Vacations In Paradise

My husband and I always knew we wanted to be married on a beach, but what we didn't know was how hard it was to plan a destination wedding. We were overwhelmed with thinking about flowers, cake, dj's, personal touches, etc that goes in to a wedding. Then we realized on top of that we were going to have a major language barrier with a wedding in another country. Double the hoops and double the steps. My sister in law found reviews for Michelle at Vacations in Paradise online, and she recommended I give her a call. Best call I ever made...EVER! I was the bride that wanted to save pennies wherever I could, and was not sure if a travel agent was in my budget. If this is your mindset, I promise, you will spend more money with out booking her. I swear she has connections with every resort ever built. So, fast forward, and here I was now with a travel agent and no clue what I was doing, what I wanted, or where I wanted to get married. I met with Michelle a few times (yes she actually met with me 3 different times after work to look through pictures of EVERY resort in Cancun-literally), before we found ""THE"" resort. We were needy. We were basically ""that couple"". We wanted a wow factor, with out the price. We wanted it all and we got it all with Michelle B. Michelle was amazing and patient. She talked to all of our friends and families and helped everyone book flights, rooms, arrange transportation, and even went above and beyond. She mailed out gifts to every guest with a travel bag, itinerary, do's and dont's, and goodies. Every guest called and asked me where I found Michelle and if they could take her home. My answer was always- ""she's mine"" :) It was perfect! She also sent us a very nice leather book with everything we would need to know about the resort(and more). It was a very nice professional touch. The wedding was absolutely perfect, the resort was amazing, the accommodations are still talked about, and most importantly no hitches in any travel plans. Did I mention she got every guest free transportation from the airport to the hotel, round trip. Trust me, when guests are spending money to come to your wedding, they like to save too. If you want someone who can help you with your wedding, when you yourself don't even know what you want- she is your lady. I would recommend her to anyone and I do. She probably wanted to kill me a few times, but I never felt that from her. She is a true professional and has a great heart. In all honesty I am not one to do reviews, but she is definitely worth it. By the end of it, we were even getting her address so we could mail her an invitation to our wedding. I promise, you will not regret using her. Not only is she good at helping guests, but she is worth gold to translate your needs to the resort. I wouldn't trade her for the world, and I am still in contact with her today. Thank you Michelle for giving us the wedding that was better than our dreams.\r Carrie and Garrett Bary\r THE Royal- Cancun\r 4/20/2013 more

Michelle is the absolute best! I am planning a destination wedding for this July and Michelle has been great with helping me choose the right destination for us and our friends and families. She personally sat with me for over two hours going over multiple options, and wasn't frustrated with any of my questions. In fact, she offered to go back over options when my fiance could be there. She was prompt in returning emails and phone calls and really just has a wonderful demeanor and made me feel so comfortable. I'm so glad that I was able to find someone who is that fantastic and able to support an Austin local business at the same time! I will write a follow up after the wedding! more

Planning a wedding can be very stressful but Michelle made the whole thing easy. By far the best thing we did!She's absolutely wonderful! \r \r The resort was perfect and we couldn't have been happier. It was located right in the middle of town and close to everything. The food was AMAZING and we had impeccable customer service! more

This was my first experience with Vacations in Paradise and I do have to say I dont believe I will be going anywhere else for my travels needs! Michelle Bouzek was so wonderful! I started out trying to play my family's 2- week Europe vacation on my own and became extremely overwhelmed. I read the reviews online about about Vacations in Paradise and thought I would give it a try because I was completely in over my head. It was a little late to be asking for so much help with such a big vacation but Michelle took on the challenge and made our vacation for than fun and exciting than we could have imagined. Michelle pays very close attention to detail and is so easy to work with. Thank you for everything Michelle! I'll never hesitate to let people know how great you are!!!! more

First experience I had with Michelle, I was living in Austin, and planning my destination wedding. At first, we had NO idea where we even wanted to have it, we just knew we wanted somewhere tropical. She helped us narrow down some locations once we gave her our preferences, and we finally decided on Punta Cana, DR! We stayed at the Excellence Resort (which lives up to its name) and Michelle was so helpful with coordinating the guests we had coming from 6 different states, and answering all of my type A personality inquiries :-) She always had excellent customer service, and i knew when we wanted to plan another vacation we would book with her for sure. When it came time to plan our first anniversary Caribbean cruise, she was on top of things once again! I had cruised before, but she was very knowledgeable about the different cruise lines and what they had to offer based on the environment we wanted. We decided on RC Oasis, and cannot wait! Long story short, even though I am no longer in the Austin area, Michelle is still my go to travel agent of choice. She can make all arrangements via email and phone, so there is no need to sit down in person, please rest assured that your trip will be a memorable one. more

We had never used a travel agent and luckily found a great one with Michelle. She was so attentive from the very first phone call. She worked with our budget and provided her expertise in helping us plan our family vacation. It is so nice to have someone help instead of just booking online and not knowing much about the area we were visiting. She helped us select a great resort in Puerto Rico with an ocean view room. She was very informative about each and every detail. She even called ahead and told us the taxi rate from the airport to the hotel so we would have no surprises. There was never any hidden fees just an honest agency ready to earn your business. It was great that Michelle's superior service started with the intital phone call, through all the changes, and even her confirming we received our travel documents. Her service is impeccable! We have already started recommending her to all our family and friends. We can't wait to start planning our next vacation with Michelle. Thank you very much for all your help!! more

My husband and I were looking to take a vaction but as everyone knows, trying to schedule it and knowing where to go seems impossible. I had gone to Travelocity and Expedia to narrow my search but was unsuccessful. I called Michelle with a list of about 17 resorts. She talked to me for about an hour and narrowed our choices down to three. She gave fabulous advise about the resorts and which ones were the best, what they offerend and why they are so good. She also stayed within my budget and really worked out a good deal for us. \r \r The entire process has taken about one week and we are now booked and ready to go on a wonderful vaction. We are going to the Aventura Spa Palace for 6 days 7 nights. We are so excited and can not wait to the in Playa Del Carmen on the beach!!!\r \r Michelle made the process so easy. She made us feel relaxed and did so much work trying to find resorts that fit our needs and wants. She is very knowledgeable about passports too. I will never go to another travel agent and will always send my family and friends to Michelle!!! Amazing experience!!!! more

We couldn't have come across Michelle and Vacations in Paradise at a more perfect time. From the very beginning we knew we wanted to do a destination wedding. After going to many sites and trying several 'online' destination wedding services, we felt more confused then helped. And since our guests were coming from all over the country we needed to find someone we could work closely with. We looked for a local travel agent who would sit down and help us find a place that worked for all of our needs, and not push a certain hotel on us. After talking to Michelle, it only took a few weeks to narrow down our choice to Moon Palace Resort in Cancun. It fit everything we wanted and we could not have been more happy. For ease, I will break down the process throughout the year: Feb 2010- Picked the Moon Palace Resort in Cancun for Jan 16 2011 wedding. We chose to do it on the Sunday of a 3 day weekend so that people would only have to take off Friday if only staying a few days. We went back and forth with Michelle confirming locations and times and signed the wedding contract. March 2010-April 2010: Sent out Save the Dates and told everyone to contact Michelle for deposit information. She took care of the deposits. She suggested the deposit be $150, since only people who are committed would put that much money down. May 2010: Michelle coordinated the deposits and helped get out the travel information. Many people started calling her regarding pricing and airfare. Throughout this time, she gave updates on who had put down deposits. June-September 2010: She continued to work closely to coordinate with the people that were booking the rooms and airfare. She also answered my hundreds of questions regarding details about Moon Palace and services they offered. If she did not know the answer, she was able to get one pretty quickly from the resort. She was able to switch around our packaged to make sure it fit what we wanted. October 2010: This was a crazy time because everyone’s money was due. As she suggested, we made the deadline about a month before the actual hotel deadline. Even so, there were still people paying several weeks after the deadline. We kept in constant contact about who still owed what and when it was all due. November 2010-December 2010: Michelle helped coordinate between the Moon Palace wedding coordinator and myself. She intervened several times to make sure we were getting the best services for the best price and kept pushing until everything was exactly how I wanted. It was extremely helpful to have her knowledge of the wedding process there, as I would not have known what was available. She also sent out several emails to the guests detailing how to travel through the airport and what to expect upon arrival. January 2011: Everyone received their documents and travel information in an organized pouch. I know everyone liked how easy it was to read and understand. Even when we arrived in Mexico, unexpected things came up and we had someone unable to come. I called her from the hotel and she was able to coordinate with the travel agency and on-site wedding coordinator to get everything figured out. Because of the pre-planning, there was not much left to figure out once we arrived in Mexico. Thanks to Michelle, and all of the planning done before the wedding, it was a breeze once we arrived. Everything went smoothly, and even the few problems that did arise were easily taken care of. She was always available by phone and answered all of my questions. There is no way I could have made travel arrangements for 44 people and have it go as smoothly as it did. Also, since she is a travel agent, she was not paid from us but from the hotel, so all of her help cost us nothing (except a giant phone bill ?) We would absolutely recommend her to anyone looking to do a destination wedding as she helped make our dream come true! more

I booked my honeymoon with Vacations in Paradise and those Ladies are AWESOME!!! I am already booking my next trip with them in May and then another in Novemeber!! They are so knowledgeable with so many vacations spots.You tell them what you want and they will make sure to satisfy your vacation needs with only the best. If you are looking for the best travel agency... Viviane,Mayela and Michelle are the ones to call! You will continue to book your vacations with them, they are the best experienced you will find. Thank you VIP!! more

The phone number for Vacations In Paradise is 512 -388 -6526. more

They had special gifts for us every night and they made sure that we were always kept up to date on the events that they provided on the cruise. Made sure that all of our special requirements were dualy noted and taken care of. Michelle was very knowledgable of the ports that we were stopping at and always had a great map of what to do and don't do on the islands. We will definitely use Vacations in Paradise again soon. Pros: Thorough, Time Effective Cons: None. more

I planned a getaway for a few lady friends of mine and they could not figure out where, when and how they wanted to go on a cruise. It was going to be a great vacation and the group of women could not make up their minds. Vivanne was very patient and sent us a variety of places. We could not make everyone happy and they decided not to go even the last lady chose not to go so we had to change from the lady and me to my husband and me. \r Then I was in a car accident I could not go. So NOW I am on hold for everything the ladies were very nice and understanding and wished me well. I still plan to use them when I am well for many other vacation plans. I will refer any of my friends. Thanks to the ladies at Vacations in Paradise. Pros: VERY SUPPORTIVE more

I worked will Michelle at Vacations in Paradise (VIP) for our destination wedding. Our wedding was in July 2009 at the Moon Palace Golf and Spa Resort in Cancun, Mexico. Michelle helped in all aspects of the planning starting with picking out the location. During the 8 or 9 months I worked with her, she always went above and beyond expectations by finding out answers to the many questions me or my group seemed to constantly have. Michelle had a lot of good wedding planning suggestions and also relieved a lot of stress off of me by being the middle person with the wedding coordinators at the resort. We couldn't of asked for a better 11 day stay or a more perfect wedding in a place we had never been before. We even had an issue after the wedding with the resort and Michelle continued to go above and beyond to help us get it resolved! I can't say enough good things of how smoothly Michelle made the entire process. We had over 40 people attend our wedding and not a one of the group had single complaint about any part of it. Thanks to Michelle, our group had a blast and we had our perfect wedding trip! Pros: Professional, Courteous, Went Above and Beyond Expectations Cons: We are not on one of the VIP vacations now. more

We needed to book our last minute vacation within a couple days. I was frustrated with searching online on websites for hours and days. So I turned to Vacations in Paradise. Michelle, did all the work for me. She was patient, sweet and helped me book an excellent, good priced vacation in Disneyworld vacation in a couple hours.\r \r She also emailed me all the needed information and ensured we had everything we needed prior to our trip. Thanks so much! Pros: Great customer service more

I worked with Michelle for over a year on my destination wedding. My fiance and I got married in Ireland this past August. We went over there with about 40 of our family and friends. Michelle and her team were wonderful. She acted almost as much as a wedding planner as a travel agent. She helped me with finding a venue, florists, dj's, officiants, and other wedding vendors over in Ireland. She also organized a 5 day, all inclusive tour designed especially for my family and friends. About 1/2 of the guests went with us on the tour as well. Our tour guide was wonderful, funny, entertaining and always patient with our tardiness. He kept us on track and fit in everything Michelle had planned as well as all of our wedding events. The hotels were all very nice luxery hotels and fit into the budget I gave her. The castle we selected for the ceremony was absolutely beautiful. They decorated for the wedding and everything went very smoothly. All of my guests were incredibly happy with the trip and did not regret having to spend a penny. I have been very impressed with Michelle's service and I will definately use her again for my next big trip. more

Excellent service by Michelle!! My family (8 people) and I were going on a 7 day cruise for the first time and her suggestions and comments were accurate and useful. Michelle is so helpful and knows a lot about cruising since she goes on cruise vacations herself. She got us the best rooms and even when my family members checked with other travel agents, no one offered better rooms than Michelle. I could not recommend Vacations in Paradise more!! We had a GREAT vacation thanks to her! Pros: Excellent service, very quick to answer questions, emails, and phone calls more

My family and I went on a 7 day cruise down to Jamaica, Grand Cayman Islands and Cozumel. Michelle had great tips for us knowing that we were first timer cruisers. She gave us a great price knowing that it was a last minute decision and also during Christmas. We had such a great time and we booked another cruise through Michelle on Carnival Ecstasy out of Galveston on a 4 night cruise!! I used to book my travel through the internet but from now on I am definetely booking through Vacations In Paradise!!! more

I have used Michelle two times for a cruse to mexico.I fine Michelle to be very helpful in give me an expert advice regarding shore excursions and which cabin to choice.when booking on ship..She has answered every question I asked,she is very knowledgeable in all areas of travel.Michelle is pleasant and affable she is delightful to work with. I recommend her to anyone who wants to travel. \r To sum it up she is forever my travel agency. FOUR STARS more

My wife and I initially used Michelle Bouzek at VIP travel for our honeymoon to Australia and French Polynesia during Fall 2006. I was immediately impressed when Michelle was able to correct my mistake of when we would check into our hotel in Sydney since I had miscalculated our arrival due to the effect of crossing the International Date Line. Michelle was able to contact the hotel in Sydney while we were intransit so that we would not be charged for the extra night. Moreover, Michelle's recommendations of hotels which stayed within our respective price points was impressive: we got to experience staying in the Glebe and Elizabeth Bay sections of Sydney all for less than $100.00 per night!\r \r We utilized VIP's professional travel services to book the Farewell QE 2 world cruise. Michelle gave us expert advice regarding shore excursions, what the CUNARD experience was all about, and most importantly, how to pack for 46 formal nights and 12 themed nights. Michelle was able to give my wife tips on what types of gowns did not crush and where she might be able to buy them inexpensively. Plus, she answered my long list of questions including whether we could connect our laptop to the Internet from our cabin; did the cabin have a dvd player; where on the ship could I smoke cigars; etc.\r \r To sum it up, working with Michelle is a delight: she is knowledgeable, pleasant, affable, and above all a consumate travel professional. In fact, it was upon her recommendation that we decided to do the world cruise instead of flying around the world. Michelle's expertise saved us countless hours of grief: watching frustrated passengers for the LA to NY leg of the cruise without lugguge due to the snafu at BA 5.\r \r It is with great enthusiasm and without reservation that I give Michelle and VIP travel the highest recommendation as travel professionals. We have already recommended them to family and friends and will definitely utilize their services going forward. Signed: Cigar Aficiondo Pros: Knowledgable, professional, courteous, friendly more

I have actually used Michelle two times, one for Disney and just last week for Cancun. I can tell you she took some time asking me what I was looking for and she brought back to me exactly what I was looking for within an hour or couple of hours. She gave me tons of info regarding travel insurance, places around there, things to do there. She had an answer for every question I had. My first trip with her went so well that I had to have my group use her again for our Cancun trip. Big groups can be kind of ""messy"" but she has taken care of each of them individially and she has kept our group up to date with any new info she had for us.\r \r Vacations In Paradise is surely my family travel agent. I tell everybody I can about Michelle and her service. My neighbor is going to Disney and used Michelle. She was very pleased also. Pros: Great experience she found great prices at super great locations for us. We vacationed like royalty. more