Collette

Service rating : Great tour. Well organized. Tour director and bus driver were outstanding. Good mix of organized tours and yet plenty of free time to explore on our own. Good choice of restaurants. Good city local guides. Loved having the whisper headphones. Well handled hotel check in and check outs. We like the choices of hotels. We would have like an additional day in Krakow, because there is so much to see. The city tour in Krakow happened to be on the day the Leonardo painting was closed, which was very unfortunate. We really wanted to see the Leonardo, and an additional day would have done that. We took a private guided tour, and the tour director arranged that for us. Product : Concentration camp tour should be experienced by everyone. Gdansk was a real surprise, as well as the Teutonic knight castles.

Service rating : The experience from leaving the house,the entire trip to the return home was professionally delivered. Product : Poland is a wonderful country just lifting itself from the yoke of Communism. The last of the combatant countries from WW2 to start to rebuild itself it is alive with memories of that conflict. It has a much greater history than that and this now being portrayed sympathetically.

Service rating : Our glorious leader was a joy to be under the care of. She was knowledgeable, caring, and fun. (this has not always been our experience with others) She showed us how to open a lobster,... her instructions were so clear we got it right the very first time. She mother-henned without being obvious about it,.. making sure Everyone was comfortable and secure, she is definitely one of the Very best we have ever trusted our vacations with :D I grew up in Cape Cod, and was delighted to discover that little has changed in the area since I was a child,.. Even the John Alden shop is still there as it was when I was 6 (60 years ago) and I made a pilgrimage there for Salt Water Taffy, a favorite of my mother's (from there) when I was a child (my 1 pound bag of vanilla is now gone,... I enjoyed every yummy morsel of it) Product : We actually prefer European tours, as US ones could potentially be a road trip,... but then we'd still have the hassle of planning each night's lodging and activities. When we go on a trip, the one thing we do NOT want,... is to 'work' and deal with the stress and strain of getting around and trying to get into places. Plimoth Plantation was a 'must See' for us, as we are both long-time historical reenactors, with a passion for history and the old crafts. This time of year the village is barely manned, so was somewhat of a ghost-town (we made a road-trip there about 8 years ago in June and found the place to be bustling with much more to see and costumed reenactors to interact with) but the buildings are still there and a scattering of local characters,.... but for anyone wanting the complete experience of it, we can highly recommend you see it during the middle of Summer when the experience is pure Magic ! It was because of Plimoth Plantation that as a 6 year old on a school field-trip, I became enchanted with the idea of growing up to become a historical reenactor, and actually LIVING History. I am now over 34 years as a reenactor and a fine woodcarver who uses Only traditional tools,... my husband is a Black Smith,... I hand-sew and embroider historical clothing and we both have made many of our own shoes also. (Our European travels are primarily to museums and historical places we research)

Service rating : Efficient tours, great tour guide and bus driver Product : Restaurant at the resort on Cape Cod was only fair.

Service rating : We had a great time. It was a learning experience. A very interesting tour. Product : Tour guide, Erin, was wonderful.

Service rating : Wonderful, I traveled here in the USA with them before. Product : This was the second time I took this same tour. I took my daughter, two grand-daughters ages 91/2 and 14 years old for the wonderful history of our great America. I have not been disappointed at all with this Collette tour, it was better than the first time 6 years ago. All hotels and meals were excellent. Collette does the very best for their clients, helped with all handicapped people on the tour.

Service rating : We were completely satisfied with everything provided by Collette. From the time we landed in Providence until we took off from Boston, all details of the trip were handled for us. We had an exceptional tour guide and bus driver, and got the most for our money. We have no complaints about Collette and frequently sing the praises of the company to others seeking to travel. Product : We had a brief problem with a moldy shower curtain at the Hilton, but all we had to do was bring it to the attention of Hotel Management & the situation was corrected. Brenda went above and beyond as a Tour Manager. She professional, knows her stuff, and has everything under control. This tour was excellent! We come home not only having a great trip, but feeling we had learned a great deal of new information about this country.

I just completed the Costa Rican adventure tour. It far exceeded my (already high) expectations! My tour guide Ricardo Howell made the trip educational in addition to entertaining (he set the bar very high for any tour guides I interact with in the future, as I would give him an 11 out of 10). He was very accomodating and made everyone feel welcome. I never felt uncomfortable or alone even though I was traveling by myself. There is really something for everyone on this trip. If you're not interested in learning about the culture, history, agriculture, geography, flora, and fauna of the country, you can just take in the views and enjoy the activities. If you're anything like me, however, you will find the information provided to be an excellent bonus for the trip. All of the information was presented in an interesting (often funny) manner that keeps you begging for more. Honestly, I wish my teachers in school had his style. I never thought I would care to learn the intricacies of shade grown coffee techniques, but it was fascinating! Ricardo was very well educated and very knowledgeable about every aspect of the trip. Knowing the background and history really enhanced the trip for me as it enhanced my appreciation.

The tour includes amazing scenery, with plenty of time to take all the breathtaking shots you need. You do a lot of traveling, so you get to experience multiple ecosystems. This trips provides a lot of variety for those who are easily bored! All of the hotels were clean and comfortable, with necessary amenities such as television, pools (or natural hot springs!), and wi-fi. The tour is pretty light on activity for a healthy/young adult, but there is some walking/hiking and even the older adults on the trip were able to enjoy it. You won't regret the effort, however, when you get to view the cloud forest from the canopy! It is also a birdwatcher's paradise, as we were able to see a large variety of birds, even though we did not get to see a quetzal. There are also a large variety of mammals and reptiles: in one day I was able to see multiple lizards, caimans, sloths, bats, and two species of monkeys. There are also multiple side trips available. I was able to enjoy a cruise and go snorkeling, where I was able to see an octopus, an eagle ray, dolphins, and multiple tropical fish. I also feel that zip-lining through the canopy is a must do. Additionally, the hotels had lovely views, from the Pacific Ocean to the Arenal Springs Volcano. Last, but not least, the food was excellent. I did not have a meal there that I did not enjoy (including all the fruit you could want). For the picky eaters, most restaurants have Italian food (though I think it defeats the purpose to eat food you could eat at home).

I have taken many outstanding trips with Collette, and have recently returned from another excellent experience on their Best of Eastern Canada tour. This tour spends time in Montreal, Quebec City, Toronto, Ottawa--and Niagara Falls.

I think this trip has a fine itinerary, with some amazing cities. The hotels were just top notch, with excellent locations. I heard comments about how much people were surprised by, and appreciated, the free time to explore on their own, and the hotel locations make that possible. One of the things I always appreciate in Collette itineraries! There is freedom to really get out and explore, for those who are active travelers.

The pacing was good, included sites were good. We added a pre-night in Montreal, coming from the west coast, which really helps, and gave people a nice day to see things on their own. Our Tour Manager, Nadine, was a great help in giving people ideas in ways to use their free day. Your new approach to included meals is terrific! It's nice to be able to go to local restaurants, and even to have choices of those in some places.

I enjoyed going to the maple "Sugar Shack", and the really lovely sightseeing cruise in the 1000 Islands, especially--it's nice to see things outside of the cities, and places that an average tourist might not see on their own. Probably the one place that we would have enjoyed more time was in Ottawa.

One thing about this trip is that it gives a feeling of being in another country, without the being so far from home. It was a great destination! Thanks for providing a terrific experience!

I have been on numerous tours before, with different companies, and the one to Classica Italy was by far the worst I have ever been on. First off the tour manager didn't know Italy well enough to lead a tour. If you did not elect to pay the extra $400 for the optional tours, you would have seen NOTHING. Included tours were a joke - a high end jewelry store and high end leather shop in Florence. High spot was pizza making the first night, but things went downhill from there. Rome by Night ($85) was a waste of money. Tour mgr couldn't tell us what we were seeing. Had to pay the extra ($85) to go to the Vatican Museum and St Peter's Basilica. We were rushed thru so fast we could not enjoy it. No Pisa because the tour mgr said it was flooded. WRONG! Two couples went on the train , on their own and had a wonderful day - no flood. Our Tuscan Fiest ($85) was cut short by two courses becase the bus driver needed his sleep. This came from the tour mgr.
Some days we only had breakfast and on other days we had two huge meals, not including breakfast. Very poor planning.
Many of the older travelers had trouble with all the walking on the cobbles. One traveler in a wheelchair missed out on many of the events. We walked and walked and walked. We would be dumped by the city centers and then would have to walk back to our hotels.
Enough said - it was terrible except for the wonderful people on the tour. Tour mgr was the worst

Travelers--When shopping for a future tour look for the name COLLETTE! Although the tour to Costa Rica was my first experience with Collette it won't be my last. The Collette tour group is the "real deal"--what's advertised is what you get plus more! I have no idea how Collette screens applications for their tour guide positions, but they must have a secret to weed out only the best candidates. Ricardo Howell is the sole-reason our trip was so memorable and outstanding. Ricardo was like a talking textbook no matter the subject! I felt like I had successfully passed "Introduction to Costa Rica 101" by the end of the tour. Thank you Ricardo. Thank you Collette for developing a travel experience that is well-organized, educational, and pleasurable all at the same time.

I loved my latest trip with Collette: Greece and It's Islands. Everything went very smoothly thanks to our fabulous tour manager Liz DeStefano. She made sure we were aware of everything that was going to happen , so nothing was ever a shock to us. The ferries were a little hectic,but Liz told us what to expect before hand so we all did fine. Greece was on my bucket list and it was even better than I imagined. How can you not have a great time, when somebody else is doing all the work for you. Collette keep up the good work, and make sure you keep Liz on as a tour manager.

I have taken over 10 tours with this company and enjoyed them. However, they will not transport to or from Boston which is the nearest international airport. Stopped touring with them for that reason.

Our tour guide, Jeanine, was phenomenal in Austria, Germany, and Switzerland. We had an absolutely incredible experience. Thank you Collette!