Reviews

Your Words – We tell it like it is! Holiday Reviews by previous Exodus travellers

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14253 Reviews

4.7 out of 5

Viv Morris

Reviewed May 2023

Italys Prosecco hills

Lovely holiday in a good hotel central to small town. Walking through a variety of terrains. Although billed as walking in the Prosecco Hills I hadn’t realised we’d be drinking quite so much Prosecco!

Most Inspirational Moment

Walking through the vineyards in the sunshine, and the church with beautiful frescoes in Pieve de Soligo.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Mattia was a good leader. Very supportive and caring when walkers struggled by walking with them or slowly in front to pace for them. Good local knowledge.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Although billed as level 2, I think that’s due to the Treviso day which is a sightseeing tour then a flat walk by the river. The other 4 days are a level 3. Walking is either steep up or steep down, not a lot of on the level walking. Last day is up very high. Mattia said it would be cold, would have been better to say it would be 5 degrees. (It was 20 degrees normally). Much tougher walking and with the altitude. Beautiful walk though and great views. Take travel pills if you don’t travel well on that day as lots of hairpin bends as we climbed to near the top. But I get vertigo and I was okay on the walk and the drive up, but one of the group found the drive up and down a bit concerning. A brolly is also useful as rain is straight down and no wind. Also walking pole.

Wendy Garman

Reviewed May 2023

Excellent Puglia and Matera holiday

Excellent holiday and guide . Despite the rain we had a wonderful time . Good itinerary especially Matera

Most Inspirational Moment

Matera , and learning about the “ shame of Italy “

Thoughts on Group Leader

Excellent . I was not able to do a couple of the walks due to knee pain , but Joanna was so helpful arranging alternatives and taxis A very caring leader

Advice for Potential Travellers

Not really that’s easy walking . Take walking boots and sticks . Some difficult paths on the ridge of Matera

Rob Pearson

Reviewed May 2023

Walking in Tuscany

Accommodation was very good. Trip notes were accurate. Weather was unexpectedly cold and wet much of the time.

Most Inspirational Moment

Getting to the high point of Tuscany, Monte Prado, on one of the good weather days.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Excellent. She was very knowledgeable about the area and juggled the itinerary to get the most of the good weather days. She also organised all the travel details for our day-off trip to Lucca, complete with tour suggestions when there.

Advice for Potential Travellers

It may not be as warm as you expect in May.

Jackey Phillips

Reviewed May 2023

More sightseeing that walking

Everyone had told me how wonderful Puglia was, so my expectations were high, but I have to admit I was a bit disappointed in the scenery. This trip is more about visiting the trulli houses in Alberobello and the ancient city of Matera, which were both fascinating and it was interesting to learn about the history of both. But the walks were not the most interesting, apart from the beautiful spring flowers and the second from last one, across the ravine from Matera. It was a shame the suspension bridge was out of action. Matera was wonderful. We had a 2 hour guided tour, but it was a shame it was done after we had been on a walk in the morning, followed by a lengthy lunch at the pasta laboratory – not to be recommended due to the surly manager! The trip was slightly marred by a few days of rain. The accommodation was all very good and we were lucky that the group all gelled well, with positive good humour. The food was very good

Most Inspirational Moment

Matera. Fascinating to wander the streets. You enter down steps from the larger, new city but once in the old city, the views are incredible.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Joana was an excellent guide. Very helpful and worked hard to ensure everyone was ok

Advice for Potential Travellers

On our free day we went to Polignano and Monopoli and were very pleased that we had. Both are by the sea and wonderful scenery and small, quiet streets to wander around. If you are expecting this trip to be one of excellent walks, this may not be the right one. It is an expensive trip, with the single supplement and I didn’t feel it was good value. The food is expensive, but generally very good. We only had short time on the beach after the walk from the farmhouse. Not really enough time for a swim and the sea was quite rough. Hardly worth taking a costume, although the farmhouse had a pool, so in summer, you could swim there.

Chris Wates

Reviewed May 2023

Sand and Storks - Portugal's Fabulous Coast

A brilliant week hiking Portugal’s stunning south-west coast! Spectacular cliff-top views and fascinating wildlife – from swifts and storks to peregrine falcons. Transport, food and hotels all excellent (especially the hotel in Sagres, wow!). But all made that much more enjoyable and memorable thanks to the extraordinary efforts of our fantastic guides: Ines and Francisco. Their knowledge, professionalism, efficiency and attention to detail was exemplary, going way above and beyond all expectations. Thank you!

Thoughts on Group Leader

Ines and Francisco - both truly excellent.

Valerie Merges

Reviewed May 2023

Fantastic scenery, wonderful guides, charming villages

You can’t imagine how beautiful Portugal’s coast is until you do this trip. The beaches are so scenic and uncrowded. The trails were not difficult and everyone in our group was able to keep the pace. There were adequate stops to enjoy the views and take a swim in the water. Our guides Francisco and Ines were absolutely wonderful. I have a special interest in birds and plants; both were very knowledgeable. They even carried a bird book and a plant ID book. The guides brought a camera with a very long lens, so they were able to share close-ups of the baby storks with our group. The guides were always available on WhatsApp if we had any questions (during our free time). The trip was very well organized; the guides did a lot of work behind the scenes coordinating our drop off and pick up locations. I also really enjoyed the smaller villages we passed through and I was able to get some wonderful photographs. Portugal’s food is fantastic, and the guides helped me to find a restaurant to sample barnacles (highly recommended). The wine and distillery tastings were very enjoyable. I combined this trip with the Highlights of Portugal; it was easy to take a public bus from Lisbon and back again. This was one of my favorite Exodus trips (and I’ve done many) thanks to the competent guides and lovely scenery.

Most Inspirational Moment

Passing by an extremely beautiful section of coast line which looked like the Grand Canyon - if the Grand Canyon was next to an ocean. And our guide Francisco explained the geology of this area

Thoughts on Group Leader

Francisco and Ines were top notch! They get the highest rating from me! Both were very knowledgeable, friendly, and caring. Both were highly organized and always available on WhatsApp. The briefings were very good, as were the shared photographs. I appreciated them carrying the bird and plant ID books on the hike.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Wear hiking boots with ankle support (not hiking shoes). Wear hiking gaitors to minimize sand getting inside of your boots for the first day of the hike (it started out sandy). Bring a wind-proof sun hat and plenty of sunscreen.

Valerie Merges

Reviewed May 2023

Sample of the cities of Northern Portugal

This trip covered the cities with the most attractions and sights in Northern Portugal. Our guides Catarina and Marianna were wonderful and caring. Both spoke perfect English and shared a lot of historical information. Both were always available on WhatsApp during our free time. The tour allowed us to see many cities in just one week. We were kept on the move from city to city, but there was plenty of free time. The old towns were so interesting and unique. Strolling on the stone sidewalks and glancing at the tiled buildings is a memory I will never forget. Sintra’s palace and gardens were also a highlight. The wine tastings were very enjoyable. Portugal’s food is incredible and I tried many new dishes. I combined this trip with Walking Portugal’s Coasts and Beaches, which made a perfect holiday of historic sights and coastal beach scenery.

Most Inspirational Moment

Having lunch in the Duoro Valley in a winery staring at the vineyards and sampling wines

Thoughts on Group Leader

Marianna and Catarina are the two nicest guides I've ever had! They were extremely caring. Both were very knowledgeable about the sights & history. I do wish they were with us more often. I would have liked them to accompany us to dinner on more nights.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Wear comfortable walking shoes with good traction. There is the potential for a lot of walking in the cities during your free time. The polished stone sidewalks get slippery if it rains. Add on at least one day in Porto at the beginning and at the end in Lisbon. There is so much to see in both cities.

denis mole

Reviewed May 2023

Sicily

Trip itself was good, weather not so good, but our memories of the holiday were spoilt by the delays to our return to England. While Etna erupting and closing Catania airport was no ones fault, British Airways did nothing whatsoever to help us find a replacement flight, in the end we had to find one through Expedia and fly back with Easyjet at considerable expense to ourselves. We did try to contact Exodus for any advice or help they might give, but had zero response, not your best moment.

Most Inspirational Moment

Getting back home with no help from Exodus or British Airways

Thoughts on Group Leader

Excellent

Advice for Potential Travellers

Don't rely on Exodus to book your flights, ours kept changing, and as they were very early outwards and very late return we had booked hotel rooms, but they resulted in staying at the wrong Heathrow terminal on departure, and paying extra because we had to change the dates. On return the Hotel we had booked at Gatwick was superfluous as the flight was cancelled and we flew to Luton 12 hours later.

Peter Cross

Reviewed May 2023

Etna in action!

This is a fantastic tour if you’re interested in both the food and the history of Sicily, as the tour combines both of them very well. The trip manages to pack so much in, every day there is something new to see, a new place to visit and a new tasting experience. The tour hops from hotel to hotel, using 5 different establishments, everything from small boutique style, to a holiday village with dome shaped bungalows and a 2 night stay in a large hotel complex on the outskirts of Catania. My week was full of a few unexpected things! Lost luggage between Milan & Palmero airports, absolute torrential rain on day 1 while in Palmero, an abandoned walk on Etna due to more extreme weather and to top it off an eruption of Etna on my departure day which coated Catania & the airport in a layer of black volcanic ash! This resulted in the airport being closed, several flight changes and finally getting home 2 days later than planned! It’s a packed itinerary, some early morning starts and a lot of distance covered in the bus. A good guide book together with the trip notes will help you no end.

Most Inspirational Moment

Lots of moments to mention. Visiting a mountain village to learn how to make pasta, the whole village was covered in thick fog! The visit to Ragusa, a perfectly beautiful town, I wished we’d had a little more time there. Being in Catania when Etna erupted! Although she ruined my return home, as a bit of a volcano enthusiast it was a bit of a special moment being part of that.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Alessio was a superb group leader. As an original native of Palmero himself, his knowledge of Sicily was unsurpassed. I found him informative, a great story teller and I appreciated that he shared a lot about life in Sicily as a real local, it gave what he said true authenticity. He very clearly knows his job, and seems to know someone familiar in every town! I liked that Alessio wasn’t overbearing as a group leader, if people wanted a bit of ‘space’ away from the group there was always time to do this.