extremely response without being too salsey. She was able to get us in over-water bungalow's in Bora Bora that we really wanted and still stay within our budget by proposing us splitting our time in Moorea; what a great idea! We enjoyed both places quite a bit. Moreover, because Ellen travels to French Polynesia every year she has a great network and was able to get us reservations at Villa Mahana (the best and exclusive restaurant at Bora Bora) and that was an amazing experience. Everything from the hotels to the transfers was seamless and we truely didn't have to think about anything. We highly recommend her to everyone and go to French Polynesia if you haven't yet! :) read more

Boutique Travel - Le Meridian Bora Bora ... view towards our over-water bunglow! - Travel Agents Near Me - Oakland, California

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My husband and I had a very last-minute gap between jobs that we wanted to take advantage of for a getaway. At first, we did what we always do and try to book it ourselves. We tend to stay off the beaten path and look for the places that the locals like so I never thought we'd have any luck with an agency. But when we ran into booked rentals, hotels, and flights I knew we needed expert help, and fast. I called first thing in the morning and Ellen listened to what we were looking for, where we'd been before, and our timeline and budget. By the end of the day, we had one itinerary and by noon the next day we had three! Each one had thoughtful notes and tips about what each experience was like. They listen to what you're looking for and I felt they understood what kind of travel experience I was looking for. Whatever you're looking for, Ellen and Lei can make it happen! read more

I would like to say I could have not found a better person that Ellen in helping with my with my trip i highly recommend anyone who goes out the country to have her as your agent. read more

Where do I start on the compliments about Boutique Travel and specifically about Ellen who helped my husband and I plan our Moorea and Bora Bora French Polynesia BabyMoon trip? We met Ellen at the Santa Clara travel expo which we attend every year. This year, because we are expecting our first child, we were looking for a possible babymoon destination. We initially looked at Hawaii and Mexico and even booked a trip to Cabo. Then, because my heart was set on Bora Bora, we still stayed in touch with Ellen. She was not pushy at all. She gave us all the necessary info to help us make our decision. She also worked well within our budget which was very hard to do and got the best prices on airfare, hotels, transfers etc for us. Ellen is thoroughly professional and very thorough. She sent us a detailed package of our itinerary with some excellent tips and she went out of her way to respond to our emails and any queries we had even while we were on our trip. She took into account that I was in my 2nd trimester and accommodated our requests for everything that made me feel comfortable. She even reached out to one of the top restaurants there and got us (otherwise hard to obtain) reservations through the chef. We travel internationally all the time and never book through an agency but are so glad that we did this time and that Boutique...moreso that Ellen was there to help us. Thank you so much for making this special time in our lives so memorable! read more

We used Boutique Travel to book our honeymoon to South Africa and Mozambique. Penny and Ellen were accommodating, responsive and a pleasure to work with. They helped customize our trip to what we were interested in - we weren't pigeonholed into anything we didn't want to do. They organized travel and accommodations within countries and ensured we were prepared with vaccines, visas and other pertinent info. I have already referred their name to friends and would happily use them again. read more

Ellen from Travel boutique was easy to work with, knowledgeable, and passionate when planning our honeymoon to Fiji. She came up with creative ideas to have us fit within our budget and was always quick to respond to our inquiries and requests. I would highly recommend her services to anyone thinking about visiting that part of the world. read more

"Resort Exceeded My Expectations" 5 of 5 starsReviewed October 9, 2012 -We found the resort, accommodations, food, spa, truly 5 star. In addition the level of genuine kind, caring and friendly service provided by the staff was truly unsurpassed compared to any other vacation experience we have had in the world! (And we do love to travel). - Boutique Travel owner Ellen has planned our vacations for the past 15 years but this time she out did herself. She recommended Qamea Resort and Spa in Fiji and the resort and trip exceeded our wildest expectations!! Her precise planning, attention to detail, personal service and unsurpassed knowledge of Fiji provided the back drop to our wonderful Qamea experience. -Of special note is the dive experience...we did 8 dives including a 3 tank day at Rainbow Reef....the diving was spectacular but was made even better by Dive Master Eric......he is truly the best dive master I have ever dove with....it starts with his dive plan, explanation of the plan with the divers and the way he guided us through the water making sure we were safe and that we saw all of the wonderful sights available in each area we dove. I have dove in Cabo, Maui, Turks & Cacios, Bora Bora, and Rangiroa and he stands out above all others!! -I also very much enjoyed our conversations with the General Manager Graeme and Rose. We found them remarkably fun to be around and have never experienced such personal contact and service from the General Manager.......usually the GM hides behind the wall of subordinates....they are great............their motto seems to be "what else can we do to make sure everything is wonderful?" Thanks again to Ellen for planning this wonderful Island Paradise Vacation and thanks to the entire Qamea Resort team for the spectacular trip.....Brad * Stayed September 2012, traveled with family read more

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We recently got back from a fantastic three week trip to New Zealand. Penny from Boutique Travel very patiently worked with us, through several revisions, to put together an itinerary that found the perfect balance between seeing the highlights of the country and still having a relaxed pace to enjoy having the whole family together. She was informative and responsive, and checked in with us while we were there to be sure that everything was going well. read more

My wife and I used Boutique Travel to book a trip to Belize for our honeymoon. As we'd never used a travel agent before, we had a lot of questions. Ellen took the time to explain how her service worked, and what she could offer. She used her expertise to find us a set of resorts that perfectly matched what we were looking for, and were a great fit for our price range. She took care of everything. But, most importantly -- and I think this is a testament to Ellen's willingness to go above and beyond -- a couple months after we booked our trip, the resort slashed the price of the honeymoon package. We felt like we were getting a raw deal, having paid the original price of almost $1000 more! Ellen took the initiative to fight on our behalf to make sure we recouped the difference. She went to bat for us (with nothing to gain on her part) and successfully convinced the resort to refund our money. We ended up incredibly happy with our trip to Belize, the resort, and most of all, Boutique Travel. It was such a pleasure going through Ellen, and we'd do it again in a heartbeat. We give her our most enthusiastic recommendation. read more

I just spent time on the phone with Ellen who could not have be nicer, more helpful, and cooperative even though she couldn't offer the service we needed. If you need a boutique travel agent for a honeymoon or special event call her -- she's wonderful! read more

We've had two wonderful experiences with Ellen @ Boutique Travel. She helped us with a trip to Africa several years ago that is still our favorite trip to date. More recently we completed a trip to Ecuador and The Galápagos that was a year in the making. It was a surprise trip for my husband's milestone birthday and she suggested an appropriate place for the time of year, presented several suggestions and alternatives for the travel time frame and ultimately arranged a vacation we won't ever forget. Easy to work with; available before, during and after the trip; and full of good ideas. read more

This is the second time we have used Boutique Travel to help us plan a trip. The first time, we used them for a trip to Morocco and most recently, for a month-long trip to New Zealand. We told Penny what we were looking for, and she came up w a trip outline and suggestions. After several backs and forths, we came up w an itinerary that exceeded our expectations. As with our Morocco trip, everyone we dealt with through Boutique travel: Ellen, Penny, Claudio, were responsive and patient w our questions and itinerary changes. In the end, it all worked out beautifully: we loved the places we visited, our lodging and planned activities. We have recommended them to friends and will happily continue to do so! read more

I'm not impressed with Ellen who is impatient, rushed, and seem not interested in designing a good travel experience, but wants to run a conveyor belt type of operation. I will not work with Boutique Travel again although other staff may be more helpful. read more

Ellen of Boutique did it again! Another AMAZING bucket list trip and this one to the Conrad Hilton in Bora Bora. Ellen really is the "Tahiti Queen" because of her experience provided us with everything we needed to know in order to have a fabulous trip. Ellen even beat Costco's price (and we love Costco!) and better yet was able to proved her professional experience. Also, she provided two trips for us to Africa and was the only travel agent at the time that could put it together on short notice in order to join our son and family that wanted us to join them. I could go on and on but realized most people don't take the time to read long messages. Thank you again Ellen! read more