Dean Barreca’s career and life has been guided by one simple truth: life can be a magical experience when lived to the fullest. It was this idea that motivated dean to build a business to help others do just that. It also inspired him to offer a develop a different approach to luxury travel planning.
Dean goes far beyond simple price quotes and bookings. His highly refined consultation process allows him to uncover dreams and desires that can transform otherwise ordinary journeys into trips of a lifetime. Perhaps this is why no two travel creations of his are exactly the same.
From itineraries to destinations and activities, each component will be perfectly paired with the right hotel, resort, supplier or ship. Everything involved is rooted in Dean's mission to create exquisite experiences.
Dean currently resides in Woodstock, Ontario with his lovely wife, Olga. Travel has been a powerful tool for change in his own life, and he is passionate about sharing that joy with others.
English
Africa Asia Australia Caribbean Europe France French Polynesia Greece Italy Kenya New Zealand Peru Portugal Saint Lucia Seychelles South Africa South America South Pacific Spain Thailand
Food & Wine Hotels Ocean Cruising River Cruising Safari
Going to Whistler at Christmas proved more challenging than just the mountain! The rates the high end hotels were asking for this time period were completely ridiculous. Dean managed to find us reasonably priced accommodation that fit the needs of my husband and I, our two children and their spouses. He was responsive and worked hard to get us a decent place and the transfers from Vancouver airport. He's now working on our "fun in the sun" vacation in February!
- Harry T.We use Deans services every time we travel. It does not matter where we go and for how long. From a week in the Bahamas to a weekend in Ottawa or Quebec City or a month in Europe! The hotels he suggests are always in a great and convenient location, high quality and we are always amazed how he keeps in touch before, during and after we go away. Thank you Dean for arranging our great 4 day get away to beautiful Ottawa and for our stay at The Chateau Laurier.
- Fernanda C.When planning our trip to Palm Beach, our Virtuoso travel advisor, Dean Barreca, highly recommended we stay at the Four Seasons Resort. He was very knowledgeable about the property, it's staff and all the amenities/services Virtuoso travelers would experience. We respect Dean's advice. He made all the arrangements. Our expectations were highly exceeded. Our upgraded room was spectacular and the staff was very accommodating. The daily breakfast was excellent and we spent our days enjoying the beautiful property. Thanks to Dean's knowledge and advice, we had an wonderful stay in Palm Beach. We look forward to using Dean's expertise on our future adventures. Thank you Dean!!! Paul & Tracy
- Paul A.Dean was great, and although I usually handle all of my own bookings, having Dean make my bookings provided great added value for his fees! I will certainly look in to working with him again next year.
- Thomas R.Dean always gives us fabulous fast, friendly service and always seem to throw in an upgrade or little extra. I have dealt with him for over 10 years now and would strongly recommend booking your next vacation with Dean!!! Looking forward to booking my next vacation this winter with you :)
- Pamela B.Dean always goes out of his way to find the best deal available on the trip using the criteria given by us (his client).
- Sharon B.Dean had challenges organizing this trip as it was affected by hurricanes that had gone through the Caribbean earlier in the year.
- Harry T.Dean, once again you have outdid yourself when it comes to creating an experience that is second to none. From the initial contact you were uncanning at uncovering our every need and want. Thank you for another fantastic vacation
- Cheryl V.Dean is a pleasure to work with ,he is our go to guy, always there for any questions , he knows all fun events to tell us about, We just love how he explains all the details to us and he makes sure we know ahead of schedule, often recommending things we would not otherwise know about. Thanks Dean for all your hard work and commitment to us.
- Peggy Sue V.Dean helped us out throughout our trip. Upgraded our flight home from Economy to Business class. That was crucial as we were both sick and would not have been pleased in Economy. Also, Dean made arrangements at the airports to accommodate my bad leg (ruptured Achilles tendon), avoiding long lines and long walks, and allowing for early boarding. That was a God send. Communication through What's App helped alot. Not the first time we've used Dean, and it won't be the last.
- Richard L.When my son and I met with Dean Barreca last Christmas to discuss a father-son vacation in July, all we had in mind was camping in the Grand Canyon. Dean spent a lot of time asking us about our interests, travel preferences, and wish-list of vacation spots. A few days later he told us we should avoid the Grand Canyon in July because temperatures usually exceed 40 degrees, which could make for an uncomfortable week. Dean was absolutely right! Instead, we explored other options he presented and decided on a 7-day tour of the US Southwest that included a day at the Grand Canyon, plus Yosemite, Death Valley, the Sierra Nevada mountains, and 3 iconic California cities. What an incredible treat of terrains, temperatures, and magnificent natural wonders. And the urban stops were tons of fun, too. My son and I had an amazing experience together that we'll share and remember forever, and we would never have had this incredible experience without Dean's patience, insights, & knowledge.
- Peter S.Excellent. Dean is very professional and always give you a choice of the trips
- Irene R.Dean is a very knowledgeable travel agent who is well-travelled himself and has lots of great advice. He spent a lot of time preparing an on-line version of our Peru itinerary in an app which had links and was full of information. We used it every day and it was an excellent resource.
- Susan G.Working with Dean on planning our anniversary trip was an absolute pleasure. For years I used to do the planning for all our Vacations but this time, due to work commitments, I wasn't able to. We relied on Dean to plan out our trip based on the conversations we had over the phone, and he did an amazing job. The services he offered are a lot better and more detailed then any other travel agent we have ever spoken with. He got to understand what we liked and didn't like and based on this consultation he suggested some amazing trips for us. In the end we picked Peru as our destination and from start to finish Dean and Lima Tours took great care of us. I look forward to booking our next vacation with Dean.
- Kartik N.Dean has booked an Oceania Cruise through the Mediterranean for Fall 2014. He answered all questions, made valuable suggestions and has followed up to see how we are doing. Having recommended Dean's services to friends, Dean contacted both us and our friends in immediate followup which we found to be very good as did our friends.
- Rodney G.Dean is very knowledgeable he is field,and you can tell he really loves his work. He is a great people person. Gives good advise and is an eye opener in your travels. He makes you see things you to not think about to prepare for in your travels. I have recommended him to many friends and they were extremely happy with him. Dean is a great agent. Keep up the good work.
- Pasquale P.Working with Dean is always a pleasure. He is a smart, kind & patient person. Always calling to see if we need anything. He is quick to find out specific information when we plan our vacations and always looking for the best deals and accommodation. We are very pleased to have Dean as our travel Advisor & friend. Thank you for everything you do for us. ??
- Armindo R.Dean provided excellent recommendations for our trip to Canada. We had a great time!
- Ling L.The cruise was terrific. However, it was Dean's planning, knowledge, and suggestions for the pre/post portions of the trips that made it that once in a lifetime experience.
- Mark B.Dean is the best travel agent I have ever come across and I have been travelling and getting assistance from travel agents for decades. Any issues that arose (and there were few) were very promptly addressed by Dean to my complete satisfaction. Simply outstanding!
- Charles S.Great working with Dean, he have real experience with properties all over the world. He is happy and upbeat. I love this guy
- Vincenzo F.Dean is very knowledgeable and extremely helpful! He listens to what is important to the client! Every time I have asked Dean to plan a trip for my husband and I he delivers something that is beyond my expectations!
- Lisa T.I have been working with Dean for several years and the word I can easily think of is he is truly " The Cruise Expert". He always looks out for my best interest and I know I can trust his advise. Look forward to working with him again next time we vacation.
- Julio V.Our Celebrity Cruise experience on the Infinity was just THE BEST. We can't say enough about the friendly, courteous service provided by the staff on the ship. It all started with Dean Barreca, our advisor, providing expert knowledgeable advise. Ready to answer any question we had and was quick about it too! Thanks so much Dean ! JandS
- John V.Dean got us the best rate at the place we wanted to stay. Always consistent good service!
- Jan R.I find myself challenged to articulate the experience from our trip, which wouldn't have been what is was without our travel agent going above and beyond to ensure my wife and I celebrated an unforgettable 25th wedding anniversary. From when we first reached out to Dean to ask if he could help us..., he was engaged 100%. I had a clear plan in my mind of where I wanted to visit, and for how long. And, what we wanted to see. Dean advised me on any pro's and con's with my plan. Then he engaged Made for Spain and got the ball rolling. After a little back forth regarding hotel preferences and sites to visit. The itinerary was completed. The trip happened, and everything went as scheduled. There were no un-expected delays or complications, with any of the prebooked or scheduled events. You could easily say that the trip went off without a hitch. At the end, Dean was the first to call to see how we were and to ask if we had any issue's. Professionalism and caring to the end. THANK-YOU!
- Edward W.He is the best! He goes over and upon to please you and to recommend what he thinks would be best for you. Our trip was wonderful, we loved everything about the resort, could not have been better - Perfect recommendation Dean.
- Pasquale P.Awesome He's very friendly & knowledgeable He recommended a hotel & location based on our family size & age of kids & he hit it bang on as all of us had a fantastic time
- Anita G.Our recent trip via Celebrity Cruise lines was excellent and we thank Dean for his attention to detail and ensuring our trip was successful. Dean was able to respond in a timely manner to all of our before and after travel needs and while the before hotel is not one I would necessarily stay at in the future, this is no reflection on Dean's ability to set up all of the requested arrangements. Whenever I need to get in touch with Dean he gets back to me very quickly and has been able to always provide a courteous and friendly response or an action that has fulfilled my needs. Thanks to Dean for doing such a great job.
- Gordon L.I've been dealing with Dean since he started in this business and as an avid cruiser I've had nothing but positive experiences in all of my cruise vacations handled by Dean. He is attentive, efficient and a pleasure to deal with and works hard to get the best price, service and meet all of my needs! Bravo Dean!!
- Virginia D.I have traveled on 2 trips thanks to Dean and both without a hitch and esp on my Alaksa trip with someone else in EST and me in the PST and three other agents had failed to do what he did in a 14 d. span.
- Deborah B.Dean is very knowledgeable about the cruise ships. Gives good advise on what would interest us. It was a pleasure working with Dean on our booking, and would recommend him to everyone we know. Keep up the great work Dean. Dean really enjoys his work. It was a pleasure to do our booking with you. Hope to book another trip soon.
- Pasquale P.Thanks to Dean we ended up doing a CELEBRITY 12 days cruise to the Caribbean, What an amazing Experience!!! from embarking till last day of cruising we had memorable times, my kids (twins 16 years old), my wife and I enjoyed non stop fun for 2 weeks, a board of beautiful EQUINOX , either relaxing around the pool on board or touring jungles, beaches, ruins in astonishing places. Nothing short of extraordinary.
- Aaron R.Dean is excellent to work with, he really designs a trip around what you are interested in and he gets to know you in order to plan an exceptional package for your vacation!
- Karl R.Dean is a great advisor who is helpful and organized and works in a timely manner. I am a repeat customer as I have always been happy with his service.
- Susan G.We have booked 3 vacations with Dean so far. He is so good at explaining ways to make your trip more memorable. We’ve done a Disney cruise, Hawaii and Bora Bora...all absolutely amazing trips!!! I’ve realized great trips are all in the details and Dean crosses every T and dots ever I. He is always quick to respond to my questions and provide options if I have any concerns. We will continue to book all our vacations with Dean and explore the world ;)
- Lisa R.My wife and I have worked with Dean three times now, and his knowledge and expertise were, as usual, invaluable. This trip had its "ups" and "downs", unlike our previous two, but Dean was a steady hand we could rely on - even thousands of miles away - in helping us navigate the "downs", and we benefited greatly from his pre-departure advice and planning help. In fact, we elected not to follow some advice, to our detriment, but that is too long a story to go into now. We will use Dean again, no doubt.
- Richard L.Had a wonderful trip. All details went smoothly. Thanks again Dean for your wonderful service.
- Scott G.Dean was great in the details. He even told us what the bridge was named to cross in Venus to get to our hotel!!!. Talk about knowing useful information! Great job Dean. Thanks
- Arthur R.I would not consisder taking a trip/vacation, or cruise without consulting with dean. He always gets the best deals and is with you until the very end.
- Robert D.Wonderful cruise - everything was perfect! Service, food, entertainment was all fantastic! Looking forward to the next one ... thanks for your planning and efforts! Great trip!
- Frank L.My family and I went on a trip south. It was a great vacation spot. I've used Dean 4 times now and I'm pleased at how speedy he takes care of things. Quite pleased. :-)
- Edward W.