3 independent reviews for Walking vacation in Crete
Reviews for Walking vacation in Crete
Nicola Buckland review 9 May 2022
1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your vacation?
The walk from Louttro up to the village and down through the gorge to the beach. We also enjoyed the Zaros gorge.2. What tips would you give other travelers booking this vacation?
If traveling early in the season pack warm clothes for the evenings.3. Did you feel that your vacation benefited local people, reduced environmental impacts or supported conservation?
Only by eating in local restaurants and sleeping in locally owned hotels4. Finally, how would you rate your vacation overall?
The walking part of the vacation was very good. However the itinerary was changed by the guide. There was no group meal on Day 1, this was a poor start to a group vacation. Day 2 was a wasted day, if people wanted to spend a day in Chania they should arrive on an earlier flight. We didn’t want to hang around in Chania until 4pm. There was no walk offered on Day 2. Day 3 was supposed to be the Samaria gorge, this wasn’t open for the season, it wasn’t closed because of the weather it hadn’t been made safe after the winter, which I would expect Explore to be aware of and not offer it as part of the itinerary so early in the season (not the Guides fault). The Sunday transfer/ rest day was badly managed with too much empty time in the morning and a rushed afternoon with a late arrival at the hotel. Our guide was very personable but did not give information in a clear or timely manner, he was a poor communicator and didn’t judge the mood of the group particularly well. I could expand further on this if you wished. I don’t believe he was carrying a first aid kit on the walks. I sometimes felt it was his vacation as much as ours. I would recommend walking in Crete and would give the walking days a rating of 4 or even 5. However given that the activities didn’t begin until the afternoon of Day 3 and this was all well within the control of the tour operator combined with the poor timing on the transfer day and our earlier comments on the approach of our guide we only feel able to rate the overall vacation as 2/5 which is a shame because the days that were good were very good.Read the operator's response here:
Hi Nicola, thank you for providing us with some feedback from your vacation. It’s great to see you were able to enjoy some of the highlights and are happy to recommended this trip. I’m sorry to see certain aspects of the itinerary and your leader has not lived up to your expectations. Rest assured your comments have been noted and will be reviewed by the Product Manager in conjunction with our Ground Agent and your Leader to look at ways we can address some of your concerns. Your feedback is very valuable to us and we appreciated the time you have taken and the opportunity to put things right.
Mai Ryan review 13 Jun 2016
1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your vacation?
The most surprising part was becoming aware that the vacation that Responsible Travel had recommended , far from being gentle walks in the upland meadows of Crete, was a serious walking vacation, suited to seasoned hikers - not elderly women interested in wildlife. This only became clear on receipt of the detailed itinaary after insurance and final payment were already made, and flights booked.2. What tips would you give other travelers booking this vacation?
Try if you can actually speak to someone on the phone, ask for information about your concerns. If you live in the UK it might even be possible to go to an office and speak with someone. Internet communicates only superficial information, and may mislead.3. Did you feel that your vacation benefited local people, reduced environmental impacts or supported conservation?
Our group stayed in hotels owned by local people in Crete. A Cretan guide would have been good, but we had a (very able, pleasant ) Ukeranian guide.4. Finally, how would you rate your vacation overall?
okAnne Robson review 2 Oct 2013
1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your vacation?
The beautiful scenery, excellent guide and amazing Greek food.2. What tips would you give other travelers booking this vacation?
The walking can be quite challenging due to the terrain, but there are options and you don't need to do all the walks - however I'd recommend them if you can.3. Did you feel that your vacation benefited local people, reduced environmental impacts or supported conservation?
Stayed in locally run hotels and ate at local restaurants.4. Finally, how would you rate your vacation overall?
Excellent!Holiday Reviews
You can trust Responsible Travel reviews because, unlike many other schemes, reviews can ONLY be written by people who we have verified have been on the holidays. In addition, we don't run these holidays ourselves - our only interest is giving you the best independent advice.
