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I went to Egypt with Black Tomato in early 2019 and immediately signed up for another trip to the Middle East with them. I was originally supposed to go to Jordan in 2020 but Covid changed all that -- however, I am SO thankful I had the trip booked with Black Tomato. They rebooked everything with NO ISSUES and NO STRESS. I was so thankful that I booked my "big ticket" travel through them because they handle EVERYTHING.

When I was finally able to go in early 2022, they made everything happen with incredibly short notice. (Black Tomato makes exotic destination travel soooooo easy.)

Now on to the trip -- Jordan was incredible. Tom (their Middle East expert) was 100% dead on with everything I wanted to do, and was also flexible when I suggested a few tweaks here and there. And here's the other secret with Black Tomato -- their guides are WORLD CLASS. I have been on countless guided tours in my life and Black Tomato finds people that are just the absolute best. BT saves me hundreds of hours in searching for the best of the best. That's what I want when I travel and Black Tomato always delivers.

Also, a note to single female travelers, I felt totally safe in both Egypt and Jordan because of my booking with Black Tomato -- they make sure you have a guide with you at all times (if that's what you want). And all of the places they have you stay are luxurious AND safe.

Our trip to Argentina and Chile was typical Black Tomato - organized, efficient, top-notch everything.
Buenos Aires – hotel and area great. Romina our guide was fantastic. The ride to the Tango in the old-fashioned car was an unexpected and really fun highlight/additive. Empanada cooking class delightful. The surprise personalized tango was very cool –the sparkling wine and chocolates and strawberries made it even better.
Bariloche was absolutely gorgeous. Loved the Villa Beluno. To me, it was the best hotel. Room was spacious, and there were plenty of really good restaurants within 15 mins drive - Il Gabbianno was particularly good.
The boat experience/hike was perfect. Karen the guide was top notch, too, just like Romina.
Mendoza – wine country in the valley is amazing. Our guide Victor was also awesome. Gave us a quick 45 minute tour of Mendoza before the 90 minute drive to Casa de Uco, which is another typical Black Tomato hotel - top notch everything.
The wineries we toured were all amazing - Tempus Alba (the blending experience was a highlight), Casa El Enemigo, Siete Fuegos.
Once in Chile, we did the winery Vik which was very exclusive and gorgeous. We only spent about 40 hours there but we packed in a bike ride, horseback riding, wine tour, and amazing wine and food.
All-in-all, we highly recommend Black Tomato for an Argentina/Chile trip!

A friend recommended Black Tomato to me when I told her we were planning on going to France. She has used BT for many years and raved about the trips that they went on.
Jihane, our France expert, has been nothing but accommodating and helpful in everything that we have booked so far. She offered us 2 different itineraries, asked us to review it and then we spoke again and firmed up our choices......We are leaving in 5 weeks and can't wait to experience all that Jihane has booked for us. We continue to be in touch to fine tune all of our dinner reservations and Jihane continues to be really helpful and responsive. We will definitely use them again for other travels.

A dream come true. Rob not only listened to all our wishes he actually made them come true. We explored the craziness of the souks, met with artisanal masters to learn metal working and perfume making. Enjoyed an expert shopper who took us through the mazes of the medina and even had a private cooking class in a Riad with two of the loviest women after our Savvy guide took us shopping for all our ingredients. The best trip ever... from small Riads to a mountain fortress and a desert oasis- Black Tomato delivered.

I was planning a trip to the western U.S. (Grand Teton, Yellowstone, Glacier) for a large group to celebrate my son's graduation from college. I worked with Christie Eardley, and she did an outstanding job of planning our trip, offering ideas that we would never have come up on our own, and working to help keep the costs manageable.

Christie and her team great at offering options and moving things ahead quickly.

It was a pleasure to work with Christie and the team at Black Tomatoes

We worked with Luca from Black Tomato for our honeymoon, and he booked us just an unbelievable experience in South Africa and Mozambique. I don't think we would have been able to do something like this without them, and we highly recommend anyone looking to book a trip to approach Black Tomato with confidence! We can't wait to work with them again for our next trip :) Thank you Luca!

My husband and I used Black Tomato to plan our honeymoon and we are SO happy we did so. Everyone on the team, especially Luca who supported us predominantly, was really helpful along the way. We went very far and were initially nervous about all that we didn't know, and all of our questions and concerns were met with guidance and knowledge. It was really nice to have the trip start and know that all of the details were sorted out and organized clearly for us. The people/groups they chose to provide services for us (e.g., drivers, hotels, guides) were all reliable and friendly, and we hands down plan to recommend Black Tomato to all of our loved ones. Thank you to the Black Tomato team for organizing the most magical honeymoon for us - more perfect than in our most wild dreams!

My husband and I had the most amazing honeymoon trip organized by Black Tomato. They were great with understanding and trying to work within our budget and crafted experienced based off of our interests and how we typically like to travel. Our travel expert Tom planned an amazing trip around Argentina, with all details planned out so we didn't need to worry about any logistics. It was the perfect mix of relaxing and adventurous. I would highly recommend Black Tomato to anyone looking for help planning a trip!

What a great experience! I was surprised to find a travel company that took such care to make sure that the trip was exactly what we wanted and the booking process was smooth and enjoyable. The customer service is outstanding and I wouldn't hesitate to recommend them. Since they don't charge to book a trip with them it's a no brainer to give them a go.

Wow. We have just got back from an amazing holiday in Chile organised by Black Tomato. What an incredible country it is.
Black Tomato listened to everything we wanted and delivered big time. We don't have the time to organise a trip like this, so gave it the the wonderful Rob at BT to come up with an adventure. He suggested places to go and stay, which we would no doubt have missed if we'd tried to organise it ourselves. Everywhere we stayed was perfect. We had a real mix of accommodation from camping one night by a glacier, to top notch luxury lodges and hotels, it was a great balance to get to see some of the lesser visited places in Chile.
Nothing was too much trouble for Rob when he was organising the trip and we made some pretty big changes, but he was super cool and so responsive. He really took the time to get to know us and understand what we like.
Even though we went through the itinerary several times there were some incredible surprises as well. They really care about your trip and understand how important it is. Can't say enough good things about Black Tomato, they gave us a total experience and we cannot wait for the next one.

Outstanding Service
We are just planning our second trip with BT after a fantastic trip with them to Cuba. The trip was incredible and this was down to the time the BT team spent in the planning alongside us. We wanted a mix of luxury and places that were off the beaten track and we certainly got both. The hotel in Havana at the end of our trip was sumptuous and the remote log cabin up in the mountains was another highlight. The team were patient and listened to our wishes and took time to suggest options that they thought would work. We had a good mix of guides and time on our own and there was nothing we would have changed about the holiday. Good support and back up from the team throughout.

We are looking forward to our next trip this time to Italy and working with the team to plan a big family holiday.

I would highly recommend Black Tomato to arrange bespoke and luxury trips

My wife and I booked a trip to South America (Peru / Chile) with Black Tomato from December 20th 2021 - January 9th 2022. Unfortunately my wife came down with COVID for the Chile part of our trip which we are not blaming on Black Tomato - that was out of their control. What we are reviewing below is the quality of the Peru trip, value of the trip, quality of customer service, and how they handled our situation on the ground. We booked our trip with Tom, Grace and Oliver was communicating with us at the end. We have not heard from Tom since we have made these comments to the Black Tomato team.

I want to make this clear - this would have been a 3 star if not for the way the team has handled our issues after finishing our trip. The team is not taking accountability and blaming the customer (my wife and I). Definitely not representative of a luxury service.

However, the main issues with this agency is the fact that they organise cookie cutter trips at an insane markup without clarifying, asking or understanding what their customer wants.

Main overarching issues:
- Lack of understanding what we really wanted with our trip
- No transparency with costs. Not only do they not provide an itemised invoice for your trip, they will not check on where you are willing to spend your money. The team did not double check what type of rooms we would want, but just charged us blindly for the most expensive rooms.
- Just lack of a luxury experience when we were on the ground vs what we paid for.

Specific examples:
- We were super clear that we didn’t want guides - yet we got a guide everywhere we went. This completely changed the tone of our trip. Yes it’s nice to not have to think about transport but the guides don't need to be there with us 24/7. For example - our guide sat with us at lunch, would not stop talking on our romantic hikes. We have no issue with the guide, what we were angry about was that we communicated that we were independent travellers to the Black Tomato team and they STILL put us with one without double checking which changed the entire feel of our trip. Just because it worked for other clients, doesn't mean it will for us. They just did not listen.
- A breakdown of all the prices is a non-negotiable in this day in age. We trusted Black Tomato to show us a general breakdown of hotels vs activities and we ended up getting a trip we just didn’t want because of possible extra charges (more expensive rooms, paying for the guides etc). We never asked for the fanciest rooms and they ended up booking rooms that were $3,000 more expensive than the rooms we could have gotten.
- Stress of having to tip the guides —> Because there was a guide on the ground with us, we had to stress about tipping them. We are always super generous but the Black Tomato team should have communicated this to us before our trip OR included petty cash in our overall price. Again lack of communication before the trip.
- We communicated we do not like fancy restaurants with tiny courses at the very beginning and without asking they booked us the most fancy restaurants in Lima (probably because their other clients ask for this). Again - just because it worked for others, doesn't mean it will for us. If we didn't double check our restaurants we would have been stuck with those reservations.The team clearly did not listen to us and if we didn’t check with them beforehand, we would’ve had these fancy restaurants books. Again, example of just not knowing their client.
- Wait time for travel —> Machu Pichu to Cusco was such an unorganized day. Too many transport transitions and too much waiting. If this is the only way then at least brief us beforehand. Also, if this is such a luxurious trip - then they should have made it super easy for us to get from point A to point B.
- We made it clear we don’t like touristy stuff. Why is our one day in Cusco supposed to be with a guide viewing cathedral - we ended up cancelling the guide in Cusco the day of which stressed us out.
- The team planned to have us n quarantine for New Year’s Eve (when we planned to be in Santiago)? There was no thought that went into this planning. Although we didn't make it to Chile - who would think this was a good idea? Again DO NOT TRUST THEM to give you the best itinerary - if you use them YOU should be making EVERY decision and just tell them what to do but then again, what is the point of a luxury travel agency if you have to do that?
- Without giving us good options on the ground once we had COVID - we ended up getting stuck in Peru paying for a US$400 / night quarantine room. They did not give us good options or help us as we were navigating the COVID situation in Lima. We ended up figuring this out on our own after we got quarantined during New Years. Again, us getting COVID was not the issue - it was the way they handled it. If we did not use Black Tomato we would have had a better experience.

Nice people, but you will grossly overpay for a trip that isn’t even what you want.
They have a policy where they don’t give you a price breakdown (Red flag #1) of the costs so PLEASE do your own research on hotel costs and question the numbers they give you. We did not do this, and then realized only when we were on the trip that they got us a $4000/night (for 2 nights) room at a hotel where the basic room is >$1000. We absolutely did not ask for this… it makes me so sick to think our money was spent on this. They planned a trip that could have been done for 20% of the cost they charged us - staying at the same hotels, doing the exact same stuff.
I also think they don’t do enough due diligence to craft the trip you’re actually going to want. The right questions were not asked - so we got tons of stuff we did not want or even found really annoying. For example; we make it clear we’re experienced travelers and didn’t want to do touristy stuff/be hand held when we were on the ground. Yet we had a guide with us all the time (at our romantic picnic meals) which really took away from the intimate honeymoon we wanted

I would strongly recommend working with another agency if you’re going to be spending the money on a service like this

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Just editing my review in response to the Black Tomato reply... Thanks for forcing me into this juvenile review war. At this point, i'm just trying to save any future customers from the same non-transparent crap we went through.

First -- our main concern with our Black Tomato experience was NOT the Covid situation. On our call, this was one of the last things we brought up. And in a very different way from what you just made it sound like! Please don't manipulate this review to make it sound like THAT's why we're upset with your service. All we said about my positive covid test was that we would have appreciated you telling us that you would have to tell the hotel, before we made the choice to pay for an additional 3 nights there. If we had known there would be a strict policy (which doesn't allow us to get outside food delivery from certain places, for ex), we would have opted to quarantine at our friends empty apartment or an Airbnb. Especially since my husband who already recently had covid (and was now negative) was also quarantining - which we did believe to be unnecessary. If we knew you had to tell the hotel (which is fine!!) we would have stayed somewhere else so that he wasn't restricted too.

We also DID go through the itinerary. As we mentioned on the call (which you apparently didn't listen to us on), you labeled the rooms things like "Junior suite" or vague names that vary hotel by hotel. You did NOT communicate the price ranges of these rooms or that they were particularly expensive. Isn't part of hiring a travel agent so that we do not have to scour the internet for different room rates? Why wouldn't you just tell us? Or ask if us this is the kind of experience/rooms we want? that was our point. That you did not do your research/job as a travel agency to find out what you client wanted.

Black Tomato's recommendationts were great, since we started planning the trip they immediately grasped what we wanted out of the trip and put a fantastic plan together for us. Also, their organization was impecable and everyhting was planned to the detail.

We worked with Black Tomato to plan our honeymoon to Sri Lanka and the Maldives. They were so helpful when it came to planning memorable experiences for us that fit within the criteria we shared, and they also made navigating the ever-changing COVID restrictions hassle free. The places we stayed were beautiful and the hospitality we received was next level. We will definitely use them again and recommend to all friends and family!

It’s hard to put into works how remarkable, luxurious, exciting and life changing our honeymoon was, but I’ll try!

Black Tomato created an experience that I could have only dreamed about or seen on a television screen. My husband and I had the absolute pleasure of working with Camilla, one of Black Tomato’s sales agents, to plan our honeymoon in South Africa and Mozambique. She curated an experience that combined relaxation, adventure, education, and culture (all the things we wanted out of our 14-day honeymoon). The process was so seamless, it was unbelievable. We would talk about what we wanted and she would really listen. She then provided options and ideas that we never even thought of. 

In South Africa, we traveled to CapeTown, Franschoek and Madiwe. It was unreal visiting the apartheid museum and learning about everything that happened in the country. Then going to wine country and seeing how beautiful all the vineyards were (and of course tasting the delicious wine). And finally ending our South Africa leg with the game reserve. Seeing lions, giraffes, elephants, etc. literally 6 feet away from my vehicle was the highlight of my trip. Everyone should have the chance to see animals in their natural habitat. Once you do that, you’d never want to see them in a zoo again. Our last three days of the trip we enjoyed the beautiful Bengurru Island, which is off the coast of Mozambique. That boutique resort was my favorite because our room opened up right to the beach and gave us an unparalleled level of relaxation and beauty. 

Whether you’re planning a honeymoon, romantic getaway or a once in a lifetime trip Black Tomato should be your go-to for all your travel planning needs. Their exceptional service, geographical and cultural knowledge and expertise make them the perfect planning partner.

Black Tomato helped to plan a trip to Iceland to celebrate my husband's birthday. We had a wonderful time exploring the sites, touring the countryside, and enjoying amazing meals. Our guide, Karolina, was helpful with recommendations and was so enjoyable to be with as we navigated the country. The trip was the perfect mix of adventure and relaxation. Alys with Black Tomato put together the absolutely perfect itinerary. I would highly recommend Black Tomato and have used their services many times before and will use them again...hopefully soon!

I contacted Black Tomato requesting that they organise a unique 3-week trip in Mongolia for myself with only 48 hours notice!

What they managed to create for me within that timeframe was only the trip of a lifetime..

Completely curated to suit my interests, I’ve just come off 3 weeks of helping nomadic families with their big winter migration, being taught the art of eagle hunting, riding camels across deserts, motorbiking and horse riding over mountains, visiting inspiring NGOs, speaking with monks and shamans, chasing wolves and wild horses.. and so much more.

I cannot recommend Black Tomato enough for their wealth of knowledge, speed, and ability to curate something entirely special. Nothing was too difficult for them and everything ran smoothly - I couldn’t be happier.

We loved working with Black Tomato to plan the honeymoon of our dreams! Staff listened closely to our passions and desires for this experience and built an adventure that felt tailor-made to us as a couple. During the trip, our every need was attended to and planned for in advance. Working with the local crew was spectacular - they were both planful as well as flexible in our itinerary and daily activities and they went above and beyond to make sure we had a magical time. We enjoyed activities that were both touristy as well as rooted in the local Moroccan life, and at the end of the day returned to luxury and pampering. We have, and will continue to, highly recommend Black Tomato to anyone looking to have a truly out-of-this world time.

Alys is a wonderful, patient accommodating person. I would highly recommend her to anyone looking to book travel