Stumbled upon Soltura when reading a blog post about traveling in Cuba and decided to give it a…read moretry. SO glad that I did. My boyfriend and I traveled to Cuba last June and it was an amazing experience that we could not have done on our own without Soltura. We truly felt it was an immersive experience and got to learn so much about the culture, people, and history. We stayed in a casa particular with generous and welcoming hosts, went to various art-related community projects, music/dance venues, and got to travel in tons of vintage cars. We met musicians, students, doctors, a small business owner, and more people in Cuba who truly make it what it is. Ian and Assol were amazing guides - gracious, friendly, knowledgable, and very perceptive about what we would both enjoy. I would consider them friends after the trip. If you're looking for a very comfortable, luxurious tour company this isn't for you. If you want to travel and truly see a place, then it is. Loved Soltura.

I don't have adequate words to describe the special experience of seeing "The Real Cuba" through…read moreIan's and Soltura Travel's eyes. The entire trip was wonderful from start to finish and Ian ("Yon" as pronounced by the Cuban people) left no details to chance. This experience was profound and life changing. Ian made so many special experiences possible for us. I loved learning about the art and culture of Havana through the expertise of the young and knowledgeable guides and docents. We were able to immerse ourselves in the lives and experiences of such a wide variety of people through the relationships Ian has built over the years. I especially loved learning about the Community Projects that enrich the lives of so many Cuban people. One of my favorite experiences was learning about and hearing the young talent in Mailan's Children's Choir and befriending Mailan and her lovely daughter, Alicia. I had so much fun traveling to Playa Zapata and Trinidad with the group. The snorkeling was the best I have ever done and we had so many hilarious and fun adventures with the group. Ian leads these tours with so much heart and dedication. There is not a question asked or subject mentioned that goes unnoticed. I really believe Ian is magic: whenever I asked about anything, somehow without any fuss, that thing would appear in front of me. Some favorite memories include drinking Canchacharas (yes....I can pronounce that correctly now) in Trinidad, our adventure to get the local honey (miel), doing the "Becca" dance at The Tropicana, and buying expensive aged rum at the gas station. The accomodations and restaurants are arranged with so much thought and detail. The casas were spotless and accommodating. Our experiences were too varied to detail here, but were all so terrific. I felt safe and comfortable for the entire trip. The small groups are really nice (max 10 people) and allow for a flexibility that I really enjoyed. I feel like I gained many special friends from this trip. Ian and Soltura Travel provide an incredible, fun, varied, and immersive Cuba experience. I recommend without reservation.

Wonderful experience!! Although I live in Portland, I had never been to Forest Park (I know! ‍) so…read moreI booked a walking tour with some friends recently and we had a lovely time. Our tour guide (Greg) was great and shared lots of fun history and interesting facts. The walk through the trails and surrounding streets was super easy even though there are a few hills. We got lucky and ended up at a lemonade stand once we exited the park. It was perfect. And there were lots of photo ops! People at work have been asking if I went out of town because no one had ever noticed all of the cool things we checked out along our route. All credit for that goes to Greg's excellent research. I enjoyed this so much that I definitely plan on taking the other neighborhood tours. I'm sure there are hidden gems all over that I would otherwise miss. This is a perfect activity for entertaining company in town, too. Overall, I highly recommend!

For me a good walking tour is going to show me places I haven't seen before, and The Portland…read moreInsider tours did just that. I'm not from Portland so a trip down Mississippi Ave was a great way to see stores and restaurants I otherwise would have completely missed. I learned a lot while also having fun, and getting some exercise. My elementary phy ed teacher would be so proud.

I was looking to find a special place that my wife and I could do for our 25th wedding anniversary…read moreand found Lisa and she put together a fabulous vacation together at Sandals Regency La Toc in St Lucia. We had a butler suite overlooking the sea and the sunset views were amazing! She did everything and we just sat back and let her do her thing and we were thrilled of the outcome! If you need a perfect travel agent then contact Lisa at Bliss and she will do wonders!!!

everytime i book through bliss travel i never have an issue. my reservations are always well put…read moretogether, very informative and specific. i love it here

My friends and decided to visit Portland for the weekend. For some, it was their first time there,…read moreso I wanted to take them around to see the city, eat donuts, and drink beer. Since we had multiple stops and there were 15 of us including 3 toddlers, it would have been a huge hassle to call so many Ubers/Lyfts. Not to mention all the heavy car seats that we would have had to carry with us to each location. My solution: renting a private bus! I reached out to multiple shuttle companies, but Shanghai really stood out to me. Dusty responded almost immediately and was very helpful in providing details about their pricing and buses. While my main goal was really just to safely and efficiently get my group to the various spots, it was a plus that Shanghai's bus also included a karaoke machine. Once we decided on the terms and details, Dusty sent over a contract within the next few days. The morning of our ride, Dusty texted to let me know our bus was on the way. Our driver, Ron, arrived a few minutes early, so by our reservation start time, we were all set to go. He was professional, kind and drove cautiously. As it was raining, I appreciated that he dropped us off as close as he safely could at each location, and then picked us back up when we were ready to continue to the next spot. The cooler was also stocked with ice, as promised. We ended up riding the Solid Gold bus, which is literally a converted school bus. I must admit this was very different from our typical sprinter party bus experience. For one, I had never ridden a party bus with kids before, and blasting "Wheels On The Bus" instead of dance music was such a different vibe. Lol! The bus was unique and had a vintage feel -- very Portland. Given our situation, I actually preferred this over the dark, tinted windows of the sprinters we are used to. The Solid Gold allowed us to see the city during our rides. We got a lot of stares every time we pulled up to a donut shop or brewery, but it was a fun experience. Everyone had a great time, especially the kids who now point out every bus that passes by on the street and say they want to go back to the party bus!

Our guests are still taking about their bus ride. We did the Solod Gold karaoke bus that fits 40-…read moreand people LOVED it! Plus we knew they would make it home safely. Shanghai is easy to work with and showed up on time. It was nice that our guests ended their evening with such a great experience. I am so glad I found these guys!!

I had a great time on this trip. I had signed up in 2019 and with covid and a foot injury I was…read morefinally able to take this trip in 2022. REA was very easy to work with for each of the issues. I am very appreciative of all the help they gave me. They wanted me to be well and comfortable with my decisions. The hike itself was all I had hoped for. I wanted to learn the ropes of backpacking. And even though I was farther along in my knowledge then when I signed up in 2019, I still learned a ton. Alexis was our guide and she was always ready, willing and able to answer any questions we had. And we had a lot of questions. Alexis knew what she was doing and gave her knowledge freely. The views were spectacular. The campsites both nights were right on a lake. The hike was hard but doable for this 65yr old. Highly recommond.

I booked the Mt. Hood Moonlight Snowshoe experience for my partner's birthday & it was phenomenal!…read more The location was gorgeous, especially in the moonlight. We also really appreciated the effort the host went to in order to serve refreshments. Overall it was a fantastic way to spend an evening!

Was gifted a Forktown Food Tour and WOW was it amazing! It was the perfect way for locals and…read morevisitors to see a different size of Portland. We just moved from Denver a few years ago so always looking for good eats! We decided to check out a neighborhood that we've never explored ourselves and we had such a great time. We took the Mississippi Ave Tour and really enjoyed the different eats that was picked out for us! We started at the food carts and had some delicious BBQ then walked a couple blocks and got to try this delicious glass noodle salad and local wine. Honestly, I was pretty full already from those first two stops but we had two more to go! We ended up going to a local brewery as well as a dairy-free ice cream shop! Being lactose intolerant, I was ECSTATIC to know that this ice cream place was all dairy free! Everyone was pleasantly surprised at the texture of the ice cream and the different flavors that was offered! Being locals we weren't sure what to expect in a group setting but everyone was a joy to be with. Our group consisted of friends celebrating a birthday and a married couple that was visiting for the weekend from Seattle. Our guide Heidi lead us on a delicious trip around Portland and cannot wait to attend her other tours or even possibly her food tours abroad! It was such a pleasure to spend a lovely Saturday with Heidi.

The Forktown Food tour was Forking Fabulous (surely I'm not the first one to capitalize on such…read morealliteration?). Ariel, our tour guide, immediately won points in my book for being both an artist and a New Mexican native. These traits are not what made her an apt, knowledgeable, or personable tour guide, per say, but they're what made me see my reflection in her mirror. "Hey! I'm an artist (writer) from New Mexico and a food tour guide, too!" With that said, Ariel did an awesome job. She knows her history, her food, her city, and has a fun personality to tie it all together. Our group was a mix of locals and travelers, solo eaters (yours truly) and a group of friends. We all got along great, and enjoyed every stop. What I enjoyed most about this was 1) the location. Mississippi Ave is a gem! Get out of downtown and explore this place! 2) the diversity of dining. I'm not well-versed enough in Korean Mexican food to know what to order at a food cart, same with Thai cuisine (um, Pad Thai? Yes I am that uneducated), so I was glad to have a great dish handed to me. Also, I liked the balance of savory, sweet, and even vegetables, and the fact it moved like a progressive meal (salad, appetizer, main, palate cleanser, dessert). I definitely recommend!

Rented a party sprinter van for a friend's bachelor trip! They showed up on time and the van was…read moresuper clean and spacious. The pricing was pretty good given there's not a lot of options out there and you have to drive everywhere in Oregon! Would 100% recommend JMI and use them again!

We reached out multiple times requesting a quote but never received a response--no return phone…read morecall and no reply to our online request. Based on this lack of communication, I can't recommend this company. Responding to inquiries is a basic professional courtesy.