Boutique Travel

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.

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.

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.

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 2^nd 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!

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! :)

I worked with Ellen’s team this time to plan a trip to Tahiti and Bora Bora. All I can say is WOW!!! I can’t even say enough– she booked me in some of the most beautiful hotels I have ever seen– the Sofitel private island being my absolute favorite! I saw more fish than I have ever seen– swam with sharks and stingrays… Incredible! I can’t wait to go back– tahiti is what dreams are made of.

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!!!

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 Unilocal 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!

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.

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.

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!