Reviews on UNTOURS?
 

We don't want a tour group. Our first time to Europe, maybe these guys would be good to use, does anyone know anything about them or have other suggestions?

Wow...you had a lot of great suggestions on your other thread for different tours and independent travel and you never acknowledged any of it.

I would just self-plan.

If you don't want a "tour group" just buy a plane ticket and make some hotel reservations, and off you go!

What do you think the benefit of using Untours would be?

Right. Just go. Don't worry too much about language. Get something like a Rick Steves language book and point at the phrases. Many people speak adequate English.

As a first timer, UNtours may be a good choice as they offer local support to you while in one of their rental properties.

I always suggest hotels for 1st timers, instead of apartment rentals. Exactly because then they have the support of the front desk and hotel personel if they need it for anything.

I think being in an apartment, when you don't speak the language, and have never been to a place before, is not always the wisest idea.

I've used Untours and was really pleased with them. I have family and friends who have used them and were similarly happy. They really offer a happy medium between self planning and independent travel. You can get as much or as little support as you like.

For my trip, we flew (I arranged) to Florence and picked up a car and met the incountry specialist at our "apartment", a restored and remodeled chapel on a working winery. http://www.untours.com/propdata/prop...pe=1&code=TSTS We were provided with a booklet of tips, maps, and places we might want to go. We met our hostess, Harriett, for drinks in the town of Montalcino that evening and then the next day met a larger group of untourists for briefing at a monestary/restaurant where we got some very good tips and a nice lunch and tour. After that we were on our own. If we needed Harriet's support, she was available to us. The winery owners were very helpful and invited us to a family BBQ one day.

Had we preferred, they would have actually met us at the airport, taken us to pick up our car, and then we could have caravaned to our apartment.

I've not used Untours - yet - but it sounds like a happy cross between a tour(with support and a couple of get-togethers) and on-your-own.

I think it would be a good compromise between a tour and totally being on your own, sure.

We have used Untours three times and have been very happy with the company. Untours provides excellent service, you know there will really be an apartment there when you arrive, and the local staff are terrific. The price includes transfers and local transportation, either a rental car or passes for public transportation. In Venice we were invited to visit a monastery on a nearby island. We traveled by a private boat and were given a tour by a resident monk. In Hungary our local host picked us up at 3:00AM and drove us to the airport. What is especially nice is that this family-owned business donates its profits to a foundation that provides low-interest loans to small businesses throughout the world.