Tours by Isabelle

This review is for the "Small-Group Bayou Airboat Ride with Transport from New Orleans" optionOne of the highlights of my trip to New Orleans last weekend. Seems like there are several options for swamp tours but THIS is the one I highly recommend, and so happy I ended up with. As a solo traveler, I booked this one mainly because I was seeking hotel pick-up and a help with securing a small group airboat booking. Glad I did it- I received texts prior and day-of to ensure I was clear on pick-up and logistics.Driver was Dexter who was efficient with pick-up of all those in our group. Upon arrival, everything went smoothly with check-in (getting waivers signed, assigning you to specific airboats via kitschy-sounding "boarding pass" names). These guys are pros for sure, and "family-owned" you can tell throughout the establishment and workings (including their house cat who roams the premises, ha!) We were able to survey the shop/merch, decor, and had fangirl moment when we encountered the founder, Randy, who was so kind and happily took photos with us.The tour itself was so fun/exciting. You get it all- history of the swamp (including flora/fauna), Q&A re: alligators, alligator sightings, high-speed airboat treks, list goes on.Our operator was Dalton who was AMAZING. SO engaging, sweet, funny, and just so great with our eclectic group from all over the country. Highly recommended.More details/photos with the specific operator here: https://yelp.to/ce1lfFCbUo

OVERALL-I do not recommend this tour. I booked the Grand Tour for my friend and I in January for 8am. This tour came highly reviewed on both TripAdvisor and Viator which is why I booked. The booking process was simple. The days leading up to the tour was filled with communication which I appreciated. The day before I'm told to be ready for pick up at 7:45am.At 7:45 sharp Giselle our tour guide arrives. We were instructed to keep our face masks on for the entire bus ride. Fine. We pick up two more couples, and head to our first stop Laura's Plantation. We arrive at 9am, and use the restrooms then we are told that we have to wait an hour until our tour starts. We were all very confused because Giselle did pick us all up a little early, and for what? We just awkwardly check out the tiny gift shop area and plantation display as we wait. 10am arrives and the tour finally begins. Laura's plantation was beautiful. The tour was 1 hour long and filled with lots of painful knowledge and history. I enjoyed this tour, and recommend it. At 11:50am we arrive at Houmas House for lunch. We're told we have 1 hour and 15 mins to enjoy the buffet. The menu includes; fried catfish, rice, gumbo, seafood Etoufee, bbq chicken, beans, salad, and bread pudding. food was alright nothing special. In the middle of lunch Giselle explains that we only have 30 mins left and that we should be exploring the property. Some of us were once again confused because we thought we had 1 hr + to eat and then have time explore the property before our tour. We used the best of the 30 mins we could, but the property is huge and very well taken care of, I must say. The tour of the home was great. The tour guide wasn't the nicest person to a few people in my group but he was very informed, and I learned a lot about the property and New Orleans. Airboat tour, was absolutely terrible. Our tour guide wasn't informed at all. He talked a total of two sentences the entire trip. The weather was terrible and we shouldn't have been allowed to enter the boat. We painfully sat on the boat for over an hour as we went in circles in 30 degree weather. We saw no wild life. We werent even in any drop of water 90% of the time. We were literally going big circles while our tour guide scrolls Facebook. Like i said terrible experience over all. OVERALL-I do not recommend this tour. The price point is way too high for what you're getting. The tour guide Giselle doesn't like when you go to the restroom more than 2 times in an 8 hour period. Although punctual, Giselle was cold. She talks the entire bus ride and it does get quite overwhelming. Your better to just book the plantation tours yourself and the airboat as well (as long as it isn't in the winter).

This was for sure an amazing tour! Booked it through the app visit a city. It was very interesting to see all the history. The airboat tour was amazing with being able to hold a baby gator. Then being able to go to Laura's plantation. Then going to the last plantation. It was really good. In between each tour Rene gave great insight and history of New Orleans!

Tour guide Rene was absolutely amazing fun facts and friendly and just over all a good time had recommendations for bars restaurants etc good driver and on time

We were all very pleased with the all-day tour that included pickup and dropoff at the hotel, narrated tour of the area while driving, the flatboat bayou tour to see alligators and other animals (saw lots and lots of gators in April), and the two plantation tours, Oak Alley and Laura. The sit down lunch at Oak Alley was better than expected. The grounds at Oak Alley were gorgeous but the tour of the house wasn't all that great (very scripted, brief, hard to understand Oak Alley's guide. The tour at Laura was really much more interesting though.Overall, a really great day, very well run, with a very pleasant and knowledgeable tour guide. If you're interested in seeing bayous and plantations, this is a wonderful day well spent.The only (very slightly) negative thing to be aware of is the tour "bus" is VERY small and crowded when full, and hard to navigate if you have any mobility issues at all. I was in a serious car accident about 9 months ago, and still not at 100% with regard to climbing / mobility / twisting etc. So when I saw it was not really a bus, but a cramped little van that requires people to hunch and clamber around, I found that stressful. Fortunately, despite the van being totally full, every time we got on, I was able to get an easier-access seat near the front. I'm sure that if you were not shy about saying what you needed, the guide and the other passengers would kindly accommodate you, no problem. I just don't like to draw attention to myself. So it's something to be aware of, if you have a mobility issue.

We had the best day and just adored our tour guide Giselle! The swamp tour with George in the morning was so fun! Small group air boat ride through the bayou was incredible. We fed lots of alligators. Then we got a great tour from Kyle at Laura Plantation, followed by a delicious traditional New Orleans lunch and then a tour of Houmas house mansion and plantation and gardens. The whole day flew by! Highly recommend this tour and Isabelle was so nice during booking and Giselle feels like family. Thank you so much!

Rene was an excellent guide! Going to the plantations was an excellent way to learn about the history of the area. A day well spent

Isabelle & Rene did it again- another marvelous escapade through time & history in our private (and very comfortable) vehicle to explore a long-gone era & culture. We travel to New Orleans every year and no trip would be complete without a wondrous new voyage hosted by Isabelle. Rene is a fantastic & extremely knowledgeable travel guide, and Isabelle, as always, took great care of each & every detail. We will definitely be back again next year, and will be dreaming of our marvelous journey Via Tours By Isabelle until then...

The "New Orleans City Tour" was wonderful. I can't speak for the other guides but if Gisele is typical for "Tours by Isabelle" then you can't go wrong. This lady is not only well versed on the city but she made the tour fun as well as informative. Along the way, we stopped at (a) Cafe Du Monde for beignets and cafe au lait. The reason I said (a) is because there are two of them in town. One had a line clear down the block, but Gisele took us to one that had a line of four people. Delicious! Touring New Orleans with this wonderful guide with a beautiful French accent was one of the highlights of our visit. If we ever book another tour in New Orleans, we will definitely request Gisele for our guide.

My wife and I booked the Whitney and St Joseph plantation tour. At first, there was a bit of a problem, as we were unable to get the date we originally selected. Isabelle, however, acted swiftly to resolve the issue, and suggested an agreeable alternative date.And we are glad that she did. Our guide, Ellen, was most knowledgeable, and friendly, and made a number of helpful suggestions about things to do while in New Orleans. The plantation tours themselves were memorable, a true highlight of our visit to the region. We were especially moved by the Whitney tour, with its emphasis on the history of slavery. In short, we would highly recommend booking tours with Isabelle, whether this one or one of the many others offered. When we return to New Orleans, we will be certain to schedule another tour by Isabelle.