Travel Review: Tour of Morocco, Portugal & Spain, Toledo, Barcelona, Madrid, Malaga, Gibraltar, Sintra, Sagrada de Familia

Review by traveler

Jagdish P.

9.18.2016

General Info

Traveler Review

Which Country (Countries) did you visit on this trip?

Morocco

Portugal

Spain

Your overall comments on the trip and the travel company:

Positives

1. All transportation was as scheduled and prompt.

2. All guides were very professional and knowledgeable.

Negatives

1. Many drivers did not speak English, making it hard to communicate.

2. Some hotels did not have good selections for breakfasts.

3. Some of the hotel rooms were very small - hardly any room to place your luggage.

4. One of the hotels had smoke smell in the rooms as well as in the hallway.

5. With one or two exceptions, no water was provided on any day. Enough water supply should be carried by the driver so that we don't have to look for water when we travel in extreme hot weather, especially after a long walk.

What were the most enjoyable or memorable parts of your trip?

1. Trip to Sintra in Portugal

2. Gibraltor Michael's Cave

3. Segovia Aqueduct

4. Toledo Scenic Drive

5. Barcelona Sagrada Familia

If you could take your trip again, what would you do differently?

1. Allow little more time to stay an extra day in Seville, Malaga, Madrid.

Travel Company Comments:

We always appreciate feedback from our travelers, as they help to improve our operations and will benefit our future travelers. We are also happy that the traveler ultimately enjoyed their experience, as a travel specialist that is always our top priority!

As to the specific concerns raised in the review, we would like to provide some insight into the specific situations, especially as they pertain to traveling in Spain and Morocco which we feel help prepare our travelers to have the proper expectations when traveling abroad. We in fact were able to meet with the traveler personally in Madrid to discuss these points in person:

1. Drivers in Spain will always only speak moderate English. It is not that they do not speak English, but that their knowledge is limited, being it enough to communicate. The reason is simple: if they would speak the language better, they would become local guides, where they would earn more money! So it is rather difficult to find good drivers who speak the language. It is not that we do not have them: it is simply that there aren’t any. This is the situation in many foreign countries, but what is important - and what we pride ourselves on - is providing quality drivers which keep our travelers safe, and ensure that our travelers are able to visit the sites they wish.

The language situation is similar if not worse in Morocco, and is something we prepare each of our travelers for at the beginning of their trip. For this traveler this expectation was clearly communicated via email even before they arrived. But once again, the driver was able to uphold an otherwise quality experience that hundreds of other travelers have truly enjoyed!

2. Hotel Breakfasts: We have been using the same hotels in Spain for quite a long time and this is the first time we have received this comment. Spanish hotels and restaurants are certainly able to accommodate travelers with various diets, and we make sure to use partners who are able to do so. But as cuisine changes depending on where one travel, it could happen that vegetarian choices will not be wide enough compared to standards in other countries. These differences are some of the true joys of travel - experiencing different cultural traditions - and are something to be valued rather than criticised.

3. Hotel room size: Minimum hotel room size is regulated by law in Spain, so no hotel could offer a room smaller than what is ruled for the standard chosen. In this case the traveler chose 4 star properties. We made sure to discuss in detail hotel choices and made several changes to match the travelers criteria, so what was booked was outlined by the travelers own interests, and in comparison to many European cities (Paris, London, Rome), any standard room in Madrid or Barcelona would be much bigger

4. Water in vehicles: Except for long journeys, vehicles normally do not offer any water, as water is easily available at all stops, and drivers are more than happy to accommodate the needs of travelers en route. In Europe the need of serving water during a quick 20 minute airport transfer is often redundant, as water is available everywhere at any time, and drivers are easily able to assist travelers in the acquisition of water.

Once again, we are extremely delighted that the traveler ultimately had a wonderful experience, and do hope that they were able to enjoy the different nature of Spanish and Moroccan cultures, something we feel is truly of value when people travel abroad.

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