We are looking into some escorted tours for land and rail to the Canadian Rockies for next spring or summer. Prices really vary and we are not familiar with some of the tour companies. Has anyone used Collette Vacations for an escorted tour to Canada or somewhere else? How would you rate them and the hotels/meals that were included? I know that cruise lines vary in price and service. Where would you place Collette...low, average or high? Thanks in advance.

Don't know anything about Collette, but we went on a Candian Rockies tour with Globus in the summer of '02 and really enjoyed it. You can check their itineraries at www.globusandcosmos.com

Still wondering about Collette Tours experiences. No one on the Canada forum has posted a response either. Anyone with first hand knowledge?

Dear Readers,

The main purpose of my posting to Fodors is to advise travelors NOT to choose Collette Travel. We would sugges for readers to do something that we learned. INVESTIGATE. Collette does not have a very good reputation on many sites. The Canadian Rockies were beautiful. 2 of the 4 hotels that Collette chose were lovely. The Westin Calgary and the Fairmont Banff. The Prince of Wales was lovely on the outside, but sad and uncomfortable in the rooms. Rustic. Old crappy furniture. No TV. No Internet. The sheets and towels were scratchy... so uncomfortable. The hotel was far from the town. Although, not for us, we enjoyed the walk. But, for our fellow travelors that were over 80. They were stuck at the hotel. Lastly, The Chateu Jasper was truly a dive. Dirlty to say the least with pubic hair on the pillow and in the bathtub. Scary.

The food that Collette fed us was unedible. Really horrible. Unacceptable.

Most of the old people were complaining. So disappointing

The tour guide was young, immature, unaccomodating and downright insulting.

Nightmares from her treatment. Never have been been treated in this manner. And we had to pay for that? WHAT?

This was the trip from hell. Really. A huge rip off. Use Tauck tours. We had great experiences with Tauck in Europe. Canada do on your own.

Remember that if you are not a really OLD SENIOR.... this trip is not for you. I encourage you to make Canada an adventure and do it on your own. There is a lot of fun adventures and memories that you can make and cherish. But, not on Collette.. Unless of course you are need assistance and enjoy spending the day getting slowly on and off the bus at many bathroom stops. Which was a great part of the day.

SO BUYER BEWARE. Collette Vacations is disappointing, expensive for what you get, awful guide and the Rip off of the century!!

Thank you

My experience with Collette was completely different than what gands612 describes. My husband and I recently took a week long tour of Iceland with Collette.

Hotels: Our hotel in Reykjavik was located in the main square of Reykjavik's Old Town. It was within easy walking distance of the harbor and shopping district. There were many restaurants in all price ranges within walking distance. I would describe the hotel as a middle of the road hotel. The rooms were clean, modern, and simply furnished.

The hotel outside of Vik, a tiny town along Iceland's southern coast, was a country style hotel with multiple buildings located around a central reception/lounge/dining room. I would describe it as reminiscent of a 1950's style. The rooms were wood-paneled, clean, and simply furnished.

Food: Breakfasts were included and were buffet-style at both hotels. Some dinners were included and these were either buffet-style or limited ordering from a choice of three main courses. There were two dinners in Reykjavik that were not included. As stated above, the hotel was within walking distance of many restaurants in all price ranges.

Guide/tour manager: The guide/tour manager was an American. My personal preference would have been to have a native of the country as tour manager. That being said, our tour manager was very efficient, knowledgeable about Iceland, and had a pleasant personality. She has been with Collette for eight years and Iceland is one of the countries that she specialized in.

Itinerary: The itinerary was well-planned and busy. Yes, there are lunch/bathroom stops along the way. Please note, that generally tour bus drivers are required to have breaks at regular intervals. The stops are not solely for the passengers.

Age of travelers: As with many tours, the age of the travelers was skewed towards the older side. I would estimate that the age range ran from 40's-late 70's. My husband and I are in our mid-60's with no physical limitations or medical limitations. I do not consider myself to be a really OLD SENIOR.

This was my first trip with Collette. I have traveled extensively over the last 30 years and have used a variety of methods—independent, small group, large group, and cruises. I have not traveled with Tauck, but my understanding is that they are a higher end (i.e., more expensive) company than Collette.

I do not blindly sign up for tours. When choosing a tour, I investigate the itinerary beforehand as thoroughly as if I were traveling on my own. I am not committed to any specific mode of travel (i.e., independent vs. tour vs. cruise) nor to any one tour company. If the destination and itinerary suited my needs, I would have no problem choosing Collette for a future tour.

Again someone finds an old thread! This is happening constantly and Fodor's needs to do something about it.

And...it is gands612's ONLY contribution to the fodor's forum. Seems fishy to me!

Well maybe they should not allow the posts to be commented on after a certain date. However, I do like to explore old posts sometimes. I even had a question reguarding a post in 05 a couple of months ago and got several good answers on a trip I was considering.

The question posed here is just as relevant today as it was six years ago.

When very few new posts are coming in (as now) there is an increase in the digging up of old posts and in the making of snarky comments about statements in or replies to the few new posts.

Those who disinter old posts do the service of providing fodder for those who are looking for something to complain about.

HTTY

I would like to reply to those guests questioning my motives. Firstly, just to let you know that we travel extensivly. Europe maybe 16 times. Over 20 cruises. 3 Tauck tours. Hawaii every year with our children when they were young. We are active, excercise, we do theater and we enjoy many friends. The Collette tour was this summer. NOT years ago. The experience was so negative in every way. We, I suppose are young seniors. 57 and 62. A fun and close couple, married 35 years.
The seniors on this trip were between 80 and 90. No less.
When we travel and we pay a good price, we expect good accomodations, good food, good company and an attentive and respectful guide! We did not get this with Collete.

When we travel and we pay a good price, we expect good accomodations, good food, good company and an attentive and respectful guide!

Us too! I guess traveling with Collette is hit-or-miss. Thank you for letting us know about your experience.

HTTY