Sirocco Luxury Travel (previously Temple World Ltd) - Chiswick

Matthew T.

We have just retuned from our honeymoon in Kenya, after postponing due to the pandemic. Throughout the planning Alice was very supportive amidst the many changes we had to make and we had the most amazing time, both on safari and at the beach. The trip was tailored perfectly to us and we cannot thank Alice enough for making it so special.

Rosemary L.

My husband and I had a wonderful holiday in Ecuador last month, ably organised by Temple World (as was). This was a three part holiday, starting in Quito for 3 nights, then 3 nights at a jungle lodge in the Napo River area and finishing with an 8 night voyage in the Galapagos Islands. Accommodation throughout was of a high standard. There was no air con in the jungle but it didn't matter to me. Immaculate clean white beds under mosquito nets were inviting as ever. Service throughout was of an extremely high standard and everyone was both local and pleasant. Guides were with us at each stage and all spoke reasonable English and were knowledgeable and likeable.

In Quito there was no sign of the violence reported shortly before we arrived in the international press. We saw the colonial Old Town (many churches) and the following day visited Otovalo, the centre of the weaving trade, with predictable results (our cats approve of the alpaca rug on our bed).

It took most of the next day to reach Napo Lodge: 2 hours up river from Coca and the final 7km in a paddled canoe through dense jungle. It felt and was very remote. We boated, walked and climbed, thus viewing 6 species of monkey and many birds and other animals. Highlights included playful river otters and a sloth. We visited a community centre of the local Kishwa people (who built and now run Napo Lodge), where I hit a plastic parrot first time with a blow pipe dart and ate a large smoked grub as part of my local lunch.
As for the Galapagos, they defy (brief) description. Every island is different in terms of size, topography, fauna and flora, though there is a lot of black, twisted lava. I had no idea what to expect, thinking we might be led along manicured paths to greet a few strategically placed sea lions or iguanas, but nothing was further from the truth. All the animals were doing their own thing whether or not we were near. We did quite a lot of walking and climbing and lots of snorkelling, which was particularly enjoyable. At times young sea lions played with the snorkellers, we swam in clouds of fish, the myriad green turtles were often within touching distance, a penguin or a marine iguana might swim past, and the sharks were tiny and slunk away!

The boat was wonderful, spacious, lavishly appointed, excellent food, extremely pleasant and helpful crew who were all happy to do whatever was needed. We were invited to the bridge to celebrate the captain's birthday as we crossed the equator - and saw a pod of at least 100 dolphins leaping through the water ahead of us.

Alas, it came to an end and we flew back to Heathrow. My story ends on an unusual happy note. I lost my camera (and all photos) on the journey back but had no idea where. Thanks to my husband and Alice Burns from Temple World, it was located in Madrid (we flew Iberia and I left it on the plane) and it was returned intact one week after we got home.

In summary, this holiday exceeded all expectations. Everything worked and all the travel went to plan. I can only echo Alice Burn's advice when it comes to the Galapagos: go for as long as you can afford. Thank you for creating a marvellous holiday.

Keith B.

We recently had a holiday in Australia to see our son. Apart from Sydney the rest of the trip was organised by Alice from Temple World. She did a fantastic job in co-ordinating flights, hotels, car hire and pickups. The choice of hotels were everything we wanted; boutique, unusual, comfortable, and perfect locations for sightseeing or restaurants. Everything went extremely smoothly, so we could just enjoy our trip knowing we wouldn't encounter any problems.
Looking forward to our 3rd holiday booked with Temple World.

Miranda R.

Temple World is fantastic! Alice recently helped us plan and book our holiday to South Africa. It was the first time we'd done a proper holiday with our young family (two girls, nearly 3yrs and 9m), so we were keen to find appropriate places for a family. Alice was incredibly helpful and supportive along the way. She gave great advice having personally travelled extensively with her own family. She was never pushy and went above and beyond to help, even advising on small things like good headphones for toddlers, car seats, advice for travelling with a baby etc. We loved the places we stayed and had a magical holiday, it was perfect! A huge thank you to Alice and her team for all their help. We wouldn't hesitate to recommend Temple World. In fact my sister has recently booked her holiday to South Africa though Alice and we're in the process of arranging further holidays with Alice's help. Thank you!

Jessica C.

Wow what a brilliant company, if you are looking for someone to take the stress out of researching and booking a holiday look no further than Temple World Travel. Alice and her team know all there is to know about luxury travel. Our family trip to the Maldives was all we could have wished for. Everything had been thought about to make it special. I have already recommended to 2 friends and will continue to do so. From now on all our holidays will be booked via Temple World - its a no brainer!

T F.

Alice organised our honeymoon 8 years ago and did such a great job that we asked her to organise my 40th holiday to Hong Kong and Bali. Our itinerary was detailed and thoughtful with suggestions for both adults and our 2 children. We especially loved both hotels she recommended in Bali (Nusa Dua Resort and the Mandapa Ritz Carlton) and they achieved the perfect mix of relaxation and activity. The amazing deal Alice got us for the Mandapa meant that we could stay an extra night for free, taking in the magnificent mountain scenery and take advantage of the super luxurious resort (including private butler!). Thank you again Temple World for the perfect holiday! We have already recommended you to lots of our friends!

neeti A. S. G.

We are so grateful to Alice and the team at Temple World for booking our excellent holiday. We were a complicated group with young children and a disabled grandfather requiring wheellchair access and full disabled facilities. Alice worked incredibly hard to ensure that our hotel rooms in Dubai would accommodate all our needs, and it couldnt have worked out better. We will definitely be using Temple World again.

benwright22

We have recently arrived home from a three week trip to Indonesia organised by Temple World.

We flew to Bali (along with 19 friends and family) to get married. Temple World organised every detail for us. Alice and her incredible team worked on our wedding and honeymoon for almost 6 months getting every detail perfect for us before we finally paid our deposits!

The trip was incredible, everything we imagined it would be and more. From the hotels we stayed in to the excursions we went on the trip was perfect. Our first week (in Bali) with our friends and family is something that will stay with us forever, it really was special.

The preparations for the wedding day ran as smoothly as could be imagined, no issues, no dramas and this was helped hugely by the ground agents (Destination Asia) hired by Temple World. We were both nervous about the actual plans for the day and how everything would work but the agents were brilliant. They accompanied us to the consulate to sign our paperwork and talked us through every detail of the day, including having us practice our vows and the procedure for the ceremony in the lobby of our hotel!!

Our wedding day as perfect. Everything we have dreamt over since we got engaged was blown out of the water on the day. Everything down to the last detail was perfect. We got married on a catamaran (The Aneecha). The boat was beautiful, the staff were hilarious and really friendly and the ceremony was beautiful. The sun beamed all day and we got a beautiful sunset on our way back to the harbour. The photographers (also booked by Temple World) were great and I’m confident they will have got some great pictures. The evening meal was really good, as was the location for the meal at the hotel. We stayed up till the early morning on the beach listening to music and laughing about all of the hilarious memories we made during the week. As I said, perfect.

Our honeymoon was incredible. We toured Indonesia for two weeks. Temple World organised all transfers and the flights for us and everything ran so smoothly. We travelled to Borobodur, Borneo, Ubud and Sanur. Temple Worlds ground agents picked us up and took care of us every step of the trip. We loved everything about our honeymoon, apart from it all went too quickly.

I honestly cannot put into words how greatful we are to Temple World for putting together our dream. It was incredible.

Thank you Temple World!!