Maggie McCombs

A Round of “Finish the Sentence” with Maggie

1. Talk about exclusive access, I once arranged an experience for my guests to…

I once arranged for an exclusive visit to a perfume shop in Florence, Italy. We closed the shop for our guests, who enjoyed a cup of tea with the Master Perfumer. He educated and guided our guests in creating a completely bespoke scent using rare essences opened specially for them. Quite the unique souvenir!

2. One of the coolest special surprises I have set up for a guest was…

We had a large, multigenerational family celebrating a few birthdays on a once-in-a-lifetime trip to some of the US National Parks. Because the family members were based all over the US, it was a special occasion to have everyone under the same roof for a week. They stayed at a luxurious private ranch, where we surprised them with birthday cake and a photographer to capture the wonderful candid moments as well as some family portraits.

3. Food glorious food. One meal my guests will never forget was …

I surprised our guests with a private, romantic dinner on a pier over the Red Sea. Secluded under a wooden canopy, they enjoyed a tasting menu at sunset that included lobster prepared on a tabletop grill by the chef.

4. I love to work on complex itineraries. I once created a trip with…

I helped a guest reach her goal of traveling to 100 countries by planning a multi-country trip to Andorra, Liechtenstein, and Luxembourg. Highlights included a night out seeing the Chamber Orchestra of Europe at the Philharmonie Luxembourg, countless castles and cathedrals, and a day trip to Germany’s Isle Mainau, with its sprawling flower gardens.

5. Have a passion and need an experienced guide? One time I arranged a…

I arranged for a retired professor to take our guests on an insider’s tour of the University of Oxford, one of the oldest universities in the English-speaking world, and the second-oldest university in continuous operation.  Once, for soccer fans, I had our guide take our guests into his home in Cusco, Peru to watch the World Cup Qualifier of Peru taking on Australia. He even bought the guests Peruvian jerseys to wear!

6. One of the craziest requests I have ever fulfilled is…

Once, I had two guests traveling and their daughter contacted me wanting to create a special moment for them on Christmas. They had never been apart for the holiday, so we arranged for iPads to be brought to their room with a champagne toast so that they could open presents with their daughter and grandson over FaceTime.