Collette Tours
 

I am considering travel to the UK in September with Collette and would appreciate replies about your experiences with this tour operator. The tour I am considering is called "British Landscapes" How is travel this time of year? How are the hotels? I was also considering Globus and Trafalgar but have heard this group is a bit better.

I haven't seen them particularly recommended for UK itineraries - but just looking at one of the 3 tours they offer in Sept, I wouldn't touch them w/ a barge pole.

In 8 nights you'd dash through London, Cambridge, York, Edinburgh, the Lake District, North wales, Cheltenham, the Cotswolds, Bath and Stonehenge.

I just <i>love</i> day 7: Edinburgh, The Lake District and Wales (and you leave Wales the next morning so don't assume you'd "see" any of Wales). That is just nutty.

Collette Vacations is a well-respected tour company. Several friends of mine have taken tours with them and have been pleased. A number of AARP groups in my area use them as a tour provider. They do not provide the depth and lengthy stays in one location that most posters on this forum prefer (few package tours do). If one's personal preference is a tour rather than planning it yourself, then look at each company's itinerary in detail. Some considerations are:


Length of stay in each destination
Meals included
Hotels-location, quality
Sights included-inside visits or drive bys
Size of tour group

I have no knowledge or personal experience. However, some time ago, there was a lengthy thread about Collette Tours and I do not recall it being positive. There is a way of searching this site for old postings. Why don't you do that first.

Anna

My comment had NOTHING to do w/ the service/quality of the company. Like I said I've not heard much about them re the UK specifically. My comment was about the itinerary covering England, Scotland and Wales in 8 nights (it is a 10 day trip which includes the travel days to/from the States). It is the "British Landscapes" tour the OP is considering.

It includes 2 nights London, 1 night York (visiting Cambridge on the way so not much time in York), 2 nights Edinburgh, 1 night Ruthin (visiting the Lake District enroute so no time in Wales), 1 night Cheltenham, 1 night Mortimer (actually a Leisure Park near Reading), fly home.

There are rushed tours and then there is insanity. This one borders on insanity.