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We
pride ourselves for being the specialists for self-guided walking
& sightseeing holidays here in Liguria and along the Italian
Rivieras. We are based here, we breathe the air daily and have
a great passion to share with you our local knowledge to make
your holiday just that little bit special.
Click
here to VIEW GALLERIES OF CLIENT HOLIDAY PHOTOS. |
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Holiday: WC05 - PONENTE RIVIERA WALKS (Guided) |
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First of all thanks for planning an excellent holiday which we both enjoyed. It was good to meet you and Steve and the individual attention was much appreciated, especially as we were new to Italy.
The walks were excellent and at just the right level for us; the one to Cervo was especially appreciated as we would not have had the confidence to follow this ourself in a region we didn't know. We had no trouble following the Albenga to Alassio self-guided walk. Your personal attention such as helping with obtaining tickets, etc. was also appreciated. The knowldge you and Steve had of Italy and the region was also very useful (so much better to go somewhere and here about it from the 'locals'), although perhaps you should brush up on your knowledge of the flora!!
The choice of accommodation was good. The hotel was a high standard with excellent facilities. We also felt the choice of Alassio as a base was a good one, right for the time of year as there was plenty to see and do in the evenings.
As we discussed, encoraging more 'green' travel by train from the UK would be good (we had no difficulty getting back after an overnight stay in Paris) and possibly a marketing niche.
We don't have time for a lot of holidays so we did appreciate this one and would certainly recommend it to others. Jane is now reading another Annie Hawes book so you never know, we may be back again at some future point, probably again in the winter.
Thanks
Tony and Jane |
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Tony & Jane, Yorkshire, England |
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Holiday: WC01 - WALKING the CINQUE TERRE |
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We had a fantastic holiday, and both agreed that we would definitely like to do it again – and soon. Both hotels were good and it was lovely to have all your rail tickets all organised, so that you just had to pick up the instructions and start walking.
I thought Manarola was going to be too small, but we thoroughly enjoyed living like a local and in fact when we moved to Sestri, it seemed almost too big and brash after the quietness and serenity of Manarola.
All the walks were great, though it looked like they had been written by different people, so some were better to navigate than others. Can I urge you to remove the word “soon” from the walking instructions and insert the number of meters instead? In some of the walks “soon” meant instantly and in other “soon” could mean a good 10 minutes away, so, much anxious time was spent double checking to make sure that we hadn’t missed anything. Also I liked it when the walks had a synopsis at the beginning, telling you the length in kilometres, the level of assent etc. along with a short précis on what you could expect.
A previous holiday maker suggested splitting the walking instructions up so that they were easier to carry. I can only agree. We ended up numbering all the pages and then tearing them out of the book. A plastic wallet would be great too for those wet days.
We had a little trouble on the way back, as the man in Genova Brignole bus station told us that the nr 100 bus to the airport no longer stopped at Genova Brignole and that we would have to get a 30 bus to Genova Principe and pick it up from there. There was a fair on that day, which may have caused buses to be diverted, but perhaps you should double check for others.
All in all a great holiday which more then exceeded our expectations.
Thanks
Sue |
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Sue Redpath, London, England |
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Holiday: WC01 - WALKING the CINQUE TERRE |
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Home again, after a wonderful two weeks in Italy - thankfully, yesterday was a glorious day here, with not a cloud in the sky, so we took the dog out for the day, onto the hills, to prolong the holiday mood! Today not so great, but improving.
The Cinque Terre was really great - our first time in that region, but certainly not our last! The scenery, of course, is spectacular, and we were really pretty lucky with the weather - one day which turned drizzly, and one night which produced so much rain and flooding that we had to jiggle around the walks for next day. Other than that, it was hot (sometimes too hot for those climbs!) and sunny. In particular, the route from Sanctuario Saviore to Sanctuario di Reggio was just a magical experience, with views, wild flowers (even in late September) butterflies, and we had it completely to ourselves, meeting the first two people just as we reached the road at the end - a nice change from the coastal trail, especially the section from Monterosso - Vernazza which is very popular! A couple of points;
1) We had a problem with pathfinding coming out of San Fruttuoso - we think that one of the signs may have been changed/shifted. We were using Itinerary 2 ( really fancied Itinerary 3, but in the last couple of years, I seem to have developed a minor problem with 'raw' heights, so heeded your warning re the via ferrata).
We left the courtyard at the tower, continuing up the steps to the left, as per instructions. Kept waiting to see the right fork "where you must follow the red dots at a wooden post and blue sign with a yellow arrow pointing to the right, with directions to Base O". Sounds fairly obvious! - but we kept going on and seeing none of these signs. Didn't know just what you might have meant by "Soon after", but after a good 30-45 minutes of clambering upwards we reckoned we must have overshot. A closer study of the map we had bought showed that we must now be well on the way up what looked like a dead-end track up to 'Sorgenti Caselle' and Bocche di San Lorenzo, so turned back. On the way down, almost back at the courtyard, we saw what must have been the correct path going fairly level, on the far side of small ravine, and finally located the start of this path - sure enough, a right fork off the path we had taken, but we still couldn't see either the red dots on a wooden post or the blue sign with a yellow arrow, plus which, the entrance to the path was fairly overgrown, and not particularly obvious. At this point, overheated and well behind time, we gave up, and went back down to San Fruttuoso to get the boat back!
We could only assume that someone had removed the post and dragged the vegetation over the start of the path for some reason - perhaps as a joke on mates who were following behind them. This is obviously nothing to do with Xtralussion, but just thought that perhaps you should be aware of it?
2) Would you consider either including a published map as part of your package? - or else giving recommendations for people wishing to purchase those maps covering the appropriate areas? Being used to the Scottish hills, we always feel safer with a map and compass, and had bought one of the Cinque terre and one of Tigullio/Parco di Portofino. The latter was on a bit too tight a scale, unfortunately, plus which I had mislaid my specs, which is why we hadn't studied it closely enough at an earlier stage, to prevent the problem above! [ Xtrallusion now supply maps to all those on our self-guided walking holidays. ]
3) It would have been really useful to have had the day's walking notes in a removeable, more portable fashion, rather than having the choice of carting the whole folder with us each day, or tearing out the day's notes and risking getting them out of order/dropping a page, or whatever.
4) Again, nothing to do with Xtralussion, really, but if you are chatting to hotels, perhaps you could suggest that us Brits (+ Aussies+Kiwis, etc!) might appreciate having some English language TV channel - other than the eternal CNN? The last thing I want to relax with on holiday is the American take on the world situation!
These are the only suggestions that we would make - everything else worked like clockwork, including the train system ( which seemed to surprise every Italian to whom we mentioned it!) We were also very grateful for your extra help in sorting out the transfers to Bardolino which, again, worked just fine. We're thoroughly converted to train travel now.
Both hotels - in Manarola and in Sestri Levante were excellent. Staff were helpful and welcoming, and both were very clean. In particular, the family run hotel in Manarola must be one of the most spotless places I have ever stayed in, the room and bathroom were both spacious, and - everything worked! The family were reticent at first, but the signora started chatting away with us in Italian, we replied in English,. we seemed to understand one another, then her son became more confident of his English and we were soon communicating just fine. We were given a bottle of their own wine as a parting gift. Just about everyone we dealt with in Manarola, shops, restaurants, etc., was really friendly - it's a great wee place, and we'd certainly hope to stay there again.
We very much appreciated having an emergency number to call, if it had been necessary, and also appreciated your 'phone call on the Sunday morning to check if we had been affected by the awful weather further west.
Sorry this is such a lengthy epistle - just wanted to give you our thoughts, in case they are of any interest or help to you in building up the business. We will certainly recommend you to several friends who are interested in the same sort of holidays as we are.
Thanks again for all your help! and all best wishes,
Janice |
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Janice Menzies, Scotland. |
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Holiday: WC01 - WALKING the CINQUE TERRE |
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Apologies for not getting back earlier but work and life has just been hectic. We had a marvellous time and thoroughly enjoyed our exploration of the Ligurian coastline. Our holiday in Sestri Levante was enhanced by your excellent and very detailled walking guides. We used public transport - trains and boats and found all your guidance very helpful.
Many thanks, Vivien |
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Vivien Kelly, Ireland. |
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Holiday: WC01 - WALKING the CINQUE TERRE |
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Hi, Susan,
Currently relaxing on a balcony overlooking Lago di Garda, digesting yet another good meal and nursing a badly-swollen foot - the result of an insect bite and the only negative thing about our entire week in the Cinque Terre! Typing this on a Blackberry mini screen and will email you properly once home, but all very positive, plus which your suggestions for train transfers to Bardolino worked very well!
Thanks for it all,
Janice |
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Janice Menzies, Scotland. |
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Holiday: AA02 - SUMMER ACTIVITY BREAK |
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From the moment we arrived in Genova, we knew from Mike's friendly enthusiasm that we were going to have a good time. For us one of the best things about the holiday was going to some beautiful places off the beaten track, which visitors would never know about, with a real local, who was English speaking. This gave us the best of local knowledge but with ease of language.
All the activities were great fun, from swimming in river pools to exploring the area on bikes. The trusty Defender took us through valleys and hills, getting to some quite remote places. I loved the flexibility of Xtrallusion, in that we could add extra days, do different things. Our last day was spent in Pisa, enjoying this beautiful city. Mike had told us that it was like a big village, which we couldn't understand until we got there, and it really was.
We have all had such a fantastic time and I cannot imagine there being another company which could have allowed us such a relaxed, friendly, flexible, but well organised holiday.
Pam, Lyndsey and Pieran.
Post Script: Everything went great in Pisa. I didn't like having hundreds of tourists around though after the other Italy that we had been experiencing earlier in Liguria. Hotel was really good. We really weren't expecting the quality of hotels you booked for the price. Don't know how you do it !! It is quite warm here so didn't feel too bad when we got off the plane. Nice to be home in some ways, but wanted to see so much more of your area, which is stunning.
Thank you again so much for really making our holiday special. I am so glad that I stumbled on your web site. I wish you every success with the business, as long as you don't expand so much that you lose that infectious enthusiasm and personal touch. The extra things that you put in such as the off road experience and the long way home so we could see more of the area, were appreciated.(despite the sickness !)We all felt you were our friend, not a holiday company. Thanks Mike |
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Pam, Lake District. |
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Holiday: ER003 - PONENTE RIVIERA TOWNS & the CINQUE TERRE |
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Nice to meet you in person in Laigueglia. On our last day an old man was able to confirm the place I thought could have been San Georgio Hotel in 1965 was indeed it. Now apartments. Yes we had a lovely time - just great. Especially loved family hotels in Laigueglia and Manarola, but will give you more feedback on our stay later. Walked the Cinque Terre from Levanto to Riomaggiere. Dympna especially loved Manarola - she would like to send you the testimony. I especially liked the personal service provided, including meeting up with you on that first day in Laigueglia.
A most enjoyable stay.
It only remains for Australia to beat Italy, progress further, and knock England out of the World Cup !!!
Thanks again,
Tom |
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Tom McCann, Tasmania, Australia |
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Holiday: WC01 - WALKING the CINQUE TERRE |
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I had a great time in Italy it was just what I was looking for. I liked the fact that the region isn't particularly geared up towards the English speaking tourist but most Italians spoke enough English for me to get by and their English was certainly better than my Italian!
The Hotel was nice and comfortable and the staff were pleasant. The part of Sestri Levante that the hotel is situated in couldn't be much better both in terms of the views and access to the town. Sestri Levante itself is probably one of the best places to stay as its very picturesque but also big enough to be interesting for a weeks stay (or longer).
The itineraries were really good and more than enough walks detailed to fill a weeks holiday. The Cinque Terre was a fantastic part of the world the walks were great and the five villages quite stunning in an old world quaint way. They were very busy with tourists and I can imagine that it would get a little crowded in the peak summer months.
The other walks in the itineraries came as an added surprise and really did add to the holiday. Places like Portofino, Camogli and Santa Margherita and the coastal path to Punta Manara were all breath-takingly beautiful places to walk & see. In fact considering how well all the little resorts are served by the coast hugging railway you really could promote the whole stretch of coastline as worth visiting - helped by the cheapness of train travel there. As it happens my only gripe would be the train times. I found that sometimes even with the timetables included it was difficult to understand when or if a train was running and to which destination. And the screens on the platforms didn't always make sense. That said I didn't have any major problems.
Tony. |
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Tony, London. |
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Enjoy
relaxed, independent walking holidays
in Italy
along the Italian Rivieras using self-guided itineraries. Explore
the beautiful mediterranean countryside and coastal mountains
by foot taking in some of the regions most famous and magnificent
towns and coast - the Cinque Terre, Portofino, Genova (Genoa), Santa Margherita, Rapallo, San Fruttuoso,
Camogli, Chiavari, Sestri Levante, Vernazza, Manarola, Riomaggiore, Monterosso al Mare,
Corniglia, Portovenere, Savona, Spotorno, Noli, Finale, Alassio, Imperia, San Remo and it's national parks to name but
a few. |
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www.xtrallusion.com |
Xtrallusion
Holidays |
info@xtrallusion.com |
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UK
0845 0944 669 |
...with
local knowledge 'in the bag' |
World
+44 1212 886044 |
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Holidays & Adventures
in Italy and on the Italian Rivieras |
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Xtrallusion offers
a selection of self-guided & escorted walking holidays in
Italy. |
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