Barbara McCracken & Family – Focus Quebec - June 2010

We loved it.  Everything went well and the people of Quebec are very friendly.  My only negative comment would be that it was a little inconvenient to be in 2 rooms.  In Quebec City our rooms adjoined and we were able to leave the door open.  That worked perfectly.  But in the other two places, that was not possible.  Otherwise, it was lovely.  I had no problems with the vouchers.
Thanks for everything!

******************
David Clarke – Greece – June 2010

The 8 day "Best of Greece" tour with Cosmos was great, our guide Marika was very informative and handled the logistics of managing a diverse coach load of tourists superbly. We also spent a few days in Mykonos and stayed at the lovely Princess of Mykonos hotel. We had to return a day early due to the Greek general strike and we were very impressed that the Managing Director of Destination Greece Antonios Protogeros called us urgently to warn us that the ferries would not be running on our scheduled departure date and that we risked missing our home bound flight. He arranged for upgraded tickets for the ferry a day earlier than planned and then personally met us at the ferry and escorted us to our hotel in Athens. He was very helpful at suggesting things to do during the one day strike and with his diligence he really went beyond what was expected.

******************
Jill Skone – Egypt – June 2010

Thanks for your inquiry.  What a great trip.  I must say the accommodations---hotels and on boat, the meals-- were much better than I had expected.  The guides were wonderful and all instructions were carried out--no problems of any kind.   The one issue that did not work out too well was the traffic gridlock in Cairo. We spent hours waiting in the traffic--and thus did not see all of our planned excursions on the two days of sightseeing in Cairo.  I wouldn't know how to remedy it---it does not matter what time of day---it always seems to be in gridlock. Otherwise, we loved every second of it!

******************
Jennifer Huntley – Egypt – June 2010

I just wanted to thank you and I just wanted to let you know that we had a very interesting time in Egypt.  Very different country with a lot of wonderful history and I am glad we had the opportunity to see another side of life.

******************
Lisa Cargal –  Asia - June 2010

We had a fantastic time! I want to let you know that Tour Company were fantastic.  Everything went off like clockwork.  The guides, hotels, attractions, and itinerary in both Vietnam and Cambodia were fantastic. We had no problems what so ever.   The guides were there at the airport or docks to meet us every time on time and their attention to detail was great.  They all spoke English very well, had great personalities, were well versed in the history and customs of each area and made us feel welcome and safe.  They were informed of our upcoming itinerary plans and discussed these with us as well.   Flights within Asia also were great.  No delays or cancellations.  I would not hesitate to recommend or travel with this company in the future.

Thailand was also fun but we had a few glitches.  Bangkok was great and we loved the dinner/show you arranged.  Very entertaining.  The flight to Phuket was fine as well and we were met at the airport no problem, except the spelling of our name: Carjal.  This is not a big deal but we wonder if this is what led to some of the problems.  First they did not have our ferry tickets to Phi Phi.  Not a big problem, we just had to stop at the main office in Phuket and pick them up.  Once we got to the Bay View Resort they had our reservation but no record of payment.  The resort had to contact East West Siam to get this straightened out.  After arriving at the pier on the 18th there was no one there to pick us up.  We waited for a couple hours thinking they might be coming when dropping clients off for the afternoon ferry.  Finally a rep from the ferry company contacted East West Siam and it turns out they thought we were arriving on the afternoon ferry.  Seems as if they never cancelled the double booked flight from Phuket to Bangkok but simply moved us to a later flight.  We made it to the airport in time but were getting worried.  East West Siam certainly didn’t seem as organized as Vidotour – were we just spoiled?   Maybe it was just us? 

We did have a wonderful time on Phi Phi.  The resort actually picked us up in a boat and ferried us down the beach to the resort.  The bungalows were wonderful, with great views!  One suggestion, if possible, I would advise clients to stay the night in Phuket so they can catch the morning ferry, thus giving them a full half day on the island.  As it was we had to wait over three hours from the time we were dropped off at the pier to the time the ferry left.  Again, not a big deal, but a thought for future clients.

All in all it was just great!!  Lots of memories and photos.  I’ll recommend your company and hopefully use you again for our future travel plans.  You have been a great help in all this organization.

******************
Diane Fulcher – France – June 2010

The Trafalgar tour went very well. I have now seen most of France.

Our tour guide with the Trafalgar Tours Highlights of France, Marie Du Bois, was an excellent young woman. She had a wonderful personality and was very knowledgeable regarding the history and culture of France. Her organizational skills were remarkable and her willingness to help with any kind of problem was exemplary. Under her leadership the group bonded very well and everyone had a very good trip.

I would certainly recommend this tour to anyone and if they were able to get Marie Du Bois as the guide that would be a terrific bonus. The Holiday Inn Garden Court Hotel chosen by Trafalgar for the first night was fine in itself but the neighborhood was dingy and dirty. I know this hotel was chosen for its close location to the exit to the highway but no one in the group cared for the area. I was there four nights and each day I took the subway and got out of the area as quickly as I could. I felt safe enough, for me that wasn't the issue. The area was just very gritty and actually the guide books give very negative comments about the area. For a one night stay it was okay and the staff working there were friendly and cooperative but it was not a pleasant situation for four days.

However, I know that it was my decision to stay there since I didn't want to stay in two different hotels while I was in Paris. I was unaware of how unpleasant the neighborhood was. Having said that, I managed just fine but for the future I would stay there only the one night if I had to. Thank you so much for all your work and organization for my trip. I think you may have had something to do with the very comfortable room that I got each night. I always had a good sized room with a double bed and a nice bathroom. Some of the others in the group traveling as singles mentioned how small their rooms were so I kept my counsel and said nothing. The only other hotel that was not liked was The Apogia in Nice. It was quite grubby and the carpet in my room was so dirty that it made my feet black when I walked on it. I know most people made negative comments about that hotel on their evaluation forms, myself included. All in all I had a great trip and I do thank you very very much for all your efforts on my behalf. You are a wonderful example of Nova Scotian hospitality and helpfulness.  

******************
Charles Hubert – Egypt – June 2010

I had an excellent trip and thoroughly enjoyed the experience.  The pyramids, ancient buildings, temples, tombs and other sights are amazing.  The city representatives and guides were very attentive and always on time despite several early morning transportation and tour departures. 
 
The hotels were beautiful and well located.  The food was tasty and agreed with my system which is important. 
 
The trip really does give the highlights of Egypt.  The contrasts between the verdant Nile, the desert, the Mediterranian and the Red Sea are striking.
 
Thanks for all your assistance and the work of your team in Egypt.

******************
Darleen & Nicholas Corcoris – June 2010

THANKS ALL OK.

******************
Milli Wilcoxson – Nova Scotia and PEI Self Drive – June 2010

Hi, we had a wonderful trip, the self-driving tour gave us flexibilty to do what we wanted and still see the highlights. I was going to write and thank you for your help.

******************
Venkatram Kowsik – May 2010

Things went off well during the tour. Being vegetarians we had problems getting some hot food. However, the tour director took care of us as much as possible. Thanks for all the help you have extended.

******************
Varune Maharaj – Egypt – May 2010

Overall I can say we had a great time in Egypt.  Our primary purpose was to take in all the history, and quite simply be awed by all the monuments and temples. 

We had an unforgettable honeymoon, and I sincerely appreciate all the assistance from you in putting together this tour for us.  Thank you for all your support.

******************
Richard Wilson – Egypt – May 2010

I simply can't express just how wonderful a time I had.  Please let the powers-that-be know that I was treated with courtesy, warmth, and wit.  All of my guides were great; with special praise to Hysam, Randa, Kirim, and Aziz.  The cruise down the Nile was spectacular.  (Nile Shams)  The accommodations at Pyramids Park Resort were excellent, and I would like to offer a special thanks to one of the Maitre'ds, Mostafa.  He was attentive, responsive, and witty.  Please let the PPR folk know.  I am in the midst of writing an account of the whole event, and when I'm finished, I'll forward it to you for your amusement.  Try as I might, I've not a single complaint.  Thanks again for all the time and energy you put into providing me with a wonderful experience.

******************
Meghan Leslie –  Europe - May 2010 – Action Travel

Just a quick note to let you know that despite the challenges thrown up by the volcanic ash and the impact it had on the tour, the 3 of us, Bev, Irene and I, had a wonderful trip.  Thank you for all of your support in the first few days of the trip.  The phone calls to ensure we were OK and the prompt response to our 'minor' problems was very much appreciated.
 
Once again, many thanks for your wonderful customer service and support.

******************
Brian A. Tieszen – May 2010 – Action Travel

Hi Joy, thanks for pulling things together so smoothly while under the gun of my tight time line. Much appreciated. You are good !!!!

******************
Beverly Black – Cruise - May 2010 – Euro World

Hi Wendy - Everything went fine, it was a great trip, but Holland America has this line beat, in my opinion. Thanks again for all the trouble you went to make life easier for us.

******************
Phil Valentine – Egypt – April 2010

I am still digesting my visit to the "Strange & Wonderous" land.  Hard to describe all there was to see, the cruise on the river Nile was really great.  I have never seen anything like Cairo - cars and people going in all directions on the roads with a chorus of horns all their own.  Enjoyed seeing the pyramids and all the temples and tombs, especially in the Valley of the Kings in Luxor.  My drivers and tour guides were quite good and made it possible to understand the ancient history of this place.  It was incredible seeing the carvings and glyphs (with colors still quite bright) even after all those 5000 or so years.  I would say I had a great time, even with all that went awry. 

The A-Z team worked hard and efficiently to ensure my itinerary was met as much as possible.  The few hitches encountered were mere bumps in the road.  I am amazed they are able to keep such tight schedules in a place as dynamic as Cairo. 
 
Thank you for your concern.  (Phil was caught up in the delays as a result of the Volcano and arrived a few days later than originally planned)

******************
Jennifer Wang – Italy – April 2010

Thank you.  I loved the trip to Italy and had a wonderful time.  I thought Vincenzo is very knowledgeable and well organized tour director.  I don't have any complaint.  I enjoyed every moment of it.

******************
Solange Gallo – Egypt – April 2010

I have to let you know that I was very pleased with my stay in Cairo, Egypt.  A-Z tours made my visit a very pleasant on, your supplier in Egypt were always there for what I needed (new hotel etc).  I will be sure to contact you again for any future trips, and will definitely recommend your company to friends and family.

(Solange was also caught up in delays with the Volcano)

******************
Johanna Goold – Palm Springs – April 2010

We had a lovely time.   Weather perfect and the condo we had was very suitable for infirm old folks.

The travel arrangements were just fine.   Westjet good apart from seats that were a bit ‘sat-out’ on the way down but they more than made up for it with the curb-side check-in at Palm Springs airport on departure.

On arrival, Avis had a difficult time finding my reservation and in the end I down graded to a Subaru Outback with a free tank of gas.   A great car to drive and very comfortable and the wheelchair just fit.

We now need to plan the next one.

******************
Sharon Johnson – Mexico – April 2010

All went well.  Thanks.

******************
David Oqawa – Las Vegas – April 2010

The trip went well and we enjoyed the hotel.  No delays are problems with the airlines.

Thanks for your assistance

******************
Julie H. Ferguson –  South Africa - April 2010

Thank you – I had no idea when I contacted you what an immense amount of work you would do for me. No tour company has ever been so thorough in my experience. I so appreciate it.

******************
Gonzalo Rubio Sologuren – Egypt – April 2010

The cruise was amazing, thanks.

******************
Linda Ekizian – Amsterdam – March 2010

Diane, Lily and I had a wonderful week in Holland and Belgium.  The week progressed without any problems. The tour company was excellent: with intelligent guides, interesting itineraries (not too rushed) and wonderful hands-on service. We were booked for a duplicate tour to Delft and The Hague one afternoon and they quickly substituted the redundant tour with a visit to the glorious Keukenhof Gardens (which is only open in March - May) - a highlight of our week!

The hotels were first rate. The one disadvantage was the somewhat remote location of the Novotel which was nearly 30 minutes and 30 euros (each way) to connect with the Tour in Amsterdam.  The Brussels portion included hotel pick-up and was centrally located which was appreciated. The train connection to Belgium was fast and easy.
 
Thank you for all you did to pull this trip together for us! If you have any specific questions, don't hesitate to ask me.I've attached a photo I took at the Keukenhof..it makes a great desktop!

I'll be in touch for our next adventure.

(This trip was a custom trip arranged after one of the tour companies cancelled their original tour)

******************
Andre Araujo – Egypt – March 2010

We would like to thank you for all the support and high quality service delivered by Khaled in Egypt. The trip was fantastic from the beginning to the end and we're back to Kazakhstan ready to return to our activities.
 
Please, extend our satisfaction to Khaled and his team.

******************
Dorothy & Gary White – Maui, Hawaii – March 2010

We arrived back on Wednesday morning from our week in Maui and the trip was absolutely fabulous.  The flights were great and the Kapalua Villa that we stayed in was gorgeous.  The accommodation was a two story, corner, end unit townhouse with panoramic views of the ocean with wrap around windows and lanias from both upstairs and down in the front, and the back windows looked at the Bay Golf Course. 

We could even watch them putting and teeing off from the shower!  It truly was a wonderful holiday and I thank you again for all of your assistance in booking the perfect getaway.  The only negative was it wasn't long enough!

******************
Patrick & Suzanne Donlan – Egypt, Jordan & Syria – March 2010

It was great seeing all of the sights, or some of them, that Egypt, Jordan & Syria had to offer.  We have always wanted to see them and now we have covered most of the world.  Some places we didn't get to in the past even though I spent some 32 years traveling around the world as a pilot and Suzanne as a flight attendant. Overall we enjoyed the trip very much.

******************
Mohan and Aruna – Egypt & Jordan – March 2010

Thank you very much for making travel arrangements for Aruna and I for a memorable trip to Jordan and Egypt.  We are home now, both in good health and recalling memories made on this trip.  We are fortunate to have re-lived about 4,000 years of the history of the civilization in these countries.  I am providing below our input to you and encourage you to share it with Carol in Canada, Dr. Khaled in Cairo and people at Jordan National Tours.
 
In summary the tours met our expectations.
 
Jordan: This trip was excellent. Our transfers from airport to hotel and back were ably attended by agency staff. Kempinski Amman and Petra Movenpick provided comfortable accommodations. We had a very personalized tour of Jordan with our guide - Ribhi and driver . Ribhi is a very knowledgeable person. He did an outstanding job in guiding and showing sites to us.  Jerash, Mt. Nebo, Dead Sea, Petra and Wadi Rum have left lasting impressions on us.
 
Egypt: It was a great experience. We were escorted from the airport to hotels and back all four times by Rammy from A-Z Tours.  He was prompt and courteous.
 
Basma Aswan was a good place to stay at Aswan.
 
We received high quality services from our very knowledgeable guides.  Mona  was with us in Cairo. She was caring and showed the pyramids of Giza as well as Egyptian Museum, Islamic Cairo, Coptic Cairo, Sakkara and Memphis.  Mohsen received us at Aswan and showed Abu Simbul, our Nile Cruise stops at Edfu and Kom Ombo, and at Luxor where we added optional tours of Abydos and Dendara temples in addition to Luxor and Karnak temples. Packed food from the Nile Cruise line was not the greatest. The selection of restaurants in Aswan for lunch and dinner were not the best. We had a good driver with us all the time.
 
The Nile Cruise was satisfactory.  The boat was good and well furnished but the food was only OK.
 
We hope that our input is of assistance to you. We look forward to future business with you.

******************
Donlan, Lightfoot & Lyle – Egypt, Jordan & Syria – March 2010

Hotels

Cairo Ramses Hilton:  This hotel is well located for the type of exploring that we wanted to do.  The services and rooms provided by the hotel were satisfactory and some upgrading seems to be under way.   Not a bad choice.  We enjoyed one of the best meals of the trip in the restaurant here.

Aswan Basma:   This hotel is also well located and but showing its age.  For one night (and a very short one at that) it was fine.  Our rooms view of the back wall and the cemetery did not inspire.

Sonesta St. George:  The nicest hotel of the entire trip including the Movenpicks in Jordan.  Wonderful location, great atmosphere and fabulous rooms.

Concorde Sports Hotel:  Definitely the biggest disappointment of the trip.  The location was less than expected.  The airport runway was about 200 yards from the room and the beach was about a ½ mile away. 

Movenpicks in Jordan:  All first class hotels with all the amenities.  Not the character of the Sonesta but very lovely.

Amman Le Royale:  A very nice, luxurious hotel but a bit distant from any sights. 

Damascus Cham Palace:  Quite an enigma of a hotel.  Grand old style in public areas but with small, smoky rooms, faulty air conditioning and some of the most uncooperative staff we have ever encountered.  Should be great but just doesn’t get there.

Palmyra Dedeman:  Very nice hotel in a beautiful location.  

Aleppo Dedeman:  Very nice hotel with a great view of the Citadel.  For our purposes of exploring on our own, a location in the Old City would have been preferable.

La Boheme Spring Cruise:  Wonderful choice.  We could have stayed longer. 

Tours and Guides

Cairo:  All the tours were worthwhile and well-conducted by Mona with the exception of the “Cairo City Tour”.   This tour, which consisted of a visit to Ibn Tulum mosque and the adjacent museum, the Cairo Tower, and a peek at the Opera House from outside the gates was not what we expected.  We were looking for an overview of the City where we would learn the locations of all the sights for further investigating. 

Alexandria:  A well conducted tour but probably a bit ambitious for a one day trip.  Traffic and road conditions mean that most of the time is spent on the road and not seeing the sights.  We enjoyed seeing Alexandria but would be hesitant to recommend this tour.

Abu Simbel, Aswan, Luxor, and Dendarra:  This was certainly one of the highlights of the trip.  Our guide, Mohsen, was very knowledgeable and friendly.  He kept us moving along so we could cover the whole itinerary. 

Sharm al Sheik:  The guide and the trip to St. Katherine’s monastery were good.  It’s a shame that you can’t see more of the monastery after driving all that distance.

Wadi Rum, Petra, Madaba, Dead Sea:  The guide for this portion of the trip, Rami, was excellent.  From picking us up at the ferry to dropping us off at the Dead Sea he was extremely helpful, pleasant and informative.  The only possible complaint we could have, and it’s a small one, is that the van provided was quite snug for six people, three of whom are very large.

Amman:  The guide who took us from the Dead Sea to Amman and around Amman was a bit of a joke.  He wasn’t too knowledgeable about the antiquities in Amman and loved to talk about himself.  It was just a short trip so not a big problem. 

Syrian Border:  An awkward situation arose when the Jordanian crew took us to the Syrian border and handed us off to two cab drivers who were paid to take us through Jordanian exit procedures and on to the Syrian entrance station.  The drivers spoke no English so we really didn’t know what was happening.  We give the Syrian guide, Hisham, full credit for getting us through the entry procedure and hiring two taxis to continue the trip to Bosra and Damascus.  (Not quite an air-conditioned van and more than a bit crowded.) 

Syrian Tour:  Our guide, Hisham, was one of the greatest delights of our trip.  He was extremely knowledgeable about all things Syrian past and present and he shared much of it with us.  The sights of Palmyra, Bosra, Aleppo, et al were all outstanding.  Syria was definitely the place that exceeded our expectations by the most.   Hisham also made hotel check in/out and border entry/exit procedures go very smoothly.  He helped us through all of these and we greatly appreciated that.

Summary
For the most part, this was a memorable and wonderful trip. 

******************
innie and Peter Phillips – Egypt – March 2010

We are back in hot and sunny Mumbai with happy memories of our stay in Egypt with its warm and friendly people. We would like to thank you and all your staff for making our tour very, very enjoyable. We had a wonderful  time. We would like to add special thanks to Mr Ramy at your Cairo office who, at all times, was very punctual in meeting us, caring and very professional also Mr Said the driver ( he looks vaguely like Omar Shariff, the actor ); we say this because there were 2 Mr Said's. He was a courteous man and a very good and safe driver. Mr Amr Khattab, the guide in Cairo, was an excellent guide who went out of his way to do that litte bit extra which made sightseeing with him most enjoyable.

Apart from one all the guides that we had were extremely good and conducted themselves professionally, making our tour and sightseeing informative and enjoyable.

The order in which we rate the Hotels are as follows:

Sonesta Luxor
Le Meriden Cairo
Sheraton Alexandria
Nile Shams
Basma Aswan
Sofitel Cairo
Catherine Plaza St Catherine
Host Mark Hurghada

The last hotel above, in our opinion and experience of room service and dining room service, did not warrant a 5 star rating and was more in the 3 star category.

In conclusion we would say that A-Z looked after us very well on the tour and at no time did we feel isolated or vunerable. Again many, many thanks to everyone for making our tour and stay in Egypt memorable and very enjoyable.

We are now thinking of doing a coast to coast tour of Canada, a country we would also like to visit, with A-Z.

******************
Sue Wriley – Egypt & Jordan – February 2010

We made it back fine.  The trip was great and we saw a lot of wonderful things.  Our three different tour guides were great. We liked everything about them.  They were polite, knew their material, and the tours ran smoothly. We cannot say enough good about them.  The trip was planned out well except to go to Abu Simbel.  We had to wake up at two in the morning to fly down to Aswan, and wake up again at 2:00 in the morning to go to Abu Simbel.  We were tired after that.  The rest of the trip was fine.  I would make a recommendation for your clients in the future, that not to take the train.  It was filthy and dirty. The only thing was it had clean sheets, but that was it.  The bathrooms were disgusting. We were glad we flew going down to Aswan, we only wished we had flown to Cairo.  The hotel accommodations were good in Egypt and great in Jordan.
 
I hope this helps future clients, and oh by the way, immigration was easy, no problems.
 
Thank you for your help and I look forward to you helping me in the future.

******************
Diana Henriksen & Bert Klaver – Egypt – January 2010

Thank you were back home safely. Our guide Mohsan was brilliant. l really will recommend him to everyone. Thanks for all your organization- that was great.

******************
Dhaya Pillay – Egypt – January 2010

All the arrangements were perfect, thank you.

******************
Robert Galindo – Egypt – December 2009

It was awesome. The guide was very knowledgeable. I will definitely return to Egypt.

******************
Cindi Stambaugh - Egypt – Nov 2009

I want to thank you so much for all the planning you did on my recent vacation with my family to Egypt.  It was great not to have to worry about any details because you made sure everything was taken care of.  I also want to recognize the hospitality that I was shown by our driver Mohammed and guides Mona and Hussan.  They are an asset to your tour company.  They made us feel welcome at every moment and assisted us with any need that we had.  I have never had a vacation go as smoothly as this one and I know that is due to the hard work of you all.  I have recommended your company to many friends and hope that if they decide to use your company they will receive the same excellent service.  My friend said she would be contacting you about a trip to Egypt she plans to take in February.

******************
Allan & Janet Jones – Egypt – November 2009

Our Tour of Egypt was very enjoyable & your planning was above our expectations.

******************
Karen Kunin – Egypt – October 2009

We really really had a nice trip - except for the fact that I got sick in Luxor - the next day after we left Cairo by sleeper train. Thank God that I had some pills with me and within 2 days I was fine.
 
All in all - we had a really good time. I recommend that you go someday as well - but don't wait until you're in your 60s to do so. There's a big difference between 40 and 60 in your energy - especially in the heat. I managed to do everything - just slower than my daughter. I think she would have preferred going with someone her own age - but for the most part we got along fine.
 
Another surprise was that we were the only 2 on the tour - actually it was quite nice - we had our own personal guide. A woman in Cairo - and a man in Luxor and Aswan. Both were very nice. We were met at the airport and our passports were stamped - and we didn't have to pay anything. It was lucky that I asked for a free day because the next day we didn't wake up until 1:00PM. We bought some jewelry - necklaces with our names in heiroglyphics in 18 carat gold. we were also taken to a perfume factory where I bought some beautiful glass bottles, a spice shop where my daughter bought some spices - I didn't - a papryus shop where we each bought some pictures - and a shop where my daughter bought a set of Egyptian sheets including a duvet cover - 1000 thread count.
 
The pyramids were very nice - just a lot of walking - I even got on a camel. The many temples we saw were lovely as well. I just can't remember their names - there were so many. The Egyptian museum was very large - no pictures allowed inside - and we saw all the treasures from King Tuts tomb - and we went into the mummys room as well. They are encased in glass - and have to be kept at special temperatures to preserve them. That was the only room that was air conditioned. The pyramids that we went inside were large on the outside - but small and hot inside - you had to stoop - and I'm only 5ft 2in - imagine someone at 6ft 4in - ouch!!
 
Anyway - all in all - I'm really glad we got to see Egypt. I t is a country very rich in history - and we were treated very nicely. Those US one dollar bills came in very handy for tipping. Also - you have to learn how to say NO - especially when you're at the market. You can't buy everything