Testimonials

Testimonials From Our Valued Customers!

May 25th, 2010

I just wanted to write and thank you for the wonderful job your company did for us for our daughter’s wedding this past Sunday. From what I saw, and it was really very little, everything went well. The first shuttle was there on time and the sweetest driver (I think his name was Sean and could be completely wrong?!!) transported the full van of us very nicely to Nestldown – delivering us to the “bride’s house” for my daughter to dress, etc. I honestly did not see another shuttle but guests were much appreciate of the fact we had them and how nice all the drivers were. The photographer ended up driving my husband and me back to the Toll House so we each only had one shuttle ride, but there’s no doubt in my mind but that it all worked well. You can certainly use us as testimony that you were a great company to work with.

Much thanks,
Ellen

May 22nd, 2010

Thank you!

Everyone had an amazing time which was the goal. The caterer you suggested was awesome and the locations were exactly what they were looking for. I really appreciate all of your help.  I am sure we will be using your company again in the future. Best to you all. =0)

Regards,

Brandy

May 17th, 2010

Thank you 100% for the amazing shuttle service this weekend. You managed to avoid the major traffic jam and get everyone to the ceremony on time and you managed to shuttle over 150 guests off the property and safely back to Los Gatos at the end of the evening. Everything went so smoothly and Paul and I want to thank you so much.

Take care and thanks again!

Laura

April 6th, 2010

Great vehicles, great service and great management.  I have personal experience with one of the owners, Austin, and several of the drivers, and they are all wonderful professionals.  Special thanks to Austin for his detail oriented and personal service.

-Michael

March 1st, 2010

This review is long overdue. I actually meant to write one right after we did our wine tour, but forgot, and now just remember because we are thinking about booking another one!

Our two friends were both turning 30 so we decided we needed to do something extra special and came up with the idea of a wine tour. We live in the South Bay and didn’t want to have to go too far because why waste time driving, especially when some of our friends needed to hire a babysitter for their kids.

I got nominated to be the planner (as always) and called about 4 different companies. I chose the Santa Cruz Experience because they seemed to need the least amount of direction from me. We are not wine connousours so I was happy when they said they will do all the planning and choose the wineries for us. (They will also let you choose the wineries if you have some in mind.)

I told them that we didn’t want to spend too much time driving, wanted to have a lot of fun, and not spend an exhobintant amount of money on tasting fees. They said they would take care of it for $350- they charge $250 for the first 4 people and we added an additional 2 people at $50 each. They said they would send a van, which I thought might be too much room, but in the end it worked out really well as we played musical chairs all afternoon and all got to sit whereever we wanted. People prone to car sickness should sit in the front!

Four of us live in the same apartment complex and Seth, our driver, picked us up on time and then drove to the home of the birthday couple. We then rode from Sunnyvale to Santa Cruz mountain and over the course of 5 hours stopped at 4 wineries and a deli sometime in the middle for lunch. The only bummer of the day was that it was rainy so we had to eat in the van, but it really wasn’t that bad.

As we were walking up to the David Bruce Winery, we met David Bruce! He signed wine bottles and took a picture with all of us. Even though we had never heard of the wine before, we had a great time meeting him learning about his wine.

At Loma Prieta Winery, we were treated to a real experience. Each of their wines is paired with a bite of strawberry of chocolate and it really brought out some of the more subtle tastes of the wine. Now we can’t drink the wine we bought there without strawberries!

The last stop was a winery that was in its last few weeks because the wine maker died and they were having trouble with the wine selling liscense. It’s a real bummer because the wine there was excellent! Our friend got a crazy idea that he wanted to buy a wine keg (like 4 times as big as beer keg, maybe even bigger) so Seth even helped us load the dirty wooden keg into the van.

We seriously had so much fun and can’t wait to do it again. We would request Seth again in a heartbeat. He put up with our craziness so well! He even has plastic cups so you can open up a bottle and enjoy it in the van

5 stars for the Santa Cruz Experience and we will be using them again for sure! 6 Stars for Seth, our driver, for putting up with our antics

-Amanda

July 7th, 2009
Thank you. We just wanted to let you know that everyone enjoyed the Santa Cruz Experience and had a great time. We are actually keeping it in mind for doing another trip in the future. A big thanks to Seth for being a great guide and for making winery suggestions and adjustments along the way. We had one girl who we didn’t know couldn’t drink wine and he kindly suggested a winery that had Organic wine so she could actually join the fun on the last stop. Thanks again and good luck….you will definitely be getting recommendations from us!
kristi

July 7th, 2009
Let me know if I can write a recommendation or referral or anything!!! You guys were great. My husband and I are on a 2 year plan to try and move to Santa Cruz!
Onelove,
Alex

June 15th, 2009
Thanks for a great trip on Sunday. We all had a lot of fun and found some beautiful new wineries that we would like to visit again in the future! Everyone enjoyed lunch, especially the pasta dish. I don’t know if your caterer will share the recipe, but if so we would all love to have it.
Thanks again!
Sue

April 21st, 2009
Thank you again for all of your work in coordinating and facilitating this great day for me/us! It was fantastic and we’ve been bragging about you to everyone who asks “So, what did you do for your birthday?”
Mia

April 21st, 2009
Hi, folks. Thank you again for picking me up at SFO last Thursday to drive me to Santa Cruz, and taking me back to my airport hotel Sunday evening. I really appreciate your friendly & reliable service!
Sue Hodge

January 31st, 2009
Hi,
We were pleased to hear, from a couple of tasters today, that you wrote a wonderful article about the Picchetti Winery in the Scotts Valley Banner. After I read the article, I was thoroughly impressed by your analysis of the winery, and of the colorful way you described us. Thank you very much, we hope to see you guys soon.
Cheers,
Tom
Picchetti Winery
408-741-1310

Check out Soquel Vineyards!

January 29th, 2009
I had such a great experience using you guys this last weekend and was wondering if you also service the Gilroy area since you were THE BEST!
Hoping we get to work with you again!
Elizabeth Loveton

November 12th, 2008
It was a pleasure meeting you both and thank you for setting up a private tour for us. It was a great experience and it was very nice to hear what the The Santa Cruz Experience has to offer. I would be happy to promote your business with my clients.
Thanks again!
Lindsea Baylor

November 11th, 2008
Thanks for a fun time last Sunday. We particularly enjoyed Naumann as it was a new experience. We hope to take one of your tours in the future. Take care.
Terry & Lee

November 10th, 2008
Hope your trip to Hawaii was wonderful! We had so much fun on our wine tour and as promised I am attaching a picture for the screensaver of that little last winery we ended up in.
Thanks and I am sure the girls will be back for another tour!
Ciao
Belma

October 26th, 2008
Just wanted to let you know how much we enjoyed the Santa Cruz Experience Wine Tour you conducted through De Anza Community College. We learned lots about wine and winemaking. It’s fun to know that we have so many winery resources right out our back door. We couldn’t have asked for a better day. Thank you,
Karen & Tom Ransohoff

August 30th, 2008
I just wanted to let you know what a fabulous time Dana and I had with you on Saturday. Everyone at the wineries was really nice and you really made us feel comfortable and welcome. We ended up going to Logos and of course Dana bought a ton of books which we then had to carry back to the car!
Thanks again for a wonderful day–hopefully I can bring some friends down with me next time and we’ll do the rounds again!
~Stacy

August 5th, 2008
I want to thank you for the professional and very personable service you’ve provided for the weddings at Pacific Oaks Vineyard this past year. You have not missed a step in giving absolutely perfect service. With our daughter’s wedding in May you went above and beyond to meet all the guests needs – thanks so much.
We look forward to working with you a very long time; Santa Cruz needed Santa Cruz Experience!
Best,
Judy Thibodeau
Pacific Oaks Vineyard

July 27th, 2008
Thanks for your prompt response on the receipt. We have been raving to everyone about the wine tour. It was a lot of fun and you and Ali were wonderful hosts. We will certainly recommend you to any of our friends who might be traveling in the area.

June 6th, 2008
Just wanted to say thank you for the wonderful service you gave us for Cassie and Ronny’s wedding. I think we were a bit disorganized, but you made it happen anyways!
Thanks Again,
Judy Thibodeau

May 10th, 2008
Thanks for the shuttle this last weekend! It really helped out with our wedding. I went ahead and posted a review for your business on Yelp.com. Hope this helps you out:
We hired The Santa Cruz Experience to shuttle wedding guests from the hotel to the house where we were holding our wedding this weekend. There was very little street parking at the house so we needed a van to move people. Austin assisted my mom with the reservations and Dave drove the van on the day of our wedding. They did a great job! Dave was on time, the van was very clean. He was professional and quick during the trips. Everyone got to the wedding!
Cheers!
Kevy

May 8th, 2008
I just want you to know we ALL loved our day with you. You were (or looked like you were) chilled out and became part of our little group. I have to say, the lunch display was awesome and you chose some GREAT cheeses and food > THANK YOU FOR A TERRIFIC DAY!!!!!!!!!!! I loved it when Mario said it was everything he expected!! Have a good week-end and I hope to bring more of my friends out to see you and drink some more of that goooood California wine!!! Nancy

May 7th, 2008
We want to thank you both for the professional service we received from The Santa Cruz Experience. From the day of our initial contact with Austin, through the day of our wedding event shuttle with Dave, you two made our Santa Cruz Experience the smoothest “ride” of our event. We thank you for providing on time, polite and friendly service to our wedding guests. And a bonus is the sparkling clean and tidy shuttle van you transported us and our guests in. We know that your flawless service helped make our daughter’s wedding in Aptos a special day. Sincerely, Marta and Doug Arensberg Issaquah WA

May 6th, 2008
You did a terrific job for us and we all enjoyed your company and prompt service. Thank you for helping to make our trip so fun!! I will hold onto your card in case I know of anyone needing your assistance in SF area! Betsy Hartman

April 6th, 2008
Hope you’re doing well. I was with the 25 or so girls that went on the wine tour on the 29th that my roommate Kerri Tausheck organized. Just wanted to let you know that it was a very memorable experience for all of us. We will definitely be contacting you in the future to do it again. Here’s a few pictures I took. Enjoy! Thanks again! Michelle

April 1st, 2008
It was no problem at all. I really appreciated all that you did. It made my life easier. It was really great to finally meet you. I’m sure that the girls would be all for going out again sometime. I know I’m always up for good wine and good company and the majority of my family is as well. As for the wedding, it went really well. I was pleasantly surprised with the way everything turned out. Luke and Lisa were really happy, which made me happy. I hope all is well! Aimee

March 17th, 2008
What a great time! What a super tour! And of course, what a fabulous host! You went above and beyond customer service as well as being knowledgeable and informative…not to mention you put up with us with good humor all day! Kudos to you for the trip from mimosas to farewells. I look forward to planning my own tour and spreading the word about your company to all my wino buddies. I think I may try for a late Spring or early Fall trip. I have to poll the wino’s and try to coordinate schedules so I can put together a group. Can you send me any info on group rates and the different vehicles you offer. Say only 2 couples wanted to go, a van would be a little over kill. I just want to have as much info to pitch to the wino’s as possible. Thanks for such a great time! Janet Bueno

March 16th, 2008
I wanted to drop you a email to thank you for making sure that my sister’s bachelorette party was such a success today. I was more than impressed with the entire day. The wineries you chose were great and the restaurant was excellent. I couldn’t have asked for a better day for my sister. I also wanted to thank you for making sure that my daughter was well taken care of as well. Thank you again and I will definitely be referring your company to anyone else that is interested in a wine trip. Cheers, Paula

January 24th, 2008
I can not express to you how much fun Jenee and I had with you on our tour. We have recommended you to all of our friends. By the way, Jenee and I have chuckled numerous times about the “sing-a-long.” We both think that you should add this feature to your website (smile). You are a good man Austin and both Jenee and I enjoyed getting to know you. We hope that we can count on hooking up with you should we find ourselves in your part of the country again. You are welcome to visit us in Houston (Katy) as well. Take care of yourself my friend. Thank you again for making our 10 year anniversary one for the ages! cP