I used SBT many years ago for a European trip and had a great experience, so I tried them again for…read moreanother European trip. Unfortunately, this time was not good. I will not use names in this review as it is not my intention to hurt them but to report what my experience was so readers can make an informed decision. If you have mobility issues, please use a travel agency that understands and caters to these specific issues. SBT does not and it was obvious based on many issues including the location of some of the hotels, and certain arrangements that they did not complete. After the initial contact, I waited one month without contact and had to call and email them to get a response. The bottom line is that another agent took over. I was relieved until I found out that the original agent was doing most of the work. The new agent was on a three-week vacation during the planning and contact was not easy. Due to the original agent's lack of understanding or experience, the plans were incomplete, not what we wanted or more importantly not what I needed. As far as the train arrangements for wheelchair service, I was told they were made but they were not. When I emailed them from overseas regarding this issue, I was emailed the information and told to contact the service on my own. It was so bad that we skipped using the train two times and hired a taxi instead at four times the cost of the train. Three of the five hotels were on severely sloped streets and were so sloped it was impossible to use a wheelchair. Also, I had asked for all hotels to have an in-house restaurant and 3 of 5 did not. The final hotel was at the airport, and I was told it was in the terminal. It was not in the terminal and to make it worse there were no shuttles to the airport from this hotel. I do want to give you the positives, the second agent recommended a Masseria to stay in, and it was great, and we truly enjoyed the experience. He also recommended a restaurant in a cave and that was seriously awesome too!! Honestly, the entire experience with SBT was so frustrating. The day before the trip started, I was still desperately emailing them to finalize plans for the trip. There is a lot more that went bad but there is not enough time to cover all the issues. I wish I could recommend SBT, but I cannot. Sadly, I will be looking elsewhere for a new travel agency.

I loved the trip and working with Tina and Santa Barbara Travel. Tina helped to make my first time…read moreto take a cruise ship to Mexico a wonderful one. She found just the right trip for my wishes and helped me through the process from start to finish, i.e., arranging for a timely passport, ways to get to the ship, what the costs would be and finding the right insurance. What seemed most important was her experience in getting everything arranged and that she was working with the actual companies, because a lot of it was online and it is so easy to be deceived when using the internet these days. I was confident that she would prevent me from making mistakes as a first-time traveler. The whole experience was very exciting, if not a little nerve-wracking because of my inexperience, but she shared the enthusiasm with me and made everything happen! Thank you, Tina, for this first-time experience, I will be back for more trips to be arranged by Santa Barbara Travel!

Steve and his expert team have helped my family enjoy the wonders of the world for years! From…read morePortofino Italy to the Inca Trail in Peru :) and don't even get me started on the incredible cruises. They handle all the details and we have never been disappointed. They are truly the best and they make traveling with kids stress free. LOVE THEM, SWEAR BY THEM, YOU SHOULD USE THEM!!!

I can't stand making travel plans so when my out of town girlfriend was planning to come visit and…read morehad "nice hotel with spa services" on her wish list I was at a loss over where to stay. Another friend told me to call Isabel and I am so thankful for the suggestion - she handled everything, from finding dates that worked within our price range to the booking to the spa credit and I didn't have to do a thing! She replied to every email promptly, made great suggestions, and my friend and I had the most wonderful relaxing weekend. I have often thought about vacations I want to take with our family but we always end up just going to Santa Barbara or Palm Springs or to visit family on the east coast (which are all lovely of course) because of how much I do not enjoy figuring out travel - I'm so happy to have found someone who can do the legwork. We may actually get out of California for a real family vacation one of these days! I will definitely work with Isabel/Strictly Vacations in the future. Thanks Isabel!

Beth from Cruise Planners has helped me plan 2 Virgin Voyages cruises as well as a road trip in…read moreUtah and Spain. She's really responsive & is a great resource for all types of vacations. We usually have a discussion first to talk about my goals for a trip and then she keeps me in the loop until she finalizes an itinerary that I'm happy with. Why would I do the planning myself when she can do all the work--it's a no brainer!

From the owner: At Cruise Planners, we don't just find you amazing cruises, we plan the vacation of your dreams…read morewhether it be an all inclusive resort or an escorted tour or independent travel. I can also help with honeymoons, destination weddings, baby moons, girlfriend getaways, bachelor parties, family reunions and school excursions. Even if you need just a hotel, car rental or concert tickets--anywhere in the world--you can book that directly on my website at www.getready2travel.com. Because of our relationship with American Express we have special offers you can't find elsewhere!

What a wonderful first impression of the lovely city of Santa Barbara! We stumbled in here after…read moregetting off the Amtrak train, looking for recommendations for kid-friendly eats, and we left with a wonderful list of places we try. The staff here are super friendly, just people wanting to help other people. Shoutout to Ruairi, the awesome Irish, who really helped us lay out the food land during our visit. We visited most of the food spots that he recommended and had a wonderful foodie experience - we found our new favorite pizza spot! The store is clean, quaint, and a lovely visit. Will recommend tourists to pop in for a quick visit just to make sure you have all your t's crossed off :)

Stopped into the visitor center on our honeymoon to look for souvenirs only to be insulted about…read morewhere we are from (especially at the visitor center!!). 0/10, wouldn't recommend, can't imagine being that rude to people visiting your city.

Rachel is awesome! Super knowledgeable of the ocean, water, marine life, and history of the area…read more What a rad human being to have guiding the tour. As it turns out, all of the harbor seals, and sealions have names. We befriended one named Steve, he is much better at swimming than I am. He also taught me secret techniques to paddling. This one Pelican named Parry got into a barking match with some sealions, which is a fight he wasn't gonna win, let's be honest. Though I was hoping to see an M-A-N-A-T-E-E ... next time! If you're gonna go down on Haley street, where the dogs are easy and the sun is cheap, you never know just who you'll meet, on Haley. (But hopefully it's Rachel from the Santa Barbara Adventure Company, and you get her kayak tour; shout out!)

A heartfelt thank you to Santa Barbara Adventure Company for creating such a memorable birthday…read moreexperience for our daughter. From start to finish, everything exceeded our expectations. We had a fun ferry ride to the islands and even got to slow down to watch a large Sunfish (Mola Mola) snacking on some jellies. I recommend getting in line early to secure the best view seating on the ferry. Our kayak guides, Chuck and Adam, were exceptional--knowledgeable, engaging, and genuinely passionate about what they do. They made the entire trip both fun and informative, while ensuring we always felt safe and well cared for. We were fortunate to have perfect weather and warm water, which allowed us to explore all seven sea caves--many of which are inaccessible during high tide or rougher conditions. It made the experience even more special. Having lived in Santa Barbara for 22 years, this was my first time visiting the islands, and it was truly unforgettable. The pristine landscapes, abundant sea life, and even spotting several tiny island foxes while enjoying our picnic lunch, made it an unforgettable adventure. We can't wait to do it again--highly recommend to anyone looking for a unique and exceptional experience!

There really is no better travel agent than Cathy Kroll!…read more She's passionate, worldly, knowledgeable, extremely "into you having THEE BEST trip", and works tirelessly to make sure everything works out perfectly! She will always go the extra mile for her clients no matter what! Not only have I known her for 38 years, but I have taken trips through her. And I honestly can say she is one of a kind! You will not be sorry if you book through her, she's worth every penny!

I have not used a travel agent to plan a trip in decades (William Shatner has handled the majority…read moreof my bookings), but when it came to traveling to two countries I had never visited, a friend suggested Cathy Kroll as she had been to Ireland and Scotland (and apparently the rest of the globe) on several occasions. I thought I would receive some good hotel and tour recommendations, but what I received was much more valuable. At every hotel/B&B/Castle we stayed in we received upgrades (free breakfast/ larger rooms with 5-Star views/ complementary massages, etc...) that were worth at least $2,000 when added up (although it is hard to put a price on some of the views). Also to my surprise, our airfare was lower than what we had found using various travel websites. Cathy met with us several times before our trip to insure she had covered all of our needs and then tracked us during our travels to insure we were receiving all of the extra perks, and upon our return she inquired as to any changes we would suggest to the itinerary she suggested. I would highly recommend Cathy to anyone planning a trip and will be using her on all future trips!!!

Very fast and efficient! I went in there and got everything done in about 10 minutes. When you…read morefirst get there, you can go ahead and park in the public parking lot. Then you must wait outside the room until your scheduled appointment, when the time is ready they will come grab you! After they run all your prints, don't forget to ask them to shred your papers! It is super easy and convenient. $45 for a Live Scan!

Do not go here. I've done live scan at other locations and these people are by far the rudest. I…read morearrived on time, rang the doorbell as instructed, and no one came out to get me. I rang again and still no one came. I assumed they were busy with someone else as I could hear talking and I did not want to be rude, so I did not ring again. Eventually the next person came. She ended up spamming the doorbell nonstop and lo' and behold, they opened they door for her. They told me they never heard me ring and refused to honor my appointment. If you get stuck going here, make sure to spam the doorbell or call them until they come outside, otherwise they will blame you for not being obnoxiously loud.

Karin and the Hathaway team are second to none when it comes to service. Recently booked a trip to…read moreCosta Rica with them and they made the process seamless! Looking forward to sharing pictures soon! Hathaway all the way!

From the owner: We are family owned full service travel agency. We book River cruises, Sea cruises, Land tours,…read moreHotels, Transfers, Corporate events, Corporate travel/trips, Destination weddings, and airfare!

I really want to thank Ruth of Hot Spots for dealing with my families' very difficult and lengthy…read morebooking for their trip out here to visit. She was very diligent in finding us EXACTLY what we needed without losing patience with us. Let me tell you that was no easy task I am sure. We were certainly a handful with our endless questions about every option and ever changing minds about the perfect place to stay. We needed a group booking with a block of rooms, as our family was coming and going at different times, and Ruth calmly handled all of the switches and last minute changes with ease. Everyone was pleased with their accommodations and I will absolutely use Hot Spots again. Thanks again Ruth for your professionalism, patience and outstanding customer service, it's a valuable and extremely helpful service you are offering.

This service is great. I learned about Hot Spots about 4 years ago (September 2009) when I was…read moretrying to find a room for one night for my sisters bachelorette party. Hot Spots found us a fantastic sweet in the perfect location. The room was totally reasonable and the hotel waived the 2 night minimum stay. This is huge when you are visiting SB in peak season. I used Hot Spots again in June of 2011 when my boyfriend and I wanted a weekend getaway, but didn't want to spend all our vacation money on the hotel. Again, Hot Spots gave us options and rates that were fabulous. This past weekend was the best experience. We stayed at a hotel that did not honor the rate that Hot Spots quoted. It was a misunderstanding with the hotel staff. I called Hot Spots and, without any hesitation, they took care of everything. The hotel apologized and refunded us. More than anything, Ruth was ready to correct the fee discrepancy without hesitation before she even contacted the hotel. I knew that I could trust Hot Spots to honor their rates. Great service. Great attitude. My husband (the former boyfriend from trip #2 mentioned above) and I rave about hot spots. We simply do not understand why more people do not know about them. We are doing our part to spread the word.