I am saddened by the pandemic, the threat to our public health, and by the impact this has had on your company. I much appreciate the personal assistance and advice I have received from Lisa Sample In arranging this trip and for a previous trip to Tuscany.  Lisa, you have great communication skills and I am certain you will land on on your feet. I look forward to the reinvention of Amber Road Tours in the future.

We are devastated that events cpmpletely outside your control have brought your organisation to its knees. As you are aware, we have had 4 wonderful journeys with Amber Road. The poignant scene of the vacant square at Milano is symbolic of what I suspect will happen in many other countries.

We wish you well in the future and hope that your guides (Mariaelana, Fredericka and Anna and Lucas in the past) will also fall on their feet. Thank you for opening up a fabulous part of the world to us over the years.

It is so sad to read your email.

Seems we all have so many challenges with the pandemic in the coming months.

To you all at Amber I wish you to stay safe & healthy & when the Coronavirus has ended you are able to get back to business as usual & continue to be very successful as you have been for so long.

Best wishes to the team

Firstly I am so so sorry to hear the news about your operations. This is just heartbreaking to hear and I know you would all be dealing with this with a heavy heart. The world is going to hurt with all of this and you are not alone. We are thinking of you.

I  am so  sorry that your business Amber Roads is closing. I have been on 2 trips: one to  Andalucia in 2017  and in Sept 2019 to southern Italy Puglia. I was due to join you again for a trip to Croatia and Bosnia in Sept.2020. No one saw this epidemic coming. It’s devastating for Italy in particular and I grieve for those stricken with the virus.  I do hope that Lisa is able to  revive the business once this epidemic has played out  and the world gets back on its axis. Please convey my warmest wishes to Federica. What a lovely and  talented woman! I wish her well.

We were completely sad and sorry to hear that you had to make the decision to close the wonderful Amber Roads Tours! This must have been a heart-wrenching decision for you.
Tony and I enjoyed very, very much every tour that we had with you and your colleagues and to see all your hard work conclude in this fashion is truly awful. However, as Tony has just said to me, you have done your “exit” with the same class as you did everything else …first class all the way.
I have had several interactions with Lisa Sample and have found her to be most pleasant and always professional; we shall watch for a re-emergence of the Amber Road brand under her leadership.
We are saddened by the toll this dreadful illness is taking on your lovely country and our prayer for you both is that you and those who are important to you will be spared and that you enjoy a happy and healthy retirement in the years ahead.
Thank you so very much for all the lovely memories that we have because of our Amber Road journeys!

I am so sorry for all at the company because of this global pandemic and I understand what a difficult decision it must have been to cancel, but it is the right one. Our hearts are particularly saddened when we hear of the plight of Italy, which is one of the most wonderful places in the world.

My sister and I are absolutely heartbroken at the news. We so love Amber Road, the staff, tours, tour leaders, etc., having taken 4 I believe, and signed up for our 5th.

I am really sad that Amber Road is closing. I think you are an amazing company with impeccable integrity. I have taken 3 tours with Amber Road and I will continue if you decide to come back.

Best wishes to Sonya, Jonathan and all the staff.

I am so sad to hear that you will be closing. I took 3 trips with Amber Road. And I so enjoyed the journeys. The Tour Managers were awesome…. so knowledgeable , patient and fun.

I sincerely hope that the company and its people will reinvent itself. This is a truly special tour company that I am sure can make a great come back.

First of all, we want to thank you and Sonya for giving us the opportunity to enjoy three of the most enjoyable tours we’ve ever taken. Not only did we love the destinations, the guides, and the accommodations, but we truly appreciated all the input and help that you personally gave us. We are very saddened that you are planning to close down, but under the circumstances, we certainly understand. This is such a troubling time for all of us.

We would like to donate to Laura Serafin, Andrej Vatovek, and Lisa Sample. We know it’s not a lot, but with the help our children need from us, it’s the best we can do right now. We wish you and Sonya…and all of Amber Road Tours’ staff…health and good luck.

How very sad to get your email.  I went on 4 Amber Road tours and loved them all.  I will be making a contribution to go to Mariaelena, Sean, and Lisa Sample.  All of them are extraordinary professionals and caring individuals.  This is a time to show appreciation and I thank you for the opportunity to express my admiration and goodwill.

Wishing you the best in this difficult time.

Dear Jonathon and Sonya,

How sad for you both and all your excellent staff.

Thank you for all the pleasure you have given us over our four trips with Amber Road Tours.

We wish you all the best.

This was our second tour with Amber Road, and it absolutely lived up to our expectations. The hotels we stayed in were top notch. The towns and sites we visited were charming and fascinating. It was particularly interesting to learn of the significant influence of the Etruscan civilization in the history of the development of the region. The included dinners and lunches were excellent experiences of the unique diversity and flavors of Tuscan cuisine.

This was our 4th tour with Amber Roads, and it was as delightful as the others. From our arrival in Sarajevo, with background commentary on recent tragic events and the role it has played in European history, to the travels through Croatia, we were happy with the accommodations, travel arrangements and our knowledgeable guide Andrej. The personalized attention and tour details remain as reasons we continue to travel with Amber Roads. The small group experience adds to the travel enjoyment. This trip left us quite satisfied and will leave us with many travel memories.

The tour of Sicily was well planned and took in many sites that are recommended to see when visiting Sicily. The two night minimum stays were excellent, didn’t feel too rushed. Our guide Saverio was excellent, giving informative commentary on his island of Sicily, bringing each destination alive with his knowledge. His sense of humour added to the enjoyment of the tour. The local guides were also wonderful, and we definitely got the impression each was passionate about where they lived and the history of each place. Each location was one that I was keen to see, and the hotels were all good too, some were exceptional. I would recommend this tour to anyone.

My husband and I are not tour travelers. We picked Amber Roads because they stayed in towns for at least 2 nights, promised small groups, and had no ‘forced’ shopping. All true. We found our group of 10 had similar minds. We enjoyed each others company and learning about our shared interests. The time in each city was very well planned. We arrived late afternoon after a jam-packed day to a great hotel. Bags were either in our rooms or arrived shortly. The first evening was generally free allowing time for us to unpack and explore on our own. Each morning in a new city began with a tour by a well-informed local guide. There was always free time in each city for personal exploration or shopping. I was amazed how seamlessly everything was handled. I needed a trip to the doctor and Sean, our guide went with me to translate the doctor’s evaluation and to make sure that every restaurant prepared the foods that I was suppose to have. Could not have been better. I very much appreciate his attention to detail and my good care. Speaking of Sean, he is a font of knowledge. Any question we had about the history or culture of Spain provided him with an opportunity to impart his vast knowledge. If anything, he killed us with knowledge. As we look at photos and think about all the special things we did–the bull farm, the horse show, the olive making farm, paella cooking lesson, etc., etc., it is a wonder that we did so much. We will have oh so many memories for years to come. If we ever travel to places that we have not seen, there is no question that we would travel with Amber Road again.

This tour maintained Amber Road’s usual high standard. We had a good group (only 10), and our tour guide, Andrej, was knowledgeable and efficient. We enjoyed all our local guides, and our driver was also helpful and pleasant.  Overall, we felt the tour pace and itinerary were excellent, with a good balance of coach time; tour time & free time. The highlights for us included learning about Sarajevo (we wouldn’t have visited this area had it not been on the itinerary for this particular tour); and the beautiful Croatian coast.  The hotels were well-chosen and well-located, and we particularly enjoyed the smaller, more characterful ones. The meals were good, although nothing can compare with the food in Italy! Always very happy with the service we receive from Amber Road.

I was so happy to finally visit Sicily after many trips to Italy and living on the Adriatic coast of Italy. Mariaelena was so integral to my enjoyment of the tour. She is a wonderful tour director and person. Her genuine care for our personal well-being was obvious throughout the tour. She imparted information about Sicily that was very helpful in understanding this storied land, part of Italy yet very much its own character. Towns that previously were only names are now real. The in city tour guides were excellent. My favorite food was probably pizza and I tried many of them. The earthy regional Sicilian wines were just perfect with them. Lovely to meet new people and especially lovely to have Mariaelena as our constant presence — Bellissimo! Thank you Lisa for being so helpful with our pre-tour arrangements — Amber Road does a great job all around.

This was truly a delightful tour with a congenial group of people, and I look forward to taking other Amber Road tours in the future. The tour design was very thoughtful, with a good mix of guided walks in the beautiful Tuscan and Umbrian towns we visited and free time to explore on your own. The local tour guides were all very good. We had wonderful food everywhere (wild boar ragu, pici!) and an education on the wines of the region from our tour leader, Tiziana. Tiziana knew all the towns we visited so well, and had lots of energy and enthusiasm and a great sense of humor, as well as sensitivity to how we were all feeling. Our driver, Giuseppe, was jovial, patient and friendly, and one of my best memories is driving through gorgeous Tuscan landscapes with Pavarotti and other Italian singers turned up on the van stereo. This was an amazing experience I’ll never forget.

A marvelous trip—well paced and organized, with informative local guides, comfortable accommodations, and beautiful scenery, all led flawlessly by our superb guide, Saverio. Always upbeat, Saverio generously shared his island of Sicily with us, teaching while entertaining with his ever present and delightful sense of humor. Never hovering but always attentive and attuned, responding to the needs of our group, he tirelessly and cheerfully went out of his way to accommodate the largest and smallest of requests. Saverio handled difficult situations creatively, skillfully, and with great empathy and kindness. We can’t thank him enough for making this such a great experience.

The tour exceeded our expectations. Saverio, our guide was a major factor: fully in control, informative, entertaining and caring. The accommodation was very good and the tour well paced. We had been told about Sicily as a great historical destination and it lived up to its reputation. October weather was very good with only a couple of rainy days. Sicilian food is very good too. We enjoyed the composition of our group as well – very thoughtful, interesting and engaging.

Except for problems getting there and returning home (issues with the airlines, NOT Amber Road or the tour itself), this was another Amber Road success story..the third for us! We can’t say enough about our Tour Director, Andrej who combined knowledge, flexibility, efficiency, and humor, to help make this a wonderful and memorable trip for 13 people from 3 different continents! The Fruili area of Italy, including Trieste, was lovely as expected, but we weren’t really prepared for the diversified beauty of Slovenia…changing day to day depending on what part we were traveling through…Italian, Austrian, and Hungarian influences were all in evidence at one time or another. The hotels were terrific, with very spacious rooms and often with views that were amazing. Waking up to incredible views of Lake Bled from our balcony each morning, was a wonderful way to start our day. The food in Italy and in Slovenia was delicious and VERY plentiful, and everything we saw and did was interesting, often unusual, and well worth our time. We particularly loved Aquileia with its archaeological and architectural sites, a wine tasting and incredible homemade lunch by the young owners of a vineyard, the cosmopolitan city of Ljubljana, the incredible Postojna Caves, and of course, Lake Bled! The fact that we spent 3 or 4 nights in each hotel was an enormous plus for us, as well as the free time we were given to explore and eat on own. Thank you again to Amber Road, to Andrej, and to our fellow travelers for your contributions in making this such a great/fun trip!

Mariaelena is an exceptional tour guide: knowledgeable, dedicated to her job, compassionate for those in need, and a great all around gal. It was my pleasure to meet her and I really appreciate the help she gave me. I got a 24 hour virus early on in the tour and she immediately went to the pharmacy for products that helped me recover soonest. She was always there for those on the tour in need. I loved talking with her; she has a depth of understanding of human nature that is impressive and ever so meaningful. I’ve been on many tours, and Mariaelena is at the top of my list of tour guides.

An exceedingly high standard was set with our first evening welcome Tour dinner. We enjoyed absolutely delicious food and excellent wines at a delightful restaurant with a commanding view towards the Alhambra Palace. At sunset, flood lights automatically lit up the Alhambra – what a first class ‘wow’ factor. I said to Sean, the Tour Manager, “I trust that you will maintain this standard.” Sean just smiled and nodded his head.

For the next 12 days, we were spoilt with our centrally located, premier and charming hotel accommodation, yummy traditional Spanish food and wines as well as a wide range of sightseeing and activities. If variety is the spice of life we had a very spicy time as we visited and learnt about historic buildings with layers of history (especially churches, mosques–the Mezquite or Great Mosque was the most memorable-and palaces); admired the Andalucia landscape with its abundance of olive and cork trees; assisted with cooking a Paella dish; admired the energetic Flamenco performances; tasted a range of Sherries; learnt about how olives are processed; enjoyed the “dancing stallions” and visited the oldest bull ring in Spain and a bull farm.

A thank you to Sean, our very competent, organised and personable Tour Manager. His passion for his country was very evident through the range of information he conveyed to us throughout the trip. He looked after us extremely well. We appreciated how he selected interesting coffee stops during our travels, ensure that we sampled authentic tapas at several lunch breaks as well as arranging visits to a range of produce markets.  Also a big ‘tick’ to the local guides. They were very knowledgeable, entertaining and easy to listen to.