Client Testimonials – Paris Accessible Travel Packages

Donna and John,

I have been meaning to write to you to thank you for helping us to arrange the wonderful trip to Paris. It has been a busy summer since we got back. The trip was fantastic. Everything went so well it was quite remarkable.

The Accessibility Guide is the most valuable travel document I have ever encountered. Each night before bed we would plan our adventures for the next day and I would read the pertinent sections. Everything was so accurate and helpful. Instead of wandering around wasting time to find the accessible entrance, I would follow John’s very specific advice and it would take us minutes to get to where we wanted to go. It was truly an amazing guide book and I have raved to many people about it.

The hotel you suggested MUST be recommended to other people. After a long night’s travel and some problems getting Brian’s power chair off the plane, we were certainly exhausted and poor Brian was very uncomfortable (not having been able to go to the bathroom for 13 or 14 hours!) I was a bit concerned when we pulled into a fairly tiny laneway and the hotel beside it was being demolished. But don’t let people be swayed by that. The staff were so wonderful. I have honestly never been treated so well anywhere I have travelled. They would do anything to make us comfortable and Brian was usually greeted by name at the end of a long day of travelling. After the first breakfast, every day there was a table waiting for us with one of the chairs removed so Brian could slide up to the table easily. The room was incredible. It was right behind the check in “podiums” but we never noticed any noise. There was plenty of room for Brian’s chair, the shower chair I brought and a hoyer lift as well as an extra cot for Michelle. The bathroom was perfect for us again with more room than I have ever had in a hotel bathroom even in North America! Again the staff were very helpful in getting us cabs and answering any questions we had regarding supper, directions or where the best bakery was!

The company that provided the prebooked transportation was excellent. They were prompt (in fact always early) and professional. Their vans were large and could easily accommodate us at the airport (I was worried as we had 2 chairs, 3 large pieces of luggae and three of us!. It worked out wonderfully at Versailles as our driver drove over the cobblestones (which were a bit tough for Brian) right to the entrance and picked us up there afterwards. Definitely needed the extra time in Versailles….wow!

Transportation to Disney worked out well too…although I wouldn’t recommend that….but my daughter really wanted to go there. That was the only place we were not treated terribly well but it was ok and that has nothing to do with your services. They wanted a “disability card” to prove Brian was disabled….I think I was a bit annoyed at one point (and it was for only a 6 euro discount ) and in my not so perfect French I said…He can’t walk and he is in an electric chair..I meant to say elecric wheelchair so perhaps they wondered a bit!!

The night cruise wasn’t great especially for the price. It was wonderful to see the river at night for sure but I wouldn’t bother with the dinner especially with kids. It was very fancy food . There wasn’t even a beef or chicken dish so my kids didn’t eat much and I didn’t realize it came with a bottle of champagne and a bottle of wine…I forced my children to try champagne..why not It’s Paris but am afraid I didn’t make much of a dent in the bottles! It would be great for a couple with an advanced palate! We had fun anyway and the dessert was incredible.

The taxi comapny was good as well. Our first day we booked the wrong one but then the man at our hotel sorted it out for us. Expensive but great service. We actually only used them twice I think as we walked everywhere. The curbs were surprisingly good . The first day we took a cab to the Eiffel tower and then spent the day walking back with stops at Hotel des Invalide, Rodin museum, etc…what a great day.

The area on the left bank where you suggested eating also has the best macaroons in Paris (according to our detailed taste test).

I really couldn’t get over how nice people were to us. We didn’t pay at a single museum which shocked me. Some of the museums are difficult to get around but there was always someone to help us find our way and we saw closed off sections of the Louvre and Palais de Versailles along the way.

Oh and only our family would appreciate this but after our long flight and a bit of a delay getting in the room, the hoyer lift arrived. I expect a manual one when I travel but it was electric with a remote. Unless you use a hoyer you have no idea how excited we were. My back thanks you and my daughter who would have had to help me with Brian if I had a manual one thanks you too.

Every moment I have with my children is precious and every trip creates memories that get us through more difficult times. Brian turns 18 this year and when he was diagnosed at the age of 3 with MD, the life expentancy of the boys was 18. Thanks to advances in ventilation we have every hope that he will live at least another 10 years but I had in my mind for years, that I wanted to get him to Paris before he turned 18. Thank you for making that wish, that dream, a reality.  I couldn’t have done this without you and it was truly a trip of a lifetime.

Thank you,

-Suzanne

P.S. Where to next??? Might need to save for a couple years and forget the trauma of flying but maybe England!!

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Dear John and Donna,

Ramona and I want to thank you for a wonderful traveling experience on our latest trip to Paris through your travel agency. We were met by the van driver at CDG airport without any difficulty and even received a short sightseeing tour of the Champs-Elysees on the way to the Hotel. The driver Farik spoke English well and was very personable. He also took us to the airport for the return flight home. The hotel you recommended was very centrally located and within convenient walking distance to the Louvre and Notre Dame. We even walked to the Latin quarter and to the boat tour! The hotel room was as described and the washroom/shower very convenient.

Our tour guide, Claudine, for both walking tours was knowledgeable and also spoke English very well. She walked at a good brisk pace, was very flexible and managed to navigate access to the museums very quickly.

The dinner cruise on the Seine River was very enjoyable and romantic. It was worth the cost and best to do after visiting all of the sights that you will see from the river. The only caution is access to the boat landing can be difficult by wheelchair especially the road down from the bridge.

Overall from a wheelchair access perspective, Paris can be toured on foot but I think requires a companion who can maneuver the sidewalk ramps. Many have several inches of curb and some can be very steep. I also think that access near many of the museums can be better and can be done without much effort. I’ll try sending a note to the mayor of Paris.

Thank you again for making our trip a wonderful and manageable experience.

Henry and Ramona
(Sage Traveling clients who visited Paris with a wheelchair)

PS. Keep us informed of any new destinations.

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John,

I just wanted to say thank you for getting me set up nearby the Louvre in Paris. Everything worked out very well. It was a great location and the hotel was real nice. I appreciate your help and the car worked out too. It was really big and we took it all the way up to Normandy.  Thanks for everything.

Keith
(Sage Traveling client from Florida who visited Paris using a manual wheelchair)

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Donna,

We would like to express our sincere thanks for putting so much effort into planning our European vacation.  We had a fabulous time and are already starting to discuss where we would like to go next. A great time was had by all of us.

Many Thanks,

Carrie and Tim
(Sage Traveling clients who visited London, Paris, Florence, & Rome using an electric wheelchair)

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Hi again Danielle,

I just wanted to thank you for an excellent experience in Paris. The wheelchair was delivered exactly on time and we’ve been everywhere with it over the last two days. It has really enabled us to get the most out of our last few days in Europe.

We are leaving (sadly) tomorrow morning at 10.45am if the wheelchair could be picked up before then. Otherwise, our contact number for this apartment is 0628***** if you could pass this on to your supplier to organise a more suitable time.

Thank you for everything, I appreciate all your ongoing support during our trip. I saw a woman with a walking stick at the Louvre today who looked enviously at the chair and asked if it was my own. I explained I’d hired it with you and she said her daughter told her not to bother due to the cobblestones. I told her that it was really very accessible in Paris (we found Rome much more challenging), we’d had no real issues at all and that I was very happy that I’d had it. She is probably cursing her daughter!

Thanks again
-Suzanne

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Hi Danielle,

Hope you had a great Christmas and New Year period, with a chance to relax and unwind a bit. We’d be happy for you to use this feedback for your website.

We had a great holiday, so thanks to Sage Travelling for making our trip to Paris as easy as it could be.

I had been daunted by the prospect of finding a truly wheelchair accessible hotel in central Paris, but your recommendation in the 5ieme turned out to be ideal.  Not only was the room great, with a bathroom that really worked for a paraplegic, the location near the Luxemburg Gardens was terrific.  Your local knowledge about the accessibility of the bus system was great – we had numerous bus routes close to the hotel and we ended up being able to get to all the attractions we wanted to see by bus.  The fact that you had dealt with the hotel and confirmed and paid our reservations before we left made it just that much easier.

Paris is a great city, and your help made it that little bit easier for us to negotiate.

Thanks again,
-Jackie

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Here it is almost November and I haven’t let you know what a wonderful time we had in Paris. The front desk at the hotel were very knowledgeable and friendly and helped us out a lot. It rained the first few days we were there but we still managed to get our sightseeing in as we took our car and boat tours on those days. The wheelchair worked out well, too, so thank you for that. It was, indeed, waiting for us when we arrived.

If I/we have another opportunity to travel, we will certainly use Sage Traveling again.

Sincerely,

-Caroline
Wheelchair User

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I wanted to personally thank you for your website. It is by far the best and most helpful website we have seen. Danielle Patterson responded to my first email, and has been very helpful and responds to my questions quickly and very thoroughly. She has as of today booked us into a lovely hotel in the central part of Paris. We feel confident this trip will be a highlight of lifetimes. I have signed up for the 50 euro discount. Again thank you for website and professional Travel Consultants.

-Bill
Scottsdale, AZ, USA

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