Written by: Paul Byron, Applaud’s Chair
My wife and I recently returned from a delightful Collette bus tour holiday called “Flavours of Portugal and Spain”.
We’re not new to traveling and we normally do the planning and booking ourselves. This was our first trip with Collette Tours, and we were excited to experience these countries with their help, direction, and expertise. And, because we’ve heard that organized tours are an affordable no-hassle way to travel, we were excited to see if this would be a good way for us to vacation in the future. As a bonus, being Applaud members allowed us to access this trip at a special rate, making the experience even more appealing.
We were impressed with Collette’s organization of the trip. We used a hassle-free and timely combination of email and phone to the contact center for booking, trip/tour clarification and general enquiries. Throughout the pre-trip process we felt secure, in good hands and well cared for. Collette even arranges transportation to and from the airport to home included in the price!
We quickly realized that the quality of the trip depends on top-notch planning and organizing but an even more important component of the overall experience is the quality of the tour manager and the local guides they use. Enter Fernando Garcia-Salmones, our tour manager. Fernando is an absolutely outstanding Collette Tour Guide with many years’ experience who knew the history, geography, languages, and unique culture of each country and indeed, each region we visited. Fernando was positive and delightful and was entirely committed to ensuring we had the best experience possible. Every day, he provided helpful next-day information and schedules; and his updates (locations we would visit, expected weather, level of activity and sneak preview of what we would see) positively contributed to our no-stress state. Fernando looked after all the “little” on-site details, making each day wonderful and a learning experience. His kindness and interest in everyone and in the whole trip helped us to become a cohesive and enthusiastic group, totally enjoying the journey together.
Collette expertly chooses the hotels and major sites you are to see. While an individual can do this on their own (we have many times) it is incredibly helpful to have the details (like ticket purchasing and transportation for example) taken care of for us. It is truly no-fuss when you are picked up and returned to the hotel door and the only major decision you must make along the way is what beverage you’ll have or what you want for dinner.
The pace of this trip suited us fine. In 15 days, we only moved hotels four times (No 6am baggage calls or the dreaded feeling of on-the-bus-off-the-bus). There was a good blend of organized tour time and free-time and with Fernando’s patient help and direction, we feel we got the level of individual customization (shopping, eating, local culture, exploration) that we wanted.
Having shared many positives of this 15-day tour, we returned home feeling we would enjoy travelling with Collette again. In general, the whole experience was very positive. To enhance an already wonderful experience, we suggested the Collette Team to offer a wider variety of food options for the dinners on the tour. A greater selection of fish and meats would add even more delight. Additionally, Salamanca was so captivating that an extra day there would have been perfect to fully appreciate its beauty.
We greatly appreciate and wish to thank: Collette Tours, Fernando (our fantastic Tour Guide), Jose (our expert driver), and all the local tour guides who shared their beautiful cities with us, for their expertise, dedication, hospitality and warmth, making this a wonderful lifetime experience we are so grateful for!
My wife and I recently returned from a delightful Collette bus tour holiday called “Flavours of Portugal and Spain”.
We’re not new to traveling and we normally do the planning and booking ourselves. This was our first trip with Collette Tours, and we were excited to experience these countries with their help, direction, and expertise. And, because we’ve heard that organized tours are an affordable no-hassle way to travel, we were excited to see if this would be a good way for us to vacation in the future. As a bonus, being Applaud members allowed us to access this trip at a special rate, making the experience even more appealing.
We were impressed with Collette’s organization of the trip. We used a hassle-free and timely combination of email and phone to the contact center for booking, trip/tour clarification and general enquiries. Throughout the pre-trip process we felt secure, in good hands and well cared for. Collette even arranges transportation to and from the airport to home included in the price!
We quickly realized that the quality of the trip depends on top-notch planning and organizing but an even more important component of the overall experience is the quality of the tour manager and the local guides they use. Enter Fernando Garcia-Salmones, our tour manager. Fernando is an absolutely outstanding Collette Tour Guide with many years’ experience who knew the history, geography, languages, and unique culture of each country and indeed, each region we visited. Fernando was positive and delightful and was entirely committed to ensuring we had the best experience possible. Every day, he provided helpful next-day information and schedules; and his updates (locations we would visit, expected weather, level of activity and sneak preview of what we would see) positively contributed to our no-stress state. Fernando looked after all the “little” on-site details, making each day wonderful and a learning experience. His kindness and interest in everyone and in the whole trip helped us to become a cohesive and enthusiastic group, totally enjoying the journey together.
Collette expertly chooses the hotels and major sites you are to see. While an individual can do this on their own (we have many times) it is incredibly helpful to have the details (like ticket purchasing and transportation for example) taken care of for us. It is truly no-fuss when you are picked up and returned to the hotel door and the only major decision you must make along the way is what beverage you’ll have or what you want for dinner.
The pace of this trip suited us fine. In 15 days, we only moved hotels four times (No 6am baggage calls or the dreaded feeling of on-the-bus-off-the-bus). There was a good blend of organized tour time and free-time and with Fernando’s patient help and direction, we feel we got the level of individual customization (shopping, eating, local culture, exploration) that we wanted.
Having shared many positives of this 15-day tour, we returned home feeling we would enjoy travelling with Collette again. In general, the whole experience was very positive. To enhance an already wonderful experience, we suggested the Collette Team to offer a wider variety of food options for the dinners on the tour. A greater selection of fish and meats would add even more delight. Additionally, Salamanca was so captivating that an extra day there would have been perfect to fully appreciate its beauty.
We greatly appreciate and wish to thank: Collette Tours, Fernando (our fantastic Tour Guide), Jose (our expert driver), and all the local tour guides who shared their beautiful cities with us, for their expertise, dedication, hospitality and warmth, making this a wonderful lifetime experience we are so grateful for!
Applaud Members – Save an additional $200* off worldwide when you book before 8/15/2024! Use offer code APPLAUDSAVE. Visit www.collette.com/applaud or call 844.260.7721 for more information.